Meet Lily Wilder: New Yorker, lawyer extraordinaire, blushing bride. And totally incapable of being faithful to one man.


Lily’s fiancé Will is a brilliant, handsome archaeologist. Lily is sassy, impulsive, fond of a good drink (or five) and has no business getting married. Lily likes Will, but does she love him? Will loves Lily, but does he know her? As the wedding approaches, Lily’s nights—and mornings, and afternoons—of booze, laughter and questionable decisions become a growing reminder that the happiest day of her life might turn out to be her worst mistake yet.

Unapologetically sexy with the ribald humor of Bridesmaids, this joyously provocative debut introduces a self-assured protagonist you won’t soon forget.

Author Bio . More Info

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Brilliant. Outrageously funny. Beautifully imperfect.

Lily Wilder is 20 something New York lawyer engaged to her wonderful archeologist boyfriend of 7 months. As we enter the week of her wedding, we witness the horrifying acts of Lily on her bachelorette party, Lily and her boss, Lily and her dry cleaner AND Lily and more than a few random bar hook ups. What is this chick doing getting married!? The story continues and we watch her struggle with the decision to get married or call off the wedding. While unscrupulous, Lily does present a conscious. It is this glimmer of guilt and regret that makes this story so gripping.

Some may consider this story to be appalling, I consider more as entertainment. So, I'm going to assess it as such. While Lily and Will's flaws lay bare and their relationship clearly romanticizes infidelity, it really isn't too far off from over dramatization of the rippling chests and multiple orgasms of other romance novels.

Understandably, I hated Lily. She did and said everything I have known deep in by bones to be wrong since I was born, but she made a very demanding lead character. Witnessing her inner conflict eased my judgment for the sake of entertainment. She captured my attention from page one and I did not want to stop reading!

The supporting characters in this story move the plot along flawlessly. Not once does the plot stall waiting for motivation. Freddy, Lily's ultimate BFF, is hilarious as she guides Lily through the final days before her wedding. She provides Lily a much needed reality check and more than enough levity for a sad situation. Next, are Lily's father's ex-wives. They provide the delightful wisdom of experience as they try to prevent Lily from deceiving Will into an untruthful marriage.

This book takes the saying "all's fair in love and war" to a whole new level. Can a relationship work after a "Cold War" such as Will and Lily's?  With multiple twists and turns along the way this book easily makes a readers head spin with anticipation.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Let's face it...sometimes LOVE BITES!

LOVE BITES 

By: Rachel K. Burke

What do you do when you fall in love with your best friend’s boyfriend?

That is the question that twenty-six year-old Justine Sterling has been asking herself ever since the day she met David Whitman, her best friend Renee’s boyfriend. Justine is determined to ignore her growing feelings for the irresistibly charming David, until one night, when she finds herself in the bed of the one person she should stay away from.

When Justine and David’s affair ends in heartbreak, Justine is forced to repair the damaged friendship with her best friend. In doing so, she learns that right and wrong decisions aren’t always black and white, and sometimes you have to follow your heart to see where it leads.

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Our story starts with Justine retelling the high school memories of meeting and "falling in love" with her best friend Renee. The two are fast friends and go off to college together in Los Angeles. While living in Los Angeles, post graduation, we witness the dating disasters of Justine and Renee's new relationship with David. Unfortunately for Justine, she like David a little too much, and when Renee comes back from Boston and finds them in bed together... well that's where the story begins. Present day, post-David, both Renee and Justine are back in Boston and are friends again. However, Justine is suffering from a break up after a year long relationship with David. (Yes, that David!) Will Justine get her groove back?

This story is fun and entertaining. I thoroughly enjoyed the voice and first person narration. So often I've read books where using this style fell flat. However, in this book there were well developed and supporting characters to provide addition insight into the events and plot that the story was fully  developed and multidimensional.

This novel had wonderful and nostalgic details about teenagers growing up in the 90's. The girly and rebellious teenage years of Renee and Justine add depth and character to this wonderful story of rediscovery.

..................................................Don't forget the TOUR...............................................

 

SOUND BITES

Renee Evans has a knack for trouble. After walking in on her best friend and boyfriend in bed together, twenty-five year-old Renee flees sunny Los Angeles and her dream job as a music journalist and returns to her hometown of Boston – only to meet Dylan Cavallari, the mysterious, aspiring musician who lives in her apartment building. Dylan’s piercing gaze and womanizing demeanor make him exactly the type of guy that Renee should steer clear of – which is most likely the reason she falls for him. But when Renee’s troublesome ex comes back and threatens to drive her and Dylan apart, Renee is forced to face her past and save her relationship with Dylan before it's too late.

Sound Bites dramatizes what happens when Renee finds herself caught between a painful past and an uncertain future. Happiness turns out to be within her grasp, but it all depends on whether she can trust herself enough to make the right decisions. Sound Bites is a novel about love, friendship, betrayal, forgiveness, and the power of music to help you find your way.