Future Tour: Waitlisted by Laurel Gans
Laurel will be on tour January 30- February 20 with her novel Waitlisted Kacey Barlow had no idea it would be this hard to get…
In My Mailbox: Week of December 18
In My Mailbox: Week of December 18
Title: Someone Else’s Fairy Tale
Author: EM Tippetts
Received: From EM Tippetts
Synopsis: Jason Vanderholt is Hollywood’s hottest actor. Chloe Winters is a college student who hasn’t bothered to see most of his movies. When he decides she’s the one, it’s like a fairytale – or it would be for most women. For Chloe, it could be her worst nightmare as her past, attracted by the bright lights of the media, comes back to haunt her.
Title: Touchable Love
Author: Becky Due
Received: From Becky Due
Synopsis: Love will always conquer fear and Christy has much to fear. When she enters the lives of two men, they teach her everything she needs to know about love. However, while dealing with her past issues and trying to treat her body like the temple it is, she teaches them a thing or two in return.
Title: Fake Perfect Me
Author: Cari Kamm
Received: From Cari Kamm
Synopsis: Isabella Reynolds has the perfect life … or does she? Maybe there is a grand illusion behind all the glamour.
Isabella Reynolds seems to have it all–the former Southern belle with big dreams is the head of her own skin care company and is the self-proclaimed queen of all things beautiful in New York City. Then her world comes crashing down, and she is stripped of everything she loves–her man, the Italian litigator ”Saint” Santo; her company, and even her beloved dog, Potato. With her penchant for bingeing and purging, how can she turn her life around when she still feels the need to maintain her ”perfect” facade?
Fake Perfect Me, author Cari Kamm’s heart-warming–and often heartwrenching–tale of a successful New Yorker and her inner circle, offers an inside look at a world of excess. Isabella Reynolds may seem unlike anyone you’ve ever known, but at her core, she’s instantly recognizable. Her trials and tribulations, her ups and downs, are much the same as anyone’s. Her world may have a high price tag, but its true value comes from its losses and lesson… to love one’s self.
GIVEAWAY: Build a Man by Talli Roland
How far would you go to create the perfect partner? Slave to the rich, rude and deluded, cosmetic surgery receptionist Serenity Holland longs for the…
Pushover by Laurel Mayer
Sometimes, I get frustrated with myself when I begin to write a review on a book that I didn’t love only to find out that all the other reviews are glowing. This is the case with Pushover by Laurel Mayer. While I did like the book, I didn’t love it and can’t give it a five star review. The story follows Dani Wilder as she opens her first restaurant – in a location where a woman was allegedly pushed to her death. By Dani’s boyfriend’s former fiancée. When Dani finds out about this past lover, whom Jack has never mentioned, she begins to wonder if he is really over her and more so – did she really do it? When Rebecca sweeps back into town, she begins to spin her own web of lies and manipulate her way back into Jack’s good graces. How will Dani make it unscathed through all the drama, and can her restaurant and dream be a success?
While I thought I could love the plot and I’m all for a good mystery, this book just fell a little flat for me. I thought the writing was a bit slow and sometimes I just didn’t have that spark to keep reading. I’m really bummed too because like I said I enjoy the mystery aspects in a book, and I love reading about food. The parts that slowed me down were the flashbacks with Vic and Melinda. I thought they were a bit much. I could easily tell that Vic was highly in love with Melinda and that something devastating had happened, but all the pages of back story was just not necessary in my opinion. Jack’s character confused me a bit at times too – I couldn’t always tell what Dani saw in him – but Rebecca was great. In an evil way, of course. Her character is one that you will just hate, but need to keep reading about. Overall, I had a good time reading Pushover, but it’s not a favorite of mine. I think flashbacks can really make or break a story, and in my opinion it broke it for this one. But, I could tell that Mayer does have some great writing skills, and I will definitely check her out again!
[Rating: 3.5]
The Hazards of Hunting While Heartbroken by Mari Passananti
Zoe Clark is devastated when her fiancée ends their decade long relationship right before their over the top wedding. When his reasoning for calling it off is admitted, Zoe feels shaken and no longer trusts her judgment when it comes to men. But then comes Oscar. Oscar, the perfect boyfriend, the perfect man. Successful, wealthy, charming, and the chemistry is there. But is he too good to be true? Zoe turns to her BFF’s for help, Angela and Kevin, but turns out one of them is hiding a secret from Zoe that will send more shock waves through her dating life.
The Hazards of Hunting While Heartbroken by Mari Passananti is a book meant for the women. Zoe’s story is bound to touch you in some way, either making you think about your own life, what it is you really want, or giving you the confidence in being alone. I enjoyed watching Zoe’s transformation, from having to be part of a two-some, to thinking her life will only be complete once she finds the perfect man, to finally realizing that being alone is okay. Though the beginning started pretty slow for me, the ending really picked up when it came to what Oscar was hiding. The foreshadowing in the story gave me a good idea as to what it was, but it was still gripping to read about. Overall, I enjoyed watching Zoe go through her journey, and The Hazards of Hunting While Heartbroken is recommended by me!
[Rating: 4]
In My Mailbox: Week of December 11
In My Mailbox: Week of December 11
Title: Chasing China
Author: Kay Bratt
Received: Via CLP Blog Tours
Synopsis: After an episode of prejudice rocks her usually secure world, Mia hops a plane back to the country of her birth to search for details about her birth parents, and confront the feelings of abandonment she has kept buried throughout her life. What begins as a simple tour of the Chinese orphanage where she spent her first few years quickly becomes complicated as Mia fights to untangle the web of lies that is her finding details. As she follows the red thread back through her motherland, she is enamored by the history and culture of her heritage—strengthening her resolve to find the truth, even as Chinese officials struggle to keep it buried. With her unwavering spirit of determination, Mia battles the forces stacked against her and faces mystery, danger, a dash of romance, and finally a conclusion that will change her life.
Title: Liar’s Guide to True Love
Author: Wendy Chen
Received: From Wendy Chen
Synopsis: Wedding planner Cassandra Hanley is in the business of making other people’s dreams come true. But for some reason, whenever she meets a potential mate of her own, she finds herself telling little (and not so little) white lies. She’s not trying to sabotage her relationships on purpose: as a people pleaser, she just naturally tells men what she thinks they want to hear.
When Cassandra meets Nick, she’s determined to be herself this time—until she learns he abhors weddings. So she recasts herself as an advertising exec, and now she’s scrambling to cover up the lie…with more lies.
Into the tangled web wanders Cassandra’s college sweetheart, Kevin. Kevin, the one man who knows the real Cassandra, and loves her anyway. Could he have been The One all along?
Torn between the past and the present, Cassandra is about to learn that you can’t plan the perfect life the way you can plan the perfect wedding.
Title: So Damn Lucky
Author: Deborah Coonts
Received: From Leyane/FSB Associates
Synopsis: Lucky O’Toole—Head of Customer Relations at The Babylon, premier mega-resort on the Vegas Strip—thinks it’s just another night in Las Vegas. But then a magician pulls a disappearing act, right under Lucky’s nose. Is it a stunt? Or something worse?
While Lucky chases leads, someone is trying to put her off the scent. As if this wasn’t enough to ruin her day, Lucky’s relationship with The Big Boss is coming to a head—past hurts can no longer be denied. Of course, she is already on shaky emotional ground: Teddie, her live-in, has been touring with a young and lovely pop star. Paxton Dane, former coworker and would-be suitor, is still circling, hoping to find a chink in the armor of Lucky’s resolve. And then, there’s this French chef, who is proving to be too hot to handle….
Las Vegas expert Deborah Coonts thrills again with this third installment in her dazzling series focused on casino “fixer” Lucky O’Toole.
Future Tour: Princess of Park Avenue by Daniella Brodsky
Daniella will be on tour January 16- February 6 with her novel Princess of Park Avenue Anyone can see Lorraine Machuchi is no ordinary Brooklyn…
Future Tour: Mad About the Boy by Suzan Battah
Suzan will be on tour February 13- March 5 with her novel Mad About the Boy Julia Mendoza is driven by the success of her…
High-Heels and Slippers by Ella Slayne
Ella Slayne is on tour with CLP Blog Tours. Protagonist Josie Jenkins is in a bit of a rough spell. A Brit living in Texas, she is starting to feel homesick from her family, and she and her boyfriend just broke up. To make it worse, she has to work with the ex-boyfriend, who also happens to be her boss. Oh, and married. After being the mistress for two years, Josie is alone and trying to not only move on from Bob, but also keep her job as manager. When Callum Doherty, office hottie, shows an interest in Josie, she is shocked. Could he really be interested in her? Suddenly, her once man-devoid world is overpopulated, with Bob trying to get back in her good graces, Callum asking her on dates, and a high school sweetheart making contact with Josie through Facebook. How will Josie choose the right man? And is she only setting herself up for heartbreak?
I thought High-Heels and Slippers by Ella Slayne was a fun and entertaining read. Even though Josie was “the other women” for so long, I couldn’t really get mad at her. It was easy to see that she thought she loved Bob, and that she believed him when he said he was going to leave his wife. The plot points surrounding the high school sweetheart are unbelievably sad, but Slayne wrote the scene with a careful hand and made sure to put hope and inspiration between the lines as well. Something that could have dragged down this light-hearted read just made it better. I did enjoy Callum and the mystery surrounding him––sort of a ‘player, not a player’ question, but I think parts needed to be expanded on a bit. I won’t lie, I honestly thought for awhile there that he was married too, and his frequent “Mom needs me” excuses were so he could run home to his family. But it did keep me interested in him and the story, and that is never a bad thing. Overall, a solid debut from Slayne, and one to get on your list!
[Rating: 4]
