tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107484012024-03-13T11:38:44.498-04:00Fresh-Brewed Writer . . . living a fresh-brewed life.Pattiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246904837775307023noreply@blogger.comBlogger1137125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10748401.post-17354092026477157172024-03-13T11:38:00.000-04:002024-03-13T11:38:00.413-04:00How does one walk into--or out of--a room with grace and wisdom?<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNhPjMAZX-MArC_wcaeRzNc4Fy7vsqesEx5ApaImXIy4F5McTvFQJvjiZFWK_-pRsnTTGD7kGbGyR7N_y9hpuZSVT4en9YGMvZn5oJp-iWXL6weT2P8sjiqKYQ6UAaf_f2G-2o11I5DNNdkoZ8m3VyZizXDJCxlIkyu_oiTDZjIbErAG3pnytfxw/s2926/Walk%20Into%20Room.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2926" data-original-width="2746" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNhPjMAZX-MArC_wcaeRzNc4Fy7vsqesEx5ApaImXIy4F5McTvFQJvjiZFWK_-pRsnTTGD7kGbGyR7N_y9hpuZSVT4en9YGMvZn5oJp-iWXL6weT2P8sjiqKYQ6UAaf_f2G-2o11I5DNNdkoZ8m3VyZizXDJCxlIkyu_oiTDZjIbErAG3pnytfxw/s320/Walk%20Into%20Room.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Aptos Display",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Like many who follow EPF, I’ve been looking forward to her latest
book, <i>How to Walk Into a Room</i>. When I began reading the book, I realized
it was a keeper, a book to reference again and again, a book to study and
ponder and parse out its wisdom.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Aptos Display",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">For those of us who wonder if it’s time to go, or if we should
stay, and how in the world can we ever decide which to do—this book is for us. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Aptos Display",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I’ve been a fan of Emily P. Freeman’s thoughtful, intellectual,
spiritually grounded writing since I first discovered her books ten years ago.
This one is different, certainly, but I think with its metaphor of rooms it is
much more useful for different interpretations and uses in our lives.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Aptos Display",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">If you know me, you know I’ve spent my whole life moving around—first
within my own family of origin due to my dad’s job, then with my husband in his
job as a pastor, later within the military. I joke that my teaching career is
more widespread and shallow, ranging from one to five years in any given
school. I am learning to embrace rather than fight this reality, as much as I am
able. Sometimes it’s hard to know what to do with work, and ministry, and other
opportunities that may or may not come my way. Knowing where and within which
opportunities to invest time, energy, and resources is a challenge that often
feels more like a struggle—even when those opportunities are good and right. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Aptos Display",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I found myself nodding and agreeing with so many different things
within the pages of this book. Some answers I recognize as something I’ve
tried, and others I feel like I should have tried or known already but didn’t think
of it in that way before. Emily’s book reframes some of the situations we may know
into the metaphor of rooms and hallways, with some personal stories and anecdotes
that give us an idea of how she has skin in this game, and reinforcing our
belief that her wisdom is well-earned. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Aptos Display",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I just finished the book with tears in my eyes, and I can tell you
now that I will start again at the beginning and read it again, slowly, pen in
hand and journal at the ready. Yes, it’s that good, and true, and helpful, and
exactly “for such a time as this” for me.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Aptos Display",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Aptos Display",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">If you have any questions about if it’s time to stay or go or
wait, this book is for you.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Aptos Display",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Pattiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246904837775307023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10748401.post-36229073322127176012024-03-08T16:16:00.006-05:002024-03-08T16:16:54.959-05:00Snow White? Not exactly. <p> </p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/195909877-wake-me-most-wickedly" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Wake Me Most Wickedly (Once Upon the East End #2)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1708748916l/195909877._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/195909877-wake-me-most-wickedly">Wake Me Most Wickedly</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18443358.Felicia_Grossman">Felicia Grossman</a><br /><br />
While I really wanted to like this novel, and I *did* enjoy several scenes (especially the one with the older ladies who shared similar characteristics with several particular characters in the Disney version of Snow White), I had a much more difficult time with this book. <br /><br />For starters, some of the characters that appear in "Marry Me by Midnight" come back to this story, which is fun; however, a few of them seem to have undergone either personality shifts or transplants. Another thing that was distracting were all the scenes of conniving. It got to be too much for me to want to keep up with: who is trying to scan whom, for what purpose, for how much money, etc. Finally, the bedroom scenes are much more steamy than I wanted to read--especially given the stated fact that one character was bad for another character, and their involvement would be awful. Did that stop them? Nope. It got to be a bit repetitive on that score.<br /><br />I did, however, want to mention that (a) Hannah finally feels supported by the Jewish community in their synagogue, and I loved that so much; and (b) Sol doesn't convert for business, shows his sincerity in his faith, and always wears his yarmulke. Always (ahem, see steamy remark above).<br /><br />The historical notes in the back of the novel are *chef's kiss* amazing. I'd love it if Felicia Grossman also wrote more on the Jewish experience in this time period with the whole scope of history and society. Fascinating.<br /><br />I received a eARC copy of this novel on NetGalley, which had not gone through final copy edits and within which I found multiple errors that were distracting to me. I am confident they'll be fixed before final publication.
<br /><br /><br />Pattiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246904837775307023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10748401.post-90719558758342373502023-08-02T08:26:00.003-04:002023-08-02T08:27:03.630-04:00The Dating Dance by Danielle Nowell: a Love Books Tour Stop<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPK6crWKLTX3DeGmE1C8J9dNT1bSXyG0dQizzvAvhSc9DyfAjZPCJoaaFsMbuK21UON3CWffxowgpvuDW9vTNhP4GPX9OrASGVeI1EKTtWlx74oOyVAutUU-DhfkxwB-8rNjzwiLFX7L8AxisTJj2XilsZfz8ZrMsvXXJYIQBHu-l-iYdMkLlbuA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPK6crWKLTX3DeGmE1C8J9dNT1bSXyG0dQizzvAvhSc9DyfAjZPCJoaaFsMbuK21UON3CWffxowgpvuDW9vTNhP4GPX9OrASGVeI1EKTtWlx74oOyVAutUU-DhfkxwB-8rNjzwiLFX7L8AxisTJj2XilsZfz8ZrMsvXXJYIQBHu-l-iYdMkLlbuA" width="160" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This post is a part of Kelly Lacey's Love Books Tours book tour for Danielle Nowell's latest novel <b><i>The Dating Dance</i></b>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u>Synopsis</u>:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When Sarah Shuster meets Theodore Caddel, she's certain she's found the perfect man, although after what happened with Jake Leifhour, she's hesitant to get involved in a relationship. Sarah has a good job as a dance teacher and a steady life in Grenvale. As their relationship blossoms, Sarah is presented with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: a dream job in New York City. The problem? It's over 2,000 miles away from Grenvale, and Theodore. Sarah is torn between her relationship with Theodore and her desire for career success. She doesn't want to leave Theodore but also knows turning down the job would be a huge mistake. As she grapples with this decision, Sarah starts to wonder what truly matters to her and what she's willing to sacrifice for her own happiness. Will Sarah choose the guy or her career? Or is there a way to have both? Follow Sarah's journey as she navigates the highs and lows of her relationship, professional ambition and search for fulfilment.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u>Review</u>:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This novel is a sweet, slow-moving story about a growing romance and how young adults navigate real life situations into their dreams for a relationship, a career, and being happy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To be completely honest, I did not love this book. I found some of the writing to be a bit redundant, the pacing was much slower than I would like, and the story wasn't as compelling as I believe it could be. In short, I think this book needed more showing and much less telling, and isn't that the first thing all writer coaches tell their writers? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Additionally, some of the dance parts of the novel did not ring true for me. While I am not a dance teacher, I was a dance mom for over twenty years and know that dance teachers are at the studio a whole lot more than Sarah was--especially for dance shows and concerts and recitals. And to my knowledge, no dancer says "break a leg" backstage, ever. If I'm wrong on that, well, that's on me. But my girls danced in around ten different studios and schools in six states between them, and that's what I learned as their mom.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you're looking for a sweet and slow-moving and clean romance, this book will probably be a good choice for you. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Thank you to Kelly at Love Books Tours for a review copy of the novel. All opinions in my review are mine alone. I am grateful to the author for letting me read her book to review, and I'm sorry I did not love it more.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p></p><p><u>Links to purchase</u>:</p><p><a href="https://amzn.to/43yiuft">Love Books Tours affiliate link for UK purchasers</a></p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dating-Dance-Danielle-Nowell-ebook/">US Kindle link, not an affiliate link</a></p>Pattiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246904837775307023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10748401.post-22403888863089352232023-06-05T12:41:00.001-04:002023-06-05T12:48:01.709-04:00You'll want to find this hotel in Italy.<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/74838036-the-little-italian-hotel" style="clear: right; display: inline; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Little Italian Hotel" border="0" height="207" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1677904311l/74838036._SX98_.jpg" width="138" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/74838036-the-little-italian-hotel">The Little Italian Hotel</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14203653.Phaedra_Patrick">Phaedra Patrick</a></p>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5593561522">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I enjoyed reading <i>The Little Italian Hotel</i>, the latest from one of my favorite go-to British authors, Phaedra Patrick. I think my favorite of hers is still the first one of hers I read (<i>The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper</i>), but I've enjoyed her others as well.<br /><br />There were many things about this book that I enjoyed: I enjoyed the different members of Ginny's motley crew, and I really found myself identifying with several things that Ginny is struggling with (hello, menopause, this change of life is warm...). However, there were several choices made during the course of the plot that seemed, well, out of character for a couple of the characters. And while these characters were doing things that I wasn't expecting or thought they should do, that doesn't mean it's necessarily inconsistent; it could be more about what I enjoy about books not aligning with what the author felt was the best choice for her story. This, reading friends, is what makes books so much fun for everyone. <br /><br />If you're a fan of Patrick, you'll enjoy this one. If you're not, but are wondering if you should grab this one from the new release table, my advice is YES. It would make a terrific summer read for the plane, the poolside, or the beach.<div><br /></div><div>Release date: Tuesday 6 June in the US</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks to the publisher, the author, and NetGalley for an advanced ebook to read and review. All opinions are my own.</div>Pattiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246904837775307023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10748401.post-73550908250567415392023-05-10T20:16:00.008-04:002023-05-10T20:18:48.440-04:00Kissing Kosher is a Must Read<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62196712-kissing-kosher" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Kissing Kosher: A Novel" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1671058717l/62196712._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62196712-kissing-kosher">Kissing Kosher: A Novel</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20590894.Jean_Meltzer">Jean Meltzer</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5085195428">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Jean Meltzer has become one of my very favorite authors in the past year, and with each subsequent novel she just keeps getting better. As a former rabbinical student, she often writes reflections for Shabbat that deal with a particular Bible or Talmudic passage and applying it to modern life. I love those posts on Instagram because they make me think and they give me insight into understanding Jewish faith in the 21st century. <br /><br />Meltzer does the same sort of thing in her novels--she deftly weaves her Jewish faith into her novel storylines, in a way that reaffirms the Jewish reader, and informs non-Jewish readers without being didactic. <br /><br />"Kissing Kosher" is her third novel, and in it she writes about the reality of living with chronic pain and inflammation. She writes about something I really did not know about, but once it was explained in the book it made sense: generational pain being passed down from parent to child to grandchild. She writes about families and love and loss and loyalty (and yes, this is a kissing book).<br /><br />Avital and Ethan are well-developed and sympathetic protagonists, and this reader was rooting for both of them to find their footing and their calling. I won't spoil the plot or the ending, but the primary and secondary characters are amazing, the dialogue is both snappy and honest, and I really wanted to drive to Trader Joe's for some babka more than once (if I hadn't been on a road trip while reading this novel, I just might have).<br /><br />Five stars, definitely recommend. Add this to your TBR and it will be published August 29, 2023, just in time for when the kids go back to school and the Labor Day weekend :)<br /><br />Thank you to Jean Meltzer, her publisher MIRA, and NetGalley for an advanced ebook to read and review. All opinions (and all the gushing) are my own.
<br /><br />Pattiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246904837775307023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10748401.post-28871202707703380902023-04-30T20:07:00.001-04:002023-04-30T20:07:41.196-04:00Zora Books Her Happy Ever After Review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjaHHXSVZEpzTZEI4mJFsa-YiIJPI9eQiiABA06Trh66GFB8l4k110I0FPAeT8Q9YlNv_a0KeERiM7ebxQtN5FYv79OILV3qPjJYNtwIPf9oFBC1TizcZj6Rq-DzTrs49-hZu63I2X3pITlzJnQf1HvyrFlS0guUYu1o9aYs8B-D5NDSQJf770" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="255" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjaHHXSVZEpzTZEI4mJFsa-YiIJPI9eQiiABA06Trh66GFB8l4k110I0FPAeT8Q9YlNv_a0KeERiM7ebxQtN5FYv79OILV3qPjJYNtwIPf9oFBC1TizcZj6Rq-DzTrs49-hZu63I2X3pITlzJnQf1HvyrFlS0guUYu1o9aYs8B-D5NDSQJf770" width="160" /></a></div><br /><p></p>ZORA BOOKS HER HAPPY EVER AFTER by Taj McCoy <div> </div><div>A heart-pounding, curvy romance about an indie bookstore owner who finds herself in a love triangle when she meets the author she's had a crush on for years...and his best friend. </div><div><br /></div><div> Zora has committed every inch of her life to establishing her thriving DC bookstore, making it into a pillar of the community, and she just hasn’t had time for romance. But when a mystery author she’s been crushing on for years agrees to have an event at her store, she starts to rethink her priorities. </div><div><br /></div><div>Lawrence is every bit as charming as she imagined, even if his understanding of his own books seems just a bit shallow. When he asks her out after his reading, she’s almost elated enough to forget about the grumpy guy who sat next to her making snide comments all evening. Apparently the grouch is Lawrence’s best friend, Reid, but she can’t imagine what kind of friendship that must be. They couldn’t be more different. </div><div><br /></div><div> But as she starts seeing Lawrence, and spending more and more time with Reid, Zora finds first impressions can be deceiving. Reid is smart and thoughtful—he’s also interested. After years of avoiding dating, she suddenly has two handsome men competing for her affection. But even as she struggles to choose between them, she can’t shake the feeling that they’re both hiding something—a mystery she’s determined to solve before she can find her HEA.</div><div><br /></div><div><u>Pattie's Review</u>:</div><div><br /></div><div>While I enjoyed McCoy's first book <i><a href="https://freshbrewedwriter.blogspot.com/2022/03/savvy-sheldon-has-weird-title-but-good.html" target="_blank">Savvy Sheldon Feels Good as Hell</a></i>, I wasn't as enamored with her sophomore release. I wanted to love it! I love independently-owned or "indie" bookstores. I love booksellers and writers and stories and best friends and grandmothers. But there were aspects of the book that grated on my nerves. To be fair, my review is based on the NetGalley ARC, so hopefully (fingers crossed) things like overly- repeated phrases (some of which due to differences in generation and language I would never use), as well as a misplaced explanation about a secondary character, were caught and fixed in final edits. There were a few other things with characters, however, that were not my preference to read. </div><div><br /></div><div>The bedroom scenes were certainly open-door, but seemed to fit well into the story as it is. There's some language (some of which seemed forced, and other words seemed to repeat more often than I think is needed), and certainly adult situations. However, there are some really sweet scenes with Reid's classes that I loved and that were absolutely real. I hope his school exists in real life!</div><div><br /></div><div>I landed on a 3-star rating, which for me means I liked the book, it is fine, but not what I'd recommend or gush about. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced ebook to read and review. All opinions are my own.</div><div><br /></div>Pattiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246904837775307023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10748401.post-63052038960712817482022-12-06T09:00:00.001-05:002022-12-07T09:55:15.802-05:00Pets of Park Avenue by Stefanie London<p> Welcome to the Book Blog Tour for <i>Pets of Park Avenue,</i> the new release by <a href="https://stefanie-london.com/" target="_blank">Stefanie London</a>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXTsq_QNGCOMSoqozC0TFomk9R3sECr9lpnMeQc8LLADKNlGV78-4G4Q3xlDgyv92safhNc-cX4nP0A6tAUB9V_pROlfU9dmOdOHhqVF9EixbJeZAq85dZ2Aip1ccqlmO_wFEjRgopN5FI6FG2b9O7d5pv9j8UCVLc5rxkvuP1LOMpiMkuqvo/s3200/Pets%20of%20Park%20Ave_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3200" data-original-width="2125" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXTsq_QNGCOMSoqozC0TFomk9R3sECr9lpnMeQc8LLADKNlGV78-4G4Q3xlDgyv92safhNc-cX4nP0A6tAUB9V_pROlfU9dmOdOHhqVF9EixbJeZAq85dZ2Aip1ccqlmO_wFEjRgopN5FI6FG2b9O7d5pv9j8UCVLc5rxkvuP1LOMpiMkuqvo/s320/Pets%20of%20Park%20Ave_cover.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><u>Book Summary</u>: <div><div><div><br /></div><div>The perfect romcom for dog lovers! <i>Pets of Park Avenue</i> is the story of a self-confessed hot mess who learns that life is more fun when things don't go according to plan.</div><div><br /></div><div>What do you do when The One is also the one who broke your heart?</div><div><br /></div><div>Self-proclaimed hot mess Scout Myers is determined to prove she’s finally got her act together. Raised by grandparents who saw her as her wayward mother’s wayward daughter, Scout’s used to being written off. So when the opportunity for a promotion arises at Paws in the City, the talent agency where she works, Scout is desperate to rise to the occasion. With shared custody of her little sister also on the line, Scout can’t afford a single mistake…like suddenly needing a canine stand-in for an important photoshoot. Luckily (or not) she knows the owner of the perfect pup replacement: the estranged husband she walked out on years ago.</div><div><br /></div><div>On the surface, it appears Lane Halliday’s life has been blissfully drama free without Scout, but she suspects her handsome-as-ever not-quite-ex-husband doth protest too much. Working together even feels like old times—except for all that lingering, unresolved tension. But Scout’s not sure she’s ready to confront the reasons she left Lane, and when their plans to finalize the divorce become very real, Scout starts to wonder whether second chances might be worth a little hot mess.</div><div><br /></div><div>Paws in the City – series (each book is a standalone novel)<br /><br /></div><div>Book 1 - <i>The Dachshund Wears Prada</i></div></div><div><br /></div><div><u>About the Author</u>: </div><div><br /></div><div>Stefanie London is a USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary romance. Her books have been called "genuinely entertaining and memorable" by Booklist, and her writing praised as "elegant, descriptive and delectable" by RT Magazine.</div><div><br /></div><div>Originally from Australia, she now lives in Toronto with her very own hero and is doing her best to travel the world. She frequently indulges her passions for lipstick, good coffee, books and anything zombie related.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><u>Pattie's Review</u>:</div><div><br />In the midst of the holidays, it's hard to find time to read. Thankfully, this novel is a fast-paced easy read that is full of heart. While some of the details seemed random as I read, everything fit together rather nicely overall. Recommended for lovers of rom-coms and dogs (or any pet, really). PG-13 for language and open-door love scene.</div><div><br /></div><div>___</div><div><br /><p>You can purchase this book from the following locations:<br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Buy Links:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/pets-of-park-avenue-stefanie-london?variant=40256028508194" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #0563c1; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">HarperCollins.com</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/pets-of-park-avenue-stefanie-london/17922540?ean=9781335498199" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #0563c1; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">BookShop.org</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pets-of-park-avenue-stefanie-london/1140810561?ean=9781335498199&st=AFF&2sid=HarperCollins%20Publishers%20LLC_7310909_NA&sourceId=AFFHarperCollins%20Publishers%20LLC" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #0563c1; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Barnes & Noble</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1335498192?tag=harpercollinsus-20" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #0563c1; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Amazon</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://www.booksamillion.com/p/9781335498199?AID=10747236&PID=7310909&cjevent=1211eeb95fb311ed828e00060a82b82a&cjdata=MXxOfDB8WXww" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #0563c1; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Books-A-Million</span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">Social Links:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://stefanie-london.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #0563c1; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Author Website</span></a><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #0563c1; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Facebook: </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1643456955872922" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #0563c1; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">https://www.facebook.com/groups/1643456955872922</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/stefanielondon" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Goodreads</span></a></p></div><div><br /></div><div>Thank you to the publisher HarperCollins and the author for a preview copy of the novel for review. All opinions are my own.</div>Pattiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246904837775307023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10748401.post-35382919663859782452022-12-04T16:00:00.000-05:002022-12-04T16:51:26.130-05:00Review: Sunshine Girls<p> Welcome to the blog tour for Molly Fader's novel <i>The Sunshine Girls</i></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3tfLmZwEbnjT6GBfVUD7GwB6dI7eful7ygLhLGYSaoq9z763MlvgSNl3YKLxIHWvK4PaO_bTYoKnih9vG2HjtmaR-JIKxv5WFsgvP9XAmmlsXBalr6pAH_TEJhNIB9rYW1t_wvaR8rkDdAdnhiwj6tKWFh7r1T5dK8J7VgH69BeKaYuwJTw4" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="1594" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3tfLmZwEbnjT6GBfVUD7GwB6dI7eful7ygLhLGYSaoq9z763MlvgSNl3YKLxIHWvK4PaO_bTYoKnih9vG2HjtmaR-JIKxv5WFsgvP9XAmmlsXBalr6pAH_TEJhNIB9rYW1t_wvaR8rkDdAdnhiwj6tKWFh7r1T5dK8J7VgH69BeKaYuwJTw4" width="159" /></a></div><div><b>A cross between Firefly Lane and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, a dual-narrative about two sisters who realize their mother isn’t who they’d always thought when a legendary movie star shows up at her funeral, unraveling the sweeping story of a friendship that begins at a nursing school in Iowa in 1967 and onward as it survives decades of change, war, fame—and the secrets they kept from each other and for each other.</b></div><div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>A moment of great change sparks the friendship of a lifetime...</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>1967, Iowa: Nursing school roommates BettyKay and Kitty don’t have much in common. A farmer’s daughter, BettyKay has risked her family’s disapproval to make her dreams come true away from her rural small town. Cosmopolitan Kitty has always relied on her beauty and smarts to get by, and to hide a devastating secret from the past that she can’t seem to outrun. Yet the two share a determination to prove themselves in a changing world, forging an unlikely bond on a campus unkind to women.</div><div><br /></div><div>Before their first year is up, tragedy strikes, and the women’s paths are forced apart. But against all odds, a decades-long friendship forms, persevering through love, marriage, failure, and death, from the jungles of Vietnam to the glamorous circles of Hollywood. Until one snowy night leads their relationship to the ultimate crossroads.</div><div><br /></div><div>Fifty years later, two estranged sisters are shocked when a famous movie star shows up at their mother's funeral. Over one rollercoaster weekend, the women must reckon with a dazzling truth about their family that will alter their lives forever…</div><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Pattie's Review:</div><div><br /></div><div>If you like multiple timelines and alternating points of view, this book is for you. I enjoyed the intertwining stories of the sisters and the friends, and how their lives all intersected in different ways throughout the years. Some may find surprises, others will not, but it's an enjoyable journey either way.</div><div><br /></div><div>This gem of a novel releases this Tuesday 6 December 2022 from Graydon House, a Harlequin imprint.</div><p></p><div><span id="docs-internal-guid-a0c9988a-7fff-334f-f84e-3ae195e8bf92"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Buy Links:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">BookShop:</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-sunshine-girls-original-molly-fader/18408170?ean=9781335453488" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-sunshine-girls-original-molly-fader/18408170?ean=9781335453488</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Harlequin: </span><a href="https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781335453488_the-sunshine-girls.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781335453488_the-sunshine-girls.html</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Barnes & Noble: </span><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-sunshine-girls-molly-fader/1140810565?ean=9781335453488" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-sunshine-girls-molly-fader/1140810565?ean=9781335453488</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Amazon: </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sunshine-Girls-Novel-Molly-Fader/dp/1335453482/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=sunshine+girls+molly+fader&qid=1668111685&sprefix=sunshine+girls+molly%2Caps%2C109&sr=8-1" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.amazon.com/Sunshine-Girls-Novel-Molly-Fader/dp/1335453482/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=sunshine+girls+molly+fader&qid=1668111685&sprefix=sunshine+girls+molly%2Caps%2C109&sr=8-1</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Books-A-Million: </span><a href="https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Sunshine-Girls/Molly-Fader/9781335453488?id=8292090795540" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Sunshine-Girls/Molly-Fader/9781335453488?id=8292090795540</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Author Website:</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><a href="https://mollyfader.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://mollyfader.com/</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook:</span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/MaiseyYates.Author/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></a><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.facebook.com/molly.fader</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Instagram: </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/mokeefeauthor/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.instagram.com/mokeefeauthor/</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter:</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/MollyOKwrites?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Eembeddedtimeline%7Ctwterm%5Escreen-name%3AMollyOKwrites%7Ctwcon%5Es2" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://twitter.com/MollyOKwrites?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Eembeddedtimeline%7Ctwterm%5Escreen-name%3AMollyOKwrites%7Ctwcon%5Es2</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Goodreads: </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18435981.Molly_Fader?from_search=true&from_srp=true" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18435981.Molly_Fader?from_search=true&from_srp=true</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><div>Thank you to Harlequin and the author for an advance reading copy. All copy and links are from the publisher, and the review opinions are my own.</div></span></div>Pattiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246904837775307023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10748401.post-5292909576993261592022-10-18T10:21:00.000-04:002022-10-18T10:21:10.927-04:00Feed the People and Actually Enjoy It!<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60012421-feed-these-people" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Feed These People: Slam-Dunk Recipes for Your Crew" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1652690029l/60012421._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60012421-feed-these-people">Feed These People: Slam-Dunk Recipes for Your Crew</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/274706.Jen_Hatmaker">Jen Hatmaker</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5008302691">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Good recipes? Check.<br />Funny commentary? Check.<br />Irreverence? Double check.<br /><br />I'm writing this review on book release day, and while I have not read every word of the cookbook, I have read enough to know that if you like stories with your food (that you don't have to scroll through like the internet, for the love!), flexibility within recipes, and dishes that everyone in your household will enjoy, THIS IS THE COOKBOOK FOR YOU. <div><br /></div><div>I've made six things, and they have all been hits in my house (which currently is my husband, my mother, and myself). It has been a fun journey thus far! Looking forward to trying more recipes in the weeks to come.
<br /><br /></div>Pattiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246904837775307023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10748401.post-11761539436575602122022-09-12T22:35:00.002-04:002022-09-12T22:35:59.514-04:00This book lover loved the Book Haters Book Club<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA1Rs7_5k8tzIC01zvJpZr0nIsuMO3a9EBDIbvk0FLScSlmNuoPPokdKvFPHN7kOqyYUxpxb72TULsUYXhDWGuTlTT0zniyRQBeUUjXLKokRk9Gn2qNouFvadMHpQ83icab6Gh0CPUFeOSyjYoH1GGgeXk2_gWqY-3i4TJ_WzpYJT0Q2Eu1vQ/s1600/662-HTP-Banner---WOMEN'S-FICTION-Google-Form.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="1600" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA1Rs7_5k8tzIC01zvJpZr0nIsuMO3a9EBDIbvk0FLScSlmNuoPPokdKvFPHN7kOqyYUxpxb72TULsUYXhDWGuTlTT0zniyRQBeUUjXLKokRk9Gn2qNouFvadMHpQ83icab6Gh0CPUFeOSyjYoH1GGgeXk2_gWqY-3i4TJ_WzpYJT0Q2Eu1vQ/w492-h123/662-HTP-Banner---WOMEN'S-FICTION-Google-Form.jpg" width="492" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>The Book Haters' Book Club </i></b>by Gretchen Anthony - Blog Tour</span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p></blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhYoyUq46bgMyb-ZCYkaIxOwYfHYY5_A9hmqLAlv4XnJfRnjgBtWWK0Mer_IsHvn8U5UtaALaZpjOUkTWJaqlyUCLYUNZNUDRzOs41uEVm15aOUMcl285hRiNeNliNzTwF3zw5u67afAUdDDM4iB6AZwVT3gZ3izZkikZsFNeVM3iSRdr4w_Fg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1690" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhYoyUq46bgMyb-ZCYkaIxOwYfHYY5_A9hmqLAlv4XnJfRnjgBtWWK0Mer_IsHvn8U5UtaALaZpjOUkTWJaqlyUCLYUNZNUDRzOs41uEVm15aOUMcl285hRiNeNliNzTwF3zw5u67afAUdDDM4iB6AZwVT3gZ3izZkikZsFNeVM3iSRdr4w_Fg=w210-h320" width="210" /></a></div><div><u>Book Summary</u>: </div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div>Filled with humor, family hijinks, and actual reading recommendations, The Book Haters’ Book Club features a messy group of people trying to save their local Indie bookstore -- and who might just save each other along the way. This heartwarming, wildly entertaining novel is both a celebration of found family, and a love letter to booksellers and librarians everywhere. </div><div></div></div></blockquote><p>Elliot, co-owner of Over the Rainbow Bookshop in Minneapolis, started The Book Haters’ Book Club—a newsletter of reading recommendations for the self-proclaimed “nonreader” – because he believed that it only takes the right book to turn a Book Hater into a Book Lover. Now, after they’re all reeling after Elliot’s sudden death, his business partner, Irma, has agreed to sell Over the Rainbow to a developer. When Irma breaks the news to her daughters, and Elliott’s romantic partner, Thom, they are aghast. Especially since Irma won’t explain why she’s so intent on selling. </p><div><div style="text-align: left;">Irma’s daughters and Thom conspire to save the bookshop. Even if it takes some snooping, gossip and (minor) sabotage, they won’t give up without a fight.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><u>Review</u>:</div><div><br /></div><div>What a crazy, convoluted, ragtag bunch of characters in this town outside Minneapolis. Each of them seemed quite real and full of heart. I just loved each of them. The current countdown to the closing of the Rainbow book shop alternates with old issues of "The Book Haters' Book Club" newsletter from different points in the store's history. The friends are family, and the family is family--they don't always get along or communicate well, but they LOVE each other. It is a really fun read, even considering the sadness each of them feels over the loss of Elliot. It's his spirit that seems to spur them on throughout the book.</div><div><br /></div><div>Recommended for all book lovers, especially those who love and support indie stores.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thank you to Gretchen Anthony, Justine Sha, and Harper Collins/Harlequin for a review copy of this novel. All thoughts and opinions about the book are my own.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></div><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">All the other information you need about this book:</span><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p></div><div><p style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Book Haters’ Book Club</span></p></div><div><p style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Author: Gretchen Anthony</span></p></div><div><p style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ISBN: 9780778333067</span></p></div><div><p style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Publication Date: September 13, 2022</span></p></div><div><p style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Park Row</span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Paperback Original</span></p></div><div><p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">Buy Links:</span></p></div><div><p style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-book-haters-book-club-gretchen-anthony?variant=39979321589794" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="color: #0563c1; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">HarperCollins.com</span></a><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p></div><div><p style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://bookshop.org/books/the-book-haters-book-club-9780778333647/9780778333067" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="color: #0563c1; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">BookShop.org</span></a></p></div><div><p style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-book-haters-book-club-gretchen-anthony/1140830621" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="color: #0563c1; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Barnes & Noble</span></a></p></div><div><p style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/077833306X/keywords=satire?tag=harpercollinsus-20" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="color: #0563c1; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Amazon</span></a></p></div><div><p style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://www.booksamillion.com/p/9780778333067?AID=10747236" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="color: #0563c1; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Books-A-Million</span></a></p></div><div><p style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780778333067" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="color: #0563c1; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">IndieBound</span></a></p></div><div><p><br /></p></div><div><p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">Social Links:</span></p></div><div><p style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://www.gretchenanthony.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="color: #0563c1; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Author Website</span></a><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="color: #0563c1; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p></div><div><p style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter: </span><a href="https://twitter.com/granthony" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face=""Quattrocento Sans", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0563c1; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">@granthony</span></a><span face=""Quattrocento Sans", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #536471; font-size: 11.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p></div><div><p style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook: </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/GretchenAnthony.Writer" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="color: #0563c1; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gretchen</span></a><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="color: #0563c1; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Anthony</span></p></div><div><p style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Instagram: </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/gretchenanthony.writer/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="color: #0563c1; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">@gretchenanthony.writer</span></a><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p></div><div><p style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60023129-the-book-haters-book-club" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="color: #0563c1; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Goodreads</span></a></p></div></blockquote>Pattiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246904837775307023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10748401.post-33327104850150782222022-08-19T15:00:00.000-04:002022-08-19T15:00:01.287-04:00Mr. Perfect on Paper <p> I loved this book! Do yourself a favor and read it.</p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59820467-mr-perfect-on-paper" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Mr. Perfect on Paper" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1639449070l/59820467._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59820467-mr-perfect-on-paper">Mr. Perfect on Paper</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20590894.Jean_Meltzer">Jean Meltzer</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4802766253">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
While I enjoyed Jean Meltzer's debut novel "The Matzah Ball," I think she really hit her stride with her sophomore release "Mr. Perfect on Paper." <br /><br />As with her first novel, Meltzer explains many things about the Jewish faith in an easy-to-understand way (not pedantic or preachy at all), which gives all of us insight into our protagonist's world. I love this so much.<br /><br />The love story in this novel is natural, good, believable, and yes, sometimes heart-crushing. The worlds of dating apps, television, New York, families, and fire engines all converge for the love story of Dara and Chris. It doesn't go like you think it will, and thank goodness we have our fairy ChallahBack Girls to provide the wisdom of the heart for Dara. <br /><br />Do yourself a favor. If you like rom-coms, pick this one up. You'll be so glad you did.Pattiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246904837775307023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10748401.post-70049497282180527762022-03-22T20:23:00.013-04:002022-03-22T20:25:16.902-04:00Savvy Sheldon has a bit of an odd title, but a good story<p>Fresh-Brewed Writer - Review of Savvy's story</p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55102976-savvy-sheldon-feels-good-as-hell" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Savvy Sheldon Feels Good as Hell" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1639441847l/55102976._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55102976-savvy-sheldon-feels-good-as-hell">Savvy Sheldon Feels Good as Hell</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20626681.Taj_McCoy">Taj McCoy</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4608932543">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />Synopsis:<div><br /></div><div><div>Savvy Sheldon spends a lot of time tiptoeing around the cracks in her life: her high-stress and low-thanks job, her clueless boyfriend and the falling-apart kitchen she inherited from her beloved grandma—who taught her how to cook and how to love people by feeding them. But when Savvy’s world starts to crash down around her, she knows it’s time for some renovations.</div><div><br /></div><div>Starting from the outside in, Savvy tackles her crumbling kitchen, her relationship with her body, her work–life balance (or lack thereof) and, last but not least, her love life. The only thing that doesn’t seem to require effort is her ride-or-die squad of friends. But as any home-reno-show junkie can tell you, something always falls apart during renovations. First, Savvy passes out during hot yoga. Then it turns out that the contractor she hires is the same sexy stranger she unintentionally offended by judging based on appearances. Worst of all, Savvy can’t seem to go anywhere without tripping over her ex and his latest "upgrade." Savvy begins to realize that maybe she should’ve started her renovations the other way around: beginning with how she sees herself before building a love that lasts.</div><div><br /></div><div>Things I liked about this book:<br />1. Savvy and her internal journey. While it began from words spoken to her that caused her pain, she did decide to make changes in her lifestyle on her own to help herself feel better. I admire that.<br />2. Savvy has a great group of friends who support and love one another.<br />3. Dogs. <br />4. Savvy had to do some soul-searching about her job, and dang if I haven't just gone through all of that myself! I think it was very real.<br /><br />Things I did not like about this book:<br />1. Savvy's tendency to jump to odd conclusions. (Example: Spencer was miscategorized as homeless and that was unfair.)<br />2. Savvy did allow her psycho ex to get in her head (although who of us hasn't had this issue?), and good golly, why was he everywhere afterward? Was he focused on trying to make Savvy feel worse, thereby making him even more of a jerk-face? or was this just part of the author's way of making Savvy self-evaluate each time? Not sure. <br />3. Spencer was almost too good and patient to be true.<br />4. There is a lot of focus on why Savvy decides to diet and exercise to lose weight. I don't see it as fat-shaming, necessarily; but I'm also a Gen-Xer who generationally doesn't see it the same as millenials or Gen-Zers likely do.<br /><br />Overall, I landed on a four-star rating.<br /><br />___<br />Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy. All opinions are my own.
<br /><br /></div></div>Pattiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246904837775307023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10748401.post-47166216229880690512022-03-10T16:50:00.002-05:002022-03-10T16:53:47.961-05:00Smile and Look Pretty<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi_N5dyr6mmiTciZFw_T3C02KeXgJUFL5-KUCSoHq3kikHHdNS68KTjVk0yMoZ0nXCavMj7Df2g1EDQ6eCUpAl4mQ1BlMGIQetgLL7loat_qWsl6ibfvCcq_E2LqgJSH5K4HwKML2_-B4lpoAZH3egRDcfkPizGAkRh00nJKgjs7YfdeUhVjqo=s3200" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3200" data-original-width="2125" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi_N5dyr6mmiTciZFw_T3C02KeXgJUFL5-KUCSoHq3kikHHdNS68KTjVk0yMoZ0nXCavMj7Df2g1EDQ6eCUpAl4mQ1BlMGIQetgLL7loat_qWsl6ibfvCcq_E2LqgJSH5K4HwKML2_-B4lpoAZH3egRDcfkPizGAkRh00nJKgjs7YfdeUhVjqo=s320" width="213" /></a></div><i>Smile and Look Pretty</i> is the debut novel of Amanda Pellegrino--but it doesn't read at all like a debut novel. In fact, it's like a delightful combination of the tv show <i>Sex and the City</i> and workplace novels in the vein of <i>The Devil Wears Prada</i> and <i>The Nanny Diaries.</i><p></p><p><b>ABOUT THE BOOK:</b></p><p>A juicy, fun yet piercing debut novel, Smile and Look Pretty tells the story of four assistants working in media who band together to take on their toxic office environments in the ultimate comeuppance—pitched as <i>Sweetbitter</i> meets <i>Whisper Network</i>.</p><p>Online they’re The Aggressive One, The Bossy One, The Bitchy One, and The Emotional One. In real life, best friends Cate, Lauren, Olivia and Max all have one thing in common—they’re overworked, overtired, and underpaid assistants to some of the most powerful men in the media and entertainment industries. When they secretly start an anonymous blog detailing their experiences, their posts go viral and hundreds of other women come forward with stories of their own. Confronted with the risks of newfound fame and the possibility of their identities being revealed, they have to contend with what happens when you try and change the world.</p><p>Gripping, razor-sharp, and scathingly funny, Smile and Look Pretty is a fast-paced millennial rallying cry about the consequences of whistleblowing for an entire generation, and a testament to the strength of female friendship and what can be accomplished when women come together.</p><p><b>ABOUT THE AUTHOR:</b></p><p>Amanda Pellegrino is a TV screenwriter and novelist living in New York City whose writing has appeared in Refinery29 and Bustle. <i>Smile and Look Pretty</i> is her debut novel.</p><p><b>REVIEW: </b></p><p>It took me a few chapters to get into the book, but once I was in, I was hooked. I enjoyed it and would recommend it for fans of workplace/revenge stories.</p><p><b>SOCIAL LINKS:</b></p><p>Author Website: https://www.amandapellegrino.com/</p><p>IG: https://www.instagram.com/amandagpellegrino/?hl=en</p><p>Twitter: https://twitter.com/amandapellss?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor </p><p><b>BUY LINKS:</b></p><p>Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/books/smile-and-look-pretty/9780778311126</p><p>Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Smile-Look-Pretty-Amanda-Pellegrino/dp/0778311120 </p><p>B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/smile-and-look-pretty-amanda-pellegrino/1138272491tar</p><p>Target: https://www.target.com/p/smile-and-look-pretty-by-amanda-pellegrino-paperback/-/A-81225901</p><p>Books-A-Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/9780778311126?AID=10747236&PID=7310909&cjevent=bb1b392a8f9911ec836100490a82b838 </p><p>IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780778311126</p><p>Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/smile-and-look-pretty</p><p>Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/smile-and-look-pretty/id1524947340</p><p>Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details/Smile_and_Look_Pretty?id=AQAAAEC82iWaiM&hl=en_US&gl=US</p><p></p><p><br /></p>Pattiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246904837775307023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10748401.post-31615617067490011052022-03-07T18:01:00.006-05:002022-03-07T18:01:51.344-05:00Working It Out by Jo Platt<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjP-t168yhy9DWCh0GDQ_29ZHR_BKJcWobcAMvTaGxvP3yyB0t2gJS9UZ5pao9ISPmi1TgRM9_B_nK24vL1bM_MnwIe5msIX2OfRbv2c4kbBv4yJbqWxxzMtBtWAVfsTL8JllUPl811hg6VLHG713Ibgl9g7fzsHTiC2qNd0r5YAS7Tj2i0mOo" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3200" data-original-width="2088" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjP-t168yhy9DWCh0GDQ_29ZHR_BKJcWobcAMvTaGxvP3yyB0t2gJS9UZ5pao9ISPmi1TgRM9_B_nK24vL1bM_MnwIe5msIX2OfRbv2c4kbBv4yJbqWxxzMtBtWAVfsTL8JllUPl811hg6VLHG713Ibgl9g7fzsHTiC2qNd0r5YAS7Tj2i0mOo" width="157" /></a></div></div><br />
From the publisher:<br /><br />Her new colleague is about to shake things up...<br /><br />When her love life crashed down around her, Edie found solace in work. But her job rapidly goes from uplifting to unbearable, with the departure of her work wife, Ruby, and the arrival in the office of new guy, Cameron - a chauvinist, a womaniser, and the very opposite of a team player. <br /><br />And just as things start to go downhill at work, Edie’s personal life takes a downturn too, when her ex, Jason, decides that right now would be the perfect moment to get back in touch and deliver some devastating news.<br /><br />Edie's increasingly miserable work life and her complicated personal life are suddenly on a collision course. The big question is, will she be able to salvage anything from the wreckage? <br /><br />A tender uplit novel of one woman’s accidental rediscovery of the perfect work-life balance. Ideal for fans of Mhairi McFarlane, Sophie Kinsella and Beth O’Leary.<br /><br />My Review: <br /><br />I'm a longtime fan of British women's fiction, so this is not an unfamiliar genre for me. I enjoy romantic comedies. However, while this novel was definitely thought-provoking and was a slow burn on the romance front, "Working it Out" was not quite as amusing as I expected. There were some details that seemed as if they were missing, particularly in the prologue and definitely with Edie's job. I would have really enjoyed hearing more about why she likes her work, and what she specifically wants to do with her work projects.<br /><br />That being said, I'll admit that the rest of the book had a lot to offer. The relationship between Edie and Ruby as "work friends" was well done. It is not always easy to know whom to trust, and competition between and among women is often pretty fierce and sometimes one-sided. This felt very real to me. Additionally, the whole mix-up with the neighbor and the coworker was done pretty well, too, but I can't discuss it without spoilers. Suffice it to say, nicknames can be confusing. :)<br /><br />In the end, there is happiness and love, although it might or might not be who you think it will be at the beginning. No spoilers!<br /><br />Overall I will give this novel 3 1/2 stars, rounded up to 4.<br /><br />Thank you to Love Books Tours, the author, and the publisher for allowing me to have a review copy of this novel here in the USA.
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Pattiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246904837775307023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10748401.post-43210760752379016182022-02-28T02:00:00.060-05:002022-07-24T17:15:38.415-04:00Shadows of Swanford Abbey: A Love Books Tour Stop<p>Welcome to the Love Books Tour stop for the new novel <i><b><a href="https://julieklassen.com/books/shadows-of-swanford-abbey/" target="_blank">Shadows of Swanford Abbey</a></b></i> by Julie Klassen.</p><p>I'm so pleased to be joining the Love Books Tours group and help fellow book lovers, book bloggers, and book reviewers in the UK.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjb4Q5z-m27gP_5Ds0SHMmQ5pa0CIsmULektZz7RXhq2eiv5SXnkGSAC8AcICMR-2nvEcgQNALMs8sl-tpziT6MesDer2vdg5hHZFiHxTEfTxohY1CVEoDQdBO74mamYUHkkP_wSWcR7J9SUxI_8Pqe_T3msna8G57X-8hRq2Ja5iaTZ6APCHQ=s2552" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2552" data-original-width="1650" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjb4Q5z-m27gP_5Ds0SHMmQ5pa0CIsmULektZz7RXhq2eiv5SXnkGSAC8AcICMR-2nvEcgQNALMs8sl-tpziT6MesDer2vdg5hHZFiHxTEfTxohY1CVEoDQdBO74mamYUHkkP_wSWcR7J9SUxI_8Pqe_T3msna8G57X-8hRq2Ja5iaTZ6APCHQ=s320" width="207" /></a></div><p><u>From the Publisher</u>:<br /></p><p>News of her brother’s worrisome behavior spurs Miss Rebecca Lane to return home to her village. Upon her arrival, he begs her to go to nearby Swanford Abbey, a medieval monastery turned grand hotel rumored to be haunted. Feeling responsible for her brother’s desperate state, she reluctantly agrees to stay at the abbey until she can deliver his manuscript to a fellow guest who might help him get published—an author who once betrayed them.</p><p>Soon, Rebecca starts seeing strange things, including a figure in a hooded black gown gliding silently through the abbey’s cloisters at night. For all its renovations and veneer of luxury, the ancient foundations seem to echo with whispers of the past—including her own. For there she encounters Sir Frederick—baronet, magistrate, and former neighbor—who long ago broke her heart. Now a handsome widower of thirty-five, he is trying to overcome a past betrayal of his own.</p><p>When the famous author is found dead, Sir Frederick makes inquiries and quickly discovers that several people held grudges against the author, including Miss Lane and her brother. As Sir Frederick searches for answers, he is torn between his growing feelings for Rebecca and his pursuit of the truth. For Miss Lane is clearly hiding something. . . .</p><p><u>Author Bio</u>:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjHHsB_xXo1zupSg__HieAr86jjvpz_7waOjNcQmKjTHvCB8haGp0wof0jcJs_pMiDy4esdeVQnAeW6W-mP7DNN0RWH_NDSxDrhLXwYHHX5F5d7thJp9_wKqq1sRzW9IE4gfhux71UcwnDgdlM7ZN-ujOc7Gy5nFtwv0suzXoQcvsvnmxY-TG4=s1581" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1581" data-original-width="1050" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjHHsB_xXo1zupSg__HieAr86jjvpz_7waOjNcQmKjTHvCB8haGp0wof0jcJs_pMiDy4esdeVQnAeW6W-mP7DNN0RWH_NDSxDrhLXwYHHX5F5d7thJp9_wKqq1sRzW9IE4gfhux71UcwnDgdlM7ZN-ujOc7Gy5nFtwv0suzXoQcvsvnmxY-TG4=w163-h245" width="163" /></a></div><p>Julie Klassen loves all things Jane—Jane Eyre and Jane Austen. Her books have sold over a million copies, and she is a three-time recipient of the Christy Award for Historical Romance. <i>The Secret of Pembrooke Park</i> was honored with the Minnesota Book Award for Genre Fiction. Julie has also won the Midwest Book Award and Christian Retailing’s Best Award and has been a finalist in the RITA and Carol Awards. A graduate of the University of Illinois, Julie worked in publishing for sixteen years and now writes full-time. She and her husband have two sons and live in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota. For more information, visit <a href="http://www.julieklassen.com">www.julieklassen.com</a>.</p><p><u><br /></u></p><p><u><br /></u></p><p><u>Excerpt</u>:</p><p><br /></p><p><u>Purchasing Links: Note: These are <b>NOT</b> affiliate links</u>:</p><p><a href="https://amzn.to/3FVBxE3" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a> (Kindle ebook)</p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Shadows-Swanford-Abbey-Julie-Klassen-ebook/dp/B08XLNHC26/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2Q5WRFWIE0OOR&keywords=shadows+of+swanford+abbey+julie+klassen&qid=1643155526&s=books&sprefix=shadows+of+swan%2Cstripbooks%2C856&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Amazon USA</a> (Kindle ebook)</p><p><u><br /></u></p><p><u>Promotional Hashtags and Links</u>:</p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;">#Ad #Gifted #LoveBooksTours</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://julieklassen.com/" target="_blank">Julie Klassen's website</a></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Pattiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246904837775307023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10748401.post-46037198514500878822022-01-18T12:51:00.000-05:002022-01-18T12:51:00.796-05:00How to Love Your Neighbor by Sophie Sullivan<p> </p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59050146-how-to-love-your-neighbor" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="How to Love Your Neighbor" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1632272881l/59050146._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59050146-how-to-love-your-neighbor">How to Love Your Neighbor</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20344328.Sophie_Sullivan">Sophie Sullivan</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4435598630">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
A very cute rom-com with likeable characters and a fun conflict: Rich handsome real estate man wants to buy the house next door that's empty. However, about-to-graduate beautiful DIY interior designer just inherited the house; thrilled to have a home of her own at last, she refuses his offer to purchase the house. <div><br /></div><div>I liked the mix of the rom-com trope with an element of DIY reality show thrown in. <br /><div><br /></div><div>As it turns out, this is book #2 in a series. I don't think it's necessary to have read book #1 to enjoy book #2, although I suppose it would give more background into Noah's family. That being said, I guessed about this being the second book when brother #1 introduces his girlfriend to our Grace. It was like, "Ohhhhh, I bet their story was book #1."<br /><br />Anyway, I liked Grace and most of the time, Noah. I've read a lot of rom-coms recently, so many of them seem to fall into mostly-predictable tropes. Nevertheless, I liked this story and would recommend it for those who enjoy rom-com stories.</div></div>Pattiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246904837775307023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10748401.post-37706056340808575302021-12-16T19:56:00.007-05:002021-12-16T20:00:42.994-05:00A book for navigating change(s)<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57071091-when-change-finds-you" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="When Change Finds You: 31 Assurances to Settle Your Heart When Life Stirs You Up" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1621841560l/57071091._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57071091-when-change-finds-you">When Change Finds You: 31 Assurances to Settle Your Heart When Life Stirs You Up</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6450333.Kristen_Strong">Kristen Strong</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4307690576">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Kristen Strong's latest book, <i><b>When Change Finds You</b></i>, is one of the best and most helpful spiritual books I've ever read. Full of wisdom and practical advice, this book is immensely helpful when one is navigating any sort of change--or in my case, many changes all at the same time. Each devotional has a Scripture focus, a personal story (some are from Kristen's own life, while others are from friends or heroes in the faith), a prayer, and a summary focus.<br /><br />I was so impressed with the timeliness and encouragement of this book that even before I finished it, I purchased copies for many of my friends. <br /><br />I highly recommend this book for anyone you know who is navigating a change or three (or even more, as it is in my case). It is amazing.<br />Pattiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246904837775307023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10748401.post-83605531683051155642021-06-26T10:40:00.002-04:002021-06-26T10:40:48.210-04:00Share Four Somethings June 2021<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://heathergerwing.com/june-2021-share-four-somethings/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="768" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cL8E6awugmw/YNc3qOE9noI/AAAAAAAAGVI/xHrpvVCsMiM4dXZD8jh3y8iO3Zcv4pieQCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I'm dipping my toe in the water of writing again after a long drought. (L-o-n-g.) I haven't written for publication in a hot minute, so here we go. Thanks to <a href="https://heathergerwing.com/" target="_blank">Heather Gerwing</a> for the invitation to participate. If you'd like an invitation to participate, consider yourself hereby invited to join in!</p><p><span style="background-color: #fdfdfd; color: #292929; font-family: Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial; font-size: 14px;">Here are the four:</span></p><p><span style="background-color: #fdfdfd; color: #292929; font-family: Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial; font-size: 14px;">Share Four Somethings #sharefoursomethings</span><br style="background-color: #fdfdfd; box-sizing: border-box; color: #292929; font-family: Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: #fdfdfd; box-sizing: border-box; color: #292929; font-family: Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: #fdfdfd; color: #292929; font-family: Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial; font-size: 14px;">Something Loved</span><br style="background-color: #fdfdfd; box-sizing: border-box; color: #292929; font-family: Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: #fdfdfd; color: #292929; font-family: Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial; font-size: 14px;">Something Read (or Said)</span><br style="background-color: #fdfdfd; box-sizing: border-box; color: #292929; font-family: Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: #fdfdfd; color: #292929; font-family: Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial; font-size: 14px;">Something Treasured</span><br style="background-color: #fdfdfd; box-sizing: border-box; color: #292929; font-family: Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: #fdfdfd; color: #292929; font-family: Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial; font-size: 14px;">Something Ahead</span></p><p><i>Something Loved</i></p><p>I love my family. I'm glad I have them to support me--not only through a tough time with my career, but also in the midst of this crazy move, my first in six years. </p><p><i>Something Read</i></p><p>I've been reading some books, both paper books and on Kindle. Nothing has stood out to me as YOU MUST READ THIS RIGHT NOW. Sad, isn't it? But I'm chalking it up to feeling overwhelmed with moving and trying to wrap my mind around the fact that I've left my career, again, and it's been a maelstrom of emotions. </p><p><i>Something Treasured</i></p><p>I love that I got to visit with three long-time, long-treasured friends on our move west. All three live in the St. Louis area, and as it turns out I didn't have to go far to see any of them. It was an amazing time of catching up and seeing their faces in person and hugs too (screw the pandemic; we were all immunized).</p><p><i>Something Ahead</i></p><p>I look forward to the last of the boxes being unpacked. It'll be a while. Let's see if I can get many of them unpacked (at least the first time; this does not count re-packing for storing) by the July Four Somethings!</p><p>OK, well, the boxes are summoning me and I must go unpack them. Or else fight the guilt of sitting here not unpacking them. *If you know, you know.*</p>Pattiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246904837775307023noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10748401.post-1890212753703852372020-08-15T08:00:00.006-04:002020-08-23T17:38:29.995-04:00Romance from Jayci Lee<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AfUfH7HjoAE/Xx8aXGxGwYI/AAAAAAAAGKY/uNtcj8EozvEGC34IwYgAzKL54ITvejNNgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1500/Cover%2Bimage_3D_Secret%2BCrush%2BSeduction_Jayci%2BLee.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1150" data-original-width="1500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AfUfH7HjoAE/Xx8aXGxGwYI/AAAAAAAAGKY/uNtcj8EozvEGC34IwYgAzKL54ITvejNNgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Cover%2Bimage_3D_Secret%2BCrush%2BSeduction_Jayci%2BLee.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Synopsis Teaser:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">She’s done waiting for what she really wants. Aspiring fashion designer Adelaide Song wants to prove she’s more than just a pampered heiress. All she needs is a little courage—and the help of deliciously sexy Michael Reynolds, her childhood crush and her brother’s best friend. But when her secret crush turns into an illicit liaison, Adelaide realizes mixing business with pleasure spells trouble for all her plans.<br /><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Review:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b>Jayci Lee is a new author to me, and I wasn't really sure what to expect from her. I was not disappointed. The story was believable and moved along at a reasonable pace. I think it helped the believability that the two lovebirds knew each other for years.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you enjoy believable romances with spice, this is a great choice!</div>Pattiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246904837775307023noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10748401.post-35731392775980796502020-06-22T08:25:00.003-04:002020-06-22T08:26:10.036-04:00A Highlander is Coming to Town by Laura Trentham<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51481480-a-highlander-is-coming-to-town" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="A Highlander is Coming to Town (Highland, Georgia, #3)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1582158181l/51481480._SY160_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51481480-a-highlander-is-coming-to-town">A Highlander is Coming to Town</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9802779.Laura_Trentham">Laura Trentham</a><br />
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Claire is a down-on-her-luck young woman far from her Scotland home, a singer without a band, a caretaker without kitchen and homemaking skills. Holt is a young farmer taking over for his traveling parents. Both of them are trying to find their way in Highland, Georgia, where they struggle with their strong senses of duty over personal fulfillment, and eventually find peace and love at Christmastime.<br />
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I enjoyed this novel quite a bit. It was comfortable like watching a Hallmark Christmas movie, with a bit of spice and character soul-searching for good measure.<br />
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Although Goodreads tells me this is book #3 in a series, I did not feel the lack of not having read the first two books.<br />
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Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin's Publishing Group, and NetGalley, for a copy of this novel to read for review. All opinions are my own.
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<br />Pattiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246904837775307023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10748401.post-40533331091211286422020-05-18T12:18:00.000-04:002020-05-18T12:18:32.847-04:00The Summer Set by Aimee Agresti Welcome to the blog tour for <i>The Summer Set </i>by <a href="http://aimeeagresti.com/" target="_blank">Aimee Agresti</a>.<br />
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<b><u>About the Novel</u>:</b><br />
Charlie Savoy was once Hollywood’s hottest A-lister. Now, ten years later, the former ingenue is pushing forty, exiled from the film world and reluctantly back at the summer Shakespeare theater that launched her career—and where her old flame, Nick, is the artistic director.<br />
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It’s not exactly her first choice. But as parts are cast and rehearsals begin, Charlie is surprised to find herself getting her groove back, bonding with celebrity actors, forging unexpected new friendships and even reigniting her spark with Nick, who still seems to bring out the best in her despite their complicated history.<br />
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Until Charlie’s old rival, Hollywood’s current It Girl, is brought in to attract theater donors, threatening to undo everything Charlie’s built. As the drama amps up both on the stage and behind the curtain, Charlie must put on the show of a lifetime to fight for the second chance she deserves in her career and in love.<br />
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<b><u>About the Author</u>:</b><br />
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Aimee Agresti is a novelist and entertainment journalist. A former staff writer for <i>Us Weekly</i>, she penned the magazine’s coffee-table book Inside Hollywood. Her work has also appeared in <i>People, Premiere, DC magazine, Capitol File, </i>the <i>Washington Post, Washingtonian,</i> the <i>Washington City Paper, Boston magazine, Women’s Health </i>and the<i> New York Observer. </i>Aimee has made countless TV and radio appearances, dishing about celebrities on the likes of Access Hollywood, Entertainment Tonight, E!, The Insider, Extra, VH1, MSNBC, Fox News Channel and HLN. The author of <i>The Summer Set, Campaign Widows, </i>and <i>The Gilded Wings Trilogy</i> for young adults, she graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in journalism and lives with her husband and two sons in the Washington, DC, area.<br />
<b><br /><u>Question and Answer with Aimee</u>: (These are actually the questions I sent in! Thank you, Aimee, for your terrific answers!)</b><br />
<b>Q: We can see from your bio that you have written extensively about entertainment topics. Have you ever been involved in theatre yourself? If so, in which capacities? If not, what fascinates you about the theatre world?</b><br />
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<b>A:</b> As anyone who saw me as Miss Jones in Sherwood High School’s 1994 production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying would know: I am that drama geek who loves theater as much as humanly possible while having no actual talent. ;) I was lucky enough to grow up in a small town with a fantastic theater—the Olney Theatre in Olney, MD—and I volunteered there (offstage!) all through high school. It was an amazing place because the actors were incredible, they were New York-based, and they would come and actually live together at a residence on the theater property. I’ve always had an overactive imagination so I remember wondering what went on there: which ones were friends, which ones weren’t, was anyone hooking up?! I was fascinated. That experience hanging around there definitely sowed the very early seeds of this novel!<br />
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<b>Q: Obviously you've interacted with many celebrities. Who were the most fascinating to talk to? </b><br />
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<b>A: </b>Oooh, there were so many fun ones: George Clooney is my all-time favorite (he’s EVERYONE’S favorite!) because he’s just a supernice guy and is that type who seems to always be having a great time. Some more of my favorites who also had that same warm spirit and were so much fun to chat with: Sarah Jessica Parker, Angelina Jolie, Renee Zellweger, Ewan McGregor, Hugh Jackman, Hugh Grant, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, the list goes on!<br />
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<b> Q: If you could star in a movie or Broadway show, which one would you choose and why?</b><br />
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<b>A: </b>HA! OMG, I love this question! Since THE SUMMER SET is set at a summer theater, I’ll choose Broadway! Wow, there are just. So. Many! I would love to be Angelica in Hamilton and Mimi in Rent and Roxie in Chicago! I assure you I would be absolutely TERRIBLE in all of these roles but it would be tons of fun!<br />
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<b><u>Pattie's Review</u>:</b><br />
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I really enjoyed this Shakespearean theatrical story. Older couple, younger couple, lots of interesting ancillary characters - it's a bit salacious as well as quite a bit Shakespearean. The modern-day plot echoes the plays of the summer season.<br />
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While this book's point of view is not always clear and tends to switch, I'm going to say that's probably due to the fact that I was reading a NetGalley copy on my Kindle. Thus, spacing and font switching, typical visual cues, were not there for me.<br />
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Overall, a fun summer read for readers who like lighter reads, or summer theatre, or both.<br />
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Thank you to the publisher and the author for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.<br />
<span id="goog_403045029"></span><span id="goog_403045030"></span>Pattiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246904837775307023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10748401.post-72310441648604423602020-05-18T11:52:00.002-04:002020-05-18T11:53:01.793-04:00More than Neighbors: A good summer read<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49875473-more-than-neighbors" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="More than Neighbors (Blackberry Bay, #1)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1584573036l/49875473._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49875473-more-than-neighbors">More than Neighbors</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/149808.Shannon_Stacey">Shannon Stacey</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3340632726">4 of 5 stars</a><br />
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From the publisher:<br />
"In this well-penned opposite-attract story, he likes cats, she likes dog, he’s single and she’s widowed…all they share is a property line, until unexpected sparks fly!"<br />
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My review:<br />
If you’re looking for a sweet and clean romance, look no further. The characters are nice people, the little girl is adorable, there are pets (!), and the plot resolves satisfactorily. I might have given this three stars, but it really was written well and a great set-up for a new series; thus, four stars.<br />
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Thank you to both Harlequin and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book. All opinions are my own.Pattiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246904837775307023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10748401.post-66575544272413281572020-05-03T16:54:00.000-04:002020-05-05T13:46:21.622-04:00The Secrets of Love Story Bridge by Phaedra PatrickWelcome to the Fresh-Brewed stop of Phaedra Patrick's newest novel, <i>The Secret of Love Story Bridge.</i> This is my third Phaedra Patrick book, and she has become one of my favorite writers.<br />
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<u>Synopsis</u>:</div>
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Single father Mitchell Fisher hates all things romance. He enjoys his job removing padlocks fastened to the famous "love lock" bridges of Upchester city. Only his young daughter, Poppy, knows that behind his disciplined veneer, Mitchell grieves the loss of her mother, Anita.</div>
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One fateful day, working on the bridge, Mitchell courageously rescues a woman who falls into the river. He’s surprised to feel a connection to her, but the woman disappears before he learns her name. To Mitchell’s shock, a video of the rescue goes viral, hailing him as "The Hero on the Bridge." He’s soon notified by the mysterious woman’s sister, Liza, that she has been missing for over a year. However, the only clue to where the woman could have gone is the engraved padlock she left on the bridge.<br />
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Mitchell finds himself swept up in Liza’s quest to find her lost sister. Along the way, with help from a sparkling cast of characters, Mitchell’s heart gradually unlocks, and he discovers new beginnings can be found in the unlikeliest places...<br />
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<u>About the Author</u>:</div>
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Phaedra Patrick is the author of <i>The Library of Lost and Found,</i> <i>Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone</i> and <i>The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper</i>, which has been published in over twenty countries around the world. She studied art and marketing, and has worked as a stained-glass artist, film festival organizer and communications manager. An award-winning short story writer, she now writes full-time. She lives in Saddleworth, UK, with her husband and son.
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<u>Questions for the Author, Phaedra Patrick</u>:<br />
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<b>Would you tell us what inspired you to write about "love story” bridge?</b><br />
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The idea came to me after I noticed padlocks hanging on bridges, everywhere from my home city of Manchester, England, to Gran Canaria. I was aware of the famous Pont Des Arts bridge in Paris that collapsed under the weight of ‘love locks’ several years ago, and it made me wonder about who hung them there and what the stories were behind them. I had a picture in my head of a man whose job it was to remove the locks, and that he’d probably had his heart broken in the past. I called him Mitchell Fisher after the street my grandparents used to live on, Mitchell Street.<br />
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<b>Which character do you most relate to and why?</b><br />
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I have a real soft spot for a minor character in the book, Carl. He’s the concierge of the apartment block that Mitchell lives in. Carl is a real trier in life and never gives up. He’s amiable, eager to better himself and can often be found making origami shapes out of paper. He was a joy to spend time with.<br />
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<b>What challenged you the most while writing this story?</b><br />
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Sometimes, when I start a book, I have a small idea in my mind but don’t know the entire story. With The Secrets of Love Story Bridge, I had an image of a man on a bridge who saves a lady in a yellow dress from drowning in a river. But that was all! In the book, the lady in yellow subsequently vanishes, but I had no idea why and where she went to! It was a real challenge to try and work out her story, and I only found out her secret at the same time Mitchell does.<br />
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<b>What was something interesting you learned while compiling research for the book?</b><br />
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I was amazed at how widely spread across the world hanging love locks is. Research taught me that some people believe it’s a ritual that stems from ancient Chinese tradition, whereas others believe it started in a small Serbian town during the First World War. Wherever it originated, it’s something that’s still going strong today.<br />
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<b>Do you find it easier to write character and dialogue for the opposite sex because you are the opposite sex? (A woman writing a man’s part and dialogue for example). </b></div>
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My first two books, <i>The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper</i>, and <i>Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone</i> feature male characters, mainly because I’d written about female characters several times before without getting published. So, I decided to try something different and to challenge myself by writing about the opposite sex. I think men are more private with their emotions and so you can peel back the layers of their character like an onion, exposing more layers. They tend to use less words. With regard to female characters, I want to write about ones that other women can relate to and cheer on, as was the case in my third book, <i>The Library of Lost and Found.</i><br />
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<b><u>Pattie's Review</u>:</b></div>
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I started reading this book a few days ago and finished today. It is such a hopeful book. Even while the main character, Mitchell, is grieving the loss of his love and the mother of his daughter, he is finding everything in his organized life turned topsy-turvy once he jumps off the bridge to save the woman. </div>
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More than a grief book or a book about an unexpected hero, this book is about being a good human and helping other good humans be better together. It's poignant to read during the quarantine and its craziness in the spring of 2020.</div>
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I’ve really enjoyed reading Phaedra Patrick's novels over the past several months. Sweet and hopeful, <i>The Secrets of Love Story Bridge</i> is the perfect book for this time when we are longing for deeper connections while also learning to handle our grief. Highly recommended. </div>
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(PS: Write someone an encouraging letter on paper and mail it.)</div>
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<u>Where to purchase</u>:</div>
It is available from all your usual online places, but consider calling your local independent bookseller and supporting them by purchasing it from their shop.<br />
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Thank you to the publisher and the author for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.<br />
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<br />Pattiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246904837775307023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10748401.post-76512596211441008062020-05-02T11:22:00.001-04:002020-05-05T13:46:47.933-04:00Fierce, Free, and Full of Fire <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51277253-fierce-free-and-full-of-fire" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Fierce, Free, and Full of Fire: The Guide to Being Glorious You" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1565565803l/51277253._SX98_SY160_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51277253-fierce-free-and-full-of-fire">Fierce, Free, and Full of Fire: The Guide to Being Glorious You</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/274706.Jen_Hatmaker">Jen Hatmaker</a><br />
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<b><u>Synopsis</u></b><br />
No more hiding or people-pleasing up in here, sisters. No more being sidelined in your own life. It is time for us to be brave, to claim our gifts and quirks and emotions. You are set free and set up and set on fire.
NOW you can get busy doing what you were placed on this planet to do. NOW you can be honest, honest, honest about all of it, even the hard stuff, even the humiliating stuff, even the secret stuff. NOW you can walk in your convictions of faith and ask new questions unafraid. NOW you can be so free, because you are not searching for value from any source other than your own beautiful soul made piece by piece by God who adores you and is ready to get on with the business of unleashing you into this world.<br />
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In this book, I break it down into five self-reflective categories—who I am, what I need, what I want, what I believe, and how I connect—and by working your way through them, you will learn to
own your space, ground, and gifts (they are YOURS, sister);
be strong in your relationships and lay down passive aggression, resentment, drama, and compliance;
say GUILT-FREE what you want and what you need; and
welcome spiritual curiosity and all the fantastic change that doing so creates.
You with me, beloveds? If we do this work on our own selves now, not only will we discover a life truly worth living, but we will free our daughters to rise up behind us, with spines straight, heads up, and coated in our strength.<br />
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<b><u>About the Author</u></b><br />
Jen Hatmaker is the author of the New York Times bestseller Of Mess and Moxie (plus twelve other books) and the host of the For the Love! with Jen Hatmaker podcast. She and her husband, Brandon, founded the Legacy Collective and also starred in the popular series My Big Family Renovation on HGTV. Jen is a mom to five, a sought-after speaker, and a delighted resident of Austin, Texas, where she and her family are helping keep Austin weird.<br />
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<b><u>My Review</u></b><br />
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As a part of a huge launch team for this book, I have seen support for Jen Hatmaker from a variety of women - all ages, stages, personalities, sexualities, affirming, allies - you get the idea. <br />
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So many of these launch team members and JHat fans are finding life and affirmation in every page of this book. For me, however, it has been a different journey. Pandemic aside, this is not an easy read. While I felt very seen and affirmed by some of the chapters in this book, other chapters were too much for me. And yes, one of her main messages is that women should feel free and fierce and take up all their space. During the time in which I read this book, though, I watched one of my daughters have to deal with some friends of hers who take up so much of their space that they inadvertently took up some of hers as well, invading her margins and causing her pain in their criticism. I was taken backward in time almost twenty years ago, when I dealt with similar issues within a church setting, and it has been an emotional few weeks. And while I want to say yes to all things Jen, that would not be an honest response. My experience and personality says otherwise. <br />
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More than any of her other books to date, this book is not just for the church-going Christian woman. It is for all women. I would hand this book to any friend who says she is struggling to find where she fits in the world, or if she even does. To that question I offer this from the last page of the book: <br />
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“Let us know the real, whole you. Own it, embrace it, declare it all. Step up and out in truth; we are waiting. We need you. Every molecule of who you are, every experience you have ever had, ever dream you were made to chase, every place you were designed to serve--we are all out here waiting for you with open arms. Without question: <br />
You are fierce. <br />
You are free. <br />
You are full of fire” (218).<br />
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All that to say, I do recommend this book. It is honest, well-organized, well-researched, and truthful. I would recommend it for many of my friends, but not all of them. My most conservative friends will probably not touch this book with the proverbial ten-foot pole, and there would also be some pearl-clutching at the decidedly PG language that occasionally crops up. That is okay; we are free to choose our own reading material.<br />
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As for me, I will continue to, as Jen says, “do the work.” I may not ever describe myself with the words of the title, but I will continue to find my place of service, and I will continue to do the work that God has given to me to do. I may not agree with everything in this book, but that is okay. I’m still here.<br />
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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Thomas Nelson books, for the opportunity to read this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.<br />
<br />Pattiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246904837775307023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10748401.post-20893419205639522882020-03-16T07:30:00.000-04:002020-05-05T13:47:06.586-04:00Review: The Grace Kelly Dress<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Welcome to the book blog tour for <i>The Grace Kelly Dress</i> by </b></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Brenda Janowitz. I am thrilled to be partnering with Harlequin Trade Publishing with this review.</b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ABOUT THE BOOK</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Two years after Grace Kelly’s royal wedding, her iconic dress is still all the rage in Paris—and one replica, and the secrets it carries, will inspire three generations of women to forge their own paths in life and in love.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Paris, 1958: Rose, a seamstress at a fashionable atelier, has been entrusted with sewing a Grace Kelly—look-alike gown for a wealthy bride-to-be. But when, against better judgment, she finds herself falling in love with the bride’s handsome brother, Rose must make an impossible choice, one that could put all she’s worked for at risk: love, security and of course, the dress.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sixty years later, tech CEO Rachel, who goes by the childhood nickname “Rocky,” has inherited the dress for her upcoming wedding in New York City. But there’s just one problem: Rocky doesn’t want to wear it. A family heirloom dating back to the 1950s, the dress just isn’t her. Rocky knows this admission will break her mother Joan’s heart. But what she doesn’t know is why Joan insists on the dress—or the heartbreaking secret that changed her mother’s life decades before, as she herself prepared to wear it.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As the lives of these three women come together in surprising ways, the revelation of the dress’s history collides with long-buried family heartaches. And in the lead-up to Rocky’s wedding, they’ll have to confront the past before they can embrace the beautiful possibilities of the future.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ABOUT THE AUTHOR</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brenda Janowitz is the author of five novels, including </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Dinner Party</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Recipe for a Happy Life</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. She is the Books Correspondent for PopSugar. Brenda's work has also appeared in </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The New York Times,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">USA Today</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Washington Post</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Salon, Redbook, and the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">New York Post</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. She lives in New York.</span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">INTERVIEW with the author</span></u></b><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Q: The book is set in the New York area and in Paris. How important is setting to you in your writing?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">A: Setting is so incredibly important! Where a character lives and how she interacts with her environment says so much about who she is. Rocky, our protagonist in 2020, lives and works in Brooklyn, and it says as much about who she is as the tattoos she proudly wears all over her body. Joanie, in 1982, lives a sheltered life on Long Island, but when she goes into New York City, she finds a world much larger than the one she was living. And Rose, in 1958, is in Paris, but as a poor orphan, lives a different type of sheltered life, working in a highly regarded atelier during the day, and doing not much else.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">Q: What kind of research did you do for this book, and did you learn anything especially surprising?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">A: I’ve never written in a timeline other than the present, so there was a ton of research to be done! I had to research the two different time periods, 1982 and 1958. Even an innocuous detail like the brand of watch that a character is wearing can throw a reader out of the narrative if the author hasn’t gotten it just right. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The most enjoyable research I did was about Grace Kelly herself, and, of course, her iconic gown. I read Kristina Haugland’s incredible book, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Grace Kelly: Icon of Style to Royal Bride</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">, and then had the opportunity to speak with her as well. I loved learning every detail I could about this beloved dress, but by far the most interesting thing I learned was this: Grace Kelly’s gown consisted of four separate parts, each of which needed to be put on separately. What a wonderful secret for a bride to have on her wedding day!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Q: How did you get the idea for this novel?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">A: The idea came to me when my agent sent me a clip from The Today Show about a wedding dress that had been passed down through eleven generations. I couldn’t get over how incredibly special that was, and I immediately started to think about what it would mean for a family to have an item like that. How would each woman change the dress to fit her personality? How would the time she was living in have an effect on those choices? And what if one woman didn’t want the dress?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">Q: Is Grace Kelly one of your favorite actresses? What is your favorite Grace Kelly role?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">A: YES! Grace Kelly, to me, is the ultimate Hollywood story: beautiful, talented, and then she married a prince. I love all of Grace Kelly’s films, but I particularly adore </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">To Catch a Thief</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">. It’s so romantic and flirty, and it’s got Cary Grant.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">Q: What is one of the biggest challenges you have in a story like this that spans different times in history?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">A: One of the biggest challenges for me, was the massive amount of research. When writing in another time period, I underestimated how carefully every sentence would have to be researched. The characters needed to sound like they lived in the time period I was presenting, and every reference needed to be spot on-- from what the characters were wearing, to the types of music they listened to, to the way they styled their hair. Is it any wonder that my current work in progress will take place in the present?</span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">MY REVIEW</span></u></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I really enjoyed this novel as it shifted among the three women's perspectives. It has less to do with Grace Kelly and more to do with both women's and society's expectations about weddings, marriage, relationships, and the ever-changing landscape of the world.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I will definitely read more from this author, because I loved her characters, her settings, the descriptions--everything about this incredibly readable book was a delight.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I highly recommend this novel for readers who like books that move in time and have multiple points of view, with a historical link among all the story lines to connect them.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">BUY LINKS:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Grace-Kelly-Dress-Novel/dp/1525804596/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1564676649&sr=8-2&linkCode=sl1&tag=brendjanow-20&linkId=284095debd9f685c8d441062017d2c9c&language=en_US" style="text-decoration: none;">Amazon</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-grace-kelly-dress-brenda-janowitz/1131291564?ean=9781525804595" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Barnes & Noble</span></a></div>
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<a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-grace-kelly-dress/id1460245577?mt=11&app=itunes" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Apple Books</span></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781525804663" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Indie Bound</span></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.harlequintradepublishing.com/shop/books/9781525804663_the-grace-kelly-dress.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Harlequin Trade Publishing</span></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Grace-Kelly-Dress/Brenda-Janowitz/9781525804595?id=7715580291810" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Books-A-Million</span></a></div>
<a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-grace-kelly-dress" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kobo</a><br />
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Thank you to the publisher and the author for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.</div>
Pattiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11246904837775307023noreply@blogger.com0