Thursday, September 12, 2013

Cover Reveal: Just Friends With Benefits by Meredith Schorr

Back in 2011 when I was just starting out doing reviews, one of my very first ones through Chick Lit Plus was for JUST FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS, the debut novel by Meredith Schorr.  Of course, since then you know that she has had two more excellent books come out and you also know that I just absolutely adore everything about Meredith.

That delightful debut novel has been given a new look with an adorable new cover and I'm so excited to share it with you. 


(I told you - adorable!!)



When a friend urges Stephanie Cohen not to put all her eggs in one bastard, the advice falls on deaf ears. Stephanie's college crush on Craig Hille has been awakened thirteen years later as if soaked in a can of Red Bull and she is determined not to let the guy who got away once, get away twice. Stephanie, a 32-year-old paralegal from Washington, D.C., is a 70's and 80's television trivia buff who can recite the starting lineup of the New York Yankees and go beer for beer with the guys. And despite her failure to get married and pro-create prior to entering her thirties, she has so far managed to keep her overbearing mother from sticking her head in the oven. Just Friends with Benefits is the humorous story of Stephanie's pursuit of love, her adventures in friendship, and her journey to discover what really matters.

Sounds like a fun book, right?  Check out my review from August 2011: Review: Just Friends With Benefits


Buy Links:



Contact Meredith:
web: meredithschorr.com
Twitter: @meredithschorr
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/MeredithSchorrAuthor

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Review: Lying to Meet You by Anna Garner


Does being in a relationship make you a hot commodity in the eyes of would-be suitors?

Chloe Lane is about to find out. When her childhood pal, Ethan Webster, asks her to play the part of his girlfriend in order to test this theory, she reluctantly agrees. As a work-crazed fashion designer, boutique owner and soon-to-be reality show judge, Chloe has no time for a real boyfriend, but being part of a faux pair will do just fine. Not that she has any intention of trying to attract someone else.
However…

Opportunity unexpectedly knocks when Chloe meets fellow reality judge, William Shannon. Super successful and super sexy, this entrepreneur inspires Chloe to test Ethan’s theory herself. Now, on top of keeping her fashion business productive, carving out a new role as a television personality, maintaining a fake relationship and attempting to lay the groundwork for a future relationship, she’s lying to William, lying to her friends, lying to her family and quite possibly lying to herself. Will Chloe be able to keep it all together, or are things about to explode?


I fell in love with author Libby Mercer's work last year, finding her sweet romantic tales to be endearing and utterly charming.  Libby is the pen name for Anna Garner and she is releasing her first chick lit novel under her real name.  I'm very pleased that Anna continues on with the streak of "add to your list of books to read" as Lying to Meet You was fantastic. 

Our adorable heroine is Chloe Lane, her professional life too hectic to find time to fit in a love life and doing okay without one.  Enter lifelong friend, Ethan Webster, with a wacky idea - pretend to be in a relationship together to test the theory that being taken makes you more attractive to a third party.  Ethan is hoping to attract the eye of a co-worker and this the perfect plan.  Chloe gamely goes along, but finds herself having her own radar pinged by a fellow judge on a reality show, William Shannon. The hijinks that ensue are laugh out loud and exactly what you are hoping to read in a chick lit book.  Complete with charming suitors, mishaps, entertaining characters, and some hilarious moments during karaoke this is a solid novel from start to finish.  Whether she is writing as Libby Mercer or under her own name, Anna Garner does not disappoint with her zest for a fun book that will leave you smiling for hours after you read.




About the Author:

Born and raised in the Midwest, Anna Garner's adventurous spirit kicked in after graduating from high school, and she's since lived in Boston, NYC and London. For several years, Anna worked in fashion--first as a journalist and then as a shopkeeper, and for a while she dabbled in design. Although chick lit was her first love, Anna started writing quirky romances, and her first one, Fashioning a Romance, was published in May 2012 under the name of Libby Mercer. This was followed by two more quirky romances: Unmasking Maya and The Karmic Connection. Since Lying to Meet You is written in old school chick lit style and isn't a clear cut love story, Anna decided to publish it under her real name. She currently lives in San Francisco and spends most of her time cranking out more stories.


Sunday, September 1, 2013

Review: Blogger Girl by Meredith Schorr




What happens when your high school nemesis becomes the shining star in a universe you pretty much saved? Book blogger Kimberly Long is about to find out. 
A chick lit enthusiast since the first time she read Bridget Jones’s Diary, Kim, with her blog, "Pastel is the New Black," has worked tirelessly by night to keep the genre alive, and help squash the claim that "chick lit is dead" once and for all. Not bad for a woman who by day ekes out a meager living as a pretty, and pretty-much-nameless, legal secretary in a Manhattan law firm. 
While Kim's day job holds no passion for her, the handsome (and shaving challenged) associate down the hall is another story. Yet another story is that Hannah Marshak, one of her most hated high school classmates, has now popped onto the chick-lit scene with a hot new book that's turning heads--and pages--across the land. It's also popped into Kim's inbox--for review. With their ten-year high school reunion drawing near, Kim's coming close to combustion over the hype about Hannah’s book. And as everyone around her seems to be moving on and up, she begins to question whether being a “blogger girl” makes the grade in her off-line life.


 

Meredith Schorr is back with her third novel, "Blogger Girl", and I think it is my favorite to date. Book blogger Kimberly Long is an absolutely charming lead character that kept me invested in her story from page one. A little neurotic and a lot of fun, Kimberly navigates through her lackluster day job while maintaining a successful blog and carrying on a crush on her co-worker, Nicholas. The news that high school nemesis, Hannah, has a hot new chick lit book coming out is not exactly welcome news.  While trying to gracefully handle some serous bouts of insecurity, Kim has to figure out what it is she truly wants in life before she loses everything she has fought for.

Meredith Schorr is such a witty author that brings heart and humor to every story she tells.  Her characters are always a delight to get to know and this book was no exception.  There are well developed supporting characters that don't overpower the main story of Kim and her journey.  I love the strong friendships that Meredith writes about in her novels and a love interest that will make you smile. I just flipped back through "Blogger Girl" again to see if there was anything that I would say I wish was different and absolutely nothing.  This was a solid book from start to finish, highly entertaining and difficult to put down.  Even the books that are reviewed within the book were compelling.  And you will never think about The Beatles "Penny Lane" the same again.