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Future Tour: Hollywood Ending by Lucie Simone
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Future Tour: Hollywood Ending by Lucie Simone

Hollywood Ending is a romantic comedy about life in Hollywood for the not-so-rich-and-famous. Trina Stewart is desperate to find a proper Hollywood job and finally quit teaching ESL, but after ten years in Tinsel Town, things are looking grim. That is, until she sets her sights on sexy new neighbor, Matiu Wulf, a New Zealander of Maori origin who is only in Los Angeles to get some scene design experience to beef up his resume, and then he’s headed back home to Auckland. He manages to thwart Trina’s advances, but when she falls under the spell of toothy-grinned thespian, he’s desperate to win back her heart. But when Hollywood gets in the way, these two soon discover that life in Tinsel Town isn’t all red carpet, after parties and celebrity gossip. In fact, Hollywood can be a downright bitch

April 29, 2011
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When You Dare by Lori Foster
Chick Lit Review

When You Dare by Lori Foster

I don’t usually go for the romance novels, but something about When You Dare by Lori Foster made me say yes to reviewing it. Maybe it was the hunkalicious piece of man meat on the cover- who knows. But I decided to take a chance, and I am glad I did. I really enjoyed this suspenseful romance that has just that filling the pages- a whole lot of suspense and a whole lot of steamy romance. The main characters are Dare Macintosh and Molly Alexander, and the story begins with professional mercenary Dare rescuing Molly from Tijuana and a human trafficking setup. Molly, a best-selling author of scandalous romance novels, fears she was no ordinary kidnapping. Someone planned to take her- and that someone could possibly be her father. Or her ex-boyfriend. Or a disgruntled fan that was not happy with the way she redeemed a character in her latest book. With her life in danger, Dare decides to become Molly’s bodyguard, protecting her until they can figure out who would want Molly dead. But in the process of trying to keep herself alive, Molly starts to see Dare in a very different light. A very sexy light. And Dare is trying to keep his feelings for Molly shoved below the surface so he can keep her protected. But the more they try to ignore their feelings, the more the want builds between the two.
I thought When You Dare was excellent! Molly’s character was strong, a fairly independent chick who was ready to track down her kidnappers. And Dare was scorching the pages! You could sense his sex appeal from miles away. I thought the suspense was great, I really wasn’t positive who the culprit was until closer to the end. There were a few oddities about the story that caught my attention, like in the beginning where Molly didn’t seem at all frightened when it came to Dare, nor didn’t ask him many questions about why or how he rescued her. There were a few instances like that which I picked up on, but I still really got into the story and the characters. There were a lot times where I didn’t want to put this book down! The plot was fast paced with enough twists to keep my attention firmly on the story. Even if you aren’t usually a romance/suspense reader, I would give Lori Foster a chance. She won me over!
[Rating: 4.5]

April 29, 2011
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GIVEAWAY: When You Dare by Lori Foster
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GIVEAWAY: When You Dare by Lori Foster

Professional mercenary Dare Macintosh lives by one hard and fast rule: business should never be personal. If a cause appeals to him and the price is right, he’ll take the mission he’s offered. But then the lovely Molly Alexander asks him to help her track down the men who’d had her kidnapped—and for the first time, Dare’s tempted to combine work with pleasure.
Fiercely independent, Molly vows to trust no one until she’s uncovered the truth. Could the enemy be her powerful, estranged father? The ex-fiancé who still holds a grudge? Or the not-so-shy fan of her bestselling novels? As the danger heats up around them, the only anchor Molly has is Dare himself. But what she feels for him just might be the most frightening thing of all…

I have XXX to giveaway! To enter, just leave a comment below letting me know why you want to win- easy! The winners will be chosen Wednesday, May 4th. Thank you to Tricia Carr @ XXX for sponsoring this giveaway.

April 28, 2011
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A Scottish Ferry Tale by Nancy Volkers
Chick Lit Review

A Scottish Ferry Tale by Nancy Volkers

Cassie is young and dumped. After traveling across the country to visit her boyfriend, who was studying abroad, the boyfriend promptly breaks up with her. Not feeling comfortable staying with him, Cassie decides to journey on a ferry to stay at a small bed and breakfast. While on the ferry, she meets the older Ralph, and makes an instant connection with him. During the weekend, the relationship between Cassie and Ralph grows, but then Cassie must leave to return to her job and her family. She doesn’t believe in love at first anyways…or does she?
A Scottish Ferry Tale is the debut novel from Nancy Volkers. It’s not my favorite read, but I definitely see the potential for a sequel. The beginning is a lot of back story, which could easily have been cut. The relationship between Cassie and Ralph was always a bit strained for me, and I think that is probably because I didn’t feel the age difference (a very significant one) was ever really discussed. On the upside, I do think Volkers has a talent for creating stories, and there were some witty scenes that made me happy to read in a romance novel.
[Rating: 3]

April 27, 2011
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Molly Cooper’s Dream Date by Barbara Hannay
Chick Lit Review

Molly Cooper’s Dream Date by Barbara Hannay

The second book that came in my fantastic package from Mills and Boon was Molly Cooper’s Dream Date by Barbara Hannay. Molly Cooper is living in Australia but desperate to visit London. She loves everything about London- especially the men. Molly knows she is destined to at least have one date with the perfect London gentleman. When she finds a house-swapping opportunity with Patrick Knight, a city banker that is desperate to escape and finally write a novel, it seems it was meant to be. Molly charters off to London and sets up house in Patrick’s fancy digs, while Patrick can finally get away from his job and just enjoy life and writing while staying in Molly’s cozy cottage. But while Molly seems to be having the time of her life, something feels off to Patrick. He suspects it might have to do with all the emails Molly keeps sending him. It sounds strangely like this could be the dream girl for him….
I loved Molly Cooper’s Dream Date! It was a fun read, and pretty quick to get through, and I really indentified with both Molly and Patrick. It was interesting to read their thoughts on each other’s lives and homes, and to sense over time that they should be together. Molly’s character was full of life and ready to take on any new challenges, and Patrick was a bit brooding in the beginning but quickly opened up to his new life in Australia. I also enjoyed that it was Patrick that first fell for Molly and not the other way around. I don’t think I would have enjoyed this book as much if it was the typical girl trying to snag the guy plot. This novel was so quick to get through because a lot of the writing was emails between Molly and Patrick, or excerpts from Molly’s diary. Sometimes when authors go that route it makes the story lack a strong bond to the characters, but Hannay did an excellent job at making sure that didn’t happen. I felt the emails heightened the story instead of hindering it, and I was desperate to get to the end to find out if Molly and Patrick would get together. A definite recommendation from me!
[Rating: 4.5]

April 27, 2011
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GIVEAWAY: Beneath a Starlet Sky
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GIVEAWAY: Beneath a Starlet Sky

Lola Santisi—CEO of a struggling fashion line, reformed Actorholic and daughter of Hollywood Royalty—is now not only bicoastal, she’s Bi-Lolar: That is the condition which causes…

April 26, 2011
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Surf Sea and a Sexy Stranger by Heidi Rice
Chick Lit Review

Surf Sea and a Sexy Stranger by Heidi Rice

Mills and Boon were so kind this year to send me a wonderful package with chocolates, face masks, and of course- two books! The first I read from M&B was Surf Sea and a Sexy Stranger by Heidi Rice. Maddy Westmore is on lifeguard duty when she has to rescue a man from drowning. The deliciously sexy man turns out to be millionaire entrepreneur Ryan King, though Maddy doesn’t know who he is. Rye has turned into a bit of recluse since a motorbike accident, which left him with a bad knee and inability to perform sexually. He is standoffish to Maddy after she pulls him from the water, mainly because he is embarrassed, but also because he is extremely turned on by her. Maddy insists on checking up on him after the surfing accident, which leads to a surprising night of passion. Maddy, who has a shoddy family background thanks to an affair by her father and has been used by several past boyfriends, can’t believe she gave in so easily to Rye’s charms. And Rye can’t believe he was able to get it up. The pair decide to give “just friends with benefits” a shot, but it is clearly not what they both want. But when their complicated backgrounds come to light, Maddy and Rye need to decide if they could make a relationship work, or if they are just not meant to be.
Surf Sea and a Sexy Stranger has a lot of romance and passion between the pages, but I kept finding myself a bit bored. I enjoyed Maddy’s character, she was jaded yet innocent and I was really rooting for her, but Rye didn’t connect with me so much. His womanizing and egotistical ways was a big turn off, so I didn’t quite understand the attraction to Maddy and vice versa. Trying to be just friends with no strings attached was clearly not working from the beginning, and Maddy’s outright resistance to date her boss (Rye) wasn’t too convincing, and I think that is where the story fell flat for me. And there are a lot of sex scenes, which isn’t really my cup of tea either. I did think the writing was very good though, this is my first read from Rice but it is evident she is very talented. The dialogue and description of the surroundings were both excellent, and I think I will try another by this author and see if I enjoy it more. Overall though, it was an interesting read and I would recommend this book. I would give it a try and see what you think of Maddy and Rye and their complicated romance.
[Rating: 3]

April 25, 2011
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In My Mailbox: Week of April 24
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In My Mailbox: Week of April 24

In My Mailbox: Week of April 24, 2011

Title: The Perfect Hero
Author: Victoria Connelly
Received: From Charlotte @ Avon Books
Synopsis: The circus has come to town…

Die-hard romantic, Kay Ashton, uses her inheritance to open a B&B in the seaside town of Lyme Regis and is dumbstruck when the cast and crew of a new production of Persuasion descend, needing a place to stay. Kay can’t believe her luck – especially when she realises that heart throb actor Oli Wade Owen will be sleeping under her very own roof!

Meanwhile, co-star Gemma Reilly is worried that her acting isn’t up to scratch, despite landing a plum role. She finds a sympathetic ear in shy producer, Adam Craig, who is as baffled by the film world as she is. Kay thinks the two are meant for each other and can’t resist a spot of matchmaking.

Then, when Oli turns his trademark charm on Kay, it seems that she has found her real-life hero. But do heroes really exist?

Title: Maid of Honor
Author: Jillian Conley
Received: From Jillian Conley
Synopsis: Unemployed and single Josephine Vitale felt like her life couldn’t get any worse, or so she thought. On Valentine’s night her best friend Sandra called announcing her engagement. Since Sandra had been planning her perfect wedding since she was twelve, Josephine knew she was in for one hell of a ride, especially after she was assigned the “honor” to be Sandra’s Maid of Honor. Even though Josephine struggles with her duties and the Barbie pink bridesmaid dresses, butterflies flutter in her stomach when the wedding bliss reunites her with a past love interest.
Maid of Honor is a story that shares the bond between two women and the lengths one will go for the other when they get married. Josephine takes on everything from the bride’s mental breakdowns to wearing latex gloves when handling the wedding gown to driving across half the state for the perfect vases… all for her best friend.

Title: A Parfait Murder
Author: Wendy Lyn Watson
Received: From Wendy Lyn Watson
Synopsis: When Tally’s cousin Bree spots her deadbeat ex-husband strolling the Lantana County Fair with a fat wallet and a vixen on his arm, she immediately files for back child support. But when his lawyer is found dead, things get a little sticky. Did Bree serve up a dish of cold, sweet revenge? Or is she another hapless victim of a parfait crime?

April 25, 2011
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On Tour: A Scottish Ferry Tale by Nancy Volkers
CLP Blog Tours

On Tour: A Scottish Ferry Tale by Nancy Volkers

Nancy Volkers is on tour April 25-May 9 with her debut novel A Scottish Ferry Tale. Once upon a time, a young woman had her…

April 24, 2011
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