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My good friend Nancy at tipped me off to this fab free read for Valentine’s Day and I just have to share the love! It sounds really cute, and for those of us who don’t have a sweetheart to spend Valentine’s Day with, a little romance can still be had! And for those who do have a honey to snuggle up with, well, let’s just say a little inspiration never hurts. Wink, wink!

Mail-Order Groom

A romantic comedy about an American woman who marries a stranger from Poland after her fiancé leaves her right before the wedding.

Lisa is about to marry the love of her life and have the wedding of her dreams, but her world is shattered when she finds her fiancé, Jeff, in the arms of another woman. When he calls the wedding off and struts around town with his new love, Lisa is heartbroken, and she wants revenge. She gets it by marrying a total stranger at the wedding who she found on Mail-Order-Grooms.Com. He’s from Poland, and he needs to marry an American woman so that he can stay in America. He’s willing to pay her money for it. Lisa thinks he’s the perfect answer. It won’t be a real marriage, and her best friend Daphne insists she won’t even have to live with him. Lisa races to the altar with her stand-in groom and says “I do,�� but she soon discovers that revenge isn’t as sweet or as simple as she thought it would be.

About the Author

Cindy Flores Martinez was born and raised in a suburb of Los Angeles. She has an MFA in Creative Writing with an emphasis in Screenwriting. She has been a screenwriting instructor, screenplay consultant, script reader, and screenplay collaborator. Cindy’s debut novel, Mail-Order Groom, which was inspired by her own Polish ancestry, started out as a screenplay and movie project. She spent years shopping it around Hollywood, New York, and other parts of the world and had two well-known actors, one of them Academy Award nominated, interested in portraying the main character’s parents. After not finding the success she wanted, Cindy officially canceled her film production company in November of 2009 and embarked on the journey of turning her screenplay into a novel. For more information, please visit her .

The Language of Flowers

A mesmerizing, moving, and elegantly written debut novel, The Language of Flowers beautifully weaves past and present, creating a vivid portrait of an unforgettable woman whose gift for flowers helps her change the lives of others even as she struggles to overcome her own troubled past.

The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it’s been more useful in communicating grief, mistrust, and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings.

Now eighteen and emancipated from the system, Victoria has nowhere to go and sleeps in a public park, where she plants a small garden of her own. Soon a local florist discovers her talents, and Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But a mysterious vendor at the flower market has her questioning what’s been missing in her life, and when she’s forced to confront a painful secret from her past, she must decide whether it’s worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness.

My Thoughts:

The Language of Flowers

is a book I had been wanting to read ever since it was first published. A story of a foster child, Victoria, with a unique connection to flowers, who ages out of the system to find herself alone and homeless, I knew this particular novel would tug at my heartstrings. And though I was not wrong about that, there were many times when I wanted to shake some sense into her for routinely behaving in defiance of love from others, for rejecting help, and for not asking for help when she so clearly needed and deserved it. But I couldn’t blame her. After years of disappointment and neglect, she had nothing but a ball of anger burning inside her that only true and lasting forgiveness could dissolve. And, of course, a love of flowers. And it is in flowers that all good things would come to her: love, security, and family. The story moves effortlessly between the present day when Victoria is an adult to her experience living with Elizabeth, the owner of a vineyard, at the age of ten. And as the two story lines unfold and merge into one, the reader is carefully and skillfully pulled along, turning the pages with some desperation to find out what happened to lead Victoria back to the group home. And even though I was often frustrated with Victoria’s actions, indeed I was constantly on edge worrying about what she would do next, I was absolutely captivated by her. By her, and her language of flowers. This is a beautifully written, incredibly compelling story about learning to love and to forgive, especially one’s self. A heartbreaking and hopeful novel, I highly recommend this stunning debut by Vanessa Diffenbaugh.

About the Author:

Vanessa Diffenbaugh was born in San Francisco and raised in Chico, California. After studying creative writing and education at Stanford, she went on to teach art and writing to youth in low-income communities. She and her husband, PK, have three children: Tre’von, eighteen; Chela, four; and Miles, three. Tre’von, a former foster child, is attending New York University on a Gates Millennium Scholarship. Diffenbaugh and her family currently live in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where her husband is studying urban school reform at Harvard.

Vanessa Diffenbaugh is also the founder of the Camellia Network. The mission of the Camellia Network is to create a nationwide movement to support youth transitioning from foster care. In The Language of Flowers, Camellia [kuh-meel-yuh] means “My Destiny is in Your Hands.�� The network’s name emphasizes the belief in the interconnectedness of humanity: each gift a young person receives will be accompanied by a camellia, a reminder that the destiny of our nation lies in the hands of our youngest citizens. For more information visit

Follow Vanessa at

Follow Vanessa on Twitter @VDiffenbaugh

Sugar Spun Sister

Life isn’t exactly sweet for Cricket Whittier. Her boss hates her, her work is soul-destroying, and the sexy guy she’s hooking up with doesn’t want to date her. But this girl is far from hopeless. When Cricket’s in the kitchen with her ice cream maker and a few choice ingredients, her troubles slip away as she becomes a delectable dessert-designing powerhouse. She loves it so much, she dreams of opening her own ice cream shop one day.

As it turns out, “one day�� just might be closer than she thinks. Propelled by the help and encouragement of her best friends, Lindsay and Nora, Cricket starts making plans to set up shop. Which is easier said than done what with the internal squabbling, the sky-high costs, her parents forecasting failure and her increasingly complicated love life. Despite all these hurdles, will Cricket be able to make her sweet dreams come true?

My Thoughts

Anna Garner has a way with…characters. You just fall in love with them. Or, at least I do. With her debut, Lying to Meet You, I was head over heels for main character Chloe. And with Sugar Spun Sister, I was charmed by Cricket, the daughter of hippy parents who takes a huge leap of faith to follow her dreams. In particular, I loved Cricket’s family. Her brother Sage was so funny with his LA actor issues (I really laughed at his feud with fellow actor Kirk who was stealing all his parts �� only in LA!). And her parents were a hoot with their granola-fed lifestyle. And while her brother Dusk, er �� Daniel, didn’t have a big role, the fact that he changed his name and fled the hippy homestead to be a lawyer in the big city speaks volumes. That’s one of the things I think is so brilliant about Anna Garner’s writing. She doesn’t need to write 20 pages of backstory to paint a picture for the reader. Her choices are so subtle, yet so descriptive that you get mountains of insight into a character with only a few key traits. And let’s not forget what a great comedic talent she is. Some of the scenes were absolutely hilarious and had me giggling with a mixture of delight and disgust (you’ll know exactly which scenes I’m referring to when you read it). But most importantly, Anna Garner really knows how to engage the reader with characters that inspire and entertain. If you’re looking for a book that will make you laugh, cheer, and maybe salivate a little (the ice creams!), then Sugar Spun Sister is a top choice. And the best thing? It’s the first in a series, so we have 2 more to look forward to. Bring ‘em on!

About the Author

Born and raised in the Midwest, Anna Garner’s adventurous spirit kicked in after graduating from high school, and she’s since lived in Boston, NYC and London. For several years, Anna worked in fashion–first as a journalist and then as a shopkeeper, and for a while she dabbled in design. Although chick lit was her first love, Anna started writing quirky romances, and her first one, Fashioning a Romance, was published in May 2012 under the name of Libby Mercer. This was followed by two more quirky romances: Unmasking Maya and The Karmic Connection. Since Lying to Meet You is written in old school chick lit style and isn’t a clear cut love story, Anna decided to publish it under her real name. She currently lives in San Francisco and spends most of her time cranking out more stories.

The Engagements:From the New York Times best-selling author of Commencement and Maine comes a gorgeous, sprawling novel about marriage—about those who marry in a white heat of passion, those who marry for partnership and comfort, and those who live together, love each other, and have absolutely no intention of ruining it all with a wedding.

Evelyn has been married to her husband for forty years—forty years since he slipped off her first wedding ring and put his own in its place. Delphine has seen both sides of love—the ecstatic, glorious highs of seduction, and the bitter, spiteful fury that descends when it’s over. James, a paramedic who works the night shift, knows his wife’s family thinks she could have done better; while Kate, partnered with Dan for a decade, has seen every kind of wedding—beach weddings, backyard weddings, castle weddings—and has vowed never, ever, to have one of her own.

As these lives and marriages unfold in surprising ways, we meet Frances Gerety, a young advertising copywriter in 1947. Frances is working on the De Beers campaign and she needs a signature line, so, one night before bed, she scribbles a phrase on a scrap of paper: “A Diamond Is Forever.�� And that line changes everything.

A rich, layered, exhilarating novel spanning nearly a hundred years, The Engagements captures four wholly unique marriages, while tracing the story of diamonds in America, and the way—for better or for worse—these glittering stones have come to symbolize our deepest hopes for everlasting love.

My Thoughts:

I first fell in love with J. Courtney Sullivan’s debut, Commencement, back in 2009, which I blogged about in my post entitled, . I was immediately drawn to Commencement because it spoke to me as a feminist and as a proud Chick Lit lover. I was hopeful that Ms. Sullivan’s debut would lead to many more magnificent reads, and I was not disappointed with her follow up, Maine. You can read my review, here. So, of course, I was very eager to read her next novel, The Engagements. And by now, Ms. Sullivan had earned a spot on my “automatic buy�� list, so I didn’t even read the blurb to find out what the premise of the story was. And I’m rather glad that I didn’t. Because I had no expectation beyond my presumption that it would be good.

As the novel began to unfold, I felt a bit like being on a roller coaster. As Frances�� story introduced the reader to the birth of the famous advertising line, “A Diamond Is Forever,�� I was swept up in a Mad Men-esque world and fully expected to follow Frances on her journey to Ad Woman of the Century, but then was hurtled into the future where elegant Evelyn struggled with her 40-year-old son’s decision to divorce his wife, and then plummeted into James�� hard luck life as he worked to scrape together enough money to buy his beloved a diamond as beautiful as she was, and then carried away into marriage-hating Kate’s world as she struggled to help her cousin pull off his same-sex wedding without a hitch, and then finally was plunged into the world of Delphine as she ripped through her cheating fiance’s apartment destroying everything in her path.

Sullivan deftly weaves the story lines in and out of time, keeping the reader glued to the page as she crafts a heartfelt and moving novel about love, betrayal, promises, hope, and loss. Sullivan’s prose is beautiful, gripping, and so subtle that I actually gasped when all the pieces fell together and I could finally see how each story intersected. Truly, I was speechless for a full fifteen minutes after the last word was read. It felt like someone had knocked the wind right out of me. I don’t think a book has ever really “blown me away�� before, but this one did. And, I think I might even read it again. This time as a writer, not a reader. This time, paying great attention to the magic behind the words. J. Courtney Sullivan has grown into a masterful writer, and I await her next brilliant novel with bated breath.

About the Author:�� �� ��
��J. Courtney Sullivan is the author of the New York Times bestselling novels Commencement, Maine and The Engagements. Maine was named a Best Book of the Year by Time magazine, and a Washington Post Notable Book for 2011. Courtney’s writing has also appeared in The New York Times Book Review, The Chicago Tribune, New York magazine, Elle, Glamour, Allure, Men’s Vogue, and the New York Observer, among others. She is a contributor to the essay anthology The Secret Currency of Love and co-editor of Click: When We Knew We Were Feminists. She lives in Brooklyn, New York. For more about�� Courtney, visit her

Younger, Thinner, BlonderHave you ever wondered what it’s like to have everything? Tanya Travis doesn’t have to. As host of TV show ‘The Truth With Tanya Travis,�� she lives a life of glamour, luxury and public adulation while solving the problems of Britain’s great unwashed each day on her show.

However, things are not all they seem and Tanya’s life of designer kitchens, Prada handbags and myriad TV awards is as difficult behind the scenes as those of her TV show guests. A victim of her own success, Tanya is hounded by the press, constantly reading headlines about her own life looks, and body. But when she reads stories about her partner’s weakness for young blondes and there’s trouble at work, Tanya’s carefully constructed celebrity life starts to come apart at the seams.

With her relationship in crisis, her cellulite on overdrive and her career on the line, Tanya may have to take up the offer of prime time exposure with a desperate gaggle of C-List wannabes. Billed as a show ‘where good celebrities go bad,�� ‘Celebrity Spa Trek�� is a reality programme like no other �� but can Tanya take on the lack of hot water, starvation, exhaustion and sheer showbiz bitchiness of a celebrity trek through the Himalayas?

A sharp, witty novel about our celebrity obsessed culture from the author of bestselling Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes.

My Thoughts:
I simply adored Sue Watson’s debut, Fat Girls & Fairy Cakes, so ��’d been eagerly awaiting her next book for what seemed like a century! And I was beyond thrilled when my Kindle copy finally arrived in my inbox a few weeks ago. So much so that I abandoned another book in order to dive right in to Sue’s new tale. You know when you fall in love with a debut author and you’re biting your nails with anticipation as they work on the second? It’s almost like needing to feed an addiction. And my expectations for book 2 are always so great that sometimes I’m let down when they don’t live up to my high standards. Thankfully, that was not the case with Younger, Thinner, Blonder. From the first page, I was sucked into Tanya Travis�� celebrity life, and like a reality TV show junkie, I simply could not get enough. I was Tanya’s biggest fan (aside from her foul-mouthed cleaner/P.A., Astrid), and following her on her journey from “Daytime Darling�� to C-list celeb was both incredibly hilarious and even a little heartbreaking at times. Sue Watson has a fabulously funny voice and a gift for crafting comedic scenes that’ll have you guffawing so loudly that her books are almost dangerous to read in public places. A library for instance? Only for those who’ve mastered the silent laugh! But there’s more to Tanya Travis�� story than a spoiled celebrity on the verge of extinction. She’s also harboring a pain so deep it will bring tears to your eyes. Honestly, while I was reading in jury duty one day, I could not stop the flow of tears, doing my best to mop them up with my sleeve as my fellow almost-jurors banged away on their laptops and watched movies on their smartphones. And Ms. Watson really knows how to tug at your heart and keep you in suspense as you hope and pray and beg for a happy ending for our embattled heroine. But I don’t dare give anything away. All I can say is READ IT! If you’re anything like me (and if you follow my blog, I’m guessing that you are), you’ll love every page of it.

About the Author:�� �� ��

Sue Watson was a journalist on women’s magazines and national newspapers before leaving it all behind for a career in TV. As a producer with the BBC she worked on garden makeovers, kitchen takeovers and daytime sofas �� all the time making copious notes so that one day she might escape to the country and turn it all into a book. For more about Sue, please visit her .

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I’m excited to have the fabulously funny and super talented Cat Lavoie on the blog today. I absolutely adored her debut, Breaking the Rules, so I was all too thrilled to get my hands on her second book, Zoey & the Moment of Zen. You can read my review . And without further ado, here’s Cat!

Q: In Zoey & the Moment of Zen, Zoey is sent off to a Wellness retreat in Mexico against her will. What kind of research did you do to capture the authenticity of the place? Did you spend any time at a similar resort, whether or not it was against your will?

A. No, I never spent time at a Wellness retreat, but I did—willingly—go to Puerto Vallerta, Mexico after a bad breakup. Unfortunately, I got food poisoning and spent a day in the hospital. That’s where the idea for this novel was born.

Q: Zoey has a strong affection for coffee that probably rivals her obsession with Braden. Are you a coffee connoisseur, as well? Do you have a favorite bean?

A. No, I’m definitely not a coffee connoisseur—but I do love a good Cinnamon Dolce Latte from Starbucks. I’m a very casual coffee drinker and, recently, I’ve been trying to give it up completely and stick to tea. Zoey would not approve!

Q: Both your heroine, Zoey, and you (famously) have a cat. Do you ever fear you will become the neighborhood crazy cat lady? I believe it is too late for me as I have 3! But seriously, does Abbie inspire you creatively, or do you find it hard to write with a cat on your lap.

A. It’s too late for me too—crazy cat ladies unite! Abbie is such a handful and it can be hard to write when she’s meowing for attention or food—or sleeping on my notebooks and keyboard. But she’s such a lovely distraction and she definitely helps my creativity. When I started blogging (years ago) I had a feature called Weekly Dose of Abbie Cuteness where all I did was post adorable pics of her. I should start that up again!

Q: What is your writing method? Are you a plotter or a pantser?

A. ��’d like to be a pantser and just let the story shape itself along the way, but I’m a plotter. I can’t write if I don’t know where I’m headed—which means I can be in the ‘outlining stage�� of a novel for a really long time.

Q: Do you have any writing rituals to help set the mood before sitting down at the keyboard?

A. The television needs to be on—even if I’m not watching it. (And it’s almost always tuned to the Food Network.)

Q: What was your first car and how old were you when you got it?

A. I don’t drive—mainly because I live in a city that has pretty efficient public transport. But if I do get my driver’s license someday, I hope to buy my dream car, a red Mini Cooper.

Q: What is your favorite holiday and why?

A. I’ve been to London twice and ��’d go back in a heartbeat. I love the city—the people, the history, the amazing fish & chips—and I feel like there’s so much more of the city I need to explore.

Q: Who was your first celebrity crush and why?

A. Michael E. Knight, who played the character of Tad Martin on All My Children. He was so handsome and charming. I remember writing his name on my notebooks at school and taping every episode. My television addiction began at a very young age.

Q: What was the first concert you went to?

A. It was an outdoor festival called Edgefest. Collective Soul was the headlining act. I remember the awesome music—and all the sunburns I got from standing in the sun all day. But it was worth it!

Q: If you could give just one piece of advice to your 16-year-old self, what would it be?

A. Keep writing—it will all make sense eventually.

The Story Behind the Story

Hello, everyone! Zoey here. Cat has asked me to write quite a few of these posts since the beginning of her blog tour. I’m not sure I’m happy about that. I’ve got a business to run and I’m extremely busy. People need their coffee and baked goods. But I have to admit that this post is pretty cool—it’s all about the trip that inspired my story!

Poor Cat. It all started with a broken heart. (I’ve been there.) She hadn’t planned on taking a vacation that year—especially not to Mexico. Cat is definitely not a fan of the sun and the beach. Like me, she’d much rather visit museums and explore little shops off the beaten path. But when relatives extended the invitation to go stay with them in Puerto Vallarta, she decided that it was time to stop moping and have an adventure. But first, she needed to pack up her bathing suit and beach towel.

Of course, Abbie wanted to come along:

After a bumpy flight, she finally landed in Mexico and immediately regretted wearing jeans and a cardigan. But even the threat of a heat stroke couldn’t distract her from the breathtaking sights. The beach! Palm trees! Hmmm�� those palm trees look exactly like the ones on the cover of Zoey & the Moment of Zen!

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For the first few days, everything was lovely—but since this is Cat we’re talking about, something had to happen! I swear that girl has the worst luck. This time, bad luck came in the form of a tall glass of icy water. Not bottled water like all the brochures warn you to stick to. Oh, no. Tap water. (Between you and me, she should have been drinking iced coffee.)

Now, this is where it gets really interesting—for me, not for Cat. Because while the aforementioned bad luck magnet was hooked up to an IV, I came into her life as her mind was wandering. (I’m sneaky that way.) And even though she was still writing about Roxy and Ollie from Breaking the Rules, we talked about me and the adventures ��’d be having in Puerto Vallarta. Spoiler alert: I do not get food poisoning.

But even though a bunch of not-so-fun stuff happened during her vacation, I am insanely jealous of Cat because—somewhere along the way—she got to do THIS:

I really need to convince her to write another book about me so I can go swimming with dolphins too.
So now that you know the story behind the story, I need to get back to work. Something tells me I’ll be daydreaming about dolphin kisses all day!

Cat Lavoie lives in Montreal, Canada with her tempestuous cat, Abbie. Her debut novel, Breaking the Rules, was published in August 2012 by Marching Ink. If Cat isn’t reading or writing, she’s most likely watching too much TV or daydreaming about her next trip to London.

To find out more about Cat and her books, please visit

Connect with Cat!

Website:��

Twitter:��

Facebook:��

Buy the Book!

Zoey & the Moment of Zen

When coffee shop owner Zoey Everwood takes her obsession with ex-boyfriend Braden too far, everyone—except Zoey—is convinced a bit of fun in the sun at the Moment of Zen Wellness Resort will help her get over him once and for all.

But Zoey’s relaxing vacation turns out to be anything but peaceful when she meets Shane Lawson, a resort guest who bears a striking resemblance to Braden. And things get even more complicated when the resort’s owner starts spilling secrets about Zoey’s aunt Nessa, the woman who raised her. Add a snarky Wellness Coordinator and Nate Holmes—Shane’s grumpy friend—to the mix, and you’ve got the recipe for a perfect tropical storm.

When Zoey comes back home with a new husband instead of tacky souvenirs, she must convince everyone she hasn’t completely lost her mind. As Zoey and Shane struggle to keep the magic alive outside the resort, Zoey discovers that she isn’t the only one having trouble letting go of the past. And when Nate drops a bombshell that changes everything, Zoey must decide if the old saying is true—what happens at the Moment of Zen stays at the Moment of Zen.

My Thoughts:
I like to think I know a thing or two about zen. I am a yoga teacher, after all. And I’ve been to more than a few yoga retreats where bliss is served up morning, noon, and night. But more importantly, I chose to go to those retreats. Zoey, on the other hand, is forced to spend some time at a wellness center in Mexico after obsessing far too long over her ex-boyfriend. I have to say I really laughed at Zoey’s experience with a snooty Zen-master determined to get her caffeine-swilling butt to yoga class. It made me nostalgic for my early days practicing yoga where I struggled to stay upright almost as much as Zoey. But this novel is much more than Zoey’s foray into a Downward Dog lifestyle. It’s also about a broken heart and the ways in which we try to cope with lost love. There were times I cringed at Zoey’s choices (breaking into her ex’s emails for example), but I could understand her actions. I may have even done something similar a decade or so ago. (But that’s another story). Cat Lavoie has a fabulous Chick Lit voice that draws you in and keeps you turning the pages. And Zoey is a charming, yet flawed heroine that you just can’t help but cheer for. She’s not perfect, and that’s what makes her so real and so likeable. She drinks too much coffee, eats cupcakes for breakfast, and marries her ex-boyfriend’s doppelganger on a whim. Who hasn’t done that? Er…well, maybe not all of that. And as Zoey struggles to settle into married life under the disapproving glare of her aunt and best friend, you really feel the emotional tug-of-war right along with her. Lavoie is really a very talented author and in her second novel, she offers up a query: Is finding a new love really enough to get over an old love? You will have to read it to find out!

Zoey & the Moment of Zen

Excerpt

Busted.

“Who?�� Dar asks, following his stare. I’m shocked he wasn’t able to tell her telepathically.��

“It’s Braden. He’s sitting over by the window. What are the odds?��

Dar narrows her eyes at me. “Yeah, Zoey. What are the odds that of all the restaurants in Connecticut, you and your ex both end up in the same hot spot.�� The way she uses air quotes to emphasize hot spot makes it clear she doesn’t believe my story about celebrities lining up to get into this place.

I consider lying to her again, but I know that Dar has already seen right through me. “Not very big,�� I say, shrugging my shoulders. A quick glance over at Braden’s table tells me he is completely oblivious to the commotion. What else is new?

“Please tell me you didn’t listen to his voicemail again?��

I can’t bear to look at Dar so I search Dex’s face to know if there’s any chance we might start laughing about this. But he’s looking at me with something horrifying in his eyes. Is that pity? I turn away from him and face Dar’s accusing stare. “Yes, I did. But it’s not my fault. I was calling to check my messages and I accidently dialed his number. Remember when we bought our cell phones together and our phone numbers ended up being just a few digits apart?”��

Dex signals the waitress for the check and I see a thin blonde woman walking towards Braden’s table. Even though I can’t hear her from where I’m sitting, I just know she’s the owner of the chirpy voice who’s been leaving him all those flirty messages. She smiles and Braden gets up to help her with her chair.��

Dar rolls her eyes. “Even if I believed that you dialed his number by mistake, which I totally don’t, it doesn’t explain why you entered his password and listened to his messages.”��

“Can we go home now?�� I ask, grabbing my purse. I’ve seen what I wanted to see. And now I can’t un-see it.��

“Aren’t you going to talk to him?”��

Dex puts his hand on Dar’s arm. “Sweetie, please. Let’s just go.��

“No, we’re here now. Go talk to him.��

I shake my head. “If he talks to me I’ll be civil, but I’m not going to go out of my way.�� I instantly regret my words when I see Dar’s face cloud over.

“Of course not. But you’re willing to access his voicemail, listen to his messages, and make us drive forty-five minutes just to stare at him from across the room. It’s been almost a year since you broke up, Zoey. Shouldn’t you be over him by now?��

The million-dollar question. Yes, it’s been almost a year. I’m reminded of that every time I see the sparkling diamond on Dar’s ring finger or when she and Dex talk about their fairy-tale wedding and their plans for their upcoming first anniversary. How could I forget their magical day is also the day Braden broke up with me? Or, rather, it was the day he decided he didn’t want to end up like Dar and Dex.����

“I know,�� I say, getting up and running after Dar who’s already heading for the exit. “I’m sorry.�� I take one last look at Braden and the mystery lady with the designer jeans and shiny, bouncy hair. They’re gazing at each other as if they’re the only ones in the room. My heart sinks right down to the floor.

About the Author:

Cat Lavoie lives in Montreal, Canada with her tempestuous cat, Abbie. Her debut novel, Breaking the Rules, was published in August 2012 by Marching Ink. If Cat isn’t reading or writing, she’s most likely watching too much TV or daydreaming about her next trip to London.

To find out more about Cat and her books, please visit

Connect with Cat!

Website:��

Twitter:��

Facebook:��

Buy the Book!

Well, it may not be Black Friday, but it’s still Cyber Monday here in Los Angeles, and have I got a deal for you! We’ve got an outstanding collection of 29 independent Chick Lit books up for grabs for one lucky winner! And this one is tailor-made for you die hard print fans because we’re giving away paperback copies. Practically unheard of! Just think how lovely your bookshelf will look with this amazing array of colorful reads staring back at you. I bet it’s gotten lonely lately since you got your Kindle, too. So, get your entries in pronto. You just might find yourself the proud owner of enough fabulous Chick Lit to keep you entertained until Christmas 2014!

Heartbreak CakeBusiness is sweet for pastry chef Indira Aguilar. Her indie bakery, Cake Pan, is fast becoming the talk of the wedding circuit for its unique take on cakes and homespun creations for the modern bride, garnering national recognition and drawing in celebrity clients. But while her professional life is blossoming, her personal life is crumbling.

Indira may have a talent for blending buttercream into bliss, but when it comes to relationships, she’s got a lot to learn. Considering that the love of her life, Josh Oliver, is not only married, but also runs the award-winning pastry department of her fiercest competition, Crystal Cove Resort, Indira puts much more at stake than just her heart when she ends her affair with him.

Rumors begin to fly as the small seaside community of Long Beach learns of her secret relationship, and Indira must defend not only her actions, but her wedding business and her reputation while trying to maneuver the choppy heartbreak waters of starting over, finding new love, and facing her past. With the support of friends and family, a fondness for butter, and a determined spirit, Indira may just bake her way back to happiness and possibly into the heart of Crystal Cove’s dishy new chef, Noah. But one thing is certain. Where there’s heartbreak, there must be cake.

My ThoughtsWhat could be better than cake after a heartbreak? More cake! This book is a delight from beginning to end with a kick butt heroine who is a master at baking, but a brilliant flop when it comes to relationships. I fell in love with Indira the moment I met her, and I was cheering for her the whole way through the book. And the food. Oh my gawd. I was drooling over my iPad while reading, and probably put on 10 pounds thanks to Ms. Arora’s beautiful descriptions of so many delicious dishes that I just *had* to start eating a cupcake a day. Yes, this book will drive you to eat! And maybe even bake! But beyond the scrumptious desserts is a story of a girl looking for true love. And while she might not make all the best decisions when it comes to her love life, you can bet that her actions all come straight from the heart. If you’ve ever had a broken heart, you will adore this story of a girl learning how to mend hers with good friends, family, fun, lots of butter, and maybe even a new sweetie. One that won’t just leave her with crumbs…Definitely a must read for Chick Lit fans everywhere and anyone who loves a juicy tale with funny characters, witty dialogue and enough frosting to induce a sugar coma.

About the AuthorCindy Arora was a staff writer at The San Gabriel Valley Tribune, The Orange County Register and Sacramento Magazine. She’s been published in Saveur, Tasting Table, Orange Coast Magazine and ��ǻ�ǰ�’s. She’s also mama to an adorable little boy, a feminist, a whiskey enthusiast, and proud to call herself a Chick Lit author. Heartbreak Cake is her debut novel. To learn more about Cindy, please visit her .

Whew! Time sure has flown by since I last updated you on all the happenings in my life back in August. It’s been a pretty hectic couple of months. First, almost immediately after I posted about my reunion with my ex-boyfriend, I broke up with him again. I had been taking things slow with him, not quite ready to dive in to the deep end of love and commitment. Well, it seems that slow (or more like glacial) was the only speed he could muster and I soon discovered that we just weren’t going to make it for the long haul. So, around the end of August, we called it quits (not without tears, mind you). But I’m happy to report that I’ve moved on and we are staying friends. In fact, he just took my latest author photo (below). Isn’t it lovely?

And it was this break up that spurred my desire to move. I had been living in a charming community in Los Angeles called Hancock Park (sort of a ritzy old Hollywood area with giant houses and celebrity neighbors), and I adored the neighborhood. But ��’d lived in my apartment for over fourteen years, and it was losing its charm. I didn’t have a dishwasher. I didn’t have a view. I didn’t have a pool. I didn’t have a balcony. And I wanted all those things. So, when my ex and I split, I knew I needed to shake things up. Unfortunately, because Hancock Park is so darn fabulous, I found that I could not afford to stay in the area and get all the amenities I wanted. And just about when I was ready to give up, I found a fantastic apartment in an equally charming community in the foothills called Montrose. So, I snapped it up before anyone else could get their hands on it, and less than 3 weeks ago, I moved in. With a dishwasher (glorious invention!), pool, balcony, and absolutely incredible view (below), I have found myself a little slice of heaven. I’m still surrounded by boxes, but soon (before Thanksgiving, I hope!) I will be unpacked and settled in.

Right after moving into my swanky new digs, I was off to San Francisco where I met up with fellow Chick Lit author, (a.k.a. Libby Mercer). You know how sometimes you meet someone and it’s as if you’ve known them your whole life? Well, that was me and Anna. We met for dinner twice and both times gabbed the night away until we were ready to tuck into bed! It was such a blast hanging out with her and I can’t wait to do it again when she visits me in Sunny LA.

I also did a little sightseeing while in the City by the Bay, which included a tour of Alcatraz. Well, if you follow my blog, you know that I love scary movies, ghost stories, and spooky spaces. So, of course I absolutely had to see Alcatraz. And it was a great tour. The 13 story hike up to the prison situated at the top of the picturesque little island was a bit more of a challenge than I had planned (why, oh why had I only packed heels???), but I made it to the top (terribly out of breath, but the views were worth the impromptu cardio session) and enjoyed the walking tour that included a stop at a cell that is purportedly haunted by a demon (pic below). Now the cell in question was not advertised on the tour as being haunted. This is just something I know from my years of watching . But we were invited to enter these particular cells in the isolation block as part of the tour. I approached the dark, tiny room with some trepidation. But ��’d lived in a haunted house between the ages of 8 and 11, so I was sure I could handle it. Nope. Got one foot over the threshold and was paralyzed with fear. There is most definitely something dark and eerie inhabiting that space, and I didn’t want to get any closer to it. And now, even when I look at the picture, I get the willies and a shiver crawls up my spine.

After my brush with the demon in the prison cell, I was off to the Golden Gate Bridge, which is quite a marvel. Did I mention how beautiful San Francisco is? I had visited twice before, but always for work so I never really got to see the city. The place is breathtaking with gorgeous architecture, tall hills, and engineering feats like the Golden Gate Bridge. Simply stunning. After gaping at the bridge for a good half hour, I hopped on the bus to explore Haight-Ashbury, where I was immediately accosted by 3 homeless men the very minute I stepped onto the curb. I put on my Hollywood Girl attitude and plowed through, making my way to a pizza joint where I gobbled up a delicious slice of pesto pizza. I spent a few more minutes wandering in and out of little shops that reeked of weed and patchouli before heading back to Union Square, a shopping mecca that’s much more my speed.

And now that I’m back in Los Angeles, I’m hard at work getting two fab new books ready to release on November 15th: Heartbreak Cake and a fun Christmas anthology, , featuring 6 super talented Chick Lit authors! Stay tuned for some great blog tour stops with all the ladies in November and December. Lots of fun ahead this holiday season!

And don’t forget to have a Happy Halloween! May the candy-snarfing begin!

Ciao!

Lucie