Future Tour: Brownie Fix by Ellen Cardona
Ellen will be on tour July 9-30 with her novel Brownie Fix Chocolate. Love. Sex. Really, what else could a woman want in life? For…
Blame It on the Fame by Tracie Banister
I was so excited to read Blame it on the Fame from my fellow author friend Tracie Banister. You got celebrities, award shows, glitz and glamour, backstabbing, romance, frenemies – and a bit of love and true friendship underneath it all. From the moment I started reading I could not put it down. This is one of the best chick lit books I’ve read this year, and a new addition to my Favorites list!
The story follows the lives of the five women nominated in the Best Actress category for the Oscars. You have the sweet-as-pie from the outside seasoned actress who is the biggest bitch behind closed doors, an ex-model turned actress who can’t stay away from the drugs and alcohol – or keep her pants on, an indie queen who tends to stay away from the limelight, a has-been making a comeback, and the outsider from the UK who no one knows in America. This insane cast of characters, along with some delectable supporting characters – make up Blame it on the Fame and make this an irresistible read!
The book moves at a fast pace, starting with the day the Oscar nominees are announced and give readers a glimpse into each of their lives. The peek into Hollywood made this book read like a juicy, juicy celebrity tell-all book, and I was actually holding my breath when it came down to announcing the winner. I loved the wrap-up at the end on what happened after that Oscar night to the leading ladies, and some stories had me laughing out loud. It got just a tad unbelievable at the end, as I’ve never really seen a celebrity drop bombs like what happened on the Oscar stage, but hey – could happen, right? Still a 5 star novel in my opinion!
[Rating: 5]
Guest Post by Jamie Brazil
What’s the Price of Friendship?
Friending outside my household income level isn’t new to me. I’m a writer and most years I make less than 25K. I used to make more in my emergency dispatch days, but then again, except for the freedom to travel to foreign countries, I was rarely happy. These days, just about everyone I know earns more than I do. So what does this have to do with anything?
Recently, I was asked to be a fourth on a girls’ beach weekend. Two of the other three land solidly in a six-figure income bracket. I’ve never met the third gal, so I don’t know about her. Yet suddenly I’m feeling like Columbus scanning an Alexander-Wang-handbag-carrying horizon of friendship.
Sure, I can pack my Anya Hindmarch mirror bag (bought at a garage sale last summer). And I can leave my credit card at home. But I’m human and girlfriend weekends, with the required shopping binge, can be fatal to budgets — not to mention diets and a resolve to curb alcohol consumption. Should I accept the invitation?
All this puzzling gave me pause when I realized this situation felt familiar. In fact, I’d written about it. In a novel. Mine.
In Prince Charming, Inc. my heroine, Elyse, is a matchmaker. Her best friends and clients are the upper crust of San Francisco society. Elyse barely fits in through designer thrift store finds and sturdy no-brand business-wear… and always feels a little inferior for it. Of course her friends are true, and in the end fashion has little to do with friendship.
Funny how our own characters have something to teach us! Of course I should go to the beach. So I can’t indulge in an outlet mall buying frenzy. Big deal. I can still be part of the group simply by blowing my diet and guzzling margaritas! There’s always a price to friendship.
Charming Tuesday: A Beauty Favorite
Charming Tuesday Product of the Week: Nail Polish
Samantha’s Must-Have:
I’ll admit – I’m a bit of a spa junkie. For the past few months I have been obsessed with the Shellac manicure, and go about once a month to the salon to get it done. It’s so nice not to have my nails chip for two weeks! Everyone once in a while I get pedicure too, but not nearly as often as a mani. I don’t mind giving myself a pedi at home, and I have a bunch of supplies I bust out – buffers and foot lotions, the foot bath, etc. My favorite nail polish as of late has come to me through a Birchbox – Color Club Neon Nail Polish. Neon is so in right now, everything from clothing to shoes to polish. I received the green, and got so many compliments on the color. I recently purchased a set so I have all the colors, and this will definitely help save some money at the spa!
Sara’s Must-Have:
I am the absolute worst about removing nail polish, so, whenever I do my nail, I want to be sure that whatever I use is going to last a while. I’ve been hearing about Sally Hansen nail polish strips for quite sometime, and up until a few months ago, I had never tried them. I was hesitant because of many reasons: the price, the level of difficulty, not knowing whether or not they would work….but I finally bought a box and haven’t looked back. They are so easy to apply and most of the time, the strips last two weeks on my fingers tips. They strips are also very shiny and always make me feel like I had a professional manicure, even though I only applied them myself. My favorites are “Kitty, Kitty” which are a leopard print, as well as the bright greens and yellows that they have for summer time. I highly recommend that you swing by and some up- they’re always a lot of fun!
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE NAIL POLISH? LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW AND LET US KNOW.
Prince Charming, Inc by Jamie Brazil
Prince Charming, Inc. by Jamie Brazil is a hilarious, enchanting tale that follows Elyse Tobin, matchmaker extraordinaire. Unable to fix her own love life after disastrously falling for Nick Salvatore, Elyse creates a manual for the perfect man and begins refurbishing them … then marketing them to the wealthy socialite women who are desperate for the perfect man, and tired of looking on their own. After numerous successful re-makeovers of men, Elyse creates quite the niche market for her product and soon enough becomes the talk amongst the single women. But, one unfortunate day, she gets an unfortunate call from the IRS, and they’re looking to audit her. She is at risk for losing her house and her sanity … and the one man that she least expected, is the one that comes through and saves the day.
I absolutely adored Prince Charming, Inc. I found Elyse witty and became enamored with Nick not long after his introduction. Sure, at first you are supposed to loathe him, but I was able to tell pretty quickly what was really going on and couldn’t help but to root for him. This was a really fun read and I thought Jamie Brazil did a fabulous job at creating an enchanting tale about love and the heart. Plus … how can you go wrong with all of the mentions and descriptions of cheesecake?!?
Overall, a sweet and charming love story.
[Rating: 4/5]
Author of the Month
Chick Lit Plus is so pleased to announce that our Author of the Month for May is Jennifer Gilbert, author of I Never Promised You A Goodie Bag.
I Never Promised You A Goodie Bag is a warm, wise, alternately painful and funny inspiring memoir of survival, renewal, and transformation. It’s a tale about learning to let go and be happy after years of faking it, proving that while we can’t always control what happens to us, we can control who we become. And instead of anticipating our present in a goodie bag at the end of an event, we realize our presence at every event is the real gift.
In celebration of being our Author of the Month for May, we have asked Jennifer a few questions about receiving the coveted spot on Chick Lit Plus. Please read her answers below:
What was your reaction when you learned that you had been selected as the Author of the Month for Chick Lit Plus?
Totally and completely honored. As May is International Chick Lit month and I am the first author to be selected as the Author of the Month, this is an incredible compliment to me as well as the ‘trailblazing’ route I like to take in life. It’s incredible to me…I’m so awed by this honor and so incredibly appreciative that my book has been chosen and it is a vote of confidence that this book has resonated with you and hopefully many others.
How does it feel to have your book so well-received by the public?
I am overwhelmed by gratitude. I have bared my soul in this book and am so nervous about how it will be received, so when I read the positive feedback it literally brings me to tears, I’m so overwhelmed. It reassures me that I NEVER PROMISED YOU A GOODIE BAG is relatable to everyone who has their own story. We ALL have something in our life that has held us back, or propelled us forward. If my story helps people to realize that we have the choice to be better, to change and let go, then I have accomplished so much more than writing a memoir.
Thank you so much Jennifer for allowing us to review your book!
Please be sure to get your hands on I Never Promised You A Goodie Bag – a definite 5 star on Chick Lit Plus.
Chick Lit Author Blog Hop 2012
I’ve been wanting to write an article recently reminiscing about Chick Lit Plus. I always tell people starting CLP was the best decision I’ve made (besides recently undergoing Lasik surgery), and it is the truth. The friendships I’ve made, the professional connections, and the knowledge and opportunities that have come my way make me think of how lucky I am. I wear many hats – book reviewer, editor, blog tour coordinator, publisher, author – but I love my busy life and working hard at something I truly enjoy and can say with all my heart I have a passion for.
I fell in love with books at a young age, thanks to the influence of my mother and grandmother. I knew I wanted to be a writer myself, and after graduating college with my BS in business, I decided to put some sort of plan into action. I bought my first laptop (even though I was online student the last two years of college – figure that out) and started researching. I kept coming across book blogs, since I didn’t even really know what the word “blog” meant, I had to do some research on that. After I had a better grasp on blogging and what book bloggers were doing, I searched for a web designer and Chick Lit Plus was put into motion.
So, I had my blog. Then I froze. I remember thinking – how do I get followers? What books do I review? What did I get myself into? I started making trips to the library once a week, checking out anything that looked interesting (mostly those with pink covers) and spilling my thoughts on the book, posting them for everyone to see. I joined Twitter and made a Facebook page for Chick Lit Plus, starting accumulating fans, and within three months had authors and publishers sending me books to review.
Before I started CLP, I had already joined the chick lit fan club. Most books I was checking out could fall in the category, and I was absolutely adoring them. I dove deeper into the genre, looking for some fabulous books to be my first reviews. Which made the top five cut?
1. The Agency by Ally O’Brien
2. The First Assistant by Clare Naylor & Mimi Hare
3. Bliss by Danyel Smith
4. Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
5. The Truth About Diamonds by Nicole Richie
It’s fun to look back at those first few books that caught my attention purely based on covers alone (besides Nicole Richie – I’ve always just been a fan). I actually didn’t even know Emily Giffin as EMILY GIFFIN when I read Something Borrowed. I checked out the book with a pink cover. Anything with pink, drinks, lollipops, or shopping bags made it in my pile. Now, I’m super lucky to be sent amazing books each week for my reviewing pleasure. I love being a part of the chick lit community, I am so thankful to all the wonderful people I have met along the way, and I’m thrilled to be taking part in the Chick Lit International Month for the second year in a row. Cheers to chick lit – now go read a book!
Contest Info:
I am giving away an eBook copy of my debut novel, Destined to Fail to one lucky winner! To enter, please leave a comment below, and be sure to include the words “chick lit” in your comment in order to be entered!
Grand Prize:
For a chance to win the Chick Lit Author Blog Hop Grand Prize of a $150 Sephora gift card, simply do the following:
• Collect all 34 of the secret words (you will find a secret word in each of the blog posts on the hop.) The word will be italicized, so it will be easy to locate. ***HINT***The secret word in my blog hop post is in the last paragraph.
• Submit your list of 34 secret words to CLABlogHop@aol.com before midnight on Sunday, May 20th and you will be entered into the Grand Prize Drawing!
• The Grand Prize winner will be announced on Monday, May 21st, and the $150 Sephora gift card can be redeemed online, or at any Sephora store in the US.
• Chick Lit Author Blog Hop contests are open to residents of the United States only.
Please see the post below for a Linky list with all 34 participating authors/blogs. You will have an opportunity to win a different e-book at each blog hop stop. Good luck!
What’s Your Number? by Karyn Bosnak
While I haven’t seen this movie, when I received a copy of the book I was looking forward to it. I had seen the previews and I thought Anna Farris (one of my favorite actresses) made this movie look hilarious! Well, I might have to watch the movie now after reading the novel, because it didn’t do much for me. The story is based on Delilah Darling, who is horrified after reading in the New York Post that the average person has 10.5 sex partners – and she’s just notched number twenty. On the brink of thirty, recently unemployed and now convinced she’s a mondo slut – Delilah is determined to find those past twenty guys and see which one is Mr. Right for her. She can’t get to twenty-one, that is just wrong. Someone in her past is the one for her – she just has to find him.
The story follows Delilah as she goes on a cross-country road trip searching for ex-boyfriends, old flames, and one-night stands. While parts were funny, the humor just wasn’t there for me. Delilah was loveable enough as a heroine, but for the most part I was just thinking she was missing a screw – no pun intended! The book was a really slow read for me, and I eventually starting skimming pages to keep it moving. I think I will still check out the movie sometime, but the novel definitely fell flat for me.
]Rating: 3.5]
On Tour: The Devil Has Dimples by Pepper Phillips
Pepper will be on tour May 21-June 11 with her novel The Devil Has Dimples Adopted! In the Deep South, one of the first questions…
