Jenyfer Matthews

Just got this review for ONE CRAZY SUMMER:

One Crazy Summer is a light-hearted romantic romp. [...] Jenyfer Matthews’ description of the Mexican beach, with its wicker chairs and breathtaking views did sound like heaven on Earth. One Crazy Summer is highly entertaining, a great fast read for anytime you feel like being pulled into the summer fun!

Reviewed by: Carly
4/5
Fallen Angels Reviews

I bought a book this summer that I been seeing around for a while. The title amused me and I thought that perhaps it would be useful as research into the male psyche for my own writing. The fact that I’m also interested in sociology and wanted an excuse to buy it had nothing to do with it.

It’s called Why Men Don’t Have a Clue and Women Always Want More Shoes by Allan and Barbara Pease.

It was entertaining and interesting and fun – I expected all of that. What I didn’t expect was to find aspects of my relationship with my own husband outlined and explained.

Did you know that women keep a subconscious score card in their heads? And that for every little action (or non-action) they are adding or subtracting points from their partner’s overall score? And while men do things and forget about it, women never forget anything – the scorecard can go forever (okay, you probably knew that already!)

I wasn’t truly aware that I had a scorecard – or that OTHER women did too – but once it was pointed out to me it was so obvious. It explains why I get so aggravated when I’m seemingly invisible as I juggle all the mundane details of life, day in and day out. And why my husband expects huge pats when he helps out with the dishes or gets his own socks in the hamper – and why he is puzzled when I don’t give him those pats.

In the example they give in the book, men see the big picture and women pick at the details. He sees his job as going out to work every day and if he works long hours, it’s because he cares so much about his family. Women expect men to go out to work every day and if he works long hours she sees that as cutting into family time and laying all the responsibility for managing the details of home life on her shoulders, which she resents.

On the scorecard, a man would expect to be given bonus points for doing the dishes or working long hours or buying an extravagant gift on his wife’s birthday. In the woman’s mind, she give him only one point for having done what she expected him to do in the first place. If however he brings her a mug of soup when she’s sick in bed or brings home a chocolate bar for no reason then he gets bonus points for being thoughtful when she wasn’t expecting it.

And of course the scorekeeping is going to vary by woman and by what she as an individual finds to be thoughtful or important. It’s no wonder that men don’t have a clue. Even if someone explains the point system to them, how can they ever hope to win when the system is so arbitrary? I almost feel sorry for them.

But I still want my husband to read this book. I already know why I always want more shoes.

I have to admit it, I don’t read a lot. Well, I do, but not books. That’s not exactly accurate either since I read books every day. Thing is, I have to limit the amount of time I allow myself to read because I have absolutely no will power when it comes to reading. If I let myself read whenever I felt like it, I’d never get anything else done. When a story really sucks me in I have a hard time putting a book down and getting on with my own life (and since you already know what a slow writer I am, more distractions are not a good thing). So I rarely rarely rarely let myself read anything other than a magazine, a blog or a cookbook when I’m not lying in bed at night.

Sad, isn’t it?

This morning was an exception. I started to read over breakfast because I was so close to finishing my current book, Anybody Out There by Marian Keyes, I just had to know how it came out now. And it was wonderful in a lovely, bittersweet way. I admit it, I cried a little. I’m a sap. I suppose that’s why I prefer romance novels and happily-ever-after endings. But the story and the characters touched me that much.

I’m pretty much a sucker for Irish characters (???) and I loved Marian Keyes books Rachel’s Holiday, which I read many years ago now. This was the story of Rachel’s sister Anna. I picked it up in a neighborhood bookstore because the cover caught my eye. It wasn’t exactly what I was expecting but that’s not always a bad thing. And I feel like doing what I always do when I read a really good book.

Turning back to page one and starting all over again. And I will at some point – it’s definitely got a place on my keeper shelf.

Read any good books lately? Any recommendations?

HERE TO STAY was released nearly six months ago but I never get tired of collecting good reviews:

HERE TO STAY is a sweet, yet suspenseful tale of reunited lovers and unanswered questions. Jenyfer Matthews has crafted a story that really has you wondering whodunit and why. The answers aren’t as clear cut as you’d think. [...] I loved watching them work things out, and I kept wondering if this time it would last. You’ve got to read this one to find out.

Heather M. Riley, Romance Junkies
4.5/5 blue ribbons

What are you waiting for? Buy the book already!

I read a book on the plane this week (one and a half times actually – don’t you love delays?) called “Wife Living Dangerously” by Debra Kent. Here’s the blurb:

As a perfect suburban wife and mother, Julia Flanagan has played by the rules, done what she’s told and put her family first for as long as she can remember. If she’s honest, she’d like a bit more excitement in her life – but wouldn’t everyone?

Then her best friends dare her to break the rules just for once. Taking on their challenge proves easier than she could have imagined: first she’s mixing recyclable glass with plastic; then she’s passing off shop-bought cakes as her own.

But when she meets the sexiest man she’s ever seen, and their work throws them together, she learns the true meaning of what it’s like to be a wife living dangerously. Now she faces the dilemma of how far she should go. And, more importantly, what she has got to lose.

I enjoyed this book tremendously – I would have reread it even if I hadn’t been trapped on a plane with no other entertainment options. It was extremely well written, and since it was done in first person, it had a very intimate feel – as if you were sharing the experience with a friend.
The situations and emotions described were very vivid and alive – and some of the observations on married life struck extremely close to home. Either the author herself had firsthand experience or she’d done her research well.

Reading this book made me think about the nature of romance in fiction. This book was not a romance book – I suppose it would be labeled “chick lit”, it was a bit too light for “women’s fiction – and yet the relationships that Julia had with her husband and with her temptation were the main story. The entire process of the other man wooing her, the agony and obsession she feels as she falls for him, the highs and the lows, her final decision and the satisfying conclusion (sorry, no spoilers!). This was more a slice of real life than the clean HEA a reader gets in a classic romance novel, and yet there were many parallels. I was actually glad I was on a plane when I started it because once I picked it up I simply didn’t want to put it down. I was gripped – as I am in any love story.

And really, isn’t that what romance is all about?

What a lovely surprise! Friend and author Nina Nash posted the following review of my book on her blog – and I didn’t even ask her to, LOL.

Nina Nash
ninanash.blogspot.com

If you like your romance on the spicier side, you should check out some of Nina’s many wonderful books. Her first book CAIRO BY MOONLIGHT was an overnight smash and she’s had several more since then. You can read all about her at www.ninanashromance.com

I like to Google myself occasionally – why not? It tickles And besides – sometimes I find fun things like another good review!

http://suspenseromancewriters.com/review.cfm?reviewID=5887

A rollercoaster ride of suspense makes HERE TO STAY a gripping story from beginning to end. A well developed cast of characters enhance the tale, with Julia and Paul’s slow rebuilding of their fractured marriage realistically presented. Emotional; Julia’s journey to a woman of purpose, Patrick’s devotion and unswerving determination to prove his love, and the love between the pair that was so readily apparent to this reader. Gripping intrigue and likable characters make HERE TO STAY a fine debut from author, Jenyfer Matthews.

I’m pleased to announce that HERE TO STAY earned another great review :

“This kept me turning pages until the very satisfying ending. Jenyfer Matthews is a skillful writer. She has crafted a tale of romantic affection within a superb suspense story. Recommended.”

Overall rating:
Reviewer: Lynn Bushey

The Romance Studio

Good bread and good reviews – who can ask for more?

romance writing
book reviews
cerridwen press

I’d been having a crappy weekend – no water service for a few days and PMS plus migraine. There aren’t enough mint filled Oreos in the world to fix all that, LOL. But I got a lovely surprise in my inbox this morning.

Another glowing review:

Emotionally charged and full of suspense Here To Stay by Jenyfer
Matthews is an enticing read. [...] I highly recommend this gripping
book to anyone who loves suspense, it is well worth the read.

Sheryl
http://ecataromance.com/248-reviews?type=&id=1247

Still don’t have water, can still feels the echoes of the migraine but now I don’t care Think I’ll have cookies for breakfast…