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Looking For Leon by Shirley Benton
Chick Lit Review

Looking For Leon by Shirley Benton

Andie Appleton goes on holiday to Las Vegas for an escape. The last thing she expected to find was the man of her dreams- the too good to be true Leon. Leon’s zest for life is what attracts Andie immediately to this stranger, but a fire drill rips the two apart. Without getting any information from him, Andie feels desperate to find Leon from Arizona. When she must head back to Ireland and get back to work as a journalist, she figures she will never see Leon again. But when she is retelling her love story gone wrong to her co-workers, her conniving boss overhears and decides to push the story. Soon, Andie is retelling her Looking for Leon tale in columns, which is a hit for readers. A TV station decides to pick up the story and send Andie back to Vegas to continue her hunt for Leon. The search garners nation-wide attention- but no Leon. During the process, Andie gets thrown together with Colm the camera-man, who she immediately despises. But as the search continues and no Leon pops up, Andie begins to wonder if she possibly found the man of her dreams anyways…
Looking For Leon is the debut novel from Shirley Benton, and I found it to be enjoyable. The beginning and the end were both fast-paced and lively, but the middle really slowed the story down. I thought a handful of scenes could have been cut from the novel, I didn’t find that they moved the story or any characters along, and I think that is part of the reason why the middle was lagging. I thought the concept was unique and Benton can definitely write humor, which gave me plenty of laughs throughout the way. The ending was very shocking and quite sad; I shed a few tears during the last chapters. I thought this was a good debut but just a little lacking in a few areas, but I would still recommend Looking For Leon.
[Rating: 3.5]

May 6, 2011
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Crystal Balls by Amanda Brobyn
Chick Lit Review

Crystal Balls by Amanda Brobyn

Tina Harding, a successful estate agent, doesn’t believe in psychics. She believes in hard work, ambition, and being able to bury the past. When her career as an actress didn’t work out, much to the chagrin of her overbearing mother, Tina launches herself full force into her new career. When property developer and sex on a stick Brian Steen gives Tina’s company the exact high profile and high dollar job that it needs, Tina believes her fate is sealed. But when she grudgingly accompanies friend and co-worker Chantelle to a psychic fair, the tables turn. Even though Tina firmly thinks psychic’s are a bunch of wackos, she ends up doing a crystal ball reading. And then another. And then one more. And then starts calling psychic hotlines. Soon, all her decisions are being based off what the fortune tellers are telling her. Could her obsession cause her to sink her company- and her chance with Mr. Right?
Crystal Balls is the debut novel by Amanda Brobyn, and it is a light and funny read. I laughed at some of the wacky scenes that Tina goes through, and my interest was held with the love connection between her and Brian. But I felt like there were a handful of unnecessary scenes in the book. Scenes that didn’t move the story forward at all, and I had to wonder why they were included. That made the book seem a bit long for me. And I never really understood what changed for Tina that made her so addicted to psychics. I think if that would have been explained a bit more, I would have been able to maybe relate to Tina better. Overall, I found Crystal Balls to be slightly lacking in some areas, but still entertaining and witty enough to recommend.
[Rating: 3]

May 4, 2011
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The Tapestry of Love by Rosy Thornton
Chick Lit Review

The Tapestry of Love by Rosy Thornton

I have read a previous book from author Rosy Thornton, Crossed Wires and enjoyed it, so when Rosy asked if I would review her latest novel, The Tapestry of Love, I had no problem accepting. I’m saddened that I didn’t like this story as much as Crossed Wires. The heroine is Catherine, who sells her home in England and moves to the Cevennes Mountains after her divorce and her kids have grown and moved out of the home. She desires to set up a small business as a needlewoman, creating tapestries among other items for the locals. She must adapt to the mountain life, to her neighbors, and fight to run her business against the demands of the French bureaucracy.
I was about nine chapters into this story and still I was confused on what the plot was. Was there a romance between Catherine and any of her neighbors? Did she want her husband back? I wasn’t sure which direction the plot was going to lead me to, and I felt very confused and a little lost. This novel was just a bit too quiet for my taste. Not a lot of drama, mystery, or passion seemed to by hiding. I didn’t get a real emotional involvement with any of the characters, except for when one of the locals sleeps with Catherine’s sister because “she needed him” and he was doing her a favor. That made me dislike this character the rest of the way. Thornton’s writing is very beautiful though, and her descriptions are picturesque and vivid enough to make me feel like I’m in the Cevennes Mountains. I only wish the characters would have pulled me into the story more, and the plot would have been a bit more enticing.
Rating: 2.5/5

December 5, 2010
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