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Guest Post from Wendy Wax

Top 10 Reasons to Spend Time at TEN BEACH ROAD in October

TEN BEACH ROAD is hitting the shelves anew this month as part of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Penguin Group’s READ PINK® program.

The READ PINK® program was created by my publisher, Penguin Group (USA) to promote public awareness of breast cancer and breast cancer research and to support and recognize the contributions of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation®(BCRF) by connecting the cause to books written by, for and about women.

For the past two years, Penguin’s Read Pink donation has sponsored 500 hours of research time and I’m incredibly proud and honored to have my book on the shelves with the Read Pink Seal on the cover and information about BCRF in the back of the book.

But… it’s October! My books usually hit the stores when temperatures are rising, school is out and we’re either headed to the beach or at least daydreaming about sand, surf and sun. So this got me thinking about what makes a book a beach book, and why we should throw caution to the wind and read them all year long. After all, if some fashionista somewhere can decree that white pants are acceptable all year long, then why can’t we do the same with beach books?

Not convinced? Well, let me share my “Top 10 Reasons to Spend Time at TEN BEACH ROAD in October” list with you and see if we can get on the same page. (Pun fully intended!)

1. Since school is back in session, it’s important to set a good example for your kids by reading. If you pick up TEN BEACH ROAD, you’ll be enjoying a sweat-soaked summer with Maddie, Nicole, and Avery as they rehab a dilapidated beachfront mansion in Pass-a-Grille, Florida. Your kids will just think you are very smart and studious.

2. If you need something to warm you up, the men of TEN BEACH ROAD are hot.

3. Now that I think about it, I’m not sure why books that really take you away are necessary in the summer. What better time for a good mental escape to the beach than a cold, rainy day in October?

4. When you’re looking ahead to long cold months with the sun setting earlier and earlier each day, you can at least feel good that you have not lost everything in a Madoff-style Ponzi scheme like the women of TEN BEACH ROAD.

5. If your neighborhood is getting too cold and windy for DIY projects, you can read about Maddie, Nicole and Avery’s work on Bella Flora and just tell your hubby that you’re in the “planning stages” for next spring and summer.

6. Did I mention that there are some hot guys in TEN BEACH ROAD?

7. Reading beach books in the summer can make you feel bad about not being quite bikini ready… but in October, you can pull out a big cozy sweater and some chocolate cake and know you have months before you have to worry about that again!

8. If beach vacations are not just for summer, then beach books shouldn’t be either. October is actually a good time to head to the beaches in Florida. The crowds have thinned and the temperatures are still warm. You could leave the kids with Dad, grab your girlfriends, a few copies of TEN BEACH ROAD and call it a book club weekend!

9. Friendships are timeless, and so are troubles. TEN BEACH ROAD is the story of three women who are thrown together when they lose everything. It could be set in Aspen in March, Boston in December or Dubuque in May. The story is about the women, their lives, and their bond. So reading it in October wherever you live will work. I promise.

10. I think I have mentioned that there are some hot guys in the book, but it bears repeating! If you’re looking for a way to warm up, there’s nothing better than picturing Joe Giraldi running shirtless on the beach. (Not sure who Joe is? Pick up the READ PINK® edition of TEN BEACH ROAD to find out)!

So, show the world the kind of woman you really are: brave, fearless, and bold. Wear white pants after Labor Day, drink a Piña Colada in December and proudly show off your copy of TEN BEACH ROAD in October. You’ll be the envy of the neighborhood, and you can be proud knowing you’re supporting a great cause!

Future Tour: Bouquet Toss by Melissa Brown

Melissa will be on tour January 14-21 with her novel Bouquet Toss Ever since Daphne Harper graduated from college, all of her friends have fallen…

Mary Indiana by Anneke Campbell

I am happy to be kicking of Anneke Campbell’s CLP Blog Tour for Mary Indiana! I found a lot of humor in this book, and kept thinking what a genius Campbell was for this plot concept. I wondered if it would be kind of a cheesy read, trying to teach the story of Mary and the virgin birth of Jesus, but it wasn’t that way at all. It was a very modern tale of young girl who gets pregnant somehow even though she is a virgin, and the people who decide to help her. Some wonder if this is the new Mary, if the second coming is truly on the brink of happening. Others wonder if it’s a sign that 2012 will bring the end of the world as we know it. Others simply call it a miracle. But what is the true story behind the girl dubbed Mary and her stunning situation – a true miracle – or something else?
Again, I found this book to be very funny, nothing real religious or cheesy that I thought it could be, and a very interesting plot that had me thinking (and laughing) after I closed the book. I compared it to how the media seems to run our world – how they can take a story and just run with it (cough, A-Rod not playing in the playoffs, this Honey Boo Boo phenom, cough). News of Mary spread fast and everyone had their own take on it. Parents came forward trying to claim Mary as their child, the possibility of aliens in the midst was there, and the use of blogs and social media heightened this “miracle.” I think this is a book to check out so you can form your own opinion on Mary’s story, and hopefully get a few chuckles!
[Rating: 4]

Sex, Lies & Hot Tubs by Elissa Ambrose

Elissa Ambrose is now on tour with CLP Blog Tours and Sex, Lies & Hot Tubs. What a book! You know you are engrossed in a story when you have your Kindle balanced on your laptop so you can sneak in sentences while working! I think that is the definition of “not being able to put a book down.” I had a great time with this book and the characters that filled the pages. Ellen Dunwell is our MC, a mother, a wife, a friend, and a high school teacher. She stumbled upon her husband’s – a dermatology doctor- affair in the past with his receptionist, and now she has a suspicion that he is back to his usual ways. When he goes missing, the mystery is amped. Did her really take off with a new girlfriend? What about his shady new side business Ellen thinks he got involved in – could something have taken a wrong turn in that aspect? Ellen is also dealing with a hormone-charged, angst-ridden teenage daughter calling for attention, as well as her students, her friends, and a Peeping Tom neighbor.
There is a lot going on in this book, but I never felt confused or unable to get into a sub-plot. Ambrose gives readers mystery, humor, suspense, sex, and a quick-pace that made me finish this within two days. I really don’t want to give anything away because there is plenty of shock-able moments, but I can’t recommend this book more. A big 5 star review for me, and another to add to my Favorites List!
[Rating: 5]

Blog Tour Sign Up: SkinnyTinis by Teresa Marie Howes

Teresa will be on tour withSkinnyTinis,a book filled with skinny/cocktail recipes in January. I am looking for bloggers to review the book, or share a…

On Tour: November Surprise by Laurel Osterkamp

Laurel will be on tour October 22- November 12 with her novel November Surprise Twenty years Six presidential elections Two brothers One consuming love affair…

In My Mailbox: Week of October 21

In Samantha’s Mailbox:

Title: Whispers in Autumn

Author: Trisha Leigh

Received: Via CLP Blog Tours

Synopsis: In 2015, a race of alien Others conquered Earth. They enslaved humanity not by force, but through an aggressive mind control that turned people into contented, unquestioning robots.

Except sixteen-year-old Althea isn’t content at all, and she doesn’t need the mysterious note inside her locket to tell her she’s Something Else. It also warns her to trust no one, so she hides the pieces that make her different, even though it means being alone.

The autumn she meets Lucas, everything changes.

Althea and Lucas are immune to the alien mind control, and together they search for the reason why. What they uncover is a stunning truth the Others never anticipated, one with the potential to free the brainwashed human race.

It’s not who they are that makes them special, but what.

And what they are is a threat. One the Others are determined to eliminate for good.

Title: Happily Ever Madder

Author: Stephanie McAfee

Received: From Penguin Group

Synopsis: Diary of a Mad Fat Girl’s plus-sized spitfire Graciela “Ace” Jones returns in a hilarious new adventure from New York Times bestselling author Stephanie McAfee.

Ace has left the tiny Mississippi town of Bugtussle for the palm fronds and mojitos of Pelican Cove, Florida. She’s finally opening her long-dreamed-of art gallery, is kick-starting a life with her fiancé, Mason, and has vowed to leave her straight-talking, sassy ways behind her. From now on, she’s going to be as sweet as sugar. Unfortunately, something comes along to sour her plans.

That something is Mrs. Lenore Kennashaw and her coterie of crones. They’re a bunch of snippy, snarky, and just plain mean ’ol ladies who aren’t quite as smart or rich as they’d like to think they are. But that doesn’t stop them from treating everyone else like second-class citizens. And when Ace inadvertently takes some of the steam from Mrs. Kennashaw’s stride, she becomes their #1 enemy. But with the support of a new group of fabulous friends, as well as her friends from Bugtussle—and her always-faithful chiweenie Buster Loo—Ace will find a way to make it, even if she has to throw some weight around…

Title: Dating Da Vinci

Author: Malena Lott

Received: Unsolicited

Synopsis: A gorgeous young Italian, with nowhere to go . . .

His name just happens to be Leonardo da Vinci. When he walks into Ramona Elise’s English class, he’s a twenty-five-year-old immigrant, struggling to forge a new life in America – but he’s lonely, has nowhere to live, and barely speaks English . . .

She knows she shouldn’t take him home . . .

Picking up the pieces of her life after the death of her beloved husband, linguist and teacher Ramona Elise can’t help but be charmed by her gorgeous new student. And when he calls her “Mona Lisa” she just about loses her heart . . .
In Sara’s Mailbox:

Title: Pursuing the Times

Author: Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Received: Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Synopsis: All that popular Chick-Lit author Mercury Lauren wants is to have one of her books reviewed by the New York Times Book Review – just one – and she’ll do almost anything to get it. In this contemporary romantic comedy, with a nod toward Pride and Prejudice she crosses swords and hearts with the Editor-in-Chief of the NYTBR in a madcap adventure that takes her from her home in Westport to a yoga retreat to a golf course in Florida. Will she get what she wants and will she finally be happy if she does? Only one thing’s for certain: nothing will stop her from Pursuing the Times.

Title: Kismetology

Author: Jaimie Admans

Received: Jaimie Admans

Synopsis: Finding the perfect man isn’t easy. Especially when it’s for your mother…

Mothers. Can’t live with them, can’t live without them, can’t live three doors down the road without them interfering in every aspect of your life.

Mackenzie Atkinson’s mother has meddled in her love life once too often and something has to be done. Mackenzie decides to turn the tables and find love for her lonely mother.
Her lonely and very fussy mother.
Surely finding an older gentleman looking for love won’t be that hard, right?
Wrong.
If you’ve ever thought that boys grow up, here’s the problem: They don’t. Ever.
And Mackenzie is about to learn that the hard way.

Faced with a useless boyfriend, dressed up dogs, men who wear welly boots on dates, men who shouldn’t be seen outside in daylight, and men who make reptiles seem like attractive company – will she ever find the perfect man for her neurotic mother?

Guest Post and Excerpt: Sex, Lies & Hot Tubs by Elissa …

Elissa Ambrose is now on tour with CLP Blog Tours and Sex, Lies & Hot Tubs. Please enjoy a guest post from Elissa and an…

Someone Else’s Fairytale by E.M. Tippetts

I received Someone Else’s Fairytale in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
Jason Vanderholt, Hollywood’s hottest actor, falls head over heels for everygirl, Chloe Winters, who hasn’t gotten around to watching most of his movies. She becomes the woman every other woman in America is dying to be, but it just isn’t her fairytale.
My Review:
I’ve always been a bit fascinated by celebrity couples where one is a celeb and one is not – Matt Damon always pop into my mind, or more recently – Kevin Jonas. What does that other person feel like when so many women would do anything to switch places with them? And can the celebrity ever feel like their partner truly loves them for them? Someone Else’s Fairytale was a really interesting read because of Jason and Chloe’s relationship. Chloe isn’t someone who buys into the whole celebrity world, which Jason is firmly rooted in. There are a lot of well-placed twists along the way that kept this already interesting story even more intriguing, and I thought all the characters¬¬–– even in the supporting cast––were well-developed and contributed nicely to the plot. I think chick lit fans would really enjoy this book!
[Rating: 4]