Cover Reveal: 'Plan Cee' by Hilary Grossman!

In October 2015 I got the chance to read and review Hilary Grossman's novel 'Plan Bea', which I really enjoyed (click here to read my review). Today I am excited to be part of the cover reveal for Hilary's upcoming release 'Plan Cee', which is a sequel to 'Plan Bea', but one that can also be read as a stand-alone.

Check out the book cover and blurb below!

Would you abandon your present for a second chance at your past?

Cecelia Reynolds has spent most of her life trying to forget the commitment-phobic man who broke her heart. It wasn’t easy, but eventually she did it, or so she thought…

As Cecelia and her husband gather for a friend’s wedding, her perfect world is thrown into complete turmoil. Even though it’s been twenty years since she last laid eyes on Keith Emerson, all it takes is one glance for her to feel emotions she thought were long gone. When Keith ends up officiating the ceremony, she quickly realizes his message of love is directed at her, not the happy couple. But can she believe him?

We live our entire lives thinking we know ourselves. But do we ever really?

As secrets and lies cause Cecelia’s world to spin completely out of control, she is forced to seek advice from the most unlikely ally. In the process, she must confront the demons of her past and the events that shaped her into the woman she is now. Will she finally learn the real meaning of love, friendship, and family?

While this book is a sequel to Plan Bea, it also reads as a standalone.

You can pre-order the book now by clicking here!

Be sure to also enter in the exclusive give-away that Hilary is organising because of the cover reveal :)

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Review: 'Plan Bea' by Hilary Grossman (2015)

How well do you really know the people in your life? 
Annabel O’Conner has the perfect husband, two adorable children, an amazing job, and the mother from hell! Annabel doesn’t like it but has come to terms with the fact that her relationship with her mother, Bea, deteriorated to the point of forced and strained communications. However, an unscheduled call from Bea turns her world around and makes Annabel question everything she believed about her life.
Despite the fact secrets, lies, and misplaced blame have destroyed the women’s relationship; Annabel reluctantly agrees to help Bea plan her wedding. Little does Annabel know the impact of her decision.
Last year I read and reviewed author Hilary Grossman’s debut novel ‘Dangled Carat’ which is a memoir on how to deal with a commitment-phobic boyfriend (click here to read my review). I quite enjoyed the book, especially the author’s writing style was comfortable and easy to read, and looked forward to perhaps reading a work of fiction written by Hilary in the future. So, when I heard about her upcoming novel ‘Plan Bea’, which was released by Booktrope on October 14th, I straight away signed up for a review copy. I was lucky enough to receive one and I was curious to check out ‘Plan Bea’ and see what Hilary Grossman’s next step into the world of fiction would be like!  
Annabel O’Conner has managed to build up quite the perfect life for herself; she is married to the love of her life Cole, together they have two cute children named Violet and Harley, they own a beautiful home, and Annabel has a job she loves. However, there is one thing that Annabel misses in her life and that’s a good relationship with her mother Bea. A tragic accident in the family created a rift between the two of them years ago, even resulting in Annabel getting married far away from home so her mother would not attend the ceremony. When Bea suddenly visits her daughter again, announcing she is getting married and wants Annabel to be the wedding planner, Annabel doesn’t know what to think. She can’t see any other solution than to say ‘yes’ and before she knows it her life is taken over by wedding venues, cakes, flowers and dresses. But will this wedding manage to bring Bea and Annabel closer together or will it only damage their relationship even further…?
I instantly liked the plotline of ‘Plan Bea’; the idea of a daughter becoming her mother’s wedding planner in order to hopefully improve the bad relationship between them. It sounds like an enjoyable and interesting story and one that would also work really well as a romantic comedy film, I think. While I quite liked the protagonist of the novel, Annabel, and was really curious to find out more about her and her background, it took me a bit of time to get used to Bea, Annabel’s mother. She is quite selfish, cares a lot about appearances, and just appeared to be a really difficult person. As the story progressed, though, more was explained about both Bea and Annabel’s background, and I came to better understand some of their actions and decisions.
I couldn’t help but feel that the book was a bit rushed at certain points. Annabel and her mother have been through a lot (it almost seemed like a bit too much at times), and some of these things were dealt with quite quickly and without too much detail. The novel isn’t that long, but I think it would have benefited with roughly 80 to 100 pages more to really go into certain events in the past and present. I did enjoy seeing Bea and Annabel’s mother-daughter relationship develop throughout the novel and I loved the wedding aspect of the book. I also loved the ending of the novel, which was unexpected and really managed to surprise me. Overall, I thought ‘Plan Bea’ was an enjoyable read with a good plotline at its core; perhaps not as entertaining as I had expected it to be, but still a pleasant read!

Rating:7,5/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads

Thanks to the author for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Cover Reveal: 'Dangled Carat' by Hilary Grossman

Earlier this year I got the chance to read and review Hilary Grossman's novel 'Dangled Carat' (click here to read my review). BookTrope will re-release 'Dangled Carat' this summer and today I'm really excited to be part of the cover reveal for the book!

For every girl who wondered if she should love him or dump him.....
For every girl who listened to her heart instead of her friends advice....
For every girl who l wondered if she was wasting her time dating that guy....
meet Hilary....
She had gotten used to dating the commitment-phobic Marc, thirteen years her senior. They had a great relationship--why rush into things? She saw no need to pressure him for marriage, believing that when the time was right, he would propose. But after they had been together for four years, their friends decided to take matters into their own hands, pushing Marc to propose and making Hilary realize how much she really did want to marry the man that she loved. Unfortunately, Marc still wasn't ready--and their friends' meddling in the form of a faux engagement party led to a disastrous New Year's Eve that brought their relationship to an inevitable turning point.   For anyone who has ever dated a commitment-phobe, who has found their patience wearing thin with the one they love, or who has sat around wondering if he is ever going to pop the question while trying to remain the very picture of patience and grace, Hilary's humorous and honest story will hit home. I love the new cover of 'Dangled Carat', it's gorgeous, right?! Be sure to pick up your own copy of the book now!

Review: 'Dangled Carat' by Hilary Grossman (2013)

For every girl who wondered if she should love him or dump him.....
For every girl who listened to her heart instead of her friends advice....
For every girl who l wondered if she was wasting her time dating that guy....
Meet Hilary....
She had gotten used to dating the commitment-phobic Marc, thirteen years her senior. They had a great relationship--why rush into things? She saw no need to pressure him for marriage, believing that when the time was right, he would propose. But after they had been together for four years, their friends decided to take matters into their own hands, pushing Marc to propose and making Hilary realize how much she really did want to marry the man that she loved. Unfortunately, Marc still wasn't ready--and their friends' meddling in the form of a faux engagement party led to a disastrous New Year's Eve that brought their relationship to an inevitable turning point.
Several weeks ago I was contacted by Hilary Grossman with the question whether I was interested in reviewing her book, ‘Dangled Carat.’ I straight away liked the cover and have to admit I was quite curious to find out more about the story which focuses on ‘one girl’s attempt to convert the ultimate commitment-phobic man into a doting husband’, according to the cover. The issue of men being afraid to commit to a woman and their relationship is one that pops up quite often in the world of chick lit/romance, and I looked forward to reading about Hilary Grossman’s own experiences with this!
Hilary and Marc appear to be the perfect couple to the outside world. Hilary is head-over-heels with Marc, who is thirteen years her senior, and she can’t wait to spend the rest of her life with him. The two of them never felt the need to rush into things, satisfied with the state of their relationship, until one New Year’s Eve their friends decide it’s time for them to take the next step after four years of being a couple. A fake engagement forces Hilary and Marc to think twice about where their relationship is going. Hilary suddenly realises she really wants to get married, but Mark’s issues with commitment come to the surface and Hilary realises she’s found herself a true challenge.
‘Dangled Carat’ is Hilary Grossman’s own true story; a memoir which mainly focuses on her experiences with a commitment-phobic boyfriend. The reader is taken on the journey of Hilary and Marc’s relationship on which we get to know both of them, their background stories and the issues they are struggling with. It wasn’t difficult to warm to Hilary; she obviously loves Marc, she trusts him and has a lot of patience when it comes to their relationship. I really enjoyed the realistic character of the book, because I think many female readers will be able to recognise some of their own thoughts or experiences in Hilary. At times, Marc’s actions and the things he said really frustrated me and I just wanted to shake him, feeling for Hilary and admiring her determination.
I think it’s great and admirable that Hilary managed to write down her own story like this and decided to share it with the world. I hope she will continue writing, because her writing style was really comfortable and pleasant to read; I’d certainly love to see her write some fiction. ‘Dangled Carat’ is an easy-going and contemporary story of love which many readers will be able to relate to in one way or another; an enjoyable read and I’ll be looking out for Hilary’s future work!
Rating:

7,5/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads
Thanks to the author for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.