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Book Review: The Forever Year by Lou Aronica
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: The Forever Year by Lou Aronica

I received a copy of The Forever Year by Lou Aronica in exchange for an honest review. I’m a big fan of this author and I enjoy books he send my way, because they take me out of my comfort zone from chick lit and women’s fiction novels. The Forever Year is a novel about father and son, and the relationship they forge when Mickey moves in with his youngest son, Jesse, after his kids decide he shouldn’t be living on his own. Mickey and Jesse never had the best relationship, as Jesse was much younger than his siblings and it always seemed Mickey just didn’t know what to do with him. But the pair begin a new relationship once Mickey moves in, and Mickey decides Jesse should hear a story that he hasn’t told anyone else.
I thought this book was very gripping, especially since Mickey’s story comes out in little pieces over time and really leaves you wondering what he will say next and when he will say it. I enjoyed watching the relationship between Mickey and Jesse get stronger as I continued reading. The supporting cast – Jesse’s siblings and girlfriend – are all unique characters and I thought they were interesting to read about as well. The love story that is told is so touching, and really made me evaluate my own relationship and understand how special it really is. I fell for this book, and I hope you will too!
[Rating: 4.5]

January 17, 2013
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Until Again by Lou Aronica
Chick Lit Review

Until Again by Lou Aronica

When I took a chance on Blue, a fantasy novel by Lou Aronica, I was super pleased I did. I gave the book 4 1/2 stars and fell in love with the story and characters. When Aronica contacted me about reviewing Until Again, the prequel to Blue, I had to say yes. A chance to find out about these amazing characters before all the events in Blue transpired? Yes please! The prequel follows Chris Astor and the divorce that he is going through. While not too sad to be divorcing his wife, he is devastated that he won’t be able to see his daughter, Becky, as much. The father and daughter have a tradition of weaving tales of the fantasy world Tamarisk, with Princess Miea and her mystical land. Until Again shows readers the background of some major events that lead to the plot lines in Blue, and I recommend both of these novels. Even if you don’t normally read fantasy, give Lou Aronica a chance. He spins a masterful story, touching and emotional, that will leave you thinking about these characters far long after you’ve closed the books.
[Rating: 4]

January 30, 2012
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In My Mailbox: Week of August 28
Chick Lit Plus

In My Mailbox: Week of August 28

In My Mailbox: Week of August 28, 2011

Title: Until Again
Author: Lou Aronica
Received: From Lou Aronica
Synopsis: Reviewers have called Lou Aronica’s novel BLUE “compelling,” “beautifully written,” “a story to remember and cherish,” and “one of those books that everyone should find a moment to read.” Readers have said it was “a great inspiration,” “I’ve never been more moved or inspired,” and “one of the best books I’ve read.” Now comes this prequel novella, a short work that provides the essential story behind the story. UNTIL AGAIN tells of a decidedly real-world event: the final weekend in the breakup of a marriage. For Chris Astor, the divorce is not something he wants, primarily because of the distance it will put between his ten-year-old daughter Becky and himself. Juxtaposed against this is a critical event in Tamarisk, the bedtime-story fantasy world that Chris and Becky created when Becky was much younger. Miea, the university-age princess of Tamarisk fears that her world has become a terribly dangerous place…but she could not possibly have imagined where that danger will lead her and the people she loves. These parallel stories converge, in a most unusual way, in a tale of change and new tomorrows. A powerful revelation for those who have read BLUE, and an emotionally charged introduction to these deeply relatable characters for those who haven’t, UNTIL AGAIN is a warm, engaging, and bittersweet work that promises to speak to your heart.

Title: The Divorce Club
Author: Jayde Scott
Received: From Jayde Scott
Synopsis: The Divorce Club’s personalized battle plan designed to suit your individual needs:

Put on weight and don’t shave your legs, or armpits, or any part of your body for that matter.
Don’t wash his clothes and cook rotten meals, preferably ones that’ll give him constant diarrhea.
Wear a thong with a mini dress and bend over in front of his friends, but only after gaining weight.

Don’t forget: if you’re moving, we’ll help you pack and unload. If he’s the one moving, we’ll help you throw his belongings out the window.

A bitter divorce from a two-timing husband leaves Sarah with no money to fend for her daughter, but she won’t be beaten, so she opens The Divorce Club, a meeting place for women who want to divorce their cheating husbands, but don’t know how.

Soon things start to go seriously wrong. A fake client and her rising interest in him isn’t Sarah’s only worry; there’s also the moody teenager, a stalker, and the club’s personalized battle plans that start to involve more than flashing a confident smile and running a 24/7 hotline.
When Sarah’s ex-husband moves in without her permission in the hope to patch things up, chaos seems complete.

Title: J’Adore New York
Author: Isabelle LaFleche
Received: From Book Sparks PR
Synopsis: Offered the chance to transfer to her law firm’s New York City office, stylish Parisian lawyer Catherine Lambert jumps at the opportunity—a fashion devotee with her finger on the pulse of style, she sets her sights on conquering Manhattan’s high-flying worlds of glamour, law, and love tout de suite. But soon, the non-stop New York minute filled with monster bosses, lecherous clients, and vindictive secretaries begins to take its toll. That is, until one handsome and powerful client begins to change her world for the better…only to throw it all into jeopardy with one surprising request. Perfect for fans of Bridget Jones’s Diary, The Devil Wears Prada, and Sex in the City, Isabelle Lafleche’s breakout novel J’adore New York is a rollercoaster of struggle and romance from the city where dreams come true.

August 29, 2011
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GIVEAWAY: The Journey Home by Michael Baron
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GIVEAWAY: The Journey Home by Michael Baron

Joseph, a man in his late thirties, awakens disoriented and uneasy in a place he doesn’t recognize. He sets out on a journey to find his home with no sense of where he’s going and only the precious, indelible vision of the woman he loves to guide him.

Antoinette is an elderly woman in an assisted living facility who has retreated inside her head. There, her body and mind haven’t betrayed her. There, she’s a young newlywed with a husband who dotes on her and an entire life of dreams to live. There, she is truly home.

Warren, Antoinette’s son, is a man in his early forties going through the toughest year of his life. With far too much time on his hands, he decides to try to recreate his memories of home by attempting to cook his mother’s greatest dishes and eat them with her.

Joseph, Antoinette, and Warren are three people on different searches for home. How they connect with each another at this critical stage in their lives, is the heart and soul of this story.

One lucky winner will receive a paperback copy of The Journey Home by Michael Baron. To enter, email your name and full mailing address to Samantha(at)chicklitplus.com. For bonus entries, comment below, on Facebook, or RT on Twitter. The winner will be chosen on Sunday, April 10th.

April 2, 2011
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Author Profile: Lou Aronica
Chick Lit Authors

Author Profile: Lou Aronica

Author Name: Lou Aronica

Website: http://www.fictionstudio.com/Fiction_Studio_site/Home.html

Bio: Lou became associated with the book world by starting out as an assistant in the Managing Editor’s Department at Bantam Books. He began his first publishing imprint, Bantam Spectra, and published his first New York Times bestseller with that imprint a year later. Lou also launched the Bantam Crime Line mystery imprint, and the Bantam Fanfare romance imprint. He has worked for the Berkley Publishing Group, Avon Books, and The News Corporation. Lou now devotes his time to The Fiction Studio, and is a novelist and non fiction writer. He has also written novels under the name Ronald Anthony.
Titles under Lou Aronica: Blue
See my review of Blue
Bio Retrieved from fictionstudio.com

January 29, 2011
1 Comment
In My Mailbox: Week of December 12th
Updates

In My Mailbox: Week of December 12th

In My Mailbox: Week of December 12th

Title: Celebrities For Breakfast
Author: Shelley Stout
Received: From Shelley Stout
Synopsis: Personal shopper to the stars, Judith Collington, refuses to spend one more day in LA, answering the whiney demands of her Hollywood clientele. To escape, Judith and her seventh-grader, Shannon, give up their lucrative lifestyle to run a bed and breakfast in central Illinois. Judith prepares to purchase the property, until it changes hands in a poker game. New owner: Hollywood actor and part-time egomaniac, Ren Spencer. Judith installs Ren into the nearest guest room, where he insists on heated towels and meals on a tray. She would love to hate him, except he’s pathetic in an endearing sort of way. Oh, and did I mention he’s about to become engaged?

If you really want the latest, just read Shannon’s private computer journal. Her bedroom wall is plastered with posters of her all-time favorite star, but Shannon could care less if Ren Spencer’s a has-been at 35. He’s so hot, she can’t stop writing love stories about him. So what if Ren drinks too much and has to sober up in jail? And why can’t Shannon just have a normal mother like everybody else?

CELEBRITIES FOR BREAKFAST is a romantic comedy told through Judith’s voice, but sprinkled throughout are Shannon’s journal entries and Ren’s two cents.

Title: Blue
Author: Lou Aronica
Received: From Lou Aronica
Synopsis: Chris Astor is a man in his early forties who is going through the toughest stretch of his life. Becky is Chris’s fourteen-year-old daughter, a girl who overcame enormous challenges to become a vibrant, vital young woman – and now faces her greatest obstacle yet. Miea is the young queen of a fantasy land that Becky and Chris created when Becky was little, a fantasy land that has developed a life of its own and now finds itself in terrible, maybe fatal trouble. Together, Chris, Becky, and Miea need to uncover a secret. The secret to why their worlds have joined at this moment. The secret to their purpose. The secret to the future. It is a secret that, when discovered, will redefine imagination for all of them. Blue is a novel of trial and hope, invention and rediscovery. It might very well take you someplace you never knew existed.

Title: The Christmas Journey
Author: Donna VanLiere
Received: From Ann Staszaleck with AuthorsOntheWeb.com
Synopsis: The eighty-mile journey of a common carpenter and a simple peasant girl is one of the most powerful stories in history. As books go out of print and stories fade from memory, the journey of Joseph and Mary and her delivery inside a common barn continues to bless and inspire hope in people around the world.
Accompanied by moving and beautifully rendered original watercolor illustrations throughout, Donna’s signature voice retelling shows that the story of the Nativity is alive in our modern world.

December 12, 2010
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