Manhattan Cinderella: A romantic comedy by Kate O’Keeffe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a fun read, just what I needed. I love fairy tale retellings and this one was no exception. I started reading it right after coming back from a trip to NYC so the author’s descriptions of the area rang true and took me right back there. Gabby and Cole are great and their romance is sweet and sexy as much as believable. Loved it.
The other day I was looking for one of my favorite TV adaptations of Jane Austen’s Emma (the one where Mr. Knightley is played by Johnny Lee Miller) on Netflix (don’t bother; it’s not available there) and it got me thinking about how Austen basically created some of the most popular romance tropes to this day. Nothing new, I know, but I had never thought about it that way before.
Of course, not everyone is a fan or has read Austen’s books but I love them. She was ahead of her time, writing strong, willful women who fought for (and won) what they wanted and loved. It’s no wonder her popularity has survived for so long.
But less thought of when discussing Austen and her books is the fact that she was the “inventor” of at least three of the most popular tropes in romance literature today. The romance style is largely reviled by the “serious” readers today as crap or smut, but Austen is here to remind us that romance can be, and often is, a weapon against society’s prejudices and preconceived ideas about women (among other things). Not to mention the fact that romance can be well written and worth of as much praise and attention as any other genre of literature.
Pride and Prejudice, arguably the most famous of her works, is an enemies to lovers romance. Elizabeth Bennet begins as hating and being disliked by the handsome but brooding and often obnoxious Darcy. We all know how that ended.
In Persuasion (possibly my personal favorite) Anne Elliot unwisely shuns Captain Wentworth despite her love for him, but eventually gets her second chance with him. A second chance romance.
Emma is clearly a friends to lovers romance. Emma has a best friend in Mr. Knightley and despite her attempts at matching every single woman in town with the perfect bachelor, totally misses the fact that the one she loves has always been right in front of her.
Mansfield Park is both an example of forbidden romance and love triangle with poor young woman Fanny who is loved by one man but in love with her cousin who is promised in marriage to another woman. In fact, this is also a friends to lovers romance since Fanny was best friends with her cousin with whom she grew up.
Nowadays these tropes are still being written with varying degrees of success. I am personally partial to the friends-to-lovers and second chances tropes and have written a couple books along those lines. Which kind of proves that a good love story never goes out of style if Jane Austen’s vast popularity even today is anything to go by.
Do you read romance? Do you have a favorite trope? I’d love to hear from you.
Author of We Will Always Have the Closet, Desert Jewel, and Loved You Always, Natalina wrote her first romance in collaboration with her best friend at the age of 13. Since then she has ventured into other genres, but romance is first and foremost in almost everything she writes.After earning a degree in tourism and foreign languages, she worked as a tourist guide in her native Portugal for a short time before moving to the United States. She li
ved in three continents and a few islands, and her knack for languages and linguistics led her to a master’s degree in education. She lives in Virginia where she has taught English as a Second Language to elementary school children for more years than she cares to admit.
Natalina doesn’t believe you can have too many books or too much coffee. Art and dance make her happy and she is pretty sure she could survive on lobster and bananas alone. When she is not writing or stressing over lesson plans, she shares her life with her husband and two adult sons.
Brady Marshall enjoys his simple life tending to his family’s blueberry farm and minding his own business. As the oldest son, it is his duty to keep their farm running after his father’s death. Now at thirty-six, he’s still living in his childhood bedroom in his mother’s house. It never bothered him until the LeBlancs’ wild child returns to town.
When his mother falls ill and Grace comes to their aid, Brady begins to see another side of the superficial pinup girl he’s never respected or cared for. Somewhere behind her false eyelashes and spiky heels, there’s a caring heart. If only he can get her to see her own value and worth.
As they spend more and more time together, something deeper than friendship forms between them.
But when Brady discovers the secrets she’s keeping go against everything he values, he has to decide if Grace is worth giving his heart to.
Excerpt
He hadn’t seen her until now, not that he was looking. He was actually intentionally not looking. It was hard not to notice her tonight in her teal dress. It hugged her in all the right places without being too revealing, and left her long legs bare. Brady trailed his gaze up and down them, stopping at her toes. They peeped out from her white heels. Or were they beige? Maybe tan. He couldn’t tell and it didn’t matter, and he silently thanked God or whoever created those shoes for what they did to her calves.
Hell, her ankles. Even her kneecaps looked sexy.
He took a sip from his beer and turned his back on the dance floor. If he was thanking God for high heel shoes, he absolutely needed to get out more.
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A Recipe for Disaster: A deliciously feel-good romance by Belinda Missen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A romance about second chances. Since I believe in second chances (some would say a bit too much) I identified with the main character–the roller coaster of emotions she was on, wanting and not wanting, not knowing what to trust or what to believe, in love and angry, forgiving and resentful… I could go on, lol.
I can’t say I was “in love” with her husband which I guess was the author’s intention. I was never quite sure whether he was trustworthy and that he truly loved her or if he was just playing her. The story is told from the main character’s POV so we kind of struggle with our feelings for her husband alongside her.
Those who love a story sprinkled with food will love this one. At times, it actually made me hungry. All in all a well-written, entertaining and easy read with a satisfying end.
The holidays are just around the corner, which means it’s time for Chick Lit Chat HQ’s annual Holly Jolly Chick Lit Hop and this year it’s bigger and better than ever! 63 bestselling and award-winning authors in the Chick Lit and Romantic Comedy genres are participating in this fun-filled event and each one is doing a fantastic giveaway. Books, author swag, gift cards, and other assorted holiday treats are all up for grabs.
But wait! There’s much, much more. On the hop’s Facebook group page, you can enter to win our Grand Prize—a large holiday gift box filled to the brim with a fabulous variety of holiday and winter-themed goodies (the darling, KitschNStyle gingerbread house apron, Snoozies! sherpa socks, Calvin Klein cashmere pom-pom beanie in petal pink, Too Faced sugar cookie eye shadow purse palette, Sally Snowflakes mug by Bella Pilar, Well Read Women: A Reader’s Journal, and handmade chocolate soaps shown in the graphic below are just a few of the items included in the box!).
We’ll also be handing out four Runner-Up Prizes. Each one is a pair of Fitz & Floyd holiday mugs that will be accompanied by a canister of Williams-Sonoma classic hot chocolate as well as a tin of The Republic of Tea’s Hallmark Channel Countdown to Christmas Tea. So, you’ll have delicious, warm beverages to keep you cozy all winter long!
The celebration runs from Monday, Dec. 3rd through Sunday, Dec. 9th, so head on over to the Holly Jolly Chick Lit Hop Facebook group for some lively conversation with both authors and readers, incredible prizes, and lots of holiday fun! You’ll find each day’s featured authors, along with the links to their pages/giveaways, in the pinned post at the top of the group. We look forward to seeing you there!
*The Grand Prize giveaway is open to US residents only. However, all of the individual author giveaways and the Runner-Up Prize giveaway are open
internationally.
Monday, Dec. 4th
Tracie Banister https://www.facebook.com/tracie.banister
Beth Carter https://www.facebook.com/authorbethcarter
Whitney Dineen https://www.facebook.com/Whitney-Dineen-11687019412/
Karin Gillespie https://www.facebook.com/karingillespieauthor/
Kate O’Keeffe https://www.facebook.com/kateokeeffeauthor/
Tuesday, Dec. 5th
Annabelle Costa https://www.facebook.com/Annabelle-Costa-894496980704700/
Susan Hatler https://www.facebook.com/authorsusanhatler/
Kate Kisset https://www.facebook.com/KateKisset/
Kirsty McManus https://www.facebook.com/kirstymcmanusauthor
Robyn Neeley https://www.facebook.com/RobynNeeleyAuthor/
Wednesday, Dec. 6th
Sylvia Ashby https://www.facebook.com/sylviaashbywriter/
Hannah Ellis https://www.facebook.com/novelisthannahellis
Cat Lavoie https://www.facebook.com/CatLavoieBooks
Becky Monson https://www.facebook.com/AuthorBeckyMonson/
Jennifer Peel https://www.facebook.com/jenniferpeelauthor/
Thursday, Dec. 7th
Michele Brouder https://www.facebook.com/MicheleBrouder/
Melinda Curtis https://www.facebook.com/MelindaCurtisAuthor/
Liz Durano https://www.facebook.com/Lizduranobooks/
Diane Michaels https://www.facebook.com/dianemichaelsauthor/
Holly Tierney-Bedord https://www.facebook.com/HollyRecommends/
Friday, Dec. 8th
Hilary Grossman https://www.facebook.com/HilaryGrossmanAuthor/
Beth Labonte https://www.facebook.com/bethlabontebooks/
Nikki LeClair https://www.facebook.com/NikkiLeClairBooks/
Heidi Renee Mason https://www.facebook.com/HeidiReneeMason/
Susan Murphy https://www.facebook.com/susanmurphyauthor/
Natalina Reis https://www.facebook.com/authornatalinareis/
Saturday, Dec. 9th
Amy Avanzino https://www.facebook.com/AmyAvanzino/
Susannah Nix https://www.facebook.com/susannahnix
Cassandra O’Leary https://www.facebook.com/cassandraolearyauthor
Michelle Jo Quinn https://www.facebook.com/MichelleJoQuinnAuthor/
Nicole Waggoner https://www.facebook.com/NicoleWaggonerAuthorCircusofWomen/
Sunday, Dec. 10th
Mary Frame https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMaryFrame/
Sarah-Jane Fraser https://www.facebook.com/sjfraserauthor/
Amy Gettinger https://www.facebook.com/Amy-Gettinger-Author-1412625005719904/
Lizzie Lamb https://www.facebook.com/LizzieLambwriter/
Joslyn Westbrook https://www.facebook.com/JoslynWestbrookOfficial
Monday, Dec. 11th
Jayne Denker https://www.facebook.com/JayneDenkerAuthor/
Angie Ellington https://www.facebook.com/angienellingtonbooks
C.L. Ogilvie https://www.facebook.com/CLOgilvie/
Meredith Schorr https://www.facebook.com/MeredithSchorrAuthor/
Stacey Wiedower https://www.facebook.com/StaceyWiedower.author/
Tuesday, Dec. 12th
Glynis Astie https://www.facebook.com/glynisastieauthor
Renee Conoulty https://www.facebook.com/ReneeConoultyAuthor/
Jenny Gardiner https://www.facebook.com/jennygardinerbooks
Stacy Juba https://www.facebook.com/Stacy-Juba-100155471301/
Tracy Krimmer https://www.facebook.com/krimmerauthor/
Wednesday, Dec. 13th
Traci Andrighetti https://www.facebook.com/traciandrighettiauthor/
Kathryn Biel https://www.facebook.com/kathrynrbiel
Monique McDonell https://www.facebook.com/MoniqueMcDonellAuthor
Denise Stout https://www.facebook.com/DeniseStoutAuthor/
Melanie Summers https://www.facebook.com/MJSummersAuthorPage
Thursday, Dec. 14th
Anne John-Ligali https://www.facebook.com/annejohnligali/
Colette Kebell https://www.facebook.com/ColetteKebellAuthor/
Jennie Marts https://www.facebook.com/JennieMartsBooks/
Clodagh Murphy https://www.facebook.com/clodaghmurphyauthor
Tess Thompson https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTessThompson/
Friday, Dec. 15th
Melissa Baldwin https://www.facebook.com/authormelissabaldwin/
Aimee Brown https://www.facebook.com/authoraimeebrown
Karen M. Cox https://www.facebook.com/karenmcox1932/
Lindsay Detwiler https://www.facebook.com/lindsayanndetwiler
Barbara Valentin https://www.facebook.com/Platespinner/
I got ready in a fury and reread Ellis’s invasive text three times while I fixed my hair and makeup, shaking my head each time and fighting back a smile.
I still hadn’t answered when I started walking the six blocks to Sawyer’s apartment. I’d barely stepped off the stoop of my building when my phone rang.
“You never answered my question,” Ellis said.
My lips curled up at the corners. “Of course, I didn’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s none of your business.”
“Len, your nudity is absolutely my business. In fact, I’m the CEO of that luscious body and I’m a hands-on kind of leader.”
I shook my head, unable to hold back my smile any longer. “Wow, you managed to turn a creepy text into an even creepier metaphor. Kudos to you.”
Ellis laughed. “Are you?”
“Am I what?”
“Naked,” he said. “I’m about the hop in the shower and I need a visual to, you know, help me finish the job.”
“You’re unbelievable.”
“Unbelievably sexy you mean.” I could hear the grin in his voice.
“Whatever.”
“Seriously, though,” he said. “What are you up to?”
“Well.” I took a deep breath, the ice-cold air burning my nose. “If you must know, Sawyer offered to make me dinner. I’m on my way to his place.”
“Really?” he asked. “Great!”
I stopped short on the sidewalk my feet frozen to the pavement. People around me grunted their disapproval and moved around me as I stood glued to the concrete.
“Great?” What happened to throwing his hat in the ring?
“Yeah. I’m starved; I’ll meet you there in ten.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“I love his food—man, that guy can cook. Best decision I ever made, going into business with him. Even if he’s trying to steal my woman.”
“Ellis!” I shouted into the phone. An elderly woman pulling a grocery cart behind her glared at me for my outburst. I mouthed my apologies to her then returned to my phone. “So help me God if you show up at Sawyer’s…”
“What’s the big deal? I’m friends with him. He’s friends with you. We can all have dinner together, it’ll be fun.”
“You aren’t invited.”
“Oh, Len, I’m hurt. I thought we were moving forward. We’re friends, aren’t we?”
I sighed. “Yes, we’re friends.”
“And friends sometimes eat together?” I groaned, not liking the route this conversation was taking. “Sawyer and I are friends, which I expect might change when I tell him how I feel about you. Oh, what the hell—we’ll just leave him out of this and you and I will just go ourselves.”
“Smooth, Ellis,” I said. “Real smooth.”
“I am pretty smooth if I do say so myself. Not to mention devastatingly handsome, and moderately charming.”
“Only moderately?” I asked.
“Yes, but don’t worry; I grow on you.”
I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and closed my eyes. “Please tell me you are not going to show up this evening.”
Ellis laughed. “Relax. I won’t be interrupting your little dinner.”
“Thanks.” I checked the address and looked up at Sawyer’s building. The door to which was sandwiched between a dry cleaner and a greasy pizza place. “I’ve got to go. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay,” he said. “Lennox?”
“Yeah.”
He didn’t say anything right away. I just stood there, the cold wind biting at my fingertips.
“Don’t—,” he started, his voice sounding almost pained.
“Don’t, what?”
I stood there listening to him breathe on the other end.
“Nothing.” He sighed.
I groaned and rolled my eyes. “Bye, Ellis.”
I was offered an ARC from the author with no expectations of a review, but I had to write a review for this one. I finished last night (I was up very late because I couldn’t put it down) and Samatha Harris did not disappoint me.
Whole Lotta Frogs is funny, sweet, and hot without going overboard with sex. The characters are flawed but very likable . By the end I felt I knew Len and Ellis as well or better than some of my own friends.
Harris’ use of blog posts in between chapters is brilliant. The blogs were believable and fun to read while giving Len (the FMC) and the plot more depth.
I’ve been known to collect quotes from books I liked and I collected quite a few from this one. “…but you love me, Lennox. The only one who doesn’t believe it is you.” and “Wishes are like prayers fueled by hope and desire.” are just a couple of them.
Those of you who have followed me for a while know I love funny and this romance didn’t let me down–it had me laughing through the pages up to the very end.
Five enthusiastic stars for A Whole Lotta Frogs!!
I stepped into an enormous bowl made of trampolines. Bright neon-green padding ran in a grid-like pattern across the entire arena, separating each trampoline into its own little rectangle. The springy black fabric covered every available surface, including the walls.
I stepped down into the closest square, giving it a test bounce, and smiled. It doesn’t matter how old you get. It’s impossible not to smile when bouncing on a trampoline.
We had the entire bowl to ourselves. I could still hear the music and the screaming, but it sounded distant and not nearly as deafening.
Ellis bounced back and forth from square to square, the squeaking of the springs mixed with my own tentative steps.
“Is this part of your plan?” I asked.
Ellis stopped jumping and rested his hands on his hips to catch his breath. “I could’ve gone with the cliché dinner and movie, but I figured you could use a little bit of fun.”
I laughed. “You’re right. I could use some fun. I’ve been a little stressed since this guy from my past came back into my life and won’t leave me alone.”
Ellis shrugged. “Maybe he likes you.”
I laughed and jumped to another square. “He thinks he does.”
“Trust me, Len. He knows.”
“Okay, so what’s next? Or was your grand plan to make me work out against my will.”
Ellis held up one finger and disappeared through the curtain of netting, only to reappear with a bag of bright red balls.
“What is that?”
“I was thinking about what you said about me torturing you when we were younger. I was a punk kid trying to get the attention of the girl he liked, but I get how it may not have felt that way to you.” He dropped the bag at my feet and turned it upside down, emptying six rubber balls at my feet. “This is your chance to get me back.”
Ellis made his way to the other side of the bowl and opened his arms. “Let me have it, Len. All I ask is that you don’t aim for the face.”
“You want me to hit you?”
“If you’re ever going to give us a chance, you need to let go of the past, and if this is what it takes to get you to forgive me then so be it. I’m willing to take the hit.”
I picked up a ball, testing the weight in my hands and eyeing him as he stood, arms wide open, feet spread apart, muscles tense and prepared for impact.
I wanted to hit him. I really did. But I am an adult, and adults don’t solve problems by hurling rubber projectiles.
“I can’t,” I said. “This is childish.”
“You scared?” he asked that trademark smirk of his spread wide across his face.
“I’m not scared. This is stupid.”
“I agree, but continuing to punish me for the mistakes I made as a kid is also pretty stupid.”
Anger welled inside of me and I drew back, hurling the ball as hard as I could toward his chest. The ball hit its target with a loud thud and bounced away.
Victory swelled inside my chest.
“See?” Ellis said. “Feeling a little vindicated, aren’t you?”
“Shut up,” I said, hurling the next ball toward him.
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I’ve written about book signings before, mostly about how depressing these events can be for a writer who nobody really knows, especially one who writes romance–the most popular and yet, also most snubbed genre in literature.
I spent this weekend in a signing, except this time it was one exclusively for romance writers. What a difference that made. The fact that I’m not well-known didn’t change, but the attitude of the general public was definitely different.
How refreshing to be addressed and asked questions about your books instead of avoided or ignored. I don’t pretend to write high-brow literature and do not aspire at winning a Pulitzer prize, but I’m a good writer who writes fun and somewhat insightful stories that both entertain and excite the reader’s emotions. Very few people have read my books (a fact painfully evidenced by depressingly low royalties) and I don’t expect a horde of fans to descend upon my table at such events like a crowd of shoppers at a Best Buy on Black Friday. But I love being asked about my stories (the introvert in me won’t volunteer the information), having smart conversations about books (even about other people’s books), and generally just being acknowledged as alive and breathing.
Kudos go out to romance readers. They are amazingly welcoming and easy to talk to. They are also so enthusiastic about meeting authors, they make you feel like celebrities. I’ve been to quite a few events mostly attended by people who–by their own admission–only read “good” literature, or nonfiction, or–my favorite–anything but romance. Generally speaking, those crowds make you feel as if writing romance is some heinous crime for which you must feel terribly ashamed. They also lump all romance novels into one giant bundle of 50 Shades of Grey type stories when in fact the romance genre is widely diverse, both in styles, sub-genres, and quality.
At one point I was embarrassed to admit I wrote romance, but no longer. I’ve “come out” of that closet and I now proudly stand as a romance writer. If you’ve never attempted at reading a romance, you should give it a try. It is not everybody’s cup of tea, I understand, but with the overwhelming number of authors and books out there, there is a very good chance you may find a new favorite.
