Book Spotlight ~ Capitol Hell - Alicia M. Long & Jayne J. Jones

Description 

When recent college graduate Allison Amundson, a small town girl from South Dakota, lands the highly sought after job of scheduler to the newly-elected and rising star of the United States Senate, Senator Anders McDermott III, she thinks she is on the fast track to success.

However, she quickly learns that crazy co-workers, a high maintenance boss, an over-the-top family and an unexpected Presidential bid make Capitol Hill seem even more dysfunctional than portrayed on TV. In fact, it is Capitol Hell.

The second Allison sets foot in the prestigious Senate Russell Building, things begin to go awry. Allison soon realizes her co-workers consist of a Chief of Staff who has little to no control over the antics in the office, a Press Secretary who is not only pompous, but who is constantly primping and preening, and worst of all the Senator himself, who cares more about his rise to fame than the people of Minnesota.

As Allison struggles to juggle a new career, her blooming love interest in Cam (a quiet but loyal Legislative Assistant), and her ever-declining bank account, she is comforted only by her co-worker Janet, a fireplug who spends the majority of her time on-line dating, trying to land a Senator of her own.

Just as Allison and Janet begin to figure out the ins and outs of Capitol Hill, their lives are turned upside down when Senator McDermott announces his bid for President of the United States. Soon, Allison and Janet find themselves at the center of one of the craziest campaigns in history, and hilarity ensues.

This off-beat, funny novel captures and shares what it is like to be a young staffer working on Capitol Hill.

Genre: Chick -Lit 

Buy Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

About the Authors

Jayne Jones and Alicia Long, co-authors of Capitol Hell began their political careers working for former Senator Norm Coleman (MN) as staffers in both his St. Paul, MN and Washington, D.C. offices. Fast friends, the two  stuck together through thick and thin, recently joining forces to write a novel about life as a Capitol Hill staffer. 

Jayne Jones, a graduate of William Mitchell College of Law, worked for US  Senator Norm Coleman from 2002-2006, then headed to the Minnesota House of Representatives, where she was the Executive Assistant to the Speaker of the House, Steve Sviggum. 

Jayne loves reality television, funky jewelry and skirts under $20. She thrives on meeting 

current and former United States Presidents, cheering for the University of North Dakota 

Sioux hockey team, catching Alaskan halibut, and aiming to win her family’s salsa making 

contest! On her bucket list: being on the Wheel of Fortune, going to happy hour with Kelly 

Ripa, and figuring out how to boil corn-on-the-cob for that oh-so-darn-good buttery taste. 

Following her passion to teach others about the legislative process, Jayne is starting a 

summer academic program for teens to master public policy. She also teaches political 

science at Concordia University, where her students have gained national attention for their legislative activities. Her students drafted, advocated for, and passed the Kyle Herman Bill of 2010 and worked hand-in-hand with state and federal elected officials on legislation to curb child abuse in the classroom. This year, Jayne’s students drafted the controversial “No Boozin’ and Cruzin” legislation to eliminate state legislator immunity from impaired driving. The bill soared through committee hearings, passed deadlines, but got tanked for floor action.

Jayne is a member of the Concordia University Advancement Committee, and a former inner city Girl Scout troop leader and live-in nanny. She is proud of her work with Margaret's Missions, ensuring travelers with disabilities get access to see the world and enjoy life's greatest adventures! Jayne is currently planning her wedding on a shoestring budget, and 

resides in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Alicia Long, a South Dakota native and graduate of the University of St. Thomas School of Law, worked for the United States Senate from 2002-2007 for Senators Norm Coleman (MN), John Thune (SD), and George Allen (VA) as a scheduler, caseworker, intern coordinator, legislative correspondent, and legislative aide.

In her spare time, Alicia loves cheering on the Green Bay Packers, working on her golf swing, and reading everything from In Touch magazine to The Great Gatsby to Supreme Court opinions. She also loves finding deals on fashion, funky high heels, and opts for wearing Calvin Klein dresses and a blazer in lieu of a suit any day. 

By day, Alicia fights the good fight at her current job in the Chief Counsel’s office of the Drug Enforcement Agency. By night you can find her scoping out happy hours, playing co-ed sports, or hitting up any of the endless social activities going on in D.C. Her bucket list includes sky diving, traveling the world, mastering the New York Times crossword puzzle, and marrying Green Bay Packer Quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Alicia is originally from Hartford, South Dakota, a small town outside of Sioux Falls. In 2003, he received her B.A. in Political Science from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and then moved to Washington, D.C. to work on Capitol Hill, where she mastered the metro system, became proficient at crashing receptions, and acted as a tour guide for friends and family. 

In 2007, Alicia returned to the Twin Cities to pursue her law degree at the University of St. Thomas. During law school, she worked as a law clerk in the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Minneapolis City Attorney’s Office. After graduating from law school, Alicia was selected to be a Presidential Management Fellow in the Department of Justice where she worked as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA) in the criminal division of the United States Attorney's Office. As a SAUSA, Alicia brought 31 matters to trial, resulting in 26 convictions.

Alicia is a board member of the D.C. Chapter of University of Minnesota Alumni Association, a member of the University of St. Thomas School of Law’s Annual Giving Committee, and a former inner city Girl Scout troop leader. Alicia currently resides in Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia with her German Shepherd/Black Lab mix, Sarge. Capitol Hell by Jayne J. Jones & Alicia M. Long www.capitolhellbook.com

Links

Website | Facebook |Twitter | Goodreads

Review ~ Wombat Sushi - Rhonda Louise

Paperback received from the author in exchange for a honest review

ISBN: 97814666397316

Description

How to make Wombat Sushi: 
1. Take six Australian dancers and one singer who can’t seem to get along.
2. Add a pinch of stupidity, a dash of naïvety and loads and loads of alcohol.
3. Make sure the mixture contains absolutely no self-restraint.
4. Pour into a Japanese club and simmer for three months.
Caution: Definitely contains nuts!

My Opinion

This book was an interesting and fast paced chick-lit novel. The description didn't really sell the book to me as it doesn't give much detail into the plot but once I saw the reviews I was persuaded to try it as it sounded like a good book to chill out with.

In the end Wombat Sushi was a humorous book that I read in one sitting. The characters were funny, wild and easy to engage with. And some of Sam's one liners put a smile on my face. I wouldn't say it was laugh out loud funny but it definitely makes you chuckle. The crazy situations they get into only adds to the drama as well and the book was put together well in plot and structure. The setting was also different and interesting and it was nice to read a chick'lit that wasn't set in America or Paris for once.

There was one thing I had a major problem with though while reading this book and that was the language and grammar. The author continually writes the speech as it would be said for example "Jest git those bloody cosdumes down will ya," I know this is meant to represent their accents but I found it incredibly irritating to read as the accent just wouldn't come to me. I don't mind it occasionally with words like gonna, wanna etc but because it was so frequent and in long chunks, I found it very distracting as I was trying to figure out words rather than read them naturally. This also happened when the Japanese characters were introduced and it all got a bit much. 

As well as this Rhonda Louise likes to extended words and use capitals... a lot. This drove me mad, "Daaaarrryylll!!," "you were reeeeeelly good," "tiiiiiiiicccckkkk toooooccck" or "COMPLETE and TOTAL DISASTER." I'm sorry but for me it felt excessively used (as well as the multiple exclamation marks) and it really did make me want to stop reading the book. I'm not sure what the purpose of it was but I found their was very little speech description so maybe it links with the author writing how they would speak. For me I would rather their speech be described than extend words like that so frequently. It just became annoying.

Overall if you can ignore some of the issues I had with the writing Wombat Sushi was a humorous read. I did find parts irritating but in general it's an ok chick-lit novel that will make you smile.

Review ~ Burning Bright (Flynn #2) - Sophie McKenzie

Purchased by myself from Amazon

Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 9780857071019
Released: 5th Jan 2013

Description
Four months have passed and River and Flynn are still going strong. But things are not perfect. Flynn continues to fly into unprovoked rages, and when River tells her mum, she is banned from seeing him. Fighting to stay together, they end up being torn apart. Is it all over for River and Flynn?

My Opinion

I was excited to hear that Falling Fast was going to have a sequel and after finishing it I was dying to know more. I have finally found the time to buy and read Burning Bright and wow it plays on you emotions! I thought Falling Fast was bad but this takes it to a whole new level.

I really enjoyed reading this book and finished it within a few hour, I just wish there was more. I liked how this book in the series had a slightly darker undertone and how Flynn was developing as a character. Also, the fact that his dad turns up made things more interesting as it bought out a lot of darker emotions. As well as this, I liked River's rebellious side that turns up during the middle of the story, it was a nice change from the 'unsure of herself girl' at the start.

Where as Falling Fast focused on Flynn and River getting together Burning Bright focused more on the struggles they faced four months into the relationship and how they try to stay together despite everyone's beliefs. At times it felt like the arguments were slightly petty and appeared to often but in general this book had me hooked from page one and changed my mood from happy to sad repeatedly while I read it.

The characters in both Falling Fast and Burning Bright were easy to relate to and sympathise with and I think that is why it played with my emotions so much. Sophie McKenzie did a great job of capturing the first few months and emotions of a teen relationship and the storyline - if a little predictable at times - was engaging and enjoyable to read. 

Overall I am eagerly awaiting Casting Shadows (Flynn #3) and hope it is out soon as with the way the author leaves Burning Bright I don't know how long I can wait to find out what happens next. I would highly recommend this series to any chick lit fans or someone looking for a quick and easy read to chill out with. For that matter I would recommend everyone of Sophie McKennzie's novels as they are all brilliant in my opinion, especially Girl Missing and Blood Ties!

Flynn Series:

Other Series by Sophie McKenzie which I loved: