How often do we look at someone else and assume from their clothes, their job or their spouse that they must have it all? And how often do we wish that we could trade places with them, to live in their shoes for just one day? In Liza Palmer’s new book, More Like Her, the illusion of one such woman is shattered in the most horrific way possible, leaving nothing behind but the naked truth that there is no such thing as perfection.

Our guide through the story is Frances, a thirty-something speech teacher with a history of relationships that are anything but perfect. Helped (and sometimes inadvertently hindered) by her friends Jill and Lisa, Frances just wants to find a nice guy with good taste in music. She believes she might have found that in Sam, a hot Southern boy who quickly makes her forget all about her loser ex. But just like everyone in her circle of friends, Frances finds her whole world up-ended in the wake of a tragedy that strikes far too close to home.

Although there is a prologue that looms over the first half of the book, that tragedy leaps out of nowhere and attacks the reader, just like a similar circumstance would in real life. Without giving away too much detail, it’s gripping, gut-wrenching moment so powerful that the rest of the book is fueled by the emotions it invokes. It’s impossible not to feel for these characters as one can’t help but wonder how they would react if they were in the same situation.

Don’t be fooled by the pretty shoes on the cover, More Like Her delves into some dark territory, but it never loses its wonderfully comedic voice. With the possible exception of Sam (who I wouldn’t mind knowing in real life), these are the kind of characters you can imagine finding in a private school in Pasadena. Palmer brings them to life with her inexhaustible wit, yet gives each of them an individual personality, even the ones who are taken away too soon.

This is a story about friends, lovers and family. It’s a story about telling the truth, and being unashamed and unafraid to be yourself, for better or for worse.

Author: Kristen Elizabeth was born and raised in Florida, but currently living in Los Angeles, Kristen is an aspiring television writer who is willing to give any TV show a chance, unless it involves real wives. When she’s not flipping channels, she can be found either reading a good, old-fashioned bodice ripper, discussing the failures of George Lucas with her friends over cherry pie at Mel’s Diner or trying to round up one or more of her Star Trek RPG players. She’s a proud member of the Romance Writers of America and hopes to finish one of her novels someday.

I was given the chance to review the fourth and final novel of Lori Foster’s “Men Who Walk The Edge of Honor” series earlier this month, and was pretty surprised by how much I enjoyed A Perfect Storm.

Following right where the third book left off, A Perfect Storm continues into the world of human trafficking and how our main characters, Spencer and Arizona, attempt to bring down a seedy ring.

Arizona was rescued by one of the “Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor” heroes, and with his help, has overcome the horrors of the life she used to live when she was enslaved. I know it sounds sort of hokey and a bit contrived, but honestly, while reading A Perfect Storm, the story line makes sense with Arizona’s character traits.

She’s strong willed, protects herself, and never has a “oh woe is me” moment that I can remember. She’s a strong woman that overcomes a horrible time in her life; my only complaint is that she’s portrayed as needing a man to help her through it. Out of all heroines that I’ve read, Arizona is the type that could very easily have pulled herself out of her situation alone – and personally, I think that would’ve made the story of her and Spencer all the more interesting.

Spencer is the hero of this story; an alpha male damaged by the loss of his wife, who takes to Arizona even though he’s 11 years her elder. He’s protective of the girl, let’s Arizona have her rants, and even (at times) throws her sass right back at her. It was extremely interesting to see these two personalities play off of each other the way that Foster wrote them.

Like all stories, Arizona manages to fight her demons (although I had an issue with how she went about it; scarred for life victims usually don’t go out looking for more trouble) and things are tied up in one pretty little bow.

As a final wrap up to a four part series, A Perfect Storm is a great summer read and will leave fans of Lori Foster satisfied and waiting for her next story!

You can purchase ‘A Perfect Storm’ on Amazon.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars | Publisher: HQN Books; Original edition | Pages: 448 | Source: Publisher

Follow me on Twitter @popKelture

I grew up with the Little Women story front and center on my book shelf, and grew to love the characters like they were my own family. Because of this history that I have with the March sisters, I was really excited for the chance to read and review Garielle Donnelly’s The Little Women Letters.

The Little Women Letters plays out very similarly to the original story – three sisters: Lulu, Emma, and Sophie who are living in London, as Lulu struggles with her life in comparison to her perfect sisters.

After discovering a box of letters from her descendant Jo March, Lulu starts to relate to her ancestor and discovers her place in the Atwater family. Donnelly draws a lot of parallels between Little Women and her tale; Lulu is obviously meant to be Jo with Emma standing in as Meg and Sophie, the dramatic baby of the family, taking on Amy’s characteristics.

While the story is set in contemporary times, it was easy for me to forget that the Atwater clan weren’t living down the road from the March sisters. I think that is partly why I enjoyed The Little Women Letters as much as I did; it made me think nostalgically of Little Women.

Donnelly’s story turns out to be a bit predictable, however. Her characters are a bit too perfect, and just a little too much like the literary characters they were modeled after. While I hesitate to say that LuLu is Jo, it was hard to become attached to the Atwater sisters because you’ve already met them before.

That aside, I really did enjoy The Little Women Letters. It was a different way to experience Little Women and a story that I will revisit again.

You can purchase ‘The Little Women Letters’ on Amazon.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars | Publisher: Touchstone | Pages: 368 | Source: Publisher

Follow me on Twitter @popKelture

What is there to say about David Kowalski’s The Company of the Dead? Let’s start with the premise of the (long) novel. What do you think would happen if the Titanic never hit the iceberg and consequently never sank? Time travel in pop culture tells us nothing good can ever come from trying to change the past (Hello, Back to the Future, anyone?) but that’s exactly what Kowalski tries to do in The Company of the Dead.

We’re transported back to the fateful night of April 15, 1912 when a mysterious man appears on the deck of the Titanic and stops it from hitting the iceberg. Because of this event that seems harmless (however, fans of the CW’s Supernatural will know that this never ends well, am I right?), the Unites States never enters World War One, and now Japan rules over the USA while Germany has control over Europe.

Kowalski uses the idea of actual historical figures in The Company of the Dead as characters. We meet the descendants of John F. Kennedy, the Astor family, as well as the Lighthollers. And it’s all up to Kennedy to make things right once again.

It’s like Back to the Future with the fate of the world resting on one man’s shoulders. I don’t even think Mary McFly could be awesome enough to handle that (although he totally could have). The Company of the Dead jumps between 1912, the 1940s, 1990s, and into what is now a completely unrecognizable 2012.

What did I think overall of The Company of the Dead? Well, it was long. It was really, really long. I love the story of the Titanic (as tragic as it is, the idea that so many people were blinded by their own genius is amazing to me), and I was really interested to see this spin on the famous story. What I wasn’t prepared for was 700 pages of “what ifs”.

As an avid lover of pop culture, I know that time travel is bad, even with the best intentions at heart, so I knew The Company of the Dead wasn’t going to end on a happy note. If you’re into time travel novels, take a look at The Company of the Dead. The writing is great, the characters are interesting, but it’s a story that has been told before.

You can purchase ‘The Company of the Dead’ on Amazon.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars | Publisher: Titan Books | Pages: 752 | Source: Publisher

Follow me on Twitter @popKelture

I don’t know where to begin with this review of Womanthology. I’ve been following this crazy project since it’s inception on Twitter and an just beyond ecstatic that Womanthology is finally released to the public. Let me give you a little bit of back story before delving into this review.

Womanthology all began with a single Tweet, and through this act a group of female comic creators managed to raise the funding to publish their creation. The full story is explained within the first few pages of Womanthology and tips for those trying to break out into the comic industry, along with the bios of the contributors are scattered throughout the pages as well.

There is not one bad thing about this comic collection. I was extremely fortunate enough to receive an advanced digital copy or this beautiful book, and even reading this work on my iPad I knew I was in for a treat. The artwork is stunning. The women that contributed to this project poured their heart and souls into each and every one of the 300 plus pages. And the love and devotion that these women feel is evident through every cell and every word in Womanthology.

This collection of shorts made it hard for me to single out any one story as exceptional, mainly because they all truly are amazing. My favorites were Kelly Thompson’s “SuperLess Hero” followed by the incredible art work in Cat Stagg’s “Glimmer”. But that’s not to make light of any of the other stories in this book – they are all stunning in their own way.

Womanthology is more than just a collection of comics. It’s an inspiration to women trying to break into the comic industry. It was a call to arms for these same women, and it will be a book that is talked about for years to come in comic circles. I want to remain objective, but it was very difficult for me to do so while reading Womanthology and while writing this review. It’s difficult to stay objective when all I want to do is scream from the rooftops that everyone needs to purchase this book.

You can’t go wrong, and the large hardcover will be an amazing addition to your comic collection. Not only that, but proceeds from the sale got to charity.

You can purchase ‘Womanthology: Heroic’ on Amazon.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars | Publisher: IDW Publishing | Pages: 300 | Source: Publisher

Follow me on Twitter @popKelture

I’m not going to lie; it was the title and the cover that inspired me to take on the task of reviewing How to Eat a Cupcake by Meg Donohue. You know that old adage “never judge a book by its cover”? Well, I did. And I’m so very glad I did.

How to Eat a Cupcake isn’t a book that will solve your life problems, or even offer major philosophical insights, but what it will do is give you 320 pages of a very fun read and even throw in some moments that will take the story a bit deeper than you’d expect. How to Eat a Cupcake is “chick lit” at its best, and Meg Donohue does a decent job at spinning this tale.

The story follows two childhood friends, Julia and Annie, who come from two very different backgrounds: Annie is the daughter of the housekeeper that takes care of Julia’s family. Julia is immedietly the kid of character I hate. Prom queen, entitled, and so self absorbed it was laughable.

Then there’s Annie. The “tough” girl that doesn’t let anyone in. If this were a romance novel, she’d be the girl the hero comes in to try to “save”. Annie, however, is not going to allow that to happen. She’s a baker, she likes her independence, and is desperate to try to reconnect with her mother.

This is where Donohue throws in some mysteries for our heroines to solve: who is responsible for the vandalism of Annie’s cupcake shop? And who is this dark stranger that’s been lurking around at night? Of course the two seem to be connected, and it’s up to Annie and Julia to try to repair their friendship and find out what the deal is.

This is where I got a little lost in How to Eat a Cupcake. I wanted more about the girl’s long lost friendship (because I’m a chick and wanted them to be BFF forever), and the good thing is I wasn’t left wanting for long. Donohue ties the stories together nicely and leaves the story on a high note.

The characters both went through personal transformations that I like to see in the books that I read, and I really enjoyed Donohue’s use of the San Francisco area as her setting.

How to Eat a Cupcake will be a perfect read for the upcoming summer months!

You can purchase ‘How to Eat a Cupcake’ on Amazon.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars | Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks | Pages: 320 | Source: Publisher

Follow me on Twitter @popKelture

Wide Open By Deborah Coates was a book that I enjoyed quite a bit. I was given a copy to review, and truthfully, I didn’t really know what to expect going in! The story sounded intriguing enough – and readers of my reviews know that I can’t pass up a good ghost story!

I was extremely pleased when I started Wide Open that the story wasn’t just about ghosts following around our main character, no, Wide Open was a great story about a woman’s love for her sister. As a big sister to four siblings of my own (two of which are sisters), I think the story really rang very close to home for me. I very easily could put myself in Hallie’s shoes as she struggled to find the truth of her sister’s death, while she struggled to deal with her own loss.

We follow Sergeant Hallie Michaels who returns to South Dakota from Afghanistan after hearing about the death of her sister. Hallie is more than a little surprised to see the spirit of her sister greet her at the airport, but takes the ghost viewing in stride – Hallie can see dead people.

Her entire home town is buzzing that Hallie’s sister, Dell, actually committed suicide, but Hallie knows this isn’t the case. If that had happened, Dell’s spirit wouldn’t be hanging around. The rest of the story turns into Hallie trying to track down exactly what happened to her sister and being targeted by someone that really doesn’t want her to find out the truth.

Wide Open not only did an excellent job of building Hallie as a character, it also offered a great supporting cast as well. Coates’ writing style easily absorbs you into the story and, like any great book, makes you believe that you are experiencing everything the heroine is going through.

Add to this that Coates’ description of Hallie’s surroundings had me seeing a sharp picture of South Dakota in my head, and also managed to make the hair on the back of neck stand up when it was warranted, Wide Open is a great addition to your bookshelf for all you urban fantasy fans!

You can purchase ‘Wide Open’ on Amazon.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars | Publisher: Tor Books; First Edition | Pages: 304 | Source: Publisher

Follow me on Twitter @popKelture

Daniel Pyne is best known for his screenwriting skills. He’s currently writing for that small little show Alcatraz, and because of this is no stranger to mystery and suspense. I was ecstatic that I had a chance to read and review his novel A Hole In The Ground Owned By A Liar. Pyne did not disappoint.

The intriguing title aside (which comes from a quote by Mark Twain), A Hole in the Ground was a book that will have you roped in from the first chapter. It keeps you on your toes through the character development and the story that blends history with mystery and leaves you wanting more.

The quirky story is wonderful – Lee Garrison purchases a Colorado coal mine sight unseen. Lee isn’t looking to make it rich with his new found purchase, instead he buys the mine for the adventure it can provide him when he’s not teaching. The mine will also serve as a way for Lee’s inmate brother to earn a living once he’s released from jail.

The rest of the characters that cross Lee’s path are very flawed, but extremely interesting. The mayor of town (which truthfully reminded me of the idiot E.B. Farnum from Deadwood) provides the humor that keeps the book from being overly somber.

What made me enjoy A Hole in the Ground the most was the setting. Pyne does a fantastic job describing the Colorado mining town and its history. I adore books that make me feel like I’m part of the setting, and Pyne succeeded in taking me away from my living room and transporting me to Colorado.

A Hole in the Ground Owned By a Liar is an amazing read, and one that will be great for the upcoming summer months.

You can purchase ‘A Hole in the Ground Owned By a Liar’ on Amazon.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars | Publisher: Counterpoint | Pages: 256 | Source: Publisher

Follow me on Twitter @popKelture

I read a lot about the supernatural and mythology. When I say a lot what I mean is my bookshelves tend to look like something out of an occult shop. Generally I find supernatural fiction to be trite, contrived, and books that should never be written, but I’m pleased to say that Deborah Harkness’ debut novel A Discovery of Witches breaks all of these stereotypes.

A Discovery of Witches not only had me hooked from the first page, but I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to continue the story. The reason for this is because Harkness doesn’t just rely on the fads of the supernatural or mythological creatures to carry the story; she actually puts thought into her characters and even injects some science and history into her story!

Diana Bishop comes from a long line of witches (this is where I almost didn’t pick up the book. Any novel that starts with “long line of witches” can’t be good), but after losing everyone close to her because of their linage, Diana rejects magic and everything adjacent to it. She decides to live exclusively as a human with no magic, and is now a scholar at Oxford University.

During her studies a mysterious book appears that sends her witch senses tingling. “Ashmole 782″ is apparently pretty well known through the witch, vampire, and daemon community. It’s an ancient text that could very well hold the demise of all these creatures, and Diana wants nothing to do with it.

Enter Matthew Clairmont, a vampire scientist who wants to help Diana with Ashmole 782… and who Diana has an instant connection to. Now, this normally would have me throwing the book across the room (really, another vampire romance?) but somehow Harkness makes it work!

A Discovery of Witches isn’t perfect by any means. It’s obvious that this is Harkness’ first novel with foreshadowing that isn’t really foreshadowing, but more like spoon feeding the reader the information that she wants them to have. Diana became a little disappointing for the female population with her reactions to Matthew. Suddenly this intelligent 30 something PHD scholar is swooning like a teenager over this stranger… not to mention it takes them three weeks to realize that it’s true love forever.

Other than those minor issues, A Discovery of Witches is a great read, fun, fast, quick, at times witty, and gives you some science with your paranormal.

I would recommend this to anyone that likes supernatural fiction or is even looking for a way to break into the genre.

You can purchase ‘A Discovery of Witches’ on Amazon.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars | Publisher: Viking Adult | Pages: 592 | Source: Publisher

Follow me on Twitter @popKelture

The Thorn and the Blossom is a book unlike anything that I have ever read before. In fact it was its unusual format that attracted me to it and thanks to the people at Quirk Books I got my hands on a copy.

The Thorn and the Blossom tells the story of Evelyn Morgan, a young American studying at Oxford decides to take a short holiday in the Cornish village of Clews. There while on a walk around the village she walks into Thorne & Son, a bookstore in which she meets the love of her life, Brendan Thorne. And when he hands her The Book of the Green Knight, a medieval poem, he doesn’t realize that it will change both of their lives forever.

What makes The Thorn and the Blossom so special is that it doesn’t have a spine, and that’s because it instead has a unique accordion-fold binding. Why you ask? Well because the book tells the story both from Evelyn and Brendan’s perspective. So you can not only decide which side to read first, but then all you need to do is turn the book around and start all over again. And here’s the kicker, no matter which side you read first, there will be a surprise when you read the other one.

I personally started reading Evelyn’s side first because that’s the side Goss wrote first (even though she went back and forth between the stories to make them match after that) and I guess I wanted to read the female perspective first. Now that I’ve read both side, I think I made the right choice because it was nice knowing about Evelyn when reading Brendan’s side, that said I probably would have said the same thing if I had started with Brendan.

If I’m being honest when I first read Evelyn’s side, I thought the story was ok, and by the end of it, I wondered what more the other side could bring. Well turns out it kind of gave a new meaning to what I had just read. Don’t expect some grand revelation, but there is definitely an element that ties it all together.

I had a lot of fun reading The Thorn and the Blossom, it’s really well crafted and it was a different reading experience not just in the story, but also physically in holding the book, which is like an accordion. So if you’re looking for something new and exciting and quick to read (did I mention each side is only about 40 pages long), you should definitely get yourself a copy of The Thorn and the Blossom.

I want to leave you with a video for The Thorn and the Blossom which will give you a visual idea of what the book looks like. Also be on the lookout for an interview with author Theodora Goss early next week.

You can purchase ‘The Thorn and the Blossom’ on Amazon

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars | Publisher: Quirk Books | Pages: 82 | Source: Publisher

Follow me on Twitter @sosandrine