Hot Flashes and Cold Cream

Diann Hunt hits the mark for menopausal baby boomers with her first Lady Lit, Hot Flashes and Cold Cream. Maggie Hayden is turning fifty and hormonal all at the same time. Her daughter recently married and her son is off to college. Meanwhile, the love of her life, Gordon, is working way too much over time at his law firm, conferring with his Paris Hilton-ish paralegal, Celine. Like all of us, Maggie faces the realities and insecurities of growing older, watching stuff sag and wondering if our husbands really meant "to have and to hold... until death do us part," thirty years later. Hunt weaves a light hearted, funny tale with Joan Rivers-like quips, "I'm thinking no here." Maggie is honest about her insecurities, but not whiney and does something about her life instead of expecting life to do something for her. She gets a job at her beloved coffee house and helps a young woman struggling with an eating disorder. Hunt sprinkles the story with laugh-out-loud lines like, "Just call me the Hot Flash Queen. The good news is this is the first time in my life I've qualified as a "hottie." And, when her son-in-laws challenges husband Gordon about the safety of Gordon's beloved Corvair, Maggie panics, "Danger, Will Robinson. Warning! Warning!" You will love this book. The inspirational theme reminds us that God is in control, He has a plan, even for the members of AARP. Great job, Diann.

At last there's something for us boomers! Hot Flashes and Cold Cream has a heroine I could relate to. Think of the antics of a middle aged Lucy and Ethel. I totally related to everything Maggie was going through when she looked in the mirror and didn't recognize the girl she saw looking back. While the book is hilarios, it held a lot of subtle truth about image and self worth. Don't miss this one!

This book was an absolute hoot! The only time I could put it down was to hold my sides when laughing out loud. I think we have a little Maggie in all of us. She just says the things I'm thinking. A definite must read!

Chick Lit for the mid-life woman? Of course! Diann Hunt's HOT FLASHES & COLD CREAM isn't about the angst of twenty-something gals over boyfriends, friendship, shopping, work, and a few extra pounds. Rather, it deals with a woman's mid-life issues such as husbands, friendship, shopping, work, and a few extra pounds. "With one glance at my body in the bedroom mirror, my suspicions are confirmed. Everything has gone south --- and I didn't make a reservation," moans Maggie Hayden. She's on the cusp of turning 50, her daughter Heather has just tied the knot and flown the nest, her son has moved out, and Maggie is thinking about returning to work. "Who am I without the children? When did my body fall apart?" Maggie is a mess from the opening pages. Her attorney-husband, Gordon, is looking handsome and thinner these days from his low-carb diet. After 30 years, they still SEEM to have a solid marriage ("He is the yin to my yang. The rhythm to my melody. His encouragement can lift me higher than a sale at Isabella's Boutique. Well, it's a close second, anyway.") But is their rock-solid Christian marriage on the way out? He's working long hours and late nights with a paralegal who could pass for Paris Hilton's twin, and it's not long before Maggie worries that Gordon is grazing in greener pastures. To add insult to injury, Maggie's attractive high school classmate Debra Stiffler (who has had more nips and tucks than a wedding dress passed down three generations) returns to the little overly-cutesy-named Amish town of Charming, Indiana, and sees Maggie at the store but doesn't recognize her. Then, Debra hires Gordon as her attorney! More late nights. Could Gordon be having an affair with Debra, too? Maggie's best friend, the natural-remedy-dispensing Lily Newgent (similar to Kristen Billerbecks SHE'S ALL THAT character Poppy Clayton, although less of a hippy), is dating a string of unacceptable guys she's meeting online. Can you say "dating disaster?" To top it all off, Maggie's toy Chihuahua, "Crusher," has bladder control issues. "I have an empty house, an old dog, and faded memories," whines Maggie. When she's not shopping, Maggie spends a lot of time at The New Brew coffee shop, where she befriends Jade, an anorexic barista with mother issues. There's some sweet relationship building between the two of them, although it sometimes disintegrates into preachy clichés. (Jade: "You've been extra kind to me since the day we met." Maggie: "That's what Christians do.") Women over 35 will resonate with some of Maggie's mid-life moanings --- the wrinkle rings on her neck (one for each decade), the trips to Curves to try to get back into shape, the dreaded facial hair that sprouts unexpectedly, the jealousy that comes out of nowhere. There's plenty of the usual Chick Lit chocolate, shopping, and coffee patter that you'd expect. Sometimes there's too much information (as when Mrs. Stiffler gossips about Maggie's neighbor), and Hunt sometimes succumbs to tel

Why are women such a mess of insecurities? Diann Hunt delves into this question with wit, pace and hilarious dialogue. I just LOVED Maggie, even though she could use a slap or two sometimes! If you're considering paying $110 for a jar of miracle cream? Get this book first, so much fun!