Delancey - Review & Giveaway

Review by KT Sullivan

Molly and her husband, Brandon Pettit, met over the Internet, but not through a matchmaking site. She writes the food blog, Orangette, and he sent her an e-mail. Thus began their journey to opening a pizza restaurant. 

Owning a restaurant is about raising money, finding the perfect location, an excellent staff, establishing a relationship with customers and food delivery men, and yes the perfect pizza. So many restaurants go out of business because of the failing of one of the above or all five. Their adventures and missteps are funny and do give pause. The hours they work are insane and the restaurant is never far from their thoughts. Working with a spouse has advantages and disadvantages, especially when this is a husband’s dream job. They both bring a love of food and many ideas to their venture. Plus there are recipes at the end of almost all the chapters.

I enjoyed the book and Molly's blog, Orangette, is fascinating. The food made and reviewed looks delicious. It is Molly’s passion and she writes with so much heart about food and family. I can see why Brandon would want to meet her. I’m not a good cook, but enjoy food. I plan to attempt the recipe for My Kate’s Brownies. Life is short, eat dessert first. After reading the book and blog, I was really hungry. Please eat well before you start the book.

Purchase the book at:

Amazon * Barnes&Noble

About the Author:

Molly Wizenberg is the voice behind Orangette, named the best food blog in the world by the London Times. Her first book, A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table, was a New York Times bestseller, and her work has appeared in Bon Appétit, The Washington Post, The Art of Eating, and The Guardian, and on Saveur.com and Gourmet.com. She also co-hosts the hit podcast Spilled Milk. She lives in Seattle with her husband Brandon Pettit, their daughter June, and two dogs named Jack and Alice. She and Brandon own and run the restaurants Delancey and Essex.

Connect with the author at:

Blog * Twitter

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Wedding Bells in Christmas - Review & Giveaway

Wedding Bells in Christmas
Christmas, Colorado # 4

By: Debbie Mason

Releasing May 26^th, 2015

Forever

Blurb

To have and to hold from this day forward

Wedding bells are ringing in the charming town of Christmas, but not for Vivian Westfield. She's just had her heart trampled under the cowboy boots of Chance McBride and lost her dream job at a big-city newspaper. But when she returns for a wedding, she stumbles on a story that could resurrect her career. First, though, she'll have to deal with the handsome man standing in her way . . . and a still-burning flame that's too hot to ignore.

Chance recognizes trouble when he sees it. He just didn't expect to find it in the first-class cabin on the flight home for his father's wedding. Yet there she is, as gorgeous as ever. Vivi dared Chance to want things he knew he could never have. It's why he left her. But Christmas's meddling matchmakers have them firmly in their sights. So if they want to survive the next week, they'll have to play the part of an adoring couple-an irresistible charade that may give them a second chance at the real thing . . .

Buy Links:

Amazon | B & N | iTunes | Kobo

Review by KT Sullivan

Vivian Westfield is heading to Christmas, Colorado for a wedding. Her ex Chance McBride’s father is getting married. She got demoted from her investigative reporter job on a newspaper and now writes the Dear Vivi column for the lovelorn. Her flight was paid for by Chance’s meddling Aunt Nell. She’s seated in first class next to Chance. The matchmaker of Christmas has struck again. They had a short term relationship, but Nell’s persistent. Chance lost his wife and baby girl in a car crash. He blames himself and avoids going home. He does security work and secretly helped Vivian with her report on organized crime. She referred to him as Superman to her Lois Lane. He’s the reason she lost her job because he feared for her life. They try to ignore each other during the flight, but the sparks are still hot between them. Her friends are married with children and would love to see Vivian settle down. His brothers feel the same about him, but his sister-in-law, Natalee, doesn’t like Vivian. Neither does Chance’s dog, Princess. Natalee harbors a few secrets and uses them against the budding romance. An old feud between Chance and another prominent family in Christmas threatens everyone and Vivian is caught in the middle.

Chance calls Vivian “Slick”. I love the nickname because it suits her. She puts up with nothing from anyone and never hesitates to call someone out, even if they are bigger and meaner. She finds a way to break down barriers especially with Princess. Chance has a hot cowboy vibe about him which is very appealing. They make a fun couple and a good story.

About the Author:

Debbie Mason is the bestselling author of the Christmas, Colorado series. Her books have been praised for their "likable characters, clever dialogue and juicy plots" (RT Book Reviews). She also writes historical paranormals as Debbie Mazzuca. Her MacLeod series has received several nominations for best paranormal as well as a Holt Medallion Award of Merit. When she isn't writing or reading, Debbie enjoys spending time with her very own real-life hero, their four wonderful children, an adorable grandbaby, and a yappy Yorkie named Bella.

Author Links:  Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Debbie is giving away three

$25 Amazon or B&N gift cards

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10 e-copies of The Reinvention of Mimi Finnegan are up for grabs!

Blurb:

Thirty-four year old, Mimi Finnegan is the third of four daughters and in her eyes, by far, the most unremarkable. She has no singular accomplishment that can stand up to any of her sisters. And if that isn’t enough, she is the only single sibling in her family.

Mimi’s sisters decide that it’s time she gets serious about husband hunting, so they begin a campaign to find Mr. Right for her. Considering her most recent dating encounters include a nightclub owner who stuffs bratwurst in his pants and a WASPy trust fund baby, living happily under his mother’s thumb, Mimi is more than ready to meet THE ONE. Enter celebrated British novelist Elliot Fielding.

Sexual tension and anger heat up between the duo and it isn’t until Mimi discovers that Elliot is almost engaged to another that she realizes she is head-over-heels in love with him.

The journey will make you laugh, cry and want to pull your hair out from frustration! Mimi eventually learns that she is quite remarkable in her own right and never needed to worry that she lived in her sister’s shadows. The Reinvention of Mimi Finnegan is the perfect laugh-out-loud, feel good book for any woman who has ever felt that she wasn’t good enough.

Purchase the book at:

Amazon

About the Author:

While attending the University of Illinois in Chicago, Whitney Dineen was discovered by a local modeling agent and began an unexpected career as a plus-size Ford model. She modeled in New York City before moving to Los Angeles with her husband.

When she wasn’t modeling, she was in the kitchen, baking delights to share with friends. Soon, her friends began asking her to send baskets of her wonderful candies and cookies to business associates, agents and production studios. Word spread like wildfire, and the rest, as they say, is history. Whitney’s sensational creations are still in great demand by her loyal celebrity clientele (www.WhitneysGoodies.com).

During “The Hollywood Years,” Whitney was bitten by the writing bug and started creating characters that are inspired by strong women with a great sense of humor.

In addition to her love of chick-lit, Whitney has also written a series of adventure books for middle readers. The first of which, Wilhelmina and the Willamette Wig Factory, is nearing completion.

Whitney and her husband, Jimmy, have recently relocated to the beautiful Pacific Northwest to raise their children, chickens and organic vegetables.

Connect with Whitney at:

Website * Facebook * Twitter

Whitney is giving 10 lucky winners an e copy of

The Reinvention of Mimi Finnegan
Open to US, Canada and the UK

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12 Things About Emily Liebert & A Giveaway

On the surface, Sloane has the perfect life—an adoring husband, a precocious daughter, and enough financial security to be a stay-at-home mom. Still, she can’t help but feel as though something—or someone—is missing....

Hillary has a successful career and a solid marriage. The only problem is her inability to conceive. And there’s a very specific reason why....

As the wild-child daughter of old family money, Georgina has never had to accept responsibility for anything. So when she realizes an unexpected life change could tie her down forever, she does exactly what she’s always done: escape.

When these three women unite for a three-week-long summer vacation in beautiful Lake George, New York, even with the idyllic location as their backdrop, the tensions begin to mount. And they quickly discover that no secret can be kept forever....

Purchase the book at:

Amazon * Barnes&Noble

“12 Things About Emily Liebert”

1. I detest being bored. It makes me anxious. Like there’s something I should be doing.

2. I taught myself how to cook by watching Food Network. Prior to that my claim to fame was that I could mix two cereals expertly. I enthusiastically recommend combining Frosted Flakes and Cocoa Pebbles.

                                                                       
3. I get C-R-A-N-K-Y when I’m hungry. Ask my husband. 

4.  I wish I were three inches taller, without heels.

5. I never drink coffee. Only because I hate the taste. Though I do love coffee ice cream. Go figure.

6.  My favorite color is purple. Growing I up, I had an entirely purple room.

7. I eat a toasted sesame bagel with vegetable cream cheese every morning. No matter where I am.

8. I have an A+++++++++ Type personality. So much so that I'm thinking I should have put at least two more plus signs. Or three.

9. My favorite book is Charlotte's Web. The love between Charlotte and Wilbur is everything. 

10. I’m an adoptive mother to our amazing five year old son. After we adopted Jaxsyn, I got pregnant one week later. One. Week. Later. We now have two sons who are 9-1/2 months apart.

11. I teach Pure Barre classes in my spare time (what spare time!!?). It’s a mixture of Pilates, Yoga, and ballet. I assure you, I never thought I’d speak the words, “I’m a fitness professional.”

12. I just turned 39 and I can still do a perfect cartwheel. And a killer split (on both sides).

About the Author:

Emily Liebert was born and raised in New York City, attended the Horace Mann School and Smith College, where she graduated with a B.A. in English Language & Literature.

When Emily’s not writing, she teaches Pure Barre classes and enjoys traveling, cooking, and cozying up with a good book. She’s been known to ride on a Harley Davidson. And she does a mean Running Man on the dance floor. Emily lives with her husband, Lewis, and their two delicious little boys, Jax and Hugo, in Westport, CT where she moved kicking and screaming for fear that there would be no Chinese food delivery at three in the morning. She was right.

Connect with the author at:

Website * Facebook * Twitter

NAL is giving one lucky winner a print copy of

Those Secrets We Keep

US/Canada Only

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If You're Not The One - Review & Giveaway

Review by KT Sullivan

Jennifer Wright decides her life with husband Max is boring. “Is this it?” seems to be her attitude toward her life. She finds herself asking ‘what if’ questions. After an accident leaves her in a coma for a while, she reexamines the relationship decisions in her life. She recalls past boyfriends and imagines different outcomes. She’s having a midlife crisis based on romances lost and found. Will she find happiness or does she have it and doesn’t recognize it?

                                                                                                          

The story bounces around in time before and after her car accident plus recollections of the men in her life. Many women have wondered what happened to ‘the one’ from high school. Now, searching the Internet is standard procedure. I found the questions in the back of the book the most interesting part. One point is that changing a substantial part of your life has a ripple effect on everything. If Jennifer didn’t marry Max, she wouldn’t have her children, live in her house, or know certain people. Swapping out the guy doesn’t solve the ‘blandness,’ it creates different situations and problems. Depending on a spouse to make the other’s life happy or fun shifts the burden and takes away responsibility. There is a partnership aspect to marriage and a meeting in the middle of priorities.

This story delves into how to change an unhappy life. With hard work and effort, it must come from within.

Purchase the book at:

Amazon * Barnes&Noble

About the Author:

Becoming a Mum was a big life change.  But it wasn’t until my second baby was about six months old, that I unearthed my book which I’d written over the course of about three years whenever I’d been in between jobs (out of work). Taking a deep breath I sent it to a publisher and the day I got my book deal was one of the happiest of my life. These days I’m a single mum (with a lovely boyfriend) and am busy writing and presenting. My third book, If You’re Not the One, came out in February and the film rights have been optioned by Working Title Films. It is also coming out in the States in June 2015. Meanwhile, I have just finished my fourth book which is due out next spring and am currently brewing ideas for a fifth.

Connect with the author at:

Website * Facebook * Twitter

Source Books is giving one lucky winner

A print copy of Jemma’s new book

If You’re Not The One

US/Canada Only

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It's You - Review & Giveaway

Review by Marlene Engel

Grieving the loss of her mother and untimely death of her fiancé, Dr. Alison McAdams’ life has been turned upside down.  Working at the dental practice of her fiance’s father, everything feels off to Ali.  This was the practice that her husband was supposed to be a partner of.  Her would be husband, if he didn’t commit suicide and leave himself hanging in their foyer for her to find.

When Ali learns of her father’s fall and injury to his arm, she uses this opportunity to spend more time with him, but at the same time get away from the painful memories that haunt her in Arizona.  But when she goes to Napa, she learns that there is so much about him that she didn’t know.  And, as she spends time with him and his friends, she gets a lesson about life that she wasn’t expecting.

But it’s the unexpected connection she makes with a cantankerous old woman named Edie that sets Ali on a journey to Berlin to learn more about the history and loss that Edie endured during the war.  And, in searching for answers about Edie, Ali learns a bit about herself.  And, although she can’t rewrite her past, she can make choices for her future.

I have read all of Jane Porter’s women’s fiction novels.  Although this had a different feel than her other books, it was just as heartfelt and moving.  Her focus on detail, especially her references to Edie’s life during the war, was so raw and honest.  You could feel the struggle and emotion in every word she wrote. 

Purchase the book at:

Amazon * Barnes&Noble

About the Author:

USA Today, and New York Times bestselling author of 47 romances and women's fiction titles, Jane Porter has been a finalist for the prestigious RITA award five times, with her Tule Publishing novella, Take Me, Cowboy, winning the Novella Category July 2014. Today, Jane has over 12 million copies in print, including her wildly popular Flirting with Forty, a novel picked by Redbook Magazine as it's Red Hot Summer Read in 2006 before being turned into a Lifetime movie in 2008 starring Heather Locklear. 

Jane holds an MA in Writing from the University of San Francisco and makes her home in sunny San Clemente, CA with her surfer husband three sons, and two dogs.

Connect with Jane at:

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram

Berkley is giving one lucky winner

A print copy of Jane’s new book

It’s You (US Only)

**Head over to Chick Lit Central for another chance at winning a copy of It’s You!**

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Five Days Left - Review & Giveaway

Review by Marlene Engel

In this emotionally charged book, it chronicles two couples going through life altering events.  Each one has five days left until their worlds will be rocked forever. 

Scott and his wife, Laurie, have been fostering eight year old Curtis while his mom fulfills her jail sentence.  Although they are expecting a child of their own soon, the pain of having to say goodbye to Curtis in a few short days is proving to be harder than Scott originally thought.  Knowing that Curtis will be reunited with his mom soon has Scott feeling mixed emotions and has causes a bit of tension between himself and his wife.  As she can’t fully understand how Scott can make a child, who is not of his blood, such a high priority.

Mara is a mother, wife and successful attorney.  Recently she has been showing signs of memory loss and her family and friends are getting concerned.  Reluctant to admit that she may have a medical condition, she agrees to see a specialist just to prove to her husband that he’s wrong in his concerns.  But when she receives a life-altering diagnosis, she’s not sure if she can, or wants to, live out the remainder of her life the way that others with the same condition has.  She has decided that, in five days, she’s going to take care of that. 

Five Days Left is a heart-wrenching story about love, loss, family and finding the strength to let go when all you really want to do is hold on tight. 

Purchase the book at:

Amazon * Barnes&Noble

About the Author:

Julie Lawson Timmer grew up in Stratford, Ontario, Canada. She lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan with her husband, their four teenage children and two rescued dogs. By turns, she is a writer, lawyer, mom/stepmom, fledgling practicer of Pilates, and dreadful cook. FIVE DAYS LEFT (Putnam 2014) is her first novel. Her second book, UNTETHERED, will be published by Putnam in 2016. 

Connect with the author at:

Website * Facebook * Twitter

Penguin/Random House is giving one lucky winner

A print copy of Five Days Left by Julie Lawson Timmer

US Only

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