Category Archives: Amazon Digital Services

April 4, 2013 · 3:57 am

Review: Girl vs Earl by Phillipa Ashley

Title: Girl vs Earl by Phillipa Ashley
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 165 pdf pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Author

Summary:

When Miranda finds herself fighting for her home, her job and her heart, sleeping with the enemy may not be the best tactic.

With no family of her own, Miranda Marshall has developed a healthy respect – some would say obsession – with other people’s histories. As property manager of a spectacular island castle in Cornwall, she’s made St Merryn’s Mount one of the UK’s most popular heritage attractions. While she may have the castle running like clockwork, Miranda hasn’t bargained on its sexy owner returning to claim his birthright.

Dark, handsome and with a rakish reputation, Jago, the Earl of St Merryn, not only looks like a pirate but is intent on flogging the Mount to a soulless leisure corporation. Miranda faces the battle of her life as she tries to persuade him to face up to his past and continue the St Merryn dynasty. But Jago has his own reasons for jumping ship and when he throws down the gauntlet to Miranda, she’s forced to delve into painful memories she’d much rather keep hidden.

The Review:

Phillipa Ashley’s Girl vs Earl is a entertaining and lively love story that fans of British contemporary romances are sure to enjoy.

The sparks fly from Miranda Marshall and Jago St Merryn’s first meeting. Jago has returned to sell his family legacy but Miranda fights him every step of the way. As if their relationship is not complicated enough, Miranda and Jago share an intense attraction to one another that is virtually impossible to resist.

Miranda and Jago are delightfully developed and quite engaging. They are appealing characters who both carry emotional scars from their respective pasts. They slowly reveal their secrets throughout the course of the novel and their back stories provide them with added depth and interest.

I thoroughly enjoyed the verbal sparring between Miranda and Jago. The scenes where Miranda tries to undermine the sale of St Merryn’s Mount are absolutely priceless and I could not help but giggle at Jago’s obvious frustration.

Girl vs Earl is a light-hearted read that is fast-paced and compelling. The storyline is unique and the characters are realistic and likable. Phillipa Ashley’s exquisite descriptions of St Merryn’s Mount bring the story’s setting vibrantly to life. An overall sweet, sexy and emotional novel that I highly recommend.

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Filed under Amazon Digital Services, Contemporary, Girl vs Earl, Phillipa Ashley, Rated B, Review, Romance

August 7, 2012 · 3:57 am

Thin Rich Bitches by Janet Eve Josselyn

Title: Thin Rich Bitches by Janet Eve Josselyn
Sold By: Amazon Digital Services, Inc
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction
Length: 259 pages
Book Rating: B

Review Copy Obtained from Author

Summary:

“An uproarious romp through the minefield of female one-upmanship!”

Leaving her cheating husband in Boston with the paralegal he impregnated, Pippin Snowe and her son move to a ramshackle farmhouse that she inherited in the exclusive community of Dover, Massachusetts. Pippin finds employment with a local architect, designing kitchen renovations for wealthy Dover women who treat her as they treat the rest of the hired help. Concluding that social climbing is just another sport that she is no good at, Pippin opens a country club for dogs that offers services that the Dover women didn’t know they wanted until they found out that admission was required and spaces were limited.

With irreverent wit, Thin Rich Bitches is a humorous chronicle of one woman’s quest to find her place within a community of people who are more blessed physically and financially, while learning valuable lessons about life, love, competition, and canine couture.

The Review:

Janet Eve Josselyn’s debut novel Thin Rich Bitches is a hilarious novel about Pippin Snowe’s new beginning following her divorce from her cheating ex-husband. Starting over is never easy, especially when faced with the extra challenges of farm animals, snooty, wealthy neighbors and the perils of dating. But with a great deal of snarky humor, copious amounts of alcohol and good friends by her side, Pippin is up to challenges facing her as she and her son Zeke as they settle into their new life.

Pippin is a wonderful, well-rounded and down to earth character. She has a wonderfully sarcastic sense of humor that is laugh out loud funny. Self-deprecating humor keeps the story light as she fumbles her way through a new job, the silliness of her wealthy ‘friends’ and the unfamiliar world of dating.

The supporting cast of characters is a motley assortment of rather quirky and, with a few exceptions, superficial individuals. Pippin’s son Zeke is well-adjusted despite all of the changes to his life. He is a delight and his sense of humor is absolutely fabulous. Myra is brutally honest and does not hesitate to speak her mind. Leigh is also divorced, struggling to make ends meet and she is also on the outer fringes of the elite. Although the other women in the novel have distinctions that set them apart from one another, they are interchangeable as they pursue the same ridiculous goals and live the same grandiose lifestyle.

Thin Rich Bitches is a well-written and entertaining novel. The plot is well-executed and the story moves at a fast pace. The characters are well developed and engaging. There are a few small editing errors, but they do not detract from the overall quality of the novel. Janet Eve Josselyn is a fresh, new voice in contemporary fiction and I am looking forward to reading more of her books in the future.

Thin Rich Bitches is a lighthearted, irreverent read that I highly recommend. It provides a fun and delightful escape from everyday life.

2 Comments

Filed under Amazon Digital Services, Contemporary, Fiction, Janet Eve Josselyn, Rated B, Thin Rich Bitches

April 12, 2012 · 3:57 am

Falling Uphill by Wendy Nelson Tokanuga

Title: Falling Uphill by Wendy Nelson Tokunaga
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Mystery
Length: Novel
Book Rating: B+

Review Copy Obtained from Author

Summary:

Ruth Fenton is dead, but what does that have to do with me?” That’s what Candace Grey, 29, wants to know after receiving a puzzling phone message from San Francisco. A bright, but slightly absent-minded anthropology teacher at a small Michigan college, Candace is all set to leave for Los Angeles to conduct research on 1960s TV star Pamela Parrish—America’s Sitcom Sweetheart—for her Master’s thesis on television and female gender roles. But after discovering that Ruth Fenton is a long lost relative, she’s first off to San Francisco for her memorial service where she meets a crazy(?) old lady who claims Pamela Parrish didn’t commit suicide like everybody says—she was murdered. Now Candace has to get to the bottom of it, all while fighting the nagging feeling that her long-time professor boyfriend back home is getting a little too close to one of his students, and at the same time wondering if new-found friend Brandon, a newspaper reporter and budding painter who lives on a hidden stairway street in the hills of San Francisco, is really the guy for her. It’s a funny, but moving, uphill climb for Candace who finds that things are rarely what they seem in the ups and downs of love or in discovering a surprising secret about her not-so-perfect mother, or unearthing the truth behind the death of America’s Sitcom Sweetheart.

The Review:

Falling Uphill by Wendy Nelson Tokunaga is a vastly entertaining and light-hearted novel that is a delightful mix of romance and mystery. Candace Grey’s research into Pamela Parrish’s death raises some unsettling questions. Did Pamela Parrish commit suicide or was she murdered? Candace must also discover the answer to an equally important question. Is her longtime boyfriend Jeff Sands cheating on her?

Falling Uphill is a fabulously written story with richly drawn three dimensional characters. Candace Grey is a wonderful protagonist who is immensely appealing. Candace is caring woman who makes friends easily. She has a marvelous sense of humor and easily bounces back from difficult situations.

The secondary cast of characters is equally well-developed and likable. Longtime friend Laney Svensson is the best type of friend-loyal, true and willing to do anything in the name of friendship. Despite their less than stellar first meeting, Riley Davis quickly becomes a close confidante. Brandon Treadwell is sexy, fun and his friendship proves invaluable as Candace’s life takes some unexpected turns.

The mystery surrounding Pamela Parrish’s death is quite compelling and interesting. Ms. Tokunaga does a wonderful job building anticipation as Candace closes in on the truth of what caused Pamela’s death. As a fan of classic television and old movies, I especially enjoyed the nostalgic look back at the earlier glamorous years in Hollywood.

Falling Uphill is an engaging novel with a wonderful cast of eclectic characters and a fresh, unpredictable storyline. Wendy Nelson Tokunaga’s vivid descriptions of San Francisco and Los Angeles bring this engaging story vibrantly to life. An enjoyable heroine, a clever mystery and a beautifully understated romance make Falling Uphill a must read for anyone who enjoys contemporary fiction.

2 Comments

Filed under Amazon Digital Services, Contemporary, Falling Uphill, Mystery, Rated B+, Romance, Wendy Nelson Tokunaga