SWEET NOTHINGS BY JANIS THOMAS - REVIEW, INTERVIEW AND GIVEAWAY!

What do you do when your husband of 18 years tells you that he’s leaving you for another woman?  First you panic and then you start thinking up stressipes.  It’s amazing all of the dessert recipes one creates when stressed out!  But, when the going gets tough, Ruby McMillan gets baking!

 

Ruby is the owner of the Muffin Top bakery.  It’s a small, cozy bakery located in Downtown Pelican Point.  Ever since Ruby was little, she knew she wanted to open up her own bakery.  Even at a young age she had everything picked out for her future bakery … right down to the plum colored napkins.  The only thing she didn’t anticipate was for her sales to start flagging.  But Ruby can’t focus on that now.  She’s still trying to figure out how she’s going to raise her two children alone, pay her mortgage and keep her bakery from going under.  Not to mention she has become a pariah of sorts in her community.  After word that Walter had left Ruby (Read:  Walter plastered it all over Facebook) and is traveling around the world with his soul mate, the group of Pelican Point ladies (that Ruby had socialized with since her kids were in preschool) were no longer interested in Ruby being a part of their circle.  

Thankfully Ruby has the bakery to keep her mind off of the drama that has suddenly consumed her life.  She agrees to teach a baking class to increase her diminishing funds, while also hesitantly allowing her daughter to give her a confidence boosting make-over.  Throughout all of this, Ruby manages to catch the eye of her mortgage broker, Jacob Salt, who happens to be one yummy looking specimen!  But is it too soon for her to start seeing another man? 

What does Ruby do when life hands her lemons?  She makes a lemon meringue pie, of course!  Come join Ruby as she ditches “rational” Ruby and discovers how delicious life can be when you live outside of the box a bit. 

Sweet Nothings is such a deliciously fun book!  I really enjoyed the story, thought the characters were fun and relatable and thoroughly enjoyed the humor!  You know a book is good when you lock yourself in the bathroom just so you can read a few more pages uninterrupted!  I can’t think of one thing that I didn’t like, or would have changed, about this book.  From the first to the last page, it was a delectable read!  I would definitely recommend this book to others.  It has all of the elements that I look for in a book … a great storyline, fun characters, romance, yummy desserts and lots of laughs!  I love, love, LOVE this book!  Sweet Nothings by Janis Thomas is definitely worthy of a five out of five star rating!

Q&A:

Where did you come up with the premise for Sweet Nothings?  

I've been making cakes, cookies and desserts for a very long time, and for years, I've had it in my mind to tell a story about a baker.  It's funny; I cannot draw at all. If you asked me to sketch a lion or a car, the resulting picture would look like it had been done by a five year old...Actually, a five year old would probably laugh hysterically at my drawing. But I can make a cake look like almost anything. And the creative process is hypnotic, meditative and joyful. I thought about my main character a lot while I was baking. For Ruby, baking is the one place where she can let herself go, open herself up, and find joy.

Check out some of Janis' yummy creations in this video!

Describe Sweet Nothings in three words. 

Three words? Yikes. You can tell by my last answer that I am not very economical with words! LOL! To my delight, others have described Sweet Nothings as "witty, poignant, and delicious." In three words, I would say "Makes you crave sweets." Wait, that was four words, right?...Oh, well. I was never very good at math!

Are any of the characters in Sweet Nothing based on real people?

None of the characters in Sweet Nothings are based on real people, but as with all of my main characters, some of me seeps into Ruby. Also, Izzy is completely fictitious, except that she is an amazing friend. I happen to be blessed with incredible friends who are always there for me, just as Izzy is for Ruby. 

Ruby, one of the main characters in the book, doesn't believe in fairy tale romances.  Do you believe in them? 

I have always believed in fairy tale romance. I still believe in them, which is why I'm certain I'm going to end up with Hugh Jackman. (Sorry, honey!)

What can we expect next from Janis Thomas? 

I've just finished polishing the manuscript for my third book--also humorous women's fiction and connected to Sweet Nothings and Something New. We'll be sending it out soon, so let's keep our fingers crossed!

 For more on Janis, visit her website at www.JanisThomas.com or her blog, Anonymous Soccer Mom, at www.janisthomasblog.wordpress.com

Here is a beautiful picture of Janis at a signing for her first book, Something New. Her mom recently passed away and she carries a photo with her where ever she goes.  Our condolences go out to Janis and her family.

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COVER REVEAL FOR SOPHIE’S ENCORE PLUS EXCERPT AND GIVEAWAY!!!

COVER REVEAL FOR SOPHIE’S ENCORE PLUS EXCERPT AND GIVEAWAY!!!

Hooray! Nicky Wells is here today to celebrate the cover reveal for her third book, Sophie’s Encore.

 Read on for:

The BLURB

The COVER

The EXCERPT

The GIVEAWAY

Here’s your chance to win an advance review copy of Sophie’s Encore or Rock Star Romance SWAG!

Sophie’s Encore

Her rock star is waiting in the wings, but will he get a second chance?

It’s all change for Sophie Jones—only this time, there is more at stake than just her happiness.

Rock star extraordinaire, Dan Hunter, has been her patient and caring friend through the highs and lows since her wedding day, but now he figures it is time for her to start over. By stealth, the rock singer draws Sophie into the behind-the-scenes work for his band’s latest album. Through the days and weeks spent together at the mixing desk, Sophie discovers whole new horizons for her life, yet before she can even begin to explore them, she faces the very real threat of losing her rock star for good.

Join Sophie and Dan in Sophie’s Encore to find out how their journey will end…

Cover design: Nicky Wells and Chad Lichtenhan

Cover image: Singer in the darkness © Dmytro Konstantynov | Dreamstime.com

Whoa! What do you make of this? And to intrigue you further, Nicky has shared this excerpt of Sophie’s Encore:

Sophie’s Encore: Excerpt

My bedroom door opened slowly and Dan crept in. All thought of sleep forgotten, I flicked the light back on and was met by an astonishing sight. There was Dan, the rock star, legend for his antics on and off stage, clad in a demure pair of checked pajamas with a button-up top and a mismatched, stripy dressing gown. His feet were stuffed into fluffy slippers, and he clutched a bottle and two glasses in his hands.

“Come on,” he whispered. “Dinner is served.”

I giggled and left my bed, grabbing my own stripy dressing gown and a pair of thick socks.

“What are you doing?” I breathed into his ear, but he simply took my hand and pulled me down the dark corridor toward the open-plan lounge.

“Have a seat,” he invited me and gestured at the dining table, which was once again laid, although only for two, complete with candles and napkins.

He set down the bottle and glasses and scurried off to shut the lounge door. While he busied himself in the kitchen, I basked in the heat from the fire which Dan had re-stoked, and observed my rock star with some degree of amusement.

Within a few minutes, he brought a dish of smoked salmon bites to the table, followed by olive bread, a cheese board, various cold meats, olives, pickled anchovies, and prawns with some sort of aioli dip. He popped the cork on the bottle of champagne, poured two glasses, and sat down, satisfied at last.

“Now we can eat,” he announced. “Tapas. What do you think?”

I raised my glass. “Cheers,” I giggled. “So that’s what you meant earlier. I think it’s amazing. It’s like a midnight feast. I’m just waiting for matron to discover us and give us detention. Why all the secrecy?”

Dan speared a prawn and pointed it at me. “Well, for one, as you say, matron will certainly come and give us detention. Peter is very strict on my sleep regimen, you see.” He dipped the prawn into the aioli before popping it into his mouth. The beatific look on his face and his scrunched up eyes suggested he was enjoying this humble treat far more than was warranted.

He swallowed and cleared his throat. “And for another, I’m on a strict diet. Every last bit of cheese gets weighed, the carbohydrates counted, the sugar added up. It’s really tedious.” He grimaced.

I helped myself to some bread and salmon. “Tedious indeed, I can see that. But why? I thought you were supposed to eat lots and get better.” I chewed greedily, my tummy having given an impressive rumble.

Dan speared another prawn and added a mountain of cheese and bread to his place. “Bliss,” he murmured before explaining further. “I’m supposed to eat healthy, not lots. So Peter has taken it upon himself to reform the bad eating habits of a lifetime. Bless him, it’s what he’s paid to do. I’ve been going along with it, and I have to admit, I’m feeling pretty good. But…”

He grinned his school-boy grin, took a big mouthful of food, washed it down with a large gulp of champagne, and finished his thought. “Well, it gets boring. And I wanted to do something special with you. On my own.”

I burst out laughing, but quieted down when I saw the alarm on Dan’s face.

“Sorry,” I whispered.

  “Peter’s bedroom is right next door there,” Dan whispered back. “And he’s a light sleeper.” He pointed his finger, and we sat in silence for a minute, straining to hear.

“I think we’re okay,” Dan finally concluded and resumed eating.

I giggled softly. “Naughty, naughty, us.”

“Ha, we’re not naughty yet,” Dan shot back, speaking softly as well. “I was working up to that part.”

He winked, and my heart skipped and jumped. He didn’t mean—he couldn’t mean what I thought he meant?

“What do you mean?” I bumbled, hoping for clarification, but Dan was enjoying himself.

“All in good time,” he teased. “Let’s finish our meal first.”

The Giveaway

Nicky wants to share her excitement about this cover reveal and upcoming release with you! She’s offering a giveaway — Enter for your chance to win:

One of TWO Sophie’s ENCORE Advance Review e-Copies

or

One Sophie’s RUN Mug

or

One Rock Star Romance Trilogy SWAG Pack featuring postcards and bookmarks

ENTER HERE:

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GIVEAWAY CLOSES 15 AUGUST AT MIDNIGHT BST.

The small print! Entrants must be aged 18 or over. Giveaway is open internationally. Winners will be drawn via Rafflecopter.

GOOD LUCK!

****STOP PRESS: Nicky's just told me that her first two books, Sophie's Turn and Sophie's Run, are now available for only $0.99 (or equivalent) each to celebrate the cover reveal! Hurry ~ limited time only!! Book details below!!!*****

SOPHIE’S ENCORE: coming your way in e-book and paperback editions on 5 SEPTEMBER 2013!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About Nicky Wells

 Nicky Wells is your ultimate rock chick author. Signed to US Publisher, Sapphire Star Publishing, Nicky writes Romance That Rocks Your World, featuring the rock star and the girl next door. Nicky’s books offer glitzy, glamorous contemporary romance with a rock theme ~ imagine Bridget Jones ROCKS Notting Hill!

Like Sophie, her leading lady, Nicky loves listening to rock music, dancing, and eating lobsters. When she’s not writing, she’s a wife, mother, occasional knitter, and regular contributor to The Midweek Drive show on Lincoln’s Siren 107.3 FM. Rock on!

Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Loveahappyending.com Lifestyle | Romantic Novelists’ Association | Sapphire Star Publishing | Amazon | Goodreads

Find Nicky’s Rock Star Romance Trilogy here:

Part 1~Sophie’s Turn: So the rock star wants to marry her, but she’s already engaged…

AMAZON.CO.UK | AMAZON.COM| BARNES & NOBLE

Part 2~Sophie’s Run: Her famous star remains her rock while life takes her on a little detour…

AMAZON.CO.UK | AMAZON.COM | BARNES & NOBLE

Book Review: The Witch of Little Italy by Suzanne Palmieri

Eleanor Amore is struggling with an abusive relationship, a mother who seems to lack the nurturing gene and the inability to remember the summer when she was ten years old.  When she finds herself pregnant, she decides to return to the place that she feels the most safe.  The most belonged.  She goes back to 1313 170^th Street in the Bronx.  Back to where she spent a summer alone with her great aunts, grandmother and great uncle.  Although she didn’t let her family know she was planning on returning, they already knew.  All of the Amore siblings had varying degrees of The Sight.  But why does everyone remember that summer besides Eleanor?  And why, now that she’s back in her family home, is she getting flashes of memories from the past?  With each flash she gets, Eleanor becomes more and more determined to recapture the memories of her past and reveal the secrets of the day the Amore’s died.  What was once eight Amore children, now only three remained.  Each of them carrying the burden of “that day”.  In order to move forward with her life, Eleanor knows that she needs to know what happened in the past.  But will the truth be helpful or hurtful to the Amore Family?  And will Eleanor be able to handle the truth?

The Witch of Little Italy was a magical book.  I had a hard time putting it down.  From beginning to end I was captivated by the Amore family, their secrets and the ties that bind them.  The characters and story were so well written.  It was hard to believe that this was the author’s debut novel.  You will fall in love with the Amore Family and the gift of The Sight that they share. 

I really enjoyed reading this book.  It was so enchanting and moving.  This is a great book for anyone looking to get caught up in the magic and love of a family.  I would definitely recommend this book to others.  It would be the perfect book club choice as the discussions for this book would be endless.  I give this book 4.5 magical stars!

WE HAVE REACHED 100 BLOG MEMBERS!!!

We have reached 100 blog members.  In celebration, I'm giving away a $25 Barnes & Noble gift card.  Click on the "Contests/Giveaways" tab and enter via Rafflecopter.  You can enter daily until the end of the contest at midnight on Wednesday.  Good luck and thank you all for being a part of Book Mama!!!

Giveaway for a $25 Barnes & Noble Gift Card When We Hit 100 Blog Members

Who wants to win a $25 Barnes & Noble gift card???

We are 7 members away from having 100 blog members.  Once we reach 100 members we will be having a giveaway for a $25 Barnes & Noble gift card.  Also, our sister blog, Chick Lit Central (chicklitcentral.com) will be hosting a giveaway to celebrate this too!!! 

If you haven't joined the blog, or know someone who may be interested in joining, just go to the blog page, scroll down until you see the blue tab that says JOIN THIS SITE, click it and join the blog.  It's that easy :)  Just a reminder, you must be a member of the blog to be eligible to win any giveaway.  

Book Review and Giveaway: Lake Como

When I first heard of Anita Hughes she had just published her first book, Monarch Beach.  Being the type of person who is always looking for a new author's book to enjoy, I decided to grab a copy.  Let me tell you that I couldn't put the book down.  I devoured the whole thing in less than a day.  I knew from that point that I had to read every book that Anita publishes.  Her second book, Market Street, didn't disappoint either.  There is just something about the characters she creates and her style of writing that makes you feel like you're a part of the story.  When I heard her third book, Lake Como, was available for pre-order, I made sure to order my copy.  I wanted to make sure that the book would be at my door the day it's released.  To my surprise, I was told about an auction that Brenda Novak was hosting for Diabetes Research.  One of the items up for bid was a signed ARC (advance reading copy) of Lake Como.  I knew that I had to have that book.  Not only would I be able to read it before it hits the shelves, it would be a signed copy.  I ended up winning the auction which I looked at as a double positive.  Not only did I score this book, but the money that I paid was going to help others suffering from such a debilitating disease.  That's when I thought ... this would be the perfect book to choose for my first review on Book Mama.

Hallie and Peter have been dating for a while now.  Hallie has been less than subtle about her desire to get engaged to Peter.  One day, Hallie finds Peter and her boss in a compromising position.  In an attempt to prove to Hallie that what she saw was innocent, Peter proposes to Hallie.  But Hallie isn’t ready to forgive nor forget what she saw that night.  She decides to go to Lake Como to visit with her half-sister, Portia, who is having relationship issues of her own.  Separated from her cheating husband and living back home in her family’s prestigious villa, Portia and Hallie spend quality sister time together.  But when Hallie discovers her mother’s hidden diaries of when she was younger, family secrets come out.  Secrets that Hallie’s mother, Francesca, didn’t intend for anyone to find out.

While in Lake Como, Hallie falls in the love with the beauty and culture of Italy.  She takes a job doing interior design at the Villa Luce, which reminds her of castles she’s read about in fairytales.  She becomes intrigued by the mystery surrounding the villa’s owner who she was told was an American billionaire and recluse.  While working at the villa, Hallie becomes close with the villa’s estate manager, Angus.  She’s starting to develop strong feelings for him until she discovers he is keeping a secret from her as well.

Can Hallie get past all the secrets that she’s discovering?  Or will she find it too hard to forgive the very people she thought she could trust the most?  Come along with Hallie as she explores Lake Como and discovers herself in the process.

 

Lake Como is a wonderful book about self-discovery, family ties and new beginnings.  I felt like I was a part of the book as I read each page.  The way that Anita Hughes describes every detail made me feel like I was living the adventure along with Hallie.  I enjoyed each character and the struggles and triumphs they faced.  I also enjoyed how relatable they each were.  I very much enjoyed this book.  It is the perfect book to take with you on vacation … or to take you away to make you feel like you are on a vacation.  I would definitely recommend this book to others.  Once again, Anita Hughes produced a book worthy of five stars. 

I am giving away a signed copy of both Monarch Beach and Market Street to one lucky winner!!! (There will be a giveaway for a copy of Lake Como closer to the release date, so stay tuned for that!)  Eligible to U.S residents only and remember you have to be a member of this blog to be eligible to win!

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Congrats Janine R for winning the two signed/personalized books by Anita Hughes!

BREAKING NEWS ... Book Mama and Chick Lit Central Have Teamed Up To Be Sister Blogs!!!

EXCITING NEWS!!! Book Mama and Chick Lit Central have teamed up and are now sister blogs. Get the latest news in books, great reviews, amazing author interviews and the best giveaways at both blogs!!! When Book Mama reaches 100 members on the blog site, both CLC and BM will be doing a giveaway!!!  Go check out Chick Lit Central at chicklitcentral.com (or you can click on the Chick Lit Central button located on Book Mama's blog) and show some love.  They really are THE BEST blog for everything "chick lit".