Showing 1-4 out of 4 reviews.

• Reviewed for queuemyreview.com; book release Dec08Dishy gossip and fabulous recipes. Does that combination grab your attention? What if I throw in a delicious romance? Well, you can get all that and more in Sherrill Bodine’s first full length contemporary “Talk of the Town”. Once I started this book, I just couldn’t put it down.Rebecca has been Chicago’s Daily Mail gossip queen for fifteen years. Then, new management and a threatened lawsuit results in her dethronement. With two years left on her contract, she is moved to the Home section to write a miniscule Food column. Rebecca may be temporarily down, but she’s certainly not out. She fully intends to do whatever it takes to get her column back. Then she meets a handsome man who makes her senses trill…and it’s her new boss!It’s going to be difficult to write about all the things I enjoyed about this novel without giving away too much of the storyline. There are several subplots involving secondary characters, but Bodine is careful not to overwhelm the reader. One of the most enjoyable factors for me personally was the heroine of this story is in her 40s. YES, there is love and romance over 40! Rebecca has suffered the loss of her parents, the loss and damage of an ugly divorce, and now the loss of her job. Each of these losses have injured her sense of self and self-worth; and each time it’s harder to ‘bounce back’. I also liked how the heroine doesn’t try to play the ageism card even though there is certainly a sense of that when management wants to go in a ‘younger, sassier, sexier’ direction. I’m certain there are more than a few readers who can identify with the heroine’s feelings on that one! This story even takes on a subplot regarding recurring episodes of depression. I think this book is mostly about change. There are career changes, relationship changes, and personal changes for most of the primary AND secondary characters. And I think that for many people, change has become something feared past 40. So I appreciate the way Bodine has depicted change in this story. Not all the changes are good…but then again, that’s true in real life too. Not all the changes are wanted…but again, that’s life. These changes are what makes the tale more realistic and enables readers (at least, THIS reader) to identify even more closely with the heroine.The contemporary setting is perfect for this story because it just wouldn’t work any other way. The romance is sweet, sexy, and downright hot, in turns. The hero is conflicted and has a few issues of his own to work out because, hey, he’s in his late 40s and has lived a lot of life too. There’s some ups and some downs for most of the characters throughout the story, but the happy ending is worth waiting for. My emotions were engaged, I laughed and cried. I even admired the recipes though I’m definitely NOT the cook in my family. Put all these things together, and Sherrill Bodine has certainly found a recipe for success in my book with “Talk of the Town”.

  5.00 out of 5

  jjmachshev

• Gossip Queen Rebecca Covington is the "gossip Queen Bee", she knows her stuff and is sitting pretty at the Daily Mail - until one faithful day - she is told by her quivering boss that she is being terminated. Rebecca cannot believe it!!! she spends some quality time in the washroom getting herself "together" and decides to accept the offer of a "lower" position at the paper - that of food columnist. The only problem is, Rebecca cannot really cook and she mainly lives on Diet Coke! Yet, she is determined to prove to all, especially her new CEO David Summer, that she will always be "the queen of gossip" and is due her rightful place at the head of THAT column. With a wonderful sense of humour, this book takes us through Rebecca's trials and tribulations as she tries to prove to everybody that she still has "it". Of course, to add to the mix is the sexy potential pairing up of Rebecca and David who eventually meet face to face and feel an instant, if not annoying, physical attraction to each other. Will the new CEO follow his heart? or will he put his professional career ahead?This novel is charming and what I truly enjoyed about it is the fact that the main character is ALWAYS nice. She is somewhat clueless for most of the book, but I love that even at her worse, she just picks herself up and keeps going - with a smile (albeit a fake one) on her face. This book is funny, funny and the speed of the narrative is non-stop - not too many dull moments here. The storyline was a tad predictable, but that's part of the fun of these romantic comedies. I would qualify this book more of a romantic comedy and less of a chick lit book - but if you are looking for an uplifting read, this is a good bet. I really enjoyed it

  4.00 out of 5

  Nitestar

• This delightful story was made even more delightful by the performance of Johanna Parker on the audio version I listened to. In the story Mandalay Florentino is a Hollywood production assitant working with a 'American Idol' type show. She travels to Texas to film the hometown segment for the sweet and naive Amber Anderson, all the while hoping word hasn't leaked out and that the media won't be on her tale. As Mandalay (or 'Amanda Lee' as the Texans call her) deals with the ups and downs of her professional and personal life the narrator nails the character of the story and give each character just the right voice, making the story come alive. Mandalay of course finds success, love and happiness but learns quite a few lessons from the small town folk of Texas--and helps them learn some lessons about life and faith as well. Give this one a read or listen if you enjoy fun quirky stories with strong female characters, small town values, and memorable characters.

  4.00 out of 5

  debs4jc

• Well this morning I read my first book by Sherrill Bodine and went and bought another on my kindle Talk of the Town. I was not disappointed by either book. I expect I will read more books from Sherrill.Rebecca is a popular gossip colume when she is let go in order to hire a younger writer. She still had two years left on her contract. So she got moved to food colume. She does not cook. She was still throwing in gossip that got people laughing.David the new owner of the paper who fired her is a widower who is not going to love again. Is attracted to her. David ends up asking her out saying business was seperate than personal. Finds it hard to keep things seperate.Rebecca is funny, fiesty and stubborn. She was tossed over by her husband for younger model now her job for the same reason. She is not giving up.I enjoyed reading this book and as someone who is middleage I want to slap guys too for always wanting younger.

  4.00 out of 5

  rhonda1111

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