Review of The Birthday That Changed Everything by Debbie Johnson - Five *


Blurb:

She wanted a birthday surprise, just not the one she got…

The last thing Sally Summers expected from her husband on her special day was that he’d leave her for a Latvian lap dancer half her age. So with her world in tatters, Sally jets off to Turkey for some sun, sea and sanctuary.

The Blue Bay resort brings new friends and the perfect balm for Sally’s broken heart in gorgeous Dubliner James. He’s just the birthday present she needs. And when the chemistry between them continues to spark as the holiday ends, Sally wonders if this is more than just a summer fling.

But James has scars of his own and Sally isn’t quite ready to turn her back on her marriage. This birthday might have changed everything, but what will the next one bring?

Review:

I'd give this amazing book ten stars, if I could! It's a while since I became so immersed in a story. Even when I was trying to get on with other things, it was there, at the back of my mind. It has everything: One liners, love, sex, tension, sun, sea and even rock & roll (well, karaoke anyway!).

It is incredibly funny, incredibly sad and keeps you guessing to the very end! I loved the idea of focussing on a group of people who meet once a year on holiday in Turkey. The main storyline follows Sally and her family and we see more of them during the rest of the year, but the action mainly takes place in Turkey.

Sally's family is wonderful - Lucy (more like Lucyfer) her daughter, Ollie her son and Simon her husband. Maybe Simon not so much, but I'll say no more. I really felt as if I was part of the family!

Over the years, you see the children and teeagers maturing and the adults adapting to major changes in life. Even at their lowest, Debbie still allows humour to relieve the situations.

I was so sad when I finished it. I'll miss them all and will definitely reread this!

I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

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Review of A Little Sugar, A Lot of Love by Lynn B Halton - Four *


Blurb:

Life isn’t all love and cupcakes … 
Katie has had her fair share of bad luck, but when she finally realises her dream of opening a bakery it seems things can only get better. 
But the reality of running a business hits Katie hard and whilst her partner, Steve, tries to help she can’t help but feel that the situation is driving them further apart. Could Katie be set to lose her relationship and her dream job? 

Then, one winter’s day, a man walks into her shop – and, in the space of that moment, the course of Katie’s life is changed. 
But nobody finds happiness in the blink of an eye. Sometimes it takes two Christmases, three birthdays and a whole lot of cake to get there … 

Previously released as Sweet Occasions by the author. Revised and edited by Choc Lit December 2015 

Review:

This was a sweet romance, in more senses than one! Katie runs a cake shop and meets Adam when he calls in for a cake for his Grandma. The book then follows their lives as they occasionally meet and then part once more.

It is very cleverly written - the chapters are written from Katie, Adam, Grace and even Steve's point of view - so we get very in-depth views of their thoughts and emotions.

I love Grace (Grandma) - she was a brilliant character and her love of her family was wonderful.

It was a little predictable, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I like endings like this! And the cakes were characters in themselves!

I enjoyed Lynn's book and look forward to reading more. 

I was given an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Review of Match Me If You Can by Michele Gorman - Five *


Blurb:

Ever thought about recycling your ex?

Best friends Catherine, Rachel & Sarah are fun, smart, successful and single – just like millions of women with a low tolerance for idiocy in their dates.

Mr. Right hasn't turned up yet, and Mr Right-Now isn't worth booking a wax appointment for. So when Catherine, London’s finest matchmaker, gets Rachel and Sarah to join her dating site where they can recycle their ex-boyfriends in exchange for an upgrade, they soon realise that anything could happen. 

Three best friends, proving that sometimes it really isn't you… it's him.

Review:

I love Michele's books and this is a wonderful book. It follows the lives of 3 housemates/friends as they traverse the rocky roads of love. It is a clever idea to have a dating agency that requires you to complete a questionnaire at the same time as your ex. So you know where you went wrong. 

It was so funny at times - especially the story of Sarah. I felt for her when she was practically on her knees with tiredness!

But i loved the way they all learned so much about themselves and what they really wanted. Unexpected choices were made and eventually what was obvious to the reader became obvious to the women!

The last chapter wrapped it all up very nicely, if a little briefly - think I would have preferred more details about Sarah, but that's just nit-picking. Overall it was a funny and moving read :)

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Review of The Legend of the Gypsy Hawk by Sally Malcolm


Blurb:

Come then, and I’ll tell you the tale of the Gypsy Hawk and her wily captain – the infamous Zachary Hazard …’ 

To Amelia Dauphin, freedom is her most prized possession and she will stop at nothing to keep it. Daughter of a Pirate King and the youngest captain in her father’s fleet, she lives on the island of Ile Sainte Anne, where pirates roam free and liberty reigns. 

Zachary Hazard, captain of the Gypsy Hawk, hasn’t been seen on Ile Sainte Anne for six years but his reputation precedes him. To Zach, liberty is the open water and he has little time for the land-bound pirate island. 

But when he hears that Amelia’s people could be in danger, he has no choice but to return. And what begins then is a desperate fight for freedom and a legend in the making … 

A swashbuckling pirate adventure. Pirates of the Caribbean for adults with a sizzling romance at the heart! 

Previously published by the author as Beyond the Far Horizon. Revised, edited and published by Choc Lit February 2015.

Review:

I took myself out of my comfort zone to read this - I don't normally read historical novels - too much Jean Plaidy in the 70's! But I'm very glad I did!

It is an absolute whirlwind through piracy in the 18th Century. There is a hot romance, a stinking London, piracy and the gutsiest heroine ever!

I thought Amelia was wonderful - way ahead of her times in women's equality, and her sense of fairness and equality for all men as well. She lives on island which is a haven for those do not fit in elsewhere - and her father declares everyone to be equal. (Although he lives in castle, so some were more equal than others, as was pointed out! T'was ever thus!)

The rescue had me so hooked, I read way into the night to finish it! I loved the way Sally used her skills in descriptions. I felt as if I was in a stinking hold, a freezing countryside, a warm island.

Absolutely loved it and I will definitely read the next one in the series when it appears. Hopefully it will tell us more about Luc! 

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