Chick Lit Plus by Samantha March

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Charming Tuesday: A Beauty Favorite & Giveaway
Chick Lit Plus

Charming Tuesday: A Beauty Favorite & Giveaway

I started using Maybelline mascara when I first started college. It’s been my go-to mascara since. I love to try out other products, always searching for that gem, but a particular Maybelline mascara will always be in my bag. I love the ones that feature a double brush, one side being the microfiber base coat, and the other side the mascara. The one that I am currently addicted to is the Maybelline XXL Curlpower. It makes my lashes longer and really lasts throughout the night, coming off only once I use my makeup remover. I haven’t found a mascara yet to top this one!

A good runner up that I’ve found is from Too Faced. I’m a big fan of the Too Faced brand, and own many of their products. The mascara that I really love is the Too Faced Lash Injection. It has a 3-D formula that builds tubes around the lashes, making them look longer and fuller. And it’s the truth! When I take off this mascara at night, the little tubes come off. It’s pretty neat to see something really working. I also always have this mascara in my makeup bag!

Sara’s Must-Have:

I am without-a-doubt a beauty product connoisseur; I read reviews online, engulf myself in “the best-of-the-best” lists in magazines, and spend too much time browsing the beauty aisles when I am out and about. The reason why is because I am always searching … searching for the next “must-have” in my beauty arsenal. I have found a few new additions over the years, but none of them have ever been Mascara. I have used Maybelline Great Lash in Blackest Black since I started really wearing makeup when I was fourteen. I have deviated some here and there, lured by advertising for a new product that promises a “thicker, fuller lash”, but nothing has ever come close. By far, Maybelline Great Lash is hands down my absolute favorite and an absolute beauty must-have of mine.

April 3, 2012
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Letter from a Stranger by Barbara Taylor Bradford
Chick Lit Review

Letter from a Stranger by Barbara Taylor Bradford

Letter from a Stranger by Barbara Taylor Bradford is an immensely captivating read that will leave you leafing through the pages to see what happens next. The story begins when award-winning film maker Justine Nolan returns to her idyllic childhood home and stumbles upon an envelope perched on her absent mother’s desk. The envelope peaks her curiosity and she opens it, unraveling a startling secret … and sending her on a quest into an unknown past where she uncovers the truth about her life and her family history.

I thoroughly enjoyed Letter from a Stranger and found myself entranced from the very beginning. I think Barbara Taylor Bradford did an exquisite job weaving factual and fictional details together, as well as moments from the past and the present. The characters are flawless: Justine is fantastic as a strong, independent woman, and her grandmother Gabriele is a true heroine with a kind soul. My heart ached as Justine relived the ancient memories of Gabriele’s past and I couldn’t imagine how she felt reading about all of the things that she had witnessed, or been apart of, during World War II.

This one is a page turner for sure. It is a wonderful read that beautifully weaves together woman’s fiction with historical facts.

[Rating: 4.5/5]

April 3, 2012
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The Underside of Joy by Sere Prince Halverson
Chick Lit Review

The Underside of Joy by Sere Prince Halverson

The Underside of Joy by Sere Prince Halverson is a deeply engrossing debut about love, loss, family, and forgiveness.  The story opens with Ella, devoted…

April 2, 2012
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Challenge 2012:Post Reviews:April
Updates

Challenge 2012:Post Reviews:April

April Reviews

See past reviews

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February Reviews

March Reviews

Please note this is not the sign up page. To sign up, click here

To see what challengers are reading, click here

Only signed up challengers are eligible to win

Prize for April: Three (3) winners will be chosen at random and will win an eBook copy of either Paradise Cove, Soap Dreams, or Karma Kameleon by Stephanie Haefner. You must post the link to your review in the Mister Linky below. This can be to your blog, GoodReads page, or other sources such as Amazon.

April 2, 2012
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The Bungalow by Sarah Jio
Chick Lit Review

The Bungalow by Sarah Jio

The Bungalow by Sarah Jio is a unique and fantastical piece of historical chick-lit that is truly one-of-a-kind. With the world in chaos around her and the country at war, twenty-one year old, Anne Calloway, questions her future as the bride-to-be of a man that she has known her whole life and wonders if this is all life has in store for her. Having always taken the safe, logical route, Anne makes the decision of a lifetime and joins her best friend and enlists as a nurse, heading to Bora-Bora and embarking on a journey that will change her in more ways than one.

Shortly after arriving, Anne meets a fellow service man named Westry. Together, they work to repair an abandoned bungalow on the beach, and in doing so, their friendship blossoms into a romance. Then one night, they witness a shocking event that changes everything. With the crime lingering overhead, the timing couldn’t be worse as Anne’s tour is wrapping up and Westry is being redeployed. What will become of their love? Will Westry be able to find her once the war is over? Will the world ever go back to the way that Anne remembers? Only time will tell but I for one, loved being a part of the journey.

I absolutely adored The Bungalow. When I first picked up the book to read, I was quickly reminded of Sarah’s debut novel and how similar the two are, yet so very different. Sarah does a fantastic job at weaving together a historical backdrop, an enduring romance and a taste of mystery. I loved the progression from friendship to something more between Anne and Westry and I found myself leafing through the pages quickly to find out what would become of them. I was swept away by the visuals and descriptions that Sarah painted and found myself reading in fluid color as if I were there, right along with Anne on her journey. Overall, this book is an absolute GEM. I couldn’t put it down and read it in one sitting. This book is one of my new recommendations for an enchanting, enthralling summer-read. Kudos to you Sarah, you’ve done it again and have created yourself another winner!

[Rating 5/5]

March 29, 2012
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GIVEAWAY: The Book of Lost Fragrances by M.J. Rose
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GIVEAWAY: The Book of Lost Fragrances by M.J. Rose

A sweeping and suspenseful tale of secrets, intrigue, and lovers separated by time, all connected through the mystical qualities of a perfume created in the days of Cleopatra–and lost for 2,000 years.

Jac L’Etoile has always been haunted by the past, her memories infused with the exotic scents that she grew up surrounded by as the heir to a storied French perfume company. In order to flee the pain of those remembrances–and of her mother’s suicide–she moved to America. Now, fourteen years later she and her brother have inherited the company along with it’s financial problems. But when Robbie hints at an earth-shattering discovery in the family archives and then suddenly goes missing–leaving a dead body in his wake–Jac is plunged into a world she thought she’d left behind.

Back in Paris to investigate her brother’s disappearance, Jac becomes haunted by the legend the House of L’Etoile has been espousing since 1799. Is there a scent that can unlock the mystery of reincarnation – or is it just another dream infused perfume?

The Book of Lost Fragrances fuses history, passion, and suspense, moving from Cleopatra’s Egypt and the terrors of revolutionary France to Tibet’s battle with China and the glamour of modern-day Paris. Jac’s quest for the ancient perfume someone is willing to kill for becomes the key to understanding her own troubled past.
In celebration of publication, chicklitplus.com is offering one sample of perfume, Ames Soeurs, available as a tie in with the book. Please leave a comment below if interested. and we will draw a winner at random. Contests ends at 9:00PM (central time) March 28th.

March 26, 2012
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