On Tour: The Champagne Diet by Cara Alwill Leyba
Cara will be on tour December 30- January 6 with her novel The Champagne Diet This book is for the woman who wants to feel good…
Book Review: A Cinderella Christmas by Holly Kingston
Reviewer: Terry I was given this book in exchange for an honest review. Lucy is a sweet, passive girl that ends up being used by…
Book Review: In the Bag by Kate Klise
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
Bestselling YA author Kate Klise flies high with her first novel for grown-ups. In the Bag is You’ve Got Mail meets The Parent Trap in the 21st century—an absolutely enthralling story of globe-hopping, lost luggage, found opportunities…and the old-fashioned art of flirtation in a modern world. Told from the alternating perspectives of two single parents and their two teenage children, In the Bag is warm and witty, surprising, stylish, and smart contemporary women’s fiction for fans of Jennifer Weiner, Jane Green, and Megan McCafferty. Kate Klise’s sparkling career as a novelist for adults has taken glorious flight!
Review:
I have to say that I didn’t love this book. The premise sounded good, the cover was cute, and I liked the short and quick chapters, which made for a fast read. I understand that sometimes fate does work in strange ways, but the believability started to get stretched a little thin for me as the book carried on. The ending was a little confusing as well, and I can honestly say that I would have preferred none of the “terrorist” angle be included in the story. I like reading books that are based outside of the US because I love traveling, so reading about Paris and Barcelona and Madrid sparked my interest. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t held for the duration of the book.
3 stars
Book Review: Chocolate Shoes and Wedding Blues by Trisha Ashley
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
When Tansy Poole inherits a run-down shoe shop tucked away in the village of Sticklepond, ‘Cinderella’s Slippers’ is born – providing the footwear to make any fairytale wedding come true…
Carrying everything a bride would want to walk down the aisle in, Tansy’s shop soon expands to carry shoe-themed wedding favours, bridesmaid gifts and even delicious chocolate shoes. It’s the dream destination for any shoe-lover!
If only everything in her personal life could be as heavenly – but with a fiancé trying to make her fit into a size 8 wedding dress, not to mention the recent discovery of disturbing family revelations, Tansy takes refuge in the shop’s success.
But one man isn’t thrilled by the stream of customers hot-footing it to Cinderella’s Slippers… Actor Ivo Hawksley, resident of the cottage next to the shop, is troubled by a dark secret in his past and has come to Sticklepond to nurse his own broken heart.
However, Ivo realises that he and Tansy have a link in their past and soon, they both find out how secrets shared can make a very strong bond indeed…
Forget the Jimmy Choos, Chocolate Shoes and Wedding Blues is the only accessory you need for spring 2012…
Summary:
I tend to find a lot of British chick lit pretty slow, and unfortunately this one fell in that category for me. While I enjoyed the story perfectly fine, it just seemed to take forever to progress through the chapters. I found so many scenes and sub plot points that didn’t seem wholly necessary, and wished it had been shorter so my interest could have been kept easier. I liked the basic storyline – Tansy taking over Cinderella’s Slippers and the possible love interest between her and Ivo. If there had been more focus on those main points I think I would have enjoyed this story a lot more. Still cute chick lit, just not my favorite.
3 stars
Book Review: Totlandia 4 by Josie Brown
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
As summer sizzles in Totlandia, emotions boil over for the newest members of Pacific Heights Moms & Tots Club, whose trust in each other is sorely tempted by Bettina and her club politics.
When Jillian’s vindictive joke backfires, she learns the true meaning of forgiveness.
Jade’s betrayal puts her in a dangerous downward spiral with no bottom in sight—until she finds friendship and redemption where she least expects it.
Lorna faces the biggest trial in her marriage, and makes an important decision that may end it for good.
While Ally may regret the choices made she to get accepted in the club, her exile puts new opportunities in her path, thanks to Brady and his ceaseless desire to win her over—with Barry’s help, who is playing his own little game with the Top Moms Committee.
But it’s Bettina who suffers the ultimate punishment—one that changes her life, and the livelihood of the club, forever.
Review:
This Totlandia books have seriously done a number on me! I started the first one not sure how I would like them, being a non-mother myself. But I was immediately hooked on this crazy group of women and the mommy group they belonged to. I’ve been having fun reading about them throughout the seasons, and the fourth book really took the cake in over the top for me. Friendships that we’ve read in the other books that seem like true friendships (rare in this series, trust me!) are breaking apart, the mom and tots club seems to be heading for disaster, and we think Bettina might finally get a taste of her own medicine – about time! The sex scenes are also pretty steamy, especially with the addition of a new man into the cast. If you haven’t read any of the books in the series I recommend you start at the first and work your way into them. They are fab and not to miss!
4 stars
Book Review: Last Christmas by Talli Roland
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
For Lucy, the best Christmas present is forgetting the past.
Eager to banish the ghost of Christmas past – when her boyfriend dumped her on the streets of Paris – Lucy is determined to make this the best Christmas ever. She rallies friends and family for an epic celebration that just happens to fall on the same day as her ex’s festive wedding. Furious at how she’s been treated, Lucy can’t help relishing the party v wedding smackdown.
But when the wedding is threatened and only Lucy can help, can she find the spirit inside to save the day, or will this Christmas be even more disastrous than the last?
Review:
Talli Roland is one of my favorite chick lit authors, so even though I’m not crazy for novellas, I really wanted to read another offering from her! Last Christmas is quick, cute, and packs a lot of personality for such a short read. I thought Roland did a great job making sure the main characters were developed, which can lack in novellas from time to time. The storyline had great qualities, from love lost to moving on to even showing forgiveness in a big way, and of course – plenty of romance. If you need a sweet treat for the holiday season, pick up your copy of Last Christmas!
4 stars
Book Review: Synchronized Breathing by Tara Ellison
I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.
Oh the whoa’s of being not only a divorce in your 30’s, but trying to date and find a real connection in the dating world all while struggling to raise a child. Scarlett’s got some stories to tell on both fronts! Scarlett is a newly divorced mom of an adorable little man in California and finds herself just a little lost. Not only does she find herself trying to jump start her career, but she is also finding the world of dating just a little harder then she recalled from her younger days.
This is a not only funny story about the whoa’s of dating, raising a busy toddler, but also dealing with a control freak ex, and one should never forget the blunt sexually active mother she finds herself living with; but it is also a story of how Scarlett finds herself amid all this chaos.
This is a great read and not a boring typical romance, it is a story anyone that has been through a divorce and been thrown back into the crazy single world can truly relate too. Granted Scarlett mingles with movie stars and producers. Scarlett’s story will both amuse you and make you think.
This is actually a story I will be passing on to friend’s that often find themselves in similar situation’s much like Scarlett’s….dating the wrong guy over and over, for all the wrong reasons.
Book Review: Love and Limoncello by Alexandra Sage
Reviewer: Samantha I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Summary: Disgruntled City lawyer Alessia Vincenzi is bullied at work…
In My Mailbox: Week of December 15
Title: Something Yellow
Author: Laura Templeton
Received: CLP Blog Tours
Synopsis: It has been thirteen years since Holly’s nine-year-old sister, Rachel, disappeared without a trace.
It has been thirteen years since Holly left her hometown.
It has been thirteen years since Holly’s first love and high school boyfriend, Houston, was the only suspect.
Now another nine-year-old girl has disappeared.
Holly is back, and so is Houston—never charged and still proclaiming his innocence.
Can she trust him . . . should she trust him?
Title: Sex in the Title
Author: Zack Love
Received: Zack Love
Synopsis: New York City, May 2000. The Internet bubble has burst, and Evan’s boss fires him with an email. The next day, his girlfriend dumps him, also via email. Afraid to check any more emails, Evan desperately seeks a rebound romance but the catastrophes that ensue go from bad to hilariously worse. Fortunately, Evan meets someone whose legendary disasters with females eclipse even his own.
To reverse their fortunes, they recruit their friends into a group of five guys who take on Manhattan in pursuit of dates, sex, and adventure. With musings about life, relationships, and human psychology, this quintessential New York story about the search for happiness follows five men on their comical paths to trouble, self-discovery, and love.
Title: How to Survive Your Sisters
Author: Ellie Campbell
Received: Ellie Campbell
Synopsis: A wonderfully warm and witty debut novel about family secrets and
sibling rivalry.
The four MacLeod sisters are no strangers to sisterly rivalry and with one of
them about to be married, there are bound to be fireworks. Perfectionist
Natalie wants the ‘wedding of the year’. Harassed mother, Milly, just wishes
her bridesmaid’s dress wasn’t the size of a tent. Career-obsessed Avril
secretly moons over a married man and world traveler, Hazel, the youngest,
yearns to be taken seriously. Forced together for the first time in years, and
with an unexpected guest stirring up old resentments, squabbles are inevitable.
But when tragedy strikes things really fly apart – as some shocking skeletons
emerge rattling from the crowded MacLeod closet…
Title: Sugar Spun Sister
Author: Anna Garner
Received: Anna Garner
Synopsis: Life isn’t exactly sweet for Cricket Whittier. Her boss hates her, her work is soul-destroying, and the sexy guy she’s hooking up with doesn’t want to date her. But this girl is far from hopeless. When Cricket’s in the kitchen with her ice cream maker and a few choice ingredients, her troubles slip away as she becomes a delectable dessert-designing powerhouse. She loves it so much, she dreams of opening her own ice cream shop one day.
As it turns out, “one day” just might be closer than she thinks. Propelled by the help and encouragement of her best friends, Lindsay and Nora, Cricket starts making plans to set up shop. Which is easier said than done what with the internal squabbling, the sky-high costs, her parents forecasting failure and her increasingly complicated love life. Despite all these hurdles, will Cricket be able to make her sweet dreams come true?
