Chick Lit Plus by Samantha March

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In My Mailbox: Week of January 20
Chick Lit Plus

In My Mailbox: Week of January 20

In Samantha’s Mailbox:

Title: Schoolgirl Cinderella

Author: Priya Narendran

Received: Via CLP Blog Tours

Synopsis: Ten year old Briony Duke and her parents own a prestigious girls’ school in the country. This is in contrast to Mrs. Eyres, a middle-aged woman who has just been sacked by Briony’s father for embezzling funds.When Briony’s parents are killed in a car crash, Mrs. Eyres and daughter Lucy take over the school and Mrs. Eyres now becomes Briony’s guardian. Mrs. Eyres makes Briony sleep in the kitchen, cook, clean and tend to her and her daughter’s every whim.

Seven years pass and one day Briony meets 19 year old Tom Logan, the sixth richest man in the country. She slowly starts to fall in love with the intelligent, charismatic teenager, the only question is; can she win his heart before her evil stepsister does?

Title: Elly in Bloom

Author: Colleen Oakes

Received: Via CLP Blog Tours

Synopsis: Surrounded by lush flowers and neurotic brides, chubby 32-year old Elly Jordan has carved out a sweet little life for herself as the owner of Posies, a boutique wedding florist in St. Louis. It’s not bad for a woman who drove away from her entire life just two years ago when she found her husband entwined with a red-headed artist.

Sure, Elly has an embarrassingly beautiful best friend, a terribly behaved sheepdog and a sarcastic assistant who she simply calls “Snarky Teenager”, but overall her days are pleasantly uneventful. As a bonus, her new next door neighbor just happens to be an unnervingly handsome musician who has an eye for curvy Elly. Just when she feels that she is finally moving on from her past, she discovers that an extravagant wedding contract, one that could change her financial future, is more than she bargained for.

With the help of her friends, staff and the occasional well-made sandwich, Elly bravely agrees to take on the event that threatens to merge her painful history with her bright new life, and finds herself blooming in a direction she never imagined.

Elly’s voice, both charming and hilarious, will appeal to those readers who have been looking for a new voice in chick-lit, and will give women of all sizes the realistic heroine they’ve been waiting for.

Title: Don’t Tell the Groom

Author: Anna Bell

Received: From Anna Bell

Synopsis: Bride-to-be Penny discovers that she’s lost £10,000 of wedding savings playing online bingo. So that she doesn’t have to reveal her gambling secret, she convinces her fiancé Mark that they should have a Don’t Tell the Groom themed wedding. Penny then has to plan a wedding fit for a princess on a shoestring budget. But, by the time she discovers that the true meaning of marriage isn’t a Vera Wang wedding dress or Jimmy Choos, will she still have a groom to marry?

Title: The Union Street Bakery

Author: Mary Ellen Taylor

Received: Penguin Group

Synopsis: Life can turn on a dime. It’s a common cliché, and I’d heard it often enough. People die or move away. Investments go south. Affairs end. Loved ones betray us…Stuff happens.

Daisy McCrae’s life is in tatters. She’s lost her job, broken up with her boyfriend, and has been reduced to living in the attic above her family’s store, the Union Street Bakery, while learning the business. Unfortunately, the bakery is in serious hardship. Making things worse is the constant feeling of not being a “real” McCrae since she was adopted as a child and has a less-than-perfect relationship with her two sisters.

Then a long-standing elderly customer passes away, and for some reason bequeaths Daisy a journal dating back to the 1850s, written by a slave girl named Susie. As she reads, Daisy learns more about her family—and her own heritage—than she ever dreamed. Haunted by dreams of the young Susie, who beckons Daisy to “find her,” she is compelled to look further into the past of the town and her family.

What she finds are the answers she has longed for her entire life, and a chance to begin again with the courage and desire she thought she lost for good.

Title: Sophie’s Run

Author: Nicky Wells

Received: From Nicky Wells

Synopsis: Her famous star remains her rock while life takes her on a little detour…

Who says that the road towards true love is straight and even? Sophie is certainly discovering that it is anything but.

So she has finally found the man of her dreams! Well… she knows who he is, even though she hasn’t actually quite met him yet. But she misses her opportunity, and then her life goes crazy. Rock star and ex-fiancé, Dan, keeps getting in the way of her new romance—even if he is just trying to be helpful. A fire, an impromptu mini-trip with Dan, and a dreaded wedding later, Sophie is still struggling to meet the love of her life. Then, just as she is getting it together with her perfect man, best friend Rachel commits an act of unspeakable betrayal.

Sophie has had enough. Confused and distraught, she decides that it is time for radical change. Surprising herself and shocking her friends, she embarks on a secret journey eventually gets her life back on track.

Title: The School Gates

Author: Nicola May

Received: From Nicola May

Synopsis: 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.

In Sara’s Mailbox:

Title: 12 Lessons

Author: Kate Spencer

Received: Kate Spencer

Synopsis: Move over Bridget Jones, Stephanie Slater is in town and she doesn’t believe in psychics…yet!
No one knows that beneath her groomed and successful persona Stephanie Slater is struggling to keep up the act.
When an accidental psychic reading breaks open the cracks in her perfect life, it starts to unravel for all to see.
Stephanie then starts the transformational journey to rebuild and reclaim her life lesson by lesson, month by month in a year like no other.
Each of the 12 Lessons helps her to learn more about herself and gives this entertaining story a deeper and more profound meaning, as she works towards creating the life that she has always wanted… but will she make it in time?
Can you really change your Destiny in one year?

Title: The Boy Next Door

Author: Annabelle Costa

Received: Ruth Madison

Synopsis: Through middle school, high school, bad dates, and an ill-advised punk phase, Tasha has always been able to count on Jason. Since the day he moved in next door, he’s gone from the weird kid in a wheelchair to Tasha’s most trusted friend. But lives change and the friends are going in different directions. When Jason and Tasha rekindle their friendship, sparks fly. After years of being a wild soul, now the ex-lead of a band turned music teacher is just looking for a relationship to last.

When none other than Jason introduces her to a man who can give her what she wants, Tasha is on the verge of throwing passion and love away just so she can forget her troubled past and settle down. But Jason isn’t ready to give her up just yet.

Title: The Bad Girls’ Club

Author: Kathryn O’Halloran

Received: Kathryn O’Halloran

Synopsis: Three girls are united in their realisation that keeping themselves nice has got them nowhere. It’s time to take action. It’s time to rebel. It’s time to become Bad Girls. Imogen wants to get laid but how can she be a bad girl until she loses a few kilos? Beth is happy to be a bad girl – so long as no one else finds out and so long as she is in control. Juliette’s not really sure what she’s doing, but it sure beats another Saturday night gaming with her geek boyfriend. They band together to form the Bad Girls Club, a support group for recovering nice girls, and through a series of brazen dares, push the limits of their sexuality. But are the girls ready to finally take the final leap that will have them branded as bad girls for real? To save the club, and each other, they each have to publicly acknowledge their darkest secrets. Join the bad girls in this raunchy, snort-laughingly funny chick lit adventure. The Bad Girls’ Club about sex, it’s about dares but most of all, it’s about friendship.

January 20, 2013
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Falling For You by Heather Thurmeier
Chick Lit Review

Falling For You by Heather Thurmeier

I received a copy of Falling For You by Heather Thurmeier in exchange for an honest review.

Falling For You stars the newly single, Cassidy Quinn, who has just been chosen to appear on a new reality dating show called, The One. Expecting to find Prince Charming and fall madly in love, Cassidy is less than thrilled when she sees that Brad, her ex-boyfriend, happens to be the bachelor. Seeing him brings back old feelings and she starts to wonder if she is over him like she thought she was. But, then she meets Evan, the camera man who is in charge of documenting her life for the show, and he begins tugging at her heart strings. But, with the show going on, and her Brad and Evan vying for her attention, what is a girl to do?

I thought this book was so cute. Light and fun, this book is definitely a quick read and very, very enjoyable. I found myself laughing out loud on numerous occasions as Cassidy stumbles her way through the show, and even more so as she tries to juggle her heart and both men. I also really enjoyed the romantic scenes between Cassidy and the two men. Overall, this is a great read that is well written with very believable and quirky characters. Also, the ending will definitely keep you on your toes.

Rating: 4/5 stars

January 18, 2013
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Future Tour: Finding Out by Sheryn MacMunn
CLP Blog Tours

Future Tour: Finding Out by Sheryn MacMunn

Sheryn MacMunn will be on tour March 4 – 25 with her novel, Finding Out.

Getting dumped on the sidewalk by her live-in boyfriend of seven years and realizing that he nearly emptied their savings account is the first of Sheila Davenport’s problems. At thirty-six, Sheila had thought her life was on track. But life no longer makes sense. Now she’s saddled with a mortgage that’s about to skyrocket, a psychotic boss, and a new employee who is unqualified and hell-bent on messing with the company’s rules.

Her friends advise her to date immediately, preferably someone rich and successful, or risk being old and alone. But Sheila needs to figure out what went wrong and how she got to this place. Since Prince Charming has ruined Sheila’s life, who can save her now?

Help comes unexpectedly from her elderly neighbor, Ruth Grey, who has had her own share of ups and downs. As their friendship grows, Ruth reveals her deeply moving story of survival in WWII Germany. Ruth’s mesmerizing past is a powerful tale of love and revenge that provides the perspective Sheila desperately needs to put the pieces of her own life back together.

Will Sheila succeed at work or walk away? Can she save her home? And why do her friends think they have it any better?

A story of love found and lost, true friendship, and how the human spirit endures.

Please visit CLP Blog Tours for the full tour calendar! **Anyone who purchases their copy of Finding Out before March 25 and sends their receipt to Samantha (at) ChickLitPlus (dot) com, will get five entries in a drawing to win a $20 Amazon gift card!!**

January 17, 2013
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Margaret from Maine by Joseph Monninger
Chick Lit Review

Margaret from Maine by Joseph Monninger

I was provided with a copy of Margaret from Maine by Joseph Monninger in exchange for an honest review.

This book begins with Margaret Kennedy, who lives on a dairy farm in a very rural part in Maine. Her husband Thomas, was injured in war overseas and left in a vegetative state due to his bravery. His body lived, but the spirit of the man had long ago left his physical shell. That made things very hard from Margaret as she is made to care for Thomas, as well as take care of the dairy farm and their young son. Her spirit breaks with each passing day. But, when the President signs a bill in support of wounded veterans, she hopes that things will start to change and that she will find some relief. She receives a chance invitation to the capital, and Charlie King, a handsome Foreign Service officer, takes it upon himself to escort her there. But, what happens on the trip is what makes this story special, because the two of them fall in love. But, things become difficult. With her husband still alive and breathing, although no longer really alive in every sense of the word, she is torn by the man that she once loved and her duty to him as his wife … but torn also because her heart longs to be happy with Charlie. Will the two be able to find a way to make it work? Or will their love be lost forever?

I haven’t read a book this good in such a long time. Joseph Monninger truly has a way with words and this book tugged at my heart strings the entire read. I felt for Margaret as she was faced with such a heartbreaking event when her husband was injured in war. But, she loved him and as his wife she took care of him day in and day out. But, I can only imagine what she must have felt like, or how alone she felt. Then, one fateful day brings Charlie into her life, and after six long years of selflessly caring for her injured husband, another man puts a twinklie back in her eye. Gah, what a book! I loved every second of it and was breathless as the pages dwindled down to the end. This book is seriously the most romantic book I have read in a while and I am tempted to put it right up there at the top of my all time reads. Un-put-downable!
Rating: 5 stars

January 17, 2013
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Three Stages of Love: Lust by T. C. Anthony
Chick Lit Review

Three Stages of Love: Lust by T. C. Anthony

I received a coy of Three Stages of Love: Lust by T. C. Anthony in exchange for an honest review.

Three Stages of Love: Lust by T. C. Anthony begins with main character, Evangeline Chase, standing at a crossroad. Very determined and ambitious, she embarks on a new path and chooses to put her own “needs” first for once. One drunken night, she makes a move on a sexy stranger but he declines because she is intoxicated. But, ironically, he turns out to be her new boss. Torn between her ambition and her desire for the sexy, Alexander Mason, she caves and lets her desires take front stage. Alex rocks her world (in more ways than one) and she is forced to choose between her career, her “needs” and quite possibly love with Alex. But, will she be able to make the right choice even after she transforms into what she has always wanted?

Boy, when I say steamy, I mean it … and this book definitely has steam. I usually don’t read books in this genre very often because I find that the story lacks depth, but this book didn’t. The characters were developed very well (although I all too often wanted to smack Eva for being such a pain in the ass) and I loved Alex and thought that he truly was a charmer. Overall, this book is very entertaining and I absolutely loved that the character’s roles were reversed in this one. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book.
Rating: 4 stars

January 16, 2013
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Pursuing the Times by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Chick Lit Review

Pursuing the Times by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

I received a copy of PURSUING THE TIMES by Lauren Baratz-Logsted in exchange for an honest review. Pursuing The Times by Lauren Baratz-Logsted follows author…

January 15, 2013
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Mad World: Epidemic by Samaire Provost
Chick Lit Review

Mad World: Epidemic by Samaire Provost

I received a copy of Mad World: Epidemic from CLP Blog Tours as an active blog participant. Mad World: Epidemic by Samaire Provost begins with…

January 14, 2013
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In My Mailbox: Week of January 13
Chick Lit Plus

In My Mailbox: Week of January 13

In Samantha’s Mailbox:

fashion victimTitle: Fashion Victim

Author: GT Herren

Received: Via CLP Blog Tours

Synopsis: To hear her buddy Chanse McLeod tell it, Paige Tourneur is rotund, cute as a button, a truly bad driver, and the best friend a gay P.I. could possibly have.

Now Paige gets a chance to tell it herself in her own witty and worldly-wise way. Please! Is that really her name? Seems like she has quite a past and in FASHION VICTIM, it’s starting to haunt her.

Since his first novel, Greg Herren’s fans have been begging him to spin off their favorite character, the hard-drinking, hard-bitten, smart-mouthed red-headed reporter with the heart of gold and the unlikely name.

In her first solo outing, she’s long since left the Times-Picayune, played out a stint on television, and has now landed a job at Crescent City Magazine, which sends her out to do a personality piece on bitchy fashion designer Marigny Mercereau. Only Marigny ends up dead fifteen minutes before her fifteen minutes of fame.

Twisting through Marigny’s creepy past, Paige is accompanied, as always, by best friend Chanse, her cop buddies Venus Casanova and Blaine Tujague, and ( finally!) by the perfect man: her new boy friend, Blaine’s brother Ryan. So what happens when a woman meets the perfect man and her past comes calling?

FASHION VICTIM is the first in a series of interconnected novellas in Paige’s MISSING HUSBAND SERIES. This spring: watch for THE DEAD HOUSEWIVES OF NEW ORLEANS.

wedlockedTitle: Wedlocked

Author: Bonnie Trachtenberg

Received: From Bonnie Trachtenberg

Synopsis: On what should be the happiest day of her life, Rebecca Ross is panic Stricken. Rebecca has just wed Craig Jacobs, but she realizes she put more thought into choosing her florist than she did in choosing the man she’s just pledged to love for the rest of her life.

Before Craig, Rebecca, a talented Long Island girl, dreamed of following in her grandmother’s footsteps with an acting career. Unfortunately, she was cut down to size by years of disappointment, and by her first love, a Hollywood director. She returned to Long Island a lost and broken woman, and ended up in the last place she ever wanted: her old bedroom at her parents’ house.

But Rebecca’s mother, an overzealous convert to Judaism, has a long held dream too: marry off her three daughters to Jewish men. So no one is more thrilled than her when Rebecca meets and marries bon vivant Craig Jacobs, the man who has won over the whole family. Too bad they’re all about to discover that underneath his charismatic shell, this Prince Charming is anything but!

This unputdownable romantic comedy will amuse and enthrall you from angst-ridden start to glorious finish.

Neurotically yoursTitle: Neurotically Yours

Author: Bonnie Trachtenberg

Received: From Bonnie Trachtenberg

Synopsis: Smart, attractive, and ambitious, thirty-seven-year-old Dara Harrison is, nonetheless, still single, and on sabbatical from dating. Ironically Los Angeles’ most renowned relationship advice columnist, Dara has become a Southland sensation with her “tell-it-like-it-is” approach to the mating game.

Parlaying her success into a new business, Dara launches a revolutionary dating service geared for the perennially single and romantically challenged. Its no-holds-barred theme soon makes the company a roaring success, even catapulting Dara onto the national talk show scene, until, of course, it all backfires.

With her company under threat and a publicity stunt gone haywire, Dara is forced to join the ranks of her lonely heart clientele, and suddenly realizes that saving the business she cherishes, means facing her lifelong fears, and maybe even falling in love again.

Witty, poignant, and immensely engaging, this romantic comedy from the bestselling author of Wedlocked: A Novel features sparkling dialogue, colorful characters, and a story that pulls you in and never lets you go.

amy and zachTitle: Amy & Zach

Author: Sarah Louise Smith

Received: From Sarah Louise Smith

Synopsis: Meet Amy & Zach

Flying home to the UK from the US for her sister Libby’s wedding, Amy has some major issues with her homecoming.

She is furious with Zach, who should have been travelling with her, but after he dropped a bombshell the day before she left, she hid his passport and flew alone.

Now, can she act normal when she meets Libby’s fiance Tim?

After he finds his passport, Zach heads for the UK to surprise Amy. He wants to apologise to her and finally meet her family. He has kept his secret for way too long and knows he has a lot of explaining to do.

So, how did Amy and Zach get to this point? What is Zach hiding anyway? And what’s going on between Amy and Tim?

How well do Amy and Zach really know each other?

why can’t i be youTitle: Why Can’t I Be You?

Author: Allie Larkin

Received: From Penguin Group

Synopsis: At one time or another, everyone has wished they could be someone else. Exploring this universal longing, Allie Larkin follows up the success of her debut novel, Stay, with a moving portrait of friendship and identity.

When Jenny Shaw hears someone shout “Jessie!” across a hotel lobby, she impulsively answers. All her life, Jenny has toed the line, but something propels her to seize the opportunity to become Jessie Morgan, a woman to whom she bears an uncanny resemblance. Lonely in her own life, Jenny is embraced by Jessie’s warm circle of friends—and finds unexpected romance. But when she delves into Jessie’s past, Jenny discovers a secret that spurs her to take another leap into the unknown.

In Sara’s Mailbox:

lustTitle: Three Stages of Love: Lust

Author: T.C. Anthony

Received: unsolicted

Synopsis: Evangeline Chase is standing at the edge of a crossroad. After choosing to be blissfully ignorant for far too long and willfully ignoring what her life has been lacking, fate is about to intervene. When Alexander Mason, a striking and powerful venture capitalist, is introduced as her new boss, Eva is overwhelmed by an intoxicating cocktail of hormones and lust that leaves her struggling to maintain her composure and more importantly, control of her life. With an undeniable urge to dominate her new boss, her own lust-filled fantasies lead to a transformation that shakes her to her core. But when Alexander challenges Eva to satisfy her carnal urges, she is forced to choose between her career, her desires, and an unconventional and lustful relationship. Consumed by fear and forced to maintain control at all costs, Eva must decide if having it all is worth risking her career, her world, and possibly, love. Three Stages of Love: Lust is the first book in a suspenseful new erotic romance series that explores the questions that young women have while embarking on their journey through life and love. Eva’s transformation from prim and proper to fun and dominating proves to be one of the most erotically intriguing personal makeovers around. Her passion for her career and life goals ultimately gives way to uninhibited encounters that leave her intoxicated and yearning for more. Eva’s emotional battle between her heart and mind leave her juggling with a desire to have it all and a profound fear of losing everything. Written to illustrate the average, driven woman’s point of view, Three Stages of Love: Lust tackles the everyday fears and desires that young women have in an intoxicatingly erotic way. A gripping, palpitation-inducing romance full of underlying themes that are extraordinarily relevant to modern women, this enthralling erotic novel by T. C. Anthony is a must-read for women of all backgrounds.

January 13, 2013
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Torn Together by Emlyn Chand
Chick Lit Review

Torn Together by Emlyn Chand

I received a copy of TORN TOGETHER by Emlyn Chand in exchange for an honest review.

Daly has issues with trust and it’s understandable why. Whether it stems from her cheating boyfriend, her dead father or her judgemental mother, no one has ever come through for her when she needed them to. But, that all begins to melt away when she meets Kashi, a charmer who wants more for Daly than she wants for herself. Their romance blossoms and what ensues is an uplifting love that carries Daly into a positive place in her life … the only catch is that she must go to India and get the seal of approval from Kashi’s family. Meanwhile, in another world, her mother, Laine has become a widow and is struggling to cope. She attempts to flee from her life but finds her way back. Will the two find a way to mend their broken relationship? Or is it already too far gone?

This heartbreaking story about a broken relationship between a mother and her daughter is beautifully written. Although hard to summarize into words, Emlyn does a really great job developing characters and allowing them to define themselves through her writing. I loved watching the story unfold and I was really curious to see how everything would end up … and I was not disappointed. Overall, this story is a really good read. A ton of heart and I was definitely smitten with Kashi from the get go. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a great read.
Rating: 4.5

January 11, 2013
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