The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

When Emily Benedict's mother passes away, she finds herself on the doorstep of an unknown grandfather, in Mullaby, NC. Emily is not sure what caused her mother's departure of the town where she grew up or the estrangement with her family that resulted. All Emily knows is that her mother has left her on her own and she now has a grandfather she didn't even know existed. So she is in awe when a "giant" opens the door and introduces himself as her grandfather Vance. And by giant, I mean giant, the man is ginormously tall, a little hunched because of his age, but otherwise, a gentle giant.

Julia Winterson is only in Mullaby temporarily. She spends most of her time baking deserts for the barbecue diner her father left her when he passed away. She offers these cakes as a way to satisfy the town’s sweet tooth but also in the hope of bringing back the love she fears she’s lost forever. In Julia, Emily may have found a link to her mother’s past. But it seems that she can't get any answers as to her mother from anyone. As she seeks for answers it seems that all she finds are more questions....

Did the wallpaper in her room really change to reflect how she was feeling? What exactly are those lights that dance in her backyard? Can a cake really bring back a lost love?

Sarah Addison Allen won me over from the moment that I read Garden Spells. So I definitely could not contain the anticipation when I first heard of The Girl Who Chased the Moon, and I am happy to say, I was not disappointed.

The town of Mullaby and its residents were wonderfully charming. I want to live there. I want to know these people. I want to get caught up in their magic. I loved all the relationships and different examples of love expressed throughout the story. The love of a mother for a daughter, of a man for a woman, of a child for her parent.

This story has a little bit of everything... romance, mystery, forbidden love and did I mention food... mouth-watering food, and on top of all that, sprinkle a hint of magic. It was utter perfection.

Ms. Allen's writing is stunning, enchanting, whimsical, magical... it is so detailed, so fresh, so charming - that it will leave you with a smile on your face and a skip to your step.

Once again, Sarah Addison Allen has ensnared me with her beautiful storytelling. For those of you who (like me) believe in magic - you just HAVE to read this book. I mean it, go get a copy of it right now. You will not be disappointed.

Take a moment to check out the book trailer (it's adorable):

Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart by Beth Pattillo

Claire Prescott is a sensible woman who believes in facts and figures, not fairy tales. But when she agrees to present a paper to a summer symposium at Oxford on her ailing sister's behalf, Claire finds herself thrown into an adventure with a gaggle of Jane Austen-loving women all on the lookout for their Mr. Darcy. Claire isn't looking for Mr. Anyone. She's been dating Neil -- a nice if a bit negligent -- sports fanatic. But when a tall, dark and dashing stranger crosses her path, will the staid Claire suddenly discover her inner romantic heroine? Her chance meeting with a mysterious woman who claims to have an early version of Austen's Pride and Prejudice -- in which Lizzie ends up with someone other than Fitzwilliam Darcy -- leads to an astounding discovery about the venerated author's own struggle to find the right hero for Lizzie Bennett. Neil's unexpected arrival in Oxford complicates Claire's journey to finding her own romantic lead. [via GoodReads]

Although this story is mostly about Claire's life and her relationships (boyfriend, sister, etc.), I have to confess that what drew me in was the lure of the "lost" manuscript of a first draft of Austen's Pride and Prejudice. To explain a little better, there are basically two story lines in this story - one being Claire's life and second is more of a story within the story - the reading of First Impressions (a/k/a P&P).

There is a lot going on in this book, but I love a book that has various story lines that all combine to give you a sweet, romantic tale. Claire was a great heroine. She was engaging and humorous. I enjoyed reading of her choices when it dealt with her feelings towards her sister (who she raised from a very young age), her sports-addicted boyfriend, Neil, and her confusing, yet budding relationship with James (Mr. Darcy doppelganger).

I especially loved the reading of First Impressions and the surprising twists and plot changes rather then what the finished/published product is. The descriptions of Oxford and the classroom where Claire attends the seminar and even what we read of the seminar where very interesting.

I think Ms. Pattillo does a superb job of making Austen's work come alive for Claire as she uses it to compare the relationships in her own life. I found myself thoroughly entertained. This was a light, fast-paced, and enjoyable read that will definitely seduce lovers of Austen, but can also be enjoyed by those who haven't read her works as well.

This book was provided for review by Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists.

My Rating: 

A Touch of Scandal by Jennifer Haymore

We originally meet Garrett in Ms. Haymore's, A Hint of Wicked. There you find him fighting for his wife, Sophie, who after years of believing he is dead, has fallen in love and now married to Tristan, none other than Garrett's best friend. After a couple of scuffles, a very "sexy" fantasy, and a wild chase along the countryside, Sophie makes her choice and Garrett finds himself in the midst of a divorce.

On the search for his enemy (and luckily for him), he somehow finds himself bathing in Kate's "secret" pond. When Kate sees him for the first time she believes he is a God sent from Olympus. She finds herself rushing through her daily chores in order to make it in time to the pond and catch glimpses of him. Once he catches her spying on him, they both find themselves attracted to one another, almost as if their souls were waiting to find each other. But their brief happiness is abruptly put to a halt when Garrett finds out that Kate is her enemy's sister and Kate realizes that Garrett is the Duke of Calton... someone well above her station.

I have been looking forward to this book from the moment that I read the last page of A Hint of Wicked. Garrett was very intriguing and I wanted to read his story and for him to get his "happily-ever-after" soooo bad. So, needless to say, I was stoked when allowed to be part of this blog tour.

Garrett was all that I wanted him to be and more (yes, I admit it, he was all that and a bag of chips!) He was the sort of man who overlooked Kate's disheveled state and looked upon the beauty within.

Kate is everything that I think I would be if I were in Regency England... unladylike, outspoken, honest, trustworthy and completely devoted to her family (even though they treat her so badly). Not to mention, unconventionally beautiful.

There were so many factors that I loved about this story. For starters, there was the whole love at first sight thing (swoons) - love that. Then there were the surprising plot twists, former mistresses, ex-wives and that age-old seducer, forbidden love.

Really, what more could a girl ask for? It was perfect!

I will end this review with just one last word... Auto-buy! (that's one word, right?!) =D

This book was provided for review by Hachette Book Group.

My Rating:

Manic Monday Recaps (Week 2/5/10)

Happy "belated" Easter y'all! I had a weekend from hell. It all started with one of my kids pushing the other and him face-planting into the sidewalk. So my poor child looks like he got into a fight with Mike Tyson with his banged up eye and busted lip and nose. Yea, our Easter was subdued... to say the least. God, it feels like every time Monday rolls around I have nothing good to tell you guys. bleh.

So here are some good things - the kids had a blast Easter morning when they realized the Easter Bunny left baskets and hid candy-filled eggs all over the house. I refuse to show you pictures of my poor beat-up child. We're about 50-something days away from our Disney cruise so we're all excited about that. Not to mention I keep ordering all these fantastical Disney themed clothes, accessories and fun goodies that arrive at our house everyday.

Not much reading got done over the weekend, but I think, in general, it was a good week.

Here's what I plan on reading this week:

Last week I read the following:
- A Touch of Scandal - Jennifer Haymore
- Into the Dark - Gena Showalter
- Once Dead, Twice Shy - Kim Harrison
- Between Two Kingdoms - Joe Boyd
- Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart - Beth Pattillo

I reviewed the following:
- The Adoration of Jenna Fox - Mary E. Pearson [review]
- After - Amy Efaw [review]
- Love in Mid Air - Kim Wright [review]
- Have a Little Faith - Mitch Albom [review]

What are you reading this week?

Saturday Sayings [20]

[via Flickr]

Have a Little Faith: A True Story by Mitch Albom

Have a Little Faith is the story of two men. Albert Lewis (Mitch Albom's childhood Rabbi from New Jersey) and Henry Covington (an inner-city priest in Detroit). Two men who really have nothing in common except for their faith and the inspiration they bring to their congregation and those who they are in contact with.

Mitch no longer resides in Jersey and finds it rather odd that he is asked by his Rabbi, Albert Lewis (a/k/a "The Reb"), to write his eulogy. Firstly, it's been years since Mitch has been in contact with him. And secondly, he isn't dying, at least, not anytime soon. So Mitch makes it a point to spend time with The Reb to get to know him, and thus begins an 8-year long friendship.

Henry Covington preaches in a run-down church with a gaping hole in the roof to the poorest and the homeless of Detroit. He's a former drug dealer and spent almost a decade behind bars, but has now turned his life over to God.

This is the story of two men, with different beliefs but who have common goals... their faith, their love of God and their congregations.

As a fan of Mr. Albom's previous works, I was excited when I finally got the my hands on Have a Little Faith. In its pages you will find everything that you would expect from a Mitch Albom book... faith, inspiration, joy, tears. But for some reason, and I'm saddened to say this, it fell a little flat for me. Don't take me wrong, I truly enjoyed reading about The Reb and Henry Covington, their experiences and their anecdotes. All in all, I felt that it was missing something. It didn't grip me in the way some of his previous books have. In the end, I'm not sure exactly how much I got out of this book, but it is a good story. One that I think should be read and I can easily see that many will enjoy.

My Rating: