Free This Weekend: Girl of My Dreams by Morgan Mandel

Follow the madcap adventures of a straitlaced assistant who sneaks onto the set of a reality show to win a billionaire.

When the producer discovers her ruse, he’s beside himself with rage. He’d thought better of her, but it looks like she’s only a gold digger.

What’s worse, she’s advancing in the rounds. She may even win the billionaire, but is he the guy she really wants?

File Size: 856 KB
Print Length: 156 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: Choice One Publishing Co.; 2014 Updated Edition, First Published in 2008 edition (November 10, 2011)
Publication Date: November 10, 2011
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
Language: English
ASIN: B0065R11QO


Purchase here!

Novella Review: Her Handyman by Morgan Mandel

If you enjoy romantic comedies, Her Handyman by Morgan Mandel should be on your electronic device.

This novella length romance finds Jake responding to the penthouse of a rich, quirky artist. A "jack of all trades" handyman who has a penchant for helping people with their problems, he's enjoying his life and looking forward to his marriage to the beautiful Angelina. So why is he so taken with Zoe, an oddball artist who lives like a hermit with her ugly little dog, FuFu?

Her Handyman is a sweet, funny romance. Mandel has a knack for creating characters whose lives you dive right into. Jake and Zoe are perfect examples. Jake is this really great guy who has a lot going for him: a good job, a lovely fiancée, and the admiration of many. People truly appreciate all Jake does for them. Zoe, on the other hand, is this kooky artist-type who changes costume to get into character to paint, doesn't clean her penthouse because she's too caught up in her work, and has this secret fear that all men are bad. While I couldn't relate much to either of them, it still worked because the author created them to be people I wanted to care about; people I wanted to see together.

Knowing that Jake was engaged at the beginning of this, I wondered how Mandel would pull off his doubting his relationship with Angelina. Could the author get Jake and Zoe together and still keep Jake likable to the reader? She did that, and more. By the time this novella is over, you understand Jake's actions and are glad he did what he did. The secondary story of Zoe's relationship with her father Carmen was a nice touch. It helped to round out her character.

What I thought was smart considering the length of this story is that the majority of the novella was focused on the two main characters. There were secondary characters around, but not a lot of time was spent with them, so the reader comes away feeling like she followed these two people on a wonderful journey to discovering each other.

Another A+ for Morgan Mandel. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.



File Size: 282 KB
Print Length: 121 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: Choice One Publishing Co. (September 6, 2012)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B0097EVXBK
SRP: Only 99 cents at Amazon

I downloaded a paid copy of this book to my Kindle. This review contains my honest opinions, for which I have not been compensated in any way.

This is the 61st book I've read for the following challenge:

It is the 37th book I've read for the following challenge:

Guest Blogger: Morgan Mandel, Author of Her Handyman

A novella length romantic comedy, with a dash of the serious. Longer than a short story, shorter than a full-length novel - just the right size for a busy reader!

Throw a crazy canine, a handyman, and a quirky artist together and you've got mayhem!

Who'd guess it's Jake, the handyman, who needs rescuing when he answers a call by the distraught artist, Zoe, to stop a toilet flood begun by her crazy canine, FuFu?

Jake's engaged to a sexy, perfect woman, and she's even a great cook! There's no room in his life for a quirky, rich artist, who eats raw vegetables and probably can't even boil an egg -- or is there? Are Jake's perfect plans about to be disrupted?

The Dog Who Owns Me

 by Morgan Mandel

I must admit I’ve been owned by more than one dog. Each time I adopt one, it owns me.  My present owner is Rascal.

My husband and I came upon that ownership by accident. We were eager to meet and adopt another dog we’d noticed online through the Buddy Foundation, and hopped into the van on our way to the Buddy Adoption Event. I actually saw the dog we wanted. It looked absolutely perfect. Unfortunately, it was held on a leash, next to a woman who was signing the adoption papers!

Especially disheartening was the fact our prior dog had recently been lost to cancer, I still missed her, and was hoping to be cheered by adopting what looked like the perfect dog to love and take into our home.

When my husband suggested another Adoption Day Event that same day, this one sponsored by Chicagoland Dog Rescue, I agreed to give it a try. As I stepped out of the van, I was afraid to get my hopes up and be disappointed again.

About eight dogs were lined up on the sidewalk in front of PetSmart. The first looked awfully cute, but it was a pitbull puppy. I did my best to ignore my attraction to the dog, because for one thing I didn’t want a puppy. They’re a lot of work. For another, I’d heard far too many horror stories about pitbulls.

I examined the other dogs, yet couldn’t get the pitbull out of my mind. In spite of my misgivings about her breed and her age, she drew me back to her. My husband felt the same bond. Somehow,  against all odds, a connection had been made and we were powerless to fight it. 

I signed the papers and made it official. Rascal owned me, and she has ever since!      

                               

For more about Rascal, check out her Facebook page at http://facebook.com/ourlittlerascal

And now, a few words about FuFu, the dog in my latest romantic comedy release, HerHandyman.  She owns Zoe, a quirky, rich artist. Zoe hardly ever listens to the news because it’s too gruesome. She lives in a fancy Chicago penthouse in the upscale River North area, and does her best to live in a beautiful, stress-free environment. How FuFu came to own Zoe is similar to my experience. Being a doglover, Zoe set out to adopt the perfect dog. Then she spies FuFu, who belongs to a breed which often wins the ugliest dog contests. As soon as she holds FuFu in her arms, Zoe is a goner, and despite previous resolves, must take her dogchild home.  

Without FuFu, there would be no Her Handyman story. When her toy gets stuck in the toilet in the dead of night, a frantic Zoe calls Jake, the handyman, to stop the flood before it drips through the floor and onto the ceiling below. Jake sets out to rescue Zoe, but little does he know he’ll soon be the one who needs rescuing!

Find HerHandyman on Amazon Kindle for 99 cents at http://amzn.com/B0097EVXBK                                        

Morgan Mandel’s Amazon Author Central Page: http://amazon.com/author/morganmandel

Morgan’s Main Blog: http://morganmandel.blogspot.com 

Twitter: @MorganMandel                                                                     

Morgan Mandel lives in a Chicago suburb with her husband, commonly known as Good Paul, and their loveable pit bull, Rascal. She’s not ashamed to admit her vices: chocolate, ice cream, pizza and a great love of slot machines. Her favorite pastimes are reading, writing, going to garage and rummage sales, attending festivals and watching romances and mysterys on TV and DVDs.

Her Handyman is Morgan’s fifth book. She’s also a contributor to a short story collection. For Excerpts & Links to Morgan’s Books, check http://morgansbooklinks.blogspot.com .

Guest Blogger: Morgan Mandel, Author of Forever Young: Blessing or Curse (Review Included)

Fresh beginnings turn tragic when Dorrie Donato’s husband, Larry, is killed in a hit and run accident a few months after starting a new job at the Life is for Living Institute. Discouraged and desperate after suffering countless setbacks, Dorie accepts an offer by Larry’s boss, the famous Angel Man, to be the first to test an experimental pill designed to spin its user back to a desired age and hold there, yet still retain all previous memories. The pill seems too good to be true. Maybe it is.

Them Bones, Them Bones… by Morgan Mandel

At this time of year, if you live anywhere it’s cold, you may notice some twinges and stiffness in your bones that didn’t bother you as much as during the summer. It could be arthritis, just the weather, or something else.

You could be suffering from osteoporosis, a disease from which the bones lose their density and easily fracture. Most susceptible are post-menopausal women and anyone of advanced age. A painless bone density test can clue you in if it’s starting to happen. As mentioned in Wikipedia, there are many methods of prevention and treatment, such as vitamins, exercise and special pills, which could offer some relief, depending on the severity of your case.

You may wonder why I’m bringing up this medical subject during the Blog Book Tour for Forever Young: Blessing or Curse. Of course, I’ll tell you.

Dorrie, my 55 year old heroine, knows she’s suffering from the onset of osteoporosis, the disease which debilitated her mother and ultimately led to her death. It’s not an experience Dorrie wishes to replicate. Added to that, she’s lost her husband, her job, and horror of horrors, her looks have gone downhill.

The Forever Young pill, as offered to her by Roman Remington of the fictional Life is for Living Institute, is a daily pill through which she can turn her age back to a desired level and keep it there,with the added bonus of remaining free of age-related illnesses.

Sounds pretty attractive, doesn’t it? You can look and feel like you did before and stay that way, yet still remember everything you already know. Maybe one of these days such a pill will be invented.

For now, it’s only a part of fiction. Even there, in my book, it’s not perfect. The pill’s flaws lead to untimely deaths for some and terror for Dorrie.

To find out what happens to my plucky heroine, look for Forever Young: Blessing or Curse on Kindle at http://tinyurl.com/6tsntn6. It’s also available at Smashwords, which distributes to all sorts of other venues, such as Barnes & Noble, Apple, Kobo, and more. The link for Smashwords is: http://smashwords.com/books/view/115446. Once I conquer the enigma of CreateSpace, this book will also be in print at Amazon.

By the way, I don’t want to start any panic, but if you’re of a certain age, it wouldn’t hurt to get that bone density test. Or maybe you’ve already had one.

Mine was okay, thank goodness. Does anyone have any more light to shed on the subject?

Along with writing mysteries, thrillers, and romances, Morgan Mandel loves to blog and network. You’ll often find her on Facebook, Twitter, and other social sites, as well as at various e-groups. Her previous books, still available, are Killer Career, Girl of My Dreams, and Two Wrongs, all on Kindle and Smashwords.

She’s a past president of Chicago-North RWA, past library liaison for Midwest MWA, belongs to Sisters in Crime and EPIC.

Her next project is a sequel to Forever Young: Blessing or Curse, called Blessing or Curse: A Forever Young Anthology. This book will describe what happens to other subjects who take the Forever Young pill.

Personal Blog: http://morganmandel.blogspot.com/  
Website: http://www.morganmandel.com/ 

  My review:

I can't say I've ever read a book like Forever Young: Blessing or Curse by Morgan Mandel. Employing a unique take on the appeal of the Fountain of Youth, Mandel draws the reader in from the first sentence where Dorrie's life changes forever with a situation that leads her on a path that not only helps her rediscover her youth, but also places her life in danger.

The reader sympathizes with the pain and suffering Dorrie experiences over the loss of her beloved husband, Larry, while perhaps feeling a bit jealous over this fictional character's ability to go back in time to the lovely woman she once was. Mandel does a superb job of delving into Dorrie's  mind so the reader gets to experience everything right along with her. In what I felt was an excellent decision on the author's part, the reader is also able to understand the motives of Roman Remington, Larry's boss, and the gorgeous face behind the Life is for Living Institute. Switching between Dorrie's and Roman's points of view adds an extra emotional and gripping element to the story, especially as the suspense increases.

The ending is fabulous and sets up the sequel nicely. I'm eager for the next book. Forever Young is definitely worth checking out.

Title: Forever Young: Blessing or Curse

Author: Morgan Mandel

Publisher: Choice One Publishing Co.

Sold by: Amazon Digital Services

ASIN: B006MO28CQ

SRP:  $2.99

I received a free Kindle version of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. I received no monetary compensation of any kind for this review.

This is the first book I've read for the following challenges:

Killer Career by Morgan Mandel--Book Review

An intriguing and suspenseful mystery awaits readers in KILLER CAREER by Morgan Mandel.

Julie McGuire and Dade Donovan are like brother and sister. Together Dade and Julie have built a succesful law practice and business is booming. But in order to build up their practice, Julie had to push aside her dream of becoming a writer.

When Julie attends the Love to Murder Mystery Conference, she comes face-to-face with New York Times Bestselling Author Tyler Jensen. He's handsome and sexy, and manages to push all Julie's buttons. So when Julie gets the chance to partake in a workshop run by Tyler, she decides to go for it. But Julie gets more than she bargained for. Tyler isn't only interested in her writing ability.

Convinced that she can't be dedicated to the practice and her writing, Julie decides to leave her law career. Dade isn't too thrilled about finding a new partner, especially when he's convinced that he and Julie should never have agreed to remain just friends when they started their practice; and Tyler is fairly certain that Dade is standing in the way of him being able to get all he wants from Julie. How far will Tyler go to get his way?

Once in a while you find a book that forces you to steal moments away from work, the kids and all your other responsibilities just so you can sit down and read it. Killer Career is that book. From the very first word, Mandel draws you in and you never want to push this book aside. So captivated are you by Julie and Dade's story that you just have to keep plugging away, even though the dryer buzzed an hour ago and your clothes are probably a wrinkled mess. It's not a totally new type of story, but it's unique in the fact that you're not quite sure exactly what is going on with Tyler Jensen until the very end.

There is so much conflict that moves this story forward. Never once did Mandel slow the pace, it just kept coming at you. Julie and Dade are fighting their feelings for each other--without the other person knowing--and Tyler is pushing for more of a relationship with Julie and she's not sure what to do. Julie's also conflicted over her career choice. She's a darn good lawyer. Can she give that up to follow her dream? And there's so much more going on that I can't share or I would risk giving up something good.

If you like romantic suspense novels, you have to get your hands on a copy of Killer Career by Morgan Mandel. I eagerly await this talented author's next release!


Title: Killer Career
Author: Morgan Mandel
Publisher: Choice One Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-9819916-0-3
SRP: $13.95 (U.S.)

Morgan Mandel's Girl of My Dreams

As a special feature during the month of February, I'm highlighting romance novels I've heard about. While I haven't read this one yet, it sounds excellent. Not only that, it came in Fourth in the Romance category in a recent Preditors and Editors poll. Here, author Morgan Mandel talks about Girl of My Dreams and why she wrote it:

After my dark romantic suspense, Two Wrongs, I needed to change gears and get light. That's when I hit on the idea of my romantic comedy, Girl of My Dreams.

What woman doesn't like a good makeover? When Jillian, the straitlaced temp to Blake, the producer of a reality show, gets the glam treatment and enters his television contest, the change does not set well with her boss.

Suddenly she's not the dependable gofer he thought she was, but a beautiful woman, way too similar to his conniving movie-star mother. Can Jillian convince Blake she has his best interests at heart? She has to because her love for him is at stake.

Morgan Mandel
http://twitter.com/morganmandel
Daily Blog: http://morganmandel.blogspot.com
Website: http://www.morganmandel.com




More about Girl of My Dreams:

When food poisoning strikes the set of a new reality show targeted to save a floundering studio, Jillian, the temporary assistant, sets out to round up a contestant, but ends up filling the gap herself.

Her boss, the producer, discovers what she’s done, but it's too late to stop her. The curtain's up and the show must go on.

Believing his loyal assistant has turned into a selfish conniver like his movie-star mother, he's furious. The further Jillian advances in the rounds, the more convinced he is of her deceit.

Jillian faces all sorts of embarrassing situations and adventures along the way to the main prize of the millionaire. He's obviously attracted to her and she should be happy.

The problem is, Jillian loves the producer.

You can visit Morgan's website to read an excerpt from Girl of My Dreams.