Staying at Daisy's by Jill Mansell

★★★★★
Life is easy, it's men she'll never figure out...

When hotel manager Daisy MacLean meets cocky sports hero Dev Tyzack, it's a no brainer-stay away. He is arrogant and sarcastic-but also incredibly sexy.

Daisy tries her best to steer clear of him, yet soon comes to realize he is the one guest she can't bear to see leave.

Then she learns a devastating truth: most people are not who they seem to be, for better or worse...

Oh how I love Jill Mansell!  I'm so sad that Staying at Daisy's is the last book of hers on my Nook for me to read - I need to purchase some of her others soon!!

This book follows in typical Mansell fashion - eccentric, lovable characters, several love stories going on at the same time, people trying to figure their lives out, and happy endings.  Love her!

Staying at Daisy's doesn't disappoint.  There is a cast of lovable characters - Daisy, her eccentric dad, Hector, best friend Tara, studly Dev, and many more.  There's also a sweet little dog in this story.  It's an all-round fun story, and I would definitely recommend it!

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

★★★★★
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

How did I not know about these books before recently!  I read all 3 of them in 4 days... lots of late nights and prolonged breakfasts!!  But the Hunger Games series is extremely captivating, I just couldn't put these books down.

Just based upon the excerpt, I would never have picked up The Hunger Games to read.  But my sister-in-law said I had to read these, and I'm SO glad I did!  These books are very well-written, unexpected, and all around good!  The main characters are so well-developed, as are lots of the supporting characters.

I just saw the movie last weekend to experience the story again.  The movie was very true to the first book - of course the character-development was much less in the movie, and many details were missing.  But the movie was still good as well!

I would highly, highly recommend this series!

Take a Chance On Me by Jill Mansell

★★★★★

Even in a small town the drama is larger than life...

Cleo Quinn doesn't have the greatest track record when it comes to men, but now Will's come along. Handsome and attentive, he could be her Mr Right. Things are definitely looking up for Cleo... apart from one small problem with a rather large ego. Johnny LaVenture, sculptor extraordinaire and her personal childhood nemesis, is back in Channing's Hill and tormenting her as if he'd never been away.

Meanwhile Cleo's sister Abbie has a problem of her own-husband Tom has become distant and withdrawn, and she's determined to find out why. But will the shocking truth mean the end of their idyllically happy marriage?

The sisters are about to discover that the past can come back to haunt you, and that love can flourish in the unlikeliest of places...

Okay, another Jill Mansell book!  I loved Take a Chance on Me.  The characters are lovable and the story is not always predictable.  I love when I'm reading a book and mentally 'rooting' for the characters.  This is a page-turner, just because you want to see how things turn out for the characters!  I definitely enjoyed this book, it's a light-hearted read and I would recommend it!

An Offer You Can't Refuse by Jill Mansell

★★★☆☆

What's a girl to do with... An offer you can't refuse?

A new bestseller from one of the UK's biggest authors!

Nothing could tear Lola and Dougie apart, except his mother...

Seventeen-year-old Lola has no intention of accepting when her boyfriend's snobbish mother offers her a huge bribe to break up with him. Then Lola discovers a secret that makes her think again, and the only way she can help one of the people she loves most in the world is to take the money and break Dougie's heart.

Ten years later, when Lola meets Dougie again, her feelings for him are as strong as ever. She'll do almost anything to get him back, but she can never tell him the truth. Can she overcome his bitterness and win his heart? She's attractive, persuasive, and endlessly optimistic, but even Lola's got her work cut out for her this time.

As you probably know by now, I love Jill Mansell.  Several of her books were on sale at BN.com, and I stocked up!  An Offer You Can't Refuse was one I picked up, and I'm sad to say it wasn't one of my favorite stories of hers.  Don't get me wrong, it was a cute story and all, but so many of her books are delightful through and through.  I felt like parts of this book dragged a little, and it wasn't as much of a page-turner as I'm used to from her.  It was probably better than 3-Stars, but not as good as 4-Stars (in my un-scientific way of measuring stories!)  If you can get it on discount, I'd say it is a cute read, but I'm glad I didn't pay full price for this one.  I still love her, though!

Rumor Has it by Jill Mansell

★★★★★
Rumor Has It sizzles with Mansell's signature fresh sense of humor, poignancy, and happy ending with a twist.

Newly single Tilly Cole impulsively moves to a small town, only to find she's arrived in a hotbed of gossip, intrigue, and rampant rivalry for the most desirable man—Jack Lucas, whose reputation is beyond bad. Tilly has no intention of becoming another notch on his bedpost. But she finds the thoughtful, caring guy she comes to value as a friend doesn't seem to fit the town's playboy image. Should she listen to her friends or her heart? Is Tilly being mature and sensible—or running away from the love of her life?

Ahhh!  Another Jill Mansell book that I just loved!  I thought Rumor Has It was so good.  If you haven't seen any of my other reviews on this author, she is a British chick-lit author.  Her stories are funny and sweet and witty, and they have happy endings.  They are feel good, funny stories that are a pleasure to read.  I really enjoyed this book - Tilly is such a sweet character, and she ends up in an unexpected situation and place.  I found myself rooting for her to find someone to make her happy.  Recommended!

Delivered with Love by Sherry Kyle

★★★★☆
An old love letter found in the glove compartment of a young woman's inherited 1972 Volkswagen propels her to leave her life in Los Angeles and go to the small town of Capitola, California.There her dream of finding the writer of the letter leads her on an unexpected journey that changes her life forever.

Claire James, age twenty-three, is ready to make it on her own. When she's fired from her job as a waitress and subsequently kicked out of her sister's home, she sees it as an opportunity to start over. But even before moving, a thirty-five-year-old love letter written to her mother keeps Claire stuck in the past. Michael Thompson, a middle-aged real estate agent, wants to keep the past where it belongs—at least until his grown daughter is married. But, then a young woman comes to town . . .

To be honest, I read this book because it was a freebie, and I debated whether to give it 3- or 4-stars.  It was better than a 3 but not as good as a 4.  :)  Delivered with Love is a sweet, Christian fiction book.  I felt at times like some of the characters were not extremely well-developed.  There are several instances where the book is very predictable as well.  But the overall story is sweet, and there is a really cute love story, so I ultimately decided to give it 4-stars.  :)  I probably would have been disappointed had I paid full price for it, but it made for a good freebie read.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

★★★★★
Be prepared to meet three unforgettable women:
 
Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.
 
Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.
 
Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.
 
Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.
 
In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women-mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends-view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't.
 
I loved The Help!  This is such a great book!  I couldn't put it down.  This is one where some of my household to-do's got neglected because I was reading.  The main characters in this book are so quirky and likable.  You mentally root for them the whole time.  Although this book is a work of fiction, it is amazing to me that this time was not so long ago, a time where inequality was part of life.  This story is filled with emotion, both good and bad, and it is so moving.  I am definitely going to see the movie just to experience it again.  I hope I'm not disappointed in the movie!  I'm not one for re-reading books regularly, but I may just re-read this one!!  Definitely recommended.