Aloha to Chick Flicks and Friend Recommendations

 I spent last week moving oldest back into his dorm room at college. I also had the opportunity to catch up with a college friend. Since her husband does not care for "chick flicks", we enjoyed two movies together.

From 2007, THE JANE AUSTEN BOOK CLUB,

Six Californians start a club to discuss the works of Jane Austen, only to find their relationships -- both old and new -- begin to resemble 21st century versions of her novels.

The movie featured an ensemble cast of Hollywood's favorite - Emily Blunt, Kathy Baker, Amy Brenneman, Jimmy Smits, and Hugh Dancy. We spent just as much time naming the actors' previous works as watching the plot line. Perhaps my favorite scene is Grigg (Hugh Dancy) attending the first meeting with a large black compilation of Jane Austen's six novels (listed down the side of the spine) which he thought were sequels.  

Although the movie was predictable, it was still entertaining, especially as we joined the book club in discussing what we loved - and loathed - about each classic novel.

We then opted for another romance that my friend adored ... CUTTING EDGE from 1992:

A temperamental figure skater and a former hockey player try to win Olympic gold as a figure skating pairs team.
CUTTING EDGE throws numerous tropes into the pot - rich girl meets poor boy, enemies to lovers, underdogs overcome adversity - to jump on the figure skating bandwagon.  It was a fun movie to watch despite the "retro" cinematography (technology has improved in 25 years) and the "retro" music blaring to add drama to the skating competition.  

We chatted about other "chick flicks" we love - MISS CONGENIALITY with Sandra Bullock, BRIDGET JONES DIARY with Renee Zellweger, and LEGALLY BLONDE with Reese Witherspoon.

I am giving away a swag pack from RWA17 - approved by Elle Woods from LEGALLY BLONDE - to four randomly selected commenters from my posts published in the month of August. To enter the giveaway,

1. Can you recommend a "chick flick" that, no matter its flaws, still makes you smile?

I adore Drew Barrymore in THE WEDDING SINGER (a loving tribute to the 80s), EVER AFTER (a feminist remake of Cinderella) and NEVER BEEN KISSED (undercover reporter returns to high school).

2. Comments are open through Thursday, August 31, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3. I'll post the winner on Friday, September 1.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Aloha to the Sourcebooks Casablanca Holiday Spotlight Tour

IT’S A SILVER TOWN CHRISTMAS, AND THE WOLVES ARE READY TO HOWL

CJ Silver and his brothers have returned to Silver Town eager to reconnect with the pack. And with the she-wolf newcomers renovating the old Victorian Silver Town Hotel, it looks like the holidays are going to be very merry indeed.

Laurel MacTire and her sisters are excited to be living in a wolf-run town, but they have another motive— to solve the fifty-year-old mystery of their aunt’s disappearance. When CJ gets a whiff of trouble brewing, his protective instincts kick in—now Laurel has a hotel opening to prepare for, a mystery to solve, and a brawny wolf shifter underfoot. Perhaps she should have resisted the temptation to kiss him so wickedly in the snow.

USA Today bestselling author Terry Spear has written over fifty paranormal and medieval Highland historical romances. In 2008 Heart of the Wolf was named a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year. A retired officer of the U.S. Army Reserves, Terry also creates award-winning teddy bears that have found homes all over the world and is raising two Havanese puppies. She lives in Crawford, Texas.  Visit her at terrylspear.wordpress.com.

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Warm up this Christmas with a sexy cowboy firefighter who knows how to ignite flames as well as put them out…

He’s hotter than a wildfire

Trey Duval is a rancher, proud as can be of his Wildcat Ranch. He’s also the top volunteer firefighter of Wildcat Bluff, Texas, the town that pulls out all the stops for its Christmas festivities.

City girl Misty Reynolds comes to Wildcat Bluff just in time to help Trey put out a suspicious fire, leading him to dub her his “Christmas angel.” Unfortunately, Misty’s past has left her with terrible memories of fire, and of Christmastime.

As the two are thrown together again and again, Trey finds himself wanting Misty more and more, and Misty feels stronger and braver when Trey is around. Though their trust grows slowly, their passion for each other is burning hot…

Kim Redford draws her inspiration from a Texas lifestyle of cowboys, cowgirls, horses, cattle, rodeos and small towns to create her bestselling novels. When she’s not writing steamy romances, she’s a rescue cat wrangler and a horseback rider. She divides her time between Texas and Oklahoma. A Cowboy Firefighter for Christmas is first in her Smokin’ Hot Cowboys series with Blazing Hot Texas Cowboy coming soon. Visit her at kimredford.com.

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Legend has it that any couple who spends the night in the Christmas Cottage shall have love everlasting...

THE CHRISTMAS COTTAGE

Lacey Quinn does not believe in happily-ever-after or the legend of the Christmas Cottage. But her best friend does, and she’s the one getting married. It’s Lacey’s job to make sure everything at the cottage is perfect for the newlyweds. Instead, she finds herself snowed in with the best man, and she begins to wonder if fairy tales really can come true.

EVER AFTER

Ava Callahan wants desperately to believe in love everlasting. But when Brian McCabe walks back into her life and upsets her carefully organized world, her commitment to perfection makes it hard to accept the love that’s right in front of her. Will it take a night in the Christmas Cottage for Ava and Brian to find their happy ending?

New York Times and USA Today bestseller Samantha Chase released her debut novel, Jordan's Return, in November 2011. Although she waited until she was in her forties to publish for the first time, writing has been a lifelong passion. Teaching creative writing to students from elementary through high school and encouraging those students to follow their writing dreams motivated Samantha to take that step as well. Stay With Me (Montgomery Brothers book 3) hit the USA Today bestseller list upon its debut. Catering to the CEO was included in the romance bundle Loving the CEO, a five-book package that made the New York Times and the USA Today bestseller lists. In March 2013, The Christmas Cottage was nominated for two Indie Romance Convention Awards—Best Indie Romance Novella and Best Indie Contemporary Romance—while Samantha was nominated for Indie Author of the Year. When she’s not working on a new story, she spends her time reading contemporary romances, blogging, playing Scrabble on Facebook, and spending time with her husband of twenty-four years and their two sons in North Carolina.  Visit her at chasing-romance.com.

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Sourcebooks Casablanca is hosting a special giveaway at this link.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City