It's Monday, What are you Reading?

Another crazy work week and a semi busy weekend.  We celebrated Valentine's on Friday for many reasons, so the actual day of Valentine I spent with the pups curled up reading!

A meme hosted by Sheila at BookJourney. 

Finished this past week:

The Forgetting Place by John Burley
The Curvy Girls Club by Michele Gorman
Twin Piques by Tracie Banister
Hush Hush by Laura Lippman
The Midwife of Hope River by Patricia Harman

Currently Reading:

The Reluctant Midwife by Patricia Harman

Next on the TBR pile:

How to Catch a Prince by Rachel Hauck

Review: The Lonely Hearts Club

The Lonely Hearts Club

by Brenda Janowitz

Publisher: Polis Books

Pages: 288

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Jo Waldman lives life to her own soundtrack—working for her father by day while pursuing her music career in NYC’s downtown clubs at night. Music is her passion, along with her boyfriend, Jesse, who shares her dreams of making it big. Jo's old band, The Lonely Hearts Club, came thisclose to getting a huge recording contract, and she’s just biding her time, waiting for lightning to strike twice. The music business is tough, but so is Jo.

So when Jo's father fires her and Jesse breaks up with her, Jo doesn’t get upset—she just wants to rage. Dusting off her computer, and typing in the familiar address for the Lonely Hearts Club's old blog, Jo writes an entry, pouring her heart out about the shortcomings of love. Nobody visits the site anymore, so it's a safe place for Jo to vent. Except that the site sends a mass e-mail to the entire Lonely Hearts mailing list, notifying them that there's a fresh message on the site, so now everybody she's ever met knows that Jo has been brutally dumped. All Jo wants to do is hide under the covers, but to her surprise, supportive comments start flowing in—most from screen names she doesn't even recognize. Jo soon becomes an icon for all things “anti-love.”

There's only one problem: the web programmer helping Jo with her anti-love site is too damned cute! Jo's never been very good at depriving herself of anything, but if the budding relationship with her web programmer is exposed, she'll be revealed as a total fraud and risk losing all of the people who have grown to love and trust her. So is it time to start singing love songs, or time to pick up the guitar and return to the hard rock that almost got The Lonely Hearts signed in the first place? Jo's got some big decisions to make, and it looks like she's going to have to take one step closer to doing something she never thought she'd do--becoming a grownup. 

Kritters Thoughts:  Jo is a daughter who has received quite a bit of help from her parents and at the time where the story begins  her father is ready to cut the strings and have her try to live on her own.  At the same time she has a boyfriend who wants other things in life - namely not her and her job situation is quite poor, so Jo must work on all areas in this book and hopefully come out on top!

First, I love that love wasn't the only speed bump in Jo's road of life - the job and family were also issues that she had to deal with.  I felt like the author perfectly combined all the dramas where nothing overshadowed the other, but it also didn't feel too dramatic. 

I also absolutely love all of the supporting characters they were fantastic and added so much to the book, but didn't take too much from the main story.   

This was a great chick lit with substance!  


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Ebook 2015 Challenge: 9 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from the author.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: He Texted

He Texted

by Lisa Winning

and Carrie Henderson-McDermott

Publisher: Gallery Books

Pages: 272

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  As Glamour magazine writes, There are two types of women in the world: 1) Women who've gotten a vague or confusing text message from their crush and analyzed how to respond for hours with their girlfriends (But what does this mean?and 2) Liars.  Today, where everyone is plugged into social media 24/7, lines are blurred and a ton of new confusion exists about whether or not a guy is into you. As any woman who's recently been on a date knows, no one leaves home without his or her phone, and it is literally on the table or in use at some point on every date. So how can women use social media and texting to their advantage and suss out his true feelings?  He Texted is here to clear up any mysteries about texting, friending, following, liking, LOLing, and poking that have become commonplace in the smartphone era.

Founders of HeTexted.com Lisa Winning and Carrie Henderson McDermott and their stable of;Bros go through the most common and confusing romantic cyber situations using actual text exchanges. Offering concrete advice, they'll explain what's really going on in each scenario on a practical and emotional level, lay down a verdict about the guy's intentions, and establish clear-cut rules for any present and future conduct. Hilarious and helpful in equal measure, this is the book that everyone who texts, Tweets, or uses Facebook should own.

Kritters Thoughts:  Are you currently in the dating pool or have recently re-entered?  This book is a must read!  

As an "old" married lady, I am not currently in the dating pool and have been out of it for awhile, so this book completely intrigued me.  I am not too old that texting was happening when I was dating and facebook was around - not like it is now, but social media and things have changed a bit since I left the dating world.  More or less, I read this book just intrigued by the things that women and men face with the ability to google one's potential date and find out basically their whole life story from a few clicks.  I love that this book was set up almost from the start of a relationship to the possible end and how one should act through each stage with men giving their thoughts also.  


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Gallery Books.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: New Uses for Old Boyfriends

New Uses for Old Boyfriends

by Beth Kendrick

Publisher: NAL Trade

Pages: 336

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  After growing up in privilege and marrying into money, Lila Alders has gotten used to the good life. But when her happily-ever-after implodes, Lila must return to Black Dog Bay, the tiny seaside town where she grew up. She’s desperate for a safe haven, but everything has changed over the past ten years. Her family’s fortune is gone—and her mother is in total denial. It’s up to Lila to take care of everything...but she can barely take care of herself.

The former golden girl of Black Dog Bay struggles to reinvent herself by opening a vintage clothing boutique. But even as Lila finds new purpose for outdated dresses and tries to reunite with her ex, she realizes that sometimes it’s too late for old dreams. She’s lost everything she thought she needed but found something—someone—she desperately wants. A boy she hardly noticed has grown up into a man she can’t forget...and a second chance has never felt so much like first love. 



Kritters Thoughts:  Lila returns home to Black Dog Bay after a nasty divorce and a speedbump in her career.  She finds her mom struggling to keep herself afloat in Lila's childhood home.  They have to quickly find a solution to their money and directionless lives - a boutique is the right idea.

Lila was a great character from the beginning - a go getter who is going to find the solution for whatever problem comes her way.  I loved that her mom was her sidekick, made for a different read.  I also loved the love storyline, it was different and unexpected, some may say predictable, but it is still different than the genre norm.  I read this in one sitting and absolutely love Beth Kendrick.

This is a companion book to A Cure for the Common Breakup, so I would suggest reading that one first because you will get introduced to characters that make an appearance in this book.  I wouldn't mind another companion after this one!


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from BookSparks PR.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: The Secret of Midwives

The Secret of Midwives

by Sally Hepworth

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Pages: 320

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  The story of three generations of women devoted to delivering new life into the world—and the secrets they keep that threaten to change their own lives forever. Neva Bradley, a third-generation midwife, is determined to keep the details surrounding her own pregnancy—including the identity of the baby’s father— hidden from her family and co-workers for as long as possible. Her mother, Grace, finds it impossible to let this secret rest. For Floss, Neva’s grandmother and a retired midwife, Neva’s situation thrusts her back 60 years in time to a secret that eerily mirrors her granddaughter’s—a secret which, if revealed, will have life-changing consequences for them all. Will these women reveal their secrets and deal with the inevitable consequences? Or are some secrets best kept hidden?


Kritters Thoughts:  Three generations of women and three generations of midwives all take turns to tell the story from their own points of view.  Each has something they are dealing with during the course of the book and they could each help the other through it.  

Neva the daughter and grand-daughter is pregnant and is not dealing with who the father of her baby really is.  I loved that her storyline intertwined the family job as midwives with the drama that she is dealing with.  Grace also has mid life crisis level of drama that she has to deal with and it involves her livelihood and her marriage.  Neva the oldest generation has been holding on to a secret that will both hurt and help Grace and Neva, but it takes everything in her to reveal it.  

As I have said in generational books before - I love how one generations decisions impact the next and maybe without them even knowing it.  It was really interesting to read the flashbacks of Neva and see the similarities between her story and Floss'.  I loved how each woman had their own individual story, but none overshadowed the others and instead they all complimented each other.

I absolutely adored this book - read it in just two sittings.  I am a new fan of Sally Hepworth and will be watching out for her next thing!


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from St Martin's Press.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: Girl Before a Mirror by Liza Palmer

Girl Before a Mirror

by Liza Palmer

Publisher: William Morrow

Pages: 384

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  An account executive in a Mad Men world, Anna Wyatt is at a crossroads. Recently divorced, she’s done a lot of emotional housecleaning, including a self-imposed dating sabbatical. But now that she’s turned forty, she’s struggling to figure out what her life needs. Brainstorming to win over an important new client, she discovers a self-help book—Be the Heroine, Find Your Hero—that offers her unexpected insights and leads her to a most unlikely place: a romance writers’ conference. If she can sign the Romance Cover Model of the Year Pageant winner for her campaign—and meet the author who has inspired her to take control of her life—she’ll win the account. 

For Anna, taking control means taking chances, including getting to know Sasha, her pretty young colleague on the project, and indulging in a steamy elevator ride with Lincoln Mallory, a dashing financial consultant she meets in the hotel. When the conference ends, Anna and Lincoln must decide if their intense connection is strong enough to survive outside the romantic fantasy they’ve created. Yet Lincoln is only one of Anna’s dilemmas. Now that her campaign is off the ground, others in the office want to steal her success, and her alcoholic brother, Ferdie, is spiraling out of control. 

To have the life she wants-to be happy without guilt, to be accepted for herself, to love and to be loved, to just be—she has to put herself first, accept her imperfections, embrace her passions, and finally be the heroine of her own story.

Kritters Thoughts:  Anna Wyatt has been working at an ad agency and has been looking for the next big project and finds it and pursues it with all of her self.  At the same time, she is trying to be the rock for her family and do all of the things for her friends.  She has always put others first and through the story finds the balance of putting herself first sometimes.

One thing I absolutely loved about this book was the "love story" aspect of this book wasn't the focus.  This woman has to focus on her family and her career first before she can get back into the love game - it is nice to see a story that doesn't have love at the center.  

For me this book felt long for the content that it had, I felt like it dragged a little and could have been cut a little.  There is a turning point at the end and I would have loved for it to come sooner and had more story after that moment (vague but don't want to spoil!)  

Although this may not be my favorite Liza Palmer book, I will still be on the lookout for her next thing.


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from TLC Book Tours.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: My Father's Wives by Mike Greenberg

My Father's Wives

by Mike Greenberg

Publisher: William Morrow

Pages: 304

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Jonathan Sweetwater has been blessed with money, a fulfilling career, great kids and Claire, his smart, gorgeous, sophisticated wife. But there is one thing Jonathan never had: a relationship with his father.

Percival Sweetwater III has been absent from his son’s life since Jonathan was nine years old. A five-term U.S. senator, now dead, Percy was beloved by presidents, his constituents, and women alike, especially the five women who married him after Jonathan’s mother.

Jonathan hasn’t thought about Percy or the hole he left in his life for years. Dedicated to Claire and his family, he’s nothing like his serial monogamist father. But then Jonathan discovers evidence that everything in his marriage may not be as perfect as he thought. Hurt and uncertain what to do, he knows that the only way to move forward is to go back.

On this quest for understanding—about himself, about manhood, about marriage—Jonathan decides to track down his father’s five ex-wives. His journey will take him from cosmopolitan cities to the mile-high mountains to a tropical island—and ultimately back to confront the one thing Jonathan has that his father never did: home. 


Kritters Thoughts:  Jonathan Sweetwater is a successful businessman and has what seems like the perfect life - pretty wife, two kids and the good job.  Until one day.  This day sends him on a journey to figure out his dad and where he really came from.  

Having a dad who is both famous and has had quite a few wives must be interesting, especially for a male.  I enjoyed that he went on this journey to start at the beginning and go through the wives (even some that he had never met) to find out more about this father that has deceased.  His father left when he was nine and hasn't been in his life since so this is definitely a journey to find out the man that his father became after he left his mother.  I loved that each visit with each wife was brief but very impactful and that he learned about both the wives and the man his father was with each of them.

I am a fan of Mike Greenberg and the way he writes characters.  Their journeys and things they need to find to better themselves are just good.  The last novel was from a woman's point of view and was fantastic - but I loved hearing him write a man's voice.  

This is my second Mike Greenberg and I am officially a fan and will read anything he writes!


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from William Morrow.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

It's Monday, What are you Reading?

With a day off in the middle of the week and a semi quiet weekend, it made for some good reading times.  

A meme hosted by Sheila at BookJourney. 

Finished this past week:

Changing Everything by Molly McAdams
The Long and Faraway Gone by Lou Berney
Caught Dead by Andrew Lanh
The Swimmer by Joakim Zander
One Wish by Robyn Carr

Currently Reading:
The Forgetting Place by John Burley

Next on the TBR pile:

The Curvy Girls Club by Michele Gorman

Review: Unbecoming by Rebecca Scherm

Unbecoming

by Rebecca Scherm

Publisher: Viking Adult

Pages: 320

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  On the grubby outskirts of Paris, Grace restores bric-a-brac, mends teapots, re-sets gems. She calls herself Julie, says she’s from California, and slips back to a rented room at night. Regularly, furtively, she checks the hometown paper on the Internet. Home is Garland, Tennessee, and there, two young men have just been paroled. One, she married; the other, she’s in love with. Both were jailed for a crime that Grace herself planned in exacting detail. The heist went bad—but not before she was on a plane to Prague with a stolen canvas rolled in her bag. And so, in Paris, begins a cat-and-mouse waiting game as Grace’s web of deception and lies unravels—and she becomes another young woman entirely.


Kritters Thoughts:  An art heist and a love triangle make this book quite an interesting read.  Grace grew up in a small Tennessee town and has been tied to one boy her whole life, but there has been another she has thought of also.  Alls and Riley are the two boys that in different ways have driven her crazy - crazy enough to leave Tennessee and head to Paris.  

The book is broken into sections between the present moment in Paris and the past in Tennessee.  I appreciated getting both present moments and the past, the reader needed the details of the past to really know Grace and the boys.  I felt like the author included the perfect amount of present and past in the same book.

Grace tells her entire story and conveniently works with someone in Paris who also has a shady past and who she assumes she can confide in.  I sort of fell in like with Hanna - not love, but surely like.  I wouldn't mind a novella or something with Hanna and maybe even starting with her side of their story and after (no spoilers!).  

I thought it was definitely an interesting book, but there were some moments where I did not like Grace at all.  Sometimes I find it fun to dislike a character, but this wasn't that time.  She got a little repetitive and I wanted her to find self confidence and I felt like instead of getting stronger; she was melting down during the story.  


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Viking/Penguin.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: Dirty Rush by Taylor Bell

Dirty Rush

by Taylor Bell

Publisher: Gallery Books

Pages: 272

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Rebecca Martinson—yes, that bitch—the former Delta Gamma sister responsible for the scathing, expletive-filled email that verbally assaulted her entire chapter for being “so f**king boring” at social functions, and threatened to “c*nt punt” every last one of them if their behavior didn’t shape up. Dirty Rush is a no-holds-barred look at what really happens when you “go Greek.”

Taylor Bell comes from a long line of Beta Zeta sorority sisters, who all expect her to pledge upon starting at the university. But Taylor has other plans: she’s determined to give her family the proverbial middle finger and destroy the rich tradition they hold so dear by eschewing sorority life altogether. However, Taylor’s resolve soon melts when she falls in with a group of hilarious, ultra-saucy girls, who introduce her to all things Greek and soften her to the idea of joining. Resigned to the fate the Greek gods have dealt her, Taylor pledges Beta Zeta and embarks on a collegiate career filled with the kind of carousing sure to make any sorority sister proud.

Soon, Taylor’s experience as a BZ starts to feel like a jacked-up, drug-infused, and X-rated fairy tale—especially when reality comes crashing down and a rather lewd sex tape is leaked. The girl in the video looks a lot like Taylor. Has Taylor gone off the deep end? Or is someone trying to frame her? Unless she can prove her innocence and re-ingratiate herself with the sisters who’ve accused her of leaking the video in a Kim Kardashian–style bid for attention, Taylor is at risk of losing everything she’s fought (partied) so hard for. 


Kritters Thoughts:  Taylor is a freshmen at college and may be from a "legacy" family, but she is not thinking about joining a sorority and has other things in mind for her college years.  Her plan goes on the back burner and real fast - with one invitation to a fraternity party and she is roped into the sorority life and the drama soon follows.

It took awhile, but the story definitely ended up with some substance and plot - but took a little too much time for me.  I ended up loving how her sister a former BZ got into the story and how those interactions played into the story - they became my favorite parts.  

I chose not to enter the greek world while in college due to the time commitments to my major and other organizations, so I was intrigued by this book to see the behind the scenes and the truth.  I really feel like the author showed the good, the bad and the ugly and I am glad for that - I appreciated the honesty.  

I don't mind language, but the amount of cursing in this book was crazy!  It was distracting and I wish there had been less - it would have made for better reading (or so I think).  If you can overlook quite a bit of language and love to reminisce the college days then this book would be right up your alley.


Rating: enjoyable, but didn't leave me wanting more

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Gallery Books.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: The Orphan Sky by Ella Leya

The Orphan Sky

by Ella Leya

Publisher: Sourcebooks

Pages: 368

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Set at the crossroads of Turkish, Persian and Russian cultures under the red flag of Communism in the late 1970s, The Orphan Sky reveals one woman’s struggle to reconcile her ideals with the corrupt world around her, and to decide whether to betray her country or her heart. 

Leila is a young classical pianist who dreams of winning international competitions and bringing awards to her beloved country Azerbaijan. She is also a proud daughter of the Communist Party. When she receives an assignment from her communist mentor to spy on a music shop suspected of traitorous Western influences, she does it eagerly, determined to prove her worth to the Party.

But Leila didn’t anticipate the complications of meeting Tahir, the rebellious painter who owns the music shop. His jazz recordings, abstract art, and subversive political opinions crack open the veneer of the world she's been living in. Just when she begins to fall in love with both the West and Tahir, her comrades force her to make an impossible choice. 


Kritters Thoughts:  An interesting story that took me out of my normal reading comfort zone and into another country.  Leila is a talented pianist who dreams of traveling her country and neighboring countries to play and compete, but with the onset of Communism she may not be able to fulfill her dreams.

A love triangle, with political going ons made this book so interesting.  Even though the setting was completely different for me, Leila was easily to get attached to and to fall in love with how she was living in her world.  

With not knowing much about Azerbaijan and their history with Communism, I took this book as more than just literary fiction, but also historical fiction and was able to learn a little bit about somewhere I have never been.  

If 2015 is your year to read more diversely, this is perfect for that resolution.


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Penguin Sourcebooks.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.