A Little Less Talk And A Lot More Action by LuAnn McLane

Contest Time!!!!!!! That's right, Novel Reads is teaming up with AuthorIsland.com to bring you a great contest in honor of the release of this book I'm getting ready to tell ya all about. Because you see, not only is LuAnn one of my very favortist of favorite authors, she's also one of the many great Author members of AuthorIsland. So be prepared, ChariDee hasn't let loose with a good ole Fan Girl Squee Fest (FGSF) in a while but now that I get the chance, watch out! Be sure to read to the end of the post for contest details and the 411 on AuthorIsland.com!

Note: This review is being done from an ARC, so whenever you see this * please note that it could vary slightly from the official release.




A Little Less Talk And A Lot More Action by LuAnn McLane

(BCC)*

There's nothing that good hair can't fix...

Macy is starting to lose faith. The chance to be with the love of her life - her best friend's brother - is slipping through her fingers. College football coach Luke Carter has a penchant for hot-bodied babes, not curvy hairdressers such as Macy. And some big-time schools may be luring him away from Hootertown.

...or that a good woman can't untangle.

But then a country-singing sensation's hair emergency turns into an unexpected big break for Macy. Making it in Nashville boosts Macy's confidence, but her feelings for Luke have her all knotted up inside. And when he interviews for a job at a local university, Macy will have to put up or shut up - or lose him forever.

Oh man, where do I start? ALLTAALMA is the follow up book to Dark Roots and Cowboy Boots, the book I blogged about just the other day. Macy McCoy is Jamie Lee's best friend. And after spending months in close contact with Luke, Jamie Lee's brother and Macy's long-time crush, as they planned Jamie Lee's wedding (and nuh-huh, I'm not telling which man Jamie Lee chose, you'll have to read the DRACB to find out) Macy has found it hard to remember that she and Luke are not a couple. But sadly, they are not a couple and Macy decides that if she's not going to make her move, then it's definitely time to give up the daydreaming that they one day might be more.

The day after Macy sees her best friend married, Macy finds herself just wanting some time alone and space from her crush before she really does something stupid. But sitting home doing nothing is not exactly one of Macy's strong suits, so she heads down to the Cut & Curl to do a little cleaning. But when a favorite country song comes on the radio and Macy sings her heart out (badly, I might add) Macy is surprised to hear real applause and turns around to see none other than the artist she was just singing along to standing in the shop.

Tammy Turner, famous country singer, is in a real pickle. She cheated on some hair extensions and suffered some rather serious backlash. With a TV appearance scheduled in just over two hours she begs Macy to help her out. All Macy has to do is hop on the tour bus and do her hair on the way to Nashville. So off on the adventure of a lifetime, Macy boards the bus and finds that Tammy and her back-up singers, Lilly and Sam (sisters) feel more like the people she's known all her life than famous people, and soon they know all about Macy and her crush on Luke.

When Luke calls Macy and she tells him where she is and what she's doing, Tammy intervenes, and before Macy can object, Luke is on his way to Nashville to pick her up. And the spark begin to fly between Macy and Luke. Finally! But when Tammy offers Macy a job, Luke doesn't want to stand in the way of her big chance. But when things finally look like they may go somewhere with Luke, more and more opportunities open up for the both of them, and the both of them need to decide, do they take a chance on their careers or on love?

LuAnn McLane is the author you first read and then wonder, "Where the heck has this woman been all my life?" Her books are filled with humor and heart. You close the book only to find yourself wanting to open it again, and again. In fact, when I first read ALLTAALMA, I immediately re-read DRACB. Then I re-read ALLTAALMA. And it went on like that for a while. I did not want to say good-bye to these wonderful people of Hootertown.

You will cheer for Macy. "It's exciting to feel love with such intensity but it also scares the living daylights out of me because, let's face it, this changes our relationship forever. From this point forward we will never again be just friends."* You will even perhaps shed a few tears with Macy. And you will definitely laugh yourself silly with Macy. There's the famous chef and the potato incident. "..."I got it!" I shout as if I'm calling for a fly ball, but the potato lands with a loud thump and slithers across the tile floor...hurry over to retrieve it but the trail of oil makes the tile as slick as ice... But to my credit, I somehow manage to reach over and pick it up while spinning on my back like a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle."* (snipped that quote to make it a bit shorter as I'm always leery of quoting too much) There's the realization that she and Luke could have been/should have been but probably won't be.

And while I love all of McLane's books, Macy will probably forever be my favorite character. I can identify with Macy. Like me, Macy talks a big game it's her follow through that is lacking. Macy can get on a roll and all fired up, and then finds herself having to backtrack a bit, unfortunately that last one is really too close to home :). And most of all, Macy has a heart and vulnerability without being weak, that just had me cheering for her.

With a cast of secondary characters that seem as real as if you know them, sizzling love scenes, a heartwarming (and sometimes breaking) journey of life and love, A LITTLE LESS TALK is one book you do no want to miss. I couldn't put it down, and I'm more than a little bit hopeful that one of the characters from this book will be who we see front and center of the next! (hint hint LuAnn).

And now, for the contest details! For the full scoop on how to enter and the prize, head over to the AuthorIsland News blog and read this post (and since you're there, check out all of the other posts from various authors for great excerpts and exciting news). For extra entries, leave a comment over there that says "Looking for some good Novel Reads at the Island" and look for the other way to gain extra entries. We want everyone to have as many entries as they can! The contest will run until July 1st, the official release date of A Little Less Talk And A Lot More Action. Good Luck and have fun!

I want to thank AuthorIsland.com for hosting this contest with me. AuthorIsland is a great place to find news on wonderful books and authors. Featuring A Book A Day Give-Away, interviews, daily news, a slew of contests on the Contests Page, updates on some of your favorite authors new releases, and a monthly day long chat with recipe exchanges, excerpts and chat only contests (not to mention the chance to chat with great authors and readers) AuthorIsland is daily must stop for me. Hope to see you there!

Take Care