A Time For Living (Polwenna Bay 2) by Ruth Saberton - Five *


Blurb:

Is there ever a right time for love? 

Feisty horsewoman, Morwenna Tremaine, has always known what she wants from life and success as a three day event rider is all she’s ever dreamed of. Mo has neither the time nor the inclination for love. Even if she did it wouldn’t be with a man who stands for everything she despises… 

Beneath a tough and determined exterior, businessman Ashley Carstairs harbours a dark secret that threatens to destroy everything he holds dear. Although aware that he is heading for trouble, he finds himself increasingly drawn to the one woman he knows he should stay away from – for both their sakes. 

As the autumn nights draw in and the trickling sands of time gather speed, emotions run higher than the tides and Mo finds herself unable to step away. What is Ashley hiding? Is there more to him that meets the eye? And will his secret destroy everything she now holds dear? 

Review:

It's some time since I read the first book in this series, but it didn't matter at all. This was another warm and compelling story from Polwenna Bay featuring the Tremaine family.

Morwenna (Mo) has a hate/hate relationship with Ashley Carstairs and this book is the story of their relationship. It is sensitively written and deals with a huge problem that Ashley has. He courts Mo and she falls heavily for him, as does he for her. Their humour together is wonderful and I laughed and cried with them. I can't imagine how I would have reacted had I ever been in Mo's situation but I felt Ruth got it exactly right.

The sub plot of Jules and Danny was excellent and I look forward to reading about that in the next book. Can't wait!

Amazon UK: A Time For Living

Amazon US: A Time For Living

Review of The Curvy Girls Baby Club by Michele Gorman - Five *


Blurb:  Life, love and a Christmas due date 

Ellie is fresh back from her honeymoon and can’t wait to share her news with her best friends Katie and Jane. To everyone’s surprise, mother-of-two Jane has news of her own… The women are due a day apart and Katie can’t wait to be an honorary auntie to the babies. 

But it’s hard to keep your sense of humour, not to mention your self-esteem, in the face of haemorrhoids and elasticated waistbands. Add a clingy mother-in-law, a career in cardiac arrest and a sex life that makes Mother Theresa look lusty, and soon their lives are as out of control as their bodies. 

As the co-founders of The Curvy Girls Club, where loving yourself is the only rule, will the friends be able to practice what they preach? 

This is a novella of approximately 120 pages in print.

Review:

This is yet another wonderful story from Michele. It follows directly on from The Curvy Girls Club and is as full of laughter as the first book. It follows the pregnancies of Ellie and Jane with another surprise. As you can imagine, gaining pregnancy weight is something of a problem, and I found it really good reading to follow the psychological effects of weight gain, through no fault of their own!

The birth scenes are particularly funny and even the mother-in-law from hell features in them! 

Really loved this funny and sweet novella. 

Amazon UK: The Curvy Girls Baby Club

Amazon US: The Curvy Girls Baby Club

Review of The Summer We Loved by Wendy Lou Jones - Four *


Blurb:

Forgiving yourself can be the hardest task of all.

Dr Peter Florin is the sexy bad boy of St Steven’s hospital. Despite his love ‘em and leave ‘em attitude, every woman still wants him – and nurse Jenny White is no exception. For one night she thought she saw the real Pete, but ever since then he’s kept his distance and so she has kept hers…

Only Pete is a man haunted by a dark childhood and a tragic loss, and as she watches him spiral down into despair, Jenny realises she might be the only one who can drag him back. So she does – at the risk of her own, already bruised and battered heart. For no matter what she tells herself, such a man is surely impossible to change – and even more impossible to resist.

A brand new emotionally gripping love story from Wendy Lou Jones.

Review:

This is a sequel to By My Side but can be read equally well as a stand alone. I really enjoyed getting to know Peter Florin more and finding all about his troubled past. 

The start of the book is a bit of a shock, followed by another one a little way in. But then it continues in a warm and loving vein all the way through. Definitely a tale of how our pasts and minds can affect our behaviour and our memories.
Jenny is a lovely character - and I was rooting for her all the way through. Very down to earth but with her own troubles. 
Enjoyed the whole book and hope that Flis gets a book of her own as well!

Amazon UK: The Summer We Loved

Amazon US: The Summer We Loved

Review of Search for the Truth by Kathryn Freeman - Five *


Blurb:

Sometimes the truth hurts … 
When journalist Tess Johnson takes a job at Helix pharmaceuticals, she has a very specific motive. Tess has reason to believe the company are knowingly producing a potentially harmful drug and, if her suspicions are confirmed, she will stop at nothing to make sure the truth comes out. 

Jim Knight is the president of research and development at Helix and is a force to be reckoned with. After a disastrous office affair he’s determined that nothing else will distract him from his vision for the company. Failure is simply not an option. 

As Tess and Jim start working together, both have their reasons for wanting to ignore the sexual chemistry that fires between them. But chemistry, like most things in the world of science, isn’t always easy to control. 

Review:

Wow! This was a brilliant book! Full of love, doubt, suspicion and quite a lot of humour!

The basic premise is journalist Tess gets a job with Helix Pharmaceuticals to try and found out if their product for cancer caused her mother's heart attack. There she meets Jim, the new, dynamic R&D President and fireworks happen.
The balance between her desire to find the truth and her fear that Jim knew about the risk and took it anyway runs like a river through the book. 

I loved Tess and Jim was praying that he knew nothing about the drug complications. Kathryn is a very clever writer. I was cheering and depressed alternatively all the way through! The suspense and tension was kept up all the way through and I was quite exhausted by the time I reached the end. No spoilers so I won't even say if I was happy with the end or not!

Loved it - in fact I have yet to find a Choc Lit book I don't love!

Amazon UK: Search for the Truth

Amazon US: Search for the Truth

Review of Mile High by Rebecca Chance - Four *


Blurb:

First class is about to get dangerous . . . Pure Air's new LuxeLiner is flying from London to LA - its inaugural journey - with a first-class cabin packed with A List celebrities. As the feuding crew compete to impress their famous passengers, the handsome pilot tries to win the attention of a pretty young stewardess.

But one VIP singer is battling something seriously sinister: watching her every step is a very determined stalker, someone who will go to any lengths to get the star to satisfy their desires. At thirty thousand feet there is nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide . . .

Review:

This was my first novel by Rebecca Chance but it certainly won't be my last. I love her tongue-in-cheek way of writing. The characters were all larger than life and the celebrities based "loosely" on real life celebs! 

The plot was complicated and I didn't see the unmasking of the stalker coming. I was totally thrown off scent by several red herrings. 

The love story between Catalina and Gerhardt was sweet and sensitively written - in direct contrast to some of the bitchiness evident on the flight. I also enjoyed Jane's story - nice contrast to the rest of the shenanigans!

But it is books like this that make me so glad I am a mere blogger and Petsitter and not some famous person with no life! Thanks Rebecca, for making me feel good about my lot in life.

Amazon UK: Mile High

Amazon US: Mile High

Review of Sweet Nothing by Alison May - Five *


Blurb:

Would you risk everything for love? 

Independent, straight-talking Trix Allen wouldn't. She’s been in love once before and ended up with nothing. Now safely single, Trix is as far away from the saccharine-sweet world of hearts and flowers as it’s possible to be. 

Ben Messina is the man who broke Trix’s heart. Now he’s successful the only thing rational Ben and free-spirited Trix see eye-to-eye on is the fact that falling in love isn't part of the plan. But when Ben’s brother sets out to win the heart of Trix’s best friend, romance is very much in the air. Will Trix gamble everything on love and risk ending up with zero once again? 

A light hearted clever retelling of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing.

Review:

This is the second time I've read this and I enjoyed it just as much the second time! I am a great fan of Alison's Shakespeare themed books and, although I know less about Much Ado, I was still hooked from the start.
If you know the story of Much Ado About Nothing - then you (more or less) know the story of Sweet Nothing.

It is the story of two couples, Ben & Trix and Claudio & Henri. The background characters have a great deal of influence and indeed change the whole direction of the plot. I like Alison's version because she is so good with emotions. I felt I really got to know Ben & Trix - and Henri in shock was described perfectly!

An excellent read and I do hope we will get another Shakespearean treat from Alison!

Amazon UK: Sweet Nothing

Amazon US: Sweet Nothing

Review of New York for Beginners by Susann Remke - Four *


Blurb:

Fashion blogger Zoe Schuhmacher adores her life in Berlin—until her longtime boyfriend unexpectedly dumps her for his “first love.”

After the messy breakup, Zoe is determined to refocus on her career and to reinvent herself, starting with rule number one: no relationships and no romance. So when she’s offered a job in glamorous New York City, Zoe accepts at once, hoping to leave heartbreak behind and build a new life in America. But as she struggles to adapt to the city that never sleeps and its particular quirks and customs, Zoe wonders if she’s bitten off more than she can chew. 

And after a steamy encounter with a gorgeous neighbor, Zoe has to make a decision: Will she keep her resolve and play it safe, or will she throw the rule book out the window and follow her heart?

Review:

This was quite different from most books set in NYC. It's by a German author and has been translated very well into English. It means the reader sees New York through German eyes rather than the usual American/English eyes. 

I enjoyed the modern theme to the love story - Zoe is a digital media expert and good at her job. The ups and downs of her relationship with Tom were very authentic (and Tom's mother is a nightmare).

I was stunned when the book ended on a cliffhanger. I was so not expecting that! I hope a sequel is in the pipeline because I need to know what happens!

Amazon UK: New York for Beginners

Amazon US: New York for Beginners