Book Review: Blow Me


*This review is part of Lennie Ross's blog tour hosted by CLP Blog Tours.

Blow Me takes place in Los Angeles and follows the lives of three women in their late thirties and early forties. Skye, Dawn, and Chloe have somehow become friends, despite not having much in common other than their single status. Skye is an executive assistant who loses her job and burns down her apartment, forcing her to live out of her car. Dawn is a matchmaker at a dating service but has yet to find the man of her dreams. She isn’t exactly sure she wants to have children but worries about being childless at her age, so she undergoes fertility treatments to keep her options open. Chloe is a struggling actress and a real estate agent who rarely makes a sale. Skye, Dawn, and Chloe are all desperate to find happiness and think that finding a man to marry will magically fix all of their problems. They must rely on each other to make it through aging and dating and make it out of a lifestyle they outgrew long ago.

This novel has moments of humor and fresh, compelling dialogue that will keep readers interested. However, the characters are not easy to relate to. Each woman is incredibly selfish, but Skye and Chloe are the most selfish. Dawn has some redeeming qualities but often behaves foolishly in pursuit of her own interests. Skye, Dawn, and Chloe are so self-absorbed that it becomes difficult to focus on the overall story. Their antics are ridiculous, making it hard to believe that these women are in their forties and hard to believe that their lives could be in so much chaos at their ages. They behave like teenagers. Blow Me shows how people can get so far into their lives without actually growing up at all. But what is encouraging is the good character arc for two out of the three women, proving that people can change and get their lives on track. The portrayal of Los Angeles as shallow is a bit too cliché. Blow Me is much racier than most chick lit and would be considered R-rated. Overall, this novel is a worthwhile look at the lives of middle aged women who still have a lot of growing up to do. It delves into the issues that face those who think they are doomed to be single forever.

Lennie Ross writes a blog on dating in Los Angeles called Lennie Ross Writes and works as a researcher, story editor, and story consultant for other screenwriters. Under a pseudonym, she wrote several screenplays for Playboy's now defunct film division, Indigo Entertainment. Her screenwriting credits include writing and hosting a documentary on asthma, writing, producing, and starring in her own sitcom pilot, and writing and starring in her own play, I Think I'm Falling In Love With You. Lennie wrote two episodes of the Japan-Canada co-production animation series, Cyber-Six, and has had several TV movies optioned. While pursuing a screenwriting career, Lennie has worked as a producer, talent agent and assistant casting director for about ten years. Blow Me is her first novel. 

For more information, please visit http://www.lennieross.com and connect with Lennie on Twitter and Facebook.
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Book Review: The Daughters Break the Rules

Carina Jurgensen, Lizzie Summers, and Hudson Jones are in their freshman year of high school and happen to be the daughters of very well known celebrities. They are trying to juggle school, disagreements with their parents, crushes, and the fame they were born with. The Daughters Break the Rules follows Carina, the daughter of a billionaire who is always too busy with work to take a real interest in her life. Since she is the only heir to her father's company, he demands that she work for him and give up the other activities that she loves like surfing. While working for her father, Carina anonymously leaks a scandal to the press involving her father and his charity, making it seem like he is a very dishonest man. He finds out what she did and cuts her off. No more credit cards, no iPhone, and a much lower allowance. Desperate to go on a snowboarding trip with her crush, she is determined to make money. Carina gets hired by one of the most popular girls at her school to plan New York's Silver Snowflake Ball. She only gets the job based on her father's A-list connections, none of which she can actually use. Carina must figure out a way to plan a party on a very limited budget while pretending to still be the wealthy heiress everyone knows her as, leading her down a path of deceit that could get her into a lot of trouble.

Lizzie is the daughter of a supermodel. Since she did not get her mother's conventional good looks, she feels awkward and uncomfortable whenever her picture is taken. When a YouTube video of her gains popularity and she is noticed by a photographer who thinks she is the new face of beauty, she decides to become a model like her mother, which she never expected. Hudson is the daughter of a pop icon and plans to also follow in her mother's footsteps by recording her own album, despite disagreements with her mother about what Hudson's album should sound like. Lizzie and Hudson take somewhat of a backseat to Carina's story in this installment of
The Daughters series. However, the unbreakable bond between these three best friends is still at the forefront of the novel as they navigate adolescence together. 

Readers of the first book in this series will definitely enjoy
The Daughters Break the Rules. It is fun to see another side to the friendship between these girls when the spotlight is put on Carina's life. This allows readers to see how the girls interact and how they affect each other from a different point of view. It also gives readers a look at another family, showing Carina's relationship with her father and her estranged mother. Even though Carina, Lizzie, and Hudson are surrounded by fame and fortune, the issues that they face are easy to relate to whether you are in high school now or remember what it was like when you were. Philbin portrays teens with such ease, honesty and believability in this delightful novel.

The Daughters Break the Rules
is the follow-up to Joanna Philbin's debut novel, The Daughters. The next two books in The Daughters series are The Daughters Take the Stage, available now, and the final installment, The Daughters Join the Party, which will be published in November. Philbin is the daughter of television host Regis Philbin. She grew up in New York City and went on to receive a BA from Brown University. After graduating, Philbin worked at Seventeen, The Rosie O’Donnell Show, and Miramax Films. She then completed the MFA program at the University of Notre Dame. She currently lives in Los Angeles with her pug Edie. For more information, please visit http://joannaphilbin.com, Twitter, and Facebook.
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To read Nancy's review of The Daughters, please click here.

Book Review: Crossed Wires

Nancy's Review of Crossed Wires by Rosy Thornton

Mina Heppenstall and Peter Kendrick first meet over the phone. Peter has a minor car accident and must call his insurance company. Mina files his claim. There is an instant connection between them, despite having never met or knowing anything about each other besides Peter’s current predicament. Mina spends her days in the call center in Sheffield while Peter is a Cambridge geography professor. Their lives are very different, but they soon discover that they have more in common than they initially thought. Peter is widowed and has nine year old twin daughters. Mina is a single mother to a ten year old daughter. They start communicating regularly by phone, sharing parenting stories and providing much needed support and encouragement to each other. 

Crossed Wires is about a chance meeting that brings two people together when they least expect it. Peter and Mina are looking for companionship, but could it be that they got much more? Sometimes a seemingly unfortunate occurrence can be the start to something wonderful since you never know who you’ll meet.

This novel presents a realistic look at single parents who are trying to do the very best for their children while also seeking their own happiness. It’s an intelligent and original story that shows a more traditional approach to finding love. The characters are unique, but their hopes and struggles are universal. Crossed Wires is a modern day fairytale of accidental circumstances that lead to the unexpected. The pacing of this novel is excellent since it allows for a true friendship to form between Peter and Mina. It is a very enjoyable read. 

Rosy Thornton teaches at Emmanuel College, Cambridge. She lives in a village nearby with her partner, two young daughters, and spaniels. Rosy is also the author of Hearts and Minds, More Than Love Letters, and The Tapestry of Love. For more information, please visit http://rosythornton.com
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Book Review - Click: An Online Love Story

Nancy’s Review of Click: An Online Love Story by Lisa Becker

*This review is part of Lisa Becker's blog tour hosted by CLP Blog Tours.

Renee Greene is about to turn thirty years old and she’s looking for love. She decides to try online dating in search of her Mr. Right. Renee is reluctant at first but eventually meets most of the men who message her on the dating site she joins. Some of the guys give her hope for a lasting relationship while others are creepy, boring, arrogant and/or rude. She shares all of the details with her three best friends Shelley, Mark, and Ashley, seeking their advice and encouragement along the way. Click is told entirely in emails between Renee and her friends and the guys she dates. 

The story is truly unique in format. The emails allow readers to get to know the plot and the characters very well without being directly immersed into the action. At times, it would have been nice to experience what the characters were experiencing along with them rather than reading about what happened in their short summaries. That is the only minor drawback to a novel that is exclusively in emails. However, the emails in this novel are engaging and humorous. Renee’s foray into the world of online dating provides for many laugh-out-loud moments as she gives the recaps of her dates to her friends. Click: An Online Love Story is a quick, fun read with a modern approach to finding love.

Lisa Becker has endured her share of hilarious and awful dates with men she met through online dating, many of which inspired Click: An Online Love Story. She is now happily married to a wonderful man she met online and lives in Manhattan Beach with him and their two daughters. For more information, connect with Lisa through the book’s fan page on Facebook
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Book Review: A Girl Like You


A Girl Like You. Gemma BurgessAbigail Wood finds herself single again after breaking up with her boyfriend of seven and a half years when she finally realized that he was not right for her. She quickly discovers that she doesn’t quite know how to be single. Meeting and dating new men is incredibly stressful for her, which only adds to her fears of ending up alone. After moving out of the place she shared with her boyfriend, she moves in with Robert, a friend of her sister’s fiancé. At first, they don’t see much of each other since Robert is one of London’s biggest players. He’s always out and Abigail keeps to herself too, working and going out with friends in attempt to stay as busy as possible so she won’t dwell on her breakup or being single. But one night, Abigail comes home and joins Robert to watch TV. This is the beginning of their friendship and the beginning of Robert becoming somewhat of a dating coach to Abigail. He tells her what to do and what to say on all of her dates, helping her to relax and enjoy dating. When Abigail falls hard for one of Robert’s best friends, a lot of unexpected feelings come to the surface as Abigail tries to figure out who is really the right man for a girl like her.

Author Gemma Burgess writes with such wit and charm. Her novel includes a wonderful cast of supporting characters who bring Abigail’s world to life. The characters really jump off of the pages and seem like friends anyone could have in real life. The whole story is very realistic and believable. It is told in a fun, engaging way that makes this book very hard to put down. The first few pages before Chapter 1 will really draw readers in and make them wonder throughout the whole book which man is the one who shows up to rescue Abigail in Hong Kong and make them wonder why she’s even there and why she’s so upset. It is an excellent way to keep readers guessing from the very beginning. If you are looking for a book full of humor, drama, friendship, dating and love, then you should definitely pick up a copy of A Girl Like You.   

Gemma Burgess is also the author of The Dating Detox. She's currently working on a new book series titled Union Street for St. Martin’s Press. Gemma lives in Notting Hill. For more information about her and her novels, please visit http://www.gemmaburgess.com. You can also connect with Gemma on Twitter.  
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