Bella's Christmas Bake Off by Sue Watson

Bella's Christmas Bake Off by Sue Watson

Published: 22nd October 2015

Publisher: Bookouture

Pages: 314

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

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Blurb

Two best friends. One big lie. The best bake off EVER. Bella Bradley is the queen of television baking - a national treasure. Her Christmas specials have been topping the ratings for years and her marriage to Peter 'Silver Fox' Bradley is the stuff of Hello magazine specials. But this year things are going to be different. For Amy Lane, Bella's best friend from school, life hasn't held quite the same sparkle. And when Amy's husband walks out three weeks from Christmas, it seems their lives are further apart than ever. Amy has watched Bella's rise to fame fondly, despite the fact Bella was always a terrible cook. But when she realises that Bella's latest Christmas book is made up entirely of Amy's mother's recipes, the gloves are off... After winning a competition to appear on Bella's TV show, Amy is going to make sure that for Bella and her viewers, this will definitely be a Christmas to remember... A hilarious, heart-breaking and feel good read about best friends, baking and the magic of Christmas.

Review

After devouring Sue’s last Christmas book I was eager to read her next one and Bella’s Christmas Bake Off has all the ingredients for a perfect Christmas read for me. It was full of laugh out loud moments, entertaining characters, madcap plotlines all topped off with a sprinkling of glitz and glamour.

Amy Lane has just been left by her husband of twenty years for a younger, more flexible woman just weeks before Christmas. She’s gutted as she loves Christmas with all its trimmings and all the extra baking. In order to sooth her broken heart Amy switches on to watch her former childhood friend Bella Bradley serve up the perfect Christmas on her television show Bella’s Christmas Bake-Off. As she watches Amy notices that Bella is using recipes that Amy is very familiar with…because they were her mum’s.

In her anger Amy decides to enter Bella’s competition to win a Christmas cooked by Bella. When she wins Amy forces Bella to cook for the local homeless shelter St. Swithins or she’ll go public about Bella’s recipe stealing. When these two meet after twenty years the sparks fly but Amy begins to realise to how lucky she has been after the sparkly veneer of Bella’s life is peeled away.

Like her previous novels Sue has created characters that we can easy relate to because they’re not perfect! Amy is a little over-weight, she doesn’t make the best of her appearance and she’s jealous of what she believes Bella has, she does however have a caring side which makes her very likable. Although Bella appears to have the wonderful polished life that we can all lust after, once the cameras have gone away there is a very different and lonely woman left behind whose longing for friendship, this made her a very vulnerable and for me made a more likable.

I loved all the references to celebrity chefs such as Mary Berry and Nigella and the food! Oh my goodness, I don’t think it’s possible to read a Sue Watson book without having something to nibble on as the food descriptions are just delicious!

Bella’s Christmas Bake-Off is a book full of humour and comedy moments but by including the homeless shelter Sue has a given it a more serious element and this perfectly portrays the Christmas message that it’s not how much you have at Christmas that makes it special but who you share it with. The scenes from the homeless shelter felt really Christmassy to me when everyone came together to make the big Christmas dinner and these made the book all the more enjoyable.

This book is full of fun and Christmas spirit and I feel it would be the prefect book to read on Christmas Eve, providing of course you’ve stuffed your turkey and prepped your sprouts!

I’d like to thank Bookouture and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book, I really enjoyed it and would rate it 4 out of 5.

How to Stuff up Christmas by Rosie Blake

How to Stuff Up Christmas by Rosie Blake

Published: 5th November 2015

Publisher: Corvus

Pages: 324

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

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Blurb

'Tis the season to be jolly. Unless you've found an intimate picture of another woman on your fiance's phone...

Eve is heartbroken after discovering her fiance is cheating on her. Being surrounded by the joys of Christmas is more than Eve can bear, so she chooses to avoid the festivities by spending Christmas alone on a houseboat in Pangbourne. Eve gets an unexpected seasonal surprise when handsome local vet Greg comes to her rescue one day, and continues to visit Eve's boat on a mission to transform her from Kitchen Disaster Zone to Culinary Queen.

But where does Greg keep disappearing to? What does Eve's best friend Daisy know that she isn't telling? And why is there an angry goose stalking Eve's boat?

A hilarious and heart-warming novel about Christmas, catastrophes and cooking, containing exclusive Christmas recipes, from the talented Rosie Blake.

Review

How to Stuff up Christmas is the first book I’ve read by Rosie Blake. She is an author I’ve been wanting a read for quite a while and this book, which is her second novel, more than lived up to my expectations for being a funny and engaging read.

Heartbroken Eve is not looking forward to Christmas one bit. Last year it was perfect, her boyfriend Liam had proposed on Christmas morning and Eve had been overjoyed. This year she’s single after finding out Liam was cheating on her and she wants to avoid all reminders of last year. So she books herself on a pottery course and goes to stay on a houseboat for a few weeks in December. While staying on the houseboat the village of Pangbourne and its residents….including a very handsome vet start to make their way into Eve’s heart.

The first thing I loved about this was book was the cover, it’s so sparkly and festive and really put me in the Christmas mood, plus I love anything to do with gingerbread men!

I instantly liked Eve, she says and does exactly what she thinks and is very funny. I loved that she did what many of us do after break-ups, wallow in pj’s for days on end, avoid anything that serves as a reminder and clings onto things of the lost partner, even if we don’t really want them…poor Marmite it wasn’t his fault! I also loved that when she made decision to do something she went and did it.  

I loved the way the plot flowed easy and was filled with some brilliant, witty and very honest dialogue. The opening chapter with Eve chatting to her parents was hilarious and one of the best first chapters I’ve read in a long-time.

One thing I wasn’t so keen on was that a couple of scenes were repeated from Eve and Greg’s perspective’s, right down to the same dialogue and I just found this a little too repetitive and distracted from an otherwise hilarious and addictive plot.

I loved the number of mysteries that were in this book. Where does Greg keep running off too? Who is the woman on Liam’s phone? What is Daisy hiding? And what’s with that goose!

I found How to Stuff up Christmas to be a very funny read with lovely likable characters and although it doesn’t scream Christmas it will definitely put you in the mood for some mulled wine and turkey.

I’d like to thank Corvus for sending me a copy to review and would rate this book 4/5.

The Little Bookshop on the Seine by Rebecca Raisin

The Little Bookshop on the Seine by Rebecca Raisin

Published: 16th October 2015

Publisher: Carina UK

Available on Kindle

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Blurb

Le Vie En Rose

Bookshop owner Sarah Smith has been offered the opportunity to exchange bookshops with her new Parisian friend for 6 months! And saying yes is a no-brainer – after all, what kind of a romantic would turn down a trip to Paris? Even if it does mean leaving the irresistible Ridge Warner behind, Sarah’s sure she’s in for the holiday of a lifetime – complete with all the books she can read!

Picturing days wandering around Shakespeare & Co, munching on croissants, sipping café au laits and people-watching on the Champs-Elysees Sarah boards the plane. But will her dream of a Parisian Happily-Ever-After come true? Or will Sarah realise that the dream isn’t quite as rosy in reality…

Review

Once again Rebecca Raisin has manged to charm and enchant us with another brilliant story. The Little Book Shop on the Seine is Rebecca’s first novel which has partly being set away from her lovely town of Ashford. In this book Sarah, owner of The Bookshop on the Corner agrees to a six month book swap with her online friend Sophie who runs Once Upon a Time in Paris.

Sarah heads off believing that Paris will be just as romantic as it is in her books and is hoping to spend some much needed quality time with boyfriend Ridge. However things don’t turn out quite the way she expected and she finds things fairly tough going.

The Little Bookshop on the Seine seems to be a more serious and realistic novel from Rebecca, the characters in this novel aren’t all warm and cosy like the residents of Ashford and I enjoyed this new direction Rebecca has taken. Some of the characters in this book are snappy and rude such as Beatrice and I really enjoyed wondering what exactly her problem was.

Life in Once Upon a Time is busy, disorderly and at times too much for Sarah to deal with after the peace and quiet of her own shop. In this book we see her character develop as she gains more confidence, stands up for herself and takes control of the Parisian shop for Sophie.

As with her previous novels Rebecca has done a fantastic job of creating beautiful scenes from her wonderful descriptions of places in Paris. I loved visiting Anouk in her antique shop and all the quaint hidden little places Oceane introduced Sarah too. One of my favourite scenes was when Oceane took Sarah out for lunch and ordered her steak tartare, I think I would have acted exactly as Sarah did!

I did find that this wasn’t quite as Christmassy as I expected and for that reason I’m glad I’ve read it as one of my first Christmas reads this year. Christmas is only really featured in the last few chapters of the book. However it does do a wonderful have a lovely wintery glow about it, making it perfect to read in front of log fires with hot chocolate and start your Christmas dreams.

As with all previous Rebecca Raisin novels I loved everything about this book. I loved that Rebecca has given us a little bit more depth and mystery to her story but still kept that warm and cosy feeling at the heart of her writing. Although this follows on from previous novels it can be read completely as a stand-alone and make total sense. Definitely a book to add to your winter reading this year, I rate it 5 out 5!

Thank you to Carina UK and Netgalley for my review copy.

The Winter Wedding by Abby Clements

The Winter Wedding by Abby Clements

Published: 5th November 2015

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Pages: 305

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

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Blurb

Hazel never set out to be a wedding planner. She was just helping her stressed sister Lila with cakes and décor for her big day. But when Lila and Ollie's summer ceremony is a runaway success, with guests raving about the food and styling at the pretty venue, word about Hazel's expertise soon spreads.

But Hazel's clients expect the very best - she's promised lawyers Gemma and Eliot a snow-covered castle in the Scottish Highlands, and laidback couple Josh and Sarah a bohemian beach wedding in a Caribbean paradise. But as weather, in-laws and wilful brides conspire against her, can Hazel get two very different couples to walk up two very different aisles to say 'I do'? And will she find her own happy ending if she does?

Review

Despite having a number of Abby Clements books on my bookshelf, The Winter Wedding is the first one I’ve read. I’ve been waiting for this to be released for months since I spied it on a trawl through Amazon, for me it has one of my favourite things to read about weddings!

In The Winter Wedding we meet Hazel and her twin sister Lila. For years they have done everything together but as they’ve grown up Lila’s been spending more and more time with boyfriend Ollie until the inevitable happens and they become engaged. Dissatisfied with her work life Hazel steps in to help out as wedding planner and after the wedding turns out to be a huge success Hazel finds herself with a few more clients and a new direction in life.

Hazel was such a lovely character, she’s always looking out for her sister Lila, helping her boss Emma more than she should and seems to have everyone’s best interests at heart. I loved that her creativity was admired through the weddings she had planned as I felt it gave her a confidence boost to go after what she really wanted.

All the characters in this book are lovely but I think my favourite had to be Amber, she just seemed to be the perfect flat-mate for Hazel and I’m glad that events in the book didn’t come between them as they possibly could have. I’d love to be a taster for her cakes!

This was a lovely gentle read which flowed at good pace making for a quick easy read.  Although it’s not the most in depth book but I really enjoyed it. I think it’s the perfect book this winter and I’m looking forward to reading more books by Abby Clements.

Thank you so much to Simon & Schuster for providing me with a review copy. I’d like to rate The Winter Wedding by Abby Clements 5/5.

The Love Dectective by Alexandra Potter

The Love Detective by Alexandra Potter

Published: 2nd January 2014

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Pages: 359

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

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Blurb

"People always ask me what kind of books I write and I guess you'd call them love stories, but I also think of them as mysteries. After all, what makes two people fall in love? I've written three novels on the topic and I'm still looking for the answers.

In a way, I'm a bit of a love detective. Because what's a greater mystery than love?"

Ruby Miller has lost her faith in love. In an effort to forget her cheating ex and clear her writer's block, she joins her sister for a week's holiday in India... and embarks on an extraordinary adventure.

Swept up on a magical mystery tour, amid silks and spices, palaces and weddings, Ruby investigates different stories of love lost and found.

But will a romance of her own remain always out of reach? Or can she find her happy ever after?

Review

Alexandra Potter is an author whose previous books I have loved, they are full of romance and quirky female characters that you just can’t help but fall for and they all seem to have that added bit of sparkle which makes them special. The Love Detective is the first book in a new series, but it can be read completely as a stand-alone novel.

Ruby Miller a romance writer who puts sparkle and romance into her novels. Until now, she’s just found out her fiancé has been cheating on her and Ruby’s faith in love has been lost. So when little sister Amy invites Ruby to join her out in Goa Ruby packs her bags and heads to India. All is perfect at the blissful beachside yoga resort until Amy goes missing, on the day they are both due home. Ruby being the protective sensible older sister embarks on a journey across India to find Amy and bring her home. What starts as a journey to find Amy turns into a journey for Ruby to find herself again among the magic of India.

I have to confess I did nearly give up on reading this book after a few chapters, I just wasn’t engaging in the story for some reason. It wasn’t until after around page 100 that I became hooked. I think initially the story seemed a little flat as Ruby was predominantly by herself and the dialogue with other characters was very minimal. However when Ruby meets Jack on the train something caught my interest and I couldn’t put his down.

I loved Ruby as a character, she’s full of romance ideals, more than a little clumsy and is fiercely loyal to her sister Amy, who I actually found quite self-absorbed.

I loved the chemistry between Ruby and Jack, initially they don’t hit it off and their conversations are mostly bickering it was easy to see the spark between them, they made for an enjoyable and funny read.

India has never really been a country which I’ve longed to visit, but through the writing I can sense it must be a really special place. Every place visited Ruby’s visit has been brought to life perfectly and I really felt a sense of the colours and aromas of the county, well done Ms Potter for capturing the essence of India so completely.

After a wonderful journey with many twists and turns Ms. Potter’s signature magical element helps to bring this story to the perfect, if not predictable ending. Fans of Alexandra’s previous books will adore this book as it has her same magical, romantic style. If your pick this up and struggle a bit with the beginning, please don’t put this book down as you will miss out on a wonderful story. I give this book 4/5.

The Liar's Chair by Rebecca Whitney

The Liar's Chair by Rebecca Whitney

Published: 15th January 2015 (Hardback)

Publisher: Mantle

Pages: 305

Available in Hardback, Paperback and Kindle

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Blurb

Rachel Teller and her husband David appear happy, prosperous and fulfilled. The big house, the successful business . . . They have everything.

However, control, not love, fuels their relationship and David has no idea his wife indulges in drunken indiscretions. When Rachel kills a man in a hit and run, the meticulously maintained veneer over their life begins to crack.

Destroying all evidence of the accident, David insists they continue as normal. Rachel though is racked with guilt and as her behaviour becomes increasingly self-destructive she not only inflames David's darker side, but also uncovers her own long-suppressed memories of shame. Can Rachel confront her past and atone for her terrible crime? Not if her husband has anything to do with it . . .

A startling, dark and audacious novel set in and around the Brighton streets, The Liar's Chair will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the final page has been turned. A stunning psychological portrait of a woman in a toxic marriage, Rebecca Whitney's debut will show that sometimes the darkest shadow holds the truth you have been hiding from.

Review

The Liars Chair by Rebecca Whitney tells the story of Rachel and David Teller. On the outside it appears these two have everything, a big house filled with top of the range furniture, expensive cars and a successful business. However both are hiding things from each other and when Rachel is involved with a hit and run that kills a man the cracks in their marriage begin to appear as they both struggle to keep control.

Rachel and David were both horrible characters. Rachel seems to be void of any emotions towards others. Although she showed a little remorse towards the man she ran over it was purely because it affected her own life. She also shows no real affection towards Will, the man she has been having an affair with for over two years, it just came across that she’s use him whenever she wanted a distraction from her controlling marriage. David was just a vile, some of the things he does to Rachel just because of a little mistake are just horrendous. I almost felt sorry for Rachel being married to David, but not quite.

I found that the writing style of this book was very descriptive but didn’t actually seem to explain what was going on, honestly I was quite bored reading it and almost gave up a couple of times. I kept reading purely waiting for the moment something thrilling and intense would happen, sadly this never came.

I did enjoy the first three chapters, the description of the accident and Rachel’s feelings towards were good and I was expecting this to continue throughout the book, sadly it seemed to go downhill from there. I didn’t like the ending, I felt it was just too easy to write it that way and there didn’t seem to be any conclusion as to why anything had happened and what the chapters relating to Rachel’s childhood were really all about. 

I was really disappointed after reading this as I was expecting a really intense and gripping look at the marriage relationship and the fall-out from the accident, however for me it was just lacking. If you like horrible rich people acting horribly to each other with no real redemption then you may enjoy this.

I’m giving this book 2/5 stars, one star for the beginning and one star for Will who seemed to have some feelings towards others.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me this to review, sadly it’s not for me.

Lost Girls by Angela Marsons'

Lost Girls (D.I. Stone #3) by Angela Marsons

Published: 6th November 2015

Publisher: Bookouture

Pages: 359

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

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Blurb

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?

Review

Lost Girls is Angela Marsons’ third instalment in the D.I. Stone series and I think it might just be my favourite so far. Just like her previous two novels Silent Scream and Evil Games Angela has written a fast-paced and gripping story which will have you on the edge of your seat, your nerves in tatters and physically unable to put that book down!

This time the case involves two young girls who have been kidnapped and a bidding war is instigated between the two families, the incentive being whichever family pays the most will see their little girl again, the other won’t. The case mirrors an earlier case where only one of the girls was returned safely. As Kim is put in charge of this high profile case she promises to deliver both girls home…alive.

As Kim and her team set up home in one of the families’ homes they are joined by two additional members, profiler Alison and negotiator Matt. In true Kim style she doesn’t let them settle in easily and there is a lot of verbal sparring between them as Kim struggles with the pressure to deliver a result as time slowly runs out. Being located in the home of one of the families also gave an insight into the way the two couples reacted to each other as time when on, the emotions and dialogue between them was just fascinating to read and very believable.

Aside from the main case we begin to learn more about D.S. Kevin Dawson as Kim sends him off on his own to tie up an old case. I really enjoyed getting to know more about Dawson and his background as it made Kim’s team feel even more real. I hope in the next novel we can learn more about Stacey and what makes her tick.

As the story unfolded I began to have a feeling for who I thought was the perpetrator and…boom...how wrong I was! The last few chapters of this novel built up into an utterly amazing and nail-biting conclusion, one which I totally didn’t see coming and completely threw me as I thought, aww Angela has done it again! Her plots just get better and better and the realism of it all has me in awe as everything always comes together in such a clever way.

I think 2015 has been a fantastic year for Angela Marsons’ she has delivered three outstanding crime novels and seems to have become a firm favourite with many crime readers. She has definitely become my favourite crime writer and one which I know will produce some must-read novels of 2016. Well done Angela, I am a huge fan of your utterly brilliant addictive writing and please, please don’t stop writing!!

Finally I’d like to say I give Lost Girls 5/5….it really deserves many more! I’d also like to thank Bookouture and Netgalley for the review copy, it has been a pleasure to read and review