Book Review: The Foster Husband by Pippa Wright

"Kate left her seaside home town of Lyme Regis for the bright lights of London when she was eighteen, and never looked back. She had it all: the glamorous career, the lovely house, the gorgeous husband. But now she’s back: unemployed, separated, and holed up in her dead granny’s bungalow. Worse still, she’s forced to share the bungalow with Ben, the clueless and domestically challenged fiancé of her bossy sister Prue. Ben is a man in need of simple instruction. And Kate is a woman in need of a project. So she decides to secretly train Ben, her foster husband, as a selfless pre-wedding gift to her sister. But Kate may still have a few lessons of her own to learn…"

Rating: 4/5

You can buy The Foster Husband as a paperback or an eBook now.

I've read both of Pippa Wright's previous novels, and they have been funny, laugh-out-loud books that have been a pleasure to read. However, when I read the synopsis for The Foster Husband , I thought it sounded like it was going to be a bit more of a serious read, and I was right. I actually enjoyed reading something more serious in nature from Wright, and it shows that she certainly has more strings to her bow than just excellent comedy writing. I also have to comment on how gorgeous the book cover is - I love the colours and think it's a really striking cover look, a big well done to the designers from me, it's a gorgeous cover.

Kate was happy to leave her childhood hometown of Lyme Regis when she was a young girl, but now an adult with her own independent life, she suddenly finds herself back home, and trying to live outside of everyone else's whispers and gossip about her private life, and why she's returned home. She also finds herself with a new flatmate in the form of her sister Prue's fiancé Ben, who is pretty clueless about living with someone and general life etiquette! Kate decides it's time to sharpen Ben up, to train him to be the perfect husband for her sister... and all without him knowing it. But is Kate doing this to be distracted from the disaster that is her own love life? Also, what's the secret she's run away to Lyme Regis with - something that threatens Kate's future happiness for the rest of her life....

I have to say something because I feel it's really important about the book. While it's called The Foster Husband and the synopsis makes out that this is the main story within the book, I would have to disagree and say that the foster husband part of it with Ben is a mere subplot, only really begins when you're about halfway into the book and doesn't actually seem all that important once you reach the end of the book. In fact, I'm a bit puzzled as to why it's pushed so heavily in both the title and the blurb, but there you are. Maybe its a title that will draw readers in but it is perhaps a tad misleading, which were my thoughts once I had finished it and thought about it. That being said, I have to confess that I did really enjoy the book, and the way it was written. The book jumps about in time, from the present day with Kate in Lyme Regis, and then to her past, in her old glamorous job, meeting her husband to the eventual collapse of her marriage which then brings us back to the present day. This allows Wright to slowly and carefully construct Kate's past, and it's fun reading how things happen for her with Matthew, her eventual husband, and I enjoyed the pacing of these parts a lot.

I  really enjoyed reading about Kate, she was quite a puzzling character and she keeps things to herself, including what has happened in her marriage to make her flee back home and to a past she would rather forget. You know that things have happened in her past as well, when she was younger that affects her because of how she is with people, but again Wright holds these things back from us and we're left guessing  I really enjoyed this aspect of the book because I enjoyed trying to figure out Kate and what had happened, and I have to say I didn't guess the eventual outcome, and I thought it was brilliantly written and handled by Wright, and the way she allowed the characters to deal with it, and it all comes in a very emotionally raw scene with Kate.

Kate was very much a loner in the book, and the only other characters we meet in the book are her husband Matthew, in the flashbacks mainly, her sister Prue, her parents and childhood friend Eddy. While the book is sparse on main and supporting characters, it doesn't seem to matter because all I cared about was Kate and her story, and finding out exactly what had happened to make her how she was. Wright handles her characters really well, and I found her writing really brought me into the book, describing emotions, places and actions so clearly that you can really visualize things as they happen in the book. I thought the portrayals of all of Kate's relationships in the book were excellent, and certainly a highlight of the book for me. In fact, the whole story was a joy to read, and while I thought the foster husband plot was a good sub-plot and allowed for a bit of humour and a break from the other emotional parts, discovering what had happened with Kate was far more interesting and drew me right in, not wanting to stop reading until the end. Wright handles a more serious and emotional story with ease, and it was an excellent read that I will highly recommend.

Book Review: The Guest List by Melissa Hill

"When funny, kind and gorgeous Shane proposes, Cara is over the moon, and can't wait to share the news of their engagement with all their friends and family.

Excitement, however, quickly turns to apprehension when it seems that everyone has a fixed idea of the perfect wedding and offers to 'help' with the planning. With tussles over the ceremony and the size of the guest list, sibling rivalry and insistent in-laws-to-be, Cara can see the vision she has of her big day being ripped to shreds.

So she and Shane determine to make a stand and do things their way. But when they announce their plans for a beach wedding on a beautiful Caribbean island, there is uproar. Threats are made, family secrets are revealed, and things turn decidedly stormy.

Will Cara and Shane manage to overcome all obstacles? Or will their dream wedding turn into a nightmare?"

Rating: 4/5

You can buy The Guest List as a paperback or an eBook now.

I always eagerly look forward to a new Melissa Hill book, she is one of my all-time favourite authors and has never let me down with a book yet. I have to say when I first saw the cover for her new book The Guest List I was really impressed, it looks romantic and beautiful - her design team always do an amazing job for her covers, and this one was no exception. This one was based around an upcoming wedding, and I wondered what mystery Hill would throw into this one. This is what I've come to get used to when reading Melissa's book - she always puts something in there, a twist towards the end that you don't expect and I was hopeful there'd be something shocking in here too!

Shane and Cara have just got engaged, and they are both over the moon. They've been together a few years now, and Cara is excited to walk up the aisle with the love of her life. When they tell their parents, they are expecting a joyous reaction, and for everyone to be thrilled for them. However, no-one reacts to their plans of a beach wedding very positively; Shane's parents want a society wedding, and Cara's family want a big traditional white wedding in an Irish church, not to the mention the fact that Cara's pregnant younger sister Heidi is kicking up a stink about travelling in her delicate condition. The warring families soon put a wedge between the happy couple, and Cara and Shane are left wondering if a wedding is a good idea after all...

I have to say when I first read the synopsis for this book, I thought it sounded like a great idea and had potential for the story to be really interesting because weddings are of course a source of conflict for many people, and after reading it, I had to wonder how many people found their own stories to be similar to that of poor Shane and Cara! As the main two characters in the book, I thought they were a fantastic couple. They were likable, genuinely nice and in love people, and importantly, you as a reader will want them to have their dream wedding and happy ever after, and it makes you dislike their families even more for what they put Shane and Cara through in the build up. I especially liked Cara, she just loved Shane and was determined to marry him no matter what, and the fact she wasn't into big designer names or an expensive wedding was really great I felt, and I felt like I could relate to her in parts.

The fact that Shane and Cara were such nice people just made their families seem even worse if I'm honest! There's Cara's baby sister Heidi, newly pregnant and convinced she can barely breathe without posing risk to her unborn child. She is just an awful woman, but she is funny about it as well, you can't help but laugh at her ridiculous notions, although I thought she was horrid to Cara in parts. Shane's parents, in particular his mother, are even worse. They seem to be all about their own interests, never mind what the happy couple want, and Hill writes their upset so very well, some of the scenes are really awkward between the family members, it made me grateful that my own family would never be like that! You really do feel sorry for Shane and Cara, it just seems like everything is shattering around them, and you just want to bang all of their horrid families heads together and make them see what is most important about the whole thing.

Now, as I said, Melissa Hill's books usually have a twist in them that just doesn't become apparent until the end when you realise it's been slowly building, and I always love that element to her books. However, for the first time, I actually guessed the twist in this one. I don't know how, it wasn't obvious but for some reason I just picked it, and when it was revealed that I was right, I have to say I was a little disappointed, I did miss the surprise element of it that there usually is for me. That said though, it was well written and covered in the book, and I liked how the fall out of it was covered in the book. You're also left wondering if the wedding will indeed happen as you're reading, it isn't clear if there is going to be a happy ending or not for Cara and Shane, and I didn't want to put it down because I had to know how it would end!

I really enjoyed reading The Guest List very much, and liked how it slowly revealed its secrets, and the despair of poor old Cara and Shane who you can't help but really love the more you read on. With warring families, a beach wedding, and plenty of family shenanigans going on, there is lots happening in this book to make you want to keep reading, and by the time you reach the end, you'll be praying for a happy end to Cara's woes! A wedding is supposed to be one of the happiest times in a couple's life together, but Hill shows how quickly it can all go wrong. As usual, Hill's writing is a pleasure to read, and you can so easily lose yourself in the story, and the emotions which feel so real as you read along. The mystery and family secrets hidden inside are well worth reading for too, I wonder if anyone else will be able to guess it quite early on as I did?! A super read that's perfect for the upcoming summer months, or your holidays.

Book News: The No-Kids Club by Talli Roland

Author Talli Roland is back this year with another new novel, and it sounds great! I have to say that I love Talli's covers as well, they are always so colourful and fun looking, I'll certainly be looking out for this one! The No-Kids Club is due out in the Autumn.

"Almost-forty Clare Donahue is living child-free and loving it – except for her shrinking social circle. One by one, the yummy-mummy pack has swallowed up formerly fun friends. When Clare loses her best mate to the non-stop circle of play dates and baby groups, she decides enough is enough: it’s time for women who don’t want children to form a social network of their own. The No-Kids Club is born. 

After recruiting Anna, whose husband hates babies, and Poppy, desperate for a family but unable to conceive, Clare’s determined to make the most of the childless life with her new friends. But when her surprise pregnancy threatens not only the growing club but also her carefully constructed world, Clare must come face to face with the idea that scares her most: a baby."

Book Review: The Wish List by Jane Costello

"There are six months left of Emma Reiss's twenties...and she has some unfinished business. Emma and her friends are about to turn thirty, and for Emma it's a defining moment. Defined, that is, by her having achieved none of the things she'd imagined she would. Her career is all wrong, her love life is a desert and that penthouse apartment she pictured herself in simply never materialised. Moreover, she's never jumped out of a plane, hasn't met the man she's going to marry, has never slept under the stars, or snogged anyone famous - just some of the aspirations on a list she and her friends compiled fifteen years ago. As an endless round of birthday parties sees Emma hurtle towards her own thirtieth, she sets about addressing these issues. But, as she discovers with hilarious consequences, some of them are trickier to tick off than she'd thought…"

Rating: 5/5

You can buy The Wish List as a paperback or an eBook now.

For some reason, I haven't read the past few releases from Jane Costello, but I don't know why because I always really enjoy her writing and her humourous stories. So when a copy of her new book The Wish List landed on my doormat a few weeks ago, I decided I was definitely going to read it. It sounded like it was going to be a really funny read, and the idea of someone fulfilling a wish list before her big 30th birthday is actually quite a believable story, and perhaps something I'll have to think about when my big 30th birthday comes looming itself! The cover is quite whimsical and pretty, although I'm not sure I'm entirely sold on this trend for plain cream covers... I like a bit of colour on a cover myself!

Emma is soon to turn 30, and all she can think is about is what she hasn't accomplished in her life rather than what she has done. She's now single, her career isn't really going places and her living accommodation doesn't leave much to be desired. When she unearths a list she and a group of friends wrote when they were young teenagers about what they dreamed they'd do before they were 30, Emma is horrified to see that really she hasn't done any of the things on her list, and feels a bit disappointed herself. Emma decides she has to change this, and so sets about trying to accomplish most of the goals on her list. However, some of them aren't as easy as she thinks they might be, and Emma is left wondering if she'll fulfill her wish list after all...

As usual with Jane Costello's books, I was pleased to see that the humour was present right from the beginning, and after just a few pages, I was hooked and knew that I was really going to enjoy this right up until the last page. The main character of Emma is brilliant - she's a pretty normal girl who has got stuck in a rut, and her determination to change that is brilliant to read, simply because she ends up in so many funny situations! Her list isn't too over-the-top, including things like a one night stand, polo riding and kissing a celebrity, but the way she tries to do these things and how she goes about them is so funny, I found myself laughing out loud frequently!

Although there are a lot of laughs in the book, Costello manages to weave in some more serious storylines too, but these just compliment the funnier ones even more. It shows Costello's talent in writing that she can mesh these threads together, and make you want to keep reading to find out what is going to happen next. I actually found the book very emotional in parts, especially relating to her neighbour Matt and what he is going through in his personal life, and I am sure that this will touch a lot of people because it is something that happens more and more regularly these days. Emma's ex-boyfriend Rob is a character you will love to hate, he is just vile and you really have to wonder what on earth she saw in him in the first place - Costello can certainly write a good villain! Emma's job as a children's TV writer is brilliant too, it certainly isn't a job I've ever before in chick lit and it did give me a bit of a laugh when I was reading about it!

Costello also writes in a relationship with Emma's female friends, including single mum Cally, domestic abuse support worker Asha, and Emma's own sister Marianne. There were some interesting storylines with these characters too, and they certainly held a more serious side to the book, and made me think a lot about differing life situations. I really warmed to single mum Cally, who loves her young son to bits, but you can tell sometimes she is just itching to go out and let her hair down, but feels guilty for wanting to do so... what mum doesn't?! Asha's story was actually quite sad I felt, and although I found myself not sympathizing with her at all, it shows how people in these situations genuinely can't see the wood for the trees, and believe that things will have a happy ending. Emma's relationship with each of the women was important to her, and I really did enjoy the sub-plots with these characters, it adds to the depth of the book and gives you so much more to enjoy from the story.

The Wish List was a joy to read from start to finish, and has certainly put Costello back to the top of my must-read list again! The humour is brilliant, funny without being too rude and crude, although there are a few cringe-worthy moments in there too, you can't help but feel sorry for poor old Emma, she tries so hard! I think I liked Emma so much because she was a believable girl, occasionally making a mistake where she knows she should have acted differently, but don't we all do silly things now and again, especially on things like Facebook and Twitter where we probably should just shut up?! There's a great cast of characters, lots of funny situations mixed in with the more serious ones too, and this is what makes The Wish List such a great read. I enjoyed every single page, and was sad when I came to the end because I had loved reading it, and I can't wait for Jane Costello's next book!

Book Review: The Antenatal Group by Amy Bratley

"Seven months pregnant, Mel is dumped by her partner and is suddenly facing parenthood alone. But at her antenatal class, she meets a group of women who quickly become invaluable friends in the terrifying new world of birth and babies . . . Katy – rich, successful and with the dream husband – has her delivery planned to perfection. But she soon realizes that nature doesn’t always follow suit. Lexi, loud and confident, is coping well on her own. Until the only man she has ever loved reappears at the most unexpected moment. Rebecca is the youngest of the group – not long out of her teens, in fact –but she’s determined to hold onto her dreams, even without her family’s support. Erin already seems to be an expert on babies, but her quiet nature hides a secret tragedy. When you’re contemplating pain relief, birth positions and sleepless nights you really need a good friend – or four."

Rating: 5/5

You can buy The Antenatal Group as a paperback or an eBook now.

I love books about babies and pregnancy and things like that, as a mum I love to relate to what I'm reading, and so when I found out that Amy Bratley's new book was about just that, I was really excited to read it. When the first cover was published, it was a gorgeous bright blue, but the published version is more cream based which is a shame, but I was undeterred and decided to get stuck in and read the whole thing. Now I've finished it, I can say this is Amy Bratley's best book to date, with a cast of likeable and relatable characters, and a story to give you hope and make you smile and nod along in recognition too!

There's nothing like an antenatal class to bring women together, and that's certainly the case for Mel, Katy, Lexi, Erin and Rebecca. When Mel finds herself suddenly single and heavily pregnant, she's devastated and scared of what the future holds, and decides to stick with the class for some moral support from the other women. There's Lexi, a woman who has gone into pregnancy knowingly solo and is happy and content with her lot, but when a surprise face from the past makes a reappearance, she's shocked to her core. Erin seems like she might know a thing or two about babies and pregnancy, but is very quiet and withdrawn at the class, and the women are sure she is hiding something. Katy loves her job, works very hard, and has the perfect marriage, and she's sure that her pregnancy, delivery and motherhood will follow suit with her perfect life. But when it doesn't go to plan, will Katy be able to cope? Finally, there's the young mum Rebecca, engaged to her musician fiance and looking forward to her future as a mum - but why is Rebecca not speaking to her family? Find out more about the women of the Antenatal Group...

As you can see, there's quite a few characters in the book, but really it focuses on these 5 women, and some of their respective partners too but that's it, so it's easy to follow and read. The book alternates between who it follows, coming together for the group and then splitting off to follow each one in turn so we get to know more about them. I liked Bratley's writing style - she's clearly writing from experience about much of the book, and you can see she understands the neurotic nature of a new mother - some scenes with the new mums are quite funny, always assuming the worst as I'm sure many mums reading this will agree to! Bratley manages to balance all of the stories very easily, and her third person story-telling works perfectly for the book, and it was a really relaxing read that I could pick up when I was tired of an evening and just enjoy reading.

All of the characters were great, and I liked that there were lots of different circumstances covered, so I am sure there is something in there for most people to relate to as they are reading. I liked how Bratley covered some quite interesting issues in the book as well, such as sperm donation, post-natal depression/ post-traumatic stress disorder, and single motherhood. You can really feel for these characters, each of them has something for you to care about or feel sympathetic for, and I liked that. I couldn't say I really had a favourite, they were all great but I was particularly taken with Lexi's and Katy's stories - they were especially well written and although I really disliked Katy at first, you soon see another side to her and I felt very sorry for her and what she was dealing with, Bratley wrote it incredibly well and realistically too. Rebecca's story was an interesting one too, and shows you the mistakes you can make in your youth, and how you can misjudge your parents in the heat of the moment, I actually found her story very emotional to read.

I read this book in just a couple of days - well, evenings - because I couldn't put it down and found myself really wanting to know what was going to happen with each of these women as they eventually gave birth and embarked on motherhood. Bratley leaves enough time in the book to deal with the first part of their motherhood too, so you really go through the whole experience with these women, and I found it a brilliant read. I am sure a lot of mum's reading this will find things in common with several of these characters, but it's an enjoyable read for anyone who likes extremely well-written and heartfelt chick lit. I find Bratley's writing style extremely easy to read, and it was such an enjoyable read. I loved the book, I loved the things it covered and I really loved its characters - what more can you ask for?!

May 2013 Releases

Another month brings another great month of chick lit releases, and May is certainly no exception! There are several books here I've been looking forward to for a while, including Giovanna Fletcher's debut novel Billy and Me, Pippa Wright's new book The Foster Husband and Abby Clements' gorgeous looking new book Vivien's Heavenly Ice Cream Shop! Which books are you looking forward to most of all? Click on the covers for more info :)

Book News: Brooklyn Girls by Gemma Burgess

Author Gemma Burgess has signed a new book deal with publisheds Quercus, and her first book with them Brooklyn Girls is out this summer! It's part of the 'New Adult' range that seems to be rising in popularity, and it sounds like a great story, I'm looking forward to reading it. It's out on 4th July.

You can pre-order Brooklyn Girls as a paperback now.

"Pia is living the dream: fresh out of college and sharing a house in Brooklyn with her best friends. So why is everything so complicated?

A drunken indiscretion has led to the loss of her boring office job, while her love life is a dizzy mess of accidental hook-ups and heartbreak...

Her parents don't trust her and, if she doesn't sort her life out soon, they're going to make her move back in with them...

But all that's nothing compared to the kind of trouble she's about to face.

At least she can rely on her friends - Coco, Angie, Julia and Madeleine. But how much can she really expect them to put up with?"