Book Review: Growing Up Beautiful


Star, Joanne and Casey are three girls who have absolutely nothing in common except for their desire to make it big as models in Milan in the one month they have there with an agency.

Star, who is foul-mouthed, occasionally obnoxious but probably has a kind heart deep down inside, has an additional agenda: to find her prince charming: a loaded rich man who can take care of her and her mother, and take them out from the slum life they were living back in the US. Too bad her attitude keeps her from getting jobs and the man she thinks is her financial savior has one too many secrets to hide.

Casey, naive and gullible, is so overwhelmed by everything, she can’t tell the difference between right and wrong, even when right (as in Mr. Right) is standing right in front of her.

Joanne, who has a Ivy League education waiting for her back home, is quickly the favorite at the agency and gets all the jobs everyone wants – and the photographer they all lust over too. Now that she’s in love with him as much as he’s loved her since the first time he saw her behind his lens, she can’t decide: should she stay in Milan and change the entire course of her life, or go back and lead the path her parents set out for her?

Growing Up Beautiful showcases the story behind the glitz and glamour of the world of modeling. This debut novel by Lori Jones features the raw, hard truth of what happens off the runway and off the pages of the glossy magazines, like only a true insider could tell. It’s certainly a page-turner, although some scenes were quite short and tended to jump to the next scene rather quickly. All in all, an enjoyable read for those who have always wondered about the world of modeling.

Lori Jones had a sixteen year modeling career from 1981 through 1997. Her career began after graduating from the Barbizon School of Modeling and signing on with the Wilhelmina Agency in Los Angeles. Bookings included runway, print for magazines, catalogs, TV commercials, and an album cover for Kool and the Gang's Ladies Night. Lori moved to Milan in 1982 and modeled in Milan, Germany and Spain over the next five years. Always interested in writing, she kept journals of her work experiences, which included her extensive travels throughout Europe and Africa, and the people she met along the way. Growing Up Beautiful is a fictional account of how three young models grow up in the foreign world of fashion in the 1980’s.

Book Review: Pushover


Dani Wilder is about to open her first restaurant in the same Los Angeles location where a murder occurred. As if that doesn’t add enough stress to her life, she also learns that her seemingly perfect boyfriend, Jack, was engaged to Rebecca, the woman who was accused of the murder. When Rebecca returns to town, everything changes. Her conniving behavior threatens Dani’s new restaurant and ruins Dani’s relationship with Jack. Will Dani stand up for herself and take matters into her own hands or be a pushover? 

Pushover is an intriguing novel with enough mystery to keep readers guessing throughout. Mayer does a great job of developing the characters as the story progresses. However, the backstory and flashbacks are overwhelming at times and really take away from the present story. Mayer’s descriptions are wonderfully detailed, but there are also sections that are overly descriptive with unnecessary background information that could have been cut. More dialogue would allow readers to experience the action unfolding rather than being told about it. Aside from these issues, Mayer is a gifted writer with tremendous potential. Pushover will appeal to readers looking for women’s fiction with mystery, suspense, drama, and romance. 

Laurel Mayer has been in the field of marketing communications for more than a decade. She loves the craft of writing whether it is fiction or marketing copy. Laurel studied English literature and journalism at Boston University. Now she lives outside of Boston with her husband and three sons. Pushover is her self-published debut novel. She is currently working on her next novel. To learn more, you can visit her website and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

Book Review: Destined to Fail


With an intriguing title like Destined to Fail, it’s obviously impossible to expect this story to be light and breezy. Destined to Fail is a strong tale of survival and courage packed with emotions and baggage. It is a novel that is hard to put down. Jasmine, or JJ to her friends and family, welcomes readers into her world of chaos. To simply say that her life has been tough is the understatement of the decade. Between getting over her past that includes physical and emotional abuse, battling addiction (not hers though, but it was equally difficult), and an absent father, and trying to cope with the challenges of the present (losing her best friend, financial turmoil, and having to deal with an unplanned pregnancy), it is amazing that she hasn't gone completely insane. Apart from her way-too-perfect boyfriend Nate, her life is a complete and utter mess. But JJ is wise beyond her years and has strength and determination that keeps her going. Her ability to forgive and her concern for the safety and happiness of her friends are admirable characteristics that everyone could learn from.

There were certain elements of the story that could have been better. For example, there were a few sentences that could have been more elaborate to get the reader even more invested into the story. Also, a few more hints about her abusive past could have been added a bit earlier in the story. But these are little things that do not affect the strength of the story at all. It is possible to look past all these things because the underlying message is so much stronger. In this debut novel, writer Samantha March opens up a world filled with what should be anger, frustration, bitterness and insanity, but in the form of formidable strength and friendship. This strong tale is the perfect illustration of how people can rise above the past, no matter how painful, and leave behind all the drama to make the ultimate choice to move on and create a better future for themselves. Samantha presented a well-written, emotional and compelling story, one that all women should read and recommend to others. Girlfriends, go ahead and give it a read!

Samantha March fell in love with books at a young age thanks to her mother and grandmother, both avid readers. In high school, Samantha excelled in writing courses but took what she considered the practical route and enrolled in a business college where she graduated with honors in 2009. However, her thoughts of writing never dissolved. In October of 2009, Samantha started the book blog Chick Lit Plus where she met fellow readers and writers who pushed her to continue her goal of becoming published. Her self-published debut novel, Destined to Fail, is available now as an eBook and will be available in paperback in November. Samantha currently lives in West Des Moines, Iowa, with her boyfriend.

Book Review: A Scottish Ferry Tale


In A Scottish Ferry Tale, main character Cassie Wrentham travels to Scotland to visit her boyfriend who lives there. When she arrives abroad, she discovers that their relationship is over. He is no longer interested, but didn’t bother to tell her before she flew thousands of miles to see him. Feeling broken hearted and unwilling to head right back home, Cassie takes a ferry to a bed and breakfast. She meets Ralph who she has an instant connection with. He is much older than her and she eventually finds out that his family owns the bed and breakfast where she is staying. This allows Cassie to get to know Ralph better since she sees him around a lot. As their friendship grows into something more, Cassie is unsure if she should stay in Scotland to pursue a relationship with Ralph or if she should go back home and try to forget about this new yet uncertain romance.  

This novel is a likeable, quick read. Cassie is an honest character with flaws and insecurities that she tries to work through to get back on her feet again after her breakup. The story is very descriptive but has a bit too much back story to start out with. The relationship between Cassie and Ralph seems forced at times and the age difference is like the elephant in the room that is never delved into or addressed the way it could have been. Overall, Cassie’s journey to finding herself and finding true happiness is a worthwhile pursuit. A Scottish Ferry Tale is a solid debut from a writer who has great potential. There is sincerity in her writing that is refreshing and engaging. 

Nancy Volkers lives in Vermont with her family. In addition to being a writer, she is an editor and a website manager. She grew up in New York and went on to attend Drew University, Stanford University, and the University of Minnesota, completing two degrees. Nancy has written two novels, A Scottish Ferry Tale and Scotland by Starlight, and she is working on her next novel. For more information, please visit http://nancyvolkers.webs.com. 
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What do you think of this review? Have you read A Scottish Ferry Tale?

If you are interested in another women's fiction novel that takes place in Scotland, you can also check out Swept Off Her Feet by Hester Browne. 

Book Review: A Life That Fits


When twenty eight year old business analyst Andrea comes home from a work trip, she is shocked to find out that her longtime boyfriend, Alex, is leaving her for another woman who is Andrea’s opposite. Her plan for her life is turned completely upside down as she tries to figure out ways to get him back. Andrea can’t imagine her life without Alex and thinks becoming a new, opposite version of herself is the way to win his heart again. As she makes changes in her life for the wrong reasons, she starts to discover what is actually right for her life. She finds change to be challenging at first, but she eventually enjoys the new activities that she is doing and likes the new people she meets. Andrea creates a different life for herself that may or may not include Alex.

In A Life That Fits, the characters’ lives are successfully woven together to create a good amount of drama. Andrea is a woman who basically needs to start over after her fourteen year relationship ends. She doesn’t realize it at first, but the end of this relationship is the best thing to happen to her. It allows her to embark on a new path that will allow her to address her insecurities and move past them to a better version of herself. The story delves into romantic relationships, friendships, and workplace issues as Andrea figures out who really belongs in her life. The pacing of this novel is a bit slow at times and Andrea’s choices can be frustrating to those who want her to open her eyes quicker and see what a jerk Alex really is. Overall, this novel may not wow readers, but it does have a good message that can be inspiring for some to make changes in their own lives.

Heather Wardell has always created stories in her head but didn't consider becoming a writer initially. She planned on becoming a high school music teacher but ended up at a major Canadian bank as a software developer for several years before she went back to school to become an elementary school teacher. After teaching for four years, Heather participated in the National Novel Writing Month challenge and successfully wrote a novel in a month, realizing her love of writing. She left teaching and hasn’t looked back since. When Heather isn’t writing, she reads, runs, swims, crochets, takes care of her fifty five gallon aquarium and her cat Trinity, and plays drums and clarinet. To learn more about Heather and her novels, please visit www.heatherwardell.com and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.  
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What do you think of this review? Have you read any of Heather Wardell's novels?