Category Archives: Michele Gorman

January 13, 2016 · 11:58 pm

Review: Match Me If You Can by Michele Gorman

match me ifTitle: Match Me If You Can by Michele Gorman
Publisher: Notting Hill Press
Genre: Contemporary, Women’s Fiction, Romance
Length: 448 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher

Summary:

Ever thought about recycling your Ex?

Best friends Catherine, Rachel & Sarah are fun, smart, successful and single – just like millions of women with a low tolerance for idiocy in their dates.

Mr. Right hasn’t turned up yet, and Mr. Right-Now isn’t worth booking a wax appointment for. So when Catherine, London’s finest matchmaker, gets Rachel and Sarah to join her dating site where they can recycle their ex-boyfriends in exchange for an upgrade, they soon realize that anything could happen . . .

Three best friends, proving that sometimes it really isn’t you… it’s him.

Review:

Match Me If You Can by Michele Gorman is a heartwarming novel of friendship and love.

Catherine, Rachel and Sarah are best friends who also purchased a house together. Catherine, a thirty-something divorcee, co-owns a matchmaking service with her ex-husband and best friend, Richard. Sarah mainly works from home as a wedding card illustrator and she also loves to bake. Rachel is an architect who works closely with her ex-boyfriend and current guypal James. While Catherine is forced to become business partners with Richard’s fiancée, Magda, Rachel talks Sarah to signing up with their friend’s dating service in hopes of reviving their non-existent love lives.

While Catherine has no regrets over her divorce from Richard, she is none too pleased to be working with Magda. Her hopes that Magda will not be involved with the day to day operation of the business are soon dashed when she not only shows up daily to work but insists on trying to make changes to the service. In addition, Magda forces Catherine to weigh in on her upcoming wedding plans which in turn causes Catherine to reflect on her own failed marriage to Richard. These musings lead to unexpected insight on their shared past and she discovers she does not know herself or Richard nearly as well as she initially thought.

Ever since her mother’s death, Sarah has been content to stick close to home except for visits with her siblings. Realizing she needs to make some changes to her life, she takes Rachel’s fashion advice and steps way out of her comfort zone when she begins dating a man who enjoys late night dates at local hotspots. After an audition for a baking reality show, Sarah comes to a realization about some of her recent decisions but will she strike a better balance between her busy social life and her true personality?

After a rather unusual date with someone she met at a pub, Rachel is ready to take a more formal approach to dating so she decides to join Catherine’s matchmaking site. She begins dating someone she meets through the service just as she begins working on a major project with James. Rachel eventually begins to re-evaluate her previous relationship with James and she comes to startling realizations about herself.

Match Me If You Can by Michele Gorman is an entertaining journey of self-discovery for Catherine, Rachel and Sarah. Although there are romantic elements to the storyline, the main focus of the novel is the women’s individual growth. A delightfully engaging story with an appealing cast of vibrantly developed characters that fans of contemporary women’s fiction are sure to enjoy.

1 Comment

Filed under Contemporary, Match Me If You Can, Michele Gorman, Notting Hill Press, Rated B, Review, Women's Fiction

November 12, 2014 · 11:58 pm

Review: The Reluctant Elf by Michele Gorman

reluctant elfTitle: The Reluctant Elf by Michele Gorman
Publisher: Notting Hill Press
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 120 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher

Summary:

Meet Britain’s Worst Innkeeper

Single mother and extremely undomestic goddess, Lottie, has five days to become the ultimate B&B hostess to save her beloved Aunt Kate’s livelihood.

When Aunt Kate ends up in the hospital, Lottie and her seven-year-old daughter are called to rural Wales to stand in at the B&B. Without the faintest idea how to run a hotel (she can barely run her own life), Lottie must impress the picky hotel reviewer and his dysfunctional family who are coming to stay over Christmas. Without the rating only he can bestow, Aunt Kate will lose her livelihood.

But will Danny, the local taxi driver who she hires to help her, really be Santa’s little helper, or the Grinch who stole Christmas?

The Review:

The Reluctant Elf is a delightfully heartwarming novella by Michele Gorman. A very appealing cast of characters and a refreshingly unique plot make this engaging story a superb holiday read.

Lottie, along with her young daughter Mabel, rush to Wales upon hearing the news that her Aunt Kate has been injured in an accident. Upon their arrival, they are greeted with the news that Kate should make a full recovery but it is the fate of Kate’s B&B that is precarious. Learning that Kate desperately needs the positive rating from a reviewer who is due to arrive in a few days, Lottie and Mabel join forces with Danny, a local taxi driver, to play host to the reviewer and his rather dysfunctional family in an effort to save Kate’s beloved B&B.

Lottie is dismayed by the condition of the B&B but she does not let its rather decrepit state discourage her from helping her aunt. She immediately enlists Danny’s help and they find some rather creative ways to polish the diamond in the rough. Lottie remains unfailingly cheerful and always puts forth her best effort even in the face of some pretty daunting situations.

Danny is no more prepared to run a B&B than Lottie, but he has a pretty compelling reason to accept Lottie’s rather lucrative offer to help her out. Like Lottie, he throws himself into the task at hand and gamely agrees to her sometimes unorthodox solutions to the problems that keep popping up. He is very sweet and charming with a past that is similar to Lottie’s so it is no surprise that the two hit it off.

The Reluctant Elf is a sparkling gem of a story that is warm, witty and brimming with holiday cheer. The characters are perfectly imperfect, the storyline is fun and the romance aspect is understated but believable. Michele Gorman once again spins a humorous yet heartfelt tale that is guaranteed to charm her readers.

1 Comment

Filed under Contemporary, Michele Gorman, Notting Hill Press, Rated B, Review, Romance, The Reluctant Elf

October 22, 2014 · 11:58 pm

Review: Perfect Girl by Michele Gorman

perfect girlTitle: Perfect Girl by Michele Gorman
Publisher: Notting Hill Press
Genre: Contemporary, Humor/Satire, Fiction
Length: 326 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher

Summary:

Cinderella meets Falling Down in this wickedly funny tale about having it all

Carol is perfect… at least that’s what everyone thinks. In reality she’s sinking fast – her family treats her like their personal assistant and her boyfriend is so busy with work that he’s got her single-handedly running their relationship. Not that her job is any easier. As the only woman on the bank’s trading floor she spends twelve-hour days trying not to get sworn at or felt up by colleagues who put the “W” in banker.

How long can she go on pleasing everyone else before she snaps and loses it all?

With humour and empathy, Perfect Girl lays bare the balancing act that working women face in a man’s world

The Review:

If you have ever felt pulled in far too many directions, then you do not want to miss Perfect Girl by Michele Gorman. Heartfelt with (mostly) charming characters, this novel provides a humorous but realistic perspective that is sure to resonate with anyone who has found themselves overcommitted due to other people’s expectations.

Carol Colbert is in her mid-twenties and while she is extremely likable, she lets everyone take advantage of her. With a high pressured job as an investment analyst, her boss and co-workers are sexist, condescending and refuse to give her credit for her hard work. Carol’s family is just as bad-her mother and sister are incredibly demanding and they browbeat her into the tasks they do not want to be bothered with. Her boyfriend of two years is working long hours and overall, he is neglectful, forgetful and leaves the planning of their social life in her capable hands. Adding to Carol’s already hectic schedule is her friend Harriet’s foray into online dating and with her abysmal track record, Carol finds herself vetting Harriet’s perspective dates for her. Stretched way too thin, it is only a matter of time before Carol snaps and discovers that perfection is not only exhausting but extremely overrated.

Carol is the perfect daughter, friend and employee. Although she has little free time, she finds it impossible to resist the requests from her family and friends. Throughout the course of the story, Carol halfheartedly tries to refuse everyone’s increasingly outrageous demands, but she has learned it is easier to give in rather than say no. It is frustrating watching her give in time and again, but that makes it all the more gratifying when she finally says enough is enough. Carol takes the time to examine how she reached this point in her life and most importantly, she takes full responsibility for allowing herself to become everyone’s doormat.

Perfect Girl is a fantastic novel that is fast-paced and engaging. Carol is an endearing protagonists and it is impossible not to like her despite how exasperating she is at times. The plot is well-executed and although Michele Gorman takes a humorous approach to a serious topic, she raises valid points that readers will be able to relate to. I highly recommend this vastly entertaining and thought-provoking novel to anyone who enjoys contemporary fiction.

3 Comments

Filed under Contemporary, Fiction, Michele Gorman, Notting Hill Press, Rated B+, Review, The Perfect Girl

June 16, 2014 · 11:57 pm

Review: The Curvy Girls Club by Michele Gorman

the curvyTitle: The Curvy Girls Club by Michele Gorman
Publisher: Notting Hill Press
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction
Length: 386 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher

Summary:

A funny, heart-warming story about overcoming the prejudices we hold, no matter where we tip the scales.

When the pounds start falling off Katie, founder and president of London’s most popular social club for the calorie-challenged, it seems like a dream come true. But as the overweight stigma recedes and her life starts to change, she faces losing more than the inches around her waist. Everything that’s important to her – her closest friends, boyfriend, and acceptance into the club itself – are at stake in a world where thin is the new fat.

Author Links: Website/Newsletter * Twitter * Facebook * The Curvy Girls Club on Facebook

Purchase Links: Amazon US * Amazon CA * B&N * Kobo * Indigo Bookstore Canada

The Review:

Insightful and thought-provoking, The Curvy Girls Club by Michele Gorman is a heartwarming novel of friendship. It is a also an incredible story that provides an honest look into body image that is humorous but also quite poignant.

Katie, Ellie, Jane and Pixie’s are at different places in their lives, but the one commonality between them is their struggle to lose weight. The novel’s narrator, Katie, and her co-worker and friend Ellie have been overweight all of their lives while Jane and Pixie have been unable to shed the weight they gained after childbirth. Discouraged by their lack of progress at their weight loss support meeting, Katie suggests they get together outside the group and do something fun and uplifting. When word of their extracurricular activities spreads, the four agree to formalize their events and The Curvy Girls Club is born. As their membership grows and the workload increases, Katie and Pixie earn a small salary but when Katie suddenly begins to lose weight, the four friends are at odds over her role in their enterprise.

All of the women are well-developed and they each face difficult obstacles over the course of the novel. Katie’s career is threatened by the downturn in the economy and her crush on a co-worker has unintended consequences on both her professional and personal lives. Ellie is in the throes of a new romance but her insecurities threaten the promising relationship. Pixie’s marriage has been troubled for quite some time and the women are growing increasingly concerned for her safety. Jane will do anything to regain her pre-pregnancy figure, even if it means endangering her health.

With The Curvy Girls Club, Michele Gorman tackles a difficult subject with sensitivity. The plot is well-executed, realistic and refreshingly honest. The characters are three-dimensional with imperfections and uncertainties that are sometimes achingly painful but easy to relate to. No matter where you fall on the weight spectrum, I highly recommend this warm and witty novel of friendship and self-acceptance.

2 Comments

Filed under Contemporary, Fiction, Michele Gorman, Notting Hill Press, Rated B+, Review, The Curvy Girls Club