Undercover in High Heels by Gemma Halliday

Set on the set of Magnolia Lane, TV’s newest hit, Maddie finds herself in the middle of a real life story as she investigates a young starlet’s death. Each star seems to have a motive and too much publicity complicates everything.

A cute mystery story with a good sense of humor is always bound to catch my attention.

Details: Making It, September 2007

Excellence Rating: Very Good

Killer in High Heels by Gemma Halliday

The sequel to Spying In High Heels features Maddie Springer wrapped up in the middle of a big mystery. This time her father who ran off a long time ago to Vegas, makes a desperate call for help. So she hits the road in search of her father. Combining a good mystery with a nice batch of wacky characters and this book is sure to bring a smile to your face.

Details: Making It, March 2007

Excellence Rating: Very Good

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book. While I love the Samantha Jellicoe stories, this one is half historical and half modern with a common

Imagine being raised in family where assassination is a tradition and children are raised to be ruthless to be deadly killers. But when the heroine falls in love with someone charged with protecting her latest target, the situation explodes – literally.

This story doesn’t take itself too seriously and it filled with lots of humor and interesting situations. While the publisher is noted for it’s chick-lit stories, this particular one ends with a happily ever after. I’m definitely looking forward to her next book.

Details: Making It, August 2007

Excellence Rating: Great

Coupon Girl by Becky Motew

Jeanie Callahan ekes out a living by selling ads in for coupon mailer company. But when the boss offers a bonus of $5,000 to the person who sells the most new ads, Jeanie decides to take on the office’s overachiever to finance the purchase of a car that actually works. To help her win the bet, she auditions for the local production of The Sound Of Music in order to find some new customers, but finds that the play is much more entertaining from back stage. Now between juggling her job and the play, will Jeanie win the five grand or will she succeed in a way no one expects?

Becky draws on her real life experiences selling ads for a coupon mailer company to create a wacky cast of characters. This results in a cute story – funny in some places, a bit rough in others. However considering it’s a chick-lit book and not a romance, it works in this story. A nice read and recommended to chick-lit lovers who can’t resist rooting for the understudy.

Details: Making It, May 2007

Excellence Rating: Pretty Good

Steaminess Factor: Yummy

Spying in High Heels by Gemma Halliday

Maddie Springer’s day started out badly when she realized she was late. Not late for work or late with her newest shoe design, but late as in “oh my god, I might be pregnant”. When she stops by to give the father, Richard Howe, the news, she finds him in the middle of an argument with a dangerous looking man. When the guy leaves, Richard cancels their lunch date. But when the dangerous guy returns, Maddie learns that Jack Ramirez is a detective for the LAPD. He lets her know that Richard is married and may have left the country with 20 million in embezzled funds. Maddie is furious and begins her own investigation only to be shot at and accused of murder. Now Maddie needs to stay one step ahead of Ramirez as she attempts to find the real villain, only Ramirez is ready to do nearly anything he can to stop her.

This is an cute chick-lit story and I really liked the pregnant angle. Add in a cast of wacky characters ranging from her mother who is planning her own bachelor party to her best friend who changes boyfriends quicker than most people change socks. There’s a lot of humor packed in this book and if you like chick-lit, I think reading it will bring a smile to your face.

Details: Making It, August 2006

Bottom line: A very good book

The Stork Reality by Malena Lott

Suppose you’re the creative director of a major advertising agency and your husband just became a junior partner in his law firm. Your job takes you to great places and you love to party all night and work all day. Live is rough, right? But then one morning you realize that you skipped your period. You’re pregnant or at least that’s what the pregnancy test and your doctor tell you. Now you’ll have to give up the job you love because preggo’s can’t work 80 hours per week and you’re afraid to tell your husband, because he’s going to leave or worse. Can life get any worse than this?

This book follows a woman as she navigates the rocky road of pregnancy. You get to see the low points of her life along with how she battles back to get control. It’s a very good book and one of those books that you’re going to read and say, why didn’t I write this story. Especially if you have children.

Details: Making It, June 2006

Bottom line: A very good book

Calendar Girl by Naomi Neale

Nan Cloutier is 28 years old and still living life as if she was just out of school. Rather than hold down a regular job, Nan drifts from one temporary job to another, barely making enough money to pay for her apartment, which also doubles as a storeroom for old bakery equipment from the bakery downstairs. Life is wonderful or at least it’s better than being an accountant, stuck in some stuffy old office day after day. But when Nan’s brothers move in because their lives hit rock bottom, Nan dreams of the day she can escape the insanity.

This is a classic chick-lit novel: the ditzy girl narrates the story in first person, she has a bunch wacky friends and a strange family, plus she enough bad luck to drive most people insane. However, like most chick-lit books this one wandered all over the place. It was hard to keep the people and places straight and while the last quarter of the book shows a marked change in Nan, it felt fairly abrupt and left me wondering how I got here. But if you like chick-lit, you’ll probably like book and even if you don’t, some of her imagery is worth reading.

Details: Making It, February 2006

Bottom line: A pretty good book