A Total Waste of Makeup by Kim Gruenenfelder
HelenKay: There are a never-ending series of lits out there - chick lit, hen lit and glam lit, just to name a few. What separates one offering from another is a smart premise or an interesting voice. If a reader is lucky, the author provides both. In this light chick lit/glam lit hybrid, Gruenenfelder succeeds on voice. She introduces readers to Charlie (Charlize) Edwards, a personal assistant to a Hollywood superstar. With one ear attached to a cell phone at all times, Charlie struggles to deal with the wedding of her younger sister and a string of broken relationships - all in a flawed and humorous way that prevents A Total Waste Of Makeup from slipping from charming to silly.
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Wendy: 
Nina Askew is forty, divorced, and, much to her surprise, the proud mother of a depressed beagle/basset hound named Fred. She wanted a perky puppy; Fred's idea of perky is eating Oreos. Then one night, Fred brings home Alex Moore, the smart, funny, handsome doctor who lives below Nina. Alex is everything a woman could want -- and ten years younger than Nina. He's used to perky, silicone-enhanced bodies. Nina has discovered that gravity can be very cruel, indeed. Despite her long list of reasons why Alex is a Bad Idea, Nina discovers that she doesn't want anyone but him.
It is, I understand, a simple to thing to write romance. After all, it’s just a formula, right? I am reminded that romance novels are the kind of easy that defines the word whenever I read a book by Loretta Chase. In fact, her novel, Mr. Impossible, is a case study in formulaic historic (Regency-era) romance.
HelenKay: Witches. Werewolves. Vampires. If you love paranormal romance, times are good. If the creatures of the night leave you - ahem - cold, this might be a good time to think about the mystery/suspense section of your bookstore. With all those choices, both light and dark, the pressure is on authors to craft a work that rises above everything that's come before. Being good isn't good enough. Or, as here in My Favorite Witch, being good is entertaining and fun but maybe not quite enough.
Wendy: 