Happy Fall!Happy November!
Our friends at WaterBrook ( a company to which I am quite partial) have a great initiative for Christian Book Bloggers called Blogging for Books ! Great incentive! Great alliteration! Sign.Me.Up.
So, they sent me fun fall reads at a perfect time: just before two weeks of extensive travel across my great country where I spent meals and evenings wiling through the best and brightest of Christian chicklit:
Two Melody Carlsons = One Tamara Leigh= FALL.FUN.FUN.FALL.
First, off Leaving Carolina by Tamara Leigh:
Leaving Carolina is a colourfully spun charmer sure to delight chicklit fans. I must confess, my interest in the book was heightened by a character spotlight featured in Relz Reviews: wherein gardener Axel is compared to Russell Crowe in my favourite film, Master and Commander. One moment of Russell Crowe with a roguish queue a la Lucky Jack in the movie and I was willing to be whisked away.
The wonderfully alliterative Piper Pickwick is a top notch PR person in glamorous LA who shines at ironic out the wrinkly problems of the elite. Having shed pounds, half of her name ( she now goes by Wick) and her accent, Piper is reluctant to return home to unearth some seedy family secrets and come to the rescue of an aging uncle. Established and successful, these legal matters threaten to excavate a past she wants to stay buried.
Piper soon begins to see those around her in a different light, has more than one sparkly moment with the gardener and uncovers who she is and who God wants her to be.
Endearing moments, bittersweet recollections and a subtly blooming romance are sure to entertain.
A bright and breezy read which fans will find followed in Nowhere, Carolina .
Then:
What Matters Most: a Melody Carlson for the younger fry:
From The Editor:Sixteen-year-old Maya Stark has a lot to sort through. She could graduate from high school early if she wants to. She’s considering it, especially when popular cheerleader Vanessa Hartman decides to make her life miserable–and Maya’s ex-boyfriend Dominic gets the wrong idea about everything.To complicate matters even more, Maya’s mother will be released from prison soon, and she’ll want Maya to live with her again. That’s a disaster waiting to happen. And when Maya plays her dad’s old acoustic guitar in front of an audience, she discovers talents and opportunities she never expected. Faced with new options, Maya must choose between a “normal” life and a glamorous one. Ultimately, she has to figure out what matters most.
From Rachel: Maya was spunky, spirited and sounded quite a lot like teenagers her age. She struggles with self confidence, acceptance and, yes, boys but ultimately discovers grace and compassion.
And then:
Limelight Melody Carlson of a different generation. From Rachel:A Norma Desmond-esque story about wilted fame and beauty and uncovering truth inside. At times heartbreaking ( a once adored star abandoned by a willing throng and reduced to a home for the aged) and uplifting as our sassy heroine with spirit and vigour turns her heart inside out and replaces desperate nostalgia with current contentment.
Says the Editor: Claudette Fioré used to turn heads and break hearts. She relished the glamorous Hollywood lifestyle because she had what it takes: money, youth, fame, and above all, beauty. But age has withered that beauty, and a crooked accountant has taken her wealth, leaving the proud widow penniless and alone.Armed with stubbornness and sarcasm, Claudette returns to her shabby little hometown and her estranged sister. Slowly, she makes friends. She begins to see her old life in a new light. For the first time, Claudette Fioré questions her own values and finds herself wondering if it’s too late to change.
As the holiday season approaches, I am sure these titles will come in handy as stocking stuffers. Cross of a few avid readers on your list and pair them with a great book under the tree!
I would like to sincerely thank WaterBrook/Multnomah for sending review copies of the aforementioned.
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