Book Review: Stray Magic

By Jami Deise

Most women I know don’t have unrealistic expectations for a partner. They want someone who’s loyal, who’ll love them unconditionally. Who’s happy to see them at the end of the day. Someone to share a bed with.

Many of them have given up on finding that relationship with a human, and are concentrating on their dogs instead. Yes, dogs require that you pick up their poop, but other than that drawback, they are the perfect partner.

Fido-friendly fiction writer Jackie Bouchard has expanded her repertoire with her latest novel, Stray Magic. While her previous books have all featured women and their hounds in situations ranging from comical to dramatic, Stray Magic is firmly in the fairy-tale genre. And while the dogs provide quite a bit of magic, they aren’t the only source.

Cara Snow, about to be an empty-nester when her daughter Winnie goes off the college, has ten months to find love before her ex-husband Todd’s Valentine’s Day wedding. But the only true love she has so far is with her Corgi, Llewellyn. When she wishes aloud that she could fall for a man as easy as she falls for the rescue dogs whose adoptions she facilitates, her fairy godfather appears. Vincent, a miniature guido from Jersey who’s just the right size to ride Llewellyn (apparently Corgis were specially bred to carry fae), is twenty-five years late, but he’s eager to help Cara find the right man. Too bad his spell is just a little clumsy. Now Cara is left wondering if every man who comes through the door of the pet boutique where she works is The One… and why the pooches are so much more attractive than the men.

Stray Magic is a cute, quick read—it came in at just under two hours on my Kindle. Cara is a bit of a pushover, but she’s easy to root for. And the dogs she falls in love with through the rescue events she coordinates are as well-described as any characters. The story moves naturally to its climax, which merges elements of Cinderella along with Cara’s personal character arc.

Even in a world of smart phones, Netflix, and Uber drivers, we still dream of magic and a fairy god… person to wave a wand and make our wishes come true. And if she brings a dog, that much the better.

Thanks to Jackie Bouchard for the book in exchange for an honest review.

More by Jackie Bouchard:

Meredith Schorr's dream date...plus a book giveaway

Today we are celebrating the publication of Meredith Schorr's latest novel, The Boyfriend Swap (reviewed here). It's been described as The Holiday meets The Proposal.

A born-and-bred New Yorker, Meredith Schorr discovered her passion for writing when she began to enjoy drafting work-related emails way more than she was probably supposed to. After trying her hand penning children’s stories and blogging her personal experiences, Meredith found her calling writing romantic comedy and humorous women’s fiction. She secures much inspiration from her day job as a hardworking trademark paralegal and her still-single (but looking) status. Meredith is a loyal New York Yankees fan, an avid runner, and an unashamed television addict. To learn more, visit Meredith at her website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Meredith is here today to talk about her ideal night on the town. Since Melissa A is a huge fan of her novels, she is going to send one of Meredith's previous e-books to a lucky reader. They're all awesome, so it will be hard for anyone to choose!

Synopsis:
First meet Robyn Lane. She’s always dated struggling creative types, including her current squeeze (Perry, an actor). For this year’s Chrismukkah celebration, her parents would love her to bring someone stable, reliable, steadily employed. You know, with health insurance and a 401(k).

Now let’s meet Sidney Bellows. Her parents already plan her professional life (she’s an attorney at her father’s law firm). If she brings her current boyfriend (Will, an attorney) to the family Christmas extravaganza, her parents will have their wedding planned by New Year’s Eve.

Leave it to a mutual friend (and copious amounts of wine) to find a playful solution: Swap those boyfriends, fool the parents, and enjoy the holidays. It’s perfect! Robyn can show off a successful attorney boyfriend, and Sidney’s high-society family won’t ring those wedding bells when they meet a flaky actor beau.

The fun isn’t in the theory, it’s in the practice.

Will turns out to be the boy-next-door Robyn crushed on hard throughout her teenage years. Sidney’s family fawns all over Perry like he’s an Oscar-winner rather than a D-list wannabe.

Fool the parents? Enjoy the holidays? Swapping boyfriends never sounded so good or went so bad. Take time to read this one. It’s like Christmas in July. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

I’m thrilled to be a guest blogger at Chick Lit Central to celebrate the release of my holiday romantic comedy, The Boyfriend Swap!

Melissa asked me to describe a perfect night out. Ideally, I’d spend it with my boyfriend. The date would commence in late afternoon/early evening while it was still light outside. The weather would be perfect—sunny and brisk with low humidity. We’d start off doing something outdoors, like walking through Central Park or browsing shops in the West Village. When we got tired, we’d dip into a cozy café or bar and talk over a bottle of wine. Once we worked up an appetite, we’d head to a restaurant, particularly one conducive to sharing food and where the service isn’t rushed. We’d both put our phones away for the entirety of the meal and focus on each other. After dinner, we’d consider going out for live music, but we’d decide to head home and…well, you know.

Sounds divine, right?

Unfortunately, there are several reasons the above-described ideal night out can’t happen. First, I’m currently single. Where’s my boyfriend? No idea. Also, I’ve been put on a restricted diet for tummy issues and most ingredients in the best sharable “small plates” are currently prohibited. As far as wine, I’m allowed only a single glass at a time. Finally, I’m exhausted from releasing one novel, completing edits on another, and working a full-time day job as a paralegal. A perfect night “out” would actually be a quiet night “in.”

This Saturday, you’ll probably find me in front of the television and watching a Hallmark movie over take-out Chinese and a bottle of Tito’s. (Steamed shrimp/veggies with rice are allowed on my diet. So is vodka!)

Thanks to Meredith for visiting with us!

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 November 12th at midnight EST.

Book Review: The Life She Was Given

By Melissa Amster

On a summer evening in 1931, Lilly Blackwood glimpses circus lights from the grimy window of her attic bedroom. Lilly isn’t allowed to explore the meadows around Blackwood Manor. She’s never even ventured beyond her narrow room. Momma insists it’s for Lilly’s own protection, that people would be afraid if they saw her. But on this unforgettable night, Lilly is taken outside for the first time—and sold to the circus sideshow.

More than two decades later, nineteen-year-old Julia Blackwood has inherited her parents’ estate and horse farm. For Julia, home was an unhappy place full of strict rules and forbidden rooms, and she hopes that returning might erase those painful memories. Instead, she becomes immersed in a mystery involving a hidden attic room and photos of circus scenes featuring a striking young girl.

At first, The Barlow Brothers’ Circus is just another prison for Lilly. But in this rag-tag, sometimes brutal world, Lilly discovers strength, friendship, and a rare affinity for animals. Soon, thanks to elephants Pepper and JoJo and their handler, Cole, Lilly is no longer a sideshow spectacle but the circus’s biggest attraction. . .until tragedy and cruelty collide. It will fall to Julia to learn the truth about Lilly’s fate and her family’s shocking betrayal, and find a way to make Blackwood Manor into a place of healing at last.

Moving between Julia and Lilly’s stories, Ellen Marie Wiseman portrays two extraordinary, very different women in a novel that, while tender and heartbreaking, offers moments of joy and indomitable hope. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

It's been a while since I've had a book hangover, but The Life She Was Given made me remember what that feels like. I had a bunch of different emotions wreaking havoc on me afterward and one of the biggest ones was sadness that it was over. While the subject matter of this novel was heavy and sometimes disturbing, I just couldn't put it down, but I also didn't want it to end.

Lilly and Julia were such kind and sympathetic characters, even after growing up with such a heartless and cruel mother. Some parts of the story made me think of a V.C. Andrews novel, such as living in the attic of a big house and having a mother who cared more about what the Bible said than about her own daughter's feelings. (I also remember a minor character in one of the books being sold to a circus.) Things were also difficult for Lilly at the circus, even though she did have some friends to help her out.

I do want to warn readers about the heavy and disturbing parts. It involves both child and animal abuse. I don't want to give away too much more, but those are definitely the core issues that take place throughout the novel. If you can handle Water for Elephants, you should be able to handle this one too. I could easily visualize a lot of what was happening and all the characters. Ellen's descriptions were simplistic enough to paint a picture without taking away from the action.

Despite all that, I just couldn't get enough of this novel. I read most of it in one sitting and just didn't want to put it down to get back to real life. Ellen Marie Wiseman tells a haunting and compelling story that will leave readers reeling for a long time to come. As this is only the second book of Ellen's that I've read, I definitely want to check out her others now.

Some casting ideas for Hollywood's consideration:
Lilly (teen/young adult): Michelle Bergh
Julia: Sierra McCormick
Cole: Cayden Boyd
Merrick: Chace Crawford
Fletcher: Alden Ehrenreich
Glory: Tuppence Middleton

Thanks to Kensington for the book in exchange for an honest review.

More by Ellen Marie Wiseman:

Book Review: The Art of Keeping Secrets

By Sara Steven

Little secrets grow up to be big lies…

They’ve been best friends since their sons started high school together, and Felicity, Emma and Neve share everything … or so they thought.

But Flick’s seemingly perfect marriage hides a shocking secret which, with one word, threatens to destroy her and her family’s happiness. Emma is in denial about a potential custody battle, her financial constraints, the exhaustion she can’t seem to shake off and the inappropriate feelings she has for her boss. And single mum Neve is harbouring a secret of her own; a secret that might forever damage her close-knit relationship with her son.

When the tight hold they have each kept on their secrets for years begins to slip, they must face the truth. Even if that truth has the power to hurt the ones they love, and each other.

Perhaps some secrets weren’t made to be kept. (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads)

I’ve had friendships that have spanned a few decades of my life, and some of those friendships have included our children who started out as babies together, and are now going through that awkward tween phase. It’s amazing how much we end up having in common, because we’re all dealing with pretty similar experiences when it comes to having to raise a tween, and finding a balance between giving them as much love as we can possibly handle, and letting go so they’re able to learn and adapt to becoming an adult. It’s something I’m glad I can talk with my friends about, developing our own special support system.

But sometimes, it can be really hard to be honest with those closest to you, as witnessed by the close-knit circle of Felicity (Flick), Emma and Genevieve (Neve). We want to present a certain type of image or front, to make things look like they’re ok, to not show any weakness. We want to hide and protect what we perceive to be big flaws, or maybe we don’t want anyone to know about the drama that lurks under the surface.

And that’s where this close-knit circle finds itself. As much as they want to share what’s going on in their worlds, there’s fear of judgement, of losing wonderful friendships because of choices that were made, damage that has been done. There’s also the added pressure of feeling as though a mother has to always have it together, whether it’s self-imposed or brought on by others. it

I appreciated how Rachael Johns handled difficult subject matter, relevant issues that the three women are facing in their own lives and within their friendship. I was really surprised by Flick’s secret the most. I didn’t see it coming, but I’m glad it did. The way the women deal with everything is told from a very honest and candid perspective. It doesn’t always sit well, but it’s honest and it gave me the opportunity to see things from the other side of the coin. Life isn’t always about the happily ever after. Sometimes, it’s the new beginnings that might come from a fallout that can be the biggest learning experience of all.

Thanks to Kaye Publicity for the book in exchange for an honest review. The book can be purchased here.

Jami Deise, future pop star...plus a book giveaway

Most of you might know Jami Deise as one of our review associates. What you might not know is that she is also an author!

A baseball mom from 1999-2017, Jami Deise wrote her first novel, KEEPING SCORE, about crazy travel ball parents, in 2013. Her second novel, THE TIES THAT BLEED, is about a vampire assassin for the FBI, although she personally has little experience slaying vampires. Her latest book, HOUSE DIVIDED, which comes out November 8th, is based on her years in politics in Washington, D.C. Lucky for you, she has TWO e-book copies to give away!

Jami currently lives (and sells real estate) in St. Pete Beach, Florida, with her conservative husband Tom and their dog Lady. Their son is a White House intern during the fall 2017 semester. You can find out more about Jami at her blog, Facebook, and Twitter. If you'd like to sign up for her newsletter, e-mail her at JDeise1002 at gmail dot com. Jami is here today to kick off our final theme of 2017...A Night on the Town!

Synopsis:
HOUSE DIVIDED is the story of working mom Erin Murphy, whose life seems just fine in October 2014. Although she works for Democrats while her husband Jack is a spokesman for Republicans, at home they’re in sync. Their jobs stay at the office. Their children -- 13-year-old animal-nut Jessica and 8-year-old Batman-obsessed Michael – come first. And her career is just as important as his. But on Election Day, everything changes. Suddenly, Erin is out of a job … and Jack is hired to be the new star of The Right Choice TV network! As Erin searches frantically for her next position, Jack begins to practice what he preaches… can their family survive?

We are celebrating A Night on the Town here at Chick Lit Central this month. Erin is not one for big nights out. In fact, when she’s invited to a party at the home of a rich Republican, she spends most of it alone in the basement watching Saturday Night Live. (It is a great basement, however. And she did load up on desserts beforehand.)

Jami (right) belts out tunes with her friend,
fellow author Megs Lashley. 

As for me, I also tend to be a homebody, but there’s one thing that can drag me out of the house—the promise of karaoke! If there’s a microphone and a stage, get me there. I like ABBA and Cher and just about anything that came out in the 1970s. In fact, I like karaoke so much, I bought my own machine, so now big nights out are also nights in.

My go-to karaoke songs:
"Mamma Mia," ABBA
"Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves," Cher
"Fernando," ABBA
"Half-Breed," Cher
"Take a Chance on Me," ABBA
"Waterloo," ABBA
"Fernando," ABBA
"Dancing Queen," ABBA
"Oops, I Did It Again," Britney Spears
"Total Eclipse of the Heart," Bonnie Tyler

Thanks to Jami for getting all these songs in our heads and 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 November 7th at midnight EST.

Book Review: The Week I Ruined My Life

By Jami Deise

I read Caroline Grace-Cassidy’s novel The Week I Ruined My Life the same week the allegations against Harvey Weinstein surfaced. As woman after woman—some much more famous than the movie mogul-- went public with horrific tales of harassment, assault, and even rape, I dug through Grace-Cassidy’s book thinking about all the forces that keep women quiet and apologetic. When even someone as powerful as Angelina Jolie lets Weinstein get away with his abuse, it’s clear that the cultural expectation for women is to put up and shut up.

This leads me to The Week I Ruined My Life, the sixth book by Irish writer and actress Caroline Grace-Cassidy. While the book was well-written, I found it painful to read because of how much the protagonist, Ali Devlin, beats herself up. She’s trapped in an emotionally abusive marriage, blaming herself for her husband Colin’s temper tantrums. Even the title tips off the reader about who’s responsible.

Irish denizens Ali and Colin were high school sweethearts who married young. He wanted a stay-at-home wife and mother, and she agreed. But now, years later with a pre-teen daughter and pre-school-aged son, Ali has found a job she loves in the world of art and social services. Colin, who runs an environmentally conscious greeting card company, refuses to lift a hand to help her with the children or the house. But he’s quick to criticize how she washes dishes and vacuums the floors. Colin is openly contemptuous, calling her a bitch in front of their children and prioritizing Manchester United games before the family. He’s just as cruel to Ali’s single best friend, Corina, who urges Ali to do whatever she can to make her husband happy.

But Ali is distracted by a co-worker, artist Owen, who knows all about Ali’s marital nightmare. Rather than helping Ali see how dangerous her situation is, Owen emphasizes their mutual attraction. When a business trip comes up, Ali may be forced to choose between her work life and family life.

Without giving away any spoilers, I will reveal that Ali seems to completely buy in to the belief that a wife is responsible for her husband’s anger and actions in a marriage. And there’s no one in the book who’ll tell her otherwise. It’s not so difficult to see a connection between Ali’s situation and the women who are told that abuse, harassment, and even rape are their fault because of what they were wearing or drinking or talking to. This attitude is so pervasive that even in a women’s fiction novel—a genre that is supposed to celebrate strong women—there is not a single character who labels Colin’s behavior for what it is; there is no one who sees Owen as the manipulator he is. And while I’ve never been to Ireland, as I read the novel, I wondered if this attitude toward women is even more prevalent in that notoriously Catholic country than it is in the United States.

This review is not meant to discourage anyone from reading the book. Rather, I found it educational. It’s an education for those of us who still might question why a woman keeps her mouth shut when dealing with a Harvey Weinstein. It’s an education for any woman who wonders why her friend blames herself when her husband cheats on her. It’s an education about a society that expects women to keep men in check and blames them when they don’t. In a way, The Week I Ruined My Life reminded me a bit of Randy Susan Meyers’s book Accidents of Marriage, both featuring wives who don’t take their husbands’ anger seriously enough. And while emotional abuse doesn’t always lead to physical abuse, the recent plethora of white male mass shooters in the U.S. all had one specific thing in common—a history of domestic violence.

Thanks to Trafalgar Square Publishing for the book in exchange for an honest review.

More by Caroline Grace-Cassidy:

Reviews at Amazon--October 2017

We're posting some reviews at our Amazon account, as either they've been sitting in queue for a while and deserve their time in the sun, fall under our new featuring policy, or they're new reads that we couldn't wait to post at the blog. You can check them out at the links below. Hope we can help you find your next favorite book!


Melissa A:

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