For the Love of Katie

Newlywed Katie Maxwell is ready to settle down and leave her amateur detective days behind. But when the veil of secrecy surrounding her husband’s latest project takes them to Europe, her penchant for sleuthing lands her in some serious hot foreign water.

Katie will need to think quickly to talk her way out of handcuffs and a Parisian jail cell. Too bad she doesn't speak French.

For the Love of Katie is the second madcap adventure in The Katie Chronicles. This book can be read as a standalone, but why would you want to skip the first?

*May Contain Spoilers*

Erica Lucke Dean combines romance with clumsy humor in her book, For the Love of Katie, the second in the Katie series. Though I didn't read the first book, which I think would have helped me connect with the main character, I did enjoy how funny this book was. 

Katie Maxwell is a very clumsy woman to the point where it's almost as if she's been cursed with extreme stair-tripping, incriminating-photography, can't-do-anything-right bad luck. Though it's funny for the reader as Katie repeatedly gets herself into hot water that she must expansively explain once she's gotten caught. This aspect of Katie is one that brings readers into her chaotic life. As a main character, she's kind of a mess, but in a humorous, light-hearted way. It makes it easy for readers to like her, as we've all done things that we're embarrassed about. With this major character trait, Katie becomes more down to earth. However, as I do admit I didn't read the first book, I thought that Katie was little... over-presumptuous, secretive, and untrusting when it came to her husband. 

Katie is a woman who likes to have all the info. And sometimes, to get it, she'll resort to lying and trickery. Even her husband calls her Nancy Drew. While, I can see these tactics useful in a few of the situations, I think if Katie was more open in the lines of communication, she'd get the answers she wanted faster and without as much drama. But, then again, where would the fun be in that? 

The book opens in Paris with Katie in a police station, arrested for trying to sneak on set of the film adaptation of her husband's book. When the police officer asks her to start at the beginning, Katie complies, happily, thus setting up the frame with which Dean shares the story. The book then flashes back to before the couple was engaged and shares the entire narrative of how Katie came to be in Paris and why she was pretending to be a movie extra when she was arrested. The book contains a lot of situational comedy and, as previously mentioned, hot water fiascoes. And although I didn't feel a deep connection with Katie (I was a bit annoyed at times), I did enjoy the book overall. It's a nice, easy read with funny characters, good plot action to propel the story forward, and a rewarding ending. 

Rating: 3/5 Cups

Teaser Tuesday (269)

Welcome to Teaser Tuesday, the weekly Meme that wants you to add books to your TBR, or just share what you are currently reading. It is very easy to play along:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! Everyone loves Teaser Tuesday.




For the Love of Katie (Kindle 74%)
    - Erica Lucke Dean

The Mission: Impossible theme played inside my head as we slunk along the passageway toward the stateroom I shared with my mother. My plan, as lame as it might have been, was to grab her phone, delete the image, and pretend the whole thing never happened.

Single Chicas

Perfection is a Barbie doll, and, unless you're looking for a guy with a fake smile, a hard head, and no genitalia, then you're better off NOT being perfect―Single Chicas

Single Chicas is a collection of stories about modern Latinas being in, out, and around the zany hurdles of relationships. One woman receives strange calls from a lonely soul, another seeks advice on how to love herself, and another wakes up in a parallel universe to a man she's never met. These chicas will make painstaking effort to survive the complexities with humor and grace. Once again, López dazzles audiences with her brilliantly candid craft. Smart, witty, and funny, these stories will explore the true endurance of singlehood.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Sandra Lopez shares a collection of short stories about being female and single in her book, Single Chicas. The collection covers various topics that relate to being single, some weird and some funny. But they all cast being single in a positive light, promoting self gratification through travel, career, and hobbies. 

There isn't one main character that weaves throughout the collection. Each story has it's own leading lady who takes the reins with each main topic whether it's trying to keep a sibling from getting married or hiring a fake husband for the holidays. Lopez seems to write the women with an even balance of flaws and positive attributes. Though with short stories, sometimes it's hard to connect with the characters as they aren't growing much over the short amount of time. Though they were entertaining, there wasn't one character that I felt I could really relate to. 

I also think the humor was a struggle in some of the stories. The synopsis makes it seem like they're all supposed to be funny, but I didn't think all of them were. They each had funny aspects but I wanted more. I was also a little put off by the dialogue at certain points. In my experience, a guy just doesn't go on rant about how much he loves his girlfriend and never wants her to leave him and will do anything to keep her to a complete stranger. At least, it's never happened to me. Though in the story when that's supposed to indicate an annoying quality, it comes across loud and clear. 

The main thing about the book that I liked was that it did promote singlehood, whether that means being single or just making sure to keep your priorities straight when in a relationship. It promoted self-worth and smart decisions. And that's a good message to come away with. 

Rating: 2.5/5 Cups

Celluloid

Jimmy Clifford is a thirty-year-old movie addict and film memorabilia shop owner. He is also very fed up. He is fed up with his best friend Oswald’s stupid, made-up card games, his drug dealer Pluto’s novelty drugs are losing their novelty and his anti-depressants don’t appear to be working anymore.

But when he discovers that the Crypt – a local, independent cinema that he regards as his ‘spiritual home’ – is to be demolished, he feels compelled to act. Getting together with his friends and a fellow shop owner they decide upon an idea – there will be a ‘Save the Crypt’ cabaret night (featuring local performers) to highlight the situation and raise money in the process.

All Jimmy has to do for his part is get out and find seven acts in two months – not so easy when you’re an agoraphobic and you’re up against giant egos and a psychotic property developer.

*May Contain Spoilers*

 

Celluloid, a shop on Lion's Hill. Lion's Hill, a road lined with unique bursts of life that form a community. A community that fights for its own. A community threatened by the power of money and modernization. Holly Curtis writes of one man's dedication to keeping the antiquity of Lion's Hill intact in the novel, Celluloid, named for the shop he owns.

 

Jimmy Clifford is the sole owner of Celluloid, obvious movie lover, who is anxiety-ridden. After his love affair ended three years ago, Jimmy slowly receded into his comfort zone that is Lion's Hill. He toyed with drugs and alcohol and games he could never win. Jimmy became a sort of hermit, only feeling alive when he went to see a film at The Crypt. It was his escape back into life. When it's threatened, Jimmy feels he must fight for its survival. At the beginning of this novel, readers will see a man so afraid of life that he refuses to live his own. He watches movies, falling into them, forming friendships with the characters, quoting them to keep them alive, as he runs his DVD rental and movie memorabilia shop.

 

Then the news hits him and Jimmy can't just let The Crypt slip away. And suddenly, there's a spark of purpose. A spark promising transformation. With the help of his brother and best friends, Jimmy decides to organize an event to save the old theater. With each act booked, each glimmer of hope, Jimmy opens up a little more. He moves back to his old self. Readers will enjoy watching Jimmy inspire others to join together to save a business within their community while also feeling that inspiration themselves.

 

The plot of Celluloid introduces Jimmy and his ragtag band of friends, creating an initial connection with humor and the desire to understand the group. After this brief introduction, news of The Crypt's demise spreads quickly. In order to raise money and awareness for the theater, in order to breath new life into it, Jimmy decides to put together a cabaret, a variety show. With only a few weeks to get everything in order, Jimmy dives in with his anxiety high and his friends close. The writing style of Holly Curtis is refreshingly direct, slightly humorous, and impeccably detailed. Though I wouldn't say this book is for everyone, as it does involve cursing and drug use, it is an entertaining read that will allow readers to cheer for the underdog as he battles modernization and more.

 

Rating: 3/5 Cups

Photo Sharing Friday

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/229120699768341026/
http://www.popsugar.com/love/Signs-Youre-Addicted-Reading-34589229#photo-34591176

Yep. Definitely addicted.

Lenin Lives Next Door: Marriage, Martinis, and Mayhem in Moscow

For American writer, Imperial Russian enthusiast, and veteran expatriate, Jennifer Eremeeva, this is just one of many observations about Russia, where she has lived for twenty years with “HRH” her “Handsome Russian Husband,” (although there are days when she thinks of him as her “Horrible Russian Husband”) and their daughter, Velvet. When Jennifer quits her job to write full time, she’s inspired by the grey dingy building across the courtyard, which houses a research institute dedicated to preserving Vladimir Lenin’s embalmed corpse. The result is LENIN LIVES NEXT DOOR.

Based on Eremeeva’s two decades in Russia, LENIN LIVES NEXT DOOR knits together vignettes of cross-cultural and expatriate life with sharp observation, colorful historical background, and engaging humor. Each thematic chapter is an anecdotal exploration of an aspect of life in today’s Russia, told with the help of a recurring cast of delightful Russian and expatriate characters. LENIN LIVES NEXT DOOR introduces readers to Russians in their everyday milieux: at their dachas, in three-day traffic jams, and celebrating their 300+ public and professional holidays with mayonnaise-based salads. LENIN LIVES NEXT DOOR is Russia with just enough air let out of its tires!

**

From a young age, Jennifer Eremeeva has been intrigued by all things Russian. In this collection of essays, Lenin Lives Next Door, she shares her passion with readers through detailed observations and descriptive quirky nuances. Beginning with her Hottie Russian Husband and ending with Jesus (Hay-Zeus) designing the new home of an elitist, Jennifer gift wraps the crazy, traffic-jammed country with intrigue and humor. 

Connecting with Jennifer is easier than trying to pronounce the Russian words scattered throughout this book. And trust me, I tried every single one. The fact that this book is a collection of creative nonfiction immediately sets the foundation for a connection. The essays detail her experiences, with some added flair and embellishment. Jennifer is incredibly smart, detail oriented, humorous, and would choose insurance over Hermes. That says a lot about character. 

Jennifer's writing style echos a friend telling a story over a few glasses of wine. A concept or observation is introduced, then thoroughly outlined with a perfect digression that somehow circles back to the original focus, armed with laughter and surprising details. Throughout the entire book, there wasn't a single essay that I didn't enjoy reading, I even shared a few of them with my husband. Though, Dachaphobia would definitely be deemed my favorite because I, too, now share Jennifer's fear of dachas. 

Rating: 3.5/5 Cups

Photo Friday

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/229120699767854884/
http://www.someecards.com/usercards/viewcard/MjAxMy04OWJkY2FhYTYxYzQ1YWQ1

How many times have I said this to my husband? 

...

Prophet Wacko

Hilarious and flippant sci-fi, tempered by the solemn profundity of the human condition. It features extraterrestrials, bigfoots, and a handful of level-headed humans struggling to make sense of unprecedented circumstances on their home planet. An advanced species of aliens, Xenkonians, pretend to be God. Their purpose? To convince humanity to blissfully accept cranial tubing in order to harvest their melatonin, which just happens to have the same chemical properties as a powerful recreational narcotic, but with even better effect. It also enhances the telepathic ability of the few Xenkonians predisposed to telepathy, including an egomaniac military leader hell-bent on conquering the galaxy.

God is created by exploiting an ancient channeling species, the Hoo'qqai, who have a history of benevolently imitating God to influence and guide less-evolved species throughout the galaxy. The Xenkonians send an avatar in human form to earth, channeled by an elder and somewhat reluctant Hoo'qqai, whose initial mission is to unite humanity's religions, then create a new religious order controlled by the avatar.

But the mission gets sidetracked when the mind of an old Xenkonian mute monk, with a decidedly Zen disposition and a fondness for gambling, finds its way into the avatar's body. The avatar befriends a young atheistic hermit in the mountains of Oregon and the fun begins. Earth will never be the same.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Thomas Leo takes alien invasion to the next (humorous) level with his novel, Prophet Wacko. After aliens discover that the human supply of melatonin is a narcotic for various races, they intend to harvest it from humans by convincing the world that they are gods. 

Wacko is the main character, a human vehicle with two alien species sharing the controls. He's multilingual, very persuasive, honest, and certifiably insane. The story revolves around his mission to Earth so he can convince the world population to blissfully accept their harvesting. Readers won't exactly have an easy time connecting to Wacko, but they will enjoy his energetic attitude and friendly demeanor. 

Arabella, Elgin, and Jelpmittlebong are the three main supporting characters. Arabella is a student of folklore who meets Wacko and is told about the alien plans. She and Elgin team up to save the human population by telling the world what the aliens really want, but sadly not many people listen. Jelpmittlebong is a promising alien who takes the reins of the human controlling charter. He even throws a curve ball to let the humans have a chance at surviving. Readers will love Elgin's quirky banjo playing scientology, Arabella's pursuit of truth, and Jelpmittlebong's forced path. 

Prophet Wacko is a unique novel with bouts of humor. The hardest thing about it is the variety of names. It's difficult to keep the different alien species straight, along with the planets and galaxies. Once the plot picks up the pace, the focus becomes the main character list and in turn, the novel is much easier to understand. One other difficult thing to deal with is the language. It's quite colorful and incredibly blunt making this a novel for adults only. 

Rating: 3/5 Cups

Photo Friday

Pinterest Source: themetapicture.com*

And it grows faster than I can read...

*Photo also the cover of Destiny, Rewritten by Kathryn Fitzmaurice

The Cuckoos of Batch Magna

When Sir Humphrey Miles Pinkerton Strange, huntin' shootin' and fishin' Squire of Batch Magna, goes to his reward (doubtless to find God as true-blue British as his more recent but equally worthy ancestors), his rambling but rotting estate passes to distant relative Humph, a hapless dollar doodler in New York.With $$ in his eyes, Humph decides to make a killing by transforming the sleepy backwater of Batch Magna into a theme park image of rural England - a vacation paradise for free-spending US millionaires.


But while the village's threadbare businessmen see the plan as a windfall, the tenants of the estate's dilapidated houseboats are above any consideration of filthy lucre and stand their ground for tradition's sake . and because they consider eviction notices not to be cricket.Each disgruntled faction sees the other as the unwelcome cuckoo chick in the family nest!

So, lead by randy pulp-crime writer Phineas Cook and Lt-Commander James Cunningham DSO, DSC and Bar, RN (ret) - a man with a glass eye to suit every occasion (and all painted with naval battle scenes where the Union Jack flies triumphant) - the motley crew takes on Wall Street .

*May Contain Spoilers*

The Cuckoos of Batch Magna by Peter Maughan is a humorous novel based in England, or Wales (depending on your nationality), and shares the story of the erratic troop that call the grounds home when it is threatened by an outsider. 

Batch Magna itself is the main character of the novel - with each actual character a piece of it's personality. The stubborn Commander. The foolish Phineas. The adventurous (and I use this term loosely) Lucy. The wanderer Daniel. The know it all Jasmine. The mothering Annie. All of these traits add up to one hilarious main character as they take on the next heir of the estate, Humph. Readers will thoroughly enjoy reading about the group's plan to kill Humph and let the estate pass to another relative of the late Sir Strange. Though it will be hard for readers to connect with all of the characters as a whole - they will definitely find at least one quality that will bring them into the story, evoking true feelings for the fate of the crazy troop.

The plot is a wonderful tale of finding happiness, pride, and courage within. As Humph comes to know the villagers of Batch Magna, he finds that he actually likes them (even with the death threats). Through the progression of the book, Humph discovers that to be himself he must go against the wishes of others and stand up for what he thinks is right. 

Rating: 3/5 Cups

The Cuckoos of Batch Magna (The Batch Magna Novels)

Espresso Shot

zole4

"Coffeehouse manager Clare Cosi rarely gets steamed. But ever since her ex-husband announced his plans to remarry, she's been making some vows of her own...

Roped into creating a gourmet coffee and dessert bar for her ex-husbands's wedding, Clare faces off with the bride-to-be. Wealthy and sophisticated, the snarky Breanne has never been a low maintenance kind of gal, and now she's in full blown bridezilla mode. The only way Clare can possibly deal with her is to focus on business. But murder is Claire's business, too, and when fatal accidents begin befalling people close to Breanna, Clare become suspiscious.

Is someone trying to sabotage this wedding? Kill Breanna? Clare decides to investigate. But what she uncovers, between steaming cappuccinos and roasting the world's rarest coffee beans, may just get her burned..."

* * 

Espresso Shot, by Cleo Coyle (pseudonym), is one novel in the coffeehouse mystery series. The book takes place in New York City, specifically around the Village Blend (Clare's coffee shop) stationed in Greenwich Village. 

Clare and her ex-husband, Matteo (aka Matt), run the coffee shop together. Clare acts as manager while Matt does the coffee exchange leg work. When the book opens it is a week until Matt ties the knot with Breanna, a character most readers would call an uptight selfish b----. 

Most of the characters in this novel are very easy to like, even Matt, though him and Clare have a complicated and distressing past. But Breanne simply is not one of those characters. She sticks to the true form of "bridezilla." 

Paul

Clare was an easy character to connect with. The entire novel was told in her point of view. The flow of the language morphed the novel into a conversation between friends. I felt like Clare was telling me the story, over the phone or in-person. I wasn't reading it, per se, but listening to a friend divulge details of her week. It was a nice change from the "show, not tell" method writers are told to follow. 

The plot of the novel was well thought out. I made a few predictions throughout reading it, but all of them were wrong. Which is great when reading a murder mystery. All of the events happen in a pretty steady pace, so there was no real waiting for the plot to continue, but at points it did seem slower than a murder mystery should have been. However, throughout the novel I never felt the "Omigod what's going to happen? MUST FINISH" sensation like I normally do with novels of this genre. 

                                                                       

    Espresso Shot

                             on Amazon

               
                          rating: 3/5 cups