Fictional Blonde

I fell in love with this setting, the feel of the story and the fact that it was very Downton Abbey-ish. I am a sucker for a main female character whose dreams come true. Poor Winnie had a horrible afternoon, her life completely changed in an afternoon so she binge watched her favorite show, Beauchamp Hall, after all watching this show was like comfort food to her. Then Winnie decides hey I have no real ties here and a bit of savings so why not go to England and see where my fave show is filmed. What follows is a bit like a fairy-tale , with some ups and downs of course, for Winnie. Winnie meets and interacts with many of her idols from the show. What I absolutely love about Danielle Steel’s books is that they can be a bit like a fairy-tale escape for me and this just took me away to a place were dreams come true for Winnie. The story is not all wishes coming true and happy endings, Winnie needs to make things happen and work through a few relationship issues but still this book was a great escape.

In A Palm Beach Wife by Susannah Marren, secrets and lies are revealed. There was so much gossip and friendship based on looks and money. Faith owns a Vintage consignment clothing store where her so called friends drop off items such as $20,000 handbags, $500 scarves and shoes that can cost way more than a monthly mortgage payment. Faith discovers one evening that her husband Edward has lost all of their money and Faith must now struggle to keep up the facade of carefree wealth. What follows is a tale of how resourceful Faith is and how weak her husband really is but I could not help but feel sorry for him. Can Faith leave Palm Beach and its air kisses behind for good and start fresh? A major secret is revealed halfway into this book that Faith thought she left behind years ago.

Faith is a strong and independent character who holds everything together for the sake of her daughter. The last sentence of this book was literally jaw dropping, I did not see it coming!

I wait every year for a new release from Mary Kay Andrews and every year as I am finishing her new book I get a bit sad because the setting , story and characters that I have grown to like have ended their story:( Does any one else ever feel like that? I am always  happy when there is a series, then I know that the story will continue, at least for a while……

The setting of the book Cypress Key was pictured in my mind as pretty but old- fashioned looking buildings but pretty with the ocean near by how could it not be picturesque. As I was reading Beach Town I imagined myself in Cypress Key. I can always tell when I become attached to a book by the way I imagine myself in the setting of a book.

Greer, the main character , has Daddy issues so unfortunately for her she just cannot seem to find the right man…..yet. What did I like about Greer? Her strong personality and work ethic, also her loyalty to her friend Ceejay who will sometimes put a man first before friendship, one of my personal pet peeves! The one tiny criticism of Greer for me was her refusal to look at the situation (at first) regarding her father, from his point of view (at the time of his departure from her life). That was my one tiny criticism. The character if this were Survivor, that I would send packing? Hands down Bryce! This story meets all of my criteria for a favorite book

1. A  main character that I want to have a glass of wine with.
2. A sleepy and/or picturesque setting
3. A character that I just have to hate!
4. And lastly, sad that the story is over

http://booksplurge.com/beach-town-by-mary-kay-andrews/

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Review:

This latest book featuring the "Do-Over Ladies" is a summer must read! All of the ladies are on the set of their newest reality show home makeover and the owner, ex- bad boy Rock and Roll Legend William Hightower, just fresh from rehab is not at all welcoming. "William The Wild" as he was once called, is hiding from life, his fans that still adore him and trying to forget his more than troubled past. Maddie had a huge crush on him when she was a teenager, I love the interaction between these two characters, you can actually feel the heat between them! William Hightower is my all time favorite character created by Wendy Wax, so a big thank-you to Wendy for creating Will, when you read this book you will understand what I mean, I may have a crush on him too!

This is a great book to read by the pool, I actually did that and could not put this book down, take to the beach or just read it wherever you can. This series is by far one of my all time favorites to date, the story line is fresh and the characters have grown even more endearing and interesting with each new book in this series . There is also a surprising twist to the end of this book.

Happy Reading, this is not a book to miss out on.

Review:

I need to start by saying that I loved this book! It is a story of one woman's transformation from a somewhat doormat to a strong personality. It is a story of love, friendship and overcoming a bad marriage. I had a difficult time putting this book down. The friendship between Rose and Becky was well written and Becky gets a serious side story in this book which I thought tied in nicely with the rest of the plot. I liked the romance in this book, it was nice and clean not too graphic. This was a fun book to read with a few serious moments that this story needed to have in order to give it some depth. I look forward to this author's next book.

Thank you to Lydia Laceby for creating this memorable story with some fun characters!

Review:

This book is a lot of things, a touching love story, two characters struggling with PTSD and a woman trying to overcome abandonment issues. It is also a story of a small and charming community on Heron Island with its loveable, sometimes quirky, but unforgettable inhabitants. The tender love story between Will and Annie was so nice to read, I was rooting for them the whole time. I am an animal lover so I thought that dogs as characters in the book was a nice touch to the story. This book dealt with some really tough issues such as PTSD and school shootings, Sophie Moss wrote about them in a respectful and thoughtful manner.  I  like books with a small town, close-knit community theme and this book had that. The character of Taylor, Annie's daughter, was so well-developed, the trauma that Taylor went through and the coping skills she used as a result were so well written,  you can tell this author really did her research and I commend her for that. Sophie Moss, you have created a community and a set of characters that I look forward to reading more about in the future, please write many more Wind Chime novels!

I gave this book 4.5 stars!

This book starts off pretty much right where the last book in this series, Sleeping With

 Paris, ended. Charlotte and Luc are on their honeymoon but it is not long before suspense and drama start to creep in...

This book is fast paced and full of wit, the story line kept me interested and engaged right from the beginning. I found myself cheering Charlotte on, hoping that she would not give up on Luc even though he has so many secrets, I don't want to give too much away but it turns out that Charlotte does not know Luc quite as well as she thought she did. Did Charlotte make a mistake marrying Luc? So many things about Luc that don't add up keep happening and Charlotte along with the help of her friends, is left playing detective.

The friendship between Charlotte and her best friends is well written, I always like to see strong female friendships in books. The characters are well-developed and the writing is very descriptive in regards to food and scenery.

This book has lots of twists and turns but at the same time it is a fun and happy read with a surprise ending!

I hope that Juliette Sobanet will write more books in this series!

Last but not least my favorite character in the book is......Lexi! Why you may ask? Lexi is the sassiest of them all and the character I would most likely invite to a party.

I gave this book 4.5 stars!

Wind Chime Cafe by Sophie Moss is only 99 cents May 19th-25th

Giveaway hosted by IndieSage PR, 3 Wind Chime Cafe Ebooks and a $10 Amazon GC.

On Tuesday I am taking part in a Blog Tour hosted by IndieSage PR Honeymoon In Paris by Juliette Sobanet , touring May 19th -23rd, I will be posting a review, there is also a Giveaway of a $10 gift card from Amazon.

This weeks Wednesday Woman of Fiction is Fannie Flagg.

 Throwback Thursday I will  Review: The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Friday's Find this week is Welcome to The World Baby Girl by Fannie Flagg

Saturday to get us thinking of the beach and the upcoming warm weather I am reviewing Ocean Beach by Wendy Wax

Astor Place Vintage

by Stephanie Lehmann (published June 11, 2013)

Astor Place Vintage is set in both past and present day New York City. In this book you will meet Amanda, a vintage clothing store owner and Olive, who wishes to become a buyer in a department store in the year 1907. The story goes back and forth between both women and their struggles.

Olive has to deal with women rights issues along with a life changing event that will force her to find her voice and strength. Amanda has to deal with her own questionable choice of boyfriend and what does this choice has to do with her past, also her vintage clothing store may go through a change.

Amanda starts to question some of her choices when she finds a journal, written by Olive from 1907, in the pocket of a vintage piece of clothing.

Get a picture of what New York City was like in the beginning of the 1900's, this book actually has pictures circa 1907. Meet Amanda, Olive and their friends. Find out how different but yet similar their lives were.

This author does a superb job of making the stories of these women blend together! I look forward to reading more from Stephanie Lehmann!

Synopsis:

'Have you ever wanted to rewrite your past?'Three best friends, all with the same birthday, are about to turn forty. They plan to share this momentous occasion together at a summerhouse in Maine, talking up a storm and taking stock of their lives and loves, their wishes and choices. But none of them expects the gift that awaits them at the summerhouse: the chance for each of them to turn their 'what-might-have-beens' into reality.Leslie, Madison and Ellie met nineteen years ago, in the most unlikely of places: stuck in line at the New York City Department of Motor Vehicles. From that memorable day, the day they each turned twenty-one, they quickly grew into an intimate trio of friends. Now, as they reunite on their fortieth birthdays, they each find a puzzling card from a 'Madame Zoya' offering them the chance of a lifetime: to relive any three months from the past..

My Thoughts:

If you could go back in time, lets say to your early 20's and know then what you know now would you?

That is the overall theme of this book when three friends who have not seen each other in nineteen years reunite for their birthday at a summer-house in Maine. They each get to go back in the past for three weeks in order to fix the past and maybe change their future if they so choose.

I have always been fascinated with the idea of time travel, especially to the past. Knowing then what I know now, I don't know about any of you but I'm in! alright I know that as the story goes in this book it does impact the future, remember the movie Back To The Future (one of my favorite movies)?

Madison has a depressing life so I really cheered her on throughout the book, I wanted her to change her future most of all. I have to say she was my favorite character. I liked Ellie and Leslie too but maybe I identified more with Madison. This was a fast and thought-provoking read that has stayed with me throughout the years, so much so that I could not wait to read The Summerhouse #2! The story obviously is not realistic, time travel, three women who barely knew each other nineteen years ago have a reunion? Well I don't know about you but that's okay with me because sometimes I need a good escape and would like to believe that it is possible to fix the past.

Happy Throwback Thursday everyone!

Jude Gilliam was born September 20, 1947 in Fairdale, Kentucky. She has a large extended family and is the elder sister of four brothers. She attended Murray State University and received a degree in Art. In 1967, Jude married and took her husband's surname of White, but four years later they divorced. For years, she worked as 5th-grade teacher.

She began writing in 1976, and published her first book, The Enchanted Land (1977) under the name Jude Deveraux. Following the publication of her first novel, she resigned her teaching position. Now, she is the author of 31 New York Times bestsellers.