Blog Tour: Merry & Bright

I knew I was going to like Merry & Bright, a collection of chick lit Christmas stories. I had been looking forward to reading it ever since I heard about it…so much so that I actually purchased a copy for my Kobo (this is a big deal for this unemployed book blogger…have to watch what I spend!). I’m thrilled that I bought the book as I didn’t just like it…I LOVED it. The anthology features stories by Lauren Clark, Cindy Arora, Nancy Scarfano, Isabella Louise Anderson, Libby Mercer, and Laura Chapman and is edited by Lucie Simone of Simon and Fig. The ladies did an amazing job and created a fabulous Christmas anthology!

Here’s the description of the collection:

Sip your eggnog, linger under the mistletoe, and make a Christmas wish. Merry & Bright brings you six tales of Christmas cheer, featuring stories of budding romances, Southern charm, lost loves, heaps of humor, and lots of pie by authors Isabella Louise Anderson, Cindy Arora, Laura Chapman, Lauren Clark, Libby Mercer, and Nancy Scrofano. From sunny Los Angeles to the Rocky Mountains to the Deep South, Merry & Bright will take you on a heartwarming adventure you’ll love to visit again and again. Wrap yourself in holiday mirth and prepare to be swept off your feet.

I really liked that Lauren Clark’s story, “A Very Dixie Christmas”, slightly tied into her novel Dancing Naked in Dixie (I loved the book and you can read my review here). I loved that she made sure to give enough background that you could see the connection between the two but you could still read this story as a standalone and not be confused. I also adored the Christmas spirit in this story. Main character PD’s little girl, Ella Rae, is questioning Santa and I loved how she was convinced that Santa really does exist. “A Very Dixie Christmas” was one of my favourite stories in this collection!

Cindy Arora’s story, “Christmas at Mulberry Inn”, was really sweet. I loved that it focused on friends spending the holiday together, main character Saffron and her BFF Taylor, who owns the Inn. They discover their own kind of family during the story though and I loved that. Saffron helped open Taylor’s eyes to a man who was right in front of her and Taylor, in turn, threw Saffron into situations designed to help her get over her divorce. There was a very homey feel to this story, which was interesting since it didn’t actually take place in a home, and that made it feel nice and Christmassy.

I’ve never tried speed dating and I don’t want to. After reading “Ice Dating” by Nancy Scrofano I can now add speed dating on ice skates to my list of things I never want to try! Can you imagine how stressful that’d be? I’m not the world’s most graceful person to begin with so it’d just be a recipe for disaster :) What I liked most about this story was that it was all about finding love in the most unusual ways. Quinn is obviously no stranger to love as she’s been engaged four times. And honestly, that kind of irked me…small thing, I know, but why did it have to be four times? Why not just once? Or even twice? For some reason it just made me think that she was in it purely for the wedding and not the relationship. Unfair, perhaps, but it was how I felt. Anyway. I do love how she met Cameron and how fate seemed to intervene to get them back together.

Isabella Louise Anderson’s story, “Meet Me Under the Mistletoe”, had a picture perfect setting. Main character Lexi is an author (I love when authors write author main characters!) and rents a rural cottage so she can complete her manuscript before her deadline. This was one of the stories that didn’t quite hit the mark for me. In part it was because of the immediate love connection between Lexi and Sterling. It just wasn’t very realistic (or even book realistic) and it was hard for me to get past that. The idea is a solid one but I felt like the story needed just a bit more tweaking so it could really shine.

I loved the idea of a holiday treasure hunt in Libby Mercer’s story, “Secret Santa”. It was a unique idea, at least one I hadn’t run into in a Christmas collection before, and it was refreshing. Plus, I just love Mercer’s writing and the characters she creates! I learned last month that Libby is a fellow tall girl so I giggled when I read that main character Abbie referred to herself as tall. :)

I was SO excited to read my virtual bestie, Laura Chapman’s, story in this collection. I know how hard she’s been working on her story and novel (the recently released Hard Hats and Doormats) so I was thrilled to see her name in a published book! And, I might be biased, but “Twelve Drummers Drumming” was one of my favourite stories in the book! Like Mercer’s story, it was a unique idea for a Christmas story. I can’t say much because I don’t want to ruin it but I adored the surprise at the end!

If you only read one Christmas book this year, make it Merry & Bright. It was thoroughly enjoyable and I couldn’t get enough of it. Some of my favourite chick lit authors have come together to create one fabulous collection that I think everyone can enjoy.

Author Post: Nancy Scrofano

Yesterday I reviewed Nancy Scrofano's debut novel True Love Way (missed it? Check it out here). Today, Nancy was kind enough to write a guest post for Books Etc. A big thank you to Nancy for the post and for allowing me to take part in the tour for her novel! Happy reading :)

How An Idea Became A Novel

My debut novel, True Love Way, is about friendship at its core. There are romances and a main love story, but the basis of all of it is friendship. Initially, I knew I wanted to write a novel about friendship. Specifically, childhood friendships turned into adult friendships and how they transitioned and changed throughout the years. I wanted to see what would happen if there was something that was holding two childhood friends together, something that would force them to work out whatever obstacles came their way. I knew that the main character would be stuck in the past because the story would essentially be about how she finally moves forward with her life. I wanted to give her a huge obstacle that would be the ultimate test of friendship and forgiveness. Before writing anything, I always outline the story and figure out exactly who the characters are so that I have a clear vision of where the story will go. True Love Way changed along the way as I wrote since new elements were added and deleted, but the original idea remained the same from start to finish. 
Marlo Spencer is the main character, and the book begins when her past and her present collide. She has felt a void in her life since her high school boyfriend, Josh, left the country right after they graduated and cut all ties with her. Up until he left, Marlo and Josh were inseparable since they were four years old. Marlo remained friends with her other childhood best friend, Savannah, and even became much closer to Savannah’s older brother, Nik, in recent years. When Josh returns, Marlo, Savannah, and Nik must confront the past and truly be honest with each other. I knew that the stakes had to be high and the secrets had to be heartbreaking in order for Marlo to really see her friendships and relationships for what they actually were, not only how she idealized them. Marlo tends to put those who are dear to her on pedestals and always wants to see the good in them, but the reality is that no one is perfect. If Marlo can accept her closest friends’ flaws and mistakes, then maybe she can finally accept and deal with her own. 
Once I had the basic idea for True Love Way, it took a few weeks to outline the story and for everything to come together. When I began writing, the storyline took shape naturally. It took me a year to write True Love Way, and it has been over two years since I first came up with the concept for it. I’m extremely proud of how it turned out, and so happy to see my idea come to life on the pages of True Love Way.

Author Bio Nancy Scrofano is the author of True Love Way and writes book reviews for a prestigious book review magazine. Additionally, she is the founder and managing editor of The Chick Lit Bee, a book blog that promotes and celebrates women’s fiction. Nancy is at work on her next novel. For more information, please visit http://www.nancyscrofano.com.

Blog Tour: True Love Way

Welcome to a stop on the True Love Way tour! Nancy Scrofano's debut novel was a fun read and while it won't feature on my top ten list, I'm still really glad I got the chance to read it.

Here's the synopsis for this novel:

Marlo Spencer relishes all things retro. Old TV shows, classic movies, and even the collectible lunch boxes to go with them. In fact, she’s quite cozy in her Malibu apartment, surrounded by her treasured knick-knacks and vintage memorabilia. It’s her best friend, Nik, who doesn’t get her fascination with all that “old junk,” as he calls it. He especially doesn’t understand why she’s so keen to get back to their hometown of Napa when her high school sweetheart, Josh, suddenly returns after twelve years in Paris and nary a single phone call, eager to reunite with her. So, when Marlo heads up north to wine country to rekindle her relationship with Josh, Nik tags along, claiming he was already planning to visit his sister, Savannah, Marlo’s gal pal. Once they reach Napa, however, dreams of a blissful reunion are shattered as old secrets and past betrayals are revealed, leaving an unsuspecting Marlo to pick up the pieces. Can she forgive and forget, or will true love find a different path to her heart?

Sometimes I really enjoy friendship turned relationship stories and sometimes I get frustrated because the characters in question are obviously blind to the attraction between them. Happily, True Love Way leaned towards the former. I know the synopsis doesn't mention this part of the story so I'm really hoping I don't give too much away (please forgive me if I do!). I figured Nik secretly had a thing for Marlo but I could tell that she had absolutely no clue. This provided enough drama without being overwhelming and Scrofano had enough plot twists to leave me unsure of how the story would wrap up.

At first I wondered if Marlo had completely lost her mind. Her first love is suddenly calling her up and asking to see her again after twelve years. She immediately wants to see him and seems to think that they can pick things up again where they left off. One teensy, tiny problem - they last spoke to each other a dozen years ago!! Marlo is so convinced that things will work out with her and Josh that she's completely blind to several other important matters. The aforementioned feelings Nik has for her being one of them. Even though I thought she needed to think things through a little bit more, I know I would have gone to see Josh if I was in her shoes. I may not have assumed that we would get married and have lots of babies and that everything would be a-ok but I would definitely want to see what he was up to and what sort of feelings were still lingering.

I loved the family aspect to this novel. I'm not sure if it was Scrofano's intention but the importance of family is incredibly prominent in this book. Marlo is close to her parents even though she lives a few hours away. She and Nik regularly visit her Aunt Margaret, which is so sweet. (By the way, her aunt is a fabulous character. You will love her as much as I did. I promise.) Then there's Marlo's other family - Savannah, her daughter, and Nik - which is just as strong as her blood relations. It was nice to read about these strong relationships. Each character had multiple people who showed that they would stand by them, no matter what, even when the world seems to be crashing down around them. It's the kind of family that almost everyone would wish for.

Marlo and Savannah have such a strong friendship that nothing can break it. Seriously. This book is proof of that. I would like to say I would have been as mature as Marlo in the situation they find themselves in but I don't know if I could do it. I was actually incredibly upset with Savannah and it took me much longer than Marlo to forgive her. I am glad that things worked out for the best for everyone involved, even though I do foresee some awkward moments for the group in the future. And yes, I know that's super vague but I'm referring to a very important plot twist here so I'm not giving anything else away :)

I happened upon the synopsis of this novel well before I was asked to participate in this blog tour. I immediately told one of my best friends about it because I thought she would really enjoy it. She's an old soul and loves vintage things, just like Marlo. Even though I didn't love this book I still think my friend, and other chick lit lovers, would enjoy it. Sometimes a book doesn't totally click due to a personality thing and I think True Love Way was one of those books for me. So don't let any of my less than positive thoughts influence you too much. I still think readers should give Nancy Scrofano's novel a shot. I'll definitely be keeping an eye on her and will very likely read whatever she comes out with next!

Thank you to Lucie Simone at Simon and Fig and Nancy Scrofano for the review copy for this tour!

Check back tomorrow when Nancy stops by Books Etc. with a guest post.

Happy reading :)