On Tour: Meeting Miss Mollie by Di Jones
Di will be on tour June 3-24 with her novel Meeting Miss Mollie She’s the Agony Aunt who has it all. Except for one small…
Book Review: Domestic Affairs by Bridget Siegel
I received a copy of Domestic Affairs by Bridget Siegel in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
When twenty-something political fundraiser Olivia Greenley is recruited by her close friend Jacob Harriston to join the Presidential campaign of Georgia Governor Landon Taylor, she is intoxicated by optimism and opportunity. Taylor’s commitment to social equality and economic responsibility in the post-housing-bubble era is palpable. Sacrificing her sleep, comfort and income are certain to help make the world a better place. Right?
Domestic Affairs: A Campaign Novel vividly captures the fervor and idealism of campaign life—as well as the disillusionment staffers feel when told to make the inevitable compromises. Leaving a meeting with foreclosure victims to hop onto a private jet is one thing, but how to justify dining at a $2,000-a-plate dinner knowing how many lunches the money could buy for at-risk kids? How far does one go when the ends appear to justify the means? And what’s a girl to do when the most charming, erudite, capable and ostensibly honorable man in the free world wants to take her to bed (but he’s married and her boss)? How does it feel to keep the biggest secret of her life from her best friend and coworker, even as the three of them spend every waking hour together? The tension between characters, right and wrong, and between success and implosion are taut.
Review:
This is the second political-based book I’ve read in the past month, and I have to say I’m really enjoying them! It’s interesting to learn about a world that I don’t know much about (politics confuse me, I’ll admit it) and then to also get a behind-the-scenes glance at all the key players. I like learning from my reading, and it was great fun to be able to chat with my fiancé over dinner and tell him about the “body guy” of a campaign and what fundraisers are like to plan. I wanted to shake my head more than once at Olivia for getting pulled into an affair with her boss that we could all see was a bad idea, but I liked the way the ending worked out. A very intriguing novel, and one I recommend!
4 stars
Future Tour: The Legacy of the Key by SL Morgan
SL Morgan will be on tour July 29-August 5 with her YA/fantasy romance novel The Legacy of the Key No matter where you are, facing…
Book Review: What Happiness Looks Like by Karen Lenfestey
I received a copy of What Happiness Looks Like by Karen Lenfestey in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
Joely Shupe had a vision of what her thirties would look like: she’d be the mother of two, finger painting with her kids during the day and cooking dinner for her loving husband at night. Instead she’s a single mother struggling to provide for her only child.
To make matters worse, her ex-fiancé, Jake, shows up–unemployed and reeling from a personal tragedy. He claims he’s ready to parent the daughter he abandoned five years ago. Joely is more interested in Dalton, a devoted father to his own son, who offers to take care of her the way no man ever has. Should Joely risk her daughter bonding with someone new or with the man who broke her heart?
Meanwhile, Joely’s sister, Kate, has the husband and the home, but no baby. After several failed attempts at fertility treatments, Kate’s husband is ready to give up. Kate believes his solution to their problems will tear them apart.
For Joely and Kate, one thing is for sure: this is not the life they expected. Is it time to adjust their idea of what happiness looks like?
Review:
I enjoyed about the first 3/4 of the book. The family dynamic between sisters Joely and Kate was interesting to read about, and I like books that have a very real feeling towards them. I like reading about women’s situations, and this story definitely fit that bill. I actually didn’t even realize this was the second book in a series until about halfway through, when Kate was talking about how her husband Mitch had left her previously. I thought something more should be said about that, then looked it up to realize it’s book two, and I’m sure that situation had been discussed in the first book. That being said, I really didn’t feel like I was missing anything by not having read A Sister’s Promise, so that’s good! Now, I said I enjoyed the first 3/4 book – the ending just fell flat to me. I got confused by the relationship Joely had with both Dalton and Jake, and Kate’s struggle with infertility had me scratching my head at points. I almost felt like maybe it was being rushed, because all of sudden everything is wrapped up and I was a bit lost. Overall a good read and I would like to check out the first book as well.
3.5 stars
Book Review: Cinnamon Roll Murder by Joanne Fluke
I received a copy of Cinnamon Roll Murder by Joanne Fluke in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
April is a busy time for Hannah Swensen and her bakery; the warm weather makes folks in Lake Eden, Minnesota, go wild for something sweet. When Hannah hears that the Cinnamon Roll Six jazz band will be playing at the town’s Weekend Jazz Festival, she’s more than happy to bake up a generous supply of their namesake confections to welcome the band to town.
Before the festival even begins, tragedy strikes when the tour bus overturns. Among those injured is Buddy Neiman, the band’s beloved keyboard player. Buddy’s injuries appear minor, until his condition suddenly takes a turn for the worse–as in dead. Hannah’s no doctor, but she suspects that the surgical scissors someone plunged into Buddy’s chest may have something to do with it. Hannah isn’t sure just how she’ll unravel the mystery, but one thing’s for sure: nothing’s sweeter than bringing a killer to justice. . .
Review:
While I normally enjoy a mystery novel (and baked goods!) I had trouble getting into this book. I think a large part might have been because this book is a part of a series, and I haven’t read anything else in it. I always felt like I was one step behind everyone else, or the person sitting outside the gossip circle looking in. It was also a bit predictable, which almost feels weird to say knowing that I wasn’t familiar with the characters or the previous storylines, but even then I knew what was going to happen before it did. There were some humorous parts and sections that piqued my interest, but in the end, it fell a bit flat for me.
2.5 stars
Blog Tour Sign Up: Thirty-Two Going on Spinster by Becky …
“According to Webster’s dictionary,
A spinster is:
1: an unmarried woman of gentle family
2: an unmarried woman and especially one past the common age for marrying
3: a woman who seems unlikely to marry
4: me
Julia Dorning is a spinster, or at least on the road to becoming one. She has no social life, hates her job, and lives in her parent’s basement with her cat, Charlie.
With the arrival of Jared Moody, the new hire at work, Julia’s mundane life is suddenly turned upside down. Her instant (and totally ridiculous) crush on the new guy causes Julia to finally make some long-overdue changes, in hopes to find a life that includes more than baking and hanging out with Charlie.
But when the biggest and most unexpected change comes, will the new and improved Julia be able to overcome it? Or will she go back to her spinster ways?”
GIVEAWAY: Summer’s Song by Lindi Peterson
All she has to do is
prove that she’s changed . . . completely.
Pop-star princess Summer Sinclair doesn’t know what to do with herself now that she’s cleaned-up and sober. She knows God’s been nudging her, but since God is unfamiliar territory, she feels scared and alone. Everything changes when she meets Levi Preston, a Christian musician who’s falling for Summer and wants her to be who God created her to be. But when the reality of her life takes Levi to places he’s vowed to stay clear of, will Summer’s newfound freedom be what breaks her heart as she does what is best for Levi?
Giveaway!
I have one Kindle copy of Summer’s Song by Lindi Peterson up for giveaway! To enter, please just leave a comment below sharing your favorite moment(s) of summer. The winner will be chosen on Tuesday, May 28. Thanks to Lindi Peterson for sponsoring this giveaway. Good luck!
CLP Blog Tours Book Review: Cookies for Dinner by Pam …
Pam Johnson-Bennett and Kae Allen are now on tour with CLP Blog Tours and Cookies for Dinner
Summary:
Pam and Kae are good friends but total opposites. Pam is a worrying germophobe and Kae stands by the philosophy that everyone will eat a pound of dirt in their lifetime. In this collection of humorous essays, Pam and Kae come clean on motherhood…
• No one tells you that your breasts will be treated like a fast food take-out window or that a ravenous infant can create more suction than industrial-grade vacuum cleaners.
• I went into labor with my first child four months after my soon-to-be ex-husband moved out to live with his girlfriend, six months after my 20th birthday and precisely the morning that I was having my house tended for ticks. Yes, ticks.
• Jumping off the cliff into potty training makes you realize that you didn’t truly appreciate the diaper years. Once you begin potty training, a toddler’s backside becomes a loaded gun, ready to launch its missile in whatever direction it happens to be pointing.
• No matter how we got on this ride, at some point we all end up standing on the checkout line at Walmart, totally unaware of the fact that we’re still wearing our pajama top.
Pam and Kae are living proof that even though every mother is different, we’re all on this roller coaster without a seatbelt. Scary? You bet, but it’s the ride of our lives.
Review:
I was worried for a hot second that I might not be able to connect with this book since I have yet to enjoy motherhood for myself. But that doubt flew out the window immediately. Pam and Kae take readers on a journey of their own experience, talking about the good, the bad, and the real ugly site of parenting. Their stories made me laugh out loud, text my girlfriends with the ‘OMG do you think this will happen to us?’ moments, and I whipped through book. Definitely one for mothers, future mothers, or really anyone who wants to get inside a mom’s head for a while. I will definitely think twice about shooting a mother a dirty look in the grocery store if their kid is bawling in the cart, for fear of her following me around the store in revenge 😉 Terrific read!
On Tour: Where’s the Groom? by Sophie Meyer
Sophie will be on tour May 27-June 17 with her novel Where’s the Groom? Ashley, just turning thirty, is stuck with a string of bad…
