Tag: RATED 5/5

Perfect Strangers by Tasmina Perry

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My Rating: 5/5

I have read each and every one of Tasmina Perry’s books and was excited that there would another one soon with the release of her latest Perfect Strangers due in August 2012. To my absolute delight, the publishers sent me an early copy for review so it became THE book for me to read. As usual with Tasmina’s books you get a lot of book for your money and this one came in at just under 450 pages. As usual her books have very inviting covers and her new one was no different.

Without even glancing at the synopsis at the back I got stuck in. We start by meeting Sophie Ellis at her mother’s house seeing to guests attending her fathers wake. Sophie is a `typical’ Chelsea rich girl that was spoilt by Daddy and never had to do a days work in her life. Sadly for her, that was no longer the case as just before her father’s death he had made a bad investment and lost all of the family money. Sophie now lives in a bedsit and a chance meeting with somebody in her local gym leads to a surprise invitation.

It certainly seems an innocent enough start and Sophie is asked to house sit for a few weeks. Without realising what the future holds for her she attends a party and meets Nick Cooper. Within a matter of days she is swept of her feet and things really start to look up for her. Disaster strikes and Nick is found murdered in his hotel room. Sophie then becomes the main suspect in his murder and before she knows it her life has been literally turned upside down.

From this point on (which I must point out is less than a quarter of the way through, so no plot spoilers) things take a dramatic turn and the pace picks up considerably. I hadn’t realised that I had managed to read a quarter of the book in one sitting as I was so engrossed. The next time I picked the book up I managed to finish it all. I literally couldn’t put it down. Sophie, although not an obviously sounding great character, is extremely likeable and you soon realise that you are urging her to get to the truth. Her life is literally hanging in the balance and she has to find the truth about who killed Nick or she will end up in prison.

Although Tasmina Perry would usually fall into the `Bonkbuster/Chick Lit’ genre, this current book is verging more into the Romantic Suspense genre. I would defy anybody to not be gripped by everything that goes on. There were quite a few layers to the plot which constantly keeps the reader on their toes and I was so disappointed to finish it. The ending threw up a few surprises too but it was all wrapped up nicely. I must admit that although I have liked all of her books this is by far her best yet. Maybe because I am a fan of the crime, thriller and mystery genre as well as chick lit this was the best of both worlds for me. A truly magnificent read that had me reading into the early hours of the morning. Perry fans will NOT be disappointed!

The Long Weekend by Veronica Henry

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My Rating: 5/5

The last book of Veronica Henry’s that I read was The Beach Hut which I absolutely loved. Veronica has a way of telling many stories in one book without you feeling overwhelmed. In The Beach Hut she managed it flawlessly. She has taken the same writing style and done it again, but even better with her latest release The Long Weekend. We start sedately by meeting the main focus of the story which is Claire Marlowe and her partner Luca who own a very high end hotel named The Townhouse by the Sea. I instantly loved Claire and to be frank, despised her smarmy boyfriend Luca. In a matter of a few chapters I felt myself longing to visit this place. It sounded glorious and to be honest somewhere that I would have stayed at in a heartbeat.

After the initial introductions we are introduced to the other characters that feature in the book almost as mini short stories combined. We meet Laura and Dan, young adults on their first weekend away with family secrets to uncover. There is Nick and his stag party who have no idea that their arrival will change many lives following the weekend. We also see Angelica, one of the staff members, and Trevor and Monique who are investors in the hotel.

I found myself utterly absorbed in each character and their troubles. It’s hard to be more specific than this without spoiling the story so I won’t elaborate. Somehow, Veronica Henry manages to whisk you away with all of the characters and I was irritated when I had to stop reading to do the `proper’ things like work or cook. It truly is a great thing when you find a book that you don’t want to put down and this book was a great example of that. The writing style was easy, the story absorbing and at the same time gripping as well as the fact that I just could NOT put the thing down. Read in a day and a truly wonderful book that I would highly recommend.

MEET ME AT THE CUPCAKE CAFE BY JENNY COLGAN

My Rating: 5/5

I am almost disgusted with myself for having never read a Jenny Colgan book. I have always seen her books around but don’t ask me why, have never managed to pick one up. Thankfully, I finally got around to buying this book which was released in 2011 with its very enticing cover. I started reading and immediately loved the main character Issy. Issy’s Grandpa Joe ran bakery’s his whole life and has passed his love of baking on to Issy.

Very early on we meet Issy’s pathetic excuse for a boyfriend Graeme (who I despised from start to finish) along with some other characters that feature in the book. When Issy is made redundant from her City job she takes the plunge and sets about opening her own type of Bakery called The Cupcake Café.

Jenny Colgan has done a grand job of making the readers feel for Issy. We see her struggle with lots of things at once and try to manage starting a new business, her love life, the care of her Gramps as well as having some sort of social life. What made this book a little bit different is that at the start of various chapters (I cannot recall if it was every one) we see Issy’s recipes for her famous Cupcakes. There is something refreshingly different about that approach, and some of the descriptions that go with the recipes had me chuckling.

I read three quarters of this book in one day, I read in the morning, my lunch break, my commute and even when I was washing up! I then eagerly picked it up the following morning and finished it. The story is a lovely read and you feel like you are taking the journey with Issy and you can’t help but will her success on. I loved the characters, including the feisty Pearly and difficult Caroline both who work with Issy. I also loved Issy’s flatmate Helena who has a very brisk attitude. You also see other local characters come in and they all add their own flavour to the story.

I was really excited to see that Jenny Colgan has a follow up to this book due out October 2012. I think a follow up would be brilliant, especially as the end of this one is extremely open-ended with many possibilities for the characters. Overall this was a book that I loved in every way, and it especially cheered me up as I am in the middle of my own very precarious start of a new business. This book was a real `feel-good’ read and I loved every bit of it. Highly recommended.

Summer With My Sister by Lucy Diamond

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My Rating: 5/5

I am ashamed to say that I only picked up my first Lucy Diamond book last month. I was so glad that I did because I loved that book and made sure that I had her new one ready to read. Sue Mongredien (the author’s real name) has produced another fantastic book with this latest release. Polly has always been the sister that `made it’. With her high flying career she is lucky if she can even make time for her family, let alone friends and a social life. So when she loses her job and her home she is awoken from her idealistic bubble with a very sharp shock! On the other end of the scale you have Polly’s sister Clare, a single mum who struggles to make ends meet. Clare still lives in the village she grew up in and although nearly always broke she has her friends and family close by.

Polly has to face up to things and eventually returns to her home village and she ends up living with Clare and the two kids. The story drew me in almost instantly and I found myself disliking Polly and falling in love with Clare. The two sisters are poles apart and as a reader you can see Polly’s demise coming. When it does happen and the two sister’s end up living together the story takes an interesting turn. As the story goes on you begin to see the reasons that the two sisters have different outlooks and their past family history becomes clearer.

Although I originally disliked Polly you can see the changes in her as time goes on and before too long I was rooting for both sisters to work things out. The writing flows so easily that before I knew it I was into the last quarter of the book and once again chastising myself for reading too quickly. I really liked the odd character that was thrown in as well such as Clare’s slightly barmy next door neighbour as well as her work colleague Roxie. Towards the end, the only thing that I can honestly say was a negative was the final three or four chapters. I felt like things had wrapped up too quickly and I could have easily read another 60-70 pages with the conclusions drawn out a little bit more.

Overall, this particular book is one that is perfect for the current climate that we live in. It makes you realise that there are many `Polly’s’ in this world and maybe you should just appreciate what you have (there’s nothing quite like a good `moral to the story’). I can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it was a pleasure to read. The only reason I knocked a star off was because the ending was far too quick and I could have easily read more; other than that just brilliant!!!

The Charm Bracelet by Melissa Hill

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

Kat’s Rating: 5/5

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

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

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

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

A Mother’s Journey by June Hampson

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My Rating: 5/5

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

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

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

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

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

The Schemer by Kimberley Chambers

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My Rating: 5/5 (can I give it 6?)

Well, well, well. When I realised that I was getting my hands on an early edition of Kimberley Chambers new book, to say I was excited is a bit of an understatement. For the benefit of those that haven’t maybe read her books before you may want to know a bit more. Kim wrote and published her first book Billie Jo back in 2008. She then went on to write another two books before releasing the first in a series of books (The Feud being the first) featuring the O’Hara and Mitchell family. The release of The Victim (the third in that series) in 2011 was an absolutely brilliant book and I couldn’t have imagined she could ever top the characters she had created, but somehow she has. Kimberley Chambers has made a niche for herself and is now in my opinion as good as (if not better) that the more infamous British crime writers such as Martina Cole.


Sadly, many people have never heard of her and this is where people like me come in. My one true love is reading, and when you find a writer like Kim that writes books as good as hers you feel the need to share it with people. No, I am not paid by Kim or her publicists; I am just a true crime book lover. If you want a typically English bit of grit with a few gangsters thrown in then these are the books you should be reading.

The Schemer starts off by introducing us to Stephanie Crouch in the eighties. The first few pages had me laughing and reminiscing at the same time as Kim’s descriptions of being a teenager at that time was absolutely spot on. It had the kind of feel that the new release of the film The Firm had. We get to see her older sister Angela and her mum living in their grotty council house with the rather colourful characters that live in their road! Pretty soon we meet East-End boy Barry who as a teenager falls head over heels in love with Steph. Sadly, their love is to be tested as Barry is taken to live in Spain with his Mum and new boyfriend. Steph then turns to Barry’s friend Wayne and they soon move from friends to lovers and all thoughts of Barry leave Steph’s head.

The book then moves to ten years later and we see the downside to Steph’s decisions that she made as a teenager. This book had me absolutely gripped from the very first page to the very last page. All of the characters in this are absolute crackers and they each have their redeeming qualities. One thing I really need to point out is that if you are not a lover of a lot of swearing, then maybe this book won’t be fore you. As a South London girl that swears like a sailor, it doesn’t bother me in the slightest. One thing that really struck me was that although the characters are brilliant and the plot and storyline fantastic, the book certainly isn’t without its humour.

There is one particular character by the name of Marlene that had me cringing and laughing in equal measures. The other thing that I really noticed about this book is that Kimberley Chambers has created characters that you can start off loving and end up hating. In the case of this book I am still not sure how I feel about either of the men featured and I really want to keep reading about both of them to see how it pans out. Thankfully, the ending of this book is so open-ended it’s unreal. This is the best opener for the next book and to be honest I’m a little bit irritated I have to wait so long to find out!

Either way, I truly think that Kimberley Chambers is a good reason to highlight female British crime writers. Kim Chambers has not only earned her place as one of the Queens of British Crime, she is keeping it with this latest book as proof that she deserves to stay up there. All I can say is that if you haven’t read her books before, I suggest you start now. If you have and you are keenly awaiting the next one, you will NOT be disappointed. Roll on the next one!

Lost Angel by Mandasue Heller

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My Rating: 5/5

I have read all of Mandasue Heller’s books and would definitely consider myself a fan. Having said that I haven’t loved every book, it almost seems like I either love it or just don’t like it at all. Her last book The Driver I seemed to struggle with

but the previous book Two-Faced I loved. With all that in mind I was excited to read her new book but apprehensive to see whether I would like it. Many people over the last few years have compared her to the likes of Martina Cole and this book just proves that she is in my opinion better than Martina Cole.

Johnny Conroy is a young lad who is typically enjoying life and when he meets Ruth Hynes he takes his chances. What he doesn’t account for is that the infamous hard man Frankie Hynes daughter will fall pregnant. Before he knows it he is part of the Hynes lives and is married with a baby on the way.

The first portion of the book is like Mandasue’s early books and was absolutely brilliant. We meet Ruth and her parents Frankie and Rita. Johnny, for all his faults, is a great character and before long you can’t help feeling sorry for his sudden immersion into Frankie Hyne’s business and his gloomy marriage to Ruth.

The book moves on over the years and in total we see Johnny’s life over twenty years. There was something easy to read about the way it was written and we see enough of what goes on in blocks of time, to make you feel like you are moving in time along with the family.

Johnny’s daughter Angel comes along and becomes the light of Johnny’s life and all the time he is constantly progressing and improving the family business. Along the way we see Johnny’s friend Dave and Ruth’s cousin Lisa integrate themselves into the story making for some extra added story threads. Before long the book moves us into Angel’s younger years before finally arriving at her teenage years where she becomes involved with one of Johnny’s workers Ryan.

That in itself causes major problems and before long it seems like they have all come full circle. The book had me reading well into the night and when I finally got to the climax of the story well into the early hours I was blown away.

The book itself was what I would describe as old school Mandasue and was so easy and enjoyable to read. What I didn’t account for was the shocking twist at the end that had me reading on in disbelief. I can honestly say that this is one of her best and is an absolute corker of a read. All those Mandasue Heller fans will certainly not be disappointed as we see her make a return to her brilliant skills as an absolutely exceptional writer. This one is certainly a book you will want to get your hands on as soon as it’s released and I for one recommend it highly.

A Walk In The Park by Jill Mansell

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My Rating: 5/5

Another year has passed since I read one of Jill’s books and I was so looking forward to her new one. I got mine in the post and realised that it was in usual Mansell style a reasonable sized book with over 400 pages and a gorgeous cover inviting me to start reading! Within the first four chapters I realised that my plans for the evening were finished. There would be no cooking or cleaning done, all that would happen is that traipse back and forth to the kettle whilst still reading the book.

Lara Carson starts the story off with a bang. She left her town at 16 and following events that unfolded has now decided to move back and start over. At the same time, her old friend Evie is getting ready to marry her man Joel. However, within the first quarter of the book, both women are up to their eyes in drama.

It is quite hard to review a book without giving away a lot of the story but all I will say about the storyline is that it certainly won’t disappoint. It had a lot going on and kept me on tenterhooks all the way through. As for the characters, this is what Jill Mansell does best. Lara and Evie were lovely women and you warm to both of them right away. In addition to them there is an eclectic and interesting bunch of people that all feature heavily in the story.

Gigi was an adorable character and actually reminded me of somebody I know. We meet Lara’s aunt Nettie, Don who owns jewellery shop in Bath and superstar rapper Enjay Seven. Like I said before the storyline I can’t mention but what I can say is that the scenes between Enjay and Harry had me laughing out loud. My favourite character (and a pretty central one too) was Flynn. He sounds like a truly wonderful bloke and I kept my fingers crossed that things worked out how I wanted the whole way through the book.

Overall this book is one of the best Jill Mansell has written and I loved every bit of it. Having read it in under a day I can only say that I suggest you get yourself a copy and settle yourself in for the night with a hot cuppa and a duvet. What better way to spend an evening? This book is a true testament to why Jill Mansell has been a successful author for twenty years. As for myself, I will settle back and wait another long year for the next one.

Horse Play by Jo Carnegie

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My Rating: 5/5

Jo Carnegie has written a fantastic series of books set in Churchminster. I have enjoyed them all but her last book Dirty Tricks was an absolute corker. I was looking forward to the release of Horse Play. At a meaty 608 pages I certainly had something to get my teeth in to.

As usual with the Churchminster books you see the familiar faces that have appeared in the other books. Although that is the case, you certainly don’t have top read the others and this could be read as a stand alone book. Although that may be the case, I just love the fact that with each book comes another part of Churchminster’s life and we see members of the village and what is going on in their lives.

This books main star of the show was a new face in the form of Kizzy. She works for Angie and Fred (who feature in other books) and is trying to crack her burning ambition of becoming a successful female jockey. Angie and Fred have a horse called Nobby that Kizzy rides along with Edward who comes onto the scene a little later on.

In addition to Kizzy some of my favourite characters all make an appearance along with Caro and Benedict who have another part of the storyline along with Caro’s despicable ex-husband Sebastian. There is also the appearance of other villagers such as Camilla and Jed and Granny Clem. Along with those my absolutely favourite character of all is Calypso, sisters to Caro and Camilla. She has the best attitude ever and some of her sayings are absolutely hilarious. She takes up a slice of the pie as she tries to work out whether or not to go back to London to try and make her events business even more successful.

The story starts with quite a few hairy moments in the beginning and after a couple of chapters I realised that Jo Carnegie had set me up for another bumper read. After a little while we see the sexy Javier, a former Olympic dressage rider, come into the story. The story itself is heart warming, funny and at times as steamy as hell. It had me gripped from start to finish and I truly didn’t want it to end. One particular moment feasturing Caro and a trip to see her son’s teacher had me laughing out loud and cringeing at the same time!

The characters draw you in until you love them or loathe them and the village life certainly hasn’t got any quieter in the case of Churchminster. Two other characters that made this book for me are Caro and Benedict’s new neighbours Baz and Cheryl. They were fantastic and had me giggling at every appearance. The story has lots going on and I would love to live in a place like this where there is drama at every corner!

I was truly sad to finish the book and thought it may well be the best yet in the series. I can only hope that the next book comes along sooner than expected as I don’t know if I can wait another year to catch up with what I now consider old friends!