Walking on Trampolines - Review & Giveaway

Review by Darcie Czajkowski

When Annabelle Andrews glides into Tallulah “Lulu” de Longland’s life, Lulu is besotted. By Annabelle’s unqualified comfort in her own skin. By her bewitching artist parents of national fame. And by Annabelle’s instantaneous interest in becoming Lulu’s best and only friend.

Forsaking all others at their elite Catholic school, Lulu and Annabelle are inseparable. They bond over the fact that they both call their parents by the first names, that their mothers have limited parental capacities, and that they feel most alive when they are with each other, communicating through a unique word-blending language. Only when Joshua Keaton enters the picture and becomes Lulu’s first boyfriend does their fold expand to three.

But just before high school graduation, just as Lulu and Josh are making plans to travel abroad, Lulu finds Josh and Annabelle together, at once severing the two lifelines that mattered most to her.

Devastated, Lulu fritters away the next four years, listlessly performing menial office tasks for her father Harry’s successful plumbing business. But Harry sees that his daughter isn’t engaged in her life in any capacity, failing to go on even one date in the years since Annabelle and Josh’s betrayal, and, in an act of love, he fires her and insists that she move to the city an hour and a half away from their sleepy little town of Juniper Bay.

Lulu starts working for Duncan McAllister, a morning radio show host who is prominently known in the industry as the King of the Airwaves. Lulu and Duncan are an odd pairing: Lulu is understated, a caretaker. Duncan has three ex-wives and another one imminent, a gaggle of children, and a loud, demanding personality. But the two form a symbiotic friendship, one that Duncan will ultimately rely on to get him through the most difficult news one can receive in life. In turn, Lulu will be repaid in the most unexpected of ways, encouraged to learn lessons in finding her own happiness, realizing her place in the world, and forgiving not only Annabelle and Josh, but also forgiving herself.

Frances Whiting strikes glittering gold in Walking on Trampolines. At first glance, the story is simple: girl meets boy, boy break girl’s heart, girl doesn’t recover. But as the reader continues to parse the delicate folds of this story, she is taken on a journey that spans complicated home lives, the realization that everyone deserves happiness, the challenges in surviving loss, and the freedom that is found in forgiveness. With layered characters, vivid setting depictions, and a remarkably original premise, I was captivated by this story and encourage you to set foot into Lulu’s world in the coastal town of Juniper Bay, Australia.

Purchase the book at:

Amazon * Barnes&Noble

About the Author:

Frances Whiting is one of Australia's best known and favourite columnists. For more than fifteen years her Sunday Mail column has engaged readers in the highs, lows and the wonderful of the every day. She is also an award winning journalist and Senior Feauture writer for Q Weekend Magazine in the Courier Mail. She has published two collections of her columns: Oh To Be A Marching Girl, and That's A Home Run, Tiger! Walking on Trampolines is her first novel.

Connect with the author at:

Facebook * Twitter * Goodreads

Simon & Schuster is giving 1 lucky winner a print copy of

Walking On Trampolines

(US/Canada Only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Accused - Review

Review by Deb Czajkowski

Mary Dinunzio has just made partner at Rosato & Associates.  In fact, congratulatory toasts are still being made and cake is still being passed around when the receptionist interrupts the party to announce that Allegra Gardner is on her way up and is looking for representation.  Although Allegra herself is unknown to the firm and has no appointment, the celebration comes to an abrupt halt and the lawyers immediately transition into legal mode.

 

Allegra Gardner is thirteen years old and a member of the extremely wealthy and prestigious Gardner family.  She is also a certified genius whose only friends are the bees she keeps.  Allegra’s sister, Fiona, was murdered six years ago.  Allegra has always believed that the wrong man went to jail for this crime and, now that she has control of the trust fund her grandfather left her, she can hire a law firm to help her prove it.

Lonnie Stall was a server at the Gardners’ house the night Fiona was killed.  He was seen fleeing the scene, his blood was found on Fiona, and her blood was on him.  Later, he pleaded guilty to the crime.  It seemed to be an open-and-shut case.  Law enforcement and even Fiona’s parents were satisfied that justice had been served.

Allegra’s parents are fiercely fighting against reopening the case. Why would Mary Dinunzio take Allegra as her first official client as partner when she knows this means going up against the powerful Gardner family and fighting for a guy who admitted he committed the crime? Is Lonnie really guilty of killing Fiona?  Why does Allegra feel so strongly that Lonnie is innocent?

Author Lisa Scottoline pulled me into this drama right away with Mary’s likeable normalcy tucked into the very new partnership and then with Allegra’s clever quirkiness.  Two avenues kept me interested as the story progressed:  One, I wanted to believe with Allegra that Lonnie is innocent; two, I tend to root for underdogs, and Lisa gave me several.  While this book is of course a legal battle of lawyers and power, it is satisfyingly filled with wit, humor, and endearing people.  I recommend it for both reasons. Start your literary year with Lisa’s Accused.

Purchase the book at:

Amazon * Barnes&Noble

About the Author:

Lisa Scottoline is the New York Times bestselling author and Edgar award-winning author of 22 novels, including her latest, Betrayed. She also writes a weekly column with her daughter Francesca Serritella for the Philadelphia Inquirer titled "Chick Wit" which is a witty and fun take on life from a woman's perspective. These stories, along with many other never-before-published stories, have been collected in four books including their most recent, Have a Nice Guilt Trip, and the earlier, Meet Me at Emotional Baggage Claim, Best Friends, Occasional Enemies, Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog, which has been optioned for TV, and My Nest Isn't Empty, It Just Has More Closet Space. Lisa reviews popular fiction and non-fiction, and her reviews have appeared in New York Times, The Washington Post and The Philadelphia Inquirer. Lisa has served as President of Mystery Writers of America and has taught a course she developed, "Justice and Fiction" at The University of Pennsylvania Law School, her alma mater. Lisa is a regular and much sought after speaker at library and corporate events. Lisa has over 30 million copies of her books in print and is published in over 35 countries. She lives in the Philadelphia area with an array of disobedient pets, and she wouldn't have it any other way.

Connect with the author at:

Website * Facebook * Twitter

The Longest Date - Review

Review by K.T Sullivan

The author has written for the television shows Sex in the City and Modern Family. Each chapter reminded me of the shows. This book is a personal account of her meeting her husband, getting married, and trying to get pregnant. It could be a show called How I Met My Husband. She was forty when she married. Her husband proposed on horseback, wearing a suit of armor. Not afraid to set the bar too high. He’s a “tattooed lawyer/poet/chef” and a self-proclaimed bad bay. Between them, they have had numerous lovers and she has been married before. She recounts getting a “get” from a rabbi, writing their own vows, and attempts at pregnancy. There is fun and sadness in her life.

I liked the book because I like the two television shows she worked on. The chapters could stand alone as episodes of a sitcom. The fact that she found love when she wasn’t looking for it should strike a familiar chord. Love does have a way of presenting itself at odd moments. They met when they arrived at a bar with dates and ended up going home together.

She doesn’t get overly romantic, except for his proposal. She writes in a fresh matter of fact way, relaying her personal journey from party girl to mom.

The title is apropos describing how marriage feels to her. It’s a constant reassessment of a changing relationship.

Purchase the book at:

Amazon * Barnes&Noble

About the Author:

Cindy Chupack is a screenwriter who has won three Golden Globes and two Emmys for her work as a writer/executive producer of HBO's Sex and the City and writer/co-executive producer of ABC's Modern Family.

Several episodes she penned—namely, Sex and the City '​s "Evolution", "Attack of the 5'10" Woman", "Just Say Yes", "Plus One is the Loneliest Number", "I Love a Charade", and "Splat!", and Modern Family '​s "Little Bo Bleep"—were individually nominated for Writer's Guild and/or Emmy awards. Chupack also worked on Everybody Loves Raymond as a writer/co-executive producer.

Her first book, The Between Boyfriends Book, was published by St. Martin's Press. Her second book, a comic memoir about marriage entitled The Longest Date, will be published by Viking in January 2014. She has also written humorous essays for The New York Times, Real Simple, Harper's Bazaar, People, Allure, Slate, and Glamour.

Chupack is from Tulsa, Oklahoma. She received a journalism degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois where she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta.

Connect with the author at:

Website * Facebook 

The Curvy Girls Club - Review

Review by KT Sullivan

Four women are trying to lose weight. After accessing their lack of progress at a health club, they decide to live instead of diet. Some don’t realize they’re jeopardizing their health by focusing on dropping a few pounds. Pixie has an abusive husband, Jane hosts a television show, Ellie is consumed by jealousy, and Katie, the narrator, needs to focus on one guy or lose him. All face major decisions and some are dictated by their weight. In some cases, these women are the only support group for each other.

They create The Curvy Girls Club as a place where women of a certain size can come together and be comfortable. Jane is faced with a dilemma, host a new show or move for her husband’s career. All try to support each other, until one unintentionally breaks the bond. Are a few extra or less pounds worth a friendship or a job?   

The author’s message is simple: love yourself before you try to please others. This is a story based on friendship and sisterhood. I saw something once commenting on women and their weight. ‘Without men, the world would be full of fat happy women.’ Some women seek approval based on their looks. This story doesn’t dwell on men’s opinions as much as the women dreading their appearance. These women from different backgrounds find themselves in the same spot. Weight is defining them and ruining their self-images. Many issues, especially pregnancy weight gain, are relatable topics. Many women will see themselves in the characters and will be pleased on how they resolve their problems.

Purchase the book at:

Amazon * Amazon UK

About the Author:

Michele Gorman is the USA TODAY bestselling author of eight romantic comedies. Born and raised in the US, Michele has lived in London for 16 years. She is very fond of naps, ice cream and Richard Curtis films but objects to spiders and the word "portion".

You can find out more about Michele by following her on twitter or Facebook and by reading her blog or website. Do chat with her online - she's always looking for an excuse to procrastinate!

Connect with the author at:

Website * Facebook * Twitter

Passionate Nutrition - Review

Review by Marlene Engel

Although this is a book about nutrition, it’s Jennifer’s story that really is the star of the book.  Her childhood was anything but typical.  The daughter of a pedophile father and a mother who passed at a young age from cancer, at times she was forced to steal food if she wanted to eat.  Much of her young life she lived off of scraps and junk food.  Despite her deprived upbringing, she learned that by simply changing what you put into your body, you could change how you feel not only physically, but emotionally.  This led her into the field of nutrition and opening up her own practice called Passionate Nutrition.

It’s almost daily that you hear about a new diet craze claiming that if you eat this or eliminate that then you are guaranteed optimum health.  I don’t know about you, but when it comes to restricting my diet, I find that I never achieve the results that I set out to.  With Jennifer’s approach, she actually encourages abundant eating.  Which, for me, is very doable!  She goes on to explain The Healthy Trinity, which is digestion, balance and whole foods and when unbalanced the body as a whole is affected. 

In this book, the author offers healthy ways to lose weight with recipes to encourage health and liveliness.  It’s not your mother’s typical cookbook, but instead shows the author’s journey from starvation to optimum health of both body and soul.  Her inspirational story is both heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time.  It’s a true testament that it’s not about where you’re at, but where you’re going in life that truly shapes who you are. 

Purchase the book at:

Amazon * Barnes & Noble

About the Author:

JENNIFER ADLER is a nationally recognized nutrition expert and the founder and owner of Passionate Nutrition. A certified nutritionist in the state of Washington, Jennifer is an adjunct faculty member at Bastyr University, and co-founder of the International Eating Disorders Institute. She holds a master's of science in clinical nutrition and counseling and a graduate certificate in spirituality, health, and medicine from Bastyr University. She was trained at the School of Natural Cookery in Boulder, Colorado. She lives on Bainbridge Island, Washington.

Connect with the author at:

Website * Facebook * Twitter

Scared Scriptless - Review

Review by Darcie Czajkowski

Maddy Carson has never been a risk taker. Post-college, her parents pushed her out of the nest when their family friend, Hogan Chenny, head of Hogan Chenny Productions, offered her a job as a production assistant in Hollywood. After fighting through years of dreary grunt work, she is now script supervisor for the hit show, The Wrong Doctor, produced by HCP. Though she loves her job and is well-respected among her peers, Maddy quietly aspires for more, maybe producing or directing. But her fear of pushing the limits, venturing outside of her carefully drawn comfort zone, inhibits Maddy from zealously pursuing her dreams and fully reaching her potential.

But things begin to change when Craig, the executive in charge on The Wrong Doctor whom Maddy has recently started dating, suggests that they team up to pitch a reality show to Hogan, a proposal that Maddy thinks is destined to fail, given Hogan’s dislike of reality television.

Though Maddy is uncertain if Craig is the best romantic match for her anti-Hollywood personality, she agrees to work with him to develop the reality show concept after an idea sideswipes her: her hometown of Wolf, a small town in northern California, would be perfect for the show. Not only could the publicity from a reality show bring more tourists to dying town and act as the saving grace for her parents’ ski resort, but it could also mean heightened professional success for Maddy, a chance for her to break out of her current position and achieve something greater.

But can she really trust Craig with her beloved town? Does he have Wolf’s best intentions at heart, or is he only after furthering his own career? And what about the new actor on The Wrong Doctor, the gorgeous Adam Devin, who repeatedly asks her out? He knows he’s dating someone else, but that doesn’t stop his flirting. Is Maddy’s interest in flirting back, if only a little, a sign that she isn’t all that interested in Craig, or is she just like every other woman on the planet who is dazzled by Adam’s stunning looks and undeniable charm? Could Adam actually be someone worth breaking her strict “no actors” dating rule?

Scared Scriptless by Alison Sweeney was one of my favorite books of 2014. It was the last book I read last year and I have to say that I went out with a bang. I found Maddy’s character to be flawed but likeable, and I wanted her to flourish both romantically and professionally. I loved all of the characters in the story, something I can rarely say about a book. I enjoyed getting to know each one of them and found their actions and motivations to be believable. Sweeney’s writing style is smooth, easy to follow, and the story naturally progressed at a steady pace. Start 2015 out with a winner and pick up this great new book by Sweeney.

Purchase the book at:

Amazon * Barnes&Noble

About the Author:

Alison Sweeney is an American dramatic actress, reality show host, director and author. Sweeney is best known for her portrayal of Samantha "Sami" Brady on NBC's long running Days of Our Lives, a role she has played under contract with the show since January 6, 1993. In this role, she has earned four Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Fan Voted Daytime Emmy Award.  In 2007, she became the host of The Biggest Loser.

She is the only daughter, and has two brothers, Sten and Ryan. Sweeney attended UCLA, but left due to the commitment at the time. On July 8, 2000, Sweeney married David Sanov, after dating for nearly three years. The couple have two children: Benjamin, born in February 2005 and Megan, born in January 2009. The family currently lives in Los Angeles, California.

Sweeney's first novel, The Star Attraction, was released in May 2013. Her second book, Scared Scriptless: A Novel, waa released in June 2014.

Connect with the author at:

Facebook * Twitter

House Broken - Review & Giveaway

Review by Darcie Czajkowski

Geneva Novak lives her life according to a non-negotiable list of rules, is dedicated to maintaining order around her, and insists on solving problems methodically. According to these philosophies, Geneva cares for animals as a veterinarian and runs her household of two temperamental teenagers. As long as she doesn’t deviate, she feels in control, but what troubles her is that some things – right now, too many things – are out of her control.

Ella Novak hates her mother. Well, what teenager doesn’t? But Ella hates hers more than the average teenager. Her mother sticks her nose where it doesn’t belong, ascribes to a long list of rules that’s become a nuisance, and doesn’t understand Ella in the slightest. Being a teenager is hard enough when your younger brother, Charlie, is up to no good, you’re trying to catch the attention of a boy at school, and pursue your dream of writing poetry, all while trying to keep up appearances that you’re studying for the SAT exam and completing homework assignments on time. She certainly doesn’t need her mother adding to her already-complicated life.

Helen Riley lives with secrets. Darn good ones. Ones she’d prefer to forget, if only as a result of her perma-companion, vodka. Her relationships with her four children are icy, except her only son, Dublin, who tolerates her in small doses. But at least she’s living in warm in L.A. and no one at her little condo complex sniffs the odor on her breath or judges her for her past. Here, her secrets are totally shrouded, locked in the past, where they will remain forever. She can live with herself, just so long as her children don’t come lookin’ for answers.

Then Helen makes a mistake. A big one. She drinks, then drives. Her car crashes and her injuries include a fractured knee and leg, a broken nose, and a dislocated shoulder. Despite her insistence that she can stay in her condo, Geneva and Dublin agree that someone must care for her. But with Helen’s finances in disarray, the duty falls on Geneva, whose husband, Tom, piously insists that taking in Geneva’s mother is the right thing to do.

But will Tom feel as committed to the cause once Helen moves in and aligns her nefarious interests with Geneva’s son, Charlie’s? Will Helen find a way to keep drinking, precluding any hope of a relationship with Geneva? Will Geneva pursue answers to long-held questions from her childhood, including but not limited to why her mother started drinking after her father’s death when Geneva was only eleven?

Told from the viewpoints of Geneva, Ella, and Helen, this moving, complex story of family engaged me from the first page until the very last. Sonja’s debut was impressively woven together to accurately portray the layered dynamics of a family which started dysfunctionally and only grew worse from there. Sonja poses various questions: Can a family survive the damning effects of alcoholism and long-kept secrets that created deep valleys between relationships? Are there just some revelations that a family simply cannot surmount? For anyone who has ever had a complicated relationship with one or more family members, this book will speak to you. I highly recommend it.

Purchase the book at:

Amazon * B&N

About the Author:

I'm a first-generation American, raised in Stowe, Vermont--a wonderful place to be a child. My father taught skiing and tennis. My mother had been a school teacher and encouraged my sister, my brother and me to read and read and read. It stuck.

As a teenager, I waitressed at the Trapp Family Lodge to earn my college tuition. Maria Von Trapp gave me a cuckoo clock for my sixteenth birthday!

I earned my B.S. in Psychology at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and my Ph.D. in Biological Psychology at the University of California at Berkeley.

I started writing full-time when my daughters were heading to college. My husband and I recently moved from the San Francisco Bay Area (the setting for my debut novel) to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.

                            

Connect with the author at:

Website * Facebook * Twitter

Penguin Random House is giving 1 lucky winner a print copy of 
House Broken!

a Rafflecopter giveaway