Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a gloriously rich (and expensive) red wine produced in the Rhone wine region in southeastern France. It is a wine that should be drunk to celebrate a special occasion. It's velvety, full-bodied and divine and features very strongly in Weak at the Knees by Jo Kessel. Must be a resident of the US or Canada and be 21 yrs of age or older to enter. One entry per household. Winner will be randomly selected on Monday, Oct. 26, 2013 and will be notified by email.
To enter fill out the google form here: : https://docs.google.com/forms/d/13PQ8EBxNMtgk_JrkP391qhLCxtDUDioY1CLCq18IXlI/viewform
Author: Jo KesselPublisher:CreateSpace
Date of Publication: September 2013
“We got so busy living life that we forgot to live our dreams.”
Danni Lewis has been playing it safe for twenty-six years, but her sheltered existence is making her feel old ahead of time. When a sudden death plunges her into a spiral of grief, she throws caution to the wind and runs away to France in search of a new beginning.
The moment ski instructor Olivier du Pape enters her shattered world she falls hard, in more ways than one. Their mutual desire is as powerful and seductive as the mountains around them. His dark gypsy looks and piercing blue eyes are irresistible. Only she must resist, because he has a wife – and she’d made a pact to never get involved with a married man.
Let me start by saying that the writing isn't bad in this book. For the most part, it was well written. Unfortunately, I didn't like the story.
The tag line of the book is “We got so busy living life that we forgot to live our dreams.” The thing is, I'm not sure I ever really got around to understanding what Danni's dreams were supposed to be. She wasn't a likable character. She was whiny, dishonest and a hypocrite. I did have to commend her for walking away from Hugh and being honest about not being happy with him. That was about the only thing she was honest about. She says she has never had a great sex life. Well, whose fault is that? If you don't like it, say something to your partner. If you never speak up, how is he supposed to know? She berates her roommate for having an affair with a married man and then very next day gets involved with Olivier...a married man.
I think I need to stay away from books with this subject because I never end up respecting the characters. Nothing justifies cheating. If you aren't happy, walk away first. I had no respect for Olivier, especially when he sleeps with Danni in his and his wife's bed. The one thing that irked me in the end is the conversation Danni has with her friend's mother. Danni wonders if Amber would be upset if she knew about the affair. Her mother assures her that Amber would just want her to be happy. I find that hard to believe since Amber, just before she died, made her promise to never get involved with a married man.
I think this is just one that most readers will have to try out for themselves. Just because I didn't like it, doesn't mean you won't. Here's the tour list to see what others are saying:
Monday, September 23rd: Truth, Beauty, Freedom, & Books
Wednesday, September 25th: Sara’s Organized Chaos
Friday, September 27th: Mom in Love with Fiction
Monday, September 30th: From the TBR Pile
Wednesday, October 2nd: Good Girl Gone Redneck
Thursday, October 3rd: All Grown Up?
Monday, October 7th: The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader
Wednesday, October 9th: Books a la Mode
Thursday, October 10th: From L.A. to LA
Monday, October 14th: Seaside Book Nook
Wednesday, October 16th: Traveling with T
Jo is a qualified lawyer turned journalist. She worked for the BBC before reporting and presenting for ITV on holiday, consumer and current affairs programmes. She writes for several national newspapers in the UK including the Daily Mail, the Daily Telegraph, The Guardian and the Express and was the anonymous author for the Independent's hit column: Diary of a Primary School Mum. Jo is married with three children and lives in London.
2 comments:
Thank you for your very honest review. I dislike cheating and would not like a book with that subject for the same reasons you stated. I prefer to have characters in my reading material I can respect and I despise liars and cheaters. I do not want to read about either. I am glad to have discovered your website. michelle_willms@yahoo.com
I'm glad that you were able to enjoy the writing even though the story didn't do it for you. Thanks for your honest review for the tour.
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