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Go Small or Go Home by Heather Wardell
Chick Lit Review

Go Small or Go Home by Heather Wardell

Tess is a struggling artist, working as a therapeutic massage therapist to keep the bills paid. When the massage clinic she works at suddenly closes and she is nowhere near getting paid for her art pieces, Tess goes on an interview for the Toronto Hogs- the professional hockey team. She didn’t know that she would only be working for one of the players instead of the entire team, and quickly runs into a mess of problems with Forrest. Forrest, once a star hockey player who has a multi-million dollar contract with the Hogs after being traded, suffered through a devastating car accident earlier and a groin injury on top of that, and his hockey game isn’t up to par. Tess didn’t realize when she signed on that she would not only being massaging Forrest, but also helping him overcome his inner demons that keep him distracted from hockey. Or that she would fall in love with him. But can Forrest move on from his past so he and Tess can attempt a future together?
Go Small or Go Home by Heather Wardell kept me tearing through the pages, marveling at the love story being played out. There are some deep circumstances surrounding Forrest and Tess, and the emotions are quite intense and heavy throughout. Both characters are highly damaged, but instead of that quality dragging them down, it made it that much better reading about how they could make each other better. Not only is Go Small or Go Home a fantastic love story, but there is another layer about self-discovery. When Tess finally gets her dream career of being an artist to come true, she realizes that maybe working for a gallery owner isn’t all she thought it would be. She is forced to examine her career and future goals to figure out what path she really needs to take to be satisfied in both her personal and professional life. Another gem from Heather Wardell!
Rating: 4.5/5

October 5, 2010
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GIVEAWAY: The Kiss Test by Shannon McKelden
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GIVEAWAY: The Kiss Test by Shannon McKelden

This week, I am celebrating my one year blogiversary! I can’t believe one year has gone by since I started my little site. I remember how ecstatic I became when Cara Lockwood was the first author I interviewed, and how shocked I felt when emails started pouring in from agents and publishers and authors hoping I would want to review their books and interview them. I have met so many wonderful people through Chick Lit Plus, and I want to thank everyone who has helped me succeed in the book blogging world.
To help celebrate, I have a few giveaways that will be running throughout the week. The first kicks off today, and I have two copies of The Kiss Test by Shannon McKelden:
Margo Gentry’s life is perfect. She loves her job as a country music DJ, and she has a great boyfriend who accepts her need to avoid marriage and tolerates her Elvis obsession – even the velvet Elvis painting in their bedroom.
But then it all falls apart. The radio station changes formats and fires all the DJs. Margo’s boyfriend decides he wants kids and a house in the suburbs and kicks her to the curb. And to top it all off, her Mom is getting married — for the 11th time! — and expects Margo to be there as maid of honor.
With no job and no place to live, Margo has to bunk on the couch of her best friend Chris, whose revolving bedroom door has played host to half the women in New York – at least, the ones that pass his “kiss test.” Worse, he’s insisting she attend her mother’s wedding, and is personally driving her cross-country to ensure she shows up.
Forget about surviving the road trip – can their friendship survive The Kiss Test?
To enter, please send me an email with Kiss Test in the subject line and provide your full mailing address. For extra entries, comment on my Facebook page. Big thanks to Shannon for sponsoring this giveaway! Winners will be chosen Sunday the 10th.

October 5, 2010
10 Comments
Author Profile: Jane Porter
Chick Lit Authors

Author Profile: Jane Porter

Author Name: Jane Porter

Website: http://www.janeporter.com/index.php
Bio: Born in Visalia, California, I’m a small town girl at heart. I love central California’s golden foothills, oak trees, and the miles of farmland. In my mind, there’s nothing sweeter in the world than the heady fragrance of orange blossoms on a sultry summer night. My parents fed my imagination by taking our family to Europe for a year when I was thirteen. The year away changed me (I wasn’t a geek for once!) and overseas I discovered a huge and wonderful world with different cultures and customs. I loved everything about Europe, but felt especially passionate about Italy and those gorgeous Italian men (no wonder my very first Presents was Italian).I confess, after that incredible year in Europe, the travel bug bit, and bit hard. I spent much of my high school and college years abroad, studying in South Africa, Japan and Ireland. South Africa remains a country of my heart, the people, the land and politics complex and heart-wrenching. After my years of traveling and studying I had to settle down and earn a living. With my Bachelors degree from UCLA in American Studies, a program that combines American literature and American history, I’ve worked in sales and marketing, as well as a director of a non-profit foundation. Later I earned my Masters in Writing from the University of San Francisco and taught jr. high and high school English.
Currently: Jane currently lives in Seattle, Washington with her three young sons.
Titles: The Frog Prince, Flirting with Forty, Odd Mom Out, Mrs. Perfect, Easy on the Eyes, and She’s Gone Country.
Read my interview with Jane!
Bio Retrieved from www.jennynelsonauthor.com

October 3, 2010
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Vivian Rising by Daniella Brodsky
Chick Lit Review

Vivian Rising by Daniella Brodsky

Vivian Sklar is devastated when she loses her grandmother. Since Vivian’s mother left her years ago, her grandmother became her mother and best friend. Once she passes, Vivian feels utterly alone and terrified of the world, unsure which way to turn, where to go for help. When she finds herself staring at a sign for an astrologer, reader of the stars, she goes for it. What could it hurt?
After talking with Kavia, Vivian thinks she made a silly choice. She’s nothing but a cooky lady wearing odd clothes and warning of the future. But when Kavia urges Vivian not to take the train home, Vivian decides to give her a chance. After learning the same train she would have boarded crashed, Vivian hands the reigns of her life over to Kavia. Following each piece of advice her astrologer dishes out, Vivian bases her life choices on what her readings tell her. When they lead her to Len, the handsome yet guarded grandson of her neighbors, she accepts his attention. When they tell her to ignore her mother for once in her life, Vivian refuses to answer the phone. But can Vivian rely only on the astrologer’s advice her whole life? Will she ever find the strength to write her own future without her grandmother by her side?
Vivian Rising by Daniella Brodsky is an intricate story laced with love, perseverance, and a lot of self doubt. The main character is easy to relate to, a lost soul, scared little girl, afraid to face the future, wanting to know the answers now. The conflict between Vivian and her mother frustrated me at times, and I found myself wishing I could be there to yell at Vivian. I loved how Brodsky’s writing could make me feel like I could just jump into the story alongside the characters. The scenes were vivid, the characters relatable, and the emotions raw. Vivian Rising has many layers to peel back, and readers will be left thinking about their own futures and how self-perseverance will get them there. Seeing the transformation between Vivian at the beginning of the story to where she is at the end is very empowering, adding this novel to my Favorites List.
Rating: 4.5/5

October 1, 2010
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On Trend: Jeggings
Chick Lit Plus

On Trend: Jeggings

Jeggings have been trending for the past few months now, and finally around my parts of Iowa are girls starting to take notice of this new fashion craze. Jeggings, in case there are any of you that are not aware, are jeans/leggings. Think extreme skinny jeans that are worn like leggings but are made with a denim and spandex blend, making them more comfortable than regular jeans. While leggings are typically worn underneath a long shirt or dress, jeggings are worn more like jeans. I have seen girls wearing high waisted jeggings with their tops tucked into them, giving a more fashion forward look. Wearing jeggings either way seems acceptable, and often pairing with stilettos is the popular choice. Would you wear jeggings when you are out and about?

September 30, 2010
2 Comments
Life, Love, and a Polar Bear Tattoo by Heather Wardell
Chick Lit Review

Life, Love, and a Polar Bear Tattoo by Heather Wardell

Candice and Ian’s marriage has been strained for the last eight months, ever since Ian’s parents were killed in a car accident. When Ian decides to leave for a month to do overseas work, Candice is relived she has some time alone to reflect on her marriage and whether she should stay with her husband. But when a blast from the past enters the picture, Candice can’t fight the feelings and emotions that come with her ex, Keagan. As the four weeks away from Ian stretches on, Candice gets swept away in the comfort, familiarity, and excitement that Keagan brings to her life. But is she letting Keagan distract her so she doesn’t need to address the painful reason her and Ian have grown apart? Is leaving her husband the right decision, or is there more to life and love that Candice will discover?
Life, Love, and a Polar Bear Tattoo, the debut novel from Heather Wardell, was so beautifully written, so touching and relatable that I could feel the characters jump out of the pages while reading, and skyrocketed Wardell to the top of my Favorite Authors list. Her writing flowed so effortlessly between scenes, and the emotions and vulnerability the heroine projected left me reading for hours at a time, unable to tear myself away from the characters. There is no question Life, Love, and a Polar Bear Tattoo deserves five stars, and I look forward to many more from Heather Wardell.
Rating: 5/5

September 29, 2010
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Author Profile: Jenny Nelson
Chick Lit Authors

Author Profile: Jenny Nelson

Author Name: Jenny Nelson

Website: http://www.jennynelsonauthor.com/
Bio: Jenny Nelson grew up in Larchmont, NY and graduated with a BA in English Literature from the University of Colorado at Denver. A former web editor and producer, she worked for companies such as iVillage, Vogue.com and Style.com. She lives with her husband, twin daughters and dog in Millbrook, NY and Manhattan. Georgia’s Kitchen is her first novel.
Titles: Georgia’s Kitchen
Read my interview with Jenny!
Bio Retrieved from www.jennynelsonauthor.com

September 28, 2010
1 Comment
In My Mailbox: Week of September 26th
Updates

In My Mailbox: Week of September 26th

In My Mailbox: Week of September 26th

Title: Haunted Honeymoon
Author: Marta Acosta
Received: From Marta Acosta
Synopsis: THERE’S MORE THAN HER HEART AT STAKE. . . .As the only human to survive vampire infection, Milagro de Los Santos has become quite a celebrity among the blood-drinking elite. Too bad the perks of her condition—increased strength, super-fast healing—don’t pay her condo fees. There are other complications too. She’s feeling guilty about her fling with enigmatic Vampire Council member Ian Ducharme, and pining for her ex-fiancé, Dr. Oswald Grant . . . the fabulous man whose kiss changed her life. It’s when Milagro—irked by Ian’s attentions to his neighbor—travels to London and enjoys a sexy flirtation of her own, that the blood really hits the fan. Suddenly, those around her are dying gruesome deaths and Milagro’s being interrogated. Who would kill to set her up as a murder suspect? Milagro just wants to turn back the clock and have another chance to make things right, but no sooner has she escaped to Oswald’s ranch than an accident obliterates her memory. Will the murderer come after her now? And will amnesia spark a romantic do-over with Oswald—or will she make all the same mistakes before she ever gets to say “I do”?

Title: Anyone for Me?
Author: Fiona Cassidy
Received: From Fiona Cassidy
Synopsis: Meet feisty fun-loving Ruby Ross – thirty four, mad red hair, mad (in general) adopted and searching for answers (most pressingly being precisely whose genes are responsible for the most unmanageable bonce in the country?). She’s impulsive, compulsive and unaware of what she’s about to unleash in her quest for the truth. Her journey will take her from the Tyrone village of Swiftstown to Belfast to the rolling hills of Donegal (where the scenery is lovely but the roads are bad and burst tyres are plenty.)

Isobel Ross is larger than life, living in a picturesque cottage in Donegal in the grounds of an old manor house which has been turned into a hotel – but why are the new owners so keen to get rid of her? She’s harbouring secrets from the past and fiercely protective of her adopted daughter. Can she stop the wilful Ruby from opening a nasty can of worms or will the hand of fate intervene and give Ruby the answers she doesn’t expect or might not want.

Throw in Ruby’s forthcoming nuptials to the lovely Luke, Frankie, her best friend and bling loving bridesmaid, a wedding planner called Gabriel who wears more make-up than the bride-to-be and a dusty box found in an attic which leaves many questions unanswered and you have a bewildered and rather ferocious Ruby asking is there….Anyone For Me?

Title: The Tapestry of Love
Author: Rosy Thornton
Received: From Rosy Thornton
Synopsis: A rural idyll: that’s what Catherine is seeking when she sells her house in England and moves to a tiny hamlet in the Cévennes mountains. With her divorce in the past and her children grown, she is free to make a new start, and her dream is to set up in business as a seamstress. But this is a harsh and lonely place when you’re no longer just here on holiday. There is French bureaucracy to contend with, not to mention the mountain weather, and the reserve of her neighbors, including the intriguing Patrick Castagnol. And that’s before the arrival of Catherine’s sister, Bryony.

Title: Blind Faith
Author: CJ Lyons
Received: From CJ Lyons
Synopsis: When her husband and son are murdered, she thought she’d lost it all. But for Sarah Durandt the nightmare is just beginning… Her search for truth leads her to a trail of lies and unearths a killer. In a race to save everything she holds dear, Sarah is forced to place her faith in the man who betrayed her…her husband.

Title: The Kiss Test
Author: Shannon McKelden
Received: From Shannon McKelden
Synopsis: Margo Gentry’s life is perfect. She loves her job as a country music DJ, and she has a great boyfriend who accepts her need to avoid marriage and tolerates her Elvis obsession – even the velvet Elvis painting in their bedroom. But then it all falls apart. The radio station changes formats and fires all the DJs. Margo’s boyfriend decides he wants kids and a house in the suburbs and kicks her to the curb. And to top it all off, her Mom is getting married — for the 11th time! — and expects Margo to be there as maid of honor. With no job and no place to live, Margo has to bunk on the couch of her best friend Chris, whose revolving bedroom door has played host to half the women in New York – at least, the ones that pass his “kiss test.” Worse, he’s insisting she attend her mother’s wedding, and is personally driving her cross-country to ensure she shows up. Forget about surviving the road trip – can their friendship survive The Kiss Test?

Title: Planning to Live
Author: Heather Wardell
Received: From Heather Wardell
Synopsis: Thirty-something Rhiannon is an obsessive planner and goal-setter, but somehow nothing she achieves ever seems good enough to her. Determined to lose forty pounds for her best friend’s August wedding, Rhiannon flees her parents’ house in a Christmas-day blizzard to avoid the temptation of all her favorite foods, but her car skids off the deserted road into a tree.
Unable to escape the car, with her leg trapped and bleeding and her cell phone out of reach, Rhiannon is at first certain she’ll be rescued and writes notes to her friends and family to pass the time. As the weather cools and her condition deteriorates, though, she recognizes the possibility that her life might be over. Interspersed with increasingly desperate escape attempts, her letters become deeper and more heart-felt as she comes to see what really matters in life.

September 27, 2010
1 Comment
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Her Brother’s Shotgun Wedding by Noreen Riley
Chick Lit Review

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Her Brother’…

Evelyn Dunleavy is shocked when her older brother Michael calls to tell her he is getting married. With Evie and her family living in the States while Michael lives in London, the family doesn’t even know his bride to be- who also happens to be pregnant. Michael convinces Evie to fly to London and stay there until the wedding, helping with the wedding plans and to be a supportive base for himself. Evie is forced to room with Michael’s friend Nate, but quickly gets over her dislike for rooming with a stranger when she lays eyes on the gorgeous entrepreneurial Nate. But can she really engage in a relationship with him when they live on different sides of the Pond, not to mention the fact that Michael has an extreme dislike for any of his friends dating his little sister?
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Her Brother’s Shotgun Wedding, the debut novel by Noreen Riley, is a classic contemporary blend of romance and comedy. The main character is extremely likeable and relatable, with some hilarious character flaws about her. The supporting cast, including both families involved in the wedding plus a slew of Evie’s best friends, fill up the rest of the pages with drama, attitudes, and enough wit to keep readers satisfied until the end. A Funny Thing follows the chick lit standards, but the characters, setting, and plot keep this novel unique and fast-paced. Riley showcases an excellent debut, and I wouldn’t mind if a sequel about Evie was in the works-but maybe one with a shorter title!
Rating: 4/5

September 26, 2010
2 Comments