Year: 2010

The Ice Cream Girls by Dorothy Koomson

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My Rating: 5/5

Poppy and Serena were 18 when an event took place that would change both their lives forever. Marcus was their school teacher and he ends up dead with only Serena and Poppy as witnesses. The media have a field day and label the pair `The Ice Cream Girls’. Twenty years on and their lives went in completely different directions. There are however secrets from their past that Serena is desperate to keep hidden and Poppy is determined to bring to light.

I originally came across Dorothy Koomson by accident after picking up the wrong book in a bookshop. I was very glad that `accident’ happened otherwise I may never have found this truly brilliant writer. The first book of hers I read was Marshmallows For Breakfast and what a joy it was to read. That followed with all of her other publications and I can honestly say I have not been disappointed with any of her books.

One thing I want to point out is the genre of these books. I would hazard a guess that most of her books are put into the Chick Lit genre which isn’t that true, especially where this book is concerned. The front cover may lead you to think this is a feel good book but don’t be fooled. This is a very heartfelt and in parts powerful book telling an incredibly sad story.

The story is written in two parts one being written from Serena’s perspective and one from Poppy’s. Not only that, we are taken on a journey through the current nightmare that they are both facing. Not only are we swept up into their current lives but are given glimpses of their past as the story progresses.

We meet Serena and her husband Evan who knows nothing of her past. She does everything in her power to stop him from finding out about her and what she used to be like. Unfortunately for her there are things in her life that are threatening to put her perfect life at risk and her secrets won’t stay that way for long. We also get introduced to Poppy and learn about her relationship with her parents, brother and sister.

We get to share their pain as they relive both their pasts and their attempts to move on with their life in the way they know best. I felt at times that I was almost sitting beside these two women and sharing their experiences. The writing is done wonderfully with the right balance of emotion and meaning. It covers some very sensitive topics which are done with empathy but bares the souls of the characters involved in the book.

The switch between Poppy and Serena, past and present was done with ease and as the reader you are just swept along whether that be to the current day or their murky pasts. As the story progresses it picks up pace and manages to pack a serious punch in the last 5 chapters.

It is hard to go into too much detail about the book itself because I do not like spoilers and the theme running through this book is the whole point of the story. All I can say is that I didn’t want to put this down until I had finished, it was that good. I’m not a naturally sensitive person but I would be surprised if anybody read this and didn’t feel the tug of emotion whilst reading this story. It is truly a wonderful book, not always happy, not always easy to read, but truly, truly wonderful. If you have not read Dorothy Koomson and you want something different then this would be a good place to start.

Take A Chance on Me by Jill Mansell

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My Rating: 5/5

Cleo and Abbie Quinn are sisters. Abbie is happily married to Tom and has been since she was young. They are envied by people living in their village as they seem to have the perfect marriage. Cleo on the other hand has never had much luck with men. Her latest boyfriend Will seems to tick all of the boxes. One of Cleo’s old school friends Johnny LaVenture turns up back in the village and he has never been Cleo’s favourite person. Having teased her mercilessly at school Cleo can’t bear to be around him. Meanwhile Abbie’s husband is behaving strangely; he is being very withdrawn and is definitely hiding something. When she finds out the shocking truth, she is not only shocked, but completely unaware that her life is about to turn head over heels. Both sisters realise that the past is never too far away and that it can ultimately destroy everything.

I have my preference for reading and it falls either into the Crime/Thrillers genre or Chick Lit. When it comes to Chick Lit, Jill Mansell is one of the favourites amongst many of my friends and family. I have read every single one of her books and thoroughly loved at least 95% of them. However in recent years with other authors breaking through and the older authors producing great stories she hasn’t shone as much for me. Luckily with this book she has re-taken her crown. She is firmly placed in the Chick Lit Elite and quite rightly so.

It is very hard to review and give opinion when you don’t want to give too much away so forgive me if some of it seems cryptic. Overall this story flowed off the pages and with each page I read it became even more enjoyable.

The two sisters are nothing like each other, which personally I love. They have two completely different situations to deal with but throughout the whole story are there for each other. Mansell writes two threads in the book one for each sister. They are a joy to read because each of them has their own strange quirks which make them pretty loveable but not perfect.

Cleo’s story is difficult to comment on but it was written extremely well with one of the two men appearing in her life getting a great come-uppance. Cleo is a chauffeur and on her journey we get to meet a famous start she is driving around Casey Kruger and he is written as the bolshie and obnoxious typical star. We also meet Ash who is Cleo’s best friend and neighbour. Not only is Ash a neighbour he is a minor celebrity in the village hosting a Radio Station Programme where he has a devout following of female fans.

Abbie on the other hand is battling her issues with her husband. She manages to get the wrong end of the stick and gets herself in a sticky predicament that could cause the break up of her marriage.

The Last Ten Seconds by Simon Kernick

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My Rating: 5/5

Kat’s Review: There are three people involved and none of them can predict just how dangerous things are going to turn out. DI Tina Boyd has a past that is littered with trouble and she just seems to attract it wherever she goes. She has been part of the team that has tracked down and now arrested the serial killer known as `The Night Creeper’. The only problem is he has now been kidnapped and it’s Tina’s job to hunt him down.

Sean Egan is an undercover cop who has managed to become embedded in a dangerous criminal gang posing as another gang member looking for work. He is roped in on a job that means kidnapping the serial killer known as `The Night Creeper’. What he doesn’t realise is that he will be forced to make decisions that could not only end his career but his life too.

The Night Creeper is in custody arrested by DI Boyd. Not only is he a dangerous and sadistic killer but he is acting and looking like an innocent man. The reputation he has built was based on his brutality that all the police witnessed at each of the 5 murders that he committed. The only problem is, once in custody, he is claiming that he has a watertight alibi meaning that if he didn’t commit one, then did he commit any.

OH MY GOD! There are so many words that I just can’t find to explain this book. Corker, cracking, brilliant, exceptional, breathtaking, fast, edgy, the list goes on. What I will say is that this is a five star book that confirms that Simon Kernick deserves his place in the world of crime writing.

I have been an avid Crime and Thriller reader for the best part of 16 years and am shocked at the fact that I only discovered Kernick by reading Relentless a mere 8 months ago. Relentless was itself an absolute gem of a book (for which I rated it 5 out of 5) and I was pleased that I had read one of his books and planned on reading a lot more. Unfortunately for me my `to read’ list was getting longer and Simon Kernick went to the back of my mind. That was until Tuesday of this week, when I wandered into a book shop, only to see his new release sitting there on the shelf. I grabbed it with earnest and placed it at the top of my list as it had been 8 months since I had read Relentless and wanted to see if this was as good as the last one. I needn’t have worried as this book was, if possible, even better than Relentless. Hence the reason for the review a mere 2 days later!

With this authors genius style of writing it took me no more than one chapter to become engrossed. The story hits you in the gut from page one and doesn’t give up until the very last page. It had all the ingredients of a crime book that any reader wants. Great meaty characters, all flawed in their own strange ways. A story that is paced so quickly you feel like you’re in the passenger seat of a Formula One car, and to top it all off a story that takes you on more twists and turns than a roller-coaster ride.

The characters Sean and Tina are written extremely well in the first person and I loved the fact that the switch between the two was easy. Tina has her own demons, as does Sean which always helps towards the realism of a character in my opinion. They weren’t picture perfect and both have the same streak for doing things their way, no matter what the cost, or what rules they have to break. The chapters weren’t too long and were punchy and to the point.

The crime scenes themselves are written extremely graphically, which not to everybody’s taste I understand, was completely relevant to the story and the type of violence that Sean and Tina were surrounded by. I could find no flaws with this book and am already adding him to my pre-order list. I suggest that if you haven’t read a book by Mr Kernick that you add him to your list now, you won’t be disappointed.

The Queen of New Beginnings by Erica James

My Rating: 4/5

Clayton Miller has lost everything. He was one of the country’s best selling comedy script writers. His writing partner and best friend Bazza drops a bombshell and leaves not only the partnership but takes Claytons long term girlfriend Stacey with him. Clayton is on the edge and when the press start hounding him, his agent decides that a break out in the sticks where nobody knows him will do him good until the media hype dies down. Clayton moves into a house through rented by one of his agents friends. When he arrives he doesn’t expect to see anybody, so when a cleaning lady turns up from the agency he is shocked. Alice Shoemaker is the cleaner, except what Clayton doesn’t realise is that she is actually a Voiceover artist and is doing this job to help out a friend. Alice quickly realises that this rude and obnoxious man is acting suspiciously. Clayton in turn is also realising that Alice is not quite telling the truth. Over time the two of them form a friendship but what they don’t realise is the extent of the deception that both of them are guilty of.

I have read each and every one of Erica James’ books. I have always enjoyed them and rated them at least 4 out of 5, except for her last book `It’s the little things’. I was disappointed to a certain extent and only gave it 3 out of 5, so I was hopeful that this book would be an improvement on her last as I have always enjoyed her books. Thankfully this one is a definite improvement.

The story is pretty quick to gather momentum and I fell for the characters almost immediately, which is always a positive in my eyes. Clayton is a great character and although the beginning of the story introduces him to us as a bitter and grumpy man you can’t help but feel for him. He is like a duck out of water having previously lived his whole working life in London. Now he finds himself out in the sticks with just fields for company.

The initial meeting with Clayton and Alice is also quite funny and the author has written it incredibly well with just the right dose of humour. Her books in the past sometimes are meaningful and sometimes more the romantic type but with this one she seems to have hit the mark and got the balance just right.

We meet a few characters along the way which I can imagine fitting in perfectly in the village. We meet the crazy neighbour known as George. Her first meeting with Clayton sets the scene perfectly for just how eccentric the old lady is. We also meet Ronetta, Alice’s next door neighbour and friend along with her son Bob who has a soft spot for Alice.

The character Stacey is the perfect woman that we all love to hate. Selfish, money grabbing and very cold hearted. Although Bazza has done the dirty on Clayton you can’t help but root for him. I wouldn’t like to add spoilers but the way things end with Stacey was absolutely perfect!

The story is told with snatches of Alice’s past built in to explain the current state of play and it makes for fantastic reading. All in all I thoroughly enjoyed this book and thought that it was a perfect mix of all that a reader wants. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t rate the book as a 5 star because there are other books that I have read very recently that in comparison are much better, but it was a great read all the same. I will continue to read Erica James and only hope that her books continue being this enjoyable. 

It’s Now or Never by Carole Matthews

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My Rating: 5/5

Kat’s Review: This story introduces us to twins Annie and Lauren. The opening of the story is the two of them attending their elder Sister Chelsea’s 40th Birthday party. At only a year younger than her Annie and Lauren can’t understand quite where their own lives went wrong in comparison to their elder sisters. Chelsea looks like she has the perfect package. Two beautiful children, a handsome and doting husband, the perfect marriage and to top it all money! With this in mind the pair of them makes a decision that this year will be their year. No matter what they will both chase their dreams.

Annie is married with two reasonably grown up children and a husband of over twenty years. She works for a company as a receptionist and the most excitement her life sees is the visitors to her company. Her husband is certainly devoted, just not to her. She is a fishing widow and to top it all off she begins to feel completely unfulfilled. Lauren is the polar opposite to Annie working in Sales for a successful company. She has no ties and no responsibility. The only problem is her life revolves around her married lover. She is hopelessly in love with him and truly believes that it is only a matter of time before he enters her life permanently. Or is it?

Carole Matthews never ceases to amaze me. Her last book `That Loving Feeling’ was a corker and this one is no different. As an author she tends to give the audience exactly what they want without compromising her own writing style. This story is written around a situation that many women will empathise with being realistic, but not overboard. Annie is a typical married woman who still loves her husband and children but is going through a phase where she just wants a bit of excitement. This makes for some very funny situations which women around the world will be laughing at.

The same applies to Lauren, Annie’s twin. She is a typical woman that wants it all but knows that she can’t really have it. The two characters Annie and Lauren have been written extremely well and I loved them both from Chapter one. The male characters are also fantastically written without being too `overdone’. There is nothing better than reading a character that you can actually imagine meeting. I don’t want to go in to too much detail with regards to the actual story because I don’t like spoilers but the men and women featured in the storyline are fab!

Another thing that I like about Carole Matthews style of writing is that she tends to come out with some very funny one liners or situations that make me laugh out loud. I think it isn’t so much the actual words themselves but the fact that they are something you can maybe imagine yourself, or somebody you know doing! Look out for the Car Wash incident (v. v. funny). I confess to still somewhat missing Carole’s contribution to her `Chocolate Lovers’ series. For some reason these books have always been my favourite of hers, having said that this most recent book and her last one I would give 5 out of 5.

Overall Carole Matthews produces typical Romantic Comedy in her own style and never fails to amuse me in some way, shape or form. Don’t get me wrong, yes all of her books are of the same Genre and style but that is why I continue to read them. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it and Carole Matthew’s books certainly don’t need fixing. After all you don’t buy a Horror Film expecting to see romance do you?!?

WORST CASE BY JAMES PATTERSON AND MICHAEL LLEDWIDGE (MICHAEL BENNETT #3)

My Rating: 4/5

Detective Michael Bennett works in the busy city of New York. His wife died two years ago leaving behind their amazing ten adopted children. Michael Bennett’s life is solely his work and his children. Thankfully he has the help of his Grandfather Seamus and Nanny Mary Catherine. Apart from his children the most important thing in his life is his work. He had previously come up against killers and cases that he has solved and this year is no different. A young man who has one of the wealthiest set of parents in New York is snatched and held hostage.

The only problem is that this killer doesn’t want money. The killer insists on questioning the young man and it dawns on the hostage that money can’t help him, only the correct answers can. Michael Bennett is called to the family home of the boy and then starts the race to find the boy before the killer makes it a murder case. Drafted in to help is Emily Parker an FBI Agent who is an Abduction Specialist. Between them they try to figure out the killer’s next move. What they aren’t prepared for is a killer that takes his beliefs to the extreme. Michael is not prepared for this case as well as managing his family brood without incidence. What he is even more shocked at is when his love life suddenly becomes part of the mix.

I have read all of James Patterson’s books and to be frank they can be hit and miss. Sometimes he can produce fantastic stories but in recent years it seems like he churns out so many books that sometimes the story doesn’t have the author’s whole focus. The Michael Bennett series is co-written with Michael Lewidge. This particular book I really enjoyed. I have also read the two previous Michael Bennett novels so I already had some background on the characters which always helps.

The second book in the Michael Bennett series (Run for your life) I rated at 4 out of 5 and to be honest this book was no different. The character himself is pretty good, he is clearly a family man but one who lobes his family and that comes across well with the writing. The added bonus of this book is the angle of the love life interest. The only thing was with this angle is that it felt very rushed, almost like JP/ML felt they had to introduce somebody. We don’t hear as much about Michael’s family which is a shame because his Grandfather Seamus was featured a little more heavily ion the previous book and he is a great character.

As for the killer himself, we see the story written from his perspective and to be honest this was the weakest are of the book. It almost felt a little rushed and there was no real depth to him. However as usual, James Patterson manages to balance out these flaws with his style of writing. His chapters are short and sharp and always paced quickly meaning they keep you a little hooked. I always find that no matter what my opinion of the story or characters I am always compelled to keep reading. Maybe this is why his books are such a success? Up until the release of `I Alex Cross’ which was quite recent, I actually preferred the Michael Bennett series. After that recent release I again became latched with the Alex Cross character. I must say though that after reading this Michael Bennett book, he may not be my favourite of the JP characters but I definitely want to see more of him.

All in all James Patterson hasn’t failed to deliver a good book. My only concern is that I never feel like it’s a five star read lately like I have with other authors such as Dennis Lehane. I think that he produces so many books in such a short space of time that the reader never quite feels like he has immersed himself fully with one character and concentrated on that one book. Overall he is still a great author and I would recommend his books to anybody as they are an enjoyable read. JP had better watch out though, recently some great authors have been producing 5 star books which may threaten his status as the number one Crime Writer.

Grave Doubts by Elizabeth Corley (DCI Fenwick #3)

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My Rating: 5/5

In her first and second novels we meet DCI Andrew Fenwick along with WDC Louise Nightingale. The third is no different and the story opens with Nightingale putting herself in the firing line, all in the name of her job. Nightingale is being used as bait to lure out a dangerous killer. When it all goes wrong and the killer attacks Louise leaving her for dead, her life changes. She is no longer the confident woman she once was and finds herself trapped in the world where fear is the leading factor in your life. Luckily for Nightingale they catch the killer and he is imprisoned for quite some time. Not being able to deal with the comments from colleagues and press alike she decides to retreat down to an old family cottage that nobody knows about. It is completely isolated and she feels that this is the best place to gain back her confidence and self belief.

Andrew Fenwick is also on the case and as always is following his strange but insightful `gut feelings’ on this case. Yes the man is locked up but Fenwick has a nagging doubt that this man wasn’t working alone and that there is still a potential danger not only to women in general but in particular Louise Nightingale. As far as Fenwick is concerned she is unfinished business in the eyes of the killer. However trying to prove that theory to his senior colleagues is a whole other matter.

When Nightingale made the move she didn’t tell anybody where she was. With a leave of absence from work the safest thing was to tell and trust nobody. With no parents, just a twin brother she makes work of renovating this old family cottage. However what she isn’t prepared for is the history surrounding her family that gets dug up in the process. It throws her into a complete spin and her life feels like it’s getting out of control all over again.

With Fenwick worrying about Nightingale and not knowing where she is, Louise trying to piece her life together with her attacker locked up, the attacks continue. Is the right man in prison or is this an accomplice. Whatever the answer, the killer continues on a rampage which sees young girls being butchered. Fenwick knows that he is the only one who can really see and understand the danger from this man and fights to save Nightingale from being this killer’s final victim.

This is the third book I have read by Elizabeth Corley and I have to say I enjoyed this one even more than the first two. The story is very detailed and you follow more than one plot line which can be confusing but when you have established each character it is truly gripping. The murder scenes are described vividly as are the thoughts and emotions of all of the lead characters. I am eagerly anticipating her third book (I have some catching up to do). This is a brilliantly written book with a feeling of fear as we follow this killer. The characters that I loved Fenwick and Nightingale are back again and with more issues than before. The ending of the book is a great opening for the follow up and I only hope that I enjoy that as much as I have this.

Little Girls Lost by J A Kerley (Carson Ryder #6)

My Rating: 4/5

 I confess that I have never read any work by J A Kerley but the jacket info was enough to convince me it was worth a try. It comes under the Thriller/Suspense category and is justified to be there I can assure you. I picked the book up with absolutely no expectations and was really pleased that I made the choice to read this.

This is apparently the 4th book in the Carson Ryder Series however I can only judge based on this book which can quite easily be read as a stand alone novel. Carson Ryder is a Homicide Detective in Alabama and he is called in to help with a case where young girls are disappearing. The only problem is that so far there are multiple girls going missing, but no bodies, no clues and nothing to even indicate what on earth is going on. Unfortunately for Ryder his partner Harry Nautilus is in hospital after being mysteriously attacked and left for dead.

Connor Sandhill is an ex cop who now runs a restaurant and is know as the `Gumbo King’. Connor left the police force under circumstances that seemed highly suspicious although he has never confirmed or denied any of the rumours. With no leads and being on his own Ryder decides to enlist the help of Connor as he has a reputation at solving very difficult cases.

At the same time Connor finds himself in the unfortunate position of being a babysitter for his ex-girlfriends sister. Little Jacy is only 9 and when Connor finally agrees to watch her he finds juggling that with working on the case. The nightmares he has regarding the missing children become an awful reality when he realises Jacy is missing. Both he and Ryder now have to face the fact that there is a good chance that these little girls will never be seen again. The question is can they wade through the murky waters of bent cops, angry citizens and the mayor to find the person responsible.

I must say that the first 3 or 4 chapters were a little on the slow side but by chapter 5 I realised that I needn’t have worried as the story flowed and I didn’t want to put the book down. The story itself was good but the characters weren’t as good as they could have been in my opinion. I absolutely adored Connor Sandhill as a cop that played the rules his own way to get the desired results. Carson Ryder was another story. He lacked something (which I can’t put my finger on). It seemed like he never really came into his own and that was a little disappointing but didn’t lessen the enjoyment for me. Overall I thought it was a great read and I would definitely recommend and certainly would read other books in the follow up series.