Blog Tour: Peri in Progress

It's always a good day when I can write about one of the ladies of Marching Ink. Today I'm sharing my review of Peri in Progress, Cat Lavoie's latest novel, as part of a Chick Lit Plus Blog Tour. You should all know by now that I love the books Samantha March publishes and I love Cat. Of course, with that love comes a sense of, "Oh my god, what if I don't like the next book?" Luckily, I've never not liked one of their books :) Peri in Progress was a thoroughly enjoyable novel and Peri was a heroine that everyone will love.

Here's the synopsis:

You know what they say about best-laid plans…
After a disastrous thirty-first birthday party where she gets stood-up by a man she isn’t supposed to be dating, Peri McKenna decides it’s time to change what hasn’t been working—which is pretty much everything. Her love life is going nowhere fast, she’s bored to tears by a job that makes her the office pariah, and the lifelong junk food addiction that used to be somewhat quirky is now positively problematic. To top it all off, her newly-purchased home is falling apart and wishful thinking hasn’t done much to fix the leaky roof.
It’s time be an adult now that she’s officially ‘thirty-something.’ But when the first step of Peri’s self-improvement plan backfires, she starts to wonder if change might be overrated.
Enter Milo Preston, an up-and-coming chef who’s in town to take over a local restaurant. When Peri and Milo begin working together, she finds it hard to ignore his easy charm and captivating emerald-green eyes. Since Milo is her best friend’s estranged brother, Peri has to keep reminding herself that he is completely off-limits. As they grow closer, Milo introduces Peri to new foods, the joy (and pain) of jogging, and makes her think her luck might finally be turning.
But when the past catches up with them, Peri finds herself back at square one. Will she be able to sort herself out—or will the roof cave in on her once and for all?

As I mentioned, Peri was such a lovely main character. She was so real, with understandable and relatable flaws. Too often chick lit novels will have heroines who are annoyingly messed up at the beginning of the story. That drives me bonkers. I don't want an exaggerated character. I want someone real, someone who I can imagine as one of my friends. Because I know no one is perfect, and a novel about a perfect character would be as annoying as one about someone who is really screwed up, I expect some issues and, in a good chick lit book, those issues will be worked on throughout the novel. Cat writes good chick lit so Peri's journey was really great to read. She identifies her issues easily and early on and strives to work on them throughout the course of the novel. I adored that. It also made for a perfect read for early in the new year, with resolutions and all!

Cat has a knack for writing such lovely Happily Ever After chick lit novels that have so much heart. I find that some stories that leave you with the warm and fuzzies tend to lack a really good storyline. That doesn't happen with Cat's books. There's also humour in Cat's novels and I love that the romance isn't the main part of the story. Peri's relationship with her best friend, Elsa, is just as important as Peri's relationship with Milo. And, as I mentioned above, Peri's work on herself is the most important thing in the book and that is why this book rocks so much.

Peri in Progress is the perfect pick me up chick lit read - especially with this wintery weather my part of the world has been having. Cat Lavoie has given readers another fantastic and real heroine you can't help but root for. I loved reading Peri's story and think many others will as well.

Read on for a quick Q&A with Cat (it's short because I've interviewed her in 2012 and 2013!) and a tour-wide giveaway.

*A copy of this novel was provided by the publisher, Marching Ink, in exchange for a review as part of this blog tour. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Author Q&A
Books Etc.: You're not a full time author (yet) so how do you balance the work that pays the bills, your passion, and life?  
Cat Lavoie: It can be a bit tough to balance everything and, sadly, writing time is almost always the first thing to go when life gets hectic. But I try to devote most weekends to my work-in-progress and I also try to get some work done during my lunch breaks. (Working on the dream job can sometimes help brighten up a dreary work day.)

BE: Do you find inspiration for your stories everywhere? How do you decide what  to turn into a novel? 
CL: I find that I need to "live with" an idea for a little while before I commit to it. I ask myself a lot of "what if?" questions (what if this happened? what if that happened?) and if I'm able to come up with interesting answers, chances are I'll be able to develop the idea into a book. Inspiration can indeed come from everywhere—an overheard conversation, a song, something crazy/funny/weird  that happened to me, or my own overactive imagination.

BE: I know you love London and visiting the city. I smiled when Peri peppered Milo  with questions about his life there during some of their "get to know you"  conversations. What is one thing you have to do the next time you visit London?  And do you think you'll set a novel there in the future? 
CL: I've visited London twice, but I've never been on a tour of Buckingham Palace. I'd also love to eat in one of Jamie Oliver's restaurant—both things are on my to-do list for my next visit. I'd love to set a book in London and write about a character  discovering the city and falling in love with it just like I did so many years ago. (But I think I need to go back before I do that… just to make sure I get everything right!)

About Cat
Cat Lavoie lives in Montreal, Canada with her tempestuous cat, Abbie. She is the author of BREAKING THE RULES, ZOEY & THE MOMENT OF ZEN, and PERI IN PROGRESS.
If Cat isn't reading or writing, she's most likely watching too much TV or daydreaming about her next trip to London.

Author Links
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Newsletter

Blog Tour Links
January 4 - Chick Lit Plus - Review
January 6 - Cherllynn Writes - Excerpt
January 8 - The Book Chick - Review & Q&A
January 12 - Chick Lit Goddess - Excerpt & Q&A
January 14 - Books Etc - Review & Q&A
January 14 - Living Life With Joy - Excerpt & Q&A
January 15 - Jersey Girl Book Reviews - Review, Excerpt, &Q&A
January 15 - One Book At A Time - Excerpt
January 18 - Around the World In Books - Excerpt


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Review: Novelista Girl

I've been waiting for the follow up to Meredith Schorr's Blogger Girl basically since the moment I finished the book (review is here). Needless to say, I was thrilled (THRILLED) when Meredith told me she was finally writing the sequel. Even though I love love love everything Meredith writes, there was still that niggling doubt in my mind...what if I don't like it as much as the first book about Kim? (And I'm sure she's worried about the same thing!) That feeling was completely unwarranted. I adored Novelista Girl. I read it last year (on vacation...best idea ever) so it's one of my favourites of 2015 even though it's just being published today. Congrats (and thank you) to Meredith for writing and publishing another of my favourite chick lit books!

Here's the synopsis:

Readers first met sassy Kimberly Long in Blogger Girl, and now the feisty New Yorker is back in a sequel packed with quick wit, friendship, heartache, and, of course, romance.
Kim runs the most popular chick lit book blog on the web, loves playing house with her sexy lawyer boyfriend, Nicholas, and is finally pursuing her lifelong dream to become a published author. At first glance, her life is five-pink-champagne-flutes worthy.
After hearing the phrase “chick lit is dead” more times than she’s read Bridget Jones's Diary, Kim is driven to desperate measures, seeking advice from up-and-coming chick lit author, Hannah Marshak, her high school nemesis and resident “mean girl.” As if Kim doesn't have enough on her plate balancing her secretarial duties with her blog Pastel Is the New Black, shrugging off the growing pile of agent rejections, and keeping her best friend from turning green over Kim’s budding friendship with Hannah, Nicholas is so blinded by his career ambitions, he doesn't see that their home sweet home could use more than a dash of sugar.
This is the year when all of Kim's dreams—professional and romantic—are supposed to come true, but will the story have a happily ever after, or will Kim end up unpublished and all alone? 

Novelista Girl basically picks up right where Blogger Girl left off. Note: if you haven't read Blogger Girl yet, beware of teeny spoilers. And get your ass in gear and read it because it's one of my all time favourite books. That being said, you don't have to read Blogger Girl first...the new book stands on its own. I just think readers will have a better reading experience if they read both books.

In Novelista Girl, Nicholas and Kim have righted their relationship and, more importantly, Kim has finally decided to take the plunge and has submitted her novel to agents. Meredith does a really great job of balancing the romantic and career storylines in this novel. I love reading about love interests and swoony (and stressful) moments but the fact that Kim was also pursuing her dream of becoming a published author was SO important (and not just because the title of this book is Novelista Girl).

Kim continues to be a character that I want to be best friends with. She has her "what on earth is she thinking?" moments but, hey, we all have those moments. (We do. Do not try to deny it.) She's smart, passionate, driven, funny, and, most importantly to me, is a book person. :) I love books so much more when I want to be BFFs with the heroine and her group of friends. Can't I just hop into the book to hang with Kim, Bridget, and Caroline?

Blogger Girl focused more on, you guessed it, Kim's chick lit book blog. Part of why I loved the book so much is because it felt like it was a book about me. No one had ever written about my passion before so it was super cool. I think my main worry about going into Novelista Girl was that I might not identify as much with Kim because I'm not a blogger who wants to be an author (sometimes I think I'm an anomaly!). I shouldn't have been worried though because reading about Kim's publishing  journey was equally interesting. I have many author friends and a lot of what they go through, Kim was going through too.

As I mentioned, I read my eARC while on vacation. I'm sharing this picture not only because it shows where I was when I was reading it but also because it's crazy cold right now and I want to be back on the beach in St. Thomas.

Novelista Girl is another winning novel from Meredith Schorr. Hanging out with Kim, reading as she went through the ups and downs of a twentysomething life, was just as amazing as when I read Blogger Girl. Kim's romantic, friend, hobby, and work relationships all come together in a well written and thoroughly enjoyable novel. You all know I love everything Meredith writes but, guys, her books about Kim are really that amazing. You'll love them as much as I do if you give them a chance. So what are you waiting for? Pink champagne flutes for everyone!

*An advanced eARC was provided by the author in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Christmas on Primrose Hill

Given the number of books Karen Swan has written and my preference for the types of novels she writes, it's surprising that Christmas on Primrose Hill was only the second book by Swan I've read. I quite enjoyed it!

Here's the synopsis:

On Primrose Hill...
Twinkling lights brighten London's Primrose Hill as Christmas nears - but for Nettie Watson, it's not parties and presents that she wants.
Promises are made
For Nettie, Christmas only serves as a stark reminder of the life she used to have...One day she made a promise to never leave home, and so far she's stayed true to her word.
Promises are broken
Under the glaring spotlight of the world's media, Nettie is unexpectedly caught up in a 21st century storm...Her exploits have made her a global name and attracted the attention of one of the world's most eligible men - famous front man, Jamie Westlake. But now she has his attention, does she want to keep it?

Fairly early on the reader can figure out there's a secret about Nettie's mother...but you don't know what it is and it takes forever for it to be revealed. It. Drove. Me. Crazy. Not only that, but I really couldn't understand why she didn't want anyone to know about what had happened. I suppose I could to a point but...I would think it'd be something she'd want to share with someone she was becoming close with. One of my good friends, and fellow blogger, Natalie of Browsing Bookshelves, enjoyed the suspense though so it's all a matter of personal preference.

I got a huge amount of enjoyment out of the social media/viral video storyline. It was fun to listen to them report how things were going and how much money they were raising. I almost wished the Blue Bunny was real because it'd be pretty amusing to watch the antics Nettie and her team got up to. Social media and the Internet move quickly so the story (sort of...see above paragraph) moved quickly too. The viral marketing part of the story almost went too fast, which was odd considering other parts of the story dragged. I couldn't really keep track of time because everything was happening at a rapid pace.

Time to talk about the romance! While I almost wanted something else to happen (because I'm a sucker for those types of stories), in the end I'm glad it didn't. (Yep. That's vague. But I can't tell you more than that otherwise I'll start spoiling the story.) Average girl meets famous guy is always a fun storyline and I enjoyed reading as Nettie and Jamie's relationship evolved. 

While the novel doesn't have too much to do with Christmas itself, you get the gear up/hype of the holiday season as well as some Christmas magic (not literal magic...it's not that kind of story). The holiday hints were subtle - markets, ice skating, tree decorating - but perfectly paired with the overall novel. It's one of those Christmas stories that should leave you with many warm fuzzies when you've finished it.

I'm quite happy I have more Karen Swan books to catch up on because I don't want Christmas on Primrose Hill to be my last. Swan writes engaging, sweet, emotional, and funny stories. You may be done with your Christmas reading now but I think you should still pick this one up and carry on the festive spirit for just a few more days.

Merry Christmas!

*An ARC of this novel was provided by Publishers Group Canada in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Christmas at Lilac Cottage

I love when two of my favourite things come together - like British chick lit and Christmas stories. I was really excited to read Holly Martin's Christmas at Lilac Cottage because it sounded really sweet and full of the holiday spirit. I was right, for the most part, and enjoyed reading this book. And look at that sweet cover!

Here's the synopsis:

Welcome to the charming seaside town of White Cliff Bay, where Christmas is magical and love is in the air…
Penny Meadows loves her home – a cosy cottage decorated with pretty twinkling fairy lights and stunning views over the town of White Cliff Bay. She also loves her job as an ice-carver, creating breathtaking sculptures. Yet her personal life seems frozen.
When Henry and daughter Daisy arrive at the cottage to rent the annex, Penny is determined to make them feel welcome. But while Daisy is friendly, Henry seems guarded.
As Penny gets to know Henry, she realises there is more to him than meets the eye. And the connection between them is too strong to ignore…
While the spirit of the season sprinkles its magic over the seaside town and preparations for the ice sculpting competition and Christmas eve ball are in full swing, can Penny melt the ice and allow love in her heart? And will this finally be the perfect Christmas she’s been dreaming of?
Like a creamy hot chocolate with marshmallows, you won’t want to put this deliciously heartwarming novel down.
Spend the perfect Christmas in White Cliff Bay this year. Snowflakes on Silver Cove coming very soon. 

My one main issue with this book is that there was a lot of repetitiveness and unnecessary information. I cannot count the number of times Penny mentioned her ex-boyfriend or Henry talked about his ex-girlfriends. I just couldn't understand why they kept bringing up the exact same thing. Nothing new was revealed and it didn't move the plot along at all. This was my only issue and, while it really did drive me bonkers, it wasn't too hard to move past.

If you know me and my reading tastes, you'll know I love small town stories. This novel shows the sweet side of small towns, and the ugly side. I appreciated that because too often only the positives of a teeny town is written about. Granted, the downside of this particular small town was pretty ugly - vindictive women, nose in everyone's business gossips, and the like - but at least Martin acknowledged it. Of course, she also showed how amazing small towns can be when they come together to make sure the town's favourite Christmas event, the ball, went on in the face of impending disaster. Yay communities pulling together!

There was a lot going on in this book (actually, almost too much) but all the storylines kept me turning the pages to find out what happened next. Martin does a nice job of weaving everything together.

I really wanted Penny and Henry to have a Happily Ever After. Like, desperately wanted it. Right away I could sense they both deserved to find that perfect person (for them) and I hated all the stupid little things that got in the way of the two of them finally getting together. But (slight spoiler but it's a holiday chick lit...you can't be too surprised) when they eventually do get together, it's just the sweetest. They both have a lot to learn about being together but I loved reading as they learned those things.

Overall, Christmas at Lilac Cottage was really sweet. Author Holly Martin has written a lovely Christmas themed story that focuses more on the characters and their journey (romantic and otherwise) than the holiday itself, but that's ok. If you like English contemporary/chick lit novels, check this one out.

*An eARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I'm a very bad blogger. I should have had Marie Landry's book read last year before Christmas, instead of in January. Not only that but I should have written the review right away so it'd be ready to go for this holiday season because I should have known there would be issues and I'd have a broken laptop to contend with! Alas, here we are a few days before Christmas and I'm finally reviewing a few of the holiday themed books I've read this year. I may be delayed but I'm still going to tell you that you must read The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. I loved it! It's a novella so you definitely have time to read it before the big day. Plus, it's just 99 cents so you really can't say no to that.

Here's the synopsis:

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, right? At least that’s what twenty-year-old Ginny Bailey’s grandmother always told her, and Ginny believed it until Grama died. She even put on a brave face the following two Christmases, carrying on Grama’s traditions and decorating her house and café with Grama’s favorite decorations.
But Ginny can’t pretend any longer. When she finds out she’s going to be alone for the holidays this year, her Christmas spirit goes out the window, along with her luck. Everything that can go wrong does, and Ginny just wants to spend the holidays hiding under the covers...until Dean Riley comes back into her life. With their shared past, old feelings begin to resurface almost immediately, and Ginny thinks Dean might just be the Christmas miracle she’s been waiting for to help her remember why Christmas really is the most wonderful time of the year.

Unlike some books that take place at Christmastime, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year really does centre around the holiday. The magic of Christmas, not just the day, is really present, which I adore. As hard as it is for Ginny to celebrate the holiday without her Grama, she still goes all out and celebrates the holiday as her Grama would have wanted. Plus, the whole town is full of Christmas cheer - a little bit like Stars Hallow, in fact. Yay, small towns!

My heart hurt for Ginny. On top of having to spend yet another Christmas without her Grama, her parents (who were never really parents to her, having had her when they were just 18), decide to leave on a last minute vacation. That's what not to do when you've already abandoned your child once, fyi. I knew Ginny was strong but I worried that she'd struggle with the holiday even more. I really wanted to reach through the pages and give her a big hug!

I love Christmas books and I love second chance romances. Put the two together and you have one happy reader. I adored Ginny and Dean together and couldn't wait for them to figure out they needed to give a relationship another try. Their relationship is just so sweet and I loved reading as they figured out their rekindled feelings for each other.

I also love books where the heroine owns her own business. I'm not sure why (today's not the day for a psych analysis) but I do. Perhaps it's because she (usually) immediately comes across as a put together woman who is doing what she loves. That's not always the case but Ginny (who technically doesn't own the cafe yet) thrives in the cafe and has big dreams for it. When I first read about her plans to expand, I immediately wanted to hop into the pages of the book so I could help her reach her dreams.

Finally, can we just talk about this cover for a moment? I may have swooned the first time I saw it and I'm still in love with it today. The image is just so very pretty!

Like I said, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year is a novella so it won't take you very long to read. Go buy it for your ereader right now and you'll have it done before you open your stockings. Marie Landry is so talented! I really need to read more of her books, like, immediately!

*A copy of this novel was provided by the author in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Top Ten Tuesday: Books on my Christmas List

Top Ten Tuesday is weekly meme created by the lovely folks at The Broke and the Bookish. They created it because they're "particularly fond of lists" and since I also enjoy lists, I've decided to participate in this fun feature.

It's almost Christmas! And while I know everyone who is buying me gifts will have already bought my presents and no one tends to buy me actual books anyway (anyone else prefer that? I have so many books anyway that I'd really rather buy my own!), it was still fun to come up with a list of books that I wouldn't mind finding under the Christmas tree. What books are you hoping for this holiday season?

Carry On - Rainbow Rowell
Can you believe I still haven't read this one?

Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
I don't actually own a hard copy of the full novel and I absolutely adore the Rifle Paper Co. cover.

Almost all of Lindsey Kelk's books
I have a few of her I Heart series but I'd also really love to have the books in her newer A Girl series.

Jane Austen: A Life - Carol Shields
There are many Jane Austen biographies out there but I've heard this one's supposed to be really well done.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - Newt Scamander (aka JK Rowling)
I have my sister's old copy of Quidditch Through the Ages that she gave me after she was gifted a lovely set of the two books. And I figure with the movie coming out sooner rather than later, I should have a copy of this one, too.

In Her Wake - KA Tucker
I hadn't really wanted to read this prequel (would you call this a prequel even though you should read Ten Tiny Breaths first?) but since Tucker has quickly become one of my all time favourite authors, I feel like I should have this book, too. Also, I should probably own Ten Tiny Breaths and Five Ways to Fall, come to think of it. I have all of the other ones!

Leave Your Mark - Aliza Licht
I'd love to read more girl power, Millennial focused books and this one, about social media and landing your dream job, seems like the perfect fit for me.

Infinity - Sarah Dessen
I call myself a huge Sarah Dessen fan and yet I've never read this short story. I don't even know if you can buy it anywhere but I want it.

Put a Ring on It - Beth Kendrick
I've read the other Black Dog Bay novels so I really want to get back to the small town to see what everyone is up to!

Just One Night - Gayle Forman
I freaking loved the other books in this series and I need need need to know what happens in this one.

Review: Plan Bea

One of my least favourite things is having to say I didn't love a book so when I say that Plan Bea was a book I expected to like (if not love) and didn't, know it's as hard for me to write as it is for the author to read. Hilary Grossman's second novel isn't bad, don't get me wrong. I did find enjoyment in some parts but I just didn't connect with it in the way I should have.

Here's the synopsis:

Could falling in love allow a cold, stubborn, and selfish women to open her heart back up to her family?
Beatrice Buchanan has spent more years than she can remember distancing herself from everyone close to her. She has no relationship with her grandchildren and the only time she speaks to her daughter is during her weekly fifteen-minute commute to the nail salon. When Bea meets Walter on a cruise she realizes there may be more to life than designer clothes and impressing the ladies at her country club.
We live our entire lives thinking we know those closest to us. But do we ever really?
On the outside, Annabel O’Conner has it all – the perfect husband, two adorable children, and an amazing job. The only thing missing is her mother’s love. When Bea begs her daughter to help plan her wedding, Annabel reluctantly agrees. Little does she know the impact of her decision or the surprise that is in store for her!
This emotional and honest women’s contemporary fiction novel will tug at your heartstrings and the twist ending will shock you.

The core of the story was an intriguing and gripping one. My heart hurt for both Anna and Bea. I couldn't imagine having such a strained relationship with my mom. I loved seeing them attempt to repair their relationship and Anna encourage a relationship between her mom and her children.

It takes awhile to learn exactly why Anna and Bea's relationship is so awful and almost non-existent. I can't say why, since that's part of the plot twist, but I will say that I had it figured out. And because of this, I found myself reorganizing the storyline to make it "better" (in my opinion, of course). The revelations could have been in a different order and still would have packed a punch. Plus, I wouldn't have been waiting and waiting for the big reveal to occur. It was so anticlimactic for me. That was a big flow issue for me but there were other ones as well. The way Anna and Bea revealed information to each other was so stilted, even allowing for their strained relationship. There was also a piece of info Bea gave Anna that I didn't see how she could know. There were some recalling of conversations that were so awkward. For example, after a dinner out with the whole family (which we don't get to read about), Anna and her husband are getting ready for bed and are talking about how funny their daughter was that evening. I assume most parents would laugh and move on but they quote, verbatim we're to assume, exactly what she said. It just didn't feel natural to me.

Never being in Anna's situation myself (though I have a non-existant relationship with my dad so I can kind of see where she'd be coming from), I can't say for certain what I would do in her place. But that shouldn't matter...I should be able to understand why a character is acting the way she is (this is women's fiction, not a thriller, you know?) and I just didn't get why Anna was so hellbent on catering to her mother's every request when Bea had been so so horrible to her. It just didn't quite make sense to me.

Like I said, I wanted Plan Bea to be a winner for me. I know so many other chick lit and women's fiction fans adore Hilary Grossman's books but it doesn't seem to be in the cards for me. Would I tell you not to read it? No, of course not. Read it if the story speaks to you! But maybe it doesn't need to be tops on your TBR list.

*A copy of this novel was provided in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*