Category Archives: Cupcakes and Books:

Books are placed in each category, based on their cupcake rating.

May16

TLC Book Tour & Review: The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro

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Synopsis:

London, 1955: Grace Monroe is a young newlywed, eager to make a success of her marriage. However, with her intellectual curiosity and her unladylike talent for advanced mathematics, she finds the routine of elegant luncheons and exclusive parties among post-war London’ s social set more tiresome than exciting.

When Grace receives an unexpected inheritance from a woman she’s never met, she finds herself suddenly in Paris, embarking upon a journey to discover not only the identity of her mysterious benefactor but also the hidden secrets of her own past.

In a story that takes us from New York in the 1920s to mid-century Monte Carlo, Paris and London, Grace discovers a world filled with the evocative, intoxicating power of perfume; an obsessive, desperate love between muse and artist; and a trail of dark memories that may mean she isn’ t the person she thinks she is at all.

My Review:

I have not read any of Kathleen Tessaro’s book, prior to this one, so I read this book without any expectations of a particular writing style.  From the beautiful book cover, to the first pages, I was hooked.  I was a little confused at first, so I did have to flip back to the first pages to see who I was reading about.  It starts with Eva and at the tail end of her disease, with the next chapter beginning with Grace-a socialite, who seems quite disconnected from her husband and social circle.  It isn’t until Grace receives an airplane ticket with news of her being the sole beneficiary, that she finally has some direction and decides to embark on an adventure.

While Grace leaves knowing her husband is having an affair, she somehow blames herself because of an unfortunate incident that happens to her.  While there isn’t a lot of interaction and dialogue between her and her husband, the author does a superb job in showing what happens to Grace as she learns who  Eva is.

It is quite obvious that the author did extensive research, prior to writing, but it doesn’t come off with more information and less interaction.  Rather, it enhances the reader’s overall experience with this book.  There is so much detail, and Eva certainly has an extraordinary (while difficult, too) life.  I was mesmerized by the beauty of the story, loved the characters, and admired the way Eva broke all conventions by her role as a maid to later being a shopgirl…with other roles in between!

This is an absolutely fantastic historical book, that readers will love from page 1.  Readers will want to know who Eva is, how she can smoke in the face of death, and how she bypasses barriers men and society place on women…certainly not meant for likes of Eva! My only desire is that the author would have included a little perfume collection to accompany this book :D

*This book was provided by TLC Book Tours, in exchange for an honest review.

 

 About Kathleen Tessaro:

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Kathleen attended the University of Pittsburgh before entering the drama program of Carnegie Mellon University. In the middle of her sophomore year, she went to study in London for three months and stayed for the next twenty-three years. She began writing at the suggestion of a friend and was an early member of the Wimpole Street Writer’s Workshop. Her debut novel, Elegance, became a bestseller in hardback and paperback. All of Kathleen’s novels including Innocence, The Flirt, The Debutante, and most recently, The Perfume Collector have been translated into many languages and sold all over the world. She returned to Pittsburgh in 2009, where she now lives with her husband and son.

  For more information about Kathleen Tessaro, please visit her website or find her on Facebook.

 

Follow the rest of the blog tour to read what other bloggers are saying about this book!

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May8

Review: Chocolates for Breakfast by Pamela Moore

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Original book cover, 1956.

Original book cover, 1956.

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780062246912
  • Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
  • Publication date: 6/25/2013
  • Pages: 304
  • Genre: Contemporary Literature

Overview:

Courtney Farrell is a disaffected, sexually precocious fifteen-year-old. She splits her time between Manhattan, where her father works in publishing, and Los Angeles, where her mother is a still-beautiful Hollywood actress. After a boarding-school crush on a female teacher ends badly, Courtney sets out to learn everything fast. Her first drink is a very dry martini, and her first kiss the beginning of a full-blown love affair with an older man.

A riveting coming-of-age story, Chocolates for Breakfast became an international sensation upon its initial publication in 1956, and it still stands out as a shocking and moving account of the way teenagers collide, often disastrously, against love and sex for the first time.

New Book Cover, 2013.

My Review:

There are books that have stayed with me for years, causing a shift in my thinking, making me see things a little differently, and taking me into a world that I want to leave, but I’m somehow drawn to stay and linger for a while. This book is reminiscent of , The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann, and Go Ask Alice by Beatrice Sparks. It’s such a great book, and deserves to be republished again!

What I love about Pamela Moore‘s writing is how easy her writing flows. She was only 18, when she wrote this brave and harrowing tale of a young teen that is on the brink of finding her own identity and independence, while also exploring her sexuality and living quite alone in Hollywood and later in New York. Back in 1956, women, much less teens, weren’t talking about cutting, uninhibited sex, and drinking. Certainly not opening the curtains into their own daily lives and giving a front row seat to the emotionally and sexually charged youthfulness that girls, like Courtney experienced. This book, being written by a teen, for teens, has crossed over generations to show that it still holds relevance to today-for all genders and ages.

Based on a semi-autobiographical history of Pamela’s youth, I couldn’t help but wonder if somehow Pamela was trying to regain some normalcy by writing and stowing away those dark reminders of her past. Much like the analogy Anthony gives of losing his shadow, I wonder if Pamela was trying to lose hers, too. Unlike books of today, Pamela’s book writes about her cutting, her curiosity about being “queer”, and the drinking parties, which are not told in such graphic and minute detail, but does lend itself to further interpretation by the reader. Pamela Moore’s writing is done with ease and a blazay attitude, that actually causes the reader to want to know more.

Author, Pamela Moore.

Author, Pamela Moore.

As I read this book, I couldn’t help but picture certain actors/artists in different roles being these characters. I kept seeing the young Drew Barrymore as Courtney and think that Drew could relate to Courtney’s character as they did have similarities. I also kept picturing a young pretty boy as Barry Cabot, like Jennifer Lopez’s young boyfriend (Casper Smart). I couldn’t help but see some similarities with Anthony as a young Andy Warhol, and Courtney being a bit Edie-esque in their last scene together. I could picture Cat Marnell playing Janet, as they both have issues with their respective fathers and unstable mothers. I also could see a bit of the neurotic and narcisstic personality in Courtney’s mom as actress Joan Crawford, without the wire hangers! So, that is a very rough draft of the characters I pictured in my mind, as I read this book.

One quote that seemed to be the central point of Courtney’s being was:

“they just want to bleed me white, and leave me battered by the roadside”. (p.88)

Courtney really did feel used, felt she could never love and didn’t want to be loved back. However, there were moments she felt “safe”. It was interesting how she wouldn’t allow herself to be loved, yet it was the one thing she truly did crave. Perhaps it was because she didn’t openly receive that from her parents and by denying others that opportunity, she could then validate that the reason her parents didn’t love her was because they weren’t allowed to…not because they in fact were incapable of giving it. It was her way of having some control over her destiny.

What was rather interesting, and disturbing, was that Courtney slept with 2 men who had bedded her two most important people in her life: her mom and her best friend. Al, her mother’s publicist, and Charles, a young man she meets, were her voices of reason throughout the book. They gave her that realistic side of what was happening, although she never fully opens herself up to them, either. It’s not until her best friend kills herself that Courtney feels she has a purpose in her life-to do what Janet couldn’t, which was to have a normal life and be married. While the story ends before finding out exactly what Courtney decides to do, her conversation with Anthony is rather poignant. Anthony tells her:

” ‘It isn’t a tragedy, angel. People like you, and me, and Janet-we’re not capable of tragedy. This was no epic play, with heroic characters and vast emotions. This was not a tragedy. It was a child’s game that came to an end. You haven’t any choice, darling. You’ve outgrown this. I can’t, you see. I can’t go on, anymore than Janet could. But you can.” (p.184,185).

There is so much more I can go on about in this book, such as the dead leaves that haunt Courtney, the lack of chocolate in the book, and the little boy who loses his shadow and his enchantment. However, it will lose its magic for you. While this book has been on many book lists for Lesbian fiction, this is a book that would make for a great book club pick, a book to be studied in Psychology or Sociology, and perhaps be that little book hiding under a stack of bills, that you secretly are reading. It’s a great book, one that will stay with you, and afterwards, please do have Chocolates for Breakfast, along with something fun in the sun! Otherwise, you are likely to spiral further down the rabbit hole!

*This book was provided through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

 

Apr25

Review: The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings

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Synopsis:

Now a major motion picture starring George Clooney and directed by Alexander Payne.
Fortunes have changed for the King family, descendants of Hawaiian royalty and one of the state’s largest landowners. Matthew King’s daughters—Scottie, a feisty ten-year-old, and Alex, a seventeen-year-old recovering drug addict—are out of control, and their charismatic, thrill-seeking mother, Joanie, lies in a coma after a boat-racing accident. She will soon be taken off life support. As Matt gathers his wife’s friends and family to say their final goodbyes, a difficult situation is made worse by the sudden discovery that there’s one person who hasn’t been told: the man with whom Joanie had been having an affair. Forced to examine what they owe not only to the living but to the dead, Matt, Scottie, and Alex take to the road to find Joanie’s lover, on a memorable journey that leads to unforeseen humor, growth, and profound revelations.

My Review:

I am probably the only person on earth that does not think George Clooney is eye candy.  I find him quite aloof and have never been a fan. Naturally, I didn’t watch this movie at the theaters or on DVD.  I came across this book while searching on overdrive.com for a book.  I am reviewing another book, Tiger Baby Strikes Back by Kim Wong Keltner, and wanted to read the book Kim writes in reference to: Battle  Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua.  When The Descendants popped up on my screen, I read the synopsis and was actually intrigued by the storyline.

I have to admit, the story quickly drew me in.  Told through Matt’s point of view, I was able to experience his journey of stepping up in his role of father, coming to terms with the imminent death of his wife, and accepting choices his family makes.  It was really challenging to like Matt’s character. As a lawyer and wealthy descendant of a Princess, he seemed quite weak, very passive, aloof (hmmmm…sounds like an actor I also associate that word with), who was just too difficult to like or feel sorry for.

Because of his lack of assertiveness and willingness to look the other way with his wife’s infidelity and the choices both his daughters made, I was surprised he was an attorney. I assume that as an attorney, he will want to know everything about his family, be more focused, and not so aloof. It seemed that before the accident, he really was an absentee father and husband.  Faced with the impending decision to take his wife off of life support, he begins to visit all their friends to let them know Joanie is dying and if they want to, to go by and visit and pay their respects.

I did like the fact that the story is set on one of the islands of Hawaii.  I’ve been there and it’s absolutely gorgeous and I could just live there and be so content.  But, this book shows that even on the prettiest islands, some of the saddest and hardest things happen to everyday people.  Also, there were a few moments I laughed, but for the most part, I really just didn’t care for the character of Matt. Because of his lack of involvement with his family, his daughter is sent to boarding school, his young daughter copies a friend-Reina, and his wife tries to get his lover a huge money making deal that indirectly involves Matt.  In the end, Matt does find closure, steps up to the plate as a father, and the 3 of them become the family they all wanted to be.

So, I’m thinking this may be one of those exceptions where the movie is better than the book??  I haven’t seen the movie, but I’m curious to see how it is interpreted on screen!

 

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Apr17

Being Esther by Miriam Karmel

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Book Details:

  • Print Length: 202 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1571310967
  • Publisher: Milkweed Editions (April 2, 2013)
  • Genre:  Women’s Literature/Contemporary Fiction

Synopsis:

A wonderful fiction debut, Being Esther gives voice to Esther Lustig, an extraordinary woman who has lived a conventional life, in this touching exploration of aging and its accompanied search for meaning.

In spare, refreshingly unsentimental prose, Miriam Karmel has given us one of literature’s finest portraits of the last months of a woman’s life. At once sad and amusing, unpretentious and ambitious, Karmel’s fiction debut brings understanding and tremendous empathy to the character of Esther Lustig, a woman readers will recognize and embrace.

Born to parents who fled the shtetl, Esther Lustig has led a seemingly conventional life—marriage, two children, a life in suburban Chicago. Now, at the age of eighty-five, her husband is deceased, her children have families of their own, and most of her friends are gone. Even in this diminished condition, life has its moments of richness, as well as its memorable characters. Being Esther is an exploration of aging, a search for meaning, and about the need, as Esther puts it, for better roadmaps for growing old.

My Review:

I’ve read books like, “Still Alice”, where an adult woman experiences the onset of alzheimer’s and how her mind slowly betrays her.  However, this is a new twist.  This is a story about Esther, an elderly Jewish woman, who is quite coherent and present.  After losing her husband and friends, she and her dear friend call each other every day to make sure they never die without someone knowing.  The way it works, is they each take turns calling each other everyday. They both agree that if one doesn’t answer one day, then to make sure their family knows and to fulfill their wishes.

What truly is sad and heartwarming at the same time, is how time does fly by and how quickly one ages.  What happens when you are alone, have a poor relationship with your child, have a life filled with special moments and some regrets?  Through Esther’s journey, you will see how the simple acts of doing something each day and normal routine are still remarkable moments in life.  Most importantly, that everyone has a story, deserves a listening ear, and a little bit of your time.

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Apr13

Instant Mom…Instant Love! My Review of Nia Vardalos’ Book.

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Synopsis:

In Instant Mom, Nia Vardalos, writer and star of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, tells her hilarious and poignant road-to-parenting story that eventually leads to her daughter and prompts her to become a major advocate for adoption.

Moments after Nia Vardalos finds out she has been nominated for an Oscar for the screenplay for My Big Fat Greek Wedding, she is alone and en route to a fertility clinic, trying yet again for a chance at motherhood.

Vardalos chronicles her attempts to have a baby, and how she tries everything—from drinking jugs of green mud tea, to acupuncture, to working with two surrogates. Finally, she and her husband, actor Ian Gomez, decide to try adoption and discover a free service: Foster Family Agencies. Then one day, the social workers “match” her with an almost-three-year-old girl, who she knows, instantly, is her daughter.

With her signature wit and candor, Nia Vardalos reveals what really came next—the truth of how she and her husband transitioned a preschooler into their home. Vardalos opens up about the bawling-tears and belly-laughter that all make up what it means to be…a parent.

My Review:

If you are a mom of a foster child, have ever contemplated adoption, or have friends that have adopted, then YOU need to read this book!! If you are a mom, want to be a mom, are a woman…then you will want to read this book, too!  This book is hilarious, and is filled with moments where you will cry, and you will be highlighting and taking notes, and wanting to try some of the zany things she does for her daughter.

I love the ease of writing, how the stories just flowed, and the way Nia was able to write about her journey as a mom without exploiting her daughter, or revealing too many personal identifying factors about her.  As a mom of a foster child, I value the way she managed that delicate balance.  I loved that she agreed, being a mom isn’t about being pregnant…it’s when you actually take the time to love, nurture, and spend quality time with your child.  While I was a mom of 2 sons, we completed our family when she arrived!

Nia adopted her little girl at 3 years old and brings up great points: how can we love an abused and abandoned animal that we adopt, but feel that a child is less of value and is damaged goods???  Granted, not every person is called to adopt, but every child deserves a forever home.  Nia shares her journey with unsuccessful fertility treatments and how emotionally overwhelming it all was.  After so many years of trying to have a biological child, she decided to venture into the world of adoption.  She chronicles her journey of looking at the various types of adoption: international, private, and foster care adoption.  She gives a staggering number of children available in the U.S., who are available for adoption and who are in foster homes waiting for their forever homes.

If you’ve personally adopted or know of someone who has, you will have heard the same story: the moment you and your child first see each other, the world stops still and your heart expands more than you knew capable.  It’s not much different to when a mom has a natural birth and after she delivers, she and her baby make eye contact for the first time.  It’s a special moment, one that I remember for each of my children (bio and adopted) and it is a surreal, forever imprinted memory in a mom’s mind.

Nia describes the bonding process, developing attachment with her little girl, and describes the way she and her husband became a family the day her daughter entered their lives.  I loved some of the funny moments Nia shares, too!!  I also loved that she shared her personal experiences with creating a bedtime ritual, having family time when out and about the community (paparazzi stories), and adjusting to preschool.  Nia creates this funny game to develop bonding (baking, anyone?), and just their crazy, fun way of playing at home.  I also loved the story Nia tells her daughter about how she prayed and wanted a little girl and how they became a family.

When we were going through the adoption process, it would have been great to have read this book!! I love the very easy, simple to use ideas that she did and shares with her readers, and I love the resources she gives at the end of the book.  Overall, this was an excellent read and I hope that Nia will consider writing more!!

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Apr3

Review: She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb

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Product Details

  • Genre: Contemporary Literature/Fiction
  • Print Length: 484 pages
  • Publisher: Atria Books (April 12, 2011)
  • Sold by: Simon and Schuster Digital Sales Inc

Summary:

In this extraordinary coming-of-age odyssey, Wally Lamb invites us to hitch a wild ride on a journey of love, pain, and renewal with the most heartbreakingly comical heroine to come along in years.“Mine is a story of craving: an unreliable account of lusts and troubles that began, somehow, in 1956 on the day our free television was delivered. . .”Meet Dolores Price. She’s thirteen, wise-mouthed but wounded, having bid her childhood good-bye. Beached like a whale in front of her bedroom TV, she spends the next few years nourishing herself with the Mallomars, potato chips, and Pepsi her anxious mother supplies. When she finally rolls into young womanhood at 257 pounds, Dolores is no stronger and life is no kinder. But this time she’s determined to rise to the occasion and give herself one more chance before really going belly-up.At once a fragile girl and a hard-edged cynic, so tough to love yet so inimitably lovable, Dolores is as poignantly real as our own imperfections. She’s Come Undone includes a promise: you will never forget Dolores Price.
 My Review:
As I write this review, it is quite obvious that I may be the only one that didn’t know who Wally Lamb was prior to reading this book. I was never on the Oprah train…watching her show, buying her endorsed products, and certainly not buying any books recommended for her book club. I have an automatic resistance to giving anyone that much power over what I choose to do, buy, and read.  So, Wally Lamb’s book, She’s Come Undone, was certainly not on my radar of books to read.  For the price of $2.99, I figured I had nothing to lose and perhaps this book would get me out of the funk I’d been in with reading lately.

From page 1, I was drawn in.  Not into the actual story, but Wally’s prologue about what started this writing adventure for him that was over a 9 year span, who he loosely based Dolores after, and his pen pal relationship with David F.  I loved his ease for storytelling and how vulnerable and open he was to this process of novel writing.

Dolores Price.  Wow.  This book goes through her life, as she brings me (the reader) along with her through her sadness, anger, and later, her hope.  Prior to buying the book, I read the reviews on Amazon and also read that people had mentioned the same thing to Wally: why didn’t you kill Dolores? Why doesn’t she die?  Those 2 questions certainly perked my ears and I soon became even more curious to who this character was and why so many people could relate to her.

As I read this book, there were many times I pictured Ruby as Dolores.  You know Ruby….the overweight single woman, who was on Oprah at one time, and later had her own show on tv.  I watched her show, and along with millions, rooted for her to find out why she overate and cheered when the pounds came off.  However, there came a point in her weightloss journey that Ruby didn’t lose weight.  Rather she gained, as she started to address some of her fears from childhood.  While this isn’t about Ruby, again, I couldn’t help but picture Ruby as Dolores, while I read this book.

The story is about 400+ pages, but it’s so worth every bit of it.  Not one page is fluff, as every part of her journey is important to her self discovery and self acceptance.  It was astonishing to see how one single event changed the course of Delores’s innocent life and how it impacted her parents and their relationship with one another and their daughter.  The weight gain is the outward anger she felt, but the book dives into more of the emotional pain she endured.

There were times that I laughed out loud, cried silently, and cheered, too. This book chronicles Dolores’ life and ends with her not dying, as some had hoped, rather finally living.  I loved everything about this book and have not stopped thinking about Dolores.  She gives hope to others…if she can make it, you can too.  She also shows that when demons and fears are faced, they aren’t so big and cannot take control over a person any longer.

I loved the friendships she made along the way, the crazy love she had for Dante and how her relationship paralleled that of her parents, and how family is who you choose to be part of your life: like Roberta and Mr. Pucci.  I can’t forget to mention Dr. Shaw. He reminded me of Virginia Satir, in a video I watched in graduate school.  She was helping this young teenage girl work through her eating addiction, with the family involved.  Then, there is an after tape, where Virginia is working the family after the young girl takes her own life.  I was thankful that Delores didn’t die, didn’t become the whale on the beach, laying lifeless for the world to see.  She had done that already, rather she became the whale that emerges from the ocean and sprays her…giving her renewed hope!

Back to Dr. Shaw.  I loved his relationship with Delores and how he was always trying something different with her, to unlock those chains she had on herself.  I loved the baby to teen progression in the pool, and how he became her mother.  Then, when Delores had the epiphany and unleashed all the truths about her mom and its impact on her life…wow! I was crying with her and cheering for Dr. Shaw because he was brave enough to follow through with her and not give up on her before her monumental breakthrough.  I was just amazed, simply amazed.

While much happens before her breakthrough with Dr. Shaw, there is more to her story afterwards.  So many times, Delores could have fallen back into old patterns of self destructive behavior.  However, she is resilient, outspoken, and learns that in order to be loved, she must first love herself.

If you are like me, and are one of the lone rangers who hasn’t read this book, I suggest you read it.  If you have read it, read it again.  And, if you are feeling exceptionally giving-share this book with others. It’s a great story that uncovers taboos, faces challenges, and gives hope to anyone who feels so lost and alone.

5 plus more

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Mar21

Review: Heart Like Mine by Amy Hatvany

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Synopsis:

Thirty-six-year-old Grace McAllister never longed for children. But when she meets Victor Hansen, a handsome, charismatic divorced restaurateur who is father to Max and Ava, Grace decides that, for the right man, she could learn to be an excellent part-time stepmom. After all, the kids live with their mother, Kelli. How hard could it be?

At thirteen, Ava Hansen is mature beyond her years. Since her parents’ divorce, she has been taking care of her emotionally unstable mother and her little brother—she pays the bills, does the laundry, and never complains because she loves her mama more than anyone. And while her father’s new girlfriend is nice enough, Ava still holds out hope that her parents will get back together and that they’ll be a family again. But only days after Victor and Grace get engaged, Kelli dies suddenly under mysterious circumstances—and soon, Grace and Ava discover that there was much more to Kelli’s life than either ever knew.

Narrated by Grace and Ava in the present with flashbacks into Kelli’s troubled past, Heart Like Mine is a poignant, hopeful portrait of womanhood, love, and the challenges and joys of family life.

My Review:

Told in alternating viewpoints, the storylines switches from past and present throughout the book.  Surrounding around the death of Kelli, mom to Ava and ex-wife to Victor, everyone struggles to come to terms with the aftermath and try to understand what caused Kelli’s untimely death.  While there were moments I could understand Grace’s feelings, most of the time I just couldn’t connect with her. I really wanted to hear more from Kelli and Ava, as Ava comes to terms with losing her mommy.  I think the alternating viewpoints diluted the characters and made it difficult for me to stay interested in the storyline.  Overall, it was a book that didn’t resonate with me and I found myself comparing it to another book that I did connect with.  I’d suggest you read the book and decide for yourself if this is a book for you!  And…because it is important to have differing views, I’ve attached links to a couple of other reviews for this book. Perhaps, they had a completely different experience!

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Mar19

Review: Reinventing Rachel by Alison Strobel

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Synopsis:

God let Rachel Westing down. For twenty-six years she’s done everything by the book; she figures He should have her back. But then she learns her fiancé is cheating on her. Her parents are getting a divorce. And her Christian mentor has a pill addiction. Where is God in all this? Nowhere, as far as Rachel can see. Wounded, bitter, and with a shattered faith, she quits her job and moves across the country to live with Daphne—her childhood best friend whose soul Rachel once thought she was meant to save.

Confident, successful, fun-loving Daphne sets about helping Rachel reinvent herself, and for a while it’s exciting. But when another tragedy shakes Rachel to the core, what little bit of self-possession she has left begins to unravel. A true-to-life story that will draw you in and keep you biting your nails until the end.

My Review:

This is a Christian fiction book, definitely geared towards a YA audience.  However, as someone a smidge beyond young adult, I also enjoyed the storyline.  There are quite a few issues Rachel faces and it’s through her eyes, we read her struggles and her anger towards God.  I thought this book could definitely help those facing similar issues and how inspite of ourselves, God does not abandon us.  While I would have liked a little more storyline after Daphne’s hospitalization and aftermath, the author did a nice wrap up and bring closure to issues Rachel was still faced with.  I highly recommend this book to those who love a great Christian fiction read with some real life issues many people face today.

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Mar11

Blog Tour Review & Giveaway: Romancing Olive by Holly Bush

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Synopsis:

In 1891, spinster librarian, Olive Wilkins, is shocked to learn of her brother’s violent death at a saloon gaming table and her sister-in-law’s subsequent murder, traveling far from her staid life to rescue her niece and nephew, now orphans. She arrives to find the circumstances of her brother’s life deplorable and her long held beliefs of family and tradition, shaken.

Accustomed to the sophistication of Philadelphia, Olive arrives in Spencer, Ohio, a rough and tumble world she is not familiar with, facing two traumatized children. Her niece and nephew, Mary and John, have been living with a neighboring farmer, widower Jacob Butler, the father of three young children of his own and a man still in pain from the recent loss of his wife.

Real danger threatens Olive and Mary and John while Jacob and his own brood battle the day-to-day struggles for survival. Will Olive and Jacob find the strength to fight their battles alone or together? Will love conquer the bitterness of loss and broken dreams?

Review:

I loved this book! Very sweet and well written.  I read this book in about 2 days and enjoyed the storyline and characters. I don’t typically enjoy western type of books, and this reminded me of one with the setting.  However, it is really about a story of second chances, family, and starting over.  Jacob is grieving and angry over the loss of his wife, while Olive leaves the comfort of her routine life in Philadelphia to move to Ohio so that she can take the children of her deceased brother. Upon arriving, Olive slowly strips her spinster persona as Jacob slowly starts to see that beyond Olive’s exterior and slowly falls in love with who Olive is.  I enjoyed the way the story progressed and the simplicity in the story, as it covered a difficult situation: a family losing their mom and a sister losing her brother.  Overall,  I would recommend this story!

Historical Book Tours is providing a free e-book (the format of your choice) to 1 winner! 

1 winner will be selected to win, Romancing Olive, by Holly Bush.

The winner will be contacted and HBT will send an e-book copy!

Giveaway ends March 31, 2013.

Simply enter in the comment area:

your name, email, and what you liked about the synopsis to be entered in the giveaway.

*Historical Book Tours provided a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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Mar8

Review: Market Street by Anita Hughes

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Product Details

  • Print Length: 302 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0312643330
  • Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin (March 26, 2013)

Synopsis:

Cassie Blake seems to lead a charmed life as the heiress to Fenton’s, San Francisco’s most exclusive department store. But when she discovers her husband, Aidan, a handsome UC Berkeley professor, has had an affair with a student, she flees to the comfort of her best friend Alexis’s Presidio Heights mansion, where she wonders if she should give their marriage one more chance.

Whether or not she can forgive Aidan is not the only choice Cassie has to make. Cassie’s mother is eager to have her oversee the opening of Fenton’s new Food Emporium, which Fenton’s hopes will become San Francisco’s hottest gourmet shopping destination. Cassie’s true passion has always been food, not fashion, and Cassie suspects her mother might be trying to lure her into the Fenton’s fold by entrusting her with such an exciting opportunity. And then there is James, the architect designing the Emporium, who is quietly falling in love with her…

My Review:

First of all, the book cover does not do the book justice!!  I would have loved to have seen a red box or “princess” bag from Fenton’s because of the vivid detail Anita Hughes describes the bags and boxes at Fenton’s, a department store that becomes a focal point in the storyline.

Aside from the cover, I absolutely loved the book!  I connected with the characters, loved the plot, and enjoyed following the twists and turns throughout the book.  While I am not a fashionista by any means, I found myself mesmerized with the detail of Fenton’s (a department store), the fashion styles described in the book, and the trendy, wealthy customers that passed through Fenton’s each day.  There was such detail to the art, organic food co-op and emporium, that it made me feel that I was there.  Despite the detail, the storyline did not get bogged down with so much information.  Rather, it enhanced the reading experience and made me feel like I was a fly on a wall.

Cassie has some life decisions to make that will certainly alter her future.  Cassie processes her feelings and thoughts about her marriage, her career choices, and the demands of her mother (owner of Fenton’s).  Cassie’s best friend, Alexis helps Cassie through this difficult time as she helps Cassie figure out what to do next.  While the relationship between Cassie and her mother isn’t a primary focus in this book, it certainly affects Cassie in certain business decisions she makes.  I loved Cassie and Alexis’ relationship and how they remained close despite being so different.

While this book will certainly be a favorite among those who love the chick-lit genre, this book certainly crosses over genres that will attract a larger audience of adults.  Market Street will become a book club favorite among women, and a great read for anyone that loves fashion and gourmet food.  Sprinkle in husband/wife issues, mother/daughter issues, and a fork in the road with a career choice, and it is a recipe for a must read!

I hope Anita Hughes will consider a follow-up to this book as I would certainly read that in a minute!!  Buy this book, grab a cup of chai tea, and find a comfortable chair…you will love this book!

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*This book was provided by St. Martin’s Press, in exchange for an honest review.

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