Book Review - Stuck On You by Portia MacIntosh

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Amazon UK

Title: Stuck On You

Author: Portia MacIntosh

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Boldwood Books

Publication Date: 17th September 2020

Rating: 5 Stars

Could a post-it note really lead to love...?

Sadie doesn't have time for finding love. She's too busy as PA for famous artist Damian Banks. When she's not arranging exhibitions, she's organising his dry cleaning or dumping his never ending stream of girlfriends.

But when she strikes up an unusual friendship with her desk share buddy, she finds a confidante and a new potential love interest. Problem is, they've never actually met...

With Christmas just around the corner, can Sadie put herself first for a change and find what she's been looking for all along?The brand new romantic comedy from top 10 bestseller Portia MacIntosh. Perfect for fans of Sophie Ranald, Mhairi McFarlane and Zara Stoneley.

Oh I do love a Portia MacIntosh Book and this was certainly no exception. 

I loved the post it note messages between Sadie and Adam, the man she shares a desk with, especially as they both seem to struggle with their demon boss Damian! 

And Damian initially is a complete and utter nightmare, and I don't blame Sadie in the slightest for wanting to get a new job.  

However things change and from the middle of the book onwards you see a different side to some of the characters, a real friendship start to develop and you also get a family Christmas with a family and community that absolutely adore the holiday and have various festive themed plans for the whole week in the lead up to the main day. 

Including Dickens Day which if you are a fan of Dickens would be just wonderful, also a smaller version of Winter Wonderland, a competition to post Christmas cards, a trip to the cinema in pjamas and all manner of other festivities.   And as a huge fan of Christmas this really made the book for me, and I was starting to feel quite festive, to the extent that I didn't even blink when I ended up watching the new Grinch film on TV in August!! 

I loved the character development in this story and just the whole vibe I got from the book. I was hooked really early on and it was painful tearing myself away from a fabulous story, just to do real life things like work! 

It was a joy to read Stuck On You,  another top rom-com from this author. 

Thank you to Boldwood and Netgalley for this copy which i have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - The Plus One Pact by Portia MacIntosh

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Amazon UK

Title: The Plus One Pact

Author: Portia MacIntosh

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Boldwood Books

Publication Date: 21st May 2020

Rating: 5 Stars

What if your plus one could be the one...?

Cara has officially run out of men. Her most recent dates have gone from bad to worse, and when her dating app informs her there is no one left in her area to choose from, she is at a dead end.

But with a summer of events ahead of her, she needs to find a solution, fast; someone to keep her company at the never-ending weddings, family gatherings and gender reveal parties that she can’t face going to alone. So when she meets handsome, confident, Millsy on a night out she may be in luck. They could not be more different in personality, but he too has a summer of events ahead and is desperate to get his family off his back about finding a ‘nice girl’. What if they made a pact to help each other out and be a plus one for the summer? Just as friends of course...? A brand new romantic comedy from bestseller Portia MacIntosh, perfect for fans of Zara Stoneley, Sophie Ranald and Mhairi McFarlane.

Are you single, with a never ending series of family and friends events where you have been told you can bring a plus one? Ever get sick and tired of the expectation that you will have someone to drag to these events?

If so then you should be able to easily identify with both Cara and Millsy's situation and the pact they make as new friends to accompany each other to a whole host of gatherings.  

I loved how they were both adamant they weren't even pretending to be fake dates, and just purely a respectable plus one  for each other, and how a real friendship built up between them. 

With each event this pair goes to, something appears to go wrong, and it was great fun seeing how they got themselves out of various situations.   I also loved both Millsy and Cara's jobs - both quite different and in the case of Cara's especially not one I've come across in books before. 

This is a really amusing story that entertained me greatly in my garden in lockdown. Another joyous read from the always enjoyable Portia MacIntosh. 

Thanks to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - My Great Ex-Scape by Portia MacIntosh

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Amazon UK

Title: My Great Ex-Scape

Author: Portia MacIntosh

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Boldwood Books

Publication Date: 16th January 2020

Rating: 5 Stars

What if your future was somewhere in your past?

Rosie Jones has been dumped by every boyfriend she’s ever had - most recently by Dinosaur Dave, live on TV, during the ‘phone-a-friend’ segment of a quiz show. After the footage goes viral Rosie receives a bunch of flowers with a message:
I love you, I should have never let you go, I want you back x

But who sent them?

At a loose end and with £50,000 prize money in her back pocket, Rosie decides to take a trip down memory lane, visiting each of her ex-boyfriends to see not just if they are the one who sent the flowers but if they are the one.

Her journey takes her back to the house she grew up in and on a transatlantic cruise to New York, but can Rosie figure out which ex-boyfriend is the love of her life, or should the past stay in the past?

A laugh-out-loud romantic comedy from bestseller, Portia MacIntosh. Perfect for fans of Holly Martin, Sophie Ranald and Zara Stoneley.

The second I saw that cover I knew I had to read this book, after all I do love a good cruise. And when a first chapter involves Rosie getting dumped on live TV where all she was trying to do was call him  as a "phone a friend" style life line,  well the clip goes viral.  She does win the money, but needs to escape her life at the same time. 

She ends up on a journey to revisit all her ex-boyfriends as she is convinced one of them sent her flowers in the aftermath.  

This is one hilarious book, I loved every second of it, especially the cruise, her travelling companions, the fact it was a over 55s cruise line (and she is considerably younger), some of her ex-es are wonderfully entertaining,  its just all around one addictively feel good book. 

I just couldn't get enough of this story, I even very almost missed my stop on the tube while reading, I didn't even realise I'd left the starting station and suddenly twigged I needed to get off!!  Portia MacIntosh has a way with words that really works for me. 

I love her storytelling abilities and this is one that felt really fresh to me.  The descriptions of the cruise ship all rang true to me, and I would imagine it was possibly based on a Cunard transatlantic sailing, given the way the ship was described and my impressions of Cunard!    A magnificent ship, full of activities, formal dining and just keep your eye out for the Michael Buble tribute - he is gorgeous and rather key! 

Another simply wonderful book from one of my favourite authors. 

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

Book Review The Time of Our Lives by Portia Macintosh

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Amazon UK

Title:  The Time of Our Lives

Author: Portia Macintosh

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: HQ Digital

Publication Date: 11th July 2019

Rating: 5 Stars

Love is in the air…?

Luca is used to being the ‘single one’ at weddings – it happens, when all your other friends are engaged, married or taken. But when she bumps into Tom, her friend from university who broke her heart into a million pieces, she finds herself wondering what could have been.

It’s ten years later, surely she should be over that Tom by now? So why is he looking even more gorgeous than ever – and why doesn’t he seem to be able to keep his eyes off her either?

And as the champagne flows and old secrets resurface, Luca realises that perhaps the time to take a chance on love and life is…now?

So does fate really exist when it comes to your love life?  That is the question that I am left pondering after reading The Time of Our Lives, where you learn about a series of events, which if they hadn't occurred in the order they did may have led to a vastly different outcome. 

Luca is dreading going to wedding of one of her old uni flatmates, as she is the only one from their group that is still single. So  imagine her surprise when there is an ex boyfriend at the wedding too,  the man she almost got together with one New Years Eve, 10 years ago, and a seemingly too good to be true man all vying for her attention. 

Add in being roped in as a last minute extra bridesmaid, and you still haven't scratched the surface of what happens at this wedding. 

In addition to the wedding, we are treated to flashbacks of the year or so that the group all lived together,  not always in chronological order, but in a way designed to drip feed their pasts, and understand fully just how they have arrived at the situations they are now in. 

Expect lies and secrets to be uncovered,  definitely some romance, plenty of comedy, and just a massively gripping story, as everything is untangled. 

This is a cleverly crafted tale that is incredibly enjoyable, and it will certainly entertain you. 

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ Digital for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily, 

Book Review - Love and Lies at the Village Christmas Shop by Portia MacIntosh

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Amazon UK

Title: Love and Lies at the Village Christmas Shop

Author: Portia MacIntosh

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: HQ Digital

Publication Date: 8th October 2018

Rating: 5 Stars

Blast the Michael Bublé, wrap your hands around a cinnamon latte and enjoy this warm, hilarious Christmas novel!
Ivy loves Christmas. As owner of Christmas Every Day, the year-round festive store, you'd expect nothing less!

The only thing missing in Ivy's life is a dash of romance – something her twin sister Holly will not let her forget…

When her mother passed away, Ivy vowed to take over the running of her mother’s store and keep the Christmas spirit alive in the idyllic seaside town of Marram Bay.

But all this changes when an enigmatic businessman moves to the town, threatening to bulldoze her beloved shop to make way for a holiday complex.

Can Ivy save her shop before Christmas? Could there be a different side to the newest resident of Marram Bay that would make all her Christmas wishes come true?

Easily my favourite Christmas book of the season so far - this one has all the elements I love in a feel good Christmas story - a fight to save a business,  an open all year round Christmas Shop, a pair of twins with very festive names and differing personalities, a sexy businessman that is cast in the bad guy role, a cheeky chappy playing Santa, and all the festive food you could ever want. 

In fact the scene involving the Christmas Cake tasting was hilarious, although I have to agree with Ivy's feelings on the subject of Christmas cake. 

I really don't know where to start in extolling the virtues of this book, it really was a purely pleasurable way to spend some time, with the residents of Marram Bay. If that is a familiar sounding location to you then you will be right, it was the setting for Summer Secrets at the Apple Blossom Deli but apart from a few cameos from those characters, this was a wholly brand new story that can be read as a standalone. 

This has easily shot to the top of my favourite Portia MacIntosh books list - its has Christmas, it has a shop, food, relationships, banter, humour, a kissing booth, some sweet children and fabulous writing.  It had me smiling from ear to ear throughout. 

Holly and Ivy are incredibly different twins and for Ivy who is trying to save her shop from its seemingly  inevitable closure, trying to keep their mother's memory alive, and giving her niece and nephew a christmas to remember, she is also worried about Holly as she seems to be hiding something. 

There are three main men in this book - Gaz, Seb and Santa.  Yes Santa gets a big part, but that's because having him in a Christmas shop makes a lot of sense, as does all the other things that Ivy tries to raise the money to stop Seb from demolishing her shop.  Seb is the smooth developer who appears to be charming the whole town, but also getting under Ivy's skin.  Then there is Gaz who I believe has heart of gold even if he shows it in not the best ways. I really liked Gaz, even if some of what he did wasn't quite what Ivy wanted. 

And then there is the shop at the heart of the book - easily my favourite shoop of all the fictional ones I have read about this year (of which there are many). It is Christmas every single day in the shop, and it sounded amazing. I could really picture it and wanted to jump on a train up to Marram Bay to visit for myself. 

This is a wonderful story, it has certainly made me very aware Christmas is coming, without necessarily giving me the warm fuzzy feeling of the season - but is definitely a great way to ease myself into getting more and more festive!  

I'm almost ready to start hunting down the Christmas music and film channels on TV, but its only September so I'd probably be disappointed. But what won't disappoint is this joy to read story that I adored every second of. 

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

Book Review - Summer Secrets at the Apple Blossom Deli by Portia MacIntosh

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Amazon UK

Title: Summer Secrets at the Apple Blossom Deli

Author: Portia MacIntosh

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: HQ Digital

Publication Date: 18th May 2018

Rating: 4 Stars

Lily Holmes is ready for a fresh start. And there’s no better place to begin again than the idyllic seaside town of Marram Bay.

All Lily wants to do is focus on making her new deli a success and ensuring her son’s happiness. Not the postcard creeping out of her handbag, and definitely not finding a new man in her life!

But this isn’t going to be as easy as she first thought. The town is in uproar about the city girl who’s dared to join them and she’s fighting a battle at every turn.

Perhaps with a little help from the gorgeous cider farmer next door, she may be able to win them over, but her past secrets threaten to ruin everything…

This is a lovely story about a mother and son starting over in a new place, where they know no-one and need to learn to fit in. The locals of Marram Bay initially aren't friendly as they are opposed to the deli that Lily will be running. 

This has a knock on event of 9 year old Frankie.  Frankie is a star of the book, but nothing in his recent life has been easy. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him most of the time, especially when the kids are predisposed to dislike him, just because of what his mum is doing. 

Thankfully Lily's nearest neighbour, Alfie understands what it is to be an outsider and is determined to turn the locals opinions around of Lily, and also to make Lily really fall in love with the town of Maran Bay.  So there are some lovely outings that are planned between them, and the fact that Alfie is easy on the eyes is a nice bonus. 

Nothing goes smoothly in this book, but was each secrets or change of direction is revealed,  that kept me interested and curious as to what would happen next. 

What did surprise me is for a book featuring a deli in the title that at no point did the book make me feel hungry as you may expect. Which is mildly frustrating as i had held off reading this while other food based books called out to be read first, and I wanted to space them out a bit.  There was a sprinkling of great food descriptions, but on the whole it seemed almost secondary to whether the deli would even get any customers once its open. 

The story is peppered with humour in Portia MacIntosh's typical style and was a sheer pleasure to read this book.  I found this a very fast read, that was incredibly enjoyable.  

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

Book Review - How Not to be a Bride by Portia MacIntosh

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Amazon UK

Title: How Not to be a Bride

Author: Portia MacIntosh

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: HQ Digital

Publication Date: 17th October 2017

Rating: 4 Stars

Definitely, maybe…yes?
Mia Valentina gave up her high-flying life in LA to move back to Kent over four years ago. But it turns out that life in the slow lane isn’t all it’s cracked up to be!

So when her boyfriend Leo proposes, she says yes, hoping it will bring some much needed sparkle back into her life. The trouble is, Mia never wanted a big white wedding, just the happy ever after…

Well the title is not wrong, if you want to find out how to be the perfect bride for a big white wedding then you are looking in the wrong place. If you are wanting a fun romantic comedy about real people that aren't quite sure what they want or how to act then this is the book for you! 

This is a typically amusing Portia MacIntosh book, incredibly funny and transports you to between the pages of the book for a few hours while you read it.  Pure escapist fun and frolics. 

Now who doesn't want to read a book featuring a hot fireman, who appears to be the perfect boyfriend.  Leo is wonderful and I'm just a little bit in love with him myself.   

Then there is rockstar Dylan who I ended up having a real soft spot for, as we learn his personal revelations and he is the subject of Mia's latest job. 

What I did find frustrating was Mia and her constant comparisons of her LA life from before she met Leo, to her current life.  She is a lovely girl but just can't seem to see what she has in front of her.  All aspects of her life seemed pretty great to me and I did like her as a character, just wanted to knock some sense into her on occasion. 

What really made me laugh is Mia's extended family, they sound like a complete nightmare, and I know how she feels.  Doesn't seem to matter what she does there is someone around to upstage her, criticise her or blame her. 

As I've been writing this review I have just checked the blurbs of a couple of this authors previous books and its confirmed a suspicion, that if you have read some of her earlier books then there are some recurring characters in this, and made me realise I really should read those books that are lurking on my kindle! 

This is a really enjoyable romantic comedy that really made me smile. 

Thank you Netgalley and HQ Digital for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - The Accidental Honeymoon by Portia Macintosh - #HolidayReading Book 25

Book 25 of 30 that I read on my holiday to Fuerteventura in December 2017

Amazon UK

Title: The Accidental Honeymoon

Author: Portia Macintosh

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: HQ Digital

Publication Date: 16th June 2017

Rating: 5 Stars

What happens in Vegas…
When Georgie discovers that her fiancé has been cheating on her, only a few days before her cousin’s wedding, her whole world explodes. Facing a romantic trip to Vegas alone, she decides to go out and have some fun…

…but Georgie never expected to wake up wed! And even worse, she can’t remember who to. So when gorgeous Jack reveals himself as her husband, she can’t believe her luck – he’ll act as the perfect wedding date!

Even if it is their very accidental honeymoon, surely the newlyweds can keep their emotions in check for just a few days more?

Absolutely hilarious,  such a load of fun from a book that I think would make a great rom-com film.

Loved every second of this story, that you do need to stay alert while reading purely as the layers of deception do take some getting used to. 

I loved Jack on so many levels, but especially the way he does his best to help Georgie from the moment he meets her. I also loved all his hints about how to spot a casino cheat, and how to cheat at cards!

Georgia manages to back herself into such a corner with her family, that its hard not to feel sorry for her a lot.  She is unwittingly in competition with her cousin, and feels she has to keep up appearances. Of course once her feelings get a chance to catch up it makes things even more complicated but amusing. 

This is a laugh out loud gem of a book, that is pure escapism at its best. I thoroughly enjoyed every last scene of it and would have loved the story to continue for longer as I was enjoying it that much.

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

Book Review - It's Not You, It's Them by Portia MacIntosh

Amazon UK

Title: It's Not You, It's Them

Author: Portia MacIntosh

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: HQ

Publication Date: 4th November 2016

Rating: 5 Stars

First comes love. Then comes family…

After a lifetime of kissing frogs, Roxie Pratt has given up on finding her own fairytale romance. That is, until she meets her very own Prince Charming, Mark Wright, and he sweeps Roxie off her feet!

So when Mark finally gets down on one knee and pops the question, there’s only one thing left to do: meet the family! And when everything has been picture-perfect so far, what could possibly go wrong…?

Hilarious book about being snowed in with your future in-laws, on your first meeting with them, over the Christmas period! 

Roxie is amazed when her boyfriend of a year Mark, proposes one evening, but is delighted, for theirs has been a fairytale romance up until this point, plus Roxie has been able to get great mileage out of their relationship for her column at the magazine she works for. 

A couple of days before Christmas they decide they had better break the good news to both sets of parents. Roxie's family are delighted as you would imagine, and all that is left is the trip up to a small Yorkshire village, to tell Mark's family. 

Only one small, teeny tiny problem, they have never met Roxie, they aren't expecting Mark to show up with anyone, and they definitely weren't expecting an engagement announcement. And the bad weather warnings are key too! 

Mark's family are so over the top not overly pleasant to Roxie that as the fly on the wall reader, all I could do is laugh at them. None of them are particularly evil or anything, perhaps with the exception of one guest they have staying with them, but none are overly welcoming either. 

There are many laugh out loud moments in this book, some of Roxie's attempts at seduction are memorable, and some are down right disturbing. If you have ever had to spend extended time with your in-laws you may be able to relate well to what Roxie is going through. 

It's Not You, It's Them, is firstly a rather apt expression for the feelings of Roxie, but not only that its a fantastically entertaining story that shows people at their worst over the holidays, with a series of mishaps and misunderstandings, which will ultimately show just how human some people can be. 

There are many classic scenes including some drinks being spiked, a Teenage Mutant Ninja turtle outfit, a mermaid dress, a broken bed and also a great game of Truth or Dare, oh and the hunky soldiers are great too. Basically lots and lots of laughs and smiles, in this wonderfully light hearted story about potential in-laws. 

Thank you so much to HQ and Netgalley for my copy of the book. This was my honest opinion.  

Book Review - Truth or Date by Portia MacIntosh

Amazon UK

Title: Truth or Date

Author: Portia MacIntosh

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Carina

Publication Date: 11th April 2016

Rating: 4 Stars

Falling for the man of her dreams…

Ruby Wood is perfectly happy playing the dating game – until she has a red-hot dream about her very attractive flatmate, Nick. He might spend every day saving lives as a junior doctor, but he’s absolutely the last man on earth that fun-loving Ruby would ever date!

The solution? Focus on all of Nick’s bad points. And if that fails, up her dating antics and find herself a man! So what if she manages to make disapproving, goody two-shoes Nick jealous in the process…

Only, after a series of nightmare first dates, there’s still just one man on Ruby’s mind. Maybe it’s time to admit the truth and dare to ask Nick to be her next date?

Ruby has been having some very sexy dreams about her flatmate Nick, which I must say are very pleasurable to read about, but there is a slight problem. She and Nick just don't get on in real life and he has a girlfriend who is the complete opposite of him. 

Ruby has been playing the field for a while using a dating site called Matcher, and is having a series of very bad dates, somehow I do always enjoy reading about other people's bad dates in books, and these were certainly enjoyable from my point of view, and eventually comes to the conclusion that Nick really is the man for her, not just of her dreams. 

Millsy is Ruby's best friend and also hates Nick, but he does have Ruby's best interests at heart when they come up with ideas to try to make Nick interested. including them playing a new game between them called Truth or Date...where Ruby has two choices, either tell Nick the truth, or date like mad to try to attract his attention that way. 

Truth or Date was a funny and light hearted story, that was really enjoyable to read. There was a lot of going out, and a bit too much getting very drunk, but that just seemed to be what the characters liked to do in their spare time. 

This is the sort of book that won't tax you too much to read it, but if you are in a chick lit mood, or like me light reading light pieces of fiction that just entertain and take you away from the real world for a number of hours, then Truth or Date definitely will fill that void. 

Thanks to Netgalley and Carina for this review copy. This is my honest opinion. 

Guest Post - Dreams: A window into your subconscious…and a way to read your boyfriend’s mind by Portia Macintosh - Blog Tour

It was a hot and sunny day when I went for a picnic in the park with my friend Carl*. As we chatted, sprawled out on a blanket, feeding each other strawberries in front of a picture-perfect backdrop, I couldn’t have been happier. As the sun started to drop from the sky, the kids all went home, the birds all flew away and the park fell silent, until it was just Carl and me left. With all of the strawberries gone, Carl took the initiative to nibble on my neck instead and, before I knew what I was doing, I was rolling around on the grass with him. Just as things started getting a little too steamy for me to write about, I woke up suddenly, the harsh sound of reality (my bloody alarm clock) snapping me from my dream - yes, it was all a dream. Carl is a real friend of mine though. We’ve never hung out one-on-one, we weren’t ever the kind to message one another and I’ve never really fancied him – but that last one changed after my dream, because I woke up crazy for dream Carl… and therefor, real Carl. 

Suddenly I noticed his kind smile. The way his nose scrunches up when he laughs. The delicious smell of his aftershave…

It was this dream that inspired my latest novel, Truth or Date, in which Ruby, my main character, has a steamy dream about her flatmate, Nick, and finds herself falling head-over-heels for him. But it isn’t the dream that makes Ruby fall for Nick, the dream simply taps into feelings that she already had, hidden away in her brain somewhere. They say that dreams are a window into our subconscious, and I believe this.

It’s a weird that, around the time my book about dreams has come out, that my boyfriend has started talking in his sleep. The strangest thing is that, I can’t tell if he’s sleep talking or not because he does it with his eyes open, his face as emotive as ever, and yet when I relay our conversations to him the second he wakes up for real, he has no recollection of our conversation. As funny and as weird as this is, I feel at an incredibly unfair advantage. I’m getting this sneak peak into my boyfriend’s real feelings, ones that he might not otherwise share with me. While this might seem like a slight (and yet entirely accidental) invasion of his privacy, I can’t help but see this as a vehicle to making him happier, because it helps me to realise what’s on his mind. Most often, it’s work. He’ll blabber something to a colleague, or make some mention of something that sounds far too technical for me to understand. Sometimes he’ll complain that he doesn’t feel well – both things he’d never usually “burden” me with if he were awake, because he’s always too busy looking after me. My favourite sleep revelations made by my boyfriend, are the ones about me. When, even though he’s fast asleep, he tells me how he feels about me. When, at 3am, without knowing being aware of his actions, he wraps his arms around me tightly and tells me I’m wonderful. It’s not that he doesn’t do this when he’s awake, it’s just I know that when he’s asleep, he isn’t choosing to share this information with me, it’s exactly how he feels. Sometimes men tell girls what they want to hear, and sometimes men are scared to tell girls how they feel at all, and both can be incredibly frustrating.

Of course, it hasn’t taken a forthcoming subconscious to make me realise how much my boyfriend loves me, he does an incredible job of that when he’s awake, but it’s nice to have someone care about you so much that they crave your touch, even when they’re fast asleep.

Thank you Portia, at this interesting look at dreams and how they have inspired Truth or Date.

Amazon UK

Author Bio:
Portia MacIntosh has been 'making stuff up' for as long as she can remember - or so she says. Whether it was blaming her siblings for that broken vase when she was growing up, blagging her way backstage during her rock chick phase or, most recently, whatever justification she can fabricate to explain away those lunchtime cocktails, Portia just loves telling tales. After years working as a music journalist, Portia decided it was time to use her powers for good and started writing novels. Taking inspiration from her experiences on tour with bands, the real struggle of dating in your twenties and just trying to survive as an adult human female generally, Portia writes about what it's really like for women who don't find this life stuff as easy as it seems.

Portia Macintosh on Twitter

Book Review - Drive Me Crazy by Portia MacIntosh

Amazon UK

Title: Drive Me Crazy

Author: Portia MacIntosh

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Carina

Publication Date: 24th June 2015

Rating: 5 Stars

It was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime...
In reality it was a business trip, prettied up as a romantic mini break, but the man behind the wheel was meant to be Candice Hart’s boss and (married but separated, I swear!) lover. Not Danny the new guy!

Not only is Candice faced with a new driver, but the office’s far too handsome hipster expects her to share the cramped space inside his “fully” restored VW Beetle, aka The Love Bug, and put up with his constant opinions about her life…

Before long she is tired of playing the ‘good girl’ and, with Danny’s help, is determined to finally show the world the real Candice Hart!

Candice has been having an affair with her married boss, Will. He has promised her a week long road trip (masquerading as a business trip), to sort out exactly what is happening between them. Will also seems to have a bit of a controlling streak and has slowly transformed Candice's personality into how he thinks a girl should act. 

However the night before they are due to leave on their trip, Will pulls out but tells her to take someone else from work. Just to annoy him, she picks Danny, the new guy. This is the IT geek, who on his first day in this new job, asked Candice out on a date! She finds Danny oddly irritating but knows it will drive Will crazy!

And so Danny and Candice travel around the UK, in his car "The Love Bug" a marginally more modern version of "Herbie, the love bug". Danny has one aim for the week, and this is to break Candice's "Stepford wife" persona and to find true girl within her.

I loved every second of the road trip, it is full of laughs, embarrassing situations, dubious decisions, a small bit of food poisoning. Watching Candice slowly unravel into a much more rounded person is fantastic to see, but its Danny that really captured my heart and imagination. He is a cheeky Geordie chap, clearly a geek but with a body to die for. He was definitely a very enjoyable book boyfriend to make the acquaintance of. 

Drive Me Crazy, I read on a Sunday afternoon thankfully, as I didn't want to put the book down at all. It was so enjoyable and was a pleasure to read. I can't believe this is the first book I have read of Portia's and makes me know I really should read at least the other that is lurking on my kindle!

Drive Me Crazy is a brilliantly fun story, that is incredibly entertaining, and highly enjoyable. 

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Carina and Portia MacIntosh for this review copy. This was my honest opinion.