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Breaking the Rules

Holiday Treats for Chick Lit Lovers

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In the spirit of coming together for the holidays, eight popular Chick Lit authors are “partying it up” with a shared promotion for book lovers! That means eight fun and fizzy e-books, each priced at $3.99 or less, that are packed with plenty of laughs and romance to keep you entertained on those long winter nights! And if you’d like to gift one of these books to a Chick Lit fan, we’ve got you covered with your choice of paperbacks!

Which books are featured in this festive promo?

Finding Lucas by Samantha Stroh Bailey – Daytime talk show producer Jamie Ross is beyond fed up with her toxic bad boy turned metrosexual boyfriend. Spurred on by her gang of quirky friends, she goes on a hilarious, at-times disastrous, and totally life-changing hunt to track down the “one who got away.” But are some loves best left behind? E-book and paperback available on Amazon.

In Need of Therapy by Tracie Banister – Handling the problems of hysterical hypochondriacs, lovelorn neurotics, and compulsive man whores is all in a day’s work for super-shrink Pilar Alvarez. But can she deal with her crazy Cuban family, a trio of unsuitable suitors, and a threat to her practice without ending up on the couch herself? E-book available on Amazonand Barnes & Noble; paperback available on Amazon.

What the Dog Ate by Jackie Bouchard – Discovering what her dog ate turns Maggie Baxter’s world upside down. With her chocolate Lab, Kona, as her guide, can Maggie forego her overly analytical ways to find a new life filled with tail-wagging joy? E-book available on Amazon,Barnes & Noble, and iTunes; paperback available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

The Girl, the Gold Tooth, & Everything by Francine LaSala – Suburban housewife Mina, beaten-down and struggling with amnesia, starts getting her memory and her mojo back. But she soon learns everything has a price in this fast-paced, richly layered, and darkly humorous satire! E-book and paperback available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Breaking the Rules by Cat Lavoie – When Roxy Rule shares a passionate kiss with her lifelong best friend, she must come to terms with her feelings for him while dealing with two sisters in full crisis mode, a boss who makes her want to stab herself with a letter opener and a fiancé who can’t wait to walk down the aisle. Can she keep it together–or will she break under the pressure? E-book available on Amazon, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble; paperback available on Amazon.

Fashioning a Romance by Libby Mercer – Devastatingly handsome and deliciously weird, John Harrington is the man of Caitlyn Taylor’s dreams… and her nightmares. She has no use for a womanizer like him, and dodges his advances like a pro. But when they end up in Paristogether, Caitlyn feels her resolve begin to slip. How will she ever be able to resist the irresistible in the most romantic city in the world? E-book available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo.

A State of Jane by Meredith Schorr – Jane Frank is newly single after nine years and looking for a second chance at love. But when she dives head first into the NYC dating scene and finds it infested with flakes who are interested today and gone tomorrow, it may be time for Jane to turn the tables! E-book available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and iTunes; paperback available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Picture Perfect by Lucie Simone – Lauren Tate’s perfectly planned life quickly unravels at the seams when a smear campaign threatens her career as a top TV executive, but she learns just how cutthroat showbiz can truly be when the hottest scandal in Tinsel Town turns deadly and the Hollywood hunk who’s stolen her heart goes missing. E-book available on Amazon; paperback available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Breaking the Rules

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Book review for “Breaking the Rules”

“Breaking the Rules” by Cat Lavoie

When Roxy Rule’s best friend and roommate, Ollie, gets a new job in England she’s happy for him.  Nothing will change, she tells herself.  When the two share a kiss right before he leaves, it catches Roxy by complete surprise.  After revealing what happened to their friends, not bothering to mention it to her fiance (because it didn’t mean anything, right?), she decides to ignore it and move on with her hectic life as an assistant for “boss who makes her want to stab herself with a letter opener.”  Not only does Roxy have to deal with her boss, Roxy’s sisters move in with her (one sister is pregnant and one who’s in a premature midlife crisis), which creates even more havoc on her life.  Arguing with her fiance about her never-ending credit card balance due to buying kitchen supplies that she can’t live without, and dealing with the drama in her life, Roxy puts her dream about being a chef on the back burner.

What will Roxy do when she can no longer put up with her fiance and his overbearing mother?  Will Roxy help her boss out when she needs her most?  Most of all, what will Roxy do when she finds some news that changes everything?

A few months ago I decided that I wouldn’t be taking anymore request until after the year so that I could focus on my own books.  When I received an email from Samantha of Marching Ink asking me to read and review Breaking the Rules, I read synopsis and knew immediately that I had to read the debut novel by Cat Lavoie!  It seemed like it would be a great Chick Lit read, and seemed not too far off about a friendship when I had when I was younger.

From the first sentence to the last period, Breaking the rules was a delight to read!  I read it in three days and loved the characters, especially Rox!  She had me laughing the whole time, and though I was a little nervous about what she would say and do in certain situations, she didn’t let me down — especially in the end!   (Read the book to find why I was on the edge of my seat).  As for Roxy’s fiance, his behavior and words really annoyed me, but I understood that by the end.  I enjoyed Roxy’s sisters’ characters.  While all the sisters were dealing with their own personal drama, I liked how they came together when it was needed.  Last, but not least, there’s Ollie who I liked a lot, but wished there would’ve been more of him, maybe by emails or phone calls just to keep him more involved with Roxy.

There were a lot of twists and turns and I liked that.  There was nothing that the brilliant author hadn’t explained or make the reader wonder.

Overall, I LOVED this book!  If you’re wanting to read a fun and entertaining book about family, love, and relationships, then Breaking the Rules is the book for you!

I give this book 5 stars!

**Buy “Breaking the Rules!”

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**Click HERE to read my interview with Cat Lavoie!

Cat Lavoie

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About the author:  Cat Lavoie was born in the small town of Jonquière in Québec, Canada. At the age of nineteen, she packed up her things (mostly books) and moved to the big city of Montreal where she currently lives with her tempestuous cat Abbie—who is both adorable and quite possibly evil.

An incurable Anglophile since her university days where she studied English Literature, she can often be found daydreaming about her next trip to London. Since she’s an expert at the art of procrastination, Cat is easily distracted by cooking and home improvement shows—even though she’s not particularly good at either.

Cat grew up watching soap operas and legal dramas and—had she not decided to be a claims analyst by day and write chick lit by night—she would have probably become a designer suit-wearing lawyer. Or a character on All My Children (which is what she really wanted to be when she was twelve).

Cat is not sure whether she’s a geek or a nerd—and is afraid she might be both. Breaking the Rules is her first novel.

Interview with Cat Lavoie

You’re an author! How does it feel to have your book published?  It feels so awesome! These last few months working on edits and getting everything ready for Breaking the Rules’ release have been really exciting.

Facebook or Twitter?  Both. I left Facebook for a few years and—for the longest time—my only social media outlets were Twitter and my blog. But now I’m back on Facebook and I love how I’ve connected with readers and other writers in such a short time… so now I’m trying to balance both.

Did you always want to be a writer?  As far as I can remember, I’ve loved stories and books. When I was in grade school, I used to beg my teacher to let me stay inside during recess so I could read at my desk. Being a writer was definitely one of my dreams when I was growing up.

What is your snack and/or drink of choice when writing?  Oh no. This is the part of the interview where I reveal my crippling addiction to Lays Salt & Vinegar potato chips and Cadbury’s Dairy Milk chocolate bars! But I also drink a lot of water (with tons of ice cubes) when I’m writing. So it’s not all bad!

Where did you get the idea for “Breaking the Rules?”  I was having a conversation with a male friend about the age-old question: can a man and a woman really be just friends? Then I started asking myself: what if a lifelong platonic relationship got really complicated, really fast? The characters and the rest of the story just grew from there.

How long did it take to write it?  I worked on it on and off for a few years, taking notes, doing research and outlining. But once I decided to focus on completing my first draft (i.e. stop working on the outline and actually write the story) it took me a little under a year.

What was your writing/experience like?  Painfully slow. I tend to edit as I write and I have trouble moving on with the story until I feel the sentence/paragraph/chapter I’m working on is ‘perfect.’ It was definitely a challenge to silence my inner editor long enough to finish writing the first draft.

When your book was published, how did you celebrate?  I seem to recall a horribly uncoordinated happy dance in the middle of my living room that scared Abbie (my cat) and sent her hiding for cover. Then I had a celebratory dinner with my best friend. (Followed by another happy dance when I got back home.)

Paperback or eBook?  Why?  Mostly eBooks. As a tech geek and a shopaholic, I love the fact that I can carry all my books with me everywhere I go and that I can go from wanting a book to owning that book in just a few simple clicks.  But I still love the look and feel of a physical book, though. When I really love a novel, I usually end up buying a copy for my bookshelf.

What authors inspire you?  That’s a tough one because there are so many! I’d have to say my main inspiration is Sophie Kinsella. Reading “Confessions of a Shopaholic” helped me find my voice. From that moment on, I knew I wanted to write chick lit. And I love authors like Marian Keyes who combine humor with more serious issues.

What’s the best advice you’ve been given?  The best writing advice I’ve ever been given is: “write the book you want to read” and “write.” For the longest time, I was talking about writing, thinking about writing and even writing about writing… but I wasn’t really writing. So that advice really hit home.

Are you working on anything now?  If so, would you like to share anything?  I’m currently working on the first draft of my second novel called Zoey & the Moment of Zen. It’s the story of a woman who gets sent to an island resort by her friends and family to help her get over an ex-boyfriend. Hopefully, hilarity will ensue.

**Contact Cat!:  Cat blogs about the writing life and posts adorable pictures of Abbie over at the Catenabi Chronicles.  You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter!

**Click HERE to read my 5 star review of Cat’s debut novel, Breaking the Rules!