Rating: 
Summary: Witty!
Review: In "Loose Screws," Ginger was about to get married to Greg, the son of a Republican senator who seemed to have it all but unfortunately left Ginger at the altar. Humiliated, Ginger did not know why Greg didn't show up at their wedding and resolve to continue her life. Unfortunately, she had to give up her apartment as it belonged to her aunt who needed it back. Ginger also had complicated relationship with her eccentric mother and moving in with her was out of the question. On top of that, her boss is murdered and she lost her job as the company closed. In short, Ginger was having tons of misfortunes. To make her life more complicated, she kept bumping into Nick, the detective working on the murder case of her boss and whom she lost her virginity too years ago. Ginger was unsure of her feelings for Nick especially since Greg turned up eventually and became apologetic and wanted to get back together with her. "Loose Screws" is well-written as compared to some of the chick lits out there. Karen Templeton adds insightful observations of life. She is especially skillful in dealing with the complexity of a mother-daughter relationship; each not understanding and knowing what the other wants. In fact, the theme of the book deals with Ginger who struggled with identity crisis, growing up not wanting to be "like her mother" but found out that she was more similiar to her mother than she realized. This is not a particularly humorous book but it does have its funny moments.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful Read!
Review: In order to get away from my own personal drama, I deviated from non-fiction books after the holidays and picked up LOOSE SCREWS. Wow, I'm hooked. This book is so funny and real. Take it from a single woman with drama in her life too (but not THAT bad though). I like Karen Templeton's style of writing. She definately has a gift for not only drawing the reader into the plot but incorporating the reader into the story. She is a very polished writer and is an inspiration to me. I was so impressed by her style that I may even dust off my old writings and try hone my craft one day. If I could only find the time between episodes in my OWN life. (smile) Enjoy the book! I certainly did.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Read!
Review: In order to get away from my own personal drama, I deviated from non-fiction books after the holidays and picked up LOOSE SCREWS. Wow, I'm hooked. This book is so funny and real. Take it from a single woman with drama in her life too (but not THAT bad though). I like Karen Templeton's style of writing. She definately has a gift for not only drawing the reader into the plot but incorporating the reader into the story. She is a very polished writer and is an inspiration to me. I was so impressed by her style that I may even dust off my old writings and try hone my craft one day. If I could only find the time between episodes in my OWN life. (smile) Enjoy the book! I certainly did.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't Put it Down!
Review: Once I stepped into Ginger's life I just couldn't step back out. I became intrigued with how many bad things could possibly happen to one person. She not only survived through each one, but with a strength that I found remarkable. It all starts out with Ginger being stood up at the alter. However her day goes from bad to worse when her ex-lover (of one time and the one who took her virginity) shows up at her door to question her for the disappearance of the man who stood her up. As if that day wasn't bad enough, they progressively get worse. Ginger handles most of them with a grace that I could only hope to have in such situations. Not only is she humorous, but her mother is a riot. Ginger's mother Nedra is what Ginger considers an impediment. However, she soon learns what the value of family is and how important it can be in your life.
While I didn't really take any life lessons from this book, I thought it was wonderful. It was such a fun and almost trashy read. It was a wonderful way to wind down a stressful work week and relax. This is the first Red Dress Ink book that I have read and if all of them are as fun as this one, bring on the rest!
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't Put it Down!
Review: Once I stepped into Ginger's life I just couldn't step back out. I became intrigued with how many bad things could possibly happen to one person. She not only survived through each one, but with a strength that I found remarkable. It all starts out with Ginger being stood up at the alter. However her day goes from bad to worse when her ex-lover (of one time and the one who took her virginity) shows up at her door to question her for the disappearance of the man who stood her up. As if that day wasn't bad enough, they progressively get worse. Ginger handles most of them with a grace that I could only hope to have in such situations. Not only is she humorous, but her mother is a riot. Ginger's mother Nedra is what Ginger considers an impediment. However, she soon learns what the value of family is and how important it can be in your life.
While I didn't really take any life lessons from this book, I thought it was wonderful. It was such a fun and almost trashy read. It was a wonderful way to wind down a stressful work week and relax. This is the first Red Dress Ink book that I have read and if all of them are as fun as this one, bring on the rest!
Rating: 
Summary: Chick Lite
Review: Red Dress Ink is a publishing house dedicated to novels about today's single woman, which is why I have read all of its books thus far. However, RDI is also known for its light approach to romantic comedies -- i.e., no literary extravaganzas -- that have a "been there, done that" feel to it. Case in point: Loose Screws by Karen Templeton. New Yorker Ginger Petrocelli is on a losing streak. She's lost her fiance, her job and her sardine can of an apartment. But with the help of her eccentric mother, her Italian grandmother and a sexy police officer, Ginger reassesses her feelings and priorities. Loose Screws has quite a modern heroine -- the conversational style the narrator possesses makes you feel as though Ginger is your friend. I also love the neurotic characters in the novel, like Ginger's friend, Terrie. The best part of this novel is the language -- very modern and realistic. Loose Screws has Red Dress Ink written all over it. It is a tale of a modern woman finding love, career and a defining sense of self in the city. It has wit and intelligent insights on dating in the new millenium. But the novel's synopsis is somewhat recycled and predictable (but there are quite a few surprising twists within the story, especially at the end). All in all, enjoy this new novel for what it is -- one of the many witty chick lits out there.
Rating:
Summary: Cute, fluffy, but at least rang true
Review: The plot's cute: a woman goes through the three or four weeks from hell; everything in her life gets turned upside down, and it all manages to fall into some sort of order in the end. Ginger Petrocelli (half Italian, half Jewish -- did she stand a chance?) has a great job, a nice apartment, a NORMAL fiance -- who leaves her standing at the altar . . . and it all goes wacky from there. She ends up living with her mother and grandmother. She ends up with a corgi named Geoffrey. Can anything get worse -- or better? Although everyone knows this is a romance novel disguised as fiction, that's no reason to ignore it. Even though the theme's a little trite and well-worn, the humor is worth it. Ginger is a witty narrator; the characters around her are interesting and wacky, and the whole book doesn't seem to be obsessed with her being secretly beautiful and not willing to admit it. The views on mother-daughter relationships, while not entirely new or ground-breaking, at least ring true. Most children go through the whole "I'm going to be nothing like my mother" stage, in the end, to decide that there really were some good things about their mothers, and that they might like knowing that those same things were true about themselves. For a little light reading with some interestingly quotable lines, this is well worth it. I've never read any other RDI books, but if the outlook on the world is similar, I might.
Rating:
Summary: Cute, fluffy, but at least rang true
Review: The plot's cute: a woman goes through the three or four weeks from hell; everything in her life gets turned upside down, and it all manages to fall into some sort of order in the end. Ginger Petrocelli (half Italian, half Jewish -- did she stand a chance?) has a great job, a nice apartment, a NORMAL fiance -- who leaves her standing at the altar . . . and it all goes wacky from there. She ends up living with her mother and grandmother. She ends up with a corgi named Geoffrey. Can anything get worse -- or better? Although everyone knows this is a romance novel disguised as fiction, that's no reason to ignore it. Even though the theme's a little trite and well-worn, the humor is worth it. Ginger is a witty narrator; the characters around her are interesting and wacky, and the whole book doesn't seem to be obsessed with her being secretly beautiful and not willing to admit it. The views on mother-daughter relationships, while not entirely new or ground-breaking, at least ring true. Most children go through the whole "I'm going to be nothing like my mother" stage, in the end, to decide that there really were some good things about their mothers, and that they might like knowing that those same things were true about themselves. For a little light reading with some interestingly quotable lines, this is well worth it. I've never read any other RDI books, but if the outlook on the world is similar, I might.
Rating:
Summary: warm relationship drama
Review: The son of a Congressman, attorney Greg Munson fails to show up at the altar, jilting Ginger Petrocelli. Greg's family files a missing person report so NYPD investigates. Detective Nick Wojowoski visits Ginger to question her about her vanished fiancé, but she offers nothing except a memory. Nick and Ginger shared sex years ago, but though he would like to have another go she would not. Greg calls his parents and Ginger to say he is okay and is not dead or kidnapped, but that he suffered cold feet at the last moment. Ginger moves on, emotionally stable, until she loses her Manhattan apartment that she sublets from Anne Murphy when the woman abruptly returns from Hollywood to do the soaps. The loss of her apartment is more devastating than the demise of her engagement. Because of costs to rent in Manhattan, Ginger moves in with her hippie mom and ethnic grandmother making for three generations of women struggling not to kill each other. Meanwhile Nick begins making inroads towards having a relationship with Ginger. LOOSE SCREWS is a humorous relationship romp starring an engaging lead character struggling to sever herself from her blood relations. The story line is fun to read as Ginger feels like hiding in a bag when her mother blows off other people or her grandmother acts so old world Italian. Nick is a hunk who provides the romantic element to a warm relationship drama. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Laugh out loud funny with poignant moments, too...
Review: The title of this book should really be GINGER PETROCELLI'S BAD SUMMER, but LOOSE SCREWS is appropriate, too. *G* After being jilted at the alter, Ginger's old "virginator", Nick, now a cop, shows up at her door nearly accusing her of doing a foul deed in conjunction with her fiance's disappearance. Not only that, after subleasing her apartment for five years, the original tenant informs Ginger she's coming back so Ginger needs new digs. After finding said new digs Ginger is burned out of her new home and ends up living with Mom and Grandmom. Not a good thing. The story snowballs from there with many humorous laugh-out-loud moments, but plenty of poignant, angst-filled ones included, as well. Karen's classic characterization, dialogue and storyline shine in this modern day PERILS OF PAULINE and I highly recommend it as a terrific, take-your-mind-off-your-own-troubles book!
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