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I, Michael Bennett by James Patterson (Michael Bennett #5)

My Rating: 3/5

After my last Michael Bennett (MB) outing (Tick Tock) I was looking forward to, and hoping, that the next instalment would be ramped up in terms of excitement. As usual with a Patterson I read this latest one in a day. Irrelevant of whether you love his books, he has that writing genius that keeps the readers engaged and for me it means literally not putting the book down.

In the latest MB we see the lovely Detective (ooohh I think I have a crush) take on the infamous Crime Lord Manuel Perrine. As usual the whole Bennett troops are there, all ten children, Michael’s Nanny Mary Catherine and Seamus. I think that alone means that readers become familiar with the family and you grow a certain attachment to them which keeps fans like me coming back time and time again. Unfortunately, the stories are not always James Patterson’s best but because I love the characters so much, I tend to overlook that!

The story itself is the usual JP style of short sharp chapters with plenty of action. When Michael and his school friend Hughie, who is also his colleague, try to take on Perrine the consequences are dire. Michael’s whole life is catapulted into danger as Perrine makes it his mission to destroy Bennett as well as his family. The story trundles along and I couldn’t help but feel that although I loved meeting up with the Bennett crew again the story just wasn’t as strong as it could have been. Yes there was plenty going on with drive by shootings, court room dramas and assassinations galore, but I just felt it was lacking that certain something. I enjoyed the personal element of the book and as usual Bennett’s love life is as screwed up as ever and I am really looking forward to what happens next.

The ending however is what made the book that bit better. It ends in a way that some people may say is a cliff-hanger, whereas in reality it’s a great opener for the next book. The ending made me happy that there was more drama, but irritated that I had to again wait to see the outcome for the Bennett’s. I debated the scoring of this and was tempted (after the ending) to give it 4 out of 5. However, the storyline just didn’t grab me enough so I resorted back to 3/5. A book that will keep the fans sweet for now but I am hoping we see a corker of a book in the next instalment!

The Charm Bracelet by Melissa Hill

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Synopsis: Every charm bracelet tells a story and Holly O’Neill knows this better than most. Many years ago she was sent one mysteriously, just a single charm attached. Some time later another charm appeared, and the same happened until the bracelet was almost full. Each charm proved significant, as if her anonymous benefactor knew she needed a little bit of magic in her life. So when Holly stumbles across another bracelet – one that somebody else has lost – she recognises a lifetime spelt out through the charms, and knows she must try to reunite it with its owner. Using each charm to help discover more about the bracelet’s owner, Holly gradually begins to piece together details of this other charmed life. And her quest leads her somewhere she never expected…

Kat’s Rating: 5/5

Kat’s Review: I only recently picked up my first Melissa Hill book; her most recent Something From Tiffany’s. When I realised she had a new book The Charm Bracelet I really looked forward to reading it. The first thing I noticed when it arrived was the very pretty front cover. Simple yet elegant and once I had read the synopsis I got started.

Holly O’Neill lives with her son Danny in New York. She works for a Vintage Clothes store which seems to perfectly fit her personality. Straight away the reader gets a feel for the sort of woman Holly is. Romantic notions are what set her going as she learns the history of each piece of clothing that comes into the store and becomes insistent on sharing her knowledge with customers. Many years prior she had received a charm bracelet yet she had no idea who it was from. Each year she receives a charm relating to her life even though she still has no idea who she is getting them from. Her charm bracelet is always on her wrist so when she discovers somebody has left one in an item of clothing she is determined to reunite it with its rightful owner. Holly uses each charm as a clue and slowly she works her way through them all looking for clues as to the owners identity.

I realised before long that this book, like Melissa’s last, has a very old school romance feel to it. Melissa Hill manages to convey the old fashioned romance that many people wish for. The characters that appear in this book are very readable and we meet Greg who decides to start a new career much to the disdain of his girlfriend Karen. We also meet his father Jeff and as the story progresses we learn about somebody pivotal to both of them.

Towards the end of the book I was mesmerised by it all and found I wasn’t prepared to stop reading so sat down and finished the last quarter in one sitting. I began to piece together parts of the story as the book went on but by the last few pages found I was shocked. I certainly didn’t see the ending and thought it was a lovely way to finish the book. This isn’t typical to the very modern chick lit books but has a very charming feel to it. If I am being honest, although this wouldn’t normally be my first choice of story I was completely mesmerised by the magical feeling the book creates. Overall, an absolutely fantastic read, and certainly one that I would recommend for all you `old romantics’ out there.

Something From Tiffany’s by Melissa Hill

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My Rating: 3/5

I have never read a Melissa Hill book before and was looking forward to reading something light hearted. After reading the synopsis on the back I figured this was just the sort of ‘feel-good’ read I could do with. The book starts off set in the wonderfully romatic city of New York and we meet two men on completely different trips. Ethan is making a special trip to Tiffany¡¦;s with his daughter to collect an engagement ring for his girlfriend Vanessa. Meanwhile Gary is shopping until he drops and at the last minute decides on a short trip to Tiffany¡¦s to get his girlfriend Rachel a charm bracelet. What follows the trip is an accident where the two bags get mixed up and Rachel ends up with the ring and Vanessa the bracelet.

The first few chapters were a great introduction to the two main male characters and I have to say that I took an instant dislike to Gary and his awful attitude. Ethan on the other hand was a joy to read with his charming and well mannered ways. With both couples back in their respective homes the story then takes a turn where we see Ethan and his vain attempts to track down the missing ring.

I really liked the character Rachel and enjoyed reading about her a lot more that Vanessa. The story did stretch a little in the middle and I felt like it was missing something, however towards the end it picked up again. A lot of previous reviews I have read seemed to complain that the synopsis gives it away, and although I know what they mean, the book is still a great read. The characters are engaging and the storyline interesting. The best part about this book for me was the ending. I managed to do that smug self satisfied grin to myself because I knew what the ending would be. Thankfully I was proved totally wrong and the ending was great, especially as it managed to wipe that smug self satisfied grin off my face º

No the book is not original, and it certainly isn’t the best that is out there in this genre. Having said that, it is a really easy to read book with good characters and it kept me interested. I will certainly be looking out for more Melissa Hill books in the future.

The Angel at No. 33 by Polly Williams

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My Rating: 3/5

I have never read a Polly Williams book before and was looking forward to trying somebody new. Polly Williams is far from a newbie on the writing scene though and this will be her 7th release. The synopsis of the book was interesting and the cover was appealing enough.

When I first started reading the book I instantly liked the main character Sophie. She is a normal married mum with her little boy Freddie and her handsome husband Ollie. However, when she meets her best friend Jenny for a drink, she doesn’t realise that her time on earth will finish with that night out. Now I know that put like that it will seem like a depressing read, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.

The story then shifts and we see a different perspective on life and death. Sophie appears in the book, but we only get to see her thoughts and feelings as she witnesses her friends and family deal with the loss of her. Her best friend Jenny then takes the main lead as we see her try to make sense of not only her own life, but help Ollie and Freddie put their life back together.

I wasn’t initially as keen on Jenny as I was Sophie, but at around the halfway mark I had warmed to her much more. Jenny has to deal with some of Sophie’s `other’ set of friends that were involved through Freddie’s school. This certainly makes the story a whole lot more interesting and the characters involved certainly brightened up the story.

Overall, this was a very easy book to read and featured some really nice moments. I really liked the fact that Polly Williams has made the issue of death a little more light-hearted, as I feared the book may become a bit morose. There were some very funny moments, as well as the most irritating character on earth being Jenny’s fiancé Sam. I enjoyed the story, but after the halfway mark I knew where the story was taking the reader. I know that many books have a predictability factor, but this was a little too predictable to make this book stand out from others.

I certainly liked the writing, and from other reviews of the book can see that this book is slightly different from Polly’s usual style. I will most certainly be looking out for more books from her and look forward to reading some of her older books too.

A Mother’s Journey by June Hampson

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My Rating: 5/5

I have read all of the books written by June Hampson and for those that maybe haven’t read her they are all part of a series featuring Daisy Lane. The first book in the series (and June’s debut novel) is set in the 1960’s and her last book in the series entitled Fighting Dirty has moved on to the 1980’s. Her most recent release had aroused my curiosity due to the fact that this book is almost a prequel. The books feature Daisy Lane but also her friends and family. Vera has been a central character from the word go and has been a brilliant presence in Daisy’s life. This book takes you back to the 1940’s when Vera was a young girl.

If I am being 100% honest I was a little worried but only because I love Vera so much and wondered whether this book would be as good as the Daisy Lane books I have read to date. If anything this book far exceeded what I expected and was a brilliant read. June Hampson takes us back to when Vera was a 14 year old girl living with her family in the middle of the war. Straight away I was drawn into Vera’s world and it took me less than a few pages to remember why I loved the June Hampson books so much.

If people haven’t read any of the Daisy Lane books, you can still read this as a stand-alone but to be honest for me it was so much nicer having the history of all the characters. It explained so much about Vera and how she has arrived at the place she is now. Vera’s life was certainly not easy and along the way she has her fair share of heartbreak and I realised why I loved her as a character so much. This book only made me want to read more and has whetted my appetite for the next Daisy Lane book.

I am not normally a fan of books set in the 40’s but June Hampson has done a fantastic time of taking you back to that time and being able to picture a place torn apart by the War. I was absolutely gripped from the very first page to the very last. I am annoyed that I left this so long to read (it was released in March 2012) but am so glad that I got around to it. I think that June Hampson fans will absolutely love this latest instalment.

I think some fans are concerned that after the last book Fighting Dirty, the series may have come to a natural conclusion, but I beg to differ. I think that the next book that June Hampson produces may well feature Daisy’s children as the previous book gave loads of scope for that part of the story to be developed. I will as always wait impatiently for her next instalment. For people that haven’t tried June Hampson I would highly recommend her but would suggest starting at the beginning.

Sweet Temptation by Lucy Diamond

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My Rating: 4/5

I vaguely recall reading a Lucy Diamond (by the way that’s not her real name, its Sue Mongredien) that’s her book a while back, but couldn’t remember. I therefore decided to buy her fourth book that was published Sweet Temptation and try another one. I was extremely pleased that I did and now I know why her name rang bells! This book is based around three women, Maddie, Lauren and Jess. All three of them meet once they commit to both losing weight and getting fit. What they don’t realise is that the three of them will become such good friends that their lives will change because of it.

Maddie seemed to be the most central character, well at least for me she was. She was certainly the most memorable! Maddie has a husband, two kids and a job working for Brum FM. Although her job may sound glamorous, her boss is awful and with both her boss and her Mum pressuring her to lose weight she finally gives in. In addition to Maddie there is Jess who works in a beauty salon and is engaged to Charlie. All Jess wants is to lose a little weight for her big day. The last character is Lauren who is a bitter divorcee who runs her own dating agency.

The book drew me straight in and I adored Maddie and Jess. I liked Lauren but after around a quarter of the book she just seemed to pale in comparison to the other two. What I think made this book so readable is the basis for the story. Weight loss is something the majority of women have experience with. Lucy Diamond has told their stories in such a way that you can laugh, cry and most certainly empathise with all three women. It took me just over a day to read this book as I was so engrossed. The author has made the characters easy to like, easy to read and most of all an enjoyable experience.

I absolutely loved this book and found it an absolute joy to read. We had nice characters, awful characters (I swear I knew a woman like Jess’ boss!) and great storytelling. What more could we ask for?

Taken by Jacqui Rose

My Rating: 4/5

After seeing various recommendations from people about Jacqui Rose debut novel Taken I bit the bullet and downloaded it onto my Kindle. I promptly forgot about it and it got swallowed up into my stupidly extensive list of books I have yet to read. However, her name kept popping up and with her exceptional rating on Amazon (4 out of 5 over 100 reviews) I picked it up. I must say that I am very glad I did now. What was I thinking leaving it that long?

One thing that must be hard as a new author is standing out from the crowd. The crime genre is generally littered with the longer standing authors and it must be hard work for the debut novelists out there. Thankfully with the word spreading amongst readers I am glad to see Jacqui Rose come up frequently. She has chosen to write her debut novel based in London and featuring some heavy `hard-men’. With a London Gangster feel to it I wondered if she would be well remembered with authors that are practically legends such as Martina Cole, Mandasue Heller and Kimberley Chambers out there.

I started reading and met the main character of the book Casey Edwards. Casey had turned up in Soho following a hard life which involved giving away her child at 15 and then turning to alcohol, men and drugs to get through her life. She is hoping for a fresh start and the ability to find her child and put things right. After arriving in London she meets Mob boss Alfie Jennings, the cruel and vindictive partner of his Oscar and before long is caught up in their world. She also meets Vaughn who is an ex-gangster and an absolutely brilliant character.

The first half of the book takes us into the murky world of Alfie and Oscar and I would be lying if I said that some parts of the book are not pleasant reading. However, it makes it all the more authentic (and a hell of a lot more exciting to read). The topics covered involve money, drugs, trafficking and sex and that’s just to name a few. If this sort of thing doesn’t rock your boat in terms of fiction then this may not be the book for you. One thing I want to point out is that there IS swearing and violence in this book. It grates on me occasionally when I read reviews with people complaining about this. Would you expect a London Gangster to point to the door and politely ask his arch rival to vacate the building because he can’t bear to speak to him? Err I think not…point made!

The second half of the book was a lot more exciting as Casey finds herself in the middle of a very dangerous situation. Oscar Harding was a vile character and I was crossing my fingers and hoping for the worst for him from start to finish. Towards the end things became even faster paced and the ending was wrapped up with the right amount of excitement and drama. It would be nice to see a couple of the characters again in future books but we will have to wait and see what Jacqui Rose has in store for us next time. As I said before, with the British crime writers out there already it must be hard work to join the dizzy heights of the `Crime Queens’ we have out there, however with this debut novel Jacqui Rose is well on her way! I look forward top her new release in March 2013

White Wedding by Milly Johnson

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My Rating: 4/5

Violet, Max and Bel are three friends who are all linked by their weddings. When I first picked up this new Milly Johnson book I was really looking to reading it and I was surprised that I found myself stumbling over the first few chapters. Thankfully, I think it was just me as after the first few chapters I was seamlessly drawn alongside these individual women. As usual Milly Johnson has created characters that although not perfect, are very likeable.

The three prospective grooms are all very different and before long you can see all sorts of possibilities on the horizon for the 3 women. The lovely thing about reading Milly Johnson books is that she manages to create different characters that feel very `real’. The stories flow really well and it takes no time at all to become engrossed in one of her books and I am pleased to say that this one was no different. There was a one particular part of the storyline which had me chuckling, revolving around Max and her particular choice for wedding style!

As the story moves past the halfway mark I found myself praying that things worked out for the individual women. What I wasn’t prepared for were a couple of twists added to the story which threw me (in a good way). It was nice to have such drama and surprises show up in such an otherwise lovely weddings tale. The ending was just about as good as it gets and to be honest I was disappointed to realise I was coming to the end. Once I had finished the book I immediately made sure I had another Milly book added to my Kindle for future reading. Not my favourite of hers so far but still a brilliant read.

Review of 15 Seconds by Andrew Gross

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My Rating: 5/5

Andrew Gross is pretty famous for co-writing books with the infamous Mr Patterson. However, I became a fan of the fantastic series of books he has written featuring Ty Hauck (I admit, a bit of a crush on that character!). His last release Killing Hour (US Version named Eyes Wide Open) I enjoyed, but it wasn’t a clear favourite. I found myself pining for TY Hauck and wondering if writing the stand alone books would ever be popular with me personally. Mr Gross proved me wrong so many times over with his latest book 15 Seconds.

The synopsis sounding pretty gripping with Dr Henry Steadman getting caught up in an incident which leads him to become a number one suspect in the shooting and murder of a local cop. Henry soon realises he is part of a major set up and is on the run, with his only hope being that he proves his innocence. I am a fan of the type of books that Simon Kernick writes that (although sometimes bordering on the unrealistic side) has the reader so caught up in the story that you get swept along. Andrew Gross has written a book that could rival any of Kernick’s!

I started reading this on a Thursday morning commute and finished it the next morning. The story starts off with a very likeable character Dr Henry Steadman on a normal routine trip down in Florida. En-route to meet his friend Mike for a round of golf he gets pulled over for a minor traffic violation. Within the next chapter or so Henry’s life changes in a situation that is all too believable!

After reading the first few chapters I raced to the halfway point almost sick with the excitement of it all. Henry seems to be getting dragged further and further into the line of fire and with each chapter comes a new danger. There was a small part just after the halfway mark which felt a little sluggish, but I think that was more to do with there being too much excitement in the first half to be honest. Before long, I was back in the fray and the pace just kept picking up until the very end where I was practically squirming in my seat hoping for a miracle for Henry.

It’s hard to review a book like this without giving too much away. What I will say is that Ty Hauck was a distant memory whilst reading this latest Gross book. Don’t get me wrong, I eagerly await the next Hauck book (along with my no doubt returning crush); but Mr Gross has well and truly created an outstanding book filled with excitement. This book had me reading until my eyes could take no more. An outstanding book that I loved and one which I would highly recommend!!!!!!!

The Survivor by Gregg Hurwirtz

My Rating: 4/5

I have only read one of Gregg Hurwitz’ books and really enjoyed it, so when I saw his new release out I promptly downloaded it onto my Kindle. Luckily for me I had a few days off work and decided this was a perfect time to settle down and make a start. However, I probably should have known better and realised very quickly that this book certainly wasn’t one that would make me settle!

From the very beginning the action is full on, Gregg Hurwitz put the pedal to the metal and the reader has no choice but to go along for the ride. The opener of the book (and this is not a spoiler as it is on the main synopsis on the back of the book); starts with Nate Overbay looking down eleven floors whilst contemplating his own suicide. Within seconds he hears gunshots and realises that he is witnessing a major bank heist and that people’s lives are at risk other than his own.

From this very first chapter the book is very high octane (LOVE those words together) and Nate decides to put other people’s feelings before his own. Nate was a former military guy and his training kicks in and he makes a decision to tray and save these people. What Nate fails to realise is that the one man that got away is also the same person that will make his life hell.

From this point on we see Nate try to keep his estranged family safe. The book takes some amazing turns and at times I felt worn out by Nate’s attempts to keep his family safe. This book may be a slight stretch on the truth but it certainly keeps you hooked. The one element of this book that I liked was the fact that Nate was ill with a disease that I didn’t know all that much about. It seemed to me by the end of it that Gregg Hurwitz did an amazing job of making this part of the story without overdoing it.

I must say that by the end I not only felt worn out, but was disappointed to have finished a great book. Thankfully I have lots of his other books in my large and ever extending to read list. A definite must for fans of the action packed kinda book!