Tag: RATED 4/5

The Beach Cafe by Lucy Diamond

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Star Rating: 4/5

I have been book reviewing for a few years now and only recently picked up my first Lucy Diamond book. However, I had no idea how much reading one of her books would change things for me. The second book I picked up was her most recent release Summer With My Sister. The book was a brilliant read and as I was reading it, something strange happened. It started the cogs in my brain turning and an idea for a new business has come out of it (but more on that later!). Having enjoyed the first two books of hers, and being so inspired by one I was keen to pick up a third to see how that fared against the other two. This book, the Beach Café sounded like a good read and I was hoping it would help me get out of my feeling of `being in a rut’.

Evie Flynn has always considered herself the `black sheep’ of the family. Her two older sisters always seem to get it right, while she seems to be permanently stuck in a rut. Whilst Evie is stuck in a very depressing temp job, and her `sensible’ boyfriend plans their future, her beloved Auntie Jo dies leaving the family shocked. Jo was always the life and soul of the party and Evie was incredibly close to her. When Evie realises that her Aunt has left her the little Beach Café she owned in Cornwall she has no idea what she is going to do. Evie was a character I liked immediately and the first few chapters really give you an idea of the sort of character she is. She is a little bit of a flapper and spends many an hour with her head in the clouds and you can’t help but wish for better things for her.

Her boyfriend Matthew I just wanted to throttle. He was so sensible and boring and seemed to be doing nothing but holding Evie back. After a lot of dithering Evie decides that she will go to Cornwall and spend the summer deciding what to do with the café. It’s the start of a journey that is funny, disastrous and interesting all at the same time! The only criticism I could really find with this book was that it seemed to take a long time for Evie to make the decision and actually get down to Cornwall and work at the Beach Café. Other than that, as soon as the transition happened the book was brilliant. We meet lots of characters that feature heavily including Rachel the waitress, Ed the chef and Phoebe, a young girl who makes an impact on Evie.

Apologies if people think this review is long but I feel like I need to explain something about reading Lucy Diamond books. Although this wasn’t my favourite I have read of hers, by the end of the book I had that `feel good’ mood back and my positivity had gone through the roof. I don’t know what it is about the way she writes, but it has the profound effect of making you feel like if you keep on chipping away things will work out and you just need to keep at it. The reason I highlight this, is that reading a LD book started me off on a new (albeit small) business venture that I am hoping to launch by later on this year. However, I was having a bit of a wobble moment and wondering if I had gone bonkers. Having read another of her books, I now feel a lot more confident and think if you don’t give it a go, you will never find out!

Overall, not my favourite but a great feel good easy to read book that I thoroughly enjoyed!

Criminal by Karin Slaughter (Will Trent #6)

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My Rating: 4/5

Kat’s Review: Okay I’m really not sure where to start with this review as I feel completely at odds with how I normally feel after finishing a Karin Slaughter book. A quick re-cap for those maybe not in the know might help. Karin Slaughter created a series of books called Grant County and then another series featuring Will Trent and Faith Mitchell. In a surprising (but genius) move Karin Slaughter managed to turn the two series into one and they became known as The Georgia series. It was an incredibly risky move as some fans had become attached to various characters. Even for me I found it hard to believe that she had done such a thing; however her last release entitled Fallen showed just how clever Karin Slaughter really is. Without adding too many spoilers for those wanting to read the series from the beginning, I will just say the series currently features Will Trent, Faith Mitchell and Sara Linton. For her fans that have followed from book 1 there were many questions that have come up over time and this book is the one to address some of them.

The book is split into two parts almost, one featuring Will, Sara and Faith in the present day and the other featuring Amanda Wagner (Will’s boss) and Evelyn Mitchell (Faith’s mother) set in the seventies. In the beginning I was more drawn to the present day element and at the halfway point was wondering what was going on. Why was I not getting into the book as much as I normally did? I realised at just past the halfway mark that it’s because I am an impatient woman! The story featuring Evelyn and Amanda makes so much sense especially towards the end. The crimes are as ever gruesome and I found the authenticity of women in the police force back then kind of shocking.

The story itself was as usual great, but for me I felt like I was more interested in the answers to my questions and thankfully by the end so many things clicked into place. I wouldn’t say that this story was as good as Fallen (I forgot to turn my bath off whilst reading that one!) but as ever is fantastic writing and for fans who have followed the series, is a crucial part of the series. Will, Sara and Faith do not feature as heavily but it makes perfect sense as we see the reasons for where some of them are today. I think that although this isn’t my favourite Karin Slaughter book it just shows how talented a lady she is. Another winner from the leading lady in this field!

Killer Instinct by Zoe Sharp (Charlie Fox #1)

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My Rating: 4/5

Being somebody that buys more than I read, I have that nagging feeling that I am missing out when people get excited over authors I have never read. Yes I know, I have issues; don’t get me started! When I saw on my lovely Facebook page that people were excitedly chattering about Zoe Sharp I immediately Googled her and realised that she has been writing for the best part of ten years. How dare I not know about this crime author, especially being a British female author? I immediately ordered her first release in the series featuring Charlie Fox and eventually got around to it.

Charlie Fox is an ordinary sort of woman and within the first few chapters I decided that I liked her very much. Charlie teaches women self-defence, prefers to dress in jeans and had a passion for riding motorbikes. Charlie was kicked out of the army for reasons unknown to the reader early on and although she is certainly not without issues I loved her no-nonsense attitude. When Charlie is offered a job working for the security at the New Adelphi club she has no idea that a few hours after her tussle with Susie Hollins in the club, that she would be found dead a few hours later.

This is the catalyst for a string of events that put Charlie’s life on the line. There are many authors and books out there in this genre and although this wasn’t necessarily one that stood out by a mile, it certainly whets my appetite for Charlie and her life. The characters are easy to read and the plot twisted enough to hold your interest well into the early hours. I realised at around the halfway mark that were many more layers to the story than I originally thought.

I realised pretty early on that this would be a series I would stick with. After a slower paced beginning, the second half flew by and I found myself racing to find out who is involved and to what degree. By the end of the book I made sure I went online and got part 2. It may well take me a while to get to but I will certainly be looking forward to it. Now I know why people were talking about Zoe Sharp and I will be among them next time, although as ever I like to read a series in order and it may take me a while to catch up. Overall, I am dead chuffed that I can now add another female British crime writer to my list of must reads. Fantastic start to a series (and what planet have I been on having only just started reading ZS???!). Recommended!

Better Together by Sheila O’Flanagan

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My Rating: 4/5

I have been reading Sheila O’Flanagan since she published her first book and am rarely disappointed with the books she writes. Her last book though wasn’t her usual type of story and although I enjoyed it I could see why not everybody would. Her last book seemed to have a more serious theme running through it than maybe her previous books have. I was still looking forward to reading her new book, especially as I had an early proof copy.

This latest books synopsis sounded very interesting and is based around two women. Sheridan Gray is a journalist who manages to lose her job, her home and her boyfriend in a matter of days. The other main character is Nina, who is dealing with the fallout from her separation from her actor husband Sean; following the national press revealing he was having an affair with a co-star. Nina runs a Guesthouse in Ardbawn and this is co-incidentally where Sheridan ends up.

Sheridan was an easy woman to like and to read about. Nina was a little harder going as we see her struggle to keep things going. When the two women meet things get a little more interesting. The thing I noticed about this latest book is that straight away I was drawn into Ardbawn, and I really liked the characters that make up his pretty village. When Nina stays at the Guesthouse, she uncovers what she thinks could be an explosive story guaranteed to get her back at one of the national papers. Unfortunately it surrounds Nina and Sheridan has to make some tough decisions.

The story was certainly interesting and had a mystery element to it which I enjoyed. I warmed to Nina a lot more as the story went on, almost as much as I gained loathing for the husband Sean. As I was nearing the end of the book I realised that we still weren’t at the conclusion. To my surprise the last 3 or so chapters managed to wrap up everything and left me feeling a little disappointed. I really enjoyed the story but thought that the ending seemed so quick and almost rushed. It certainly didn’t ruin the book for me but made me knock off a star. Overall another great summer read from Sheila O’Flanagan, it seems she never fails to disappoint!

Not Dead Yet by Peter James (Roy Grace #8)

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My Rating: 4/5

I have read each and every one of the Roy Grace series and I would imagine like many others was looking forward to the latest book. Like many other popular series of books the characters and their history are what add another dimension for the readers. In this latest Roy Grace book we again see the return of my favourite and much loved characters I have got to know. Of course we have Roy himself and his other half Cleo who is now pregnant and expecting their first child. In addition we see many favourites like Glenn Branson (who I adore), Norman Potting and Bella Moy.

The Brighton police force has its work cut out for them. The international superstar Gaia is filming in Brighton for the LA Producer Larry Brooker. Before Gaia leaves Bel Air an attempt is made on her life. By the time she arrives in Brighton Roy is set the challenge of ensuring her safety as well as running a murder investigation. Initially the story hits the ground running and when we see Gaia arrive in Brighton there are already two plots running through the book. On the one side we have the security and attempted murder of Gaia and on the other we have a torso found which the Murder team are trying to identify.

My attention was grabbed a lot more with the storyline in this current book than the last one so I almost felt like the books were back on the up again. The story certainly kept its pace up and I have to be honest as the story continued I got the feeling that this was a real `who dunnit’ kind of story. There are lots of plot threads, lots of action and a real head scratcher of a case. Now on the down side I have to say I am getting slightly irritated by the `Sandy’ thread of the story. I think a conclusion to this element of the story would make me a lot happier because I find myself just shaking my head in disappointment every time I read a bit more.

As I neared the end, I was genuinely taken aback by the plot conclusion and thought it was a good wrap up of the story. Then I was thrown with the last three chapters. I think one part of me admires Peter James for doing this as he has almost certainly drawn a large percentage of readers into the next book (and I admit I am one of them!). I fear that the series may get tedious but there certainly doesn’t seem to be any sign of that (apart from the Sandy part). The only one minor niggle I had was that I never got to find out the conclusion of the story regarding Norman and Bella. Yet again I think that this has been done with good reason and yet again there are things pulling me back and preparing myself for the pre-order again this time next year.

Peter James has certainly continued to show his brilliance as a Crime Writer and as usual I look forward to the next Roy Grace book.

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 11th Hour by James Patterson (Women’s Murder Club #11)

My Rating: 4/5
First off I need to say that if you haven’t read previous books in this series and you intend to read them in order please don’t continue reading the review as some of the storyline will inevitably contain spoilers.

In my ongoing love/hate relationship with James Patterson; I once again pre-ordered this book (even after convincing myself I shouldn’t) and set about catching up with the ladies from the Women’s Murder Club. I have read each book in this series and probably like many others feel like you have a history with these women. Lindsay Boxer, a detective, Claire who is a medical examiner, Cindy the reporter and Yuki a District Attorney have been friends for a long time and their tight knit circle will never change. In the 9th book in the series I thought I would give up as some of the characters seemed to have lost their edge; however the tenth book gained some ground as the ladies seemed back to their present form. This current book also showed the ladies back to form and it was a pleasure to see them in their usual roles.

The major difference now is that Lindsay Boxer is pregnant but she certainly doesn’t allow this to stop her working at her usual pace. When she and her partner Rich Conklin get called to the first murder scene they find millionaire Chaz Smith gunned down in a school. As usual, this case turns out to be one that has many elements, especially as the murder weapon was stolen from the department’s evidence locker.

Shortly after both Lindsay and Rich are called to another murder scene where two heads are discovered. Being pregnant and trying to run two murder cases see Lindsay at her most vulnerable, and for a change it really suited her. The story is the typical Patterson style with short and sharp chapters keeping your interest as the story picks up pace as the two investigations take on their own leads.

This book features Lindsay as the main lady and we see a little more of her personal life creeping into her work life as she tries to manage pending motherhood, along with maintaining her marriage to ex-FBI agent Joe. We also see a lot of Cindy as she does her usual trick of trying to get the lead on a story, whilst also battling her own issues surrounding her relationship with Lindsay’s partner Rich. We see less of Yuki and Claire although they still feature in the story as the ladies try to close both cases. We see Warren Jacobi, Lindsay’s boss feature in the story which for me was a welcome return.

The book was written well as usual and the story itself held my interest but after finishing it, I felt like there was no real progress with the ladies. I think maybe I was expecting something major to happen with one of them to keep this series from going stale. Having said that; I still think that Patterson will keep his fans happy with this latest release.

I enjoyed the book and would certainly say it’s a good one for the series. I am actually really looking forward to the next one, as I think with Lindsay having a baby and Yuki dating Lindsay’s boss things may heat up for the next book. It would also be nice to see the return of Jacobi more frequently as I always thought he spiced things up. Like I say, a winning formula but would like to see something to shock in the next one.

The Patchwork Marriage by Jane Green

My Rating: 4/5

It has been a year and a half since Jane’s last book and I was really looking forward to this one. As soon as I received it I got stuck in and it took me less than a few pages to be completely absorbed in the lives of the characters. Andi and Ethan are married and Ethan’s two children Emily and Sophia live with them. Her whole life Andi has waited to fall in love with a man like Ethan and to receive a readymade family is the icing on the cake. What she didn’t prepare herself for was the difficulty in becoming a stepmother to these two children.

The main focus of the story is Emily, Ethan’s eldest child who is nothing short of difficult. She is making life for Ethan and Andi very difficult and straight away I did not like this spoilt child. I was hoping that underneath it all was a likeable but troubled young girl! Like her last book, this one features the realities of life and stepchildren is a commonplace issue now for many people (myself included). It was refreshing to read about the not so nice side of this story and how trying to do the right thing by Stepchildren is not as easy as it sounds.

After years of trying to resolve the situation Andi finally gets to breaking point and decides she has no other option than to leave. That is before Emily turns up with a major bombshell that changes everything. It is difficult to discuss major points of the story without spoiling it, but all I will say is that life is made even more complicated for all of those concerned.

The story is not the flowers and roses kind of fairy-tale but one that shows how real life can be and the curveballs you can be thrown. I thought that this book and especially the way it was written was great and made for a compelling read. It kept my interest especially as the story is set over a few years. Jane Green’s books have a very different feel to them in comparison to her earlier books such as Babyville but they are still great books to read.

Although I am limited in what I can say for fear of spoilers, I will tell you that this book was certainly a great read and one that I would recommend.