On Tour: Elly in Bloom by Colleen Oakes
Colleen will be on tour March 25-April 15 with her novel Elly in Bloom The #1 Kindle Bestseller in Contemporary Fiction! Surrounded by lush flowers…
Book Review: Gone with the Wedding by Laura Briggs
I received a copy of Gone with the Wedding by Laura Briggs in exchange for an honest review. When Amy Pontelle is offered to have a Southern Belle wedding courtesy of a popular magazine, she has to jump at the chance. She is engaged, of course, but she is also a romance writer who happens to love anything Gone with the Wind and can’t wait to be Scarlett for a day. But the weeks leading up to the wedding aren’t what Amy envision. Now she finds herself questioning everything surrounding her big day…including her groom.
Gone with the Wedding is another wedding book that I just couldn’t say no to. I loved the idea of a period wedding, and was practically salivating myself over the dress Amy gets to wear and the corsets and the hoop skirts – I love it! Poor Amy was just a mixed up girl. It was nice to see her finally start to question something that probably should have been questioned a lot earlier. It seemed that her and her fiancé had not much in common, nor did it seem that her friends and family really appreciated them together either. I did wonder how it got to the point of a wedding at times, but that’s all right. It still didn’t take away from me enjoying the journey along with Amy.
4 stars
On Tour: When Girlfriends Step Up by Savannah Page
Savannah will be on tour March 25-April 1 with her chick lit novel When Girlfriends Step Up A novel about love and support, and learning…
Book Review: Don’t Tell the Groom by Anna Bell
I received a copy of Don’t Tell the Groom by Anna Bell in exchange for an honest review. Since my wedding is only six months away, I haven’t been able to say no to a book revolving around weddings as of late. Fortunately for me, I seem to be loving them all! In Don’t Tell the Groom, our blushing bride-to-be is Penny, who finds herself in a bit of a sticky situation. Penny and fiancé Mark have been building up their wedding fund so they could afford a fab shindig. Penny took up online bingo to help pad the account – only she lost more than she won, and now the account has been cut it half. Penny doesn’t want to admit her mistake and risk losing Mark, so she now needs to figure out how to have their lavish affair on a tight budget…and make sure Mark doesn’t find out!
What a hoot of a book! I was able to relate to Penny from the get-go, and I thought the spin on her gambling addiction was unique and really interesting. Poor Penny wasn’t trying to harm anyone by her bingo ways, she really, well naively, thought she was helping. I thought it was admirable that she got help, and what I really liked is that she wouldn’t accept help from others in order to get by. She realized she made the mistake and she really owned up to it. Of course if she would have told Mark that would have been the best for everyone, but then we wouldn’t have had a fun novel to read, right? I recommend this one!
4.5 stars
CLP Blog Tours Book Review: Staged by Ruby Preston
Ruby Preston is on tour now with CLP Blog Tours and Staged. I was super excited to get this book, as I highly enjoyed the first in this Broadway series, Showbiz. Scarlett Savoy is back and ready to conquer the Broadway biz – for real this time. She is now a producer for her own company, has financial backing thanks to a good friend, has a hit show on her hands, and even more pieces fall into place when she snags a sought-after director and a Hollywood starlet to play the lead. The only thing she needs now? A theater.
Oh, there is so much more to Staged than just Scarlett trying to find a theater and making her show a success. The most intriguing part to me was the romance – just who was Scarlett going to end up with? I hate to drop a (very minor) spoiler, but it looks like we won’t know that answer until the third and final book in this series. I’m not sure you would absolutely need to read Showbiz in order to catch on to this book, but I actually like the first just a smidge more, so I would recommend it anyway! And I’m definitely looking forward to the third and seeing how Scarlett’s journey comes to an end.
4 stars
Author Profile: Lori Verni-Fogarsi
Author Name: Lori Verni-Fogarsi
Website: http://www.lorivernifogarsi.com/
Bio: Lori Verni-Fogarsi has worked as a freelance writer, journalist, columnist, and seminar speaker for more than fifteen years. Momnesia is her first novel and she is the author of Everything You Need to Know About House Training Puppies and Adult Dogs, which has been widely acclaimed in its genre. She is a happily married mom of two and step mom of two more.
See my 4 star review for Momnesia!
Lori’s next novel, Unexpecting, will be on sale Spring of 2013!
On Tour: Someone Else’s Fairytale by E.M. Tippetts
E.M. will be on tour March 18-April 8 with her novel Someone Else’s Fairytale Jason Vanderholt, Hollywood’s hottest actor, falls head over heels for everygirl,…
Book Review: The Girls’ Guide to Love and Supper Clubs …
I received a copy of The Girls’ Guide to Love and Supper Clubs by Dana Bate in exchange for an honest review. What a terrific read! From page one I was hooked into Hannah Sugarman’s life. She works in a think tank in Washington, D.C., lives in a gorgeous apartment with her handsome boyfriend, and can be just as successful as her academic parents. Problems: she hates her job, her boyfriend won’t accept her as who she is, and she doesn’t want to be a professor like her parents – she wants to cook. Hannah has a dream of running an underground supper club, just another item her and her boyfriend disagree about. But when the inevitable breakup happens, Hannah decides to do what she wants for once – try to have a cooking career.
This book had me laughing, cringing, and cheering for Hannah all the way throughout. When she starts using her new landlord’s apartment as the location for her supper club I just wanted to wave my hands in the air and yell, “Danger!” But of course, the book wouldn’t have been as much fun if that didn’t happen. Hannah is down-to-earth, a loveable main character, and someone who I wanted to find happiness. I really enjoyed the romance in this book, and it actually might have been my favorite part. Right away, I thought I knew who Hannah would end up with. Then my mind changed. And then changed again. And then again. I love that! I’m also a big fan of foodie books, so with all the menu-planning, grocery-buying, and underground supper clubbing that was happening, I sure was happy. A 5 star book!
5 stars
Book Review: The School Gates by Nicola May
I received a copy of The School Gates by Nicola May in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
At 3.10pm every weekday, parents gather at Featherstone Primary in Denbury to collect their children.
For a special few, the friendships forged at the school gates will see them through lives filled with drama, secrets and sorrows. When Yummy Mummy Alana reveals the identity of her love-child’s father, she doesn’t expect the consequences to be quite so extreme. Ex Czech au-pair Earth Mummy Dana finds happiness in her secret sideline, but really all she longs for is another child. Slummy Mummy Mo’s wife-beating husband leads her down a path she never thought possible, and Supper Mummy Joan has to cope when life deals her a devastating blow.
And what of Gay Daddy Gordon? Will he be able to juggle parenthood and cope with his broken heart at the same time?
Four very different mothers. One adorable dad. And the intertwining trials and tribulations that a year at the primary school gates brings.
My Review:
Oh, this book had me laughing out loud at times! There are so many families and key players to this book, and the pages are filled with love, deceit, friendship and betrayal. They are all brought together because of their children, who attend Featherstone Primary. Some have true friendships. Some are frenemies. Some are sleeping together – even those who shouldn’t be. The trials and tribulations of The School Gates kept me interested and happily reading, even though sometimes I had trouble keeping up with the plethora of characters we meet. A fun chick lit read!
3.5 stars
