Tag: RATED 5/5

The Making of Us by Lisa Jewell

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My Rating: 5/5

Wow, what can I say? This was an absolutely brilliant book and not what I expected at all. This is a totally original story, with wonderful characters and as usual first class writing. Lisa Jewell is showing the world what she is made of that’s for sure!

When I received the book I was looking forward to reading it and the cover with it’s bright turquoise colours looked as usual very appealing. Lydia, Robyn and Dean are the glue that holds this story together along with their anonymous sperm donor father Daniel.

We are introduced to each of the characters in turn and learn their current situation as well as a little of each of their pasts. The story was unhurried but not slow, it gives the reader time to get a real feel for each of these people and how their lives have been affected by being the result of a sperm donor as a father.

The character Lydia was the first we meet and as we see her wealth and personal success we also see the downside to her life and the way in which she deals with the problems she faces. Lydia seems to be the catalyst for the others joining in the story and slowly we meet young Robyn who seems to have it all but knows there is something missing. Lastly we meet Dean whose life seems to be one big train wreck, and although he isn’t making smart choices I loved his character.

By the time you are over halfway through the book you are rooting for all of them involved as you feel like you are taking the journey that links their pasts with them. I read this book in a day and a half and though it was absolutely brilliant.

It isn’t your typical `chick lit’ story but Lisa Jewell’s brilliant writing style shines through as ever and she has an edge of humour even amongst the sadness. This certainly wasn’t what I expected but I have to say it equated to so much more in my eyes. Lisa Jewell has produced a very touching story with loveable characters and has introduced an original storyline to boot.

Even though this may not seem like her sort of book, trust me it’s even better and well worth picking up to read, highly recommended!!!

Fame by Tilly Bagshawe

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My Rating: 5/5

The first Tilly Bagshawe book I read was her last release entitled Scandalous. As a lover of all chick lit type books it was right up my street. I have to be honest and say that I was really looking forward to this latest release and was excited to receive it a few days ago.

At 560 pages it looked an average size book and the cover had a rather slender and glamorous woman posing on a sun lounger, it looked like just my kind of book. Thankfully as soon as you start reading you are drawn into the fabulous world of the stars in the book. Sabrina Leon is the first character we meet and she is sassy, strong and has a very big mouth. Of course I instantly liked her!

We also meet the rather handsome but slightly brooding Viorel who is also an actor looking for his next big part. Dorian Razmirez is the glue that bonds them all together. With his rival Director Harry Greene snapping at his ankles, Dorian is determined to get his new film off the ground with the stars he thinks will make or break his movie.

Tish Crewe is a woman that runs her own orphanage in Romania and is called back home to England to try and salvage the family home that her brother now owns. With her brother off gallivanting Tish decides to take her son Abel and stay the summer back at Loxley Hall and try to repair and salvage what is left of the beautiful stately home that has been in her family for many years.

As the movie Dorian is making coincides with Tish’s life, the fireworks really begin. I literally couldn’t put this book down. You could almost feel the tension, tantrums and inevitable upheaval between the characters coming. The characters were all written so well that I liked each of them for various reasons and although none of them were perfect they all had redeeming qualities.

The story itself flits back between the LA, the countryside of beautiful Derbyshire in England and Romania. That in itself always gave the reader a different setting to be absorbing yourself in. There is certainly no lack of drama in this book and although, as in most chick lit books, it can seem obvious who ends up with whom, there was an element of doubt until the final few chapters which made it much more enjoyable.

As usual you get the awful characters thrown in which readers will no doubt love to loathe such as Harry Greene and Dorian’s wife Chrissie. The story was well put together and flowed so easily, it truly was a very enjoyable read. I would highly recommend this to anybody that likes this genre and I am really looking forward to her next release.

Dirty Tricks by Jo Carnegie

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My Rating: 5/5

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fighting Dirty by June Hampson (Daisy Lane #6)

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My Rating: 5/5

Kat’s Review: June Hampson started the series of Daisy Lane books with her debut novel Trust Nobody in 2006. The book features Daisy Lane in the early nineteen sixties. June Hampson was born in Gosport and this is the setting for her books. When I first read the debut book I was blown away. It was a refreshing change to read this type of book set in the sixties. I was hooked and have read each and every book since then. This current book is release number 6 in the series.

The series itself has remained pretty strong throughout. My last review of her previous novel wasn’t as good as others. The beauty of this series of books is that we travel through the years following Daisy and her friends and family. In doing this each book is that bit further along and more and more things are happening in her life as she gets older. In her last book Jail Bait, I felt that the story was good but maybe Daisy Lane was slowing down and I really wanted to see more of her elder son Eddie Lane. I couldn’t help but feel that some of the sparkle was missing from some of the characters that had shone through in her earlier books.

With this latest release it seems my wishes came true. Daisy Lane and her good friend Vera are certainly back in the picture and they have their `mojo’ back. They are indeed a major part of the storyline, but so too is Eddie, Daisy’s eldest son who is now a young man. After a stretch in prison good guy Eddie wants to get back to work. The only problem is that people treat him differently because of Roy. Roy is Daisy’s long time partner who also happens to be a top London gangster. Roy is like a father to Eddie and although Eddie has enormous respect for him, he wants to make it on his own.

As Eddie is making his plans, Daisy and Vera notice a young runaway boy with some awful bruises. This along with rumours of a friend’s lad arriving home with bruises makes them both suspicious. Daisy and Vera are determined to find out what is going on with these young lads and their bruised faces, but they don’t realise just how dangerous it could be as well as the fact that the truth may well be more devastating than they could imagine.

Vera, who in the first few books I took to my heart wasn’t that much of herself in the last book. In this book she is back but with her own troubles and worries. It was nice to see her back to form but also with a big dose of reality on her plate too. The story is set around the family and their friends and we get to see each person’s situation in the story which keeps it interesting right the way through. Daisy’s youngest son (as I mentioned in my last review of Jail Bait) is like the devil child and in this book he is no different. He is a despicable creature who is quite frankly a horrible character.

This book held my interest much more than the last as there are newer elements to the story along with characters such as Eddie’s girlfriend Summer, as well as Eddie and Jamie’s younger sister Gyp, whose father is none other than Roy. The young boys storyline was slightly different and maybe reminiscent of the era being the early eighties and it was quite nostalgic with the references to that period of time (makes me feel old!). The book flew by and I couldn’t quite believe that it was finished and I have to wait for the next one.

The story is a lot more fast paced than the last and the characters all seem to have their own brand of magic back. The ending wasn’t maybe what I expected but is certainly another good opener for the next book. The beauty of this sort of series is that the author has made sure that she moves the characters along in time and introduces new elements which I loved. I finished this with a feeling of satisfaction and realised just why I liked June Hampson so much in the first place. June Hampson along with the likes of Mandasue Heller, Kimberley Chambers and Dreda Say Mitchell just show that our British women are first class at producing top notch crime fiction. Highly recommended although I would suggest you start at the beginning.

Love You More by Lisa Gardner (DD Warren #5)

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My Rating: 5/5

 Lisa Gardner’s release prior to this one was entitled `Live To Tell’ and if I am being 100% honest it wasn’t my favourite of her books. There was a certain element of `supernatural’ to that book and it just didn’t sit right with me. Thankfully, she has returned to her former glory of producing a fantastic crime novel featuring DD Warren.

DD Warren is featured in a series of books and this latest book is number 5 in the series. Detective D.D Warren is a very headstrong woman working in a predominantly male environment. She is a tough, no-nonsense woman who seems to fluctuate between doing the right thing the legal way, and doing the right thing the illegal way. In the last book Live to Tell it seemed like DD had become this sex-starved workaholic. There was a certain element of believability about it but it seemed a little harsh for even her to become that bad. In this latest book she seems to have finally settled back to her normal self, with thankfully a man on the horizon. As well as DD being part of a murder case and missing child’s case, she also has her own personal issues to tackle which make for a great thread which can be continued on to the next book.

DD is paired up with her ex-loved Bobby Dodge on a strange murder case. Brian Darby is found dead on his kitchen floor. His wife Tessa Leoni is a state police trooper and is claiming to have shot him in self-defence. It should be a simple self-defence case but Tessa’s six year old daughter Sophie is missing. DD and Bobby soon become aware that this case is a little out of the ordinary. They are also aware that with a 6 year old child missing the clock is ticking.

Tessa has her own secrets and as such you see and hear from her as her story begins with walking into her kitchen that fateful night. Lisa Gardner has produced an outstanding book. Tessa is absolutely brilliant and you understand that this is written with the sheer though of how far you would go for your child.

The story is set into two parts that of DD and Bobby chasing the murder trail and Tessa trying to keep one step ahead the whole time. As usual I started out at a relatively sedate pace but soon couldn’t help but keep reading. The ending came as a shock (which is always nice) and as Lisa Gardner is famous for, her crime scene descriptions and gruesome murders are very descriptive. Set in harsh Boston winter I felt like I was literally running behind them ain the snow, this book was an absolute corker and I was so pleased that the author has also given us the added bonus of a new dimension for the character for the next book.

This is a brilliant book which I loved and I cannot imagine any crime fan not enjoying it. Fast paced, with lots of twists in the plot, it never stands still for a minute. Get out there and grab yourself a copy! 

The Traitor by Kimberley Chambers (Mitchell/O’Hara #2)

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My Rating: 5/5

My, oh my! Considering that I only discovered KC a mere 3 months ago, I have managed to read all of her books including the latest release, the second in the trilogy of the Mitchell and O’Hara families. The upside to this is I have discovered a wonderful writer who has produced 5 absolute top notch books; however the downside is that I now have to wait a few months until the final part of the trilogy is released.

We pick up from where we left off with the Mitchell family in tatters. After Eddie Mitchell accidently killed his wife instead of Jed O’Hara he confesses and is awaiting his verdict. Frankie meanwhile is determined to make a go of it with Jed and is living with him and their children. Frankie’s twin Joey is in his own relationship and is steering well clear of the family as he can’t deal with all the upheaval. Seeing as I read part one so recently the characters were still fresh in my mind, but even if there had been a long gap, you can’t fail to remember these feisty families. KC has the knack of creating some real charmers in her books, and Jed has to be the worst yet. I detested him and his family but I like nothing more that loving or loathing characters, it’s the sign of a great writer.

Not only do we meet both the Mitchell and O’Hara family again but we get to see the lives they are all living and what they are all up to, especially where the family business is concerned. As usual we are thrown in at the deep end with all of them and that includes the family feud still slowly simmering away. Frankie and Joey are now grown up and I loved the fact that we got to see a lot more of their personalities. The plot itself is a continuation from the first book, although if you picked this up first by mistake it wouldn’t make that much of a difference as you get quite a bit of background too. Having said that I always think the first part gives you the ability to build the characters up and have a bit of history on them. The plot is as fast and nail bitingly exciting as the last one, if not more.

I almost dragged the last few chapters out because I didn’t want to finish the book as I knew I had a long wait until the next one. For those that read my reviews regularly you have heard it all before. For those that haven’t I will say it again. If you haven’t read Kimberley Chambers then I suggest you start….RIGHT NOW! Once again KC you have produced a first rate book and you truly are a fabulous author, just keep `em coming girl!

The Feud by Kimberley Chambers (Mitchell/O’Hara #1)

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My Rating: 5/5

Apologies for the length of this review but when a book comes along that is perfect, I feel the need to tell everybody about it. Shockingly, I had not even heard of Kimberley Chambers and only read her first book in October 2010. After reading the first one I realised that I may well have stumbled across a new talent that I feel is fast approaching the title Queen of Crime in the UK. After devouring the first I read her second and third book in quick succession. Her fourth book (this one), is the start of a trilogy featuring the Mitchell and O’Hara family.

As usual her breakneck speed of drawing you in takes you by surprise. We meet the Mitchell clan with the father Harry as the head of the family and his three sons Eddie, Paulie and Ronny. Kimberley Chambers has a fantastic style of writing where she spreads the book over the years without it being too little or too much. You see chunks of their lives as the year’s progress and she gets the balance absolutely spot on. The book starts in the seventies and progresses through to the late eighties. The Mitchell family have always had a long running feud with the O’Hara’s and as Harry decides to take a back seat he looks to Eddie to tale over his criminal empire.

Eddie is a fantastic character and he is everything you would expect and underworld gangster to be. He is fearless, ruthless and fiercely loyal. When he meets and marries the young Jessica, her family aren’t that keen but are aware they have no say in the matter. Over the years we see Jessica and Eddie have twins of their own Frankie and Joey. We see them not only as young children but later on as teenagers too. The main characters of the story are Jessica and Eddie and we see what it is really like for a woman being married to a man so high up in the underworld. We also see and learn a lot about Jessica’s parents Joyce and Stanley, her brother Raymond as well as he twins Frankie and Joey.

The story itself gives great background to why the feud started and what has happened to keep it at bay. As the chapters speed along we meet the O’Hara’s and see the two families interact. As time, and chapters, go by we see the feud start up again and the reasons why. The story itself doesn’t let up pace at all and just rushes towards a huge climax at the end of the book. I was shocked by the turn of results at the end and realise that this has ended well. Kimberley Chambers had finished and answered half the questions regarding the families, but has left it that I have so many more about what is to come.

The writing as usual is gritty and realistic with violence and language being a staple ingredient. If either of these things offends you, then maybe this wouldn’t be to your taste. For me, it just makes it so real and I literally could NOT stop reading. I started this last night and finished it this morning. The only negative is that I have to wait until the second installment is delivered to my door before I can get stuck in and find out what happens next. This particular book has had 33 customer reviews, and 32 of those rated it as 5 stars, that you won’t see very often!

Having only discovered KC as an author a mere 3 months ago, I am shocked that she is not more popular. I for one cannot believe that more people do not know about her. The friends that I have handed her books to are now as addicted as I am. Kimberley Chambers is certainly the BEST British crime writer I have discovered this year. Comparing her to Martina Cole is an insult to the standard of Kimberley Chamber’s books. As an ex- Martina Cole fan I can honestly say that Ms Cole should learn a thing or two by maybe picking up one of KC’s books.

The Betrayer by Kimberley Chambers

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My Rating: 5/5

Maureen Hutton lives on a council estate in the East End of London with her three children. Her husband was a waste of time alcoholic who never helped her and she has had to go it alone ever since. Maureen’s life over four decades sees the ups and downs of her family’s life. Unfortunately when she is told a secret that may tear her family apart she has no choice but to get rid of the betrayer before it is too late.

Okay first off, what planet have I been on? Why on earth I haven’t picked up a Kimberley Chambers book I do not know. What I do know is that every book she has written I have now ordered and I have no intention on missing out on her future releases.

Kimberley Chambers has written a book that reminded me of the first book I read by Martina Cole. Her style is something of a slap in the face. It’s hardcore reality and immerses you from page one. I actually picked this book up because of the rave reviews here on Amazon. Of each of her 5 books, none of them have rated less than 4.5 out 5 stars ranging from a minimum of 9 reviews up to way over the 30’s. This alone was enough to grab my attention. I randomly decided to choose The Betrayer as it had a whopping 15 reviews rating it as 5 star. Thankfully, all 15 people were right!

The book itself starts off by introducing us to Maureen Hutton in 1975. We meet her three children, Tommy the eldest son, Susan the middle daughter and her youngest son James. Living on a council estate in the east end of London in the seventies is difficult for anybody, but for Maureen it is all she knows.

Her children are all completely different and we watch as each of their lives revolves around decisions they did or didn’t make when they were younger. No matter what happens to them they can always rely on their Mum. The story picks up pace from the word go and we see Maureen’s eldest son Tommy make a choice that affects the rest of his life and that of his family. It sets the precedent for their futures and as usual Maureen is the glue that holds them all together.

Kimberley Chambers has an uncanny knack of making you feel like you are living their lives alongside them. The characters she created makes for real emotion towards each one and by around chapter five I had an intense loathing for Tommy Hutton. As the years progress we see her children grown up and break away from Maureen all doing their own thing. Some of their lives they keep secret from her for fear of upsetting her. Maureen’s daughter is also somebody that I instantly disliked although James, the youngest son I fell in love with.

The story itself immerses you into a world where drug addiction, the underworld and dysfunctional families is all part and parcel of everyday life. If you are easily offended then you may not like the language in this book but for me it is what makes it all the more real. There is no hiding from the reality of being brought up the way the Hutton’s were and everybody’d secrets get dragged out over time. I love the fact that the story was set over four decades and this just made the reality set in even further. I almost had a longing to find out what was going to happen and was annoyed that I couldn’t read faster.

Kimberley Chambers is genius and has produced a top notch book that Martina Cole and Mandasue Heller fans will love. She is certainly creating her niche and in my opinion is one her way to fighting for the crown of the best female crime writer around! If I was you and you haven’t heard or read Kimberley Chambers before, I suggest you start right now. Trust me, if you don’t you may well regret it.

American Devil by Oliver Stark (Harper and Levene #1)

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My Rating: 5/5

Synopsis: The Killer has entitled his masterpiece The Progression of Love. All he needs is 7 beautiful women. He is a violent killer who is preying on the young and beautiful women of New York. Detective Tom Harper is currently on suspension after hitting a superior. However, the NYPD feel that he is their best chance of catching the killer. He is taken back on the case on the proviso that he seeks therapy from psychologist Denise Levene. The NYPD have to hope that as unpredictable as he is, that he won’t fall apart or ruin their case as they must catch the killer before he completes his mission.

My Review: Oliver Stark…where have you been hiding? I am a typical Crime and Thriller fan and read through numerous books a month. Yep I have my favourites and the typical series of characters I typically return to such as Alex Cross and Roy Grace. Mr Stark has just upped the ante.

When I got the book I realised that it was a pretty hefty read at 576 pages, but as usual, didn’t allow that to put me off. I started the book and was instantly drawn into the sheer violence of the lunatic killer. Yes there are hundreds of crime writers who churn out books about serial killers but there was something different about this book.

First off the characters were incredibly strong but not contrived. The lead character Tom Harper has a lot of issues which make him a great lead. However, although he has a number of attributes that other famous characters have, such as having an issue with authority, Oliver Stark somehow made him completely unique. Tom Harper has a serious chip on his shoulder but that doesn’t stop him from being a great copper. He isn’t the typical one man band who solves everything and is God’s answer top the best Detective, and the story shows that great team work in involved.

We are also soon introduced to Denise Levene who is the psychologist treating Tom. She is also a very strong character but comes across as a well balanced but intelligent woman. Somehow in many books with a lead female, some of the women are made out to be overly macho or pathetically weak, but here the balance was perfect.

The story itself can seem in the beginning a little slow but as you read on you become more and more hooked with the story developing quickly and the killer becoming more and more brazen as time goes on. I love the fact that many mistakes are made, and that the killer is openly challenging the police.

As the story progresses, the pace increases and I found myself turning pages at the speed of lightning. This debut novel is outstanding and by far the best debut I’ve had the pleasure of reading all year. There is a lot of detail involving the crime scenes, forensics and police procedure so not for the faint hearted.

Patricia Cornwell used to be one of my favourite authors however I gave up the ghost last year and no longer read her work. This book reminded me of the type of work Cornwell produced in the early years. I cannot recommend this highly enough and would recommend it to people who are a fan of this genre. All I need to do now is impatiently wait for instalment 2!

Kiss Heaven Goodbye by Tasmina Perry

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My Rating: 5/5

As usual when I receive a Tasmina Perry book I prepare myself for the sheer weight of it as all four of her previous novels have been hefty. This current one was no different and I was eager to get started.

We meet four very different characters in this story that will sway your perception of them very early on. Miles and Grace Ashford are brother and sister and could not be more different. They are spending their summer on their parent’s private island and have both come to enjoy the summer. Miles has brought his friend Alex Doyle along who is almost like the class geek, but they have somehow become firm friends. Along with Alex is Sasha Sinclair who is currently dating Miles and has her eye on becoming the future Mrs Ashford.

The book is written in stages and we see the story from that first summer in 1990 where all four of them become part of a dark secret that they will all carry with them. Each of them goes their separate ways and the book progresses with each of them over the next twenty years bring us to the finale set in 2010.

As usual Tasmina Perry has surpassed my expectations and produced a first class book which is everything you want from a great Chick Lit novel. The story itself was so well written with the progressing years for each character. We see snippets of each of their lives and how their successes are affecting each of them. Their lives cross many times over the years and that dark secret is the cause of pain and suffering for all of them in one sense or another.

The characters are written with such insight and I found myself loving Alex and Grace almost as much as I disliked Miles and Sasha. The story was a great pace and each little nugget of information relating to the past kept me curious about the original incident until the very end of the book.

Although the story is considered Chick Lit, I loved the fact that there was a very dark side to both the story and characters. There was also a very surprising twist at the end which was very discreetly hidden and made perfect sense once the story was complete.

Although this book was hefty I devoured it over a day and a half. All the key ingredients for a great chick lit book were in here, glamour, tragedy, success, power and sex. Yet again Tasmina Perry has produced an absolutely brilliant book and right now I cannot think of many authors that write as well as her consistently. Each of her 4 previous books has rated no less than 4 stars on Amazon and in my opinion that rating is well and truly deserved. If you have never heard of her and like this genre of book I cannot recommend her highly enough.