#BookReview: You Tell Your Dog First by Alison Pace
Reviewer: Samantha I received a review copy Summary: You Tell Your Dog First… About the date you just had…about the questionable results of a medical…
Author Profile: Alison Pace
Author Name: Alison Pace
Website: http://www.alisonpace.com/
Bio: Alison Pace is the author of the novels If Andy Warhol Had a Girlfriend, Pug Hill, Through Thick and Thin, City Dog, and A Pug’s Tale. Her essays have appeared in several anthologies including It’s a Wonderful Lie: The Truth About Life in Your Twenties, Everything I Needed to Know about Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume, and Howl: A Collection of the Best Contemporary Dog Wit.
Alison lives in New York City where she teaches creative writing and is at work on another book.
Her favorite city other than New York is Rome. Her favorite books, music, and TV shows change constantly though there will always be a special place in her heart for Willie Nelson, Cake, Wuthering Heights, and Will & Grace; her favorite movies are When Harry Met Sally, Manhattan, and Best In Show; her favorite movie line is from Rushmore when Luke Wilson says, “These are my O.R. scrubs,” to which Jason Schwartzman replies, “Oh, are they?”
See my four star review of A Pug’s Tale!
Bio retrieved from alisonpace.com
A Pug’s Tale by Alison Pace
As a huge dog lover, I was immediately smitten with the cover of A Pug’s Tale by Allison Pace. And I’m happy to report that I was just an enamored with the story as I was with the cover. The heroine, Hope, works at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, has a boyfriend that is currently living in Africa with Lawyers without Borders, and is starting to get lonely. She only has Max to talk to- which is her boyfriend’s pug that she is in possession of until Ben returns back to New York. While attending a pug party at the Met in honor of Daphne, another pug owner/lover and an investor with the museum, Max leads Hope to a fake painting sitting in her office. It looks as though someone has stolen the original, and wants Hope to know about it. The mystery of the stolen painting is the main focus of the book, with scavenger hunt clues, a so-so private detective, and Hope’s co-workers looking at each other suspiciously. Hope it determined to solve the mystery, and hopes to figure out her life at the same time. Will Ben ever come home from Africa? Does she want him, or is she still crushing on her boss, Elliott, who is getting engaged and questioning if Hope is the painting thief?
This is a really cute book, and I always like a little mystery with my chick lit. Hope is a very convincing character, super sweet and genuine, but that is a little lost when it comes down to her personal life. I wish there had been a little more emphasis on her boyfriend, because it was hard to tell if she really loved him or what the deal was there. I kept thinking she was going to get with Elliott because he was talked about so much more than the actual BF. Daphne’s character was super kooky yet really fun to read about. I loved the way the ending worked out with her (no spoilers here) and it gave me a good laugh when I read it. I thought this was a light read that was fun throughout the way, and a great book for dog lovers to pick up. Sometimes I did think the plot was getting a little too out there, but it was still interesting enough to keep me engrossed. I guess this is actually a sequel to Pug Hill, which I didn’t realize until I was almost halfway through the book, and that was because I was doing research on it. If you haven’t read the first one, I wouldn’t worry, I didn’t feel that I was missing anything, but I will definitely grab a copy of Pug Hill to read as well!
[Rating: 4]
In My Mailbox: Week of May 15
In My Mailbox: Week of May 15
Title: Priceless
Author: Nicole Richie
Received: From Cristina @ Simon and Shuster
Synopsis: Tall, blond, and willowy, this twenty-two-year-old seems to have everything going for her—she’s rich and gorgeous, a talented singer, and has just returned to her Park Avenue penthouse after a year studying in Paris. But since her mother’s tragic death years ago, her father, an extremely successful financier, has been her only family—and if she’s being honest, her only true friend.
All that changes when Jacob Williams is arrested on charges of fraud, and the SEC freezes the family’s bank accounts. With her father in jail and her partying pals suddenly scarce, Charlotte escapes Manhattan and heads to the one place she doesn’t think anyone will come looking: New Orleans.
Determined to rebuild her life, Charlotte moves in with her beloved former nanny and finds a job in a local restaurant. Between trying to make ends meet and hiding from her past, she meets Kat, a fellow fashionista who introduces her to the best of the Big Easy’s bohemian style. With Kat by her side, Charlotte begins to haunt nightclubs, securing singing gigs that soon begin to heat up—as does her friendship with a local boy, Jackson.
But Charlotte’s being followed by an angry stalker who wants nothing more than to destroy her for her father’s crimes. And with Mardi Gras just around the corner, the masquerade has only just begun . . .
From the stylish avenues of Manhattan and dark clubs of the French Quarter to the bright lights of Los Angeles, the multitalented Nicole Richie’s scintillating tale shows that the very life you run from is the one that won’t let you hide.
Title: Phone Kitten
Author: Marika Christian
Received: From Julie Smith @ BookBnimble/CLP Blog Tours
Synopsis: Marika Christian’s PHONE KITTEN introduces an absolutely unique, first-time-ever kind of female sleuth—a totally lovable, intelligent, downright hilarious down-home girl who happens to earn her living as a phone sex worker.
Shy, slightly overweight Emily would die if she had to talk dirty face-to-face—especially to her hot cop boy friend. She sure didn’t set out to do phone sex—she wanted to be a writer. But when her BFF framed her for plagiarism, she got in a tiny financial hole and saw this ad for “phone actresses”… Hey, it’s not nearly as bad as it sounds. No pantyhose or pantsuits, no regular hours, you’re your own boss, and lots of people to talk to. Guys, that is. But here’s the odd thing—lots of them want to talk about more than Emily’s imagined attributes; they start to think of her as the best friend they’ll never have to meet. Next thing you know, one of her customers gets killed and Emily knows a lot more about it than she should. But she can’t tell the nearest cop, who’s also her own true love, because then he’ll find out about her secret life. What’s a phone kitten to do? Solve the murder herself, of course—because wouldn’t it be a great story for the newspaper that wrongly fired her? It’s her ticket back to her real life—if it doesn’t get her killed.
PHONE KITTEN is your ticket to hours of giggles—so long as you’re not looking for raunch. Because this is so not it. Somehow, first-time author Christian manages to handle a potentially smokin’ subject with such sly wit, authentic detail, and clever writing that you’ll wonder why this subject was ever considered taboo.
Title: A Pug’s Tale
Author: Alison Pace
Received: From Erin @ The Penguin Group
Synopsis: Hope McNeill is a New York City gal who finally has it all—an amazing boyfriend, an adorable pug named Max, and a great job in the restorations department of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In fact, when a wealthy society woman and a major benefactor of the museum takes an interest in her and Max, Hope is thrilled and flattered.
Unfortunately, things take a wrong turn at work—a painting has disappeared from the museum and Hope’s boss is desperate to keep it quiet. Since the painting was in Hope’s department when last seen, she feels it’s up to her to get it back. Along the way she receives some surprising help from an enigmatic detective and her own intuitive pug.
Title: Night Road
Author: Kristin Hannah
Received: Unknown/Unsolicited
Synopsis: For eighteen years, Jude Farraday has put her children’s needs above her own, and it shows—her twins, Mia and Zach—are bright and happy teenagers. When Lexi Baill moves into their small, close knit community, no one is more welcoming than Jude. Lexi, a former foster child with a dark past, quickly becomes Mia’s best friend. Then Zach falls in love with Lexi and the three become inseparable.
Jude does everything to keep her kids on track for college and out of harm’s way. It has always been easy– until senior year of high school. Suddenly she is at a loss. Nothing feels safe anymore; every time her kids leave the house, she worries about them.
On a hot summer’s night her worst fears come true. One decision will change the course of their lives. In the blink of an eye, the Farraday family will be torn apart and Lexi will lose everything. In the years that follow, each must face the consequences of that single night and find a way to forget…or the courage to forgive.
