Rambling About.. Take A Chance On Me by Carol Wyer

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Back in February I had read (and absolutely loved) Carol Wyer's Life Swap and she's back again with the oh-so-fabulous Take A Chance On Me! It's being released on September 23rd so if you go and pre-order it now it should be all ready for you when you wake up Friday morning!

This is the story of Charlie Blundell. She's almost 40, her daughter would have turned 18 this year had she not died five years prior, her marriage had fallen apart shortly thereafter and her ex is now remarried and expecting a new baby, her mother died soon after her divorce, and in spite of staying constantly busy with volunteering and dj-ing at the hospital radio station and working at an Art Cafe, she hasn't really been living.

On New Year's Eve her best friend, Mercedes, convinces her to write up a Carpe Diem list for the year and then tells her that the two are going to fulfill the other's lists. Mercedes is wheelchair-bound and has lots of things on her list that she can't do because of it so she's having Charlie be her legs. As an added bonus, the list Mercedes has come up with is destined to shake up Charlie's life and bust her out of the shell she's been living in for the past five years.

I absolutely adore Charlie and her friends -- old and new. Mercedes, of course, is an absolute favorite along with Charlie's elderly neighbor Peggy and her parrot Bert. (It almost makes me want to break my "no, we are absolutely NOT getting a pet bird" ruling for the house!) And the girls from her belly dancing class? I can totally see myself bonding with them over big-bellied shimmies (and pig squeals)! They're all a wonderful support system for her (and vice-versa) and although she's initially hesitant about most of the things that Mercedes has put on her list, she ends up embracing them and taking on even more challenges.

Of course, probably the biggest challenge of all is to find love again -- in spite of the persistent knob from her past who won't leave her alone and the gorgeous mystery man who keeps popping up at the most embarrassing moments.

So much laughter and love and, yes, a tear or two (or fifteen ... ) make this story glorious. I'd probably be able to ooh and aah and ramble more, but I really don't want to give too much of the awesomeness away. Besides, I have to go see about buying a kazoo and I'm pretty sure you have to go order this book!

Rambling About.. Carol Wyer's Life Swap

Title: Life Swap Author: Carol Wyer Publication: 22 April 2016 -- Bookouture (thanks for the early read through NetGalley!) Amazon Description: Handsome prince, beautiful house, fabulous job? Polly has none of these. All she has to her name is a string of failed relationships and she’s up to her ears in debt. She sees herself as a hopeless case and would do anything to change her luck.  Simon is approaching the big 50. He’s off his game at work, his kids don’t seem to notice he exists and his wife seems to think he’s made of money. As for sex …what’s that?  So when the opportunity comes for both of them to swap their lives for a life of luxury, they jump at the chance. For Simon a life of helicopters, fast cars and hot babes beckons. For Polly, it’s all diamonds, spa days and celebrity parties. What more could they want?  Trouble is, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Is life in the fast lane more than either of them can cope with?

First Lines: Simon Green was drowning in a large vat of fluffy white marshmallows. He flailed beneath the killer's powerful hands, which were forcing him deeper into the gooey, vanilla depths, each marshmallow stifling his ragged breaths and blocking his respiratory passages.

Favorites on 4s: 
4% - Polly MacGregor had been an angel for an entire week and hated every moment of it. It wasn't that she was a bad angel; she was simply not a very good one.
14% - "My eyes are the colour of old white knickers that have been washed too many times. My face is too round and my nose is crooked. If I look in the mirror and don't like what I say, how can I expect anyone else to like me?"
34% - "Many a man has lost his senses when it comes to a comely wench with big bazongas."
54% - The situation was peculiar and her cut instinct was to walk away from it.
64% - His conscience was muffled by the throbbing sound of blood pulsating in his brain. Mutely, he allowed himself to be led to the bedroom by this seductive woman he barely knew.
74% - "There's more to life than big houses, dumb pink cars and having loads of dough."

Ramble:
Now, this is where I would normally give a little bit of a "this is what it's about ... this is what I liked ... this is what I didn't like ... blah blah blah ...."

I just can't.
It's so twisty and turny and full of "WHAT the *$&#%?!?" that my brain just isn't functioning properly.

Yeah, I loved the main characters ... except for when I didn't ...
and the plot was sweet/disturbing/touching/hilarious/terrifying ... except for when it wasn't.

I know!!!!

It's like chick lit a la Christopher Moore...
(except for when it's not.)

Do yourself a favor and go to Amazon and hit the order button on Life Swap. I know, it doesn't come out until the endish of April but if you pre-order it now then it will automatically show up on your Kindle (or app) then and you can read it and thank me. (Added bonus: it's only 99 cents. Believe me ... I would be telling you to go pre-order it if it was 5 times that!)