Kate Rorick is in a good place...plus a book giveaway

We're pleased to have Kate Rorick at CLC today to celebrate the upcoming publication of her latest (but first solo) novel, The Baby Plan. She's here to joke around with us during Humor month and William Morrow has one copy of her book to share with a lucky reader!

Emmy Award-winning writer Kate Rorick is the author of The Baby Plan for William Morrow. She is also a television writer and producer, most recently for TNT's The Librarians. In 2014, Kate wrote for the You-Tube internet sensation, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, and co-authored two books based on the series, The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet, and The Epic Adventures of Lydia Bennet.

In her vast spare time, she moonlights as the bestselling author of several historical romance novels written under the pseudonym Kate Noble.

Kate lives in Los Angeles with her family.

And yes, her hair is naturally curly.

Visit Kate online:
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram

Synopsis:
Meet the mothers…

Nathalie Kneller: Nathalie’s plan: to announce her pregnancy now that she’s finally made it past twelve weeks! But just as she’s about to deliver (so to speak) the big news to her family, her scene-stealing sister barfs all over the Thanksgiving centerpiece. Yup, Lyndi’s pregnant too, swiping the spotlight once more…

Lyndi Kneller: Lyndi’s plan: finally get her life together! She’s got a new apartment, new promotion, new boyfriend. What she didn’t count on—a new baby! She can barely afford her rent, much less a state-of-the-art stroller…

Sophia Nunez: Sophia’s plan: Once she gets her daughter Maisey off to college, she’ll finally be able to enjoy life as make-up artist to one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, and girlfriend to one of rock’s hottest musicians. But after 18 years she discovers the stork is once again on its way…

Now these women are about to jump headlong into the world of modern day pregnancy. It’s a world of over the top gender reveal parties (with tacky cakes and fireworks); where every morsel you eat is scrutinized and discussed; where baby names are crowd-sourced and sonograms are Facebook-shared. And where nothing goes as planned... (Courtesy of Amazon.)


Funniest song you've heard
The state capitals song from Animaniacs. (Educational, too!)




What is your best celebrity impression (bonus if you have a video doing it)?
I do a decent Stewie Griffin from Family Guy and I will never, ever, ever have it committed to video.

Who is the funniest person you know (personally, not celebrity)?
My old boss John Rogers. He quit being a physicist to become a stand up comic so you hope he’s really good at the latter (or really bad at the former)

Who is the funniest celebrity, in your opinion?
I was going to say Amy Poehler in Parks and Rec was currently tied with Kristen Bell in The Good Place, but since Mike Schur created both shows I think a thimbleful of credit goes to him.

What classic Saturday Night Live skit/character is your favorite?
The Hillary Clinton/Sarah Palin sketch from the 2008 campaign is one of the most brilliant pieces of searingly feminist comedy we have ever been lucky to witness.

What is the funniest thing you own?
My complete collection of Eddie Izzard’s stand up specials on DVD. “Cake or Death!"

Thanks to Kate for the giggles and to William Morrow 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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Giveaway ends March 20th at midnight EST.

March and April 2018 Book Giveaway

Every two months, we're featuring EIGHT books we're interested in checking out. (We know there are many, many more, but we're just highlighting a few that haven't received their time in the spotlight yet.) Here are the books we've chosen for March and April. There is one copy of each book available to give away and we will choose FOUR winners to each receive TWO books at random.

See our previous bi-monthly posts for some other great reads you might have missed.

 (Mini teasers/synopses are all courtesy of Amazon.)

March:

This Bright Beauty by Emily Cavanagh (March 1st)

Franci and Lottie may be identical twins, but that’s where the similarities end. Franci has always been the stable one, while Lottie has bipolar disorder, constantly battling depression and mania. After years of taking care of her sister, Franci moves across the country to build a life for herself. Now, all the two share is distance.

*Thanks to Emily Cavanagh for the giveaway copy.

Husbands and Other Sharp Objects by Marilyn Simon Rothstein (March 6th)

After a lifetime of marriage, Marcy Hammer is ready to get herself unhitched—just as everyone else in her life is looking for a commitment. Her new boyfriend, Jon, wants to get serious, and her soon-to-be ex-husband, Harvey, is desperate to get back together. When her headstrong daughter announces a secret engagement to Harvey’s attorney, Marcy finds herself planning her daughter’s wedding as she plans her own divorce.

*Thanks to Lake Union for the giveaway copy.

I'll Be Your Blue Sky by 
Marisa de los Santos (March 6th)

Shifting between the 1950s and the present and told in alternating voices, I’ll Be Your Blue Sky is vintage Marisa de los Santos—an emotionally evocative novel that probes the deepest recesses of the human heart and illuminates the tender connections that bind our lives.


*Thanks to William Morrow for the giveaway copy.

The Neighbors 
by Hannah Mary McKinnon (March 13th)

Abby looks forward to meeting the family who just moved in across the street—until she realizes they’re the one couple who could expose her deepest secrets.

*Thanks to MIRA for the giveaway copy.

April:

Unwifeable 
by Mandy Stadtmiller (April 3rd)

From the popular, “candid and bold, tender and tough” (Cheryl Strayed) dating columnist for New York magazine and the New York Post comes a whirlwind and “gutsy” (Courtney Love) memoir recounting countless failed romances and blackout nights, told with Mandy Stadtmiller’s unflinching candor and brilliant wit.

*Thanks to Gallery for the giveaway copy.

The Lemonade Year 
by Amy Willoughby-Burle (April 3rd)

As Nina struggles to find a way through her complicated relationships and to uncover her true path, she discovers just how valuable a second chance at life and happiness can be.

*Thanks to Shadow Mountain for the giveaway copy.

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell (April 24th)

Ellie Mack was the perfect daughter. She was fifteen, the youngest of three. She was beloved by her parents, friends, and teachers. She and her boyfriend made a teenaged golden couple. She was days away from an idyllic post-exams summer vacation, with her whole life ahead of her.

And then she was gone.

*Thanks to Atria for the giveaway copy.

The Opposite of Never 
by Mary Kathleen Mehuron (April 24th)

Devastated when they lose their spouses, both Kenny Simmons and Georgia Best carry on for the sake of their children, although they are certain that the best part of their lives is long over. Then Georgia and her lifelong companions, Linda and Yvonne, meet Kenny while walking down a dusty Vermont country road, and the four of them hit it off. Soon, Kenny becomes a regular part of their hiking group, and he and Georgia grow more than fond of each other.

*Thanks to SparkPress for the giveaway copy.


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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Giveaway ends April 11th at midnight EST.

Stephie Chapman is laughing out loud...plus a book giveaway

Introduction by Melissa Amster

Recently, we were asked about celebrity crushes in the ChickLitChatHQ group. One answer that caught my eye was "David Duchovny," as I had a crush on him in college. I inquired as to whether the woman who posted it had heard the song about him. She hadn't, so I gladly shared it with her. Then we started chatting and I found out that she's a chick lit author. So, of course, I invited her for a friendly (and humorous) visit to CLC.

Meet Stephie Chapman, author of Getting Over Jesse Franklin and Jetplanes to Jupiter (which are part of a series). She has an e-book set of both for a lucky reader!

Stephie lives on the South Coast of the UK with her (some might erroneously say) long suffering husband, and two children. When she isn’t writing, she can usually be found living the dream nine-to-five life, playing aforementioned four-stringed instruments (ukulele, bass), or catching up on a) Netflix or b) sleep.

She’s a big fan of the Oxford comma, has figured out the most perfect cast for if ever her books were made into movies (find me an author who hasn’t! I’ll wait.) and not so secretly fancies herself as a Joan Holloway, Donna Paulsen, and Hank Moody hybrid.

Visit Stephie online:
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram

Synopsis:

What happens when you find your 90's boyband crush on Facebook, and then add him as a friend?

Back in the nineties Cassie loved Jesse. But he was the bass player in her favourite band and didn't even know she existed. Fourteen years on, the band has broken up and she's found him on Facebook, and it turns out that after finally meeting in London, he quite likes her, too. Things between them quickly intensify and Cassie and Jesse soon find themselves in a long distance relationship spanning five thousand miles.

Just as Cassie is beginning to think all her dreams have come true, she's reminded that when something seems too good to be true, it usually is. But whilst she tries to piece her life back together in London, over in LA, Jesse is planning a way to win her back. (Courtesy of Amazon)

*We're not sharing the synopsis of Jetplanes as there are spoilers for Getting Over Jesse Franklin.*

Most recent thing you laughed about:
Ahh, this is almost certainly one of those you-have-to-be-there things, but my side hustle to writing (ha) is that I work at a University. You might think a University would be a dry old place to work, but guys, you'd be wrong! There's a lot of innuendo. A LOT. So much so that I keep a book of all the accidentally smutty things my colleagues say. It's almost full. Sometimes, my BFF at work and I will have a giggle over some of the things people have said that we've put in the book.

Favorite funny meme:
Mary Poppins flying off holding her umbrella. Caption is "Screw this. I am done! I am so done."

Favorite comedy film:
It's super old, but I love Dirty Rotten Scoundrels with Michael Caine and Steve Martin. That last scene! No spoilers, but it's amazing. You absolutely realise they have been completely played, and so do they!

What is something that always makes you laugh no matter what?
There's a gif (that I shamelessly overuse on Twitter) of Steve Carell pulling a face. It sums up distaste for something perfectly. Very stupid, but it always makes me laugh.

What is the strangest thing you've ever laughed about?
Probably some of the odd stuff my husband comes out with. This morning, for instance, he'd just got out of the shower, and he was combing through his hair in our bedroom and legitimately checking himself out in the mirror. 'Yeah,' he said, 'I look like a proper Jedi!'

Just.... what?

He's a strange one.

What is the funniest thing you own?
The funniest thing I own? Hmm, Do my kids count? They are hilarious. A stream of comedy gold. Shine on, you crazy diamonds.

Thanks to Stephie for all the laughs and for sharing her books 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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Giveaway ends March 18th at midnight EST.

Book Review: Degrees of Love

By Sara Steven

Like the shiny new BMW parked in the driveway of the Silicon Valley home she shares with her husband, Matt, and their two boys, Susan Sinclair exudes confidence and style. Newly promoted to a prestigious Senior Vice President position at her firm, Susan is the picture of personal and professional success.

Yet appearances are deceiving. With each advance in Susan’s career, Matt has grown more distant. But he refuses to admit there is a problem, and Susan, determined to give her boys the close-knit family life she never had, forces herself to play along.

Then she meets her new boss, Reese Kirkpatrick. She and Reese become a crackerjack team, but little by little, pleasure mixes with business. For the first time in a long time, Susan feels seen and appreciated for who she is.

In a moment of weakness, friendship becomes something more. Now, unable to stomach the façade her marriage has become yet unwilling to decimate her family by moving forward with Reese, Susan faces a choice that could cost her everything—including her children . . . but possibly bring her more than she can dream. (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads)

As the synopsis indicates, appearances are deceiving. Often, what we think we see, the image we’re given on someone’s relationship, a marriage, a family unit, is much more deeper than the first layer, the surface. For Susan, so much of her life is dictated by the appearance of her life, yet in reality, her marriage has been slowly unraveling for several years, a fact that she’s tried to keep hidden, in a sense, even from herself.

I really felt for the position she is in. She tries so hard to make it all work, because ultimately, she loves her husband, Matt. So much of Degrees of Love plays out like a deep internal struggle for doing what’s right, vs. doing what her heart tells her to do. I could appreciate that about her personality, that she wasn’t some tart who is out for a cheap thrill with her boss, Reese. Far from. And, above all else, she wants to keep the image of a happy, fulfilling life for her children, even if that means sacrificing her own happiness in order to protect the ones she loves.

I also appreciated the turmoil felt from all three major players in this story. It was genuine, a realistic response to being in a rather awkward and perplexing situation. How will Reese deal with the notion that he may never have Susan fully, that she’s always going to be tied to her family in a way that he won’t ever be able to penetrate? And, will Matt ever really come clean on why he treats Susan the way he does, and what would he do if he ever found out that she has forged a forbidden relationship with another man? And of course, the biggest question is, what will happen to Susan; her marriage, her relationship with Reese. What sort of life will she have going forward? This bruised and beaten love triangle was a chaotic mess with insane highs and lows, but that made it all the more interesting and real for me, because I always wanted to know what was going to happen next for all involved at every given moment.

Thanks to Lisa Slabach for the book in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: The Hating Game

By Melissa Amster

I'm not a fan of Josh from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend or Josh from Younger, but with her debut novel The Hating Game, Sally Thorne creates a Josh who totally gets under my skin (in a good way).

Nemesis (n.) 
1) An opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or overcome.
2) A person’s undoing
3) Joshua Templeman



Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman hate each other. Not dislike. Not begrudgingly tolerate. Hate. And they have no problem displaying their feelings through a series of ritualistic passive aggressive maneuvers as they sit across from each other, executive assistants to co-CEOs of a publishing company. Lucy can’t understand Joshua’s joyless, uptight, meticulous approach to his job. Joshua is clearly baffled by Lucy’s overly bright clothes, quirkiness, and Pollyanna attitude.

Now up for the same promotion, their battle of wills has come to a head and Lucy refuses to back down when their latest game could cost her her dream job…But the tension between Lucy and Joshua has also reached its boiling point, and Lucy is discovering that maybe she doesn’t hate Joshua. And maybe, he doesn’t hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

I had been told by several friends that I needed to read this novel and that it was best as an audio book. So I decided to go for it and completely agree with their recommendation.

Like on the show Younger, this story takes place at a publishing company. That definitely caught my interest, as anything related to books usually does. I also liked the fact that Lucy grew up on a strawberry farm, which, along with her height, earns her the nickname "Shortcake." Somehow, it sounds sexy coming from Josh. Lucy collects Smurfs, which is something I did as a kid. (I still have my Smurf collection and sometimes my kids play with it.)

The tension between Lucy and Josh reminded me of You've Got Mail in some ways. I really liked all their scenes together. I don't want to say anything more as to not spoil where the story goes.

A few things didn't work for me so well, but it did not detract from my enjoyment. Some parts felt a bit slow and took away from the momentum of the story. I tended to zone out when that happened and was worried I missed something. However, the rest of the story made up for it, especially the steamy parts! Also, I wasn't sure where the story took place, in terms of city location. Unless I missed something? Finally, there were two characters named Elaine, which seemed a bit strange and unnecessary to me. Especially since they had similar personalities.

Overall, I enjoyed listening to The Hating Game. It was a fun and entertaining story and I really felt a kinship with Lucy. It was hard to believe this was a debut novel, as it was well-written and polished. Katie Schorr did a good job narrating, but I would have liked for more of a differentiation between male voices. She has a cute voice that worked well for Lucy and I was pleased to find out that she also narrates Big Girl Panties by Stephanie Evanovich. She can really make a steamy scene come to life!

Dream movie cast:
Lucy: Milana Vayntrub
Josh: Max Greenfield
Danny: Finn Jones
Elaine (Lucy's boss): Alex Meneses

Sally Hepworth is young at heart...plus a book giveaway

We're pleased to have Sally Hepworth here during publication week for her fourth novel, The Family Next Door. Melissa A enjoyed it as much as she has enjoyed Sally's previous novels. (See her review.) Sally is here for a good laugh during Humor month and St. Martin's Press has TWO copies of her novel to give away!

Sally Hepworth is the bestselling author of The Secrets of Midwives (2015), The Things We Keep (2016) and The Mother's Promise (2017). Her books have been labeled “enchanting” by The Herald Sun, “smart and engaging” by Publisher’s Weekly, and New York Times bestselling authors Liane Moriarty and Emily Giffin have praised Sally’s novels as “women’s fiction at its finest” and “totally absorbing.” Her novels are available worldwide in English and have been translated into 15 languages.

Sally lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband and three children. You can find her at her website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Synopsis:
Small, perfect towns often hold the deepest secrets.

From the outside, Essie’s life looks idyllic: a loving husband, a beautiful house in a good neighborhood, and a nearby mother who dotes on her grandchildren. But few of Essie’s friends know her secret shame: that in a moment of maternal despair, she once walked away from her newborn, asleep in her carriage in a park. Disaster was avoided and Essie got better, but she still fears what lurks inside her, even as her daughter gets older and she has a second baby.

When a new woman named Isabelle moves in next door to Essie, she is an immediate object of curiosity in the neighborhood. Why single, when everyone else is married with children? Why renting, when everyone else owns? What mysterious job does she have? And why is she so fascinated with Essie? As the two women grow closer and Essie’s friends voice their disapproval, it starts to become clear that Isabelle’s choice of neighborhood was no accident. And that her presence threatens to bring shocking secrets to light. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

Your online go-to source for humor:
The Fat Jewish

Favorite funny video
The BBC reporter who is photo-bombed by his two kids and wife during a live interview!

Favorite comedy film:
Love Actually or any British film. British humor is my favorite.

Funniest misunderstanding you've had with someone:
When the computer at my optometrist’s office changed my date of birth and thought I was 65 instead of 35. The receptionist kept telling me how good I looked for my age, and that it was “a miracle I hadn’t needed glasses before now.” When I explained that I was actually only 35, she merely looked back at the computer and said … “no, it says here you are 65.” There was really no convincing her.

Funniest book you've read:
Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny. This book had me snorting my tea. When I read it in bed I laughed so loud I had to move to the lounge room so I wouldn’t wake up my husband.

What is the strangest thing you've ever laughed about?
When a little old lady farted in the library and then, when she noticed that I’d heard it, swore me to secrecy.

Thanks to Sally for making us snort-laugh and to St. Martin's Press 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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Giveaway ends March 13th at midnight EST

Book Review: Hot Mess

By Jami Deise

Most of us who read or watch romantic comedies know the drill: We get a “girl meets boy, girl loses boy, girl gets boy” story; we root for the couple to end up together and live happily ever after. But life today delivers a different type of love story, and as I read Emily Belden’s debut novel, Hot Mess, I rooted for the protagonist to dump her boyfriend and get on with her life without him.

Allie Simon is a 25 year-old living in Chicago, and in many ways, she’s emblematic of the millennial generation. She met her boyfriend on Twitter. She works in digital marketing. She lives in a 550 square foot apartment. In other ways, she isn’t—somehow she has managed to save thirty thousand dollars. But the biggest way Allie’s story feels ripe for the time is that her boyfriend, cyber-famous chef Benji Zane, is an addict. Although coke, not heroin, is Benji’s weakness, it’s not difficult to see their story as illustrative of every couple involved in a love triangle between two people and a mood-altering substance.

How does an otherwise intelligent, hard-working person end up in a relationship with an addict? Why does she believe his lies? What lies does she tell herself to justify staying with him? Because the story is told from Allie’s first-person perspective, readers get an up-close-and-personal look at her thought process. When we first meet Allie, she and Benji have been together for awhile, so we don’t get to experience the early part of their relationship as it unfolds. The opening scene is Allie running one of Benji’s sold-out “pop up” dining experiences. He’s a bad boy chef who can’t hold a real job, so he’s forced to cook in other people’s spaces, and she has to hold the money because otherwise it might go in his crack pipe. It’s a very long opening scene because Belden intersperses it with all the back story about Allie and Benji’s relationship, including information about Allie’s job, Allie’s best friends (whom she’ll casually blow off if something comes up with Benji, and pout for their attention if they are busy on a night when Benji is otherwise occupied), Allie’s parents. Belden has a strong, confident narrative voice, but that opening scene is so weighed down with all this back story that I originally thought Hot Mess was the second in a series, and she was bringing me up to speed with what happened in the first book. When I realized that wasn’t the case, I was tempted to give up on the book. (It’s also long for the genre, clocking in at over 400 pages.) But I’m glad I didn’t, because Belden hit her stride soon after, easily balancing present scenes with exposition and back story.

Complications ensue when Benji is offered a chance at part ownership in a new restaurant that will open on Chicago’s famed Randolph Street. Benji is so broke he’s spending his days on Allie’s couch, but Allie has that thirty grand in savings. She’s already risked her heart… will she risk all her money on Benji’s sobriety? As the book’s blurb reveals, Allie’s faith in Benji is misplaced. Once Benji relapses, Allie’s only option to recover her money is to go to work for the restaurant he abandoned.

At this point, the book stops being about Allie and Benji and starts being about all the minutiae involved in opening a restaurant. This “you are there” behind-the-scenes look is exhausting, but probably riveting for folks who like to watch shows like Vanderpump Rules or the latest Gordon Ramsay. As I’m not a foodie (my idea of gourmet is a high-level ice cream), I found my interest flagging during the latter half of the book, but I stuck around for the inevitable reunion with Benji. Will Allie learn her lesson, or does love conquer all, even with an addict? Of course addicts deserve love—everyone does—but what happens to those who love them?

For what it’s worth, I never felt Benji deserved Allie’s devotion, even when he was ostensibly clean. He was the star of their relationship, and she was expected to be the planet orbiting around him. The most telling fact of all: Benji refused to perform a sexual activity crucial to female enjoyment, and Allie accepted that because of his “sensitive chef taste buds.” Millennial women: Even more than addiction, this is a deal-breaker.

While Hot Mess might feel very timely due to its emphasis on life in cyberspace, addiction, and money issues, at its heart it’s a timeless story. Women, you are the center of your own life. Any man who sees you as second to him does not deserve to be part of it.

Thanks to TLC Book Tours for the book in exchange for an honest review. Visit all the stops on Emily's tour.