Book Review - We'll Always Have Paris by Sue Watson - Blog Tour

Amazon UK

Title: We'll Always Have Paris

Author: Sue Watson

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Sphere

Publication Date: 27th June 2016

Rating: 4 Stars

Does first love deserve a second chance?

When she was almost seventeen, Rosie Draper locked eyes with a charismatic student called Peter during their first week at art college, changing the course of her life forever. Now, on the cusp of sixty-five and recently widowed, Rosie is slowly coming to terms with a new future. And after a chance encounter with Peter, forty-seven years later, they both begin to wonder 'what if' . . .

Told with warmth, wit and humour, We'll Always Have Paris is a charming, moving and uplifting novel about two people; the choices they make, the lives they lead and the love they share.

This is a remarkably different book from the previous ones I have read by Sue Watson, but in quite a few ways its similar. There are glimpses even very early on, when there is a lot of grief, of reasonably comical situations, and some great over the top characterisation, especially with one of the flower shop clients. 

There is a warm hearted and inspirational feel to this story, as Rosie comes back into contact with her first ever love of her life, about a year after becoming widowed by her rock of her husband, who she did love dearly too. From a chance encounter, they move very slowly as they try to work out if they want to be in each others lives and have a second chance at love. 

Of course not all of Rosie's family is in favour of her having new friendships, and there are some fantastic moments of role reversal when her grown up daughters, try to parent her, and demand to know her every movement.

Rosie's grand-daughters though make me smile, and they really come into their own during the story and as I learned more about all the generations of this family, I could see the similarities between the women even if they couldn't see it themselves. 

I can only hope that when I get to Rosie's age, I am like her, up for new challenges and new love, open to new experiences and that people don't write people off in their sixties. Rosie is an inspiration as to the amount of personal progress she makes in a year, and I loved the reminisces of her first experiences with Peter all those years ago. 

Even though they are no longer with us, there are two characters that I really got a great feel for, just from how they are remembered by the main cast, Rosie's husband Mike, and her mother Margaret. Margaret sounded like a strong minded woman that Rosie clashed with as a teenager but now as a grandmother herself, she can appreciate Margaret's position a great deal more. 

This is a book that if you are an older reader will potentially cause you to become quite reflective on your own life, and as a younger reader, made me very hopeful for the future. As a fan of the author, I am delighted to say its great to see a new direction from her, and hope there may be more books like this in the future.

Thank you to Little Brown Book Group and Netgalley for this review copy. This was my honest opinion. 

About Sue Watson

Sue Watson was a journalist on women's magazines and national newspapers before working in a career in TV where she was a producer with the BBC. She has published six novels, her most well-known being Love, Lies and Lemon Cake. Originally from Manchester, Sue now lives in the Midlands and writes full time.
@suewatsonwriter

www.suewatsonbooks.com

Please follow along with this blog tour, and check out all the other fab blogs taking part. 

Book Review - The Bookshop on Rosemary Lane by Ellen Berry

Amazon UK

Title: The Bookshop on Rosemary Lane

Author: Ellen Berry

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Avon

Publication Date: 14th July 2016 

Rating: 3 Stars

**Take a trip to the Yorkshire village of Burley Bridge, where a very special little cookbook shop is about to open its doors…**

In the beginning…

Kitty Cartwright has always solved her problems in the kitchen. Her cookbooks are her life, and there isn’t an issue that ‘Cooking with Aspic’ can’t fix. Her only wish is that she had a book entitled ‘Rustling Up Dinner When Your Husband Has Left You’.

Forty years later…

On Rosemary Lane, Della Cartwright plans to open a very special little bookshop. Not knowing what to do with the hundreds of cookbooks her mother left her, she now wants to share their recipes with the world – and no amount of aspic will stand in her way.

But with her family convinced it’s a hare-brained scheme, Della starts to wonder if she’s made a terrible decision. One thing’s for sure: she’s about to find out…

I've got mixed feeling about this book, I think due to the sheer quantity of "shop" books that have been released in instant years, I was expecting a certain feel to the story, or at least that I would get to know a shop very well. I was aware this was to be a cookbook shop and I was intrigued by the idea, but yet it seemed to take forever for the story to get onto the shop at all, almost as though it was an afterthought to what the main story was, which felt more like Della's marriage. 

I thought there were large hugely predictable sections of the book, where I could see exactly what was going to happen a mile off, and I found I just didn't really connect to large amounts of the characters. My favourite character was probably Della's daughter Sophie, and due to her leaving home to go to uni, we don't even see much of a lovely young woman. 

There were some enjoyable sections, but mainly I spent the book wanting to throw something at Della for being just so naive about life, her marriage and just how to set up a new business. I also wanted to shake Della for her choice of husband, I really didn't take to Mark, nor her brother Jeff. They both seem to belittle Della without any reason. 

Overall although there was glimpses of a good book, I found it just wasn't working fully for me, I quite liked it on the whole, but I would have loved more about the shop, more cooking, more food descriptions etc.. basically the bits I would have expected. 

Thank you to Avon & Netgalley for this review copy. This was my honest opinion. 

Cover Reveal - The Christmas Promise by Sue Moorcroft

With exactly 5 months until Christmas Eve, it seems only right that I have a Christmas cover reveal for you all this evening.

For those that were following me last Winter, I went a bit Christmas book mad, and having seen some of what is coming out so far this season, I suspect I may go over the top again, so lets kick it all off with a gorgeous cover by an author I always tend to enjoy.

Presenting The Christmas Promise by Sue Moorcroft......

Publishing in eBook: 6th October 2016

Publishing in paperback: 1st December 2016

For Ava Bliss, it’s going to be a Christmas to remember …

On a snowy December evening, Sam Jermyn steps into the life of bespoke hat maker Ava Blissham. Sparks fly, and not necessarily the good ones…

When Sam commissions Ava to make a hat for someone special to him she makes a promise that will change her life. She just doesn’t know it yet.

Ava needs this job – she’s struggling to make ends meet, her ex-boyfriend is a bully, and she’s desperate for distraction because no one dreads Christmas like Ava does.

But soon Ava finds herself reluctantly needing something from Sam. He’s quick to help, but she’s in for a nasty shock… Will she be able to keep her promise? And if she does, might this be the Christmas her dreams come true?

Curl up with this gorgeous, festive read – the perfect treat for fans of Katie Fforde, Carole Matthews and Trisha Ashley.

Pre Order The Christmas Promise on Amazon UK

This book sounds right up my street and given I love Sue Moorcroft, I suspect there will be a review on Rachel's Random Reads in due course. Such a pretty cover too, really looking forward to this.

Book Review - Goodbye Ruby Tuesday by A.L. Michael

Amazon UK

Title: Goodbye Ruby Tuesday (The House on Camden Square, Book 1)

Author: A. L. Michael

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Carina

Publication Date: 29th April 2016

Rating: 4 Stars

Four friends have become three. But that’s only the beginning.
Ruby, Evie, Mollie and Chelsea were the bad girls at school. But Ruby was the baddest. Evie fought her anger, Mollie fought her mother and Chelsea…well, Chelsea just fought. But Ruby set her sights on a bigger stage. And together, they dreamed of a future where Ruby could sing, Evie could make art, Mollie could bake, Chelsea could dance – and all of them could finally feel at home.

A decade later, the girls are reunited for the funeral of Ruby, who took the world – and the charts – by storm, before fading too soon. And Evie doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry when she learns that Ruby has left them a house on Camden Square – the perfect place for them to fulfil their dreams. But does she dare take the plunge, and risk it all for one last shot at the stars?

What an excellent start to what promises to be a truly enjoyable series. I can't help but admire Evie, Mollie and Chelsea for wanting to make something more of their lives than the small town they great up in. They have all craved escape for various reasons, but it took for their school friend's death, Ruby Tuesday, for them to do anything. 

Ruby left her girls, a house in Camden, where she used to go to write songs, so that after her death they could use it to turn it into the arts centre they used to dream of when they were younger. However since Ruby has been out of touch with them for years she doesn't know just how different their lives turned out from their plans. 

I loved seeing the flash backs to when the four were all at school together, and I almost shuddered at the home situations they had. One girl has an alcoholic mother, one has a gangster dad, one was passed from foster family to foster family and the other has a unfeeling, conman father who was continually unfaithful. 

And yet in spite of their circumstances the girls are determined to break free of their town and not turn into their own parents, with various degrees of success. 

This is a fabulous story of friendship, and I loved seeing where the plot would take me. Mollie has a 10 year old girl who is almost certainly the star of the book, and I loved hearing whatever she had to say. There is one main love interest, and he is a bit moody, but very good with his hands, I just wish I had got to know him a bit more. 

This is the first book in the The House on Camden Square series, and I am already greatly looking forward to reading book 2, to see how the story progresses. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Carina for this review copy. This was my honest opinion. 

Bitesized Taster from Errors of Evaluation by Paola Pica - Blog Tour

From the 1st chapter, the very beginning: Marco, the “Shrink”, opens the book speaking about Elena, Francesca’s cousin, and makes it clear that he hates her, because of some very important reason.

I loathed her practically from the first moment I laid eyes on her. Because I am a weaver of spells and she would never have been trapped in my web. I felt that; I knew it to be true.

I was trying to create some expectation about my characters in the reader:  a realistic one (realistic, regarding the plot) about Marco, who openly defines himself as a “weaver of spells”, that is, as having a treacherous personality; and an opposite expectation about Elena who, being his enemy, must have positive qualities. Both characters should be intriguing the Reader at the same time, since the beginning.

Thank you Paola for this brief insight into Errors of Evaluation. 

Title: Errors of Evaluation

Author: Paola Pica

Price: Paperback £6.99 and Ebook £2.99

Publisher: Clink Street Publishing 

Published: 26th July

Pages: 104

ISBN-10: 1911110322

ISBN-13: 978-1911110323

Francesca's presence pervades the lives of everyone she meets. From the therapist - an ambiguous and even more unscrupulous person than herself - to the husband who, after twenty years of marriage, is left financially ruined and suicidal; and her own cousin, who despite tirelessly attempting to help her in a time of need, has been left betrayed on two separate occasions a decade apart. Three very different characters tell their story about the inscrutable woman who has entered their lives, each one offering their own point of view on who the beautiful Francesca really is. Each has made an error of evaluation which they now realise has prejudiced their lives and their relationships. An omniscient narrator will have the final say. 

Buy Links:

Amazon UK & US - Barnes and Noble

Follow along with the rest of the blog tour for more details about this new book

Book Review - The Taste of Summer by Kate Lord Brown

Amazon UK

Title: The Taste of Summer

Author: Kate Lord Brown

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Orion

Publication Date: 28th July 2016 

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Every summer, in a rambling castle in Kenmare, south west Ireland, the TV crews descend to film the nation's favourite cookery competition. For Diana, a celebrated TV chef, it's a way to keep her castle running. But this summer, it will be different. There's a lot more at stake than the perfect muffin. Bea, the cupcake queen, is determined to remind everyone why she deserves her own TV show, at whatever cost. Connor, the bad boy of the restaurant world, is determined to put his lurid past behind him and turn over a new leaf. And food blogger Darcy finds that returning home to the castle means stirring up some long-buried feelings for someone she'd never quite forgotten.

When I was offered a chance to review this book I was slightly apprehensive, I had never read anything by the author before and her back catalogue just didn't call out to me at all but yet this blurb was interesting and I do love a book that involves cookery. I am delighted that I took the chance to read this, as I found it gripping, tasty and interesting to read and I really enjoyed the story. 

The Taste of Summer is very likely to make you feel hungry, my stomach kept rumbling as I read about some of the delicious recipes that were being used, as well as the cooking competition. The story focuses around the four judges for the final of TV programme Top Chef. 

There is Diana who owns The Castle, a hotel and restaurant in Kenmare, Ireland, who is looking like she may be retiring soon. Darcy her daughter, who is a food blogger and just starting to make a name for herself in the States. Connor Ricci who runs the Michelin starred restaurant in The Castle, and who is a big name in his own right, and been working alongside Diana for years. Finally there is Bea who has been hired in specifically for this series, who is mainly a baker specialising in Black Velvet cupcakes and is the sort of person I realised very early on that needed to have a close eye kept on her. 

During the first part of the book, we are told not only the story of what is happening in Kenmare, but also about a young woman in 1969 who is in a horrible marriage. I found the young woman's story fascinating and slightly shocking, and yet it took a while to connect the dots at all for the connection between the two stories to become apparent. 

I think anyone that enjoys watching TV cookery programmes, reading or looking at food porn, will love this book, as will fans of women's fiction generally. It is a reasonably paced story, with lots of  ups and downs, and I loved seeing how everything came together. It was a very pleasant book, that I thoroughly enjoyed reading, and it's a story that I didn't really want to end. I would love to see a sequel. 

Thank you to Elaine Egan and Netgalley for this review copy. This was my honest opinion. 

Book Review - Girl on a Plane by Cassandra O'Leary

Amazon UK

Title: Girl on a Plane

Author: Cassandra O'Leary

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Avon

Publication Date: 18th July 2016 

Rating: 4 Stars

CLIMB ON BOARD . . .

When feisty Irish flight attendant Sinead Kennealy locks eyes with sexy Australian CEO Gabriel Anderson in First Class, sparks fly. But as they jet across the globe from Melbourne to London, it’s clear that they’re in for a turbulent journey . . .

Stressed-out Gabriel doesn’t do relationships. And Sinead isn’t about to be fooled by another bad boy after escaping her stalker ex. Then a storm hits, causing the plane to land unexpectedly, and Sinead and Gabriel are thrown together in Singapore.

The pressure rises as Sinead’s unhappy past threatens to catch up with her. But might Gabriel be the one to heal her heartbreak? If he could open up about his troubling secrets, maybe a relationship could actually get off the ground. Fasten your seatbelts – this WON’T be a smooth ride . . .

Girl on a Plane is sassy, sexy and scintillating. The first thing I do need to say is do not read the first couple of chapters while flying if you are a nervous flier, the rest of the book is safe to read while in the air, but I would say be on solid ground. That isn't to say the start isn't good, far from it, in fact its incredibly gripping and had my adrenalin pumping. 

It isn't often that I read about a tropical storm in a book, and the detour to Singapore is what sets this story alight, as sexy businessman Gabriel and flight attendant Sinead end up booking the same hotel room, in which to see out the storm. 

This is a real jet setting book with action in Melbourne, London, Singapore, Paris and even Thailand, and although the locations aren't the key attraction of the story, they do really add to it regardless. 

There is an instant chemistry between Sinead and Gabriel that is simmering, even if Sinead tries to deny it at first. After about the first third of the book I was convinced this was just your regular romance but yet as it continued and they try to see if other in a more real life situation, it is clear just how much depth there really is to the story. 

Gabriel's mum has health problems and Gabriel is very worried about her, whereas Sinead has a psycho ex, a non relationship with her mum, and her sister is occasionally in her life. When various sections come to a head you could really feel the tension and drama as the action unfurled, leaving me not wanting to put the book down for even a second. 

Girl on a Plane is Cassandra O'Leary's debut novel, and is a great story to read, with its mix of sex, romance and the more serious side of things, and it's always refreshing to find a new Australian author to read, given the majority of the books that I read are American or British. 

Thank you to Avon and Netgalley for this review copy. This was my honest opinion. 

Funday Friday - Truth or Lie? - Renee Conoulty - Month 3 Week 3

Welcome to the latest edition of Truth of Lie. My name is Rachel and I will be your host, for this exciting new game show. Each Friday, I will have one contestant, and they will be answering at least 14 questions. There is of course one small twist...

For three of the answers, they have to lie. It is your task as the viewer to guess which three answers are lies. You are allowed 3 guesses and I want them posted into the comments field. 

Every 4 weeks, I will close the guessing, count up how many correct answers each of you has, and create a leaderboard. Anyone who is top of the leaderboard, will go into a draw for a paperback of the winners choice (open internationally). 

Please do include a way for me to contact you (email or twitter or similar), so that I can let you know if you have won. 

The weekend after a 4 week period closes, not only will I produce a leaderboard, and announce a winner, I will also let you know into the true answers, and which were the lies.  

Closing date for the third month is 11pm on 4th August 2016. 

So without further ado, let's meet today's contestant. 

Good morning contestant, please can you tell me your name and a little bit about yourself?

Hey Everyone! I’m Renee Conoulty. I have a blog called HeySaidRenee, where I share book reviews and other bookish posts. I have rather eclectic reading tastes, so you will find all kinds of books there. I’m also in the middle of writing my first novel, a chick lit story of military life and swing dancing. 

Please to meet you Renee, I love your blog, and its a pleasure to have you on Truth or Life?
Now onto the show, and remember everyone, Renee hasn't been entirely truthful with three of these answers, so it is up to you to guess which ones they are (only 3 guesses per person though). 

1) What was your most memorable holiday ever?

My most memorable holiday would have to be my trip to Thailand. It was my first overseas holiday and I crammed in lots of fun. The highlight was getting married with a Traditional Thai Buddhist wedding in Chiang Mai, followed by a honeymoon trekking through the Hill Tribes. 

2) Besides reading, which I am guessing is a given, what other hobbies do you have?

Apart from reading (yes that is a given) I love swing dancing. I first started in 2000, and after a break for a few years when I had kids, I’m back dancing again. I love it so much, it’s found a starring role in my novel.

3) What are you most scared of?

I’m most scared of frogs. The thought of their slimy skin touching mine makes me shudder. Ergh.

4) If you won the lottery, how would you spend the money?

I would be terribly practical if I won the lottery. Pay off all our debts. Buy a nice house. Invest enough to live comfortably, then travel the world. 

5) Did you have an invisible friend as a child? If so please tell me about them. 

I had two invisible friends. One was named Jenny. She came in a red car and Mum had to set another place at the table when we ate. I made a phone out of a shoebox to call her on. My other pretend friend was called Bad Renee. I think you can guess what she was like...

6) What is your guilty pleasure when it comes to music? 

Um... Audiobooks... When normal people listen to music, like in the car on the way to work, I have an audiobook on. It’s like spoken word music, right?

7) If you could be a fruit, what would you be and why?

I would be a coconut, so I could live on a tropical island and watch the sun set over the ocean every day.

8) Who is the most important person in the world to you?

The most important person in the world is Luketommolly – I can’t choose between my husband and two kids.

9) What would your ideal pet be?

I’ve had dogs, cats, birds, fish, mice, a rabbit, a guinea pig, chickens and a beetle. I prefer the cuddly, furry ones, but yet to find one that cleans up its own poo.

10) Who is your ideal Disney character?

Snow White – I’d love her to move in with me and take care of all the cooking and cleaning. I’m happy for the woodland animals to help, so long as they don’t poo in the house. 

11) What is your dream job, and have you tried to achieve it?

My dream job is to be a Physiotherapist. I tried, but failed three times and dropped out of uni.

12) What superpower would you love to have?

I would love to be able to fly.

13) What is the most annoying interview question you have ever been asked?

“Who’s your favourite author?” I can’t choose. It’s right up there with “What’s your favourite book?” There are just too many and I love them all. 

14) If you could only read one author for the rest of your life (and I’m aware that’s a very scary world), who would you choose and why?

Probably James Patterson. I haven’t actually read any of his books yet, but I figure, with the amount he’s pumping out and the variety of genres he’s tackling, there’s bound to be enough books to keep me busy for a little while. I might still have to ration them out a bit, considering I read over 200 books last year.

Thank you so much Renee, I agree being asked for your favourite book or author is very annoying, but it is the sort of thing people like to know, and yeah James Patterson does seem to be highly prolific. 

I hope you have enjoyed this edition of Truth or Lie? I will be back next week with another episode, and in the mean time...

Don't forget to guess the lies, to be in with a chance of a prize! 

Renee Conoulty is military wife and mother of two gorgeous kids. She has always loved reading, and devours books as readily as she devours chocolate. Renee started a book blog, HeySaidRenee, to share her love of books with the wider community. It was through this outlet that she found the courage to start writing. When she’s not helping primary school children learn to read or swing dancing, she can be found tapping away at the keyboard, working on her debut novel.

Links

Blog – HeySaidRenee - http://heysaidrenee.blogspot.com.au/

Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/HeySaidRenee

Twitter - https://twitter.com/HeySaidRenee

Newsletter - http://eepurl.com/bPay5r

Book Review - The Little Antique Shop Under The Eiffel Tower by Rebecca Raisin

Amazon UK

Title: The Little Antique Shop Under The Eiffel Tower (The Little Paris Collection, Book 2)

Author: Rebecca Raisin

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Carina

Publication Date: 30th June 2016

Rating: 5 Stars

Escape to Paris this summer and prepare to be swept off your feet…
Anouk LaRue used to be a romantic, but since she had her heart well and truly broken her love life has dissolved into nothing more than daydreams of the perfect man. Retreating to her extraordinary Little Antique Shop has always been a way to escape, because who could feel alone in a shop bursting with memories and beautiful objects…

Until Tristan Black bursts into an auction and throws her ordered world into a spin.

Following your heart is a little like getting lost in Paris – sometimes confusing and always exciting! Except learning to trust her instincts is not something Anouk is ready to do when it comes to romance, but the city of love has other ideas…

What a wonderful story, its French, it has a kooky shop owner, it's got some bad guys, a fabulous mystery at the heart of the story, and some eccentrics too. What more could you want from a new romantic comedy..ah yes it has romance, a sexy man, some brilliantly light hearted sections and generally is a whole lot of fun too. 

Have I interested you at all in The Little Shop Under The Eiffel Tower yet? 

Within the first few pages I knew I was going to be lost for the evening, between the pages of my kindle, as I just wanted to keep knowing what was going to happen next. It starts relatively sedately in Anouk's antique shop. Those that read the first book in The Little Paris Collection will remember Anouk and her shop, as she has a reputation for not allowing just anyone to buy from her. 

She is rather unique in that the first few times you go to her shop you have to be accompanied by someone who recommends you as a trusted customer, and it may take a while for Annouk to allow you to come at your leisure alone. This is after she has sensed if a customer is truly interested in antiques, and not just the objects but the history and story surrounding the object. She doesn't just deal in high value antiques, but anything that is of interest to collectors of just about everything. 

I loved hearing her tell some of the items stories to her customers, and hearing all about the objects that she is also hoping to purchase. However the one part of Annouk's life which isn't going as well, is her love life. She recently was betrayed a con man boyfriend, and she is still trying to recover her trust in men. 

Especially sexy, gorgeous American men that appear from nowhere but that seems to have a healthy interest in Annouk. 

I loved Annouk's family dynamic with her sister who is unlike her as possible, her father who is archaic in his views towards women, and her mother who comes into her own during the story. 

There is a huge mystery at the heart of this book, which Annouk and her friends become involved in. I think this book could almost pass for a mystery, as I was so gripped by trying to work out who the thief really was, and I kept second guessing my own opinion, and although not shocked towards the end, I would say surprised. 

This is the second book in a mini series, but can easily be read as a standalone. There is just a couple of characters crossover, but at the same time we also had an introduction to who I believe may be the lead character, or at least very much key in the third book of the Little Paris Collection. 

I could wax lyrical about my enjoyment of this book for a lot longer, but instead would recommend you just buy it and read it for yourself. If you have read anything by Rebecca Raisin before I know you will love this, and if you haven't, this is a great book to be your introduction to a wonderful author, of chick lit. 

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Carina for this review copy. This was my honest opinion. 

Book Review & Giveaway - Third Time Lucky The Honey Trap by Victoria Browne - #20BooksofSummer

Amazon UK

Title:  Third Time Lucky The Honey Trap

Author: Victoria Browne

Format reviewed: Paperback

Source: Review copy supplied by author

Publisher: Neville House Publishing

Publication Date: 1st June 2015

Rating: 3 Stars

A fast moving witty chick lit drama that will take you on a journey of laughter and revelations. 

Good friends Sarah a sensible simple soul, Laura bitchy complicated, Beth a ‘too cool for school’ high school teacher, and Jess a funky hairdresser, decide to honey trap Jess's new American boyfriend Richard. How could such a simple plan go wrong? Just add Jess’s new flat mate, hot sexy Elise to the mix, a few glasses of wine and you have a cocktail fit for disaster – especially when Elise honey traps the wrong boyfriend! Good friends are all Sarah needs when her uncomplicated life is jettisoned into chaos. 

Dan, Sarah’s boyfriend makes some shady life choices. But who is friend and who is foe? 

Wealthy bachelor Lee Preston sets his sights on Sarah and all Lee wants is to make her happy. Life could be fantastic when money is no object and your closet is filled with designer shoes, Oh, and his with secrets. 

I can't help but feel slightly unsettled after finishing Third Time Lucky The Honey Trap, to say it didn't finish how I was expecting would be an understatement. I enjoyed though the journey of the story and its got a great tone to it. 

The book is well paced, and is about a group of friends, but mainly about Sarah, and her life. Sarah at the start has been with Dan for five years, and although is starting to be a bit fed up is relatively happy with life, she is working in the bed department of a furniture shop with a new friend and generally having a good time. 

When Jess decides to honeytrap her new boyfriend, as she has trust issues due to her father, Elise the new flatmate who hasn't met the lads yet, decides to do it free of charge but managed to trap the wrong man, which leads to all sorts of issues for the group of friends. 

There is also Lee Preston who is a rich man who has set his sights on Sarah, but you can't help but feeling he is far too good to be true. 

Third Time Lucky The Honey Trap is Victoria Browne's second book, but I much preferred Gut Feeling. This one although still very likeable, just didn't quite work for me as well, it was light hearted, but I just didn't get a proper sense of any of the characters, and didn't really connect with them properly. 

I felt that the honey trap was such a small bit of the book, I can't understand why its even referenced in the title, whereas the theme of Third Time Lucky made much more sense. Thinking about it, I much preferred the first half of the book, which felt more real and entertaining, whereas Sarah seemed to have a personality change once Lee became involved, and I just wasn't as keen. 

Thank you to Victoria Browne for this review copy. This was my honest opinion. 

Giveaway - Win a paperback copy of Third Time Lucky The Honey Trap (Open to Europe only)

I happen to have a spare copy of this book to giveaway to one lucky winner so they can make up their own mind about this book. 

Giveaway open to Europe only, all options are voluntary, but please do what they ask, as I will be verifying the winner. Giveaway closes 23:59 27/7/2016. Winner will be announced on twitter and emailed, and they will need to reply within 7 days, or forfeit the prize, and I will re-draw for a new winner.  Good luck everyone.

Win a paperback copy of Third Time Lucky The Honey Trap (Open to Europe only)