Book Review - Last of the Summer Moet by Wendy Holden

Amazon UK

Title: Last of the Summer Moet

Author: Wendy Holden

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Head of Zeus

Publication Date: 1st February 2018

Rating: 3 Stars

Laura Lake, deputy editor of glossy mag Society, has been promoted to the hot seat while her boss recovers from 'exhaustion' in rehab. Finally she's in charge, but who can she share the free jollies with?

Not her international glamourpuss BFF Lulu, who's left Knightsbridge for Britain's poshest village. Lulu's busy living the good life at her new pile Riffs, a ex-rock star's ex-country mansion.

But not everything in her guitar-shaped garden is lovely; Lulu's attempts to join the hunt, act in the panto and grow the biggest marrow are blocked by the snobbish locals.

Who does she call on for help? Journo extraordinaire, Laura Lake...

Laura Lake is back in a whole new adventure that starts at the hilarious and moves onto the sublimely ridiculous, with one of the most farcical plots I have ever read. 

It is so far fetched on so many levels that all I can do is applaud the imagination and creativity of the author for coming up with it in the first place, and for the most part elements of the story made sense. 

The ending which could have been brilliant, felt incredibly rushed, and I'm left with a sense that the series will just get arguably sillier and sillier in its storylines of what Laura is trying to investigate. 

I would have loved to get to know any of her off-on men in her life better. I did enjoy all the increasingly weird features ideas for Society magazine, some of which are definitely verging onto the bizarre. 

Dependent on your sense of humour this is a book that could be described as hilarious, it just didn't quite hit my funny bone. I did enjoy Laura's best friend Lulu, but after a while all of the mispronunciations started to get mildly annoying, as I was having to try along with Laura to work out what Lulu was talking about most of the time. 

Although this didn't work particularly well in places for me, I can fully appreciate just much work has been put into writing this book, complete with all the new characters of the village Laura was investigating.  Unfortunately so many of the villagers and Laura's colleagues just were unlikeable. 

After the brilliance of Laura Lake and the Three Weddings (or whatever the current title is) I was just left disappointed by this one unfortunately. 

Thanks to Netgalley and Head of Zeus for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Guest Post - Extreme Celebrity Weddings by Wendy Holden - Blog Tour

Is there anything better than a really fabulously over-the-top celebrity wedding? I don’t think so, which is why I’ve written a novel about them. Laura Lake And The Hipster Weddings is a riff on the phenomenon of elaborately over-styled nuptials, from boho-chic woodland affairs with guests on haybales to castles, tiaras and ancestral carriages, or arty extravaganzas in Victorian loos in Shoreditch.

Writing it, I was inspired by a number of recent real-life unions of famousness. The twenty first century has marked a new high in hedonistic high jinks on a marital theme and long may this continue! Here are my top five.

5. The bohotastic Charlie Gilmour nuptials when the bride and groom (stepson of Pink Floyd star Dave), wearing only the flowers in their hair, jumped starkers into a Sussex river in 2016 to join guests already in there.

4. Tamara Ecclestone and Jay Rutland Billionaire Bernie’s little girl Tamara made it legal in a lavish three day 2013 French Riviera extravaganza. Brandishing a champagne flute and wearing three separate white outfits over the course of the celebrations, Tamara danced on the beach with a groom resplendent in white shorts and blue deck shoes. A banging post-wedding beach set was provided by superstar DJ Mark Ronson, while wedding singers were Elton John, Mariah Carey and Lionel Richie. Lionel dedicated Endless Love to the couple, although it might as well have been Endless Money.

3. Bo Bruce’s cosmic Celtic handfasting in Savernake Forest. Under a mighty oak called The King of Limbs, and watched by guests sitting on haybales and conveyed into the depths of the forest by tractor, The Voice star wed her best friend/bandmate/ Henry (the groom wore no socks) in a 2016 ceremony involving their hands being bound together with ribbons. The magical nuptials were full of creative touches; besides poetry readings there was an acoustic performance by Red Sky July, a trio including someone called Charity Hair.

2: Andrea Casiraghi and Tatiana Santo Domingo. An intimate 2013 ceremony in the stunningly understated location that is Monaco. The sunglasses-sporting groom’s arrival in an army jeep kicked off three days of celebrations including a party on Princess Caroline’s yacht. To wed the second in line to Monaco’s throne, Colombian billionaire’s daughter Tatiana sported her signature laid-back hippie-chic style; a bespoke crochet gown by Missoni and a simple wreath of flowers on hair styled in flowing waves. The couple’s Boston terrier dog Daphne was in attendance.

1: Will and Kate The splendid 2011 Westminster Abbey bash with Prince William and his brother showcasing splendid red uniforms and Pippa Middleton showcasing her famous bottom has yet to be equalled for sheer showbiz glamour. The cartwheeling verger, Princess Beatrice’s alien hat, the real trees in the cathedral aisle and David Beckham actually wearing his OBE are only some of the details that linger in the memory. Can Prince Harry’s rumoured forthcoming nuptials knock it off the number one spot?

Laura Lake And The Hipster Wedding by Wendy Holden, published in hardback and ebook by Head of Zeus

Thanks so much Wendy for these great examples of extreme weddings. For more amusing weddings, take a look at Laura Lake and the Hipster Weddings which I loved.

Amazon UK

She'll need a triple-barrelled name for the castle one. She'll need a gallon of glitter for the woodland one. She'll need a lobster-shaped hat for the Shoreditch one.

Laura Lake longs to be a journalist. Instead she's an unpaid intern at a glossy magazine – sleeping in the fashion cupboard and living on canapés. But she's just got her first big break: infiltrate three society weddings and write a juicy exposé.

Security will be tighter than a bodycon dress, but how hard can it be? Cue disappearing brides, demanding socialites – and a jealous office enemy who will do anything to bring her down...

Win free signed copies of Laura Lake And The Hipster Weddings by sharing your own hilarious wedding stories with me! I can't wait to read them! They might even inspire another novel! Please go to https://goo.gl/forms/xYaoaGCgxPpNR23g1  Thank you.  Love Wendy xx

Book Review - Laura Lake and the Hipster Weddings by Wendy Holden - 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!

Laura Lake and the Hipster Weddings is the first in a new series by Wendy Holden, and also Wendy's first book for new publisher Head of Zeus. 

Amazon UK

Title: Laura Lake and the Hipster Weddings

Author: Wendy Holden

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Head of Zeus

Publication Date: 9th March

Rating: 5 Stars

She'll need a triple-barrelled name for the castle one. She'll need a gallon of glitter for the woodland one. She'll need a lobster-shaped hat for the Shoreditch one.

Laura Lake longs to be a journalist. Instead she's an unpaid intern at a glossy magazine – sleeping in the fashion cupboard and living on canapés. But she's just got her first big break: infiltrate three society weddings and write a juicy exposé.

Security will be tighter than a bodycon dress, but how hard can it be? Cue disappearing brides, demanding socialites – and a jealous office enemy who will do anything to bring her down...

Such an incredibly entertaining story, that had me loving every second of the book. One of the things that struck me most was the incredible amount of imagination Wendy Holden used in naming some of her characters, the majority of them have at the very least surnames that are rather clever, and the others have some quite different first names to the normal ones you see in most books. 

The book isn't just full of imaginative names, but the three weddings that are featured, plus the art installation at the beginning are all very creative, and just so different. Laura Lake as the assignment of a lifetime when she is given the chance to write about the new trends of hipster weddings for Society magazine. 

She needs to somehow infiltrate each wedding to try and get the best accounts, and in doing so manages to have run ins with an old nemesis from her school days. There is the wedding that has easily the most unusual location I've ever seen for any sort of function, there is the one that involves a hand fasting ceremony and a lake and the other in theory is more traditional but what a creepy location. 

We first meet Laura when she is living in Paris and being part of an art installation to earn extra money, along with Caspar. From the early chapters we get a great idea of what Laura's grandmother Mimi is like, full of advice on how to be a Parisenne lady. So its a a wrench for Laura to take up a job offer in London. 

What you soon realise with this book is nothing ever goes according to plan, and that Laura has a lot more guile and cunning than it first appears, as she gets herself in a whole variety of situations. In places you do have to suspend your grip on reality and accept there is definitely some artistic licence being used, but that just added to the fun of the book for me. 

I can already see the start of potential story arcs for future books in this series, specifically around Laura Lake's parents, as it would be lovely to learn more about her background. 

Laura Lake and the Hipster Weddings has a fresh new main character and is the start of what promises to be a fabulous series. It feels a bit different to other books by the author, but still is very easy to read and I loved  it all. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Head of Zeus for this copy of the book which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Honeymoon Suite by Wendy Holden

Amazon UK

Title: Honeymoon Suite

Author: Wendy Holden

Format reviewed: Paperback

Source: EDPR 

Publisher: Headline Review

Publication Date: 26th January 2017

Rating: 5 Stars

When Nell is marooned at the altar, her feisty best friend Rachel says she'll come with her on honeymoon instead. Why waste a week in a posh country hotel?

So the duo, plus Rachel's Agatha Christie-obsessed small daughter Juno, head for the hills and idyllic Edenville, on the edge of the beautiful Pemberton estate. Awaiting them is a cast of colourful characters from Jason the harassed hotel manager to the ruthless Angela, Director of HR. Not to mention the handsome Dylan, a bestselling writer on the run from his past.

Nell doesn't want to go back to London, so when a job on the estate comes up, she's happy to stay. Even if it is arranging weddings in the Big House! As she becomes entangled in the lives of the locals - and they weave their way into her heart - she realises there might be a way to reach the rainbow's end after all.#

From its stunning cover, to the wonderful story inside it, Honeymoon Suite is a brilliant romantic comedy, taking in many storylines that all interlink in a great way.  

There is Dylan the author, who starts the book with a psycho girlfriend, but then after an incredibly nerve wracking incident, he changes his life completely and his identity, He works out what triggered this, was after a chance meeting with Nell in a pub, with a different case of mistaken identity. 

Nell also thinks that everything that goes wrong in her life is based on this one meeting with Dylan, not that she knew his name. From that she meets her future husband, and is then jilted at the altar, which then triggers her and her new best friend Rachel, plus Juno, Rachel's rather unique daughter to go spend the week in the honeymoon suite at the Pemberton Arms. 

I loved the main setting of Edenville, a gorgeous little Midlands town, that features the Pemberton Estate at the heart of it. There is a colourful cast of characters, some of them completely over the top like Angela who is not the nicest of women, but as you see more of her you realise, she may have another side to her, to Jason who runs the pub but also isn't being entirely honest, to Dan Taylor a dishy gardener, and George who is an elderly gentleman that I grew to love. 

There is so much good in this book it is really hard to know what to say, as I don't want to give anything away. There are many secrets and half truths to find out, as well as some romance, definitely a lot of humour, loads of drama and an overall well written book. 

The story has been split into three reasonably distinct parts, and Part 1 gives all the vital backstory to Nell and Dylan, while its from Part 2 where for me the goes from good, to really great and very hard to stop reading.

I've read all of Wendy Holden's books, and this is certainly one of my favourite of her more recent releases. If you are a fan of the author then like me, I'm sure you will enjoy this book, whereas if you haven't read her before this is a very good time to start. 

Honeymoon Suite is a very enjoyable and entertaining book that is a pleasure to read, and one I suspect I would enjoy re-reading should I ever have the time, and still get more out of it. 

Thank you to Heloise Wood at EDPR for this copy of the book, which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Release Recap - 23rd April 2015

Just in-case you missed out on seeing all of yesterday's simply amazing new releases, I have listed them all for you in one easy place. I am just amazed at the quality of yesterday's release schedule, and think you will be too, once you pick and choose what you want to read.

Love Shack by Jane Costello
One Small Act of Kindness by Lucy Dillon
Girls on Tour by Nicola Doherty
The Doris Day Vintage Film Club by Fiona Harper
Wild and Free by Wendy Holden
The Cake Shop in the Garden by Carole Matthews
When We Were Friends by Tina Seskis
The Lie by C.L. Taylor


Reviews of most of these have been posted in the last week. If you take up any of my suggestions, please let me know, as I would love to know what you think of these books.