Hollywood Ending by Lucie Simone

3.5 Star

Trina Stewart needs cash. Fast. She’s barely got enough dough to keep her fanny off the streets, let alone any spending money for hot nights clubbing on Sunset Strip. And her job teaching English as a Second Language is seriously lacking in both pay and glamour. But not just any job will do. She’s after a real Hollywood job. The kind that makes her $100,000 in film school debt and ten years in Tinsel Town not seem like such a big fat waste of time and money.  But a girl can’t fritter away all her time fretting over her next paycheck, can she? Certainly not when a man like Matiu Wulf, a sexy Maori from New Zealand, parks his oh-so-fine self in the apartment above hers while he takes his best shot at Showbiz.

If only Matiu didn’t seem so… repelled by Trina. Really, though, it’s Los Angeles that Matiu finds so revolting. He’s only in L.A. to get some scene design experience to beef up his resume, and then he’s headed back to New Zealand to follow his dreams in peace, thank you very much. That’s his plan, anyway, until he falls hard for Trina…and Trina falls under the spell of a toothy-grinned wannabe actor who charms the pants right off her.

With Matiu on a mission to win Trina’s heart, and Trina on a mission to nail down that ever elusive Hollywood job, these two soon discover that when love gets tossed in the mix, life in Tinsel Town isn’t all red carpets, after parties, and celebrity gossip. In fact, Hollywood can be a downright bitch!

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Sabrina-Kate - 3.5 Star

Hollywood Ending is definitely an apt title for the tale of Trina Stewart. Set in, you guessed it, Los Angeles, our leading lady is a woman with a plan. A plan that isn't exactly working out, but nonetheless, a plan. After having gone to a very expensive film school and not getting her break, Trina is stuck teaching ESL classes part time to barely scrape by. Despite it all, Trina has dreams of getting her big break while also turning her nose up at typical Hollywood types.

New neighbor Matiu, a hot Kiwi in town for a class and a history working in the film industry back home, piques her interest but turns her down a couple of times until all of a sudden he just can't get enough of her. Couple this with her budding relationship with recently met model/limo driver Blake and you have a book that reminded me of a 90210 plot.

Trina can't see to make her mind up between the two men yet has no problems playing the field with both of them while pining for one or getting distracted by the other.

And this is where the book started to kind of lose me a bit more: Matiu goes from being completely uninterested in Trina to being willing to change his life for her. She goes to obsessing about him to trying to constantly run away. Seems a bit flighty and perhaps more the actions of younger characters than people in their late 20s... but I suppose it is possible.

The book is a light read, a good kind of beach or bath book but nothing that will make you ache for the character or cheer them on. The writing style is very enjoyable though with a lot of witty repartee and play upon stereotypes that is good for a chuckle (or a few of them). I won't spoil the ending but the title may just say it all.

Thank you to Lucie Simone for our review copy!

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The Baker's Daughter by Sarah McCoy

5 Star

In 1945, Elsie Schmidt is a naive teenager, as eager for her first sip of champagne as she is for her first kiss. She and her family have been protected from the worst of the terror and desperation overtaking her country by a high-ranking Nazi who wishes to marry her. So when an escaped Jewish boy arrives on Elsie’s doorstep in the dead of night on Christmas Eve, Elsie understands that opening the door would put all she loves in danger.

Sixty years later, in El Paso, Texas, Reba Adams is trying to file a feel-good Christmas piece for the local magazine. Reba is perpetually on the run from memories of a turbulent childhood, but she’s been in El Paso long enough to get a full-time job and a fiancé, Riki Chavez. Riki, an agent with the U.S. Border Patrol, finds comfort in strict rules and regulations, whereas Reba feels that lines are often blurred.

Reba’s latest assignment has brought her to the shop of an elderly baker across town. The interview should take a few hours at most, but the owner of Elsie’s German Bakery is no easy subject. Reba finds herself returning to the bakery again and again, anxious to find the heart of the story. For Elsie, Reba’s questions are a stinging reminder of darker times: her life in Germany during that last bleak year of WWII. And as Elsie, Reba, and Riki’s lives become more intertwined, all are forced to confront the uncomfortable truths of the past and seek out the courage to forgive.

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Lydia - 5 Star

The Baker's Daughter is riveting and haunting and I loved every word. A story of family, love and choices, this novel alternates between a vivid portrayal of World War II via Elsie as she comes of age during the war and Reba in the present day whose own traumatic life events have shaken her. As the two lives intersect, this novel shows how the past can help heal the present - if we're willing to listen.

I LOVED Elsie.  She's spunky, fearless and feisty. The choices she makes aren't always perfect, but she makes the best of every situation. I adored her in the present day story and could picture my grandmother in her and absolutely loved that. Her dialogue with her daughter and Reba and made me laugh out loud several times which was fantastic. Each and every character felt like I could reach out and touch them and I wanted to wander into the bakery in Texas that felt so warm and full of life with wonderful women and wisdom.

I am ashamed to admit I had never heard of Lebensborn and this is yet another reason this story will stick with me forever.  I love novels that teach me something, and this did - more than once.

The differing views of the war between various characters really stood out for me and it was interesting to see the portrayal as not just generational differences. This novel isn't just a story about a woman coming of age during the war. There are social and political layers that span the novel as well.  And it's all very subtle, and when you stop to think about it all.  Wow.

When intuition cracks the solid foundation of loyalty - to your family, your religion, your country, your job - how would you react?  The Baker's Daughter examines how each character handles the shady line between loyalty and intuition and there are many different examples to be had from Reba's father, Riki, the soldiers in Elise's town and Elise herself. The fates of these characters showcase how ignoring intuition leads to despair and disaster while listening to it may just lead down road to redemption.

As if the story and characters and learning a few things along the way weren't enough, the prose and detail in this novel were outstanding. The mouth watering description of the baked goods themselves almost had me running off to a local bakery several times - but I didn't want to put the book down to go! For those more adventurous, there are recipes included. With just enough detail for vivid scenes, I constantly stopped abruptly to marvel over a phrase. Here's one particular gem that stood out:  "A star burst like a corn from its kernel."

I can't wait to get my hands on more from Sarah McCoy.

Thank you to Crown Publishing Group for our review copy!

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Bond Girl by Erin Duffy

5 Star

When other little girls were dreaming about becoming doctors or lawyers, Alex Garrett set her sights on conquering the high-powered world of Wall Street. And though she's prepared to fight her way into an elitist boys' club, or duck the occasional errant football, she quickly realizes she's in over her head when she's relegated to a kiddie-size folding chair with her new moniker—Girlie—inscribed in Wite-Out across the back.

No matter. She's determined to make it in bond sales at Cromwell Pierce, one of the Street's most esteemed brokerage firms. Keeping her eyes on the prize, the low Girlie on the totem pole will endure whatever comes her way—whether trekking to the Bronx for a $1,000 wheel of Parmesan cheese; discovering a secretary's secret Friday night slumber/dance party in the conference room; fielding a constant barrage of "friendly" practical jokes; learning the ropes from Chick, her unpredictable, slightly scary, loyalty-demanding boss; babysitting a colleague while he consumes the contents of a vending machine on a $28,000 bet; or eluding the advances of a corporate stalker who's also one of the firm's biggest clients.

Ignoring her friends' pleas to quit, Alex excels (while learning how to roll with the punches and laugh at herself) and soon advances from lowly analyst to slightly-less-lowly associate. Suddenly, she's addressed by her real name, and the impenetrable boys' club has transformed into forty older brothers and one possible boyfriend. Then the apocalypse hits, and Alex is forced to choose between sticking with Cromwell Pierce as it teeters on the brink of disaster or kicking off her Jimmy Choos and running for higher ground.

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Lydia - 5 Star

When Bond Girl popped up in my mailbox I had to read the cover to discover what it was about. Isn’t this cover fabulous!?! I’ve never been a huge shoe fanatic (somehow that’s changing – maybe all this reading about shoes in the last ten years?), but I couldn’t wait to crack this one. A girl who takes on Wall Street? In six inch stiletto’s? Bring it on! 

I loved this book.  Erin Duffy has a fresh, fun voice. She puts a new spin on the New York City girl – even if she’s still wearing Jimmy Choos.  Alex is a bond trader – not something you see every day in chick lit.  She’s smart, sassy and a little insecure when she begins working at Cromwell Pierce, but she’s willing to do what it takes to get ahead, and is pushed to the edge daily to it done.  

This book had some unique situations and I laughed at the trader’s antics and what Alex is forced to endure during her ‘probation’ – more like her hazing. The novel wasn’t bogged down in details about bond trading that would have bored me and what job specific information we were shown, Alex was just as confused about. The inside look at Wall Street – from a female perspective especially – was interesting.  Alex trudges and tiptoes through this still male dominated world amidst leers, sexual innuendo and having her intelligence questioned. There were some surprises in this novel and I was never sure which way it would go, which is always a huge plus.

The crazy routine and lifestyle portrayed in Bond Girl made my head spin.  The insane work hours, the after work socializing for work, the client lunches, dinners and everything in between. Time spent with friends and family lacking and the deficiency of sleep. There is no way on earth I would be capable.  I would have collapsed after a month and appreciated seeing how ragged Alex is run.  Admirable really.

Check out this novel today!

Thank you to HarperCollins Canada for our review copy and giveaway!

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The Whisperer by Donato Carrisi

2 Star

Six severed arms are discovered buried in a forest clearing. They are arranged in a mysterious circle, and appear to belong to missing girls between the ages of eight and thirteen. But the rest of the bodies are nowhere to be found.

Criminologist Goran Gavila is given the case. A disheveled, instinctively rebellious man, he is forced to work with young female police officer Mila Vasquez. Lithe, boyish, answering to no one, Mila has a reputation as a specialist in missing children. She also has a tragic history of her own that has left her damaged, unable to feel or to relate to others.

Theirs is a fiery but strangely affecting working relationship - and as they uncover more secrets about the dark secrets in the forest, their lives are increasingly in each other’s hands… 

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Lydia - 2 Star

Thrillers were all I used to read when I was younger, before my obsession with Chick Lit began. I devoured the likes of Stephen King, Patricia Cornwall, James Patterson and Jeffrey Deaver and when the television shows like Criminal Minds and Dexter began I was in heaven. So I thought I would branch out and try another thriller after so long and had hoped The Whisperer would live up to the hype, but sadly it took me forever to get into this novel and in the end it fell completely flat for me.

This novel was quite disjointed.  The first half had barely any action and I struggled to keep reading. There was no flow and I kept getting distracted and would find myself staring off into space on the subway instead of reading - a rare occurrence for me, even with the abundant people watching. The narration kept flipping around and at times I had difficulty determining who was speaking and had to go back to figure it out.

Even in the second half when things got a little more active, I still couldn't find myself drawn into the characters or even much of the story. I didn't find it that gruesome. I've read much worse.  I kind of wish the story was told from Mila's perspective throughout. I think it would have dawn me into the story more, made me more sympathetic to her character and drawn me into the book further.

One final complaint - especially with this being a thriller - was that as I kept reading and had 12 pages left (I kept looking down to see how far I had left to go - never a good sign) the book suddenly wrapped up and left me hanging, with what I thought was twelve pages remaining.  This left me completely unprepared for the ending to come so swiftly with the author's notes comments and thank you's taking up the final pages. 

There were a few things that surprised me, but not enough to blow me over and convert this into an incredible read. There are rave reviews out there though, so let me know if you are a thriller fan and enjoyed this one.  I'm curious to know! 


Thank you to Little, Brown and Company for our review copy.

150 Pounds by Kate Rockland

5 Star

In the fast paced life of blogging, two women stand out: Alexis Allbright, of Skinny Chick, and Shoshana Weiner, who writes Fat and Fabulous. Both have over five million loyal readers. Both are hungry for success. But the similarities stop there. 

With over 100 pounds on the scale separating them, weight isn't their only difference. Alexis is a loner who is so bitchy the only person who can stand her company is her gay best friend Billy. She gives neurotic New Yorkers a run for their money with her strict daily workout routine, and weighing of food. Shoshana is Alexis’s opposite. Living in Jersey with rowdy roommates, she is someone who “collects friends,” as her mother puts it; and treasures a life of expanding circles...and waistlines.

When both appear as panelists on a popular talk show, their lives intersect in ways neither could have imagined. In turns comedic, heartwarming--and familiar to any woman who's ever stepped on a scale--Alexis and Shoshana realize they have far more in common than either could have possibly imagined, and more importantly, something to offer.

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Lydia - 5 Star

150 Pounds is just as delectable as the cupcakes on the cover. It's an easy read with a weighty punch and all women will be able to relate to the issues in this novel, regardless of where on they fall on weight spectrum. I loved 150 Pounds and devoured it as quickly as I would those cupcakes. 
 
At first I was drawn to Shoshana's exuberant personality, loving that her extra pounds didn't get her down. But Alexis quickly took over and I rooted, almost screaming at times, for her to get her head out of her ass. There were several unexpected turns with Alexis's story which really took me by surprise, one of which I usually see coming, but I had no clue. I loved her love interest. He was patient and kind and ridiculously dreamy and I really enjoyed watching Alexis under his spell.

That's not to say I didn't enjoy Shoshana's storyline though.  Because I did.  Lots.  I loved the relationship she had with her family and that her purpose in life didn't seem to be finding a man, although if Prince Charming showed up, she'd definitely be game.  Her date stories were hilarious and I loved that one of her best friends was an ex-boyfriend and their banter back and forth was refreshing. Her storyline provided much comic relief as her character was more bubbly, friendly and funny than Alexis who was cold, withdrawn and serious.  

Each time the story flipped from one characters viewpoint to another, I barely flinched because I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen with each one. These women were as different as the cities they lived in and I loved the juxtaposition of New York City and New Jersey and thought each location suited each character perfectly. There are things in this novel that should be cliche or too 'perfect', like the gay best friend and Alexis's love interest's profession, but it never came across as such for me.  Everything in 150 Pounds seemed like a natural fit.

If you're looking for a fun read that tackles serious issues with heart, pick up 150 Pounds today. I can't wait to read more from Kate Rockland!

Thanks to Macmillan for our review copy!

Destined to Fail by Samantha March

4 Star

Jasmine Jones is ready to begin her new life as a college student, and is ecstatic to have best friend Abby by her side. But weeks into their new college life, Abby drops the bomb- she is pregnant, and dropping out of college. Jasmine can’t handle the fact that Abby is wasting her opportunity to get an education, and going back to her cheating, abusive boyfriend. She struggles to move on from her friendship with Abby, but befriends two new girls at college. Everything seems back on track for Jasmine- great new friendships and roommates, a strong relationship with boyfriend Nate, and excelling at her college courses. But Jasmine’s newfound happiness is shattered when her pregnancy test comes out positive. Does she have to drop out of college now and become a young mother? Will Nate stay with her? How can she afford a child? Jasmine’s life has been filled with obstacles and challenges along the way- from a missing father, sexual and physical abuse, and addictions that tore her family apart. With this latest setback, Jasmine fears her life will always be a struggle. Destined to Fail is one woman’s story about overcoming adversity in life, about taking the negatives and finding a positive, and about never giving up hope. 

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Lydia - 4 Star

Destined to Fail grabbed me to the point where I couldn't stop thinking about the main character and her plight. I don't normally read YA, but made an exception in this case as Samantha and I had exchanged some writing a little over a year ago and I was eager to read and review her work and see how Jasmine's story developed. And this is an honest review - I do have some (hopefully helpful) comments below, but overall I really enjoyed this novel!

Destined to Fail grabbed me at the beginning and throughout I madly flipped pages to see what was going to transpire. I loved how Jasmine's character had secrets which were gradually revealed over the course of the novel. There's no easy reading in Destined to Fail, not one piece of fluff to be found.  The topics covered span abuse, addiction and teenage pregnancy and I applaud March for tackling such heavy issues.

There was some repetition that I noticed (sometimes I think I read too fast because this has been cropping up a lot for me lately), mostly involving Jasmine's younger brother being described several times as aloof and too cool as well as Jasmine's refusal to drink at parties. There is a scene with her brother that made my heart ache as he tries to protect her and I kept waiting to see more of their relationship, but it never transpired. There were also some scenes I actually wanted to be privy to that were glossed over including Jasmine's conversation with her mother towards the end of the novel which we are just told occurred, but it was an important one and I really wanted to be in on it.

Jasmine has such a strong positive attitude, regardless of what she had been through which I absolutely adored. She's confident, courageous, and thoughtful and even though she gets sad and why-me sometimes (understandably so), I wanted to see her get really angry at something. A fight with her mom (who is her best friend, which I had a difficult time believing after all she'd been through in her family) or her sister would have endeared her to me a little more I think and made her a bit more believable and fully rounded and is something I expected given her history and the situations she discovers herself in.

The blooming friendship with Kiley and Cari was entirely believable as was their dialogue and I could picture my younger self off at university, making new friends and getting ready to take on the world. I adored her boyfriend Nate and loved that the story didn't center around her finding a boy as he's in her life from the outset of the novel. Destined to Fail moves along at a brisk pace and March does a fabulous job of transporting us into Jasmine's world and her head as she navigates difficult situations that no woman should have to endure. Jasmine's optimism is encouraging and I loved how this story ends.

I definitely think a younger audience would enjoy this novel and when they gain a few more years, I have some younger readers who I'll definitely give Destined to Fail to read. Can't wait to see what Samantha March has in store for us next!

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Never Knowing by Chevy Stevens

4.5 Star

All her life, Sara Gallagher has wondered about her birth parents. As an adopted child with two sisters who were born naturally to her parents, Sara did not have an ideal home life. The question of why she was given up for adoption has always haunted her. Finally, she is ready to take steps and to find closure.  
But some questions are better left unanswered. 
After months of research, Sara locates her birth mother---only to be met with horror and rejection. Then she discovers the devastating truth: Her mother was the only victim ever to escape a killer who has been hunting women every summer for decades. But Sara soon realizes the only thing worse than finding out about her father is him finding out about her. 
What if murder is in your blood? 
Never Knowing is a complex and compelling portrayal of one woman’s quest to understand herself, her origins, and her family. That is, if she can survive. . . .

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Sabrina-Kate - 4.5 Star

Sara Gallagher lives on Vancouver Island, BC. She has her dream job restoring furniture, a loving adopted family, a cherished daughter and is engaged to be married to a wonderful man. But only one thing is missing and always has been - knowing who her birth parents are.

The search begins and doesn't really take her far as her birth mother is located nearby and rejects the thought of having anything to do with Sara. On top of that, she also refuses to divulge any information about the name or location of Sara's birth father and becomes quite aggressive.

Soon the reason behind all this becomes clear as Sara investigates more and discovers that her father is a notorious and uncaptured serial murderer. He then starts contacting her and making impossible requests and using kidnapped women and bargaining tools. 

Sara's life spirals more and more out of control as she struggles to decide what is right and wrong, make decisions to protect others and worries about her own devious capabilities.

This book left me turning pages as quickly as I could, anticipating every next heart pounding moment.

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