Book Review: Love Punked by Nia Lucas

Synopsis:

When her life is irrevocably altered by a post-Rave tryst on her mother's floral patio recliner, Erin Roberts’ long-standing relationship with Humiliation takes her down a path that's not so much 'less well trodden', more 'perilous descent down sheer cliffs'.

Armed with a fierce devotion to her best friend and the unrequited love for the boy she might have accidentally married at age seven, when Erin falls pregnant at sixteen, life veers off at a most unexpected tangent.

Her journey to adulthood is far from ordinary as Erin learns that protecting the hearts of those most precious to you isn't balm enough when your Love Punked heart is as sore as your freshly tattooed arse.

Whilst raising football prodigies and trying not to get stuck in lifts with Social Work clients who hate her, Erin discovers that sometimes you have to circumnavigate the globe to find the very thing that was there all along.

My Review:

I was very fortunate to be asked by Nia Lucas to read and review 'Love Punked'.  

Slightly different to my usual reads, however after reading the synopsis I was intrigued and wanted to read more!

Blimey! I was gripped! Constantly trying to fit in a few pages where I could...  This read is highly addictive, down to earth and very funny and although it is based on a very serious subject of Teen pregnancy the humour and one liners Nia brings to the story is simply faultless.  Lets just say I cannot look at an Argos patio recliner in the same way! Ha!

I warmed to Erin immediately, loyal, trustworthy, dependable.  Erin is the type of friend that every girl should have.  I loved reading the story from her point of view, a young sixteen year old growing into an independent young lady and mother.  I also loved the closeness she had with her family and the support she received from them was heart warming.

Going back to the fantastic writing of Nia, this book was a rollercoaster of emotions, some pages would have me howling in laughter but at other times the story would turn a 360 and have me nearly in tears.  Loved also the references to the 90's they made me chuckle and cringe at the same time! Some of the outfit choices! What was the 90's thinking! Ha!

I remember feeling desperate by the end of the book wanting to get through the pages to find out how it ended and what lay ahead for Erin.  I wasn't disappointed though, I absolutely loved the ending and it left me with a huge smile on my face.  I really hope Nia brings out a follow up to Erin and the whole gang, I still think about the characters and often wonder what they are up to now. 

Thank you Nia for asking me to read your wonderful book I very much enjoyed it!

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Book Review: From Paris with Love this Christmas by Jules Wake

Synopsis:
Just until Christmas…

That’s what Paris socialite Siena keeps telling herself. She’ll hide away in her sister Laurie’s cottage near London to escape her hot-tempered fiancé.

However, when Jason – gorgeous but a bit of a Grinch – picks her up from the airport, he reveals that Laurie hasn’t lived there for months, complicating Siena’s holiday getaway.

At first, Jason and Siena don’t see eye to eye. But after a weekend in the most romantic city in the world, experiencing all it has to offer – from the magic of a fir-lined Champs-Élysées, lit up by thousands of sparkling fairy lights, to the swoosh of skates on ice at the Eiffel Tower – Siena shows Jason her Paris, and a whole other side to herself. Suddenly Siena’s December deadline seems far too close…

My Review:

Kicking off my first review for 2019 is a festive read by Jules Wake 'From Paris with Love this Christmas.'  A feel good book full of new friendships, family, love and of course lots of Christmas cheer!

The story kicks off with main character Siena on a flight to London, from reading the blurb you already understand that this wasn't a planned vacation or visit but an escape from her fiancé.

Siena, hoping to stay with her sister Laurie after past promises that there would always be a room for her whenever she needed is surprised to find a grumpy but gorgeous Jason awaiting her in the arrivals hall.  Not knowing who he is and assuming he is a taxi organised by Laurie and Jason coming to his own conclusions that Siena is a little bit of a princess they get off to a rocky start.

Laurie no longer lives at the cottage that Siena was planning to stay at but as promised a room is waiting for her however she soon gets a shock when she realises that the stranger who collected her Jason is also staying at the cottage after finding out Laurie is his landlady.

Jules Wake's writing is fantastic, drawing you in from the first few pages. I absolutely love when an author writes from both the female and male voice, you get that extra inside scoop understanding the characters feelings.  Prime example is knowing from reading Siena's story that she isn't this precious money grabbing princess that Jason is led to believe and I loved reading how their first impressions are so far removed by the end of the story.

The locations and descriptions were on point, never having visited Paris myself this gave me a wonderful insight into Paris at Christmas time and it's now on my list of places to visit!

An easy read, this is perfect when you need a bit of me time to cosy up and shut off from the everyday chores!

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Book Review: From Notting Hill with Love.... Actually by Ali McNamara

Synopsis:

She was just a girl, standing in front of a boy . . . wishing he looked more like Hugh Grant.

Scarlett loves the movies. But does she love sensible fiancé David just as much? With a big white wedding on the horizon, Scarlett really should have decided by now . . . 

When she has the chance to house-sit in Notting Hill - the setting of one of her favourite movies - Scarlett jumps at the chance. But living life like a movie is trickier than it seems, especially when her new neighbour Sean is so irritating. And so irritatingly handsome, too.

Scarlett soon finds herself starring in a romantic comedy of her very own: but who will end up as the leading man?

My Review!

This book has been sitting patiently on my 'to be read' pile for a while now, so I was so pleased to finally get to read it. I LOVE the title of this book, this is the first book in a 3 part series (the title's of the next two books are also fab!)

The main character in this book is Scarlett who I warmed to immediately, she is obsessed with the movies and who can blame her! When we first meet Scarlett she has just arrived in Notting Hill and being 'movie mad' she starts to compare her surroundings with the films she loves. 

Here is where she meets Oscar, they hit it off straight away and you get to know more about her and why she is in London. 

Scarlett shares a cinema popcorn machine business with her father, so we can see why she is so cinema mad, she is engaged to David who sounds very sensible and boring and then there is her best friend Maddie. 

Maddie, David and her father think that Scarlett is too obsessed with the movies so she decides to take a break from it all and house sit in London.

I was not a fan of David, he sounded so stuffy and to be honest a right bore, I didn't feel that he suited Scarlett and didn't share her love for all things movies.

However, stand aside David because here we meet Sean Bond... (Yay!) 

Sean was Scarlett's new next door neighbour, his sister Ursula was Oscar's friend so we see quite a lot of Sean throughout.

Sean and Scarlett attend a wedding together in Glasgow and you start to see the great chemistry they have together.

As well as the love triangle the book takes a different turn and we find out that Scarlett doesn't know her mother and soon possibilities start to open up to try and find her, this leads Scarlett and Sean travelling to Paris and back where they grow closer. 

Scarlett is confused on whether David is still the right choice for her or whether she has developed feelings for Sean. Everything comes to a head and Scarlett has to make some choices, will she marry David and does she find her mum...

I did enjoy this book, some of the movie comparison's and quote's were quite corny at times but it's ok... 'I'm looking for corny in my life...' (oh lord now I'm quoting Kate Winslet in 'The Holiday'!)

I am looking forward to reading the sequel to this 'From Notting Hill to New York... Actually '

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Book Review: How to Stuff Up Christmas by Rosie Blake

Synopsis:

Eve is heartbroken after discovering her fiance is cheating on her. Being surrounded by the joys of Christmas is more than Eve can bear, so she chooses to avoid the festivities by spending Christmas alone on a houseboat in Pangbourne. Eve gets gets an unexpected seasonal surprise when handsome local vet Greg comes to her rescue one day, and continues to visit Eve's boat on a mission to transform her from Kitchen Disaster Zone to Culinary Queen. 

But where does Greg keep disappearing to? What does Eve's best friend Daisy know that she isn't telling? And why is there an angry goose stalking Eve's boat? 

My Review!

Ok, I know it's January, the Christmas music is no longer playing in all the shops and the Christmas decorations are down and packed away in the loft, (sob!) no more eating chocolate for breakfast and binge watching your favourite festive films but who says you cannot keep reading Christmas books!? I say festive reads are for life.. Not just for Christmas!

This is my first book for 2018 and also my first book by Rosie Blake. I really enjoyed this book and so happy knowing that I have a few of her books lined up in my 'to be read' pile.

This book focuses on two characters, Eve and Greg. Each chapter changes between them both which I really love in a book. I found that some scenes are repeated but I really like to read both the female and male point of view.

I really liked the character Eve, who works at an Estate Agents with her best friend Daisy. Eve is heartbroken after finding out that her fiancé (Liam) cheated on her. After a messy breakup, arguing over the parental rights to their dog (Marmite) and it nearing Christmas (a year ago since Liam proposed, them wearing matching Christmas jumpers in their love bubble) she decides to put herself on a pottery course and take herself and Marmite to stay on a houseboat in Pangbourne for a few weeks in December. 

You meet Greg who is the local Vet at Pangbourne, straight away he comes across as such a loveable male character. After coming to Eve's rescue on the boat they soon hit it off, I wanted to jump into the book give Eve a big hug and tell her to forget loser Liam and yay to Greg! Greg visits Eve many times on her boat, and after reading his side of a scene you know he deliberately goes her way on the off chance of running into her. (awwww!)

Eve is a terrible cook, usually letting Liam do all the cooking during dinner parties and after food poisoning her friends she decides to try again and learn how to cook on the houseboat, with Greg's help she becomes more confident, baking lots of Christmas goodies. I loved that some chapter's of the book started with a different recipe with all things Christmassy, Christmas cookies, fruit loaf and Christmas pudding! Yum!

Although some things aren't what they seem, Greg keeps having to disappear and Daisy is acting strange keeping something back from Eve. This book kept me guessing right until the end, I did try to guess a few times, convinced I knew the truth and getting it wrong, so the last few chapters I was gripped!

This is a must read whatever the season! I really hope Rosie Blake brings out a follow on from this one, would love to catch up with all the characters! 

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Book Review: It's Not Me, It's You by Mhairi McFarlane

Synopsis:

Delia Moss isn’t quite sure where she went wrong.

When she proposed and discovered her boyfriend was sleeping with someone else – she thought it was her fault.

When she realised life would never be the same again – she thought it was her fault.

And when he wanted her back like nothing had changed – Delia started to wonder if perhaps she was not to blame…

From Newcastle to London and back again, with dodgy jobs, eccentric bosses and annoyingly handsome journalists thrown in, Delia must find out where her old self went – and if she can ever get her back.

My Review:

I have only read a couple of books by Mhairi McFarlan which I really enjoyed so I have been really looking forward to starting this one!

You meet Delia Moss who decides to propose to her boyfriend Paul, I got the feeling that Paul wasn't as happy as Delia to be engaged and it soon becomes clear in the pub when Delia receives a text message from Paul meant for another woman. From that moment I was hooked and quite often stayed up to the early hours just to find out what Delia was going to do next.

I really felt for Delia, she felt like Paul cheating was somehow her fault, I loved that she decides to take charge and leaves Newcastle to start a fresh in London and live with her best friend Emma. I wasn't keen however on her new job and her new boss Kurt, I didn't trust him at all, but I could understand why Delia wanted to stick at the job and not give up. 

I really liked Adam the journalist Delia meets, I enjoyed the banter between the two of them especially how Adam liked to wind Delia up, however you could tell throughout that Adam did care for Delia.

I really liked the relationship between Delia and her brother Ralph, Mhairi wrote some lovely moments between them, Ralph was described as a bit of a loner, still living with his parents hiding out in his bedroom playing computer games. It was Ralph who gave Delia the courage to bring back her alter ego 'The Fox' which was a comic that Delia created when she was younger.

At some points I thought I knew where the story was going but the story took a few different twists and turns which kept me guessing right until the end. Don't be put off by the size of the book, over 500 pages might seem a little daunting but I never got bored, it's packed with so many ups and downs and had me laughing out loud. The book might be over but I am still thinking about the characters and wondering what they are up to!

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