Showing posts with label chick-lit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chick-lit. Show all posts

Thursday, February 12, 2015

[Book Review] Stealing Marilyn Monroe by Sophie Warren

Stealing Marilyn MonroeStealing Marilyn Monroe
by
Juliet Chadwick has it all—a job at a New York art gallery, a great boyfriend, and a long-term career in the family business: theft. But unlike her father, Juliet plays it safe, sticking to small-time art heists and always covering her tracks. Until one day when her father’s creditors show up, demanding that she pay off his debts—or else.

And so Juliet comes up with a desperate plan, the greatest con she’s ever attempted: She’s going to steal Andy Warhol’s famous portrait of Marilyn Monroe from bachelor billionaire Edward Aster. All she’ll have to do is pose as the Aster family’s new nanny until she can get her hands on the painting. How hard can it be?

But all too quickly, Juliet finds herself falling in love with Edward’s children, and maybe even with Edward himself. Can she bring herself to pull off the ultimate theft—if it means stealing from a man who’s stolen her heart?
 
 
"Painting and sculpture, labor and good faith, have been my ruin and I go continually from bad to worse. Better it would have been for me if I set myself to making matches in my youth! I should not be in such distress of mind.." - Michelangelo


Personally, Chick Lit is one of the categories that is a little tricky for me. I could either love it or find it so silly & unrealistic that continuing the story itself could feel like the waste of my existence. Stealing Marilyn Monroe was definitely on my good side. Actually, scratch that. I LOVED IT!!!

The cover definitely caught my attention first. Then after reading the summary itself, I was definitely intrigued with its promise. Juliet Chadwick was very likable and even though she was a thief, she did it for the love of art and not just to make money. Her whole apartment was filled with art pieces that she stole from previous galleries but only because she knew they would not appreciate them the way they're supposed to be appreciated.

When she gets threatened for large amount of money in exchange of her father's life, she puts together a heist by pretending to be a nanny of three children of a multimillionaire Edward. All would need to be done is watch the kids and figure out if his art is secured so she can take it. But she never thought that loving the kids would be an option and ultimately, falling for their dad.

Although the story was a little cliché and could be viewed as silly, I actually thought it was a light read & still very entertaining. It kind of reminded me of the show Nanny that I still watch sometimes besides the whole I'm-Going-to-Steal-Your-Art type of deal.


The story flowed very well and I loved the children and how they acted with their dad and Juliet herself. And the ending might have been somewhat silly, it was that grand finish that many stand alone novels have & I am very happy with.
 

Monday, July 28, 2014

[Book Review + Giveaway] Wild Iris Ridge by RaeAnne Thayne

Wild Iris Ridge (Hope's Crossing, #7)Wild Iris Ridge
by 
Lucy Drake and Brendan Caine have only one thing in common… 

And it's likely to tear them apart. Because it was Brendan's late wife, Jessie—and Lucy's best friend—who'd brought them together in the first place. And since Jesse's passing, Brendan's been distracted by his two little ones…and the memory of an explosive kiss with Lucy years before his marriage. Still, he'll steer clear of her. She's always been trouble with a capital T. 

Lucy couldn't wait to shed her small-town roots for the big city. But now that she's back in Hope's Crossing to take care of the Queen Anne home her late aunt has left her, she figures seeing Brendan Caine again is no big deal. After all, she'd managed to resist the handsome fire chief once before, but clearly the embers of their attraction are still smoldering…


Wild Iris Ridge book tour and review at savingsinseconds.com


I love stories of the forbidden love. The kind where you know you have someone amazing but can't stop thinking about what could have been... Wild Iris Ridge was that story. With Brendan's wife passing, he has been thinking about Lucy more and more. But just thinking about her being his wife's best friend makes it more complicated than it should be. 

From the beginning, I feel under the charm of this story. Light and charming read, this was a perfect contemporary/chick lit novel that I wouldn't mind reading on the beach. The friendship that Lucky and Brendan had was very refreshing and I loved that they honored Jessie and felt that it was wrong to get together. The town that the author created was a place where I wouldn't mind living. It was the place that made me lose myself. 

ARC was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.



Best-selling author RaeAnne ThayneUSA TODAY bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne loves words. This led her to a fifteen-year career in journalismas a newspaper reporter and editor. But through it all, she dreamed of writing the kind of stories she loved best, romance, and has since published more than 40 titles. RaeAnne finds inspiration in the rugged northern Utah mountains, where she lives with her hero of a husband and their children. She loves to hear from readers!  You can reach RaeAnne through her website, RaeAnneThayne.com.

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Wednesday, May 28, 2014

[Book Review] Here's Looking At You by Mhairi McFarlane

Here’s Looking At YouHere's Looking At You
by 

What if the last person you wanted to see was the person you needed?

Here's Looking At You is, in essence, an ugly duckling tale. Our heroine Anna returns to school after fifteen years for a reunion. School doesn't hold happy memories for her, as being a roly poly Italian (known as the Italian Galleon), and always armed with a Tupperware full of pungent Mediterranean food, she was bullied incessantly throughout her years there.

Now in her 30s, Anna wants to put the past behind her once and for all and face up to the bullies who made her life hell. But she is much-changed from the girl she once was - all curves and because I'm worth it hair - and no one recognizes her when she arrives. Losing her cool, she backs out on her plan for revenge and slinks off, hoping never to be reminded of her years at school again.

But fate gets in the way, and after the reunion her path keeps crossing with James - major hunk and Anna's major crush back at school. But alas, as a crony to the bullies, Anna to this day believes that his beautiful exterior hides an ugly interior. As they continue to cross paths a love/hate relationship ensues until eventually something shifts, and they both start to discover what the person underneath is really like…

Full of laugh out loud humor, Here's Looking At You is a novel about facing your demons and being happy with who you really are.




From the very beginning, Here's Looking At You seemed like a complete cliche when the bullied high school girl meets the guy that bullied her at a reunion, they fall in love and everyone is happy. & in a way, it is the actual story of the book. However, I must give credit to this book because it is a lot more than just a simple chick-lit story. It's funny, witty, & even though it's quiet predictable, it's definitely a fun read. 

Our main herione is Anna who is... CAN YOU GUESS? Yes! Was bullied in high school. She was overweight and of course with that comes low self-esteem and a complete miserable high school experience. But all the years later, she now has a great job, a lot of amazing friends, and even though her love life might suck a little bit, she has a very optimistic personality. 

The love interest that's presented in this book is James - your typical jock who bullied girls in high school but have changed throughout the years. I wasn't too attractive to his characters in the beginning just because I couldn't connect with what he represented but he definitely was a good fit for Anna. 

Overall, this was a great read and even though (again) it was a little cliche, I'm glad I picked this up and discovered this author. It takes a slow turn in the beginning and might take awhile to get into the story but if you have time or want something light - this is the book for you!


ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mhairi McFarlane _AUTHOR PHOTO

Mhairi McFarlane was born in Scotland in 1976, and has been explaining how to pronounce her name ever since (MH=V sound!). She is the author of You Had Me At Hello, and is based in Nottingham where she’s a freelance writer and blogger. You can follow her on Twitter: @MhairiMcF.