The Wedding Girl by Madeleine Wickham

From the jacket: At the age of 18, Millie was up for anything. Now, ten years later, she is a very different person about to be married to a wealthy serious man, who believes her to be perfect. Now she is facing the biggest and most elaborate wedding imaginable. But one small episode form the past has the power to completely derail her carefully planned nuptials.

This was a quick read for a rainy day. I thought the premise was a bit thin, especially for a 300+ page novel. And I was right. It was ok, but there wasn’t much substance. I liked Millie, and there were a few twists I didn’t see coming but the villain’s motivation was poorly explained, so that sorta ruined the ending for me.

The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand

From the book jacket: Greg and Tess MacAvoy are one of four prominent Nantucket couples who count each other as best friends. As pillars of their close-knit community, the MacAvoys, Kapenashes, Drakes, and Wheelers are important to their friends and neighbors, and especially to each other. But just before the beginning of another idyllic summer, Greg and Tess are killed when their boat capsizes during an anniversary sail. As the warm weather approaches and the island mourns their loss, nothing can prepare the MacAvoy’s closest friends for what will be revealed.

Another enjoyable summer read. This had more of a mystery at the heart of it, as a group of friends reveal secrets and come to terms with the death of a couple in their group. Elin Hilderbrand is always a good choice for a summer beach read. I like how her characters are multi-layered and not just sterotypes.

Hope in a Jar by Beth Harbison

This was book was chick-lit as it was meant to be written. Good characters, a classic mean girl, a little romance and a happy ending.

I enjoyed the flashback chapters to Allie & Olivia’s friendship in middle and high school, it added depth to the novel.

A perfect summer beach read.

From the book jacket:

When Allie Denty—tall, blonde and, these days, just a bit heavy—discovers her boyfriend in the sack with another woman, her primary coping mechanism involves a credit card and the Sephora counter. Allie figures that some Dior lashes will help her feel more confident at her reunion—an event that the lovely, formerly mousy Olivia Pelham has no intention of attending until her mother shows up on her doorstep, licking her wounds from a breakup with husband number five. At the reunion, Allie and Olivia have an awkward meeting and go their separate ways until Allie learns that a mutual friend plans to marry a cosmetically enhanced Mean Girl from their class. It’s life makeover time for both women, as they get in touch with their true feelings about beauty, careers and, most importantly, love. Like the face cream from which it takes its title, this is slick, light and indulgent.

The Penny Pinchers Club by Sarah Strohmeyer

From the book jacket:

Living in New Jersey–the state that boasts the most malls per capita–Kat’s favorite recreational activity is a no-brainer: shopping. But when she discovers that her husband, Griff, has been hiding a secret bank account, her joyful consumerism suddenly loses its appeal. Are their fights about money more serious than she understood? Is he, as her friends suggest, preparing for a divorce? Just in case, Kat decides it’s time to start saving.

Drastic times call for drastic measures: Kat starts by canceling cable and kicking her $240-a-month Starbucks habit. But what starts out as a simple effort to cut costs becomes an over-the-top obsession when Kat joins an eclectic but lovable group of savers called the Penny Pinchers Club. Soon she is pumping her gas at dawn (when it is thicker) and serving dinner made from food she retrieved at the grocery store dumpster. Kat is saving money, to be sure, but what she’s really saving is time–time she spends with Griff, their two kids…and an old flame who resurfaces at precisely the wrong moment, offering Kat a life where money is no object.

I love this author, and this latest, perfectly timed for the economic time we live in, didn’t disappoint. In fact, there’s a morsel or two of good financial advice amid the usual chick lit drama.

Plus I liked how the Penny Pinchers Club met at the local library!

The Finishing Touches by Hester Browne

Another delightful Hester Browne novel, reminded me a bit of the first Little Lady Agency, but had a more 21st century feel.
Besty was left on the Phillimore Academy doorsteps, 27 years ago, and the charming Lady Frances and her husband took her in and raised her. Upon Frances death, Lord Phillimore asks Betsy (a shoe store clerk who through misunderstandings they think is a posh mangement consultant) to see if she take the school, now in disrepair with dwindling enrollment, and polish it up with lessons for modern girls.
I loved Betsy and I adored the way everything wrapped up in the end… just a delightful tale about coming of age, and making peace with your past. And being a capable successful woman.

Wildwater Walking Club by Claire Cook

This was a cute tale, but I feel like each book Claire Cook writes get shorter.

Basically, Noreen is laid off and starts walking to have something to do each day. Her two neighbors join her and they become friends. Along the way Noreen discovers a new passion for life and a new job.

My favorite part was the Lavender Festival in Sequim, Washington, where we have a distant relative, so I had actually heard of it before (and knew how to pronounce it).

Classic Crave: Sofie Metropolis by Tori Carrington

Sofie Metropolis should be married. But when she caught her groom and her maid of honor carrying on with each other in the church, Sofie canceled the wedding. She took the honeymoon by herself, and she kept all the presents, including a small apartment building filled with just the sort of quirky tenants you’d expect in an old Queens neighborhood like Astoria. Sofie should be waiting tables-her father and grandfather have competing restaurants on opposite corners. Instead, she’s a juniorvery junior-private investigator at her Uncle Spyros’s detective agency. Which means she finds missing pets and takes photos of people’s spouses doing things they shouldn’t.Sofie’s life takes another unexpected turn when her latest cheating spouse case turns into attempted murder-of Sofie-and she’s rescued by a dashing Australian bounty hunter. And there’s a missing “vampire” to find, not to mention Sofie’s mother’s best friend’s lost dog . . . .

Good read. Nicely developed characters. Some similar elements to Stephanie Plum series. Not really a mystery, but quick and easy to read.

Classic Crave: Cinderella Pact by Sarah Stroymeyer

NOLA DEVLIN HAS A SECRET IDENTITY. By day she is an overweight, frumpy, and overlooked editor at Sass! (the “celebrity magazine with an edge!”), but by night she slips behind her keyboard and into her alter-ego: Belinda Apple. Belinda is thin, gorgeous, British and the author of a trendy advice column— she is, in effect, the latest Carrie Bradshaw. Not even her two best friends or her self-absorbed sister (who worships Belinda as the “sister she never had”) know her secret.

Good Beach read in the same vein as Jennifer Weiner’s “Good in Bed”
Also very funny that Bubbles – the character from her mystery books – makes a guest appearance. So does Harley Jane Kozack. Too Funny. Loved the characters.

Serendipity by Louise Shaffer

I really enjoyed reading this book – the well drawn characters and the historical aspect captivated me. Also, I was intrigued by the mystery of what happened between Carrie’s mother and grandmother to keep them from talking for 30+ years. It reminded me a little of Adriana Trigiani’s work.

Carrie is the daughter and granddaughter of theater royalty. Her grandmother is Lu Lawson, a famous stage actress, and her father was Bobby Manning, the great composer and writer. Carrie though has lived with her mother, who runs a shelter, and never met Lu. So when her mother dies, leaving Carrie alone and drifting, she decides to finally find her family which actually takes her all the way back to her grandmother, an Italian immigrant.

Love In Bloom by Sheila Roberts

I enjoyed this sweet tale, it was rather perfect to read over Easter weekend since that is when the story begins.
Hope Walker, 30, is a breast cancer survivor, which left her with lots of scarring and some serious fears about dating. When it comes to love and relationships she works magic through flower arranging, as owner of Heart Lake’s flower shop, but is unable to help herself.

This had engaging characters, and a surprise at the end, which had me in tears.

Realistic and romantic all at the same time.

I also enjoyed the flower/gardening tips at the beginning of each section.