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…
Cover Reveal: After Math by Denise Grover Swank
Denise Grover Swank is on tour now with CLP Blog Tours and sharing the brand-new cover of her latest novel After Math!
Summary:
Scarlett Goodwin’s world is divided into Before and After.
Before she agreed to tutor Tucker Price, college junior Scarlett was introvert, struggling with her social anxiety disorder and determined to not end up living in a trailer park like her mother and her younger sister. A mathematics major, she goes to her classes, to her job in the tutoring lab, and then hides in the apartment she shares with her friend, Caroline.
After junior Tucker Price, Southern University’s star soccer player enters the equation, her carefully plotted life is thrown off its axis. Tucker’s failing his required College Algebra class. With his eligibility is at risk, the university chancellor dangles an expensive piece of computer software for the math department if Scarlett agrees to privately tutor him. Tucker’s bad boy, womanizer reputation makes Scarlett wary of any contact, let alone spending several hours a week in close proximity.
But from her first encounter, she realizes Tucker isn’t the person everyone else sees. He carries a mountain of secrets which she suspects hold the reason to his self-destructive behavior. But the deeper she delves into the cause of his pain, the deeper she gets sucked into his chaos. Will Scarlett find the happiness she’s looking for, or will she be caught in Tucker’s aftermath?
**Everyone who leaves a comment on Denise’s tour page will be entered to win a $20 Amazon gift card! Anyone who purchases their copy of After Math before June 3 and sends their receipt to Samantha (at) ChickLitPlus (dot) com, will get five bonus entries.**
Book Review: Changing Lanes by Kathleen Long
I received a copy of Changing Lanes by Kathleen Long in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
Abby Halladay has the perfect life. Or, rather, she will…as long as everything goes exactly according to plan. Abby never leaves anything to chance—not her job as a syndicated columnist, not her engagement to her fiancé, Fred, and certainly not her impending wedding in Paris (New Jersey, that is).
Unfortunately for Abby, even the best-laid plans often go awry—like when Fred runs away to Paris (France, that is), her column is canned, and her dream home is diagnosed with termites. Forced to move back in with her parents and drive her dad’s cab, Abby’s perfect life has now officially become the perfect disaster.
Then a funny thing happens. Slowly but surely, Abby begins letting go of her dreams of perfection. As she does, the messy, imperfect life she thought she never wanted starts to feel exactly like the one she needs.
Poignant and heartfelt, Changing Lanes celebrates the unexpected joys of everyday life—and the enduring promise of second chances.
Review:
I have also read Chasing Rainbows by Kathleen Long, and absolutely adored it. I was looking forward to reading another offering from her, and am pleased to say I highly enjoyed Changing Lanes as well. I thought it was interesting that we never get a clear picture of her relationship with fiancé Fred. We learn right off the bat that he’s fled to Paris, France claiming “boredom” and Abby doesn’t go into a lot of details about him, or have flashbacks of their relationship. I liked that because I think it kept the story moving without having a lot of back story for readers to grasp. Sometimes I almost forgot that Abby was engaged and weeks away from walking down the aisle, but I still thought that part of plot was well-orchestrated. I loved the family dynamics in the story, from her parents and her dad’s well-kept secret, her grandmother who is also trying to move on, and her sisters – especially Frankie – who give an oomph to the story. I appreciate that the story is about second chances and truly living the life you want to live, and I would recommend this book!
4 stars
Future Tour: Tales From the Laundry Pile by Kathleen Kole
Kathleen will be on tour July 8-29 with her women’s fiction novel Tales From the Laundry Pile Claire Jamieson has moved back home to Boxwood…
Book Review: The Apple Orchard by Susan Wiggs
I received a copy of The Apple Orchard by Susan Wiggs in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
Tess Delaney makes a living restoring stolen treasures to their rightful owners. People like Annelise Winther, who refuses to sell her long-gone mother’s beloved necklace—despite Tess’s advice. To Annelise, the jewel’s value is in its memories.
But Tess’s own history is filled with gaps: a father she never met, a mother who spent more time traveling than with her daughter. So Tess is shocked when she discovers the grandfather she never knew is in a coma. And that she has been named in his will to inherit half of Bella Vista, a hundred-acre apple orchard in the magical Sonoma town called Archangel.
The rest is willed to Isabel Johansen. A half sister she’s never heard of. Against the rich landscape of Bella Vista, Tess begins to discover a world filled with the simple pleasures of food and family, of the warm earth beneath her bare feet. A world where family comes first and the roots of history run deep.
And in a season filled with new experiences, Tess begins to see the truth in something Annelise once told her: if you don’t believe memories are worth more than money, then perhaps you’ve not made the right kind of memories.
Summary:
Tess Delaney was a really fascinating character to read about. At only twenty-nine she has fallen in love with her career – and is also highly successful with it! It was so interesting to read about her line of work and I’ll be honest – I really didn’t even know finding stolen objects and connecting them with their rightful owners was a thing! There is a lot of history and charm to this book, but then there is also drama. Tess’s family life has a lot of holes included and as she starts to sew pieces together, even more drama plays out. This book is captivating from beginning to end, and I highly recommend!
4 stars
On Tour: Catching the Bad Guy by Marie Astor
Marie will be on tour May 27-June 10 with her novel Catching the Bad Guy Janet Maple and Dennis Walker make a good team: she…
CLP Blog Tours Book Review: Identity Break by Stifyn Emrys
Stifyn Emrys is now on tour with CLP Blog Tours and Identity Break Summary: How far would you go to find yourself? Imagine everything you…
Book Review: Girl Three by Tracy March
I received a copy of Girl Three by Tracy March in exchange for an honest review. Summary: Dr. Jessica Croft has avoided the players, the…
Book Review: The Comedy Diva Diaries by Kirsten Van Ritzen
I received a copy of The Comedy Diva Diaries in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
The Comedy Diva Diaries is the tale of a twenty-nine year old comedienne who gives herself an ultimatum: achieve success before her next birthday, or die trying.
Our sassy, deluded and insecure heroine endures disastrous stand-up gigs and humiliating TV commercial auditions. Her rich boyfriend, pampered pooch, flamboyant agent, dysfunctional family and back-stabbing rivals aren’t much help. On the brink of emotional collapse, Diva finds inspiration in a self help book, and makes the fateful decision to move across the continent in pursuit of the Hollywood dream.
Will Diva admit defeat? Or will she find fame and fortune before turning thirty?
Review:
This book is written in a diary-like format almost, with different entries making up the chapters. I struggled a bit with Diva. While I thought she was funny (I mean, she was a comedienne!), snarky, and at times seeming to be a bit of an air head, she could also come across quite rude, crass, and selfish. About halfway through the book I started to lose steam with her story. She didn’t seem to want to take the blame for anything going wrong in her life, she didn’t treat her boyfriend with any sort of respect, and her antics just got a bit old. I’ll point out again that I did enjoy parts of the story, but the struggle do connect with the main character was my downfall.
2.5 stars
