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HARD TO HANDLE review

abby mumford

a surprising and entirely unexpected email popped up in my inbox granting me early (and i like to think of it as VIP) access to jessica lemmon’s newest book HARD TO HANDLE, in exchange for posting a review. i almost deleted the email because (a) i enjoyed the first book so much and second books often don’t live up to the expectations the first one set and (b) i’m still on a self-imposed blogging hiatus.

however, the lure of the VIP book and the request for words written by me was too much to resist…apparently i’m not hard to handle (ooh, see what i did there?) and i decided to dive into lemmony’s pages and put my blogging pants back on for this occasion.

what it’s about from Porter Square Books:

ONCE BURNED Sadie Howard never dates a guy more than once-but Fate has other plans for her when it comes to Aiden Downey, the one that got away. Aiden loved her, left her, and broke her heart. Yet suddenly she’s bumping into him at every turn, driven to distraction by his wicked grin and rock-hard body. Now she can’t resist finishing what they started-as long as she doesn’t let herself fall in love . . . TWICE AS TEMPTING Aiden Downey threw away the best thing he ever had when he let Sadie go, and now he’s determined to win back the woman he’s always wanted. Sadie agrees to let him into her life-and her bed-as long as there are no strings attached. But Aiden’s not about to make the same mistake again. Can he convince her to take a second chance on a once-in-a-lifetime love?

my opinion:

this companion novel contained some of the same characters we met in TEMPTING THE BILLIONAIRE, but the tone of this story was quite different than its predecessor. this story was one of loss, hardship, second chances, and redemption. even though this wasn’t as lighthearted as i expected, it was a refreshing read because these are real people making real mistakes and figuring out how to overcome their own boneheadedness. usually i read to escape reality, but the honesty and raw emotion of this story were wrapped up in truth and i wanted to squeeze out all the advice i could. it felt like a bit of free therapy (thanks, lemmony!).

my only gripe was the pacing. the beginning was a bit slow with its hashing and rehasing of the initial meetings between aiden and sadie. having read the prequel CAN’T LET GO, i already knew the savory details of that time and didn’t need to hear about it again and again. basically, i think HTH stands on its own without the prequel. sure it was nice to spend more time with these two firecracker characters in CLG, but it wasn’t necessary towards furthering my understanding of HTH.

while reading this story, i came across a line that stood out to me because i remember lemmony on twitter asking about the slang term. i didn’t know this particular bit of slang, but i was the only one in that conversation who did, and so lemmony included it in the dialogue (as she should have). i got a real kick out of reading it in the final version because i felt like i was part of a secret society — one who knows exactly how much thought and care and time goes into each line of text even though it reads as effortless.

jessica lemmon has turned the romance genre on its head once again which i guess means she’s turned it right side up (since she flipped the genre with her last book), but if this is the new normal, you can count me as a permanent audience member.

HTH releases on october 1, so you barely have to wait until you can get your own copy!! huzzah!

FTC Disclosure: Review copy provided by publisher.

book club

BOOK HUNGRY: i’ll be seeing you

abby mumford

who says you have to be crowded into the living room, kitchen, and/or dining room to hold a book club? we are ladies of the 21st century. we don’t need no stinkin’ couches. so pull up a blog and join in the conversation.

the members of the BOOK HUNGRY are (alphabetically): patty blount, kelly breakey, blake leyers, karla nellenbach, and myself. we pick a book to read. we discuss via phone and/or google hangout and/or on email and/or on twitter. we post a review on our individual blogs the 3rd thursday of the month. click on their names above and enjoy.

this month’s BOOK HUNGRY selection is: 

I’LL BE SEEING YOU by suzanne hayes and loretta nyhan

what it’s about from porter square books: 

“I hope this letter gets to you quickly. We are always waiting, aren’t we? Perhaps the greatest gift this war has given us is the anticipation…”

It’s January 1943 when Rita Vincenzo receives her first letter from Glory Whitehall. Glory is an effervescent young mother, impulsive and free as a bird. Rita is a sensible professor’s wife with a love of gardening and a generous, old soul. Glory comes from New England society; Rita lives in Iowa, trying to make ends meet. They have nothing in common except one powerful bond: the men they love are fighting in a war a world away from home.

Brought together by an unlikely twist of fate, Glory and Rita begin a remarkable correspondence. The friendship forged by their letters allows them to survive the loneliness and uncertainty of waiting on the home front, and gives them the courage to face the battles raging in their very own backyards. Connected across the country by the lifeline of the written word, each woman finds her life profoundly altered by the other’s unwavering support.

A collaboration of two authors whose own beautiful story mirrors that on the page, I’ll Be Seeing You is a deeply moving union of style and charm. Filled with unforgettable characters and grace, it is a timeless celebration of friendship and the strength and solidarity of women.

my opinion:

there is something about the act of writing letters that is utterly charming to me and this is the third book i’ve read that’s utilized the letter writing forum to reveal an astonishing story. (the first being the GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY and the second DADDY LONG LEGS.) i think this form appeals to me because letter writing breeds a particular honesty and in the middle of that, there’s something tangible about the connectivity between these women.

it reminds me of my relationships with my book hungry gals — we’re using the technology at hand to communicate and cajole and teach and learn and laugh and connect. of course, we’re more likely to trade insults than recipes, but that’s just how we roll.

but back to the book, these two women are astonishing in their bravery, resilience, determination, humor, selfishness, unselfishness and strength of character. they both fall into and defy the stereotypes of their ages (rita is a bit older than newlywed glory) as they live and love and struggle. i adore rita and her cast of characters in iowa a bit more than glory and her team, but my not so tender feelings towards glory are redeemed during this won’t part i won’t tell you about because i don’t want to spoil anything, but basically, she earns my respect and gratitude and i’m talking like i know her. that’s how real these characters are.

i also loved learning how loretta and suzy wrote this. how did i learn this? loretta joined our conference call and dished the details. these two ladies “met” on social media and launched into this project much the same way glory and rita began. neither woman had met the other in person, but the tales and emotions and advice and respect grew as the letters flew back and forth.

long story short, this is a delightful book and you should read it.

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book club

BOOK HUNGRY: hostile witness

abby mumford

who says you have to be crowded into the living room, kitchen, and/or dining room to hold a book club? we are ladies of the 21st century. we don’t need no stinkin’ couches. so pull up a blog and join in the conversation.

the members of the BOOK HUNGRY are (alphabetically): patty blount, kelly breakey, blake leyers, karla nellenbach, and myself. we pick a book to read. we discuss via phone. we post a review on our individual blogs the 3rd thursday of the month. click on their names above and enjoy.

this month’s BOOK HUNGRY selection is: 

HOSTILE WITNESS by rebecca forster

what it’s about from amazon: 

When sixteen-year-old Hannah Sheraton is arrested for the murder of her step-grandfather, the chief justice of the California Supreme court, her distraught mother turns to her old college roommate, Josie Bates, for help. Josie, once a hot-shot criminal defense attorney, left the fast track behind for a small practice in Hermosa Beach, California. But Hannah Sheraton intrigues her and, when the girl is charged as an adult, Josie cannot turn her back. But the deeper she digs the more Josie realizes that politics, the law and family relationships have created a combustible and dangerous situation. When the horrible truth of the murder is uncovered could save Hannah Sheraton or destroy them both.

my opinion:

ick. ew. blerg. make it stop. do i have to keep reading? why did karla pick this? i can usually decipher why one of my gals picked a particular book, but this? this is not what i was expecting out of karla. why does everyone else in the world seem to be talking about this book too? thank goodness it was free. ugh. this is painful. do i have to keep reading?

i did finish the book, but very begrudgingly, or to give you a taste of what it felt like to read it: i picked up the book. i opened the cover. i sat down on the couch. i flipped to the page where i left off and i began to read again after i crossed my legs and leaned back against the cushions. i paused while reading, checked the time, checked all the things on the internet, fixed a snack of an apple and peanut butter, turned off the kitchen light, brought my snack back to the couch and then i read some more.

catch my drift? my whole drift? every single movement of my drift?

the details in this book were overkill. every single action was explained to ad nauseum and yet, there was little to no information about the characters and their motivations. what little there was, well, the characters were awful and not in the “they’re flawed” sort of way. in the “i could care less about them” kind of way. they weren’t relatable or understandable or funny or charming or smart. they were clueless in a way that felt manufactured by the author instead of because that’s the way some humans are.

the entire book was uneven. the pacing, the plotting, the characterization, the information dumps. UGH. basically, it felt like the author didn’t trust us as readers and the entire book was dumbed down as a result. i’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but i hated this book and if the only good that comes out of me reading it is that you don’t, well then, i’ll consider it a battle won.

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book club

BOOK HUNGRY: wreckless

abby mumford

who says you have to be crowded into the living room, kitchen, and/or dining room to hold a book club? we are ladies of the 21st century. we don’t need no stinkin’ couches. so pull up a blog and join in the conversation.

the members of the BOOK HUNGRY are (alphabetically): patty blount, kelly breakey, blake leyers, karla nellenbach, and myself. we pick a book to read. we discuss via phone. we post a review on our individual blogs the 3rd thursday of the month. click on their names above and enjoy.

this month’s BOOK HUNGRY selection is: 

WRECKLESS by bria quinlan

what it’s about from amazon: 

Wreckless…Where obsession and rebellion collide.

Bridget Larson’s never met a rule she didn’t like. Drawing inside the lines isn’t just a way of life – it’s the only way she can make it through the day. And through it all her BFF Leah has stood inside those lines and weathered the unspeakable with her. Then Bridget catches her boyfriend with Leah–and the last thing on her mind is staying safe.

Salvation… A bad boy and his jacked up pickup.

Jake Moore was everything she needed and nothing he claimed to be. With one night of freedom and a spontaneously scribbled Rebellion List, Jake leads Bridget down every path she thought was forbidden… And into the one place she’d thought was lost to her forever.

my opinion:

having read other books/novellas by bria, i had an idea of her style of writing and i had a sneaking suspicion i was going to like this book, but even so, this book caught me off guard. it has sass, sweetness, charm, charisma, depth (oh so deep), humor, and it packs a punch.

while reading it, i was kind of like this:

but on the other hand, HOLY AMAZING STUFF. every detail was well placed, every twist and turn in the right position, every emotion deserved, and every character wonderfully flawed. this book was a little bit of perfection and i’ve already read it twice. it’s definitely made the list of books i’ll be re-reading for years to come.

AND, SURPRISE!!!

sister E has temporarily joined book hungry and here are her thoughts:

It was a very easy read, but I also couldn’t put it down. The characters weren’t over drawn and were very easy to relate to.  Jake was the hero who stepped in at the right time, but you also knew he wasn’t perfect.  He couldn’t immediately fix all of Bridget’s problems, but you could tell the two of them went well together. They made each other better.

But the character that made the story was Bridget.  I fell in love with her, because she was me.  I do the same silly introverted things, so it was fun to take a journey with her and Jake breaking all the rules in one night, to see her step out of her shell and see her grow, to know she wasn’t the same person at the beginning of the book as she is at the end. I know transformations don’t happen in one weekend, I mean mine didn’t, but its still awesome to be able to witness her transformation.

Favorite scene: The last chapter.  So perfect. I won’t give away spoilers, but this is my favorite line…

and there you have it. four thumbs up from two mumford girls.

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convos with strangers

conversations with strangers #63

abby mumford

strangers? here’s why i’m talking to them.

the final score (6-1) wasn’t a true indicator of the game. they were the defending league champions not to mention they’ve made it to the finals the last 3 years. we’ve squeaked into the playoffs each of those years.

and yet. we high fived after the game, as we do.

there’s never a smooth transition from the orderly line of high fives and “good games” to two teams walking back to their benches. in the middle of the mob, the girl with the hot pink spandex capri pants i’d been wishing i owned the entire game pulled me aside.

her: i wanted to let you know you had a really good hit.

me: oh, thank you!

her: it was very solid.

me: and i wanted to let you know i adore your pants.

her: thanks! they’re from tj maxx. $20.

me: i love them even more now!

our laughter sparkled into the setting sun, highlighting both our sportsmanship and wo-manship.

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