Book Review: Weekend In Paris

Author: Robyn Sisman
Title: Weekend In Paris
Publisher: Plume
Publish Date: Feb 24, 2004
Buy: Amazon
Book Blurb: Molly Clearwater had always wanted to escape the confines of her small-town upbringing to make a splash as a career woman in London. But somehow, working as a low-level assistant for the boorish Malcolm Figg wasn't nearly as fulfilling as she had hoped-until Malcolm offered her a "perk"-a free weekend business trip to Paris. She's ecstatic until she discovers that Malcolm's idea of "business" isn't exactly the same as hers. Horrified, Molly storms out of the office. With nothing else to lose, she impulsively boards a train to Paris, intent on treating herself to a long weekend in the City of Light.

Within moments of stepping onto the cobblestoned streets of Paris, Molly is swept up in an adventure that defies her imagination. From infiltrating a conference in a Cleopatra wig to sharing her deepest secret with a complete stranger, Molly's weekend away from her troubles turns into a dizzying voyage of passion and self-discovery, transforming her absolutely...

Review:  This book should have been made into a movie, for oh so many reasons. It was ridiculous and yet so fun to read. I think that's why it would have made a great chick flick, except that they would have to change things to completely make it a rom com, because this is a British chicklit and things don't always equal girl meets boy and ends up happily ever after with boy.

After a day from hell, Molly runs off to Paris for a weekend. She was supposed to be there on a business trip, but her boss is truly a butthead.

When she gets to Paris she really lets loose and does things she normally wouldn't do and in turn meets a handsome French artist,who is everything she wants in a man.

There's so much fun as Molly lets go of her uptight self for awhile. She wears clothes she wouldn't normally wear and does an awful lot of things she wouldn't normally do. She seems like she's turning into a new Molly, but when Fabrice does something that she doesn't agree with, it was nice to see her go back to her slightly goody goody self.

I wasn't keen on Fabrice. From the start he felt too good to be true. I guess I have a stereotype of guys that are too good-looking being jerks. Not that he's 100% a jerk, but he has a lot of growing up to do.

The last part of the book was such a whirlwind that I often got confused with what was going on. It felt like the author was trying to toss as many life changing events into one weekend as she possibly could no matter how impossible it could be. (Again this is why this book would make a great chick flick)

Some of these events stem from Molly being a child of a single mom, who won't reveal who her father was, no matter how many times she asked. It has always been "Molly and Mum/Mum and Molly." So mom has never really kept a guy around either.

So there are a lot of silly and insane things happening..but what bogs the story down is the small part of the story that is told from Malcolm's point of view. (He's part of the story, but not and it hardly seemed necessary and then he just disappears)

But Molly...oh Molly...I liked her and I wanted to shake her so much. She is the queen of bad choices, and maybe just maybe in some ways I saw a little bit of myself in her. (A good reason not to like her to be sure) She was a character that was simply "too" too smart, too good, too foolish. I mean she felt she was in love with Fabrice after only knowing him for a day.

There was one character I did like and that was Fabrice's father, who is played out to be a not so nice guy by his son, but you soon see that that description is wrong. There were times when I wished he'd hook up with Molly, but a plot twist prevented that.

I can't say enough how much action happened in the last part of the story and a lot of it isn't satisfying. So while I enjoyed this book, it didn't wow me. It was a fluffy read and a book that I'm glad I found at the library, because otherwise I would be lamenting the money I spent on it.

Rating: 3 flowers

Historical Fiction Virtual Tours Book Review: This Is How I'd Love You

Author: Hazel Woods
Title: This Is How I'd Love You
Publication Date: August 26, 2014

Publisher: Plume Books
Formats: eBook, Paperback, MP3 CD
Pages: 320

Genre: Historical Fiction



Book Blurb: As the Great War rages, an independent young woman struggles to sustain love—and life—through the power of words. It’s 1917 and America is on the brink of World War I. After Hensley Dench’s father is forced to resign from the New York Times for his anti-war writings, she finds herself expelled from the life she loves and the future she thought she would have. Instead, Hensley is transplanted to New Mexico, where her father has taken a job overseeing a gold mine. Driven by loneliness, Hensley hijacks her father’s correspondence with Charles Reid, a young American medic with whom her father plays chess via post. Hensley secretly begins her own exchange with Charles, but looming tragedy threatens them both, and—when everything turns against them—will their words be enough to beat the odds?

Praise for This Is How I'd Love You

“In This is How I’d Love You, Hazel Woods explores the enduring nature of an improbable love born of words, washed in tragedy, and sustained despite impossible circumstances. With prose as immediate and evocative as a painting, Woods accomplishes the magic of rendering sorrow into hope and fear into courage. It is as idealistic a tale as it is clear-sighted, a brilliant alchemy few novels achieve. Readers, prepare to melt” — Robin Oliveria, author of My Name is Mary Sutter

Buy the Book

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Review:  This book was really beautiful. I have a love for stories that happen during WWI I always have, so I had to read this one.

This Is How I'd Love You is told from two perspectives, Hensley Dench and Charles Reid. Charles is corresponding with Hensley father through a chess game.

You get snippets of their lives along with their responses to each other, or at first Charles' response to Hensley's father. (She sort of hijacks the letters)

Words can't begin to describe the beauty of this book. Both Hensley and Charles suffer tragedies in their lives on their road to finally meeting.

You get the horrors of war, told from Charles' viewpoint and WWI was not pretty. There was a scene with a dying horse that broke my heart.

Then there's the young, pregnant Hensley. She went through so much, and was really strong. She didn't accept what her brother wanted for her.

The other characters that stick out are Teresa and Berto, the Mexican's she meets in Hillsboro, New Mexico.

The letters exchanged by Hensley and Charles bring their lives together and bring them a rather unexpected love.

This book was a very emotional read, and one of the best books I've read all year.

Rating: 5 flowers

About the Author

Hazel Woods lives in New Mexico with her husband and two children. For more information please visit www.hazelwoodsauthor.com. You can also find her on Twitter.

ARC Book Tour & Book Review: The Sixth Surrender

Author: Hana Samek Norton
Title: The Sixth Surrender
Publisher: Plume
Publish Date: July 27, 2010
Rating: 4 stars
Book Blurb: In the last years of her eventful life, queen-duchess Aliénor of Aquitaine launches a deadly dynastic chess game to safeguard the crowns of Normandy and England for John Plantagenet, her last surviving son.

To that end, Aliénor coerces into matrimony two pawns-Juliana de Charnais, a plain and pious novice determined to regain her inheritance, and Guérin de lasalle, a cynical, war-worn mercenary equally resolved to renounce his.

The womanizing Lasalle and the proud Juliana are perfectly matched for battle not love-until spies and assassins conspire to reverse their romantic fortunes.

Populated by spirited and intelligent women and executed in flawless period detail, The Sixth Surrender is a compelling love story that heralds the arrival of a major new talent in historical fiction.

Review: This book was so well written that it was hard to believe it was a debut novel. Hana takes her readers back in time to the days of Queen Alienor of Aquitaine.

It feels so accurate and that is probably the only fault in this book. It is almost like reading a book by Jean Plaidy or Philippa Gregory which are more fictionalized biographies and like those biographies they have lots of characters that really play an important role in the story.

I don't think there was a character in this book that didn't serve to carry the story along to its end and end that was a happily ever after in a round about way.

Juliana and Guerin are the biggest mismatched couple in any book I've read. They don't want to be married. They try not to be married. In fact, they spend more than 400 pages trying to avoid each other. It is hard to believe that in the end, they seem to end up with each other.

Both are huge pawns, Juliana more by the Alienor and Guerin by Alienor and the Lusignans. Guerin is such an interesting hero, if you can call him that. He does more killing and whoring than declaring his love for Juliana. Not that Juliana makes anything easy for him. She's not the most likable character. She's a bit too pious and at times it seems like she's totally without emotion, but for the time period, that seems suitable for a woman that was almost a nun.

Hana does offer a glimpse of her feelings for her husband,  and at the end, there is no doubt that she does care for him and readers will be happy with the way things are wrapped up at the end.

This is an excellent historical novel. It really isn't a romance though. So if you are looking for a great love story, this might not be the book for you. I know it took me a lot longer to read than most of the books in my TBR pile. It was one of those books I had to really concentrate to read, because there was so much being told.

ARC Tour & Book Review: Some Girls: My Life In A Harem

Author: Jillian Lauren

Title: Some Girls: My Life In A Harem

Publisher: Plume

Publish Date: April 27, 2010

Rating: 3 Stars

Book Blurb: At the age of 19, Lauren was trying to get a fledgling acting career off the ground while working as a stripper and call girl. When the opportunity arises for several girls to travel to the island of Borneo to be a part of the harem of the Sultan of Brunei’s youngest brother, Prince Jefri, for a few weeks, Lauren jumps at the opportunity. Telling her family she’s headed overseas for an acting job, she travels to Brunei for what she thinks will be a diverting and exciting two weeks. Once she arrives at the expansive estate, Lauren finds her only duty is to attend lavish parties each night and hope that she will be the one chosen to steal away from the party with the prince. Two weeks turns into a year, and Lauren finds herself increasingly involved in the vicious competition for the prince’s attention. While the surprising and exotic subject matter is sure to pique interest, Lauren’s graceful, introspective prose lifts her unusual memoir far above the level of mere titillation.

Review: I wanted to like this book, really I did, but no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't. It wasn't that the book was poorly written, it was that I truly found myself hating Jillian with a passion. Even when I should have been feeling sorry for her, I just couldn't. She just made so many bad choices and ended up with as close to a happy ever after as a former sex worker could. She's now been married 5 years to rocker Scott Shriner from the band Weezer, and they have an adopted son.

Sure her road to happiness is paved with every kind of nastyness out there, an abusive adoptive father, sexual abuse, though as you read the book, its hard to believe some of it is actually abuse, and that will leave your jaw dropping to the floor, oh and don't forget drugs and eating disorders.

If there's something f-cked up that could happen to you in life, its happened to Jillian and she makes light of it, which is probably a good thing. If I were her, I couldn't have told this story with any humor.

The title of the book is a bit deceptive. Yes, she ends up in the Harem of Prince Jefrie of Brunie, but Jillian doesn't really focus on her life in the harem. What this book does tell us about is how she managed to go from a middle class upbringing to becoming a stipper, escort and then harem girl. Oh and she went into much detail about a tattoo she has in a rather...erm...painful spot that no one but a doctor and a lover shouold ever see.

Again, I found myself saying,  "Lady, why should I care?"

She coasts through the year and a half that she spent in Brunie, detailing the cattyness of the women. Catty? When they could spend hundreds of thousands on clothes if they found favor with the Prince? I can't imagine it. (Note the heavy saracasm)

It took me 5 days to make my way through 336 page and sadly there's no getting the time back. Not even one of the shiny Rolex watches the Prince gave Jillian can make up for it!

Sorry Jillian, your messed up life just didn't interest me.

Book Provided By: Crazy Book Tours