Local News, Designer Handbags, Broken Families and Edward R. Murrow
Maddy Madison, 27 year old assistant news producer for 9 News in San Diego, tracks down important stories such as Cosmetics That Kill. Truth is the least important aspect of local news at 9 News in San Diego. Advertisers, making promos for prime time shows, and above all, placating the news anchors even when the editors spark friction are key ingredients to success at Maddy's job. In her heart, Maddy has big dreams, producing national news at Newsline. Instead she is promoted to investigative reporter for a special segment starring none other than aging news anchor diva Terrance Toller. Things go from bad to worse when her parents divorce, leaving her sixteen year old trouble-making sister in her care. Sexy photographer Jamie Hays walks into the news room to steal her heart and the leads to her real story only turn up Kate Spade handbag knock-offs and a night in the desert with the toe-curling Jamie (who just happens to be getting married and not to Maddie). How will Maddy ever get herself out of this comedy of errors and back to her dreams of producing news, carrying real designer handbags, true love and a real family? When family and job collide, will Maddie stand up for her dreams or cave in to the pressures of the job?
Emmy Award winning television producer Marianne Mancusi gives readers an irreverent and humorous behind the scenes look into a local new program and news as entertainment. NEWS BLUES incorporates emails, website texts, school principle letters, police reports, drug culture guides and even facsimiles of handwritten notes, giving this romance a modern slice of life atmosphere. Mancusi's light satirical look into the news culture will have readers laughing and sharing passages aloud with friends. As the novel progresses, the reader roots for Maddie's quest in the midst of the rating boosters and scary promos as she risks her job to uncover the city's shocking truth. When her story hits a little too close to home, will she have the courage to pursue her dreams? As her family disintegrates in front of her eyes, Maddie struggles with her roles as sister, daughter while her dreams of a fairy tale romance seem impossible for a career girl. Can a modern girl find a meaningful job and true love amidst all the craziness and broken dreams?
Marianne Mancusi's romance has a wonderful mix of humor and lightness, combined with a touch of sadness as Maddie's understanding of life and her dreams deepen and enlarge to include her own life. NEWS BLUES leads to several humorous surprises at the end that will have readers smiling and cheering. Sassy and modern, NEWS BLUES is light contemporary romantic comedy with an unusual tribute to Edward R. Murrow. Zany, humorously flippant and surprisingly emotionally moving amidst the chaos of modern life!
Mini-Challenge
I actually read this after my Amy Andrews read. I am not sure there is any connection at all except that I knew I needed an Amy Andrews Medical romance between Silent in the Grave and this book because Amy Andrews would deliver emotional depth but without the darkness of my suspense and mystery reads. I just could not go from dark to light humor back to back. I guess the inside the book similarities are that both heroines have family and job issues and somehow both find their way to making both fit with their true selves and situations rather than what fairy tales might dscribe as ideal. Amy Andrews book is emotional with tenderness, this one light with some unexpected depth among the humor. This book led to my Nicola Marsh HR read just blogged because both have television settings. Now reading an inspirational historical romance, The Homespun Bride by Jillian Hart.
AKA Merri
Family Challenge Team: The Spine Breakers with my dh Glenn AKA Phaedrus
Bravo
Again you write a wonderful review for what appears to be a great read. I have already added it to THE LIST. Thanks
Jeannie
Yes I am a readalholic and I don't want the 12 step program!!!
While...
this doesn't sound like my type of read, you certainly made it sound good!
The D2K Paranormal Junkies 2008 Challenge Blo
I don't normally read Chick
I don't normally read Chick Lit and not a ton of contemporary romance either but every once in a while, I think I need to shake things up. After all the dark reads lately, this one really appealed to me. Beth Ciotta was like that for me too. When I got her book in my subscription and read the blurb, I thought no way and then I started reading it out of curiosity. Now the only thing I don't like about reading Beth Ciotta is waiting for the next one.
This one really had me laughing. I always used to watch the local and then national news. When I moved to Colorado, I upped my dose of local news, trying to get acquainted moe with my new home state. Let me tell you, I ODed on local news. Some of the scenes in here are so much like our local news it was unbelievable. I want you to know that one channel here had the nerve to interfere with the last five minutes of Survivor to do some promo for the late news. Urrrgh! The weatherman Richard Ortner who actually told the weather without this hyper-sensationalization is now been moved so I never see him and instead we get these people scaring you to death in tornado season with weather not even close. Then they seemed to have gotten rid of the older guy who actually did good interviews with guests in favor of the younger anchors who basically look bored to death with their guests.... and then of course, every other story is some new diet fad. Not ust one channel either. I laughed silently reading this book and then I read some passages aloud to my dh imitating this one local anchorwoman. Parts of this one really struck a funny bone and yet there is a deeper strand and a sad strand too of living in modern society. I wondered how she was going to pull of an HEA at times. I wonder if her fashonista romance will be as funny in terms of King Arthur.
AKA Merri
Family Challenge Team: The Spine Breakers with my dh Glenn AKA Phaedrus
This sounds like...
a book I'd like to read. You write great reviews!
Claire
The Single Dad's Patchwork Family, Harlequin Romance, Apr 08
Pregnant: Father Wanted, Harlequin Romance, Dec 08
http://www.clairebaxter.com
Thanks. I really enjoy
Thanks. I really enjoy what I read. I just love getting inside books, what they say, how they say it.
This book was very funny. It also had some deep moments with the heroine's crazy family. I think the 1st person narrative really worked well here becauser it allowedme to see the crazy family through her eyes. Sometimes I wanted to ask the parents what in the world they were doing, but at the same time, things happen in life and it's nice to see a heroine without perfect parents get her story told and her HEA. With this one, the humor grabbed me right off andshe led me somewhere else as well.
AKA Merri
Family Challenge Team: The Spine Breakers with my dh Glenn AKA Phaedrus