It's A Waverly Life, by Maria Murnane

Readers first met the irrepressible Waverly Bryson in Perfect on Paper, and now the woman dubbed by fans as “the American Bridget Jones” is back in a sequel packed with friendship, heartache, and romance. In It’s a Waverly Life, the formerly heartbroken singleton is now happily enmeshed in a new relationship, a new job, and a new decade. Her career as an advice columnist is taking off, and the future of her fledgling greeting-card line is bright. Of course, where Waverly goes, drama is sure to follow, and this time is no exception. Her broken engagement to former fiancé Aaron Vaughn has left her gun-shy when it comes to love, putting strain on her long-distance relationship with handsome Jake McIntyre. And when her best friends McKenna and Andie both make life-changing announcements, Waverly fears she is being left behind by the ones she loves most. In true Waverly fashion, things must get comically worse before they can get better. But in the end, she discovers that though life (before and after thirty) may be messy and unpredictable, friendship and love make it all worthwhile.

To begin, I had actually never read Murnane's first Waverly book, Perfect on Paper, until I was actually finished with this book. Having said that, there was never a moment while I was reading It's A Waverly Life that made me feel lost when there was a reference to the first book. However, after reading this book, I immediately wanted to go back and read the first because Waverly is an amazing character that's easy to relate to and a personality that will charm the wits out of you. You just can't get enough of her!

At the beginning, everything seems to be going wonderful for Waverly.. but of course, all that glitters is not gold. Soon, things start going downhill and it seems as though all of it will consume her. However, Waverly never acts like a little damsel-in-distress. She takes charge and always confronts whatever may be going wrong. I love her attitude and the way that she doesn't seem to give up, even when you feel as a reader like you would if you were in her shoes.

The romance in this story is just like it is in real life, it has its ups and its downs. But that's what makes love so much fun.. if you want it, you have to work for it. To my surprise though, the romance was not the center of attention in this story - which I really liked. Instead, it focused on other aspects of Waverly's life along with giving us a good helping of the romance along the way. I loved it.

Overall, this was a wonderful read. I especially enjoyed all of the twists and turns in the story that kept me on the edge of my seat, eagerly wondering what was going to happen next. This isn't a YA read, but it is a story that Chick Lit fans will thoroughly enjoy.
Rating: ★★★★✩
Source: Little Bird Publicity

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► Author Information
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► Book Information
Series: Waverly Bryson (Book 2)
Paperback, 288 pages
Published November 8, 2011 by Amazon Encore
ISBN: 161218149X
ISBN13: 9781612181493
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Declaring Spinsterhood Review

Declaring Spinsterhood
Jamie Lynn Braziel

Publisher: AmazonEncore
Release Date: May 3, 2011
Series: N/A
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Pages: Paperback, 284 pages
Source: Publicist
Rating: 4/5 (Avg 3/5)

Emma Bailey is thirty years old and single. No problem for her, but a point of round-the-clock contention for her mother, her family, and too many of her friends. In Jamie Lynn Braziel's Declaring Spinsterhood, the terminal illness known as "old maid" is explored from every angle, and the result is a compassionate, compelling, and wickedly funny novel. Emma may stand up before all and declare her intention to never marry, but what about that little place in her heart reserved for Brian Davis? Sure, Brian's seeing someone, and Emma is not a vixen who breaks up relationships, but would it be so terrible if Brian returned the interest? Rather than bide her time, Emma dates…and dates. Some of the men are charming, others less so. With her vow of spinsterhood more a noose than a friend, Emma musters her courage and moves on. That is, until the unforeseen throws up the biggest obstacle of her life: love.

I want to call this book what I would consider to be one of my perfect beach reads without that sounding completely insulting. Some people see "beach reads" as one of those smutty romance novels that you take to the beach in paperbook format to read without guilt - and if you get some sand in the pages, then no problem. However, my definition is a little different. I love the beach and consider the beach to be a very romantic place. With that mindset, what I consider a good beach read is a great romance that can be read with an equally great back-drop -- like the beach. The beach just gives it that extra something that makes it that much better for me. So, that's what Declaring Spinsterhood is for me - a great romance book that I want to read with the ocean roaring at my ears, the sun warming my skin with the sand squishing between my toes. Absolute perfection, really.

The narration of this book makes it easy to read and very easy to follow. Emma is a great character to read about, full of life and spunk. She served the book well with her sparkling personality and intense free spirit. I love her drive and determination, especially how she keeps on keeping on when things seem to not go a certain way. Brian is an amazing friend and so much more. Emma's mom is... well, not exactly the greatest person in the world, but she serves her purpose in the book. As a matter of fact, all of the characters shine in this book serve as small pieces to the puzzle that is this book, clicking together perfectly.

The romance is kind of sudden, yet not really surprising at all. It really heats up the pages afterward, but the love scenes stay very G-rated - so, it's not one of those smutty books you have to hide from the world. Actually, it's quite the opposite... you'll want to share this with most of the world once you're done.

I think the only thing I can say is that the dialogue gets a little lengthy at parts, but besides that.. it's brilliant. It's a great read for all of my Contemporary Romance readers out there. You won't be disappointed. ;)