Chick Lit Plus by Samantha March

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In My Mailbox: Week of August 26
Chick Lit Plus

In My Mailbox: Week of August 26

In Samantha’s Mailbox:

Title: The Good Woman
Author: Jane Porter
Received: Erin @ Penguin Group
Synopsis: Is it possible to leave it all behind?

The firstborn of a large Irish-American family, Meg Brennan Roberts is a successful publicist, faithful wife, and doting mother who prides herself on always making the right decisions. But years of being “the good woman” have taken a toll and though her winery career thrives, Meg feels burned out and empty, and more disconnected than ever from her increasingly distant husband. Lonely and disheartened, she attends the London Wine Fair with her boss, ruggedly handsome vintner, Chad Hallahan. It’s here, alone together in an exotic city, far from “real” life, that Chad confesses his long-standing desire for Meg.

Overwhelmed, flattered, and desperately confused, Meg returns home, only to suddenly question every choice she’s ever made, especially that of her marriage. For Meg, something’s got to give, and for once in her life she flees her responsibilities—but with consequences as reckless and irreversible as they are liberating. Now she must decide whether being the person everyone needs is worth losing the woman she was meant to be.

Title: Mary Indiana
Author: Anneke Campbell
Received: via CLP Blog Tours
Synopsis: She’s eighteen and pregnant, but with a twist–the new kid in town’s barely been kissed! Could she really be a virgin? The town doc swears it’s true. There’s just GOTTA be an explanation.

But it’s not coming from Mary, as she’s quickly dubbed. She seems to have taken a vow of silence. So it’s up to the citizens of Bellingham to make their own miracles—or at least their own myths. The new celeb is instantly surrounded by hangers-on, miracle-seekers, paparazzi, preachers, and promoters—to hilarious effect.

But are they dealing with an angel here, or someone playing an angle? Con, in a word, or icon? And by the way, what’s up with that strange light in the sky? Could be she came off a spaceship.

Neither sacred nor profane, nor even paranormal, Campbell’s beautifully written book is at once funny and wise, a savvy story of how myths are made, how minds twist and turn around the extraordinary, how the human organism just can’t help grabbing for the supernatural, whether out of the spiritual need for a miracle or a mundane desire for cash.

Think Barbara Kingsolver, Margaret Atwood, Anne Tyler, only really really funny.

August 26, 2012
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On Tour: Dewitched by EL Sarnoff
CLP Blog Tours

On Tour: Dewitched by EL Sarnoff

EL Sarnoff will be on tour August 27-September 3 with her novel Dewitched After serving time for Snow White’s attempted murder, the Evil Queen is…

August 25, 2012
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Book Excerpt: This Tangled Thing Called Love by Marie Astor
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Book Excerpt: This Tangled Thing Called Love by Marie Astor

Marie Astor is on tour with CLP Blog Tours and This Tangled Thing Called Love. Please enjoy the excerpt below, check out my 4 star…

August 24, 2012
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Ripple the Twine by Jenn Flynn-Shon
Chick Lit Review

Ripple the Twine by Jenn Flynn-Shon

Jenn Flynn-Shon is on tour with CLP Blog Tours and Ripple the Twine. Sara Quinn, a sportswriter, is invested in her career and earning the respect she knows she deserves. While being focused on her writing and sports, she decides she needs a much needed break from the dating world. But just when she decides to give her love life a timeout, she is introduced to Ben – and she starts to question her self-imposed break. But around that same time, her friends start to go through some difficult situations, and Sara wants to be there for them. She spends so much time worrying about her friends that she doesn’t have time anymore for Ben – but in the process of helping, she also finds healing. Learning to come to grips with her emotional past, Sara finds the strength and support from herself and her friends, and finally thinks she finds the path to happiness.
I’m big sports fan, and I actually used to work at a hockey arena, so I’m always up for a hockey story! I really enjoyed the hockey lingo that is mentioned before each chapter, even though I thought I knew a lot about the game, I learned even more while reading! I liked Sara’s character and how she was so quick to help her friends, and the supporting cast was just as fun to read about. Sometimes I thought the story was a bit too telling and not enough showing, and there was a lot of “Sara did this” “Sara did that” moments that were a bit distracting to me, but overall I enjoyed this debut novel!
[Rating: 3.5]

August 24, 2012
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Deciding to Get Lasik
Chick Lit Plus

Deciding to Get Lasik

Deciding to Get Lasik

I got my first pair of glasses in the fourth grade. Back then, I thought I was super cool with my spectacles. All my friends had glasses as well, and we loved getting bright colors and patterns – I remember my purple pair were my favorite glasses back then. I really didn’t even get the dreaded “four eyes” nickname, because so many people had glasses. I thought I just fit in.
But of course, the happiness wore off. I begged my mom for contacts for years, and I believe I was fifteen when I was finally granted my wish. It took me some time to get used to poking myself in the eye, but I eventually mastered the contacts. But then it was the annoying factor that cropped up – contacts being inside out when I tried putting them on, running out of contact solution, forgetting my case at sleepovers. As I got older, I grew tired of contacts, and was jealous when a handful of my family members got the Lasik surgery.
When I was twenty, I made some appointments around town to see if I would be a good fit for Lasik. In order to get the procedure, your prescription has to be the same for at least a year so they know your eyes are done changing and your eyes need to be considered healthy. At twenty, I passed the Lasik test –– then was told the price. At $2500 per eye, I knew it was just not in my cards to get the procedure at that time. I came up with a savings plan, and put that surgery on hold.
About four years later, I felt comfortable enough with my money situation to give Lasik another shot. In January 2012, I set up a consultation at my local LasikPlus, took my contacts out for two weeks straight per instructions, and went through test after test on my eyes. At the end – I was cleared for Lasik! The price was actually cheaper than it was years ago, and with a discount through my insurance provider, I was looking at $3500 for the whole thing. I scheduled my surgery appointment for two weeks after my testing, and was ecstatic to finally be getting Lasik.
Check out back next week for my post on prepping for Lasik!

August 23, 2012
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Summer Nights by Allie Spencer
Chick Lit Review

Summer Nights by Allie Spencer

Summer Nights by Allie Spencer follows Flora Fielding, who has been dumped on the one day of the year that should be safe territory, her…

August 23, 2012
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Future Tour: Falling For You by Heather Thurmeier
CLP Blog Tours

Future Tour: Falling For You by Heather Thurmeier

Heather will be on tour November 26- December 17 with her contemporary romance novel Falling For You Newly single Cassidy Quinn is thrilled to be…

August 22, 2012
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Breaking The Rules by Cat Lavoie
Chick Lit Review

Breaking The Rules by Cat Lavoie

Breaking The Rules by Cat Lavoie follows twenty-seven year old Roxy Rule. When her best friend and roommate, Ollie, accepts an exciting new job overseas designing green architecture, she expects their relationship to continue as it’s always been, but that all changes when they share a heart-stopping kiss moments before his departure. Overcome with mixed emotions, she fights the urge to over analyze the situation and resumes back to her normal life in New York City, working a dead end job, and creeping further and further away from her own dreams of becoming a professional chef. Whilst things are definitely more complicated between her and Ollie (and her fiancé) since their shared kiss, Roxy is determined to forget all about it … although it is ALL she can think about. But, that isn’t the only drama that Roxy is in for as she hosts an unexpected family reunion at her tiny two-bedroom apartment and is surprised when her baby sister turns up pregnant. An unexpected twist and a surprising revelation lead to Roxy finally recognizing that she is in love with her best friend and that their kiss was more than just a kiss. Does he feel the same way? Or is she too late? Only time will tell.

Truly one of a kind…Lavoie masters the classic tale of love between the oldest of friends. Endearingly heartfelt and charming, Breaking the Rules is an absolute delight. I haven’t had this much fun reading a book in quite sometime and was completely blown away by the complexity of the tale of Roxy Rule. The cast of characters are charming and surprisingly honest and I loved the dynamic between Roxy and Ollie and found myself rooting for them to be together since the kiss. This book kept me on my toes and I wondered the whole time what was going to end up happening … and Cat ties up all the ends nicely in a way that truly defines happily ever after. Overall, a fantastic book that I recommend to anyone looking for a great time, a fun adventure, and a hilarious cast of characters that are truly heartwarming. I guarantee that this one will not disappoint. A beautiful tale of love and friendship from a debut author. I can’t wait to see what Cat Lavoie comes out with next.

August 22, 2012
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Fatty Patty by Kathleen Irene Paterka
Chick Lit Review

Fatty Patty by Kathleen Irene Paterka

Kathleen Irene Paterka is on tour with Fatty Patty and CLP Blog Tours. This is the first in a series of books that will take place in James Bay, Michigan, and the story follows Patty Perreault, an elementary school teacher who has battled with her weight her whole life. To make matters worse, her twin sister has always been slim, only making Patty’s battle with the bulge that much worse. But Patty is determined to slim down, and hope that her body makeover will give her a better chance at winning the Teacher of the Year award at her school. While attempting to swim laps at a local pool, she meets Sam Curtis, an accountant who also happens to be a few pounds too heavy. While a romance appears to be blooming, Patty holds back because Sam is overweight. She knows she is overweight but is trying to do something about it – work out, eat better (minus those binge-eating moments) but she feels Sam doesn’t care about his image. Will she let her own foolishness stand in the way of love?
Every once in a while I worry about not being able to connect with a book because of not being able to connect with the main character. Fatty Patty was one, because I have been underweight the majority of my life and have never struggled with weight or body image. (Though I did still get called nicknames in school, like Chicken Legs and Twiggy!) But it’s great when you find an author that can pull readers in no matter their situation and have them be able to relate to their characters in some way, and Paterka did that for me. I highly enjoyed Patty’s story and her journey for self-love and happiness, so even though we are so different, it didn’t matter to me as a reader. I found a way to connect with her and stay interested in her journey. There was a lot of drama, especially with the other teachers that I loved reading about, and Patty was an all-around fun character to get to know. The only thing that really stuck out to me was the points where she seemed not-so-nice, mainly when it came to Sam being overweight. I tried to understand her point of view, where she thought he didn’t care about his looks, but sometimes I still thought she was being a tad hypocritical in that sense. But overall, a very fun read, and one I [recommend!
Rating: 4]

August 22, 2012
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