Live Fast Die Hot by Jenny Mollen

Jenny Mollen is a writer and actress living in New York. Until recently, her life was exciting, sexy, a little eccentric, and one hundred percent impulsive. She had a husband who embraced her crazy--who understood her need to occasionally stalk around the house in his ex-girlfriend's old beach caftans and to invite their drug dealer to Passover seder (so he wouldn't feel like they were using him only for drugs). Then they had their son, Sid, and overnight, Jenny was forced to grow up: to be responsible, to brush her hair, to listen to her voicemail. Searingly funny and surprisingly affecting, Live Fast Die Hot is a collection of stories about what happens when you realize that some things are more important than crafting the perfect tweet--and a reminder that even if you never thought you were cut out for parenting, at least you can be better at it than your mother.

My Thoughts 

She is freakin' hilarious!  I follow her Instagram and I can't get enough! 

She makes everything funny - from talking about her husband (Jason Biggs) to her child and everything in between.

Little eccentric - no I would say ALOT - in a good way!

She may speak of wearing his Ex's caftans (truth) and ghosts in her house, oh and she may drop a few choice words along the way at PERFECT times!

AND then she had a kid...her world has changed and her child rearing skills are something to read about!

I refuse to give away too much - just go order a copy now!

Drink Selection

With some of the crazy predicaments she got into, I would say a little jack and coke would hit the spot.

Rating

Hilarious from beginning to end, 5 wine glasses all the way!

About the Author 

Jenny Mollen is an actress and writer, called one of the funniest women on Twitter by The Huffington Post. She writes for Playboy Online, has appeared in "Wilfred," "Suits," "CSI NY," "Crash", the WB series "Angel", and plays a recurring character in the third season of HBO's "GIRLS."

She is also a wife and mother, married to a famous guy (which is annoying only because he gets free shit and she doesn't).

Link to Purchase

Amazon 

 

Every Other Saturday by M.J.Pullen

Struggling store owner Julia Mendel and sports blogger Dave "from the Man Cave" Bernstein have never gotten along, even though their daughters have been in the same preschool class for three years. She sees him as the arrogant, misogynist symbol of everything that's wrong with the men in her life. He sees her as the odd, short-tempered PTA president, out to make his life more difficult at every opportunity. When Dave and Julia find themselves in competition for the same babysitter, a confrontation in the carpool lane leads to an uneasy compromise: pool their resources to share nanny services every-other Saturday night. After a while, Dave finds himself sharing his dating stories across Julia's kitchen table. On behalf of her special needs son, Julia reluctantly turns to Dave for the masculine perspective she's been missing since her divorce. As the Saturdays wear on, however, they may discover they have more in common than car seats and custody schedules. Will there be a second chance at love?

My Thoughts

A sweet and sassy romance all wrapped up into a fun chick lit read!

Divorced mom of 2, Julia, is trying to run a store that her father had left her and her

family  and she isn't doing well.  She she keep going or throw in the towel?  Then there is Dave "from the Man Cave" who gives all sorts of manly opinions from football to dating.  He was recently challenged to go on several dates and blog about them.  He has booked Elizabeth, his go to sitter for several weeks in advance for every Saturday.

Julia needs to earn some extra cash and calls Elizabeth to book her for Saturdays so she can work weddings with her sister.  There is only one problem, Dave booked them all!  She begs and pleads for him to get a new sitter.  They settle on sharing Elizabeth and helping each other out.

Along the way they develop a slight crush on each other - Julia more so than Dave.  How will this all end?  Will Julia capture Dave's heart?  Will Dave fall in love with one of his challenge dates?

Get your copy today and enjoy this sassy read!

Drink Selection

While enjoying this romantic find, enjoy an Apple Cider Mule!  Delish!

Rating

Fun read from beginning to end.  4 wines glasses for this sassy find.

 About the Author 

M.J. Pullen

MANDA (M.J.) PULLEN is the author of complex, funny, contemporary romances including The Marriage Pact trilogy. She was raised in the suburbs of Atlanta by a physicist and a flower child, who taught her that life is tragic and funny, and real love is anything but simple. After traveling around Europe and living in cities like Austin and Portland, she returned to Atlanta where she lives with her husband and two sons. 

Link to Purchase

Amazon

  

 

The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

A novel of suspense that explores the complexities of marriage and the dangerous truths we ignore in the name of love.

When you read this book, you will make many assumptions.
You will assume you are reading about a jealous wife and her obsession with her replacement.
You will assume you are reading about a woman about to enter a new marriage with the man she loves.
You will assume the first wife was a disaster and that the husband was well rid of her.
You will assume you know the motives, the history, the anatomy of the relationships.
Assume nothing.

Discover the next blockbuster novel of suspense, and get ready for the read of your life.

My Thoughts

As the description clearly states, as you read you will begin to make assumptions and I did right off the bat.  I WAS WRONG.  I love a book that challenges me and makes me think and re-evaluate my thought process over and over.

This book will pull you in and you will have many sleepless nights until you're finished.

I want to say so much about the story line and how I felt about different situations, but this is truly one of those books that you must read for yourself and you don't want to have too many details going in.  It's all part of the experience and the plot and the assumptions you make and not the details that I may give you that ruin it.

I can truthfully say that this is a MUST READ BOOK OF 2018! 

Drink Selection
In the spirit of Fall, which is among us, I am going to pair this amazing read with Apple Cider Margaritas!  YUM!

Rating
I was enthralled with this book from beginning to end! 5 wine glass rating all the way!

About The Authors

Greer Hendricks
Greer Hendricks spent over two decades as an editor. Her writing has been published in The New York Times and Publishers Weekly. The Wife Between Us is her first novel.

Sarah Pekkanen

"Fans of Jennifer Weiner and Emily Giffin will strongly appreciate this rising star in women's fiction." - Library Journal.
Internationally bestselling author Sarah Pekkanen's newest book is THE PERFECT NEIGHBORS. She is also the co-author of the upcoming THE WIFE BETWEEN US (out in January 2018).

Her prior novels are: THINGS YOU WON'T SAY, CATCHING AIR, THE BEST OF US, THE OPPOSITE OF ME, SKIPPING A BEAT, and THESE GIRLS.

Sarah's linked free short estories, published by Simon&Schuster exclusively for ereaders, are titled "All is Bright," and "Love, Accidentally."

Sarah is the mother of three young boys, which explains why she writes part of her novels at Chuck E. Cheese. Sarah penned her first book, Miscellaneous Tales and Poems, at the age of 10. When publishers failed to jump upon this literary masterpiece (hey, all the poems rhymed!) Sarah followed up by sending them a sternly-worded letter on Raggedy Ann stationery. Sarah still has that letter, and carries it to New York every time she has meetings with her publisher, as a reminder that dreams do come true.

Her website is www.sarahpekkanen.com and please find her on Facebook Instagram and Twitter @sarahpekkanen!

Link to Purchase
Amazon  

Close Enough To Touch by Colleen Oakley

One time a boy kissed me and I almost died...

And so begins the story of Jubilee Jenkins, a young woman with a rare and debilitating medical condition: she’s allergic to other humans. After a humiliating near-death experience in high school, Jubilee has become a recluse, living the past nine years in the confines of the small town New Jersey house her unaffectionate mother left to her when she ran off with a Long Island businessman. But now, her mother is dead, and without her financial support, Jubilee is forced to leave home and face the world—and the people in it—that she’s been hiding from.

One of those people is Eric Keegan, a man who just moved into town for work. With a daughter from his failed marriage who is no longer speaking to him, and a brilliant, if psychologically troubled, adopted son, Eric’s struggling to figure out how his life got so off-course, and how to be the dad—and man—he wants so desperately to be. Then, one day, he meets a mysterious woman named Jubilee, with a unique condition...

Close Enough to Touch is an evocative, poignant, and heartrending exploration of the power and possibilities of the human heart.

My Review

I fell in love with this sweet obscure love story from page one.

To begin, when your little to almost die by a single kiss, then to find out that you are allergic to humans, what in the world?  You don't realize how much of our lives are dictated by some sort of human touch till you can no longer experience it.

To think about being confined to my home for 9 years and not having any contact with the outside world seems truly terrifying.

But then one day Jubilee receives devastating news - her mother passed away.  If that wasn't enough, her stepfather cut her off financially.  She was going to have to leave the confines of her home.  Where in the world would she go?  She lands a job where I would love to work one day, three guesses where that would be - a library!

She develops a connection with this single father but how close can they truly get without touching?

Take a trip through this enchanting read of overcoming obstacles, love and finding yourself in the world when you are all alone.

Drink Selection

I would pair this read with a delish Pumpkin Pie Sangria!  Doesn't that sound amazing?

Rating  

I loved this sweet story from beginning to end, five wine glasses all the way!

 

About the Author 

Colleen Oakley’s debut novel BEFORE I GO was a People Magazine Best New Book Pick in January 2015, an Us Weekly “Must” Pick, a Publisher’s Lunch Buzz Book, a January 2015 Indie Next List Pick and deemed “an impressive feat…an immensely entertaining, moving, and believable read” by the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Formerly the senior editor of Marie Claire and editor-in-chief of Women’s Health & Fitness, Colleen’s articles, essays, and interviews have been featured in The New York Times, Ladies’ Home Journal, Marie Claire, Women’s Health, Redbook, Parade, and Martha Stewart Weddings. She lives in Atlanta with her husband, four kids and the world's biggest lapdog, Bailey. Her second novel CLOSE ENOUGH TO TOUCH will be published by Simon & Schuster in April 2017.

Link to Purchase

Amazon  

 

in a dark, dark wood by Ruth Ware

What should be a cozy and fun-filled weekend deep in the English countryside takes a sinister turn in Ruth Ware’s suspenseful, compulsive, and darkly twisted psychological thriller.

Leonora, known to some as Lee and others as Nora, is a reclusive crime writer, unwilling to leave her “nest” of an apartment unless it is absolutely necessary. When a friend she hasn’t seen or spoken to in years unexpectedly invites Nora (Lee?) to a weekend away in an eerie glass house deep in the English countryside, she reluctantly agrees to make the trip. Forty-eight hours later, she wakes up in a hospital bed injured but alive, with the knowledge that someone is dead. Wondering not “what happened?” but “what have I done?”, Nora (Lee?) tries to piece together the events of the past weekend. Working to uncover secrets, reveal motives, and find answers, Nora (Lee?) must revisit parts of herself that she would much rather leave buried where they belong: in the past.

In the tradition of Paula Hawkins's instant New York Times bestseller The Girl On the Train and S. J. Watson’s riveting national sensation Before I Go To Sleep, this gripping literary debut from UK novelist Ruth Ware will leave you on the edge of your seat through the very last page.

My Thoughts 
Where do I begin...I wasn't actually sure what to expect.  But I can honestly say that I LOVED this book.  I highly recommend this book to anyone who's looking for a dark psychological thriller.
Leonora never leaves her home, and for good reason, can anyone truly trust the crazy, suspicious outside world?
Then one day she's invited to a bridal shower hen weekend, are these girls crazy?  Why would she go to the middle of no where to a glass house surrounded by trees...OK that does sound a little fun but in the end I wouldn't be able to do it, I would feel like I'm on show to the creepy people outside looking in.
Within in 48 hours someone is injuring in the hospital and someone else is dead, what the heck is going on?
I would honestly say that book is so good you may read it in one of two sittings!

Drink Selection
With all the crazy suspense that lies ahead for you in this book, I would have a delish bottle of Red Cat Halloween Label Red - SOOOO Goood!

Rating
5 wine glasses all the way!

 

About the Author
Ruth Ware grew up in Sussex, on the south coast of England. After graduating from Manchester University she moved to Paris, before settling in North London. She has worked as a waitress, a bookseller, a teacher of English as a foreign language and a press officer. She is married with two small children, and In a Dark, Dark Wood is her début thriller.

Find her on twitter at www.twitter.com/ruthwarewriter, on facebook at www.facebook.com/ruthwarewriter or via her website - www.ruthware.com

Link to Purchase
Amazon 

 
 

Where We Fall by Rochelle B. Weinstein

By all accounts, Abby Holden has it all. She’s the mother of a beautiful teenager and the wife of a beloved high school football coach. And all it took to achieve her charmed life was her greatest act of betrayal.

Coach Ryan can coax his team to victory, but he can’t seem to make his wife, Abby, happy. Her struggles with depression have marred their marriage and taken a toll on their daughter, Juliana. Although this isn’t the life he’s dreamed of, he’s determined to heal the rifts in his family.

Chasing waterfalls and documenting their beauty has led photographer Lauren Sheppard all around the world. Now it has brought her back home to the mountains of North Carolina—back to the scene of her devastating heartbreak.

For the first time in seventeen years, a trio of once-inseparable friends find themselves confronting past loves, hurts, and the rapid rush of a current that still pulls them together.

My Thoughts 
I just randomly went and picked a book off my shelf a few weeks back and I was so happy that this fall beauty fell into my hands.
Such a sad, tragic love story that has its moments of pure joy along with its moments of utter misery when you see how the pain has hit each individual character of this book.
Abby seems to have the makings of a perfect life - the handsome husband, the beautiful daughter, the house - basically the cookie cutter perfect life.  Not all things are as perfect as what they seem when you are on the outside looking in.
But what if that "perfect" family came at a price?  At the downfall and heartache of your best friend?
Abby always wanted Ryan but....he was in love with Lauren - Abby's best friend.
But one day Lauren took an amazing opportunity and went to see the world and photograph some of the most amazing waterfalls...but little did she know that her "best friend" would take advantage of her boyfriend in his time of need and rope him in by...you guessed it...getting pregnant.
How could Lauren deal with that?  She couldn't go back and watch their lives unfold together so she stayed away for what seemed like an eternity.
One day she came back...Abby was in the midst of a breakdown...what will happen at this end of this mess?   Will Lauren get her lost love back?  Will Abby get better and keep her family in tact?

Drink Selection
Every tragic love story needs to have a drink to go along with the rough times and that wine is known as Scandelicious!  Deep, bold and sultry! 

Rating
I really enjoyed the story and thought the characters wove an interesting web and I give it 5 wine glasses!

About the Author
Hi readers and friends! I'm Rochelle Weinstein, and I love to read as much as I love to write. Check out my women's fiction novels, WHERE WE FALL, THE MOURNING AFTER, & WHAT WE LEAVE BEHIND, or visit my shelf to see what I've been enjoying. If you're an aspiring author, please contact me with any questions you might have regarding the writing process. Happy Reading!

Link to Purchase
Amazon 

Review - The Hideaway by Lauren K Denton

When her grandmother’s will wrenches Sara back home from New Orleans, she learns more about Margaret Van Buren in the wake of her death than she ever did in life.

After her last remaining family member dies, Sara Jenkins goes home to The Hideaway, her grandmother Mags's ramshackle B&B in Sweet Bay, Alabama. She intends to quickly tie up loose ends then return to her busy life and thriving antique shop in New Orleans. Instead, she learns Mags has willed her The Hideaway and charged her with renovating it—no small task considering Mags’s best friends, a motley crew of senior citizens, still live there.

Rather than hurrying back to New Orleans, Sara stays in Sweet Bay and begins the biggest house-rehabbing project of her career. Amid Sheetrock dust, old memories, and a charming contractor, she discovers that slipping back into life at The Hideaway is easier than she expected.

Then she discovers a box Mags left in the attic with clues to a life Sara never imagined for her grandmother. With help from Mags’s friends, Sara begins to piece together the mysterious life of bravery, passion, and choices that changed Mags’s destiny in both marvelous and devastating ways.

When an opportunistic land developer threatens to seize The Hideaway, Sara is forced to make a choice—stay in Sweet Bay and fight for the house and the people she’s grown to love or leave again and return to her successful but solitary life in New Orleans.

My Thoughts 
Have I ever said how much I LOVE Southern Lit?  There is something special about the love, life and adventure that the characters lead down south that draws me in and I want to live there and experience it all for myself.
This story is no different.  It takes place in New Orleans and and Sweet Bay, Alabama.  Lauren does such an amazing job in her descriptions of the characters from their personalities to their lives.  I couldn't get enough and I wished for more.
Sara was raised by her crazy grandmother and her eclectic friends.  She never really enjoyed her upbringing and wanted to leave as soon as she could.  And she did.  All the way to New Orleans where she would opened her own consignment shop of gorgeous antique finds that she recreated.  She talks to her grandmother when she can and the last place she wants to travel to is Sweet Bay Alabama.  
Then the unthinkable happens...her grandmother passes away and she never got to say goodbye.  
Her best friend agrees to take care of her shop while she goes home to tie up loose ends and meet with the attorney.
And then it happens.  She gets sucked back into the charms of Sweet Bay and wonders if she can ever leave again?
So much happens while she's home - the reading of the will, repairs to Mags's house, meeting a charming man, meeting family she didn't know existed and falling in love with Mags friends just to name a few.
What will happen at the end of Sara's stay in Sweet Bay?  Will she get rid of it all and head back to the city she fell in love with years ago?

Drink Selection
Southern drinking at its finest, I always find the most delicious drinks come from the south!  Try this one, sounds delish - Bulleit Southern Belle! 

1 1/4 ounces bourbon whiskey (Bulleit)

1/2 ounce triple sec

12 ounces pineapple juice

1 tablespoon grenadine

2 ounces orange juice

It wouldn't be a southern drink without a little bit of Bourbon now would it?


Rating 
This book was true southern lit from the first page and I give it at least 5 wine glasses!  It was THAT good!

About the Author
Born and raised in Mobile, Alabama, Lauren now lives with her husband and two young daughters in Homewood, just outside Birmingham. In addition to her fiction, she writes a monthly newspaper column about life, faith, and how funny (and hard) it is to be a parent. On any given day, she’d rather be at the beach with her family and a stack of books. The Hideaway is her first novel.

I'd love to connect! Visit me at www.laurenkdenton.com, www.facebook.com/lauren.kofflerdenton, www.twitter.com/LaurenKDenton,
or www.instagram.com/laurenkdentonbooks/ 

Link to Purchase

Amazon