chick lit

Review: The Perfect Match (Revisited) by Kristan Higgins

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aaOkay, as most people know, I’m not exactly a romance fan…I reckon I was years ago at some point, but I haven’t been for a very long time…I do remember that I grew up on historical romance! I used to love those books when I was a young teen. They took me to another life…far away from the one I had….I guess that’s it…I used to have a special place in my heart for historical romances, but contemporary romances have never “wowed” me…of course, there is always the hope that I’m going to find a great read from one and from time to time I’m sucked in by all the rave reviews I hear others making….

So this brings me to my first Kristan Higgins book. I’ve thought about reading her a few times…I’ve heard great things about her….and a few have a British love interest….and….well….since I am American and now have a British love, well….that was yet another reason I wanted to give her a try…So here I am….

I have to say, I didn’t have high hopes for the book…sadly enough, I just don’t anymore when it comes to contemporary romances….However, once I started this book, I found myself sincerely enjoying it. I found the characters engaging. I wanted to see what happened to them…of course!!! It’s a romance! We all KNOW how it’s going to end! I mean, it’s Kristan Higgins, right 🙂 But I still wanted to finish the journey and see the paths they traveled to get to the HEA…

About midway though the book, the old negative me came to the surface and I found myself becoming bored and distracted….alas, I was a bit irritated with myself…why must I be so difficult?

But this is Kristan Higgins! She knows how to deal with willy-nellies like me! She pulled me right back into the fold and I was actually wanting to cry at one point! I was sad…and I was happy…and I was sad again….once I finally went down the path to the HEA, I was sad and disappointed that the journey was over…thrilled that I was able to travel down it to be sure…but sad and darn it…I now want to read MORE of Kristan Higgins….Of course, she has no clue what a downer I am….but for anyone that knows me, I hope that you at least realise what a true compliment that is coming for me….

Reading copy provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

Until next time….

Urania xx

Buy it now The Perfect Match

Review: Honeymoon in Paris by Juliette Sobanet

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20131206-001838.jpg New Release!

Honeymoon in Paris is a mystery wrapped in chick-lit, with a little romance thrown in. Charlotte and Luc begin their marriage in a small apartment in Lyon, France, where Luc romances the heck out of his wife ….
Until he starts keeping secrets.

For most of the book, Charlotte tries to unravel Luc’s mysterious past, while she herself unwittingly wades into the mystery. I liked Charlotte’s amateur sleuthing. I identified with her need to know what was going on, and also her obliviousness to some of the danger around her. (Call me nosy and naïve!)

I also liked Charlotte’s friendship with Lexi and Fiona. Their knowing glances, quick-catch-ups over pastry or texts, and occasional nights out seemed authentic. The girls are young, adventuresome, and pretty fearless. The book skewed a little young for my personal taste, but it brought me back to my 20s, and it was a pretty fun trip.

The supporting cast was a treat – sleazy Vincent, Devil-Loves-Prada-Glenn-Close Mireille, and spoiled Brigitte. Sometimes foils are just as fun as protagonists, and that was certainly the case here!

The only thing that bothered me about Honeymoon in Paris is the subtitle (A Paris Romance). This book wasn’t much of a romance. It was mostly chick lit and mystery, with a few lovey dovey scenes between the newly married couple. Because of the subtitle, I expected a romance and was disappointed. If the subtitle read A Paris Adventure, I would have been ready for the capers that ensued. The other Paris books in Sobanet’s repertoire skew more toward romance.

If you’re up for suspenseful chick lit and you’ve got your sleuthing hat on, you’ll enjoy Honeymoon in Paris.

-Calliope

Buy it now Honeymoon in Paris

Review: Secrets on Cedar Key by Terri DuLong

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20131128-001716.jpg Especially around the holidays, I love a good, sweet, easy romance with family values and a cozy theme – like knitting. Terri DuLong’s Secrets on Cedar Key had it all – except it wasn’t very good. Maybe I couldn’t handle the dozens of characters because I haven’t read the earlier books in the series. Or maybe I didn’t relate well to the main character (she’s a little older than I am). I think the main problem was that the book was disjointed, wordy, and didn’t flow well at times.

DuLong used a lot of pages describing things that didn’t move the plot forward. And even if I forgave that, sometimes I was left hanging after a plot point wasn’t followed through: We hear about Marin planning and making a cassoulet for her beau… but then we don’t hear about the actual dinner where they eat it. We hear about numerous other dinners that are irrelevant, but not the cassoulet dinner, even though its preparation was described, and then described some more. Another example is when Marin’s stepdaughter is having a baby. The nurse comes in with dialogue, including saying that the doctor will give an epidural. Well, the labor and delivery is described, and no epidural was given. So why mention the epidural in the first place?

Secrets of Cedar Key drove me crazy with so much description of irrelevant people, places and things. If the story was told in half the words, I could have enjoyed Marin’s new romantic relationship, the expansion of the yarn shop, the changes in her family, and the quirkiness of the other Cedar Key residents. As it stands, I can’t recommend it.

–Calliope

If you’re looking for good deals on kindle books, go here for limited-time prices! Kindle Countdown Deals: Limited time discount on Kindle-exclusive books

Review: Otter Bay series by Julie Carobini

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I just finished a few books in the Otter Bay series. Set in a small town on the northwest coast, Otter Bay offers a tiny Main Street with the necessities: a coffee shop, a diner, a church. A little further out of town are the Pines, some cottages, and some winding mountain roads.

All this beauty provides the backdrop for new beginnings. Whether it’s Diner owner Peg’s niece Holly looking for her family, or Gage and Callie starting a life together, or Suz learning to be a single mother — and (gasp) start dating, the water in Otter Bay has heart-and-soul-cleansing properties.

Heartfelt family dynamics, strong but sweet heroes, and heroines searching for something – or someone – recur in the Otter Bay novels. This series is similar to Robyn Carr’s Virgin River series, but with a slightly (non-preachy, yet inspired) Christian slant.

Julie’s novels uplift me, give me hope, and give me a case of Happily-Ever-After sighs. If you’re in the mood for inspirational and sweet stories with romance in the plot, read Julie Carobini!

–Calliope

Only 99¢-$2.99!
Buy them now:
A Shore Thing
Fade to Blue
Sweet Waters

Review: Love, in Writing; by Elsa Winckler

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20131102-220427.jpg Just released this month!

Love, in Writing is about a romance author, Margaret, who meets a sci-fi writer, Graham. They live in different towns in South Africa but keep running into each other at various events. Margaret and Graham develop a relationship, but each is too stubborn to see the love they have between them.

I enjoyed the South African setting, the surfing references, crazy cousin Louise, and Margaret’s bookshop (full of books with happy-ever-afters). The author signings and book launches were fun to read about, too.

I really liked that Margaret stood her ground and wouldn’t compromise her values and needs just because she met a hot guy. She wanted Love and Forever, and she was prepared to wait for it. I also thought it was great that Graham wanted to hold back, since his goal was a casual relationship. He pulled back from getting too close to Margaret before he was really ready.

Within this novel, Margaret and Graham wrote about each other in the books they were writing. Using valuable novel space to describe how and what they were writing was a little too silly for me. I skimmed over those parts when I saw them coming. I thought the plans near the end to get back together were also a little unrealistic. But I suspended my disbelief and was satisfied with the ending and the epilogue.

Love, in Writing is a well-written, quirky romance. The characters are fun, and the setting is unique. I enjoyed it.

–Calliope

Buy it now Love, in Writing

Review: The Christmas Wish by Katy Regnery

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20131026-223743.jpg Just Released!

In a dive-y diner in a small Montana town, Katy Regnery serves up a Christmastime romance full of hope. Tess is the townie with a bad reputation – and it’s all true. Lucas is an ex-con whose only crime was protecting the ones he loved. They work together, befriend each other, and learn to trust one another. Tess and Lucas dream bigger than their small town, and together they know they can make their Christmas wishes – and their dreams – come true.

The Christmas Wish is a clever, sadness-to-gladness romance told in about 40 pages. The brevity works because Katy Regnery keeps the focus on just the two main characters. By the end, my heart was full and my faith in humanity restored. And she’s got me thinking about what my own Christmas wish will be. 🙂

–Calliope

Buy it now The Christmas Wish

Review: The Perfect Match by Kristan Higgins

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5 stars for this October 29 release!

I’m a romance junkie, and after reading so many, I’m hard to impress. The Perfect Match totally impressed me. This novel has it all – sweetness, complications, misunderstandings, true love, misgivings, honesty, and family loyalty. Higgins writes a complex, well-thought-out story with multi-layered characters and relevant subplots. I’m telling you, this is one of my favorite romances of 2013!

So now that you know the writing is awesome, here’s a little bit about the story line and characters:

Honor is a hard-working woman who takes care of her immediate family’s needs before her own. She also has had a 15-year crush on an old friend that she hooks up with once in a while. When he rebuffs taking the relationship seriously, Honor shifts her focus to finding pretty much anyone to marry – so she can settle down and have a family of her own.

Enter the meddling grandparents setting up a date for Honor and a visiting Brit named Tom. Unbeknownst to the matchmakers, Honor and Tom have already, embarrassingly, met. They do end up in a relationship, albeit an unconventional one. And then the reader is on the journey with Honor and Tom to see if love will grow and thrive.

Higgins masterfully weaves Honor’s low self-confidence into the story without making her seem pitiful. She writes Tom’s character as sweetly, appealingly arrogant in some ways, and sad and lonely in others. The brothers, sisters, friends and children are all real – whether we see jealousy, sullenness, anger, reluctance or joy.

When I opened The Perfect Match, I expected a typical, light, enjoyable romance. What I got was so much more. The Perfect Match is brilliantly written, complex, and emotional. And the bits of Brit-speak were lots of fun, too.
Love, love, love it!

-Calliope

Buy it now (preorder before 29Oct) The Perfect Match

Price Drops on Some Favorites!

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Waking up on the weekend to price drops on books by a favorite author … sigh … It can only be beat by a lovely cup of coffee. 🙂

Julie Carobini writes sweet, charming beach reads. I’ll be picking up a few more today for $0.99!

Enjoy!

-Calliope

20131019-073717.jpg Buy it now Chocolate Beach

20131019-073726.jpg Buy it now Truffles by the Sea

20131019-073737.jpg Buy it now Sweet Waters

20131019-073747.jpg Buy it now Fade to Blue

20131019-073755.jpg Buy it now The Spa at Winter Beach