Janet Leigh (2)

Dress 2 Impress is the second novel in the Jennifer Cloud Series by Janet Leigh. Life in Sunnyside, Texas may seem to rank mild to middling on the excitement scale to an outsider, but resident Jennifer Cloud knows better, particularly since she inherited the ability to time travel. With dashing young men at her side, and a roommate with a photographic memory, fashionista turned chiropractor assistant Jennifer struggles to hide her talent from friends and family while working with a secret show more government agency to overcome evil across the ages. As if that isn’t enough, she must save her hunky Scotsman for sure death will fighting off the advances of a hot, wealthy racecar driver.

Janet Leigh scores high marks for Dress 2 Impress in the categories of humor, romance, adventure. Her novel is engaging and the science behind the science fiction is explained well enough to buy the premises without needing to hold a science degree to understand it. Her characters are people I would like to get to know, and I can see how the historical aspect of Jennifer Cloud series could keep readers eagerly looking forward to many adventures to come. I loved Aunt Itty and would give my right eye for Scotsman Caiyan to look at me one time the way he does Jennifer.

Overall, I found Dress 2 Impress an engaging, light-hearted read that had me eagerly looking forward to the end of my work day so I could fall into the fantasy of Jennifer Cloud’s world. Now I look forward to reading the first Jennifer Cloud novel, The Shoes Come First. show less

This book was not my favorite. I originally got it because I love Outlander and this sounded vaguely Outlanderish. The book was disappointing. The concept was cute but fleshed out poorly, the romances were ridiculous and unnecessary. I'm down for a good romance novel but there wasn't any romance just random guilty sex. I also felt they could have made Gertie a really awesome character but they made her annoying for no reason and she can't keep a secret literally to save her life. The entire show more book jumped around timelines (when it had nothing to do with actual time traveling, just jumping between Jen's lifetime.) And it made the story hard to follow. I also thought Marco and Brodie were underwritten and should have either been given more page time or (in Marcos case) been saved for the second book. I'm not sure I'll read the second book (or the third, fourth, or fifth.) But I am intrigued on what is going to happen so I might spark notes it or read a spoiler review. show less

I won this book from the author (not THE Janet Leigh the actress obviously) from Abbie's Dangerous Darling FB group but her name did catch my eye.

I love the title and I love shoes. I don't think I've time traveled in a book to Scotland in the 1500s (first trip) though! That's what appealed to me since I've never tried this genre of book. Should be interesting.

Jen is a shoe lover and saves up her money for designer shoes, though she gets them at discount while working for Steve Stone shoes as show more an assistant. Then Steve Stone shoes closes up since he was arrested and jailed. I'm thinking that this is based on the shoe designer Steve Madden's life when he was arrested in 2000.

The prologue starts in 2004 which had something to do with magic keys and Elma in Monoco.

Then it's 2013, when Jen (age 9) and her family are going to see Great-Aunt Elna for her birthday in another part of Texas where they live. She finds an outhouse which seems to have special powers when she steps in and no, it doesn't transport her anywhere, it just shakes like an earthquake has hit with her and her cousin Gertie in it.

Then it's 7 years later and she's in high school, and she gets a surprise package. It seems that Great Aunt Elna died and she inherited this outhouse with the necklace with the symbol of this outhouse that she gave her. What in the world is she going to do with this is beyond me and I'm sure her family is thinking the same. Do they have magical powers? Now she has no job, her parents are moving out of their house to a retirement living place and where is Jen going to go without a job and afford to pay rent? Her parents said that her brother, who's a chiropractor, can use her as an assistant, and her cousin Gertie will be moving in and sharing the rent.

The necklace has special powers of course and she goes into the outhouse once again and now she gets transported to 1915, to another town in Texas, where Mr. Sexy is once again from her trip to Scotland. He's Scottish of course, and tells her the story of magic keys and the significance of her necklace within her family and it's special powers. It's complicated (as least to me) and to explain it so I'll leave it at that.

If you need a light-hearted and fun read that is different from most books (that I've read at least), this is it. show less