Blame It on Eve

Rating:
Summary: A must-read for relationship novel enthusiasts
Review: A talented new writer has arrived on the scene and her name is Philana Marie Boles. Her debut is the kind of book that you pick up and are hesitant to put down until you've read the final word. Boles skillfully has written a novel that covers the trials and tribulations of a young, well-off engaged couple. Set in New York City, Bo Delaney is trying to give his future wife everything she could desire, but Shawni Baldwin is a bit naive and self-centered and she questions if she's ready or has what it takes to be Bo's wife. The voice of the story is calm, in parts emotional; and the story is not overwritten, it's decently paced and provides the right amount of description to make the scenes work. Throughout the novel there is loads of tension, drama, realism, and humor - all required elements to make Blame It On Eve an engaging and impressive read.

Rating:
Summary: Good First Novel
Review: Blame It On Eve is the first novel by Philana Marie Boles. It is a funny and well-written book with characters that will frustrate you beyond measure.

Shawni is an ex-model, engaged to the superfine Bo. Shawni is planning her and Bo's wedding when she is asked by her brother to be the stylist for a singing group the Gentlemen. Shawni meets the leader Zin and they make a connection. Despite warnings from her brother and best friend Ernie, Shawni continues to make decisions that cause the demise of her and Bo's relationship. After a wild scene and in a jealous rage at Bo's home, Shawni spends the night in jail. After her release, she lapses into a serious state of depression. She withers away in her own self pity until she receives an invitation to Eternal Hope, a retreat that helps her to come to terms about her life, her behavior, and her thoughts about her parents and relationships.

Blame It On Eve was an easy read with a good mixture of dialogue and narrative. One that you will be sure to enjoy.

Jeanette
APOOO BookClub

Rating:
Summary: Good First Novel
Review: Blame It On Eve is the first novel by Philana Marie Boles. It is a funny and well-written book with characters that will frustrate you beyond measure.

Shawni is an ex-model, engaged to the superfine Bo. Shawni is planning her and Bo's wedding when she is asked by her brother to be the stylist for a singing group the Gentlemen. Shawni meets the leader Zin and they make a connection. Despite warnings from her brother and best friend Ernie, Shawni continues to make decisions that cause the demise of her and Bo's relationship. After a wild scene and in a jealous rage at Bo's home, Shawni spends the night in jail. After her release, she lapses into a serious state of depression. She withers away in her own self pity until she receives an invitation to Eternal Hope, a retreat that helps her to come to terms about her life, her behavior, and her thoughts about her parents and relationships.

Blame It On Eve was an easy read with a good mixture of dialogue and narrative. One that you will be sure to enjoy.

Jeanette
APOOO BookClub

Rating:
Summary: Very entertaining!
Review: I really enjoyed it. It was fresh in telling about a common theme, and it was VERY entertaining. I liked that the story seemed to be about one thing but was about so much more, and that it wasn't all so obvious, and that the characters weren't all holier than thou making all the right decisions. The message was clear but the did not have to hit you over the head with it. The dialogue was so much fun, and I laughed out loud alot. I finished this book in three days because I kept wanting to see what happended next, and found myself still thinking about the characters, and wishing Shawni well. The end left me wanting more, but I won't go into specifics because I hate when reviews give away the story line, that is nof fair to the reader, but it is definitely an entertaining story and I would read future books by this author. Keep up the great work Philana Marie Boles.

Rating:
Summary: Very entertaining!
Review: I really enjoyed it. It was fresh in telling about a common theme, and it was VERY entertaining. I liked that the story seemed to be about one thing but was about so much more, and that it wasn't all so obvious, and that the characters weren't all holier than thou making all the right decisions. The message was clear but the did not have to hit you over the head with it. The dialogue was so much fun, and I laughed out loud alot. I finished this book in three days because I kept wanting to see what happended next, and found myself still thinking about the characters, and wishing Shawni well. The end left me wanting more, but I won't go into specifics because I hate when reviews give away the story line, that is nof fair to the reader, but it is definitely an entertaining story and I would read future books by this author. Keep up the great work Philana Marie Boles.

Rating:
Summary: Buy It, Read It and Love It!
Review: I really enjoyed reading this novel by new author Philana Marie Boles. She did a wonderful job creating likeable characters and telling a story that is so different from the same-ole-same-ole.

Shawni is a ex fashion model who gives up her modeling contract to pursue something that she always wanted to do that pays less. Her mother, who is also a fashion model is not happy with her decision at all.......calling her a fool for doing so.

Her long time boyfriend and fiance', Bo will go any extent to make Shawni happy. Ernie, the gay hairdresser who is her BEST friend is a friend that any woman would be lucky to have. He has her back when she is dead wrong and when she is right, no matter what risks are involved. Ernie is a tell-it-like-it-is type of person often hurting Shawni's feelings, but not putting her in the dark about the truth.

Shawni and Bo have a very good relationship and plans to wed until Shawni's brother, Duran gets her gig designing some clothes for his music group-GENTLEMEN. That's when all the drama starts--windows get busted out, Shawni's dog Sandford gets stolen, Bo is caught slipping or Shawni thinks, someone ends up eating bread and water in jail and MUCH MUCH MORE! You just got to read to see for yourself. There was never a dull moment with this book!

Trust me if you are a book lover you wil definitely like this one! Blame It On Eve is a five star book no doubt! GET IT TODAY!

Rating:
Summary: ok, so so
Review: I was initally excited to get this book. And I did enjoy the author's writing style, over all. But the actual dialogue between the characters just quite didn't seem progressive. Meaning, the characters communicated better in their thoughts than actually interacting with each other. If Boles intention was to paint her main character, Shawni, as financially dependent and needy...well she did a really good job. Although Shawi was a high demand model, she couldn't even take care of herself to buy her own clothes, house, car and not even the dog. Shawni should have taken that modeling contract, she sure could have used the money.

And I thought the retreat was funny...too bad that doesn't exist in real life. The only reason that I didn't give this book more than 3 stars was because I didn't find the storyline to be anything out of the ordinary. The ... point it made was to warn not to give your entire identity & independence to someone else, ie: her boyfriend & mom...

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This book was good from beginning to end.

There was drama all the way through the entire book.

The book deals with the life of Shawni Baldwin. Shawni has it altogether in more ways than one. Shawni has a wonderful boyfriend that treats her like a queen, a beautiful mother, a very supportive older brother and a very promising modeling career. In spite of all of the good things that Shawni has going on she still finds time to be unhappy.

I really enjoyed the book except for Bo's behavior towards Shawni when he felt she wasn't doing what he felt she should be doing and her mother's attitude towards men.

Ms. Boles did a wonderful job developing each of the characters.

This was an excellent debut novel and I am looking forward to future works by Ms. Boles.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This book was good from beginning to end.

There was drama all the way through the entire book.

The book deals with the life of Shawni Baldwin. Shawni has it altogether in more ways than one. Shawni has a wonderful boyfriend that treats her like a queen, a beautiful mother, a very supportive older brother and a very promising modeling career. In spite of all of the good things that Shawni has going on she still finds time to be unhappy.

I really enjoyed the book except for Bo's behavior towards Shawni when he felt she wasn't doing what he felt she should be doing and her mother's attitude towards men.

Ms. Boles did a wonderful job developing each of the characters.

This was an excellent debut novel and I am looking forward to future works by Ms. Boles.

Rating:
Summary: Never a dull moment
Review: What do a doberman, a gay hairdresser, an ex-model mama, and an entertainment lawyer have in common? They're all looking out for Shawni Baldwin. In Boles' debut novel, Blame It On Eve, her prominent themes of self-reliance and independence come wrapped with hilarious shenanigans, emotional pauses, and glorious triumphs as Shawni tells her story. A former model wanting to start anew as a personal stylist, Shawni has it all: the superfine fiancee, the baby blue Lexus, and the plush pad in Manhattan. Yet, she finds something is missing from her world when she meets up with a sexy R&B singer client. From then on, Shawni is forced to reevaluate her stance on life, and the fact that she is so dependent on men.

Boles' characters jump off the page at you, demanding to be heard. Fantasic secondary characterizations tie the story together extremely well, yet we are always sure that Shawni is our protagonist, as she narrates her life altering experiences. I never once got bored with this extraordinary novel from a very promising author.

~Reviewed by CandaceK