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All the Difference by Kaira Rouda
Chick Lit Review

All the Difference by Kaira Rouda

I absolutely loved Here, Home, Hope, the debut novel from Kaira Rouda. She embodied what I hope to do with my writing – inspire other woman. When Kaira asked me to host her at CLP Blog Tours for her second novel, I was blown away. Of course I was ecstatic, and I’m happy to report I highly enjoyed All the Difference. I thought this book was very different from her first, but to me it just showed the talent that Rouda possesses. The story is set in Grandville, and follows multiple characters in this suburban town. The main focus is three women – all with different stories, different problems, different lives – but one has turned to murder to get her way. A suspenseful novel filled with hard-hitting decisions and scenarios, I was flipping frantically to the end to tie everything together.
I will say that at first the amount of characters overwhelmed me. There is a lot going on in this book, different viewpoints, stories, opinions, and in the beginning it was a lot to handle. I was able to adjust after the first few chapters, but that’s just my warning that the beginning my throw you off. Other than getting over that bump, I had a lot of fun with this story. Again, I thought it was a different direction for Rouda, and I loved the suburban mystery aspect. I will admit that I thought I knew which woman was the murderer – and I was totally wrong. I loved the little flashbacks that we got, how all the stories entwined together and I would recommend All the Difference!
[Rating: 4]

April 9, 2012
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GIVEAWAY: The Wedding Beat by Devan Sipher
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GIVEAWAY: The Wedding Beat by Devan Sipher

Sometimes the best man isn’t even in the wedding party… Gavin Greene is a hopeless romantic. He’s also a professional one: He writes the wedding…

April 8, 2012
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Gossip by Beth Gutcheon
Chick Lit Review

Gossip by Beth Gutcheon

Some books I just can’t connect with, and unfortunately Gossip by Beth Gutcheon was one of those. I was looking forward to this book – who doesn’t love some gossip and I thought the cover was really cute – but it just fell flat for me. The beginning started off slowly – way too slowly – and it was downhill for me from there. The story is narrated by Lovie Walker, yet the POV is divided amongst her and two other characters. There’s a lot of jumping between past and present and POV that made it hard for me to stick with what was happening. About a third of the way through the book, I gave up and started speed reading. There just wasn’t anything happening to keep my attention. I believe readers are supposed to take away that even the rich and privileged go through hardships, but I’m really not positive on that. I’ve seen other reviews that talk about a “shocking ending” so I went back and re-read it, but since I really didn’t have a clue who any of the characters were and had no attachment to them, I simply didn’t get it. Gossip wouldn’t be a recommendation from me.
[Rating: 2]

April 6, 2012
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Blog Tour Sign Up: Pickin’ Tomatoes by JW Bull
CLP Blog Tours

Blog Tour Sign Up: Pickin’ Tomatoes by JW Bull

What would you do to reinvent yourself? To what extremes would you resort?
Maggie Malone wants a new life. Who aspires to be a single, forty-year-old, jobless new mother? Driven by the need for an income, Maggie decides to enter a writing contest. Cooking and Women Magazine is seeking a columnist who can compare finding “Mister Right” to cooking. To qualify, an entrant must be single and an experienced chef. Maggie is neither – she can’t even cook. But desperation turns white lies into tasty morsels that whet her creative appetite and she whips up an article comparing finding “Mister Right” to picking the right tomato for her homemade salsa. She wins the contest, is dubbed The Chef of Hearts, and her new life, although a bit shaky, is launched.
Women across America write to her about loneliness, infidelity, insomnia – even to complain about a boyfriend’s snoring. Maggie dissects their problems with a single stroke of her pen, all the while struggling with her own issues. She dishes out therapy in recipes and funny stories and becomes an instant celebrity. As she balances learning how to cook, being a mother and writing a column, her dual lives begin to spin out of control. On the back burner, subterfuge sizzles in the skillet, threatening Maggie’s new recipe for success and she finds herself in the same stew as many of her readers – lost and alone. It’s only when Maggie comes clean with all her lies that she realizes pickin’ the right tomato might not be simply about finding “Mister Right” – sometimes it’s about making the right choices.
Pickin Tomatoes serves up a three-course meal of mayhem, motherhood and middle age flavored with dashes of irony, wit, and wisdom. Throw in a liberal sprinkling of recipes geared towards those who don’t cook, and Pickin’ Tomatoes becomes a must read for anyone who has searched for “Mister Right” but, most of all, wants to find herself.
J. W. Bull lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and two sons. Although she has worked as a sous chef for Lavande Restaurant, she currently is a private violin teacher and a member of The Georgia Symphony. She is also finishing another novel, Musical Chairs, a mystery involving Maggie’s cousin—Molly Malone, plucky part-time symphony player and fulltime Irish fiddler. It’s a hilarious spoof on symphonies, Irish fiddling, and mysteries that continues the Malone saga.

April 4, 2012
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GIVEAWAY: Momnesia by Lori Verni-Fogarsi
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GIVEAWAY: Momnesia by Lori Verni-Fogarsi

She’s smart, pretty, and runs her own business. So then why does she feel so dead inside? Between work, two kids, and a husband who finds her about as exciting as furniture shopping, this is the story of a (formerly-exciting but now way-too-typical) suburban mom who diagnoses herself with Momnesia and sets about finessing a new version of her old vivaciousness:
Momnesia (mahm-nee-zhuh) -noun-
Loss of the memory of who you used to be. Caused by pregnancy, play dates, and trying to keep the house cleaner than the Joneses.
She finds some adventure pursing her own interests, and does make some new friends (including the battery operated variety), but still feels like nothing more than a caretaker.
In between dealing with her husband’s manic-depresssive behavior, drama with her friends, and some naughty Internet escapades, she ponders, Is it that I haven’t been myself? Or is it that I am being myself, but just different than I used to be?
It isn’t until she tosses the Invisible Rule Book altogether, that she discovers life–and love–have more to offer than she ever imagined!
With custom-painted cover art that perfectly epitomizes the struggle of finding balance between “momminess” and “sexiness,” Momnesia is a must read for anyone who has ever been a mother, had a mother, wanted to be a mother, judged a mother, or even just wondered about mothers. A great gift book, too!

I have one copy of Momnesia by Lori Verni-Fogarsi up for grabs! The winner can choose between a print or eBook, but print books will be limited to US/Canada residents only. The winner will be chosen on Saturday, March 31. To enter to win, please just leave a comment below. Thank you to Lori for sponsoring this giveaway!

March 29, 2012
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Favorable Conditions by Kathleen Kole
Chick Lit Review

Favorable Conditions by Kathleen Kole

I was thrilled to host Kathleen Kole’s third blog tour via CLP Blog Tours, this time with her latest novel Favorable Conditions. Her books have been fun reads – short, sweet, direct and always with some great characters. This story follows Pat Keegan, who is forty-five and suddenly finds herself very alone in a big house. After dedicating years of her life to being a good wife and mother, her two children are now both moved out, and her husband has left her. Pat knows she needs a new direction for her life, but can she achieve her goals of rediscovering herself – and her happiness?
Age-wise, Pat and I are not close. But that factor really never even came up for me while I was reading. I was invested in her story and how she would pick up those crumbling pieces and make something better for herself. I loved that she decided to open a business for herself, and how self-sufficient she became. I’m all about girl power and making opportunities for yourself, so I really felt connected with Pat throughout the story. The supporting cast is just as good – from BFF Melanie, Pat’s daughter who gets engaged, and of course, the love interest Ian. I thought the relationship with Pat and Ian added a great element to the overall story. Another book from Kathleen Kole to get on your to-read list!
[Rating: 4]

March 21, 2012
1 Comment
GIVEAWAY: Gossip by Beth Gutcheon
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GIVEAWAY: Gossip by Beth Gutcheon

“Did you know that the origin of the word gossip in English is ‘god-sibling’? It’s the talk between people who are godparents to the same…

March 20, 2012
20 Comments
In My Mailbox: Week of March 18
Chick Lit Plus

In My Mailbox: Week of March 18

In My Mailbox: Week of March 18

Title: Interview with a Jewish Vampire
Author: Erica Manfred
Received: Via CLP Blog Tours
Synopsis: The last thing zaftig middle-aged journalist, Rhoda Ginsburg, expected when she signed up for JDate was to fall in love with a vampire. But when she meets drop-dead gorgeous Sheldon, a Hasidic vampire, she falls hard. She rationalizes that he may not be alive, but at least he’s Jewish.

She learns that back in the nineteenth century Sheldon was a rabbi who was turned into a vampire by Count Dracula, an anti-Semite who got his kicks from turning Orthodox Jews into vampires because then they’d have to drink blood, which isn’t kosher.

Soon after she meets Sheldon, she discovers her beloved mother, Fanny, is terminally ill, so she comes up with the crackpot idea of getting Sheldon to turn Fanny and her friends, known as “the goils,” into vampires. Once she becomes a vampire, Fanny tires of her boring life in Century Village, Florida, and, seeking thrills, she goes clubbing and disappears into the nightlife of South Beach in Miami. When Fanny and her goil posse “go rogue” and start preying on the young, Rhoda and Sheldon must track them down to keep them from killing again.

Interview with a Jewish Vampire turns vampire lore on its head, proving that not all vampires are young and beautiful and it IS possible to be undead and kosher.

Title: Kiss Me, Dancer
Author: Alicia & Roy Street
Received: Via CLP Blog Tours
Synopsis: A roller coaster of a romance between a divorced dad and a dance teacher.

Ballet instructor Casey Richardson takes an immediate dislike to the brash, arrogant Drew Byrne when he pulls his nine-year-old son out of her “silly” dance class. Still, she cannot help noticing his smoking hot body and bedroom eyes.

A working class girl raised in the small fishing and farming community on Long Island’s rural North Fork, Casey knows all too well how easily a girl can get hurt by the notorious womanizing hunks that flourish on the South Fork in the Hamptons. Men like Drew Byrne.

The last thing she needs is for him to be the only one who can save her from losing her dance academy, the dream she has worked so hard to turn into a reality.

Remarrying is definitely off Drew’s list of things to do. As head of his Fortune 500 trucking company, he enjoys his wealth and has no problem keeping it a game with some of the world’s most beautiful women. So why should his son’s challenging, straight talking dance teacher get under his skin in a way no other female has?

Sure, Casey Richardson has luminous brown eyes and a lean, taut body that drives him nuts, but he’s seen plenty in his day with the supermodels he is used to dating. He tells himself it is because Casey is the only one who was able to bring his shy, uncommunicative son out of his shell. But even that isn’t it.

Bewildered, Drew decides he just might make use of those ridiculous psychic readings he won at North Cove’s Annual Fourth Of July Bazaar raffle. Little does he know the local psychic who donated the readings has taken off last minute for some trekking in Tibet —and Casey was swayed into substituting for her with phone readings to the anonymous winner.

Add in a stint on a hit TV dance-off series, a cozy local coffee shop, a narcissistic rock star and a protective big brother to make KISS ME, DANCER a sexy, heartfelt and fun read.

Title: Skin Rules
Author: Debra Jaliman, M.D
Received: From Leyane @ FSB Associates
Synopsis: Skin Rules is a concise and practical instruction manual from a renowned Fifth Avenue dermatologist on how to attain beautiful skin, a taut and sculpted body, and a much younger appearance. Actors, models, and newscasters go to Dr. Jaliman for her cutting-edge technology and the latest in skin care, as well as for her reputation for being the “last stop” doctor, the one who fixes what others can’t.

Skin Rules has something for everyone, no matter where they live or how much money they have to spend. This small, invaluable guide supplies the same advice Dr. Jaliman gives to her celebrity patients, from lasers to remove sun damage and turn back the clock to suggestions for simple products and habits anyone can adopt for a small outlay of time and money.

In Sara’s Mailbox:

Title: Prince Charming, Inc
Author: Jamie Brazil
Received by: Jamie Brazil
Synopsis: From long haul drivers to plumbers, matchmaker Elyse Tobin refurbishes and retrains men then sells them off as husbands to wealthy San Francisco socialites.

Womanizing lothario Nick Salvatore is a millionaire restaurateur with looks, charm and wit. He’s the man Elyse models all her fixer-uppers after…the man who seduced her three years ago…and the one man in San Francisco she wants nothing to do with, despite his ongoing efforts to woo her.

But when Elyse’s latest groom goes south, the IRS audits her, and her home is about to be foreclosed, she discovers the one man she can count on is the one she’s spent years avoiding.

Title: Letters from a Stranger
Author: Barbara Taylor Bradford
Received by: Ann-Marie Nieves @ Get Red PR
Synopsis: Justine Nolan is a documentary film maker who lost her beloved grandmother a decade ago—the person who was the only source of love and comfort in her life. Her own mother Deborah had always been distant and uninvolved, following her own agenda in pursuit of her career as an interior designer. But when Justine inadvertently opens a letter addressed to her mother, she discovers that not only is her grandmother Gabri alive, but that Deborah has deliberately estranged the family from her for all these years. Justine’s search for her grandmother takes her to Istanbul where she begins to uncover the family’s secrets that stretch all the way back to World War II. As the layers of deception peel away, Justine begins to understand a woman she never really knew…and she begins to ask questions about the true desires of her own heart.

Title: Words Get In The Way
Author: Nan Parson Rossiter
Received by: Unsolicited
Synopsis: The modest ranch house where Callie Wyeth grew up looks just as she remembers it – right down to the well-worn sheets in the linen closet. But in the years since Callie lived here, almost everything else has changed. Her father, once indomitable, is in poor health. And Callie is a single mother with a beautiful little boy, Henry, who has just been diagnosed with autism. Returning to this quiet New Hampshire community seems the best thing to do, for both her father and her son’s sake. Even if it means facing Linden Finch, the one she loved and left for reasons she’s sure he’ll never forgive. Linden is stunned that Callie is back – and that she has a son. Yet in the warm, funny relationship that develops between Henry and Linden’s menagerie of rescued farm animals, Callie begins to find hope. Not just that her son might break through the wall of silence separating him from the world, but that she too can make a new start amid the places and people that have never left her heart…

Title: The Boy Who Fell To Earth
Author: Kathy Lette
Received by: Unsolicited
Synopsis: Meet Merlin. He’s Lucy’s bright, beautiful son – who just happens to be autistic. Since Merlin’s father left them in the lurch shortly after his diagnosis, Lucy has made Merlin the centre of her world. Struggling with the joys and tribulations of raising her eccentrically adorable yet challenging child, (if only Merlin came with operating instructions) Lucy doesn’t have room for any other man in her life. By the time Merlin turns ten, Lucy is seriously worried that the Pope might start ringing her up for tips on celibacy, so resolves to dip a poorly pedicured toe back into the world of dating. Thanks to Merlin’s candour and quirkiness, things don’t go quite to plan…Then, just when Lucy’s resigned to a life of singledom once more, Archie – the most imperfectly perfect man for her and her son – lands on her doorstep. But then, so does Merlin’s father, begging for forgiveness and a second chance. Does Lucy need a real father for Merlin – or a real partner for herself?

Title: The Cinderella Blues
Author: Obren Bokich
Received by: Austine Martin @ Black Bear Media
Synopsis: The Cinderella Blues (Thuh Sin’dur-rel’uh Bluze)
The phenomena whereby otherwise intelligent, capable, successful professional women are convinced they need rescuing by a prince.
A smart character-driven romantic comedy about a young professional woman with a hyperactive fantasy life, “Romancing The Stone” meets “The Office.”

March 18, 2012
1 Comment
I’ve Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella
Chick Lit Review

I’ve Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella

I couldn’t wait to dive into Sophie Kinsella’s latest novel, I’ve Got Your Number. I’m not sure who sent it to me, but it showed up in my mailbox one day and I squealed in excitement when I opened the package. And can you believe it – I’m giving it a five star review! Shocking, right? I just love Kinsella and her stories, and this one was right up there. You know when you read a book and it just keeps making you laugh out loud? And then every once in a while you snort with laughter? That was me all the way.
The story follows Poppy Wyatt, whose world gets flipped upside down when she loses her engagement ring. Shortly after her ring goes missing, she loses her cell phone – her lifeline! She finds a cell phone in a trash can and decides to claim it as her own. It was in a trash can – clearly the owner had given it up. But she finds out the phone actually belonged to the assistant of Sam Roxton, a very busy and angry businessman, and he wants it back! Poppy eventually convinces Sam to let her keep the phone for a while longer, at least until she hears back about her lost engagement ring. Poppy finds herself a bit bored, and starts reading through some of the text and emails that she is forwarding to Sam. Before she knows it, she is practically playing assistant to Sam, and finds herself immersed in some of his personal business. Poppy thinks a spark might be happening between her and Sam – but how could that be? She is set to marry her ideal man. Sure, they don’t have much in common and his family seems less than impressed with her but still – she knows this marriage is the right thing to do. Right?
I whipped through this story, cracking up along the way. One scene I’ll point out – and you’ll only get if you read the story – was the gift Poppy tried on that was meant for her fiancé’s mother. I was red in the face from laughing so hard. Wait, one more I want to point out. When Poppy is buying a fake engagement ring to play off as the real one. That scene with the jewelry sales girl was AMAZING. All I can say – read this book! You won’t be disappointed.
[Rating: 5]

March 16, 2012
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