Review: One to Watch

One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Bea is a successful plus-size blogger. After her scathing blog post on the lack of diversity of pretty much anything on the hit TV series The Main Squeeze (think the Batchelor or any other one v many dating show) goes viral the show slumps to its lowest ever ratings, its sleazy producer is sacked and the new Executive Producer approaches Bea with an offer, be the next show's main squeeze. Bea doesn't even have to fall in love, just prove that a plus-size woman is attractive to men.

Despite misgivings, Bea sees this as a chance to get over her broken heart after her BFF Ray slept with her then went back to his fiancee and ghosted Bea. Whilst the men she gets to choose from might be racially diverse, only one is plus-size and they all look like male models. But as Bea and the new EP whittle down the hopefuls there may really be a chance for Bea to fall in love.

There's Wyatt, the kind, gentle cowboy. Sam the younger guy and teacher, Asher the college professor, Luc the French chef and Jefferson the token plus size guy. All of them have expressed interest in Bea and she likes each of them in different ways, but as the show progresses she learns that none of them are exactly what they seem.

If you've ever rolled your eyes at the lack of diversity on reality TV shows, where having short hair is considered subversive, or wanted the heroine to be something other than a lollypop then I think you'll enjoy this, especially if you love clothes. Bea is swathed in one gorgeous outfit after another as she dates the single men, some are heroes, some are villains but all are great reading material.

This was funny, and heartbreaking, and life-affirming all at once. Perfect beach reading, or garden reading, or lockdown in your apartment reading.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: One in a Million

One in a Million by Lindsey Kelk
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lindsey Kelk is fast becoming one of my favourite rom-com writers.

Annie Higgins and her BFF Miranda own their own digital marketing agency, which sounds grand but actually means they work 24/7 and struggle to pay the bills in a co-working space in trendy East London. In true Pygmalion style Annie gets into a dispute with a man who runs a traditional advertising agency (think magazines and TV) in the same building and bets that she can turn anyone into an Instagram influencer with 20,000 followers within one month. To avoid cheating they agree that the next person through the door will be Annie's social experiment, and it turns out to be Dr Samuel Page, renowned historian and expert on the Lord Lieutenants of Ireland.

Dr Page has long hair, a man bun (but not in a good, or even ironic, way), a bushy beard and dresses very, very badly. Also he is anti-social and refuses to talk to Annie, despite working in the same building. Until Annie discovers his weak spot, he has been dumped by his long-term girlfriend and will do anything to get her back, including helping Annie win her bet. In the tradition of all rom-coms, once Annie persuades Dr Page to cut his hair and trim his beard there is a bona fide hottie hiding underneath, when they get him out of his baggy grandad clothes and into something more stylish he's an out-and-out pin-up.

I loved this, it was funny and relatable with genuine characters that were engaging and personable. If you like a makeover romance, an opposites-attract romance, or even just a social media romance then this is the one for you.

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Review: Ivan

Ivan by Kit Rocha
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Maricela Rios is a post-apocalyptic princess, sister of Gideon, the current leader of Sector One, and Isabela, the current leader of the Sector One religion, and granddaughter of the Prophet. Hers is a life of privilege and wealth, yet it comes at a price. After the attempt on Gideon's life Maricela is forced to have a bodyguard with her 24/7 up close and personal and her every movement is dissected. Even worse, everyone treats her as it she is made of glass with no will of her own. Maricela knows that she is expected to make a politically advantageous marriage that will cement alliances and bring further wealth to the Rios coffers but the only man she eyes for is her bodyguard, Ivan.

Ivan is the son of a saint and the nephew of traitors. After his uncles were responsible for kidnapping and the death of another Rios princess which precipitated a civil war, Ivan and his mother were ostracised by Sector One. Barely able to scrape a living on the streets Ivan has been brought up to emulate his father and sacrifice himself to save others. Gideon saved Ivan and his mother and Ivan's life as one of Gideon's Riders means everything to him.

The princess and the bodyguard, political marriages, intrigue and treason. This novel has all of Kit Rocha's brilliant world-building and drama but the heat is turned down to simmer. The predecessor series set in Sector Four, the Beyond series, was all about the erotica whereas this series is all about the plot and I loved it.

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Review: Just Saying

Just Saying by Sophie Ranald
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Alice seems to have it all. A promising job as a trainee solicitor, an offer of a permanent position in her law firm's Intellectual Property department at the end of her training, a fabulous boyfriend Joe and a small but charming flat. After Joe plans a perfect birthday celebration Alice thinks everything is perfect, and that's when it all goes to pot: her boss is suspended from work; her job offer is rescinded; and Joe's ex-girlfriend Zoe appears on the scene.

Almost by accident Alice finds herself working at the local grotty boozer (you know the one with sticky carpets in a swirly pattern, the same defeated-looking regulars, and a menu which went out in the 1980s). Then, to help with the rent, Joe invites Zoe to live with them as a lodger! Suddenly Alice is confronted by this beautiful woman wandering around their flat half-dressed, bonding with Joe over things that Alice has never enjoyed (like computer games). Alice is that super ex-girlfriend of our nightmares, beautiful, exotic, a brilliant chef, well-travelled, and all over Joe.

Is Alice taking a break from real life to run a run-down boozer or has she realised that the sensible job in law is not the career for her? Is her perfect boyfriend really perfect, or is there someone else waiting in the wings? What is the truth about Alice leaving her law firm?

I enjoyed reading this and I flew through it in less than day. However, I think the blurb is kind of misleading because the Alice/Zoe conflict isn't really central to the plot. Also, I think this novel will date quite quickly because it references a number of recently topical news stories (Brexit, the Windrush generation, #MeToo). More importantly, I felt that the novel trivialised these issues, as though they were easily solvable or not really worth worrying about (deliberately being vague to avoid spoiling the plot).

I was struggling to classify this novel, it's not your usual chick-lit, it's not romantic comedy, it's not women's fiction. Then I checked out another Sophie Ranald book I had reviewed Out with the Ex, In with the New and realised that this is a bit of a Bildungsroman, a voyage of self-discovery for Alice who finds out what is important to her.

A fun read which touches on some social issues, perfect holiday reading.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Practically Perfect

Practically Perfect by Katie Fforde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Slightly dated classic Katie Forde romance. Anna has bought a dilapidated end of terrace worker's cottage in the Cotswolds with the intention of doing it up and selling it, and also showcasing her interior design credentials (cue rather dated references to the TV series Changing Rooms). She quickly makes friends with the woman in the cottage next door with an absentee husband (travelling for work) and three small children. Her new BFF also saddles her with a rescue greyhound rather against Anna's better judgement which leads to a run-in with the local representative of the greyhound rescue centre who is less than impressed by Anna's dog-handling skills. Rob, aka B*stard Dog Man (as Anna calls him), also turns out to work for the listed buildings department and Anna finds out her lovely cottage is listed, which means no new wide staircase and no French windows. So Rob is now rechristened B*stard House and Dog Man. But aside from his officiousness about Anna's house and dog, Rob is actually very helpful.

Anna hasn't told anyone but one of the reasons she moved to the village was because the man she has been in love with years, Max, is originally from the area and his mother lives in the village. Max was a guest lecturer on Anna's university course and they had a moment at the end of year dance, but Anna threw his number away in a moment of madness and has been regretting it ever since. Now a college reunion beckons and Anna has the chance to see Max again.

So here we are set up for the classic love triangle, the sophisticated London architect that got away versus the well-meaning but bossy B*stard House and Dog Man. The only problem was, I found both men pretty obnoxious, they both treated Anna like a fluffy little girl who didn't know a thing and told her what to do with monotonous regularity.

Overall, I liked it but I didn't love it, I also thought Anna was a bit wet TBH.



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Review: Chaos Reigning

Chaos Reigning by Jessie Mihalik
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

This series started out promisingly but I liked each book successively less and this felt a bit too rinse and repeat for me. Yet another daughter of House Hasenberg, Catarina von Hasenberg, has special abilities which she too hides from the world under a facade of a vapid socialite. Cat maneuvers to get herself invited to a rival House's house party so that she can spy on them and find evidence of their involvement in her brother's kidnapping.

Because even her family believe that Cat is as flighty as she pretends, her sister Ada insists she takes two bodyguards with her, and because bodyguards can't be with her 24/7 she insists that Cat pretends that one bodyguard, Alex, is her significant other.

What starts out as pretense quickly becomes more real, especially when Alex seems unfazed when Cat inadvertently uses her full strength. Then there's an attempt on Cat's life which is quickly followed by an all-out attack on the High Houses and their heirs. Cat is the only one (of course she is) who can get back to earth and save the galaxy from something far worse than the HIgh Houses.

So this starts a bit like a space Downton Abbey, complete with formalwear for dinner and afternoon tea. Then it becomes more of a space opera with chases and battlecruisers and secret weapons stores. But even then it was Cat and her team are attacked and escape, go to a secret store, get attacked and escape yadda, yadda, yadda. How is it that the von Hasenberg sisters one seem to be targets for abuse of various kinds and two seem to be magnets for super soldiers?

Overall, I felt not only that had I read this book before but also that within this book it was repetitive and I just struggled to finish it.

Don't get me wrong, this series is still great fun but it fell from the promising start to an okay finish.

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Review: 500 Miles from You

500 Miles from You by Jenny Colgan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed the two previous books in this series so I jumped at the chance to request this ARC and Jenny Colgan did not disappoint.

Lissa is a London nurse practitioner liaison (NPL). Cormac is an NPL in Kirrinfief, a small village in Scotland, he was in the Army and is finding life in his home village a little boring. When things get overwhelming at work Lissa's boss suggests she has a change of scenery and has a three month job swap with Cormac, he can get some big city work experience while she has a less stressful life.

At first they are both fish out of water, struggling to cope with their clients and surroundings, but slowly they each come to appreciate things about their temporary situation. As they email back and forth about their clients Lissa and Cormac find themselves falling for each other, without having ever met!

I loved this just as much as the other two books, a sweet romance leavened with some traumatic events, the novel is full of charming and memorable characters, we also see the main characters from the first two books.

Absolutely perfect for anyone looking for a fish-out-of-water romantic comedy featuring a traumatised heroine and a gruff hero. Loved it and can't wait to read my way through Jenny Colgan's back catalogue.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: On a Beautiful Day

On a Beautiful Day by Lucy Diamond
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Four friends meet up for lunch to celebrate one of their birthdays but a near-miss tragedy forces each of them to re-examine their lives and decide what is important because each of their lives is about to change dramatically.

Eve, accountant, married mother of two and control freak has found a lump in her breast.

Jo, nurse and recently divorced has just met a new man, could he be the one?

India, children's music teacher and married mother of three is particularly affected by one of the victims and it brings back memories of her own youth.

Laura realises that she is desperate for a baby, she just needs to get her husband on board after their three miscarriages.

The ripples from the incident are felt by all four women and when they meet again for the next birthday lunch, none of their lives will be the same.

I enjoyed this but I didn't feel any real difference between the women, they all sounded the same and I couldn't really tell them apart. Also, and maybe it's a facet of having four women with very different life issues, it felt as though this was a bit of a shopping list. Divorce? Tick. Baby? Tick. Cancer? Tick. Affair? Tick. Job crisis? Tick. Children problems? Tick. I could go on.

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Review: Sure Shot

Sure Shot by Sarina Bowen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Second chance romance with Sarina Bowen's usual flair.

Years ago when they were both starting their respective careers Bess Beringer and Mark “Tank” Tankiewicz had a brief secret fling, then when Bess had to choose between Tank and her career she chose her career.

Separated by geography, Bess and Tank haven't seen each other since but now Tank has been traded to the Brooklyn Bruisers and Bess has moved to New York to be closer to her brother and his family. When they meet again the heat is as strong as ever, but Tank has only just separated from his wife and Bess has just created a five-year plan which includes a husband and children.

Sarina Bowen always brings the heat, and Bess and Tank certainly scorch up the sheets , but she also brings the sweet, cute moppets and an opportunity for Bess and Tank to show their softer sides, especially when it comes to interactions with Tank's agent and Bess' mentor, Henry Kassman.

If you like your sports romances sweet, with a blast of steam and a strong plot then look no further.

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Review: The F List

The F List by Alessandra Torre
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Four and a half stars.

Alessandra Torre does sweet romance without the smexy!

I love Alessandra Torre's Hollywood Dirt and so when I saw this ARC available for request I jumped at the chance to review it.

Emma Blanton used to be a trailer-trash white girl with bad teeth and an ugly name until a tragedy gave her a chance to reinvent herself into an influencer with thousands of followers and a good living from brand placement. But she'll never reach the dizzying heights of the entitled famous, the sons and daughters of the famous like Cash MItchell, the archetypal rich kid, all gleaming teeth and blonde hair, son of a famous soap opera diva, and also Emma's secret crush from before she became famous.

An arranged date goes badly wrong and leads to Emma getting a reputation as a straight-talking blogger with a bad attitude, a reputation she exploits to build her reputation, until the two of them are asked to take place in a reality TV show for MTV like Celebrity Big Brother, but without the food shortages and silly tasks. Everything is supposed to be scripted but Emma and Cash keep going off script.

I tore through this book in a single day, that's how much fun I was having, Cash and Emma are both such lovable characters and who doesn't love a celebrity reality TV show featuring the rich and good-looking?

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Conventionally Yours

Conventionally Yours by Annabeth Albert
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Alden is socially inept, perhaps on the autism spectrum, perhaps not. He likes rules and regulations and thins being just so (as do I). Conrad is his opposite, charming, casual and someone who makes friends easily. The two of them play Odyssey in a weekly game which is narrated and blogged by one of their professors. Conrad thinks that Alden is uber-critical and sneers at him, Alden thinks Conrad finds him boring and a stick-in-the-mud.

When their professor is given free tickets and competition entries to the Odyssey convention in Las Vegas they all make plans to drive cross-country to the convention, but first the professor and then one of their team fall out, leaving Alden and Conrad to spend six days driving across America together. Squabbling over directions and food stops turns into friendship and romance, but when the two of them come head-to-head in the tournament that they both desperately need to win, will romance survive?

I really liked the sound of this geeky, enemies to lovers, road trip romance and was thrilled to be gifted an ARC by the publisher. While the plot was pleasant enough I just felt that Annabeth Albert was trying too hard to be politically correct, with the gender-indeterminate friend who felt like a plot device. I have no idea if Odyssey is a real game (google would suggest not) but I really didn't get a feel for the game at all. Similarly, Conrad and Alden's romance was of the fade-to-black variety and I got the overwhelming impression that it was because the author didn't know how to write about gay sex. Heck there was mild swearing, a few F-bombs were dropped but no-one mentioned a c*ck at all. I felt, and it was only an impression, that Annabeth Albert had seen that YA/NA gay romances were a thing and so set out to write one without much knowledge of the subject. As a consequence it felt a bit like a road trip with two fourteen year olds and we hit every teenage cliché known to man.

I liked this, and I felt there was a great book trying to get out but I wouldn't recommend it.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Game Changer

Game Changer by Kelly Jamieson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Molly Flynn's wedding to NHL player Steve implodes big time when she is sent explicit texts between Steve and a mysterious woman just before their wedding. In desperation she turns to Steve's teammate Jackson Wynn, who is also her trivia mate, to get her out of there.

Jackson was just dropping in on Molly and Steve's wedding before reluctantly visiting his family and all its accompanying drama. His father cheated on his mother and Jackson has never really forgiven him for that. Then Jackson's grandfather married a much younger woman and fell out with Jackson's father and uncle over money. The entire family dynamic is one huge drama-llama and Jackson wants as little as possible to do with it, if his grandfather didn't have Alzheimer's he wouldn't even have bothered, the last thing he needs is absconding with his teammates fiance - that never bodes well for the team dynamics.

Molly and Jackson have only ever been buddies, drawn together by a mutual love of trivia but as they spend the summer together they find close proximity fosters attraction. Is this a secret summer fling? Is Jackson Molly's rebound guy? Or could this be something more?

I love Kelly Jamieson novels and after a string of disappointing reads this was like a breath of fresh air. A friends to lovers romance between a stoic hockey player and a wholesome teacher? Sign. Me. Up! However, I did feel it started to flag in the middle a bit, maybe there wasn't enough tension? Or, maybe a novel about a hockey player set in the summer off-season lacks the essential sporty element?

Anyway, after the brief lull in the middle I really liked the way this romance was resolved, there were some interesting ways of resolving the inevitable conflict which I found refreshing.

If you want a summer away from the city, relaxing by a lake in Manitoba, barbequing with friends then this is the novel for you.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Time Waits

Time Waits by C.B. Lewis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The time is the near future 2041, in Manchester a semi-secret organisation called the Temporal Research Institute travels in time to observe historical events. Dieter is a linguist and an historian but he rushes to the fore when a mission goes badly wrong and a Hungarian soldier from World War II stumbles through the open portal.

Janos Nagy is close to death, in fact he thought he was walking into the light, when he stumbles nearly 100 years into his future. Shocked and scared he threatens the pretty man with the outrageous hair and make-up who greets him, scared that this is a Nazi trap.

The TRI can't upset Janos' timeline by returning him, miraculously healed from what should have been a fatal wound, so he is forced to remain in this strange new world. Although Janos terrified Dieter when he first arrived Dieter feels a strange sense of responsibility for the man, especially since he is the only person at the TRI with a passable understanding of Magyar (Hungarian). But as the two men gradually become friends, and then lovers, someone decides if the rules of time travel can be broken once, why not again?

If you are hoping for an LGBTQIA+ version of Jodi Taylor's St Mary's stories this isn't in the same vein. Primarily a romance/stranger in a strange land story the time travel aspect doesn't really feature until late in the book.

I loved both Janos and Dieter, men from very different times in history with very different experiences of what it is like to be a gay man. I also liked the side characters, they felt real and I am pleased to see that one of them features in the next book in the series.

A charming, novel which is hard to define but I really enjoyed it and would definitely read others in the series.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: An Almost Perfect Holiday

An Almost Perfect Holiday by Lucy Diamond
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Family holidays, eagerly anticipated and so often disappointing. Join three very different women as they spend two weeks in Cornwall at Lorna's holiday cottages. Maggie and her 14 year old daughter, Em with her two teenagers, her new boyfriend and his young daughter, Olivia who's taking a break from her family altogether.

Laugh, cry, reminisce about being a teenager with all the angst and stupidity that entails. Sympathise with all three women and cheer as they each triumph in their own ways.

I requested this arc from NetGalley and was unable to read the file (some corruption occurred in the download) but I really wanted to read something light-hearted and uplifting so I bought a copy anyway. This was fun, relatable and certainly uplifting, just what the doctor ordered.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: The Duke of Danger

The Duke of Danger by Darcy Burke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When Lady Emmaline Townsend's husband is killed in a duel she vows revenge on his killer, Lionel Maitland, Marquess of Axbridge. However, less than a year later and faced with an arranged marriage to a lecherous man old enough to be her father Emmaline summons him back to London with a proposition, marry her as penance for the murder of her husband.

Lionel has killed two men in duels, something he never wanted to do, and is tortured by guilt. Although a loveless marriage in name only would mean the title would pass to a distant cousin and deny Lionel the joys of love and children he feels he must marry Emmaline to atone for his actions. However, very soon he finds himself falling in love with his wife. Lionel can never tell his wife why he challenged her first husband to a duel, or that her husband shot before the count of twenty.

I love a good marriage of convenience historical romance, and how much more delicious when it's with the man who murdered your husband, even if your marriage was deteriorating and your husband turned out to be an inveterate gambler.

Just loved it.

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Review: Summer on a Sunny Island

Summer on a Sunny Island by Sue Moorcroft
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Rosa flees her ex and her ex best friend and goes to Malta to spend the summer with her mother Dory who is writing a Mediterranean cookery book. Their upstairs neighbour is an Englishman called Zach who has fled the UK with his own demons, his sister Marci and her daughter Paige.

You can run away from your problems and your family, but soon they'll come knocking at your door. Soon Zach is embroiled in the troubles of a young man at the youth centre where he volunteers, Rosa is enchanted by Marci's daughter and romance is in the air.

I love Sue Moorcroft's Middledip novels but for some reason I have never warmed to her books set overseas, so shame on me for requesting another one. The first quarter felt all tell and no show, we got a tourist guide to Malta on every page and the stilted way in which each character felt the need to give long detailed back stories for everything was very wearing. There's a scene at a party early on where Zach talks about the youth centre where he volunteers, but he goes into the history of the centre and who founded it and their philosophy, then Rosa says, oh I work somewhere similar in the UK and gives her own long, boring detailed history of the founder etc.

I persevered (although TBH I was just trying to get to 30% before I DNFd) and gradually the characters took over from the author telling, there were multiple plots unfolding and it all started to get better.

Overall, if you don't mind a slow beginning, or have a deep fascination with the history of Malta, this is a charming fun holiday read. Warning your wine and beer consumption is likely to increase as the characters always seem to be sitting on the terrace with a glass of something cold and alcoholic in their hands LOL.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Spark

Spark by Gillian Archer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

I haven't read the two previous books in the series but that didn't cause an issue as each one appears to be a stand-alone romance featuring one of the four Burns brothers or, in this case, their cousin Sabrina. The four guys run a custom bike shop called Badass Builds where Sabrina is the accountant and they have a very successful reality TV show based on the shop.

Sabrina and Logan were hot and heavy until he left to spend the summer fire jumping and almost died, his best friend did die. Now, two years later Logan is back but he's wracked with guilt and ashamed of his scars.

There was a good plot and interesting story in this novel but it felt like we had to go through several different genres to get there. First we had Logan acting like a jerk and ghosting Sabrina. Then, not five minutes later (okay like a day or two) the two of them are getting hot and heavy, so apparently he wasn't very good at following his own rules. Then we had what felt like heavy petting/sex scene after sex scene, no plot development, on the plus side Logan had stopped acting and talking like a extra from Sons of Anarchy. Finally, after the compulsory sex scenes we actually got some plot.

I think if I had to rate this book I would say two stars for the first 25%, three stars for the middle and maybe four stars for the end, but I can't be that specific so I've gone with a three, verging on three and a half stars. I would definitely be interested in reading another in the series to see what happens next.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Life Skills

Life Skills by Katie Fforde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Julia realises she is playing life so safe that she has practically sleep-walked into marrying a man she doesn't love and actually doesn't really like very much. When she loses out to a promotion she richly deserves to a helpless man, she receives no support from her boyfriend Oscar who agrees with her boss (one of his golfing buddies) that incompetent men should be promoted over capable women. Julia ditches the man and the job and resolves to do something completely different, her eye is caught by an advert in The Lady for cabin crew for a narrowboat and thus starts her new adventure.

Pardon the pun, life isn't all plain sailing. Julia's new boss Suzie is a charming Sloane Ranger type (do we call them that anymore?), a bit of an airhead who has always been supported by daddy's money and doesn't have any normal life skills (like cleaning toilets or frying eggs). The other crew member is a surly man who refuses to do anything other than tinker with the engines and then leaves them in the lurch when the first passengers are about to arrive.

Luckily Julia and Suzie are rescued by the serendipitous arrival of Julia's childhood arch enemy Fergus, with a book her mother wanted him to deliver. Julia might dislike Fergus, especially since his mother and hers have been matchmaking them since they were eight years old, but he is certainly a handy man to have around the narrowboats and the passengers love him.

I read a review which said that 'although all of Fforde’s novels feature the same plot and are achingly middle class, they are usually a nice relaxing read' and I couldn't agree more, especially about the achingly middle class bit.

This was first published in 1999 and it reflects some of the attitudes of that time (although TBH I don't think even then people were as strait-laced about unmarried women having children as this book would have you believe) as many other readers have mentioned. But if you can accept that then this is a lovely gentle romance, with a host of eccentric and lovable passengers, a stalwart hero to whose virtues Julia is wilfully blind and the glories of the English countryside.

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Review: Stately Pursuits

Stately Pursuits by Katie Fforde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Classic Katie Fforde!

Hetty Longden has lost her home, her boyfriend and her job when she discovers her boyfriend Alistair (and boss) in their bed with another woman, because he couldn't think of how to tell Hetty he'd found someone else!

Her mother, being the interfering middle-class English mother that she is, finds Hetty a temporary position caretaking Great Uncle Samuel's decrepit stately home while he's in hospital. Drawn almost against her will into the life of the local village, Hetty and the villagers cook up a plan to make the house self-sufficient through visitor days, fairs, and dinners.

There's added drama because Samuel's heir, Connor Barrabin who's living and working in Turkmenistan, wants to turn the whole place into a theme park. Just when things are going well Connor arrives the night before a car boot sale

There's romance. strident villagers, glamorous neighbours with a heart of gold, grumpy heirs, nefarious loan sharks and errant boyfriends aplenty in this charming gentle romantic comedy.

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Review: Relentless in Texas

Relentless in Texas by Kari Lynn Dell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you've read the other books in this series you will know Gil Sanchez, he's the workaholic head of Sanchez Trucking, a former bare-back rider his career was over before it had truly begun when he crashed his motorbike and shattered his pelvis. It has taken years, several surgeries and recovering from an opiate addiction for Gil to be able to walk pain-free.

One night Gil is out driving an eighteen-wheeler in Montana where he is compelled to go into a bar by the sound of a live band. There he meets an enigmatic and fascinating woman called Carmelita White Fox who dances while twirling ropes. Their connection is immediate and visceral, yet over before it has truly begun when Carma is called away by a cousin who has left her baby with their grandmother who has only just got out of hospital. Somehow Gil and Carma keep up a sporadic conversation mainly through emojis and brief texts, until a mission to research horse rehab facilities for veterans and a bout of food poisoning lead Carma right to Gil's door, and I mean literally.

Gil knows he has replaced alcohol and painkillers with work, he's driven off more receptionists than he can count and he often starts work at four in the morning, but something about Carma relaxes the tightness in his soul, but he sees how everyone else leans on her for support and he doesn't want to be yet another person with their hand out wanting Carma to give, give, give.

Carma wants to be there for Gil, to be fully part of his life but it seems he tells his AA sponsor more than he'll ever tell Carma, is she just a convenience and will he drop her like a hot potato when he sees a tall. blonde white girl he fancies?

Then the impossible happens out of an accident and Gil might get a second chance at a rodeo career. But the opportunity has as many pitfalls as possibilities and will Gil and Carma survive it?

I really liked Gil, and have done from the previous books, he's single-handedly allowing everyone else in the family to fulfil their dreams while keeping a multi-million dollar trucking business going, even if his role is self-appointed. I oved that he can see that Carma has been dragged down by boyfriends in the past and is determined not to do the same, he can also see that Carma has opportunities and doesn't want to hold her back. I also liked Carma, she's a hard-worker, driven, caring and sassy. I wasn't so keen on her special woo-woo talent, especially at the start of the book, although by the end I was more comfortable with it.

Overall, another great rodeo romance with gritty characters and messy families and relatable issues. Kari Lynn Dell does not disappoint.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


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Review: The Seventh Star

The Seventh Star by Mark Hayden
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Four and a half stars.

How to guarantee success for your Bollywood-themed charity fund-raiser? Have the Fae Princess Birkdale (that the mundane world see as a famous WAG, model and Instagram star, Tara Doyle) drop uninvited and stay for selfies. But Tara Doyle has an ulterior motive (when don't the Fae have an ulterior motive, or ten?). One of her people was assassinated and she wants Conrad, in his capacity as Watch Captain at Large, to investigate to prevent an 'orgy of retaliation'.

Conrad's investigation leads him to Canal Street in Manchester, a drag queen called Fae Klass, dwarves, gnomes, a new job title and something that is most definitely not werew*lv*s, well probably not. And just to make things super awkward Conrad has a new partner, Karina from the Forest of Arden, and the ensuing murder investigation leads to him seeking the assistance of (drum roll please) Tom Morton! OMG, fan-girl squee, mortal enemies join together to investigate a crime. Tom doesn't know about the supernatural world and Conrad has to keep it a secret, pretty difficult when there are 'not' werew*lv*s running around!

I just loved this, as much as the others, I love the character development of everyone, especially Mina who rocks being an accountant with attitude, the plot is fast and furious and I can't wait for the next book.

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Review: The Undercover Cook

The Undercover Cook by Katie Fforde
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Emily is a journalist for a local newspaper working undercover at a local restaurant trying to expose chef Theo Milton by posing as an intern. Unfortunately, while he might tear strips off the staff when they do things wrong Theo doesn't seem to be exploiting them, in fact Emily sees him performing some random acts of kindness. But as the job progresses Emily finds an unlikely affiliation for cooking and her boss.

This was sweet but OMG this was a short story not a novella, the actual story ended at 57% of my Kindle edition, the rest was taken up by chapter one of another Katie Fforde book so that gives you a yardstick to compare the length of the novella - about the same length as a normal chapter (8 minutes at my reading speed my trusty Kindle tells me). Ah, it's 26 pages so even at 99p it feels a bit steep.

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Review: Starbreaker

Starbreaker by Amanda Bouchet
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars maybe?

A quick recap on the first book in this series. Captain (Quin)Tessa Bailey is a rebel fighting the Galactical Overseer Simon Novalight, stealing food from convoys to feed the rebels and survivors from the Overseer's drastic and draconian ways of stamping out rebellion. Tess also has some kind of super blood which acts as a cure-all and which the Overseer wants to use to create Super Soldiers. Oh, and did I forget? Tess is also the Overseer's daughter.

Shade Ganavan was once the best bounty hunter for General Nate Bridgebane. Bridgebane is captain of the DW12 (the Overseer's most feared warship), the Overseer's best friend, and Tessa's uncle, who abandoned her to an orphanage when she was eight years old. After wrestling with his conscience in the last book Shade has followed his heart, given up the bounty-hunting and joined Tess' crew.

In this latest instalment Tess and her crew are on a mission to the Overseer's most guarded prison to rescue a rebel scientist. Along the way our duo battle other bounty-hunters, encounter General Bridgebane and learn more about Tess' childhood and how she came to have this strange blood. The book culminates in a shocking climax that leaves the reader on the edge of their seats.

Sounds great right? You'd want to read that book, I know I would. Unfortunately for me, and this is a criticism that I have levelled at probably the last four Amanda Bouchet novels that I have read so maybe I should cut my losses and stop reading her novels, the balance between tweenage-style gazing adoringly at Shade's big hands with the scarred knuckles (I kid you not), steamy, yet somehow unerotic sex scenes and 'I love her, does she love me' internal monologues and the real space rebel action was woefully misaligned. You want an example? Tess and her crew meet up with another rebel crew unloading supplies on a moon of a planet decimated by the Overseer. We get a few pages of banter and moving supplies then page, after page, after page of Tess and Shade's sexual experimentation and YA angsty conversations. I've said it before but Tess is supposed to be a 26 year old rebel captain, a leader, the galaxy's Most Wanted, and yet most of the time she comes across as someone a decade younger. Anyway, in my head I feel that the novel was 60% YA/NA romance and 40% space opera whereas I really want the balance to go the other way. I can't help but compare this to Star Nomad which in my opinion gets the balance right.

This is where I am supposed to say I realise it's me not Amanda Bouchet and that I am just not going to read any more of her books because it's just the way she writes her books. However, I do love the space opera and so I'm sure I'm going to read the next one with exactly the same mixed feelings. Also I just need to know what is going to happen to all the other members of Tess' crew, there seem to be a lot of budding romances there, and what about the Overseer's latest dastardly plan? OMG I have to read the next book!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Undercover Bromance

Undercover Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved the first in this series, loosely based around a group of highly successful guys who have a secret romance reading club, so when this came out I one-clicked right away.

This book features Braden Mack, successful nightclub owner, founder and the romance expert of the book club, or so they think. In fact Braden has learned everything he knows about romance from novels and so he is one walking cliché of red roses, dinners in Michelin-starred restaurants and expensive trinkets.

Liv Papandreas is a pastry chef at one of those fancy restaurants, working for an obnoxious celebrity chef called Royce Preston. The restaurant's speciality is a gold-infused Sultan cupcake which costs $1,000 (so of course guess where Braden is taking his date?), I love it when Liv says it tastes like "ostentatious greed". Oh, and Liv is also the little sister of Thea Scott from the first book.

Liv and Braden's worlds collide (again) when she brings out the Sultan cupcake he has ordered for his girlfriend Gretchen who is a defence attorney in immigration cases. There's an unfortunate accident, Liz drops the cupcake on Gretchen's lap and gets fired by Royce after catching him harassing one of the staff.

Inspired by the romantic suspense novels Braden loves so much, Braden, Liz and the Bromance Book Club plan a sting operation to expose Royce. At the same time, the Bromance Book Club have a series of bets on Braden's love-life. They at least understand the difference between romancing a woman and real romance.

This was a fun (and funny) romantic comedy, the Bromance Book Club scenes were a delight and I enjoyed the interactions between Liv and Braden as he discovers that his 'perfect' woman may not be what he thought.

However, I felt that the sexual-harassment storyline veered too often into banner-waving, right-on, bludgeoning the reader with PC messaging accompanied by a Goldie Hawn-esque sting operation complete with a Notting Hill-style race across Nashville.

Definitely love this series and can't wait for the next one.

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Review: A Springtime Affair

A Springtime Affair by Katie Fforde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Helena is the archetypal Katie Fforde heroine, a self-employed weaver she is about to be turfed out of her studio in a barn by her wicked property developer landlord, or so she thinks until she meets him (a total meet-cute involving a kitten). Her landlord Jago turns out to be an ethical property developer who wants to convert the barn into affordable housing (dreamy sigh). Helena and Jago cook up the romantic comedy staple, fake romance, to stop friends and family nagging them about being single, but as always life starts to imitate fiction.

Meanwhile, Helena's saintly mother Gilly, who has run a fabulous B&B in the Cotswolds single-handedly since her bullying husband left her, meets a charming estate agent called Leo just at the time that her son Martin and his wife Cressida are trying to persuade her to sell the B&B and use the money to help them buy a larger house with a granny annex. As Gilly is around my age (early to mid 50s) I feel indignant on her behalf, heck I'm still waiting to be a grown-up!

This was charming quintessential Katie Fforde from start to finish, no surprises but glorious gentle romance set in the idyllic English countryside with craft fairs and eccentric old ladies (not Gilly). However, fair warning, Gilly likes to feed people and unless you have a very strong will you could end up piling on the pounds because reading about all the biscuits and cakes and breakfasts that she feeds her family and guests will make you ravenous, I swear that's why I put shortbread on this week's Ocado shop. Loved it and perfect reading during COVID-19 lockdown.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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