Book Review: Wellies and Westies

By Becky Gulc

‘Catherine ‘Cat’ Palmer realises, too late, that bringing an adorable puppy into work at the local nursery was a bad idea, especially after the ensuing chaos gets her the sack.

Determined to turn a negative into a positive, Cat decides this is the perfect opportunity to get her dog-walking business off the ground with the help of her flatmates, Polly and Joe. After all, Primrose Terrace where she lives, is full of home-alone hounds…’ (courtesy of harpercollins.co.uk)

As a fellow Novelicious Undiscovered finalist in 2012 I got to know Cressida McLaughlin a little bit and I knew not only how passionate she was about writing, but hard at work with it too. So I felt so pleased for her when I saw the news that she’d secured a deal with Harper Fiction and was thrilled to read her work.

Wellies and Westies is the first novella in a series of four (all as e-books), all set in Primrose Terrace, with the full novel being available towards the end of the year, and as a paperback version. As a dog lover the synopsis along with the amazing cover really drew me in, this sounded like just my cup of tea.

I’ll be honest and say I found the situation of Cat sneaking a dog into nursery a little silly and unrealistic, but once that part was over--which was quite quickly--I began to really enjoy this novel. Cat is a positive character, willing to make her dog walking business succeed and she embraces the community around her, a community she’s only just getting to know herself. I really liked her personality, her ethics, her quirkiness and of course her love for our canine friends who feature quite a bit, just as I’d want them to!

I enjoyed Cressida’s style of writing, it flowed well and there were some funny moments in this and a great sense of place which seemed key for this type of book. There was also a good level of build up and intrigue as to where Cat’s love-life would be heading.

I’m not particularly into installments of books and even though I enjoyed this I think I’d personally wait until the full book is released before reading more. But how great that readers will have that choice to buy the next installment or buy the whole thing. I personally think this novella would have needed a stronger ending to draw me in and make me order the next installment right now.

Nevertheless I would read more, I enjoyed meeting the different characters and there was definitely intrigue set in wanting to learn more about some of them. A recommended read from me, especially for the doggie lovers out there!

Thanks to Harper Fiction for the book in exchange for an honest review.

More from the Primrose Terrace series:

Guest Book Review: The Heartbroker (Wellywood Series Novel 2)

By Michelle Drodge

I was a bit weary about reading a second book in a series without first reading book one (Styling Wellywood...reviewed by someone else), however I was on a really long flight on my way to a business conference and had a five hour window to devour a novel. So against my better judgement, I opened it up.

Seated next to my co-worker, a fellow communications professional in the middle of writing a speech for a high-power executive that would be delivered to almost a thousand people, I tried to focus on the task at hand. Unfortunately, we were both distracted by each other’s screens. I was reading the speech, and he was reading my book – and laughing at the ridiculous language he stumbled upon (a far cry from the CEO language he was currently channeling).

As a male, I suppose he couldn’t resist imitating the characters in the book. To my dismay (and embarrassment) he begins reading when Lucinda, the “resident vamp” showed up at Brooke’s table in the third chapter. This is right after she tells her friends about her encounter with Logan McMannus, the man who is working to bridge her company ‘Live It’ into the You: Now franchise by purchasing fifty per cent.

“It’s fair to say neither of us are big fans of Lucinda Strap-A-Mattress-To-My-Back Hargreaves!!!!”, mocked my co-worker, in his best high pitched girl voice. “You do it much better than Miss Sex On-A-Stick!” This, followed by an imitation girlie hair flip provoked an eye roll from me, and I promptly closed the Kindle App. Instead, we played Angry Birds for three hours straight - we are really getting good at it.

It must have been a combination of my co-worker poking fun at the airy tone, filled with stereotypical girl talk, and the conference we were getting ready to attend (re: high power executive speeches), but I was dreading reading this book. Brooke seemed like a ridiculous oxymoron – a powerful man walks into her office and she immediately melts and falls in love with him. Yet this same woman has the acumen to own her own business at such a young age. It was so plain to see that they were going to end up together, and I was frustrated that this book was so transparent.

Days later, after returning from the conference, I picked up my iPad at home and decided to give it just one more chance – and without the influence of a male, I was delightfully hooked!

Again, the story between Brooke and Logan was very expected from the first chapter. It was no secret that the plot was going to place both of them in a space where they would instantly develop a relationship. It was a bit far-fetched in the sense that Logan was professing his undying love to her in just a few days, but also a refreshing twist. Realistically, I’d be over the moon if I were Brooke in this situation, and I was relieved to see that it, for once, was the man who’d melted into a woman’s arms.

What I didn’t expect was the twist in the middle, giving the book the credibility it so desperately needed. The fluffy plot was replaced with a serious business faux-pas, which certainly peaked my interest as a professional in a corporate environment. Kate O’Keeffe was able to clearly convey a situation that seemed completely plausible, one that could happen to any young entrepreneur, with one little mistake.

Overall, I was extremely pleased with The Heartbroker by the end, and I do hope to see Brooke and Logan in a third installment.

What I learned: Follow your gut and read book one first – you are missing background on characters you would otherwise already know! Oh, and never EVER read a Chick Lit novel next to a male on a plane.

Thanks to Kate O'Keeffe for the book in exchange for an honest review. 

Michelle Drodge is 29 and lives in a small town north of Toronto in Canada with her daughter, who is five going on fifteen. She works in Management Communications during the day, but moonlights as an aspiring writer after her daughter goes to sleep. One day she hopes to see her own book on the shelf alongside her favourite Chick Lit authors!

Spotlight and Giveaway: The Things We Keep

Synopsis:
Anna Forster, in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease at only thirty-eight years old, knows that her family is doing what they believe to be best when they take her to Rosalind House, an assisted living facility. She also knows there's just one other resident her age, Luke. What she does not expect is the love that blossoms between her and Luke even as she resists her new life at Rosalind House. As her disease steals more and more of her memory, Anna fights to hold on to what she knows, including her relationship with Luke.

When Eve Bennett is suddenly thrust into the role of single mother she finds herself putting her culinary training to use at Rosalind house. When she meets Anna and Luke she is moved by the bond the pair has forged. But when a tragic incident leads Anna's and Luke's families to separate them, Eve finds herself questioning what she is willing to risk to help them.

About the author:
While pregnant with her second child, Sally Hepworth wrote The Secrets of Midwives, a novel about three generations of midwives that asks readers what makes a mother and what role biology plays in the making and binding of a family. Sally’s latest novel is The Things We Keep, available January 19 from St. Martin's Press.

She lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband and two children, and is currently working on her next novel.

Visit Sally at her website, Facebook, and Twitter.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press, we have one copy of The Things We Keep for a lucky US reader! You can also enter to win from Confessions of a Bookaholic (Worldwide) and Goodreads (US only).

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here.

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US only. Giveaway ends January 19th at midnight EST.

Survey says...

Thanks again to those of you who took our 2016 Themes survey this past December. We had 56 respondents, which brought about a variety of answers. Thankfully, we were able to choose some great themes for 2016, thanks to your help!

First of all, the favorite theme from 2015 was, oddly enough, BOOKS AND READING, with 58% of the votes.

The new themes chosen for 2016 are....

*Loaded questions (asking questions from the board game): 46%
*Seasons: 45%
*Regression (stuff from childhood): 43%
*Families: 38%

We may be bringing back some of the other choices as options for the future, so if you chose them but they weren't voted upon enough, have no fear!

The theme we'll be bringing back from a previous year, but in a different way, is NOSTALGIA, which earned 45% of the votes.

Some suggestions we may be entertaining in the future, as well:

*Classics
*Second chance at love
*Libraries
*Things that most people don't know about our authors
*Science
*Fantasy

When asked about visiting our Bookshelf page, the majority of you (77%) said "Sometimes," which means we'll be continuing to update on a bi-weekly basis throughout the year.

When asked about visiting our Giveaways page, 27% said "weekly" and 25% said "every few weeks." We enjoy being able to share other giveaways with you and will keep the page updated whenever possible.

Finally, we asked about your favorite books from 2015 and received a huge variety of answers. Here are just some of them:

*Girl before a Mirror by Liza Palmer
*After You by JoJo Moyes
*The Royal We by The Fug Girls
*A Miracle at Macy's by Lynn Marie Hulsman
*Becoming Ellen by Shari Shattuck
*Dog Crazy by Meg Donohue
*Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins
*At the Water's Edge by Sara Gruen
*Twin Piques by Tracie Banister
*Come Away With Me by Karma Brown
*I'm Still Here by Kathryn Biel
*Pretending to Dance by Diane Chamberlain
*The Reinvention of Mimi Finnegan by Whitney Dineen
*Dear Carolina by Kristy Woodson Harvey
*Plan Bea by Hilary Grossman
*The Status of All Things by Liz and Lisa
*A Single Breath by Lucy Clarke
*The Marrying Type by Laura Chapman
*Who Do You Love by Jennifer Weiner
*Summer Flings and Dancing Dreams by Sue Watson
*The Sound of Glass by Karen White
*A Memory of Violets by Hazel Gaynor
*The Best of Enemies by Jen Lancaster
*The Vintage Guide to Love and Romance by Kirsty Greenwood

The rest of you had too many too choose from and couldn't think of just one!

Book Review: The Summertime Girls

By Sara Steven

I’ve never believed in the old adage, “blood is thicker than water”. For me, friends are family. Sometimes you can form a very close bond with someone who doesn’t come from the same gene pool as you, just like the relationship Ally and Beth share in The Summertime Girls.

Ally Morris and Beth Abbott were beyond inseparable. From the very first time they met, the girls knew they’d found a once-in-a-lifetime friendship. But sometimes, life can’t help but get in the way.

As time goes by, disappointments and petty resentments begin to alter what they once thought was forever. Ally’s boho lifestyle leaves her drowning in confusion and cheap whisky, while a terrible secret threatens to shatter Beth’s carefully controlled world. By the time they need each other most, Ally and Beth are nearly strangers to each other.

When a family crisis prompts Beth to contact Ally for help out of the blue, the girls reunite in Maine. But the distance between them is overwhelming. To save their friendship, Ally and Beth will have to confront painful moments in their past and redefine who they are—before their incredible connection fades away for good… (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)

Opposites attract. Case in point: Ally and Beth. Two completely different personality types who have forged a friendship since childhood. Where Ally is wild and reckless, Beth is controlled and disciplined. They are closer than most sister relationships I’ve witnessed in life, lending to the potential for chaotic moments and resentment. It’s not hard to see that deep down, both women wish they were a little more like the other. Ally wants to be more grounded, have more of a level head, while Beth wishes she could throw caution to the wind and not care so much about what others think of her.

It’s hard to believe that this is Laura Hankin’s debut novel. Once I delved in, I had a really hard time putting it down. I wanted to know if Ally and Beth’s friendship, their sisterhood would survive the exterior forces and elements that threaten to destroy them. It was well-written and perfected, characters that feel real and are dealing with real problems and issues that most of us have faced at one time or another.

Your family, the people you surround yourself with is what you choose to make of it. It can take a lot of effort and trust, but friendships with this deep of roots are the ones meant to last a lifetime. I’ve been fortunate to have friendships with women who I’ve known since childhood, and I know for us, we’re nothing short of sisters, even with the ever-changing ups and down that life has a tendency to dish out. Will that be the case for Ally and Beth, or will their story, their sisterhood come to an end?

Thanks to Berkley/NAL for the book in exchange for an honest review.

Hanging out at Elizabeth La Ban's LOFT...plus a book giveaway

We are pleased to have Elizabeth LaBan at Chick Lit Central today to feature her novel, The Restaurant Critic's Wife. Thanks to TLC Book Tours, we have one copy for a lucky reader in the US or Canada.

Elizabeth LaBan lives in Philadelphia with her restaurant critic husband and two children. She is also the author of the young adult novel The Tragedy Paper, published by Knopf, which has been translated into eleven foreign languages, and The Grandparents Handbook, published by Quirk Books, which has been translated into seven foreign languages.

She teaches fiction writing at The University of Pennsylvania. In addition, she is a freelance writer and editor whose work has appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer, New York Newsday, and The Times-Picayune, among other publications. She also ghostwrites a weekly column, and has ghostwritten two books.

She has a master’s in journalism from Columbia University, and a bachelor’s in English from Trinity College in Hartford. Elizabeth was an NBC Page, worked at NBC News in New York, taught journalism at a community college in New Orleans, and was a reporter at a number of small to mid-sized newspapers including The Riverdale Press before she began writing books. (Bio courtesy of Elizabeth's website.)

Visit Elizabeth at her website, Facebook, and Twitter.

The full schedule for Elizabeth's blog tour can be found here.

Synopsis:
Lila Soto has a master’s degree that’s gathering dust, a work-obsessed husband, two kids, and lots of questions about how exactly she ended up here.

In their new city of Philadelphia, Lila’s husband, Sam, takes his job as a restaurant critic a little too seriously. To protect his professional credibility, he’s determined to remain anonymous. Soon his preoccupation with anonymity takes over their lives as he tries to limit the family’s contact with anyone who might have ties to the foodie world. Meanwhile, Lila craves adult conversation and some relief from the constraints of her homemaker role. With her patience wearing thin, she begins to question everything: her decision to get pregnant again, her break from her career, her marriage—even if leaving her ex-boyfriend was the right thing to do. As Sam becomes more and more fixated on keeping his identity secret, Lila begins to wonder if her own identity has completely disappeared—and what it will take to get it back. (Courtesy of Goodreads.)

*To me, beauty is:
Going up to the Ocean City, New Jersey boardwalk after a day at the beach – clean and brushed, and glowing a little from the sun.

*What is your must-have beauty product?
First let me say that I buy very few beauty products. So few, in fact, that I just recently had to replace the makeup I bought for my wedding (over 17 years ago!). But when I do, I buy Clinique – generally from the counter at the Macy’s in Center City Philadelphia. I can’t live without the Clinique Rinse-Off Foaming Cleanser – I love the non-smell smell of it. Also, I LOVE Clinique lipstick. I can go weeks without wearing any makeup but I try to wear lipstick most days. I don’t have a favorite color – I will wear many – but I do tend to gravitate toward the pinks.

*Where is your favorite place to buy clothes?
I can’t answer this question without thinking of that line in the movie This Is 40 when Debbie talks about not being ready to shop at places like J. Jill and Ann Taylor Loft. I always laugh when I think of that. I get most of my clothes at LOFT. Right now everything I’m wearing is from there, including my socks. I’m not even kidding.

*What is your favorite fashion trend?
Plaid. I love all things plaid!

*Which celebrity has the best style?
Taraji P. Henson who plays Cookie on Empire!

*What is your favorite song that has the word "beauty" or "beautiful" in it?
That is the easiest question here. "You’re So Beautiful" by the Empire cast. We love that show, and listen to the music whenever we get a chance. There are a few versions of this song, and I like them all.

Thanks to Elizabeth for visiting with us and to TLC Book Tours for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here.

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US/Canada only. Giveaway ends January 17th at midnight EST

Book Review: Match Me if You Can

US cover

By Jami Deise

Once upon a time – before the invention of Facebook, Google, serial monogamy and delayed marriage – ex-boyfriends disappeared from a woman’s life forever after that final hanging up of the phone (and cell phones mean one can no longer slam down the receiver in disgust.). Out of sight, out of mind. Goodbye, good luck and good riddance. But no more. Now people are expected to stay friends (at least on Facebook) with their exes. It’s polite, it’s adult, it’s what’s done. My never-married friend Pam has stayed friends with most of her exes, telling me that just because the romance was over, it didn’t mean she stopped caring for the men she dated. I’ve been married for 25 years and lost track with most of the guys I dated in college. Hopefully the restraining orders have expired.

This “stay friends” expectation is the underpinning of Michele Gorman’s latest romantic comedy, Match Me if You Can.

Catherine and Richard are divorced, but he still considers her his best friend – so much so that they share a company.

RecycLove.com is more than just a website – it’s a matchmaking company and even a make-over service. The catch, however, is that singles can’t join by themselves. They need to bring along an ex-boyfriend or girlfriend, both to vouch for their character and to offer a critical assessment.

Unfortunately for Catherine, Richard doesn’t need their company’s services – he’s just become engaged to Magna, a 23-year-old wealthy Hungarian model, who insists on becoming Catherine’s new business partner. To prove that she doesn’t need Magna’s help in her business, Catherine convinces her housemates – junior architect Rachel and greeting-card writer Sarah – to sign up for the service. Rachel brings along her ex-boyfriend, current co-worker James – with whom she’s competing on a big project at work. Sarah, who’d rather be baking or taking care of her disabled younger sister Sissy, cajoles an ex-boyfriend who faults her for being a couch potato. In a subplot, Catherine and Rachel plot to get Sarah accepted on a baking reality show.

Although the novel is equally Rachel and Sarah’s story, Catherine is the dominant character, and her dilemma is the most compelling. Magna is obnoxious and arrogant, but Richard’s insistence that Catherine is his best friend means she’s stuck with his fiancée as her partner and helping them plan their wedding. And ironically, this friendship demonstrates the fallacy of the “stay friends” directive – Catherine’s friendship with Richard is holding her back from other relationships.

UK cover

Even without driving story, Rachel and Sarah are both easy to root for. Rachel’s mother is a famous architect, and she’s desperate to prove herself without her mother’s help, all the while competing with a man she seems to still have feelings for. And Sarah needs to find a home for Sissy before her current group home closes. Romance, while nice, has to take a back seat to other concerns in these women’s lives.

"Match Me" firmly falls into the category of chick lit, but it’s refreshing that none of its three heroines puts the wants and needs of a man before their own. Yes, it’s nice to have a man, but having real friendships, a strong career, and self-confidence are the vertebrae in the spine of life. The novel is a bit longer than it needs to be, but it’s definitely a nice addition to the genre. And reading it is a much better way to spend time than stalking exes on Facebook.

Thanks to Notting Hill Press for the book in exchange for an honest review.

Purchase links:
Amazon UK: £1.99 until January 14th
Amazon US: 99 cents until January 14th

Check out the book's trailer:


More by Michele Gorman: