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Book Review: The Very First Bite by Cynthia Langston

I received a copy of THE VERY FIRST BITE by Cynthia Langston in exchange for an honest review.

The Very First Bite chronicles the life of Lanie Albers, who at the beginning of the novel, has ten weeks to prepare for her high school reunion. Her life isn’t quite what she envisioned it would be – she is twenty pounds overweight, in a dead-end job and she is stuck in a hopeless relationship. The idea of visiting old classmates and owning up to her less than stellar life has Lanie anxious. There are also a lot of loose ends that she needs to tie up, for instance, her first love Chad, whom she fears she will run into at the reunion. And Candace, her former best friend, who unexpectedly ended their friendship seven years ago. But, by examining her past, she slowly confronts her demons and has quite a few revelations about her self and the person that she wants to become.

I loved this book. Like Lanie, I too am on the brink of returning to high school for the first time since graduation and have thought about many of the same things. Sure, we are all carrying a few extra pounds and wish that we were “high school” skinny, but I too often think and wonder about the people that I left behind. What are they doing? What would they say if they saw me? I loved Lanie from the beginning and thought that Cynthia does a really great job at capturing all of her insecurities and created a very witty, yet vulnerable main character. Overall, this book is very heartfelt and honest, often times leaving the reader on the bring of laughter and tears. I really enjoyed this book and I think that if you are looking for a book like this, then you’ve met your match.

CLP Blog Tours Book Review: When I See You by …

Katherine Owen is now on tour with CLP Blog Tours and When I See You. I knew I would have an immediate connection to this…

Book Review: Dolls Behaving Badly by Cinthia Ritchie

I received a copy of Dolls Behaving Badly by Cinthia Ritchie in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
Carla Richards is a lot of things. She’s a waitress at Anchorage’s premier dining establishment, Mexico in an Igloo; an artist who secretly makes erotic dolls for extra income; a divorcée who can’t quite detach from her ex-husband; and a single mom trying to support her gifted eight-year-old son, her pregnant sister, and her babysitter-turned-resident-teenager.

She’s one overdue bill away from completely losing control-when inspiration strikes in the form of a TV personality. Now she’s scribbling away in a diary, flirting with an anthropologist, and making appointments with a credit counselor.

Still, getting her life and dreams back on track is difficult. Is perfection really within reach? Or will she wind up with something even better?
Review:
Dolls Behaving Badly is written from Carla’s POV, and in a diary-type style. I liked the story because Carla was a heroine I could identify with – someone who has it a bit rough but won’t let her circumstances bring her down. She is great mom, is friendly (sometimes too) with her ex-husband, has a good friend and some unique relationships with both her sister and a neighbor girl. I really enjoyed reading this book because I found it fast-paced and very entertaining, in a far out way. Sometimes I had trouble reigning in Carla and her scattered thoughts and the ending was a little too abrupt – I actually went back and re-read the last page because I was confused that we were done. If you are looking for a different story with unique characters, this is a book I think you will enjoy!
4 stars

Book Review: The Lion Is In by Delia Ephron

I was provided with a copy of THE LION IS IN by Delia Ephron in exchange for an honest review.

The Lion Is In tells the tale of three gals. Tracee is a runaway bride and kleptomaniac. Lana’s is beautiful but also a recovering alcoholic. Rita is a holy-roller minister’s wife, who is tired and wants out of her marriage. One warm summer night brings the three ladies together and they go on the lam together. During the ride down a rural highway in the great state of North Carolina, their car breaks down and they are forced to seek shelter. They end up finding refuge in an abandoned nightclub. And, unexpectedly, they run into Marcel, who just happens to be a lion. This change encounter changes everything for the three ladies.

This book is absolutely unforgettable and I loved every second of THE LION IS IN. When I first received the review request, I read the title and thought that the lion was symbolic of something – but no, I was wrong. – because there is actually a lion in this book. Delia does an amazing job at crafting three wonderful female characters that are witty and beautiful in their own respective ways. I loved their journeys to self discovery and I loved Marcel’s role in helping the women. This book is truly great and so very smart! I highly recommend it!
Rating: 5 stars

CLP Blog Tours Book Review: Confessions of an Alli Cat …

Courtney Cole is now on tour with CLP Blog Tours and Confessions of an Alli Cat. OMG – this is one funny book. And a bit on the dirty side, but still super hilarious. The MC is thirty-five year-old Allison “Alli” Lancaster, who is living a great life. She has money, a fab job, a terrific daughter, a great bestie and a killer house in Las Vegas. Alli is happily single after divorcing her cheating ex-husband, but her best friend Sara thinks it’s time to spice up her life. What does that entail? A sex toy, a bikini wax and – hiring a much younger gigolo to satisfy her like she’s never been satisfied before. Alli is enjoying her new life until a man that could be something serious comes along – and a whole new can of worms is opened.
This book is a must-read and one of my favorites so far this year! Fast-paced, witty, a bit raunchy and oh so scandalous! I loved being surprised by the twists that Cole sprinkled in, and I found myself telling all my girlfriends about this book and how they must get their own copy. This is definitely an R-rated read but so worth it in my opinion!
5 stars

CLP Blog Tours Book Review: Bring Me Back by Karen …

Karen Booth is now on tour with CLP Blog Tours and Bring Me Back. Claire Abby is a music critic and single mom, who gets not only a killer assignment but the chance to meet a British rock legend and the man of her teenage fantasy in one fell swoop. Claire meets Christopher Penman and her world changes. While he makes her work to get him to open up, eventually Claire gets enough to write a killer story for Rolling Stone – and seems to capture Chris’s attention as well. Once she returns home to North Carolina a long-distance relationship starts between the two. But could their relationship ever work? Claire lives a normal life raising her seventeen year old daughter and striving to improve her writing career, and Chris is followed by paparazzi and working on a new album. But now that Claire has had Chris in her life, can she really pretend she hasn’t?
I had a lot of fun reading this book. Claire was very easy for me to relate to even though she is forty and I am twenty-five, and I often actually thought she was even younger! She was down to earth, a great mom, and someone just trying to stay afloat in the game of life. The chemistry between her and Chris heated up the pages, and I was really fascinated by their relationship and how people with two very different lives could possibly make it work. Sometimes the book stretched a bit long for me, but I still recommend this book, especially if you are a music fan!
4 stars

CLP Blog Tours Book Review – Holding On by Karen Stivali

Karen Stivali is on tour now with CLP Blog Tours and Holding On. This is the sequel to Meant to Be, a book I absolutely loved. I was very eager to jump back into the lives of Marienne and Daniel, as they won me over completely in the first book. The couple are happily married, and are both overjoyed when Marienne finds out she is pregnant. A lot happens during her pregnancy, and one large part is Daniel writing a screenplay that gets offered to be produced. The family also moves to a new town when Daniel gets offered a position at Dartmouth, and they meet a neighbor that is a little too friendly towards Marienne. With Daniel traveling due often to the screenplay jealousy starts to spark between the two, especially when Daniel’s manipulating ex-wife reappears back his life. Their marriage is suddenly on shaky ground, and both Marienne and Daniel have to dig deep to understand their love, trust, and partnership to make their marriage work.
I really enjoyed Holding On, maybe not as much as the first book, but I still really liked it. It was so nice to see a couple that really belongs together be together, though there were plenty of rough spots for them. The writing and scenes are very realistic, and I liked that Stivali was able to make me think about my own soon-to-be marriage through her characters and their issues and how they resolve them. The only thing I wasn’t a huge fan of was Marienne and Daniel’s sex life, which can probably make a lot of people feel inadequate. It felt like they were having sex in every third scene which got to be a bit much for me, but overall I really did enjoy this book. I would definitely recommend both Meant to Be and Holding On.
4 stars

CLP Blog Tours Book Review: Mad World: Sanctuary by Samaire …

Samaire Provost is now on tour with CLP Blog Tours and Mad World: Sanctuary. This book is the follow-up to Mad World: Epidemic, a book I surprisingly loved. I say surprisingly because I’m not a big fan of zombies and that is the focus of this series, but I was hooked from the beginning. Sanctuary picks up a couple years after the Black Plague infection swept through the United States and the gang – Alyssa, Jacob, DeAndre, Caitlyn, Risa and new addition Luke – are still just trying to survive. While survival is the main focus, protecting five year old Luke (who was born as his mother was turning into a zombie) from scientists who are trying to find a cure for the infection is a big issue as well. The odds seem against them, but can continue to survive?
Ooh, this book gave me the chills. My fiancé is a big fan of all the zombie shows, so I enjoyed talking to him about these books. There is one part in the book with a farmer couple that really got a rise out of both me and him, and was really surreal to think about. Again the writing was fast-paced and there was action on every page. Just like in Epidemic there is a cliff-hanger, and that makes me really anxious to get to the next books! I know there are two more set to come out, and I will be anxiously waiting for them!
5 stars

Book Review: Goodnight, Brian by Steven Manchester

I received a copy of Goodnight, Brian by Steven Manchester in exchange for an honest review.

Goodnight, Brian is all about family and the deep love that lies inside. Little Brian Mauretti was born with a special condition called Metabolic Alkalosis. The food that was meant to nourish him was poisoning him instead, and the doctors said things didn’t look good. But, that is when his grandmother, Angela DiMartino steps in and cares for him. She gives him everything that she has and tries her best to fight against fate. Mama and Brian are very courageous in their efforts and between the two of them, fate has no idea what it is in for.

I was first introduced to Steven Manchester when he contacted me a few months ago to review his first novel, and I fell in love with Twelve Months. So naturally, I was overly excited to read his latest, and Goodnight, Brian doesn’t disappoint. Sure, the subject matter is different but the emotional writing and the raw feelings are still there. I loved that Steven touched on the strength and perseverance of love and family and I thought the did such a wonderful job at crafting such an unbreakable bond between Brian and his grandmother. Overall, this story is really good and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a touching read.

Rating: 4.5 stars