An amiable light-hearted satisfying read~
933954
This was the first piece of work Ive read by this author.  On the whole I enjoyed the story and looked forward to opening my Kindle to find out what was going to take place next. Without going into another summary of the story these are my general thoughts.

Lady, Lover, Smuggler, Spy was enjoyable, had believable charming characters, and others who were brusque.  I applaud the author for presenting Valerie as a strong independent female as I could not have endured a spineless one.  The chapters flowed very nicely, were light-hearted and kept my attention. I enjoyed learning about the Napol&eacute;on period and wished the smuggler part had played out a bit more since it was new to me.  The ending was predictable as we all wished it to be, though the only character not to realize this was Valerie.

Without decreasing the pleasantness of the read, there were a few occasions of head hopping that were a bit confusing, and the idea of French-kissing directly after Sir Tarquin and Valerie had put their dinner forks down made my stomach turn momentarily.  Aside from that I enjoyed the story very much and I recommend it as an amiable satisfying read.  (I give it 4.5 stars)
3294932
I found this story to be a lighthearted bit of fun fluffiness to read. Nothing deep or terribly dramatic here, and nothing extremely comic, though it has its minor elements of both. The story moved along at a nice pace and held my interest.

Definitely worth spending a bit of time reading for some mild amusement and entertainment.
4698686
A light-hearted, easy read. No major surprises, but no major disappointments either, and some fun characterization.
1636982
I enjoyed reading this book. Made me smile, some romance with humor mixed in. It reminded me a little of Marcia Lynn McClure's books. It was the perfect light-read for me when I needed it.
2190989
This book is a fun, light hearted read about the trials of on-line dating, a subject that much of the single world can relate to. I had many laugh out loud moments and loved the author's descriptions of the men she met and the environments she encountered on her adventurous dates. The author often had vibes, bells and sometimes whistles (her intuition) that indicated something about her date(s) was off.  Sometimes she listened and sometimes she did not. It reminded me of my own need to trust my intuition that is so often a better judge of character than my heart and head which tends to rationalize, minimize, intellectualize, etc.  I liked how the author wrote about a human experience, finding a life partner, with the ability to see the humor and, at times, the absurdity, of this experience, which is an earnest and often daunting pursuit for many people.
4458526
A feel-good story.  A good read.  I enjoyed it.
1978574
An easy and enjoyable read, this book manages to convey the author's clear sense of fun and to poke fun at social-climbing while still making plain her palpable hurt and upset over the heartbreaking way the last few years of her father's life played out. It would be hard to make up a literary villain as nasty as the vain, selfish stepmother portrayed here, and at times her spiteful antics make the reader want to scream, but through it all Ms Ford keeps her good humor intact and her boundless energy and resilience sparkle on every page.
4854814
I find this a joy filled respite from ordinary stressors of the joy - it is quick and simple read but surely will give you a chuckle, a diversion from the daily stressors and just plain make you smile - short and sweet works!
4326023
I have literally just finished reading this book.

My thoughts, when I finished the last sentence: "That was lovely!"

There were a few laugh out loud moments, some "awww!" moments and a lot of good intentions all around.

Thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended lighthearted reading :-)
4224221
THE ESPRESSOLOGIST is, admittedly, not a literary work of art. There are one-dimensional characters, uneven pacing, plot holes so large you can fit your arm through them...and yet I had a rollicking good time reading it. It's a quick and lighthearted read perfect for stressful times when your brain doesn't want to handle anything too difficult.

The best part about THE ESPRESSOLOGIST is its premise--and no, I don't mean that in a critical way. The frothy idea of THE ESPRESSOLOGIST means that the book didn't need extraordinary characterization or writing to make me appreciate it as what it is: a 100% fun chick lit read. Jane's "Espressology" is richly detailed, clear evidence that the author knows her way around coffeeshop orders and various personalities.

It's true that, aside from Jane (who has characterization issues of her own), the rest of the characters never develop beyond their "labels": for example, Derek, the moody boss with an unlucky streak in romance, or Em, the ever-sweet best friend suffering from post-breakup delusions of new love. (It's worrisome when characters can be summed up with phrases like those.) Likewise, Jane's own romance completely lacks buildup and chemistry, and the happy ending is rather rushed and unrealistic. Nevertheless, I found THE ESPRESSOLOGIST to be an entertaining read. Pick it up when you want a light read, and see if you don't find yourself wishing you were a frequent coffeeshop customer at this Wired Joe's!
1938671
A cute book that I got for my Amazon early access.

A fairly quick read that I managed to finish up in a single day, this story was delightfully entertaining and left me with a good feeling at the end (I won't spoil it for the people who greatly desire going in fresh).

Suffice to say, I definitely felt that, while some aspects of the story seemed far-fetched and well beyond the realm of believable coincidence, accepting the sense of a comedy where just about any circumstance is possible gave me the chance to let myself along for the ride.  This translation also flows very well, and beautifully crafts some wonderful character and moment descriptions that I found myself highlighting throughout the story.

I'd recommend this book for anyone looking for a quick, lighthearted read with great textual descriptions.
2525404
Having read this over the course of a couple of days, I found it full of pithy stories of days gone by, unknown to the contemporary culture, but familiar to the author. The mix of fact and fancy makes for amusing reading, and lighthearted good fun reading. A very relaxing read, so pull up your rocker on the back porch, put your feet on the railing and enjoy the sunshine that comes flowing through this delightful book of memories.
3289534
Delightfully told ...a quick read and charming style
2971405
As a single woman 'of a certain age' I found this to be a fun, light read that also reminded me that I'm not alone AND that there is nothing wrong with me!
2308630
Opening a Claire Cook book is like spending an afternoon with a good friend, and her newest book is another fun, light-hearted and uplifting read.  I was lucky enough to get an early look at the latest installment of the ongoing Must Love Dog series, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  This is the continuing story of the lovable Sarah Hurlihy, as she and her boyfriend John decide to buy and renovate Sarah's beautiful old family home.  Sarah is such a relatable character, and it is easy to enjoy her struggles at work, and her large, affectionate, but intrusive family, and mostly her kind loving nature.  Cook has readers cheering for Sarahs triumphs and empathizing with her struggles.

Claire Cook has a unique ability to present tough issues in a non-threatening way.  As Sarah struggles with her desire to get pregnant, she deal with her fears of never becoming a mom by pouring all of her mothering on a family of cats living under the front porch. Sarah and John learn how to set boundaries with Sarah's large and close-knit family, finding ways to carve out time for themselves, but all of the chaos takes a toll on their relationship.

I really enjoyed this book, I laughed out loud at Sarah's quirky personality and her hilarious misadventures.  Must Love dogs: Who Let the Cats in? is a perfect summer beach read.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
1763044
This story was short, enchanting, humorous - an easy pick for someone looking for a light afternoon read - the author does a good job with character dialogue and keeps the pace quick but conclusive. Personally I would love if it were a little longer, but then again the length might be appealing for anyone short on time. Well written, with few mistakes, a whimsical setting, mini mystery, with entertaining dialogue.
548471
Great light punctuation to the Witches of Cleopatra Hill series - a fast satisfying read that seems to wrap up unresolved issues.  It rushes along and makes you smile when you are done reading it.  Imagine spooning into a clean tasting gelato on a summer day and you've got the feeling  of Sympathetic Magic, pleasurable, light, slightly naughty, but oh so good..