*I received this book (digital copy) in exchange for an honest review and participation in the blog tour. The blog tour is being hosted by The Bookish Snob Tours.
Amazon Product Description:
Twenty-eight-year old Annabel Green is about to tie the knot with her college love, an aspiring author Jeremy Blake, but her plans for an ideal wedding are rudely interrupted when she catches Jeremy kissing his gorgeous book agent.
Shell-shocked by Jeremy’s betrayal, Annabel retreats into the quiet routine of TV dinners and solitary evenings. It is then that Annabel’s best friend, fashion designer Lilly Clayton, sets herself on a mission to draw Annabel out of her shell. In an attempt to persuade Annabel to keep an open mind on dating, Lilly takes Annabel for a stunning makeover, but after Annabel passes on a date with a dashing entrepreneur, Lilly decides that more drastic measures are needed. Lilly invites Annabel to see a palm reader who gives Annabel a lucky charm that is supposed to help her find true love.
A few weeks later, during her trip to Paris, Annabel meets a handsome Parisian, and as the two embark on a whirlwind romance, she starts to believe in the power of the talisman the palm reader has given her. But what Annabel doesn’t know is that Lilly is hiding a secret that could unravel her faith in her newly found luck in love.
My thoughts:
This was my first Marie Astor read. I was pleasantly surprised by dynamic and charismatic characters set in a modern day world. There was just the right amount of "girl power" to balance out the underlying theme of the cheating P.O.S. boyfriend/finance/husband.
The storyline and plot are not complicated or intricate, but they do flow smoothly and I found myself emotionally invested in the characters right away.
Any woman who has ever had a bad relationship can spot Jeremy for the loser he is from the go just as we can spot Etienne as the prince charming who will totally sweep Ann off her feet. Paige is a wonderful character, the kind of go-getter, self-starter we all wish we could be.
One of my favorite aspects of the story is that all the women are honest. I don't mean honest, as in they always tell the truth during the book, but honest in their representation of "real" women. There is no one character that stands out as NOT an accurate comparison to the real deal. Each of the characters is flawed in some way - lending them to become real to the reader!
This is a short story so the fact that everyone begins relationships and falls in love in a few pages isn't a draw back for me. I can see a lot of personal healing going on in the story and found myself cheering for all the new happy couples!
I enjoyed the story very much! Be sure to go check it out.
