Monday 14 December 2015

A Wedding at Christmas - Chrissie Manby

"What comes to mind when you picture a wedding at Christmas? A gorgeous white dress accessorised with a thick velvet cape... bridesmaids in red velvet too? An arch of Christmas greenery: holly and ivy and boughs of fir. Candles and fairy lights. Snow!
Chelsea Benson has just twelve weeks to organise her perfect winter wedding. Her family and friends pitch in to help, but sisterly squabbling, issues with money and an Ice-Queen mother-in-law soon threaten Chelsea's plans for her big day. And that's without the firework fiasco...
Rescuing Chelsea's dream of a proper family wedding might just take all the magic of Christmas..."



Oh, I love The Bensons SO MUCH *sigh*. I have been hooked on Chrissie Manby's "Proper Family" series from the word go, and this was just as wonderful as the other books in the series. They are a noisy, rowdy, emotional, NORMAL family and I think this is what the appeal is to readers - a reader can relate to each of the characters - we all know a Ronnie, lots of us have a Grandad Bill figure in our lives, and every character, although flawed, is irresistibly down to earth.

This book focuses on a wedding in the family, but being typical Bensons nothing seems to go as planned. It kept me laughing all the way through, with the various escapades that occur throughout, but this time I found the story line a lot more emotional than previous books. Whether it is just the events that take place, or whether I am just ridiculously attached to the entire Benson family, I did find myself bawling in places - there are some heartbreaking scenes, that really touched me.

A wonderful read, perfect to curl up with in front of the fire. Please, Chrissie, don't let this be the last we hear from the Bensons!



A Wedding at Christmas is out now and you can get it here:




**My thanks to the publisher for my ARC**

Thursday 10 December 2015

**TOP 2015** A Little Recap...

So, I think it's fair to say that 2015 has been an amazing year. For me personally, it has been BEYOND brilliant - I've written a book and managed to secure myself a two book deal with Carina UK (out in March folks, but don't worry, I'm sure I'll remind you), I've met some fantastically talented authors (Lee Child! Peter James! Really!), made some lovely, supportive and brilliant friends (you know who you are) and most importantly I've read some CRACKING books. As everyone else is posting their Top Ten of the year, I've done mine slightly differently and picked a book from each month that I thought was pretty bloody top notch (but please bear in mind this is when I READ them, not when they were published, so some might be a bit older and some might not be out just yet). So here goes;

JANUARY

No Other Darkness by Sarah Hilary



A ridiculously good read, the next instalment of the Marnie Rome series was my pick for January. Unbelievably addictive, you can read my full review here: http://reading-room-with-a-view.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/no-other-darkness-sarah-hilary.html

FEBRUARY

Disclaimer by Renee Knight


With an unusual premise that I'd never come across before, and despite the mixed reviews that it received, I LOVED Disclaimer. It has an excellent twist, characters that cause the reader to swing wildly between loving and hating them, and I found it utterly brilliant. You can read my full review here: http://reading-room-with-a-view.blogspot.co.uk/2015_02_01_archive.html

MARCH

Soil by Jamie Kornegay

A Fargo-esque tale that had me hooked from the very beginning, Soil is a captivating read that had me spluttering with laughter in places, despite it's dark subject matter. Fine writing that gives a full on taste of the South. My full review is here: http://reading-room-with-a-view.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/soil-jamie-kornegay.html

APRIL

The Day We Disappeared by Lucy Robinson


To say that I gushed about this book when I read it is a *slight* understatement. I loved it. Really, seriously loved it. It's written so cleverly, and there is such an intriguing storyline that this was the first book this year that I loved so much I bought multiple copies and gave them away to people, just so they could have the full experience of the "PUNCH YOU DIRECTLY IN THE MOUTH" plot twist. Every single one of those people got full on punched-in-them-mouth by that twist. Amazing. Review here: http://reading-room-with-a-view.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/the-day-we-disappeared-lucy-robinson.html

MAY

Snowblind by Ragnar Jonasson




Beautifully written, with captivating characters and set in an exquisite landscape that was COMPLETELY brought to life, Ragnar Jonasson is a serious talent.  It must be good, if I have bought myself another copy, made EVERYONE in my family buy a copy, downloaded the audio copy and also booked a trip to Iceland off of the back of it - I think that tell you how much I loved it, right? Full (gushy) review here: http://reading-room-with-a-view.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/snowblind-ragnar-jonasson.html

JUNE

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman


To say that Ove stole my heart is an understatement. Crotchety and rude, feisty and grumpy Ove is one in a million. I didn't think at first that this would be my mind of read, but it ended up being one of those books that I went on to gush about (again), and I don't think anyone I know who has read it, hasn't fallen in love with Ove. Full review here: http://reading-room-with-a-view.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/a-man-called-ove-my-grandmother-sends.html

JULY

Blood Moon/Huntress Moon/Cold Moon by Alexandra Sokoloff


i was lucky enough to be sent the "Moon" series by Alex in exchange for honest reviews. These completely surpassed my expectations and I lost an entire weekend as I devoured them one after the other. If you haven't read them yet, I strongly recommend that you do!

AUGUST

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara


August was a totally emotional month, which saw me complete my first (I say first, more like third) draft of my book and so I celebrated by reading this. WOW. A compelling, addictive, emotional read that ripped the heart out of me, I probably would have been happier (read: not bawling my eyes out) treating myself to a bottle of wine and a tube of Pringles, this was an absolutely stunning read that stayed with me long after I finished. Totes emosh. Full review here: http://reading-room-with-a-view.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/a-little-life-hanya-yanagihara.html

SEPTEMBER

The Dark Inside by Rod Reynolds


Well, this book caused one of the gushiest reviews I've ever written. A fanastic plot line coupled with characters that are so real YOU CAN ACTUALLY HEAR THEM SPEAKING, Rod Reynolds is the kind of writer that makes me want to bash my head on the desk and wail, "WHYYYYY??? Why can't I do it like that??" A bloody marvellous read and I'm already jonesing for the next one. Full review here (warning: v gushy): http://reading-room-with-a-view.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/the-dark-inside-rod-reynolds.html

OCTOBER

In Bitter Chill by Sarah Ward

A lovely twisty, turny psychological thriller with some pretty horrid characters that slowly imprint on to the reader, so that I had no choice but to keep turning the pages, In Bitter Chill is a perfect winter read. With a style similar to Sophie Hannah, Sarah Ward has written a brilliant novel, another one on my growing list of books to push on to other people! Review here: http://reading-room-with-a-view.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/in-bitter-chill-sarah-ward.html

NOVEMBER

Girls On Fire by Robin Wasserman


Now, this isn't out till May 2016, so my review hasn't gone live BUT...I am ridiculously excited about this book. It is an EXCELLENT read, shocking, disturbing and downright addictive, I am convinced that everyone is going to be raving about this book in 6 months time. I know, because I am raving about it RIGHT NOW. Keep an eye out for the full review.

There are a few more contenders that I just couldn't squeeze in. 2015 has been an AMAZING year for books, so I have to give an honourable mention to the following:

I Let You Go - Clare Mackintosh
Normal - Graeme Cameron
No Name Lane - Howard Linskey
Tenacity by James Law
Names of The Dead - Mark Leggett

These are also BRILLIANT reads, and ones that I would urge you to add to your TBR.

Heres to the end of a brilliantly bookish year!

L x

Wednesday 9 December 2015

SUBJECT 375...AKA The Spider in the Corner of the Room - Nikki Owen

The Spider in the Corner of the Room was one of the best books of this year for me, so when I discovered that it had a new title and a new cover I was SO EXCITED to be a part of Team Spider - the new cover is BEAUTIFUL....




Nikki had this to say about the new cover and title change:

“You can’t be precious about these things as an author, precious about your title, your first cover. Because writing is about the readers, and if readers need to clearly know what genre your story is in, then you need to communicate that. That’s why Subject 375 as a new title and cover are so exciting for me – I get to talk directly to the reader through it. Awesome.” 

I think the new cover sums up the story inside BRILLIANTLY, and while I loved the original title, the new one is V snappy and sure to hook new readers.

BLURB

"What to believe
Who to betray
When to run…
Plastic surgeon Dr Maria Martinez has Asperger’s. Convicted of killing a priest, she is alone, in prison and has no memory of the murder.
DNA evidence places Maria at the scene of the crime, yet she claims she’s innocent. Then she starts to remember…
A strange room. Strange people. Being watched.
As Maria gets closer to the truth she is drawn into a web of international intrigue and must fight not only to clear her name but to remain alive."


And you can get your copy here: http://www.amazon.co.uk

Saturday 5 December 2015

A Night in with Marilyn Monroe - Lucy Holliday **Includes Extract!**

"After dating the hottest man on the planet, Dillon O’Hara, Libby Lomax has come back down to earth with a bump. Now she’s throwing herself into a new relationship and is determined to be a better friend to best pal, Ollie, as he launches his new restaurant.
Despite good intentions, Libby is hugely distracted when a newly reformed Dillon arrives back on the scene, more irresistible than ever. And when another unwelcome guest turns up on her battered sofa in the form of Marilyn Monroe, Libby would willingly bite her own arm off for a return to normality.
But while she hasn’t been watching, someone else has filled the Libby-shaped hole in Ollie’s life and she realises she could be about to lose something that means everything to her. Libby doubts that Marilyn is the right person to offer her advice, but perhaps she should listen up, before it’s too late…"


Having loved the first book in the series, A Night in with Audrey Hepburn, I was SO looking forward to this one and was super excited to be offered a review copy. It certainly didn't disappoint - Libby's life is just as chaotic was it was when we left her at the end of the previous book, if not more so, and I was only a few chapters in before it had me roaring with laughter. Bogdan the handyman/hairdresser makes a reappearance, alongside many other characters from the first book and it was lovely to catch up with them all again.
Although this is a follow on, it can easily be read as a standalone, but why would you want to do that? Both books in the series are highly enjoyable, and I would recommend that to get the FULL enjoyment of them both, you should read Audrey first. Libby is still a wonderful character, and I loved her justas much this time around as I did before. 
I know what I wanted to happen at the end of the novel - and it didn't - so I am just crossing my fingers that the third in the series, A Night in with Grace Kelly, is just as brilliant as this one!

Read on for an extract from the beginning of the book:

CHAPTER 1


It was a big moment, last night, when my grandmother knocked on the door of my hotel room and handed me this box containing about seventeen layers of tissue and, beneath them all, her wedding veil.
A massive moment, actually.
She’s not the most warm and fuzzy of grandmothers – nobody on Dad’s side is warm and fuzzy; in fact, come to think of it, nobody on Mum’s side is all that warm and fuzzy either – but I’ve always worshipped her a little bit. For her to hand down her wedding veil to me . . . not to any of Dad’s brothers’ daughters, but me . . . well, it makes me feel special. Which is nice, for a change.
And all right, it would have made me feel even more special if she hadn’t added, as she watched me open the box, ‘I’d give you my wedding dress, too, Libby, darling, but I’m afraid you don’t have quite the tiny waist I did when I wore it.’
But still. A big moment. A symbol of my super-glamorous grandmother’s esteem.

And then there’s the fact that it’s absolutely stunning.
Seriously, there’s no way you could find anything like this in any bridal shop across the land: hand-stitched, palest ivory lace, with a gauzy elbow-length piece to cover your face at the front and an almost ten-foot drop at the back. (Grandmother only got married in a small village church in her native Shropshire, but she was modelling her entire wedding ‘look’ on her movie idol, Grace Kelly, hence the dramatically long veil, carried up the aisle by her – eight – bridesmaids.) It makes me look stunning, and not just because the gauzy lace covering my face is the equivalent of smearing a camera lens with Vaseline to blur out imperfections. Something about the way the veil hangs, the way my hair is half pulled back to accom­modate it, the flattering ivory shade, perhaps . . . whatever the reason, I feel a bit ravishing, to be honest with you.
And now, looking soft-focus himself from behind all this lace, here comes Olly, striding towards me. He reaches out with both hands, folds back the veil so that he can see my face, and smiles down at me. His eyes look exceptionally soft, and he doesn’t speak for a moment.
‘What on earth,’ he says, when he finally speaks, ‘are you wearing this for?’
‘It’s Grandmother’s. She came round with it last night.’ I pull the veil back down, keen to retreat behind the Vaseline blur again, just for one blissful moment. ‘Does it suit me?’

‘Wonderfully. But – and don’t bite my head off here, Libby – don’t you think maybe you ought to stick to just a simple hat, or something? It isn’t your wedding, after all.’
‘I know that,’ I sigh. I steal one final glance at myself, a vision of Grace Kelly-esque (well, Grace Kelly-ish) bridal loveliness, in the full-length mirror in the corner of my hotel room. ‘And obviously I’m not going to wear this to Dad and Phoebe’s wedding. Though, to be fair, I don’t know if Phoebe could actually object – I mean, Grandmother did offer it to her for the day, and she turned it down . . .’
This doesn’t at all take the shine off Grandmother offering me the veil afterwards, by the way. I mean, all right, she was in a bit of a grump about her soon-to-be new daughter-in-law refusing to wear the veil because it would swamp her rather fabulous figure, but that wasn’t why she came to my room late last night and handed it over to me instead. She’d only have let Phoebe borrow it – her Something Borrowed for the day – whereas I’ve actually been bequeathed it . . . if that’s the right word to use when Grandmother is still very much alive.
‘Still,’ says Olly, with a grin, ‘I’m not sure if Phoebe would be all that thrilled at a guest turning up in a ten-foot lace veil on her wedding day. Especially not her new stepdaughter.’
I wince.

‘Sorry, sorry.’ He holds up both hands. ‘I know we’re not calling her your stepmum. My bad.’
Because it’s not as if I don’t have enough problems with the one actual mum I’ve already got. Not to mention the fact that Dad has never really been enough of a dad for me to call the woman he’s marrying my ‘stepmother’. Don’t get me wrong: I’ve got no objection to Phoebe whatsoever, who seemed a pleasant enough woman during the ten-minute chat we had when Olly and I arrived at the hotel last night. But I think we’ll all be much more comfortable, once today is over, if we just go back to being polite strangers, exchanging Christmas cards and the occasional text. Which, where Dad is concerned anyway, would be a massive improvement on the last twenty-odd years.
‘Anyway, we should probably be heading down to the orangery now, don’t you think?’ Olly asks as – a little bit reluctantly – I start detaching the veil from my hair and folding it back into its slim cardboard box. ‘I know your dad said it’s all very informal, but I doubt if that extends to us arriving after the bride and groom.’
‘Well, it’d be a bit ironic of Dad to suddenly start deploring lateness right now,’ I say, ‘given that he only remembered my eighteenth birthday two weeks after the event . . . but, you’re right. We should get going.’
I head back over to the mirror and look at our joint reflection. Now that I’ve taken the veil off, all I’m wearing is a cap-sleeved silk dress and matching suede heels that, both in charcoal grey, feel more wedding-appropriate

than my usual head-to-toe black. Olly is looking dapper, and astonishingly different from his normal self, in a dark blue suit, crisp white shirt and striped tie. It’s been ages since I’ve seen him in an outfit that wasn’t either chef’s whites or, ever since he started doing up his own restaurant a couple of months ago, a paint-spattered T-shirt and baggy jeans, so it’s a bit of a surprise to look at him now and remember how well he scrubs up.
‘Do we look all right?’ I ask, meeting his eyes in the mirror.
Olly studies us both for a moment.
‘I think we look pretty bloody good,’ he says, meeting my eyes in the mirror, too. ‘You in particular. I really like that dress.’
‘Thanks, Ol. Oh, and I apologize in advance,’ I say, linking my arm through his and starting to head for the door, grabbing my hat and bag and pashmina as we go, ‘if any of my relatives mistakenly think we’re a couple. I haven’t told them we are – I mean, I never see any of them from one decade to the next, obviously – but you know how people jump to conclusions . . .’
‘There’s no need to apologize.’
‘. . . and some of them might even remember you from when you came with me to my granddad’s funeral eleven years ago, so they’ll probably ask all kinds of questions about why we’re not married yet . . .’
‘Well, it would be a perfectly legitimate question. If we really had been together all those years, I mean.’

‘. . . but you should be able to fob them off easily enough without even having to tell them we’re just best friends. Shove a drink in most of their faces and they’ll forget they were even talking to you, anyway.’
‘Don’t worry, Lib. Fobbing off intrusive lines of ques­tioning from well-meaning relatives is pretty much a speciality of mine.’
And Olly holds open the door, impeccably mannered as always, for me to walk out ahead of him.
*
A Night in with Marilyn Monroe is out now and you can get it here:


**MY thanks to the publisher for my review copy**

Tuesday 1 December 2015

Lost Girls - Angela Marsons

"Two girls go missing. Only one will return.
The couple that offers the highest amount will see their daughter again. The losing couple will not. Make no mistake. One child will die.
When nine-year-old best friends Charlie and Amy disappear, two families are plunged into a living nightmare. A text message confirms the unthinkable; that the girls are the victims of a terrifying kidnapping.
And when a second text message pits the two families against each other for the life of their children, the clock starts ticking for D.I. Kim Stone and the squad.
Seemingly outwitted at every turn, as they uncover a trail of bodies, Stone realises that these ruthless killers might be the most deadly she has ever faced. And that their chances of bringing the girls home alive, are getting smaller by the hour…
Untangling a dark web of secrets from the families’ past might hold the key to solving this case. But can Kim stay alive long enough to do so? Or will someone’s child pay the ultimate price?"

I don't think any other author has shot to the top of my FAVOURITE AUTHOR list so quickly before. Angie took my breath away with her first novel, refused to give it back with her second and now, once again I have been left gasping by the sheer brilliance of Lost Girls.
A highly charged emotional read, that leaves the reader thinking what if?, this book takes the reader on a huge roller coaster ride - it's fast paced, tense and thrilling and exactly what we've come to expect from Angie, as readers. 
Kim Stone is as fantastic as ever - sharp and edgy, brave and feisty, she's definitely the one you want on your side. As a reader, I LOVE her - she's like the cool kid that everyone wants to be, but I love how Angie give her little quirks that make her human (like her inability to bake...but her determination to keep on trying!).
All I can say is: BRAVO Angie, you've done it again! Now, when can we expect Book 4?
Lost Girls is out now and you can get it here:
**My thanks to the publisher for my ARC**

Sunday 29 November 2015

**GUEST POST** Daniel Pembrey - Author of The Lion Hunter

Today I am VERY excited to be hosting Daniel Pembury, author of the wonderful short story The Lion Hunter. After meeting Daniel at a party earlier on this week I read The Lion Hunter over the weekend. This is an absolutely cracking read, one that evokes the sights and sounds of Africa transporting the reader to an exciting, exotic location. If you're looking for something a little bit different, then I highly recommend this short story! You can snatch up your copy here:


__________________________________________________________________________

Thank you for having me on Reading Room with a View, Lisa!

I love the name of your blog. It’s very outward looking, and makes me think of my favourite types of writing. I’m a big fan of crime fiction but I also love travel writing. Indeed, I like nothing more that to read (and write) stories with a strong sense of location.

I’ve just released a new adventure short story called The Lion Hunter, which I hope might make a good Xmas read! It was inspired by a combination of Cecil the lion and a recent trip I made to Tanzania. It’s about British newlyweds who meet a Texan trophy hunter at a remote game lodge; the lion hunting turns out to be less morally straightforward than the husband expects. I loved writing it, and I love the creature it’s based around (I’m a Leo!).



You can buy The Lion Hunter: A Short Adventure Story here if you live in the UK and here if you’re in the US …

Most of my published stories are set in Holland (one is set in Luxembourg). I started visiting Amsterdam eight years ago when my sister moved there with her husband, and was struck by the dearth of crime fiction set in the Dutch capital (in English translation). This surprised me, given that it’s one of northern Europe’s great port cities, lending itself so well to the genre. Then my sister and her husband had a baby daughter, and I ended up visiting more!


Working through a few plot points with my niece Saffron

I’ve also enjoyed the maverick cop stories of Michael Connelly, Ian Rankin and the Scandinavian masters such as the late Henning Mankell … So I set about creating a stoical Dutch police detective, Henk van der Pol, whose beat is in the atmospheric docklands area of Amsterdam. Indeed, I ended up moving there in 2014, to deepen my understanding of the story world (and consume Dubbelbock beer and jenever gin in De Druif!).



De Druif, or The Grape – my police detective’s local

I began writing the Harbour Master series in novella-length instalments – again, a story type I love to read – and was fortunate to have the first two books accepted as Kindle Singles (Amazon’s curated, short e-book programme). They sold well, the first one becoming the number one short story on Amazon UK, and this in turn got me picked up by a good agent – Kirsty McLachlan at David Godwin Associates. The book series just sold to No Exit Press and will be re-launched by them in 2016, which I’m very excited about.

Much as I feel at home in Amsterdam, I’m restless at heart and always looking for different places to write about (Berlin has been high on my list for a long while). And I always like to ask readers and writers: Which are the places that you are drawn towards? And of the books set there, which would you recommend?

Thank you for having me on Reading Room with a View!

Daniel is on Twitter https://twitter.com/DPemb and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DPembrey. His website is www.danielpembrey.com


Amazon US product page: www.amazon.com/dp/B0186DYH2Y/
Amazon UK product page: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0186DYH2Y/




Thursday 26 November 2015

House of Shadows - Nicola Cornick

"London, 1662:
There was something the Winter Queen needed to tell him. She fought for the strength to speak.
‘The crystal mirror is a danger. It must be destroyed – ‘
He replied instantly. ‘It will’. 
Ashdown, Oxfordshire, present day: Ben Ansell is researching his family tree when he disappears. As his sister Holly begins a desperate search, she finds herself inexplicably drawn to an ornate antique mirror and to the diary of Lavinia, a 19th century courtesan who was living at Ashdown House when it burned to the ground over 200 years ago.
Intrigued, and determined to find out more about the tragedy at Ashdown, Holly’s only hope is that uncovering the truth about the past will lead her to Ben."

I am a real history geek, so when I was offered an ARC of this book by the publisher I jumped at the chance. A cleverly constructed time-slip novel, telling the story of a crystal mirror set in the 1600's, 1800's and the present day, I was reminded of the likes of Barbara Erskine and Pamela Hartshorne. I was drawn in immediately by the plot line, and supported by good, strong characters - both likeable and not! - the story really hooks the reader from the beginning. 
The three separate storylines weave together well, and I really enjoyed the way the reader gains an insight into each of the women concerned - Elizabeth in the 1600's, Lavinia in the 1800's and Holly in the present day. Each woman is living in very different times, with different things expected of them and each slip in time could have felt isolated but the way the story is intricately woven together makes for a seamless, enjoyable read. I will definitely be on the look out for more by Nicola Cornick. 

House of Shadows is out now and you can get it here:

**Thanks to the publisher for my ARC**

Friday 20 November 2015

The Jazz Files - Fiona Veitch Smith

"Set in 1920, The Jazz Files introduces aspiring journalist Poppy Denby, who arrives in London to look after her ailing Aunt Dot, an infamous suffragette. Dot encourages Poppy to apply for a job at The Daily Globe, but on her first day a senior reporter is killed and Poppy is tasked with finishing his story. It involves the mysterious death of a suffragette seven years earlier, about which some powerful people would prefer that nothing be said...

Through her friend Delilah Marconi, Poppy is introduced to the giddy world of London in the Roaring Twenties, with its flappers, jazz clubs, and romance. Will she make it as an investigative journalist, in this fast-paced new city? And will she be able to unearth the truth before more people die?"



I really enjoyed this quirky little mystery novel - it's something  a little different from the usual crime/mystery/thriller stuff that is popping up lately, and is vaguely reminiscent of a good Agatha Christie.
I loved Poppy Denby - she is feisty without being over the top, throwing herself headfirst into her investigations, and she is very likeable. Fiona Veith Smith really brings the 20's to life in her writing, in particular her scenes written on the theatre scene at the time - and some of her characters are brilliantly despicable (if Alfie Dorchester doesn't make you cringe a little, I don't know who will!) 
If you're looking for something a little bit different, a little bit quirky and with some very large characters I highly recommend The Jazz Files - and the good news is, it seems that Poppy Denby will be out on another adventure very soon!

The Jazz Files is out now and you can get it here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk

**My thanks to the publisher for my ARC**

Wednesday 18 November 2015

Meet me in Manhattan - Claudia Carroll

"In a New York minute, everything can change …
You don’t mess with aspiring journalist Holly Johnson! The man she fell for is not all that he seems – because sometimes dating online doesn’t quite go to plan. She’s decided to fly to the Big Apple to surprise him and to get some answers. And if her plan works she’ll also get the scoop of her career …
But as she steps out of her yellow taxi and the first snowflakes start to fall, it’s Holly who has the surprise of her life.
What should be a dream come true is looking a little like a nightmare. But Holly is determined to get her New York happy ending!"


This is such a lovely read - and perfect as it's just in time for Christmas! A lovely, warm chick lit novel, with very likeable characters and a slightly unusual plot. This isn't your average boy-meets-girl chick lit story - I loved the plot, which although it was fairly slow to start with, it soon took off and had me racing through the pages. 
I LOVED Holly - she is so likeable and easy to relate to, I could easily imagine being friends with her. I was rooting for her to find her happy-ever-after, and was totally sucked in to her scheme of heading to New York to catch her catfish. The other characters are also easy to relate to - although some are more likeable than others! - and there are some brilliant emotional scenes between the characters that really add to the storyline. 

A really enjoyable read, one that has got me set up for more Christmas reads - it is nearly that time after all!

Meet Me in Manhattan is out on 5th November and you can get it here:


**My thanks to the publisher for my ARC**


Tuesday 17 November 2015

Mistletoe and Mayhem - Catherine Ferguson **BLOGGER/AVON CRAFTY CHALLENGE!**

"Lola Plumpton can’t believe her luck.

Christmas is coming and her gorgeous boyfriend, Nathan has offered up his swanky apartment to host the Plumpton family’s festive celebrations. It looks set to be a Christmas to remember. And it is – but for all the wrong reasons.

As the 25th December draws closer, Lola unexpectedly finds herself missing some key components:

1. A job (but who needs one of those anyway, when you’ve got the ultimate family Christmas to prepare for?)
2. Money (no job equals no money, it turns out.)
3. A boyfriend (yup, Nathan the hunk has said adios to Lola – and in the *most* embarrassing way possible…)
4. Somewhere to host her fabulous family Christmas (because of course, no Nathan means no des res apartment.)

Lola’s at a loss about what to do. But one way or another, she’s going to make this the happiest Christmas her family’s ever had…"


Eeeek! Christmas is coming! This is my first Christmas novel of the year and I LOVED it - funny and festive, I fell in love with Lola and her slightly ridiculous life. Everything seems to fall apart for poor Lola, but she perseveres and that was one of the things I loved about her. Supporting characters in the book were also brilliant - there were some really lovely people in Lola's life, easy to relate to, lovely kind hearted people, perfect for a Christmas story!
This was the first novel of Catherine Ferguson's that I have read, but I will definitely be catching up on her others. 
Tied in to this review was the challenge brought by the Avon team - the book has a fair few Christmassy craft recipes and ideas in it, so us bloggers were challenged to take on the Avon team in re-creating some of them. I opted for the Rocky Road - hoping that bringing my secret weapon into play (my 11 year old daughter, Izzy) would be enough to win!

Rocky Road

We spent a lovely Sunday morning getting covered in chocolate and smashing up biscuits ready for our Rocky Road...



It was so easy to make (and hopefully we weren't going to poison anyone....)


Once everything was mixed together, and it was smoothed out nicely into the tray we popped it in the fridge for the rest of the day...


And this was the finished article! Slightly wonky on the edges (we were going for the country-style, rustic look) and probably cut into pieces that were far too big, it was DELICIOUS and lasted approximately 10.649 seconds. Bring it on Avon Team - lets see if you can do it better! 

Mistletoe and Mayhem is out now (currently at the bargain price of 99p) and you can get it here:


**My thanks to Helena at Avon for my ARC - and the lovely Rocky Road recipe!**

Thursday 12 November 2015

The 'Meet Cute' Series - Katey Lovell

Today I am lucky enough to host a guest post from Katey Lovell - the author of the 'Meet Cute' series. Katey is one of the first bloggers I met in person, and she is a DIAMOND, so I was super pleased for her when she announced that her short stories were going to be published by Harper Impulse. I've read the first - The Boy in the Book Shop - and it is a deliciously romantic bite-sized read, that left me wanting to know more about the couple...do they date? Do they get married? Is he actually not a lovely, geeky, bookshop boy but something else entirely? Now I'm looking forward to all the other 'Meet Cute's in the series!




Bookshops. 
The most wonderful places on earth…
I’ve always been a complete and utter bookworm, so when I started writing The Meet Cute Series it seemed logical to use a bookshop as a setting for one of the stories.  People say authors should ‘write what they know’.  Well, I definitely know bookshops.  My bookcase can attest to that.
Beautiful Books is the second-hand bookstore where Jade, the protagonist in The Boy in the Bookshop, works, a slightly haphazard shop with boxes of books on the street outside ready for browsers to rummage through and shelves crammed with preloved tomes.  It’s disorganised, but that only adds to the charm of the place.  It has low ceilings, a counter which is too big for the space and the inventory is kept on a basic spreadsheet.  Overall, it’s a cosy, friendly place where bibliophiles can while away their time without being badgered by staff.
Beautiful Books isn’t based on one specific bookshop, but I did draw on my own (vast) experience of second-hand book shopping when writing the story.  When I first moved to Sheffield in the late 90s I was a poor student and I almost never bought new books.  Fortunately, I lived near the Sharrowvale Road area where there were numerous charity shops and a few specialist second hand book shops so I could feed my reading habit relatively cheaply.  I’ll never forget the day I went to one preloved bookshop searching for Erich Segal’s Love Story, which was one of my favourite books at the time.  I’d left my copy back home in Wales and couldn’t wait for it to be posted up, so crossed my fingers I’d be able to source a copy cheaply.  I was over the moon when the chatty lady behind the counter in one of the shops (now sadly closed) told me there was one in stock and that it could be mine for the princely sum of 20p! 
But it’s not just the price that makes me love second hand bookshops.  It’s the unknown.  If you go to a chain bookshop on the high street the likelihood is you’ll see the same bestsellers in every one.  In independent bookstores there tends to be more variety, but they still have to cater for the mass market so much-talked-of books often feature prominently on the displays. 
Second hand bookshops are treasure chests full of long-forgotten gems.  The edition of a favourite book you had as a child.  An out of print novel by a new-favourite author.  A truly eclectic collection of books, every one with a history.
Bookshops are magical. 


Katey Lovell is the author of The Meet Cute series.  The Boy in the Bookshop, the first short story in the series was released on October 29th published by Harper Impulse, to be followed by The Boy at the Beach on November 5th and The Boy at the Bakery on November 12th.


About the Author
Katey Lovell is fanatical about words. An avid reader, writer and poet, she once auditioned for Countdown and still tapes the show every night. Getting the conundrum before the contestants is her ultimate thrill.

She loves love and strives to write feel-good romance that'll make you laugh and cry in equal measure.

Originally from South Wales, Katey now lives in Yorkshire with her husband and their seven year old son.
Find Katey on twitter, @katey5678, Facebook www.facebook.com/kateylovell and her author blog www.kateylovell.blogspot.co.uk