Book Review - No Judgments by Meg Cabot - #HolidayReading Mexico

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Amazon UK

Title: No Judgments

Author: Meg Cabot

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Piatkus

Publication Date: 24th September 2019

Rating: 5 Stars

The storm of the century is about to hit Little Bridge Island, Florida - and it's sending waves crashing through Sabrina 'Bree' Beckham's love life...

When a massive hurricane severs all power and cell service to Little Bridge Island - as well as its connection to the mainland - twenty-five-year-old Bree Beckham isn't worried . . . at first. She's already escaped one storm - her emotionally abusive ex - so a hurricane seems like it will be a piece of cake.

But animal-loving Bree does become alarmed when she realises how many islanders have been cut off from their beloved pets. Now it's up to her to save as many of Little Bridge's cats and dogs as she can . . . but to do so, she's going to need help - help she has no choice but to accept from her boss's sexy nephew, Drew Hartwell, the Mermaid Café's most notorious heartbreaker.

But when Bree starts falling for Drew, she has to ask herself if her island fling was only a result of the stormy weather, or if it could last during clear skies too?

Now whether or not reading a book featuring a hurricane in Florida, while on holiday in Mexico, on the day my holiday which had a lot of wind and rain, was a smart idea I'm not entirely sure. 

I did start panicking that maybe what I experiencing could be calm before the storm and then I remembered it wasn't hurricane season and that the book was clearly getting under my skin!

I knew I was going to love this book from the first few pages onwards, it was easy to read, and although I'm not completely sure how much of a good idea ignoring evacuation warnings are when there is a hurricane heading towards your small island, I'm kind of glad Bree did, as it made for one fabulous story. 

At the start of each chapter there was useful advice in what to do in case of a hurricane, assorted preparedness checklists, and news broadcasts from the local weather stations, to give a sense of what was going on. And to really highlight the situation to anyone that doesn't come from a place that is has a hurricane season. 

I loved the community of Little Bridge Island and how they came together.  I found Bree and Drew passion for animals really heartening and I adored how the story develops for them. 

For a book with a storm at the centre of it, as you may expect there are storms in the characters pasts that also need to be resolved, and I loved the scene where Bree is finally able to do something about one of the factors that led to her being on the island in the first place. 

An incredibly enjoyable and fast paced story, and I'm eager to read more books set on Little Bridge Island. 

Thank you to Piakus and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - By Virtue Fall by Carrie Elks - #HolidayReading Thailand

The Amazon Purchase link below is an Amazon Affiliate link.

Amazon UK

Title: By Virtue Fall

Author: Carrie Elks

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Piatkus

Publication Date: 11th October 2018

Rating: 4 Stars

Love blooms when you least expect it . . .

Juliet Shakespeare is done with love. With a growing floristry business and an adorable daughter to raise, life after separating from her husband is complicated enough.

But when handsome single father, Ryan Sutherland, arrives in town, everything changes. As much as she tries to distract herself, Juliet can't help but be drawn to the easy-going Romeo next door and the way he makes her feel.

Photographer Ryan is only back in his hometown for a few months so there's no point falling for someone he'll just have to say goodbye to. But he didn't account for Juliet - the intriguing and beautiful, red-haired woman next door. And in her, he might just have found everything he ever wanted . . .

This was the last book in the Shakespeare Sisters series, this time finally featuring Juliet 

She had been my least favourite sister going into this book, which may account for why it took me a while to get into the swing of things. 

In fact the rest of the sisters barely feature at all which was a shame, and they were sorely missed by me. 

It was though a new friendship turning into something deeper and more meaningful, at the same as Juliet is trying to get a divorce settlement from her ex-husband. 

It was good to finally read about the last sister, and its another good book in the series, just not my favourite. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Piatkus for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Absent In The Spring by Carrie Elks - #HolidayReading Book 21

Book 21 of 28 read on my holiday to Cyprus in June 2018.

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Amazon UK

Title: Absent In The Spring

Author: Carrie Elks

Format reviewed: Paperback

Source: Publisher supplied copy

Publisher: Piatkus

Publication Date: 26th April 2018

Rating: 4 Stars

Losing control never felt so good . . .

A successful lawyer, and the eldest of four sisters, Lucy Shakespeare is used to being in control of everything and everyone around her, most particularly herself - until she meets the gorgeous Lachlan MacLeish.

Lachlan's hired Lucy because he needs the best. His inheritance is suddenly in doubt, thanks to his devious half-brother and there's no way he's going down without a fight. The very last thing he wants is a distraction, but as soon as he sees Lucy, he knows he's in trouble.

Despite their efforts to resist, it isn't long before Lachlan has Lucy longing to break all her careful rules. As they travel from Scotland, to Paris and on to New York, Lucy can't help but wonder: is it sometimes worth risking it all?

I do love this series of books about The Shakespeare sisters, and really enjoyed getting to see Lucy, the eldest sister's story this time around. 

I did though find it a tricky to get into but that could have just been my concentration level instead of the book itself, as once I was onboard and had met Lachlan, I was far more invested in the story. 

There is sizzling chemistry between Lucy and Lachlan, even if they  really shouldn't be getting together due to being client and customer. 

It was good catching up with Lucy's family too, and getting updates as to what they are all up to. 

I found this to be really enjoyable and another good book in the series, but I think perhaps due to their professions, that I have preferred the first two in the series.  I am looking forward to the next installment already. 

Thank you to Clara Diaz at Piatkus for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 
​

Book Review - Upside Down by Lia Riley - Bookish World Cup - Australia

Amazon UK

Title: Upside Down

Author: Lia Riley

Format reviewed:Paperback 

Source: Competition Win

Publisher: Piatkus

Publication Date: 5th August 2014

Rating: 4 Stars

Twenty-one-year-old Natalia Stolfi is saying goodbye to painful memories and turning her life upside down with a trip to the land down under. For the next six months, she'll pretend to be a carefree exchange student. Everything is going to plan until she meets a surly surfer with hypnotic green eyes, and the troubling ability to see straight through her act.

Bran Lockhart is having the worst year on record. After the girl of his dreams turned into a nightmare, he slunk back to Melbourne to piece his life together. Yet no amount of disappointment could blind him to the pretty California girl who gets past all his defenses. He's never wanted anyone the way he wants Talia. A single semester abroad won't cover something this serious. But when Bran gets a stark reminder of why he stopped believing in love, he and Talia must decide if what they have is once in a lifetime . . . or if they were meant to live a world apart.

I won this whole trilogy in a competition a few years ago, and for no real reason other than fear that if I read the first I would need to sit and read the rest straight away, as I suspected if they were good they would be addictively good. 

Fast forward a couple of years and Upside Down is winking at me on my bookshelf and being a bank holiday weekend, I figure if I can't lose myself in someone else's relationship fora weekend then I never will!  

Let's just say I'd rather be reading Sideswiped already and getting back to the sizzling chemistry between Natalia and Bran which I am thoroughly enjoying.  Neither are great with relationships which makes the anticipation all the better, and the more intimate scenes were hot! 

Natalia turns her life upside down when travelling to Melbourne for a 6 month stay and study placement, while still trying to come to terms with her sister's death.  She isn't expecting to meet Bran, not the way she starts to feel about him. 

I  loved the travel around Australia and it added a great dimension to the book, that I really enjoyed, since I don't tend to come across too many books set in Australia.  

Upside Down is a romance book in its purest form, most of the story appears to be about relationships and sex, although there is some character development and depth and I am looking forward to seeing what happens next to this lovely couple. 

Book Review - A Winter's Tale by Carrie Elks

Amazon UK

Title:  A Winter's Tale

Author: Carrie Elks

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Piatkus

Publication Date: 30th November 2017

Rating: 5 Stars

Christmas comes just once a year . . . but true love lasts a lifetime

Struggling film student Kitty Shakespeare is as bad at interviews as she is talented at making films. She's given herself until the end of the year to score an internship in LA, otherwise it'll be back to London with her tail between her legs. Unfortunately the only job offer on the table is as nanny to major producer Everett Klein's son, Jonas. It's not exactly the career she'd hoped for, but if she can get this right, then surely he'll take a moment to look at her work. However, what Kitty hasn't allowed for is Everett's sexy-as-hell brother, Adam - and love at first sight this is not.

Adam Klein may be sexy, but he's also gruff, rude and completely impossible. All he wants to do hole up in his cabin and hide from the brother who destroyed his life. If only he could find it easier to ignore the way Kitty makes his heart race . . .

As Christmas approaches, Kitty and Adam realise that although the course of true love never does run smooth, just maybe, it's more interesting that way...

Is it wrong that I want my first sentence of this review to include the words "wow that Adam is one of the sexiest main characters I've read for ages"? 

I mean of all the many glowing things I want to stay about this book such was how the story grabbed me, and how much I enjoyed the characters and getting to know the youngest of the Shakespeare sisters, the first thing I have to comment on is the male lead. 

Well lets continue in that vain then, he is living in a cabin by the lake of his parent's property, after a falling out with his brother led to him having to leave LA for a while.  Due to the dual perspectives we see that Adam is in therapy  and that there is more too him than his hermit like rugged good looks. 

Within the first couple of meeting between Adam and Kitty there are plenty of sparks flying and that is before they even think about liking each other. For the first meeting Adam rescues Kitty, but thinks she is not suited to life in West Virginia. 

Actually coming back to West Virginia, I believe this is the first book I have read that is set there, and I loved the remoteness of the Klein household.  I am going to blame Carrie Elks for putting the song Country Roads into a loop in my head - as its the only reference I knew to West Virginia! 

Kittie is a film student who is struggling to get an internship, but does end up being offered the job of nanny of the great Everett Klein's son Jonas. Jonas is a fabulous child but rarely gets much attention from his parents. 

One of the funniest scenes involved Kittie, collecting all of Jonas' christmas presents from the airport and being given an surprise extra one to take home. Not only take back to the Klein's house, but also hide so its a surprise for Jonas. Just one small problem, this present has 4 legs, is prone to barking, and really dislikes travelling by car. 

This is a book filled with laughter, good times, Christmas with a child, a rugged man that oozes sex appeal, some brotherly rivalry and just generally a great storyline. I was enjoying the book so much I genuinely had no idea what tube stop I was at...not sure what the person who was sitting next to me's excuse was though for also not knowing where we were! 

Where was I?,,, ah yes hooked on a book on a tube, and thinking how wonderful I found A Winters's affair.  This does read as a standalone but since these first two book are so great I would say make sure to read them all - and already looking forward to the third book and curious as to whether it is Juliet or Lucy's story next. 

Thanks so much to Piatkus and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Summer's Lease by Carrie Elks

Amazon UK

Title: Summer's Lease

Author: Carrie Elks

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Piatkus

Publication Date: 13th July 2017

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Meet the Shakespeare family: four sisters, four stories . . . four ways to find true love

Cesca Shakespeare has hit rock bottom. Six years after the play she wrote bombed at the box office, she's unable to hold down a job, keep an apartment, and worst of all her family have no idea how far she's fallen. So when her fairy Godfather offers her the use of his friend's Italian villa for the summer, she grudgingly agrees to try writing a new play. That's before she finds out the house belongs to her arch-nemesis, Sam Carlton.

When Hollywood heart-throb Sam Carlton sees his name splashed across a gossip rag, all he wants to do is hide. That's how he finds himself traveling to Italy, deciding to spend the summer in his family's empty villa on Lake Como. Except when he arrives it isn't as empty as he'd hoped.

Over the course of the hot Italian summer, Cesca and Sam have to come to terms with their pasts. What begins as a tentative friendship quickly grows into an intense attraction - and then a scorching fling. But they can't hide from reality forever . . . as their different worlds collide, Sam and Cesca face a choice: is this just a summer romance, or could their love weather even the coldest winds?

For six years, Cesca Shakespeare's life has been a complete mess, shes been flittering from job to job with not much success, not admitting to her family she needs help and barely able to put pen to paper and write despite being a promising playwright. All of this is thanks to Sam Carlton and what happened 6 years ago. 

Hugh her godfather suggests getting out of London for the summer and she is gifted a house sitting job in Lake Como. Not long into her stay in Italy, she discovers that is is the Carlton's house she is staying in, and then Sam appears! 

From that moment on there is crackling chemistry between the two of them even if not obvious to them at first.  I loved the initial dialogue between Sam and Cesca, and generally found myself enjoying all of their interactions. 

Set over a summer in a stunning Italian villa, with a potential Italian love interest too,  its a sizzling story, of romance but also of Cesca rediscovering herself, and Sam finally facing some family demons. But whether it is just a summer romance is for you to read yourself to find out! 

Cesca is just one of the four Shakespeare sisters who I believe will be featuring in the next books of the series. From what I have seen of them, I am looking forward to meeting them all in a more up close and personal way! 

 This is the first book that I have read by Carrie Elks, and I thoroughly enjoyed her writing. The story moved along a good pace, and I found the book to be a fast and incredibly entertaining read. Having read this I will definitely try to get around to her past books a lot quicker! 

Summer;s Lease is s summer scorcher of a book that is great for reading on a hot summers day when you want to imagine you are house sitting in Italy, but also would be a great winter read, to try to warm you up! 

Thank you to Netgalley and Piatkus for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - The Choice by Samantha King

Amazon UK

Title: The Choice

Author: Samantha King

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Piatkus

Publication Date: 20th April 2017

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Then:

Madeleine lived for her children. She'd always believed she'd die for them, too. But on the morning of her twins' tenth birthday her love was put to the test when a killer knocked on their door and forced her to make a devastating choice: which child should live, and which should die - her son, or her daughter?

Now:

Madeleine stands silent on the periphery of her now fractured family, trying desperately to unravel why her world was so suddenly blown apart. But while everyday life continues around her, memories of everything leading up to that tragic day return in agonising flashes.

And that's when she realises her family's life still hangs terrifyingly in the balance...

Every time I thought I had got to grips with this story, it picked me up and threw me off balance into a different direction. I am reeling from everything. 

It's weird as for most of Part 1, I was thinking about giving up reading this, as I thought I had everything figured out and I just didn't feel that bothered, but I was in a forgiving mood and thought I would read on a small bit more, and then part 2 kicked in and I could barely put it down from then on. 

A parent's worst nightmare must be for one of your children to die. For Maddie its even worse when she is forced to pick which of her twins will live and which will die from a crazed gunman at their front door. And then we see how she is having to deal with the consequences of her decision and that fateful day. 

That is pretty much all I can say about the plot, as the book takes you onto a tremendous journey, but given we only have Maddie's point of view and from the start she seems rather unreliable, its so hard to know what to believe and what not to. 

There are many facets to this story and they are all incredibly gripping, and although I wasn't keen on part 1 it was vital information so that you felt more keenly for all the characters later on in the book. There are twists and turns galore and I was left gasping for breath a few times. 

All the layers of this story have been put together in a very clever way, so although at all times you will be guessing and completely sure you know what will happen next, I can assure you, you are probably wrong! 

The Choice is the first book I've read by Samantha King, and I am incredibly impressed. I found myself drawn into the story and the majority of the book was a very fast read and addictive. 

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Piatkus for this copy of the book which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - The Little Cafe of Second Chances by J.D. Barrett - Fab Firsts

Fab Firsts is my new regular Sunday feature, that is going to be highlighting books that are firsts. When interviewing authors, it will be about their first book, as well as other firsts in their lives. When reviewing books for this feature, there will be a mix of debuts, first books in a series, the first time I read an author, and possibly other firsts depending on what I can think of!

If you are an author wanting to take part in Fab Firsts then please do email on gilbster at gmail dot com and I'll whizz the questions over to you.

I hope you enjoy this look at a variety of hopefully fabulous firsts, while making some sort of dent in my review and paperback TBRs which are my current main focus!

This is the debut novel from J.D. Barrett. 

Amazon UK

Title: The Little Cafe of Second Chances

Author: J.D. Barrett

Format reviewed: Paperback

Source: Publisher supplied review copy

Publisher: Piatkus

Publication Date: 10th February 2017

Rating: 4 Stars

Lucy Muir is leaving her husband. It's complicated.

As joint owners and chefs at one of the best restaurants in town making a clean break is tough. But, let's face it, a woman can only take so much cheating, recipe stealing and lack of good grace.

Then Lucy happens upon an old, empty terrace that was once the city's hottest restaurant: Fortune. One minute she's peering through grimy windows into an abandoned space, the next she's planning a pop-up bistro.

When Lucy fires up Fortune's old kitchen she discovers a little red recipe book that belonged to the former chef, the infamous Frankie Summers. As Lucy cooks her way through Frankie's recipes, customers come flocking and slowly Lucy begins to regain her confidence. It turns out that courage, passion and just a tiny bit of magic might be the secret recipe for a better life . . .

How best to describe this book? Well having thoroughly enjoyed it, I am still none the wiser as to how I should discuss this in a review. Should I be mentioning just what it is that makes the book fairly unique, or will that be counted as a spoiler? On the other hand the unique element is what makes this book so different to others, and had I known in advance I may not have read the book, but by the time I encountered it, I was already wanting to read more regardless. 

So since it looks like I can't discuss the single biggest thing about this book, or the way that Lucy interacts with some certain characters,  I shall have to see what I am happy to tell you! 

Well The Little Cafe of Second Chances is a very enjoyable story, it does contain a few romances, with at least one of them rather unexpected. It also features a restaurant called Fortune, and some incredibly talents chefs. 

As you may expect with chefs involved there are descriptions of food to whet your tastebuds. There are trips to local markets to buy the best produce, there are discussions to to with the best ways to use certain ingredients, in short there is a lot of food, and could potentially make you hungry. 

Never fear because if you are hungry, between some of the chapters there are recipes of things Lucy, or another character have cooked in the recent chapter, so you can try them out for yourself, sate that hunger and feel able to continue reading, at least until the next delicious sounding dish is described! 

There is also a mystery element to the book, but I felt that was fairly weak and between that and the ending the book which had showed so much promise, just fell a bit flat and anticlimactic. Or at least it fell that way against what I was hoping would happen. 

There is plenty of witty dialogue in this really easy to read book, which features a great story of how to turn your life around, straight after splitting up with your husband. There are elements of drama, food, romance, and a rather unusual storyline too. 

Thank you so much to Beth Wright at Little Brown for this copy of the book which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.