Book Review: Swept Off Her Feet

Evie Nicholson is an antiques appraiser in London who loves the past. She works in a small shop with her annoying boss, Max, who is only concerned with money. Evie loves old items that tell a story and keep the memory of the owners alive, regardless of how much the items are worth. She feels like a fish out of water when it comes to her love for antiques, especially with her family. Her mother and her sister, Alice, are professional organizers who pride themselves on being neat, orderly, and practical. They believe de-cluttering and getting rid of old "junk" is the best thing to do. Needless to say, Evie does not exactly see eye to eye with her mother or Alice.

However, when Alice comes to Evie with the chance of a lifetime, Evie can't refuse. Alice's Scottish boyfriend Fraser's family is close friends with the McAndrews family, owners of Scottish castle Kettlesheer. As a favor to them, Evie accepts the chance to visit Kettlesheer for a week and appraise the items in their home. When Evie meets heir Robert McAndrew, they don't exactly hit it off, but he might be just the right person to cause her to reevaluate what she truly wants in life and to get over her secret crush on Fraser. As everyone prepares for a traditional Scottish ball to be held at Kettlesheer on Valentine's Day, new relationships are formed and secrets are revealed that will change everything.

Swept Off Her Feet is a delightful, engaging novel that is sure to leave readers wanting more of the Scottish castle enchantment and romance. Evie is a character who is not afraid to speak her mind, even if she is a bit different from everyone else. Her passion for antiques and stories from the past is contagious. Browne writes with such exquisite detail that it is no wonder why Evie is so enamored with artifacts and heirlooms. The Scottish traditions, especially the ball, are sure to draw readers in. Evie discovers a world she never knew before in her very own modern day fairytale. Browne's skill for writing will-they-won't-they scenes is a true hallmark of her novels. She expertly develops romantic relationships in all of her novels that will make readers swoon. Swept Off Her Feet is a whimsical escape to the Scottish countryside where you just might be swept off your feet.

British author Hester Browne has written the New York Times bestselling novels The Little Lady Agency, Little Lady, Big Apple, The Little Lady Agency and the Prince, and The Finishing Touches. She studied English at Trinity College, Cambridge. Browne loves Scottish reeling, vintage clothes hunting, and cryptic crosswords. She lives in London and Herefordshire with her Basset hound Violet. For more information, visit her at Simon & Schuster and follow her on Twitter.

To read Nancy's review of The Finishing Touches, click here.
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What do you think of this review? Have you read or will you read any of Browne's novels? Leave a comment to let us know! We love getting your feedback!

Title Troubles: Naming That Novel

As you may or may not know, I'm working on my own chick lit novel. I'm almost finished with my first draft. Three chapters to go! I'm really excited that I'm getting closer and closer to writing "the end," which is really only the beginning. My manuscript has been untitled so far. I have a working title and some other titles that I have tossed around. Last week, I decided that I needed to finalize a title since I'm almost done with my first draft. Big mistake. Instead of actually writing, I became consumed with figuring out a title. I spent so much time scouring the Internet looking at titles of other books in the genre, reading song lyrics, looking through titles of TV show episodes, and even reading some poems. I was all over the place and what happened? I realized that a title is not going to jump out at me no matter how many love songs/break-up songs I listen to or no matter how much time I spend obsessing over this. I was trying so hard to think of something clever, but all I wound up with was a long list of mediocre titles that didn't really fit with my story. At one point, I was convinced that I had a great title. I thought it was "the one." I was so excited about it, but after a few hours, I wasn't so sure anymore. Needless to say, I've been on a roller coaster and I've been totally indecisive. All of this reminds me of when I first started writing my novel and I was choosing character names. I frequently visited Think Baby Names and tried several combinations of first names and last names until I liked all of the names together. At the time, I thought that was a long process, but it actually wasn't that difficult compared to coming up with a title.
 
So, what have I learned? I know now that I have to look within my own story for a title. I learned that I don't have to try so hard to be clever because when you try really hard, it never comes out as witty as you hoped. It just seems like you tried too hard. I also learned that sometimes I have to be less of a perfectionist, no matter how difficult that might be, because simplicity can actually be best. There aren't any right or wrong answers when it comes to creativity. My novel is still untitled, but that's okay... for now.
 
Have you had a similar experience? How did you come up with titles for your novels, short stories, poems, etc? I would love to hear about it!
 
Nancy

Book Review: Pretty Little Liars

Nancy's Review of Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard

Pretty Little Liars explores the lives of four high school girls in Rosewood, Pennsylvania. Their story begins in the seventh grade when Spencer, Aria, Emily, and Hanna (the Liars) were friends with Alison who was considered the "queen bee" of their group. They shared everything with Alison. When she vanishes at the end of seventh grade, they assume that the secrets they shared with her have vanished as well. The Liars cut ties with each other shortly after Alison goes missing. Three years later, they all start receiving mysterious notes, emails, instant messages, and text messages from someone anonymously called "A." The messages taunt the girls with secrets that only Alison knew, but she is still missing. They all wonder if she is back and is playing some sort of trick on them.

This is the first book in a series of eight books that was recently extended to twelve books due to the success of the TV show that is based on the book series. In this initial installment, the Liars are introduced, varying by chapter, to give the readers background information about them and their lives. Spencer works hard in school but stealing her sister's boyfriends causes her family to think much less of her, despite her academic pursuits. Aria just moved back to Rosewood from Iceland where she went with her family for her dad's sabbatical. She gets romantically involved with a man who turns out to be her English teacher. Emily is questioning her sexuality when a new girl at school catches her eye. Hanna gets herself into trouble when she shoplifts and steals her boyfriend's car. She worked so hard to transform herself from an overweight nerd to a thin popular girl and she's desperate to stay that way. 

Pretty Little Liars is a captivating story full of mystery and intrigue. It is a page turner that will keep readers guessing and wanting to find out more about the Liars and all of their secrets. The Liars' stories are exquisitely intertwined. This first book in the series slowly brings the Liars back together as the troubling messages from "A" get more and more detailed. The Liars' realize that they need each other because even though Alison is gone, they are still connected because of her. The book has important messages about friendship, love, morality, sexuality, and body image. Pretty Little Liars is an exploration of adolescence, the ups and downs and definite gray areas. This book is only the beginning.

Sara Shepard is the author of eight books in the Pretty Little Liars series with four more coming soon. Pretty Little Liars, Flawless, Perfect, Unbelievable, Wicked, Killer, Heartless, and Wanted are available now. Twisted will be released in July. Shepard is also the author of the young adult series The Lying Game, which was just picked up as a new ABC Family TV series. The Lying Game is available now and the second book in the series Never Have I Ever will be released in August. Additionally, Shepard has written one novel for adults called The Visibles. For more information about Shepard and her books, please visit http://www.sarashepardbooks.com and http://twitter.com/sarabooks. 
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Have you read any of the Pretty Little Liars books? Have you watched the TV show? Have you read Sara Shepard's other books? Are they on your list of books to read? Leave a comment to let us know. Thanks!

Book Review: Skipping a Beat

Nancy's Review of Skipping a Beat by Sarah Pekkanen
 
High school sweethearts Michael and Julia Dunhill grew up poor in West Virginia. They got married and moved to Washington, D.C. to start a better life. Julia's event planning business is a success but Michael's beverage company is an even bigger success. They become extremely wealthy, living in a huge home, hosting dinner parties, shopping at high end retail stores, etc. It seems like they have the perfect life together. However, there is one problem: they are not together. Their fast-paced lifestyle has torn them apart and what is worse is that Julia is convinced that Michael had an affair. The distance between Michael and Julia grows with each passing moment. When Michael suffers cardiac arrest and is dead for over four minutes but miraculously revived, Julia must face a completely different man than the one she married.
 
Michael is no longer a work-a-holic and is determined to give all of his money away to charity. Julia leans on her best friend Isabelle for support during such a challenging time. Michael asks Julia to give him three weeks to prove his love for her and prove that his drastic changes are right for both of them. She tries to overcome anger, frustration, sadness, guilt, and loneliness as she gives her husband another chance, but still contemplates leaving him to start over. Can Julia love Michael again or has their marriage skipped too many beats to ever find the healthy rhythm they once shared?
 
Skipping a Beat is a thought-provoking novel with unexpected twists and turns. The characters are genuine, complex, and engaging. Pekkanen writes with exquisite detail to share the story of a marriage destroyed by success. The relationship between Michael and Julia is told in flashbacks and present-day action from Julia's perspective. Julia's inner struggles and overwhelming uncertainty are powerfully conveyed by Pekkanen. The role of Julia's best friend, Isabelle, is so involved and has so much potential, it almost seems as if there should be another book for her story. Isabelle is not a typical chick lit best friend who is there only as a sounding board for the main character and a companion for shopping trips. She is so much more and the little bit of her story that is delved into is sure to captivate readers. It is not very often that authors are able to create secondary characters that are just as, if not more, engaging than the main characters, but Pekkanen accomplished that. Another enjoyable aspect of this novel is the opera tie-in in which Julia relates her own life to the stories of her favorite operas. Overall, Skipping a Beat is a heartfelt story about overcoming relationship challenges in order to truly find love and happiness.
 
Sarah Pekkanen is also the author of The Opposite of Me. For more information about Sarah and her books, you can check out her Web site, follow her on Twitter, and visit her Facebook page.
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Have you read Skipping a Beat yet? If not, are you going to put it on your reading list? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments section. Thanks!

Book Review: The Daughters

Nancy's Review of The Daughters by Joanna Philbin

Lizzie Summers, Carina Jurgensen, and Hudson Jones are the daughters of celebrities. They are in their freshman year of high school, trying to juggle school, disagreements with their parents, crushes, and unwanted but inherited fame. Lizzie is the daughter of a supermodel but she did not get her mother's conventional good looks. She feels awkward and uncomfortable whenever her picture is taken, until a YouTube video of her gains popularity and she is noticed by a photographer who thinks Lizzie is the new face of beauty. Lizzie is hesitant to do any modeling, but with the encouragement of Carina and Hudson, she decides to give it a try. She is also trying to figure out the mixed messages coming from Todd Piedmont, her former neighbor who moved away when they were ten years old after he kissed her at his family's going away party. He is back in New York from London and is going to the girls' school. Lizzie is thrilled but hesitant to get too close to him, especially after he starts dating one of the popular girls. Carina is the daughter of a billionaire who does not understand her or even try to relate to her. 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. Needless to say, she is furious and plots her revenge. Hudson is the daughter of a pop icon and plans to follow in her mother's footsteps by recording her own album. However, she and her mother do not agree on Hudson's sound. Hudson struggles to stand up to her mother in the studio while Hudson is also developing a crush on her much older producer. Lizzie, Carina, and Hudson were born with fame, but what should they do with it?

The Daughters is an upbeat, stylish, fun read. It feels authentic and the dialogue fits the characters really well. The story is told in third person but focuses mostly on Lizzie as she navigates the modeling world and rekindles a friendship with Todd. Lizzie and Todd definitely steal the book but, at the same time, their will they/won't they back and forth does not dominate the book. Their scenes together are perfectly written and will have readers feeling nostalgic about their first high school crush. The friendship between Lizzie, Carina, and Hudson is very genuine. From the first page to the last, readers will be rooting for these girls. They have such a tight bond, demonstrating the true meaning of friendship even at their young ages. Everyone will wish they had friends like Lizzie, Carina, and Hudson in high school. This is definitely a great book for those who are still in middle school and high school. It celebrates individuality and has important lessons for any teenager.

This is Joanna Philbin's debut novel. There are currently two more books in The Daughters series. The Daughters Break the Rules was published in November and The Daughters Take the Stage comes out in May. Philbin is the daughter of television host Regis Philbin. She grew up in New York City and currently lives in Santa Barbara, CA. 

Reviewer's Note: I am always skeptical of celebrities or relatives of celebrities who publish books because I wonder if they got published because of their talent or because of their name and connections. I have to say that Joanna Philbin has true writing talent. I absolutely loved this book and I can't wait to read the next book in the series. I highly recommend The Daughters.
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Have you read The Daughters? Do you want to? Comment to let us know. Thanks!
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Read the first chapter of The Daughters here. (This links to a PDF courtesy of Poppy, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company of Hachette Book Group.)

Watch Joanna Philbin introduce The Daughters in the video below.