Book Review: Another Shot At Love (What's Love Series??) By Niecey Roy

Blurb: Imogen Gorecki has a problem—her twin sister just got engaged, and guess who’s the best man? That’s right, her scum-of-an-ex-boyfriend whom she caught cheating with a bottle-blonde, with fake breasts and a stripper’s flexibility. There’s a disturbing possibility her eyes will never recover.

Gen needs a date for the engagement party, but finding Mr. Perfect in a time crunch is proving impossible. Just when she’s about to give up, she face-plants into the crotch of the sexiest guy she’s ever met.

Matt Sesnick is everything Gen wants in a man —except he’s not interested in a relationship. Can she convince Matt to take another shot at love, or will Gen’s pregnant, hormonal older sister, her bridezilla twin, and all of her past Mr. Wrongs get in the way of their happily- ever-after?

A good appetizer to commence a series. Niecey Roy whips up all the known romance tricks up her sleeves to make for delightful reading.

So Imogen Mae Gorecki is in her early twenties, done with love after her sorry trust-fund SOB ex cheated on her with a slut in possession of a boob-size fit for skanks. Gen's been solo for months now, her sister's wedding is coming up, and the family is worried she's going to go back to her ex since, it turns out, he will be best man to her sister's groom. Now the whole family is bent on getting her a boyfriend or at least a suitable date to the wedding in order to prevent her ex from running back into her life with the world's most convincing love speech. A sweet talker, he is.

Anyway, Imogen is set on a string of pathetic dates by her pregnant hormonal sister, Catherine. Pathetic date after pathetic date till she meets him. Richard. Then the date even gets more hideous with the mummy's video game addict dumping her and bolting without taking care of the cheque. Her life couldn't get anymore miserable... until she face plants herself in his crotch.

I mean, HIM. Matt... and the rest they say, is their story.

But not with Richard, video-game addict rolling back with his geeky self and recommendations of alien movies (Imogen seems to be obsessed with) and Brent suddenly realizing he's let The Good One (with streaks of pink in her hair) Get Away.

How exactly does Happily Ever After come this way? And most importantly, with whom?

I've read dozens of books with this story-line. So did this stand out for me? Hell it did! Niecey Roy is the queen of kooky characters, you know. And unique plot twists. At some moments in time, I thought this would end up a certain way. But no, this book really put my predictive skills to test. And I flunked big time! (So glad I abandoned my dream to go into meteorology).

I give a star to the romance in this title. There are points I "Aww"ed (which almost made me gag, 'cause I'm a guy. I don't "aww",I don't coo, I don't make sounds!—Humph, Niecey has that effect on us). I loved those moments, you know. The love speeches, the gestures, the coordinated lovemaking. It's no surprise since Niecey is Queen of Romance.

I love the whole concept of this, What's Love??? series. It's kinda nice when one character decides to put away love, the whole "Going Dutch" casual thing, but that's exactly when they find themselves deeply entangled. Don't mistake this for another "Love Triumphs All" garbage, it's more of a "Don't give up on love because it won't give up on you" delight. Lessons we could all nod to.

Another star would be given to the end to this title. Like a good romance with a chick-litty appeal, there's a huge satisfying smile and a tight hugging of your kindle (or paperback, depending on what you'd go in for). The fact that I didn't find this whole book predictable really put me on the edge of my seat to check out how the end or who the end was going to be like or with.

I did like this book. But did it break Niecey's fantastic debut? No. I couldn't help comparing this title to Fender Bender Blues with all its (FBB, I mean) highly entertaining characters and laugh out loud situations. I think the problem would have been sorted if the humor was tightened a bit.

My rating:

Four stars.

Another Shot At Love, first installment in the What's Love??? series is available on Amazon.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants something love-related. Anybody in for a little New Adult chick-lit delight and anyone wanting something less predictable.

My work not done here. Off to post my review on Goodreads as well as Amazon.

Book News: It Ain't Easy Being Jazzy By Quanie Miller.

Debut author, Quanie Miller's book It Ain't Easy Being Jazzy is out and available on Amazon.

Blurb: Jazzy secretly wants to get back together with her ex boyfriend, Curtis, so when he calls and reveals that he’s got something important to tell her, she’s got no idea that he’s about to propose—to her first cousin and bitter rival, Mercedes.

The annual family dinner is coming up, and fearing that she will spend the evening seething while Mercedes flaunts her four carat engagement ring in her face, Jazzy asks Reggie, an Adonis she met at the mall, to accompany her. As fate would have it, not only did Reggie and Mercedes used to date; that backstabbing,leopard print wearing cow is still carrying a torch for him! Revenge. It’s never been so sweet.

But falling for Reggie? Holy crap! That wasn’t part of the plan! She’s got enough on her plate as it is with a mother who spies on the neighbors and a sister and best friend with man problems that could land them on Jerry Springer. So when Curtis comes sniffing around again—this time, with an accusation that sends her blood pressure shooting through the roof— the one good nerve that Jazzy’s got left has just about run its course.

Quanie's book won my heart, and I trust it will win yours too if you are in for a big surprise. Let's say, you don't believe in my heart... or you are just heartless, Quanie's book won our Best Upcoming fic contest (see page above) with Meredith Schorr's Blogger Girl and Sylvia Ashby's Pot Love.

Let's say none of the above doesn't move you, here are five reasons to purchase Quanie's debut.

1. I don't really give this reason, but I have to. It Ain't Easy Being Jazzy is nothing like an Indie author's debut. It's written to perfection with no typos and all other features that might make you drop down a book. There's an author who paid attention to the numerous How To Transform Your Manuscript Into A Masterpiece articles available on the web.

2. It's chick-lit. And by that I mean very hilarious.

3. If you want to read about a heroine that's a no-no in conventional chick-lit, It Ain't Easy Being Jazzy is your kinda novel.

4. Or you want to try an author fresh with a not-heard-before voice, Quanie Miller is your kinda girl.

5. Also purchase it if you love outrageously hilarious black romantic comedies, exhibiting girl power...

Quanie's 5* debut is available on Amazon. If you are not still convinced, my review of It Ain't Easy Being Jazzy is here.

Thanks to Chick-lit Plus, Quanie would be going on tour on November. So head on to Chick-lit Plus and note down blogs partipating in the tour.

I heart Quanie Miller and can't wait for her next.

Signing Off,

Kobby.

Book Review:Pot Love By Sylvia Ashby

Blurb: Ashley Burkе, a twenty-six years old International News presenter at an obscure regional channel, is your average next-door girl. She lives with her boyfriend, loves her work and secretly fancies her boss.

When Ashley loses it all through no fault of her own, well, apart from snogging her boss in the loo and getting caught by his fiancée, she needs to act fast to find a new job before rumours spread that she’s been fired. A lucrative vacancy comes her way–hosting a small spot in a popular day-time TV programme – but there is a catch. The job is a cookery spot and Ashley can’t cook to save her life.

Her winding roads take her from Chichester, to London and all the way to Sardinia, to find her way back to what she has lost. But not without breaking a few eggs along the way and taking а few falls.

Can learning to cook burn your heart? Is change inherently bad or can it bring happiness too? And can you befriend people and things you have a grudge with, in order to carry on?

——————————————

'Corinn, is the camera the only thing that’s been stolen?’

‘Yes.’

‘They haven’t taken your wallet, ID, phone?’

‘No. Why would they?’

‘Because they have a lot more value than an ancient camera.’ I hear how my words sound and back track. ‘No offence, I’m sure the camera must have been very special but…’

‘They’ve taken only the camera, because the pictures were in it.’

‘What pictures?’

‘The one I took of Jennifer Lopez snogging Kate Moss in a café'

—————————————

A fine debut. Sylvia Ashby wows readers with an excellent story line and fantastic doses of romance.

Ashley's on the brink of professional success being an International Newscaster, having the perfect boyfriend (who pays no heed to her work-related rants) except she's not secured about her job having only twenty seconds of airtime and dealing with her nemesis, Amanda, who's lead of Local news and has more than enough time on air. But more than enough isn't enough for Amanda as she wants Ashley's...('time' is an understatement) seconds.

Amanda is out to get Ashley's seconds, but is oblivious Ashley's secretly snogging her fiancé. And Ashley hates being the other woman, but it isn't long (a week or so) before Amanda finds out. Then it takes less than twenty-four hours for Ashley to be without a job...

After lots of weeks of moping, losing her boyfriend and her usual joie de vivre, she lands an interview to be the host of a cooking show. But she's terrible and highly clumsy at it-cooking, not presenting-after one incident of closely setting her kitchen on fire in an attempt to crack an egg for an omelet. Luckily she's called in for test-shooting in the new year, and with only twenty-two days to gain some culinary skills Ashley has to act fast before she faces the new year unemployed without a boyfriend, a mother who's known for I-Told-You-Sos and her local audiences finding out she's lost her job.

You should follow Ashley's journey as she tours the finest Italian restaurants in London and Italy with the help of sexy chef, Giacomo, sharpening her culinary skills.

Add burns, scalds, cuts and sultry kisses, then you have a recipe for pasta

I liked the story-line of this book. It's unique. I got reeled in right when I read the blurb. A newscaster loses her job, terribly clumsy, hasn't made a perfect omelet all her life without putting herself in danger, gains a job on one of the popular cooking shows and has to learn to cook in a fortnight plus a few days. A star to the story-line.

Such a relatable heroine. Day in and day out, the chick-lit genre is plagued with chickroineswho do not posses any culinary prowess or don't know the basics to make a meal. I am guessing what's being portrayed a lot is what happens in reality the most, so I am sure you women out there who can't fix something for yourselves and fail terribly to every time you make an attempt would sympathize with Ashley and even love her in the process.

I was nuts for the other characters in this book. From Vedhika the stylist (who I secretly adored than the main character), to her mum, to Francesca and even the characters I detested so much (Amanda and James). I loved reading about each and everyone of them (and that's a shocker since this book was written in first person).-A star to the characters.

Although I liked this book and would totally recommend it to anyone who's a clumsy cook, I really would have loved it if it was light and fluffy. With such a story-line, I wanted the humor to be raised above lip-twitching levels and more to laughing-out-loud heights. A few plot complications could have also made this book a five star read. I am honestly not against books with a smooth rhythmic plot complications but I would have loved it if there were so many twists and turns.

Overall, it's not bad for a debut, the romance/chemistry between our leads was fantastic and the vivid description of destinations throughout the journey from Finchley to London to Cagilari, Italy. Though it lacked consistent humor, that didn't prevent me from reading till the end-and what a fulfilling end it was. It had a great story line and was penned beautifully, all I wanted was a lot more to laugh at since most books over here that get five stars were because they were hundred percent laugh-out-loud reads.

My rating: Four stars.

Sylvia Ashby's zingy and deliciously entertaining debut is available on...(click image to purchase)

I recommend Pot Love for anyone in the mood for chick-lit with mild humor and lots of romance. If you also adore a great story-line which's unique you could also pick this up. Or perhaps you are fascinated by the world of TV, Pot Love gives in depth knowledge of the not—necessarily glitz, but—glam life of TV. This title is for you if you've been thinking recently of taking a little (—or however you decide to define it—)food trip touring the finest cuisines from London, Italy or maybe all Europe.

My work not done here. Off to post my reviews on Goodreads as well as Amazon.

Book Review: Finding Lucas By Samantha Stroh Bailey

Blurb: Can you ever really go back to the past?

After five long years of living with Derek, her former bad-boy-turned-metrosexual boyfriend, Jamie Ross finally reaches her breaking point. She's had enough of his sneering disdain for her second hand wardrobe, unusual family and low-paying job as the associate producer of Chicago's sleaziest daytime talk show. When her new boss plans a segment on reuniting lost loves, Jamie remembers Lucas, her first love and the boy she'd lost ten years earlier. Spurred on by her gang of quirky friends, Jamie goes on a hilarious, disastrous and life changing hunt to track Lucas down. But are some loves best left behind?

He keeps squeezing my ass and sighing with pleasure.

Now he does it again, and says, "Never lose this. It is so goddamn sexy."

"Really?"

"Really." He assures me and flips me over so he can bite it.

"Ow!" I yell.

But, it feels so good.

...Oh my, Oh my, this book is very good. It's just so... quirky-sorry, queerky.

Samantha is very brazen. Draws in things that are not in your everyday chicklit. And she never ceases to dazzle as she keeps bringing in more and more of these strange things that might make you wish this book is fantasy. I wouldn't call this number light and fluffy. Quite dense and soulful, less than a mile away from Women's Fiction.

So Jamie is with her long-term boyfriend of five years who can't get her an orgasm (unless it's a price tag at Bergdorf) that she's now accustomed to spending more time in the shower (with the shower head) than she's known to. She has a job as an associate producer to a low-key talk show, lacks motivation and has a talent for staying glued to the boob-tube. I found her boring, and her lack of self-esteem annoying (despite her friends kept telling her she was gorgeous). I am hoping that's what Bailey was aiming for since she was vivid on these traits that ticked me off. It's no surprise Derek, the metrosexual and mummy's boy boyfriend wanted to transform her-into an image I wasn't fond of either (unless, being a housewife who raised kids and baked all day is a thrilling image to you).

Eventually, Jamie accepts the fact that, her then-Derek is way different from the now-Derek who would only get into the few sex positions that wouldn't muss up his hair and was so keen on her cutting the flab by undertaking extreme sports only him could endure. I was a fan of Derek wanting her to change, get-into-shape, but wasn't really crazy for the housewife image he wanted to impose on her. No wonder I was thrilled when she broke up with him.

But things get bad as Jamie isn't able to cater for herself with her measly income, being those kinds of women who allow their boyfriends who haven't spoken a word about marriage pay for everything. Ugh. Following the advice of her very, well, odd friends, she takes on the mission of finding Lucas-her high-school 'part-time friend, part-time you-know-what' (as they call a fuck buddy where I come from). It's clear to her she wants happiness, happiness only Lucas could give-No surprise there, because Derek wasn't as good as her shower head.

I think that's enough of the spoilers. Now to why, this book made my week.

I loved the cause. The whole Finding Lucas idea was very exhilarating. Yeah, everyone wants a second chance, we all wonder whether there would have even been a happy-ending if our crushes we fantasized about so much took a chance with us. And Samantha is one of the smartest writers to use this as a ploy in an attempt to get readers turning pages. Though I wasn't really a fan of Jamie, I was always on tenterhooks to find out if she ever will find Lucas. And if she ever did, would he be Mr. Right? Because following Alexandra Potter's You Are The One That I Don't Want you always know the obvious guy wouldn't be Mr. Right. I was praying, hoping this Lucas guy might just be (owing to some very enticing flashbacks Samantha brought up).

Secondly, I loved the cast of this book (excluding Jamie, of course). Leah and Katie-the mother and her equally hippy significant other were fun to read about. I was always raising brows to some of the acts Samantha was so brave to reveal. Like Lucy, the queer friend who isn't the least shy about her sexuality and contributed mostly to Jamie's quest to find Lucas. And Rachel-the sister who's teenage drama she'd relay to anyone whether or not they were interested. Hannah, the lingerie mogul-ess who's fierce personality got me wishing she'd slap some over to Jamie. To Giddy Amy and Silent Chris-the not-so-normal couple roommates who have some skeletons in their home "office". All these unusual characters made me have a blast.

Also, like any fantastic Chick-lit, this number has a lot of OMG moments, and ones that make you scream "Not HIM too!" It kept my excitement running non-stop for this book.

The introduction of one pestiferous co-worker and the final SHOWdown that led to Jamie's transformation from the Girl with Self-esteem issues to the girl with so much confidence that I was gob-smacked and kept asking myself, where was this side all along?!!

Don't blame me, I am not only a sucker for happy-endings, but I am a sucker for great/perfect endings. And this book had it.

Though I totally loved our lead girl towards the end, and instantly had a change of heart, there was one thing I couldn't overlook: Her constant dwelling on the past and failing to move on even after the breakup. I wasn't enamored with how she kept going back down memory lane to Derek wondering why he'd changed from the then-guy to the irritating dick-bag (new insult on the block) he had become. Why did she keep musing about Derek when I was expecting some action now that she was rid of him? I know being a guy, you ladies (at #ChicklitChat) might be thinking: Try getting out of a relationship you've invested five tedious years of your life, asshole. But, it just didn't sit right with me.

Overall, I compliment Samantha Stroh Bailey for going where no Chick-lit author dares-a very tricky attempt your average debut author wouldn't consider. Plus one to her ability to make her debut memorable-something not all best-selling authors now could do.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Samantha Stroh Bailey's spectacularly queerky and thrilling debut, can be found on Amazon in both kindle and paperback.

I recommend this hilarious title to anyone ready to read something out of the ordinary chicklit yet want to have a blast. Anyone who thinks their lives are full of shitty embarrassing circumstances would be appreciative of whatever they have after reading this. You should also pick up this title if you want a book rich in back story and not so light and fluffy but dense and, uh, intellectual (as Samantha puts it).

Certainly looking forward to Samantha Stroh Bailey's next.

My work not done here. Off to post my review on Goodreads.

Book Review: Fender Bender Blues By Niecey Roy.

Blurb: Rachel Bennett loved her job until the day she finds herself doubting her choices. Now she's hunting for a new career, but starting over isn't easy. Her plan is simple --no distractions until she finds her dream job. She didn't plan on fate throwing her a curveball in the form of a fender bender with a sexy guy in an expensive suit.

Craig Larsen is a wealthy, successful business owner with a plan of his own: survive his current PR nightmare and stay away from his overly determined ex-girlfriend. His need for control and personal success is turned upside down when he meets Rach, a sassy redhead who can't drive. Soon they find themselves battling with Rach's grumpy old neighbor, toilet-papering the trees of a high-school nemesis, and fighting over the last slice of pizza. Can two very different people plus one fender bender equal a chance at forever?

... don't you just love cheesy contemporary romances?

Praise to Niecey Roy. Unfortunately I can't say I read this book in one sitting. Because I have a bloody boring job. But through all my Horrible Bosses drama, all I had was Fender Bender Blues to walk me through. Now I know I want to read books that make me laugh, adios all you writers who want me to review but have books that make me smile.

One morning, two cars crashed. An afternoon the drivers of both cars shared their first snog. Then came the promises after one amazing love-making. Weren't sure if they lived happily-ever after but that was the end.

The events that led to this union will make you laugh out loud.

So Rachael Bennett, once social worker, quits her job in a moment of self-doubt owing to a case of one reckless college mum.

Now she's scouting for a job. And her results so far haven't been encouraging. Unless you are happy being the assistant to a teenage boy (who probably wets his pants) and doing photocopying(!) at a photocopying(!) place. I can relate to Rachael, I have done photocopying before and it ain't easy especially listening to the constant bugging sounds of the copier.

It doesn't take long for her to quit.

Craig owns a dealership. No sneaky car salesman here. With an ex, that doesn't quite get that it's over, a mum on his neck to settle down, a matchmaking brother who has the hots for Leah (Rach's friend) and a lawsuit that might sent his business under, Craig has problems on his own. Until he meets Rach, who 'drives' his problems beyond his control.

The attraction is magnetic, the 'love-making' is mind-blowing and the lip-locks are well-coordinated.

What I was pissed of most about this book was Rachael Bennett. Why hadn't Niecey made her a chicklit character with the book written in her point of view? She is hilarious, feisty and a redhead. The perfect combination. She made me laugh from her outrageous gnome stunts to that toilet-paper wrapping mentioned in the blurb. So funny when you are hiding from someone you want to avoid and pretending you are unperturbed by their presence and holding a magazine at your face, then that someone snatches it and turns the magazine in the right way it's supposed to be read and hands it back.

The humor in this book makes it so not contemporary romance-y, I was wishing this was a chicklit. It would have been more exciting that way since I hated reading from Craig's point of view. Caution: I wasn't jealous of his overly-cockiness, his good-looks and his flashy rides.

I like that this book wasn't those silly harlequin romances where it's all about romance and the two leads always happen to be together (Ugh!). There's mystery, like who is the mole among Craig's associates feeding info about the lawsuit to the press. Or, why Rach is so damn amazing.

Characters I loved in this book, were the supporting couple, Rick and Leah. Rick the matchmaking brother and Leah the matchmaking friend of Rach who believes in fate more than she does love. I am not sure if Niecey wrote Maggie so readers wouldn't take a liking to her. But I did fall for her. I just have this attraction for scorned exes who play villain and I can't control it. Makes for good reading. There's also the neighbours Ms. Jacobs and Ms. Petska with their humorous lives they kind of remind me of Ms. McCluskey of the Desperate Housewives

.

There's also Kathy, Craig's P.A who doesn't remind me of any character (That's a compliment), Niecey writes out her conflict with Maggie so humorously.

Overall, this book is going to get 4/5 stars

and I am only being unfair because Niecey didn't make it a chicklit.

Fender Bender Blues is Available on Amazon in both Kindle And Paperback.

Highly recommended if you want to bend a rib or two.

My work not done here. Off to post my review on Goodreads as well as Amazon.