Road Kill by Zoe Sharp (Charlie Fox #5)

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My Rating: 4/5

Availability: Hardback, Paperback, Kindle, Audio

Synopsis: “If you stay involved with Sean Meyer you will end up killing again,” my father said. “And next time, Charlotte, you might not get away with it.”

Still bearing the emotional scars from her traumatic first bodyguarding job in the States, Charlie Fox returns to her former home to try and work out both her personal and professional future.

Instead of the peace for which she’s been hoping, Charlie is immediately caught up in the aftermath of a fatal bike crash involving one of her closest friends. The more she probes, the more she suspects that the accident was far from accidental − and the more she finds herself relying on the support of her troubled boss, Sean Meyer, despite her misgivings over the wisdom of resuming their relationship.

And Charlie’s got enough on her plate trying to work out who suddenly wants her dead. The only way to find out is to infiltrate a group of illegal road racers who appear hell-bent on living fast and dying young.

Taking risks is something that ex-Special Forces soldier Charlie knows all about, but doing it just for kicks seems like asking for trouble. By the time she finds out what’s really at stake, she might be too late to stop them all becoming road kill. 

My Review: Well, it has been far too long since I spent time with Charlie Fox in book 4, and it appears that I even forgot to review it (I know…duh duh duh…shock horror). Anyway, I decided to delve back into Charlie’s world and get back in touch with the all too fierce Charlie and Mr Sean Meyer. For those that haven’t read any of the books in the series, I warn you now DON’T CARRY ON READING! Ultimately there will be spoilers because you have no knowledge of what has gone on beforehand. Also, I might like to point out, if you are one of the few that haven’t read them…why not? You are missing out!

Anyway, the first thing I felt when I opened the book and started was like I was visiting friends that I hadn’t seen for ages. The book starts out ratcheted up to full drama with Charlie’s friend Claire ending up in hospital following a fatal bike accident. With one person dead and her friend being operated on Charlie realises that the ‘accident’ appears to be far more sinister. Of course Charlie decides that she needs to not only help her friend, but get to the bottom of why. Enter Sean Meyer, Charlie’s boss and you have yourself a rather hairy situation that rapidly gets more mysterious.

Before long Charlie is in the thick of a group of illegal road racers and her friends seem to be involved somewhere along the line, she just has to figure out how. The one thing that is glaringly obvious from this book, a lot more than previous ones is Zoe Sharp’s love of bikes. This journey sees Charlie heavily involved in an illegal bike racing gang and by the time I was halfway through, I reckon I could have told you more about riding a motorbike from half this book, than I have known in my entire 30 plus something years on this planet. This certainly wasn’t a negative in my opinion, if anything it just makes you realise how passionate these riders are (as I’m guessing Zoe herself is too).

As with any Sharp/Fox book, Charlie inevitably gets herself into some very dangerous situations, which makes for a pretty tense read. The actual storyline itself maybe wasn’t my favourite in the series so far but was a brilliantly good read as usual. I know that I have over 150 books left in my ‘to read’ pile, but for some reason I think I need to go straight to book 6 in this series (it’s definitely been too long). Zoe Sharp has created a great lead character, and has produced consistently solid reads to date. I’m already looking forward to the next one

Watching Over You by Mel Sherratt

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My Rating: 3/5

Availability: Paperback and Kindle

Synopsis: Following the death of her husband and unborn child, Charley Belington sells the family home and bravely starts life over again. On moving into a new flat, she is befriended by her landlady, Ella, who seems like the perfect friend and confidante.

But, unbeknown to Charley, Ella is fighting her own dark and dirty demons as the fallout from a horrific childhood sends her spiralling down into madness—and unspeakable obsessions.

 As Ella’s mind splinters, her increasingly bizarre attentions make Charley uneasy. But with every step Charley tries to take to distance herself, Ella moves in a tightening lockstep with her, closer and closer and closer…

My Review: I feel pretty torn with my opinion on this book. I have read the first of Mel’s Estate books and really enjoyed it. It’s also clear from reading this latest of her books that she has bundles of talent and is overall a great writer. For some reason though, this book just didn’t sit all that well with me. I liked Charley Belington and the reader gets to see this brave woman try to get over the death of her husband. She is trying to move on and that means moving out of the home she shared with her husband Dan. When she moves into a new flat she meets the Landlady Ella who seems like an ideal friend.

At first Ella seems to be the ideal landlady and is going out of her way to welcome Charley into her new home. What the reader soon discovers is that Ella has her own demons and her horrific upbringing is seemingly now responsible for the adult she is becoming. It was clear from pretty early on that Ella has some serious issues and I thought that Mel Sherratt handled them in a way that made the reader understands a little more the way that their minds work. It certainly brings to the forefront the major issue with mental healthcare that many people still shy away from.

We also see neighbours that are part of the plot line appear and in their own way, they become part of Ella and Charley’s lives without them even being aware of it. The one thing I really did like is the plot thread that brought them all together. I thought this was probably the highlight of the book and cleverly done. For me though, I just felt like certain parts of the book were too repetitive and that it felt a little like overkill on certain issues. The book certainly had great pace and the storyline itself and suspense kept you reading. I just felt like overall, there were some things that were too much in my opinion. I’m certainly not prudish or shy (nothing could be further from the truth), but the sexual elements of the story seemed too much and I wasn’t sure they needed to be as much at the forefront as they were.

Overall it was an enjoyable read, but I felt like it was let down by a few things. No doubt Mel Sherratt will go on and produce even more amazing books such as she has been doing for some time. This is by no means indicating that the lady doesn’t have talent because she does. I just feel like this (in comparison to the Estate books), doesn’t do her the justice she deserves. Will no doubt be a winner with the majority, just didn’t quite do it for me.

Post by Sean Black (Byron Tibor #1)

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I recently interviewed Sean Black and asked him about his new book Post. I finished his new book Post yesterday and was blown away!

MY RATING: 5/5

Available: Online now on Kindle

Synopsis: THE WAR IS COMING HOME

Exhausted by years of combat, and haunted by the ghosts of his past, nothing is going to stop special forces operative Byron Tibor returning home to the woman he loves. But is Byron who he appears to be, and why is American government determined to stop him?

From the blood-soaked mountains of the Hindu Kush to the glittering lights of Manhattan, via the dark underbelly of the Las Vegas Strip, POST is the story of one man’s struggle to retain his humanity – before it’s too late.

Kat;s Review: I am a huge fan of the Ryan Lock series by Sean Black and was looking forward to testing the waters with his new stand alone thriller Post. I have to be honest and say that when I read the synopsis I was a little worried. You see I’m not particularly a fan of the kind of war books that this one seemed to be on the surface; especially not the ones that involved Government type conspiracies. <BIG sigh> how wrong could I have been?

Byron Tibor has spent years in Combat and serving his country. The first few chapters of this book kind of took my breath away. We fall straight into a combat situation where Byron is working as a lone operator. The sheer energy and exhilaration I went through when reading this reminded me of that feeling you get when you watch a really intense film! I was amazed (and I don’t mean that to sound disrespectful), a woman that doesn’t read this type of book and I just HAD to carry on reading.

When I did carry on reading I began to get a little confused. Had Sean Black made a major error in the storyline? Why didn’t it make any sense? Well, I now realise that’s the whole point in the beginning; you need to question it as you go along. This whole book centres on the US Government and their new programme which involves inserting an implant into their best soldiers to create a ‘guilt free and enhanced’ soldier. I know that some people will be shaking their heads at this description. Believe me, I am normally one of them so I totally get that. However, this story is one of those that will get your brain ticking. I’m certainly not somebody who believes in far fetched ideas; however there is a real ‘Big Brother’ syndrome with this book.

Aside from that aspect of the book we get to see Byron Tibor, who is by the way an awesome lead character, fight his way through his battle to get to the truth about himself. I went through varying emotions when reading this, but the overlying emotion was one that meant I didn’t want to stop reading. I was actually pretty sad to get to the end and couldn’t believe how amazing I thought this book was. Yep, many people will think ‘well the author gave her a copy so she would say that’. I need you to understand something though. I review because I love books, I don’t get paid one single penny to do it, and I’m certainly not shy in coming forward (which I’m sure some authors will happily confirm). I can be very critical when needs be, but in this case Sean Black put me firmly in my place.

Finally, I just wanted to touch on the genre of this book. It’s pegged as a thriller and it certainly falls into that category. But some people may say it should fall into Science Fiction. If that’s the case I need to change my standard “I don’t read Science Fiction” line, to “I don’t read Science Fiction, but I do read Sean Black”.

Sean Black has proved that you need nothing and nobody to produce an amazing book, just the talent. For the price of this book (less that £2 on Kindle) you really should give it a try. This was an amazing book that took my breath away and left me with more questions than answers. I sincerely hope that this is the start of what looks to be an amazing series.

The Death Box by J A Kerley (Carson Ryder #10)

My rating: 5/5

 Synopsis: Carson Ryder thought he’d seen everything …

A specialist in twisted crimes, Detective Carson Ryder thought he’d seen the lowest depths of human depravity. But he’s barely started his new job in Miami when called to a horrific scene: a concrete pillar built of human remains, their agony forever frozen in stone.

Finding the secret of the pillar drags him into the sordid world of human trafficking, where one terrified girl holds the key to unravelling a web of pain, prostitution and murder. 

There’s just one problem: Ryder’s not the only one chasing the girl. And the others will kill to keep the secret safe.

My Review:  I’ve been reading about Carson Ryder since around the halfway mark with book 5 (this is book 10 in the series). Carson Ryder books are incredibly readable (if you know what I mean). They may not be books that have a major impact at the time, but there is something about this series which keeps me (and plenty of others) coming back for more.  This book however is by far my favourite and was an absolutely fantastic read. Carson is a pretty cool character and his old partner Harry was also a favourite of mine. However, Carson has moved on and is now in a new town down in the Florida Keys. It almost has a ‘fresh start’ feel to it, which certainly makes the book seem fresh even though this is now the tenth book in the series.

With Harry no longer by his side, I wondered whether anybody else would make an appearance. Sure enough when Carson gets drafted into a new Specialist team he is paired up with the least likely of people. Ziggy Gershwin appears to be a nerdy college type of kid that initially seems fresh out of nappies. Thankfully the pairing worked brilliantly and I found myself hoping this is the start of a new pairing. Carson and Ziggy end up getting drafter into a case that takes them into the very dark world of human trafficking. The bad guys were suitably bad, the storyline twisted enough to keep you turning the pages, and the characters are now so real to me I feel like I need to meet them!!!

Something seems to have shifted with this latest book and it’s all good. If you haven’t read any of the previous books, although not necessary I think it helps give you the background of Carson and his brother Jeremy. I can’t say too much (for fear of spoilers), but for those who have kept up with the series, we only see Jeremy for the briefest time. However, I have a sneaking suspicion that Jack Kerley has special things planned for book 11! I find it hard to believe that many people haven’t heard of J A Kerley, and if you are one of those people, yu may want to take notice. Kerley is a very talented author who has created a fantastic series that keeps you interested. The storylines are all great and there is no ‘padding things out’ just for the sake of word count. I am so pleased that I am up to date with the series and cannot wait to get my hands on the next book. A brilliant read that I didn’t want to put down.

Shiver by Karen Robards

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My Rating: 5/5

Released: January 2013 available in paperback and Kindle

Synopis: When she swore off love, he was the last man she imagined would steal her heart.

If driving a tow truck through the seediest part of town with a gun beside her means putting a roof over her son’s head; then single mother Samantha is going to be the best repossession woman on the books. But when she hooks her truck up to a flashy BMW, the last thing she expects is to find a beaten, bloody man in the trunk – or to be catapulted into a terrifying fight to survive.

Daniel knows the drug runners who kidnapped him from protective custody will stop at nothing to see him dead. With his life on the line, his only option is to take his pretty saviour hostage and force her to help him. 

Sam and her four-year-old son are in too deep. With ruthless killers on their trail, she must reluctantly trust this handsome, menacing stranger. And as Sam relinquishes control, she feels an unmistakable desire. But what is the price of falling for a man who operates on the edge of danger – her heart, her life . . . or both?

My Review: I admit it, I had never heard of Karen Robards (shameful I know) and the only thing that caught my eye was the cover. I as once again ploughing through hundreds of books trying to work out how long things had been there and the cover just caught my eye and that was all it took! I read the synopsis and thought I’d give it a go. I can safely say that I’m VERY glad that I bothered to put it to one side.

The book is based around Sam and her four year old son Tyler. Sam is struggling to make ends meet and is subsequently working as a Repo driver. Although that involves driving in the seediest parts of town when her son is in bed, she doesn’t care as it pays for the roof over their head. Her first job of the night should have been a straightforward one. As with any great story, that small detail is the start of a rather bizarre nightmare Sam gets dragged into. What she finds is a man beaten and shot, in the trunk of the flashy BMW.

I guess at this point I was only a few chapters in and I was already hooked. The writing style and type of book this is, reminded me of Karen Rose (who I am a fan of). From that point in the book, Sam goes from being on the outside, to being taken hostage by Daniel in a fight to protect not only him but her and her son. It’s harder than this to detail too much of the storyline as it would become a spoiler, but suffice to say there is more to Daniel than meets the eye.

One thing I need to point out is that this is classed as a ROMANTIC SUSPENSE! FYI there WILL be romance in it! It drives me crazy when I see people complain that books like these aren’t on the right genre blah, blah, Blah! This book is ultimately a suspense/thriller. It does however (much like Karen Rose books) have a rather large portion of romance and steamy scenes going on! (no complaints from me, I love a bit of romance). With the romance aside, this is a very fast paced and action packed thriller that had me reading quickly. I was astonished to find myself at the last chapter on the same day I started it.

Overall I was incredibly happy to have read this and will now find the other 2 books of hers I have and bump them up my ‘to read’ pile. For fans of Karen Rose, if you haven’t read Karen Robards I think you should try her.

Beauty by Louise Bagshawe

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My Rating: 4/5

Synopsis: Dream Big. No Limits. Be Bold. Manhattan is there for the taking .

Blend it. Sculpt it. Shape it. Use it…

There isn’t a woman on earth who doesn’t have her beauty secrets. But for Dina Kane, beauty is more than just business. It’s power. And it is the secret. She’s dragged herself up from poverty to Park Avenue. She’s rolled with the punches. And she’s learned how to win.

Now someone is out to destroy her, and all she’s built. They’ve underestimated Dina Kane. She’s staying at the top – and she’s happy to wait for the perfect moment to exact her revenge…

My Review: I haven’t read many of Louise Mensch (better known as Louise Bagshawe) books, but the last one I read was pretty good. If I’m honest I didin’t realise for a while that Louise Mensch and Louise Bagshawe were one and the same. When I picked this up I hadn’t bothered reading the synopsis, and just dived right in. It didn’t take long for the story to drag me right down with it and before too long I realised that I had read half the book in one sitting. I started to figure this book was going to be a good read.

The story centres on Dina Kane and trust me the girl does not have an easy start in life. As opposed to a loving and positive home she is born into a world where her father works all the time and her mother resents her. With that in mind the story unfolds and we see Dina struggle in her childhood. The book is set over a few years and as the chapters flew by I couldn’t help loathing Dina’s family. On the other hand I can’t honestly say that I warmed to Dina that much either. She is a tough girl and although I didn’t dislike her, it was hard to warm to a young woman that has to play hardball to get where she wants to be in life.

The story had me gripped as we see Dina grow up and try to conquer the business world. The story is weaved in a way that makes you want to read more and although Dina wasn’t maybe my favourite character, I just couldn’t help but will her on in her quest. The story is certainly worthy of a read and for fans of Bagshawe I don’t think they will be disappointed. I for one, will certainly be continuing to read her work as I thoroughly enjoyed this and literally couldn’t put it down. My only reasoning for the 4 out of 5 rather than the maximum is the fact that I just didn’t like Dina as much as maybe I should have. Other than that this was a fantastic read.

Fear Nothing by Lisa Gardner (DD Warren #7)

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Synopsis: My name is Dr Adeline Glen. Due to a genetic condition I can’t feel pain.

All Boston Detective D.D. Warren remembers is walking the crime scene. Next, a creaking floorboard, a voice in her ear… Now D.D. is seriously injured and unable to return to work.

My sister is Shana Day, a notorious child murderer. She has killed more people in prison than as a free woman.

Then a second victim is found with the same calling cards left at the scene: champagne and a single red rose. Only D.D. may have seen the killer, but she recalls nothing from the night that may have cost her everything.

Our father was Harry Day, an infamous serial killer dead for over forty years. The Rose Killer knows things about my father he shouldn’t. All I know is my family still has the power to hurt me.

Now D.D. is back on the hunt. Because the Rose Killer isn’t just targeting lone women, he is targeting D.D. And D.D. knows there is only one way to take him down:

Fear nothing.

RATED: 5/5

My Review: Detective DD Warren is back in a new addition to this series and I was looking forward to catching up with her. The first few chapters actually gave me the chills and before you knew it instead of DD being at the forefront, she is recovering from a serious physical injury which leaves her in no state to work. This was the first thing that was odd, was that the DD of old was no longer physically present so it made for a different type of read. We see DD on the back foot as she desperately tried to piece together her last memories before entering her last crime scene. The crimes in question are themselves chilling when reading about them, and as usual Lisa Gardner has the ability to make you squirm when reading what the latest sick and twisted murdered has done. In this case bodies are turning up along with champagne and a single rose.

The story has a few layers to it and we meet Dr Adeline Glen, who is a somewhat oddity to the norm as she has a condition meaning she feels no pain. The secret she holds is that her sister is a notorious child killer and is serving the rest of her natural life in prison. In addition to that their father was an infamous serial killer, and although dead for many years still has a rather sick cult like following. There seemed to be no room to breathe when I was reading this, as no sooner had one thing happened, the story took you to a different element and drew you straight back in.

I was thoroughly engrossed from start to finish and although I had a sneaking suspicion (which proved correct) about who was doing what, the suspense and writing itself kept me hooked from beginning to end. Lisa Gardner has consistently produced great crime thrillers and this latest one is no exception. There is plenty of action, plot twists and suspense to keep you up until the early hours. She has once again left me swallowing the bitter pill that I now have to wait a whole year for the next instalment. Other than my ridiculous impatience, a first class book which shows just how talented Lisa Gardner is. This one is highly recommended.

The Truth About You by Susan Lewis

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My Rating: 4/5

Synopsis: Lainey Hollingsworth has spent her whole life on the outside of a secret. Her mother would never discuss the reasons she abandoned Italy when Lainey was a new born, nor has she ever stayed in touch with the family she left behind.

Now Lainey’s mother is dead, taking the secret with her, and leaving Lainey free to find out about her roots. Her husband, Tom, appears supportive, until he hits her with a bombshell that shatters the very foundations of their marriage. Another secret Lainey never knew anything about.

Shaken, but more determined than ever to find out who she really is, Lainey takes her children to Umbria in search of answers. What she finds in the sleepy, sunbaked village of her birth turns her world inside out.

My Review: Susan Lewis has always been an author who I enjoy and I can normally guarantee a brilliant read. With this latest book there was no exception and I demolished the book in one day. The only downside for me was that I read a book only a couple of months back with a similar storyline. That aside, it was again another fantastic book by SL.

The characters in this book are easy to relate to as on the surface it seems like thousands of other families you may know. Lainey is married to Tom, and they have like that for around16 years. They have two kids, one a teenager. Tome has a third grown up son who lives with them too, and in addition they have Lainey’s father Peter who is sadly suffering from Dementia.

Lainey’s life is taken up in the most part with caring for her children and father, as well as managing her husband Tom’s diary. Her friend Susan also adds another dimension to Lainey’s life and this makes for lots of interesting characters. In the beginning we get to know everybody involved and I couldn’t help but like everybody. The situation concerning her father was very sad, but dealt with in a lovely way. Lainey’s one wish is to find out about her roots and who her biological father was. Although Peter had raised her as his own, she has a yearning to find out more about what really happened with her Mother, and the secrets she held back from Lainey right up until the day she died.

We see Lainey arrange the trip to Italy to find out more, when her life starts to unravel. The good thing about this story was that there were so many elements to it constantly keeping you from wondering. There were threads to this story which involved more than one of her kids, then she gets a bombshell from her husband and before she knows it her life doesn’t resemble anything it should do. The book all in all was pretty emotional and manages to touch on a lot of sore subjects, but Susan Lewis has managed to craft them into a sensitive tale rather than anything that made me uncomfortable.

I was so taken with the story that I didn’t really want to put it down. The only thing which I thought was maybe a little far fetched was the element concerning her daughter Tierney and a ‘secret man’. Other than this I was once again thoroughly immersed into another great book by Susan Lewis.

Gone by James Patterson (Michael Bennett #6)

My Rating: 4/5

Synopsis: Forced into hiding from a mass murderer seeking vengeance, Detective Michael Bennett must decide whether to stay and protect his family, or hunt down the man who is hunting them.

When Bennett arrested Manuel Perrine, he thought he had brought an end to the drug cartel boss’s reign of terror and would get justice for the murder of his best friend. But then, during the trial, Perrine escaped.

In a bloody shoot-out, Bennett killed Perrine’s wife. Now he wants nothing more than to make Bennett suffer, to make him pay.

The whole family are moved to a safe-house in California. But as Perrine’s attacks on US soil become more vicious and more daring, it’s clear there is a war coming.

No one, anywhere, is safe.

My Review: Well, at last it seems that James Patterson is returning to form, or is it Michael Lledwidge that’s responsible for that? Who knows, but I for one am extremely glad. The Cross series, the Women’s Murder Club and some of the stand alones have been woeful of late (although the latest Cross was much better). Thankfully the Michael Bennett series also seems to be staying strong. Michael Bennett, his nanny Mary Catherine, Seamus and his ten kids make for an unusual family set up. However, if you have followed the series from the beginning it will be perfectly normal!

This story picks up from where the last one left off, meaning the Bennett’s are actually living in Protective Custody. For the 13-strong clan this means living in the back end of beyond which is quite a struggle to get to grips with. It is nice however, to see more of the Bennett kids, each with their own difficulty in the adjustment to life in the countryside. The reason for their situation is that the big drug cartel boss Manuel Perrine has escaped, and Bennett is his number one target.

The story has pretty reasonable pace from the very beginning as we see the brutal crew who work for Perrine start to make attacks. I was caught up in the story and knew it wouldn’t be long before Bennett had to come back into play. As predicted Bennett is landed once again back in the thick of it and between Bennett trying to help the case, and his kids trying to lead normal lives things heat up in no time. Although this is still a far cry from JP’s early books, this series is fast becoming my preference over Alex Cross. I like the characters and the story always seems to follow along at a good level. Overall I enjoyed this latest Bennett book and will actually look forward to the next one. I can only hope that this series doesn’t suffer the same fate as the Alex Cross and Women’s Murder Club has!

The Unpredictable Consequences of Love by Jill Mansell

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My Rating: 5/5

Synopsis: When Josh Strachan, newly returned to his home in north Cornwall from sunny California, first meets Sophie Wells, he’s immediately smitten. Sophie’s pretty, she’s funny, she has lots of friends and she clearly loves her job as a photographer, despite the sometimes tricky clients. There’s just one problem: Sophie has very firmly turned her back on love. It’s nothing personal, she tells Josh, but she just doesn’t do dates. And no one – even Sophie’s scatty best friend Tula – will tell him why. Josh is sure Sophie likes him, though, and he’s just got to find out what’s put her off romance. And then put things right…

My Review: When I received this latest offering by Jill Mansell I was a little surprised. The book itself looked like it was a little smaller than previous offerings. After a little scout on Amazon I saw that it was actually only marginally shorter than her two latest books. Not deterred I started the book and within the first few pages was once again transported into the wonderful fictional word Jill created. Sophie at first glance appears to be the main character but in this book, by the end I felt like there were maybe 5 or 6 ‘main’ characters. Initially Sophie wasn’t a character that I immediately liked. She seems like a friendly girl who lives in Cornwall and is trying to build up her photography business. The thing was she was such a closed book it was really difficult to warm to her that much. Shortly after we meet Sophie’s friend Tula who is somebody who is an open book and a character you like almost from the off. In addition to them, we see Dot who is running her hotel in Cornwall jointly with her Grandson Josh. Josh has recently moved back to the UK and in addition to seeing him work around the hotel we meet his friend Riley. Now do you see what I mean about the characters?

Jill Mansell has a magical ability to transport you into the worlds she creates and by the end of the book I found myself wanting to go and visit the hotel in Cornwall and meet the characters she has lovingly created. Each character has its own flaws and the most major one, seems to be Sophie. As the story unfolds we see everybody’s issues start to jump to the forefront and as time went on and I realised what Sophie’s issues were it made me like her even more. There were plenty of plot threads going on too, but I can assure you this wasn’t overdone and the characters all made their own mark on me.

I was so engrossed in this book that by the time I finally got around to starting it (two weeks later than planned)! I finished it the same day. Jill’s last two books were 5 star reads and this one is no different. I found myself totally absorbed, and this book gives you everything you could want from a book in this genre. It has fantastic characters and an interesting storyline that takes you straight into their world without pausing for breath. In my eyes, Jill Mansell is a legend! I kid you not people; the lady has been writing books for over two decades and the only way I can describe her (in the nicest possible way) is like a fine wine. She just gets better with age! Do yourself a favour and pre-order this one, I don’t think you will be disappointed.