Waiting for Dead Men's Shoes by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Title : Waiting for Dead Men's Shoes
Author : Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Genre : Chicklit / Mystery
Publisher : TKA Distribution (Kindle Book)
Pages : 203
My Rating : 8/10
Reviewed For : Chicklit Club

Blurb:

Underachiever Minette "Mini" Monroe has long dreamt of how much better life would be if only she were in charge of the world, said world being the independent bookstore in Westport, CT, where she's worked for the past half dozen years. After her beloved boss Colin Quimby is murdered, Mini gets her wish and also gets a chance to solve the case, aided by hot young Officer Michael "Mickey" Maus. Despite his unfortunate nickname - would any woman really voluntarily become part of Mini and Mickey Maus? - Mini takes a shine to him, but there's no real time for romance, not when Mini has her hands full dealing with Colin's viper's nest full of ex-wives, offspring, former business partners and current business rivals, all of whom had good reason to want to see Colin dead. Who will turn out to be the guilty party? The only way to find out is to read WAITING FOR DEAD MEN'S SHOES, a madcap comedic novel that proves that the Shakespeare Unabridged Globe and the Oxford English Dictionary are still a girl's best weapons.

My Review:

What happens when you find your boss murdered one fine day? While for many of us, a dead boss might be a Godsend reply to our unanswered prayers, for Minnie it spells something quite opposite!!

Waiting for Dead Men's Shoes kick-starts with a particular "Black Friday" night when our protagonist Minette Monroe's boss Colin is knifed to death. Minnie is the unfortunate one to discover his body. The plot then moves back into the past to chronicle the day's events when Colin encounters a threat from almost everyone. Starting from his ex-wife to his present one, his former business partner, his own employee and his daughter, Colin manages to piss off each and every person on the day he is killed - giving them all a motive to murder him. Adding to the hotness quotient of the murder mystery is the smart and smoking' hot young police officer Michael "Mickey" Maus who assists Minnie on the killer hunt.

When you sit down with one of Lauren's book, you know, without any doubt, that it is going to be a side-splitter. When I started reading this one, I thought that as a murder mystery it might be a bit somber but as it proceeded I realised that Lauren has once again delivered the laughs that are her trademark. The only thing that may hamper your read is that this novel has a lot of characters that you need to keep track of since each is a suspect.

Bombay Mixx by S.L.Lewis

Title : Bombay Mixx

Author : S.L.Lewis

Publisher : Big Bang Books, 2012

Pages : 230

Genre : Fiction / Multicultural Chick lit

My Rating : 7/10

Reviewed For : Chicklit Club

Blurb:

Part one of a two part series, 'Bombay Mixx' is a fresh, chic tale of vibrant Bombay meets alluring Ireland, in this sexy cultural blend! Including breaking sexual boundaries, experiences of the 'secret' side of the London elite and a major family secret which could destroy the Patel family...this book breaks all the women fiction rules!

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One lavish celeb-style wedding.
Four friends with very delicate secrets, all hoping to avoid them being exposed.
One of the friend’s unaware that the happy proceedings will be an event to remember, from a simmering secret that no one could have predicted.
With no morals, taboo’s or thought of destroying the special moment or a family, can the Patel’s pull together to get over this life changing revelation from this strange gate crasher and her younger sidekick?*********************************************************************

Walking through the door of this countryside mansion, you could be mistaken that you had walked into a rich Moroccan Sheik’s tent. With a Middle Eastern theme, rich colours of deep red, orange and gold; the engagement party filled the entering guests with immediate Eastern promise.

Although she managed to escape the stresses of her current situation, with the constant demands from the dominating bride-to-be, her spoilt sister, Gabrielle, Nita always had her girlfriends Amelia and Anya to pass some of the burden to, along with her new ‘perfect boyfriend’ Yatin.

Nita is 28, half Indian and half Irish, with a down-to-earth, loving personality who is desperate to meet Mr. Right. With a doting father, strong mother and close siblings, Nita has everything she needs until her first relationship ends and she has to move back in with her parents.

Getting the break she so desperately needs, she accepts a job in the city as a secretary and moves into her parent’s apartment in North London and begins to realise the single life is not so bad when you have a cut throat Russian Escort, an eccentric Fashion Buyer and your WAG wannabe sister to welcome you to this new world!

With these wild, drunken nights, enjoying the high life by accepting the invitations to all the fashion after show parties Amelia would arrange each weekend, an affair with your boss and questioning her sexuality with a co-worker, it’s not surprising Nita didn’t see the start of her brother’s and parent’s marriage deteriorating with the arrival of this new mysterious woman! But who was she? Why did she have a strong effect on her father? And how was her brother connected to her immoral revelations?

My Review:

What would you do if you are caught in a whirlwind of betrayals ... would you lose your trust in everyone or would you still hold on and provide unwavering support to your nearest and dearest even in the eye of a storm? This is the  basic premise for “Bombay Mixx”…

Nita is a 28-year-old half-Indian and half-Irish single girl, single because she has been recently cheated on by her long-term boyfriend. So to put some distance between herself & her ex, she takes up a secretarial job in a big stockbroking firm and moves into her parents' apartment where she has an eccentric mix of flat shares which include her spoilt sister Gabrielle, a Russian escort, Anya and a feisty fashion PR, Amelia. In between the wild drunken nights, all the fashion after-show parties and a tumultuous affair with her married boss, Nita has quite a lot on her plate. But then oblivious to her (initially), her brother Renesh's marriage is on the rocks & crumbling around him.. Being closest to his sister, he seeks out Nita's emotional support. Juggling between office, friends & family (not to mention her own personal dilemmas), just when Nita thinks she has reached a lull, a devil from Nita's family's past returns and all hell breaks loose. This is a pacy read yet each character is developed individually, with each of them having their own secrets and insecurities. These sub-plots all add up to fit into the big picture, although some threads seem a bit rushed. Extra-marital affairs, betrayal and sexual boundaries stretched taut are the themes of this book. This is a spicy plot peppered with an unexpected series of twists. There are several unanswered questions at the end which may be cleared up in its sequel. Looking forward for the Part Two…

P.S.: The author is having a Free Two Day Promotion for Bombay Mixx for all Kindle users.. Visit the link below & grab your copy of Bombay Mixx for free :

http://www.amazon.com/Bombay-Mixx-ebook/dp/B008CINC5C/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1348606052&sr=1-1&keywords=bombay+mixx.