Review: Undertaking Love by Kat French

Undertaking Love
by Kat French

Genre: Adult, Chick Lit, Romance
Publication:  April 2013
Format: ebooks
Source: Netgalley
Connect: Twitter | Facebook

The moment love-phobic Marla Jacobs discovers that the shop next to her Little White Wedding Chapel is to become a funeral parlour, she declares all-out war.

Marla’s chapel in the sleepy Shropshire countryside has become a nation-wide sensation, but the arrival of Funeral Director Gabriel Ryan threatens everything Marla has worked for. She can picture the scene: wedding limos fighting for space in the street with hearses; brides bumping into widows; bouquets being swapped for wreaths

Marla’s not going down without a fight. She enlists a motley crew of weird and wonderful local supporters, and the battle lines are drawn. But, as soon as Marla meets her nemesis, she realises just how much trouble she’s really in. His gypsy curls and Irish lilt make her stomach fizz – how is she supposed to concentrate on destroying him, when half the time she’s struggling not to rip the shirt off his back?

I have to admit that I wanted to read Undertaking Love after I saw the cover. It was cute. And the summary! It sounded like this was going to be an interesting book, especially with Marla and her wedding chapel, and Gabriel with his funeral parlor.

Undertaking Love was written in several point of views, but it focused more on Marla and Gabe. Marla declared war against the funeral parlor next to her wedding chapel. She was sure that her business would go down when her client found out that there’s a funeral parlor next to her shop. When Marla met the Funeral Director, Gabriel Ryan, she wasn’t sure how her plan to put an end to the funeral parlor would go as smoothly, especially when Gabriel was looking so delicious and he was being really nice to her.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Undertaking Love. It was fun from the very beginning. I love how Marla planned to make Gabriel and his funeral parlor leave her town and how Gabriel slowly taken over the hearts of the local, and failing Marla’s plan. I think the story had a really good plot and pace. Kat French did a really good job building up the relationship between Marla and Gabriel. It wasn’t too quick or too slow.

Of course, Undertaking Love wouldn’t be as much fun without the secondary character, Emily and Tom, Ivan and Dora, Dan, Jonny, Rupert, Melanie and the others. Each and every character contributed something to make this book enjoyable. I definitely recommend Undertaking Love to those who love sweet romance read. There were lots of hilarious moments, romance and just the right amount of drama.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen

Her Royal Spyness (Her Royal Spyness Mysteries #1)
by Rhys Bowen

Genre: Cozy Mystery, Chick Lit, Romance
Publication:  July 2008
Format: ebooks
Source: Netgalley
Connect: Website | Twitter | Facebook

INTRODUCING A FEISTY NEW HEROINE (JACQUELINE WINSPEAR) who's thirty-fourth in line for the throne and flat broke.

From the Agatha Award-winning author of the Molly Murphy and Constable Evan Evans mysteries!

Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie, 34th in line for the throne, is flat broke. She?s bolted Scotland, her greedy brother, and her fish-faced betrothed for London. The place where she?ll experience freedom, learn life lessons aplenty, do a bit of spying for HRH?oh, and find a dead Frenchman in her tub. Now her new job is to clear her long family name.

Georgie is the 34th in line for the throne and she’s broke. She moved to London from Scotland after her brother stopped supporting her. Georgie lives alone without any servant, independently. Then halfway through the book, Georgie found a dead body in her bathtub. Georgie must figure out who committed the murder now that Georgie’s brother, Binky, has become the main suspect. But it wasn’t easy especially that Georgie found out that someone is trying to kill her. And that someone might be someone among her friends.

I’m so glad that I read Her Royal Spyness. It has been a while since I actually enjoyed reading a cozy mystery. The murder happened a bit later than the usual mystery I read, but that didn’t make the story less entertaining. I really enjoyed knowing Georgie in the first half of the book. I love how Georgie tried to support herself without her family’s help by setting up her own housekeeping service. The supporting character like her friend, Belinda makes the story more fun. Then, there’s Darcy O'Mara as a distraction. 

The mystery part was a bit predictable, but I do think that the author did a good job with writing the mystery. Her Royal Spyness is definitely a fun cozy mystery. I’m looking forward to read the next book.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer

Bloodrose (Nightshade #3)
by Andrea Cremer

Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult
Publication:  July 5th 2012
Format: Paperback, 408 pages
Source: Own
Connect: Website

Calla has always welcomed war. But now that the final battle is upon her, there’s more at stake than fighting.

There’s saving Ren, even if it incurs Shay’s wrath. There’s keeping Ansel safe, even if he’s been branded a traitor. There’s proving herself as the pack’s alpha, facing unnamable horrors, and ridding the world of the Keepers’ magic once and for all.

And then there’s deciding what to do when the war ends. That is, if Calla makes it out alive.

Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer is the third installment of the Nightshade. I like the previous two books, Nightshade and Wolfsbane. I can’t wait to read the final book to see how it ends and who Calla will end up with. But I was afraid to read the third book because I could guess who Calla will end up with and I know that she will not be with the person I’m rooting for.

In Bloodrose, Calla rescued Ren and the plot continues as the guardians find their way to escape the Keeper once and for all. There are romances along the way, mostly among Shay-Calla-Ren. I thought that the book’s pace was a bit quicker.  First, there’s rescuing Ren. Then, the guardian and searcher went on various quests to search for swords and there’s the battle with the Keepers. I feel that a lot of things were cramped into this book. But still, Bloodrose was as good as the first two books. I enjoyed this book even though I didn’t really like what happened to Ren. The ending surprised me. I didn’t see that that will happen. It was a sad, but beautiful ending. I guess, Calla and the pack got their happy ending. Just not the happy ending I thought they were going to get.

On Tour: Mail-Order Groom by Cindy Flores Martinez - Review

Cindy Flores Martinez is now on tour with Irresistible Reads Tours with her book, Mail-Order Groom.

Mail-Order Groom
by Cindy Flores Martinez

Genre: Chick Lit, Contemporary, Humor
Publication: 2014
Format: ebook
Source: ARC, Irresistible Reads Tours
Connect: Website

Lisa is about to marry the love of her life and have the wedding of her dreams, but her world is shattered when she finds her fiancé, Jeff, in the arms of another woman. When he calls the wedding off and struts around town with his new love, Lisa is heartbroken, and she wants revenge. She gets it by marrying a total stranger from Poland who she found on Mail-Order-Grooms.Com. He needs a green card to stay in America, and he’s willing to pay money for it. Lisa thinks he’s the perfect answer. It won’t be a real marriage, and her best friend Daphne insists she won’t even have to live with him. Lisa races to the altar with her stand-in groom and says “I do”, but she soon discovers that revenge isn’t as sweet or as simple as she thought it would be. Will she find love in the end?

I received a copy of this book from Irresistible Reads Tours to provide an honest review.

I wanted to read this book when I saw the synopsis. Lisa was about to marry Jeff, but then she found him with another woman. Now the wedding is off. Lisa was heartbroken and ashamed to tell everyone that Jeff dumped her. She wanted revenge. Lisa decided to find a new groom through the internet and go through the wedding with a total stranger. She met Krzysztof, a guy from Poland who needed to marry an American for a green card. Lisa thought that it would be easy, but soon found out that everything was not as simple as she thought.

I read Mail-Order Groom within one sitting. I found that the plot was very intriguing. There were lots of humorous moments that made me laugh. I love the craziness that Lisa went through to marry Krzysztof. It was very entertaining; I wish the story was a bit longer. I wanted to see a lot more moments between Lisa and Krzysztof and how they come to like each other. But still. Mail-Order Groom was definitely a fun, short read.

About the Author:

My name is Cindy Flores Martinez. I was born and raised in a suburb of Los Angeles. I have an MFA in Creative Writing with an emphasis in Screenwriting. I have been a screenwriting instructor, screenplay consultant, script reader, and screenplay collaborator. My debut novel, Mail-Order Groom, which was inspired by my own Polish ancestry, started out as a screenplay and movie project. I spent years shopping it around Hollywood, New York, and other parts of the world and had two well-known actors, one of them Academy Award nominated, interested in portraying the lead character’s parents. After not finding the success I wanted, I officially canceled my film production company in November of 2009 and embarked on the journey of turning my screenplay into a novel.

Review: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
by Jennifer E. Smith

Genre: Chick Lit, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Publication: January 1st, 2013
Format: Paperback, 236 pages
Source: Own
Connect: Website | Twitter | Goodreads

Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. Having missed her flight, she's stuck at JFK airport and late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's sitting in her row. A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them together once more?

Quirks of timing play out in this romantic and cinematic novel about family connections, second chances, and first loves. Set over a twenty-four-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight is nothing like I expected. I thought that it was going to be... different, judging from the synopsis and that cute cover. But that doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy this book, because I really enjoy The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight. 

If only Hadley didn’t miss her flight. She probably wouldn’t meet Oliver at the airport. They probably wouldn’t share a flight and sitting in the same row. Hadley and Oliver’s characters are very relatable. Their relationship was built slowly. I enjoyed their conversation in their flight. I enjoyed the father-daughter relationship between Hadley and her father. I smiled, reading the scene between Hadley and Oliver. I almost cried reading the parts between Hadley and her Father. I understand how she must have felt to attend her father’s marriage, since I’ve been in that position before. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight is definitely a cute, heartwarming read that made me smile (and almost cry). I’m so glad that I read this one.  

 

Romance is in the Air Giveaway Hop (INT)

Romance is in the Air Giveaway Hop

Featuring Young Adult & Clean Adult Romance

February 8th to 14th

Hosted by I Am A Reader Not A Writer

Cohosted by Rachael Anderson

I'm excited to join the Romance is in the Air Giveaway Hop! It has been a while since I participated in any giveaway hop or hosting any giveaway. Here's the prize I'm offering: 

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell 

I love romantic comedy books (or movie). Attachment and Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell is definitely books that made me laugh, smile and sometimes swoon. Which is why  I thought these books would be perfect for the giveaway. Anyway... I will choose TWO winners by the end of this blog hop. But of course, the winners will have to choose ONE of these books.

Here's how you can enter this giveaway:

• To enter this giveaway, enter your contact details in the form below.
• You are not required to follow me, but, it would be nice if you follow me via GFC/Goodreads/twitter too :)
• This is an International giveaway as long as BookDepository.com ship them to your country.
• One entry per person.
• Winners will be notified via email.  Winners will have 48 hours to respond before another winner will be selected. 
• I'm not responsible for any lost package.
• Have fun and good luck! Be sure to check out the other giveaway stops on this blog hop:

Review: Sweet Thing by Renée Carlino

Sweet Thing (Sweet Thing #1)
by Renée Carlino

Genre: Chick Lit, Contemporary, Romance
Publication: April 2013
Format: Kindle Edition, 324 pages
Source: ARC
Connect: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads 

"You have to teach your heart and mind how to sing together…then you'll hear the sound of your soul."

Mia Kelly thinks she has it all figured out. She's an Ivy League graduate, a classically trained pianist, and the beloved daughter of a sensible mother and offbeat father. Yet Mia has been stalling since graduation, torn between putting her business degree to use and exploring music, her true love.

When her father unexpectedly dies, she decides to pick up the threads of his life while she figures out her own. Uprooting herself from Ann Arbor to New York City, Mia takes over her father's café, a treasured neighborhood institution that plays host to undiscovered musicians and artists. She's denied herself the thrilling and unpredictable life of a musician, but a chance encounter with Will, a sweet, gorgeous, and charming guitarist, offers her a glimpse of what could be. When Will becomes her friend and then her roommate, she does everything in her power to suppress her passions-for him, for music-but her father's legacy slowly opens her heart to the possibility of something more.

Sweet Thing is definitely a good debut novel! I wanted to read it the moment I laid my eyes on it (although the one I’m reading is the old cover and that the new cover is much more beautiful!). I’m a sucker for stories which involved coffee and coffee house.

After her dad died, Mia moved to New York City from Ann Arbor to take over her father’s café. She first met Will Ryan, a sweet musician on her flight to New York. Soon, Will becomes her roommates. Mia tried to suppress her feeling for Will even though there were definitely sparks between them. Mia didn’t want to date a musician after what happens to her parents. She wanted to be with someone with a steady career.

There are times when I was so frustrated with Mia. It was obvious that she’s in love with Will, but she tried very hard to deny it because she didn’t want to end up like her parents. And Will... I love Will (like everyone else). He’s sweet, and he’s not afraid to be who he wanted to be. He’s the type of guy who lives his life freely the way he wanted. While Mia, she wants stability in her future rather than taking risk loving Will.

Sweet Thing is not only a sweet, romantic story—a love story between Mia and Will. It is also a story of Mia’s journey to self-discovery.  I really enjoy this one. It is well-written and definitely a great read.

 

Review: Cocktail Hour by Tara McTiernan

Cocktail Hour
by Tara McTiernan

Genre: Chick Lit, Contemporary, Friendship, Romance
Publication: March 2013
Format: Kindle Edition, 350 pages
Source: ARC
Connect: Website | Facebook | Goodreads

What if your friend - someone admired, envied, and fervently sought after by everyone who knew her - was really a dangerous sociopath? In her latest novel, Cocktail Hour, women's fiction author Tara McTiernan answers that question as she takes you on a wild roller coaster ride of thrilling highs and terrifying lows in this gripping novel about friendship gone horribly wrong.

Spring in glamorous uber-rich Fairfield County, Connecticut is a time of beginnings: a new diet for the approaching summer spent out on the yacht, fresh-faced interns being offered up at the office as the seasonal sacrifice to the gods of money, and corporate takeovers galore. Five women in their thirties have a brand-new friendship, too, one that fed and watered regularly at local hotspots over cocktails. With all of their personal struggles - Lucie's new catering business is foundering due to vicious gossip, Kate's marriage is troubled due to an inability to conceive, Chelsea's series of misses in the romance department have led to frantic desperation, and Sharon's career problems are spinning out of control - the women look forward to a break and a drink and a chance to let their guards down with their friends. And letting their guards down is the last thing they should do in the kind of company they unknowingly keep with the fifth member of their cocktail-clique: Bianca Rossi, a woman who will stop at nothing to have it all.

As each woman's life is affected by this she-wolf in sheep's clothing, the truth starts to come out, but will they see it before it's too late? Or will their doubts about their own perceptions and gut feelings stop them from protecting themselves in time?

I received a copy of this book from the author to provide an honest review.

I was really excited when I received an ARC from the author. The synopsis sounds a bit mysterious. I’m curious. I wanted to know what’s with Bianca.

Cocktail Hour was written in five points of view, Bianca, Kate, Chelsea, Sharon and Lucie. At first, it was a little hard to connect with the girls because the changing point of view. There are five point of views, and  instead of using the character’s name as the title, the chapter’s title were changed into the character’s drink, for example, Strawberry Daiquiri—Chelsea. But once I was comfortable with the point of view style, I could not put down the book. I wanted to know what will happen to the girls, especially Kate, Sharon and Bianca’s story.

Overall, Cocktail Hour is a well written book. The plot flowed nicely. I love the friendship the girls had, that little bit of romance with Sharon and the drama with Bianca and Kate.  I would recommend Cocktail Hour to chick lit fans, who preferred something different.

Review: Diners, Dives & Dead Ends by Terri L. Austin

Diners, Dives & Dead Ends (Rose Strickland Mystery #1)
by Terri L. Austin

Genre: Chick Lit, Romance, Cozy Mystery
Publication: July 2012
Format: ebook
Source: Own
Connect: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

As a struggling waitress and part-time college student, Rose Strickland's life is stalled in the slow lane. But when her close friend, Axton, disappears, Rose suddenly finds herself serving up more than hot coffee and flapjacks. Now she's hashing it out with sexy bad guys and scrambling to find clues in a race to save Axton before his time runs out. With her anime-loving bestie, her septuagenarian boss, and pair of IT wise men along for the ride, Rose discovers political corruption, illegal gambling, and shady corporations. She's gone from zero to sixty and learns when you're speeding down the fast lane, it's easy to crash and burn.

I have to admit that I read the second book of the series, Last Diner Standing (for a blog tour) before I read this one. I love Last Diner Standing even though it was a bit confusing because I didn’t know who is who. Well, I first thought that Rose had two mothers (Ma, her boss and her mother). 

In this book I was introduced to Rose and her background —as a waitress and a part-time college student. When her close friend, Axton, went missing, Rose went to search for him. Things get much more exciting (and dangerous) when Rose knows that one sexy bad boy was keeping his eyes on her.

I love Roxy. Even though she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do, of her future, she’s very independent. Well, her family wasn’t very fond of the life she chooses, but she got friends who loved her. The writing style was very engaging. The story is fast paced and fun. The mystery is well written with a bit of twists. If you like Chick lit with mystery, romance, friendship and bad boy, you should really read Diners, Dives & Dead Ends.