Blog Tour and Giveaway: THE HEARTBREAK PILL by Anjanette Delgado

Today I am pleased to shine a spotlight on the debut novel of author Anjanette Delgado, THE HEARTBREAK PILL, as well as offer a giveaway for one (1) copy of her book. I haven't received my review copy as yet, but once I do, I'll read it and let you know what I think!

THE HEARTBREAK PILL

by Anjanette Delgado

Pub. Date: April 2008

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group

Format: Paperback, 288pp

ISBN-13: 9780743297530

ISBN: 0743297539

Description (from the publisher):

Is it really necessary to suffer for love? What if an easy-to-swallow pill could turn love off and on? You wouldn't desire what isn't good for you. You wouldn't cry for what cannot be. You'd just live. You'd be happy.

Erika Luna is a thirty-something scientist living and working in Miami. When her husband of seven years -- the very successful, very smart, very good-looking founding partner of one of Miami's top public relations firms -- falls in lust with another woman, their marriage spirals toward divorce and Erika's practical nature leads her down a strange path.

What is a scientist to do when slapped with a pain so deep it interferes with her breathing? Develop a cure, of course. Erika moves into a new apartment and turns it into her own personal laboratory. She frantically begins mixing potions and uses herself as a guinea pig as she desperately tries to create a pill that will rid the world of heartbreak forever. As she navigates the murky waters of the recently divorced, Erika also struggles to find her own sense of self and the answer to whether love, and its pain, is worth the risk.

Click here to read Chapter One.

About the Author (from the publisher):
Anjanette Delgado is an Emmy award-winning writer and producer with over eighteen years of local and network news experience. She has produced for CNN, NBC, Univision and Telemundo, among others, producing extensive coverage for events such as the 1991 Gulf War, the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the present war with Iraq, which she executive produced for Telemundo in 2003. She won her first Emmy for her human-interest series “Madres en la lejanía,” about the plight of Latino mothers who leave their own children behind and come to the United States to work illegally... as nannies.

More Tour Stops:
Nov 9 Unloaded
Nov 10 Julia Amante
Nov 11 The Sol Within
Nov 12 Latino Book Examiner
Nov 13 Behind Brown Eyes
Nov 16 Chasing Heroes
Nov 17 Musings
Nov 18 Reading with Monie
Nov 19 That Happened to me
Nov 20 Writing to Insanity

RULES FOR ENTERING THE GIVEAWAY:

• Leave a comment on this post telling me you would like to win. Include an email address with your comment so that I can contact you if you do win. Use a spam-thwarting format such as geebee.reads AT gmail DOT com or geebee.reads [at] gmail [dot] com

• You must leave an email address in order to qualify. If I can't contact you, you can't win!

• You can earn an extra entry by being or becoming a Follower or Subscriber of this blog and telling me about it in a separate comment.

• Blog about this contest and provide me with the link to the post in a separate comment, and I'll give you yet another entry.

• Tweeting about this contest and providing me the link in a separate comment will get you one more entry. I've added a Retweet button at the bottom of every post.

• Stumble this blog, Digg it, or Technorati Fave it, whatever, and leave a separate comment for another entry.

• Winners must provide a U.S. or Canadian street address. Hachette is unable to deliver to P.O. Boxes.

• Deadline for entry:  Get your entries in TODAY! I will use Random.org on Tuesday, November 24, 2009 to determine a winner.

• Winner will have 24 hours to respond to my email announcing that they have won; if I don't hear from the winner, I will draw another name.

 Thank you to Jo Ann Hernandez
at Bronze Word Latino Authors
for organizing this tour and
making this giveaway possible.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

This contest is now closed.

Blog Tour and Book Review #29: THE SECRET OF JOY by Melissa Senate

THE SECRET OF JOY

by Melissa Senate

 is released in paperback today!

THE SECRET OF JOY

by Melissa Senate

Pub. Date: November 2009

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group

Format: Paperback, 352pp

ISBN-13: 9781439107171

ISBN: 1439107173

 
Description (from the publisher):
As 28 year old New York paralegal Rebecca Strand's widowed father lays dying, he confesses a secret: he had an affair 26 years earlier when Rebecca was just a toddler. Now he wants Rebecca to deliver the secret stash of letters he wrote, but never mailed, to the daughter he fathered. Rebecca's lawyer boyfriend, Michael, is adamant that she forget the woman exists. He's sure the woman will be an opportunist who will demand half of Rebecca's father's million-dollar estate. But Rebecca, now without any family in the world, can't help but wonder about her one living relative. With her relationship with Michael in tatters, Rebecca drives from New York City to Maine to find Joy Jayhawk, who operates a Weekend Singles Tour service out of an orange mini-van that her regulars dub "The Love Bus." Enter a cast of lovable, colorful characters, from Joy's eccentric mother to the singles on The Love Bus, and a sexy carpenter for whom Rebecca finds herself unexpectedly falling in love...

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars -- a pleasant and enjoyable read.

My Thoughts:

THE SECRET OF JOY by Melissa Senate is such an enjoyable read, I wanted to pack up my bags and move to Maine. It's mostly set in a quaint little seaside town which is populated by a close-knit and supportive cast of quirky characters. By turns funny, poignant, and romantic, it is so engaging I became thoroughly engrossed in this story and looked forward to settling down each evening with my "new friends."

The title of this book with its cute double meaning is like a foreshadowing of the story. Rebecca Strand thinks she's only on a quest to find and connect with her half-sister, Joy, of whose existance she has just become aware. Her father confessed to a long ago secret affair on his deathbed. Between coming to terms with the death of her father and attempting to forge a bond with her sister, Rebecca also has to determine just what it is she wants out of life -- how to create her own joy. In fact, it could be said that all the characters in this novel are either in pursuit of their own personal bliss, or they've found it, are living it, and subtly guiding others toward finding their own.

This is Melissa Senate's eighth novel, and her experience and skill as a writer are evident. The book is smoothly written with great descriptions and terrific dialogue. I liked the variety of characters Ms. Senate created. No one was completely perfect and no one had found perfect happiness, but everyone was at varying stages in their quest for joy. I also appreciated her deft handling of the complex issue which confronts the character of Joy -- after being ignored by her father for her entire life, his other daughter is suddenly thrusting herself into Joy's life. This theme could be explored in a much heavier and very different kind of novel. Ms. Senate keeps things light but realistic enough to give the reader something to think about. 

I also like that the main character, Rebecca, doesn't equate finding joy only with being with the right man. She does want the right man but she also wants the bonds of her extended family. And she wants to find the work that will give her the most satisfaction and make use of her interests and skills. I like that she thoughtfully explores which aspects of her life have been fulfilling and are worth maintaining.  

I really liked THE SECRET OF JOY. I've already recommended it to my sisters and several friends. It's a great choice for anyone wanting to escape into a story that is upbeat but not fluffy. Personally, I plan to work my way through all of Melissa Senate's novels.    

Click here to visit the author's website.

Click here to read an interview with the author.

Click here to read the Reading Group Guide.

About the author (from the publisher):
Melissa Senate is the author of eight novels, including the bestselling See Jane Date, which was made into an ABC Family TV movie and has sold over 200,000 copies worldwide. She's published short pieces in Everything I've Always Wanted to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume, It's a Wonderful Lie, Flirting with Pride and Prejudice, and American Girls About Town. A former romance and young adult editor from New York, she now lives on the southern coast of Maine with her son.

Thank you to Sarah at Pocket Books for supplying me with my review copy.

Blog Tour and Book Review #22: OVER THE HOLIDAYS by Sandra Harper

OVER THE HOLIDAYS

by Sandra Harper

Pub. Date: October 2009

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group

Format: Paperback, 336pp

ISBN-13: 9781439158708

ISBN: 1439158703

Synopsis (from the publisher):
The best holiday traditions are meant to be broken.

It's only December 1, and Vanessa Clayton has been dreading Christmas since she spotted tinseled trees at her local mall in September. Thankfully, she and her husband, JT, can't afford to drag their twin boys across the country to New England for the annual celebration at her stuffy sister-in-law Patience's home. Not that Vanessa has prepared a proper Christmas for her family in years, and she has less time than ever since she agreed to consult on the script of a local play. Her older sister, Thea, is no help -- she'd rather make art and flirt with surfers than babysit her nine-year-old nephews. Then Patience drops a holiday stress bomb: Her family will come to California instead.

In between "baking" cinnamon rolls for the school potluck and overbearing Patience testing her patience, Vanessa can't stop thinking about the difficult but charming playwright at work. Meanwhile, Patience's teenage daughter, Libby, obsesses over a college boy she has met by the pool, and Thea searches desperately for the meaning of Christmas -- for her latest installation, of course. As their holiday plans go comically awry, these four women discover the true spirit of the season is hidden in every festive surprise.

My Rating: 3.5 Stars out of 5

My Thoughts:

Sandra Harper's new book, OVER THE HOLIDAYS, is a light-hearted, pleasant read about four women who each experience an emotional growth spurt over one holiday season.

Over the course of just a few short weeks, the central character, Vanessa, mother of 9-year-old twin boys, is confronted with the temptation to stray from her comfortable and predictable marriage. While her husband, JT, is working out of town and upon his return is laid up in bed with the flu, Vanessa juggles a last minute visit from her in-laws, the varying demands of holiday contributions of time, money, and homemade food from her sons' school, and the growing flirtations of a cute playwright with whom she is working. Vanessa's biggest stress is that she just doesn't like her sister-in-law, Patience, whom she sees as a stuffy and overbearing perfectionist.

Meanwhile, Patience cannot understand why Vanessa doesn't appreciate her offers of assistance and guidance, struggles to understand the break with tradition that has brought her from her beloved New England Christmas to sunny, bouncy L.A., and suffers through the growing pains of her 17-year-old daughter, Libby, who is eagerly and naively trying to spread her wings and fly away.

Vanessa's older sister, Thea, a working artist, wonders if her talent has dried up and whether 15 years ago, she let Mr. Right slip through her fingers.

Although the story takes place at Christmastime and there are occasional questions of its meaning, the holiday does not really have a major role in the novel. It mostly serves as a device on which to display each woman's story - somewhat like a Christmas tree holding up its ornaments. What the characters experience could have been explored in a different way at any time of the year. If you are looking for a blatent message about the meaning of Christmas, you won't find it here. There is a message of hope and renewal if you read between the lines.

I enjoyed sitting back and escaping into this novel. While there's not a whole lot of depth to the characters, there is variety, and I could identify with some aspect of each woman's personality - even the teenaged Libby!  I liked the way the author wove their storylines together - sometimes intersecting, sometimes running parallel. There's no scene where all four sit around and connect, but each influences the others if not directly then through one another. And by novel's end, each woman has grown in such a way that her own life is enriched and she is better able to understand as well as enrich the lives of others.

What I did not like about the novel was the all too frequent use of the F-word. I suppose it's intended to make the characters sound realistic, but it almost always came across as too harsh. Almost every time I came across it, I found it jarring and it took me out of the story. Even if we hear the word several times a day, or even use it occasionally ourselves, there's more of an impact when it is used in print. I believe that it's a word that should be used very sparingly, if at all, so that when the reader does encounter it, it relays some real significance. Surprisingly, there was one instance when a character said "F*&^. F*&^. F*&^." That was the only time it's use seem truly realistic and conveyed the character's panic and confusion. I would have rated this novel higher if there had been less use of the word.  (Sorry, but I did not note the page number of the above quote - I'll edit it in later today.)

Overall, I would recommend OVER THE HOLIDAYS by Sandra Harper as a good escapist read -- not too heavy or complex, but with enough meat to keep the reader engaged and interested in how these women work through their issues.  I would recommend that you pick up OVER THE HOLIDAYS if you find yourself looking for a little stress relief . . . over the holidays. ;)

Click here to read an excerpt.

About the author (from the publisher):
Sandra Harper is the author of the play, Magpie's Tea Room, which enjoyed a successful run in Los Angeles at The Ventura Court Theatre. She has written a cooking column, "The California Cook" for the newspaper, Skirt. A script reader for Pathe Studios and Springcreek Productions, she also wrote and produced fashion and rock videos for Elvis Costello, Chaka Khan and Vidal Sassoon, amonf others. Ms. Harper recieved her B.A. in Journalism from the University of Southern California and has completed a children's book, The Witches Club.


Check out the reviews on these other blogs on today's tour:

Rundpinne: http://www.rundpinne.blogspot.com

Frugal Plus: http://frugalplus.com/

The Life (And Lies) of an Inanimate Flying Object: http://haleymathiot.blogspot.com/

Drey’s Library: http://dreyslibrary.blogspot.com/

Wendi’s Book Corner: http://wendisbookcorner.blogspot.com/

Opinionated? Me? : http://readingwatchingliving.blogspot.com/

Me, My Book and the Couch: http://memybookandthecouch.blogspot.com/

Libby’s Library News: http://www.libslibrary.blogspot.com/

Bookin’ With Bingo: http://bookinwithbingo.blogspot.com/

Books, Movies, and Chinese Food: http://books-movies-chinesefood.blogspot.com/

Psychotic State: http://www.psychoticstate.blogspot.com/

Readaholic: http://bridget3420.blogspot.com/

That’s A Novel Idea: http://thatsanovelidea.blogspot.com

All About {N}: http://www.bookwormygirl.blogspot.com/

Starting Fresh: http://startingfresh-gaby317.blogspot.com/

A Sea of Books: http://aseaofbooks.blogspot.com/

Just Another New Blog: http://justanothernewblog.blogspot.com/

Blog Business World: http://www.blogbusinessworld.blogspot.com

My Friend Amy: http://www.myfriendamysblog.com

Cheryl’s Book Nook: http://cherylsbooknook.blogspot.com/

One Person’s Journey Through A World of Books: http://bookjourney.wordpress.com/

I Read: http://sumanam.wordpress.com/

So Many Books, So Little Time: http://purplg8r-somanybooks.blogspot.com/

Keep on Booking: http://keeponbooking.blogspot.com

Reading at the Beach: http://ilratb.blogspot.com/

Found Not Lost: http://jmomfinds.amoores.com/

Brizmus Blogs Books: http://brizmusblogsbooks.blogspot.com/

Book Reviews by Buuklvr81: http://www.buuklvr81.blogspot.com/

Thank you to Sarah at Simon & Schuster

for organizing this blog tour

 and providing me with a review copy.

Book Review #13: MERCURY IN RETROGRADE by Paula Froelich

MERCURY IN RETROGRADE
by Paula Froelich

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group
Pub. Date: June 2009
ISBN-13: 9781416598930
Sales Rank: 594
272pp

Synopsis (from Barnes & Noble):

When Mercury is in retrograde, the only guarantee is anything that can go wrong, will.

Penelope Mercury, an intrepid reporter at the New York Telegraph, has pounded the pavement for five years from city borough to borough, carrying out her boss's eccentric orders to break stories that seem inconsequential to everyone but him. Finally, she is inches away from being promoted to her dream job -- covering courtroom drama for the paper -- but after one spectacularly disastrous day, she is fired instead.

Lena "Lipstick Carcrash" Lippencrass has a pretty fabulous life, even by a socialite's standards, as a top editor at the high fashion magazine Y. Long lunches with her girlfriends and afternoons spent shopping at Bergdorf's are all in a day's work. But when Lena's always indulgent parents abruptly cut off her cash flow and kick her out of her beloved West Village duplex for refusing to work for the family business, she is forced to confront the reality of what it takes to pay the bills.

Dana Gluck, a workaholic lawyer, had been married for two years to a man who was perfect on paper but increasingly critical in reality. She hoped that her dreams of motherhood would be fulfilled soon, which surely would also fix their marriage problems. Instead, her husband leaves her for an exchange student/model who, to make matters worse, promptly gets pregnant.

When fate conspires to have these three very different women move into the same SoHo apartment building, they soon discover that having their carefully planned lives fall to pieces might be the best thing that could have ever happened to them.

My Rating: 3.5/5 stars


My Thoughts:

It was May, 2009. Things started to go wrong. Very wrong. Computers crashed. The fax machine broke. Files couldn't be found. Checks were lost in the mail. The copier chewed whole documents and spit them out folded in micro-mini-pleats. Annoying people called frequently. Callers we wanted to talk to couldn't get through. Messages were lost. I was particularly inarticulate. I stuttered. I said all the wrong things at all the wrong times. Nobody listened to me anyway. They were all having the same problems. Suddenly, I understood. I was able to get online long enough obtain confirmation. Mercury was in retrograde. We had no choice but to wait it out.

And then, a sign, a beacon of light in the darkness, an ARC, a book! A book about our shared experience. A book about how everything that can go wrong, will go wrong. A book that confirms it's not all in my head! A book called . . . MERCURY IN RETROGRADE. If only . . . if only I could get to BEA . . . get to BEA and secure a copy! But nnnnoooooo! No BEA for me this year. No advance copy. Of course not. Because . . . Mercury is in retrograde! AARRGGRRHH!

But eventually Mercury turns direct and Atria Publishing offers a galley grab online to those who can't make it to BEA and two months later -- I get my book. Yea!

Paula Froelich has created a fun, fast, friendly confection of a story. I was charmed by the premise and pleased with the outcome. The three main characters are each likable even if somewhat less than memorable. I was able to identify with some aspect of each one's personality and predicament. The secondary characters are comfortably familiar stereotypes -- the gay friend with the flair for fashion, the overbearing bosses, the clueless but meddlesome parents, and the status-obsessed socialite. Froelich doesn't really break any new ground here, but she writes well and the story is smoothly paced. If I was hoping for a little more depth, well, at least the book stays true to its title.

All in all, MERCURY IN RETROGRADE is a pleasant if predictable read -- perfect for the beach, poolside, or backyard lounge chair. I'm hoping there'll be more books from Paula Froelich.


Click here to read (generously lengthy) excerpt.

About the Author:

The deputy editor for the New York Post's Page Six column, Paula lives in New York City. MERCURY IN RETROGRADE is her first novel.

Thank you to Atria Books for my review copy.