New Book Releases: February 2015
Contributor: Allie The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah – February 3, 2015. The story is set in France during World War II and focuses on the…
#BookReview: New Uses For Old Boyfriends by Beth Kendrick
Reviewer: Samantha I received a review copy Summary: After growing up in privilege and marrying into money, Lila Alders has gotten used to the good…
In My Mailbox: Week of December 29
Title: Milked Author: Lisa Doyle Received: CLP Blog Tours Synopsis: By and large, Amanda Keane makes pretty good decisions. Okay, she might not have the…
Book Review: Cure For the Common Breakup by Beth Kendrick
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
Welcome to Black Dog Bay, a tiny seaside town in Delaware known as “the best place in America to bounce back from your breakup.” Home to the Better Off Bed-and-Breakfast, the Eat Your Heart Out bakery, and the Whinery bar, Black Dog Bay offers a haven for the suddenly single.
Flight attendant Summer Benson lives by two rules: Don’t stay with the same man for too long and never stay in one place. She’s about to break rule number one by considering accepting her boyfriend’s proposal—then disaster strikes and her world is shattered in an instant.
Summer heads to Black Dog Bay, where the locals welcome her. Even Hattie Huntington, the town’s oldest, richest, and meanest resident, likes her enough to give her a job. Then there’s Dutch Jansen, the rugged, stoic mayor, who’s the opposite of her type. She probably shouldn’t be kissing him. She definitelyshouldn’t be falling in love.
After a lifetime of globe-trotting, Summer has finally found a home. But Hattie has old scores to settle and a hidden agenda for her newest employee. Summer finds herself faced with an impossible choice: Leave Black Dog Bay behind forever, or stay with the ones she loves and cost them everything….
Summary:
Okay, am I the only one who wishes Black Dog Bay was a real place, and close to my hometown? Not that my newlywed self needs it, but hey – in college it could have come in handy for a nice vacation spot when suddenly myself and four of my girlfriends all found ourselves single. I loved the concept of this book, and Kendrick was the perfect writer for this novel. There is snappy dialogue, tons of charm and wit throughout the pages, and a sassy heroine who constantly had me in giggles. A perfect beach read for the upcoming summer months, and chick lit fans should snap this one up!
5 stars
New Book Releases: May 2014
I love the month of May. Spring is in full bloom and summer is on the horizon. This is a good thing – because I’m going to need lots of beach time to read all the books that are coming out. May’s new releases are full of chick lit bounty, written by some of the genre’s best writers. I can’t wait to read all of these books!
Catching Air by Sarah Pekkanen – May 6th, 2014. Kira is a stressed out and over-worked lawyer, who jumps at the chance to leave Florida and buy a bed and breakfast in Vermont with her husband, Peter. Peter’s brother, Rand, and his wife, Alyssa, join them in their venture. Finding herself in a remote town in Vermont, in the middle of a snowy winter, living with a couple she barely knows, makes Kira question whether or not she’s made the right decision. Kira’s doubts multiply with the arrival of a strange young woman and the discovery that the idyllic little town where she lives has secrets of its own.
Cure for the Common Break-Up by Beth Kendrick – May 6th, 2014. Summer Benson is a flight attendant who loves adventure. She’s also been a free spirit when it comes to love. All that changes when tragedy strikes and Summer runs to the town of Black Dog Bay. It’s there that Summer experiences something she’s never felt before – the feeling of being home. Unfortunately, the hidden agendas of some residents threaten to destroy her newfound peace. Should she stay or should she go?
The One & Only by Emily Giffin – May 20th, 2014. Emily Giffin is one of my all-time favorite authors. I usually complete her books in one sitting. Her latest tale takes place in Walker, Texas, where Shea Rigsby has lived all her live. She grew up loving football and is best of friends with the daughter of Walker University’s football coach. Shea is so devoted to the university and football that she chooses to stay in her hometown following graduation, to work in the university athletic department. In the aftermath of a local tragedy, Shea questions her life choices and whether or not she can find the one and only thing that truly makes life worth living.
Goodnight June by Sarah Jio – May 27th, 2014. Sarah Jio cleverly tells stories by interweaving the past with the present. I’m intrigued by her latest novel, which imagines the inspiration behind the classic children’s book, Goodnight Moon. The story centers on June Anderson, a high powered banker, who is settling her late Great Aunt Ruby’s estate. Aunt Ruby once owned a children’s bookstore. June discovers letters that her Aunt received from Margaret Wise Brown (author of Goodnight Moon). These letters lead June on a journey to discover how the “great green room” came to be. Love the premise of this novel.
The Secret Life of Violet Grant by Beatriz Williams – May 27th, 2014. Williams wrote one of my favorite books of 2013 (A Hundred Summers), so I’m eagerly anticipating her latest. The book is written in a style similar to that of Sarah Joi, by mingling the stories of two women living decades apart. Set in the Mad Men era of 1960s Manhattan, Vivian Schuyler is a privilege young woman who’s chosen the radical path of working at a woman’s magazine. Her family is aghast – can you imagine? After she receives a surprise parcel from overseas, Vivian discovers that she had an aunt – Violet Grant. Violet’s story unfolds in pre-World War I Germany. Vivian is determined to discover why her family disowned Violet and erased her past.
In My Mailbox: Week of May 5
Title: The Right Design
Author: Isabella Louise Anderson
Received: CLP Blog Tours
Synopsis: Interior designer Carrie Newman could not have envisioned a more perfect life for herself. She had a great job doing what she loved, wonderful friends, and a close relationship with her sister and brother-in-law. Add in an amazing man who she’d hoped would soon become her husband, and her life was perfect. Until one devastating decision ruins her relationship and changes the course of her life.
Determined to make a new start, Carrie leaves Texas and heads to Palm Beach to pick up the pieces of her shattered and broken life. The last thing she expects is to find herself attracted to her first client at her new job—Brad Larson, who has proven himself time and time again to be caddish.
But there’s something beneath the surface of Brad’s arrogant exterior that keeps her craving more of him—something almost sweet that Carrie can’t seem to resist.
Is Carrie ready to take another chance on romance? And will this new design of her life prove to be the right one…?
Title: Chez Stinky
Author: Susan C Daffron
Received: CLP Blog Tours
Synopsis: Kat Stevens is a slightly insecure, mostly bored technical writer who likes her cat a lot more than her boss. She hasn’t laid eyes on her great aunt Abigail since she was eight, so she’s stumped when she inherits Abigail’s house in the small hamlet of Alpine Grove.
Kat’s uncomplicated life gets decidedly less so when she discovers the inheritance comes with some hairy conditions: four dogs and five cats that her aunt wanted her to love as her own. Of course, the house smells like a barn–with a touch of antique skunk–and, naturally, has serious roof issues. And that’s before the three-legged cat gets stuck in the wall and the shower goes kablooey.
When Kat meets Joel, an unemployed techie type with no love lost for his sister, Kat looks past his obvious flaws, given his timely and desirable skill set: a talent for fixing things (and his own tools).
Despite out-of-control dogs, cat fights, dust dinosaurs, massive spiders and an old grizzled hippie passed out in the yard, Kat discovers the tranquility of the forests of Alpine Grove starting to seep into her soul.
Title: The School Run
Author: Sophie King
Received: CLP Blog Tours
Synopsis: Meet Harriet, Pippa, Evie, Nick, Kitty and Martine as they battle the daily school run. Share their ups and downs during one life-changing week, as they face relationship dilemmas, family dramas, secrets and lies…all leading to surprise events which cause their lives to collide.
‘There is a lot for women to relate to here.’ Katie Fforde
Harriet doesn’t know whether she’ll still have a marriage by the end of the week. But as she waits for her husband’s decision about their relationship, does Harriet have more choices of her own than she realised?
Pippa is waiting too – for the results of medical tests that could bring devastating news about her health and future. But could it be Pippa’s own actions that threaten all she holds dear?
Evie is struggling with her high-pressure job on a magazine and dealing with two step-daughters who hate her. But when her husband disappears can she rise to her biggest challenge yet?
Widower Nick worries about his teenage daughter, Julie, as they approach the anniversary of her mother’s death. Can Nick keep his guilty secret about how she died?
School teacher Kitty needs a man. At least that’s what her friend Mandy tells her. Can she win Mandy’s bet to find one by the end of the week?
Martine is unhappy as the au pair for a famous TV couple. Will she find her escape with a married man?
Meanwhile, Betty watches on, determined to find the hit and run driver who killed her young son…
Seven people living different lives, but their paths are destined to cross in ways they could never have imagined.
Title: Cure For the Common Breakup
Author: Beth Kendrick
Received: Penguin
Synopsis: Welcome to Black Dog Bay, a tiny seaside town in Delaware known as “the best place in America to bounce back from your breakup.” Home to the Better Off Bed-and-Breakfast, the Eat Your Heart Out bakery, and the Whinery bar, Black Dog Bay offers a haven for the suddenly single.
Flight attendant Summer Benson lives by two rules: Don’t stay with the same man for too long and never stay in one place. She’s about to break rule number one by considering accepting her boyfriend’s proposal—then disaster strikes and her world is shattered in an instant.
Summer heads to Black Dog Bay, where the locals welcome her. Even Hattie Huntington, the town’s oldest, richest, and meanest resident, likes her enough to give her a job. Then there’s Dutch Jansen, the rugged, stoic mayor, who’s the opposite of her type. She probably shouldn’t be kissing him. She definitelyshouldn’t be falling in love.
After a lifetime of globe-trotting, Summer has finally found a home. But Hattie has old scores to settle and a hidden agenda for her newest employee. Summer finds herself faced with an impossible choice: Leave Black Dog Bay behind forever, or stay with the ones she loves and cost them everything….
Title: Love and Other Foreign Words
Author: Erin McCahan
Received: BookSparks
Synopsis: Can anyone be truly herself–or truly in love–in a language that’s not her own?
Sixteen-year-old Josie lives her life in translation. She speaks High School, College, Friends, Boyfriends, Break-ups, and even the language of Beautiful Girls. But none of these is her native tongue–the only people who speak that are her best friend Stu and her sister Kate. So when Kate gets engaged to an epically insufferable guy, how can Josie see it as anything but the mistake of a lifetime? Kate is determined to bend Josie to her will for the wedding; Josie is determined to break Kate and her fiancé up. As battles are waged over secrets and semantics, Josie is forced to examine her feelings for the boyfriend who says he loves her, the sister she loves but doesn’t always like, and the best friend who hasn’t said a word–at least not in a language Josie understands.
Title: Pressed Pennies
Author: Steven Manchester
Received: Steven Manchester
Synopsis: Rick and Abby grew up together, became best friends, and ultimately fell in love. Circumstance tore them apart in their early teens, though, and they went on to lives less idyllic than they dreamed about in those early days. Rick has had a very successful career, but his marriage flat-lined. Abby has a magical daughter, Paige, but Paige’s father nearly destroyed Abby’s spirit.
Now fate has thrown Rick and Abby together again. In their early thirties, they are more world-weary than they were as kids. But their relationship still shimmers, and they’re hungry to make up for lost time. However, Paige, now nine, is not nearly as enthusiastic. She’s very protective of the life she’s made with her mother and not open to the duo becoming a trio. Meanwhile, Rick has very little experience dealing with kids and doesn’t know how to handle Paige. This leaves Abby caught between the two people who matter the most to her. What happens when the life you’ve dreamed of remains just inches from your grasp?
PRESSED PENNIES is a nuanced, intensely romantic, deeply heartfelt story of love it its many incarnations, relationships in their many guises, and family in its many meanings. It is the most accomplished and moving novel yet from a truly great storyteller of the heart.
Title: Rock My World
Author: Julie Shackman
Received: Julie Shackman
Synopsis: A charming romantic suspense thriller with a paranormal twist
Ruby Cameron is an ambitious reporter for a local paper where she is fed scraps of news, and lives with a man whose “idea of living dangerously is to leave the heating on when we pop out to the shops”. But after catching her squeaky clean boyfriend in flagrante delicto she ups sticks and moves into her own small home, only to discover the ghostly presence of a cheeky rock star who becomes her confidant as the dynamics of her small town, and her feelings about her dashing new boss, begin to throw up more questions than she can answer. Will Ruby discover who she really is, and perhaps more importantly, who she wants to be?
Book Review: The Week Before the Wedding by Beth Kendrick
I received a copy of The Week Before the Wedding by Beth Kendrick in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
After enduring a chaotic childhood, Emily McKellips yearns for a drama-free life, complete with a white picket fence. Her dreams are about to come true: She has a stellar career, a gorgeous house, and a fiancé any woman would die for. But as friends and family arrive in picturesque Valentine, Vermont, for her wedding, an uninvited guest shows up.
Ryan is Emily’s first husband from a disastrous starter marriage. They wed on a whim, only to discover that combustible chemistry couldn’t ensure a happily ever after. But Ryan is no longer the headstrong boy she left behind. He’s now a successful film producer who just happens to be scouting a resort in Valentine with his adorable retriever in tow.
As the bridesmaids revolt and the mothers of the bride and groom do battle, Emily is surprised to discover new sides of both her ex and her fiancé. She thought she had life and love all figured out, but the next seven days might change her mind—and her heart.
Review:
There were many details that made me fall in love with The Week Before the Wedding. I highly enjoyed that Emily had a bit of a wild-child past, how crazy her mom was, and of course – that I was reading a wedding book! (Mine is now LESS than four months away!) What I liked the most is that throughout the book, I had no idea how Emily was going to end up – or who she would end up with. On one hand, I truly thought she would stay with Grant, her fiancé, because she did seem to love him and their wedding was, well, a week away. They had chemistry, stability, and a happy life together. On the other hand, I thought for sure Emily was going to throw caution to the wind and wind up with Ryan. I mean, his name was tattooed on her ring finger! But they also had chemistry, a past, and an odd respect for one another. So who did she end up with? I can’t tell you that! But I can tell you this book has a lot of heart, some seriously comical moments with the mothers, and is a very enjoyable read!
4 stars
Birthday Giveaway!
I wanted to do something special to help celebrate my birthday week, and what better way than a giveaway? I have been wanting to host a giveaway to help clear some of my ARC’s from my bookshelf, and this seems like the perfect opportunity. I have six books that are up for grabs, with six different winners!
Second Time Around by Beth Kendrick
The Summer We Read Gatsby by Danielle Ganek
Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner
Call Me Mrs. Miracle by Debbie Macomber
A Chesapeake Shores Christmas by Sherryl Woods
Perfect on Paper by Maria Murnane
To enter:
1. Send an email with your full mailing address to Samantha(at)chicklitplus.com. You will not be entered unless I have this email! When you send the email, please also include if there are specific books you would like to win. Or if you would like a chance at all of them, just say so!
2. Post a comment below and let us know one of your favorite birthday memories.
3. For bonus entries, spread the word! Post this contest on Facebook or Twitter.
That’s it! The contest will close the day after my birthday, on Thursday March 24. Please note that I will be choosing a different winner for each book. This contest is open for US residents only.
Second Time Around by Beth Kendrick
Ten years after graduating from Leighton College in New York, five friends hold a reunion, where they reminisce on old times. All former English majors, the women wonder what would have become of their lives if they had chosen a different major and profession. A professor, a bartender, a copyright, and an administrative assistant all get that second chance when the fifth member of the group passes away, leaving her four friends $1,000,000 to reinvent themselves.
Now, a novelist, an event planner, a pastry chef, and a bed and breakfast owner are finding the answers to their “what if” questions. They are finally following their dreams and desires, and are doing it together back in the town of their college. Finding their true callings amidst career struggles and love battles, the four friends grow closer to one another while honoring their friend’s spirit and life along the way.
Second Time Around by Beth Kendrick is a heart-felt story on the value of friendship and finding a way to follow your heart. Each woman’s story was interesting and colorful, and the way each character could tie in with one another was excellent. A unique subplot involving the deceased friend kept the mystery up throughout the novel, and the ending will make all readers satisfied.
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