I loved this book. I made me laugh, and I felt empathy for the main character as her life tried to fall apart. Somehow or other, though, she managed to keep a roof over her and her daughter's head, find love, and stick it to the ex who had fathered her baby then ran. Gotta love the resourcefulness! And she got her happily ever after, so the prick didn't win after all. ( )

* I received this as a free eBook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. *

Amanda Keane seems to have her life together. Okay, she’s not quite as successful in her career choice as her friends and she doesn’t date much and she’s turning 30 but she has a loving supportive family, she lives “downtown” where she has always wanted to live; she’s pretty happy. Enjoying her 30th birthday party she meets handsome, young musician Eamonn. Cue … whirlwind romance, unplanned pregnancy, unexpected job loss and disappearing Eamonn and Amanda finds herself in a fix.

She loves her new daughter but has no means of supporting her until she accidentally lands a position doing the only thing she seems to be good at these days. She becomes a wet nurse for a rich couple, and then another and one more. Could this be her new career? If so, how was she ever going to explain it to anyone … especially the wonderful new man in her life.

I enjoyed this light, fun book. Ms. Doyle has a comfortable, conversational style of writing that made me feel as if Amanda was sitting across from me over coffee and telling me her story. I am torn as to my rating of this book.
· The concept is great, not a plot line I have read before
· The writing style is comfortable
· Amanda is a woman who accepts the decisions she’s made and does her best for her daughter no matter what
· Too late for me, but I did learn a few things about nursing
For those reasons I would give it a four star rating.

There are a few drawbacks to this book for me.
· All the moms that Amanda worked for had issues with their babies which Amanda magically overcomes the minute she touches them – one dad even calls her the “Baby whisperer”
· All the babies and toddlers in the book were “easy” (even the colicky one … sheesh). I’ve had children, there had to be one in the bunch that was a little cranky. It would have added a little something to the story.
· I know this is being picky but Amanda is supposed to be a “professional baby nurser (is that a word?)” and every time something goes a little off track she is knocking back wine or Niquil or Tylenol. Bad example for nursing moms!
Those are the reasons I am going with three stars.

Overall it is a good debut novel for Ms. Doyle and I did enjoy the book. It’s a step up from much of the other “chick-lit” available. This would be a perfect read for the beach or the deck on a summer day, maybe with a glass of chilled Pinot – ONLY if you’re not nursing a baby!
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Milked is an entertaining story that follows thirty year old Amanda Keane as she embarks on a new journey when her life takes an unexpected turn.

Author Lisa Doyle weaves a humorous debut tale set in Chicago that follows Amanda Keane as her life unexpectedly changes after a whirlwind and short lived romance with a sexy Irishman, who leaves her alone and pregnant. Faced with the reality of motherhood and other trials and tribulations that befall her, Amanda embarks on a life-changing journey filled with choices, decisions, and stability, along the road to happiness.

Milked was such a fun book to read, it had a little bit of everything: steamy romance, friendships, and the realistic daily trials and tribulations in life and parenthood, that easily kept me engaged and following Amanda's journey. I loved the author's easy style of wit and humor that she used to weave a realistic tale of motherhood and living one's life as best as you can (even with Amanda's new career as a Chicago society wet nurse) that readers could easily relate to. The author does a wonderful job of touching upon the variety of issues that arise with motherhood and how to overcome them, finding romance, and learning from life's experiences and lessons with humor and thoughtfulness.

With a delightful cast of characters; witty dialogue and humorous interactions; a nice mixture of drama and romance; a rich description of the setting that transports the reader to the heart of Chicago; and an entertaining storyline filled with intriguing twists and turns; Milked is a delightful story that will leave a smile on your face!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours.

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