Snarky and Sweet: A Romantic Comedy about Twins, Texas and a Big Red Diamond [Paperback]

Susan Denney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 11, 2011

Resistance is futile. Shy, demure, reserved Lurleen couldn’t possibly be more different than her gregarious, sassy, sarcastic twin, Lurlette. One is your kind stereotypical schoolteacher and the other is a man-eating adventuress. Whether they take you cruising in a Miata or busting out of a kidnapper’s shack on a John Deere, you’re in for one riot of a ride. The novel moves you to compassion then spins you into comedic circles. “Ms. Denney has written a book that keeps the reader turning pages just to get acquainted with the characters as they reveal their stories. Snarky and Sweet is a fun read so climb in and buckle up ’cause it’s going to be a bumpy ride!” -Gloria Teague, author of Beyond the Surgeon’s Touch and Saturday Night Cocoa Fudge. “I don’t see how someone can be broke with a diamond the size of a Cheezit on her finger.” Lee Landry is exasperated with her identical twin sister. Lurlette has just shown up in Texas with eighteen matched pieces of luggage and no visible means of support. Lurlette is married to multibillionaire Horatio Alger Chang, a software CEO, who lives in San José, California. When Lurlette realizes her marriage is over, she decides to move in with her sister. And even though Lurlette has brought jewelry, clothes and a Cézanne still life with her, she doesn’t have any cash. And the diamond on her hand is the Maharani Red, one of the largest red diamonds in the world with a price tag of 2.3 million dollars. Lee is a teacher at the only high school in San Pablo, Texas. She has a small condo, a small car, and a small retirement fund. She has never married but has a crush on a fellow teacher who has never asked her out. Lee has never understood why she and Lurlette don’t get along. Now that Lurlette is back, she knows her quiet life will be disrupted and that her bank account will suffer. What she doesn’t know is that her love life, her career, and her future will be forever changed. Susan Denney is a former Texas French teacher who is now learning to love snow in Northeast Pennsylvania. When not dreaming up romantic adventures, she is a freelance writer for magazines and for the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader. When the weather is good, she drives around with the top down in her little Miata. She learned a lot about twins growing up with her identical twin brothers and learned a lot about romance from her husband, the man who gave her the Miata.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

 
 
 
Lee Landry is a French teacher at the only high school in tiny San Pablo, Texas. She has a condo, a small car, and an even smaller retirement fund. She isn't married but has a crush on a fellow teacher who has never gotten around to asking her out. 
 
Her identical twin, Lurlette, is married to multibillionaire Horatio Alger Chang. She lives in a mansion in San José, California. The diamond in her engagement ring is the Maharani Red, one of the largest red diamonds in the world with a price tag of 2.3 million dollars. When Lurlette realizes her marriage is over, she decides to move in with her sister Lee. And even though Lurlette brings jewelry, clothes and a Cézanne still life with her, she doesn't have any cash.
 
Lee is exasperated. She has never understood why she and Lurlette don't get along. Now that Lurlette is back, Lee knows her quiet life will be disrupted and that her bank account will suffer. What she doesn't know is that her love life, her career, and her future will be forever changed.
 
 

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Diva (October 11, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0937660736
• ISBN-13: 978-0937660737
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,260,965 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Susan Denney remembers writing very bad poetry at the age of nine. Luckily, she realized early on that fiction was a better choice for her. She writes stories about things she knows and loves. Her first novel, Snarky and Sweet, draws on her experiences as a Texas schoolteacher and as the sister of identical twin brothers.

She fell in love with novels in junior high when her librarian recommended the delightful Regency romances of Georgette Heyer. She is still a fan of witty books with happy endings.

She has degrees in French literature from Louisiana State University and the University of Iowa. She writes on a variety of topics for adults and children in magazines and in her local newspaper.

She presently lives in Pennsylvania with her husband who writes very good poetry.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely loved it!, October 29, 2011

By 

victoria hubbard - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Snarky and Sweet: A Romantic Comedy about Twins, Texas and a Big Red Diamond (Kindle Edition)

"Snarky and Sweet" is just that and a great read! It hooks you from the beginning and keeps you entertained to the very end. It's suspenseful, humorous and romantic as well. It's great to find a good book that anyone (of all ages) would find it appropriate to read.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Romance for YA, December 22, 2011

By 

CristiAk "Reading is powerful" (Juneau, Alaska, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Snarky and Sweet: A Romantic Comedy about Twins, Texas and a Big Red Diamond (Kindle Edition)

Ms. Denney writes with much humor. She brings you into the small town circle of friends. You get to know everyone important to Lee. Chang, Lurlette's husband, is also brought in when he comes to Texas to rescue the women. Lee's impression of Chang is one of a busy, wealthy man who perhaps neglected his wife for business. It is totally based on her idea of what a wealthy man is like. I really liked that the author took the time to let us get to know Chang and see how wrong that idea was.
This was a fun book to review and I am looking forward to more books by Susan. When I finished this book, at 2:30 in the morning, I actually gave an audible "awww!". If you are looking for a sweet, funny, clean, fast romantic read this is the book for you. It has no language or sex issues so it is great for the YA crowd or those who don't like their romance books spicy.
Full review on my blog.
* I received this book to review from the author. No compensation was received. All opinions are mine.*

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Cute But Totally Predictable, January 21, 2012

By 

Germaine "Germaine" (California) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Snarky and Sweet: A Romantic Comedy about Twins, Texas and a Big Red Diamond (Kindle Edition)

This book is a riff on the "twins who are complete opposites" theme. It's pretty well done in terms of the twins' characters, and at times I was reminded of Bette Midler and Lilly Tomlin in the movie, Big Business. The book is described as a romantic comedy, so I just went with the flow with the plot developments which include a huge diamond and kidnapping the twins.

My main problem came with interaction between the heroine and her love interest. There simply wasn't enough of it. At 75% of the book, I was still wondering where the heroine's love life was really going. We are given some hints, but there isn't enough interaction between the characters to support their growing emotions. Then, in the last couple of chapters, everything is stirred up, all the plot lines are resolved, and the characters all live happily ever after.

I enjoyed the "lifestyle of the rich and famous" glimpses in the book, and I did finish it. There are some quirky characters and good dialogue. I only caught a few typos and misplaced apostrophes. This was a good read, and I will give the author another try.