BLOG TOUR: Jenny's Blue Velvet by Angela Carlie ARC REVIEW

Title/Series: Jenny's Blue Velvet
Author: Angela Carlie
Publisher: Angela Carlie
Published: August 22nd 2013
Format: eBook | Pages: 100
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Source: ARC provided for blog tour
★★★ (3/5) Stars!

Jenny's stuck.

She's tried just about every occupation she can think of and will be digging out of student debt for a very long time, but has nothing to show for it. Her everyday routine feels like a prison. And her marriage? Well, let's just say it's been a little one-sided lately and the money she threw down on the toys from Lover's Erotic Store was well worth it and then some.

Jenny decides her next big step is to become a romance writer. Romance books are flying off the virtual shelves, after all. This will be her big break, her escape from the prison, and a way to freedom. Self-publishing is all the rage these days. She'll be a best seller in no time.

When Jenny makes friends with a woman named Cassandra from the gym, she instantly decides that her new friend will make a perfect main character in her upcoming book. After the first chapter, real life begins to resemble the fiction she's writing. Her friendship blossoms, sex with her husband turns into a daily feast, and her job gets more interesting with each chapter written.

Out of the blue, a person who is a close friend with her husband and who is dating Cassandra disappears. As the mystery behind the missing person unfolds, Jenny wonders if she might be responsible for his possible death. And if she is, what will be the consequence? What has this writing business gotten her into?

JENNY'S BLUE VELVET is a dark, humorous, romantic thriller for adults only.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book surprised me in a few different ways. To start with, it wasn't anything like I expected it to be. I will be totally honest and say I wasn't a big fan when I started reading it. It was a struggle and for a novella, only 100 pages worth, it took me quite a while to make it through. Part of me wanted to give up and send off an email saying "sorry but it's just not for me". But there was a majority of myself that kept thinking that it is only 100 pages and push through to the end at least to give it a fair shot and see what happens. Then there it was at the end of the book. This huge twist that I never saw coming, at all. It was enough to make me glad that I stuck it out.

There was quite a bit going on in this book. The chapters sort of alternated between Jenny's life and the things going on with her, to being in and reading the book she was writing. I wavered on my feelings towards Jenny. There were times when I felt like she was so self conscious and a bit paranoid to the point that she was sabotaging her own life and happiness. It would get frustrating but then she'd do or say something that would make me feel for her. It was very conflicting. Her husband Jason seemed, from what I could tell since it was in her POV, but he seemed like a good guy and loving and devoted. Even her paranoia that he was being unfaithful didn't touch my gut feeling that things weren't what they seemed to her.

The story she was writing was a bit strange to me and I wasn't understanding why reading what Jenny was writing was part of this book. I was always wanting to know more about what was going on with Jenny and her strange behavior and so many questions I was having about what was going on with her own life. Then towards the end the book took a very interesting twist and the two worlds collided in a very unexpected way. You think you'll know...but you'll never see it coming.

So yes, I struggled a bit through the book, it was a bit confusing at times with both stories going on. But I enjoyed the end quite a bit and I was glad I kept going.

About the author:

I’ve lived in the state of Washington my entire life. Sure, it rains a lot, but that’s what makes it so beautiful here. I’d like to say it’s the most beautiful place on the planet, but I have yet to travel the world. Someday I’ll know for sure.

I write fiction involving young people. Mainstream publishing would label my writing as YA or middle grade. Since I’m an indie author, I can skip over the labels and tell you that each one of my stories is unique, can be read and enjoyed by all ages, and almost always has a young person as the protagonist. Authors write what they know and I don’t know old yet. I may someday write about older people, but that’s so far in the future that I can’t see it yet.

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