Tag: RATED 4/5

THE DARKER SIDE OF LOVE BY JESSICA RUSTON

My Rating: 4/5

This story introduces us to four women who are firm friends. Caroline, Stella, Izzy and Harriet and their partners/husbands are the focus of this story starting in the nineties. Initially, it can seem a little overwhelming with the amount of characters that appear very early on. However, when you begin to understand each of their lives it becomes easier to distinguish between these very different characters.

 Jessica Ruston introduces each character and their partner or husband and how they fit into each others lives become apparent very early on. The first thing that struck me about this book was how different it was to the previous book of hers I had read. She fell firmly into the Bonkbuster genre with her debut novel, but this story is slightly different. It’s clear from the outset that this is, as the tile suggests, the darker side of romance. Call it reality if you will and we see each person face their own issues or demons.

The story itself kept me interested as you see each woman face challenges and we get to see the vast differences in the women as they try to tackle their own problems. This book certainly has the element of reality in it and I think many people will be able to empathise with something in the book. Jessica Ruston certainly had her work cut out to cover all the different elements that were found in the book.

The synopsis shows the reader that eventually a crime will take place but you have no idea with which character, and to be frank, as I read further into the book it could have been any of them! We see adultery, drug use, domestic abuse and the general hard work it takes to make life work. I found myself more and more embroiled in the story and eventually read the last quarter of it in one sitting.

This book was certainly a departure from the normal but I still finished the book having enjoyed it thoroughly.

Catch Me by Lisa Gardner (DD Warren #6)

216x346

My Rating: 4/5

 Lisa Gardner has been on my must read list for some time now and I have particularly loved the Quincy/Rainie series. However, in more recent books the DD Warren series has been predominant which I have taken my time to grow to like as much as the Quincy books. Having said that; after Lisa’s last book in this DD Warren series I can honestly say I was hooked. DD Warren is a typical no-nonsense Detective, and she has her work cut out for her in this latest book.

Charlie Grant is the main focus of the story and from the very beginning we are shown her sheer terror. Charlie is convinced that on 21st January she will be murdered. Whilst dealing with another crime scene, Charlie confronts DD and asks her to make sure she investigates her imminent death properly.

The nicest thing about this book is we see the slight change in DD’s character and she comes across as a much softer woman following the birth of her son. DD and her team are also working on the killing of people involved in sex crimes. This storyline interlinks with the main one regarding Charlie nicely. From the very beginning the plot is very fast paced and there is a sense of frenzy as we read about Charlie trying to out-run the person coming to kill her.

The story picks up considerable pace around the halfway mark and the two stories run alongside each other nicely. The best part about this book for me was seeing much more of DD’s personal life and the ways in which she has changed. The story kept me turning the pages quickly and the story kept me guessing until the very end. We do see glimpses of characters from previous books such as retired FBI profiler Pierce Quincy, as well as fleeting glances of J.T Dillon and Sergeant Roan. Although I have grown to love DD Warren, I would still love to see another book released featuring Quincy!

Overall, this was one of the best in the DD Warren series and although part of a series could certainly be read as a stand alone book. I think Lisa Gardner fans will be thrilled with the new, softer DD Warren and new readers will be pleased to read such an engaging book. A definite page turner and I would definitely recommend it.

Death Bed by Leigh Russell (Geraldine Steel #4)

228x350

My Rating: 4/5

I have read each of the books in this series and was looking forward to this one which is book 4 of the series. However, with the relocation of Geraldine to London I found myself feeling like we were back at the beginning in a certain sense.

After finishing book 3 which I loved and rated a full 5 out of 5, I had high expectations and I think the new setting may have thrown me slightly. Geraldine is once again on uncertain ground as she tries to get to grips with her new role and new colleagues. I loved Ian Peterson, an ex-colleague of Geraldine’s but found myself being introduced to a new sergeant that she will be working with (who I am undecided about at the moment).

When Geraldine is assigned to work on a case, she doesn’t realise the potential media impact, as the case could have a racist element to it. The story itself was as usual a good one, and the descriptive gruesomeness of some scenes was brilliant. However, I think that after finishing this book there were some elements missing. I feel like just as I was getting to know characters and Geraldine’s setting, we are thrown in with new settings and characters which made me feel like it was harder work than it should have been.

I also think that because of all of that, the actual crimes that were taking place seemed to take a bit of a back seat for me. Towards the end of the book the pace was picked up, but there was an element of it being wrapped up too neatly at the end for my liking.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and loved re-visiting a character I have grown to look forward to reading about. I just wish that I didn’t feel like we have gone back a few steps with the character, and can only hope that I grow to like Geraldine’s new colleagues as much as the old!

The Beach Hut by Veronica Henry

164x250

My Rating: 4/5

I only picked up my first Veronica Henry book towards the end of 2010 which was the first book featured in the Honeycote series. That was quickly followed by the others the Honeycote Series, and following that I just haven’t picked up another. I really enjoyed the Honeycote books, but they weren’t books that left a lasting impression.

I started the book with an open mind and within a few pages, I was hooked. Jane Milton is the main focus of the story and before long we learn that her husband has died leaving her in serious debt. The Beach Hut in Everdene is the hut that her family have used for years, only this time she is visiting for the last time, before she is forced to sell up. Quite early on in the book, the reader is transported back to when Jane was younger, which I was instantly gripped with. However, just as I was getting my teeth into that, Veronica takes us to a new chapter, a new hut, and a glimpse into somebody else’s life.

There is a huge selection of characters built up around the Everdene Huts and to be quite honest although I was surprised, it made such a refreshing change to see glimpses of numerous characters, but with enough information to whet the appetite for the next character. Usually, so many people in one story would put me off, but this book does the opposite.

Although Jane and her family are the focal point, we get to witness many different situations and scenarios which are all playing out around the Milton family. The character of Jane Milton was a great one, a woman who has been there and seen it all before, but somehow is managing to take it in her stride and not become too bitter. Running parallel, we see Roy who has know Jane his whole life, and has grown up in Everdene having never set foot outside of the county, let alone out of the country.

We get such a mix of people that it keeps the book fresh right the way through. We follow Jane from a young teenage girl, with a storyline concerning an author she used to work for, and which I absolutely loved. I can explain this book as almost like 5 or 6 short stories thrown in with one main theme.

Overall, when I finished this book I couldn’t wait to see what else I had by VH. This book was a dream to read, it keeps you really interested right the way through and I would highly recommend it. Now I can look forward to reading the rest of her books.

An Autumn Crush by Milly Johnson

329x500

My Rating: 4/5

I had never read a Milly Johnson but was looking forward to it after a combination of seeing the cover, reading the synopsis as well as the rave reviews on Amazon. It took me less than two chapters to absolutely fall in love with the brutally honest but loveable Juliet Miller. Her quest to find a flatmate works out well as we meet the second female character of the book Floz Cherrydale. Floz is the polar opposite to Juliet as she is quiet and a little bit withdrawn but a lovely girl.

We also meet Juliet’s twin brother Guy and his best friend Steve. Guy is a chef that is working for a pig of a man and in his spare time he wrestles with his friend Steve. Steve is a wrestler who would love to do his job all of the time but with the declining interest in the sport has to settle for plastering as well. Steve and Guy are fabulous characters and with the unusual nature of the wrestling in the story it made it that littler bit more interesting.

The book flows really well and at an easy pace where you become wrapped up in their normal world with a little bit of excitement added when the girls watch the wrestling matches that Guy and Steve take part in. After seeing Juliet and Steve’s disastrous night where they get drunk and end up in bed the story gets that little bit funnier too.

I loved the characters and the fact that this story was about four normal people who have different goals and their personalities make it very interesting. The one element of the story that surprised me was the one involving Floz and her secrets from her past, and this extra nugget of information made me read much quicker in an attempt to find out what it was all about.

When I reached the ending I was smiling from ear to ear as the book panned out exactly as I had hoped. I thoroughly enjoyed my first Milly Johnson book and have already got another couple waiting to be read. It reminded me slightly of Carole Matthews in her early days and I am really looking forward to the next one.

Love and Marriage by Patricia Scanlan

164x250 (3)

My Rating: 4/5

Patricia Scanlan has now released the final part of her trilogy entitled Love & Marriage. The first two books were Forgive and Forget released in 2008 and Happy Ever After released in 2009.

We again meet the same characters and their daily struggles. Bryan and Debbie are now newly married and feeling the pinch financially. Their marriage is already looking uncertain and as things get harder Bryan tends to bury his head in the sand even more.

Connie who has done her bit for her daughter Debbie and son-in-law Bryan is celebrating a new man in her life. Drew is everything her ex-husband Barry wasn’t. Sadly, Drew’s ex-wife likes to make a habit of ringing and calling upon Drew in her hour of need which is not doing much for Connie’s relationship with Drew.

Connie’s ex-husband Barry re-married Aimee who is the ultimate career woman. Barry is ecstatic when he realises that Aimee is pregnant. This is his chance to be a better father the third time round. With his elder daughter Debbie and youngest Melissa the new addition is something to look forward to. Aimee feels differently and with the added stress to their marriage of their daughter Melissa’s eating difficulties things are looking tough.

Lily’s daughter Judith is recovering slowly from a car accident that left her in a coma. The good thing is that they are finally building a relationship. Judith has become a different person and wants to make the most of her life and together they start to enjoy life as mother and daughter.

Ken and Juliet Davenport have been married for many years. However Judith is sick of her surgeon husband expecting things to be done the same now as they were years ago. When Juliet decides to take action and make her own life for herself independently, Ken struggles to accept that their married life will change forever.

The first two books in the trilogy were as usual good reads, but if I am honest her second book was the weakest of them all. This final part to the trilogy was lovely, so easy to read and a typical curl up with a cuppa type of book! When I first started reading, I kept thinking “I’m sure I have already read this book” and then it finally dawned on me that it was a trilogy.

It didn’t take me long to catch up with the characters and their lives. It also didn’t take me long to detest Bryan who is possibly the most obnoxious character I have read in a long time.

The story itself is always turning and rolling into another part of the story which I loved. The characters are all linked somehow, whether they are family, colleagues or just friends. Patricia Scanlan dealt with the pretty serious issue of anorexia in this book but just like the last one this was dealt with sensitively. The story of Melissa and her eating disorder combined with trying to bond with other family members was very real. It made for a heart-warming read when you see the positive steps she takes in the book.

All in all, this latest release from PS was as usual a great read. It’s not a ten out of ten with a wow factor, but there is something very comforting with her books as you know just the sort of thing you are getting. I look forward to the next one and meeting some new characters.

Run For Home by Sheila Quigley (Seahills #1)

182x293

My Rating: 4/5

My Review: I had never read (or heard of) Sheila Quigley until it was recommended to me. I brought the first book as, although debuts are not always the authors best, they certainly give you a feel for the sort of writer they are.

This book I eventually got round to, and I have to say I am very pleased that I did. The story starts by the reader meeting the Lumsdon family. The main characters seem to be the eldest daughter Kerry, but we also meet all the brothers and sisters, as well as their mother.

When a body is found on the infamous Seahills Estate Detective Inspector Lorraine Hunt joins the story. In addition to the body, Kerry’s younger sister Claire goes missing and pretty soon Lorraine is trying to solve both crimes.

The writing and characters I thought were great. Before reading this book I had read other reviews and found that some readers didn’t like the use of the word “yer”. I was a little baffled by this as I take it as a way of the author putting across the kind of characters in the story. I found it was no different to reading books where characters have a cockney accent and letters are frequently missing from words used.

I liked character of Lorraine but found it a little harder to warm to Kerry; having said that, I still enjoyed the book a great deal. The crime element of the story covers the murky world of kidnap and as the story came towards the end, it sped up and we reached what I thought was a pretty good ending.

I would probably say that as a debut this is a cracking book, but I am also guessing that like many authors her work has got better the more she has written. I have already ordered book two in the series and look forward to reading the next one.

I Can See You by Karen Rose (Minneapolis #1)

192x293 (2)

My Rating: 4/5

I am a pretty avid Karen Rose fan I must admit, and I have been slowly working through her older books I have yet to read. Before I started this one I glanced on other Amazon reviews to see what other people thought. One thing that frustrated me was a low rating this book was given due to the `romance’ aspect of it. The one thing I do know about Karen Rose, and something potential readers should know is that her genre is `romantic suspense’. The genre kind of gives it away, but if you only want murder and mystery and no more then maybe this isn’t for you. Myself, I see nothing wrong with a bit of romance and lust thrown in over a serial killer or two; I find it `lightens the load’ so to speak.

This book in particular, like many others of hers, is not a short one. The hardback is a pretty hefty weight and all in all has nearly 500 pages. As usual, it took me no more that one or two chapters to be drawn into the book. Once you have read a few of Karen Rose books you realise that various characters appear in more than one book. Although this is the case each of her books can be read as a stand alone. We meet Eve who is a woman (previously featuring in another book Nothing to Fear) with a past. She is trying to rebuild her life after a terrifying ordeal where she was kidnapped, tortured and left for dead. She works part time in a bar while studying her thesis which involves an online game called Shadowland.

The first thing that struck me about this book is the fact that this was a perfectly believable situation. With the online gaming world taking off it put the fear of God into me while reading it (ridiculous I know)! Pretty soon after meeting Eve we meet Noah Webster who is a copper with his own secrets and past. Along with his temperamental partner Jack we see them dragged into a case which should be a simple suicide. It becomes clear pretty quickly that it isn’t the case and before long they are dealing with a serial killer.

The story is quite long and detailed with numerous suspect possibilities and just when I thought I had it figured out, I realised I was wrong. I was wondering if this book was a bit too long but by the halfway mark I literally couldn’t put it down. Yes there is a predictable element of romance within the book and some pretty hot and steamy scenes towards the end, but to be fair the people involved had a very bad week and I think it was deserved:-)))

As I have read a fair few of her books now, I wouldn’t say this is my favourite but was still a riveting read as usual. Overall, another great book by Karen Rose and one that I would highly recommend.

All For You by Sheila O’Flanagan

164x250 (2)

My Rating: 4/5

I have read every one of Sheila O’Flanagan’s books and have enjoyed every single one of them. This seemed like a different type of book, and with a subject matter that many can empathise with. Deanna Ryan is a character that takes a while to connect with. After the initial first few chapters are read, you begin to get an idea of the bigger picture in the lives of the Ryan women. Lainey on the other hand is a wonderful character that you instantly love. She is the very successful weather presenter, as well as being a hopeless romantic. How the two women are mother and daughter is a mystery in the beginning of the book.

However, as you read on, you learn a little about Lainey’s current life, the decisions she makes and the hopes that she has for herself. Alongside this element of the story, we see the build up and history of Deanna’s life and the story that led to Lainey being brought up by her Grandmother Madeleine. The mixture of past and present was cleverly done and everything builds up to create the full picture.

The romantic element of the story is actually not that important in the grand scheme of things as the main focus is on the family element. Deanna was a hard character to get to know, she seemed intent on being only good at one thing and that was women’s rights. As I read on I found myself disliking her even more, but thankfully as I neared the middle I started to see the reasoning behind her actions.

The book is featured in two main settings, one being Ireland where Lainey lives and works and the other being California, which is where Deanna lives. I loved the switch between the two places as it kept it interesting. I began to feel more involved in the story as you realise there is a lot more than meets the eye to the story of Lainey and Deanna’s life. I also loved the element of Lainey’s love life and absolutely loathed her boyfriend Ken, who thankfully doesn’t feature too much!

The ending was building up to the conclusion of the story and I enjoyed finally realising that all the pieces of the puzzle fitted however…there is a `but’! I finished the final chapter and thought “oh, I must have missed something?”. I was really shocked that it had ended so abruptly and I felt a little bit cheated. I would have loved to have found out just that little bit more regarding a couple of characters such as Shay and Fergal. Looking back, maybe Sheila wanted it that way, where you are left to wonder and it isn’t wrapped up quite as neatly as people expect.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this and thought that it was a subtle departure form the normal type of books from SOF. It took me a little while to get into the story, but once I had got there I loved it! 

Private Lives by Tasmina Perry

71YWkrld8fL.SR160,240_BG243,243,243

My Rating: 4/5

Tasmina Perry is an author whose books I immensely look forward to each year. Her books are always pretty long and substantial and this one is no different. I received a paperback version (as it was a proof copy) and it came in at just under 700 pages. The cover as always is particularly eye catching and the synopsis was one that sounded juicy and full of glamour.

The main characters are plentiful, as is the story itself. We meet the main female character, Anna Kennedy. She is a lawyer working for the stars. Wherever there is scandal, she isn’t far behind doing her best to cover up and protect the paying celebrities. Her first client at her new firm is Sam Charles. He is a British born actor who is Hollywood‘s heartthrob, but sadly when a story is threatened to be published, Anna needs to step in quickly. Amy Hart was known as a party girl, but when she is found dead her family starts asking questions.

The plot is lengthy and there are lots of twists and turns. No stone is unturned when showing us the murky side of the law, where the more you pay, means the more you are protected. Some of the other main characters are slowly introduced to us, such as Matthew and Larry Donovan, Helen Pierce and numerous others. The one thing that stands out with Tasmina Perry, is that you aren’t just taken into these characters lives, you are made to feel a part of them. The story has numerous threads which only start to unravel and intertwine towards the end, making for a lot of possibilities. As usual with a Perry book, we get to see each of the characters and their love lives, whether they are happy or a complete disaster.

I particularly liked Anna Kennedy and Matthew. Their characters were strong and a lot nicer that the resident evil character of Helen Pierce! One of the main draws of this book, is that there is more than a touch of realism to the story line. The world involving news stories and celebrities, is one that is familiar to people across the world. The story also delves into the dirty world of politicians and what lengths they will got to, to ultimately get their own way (sound familiar?!?).

This book, unlike others before have more of a suspense feel to it, than her usual Bonkbuster mix. Having said that I enjoyed it just like I have with each and every book she is written. Was this my favourite? Err, no, but even as a book that isn’t her best it was still a solid read with a great writing style and I loved it. Highly recommended.