Release Day Round-Up #16

It's that time of the week again when I select my three favourite books being published this week. This week was a tough one as there are quite a few that have stood out to me, some of which I have already being lucky enough to read.

Holding Out for a Hero by Victoria Van Tiem

Published: 14th January 2016

Publisher: Pan

Pages: 261

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Blurb

The problem with first love is that it never truly dies . . .
Libby London fell in love with the eighties, came of age in the nineties, and now the twenty-first century is baffling her. Her New-York-City style is more, erm, vintage tragedy than retro babe and her penchant for All Things Eighties might just be what's holding her back in matters of life and love . . .
At least that's what her well-meaning friends think. They've staged a #80sIntervention in an effort to bring Libby bang up to date. What with her dreaded birthday party, friends' madcap ambush, and being forced to relocate her vintage shop, Libby's nearing breaking point!
Will she ever be able to move on when the one she loves keeps her in the past?

I have already had the pleasure of reading this book and I loved it! Libby is a great character and the 80s interventions her friends stage for her had me laughing all the way through this book. Read my full review here.

Strictly Between Us by Jane Fallon

Published: 14th January 2016

Publisher: Penguin (Michael Joseph)

Pages: 448

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Blurb

Rumours, secrets and lies. It's all in a day's work.
Tamsin and her best friend Michelle have been inseparable since they were teenagers. Even now they spend all their time together, along with Patrick, Michelle's handsome husband.
So when Tamsin hears a rumour that Patrick is having an affair, she is furious. Unwilling to ignore it, Tamsin plots a scheme to catch Patrick in the act, using her assistant Bea as live-bait. It should be fool proof.
After all, Tamsin can trust Bea with anything. From her daily coffee order to fetching her dry-cleaning, writing reports and doing all the filing - Bea does everything with a smile on her face.
Except Tamsin never considered Bea might have her own agenda.
And if she does, then Tamsin really needs to watch her back . . .

This is another book which I have already read and really enjoyed. I loved all the secrets, lies and plotting and wondering all the secrets would end up being discovered. A brilliant read which i became engrossed in. I will be reviewing this on my blog tomorrow so if you would like to know more of my thoughts, pop back tomorrow.

Wickham Hall by Cathy Bramley

Published: 14th January 2016

Publisher: Corgi7

Pages: 512

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Blurb

Holly Swift has just landed the job of her dreams: events co-ordinator at Wickham Hall, the beautiful manor home that sits proudly at the heart of the village where she grew up. Not only does she get to organise for a living and work in stunning surroundings, but it will also put a bit of distance between Holly and her problems at home.

As Holly falls in love with the busy world of Wickham Hall - from family weddings to summer festivals, firework displays and Christmas grottos - she also finds a place in her heart for her friendly (if unusual) colleagues.

But life isn’t as easily organised as an event at Wickham Hall (and even those have their complications…). Can Holly learn to let go and live in the moment? After all, that’s when the magic happens…

I have never read any books by Cathy Bramley (yet) but they look and sound lovely. This one is set in a big manor house , a setting which I have a bit of a soft spot for. Hopefully I will get a chance to read this at some point this year as Cathy is an author whose books I'm desperate to read.

So that's my three favourites this week, although I also think Match Me if You Can by Michele Gorman, The Widow by Fiona Barton and Rebound by Aga Lesiewicz sound brilliant.

Holding Out for a Hero by Victoria Van Tiem

Holding Out for a Hero by Victoria Van Tiem

Published: 14th January 2016

Publisher: Pan

Pages: 261

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

Pre-Order now from Amazon

Blurb
The problem with first love is that it never truly dies . . .
Libby London fell in love with the eighties, came of age in the nineties, and now the twenty-first century is baffling her. Her New-York-City style is more, erm, vintage tragedy than retro babe and her penchant for All Things Eighties might just be what's holding her back in matters of life and love . . .
At least that's what her well-meaning friends think. They've staged a #80sIntervention in an effort to bring Libby bang up to date. What with her dreaded birthday party, friends' madcap ambush, and being forced to relocate her vintage shop, Libby's nearing breaking point!
Will she ever be able to move on when the one she loves keeps her in the past?

Review
Holding Out for a Hero by Victoria Van Tiem was a book that arrived through the post one miserable wet morning and it instantly brought a smile to my face, how can it not with such a lovely fun looking cover? This was the first novel that I’ve read by Victoria and I was instantly hooked with her hilarious writing style and quirky characters.


Libby London loves the Eighties so much, her clothes are from the Eighties, she has an Eighties hairstyle and even her job is based on selling Eighties memorabilia. She evens spends most of her time reliving moments from her favourite films from the Eighties. With her thirty-third birthday looming her friends have decided enough is enough and Libby must join them in the twenty-first century. They stage a 80s convention to give Libby an updated make-over and convince her to get back into dating. Can Libby move forward when she’s clinging to the past by holding onto her vintage shop and pining for her first love?

I loved this book, I was laughing nearly all the way through. Libby and her friends Dora, Finn, Dean and Jas were just wonderful to read about and I loved the dynamic between them all. I loved how Libby got so mad with them for various madcap ideas but in the end she realises their only doing it because they care about her. All the characters in this book had their own little quirks and the various “dates” Libby goes on were just brilliant.

There are a lot of references to Eighties films and music in this book, many of which I didn’t get despite being born in the Eighties myself. I don’t think this spoilt the book in any way for me and if you are a fan of this decade then you will no doubt adore all the references and understand the significance of them.

Despite this book being full of comedy moments it also has a serious tone with dealing with Libby’s depression. I thought this was done really well and leaves you thinking that even when life is horrible and you can’t cope keep going because you will get through and you will be alright in the end.

This is a small book at around 250 pages so I managed to read it in a couple of afternoons. It’s jam packed with drama all the way through and I feel Victoria has captured Libby’s story perfectly. I’m so looking forward to picking up Victoria’s first novel Love Like the Movies as I just know I’ll love it.

Thank you so much to Pan for sending me a copy to review. I loved everything about this book and rate it five out of five.