Vanity Fare: a Novel of Latte, Literature and Love by Megan Caldwell

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Judi

Molly Hagan is a 40 year old mother with a 6 year old son and a husband–soon to be ex-husband, who dumped her for a younger woman. He has lost his job and has fallen behind in his child support payments, forcing Molly to look for work after being a stay-at-home Mom for several years. Feeling insecure about her abilities, her age, her skills and her body, Megan takes a job offered by a friend as a copy writer, designing the menu and name for a new bakery near the New York Public Library. The owners want a tie in with books, and Molly uses her ability to create puns as a source for the name of the bakery–Vanity Fare. Molly is a wonderfully written character and we see her change and grow through the book, becoming more confident in who she is and what she wants out of life. Molly’s circle of friends and supporters are likeable characters and are well-drawn. There is romance and humor, and the names for the baked goods at the bakery–”Tart of Darkness”, “Of Mousse and Men” for example, are tied to literary references. This is a delightful story, filled with fun, descriptions of wonderful desserts and starring a woman who struggles to turn into the person she aspires to be.

A Royal Pain by Megan Mulry

Posted on December 28, 2012 by Judi

Bronte Talbot is an ad agency executive, working in New York City and living a fast-paced life. Having had a failed romance, she is not interested in developing a relationship with a new man. When Max Heyworth, a graduate student, comes into her life, she views him as an ideal man to have a fling with, as he is returning to Britain in a few weeks. Max, however, is interested in a long-term relationship and falls for Bronte in a big way. Due to her insecurities, Bronte is reluctant to commit to Max, and is surprised to discover that he is the future Duke of Northrop. Can they overcome their differences and find love? A Royal Pain is a charming love story–with smart, likeable main characters who change and grow emotionally. There are many humorous moments and colorful supporting characters that make this an amusing contemporary romance.

The Scent of Rain

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Janet

by Kristin Billerbeck

Her life in Paris as a perfume creator, given up, for what? An embarrassing moment at the altar with no groom. Daphne Sweeten left Paris for the man she thought she loved. When he neglected to make their wedding, she was devastated. Now she must endure life in Dayton, Ohio, where she and her missing fiance were suppose to work together, creating household fragance. After being jilted at the altar, she soon realizes she has also lost her sense of smell. How can she keep a job that hired her for her nose, when she has lost it?

Jesse Lightner, soon to be Daphne’s new boss, didn’t want to add the expense of a “nose” into the budget. But, he had no choice in the matter. Now, he not only has to balance the already tight budget, find something for Daphne and her nose to do, but also come to Daphne’s rescue. The Scent of Rain is a quick engaging read and Billerbeck throws in a few twists to the plot. Of course Jesse and Daphne get it all worked out and live happily ever after.

The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz

Posted on September 6, 2012 by Rhonna

Izzy Spellman never really had a chance for a normal life. Raised by private investigators, she joined the family business at 12, establishing a pattern of snooping and distrust that doesn’t bode well for healthy relationships. Her parents routinely run background checks on her boyfriends. Her uncle Ray regularly disappears on binges of his assorted addictions. Her brother David, the supposedly normal one, has been hiding something. Even her baby sister is mastering the art of extortion within the family. Meanwhile Izzy tries to solve an unsolvable case and maintain a fairly normal (if completely dishonest) relationship with the dentist of her dreams.

I was told to read The Spellman Files because I like the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. Both series are hilarious mysteries with entertaining young female characters who can’t quite get it together, but Spellman is less slapstick and more clever. This tale of mystery, suspense, and family dysfunction will keep you laughing all the way through.

Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

Posted on June 9, 2012 by Rhonna

Lucy and her friends have decided to spend graduation night searching for Shadow, the elusive but talented graffiti artist. Ed and his friends just want to kill time until they can carry out their real plans for the evening. In the meantime, Ed joins Lucy in her quest, racing to all of Shadow’s artwork while thawing their prickly relationship through their stories and hopes. Lucy shares her obsession with Shadow and his art, unaware of how close he really is. Graffiti Moon is a fun young adult novel with great characters and an artistic twist.

I’ve Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Rhonna

Poppy Wyatt has lost it. In the midst of a hotel fire drill she manages to lose both her family-heirloom engagement ring and her cell phone, causing a near panic until she catches a glimpse of a phone in the trash can. Finders keepers, right? Sam Roxton, obnoxious businessman and the owner of the phone disagrees. Now Poppy is fielding messages and calls from Sam’s business associates and her cranky wedding planner, but still not from all the people who are supposed to be finding her engagement ring. Add to this juggling act Poppy’s attempt to impress her future in-laws while hiding her loss of ring from them and chaos is the result. Sam ends up being her conscience and support and forces her to question what’s missing from her relationship with the “perfect” Magnus besides an emerald ring.

In Kinsella’s classic style of a well-intentioned heroine who just keeps messing up, I’ve Got Your Number will keeping you cringing, laughing, and cheering on Poppy to the very end.

Love in a Nutshell by Janet Evanovich and Dorien Kelly

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Emilyn

>I must confess, I read One for the Money a few years ago and I didn’t like it. I decided to give Janet Evanovich one more try, though, so I picked up Love in a Nutshell and was pleasantly surprised to find that I enjoyed it.

Kate Appleton has had a horrible year. She found out her husband was cheating on her, got a divorce, lost the custody battle over her poodle, and then she lost her job. She really needs a break. Her plan is to fix up her parents’ lake house and turn it into a bed and breakfast. This would be easier if it weren’t in horrible shape and she hadn’t lost most of her savings in the housing market crash when she and her husband’s house lost a lot of its value.

Enter Matt Culhane, owner of a successful restaurant/brewery in town who needs someone to find out who has been sabotaging his business. Matt offers Kate $20,000 to find his saboteur, which she accepts as pretty much her only option for saving the house (did I mention her parents were behind on house payments?).

Kate has a lot on her plate with trying to find out who is sabotaging Matt’s business, meet new friends in Keene’s Harbor, fix up her parents’ house, and try to resist her growing attraction to Matt.

The Perfect Blend by Trish Perry

Posted on August 6, 2011 by Emilyn

>Steph Vandergrift is floundering. She burned some bridges in Baltimore when she quit her job and left her friends and family to move to Middleburg and elope with Rick Manfred, the young attorney who stood her up at the altar. Now she needs to find a job and a place to live until she can get herself back on her feet. When Milly, the kind woman who owns Millicent’s Tea Shop offers her a short-term position, it’s the answer to her prayers.

Kendall James, a handsome Middleburg business owner, meets and begins pursuing Steph, a source of great confusion for her. Just when she starts feeling ready to consider a relationship with Kendall, her A.W.O.L. fiance turns back up looking for a second chance.

With wonderful secondary characters, a cozy small town setting, and a sweet romance, Trish Perry has written a winner in The Perfect Blend. The second book in the Tea Shop series, Tea for Two, is already out and available at the library.

Take a Chance on Me by Jill Mansell

Posted on April 22, 2011 by Judi

Humorous and quirky characters, witty dialogue and romance combine in this delightful new contemporary romance Take a Chance on Me. Twenty-something Cleo lives in the village where she grew up, working as a chauffeur and happy that she has finally found her perfect man in Will–until she learns he is married with two children. Her childhood nemesis, Johnny, has returned home and has set up his artists studio in his uncle’s old home. In a village where everyone knows everyone else’s business, it’s hard for Cleo to live down her involvement with a married man and she tries to build a wall against Johnny’s charms. Her sister Abbie has a crisis of her own, Will’s ex-wife comes to live in the village and her best friend Ash struggles with unrequited love. The interplay between Cleo and Johnny is engaging and believable, and the village setting and its residents charming–this is a fun and entertaining romance!

Stay by Allie Larkin

Posted on September 8, 2010 by Judi

Savannah Leone is maid of honor at her best friend’s wedding, but not a happy member of the wedding party because her best friend is marrying the love of Savannah’s life. As she wallows in her sorrow, aided by a vodka-kool-aid mix, Savannah surfs the Internet and decides she needs companionship, ordering a German Shepherd puppy online. When he arrives, her “puppy” Joe turns out to be a one-year old police dog who understands commands in Slovakian–luckily for Savannah a list of commands comes with the dog. The story is filled with humor as Savannah adjusts to life with her new companion and without her old love. This is a charming novel about friendship and coming to terms with the past—about letting go, moving on and coping with life’s complications. Allie Larkin’s Stay is about relationships of all kinds and is a delightful debut novel.

Leaving Unknown by Kerry Reichs

Posted on August 26, 2010 by Rhonna

After losing yet another job, Maeve Connelly decides she needs a fresh start. Hoping to lose her reputation as irresponsible and flighty by starting over in a new place, she packs up her 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner and heads for California. Car trouble along the way leaves her stranded in Unknown, Arizona where she finds a boarding house that offers a free room in exchange for cleaning and a job in a book store to help pay for the car repair. The annoyance of being stranded quickly fades as she is befriended by quirky characters who help her to see herself differently, and eventually she’s not so sure that she wants to head on down the road.

In Leaving Unknown Kerry Reichs mixes humorous characters, romance, and small-town nostalgia with an inspiring story about facing the past.

Insatiable by Meg Cabot

Posted on August 12, 2010 by Rhonna

Meena Harper is really tired of her life. The soap opera she writes for is being taken over by a vampire plot line, she can’t get her unemployed brother to move out of her apartment, and it’s so difficult to meet men when she has the ability to see how people are going to die as soon as she meets them. Then one night late when she is out walking her tempermental dog, she is rescued from a freak bat attack by a beautiful man. For the first time ever, she can look him straight in the eye and not see how he will die. Of course, the reason for this is going to be unpleasant.

Meg Cabot is at her finest with Insatiable, managing to create a paranormal romance with her typical wit.

Blame It on Paris by Laura Florand

Posted on August 4, 2010 by Rhonna

Blame It on Paris by Laura Florand is a semiautobiographical novel that tells the story of Laura, a student in Paris who doesn’t like the city but stumbles upon a waiter that she can’t resist. I picked this up thinking it would be a fun little chick lit novel and in some ways it is. The romance is delightful and it is a very funny novel. But I found myself entranced by seeing the two cultures interact. It wasn’t always pretty, but they learned from each other and we get to learn vicariously along the way.

The Food of Love

Posted on June 21, 2010 by Rhonna

A new twist on the old Cyrano de Bergerac tale, The Food of Love by Anthony Capella is about Laura, an American in Rome, studying art. Tomasso, an Italian waiter with a penchant for blonde American girls, overhears Laura tell a friend that she is no longer interested in Italian men, unless she could find a chef. He convinces her to let him cook her a meal then quickly convinces his friend and chef Bruno to prepare the meal for him. Bruno is quiet, not as charming or good looking as Tomasso, but composes masterpieces of food. He’s shy around women but has been admiring a particularly beautiful blonde he’s seen at the food market. When he discovers that the girl Tomasso is asking him to cook for is the one he has been longing for, he pours all of his disappointment into creating exquisite meals for her. Laura falls in love with the food and supposedly with Tomasso, but wonders why he often doesn’t seem as passionate as his cooking would indicate. This delightfully funny and sensual romance will capture your heart and make you long for Italian food.

The Girl Who Chased the Moon

Posted on April 9, 2010 by Rhonna

In The Girl Who Chased the Moon Sarah Addison Allen presents another enchanting tale of magic and romance in a small southern town. Emily Benedict is still recovering from the death of her mother when she goes to live with the maternal grandfather she’s never met. From the moment she enters the house her mother was raised in Emily is surrounded by a sense of mystery and magic: from the quiet giant of a grandfather who constantly checks the dryer to the wallpaper that seems to change overnight. She quickly realizes that there is a reason her mother never visited or talked about her home town, but no one will tell her what it is.

She is befriended by her neighbor, Julia, who bakes cakes and struggles to put the past behind her. That would be easier if Sawyer, her first love and biggest regret would stop hanging around. Emily and Julia struggle together to deal with the past and let a bit of magic into their lives.

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