Divorcing Dwayne

Divorcing Dwayne by J.L. Miles
What was this book about?

Francine Harper is a small town girl who found the love of her life and was starting to move on with her married life. When all of a sudden she finds her husband in bed with his ex-girlfriend stripper. She does what any woman would do - she shoots at hiim and ends up in jail.

Her time in jail has changed Francine. She must rely on her family and friends to get her out of this mess. Her man - Dwayne - wants her back - but does she want him? When her crime ends up making her a celebrity - Francine is brought into the world of movies and all the things that brings with it - fame, love, and pain.

Add on to this the fact that Dwayne disappears and she is wanted for his murder. Francine can't help but think that Dwayne is alive but messed up in something that he shouldn't be (gasp - the mob!).

What did you think about the book?

Parts of this book I really enjoyed while other parts left me wanting more. If you want to read about small town country living this is the book for you. Everyone knows everyone else's business (for better or worse).

I thought I would really like the twist of the movies coming to town and liking Francine (and hiring her) would be great. And I really did love how she got all these fans and became a spokesperson for a cause (without speaking or intending to represent anything). I guess for me the hard part was the description of Francine and how she could become this hot actress/love interest if she was dumpy and unsure of herself (like her description). Also I just didn't like Dwayne. You spend the whole book supposed to hating him you just can't believe he will be redeemed.

While I think some people would really enjoy this book - for me it was only so/so.

What genre would you consider this?
Fiction

Overall:

Question for You!
Do you believe that once a cheater is always a cheater? Would you go back to someone who had repetitively cheated on their partners?

That’s (Not Exactly) Amore

That’s (Not Exactly) Amore by Tracey Bateman

What was this book about?

Laini Sullivan thinks she knows what she wants out of life. She wants to be an interior designer. She used to love it and thinks that is what she needs. Unfortunately no one has heard of a color blind designer.

So Laini gets a job designing the coffee shop of a friend. She is going to show all her doubters what she can really do. The only problem is that her major crush Joe Pantalone is in charge of things.

When Joe doesn’t ask her out but a policeman does – she goes for it. But then she finds out that Joe also wants to spend time with her. She can’t make up her mind especially when she finds out that Joe’s family may be part of the mob. Can Laini figure out what makes her happy before it is too late?

What did you think about the book?

As I mentioned before - I am not someone who likes preachy books, several books that I have read from the “Faith Words” publishers has met my need. The story is independent of the religious aspect of the books. Instead they only add the Bible verses and other religious parts to enhance both the book and the characters thoughts. I was halfway through the book that I realized the random biblical quote or trip to church was part of an overarching desire to have a religious part to this book (not something I usually associate with what I think is a romantic book).

Overall I enjoyed the book. It was interesting to see her progress to the man she was meant to be with – as well as find what she wanted out of life.

What genre would you consider this?
Romance (without any sexual scenes)

Overall:

Love the One You’re With

Love the One You’re With by Emily Giffin

What was this book about?

Ellen and Andy have the perfect relationship. She has known his family since college when she met her best friend and roommate – his sister. They fell into love and friendship and seem to moving forward. On the surface it looks like the perfect relationship.

Then one random day Ellen runs into an old flame - Leo. Their relationship was a roller coaster and has been over for years. In fact Ellen was the one that called it off. Yet meeting Leo and having the sparks fly again make her wonder if the comfortable love she has now means she is missing out on the “real” love of her life.

What did you like/dislike about the book?

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Almost everyone has at least one relationship that they were in and ended in some fashion or another. It can be hard to look past the ups and downs of your own “real” relationship and compare it to this unknown other relationship. I am a firm believer that relationships end for a reason. But over time it is hard to make yourself remember all the bad times and not just the good times. You almost gloss over those things in an effort to figure out if you are truly in the place that you should be.

This book explores those possibilities – for Ellen. She is the only one that can figure out who she is meant to be with. And realizing that no relationship is perfect – but if you can say that you love someone with all your heart – then any sort of imperfection is worth it.


What genre would you consider this?

Overall: