A Letter to My Cat by Lisa Erspamer Review

Synopsis:

The follow-up to A Letter to My Dog takes on cats, with celebrities writing letters of love and gratitude to their beloved pet felines. Alluring, elusive, mysterious-the cats in our lives are not always easy to get to know. But as with all pets, they have unique personalities and stories to tell. Alongside beautiful four-color photos of their cats, A Letter to My Cat collects personal letters from celebrities offering love and gratitude for all that their cats bring to their lives.

My Review:

A must have book for any cat lover.

This book is filled with beautiful pictures and heartwarming letters written by celebrities to their favorite feline friends.  Some letters make you laugh while others will have you shedding a tear.  Each one is true from the heart and full of love. 

I couldn’t really pick a favorite letter because each one is unique and I enjoyed them all.  I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves cats

I wrote a letter to my best friend, Princess Leinani

My dearest Nani,

When I first met you, you were so tiny that I didn’t even know how to pet you.  I remember running my finger up and down your back and you seemed to relax as I did it.  You were the most beautiful little girl I had ever met.   I loved how you were always by my side.  You were my little shadow.  You taught me so much about love.  You will always be my special girl and I will never forget you.  I only wish we had more time together.  I was not ready for you to leave me.  You were too young and we had so many memories that we still needed to make.  My heart is still broken because you are not here with me.  One day I will hold you again and kiss your beautiful pink nose.

I will always love you, my precious Nani girl,

Your Mommy 

The Wrong Wedding (The "Wrong" Series, Book 1) by Magnolia "Maggie" Rivers Review

Synopsis:

 Claire Marie Jones, a mild mannered grade school teacher, wakes up in a strange man’s bed and finds, with only three days to go before her upcoming wedding to her lifelong sweetheart, Ralph, she’s going to need a fast annulment. The strange man is none other than Jack Wakefield, III, the biggest playboy this side of the Rockies and Mr. July on Claire’s pin-up calendar. Jack has his own set of problems starting with his upcoming marriage to Priscilla. Snow bound in Jack’s cabin, neither of them can go any place until the snow plows make it to Jack’s place which could take days, weeks or even a spring thaw. It’s a funny romp on the way to a wedding. Will Claire say “I do” before she says “I don’t?”



My Review: 

A romance story with a twist.

A good girl, a playboy and a kinky preacher create a memorable story.

Three days before Claire Marie Jones was to be married, she wakes up naked in bed with a strange man.   Panic sets in when she can't remember what happened the night before.   Even more panic sets in when she finds a marriage license showing she married this stranger the night before.  Then, Claire Marie realizes who this man is.  He is Jack Wakefield III, the biggest playboy in town.  How does a woman engaged to the town's preacher end up in this kind of situation?

When Jack wakes up and finds a strange woman in his house, he doesn't know who she is or what to do about it.  But he sure likes what he sees.  He doesn't remember the night before either.  Jack is also engaged to be married.

When Claire Marie and Jack realize they are snowed in together, they make the best of the situation. Little do they know, the time they spend together will lead them to falling in love.

This was a fun quick read. The characters were enjoyable and I found myself cheering on Claire Marie and Jack. 

The Status of All Things by Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke Review

Synopsis:

What would you do if you could literally rewrite your fate—on Facebook? This heartwarming and hilarious new novel from the authors of Your Perfect Life follows a woman who discovers she can change her life through online status updates.

Kate is a thirty-five-year-old woman who is obsessed with social media. So when her fiancé, Max, breaks things off at their rehearsal dinner—to be with Kate’s close friend and coworker, no less—she goes straight to Facebook to share it with the world. But something’s changed. Suddenly, Kate’s real life starts to mirror whatever she writes in her Facebook status. With all the power at her fingertips, and heartbroken and confused over why Max left her, Kate goes back in time to rewrite their history.

Kate's two best friends, Jules and Liam, are the only ones who know the truth. In order to convince them she’s really time traveled, Kate offers to use her Facebook status to help improve their lives. But her attempts to help them don’t go exactly as planned, and every effort to get Max back seems to only backfire, causing Kate to wonder if it’s really possible to change her fate.

In The Status of All Things, Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke combine the humor and heart of Sarah Pekkanen and Jennifer Weiner while exploring the pitfalls of posting your entire life on the Internet. They raise the questions: What if you could create your picture-perfect life? Would you be happy? Would you still be you? For anyone who’s ever attempted—or failed—to be their perfect self online, this is a story of wisdom and wit that will leave you with new appreciation for the true status of your life.



My Review: 

Would you change any part of your life if given the chance?

When social media addict Kate’s wedding is called off by her fiancé during their rehearsal dinner, she is devastated.  Why would he do this to her the day before their wedding?  When Max tells Kate he has fallen in love with one of her friends, she really takes it hard. 

One morning after the breakup, Kate drags herself out of bed.  She walks to the coffee shop where she meets a barista named Ruby who might have the answer to Kate’s happiness.  Kate soon learns she can change her life by changing her status on Facebook.  Will this incredible gift be just what Kate needs, or is it a mistake waiting to happen?

I enjoyed reading how Kate changes her life and the lives of her close friends Jules and Liam.  When their lives start falling apart, Kate will do anything to make them happy again.  This book made me think of the things that I would change in my life if I had the opportunity. 

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Wishful Thinking by Kamy Wicoff Review

Synopsis:

 Jennifer Sharpe is a divorced mother of two with a problem just about any working parent can relate to: her boss expects her to work as though she doesn’t have children, and her children want her to care for them as though she doesn’t have a boss. But when, through a fateful coincidence, a brilliant physicist comes into possession of Jennifer’s phone and decides to play fairy godmother, installing a miraculous time-travel app called Wishful Thinking, Jennifer suddenly finds herself in possession of what seems like the answer to the impossible dream of having it all: an app that lets her be in more than one place at the same time.

With the app, Jennifer goes quickly from zero to hero in every part of her life: she is super-worker, the last to leave her office every night; she is super-mom, the first to arrive at pickup every afternoon; and she even becomes super-girlfriend, dating a musician who thinks she has unlimited childcare and a flexible job. But Jennifer soon finds herself facing questions that adding more hours to her day can’t answer. Why does she feel busier and more harried than ever? Is she aging faster than everyone around her? How can she be a good worker, mother, and partner when she can’t be honest with anybody in her life? And most important, when choosing to be with your children, at work, or with your partner doesn’t involve sacrifice, do those choices lose their meaning? Wishful Thinking is a modern-day fairy tale in which one woman learns to overcome the challenges—and appreciate the joys—of living life in real time.



My Review:

We could all use extra hours in the day.  Couldn’t we?

In this thought provoking book, Jennifer Sharpe loses her phone and it’s returned with a note and a strange app installed.  She doesn’t quite know what to make of it.  But what if this app is what she really needs?    

Jennifer is a single mother who works long hours at her job along with raising two little boys.  She has trouble making it to school functions and barely enough time to relax at the end of the day.  Wishful Thinking is an app that was put on her phone by an eccentric physicist who lives in her apartment building.  The app allows Jennifer to stop time and be someplace else when she wants to be.  From the comfort of the private bathroom in her office building, Jennifer can use the app and spend time with her kids during day when she would normally be working. 

When Jennifer decides she is using the app too much and things are starting to get out of hand, she asks to have it removed.  But, there is one last travel she needs to make and it has to do with her job and some missing money.

This book was a lot of fun to read and really made me think of what I would use Wishful Thinking for.

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Summer Secrets by Jane Green Review

Synopsis:

With Summer Secrets Jane Green has reached an even deeper level of emotion that will stay with you long after you turn the last page...
Living in London in her twenties, Cat had it all--a great job and wonderful friends. But with the good came the bad--a party every night, wreaking havoc, and blackouts. When she discovers the father she never knew she had, living in Nantucket, it sends her into a spiral, costing her the new family she had desperately craved. The drinking had always been a constant evil in Cat's life. Now in her late thirties, sober, divorced from the love of her life, and trying to make up for lost time with her teenage daughter, she's ready to make amends to those she has hurt. But facing the past and the unthinkable act she committed one summer night could change the course of her life forever.


My Review: 

A must read book.

An emotional story of a recovering alcoholic, Cat has lived a life that she doesn’t often remember when she is drinking.  Cat and all of her friends used to enjoy going out after work for drinks.  But Cat can’t stop at just one drink.  Often this lead to nights spent with different men and mornings filled with regret and hangovers. 

When Cat’s mother drops the bomb on her about her biological father, she sets off from London to the island of Nantucket to meet her father and sisters.  Things don’t go as planned.  Her father is great, but he also drinks too much.  She gets along with one sister, but the other doesn’t want anything to do with her.  Things really change when Cat gets drunk one night.  She is sent home and not to return. 

When Cat meets Jason, he is the one to convince her to get help.  She stays sober until her daughter Annie is born.  When the drinking begins again, Cat spirals out of control and this time it’s worse than ever. 

When Cat finally seeks help again, she wants to go back to Nantucket to make amends with her sisters.  Will they accept her apology or has the damage already been done? 

A friend recommended this book and said it would speak to me.  Boy was she right. 

There are so many parts that I could totally relate to which kept me reading late into the night.  It is a wonderful story of family relationships and love and loss with the beautiful island of Nantucket thrown in.  

Thank you to Melissa Amster at Chick Lit Central for the recommendation!   

http://www.chicklitcentral.com/

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His Love (Summer in New York Book 3) by Jennifer Gracen Review

Synopsis:

 Toni Westmore doesn’t do relationships. She has a demanding boss at her high end Soho art gallery job and an even more difficult and critical mother – who needs the mess of a relationship?

Enter Irish Doctor Gavin McKinnon, her friend’s brother, also known as the perfect summer fling: tall, muscled, smart, funny, definitely ready for a good time and stamped with an expiration date. He’ll go back to Ireland and his family medical practice in a few weeks and she’ll return to her real world and plan her next career move.

Gavin’s in town not only to visit his sister, but to try and heal his broken heart. He gets a little help when Toni, his sister’s friend and roommate, enters the picture. Inexplicably drawn to her, Gavin tries to remind himself to look but not touch, but Toni is hard to resist… and when she offers him a no strings fling, how could he say no?

But as Gavin’s departure date looms, Toni realizes that her sexy summer fling is anything but. And she was sure she could kiss Gavin goodbye with no regrets…

Will she attempt to break their no strings rule? Or will Gavin leave Long Island without looking back?



My Review: 

What happens when a summer fling turns into something much more?

Gavin McKinnon has traveled from Ireland to Long Island to spend some time with his sister at the beach house.  He wants to relax and have some fun before he starts the next phase of his career, becoming a pediatrician.  He didn't expect to fall in love with one of his sister's roommates.

Toni Westmore is stuck at a job that she hates.  She isn't much more than a glorified errand girl at the art gallery.  Her personal life isn't much more exciting either. She doesn't do relationships anymore because she is afraid they will end badly.  She fears men will turn out like her last controlling boyfriend.  But when she meets Gavin, she is more than ready for a summer fling.

When the fling turns to love, it's more than either of them bargained for.  How will their relationship work out if they don't even live in the same country?

This is a perfect escape in a book.  All of the characters were well defined and each scene flowed into the next really well.  It was a beautifully written story.