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In Need of Therapy by Tracie Banister
Chick Lit Review

In Need of Therapy by Tracie Banister

I received a copy of In Need of Therapy by Tracie Banister in exchange for an honest review. I adored her first novel Blame It on the Fame, and thought this was a fab sequel! The story follows psychologist Pilar Alvarez, an independent woman who loves her career. She isn’t worried about finding a husband – she’s more worried about booting her free-loading younger sister out of her house, and keeping her mama at bay when it comes to her love life. She has a slew of clients at her just-opened practice to keep her mind occupied, but the psychiatrist next door to her office is now catching her eye as well. He seems interested in her too…but the wedding ring on his finger tells a different story. She also is dealing with a stalker-ish ex who won’t take no for an answer, and a client that has taken to overstepping his boundaries. With men issues, family woes, and a financial crisis that could make her lose her practice, Pilar must make some fast decisions about life and love, and somehow come out on top in the end.
I loved Pilar, she made an excellent female lead. Smart, independent, caring – even though as times she was too flax on a few issues – such as getting her ex to back off once and for all. But that didn’t make me think less of her – we all have our flaws, and that Victor sure was persistent! Her family was loud, fun and tad loco, but super hilarious to read about! And who doesn’t love a complicated love story? Banister is a fantastic chick lit reader, and I look forward to more from her!
[Rating: 4]

August 3, 2012
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Author Profile: Dee Ernst
Chick Lit Authors

Author Profile: Dee Ernst

Author Name: Dee Ernst
Website: http://dernst2010.wordpress.com/
Bio: Dee Ernst was born Elizabeth Diane Ascoli in Newark, NJ. Her family moved to Morristown, NJ when she was still a toddler. She started writing stories on a battered Royal typewriter when she was about ten or twelve, and she graduated Morristown High School determined to pursue a career as a writer in some form or another (she considered advertising, but luckily came to her senses). Creative writing majors were hard to find in 1974, so she attended Marshall University as a journalism major. That wasn’t working, so she tried Education, but that didn’t quite work either. Several jobs and years later, staying home with a three-year-old and trying to figure out what to do when she grew up, Joan Hamburg on WOR radio in New York was interviewing someone who said if you wanted to know what to with your life, remember what you were playing when you were ten, and try to turn that into a career. Since Dee was writing stories at ten, she sat down and wrote her first novel. It went nowhere. Her second novel got her a terrific agent and upwards of fifteen rejection letters (She reread them all in preparation of this biography). Her third novel, Better Off Without Him, garnered even more rejection letters from a much higher caliber of editor. Undaunted, she self-published Better Off Without Him in October 2010. She is now waiting patiently for fame and fortune.
Titles: Better Off Without Him
See my review for Better Off Without Him!
Bio retrieved from dernst.com

August 2, 2012
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The Darker Side of Mummy Misfit by Amanda Egan
Chick Lit Review

The Darker Side of Mummy Misfit by Amanda Egan

The Mummy Misfit is back! Amanda Egan follows up from Diary of a Mummy Misfit and brings us the continuing tale of Libby, Ned, Fenella and some very wacky yummy mummies. I really enjoyed the first book, and was looking forward to the sequel. In the first book, Libby and Ned were always scourging around for money, and they were ecstatic when they were able to get their son Max into a private school, thanks to the sponsored funding. The story ended with Libby inheriting a huge sum of money from a deceased relative, and also finding out she is pregnant.
The Darker Side of Mummy Misfit starts back up with Libby and Ned in a happy marriage, pregnant with second child and Libby being happy she is with child the same time as her bff Fenella. They now have money and can afford to put Max through private school without receiving donations, and actually donate themselves now to another family in need. All is well – until Libby miscarries the baby. The miscarriage devastates Libby, throws her friendship with Fenella through a loop, and causes strain on her once blissfully happy marriage. Libby starts testing dangerous waters with another man, pulling away from Ned without even knowing why she is so unhappy. She journals her way throughout, trying to make sense of where her life is going, and wondering if she will ever be as happy as she once was.
Again, I happily read about Libby’s journey, laughing at times when the crazy mom’s at the school went a bit berserk with all their Botox, and feeling sad about Libby’s miscarriage. This book got a lot deeper than the first, definitely showing a “darker side” to Libby, one that was full of pain, neglect, guilt and remorse. I liked that the book wasn’t a downer though, there was always enough going on that would perk me back up and keep me focused on the positives. I thought this was a very worthy sequel, and both books should be checked out!
[Rating: 4]

August 1, 2012
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This Tangled Thing Called Love by Marie Astor
Chick Lit Review

This Tangled Thing Called Love by Marie Astor

I received a copy of This Tangled Thing Called Love in exchange for an honest review. Claire Chatfield has the best life. She is successful, has great girlfriends, and has just received a massive rock from her now fiancĂ©, David Lawson. David is one of the most sought-after bachelors in New York City thanks to his elite status and sizeable bank account. But Claire’s world is rocked when photos appear in a tabloid magazine of David locking lips with an aging Hollywood actress. Claire calls off the engagement, and is forced to face her true feelings – she didn’t have the overwhelming in love feeling with David. He was reliable, solid, and safe….but Claire knows she wants more. When she starts spending more time with her sex on a stick neighbor, Alec, Claire thinks she has the found the man she could spend forever with. A tango dance instructor, Alec sweeps Claire off her feet and also makes a startling connection with her career. Will Claire finally have the courage to go after what she really wants in life?
I thought This Tangled Thing Called Love was a cute and sweet romance novel. Claire is a great heroine, someone who was duped by the one she loved, but it turned out to be for the best. Claire had been ignoring her feelings about her relationship with David for too long. The POV gives readers insight on a slew of characters – Claire being the lead, but also Alec, David and even David’s fling – Claudia. I liked that we got just enough of glimpse into their thoughts – nothing too overwhelming where it was confusing. One flaw I thought was that I didn’t think there was enough on Claire and Alec’s relationship. It really didn’t come into play until the second half of the book, and I thought that was too long. The majority of the book focused on Claire and David’s relationship, but I would have liked to see more Alec in there. There were some enjoyable subplots as well, including Claire’s work and friendships, and overall I thought this was a very quick and pleasant read that I would recommend.
[Rating: 4]

July 31, 2012
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Viewer Discretion Advised by Cindy Roesel
Chick Lit Review

Viewer Discretion Advised by Cindy Roesel

Cindy Roesel is currently on tour with CLP Blog Tours and Viewer Discretion Advised. This might be a strange reading taste – but I absolutely love books that talk about TV shows, journalism, broadcasting, etc. Just an odd little niche, but I cannot pass up books with those topics being mentioned in the plot. This novel didn’t disappoint on that end – a lot of juicy stories being covered, a behind the scenes peek at the hustle and bustle of a newsroom – and of course – gossip, romance and plenty of cocktails!
Charley Thomas doesn’t mind being fired from her job in LA – that just means she is officially in the biz now. Quickly seizing a Miami opportunity, Charley soon finds herself in the Sunshine State, finally in the same city as her bff, and working for one of the toughest men in the industry – Jonathan Lefton. Between catty news anchors, firing staff left and right, an alcoholic best friend and a stalker cop after her, Charley has enough going on in her life – but she has ratings and possible Emmys to think about!
This book was fast-paced and very interesting. Roesel is an Emmy Award-Winning anchor, reporter and producer, so you know what she is dishing out is based on the real thing. I find these types of books fascinating. I liked Charley’s character a lot, how she really wanted to stay true to herself and not buy into all the ratings hype – even though she did slip now and again! There were a few editing errors that kept popping up, and I’m not sure I quite understood Charley’s relationship with Oz – they are super casual yet he visits her in Miami from LA? Those were two things that stuck out to me, but overall I thought this was a fun chick lit read!
[Rating: 4]

July 30, 2012
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Haole Wood by Dee DeTarsio
Chick Lit Review

Haole Wood by Dee DeTarsio

I have highly enjoyed Dee DeTarsio’s novels, and was excited when she asked me to review her latest, Haole Wood. A Hawaii setting – yes please! The main character is Jaswinder Park (killer name!) and she is sent to Hawaii to help bail her grandmother out of jail. While there, she loses her job as a San Diego weathercaster (pre-taping a segment calling for sunshine turned out not be the best call) but she has bigger fish to fry in the Aloha State. Mainly, her grandmother now being on trial for the murder of the cute guy she did a shot with the night he was murdered. Add to that stress she is trying to find a job or some source of income, possibly seeing the sexy derm doc, and has a guardian angel who was scraped from the bottom of the barrel. Jaswinder has her hands full and Haole Wood whips up a tale of murder and mayhem, and makes for a fun summer read.
I have reviewed The Scent of Jade, Ros, and The Kitchen Shrink from DeTarsio, and all have been great reads. If you have yet to read anything from her – get on it! I loved the intrigue in the book – and the fact that I was really wondering who the true murderer was up until the end. Jaswinder is a fun character, and her grandmother seemed super sweet – even though she only ever said two different phrases to her granddaughter. There was a lot of humor, romance, and I loved the guardian angel element, which is classic DeTarsio. One to check out!
[Rating: 4]

July 27, 2012
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Paula Takes a Risk by Randi M. Sherman
Chick Lit Review

Paula Takes a Risk by Randi M. Sherman

Randi M. Sherman is currently on tour with CLP Blog Tours and Paula Takes a Risk. MC Paula Tenenbaum is thirty-four, newly single and newly…

July 20, 2012
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Busted in Bollywood by Nicola Marsh
Chick Lit Review

Busted in Bollywood by Nicola Marsh

I received a copy of Busted in Bollywood in exchange for an honest review. I thought this book was great! I’ve read quite a few Bollywood books, so I am aware of the cultural and how the women must deal with arranged marriage. MC Shari Jones gets roped into a crazy scheme by her BFF Amrita – who is about to become the victim of an arranged marriage. When Amrita is called upon to travel from New York to Mumbai to meet her fiancĂ© and his family for the first time, she somehow convinces Shari to go in her place. Since Shari is Indo-American she should be able to pull it off, especially when Amrita convinces her there is no way her photo has been shown to her fiancé’s family. Shari heads to Mumbai with a plan to be the worst possible fiancĂ©e around, hoping to break up the engagement so Amrita will still have a chance at true love. But her plan is foiled when not only the fiancĂ© but his friend and business partner know that Shari is not Amrita. Will the friends come out on top in the game of love and blackmail?
Nicola Marsh has a fabulous writing style, fun, fast-paced, and wicked sharp! The plot was hilarious and a bit over-the-top, the characters were strong and memorable, and I laughed my way through Shari’s tale. I loved all the descriptions of Mumbai as well. I really connected with Shari, who put herself in the unfortunate “other woman” category and got burned because of it. She was very real and obviously loved her friend, and I was thrilled to see her get a happy ending. There was drama, humor, and even some fab fashion that made this an all-around enjoyable chick lit read. I recommend!
[Rating: 4.5]

July 16, 2012
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