Archive for August, 2011

Marriage and Other Games by Veronica Henry was originally released in large paperback format two years ago(!) and it only about to be released in regular paperback this year. Veronica has had two novels released since then and it’s definitely very strange it’s taken so long for the paperback of Marriage and Other Games to come out, but come October 27th you’ll be able to buy it! Hopefully. I really like the new cover treatment it’s had, it looks rather Christmassy! Here’s the synopsis:

When Charlotte Briggs’ husband Ed is sent down for fraud, she cannot find it in her heart to forgive him for what he has done. Ostracised from their social circle, she flees to the wilds of Exmoor to nurse her broken heart. But despite the slower pace of life, she soon finds that she is not the only person whose life is in turmoil. There’s Sebastian, enfant terrible of the British art scene, desperately trying to find his muse amongst the empty bottles. Then Fitch, who married the high-spirited Hayley thinking he would find wedded bliss, but instead has found marital hell. And finally Penny, local GP and recent divorcee, who is determined not to hurtle into middle age embittered and lonely. Over the long winter months, the four of them share advice, copious bottles of wine, laughter … and maybe more.

Today, we’re very pleased to welcome Cynthia Ellingsen to the site. She’s talking about her new novel, The Whole Package which came out earlier this month! I really love this article, in fact I laughed when Cynthia writes about her husband hearing her shout at her PC! Scroll down to find out more… (And, as an aside, are all writers like that?)

Hi ChickLit Reviews! Thank you so much for inviting me to guest post today. I’m so excited to talk with you about my debut novel, The Whole Package.

One of the best things about writing The Whole Package was creating the romance between Cheryl and Andy.

The love story between these two is very passionate and when I was writing it, I would get super involved. Like, hair tossing and tsk-ing and all of that. The thing is, Cheryl and Andy just cannot stand the fact that they are completely, hopelessly and utterly attracted to one another, which made it incredibly fun to write.

In these instances where I’d get all fired up about their romance, I totally frightened my husband because I’d shout at my computer. This would happen in moments like the scene where it suddenly dawns on Cheryl that she has no idea whether or not Andy is available or *gasp* married.

“Are you married?” Cheryl demanded.

Andy’s mouth fell open and he actually started laughing. It echoed long and loud through the starry night. “Why would you care about my marital status?” he chuckled, rubbing his gloved hand across his forehead.

“I don’t, I…”

His eyes flickered over her body. “You got a little crush?” he whispered.

Cheryl drew back, speechless. She wanted to punch him but at the same time… “No. I just… I…”

Andy pulled his hands out of his pockets. He crossed his arms, the left hand deliberately on top. Cheryl glanced down and gasped. He was wearing gloves. They were thick leather, which made it impossible to see an imprint of a ring.

“Asshole,” Cheryl said, stomping into her house and slamming the door in his face.

She could hear him laughing all the way back to his car.

This scene got me hot. I mean, I couldn’t believe this Andy guy. Here he is, whisking Cheryl away to a dinner she didn’t even want to go to, flirting like it’s his job and then walking her to the front door and not even bothering to make a move. Whaaa?

“Of course she’s going to think he’s married,” I shouted at my computer.

This prompted my husband to burst into my office. “You okay?” he asked.

Awkward pause.

“Totally,” I said, casually straightening something on my desk. “Why? What’s up?”

“I heard… shouting.”

“Oh. Did you?” Casual sip of water.

“Yes. What happened?”

Well, since he asked, I went into a whole tirade about it. First of all, Andy showed up at Cheryl’s doorstep unannounced and just expected her to drop everything and go on a date with him. So, she does but not before changing into a scandalous dress and stilettos designed to embarrass him in public. Then, they have this nice dinner and she starts to have feeeeelings for him and…

At this point, it was pretty clear husband was sorry he’d asked. There was a whole lot of nodding, smiling and backing towards the door.

Whatever. Writing is a contact sport.

Visit Cynthia at www.cynthiaellingsen.com

Thanks so much Cynthia!

Only two weeks ago I had the opportunity of sharing my review of Jackie Pilossoph sophomore novel Jackpot! with you. It was one of my favorite reads this year and Jackie is at the very top of my list when it comes to Chick Lit authors I love. This is exactly why I’m so excited to have the opportunity to host a giveaway sponsored by Jackie Pilossoph herself! Thank you Jackie!

In celebration of the release of the eBook and Kindle version of Jackpot! we will be giving away one copy of the book to one Chick Lit Reviews reader. Even more exciting is that this giveaway is open Worldwide and you have your choice of either an eBook or paperback! The giveaway will close on Sunday the 11th of September and is open Worldwide with only one entry per household allowed. Good luck!

If you can’t wait to find out if you win, go pick up Jackpot! for your eReader right now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Smashwords!

Jamie Jacobson doesn’t have a lot of faith in love, except when it comes to her Jimmy Choo shoes. Her brother Danny has two loves; his barely existent acting career and his ability to pick up women. But life is about to take a wild turn for these two dysfunctional but lovable siblings now that their mother has just won the lottery.

Frankie, a longtime widow has wanted grandchildren for years. Now she’s prepared to pay cash for them. When Frankie presents her son and daughter each with a contract promising $8 million dollars if he or she can produce a child in the next twelve months (DNA tested, of course), Jamie and Danny each begin a frantic search for a person to help them reproduce.

Come along on their desperate, outrageous and hilarious journeys where fake seductions, ovulation kits and a tarot-card reader are replacing condoms, the pill and fun, meaningless hook-ups. They hit a couple big bumps in the road that have nothing to do with their lack of diaper changing experience, but a lot to do with their hearts.

Now they face the choice of their lives. Give in to love? Or go for the JACKPOT?

As was recently reported by TheBookseller.com popular author here in the US, Diane Chamberlain, will be moving from Mira to Pan Macmillan in a three-book deal. What’s truly exciting about this is that many readers abroad will now be able to enjoy Diane’s books as readily as we have here in the US. Recently Leah had the opportunity to review Diane’s latest, The Midwife’s Confession, and she enjoyed it so much it went on her list of “Favorite Books of the Year So Far“. I’m also a big fan of her writing and am excited for this great new venture of hers.

Here’s a little more from the article at TheBookseller.com:

“We will publish the first novel in 2013 with a huge fanfare, and work very closely with our sister company St Martin’s in turning Diane Chamberlain into a global brand.”

Chamberlain added: “My UK readers rock! I’m thrilled that they love my stories and it’s been amazing and gratifying to hear from so many of them. I’m excited about the move to Pan Macmillan and know it will help me share my books with many more UK and Commonwealth readers in the years to come.”

Chamberlain’s first title with Pan Mac will be published in 2013.

I’m curious to see how this will affect her publications here in the US if at all, but I’m also excited for her potential readers abroad. What do you think? Does this new development have you eager to pick up her newest title from Pan Mac in 2013?

Escape by Barbara Delinsky
Publisher: Doubleday
Release Date: 5th July 2011 (paperback)
Rating: 4.5/5
Source: Bought for Kindle.
Amazon Summary:

One day, 32-year-old Emily Aulenbach leaves her New York law office early, drives home, packs her things, and drives nonstop to a seaport town in New Hampshire. On the surface, her spontaneous exit seems to have no single cause. She loves Manhattan, adores her husband James, and knows that most lawyers would beg for her job at the prestigious firm. None of those lures, however, suffice for the almost indefinable something that pulls Emily back to the place where she once broke her heart and ruined her friendship with her closest friend. A soul-tugging romance by a proven master of the craft.

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Recently we’ve been talking quite a bit about Vanessa Diffenbaugh’s debut novel, The Language of Flowers. Chloe gave it a rave review just over a week ago, we’ve talked about the book covers both in the US/UK as well as around the world and now there’s a new book trailer. I’m also planning to share my review in the next couple of weeks, but I thought that in the meantime the new trailer would be a nice medium to share some of Vanessa’s more personal experiences relating to the book with our readers. The trailer is quite beautiful, as is her website, so I hope you enjoy and hopefully it will have you running to your nearest book store to pick up The Language of Flowers.

The Victorian language of flowers was used to express emotions: honeysuckle for devotion, azaleas for passion, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it has been more useful in communicating feelings like grief, mistrust and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings. Now eighteen, Victoria has nowhere to go, and sleeps in a public park, where she plants a small garden of her own. When her talent is discovered by a local florist, she discovers her gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But it takes meeting a mysterious vendor at the flower market for her to realise what’s been missing in her own life, and as she starts to fall for him, she’s forced to confront a painful secret from her past, and decide whether it’s worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness. “The Language of Flowers” is a heartbreaking and redemptive novel about the meaning of flowers, the meaning of family, and the meaning of love.

It wasn’t too long ago I was breaking the news that Catherine Ryan Hyde’s novel Second Hand Heart had been released for US eBook readers, but now she’s back with another offer for her readers. Direct from Catherine’s blog…

Most of you know my novel Second Hand Heart has just been released here in the U.S., in both ebook and paperback. And I’d like to make an offer to my U.S. readers, particularly those who have e-readers (such as the Nook or Kindle). I’d like to give you an electronic copy of the book in return for your word of mouth. If, and only if, you enjoy the book, I hope you’ll return the favor by spreading the word. Tell a few of your friends who read, review it on your blog, mention it to your book group…or…you tell me.

The reason I bring this to the attention of our readers is not so that we can pick up a copy (because you already know Leah and I loved the book), but so that you can have the opportunity to read Second Hand Heart. I know many of you are fans of Catherine’s writing, have your own review sites, and simply love to read wonderful women’s fiction and I didn’t want you to miss out on this fantastic opportunity. She’s holding the opportunity open until mid-September so I’d suggest to anyone who may be interested in reading Second Hand Heart who is also willing to spread the word about this wonderful book to run over to Catherine’s blog and let her know you’re interested. All it takes is a single comment and she’ll get right back to you. So run, take a chance on a great book and feel free to tell her I sent you!

And just in case you need a reminder, here’s the synopsis for Second Hand Heart by Catherine Ryan Hyde:

Vida is 19 and has never had much of a life. Struggling along with a life-threatening heart condition, her whole life has been one long preparation for death. But suddenly she is presented with a donor heart, and just in time. Now she gets to do something she never imagined she’d have to do: live.

Richard is a 36-year-old man who’s just lost his beloved wife, Lorrie, in a car accident. Still in shock and not even having begun the process of grieving, he is invited to the hospital to meet the young woman who received his wife’s donor heart.

Vida takes one look at Richard and feels she’s loved him all her life. And tells him so. Richard assumes she’s just a foolish young girl. And maybe she is. Or maybe there’s truth behind the theory of cellular memory, and maybe it really is possible for a heart to remember, at least for a time, on its own.

By bestselling author Catherine Ryan Hyde, SECOND HAND HEART is a story of love, of unexpected chances, and of inconceivable loss—of having to learn to live for the first time, and having to learn to live all over again.

It Looked Different on the Model: Epic Tales of Impending Shame and Infamy by Laurie Notaro
Published by Random House Publishing Group
Release Date: July 26th 2011
Rating: 5/5
Source: Bought
Publishers Summary:

Everyone’s favorite Idiot Girl, Laurie Notaro, is just trying to find the right fit, whether it’s in the adorable blouse that looks charming on the mannequin but leaves her in a literal bind or in her neighborhood after she’s shamefully exposed at a holiday party by delivering a low-quality rendition of “Jingle Bells.” Notaro makes misstep after riotous misstep as she shares tales of marriage and family, including stories about the dog-bark translator that deciphers Notaro’s and her husband’s own “woofs” a little too accurately, the emails from her mother with “FWD” in the subject line (“which in email code means Forecasting World Destruction”), and the dead-of-night shopping sprees and Devil Dog–devouring monkeyshines of a creature known as “Ambien Laurie.” At every turn, Notaro’s pluck and irresistible candor set the New York Times bestselling author on a journey that’s laugh-out-loud funny and utterly unforgettable.

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