Review: Sweet Misfortune

Summary: Sophie owns a chocolate shop where she sells Misfortune Cookies-dipped in bitter chocolate they contain messages she handwrites each day such as "Your car seems fine now, but just wait...it will eventually be a source of frustration and unexpected delay." What starts as a gimmick, turns into a surprise hit with customers. But when her ex-fiancée moves back to their small Washington town, he is surprised at how bitter and unhappy Sophie has become. He proposes a bet--she must place an ad in the paper that simply states "Wanted: Happiness. -- Center Street

A few years ago, I reviewed THE PAPER BAG CHRISTMAS by Kevin Alan Milne. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this heart-warming novel and how much it made me cry! So when I had the opportunity to read Mr. Milne's latest novel SWEET MISFORTUNE, I was curious to see how it would affect me.

I have to admit that SWEET MISFORTUNE didn't affect me quite like THE PAPER BAG CHRISTMAS; however, I don't think it was supposed to. I did enjoy the novel (and I especially love the cover -- which is just perfect!) I'm just saying that this novel was cute and had a terrific message, and I'm definitely glad that I read it. I'm just not sure that I have the best appreciation of this type of book or that I'm the best judge of its merits. All I can say is that I enjoyed SWEET MISFORTUNE for the few hours that I read it by the pool.

SWEET MISFORTUNE definitely kept my interest and I thought it was a sweet love story; however, I had some major issues with the main character Sophie. I understand that she had been hurt many times throughout her life and I do "get" her bitterness, but she was so over-the-top to me. I had a difficult time with her insecurities and constant need to be reassured. I realize that the author was trying to make a point with her extreme guilt, but to be honest, I had a hard time relating to her at all (and even feeling compassion towards her.) It wasn't until I started to see some cracks in her shell that I was able to actually "root" for her happiness.

Putting aside my early issues with Sophie, I did appreciate the basic premise of this story. I liked that there were some twists and turns for the characters and the reader, and I did enjoy seeing how the characters (and especially Sophie) evolved. I have to admit that I did figure out a few of the surprises (well really one pretty big one), but it didn't get in the way of my enjoyment of the story in the slightest.

I do think SWEET MISFORTUNE would be a great pick for some book clubs who enjoy this genre. The book is extremely clean and has some heart-warming messages -- I think I'll pass it along to my mother or my grandmother. Some of the themes groups might want to discuss include love, loss, grief, guilt, forgiveness, accountability, second chances, and the big one -- happiness. I also think the concept of coincidence plays a huge role in this story, and I'd be curious to hear what other readers think about the novel's ending.

If you are a fan of romance or stories with happy endings, then I recommend giving SWEET MISFORTUNE a try. There is some good character development along with some sweet messages that are sure to warn most people's hearts! Plus, it really is a great escape book to read this summer at the pool or beach!

Thanks to Goldberg McDuffie Communications for sending me a copy of this book.

Since Mr. Milne is a Penn Stater (and so am I), this review counts as part of my Back-to-School Feature. Make sure you check out all of posts I have written about fellow Penn State writers, and feel free to add your links about any posts related to your favorite school. In fact, if you feature a book related to any school that you attended, root for or even live near, it can count -- it's all about school spirit.

Kid Konnection: How to Survive Middle School

Every Saturday, I host a feature called Kid Konnection -- a (hopefully) regular weekend feature about anything related to children's books. Today I'm going to review a great book called HOW TO SURVIVE MIDDLE SCHOOL (WITHOUT GETTING YOUR HEAD FLUSHED) AND DEAL WITH AN EX-BEST FRIEND, ...UM, GIRLS, AND A HEARTBREAKING HAMSTER by Donna Gephart (a fellow Penn State alum!)

Summary: Eleven-year-old David Greenberg dreams of becoming a TV superstar like his idol, Jon Stewart. But in real life, David is just another kid terrified of starting his first year at Harman Middle School. With a wacky sense of humor and hilarious Top 6½ Lists, David spends his free time making Talk Time videos, which he posts on YouTube. But before he can get famous, he has to figure out a way to deal with:

6. Middle school (much scarier than it sounds!)
5. His best friend gone girl-crazy
4. A runaway mom who has no phone!
3. The threat of a swirlie on his birthday
2. A terrifying cousin
1. His # 1 fan, Bubbe (his Jewish grandmother)
1/2. Did we mention Hammy, the hamster who’s determined to break David’s heart?

When David and his best friend have a fight, David is lucky enough to make a pretty cool new friend, Sophie–who just (gulp) happens to be a girl. Sophie thinks David’s videos are hilarious, and she starts sending out the links to everyone she knows. Sophie’s friends tell their friends, and before David knows it, thousands of people are viewing his videos–including some of the last people he would have expected.

David may still feel like a real-life schmo, but is he ready to become an Internet superstar? -- Delacorte Press

HOW TO SURVIVE MIDDLE SCHOOL (WITHOUT GETTING YOUR HEAD FLUSHED) AND DEAL WITH AN EX-BEST FRIEND, ...UM, GIRLS, AND A HEARTBREAKING HAMSTER by Donna Gephart is an extremely fun book that kids are guaranteed to love. It is the story of David Greenberg, a pre-teen boy who aspires to be the next Jon Stewart! In the meantime, he attends middle school where he's not exactly in the cool crowd and he makes videos with his pet hamster Hammy for fun. When he and his best friend have a falling out, he finds himself friends with the new girl Sophie. David learns that his life is full of changes, and with Sophie's help, he suddenly becomes famous!

I so enjoyed this very funny novel. There is no doubt that Ms. Gephart has a wonderful sense of humor. At times, I even laughed out loud while reading this book. David is just a fantastic character, and I couldn't help but fall a little in love with him. He was so smart and creative (and a little naive), and he had great insight into life. But what I really found funny was his ability to laugh at himself. He was such a great kid, and I think lots of readers are going to be able to relate to him!

While this novel was extremely entertaining, it was also very touching and tender. David's mother left the family and moved away. She has little contact with David except for letters, and it's obvious that David misses her dearly. My heart really went out to him over and over again for the pain he felt from being abandoned. In addition, I also felt compassion towards David because of his insecurities. He was worried about starting middle school (he had many of the same feelings that my daughter currently has) and he actually feared some of the bullies at school. I also think David's pre-teen anxieties are going to resonate with many young readers.

I also loved the cover of this book too! Hammy is just too cute and definitely deserves to be the cover boy, but I also liked how the entire cover looks like a video (with play and volume buttons!) I thought this cover absolutely captured the fun feel of this novel and fit perfectly with David's Talk Time videos, and you can't help love little Hammy. Check out this Hammy Time video (which also serves as a book trailer) -- it's very cute!

Almost two years ago, I reviewed another book by Ms. Gephart -- AS IF BEING 12 3/4 ISN'T BAD ENOUGH, MY MOTHER IS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT. While both Booking Daughter and I really liked it, I think I enjoyed HOW TO SURVIVE MIDDLE SCHOOL even more! Ms. Gephart is definitely a force to be reckoned with in middle grade fiction. She has the great ability to tell a good story while also making the reader laugh -- it's a great combination of fun! I also love that her books appeal to both boys and girls and that they have wonderful messages!

I would consider HOW TO SURVIVE MIDDLE SCHOOL for a future mother-daughter book club pick. However, I think it would a fantastic choice for a mother-son (or father-son) group because the main character is a tween boy! The book gives the reader such an honest look at a pre-teen boy -- the insecurities as well as the hormones -- and I think there is a great deal to discuss. Some of the topics you might want to explore include loyalty, bullying, family dynamics, loss, crushes, creativity, change, and the big one - friendship.

Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book.

Since Ms. Gephart is a Penn Stater (and so am I), this review counts as part of my Back-to-School Feature. Make sure you check out all of posts I have written about fellow Penn State writers, and feel free to add your links about any posts related to your favorite school. In fact, if you feature a book related to any school that you attended, root for or even live near, it can count -- it's all about school spirit.


If you'd like to participate in Kid Konnection and share a post about anything related to children's books (picture, middle grade, or young adult) from the past week, please leave a comment as well as a link below with your name/blog name and the title of the book! Feel free to grab the little button too!

Author Interview: Jenny Gardiner

I am so excited to welcome Jenny Gardiner, author of WINGING IT: A MEMOIR OF CARING FOR A VENGEFUL PARROT WHO'S DETERMINED TO KILL ME. I read WINGING IT a few days ago and I was pleasantly surprised by this touching and heartfelt memoir (my review.)

Jenny is a fellow Penn Stater as is her husband, and they lived in the Northern VA area after graduation (just like me and my husband!), but I swear that has nothing to do with my adoration for her! She is an incredibly funny woman as well as a terrific writer, and I hope you'll enjoy getting to know her a little better.

Booking Mama: I absolutely think the title of your book is perfect -- WINGING IT. How did you come up with the name? Was there ever any question as to what the title would be?

Jenny Gardiner: Thanks! My original idea was Bite Me ;-) , but that wasn't such a viable book if we wanted it to be something even kids could read. And then, long story made very, very short, we had another fabulous title as well, but a really unpleasant person who had too much time on her hands decided that she owned a word in the title even though a) you can't own a word, b) book titles are protected by the first amendment, and c) we were entirely within the right to use it, but this person was a really aggressive, vociferous type who would have just hounded me to the gates of hell and frankly I had no time/desire in my life to deal with negative people like that, so I agreed when my house just decided the path of least resistance was to change it. Hated on the one hand that this person's egregious ugliness sort of prevailed simply because we didn't want to be bothered with her haranguing, but I figure she's got to live with herself and so be it.

As it was, this title is fabulous, so all good!

Booking Mama: I was expecting WINGING IT to be a funny book about your parrot Graycie, and it was. But I was pleasantly surprised by how much deeper this book ended up being. Ultimately, I thought WINGING IT was really a story about the strength and love of your family. Was it difficult to write about your family's personal experiences? Did any of your family members have any issues with you writing about them?

Jenny Gardiner: I'm glad you liked that about it! It was tricky. I have a column of humorous non-fiction essays in our paper, so I've certainly written about our lives before, but I've always been really mindful about not stepping on toes at all. I guess originally I envisioned this as purely Graycie's story, but as I wrote it I realized that we were all inextricably tied to the story, and it sort of unfolded into much more than I'd anticipated. I try to be very respectful of my family--I don't want to invade their privacy or embarrass them or anything, so it is a really delicate balance, and I hope I came out on the right side of it.

Booking Mama: When you decided to write about Graycie, did you always know that you would end up writing a book about your entire family?

Jenny Gardiner: nope! see above!

Booking Mama: Your last book SLEEPING WITH WARD CLEAVER was a treat to read too, but it was entirely different than WINGING IT. Is it more difficult to write a memoir than a novel? What are some of the challenges in writing a memoir?
Jenny Gardiner: The great thing about fiction is you can just make it all up. It's very freeing to write a novel. I came up as a writer trained in journalism, though, so I'm very used to writing factually, so it wasn't as if I had to learn the discipline. It was tricky though that the spotlight became on us. Also I was so very mindful of timelines and trying to be sure I had accurately re-pieced together what occurred when. The bad news is I save a lot of needless junk. The good news is I was able to rely upon some of that not-so-needless junk to help me document our lives over the past 20 years, so that was a bonus. But outlining all of that took a good bit of time and I hadn't thought it would be such a project.

Booking Mama: I think you are an extremely funny woman. Were you always so funny even as a kid? Or is your humor something you developed through the years because of what life threw at you? Jenny Gardiner: Thanks so much for saying that! I seriously have forgotten so much about my childhood, maybe that was by choice LOL. But I don't remember being particularly funny. However in the past year or so a lot of old high school friends have shown up on Facebook and a number of people have referred to my wit, so maybe I was more entertaining than I realized!

Booking Mama: You were one of the members of the 2008 class of Debs at The Debutante Ball, one of my favorite sites! How did that experience change your life and help you as a writer?

Jenny Gardiner: I was so fortunate that Kristy Kiernan and the whole original Founders group of the Deb Ball chose me to be in it that following year. It was an all-around WONDERFUL experience. That debut year for an author is fraught with anxiety, anticipation, a great deal of unknown, many, many ups and a good handful of downs (plus a few dope-slaps of reality tossed in for good measure). And we had this added bonus of being able to share it with others in the same boat, use each other as sound boards, and also piggybacking readerships a little bit. We consider the Debutante Ball a sort of literary sorority and we all help each other out frequently and provide support as we progress in the business.

Booking Mama: Now that you've published a humorous novel as well as a touching memoir, what's next for you? Are you currently working on anything?

Jenny Gardiner: Ha! Am I working on anything? I've always got several pots I'm stirring on the stove. I have a funny novel my agent's been shopping, I really hope it finds a home soon as I adore this book. In addition, I've got to whip together a proposal for my agent to submit to S&S for my option book. And my agent has an editor patiently awaiting a novel I've been playing around with, it's a bit of a departure subject-wise, but I can assure you it will be funny. So fingers crossed I can sell something soon--the industry has been in a bit of a tailspin, and women's fiction has been particularly hard-hit--so it's become a bit more of a challenge to keeping selling to pub houses these days. I will keep you posted! Thanks so much for your support!

I'd like to thank Jenny Gardiner for taking time from her very busy life to answer a few of my questions! If you'd like to get to know Jenny better, you can check out her website and follow her on twitter (@jennygardiner).

Review: Winging It

Summary: A hilarious and poignant cautionary tale about two very different types of creatures, thrown together by fate, who learn to make the best of a challenging situation -- feather by feather.

Like many new bird owners, Jenny and Scott Gardiner hoped for a smart, talkative, friendly companion. Instead, as they took on the unexpected task of raising a curmudgeonly wild African gray parrot and a newborn, they learned an important lesson: parrothood is way harder than parenthood.

A gift from Scott's brother who was living in Zaire, Graycie arrived scrawny, pissed-off, and missing a lot of her feathers -- definitely not the Polly-wants-a-cracker type the Gardiners anticipated. Every day became a constant game of chicken with a bird that would do anything to ruffle their feathers. The old adage about not biting the hand that feeds you -- literally -- never applied to Graycie.

But Jenny and Scott learned to adapt as the family grew to three children, a menagerie of dogs and cats, and, of course, Graycie. In this laugh-out-loud funny and touching memoir, Jenny vividly shares the many hazards of parrot ownership, from the endless avian latrine duty and the joyful day the bird learned to mimic the sound of the smoke detector, to the multiple ways a beak can pierce human flesh. Graycie is a court jester, a karaoke partner, an unusual audio record of their family history, and, at times, a nemesis. But most of all, she has taught the family volumes about tolerance, going with the flow, and realizing that you can no sooner make your child fit into a mold than you can turn a wild parrot into a docile house pet. Winging It is an utterly engrossing reminder of the importance of patience, loyalty, and humor when it comes to dealing with even the most unpleasant members of the family. -- Gallery Books

I have to disclose that I am a really big fan of Jenny Gardiner. I've been following her since she was a contributor to the Debutante Ball, and I love reading her hilarious (and need I say insightful?) tweets. I thought her first novel SLEEPING WITH WARD CLEAVER (my review) was a terrific, and I've been anxiously awaiting her next book for what seems like a long time. So I am happy to say that WINGING IT: A MEMOIR OF CARING FOR A VENGEFUL PARROT WHO'S DETERMINED TO KILL ME is now available, and it was well worth the wait!

For those of you who don't know Jenny Gardiner, she is a very funny woman. Her wit is sharp and quick, and I just knew a memoir about her spunky parrot would be full of laughs. And I have to say that WINGING IT was full of many cute (and some not-so-cute) stories about a wild animal. I did find myself laughing a lot at Graycie the parrot, although I think often times I was laughing more at Jenny and her reactions than the parrot.

I admit when I started this book I thought to myself how is the author going to be able to pull off a 250 page book about the antics of a parrot. Not that Graycie doesn't provide fabulous material for her owner, but I wasn't sure I wanted to read that much about a bird (I'm not a huge bird lover and I think I would be terrified to ever meet Graycie.) Although I admit that every once in awhile, I would just giggle over something Graycie would say or do; and I'd think to myself that she wasn't that bad. As a mom, I could kind of relate to Jenny and her relationship with Graycie. Sometimes, you just want to kill your kids (well, not really kill but you get my drift) and then they say or do the sweetest thing and all is forgotten!

As I read about Graycie and her behavior, I was absolutely amazed that the Gardiner family stuck with her. And it wasn't just Graycie, but the Gardiner family did have some interesting luck when it came to their other animals whether it be bad behavior or unique illnesses. I honestly can't say that my family would have been as dedicated and devoted to our pets, especially a bird who enjoyed taking bites out of people's bodies. And that's one of the things that I loved about this story -- seeing how loyal and committed the entire Gardiner family was to each other and their pets. Talk about a heartwarming story!

I was pleasantly surprised by WINGING IT, not because I didn't think it would be a cute story about a misbehaving parrot, but because it was so much more than that. I knew it would be funny and I was expecting it to be touching, but I was truly impressed with how insightful this book was about family life. Whether you understand the Gardiner family's devotion to Graycie or not, you have to respect that Graycie is an integral part of their family and they are as loyal to her as they would be anyone else.

I also found this book to be somewhat motivational, and I certainly wasn't expecting that when I picked it up. Jenny Gardiner is a successful mother, wife, and writer who totally seems to have it together; and I found that so admirable. Despite what "bad" things happen to her (from finding her house covered in bird poop, to losing a pet, to having a child with a serious illness), she deals with everything with a sense of humor. I am so incredibly envious of her and her ability to keep her entire life in perspective.

Check out the book trailer where Jenny Gardiner dishes on Graycie:



I highly recommend WINGING IT to pet lovers as well as anyone who appreciates a good story about family dynamics. It is a very funny, yet very touching book, about the love and perseverance of a close-knit family. Make sure you come back tomorrow because Jenny will be stopping by to answer a few of my questions!

Thanks to the author and publisher for sending me a copy of WINGING IT!

Since Jenny is a Penn Stater (and so am I), this review counts as part of my Back-to-School Feature. Make sure you check out all of posts I have written about fellow Penn State writers, and feel free to add your links about any posts related to your favorite school. In fact, if you feature a book related to any school that you attended, root for or even live near, it can count -- it's all about school spirit.

Guest Blogger: Judi Fennell & Giveaway

Over the past few days, I featured the romance novels IN OVER HER HEAD (my review) and CATCH OF A LIFETIME (my review) by Judi Fennell. While these romantic books weren't my usual fare, I still managed to enjoy (and appreciate) Ms. Fennell's creativity in writing these undersea adventures. Today, I am so glad to welcome (a fellow Penn Stater) Ms. Fennell to Booking Mama!

Talking Heads

No, not the musical group, and perhaps, more aptly, this blog post should be named, Who Isn't Talking These Days?

If you've read my books, you know that I’ll not only try to make you believe in Mers, I'll also try to convince you that there are talking birds and fish and even lizards. But will I be successful? That's the question.

One of the things I try to do with my stories is make them different from one another. In In Over Her Head, we have a Human go into the sea. In Wild Blue Under, we have a Mer come onto land. And, now, in Catch of a Lifetime, I have a Mer come on land, but who wants to be back in the sea and her Human wanting nothing to do with going into the sea, but having to. So that's different, right?

But each story has several talking creatures. I knew when I was writing the stories that the talking creatures were going to be a stretch, but I figured, if you're going to be okay with the Mers, then they have to have fish to talk to. And if fish talk, why wouldn't birds? And if birds do, why not other creatures? It seems that I was heavily influenced by Hugh Lofting's Dr. Doolittle, which I read voraciously throughout elementary school. (I'd love to see where those library books are today that I signed out ad nauseum every other week.)

So, when it came time to write Catch of a Lifetime, I knew there were going to be talking creatures. But I didn't want the same talking creatures. Luckily, the setting for this story - Florida - lends itself to different animals than the other two stories. One of my favorites in the story is Stewart. Stewart is an anole, or what I called a chameleon growing up. I had pet chameleons/anoles. My favorite was Oscar. (My sister had Felix.) Oscar would sit on my shoulder or on top of my head for hours and not hop off. He could change color depending on the temperature, and he had a really pretty pink dewlap that he'd puff up on occasion. Oscar was my longest lived anole and I missed him when he died.

But Stewart is nothing like Oscar. Stewart, as his name suggests, is a cross between Stewie on Family Guy (yes, I have teenagers; I can't help but to have met Stewie, who is actually my favorite character on that show) and the Geico gecko. Just don't let Stewart know those were the inspirations for his character. He won't be overjoyed to be modeled after a baby, and he really has issues with that gecko. Sadly, one of Stewart's diatribes about the gecko didn't make it into the final story, but I laughed the whole time he screamed it at me.

In case you aren't familiar with Family Guy's Stewie, let me tell you a little about him. He's a toddler whose sarcastic wit knows no bounds. Sadly, he talks only to himself and the dog (and the audience of course), but he comes up with some one-liners that get me every time. Same with my anole, Stewart. (Please do not call him Stewie. It makes him stew…. You knew I had to say it.)

Stewart is very self-important. That's because he's Stewart. You see his reasoning, right? He's been chased by housecats, lost more than a few tails to Human children (anoles can "leave" their tails to escape predators), and, frankly, he's not too enamored of many beings. However, when a royal Mer shows up in his Human's backyard, Stewart is all over her like a lizard on a hot rock. He wants to help her--can you imagine the coup it'd be for him to be an acknowledged assistant to a royal Mer? Why, he'd be famous. (Or so he thinks.) Trouble is, the Human has a kid, and kids equal trouble.

Sure enough, the kid wants to capture him and make a pet of him. Nothing doing for Stewart. He'd be perfectly fine if all Human children took a long walk off a short pier. And that's exactly what he tells this kid to do.

Who knew the kid would actually listen?

Ah, Stewart. The perfect antihero, but you just can't help but love him, even for his pretentiousness.

Here's an intro to Stewart:

Angel picked up her notebook and opened it to the page comparing Mer and Human offspring. Aside from the obvious differences of food, shelter, and legs, she hadn’t listed much else. Treats, cajoling to get their way, being the light of their parents’ lives… all the similarities supported her idea of using children to advance the purpose of the Coalition.

She clicked her pen to add Michael’s flotation tactic and paper animals to her list when, “Could it really be? Angel Tritone?” almost had her jumping out of the chair.

She turned around. Then back. Who-in-Hades had said that?

“Psst! My dear girl!” Something small and brown waved green front legs at her from atop the wall. A lizard. An anole, to be exact, the brown coloring camouflaging him against the stone. He must have turned his limbs back to green to catch her attention.

“How are you?” The dewlap beneath his chin turned a vibrant orange as the green color slowly slipped over the rest of his body. “I’m Stewart. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about your studies. Is this one of them? I could help, you know. I have been living amongst Humankind for quite a few selinos.” Stewart’s gesticulating hand moved as quickly as his words.

“They’re not all as nice as this gentleman, if I do say so, and that child worries me. Why, before I ended up here, I’d gone through three tails at the hands of children. Three!” A shudder rippled down his body. “Vicious creatures, I tell you. Worse than any house cat. Well, perhaps not cats.”

Angel glanced at Michael, who was happily spouting water from his mouth like a whale, and opened her notebook to shield the talking lizard. Bad enough Michael knew about Mers; the fact that animals could speak was just as top secret. “Hi, Stewart. I can’t really talk right now.” She motioned to Michael.

“Ah yes. Bipeds.” Stewart gave her a thumbs-up with a tinydigit. “But I can be of assistance, you know. I’ve had extensive fieldwork in the strolling habits of Humans and ways to avoid them. Plus, I did my dissertation on escape tactics from the captivity their young find such delight in subjecting anoles to.” He shuddered, a brown line of pigment zigzagging over his back.

“I’ll take up residence in this lovely gardenia bush for the duration of your stay.” Stewart shook his elongated head, then tapped the side of it with another bony digit. “But how silly of me. That won’t be long at all, will it? You’ll be leaving tomorrow because of that tail thing your kind has to deal with. I’m quite glad that doesn’t apply to anolis carolinensis. I’d hate to think of my life being governed by tail issues. Whenever my tail becomes a problem, I simply leave it. How utterly horrifying to have to live your life according to your inability to do so. How do you stand it?”

The tail was nothing compared to Stewart’s loud, godlier-than-thou attitude and the threat of her study being interrupted by an overzealous, self-important lizard.

© Judi Fennell, Sourcebooks Casablanca, 2010

***

Stewart does get to play his part, though not quite as heroically as he’d like.

If you’d like the chance to maybe meet Stewart, check out my website, www.JudiFennell.com for the chance to win the last of three romantic getaway weekends, this one at the Hibiscus House B&B in West Palm Beach, FL. (www.HibiscusHouse.com).

CATCH OF A LIFETIME BY JUDI FENNELL—IN STORES FEBRUARY 2010!

Mermaid Angel Tritone escapes a shark by jumping into single dad Logan Hardington's fishing boat. All his young son Michael wants for his birthday is a mermaid, and if his dad will only play his cards right, now he'll have one...

Angel wants to give Michael his most beloved birthday gift (a real live mermaid) while also getting to know his father and getting him to help her in her mission to stop humans from destroying the oceans. Logan has never met a woman who cared as much about the same things he does, and she's never met a man who understood her deepest commitment to humanity and nature. When an enemy of conservation shows up and tries to kill Angel, Logan has to choose between continuing the life he's known, or following the woman he loves to the bottom of the ocean...

The third novel in Judi Fennell's mermaid series, a fresh, exciting, and different entry in romance fiction!

*****
Judi Fennell is an award-winning author. Her romance novels have been finalists in Gather.com's First Chapters and First Chapters Romance contests, as well as the third American Title contest. She spends family vacations at the Jersey Shore, the setting for some of her paranormal romance series. She lives in suburban Philadelphia, PA. For More information, and a chance to win a romantic ocean getaway, visit www.judifennell.com.

I'd like to thank Ms. Fennell for stopping by with this "teaser" of a guest post.

Thanks to the fine folks at Sourcebooks, I have two copies of CATCH OF A LIFETIME to giveaway! To enter, please leave a comment (with a valid email address) telling me your favorite form of marine life. This contest is open until February 11, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. ET, and I will notify the winners the following day. Giveaway is open to those of you with U.S. and Canada mailing address only. Good luck!

Review: Catch of a Lifetime

Summary: Mermaid Angel Tritone escapes a shark by jumping into single dad Logan Hardington's fishing boat. All his young son Michael wants for his birthday is a mermaid, and if his dad will only play his cards right, now he'll have one…

Angel wants to give Michael his most beloved birthday gift (a real live mermaid) while also getting to know his father and getting him to help her in her mission to stop humans from destroying the oceans. Logan has never met a woman who cared as much about the same things he does, and she's never met a man who understood her deepest commitment to humanity and nature. When an enemy of conservation shows up and tries to kill Angel, Logan has to choose between continuing the life he's known, or following the woman he loves to the bottom of the ocean… -- Sourcebooks

If you are a regular follower of my blog, you are probably a little surprised to see that I'm reviewing another paranormal romance book -- CATCH OF A LIFETIME by Judi Fennell. CATCH OF A LIFE TIME is actually a sequel to the book that I reviewed yesterday IN OVER HER HEAD. Well really it's the third book in the series, but I didn't have the chance to read the second book yet!

CATCH OF A LIFETIME was similar in many ways to IN OVER HER HEAD. The main female character in this book was actually one of the sisters of the male lead in the first book. The book was filled with a similar type of action and adventure, and the relationship between the main characters was filled with lots of sexual tension. In addition, Ms. Fennell's descriptions of the underwater scenery was once again beautiful and extremely creative! I also enjoyed all of the puns and humor that were part of this story.

I actually think I enjoyed CATCH OF A LIFETIME even more than IN OVER HER HEAD. I enjoyed the first book because of the uniqueness of the story, but I felt that the story in this book was a little more interesting to me. A larger part of this story took place on land, and I liked seeing the Mer act like "a fish out of water" -- I know, it's a lousy pun! I also liked the underlying theme of family, love, sacrifice, and redemption in this story.

Even though I missed out on book two, I didn't feel as if I needed to read that book before picking up CATCH OF A LIFETIME. Although there are the occasional references to the prior stories and characters, the book definitely could stand on its own. I have a feeling that there just might be more books in this series because there are still a few family members whose stories haven't been fully told!

I think CATCH OF A LIFETIME will definitely appeal to fans of paranormal romance and especially fans of The Little Mermaid. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this story (although I acknowledge that I don't fully appreciate all of the love scenes.) In so many ways, this book was a fun read. I just wish I had been able to read this while sunning at the shore!

Thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy of this book. Make sure you stop by tomorrow because Ms. Fennell has written a terrific guest post. I will also be running a contest to giveaway two copies of CATCH OF A LIFETIME.

Review: In Over Her Head

Summary: He lives under the sea…

Reel Tritone is the rebellious royal second son of the ruler of a vast undersea kingdom, and he's always been fascinated by humans…

She's terrified of the ocean…

Marina owner Erica Peck would never go swimming willingly—but she's forced into the water and is nearly eaten by a shark. Luckily Reel is nearby to save her, and he discovers she's the woman he's been searching for…

Before she knows it, Erica is off with Reel on a wild underwater adventure to recover a stolen treasure, battle a jealous sea monster, and, of course, defy a death edict from the kingdom's high court. But even if they make it through their madcap mission alive, can they find a way to stay together when she hates the water and he can't survive on land? -- Sourcebooks

I admit that I almost never read books from the romance genre, but I thought I'd make an exception for IN OVER HER HEAD by Judi Fennell. You see, I read about Ms. Fennell and her award-winning novels in my Penn State alumni magazines; and I thought I'd give a few of them a try -- she is a fellow PSU grad. In fact, the article that mentioned Ms. Fennell and her books was the inspiration behind my new "Back-to-School Feature."

When I read the summary for IN OVER HER HEAD, I thought it sounded pretty cute. While I knew I wasn't going to fully appreciate all of the romance aspects of this novel, I still thought the storyline unique enough to make the book enjoyable. And since I enjoyed The Little Mermaid movie, I assumed that this novel would have some things in common with that story. I was actually pleasantly surprised by how much fun this book was.

The story was very cute, and I really liked how Ms. Fennell created such a creative underwater world. I enjoyed reading about all of the characters, both Mers and other sea-life. Her descriptions of the sea were extremely vivid, and I had no problem imagining the beauty of this world while reading the book. Ms. Fennell also incorporate a lot of humor into this story. The characters (and sea-life) were very funny, and Ms. Fennell definitely took advantage of every marine-related pun that she could.

Since I'm not the biggest romance book fan, I also liked how the book was more than just a hot. love story. There was definitely action and adventure to the storyline, and lots of good versus evil. I also thought that some of characters were pretty well developed (ha ha -- get it? I can do puns too!) I definitely found myself liking Reel and Erica, and I wanted them to end up together despite everything that was going against them.

I have to be honest with you that I didn't really "get" all of the love scenes, nor did I read them all that closely. That's just not my thing, but I'm pretty sure that Ms. Fennell has quite the talent for writing those passionate scenes. Both the characters and their love scenes were definitely hot! And, Ms. Fennell did a great job of building the sexual tension.

I'm probably not the best judge of what makes a good, romantic story, but I did enjoy IN OVER HER HEAD. I actually think fans of the romance genre or even fans of The Little Mermaid will appreciate Ms. Fennell and her storytelling abilities!

Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy of this novel.

New Feature: Back-to-School

A few months ago, my husband was reading the Penn State Alumni magazine; and he found a page devoted to books written by Penn Staters. He thought it would be a great idea if I supported our Alma mater and read some of the books. Then, he took it one step further and suggested that I could actually feature "Penn State books" on my blog.

Our household is very Penn State proud, and my husband and I even have a Penn State Christmas tree each year and a stand-up Joe Paterno in our basement (it was my 10th anniversary present -- and I didn't even mind!) As much as I love Penn State and think it's the best university ever, I realize that only a few of you probably share my adoration for all things Nittany. However, I figured that I'm not the only book blogger (or reader) out there who likes to support my school.

So.....I decided to challenge myself to read and feature more books written by Penn Staters. As a result, I am starting a Back-to-School Feature where I will occasionally feature a book written by a Penn Stater or an author who is a fellow Penn State alum. I will be tracking my Back-to-School Feature posts in the Mr. Linky below.

You might be reading this and think that it's kind of a silly idea; and if that's the case, I will just track my PSU-related books here. However, I'd love to have others join in the fun! If you decide to feature anything book-related to your Alma mater, I'd love to have you post a link below in the Mr. Linky form. In fact, if you feature a book related to any school that you attended, root for or even live near, it can count -- it's all about school spirit.

I wanted to keep this feature as simple as possible. You don't have to sign up or commit to anything. If you want to participate, all you have to do is go to the Mr. Linky below and list your name, the school, and what you are featuring (i.e. author's name or book). For example, Julie/Booking Mama/PSU (The September Sisters.) Then you can link to your post. It's that easy! And, if you have already some posts that qualify, please include them below -- the posts don't have to be new.

Oh! I almost forgot -- feel free to grab the button and share. To make things easier, I will put the Back-to School Feature button on the top of my right sidebar for easy access.

Review: The September Sisters

Summary: Abigail Reed and her younger sister, Becky, are always at each other's throats. Their mother calls them the September Sisters, because their birthdays are only a day apart, and pretends that they're best friends. But really, they delight in making each other miserable. Then Becky disappears in the middle of the night, and a torn gold chain with a sapphire heart charm is the only clue to the mystery of her kidnapping. Abby struggles to cope with her own feelings of guilt and loss as she tries to keep her family together. When her world is at its bleakest, Abby meets a new neighbor, Tommy, who is dealing with his own loss, and the two of them discover that love can bloom, even when it's surrounded by thorns.

This exquisitely written first novel illustrates life as it truly is—filled with fear and danger, hope and love, comfort and uncertainty. -- Harper Teen

I have not read a lot of YA fiction in my adult life, and I'm starting to realize that I've really been missing out. The latest YA book that I have really enjoyed is THE SEPTEMBER SISTERS by Jillian Cantor. I think that one of the things that I love the most about having a blog is that I'm discovering new genres, new books and new authors.

I found THE SEPTEMBER SISTERS to be a terrific book! While I definitely can say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, this story also touched me deeply. Since this book is about the a young girl who goes missing, I knew it was going to be sad and, at times, very troubling to read. (I mean, isn't losing a child every parents' worst nightmare?) What I especially appreciated about this book was that if wasn't about the abduction so much as it was about how the disappearance affected the remaining family members, especially Abby the older sister.

One thing that I found so heartwarming about this story was the character of Abby. The book was told through her young eyes, and she was a perfect narrator. She was the more quieter and perhaps even plainer daughter (or at least that's how she perceived herself); and her life was forever changed when her sister was kidnapped. I absolutely adored Abby because she was such a special child. I found her strength and resilience to be admirable and I won't be forgetting her any time in the near future.

The book covered about two years of Abby's life (from the ages of 12 to 14) and in so many ways, this book was really a coming-of-age story for Abby. The reader not only saw her deal with the disappearance of her sister, but also saw her grow up in so many ways. She had to handle her father's over protectiveness, her mother's depression, being ostracized at school, and even the ups and downs in the search for her sister. Needless to say, these things go way beyond what any teenager should have to deal with -- aren't the teenage years hard enough anyway?Yet the reader also got to see Abby experience the "normal" things that happen to teenage girls such as discovering boys and even falling in love.

THE SEPTEMBER SISTERS is Jillian Cantor's first novel, and I have a feeling that it's just the beginning to a wonderful career as an author. Her journey to becoming a published author is a great story which shows how important it is to never give up -- you can read more about it here. Ms. Cantor graduated from Penn State before heading to the University of Arizona for their MFA program. Of course, she holds a special place in my heart since we are both Penn State grads --fellow Nittany Lions have to stay together. She is currently working on her second YA novel which is scheduled for release in Winter 2010. I know I can't wait to read it! If you want to learn more about Ms. Cantor, you can also check out her blog.

As I read THE SEPTEMBER SISTERS, I couldn't help but think that it would make a wonderful book for a mother-daughter book club. There are so many things to discuss such as parent/child relationships, sibling relationships, first love, grieving, adultery, depression, etc. I am hoping to someday share this book with my daughter and maybe even our book club. I definitely think my daughter is too young for this novel right now because there are some adult topics covered in this story; however, I do think most teenage girls would absolutely adore this book. THE SEPTEMBER SISTERS is absolutely perfect for book clubs, and I'd really love to see a reading guide for it. (It seems that YA books aren't including reading guides in the say way that adult books are.)

A huge thanks to Jillian Cantor for sending me a signed copy of THE SEPTEMBER SISTERS!