"Fairy Tale Fail"

by Mina V. Esguerra, AF, 2010, Kindle edition ebook, 112p, rating=2.5
Source: purchased

Of all the twenty-something women who are hopeless romantics, Ellie Manuel is more “hopeless” than “romantic.”
Even after her Prince Charming broke up with her, she just won’t give up … because fairy tale heroines don’t live “happily ever after” right away, silly, they’re tested first!
Determined to pass the test, she spends the next year restoring herself to the girl Prince Charming had fallen in love with in the first place.
Until she discovers that life without him might not be so bad after all: her career is taking off, her confidence is back, and the cute guy at work is no longer a stranger.
So when is it okay to quit on a fairy tale? (Goodreads)

This had been on my TBR/wishlist for awhile and I finally got to reading it.  I had enjoyed the author's other book, Love Your Frenemies, so I had high hopes for this one.  I was disappointed.  It was a cute romance story and well written but it just didn't pop for me.  As short as it was, I struggled to finish it.  I just didn't find it captivating.  I didn't care for the swearing either, even though it was very minimal.  I just found the book as a whole a bit humdrum and pretentious. 

It was not an awful book.  I just was expecting it to be more interesting.

Brief Reviews: Always the Baker Never the Bride; Love Your Frenemies

Always the Baker Never the Bride, by Sandra D. Bricker, AF, 2010, Kindle ebook, 308p, rating=4
Source: own

They say you can't have your cake and eat it too. But who would want a cake they couldn't eat?
Just ask Emma Rae Travis about that. She's a baker of confections who is diabetic and can't enjoy them. When Emma meets Jackson Drake, the escapee from Corporate America who is starting a wedding destination hotel to fulfill a dream that belonged to someone else, this twosome and their crazy family ties bring new meaning to the term "family circus." The Atlanta social scene will never be the same! (Goodreads)

I nibbled on this book in between review commitments and distractions.  I really liked it!  A lovely blossoming romance story with awesome recipes and wedding tips.  It had interesting character dynamics, nice Southern setting, and a giggle-inducing non-preachy Christian chick-lit plot.  A definite good find.

Totally scored on this ebook.  I caught it on a Kindle freebie day ..caught the next two installments for free as well!  Woohoo!!  :)

 Love Your Frenemies by Mina V. Esguerra, AF, 2011, Kindle ebook, 121p, rating=3.5
Source: own

Kimmy Domingo was the kind of girl everyone hated and envied -- until her fiancé dumped her a week before their wedding. Soon after, she quit her job, hopped on a plane, and just hid from everyone who knew her. A year later and she's back in Manila to be maid of honor at a wedding she can't miss.
Kimmy's home because she's ready to start over, but she also knows that some people at that wedding were responsible for the mess her life turned out to be. The first step to recovery? Cutting off the ones who caused her troubles to begin with: her best friend and her first love. (Goodreads)

What a cute story.  Well worth the $.99 I paid to purchase it.  Of course, I liked the setting ..Philippines!  My native country, so I caught on to the lingo/customs.  Anyway, this book was about getting personal with Kimmy, the protagonist.  We get her point of view through see-sawing of past-present time line.  Although romance was in the midst, the main focus was understanding one's role in the intimate, economic, and social dynamics of family and friends.  The tender twist towards the end was a nice surprise ..the kind that you would find yourself wanting to touch base with your best friend at that very moment and tell him that you're thinking of him.  Nice.