Monday, May 24, 2010

I Heart Hollywood by Lindsey Kelk

5 Star

Angela Clark is back and when her new career at The Look magazine sends her to interview fellow Brit James Jacobs, she finds herself in Hollywood amidst the thin, beautiful women of LA as well as in the company of James, whose photo is plastered among the gossip magazines with a new woman on his arm each night. She soon finds Hollywood isn’t all it seems and when an uncompromising picture throws her into the spotlight, she could loose everything – her job, her best friend and most of all her boyfriend. Can she convince them not to believe everything they read? 



Lydia - 5 Star

I thought I loved I Heart New York, but I’m pretty sure I loved this sequel even more!  I Heart Hollywood was fast paced, equally, if not more hilarious and I couldn’t put this fabulous chick lit down.

This novel takes place in just over a week and it speeds along, including a twist I wasn’t expecting.  It was laugh out loud funny and I couldn’t help but giggle frequently at Angela’s antics.  She’s disheveled, a bit ditzy, and fully flawed, but completely lovable. And it’s not just her character I loved, but all of them. Kelk’s characters are so fully formed and distinct that I felt as if I knew each one, even though the novel is written from Angela’s perspective, and I couldn’t wait to see what they would do next.

I Heart Hollywood is the second installation in this fabulous, must read summer series for chick lit lovers and I can’t WAIT for I Heart Paris due out this July. This book could stand alone without have to read the first novel, but why deny yourself the pleasure!  Pick up both these books today!


Kathryn - 5 Star

Loved this chick lit sequel to I Heart New York! It’s fun when you’ve really begun to like a character and you have the joy of knowing there’s more to come. There are quite a few books I’ve read in the past couple of years that I would have loved to have had a sequel to read-so thank you to Lindsey Kelk for feeling inspired to keep telling us about Angela in I Heart Hollywood!

Angela is offered an exciting job - doing an interview in LA- so goes off for a week with best friend Jenny to try her hand at interviewing.  As I’ve never been a Hollywood type (and am much more of the New York type) I can see how it would be a bit of a culture shock.  She never really warms to the pace of life and in fact she’s really quite unimpressed.  Driving down the street just to get coffee would be completely bizarre!  Jenny is off trying to find a man but is instead finding she’s not sure who she’s trying to be anymore. Meanwhile Angela is struggling to actually do the interview with the hot actor and wondering why boyfriend Alex isn’t returning her calls.  There’s a whole other plot around the actor and his irritating PA too- great to have new characters brought in who are equally engaging.

The whole novel is funny, fast paced and at times quite a little bit silly…but that’s why I liked it!

Looking forward to seeing what Angela gets up to in I Heart Paris!

Thank you to HarperCollins Canada for our review copy. All opinions are our own.

Connect with Lindsey Kelk here:
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Thursday, May 20, 2010

I Heart New York by Lindsey Kelk

5 Star

When twenty six year old Angela Clark discovers her fiancé cheating on her at her best friend’s wedding and finds out everyone but her already knew, she yells at the bride until she cries, breaks the grooms hand with her Louboutins and flees their ruined wedding.  Unable to face the situation, the next morning she hightails it to New York City with a one way ticket and only the overnight bag she had packed for the wedding.  She meets gorgeous Jenny on her first day, has a whirlwind makeover and as soon as she is taught the dating rules, she finds herself involved with two very different men.  She has fallen head over heels in love with New York, but can she stay and does she want to? 



Lydia - 5 Star


What fabulous and fun chick lit! I whipped through I Heart New York, finding it full of laughs and connected with Angela’s character and enjoyed following her as she tried to figure herself out.

I Heart New York was such a fun read.  I laughed out loud and was fully immersed into Angela’s life. She felt real to me. She had wasn't too ditzy, she had aspirations and I felt her love for the city shine through, along with her confusion about how she ended up there in the first place.  I loved the descriptions of the city which made me want to pick up and move there myself. This story moved along at a brisk pace and I couldn’t wait to see where she would end up.

The sequel, I Heart Hollywood, was in my reading pile and I had to pick it up immediately to see where Angela’s adventures would take her and the next book in the series, I Heart Paris is out in July and I’m sure I won’t be able to keep my hands off it either.  If you loved The Shopaholic series and Sex in the City, you’ll love this wonderful chick lit tale of finding yourself all over again.


Kathryn - 5 Star

I Heart New York was fun and fantastic!  Read it while on a canoe trip and was very glad this was the book I chose to take with me.  It’s fast paced with lots of detail and has a little bit of something other chick lit self-discovery novels don’t always have- a woman who’s completely able to admit she doesn’t know what she’s doing!

The beginning was really funny and I laughed at her choice moves after finding out her fiancé has been cheating- couple of things she shouldn’t have done really but probably will make a lot of ladies wish they’d had the guts to do!  She then takes off to New York after walking out on her best friend’s wedding- visually fantastic for the reader, pictured her flouncing out of the reception in my head. 

I loved the first person she meets in New York (Jenny) so much I wish I could have one of her around to take care of me- can’t imagine anything better than a great ball of energy to send anything you could possibly need via room service and then pick up your scattered pieces and sort you out again!   You should be able to hire people like this.

The rest of the novel is well balanced between questioning her future plans and her present life. Both her female and male relationships are detailed and each one is visually created for us.  I think this was probably the best aspect to the novel- nothing was left vague and without purpose- even the smaller parts had their point. 

Am looking forward to reading the next one!

Thank you to HarperCollins Canada for our review copy. All opinions are our own.

Connect with Lindsey Kelk here:
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Saturday, May 15, 2010

Two Years, No Rain by Shawn Klomparens

4 Star

Andy Dunne is in his early thirties and is a down and out weather forecaster whose wife has just left him.  As he attempts to pick up the pieces of his life, everything suddenly changes when his friend and secret love, the much married Hillary, convinces him to audition for a new gig which he nails and he is suddenly thrown into the limelight. Andy has many choices to make.  Will he make the right ones and figure himself out along the way? 







Lydia - 4 Star

Two Years, No Rain was a great contemporary novel with a male perspective on life and love.  It was refreshing, the voice clean and crisp and I found this book really easy to read. Andy was a lost soul and even though I found him likeable, I didn’t love him every moment in the book. Even so, I felt like I understood him and his motivation and enjoyed this novel about possibilities even when life knocks you down multiple times.

This was a fast read and I got completely absorbed into Andy’s world. The writing was quick, witty and fast paced.  I loved Andy’s relationship with his sister’s family, especially his niece as well as seeing him exploring his feelings, how he represses his emotion and ignores his health. It was not unlike several males I know, so I found it believable and I loved the change to a male perspective as we typically read mostly stories with female protagonists. 

This book deals with some sensitive subjects, but was a more light-hearted read and they were handled tactfully. I liked the weather aspect to this story, finding it original, interesting and full of symbolism.

Two Years, No Rain was a great read with a fresh voice and I can’t wait to read Jessica Z and Shaun Klomparen’s future novels!


Kathryn - 4 Star

This is the second novel for me by Shawn Klomparens and although I’m not sure I completely get into his head during his novels there is something really good about his stories.

Two Tears, No Rain has some wonderful people in it, a really well developed plot and is very well written.  I really was impressed with the other characters-so much so that I did feel like I knew the main character based mostly on his relationships others.  I absolutely loved that Andy is so involved in the lives of his sister and her family.  That he gladly allows his teenage niece move in with him, so that she can get some distance from her mother, melted my heart.  The detail in the characters relationships was appreciated and I love when a novel paints clear pictures of places and things without feeling like it’s dragging down the pace of the story-line.

My only tricky hurdle was that I didn’t like Andy’s potential girl-friend.  I found her dry, cold and irritating.  I’ve been trying to put a finger on exactly why that is and my best guess is that we don’t see her interacting much with other people in the novel- except her husband- so she comes across as exceedingly selfish and I couldn’t understand why on earth Andy would want to be with her.

Two Years, No Rain made me laugh and made me think so all in all I would have to say that I liked it a lot!

Connect with Shawn Klomparens:
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Monday, May 10, 2010

The Icing on the Cupcake by Jennifer Ross

4 Star

After Ansley was publicly dumped by her fiancé, she flees to New York to live with her grandmother who she has never met. She handles her heartache and disappointment by baking cupcakes and when her grandmother gives her an ultimatum to get a job or get out, she makes a bold move in an attempt to transform her life. 









Lydia - 4 Star

Although I had reservations when I started this book with not being sure about the character, I was pleasantly surprised with this chick lit novel as the story unfolded. This was a great single girl tale that was easy to read and full of delicious sounding cupcake recipes that were spread throughout the book after each section.

Ansley’s transformation was interesting, especially as I didn’t find her character likeable at first and this lead to a few times where I wasn’t quite convinced of its believability. I was content in the end though.  There were also a few moments I was unsure of how the grandmother was written and if she would have thought the things she did, in the way she did, but these were also fleeting.  These were my only two concerns about this lovely story.

I thought the strained family relationships and the cupcake recipes sprinkled throughout brought a new dimension to the single girl starting over story line and loved the combination of baking and family history. The story of the grandmother kept me intrigued as did finding out if Ansley could make it all work. 

Pick up The Icing on the Cupcake if you’re looking for a light easy read with a great starting-over theme, not to mention want to bake some of the fabulous recipes – I haven’t yet, but they sound scrumptious and their names are great:  Black Bottom Heartache, Green with Envy Cupcakes, and my personal favourite I’m dying to try, S’more Cupcakes just to mention a few!


Kathryn - 4 Star

This was a fantastic concept for a chick lit novel - I still keep looking over at it and feeling an urge to make some cupcakes- so obviously the recipes were a great (or not!) addition to the story! 

Truthfully though I wasn’t too keen on the heroine for a good portion of the novel. She was perhaps painted a little too harshly at the start and I didn’t warm to her for a quite a bit based on her super bossy character. However the cupcake recipes made me warm to her quite well and as the story went on I began to really like her.  Maybe she was just a little too extreme in the beginning but who cares- she was likeable in the end!

One of the best bits about it for me was the three generations of women. Jennifer Ross did a fabulous job of giving each of them unique personalities while still connecting them as family. It was interesting also that there was very little reference to Ansley’s father and her fiancé wasn’t really delved into either.  We are introduced to a couple of other men throughout the novel and although they play a part in moving the story along they seem to be there as supporting roles and not equal players.  I liked this as it really left the most room for Ansley, her mother, grandmother and girlfriends and I really appreciated that we were encouraged to bake, eat and share cupcakes throughout!

 

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

The Nearly-Weds by Jane Costello

5 Star

When Zoe Moore is jilted at the altar, she flees the memories and the pity, and travels to America to become a nanny to two small children whose mother was killed in a car accident. Their father, Ryan Miller, is gorgeous and lives his lifestyle accordingly, away all day and night, returning smelling of different perfumes and as Zoe pines for Jason, she becomes increasingly frustrated by Ryan’s neglectful behaviour.  Seeking solace in the community of British nannies she wonders where the fun loving Ryan she keeps hearing of disappeared to, and attempts to figure out her feelings for Jason and her future while creating a loving, fun environment for the two wonderful children she’s charged with. Has she successfully run from her past and what does her future hold? 



Lydia - 5 Star

The Nearly-Weds was a wonderful romantic read that I thoroughly enjoyed.  It was a fun take on starting over with great characters and a plot that rolled along smoothly straight through to the end. It was full of all I expect with chick lit, especially single girl lit, including laughs, romance and delightful characters.

Costello’s wit and humour, along with her carefully crafted plot, turns out another great chick lit read.  I loved Zoe’s character with her determination and desire to figure herself out.  The children were lovely and I liked their role in the story, along with Ryan’s character.  Zoe’s parents were fully present and well developed even though they weren’t with Zoe in America and I loved the community of nannies as well.  The plot was seamless with no loose ends and even though predictable, kept me intrigued through to the end.

There’s a reason The Nearly-weds was awarded the Romantic Comedy Award 2010 by the RNA (Romantic Novelists Association).  It was a wonderful read and easy too as experienced by myself going through a difficult transition - I was still able to read it quickly and enjoy it no less.  Costello has many books available and I look forward to reading more!


Kathryn - 5 Star

There’s nothing particularly unique about The Nearly-Weds and I have to say that it is somewhat predictable but despite these things I really enjoyed this fun & quick tale of single girl lit.

I enjoyed Zoe’s story from the beginning as when she’s left at the altar (although she’s completely devastated) she decides to make a big move by taking a nanny position in another country.   She’s obviously not one to sit around getting too depressed and I liked that about her –the reader could still feel that she was upset without feeling like she was a wet blanket. I definitely got the impression that she was looking for something new and exciting rather than another man to immediately fill the gap. 

For me the book really took shape with the people she met in her new job.  The other British nannies were hilarious and I got lots of laughs out of them- Costello even manages to develop the other nannies charges well too. The kids Zoe herself is in charge of are lovely and as their relationship develops it’s completely clear she loves them.  I even liked the sad & sulky father who hired her to be the nanny in the first place.  I was also impressed by the integration of her parents- they provided the perfect mix of support and intrusion- as one would expect from parents!

Like I said, I was fairly sure I knew what would happen in the end but this didn’t in any way lessen my enjoyment of the journey there!

Connect with Jane Costello:
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Saturday, May 1, 2010

Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

5 Star 

In a remote village in India, Kavita gives birth to a baby girl, but living in a culture that favours boys, she is forced to give her up in order to save her life. Meanwhile, an American doctor, Somer, and her husband make the decision to adopt a child from his native country. They fall in love with the beautiful girl in the photo with the gold flecked eyes and bring her to America to raise, while Kavita’s thoughts for the daughter she had to give away never diminish.  Told from multiple perspectives and alternating between the two families and the daughter that binds them, this story weaves a rich tapestry of a mother's love regardless of circumstance. 


Lydia - 5 Star

Every once in a while I want to read something other than chick lit and am always thrilled when I randomly pick up something wonderful. Secret Daughter wasn’t recommended to us by anyone, rather, I liked the premise of the story, loved the cover and discovered while reading it that I loved the book as well! This beautiful story hooked me from the beginning and I’ve thought about long since finishing.  It would make a wonderful Mother’s Day gift for any of you stumped on what to get your book-loving moms.

There were multiple directions I thought this book might take and it didn’t even stray close to any of them, so the lack of predictability was nice, so much so that I found myself feeling lost for a brief time in the 2nd half of the book, unsure where it was headed, but that only lasted a short time. This read wasn’t the roller coaster ride I was expecting it to be, but much more subtle and when I came to the end and realized why things were happening the way they were, I was mesmerized by how powerful the story ended up being without my even realizing it. 

This is a beautifully written novel with just enough description to be able to picture the setting without being overwhelmed with detail and the contrast between the ‘Two India’s’ was richly portrayed.  The emotion of the characters was palpable and the Indian terms sprinkled throughout gave it a feeling of authenticity. They didn’t intrude on the story however and I only noticed the glossary when I was almost finished the book, but never felt I needed it.  Shilpi Somaya Gowda’s writing is powerful, her prose beautiful, and the end result an emotional read as evidenced by my tears during the final chapters of this novel.

Secret Daughter is a powerful and thought provoking story about love, family, identity, hope, and above all else, a mother’s love.  Buy this for your mother for Mother’s Day.  It is truly the most powerful book about mothers I have ever read.


Kathryn - 5 Star

Secret Daughter is a fantastic book!  Perhaps the most wonderful thing about this novel is that you are instantly connected to both women because their journeys towards motherhood just grab hold of your heart.  A fair warning though- the feeling I had for the first few chapters was anguish at both women’s stories and I simply could not put the book down (despite the tears).

This is a story for every woman to learn and grow from and I hope that it will make me a better mother and daughter simply from the feelings of gratefulness I felt throughout. I’ll be keeping it in mind to give to any future moody teenage daughters to read as it’s a journey for the daughter as much as for all the women in her life. It reminded me that there is that certain point in every woman’s life where a daughter suddenly realizes that their mother is a person and respect begins to creep into that sometimes previously tenuous relationship.

One of the main things I came away with was in regards to the writing- the amount of detail, emotion and plot that can be given to the reader while still creating a book that is easy and quick to read.  It’s a shame that there aren’t more novels that can reach your heart this easily. 

I loved this story and recommend it whole-heartedly.

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