The Misadventures of Catie Bloom

Bloom Sisters #1

by Brooke Stanton

She made a career out of lies. He's a player ready to settle down. Can they fake it till they make it into each other's arms?

Catie Bloom dreads being found out as a hot mess. So when the high-profile domestic goddess’s supposedly perfect life is scheduled for a TV special, she’s desperate to hide the slovenly reality while she scrambles to learn to cook and find a studly pretend hubby. And with her future on the line, she reluctantly accepts the office playboy’s lifeline to help her cover up the cracks and look the part…

Sportswriter Sam Harding buries authenticity behind his breezy charm. And though he knows Catie’s less-than-tidy secret, he’s frustrated when his lady’s man reputation gets in the way of intriguing the one woman who holds his heart. So when he discovers her goose could be cooked, he jumps at the chance to stand in as her handsome prince.

As Catie struggles with burned offerings, her growing attraction to Sam is a grease fire waiting to happen. While Sam worries if he keeps his desires hidden for much longer, he’ll lose his opportunity to move from bogus husband to the real deal.

Is their passion about to be roasted, or can they whip up a gourmet romance?

The Misadventures of Catie Bloom is the hilarious first book in the Bloom Sisters romantic comedy series. It’s a dash of Sophie Kinsella’s Can You Keep a Secret, with a helping of Christmas in Connecticut, and a recipe all its own, mixed into a delicious and romantic romp.

Buy The Misadventures of Catie Bloom to set a table for two today!

Genres: Romance, Chick Lit, Amazon, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Ebooks

223 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 10, 2016

About the author

Brooke Stanton is an award-winning and #1 bestselling author of contemporary and historical romances. When she's not writing she loves reading, hiking, running, and taking pictures of her Russian Blue cat. Stalk her here for book news and other fun stuff:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3jcjJtM
Facebook: https://bit.ly/3mYK0y2
Instagram: https://bit.ly/2EGoCfz
Bookbub:https://bit.ly/3i7KFcV

Reviews

[Coco.V]

💝 FREE on Amazon today (11/25/2017)! 💝

[Nancy H · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an excellent, fun read when you need a laugh or just some light reading that will make you feel good. When Catie Bloom needs a stand-in husband to say her job, she has no choice but to use a work colleague with whom she has always been friends - but nothing more, because he has quite the reputation as a player. As things start to slide down a slippery slope of lies, and the misadventures pile up, there is almost no hope that Catie can save her jobs and those of the others around her.

[R.J. Groves · Rating 3 out of 5]

Catie Bloom has everything she could ever wish for - a successful job, a following for her house-keeping blog, a husband, she's a great cook. Everything's perfect. Except that it's all a lie since she has no husband and would burn toast. I thought the concept of this story was great. Catie Bloom had found herself at a point in her career that she managed to get based on assumptions (i.e. readers thinking that she had a husband and could cook etc.), but she took it to a whole other level when she agreed to do the homecoming filming - something that she didn't want to do until her blogging nemesis was mentioned.

I loved the story at first. It seemed to flow well, was easy to read and fairly entertaining. My only qualm was that, at times, I'd forget whose point of view (Catie or Natalie) it was being written from because the writing was the same and their thoughts were rather the same. But then Catie's character started to annoy me, relying so heavily on her sister (even when she's injured) and everyone else she'd managed to tangle in her web of lies, and being so egotistical and whiny.

Overall, it was a fairly good read with some funny parts throughout, but I found it harder to read the closer to the end I got.

[Anna Lankirka · Rating 3 out of 5]

First time in my life I really hate the main heroine. Yeah, I hate Catie Bloom, her character is so egotistical, selfish, spoiled brat, ungrateful bitch and pathological liar. She's sweet and caring on the outside and in TV light. At inside she uses everyone around: her sister Natalie, Sam-man who loved her, even her poor manager. When at one time everything started spinning and goes to shit she blamed everyone but her. Wham-bam happy end! Book actually not so funny as I expected or I have broken my sense of humor. It's light to read, good writing style, but characters it's other story. I really like Natalie and Max, I even like Sam he's very loyal but Catie...

[Fiction Vixens Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Misadventures Of Catie Bloom by Brooke Stanton is an amazing fun read that is full of some priceless mishaps, and I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed this great story. This story had me laughing out loud so much I think my husband though I was gone crazy ,he just kept shaking his head at me . Brooke Stanton has given us a great story that will draw in and keep you there from start to finish ,and then will leave you wanting more from this author. The characters that the author has given us was written like they were real people that were imperfect,vulnerably,and committed, your will fall in love with the Bloom sisters. These sisters would ideally be about representing women of our days, who could be under pressure to do everything from work ,home ,husband, family,and make it look so easy. There was some unexpected twists and turns in this story that add to the storyline ,that you won't see coming. I could tell you more but that would spoil the story for you. I highly recommend that you read this great story, you won't be disappointed.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short novella, this novel appealed to me because the plot looked so different to all of the books that I have read recently. This was definitely the case. This offering from Brooke Stanton was a short, pleasurable read which required no thinking (sometimes this isn't such a bad thing when reading!) and allowed you to relax into the goodness of the plot. To put it simply, it was like sinking into a lovely warm bubble bath and having a jolly good soak!

Reading this book, the first in a trilogy, the writing very much reminded me of Sophie Kinsella meets Sarah Morgan. Just perhaps not so interesting, or even very funny. True, it is listed as a romantic comedy, but I found the plot hardly laughable and even predictable. It is obvious that Catie (sorry, but I really dislike that spelling of the name, what's wrong with Katie?!) will somehow escape her massive web of lies and find a way of saving those around her whom she loves. The love triangle that develops was the most surprising part of the novel, along with Catie's past love life. I really applauded how Stanton kept this element of the story away from the plot development, not until three quarters of the way through the novel. It is this that I think helps add a bit more depth to such a short story because suddenly Catie is not just a lying fraud who cannot cook!

I wouldn't say that there was much romance in this novel. There is the expected flirtatious banter, but nothing too serious until the closing pages. This was quite refreshing for me as I really was not in the mood for a steamy read! Instead, Catie's dilemma simply moves from one awkward situation to the next, with her and her sister's solutions becoming even more convoluted.

This is the first of a trilogy and I would be interested to read the rest of the novels in the series at some point. (Brooke Stanton, if you are reading this...!) A predictable yet, pleasurable read, this was a no-brainer in providing some light, literary relief. No murders, no complex plot, this would be good to read in the garden on a lovely summer's day.

[Doina Condrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catie Bloom is the book version of Mike Ross. I know they're both technically frauds, but am I still rooting for them? Yuuup haha

I enjoyed it. Sometimes I was mad at Catie but it was funny.

[acourtofbooksandchocolate II Giulia · Rating 1 out of 5]

RANTING AHED BE AWARE OF SPOILERS





First of all this story reminded me of bridget jones and rebecca bloomwood from i love shopping.

Then it was supposed to be a romantic comedy, it wasn’t funny and NO ROMANCE !!!

But let’s talk about the characters, i hated every one of them.


Catie was selfish for sure but the thing that pissed me off the most were the other characters that put all the blame on her, if you are an enabler it’s your fault too!!

I absolutely detested her sister Natalie , in the end she was angry at Catie because she finally realized what a mess everything was, well missy she asked you multiple times if you wanted to put your name on the recepies and you refused and you pushed her when she wanted to tell the truth in the beginning. And the worst thing was when she was drunk and on painkillers and she ended up kissing a person who wasn’t suppose to kiss!!!

What the hell, even if you are mad at your sister you DON’T DO THAT because you are jealous and saying that you were thinking about another guy doesn’t make it ok!!!

And then we have Sam , an absolute dickhead!
Blaming Catie when things were starting to get out of hand, she was a mess and we agree but don’t pur everything on her!!! YOU OFFERED TO BE HER FAKE HUSBAND SHE DIDN’T ASK YOU TO!!!
Then i get his frustration but you can’t be mad at someone because you have felt in a certain way for 4 freaking years when you didn’t say anything and you led her to believe the opposite! He said that in the middle of an argument and did he really expected a great confession of love from her part? I mean give her time to process ffs!!
Then he kept being hot and cold and then since he didn’t have in the end a very high opinion of Catie ( since he was always assuming the worst from her, but don’t mind this because he says he love her so thinking this shit might not count) he thinks that when she disappears with Max it is because they are screwing somewhere so what did he doooo? Got drunk and kissed HER SISTER and they would have probably had sex if they weren’t interrupted. And then? He looked ashemed for about 5 seconds and got angry at Catie, dude she is a mess but this is on you!

The end of the book was rushed and i don’f know everything was a mess.

Anyway, this book was kind of short and it lacked of character development.



End of the rant

[Eating Between · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catie Bloom's life is perfect. She has the career she has always wanted, a new condo and the sky is the limit. Except for one thing... Catie is a fraud. Everything she is known and adored for is fake and a lie. Behind the scenes her sister is the true mastermind behind all of her recipes, poor Catie can't even boil water let alone make a full meal.

Read the rest of my review here-

https://eatingbetweenthelinesinc.com/...

[Julie Boudreau · Rating 5 out of 5]

I <3 this book. The main character in this book is so likeable even if she is scattered. The story line in this book is the making of a hollywood movie. funny, engaging. and relevant. nice summer read

[Brittany Beadles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wob this book from a Goodreads giveaway! I absolutely loved this book. It had me laughing at times and wondering how Catie was going to get out of the mess she was in and also help everyone keep their job. I can't wait for the next book!

[C.j. Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book

I wouldn't be surprised if this book didn't turn into a movie! It was cute, charming & funny. I appreciated a lot of the realism and the fact that it wasn't as cookie cutter as some of the other books in my library. Good job !

[Elizabeth Becraft · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this light hearted entertaining book! This is a fast read and I am looking forward to buying the 2nd book to it next month! I recommend this book whole heartedly for some added relaxing fun to your reading!

[Lynne-Maree · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Misadventures of Catie Bloom written by Brooke Stanton is a romantic comedy, where the main characters are sisters, who have created a world that is built on lies. Catie is an almost celebrity who shares her knowledge of home decoration, recipes, successful marriage tips all the while she is unable to cook, is not married and is a complete slob.

The fun begins and the couple of people who know her secret are drawn into the lies and give up their own lives to help Catie keep her the life she has built. Catie is self-centred and doesn’t see what everyone is doing to help her, which at times I found it hard to like her. They are all thrown together to film a show, that shows her perfect life, home, and marriage and how she does it all. The fun really starts when it all starts to fall apart.

I found the story easy to read, the language was fluent and I didn’t have to think very hard about it, which allowed me to be immersed in the story and be carried along with it, wondering how it was all going to end up. Romance novels are not a usual genre that I read very often, but the comedy that came with this one allowed me to read it from start to finish in one rainy Sunday afternoon.
I enjoyed the relationship between the two sisters, it reminded me that everyone needs family to believe in them, and family often help us achieve our goals. There are romantic attachments entwined between them all, and I was curious to see how they untangled themselves. Catie showed some growth as the story came to an end, I am hoping that the second book which puts Caties sister Natalie’s point of view forward shows a whole lot more growth in Catie.

This is the first book I have read by the author Brook Stanton, I am looking forward to reading book 2 The Adventures of Natalie Bloom. I would recommend this book to lovers of light romantic stories, and enjoy a chuckle.

[Vendethiel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did.Not.Finish. I just...couldn't. I tried so hard. I love Christmas in Connecticut, so the idea of a book with a similar theme sounded fun and funny.
First, it was not funny. It was dramatic and then more dramatic and then most dramatic. Something going wrong and then another something going wrong and then another something going wrong, can be funny. If you do it right and if you keep it light and somewhat realistic. But this...this wasn't light; it was dramatic and it wasn't realistic. (What kind of person tries to substitute a pet of a different gender? What professional chef doesn't remember her cake? What grown woman is incapable of reading and following directions?) So, it didn't end up being funny, it was just lots of things going wrong over and over and became tedious.
Second, Catie.was.awful. No, really. AWFUL. She was selfish, manipulative, self-centered, spoiled, rude, thoughtless, unkind, lazy, and more or less worthless. No really. She can't clean up after herself. She can't follow simple directions. She doesn't help with anything, she just sort of floats around and takes credit for everything, while conning, manipulating, tricking everyone into risking everything to "help" her (read do everything for her). She's terrible. She can't take responsibility, she can't behave like an adult, she uses and misuses everyone. Ugh. I couldn't finish, I just couldn't.
In the immortal words of the tumblr: I literally can't even!

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a free download from Bookbub. Not terrible, but not phenomenal. I really didn’t like the characters much unfortunately. I especially didn’t like the main character, whose entire LIFE was based on lies. Everyone exaggerates and tweaks the truth of course, but this was flat out LYING and taking credit for work that was in no way hers. ON CAMERA. The character is what I’d describe as a female Ferris Bueller; whatever she did seemed to work out perfectly for her through no fault of her own. The story did move quickly and the book wasn’t long, so it wasn’t a huge investment of time and effort. It’s the first book of what looks to be a three book series; book two seems to center around this main character’s older sister. Maybe that book will be better. I looked into downloading it, and probably will if I’m able to for free.

[Melissa Basnight · Rating 2 out of 5]

Catie has a successful career as a cook and a writer of cookbooks. She cannot cook and she also states she is married which she is not. Somehow she gets roped into a type of reality show with the family of a man that was just released from the hospital and seems to be have partial amnesia. Catie is attracted to the man and is trying to pull off the cooking in the house they are all staying in, but she also has to pretend she is married. The whole story is a recipe for disaster which of course it is for Catie. There were some humorous parts, but overall it was not my favorite romantic comedy. Catie was using everyone especially her sister. Her sister was the actual cook and all the cookbooks that Catie wrote were actually her sisters recipes. I really didn’t like for the characters within the story.

[Hasanthi Navaratne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 out of 5 stars! Yes, because I like it! " Misadventures of Catie Bloom" by Brooke Stanton. I simply loved the book very much and enjoyed it immensely. I should say , I laughed a lot, indeed because the book is full of humor.

A woman who pretends the world about her passion for cooking and good house-keeping while she actually can't even hold a knife properly and who is single. Brooke has shown her writing skills in the book and she opens our minds to a different stage of life.

I love the character of Catie Bloom, I think because there is a little bit of catie bloom in our lives too. Well it might not be in everybody, but most of us may have! The way she handles each and every situation is amazing. Her inner feelings about Sam shows ho much she loves him.

Her sisiter Natalie shows the true spirit and love of sisterhood. I feel that everybody cannot be a great sister like Natalie. Sam...... of course I have to talk about him I have to be honest, I fell in love with him. Why? because of the fact that, the way she loves Catie, for who she is. I think that something important. We should love a person for who he/ she is. I feel that it is called true love.

The story starts with total mayhem and ends with love and happiness. Now I should tell the reason behind, me liking this story. Well it was because, Brooke Stanton shows life in a different point of view.

When life gives you hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have thousand reasons to smile!!!
This is the simplest menaing of the story and the reason behind my 3 stars!

[Tina Summers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writing was good, but I didn’t like the characters

I kept waiting to start liking the characters. Catie was hard to like and get behind, she came across as self-centered and manipulative at times. But maybe it’s a personal thing since I highly value integrity. I wasn’t sure if I wanted Catie to get together with Sam. Perhaps if we’d had Sam’s POV it would’ve given an opportunity to see what he saw in her. I liked Sam well enough, for the little that I know about him. It felt like he was accessory in the MC’s life not an MC himself.

Having said that, the writing is good and it didn’t stop me from finishing the book.

Clean but with swearing for those that care about such things.

[Danielle Amor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Is The First Book In The “Bloom Sisters Romance Series” And Is A Really Fun Example Of Chick Lit!

This Was Such A Fun And Entertaining Book. You Name It, It Would Happen To Catie! I Really Liked The Main Characters, They Are Relatable And Although The Concept Of The Story Is ‘Far-Fetched’, It Is Written To Be A Bit More Believable And a just Utterly Hilarious.

I Am Looking Forward To Reading More From This Series, Book Two ‘The Adventures Of Natalie Bloom’ and Book Three ‘The Downfall Of Catie Bloom’.

I Got Sophie Kinsela Vibes From This Book, So If You Like Her Books, You Will Enjoy This Too!

[Ronnae Stately · Rating 4 out of 5]

Catie Bloom and her sister Natalie have been doing a disservice to the people around them. But not in a bad way. It seems that Nat is quite shy and therefore when it came to the cooking blog her sister started she just let her sister take the win. But now Catie is being asked to help her boss with jogging the memory of her nephew. Everything comes to light when a good friend of Catie"s plays the husband she needs for the show. But Catie and Nat's lies are not the only lies going around. This book is funny and the twists keep on doing as you get closer to the end. But love is found in the most crazy way.

[Mike Bratek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Characters were often misleading as the "I" was in every chapter, but if you didn't read who was named at the beginning of the chapter, you wouldn't know who's talking! Catie told a bunch of lies that end up all coming out in the end. Seems as though a tale that when too many lies are told, the end result of when the truth comes out may not be so bad, yet, should have told the truth from the beginning! A good read to waste the day away!

[Swtdrms · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a lot going on with Catie Bloom! I enjoyed the sister dynamic in this book. I have a close sister and can relate to going the extra 100 miles for her! Catie Bloom's lies complied into a heap she had no control over. All the characters weaved throughout the story made reading complicated at times but the Characters were relatable. I like how the story kept the twists hidden and kept you guessing which sister would end up with who. Would like to read book 2.

[shannon Stubbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this

I really enjoyed this story. Very funny and sweet. I loved how the biggest homemaker/ organizer blogger digs herself deeper ,in her lies by omission, when her boss wants her to do an on scene taping of her cooking and interviewing a famous travel writer. To fill in for her imaginary husband she gets a coworker to fill in. Little does she knows that he has been in love with her for years. Very cute and does have an HEA.

[Lisa Denn · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I selected this book I was expecting a romantic comedy of sorts. I would have enjoyed the book much more had it been filled with more laughter and less drama.
The constant bombardment with tears, whining, and denial are a turn-off to my eyes when it comes to reading. This book reinforces my belief that sometimes "less is more." Too much drama!

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every once in a while I enjoy reading funny stories and this was definitely a good one. Catie lives a lie, she blogs about recipes her sister creates, talks about tips on organizing your home and everyone thinks she's married. When her boss wants to do a tv special for the return of her nephew her whole life is close to fall apart thanks to lies but find out yourseld how she manages the chaos.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Same problem as some of the other readers in that I hate the main character Catie Bloom. Unfortunately, she doesn’t manage to endear me to her cause before the end of the short book. Character development was too minimal all around or maybe they are all just superficial. Not intrigued enough to read any other books in the series.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story. It was funny but I could see where this could actually happen. Will Catie find a way out of fliming this progam? Or will she have friends who will help her? Could this lead to romance? Or will she be out of a job along with a few others? Grab a copy of this book and come along on this ride and find out what happens.

[Mary Carlisle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed Review

I thought the novel was well written. Good read, but, the storyline was pathetic. IF, and I say IF, any 'female' is as lame as our heroine then working women are in big troubles. The intelligence of the women's success in business did not match up to the lame incidences she would allow to happen.

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was so-so. I appreciated the humor but couldn't keep up with emotional state of Catie or why she did what she did. The stretch the author made to have Catie lie about so much in her life was lame, and it was exhausting to try and keep up with her lies. Catie also didn't act consistent to real life and therefore an unbelievable character.