Book Review: Perfect Match by Jane Moore

Joe and Karen Eastman are feeling incredibly lucky - they are happily married to each other and have just had their first child together, a little boy called Ben. But things are about to explode in a bad way when they find out their precious son has a terminal illness, and one which is only going to be curable by the creation of a "designer baby", a brother or sister who is a perfect genetic match for little Ben. But during the process, a devastating secret is revealed which is going to rock everybody involvd to their very cores... can they still save Ben and save their marriage too?

The plot certainly isn't a light one, and is going to shock you and make you count your lucky stars that your children are okay...I know that when I got to the end I couldn't help but give Harry a big hug and thank the Lord that he is such a healthy boy! But this is what I loved about the book. It is very gritty, it delves into topics most authors would avoid and Moore really gets into the heads of the characters so that all of their actions are believable and you can really sympathy for all of them at some point throughout the book.

Book Review: Love Nest by Julia Llewellyn

Grace's childhood home, Chadlicote Manor, is being sold to settle family debts. Will losing her home break her heart or is it the chance for a new life? Karen's husband has the Manor in his sights as a chance to start over in rural paradise. But Karen prefers city living and, when a new flame turns up the heat, starting again might just mean the end of the road.

Gemma is longing for a baby and, unlike her own loft apartment, Karen's house is an ideal family home. But the dream house can only have its dream baby if Gemma can convince her flakey sister to help out. Up-and-coming rockstar Nick has designs on Gemma's flat. He's also taken a shine to classy estate agent, Lucinda, but she's not all she seems - and neither is he, since he's hiding a girlfriend he's looking to ditch when the sale goes through. The Love Nest - where all their troubles come home to roost!

I first read Julia Llewellyn when I picked up a copy of her last book The Model Wife at the library a few years ago. Since then, Julia has't written anything so I was excited to see on Amazon news of a 2010 book called The Love Nest I was lucky enough to get an ARC from Penguin to review, and it was with anticipation that I started the book. I really enjoyed Julia's writing style in her previous book and the way she makes characters seem so real, and The Love Nest seemed to be based on a group of people rather than just a couple so I was really excited to see how the author would pull it off!

Book Review: A Wild Affair by Gemma Townley

Jessica Wild has finally met the man of her dreams, Max, and is set to marry him. After her disastrous attempts at marrying Anthony for her inheritance, Jessica has realised the error of her ways and is busy planning her fabulous wedding to Max as well as working hard for his advertising agency.

But when Jessica suspects Max of having an affair,  her world falls apart. She goes out and gets drunk with her friend Helen, and makes a huge mistake, one that could affect not only her and Max's relationship but also their business too. Will Jessica be able to right the wrongs she has done and make everything okay in time for their wedding, or has Jessica been too wild this time, even for Max?

The book is the sequel to Gemma Townley's previous book The Ideal Marriage. I picked that one up last year in the shops because of its fab green cover and loved it, so I was very excited to find out that there was a sequel. A Wild Affair carries on with the theme of the previous cover but is in tones of pink and is lovely and bright so will definitely stand out in the shops. Even though it is over a year since I read about Jessica and her adventures, I slipped back easily into the story and full credit goes to Townley for her writing! Writing is definitely in her blood though because her sister is none other than Sophie Kinsella! Anyway, back to the review.

Book Review: Coming Home by Melanie Rose

A young woman wakes up buried in the snow and has no idea what she is doing there. She's rescued by a local family, and they take her in, promising to look after her until her memory returns. But after several days, she still has no idea where she is, who she is or what she is doing. The family are looking after her well - daughter Jadie is a delight and has spoken for the first time in years, housekeeper Tara is pleasant but she can sense something is awry, and house owner Vincent is distant but she can feel a spark there.

When Tara's brother Colin visits and hypnotises her trying to find out something about her past, something is uncovered that none of them expect. Will she ever be able to uncover her identity, or will she be forever stuck with Vincent as his family pretending to be someone she's not?

I first heard of Melanie Rose when I read her fantastic debut novel Could It Be Magic? which started off as a self-published book and was later picked up by Harper Collins who I am sure are thrilled with the very talented author. Her second novel has a similar theme - a lost character trying to find themselves so I was very interested to see if it was going to be too similar to Could It Be Magic? for it to be enjoyable or if Rose would come up trumps again with her second book. After reading it and loving it, I can safely say Melanie Rose is quickly becoming one of my new favourite authors and I am so looking forward to seeing where she goes with her writing career.

Book Review: I Heart Hollywood by Lindsey Kelk

Angela Clark is back... and this time she's heading the hills of Hollywood! After being cheated on at her best friend's wedding and consequently fleeing to New York, Angela is now settled in her relationship with boyfriend Alex and enjoying her job as a high flying journalist. She's stunned when she's called in to her editor's office to find she's being sent to interview Hollywood heart-throb and fellow Brit James Jacobs. Angela flies across the US to Hollywood, and is greeted by sunshine, beaches and Rodeo Drive. Together with her best friend Jenny, they enjoy the unexpected trip and Angela sets to work interviewing James. But with Angela, nothing ever goes smoothly. The paparazzi photo Angela in some rather compromising pictures with James, and she has to fight to get everyone to believe there is nothing to the pictures. Will her interview be a success, or is she going to end up on the first flight back to Britain?

Lindsey Kelk first came to my attention when her debut novel I Heart New York was released last summer. It was a massive hit, and I was excited to find out there were going be another 4 or 5 adventures starring Angela Clark which followed her along her journeys around the world. Due to the success of I Heart New York, the publishers haven't waited all that long before releasing the second book by Kelk, and so I Heart Hollywood was released this month. It follows Angela as she goes over to Hollywood, and I was hoping it was going be as enjoyable as the first book.

Book Review: A Single to Rome by Sarah Duncan

Natalie thought she was happily settled with the love of her life Michael and that life was going just right for her. However, when he dumps her when she suggests moving in together, Natalie is distraught and doesn't know what to do with herself. Things get worse when she manages to lose her well paid job as a lawyer, and then she ends up homeless too. Natalie goes speed-dating and meets Guy, who happens to be the answer to all of her problems.

Guy has a little flat in Rome that he needs doing up because he needs to sell it, and Natalie decides to take a risk and live out there for a while as she's got nothing to hold her back at home. But Natalie doesn't bank of falling in love with Rome and making the friends she does as well. Will Natalie ever want to leave the glorious Rome and Guy forever, or is it back to a lonely reality for Natalie?


This is the first book by author Sarah Duncan that I have read, so I went into it without any real expectations of her writing. It's actually her 4th book overall, and Sarah has just had her latest book, Kissing Mr Wrong published too. I adored the cover for A Single to when I first saw it, thinking that it looked feminine and quite eye-catching, and so I hoped the story would be just as good. I like books that travel around as I find it interesting to read about other places, and therefore this sounded perfect for me.

Book Review: The Pissed Off Parents Club by Mink Elliott

Roxy feels over-whelmed with being a mother for the first time. At the age of nearly 40, she feels a lot older than many of the mums she spots around the town, and isn't taking to motherhood quite as easily as she would have hoped. Her daughter Joey is constantly being mistaken for a boy because of her short hair and she's also getting too heavy for a 1 year old.

Never mind the fact the relationship between Roxy and her fiancé Jack isn't a bed of roses - they've moved from London to the country for a better life, but it's just bringing headaches what with the commute, the delapidated old house they've bought and not having any friends or family around. Roxy decides to start The Pissed Off Parents Club, and is surprised when it really takes off. Is it going to help Roxy feel at home in the country, and will she finally make some much needed friends?!

This is one debut novel for 2010 that I have really been looking forward to. Being a mum, I always enjoy books based on mums and parenting because often they are a bit of a satire and are quite funny as a result. Mink Elliott is apparently a former editor of a parenting magazine, so perhaps she's used some of the stories and news from her days as editor to help with this book? The cover isn't overly inspiring if I am honest, with pink and orange tones, and the title in a large font in the middle, but it would make me curious enough to pick it up off a shelf and have a look at it!  As I mentioned, this is Elliott's debut novel, so it was going to be interesting to see how good the writing is.