Review: Snow White Lies by Sarah J. Pepper

Snow White Lies
by Sarah J. Pepper

Genre: Fantasy, New Adult, Romance
Publication: Published April 26th, 2015
Format: ebook
Source: ARC
Connect: Website | Twitter | Facebook 

“Evil poisons everyone. Period. Our mouths water when we sink our teeth into what we have always craved. Surrendering to our desires by biting off delectable piece of the forbidden fruit is nothing more than a meager confession: Poison tastes sinfully sweet,”—Confessions of the Big Apple Debutante, by blogger Miss Snow White.

I’ve read Sarah J. Pepper’s Death of the Mad Hatter, and I really like it. But, when I was offered to read this book, I'm not sure what to expect. I mean, the blurbs didn’t give out much, but it’s mysterious enough to make me want to read it. Plus, I am tempted by the gorgeous cover!

Snow White Lies by Sarah J. Pepper is a fairy tale retelling of Snow White with lots of twist. And the author writes it brilliantly. Everyone in Sarah J. Pepper’s Snow White is not the character we used to know. The dwarves in this story, for example, didn’t act as Snow’s protector, and they’re not very nice. Snow White isn’t as innocent as we all thought she is.

I have to admit that it was hard to get into the book at first. It was confusing at first with the switching through past and present. Besides, I didn’t really like Snow. She’s a rich spoil girl who acted like a B. But the story is amazing. It is not what I expect with darker themes, and lots of twist that makes me want more.  Anyone who enjoyed fairy tale retelling would definitely enjoy this book.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

On Tour: The Marrying Type by Laura Chapman - Review & Giveaway

Laura Chapman is now on tour with CLP Blog Tours with her book, The Marrying Type. Please visit her page for more blog stops.

The Marrying Type
by Laura Chapman

Genre: Romance, Chick Lit, Contemporary
Publication: February 20th, 2015 by Marching Ink LLC
Format: ebook
Source: ARC, CLP Blog Tours
Connect: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Blog
Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Always the wedding planner, never a bride, Elliot Lynch is famous for orchestrating the splashiest weddings in Charleston, South Carolina. When her father’s sloppy management practices leave them on the brink of bankruptcy, Elliot will do whatever it takes to save the family business. When asked to appear on “The Marrying Type,” a reality TV show about the people behind the scenes as couples exchange I dos, she says yes to the invasion of privacy (and the hefty paycheck that comes with it).

With a camera crew capturing every detail of her life, Elliot faces her most challenging contract yet: planning a wedding where her ex is involved in every part of the process. Add in a lazy assistant, liquor-loving bridesmaid, and rival planner encroaching on her turf, and Elliot’s wedding season goes from high-end to high-stress.

Forced to confront her past, Elliot must live out her troubled present on national TV if she has any hope of saving her future.

Elliot's family business is in financial trouble. To save their business well as their home, Elliot agrees to do a reality TV show, "The Marrying Type". When Elliot has been asked to plan for her ex's sister's wedding, she agreed. After all, the money could save the business.

This is a great read. The story flows beautifully and I just couldn't put it down. The characters are great. I love Elliot and Eric. They're adorable. I enjoy the progress of Elliot and Eric's relationship. It was very well developed. The other supporting characters make the book a lot more interesting. There may be lots of supporting characters, but every one of them is a great companion. They make the story enjoyable, even crazy Heloise. My favorite part is reading about the behind-the-scene of a wedding. It is mostly fun and a bit crazy. 

The Marrying Type is a quick, fun and cute read, with a bit of twists. I love Laura Chapman style and am definitely looking forward to read more books from her. I would definitely recommend this book to chick-lit lover. 

I received a copy of The Marrying Type by Laura Chapman from the author/CLP Blog Tours as part of the book tour.

Author Bio:

Laura Chapman is the author of The Marrying Type, Hard Hats and Doormats and the Autumn and Tuck series, which appear in Merry & Bright and A Kind of Mad Courage. A native Nebraskan, she loves football, Netflix marathons, and her cats, Jane and Bingley. Until she fulfills her dream of landing a British husband or becoming a Disney princess, you can find her in a bar penning her next novel.

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Review: Bedside Manners by Phoebe Fox

Bedside Manners (The Breakup Doctor #2)
by Phoebe Fox 

Genre: Romance, Chick Lit, Humor
Publication: March 24th, 2015 by Henery Press
Format: ebook
Source: Author
Connect: Website | Twitter | Facebook

Brook Ogden has never encountered a broken heart she couldn’t patch together. Her counseling practice as the Breakup Doctor—on call to help you shape up after a breakup—is so busy she’s expanded to offer group sessions. (Turns out there are far more than fifty ways to leave your lover.) Her radio show and advice column have made her a local celebrity, and even her personal life, after some gruesome breakups of her own, is in recovery: Ben Garrett started out as a revenge date against an ex, but has turned into so much more.

But when sizzling-hot Chip Santana, an old client she once shared a rather unprofessional midnight roll in the sand with, comes back into her life asking for her help, Brook can’t say no. Yet while she’s busy stitching up his relationship troubles, Chip reveals much more than a therapeutic interest in her.

In the standoff between her heart and her hormones, Brook’s cool, collected Wise Therapist persona begins to crack like thrown wedding china. She’s yelling at recalcitrant cheating husbands. Offering crazy advice to radio callers. She’s even hugging her clients.

When the situation goes critical, Brook’s forced into a decision she isn’t ready to make—and the Breakup Doctor has to decide what kind of casualties she’s willing to accept.

This book is the continuation of Breakup Doctor.  Brook's breakup counseling is going great. With her own radio show and advice column, Brook is now a local celebrity. Her business is doing great, and so is her love life.

I love Bedside Manners a bit more than the first book, The Breakup Doctor. Probably because I am used to Brook's character. I'm glad that her life is doing great after her breakup in the first book. I enjoy reading about Brook's relationship with Ben. But, there are times when I feel like I want to smack Brook for doing something stupid. Ugh!

I'm glad to see that Sasha is back. She sounds more composed now that she is in a new relationship. There are a few more interesting characters in Brook's counseling group. I thoroughly enjoy reading about the counseling group as well as her radio show. They were super fun! There are lots of interesting breakup and relationship problems that Brook has to deal with.

Bedside Manners are a light, fun read packed with tons of funny moments and romance, Although this is the second book of the series, Bedside Manners can be read as a standalone. I wasn't a big fan of how the book ended, but I guess, there will be a continuation to the series. I hope to see a lot more of Brook and her interesting patients.

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

Review: The Breakup Doctor by Phoebe Fox

The Breakup Doctor (The Breakup Doctor #1)
by Phoebe Fox

Genre: Romance, Chick Lit, Humor
Publication: June 6th 2014 by Henery Press
Format: ebook
Source: Own
Connect: Website | Twitter | Facebook 

Call Brook Ogden a matchmaker-in-reverse. Let others bring people together; Brook, licensed mental health counselor, picks up the pieces after things come apart. When her own therapy practice collapses, she maintains perfect control: landing on her feet with a weekly advice-to-the-lovelorn column and a successful consulting service as the Breakup Doctor: on call to help you shape up after you breakup.

But when her own relationship suddenly crumbles, Brook finds herself engaging in almost every bad-breakup behavior she preaches against. And worse, she starts a rebound relationship with the most inappropriate of men: a dangerously sexy bartender with anger-management issues—who also happens to be a former patient.

As her increasingly out-of-control behavior lands her at rock-bottom, Brook realizes you can’t always handle a messy breakup neatly—and that sometimes you can’t pull yourself together until you let yourself fall apart.

Brook Ogden, a licensed mental health counselor, lost her therapy practice. With the advice of her friend, she landed on a job as a breakup doctor. She had with a weekly advice column, and a consulting service. But when Brook's relationship goes wrong, Brook lost control and found her doing almost every bad-breakup behavior she advise her patient not to do.

I really, really like the idea of The Breakup Doctor. Brook was a wonderful character. She was calm and collected. But after her breakup, Brook was driving me insane with how she behaved. There are some scene that made me laugh, but most of the time, I just wanted to strangle her when she did almost every bad-breakup behavior she preaches against. But I think anyone who has gone through a bad breakup can relate to Brook.

The supporting  characters were fun. I love Sasha, and Brook's parents. I was a bit disappointed that there weren't a lot more of Ben, the guy she met at the ER. The Breakup Doctor was definitely a light, fun read about handling a breakup. The story was well written, and I enjoyed reading this book. 

On Tour: Confetti Confidential: They Do, I Don't by Susan Murphy

Susan Murphy is now on tour with CLP Blog Tours with her book, Confetti Confidential: They Do, I Don't. Please visit her page for more blog stops.

Confetti Confidential: They Do, I Don't
by Susan Murphy

Genre: Romance, Chick Lit, Humor
Publication: January 27th, 2015 by HarperCollins Publishers Australia Pty Limited
Format: ebook, 272 pages
Source: ARC, CLP Blog Tours
Connect: Website | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Amazon | Goodreads | Harper Collins Listing

How can you be a part of a couple's big day when your own love life is crumbling? Her once happy life in tatters thanks to a cheating husband, lacklustre career and a wrinkling face, Viv no longer believes in love and happiness. In fact, she hates them both. The problem is that as a marriage celebrant, gleeful love is what she has to deal with every day. With 10 hilarious and tragic weddings (and a funeral) to get through before she can give up being a celebrant, can she prove that love and happiness are the pathetic hopes of the naive, or will fate intervene and show her that what she secretly craves could be right in front of her?

Genevieve "Viv" marriage crumbled when she discovered that her husband for 19 years had an affair and a gambling problem. Now that she doesn't believe in love and happiness, Viv didn't know how she should deal with love and marriage as a marriage celebrant.

I have to admit that I wasn't really into the book at first. I thought that the beginning was a bit abrupt with Viv found out about her husband and kicked him out. But after a while, I started to really enjoy the book. I like how reading about Viv as she learned to live separately with her husband. Even though Viv encountered few uncomfortable (but, funny) situations, I couldn't help but to laugh them.

Confetti Confidential: They Do, I Don't was a fun read. The pace was great, although I do think that there were too much event in the story. What I really like about this book was that, there were tons of interesting characters, but I especially love Viv and her sisters. Viv's sisters can be a bit crazy at times, but they're close and I adore the bond they shared.

I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend this to someone who loved light read with romance, family and lots of humor.

I received a copy of Confetti Confidential: They Do, I Don't by Susan Murphy from the author/CLP Blog Tours as part of the book tour.

Bio:

Susan Murphy is a Civil Marriage Celebrant based in South Australia. With over 8 years experience, she’s had the pleasure and blessing of conducting ceremonies all over the country including weddings, baby naming’s, commitment ceremonies, funerals and anything else that has been requested by a client. The stranger the better!

With a passion for words and a determination to one day (even if it was from the nursing home) become a writer, she made a fateful decision to attend a Masterclass with the amazing Fiona McIntosh, and from there 'Confetti Confidential' was born.

Giveaway! Anyone who leaves a comment on the tour page will be entered to win an eBook copy. Download codes will be provided to the winners. Good luck!

Review: Where the Road Takes Me by Jay McLean

Where the Road Takes Me
by Jay McLean

Genre: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance, Young Adult
Publication: February 10th, 2015 by Skyscape
Format: Paperback, 315 pages
Source: Netgalley, ARC
Connect: Website | Twitter | Facebook

Chloe has one plan for the future, and one plan only: the road. She’s made a promise to herself: don’t let anyone in, and don’t let anyone love her. She’s learned the hard way what happens if she breaks her rules. So she’s focused on being invisible and waiting until she can set out on the road—her dream of freedom, at least for a little while.

Blake Hunter is a basketball star who has it all—everything about him looks perfect to those on the other side of his protective walls. He can’t let anyone see the shattered pieces behind the flawless facade or else all his hopes and dreams will disappear.

One dark night throws Chloe and Blake together, changing everything for Blake. For Chloe, nothing changes: she has the road, and she’s focused on it. But when the so-called perfect boy starts to notice the invisible girl, they discover that sometimes with love, no one knows where the road may lead.

I do not know what to expect when I read this book. I picked up this book because I was attracted to the cover (it's pretty!) and the blurbs. So... Chloe met Blake this one night when Blake saved her from this circumstance, and Blake just can't get her out of his mind.

I've got tons of issue with the book right from the start. I couldn't understand what makes Blake attracted to Chloe. I mean, I get that Blake was attracted to Chloe because she's cute, but, I failed to see other reason than that. 

The story was written in Blake and Chloe's point of view. I have to say that I love Blake as compared to Chloe. I just can't understand her. I know that she had issues, but I just don't get her plan with the road trip. I wasn't a big fan of the other supporting characters, but I do love Chloe's parents and Blake's mom. After a while, I started to think that the story was not so bad. I love Chloe's and Blake's interaction. 

Where the Road Takes Me was an okay read. I could probably enjoy  the book more if I ignore the meeting, the bad dialogue, and Chloe. Now that I think of it, perhaps this book would be better if it was written in Blake's point of view, instead of both.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

Review: Fire (Graceling Realm #2) by Kristin Cashore

Fire (Graceling Realm #2)
by Kristin Cashore

Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult
Publication: January 25th 2011 by Firebird
Format: Paperback, 528 pages
Source: Own
Connect: Website | Twitter

It is not a peaceful time in the Dells. The young King Nash clings to his throne while rebel lords in the north and south build armies to unseat him. The mountains and forests are filled with spies and thieves and lawless men.

This is where Fire lives. With a wild, irresistible appearance and hair the color of flame, Fire is the last remaining human monster. Equally hated and adored, she had the unique ability to control minds, but she guards her power, unwilling to steal the secrets of innocent people. Especially when she has so many of her own.

Then Prince Brigan comes to bring her to King City, The royal family needs her help to uncover the plot against the king. Far away from home, Fire begins to realize there's more to her power than she ever dreamed. Her power could save the kingdom.

If only she weren't afraid of becoming the monster her father was.

I love Graceling and was excited to read Fire. The book was set up earlier than Graceling in a world where monsters and humans mixed with Fire as the last human monster who had the power to control minds. Although Fire was a prequel to Graceling, it can easily be read as a stand alone.

I love Fire. She was strong, a bit stubborn and insecure about her power. It was good to see her character development. I enjoyed the story, although, the story did confuse me a bit at the beginning. The author did a really great job with writing world of monsters. There were a few twists that I didn't expect to see and shocking secrets between the characters. What I didn't really like about the book was the casual sex between the characters. In my opinion, there were just too much. Kinda makes me wonder why the book was targeted for young adults. 

But still, Fire was a great companion to Graceling. I have to admit that I love Graceling more than Fire, but they're both great stories with great heroine.