Facelift

Title: FACELIFT
Author: Leanna Ellis
Publisher: Broadman & Holman
October 2010
ISBN: 978-08054-4989-1
Genre: Inspirational/contemporary/women’s fiction

Kaye Redmond owns a business where she goes into people’s houses that are for sale and makes suggestions that will give the house a “facelift” so that potential buyers will buy.

Her husband has left her for a much younger woman, her teenage daughter has a major attitude problem, and her ex-mother-in-law is not her fairy godmother. In fact, the ring tone when her mother-in-law calls is the Darth Vader song.

But then things get even weirder. After a failed facelift, Kaye’s mother-in-law moves in with her. And Kaye dreams it will get her husband back and solve the problems with her daughter… instead a surgically enhanced mistress, an extra-large mutt, and a handsome client is added to the mix. How is she supposed to find her “happy-ever-after?”

I have read all of Ms. Ellis’ books and she is a hit or miss author for me. Some of them I have loved, such as Ruby’s Slippers and Lookin’ Back, Texas, and others I didn’t care for quite so much. FACELIFT is a miss for me. I understand Kaye wanting her husband back, but I just can’t believe that a business woman can be so clueless that she falls for everything her cheating ex-husband pulls.

However, FACELIFT is full of Ms. Ellis’ sharp prose, sarcasm, laugh-out-loud moments, and a romance. Fans of Ms. Ellis’ previous books won’t want to miss FACELIFT. And even if she is a hit-or-miss author for you, you still might want to give FACELIFT a chance. The writing is impeccable. $14.99. 320 pages.