Scot on the Rocks

I won a copy of this and look forward to reading it! ( )

This was an enjoyable book; however; the main character Brooke just was not believable at time and I found myself a tad annoyed with her. ( )

When Brooke Miller gets an invite from her college sweetheart to attend the wedding of the season in L.A. -- his own -- she hardly misses a beat when announcing to Trip that she, too, is engaged -- to a hot Scot named Douglas. The only trouble there? Douglas recently ended their two-year relationship and is "engaged" to another woman.

But those are minor details New York power attorney Brooke can handle -- especially with good friends Vanessa and Jack there as her willing accomplices. With a bizarre plan to still have "Douglas" attend the wedding (in a kilt, no less) and keep Brooke's "dignity ever-so-slightly" intact, what we get is a rolling ride through law offices, bars and celebrity hang-outs.

What really won me over on Janowitz's novel was the crisp, realistic dialogue. It didn't feel stilted and fabricated like so many "chick lit" novels. We didn't have to hear ad nauseum about the delicious, awesome name brand clothes the characters were wearing, and yet we knew they were hip and stylish. We didn't have to be told all about Brooke's obsessive attempts at controlling the rapidly deteriorating situation with Douglas and Jack -- we were shown all of that. In short, Janowitz did an outstanding job of what separates a "good" book from a "great" book for me -- showing and not telling.

As someone who's not terribly interested in the law reading a book about an entire set of lawyers, some of the legal jargon and case information did get a bit boring for me. But I was able to breeze past that and stay in the moment of the story. Like S. Krishna, I also wish that readers were able to get a little bit more information concerning Brooke's rocky relationship with Douglas, but it didn't bother me too much. All in all, a well-written and fun adventure you can easily enjoy in a weekend. ( )

I've read a lot of reviews of Scot On The Rocks and they all gushed about how wonderful this book was, so I've been wanting to read it for awhile. When Brenda Janowitz released the sequel, Jack With A Twist recently, I managed to get my grubby little fingers on it without even having read Scot On The Rocks. I decided it was about time to pick up this book, and I'm glad I did.

Scot On The Rocks is funny and charming. I'd say it was quirky, except it's not - it's more on the "completely insane" end of the spectrum, but in a good way. Brooke watches her situation spiral more and more out of control, and it's hilarious to read about her running around frantically, trying to regain some semblance of command over her life. Of course, there is always the question of why she didn't just tell her ex-boyfriend that her fiance wasn't able to make it to the wedding, and that she was bringing a different date, but if she had done that we wouldn't have this lovely book, so I'll put that question on the back burner.

Janowitz is also a pro at making her characters likable. I really enjoyed reading about Brooke; she was written well enough to seem like a crazy friend, rather than a character in a book I just picked up. I can imagine sitting with Brooke over drinks, listening to her relate the crazy story of her ex-boyfriend's wedding. It's a great talent which makes me look very forward to reading the author's books in the future.

The one thing I wish is that we had gotten more than that brief glimpse of Brooke's life with Douglas. Though I was able to form a solid (and negative) opinion of him through the course of the book, I didn't know much about their relationship when they broke up.

As I said before, I have Jack With A Twist sitting on my shelf right now, and I'm looking forward to continuing Brenda's story. I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone who's a fan of chick lit, or anyone looking for a light, fun read.

From S. Krishna's Books ( )

Question: Your ex-boyfriend calls you (the two of you are still friends) to tell you he's engaged and wants you to attend the wedding. Do you...

(a) Tell him how excited you are for him and say you will attend (you are genuinely happy for him).

(b) Hang up on him and have a tantrum screaming repeatedly: "how can he get engaged before me?"

(c) Tell him congrats, but unfortunately you have another thing to attend on that day.

(d) Say to him, "What a coincidence! I'm engaged too!"

Manhattan attorney Brooke Miller chooses (d) which sets into motion a hilarious chain of events that will lead her to where she really wants to be. The story begins with Brooke living with her boyfriend, Douglas, who is Scottish. Brooke thinks she has it all: a great NYC apartment, a loving and committed boyfriend, a great career at one of Manhattan's prestigious law firms, and two best friends, Jack and Vanessa. Just when things can't get any better, Douglas tells Brooke it's over and kicks her out of their (well, technically it's his) apartment. Soon, she discovers he has been cheating on her and plans to marry the other woman.

When things can't get any worse, Trip, Brooke's former boyfriend from law school, calls to tell her he's engaged. Without thinking, she tells him she's engaged too and quickly concocts a plan to win Douglas back. Unfortunately, Brooke can make her plans, but can't plan her results as Douglas doesn't want to have anything to do with her. Together with Jack and Vanessa, they formulate a plan so Brooke can attend Trip's wedding with her fiance, "Douglas". Through her scheming, Brooke really learns what she has been chasing after has always been right in front of her. ( )