55. Lone Star Legend by Gwendolyn Zepeda...

Title: Lone Star Legend
Author: Gwendolyn Zepeda
ISBN-13: 9780446539609
Paperback: 327 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, 2010
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon

FTC Disclosure: My copy of Lone Star Legend was provided by Hachette Book Group for this review. I am an IndieBound and Amazon affiliate, and any purchases made by clicking on the cover or the links provided may result in monetary compensation.

drey's thoughts:
I loved Gwendolyn Zepeda's Houston, We Have a Problema, and was looking forward to Lone Star Legend. Of course, you know how things have been going for me so far this year. It got so crazy that I lost track of my TBR pile, and didn't get around to reading Lone Star Legend till recently.

Which is a shame. Sandy's story pulled me in, slowly but surely... And not because of the blogger angle, either, but because of the characters. Sandy could be somebody I know in real life. She follows her heart, and gets into trouble, but still tries to do good. Tio Jaime is awesome! I wish he was in my family!

Add this to your summer pile. You won't regret it.

drey's rating: 3.5/5 Very Good

Challenges: 100+, Pub

25. Houston, We Have a Problema by Gwendolyn Zepeda...

Title: Houston, We Have a Problema
Author: Gwendolyn Zepeda
ISBN-10: 0-446-69852-0
ISBN-13: 978-0-446-69852-8
Paperback: 372 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, 2009

Jessica Luna is a twenty-six-year-old who hasn't figured out what she wants to do with her life. She has a kinda-sorta artist friend-with-benefits who only calls her when he needs her around. She's stuck in a dead-end secretarial job. Her sister's left her for suburbia. And her parents are fighting. For real.

So she turns to Madame Hortensia for direction. Should she stay with Guillermo, or leave because he's basically an inconsiderate jerk? Even when he's nice? Or should she go out with her brother-in-law's friend Jonathan? Who's successful, rich, and white? Should she try for the promotion at her company? What can she do about her parents' fighting?

Houston, We Have a Problema is a story of Jessica's growing up and realizing that she can trust her own instincts, and make the decisions that she's been going to Madame Hortensia for. Sure, her sister and mother are constantly piping up on her love life. But what mother and sister doesn't? It doesn't mean that they don't think she can't get by without their help, it just means that they love her and want her to be happy. And if she's really good at her job, but don't want to be stuck doing it for the rest of her life, she really can go and find something more fulfilling. Or, create her own fulfillment. The only thing holding her back was her fear of making a decision - any decision - because it might not be the right one...

I really enjoyed reading this - it's well-written, entertaining, and I found myself rooting for Jess to make the right decisions. In my book, she did. =)