Audible Book Review: Finding Mr. Right by Emily Carmichael

This is a very light and easy listen.
Finding Mr. Right
Written by: Emily Carmichael
Narrated by: Barbara Rosenblat

Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:10-09-09
Publisher: Recorded Books
Genre: Chick Lit, Mystery
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
Finding Mr. Right is a heartwarming tale for romantics and animal lovers. Amy Cameron has had a run of incredibly bad luck. Her husband and best friend are murdered, together, because they were having an affair - then her house burns to the ground!
The last thing Amy needs is another man. But her deceased, traitorous, gal-pal is sent back to Earth to make up for her indiscretion and find Mr. Right for Amy. The only catch - she comes back as a ratty, little Welsh Corgi named Miss Piggy.
©1998 Emily Krokosz; (P)2001 Recorded Books, LLC

Review:
Amy is a nice woman who made the mistake of marrying and relying on the wrong man. It is hard enough to discover that your husband has been murdered, but even worse to learn he was with your best friend who was a female version of a ‘tom cat’. Things look bleak for Amy when her house burns down a short time later.

Amy is trying to recover from the pain of betrayal and loss. She is focused on making her own living as a freelance photographer, and rescuing an abandoned Welsh Corgi, rather than finding a man. She knows this newly rescued dog, dubbed Miss Piggy, has some strangely human mannerisms but she has no way of knowing that the dog is her traitorous best friend sent back to help Amy find “Mr. Right”.

Jeff is a veterinarian who has a laid back practice and enjoys volunteering at the local shelter. When Amy arrives at the shelter to foster a dog he is immediately interested in the understatedly attractive widow. He continues to make efforts to see Amy even with interference from the dog with rather strange behaviors.

Miss Piggy, who speaks in first person as Amy’s deceased friend, Lydia, has been assigned the task of finding the right new husband for Amy. Although disgruntled with the task, Lydia realizes that she must do her best or she may be stuck in this doggie body forever. Lydia doesn’t see any potential in Jeff with whom she had one boring date. Instead Lydia champions the interest of a successful, handsome, TV reporter who was a friend of Amy’s cheating husband.

This is a really fun story and easy listen. I enjoyed Jeff’s persistence to show Amy he would be a good and secure companion, unlike her first husband. I like how Amy’s character was able to grow beyond her past and the demeaning husband to expect more. I also enjoyed the mystery as it developed. Even though it was fairly obvious, it was still fun to watch Amy as she stepped into danger before completely piecing together all the connections.

The writing is solid and the switch from third person view to first person is well done and effectively used. The story is light and the dog view adds humor. Readers should be in the mood for light mystery and fun instead of expecting any great literature or thriller. I was in the right mood and would enjoy another book by this author when looking for a book of similar easy and light entertainment.

Audio Notes: I will admit that when I first stared listening I wasn’t sure if I would like the narration. Once I accepted that the narration fit well with Lydia’s selfish view of life it flowed well. I would be willing to try other audio books narrated by Barbara Rosenblat.

This book was from my own Audible Library as a selection from 11/2012. This qualifies for my Audio Book Challenge, the TBR Double Dog Dare and F in my Alphabet Challenge.

Book Review: Unfinished Business An Angela Panther Novel by Carolyn Ridder Aspenson

This is a delightfully fun, entertaining gem.
Unfinished Business An Angela Panther Novel 
(A Chick-lit Paranormal book) (The Angela Panther Series)
by Carolyn Ridder Aspenson

• File Size: 496 KB
• Print Length: 277 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1484817702
• Publisher: Carolyn Ridder Aspenson; 1 edition (April 24, 2013)
• ASIN: B00CICPH6A

Genre:  Chick Lit, Paranormal
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0

Book Description
Publication Date: April 24, 2013
Sometimes the dead need our help and sometimes, we need theirs.
ANGELA PANTHER HAS A PERFECT LIFE:  A lovely home, an attentive, successful husband, two reasonably behaved children, a devoted dog and a lot of coffee and cupcakes. But while her life might border on mundane, she's got it under control. Until her mother, Fran dies-and returns as a ghost. It seems Fran's got some unfinished business and she's determined to get it done.

Now Fran's got some nifty celestial superpowers and isn't opposed to using them to levy a little ghostly retribution on her granddaughter's frienemies and even her own daughter, which doesn't make Angela happy.

While Angela's shocked and grateful to have her mother back, she's not thrilled about the portal to the afterlife Fran opened upon her return. Now every ghost in town is knockin' on Angela's psychic door, looking for help-and it's a royal pain in the butt.

Now Angela's got to find a way to balance her family life with her new gift and keep her mother in line. And it's a lot for one woman to handle.

Review:
Angela has lost her mother and found a gift –sort of– when she discovers that she can see and talk with her Mother’s ghost. This alone freaks Angela but she is even more dismayed when she realizes she can see other ghosts too. Now they are seeking her help to deliver messages to their living loved ones.

Angela is juggling her family life, spreading her attention among her supportive, self-employed and busy husband, rebellious teen daughter, Emily, (with “A”ttitude) and her young, bright, sweet son. And of course her meddling, dead mother! Although Mom comes in helpful spying on Emily as she tries to resist peer pressure and teen “pill” parties. Angela also has to cope with the fact that her father is very ill with cancer. Angela learns that the ‘gift’ runs in her family and her young son and niece have it too and they are not phased about talking with their dead grandmother.

Although Angela doesn’t appreciate the gift and wants to stay away from it, her energetic best friend thinks it is very cool and even her husband encourages her to accept the responsibility of helping the dead. Angela is frustrated by having to prove to the living that she has really talked to their dead love ones and the message is real. However, each time Angela concedes to helping the ghosts she is touched by the outcome.

This is reminiscent of the Charlie Davidson series - without the grim reaper powers. The characters- Angela, her family and her friend- are very real to life. The story is told with great humor that had me laughing out loud. There are also tender moments of pain and grief and an interesting view on the afterlife. This read very quickly and works as a great tension reliever! I encourage those who like humor and aren’t afraid of ghost talkers to enjoy this fun book.

I received this from the author for an honest review.

Unfinished Business

An Angela Panther Novel

By

Carolyn Ridder Aspenson

Barnes & Noble:

http://dld.bz/cQeQN

 Amazon:

 http://dld.bz/cQeTv 

                                               

_________________________________________________________________

Carolyn Ridder Aspenson tackles, with comic cleverness, the serious subjects of mother-daughter relationships, death and raising teenagers in this smart, funny take on the love of family and the uncontrollable paths our lives take.

"It's about ghosts, the love of family, the never-ending love of mothers and daughters...add some humor and it's the perfect combination of adult/chick- lit/paranormal (all in one book)." - The Book Trollop

                                                                                                             

"Aspenson hits the ground running with her debut novel and carries the reader along on a rollicking adventure highlighting both the joys and conflicts of mother-daughter relationships." - Katrina Rasbold

Book Review and ARC Giveaway: Don't Want to Miss a Thing by Jill Mansell

You don't want to miss this delightful read!

Don't Want to Miss a Thing

by Jill Mansell

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark (November 5, 2013)
• ISBN-10: 1402283938
• ISBN-13: 978-1402283932

Genre: Romantic Comedy
My Rating 4.5 of 5.0

Book Description
Publication Date: November 5, 2013

He knows all about women, or so he thought...

Dexter Yates leads a charmed existence in London, with money, looks, and girlfriends galore. Life's fantastic until Dex's sister dies and his world changes overnight. Astonishing everyone, including himself, Dex leaves the city behind, takes charge of his eight-month-old niece Delphi, moves to a beautiful Cotswolds village, and sets about working on his parenting skills. His neighbors, including cartoonist Molly Hayes, seem friendly enough—but Dex can't shake the notion that he's missing something important.

Review:
Dexter is a charmer who has done well in work and financial investments and has great success with the ladies. His is close with his sister, Laura, and is thrilled when she has a darling little girl, Delphi. But eight months later Laura dies unexpectedly having named Dex to be guardian of the infant girl. Dex may know girls but not infants and he is thrown for a loop.

In shock Dex leaves London and runs to a village where he had looked to purchase a vacation house. Dex recalls that even though many of the town folk were not so warm to an obvious outsider, the next-door neighbor, Molly, was really friendly. Molly is a cartoon artist who worked hard to get a strip that is syndicated and helps her make a living along with money she earns by teaching art classes. She is clearly warm, considerate and an encourager. She listens to Dex’s heartache and his reasons why he can’t raise his niece. She acknowledges those reasons but challenges him pointing out that if he loves Delphi he could be responsible for the child and manage to take care of her.

Dex’s life-style hasn’t exactly set him up to be recommended as a parent choice but he is determined to convince the social workers he can and will change. He decides to move to the village where he is sure he will find help in the better environment for raising a child. When he returns Molly instantly falls in love...with Delphi. But she has to resist falling for Dex too.

Molly apparently is the first woman to reject Dex’s advances but she feels she must out of self-preservation. That doesn’t make it easier to watch him start dating an attractive, outgoing pediatrician, especially since the match seems to please the locals.

As Dex struggles with parenting and Molly tries to protect her heart, there are other family dramas and relationships breaking down and being renewed in the village. Dex and Molly are the primary characters but the secondary characters also enrich the village life and the story.

I found the book delightful, easy to read and hard to put down. Dex may not be the most likeable character as a footloose, easy going playboy but he does have charm and he does mature. Molly is a dear from the get go and you can feel her conflicted passions. Ms. Mansell imbues the characters with natural emotions of doubt, insecurity, reluctance to be rejected, and desire to be loved and find the right person to love. I could feel the angst of the characters and that kept me pulled into the story wanting good things to happen in the end. Which it does and it is a wonderful journey getting there so you don’t miss the important things!

I received this ARC from Sourcebooks for an honest review.

ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY for ARC Copy.

ENTRY FORM HERE

Don't forget to fill in the form for entry! 

I have noticed a few commenters who forgot to enter through the Form.  

For 3 Extra Bonus entries Visit the author's website and tell me something you find of interest; OR tell me about another book by this author that you enjoyed; OR comment on the review.

* This contest is open to U.S. address only.
* This contest will close 10 PM (Central) on December 6, 2013.
The winner will be randomly selected from all entries.
WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED after December 6, 2013.
Winners will have 72 hours to respond by email or the winners form linked in the announcement.

Book Review and Giveaway: These Boots Weren't Made for Walking by Melody Carlson

This is a light bit of fluff -- easy reading but not really stirring or inspiring.
These Boots Weren't Made for Walking
by Melody Carlson

• Paperback: 314 pages
• Publisher: WaterBrook Press; First Edition edition (June 19, 2007)
• ISBN-10: 1400073138
• ISBN-13: 978-1400073139

Genre: Christian Chick Lit
My Rating: 3.5 of 5.0 (See more positive reviews at Amazon link.)

Book Description
Publication Date: February 19, 2009
Willing to make the necessary sacrifices–even skipping the occasional latte–to ensure career success, 31-year-old Cassidy Cantrell “invests” in a chic pair of boots, certain they’ll make a spectacular impression and help seal the deal on a long-anticipated promotion from her Seattle employer.

But reality tromps all over her expectations. Cassie’s job is abruptly eliminated–and her love life obliterated, when her longtime boyfriend dumps her for a “friend.” Her self-esteem in tatters, Cassie limps home to the resort town she once so eagerly fled–only to find her recently divorced mother transformed into a gorgeous fifty-something babe with a thriving social life. Cassie wrestles with envy and apathy as she considers the dismal shape of her own physique and romantic prospects. What will it take for her to jump back into life and regain her stride?

This sassy and hilarious novel leads readers on a romp through the wilds of relationships, romance, career, and spirituality, revealing that, while God’s plans may look drastically different than our own, it’ll always be a perfect fit.

Review:
As one of the ladies in my book club declared: “Cassie is a mess!” She just spent hundreds of dollars on a pair of Valentino boots which look stunning, but are sorely lacking in comfort. She winces off to work where she anticipates a promotion only to be told that her entire division is being cut. To add to that injury, her fiancé belatedly shows up to announce that ‘we’re just not making it’ and leaves Cassie stunned to learn he is dating someone they met in their church singles group.

Cassie falls into a depression, locked in her apartment and overeating to combat her sadness. As she drifts in this morass funk, she learns that someone, her neighbor ‘friend’ she thinks, has stolen her brand new, unsigned credit card, and maxed it out. When she barges next door to challenge the girl, she discovers that Monica has abandoned the apartment to her live-in, dead-beat boyfriend, Will.

Since misery loves company Cassie and Will strike up an unlikely friendship. Cassie is surprised to learn that Will is actually a great chef and he decides to clean up his act and get a job. When job searching is unsuccessful for Cassie she decides to move back to her resort community home until she can get her feet back under her. She figures that she can comfort her mother who has had to deal with rejection the past year when Cassie’s father left her for a younger woman.

Cassie arrives home, still struggling with her weight gain and scrambled life, only to discover her mother has made herself over into a svelte, toned woman. Cassie doesn’t want to think of her mom as a ‘cougar’ but she totally resents her mother for getting her life together and ‘hanging out’ with a man that Cassie went to high school with.

Cassie continues to flounder while some old friends urge her to get back to church. Another friend encourages her to find a job that suits her passion. Will Cassie find a suitable job and, now that she is looking for a new marriage mate, will she find the right guy?

There are some funny moments in the book – our favorite being Cassie in a bear costume tumbling down the ski slope - ouch! There are a few spot-on tidbits of inspiration – like finding a job that suits your passion. And there is the message that we have to get to a point where we let go trying to fix things and allow God to work things out. Unfortunately, the good messages are buried in a mess of poor self image, depression, obsessive behaviors (overeating) and misplaced priorities (shopping for new clothes to look and feel better). Most of my ladies book club members felt this book was a mix of fluff and soap opera and mostly not our cup of tea.

However, now that I am writing the review, I see that these negative behaviors served the purpose of showing the mess Cassie was in and showing the only way out was to stop focusing on those negatives and allow God to work with the positives. Maybe are group just had a hard time relating to the depression that Cassie experienced so it overshadowed the “sassy and hilarious” parts of the story.

Although we weren’t going to purposefully choose another book by Ms. Carlson it turns out that our December read, which I purchased for the group over a year ago, is also by Ms. Carlson. So we will be giving her a second chance to inspire us and show why she was recently honored with a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award.

We picked this up to read for Ladies Book Club.

ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY for my and another gently read copy:   TWO COPIES - TWO WINNERS.

ENTRY FORM HERE

Don't forget to fill in the form for entry! 

I have noticed a few commenters who forgot to enter through the Form.  

For 3 Extra Bonus entries Visit the author's website and tell me something you find of interest.

* This contest is open to those with US or Canadian address.
* This contest will close 10 PM (Central) on October 18, 2013.
The winner will be randomly selected from all entries.
WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED on or after October 19, 2013.
Winners will have 72 hours to respond by email or the winners form linked in the announcement.

Audio Book Review: Turn Up For the Book by Julia Franklin

Here is a book with British drama and humor that includes a book shop... fun for book lovers. :-)

Turn Up For The Book

by Julia Franklin

• Audible Audio Edition
• Listening Length: 10 hours and 3 minutes
• Program Type: Audiobook
• Version: Unabridged
• Publisher: Books Are Loud
• Audible.com Release Date: September 20, 2011
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005QAA90K

Also Available at Electric Breeze Audio UNABRIDGED by Julia Franklin
Narrated by Julia Franklin
LENGTH 10 hrs and 3 mins
PRICE £7.99

Genre:  Romantic Comedy, British Chick Lit
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Product Description
This is a debut novel from actress and audiobook reader Julia Franklin. 'I've read somewhere between 300 and 400 novels as audiobooks over the last 25 years,' she says, 'so I thought it was time to have a go at a novel of my own.' The result is Turn Up for the Book, a romantic comedy that begins with the breakup, one Christmas, of a marriage.
Poor Viv has begun to look like the sofa she sits on most of the time. No wonder her unfaithful husband, Clive, is leaving her for a glamorous supermodel. But over the next 12 months, she will find that books and friendship will move her to a different kind of sofa altogether. Set against a background of publishing, food, and drink, oh yes, and maybe murder, Turn Up for the Book is a lovely lighthearted companion to warm you on dark winter evenings.

Review:
I think I would classify this as British chick lit more than romantic comedy.  It actually begins rather tragically but there is a good bit of irony and comedy further along in the story, with some true “laugh out loud” moments.

The primary figure in the story is Viv who has allowed her appearance to deteriorate over years of marriage to her unfaithful husband, Clive. This time Clive has chosen to leave her rather than just have an affair.  To make matters worse, he is leaving Viv, and their teenage son and daughter, for the beautiful wife of one of their best friends, Keith.  Keith had left his first wife, Ruth, for the beautiful model, Ursula.

Viv is devastated by Clive’s announcement and the children are angry and soon have emotional struggles that add to Viv’s own emotional difficulties.  Viv works at a book shop called Turn Up for the Book. Her employer is stingy and mean but Viv loves the work and is a diligent employee. As the book progresses the reader/listener has the fun of hearing Viv’s imaginary comebacks to and plans for ridding herself (creative murders) of her boss.

Ms. Franklin weaves the characters with good development so you understand where they are coming from and you can follow their interactions.  When Ruth discovers that Ursula has left her ex for Clive, she doesn’t have a lot of sympathy for Viv until she learns that it was Keith and Clive that told Viv to terminate contact and friendship with Ruth. Ruth is now a successful restauranteur and she calls Viv and pushes her to assert herself and pull herself from the depression she has settled into.

Viv is required to do a live interview at an author book signing. It is surprisingly successful and she gets called in to do a short weekly ‘Review the Book’ radio program which gets off to a slow start.  One night, in complete frustration, Viv steals the show and creates quite a stir by being bluntly honest about the “popular” books.

Clive discovers that Ursula isn’t quite what he expected while Keith begins a new relationship. 
There are new boyfriends for Ruth and Viv who have ironic connections to some of the other characters.  Although the story started on a sad note it ends up in an ironically positive position.

Ms. Franklin is the narrator so who better to tell the story as she intended it?  I enjoyed her British accent that fit so well with the characters' emotions. It is a shame that the sole rating I saw at Audible was negative as I found this an enjoyable listen even though it is not a genre I read a lot. I think you should give this book a try, in ebook or audio, if you don’t mind a bit of romantic drama and especially if you enjoy dry British wit, humor and irony.

Thank you to AudioJukebox and Books Are Loud for the opportunity to enjoy and review this audio.

I will add this to my New Author, ARC and Audio Challenges.