Crissy Sharp

The Glamorous Life of a Mediocre Housewife is the messy, crazy life of Lotty Brooks. Lotty is the mom of two beautiful little boys that are very close in age and is trying to keep her sanity while also trying to mend fences with her distant husband. There has been a rift for months and neither Lottie nor her husband Jason know what to do to fix the marriage and both wonder if they're headed for divorce.

To add to Lottie's stress is where she lives: a picturesque lakeside neighborhood where show more every other mom seems to have it all together. When mysterious occurrences start to happen in their picture perfect neighborhood, including vandalism, arson, and personal threats to Lottie herself, it turns their family upside down and leads them down a road they'd never dreamed they'd be on.

I have to say, this was a cute story! To say that I related to Lottie and her life is an understatement. Being that young mom of two little boys with a crumbling marriage brought back a lot of memories for me. The writer gave Lottie a wonderful sense of humor and I caught myself chucking aloud a few times. The mystery was just enough to keep you interested and there were a few surprising turns even if I did guess who was behind all the crimes early on.

This is my first read by Crissy Sharp but it will not be my last. She has a great writing style and I loved that The Glamorous Life of a Mediocre Housewife was written from both Lottie and her husband Jason's point of views. I can see this being a wonderful series and I can't wait for the next book! show less

I read The Glamorous Life of a Mediocre Housewife earlier this year and couldn't wait for the second book in the series to be released. Since I had recently read the first book, I was already familiar with the characters, so it was easy for me to delve right in, but if you haven't read the first book that is fine, as this can be read as a standalone. The author does a great job of explaining what happens in the first book, including giving away a few spoilers, which is unavoidable since this show more is a continuation of the first.

Cade and Jocelyn had grown up together and have been friends (and enemies) pretty much their entire lives, so to see their relationship blossom is beautiful. I fell in love with sweet Katie, Jocelyn's eight year old daughter, and I loved getting to know the history of the town and why the land that the Strawberry Lake Estates sits on is so important that it's worth killing for to keep its secrets.

The book was a speedy read for me, as I turned each page, hoping that the secrets of the past, and who was behind the killing, would be revealed. My heart went out to Jocelyn, who is a single working mom, and who is having to deal with being out of her home, raising an eight year old by herself, dealing with her horrible stalker ex-husband, all while exploring her feelings for a man that she has detested for so long.

Cade's character is sweet, lovable, and fiercely loyal. He fights the entire book to avenge his friend, protect the woman and child that he's falling in love with, and finding the truth.

I really enjoyed The Enemy Next Door and Other Misunderstandings and I hope to see another book in this series soon. show less

In For the Love of Funyuns and Second Chances, we are coming back to Walden, where the Strawberry Lake Estates mystery continues. You meet a few new residents to add to this quirky little community, and the reader finds out more pieces to this complex puzzle, which made for another entertaining read! If you haven't read the first two books in the series have no fear! The author does an incredible job of explaining the events that have previously occurred in the series that have brought you show more to this point, so you never feel lost, and means that this can be read as a standalone.

The chemistry between Troy and Cecilee is magnetic, palpable from the first words spoken. They are both such sweet characters that truly belong together. The world building and characterization is engrossing, which is something Crissy Sharp does a masterful job on.

As far as the mystery, I caught on pretty quick to who was behind all the scheming, but reading the outcome was still enjoyable. Another wonderful addition to a great series! show less

This is a review for Sparks Fly by Laura D. Bastian ONLY. Full review of entire box set coming soon.

I was pretty excited to read my first novella from the My Funny Valentine box set but from the beginning I felt like this story was more on the slow side, and I fought to figure out exactly why. I never did get my answer, and the pace never really seemed to pick up either, leading to an ok read.

I don’t know why this is called Sparks Fly because the only electricity is at the various job show more sites that Adam works (he’s an electrician), and even those scenes are dull. I didn’t feel a connection to any of the characters and the tedious predictability made it even worse. Samantha was my favorite character of the whole story, and sadly she was just a side character. Adam and Mia were lukewarm at best, and their story was overall sweet, but the relationship felt forced and the epilogue felt rushed.

I’m not saying the overall story is bad, per se. I just wish I could’ve connected more with the characters and cared about their situation. The writing was decent, but the flow felt off the entire time I read, and it just didn’t jive with me. It makes me sad because I love this author and was hoping for more sparks! show less