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Up To I Do

Chick Lit Goddess’s Five Favorite Reads for 2015!

December 31, 2015 3 Comments

Chick Lit Goddess’s Five Favorite Reads in 2015!

As another year is upon us, it’s time for us to look back at the books Chick Lit Goddess has reviewed this year, and while we weren’t accepting many review requests, when it came time to pick our top five favorites, it was quite a challenge. To see all the book we reviewed this year, click HERE.


 

**Counting down from five, here are the Chick Lit Goddess’s Five Favorite Reads in 2015!:

5: “Dear Internet: It’s Me, Avery” by Jennifer Ammoscato
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This book was hilarious! If you’re looking for a quick, fun, and light-hearted summer read, this is for you!

4: “A Beautiful Kind of Love” by Ellie Wade
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This book is for anyone who believes in love, even when you might not end up with “the one” you thought you would, (**Note: this is Book #1 in the series).

3: “Speak Not or Forever Hold Your Peace” by Becky Monson
SpeakNowOrForeverHoldYourPeace
This book is true Chick Lit, and I cannot wait to read more of Becky’s books! (My recommendation, start with this one!)

2: “Up to I Do” by Samantha March
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Even with wedding drama, this book shows that love will find its way!

 


1: “Plan Bea” by Hilary Grossman
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Three words: Grab the tissues!

Here at Chick Lit Goddess, it’s been a wonderful 2015, and we look forward to the New Year. If you were featured on CLG this year, we hope we helped you and/or your book succeed, and if you’d like to come back, just email us! Also, as you know, our book blog company, Goddess Book Tours, opens Monday, so stay tuned for more information!

From our family to yours, we wish you a very happy New Year!

Filed Under: Book Review Tagged With: A Beautiful Kind of Love, Books, Chick Lit Goddess’s Five Favorite Reads in 2015!, Chick-Lit, Dear Internet: It’s Me Avery, Plan Bea, Reviews, Romance, Speak Not or Forever Hold Your Peace, Up To I Do, Women's Fiction

BOOK REVIEW: “Up To I Do”

December 30, 2015 2 Comments

UpToIDoCoverPic

Blurb: Emerson Sinclair, twenty-seven year old hotel heiress, has said yes. With just over a year to plan her extravagant, over the top nuptials to Logan Worthington, it’s all hands on deck with the wedding plans. A Sinclair marrying into the Worthington family is the talk of their small New Hampshire town, and ideas include filming the wedding for a TV segment. But as the items get checked off the list, plans start to go…not as planned. From not getting a designer dress to a selfish bridesmaid and unaccountable best man, Emerson is afraid her wedding will be more a joke than anything.

When both her mother and sister seemingly begin to lose interest in her wedding plans in favor of their own personal lives, Emerson fears her big day will turn into the forgotten wedding. With the pressure to pull off a beautiful and elegant event that everyone expects from their respectable families, Emerson starts to forget the reason why she is saying I Do in the first place.

My Review:

First of all, I love the cover! Knowing it’s the famous author herself and her husband on their wedding day made for a wonderful feel of the book!

As some of you might know, I was a beta-reader for “Up To I Do,” and from the beginning, I knew it would easily be one of my top picks for 2015! With all the wedding drama, twists and turns that are part of this book, each time I turned the page, it was anything but predictable (YAY!).

Emerson’s character was very strong, and it was easy to see that while she wanted everything perfect for her big day (like any bride would), when it came down to it, the only thing she wanted was to be with the man she loved. The only thing I would have liked to have seen more is the bond she and her fiancé share–though, then they were in a scene together, it’s easy to see that these two are the real deal, and are madly in love. I’m not going to give away any spoilers, but I loved the way the book ended, (I even had to dab my eyes).

Samantha March is a brilliant author, who creates If you’re looking for an uplifting, fun, and delightful wedding read, I highly recommend this book, (and it would make for a great bachelorette party gifts, too)!

I give “Up To I Do” 5 stars!

Filed Under: Book Review, Up To I Do - Book Review Tagged With: Book review, Books, Chick-Lit, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Samantha March, Up To I Do, Weddings, Women's Fiction

BOOK EXCERPT: “Up To I Do”

September 30, 2015 1 Comment

UpToIDoCoverPic

Blurb: Emerson Sinclair, twenty-seven year old hotel heiress, has said yes. With just over a year to plan her extravagant, over the top nuptials to Logan Worthington, it’s all hands on deck with the wedding plans. A Sinclair marrying into the Worthington family is the talk of their small New Hampshire town, and ideas include filming the wedding for a TV segment. But as the items get checked off the list, plans start to go … not as planned. From not getting a designer dress to a selfish bridesmaid and unaccountable best man, Emerson is afraid her wedding will be more a joke than anything. 
When both her mother and sister seemingly begin to lose interest in her wedding plans in favor of their own personal lives, Emerson fears her big day will turn into the forgotten wedding. With the pressure to pull off a beautiful and elegant event that everyone expects from their respectable families, Emerson starts to forget the reason why she is saying I Do in the first place.

EXCERPT

Chapter Nine

MyWeddingPlans.com Status Update: Nearly lost a bridesmaid today. #needaredo #redhotmess

The day of the bridesmaid dress appointment felt similar to picking out my wedding dress. Once again, Mom, Grams, Milly, Sienna, and the rest of the bridesmaids gathered at the house for breakfast. Delilah had even made the trip down once again, and we were going to have a sleepover at Milly’s that night with the three of us. I couldn’t wait.

Once we were finished eating, we were off in the limo once again to the bridal shop where I had purchased my dress. I had to put my foot down on this. Evie (and also Honor and a tad bit of Tatiana if I’m honest) pushed for a New York trip to find the bridesmaid dress, throwing out all these top-notch shops filled with designer dresses. But . . . if I couldn’t have a designer dress, why would my maids wear one? I had finally come to terms that I had my dream dress and it just happened not to be a big name designer. I couldn’t handle if the other girls had one. The men were wearing Vera Wang for God’s sake. Cut me a little slack here.

Once we arrived at the store and were greeted warmly by Sandra, the owner, she ushered us to the back and I sat on the throne—a big fluffy red chair reserved for brides. Milly handed me scorecards that she had made so I could rate each dress from 1-10, and Sandra explained what would happen. We had fifteen minutes to walk around the store and grab dresses, then the fun would begin. Pretty simple.

On her mark, the lot of us scattered like marbles on a wood floor, on the hunt for the perfect bridesmaid dress. I managed to pull two, getting overwhelmed quickly by all the choices. How would I ever find one? Maybe each girl could wear a different dress in the same color. Would that be too busy? Did I care? Why was I here? Couldn’t I have made Katrina handle this on her own? But no, she probably would have been sucked into going to New York as well. It was better I was here and in control.

“Time!” Sandra stood in the middle of the floor, and I realized then that we were the only people in the store, which I had to think was unusual for a Saturday morning. I wondered if Mom had reserved the space solely for us. That was sweet and a necessity I hadn’t even thought of because I wasn’t sure I could concentrate if a bunch of other bridesmaids were traipsing along the aisles.

After handing my choices over to Sandra and taking a seat at the throne, I waited anxiously for the girls to come out. Each was coming out first in a pick of their own, and I was curious to see what each girl’s style was going to be. Milly was the exception. Since she was my maid of honor, I was going to let her off the hook for trying dresses on. I figured we had enough girls around. She had thanked me profusely that morning for the favor.

“Got your scorecards at the ready?” Sienna asked me, her eyes bright. As the countdown to the big day got closer, Sienna seemed to be more and more in her element. I think Mom was relieved she was taking some of the pressure off her, especially with the pageant taking up more time than she expected it to.

I held up the thick cards that Milly had clearly put a lot of time into. “Ready to roll!”

Sandra cleared her throat and started listing off the designer names and the dress features. Honor was in a strapless dress that fell to the knee, with a belted waist and crumb catcher top. Delilah’s dress also featured a crumb catcher top (these two were so alike it could be scary) but hers had no belt and was less structured than Honor’s. Tatiana had a long strapless dress with a keyhole in the chest area—a little too risqué in my opinion. Evie . . . Evie. Evie was in a short hot pink dress that dipped low in the back, nearly to her crack, and her boobs were pushed up so high I was sure a nip slip was going to happen in the store. How in the world that was a suitable bridesmaid dress for anyone was beyond me. I couldn’t even look at her.

“Gabby’s dress is my favorite out of this group,” I said, my eyes immediately going to her soft chiffon dress with delicate straps and a ruched bodice. It fit her well and looked so pretty and feminine. And to be honest—a crumb catcher scared me. Even the name was just plain weird.

“You have a little diversity here with styles and even lengths,” Sandra said, standing by me. “Let’s focus on Honor and Delilah first, since they are similar. Do you like the crumb catcher top?”

I held up a scorecard with a 4 on it. “Sorry, ladies. I think those tops are weird.”

“Emerson!” They both screeched, looking at one another and laughing. Milly joined in from her perch on the chair next to me.

“I bet this would look great in your wedding,” Delilah said, patting Honor on the arm, who I think turned a little pale at that. “Or yours, Milly. And I can’t wait to hear all about this Miles tonight!”

Milly blushed as we all—even Grams and Sienna—hooted at her. “Yeah, yeah, let’s get back to the task at hand. So nothing fashion forward for the bride. No crumb catcher. Got it.”

“How about Tatiana’s? What do you think of a long dress?” Sandra asked.

I flipped through my stack and held up a 7. “I like this one more, but I’m not sure about long. Most of the pictures I’ve been pinning are short.”

“Long tends to work better for more formal weddings,” Mom said as her cell phone started to ring, piercing through the quiet store. “My gracious, my apologies. I thought I turned the ringer off.” She fumbled in her Prada for her phone, looking at the screen and frowning. “It’s the pageant. Again. Third call this morning. I’m sorry, let me just step outside quick and I’ll be back in a shake.” She rushed outside without even grabbing her coat, and I stared at her retreating back, frowning. For someone who was donating her time and efforts to the pageant cause, she sure was pretty invested in that event.

Shaking my head, I focused again at the task at hand. “Let’s keep it long then,” I said. “I like the idea of a more formal wedding, so if that will help with the pictures, let’s do it. And it’ll be September, so not like the girls will be overheated or anything.”

“Long it is,” Grams confirmed.

“Let’s move to Gabby’s,” Sandra suggested.

“I thought you didn’t want chiffon,” Milly said, remembering a conversation we had in the past about bridesmaid dresses.

“I didn’t think I did, but seeing it on her, it looks really good. I especially like how it’s tight in the middle. I think it would be really flattering on everyone.” I eyed the dress, liking it more with each passing second. I held up a 9. “This is a serious contender.”

Sandra cleared her throat. “And how about . . . Evie’s?”

Everyone was silent. “No,” I said simply.

Evie stomped a foot. “But, Emerson, this color is gorgeous! And not to diss any of these other top-notch dresses, but this one really is the best.” Her tone dripped in sarcasm.

I raised a brow. “No,” I said again. “I’m not even going to touch on how hideous that dress is—no offense, Sandra—or how inappropriate it would be for not only my wedding, but the majority of weddings that take place. Now go back, pick a dress that is actually suitable, and come back. Or leave. I honestly don’t care which.” I folded my arms and stared at her.

She wavered under my glare—I saw it. “Fine.” She flounced away and everyone stood frozen to their spots, not sure of what to say.

Sandra cleared her throat. “Well, um, a successful first round. Let’s head back into the dressing room and I’ll do one of your picks, Emerson, along with picks from the others in the group.” Sandra ushered my maids away and I leaned back in the chair, replacing all the score cards and gearing up for round two.

**Check out the “Up To I Do” book links: Amazon   Barnes & Noble   Kobo   Goodreads

* * * * *

SamanthaMarchNewPic**About the author: Samantha March is an author, editor, publisher, blogger, and all around book lover. She runs the popular book/women’s lifestyle blog ChickLitPlus, which keeps her bookshelf stocked with the latest reads and up to date on all things health, fitness, fashion, and celebrity related. In 2011 she launched her independent publishing company Marching Ink and has three published novels – Destined to Fail, The Green Ticket and A Questionable Friendship. When she isn’t reading, writing, or blogging, you can find her cheering for the Green Bay Packers. Samantha lives in Iowa with her husband and Vizsla puppy.

**Keep in touch with Samantha: Instagram   Facebook   Twitter   Youtube

* * * * *

**GIVEAWAY**

**Click HERE to enter to win a $25.00 Amazon Gift Card!

* * * * *

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**Click HERE to see other stops on Samantha’s Chick Lit Plus Blog Tour!

Filed Under: Up To I Do - Book tour Tagged With: Books, Chick Lit Goddess, Chick Lit Plus, Chick-Lit, Excerpt, Giveaway, New Release, Samantha March, Up To I Do, Weddings, Women's Fiction

RELEASE DAY BLITZ: “Up To I Do”

July 29, 2015 Leave a Comment

UpToIDoCoverPic

“Up To I Do” by Samantha March

Blurb: Emerson Sinclair, twenty-seven year old hotel heiress, has said yes. With just over a year to plan her extravagant, over the top nuptials to Logan Worthington, it’s all hands on deck with the wedding plans. A Sinclair marrying into the Worthington family is the talk of their small New Hampshire town, and ideas include filming the wedding for a TV segment. But as the items get checked off the list, plans start to go … not as planned. From not getting a designer dress to a selfish bridesmaid and unaccountable best man, Emerson is afraid her wedding will be more a joke than anything.

When both her mother and sister seemingly begin to lose interest in her wedding plans in favor of their own personal lives, Emerson fears her big day will turn into the forgotten wedding. With the pressure to pull off a beautiful and elegant event that everyone expects from their respectable families, Emerson starts to forget the reason why she is saying I Do in the first place.

**Buy “Up To I Do” now: Amazon   Barnes & Noble   Kobo   Goodreads

UpToIDoBlitzPromo

* * * * *

SamanthaMarchPic**About author, Samantha March: Samantha March is an author, editor, publisher, blogger, and all-around book lover. She runs the popular book/women’s lifestyle blog ChickLitPlus, which keeps her bookshelf stocked with the latest reads and up-to-date on all things health, fitness, fashion, and beauty related. In 2011, she launched her independent publishing company, Marching Ink, and has four published novels—Destined to Fail, The Green Ticket, A Questionable Friendship, and Up To I Do. When she isn’t reading, writing, or blogging, you can find her cheering for the Green Bay Packers. Samantha lives in Iowa with her husband and Vizsla puppy.

**Contact Samantha: Website   Blog   Facebook   Twitter   Instagram   Youtube

* * * * *

**GIVEAWAY**

**Click HERE to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to enter to win a $10 Gift Card to each of the following: Amazon, Target, Ulta & Bed, Bath & Beyond-$40 Total!

Filed Under: Up to I Do Tagged With: Books, Chick-Lit, Giveaway, Love, New Release, Romance, Samantha March, Up To I Do, Weddings, Women's Fiction

COVER REVEAL: Up To I Do by Samantha March

May 20, 2015 2 Comments

It’s been a long time since I’ve done a cover reveal, but I’m fairly partial to this one. I’ve had the pleasure of beta reading Samantha March’s fourth novel, “Up To I Do,” and today, I’m beyond thrilled to share the cover release with you! ISN’T IT BEAUTIFUL?! While the book hasn’t been released yet, this is already one of the best books I’ve read this year, as Samantha March’s writing just gets better and better!

UpToIoCoverPic

“Up To I Do” by Samantha March

Blurb: Emerson Sinclair, twenty-seven year old hotel heiress, has said yes. With just over a year to plan her extravagant, over the top nuptials to Logan Worthington, it’s all hands on deck with the wedding plans. A Sinclair marrying into the Worthington family is the talk of their small New Hampshire town, and ideas include filming the wedding for a TV segment. But as the items get checked off the list, plans start to go…not as planned. From not getting a designer dress to a selfish bridesmaid and unaccountable best man, Emerson is afraid her wedding will be more a joke than anything.

When both her mother and sister seemingly begin to lose interest in her wedding plans in favor of their own personal lives, Emerson fears her big day will turn into the forgotten wedding. With the pressure to pull off a beautiful and elegant event that everyone expects from their respectable families, Emerson starts to forget the reason why she is saying I Do in the first place.
But her spirited Grams is there to make sure neither happens. With her help and guidance, Emerson not only has her wedding plans back on track, but she remembers the reason why they are going through the stress of wedding planning – because at the end of it all she gets to marry her true love, and marriage is defined by more than a wedding.

**Click HERE to add “Up To I Do” to your reading list on Goodreads!

Filed Under: Up To I Do Tagged With: Books, Chick Lit Plus, Chick-Lit, Cover Reveal, Romance, Samantha March, Up To I Do, Weddings, Women's Fiction

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