New to Dot Scribbles Shelves + GIVEAWAY Winner!!

I have been very lucky this week here at Dot Scribbles, lots of lovely books have been popping through my letterbox!
Four for review this week:

Wicked Games by Sasha Wagstaff (Headline Review- Published on 15th July) Dobonair and dynamic, millionaire Judd Harrington has returned from LA a glittering success. But as he stares across the valley at Lochlin Maguire's beautiful country house, all he can think of is revenge. Meanwhile Judd's arch-rival has troubles of his own. Lochlin's record label is losing major talent to an unknown competitor, his wife Tavvy is distracted and he can't seem to see eye to eye with his son Shay. Unbeknownst to Lochlin, his talented singer daughter Iris has fallen for irresistible racing driver Ace Harrington in LA. Ace is under orders from Judd to break Iris's heart. What he hadn't bargained for was losing his own in the process. Can he go against his father's wishes? Or will Judd's wicked games ruin love's young dream?

I Heart Paris by Lindsey Kelk (Harper- Published on 8th July) When Angela Clark's boyfriend Alex suggests a trip to Paris at the same time as hip fashion mag Belle asks her to write a piece, she jumps at the chance. But even as she's falling for the joie de vivre of Paris, someone's conspiring to sabotage her big break. And when she spots Alex having a tete-a-tete with his ex in a local bar, Angela's dreams of Parisian passion all start crashing around her. With London and her old life only a train journey away, Angela can't decide if she should stay and face the music or run away home...


Time of Death by Alex Barclay (Haper- Published on 22nd July) FBI agent Ren Bryce's hunt for some of the country's most dangerous killers is about to turn into a nightmare. There is unfinished business between Ren and those she is pursuing, and soon she is forced to confront both personal and professional traumas. Then someone close to Ren is murdered and secrets from her past look set to be revealed, throwing her into a world of fear, paranoia and danger. Dark forces are at work and someone is determined to destroy Ren's life. But time is running out and Ren must catch a killer before he catches her...


No and Me by Delphine de Vigan (Bloomsbury- Published on 2nd August) Lou Bertignac has an IQ of 160 and a good friend called Lucas who gets her through the school day. At home her father cries in secret and her mother hasn't been out of their flat properly for years. Then Lou meets and becomes friends with No, a teenage girl living on the streets, and asks her parents if No can come and live with them. No's sudden presence within Lou's fractured family has an explosive force that will change the lives of Lou- and her parents- for ever.

I only bought one book this week but it is simply HUGE!!


The Passage by Justin Cronin (Orion) Deep in the jungles of eastern Colombia, Professor Jonas Lear has finally found what he's been searching for- and wishes to God he hadn't.
In Memphis, Tennessee, a six-year-old girl called Amy is left at the convent of the Sisters of Mercy and wonders why her mother has abandoned her.
In a maximum security jail in Nevada, a convicted murderer called Giles Babcock has the same strange nightmare, over and over again, while he waits for the lethal injection.
In a remote community in the Californian mountains, a young man called Peter waits for his beloved brother to return  home- so he can kill him.
Bound together in ways they cannot comprehend, for each of them a door is about to open into a future they could not have imagined. And a journey is about to begin. An epic journey that will take them through a world transformed by man's darkest dreams, to the very heart of what it means to be human. And beyond.

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GIVE AWAY WINNER!

The winner of my giveaway to win a copy of What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty has been drawn from a hat and the book will be going to:

Alicia

Please email me your address and I shall post the book to you at the weekend! Congratulations!!!

Book Review: One Day in May by Catherine Alliott

Single mother Hattie has plenty of reasons to be happy. Her antiques business is flourishing, her teenage son is settled at boarding school and she's enjoying a fling with a younger, very sexy man. But when her job takes her back to the idyllic village of Little Crandon, painful memories of her first love- Dominic Forbes, the married politician she worked for years ago, the man who changed the course of her life- come flooding back.
Things come to a head when Hattie bumps into Dominic's widow and his gorgeous younger brother Hal, in the village and she finds her world turned upside-down. Will Hattie come clean about what really happened with Dominic all those years ago? And if she does, is she ready to face the consequences? Whatever happens, Hattie comes to realise that you can't keep running away from your mistakes. It's time to move on and maybe, just maybe, let herself fall in love again...

Catherine Alliott is a lovely writer and One Day in May did not disappoint. Hattie's character highlights how one event in life can change the whole course. She is a brilliant character, fall of flaws, making her very accessible.
One Day in May is 458 pages long, which seemed longer than Catherine Alliott's other books; I did find it harder to get into this one but once I was going along with the flow, I found it to be a really enjoyable read.
It's hard to review this book without giving too much away. Catherine Alliott springs several surprises on the reader, the final one of which I did not see coming at all.
This is a book that I would recommend; I find it so refreshing that Catherine Alliott is not afraid to show the darker sides of love and relationships. She does not present a picture-perfect ending in all of her books and this only serves to make them so much more believable.

Book Review: The Magic Cottage by James Herbert

We thought we'd found our haven, a cottage deep in the heart of the forest. Charming, maybe a little run-down, but so peaceful. That was the first part of the Magic. Midge's painting and my music soared to new heights of creativity. That was another part of the Magic. Our love for each other- well, that became the supreme Magic. But the cottage had an alternative side, The Bad Magic.
What happened to us there was horrendous beyond belief. The healings, the crazy sect who wanted our home for themselves, the hideous creatures that crawled from the nether regions, and the bats- oh God, the bats! Even now those things seem impossible to me, yet they happened...

The only other James Herbert book that I have read is The Secret of Crickley Hall; when I decided to delve back into the thriller/horror genre, he seemed like a very good place to start.
The Magic Cottage isn't terrifying but it does make you think twice about the noises in the night. James Herbert builds up the tension from the very beginning; the story is narrated by Mike Stringer, he's recounting what happened to him and his girlfriend Midge when they bought the cottage. It feels very much like a diary entry and he hints throughout that awful events took place during their time there. Towards the end of the book it is clear that the cottage is having a massive effect on their lives and on their relationship in particular.
James Herbert is brilliant at conveying images that stay with you and send chills down your spine. His use of language is very clever as he builds and builds the tension until it has to come to an inevitable end.
I really enjoyed The Magic Cottage and I read it in just two days. If you like this genre then I would highly recommend James Herbert's books.

Book Review: Scandalous by Tilly Bagshawe

Sasha Miller goes to Cambridge University with a dream, and leaves a broken woman. After losing her heart to sexy professor Theo Dexter, she departs in a scandal.
Meanwhile, as Theo becomes a television heartthrob, his long suffering wife Theresa realises that trust and fidelity are two words her husband doesn't understand. His betrayal is deeper than any cut.
Years later the two women will unite in a daring scheme to bring down the man who almost destroyed them both. It took them years to realise how one man could cause so much pain, but now they are determined he will regret the day he entered both of their lives...

This book was so good! It is a proper romp of a read, I didn't want to put it down once I had started it. I read some Jackie Collins books when I was a teenager and this reminded me of them, only it is much more up to date and scandalous. Tilly Bagshawe weaves a gripping story of glamour, lust, sex, betrayal, scandal and absolute greed.
Sasha Miller was my favourite character, we see her develop from a shy and naive undergraduate into a hugely successful businesswoman, hell bent on getting her revenge. Her target is Theo Dexter, the man she views as having ruined her life. He is a brilliant villain; handsome, charming and out for everything he can get, he doesn't care who he steps on along the way.
Scandalous takes place in the beautiful university city of Cambridge, the glamour of Hollywood and the high-powered business centre that is New York. As we travel from location to location we learn more and more about the characters and the shocking lengths they will go to in order to get what they want.
Scandalous is such an entertaining read, it would be perfect as a holiday book as you need to be prepared that once you have started you will probably want to finish it in one go. I am now definitely a Tilly Bagshawe fan, I shall be catching up with her other books.

Many thanks to the lovely people at Harper for sending me a copy to review, Scandalous is published today!

Book Review: The Secret Speech by Tom Rob Smith

The Soviet Union 1956: after Stalin's death, a violent regime is beginning to fracture. It leaves behind a society where the police are the criminals, and the criminals are innocent. Stalin's successor Krushchev pledges reform. But there are forces at work that are unable to forgive or forget the past.Leo Demidov, former MGB officer, is facing his own turmoil. The two young girls he and his wife Raisa adopted have yet to forgive him for his part in the brutal murder of his parents. They are not alone. Leo, Raisa and their family are in grave danger from someone with a grudge against Leo. Someone transformed beyond recognition into the perfect model of vengeance. Leo's desperate, personal mission to save his family will take him from the harsh Siberian Gulags, to the depths of the criminal underworld, to the centre of the Hungarian uprising- and into a hell where redemption is as brittle as glass. 

I'm so glad that I finally got round to reading this book. I thought that Child 44 was one of the best books of 2009 and The Secret Speech is just as good.
Tom Rob Smith's writing style and beautifully crafted plot had me feeling as though I was holding my breath the whole way through. I felt as though, once again, he had captured the oppressive state of living at the time, never being able to relax or know who to trust.
I thought that Leo had been through so much in Child 44 but it is nothing compared to what he has to endure this time. Stalin's death has created a whole new kind of fear, it is now the State and those who carried out their work that are the criminals, criminals desperate to cover up their actions no matter what the consequences for the innocent people who have already experienced so much injustice.
We follow Leo as he fights to get his adopted daughter back. He travels undercover on a prison ship in order to enter one of the Gulags. Tom Rob Smith paints a vivid picture of the awful conditions, it is heightened because you know that these places actually existed, they are not a work of fiction.
I wouldn't want to give the plot away as it is truly excellent. I think that you would get more from this book by reading Child 44 first, it would certainly give you a fuller picture of Leo's character. I would highly recommend The Secret Speech; the plot has a fantastic pace, Tom Rob Smith has clearly done his research and it is extremely difficult to put this book down.

GIVEAWAY!!

I have a copy of the brilliant What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty to giveaway! I reviewed this book at the start of the month, you can read my review HERE.

All you have to do is leave me a comment on this giveaway post, I am going to leave this open until midnight on Sunday  27th June and then I shall pick a winner. I am happy to post this worldwide so you are all free to enter! It really is a great book so good luck!!

New to Dot Scribbles Shelves

It's been a very good week here at Dot Scribbles, lots of lovely books popping through the letter box!!

I had two for review this week:

Scandalous by Tilly Bagshawe (Harper Collins- Published 24th June) Sasha Miller goes to Cambridge University with a dream, and leaves a broken woman. After losing her heart to sexy professor Theo Dexter, she departs in a scandal.
Meanwhile, as Theo becomes a television heart-throb, his long suffering wife Theresa realises that trust and fidelity are two words that her husband doesn't understand. His betrayal is deeper than any cut.
Years later the two women will unite in a daring scheme to bring down the man who almost destroyed them both. It took them years to realise how one man could cause so much pain, but now they are determined he will regret the day he entered both of their lives...

Forest Born by Shannon Hale (Bloomsbury- Published 12th July) Growing up in the Forest, Rin always turns to the trees when she needs peace or reassurance, then one day she senses a change. Rin knows that something bad is happening, and maybe she will find answers in the city. But a mysterious threat haunts Bayern too, and Rin must join the magical fire sisters- Isi, Enna and Dasha- before venturing back into the woods towards the kingdom of Kel, to face what lies in wait for them.
Shannon Hale once again proves herself an irresistible storyteller, bringing readers back to a world rich with plot twists and a little dose of magic.

I bought one book after reading Simon's fantastic review over at Savidge Reads:

Peyton Place by Grace Metalious ( Virago Modern Classics) Switch off those TVs, kill your mobiles and settle down with the most controversial book ever written. Once denounced as 'wicked', 'sordid', 'cheap moral filth', Peyton Place was the top read of its time, selling millions of copies worldwide.
Way before Twin Peaks, Survivor or Big Brother, the curtains were twitching in the mythical New England town of Peyton Place, and this soapy story exposed the dirty secrets of 1950's small town America: incest, abortion, adultery, repression and lust.

I swapped three books this week:

The Magic Cottage by James Herbert (Pan Books)- We thought we'd found our haven, a cottage deep in the heart of the forest. Charming, maybe a little run-down, but so peaceful. That was the first part fo the Magic. Midge's painting and my music soared to new heights of creativity. That was another part of the Magic. Our love for each other- well that became the supreme Magic. But the cottage had an alternative side. The Bad Magic.
What happened to us there was horrendous beyond belief. The healings, the crazy sect who wanted our home for themselves, the hideous creatures that crawled from the nether regions, and the bats- oh God, the bats! Even now those terrible things seem impossible to me. Yet they happened...

The Dark by James Herbert- It came like a malignant shadow with seductive promises of power. And somewhere in the night... A small girl smiled as her mother burned... Asylum inmates slaughtered their attendants... In slimy tunnels, once-human creatures gathered. Madness raged as the lights began to fade and humanity was attacked by an ancient, unstoppable evil...The Dark.

Chocolate Wishes by Tricia Ashley (Avon) Life is sweet for chocolate maker Chloe Lyon. In the picture-perfect Lancashire village of Sticklepond Chloe dispenses inspirational sweet treats containing a prediciton for each customer. If only her own life was as easy to forecast- perhaps Chloe could have foreseen being jilted at the altar...
 But when a new Vicar arrives in the village, the rumour mill goes into overdrive. Not only is Raffy Sinclair the charismatic ex-frontman of rock band 'Mortal Ruin', he's also Chloe's first love and the man who broke her heart.
Try as she might, Chloe can't ignore this blast from her past. Could now be the time for her to make a wish- and dare to believe it come true?

So there you go, let me know if you have read any of these! Also as you can see by the James Herbert books, I am dipping my toe back into the horror genre, I used to love reading books like that so if you have an recommendations then please pass them on as I am a bit behind on what's good and what's not at the moment! 

Book Review: The Other Girl by Sarah Miller

Molly McGarry seems to have it all- she's smart, she attends the prestigious Midvale Academy and she's finally got the guy of her dreams, Gideon Rayburn. But now everything's changing.
Molly and Gid got together in a very unusual way, when Molly mysteriously entered Gid's mind and so could 'guess' exactly what he wanted. By a bizarre twist of fate, Molly suddenly leaves Gid's mind and enters the mind of Pilar Benitez-Jones, possibly the hottest girl in the world. Pilar flirts with Gid. A lot. No longer inside her boyfriend's head, Molly feels life is spiralling out of control. But she realises that being inside of Pilar's head has its advantages as she influences Pilar for her own schemes- with ensuing chaos.

This is the second Midvale Acadamey book, I haven't read the first and I don't feel that you need to in order to understand this one. Reading this book felt like watching an extended episode of Gossip Girl so it is definitely going to appeal to many young adult readers.
The twist of Molly being inside the mind of Gideon and then Pilar gives the book something different to others that deal with similar ideas. Exactly how Molly is in these peoples minds is not really explained but it certainly makes the book more interesting.
Some of the characters are quite generic but I think that is possibly intended in order to show the stereotypical side of this privileged world.
I liked the character of Pilar and it is interesting to learn more about her when Molly enters her mind. Sarah Miller is really pushing the message of not judging people by their looks alone as there is often far more going on under the surface.
The Other Girl is a quick, entertaining read that would appeal to young adult readers, aged 15 and upwards, it will no doubt be a very popular series.

Many thanks to Bloomsbury for sending me this book to review, it is published on 21st June.

Book Review: The Secret Shopper Unwrapped

Emily, Sandie and Grazia are back in the sequel to The Secret Shopper's Revenge. Emily is living happily with Will and her son Freddie, they are trying to keep Bell's Emporium afloat during the recession. Things get worse when Freddie's father, Duncan is back on the scene. The demands he is making  put Emily and Will's relationship under massive strain and Emily's dreams of a picture-perfect family Christmas are thrown out of the window.
Grazia is starting to think about her future without Leon. After going under-cover at a cosmetic surgery clinic, she decides to have a few procedures done but will this make her any happier? When she meets a younger man in a bar she is surprised as to how much they have in common and unsure what his reaction would be to her real age.
Meanwhile, Sandie is running the mystery shopping agency from Toby's gorgeous pent house apartment. She is incredibly happy but then she has her first meeting with the potential mother-in-law from hell; her own mother shows up several years after disappearing and then she gets a shock that changes everything.
Kate Harrison throws a new character into the mix. Kelly is a bit of a rough diamond, she starts work as Sandie's new assistant. This is her first ever job and she loves it but can she really be trusted 100% when Sandie hardly knows anything about her?
I did enjoy this book but it was very strange to read something set at Christmas when it is June and the sun is shining! It did make me feel extremely festive though and I only wish that I had read it at a more relevant time.
Emily, Grazia and Sandie are  still brilliant characters but I wish there had been a little more interaction between them in this book. It was interesting to see what had happened since we left them and I thought that Kate Harrison gave us a really good sequel. Kelly is an interesting new addition and she certainly shakes everything up, you are left guessing throughout as to whether she can be trusted or not.
If you liked the first book then you will enjoy this one, I enjoyed reading it now but I think it would be even better in the run up to Christmas. 

Book Review: I Remember You by Harriet Evans

I am a big fan of Harriet Evans' books so it was no surprise that this one made its way into my shopping basket.
Tess Tennant is leaving London after a failed relationship. She decides to head home to picturesque Langford (I pictured Cranford when reading it), she has a new job teaching Classics at the private college and is looking forward to the familiarity that she left behind. Tess is extremely excited about seeing Adam on her return to Langford, he is her best friend, they grew up together and share many secrets. Langford is not exactly how Tess remembered; the residents are a lot older, the village is in uproar about plans to build on their famed water meadows and Adam, although welcoming, is quite busy with his new girlfriend.
Tess soon becomes stuck in a bit of a rut and is becoming old before her time. She takes her students on a week long trip to Rome which changes everything. She meets an American who literally sweeps her off her feet and they make the most of the romantic, ancient city. However, the holiday comes to a rather shocking end with a discovery that Tess in no way was expecting. Upon her return to Langford, Tess has to decide what she wants and who she really is.
This book was a lovely and very comforting read. Langford proved to be a brilliant setting, whilst it's lovely for Tess to return to her childhood home, it is also very different for her to view it through adult eyes. I enjoyed the relationship between her and Adam; Harriet Evans slowly reveals the events from their past, there's a number of surprises along the way that leave you wanting to know more.
Rome is my favourite city so this was my favourite part of the book. It is described so well, it almost felt as though the reader gets a little holiday during these chapters as we follow Tess on her adventures with her new man.
I Remember You deals with friendship, loss, love, loyalty and many, many secrets. I would highly recommend this book and I can't wait for Harriet Evans' next one.

New to Dot Scribbles Shelves

I am having a really good bout of reading at the moment, enjoying everything! I have bought a couple of books this week:

I Remember You by Harriet Evans (Harper) Heartbroken Tess Tennant is fleeing London for a fresh start. She's dreaming of familiar faces, picture-perfect cottages and Adam, her best friend since childhood. But Langford, a lovely slice of Jane Austen country, is at war over a scheme to build on a local water meadow and Adam is too wrapped up with a new girlfriend to tend to Tess's bruised heart.
A trip to Rome promises a respite and when a mysterious stranger whisks Tess into a dream of Italian moonlight and Prosecco, she's ready to be reckless. But her magical holiday ends with a shocking discovery and Tess finds herself back home- and in a tangled mess of friendships and feelings.
She must decide once and for all where she belongs and with whom...

Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada (Penguin) Otto, an ordinary German living in a shabby apartment block, tries to stay out of trouble under Nazi rule. But when he discovers his only son has been killed fighting at the front he's shocked into an extraordinary act of resistance, and starts to drop anonymous postcards attacking Hitler across the city. If caught he will be executed.
Soon this silent campaign  comes to the attention of ambitious Gestapo inspector Escherich, and a murderous game of cat-and-mouse begins. Whoever loses, pays with their life.

I have been sent one book to review this week and it looks brilliant:

Pastworld by Ian Beck (Bloomsbury- July 5th 2010) To Eve, a lifelong resident of PASTWORLD, horse-drawn carriages and gas lamps are modern technology. Eve doesn't even know she's living in a simulation- until she is forced to flee the only home she has ever known, and to confront the truth about her city and herself.
To Caleb, a tourist visiting PASTWORLD. the theme park is the perfect antidote to the stifling conformity and regulation of 2048. Until he finds himself at the scene of a murder, holding the knife, and suddenly becomes a fugitive from an antiquated justice system.
And in the midst of it all, a dark and deadly figure prowls, claiming victim after victim. He's the Fantom, a creature both of the past and of the future, in whose dark purpose Caleb and Eve will find their destinies combined.

Bloomsbury kindly sent me the following link to the  book trailer for PASTWORLD which is very atmospheric, I'm really looking forward to reading this one:

PASTWORLD Book Trailer 

Book Review: You Can't Hide by Karen Rose

Terror has changed the life of psychiatrist Tess Ciccotelli for ever. Someone is tormenting her patients, pushing them to commit suicide and setting her up to take the blame. But even police pressure won't make her break her oath to protect their secrets. Detective Aiden Reagan understands Tess's need to safeguard her clients but all the clues suggest that a nameless, faceless enemy is set on destroying her career, her family and finally, Tess herself.
As Reagan and Tess race to stop the killer, one thing becomes clear- the noose is tightening around Tess's neck and there is nowhere for her to go...

I have been looking for a good thriller for a while and You Can't Hide by Karen Rose was perfect. The plot grabs you from the very first page and just doesn't let up. Tess Ciccotelli faces so many dilemmas in this book, she needs to protect her patients but if she hands over any information on them then she is letting them down in the worst possible way.
You Can't Hide has a romantic element too as Tess and Aiden fight each other for so long until they finally have to give in to what they both want. This obviously adds an extra element to Aiden's role as a detective, does it make it harder to protect someone that you have fallen in love with?
There are a lot of characters in this book so you have to concentrate. The plot moves very quickly and Karen Rose throws in several twists and turns. The twist at the end came from nowhere but still made perfect sense when you thought back through everything. This is a difficult book to review as I don't want to give the plot away.
If you do like a good thriller though then I would definitely check out Karen Rose's other books, I will be!

Book Review: Fallen Grace by Mary Hooper

London, 1861. Grace Parkes, a pale but determined figure, clutches a precious bundle closely to her as she travels on the train to the famed Blackwood Cemetery. Grace has a heartbreaking duty to carry out.
Each day Grace must find a new way of earning enough money to pay the rent for the bleak, cold room that she and her sister live in, and to buy them enough-just-to-eat.
But there is a different danger threatening Grace, a danger linked to an event in her past that she is desperate to forget. Grace has caught the eye of the Unwins, an unscrupulous family whose shady business dealings are those of death and mourning, and who will stop at nothing to defraud two young women of what is rightfully theirs...

I found the story created by Mary Hooper in Fallen Grace to be completely mesmerising. We are drawn into Grace's life immediately and we follow her as she encounters one obstacle after another.
Death was a large feature of Victorian England and Mary Hooper explored so many different aspects of this fascinating subject. All of the characters and events in Grace's life are linked to death in some way. She meets both her biggest enemy and her most loyal ally at Brookwood Cemetery. Mourning was such a prominent part of Victorian life, especially when Prince Albert died which is an event included in this story.
The Unwins are a brilliant creation, there is something deliciously sinister about them. Their business is to make as much money as possible out of someones death. Whilst presenting themselves as respectable undertakers, their business dealings are extremely devious and devoid of morals.
I think that Grace's character embodied what it must have been like to have been one of the Victorian poor. Grace is placed in so many desperate situations in order to provide enough for her and her sister Lily, however, she remains dignified throughout.
I don't want to give anything away about the plot in this review as it would spoil the book for others. It is extremely good though and the author has you on the edge of your seat on several occasions in the book.
If you like historical fiction then I would definitely give this one a go. I read it in one sitting and I am looking forward to catching up with some of Mary Hooper's previous books.

Many thanks to Bloomsbury for sending me a copy to review, the book is published today.

New to Dot Scribble's Shelves...

I have had such a lovely week, Mr S and I went away to Gozo last weekend with my sister and her husband for the bank holiday weekend. Gozo is a really special place to me as I spent a lot of my childhood there, we had a lovely time, we stayed in a beautiful villa; ate lots of lovely food, sunbathed; had bombing competitions in the pool and of course read some brilliant books! I feel very refreshed which is a good job as I have ALOT of new books to read!

I have two that were sent for review this week:

The Other Girl by Sarah Miller (Bloomsbury- 21st June) Molly McGarry seems to have it all- she' smart, she attends the prestigious Midvale Acadamey and she's finally got the guy of her dreams, Gideon Rayburn. But now everything's changing.
Molly and God got together in a very unusual way, when Molly mysteriously entered Gid's mind and so could 'guess' exaclty what he wanted. By a bizarre twist of fate, Molly suddenly leaves Gid's mind and enters the mind of Pilar Benitez-Jones, possibly the hottest girl in the world. Pilar flirts with Gid. A lot. No longer inside her boyfriend's head, Molly feels life is spiralling out of control. But she realises that being inside Pilar's head has its advantages as she influences Pilar for her own schemes- with ensuing chaos.

Blood Feud by Alyxandra Harvey (Bloomsbury- 5th July) It's been centuries since Isabeau St. Croix survived the French Revolution. Now she's made her way back to the living, and must face the ultimate test by confronting the evil British lord who turned her into a vampire and left her buried for two hundred years. That's if she can control her affection for Logan Drake, a vampire whose bite is as sweet as the revenge she seeks.

I read the first in the The Drake Chronicles last week and you can read my review here.

I have bought two books from Amazon as well this week but they haven't arrived yet so I shall share those with you next week. However I had a little trip to the library which to be honest doesn't always have a brilliant selection but I was so pleased with my library pile this week, here's what I got:

• You Can't Hide by Karen Rose (Headline)- I have wanted to read a good thriller for a while, I started this one straight away and I have not been disappointed so far!
• The Secret Shopper Unwrapped by Kate Harrison (Orion)- I loved the first one and have been meaning to catch up with this one.
• Forget Me Not by Isabel Wollf (Harper)- I really enjoyed her book Vintage Affair and I have heard very positive things about this one too.
• The Secret Speech by Tom Rob Smith (Simon & Schuster)- I thought that Child 44 was simply brilliant and this one follows on from that.
• Conjugal Rites by Paul Magrs (Headline)- This is the third in the brilliant Brenda and Effie series and I am looking forward to finding out what trouble they have got into this time.
• One Day In May by Catherine Alliott (Penguin) I have read a couple of books by this author and enjoyed them, this is her latest and looks as though it will be just as good.

So if you have read any of these then let me know your thoughts! It's supposed to be lovely and sunny this weekend so Dot Scribbles will be spending plenty of time in the garden with a good book and maybe a glass of wine or two!

Giveaway Winner

The winner of Kissing Mr Wrong by Sarah Duncan is.....

Talli Roland

Congratulations!! Can you either email on the address in my profile or DM me your address on twitter and I shall get the book posted to you at the weekend!

Book Review: Girl 16: Five Star Fiasco by Sue Limb

Jess and Fred are an item! Finally! Now they can spend every moment perfecting their comedy routines together. But the path of true romance is a rocky one and Fred is becoming increasingly distant... In fact so distant that he and Jess are no longer on speaking terms. What on earth is going on? Can Jess and Fred stop a fab, five -star friendship turning into a five-star fiasco?

This book is published on 7th June and follows 16 year old Jess Jordan as she struggles to juggle her new relationship with Fred plus the burden of organising the charity Valentine's Dinner Dance.
I liked the character of Jess and I really enjoyed the relationship that she had with her mum and dad who are divorced. She has to support her mum's online dating habit plus provide a shoulder to lean on when her Dad's long term relationship hits the rocks.
To be honest, this book was a little too young for me but I think that it would definitely appeal to readers ages 14 and above. Jess Jordan is a very accessible character and I am sure this will be a popular series.

Many thanks to Bloomsbury for sending me a copy of this book to review.

Book Review: My Love Lies Bleeding by Alyxandra Harvey

Solange Drake is a 15 year old vampire with a difference. She is the only female vampire born rather than initiated. As she is approaching her 16th birthday a bounty has been placed on her head by other vampire tribes who want her blood to become part of their lineage. Lucy is a human and fiercely protective best friend of Solange; along with Solange's older brothers she has to do everything she can to protect her. Meanwhile Lucy is having to resist the advances of Solange's brother Nicholas, she usually finds him extremely irritating but things have changed, what happens if she falls for a vampire?
My Love Lies Bleeding is the first in the series of The Drake Chronicles by Alyxandra Harvey. I do like a book with vampires and a bit of angst so this one was perfect. I read it in one sitting on my flight home from Malta at the weekend and it was a very good way of passing three hours.
I did find the character of Lucy a little irritating, she was a little too over protective of Solange and at times I felt like telling her to back off. However, I did enjoy the aspect of the book that dealt with Lucy and Nicholas' relationship. Alyxandra Harvey created so much tension between these two and it will be interesting to see how this develops in the other books in the series.

Many Thanks to Bloomsbury for sending me a copy of this book to review.

My Love Lies Bleeding is already out in shops and Blood Feud, the second in the series will be published on 5th July, 2010.

Book Review: What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

Imagine forgetting the most important ten years of your life.
Alice wakes up on the floor of the gym with a nasty bump on her head, thinking she's still a fun-loving twenty-nine-year-old starting life with her gorgeous husband and pregnant with their first baby.
To her disbelief, it soon transpires the fall has knocked ten years from her memory and she is actually an up-tight thirty-nine-year-old whose idea of a good time is a three hour workout followed by committee meetings with the kind of women she used to despise. How on earth did her life come to this? And more disturbingly how can she not remember giving birth to three children? Why does her husband suddenly hate her? And what can Alice possibly have done that means her beloved sister will barley speak to her?
Seeing herself through fresh eyes, Alice barley recognises or even likes the person she has become. Can she ever find her way back to the woman she used to be?

What Alice Forgot is Liane Moriarty's third novel and the first of hers that I have read. The first page of this book describes Alice having the accident that causes her amnesia. By doing this the reader initially only knows of the Alice from 10 years ago and we find out alongside Alice about the woman she has become in that time. I wasn't sure if I would find the idea of a character losing 10 years of their memory believable. However, the way in which the author threw in little snippets of memories triggered by smells or sounds etc. made it seem far more realistic.
I liked the old Alice much more than the bitter person she had clearly become. I kept turning the pages because I wanted to know what had happened in order to change Alice's personality and outlook on life so drastically. Liane Moriarty's writing style is excellent, she reflects this feeling of amnesia on to the reader. We are in the same situation as Alice, trying to grab on to tiny strands of information in order to see the bigger picture.
The press information that came with the book suggested that it would appeal to women of all ages and I have to completely agree. It really does make you think about the person you were 10 years ago and the ways in which you have changed.
I did really enjoy this book and it held my attention throughout. It's great that it leaves you with a lot to think about and I would definitely recommend it.

Many thanks to Penguin for sending me a copy to review, this book is published on June 3rd.