On Tour and a Giveaway: Kat Fight by Dina Silver

The seriously funny, fabulously flawed Kat Porter has arrived, and she may just steal your heart—not to mention your boyfriend. Readers everywhere will revel in this sharp-witted, well-meaning whirlwind in author Dina Silver’s hilarious new novel, Kat Fight. In her quest for love, Kat makes every wrong turn, juggling two men, one best friend, and her own deeply confused heart’s desires.

Kat Porter is a consummate romantic, eager for her chance to find love and commitment. But after her boyfriend of four years, Marc, begins to grow apathetic and sends her calls straight to voice-mail one too many times, Kat finally musters the courage to confront her so-called sweetheart, who seems more interested in dodging her than courting her. Though she’s no fan of ultimatums, Kat is at the end of her considerable wits, and lobs a massive one his way, completely confident that he'll make the right decision when faced with losing her. He doesn't.

With radio silence from Marc, Kat’s lifelong dream of finding a husband and forging a family is decidedly on the skids. That’s when her childhood friend Julie steps in, forcing Kat on a blind date to help her move beyond the break-up. Not only does Kat botch the setup, she instead finds herself in hot pursuit of Julie’s love interest, Ryan Sullivan. A man who, in addition to literally taking her breath away, is the living, breathing personification of everything Kat wants in a husband.

Can Kat connect with the man of her dreams without hurting two of the people she cares most about? At the same time, she must also contend with the quips of her beloved catty coworker Adam, her bi-polar boss Brooke, and a string of comic, unpredictable plot twists. All the while, Kat’s cheeky perspective and generous heart will leave readers adoring every moment of her journey while chuckling and cheering for the ever cute, razor-sharp Kat as she fights to land the love of a lifetime. ~~ synopsis from Goodreads 

Be sure to check at the bottom of this post 

for a chance to win an Amazon gift card.

My thoughts on Goodreads ~~ 

Loved this book!! I immediately connected with Kat and the ultimatum she gave her boyfriend. And darn it, she really didn't think he would follow through with it. But then she has to try to get on with her life. Low and behold, she feels a connection to her best friend's boyfriend while on a blind double date with them. Whoops! And then her former boyfriend wants her back. Double whoops!

The steps Kat takes in order to avoid telling Julie, her best friend, about her budding romance with Julies's supposed boyfriend had me laughing out loud. And I absolutely LOVED Adam, her gay co-worker and good friend, and the relationship he and Kat had. Kat thinks nothing of going to a gay bar with Adam and all his gay friends, even though she is the only female there and the only person with a shirt on. Now that's friendship!

I marked a couple of passages that made me chuckle. This one is when she is rationalizing that it is okay to argue with Marc so much ~~ But after years of listening to my parents rip each other apart, I figured those were the struggles you had to endure for unconditional love. That to have someone care about you like that, you had to suffer a little bit, too. 'Some things are worth the fight, Kat," my mom would tell me after one of her fights with my dad. Then they divorced. ~~ Whoops!

And then this one, when Kat knows she is going to run into Marc, her ex-boyfriend at a wedding ~~ And if he considers for one second about bringing a date to this wedding, I will not hesitate to throw blue cheese olives in her hair. ~~ Blue cheese olives? Love it!! 

I loved everything about this book, it is funny but also has the angst of finding your way through a new romance. The relationships between the characters are wonderful also, and again I have to say I loved the Kat/Adam friendship and their support of each other.

I also have a copy of Dina's other book, One Pink Line sitting on my Kindle and I am super excited to get that one read. I just love the way Dina writes!

Author Bio:

Dina Silver is a writer, red wine drinker, cheese fry lover, and future cat hoarder. She currently lives with her family in suburban Chicago. Inspired by how she met her husband, Kat Fight is Dina’s second novel.

Connect with Dina!

TWITTER: @DinaSilver

FACEBOOK 

WEBSITE

AMAZON LINK

 Other stops on the CLP Blog Tour

**Everyone who leaves a comment on the tour page will be entered to win a $10 Amazon gift card! Anyone who purchases their copy of Kat Fight before August 6 and sends their receipt to Samantha (at) ChickLitPlus (dot) com, will get five bonus entries.**

On Tour: Write From the Heart by Heather Hummel and Giveaway

Journals are a woman's best friend... 

When Samantha Sounder quits her office manager job the day after yet another boyfriend breaks up with her, the emotional havoc of these two events launches the beginning of her new life.

Samantha dives into therapy with Ragnar Axel, a traditional therapist who explores her failed relationships and sends her on a wild goose chase through her old journals to rediscover herself.

Despite the unsettling reactions of her best friend, Amanda, and Ragnar, Samantha decides to walk away from the corporate world and follow her dream as a novelist. She sets out to craft her first novel, Winter's Truth. Hesitantly, she accepts the unexpected guidance from Craig, an unlikely man she meets at the coffee shop.

Along her journey, Samantha picks up a new journal and titles it her "Positive Journal," declaring to only write positive thoughts in it. Samantha's life transforms from one of despair and loss to hope and faith as she navigates through new territory and explores the possibility of finding love over lattes. ~~ synopsis from Goodreads 

My thoughts about Write From the Heart~~ 

I read Heather's first book in this series, Whispers From the Heart, in October and loved it! I was so excited when I was asked to read and review her second book. I love the way she writes and knew I would be in for a treat.

Samantha is just an ordinary woman leading a life that does not make her happy. Her boyfriend dumps her and the next day she just up and quits her job. Okay, so maybe that's not so ordinary. How many of us could handle 2 major life changes like that, at the same time? Anyway, Samantha has always dreamed of being a writer so she makes up her mind to pursue that dream.

She had always kept a journal (something I only think about doing) and on the advice of her therapist she goes back and rereads them. She discovers how negative she was in those journals and makes a decision to change that. She starts a 'Positive Journal' where she writes only positive thoughts. She fills the journal with her dreams and wishes and soon her life changes for the better. It really made me stop and think about starting my own 'Positive Journal'. It can only be good, right?

I very much enjoyed being in Samantha's world and getting to know her friends. Ms. Hummel also shares with us a little bit of the writing/getting  published process, which I thought was very interesting. It really gives the reader an interesting look into what happens to a book before it lands in our hands.

(I did have one thing that puzzled me. Samantha was using the postal service to send off parts of her books to agents. Is that really how it's done now ~ or is it all done by email? Seems like email would be the way to go nowadays but maybe not. Just a little glimpse into my mind there - sorry)

I really enjoyed reading this book. Heather is a wonderful, natural writer who creates beautiful worlds and believable characters. There will be a third book in the Journals From the Heart series and I will definitely be reading that one when it comes out.

Tune in tomorrow when I ask Heather some questions about her series and her writing. 

**Everyone who leaves a comment on the tour page will be entered to win a $10 Amazon gift card! If you purchase your copy of Write from the Heart before March 19 and send your receipt to Samantha (at) ChickLitPlus (dot) com, you will get five bonus entries!** 
 

I received a copy of this book for my honest opinion. 

On Tour: Chasing Rainbows by Kathleen Long and Giveaway

Bernadette Murphy likes her life. Really, she does. What's wrong with carrying around an extra ten pounds from fertility treatments? Or having your dog kicked out of obedience school? Again? What's that saying about the devil you know? For Bernie, it's the devil she never expected that changes everything.

Her father's sudden death leaves a gaping void in her life and is one in a series of events that rock her world. Her husband leaves for another woman, and her best friend announces an unplanned pregnancy at the age of forty-one. Bernie's behavior goes from acting out to out-of-hand, and she finds herself in trouble at home, out of work and banned from the mall after a confrontation at the cosmetic counter.

When her mother discovers her father's book of cryptograms, Bernie realizes his encoded lessons in living might be exactly what she needs to survive. From dealing with her family's grief and bonding with her best friend's thirteen-year-old daughter, to dieting, dating and mindless almost-sex with the landscaper, Bernie discovers what her father always knew.

In life, you either choose to sing a rainbow, or you don't. For Bernie, the singing is about to begin. ~~synopsis from Amazon 

My thoughts about Chasing Rainbows ~~ 

First things first ~ love the cover! Ok ... that's done. 

Let's talk about the book ... loved the book!!

Ms. Long wrote a great story with wonderful characters that I immediately cared about. The situation that Bernie finds herself in; her child dying 5 years ago, the recent death of her father, her husband leaving her for another woman, is a situation that, God forbid, we could all possibly find ourselves in. So the story was very believable. And the characters are very real and likeable. 

Bernie has a little break-down (wouldn't we all?) and lashes out at her best friend, fights with her neighbors, has issues with the way her brother is grieving the loss of their father. These people do not desert her and are there for her when she needs them.

I loved how her father left her a book of cryptograms to decipher (something I cannot do!) and how those sayings were there to guide her through her troubles. It was like her father was watching over her and helping her. Many of them, once they were deciphered, are ones that all of us could learn from.

This story stirred several emotions in me. Parts made me laugh, parts made me cry and parts made me reflect on my own life. I loved her dog, Poindexter (love the name!), who didn't just do what normal dogs do and chase after cars. No, he chased airplanes, what? And Bernie getting banned from the mall, hilarious. Her niece and her pea binges, funny but peas? Yuch! Going through the process of losing her little girl, so sad. Life lessons from her father, amazing. 

The one saying from her father that Bernie kept thinking about was the statement 'In life, you either choose to sing a rainbow or you don't.' We should never stop chasing our rainbows, whatever they are ~ a happy life, our dreams or even airplanes.

This is a fabulous book that I am sure I will read again. It is a world I want to go back to so that I can spend time with all the people in Bernie's world. Along with the cryptograms, Ms Long has also written some great lines in this story. I pulled out a few that I really enjoyed and you can read them here. You will find many other 'words of wisdom' when you venture into Chasing Rainbows. Happy reading! 

Author Bio:

A long time ago, in an elementary school far, far away, a very young Kathleen scribbled a story idea in her journal. Then she wrote another, and another. She added several poems, the lyrics to a song or two, a love letter to David Cassidy, and so on and so on. While her early writings never saw the light of day, many of her later works did. And while she did not marry David Cassidy, Kathleen did marry her own Prince Charming. Together, they are raising one drama queen and one obedience-challenged border collie mix in a kingdom divided between suburban Philadelphia and the Jersey shore.

Kathleen is the RITA^® nominated, RIO Award and two-time Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence winning author of fourteen novels of contemporary romance, romantic suspense and women’s fiction. Her additional honors include National Readers Choice, Holt Medallion, and Booksellers Best award nominations.

She divides her time between plotting her next book, bribing her little one to pick up her toys, and begging the dog to heel. Life is good. Very, very good.

Connect with Kathleen!

Web: www.kathleenlong.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathleenlong
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/KLWords

Buy the Book!
 
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

Visit the tour page for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card. 

**Everyone who leaves a comment on the tour page will be entered to win a $25 Amazon gift card! If you purchase your copy of Chasing Rainbows before March 12 and send your receipt to Samantha (at) ChickLitPlus (dot) com, you will get five bonus entries!**

I received a copy of this book for my honest opinion. 

On Tour: Year of the Chick by Romi Moondi

An awkward family homecoming at Christmas.

A humiliating public weigh-in, with two judging parents as the audience.

The announcement of a deadline for arranged marriage doom.

And that's just the first two chapters.

In "Year of the Chick," Romi Narindra must find love before her parents find her a husband. This is a difficult task in a world where self-consciousness is at an-all-time high, and dating experience at an all-time low.

Severely lacking in seductive skills and uninspired by her corporate job, Romi turns to what she loves, by writing about her quest to find love on her brand new blog.

From whiskey-breath scum bags to uni-browed creeps and everything in between, Romi and her wingmen come up empty time after time. But hope floats again when she meets a fellow writer unexpectedly.

On the Internet.

So will it be arranged marriage doom, or an Internet affair that's not as creepy as "To Catch a Predator?"

Time will tell in the "year of the chick," a twelve-month quest to find love.

Tick-tock. ~~synopsis from Goodreads

My thoughts on The Year of the Chick ~~

Loved this book! The author has kind of a weird, but wonderful, sense of humor and I don't remember when I have laughed so much, reading a book. I 'get' her sense of humor ~ what a great read!!

It was great following Romi's quest to find a man ~ her parents were going to do it for her in a year anyway. She wanted to find one on her own, for love, before they selected one for her. The adventure that Romi goes on is hilarious and enlightening at the same time.

I marked some of my favorite lines. You need to read the book to understand what exactly these mean in the context of the story but these were some of the ones that made me LOL!

• In front of our parents we were robots with the "horny" button disabled, but when the moon shone bright our howls of desire could be heard across a hundred mile.
• My sister and I were victims of the "envelope adhesive." (love it!)
• Fifteen pounds was the same as fifteen solid chocolate Santas. 
• I wondered what it was to like have your default button set to "logic" versus "psycho."

And the great lines go on and on. Like I said, I loved this book and loved that it made me laugh.

I can't wait to read the next installment of Romi's life 

~ this author is writing a trilogy!  

Come back tomorrow to hear what Romi has to say 

about the voices in her head! 

Author's website

Author on Facebook

Spin by Catherine Mckenzie

Katie Sandford has just gotten an interview at her favourite music magazine, The Line. It's the chance of a lifetime. So what does she do? Goes out to celebrate - and shows up still drunk at the interview. No surprise, she doesn't get the job, but the folks at The Line think she might be perfect for another assignment for their sister gossip rag. 

All Katie has to do is follow It Girl Amber Sheppard into rehab. If she can get the inside scoop (and complete the 30-day program without getting kicked out), they'll reconsider her for the job at The Line.

Katie takes the job. But things get complicated when real friendships develop, a cute celebrity handler named Henry gets involved, and Katie begins to realize she may be in rehab for a reason. Katie has to make a decision -- is publishing the article worth everything she has to lose? ~~synopsis from Goodreads

My thoughts on Spin ~~

Poor Katie - she wants to be a writer so bad. It's just that her idea of a social life gets in her way, too much drinking and partying. When she bombs her dream job interview, she is crushed.

But wait ..... they have a deal for her - go into rehab and get the scoop on a star and maybe they will have a job for her. Okay, she can do this! But while she is there, pretending like she needs treatment, she learns a lot about herself and those around her. They are not just stars, they are people just like she is.

Katie does a lot of growing up during those 30 days in rehab. Much of it was painful to go through but it's good in the end, right? Let's hope so!

What an amazing story! I immediately connected with Katie and wanted her to find happiness in her life. This book pulled me in and I spent a great weekend totally immersed in Katie's world. I love it when I find a book that I don't want to leave!

It was interesting how the author worked the word 'spin' into the story in various ways; spinning out of control, head was spinning, put a different spin on the story ~ you get the idea. It made it all connect together.

I totally enjoyed reading Spin. This is the first book that I have read by Ms. McKenzie but she is definitely going on my list of 'to-be-read' authors.

And I am so excited that she has 2 more books being published this year! I can't wait to get my hands on them!

Spin will be out in paperback in the U.S. on February 7. 

Her next novel, Arranged, will be released on May 15th with another book, Forgotten coming out later in 2012.  

Spin is going to be on tour in February over at 
TLC Book Tours! 

Author's website

Author on Goodreads 

On Tour: Folly Beach by Dorothea Benton Frank

Home is the place that knows us best. . . . 

A woman returns to the past to find her future in this enchanting new tale of loss, acceptance, family, and love. 

With its sandy beaches and bohemian charms, surfers and suits alike consider Folly Beach to be one of South Carolina's most historic and romantic spots. It is also the land of Cate Cooper's childhood, the place where all the ghosts of her past roam freely. Cate never thought she'd wind up in this tiny cottage named the Porgy House on this breathtakingly lovely strip of coast. But circumstances have changed, thanks to her newly dead husband whose financial—and emotional—bull and mendacity have left Cate homeless, broke, and unmoored. 

Yet Folly Beach holds more than just memories. Once upon a time another woman found unexpected bliss and comfort within its welcoming arms. An artist, writer, and colleague of the revered George Gershwin, Dorothy Heyward enjoyed the greatest moments of her life at Folly with her beloved husband, DuBose. And though the Heywards are long gone, their passion and spirit lingers in every mango sunset and gentle ocean breeze. 

And for Cate, Folly, too, holds the promise of unexpected fulfillment when she is forced to look at her life and the zany characters that are her family anew. To her surprise, she will discover that you can go home again. Folly Beach doesn't just hold the girl she once was . . . it also holds the promise of the woman she's always wanted—and is finally ready—to become. 

Folly Beach, filled with the irresistible charm, saucy wit, and lush atmosphere that have won her the devotion of fans and propelled her books to bestsellerdom, is vintage Dorothea Benton Frank. ~~synopsis from Goodreads

My thoughts on Folly Beach ~~ 

I thoroughly enjoyed my excursion/vacation to Folly Beach. Cate heads back home to Folly Beach after her husband commits suicide and she finds out the life she has been living with him is a lie. She goes home to regroup and to help her Aunt Daisy, who raised her and her sister Patti. I immediately found myself rooting for Cate to get past the awfulness in her life and to find some happiness.

The cottage where she lives is connected to Gershwin and the Heywards and their connection to Porgy and Bess. She ends up doing some research on them and as a result, finds some direction in her life. Learning all about that little piece of history was a lesson in itself. Isn't it amazing how much writers research in order to write their books?

Folly Beach is very well written and and a very enjoyable story to read. The author did stir up a few memories for me which made the book seem more personal. At one point, she talks about 'memory smells' (Chapter 14) ~~ I am a firm believer in them myself. One in particular for me is when she mentions 'the sweet rubber of your favorite toy'. That smell always takes me back to the year I got my favorite baby doll for Christmas. Ahhhh! Another comment that was personal for me was when she had Cate and Patti eating white cheddar Cheez-its ~ yummmm ~ one of my favs.

The setting of this book is the Lowcountry of South Carolina so if you like southern fiction, this would be the book for you. Also if you have an interest in the Gershwin era, this book will interest you too. Ms. Frank has written other books set in the Lowcountry which I discovered I enjoy reading so I will be adding them to my TBR list.

Let me leave you with this line from Folly Beach ~~

'But we should not have been surprised. After all, this was the Lowcountry, where impossible becomes possible every single day'. 

Love that line!

Author's website

Author on Facebook

I read and reviewed this book as part of the 
Folly Beach blog tour for TLC Book Tours. 

Other stops on the tour are listed here
 

I received a copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinion. 

Chick Lit Challenge 2012

I am finding myself reading a lot of chick lit books lately so I thought I would join this challenge - why not?

The rules are simple~~

• Read and review 12 chick lit books throughout 2012. You can read more books of other genres, but you need at least 12 chick lit books to count for this challenge.

• Two of the twelve books need to be from debut authors. The debuts should be released in 2012. There will be a feature on the Chick Lit+ blog that will highlight new releases and debuts, so suggestions can be found there.

• Then each month, head back to Chick Lit+ and post your review. 

And super sweet - there will be prizes given!! 

For more information about this challenge and to sign up yourself, check out the sign-up page.