Review: Ladies' Night by Mary Kay Andrews

Publish Date: June 4, 2013
Hardcover {p. 456}
Genre: Women's Fiction
Source: Public Library
Grace Stanton, Wyatt Keeler

Grace Stanton’s life as a rising media star and beloved lifestyle blogger takes a surprising turn when she catches her husband cheating and torpedoes his pricey sports car straight into the family swimming pool. Grace suddenly finds herself locked out of her palatial home, checking account, and even the blog she has worked so hard to develop in her signature style. Moving in with her widowed mother, who owns and lives above a rundown beach bar called The Sandbox, is less than ideal. So is attending court-mandated weekly "divorce recovery" therapy sessions with three other women and one man for whom betrayal seems to be the only commonality. When their “divorce coach” starts to act suspiciously, they decide to start having their own Wednesday "Ladies' Night" sessions at The Sandbox, and the unanticipated bonds that develop lead the members of the group to try and find closure in ways they never imagined. Can Grace figure out a new way home and discover how strong she needs to be to get there?

Heartache, humor, and a little bit of mystery come together in a story about life’s unpredictable twists and turns. Mary Kay Andrews' Ladies' Night will have you raising a glass and cheering these characters on.

I almost gave up on this one around chapter five or so. Here's why. First off, Grace finds her husband cheating, and she chooses to leave the house? No not happening. If he wouldn't get out, she should have stayed in one of the fifty million bedrooms the house had. Secondly, her mother kept telling her to get a divorce attorney yet she refused. She wasn't sure she wanted a divorce even though she caught her husband cheating and he admitted to it being a more than one time thing. I didn't know if I'd ever get past her "kept woman" persona to truly like her. Her not knowing anything about their finances and lack of asking her husband questions regarding those things kind of put me off toward her. Even so that I was unsure if I would finish this book.

I'm so glad I did. It picked up a lot after Grace started "divorce camp," and befriend the people in camp with her. All of them had some horror stories of their own. And the divorce counselor was a total disaster herself. Grace's ex, Ben, seemed like a total a-hole from page one. Especially when it came to her work; he could come in and make what she'd been working on for hours seem like crap.

Camp is also where Grace connects with Wyatt, who is also going through a divorce and custody battle. I liked him from the start and thought he'd be perfect for Grace. Of course they have their issues, mostly his ex-wife Callie, but other than that they seemed to work together perfectly. He did manage to piss me off a bit when it came to his ex; he was far too nice to her.

I got a kick out of Wyatt's father Nelson throughout the entire book. I was always laughing at him and his oh so kind words for his son's ex. Grace's mom, Rochelle, I never really clicked with. I don't know what it was, but she just came across as a little dull.

Overall the story moved along nicely with no lags other than the bit there at the start. That could have just been something I experienced because I was upset with Grace for having her head in the sand when it came to her finances.

Review: Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne

Monument 14
Emmy Laybourne
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publish Date: June 5, 2012
Trade Paperback {p.294}
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult
Dean Grieder
Challenge: 100+
Buy the Book: Amazon

Your mother hollers that you’re going to miss the bus. She can see it coming down the street. You don’t stop and hug her and tell her you love her. You don’t thank her for being a good, kind, patient mother. Of course not—you launch yourself down the stairs and make a run for the corner.

Only, if it’s the last time you’ll ever see your mother, you sort of start to wish you’d stopped and did those things. Maybe even missed the bus.

But the bus was barreling down our street, so I ran.

Fourteen kids. One superstore. A million things that go wrong.

In Emmy Laybourne’s action-packed debut novel, six high school kids (some popular, some not), two eighth graders (one a tech genius), and six little kids trapped together in a chain superstore build a refuge for themselves inside. While outside, a series of escalating disasters, beginning with a monster hailstorm and ending with a chemical weapons spill, seems to be tearing the world—as they know it—apart.

Reading this novel was like getting caught up in a block-buster movie. I truly couldn't put it down.

It starts out straight to the point. Once they're taken shelter in the neighborhood Greenway Store, they elect a leader and try to deal with the situation the best way they can. For some, that means self-medicating.

All the characters bring something the to the table. There were no useless characters to be found. Yes, there are some irrating, pain in the behind characters but they all served a purpose. For instance, Brayden, one of the popular jocks, ,I couldn't stand from minute one. But every novel needs its jerk, right? Even in the time of a national crisis he's still the obnoxious bully.

But on the flip side, I loved the characters that the kids found annoying. Namely, Batiste, Chloe and Max, three of the six little kids trapped in the store. I could help but laugh at their antics and love the adorable little twins, Henry and Caroline. I couldn't help but want a very happy outcome for the both of them with their mother.

The writing was excellent; the author did a great job of capturing the voice of every character right down to the kindergarteners. It was left unfinished so I'm hoping that means a sequel. There are so many unknowns in the end that it would be downright cruel to not offer up some kind of follow-up if only to tie up the loose ends. This is definitely one of those books that by the last page you'll be screaming at the book, "Wait, what happens next!?!"

Review: Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews

Summer Rental
Mary Kay Andrews
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publish Date: June 7, 2011
Audio Book {14 hrs 46 mins}
Source: Public Library
Genre: Chick Lit
Ellis, Julia, Dorie, Ty Bazemore
Challenge: 100+
Buy the Book: Amazon

Ellis, Julia, and Dorie. Best friends since Catholic grade school, they now find themselves, in their mid-thirties, at the crossroads of life and love. Ellis, recently fired from a job she gave everything to, is rudderless and now beginning to question the choices she's made over the past decade of her life. Julia—whose caustic wit covers up her wounds--has a man who loves her and is offering her the world, but she can't hide from how deeply insecure she feels about her looks, her brains, her life. And Dorie has just been shockingly betrayed by the man she loved and trusted the most in the world…though this is just the tip of the iceberg of her problems and secrets. A month in North Carolina's Outer Banks is just what they each of them needs.

Ty Bazemore is their landlord, though he's hanging on to the rambling old beach house by a thin thread. After an inauspicious first meeting with Ellis, the two find themselves disturbingly attracted to one another, even as Ty is about to lose everything he's ever cared about.

Maryn Shackleford is a stranger, and a woman on the run. Maryn needs just a few things in life: no questions, a good hiding place, and a new identity. Ellis, Julia, and Dorie can provide what Maryn wants; can they also provide what she needs?

Five people questioning everything they ever thought they knew about life. Five people on a journey that will uncover their secrets and point them on the path to forgiveness. Five people who each need a sea change, and one month in a summer rental that might just give it to them.

Ellis was a complete delight from the very beginning. Her BFF Julia on the other hand had her moments. I didn’t care for her constant meddling in other people’s business, but other than that she was an okay character. Dorie, Ellis and Julia’s other BFF, was just somewhere in between. She felt like a filler character.

Summer Rental wasn’t as funny as past Andrews books I’ve read, but enjoyable all the same. The relationship between Ty and Ellie was okay, but didn’t seem like a great love affair.

Maryn I liked when she but Julia in her place. But at other times it seemed like she was just to naïve when it came to the men in her life.

Read by Isabel Keating

Duration: 14 hours 46 minutes

Macmillan Audio

Narration: B

These readers did a great job, but there wasn't much of a differnce between the voices of the four ladies.

Review: Rainshadow Road by Lisa Kleypas

Rainshadow Road
Lisa Kleypas
Series: Friday Harbor #2
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publish Date: February 28, 2012
Audio Book {8 hrs}
Source: Public Library
Genre: Contemporary
Lucy Marinn, Sam Nolan
Challenge: 100+
Buy the Book: Amazon

Lucy Marinn is a glass artist living in mystical, beautiful, Friday Harbor, Washington, with a boyfriend, Kevin, who she believes is her soul mate. She has always had a magical side - a gift that finds its way into the breathtaking glasswork she creates - and she struggles to keep it contained. But when Lucy is blindsided by the most bitter kind of betrayal, she questions many of her choices. Her boyfriend leaves her and his new lover is none other than Lucy's own sister. Lucy's bitterness over this devastation is multiplied buy the fact that she has constantly made the wrong choices in her romantic life.

Meanwhile, facing the severe disapproval of Lucy's family, Kevin asks his friend Sam Nolan, a local vineyard owner on the San Juan Island, to "romance" Lucy so that she can more easily move on. But when Sam and Lucy begin to feel real sparks between them, Lucy must ask herself if she can easily risk her heart again.

As Lucy questions her beliefs about love, loyalty, and old patterns, mistakes, and new beginnings, she explores the possibility that some things in life - even after are being broken - can be re-made into something beautiful. And that is the only by discovering who you really are that you can find the one who truly deserves you.

The romance in this one was slow to start, and I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. Sam and Lucy were cute together, and didn't really have any conflicts, which in my opinion was good. The only problem they had was Sam's fear of committment, but you have that with most men.

The whole relationship started out as a friendship, which was sweet, that eventually turned into more. The love was more sweet than steamy and took time to grow. Even with that being the case, I enjoyed their journey to happily ever after.

As always, I enjoyed the other residents of Friday Harbor. Well except for Lucy's ex-boyfriend and her sister. I know Sam's brother Alex is the hero of the next book, but I'm unsure how that's going to work since he was a hot mess in this installment. If you read Christmas at Friday Harbor, then you were introduced to the little darling Holly. She had me tearing up in some of her scenes and laughing in others. She's always the bright spot in this series.

Read by Tanya Eby

Duration: 8 hours

Brilliance Audio

Narration: B

Tanya does a nice job of capturing the feel of not only the characters, but of Friday Harbor in general.

Review: Forbidden Heat by Opal Carew

Forbidden Heat

Opal Carew {Facebook | Facebook Page | Twitter}
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date: January 5, 2010
Trade Paperback {p.266}
Genre: Erotica, Menage
Characters: Danielle Rayne, Jake Jamieson, Trey Garner
Challenge: 100+, Erotica

If you could make your most forbidden fantasy come true, would you dare?

Danielle, Jake and Trey were inseparable back in college. They used to tell each other everything—except for one big secret Danielle always kept hidden. That even though they were best friends, Danielle always had a huge crush on them. But it was a harmless, hopeless crush, because the two men were in love…with each other.

Years later, Danielle learns a startling truth. Jake and Trey have not only broken up— they date women now. Danielle’s most sinful fantasy has always been to have a threesome—and now she finally has the chance to spend the night with not just one, but with both sexy men. Yet when fantasy becomes reality, life gets complicated fast. Despite Jake and Trey’s rocky past, it’s clear to Danielle that they’re still deeply in love with each other. The trouble is, now Danielle’s falling for them too…

Danielle is reunited with her college crushes at her friend Harmony’s wedding. They too had a crush on Danielle, but never acted upon it because they were in a committed relationship with each other at the time. What starts out as one night to live out her threesome fantasy quickly becomes much more.

Forbidden Heat is filled with page after page of white hot sex. The sexual interaction between Trey and Jake was very minimal and only towards the end of the story. I found that aspect to be very disappointing considering the fact that these two used to be in love with each other. Sometimes it felt as if they didn’t even like each other let alone loved each other.

The storyline too was a bit minimal, but enough to want to see how it all played out. I did enjoy the fact that Ms. Carew was able to write it where I didn’t feel like either Trey or Jake was a third wheel.

This book is a spinoff of Six, so I’m hoping there will be more books for some of the other members of their group. And maybe a story for Trey’s sister, Suzie as well, because she was an interesting secondary character that I wouldn’t mind seeing more of. I will definitely continue reading Opal’s work.

Review: Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor by Lisa Kleypas

Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor
Lisa Kleypas {Facebook | Twitter}
Series: Friday Harbor #1
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: October 26, 2010
Audio Book {4 hrs}
Source: Public Library
Genre: Contemporary
Characters: Maggie Collins, Mark Nolan
Challenge: 100+, Whisper Stories
My Rating:

ONE LITTLE GIRL NEEDS A FAMILY

One rain-slicked night, six-year-old Holly lost the only parent she knew, her beloved mother Victoria. And since that night, she has never again spoken a word.

ONE SINGLE MAN NEEDS A WIFE

The last thing Mark Nolan needs is a six-year-old girl in his life. But he soon realizes that he will do everything he can to make her life whole again. His sister’s will gives him the instructions: There’s no other choice but you. Just start by loving her. The rest will follow.

SOMETIMES, IT TAKES A LITTLE MAGIC…

Maggie Collins doesn’t dare believe in love again, after losing her husband of one year. But she does believe in the magic of imagination. As the owner of a toy shop, she lives what she loves. And when she meets Holly Nolan, she sees a little girl in desperate need of a little magic.

…TO MAKE DREAMS COME TRUE

Three lonely people. Three lives at the crossroads. Three people who are about to discover that Christmas is the time of year when anything is possible, and when wishes have a way of finding the path home…

Mark has gained custody of his five year old niece upon the death of his sister. He’s a single man who knows next to nothing about children, so he moves them into his brother’s house, who also nothings nothing about children, for the extra help that provides.

Holly, his niece, has withdrawn into herself since her mother died, and has not spoken a single word in about six months. So a trip to the local toy store was not when Mark would have expected it to happen. This local toy store is owned and operated by Maggie, who takes an immediate interest in Holly. With her gentle spirit and a little bit of magic, she accomplishes what Mark and his brother Sam could not. She gets Holly to speak.

The two of them, Mark and Maggie, dance around their feelings for one another. Mark because he’s currently in a serious relationship and Maggie because she has recently lost her husband to cancer.

This is my first novel by Kleypas and it came across as a nice light-hearted read. It kind of reminds me of Debbie Macomber’s romances where it’s a tad light on the romance. There are a few scenes with some kissing and hand holding, but nothing too heavy. It has more emphasis on the building of the relationships, not just the lead couples, but all the characters in the novel.

Read by Tanya Eby

Duration: 4 hours

Brillance Audio

The narration was okay. I'd give it a B+

Review: Six by Opal Carew

Six

Opal Carew {Facebook | Twitter}
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: January 6, 2009
Format: Trade Paperback {p.263}
Source: Personal Library
Genre: Erotica, Menage
Characters: Harmony, Mia, Nikki, Angela, Aiden, Cole, Jake, Trey
My Rating:

Harmony leads a secret life. On the surface, she's a respectable, straight-laced professional. But once a year, she reunites with her old college friends--the infamous Group of Six--for a decadent sexual free-for-all. Here, there are no limits. Nothing is forbidden as they push every boundary to reach dizzying new heights of pleasure. But this year, Harmony has a serious boyfriend in her life…and he has no idea about her naughty annual retreats. Now Aiden is about to enter an intoxicating new world of explosive sensuality and mind-blowing group sex. But can their relationship withstand Harmony's wild side? And when an old friend reveals his true feelings for Harmony, how far is Aiden willing to go to win her heart?

Harmony stared at the glossy pamphlet again, with the photos of vivid blue, tropical water, white sandy beaches, and lovely villas along the water.

Six is filled with hot, mindless, meaningless sex. It's full of sex but not much in the way of storyline.

Harmony, the main female character, came across as very fickle. She was constantly testing Aiden to prove his love to her, yet she never proved her love for him. She was demanding that if he truly loved her, he would for one week out of the year, be okay with her having sex with any and every man or woman off the street. It wasn't just sex within the group of "six," but sex with whomever she felt like inviting to join her.

Six was already a far out there concept, with six friends have a free-for-all sex fest every year, but the added sex with any and every random strange made it a hard pill to swallow in the aspect of believability.

Harmony and Aiden didn't share any kind of emotional connection even though they claimed to love each other. Aiden and Harmony were in lukewarm "like" instead of love. And even with that, it felt like Aiden cared more for Harmony than she cared for him.

There was more of a connection between Harmony and Cole, another "six" member, who just so happen to tell Harmony that he loves her as well. But Harmony felt it was okay to have sex with Cole, knowing that her loved her, but became extremely jealous of Aiden having sex with Mia, his ex who was newly inducted into the group.

The other members of the group were okay, but pretty much everyone was okay compared to Harmony. Although one group member, Angela, was a little over the top as well with her sexcapades.

Review: Wild Ride by Jennifer Crusie

Title: Wild Ride
Author: Jennifer Crusie
Published: March 16, 2010
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Format: Audio Book
Source: Public Library
Characters: Mary Alice Brannigan, Ethan Wayne
My Rating:

Synopsis

Mary Alice Brannigan doesn’t believe in the supernatural. Nor does she expect to find that Dreamland, the decaying amusement park she’s been hired to restore, is a prison for the five Untouchables, the most powerful demons in the history of the world. Plus, there’s a guy she’s falling hard for, and there’s something about him that’s not quite right.

But rocky romances and demented demons aren’t the only problems in Dreamland: Mab’s also coping with a crooked politician, a supernatural raven, a secret government agency, an inexperienced sorceress, an unsettling inheritance, and some mind-boggling revelations from her past. As her personal demons wreck her new found relationship and real demons wreck the park, Mab faces down immortal evil and discovers what everybody who’s ever been to an amusement park knows: The end of the ride is always the wildest

At first I was a little confused because I was expecting a romance. Although there were some sexual interludes, I won't exactly call it a romance. It was paranormal without the romance. With that being said, I still loved it!

Every time Jennifer and Bob have teamed up, they've had a winner! (Agnes and the Hitman is still my all-time favorite!) Ther's always humor to be had in a Cruise novel, which was one of my main draws to this book, wanting to have that same feeling I had for Agnes. As always, it was witty as hell. (lol) I haven't come across a Jennifer Crusie heroine I didn't love.

Mab and Ethan are now part of the Guardia, which stands guard over powerful demons that are being held captive at Dreamland, so there's a lot of action-packed scenes with little time for romance. Both Ethan and Mab do of course find love, but there is no drawn out love affair type scenarios. Without giving to much away, I will say that Mab and Ethan don't end up with who you think they will.

Review: Gone to the Dogs by Mary Guterson

Title: Gone to the Dogs
Author: Mary Guterson
Published: July 07, 2009
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Format: Trade Paperback
Pages: 278
Source: Public Library
Characters: Rena, Chuck
My Rating:

Synopsis

Rena never meant to steal her ex-boyfriend's dog. She was just casually driving by his new house, taking stock of his new life, when the dog invited himself into her car... Okay, so she stole the dog.

But how could Brian, her boyfriend of seven years (not to mention “unofficial” fiancé), have done this to her? Fallen off the face of the earth, only to resurface with a gorgeous, live-in girlfriend and live-in dog? Honestly, a girl can only take so much. Besides, how could a yellow lab as great as this one be happy living with those two very bad people?

Unfortunately, being a dog-napper is the least of Rena's problems. Her mother’s dating a “potential” serial killer, her sister’s having an identity crisis and she’s the target of one hopeless fix-up after another — most recently, the highly moral Chuck, who just happens to know all about Rena's dog-napping escapades.

If Rena wants to straighten things out, she'll have to face up to the choices she's made, the dreams she's put on hold, and the man who broke her heart.

This book is somewhat funny and Rena is very believable and likable. Rena came across as being just like any other women and not some super beauty who has everything going for her. Rena is so believable that Mary must have formed her after someone she truly knows. I've never read this author before, but I liked the cover and the blurb on the back cover seemed interesting. Although Rena seemed believable, her relationship with Chuck seemed to be lacking. I just didn't feel a connection there and there didn't seem to be any kind of definite closure about what was happening with the two of them.  I also would have liked to see what happened with Rena's sister as well as what happened with her ex, Brian. The whole dog situation did seem to drag on a little to long, but I guess with the title that should be expected.

Review: Ain't Too Proud to Beg by Susan Donovan

Title: Ain't Too Proud to Beg
Author: Susan Donovan
Published: November 2009
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 329
Source: Public Library
Characters: Rick Rousseau, Josephine Sheehan
My Rating:

Synopsis:

CAN MAN’S BEST FRIEND
Josie Sheehan collects failed relationships the way some women collect designer handbags. Now, at thirty-five, she has exactly one male in her life: her Labradoodle, Genghis. In fact Josie, along with the three very single women in her dog-walking group, has recently sworn off men, resigning herself to long walks in the park with her devoted, four-legged friend.

HELP HER FIND MR. RIGHT?
All bets are off, however, when she meets Rick Rousseau, a pet-company CEO who is smart, sexy, and, best of all, head-over-heels for Josie. Even Genghis, an excellent judge of character, seems to know that Rick is the real deal. But just when Josie starts to think that she has found something more enduring than puppy love, she discovers that Rick has a complicated past—and a secret that could put the woman he loves in serious danger...

I found myself enjoying this book from page one. This story had me laughing out loud the entire way through. Josie dog-walking group was very entertaining throughout, although at times they could be very annoying. Okay, first off one of the reasons this book only gets a rating of 4 instead of 5, is because of how quickly Josie and Rick seemed to fall in love with each other. Something about how quickly they fell for each other just didn't strike me as believable. It seemed a little too perfect.

Bennett Cummings, Rick's nemesis, I found to be a somewhat likable character. I so wanted him to let go of his need for revenge and get on with living what was left of his life. For a minute there I thought he have been on the path to doing that because of his interaction with LaShelle.

One of the things that did surprise me was how explicit the sex scenes were. I don't remember Donovan being this graphic before, or it could have just been a while since I read her. Don't get me wrong, it's not a complaint, it was just unexpected from what I believed was going to be a fluff romance with nothing more than some heaving petting. It's not that there is a lot of sex, because there isn't; it's just that the little sex there is, is in detail.

The other reason this book didn't get a rating of 5, was because of the whole situation her sister Beth. She was completely unlikable to me, plus there was no closure for the reader with regards to her marital problems.

I am looking forward to Ginger's story, the next book in the series, The Night She Got Lucky.