Love on a Whim by Aubrey Mace — Blog Tour

 Posted by  Book Reviews
Jul 312015
 

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Love on a Whim

Author: Aubrey Mace

Publisher: Covenant Communications

Published: July 15th, 2015

Paperback: 272 pages

ISBN13: 978-1-62108-621-5

FTC FYI: Received a paperback copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Reviewed by Mindy

Goodreads Summary

Six months out of law school, Rachel Pearce is completely disillusioned by her job hunt. Despite pounding the pavement with her Ivy League degree in hand, her job prospects are no brighter than the day she graduated. Then in a chance meeting with a former acquaintance, eccentric young millionaire Henry Walker, Rachel finds an unexpected opportunity: Henry is looking for a personal secretary. Swallowing her pride, Rachel sets aside her law firm aspirations for what she envisions as secretarial work—mountains of paperwork and filing. But when she finds her most demanding duty to be daily cookie runs for her new boss, she’s baffled by her unconventional job responsibilities.

As she’s pulled into Henry’s delightful whims, caught in a whirlwind of private jets and fancy dinners, Rachel finds herself inexplicably drawn to this handsome and charismatic man. But reality always has a way of intruding, and logic tells her that this adventure can’t last. When real life inevitably comes calling, Rachel must decide if she’s willing to trade in her dream of success in the courtroom for a chance at love.

My Review

Oh my goodness, this book is so much fun.  I was laughing from the first page.  I love how Aubrey writes, with tons of humor and heart.  Rachel is a fabulous character.  She is so much fun and I loved her relationship with Shannon.  Henry was very intriguing too.  He was a mystery, but a character I looked forward to reading more about.  Every page is a delight!  This is probably my favorite book from Aubrey.

5 out of 5 stars.

Author Links

Website / Goodreads / Twitter

Purchase Links

Amazon / Barnes and Noble / Deseret Book / Seagull Book

Love on a Whim Blog Tour Bannera Rafflecopter giveaway

Before the Clock Strikes Thirty by Aubrey Mace – Countdown to Summer 2014

 Posted by  Countdown to Summer
Jun 122014
 

CD2S-2014_300

9 days until summer!

 

aubreymaceAubrey Mace lives in Utah but every winter she considers moving somewhere warmer. She enjoys her job in an infusion center but wishes she had more time to spend with the people in her head– the ones who lure her in with the promise of a good story and never fail to surprise her. When she’s not consorting with them, she likes to hang out with her family and friends– the ones who walk the delicate line between supporting her writing addiction and keeping her grounded in reality. Aubrey has four published novels– Spare Change, My Fairy Grandmother, Santa Maybe, and Before the Clock Strikes Thirty. She also has a novella, The Science of Sentiment, which was included in the Timeless Romance Anthology Spring Vacation Collection.

Visit Aubrey:  WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER 

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LDSWBR: What book or movie reminds you of summer?

AUBREY: My favorite summer book is Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury. I was assigned to read it in my sophomore English class and our teacher took us all out on the football field and we walked around barefoot in the grass. Still one of my favorite books ever; I try to read it every summer.

LDSWBR: Do you hike during the summer? If so, where is your favorite place to hike?

AUBREY: I do like to hike but I have to cover up pretty good– I love the sun, but it wants me to suffer! My favorite hike is Calf Creek Falls but I love Bryce Canyon too.

LDSWBR: What is the best book you’ve read so far this year?

AUBREY: The best book I’ve read so far this year is probably The Secret History by Donna Tartt. You already know whodunit on the first page and the story itself unfolds pretty slowly, but the character study is fascinating. Donna Tartt creates some of the most real characters I’ve ever met.

LDSWBR: Thanks, Aubrey!

* * *

DESERET BOOK | SEAGULL BOOK | BARNES & NOBLE | AMAZON | GOODREADS

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With wedding festivities swirling around her, the bride’s fortune-telling aunt transfixes young Shannon Fielding. The gypsy woman foresees love in the girl’s future: before her thirtieth year, Shannon will meet the man of her dreams. The promise of romance is absolutely thrilling it’s almost enough to compensate for the groom’s annoying younger brother . . .

Shannon has remembered, and loathed, Nathan since their childhood meeting at the wedding reception that set her on a never-ending quest to find her Mr. Right. When Nathan steps back into Shannon’s life, she is forced to reconcile her memory of the obnoxious boy he once was with the endearing man he’s become. Nathan quickly becomes the best friend a girl could ask for but when their friendship threatens to develop into something more, can Shannon give up the idea of the mysterious soul mate she’s sought for so long?

What is your most memorable high school read?

* * *

**To enter the LDSWBR Countdown to Summer 2014, leave a thoughtful comment below.**

This is raffle-style drawing where all entries throughout the contest period are entered into the same “hat” for all prizes. Because this is a raffle-style drawing, commenting on each Countdown to Summer 2014 post will give you more chances to win. Please click through to the website as only comments submitted directly on this post will be accepted.

Prizes include a $50 Amazon gift card and the author-donated books listed below. US only. 18 years and older please. See all contest rules and restrictions below.

Following LDSWBR is not required but you may want to consider doing so during the contest so you don’t miss any posts or chances to enter the drawing. You can follow us through email, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Instagram, and Pinterest (links in our sidebar.)

If one of our reviews has ever helped you find a book you enjoyed, please consider helping us spread the word about the LDSWBR Countdown to Summer 2014. A link posted to your friends and family either in email or on your favorite social network would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

By leaving a comment and entering the Countdown to Summer 2014, you agree to the contest rules below:

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY; entrants must be 18 years or older; open to residents of continental US only; giveaway begins June 5, 2014 and all entries must be received by 12:00 Midnight June 30, 2014 Mountain Time; to enter, complete the required entry on each post and any additional entries of your choice if listed; LDS Women’s Book Review reserves the right to determine what is considered a thoughtful comment as per each post’s required entry; giveaway prizes include a $50 Amazon gift card and a variety of book prizes donated by featured authors; the number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning; LDS Women’s Book Review is not liable for technical problems which may affect entry into the giveaway; winner identity will be verified by email address; winner will be selected July 3, 2014 by use of a sequence generator on random.org; winner will have until July 10, 2014 to claim their prize; if any prize winner forfeits or does not claim prize, prize will be re-awarded to next winner in sequence; all prizes will be awarded; limit of two prizes per entrant; this contest/giveaway is not associated with Facebook, Twitter or any other entity unless otherwise specified; by entering the giveaway you give LDS Women’s Book Review the right to publicize your name on the LDS Women’s Book Review blog; winner agrees to release LDS Women’s Book Review from any liability as a result of winning; email comments and questions to LDS Women’s Book Review – ldswbr (at) gmail (dot) com; giveaway subject to Utah regulations; VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

**Book Prizes (as of 6/12/14 – more to be added to this list!)**

  • Unraveled by Julie Daines (signed paperback)
  • Any book by A.L. Sowards (choice of paperback or Kindle version)
  • An autographed copy of any one Sarah M. Eden book of the winner’s choice
  • Chances Are by Traci Hunter Abramson (signed/personalized paperback)
  • Choice of The Inventor’s Secret (hardback or paperback) or The Avatar Battle (hardback or audio CD) by Chad Morris (signed copy)
  • Missing Lily by Annette K. Larsen (ebook in .mobi or epub)
  • Glimmering Light by Margot Hovley (personalized paperback or Kindle)
  • Before the Clock Strikes Thirty by Aubrey Mace (personalized paperback)

 

Before the Clock Strikes Thirty by Aubrey Mace

 Posted by  Book Reviews
May 232014
 

41j73irFEMLBefore the Clock Strikes Thirty

Author: Aubrey Mace

Publisher: Covenant Communications 

Published: April 2014

ISBN: 978-1-62108-250-7

Paperback: 193 pages

FTC FYI: Received a paperback copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Reviewed by Mindy

Goodreads Summary

With wedding festivities swirling around her, the bride’s fortune-telling aunt transfixes young Shannon Fielding. The gypsy woman foresees love in the girl’s future: before her thirtieth year, Shannon will meet the man of her dreams. The promise of romance is absolutely thrilling it’s almost enough to compensate for the groom’s annoying younger brother . . .
Shannon has remembered, and loathed, Nathan since their childhood meeting at the wedding reception that set her on a never-ending quest to find her Mr. Right. When Nathan steps back into Shannon’s life, she is forced to reconcile her memory of the obnoxious boy he once was with the endearing man he’s become. Nathan quickly becomes the best friend a girl could ask for but when their friendship threatens to develop into something more, can Shannon give up the idea of the mysterious soul mate she’s sought for so long?

My Review

From the first page, I knew this was going to be a fun read.  Aubrey’s humor brightly shined through in writing these fun characters and enjoyable story.  I laughed a lot, smiled a lot and at times, I wanted to smack Shannon.  As fun of a character as she was, she was stubborn and clueless.  But that turned out to be my favorite thing about her.  Her inner voice and the back-and-forth way about her made for a great read.  We first meet Shannon in a closet with her best friend, Nathan, while they are hiding from an interesting situation at a wedding.  The rest of the story is told in flashback, starting when Shannon was younger, and when she first meets Nathan, AKA: Jerkface.  (I’m going to let you figure out why/how he is called that.)  I loved how this story was told.  Very clever and entertaining.  Shannon, of course, stole the show for me.  Darling character who is trying to figure out her life, while trying to figure out who she loves.

4 out of 5 stars.  I know I sound like a broken record, but this is a very fun read that will leave you happy at the end.  The characters are strong and Aubrey’s writing is solid.

Author Links

Blog / Twitter

Purchase Links

Amazon / Deseret Book / Barnes and Noble / Seagull Book

 

A Timeless Romance Anthology: Spring Vacation Collection – Combined Review

 Posted by  Book Reviews, Combined Reviews, Mindy's Reviews, Shanda's Reviews
May 062013
 

TIMELESS darkerA Timeless Romance Anthology: Spring Vacation Collection

Authors: Josi S. Kilpack, Annette Lyon, Heather Justesen, Sarah M. Eden, Heather B. Moore, Aubrey Mace

Published: February 1, 2013

Publisher: Mirror Press

Format: ebook

FTC FYI: Received an ePub copy in exchange for an honest review

Reviewed by: Mindy and Shanda

Goodreads Summary 

Six Award-Winning Authors have contributed new stories to A Timeless Romance Anthology: Spring Vacation Collection. Readers will love this collection of six sweet contemporary romance novellas, centered on a Spring Vacation, all with one thing in common: Romance.

In Moonlight Kiss, a delightful story by Josi S. Kilpack, Sarah is looking forward to the company retreat, namely because she’ll finally meet Clint—the man she’s been Instant Messaging for a few months. As a single mom, Sarah gets out . . . well, never. So adding vacation days onto the retreat so she can spend time with Clint is daring, yet exciting. She just hopes that the suave on-line Clint will live up to the man she hopes to share her heart with.

In Annette Lyon’s charming novella, Chasing Tess, Tess had been patiently waiting through three years of law school for James to pop the question. The night has finally arrived—at his graduation party. But his big announcement turns out to be completely unexpected . . . and devastating. Tess flees the party, promising herself she’ll never let herself waste time on James again. But as she makes a desperate cross-country drive, James makes his own plans on how to win her back.

Dancing at the Flea Market is a sweet romance by Heather Justesen. Mara, fresh out of the cold North Dakota tundra, spends her spring break in Texas with close friend, Anna. When the two women run into Carter, an impatient man with a painful past, it takes hearing Mara’s stunning voice at the local Karaoke club to thaw his heart. But as Mara gets to know Carter, she has to decide if the distance between their lives and homes is worth trying to bridge.

In Sarah M. Eden’s captivating novella, The Best Laid Plans, Madison gives up a vacation to Cancún with her office friends to return home and babysit her mother, who is in another sketchy relationship. The only problem with returning home is running into Derek, her ex-boyfriend who she decided to break up with before he could break up with her—Madison believes in always being one step ahead. When Derek teams up with Madison to investigate whether her mother is dating the right guy, Madison has a hard time ignoring what her heart is telling her about giving Derek another chance.

Picture Perfect, an exciting story by Heather B. Moore, follows Gemma who has never done anything out of the ordinary, until her boyfriend Randy starts to ignore her. But even cutting and dyeing her hair doesn’t get his attention. She decides to join her old high school friends for spring vacation, only to be faced with Drew, her best friend who suddenly seems interested in her as more than a friend. Gemma must determine if her heart is on the rebound or if it’s finally met its true match.

In Aubrey Mace’s enchanting romance, The Science of Sentiment, Rosie will do anything to forget Kevin, his completely perfect kisses, and the fact that he dumped her. When she arrives at her grandfather’s mountain cabin for a spring getaway, she discovers her worst nightmare—Kevin has been invited to stay the weekend too. Since there is only room for one in such a small space, Rosie is determined to kick Kevin out. But Kevin has other plans . . . which might include a reminder of why he’s the perfect kisser.

Mindy’s Review

This is a very enjoyable book full of six well-written and fun short stories.  Each one is very unique, and most importantly, clean romances with awesome characters.  I was quickly taken into each story with their fun plots and spring settings.  As I was reading each story, I was sure it was my favorite, then I would start the next one, and it became my new favorite.  Each story has its share of great kisses.  The kiss in Heather Moore’s Picture Perfect… WOW!

5 out of 5 stars.  As you finish each story, you will be happily wanting more.  I can’t wait for Summer Wedding Collection in May.  

Shanda’s Review

The A Timeless Romance Anthology series has proven that a short love story can still be big on romance. I enjoyed each one, amazed at how well each author packed a full story into a smaller page count without making it feel rushed or incomplete.

My favorite was Sarah Eden’s The Best Laid Plans. I’m going to quote my notes directly: “Sigh (big smiley face). Loved it. Maddi & Derek – great couple. Good story. Nice romance.” I agree with Mindy about the kiss in Picture Perfect. I was pleasantly surprised with the little turn the story took in Chasing Tess. It was happily not what I expected.

If you like a good romance, check out A Timeless Romance Anthology: Spring Vacation Collection. I’m anxiously looking forward to the next installment, A Timeless Romance Anthology: Summer Wedding Collection. I got a sneak peek at Melanie Jacobson’s Love Bytes and, well, I loved it.

 
Purchase Links:

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

Anthology Links:

BLOG | GOODREADS |  FACEBOOK

Author links are listed above.

Episode 42 Part 3 with authors Aubrey Mace and Jessica Day George

 Posted by  Book Releases & Signings, News
Apr 142010
 

While at the Valor Publishing Book Launch in March, we ran into authors Aubrey Mace and Jessica Day George, who had come to show their support. We took the opportunity in Episode 42 Part 3 to talk to them about what they’ve been working on and they were more than willing accommodate us. Aubrey and Jessica are sweet and funny ladies. You won’t want to miss this one!

Listen to Episode 42 Part 3 here, or find us in iTunes and subscribe to the podcast.

We have pictures, of course, including one with author Dan Willis :). Thanks Aubrey and Jessica!

Santa Maybe by Aubrey Mace

 Posted by  Book Reviews, Hillary's Reviews
Mar 242010
 

Hello friends!

Hillary here-

For this week, I’ll be chatting about “Santa Maybe”, Aubrey Mace’s newest release. Again, because of lame library due dates, I had to return it, so, humor me a bit here.

Well, this book was nothing at all what I was expecting. Aubrey tells a story of a single, I think over 30 year old woman, who has had her heart broken many times and basically resigns herself to spinsterhood. Abbie is a baker and owns a cute little bakery in the city which she lives. Her family is very supportive if not a bit nosy, but not in the annoying, I-can’t-stand-your-mom-in-law kind of way, just in the I-care-a-lot-about-you-so-I’m-checking-up-on-you way.

So, it’s Christmas time, and Abbie’s sister, Grace, convinces Abbie, (albeit Abbie does not tell her until after the fact) to write to Santa and ask for a husband. Sure enough, Christmas morning, she has a man in her living room in his jammies, ready to chat it up with her.

Overall, I thought the book was light-hearted, unexpected, and an overall fun read. Abbie is a very likeable main character who you can’t help rooting for, and Ben is an adorable, quick-witted man who I would totally have a crush on if he was real. Lucky for me, he already shares alot of Ben’s qualities. So as far as characters go, they are well done and real. Very engaging.

Now for the story itself- I like it. The only complaint I have is just how quick Abbie was to accept Ben’s answer of where he came from. She had a problem with the lie, but no issue with the “real” reason of where he came from. I too have really big problems with lies, and normally my reaction would be similar to Abbie’s, but HELLO- THE NORTH POLE, threw a little bit of a kink in there for me. I did have to remind myself, that this is a book and therefore, anything the author throws in there is fine, because after all, it’s her book. It just came out of nowhere. I guess I needed evidence of a little more magic in there to make the little surprise Ben gives her a little more believeable.

So for me, I would totally read it again. The characters were adorable, and the storyline very good. For a romance, not a “maybe” but a great choice. (C’mon, you know that was funny- well, almost…)

ta-ta for now my online friends! Until next week!
Hillary
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