Book Review: Looking for La La by Ellie Campbell

When Cathy O'Farrell's husband, Declan receives a saucy postcard from the mysterious La La, Cathy is thrilled. Not seriously suspecting that her husband is having an affair, Cathy and her friend Raz start an investigation aided in part by the Tuesday Twice Monthly's, a tight knit group of local moms. Soon the notes turn sinister and Cathy notices a red estate car following her. Is this mystery perhaps more than she bargained for?

I really enjoyed Looking for La La, I think it is an original and entertaining read. Part chick-lit, part mystery, the authors keep your interest throughout.
Ellie Campbell is actually sisters Pam Burks and Lorraine Campbell and the bo
ok was apparently inspired by  Pam's husband receiving anonymous postcards in real life. When Cathy's husband receives the mail signed from La La, she decides to investigate. Worryingly Cathy is more excited that this postcard will bring some excitement to her life rather than being concerned that her husband is having an affair.
I liked Cathy's character, her two children are at school now and Declan is talking about her returning to work but she really doesn't want to. I felt a little sorry for Cathy, she doesn't seem to know what she wants at the start of the book; her role of wife and mother is changing and I think that is something that many female readers will identify with.
One of my favourite characters was Raz, along with Cathy's personality, they bring a lot of humour to the story which gives it a chick-lit feel.
I would recommend Looking for La La if you are after a chick-lit read with a slightly  more engaging storyline. I hope that Pam Burke and Lorraine Campbell have more books to offer in the future.

Dot Scribbles Rating: 4/5

Book Review: Never Mind the Botox: Rachel PLUS Author Interview

Never Mind the Botox is a series about four professional women all working on the sale of a high profile cosmetic surgery business, The Beau Street Group. Each book reveals how the women cope with one of the most glamorous but challenging deals of their careers and the dramatic impact it has on their personal lives. With a briefcase in one hans and a glass of wine in the other, can they navigate their way through a surreal world of boob jobs by day and intrigue by night- and still keep their own love lives on track?
Rachel Altman is a corporate financier with a prestigious accounting firm who's desperately trying to keep on the straight and narrow. Hopelessly led astray by her bar diving boyfriend, she gets the chance to turn things around when her boss gives her the break she's been waiting for. But when the deal doesn't go as planned Rachel panics, sparking off a chain of betrayal and lies that threatens to ruin both her love life and her career.

Rachel is the second book in The Never Mind the Botox series. I read the first book, Alex last year and really enjoyed it. Rachel is the corporate financier working on The Beau Street Group deal. The books are not sequels so you don't need to read them in order; the idea is that each book deals with a different female character working on the same deal at the same time. Joanna Berry qualified as a solicitor and Penny Avis as an accountant so they both bring their knowledge and experience of the corporate business world to the writing process. Rachel, like Alex in the previous book is trying to juggle a high powered career with her personal life. I think that is what makes these books to refreshing; the fact that they are extremely realistic. I have to say that I didn't take to Rachel as much as I did Alex as i don't feel as though I got to know her as well.
I think that this is a really interesting series in that it is offering something new to the chick lit genre; the books are entertaining with a good pace and they are not afraid to portray realistic, strong, driven women having a career and a fulfilling personal life.

Dot Scribbles Rating 4/5

Many thanks to the lovely people at Midas PR for sending me a copy of the book to review.

I was also lucky enough to interview Penny Avis and Joanna Berry, here's what they had to say:

1.       Do you have a personal favourite out of the four books?

We designed all four stories before we started writing any of the books and found it very hard to choose between them, as we made sure that we divided our favourite story lines between them! It would be like having to choose between our children!That said, we get very passionate about each book as it is published so we are both totally in ‘Rachel mode’ at the moment.

2.        Do you have any disagreements when writing the books, if so how do you come to a joint decision and move on?

We had debates rather than disagreements. We always tried to look at things from a reader’s perspective, rather than from one or other of our viewpoints. Our commercial backgrounds meant that we were both used to taking criticism and looking at things very objectively, which also helped. We also tended to defer to whoever felt more passionate about the point and that helped us move on quickly.

3.       You both lead very busy and successful lives, just like the women in your books, what do you do in order to relax and get away from it all?

We both love to spend time with our families. Children are a great reminder of what’s really important, so we don’t take things too seriously. We also spend time with friends, exercise as much as we can and do plenty of partying!

4.       Congratulations on the TV series, will you be involved in the development of it etc?

Thank you and yes, which is great for a couple of control freaks like us! We have signed a joint venture agreement as partners with Future Films, rather than just signed over the rights to the books. So we’ll be involved every step of the way.


If you would like to find out more about these books or the author's themselves then check out their website here. 

Book Review: Dirty Tricks by Jo Carnegie

Fashion Queen Saffron is leaving the London party scene for the country, to write her bonkbusting novel. It means six months without gorgeous boyfriend Tom... but at least his supermodel twin brother will be there to keep her company!

Good girl Harriet, meanwhile, has swapped country life for the bright lights of London, and finds herself working with quite possibly the sexiest man she has ever met. But what dangerous secrets lurk behind those twinkling blue eyes of his?

New lives, new temptations. Have both girls bitten off more than they can chew?

I read Jo Carnegie's other book Country Pursuits and really enjoyed it so I was looking forward to this one when it arrived. Corgi appear to have given the author's front cover a different feel and I personally think it's an improvement, I would definitely pick it up in a shop.
Saffron and Harriet are both extremely likable characters and it's a great idea to have one in the country and one in the city, I really enjoyed reading about what they were getting up to. Both women are effectively trying out new lives; Saffron is pursuing her writing career and Harriet is pursuing romance. There are a fair few supporting characters in this book and I think that is one of the main reasons that I enjoyed it so much. Harriet's father, Sir Ambrose has been left to fend for himself at the stately home whilst his wife is off travelling. He provides many comical moments and almost plays his daughter at her own game of trying something new in life.
There is a lot of romance in Dirty Tricks, Saffron has steady boyfriend Tom and the surprising arrival of his supermodel  brother Rex. Meanwhile Harriet has fallen for her new boss who has more secrets than she ever could imagine. Throughout the book we get snippets from the bonkbuster that Saffron is writing; they are very entertaining but you soon realise that Harriet and Saffron are having a few romps of their own.
This book has been perfect for sitting in the sunshine with over the past two days. Jo Carnegie's writing is incredibly warm and inviting, I would highly recommend Dirty Tricks.

Many thanks to Corgi for sending me a copy to review, Dirty Tricks is out now!

Book Review: You Don't Have to Say You Love Me by Sarra Manning

Sweet, bookish Neve Slater always plays by the rules. And the rule is that fat girls like her don't get guys like gorgeous William, heir to Neve's heart since university. But William's been in LA for three years, and Neve's been slimming down and reinventing herself so that when he returns, he'll fall head over heels in love with the new her.

So she's not that interested in other men, Until her sister points out that if Neve wants William to think she's an experienced love-goddess and not the awkward girl he left behind, then she'd better get some, well, experience.

What Neve needs is someone to show her the ropes, someone like Max. Wicked, shallow, sexy Max. And since he's such a man-slut, and so not Neve's type, she certainly won't fall for him. Because William is the man for her...right?

This book is quite long at 555 pages but it wasn't a problem as I enjoyed each one.
Neve is holding out for William who she met at Oxford University, he has been in LA for the last 3 years and their only contact has been emails and long, long, handwritten letters. However, Neve is convinced that William is 'The One' and so she is doing everything to be ready for his return. William is in for a shock though as Neve is half the woman she was; Neve's weight and her quest to lose it is a huge part of her life. At first I found this aspect of the character a little off-putting but as I learnt more about Neve and the negative impact her weight has had on her life, I began to like and understand her a lot more.
Neve lives in a house converted into flats, she has the top floor, her little sister Celia the bottom floor and then her brother Douglas and his nasty wife Celia have other one. Charlotte is a pretty nasty piece of work; she made Neve's life hell by bullying her about her size at school and she still manages to intimidate her now. Neve's sister Celia is a lovely character, she works for a fashion magazine and she introduces Neve to Max, one of the editors. Max is very much a ladies man and Celia warns her big sister to keep her distance. But it is Max who os the persistent one, following Neve home, trying to charm his way into her pants.
Realising that Max is not going to give up, Neve decides that he could be a good relationship practice before William returns. Ground rules are set; no holding hands, no sex and it will all be over once William is back on British soil. So much to everyone's surprise, Max and Neve embark on a pretend relationship, they have dates, share the same bed but there are no strings attached. Well there shouldn't be but once Neve realises that their time together is coming to an end she begins to wonder if William really is 'The One' and what will life be like without Max?
Sarra Manning has written an excellent book. Neve has bit of the Bridget Jones factor about her in that she is a woman that many female readers will completely identify with. She has aspirations, insecurities, fears and needs; she just didn't bet on Max becoming one of them.
You Don't Have to Tell Me That You Love Me is an absorbing, sexy read. Max and Neve are really well formed characters and I was a bit sad when I got to the last page. This really is a great book and I shall look out for others by Sarra Manning in the future.

Many thanks to Corgi / Transworld for sending me a copy of this book to review, it is available now!

Book Review: A Girl Like You by Gemma Burgess

After breaking up with her boyfriend of, well, forever, Abigail Wood must learn how to be single from scratch.
Her dating skills are abysmal, and she ricochets disaster to disaster- until Robert, one of London's most notorious Lotharios, agrees to coach her.
With his advice, she learns to navigate the bastard-infested water of the bar scene and practices the art of being bulletproof. The new Abigail is cocky, calm, composed...but what happens when she meets her match?

This is the first book that I have read in 2011 and it has certainly provided me with a good start. I immediately liked Abigail, she is a similar age to me and is relatively normal. She has been quite brace by ending a long term relationship when she realised he wasn't 'The One' and now she has to enter the scary world of dating.
Her new flatmate Robert takes it upon himself to teach Abigail some of the rules of dating. Robert is a definite ladies man and Abigail soon learns to be the one in control. That's until she is introduced to Dave, Robert's best mate. The rules go straight out of the window and Dave is firmly in control; when things start to go wrong, Robert is nowhere to be found and Abigail has no idea what to do.
A Girl Like You is a great book, it was extremely funny whilst also being very realistic. I felt as though I could identify with the characters and their experiences and this made reading it even more enjoyable.

Many Thanks to Harper Collins for sending me a review copy, A Girl Like You is published tomorrow, 6th January.

Friday Favourites

I have noticed that my Internet Favourites folder has got increasingly bigger recently so thought that I would share some of my favourite favourite's with you!

• Domestic Sluttery- I love this site! They do a little bit of everything, home ideas, food and drink (brilliant cocktail recipes!), Etsy picks, fashion. Basically there are a lot of lovely, sparkly items on here for you to lust after!
• Bronte Blog- I came across this only the other day, embarrassingly I did not know that it existed. If you are a Bronte fan then you should definitely take some time to have a look around. They have all the history plus loads of information about upcoming books, movies and TV adaptations. It really is a jam packed blog which is updated all the time.
• Still Reading- This is Kim's blog and she is writing all the way from Hong Kong which without all of the book reviews, is worth reading about anyway! Kim has recommended some brilliant books for me recently and I know that she has just had trip to the book shop so you should go and see what she will be reading next.
• Pop Sugar- This is very much a guilty pleasure! It is pure celebrity trash and highly addictive. I don't really buy magazines anymore so I tend to get my celebrity fix on here. Plus they tend to run a lot of pictures of Robert Pattinson who I am not adverse to looking at so brownie points all round!
• Chick Lit Reviews & News- I only discovered this blog this week but I think it's great! Chloe and Leah review all things chick lit and keep their readers up to date with release dates for all the new books coming out. If you are partial to a chick lit book or two then their blog is worth taking a good look at.