Chick Lit Plus by Samantha March

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In My Mailbox: Week of April 3
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In My Mailbox: Week of April 3

In My Mailbox: Week of April 3rd

Title: The Gin and Chowder Club
Author: Nan Rossiter
Received: From Kensington Books
Synopsis: Set against the beautiful backdrop of Cape Cod, “The Gin & Chowder Club” is an eloquent, tender story of friendship, longing, and the enduring power of love…The friendship between the Coleman and Shepherd families is as old and comfortable as the neighbouring houses they occupy each summer on Cape Cod. Samuel and Sarah Coleman love those warm months by the water; the evenings spent on their porch, enjoying gin and tonics, good conversation and homemade clam chowder. Here they’ve watched their sons, Isaac and Asa, grow into fine young men, and watched, too, as Nate Shepherd, aching with grief at the loss of his first wife, finally found love again with the much younger Noelle. But beyond the surface of these idyllic gatherings, the growing attraction between Noelle and handsome, college-bound Asa threatens to upend everything. In spite of her guilt and misgivings, Noelle is drawn into a reckless secret affair with far-reaching consequences. And over the course of one bittersweet, unforgettable summer, Asa will learn more than he ever expected about love – the joys and heartache it awakens in us, the lengths we’ll go to keep it, and the countless ways it can change our lives forever…

Title: Sweet Valley Confidential
Author: Francine Pascal
Received: From St. Martin’s Press
Synopsis: It’s been ten years since the Wakefield twins graduated from Sweet Valley High, and a lot has happened. For a start, Elizabeth and Jessica have had a falling out of epic proportions, after Jessica committed the ultimate betrayal, and this time it looks like Elizabeth will never be able to forgive her. Suddenly Sweet Valley isn’t big enough for the two of them, so Elizabeth has fled to New York to immerse herself in her lifelong dream of becoming a serious reporter, leaving a guilt-stricken Jessica contemplating the unthinkable: life without her sister. Despite the distance between them, the sisters are never far from each other’s thoughts. Jessica longs for forgiveness, but Elizabeth can’t forget her twin’s duplicity. Uncharacteristically, she decides the only way to heal her broken heart is to get revenge. Always the ‘good’ twin, the one getting her headstrong sister out of trouble, Elizabeth is now about to turn the tables…

Title: Already Home
Author: Susan Mallery
Received: From Eric @ Planned Television Arts
Synopsis: After nearly a decade as a sous-chef in a trendy eatery, Jenna is desperate for a change. She’s supported her ex-husband’s dreams for so long that she can’t even remember her own. Until she sees a for-lease sign near her parents’ home and envisions her very own cooking store.
Her crash course in business is aided by a streetwise store manager and Jenna’s adoptive mother. But just as she’s gaining a foothold in her new life, in walk her birth parents—aging hippies on a quest to reconnect with their firstborn.
Now Jenna must figure out how to reconcile the free-spirited Serenity and Tom with her traditional parents, deal with her feelings for a new love interest and decide what to do about her ex’s latest outrageous request. In the end, Jenna will find that there is no perfect family, only the people we love….

April 3, 2011
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In My Mailbox: March 31st
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In My Mailbox: March 31st

In My Mailbox: March 31st

Title: Bodyguards in Bed
Authors: Lucy Monroe, Jamie Denton, and Elisabeth Naughton
Received: From Kensington Books
Synopsis: There’s just one cardinal rule when it comes to being a bodyguard: no matter how tempting it may be, never, ever get romantically involved with the person you’re protecting. But as these sensual novellas prove, even the most important rules are made to be broken – again and again and again. Join acclaimed authors Lucy Monroe, Jamie Denton, and Elisabeth Naughton as they open the files on an undercover operative who finds a sexy surprise under his covers, a hot case involving mixed messages and mistaken identities, and a mission impossible protecting a provocative beauty who lives to love dangerously.

Title: One Night Scandal
Author: Christie Kelley
Received: From Kensington Books
Synopsis: Born on the wrong side of the blanket, matchmaker Sophie Reynard understands the consequences of unbridled desire all too well. Despite the many highborn friends she has matched, falling in love with an aristocrat without a pedigree of her own would be an act of futility. But that doesn’t stop her from succumbing to one evening of anonymous passion…Nicholas Tenbury, Marquess of Ancroft, knows nothing of Sophie’s lineage. He knows only that the enchanting beauty captured his heart in one night and then fled, leaving no trace of her identity. But when he seeks answers from London’s finest matchmaker, he finds none other than the woman herself – stubbornly refusing to acknowledge the attraction they share! Now the enamoured Marquess has no choice but to sway Sophie with seduction…

Title: Summer Friends
Author: Holly Chamberlin
Received: From Kensington Books
Synopsis: In this compelling novel set against the beautiful backdrop of Ogunquit, Maine, the bestselling author of Tuscan Holiday and One Week in December portrays an unexpected friendship, and its consequences for two very different women as time inevitably sweeps them into adulthood…
Over the course of one eventful summer, nine-year-old native Mainer Delphine Crandall and Maggie Weldon, a privileged girl “from away,” become best friends. Despite the social gulf between them, their bond is strengthened during vacations spent rambling around Ogunquit’s beaches and quiet country lanes, and lasts throughout their college years in Boston. It seems nothing can separate them, yet after graduation, Delphine and Maggie slowly drift in different directions…
With her MBA, Maggie acquires a lucrative career, and eventually marries. Delphine is drawn back home, her life steeped in family and the Maine community she loves. Twenty years pass, until one summer, Maggie announces she’s returning to Ogunquit to pay an extended visit. And for the first time, the friends are drawn to reflect on their choices and compromises, the girls they were and the women they’ve become, the promises kept and broken—and the deep, lasting ties that even time can never quite wash away…

March 31, 2011
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The Atlas of Love by Laurie Frankel
Chick Lit Review

The Atlas of Love by Laurie Frankel

Debut author Laurie Frankel was the latest choice for the SheKnows Book Club. Her novel, The Atlas of Love, brings a story of three women trying to be a family. Narrated by Janey, we meet Katie and Jill, all three who are English-lit students, while they struggle to keep up with classes and try to have social lives. For Mormon Katie, this means finding a boyfriend with the same religion. For Jill, life has a different plan. She becomes pregnant by her much younger boyfriend, and when he decides he can’t be a father, he takes off. Janey and Katie immediately come to their friend’s rescue, offering to move in with Jill and help care for the baby. Be their own unique family.
But once baby Atlas comes along, everything changes. Janey becomes overly attached to the baby boy, Katie gets engaged, and the father suddenly appears back in the picture, wanting to be with Jill but still not interested in being a dad. The story takes a dramatic turn when Atlas lands in the hospital, and the three friends are forced to make a decision. Can they keep living like a happy family? Or will the bonds of friendship become broken?
The Atlas of Love started a little slow, but quickly picks up steam and transported me into the character’s world. I felt a real honesty with each character- including when Jill wanted to give the father a second chance. I may not have liked what she was doing to her friends who changed their lives for her, but it was real. I thought this was a really interesting topic for a novel, one that more readers can relate to as we move away from what a “normal” family is. With TV shows now showcasing how 21st century families live (ABC’s Modern Family, for one example) I wasn’t that surprised at the non-traditional setting I was reading about. I definitely recommend this debut novel!
[Rating: 4.5]

March 30, 2011
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Know It All by Sarah Mylnowski
Chick Lit Review

Know It All by Sarah Mylnowski

I don’t read a whole lot of short stories, but when author Sarah Mlynowski asked if I would check out Know It All, a short story that originally appeared in the collection Girl’s Night In, I said yes with enthusiasm. And I’m glad I did! Even with the few short scenes, I was laughing at the characters and learning a lesson.
Shaun, a twenty-something single gal, gets a new roommate, Dee, who claims to be “a little bit physic.” Shaun certainly doesn’t believe someone can be physic, little bit or not. But when Dee claims to have seen Shaun’s ex-boyfriend falling in love with a new woman, Shaun has to make sure that doesn’t happen. Not that she is still in love with him. But if she is over him, why does she keep rushing around making sure he doesn’t meet this woman? Each time Dee has another vision of them meeting, Shaun intervenes. Is Shaun truly over her ex? And is it time to stop interfering with fate?
I think Mylnowski did an excellent job at building characters quickly, and making this story very relatable to all women. To move on or not to move on? The ways that Shaun interrupts all the chance meetings are very funny, and the lesson at the end is a good one. If you enjoy short stories, I would definitely recommend you pick up Know It All.
[Rating: 4]

March 28, 2011
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In My Mailbox: Week of March 27
Updates

In My Mailbox: Week of March 27

In My Mailbox: Week of March 27

Title: Wherever Grace is Needed
Author: Elizabeth Bass
Received: From Kensington Books
Synopsis: When Grace Oliver leaves Portland for Austin, Texas, to help her father, Lou, recuperate from a car accident, she expects to stay just a few weeks. Since her mother’s divorce thirty years ago, Grace has hovered on the periphery of the Oliver family. But now she sees a chance to get closer to her half-brothers and the home she’s never forgotten.
But the Olivers are facing a crisis. Tests reveal that Lou, a retired college professor whose sharp tongue and tenderness Grace adores, is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Grace delays her departure to care for him, and is soon entwined in the complicated lives of her siblings-all squabbling over Lou’s future-and of the family next door…
Ray West and his three children are reeling from a recent tragedy, particularly sixteen-year-old Jordan, whose grief is heightened by guilt and anger. Amid the turmoil, Grace not only gives solace and support, but learns to receive it. And though she came to Austin to reconnect with her past, she is drawn by degrees into surprising new connections.

Title: Girl in a Spin
Author: Clodagh Murphy
Received: From Clodagh Murphy
Synopsis: Jenny Hannigan might be a good-time party girl, but all she secretly craves is a life of domestic bliss and solid respectability – worlds away from her troubled upbringing back in Ireland. So when she crashes into the arms of Richard Allam — the young, handsome, recently separated politician hotly tipped to lead his party to victory in the upcoming election — she thinks she’s found her perfect match.
Richard’s spin doctor, charismatic publicist Dev Tennant, thinks otherwise. Charged with putting a positive spin on the relationship, Dev soon discovers that Jenny has more than one skeleton in her closet – and as the election gathers momentum, he is working overtime trying to keep them there.
And as Jenny’s life starts to spiral out of control, suddenly she isn’t sure what she wants anymore …

Title: When You Dare
Author: Lori Foster
Received: Tricia Carr @ Media Muscle
Synopsis: Foster’s new romantic suspense series hilariously juxtaposes private mercenaries and publishing. When Dare Macintosh raids a human trafficking trailer in Tijuana to find a friend’s sister, he also rescues the unconscious woman locked in with her: Molly Alexander, a sexy romantic suspense author who has no idea why she was kidnapped from a street in Ohio. After Dare gently nurses her back to health, she hires him to find out who wants her dead. Suspects abound, including her relatives, her ex-fiancé, and disgruntled fans. Foster dissects family dynamics as Molly and Dare eliminate suspects and find their initial hot sexual attraction deepening into something more. Dare’s relationship with his gay assistant spotlights a healthy relationship between men, and readers will enjoy the strong plot and a glimpse of Foster’s publishing world.

March 27, 2011
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Birthday Giveaway!
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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.

March 20, 2011
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Marrying Out of Money by Nicky Schmidt
Chick Lit Review

Marrying Out of Money by Nicky Schmidt

Lou Hubbard doesn’t care about money. So what if her father runs a billion dollar coffee empire and the family can afford to lead a luxurious life? All Lou wants to do is settle down with rock star boyfriend, Hedge, and do something good for the environment. But Lou’s mother is dead set against her daughter’s non-lavish ways. The cunning Victoria sets a plan into motion, determined to have Lou marry Harry Stomeworth, simply to gain an aristocratic title. When Harry’s dreadful mother jumps on the plan, Lou and Harry don’t seem to have much of a choice. But that is where the fun begins, and Lou and Harry join forces to try to get out of marrying.
Marrying Out of Money by Nicky Schmidt, is a sort of “anti-romantic comedy.” The characters were over the top and hilarious, especially the two mothers. But I loved the story behind the Lou and Harry, how the young kids want to marry for love and not just money, stability, or titles. Some of the scenes (especially the ones with Hedge) had me laughing out loud at the absurdity. Along that line, I wished that Schmidt would have cleaned up Hedge’s dialogue just a bit. I understand that she wanted to make a point about how he spoke, but it was hard to focus on what he was saying sometimes because he was always so ridiculous sounding and hard to decipher. But overall I thought this was a really engaging, quirky, chick lit book and I definitely recommend!
[Rating: 4.5]

March 18, 2011
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Debut Authors & Novels- March/April
Chick Lit Review

Debut Authors & Novels- March/April

Debut Authors & Novels- March/April 2011

Title: RSVP
Author: Helen Warner
Available: March 2011
Synopsis: Four women, one wedding and a day to remember – or rather forget . . .
Anna’s world is rocked when she receives an invitation to her ex Toby’s nuptials – Toby was The One, The Love of Her Life, The One That Got Away. Will attending his Big Day finally give her the sense of closure she so desperately craves? Or will it only re-open old wounds?

Clare is Anna’s best friend, the person who was there for her when she and Toby split all those years ago. But little does Clare know that Toby’s wedding day will also change her own life for ever.

Ella is a classic femme fatale. She loves men and leaves them without a backward glance. But the one person who’s never fallen for her charms is Toby. As he prepares to get hitched, is it too late for a last-ditch attempt to win his heart?

Finally, Rachel is the blushing bride-to-be. This should be the happiest day of her life. So how come she feels nothing but a terrible sense of foreboding?

Title: Attachments
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Available: April 2011
Synopsis: It’s 1999 and for the staff of one newspaper office, the internet is still a novelty. By day, two young women, Beth and Jennifer, spend their hours emailing each other, discussing in hilarious detail every aspect of their lives, from love troubles to family dramas. And by night, Lincoln, a shy, lonely IT guy spends his hours reading every exchange. At first their emails offer a welcome diversion, but as Lincoln unwittingly becomes drawn into their lives, the more he reads, the more he finds himself falling for one of them. By the time Lincoln realizes just how head-over-heels he really is, it’s way too late to introduce himself. What would he say to her? ‘Hi, I’m the guy who reads your e-mail – and also, I think I love you’. After a series of close encounters, Lincoln decides it’s time to muster the courage to follow his heart . . . and find out whether there really is such a thing as love before first-sight. Heartwarming, witty and unforgettable, ATTACHMENTS is an irresistible romantic comedy that has it all.

Title: Hollywood Sinners
Author: Victoria Fox
Available: April 2011
Synopsis: POWER Marriage to Hollywood heartthrob Cole Steel secured Lana Falcon a glittering place on the red carpet. But running from a wicked past she has trapped herself in a gilded cage the price of freedom…her soul? REVENGE Kate diLaurentis s career is fading as quickly as her looks… What could be worse than discovering her husband s latest mistress is Hollywood s hottest starlet? Her only option the most shocking revenge. LUST Chloe French s innocent beauty has captured a million hearts, but no one’s warned her of the dangerous, dark temptation of rock star Nate – will lust destroy her? GREED Las Vegas King, Robert St Louis s fairytale wedding to Sin City’s richest heiress is tabloid gold… But scandal circles like a vulture – dirty secrets are about to be exposed! BETRAYAL From the deepest desires come the deadliest deeds…and these four couples are about to pay for their sins…

March 17, 2011
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