Blog Tour & Review: The Reluctant Bachelorette by Rachael Anderson

Title: The Reluctant Bachelorette
Author: Rachael Anderson
Publisher: HEA Publishing (September 2012)

Source: Received from author via I Am A Reader, Not A Writer Book Blasts & Blog Tours

Buy ebook: here

Buy paperback: here  

About the Book:

Unknowingly cast as the bachelorette for her town’s charity event, Taycee Emerson wants out. Especially when she discovers her old teenage crush, Luke Carney, is one of the bachelors and it's up to the viewers--not her--to decide which bachelors stay or go.

Coerced into participating, Taycee does what any self-preserving girl would do. She launches a subtle attack on Luke’s good name with the hope of getting him voted off the show. Unfortunately, Luke's an eye-for-an-eye kind of guy, and when he discovers what she's up to, it means revenge.

But when their pranks go south, will they screw up any chance they have at a future together, or will they be able to forgive and forget and prove that love really does conquer all?

Review:
What a fun read! This was the perfect chick-lit, clean romance read. I used to like watching the show "The Bachelor/Bachelorette." I actually watched the first few seasons. It was such an intriguing idea that you could find love on reality TV show. Nowadays, with all the breakups and messy relationships, it's lost a lot of its flair, but I love that this book used this show as a premise for a sweet love story.

I loved the characters, especially Taycee. She was the perfect girl-next-door character and I just loved the budding relationship between her and Luke. It was so sweet and playful. Almost reminiscent of young first love. Plus, the dialogue was so witty! I love it when the dialogue isn't just filler, but actual substance. Lastly, all the other characters each had their own personalities which added variety and flair to the story. Fun all around!

This was a quick, fun, humorous, entertaining read. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for some light and clean romance. I look forward to reading more of Anderson's books in the future. (I've had Minor Adjustments on my to-read list for what seems like forever!)

Rating:

4 out of 5 stars

About the Author: Rachel Renee Anderson

Rachael Anderson is the author of four contemporary romances: Divinely Designed, Luck of the Draw, Minor Adjustments, and The Reluctant Bachelorette. She's the mother of four, can't sing, doesn't dance, and despises tragedies. But she recently figured out how yeast works and can now make homemade bread, which she is really good at eating. 

FB fan page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rachael-Anderson/174521852685105
Website:
http://rachaelreneeanderson.blogspot.com/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/rachaelreneeand
Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3229576.Rachael_Renee_Anderson
Amazon author page:
http://www.amazon.com/Rachael-Renee-Anderson/e/B003357K70/

Check out more posts on the blog tour: http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com/p/blog-tour.html

Review: A Gift for My Sister by Ann Pearlman

Title: A Gift for My Sister
Author: Ann Pearlman
Publisher: Atria Books (May 1, 2012)

Source: Received from publisher

Summary from Goodreads:
Ann Pearlman's The Christmas Cookie Club enthralled readers everywhere with a heartwarming and touching story about the power of female friendship. Now, in A Gift for My Sister, she once again explores the depth of the human heart, and this time it’s through the eyes of two sisters. Tara and Sky share a mother, but aside from that they seem to differ in almost every way. When a series of tragedies strikes, they must somehow come together in the face of heartbreak, dashed hopes, and demons of the past. The journey they embark on forces each woman to take a walk in the other’s shoes and examine what sisterhood really means to them. It’s a long road to understanding, and everyone who knows them hopes these two sisters can find a way back to each other.

Review:
I'm a sucker for books about sisterhood. Maybe it's because I have a younger sister of my own and I personally understand how unique our relationship can be. Even though I enjoyed reading A Gift for My Sister, it left me with a sad, sinking feeling that I couldn't seem to shake away all day after I finished the book.

I really enjoyed Pearlman's writing. She has an exceptional way of adding depth to her characters through flashbacks that are seamlessly embedded within the story in a way that builds upon a character without taking away from keeping track of the present. Tara and Sky are deeply flawed and so blinded to truth and reality because their perceptions of each other are muddled by past hurts, loss, rejection and self-preservation at the cost of never truly accepting the other for who they are.

This story took me way too far down with all the tragedies and didn't pick me back up in time. It really pushed the limit of how much sadness I could take in one book, for ONE character. Maybe because Tara has a 2-year old and so do I, I felt too much for her character and the loss in her life. I kept waiting for the story to turn, but I guess since the story takes place over such a short period of time, it might not be very realistic for the sisters to change so quickly. The turn came too late for me and didn't quite uplift me the way I was hoping it would.

However, Pearlman's writing was very engaging, so I am looking forward to reading some of her other books.

Rating:

3 out of 5 stars

Review: There Goes the Bride by Holly McQueen

Title: There Goes the Bride
Author: Holly McQueen
Publisher: Atria Books (June 5, 2012)

Source: Received from publisher

Summary from Goodreads:
Happily ever after isn't always what you expect..."Polly Atkins, a Londoner living in New York City, is headed back across the pond for her wedding, a grand affair that has her older sister, Bella, in a whirlwind of excitement. Bella can't wait to take over the wedding plans--and neither can Polly's best friend, Grace, whose life as a wife, housekeeper, and mother is making her feel older than her twenty-eight years. She's desperate to see Polly settle down in the same city--and the same life.

The only one who isn't bursting with enthusiasm is Polly. Which is why, before things can get any more chaotic, she calls the whole thing off and lets go of the most perfect man on the planet. There's no way that Polly is going to tell anyone why she's changed her mind. Some secrets are best kept hidden. But Grace and Bella are determined to get Polly and her fiance back together if it's the last thing they do. After all, solving someone else's problems has got to be better than dealing with your own. . . .

Review:
I have been waiting for this book for what seems like a long time. I love me some chick-lit every now and then, but I just haven't been able to root for the characters in the chick-lit I've read lately. They just seem so much like caricatured versions of whatever stereotype they are supposed to represent - the lonely housewife, the unfulfilled career woman, the lost and drifting girl in her early twenties. It's been hard to find characters that you could root for, but this was NOT the case with There Goes the Bride... AT ALL.

What I loved the most about this book was that it drew me in with realistic, believable characters. The story is told from the perspectives of Polly's older sister, Bella and her best friend, Grace. It seems like I've been enjoying multiple perspectives a lot lately in my reading, but the best part about it is that it added so much to the story being able to be in the head of two very different women. McQueen adeptly introduces various characters in a way that makes it easy to follow. (I don't like it when an author throws a bunch of characters at you all at once and you spend the rest of the book trying to remember who so-and-so is and how they're related to the main character.) It picked me up from the first page and never lost it's momentum. I love when a book does that!

Bella, Grace and Polly are flawed and just oozing with insecurities, but the way McQueen writes, she nails down all of raw and REAL insecurities of most women. The way women look at each other and automatically assume that the other is thinking the worst about you. It's a daily battle for me. Bella and Grace battle with all of the insecurities that women struggle with everyday - How do we measure up? Are we pretty enough? Am I skinny enough? Will he love me forever? Am I a good mother? What do people really think of me? McQueen writes about women so well and about how cruel we can really be to other women with all the passive-aggressive, emotional one-upping over each other. I can't wait to read more of her books.

It's been a long time since I've finished a book within a night. I thoroughly enjoyed There Goes the Bride and highly recommend it to anyone looking for an well-written story that will draw you in from the first page and be almost impossible to put down once you get started. You won't be disappointed!

Rating:

5 out of 5 stars

Review: Between You and Me by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus

Title: Between You and Me
Author: Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
Publisher: Atria Books(June 12, 2012)

Source: Received from publisher

Summary from Goodreads:
From the authors of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Nanny Diaries comes a new novel that takes readers behind the scenes of stratospheric celebrity—what it means to be worshipped by millions and still feel loved by none.

Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus have proven again and again that they are masters at exploring the nuances of family relationships—as they intersect with the current trends in the culture at large.

In Between You and Me, twenty-seven-year-old Logan Wade has built a life for herself in New York City, far from her unhappy childhood in Oklahoma. But when she gets the call that her famous cousin needs a new assistant, it’s an offer she can’t refuse. Logan hasn’t seen Kelsey since they were separated as kids; in the meantime, Kelsey Wade has become one of Fortune Magazine’s most powerful celebrities and carrion for the paparazzi. But the joy at their reunion is overshadowed by the toxic dynamic between Kelsey and her controlling parents. As Kelsey grasps desperately at a “real” life, Logan risks everything to try and give her cousin the one thing she has never known—happiness. As Kelsey unravels in the most horribly public way Logan finds that she will ultimately have to choose between saving her cousin and saving herself.

Review:
I think all of us at some point or another imagine what it would be like to be famous. We picture the fancy clothes, shiny cars and big houses. What we often forget is the price celebrities pay to be famous - family, friends, love and happiness. The sad thing (and I am guilty of this too) is that we feed right into this system by watching the tabloid news and buying the tabloid magazines. Between You and Me puts us right behind-the-scenes of the high life and is a great reminder of how we should be careful of what we wish for.

What I enjoyed about this book was that it really does a great job of describing the behind-the-scenes life of celebrities. You really got a raw inside look inside and it was full of lots of juicy little details. It definitely fulfilled my voyeuristic desires for a peek inside the life of a person in the limelight. At the same time, the story reminded me of the rise and fall of Britney Spears, especially since Kelsey first worked for Kids Incorporated and Britney first started out in The Mickey Mouse Club. No wonder she, Kelsey and others are so susceptible to self-destruction!

Overall I enjoyed the book, but I wanted more depth to the characters. At first, I had a hard time keeping up with all the characters because of the names. I couldn't figure out who Kelsey's parents were for almost a whole chapter. I expected Kelsey to be shallow, but was pleasantly surprised by how I ended up feeling sympathetic towards her. The hardest part was that I couldn't get behind Logan. It seems like she just dropped everything to be there for her cousin. She seemed like a strong, independent woman at the beginning of the story and I had a hard time believing that she would just drop everything for a cousin she hasn't talked to in over a decade.

If you are looking for a light summer chick-lit read, I think you'll be entertained by Between You and Me. It's a nice reminder of how hard it can be to be a child star enveloped by the glitz and glam of Hollywood and how easy it can be to self-destruct from the pressure of it all. I am happy to say that I'm content with just being a normal girl who's not famous, doesn't have the biggest home or the nicest clothes, but has the love of a adoring husband, sweet little daughter and lots of happiness in between.

You can grab your own copy at your local bookstore today!

Rating:

3 out of 5 stars

Armchair BEA 2011 :: Chick-lit book or $10 at Amazon GIVEAWAY WINNER!!

Earlier this past week, I held my first-ever giveaway on my blog for a chick-lit book OR $10 Amazon gift card.

Thanks to all that visited and entered the giveaway!


Without further ado, here is the winner...

The winner is:
JK17 or @kimson_dino!!!

She chose the book, Mr. Maybe by Jane Green.

Synopsis from Goodreads:
To Libby Mason, Mr. Right has always meant Mr. Rich. A twenty-seven-year-old publicist, she’s barely able to afford her fashionable and fabulous lifestyle, and often has to foot the bill for dates with Struggling Writer Nick, a sexy but perpetually strapped-for-cash guy she’s dating (no commitments–really). So when Ed, Britain’s wealthiest but stodgiest bachelor, enters the picture, her idea of the fairy-tale romance is turned on its head. Libby soon finds herself weighing the advantages of Nick’s sexual prowess and tender heart against Ed’s luxurious lifestyle and unlimited retail therapy. But when the diamond shopping commences, Libby is forced to realize that the time for “maybe” is up.

Taking romantic comedy to a hip, sparkling new level, Mr. Maybe is a classic tale of what happens to one girl when her heart and her head aren’t looking for the same thing. With a laugh a minute and a heroine whose struggles in the dating jungle will remind you of your own, Mr. Maybe is a story that will leave you smitten.


Thanks again to everyone who entered! This was so much fun! I think we might have to make it a regular thing to do a giveaway on my blog!

JK17, please send me your mailing address at thebookishmama at gmail dot com and I will mail that off this week!

Armchair BEA 2011 :: Chick-lit book or $10 at Amazon GIVEAWAY

Chick-lit book or $10 Amazon gift card GIVEAWAY!

In honor of Armchair BEA, I am doing my very first giveaway on my blog! I have more than enough chick-lit books lying around and want them to find some new homes! Winner will get to choose a book or a $10 Amazon gift card!

Here are the book choices:

Mr. Maybe by Jane Green

Synopsis from Goodreads:
To Libby Mason, Mr. Right has always meant Mr. Rich. A twenty-seven-year-old publicist, she’s barely able to afford her fashionable and fabulous lifestyle, and often has to foot the bill for dates with Struggling Writer Nick, a sexy but perpetually strapped-for-cash guy she’s dating (no commitments–really). So when Ed, Britain’s wealthiest but stodgiest bachelor, enters the picture, her idea of the fairy-tale romance is turned on its head. Libby soon finds herself weighing the advantages of Nick’s sexual prowess and tender heart against Ed’s luxurious lifestyle and unlimited retail therapy. But when the diamond shopping commences, Libby is forced to realize that the time for “maybe” is up.

Taking romantic comedy to a hip, sparkling new level, Mr. Maybe is a classic tale of what happens to one girl when her heart and her head aren’t looking for the same thing. With a laugh a minute and a heroine whose struggles in the dating jungle will remind you of your own, Mr. Maybe is a story that will leave you smitten.

4 Blondes by Candice Bushnell

Synopsis from Barnes and Noble:
With its uncensored observations of the mating rituals of Manhattan's elite, Candace Bushnell's Sex and the City created a sensation, becoming an international best-seller, spawning a worldwide hit TV series, and inspiring countless imitators. Now, with the novel Four Blondes, Bushnell triumphantly returns to the playgrounds of the beautiful and powerful -- once again capturing the zeitgeist and mores of our era like no other writer. Four Blondes brings together the stories of four modern women to render a vivid portrait of New York at the millennium. Like the fiction of Helen Fielding and Melissa Bank, Bushnell's novel is a pitch-perfect chronicle of her characters' romantic intrigues, liaisons, betrayals, and victories. A beautiful B-list model finagles rent-free summerhouses in the Hamptons from her lovers until she discovers she can get a man but can't get what she wants. A high-powered magazine columnist's floundering marriage to a literary journalist is thrown into crisis when her husband's career fails to live up to her expectations. A "Cinderella" whose husband was one of the world's most eligible bachelors faithfully records her descent into paranoia in her journal as she realizes she wants anybody's life except her own. And an artist and aging "It girl" -- who fears that her time for finding a man has run out -- travels to London in search of the kind of love and devotion she can't find in Manhattan. Studded with her trademark wit and stiletto-heel-sharp insights, Four Blondes is dark, true, and compulsively readable. It's destined to be a hit among the author's legions of loyal fans and many new devotees.


Trading Up by Candice Bushnell
Synopsis from Barnes and Noble:
Candace Bushnell is turning heads . . .

The New York Times bestseller, now in paperback.

When Trading Up was published in July, readers from coast to coast devoured the sharp-witted, Jane Austin-esque story of Janey Wilcox's unsteady climb to the top of Manhattan's social scene. It became THE hot book -- and the numbers prove it: We've sold more than 250,000 copies to date. To top it off, Candace Bushnell was the apple of the press's eye. Her signature glamour, poise, and humor lit up TV screens, newspapers, and magazines across America.

While Janey Wilcox may want to be on top, it's clear that Candace Bushnell's Trading Up IS on top. With an even wider paperback audience, who knows how much higher she can climb?

Candace Bushnell is the author of the international bestsellers Sex and the City and 4 Blondes. She has been a columnist for The New York Observer and was a contributing editor for Vogue. She lives in New York City.


Diary of a Mad Mom-to-Be by Laura Wolf

Synopsis from Goodreads:
When last seen, Amy Thomas, the mad bride-to-be, was working her way through her 70-item to-do list, trying to keep chicken off the reception menu, and vowing never to change her name. Now Amy Thomas Stewart is a newlywed and a career woman, and becoming a mom is the last thing on her to-do list. So why is Amy obsessing about baby clothes and ogling pregnant women on the street?

Suddenly Amy realizes the inconceivable: She wants a baby—even though she’s just lost her job, their apartment’s way too small, and she doesn’t have a clue as to her ovulation cycle. Caught up in a passion to procreate, Amy knows she has to strike while the iron is hot. And if getting pregnant is making Amy this crazy, just think what will happen when the stick turns blue…

If none of these books fit your fancy, you can choose a $10 Amazon gift card!

**MUST BE A FOLLOWER TO ENTER*
(To follow, scroll down on the right and click "follow")

To have more than one entry, you can do either one or all of the following:

• Like bookish on facebook
• Follow @jasmine_marie on twitter
• Tweet about this giveaway!

Winner will be chosen on Sunday May 29, 2011 at noon. Open to US and International winners! Have fun! Thanks for dropping by!

GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED

Book Review: The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club by Gil McNeil

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.
Published December 22nd 2009 by Hyperion

(first published March 10th 2007)

Initially, I picked up this book because I was attracted to the colors on the cover. I am a sucker for pretty covers. Also, I was intrigued by the idea of a knitting club and owning a wool shop by the seaside. I only have very novice knitting skills, but I've been interested in the idea of attending a "Stitch n Bitch" group to learn more. I think this book was an indirect way to participate in one.

The story revolves around Jo, whose husband dies in a car crash right after he reveals that he's been having an affair and wants a divorce. After his death, she moves to a seaside town with her two young boys. She takes over her grandmother's wool shop and makes new friends with various people in town. These friendships help her through this difficult time in her life as she figures out what she's all about.

I had a hard time finishing this book. Sometimes I enjoy reading books that are easy to relate to because it feels like a typical day for any person. However, this book felt too much like that. It never really gained momentum for me and I struggled to finish it. The characters lacked depth and I actually had a hard time keeping track of all the characters since none of them really had much of a back story. The story jumps all over the place from event to event without really give much detail to each one. Plus, I wanted more of a leading man in the story. I won't say more than that, but I was hoping for more of a love story. What I did enjoy about this book was the friendship she developed with a famous celebrity and how they help each other through challenging circumstances.

Overall, it was a light read and might be good for you if you are looking for something quick, easy and uncomplicated.

This is book #10 of the year. I am participating in the 2011 Goodreads Reading Challenge. My goal is to read 50 books this year.

If you are interested in this, you can request it at PaperBackSwap.com. It is currently on My Bookshelf.

image courtesy of: me (I drew the cover myself.)