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In My Mailbox: Week of January 1
Chick Lit Plus

In My Mailbox: Week of January 1

In My Mailbox: Week of January 1

Title: Ros
Author: Dee DeTarsio
Received: From Dee DeTarsio
Synopsis: To Marian Keyes – and to the Marian Keyes in every woman – that smart, funny, sad, put-upon, brave part of your soul that makes this world a brighter place. Dee DeTarsio’s literary talents shine with tenderness and humor as she once again takes readers into the heart of women’s lives in an unforgettable tale. Filled with friendship, love, loss, betrayal and out-of-this-world challenges that force her characters to find their place in the universe, Ros gives us the hopefully-ever-after we’re all searching for. When a plane crashed behind Micki Cramer’s house, in San Diego, California, she kept waiting for the sirens and rescue team to show up. As the first responder, it was up to her to tug on the arm that was waving out of the broken wreckage. Holding her breath against the choking smoke, she managed to get the pilot out and carry him to safety into her backyard. He wasn’t that heavy; he was about the size of her 10-year-old nephew, who did play a lot of video games and ate nothing but Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, but still. As it turns out, he wasn’t a guy after all. Ros, the pilot, was on a mission to find her missing brother who had crash-landed at Roswell, New Mexico in 1947. Seems she was a bad driver, too, missing her target by nearly a thousand miles and more than half a century. If Ros can teach Micki how to use eleven percent of her brain, how can Micki help Ros?

Title: A Perfect Storm
Author: Lori Foster
Received: From Kate @ Media Muscle
Synopsis: Two strangers risk their lives for retribution in New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Lori Foster’s intense, edgy and scorching A PERFECT STORM. Spencer Lark and Arizona Storm are thrown together as partners in revenge for the fourth and final book of the Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor series. Following in the footsteps of WHEN YOU DARE, TRACE OF FEVER and SAVOR THE DANGER, A PERFECT STORM features the smoldering mercenaries who will do anything to protect the innocent–especially when those innocent are the women they love.
Spencer Lark already knows too many secrets about Arizona Storm, including her kidnapping by human traffickers, her harrowing escape and the painful memories she carries from her past. In order to expose a despicable ring of human traffickers—and continue his mission of revenge for his wife’s death—the bounty hunter reluctantly agrees to partner with Arizona on her latest operation. He quickly realizes no amount of training has equipped him to handle her hypnotic blend of fragility and bravery, or for the protective instincts she stirs in him.

Arizona has made it her mission to use herself as bait in an attempt to bring down trafficking rings. It’s a dangerous game for an amateur, even more so with a professional partner as distracting and appealing as Spencer. But as their plan—and their chemistry—shift into high gear, Arizona discovers there’s an even greater risk in surrendering her heart to a hero….

Title: Daughters-in-Law
Author: Joanna Trollope
Received: From Transworld Books – Unsolicited
Synopsis: As Anthony and Rachel Brinkley welcome their third daughter-in-law to the family, they don’t quite realize the profound shift that is about to take place. For different reasons, the Brinkleys’ two previous daughters-in-law hadn’t been able to resist Rachel’s maternal control and Anthony’s gentle charm and had settled into their husbands’ family without rocking the boat. But Charlotte—very young, very beautiful, and spoiled—has no intention of falling into step with the Brinkleys and wants to establish her own household. Soon Rachel’s sons begin to think of their own houses as home and of their mother’s house as simply the place where their parents live—a necessary and inevitable shift of loyalties that threatens Rachel’s sense of herself, breaks Anthony’s heart, and causes unexpected consequences in all the marriages. Then a crisis brings these changes to the surface, and everyone has to learn what family love means all over again.

January 2, 2012
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Star Struck by Jane Lovering
Chick Lit Review

Star Struck by Jane Lovering

Skye Threppel was in a horrific car accident that took the lives of her fiancé and best friend, and left Skye without all her memory. Skye has more than physical scars to remind her of the accident – she has the internal ones that haunt her as well. The memories that have been lost, the confidence that was stolen, and a new life that she is trying to adjust to. Felix, her best friend’s brother who is also still trying to deal with the accident and death of his sister, suggest the two of them head to Nevada where a TV convention is being held. Skye has the chance to meet her favorite actor, and possibly the trip could help the both of them move on. But once there, Skye meets sci-fi writer Jack Whitaker, and a possible romance blooms. But will Skye be able to overcome Jack’s past? And when Skye is suddenly filled in on her own past and the way she was before the accident, everything changes.
As I was reading Star Struck by Jane Lovering, I didn’t quite know what to think. I really liked Skye as a main character, I thought she was nice girl that went through something terrible and I thought she was brave and relatable on some level. Felix I wasn’t quite sure what to make of. A raging sexpot ready to jump in bed with either man or woman, and sometimes I wasn’t sure how good of a friend he was to Skye. The romance between Skye and Jack was pretty hot, but when the big plot twist came, I again just didn’t know what to think. When Felix confronts Skye about her past, it’s actually very dark and downright depressing. I was a little put off with Felix and the whole revelation, not sure which direction I was about to be taken in. But in the end, Lovering did a great job at pulling me back in, keeping the suspense up, and giving a proper resolution to all the characters. This book was a bit of a roller-coaster to me, but overall the story stuck with me and I would recommend.
[Rating: 4]

December 30, 2011
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Off Leash by Jenna Anderson
Chick Lit Review

Off Leash by Jenna Anderson

I have a read a handful of short stories and my general consensus is…meh. I usually struggle to get invested in the character, or when I am intrigued by the story, it ends abruptly and I feel cheated. I tend to stay away from them as a personal preference, but when my friend Jenna Anderson asked me to read and review her short story Off Leash, I didn’t want to turn her down. And actually, I’m glad I didn’t! Sure this was a short story, about 27,000 words, but I really enjoyed reading it. The main character is Candice Gunderson, who is driving through Indiana with her dog Phoebe. They are on their way to a dog breeder to introduce Phoebe to another purebred and hopefully make a beautiful liter of award winning puppies. But the situation takes a wrong turn after Candice is lost – without a GPS or a phone. They finally find a farm where they can possibly get some help, but the stop proves to be more trouble than useful. At least there is a cute farmer around…
I was hooked on the story from the beginning, and really didn’t feel cheated at all. I got to know Candice and her quirks and the fact that she really wanted to prove her independence, and I enjoyed the romantic connection between her and the farmer, Bull. Some of the scenes between Phoebe and Bull’s dog, Jack, were pretty hysterical, and there was enough some great suspense in there when the dogs go missing. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this book. I thought Anderson did a great job with this short story, and I would definitely recommend this quick read.
[Rating: 4]

December 28, 2011
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Blog Tour Sign Up: She Tells All by Judah Lee Davis
CLP Blog Tours

Blog Tour Sign Up: She Tells All by Judah Lee …

Her magic stilettos ensure that she will get lucky tonight, while her big mouth ensures she will stay in trouble. This sleepy little southern town just isn’t big enough for the adventures of mischievous Madison Miller. But when tragedy strikes, she is forced to learn important lessons about life, love and why she should NEVER sleep with strangers.

December 28, 2011
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In My Mailbox: Week of December 25
Chick Lit Plus

In My Mailbox: Week of December 25

In My Mailbox: Week of December 25

Title: She Tells All
Author: Judah Lee Davis
Received: Via CLP Blog Tours
Synopsis: Her magic stilettos ensure that she will get lucky tonight, while her big mouth ensures she will stay in trouble. This sleepy little southern town just isn’t big enough for the adventures of mischievous Madison Miller. But when tragedy strikes, she is forced to learn important lessons about life, love and why she should NEVER sleep with strangers.

Title: The Baby Trap
Author: Sibel Hodge
Received: From Sibel Hodge
Synopsis: Based on her own experiences with infertility and two attempts at IVF, Sibel Hodge’s latest novel The Baby Trap will have you laughing and crying at the ups and downs of modern baby-making…

When Gina turns thirty-three her body clock unexpectedly begins clanging in her ear with annoying persistence. The only problem is, having a baby isn’t as easy as she thought. Whether she’s feng shui-ing the house to death with fertility symbols, throwing out her husband’s tight boxers in favour of baggies, swapping wine and chocolate for green tea and yams, popping fertility drugs like M&M’s, or having sex so precision-timed it makes international warfare manoeuvres look unorganized, her life is turned upside down. And when nothing seems to be working, her quest for the B-word turns into an obsession.

Can Gina stay sane, get pregnant, and keep her marriage together? Or will her baby trail become a baby trap?

Title: The Look of Love
Author: Judy Astley
Received: Unsolicited
Synopsis: Bella has given up on men. Happily divorced, her latest boyfriend just omitted to tell her about his current wife, so she’s back on her own again. Then her ex-husband turns up, wanting to sell the family home in which she and their two teenage children are well settled. But all their lives are changed when a television company rents the house for a reality TV fashion makeover programme.
Against her better judgment Bella finds herself taking part in the programme, and while she learns a little bit too much about what really goes on behind the scenes, she also discovers that love can appear in the most unexpected places….

December 27, 2011
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Recession Proof by Kimberly S Lin
Chick Lit Review

Recession Proof by Kimberly S Lin

Kimberly S. Lin is on tour with CLP Blog Tours and her novel Recession Proof. I really enjoyed this book because the topic is one that was and still is so heavy on the majority of people after the recession. The main character is Helen Jennings, a young professional who has been working her tail off as a financial fund analyst. She knows she doesn’t love her job or have any sort of passion for it, but it pays the bills and looks good on paper. Helen also feels like she is settling in her love life. She doesn’t have the spark with boyfriend Mark, but he’s a nice guy and they work well together. When Helen is let go from her job and struggles to find another in the struggling economy, she finally opens her eyes and decides she can’t let her life pass her by. Her and Mark break up, she moves in with best friend Sophie, and starts to focus on a career she loves – writing.
I saw a lot of myself in Helen, and I connected with her character right off the bat. The beginning was a bit awkward with her and Mark, who so clearly should not have been together, but I could understand why she wasn’t taking the leap and letting him go. Helen showed me that even if you spend years settling, you can still turn your life around and make situations happen that are positive. She was very inspiring to read about and I took a lot away from Recession Proof. The only real downfall to the story was some editing issues, especially lack of commas. For me, being an avid reader and editor, it was pretty obvious and distracted me from the story. Overall though, great story and I highly recommend this book!
[Rating: 4]

December 26, 2011
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Twang by John Schlimm
Chick Lit Review

Twang by John Schlimm

Twang, the latest novel from former country music publicist John Schlimm gives readers a backstage pass to some of the biggest country superstar’s secrets. Maybe. That’s what we get to try to figure out as we read about Salome and Willa Field, a sister sensation that are legends in the country music scene. With a whole lot of devious secrets buried underneath their carefully thought out images. And while we read about Thad Evans and Hope Tanner, country music’s biggest celebrity power couple – but one of them is living a lie. And Billie Blotter, columnist and “friend” to every celebrity is about to bust open their biggest secrets in his tell-all book. Who will be spared? And whose images will be changed forever?
Twang was a lot of fun to read, and to try to figure out if Schlimm is calling on his true insider knowledge between the pages. I thought I saw some similarities between the real stars, but who knows? I’m not much of a country fan, so maybe more of you will be able to find more storylines that just may be real. Regardless of what’s true or not, it was a fun book to read that was full of intriguing secrets and storylines that seemed to grow with each chapter. I would recommend it!

December 23, 2011
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Future Tour: Write from the Heart by Heather Hummel
CLP Blog Tours

Future Tour: Write from the Heart by Heather Hummel

Heather will be on tour February 27- March 19 with her novel Write from the Heart Journals are a woman’s best friend… When Samantha Sounder…

December 23, 2011
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Luck of the Devil by Patricia Eimer
Chick Lit Review

Luck of the Devil by Patricia Eimer

Luck of the Devil by Patricia Eimer is a hilarious novel about Faith Bettincourt, daughter to the Devil. Faith has an unexpected family reunion when the Devil himself comes to town bringing along her mortal mother. Also in for the ride – her demon half brother and her demon sister with her husband and a slew of marital problems. Added to the mix is Faith’s succubus roommate, a ghost that won’t quit haunting her, and a hot next door neighbor that just might not be all mortal either.
While I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the synopsis, this book definitely surpassed any initial concerns I had. The writing was fun and light, and the scenarios were drop dead funny. Faith’s character is so likeable, and her romance with the next door neighbor is hotter than hell itself. There was a little tug of mystery that kept the story moving along for me, and the mother….just comical. All the characters brought something to the table, and I had a lot of fun reading this book. I hope to enjoy more from Patricia Eimer!
[Rating: 4]

December 21, 2011
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