Posted on April 5th, 2010 by Chloe
Hot off the heels of his successful debut novel Silk, Rupert James has his next book all ready for release in August. Step Sisters is due out on August 5th, and sounds like a really great read. Can’t say I’m too keen on the cover, but it’ll probably grow on me! Here’s the synopsis:
“First they were strangers…Elizabeth Miller is a recent graduate, planning the perfect wedding to her charming fiance. As far as she’s concerned Rachel Barnes is a complete stranger. Only the fact that Elizabeth’s father has just married Rachel’s flighty mother, Anna, makes them related. Then they were family…Elizabeth doesn’t want to like her new stepsister but, annoyingly both she and her brother, Chris, find the pretty teenager charming. If she has to have a baby sister then at least Rachel is sweet, bright and talented. Now they’re enemies…Years later and the two women are no longer sisters, no longer speaking after a devastating betrayal ripped their new family apart. Now an actress, Rachel is dating a rock star and one role away from making it big in Hollywood. Elizabeth is a tabloid journalist, one who knows one too many secrets about Rachel’s past. And both women are about to discover that hell hath no fury like a stepsister scorned…”
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Posted on April 4th, 2010 by Leah
In My Mailbox was created by The Story Siren and let’s us show off the books we’ve acquired this week (in the post, from the library, bought). We’ll post the titles of our books and, in brackets, where they’re from and we’ll post the picture below!
Leah’s books this week: The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond (Bought), Trust Me, I’m A Vet by Cathy Woodman (Arrow).
Chloe’s books this week: A Spring Affair by Milly Johnson (S&S), The Horse Dancer by Jojo Moyes, No Ordinary Love by Anita Notaro
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Posted on April 3rd, 2010 by Leah
Chloe and I don’t get many requests from the American publishers, however we do get the odd one or two requests so we decided last week-end to look for an American contributor who could review any American chick lit we get offered as well as other American authors that don’t reach our shores in the UK. Danielle has written us a biography about herself & she’ll begin her reviewing next Saturday! So lets give a warm welcome to the newest member of the Chick Lit Reviews team, Danielle!
I’m a mother of two wonderful children, The Turkeybird and Littlebug, just under two years apart in age. I’m also married to a fantastic man (who loves to read) who has just finished law school and is now a practicing attorney. I love to read, write, watch movies, play the flute, listen to music and just enjoy life. Since the time I was very little I loved to read and I still do. Because of that love and now the love my children have for reading I created my site, There’s A Book. I wanted a place created for the purpose of sharing a child’s love of books as they grow up and also somewhere to help others find great books for their own children. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always afford me the opportunity to talk about some of the more “chick” related books I love to read from time to time. So, Chloe and Leah were gracious enough to indulge me by asking for some reviews. Thanks!
So, where did I get my start with “Chick Lit”? I suppose, like most of us reading, it came when I was much younger watching it through the movies and then slowly moved to books. My mom and sisters were definitely influential when it comes to my interest, with their (and my own) love of movies like Love Actually, Four Weddings and A Funeral, The Devil Wears Prada and Pretty Woman. I grew up wanting to be swept off my feet and continue to indulge in these fabulous movies and books I ‘d stumbled upon.
I’d be missing a huge part of my introduction if I failed to mention how my own “guy” swept me off my feet. We dated for over a year and I can still remember falling on the bed telling my roommates, “I love him, I love him, I love him”! I was sure from the beginning he was the one. During our time dating he once got all dressed up (in a suit no less), but completely covered it up in “normal” clothes; he then came to pick me up from work, blind folded me and drove me out to a canyon with a running stream beside it. I sat in the car while he set up a candle light picnic and “took off” his normal clothes so that when he took the blind-fold off he was wearing a suit and had flowers. Incredible! We were married after dating for a year and being separated for two years while he served a mission for our church (all the while we were only able to write letters, very romantic though) and have been married for six years now.
I’m definitely spoiled, but I’m definitely a romantic at heart hoping that every girl will find that one special person to make them truly happy.
Hopefully you’ll enjoy what I have to offer in the future. As I know I will love getting to know all of the fabulous readers here at Chick Lit Reviews! Below are a few of my favorites and a few that are in my current To-Be Read pile. If you have a request from the pile let me know and I’ll be happy to review it as soon as possible! Thanks again to Chloe and Leah for this wonderful opportunity!
Love the One You’re With by Emily Giffin
Sookie Stackhouse Books by Charlaine Harris
The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen
Just Like Me, Only Better by Carol Snow
House Rules by Jodi Picoult
Good Things by Mia King
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Posted on April 3rd, 2010 by Leah
The start of another month means one thing: Fiona Cassidy’s next installment about what it takes to become a published author. If you’ve missed Fiona’s previous entries you can read them here: Where It All Began and What’s The Story? and Agent Provocauthor. We now present to you the fourth article of twelve… enjoy! Our thanks, as ever, go to Fionnuala for writing this series for us!
I am sure that anyone waiting for news will tell you that it is usually the nervous anticipation that nearly kills you. It’s that gut wrenching yearning for a reply and the knowledge that a ‘yes’ could be life changing whilst a ‘no’ can and inevitably will be life and confidence shattering. Would-be authors are no different to anyone else in this predicament. In fact I think they suffer more than most in their quest for a positive response as they put their heart and soul into putting a sample manuscript together before lovingly sending it out into the big bad world on a wing and a prayer (or in my case a novena or three.)
If you’re wondering what you’re required to send check out the Writer’s and Artist’s Yearbook or the agent’s or publisher’s websites for guidelines on what genre they accept, how many chapters to submit, whether or not they need a synopsis or overview of the storyline and how they like it to be presented. Presentation is extremely important and I would tend to adhere meticulously to their specified instructions…font 12, double spacing etc and whether or not they need it to be sent in hard copy by mail or alternatively can accept electronic format or submissions on disc. Every company has their own preferences and likes and dislikes. REMEMBER these people will be doing everything in their power to try and find a reason not to offer you a contract (not because they don’t want to but because they are extremely busy and need to weed out the time wasters or those who don’t follow instructions!) So do yourself a favour and don’t annoy them by presenting your work in an inappropriate way in a fancy font they don’t like whilst using the wrong spacing. I would also always enclose a covering letter out of courtesy, with a short explanation on what you have sent whilst thanking them for their time.
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Posted on April 2nd, 2010 by Leah
I’m a huge fan of Emily Giffin’s novels - Something Borrowed & Something Blue would make my top 10 and top 20 lists of favourite books respectively - so when it was announced she was working on a new novel I was thrilled. Heart of the Matter was originally due out this Summer but has been pushed back until 11th November 2010 (boo). The cover is finally up and it’s… different to her usual ones. I don’t know whether I like it or not. I do, however, love the sound of the book:
As the wife of a leading paediatric plastic surgeon, Tessa Russo can’t help but contemplate how fragile life can be. She has witnessed, too often, her husband Nick’s sombre mood when he returns from a call-out, knowing that another child has been hurt - damaged, perhaps, beyond repair. Each time, Tessa looks at her own two perfect children and thinks: ‘ Thank God it isn’t us. We’re one of the lucky ones’. It isn’t until later that she realises how wrong she was. Valerie Anderson takes nothing for granted. But with one phone call, her world collapses. As a single mother, she was always protective of her son Charlie, and will live to regret how one seemingly insignificant decision leads to a terrible accident - one that will leave Charlie forever scarred. It is only when Nick Russo, Charlie’s surgeon, enters their lives, that Valerie finds room for hope. As the lives of two very different women dramatically intersect, they are forced to question everything they hold dear - and face a future that neither one had ever envisaged.
Posted in 2010 releases, Book News | 3 Comments »
Posted on April 2nd, 2010 by Chloe
Meet Max and Lucy Summers – half-sisters and the best of friends. Max is a gorgeous showbiz reporter whose life is a whirlwind of celebrity parties, glamorous bars, juicy gossip and gorgeous men. Lucy, a beautiful, elegant fashion writer, has always been the sensible one, taking care of her little sister and never seeking the limelight. But that all changes when she falls for Hartley, Britain’s sexiest royal bachelor, and her lovelife is suddenly splashed across the front pages of the tabloids.
When Hartley’s ex-girlfriend starts scheming to get her man back, Lucy realizes that she’s up against more than just the paparazzi… Meanwhile Max, tired of the non-stop partying that her job entails, has finally met the perfect man but when she finds out who he really is, she realizes that they can’t be together. Can Max walk away from the love of her life? And will Lucy play the fame game in order to keep hers?
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Posted in 2010 releases, Book Reviews, Rating: 4/5 | 3 Comments »
Posted on April 2nd, 2010 by Leah
Tasmina Perry has recently moved publishers from Harper Collins to Headline and her new book Kiss Heaven Goodbye (great title) is due out on 5th August 2010. The cover isn’t too different from those at Harper but I like the softer author font and use of different colours. It’s quite a pretty cover and the synopsis also sounds fab:
A hot summer. A private island. A dark secret… On the luxurious private island of Angel Cay, four privileged students toast the end of their exams, but one dark night will change their perfect lives for ever. As the friends move into their glamorous careers – fashion, music, politics – each tries to put the past behind them. But no matter how high their stars climb, they cannot escape the dreadful truth. And when the consequences of that fateful night finally catch up with them, for one of the four, there is a terrible price to be paid… From the sugar-white sands of the Bahamas to Australia’s Coral Sea; from London’s glittering society scene to the lavish decadence of Hollywood, Tasmina Perry travels the world and turns up the heat in her most spectacular novel yet…
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Posted on April 1st, 2010 by Leah
Hi guys,
The site is currently going through a hosting change and as such we’re kind of starting from scratch and having to build everything up again. Please hang with us and we should be back to some sort of normality come Monday.
Thanks,
Leah & Chloe
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Hot off the heels of his successful debut novel Silk, Rupert James has his next book all ready for release in August. Step Sisters is due out on August 5th, and sounds like a really great read. Can’t say I’m too keen on the cover, but it’ll probably grow on me! Here’s the synopsis:
