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Friday, 12 January 2018

Review: Dreaming of Manderley by Leah Marie Brown


Going from old money to no money, the three Maxwell sisters' lives are about to change drastically. Now, one by one, each must blaze her own trail to happily-ever-after . . .

Manderley Maxwell has always been the dependable, hard-working one while her younger sisters live
A-list lives, courtesy of their family fortune . . . until it's suddenly lost, leaving behind a truckload of debt! Now Mandy is faced with two choices: play perpetual caretaker to her spoiled siblings, or finally break out of her predictable routine--by way of France . . .

When Mandy's boss relocates for the summer, Mandy is really just trading in coffee runs for running errands through the streets of Cannes--until handsome, debonair Girard Fortune Xavier de Maloret sweeps her off her feet--by saving her from falling off a cliff. Mandy's walking on air--except that she's living in the chic shadow of the first Madame de Maloret, complete with whispers about the suddenly secretive Xavier's part in her disappearance. Again, Mandy has two choices: be the unfortunate, duped American--or the gutsy, fierce woman who'll track down the truth in the name of true love . . .


Paperback
Published December 26th 2017 by Lyrical Press, Inc


Terri's Thoughts

I had received an ARC copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.  While I read it before its publication date, my busy schedule is only allowing me to post my review now.

This is the first in a new series from Brown.  Those familiar with her It Girls series will want to pick this up.  It has the same quirky sense of humor that was found in her previous works.  The same fish out of water leading lady, swoon worthy leading male and pop culture references (although thankfully slightly tones down).

A few minor things bothered me.  I did get a little sick of hearing how many times Xavier's hand was on the small of her back, however it seemed to be a big deal for Manderley so I overlooked it.  I also felt Manderly was a little step backwards for all womankind.  I wont go in to detail, I will just say that a woman can have it all, a high power career and a loving man.  There is no need to wish it is the forties.

Now that I got that out of the way, the story was just fun.  This is something I have discovered with Brown's work so far.  Her characters always tend to be a little bit of a train wreck that can make us appreciate that our lives are vastly different.  I look forward to reading about the rest of Maxwell sisters because based on the little bit this book shares of them, they are way bigger train wrecks than Manderly could ever hope to be.  It should be fun.


About the Author


(From her Goodreads profile)

I am an American writer with a penchant for Paris and all things pink!

Before writing novels, I worked as a print journalist for a Pulitzer prize winning newspaper and served in the United States Air Force as a Radio and Television Broadcaster.

An avid traveler, I have had adventures and mishaps from London to Tokyo, which I write about on my blog, On Life, Love & Accidental Adventures, and in my contemporary romantic series, The It Girls.

I was once a collector of truly useless bric-a-brac and cheesy tee-shirts. My cheesiest? A tee with a cartoon Jesus riding a surf board and the words, "And on the eighth day, Jesus went surfing in Greece."

Today, I prefer to gather friendships and memories as travel souvenirs.

I live in the shadow of Pike's Peak Mountain, near Colorado Springs, with my family and shamefully pampered poodles.

In my free time, I like to watch movies, read, and snap photographs. You can view my photography by clicking on the Adventures tab above or by following me on Instagram.



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