GUEST REVIEW: Me and Mr Jones by Lucy Diamond

The very lovely Linda from LindyLit has kindly reviewed Me and Mr Jones by Lucy Diamond, here's what she thought:

Meet the women in love with three very different brothers . . . Izzy’s determined to escape her troubled past with a new start by the sea – but flirtatious Charlie Jones is causing complications. Alicia’s been happily married to loyal Hugh for years but secretly craves excitement. Maybe it’s time to spice things up? Emma’s relationship with David was once fun and romantic but trying for a baby has taken its toll. Then temptation comes along . . . As the future of the family’s B&B becomes uncertain, Izzy, Alicia and Emma are thrown together unexpectedly. It seems that keeping up with the Joneses is harder than anyone thought . . .

A few weeks ago I offered to review another book for DotScribbles; I enjoyed reviewing the first book she sent me, Melting the Snow on Hester Street, so I was keen to volunteer again.  This time I received Me and Mr Jones by Lucy Diamond, a chick lit novel based on three very different brothers and the women who love/fall for them.

First the eldest brother, Hugh, whose wife Alicia is dreading the imminent approach of her fortieth birthday; she wants fun and excitement, a chance to spice up her happy, but somewhat plodding along, marriage.  Then there is David, who has been made redundant and seems slightly lost, none of this is helped by his wife, Emma's desperate quest to have a child.  And finally, the younger brother, Charlie, a bit of a ladies' man who, whilst charming, is hardly what one would call reliable, so it is with good reason that Izzy has her doubts about getting too close, especially considering her relationship history.  On top of this, the brothers' parents are contemplating selling the childhood home and B&B, leaving a chance for new and exciting business opportunities well and truly open...for anyone brave enough to win the admiration of the dreaded mother-in-law that is.

I love a good chick lit novel and I feel they have been slightly missing from my reading in recent months, and whilst I have not read any previous work by Lucy Diamond, I was eager to pick up Me and Mr Jones.  It came at a time where I was at a go slow with my personal reading; school had started to take over my life and the book I was attempting to read was far too dense, meaning I wasn't getting much enjoyment out of the limited time I had for reading.

And then I began Me and Mr Jones.  It was the perfect, relaxed, easy going read for those evenings where I just couldn't summon the energy to move too far, or concentrate too hard.  This is not to say it is a basic, easy read, but it is certainly an enjoyable, light hearted one.  There were times when I felt the plot was a tad too predictable (not that I minded) and then something completely unexpected would happen.  There was one particular incident when I actually exclaimed 'no way' out loud during my reading because I was so shocked, and no I am not going to spoil it by saying which part.  I loved how it ended on a cheerful and promising note and how Diamond successfully conveyed the message about first appearances being decieiving.

Overall this was an enjoyable, light hearted read that certainly landed through my letterbox at the right time and I look forward to reading more of Diamond's work in the future.

Publisher: Pan

Pages: 400

GUEST REVIEW: An Enormously English Monsoon Wedding by Christina Jones

We have another lovely guest review today, Jean from Jean Bull's Writing Blog has kindly reviewed An Enormously English Monsoon Wedding by Christina Jones, here's what she thought:

Life simply couldn't be better for Erin Bentley. At twenty-seven, she is engaged to the simply divine Jay Keskar - and every minute of her day currently revolves around planning the wedding of her dreams. Until, that is, Jay's parents announce that they want to 'discuss' things - and this is when Erin's wedding heaven turns into her wedding hell . . . Tavish and Deena are Indian and have very firm beliefs about the form of wedding their only son should have. Of course, they say, Erin will be wearing a sari. And of course all the Indian pre-wedding ritual ceremonies - including tilak, mehendi, sangeet - will be observed. As Bollywood comes to Berkshire, can East eventually meet West in perfect harmony? And if not, will Erin and Jay's dream wedding even take place?

I was pleased to see that Dot was looking for more volunteers to review some books. On her list was An Enormously English Monsoon Wedding, one that I had planned to read because its tagline was ‘Bollywood comes to Berkshire’ and it sounded crazy and exciting!

Christina Jones has written a very romantic story bathed in sunshine and kisses which makes you hope that it won’t turn out to be a clash of cultures catastrophe!

Erin fell in love with Jay, Nook Green’s village vet, when he saved the life of her beloved cat, Florence. Now two years later, they have planned the perfect wedding at the Swan Hotel. And there’s only six weeks to go. They’ve chosen a civil ceremony so as not to upset either set of parents, and Erin has chosen the most beautiful dress. As they stroll through the hotel grounds to meet Jay’s parents, Deena and Tavish, everything in the garden is lovely, until lunchtime when his mother starts to question their plans and makes it clear that she expects them to have a more traditional Indian wedding. On top of this they have brought Nalisha, Jay’s childhood sweetheart, with them!

The village has some other memorable characters: Kam, Jay’s cousin and also a vet; Gina who runs the Merry Cobbler; Uncle Doug who owns The Old Curiosity Shop where Erin works; and Erin’s parents, Rose and Pete, who arrive from Australia. I particularly like the part when Deena takes Erin and her mother to buy Rose a wedding outfit.

Christina grew up in a similar close-knit Berkshire village, and has recently been involved in her daughter’s fusion wedding which, she says, went more smoothly than Erin and Jay’s! Therefore, she had lots of material to base her story on which makes it ring true. 

It’s difficult to write about this book without giving too much away. Christina describes it as a ‘Bucolic Frolic’, and it is romantic and funny: perfect to read on holiday or at home by a roaring fire. I really felt for poor Erin and Jay and I was gripped by the story, which has some surprising twists and turns and Bollywood moments, to find out whether Deena gets her way or not.

This is the first book that I’ve read by Christina Jones. She’s writing three more in this series, set in the surrounding fictional Berkshire villages she mentions in this book, and I will certainly be looking out for them. 

Jean's Rating: 5/5

Pages: Piatkus

Pages: 384

Many thanks to Piatkus for sending a review copy! 

 

GUEST BOOK REVIEW: Leftovers by Stella Newman

Some lovely people offered to do some guest book reviews on Dot Scribbles recently, first we have Susan who has reviewed Leftovers by Stella Newman:

Susie Rosen's life is a mess. According to her best friend Rebecca, she needs to get over her ex. Move forward and start dating- or at least stop being rude to every guy who tries to speak to her. A magazine feature tells her she is a 'Leftover'- a post Bridget-Jones 30 something who has neither her dream job or any sense of a meaningful relationship- she doesn't even own 4 matching dinner plates.
Following her grandmother's philosophy that there is a pasta shape and sauce for just about every situation, Susie cooks as she is overlooked for promotion yet again, manages hellish clients and tries to stop stalking her ex on Facebook.
Painfully honest about what it's like to be single in your mid-30's in a big city, Stella Newman writes with wit and insight about the leftovers we carry with us from our past and what we should really leave behind.

I really enjoyed this novel; it does not follow the standard formula for books of this genre and so feels fresh and original. The story covers a three month period in Susie’s life and reads almost like a diary (this is reinforced by chapter headings of dates or days of the week). What makes this book so enjoyable is the quality of the writing;   understated and with subtle emotion that seeps into the sub-conscious and so before you know it you are really rooting for the central character ( so much so I could have popped to NMN and slapped a few people). Other characters in the book are well written, believable and certainly recognisable – who doesn’t have at least one unreliable friend or back stabbing work colleague? The ending is perfect and not at all clichéd, the epilogue (ok it is slightly clichéd but I still loved it) is the “cherry on the cake”.

The book has extra bonus pages that include recipes, everything you need to know about Ryan Gosling’s films and an extract from Pear Shaped – Stella Newman’s previous novel.

Publisher: Avon

Pages: 400

Guest Review: The Low Road by Chris Womersley

I have another guest review for you, the lovely Jenny Haddon has reviewed The Low Road by Chris Womersley. Jenny is an author herself so take a look at her website here.

A man wakes up in an unfamiliar motel room. He is afraid, in pain, bleeding. He remembers his night terrors as a child and a teenage sense of ‘the night barrelling through space.’ He does not know how long he has been there. A woman comes in and mutters at him. Lee knows ‘everything was ruined.’ The woman persuades Wild, a doctor who has been struck off, to take charge of Lee. They set out for Wild’s old mentor, so that he may remove the bullet. They take Lee’s suitcase containing a stolen $8,000. Elsewhere, Josef, an ageing low life, has to get that money back or, his (criminal) boss tells him, he is finished, even though they both acknowledge that it is not very much money. It is the principle of the thing. So Josef pursues Lee and the doctor. The rest of the story is their journey and the pursuit.                                              

The publishers describe this as ‘a modern noir thriller’. I expected a neat plot, some fast action, a cool eye for the weaknesses of bad guys. Maybe also a sort of Philip Marlow Code, fastidiousness rather morality, as a man who is not himself mean walks the mean streets, alert, aware and vulnerable. This is not that sort of noir.                                                                   

Here we’re running with the bad guys from the start. Not that they see themselves as bad guys, just the victims of accident and bad choices. ‘Like all people in free fall, Wild had been the last person to realise.’ They are not dislikeable – there is a fascinating absence of malice in all of them and they don’t pity themselves or blame other people much either. (A touch unrealistic, I thought that, to be honest.) Lee and Wild lurch from crisis to crisis with blank acceptance. These are people you do not ask why they do what they do – you ask them (or they ask themselves) how they got there.  Memory and flashback tell that story and which is where the really shocking stuff is to be found.                                                                

The chapters are told from the point of view of each main character in turn. Often they move at the pace of reverie, minutely observed: Lee is losing blood throughout the real time of the story; the doctor, Wade, gets high; it shows. And the unimaginably awful slips through almost unnoticed, along with the smell of apples and the sound of laughter. ‘People will always be as cruel as they are allowed to be,’ says a prison inmate, in passing. And it is only later that you realise the truth of it.

Do I recommend this book?  Um. If you’re a fan of alienation lit, it is probably outstanding. As for me, in spite of its qualities and some enviable writing in places, I just didn’t care about any of the people. Oh, a horse did rouse my sympathy, briefly. My rewards for reading this book did not include emotional engagement or justice served. But it has one great virtue. A gambling boss says at one point, ‘The way people like us survive is that nobody really believes we exist.’ Well, after reading this book, I do. 

Jenny's Rating: 4/5

Pages: 288

Publisher: Quercus

Many thanks to Jenny for taking the time to review this book and to Quercus for sending a copy, The Low Road is out now. 

Guest Review: The Baby Diaries by Sam Binnie

Our guest review today comes from Jean, she was interested in reviewing The Baby Diaries by Sam Binne as she had just welcomed her first grandchild into the world! Here's what Jean thought:

The hilarious and heart-warming second in the series from the author of The Wedding Diaries.
"I'd be sick right now, but I never like to reinforce a cliché."
A few weeks after Kiki and Thom return from honeymoon, Kiki finds there's a noticeable absence. An extremely serious noticeable absence of something, it turns out, Kiki now realises she was pretty glad about. One pregnancy test later, Kiki's breaking the "good news" (Thom: Wow. We're so… Edwardian.) and rewriting all the plans she'd made before.
With an ever-expanding waistline, her nightmare childhood "friend" Annie pregnant too, all the problem authors at Polka Dot Books she could (not) wish for and an army of NW London's Smug Mothers to deal with, these nine months might not be the nine months of blooming relaxation she'd been promised…

I’ve been following Dot Scribble’s book reviews for quite a while and I often read the books she recommends, so I was really pleased when she sent out an SOS for people to review some books for her. There were six and I wasn’t sure which one to chose until I spotted The Baby Diaries by Sam Binnie, because my first grandchild had just arrived and it seemed the perfect choice!
As the name suggests, it’s written like Bridget Jones’s Diary, but whereas Bridget lists the calories she’s eaten and the cigarettes she’s smoked, Sam’s character, Kiki, makes a list of things to do to get ready for her baby. It’s written in a humorous style which kept me chuckling all the way through. I wasn’t too sure about the dialogue being written as a script at first, but I soon got used to the rhythm of the chapters with their vivid descriptions of Kiki’s world of publishing and antenatal classes. However, I wished that I had read The Wedding Diaries first to get to know all the characters Kiki mentions.
The progress of Kiki’s pregnancy kept me glued to the book. In fact I was so engrossed while I waited in the car for my daughter, that when she opened the door, it made me jump! The first days after Kiki's baby is born are captured very well. I especially like her parents coming and taking the baby out for three hours so she can sleep. I’ll have to offer to do that myself!
Some things have changed in the past 30 years, and I'm glad to see that the techniques I was taught in my NCT classes have been adopted by the NHS. One interesting thing is that Kiki (and my daughter) packed snacks to eat during labour. In my day you were only allowed ice cubes to suck, in case you needed a caesarian!
The story continues with the trials of going back to work and finishes with the baby’s six-month birthday party, followed by a section on advice for the newly pregnant mother.
I think that it’s a great read for mothers-to-be, new mothers and new grannies, and I shall certainly be reading The Wedding Diaries soon!  

Jean's Rating: 5/5

Publisher: Avon

Pages: 384 

Many thanks to Avon for sending a copy of the book to review, The Baby Diaries is out now! 

Guest Book Review: The Wedding Diaries by Sam Binnie

We have a guest review today from the lovely Rachel, this is her second post on Dot Scribbles and today she is reviewing The Wedding Diaries by Sam Binnie:

The first in a brand new series introduces Kiki Carlow, a woman on a mission to create her perfect wedding.
Kiki Carlow is shocked but delighted when boyfriend Thom proposes. Planning a wedding is easy, right? That’s as long as you ignore:
1. The utterly bankrupting price of the only dress you’ll ever truly love.2. Your suddenly pregnant sister – surprise!3. The celebrity wedding you’re covering for work which is devouring your every waking thought.4. The Mother of the Bride. Entirely.
Kiki soon discovers that planning the perfect wedding might just bring total chaos to the rest of her life. Can she stop being a Bridezilla in time to marry the man she loves?
Heart-warming and hilarious, The Wedding Diaries will make you laugh, cry, and want to watch Bridesmaids all over again…

The Wedding Diaries follows a newly engaged couple Kiki and Thom in the lead up to the most important day of their lives. The book is as the title suggests written in a diary format which I found a nice concept (I am a huge fan of the Bridget Jones books). Kiki writes to-do lists through her diary which at first I thought was a nice idea but as the story went on and the lists grew longer I felt that they were not really necessary. I disliked the character Kiki throughout the book and only slightly warmed to her towards the end of the story. For most of the book she was acting like a "bridezilla" and although plenty of events unfolded to change her outlook and grasp the important concepts of a marriage, I don’t think the character was portrayed very well in understanding this lesson.

Having said all that the book had some real laugh out loud moments, really funny one liners and scenarios that were a recipe for disaster that I enjoyed reading. As the book was the first in a series of three, I would give the second one a read, in particular i would be interested to see if some of the supporting characters(such as Jacki and Pedro) would be developed more in the next book.

This was not a book that I could not put down but it was a book that I picked up on and off. An easy read that you don’t really need concentrate on. Good for the upcoming holiday season.

Rachel's Rating: 3/5

Pages: 380

Publisher: Avon

Many thanks to Avon for sending me a copy of the book for review, The Wedding Diaries is out now. 

Guest Review: Pedigree Mum by Fiona Gibson

I have a lovely guest review for you today from my dear friend Kim. Kim lives in Hong Kong, we met through blogging and have been pen pals for the last few years, I am very excited as Kim is coming to the UK in August so we shall finally get to meet. She is a very lovely lady and has taken the time to review Pedigree Mum by Fiona Gibson, you can check out some of Kim's other review over at her blog, Still Reading. 

When Kerry Tambini upped sticks with her family to a new home on the coast, she couldn't have been happier. Then husband Rob made the biggest mistake of his life...
Stranded with her children in snooty Shorling, Kerry has plenty on her plate. So how can she say no to the kids' pleas for a dog when they're missing their father so dreadfully? Will adopting a wayward hound lead Kerry to a new love- or has she bitten off more than she can chew?
As she steps back into the dating world Kerry must juggle her family, her neurotic dog and try to fit in with the local pedigree mums, making her a true heroine of our time.

Kerry Tambini and her husband, Rob, get an offer to live by the sea in a small village called Shorling. After an idyllic family day out there they decide to leave the hustle and bustle of London behind and move with their two children to the coast. Then Rob makes the biggest mistake of his life and the whole family dynamic is changed.

Kerry soon realises how hard it is to bring up her children single-handedly in a village full of competitive, un-friendly mum’s. She feels heartbroken for her struggling children who are missing their father enormously, so, after months of them begging for a dog and in an attempt to cheer them up, she finally decides to adopt one.

Enter, Buddy!

The children and Kerry instantly fall in love with Buddy and his wayward ways and very soon he begins to fill part of the gap they all have in their lives. Then, just as things start to settle a little, Kerry finds she has a couple of admirers in Shorling but she struggles to feel romantic towards anyone after being so badly let down by Rob.

Firstly, let me say thank you to Dot at Dot Scribbles for sending me this book to review. This is the first Fiona Gibson book I have read and it was so enjoyable, I devoured it in a couple of days.

Underneath the funny and cringe-worthy happenings in each of these character’s lives, there are some serious issues being dealt with in the story which, on the whole, I think Fiona Gibson handles with honesty and humour. My only tiny comment would be that I feel Rob is treated very unsympathetically throughout the book and although he makes a huge mistake, I did feel a little bit sorry for him. Apart from that, I found this book to be entertaining and well worth setting aside some time to read. It is ideal for a holiday read.

Publisher: Avon

Pages: 400

Many thanks to Becke at Avon for sending this  book for review, Pedigree Mum is available now. 

Guest Review: Melting the Snow on Hester Street by Daisy Waugh

It's time for our second guest review, this time from Linda who has a fabulous blog, LindyLit which I highly recommend you taking a look at. Linda kindly reviewed Melting the Snow on Hester Street by Daisy Waugh, here's what she had to say:

October 1929: As America helter-skelter's through the last days before the great crash the cream of Hollywood parties heedlessly on.
Beneath the sophistication and elegance, Hollywood society couple Max and Eleanor Beecham are on the brink of divorce, their finances teetering on a knife's edge after a series of failed fims. As the stock market tumbles it seems they have nowhere to turn but to the arms of their waiting lovers.
Hope is delivered in an invitation to one of the legendary weekend parties at Hearst Castle, where the prohibition champagne will be flowing and the room filled with every Hollywood big-shot around. They cannot resist one last chance of making it. After all they've survived the insurmountable once before.
Scandalous, absurdly glamorous, the Hearst party is the epitome of Golden Era decadence but for Max and Eleanor the time has come to make a decision that will change their future. Will they sacrifice everything for fame and fortune or plunge into their hidden past and grasp one last chance to love each other again?

A few weeks ago Dot who blogs at DotScribbles sent out a Twitter plea for help with review copies of novels.  I automatically replied with my interest and lucky for me she sent me a copy of Daisy Waugh's Melting the Snow on Hester Street.  So I received the beautiful book related post, then amongst the excitement a teeny bit of doubt settled in; what if I didn't like it? Can I justify writing a negative book review on someone else's blog? What if I take FOREVER to read it? Have I taken on a bit more than I can chew? And then I told myself to get a grip, waited for school to finish and the luxury of half term and picked it up from my bedside 'to be read' stack.

Melting the Snow on Hester Street tells the story of Hollywood golden couple, Max and Eleanor Beecham; it is October 1929 and America and the Beecham's are heading for disaster.  Both Max and Eleanor are slowly slipping from their pedestal at the top of the film world and yet their minds are focusing on a deep rooted past secret and the heartache it has brought to their lives.

The narrative opens with Max and Eleanor's glamorous, yet somewhat empty lives in 1929.  Despite spending the evening throwing a party for Hollywood Royalty it is clear Max and Eleanor are unhappy and have lost the spark in the marriage and there are subtle clues throughout the opening chapters hinting at what might have caused this.  I was enjoying the novel, but I wasn't overly engrossed in it at this point; yes, there was some mystery, but it was missing a really intriguing hook. And then we were transported to the lives of Matz and Eleana in the poverty stricken slums of New York in 1911 and for me the novel truly came alive.  Waugh's depiction of the lives of immigrants, fresh off the boots, is well described and she paints a perfect picture of how many arrived full of hope of achieving their American Dream and yet were faced with the horrible reality of dirty, cramped, over crowded slums and the unfair and oppressive working conditions.  Throughout the rest of the novel the narrative flicks between the two time periods culminating in the mystery of how Matz and Eleana transformed into Max and Eleanor and just what it is that has rocked their marriage.

I preferred the Matz and Eleana element of the novel as it offered a great contrast to the futility of the Hollywood lifestyle and seemed much purer than the 1920s part of the novel.  I liked how all Matz and Eleana truly had was their love for one another and how this played out amongst the backdrop of the strikes of fabric workers and an horrific (and true life) factory fire that killed 146 immigrant workers.  This part of the novel was well written and had me engrossed from the start; it certainly appealed to the historian in me much more than the 1920s section and without it I don't think I would have enjoyed the narrative as much.

Overall I am happy I offered to write this review and that Dot chose me.  It isn't a book I would have chosen to read if I had seen it in a bookshop as I tend to read mainly British fiction, but I am glad that I did read it.  I haven't read much fiction based around the turn of the century in America and it was certainly enjoyable finding out more about this particular period of history and especially about the lives of those new to America, still full of their hopes and dreams.  In the Author's Notes Waugh writes about the inspiration for certain events in the novel and it was interesting finding out that certain characters are based on real life people (although I did know that Charlie Chaplin was definitely real) and that tragic events, such as the factory fire, actually happened.  I would certainly recommend Melting the Snow on Hester Street, especially with the renewed interest in 1920s America with the release of Baz Luhrman's The Great Gatsby; it highlights the decadence and futility of life before The Wall Street Crash and arguably the hollowness of The American Dream.

Thank you again to Dot for sending me this book.

Publisher: Harper Collins

Pages: 400

Dot Scribbles Needs You!

ALL BOOKS HAVE NOW BEEN TAKEN, THANKS FOR LOOKING! 
I have six books up for guest review today so here's how it works:

Comments will be disabled on this post so it will be whoever emails me first saying which book you would like to read. Here's the 'rules':

1. If you want to review one of the books then please email me on dotscribbles@googlemail.com and tell me which book you would prefer. If you have a blog then please include a link to it in the email, if you don't have a blog then you can still review.
2. Please try and review the book within 3 weeks of receiving it.
3. I certainly don't expect to like every book that I read but all I ask is that you provide an honest, fair and respectful review.
4. Send me your review and I will post it on Dot Scribbles and Twitter. If you have your own blog then we can agree a date for it to go on at the same time.
5. This is only open to UK residents.

Obviously I can't make you agree to these rules but hopefully people won't ask for a book and then do a runner! You do not have to write your own blog in order to review on here but if you do have a blog then we can feature the review at the same time and include a link to your site.

The Wedding Diaries by Sam Binnie (Avon) Kiki Carlow is shocked but delighted when boyfriend Thom proposes. Planning a wedding is easy right? That's as long as you ignore:
1. The utterly bankrupting price of the only dress you'll every truly love.
2. Your suddenly pregnant sister- surprise!
3. The celebrity wedding you're covering for work which is devouring your every waking thought. 
4. The Mother of the Bride. Entirely.
Kiki soon discovers that planning the perfect wedding might just bring total chaos to the rest of her life. Can she stop being a total Bridezilla in time to marry the man she loves?

TAKEN
The Baby Diaries by Sam Binnie (Avon) A few weeks after Thom and Kiki return from honeymoon, Kiki is stunned to discover that she is pregnant. But the next nine months might be a little harder than she expected, when she's got to deal with:
1. Nausea. Heartburn. Stretchmarks. 
2. Her nightmare absent boss.
3. Crying uncontrollably at a brad advert on TV.
4. An army of Smug Mothers who seem terrifyingly like Proper-Grown-Ups.
As Kiki's due date nears, she can't help but wonder- is the life she loved gone forever?
TAKEN

The Secret Intensity of Everyday Life by William Nicholson (Quercus Books) Laura is content with her marriage, her two children and her part-time job- until an ex-lover gets in touch out of the blue. Suddenly passion and excitement are rekindled, but how much happiness has she a right to expect, and what about the pain she would cause to achieve it?
Unknown to Laura, several others in her Sussex village are living with their own unresolved inner dramas. None of them guesses at her crisis. Yet every decision they take has an impact on those around them. The secret longings of a large cast of characters interweave in a gripping story that reveals life at its richest: comic and tragic, poignant and cruel, surprising and moving.

TAKEN
Losing It by Cora Carnack (Ebury Press) Bliss Edwards is a virgin. But her plans for a no-strings, one night stand turns out to be anything but simple. Especially the next day in class when she recognises her hot new English professor. She'd left him- naked- in her bed just 8 hours earlier...
TAKEN

The Low Road by Chris Womersley (Quercus) A suitcase of stolen cash has brought three criminals together. 
One has a bullet in his side.
One has blood on his hands.
One has vengeance on his mindl.
Each has run fromt their past.
Each will not fight for their future.
A modern noir thriller. The Low Road highlights our desire to outrun our demons, and the dark consequences we face when we are forced to confront them.

TAKEN
Pedigree Mum by Fiona Gibson (Avon) When Kerry Tambini upped stick with her family to a new home on the coast, she couldn't have been happier. Then husband Rob made the biggest mistake of his life...
Stranded with her children in snooty Shorling, Kerry has plenty on her plate. So how can she say no to the kids' pleas for a dog when they're missing their father dreadfully?As Kerry juggles hectic family life and trying to fit in with the other pedigree mums. she soon finds herself adopting a dog. But will this wayward hound lead Kerry to a new love? Or has she bitten off more than she can chew?

TAKEN

Guest Book Review: Perfect Strangers by Tasmina Perry

I am very excited to present our first guest book review today from the very lovely Rachel! Rachel was planning to take this book on holiday with her but actually finished it before the packing so that's a good sign, here's what she thought:

Breathlessly exciting, gloriously glamorous, Perfect Strangers is Sunday Times bestseller Tasmina Perry's most thrilling novel to date. Just an innocent invitation... When Sophie Ellis is asked to house-sit at a luxurious Knightsbridge townhouse, it appears to be the offer of a lifetime. Drawn into the glittering circle of the home's owner, she meets wealthy American businessman Nick Cooper and is swept up into a thrilling and passionate affair. But when Nick is found dead in his hotel suite, Sophie is suddenly the prime suspect for his murder, and soon realises Nick was not the man he seemed. Racing to find the truth and clear her name, Sophie must elude not only the authorities but also a group of dangerous players who believe Sophie has something that they want. And who won't stop until she's caught... Escape with Tasmina Perry from London to New York to the exotic Cote D'Azur, and into a world where a simple case of mistaken identity unravels a web of lies and international conspiracy.

This was the first book I have read by Tasmina Perry and as soon as I finished the book I was on her website looking to see what I could read next. I'm excited to say that I have found a new author to devour. I'm off on holiday tomorrow and originally the book was meant to be for my travels. However it arrived, I couldn't resist a peak and now I have a finished book and no packing completed! To say I could not put it down would be an understatement.

The main character Sophie is portrayed as a typical Chelsea girl at the beginning of the book, bought up with lots of money and opportunity which equals the perfect life, or so she thought. As the story begins Sophie's life has changed dramatically from what she has always known. At her lowest she is given a lifeline but one that later transpires to have definitely put her in the wrong place at the wrong time. They are plenty of twists and turns and I'm pleased to say that I was near the end of the book and I was still unsure where it was going to go. Each character is so brilliantly described that you can really picture them clearly, the writer goes into sufficient enough detail with even the smaller characters that she keeps you guessing if they are involved or not. A fast paced book, but not fast enough that you get lost especially with references to foreign places and people. I have found in previous books that having a lot of traveling and new destinations can sometimes confuse and alienate the reader. In this writers case in all of the destinations visited I really felt that I could picture the scene.
The book has the perhaps not so original girl turning into a woman storyline, but what Tasmina has managed to do so well is incorporate it into a fast paced, meaty, fun read. I thoroughly recommend this book and can't wait to read more. 

Rachel's Rating: 5/5

Pages: 417

Publisher: Headline Review

Many thanks to Headline for providing a copy of this book to review, Perfect Strangers is out now.