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Book Review: Stupid by Choice by Leighton Summers
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: Stupid by Choice by Leighton Summers

I received a copy of Stupid by Choice by Leighton Summers in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
A novel about the adventures and regrets of a Texas Oil Princess’s quest for finding love…

Melanie St. John is a beautiful, smart, rich Texan daddy’s girl born to a bold, high-powered lawyer in the oil business who helps Melanie grow into someone who is both worldly and capable. But once she leaves college and enters the privileged world of dating highly sought-after “men of leisure,” she is catapulted in and out of the wealthiest places on the globe while hoping to get married and start a family with one of them. But these mostly destructive love affairs soon become a dynamic exploration of wealth and love, with all the highs and lows. And to complicate matters she is surrounded by her older, free-wheeling, wildcat sister (and her sister’s exotic but destructive best friend) as well as her own two completely opposite best friends, and each of them also hopes to find their own Prince Charming—which all only adds to the competition, adventures, and scandals. But throughout each relationship Melanie explores the deeper, more prevalent themes of family, friendship, love, intimacy, freedom, betrayal, motherhood, and most of all, inner strength.
Review:
My first thought about this book is that it’s really long. I wish there were parts that were cut out to make the story move along faster, because I think if it did it could have held my attention better. Sometimes I had to wonder why certain scenes were being shared, how they added to the story, and really – what was the overall point of the book. The prologue was intriguing, but it seemed to take way to long to get through Melanie’s whole life story until we finally catch up to where the book started us off. There were interesting parts and it was fun to follow along a Texas Oil Princess in her quest for love and trying to find true happiness. Some of the characters we meet are so over the top and out of control that it’s hard not talk to other people about them, saying “Can you believe he did this?” I felt emotions while reading this book, especially when it came to Melanie’s friend Emily, and I truly liked Melanie as a main character. There were so many times where she could have just thrown in the towel and taken the easy way out, and I’m glad she didn’t do that. I still wish the story was shorter, but it was a good book
3 stars

June 20, 2013
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Blog Tour Sign Up: Lowcountry Bombshell by Susan M. Boyer
CLP Blog Tours

Blog Tour Sign Up: Lowcountry Bombshell by Susan M. Boyer

Private Investigator Liz Talbot thinks she’s seen another ghost when she meets Calista McQueen. She’s the spitting image of Marilyn Monroe. Born precisely fifty years after the ill-fated star, Calista’s life has eerily mirrored the late starlet’s—and she fears the looming anniversary of Marilyn’s death will also be hers.

Before Liz can open a case file, Calista’s life coach is executed. Suspicious characters swarm around Calista like mosquitoes on a sultry lowcountry evening: her certifiable mother, a fake aunt, her control-freak psychoanalyst, a private yoga instructor, her peculiar housekeeper, and an obsessed ex-husband. Liz digs in to find a motive for murder, but she’s besieged with distractions. Her ex has marriage and babies on his mind. Her too-sexy partner engages in a campaign of repeat seduction. Mamma needs help with Daddy’s devotion to bad habits. And a gang of wild hogs is running loose on Stella Maris.

With the heat index approaching triple digits, Liz races to uncover a diabolical murder plot in time to save not only Calista’s life, but also her own.

June 19, 2013
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Interview with Aimee Duffy
Chick Lit Authors

Interview with Aimee Duffy

Thanks to Aimee Duffy for sharing this Q&A with CLP today! Keep reading below for an excerpt from Sinfully Summer When did you know writing…

June 19, 2013
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Cover Reveal & Giveaway: Psycho-Mommy by Mira Harlon
Chick Lit Authors

Cover Reveal & Giveaway: Psycho-Mommy by Mira Harlon

CLP is excited to share the cover of Psycho-Mommy by Mira Harlon!   Jessica Reed, a vibrant type-A-psychologist, is the ultimate planner: Acceptance to the…

June 18, 2013
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Book Review: The Unexpected List by Chrissy Anderson
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: The Unexpected List by Chrissy Anderson

I received a copy of The Unexpected List by Chrissy Anderson in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
Chrissy Anderson’s The Unexpected List delivers another charismatic combination of romance and anguish, peppered with large doses of wit. In this second novel from THE LIST TRILOGY, Chrissy, who is now divorced from her husband, Kurt, is finally free to pursue a “truly, madly, deeply” relationship with the man of her dreams, Leo.

And it looks like Chrissy is finally going to be able to have her wedding cake and eat it too as Leo valiantly tries to make all of her dreams come true. But once again, Chrissy’s world, and her relationships, are turned upside-down as someone else close to her dies. And, an unexpected gift forces her to grow up– fast. For a second time, Chrissy is pushed to make a choice between love and obligation. What will she choose this time?

Your favorite characters from The Life List are back. Dr. Maria, Slutty Co-worker, and Chrissy’s best friends from high school, Courtney and Nicole, continue to laugh and cry with Chrissy as she learns how to pick herself up and move on to achieve the life she’s always wanted, and now knows she deserves.

As in The Life List, not everyone will agree with Chrissy Anderson’s decisions, but all will pause as they follow along on her journey to ask, “What would I do if I were her?”
Review:
I was super excited times ten to read this book, as I just loved the first in this trilogy, The Life List. I found myself thinking about the characters and if Chrissy ended up Leo, as we are left with a cliffhanger. Now, this is going to be an interesting review. Why? Because I didn’t love all the aspects of this book. I struggled with some of the editing. For example, I don’t like sentences like this: Smiling from ear to ear, “So what?” Taking my hands, “I see very beautiful things.” My editor self was cringing when I read these types of sentences. Also, the beginning threw me off a bit. I thought the prologue was a bit too long, and too much of trying to keep an air of mystery. I just wanted the story to start all right, and stop with all the mysteriousness of it. Now, even after that being said…I’m giving this book a 5 star review. If I ever find something wrong with the editing it’s an automatic no 5 star, a 4.5 at best. So why would I have two things about the book that I dislike and still rate it 5 stars? Because I absolutely loved this story, and did not want to put it down (after I got through the prologue). The ending had me practically panting, and I actually felt crushed – crushed! – when the book ended at yet another cliffhanger. I felt even more crushed when I saw the third and final installment won’t be here until winter. These books are having a profound effect on me, and I’m talking to everyone I know about them. I think the about the characters, wonder about their lives, and find myself continuing the stories in my mind how I hope they will end. Very rarely, and I mean VERY rarely, does this happen. So yes, while I might find aspects that I didn’t totally like, in all I loved this book as a whole. I highly recommend this trilogy!
5 stars

June 18, 2013
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Book Review: The Love Wars by L. Alison Heller
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: The Love Wars by L. Alison Heller

I received a copy of The Love Wars by L. Alison Heller in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
Breaking up is hard to do. At least the first few times.

Even though Molly Grant has only a handful of relationships behind her, she’s already been through more divorces than she can count.

At the premier Manhattan law firm where she’s a matrimonial attorney, the hours are long, the bosses tyrannical, and the bonuses stratospheric. Her clients are rich, famous, and used to getting their way. Molly’s job—and primary concern in life—is to work as hard as possible to make sure they do. Until she meets the client who changes everything….

Fern Walker is the desperate former wife of a ruthless media mogul. Her powerful ex is slowly pushing her out of her young children’s lives, and she fears losing them forever. Molly—haunted by an incident from her own past—finds herself unable to walk away from Fern and sets out to help her. She just needs to do it without her bosses finding out.

Now, as complications both professional and personal stack up, Molly can only hope that her own wits, heart, and instincts are enough—both in and out of court.
Review:
What an incredible book! I love a smart chick lit book, and I think that is just what The Love Wars is. Molly Grant is a strong heroine, and her story was a blast to follow. It was interesting how much I learned from the book, mainly about law and the processes that go on during a divorce and the dynamics of a law firm. There’s a bit of romance thrown in between the pages, but that is not the focal part of the story, and I really enjoyed that. I zipped through this book in just over a day, and had to keep tweeting the author to let her know how much I was loving it. Another favorite to add to the list!
5 stars

June 12, 2013
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Author Profile: Karen Stivali
Chick Lit Authors

Author Profile: Karen Stivali

Author Name: Karen Stivali
Website: http://karenstivali.com/
Bio:
Karen Stivali is a prolific writer, compulsive baker and chocoholic with a penchant for books, movies and fictional British men. When she’s not writing, she can be found cooking extravagant meals and serving them to family and friends. Prior to deciding to write full time Karen worked as a hand drawn animator, a clinical therapist, and held various food-related jobs ranging from waitress to specialty cake maker. Planning elaborate parties and fundraisers takes up what’s left of her time and sanity.
Karen has always been fascinated by the way people relate to one another so she favors books and movies that feature richly detailed characters and their relationships. In her own writing she likes to explore the dynamics between characters and has a tendency to craft romantic love stories filled with sarcasm and sexy details.
Karen has published three erotic romances with Ellora’s Cave: Marry Me (June 2012), Long-Distance Lovers (co-written with Karen Booth, March 2012) and Always You (Passionate Plume First Place Novella Winner, RWA 2012).
Karen’s women’s fiction stories, published with Turquoise Morning Press, include Meant To Be (August 2012) and its sequel Holding On (November 2012). Both full length novels are currently available in e-book and paperback. A prequel to these novels, the short story All I Need, appears in the Foreign Affairs Anthology (August 2012). Another short story, White Wedding, which takes place between Meant To Be and Holding On, will be in an anthology due out in June 2013.
Also coming in 2013 Karen will have two contemporary romances releasing from Samhain Publishing. The first of these, THEN, AGAIN is due out on May 23, 2013. LEAVE THE LIGHTS ON will be out in November/December 2013. A new erotic romance novella will release from Ellora’s Cave in Spring 2013 and JUST IN TIME, a follow-up to Meant To Be and Holding On that will focus on Justine, will release from Turquoise Morning in January 2014.
Connect with Karen!

http://karenstivali.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/karenstivali
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/karenstivali
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5170527.Karen_Stivali
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005KWSFGO
Bio retrieved from CLP Blog Tours

June 5, 2013
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Future Tour: Adventure to Love by Bethany Ramos
CLP Blog Tours

Future Tour: Adventure to Love by Bethany Ramos

Bethany will be on tour August 19-26 with her chick lit novel Adventure to Love In a “Bachelor” meets “Survivor”-style reality TV show, twelve women…

May 30, 2013
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Book Review: Summer’s Song by Lindi Peterson
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: Summer’s Song by Lindi Peterson

Reviewed by Kate E. Stephenson
I received a copy of Summer’s Song by Lindi Peterson in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis:
All she has to do is prove that she’s changed . . . completely. Pop-star princess Summer Sinclair doesn’t know what to do with herself now that she’s cleaned-up and sober. She knows God’s been nudging her, but since God is unfamiliar territory, she feels scared and alone. Everything changes when she meets Levi Preston, a Christian musician who’s falling for Summer and wants her to be who God created her to be. But when the reality of her life takes Levi to places he’s vowed to stay clear of, will Summer’s newfound freedom be what breaks her heart as she does what is best for Levi?
Review:
Summer’s Song was a challenge for me, but in some ways a good one that allowed me to question what I believe as the norm. The novel is successfully written in alternating first person between the male and female protagonists. The reader spends most of the time in the head of the developing heroine Summer Sinclair, viewing the world through her disenchanted pop star eyes. No longer impressed by the glitz and glamour of stardom, Summer is an addict who has reached rock bottom and is slowly climbing her way precariously out of a deep ditch.
Through her self-examination of her life the reader encounters interesting commentary on the morals of the pop life and what it means to be a healthy individual. Summer tries to find her balance in life and is aided by her discovery of Christianity and a Jesus-centered life. As an individual born into a Christian family, for me parts of Summer’s journey seem impossible. Is it possible in the United States of America for anyone to avoid religion, Jesus and prayer? I grew up in a diverse atmosphere in which my friends were Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu and non-religious. We all seemed to accept the presence of a higher power and to be aware of (at least on a superficial basis) the traditions and holy days we observe. Summer’s total isolation seems unreasonable, but I accept that may be part of Lindi Peterson’s theme, and it is absolutely part of what drives Summer’s character.
The love story that unfolds is beautiful, though at times predictable. The juxtaposition between pop and country seems a bit contrived at times. And some of the relationships in the narrative are less developed than they could be. But there is a comforting level of reality in conflicts that are not easily overcome and character flaws that are not changed overnight. All in all, Summer’s Song is a solid, easy read that makes for a good beach book. Queue up a playlist of your country pop favorites and you’re ready to go.

3.5 Stars

May 30, 2013
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