Stretch Marks
by Kimberly Stuart
Author Website: www.KimberlyStuart.com

Available in paperback and Kindle. David C. Cook, 2009; ISBN: 0781448921; 304 pages.

Mia and her mother, Babs, could not differ more. Mia dresses retro, cares about the energy crisis, goes to yoga religiously and lives a pure vegetarian lifestyle in Chicago. Her mother, while morally conservative, sports plastic surgery, works as a social director on a Caribbean cruise ship and is passionate about steak. They drive each other crazy!

But when Mia gets pregnant, her live-in freeloader boyfriend jumps ship. Actually, he kinda slithers off into the night. Babs to the rescue. She drops everything and moves into Mia’s apartment building to “help.” Can anything can bring these opposites together? The promise of a new baby, one they both already adore, may be their only hope.

Delightful characters fill this book! From Frankie, the librarian with technicolor hair (Mia’s best friend), to Silas, the mysterious gentleman who lives downstairs, and Adam, the hottie who runs the local grocery store. Each contributes their own charm to the story.

Consistent with the author's style, this book is subtly infused with inspiration. It is witty, intelligent and funny, all while being perfectly authentic -- the opposite of preachy.

You’ll love it — I promise.

And so does the publisher. If you don’t like the book, you can send it to them under their “Good Read Guarantee!”

Final Thoughts: Kimberly Stuart's books are like chocolate: take one bite and you'll need another. I can't get enough!

Act Two: A Novel in Perfect Pitch

by Kimberly Stuart
Author Website: http://www.kimberlystuart.com/

Available in paperback. David C. Cook, 2008; ISBN: 1434700119; 241 pages.

Okay, as a Midwestern farmgirl transplanted to the busy East Coast, I may be a bit biased, but I loved this book.

It's your classic fish-out-of-water story. Thanks to a little career desperation and a religious experience, a classical music diva from New York accepts a one-time, one-semester job as a college voice professor in Iowa. Things get worse when she arrives to find she'll be living in the attic of an old house on a pig farm. Oh, and did I mention it's filled with kids? And that her daily chauffeur is an opinionated country music fan? Not exactly what she had in mind when her agent arranged this gig. What ensues is a delightful tale and a journey of discovering what's really most important.

While this type of story has been done a thousand times, Ms. Stuart fills her novel with fresh, sassy characters and authentic details. A love of high society, fashion and cuisine meets practicality and downhome families in a plucky collision of real life in different cultures.

Final Thoughts: It's fantastic. In fact, it's the most enjoyable book I've read so far this summer. I highly recommend it.