GUEST REVIEW: The Runaway Princess by Hester Browne

The very lovely Jo from Cometbabesbooks very kindly offered to do a guest review, she chose The Runaway Princess by Hester Browne and here's what she thought: 

Amy Wilde is tired of the idiots her glamorous flatmate Jo tries to set her up with - she'd much rather be landscaping a garden with her dog Badger at her side than trying to find the man of her dreams. That is, until she meets Leo Wolfsburg. Handsome, polite, funny, intriguing - Leo is everything Amy could want in a man. Best of all, the attraction seems mutual. But Leo's lifestyle is a world away from her own. Private planes, charity balls, exclusive members' clubs - Amy begins to realise that her simple existence has been turned upside down. And just where is Leo's home country of Nirona, anyway? Is this all too good to be true? 

I offered to review the above book for Dot and I am glad that I did.   Right from page one I found Amy easy to identify with and her friends likeable.  Hester Browne's writing went into detail about all the characters, I wanted to find out more.  I even found myself liking the annoying Rolf, who comes across as a Rik Mayall type character in the Blackadder series, although right from the start I never wanted him to end up with Jo, I always wanted Ted and Jo to get together.  Leo was intriguing, even though you new right from the start there was something different about him.
The book follows Leo's and Amy's romance through the months of the year.  Amy does find who Leo is and even so still plans to marry him.  Although Amy does have a secret of her own that she feels she can not tell Leo about. 10 years previously her sister Kelly did something bad that almost destroyed her family, Amy feels as though she has been left to pick up the pieces.
Amy's feels she is not good enough for Leo and his family, this isn't helped by his sister Sofia and his mother Liza.  Eventually this almost destroys their relationship. 
Towards the end there is a twist with Amy's sister that I certainly didn't see coming.  I won't spoil the end of this book, but would recommend it as an enjoyable read.

Publisher: Quercus

Pages: 448

Many thanks to Quercus for providing a copy of this book to review. it is out now! 

Book Review: Meet Me Under the Mistletoe by Abby Clements

Childhood friends Laurie and Rachel used to be inseparable. Now thirty-five, they have all but fallen out of touch; glamorous single girl Laurie is based in London and dedicated to her career in fashion; Rachel seemingly living the family idyll in Yorkshire.
But when Rachel's mother-in-law needs urgent treatment in London, and disasters at work and in her love life mean Laurie needs to flee, a house swap falls into place. Soon, gentle Rachel is braving the city's mean streets while trying to keep her marriage and family together, while Laurie attempts to befriend the wary village locals - and forget the man who seems intent on breaking her heart.
WIll their relationship survive this test? And will they make it home for Christmas?

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe is a truly lovely book and the first written by Abby Clements. the front cover is extremely pretty and so this book would make a lovely Christmas gift.
Abby Clements delivers a classic life swap story. Rachel leaves the country to accompany her mother-in-law to London, taking her two young children with her. Meanwhile, Laurie gets some unexpected time off work  so leaves London to stay in Rachel's picture perfect cottage in Yorkshire. Both women are out of their comfort zones but maybe that is what they need in order to take stock of their lives.
I liked both characters  but I found Laurie's story a little more interesting, maybe as she is the character who I felt changed the most during the book. Her whole life has been consumed about work, she has almost forgotten who she is away from the office. The locals are highly suspicious of her so Laurie sets out to win them round.
Abby Clements links the two women's stories together very well and I liked how she tied everything together at the end. Her writing has a very warm and inviting style and I think she is one to look out for in the future.

Dot Scribbles Rating: 4/5

Many thanks to Quercus for sending me a copy of the book to read, Meet Me Under the Mistletoe is out now and as I said it would make a lovely Christmas gift.

Book Review: The First Time I Saw Your Face by Hazel Osmond

Jennifer had it all. But a terrible accident has taken almost everything. Moving back home, her future isn't looking too bright. Until she meets Mack.
Sexy, dishevelled and just a little clumsy, he starts to make her believe that she can move on from the past and embrace life all over again. But he has a secret he'd do anything to protect and he'll have to betray her to keep it...

The First Time I Saw Your Face explores what happens when you betray those that you love. Mack Stone is a freelance journalist, he is blackmailed into taking on a job which will mean him betraying someone in the worst possible way.
Mack travels to Northumberland under the guise of Matt Harper, a writer writer working on a new book about walking in the area. His real aim is to befriend Jennifer Roseby; she is the cousin of Cressida Chartwell, a  Hollywood starlet. Mack needs to gain Jennifer's trust in order to find out who Cressida is sleeping with in America. Gaining Jennifer's trust will not be easy. Mack was not informed about her accident, a car accident that has disfigured her face and stripped her of any confidence. Mack did not want to take the job in the first place but he has no choice. However, he had no idea that he would fall in love with Jennifer and still have to betray her.
This book is 501 pages long but I read it very quickly. The book is clearly set out to deal with Mack being given the job, carrying it out and falling in love with Jennifer and then finally, the aftermath and consequences of his betrayal.
What Mack does is truly horrible but I did have sympathy for him. I don't think he would have taken the job on unless he had been blackmailed and he really didn't expect to fall for Jennifer. Regardless of what he has done in the past, Mack is clearly a good guy and he is completely devastated to hurt those close to him. Jennifer is quite a complex character, the injuries she sustained in the accident have obviously changed her life. But her interactions with Mack show us glimpses of the woman she used to be. They are only brief glimpses but Jen cannot believe how different he makes her feel, which makes his duplicity even worse.
Hazel Osmond gives you a lot to think about and she keeps you guessing right to the very end as to whether Jennifer will be able to forgive Mack.
As I said, I did read this book very quickly, there was a lot going on to keep me interested. You want to know how Mack will gain Jennifer's trust, will she allow him in, can he really betray someone he has fallen in love with, will Jen ever be able to forgive Mack and face the world again?
The First Time I Saw Your Face is a book that I would highly recommend.

Dot Scribbles Rating 4/5

Many thanks to Quercus for sending me a copy of the book to review, it is out now!