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The Bride of Casa Dracula by Marta Acosta
Chick Lit Review

The Bride of Casa Dracula by Marta Acosta

Milagro de los Santos is in for challenge. Now engaged to the undead Oswald Grant, Milagro has the task of planning the vampire nuptials. She hits a wall when she wants to stand firm on some of her American traditions, and the vampire counsel doesn’t take kindly to her requests. They also want her to move out from the house she shares with Oswald, and she has to deal with her smarmy wedding planner from hell on top of that. Milagro starts to think someone is sabotaging her wedding after she is involved in a suspicious car accident, her wedding rings goes missing, and more wedding details go awry. Could it be her deceptive wedding planner? The vampire counsel? Or could someone else- or thing- be behind all the mayhem?
Marta Acosta keeps the funny going in the third novel from the Casa Dracula series. The ending through me for a surprise, but an enjoyable one, and I think chick lit fans will keep loving the world Acosta has built. The Grant family now seems like my own family, and I enjoy watching their lives grow alongside Milagro’s and Oswald’s. If you haven’t picked up the first Casa Dracula novel yet, I would highly recommend buying the whole series- you won’t regret it!
Rating: 4.5/5
See my review for other books in this series:
Happy Hour At Casa Dracula- 4 stars
Midnight Brunch- 5 stars

December 27, 2010
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In My Mailbox: Week of December 26th
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In My Mailbox: Week of December 26th

In My Mailbox: Week of December 26th

Title: These Things Hidden
Author: Heather Gudenkauf
Received: From Judy Zuklie with BookTrib.com
Synopsis: Allison Glenn tried to hide what happened that night…and failed. The consequence? Five years in prison. Now she’s free. But secrets have a way of keeping you caged…When Allison is sent to prison for a heinous crime, she leaves behind her reputation as Linden Falls’ golden girl forever. Her parents deny the existence of their once-perfect child. Her former friends exult in her downfall. Her sister, Brynn, faces the whispered rumours every day in the hallways of their small Iowa high school. It’s Brynn – shy, quiet Brynn – who carries the burden of what really happened that night. All she wants is to forget Allison and the past that haunts her. But then Allison is released, and is more determined than ever to speak with her sister. Now their legacy of secrets is focused on one little boy. And if the truth is revealed, the consequences will be unimaginable for the adoptive mother who loves him, the girl who tried to protect him and the two sisters who hold the key to all that is hidden.

Title: The Other Boyfriend
Author: Sylvia Massara
Received: From Sylvia Massara
Synopsis: Sarah Jamison is on a mission to find a boyfriend for her lover’s partner; and Sarah’s best friend comes to the rescue with an idea so crazy that it just might work. Enter the enigmatic Mike Connor. Sarah hates the man on sight, but her body tells her otherwise. Mike Connor is smug and full of himself; even so, Sarah thinks that with his help she can finally be with the love of her life.

Title: A Scottish Ferry Tale
Author: Nancy Volkers
Received: From Nancy Volkers
Synopsis: Cassie Wrentham goes to Scotland and has her heart broken. She is cynical enough to close the door on true love, but hopeful enough not to lock it. Instead she escapes, to an island off the west coast, where she meets someone who could change her life… if she’d only allow it. Does she? And who is this life-changing person, anyway? Are there dragons? Fairy godmothers? Chocolate cake? What about happily ever after?

December 26, 2010
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Hugh Hefner, 84, Engaged
Chick Lit Plus

Hugh Hefner, 84, Engaged

Who saw this coming? At age 84, Playboy founder Hugh Hefner is engaged. The ladies man, known to have multiple girlfriends, proposed to just one lucky lady, Playmate girlfriend Crystal Harris, 24, on Christmas Eve. Hef announced the news on Twitter: “After the movie tonight, Crystal & I exchanged gifts. I gave Crystal a ring. A truly memorable Christmas Eve. When I gave Crystal the ring, she burst into tears. This is the happiest Christmas weekend in memory.” He later clarified: “Yes, the ring I gave Crystal is an engagement ring. I didn’t mean to make a mystery out of it. A very merry Christmas to all.”
This will be the third marriage for Hef, the first for Harris. No wedding date was announced.

December 26, 2010
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Author Profile: Marta Acosta
Chick Lit Authors

Author Profile: Marta Acosta

Author Name: Marta Acosta

Website: http://www.martaacosta.com/

Bio: Marta is from the San Francisco Bay Area and has degrees in English & American Lit and Creative Writing. Before becoming a published author, Marta worked for non-profits and a theater company, and loved to read books and talk about them. She then became a frequent contributor of home, gardening, and style columns and features for newspapers and magazines. Marta now has published novels under her own name, and also under the name of Grace Coopersmith.
Titles: Happy Hour at Casa Dracula, Midnight Brunch, The Bride of Casa Dracula, and Haunted Honeymoon.
Bio Retrieved from martaacosta.com

http://chicklitplus.com/author-profile-grace-coopersmith/

December 23, 2010
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Household Hazards: Candles
Chick Lit Plus

Household Hazards: Candles

Recently, I have developed an obsession with candles. I have a candle on the stove, on the kitchen table, on the countertops, and in the bedroom. I love lighting one each night and smelling the cinnamon or lavender or whatever scent I have chosen, spread through the house. But after reading an article in October’s edition of Women’s Health magazine, I might need to consider pulling back on my candle lighting.
Women’s Health published an article titled ‘Beat Bad Air Days’ and it featured common household items that can pollute the air inside your house. Candles were number one on the list. Turns out, “paraffin candles emit chemicals that are linked to liver damage, neurological problems, and leukemia (page 76). Say what? Even more- the black soot that is released each time you light that wick, could be damaging your lungs and heart tissue.
So do I throw all my candles away and go for the plastic candles with LED lights to achieve that cozy ambiance? That was one suggestion from Women’s Health, but another was buying soy candles. Soy candles burn at a slower rate and emit less soot than the regular paraffin counterparts. I now have soy candles on my shopping list, and you may want to consider going the healthy-air route too!
Information from: Women’s Health Magazine, October 2010 Edition, by Katherine Bowers/page 76.

December 22, 2010
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New Release: These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf
Chick Lit Review

New Release: These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf

Heather Gudenkauf, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Weight of Silence, follows her phenomenally successful debut novel with THESE THINGS HIDDEN (MIRA Books, February 2011, $15.95 U.S./$18.95 CAN.), an equally absorbing dramatic work. In THESE THINGS HIDDEN, Gudenkauf deftly tells the story of three families united by a chilling secret the night two babies are born.

The story begins with a girl named Allison Glenn being released from prison after spending five years there for an unconscionable murder. Without any contact from her parents or her sister, Allison is sent to a halfway house in her hometown. She is determined to reconnect with her sister Brynn and desperate to atone for involving her in what happened that fateful night. Brynn wants nothing to do with her sister and feels that it is she who is still imprisoned — forced to keep hidden the truth of what really happened.

As a precocious sixteen-year-old high school student, Allison seemed to have an ideal life in the town of Linden Falls, Iowa—perfect grades, sports achievements, beauty and popularity. But there were cracks under that flawless exterior. Her parents were relentlessly driving her to perfection and the pressure of meeting unrealistic expectations propelled her into the arms of Christopher Tullia, an unsavory college student who offered her an escape from the demands of her day-to-day existence.

That respite came at a high cost when Allison realized that she was pregnant. Desperate to preserve the illusion of her perfection and future she hid the pregnancy. That facade was shattered when Allison, suddenly in labor, convinced her loving and sensitive younger sister Brynn to help keep her secret.
When the truth is revealed the consequences are unimaginable and change the lives of the families involved forever.

THESE THINGS HIDDEN
Heather Gudenkauf
Mira Publisher
$15.95 U.S./$18.95 CAN.
ISBN-13: 978-0-7783-2879-7
352 Pages

HEATHER GUDENKAUF
Heather Gudenkauf is the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling novel The Weight of Silence. She lives in Iowa with her family. Heather is an advocate of Safe Haven laws that are enacted in most states to provide a safe place for parents or another person who has the parent’s permission to leave an infant at a hospital or health care facility without fear of arrest for abandonment. Visit her website at www.HeatherGudenkauf.com

December 21, 2010
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Midnight Brunch by Marta Acosta
Chick Lit Review

Midnight Brunch by Marta Acosta

Marta Acosta follows up her enjoyable Casa Dracula debut with Midnight Brunch¸ still following the life of heroine Milagro de los Santos. Milagro is the only known human to survive a vampire infection, making her quite popular in the vampire world. But Milagro has eyes only for the dashing Oswald, and now lives with him in the family estate. Milargo is upset when she learns she isn’t allowed to attend the naming ceremony for the new baby in the family, simply because she is not family. Already feeling left out at times around Oswald and his clan, this only angers Milargo further. When Oswald departs on a humanitarian trip, Milagro decides to follow a few leads to understand more about the vampires and their culture. She doesn’t expect to find herself in a desert spa, playing assistant to a celebrity actor, and having her life threatened by quirky vampires who are determined to take over the world.
I know a lot of people say that sequels never stack up to the original, but I loved Midnight Brunch- even more than Happy Hour at Casa Dracula! I knew Milagro and Oswald and their story, and I was happy to see that the action picked up with barely a stitch in time going by. It was like welcoming old friends. Milagro is the same sexy heroine, living on the dangerous side by choice this time, and I liked watching her and Oswald’s relationship grow. I would definitely recommend readers to the Casa Dracula series, even if you aren’t vampire or paranormal fans. I wasn’t, and hadn’t read a paranormal book before Happy Hour, and I’m sure glad I did! Acosta’s writing and the world she created are too good to pass up.
Rating: 5/5

December 20, 2010
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Tony Romo Engaged to Candice Crawford
Chick Lit Plus

Tony Romo Engaged to Candice Crawford

Anyone else close to Jessica Simpson going to get engaged? Not only has Simpson herself recently gotten engaged, ex-husband Nick Lachey popped the question to girlfriend Vanessa Minnillo, but now Simpson’s ex, Tony Romo, has proposed to his girlfriend! The Dallas Cowboys quarterback popped the question to girlfriend Candice Crawford (brother is Chace Crawford of Gossip Girl) Thursday night during her 24th birthday dinner in Dallas. Romo, 30, began dating the former beauty queen in September 2009, only two months after breaking things off with Simpson. The ring is approximated at four carats. No word yet on when the wedding will be.
Wait! Didn’t Romo break up with Jessica Simpson on her birthday? And now he proposes to his next girlfriend on her birthday? Hmm…interesting.

December 17, 2010
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Debut Author Spotlight: Aidan Donnelley Rowley
Chick Lit Authors

Debut Author Spotlight: Aidan Donnelley Rowley

Debut Author: Aidan Donnelley Rowley
Debut Novel: Life After Yes
I met Aidan because her debut novel, Life After Yes, was the final selection for the fabulous book club I belong to- SheKnows. The SheKnows bloggers got to vote on our last book, and I am sure glad we chose Life After Yes. Here is a clip of my five star review:
“Life After Yes was one of my favorite reads of 2010. I commend Aidan Donnelley Rowley for writing such a truthful story, with real characters and real problems. I almost feel this novel should come with a warning label: Will you risk asking yourself the questions Quinn is asking of herself? Are you brave enough to face the answers? I recommend everyone to read this book, chick lit fan or not. I think we can all identify with a piece of Quinn, and take away a lesson on true happiness.”
After our selection was chosen, I hopped online to find out more about Aidan Donnelley Rowley, and was pleasantly surprised to find that she has a pretty unique blog going. Aidan tackles numerous subjects, ranging from pregnancy and parenthood, health and happiness, and of course- writing. Her blog is titled “Ivy League Insecurities” which I found interesting. Like her main character Quinn in Life After Yes, Aidan is Ivy League educated, and attended Yale College and Columbia Law School. She worked as a lawyer for a hot second, but now has focused on her family- who includes her two young daughters- and her writing. Aidan blogs about her daily life, her struggles as a writer, and her insecurities. I like her blog because she feels like a real person. Yeah, she has an Ivy League education. And yes, she has published a fantastic novel. But she isn’t afraid to admit her insecurities. I find her writing refreshing, meaningful, and inspiring.
So please take some time out to swing by Ivy League Insecurities and drop a line to Aidan, or visit her on Twitter or Facebook. If you haven’t picked up your copy yet of Life After Yes, you will want to get that on your Christmas list. I gave Aidan’s debut a five star review, and I’m sure many other readers will agree!

December 17, 2010
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