Mating Rituals of the North American Wasp

I fell in love with Luke Sedgwick from the very instant in the story where he is awake, but it did take a bit longer to care for Peggy due to some of her quirky personality traits. The one character I believe any reader can not help but fall in love with would be Luke's great-aunt, Miss Abigail. She is a stubborn, dignified, but loving old lady that I believe many readers will be able to picture one of their own family members in. I also believe that many reader's will be able to relate to a relationship that obviously is not going anywhere, but you still are unable to leave which is the type of relationship shared by Peggy and her boyfriend of eight years, Brock. Even though there are many different characters to keep track of and they are not described in a huge amount of detail, I was still able to get a clear picture of who they were. The storyline can be a little predictable at times, but there are still a few situations that caught me off guard, for example the predicament that takes place at the Colonial Inn in Litchfield County, Connecticut. I would definitely recommend Mating Rituals of the North American WASP to anyone that enjoys reading chick lit, or anyone who wants to start out in the genre because this book will capture your heart. Granted I have not read many books in this genre, but Lauren Lipton's writing style has ensured that I will in the future. This book is certainly a tear jerk-er, but I believe that can be a good thing for relationships since I get my drama fill in fiction rather than starting fights with the significant other. ;)

Peggy Adams imagined going to Las Vegas for an adventure of a lifetime. The only problem is that she awoke the next morning with no memory of having gotten married the night before! If you like stories of women searching for love, and ultimately finding what they are capable of, you'll want to read "Mating Rituals of the North American Wasp," by Lauren Lipton. Peggy meets Luke Sedgwick in Las Vegas, gets married, realizes the error and flies home the next day. Both agree to annul the union quietly, and that plan might have worked. Unfortunately, Luke's great-aunt Abigail misunderstands the couple's intentions and offers a plan to have them contract to stay together for a year to reap the reward of her mansion and possibly a sizeable amount of cash. Peggy and Luke agree, much to the dislike of Luke's diva high maintenance girlfriend Nikki. Peggy's commitment-phobe boyfriend Brock is kept in the dark about the union, and decidedly so - he is too busy traveling around the world for his job and doesn't seem that interested in Peggy in the first place. The reader and Peggy herself become surprised at the tender moments that she and Luke share protecting Abby from herself and her impeding dementia, from the curiously nosey townsfolk of New Nineveh, CT interested in their home town boy finally tying the knot, and in how Peggy misses Luke when she is back at her shop in NYC with her pregnant friend Bex and other acquaintances with whom she has shared her secret. Although it sounds simple enough, to scheme to annul a loveless marriage, Lipton draws the reader into the story with glimpses of scenes that let the reader in on the biggest secret of all - the fact that Luke and Peggy may be falling for each other for "real." Will they end up together, and will each forsake their prior relationship commitments for each other? Will the couple last one year together to reap the financial rewards promised by Luke's rich great-aunt? Only reading the book "Mating Rituals of the North American Wasp" cover to cover will give the reader the satisfaction of answering these questions. The book is a good, uplifting easy read. It is the type of book to put into the beach bag, or put into the car to whip out whenever you have a few minutes to catch up on your favorite characters. Although the "what stays in Vegas" theme is familiar, the book will delight the reader in its many twists and turns as relationships of the main characters develop, sizzle or sink throughout the book. Definitely a book to buy now and read now.

Frustrated that it only took her friend Andrea thirteen months to met and get engaged to her dream-man, Peggy Adams gets into fight with her boyfriend of seven years because he refuses to consider marriage. She escapes to Vegas for Andrea's bachelorette party and proceeds to get stinking drunk. The next morning she wakes up in a stranger's bedroom, (fully clothed thank goodness) and sneaks away. Back home again the guilt is almost overwhelming when her boyfriend Brock presents her with an engaged to be engaged ring. But things get shaken up when she gets a phone call from the Vegas stranger. It seems that while she was blissfully drunk, she married Luke Sedgwick, the stuffy and proper WASP from Connecticut. Intent on having the marriage annulled Peggy meets with Luke and his lawyer. Living in a town with a population of less than 3,500 it's hard to keep secrets but it still surprising when Luke's great aunt, Abigail finds out about the marriage. With the goal of keeping the Sedgwick dynasty alive she makes the pair an offer they can't refuse and the charade of the weekend wife begins. I thought this book was wonderful. Luke and Peggy are unpredictable and endearing. I found myself shaking my fist at them saying, "Enough already. You know you love each other!" Luke is stuffy and comes from a long line of WASPs yet he has a soft heart, writes poetry and can recite Yeats by heart. Peggy yearns for marriage but after years of chasing the dream she now has a husband and two others pursuing her. After reading Mating Rituals of the North American WASP I'm definitely going back to read Lipton's first book, It's About Your Husband. This has been one of my favorite books this year and I highly recommend it for chick-lit and contemporary romance lovers.

Having been delighted with It's About Your Husband, I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of Lauren Lipton's new book. Mating Rituals did not disappoint! Having a keen sense of the attitude and practices of the young, old-New England money, and the struggles and dreams of the middle-class entrepreneur; Lipton crafts a novel that bridges the two after struggle and adventure. A tender love grows from an unusual beginning! I won't recount the story, as you can read the back cover of the book here, and that will entice you enough, but I must say that the quick turns at Colonial Inn were wonderful - I held my breath with each discovery. My hope is that the wait for the next Lipton novel is not a long one. Pack this can't-put-down jewel in your book bag for the beach - NOW!