Shopaholic to the Stars By Sophie Kinsella

Shopaholic to the Stars By Sophie Kinsella

Becky Brandon (nee Bloomwood) is in Hollywood! She’s hanging out with celebs . . . or at least she will be, once her husband Luke introduces her to his new A-list client Sage Seymour.

Becky sets her heart on a new career – she’s going to be a stylist to the stars! And when a chance encounter thrusts her into the limelight, she grabs her opportunity. But in between choosing clutch bags and chasing celebrities, Becky loses touch with her family and her best friend . . .

Caught up in the whirlwind of Tinseltown, has Becky gone too far this time?

My Thoughts:

This is the seventh book of the shopaholic series. I found the story quite far fetched so much so it is ridiculous. There are funny parts to this story but I didn’t feel drawn into the story like I did with Sophie’s other books. The main character Becky seems to lose the plot in this story, if you have read any of the shopaholics books before you would know that she is a shopaholic hence the title, this story see’s her kind of going of the rails to become famous. There were parts which were ok, but I didn’t like the way the book ended, I felt a bit cheated.

A Way from Heart to Heart By Helena Fairfax

A Way from Heart to Heart By Helena Fairfax

 

A knock at the door shatters Kate Hemingway’s life when she’s informed of her husband Stuart’s death in Afghanistan. She struggles to care for their young son George with only Stuart’s aloof best friend Paul as emotional support. Piece by fragile piece, she tries to rebuild her life, realising Paul and her son have formed an unlikely bond.

When Paul agrees to accompany Kate and a group of disadvantaged teenagers on a trip to the Yorkshire moors, he finally reveals something he’s kept secret for years. Kate’s own scarred heart begins to open up … but can she risk her son’s happiness as well as her own? A novel about friendship, loss, and the human heart’s enduring capacity for love, this stunning debut explores one woman’s attempt at survival when her world comes crashing down around her.

My Thoughts:

I was drawn to this book by the cover, it looks so inviting and vibrant. The story is such a lovely and heart warming contemporary romance. This story is about widower Kate and how she has to face bringing up her young son George. Her husband’s best friend and godfather to George helps and supports Kate in everything that she does, When both of them are together she realises he is not the indifferent man she thought he was and their relationship deepens. I was completely caught up in the relationship between them, so much so I wanted them to find happiness. Such a warm and tender book that I just couldn’t put down and managed to read in a day.

If you would like to purchase this book, please click on the link below:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Way-Heart-Helena-Fairfax

I Miss Mummy By Cathy Glass

I Miss Mummy By Cathy Glass

 

Alice, aged four, is snatched by her mother the day she is due to arrive at Cathy’s house. Drug-dependent and mentally ill, but desperate to keep hold of her daughter, Alice’s mother snatches her from her parents’ house and disappears.

Cathy spends three anxious days worrying about her whereabouts before Alice is found safe, but traumatised. Alice is like a little doll, so young and vulnerable, and she immediately finds her place in the heart of Cathy’s family. She talks openly about her mummy, who she dearly loves, and how happy she was living with her maternal grandparents before she was put into care. Alice has clearly been very well looked after and Cathy can’t understand why she couldn’t stay with her grandparents.

It emerges that Alice’s grandparents are considered too old (they are in their early sixties) and that the plan is that Alice will stay with Cathy for a month before moving to live with her father and his new wife. The grandparents are distraught – Alice has never known her father, and her grandparents claim he is a violent drug dealer.

Desperate to help Alice find the happy home she deserves, Cathy’s parenting skills are tested in many new ways. Finally questions are asked about Alice’s father suitability, and his true colours begin to emerge.

My Thoughts:

I was given this book by a good friend of mine, having never read any books by this author. Cathy Glass is an inspiration and she does write in the most amazing and dictating way. Poor little Alice does go through so much at the tender age of four. Such a lovely lady is Cathy, what a wonderful thing to do being a foster carer. Lovely written ending. Will be reading more of Cathy Glass’s books.

If you would like to purchase this book, please click on the link below:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Miss-Mummy-story-frightened-desperate

If you would like to read more about the other books Cathy Glass has written, please click on the link below:

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The Longest Holiday By Paige Toon

The Longest Holiday By Paige Toon

‘Don’t wait for the storm to pass; learn to dance in the rain…’ Laura has been married to the man of her dreams for seven months. But a week before the wedding, Matthew made a terrible mistake. Escaping the humiliation that is now her marriage, Laura is whisked off to Florida’s Key West by her best friend Marty.

A carefree holiday full of cocktails and fun, surrounded by gorgeous, tanned men, is exactly what the doctor ordered. Distraction comes in the form of sexy Cuban scuba diver Leo. Laura’s instant attraction to him knocks her flying, and she falls hard. As the end of the holiday approaches, Laura doesn’t want to go home. Is it time to face the music? Or is there more to Key West than a holiday romance?

My Thoughts:

I am always drawn to a Paige Toon book if I want pure chick lit or a nice easy read to take on holiday with me. I find you always get a feel for the characters and also the places they visit. I loved Laura, she was easy to warm to and just like your best friend, the storyline was so captivating that I hardly left this book alone.I love how Paige is so descriptive with her writing, it makes for a fantastic read, you know when you read one of her books your going to love it, I certainly did.

The Confectioner’s Tale By Laura Madeleine

The Confectioner’s Tale By Laura Madeleine

At the famous Patisserie Clermont in Paris, 1909, a chance encounter with the owner’s daughter has given one young man a glimpse into a life he never knew existed: of sweet cream and melted chocolate, golden caramel and powdered sugar, of pastry light as air.

But it is not just the art of confectionery that holds him captive, and soon a forbidden love affair begins.

Almost eighty years later, an academic discovers a hidden photograph of her grandfather as a young man with two people she has never seen before. Scrawled on the back of the picture are the words ‘Forgive me’. Unable to resist the mystery behind it, she begins to unravel the story of two star-crossed lovers and one irrevocable betrayal.

My Thoughts:

I managed to read this book in a day, it is a fast paced moving book that is set in the 1990’s in Paris but alternates to 1988 in England. This is a story that is all about forbidden love and family secrets, I liked reading about Patisserie Clermont and all the wonderful things that they made there. I think that was why I was drawn to this book. Well written book.

If you would like to purchase the book, please click on the link below:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Confectioners-Tale-Laura-Madeleine

Little Acts of Love (Mishaps in Millrise Book 1) By Tilly Tennant

Little Acts of Love (Mishaps in Millrise Book 1) By Tilly Tennant


If you’re new to the town of Millrise, then come and meet the residents. But if you fell in love with Phoebe and Jack last Christmas in Mishaps and Mistletoe, then you’ve just been invited to the best reunion ever…

Almost five months have passed since Phoebe and Jack first met in the grotto of a drunken Santa at Hendry’s toy store in Millrise. Since then, Jack and his adorable daughter, Maria, have turned Phoebe’s life around. As she and Jack get closer, Phoebe decides it’s time to put her stagnating career back on track too, which means going for a big promotion at work.

But nothing is ever simple in the strange little world of Hendry’s, and Phoebe is soon wishing she’d stayed on the tills. At home, things aren’t much better as the couple brace themselves to meet their respective in-laws. It’s clear from the start that making friends and influencing people has never been harder. And to make it worse, Phoebe must compete for the affection of Jack’s parents with the perfect partner and mother – who’s been dead for five years…

My Thoughts:

This story is all about Phoebe and how she is trying to earn herself a promotion at the Children’s toy store called Hendry’s. She hopes to get provide a better life with her boyfriend Jack and his daughter Maria. Phoebe has a best friend called Midnight and I love the way their friendship blossoms, Midnight has such a different attitude to Phoebe’s I think that is why they are such good friends and she brings the fun side out in Phoebe. They both work at Hendry’s and you can see why they would have fun. I really enjoyed this story and really look forward to reading the next one.

The Day We Disappeared By Lucy Robinson

The Day We Disappeared By Lucy Robinson

 

Annie has a secret. But if she’s not going to tell, we won’t either. It’s a heart-breaking secret she wishes she didn’t have – yet Annie isn’t broken, not quite yet. Especially now there’s someone who seems determined to fix her.
Kate has run away. But she’s not going to tell us why – that would defeat the point of running, wouldn’t it? It’s proving difficult to reinvent herself, however, with one person always on her mind.
Scratch beneath the surface and nobody is really who they seem. Even Annie and Kate aren’t entirely sure who they are any more.

My Thoughts:

I had heard so many great reviews on this book that I just had to go and buy it. I am very glad I did, even though I had heard of Lucy Robinson I am not really sure what I haven’t read any of her books before. Well, that is going to change. I loved the beginning, middle and end of this book. I really enjoyed reading the equestrian side of this book, I loved Stumpy, I am a big fan of horses so that was a winner when read this book. I also enjoyed the reading the parallels of their two lives with Annie falling for Stephen and Kate falling for Mark, he seemed very nice ;). The best part of this book was the twist, I would never of seen it coming. Just Wow, An all together brilliantly written book.

If you would like to purchase this book, please click on the link below:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Day-Disappeared-Lucy-Robinson

Pandora’s Prophecy: A Greek Island Mystery By Julie Ryan

Pandora’s Prophecy: A Greek Island Mystery By Julie Ryan

Lisa and Mark are going through a rough patch, Vicky is seventeen and has just discovered that the man she thought was her father really isn’t, Ruth is getting over her husband’s betrayal after nearly twenty-five years of marriage. On the surface they have nothing in common except that they are all staying in the same hotel on a Greek Island. As they each come into contact with the mysterious Pandora, their lives will change forever.

Bodies begin to pile up as a serial killer is on the loose who might just be targeting the hotel. The Island’s Police Chief, Christos Pavlides, tries to solve the puzzle but he has problems of his own to resolve. It seems that the local celebrity author is the one who holds the key.

My Thoughts:

This is Julie’s third book in the Greek Island Mystery series and it can be read as a stand alone. This story is all about a girl called Pandora who as a child discovers she can read minds and see aura’s, So she has the gift of prophecy. There are many more characters to come in this fantastic little story, which all link into the story. But then a tragedy happens and the police are called and it is a race against time to find the killer.

I Will Marry George Clooney (By Christmas) By Tracy Bloom

I Will Marry George Clooney (By Christmas) By Tracy Bloom

There comes a time in every woman’s life when the only answer is to marry George Clooney.

For Michelle, that time is now.

Slogging her guts out in a chicken factory, whilst single-handedly bringing up a teenager who hates her, is far from the life that 36-year-old Michelle had planned.

But marrying the most eligible man on the planet by Christmas could change all that, couldn’t it?

Sometimes your only option is to dream the impossible – because you never know where it might take you…

This is a fun, completely fantastical novel featuring George Clooney, and has not been authorised or endorsed by the wondrous man himself.

My Thoughts:

This story got crazier by the minute, it did make the story endearing though. I am not a big George Clooney fan but wanted to read this book as I saw a lot of hype about it when it was first out. I liked the way that the story focuses on the relationship between mother and daughter rather than just being a love story. I enjoyed the ending, it was lovely.

Castaway In The Caribbean By Janice Horton

Castaway In The Caribbean By Janice Horton


Vacationing on the beautiful Caribbean island of Antigua, Janey Sinclair is persuaded by her magazine editor boss to do a quick island hop in order to supervise an impromptu photo-shoot for the front cover. With no flights immediately available, Janey is directed to the harbour.
Captain Travis Mathews hates tourists, although he’s not above making a bit of money off a prissy and sharp tongued young British girl when she’s desperate to get to the neighbouring island of Tortola.

After striking a deal, they set off together in Travis’s weather-beaten old boat. When the vessel comes to a sudden full stop in the sea, the mismatched pair end up as castaways on an uninhabited island.
In this fast moving romantic adventure about a vacation that turns into a tropical nightmare there’s more fun than you’ll find in any travel brochure.

My Thoughts:

I have been to the Caribbean before so I knew I would want to read this book. This is a romantic story with a twist, I liked all the characters, the setting was amazing. I felt like I was back there reading this book, it is a definite holiday read. I found this book an enjoyable read. You may want to book a holiday after reading this book though.

Here is the link if you would like to purchase the ebook:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Castaway-Caribbean-Janice-Horton-ebook