Jumble Pie by Melanie Lynne Hauser

JUMBLE PIE is the story of the elusive nature of friendship, sometimes clinging, other times liberating; a story for any woman who has ever lied to her best friend just to make her feel better - and who has been brave enough to tell the truth, even when it hurts. And of course, it's a story about the remarkable healing power of pie.

"IN THE BEGINNING, there was the pie. The pie was without form and texture (and any manner of identifiable filling), and darkness was upon the face of the Home Ec Teacher…"

So begins the story of two women, a friendship, and a pie. JUMBLE PIE, to be exact. A Home Ec project gone very wrong, except for the fact that it brings together two very different young girls and helps them form a friendship that lasts through bad haircuts, unrequited love, endless incarnations of Madonna, and their own evolving dreams... Until New Year's Eve, 1999, when another pie comes along, resulting in a pre-party blow-up that sets Juliet and Emily, women now, to remembering how it all got started.



More about Melanie Lynne Hauser

Review:

Get ready to laugh, cry and find yourself totally involved in the lives of Emily and Juliet as they share a friendship that begins, ends and begins anew with pie.

"Girlfriend lit" isn't usually my thing, but I get drawn into the quirky yet very real characters right off. Hauser has a knack for creating unique characters that are nonetheless very familiar. Emily reminded me a little of myself (brainy and thinking that guaranteed success) and my best friend, who can be clueless and impulsive. I thought her passion for big words was a little overdone in the chapters of their childhood, but not enough to make me put down the book--and believe me, I have low tolerance. Juliet really captured my heart. Not incredibly gifted, coming from a broken family, she blossoms in college and learns how to capitalize on her strengths.

I really enjoyed that aspect of the book--that you make the most of what God gives you. Emily, while brilliant, didn't understand that smarts are not enough--you need to work on your skills. Life does not guarantee you success. This is a theme I am constantly hammering home to my own children; I'll be giving Amber a copy of this book when she's older.

I definitely recommend this book!

Pennywise By Jill Brock

What would you do for your best friend? Would you break the law, put yourself in danger, or put your own emotional and mental meltdown on hold? Odessa Wilkes is about to find out when she helps her best friend, Maggie Swift find her missing husband. Roger Swift is gone and emptied out the checking account. He's left his wife clueless and in near hysterics. Maggie comes to Odessa for help and she can't say no. She should say no, because she has problems of her own. Odessa, a lapsed African American Princess, has been dumped by her 'perfect' boyfriend, lost her six-figured advertising job, and is dealing with an anxiety disorder that turns her to Jell-O when anything gets too 'intense'. She has been reduced to making desserts at her family restaurant and working for her overbearing sister, Candace. Friends since high school, Maggie and Odessa go in search of Roger with Maggie's mischievous eight-year old son Rocket in tow and the family dog. Standing just over five feet tall and a dead ringer for redheaded Tinker Bell, Maggie is determined to find Roger. Armed with a copy of 'An Idiot's Guide to Private Investigating' and Maggie's contagious enthusiasm, Odessa knows it's only a matter of time before they find trouble. Trouble comes in the form of an inept kidnapper, a valuable missing treasure, an ex-boyfriend, insurance fraud, and the improper use of pepper spray. Eventually, the two amateur detectives learn they are more than capable of finding Roger. More importantly, what Odessa finds is the way back to herself and the possibility of a new chance at love.

Available at Amazon.com

Sweet Georgia Brown by Cheryl Robinson

Sweet Georgia Brown by Cheryl Robinson

Meet Georgia Brown-a humble housewife determined to become a household name . . .

After eleven years of marriage, Georgia Brown is fed up with her husband, Marvin, a popular radio personality. It's not just because she suspects he's having an affair, or because she's suddenly expected to raise his thirteen-year-old daughter, Chloe-whom she never even knew existed. It's because of the comments he makes about her weight, their marriage, and their sex life...on national radio!

Now, to save their marriage, Marvin invites Georgia to the station for an on-air rebuttal, having no idea it will launch her career. Or that what began as a battle at home will now be a blistering war for all to hear . . .

Publisher: NAL Trade
Publication Date: Jan-2008
Price: $13.95
Author: Cheryl Robinson
ISBN - 10: 0451222288
ISBN - 13: 978-0451222282

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Praise for the Novels of Cheryl Robinson

“Fresh and exciting” – The Charlotte Post
“Laugh-out-loud snappy dialogue, compelling plot twists, and
heart-feeling, genuine characters.” – Cydney Rax
“One of the hottest fiction authors of today.” – Urban Reviews
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Cheryl Robinson was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. She has a degree in business marketing from Wayne State University. Cheryl currently lives in Central Florida, and is working on her next novel. Visit her Website at www.cherylrobinson.com and her MySpace profile at www.myspace.com/cherylrobinson.

Dare by Abiola Abrams

Dare is the crazy, sexy, smart debut novel by BET host Abiola Abrams of indie film show The Best Shorts. DARE is the sizzling story of a sociologist who goes undercover and winds up in too deep as a racy rapper searching for love in the glam world of entertainment. this chick lit version of Faust, set in the world of Hollyhood is a searing tale of love, music and temptation.

Meet Maya Hope. Double-dipped in cocoa with brick-house curves, she's a lover of jazz, a political poet, and a sociologist. Her best friend and roommate, Athena Jackson, is her opposite in every way- a petite ex-cheerleader who's always blaring rap, grinding out rhymes, and ready to take the next man home. When Maya is forced to pinch-hit in an audition and bust Athena's rhymes, she finds herself on an undercover escapade in the wild world of hip-hop as the raw, sexy, roughneck Jezebel. After striking a deal with her own personal devil, Maya sets off on the tempting roller-coaster ride of a lifetime -- finding music, more fun than she's ever had, and even a man or two...but not without Faustian consequences.

An off the hook cast of colorful characters includes Lucy, the diva deluxe brand-addicted publicist from hell; Shell the Boy Wonder, wunderkind entrepreneurial label mogul party boy and Thug, the gritty handsome hardcore rapper with something to prove.

Brimming with electric sensuality, Dare is an unforgettable, envelope-pushing odyssey of two gutsy women playing by their own rules.

Abiola Abrams is a BET personality and her debut novel DARE is a romantic comedy available at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble or wherever you buy books. Find excerpts or more from Abiola and Dare at www.abiolaabrams.com, www.daretogetalife.com or myspace.com/goddessfactory.