Randi M. Sherman

I really liked the concept of this book. The way that it was written in hourly increments was great. In addition, I enjoyed that all of the stories focused and took place at the Shipley Hotel. It was as if I could picture the hotel and what every one looked like from the employees to the guests. Although, in the beginning it was a little hard to follow along as there were so many new characters being introduced to me that I could not keep them all straight. Then just as I would start to get into a certain part the story would change again. After a while however, I was able to get into the flow and I did enjoy this book. There were many eccentric guests as well as employees at the Shipley Hotel. Some were nice and others were uppity. I did smile several times but I was looking more to laugh then just smile. Overall, this book is a nice, quick read. I would book my reservation again with the author.… (mere)

What's a girl to do when she has to navigate the daunting challenges of rebuilding her life ... especially when she has a problem with honesty, and manipulation and lies have been her go to methods of living.

In The Truth About Caroline, author Randi M. Sherman weaves a humorous tale that continues the story of Caroline Matthews, who seems to have a penchant for finding trouble. The reader first meets Caroline in Caroline Starts Over, as she is restarting her life after the death of her no good cheating husband. In The Truth About Caroline, Caroline's story continues as her attempt to restart her life comes to a halt when she finds herself arrested for the alleged solicitation of murder-for-hire of her husband. Caroline's story is split into two parts: the murder trial and her attempt to rebuild her life post-acquittal.

Author Randi M. Sherman weaves an entertaining story that draws the reader into Caroline's quirky life with a mixture of drama and humor. I absolutely loved the trial portion of the story, the author transports the reader into the courtroom as the drama unfolds, you can't help but get caught up in the action. After Caroline is acquitted of murder, she attempts to rebuild her life by navigating through the challenging trials and tribulations and crazy antics that come with reinventing herself. The reader gets to go along for the ride as Caroline tries to reinvent herself, there is a lot of laugh-out-loud moments intermixed with a sense of reality that keeps the reader guessing how Caroline's life will turn out until the surprising conclusion.

The Truth About Caroline is a laugh-out-loud chick lit tale that will keep the reader in stitches.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours.

http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-truth-about-caroline-by-ra...… (mere)

Paula Tenenbaum is a thirty-four year old single woman who leads a conservative, no frills life. She had wanted to become a writer, but for the past three years she has been an uninspired, unmotivated and ambitionless copy writer for Brooks Marketing. For the past year she has quietly been seeing her boss, Bradley Connor, VP of Marketing. They have gone to great lengths to keep their relationship a secret from the rest of the company, but she thinks that their relationship is serious enough that he will propose to her soon. In a blink of an eye, Paula has found herself both fired from her job and dumped by Bradley, all in the same day! Bradley said that she was "average at best," that she should stop being a witness to life, waiting for something to happen to her, do something - be dynamic and a risk taker. Devastated, depressed and full of self-pity, what will Paula do with her life now?

Larry English, is a forty-year old divorced man who dreams of making money with "get-rich-quick-investment-schemes" that never pan out. He is an obnoxious, greedy, selfish, lazy SOB who thinks the world owes him a living! He has spent the last five years living recklessly until he gets himself in debt for over $250,000, he's bitter and doesn't care, so he files for bankruptcy and keeps a low profile until he can reemerge with a fail-safe investment scheme that will allow him to renter the investment world. His mother recently passed away and he inherited $200,000 from his mother's estate. With his shady past looking him in the face and people he's screwed over, he has no idea how he's going to use the money. Will Larry come up with another investment scheme now that he's in the money?

Paula and Larry have been neighbors for three years, occasionally hanging out with each other, but never romantically involved. Larry thinks that Paula would be the best person to involve in his plan to re-enter the investment world. Larry proposes that they form a business partnership: English, Tenenbaum and Associates. They would assume the personas of established, successful investment brokers. He tells her that it would be an adventure, her chance to take a risk, and the perfect opportunity to change her life. Will her risk taking pay off, or will it be just another unsuccessful get-rich-quick-scheme?

Paula Takes A Risk is a fast paced entertaining story that will keep you laughing as you turn the pages. Written in a witty humorous style, the author provides the reader with an entertaining storyline written in the third person narrative with alternating chapters between Paula and Larry. The reader is introduced to the ordinary mundane lives of Paula and Larry, and is brought along for the ride as they embark on a madcap adventure to reinvent themselves.

The author does a great job of providing a cast of characters who are realistic and have flaws that the reader can relate to. I found myself running the gamut of emotions with Paula: I wanted to shake her, yell at her, commiserate with her and encourage her. I was not a fan of Bradley or Larry, both men are despicable SOBs that need to be knocked down a peg or two. The character that I thoroughly enjoyed the most was Paula's mother, Dorothy. That lady kept me in stitches, she was such a fun character to get to know, I think she lightened up the story with her in-your-face, upfront personality.

In a unique and witty style, the author weaves a tale that is entertaining and engages the reader to consider if their own lives resemble anything that is reflected in Paula and Larry's lives. Who doesn't wish for a dream life? Are your dreams out of reach? Are you a risk taker, or do you live a conservative safe life? Are you willing to make changes?

Paula Takes A Risk is one heck of a fun read, the author's sense of humor will keep you in stitches. If anything, the surprising and redemptive conclusion makes this story worth reading!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Chick Lit Plus.

Virtual Book Tour Event: On Saturday, July 21, 2012, in association with Chick Lit Plus, author Randi M. Sherman participated in a virtual book tour event with an Author Guest Post on Jersey Girl Book Reviews.
http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2012/07/author-guest-post-randi-m-sher...

http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2012/07/paula-takes-risk-by-randi-m-sh...… (mere)