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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]

Challenge 2012:Post Reviews:April

April Reviews

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Prize for April: Three (3) winners will be chosen at random and will win an eBook copy of either Paradise Cove, Soap Dreams, or Karma Kameleon by Stephanie Haefner. You must post the link to your review in the Mister Linky below. This can be to your blog, GoodReads page, or other sources such as Amazon.

Momnesia by Lori Verni-Forgarsi

I may not have experienced Momnesia yet in my life, but I really enjoyed this book by Lori Verni-Fogarsi! I could relate to the MC in other aspects – always being busy with work, clients, family and friends. I can only imagine adding what the stress would feel like adding children and then a divorce into the mix. I thought this book was really engaging and eye-opening, and I thought it was really unique how readers don’t learn the main characters name until the very end. Honestly – I thought the reading was smooth that I actually never noticed until that last page that her name wasn’t disclosed all the way throughout! I think that means major kudos for the author. I started to feel that the book was getting a bit long towards the end, but other than that, I thought it was a very enjoyable read. Though the husband did make me want to poke my eyes out from time to time. “Cat-face” is an expression I’m definitely taking away from this book! I agree with the synopsis: I would recommend Momnesia to “anyone who has ever been a mother, had a mother, wanted to be a mother, judged a mother, or even just wondered about mothers.” I’ll be looking forward to more from this author!
[Rating: 4]

GIVEAWAY: The Book of Lost Fragrances by M.J. Rose

A sweeping and suspenseful tale of secrets, intrigue, and lovers separated by time, all connected through the mystical qualities of a perfume created in the days of Cleopatra–and lost for 2,000 years.

Jac L’Etoile has always been haunted by the past, her memories infused with the exotic scents that she grew up surrounded by as the heir to a storied French perfume company. In order to flee the pain of those remembrances–and of her mother’s suicide–she moved to America. Now, fourteen years later she and her brother have inherited the company along with it’s financial problems. But when Robbie hints at an earth-shattering discovery in the family archives and then suddenly goes missing–leaving a dead body in his wake–Jac is plunged into a world she thought she’d left behind.

Back in Paris to investigate her brother’s disappearance, Jac becomes haunted by the legend the House of L’Etoile has been espousing since 1799. Is there a scent that can unlock the mystery of reincarnation – or is it just another dream infused perfume?

The Book of Lost Fragrances fuses history, passion, and suspense, moving from Cleopatra’s Egypt and the terrors of revolutionary France to Tibet’s battle with China and the glamour of modern-day Paris. Jac’s quest for the ancient perfume someone is willing to kill for becomes the key to understanding her own troubled past.
In celebration of publication, chicklitplus.com is offering one sample of perfume, Ames Soeurs, available as a tie in with the book. Please leave a comment below if interested. and we will draw a winner at random. Contests ends at 9:00PM (central time) March 28th.

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]

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.”

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]

The Girls’ Guide to Dating Zombies by Lynn Messina

The Girls’ Guide to Dating Zombies by Lynn Messina was a really light and fun book to read. The book begins in a world much…

The Winter Palace by Eva Stachniak

The Winter Palace by Eva Stachniak tells the epic story of Catherine the Great’s infamous rise to power as seen through the eyes of a…