Review: One Small Thing

One Small Thing by Erin Watt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Beth lives a half life ever since her older sister Rachel died. Her parents are over-protective but also have made their home a shrine to Rachel, stifled by the atmosphere and the helicopter parenting Beth sneaks out and goes to a party in the bad side of town where she meets and hooks up with a gorgeous guy called Chase. The next day, shocked at losing her virginity to a complete stranger, and feeling totally out of control Beth resolves to turn over a new leaf. But her resolves is sorely tested when she goes back to school and finds that Chase is not only a new joiner at the school, but also the boy who was responsible for her sister's death.

For most of the book I flip-flopped between thinking Beth should apply for emancipation from her parents who crossed the line past over protective and into scary controlling and thinking that Beth was too stupid for words and the author of her own misfortune. I was also disappointed that once again female friends are shown as shallow, unreliable and judgemental - but maybe that's me being naive about high school teenagers, as I recall it was like that at senior school. Some of the characters were also a bit too much of a caricature, signalling early on what unfolded at the end.

And yet ...

At the climactic conclusion I was literally on the edge of my seat (on a crowded commuter train) compulsively gripping the seat, on the verge of shouting out (I know!) because the tension was that strong!

Overall, not my favourite Erin Watt but gripping nonetheless.

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Review: The Lucky Dress

The Lucky Dress by Aimee Brown
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

DNF at 60%.

I feel torn about this book. On one hand I don't want to read it any more, on the other hand I want to know what happens.

Told in alternate present day and flashbacks going backwards in time (for no reason that I could discern) this is the story of Emi Harrison. She caught her fiancee in a compromising position and broke things off then moved to Dallas where she opened up a coffee shop.

Now her ex-fiancee Jack Cabot's sister Hannah is marrying Emi's twin brother Evan and she is not only forced to attend the week long celebrations but also spend time with Jack and his new girlfriend, who only happens to be Emi's nemesis.

I don't know whether Jack really did cheat, the story from Emi's viewpoint really doesn't leave much wiggle room for a plausible explanation. Similarly, if Jack is distraught and desperate to get back with Emi why would he even allow such a nasty piece of work to hang around? I didn't like Emi's BFF Lily, she was pretty judgemental about Emi having two small airline glasses of wine - it was like she had downed a bottle of vodka - and she seems to put Emi down all the time. Hannah was also a Bridezilla and an unlikable character. Maybe, as I write this my feelings become clearer, it is just that I don't like any of the characters. Jack appears (at best) to be too afraid to say no, Emi is just wet and Lily's nemesis might as well have a coat made of Dalmatians.

I want to know Jack's excuse. I want to know if Emi goes back to Jack or starts something new with the sexy bar-owner Liam. But I don't like the characters enough to carry on 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: The Ice Princess

The Ice Princess by Elizabeth Hoyt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

The final novella in the Princes trilogy focuses on Coral Smythe, the beautiful courtesan from the previous books who became the madam of Aphrodite's Grotto, known as Aphrodite to the men who frequent the brothel. There is one man who comes to the brothel that she can't work out, Captain Isaac Wargate, a naval captain who disdains both Coral and her women, coming in only to verbally spar with Coral and collect his errant men. Until one day the new majority owner of the brothel auctions a week with Aphrodite as the prize in a game of loo.

Isaac Wargate is strangely drawn to the elusive Aphrodite and wants to get to know her better, despite her profession but he can see she is skittish and so he plays a long seduction game trying to reach the woman behind the (literal) mask.

I enjoyed this, I thought it could have been called the Captain and the Courtesan and frankly I got tired of the fairy stories which unfold at the start of each chapter after the first novel, but overall this was a compact tale which drew me in and finished off the series nicely.

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Review: Hard Sell

Hard Sell by Lauren Layne
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Matt Cannon is a numbers geek with a hot body, one of the Wolfes of Wall Street investment managers he is filthy rich and living the good life until his cousin's bachelor party in Vegas is caught on camera and suddenly the Wall Street Journal has pictures of him with a lap dancer and allegations of drug taking. Suddenly Matt needs a fake girlfriend to reassure clients that he is trustworthy and they can let him look after their money. The trouble is, the only girls that would fit the bill are either (a) totally unsuitable, would make Matt look even worse and would probably blab about the fiction the first chance they got, or (b) likely to take the opportunity to try to put a ring on it. In fact, the only person who could possibly pull it off is Matt's enemy with benefits Sabrina Cross. She's got the looks, she's got the brains, she's even got the connections - the only question is, will they kill each other first?

I don't like to be mean, especially to a writer who has written some of my favourite romances but I have to say I feel that Lauren Layne dialled this one in. All the passion and the angst happens off stage, I'm still not entirely sure I understand what happened between Matt and Sabrina in the past to make them such enemies, or rather I understand why she was unhappy, I just don't understand why he said what he did. I didn't get any of that unrequited love turned to hate anguish that I would expect from this kind of plot and frankly at times it just felt like a tick list of things that rich people do: brunch? Tick. Cocktails? Tick. Charity ball? Tick? Weekend away in somewhere expensive? Tick. Pretty woman style shopping trip? Tick.

This is said with love, Lauren Layne think about whether a new reader would pick this book up and understand the past history between these two, would have heard the barbed comments, felt the sparks, seen the antagonism. My honest guess is not. This is a common error, authors write a series of separate romances as a single extended story, the reader has to read all the books in order to 'see' the backstory, otherwise the novel is just a little bit meh. I thought this was especially disappointing because I loved the first book in the series so much and had such high expectations for this one. Is it just second book doldrums or is it LL's relentless schedule of book releases causing her to just churn books out without suitable regard to character, plot and human interest?

However, I am judging LL from a very high level, the writing is still engaging and flows effortlessly. The characters are all clever and good-looking, the situations are glamorous and sexy, there's a super-cute dog. For an unknown (to me) writer this would have been at least four stars. I just expect more from LL.

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 Memory of You

The Memory of You by Jamie Beck
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Oh Jamie Beck, I had high hopes after you dialled down the angst in When You Knew but obviously the stress was too much and you've reverted to type in this latest novel.

Stefanie Lockwood ghosted her high school boyfriend Ryan Quinn after she realised he could persuade her to give up all her dreams of leaving Sanctuary Sound and exploring a life full of possibilities. Now, after a brutal attack leaves her with a recurring concussion problem she has returned to Sanctuary Sound to set up a construction and decorating business with one of her best friends. One of their first jobs is for Ryan's mother, she wants an extension to give further room for Ryan and his daughter who have returned home after his wife leaves him for another man.

There was just too much everything in this book. Steffi is having episodes triggered by day-to-day events, in which she has flashbacks to the attack, which she subsequently doesn't recall - although the reader is left in no doubt as to what the flashbacks mean. Her two best friends have fallen out after Claire's boyfriend left her for Peyton. Claire is lame after a school shooting incident. Peyton has cancer. Steffi's mother died of cancer when she was a child, her father looks as though he is on the verge of dementia. Ryan hates Steffi for ghosting him, he had revenge sex and ended up getting the girl pregnant while still in college. His wife has left him for a millionaire but still wants half the house AND alimony. Ryan's mother is scheming to get Ryan and Steffi back together. I also found the signalling for the other couples in the series was a bit heavy handed. My prediction is that Claire and Peyton's millionaire photographer brother are secretly in love with each other, ditto Peyton and Steffi's brother Ben.

I wanted less angst and more of Steffi's fledgling building business. I liked the interactions between Steffi and Ryan's daughter and think if there had been less angst flying around it would have been a more enjoyable book because those parts were fun, flirty and cute.

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

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Review: Storm Gathering

Storm Gathering by Rebecca Zanetti
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

For some reason I started this book ages ago, didn't like the way it was going and dropped it. Randomly I picked it up again, from the start, and loved it.

Although we have seen glimpses of this previously it is all explained in more detail in this book (hurrah). Maureen Shadow is a plant Biotechnology Engineer working for a way to grow food in a world devastated by the Scorpius virus. Sister to Raze Shadow of Vanguard, she has been kidnapped by Greyson Storm of the rival Mercs gang. Although Maureen was kidnapped ostensibly to act as leverage on her brother Moe and Grey can't deny the overwhelming attraction between them.

This book has been a long time coming, matters have reached crisis point and the Mercs and Vanguard need to decide whether to combine resources to fight President Atherton and VP Lake. Moe and Grey could be the meeting point, or they can be gasoline on the fire which creates mortal enemies.

This series is set in a post-apocalyptic world where the different factions are each trying to locate secret bunkers which have been stockpiling medicines, research and weapons. One of them may hold the cure to Scorpius.

Loved it.

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Review: Silver Silence

Silver Silence by Nalini Singh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved this spin-off from the Pay-Changeling series.

Silver Mercant is a Psy. She manages a worldwide emergency response network whilst also acting as Kaleb Krycheck's assistant.

Valentin Nikolaev is alpha of the StoneWater bears, big, Russian, jovial, he courts Silver in bear fashion by find new and ingenious ways of getting into her secure apartment block to deliver papers and invite her to dinner. One morning Valentin comes to her door only for Silver to collapse, someone has attempted to poison her nutritional supplement. With suspicion falling on her own family, Silver's grandmother, the head of the Merchant family, decides the only place where she can be safe is with the StoneWater bears.

I just loved this, I loved the bears and the way they are actually very intelligent and sneaky but like to hide that behind a facade of fighting and drinking and humour. As befits the start of a new series the novel is more about people and relationships than the over-reaching arc, although there is still the shadow of conspiracies to overthrow Trinity (the new alliance between Psy, humans and changelings).

Awesome!

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Review: The Rose Revived

The Rose Revived by Katie Fforde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Three young women apply for a job with a new cleaning company, to their surprise the three of them are employed rather than the clearly more qualified older women who were also in the running, the shifty looking boss of the cleaning company says he is looking for quality, classy women to clean for his classy clientele.

May is desperate for money after her boyfriend left her owing thousands of pounds for the mooring fees on her barge, if she can't pay them quickly the site manager will seize her barge and sell it to recoup his fees.

Harriet has run away from her overbearing grandparents who have treated her like a servant, she is actually very good at cleaning and cooking, having done both to her grandmother's exacting standards. She has come to London because she is an artist and she is desperate for an opportunity to learn how to paint. She is also a single mother to a nine year old boy who her grandparents have sent to boarding school.

Sally is a resting actress, since her acting jobs have dried up her journalist boyfriend has become a lot less loving and a lot more critical, she needs money so that she can leave him.

After working for the cleaning company for several weeks the women discover that they have been conned by the owner and decide to go into business for themselves, stealing their best clients as they go. Each of the women meets a man through their cleaning work, but the path to true love is never smooth and each of them has to go on some journey of self-discovery.

I enjoyed this book, however because it was effectively three love stories in one I felt that the ending was a bit rushed.

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Review: Maggie's Run

Maggie's Run by Kelly Hunter
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Maggie Walker returns to Wirra Station after her great aunt's death. An orphan who nearly died in the car accident that killed both her parents, Maggie has had a chequered history with her great aunt and the boy next door Max O'Connor. She intends to sell the property but Max convinces her to spend three months, learning about how to manage the farm and come to peace with the past before she sells up and moves back to the city for good.

I hate to have to say this because I have enjoyed several of Kelly Hunter's other novels but this was just a bit meh. Maggie has had a difficult childhood and Max has been front and centre for much of her worst moments. He sort of hates her for leaving him, but not really. There's a mild sub-plot about trying to divide the ownership of Wirra Station so that Max gets the land for farming and Maggie has a smaller area around the house to run a wedding planning business. Even worse, it was all a bit fade to black.

If my review seems vague it's because nothing really stuck. There was nothing wrong with the novel, but it also didn't have any grit, it was all a bit greige for me the reader. I saw that the second book in this series is available for request on NetGalley but I won't be requesting 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: Counterfeit Boyfriend

Counterfeit Boyfriend by Cindi Madsen
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Did not finish at 26%.

Ordinarily I love Cindi Madsen novels, she's an auto-request/ one click buy for me but this just didn't do it for me.

Ethan is the more responsible, sensible twin, Evan the lay about good time guy. Evan has promised his girlfriend Gwen that he will go to a friend's wedding with her back in her home town, something which involves a road trip, as support for when she comes face to face with her cheating ex and her former BFF. Unfortunately, the wedding clashes with a boys trip and he has come to the conclusion that he and Gwen aren't really going anywhere romantically. But he's a nice guy and doesn't want to leave her to face her ex alone, so he asks Ethan to pretend to be him, just like they did when they were kids, show her a good time and then Evan will let her down gently when they get back. what could possibly go wrong?

Gwen is a quirky girl, she works as the office administrator for a veterinary practice, she loves oddball facts and she is looking forward to visiting the US's largest lighthouse and other sights as part of the road trip. The only problem is, she doesn't think there's any spark with Evan and she is going to break up with him. But when Ethan, masquerading as Evan, meets Gwen there is definitely a connection, a smoking' hot connection. And so, despite knowing it's a metaphorical car crash waiting to happen, Ethan agrees to go on the trip with Gwen whilst pretending to be his twin.

Why didn't I like this? It felt too juvenile, I know that Cindi Madsen writes NA/YA novels but this felt too young. I could see that the deception was going to blow up in Ethan's face - he knew it too and it felt too stupid. Also there were also too many clues that Ethan wasn't Evan, okay Gwen didn't know he had a twin, but come on - his hair grew like two inches in a few days! Overall, I couldn't suspend my disbelief and wasn't engaged by the story or the proposed road trip.

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

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Review: The Wrong Man

The Wrong Man by Natasha Anders
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the third in a series about three sisters called Daisy, Daffodil and Dahlia who were labelled by their loving parents as the clever one, the prickly one and the pretty one. Poor Dahlia, all she wants is to love and take care of someone. She was engaged to be married until she found out that her controlling fiancee was also trying to blackmail her sister into sleeping with him. She gave up her job at his behest and since then she hasn't managed to get a full-time job. Instead she spends her time doing good. Entertaining at the senior centre, reading to children at the library, volunteering at the animal sanctuary etc. Her clothing reflects her homebody personality, all cardigans, longer dresses and buttoned up collars.

The set up for this book takes place in the previous book but in a nutshell, Lia acts totally out of character and has a one night stand with Daisy's future husband Mason's former business partner Sam Brand at the mixed hen and stag nights. Then, despite her best intentions she did it again at the wedding. Having only slept with the cheating fiancee before Sam, she is horrified at her lack of judgement, particularly because Sam Brand is a foul-mouthed, over-confident, brash man who she dislikes intensely.

Sam gets injured saving a pop star from a deranged stalker. Desperate to escape Hollywood. London and the paparazzi he asks Mason if he can stay at his cottage in South Africa, little even thinking that he might run into prissy princess Dahlia in town. truth be told he'd forgotten all about her and their one night stand. But then Dahlia is pushed into preparing the cottage for his arrival and is a witness to his inability to do the simplest of things like pour a drink or dress himself with his dominant arm in plaster. Irritable, in pain and bored, Sam decides it would be fun to get prissy Dahlia to act as his cook/ cleaner/ driver for a few weeks while he simultaneously tempts her into another torrid encounter in the sack.

When I read the start of this in the previous book The Best Man I hated it. I hated Sam and Dahlia seemed too prissy for my tastes. Boy was I wrong! I just love me a bad boy meets a goody two shoes story and this was a brilliant example. Sam never lost his foul mouth or his crudity, right up to the end he said some things which were just awful and (almost) unforgivable. In fact the only reason I forgave him (as a character) was because he seemed to be equally as horrified by what he said. Dahlia grew on me, from the sort of po-faced, do-gooder with an obsession about getting married that I love to hate she turned into one of the nicest, sweetest, funniest (and sexiest) heroines I've read in a long time.

After the angst-fest of the last book, this is back to the sparkling, frothy, delightful novels that I love from Natasha Anders. I devoured every page with glee. I loved all the characters and nothing felt contrived. A winner.

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

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