Beach Read

I am head over heels for this book! This fluffy chick-lit book is exactly what I needed in my life. I laughed, I got emotional, I was totally invested. A romance author and a serious "literary" author find themselves in neighboring lake houses. They have a past. They can't stand each other. Or can they? They challenge each other to write a book that reads like something the other person would write. Witty and wonderful. I don't even want to give a detailed summary. Just read it. You'll be falling in love with the characters, their story, and their growing attraction. This is one I will recommend to everyone!

Class Mom

Essentially chick lit/ beach read, but nevertheless very funny and unique. Most parents of kindergartners are in their twenties and thirties, but Jen Dixon a former INXS groupie with two girls in college, is about to break that mold. Her son Max is entering kindergarten and the duty of class mom falls on her shoulders. She sends out her emails with wit and sarcasm in order to whip up volunteers for events, foods, and crafts. Told through emails and narrative, this book reads quickly and is laugh out loud funny at points. Great for moms breaking the molds or anyone who loves chick lit with lots of good laughs.

Take the Body and Run

A solid attempt, but there is definitely room for improvement. There is too much going on, there could easily be two separate stories; as much as the author tries to merge to plots, it doesn't really pan out. The first week of Macey's new job there is two murders and she and her new friends (her co-workers and a cop that she becomes literally best friends with, within three days) decide that they will solve it themselves. Another side story is that Macey is hiding from her past and has assumed a new identity. It doesn't quite merge with the story and just randomly crops up. There are also a lot of characters and they all have crazy back stories. I don't think there was a single "normal" person in the entire story. Also, the cover. Who is on the cover? It certainly isn't our main character based off the author's description of her. So those are my beefs with it. But before you think I'm a negative nancy and hated the whole thing, there were some positive things that I enjoyed. One of the strong suits in this novel though is the witty dialogue. Snappy and fun, it's one of the best things going for "Take the Body and Run." The cat is a fun element. Granted cats are a little overplayed in mystery novels, but it works for this chick lit mystery. Overall, a light read that has room for improvement, but it will still find fans.

I received this book for free from the author in return for my honest, unbiased review.

The Continental Breakfast Club

Over Easy (book 1)

A cute, breezy chick lit in the same vein as the Stephanie Plum series. Readers will laugh out loud at the antics of the affable, ditzy, and well intentioned, Allie Parker whose over active imagination can get the better of her sometimes. Allie is sick of being the baby in the family and is determined to bring a man to her parents 45th wedding anniversary. Tired of always being looked down on for being a dog groomer and being single she is determined to turn things around for once and for all.

One of her friends has a brilliant plan to meet eligible men, they will sneak into swanky hotels and go to their continental breakfasts to meet businessmen. Everything is going well; Allie meets a cute guy and they meet for drinks after work, only things aren't what they seem. He leaves in the middle of the date, sticks her with the bill, and forgets a briefcase. when she realizes whats in the briefcase she understands she's in a world of trouble. How does stuff like this keep happening to her?!? All she wanted was some nice arm candy. Now she's a... jewel thief?!?

I flew through this and am in the middle of the second in the series. With fun characters like this, I expect there will be many more books to come!

Fresh Brewed (book 2)

The second in a cute new chick lit series, turns things around by having Bree find romance this go around. Allie (the main character in Over Easy), Megan and Bree have been looking forward to their vacation getaway for months. The venue is booked, the swimsuits bought, nothing stands in their way. That is until a huge storm cancels their flight, damages their hotel, and leaves them stuck in Atlanta. While there they meet Kristin, a clever young girl also headed to the same vacation destination. Kristin is always looking to help others out so she invites the trio to come stay at her family's beach house. There's only one catch, Bree must pretend to be engaged to her older brother Ethan. Doomed to be written out of his grandmother's will if he's not married by 32, Kristin decided to step in and whip up a fiance to hopefully change their matriarchs mind. No one will ever find out the farce since Ethan is on a trip to China and won't be able to make the family vacation anyway. Or will he? Bree finds herself in over her head as she tries to keep the charade up of being madly in love with someone who she's never met. How will she ever get to enjoy the beach and all the cute boys?

A fun beach read that will have readers looking forward the third installment, Honey Glazed. Hopefully Megan will find herself a man!

Honey Glazed (book 3)

coming soon!

Author's Bio

Pamela Ford is the award-winning author of contemporary and historical romance. She grew up watching old movies, blissfully sighing over the romance; and reading sci-fi and adventure novels, vicariously living the action. The combination probably explains why the books she writes are romantic, happily-ever-afters with plenty of plot - and often lots of laughter.

After graduating from college with a degree in Advertising, Pam merrily set off to earn a living, searching for that perfect career as she became a graphic designer, print buyer, pantyhose sales rep, public relations specialist, copywriter, freelance writer - and finally author. Pam has won numerous awards including the Booksellers Best, the Laurel Wreath, and a gold medal IPPY in the Independent Book Publisher Awards. She is a Kindle Book Awards finalist and a two-time Golden Heart Finalist. She lives in Wisconsin where she is working on her next novel.

Giveaway

Does this seem like a series you would like to read? Of course you would! Enter below to win a set!

Five winners total:
2 winners will get a print copy of Over Easy + a $10 Starbucks gift card,
2 winners will get a print copy of Fresh Brewed + a $10 Starbucks gift card,
1 winner will get a print copy of both books + a $25 Starbucks gift card

Ends Sept 17

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Theory of Opposites

Scotch, Allison Winn. The Theory of Opposites. 8 CDs. unabridged. 8 hrs 52 mins. Brilliance Audio. 2013. ISBN 9781480576322. $59.97.

If Willa Chandler-Golden was a country she would be Switzerland. She has spent her whole life avoiding confrontation and being content with what she has been handed. She's not a go getter; she's a go along with the flow type of a gal. All that however, changes when her husband decides he needs to take a break from their marriage and work in Palo Alto for the summer. Suddenly alone, without a child, and without a job she starts to ponder the road map of her life. If she is supposed to be following a map, did she make a wrong turn, get lost in the woods? When her best friend Vanessa convinces her to co-author a "Dare You" self help book, Willa is forced to follow inertia and do the opposite of gut instincts. Laugh out loud funny with a memorable cast of characters and crazy family members, this story starts out great but starts to lose momentum by the end. Thankfully voice actress, Christina Traister, saves the day with her fabulous singing, outbursts, and colorful narration. For fans of chick lit and self help novels.  - Erin Cataldi, Johnson Co. Public Library, Franklin IN

The One & Only

Giffin, Emily. The One & Only. 12 CDs. unabridged. 15 hrs. Books on Tape. 2014. ISBN 9780804127585. 

Shea Rigsby has been in a rut her entire life she just doesn't realize it. Born and raised in Walker, Texas Shea's whole life has revolved around football. After graduating from college she stayed behind in her hometown to work for the college athletic department, not even considering any other options. It also didn't help that her best friend's father is the legendary Walker football coach and close personal friend. When tragedy strikes the Walker community Shea finds herself closely examining her future. Is this what she truly wants out of life? At Coach's insistence she starts to branch out of her safety net and see what awaits her. Shea is forced to confront her fears, see the truth in others, and follow her heart. Shea's story starts fast and compelling but slowly peetered out to it's inevitable conclusion. Along the way were several cringe worthy moments and awkward scenarios. Narrator, Sofia Willingham saved this story from being too bogged down in football and awkwardness, and her cool narration kept the story engaging. For fans of chick lit and Emily Giffin.  - Erin Cataldi, Johnson Co. Public Library, Franklin IN

Certain Girls

I read this in one day, but that doesn't necessarily mean I loved this book. I didn't find out until I went to post this review that this book is the second in a series. That being said I had no idea and had no problem following the storyline.

The story follows Cannie and her daughter, Joy, as they try to come to terms with Joy growing up. The alternating chapters really help illustrate the gap between mother and daughter. As Joy prepares for adulthood (she's thirteen), her mom wants to put her life on hold and keep her young forever. Witty, funny, this story emphasizes the complexities of mother and daughter relationships and the strength and understanding needed to stay sane.

Overall, this was alright but not earth shattering. Good read for those that like chick lit.

In Her Shoes

I won't lie, I wasn't expecting much out of this book. In fact, I didn't even want to read it, if it wasn't for my book club I never would have picked it up. I'm not big into chick-lit and the whole premise of this book sounded uninteresting. I'm glad to report that I was very wrong!

The story follows two sisters who can't be more dissimilar. Rose is the responsible older sister who went to college, landed a great job at a law firm, she has the brains. Maggie on the other hand is irresponsible, can't ever hold down a job, and has a learning disability. She may not have the brains but she has the amazing body that her frumpy sister always dreamed about. Maggie loses her job, gets evicted, and has to say with Rose until she can turn her luck around. Rose is at her wits end and finally snaps when she catches her freeloading sister having sex with her boyfriend. Rose unceremoniously kicks them both to the curb and tries to come to term with what happened. Maggie on the other hand has no place to go and sleeps from place to place until she ends up finding her long lost grandmother in Florida.

This story is about a sisters love and how much it can handle before it breaks. But does it ever truly go away? Is sister's bond for life?

Really not bad for chick lit. I look forward to watching the movie!

Dream Lake

Having just read the first book in Lisa Kleypas' Friday Harbor Trilogy last week, I was eager to continue the series. So eager in fact, that I read this book in half a day. Fun, fast, easy, and romantic, not necessarily something you would re-read but a nice way to pass the time and put you in a better mood.

Unlike the last novel the story focuses on Zoe, Lucy's friend and minor character in "Rainshadow Road." Zoe's grandmother takes a turn for the worst and Zoe wants to bring her to the island as soon as possible to care for her personally. In order to do that she has to restore her grandmother's long neglected cottage so she has a safe place to care for her grandmother. Enter Alex Nolan, Sam's youngest, unruly and alcoholic brother. Having recently gone through a divorce that emptied his bank account, Alex is hard pressed for money and he renovates Zoe's cottage to get some cash and get away from booze. Things get interesting when a ghost starts following Alex around, the ghost remembers nothing of his former life but relies on Alex to help him remember. They form an unlikely duo and the ghost helps Alex rid himself of his drinking addiction and realize what a catch Zoe is.

The ghost aspect of the story sounds cheesy, but surprisingly it's not. I love how this story subtly ties in with "Rainshadow Road," I would highly recommend that they are read in order to get the full effect. I eagerly await the third installment, "Crystal Cove," which will be released in February of next year.

I received this book for free from GoodReads Giveaways in return for my unbiased honest opinion.

Breathtaking Beach Read

I was due for a light-hearted sappy romance and this definitely fit the bill. I've never actually read anything by Lisa Kleypas so this was my first foray into her brilliant realm of romance and I wasn't disappointed. Romance novels aren't on the top of my list to read but every once in a while you just gotta give in.

"Rainshadow Road" follows glass-maker Lucy as her life starts to spiral out of control. Her boyfriend of two years breaks up with her and announces that he's been sleeping with her sister, Alice (a character you love to hate!). Lucy is heartbroken and turns to her stained glass art and two best friends. When she finally "stumbles" into good looking Sam Nolan, a vineyard owning islander, she backs away and hides because she can't take anymore heartbreak, even though he is really interested in her.

The story is beautifully crafted with well rounded characters who are admirable while still being realistic by having faults. The scenery jumps alive on the page and I would pay money to see some of the stained glass that Lisa Kleypas so beautifully brings to life.

A good quick read perfect for the upcoming beach season. This is the first novel in the Friday Harbor Trilogy  so there will be good reading all summer long!

I received this book for free from GoodReads Giveaways in return for my unbiased honest opinion.