Yours Unexpectedly by Susan Fox
I received a copy of Yours Unexpectedly by Susan Fox in exchange for an honest review. This is book four in the Wild Ride to…
In My Mailbox: Week of June 10
In Samantha’s Mailbox:
Title: Pickin’ Tomatoes
Author: JW Bull
Received: Via CLP Blog Tours
Synopsis: Maggie Malone wants a new life. Who aspires to be a single, forty-year-old, jobless new mother? Driven by the need for an income, Maggie decides to enter a writing contest. Cooking and Women Magazine is seeking a columnist who can compare finding “Mister Right” to cooking. To qualify, an entrant must be single and an experienced chef. Maggie is neither – she can’t even cook. But desperation turns white lies into tasty morsels that whet her creative appetite and she whips up an article comparing finding “Mister Right” to picking the right tomato for her homemade salsa. She wins the contest, is dubbed The Chef of Hearts, and her new life, although a bit shaky, is launched.
Women across America write to her about loneliness, infidelity, insomnia – even to complain about a boyfriend’s snoring. Maggie dissects their problems with a single stroke of her pen, all the while struggling with her own issues. She dishes out therapy in recipes and funny stories and becomes an instant celebrity. As she balances learning how to cook, being a mother and writing a column, her dual lives begin to spin out of control. On the back burner, subterfuge sizzles in the skillet, threatening Maggie’s new recipe for success and she finds herself in the same stew as many of her readers – lost and alone. It’s only when Maggie comes clean with all her lies that she realizes pickin’ the right tomato might not be simply about finding “Mister Right” – sometimes it’s about making the right choices.
Pickin Tomatoes serves up a three-course meal of mayhem, motherhood and middle age flavored with dashes of irony, wit, and wisdom. Throw in a liberal sprinkling of recipes geared towards those who don’t cook, and Pickin’ Tomatoes becomes a must read for anyone who has searched for “Mister Right” but, most of all, wants to find herself.
Title: Ocean Beach
Author: Wendy Wax
Received: From Erin @ Penguin Group
Synopsis: Unlikely friends Madeline, Avery and Nicole have hit some speed bumps in their lives, but when they arrive in Miami’s South Beach neighborhood, they are all hoping for a do-over. Literally. They’ve been hired to bring a once-grand historic house back to its former glory on a new television show called Do-Over. If they can just get this show off the ground, Nikki would get back on her feet financially, Avery could restart her ruined career, and Maddie would have a shot at keeping her family together.
At least, that’s the plan – until the women realize that having their work broadcast is one thing, having their personal lives play out on TV is another thing entirely. Soon they are struggling to hold themselves, and the project, together. With a decades-old mystery—and the hurricane season—looming, the women are forced to figure out just how they’ll weather life’s storms…
Title: Loving David
Author: Gina Hummer
Received: Mindi Sue @ Smith Publicity
Synopsis: What would you do if someone like Ryan Reynolds or Robert Pattinson jumped into your car at a stoplight? That’s what happens to Charlotte when out of nowhere, gorgeous actor David King becomes her surprise passenger. Not recognizing him at first, the startled Charlotte’s initial impulse is to mace him. But once she realizes who he is and that he’s making an escape from a crowd of zealous fans, she puts away her pepper spray and thinks what a great story she’ll have to tell her girlfriends! From there, the impossible happens: the two take tentative steps toward romance, and a relationship blooms. But Charlotte is a behind-the-scenes romance writer, and David is an in-the-spotlight and in-the-tabloids celebrity. Could it ever work? Charlotte’s defenses drop one by one. Their age difference doesn’t really matter, and though their realities are worlds apart, they begin to become one. Just when everything seems to be leading to a storybook ending, David’s past intrudes, and Charlotte has to wonder if his romance with fellowstar Olivia Hudson really is over.
In Sara’s Mailbox:
Title: What The Dog Ate
Author: Jackie Bouchard
Received: Jackie Bouchard
Synopsis: The vet handed Maggie Baxter a plastic specimen bag containing a pair of size-tiny lavender thong panties extracted from her dog; but they were not hers. Or rather, they were hers now since she’d just paid $734 to have Dr. Carter surgically remove them from Kona’s gut.
This is how Maggie Baxter, a practical, rule-following accountant, discovers that her husband of seventeen years is cheating on her. All her meticulous life plans are crushed. When he leaves her for the other woman, Maggie and her the-world-is-my-smorgasbord chocolate Lab, Kona, are left to put their lives back together. As Maggie begins to develop a Plan B for her life, she decides to be more like Kona. No, she’s not going to sniff crotches and eat everything that isn’t nailed down; rather she’ll try to approach life with more ball-chasing abandon. Finding herself in situations where she begins to go through her usual over-analysis of the pros and cons, she stops and instead asks herself: What would Kona do? With Kona as her guru, Maggie begins her quest for tail-wagging joy.
“What the Dog Ate” is a funny, tender story of mending a broken heart and finding love and a new life right under your nose, with woman’s best friend at your side. If you enjoyed Claire Cook’s “Must Love Dogs” or Lolly Winston’s “Good Grief,” you’ll love “What the Dog Ate” and be rooting for Maggie and Kona.
Guest Post by Pepper Phillips
A Working Writer…A Day in the Life
When I start my writing day, it generally starts like this:
Pull up my manuscript on the computer.
Pull up my manuscript spreadsheet on the computer so I can check what I am supposed to do next or make notes as things change.
Pull up www.onelook.com on the web so I can check any words that I might need to check the spelling, or if it’s a compound word (my personal bug-a-boo).
Start reading the page where I left off. I also mark down the word count. I use it later to mark my progress sheet.
I’ll check my spreadsheet to see where I am in scene and sequel. Check out Randy Ingermanson’s article entitled ‘Writing the Perfect Scene’ – I use it in my spreadsheet to keep track of the effectiveness of each scene.
I write or if I’m editing, I’m rewriting.
Taking breaks every now and then, I might put on a load of clothes, or eat lunch. I do housework when I need to do some thinking, as it really works for me.
At the end of my writing day, I mark down the ending word count and add the daily word count to my progress sheet.
I save my work to Dropbox, my computer and a flash drive. Ask anyone who writes and has lost their work, they start to save their manuscript in different locations. I have one manuscript that’s locked in a ruined diskette…that so hurts.
When I’m done with my creative process, I start checking my emails, tweeting, and doing some promotion.
I believe that writers need to read as well, so I read, and I also have a craft book, usually in the bathroom that I read while I contemplate life and it’s mysteries.
At the end of the day, I check to see how many copies I might have sold that day and mark the amount on another spreadsheet, so I can keep on top of income and expenses for my accountant for tax season. I find it’s easier to keep up with everything daily than trying to gather it all together at the last minute.
The television is generally on when I write. I can easily tune it out, but it makes it less lonely. The dh was recuperating from minor surgery and was trapped in the house and ambles into my office and asks if I need any help. I glanced at the paragraph I’d just written and said, “Only if you know something about zombies or doppelgangers.” He sat there a moment and then stood, saying, “I guess you don’t need my help.” I killed myself laughing after he left and shared that moment with all my writer friends. Who knew life could be so entertaining!
Novel Spotlight: Willow Pond by Carol Tibaldi
As the Roaring Twenties crumble into the Great Depression, Virginia Kingsley, New York’s toughest and most successful speakeasy owner, is doing just fine; with the whole world falling apart for so many, bootlegging is a flourishing business.
But when a former lover, Rudy, attempts to coerce his way into her business, Virginia sends him packing and her entire family pays the price: Her niece, Laura, is devastated when her infant son vanishes without a trace. Speculation and rumors abound in the media circus that follows the abduction, and the police have few leads, most of which point straight back at Virginia and her fellow bootleggers.
Suspicious of Rudy but unable to go to the police, Virginia pursues her own investigation, shaking down, threatening, and killing one petty crook after another as she races against time to find her missing great-nephew. In the mean time, Laura’s lover and Herald Tribune reporter, Erich, tries to convince Laura that Virginia knows more than she is telling… and may be behind the boy’s disappearance.
With time flying past and hope thinning, Virginia, Laura, and Erich must set aside their differences and work together in one last, desperate bid to find the missing child and whoever really abducted him.
I have one paperback copy of Willow Pond by Carol Tibaldi up for grabs! To enter, please leave a comment below sharing a period in time that you would like to visit. For me, it would be a toss up between the 20’s the Victorian Era! A winner will be chosen Monday, June 11. Please note this will be open to US/Canada residents only.
Southern Charm by Tinsley Mortimer
I received a copy of Southern Charm by Tinsley Mortimer in exchange for an honest review. Let me start off by saying – loved it! I was totally engrossed in the story from page 1, and never lost my enthusiasm throughout. From the cover, the plot, descriptions, even names of characters, this book had it all. A favorite chick lit book of mine for the year, most definitely.
Southern gal Minty Davenport has been obsessed with New York since a little girl in her Eloise-obsessed days. After graduating college, Minty makes the decision to say good-bye to Charleston and head to the Big Apple, where she knows her dreams will come true. NYC immediately takes a liking to the charming Minty, and her photograph ends up in Women’s Wear Daily. A domino effect starts from there. Before Minty can catch a breath or decorate her apartment, she is becoming friends with socialites, attending the most exclusive parties, and has hooked one of the most eligible bachelors as a boyfriend. But can born and bred Southern belle Minty every really fit in with the NY scene and the attitude that comes with being at the top?
Again (in case you missed it) LOVED this book! Minty’s character is so extremely likeable. Even though she has a lot of money (seriously – the designers named in this book had me drooling) she acts so unlike someone that is well off. She never feels entitled, or gets arrogant or shows a hint of snob throughout. I loved reading about how she understands what it feels like to become a jaded New Yorker, and what happens when she is faced with making some tough decisions. My enthusiasm did not wane even for a second while I was reading. And the names that I mentioned – from Minty to Scarlett, Tripp and Ryerson – loved that aspect. The details, designers, mannerisms of the South; Southern Charm doesn’t miss a beat. A Favorite on my list for sure, and one for you not to miss!
[Rating: 5]
Four Blondes by Candace Bushnell
Four Blondes by Candace Bushnell follows the stories of four women: a beautiful B-list model who uses men to summer in the Hamptons, a columnist who struggles with her husbands less-than-ideal career, a wannabe Cinderella who discovers that she would be happier living anybody else’s life except her own, and an artist and former “it-girl” who struggles to come to terms with aging and feels like she is losing time to find her soul mate. Through the four creatively titled tales, the reader will witness the success and failures of love and their many adventures in the bedroom.
Usually known for her brashness of sexual exploits and adventures, Bushnell fell flat in this one. The writing is witty but the characters and their particular stories feel old and tired- not entertaining and mischievous like those found in Sex and The City. I found myself dragging in the first few pages reading about a former model, who is essentially a prostitute with no self worth, and knew that the rest of the book wasn’t looking so hot- and I was right. I guess maybe I went into the book with high expectations because I have always been such a big fan of Bushnell, but this book was missing everything that makes her the phenomenal writer that she is.
On Tour: Dancing Naked in Dixie by Lauren Clark
Lauren will be on tour June 11-July 2 with her novel Dancing Naked in Dixie Travel writer Julia Sullivan lives life in fast-forward. She jet…
Come Fly With Me by Sandi Perry
I received a copy of Come Fly With Me from Sandi Perry in exchange for an honest review. The main character is Allison Ross, a twenty nine year old gallery owner in Chelsea. Everything in her life is planned and detailed, until a curveball is thrown – her Dad’s premature death that could possibly be a murder. Her father owned and operated RossAir, a luxury jet company, and Allison finds herself suddenly the interim CEO in the wake of his death. Trying to juggle too many things at once while also trying to grieve her loss of a parent, Allison finds herself at the end of her rope. When the handsome Alex Coventry enters her life, Allison is wary at first, but the attraction is too hard to ignore.
I really struggled with Come Fly With Me out of the gate. I think it was the dialogue that was too hard for me to get past. I found it too stiff and too explanatory. The romance between Allison and Alex didn’t do much for me, I was often confused on if they liked each other at all and wondered how the attraction was there. I did enjoy the mystery aspect surrounding the death of Allison’s father. That kept my interest for a while, but I eventually I started to skim pages, and by the time the culprit was figured out, I actually didn’t know who it was. Not a book for me, but I’ve seen a few other great reviews for it so I would still check it out if it sounds like something you might enjoy. I was pretty surprised I didn’t connect with the book honestly, I really thought it would be right up my alley.
[Rating: 2.5]
On Tour: Unlocked by Rachael O’Bryan
Rachael will be on tour June 11-18 with her novel Unlocked This is a novel in stories about the impact people can have on a…
