Tag Archives: Humorous

Four Aunties and a Wedding by Jesse Q. Sutanto – a Review

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Four Aunties and a Wedding by Jesse Q. Sutanto – a Review

 

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Description:
Meddy Chan has been to countless weddings, but she never imagined how her own would turn out. Now the day has arrived, and she can’t wait to marry her college sweetheart, Nathan. Instead of having Ma and the aunts cater to her wedding, Meddy wants them to enjoy the day as guests. As a compromise, they find the perfect wedding vendors: a Chinese-Indonesian family-run company just like theirs. Meddy is hesitant at first, but she hits it off right away with the wedding photographer, Staphanie, who reminds Meddy of herself, down to the unfortunately misspelled name.

Meddy realizes that is where their similarities end, however, when she overhears Staphanie talking about taking out a target. Horrified, Meddy can’t believe Staphanie and her family aren’t just like her own, they are The Family–actual mafia, and they’re using Meddy’s wedding as a chance to conduct shady business. Her aunties and mother won’t let Meddy’s wedding ceremony become a murder scene–over their dead bodies–and will do whatever it takes to save her special day, even if it means taking on the mafia.

 

 

 

Review:

Four Aunties and a Wedding by Jesse Q Sutanto is the sequel to her previous book, Dial A for Aunties.  Meddy Chan is set to marry her sweetheart, Nathan, and she wants her family (her crazy aunts) to all relax and enjoy the upcoming wedding.  They decide to hire a Chinese-Indonesian company, who are perfect for the job.  Staphanie is the contact and wedding photographer, who Meddy becomes friends with, until she overhears her talking on the phone about plans to take out a target on her wedding day.  Once she tells her aunts and mother, they make plans to make sure the wedding is safe, and now the chaos begins.

What follows is a wild chaotic wedding, which the aunts/mother constantly are over the top with their antics, especially taking one by one the wedding planners’ people, in order to protect Meddy and the wedding itself. Meddy was a very good heroine, though her unconventional crazy family members continued to wreak havoc during the wedding, with Meddy trying to keep things in order, as well as not tell Nathan what was going on.  This is a difficult review, as the story is somewhat humorous, it is weird, insane and way over the top.  It does not help with the aunts/mother/wedding planners all constantly talking in different languages (Chinese, Mandarian, Taiwanese, Indonesian), which did make it somewhat confusing, with Meddy, Nathan the ones who spoke english.

I did enjoy Four Aunties and a Wedding, but not sure why, I found this book not as much fun, or as humorous, especially as it seems to make me more nervous, rather than laughing. Jesse Q. Sutanto did write a fun story, even if I thought it was a bit too much. 

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

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Dial A For Aunties by Jessie Q Sutanto – a Review

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Dial A For Aunties by Jesse Q Sutanto – a Review

 

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Description:
1 (accidental) murder
2 thousand wedding guests
3 (maybe) cursed generations
4 meddling Asian aunties to the rescue!

When Meddelin Chan ends up accidentally killing her blind date, her meddlesome mother calls for her even more meddlesome aunties to help get rid of the body. Unfortunately, a dead body proves to be a lot more challenging to dispose of than one might anticipate, especially when it is accidentally shipped in a cake cooler to the over-the-top billionaire wedding Meddy, her Ma, and aunties are working, at an island resort on the California coastline. It’s the biggest job yet for their family wedding business—“Don’t leave your big day to chance, leave it to the Chans!”—and nothing, not even an unsavory corpse, will get in the way of her auntie’s perfect buttercream cake flowers.

But things go from inconvenient to downright torturous when Meddy’s great college love—and biggest heartbreak—makes a surprise appearance amid the wedding chaos. Is it possible to escape murder charges, charm her ex back into her life, and pull off a stunning wedding all in one weekend?

 

 

Review:

Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto is humorous standalone novel.  We meet our heroine, Meddelyn (Meddy) Chan, who is a wedding photographer for her family’s wedding business.  Meddy lives with her mother, and is also constantly surrounded by her three aunts, none having husbands.  Meddy does get frustrated when they are always trying to fix her up with a potential husband, and is shocked to learn her mother set her up for a date, using an online site, pretending to be her.   Of course, the ladies all have a number of language barriers (Chinese, Mandarian, Taiwanese, etc), which does cause confusion at times, especially for Meddy, who knows some but is more Americanized.

When Meddy agrees to go on the date, she meets Jake, who was nice at first, but when he started making advance suggestions, she tries to leave, and he insists to take her home.  While in the car, he starts getting very hands on and forcing himself on her, and to her defense, Meddy uses a taser that she always carries with her on Jake; the car crashes, and Jake ends up dead. Meddy runs home and tells her mother, who in turn calls the aunts to come and help them hide the body.

What follows is a wild insane and crazy adventure with the ladies trying to move the body, and at the same time make sure the big expensive wedding they are planning for the next day goes as planned. Unfortunately, every step along the way to hide the body, is a disaster (trunk, cooler, frozen body, etc.).  At this point, the story gets even weirder, absurd, and humorous, though I did find it a bit over the top, as well as a little repetitive.  While this is going on, Meddy meets her old college flame, who she stills loves, but she left to help her family with their business; now he is a part owner of the hotel where the wedding is.  This is a difficult review to write, as everything was constantly going back and forth.

Dial A for Aunties was a wild and funny story, with the aunts and Meddy’s mother playing a major part in their humor.  Meddy also a very good character, as she was in the middle of this all.  Jesse Q. Sutanto did write a hysterical story, even if I thought it was a bit much.  If you enjoy wild antics, crazy aunts & mother, hiding bodies, and an overall wedding romp, you need to read this book. 

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

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The Secret Life of Mac by Melinda Metz – a Review

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The Secret Life of Mac by Melinda Metz – a Review

 

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Description:
Inspired by the true story of a kleptomaniac cat who stole his way into America’s heart . . .
 
HE’S THE CAT THIEF OF LOVE
MacGyver the tabby is feeling very pleased with himself. His human, Jamie Snyder, has found the perfect packmate—and it’s all thanks to Mac. By stealing personal items from the home of Jamie’s handsome neighbor David, the matchmaking cat brought these two L.A. singles together. Now, while the newlyweds are off on their honeymoon, MacGyver is ready for a well-deserved cat nap. That is, until he meets his cat sitter Briony. Like most humans, she’s hopeless when it comes to romance. And Mac can’t resist a challenge . . .
 
SHE’S FOUND THE  ESCAPE CLAWS
Briony feels terrible about leaving her fiancé at the altar. When her cousin Jamie offers her the chance to cat sit MacGyver, the runaway bride leaps at the chance to cuddle up with the only male creature she trusts herself around. But MacGyver has other plans. He lures Briony to a friendly neighborhood retirement community—run by a charming young hottie named Nate. Briony and Nate hit it off instantly. But Briony’s still not sure she’s ready for a relationship. And Nate’s got problems of his own—someone is sabotaging his community.
 
Crazy humans. Why can’t they follow their instincts and go after the love they deserve? MacGyver is on the case. And this time, he’s not pussyfooting around . . .

 

 

 

 

Review:

The Secret Life of Mac by Melinda Metz is a cute fun story about a cat, who is also known as a matchmaker.  We meet Mac (MacGyver) from the start, as he lives with Jamie and David and a dog, he loves to tease.  Jamie and David, whom Mac previously brought together, are going on their honeymoon, and her cousin Briony has come to stay for the month to care for Mac and the dog.

Briony is our heroine in this story, as we learn that she came to help out Jamie, after she fainted at her wedding ceremony, and left the groom at the altar.  Briony feels guilty about what she did to her fiancée, but her anxiety attacks confirm that perhaps it wasn’t meant to be. She does fall in love with Mac and Dioggy (the dog), and finds herself constantly looking for Mac, who is also an escape artist.

Nate, our hero, manages a local retirement community (The Gardens), and we get to meet many of the residents and employees throughout the story.  Mac of course, senses that he needs to help out with the residents of the home, and with the little gifts he pickpockets, help bring Briony and Nate together, not to mention some other people at The Gardens.  

What follows is a cute romance, with a bit wild story with a little mystery as to who is sabotaging the home, with Nate beside himself with things going wrong.  The secondary characters were all very good. Nate and Briony were great together, as you found yourself rooting for them; even though her ex-fiancée (who actually was a good guy) shows up, but all turned out good.  The resolution to the mystery turned out to be a surprise, though I did guess who the saboteur was, but not who the partner was. 

As much as I liked all the characters, I absolutely loved Mac; who to me was the star of the show.  I will end this review with a short blurb from the description that says it all…. ‘MacGyver is on the case. And this time, he’s not pussyfooting around . . .’ . If you enjoy cute stories featuring animals, a appealing cozy romance,  then look no further than The Secret Life of Mac.  It was a fun quick read.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

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Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella – a Review

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Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella – a Review

 

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Description:
A witty and emotionally charged novel that delves into the heart of a marriage, and how those we love and think we know best can sometimes surprise us the most—from #1 New York Times bestselling author Sophie Kinsella
 
After ten years together, Sylvie and Dan have a comfortable home, fulfilling jobs, and beautiful twin girls, and they communicate so seamlessly they finish each other’s sentences. They have a happy marriage and believe they know everything there is to know about each other. Until it’s casually mentioned to them that they could be together for another sixty-eight years . . . and panic sets in. 
           
They decide to bring surprises into their marriage to keep it fresh and fun. But in their pursuit of Project Surprise Me—from unexpected gifts to restaurant dates to sexy photo shoots—mishaps arise, with disastrous and comical results. Gradually, surprises turn to shocking truths. And when a scandal from the past is uncovered, they begin to wonder if they ever really knew each other at all.
           
With a colorful cast of eccentric characters, razor-sharp observations, and her signature wit and charm, Sophie Kinsella presents a humorous yet moving portrait of a marriage—its intricacies, comforts, and complications. Surprise Me reveals that hidden layers in a close relationship are often yet to be discovered.

 

 

Review:

Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella is a standalone novel.  I have read a number of novels by Kinsella, who does write stories with humor and craziness.  Early on though, I did have mixed feelings, as I thought some of the things were border line silly. Ok, now for my review.

Sylvie and Dan have been married for 10 years, and have twin girls.  They are very happy in their marriage and lives.  When they go to the doctor for their annual checkups, the doctor tells them they can both live to 100. Instead of being happy, they think about spending the next 68 years together, and doing the same things.  It freaks them both out (rolls eyes). They decide to come up with ways to keep things new and they call it Project Surprise.   One after another, they surprise each other with food, tickets, furniture, clothes; trying to outdo each other.  Frankly I did not really find this humorous, the craziness was more annoying.  But that is me. 

When the story centered on Sylvie’s job as a fundraiser, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and their two girls were adorable.  The story also focuses on Sylvie’s deceased dad, who was a powerful fundraiser and well respected, though for some reason, Dan and her father did not get along.   When Dan brings some old friends to visit, Sylvie meets Dan’s old girl friend, and becomes jealous. At this point, the story does change a lot, and I did enjoy the last half of the book.

What follows is Sylvie’s attempt to help fix her job’s fundraising money drive, which was well done and interesting.   Sylvie is also begins to think Dan is having an affair, and this part of the story was at times funny and life changing.  Sylvie will learn the truth about her father, and his disrespect for Dan; as well as the lies her family kept from her.

I really enjoyed the last half of the book, which became more about family, trust, perceptions, communications, and hidden truths.  Surprise Me had a bit of everything, including Kinsella’s trademark humor, emotional drama, some suspense, family and marriage issues. 

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

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Deja Who by MaryJanice Davidson – Review & Giveaway

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Deja Who by MaryJanice Davidson – Review & Giveaway

Deja Who Banner

DEJA WHO
Insighter #1
by MaryJanice Davidson
Release Date: September 6, 2016
Genre:paranormal, romance

 

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Description:
You couldn’t arrest someone for killing in a past life. You couldn’t bring a civil suit against them, either. They could only be legally penalized for what they did this time around—and what a dark circus the legal system had been before that legislation passed! (It was still a dark circus, but perhaps not as dark.)  But you could spot them, and watch them. You could set traps for them.
 
Leah Nazir is an Insighter. Reincarnation is her business. But while her clients’ pasts are a mess, Leah’s is nothing short of tragedy. She’s been murdered. A lot. If left to that bitch, destiny, it’ll happen again. Leah wants to know who’s been following her through time, and who’s been stalking her in the present…
 
P.I. Archer Drake has been hired by Leah’s mother to keep an eye on her. But the more time he spends watching, the more he finds himself infatuated. Before long, he even finds himself agreeing to help find the person who wants her dead. Over and over again.
 
Now going full-on “rewind,” Leah hopes it can stave off the inevitable. After all, she’s grown fond of this life—and even fonder of nerdy Archer. But changing her pattern means finding out who her killer is today. And as Leah fears, that could be anyone she has come to know and trust. Anyone.

 

Review:

Deja Who by MaryJanice Davidson is the first book in her new Insighter series.  It is my first book by Davidson, and I have admit it was interesting, at times fun, and also kind of confusing.  The premise of the story is about Insighters, who have the ability to read people and the lives they lived in the past.  It started off a bit wild, giving us a look at our heroine, Leah, who is a Insighter consultant that helps people face their current and past lives. It kind of threw me off, as she can see the lives of this one person, some being famous murderers.  Leah’s job is to help them improve their lives and accept the past, especially those with nightmares.

Enter our hero, Archer, who was hired to watch over Leah, by her mother.  Archer, is a bit weird, but he quickly expresses his love for Leah.   He is also the one person she cannot read.  Leah herself, is in a predicament.  In each of her lives, she keeps getting murdered, and is trying find the person who follows her into each life.  Archer will join hands with Leah to find her killer, and stop him before he kills her again.

It is difficult to write this review, as it really was a different type of read.  I was also not used to Davidson’s snarky and funny dialogue , which was fun at times, and even annoying at times.  I liked Leah and even Archer, though he was a bit quirky.

What follows is an excellent story about finding her killer, and her falling in love with Archer.  The last third of the book was exciting, with a good resolution.  If you enjoy a different storyline that delves partly in the past, and fun snarky dialogue, then this would be a good series for you to try.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

giveaway

 

MaryJanice’s publisher is offering a paper copy of DEJA WHO to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

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4. LIKE us on FACEBOOK and then click GET NOTIFICATION under ‘liked’ for an additional entry.

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8. Giveaway open to USA only

9. Giveaway runs from September 7-11, 2016

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