Category: General Fiction

Destiny by Louise Bagshawe

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My Rating: 3/5

I only recently started reading Louise Bagshawe. I know that she has written for many years but have not read any of her earlier books. The most recent book I read was named Desire and had a suspiciously similar cover to this one. I enjoyed the last one and felt that it was chick lit with an element of `thriller’ thrown in for good measure. I felt that this book was firmly rooted back to the solely chick lit genre which is not necessarily a bad thing.

The first thing that struck me in the first half of the book was how much I disliked the main character Kate Fox. As a main character I almost expect to instantly like them and this was not the case with this book. Although I didn’t warm to her the story was easy to absorb yourself in. Kate is a typical money-grabbing woman. The only difference with her to other stereo-typical gold-diggers was that she seemed to be a very independent and intelligent woman. It kind of made me wonder why she was choosing this path for her life.

Sure enough it becomes apparent that this life is not for her but to extract herself from it means a long and dirty fight with her husband Marcus Broder. Broder was a despicable character that had wealth and power and absolutely zero respect for women. The second half of the book we see Kate struggle with her decisions and then a major event impacts her life in a way that she is unsure how to deal with.

This particular event is one that I didn’t see coming so adds to the element of surprise which is a good thing. I can’t say that this book throws up anything particularly new in this genre (which is very hard to do anyway) but Bagshawe has created characters that you find easy to get to know which is always a plus for me. The story is paced pretty well and towards the latter part of the book it picks up pace.

The ending was a little predictable but written well and I enjoyed it. The one thing that threw me a little bit was the amount of sex in the book. Don’t get me wrong you see it countless times in this genre and it is par for the course, but I just don’t remember Louise Bagshawe writing this raunchily in the last book. If you are a little prudish then maybe this isn’t for you. However, this book was pretty readable but with the amount of competition out there, I’m not sure its at the top of the selections!

Dirty Tricks by Jo Carnegie

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My Rating: 5/5

Well, well, well…it seems Jo Carnegie is the new Jackie Collins. Wow, talk about a `bonk-buster’ of a book. I have read all of Jo’s books and enjoyed them all. This latest one was the best yet in my opinion. Her previous books introduce us to all different people living in the village and I must say that each book gives you another look into the lives of the villagers.

Although the books are set in and around the people that live or have lived in Churchminster you could read each one on their own and it wouldn’t make any difference. I like having a bit of background on all the various people we have seen in previous books especially when they pop up again in the current one.

This latest release takes us into the lives of Harriet and Saffy. Harriett is quite happy living in London, but with her mother having disappeared off to do charity work on the other side of the world, she realises she is missing something. Her mad idea of volunteering for a charity becomes a reality and before long she is signed up to help out at the Gatsby Community Centre.

The Community Centre introduces us to Zack the very sexy but mysterious man who runs the place, and Win the loud and lovable lady that everybody seems to go to for help. Win is a fabulous character and I could almost picture her in my head chatting to Harriet. Zack was also interesting although it took me longer to work out why he didn’t come across as well, however by the end of the book it all made sense.

Saffy meanwhile is set up in the country in her Mum’s house and is writing her first book. She is determined to make a go of it, but didn’t bank on Tom’s supermodel twin brother Rex popping up and becoming a temporary resident in the village. Zack and Tom may be twins and be identical in looks but as men they are polar opposites. Saffy finds herself drawn in to Rex and his world and before long her relationship with Tom is on rocky ground.

As ever the other village characters pop up and one on my absolute favourites is Harriet’s Dad Sir Ambrose. He made me laugh at his antics while Harriet’s mother was out of the country. We also see fleeting glimpses of Jed, Benedict and Caro as well as Clementine.

As usual Jo Carnegie has done a cracking job of bringing to life these weird and wonderful people of Churchminster. The book was so easy to read and had a brilliant ending that wrapped up things nicely. Don’t get me wrong this is not a book that is challenging, but myself personally, I don’t read `chick lit’ books for the challenge. In particular the one thing that stood out a mile for me with this book is the amount of sex in it! Now I love a good bonk buster with Jackie Collins being a favourite, but was shocked to see the change in JC’s books. I don’t recall Jo Carnegie writing like that before, although she certainly pulled the hat out of the bag with this book. In my eyes the perfect beach read, forget reality and get your teeth stuck into this glamorous, funny and trashy novel. Perfect!!!

Crossed Wires by Rosy Thornton

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My Rating: 4/5

Rosy Thornton has written 4 books, and the first of her books I read was the most recent, Tapestry of Love. Having loved that, I went on and brought her other three.

This one is very different to the other two I have read so far and is more of your typical `chick lit’ with a dash of real life thrown in for good measure. The book introduces us to Mina who is working at the call centre that she doesn’t particularly like, but it pays the bills. Her next caller happens to be Peter who has had an accident in his car. For some reason the two of them click and they are eventually drawn into each others lives despite the geographical difference.

We get to see a bigger portion of Peter’s life that we do Mina’s but as the story progresses this makes sense. The two of them share common ground in that they are both single parents. The element of real life I mentioned in the story is that of the parent role of these two people. It is written really well and we get to see the trials and tribulations their kids put them through, which I am sure many parents could relate to.

Peter and Mina find themselves drawn over experience and as a reader we get to see how things pan out, and how mistakes can be made when you only have one version of events. The thing that really struck me is the fact that there is no real storyline that is the major thread of this book. I know that sounds strange, but that is what makes it so special. This is about two people facing every day things that many people will understand. We meet their children, friends and family who also made the book even better. Peter has twin girls and Mina has a daughter and they are very close in age making the subtle link and bond between Peter and Mina very real.

The children in this book, Cassie and Kim the twins and Sal, Mina’s daughter, all played a part in the story in their own way. We get to see their lives and how things affect them and how this in turn affects their parents.

We also see Mina’s mum and stepdad Dave as they tackle the issues surrounding Mina’s younger sister Jess. On the other side of the fence we see Peter’s friends and neighbours Jeremy and Martin (who I adored as characters) as well as Trish who occasionally babysits for him.

I can honestly say that I really, really enjoyed this. I was so shocked that such ordinary events could be structured into such a lovely book, as normally we have a main story to entertain us. In my opinion this just goes to show how good a writer Rosy Thornton is, a woman that can take every day, mundane stuff and turn it into a story. My only gripe was that I wanted it to last a little longer.

Don’t be put off if you read the back and think it’s a typical story revolving around a single parent woman who wants to be rescued. It’s truly the opposite and was an absolute pleasure to read.

Welcome To My World by Miranda Dickinson

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My Rating: 4/5

I never read Miranda Dickinson’s debut novel so this second book of hers left me with no expectations. The front cover is a pretty standard affair when it comes to Chick Lit novels and as I had no comparisons I set out to read and hopefully find another great Chick Lit author.

In the beginning of the story we meet Harriet (better known as Harri) who has locked herself in the cubicle of a toilet in the village hall. You as the reader have no clue what has happened to her, and we only get snippets of how she is feeling. You are then transported back to how it all began. Throughout the whole of the book we continually come back to Harri in the cubicle and get given another snippet of the story until finally at the end it is all revealed.

We meet Harri and the people that live in the local area. The story is helped massively by the setting in which Miranda Dickinson has set it. It is painted as the typical local village where everybody knows everyone else’s business. This meant that we meet a lot of the people living around the village who are part of Harri’s life including her friend Stella, her boss George, her friend Alex’s mum Viv amongst others.

We also meet Harri’s infamous best friend Alex. Alex spent the best part of ten years travelling and has finally settled back in the village opening his own coffee shop. He and Harri have a great friendship and this shows through with the writing and creates a great pair. I also liked Harri’s work colleagues George, Nus and Tom as they added a little bit of humour to the story.

This book was so easy to read it was untrue. The writing is good and I actually really liked the characters and the setting. Having said that there are elements of this that are a little too predictable, but to honest this didn’t stop me enjoying it at all! I think to sum this kind of book up is that it is enjoyable, lighthearted and easy to read. I would definitely read another Miranda Dickinson and would recommend this to people that want an enjoyable chick lit book.

To The Moon and Back by Jill Mansell

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My Rating: 4/5

I was so excited to get Jill Mansell’s new book. It seems like forever since her last one although in reality it has only been a year. Thankfully Jill Mansell has produced a book that every chick lit fan will enjoy. When I first received the book I was please to see that even the cover looked inviting in a lovely sea blue! The strength of this author is the characters she creates and in my opinion this is what has crated her huge following of fans. This book is no exception to that rule and the main character Ellie Kendall is a great girl and one that you can imagine living next door to.

Her tragedy is the catalyst for the next stage in her life. Thankfully there is the crazy neighbour Roo who comes in to her life and reminds her what it’s like to be a `normal’ girl. As per usual there is a stunningly handsome man in the story, meet Zach McLaren. I must say that this particular male lead was an absolute corker and he worked a treat in this story. The three characters all have their own life and part to play in this story but they also all cross paths which makes the book that little bit more interesting.

The story itself is one tinged with sadness but is still not too dreary. We get to see Ellie try and re-build her life in the best way possible (that’s all I can say without spoiling the main plot too much). Roo was a brilliant girl and by the time I had read just a few chapters I had a real feel for the girls and Zach. This book was so pleasurable to read. It was light hearted and easy to read with a sprinkling of romance. Chick Lit in general is never going to throw many surprises up but shockingly this one did. We meet Tony Weston who is Ellie’s father-in-law and he brought a great thread to the story with a bit of a surprise at the end.

All in all as ever I have absolutely nothing but praise for Jill Mansell. She continues to produce great books that are a joy to read, I can only cross my fingers and hope that the next one is just as good.

The Woman He Loved Before by Dorothy Koomson

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My Rating: 5/5

As always with Dorothy Koomson, I am unsure that she falls into the Chick Lit genre as her books always have an element of drama about them. Her books always seem to radiate true emotion and I always finish one of her books feeling sad that I have to wait for another. This book was no different and as I write my review I can’t help but be annoyed that I will again have to wait what seems like forever for another one of her books.

This particular story seems at first glance to be a straight cut story about Jack’s wife who died Eve. However, things are far from straightforward and as soon as you pick up the book and start to read you are drawn into the current life of Libby who is struggling with things, as well as Eve’s past life and the secrets she holds.

The story is told cleverly and although towards the latter part of the book I thought I had it all figured out, I was shocked to realise I was wrong. Libby is a lovely character who has her own insecurities about her husband Jack and the things he hides. Although it’s clear that Jack has a troubled past you can’t help but warm to him as a reader. He may not be perfect but you can’t help but feel that his heart truly belongs to Libby.

Dorothy Koomson has again written a book that is not only powerful but one that is quite heart wrenching. When the past of Jack and Eve begin to come out you begin to realise that things are quite as black and white as they seem. I found myself desperately wanting everything to be okay.

I loved the fact that story had two very separate threads, one in the past and one in the current, but the two stories would intertwine magically. I also loved the setting being mainly in Brighton as well as London. The main topics that are dealt with in the book are always the easiest for an author to deal with well but this book truly relays the situations in a great way. That may sound slightly strange as I haven’t revealed the topics but to do so would be a real plot spoiler.

As ever DK has produced an outstanding book that I literally couldn’t (or wouldn’t as my husband kindly pointed out) put down. I cannot recommend this book, or for that matter this author highly enough. I have yet to find fault with her writing or any of her books. An absolute joy to read and one I suggest that you put on your list to read!

Love Always by Harriet Evans

My Rating: 4/5

Natasha Kapoor’s life seems to be on a downward spiral. Her business and marriage are failing and her beloved Grandmother who lived in Cornwall has passed away. She travels back to Summercove, the family home in Cornwall, for her Grandmother’s funeral. Whilst there, she discovers the diary of her aunt Cecily who died as a teenager. Natasha starts to read the diary and soon discovers that her family are hiding secrets. She is determined to find out what happened in the summer of 1963, but when she finds the truth, will she like what she hears?

This book when it landed on my doorstep shocked me a little as it is certainly a hefty read at just over 500 pages. If I am being totally honest I wondered why this book would be different to any other Chick Lit book I had read and whether I could handle such a long read. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised.

The first thing that struck me as odd once I had finished the book was the front cover. When you first see it, you imagine it is no different and will be your typical `girl meets boy’ scenario book. The cover is at odds with the type of story this book tells.

At first I found the book a little slow going as we get to meet Natasha and her family. It all seemed a little stilted and hard work. At around the chapter 5 mark I was beginning to wonder whether I should bother reading on, however I don’t give up easily. By around chapter 10 there was absolutely no turning back and I had engrossed myself in the story.

The book is told over two time periods. We see Natasha and her current life, dealing with all her troubles and the discovery of her aunt Cecily’s diary. The second time period is that of the summer of 1963 as we too read Cecily’s diary. If I am being completely honest, I preferred the 1963 part of the story as there were a lot more secrets being made cleared the more you read. Having said that I didn’t dislike Natasha’s story, it was just a little duller in comparison to that of Cecily’s.

The story itself has real heart and we see all of Natasha’s family in this story, some of them nice and some of them not so nice. All of the characters were really believable and by the end I really felt for everybody involved. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and although it wasn’t the best I have read recently it was certainly enjoyable. It is a story that goes against the normal grain of romance and has characters that are quite memorable. I will certainly be reading more of Harriet Evans in the future and would recommend if you want something not too heavy, but a little more serious than the usual Chick Lit stuff.

Going Dutch by Katie Fforde

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My Rating: 3/5

I had never read Katie Fforde before but have seen her books many times over the years. I picked this book up after reading the jacket and had no expectations, I was just hoping for a decent read.

The book wasn’t particularly hefty at 400 pages but the cover is reasonable, although not particularly attention grabbing. I settled myself down and got stuck in, only that is a lot easier said than done sometimes.

The book is very easy to read and like many chick lit authors, Katie Fforde has an easy way about her writing. We meet Dora and Jo immediately and get to see what has led them to the barge and their current situation.

The characters themselves were `nice’, but sometimes, I kind of feel that `nice’ just doesn’t leave a good enough impression on me. Out of the two characters, Jo stood out more as she was the elder character being a woman nearing her fifties who was finding her feet again and she had some quirky aspects to her character. Dora, on the other hand, was just plain dull. For a start the name just conjures up an image if somebody older than she was meant to be (in her twenties) and she just didn’t have that much personality.

The story itself also seemed to be a bit of a non starter. Don’t get me wrong this certainly wasn’t the worse book I have read it was just too safe with not an awful lot going on in it. There was no excitement and some scenes bordered on making me snooze!

As the story progressed, it was obvious what would happen and there was no doubt in either the author or the readers mind what the ending would be. All in all, for a first book by this author it didn’t leave the greatest of impressions. It was very safe and a little on the dull side.

Once I had read this book I scouted on Amazon to see how her other books faired and was pleased to see that her other books had much more favourable reviews. I will look forward to reading another by her, but certainly won’t be rushing out to buy it from the shop.

A Season To Remember by Sheila O’Flanagan

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My Rating: 4/5

This book is not Sheila O’Flanagan’s usual offerings and is more like a collection of short stories all brought together. This book opens at The Sugar Loaf Lodge and we meet the owners Neil and Claire. They are suffering in the economic crisis and are worried that at the beginning of December they still have many rooms available. Thankfully they appear to have a Guardian Angel and surprisingly all of their rooms are eventually booked.

The Sugar Loaf Lodge has a number of rooms and each room is named after a mountain, and so too is each chapter. Each room and chapter tells us a different story about its occupants and how they ended up at the Lodge for Christmas.

We meet some really interesting characters and it’s surprising just how much we learn about each of them and their situation. That’s not to say that each person has a happy ending but it definitely gives you an insight.

I have personally found myself wondering what various people are doing and how they came to be at a certain place. Although normally in my situation it is when I am killing time in an airport and trying to work out who is flying where and who is married to who. This is what in one respect drew me to the book. Usually I am not over keen on short stories but this seemed so different.

The book focuses on the place but then integrates everybody’s story and take on the situation. The characters were also fantastic and were an eclectic mix of people which kept it interesting. We meet a young girl who is heartbroken and trying to move on, a young coupled looking for peace and quiet, and a family group as well as others. The family group that appeared in this story were actually the family that appeared in Sheila O’Flanagan’s book `Anyone but Him’.

Although not a hefty book like hers usually are, this was still a decent size read at 320 pages. The title indicates along with the timing of publication that this was a Christmas themed book. I must be honest and say that this was a wonderfully light and easy read for any time of year. Sheila O’Flanagan has still produced a great book with her absorbing style of writing that fans like me love.

There is no predictability to this book as there is no real depth to the linking of characters and we only see short snippets of their life, but in my opinion this is what stands this book apart a little bit. It was very refreshing to read something where you don’t wait for the linking of characters to come together and you are just finding out about each characters life. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and think it would make a lovely present at this time of year!

Honeycote by Veronica Henry

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My Rating: 4/5

Having never read Veronica Henry I had no idea what to expect. I also wasn’t aware that Honeycote was part of a series, luckily for me I picked up the first book. The start of the book is great and tends to draw you in to the characters from the first few pages. We get a great perspective from the author of the setting of Honeycote House and it seemed very picturesque.

 Initially, I only found I had one problem with the story, there were quite a few characters and for some reason their names just didn’t gel with their personalities. I can’t explain why but for me I struggled until at least the halfway point to gel the names to each character. Thankfully that was really the only criticism I had. I adored the Liddiards even though they were all far from perfect.

Veronica Henry certainly doesn’t shy away from creating multiple stories and characters, and although some people may not like that I absolutely loved it. Yes there were multiple things to see develop but it gave you even more as a reader to get your teeth in to. I managed as usual to either love or loathe certain characters very soon after starting to read and that pleases me because I feel like the author is making me feel emotion either way.

Around the halfway point things really pick up and we see a chain of events start that affect every member of the family and believe me there are quite a few of them. In addition to Mickey and Lucy we see their three children Patrick, Georgia and Sophie. We also have James Liddiard and his girlfriend Caroline, The Liddiard daughter’s friend Mandy and his dad, as well as numerous village characters that are all an integral part of the story.

Her writing style flows easily ad it was a pleasure to read, none of the chapters were a struggle and I thoroughly enjoyed it and left wanted to find out what happens next for all of them. Thankfully the next book in the Honeycote series is on my to tread list so I wont have to wait that long. Veronica Henry manages to create a chick lit book that has great characters, storylines that make you want to laugh or cry and some good old fashioned smut. Just my kind of book!