RATED 4/5 – Page 25 – Best Crime Books and More

One Perfect Summer by Paige Toon

164x250

My Rating: 4/5

I only discovered Paige Toon a few months ago and read Johnny Be Good and Baby be mine within a matter of weeks. Following on from that I made sure I had a few more of her back catalogue to read in the future. Her new release One Perfect Summer was released on the 10th May 2012 and I was looking forward to reading it.

Alice is 18 and takes a summer trip with her parents down to Dorset. She happens to meet a young man Joe who steals her heart. However, after reading the first few chapters it becomes clear that Joe’s life is not that idyllic and Alice realises that although she has fallen for him, things will not be easy. Joe is an absolute sweetheart of a character and I adored him and him and Alice’s relationship. However, before long things go wrong and Alice ends up leaving Dorset to make her way to Cambridge to start University. The one thing that is different is the fact that she leaves broken hearted and without Joe.

We see her life move on to the next phase and although I was disappointed that we do not see Joe Alice grows on me and we see her settle into University life with her friends. Some of the other characters we meet are fun and very readable such as Jessie. Before long Alice meets Lukas a German student who is studying at a nearby university. Lukas is a rich boy who sweeps Alice off her feet to a certain degree.

The second half of the book is spent watching Alice move on with her life and what happens to her next. Lukas is not a nice character and I spent half of the time asking myself what Alice was playing at. But as the story continues you can see the predicament she has got herself into and things start to become if not clearer certainly a lot more understandable. As usual with a Paige Toon book she draws you in with her easy writing style and knack of telling a story that is sometimes bittersweet.

The best part of the book for me was without a doubt the ending. Paige Toon has done once again what she managed to do with the book Johnny Be Good, which is leave the reader on a slight cliff-hanger with a big question mark. I can only hope that there is a follow up to this, otherwise it’s an unnecessarily cruel ending for us fans. This book will certainly keep you reading, and at the end you will certainly be left wanting more.

Hard Knocks by Zoe Sharp (Charlie Fox #3)

Hard Knocks

My Rating: 4/5

I recently finished book 2 of the Charlie Fox series by Zoe Sharp and couldn’t help myself by going straight on to book 3. For those that aren’t familiar with Zoe Sharp she is a female author that has now written 10 books in a series featuring Charlie Fox. Charlie is ex-special forces who moved onto self-defense training and then on to working at a gym. For those of you that want to read the series in order maybe don’t read my review as inevitably the series has moved on and it may spoil the plots for the first and second books.

At the end of book 2 Charlie had run into her ex-comrade and lover Sean Meyer. In this book Sean returns and asks Charlie if she will help him find out what happened to Kirk Salter following an accident at an elite bodyguard training school in Germany. Charlie feels obliged to help even though she didn’t care for Salter, but feels she owes it to Sean to find out how Salter got killed. With that in mind Charlie sets off to pose as a Student at the training school and from the outset the reader soon realises things are not going to be easy for Charlie.

I really like Charlie as a character and in this book I feel like I am more attached to her as the author has drip fed readers small details about her past as the books continue. As Charlie arrives at the Bodyguard Training centre I felt almost out of breath as I read about the challenges presented to the students. Zoe Sharp has a way with words, literally! You feel like you are along for the ride with Charlie and can’t help but wince as she takes some risky chances in her quest to find out about Salter.

I don’t want to include spoilers, but I can’t fail to mention the Sean Meyer side to this story. Of course with he and Charlie having history there is some what of an underlying romance feel to this book which I like because we get to see the other side to Charlie. Having said that before all you blokes (and some women) turn your nose up; trust me when I say it’s done brilliantly. There is still plenty of action, torture, mystery and intrigue to keep the pages turning without the `romantic’ element over-riding it. As usual I found myself racing through the last quarter just having to find out what was going on. I also found myself hastily ordering books 4, 5 and 6 in preparation for the next Charlie Fox leg of my reading.

I am trying desperately not to launch straight into book 4 as I have a stupidly long to read list. However, I find myself thinking I don’t really care, I just want to see what happens next. Who knows, maybe the next review will be along sooner than I think. A brilliant series that seems to get better with each book and I can’t wait for the next one. A book and series that I would highly recommended.

Before I Met You by LIsa Jewell

226x346

My Rating: 4/5

I tend to get around to Lisa Jewell’s books a lot later than they are published and I make the same mistake every single time (doh!). I pick up the book, devour it and fall in love with her latest novel. I then tell myself I’m an idiot for not reading it sooner and then by the time the next one comes around I do it all over again. With this book released in 2012, here I am again making the same mistake. With Jewell’s latest book it feels almost like she has taken a departure from her usual topics and delved into something a little bit different. In the beginning of this book we meet Betty Dean as a young girl who has moved to Guernsey to live with her Grandmother. When her grandmother dies and leaves something in her will to a mysterious woman named Clara Pickle, Betty is determined to find the woman.

On a mission to find Clara Pickle Betty arrives in grungy, 1990s Soho, ready for anything. This is the first element of the book and the second element involves Betty’s Grandmother Arlette growing up in 1920’s London. I really liked Betty’s character and adored the fact that she was seeing London through a young girls eye’s in the nineties (my age is showing somewhat there). Although I really liked Betty I was surprised to learn that I actually liked Arlette’s story just as much. I had stupidly made the assumption that London in the 1920’s would be a little boring and predictable, how wrong was I?

I was quickly drawn into both women’s lives and the nice thing about this book is that the layers are revealed gradually. The more we learn about Arlette, the more we see Betty discover about the mysterious Clara Pickle. I didn’t particularly like the fact that a rock star happened to live opposite Betty when she moves to London, but the story was driven the right way in my opinion.

Any other outcome for that particular storyline may well have ruined the book for me. Arlette and her friends from that era were extraordinary and I really could picture their hedonistic and glitzy lifestyle in the twenties. Although this was a slight move from Jewell’s usual stuff I loved it and thought the story was heartfelt and very interesting. I was certainly hooked and found that the slight element of mystery surrounding Arlette made it that little bit more intriguing.

I managed to read the last quarter in a couple of hours and found myself once again berating myself for leaving it so long to read this book. I wouldn’t say it was my favourite Lisa Jewell book but it made a refreshing change to read something a little different and I would certainly recommend it.

Riot Act by Zoe Sharp (Charlie Fox #2)

My Rating: 4/5

Okay, so in July 2012 I gave in to the nagging feeling that I was missing out. Every time I looked on Facebook I kept seeing people take about Zoe Sharp and the character Charlie Fox. Not one to miss out I immediately read the first book in the series and LOVED it. I have finally got around to book 2 and finished it in less time than the first.

Charlie Fox is ex-special forces, however that may sound like a `bog standard’ character template for a female lead, but she is far from standard. Charlie Fox is an ordinary woman with a very interesting past. Yep, she was in the special-forces but eventually kicked out due to a harrowing event that has gone on to make her a little bit cynical. Currently working at a gym and house-sitting for her friend she has no idea that things are about to go a little crazy in her life. I really like Charlie Fox as a character and although she certainly has some skills, she isn’t what you would call the most settled of people.

The thing about a good series is that you begin to learn about the characters as each book is released. Sharp does a cracking job of feeding enough to keep the reader interested, but too little for you to feel you really have the whole picture. It’s what makes people continue to read series like these. With Charlie’s house stay coinciding with a rush of violence on the estate, she finds herself trapped between toeing the line with the law, and getting involved to help get to the truth of what’s going on. In typical Charlie style, the trouble comes looking for her.

With the London riots reasonably recent, it made the events in this book that little bit more real for me. What I didn’t account for was a character from Charlie’s past, Sean Meyer’ turning up and rocking the boat. There are a number of threads to this story and as you keep reading it’s like peeling back the layers of an onion! I changed my mind a number of times as to who was behind the violence and riots, but as the story went on I realised I should give up trying to work it out and just enjoy. Enjoy it was what I did in the bucket load! I love Charlie, her close friends and work colleagues and now Sean. However, the number one spot has to go to Friday, the dog of her friend for whom she was house-sitting. He absolutely made his mark and I thought he and Charlie made a great match (ridiculous I know, but true).

Having promised other people I would read other books next, I decided to completely ignore my promises and have already started book 3. I can see this series taking all preference for a while yet! I would absolutely recommend this book and the series. Start at book 1 and you have at least 9 to catch up on…I can’t wait!

Trapped by Jacqui Rose

My Rating: 4/5

Jacqui Rose came to my attention last year in 2012 with the release of her debut novel Taken. It was a brilliant debut and I have been looking forward to and hoping that this new release is just as good. Maggie Donaldson is a young girl who has just come back to her hometown. Growing up with her father Max certainly wasn’t easy. Max is a face and he and the family the Taylor’s have a bit of rivalry going on that show no sign of letting up. When Maggie returns home, she realises that her time away has changed nothing. Her Dad Max seems even more violent than before, but Maggie is determined to get on with her life.

Jacqui has that knack that certain writers such as Cole, Heller and Chambers have. She creates a character that is believable and Maggie is no exception. Brazen and with a filthy temper, you can almost imagine what her reputation is like. Having said that she is a really likeable character, if only I could say the same about Max! On the opposite side to the Donaldson’s is the Taylor’s. Frankie and Gypsy Taylor have been married for years and their grown up son Tommy is part of Frankie’s firm. The Taylor’s are a much more likeable family but with the sheer violence the Donaldson children see every day it was no surprise that the family members are all slightly deranged in their own way.

With the feud between the two families getting worse, Maggie fears that her secret will be exposed and there will be no turning back from the repercussions that will take place if people found out. It’s clear to the reader what the big secret is from the early days (but I dislike spoilers so will refrain from mentioning what that is!). As the story continues there are quite a few plot twists that involve extended family members from both sides making the suspense raise another notch. By the halfway mark I found myself constantly getting twitch when you just know something is going to happen, but not quite sure when. BY the last quarter I was practically sitting on the edge of my seat and got that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.

I must say by the time I had finished (it took me just a day and a half!) I was so pleased that Jacqui Rose has proven she can write just as well as some of the others. The violence in this book was worse than in the previous one, or maybe she has just done a stellar job in creating a monster with Max Donaldson (what a vile man!). I truly loved this book and would recommend it to anybody who favours the likes of Mandasue Heller, Kim Chambers and Jessie Keane. A class book that kept me reading and I can’t wait for the next one!

Living on A Prayer by Sheila Quigley (Seahills #3)

51o2udt0gAL._SX306_BO1,204,203,200_

My Rating: 4/5

Well it’s been a while since I have read about Lorraine Hunt in Sheila Quigley’s series. I decided it was high time I re-acquainted myself with them. I am very glad I did and as ever can’t wait to read the next one in the series. In the 3rd book in the series we meet up with the Detective Lorraine a few weeks before Christmas.

It begins with the tragic apparent suicide of a young lad named Richie Stansfield who is found hanging from a tree at the Seven Sisters. The beginning of the book was a brilliant re-introduction to everybody for those that haven’t read any other books in the series. We once again meet Lorraine’s collagues Luke as well as Carter and Jacobs (who I despise by the way!).

Before long the apparent suicide seems to be too sut and dried when Richie’s friends appear to be holding something back. This particular story takes on a very sinister feel when there are rumours of cults but the story is fed in pieces really building up a picture of horrifying possibilities. I really like Lorraine as a charchter and the relationship she has with her Mum and her Mum’s best friend brings a lighter hearted side to the story, which I enjoyed.

Having read the first two I certainly wouldn’t put this down as my favourite so far, but there are certain developments with Lorraine that made it a lot more interesting. There were plenty of twists and turns to keep me occupied, especially when it came to Luke and his past!!! I also loved seeing the return (albeit brief) of Jacko who featured in a previous book. Overall this book seemed to have a much darker theme that previous ones but it made it no less enjoyable. I would highly reccomend these books as they are brilliant. Really looking forward to the next one:-)

CHRISTMAS AT THE CUPCAKE CAFÉ BY JENNY COLGAN

My Rating: 4/5

I hate to admit this but only picked up my very first Jenny Colgan book towards the end of last year (yes I know it’s ridiculous) but that book was The Cupcake Café. I devoured it and was thrilled when I realised there was a follow up book that had just been released. I eagerly picked up this one, Christmas at The Cupcake Café, and couldn’t wait to see where Issy was in her world.

For those that maybe haven’t read the first one, fear not this can still be read as a stand-alone. However, it was so much more enjoyable being able to go back and see how all the characters were getting on. Issy took the plunge in book one and started up her very own Cupcake Café. We now go back to the café to find Issy, along with her two workers Pearl and Caroline running the café in their usual no-nonsense way. Issy is in love with her boyfriend Austin who works at a local bank, and things seem to be going smoothly for her. That is until Austin is called away on business to New York.

The distance between them is the start of things going very wrong for Issy and pretty soon it seems that nothing is the same as before and she has no control over things. The one major difference between this book and the last although I still wanted to know about Issy, I was also really keen to see more of Pearl and Caroline. Although Issy is the main character, Jenny Colgan has done a stellar job of making the reader really engage with all the characters. Austin’s younger brother Darney, Issy’s mother, Doti the Postman, they all caught on with me and I just wanted to keep reading about all of them.

This book didn’t have nearly as much impact with me as the first (not sure why), but this certainly isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy it. I really enjoyed it and as usual it took me only two days to read it. The one thing I love is that these characters are memorable; I would really love to see the return of not just Issy but the other characters too. The story itself was good, but like I said just didn’t have as much impact as the first. There is the addition of recipes all the way through the book which is a really nice touch, although it did make me quite hungry more often than not. Having finished it I am eagerly planning on getting stuck to other Jenny Colgan books. Another really good book!

Lessons In Laughing Out Loud by Rowan Coleman

71yr2Q9EYDL.SR160,240_BG243,243,243

My Rating: 4/5

Don’t ask me how but I had not got round to reading a book by Rowan Coleman. Yeah, yeah, I can hear people out there exclaiming “WHAT?”. I know, sometimes I ask my self that very same question. I decided enough was enough, and scrolled through the ridiculous amount of books I have on my Kindle to start reading Rowan Coleman’s book Lessons in Laughing Out Loud. It didn’t take me long to like the main character Willow. Her and her twin Holly are polar opposites and Willow works for a demon of a woman, has a failed marriage behind her and finds it hard to say no to people. From very early on it’s clear that Willow has something from her past that is holding her back and in the early part of the book she came across as a little weak, although also pretty endearing!

When Willow’s step-daughter turns up at her doorstep with a problem, Willow does no more than take her in along with a celebrity she happens to be babysitting on her bosses orders. Pretty soon Willow’s life gets very complicated. I was quite taken by the story and the relationships that we see crossing over. I was beginning to get itchy feet just over the halfway mark wanting to know more about Willow’s secret. However, as I read on I realised that Rowan Coleman had done a magic job of writing about a sensitive subject and revealing it at the perfect time in the book.

Although this was my first Rowan Coleman book, I don’t think it will be my last. There was only one element I thought spoiled it and that was the `magic’ shoes. Yes I know the theory behind it was all about how Willow felt herself, but it just grated on me a little bit. That aside I thought the writing, characters and story were really enjoyable and certainly hooked me in to wanting to read more of her stuff. It was a slightly different kind of writing to other favourite authors of mine, but by no means just as good. I’m looking forward to reading more of her stuff in the future.

Touch and Go by Lisa Gardner (Tessa Leoni #1)

download (1)

My Rating: 4/5

I am a pretty big Lisa Gardner fan, especially of her DD Warren series. Her newest release Touch and Go is due for release in February 2012 but I was fortunate to receive an early reader copy. Her latest book features Tessa Leoni (who also appeared in Love You More) who is called in after the Denbe family are abducted. Upon arrival at Justin and Libby Denbe’s home, there are no signs of a break in, and there is no ransom demand. It seems like the couple and their teenage daughter have vanished into thin air. The more Tessa digs, the more it seems a little too perfect. To the outside world they are the perfect couple, with Justin running a very wealthy and successful company and a beautiful home.

As usual the pace is pretty frenetic from the very beginning. Justin and Libby are on date night when then enter their home and are taken by surprise. As the reader we see both sides of the story, both from the family’s perspective and the Detectives as well. As the story progresses we also meet Sergeant Wyatt Foster who participates in the case with Tessa. Having read the book Love You More I was familiar with Tessa’s history, however if you haven’t read it there is certainly enough background for readers to understand her past. I really loved Tessa and Wyatt working together and thought they made a good team

From the very early stages, although we see what is happening to the family (can’t say too much for fear of spoilers) we also see the police trying to solve the puzzle. With no clear cut motive it means examining every person who is close to the family. I found myself constantly changing my mind on who I thought was culpable, and thankfully it only became clear towards the very end (which is always a bonus in my eyes). The family were easy to read about and part of that attraction was seeing them crumble under the immense strain they are put under in their kidnapping situation. Layers are peeled away to reveal a family far from perfect and this makes the story even more interesting than the bog standard murder novel.

When I got to the end I was not entirely shocked at the outcome but thought that the book was another great read by Lisa Gardner. Admittedly I still favour DD Warren, but I think Tessa Leoni could be the star of another series. If she is I can only hope that Wyatt Foster goes along for the ride. Not my favourite Lisa Gardner book, but an awesome read that will keep you guessing until the end.

Broke by Mandasue Heller

download

My Rating: 4/5

I have mentioned in previous reviews that although I consider myself a fan, I don’t LOVE every MH book I read. Having said that her last book Lost Angel was absolutely brilliant. With that in my mind I was really looking forward to reading the new release Broke. The story centres on Amy who at a young age and with a baby on the way marries Mark. Within the first two chapters I had the urge to slap Amy around the face and ask her what she was playing at. The character Mark is an absolute idiot and one that I loathed from the very beginning. A few years later and with another child in tow Amy and Mark find themselves stuck in the doldrums. When Mark loses his job and his gambling gets out of hand he makes the major mistake of borrowing money from the local loan shark Lenny Yates.

From that point on the story takes a rather sinister and dark turn. Lenny Yates decides that Amy can pay off Mark’s debts his way. For fear of giving plot spoilers I don’t want to divulge any more of the story, but hence to say things are not particularly nice for Amy and her children. As Amy’s world takes a turn for the worse, her situation spirals and becomes almost unbelievable. The one thing I would say is that Mandasue touches on many subjects that are hard to deal with. Although Amy’s situation made me feel sympathetic towards her, I also felt irritated by her as a character. The fact that her life is all about Mark and nobody else grated on me, and at times it seemed like her children came second although at the end this seemed to have done a 360 degree turn? That was my only real bugbear about the book.

Other than that, the story drew me in and I went through quite a few emotions from pure rage at reading what characters were doing to sheer irritation at how stupid they can be! I managed to read this in just under 4 hours which is a record even by my standards. It’s certainly written in a way that makes you want to keep reading. Although I really liked this book her previous book Lost Angel was outstanding. That and the fact that Amy irritated me so much means it’s only a 4/5 read from me, but still a great read. Can’t wait for the next one.