Blog Tour Review: Last of the Summer Moet by Wendy Holden

Last of the Summer Moet by Wendy Holden

Published: 1st February 2018

Publisher: Head of Zeus

Pages: 400

Available on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Rating: 5/5

Blurb

Top reporter Laura Lake has struck journalistic gold.

She's discovered a super-exclusive English village where the rich and famous own weekend retreats. Where film stars, Turner-prize winners and Cabinet ministers park their helicopters outside the gastropub and buy £100 sourdough loaves from the deli.

Outsiders are strictly forbidden. But luckily Laura's best friend Lulu, a logo-obsessed socialite with a heart as huge as her sunglasses, suddenly fancies a quiet life in the country. The door to this enchanted rural idyll opens for Laura. Revealing a great professional opportunity.

Can Laura write an expose before the snobbish villagers suss her true identity? And before the world's poshest pub quiz triggers a political scandal not seen since Profumo?

Review

With Last of the Summer Moet Wendy Holden is back with her second novel in the Laura Lake series. This time Laura is after the story that will cement her position as editor for Society magazine. She’s heard rumours of a super secret village hiding some of the countries rich and famous. Through her connections with celebrity billionaire heiress Lulu, who just so happens to want a country home, Laura gains access to the exclusive village of Great Hording and sets about investigating. Before Laura has chance to write her expose on the village her arch enemy Clemency Makepeace returns to well…. disturb the peace.

As the second book in this series it follows on well from where the first book ended and I love that so many of my favourite characters from the first Laura Lake book have returned such as Lulu, Casper and Clemency. I’m particularly glad Lulu is back, I love Lulu and her quirky dialogue which can often be misinterpreted. Leading to some interesting conversations.

Along with getting her great story Laura is also having trouble in her love life as both previous lovers Harry and Casper are vying for her attention, she’s not entirely sure of the sincerity of either though, as both quite literally disappear from her bed as soon as they’re in it.

The plot of this book does border on the ridiculous, especially the ending but I think this is the kind of book where you just must not take it too seriously and enjoy it for what it is fun. I find Wendy Holden’s writing incredible funny, so I love her far-fetched storylines and the over-exaggerated characters, the wackier the better in my opinion.

I love that Wendy Holden has not given all the answers surrounding the mystery of Laura’s father Peter Lake, which fingers crossed means there is a third book in the pipeline, no doubt with an even crazier storyline.

I think Wendy Holden fans like me are sure to adore this latest edition to her growing collection of light-hearted, quirky and full of fun novels.

Thank you so much to the publishers Head of Zeus for sending me a copy to review honestly and for inviting me to be part of the blog tour.

Blog Tour Review: Three Weddings and a Scandel by Wendy Holden

Three Weddings and a Scandal by Wendy Holden

Published: 7th September 2017

Publisher: Head of Zeus

Pages: 382

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Rating: 5/5

Blurb

She'll need a triple-barrelled name for the castle one.

She'll need a gallon of glitter for the woodland one.

She'll need a lobster-shaped hat for the Shoreditch one.

Laura Lake longs to be a journalist. Instead she's an unpaid intern at a glossy magazine – sleeping in the fashion cupboard and living on canapés. But she's just got her first big break: infiltrate three society weddings and write a juicy exposé.
Security will be tighter than a bodycon dress, but how hard can it be? Cue disappearing brides, demanding socialites – and a jealous office enemy who will do anything to bring her down...

Review

I’ve been a huge fan of Wendy Holden’s writing for many years I love her comical writing style and her books have never failed to cheer me up, I’m yet to pick one up that I haven’t laughed all the way though. In her latest novel Three Weddings and a Scandal we are introduced to Laura Lake the unlikely heroine of Ms. Holden’s new series.

Laura Lake longs to be a journalist just like her dead father, instead she spends her days and nights running around after clients for the Passion for Paris letting agency. For extra money Laura is currently spending her days sat in a pile of rubbish as part of an art installation for up and coming artist Amy Bender. One night Laura meets glossy magazine editor Carinthia Gold, who just happens to offer Laura an internship at her magazine Society. The internship is in London and Laura is reluctant to leave her aging grandmother Mimi alone in Paris but persuaded by wannabe actor and fellow rubbish sitter Casper, Laura heads to London.

London is where Laura’s life is turned upside down, after a string of misfortunate events Laura is left with no money, no phone and nowhere to stay. To make things even worse Laura’s old school enemy Clemency Makepeace just happens to be the Features Editor of Society magazine, leaving Laura in a very awkward position, even more so because she’s started using the fashion cupboard as a place to sleep.

In order to secure a job Laura has to go undercover and write an exposé on the state of society weddings. Laura enters the world of celebrity weddings and endures a missing bride, a celebrity brawl, a royal kiss and a ceremony held in the most bizarre location you could imagine. Can she avoid the disasters all around her and write the story to bag herself a proper job.

This is a fast-paced read with a plotline which at times borders on the surreal. I’d advise don’t take it too seriously and just enjoy the journey like Laura seems to do. Among the madcap celebrities, flaky fashion designers and sneaky work colleagues, Laura is a character who seems to remain relatively sane. She is resilient, resourceful and never seems to be phased by the people around her, determined only to write her story.  I loved how she would call on grandmother Mimi’s pearls of Parisienne  wisdom when in need of inspiration, my particular favourite being “be wary of labels……You are not a billboard. Letters are for the optician’s chart”.

Alongside the characters with quirky names, Irina Pushamoff, Spartacus Tripp and Hudson Grater to name a few, there is a more serious element in the mystery of what happened to Laura’s reporter father Paul Lake. This mystery is not resolved in this book, hopefully we’ll learn more in the next book which I’m really looking forward to reading.

Three Weddings and a Scandal is a book I have thoroughly enjoyed and it has reminded me how I enjoy escaping into her novels. If you are a fan of her unique writing voice then this latest book will not disappoint.

Thank you so much to Head of Zeus for the copy to review and for inviting me to be part of this blog tour. I look forward to reading more about Laura lake in the future.

Top Ten Tuesday - Books I'd Recommend to People Who Haven't Read Chick Lit

This week at The Broke and the Bookish the Top Ten was books you would recommend to someone who had never read....so I chose Chick Lit , here is my list, in no particular order:

 

 

1. Sushi for Beginners by Marian Keyes

I love this book, it was one of the first adult books which I bought and I have re-read it many times. It tells the story of Lisa who moves over to Dublin from London to be the editor of the newly launching Colleen magazine, Ashling who applies to be assistant editor and her best friend Clodagh who is seems to have the domestic dream of house, husband and child. Its just a brilliant read about being female and dealing with life.

 

 

2. Bookends by Jane Green

Bookends tells the story of four university friends Cat, Lucy, Josh and Si and what happens when Portia comes back into their lives. Bookends is the name of the café which Cat and Lucy start together, this is my idea of a dream place a bookshop with a café. A brilliant story of what can happen when you start to assume things about people.

 

 

3. Twelve Days of Christmas by Trisha Ashley

Perfect Christmas read. Holly Brown doesn't like Christmas, she agrees to house sit a remote manor in the moors of Lancashire, perfect as she just wants to be alone. When she arrives she finds she is not alone and the family have all arrived expecting a full on family Christmas. Even though the ending to this book is very predictable it is the perfect Christmas book for me as I love all the descriptions of the meals and the decorating which happens, best read by a lovely log fire with hot chocolate.

 

 
 

4. Simply Divine by Wendy Holden

 Socialite Champagne D'Vyne wants to write a magazine column so drags in journalist Jane to write it for her. Jane is also trying to help best friend Tally save a crumbling family home. This is a quick easy read which will make you laugh, although Champagne is probably one of the most annoying characters ever written.

 
 


5. Amanda's Wedding by Jenny Colgan
Fran and Mel have been invited to Amanda's wedding to Laird Fraser. They feel sorry for him marrying social-climbing Amanda who is only interested in his title. So the pair enlist Fraser's brother Angus to help sabotage the wedding. This is hilariously funny and I just love the schemes that the girls come up with to stop the wedding. 
 


6. The Undomesticated Goddess by Sophie Kinsella
Samantha Sweeting is a hotshot lawyer, until she makes a huge mistake. She packs her bags and heads out into the countryside where she is mistaken for a interviewee for a house-keeping job. She accepts the job but is completely clueless about anything found in a kitchen. As she finds her way round the kitchen she also finds love. But will her old life catch up with her? Another light-hearted funny read.
 

 
7. In Her Shoes by Adele Parks
Eliza and Martha are sisters. Each sister envy's the other Martha has the family and house and wants her freedom and Eliza longs for Martha's stability.
 


8. White Wedding by Milly Johnson
Bel, Max and Violet are all  planning their weddings and they each meet in the White Wedding shop. AS the story unfold each of their planned wedding goes slightly wrong. This is Milly Johnson at her best with a story of friendship, betrayal and a little romance.
 


9. Heiresses by Lulu Taylor
Three sisters Jemima, Tara and Poppy inherit their fathers failing perfume business, instead of selling it off they decide to try and make a go of it themselves. This is a story about wealth, lust and families and is gripping from the first page.
 

 
10. Daddy's Girls by Tasmina Perry
Four sisters Serena, Cate, Venetia and Camilla, one of them may have killed her father Sir Oswald Balcon. This is a dip into the lives of the rich and famous with an element of who done it mystery. It's perfect for pure escapism. 
 
So that's my list of beginner chick lit, what is on your list this week? Check out everyone else's list here.