Disclosure. This post is a review of an ebook I was sent for free. All opinions are my own.
I have received a free e-copy of the book Before Dawn by Laura Murphy to review. You may find out more about the author on her website.
Here is the book blurb.
Feisty New Yorker, Max, falls for her mysterious coworker, Tommy, who is fourteen years her senior. Wanting to please him and meet his beauty standards she conflictingly conceals her natural hair from him and avoids tanning so her skin doesn’t get too dark. Max tightly holds onto their forbidden romance while trying to figure out who she is and her place in a world she doesn’t always fit in. Too caught up with her feelings she becomes oblivious to the consequences of her actions. As tragedy strikes Max has to face her own worst enemy, herself.
The prologue drew me straight into this book, just a few intense pages with a cliff-hanger question at the end, so no choice but to dive straight into the main tale, where we are introduced to the main character, 23 year old adopted Max, who has been having a secret affair with a married man, Tommy on and off for 6 years, although she had no idea he was married for the first 2 years of their relationship.
As the reader I really hated Tommy, which made me feel more empathy towards Max, particularly as early in the story, she has to come to terms with the death of a family member. But her family and best friend Larissa buoy her up, as yet more lands on her plate.
Meanwhile whenever Max is at her lowest, the same stranger Smith seems to turn up. And who is the other stranger in the park?
A complex story which deals with relationships, mental health, racism and bias. Plenty of twists in this tale.
And as an aside, Max is really into expensive branded clothing. I had no idea what red bottom shoes were, but a quick search on Wikipedia revealed them to be the trademark of fashion designer Christian Louboutin.
Before Dawn is available on Amazon in kindle and paperback formats. A good read.
Disclosure. This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free. All opinions are my own.
I have previously enjoyed several books by Lisa Becker, so I was certainly looking forward to reading her latest book The Subway Girl. To find out more about the author you may visit her website.
Here is the book blurb.
The Subway Girl combines witty humor, sizzling chemistry, likeable characters, funny banter and heart swooning moments into a story of unexpected love and fate.
A hopeless romantic A cynical web show producer An unscrupulous camera operator A sleazy businessman An aspiring actress A womanizing best friend A scheming ex-girlfriend A commitment-phobic roommate An unlucky-in-love buddy These lives intersect when an average guy is awed by a mystery woman on a crowded New York subway and vows to meet her.
The story starts with Ryan spotting a gorgeous woman on the subway that he wants to meet, but by the time he exits the train, she is gone. So he creates a website to try to find her, which Angie, producer at the Celebrity Monger web show sees and thinks would be a good publicity stunt to help her career. She convinces a reluctant Ryan to run with the story to help him find the mystery Subway Girl.
He is in disbelief when they quickly receive over 150 video responses plus loads of online comments. Meanwhile cameraman Harlan films Ryan’s reactions to each response, but none are the subway girl. Angie uploads some of the videos and it really goes viral with more and more responses, which take up plenty of their time to watch.
But will the subway girl come forward? And who else has a stake in this? Will Ryan be lucky in love? Does this give Angie’s career the boost she hopes for?
The Subway Girl is available on Amazon, currently priced at £3.91 in Kindle format. A fun romantic comedy.
Lisa Becker is a romance writer who spends her time like she spends her money – on books and margaritas. As Lisa’s grandmother used to say, “For every chair, there’s a tush.” Lisa is now happily married to a wonderful man she met online and lives in Manhattan Beach, California with him and their two daughters. So, if it happened for her, there’s hope for anyone! You can share your love stories with her at www.lisawbecker.com.
Disclosure. This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free. All opinions are my own.
I have previously enjoyed several books by Lisa Becker, so I was looking forward to reading her latest book Dear Future Self. To find out more about the author you may visit her website.
Here is the book blurb.
People think they know Jase Connors. Former front man for Kings Quarters. Successful solo artist. Consummate playboy. What they don’t know is he’s tired from road life. Tired of road life. Just plain tired.
When a beloved high school teacher passes away, Jase returns to his Midwestern childhood home to honor the teacher’s final wishes. Sparks fly when he’s reunited with his childhood best friend, Cami, and is forced to confront choices that made him the man he is today.
Dear Future Self is a 23,000-word novella spin-off of award-winning Starfish: A Rock Star Romance. It can be read as a stand-alone and guarantees a happily ever after.
This short novella is a spin-off from Lisa’s previous book Starfish, which I loved. It works fine as a stand-alone read and although much shorter, is still a great read.
Jase, formerly with rock band Kings Quarters, is now a solo singer, currently on tour. The story starts with Jase’s mom calling him with the sad news that Mr Hancock, his high school English teacher has died, but has left him something in his will. Jase, or Jason as he was known back home, really respected Mr Hancock and gets his assistant Delilah to cancel the rest of the tour, so he can return to his childhood home town Clancy. His manager Damon is not pleased.
At the attorney’s, he bumps into Cami, his best friend from childhood, whom has hasn’t spoken to in more than a decade. They used to sing together in the church choir and Cami is now music teacher at the school. The attorney advises that Mr Hancock has left $650k for the school music department, contingent upon Jason and Cami working together to personally arrange his memorial service and a tribute school assembly, plus mailing all the student “Dear Future Self” letters. These were letters that they all wrote in 10th grade about their future dreams, which Mr Hancock mailed to them 20 years later.
So will Jason and Cami fulfil Mr Hancock’s request? If not, the will states that the money will be a prize at a video game tournament, something that Mr Hancock hated. How will things progress? And what about all those hundreds of letters?
Dear Future Self is available on Amazon, currently priced at 99p in Kindle format. A warm fuzzy feeling romantic comedy.
And you may like to see my reviews of other titles by Lisa that I also loved. Links Clutch Starfish
About the author
Lisa Becker is a romance writer who spends her time like she spends her money – on books and margaritas. As Lisa’s grandmother used to say, “For every chair, there’s a tush.” Lisa is now happily married to a wonderful man she met online and lives in Manhattan Beach, California with him and their two daughters. So, if it happened for her, there’s hope for anyone! You can share your love stories with her at www.lisawbecker.com.
I have previously enjoyed a couple of titles by Lisa Becker, so I was very pleased to be offered a free e-copy of her latest book Starfish to review. To find out more about the author you may visit her website.
Here is the book blurb.
Ambitious graduate Marin Collins accepts a four-month internship at a prestigious public relations firm to work on a tech account, but her plans are derailed when she’s assigned to go on the road with touring rock band Kings Quarters, hailed by Rolling Stone as the next big thing. Enter Brad Osterhauser, the reluctant rock star who would rather be coding computer games than penning Grammy-nominated songs. Traveling by bus, city to city with a group of practical joking bandmates and a greedy manager, Marin and Brad forge a friendship and forbidden romance over a shared love of Seinfeld episodes, stolen moments and Red Vines. But when Marin’s accused of betraying her company and the band, will Brad come to her defense or believe she was disloyal to him for the sake of her career? Told in alternating perspectives of Marin and Brad, Starfish is a contemporary romance of unexpected love, the redemptive power of music and hogging the bed.
The story begins with Marin starting her internship with Sasha V PR. She is hoping for a placement at a tech company, so is initially unhappy to be assigned to go on a 4 month tour with rock band Kings Quarters to cover their PR. She misses her best friend and room-mate Grace.
But she soon makes a new friend with Brad, one of the five guys in the band. He has thought her hot, since first seeing her at the job interview. Marin feels the same, but makes it very clear to Brad, that relationships are off the table with those she works for, based on bitter memories of her mum leaving her and her dad when she was 9 years old for a new relationship with her boss. Her career is very important to her.
They settle for a platonic relationship, sharing their secrets, but can Brad convince Marin to move it to another level. And what happens when Marin is falsely accused of betraying the band and falling foul of her job contract?
The chapters are told from alternating viewpoints from Marin and Brad. A great story that I really enjoyed, with a tear in my eye occasionally.
Starfish is available on Amazon, currently priced at £3.83 in Kindle format. A truly delightful romantic comedy.
And you may like to see my reviews of two other titles by Lisa that I also loved. Links Clutch
Take a look at the book trailer to whet your appetite.
About the author
Lisa Becker is a romance writer who spends her time like she spends her money – on books and margaritas. As Lisa’s grandmother used to say, “For every chair, there’s a tush.” Lisa is now happily married to a wonderful man she met online and lives in Manhattan Beach, California with him and their two daughters. So, if it happened for her, there’s hope for anyone! You can share your love stories with her at www.lisawbecker.com.
I have received a free e-copy of the book The Side Job by Don Lubov to review. To find out more about the author you may visit his website.
Here is the book blurb.
This is the story of Maggie Gomez — an unwed, unskilled mother of a sickly daughter. She lives a hardscrabble life on the underside of Las Vegas. As her daughter’s health deteriorates, Maggie’s need for money for an operation skyrockets. Maggie was vulnerable and defeated early in life. Her long-suppressed strength blossoms and Maggie becomes “La Femme Nikita”. As Maggie gets more involved with her loan shark boss and his crew, her world begins to spiral out of control. Her simultaneous involvement with a gangster and the detective investigating him turns her life into a soap opera of emotions. She must figure out how to escape her underworld life, protect her daughter, and live happily ever after.
This book is set in Las Vegas. It starts with Maggie and Ben going to their high school prom together. But Maggie gets pregnant whilst Ben hightails it out of town. With baby April, she struggles to make ends meet on a succession of minimum wage jobs. Nothing seems to go right in her life and she needs over $12,000 in order for April to have an operation for her worsening asthma.
In desperation she takes on a side job as a hit-woman to earn $15,000 for killing someone. Easy money. More hit jobs follow. But as life starts to improves for her and April, things get more complicated.
The plot line of this book was great, but sadly the way it was written, just didn’t flesh out the characters and left me feeling let down.
The Side Job by Don Lubov is available on Amazon, currently priced at 99p in Kindle format and is also available in paperback. An ok short read.
As we head into December I love to read Christmas stories. So I was delighted to receive a free e-copy of the book A Christmas Wish (A Manhattan Dream) by Engy Neville to review. You may find out more about the author on her website.
Here is the book blurb.
Amy McKinsey is living her dream. In Manhattan. Working for one of the most popular lifestyle magazines in the country. Dating the perfect man, Richie Hendricks, III.
Her charmed life couldn’t be better. Christmas was gearing up to be everything she hoped for and more.
Until everything falls apart.
The dream job becomes a battle to the death when her old nemesis—and former boss—joins the team, determined to ruin her. Worse, her perfect man all but disappears when he’s forced to take over the family business.
What else could life possibly throw in her path?
In this touching and inspirational story, Amy must learn that true happiness lies in unexpected places, and only she can forge her own destiny.
Once I started reading this book, I realised it was the second title in the Manhattan Dream series, but it works well as a stand-alone read.
Although mainly a Christmas story, it starts in the summer when Amy is on holiday with her friends Megan and Miranda. There she meets Richie on the beach and they start dating. Romance blossoms as they head towards Christmas, although they don’t see too much of each other, due to Richie’s long work hours. Meanwhile Amy is enjoying her new job, until she hears they are recruiting Sarah, who made her previous job unbearable. Is it going to be the same again? And will Amy get her Christmas wish?
I love Christmas stories and this was no exception. The sections where we hear about Amy’s dream featuring Mrs Claus and the similarities in her life immediately made me think it would make a great Christmas film. And of course, like every great Christmas story, there were sections where I was in floods of tears.
A Christmas Wish is available on Amazon, currently priced at £2.31 in Kindle format and is also available in paperback. A delightful Christmas tale. And I’d definitely like to read the first title Fool’s Luck too.
About the author
Engy has been writing for as long as she can remember. From keeping a journal to writing short stories and novels, she loves the creative process in its entirety. One of her favorite things about writing, after dreaming up a character, is when the dialogue begins to form in her head. She can’t begin to describe the feeling of euphoria that engulfs her when the characters come alive in her head and the story begins to take shape, making its own turns and twists.
As a young girl, she used to imagine herself in the pages of her favorite books. Anne of Green Gables and The Secret Garden were her absolute favorites and she has read the books a gazillion times without tiring of the story. Lately, she finds herself getting lost in the pages of her own stories, more fun than she ever imagined.
She hope that her books provide the same wonderful escape for you as other books have done for her.
I have received a free e-copy of the book Chrissy à la Carte by Genevieve Lerner to review. You may find out more about the author on her website.
Here is the book blurb.
Chrissy’s life is the dictionary definition of A Hot Mess. She’s homeless, unemployed, broke, extremely single…and now she has to live with her parents! What could be better?
…Literally, anything.A year after college graduation, Chrissy ends up where she hoped she would never find herself: back on her parents’ doorstep. She magically lands a job at the Netflix show “Let’s Cook! with Derrick Longjohns,” and prays it will be a one-way ticket to her dream culinary school.
But her job turns out to be nothing like she imagined, especially when she runs into a very attractive, very bicep-y stranger. Unfortunately, she is Clumsy McAwkwardson, and has a bad habit of spilling Fanta all over herself. Super attractive.
Now, she just has to pretend to be a good employee. And stay on Mom’s good side. And impress her perfect sister, Paige. And help plan Grandma’s (seventh) wedding. And somehow, some way, convince everyone that she has it all under control.
No biggie.
The story starts a year after Chrissy graduated. She hasn’t managed to hold down a job for more than 3 weeks, is homeless and broke, so she does what she vowed never to do and moves back in with her parents, who she hasn’t spoken to in the last year. And guess what, she has arrived back the day before her grandma, usually resident at a nursing home, also comes to stay for the few weeks before her 7th wedding. Her successful sister Paige is a producer on a TV cookery show and gets Chrissy a job filing the recipes there. Chrissy is terrified on her way there the first day – has she remembered to use deodorant, will she get drug tested for eating a poppy seed muffin, etc. But even she is surprised to discover her workstation is an upside down bin for a desk and a cardboard box for a chair in a room reminiscent of Harry Potter’s cupboard under the stairs.
We soon discover that Chrissy manages to get into plenty of hilarious predicaments. On her first day in the new job, she soaks her trousers with the unisex toilet auto-flush so that it looks like she has peed herself. She is then climbing the wall backwards attempting to dry them under the hand-drier when a hunky guy walks in. The only thing she seems to excel at is cooking and her dream is to go to culinary school.
Chrissy à la Carte is available on Amazon, currently priced at £11.63 in paperback and is also available in Kindle format. A fun read that really got me laughing throughout.
I have received a free e-copy of the book Clutch by Lisa Becker to review. To find out more about the author you may visit her website.
Here is the book blurb.
Clutch: a novel is the laugh-out-loud, chick lit romance chronicling the dating misadventures of Caroline Johnson, a single purse designer who compares her unsuccessful romantic relationships to styles of handbags – the “Hobo” starving artist, the “Diaper Bag” single dad, the “Briefcase” intense businessman, etc. With her best friend, bar owner Mike by her side, the overly-accommodating Caroline drinks a lot of Chardonnay, puts her heart on the line, endures her share of unworthy suitors and finds the courage to discover the “Clutch” or someone she wants to hold onto.
If you page down, you’ll see an extract of the first few pages from the book. This is where we are introduced to Caroline Johnson, who gained her love of handbags as a child from her Great Aunt Mimi. Caroline meets her new best friend Mike at Harvard business school. They do sleep together once but agree it was a big mistake. After college, they both set up their new businesses in LA, where Caroline creates her own handbag line, Clutch and Mike opens a bar, The Last Drop.
We then follow Caroline through a series of 12 unsuccessful romances, where she compares each one to a style of bag before she finally finds someone she wants to Clutch and hold onto. First up is like a Hobo bag. This is Jason, a homeless artist, who quickly moves into Caroline’s apartment, sponges off her and even steals her money, before she plucks up the courage to order him to leave.
Each time Mike is there for Caroline. After Hobo, we meet Demi-Bag, Coin Purse, Messenger, Doctor Bag, Baguette, Diaper Bag, Fanny Pack, Briefcase, Wallet, Cosmetic Bag, Backpack and lastly Clutch.
All very humorous and I’ve certainly learnt some handbag types that I’d never heard of before. I loved this book, just as much as when I read Links, another of Lisa’s titles.
Clutch is available on Amazon, currently priced at £3.00 in Kindle format and is also available in paperback. A nice romantic comedy.
Here is an extract of the first few pages of the book for you to read.
Mimi Johnson was casually dressed in a brightly-colored blouse with enormous turquoise jewelry and equally-oversized glasses. Despite that largesse, the only thing truly bigger than her personality (and her bosom) was her handbag. Always perfectly matched to her clothing, shoes, and jewelry, she was like a walking Chico’s advertisement, if you added forty years, forty pounds, and a Virginia Slims cigarette. From her Mary Poppins-like bag, she pulled out a box, impeccably-wrapped in glossy pink paper with a white grosgrain ribbon bow. A cigarette teetered between her two fingers while she produced a lung-hacking cough.
“Open it… <cough, cough> …sweetie. Open it,” she said to her seven-year-old great niece, Caroline, a beautiful and vibrant girl with long blonde hair and oversized blue eyes.
Alive with anticipation, sweet young Caroline eagerly took the box and smiled up at Mimi. She gingerly removed the ribbon, planning to save it for later. The glossy paper was of less interest and she ripped through it quickly. She opened the box and gently lifted out a hot pink purse, adorned with pale pink flowers and rhinestones. An enormous smile overcame her. Caroline nearly set her own hair on fire from Mimi’s cigarette as she bounded into her aunt’s arms.
“Oh, thank you, Aunt Mimi. It’s lovely.”
And that was when Caroline’s love of handbags began. From big and loud ones that would make Mimi proud to unimposing wristlets, from bowler bags to satchels; it didn’t matter if they were made of canvas or calf-skin leather, were distressed or embellished with metal studs. Hell, she didn’t care if you called them pocketbooks or purses. She just loved them all – almost as much as she loved Mimi.
By the time she was a junior in high school and well on her way to being class valedictorian, it was the hundreds of bags Caroline owned that helped her conceptualize her ticket out of her suffocating small Georgian town. She would design handbags. And it was Mimi who was her steadfast cheerleader.
“Caroline, sweetie… <cough, cough> …you find something you love and you just hold onto it.” It had never mattered if Caroline was asking Mimi’s advice about a friend, lover, or career. The advice was always the same: “Find something you love and hold onto it.”
Mimi’s words ever-present in her mind, Caroline headed to the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising and spent four years in Los Angeles learning everything there was to know to pursue her passion. Then, right out of college, she spent three years working in the design and marketing departments of two of the world’s leading, high-end handbag designers.
She was schooled in beauty and how to accessorize the perfectly-coiffed women on the way to their Botox appointments. But Caroline was pulled by the nagging feeling that the very person who had inspired her career, Mimi, could never afford the bags she designed, even if Caroline used her generous employee discount on Mimi’s behalf. And God forbid Mimi would ever accept one as a gift, always preferring to give rather than receive. But Caroline believed there was no reason for anyone to be denied the ultimate in accessories. She saw an untapped market of designing beautiful and affordable bags, but she just wasn’t sure she was start-up potential. Again, it was Mimi who nudged her to learn the business side of things and apply to MBA programs. When Caroline was accepted to Harvard Business School, Mimi, of course, encouraged her.
“You’ve got this, sweetie. <cough, cough>,” she said. “It’s in the bag.”
•••
Caroline was sitting in Financial Reporting and Control on her first day of Harvard classes (and yes, the class turned out to be as boring as it sounded). That’s when she first eyed Mike, who was wearing a faded pair of Levi jeans, a washed-out vintage Rolling Stones T-shirt, and Converse sneakers. He oozed charisma. Turning her head away from him and back toward the front of the lecture hall, Caroline thought that if he were a handbag, he would be a grey leather tote – confident and dependable, but not trying too hard.
Mike surveyed the large lecture hall as he walked in, a Starbucks coffee cup in each hand. After descending the steps slowly, he took a seat next to Caroline and planted one of the white and green cups on her desk.
Flashing a wide, dimpled smile, which she mused he reserved for getting girls to drop their panties, he said, “Here. You look like you’re going to need this.”
“Thanks,” she replied in a suspicious tone, turning her head sideways to look at him and raising an eyebrow.
“I’m Mike,” he said, again flashing a smile and reaching out for a handshake.
“I’m Caroline. Thanks for the…”
“Latte.”
“Latte,” she confirmed. “Thanks. But just so you know, I’m not gonna sleep with you,” she said in an apparent attempt to establish up front she wasn’t taken in by his obvious charm.
“I know,” he replied matter-of-fact.
Before she could respond, Professor Beauregard, a stout man with excessive eyebrows, spoke up. “Please take note of where you are seated. I will send around a seating chart for you to mark your spot. This will be your seat for the remainder of the semester.”
“Looks like we’ll be seatmates,” Mike said, grinning at her.
“Looks like it.”
•••
About three months into the first semester, Caroline learned that her fun-loving, easy-going, new best buddy Mike wasn’t exactly who he appeared to be.
A blanket of white snow dusted the Harvard grounds and it was a particularly slow day in another mutual class, LEAD – Leadership and Organizational Behavior. Professor Moss, a frail man who weighed less than his years, was droning on and on about establishing productive relationships with subordinates or something to that effect. He initiated a discussion about what works better – the carrot or stick approach.
“Mr. Barnsworth,” he called, referring to his seating chart and scanning the room until he found Mike in the fifth row. “What are your thoughts?”
“Well, it seems to me that good management is all about empathy and being able to enthuse and inspire your staff. You know, appreciating them and respecting them. Showing you care,” he said, placing his hand over his heart in a gesture of true compassion and concern. “And if they can’t get that through their thick skulls, you fire ‘em,” he continued, drawing his finger across his throat.
Several students sitting around them started to chuckle while Caroline stifled a laugh. Mike looked around the room and nodded his head, soaking in the appreciation of his sense of humor.
“Mr. Barnsworth,” said Professor Moss in a menacing tone, “I would have expected a better answer from you, considering your family history.”
Confused by the conversation unfolding before her, Caroline leaned over and whispered to Mike, “What is he talkin’ about?” Mike put up a hand to quiet her.
“Later,” he hissed.
Twenty minutes later, the two shared a bench outside Baker Library, the chill of winter causing Caroline to pull her scarf closer around her neck.
“What was that all about?” she asked, scrunching up her nose in confusion. Reluctantly, Mike began to speak. “My full name is Michael Frederick Barnsworth the Third. My family owns a large brokerage firm in New York,” he confessed, unsure of how Caroline would react.
Caroline listened as she took in just how old money his family really was. Mike’s great, great, great, great – actually it was hard to keep track of how many “greats” it went back – grandfather ran the first Bank of the United States, which Congress chartered in the early 1800s. His family had advised presidents, dined with royalty, and amassed a fortune that continued today through the Barnsworth Brokerage Firm.
“I’m the seventh person in my family to attend Harvard including my father, uncle, three cousins, and grandfather, who was a classmate of Professor Moss,” he continued.
Surprised by this unexpected news, she joked, “So you’re just slummin’ with a simple Southern girl like me – and makin’ me pay for drinks, mind you – until you go join the family business and marry someone named Muffy…”
“That’s my family’s plan,” Mike laughed. “There’s even an office in the Woolworth Building owned by my family, sitting empty, until I finish business school,” he said reluctantly.
“But…” she pressed, touching his hand gently, sensing the family plan may not actually be Mike’s plan – though they had never discussed his plans before.
“I want to open a bar,” he said, matter of fact and looking her square in the eye.
Caroline’s head leaned back as she let out a raucous laugh. “You want to own a bar?” she questioned, her shoulders shaking from laughter. “Now I get your goal to drink at every one of the six hundred bars in Boston before you graduate.”
“Yup, it’s research,” he said emphatically.
“Research?”
“Yeah. Every time my parents call, which isn’t very often – they are usually off with their snobby society friends or at Met Balls – I tell them I’m working hard and doing research.”
“Gotta give you credit. That’s pretty clever,” she replied, nodding her head.
“And true. If I’m going to open the best bar ever, I need to know what works and what doesn’t.”
“Okay. I get why you don’t want to be a wizard of Wall Street. But why a bar?” she asked, not understanding his desire for the life of a bar back.
“My parents weren’t around a lot growing up. My father spent more time in the office than my mother spent jetting between boutiques in Paris and ski chalets in Switzerland. And believe me, that was a lot,” he confessed. Caroline looked down in her lap, her heart sinking at the thought of the small boy with the winning smile being ignored by his family.
“I was pretty much raised by a series of au pairs. My favorite was Linnea who was nineteen when she came from Sweden to live with our family. She was obsessed with Tom Cruise movies and we would watch them all the time,” he explained, a wistful look on his face as he recalled fond memories.
“Cocktail!” Caroline exclaimed.
“Yup, I want to be the sole proprietor of a place where you can shake margaritas bare-chested,” Mike laughed. “It’s going to be called The Last Drop,” he stated, not looking for her approval.
“Great name,” she admitted, nodding her head. “Especially when your folks drop kick you out of the family.”
“I know. I’m preparing to be disowned, which is why I’m getting you used to buying the drinks,” he said, flashing her a smile.
“Well with any luck my business will allow me to continue payin’ for drinks.”
“The purse thing?”
“Yes. The purse thing,” she said, mocking him. “I aim to start a line called Clutch, because it’s one of my favorite handbag styles, and in honor of my aunt Mimi. She always says ‘Find somethin’ you love and just hold onto it.’”
“Sounds like a smart lady.”
About the author
Lisa Becker is a romance writer who spends her time like she spends her money – on books and margaritas. In addition to Clutch: a novel, she is the author of the Click trilogy, a contemporary romance series about online dating and Links, a standalone, second chance romance readers. As Lisa’s grandmother used to say, “For every chair, there’s a tush.” Lisa is now happily married to a wonderful man she met online and lives in Manhattan Beach, California with him and their two daughters. So, if it happened for her, there’s hope for anyone! You can share your love stories with her at www.lisawbecker.com.
General Q&A with Lisa Becker
Please introduce yourself to our readers.
I’m a romance writer who spends her time like she spends her money – on margaritas and books. In addition to my romantic comedy novels, which reviewers call clever, hilarious, sexy and smart, I’ve written bylined articles and participated in interviews about relationships, online dating and romance for a range of media including Reader’s Digest, Mind Body Green, Cupid’s Pulse, The Perfect Soulmate and TV Grapevine. My grandmother used to say, “For every chair, there’s a tush.” I’m now happily married to a wonderful man I met online and live in Manhattan Beach, California with him and our two daughters. So, if it happened for me, there’s hope for anyone!
Tell us about your most recent release.
A light-hearted, second chance romance, Links explores what happens when nerdy girl Charlotte reconnects with her unrequited schoolgirl crush, star athlete Garrett, 15 years after high school.
Did you have an unrequited crush in high school?
I’m not too ashamed to admit I had such a fierce crush on a boy, I willingly sat with him in the bathroom at parties while he puked up wine coolers, just so I could spend time with him. Thankfully, that soul-crushing time in my life is over, but I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if I came upon that secret crush today as a confident, successful woman.
One of your books is based on how you met your husband. Can you tell us more about that?
I’m most known for the Clicktrilogy comprised of Click: An Online Love Story, Double Click and Right Click,which is loosely inspired by how I met my husband. The series follows a young woman’s search for love online in Los Angeles with the entire series unfolding in emails between our heroine, her friends and her hilarious dates. Fraught with BCC’s, FWD’s and inadvertent Reply to All’s, readers will cheer, laugh, cry and cringe following the email exploits of Renee and friends. And ultimately, they will root for Renee to “click” with the right man.
What is next for you?
This spring, I will re-release a novel I published several years ago called Clutch. The re-release includes five new chapters, a new cover and audiobook. It is a laugh-out-loud romance chronicling the dating misadventures of Caroline Johnson, a single purse designer who compares her unsuccessful romantic relationships to styles of handbags (the “Hobo” starving artist, the “Diaper Bag” single dad, the “Briefcase” intense businessman, etc.) as she searches for the “Clutch” or someone she wants to hold onto.
Is Clutch also inspired by your real life?
When I was writing the Click trilogy I was obsessed with NCIS re-runs and would have the show on in the background as I wrote. There was an episode where a character refers to a man as a “handbag husband,” or something useless you carry on your arm. I started thinking about that, and the idea for Clutch grew from there. I believe that everyone deserves a happily ever after and would like to think there’s a “clutch,” or someone worth holding onto, out there for everyone.
If this title were being made into a TV series or movie, who would you cast to play the primary roles?
I think Eloise Mumford, who played Kate in Fifty Shades of Grey, would make an outstanding Caroline. She has the right mixture of warmth, gumption, vulnerability, and beauty to bring this character to life. I still can’t decide who would play Mike, although I know I’d love to sit in on those casting sessions. 😉
At the end of your life, when it is all said and done, what would you want your tombstone to read?
Here lies Lisa Willet Becker – a great wife, mother, friend and citizen who wrote books and movies people loved.
How can readers connect with you?
I love hearing from readers, especially when I’ve brought some humor, heart or happiness into their worlds with my writing.
And you can find Lisa Becker on social media as follows:-
I have received a free e-copy of the book The Carmichaels Complete Series by Charlotte Penn Clark to review. You may find out more about the author on her website.
Here is the book blurb.
The lives and loves of five privileged daughters of a Colorado political family….
Rich. Smart. Beautiful. Talented. And they even get along. Mostly. The five Carmichael sisters lucked out in the game of life, but their privilege doesn’t protect them from heartbreak. Read all five contemporary romance novellas newly revised and together for the first time!
CORINNE wants her independence, but when tragedy strikes her family she relies on her new French boyfriend for support. Headstrong DAISY goes after what she wants as a financial journalist, but the guy she wants keeps her at arm’s length. VALERIE, still shaken by past trauma, is surprised when her feelings for her E.R. doctor grow beyond friendship. MARIE is just getting started as a sportswriter so she really shouldn’t fall for her first subject, the newly-drafted quarterback. SAMANTHA has crushed on her college advisor for a year but now that she’s about to graduate maybe she finally has a shot with him.
The box set has just been recently released, but all 5 individual novellas were published a couple of years ago. So far I have read Corinne.
Corinne is the eldest of 5 daughters of senator Roger Carmichael who is considering running for President. She is doing modelling jobs between studying at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) but she is battling against her father who wishes her to stop modelling because of the media interest. She insists on honouring a modelling job she has already secured in Hawaii but overall, feels she is losing her independence.
There she meets Paul, a French photographer, with whom there is a mutual attraction. After flying their separate ways, they text each other regularly and meet up a few months later one weekend in LA. But even then, the media capture some shots of them. They start a long distance relationship and she invites him to meet her family at Thanksgiving. They share an idyllic week in France followed by more family time at Christmas.
But a couple of months later tragedy strikes with a helicopter crash. Corinne relies on Paul during this difficult time. How will things pan out?
A lovely story. I’m about to start reading Daisy next, although I feel I already know a bit about all the family from the first story.
The Carmichaels Complete Series is available on Amazon, currently priced at £3.54 in Kindle format and is also available in paperback. Five stories in one book. What a great bargain for lovers of romantic reads.
About the author
Charlotte Penn Clark writes sweet-sexy New Adult and contemporary novellas that take romance seriously. As an avid romance reader, she used to spin love stories in her head until she finally started to write them down two years ago. She has studied English literature and taught college composition, but now she enjoys playing matchmaker to friends and enemies, geeks and nerds, jocks and bookworms.
So far she’s published eight books in two series: the Carmichael series interweaves the lives and loves of five privileged sisters in a political family, while the Extra Credit series tells the stories of three unlikely couples thrown together on a college campus.
I have received a free e-copy of the book “Heart Note” by Cassandra O’Leary to review.
Here is the book blurb.
Love is like a fine perfume. The top note draws you in, an instant attraction, but the Heart Note is the true essence. Like true love – a great perfume should be a woman’s perfect match.
At least, that’s what perfume counter manager, Lily Lucas, tells her customers in one of Australia’s largest department stores.
It’s almost Christmas, the store is bedecked with baubles and Lily has about eleventy billion gifts to wrap and sell. She and her team of spritzer chicks are glamorous, professional and hoping they don’t have to wear the hideous red onesies and reindeer antlers the store manager has in mind.
The high point of Lily’s work life is Christos Cyriakos, ex-cop, security guard, possible Greek god. He’s a mystery box she’d love to unwrap. But can she trust him?
All Lily wants for Christmas is to kiss Christos (and more), catch a band of thieves running amok in the store, and live happily ever after. Is that too much to wish for?
This is a short Christmas romcom novella and is the first book in the Spritzer Chicks series, although written as a stand-alone read.
The story starts with Lily on a training course for her new job as perfume counter manager, where in an exercise, handsome Christos catches her as she falls. It turns out that he is the new security guard at the same department store. Unfortunately Lily hates the smell of the Christmas promotional Heart-mas scent that she has to spray on unsuspecting customers and is fed up hearing the Heart-mas ad played over and over again, even though it is only early November. As she redoes a gift box display, she steps on a ribbon and slips over. Once again, it is Christos to the rescue, who Lily is already fantasising about. But in contrast, she prays she won’t have to wear one of the hideous red onesie, gold antler outfits that the casual staff have been kitted out with. And she isn’t quite so impressed when Christos asks her if she can observe the shop floor for anything odd. He believes there may be an inside theft job going on under their noses.
Plenty of humour and will Lily get her man?
Heart Note is available on Amazon, currently priced at 99p in Kindle format or from any of these stores. A nice light funny romantic Christmas read, easily read in one day.
And the author is hosting a rafflecopter competition in conjunction with Rachel’s Random Resources to giveaway 5 e-copies of Heart Note. Open worldwide.
**Winner of the We Heart New Talent contest, HarperCollins UK. Nominated for BEST NEW AUTHOR in the 2016 AusRom Today Reader’s Choice Awards for excellence in Australian romance fiction.**
Cassandra O’Leary is a romance and women’s fiction author, communications specialist, avid reader, film and TV fangirl and admirer of pretty, shiny things.
In 2015, Cassandra won the We Heart New Talent contest run by Avon Books/HarperCollins UK. Her debut romantic comedy novel, Girl on a Plane, was published in July 2016. Cassandra was also a 2015 finalist in the Lone Star writing contest, Northwest Houston Romance Writers of America, and a 2014 finalist in the First Kiss contest, Romance Writers of Australia.
Cassandra is a mother of two gorgeous, high-energy mini ninjas and wife to a spunky superhero. Living in Melbourne, Australia, she’s also travelled the world. If you want to send her to Italy or Spain on any food or wine tasting ‘research’ trips, that would be splendiferous. You’ll find Cassandra online, drinking coffee and possibly buying shoes. Oh, yes. And writing.
Yet another blogging mummy!!! 