Jemima J: A Novel About Ugly Ducklings and Swans: By Jane Green

Jemima J is a story about a woman who is nearly a hundred pounds over weight and very unhappy for it. Jemima sets off to reinvent herself online by pretending to be JJ, a model who is bone thin and body perfect in every way. Unfortunately, she meets a man online who demands they meet in person, so she has to try and become her cyber-space persona.

Overall, I liked this book. There were some really funny and touching parts, but at the same time I felt terrible that this poor woman felt the need to pretend to be something other than she was. Jemima wants so desperately to be different than she is- in an almost sad and pathetic way.

In short, for anyone who has ever been overweight, you can completely understand how Jemima feels, because let's face it- being chubby sucks. The author did a wonderful job of making this character believable and likable, but at the same time, it was almost as if the moral of the story was that you have to be a size two to be happy. Sure, being a size two is ideal, who wouldn't want that? But not essential to be happy with yourself, which Jemima eventually figures out.

(I gave this book three out of five hearts)

Reviewed by:
Charlotte

I'm in No Mood For Love- By Rachel Gibson

I'm in No Mood For Love features Claire Wingate, a Historical Romance writer. Claire actually appears in Gibson's book, Tangled up in you which was my very first review. I'm in No Mood for Love actually takes place before Tangled Up in You, so if you're planning on reading, you may want to read them in order. I didn't and it made no difference, so its up to you.

The romance begins when Claire wakes up in a hotel bed after a night of too much drinking that resulted in a one night stand (the reason for her one night stand is just too funny to mention and might ruin the book, so I'll keep it to myself). Claire tries to sneak out of the room before she comes face to face with whoever her one night stand is and discovers it is her childhood friend Sebastian Vaughan. Sebastian has of course turned into a major hottie and so the story begins.

Claire comes from a wealthy family. She is very into brand names and expensive things, but she is not the least bit snotty or pushy. She is actually really down to earth and has issues with her Mom because she is a bit of an superficial ice queen. Sebastian Vaughan is the gardeners son- no kidding- turned freelance writer for Newsweek and other respectable magazines. Sebastian is a typical, commitment phobic male who only wants sex with no strings. Claire on the other hand is normally a relationship only gal, but after being hurt by her latest boyfriend, she is not looking for anything serious.

At first, neither of them likes one anther, but enjoy reminiscing. They of course grow to like one another over time. They seemed to genuinely like spending time together and enjoyed one anther's similarities as well as their differences. I think Rachel Gibson does a great job at developing her characters, and I'm In No Mood For Love is definitely worth reading!

(I gave this 4 out of 5 hearts)

Reviewed By:
Charlotte

If I were going to use this for my book club, I would definitely focus on Claire Wingate. She is wealthy and loves designer clothing and perfume. Why not cur out some really great images from a magazine and put them in little silver frames for your table? Use crisp white linens on the table and serve finger sandwiches and brie with fresh fruit for appetisers with champagne. For some great recipes for both appetisers, check out foodnetwork.com. Paula Deen had some fabulous recipes for both!

The Bride Thief by Jacquie D'Allesandro

First and foremost...you just HAVE to love Jacquie's books. They are the most touching and sweet books. Her female characters are always endearing and lovely, and just a little less the beautiful, but oh so wonderful And she does the best job of creating male characters that are believable and real! Real men aren't totally averse to marriage and horrified by someone who is less than perfect. She does a great job of showing that.

The Bride Thief is no different. It is 12:26 am and I could not put it down. The story is about an on the shelf young woman named Samantha, Sammie, who is a little eccentric by the standards of others. She likes science (not so weird) and critters like snakes (ew!) And she is not as beautiful as her other three sisters. Her parents want her to marry this yahoo, whose name I cannot recall Captain...we'll call him Captain Jerk-off. Anyways, Sammie wants nothing to do with guy and convinces him that he wants nothing to do with her but before she can get home to tell her family! Sigh...she is abducted (doncha just love when there is an abduction?) by the Bride Thief.

Enter Eric "Sexy Pants" Landsdowne, Earl of Wessley, a.k.a. the bride thief. But no one knows this so keep it on the D.L. So he is captivated by her and lets her go, only to find he can't stop thinking about her. She they meet up again and they start to like each other more and more. But there is the issue of the Bride Thief and the ever increasing public cry to see him hanged...and the ever-growing reward for his capture! Exciting, huh?

I really liked the book a lot. Definitely worth reading. I had one issue, which was the letter thing they did. He kept saying things like, and I am making up these words-but you get the idea, beautiful-brilliant-blushing--so many "b" words to describe you. Each time it would be a different letter. After a while I kept thinking about Sesame Street. "The letter of the day is...B!" Granted this version of Sesame Street would be R...if not X, (if you know what I'm sayin') but nonetheless. A few too many times to be just cute...walking the line to cheesy.

But I still loved it. You should definitely check it out if you haven't already. It's sweet and endearing. You'll like it! I promise ;)




(I gave this book 4 out of 5 hearts)

Reviewed by:
Whittney

The Kitchen Witch- By Annette Blair

Alright, so I tried to broaden my horizons because of our blog and choose what I thought was a romance about a witch (Romantic fantasy). Sorry to say, the lead character Melody Seabright isn't actually a witch but in fairness to me, it had "witch" in the title so I expected her to be. Instead, she pretends to be a witch on TV which bummed me out.

This book is about a slightly eccentric woman (Melody) who tricks her neighbor into getting her an interview for a cooking show on local TV in Salem Mass. She can't cook- but she manages to use her sex appeal to get the interview and the job. Throughout the book she uses her sex appeal to get what she wants- then gets mad at everyone for saying that she abuses her beauty (which she does). My answer to this? You can't have it both ways sister! She does eventually learn to be a good cook with the help of her hunky love interest, so that was at least something.

Melody's love interest, Logan Kilgarven, is an ex-bad boy with a son, who's trying to force himself to be a stable parent and keep a sensible job. He is attracted to Melody and tries to stay away from her even though he has this crazy attraction to her because she is a bit of a flake, albeit a smart one.

Of course, they cannot stay apart and when a wild storm hits Salem and strands them alone at work where conveniently enough, they share an office with a hide-a-bed, wham! They have a perfect place to get freaky. As if this is not goofy enough, there are more cheese ball lines in this book than I have seen in a long time. Plus, the book is full of typos! Yikes, save your time. This book has a cute cover, and the reason I bought it was because it had a cute sounding storyline. I think the author had a great idea, but the execution was a bit off.



(I gave this 2 out of 5 hearts)

Reviewed by-
Charlotte





* No menu goes with this book because I would never use it for my book club.

Whitney, My Love by Judith McNaught

I thought for my first post I would review an oldie but a goodie, and one of my favorite titles (for obvious reasons ;)-Whitney, My Love, a historical regency novel by Judith McNaught. Let me just start out by saying that while I love Judith's books, boy does she ever write some infuriating characters. That being said you can't help but read on and pull for her characters, wanting them to see in one another what you as the reader see.

Whitney, my love is no different. While Whitney is impossibly irritating, she is also endearing. The story centers around Whitney Stone, and Clayton Westmoreland. Whitney has just come home from Paris where she has had a very successful season. She is grown up and no longer the awkward young miss she once was. She is now, more than ever determined to win the love of her neighbor Paul whom she has loved forever. Clayton Westmoreland, on the other hand, meets and falls in love with Whitney right away, offering for her hand and to pay the debts of Whitney's father. Whitney is bound and determined not to love Clayton (as many heroine's are!) But Clyton is determined to win her heart.

Back and forth they go throughout the whole novel. He loves her, she hates him. She is increasingly drawn to him, he still loves her. They love each other! Something happens, she still loves him, but now he hates her. They are in love again! Happy Ending ensues.

By the time you finish the book you will be emotionally exhausted. High and lows, close to love and then further away. But as it is with most of Judith's books, you will be glad you read it. And believe a little bit more than you did before, that love can conquer anything. Even your dad selling you off to a duke.

(I gave this one 4/5 hearts!)

Reviewed by:

Whittney

Book Club Ideas!!!

For this regency historical novel I thought you could do a throw back to the time of carriages and

calling cards!

Linen table cloths and fabric napkins to adorn the tables. Water goblets and china. Find an old parasol or top hat (the Internet is a wonderful source for this!) to create a centerpiece. To me, this era inspires whites, creams and golds. Candles are a must! Perhaps create silhouette, or find a picture of one, again on the Internet, to create a fun decoration to adorn your walls.

*To create silhouette tape a piece of paper to the wall. Point a flashlight at the person's profile and trace the image.

Tea is an obvious choice, but I thought I might mix it up with and Iced Tea Recipe. Clayton is a manly, sexy guy...he sweats...this should cool him down...that's what we want, right??

Iced Mint Green Tea

5 bags of green tea

5bags of mint tea

1/2 to 1 cup of sugar, to taste

6 cups of water

Ice

Boil water in the kettle. Fill up 2 gallon pitcher half way with ice. After the water has boiled, add tea bags and let steep for 10 minutes. When finished, poor mixture into pitcher. Add sugar to taste, stir and enjoy! (If you want to look extra fancy add a sprig of mint to glasses! Domestic Goddess!)

*Tea Cookies or finger sandwiches would be a perfect pairing with this recipe!

~Whittney

Tangled Up In You- By Rachel Gibson

For starters, I have to begin by saying that I don't read a lot of contemporary romances as a rule, but Whittney and I decided that we should review all types of books so here goes.

Tangled up in You was a fastpaced story about a girl named Maddie Dupree who writes true crime novels. She returns to her childhood home Truly, Idaho to uncover the mysterious story surrounding her past. In the process, she meets Mick Hennessy, the super-sexy bar owner in town (several references are made about Mick's happy trail and it had my imagination working overtime). He is of course, to die for hot, as most male characters in Romance novels tend to be. Mick and Maddie are instantly attracted to one another and though Maddie tries to keep her distance, she finds it more and more difficult to stay away as she gets to know Mick.


Maddie keeps the fact that she is in Truly researching her next book (which involves his father) a secret from Mick. When Mick finally discovers that Maddie has been keeping her true reason for being in Truly, it threatens to destroy their relationship.


I enjoyed Tangled up in You much more than I expected too. In fact, I liked it so much that I went out and bought a few more of Rachel Gibson's books that I will review at a different time. If you like contemporary romances, than this is the book for you. There are laugh out loud funny parts and strong characters that make you want to keep on reading. On a side note, Maddie wears/uses a lot of dessert scented lotions and body washes which got me to thinking, if Mick liked the way she smelled as much as he did, maybe my husband would too. After a trip to Bath and Body Works, I went through their series of lotions and such and decided on Forever Frosting. No kidding, I smell just like cake. It's kind of nice and my husband seems to like it, so give it a try :)




(I gave this 3 out of 5 hearts)


Reviewed by:

Charlotte

Recipes for Tangeled up in You:

For this book, as I mentioned above, Mattie smelled like dessert all the time, so you could do any number of desserts that would be perfect. She was also on a low carb diet, so I thought why not serve cheese and olives? Or maybe hummus with some yummy veggies? I came up with a couple recipies that might be good too!

Maddie's low-carb salad on a skewer

1 lb. stick of salami
1 lb. of fresh mozerella, bocconchni
grape tomatoes (1 pint)
1 seedless cucumber (sometimes called English)
Fresh Basil
6 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. vinegar
skewers
salt and pepper to taste

Cut salami in half, lenght wise. Then cut into half inch slices. DO the same with the cucumber. Then take a skewer and place on salami, basil, cheese, basil, cucumer, basil, tomato, basil and so on until skewer is full. Be sure to leave room on each end! You should end up with eight to tweleve skewers, depending on how full you make them. Whisk together oil and vinegar with desired amount of salt and pepper and drizzle on skewers. serve cold or at room temperature. *If you do not like oil and vinegar, feel free to skip it and serve the skewers with your favorite dressing instead!

Truly Terrific Strawberry smoothies
(Mick liked it when Maddie smelled like strawberries!)

1 1/2 C. frozen Strawberries
1/2 C. ice
1 C. Cool-whip
1/4 C. Milk

* Put everything in the blender and fire away! Serves two to three people.