Book Review - Summer by the Sea by Jenny Hale

 

Summer by the Sea by Jenny Hale

Published: 12th June 2015

Publisher: Bookouture

Available in Paperback and Kindle

Order a copy from Amazon now

 

 

Blurb

They say there’s always one summer that changes you.

For Faith the one summer she can’t forget is when she fell in love as a teenager – only for her sister, Casey, to steal her man. Now, at the request of her beloved ninety-year-old Grandmother, Faith has agreed to a family holiday – at their childhood beach house, where it all began.

Faith hasn’t seen her sister in years but is finally ready to forgive and forget, enjoy the sunshine and relive happy memories. What she’s not ready for is meeting Jake Buchanan – the owner of the beach house – or the long-forgotten feelings he ignites in her.

Can Faith overcome the hurt of the past, rekindle the close bond she had with Casey and make this summer THE ONE to remember?  

 

Review

My first encounter with a Jenny Hale novel was last year when I read A Christmas to Remember, which I adored and is probably one of my favourite Christmas books ever. So I was super excited when given the chance to review her new book Summer by the Sea.

Summer by the Sea is told from the point of view of the main character Faith. She’s agreed to spend two weeks in the Outer Banks in North Carolina with her family, including estranged sister Casey, to celebrate her Nan’s 90^th birthday. Faith is somewhat reluctant about the trip as she has not spent much time with her sister since Casey stole her man away and married him. As the trip wears on and nostalgic memories of previous summers spent having fun with her sister enter Faiths mind she realises it’s time to let go of the past and begin to move on with her life. Something which handsome stranger Jack Buchanan might just be able to help her with.

Like Jenny’s previous novel this is full of emotions, romance and families coming together and mending their rifts. I found this book very heart-felt as Faith has to do a lot of soul-searching in order to forgive her sister. After seeing her sister’s troubles with her husband Scott, Faith begins to realise he was never really hers to lose. The bond between sisters and their mother and Nan was very deep and was obviously far too strong to let any man come between them, which I found just lovely.

The way Jenny has described the Outer Banks makes me long to go there, its sounds like the perfect American hideaway and I can understand why it made Faith so emotional and sentimental.  The descriptive language really made me feel that at times I was with Faith leaning over the balcony looking out at the ocean too, you just can’t beat a sea view can you.

Can we just mention Jake, what a hottie, the perfect guy to help you forget all your problems with, handsome, caring, good with his hands and also just a little bit loaded, it’s no wonder Faith developed a pretty huge crush on him!

This is a lovely summer read and I really enjoyed the escapism and romance which it brought me, it would make the perfect holiday read. I’d like to thank Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to review this book and can’t wait to read Jenny’s next book. I’d rate this book 4/5.

 

Book Review - The Last Honeytrap by Louise Lee

The Last Honeytrap: Florence Love 1 by Louise Lee

Published: 4th June 2015

Publisher: Headline

Pages: 345

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

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Blurb

He's the man every woman wants. Private Investigator Florence Love is out to get him.

Florence has ten days to meet, charm and entrap Scott 'Scat' Delaney. Whilst sticking to THE Cardinal Entrapment Rule:

One kiss, with tongues, five seconds - case closed.

Scat, a superstar jazz musician, is stunning. He's also a reclusive hypochondriac with a Junta-like entourage - it's going to take a special woman to make him fall into the trap.

Florence Love will tell you at length why she's that woman. She's beautiful, resourceful and relentless. A master of body language, evolutionary science and Shorinji Kempo. She'll use every tool in her armoury, especially when it comes to discovering the truth about Bambi, her absent mother - a twenty-five-year-old mystery she's determined to solve...

Cardinal Entrapment Rule #2

Never EVER fall for the target (even when they're the hottest man on the planet)

That would be very bad form indeed.

 

Review

 

The Last Honeytrap is the debut novel of Louise Lee and I thought it was great. The book is centred on Florence Love a Private Investigator based in London, specialising in entrapment. In this the book, the first in a new series Florence is asked entrap A-List Scot “Scat” Delaney a world famous jazz singer. Easy…except Scot is a confirmed recluse and possibly the most beautiful man Florence has ever seen and she may just be about to break the most important rule: Never fall for the target.

As the main plot develops as Florence finds herself in deeper than she’s ever been, she also begins to believe she herself is being stalked. Hoping the stalker is her long lost mother who is about to make a return after twenty years causes friction between other members, add to that complications with her ex-husband and previous lesbian lover and you have a book full of plot twists and humorous scenes.

I instantly liked Florence she’s feisty, independent and slightly over-confident believing she can do anything, which considering her success rate is only 78% may be slightly misjudged on her part. She also showed she had a caring side by looking after younger brother Michael, although she does remind him on numerous occasions that he is in her debt and must help her with investigation work whenever she wants.

I found this book a very refreshing read, Florence is so abrupt and honest in her language which I just loved. Surprisingly I also enjoyed the many snippets of scientific explanation in the book, which initially left me a little confused but added to the quirkiness of the book.  

I think this is a great read and would like to congratulate Louise Lee on her debut novel, she’s done a cracking job creating a likable main character and an interesting plot line which continues into the second book. There is a teaser of this at the end and it looks just as good, so please hurry up and publish it so we can find out what happened to Bambi.

I think this book has something for everyone, a little romance, some mystery, some crime and some family drama, so if you’re looking to find a new favourite this summer pick up The Last Honeytrap. I would give this book 5/5 and would like to thank Headline for sending me a copy via bookbridgr.

Book Review - One Small Act of Kindness by Lucy Dillon

 

One Small Act of Kindness by Lucy Dillon

Published: 23rd April 2015

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Pages: 480

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

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Blurb

What can you do to make the world a better place?

Libby helps a stranger, and transforms her life in the process.

Libby and her husband Jason have moved back to his hometown to turn the family B&B into a boutique hotel. They have left London behind and all the memories - good and bad - that went with it.

The injured woman Libby finds lying in the remote country road has lost her memory. She doesn't know why she came to be there, and no one seems to be looking for her.

When Libby offers to take her in, this one small act of kindness sets in motion a chain of events that will change many people's lives . . .

Review

After reading a couple of Lucy’s previous novels I was really excited to read her latest offering, One Small Act of Kindness and it’s just as good, if not better than what I was expecting.

Libby and her husband Jason have recently left London and returned to his hometown to turn his mother’s  ailing B & B into a small boutique hotel. On the surface these two seem happy but as the story unfolds memories from London come back to haunt them.

Pippa has been hit by a car outside Libby’s hotel, she has no recollection of her previous life or exactly what has brought her to the hotel.  Libby offers Pippa refuge in the hotel and slowly as these two women begin to make sense of their lives again, the lives of those around them begin to change.

I loved this book, the sense of mystery of Pippa’s previous life really had me hooked and I did find this side of the story more interesting than Libby’s. I was longing to find out why Pippa was at the hotel and as the story continued there were even more elements of mystery that I wanted answers to. It wasn’t that I didn’t like Libby, she was a lovely bubbly character, I just didn’t really like Jason and the way his mother worshiped him just annoyed me.

Another thing I loved was “Sir Bob” and the way Lucy has made him have a real presence in the book. I’m not a dog person at all but even I could have a soft spot for Bob and his droopy face longing for some bacon titbits.

The idea that one small act of kindness can change people’s lives is brilliant and I thought it worked so well with these characters. It was very uplifting to read about all the other people’s acts of kindness throughout the book and I think we should all take this idea into our own lives as who knows what might happen when we help someone.

I did feel the ending was a little rushed but think this could have been because this book ended far too soon for me, I was totally absorbed with the characters and was sad to let them go. Luckily for me I have Lucy’s previous novel A Hundred Pieces of Me to keep me going until she writes another brilliant book.

Fans of Lucy will adore this book and if you haven’t read anything by her then this is the perfect one to start with full of realistic warm characters, an intriguing sense of mystery and a story which will leave you feeling good about the world.

I would like to thank Hodder & Stoughton for sending me a review copy via bookbridgr and would rate this book 5/5.

 

Book Review - Coming Up Roses by Rachael Lucas

 

Coming Up Roses by Rachael Lucas

Published: 21st May 2015

Publisher: Pan

Pages: 387

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

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Blurb

Would-be gardener Daisy can’t believe her luck when her parents announce they’re off on a midlife crisis gap year, leaving her in charge of their gorgeous garden. After a turbulent few months, a spot of quiet in the countryside is just what she needs.

A shoulder to cry on wouldn't go amiss either - so when Daisy comes across Elaine and Jo, she breathes a sigh of relief. But her new friends are dealing with dramas of their own…

As Daisy wrestles the garden into something resembling order, her feelings for handsome Irishman George begin to take root. Daisy’s heart’s desire − her parent’s garden − is under threat, and Daisy's forced to confront nosey neighbours and fight greedy developers. Village life is turning out to be far from peaceful.

 

Review

Coming up Roses is the first book I’ve read by Rachael Lucas and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Rachael’s writing style is lovely, it flows well and has just the right amount of humour and emotion.  It’s the perfect book to read out in a garden on a summer’s day, an easy read about village life with a sprinkle of romance and laughter that you’ll keep going until the last page.

Broken hearted Daisy turns up at her parents’ house Orchard Villa looking for a sanctuary after her relationship with Jamie came to a sudden end. Slightly relieved when her parents take off to India, Daisy is hoping to be left alone to mend her broken heart by bringing the overgrown garden back to its former glory. However the village of Steeple St. John slowly creeps its way into her life and soon Daisy finds out that village life isn’t as quiet as she’d hoped. Although Daisy has sworn off men, there seem to be a few who are keen on her, mysterious Irishman George, the cheeky local vet Ned and Jamie her ex all make an attempt to win her heart. Will Daisy fall for the charms of any of these men or is she happier spending her time in the garden?

I really warmed to the main character Daisy. Initially she seemed quite shy and reserved around other people, probably due to having her world torn apart by two people closest to her. When she begins to mix in the village she becomes warm and caring and funny. She’s the sort of character you really want to find her happy ending and you feel for her when things start to go wrong again.

I loved the intimate friendship she formed so quickly with Elaine and Jo, it’s so good to find kindred sprits you can share your worries with and it was just what Daisy needed. In the book we also have the stories of Jo and Elaine which helped to develop the plot. Jo struggling with whether to contact daughter Martha’s long lost father and Elaine’s seemingly perfect lifestyle getting a shake up from husband Leo.

Steeple St. John and all its inhabitants have worked their way into my heart and I really hope there is more from this village as I can see further stories working really well. I really enjoyed reading this book and just love the cover, it’s beautiful.  Be warned though, after reading it all I wanted to do was go outside and do some gardening!

I’d give Coming up Roses by Rachael Lucas a rating of 5/5 and would like to thank the people at Pan for sending me a copy to review.  Hopefully I will get a chance to read her other novel Sealed with a Kiss very soon.

 

Book Review - You Think You Know Me by Clare Chase

 

You Think You Know Me by Clare Chase

Published: 3rd December 2014

Publisher: Choc Lit

Pages: 263

Available on Kindle

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Blurb

Sometimes, it’s not easy to tell the good guys from the bad …

Freelance journalist, Anna Morris, is struggling to make a name for herself, so she’s delighted to attend a launch event for a hip, young artist at her friend Seb’s gallery.

But an exclusive interview isn’t all Anna comes away with. After an encounter with the enigmatic Darrick Farron, she is flung into the shady underground of the art scene – a world of underhand dealings, missing paintings and mysterious deaths …

Seb is intent on convincing Anna that Darrick is up to no good but, try as she might, she can’t seem to keep away from him. And as she becomes further embroiled, Anna begins to wonder – is Seb’s behaviour the well-intentioned concern of an old friend, or does he have something to hide?

 

Review

I was expecting You Think You Know Me to be good as the blurb sounded good, but I was not prepared for just how good this book would be and boy is it good! It is full of intense twists and mysterious characters and face paced writing full of suspense which make it a fabulous read.

Anna Morris is a freelance journalist wanting to make it big in the art scene like her fellow university friends. When she is invited to her friends Seb’s art gallery opening Anna is thrilled at the networking potential. Here she meets the dark and mysterious Darrick Fallon who claims he is the brother of a famous art dealer. Her friend Seb warns her Darrick is not who he says is and is no good for Anna. However Anna is unable to keep away from the sexy and mysterious Darrick and soon finds herself mixed up in some shady dealings within the art scene, with no idea who she can trust.

As Anna gets deeper involved with both Darrick and Seb and his gallery she begins to mistrust everyone around her and Claire Chase has written this book in such a way that we suspect almost every character to be hiding something, even her bossy cousin Alicia who she lives with. The way this is written about is truly brilliant, the mistrust she feels oozes off the page and the suspense gathers on every page. It built to a very dramatic ending which was just mind blowing as I totally didn’t expect the events to happen as they did. So who was the good guy and who was the bad guy? Well you will be left guessing until the very last page.

I thought Anna was a brilliant character, her inquiring mind may have led her right into trouble but she never seemed to accept lies when she was told them and used her journalist skills to go digging around for the truth. I also loved her relationship with her cousin Alicia, who was very bossy and condescending towards Anna but she just took it wholeheartedly and joked back at her.

This was a truly wonderful book to read, which I couldn’t stop reading as I had to find out the truth just like Anna. It is jam packed with suspense and intrigue and I was genuinely gutted when I’d finished as I could read Claire Chase’s words forever. I’m really hoping she’s working on another novel as she has a real talent.  I give this book 5/5 it was one of the best suspense novels I’ve ever read and if you haven’t read it then you need to!

 

Book Review - A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gale

 

A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gale

Published: 24th March 2015

Publisher: Tinder Press

Page: 352

Available in Hardback and on Kindle

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Blurb

To find yourself, sometimes you must lose everything.

A privileged elder son, and stammeringly shy, Harry Cane has followed convention at every step. Even the beginnings of an illicit, dangerous affair do little to shake the foundations of his muted existence - until the shock of discovery and the threat of arrest cost him everything.

Forced to abandon his wife and child, Harry signs up for emigration to the newly colonised Canadian prairies. Remote and unforgiving, his allotted homestead in a place called Winter is a world away from the golden suburbs of turn-of-the-century Edwardian England. And yet it is here, isolated in a seemingly harsh landscape, under the threat of war, madness and an evil man of undeniable magnetism that the fight for survival will reveal in Harry an inner strength and capacity for love beyond anything he has ever known before.

In this exquisite journey of self-discovery, loosely based on a real life family mystery, Patrick Gale has created an epic, intimate human drama, both brutal and breathtaking. It is a novel of secrets, sexuality and, ultimately, of great love.

 

Review

A Place Called Winter follows Harry Kane on his journey from high society in Edwardian England to the remote prairie outback of uninhabited Canada in a small settlement called Winter. When we first meet Harry he is in a psychiatric unit in Bethel, as the story develops we learn the events which unfolded for him to end up there.

Harry is the eldest son of a wealthy businessman who spends his days lazing about in gentlemen’s clubs. After his father’s death he is left with a substantial fortune and eventually finds himself a respectable wife Winnifred Wells. All would have been well for Harry except an ill-fated investment sees him living back in his mother in laws house. Feeling trapped Harry gives into a temptation burning inside him. After his illicit affair is unearthed by his brother in law he has no option but to move away and save the family from shame. By chance Harry stumbles on an advertisement for labourers in Canada willing to build new homesteads in the remote prairies. Taking his chances Harry sets off for Canada and the place called Winter.

To be completely honest it wasn’t until I was about half way through this book that I fell for its charms. During the first half of the book very little happens and Harry himself was just not a character I could feel anything for. He came across as socially awkward and seemed to believe he was incapable of doing anything useful with his time other than frequenting clubs and horse-riding. The boat journey sees Harry changing and becoming determined to do something with his life, if only to compensate for the shame he bought his wife. I liked this stronger, more determined Harry and was glad when he was able to finally find some inner peace.

The thing I enjoyed most about this book was the writing, it just flowed beautifully and gave such a vivid description of life in Canada, Patrick Gale has such a talent for creating a sense of place that I was totally mesmerised by the end. I know he has written some previous novels, so hopefully I will get a chance to read these someday.

This is a story of Harry’s journey, not just from England to Canada but from being a seemingly lost and awkward individual to someone who is confident and has finally found his place within society. It’s a book which made me laugh and cry and one which I’ll still be thinking about for a long time.

I’m giving this book 4/5, mainly because it took me a while to get into it and also I don’t think I would read it again myself. I do think it is definitely a book worth picking up and reading as it has a way of capturing your heart.

I would like to thank Georgina at Headline for sending me a copy to review.

Book Review - The Grand Reopening of the Dandelion Cafe

 

The Grand Reopening of the Dandelion Café by Jenny Oliver

Published: 27th March 2015

Publisher: Carina UK

Available on Kindle

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Blurb

Welcome to the brand new Cherry Pie Island series from Jenny Oliver!
Home, Sweet Home….?

When Annie White steps back onto Cherry Pie Island, it’s safe to say her newly inherited Dandelion Café has seen better days! And while her childhood home on the Thames-side island idyll is exactly the same retreat from the urban bustle of London she remembers, Annie’s not convinced that Owner of The Dandelion Cafe is a title she’ll be keeping for long. Not that she can bear the idea of letting her dedicated, if endearingly disorganized staff lose their jobs. Plus café life does also have the added bonus of working a stone’s throw away from millionaire Matt and his disarmingly charming smile!

One (shoestring budget) café makeover, a few delightful additions to the somewhat retro menu and a lot of cherry pie tastings later, The Dandelion Café is ready for its grand reopening! But once she’s brought the dilapidated old café back to life, Annie finds herself wishing her stay on the island was just a bit longer. She always intended to go back to the big city…but could island living finally have lured her back home for good?

The Grand Reopening of Dandelion Café is Book 1 in The Cherry Pie Island series. Each part of Cherry Pie Island can be read and enjoyed as a standalone story – or as part of the utterly delightful series

 

Review

The Grand Reopening of the Dandelion Café is the first book in Jenny Oliver’s new Cherry Pie Island series. It is also the first book I’ve read by this author, which is shocking seen as she’s been popping up on my Amazon recommendations for months.    

Annie White has returned to Cherry Pie Island after inheriting the Dandelion Café from her father. Annie has not been on the island for a while after a miss-spent youth and mistakes she’d rather forget led her to move away. The café has seen better days and initially Annie is convinced the best thing to do is sell up and continue her life back in Hampstead. However the café  slowly charms her,  and along with memories of childhood and the close-knit community giving her a sense of belonging which she hasn’t felt for a long time, Annie decides to give the café a chance.

Annie is an instantly likable character and I liked that we were given hints at trouble in her past, which we are slowly made aware of as the story unfolds. I loved the other characters too, Martha who’s very possessive of the café her mother used to run, young River and his estranged father Matt, and even Annie self-important brother Jonathon. The sense of community oozes of the pages of this book and like Annie found, it was hard to resist the charms this lovely café and its delicious sounding cherry pie, I’ll have mine with ice-cream please!

Although this is a short story I thought it was perfect and really enjoyed the couple of hours it took me to read it. It’s a story out fining out where you belong and believing you can leave the past behind you. The budding sparks of romance between Annie and Matt were lovely and I can’t wait to see what happens next for them. I loved the hints of mystery and secrets some of the characters have and look forward to finding out more about these in the following books of the series.

This was a lovely introduction to Jenny’s Oliver’s writing for me and I’m definitely going to be reading more from this lady very soon. If you love the writing style of Milly Johnson or Rebecca Raisin I’m sure you will love Jenny Oliver as she has the same sense of community and descriptions of delicious sounding food.

Thank you to Carina UK and Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. I’d rate it 5/5 it was just scrummy!