With Love at Christmas by Carole Matthews

Paperback, 432 pages
Published October 25th 2012 by Sphere (first published 2012)
women's fic
Library

I saw it, I saw xmas, and thought why not.

Juliet loves xmas and wants to make it special but, omg her family.

First, I know you need help Chloe, but you have a kid, and one on the way and now you are mooching of your parents and goes out partying. And living with them.Grow up!

Tom, their son, has also moved back home since he does not have a job, and same thing here. Out partying and bring home strangers. Kick him out.

Her mum, well I get it there, she can not be on her own, but Carole can not take care of someone who needs constant care. She has a jo! And her mum has alzheimers :/ Sorry, but you need to face facts.

But this is a xmas story, so it will all work out, sort of, there are threads left hanging, oh well, everyone had a lovely xmas at least.

Cheerful, with some hmm moments

Juliet Joyce adores Christmas. She loves the presents, the tree, the turkey, the tinsel, everything. Already the festive spirit is upon her, which is just as well as this Christmas things are starting to get out of hand.

Her son Tom is out of work and bringing home a slew of unsuitable partners; pregnant daughter Chloe and her little boy have moved back in; Juliet's father, Frank, is getting over a heartbreak of his own and Rita, her eccentric mother, is behaving more erratically each day. And has the chaos got too much for Juliet's husband Rick?

With the big day fast approaching, Juliet hopes that she can stop everything spiralling out of control, because the only thing she wants is her family all around her and her home to be filled 

Audio: The flatshare - Beth O'Leary

Narrated by: Carrie Hope Fletcher, Kwaku Fortune

Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins

Unabridged Audiobook

Release date: 05-28-19

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Romantic fiction

To review

This was sure one strange arrangement. They share a bed, but have never met! He works nights, she works normal hours so they never meet. But they share the same flat, the same bed. A start to a new fun friendship.

Tiffie needs a place to live, and fast, so she goes for this. She has recently broken up with her boyfriend, he is already engaged to someone else and she had been living with him up until now. Yes he sounds like quite the charmer. She is colorful, fun and with a smile on her face. I liked her at once. She also starts writing notes to the flatmate she has never met.

Leon is more of an introvert. He works nights to pay for his brother's lawyer and he needs even more money. 

They interact through notes. Everywhere in the house. They get to know each other. She coax him out of his shell. And other things happen.

Like his hunt for someone a patient used to know.

Her realising that she does not need her ex.

And them falling in love.

It was a sweet story with heart, but also a lot of depth. There are realisations to have and they dealt with a lot of emotional heartache.

Narration

 I wonder how they did the notes in the book. Here it does work well when they just read them out loud. There are also phonecalls and they work too since they use some kind of muffler? They narrate well and the story really flows through their narration

After a bad breakup, Tiffy Moore needs a place to live. Fast. And cheap. But the apartments in her budget have her wondering if astonishingly colored mold on the walls counts as art.  
Desperation makes her open-minded, so she answers an ad for a flatshare. Leon, a night-shift worker, will take the apartment during the day, and Tiffy can have it nights and weekends. He’ll only ever be there when she’s at the office. In fact, they’ll never even have to meet.  
Tiffy and Leon start writing each other notes - first about what day is garbage day, and politely establishing what leftovers are up for grabs, and the evergreen question of whether the toilet seat should stay up or down. Even though they are opposites, they soon become friends. And then maybe more.  
But falling in love with your roommate is probably a terrible idea...especially if you've never met.

Audio: The summer cottage - Viola Shipman

Narrated by: Tanya Eby

Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins

Unabridged Audiobook

Release date: 04-23-19

Language: English

Publisher: Harlequin Audio

Womens fic

To review

My Thoughts

I remember seeing something about 50+ people finding love, and no, this is not a romance, but maybe she finds love (she totally does!). And it felt nice to see someone mature find love too.

Adie Lou has been through a divorce (her hubbie left her for a college student, that asshat!). And even though she has a well paid job, she wants more. She wants something new. She is tired of her jo, tired of seeing men pass her for promotions. She needs to find herself again.

So she decides to make her grandparents summer cottage into a b&b. Of course I at once thought of a Finnish one and was all how?!? But it seems this one has over 8 bedrooms, so that is bloody palace. But it will not be easy. She knows nothing about that kind of life. There is so much work to be done. She has doubts. She finds friends, and yes she does get a chance of some romance too.

I do confess that it is really cheesy sweet. Everything works out and there are quotes everywhere. I would brand it Hallmark feel good book. Make this a Hallmark movie and it would fit right in. And I liked that, the sweet, the hopeful tone of the book.

Narrator

I have listened to Tanya Eby before, and I do like her voice. She also fitted very well for this role and this sort of story. It was enjoyable listening to her and I find her different voices well done.

Adie Lou Kruger’s ex never understood her affection for what her parents called their Cozy Cottage, the charming, ramshackle summer home - complete with its own set of rules for relaxing - that she’s inherited on Lake Michigan. But despite the fact she’s facing a broken marriage and empty nest and that middle age is looming in the distance, memories of happy childhoods on the beach give her reason for hope. She’s determined not to let her husband’s affair with a grad student reduce her to a cliché or to waste one more minute in a career she doesn’t love, so it becomes clear what Adie Lou must do: rebuild her life and restore her cottage shingle by shingle, on her terms.
But converting the beloved, weather-beaten structure into a bed-and-breakfast isn’t quite the efficient home-reno experience she’s seen on TV. Pushback from Saugatuck’s contentious preservation society, costly surprises, and demanding guests were not part of the plan. But as the cottage comes back to life, Adie Lou does, too, finding support in unexpected places and a new love story on the horizon.
One cottage rule at a time, Adie Lou reclaims her own strength, history, and joy by rediscovering the magic in every sunset and sandcastle.

Audio: California Girls - Susan Mallery

• Narrated by: Tanya Eby
• Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins
• Unabridged Audiobook
• Release date: 02-26-19
• Language: English
• Publisher: Harlequin Audio
• Womens fiction
• Thank you harper for this copy!

MY THOUGHTS

This is the story of 3 sisters who all get dumped on the same day.

Ali was my favorite of the sisters. She gets dumped 2 months before her wedding and her fiance does not even do it himself. The more I heard of him I was all, you should have dumped him long ago.

And his brother Daniel, omg, what a man! He was everything her sucky fiance should have been. So yes obvi something will start to grow there

Finola was somewhat cold. She was just so career oriented. Of course that did not give her husband  the right to cheat, talk people! I also feel that she clung to his memory too long.

Zennie, well I do understand why her family and friends felt like she rushed into things. I felt like she rushed into things. Her friends wanted a baby, she said yes to being their surrogate. But even though it was her egg she never thought more of it. I mean that is your baby! That is not their baby, that is half their baby and half yours! Yes, awesome thing to do, but still your baby.

They all deal with their own things as the story progresses, and with their mum getting rid of their old place.

It was a more, oh I can not find the right word, not slow, just peaceful (still not the right word). The only real drama being when Finola found out the truth.

A good book

Narrator
I felt she did justice to all the sisters. They had their own voices. She got the mood of the book too
I feel like I have listened to her before, and if not, then she has a voice that makes you feel at home

Blurb

Finola, a popular LA morning show host, is famously upbeat until she’s blindsided on live TV by news that her husband is sleeping with a young pop sensation who has set their affair to music. While avoiding the tabloids and pretending she’s just fine, she’s crumbling inside, desperate for him to come to his senses and for life to go back to normal.

Zennie’s breakup is no big loss. Although the world insists she pair up, she’d rather be surfing. So agreeing to be the surrogate for her best friend is a no-brainer—after all, she has an available womb and no other attachments to worry about. Except…when everyone else, including her big sister, thinks she’s making a huge mistake, being pregnant is a lot lonelier—and more complicated—than she imagined.

Never the tallest, thinnest or prettiest sister, Ali is used to being overlooked, but when her fiancé sends his disapproving brother to call off the wedding, it’s a new low. And yet Daniel continues to turn up “for support,” making Ali wonder if maybe—for once—someone sees her in a way no one ever has.

Joint Audio Discussion: Still me - Jojo Moyes

Hello all! Carole and I will be discussing "Still Me" by Jojo Moyes. I am in black and Carole in purple/

Author: Jojo Moyes

Narrator: Anna Acton

Title: Still Me (Me Before You #3)

Genre: Fiction, Romance

Pages: Audiobook

Published: January 30th 2018 

Where I Got It: library

Louisa Clark arrives in New York ready to start a new life, confident that she can embrace this new adventure and keep her relationship with Ambulance Sam alive across several thousand miles. She steps into the world of the superrich, working for Leonard Gopnik and his much younger second wife, Agnes. Lou is determined to get the most out of the experience and throws herself into her new job and New York life. 

As she begins to mix in New York high society, Lou meets Joshua Ryan, a man who brings with him a whisper of her past. Before long, Lou finds herself torn between Fifth Avenue where she works and the treasure-filled vintage clothing store where she actually feels at home. And when matters come to a head, she has to ask herself: Who is Louisa Clark? And how do you reconcile a heart that lives in two places?

Funny, romantic, and poignant, Still Me follows Lou as she navigates how to stay true to herself, while pushing to live boldly in her brave new world.

This was my favorite Moyes so far, and that is saying much since I got so pissed at it too ;) But the previous book was just soooo dreadful. And I did like that this was audio for me, book 2 was print and book 1 was movie. Pretty cool.

Yesss the 2nd book was so bad. This was my 2nd favorite of the series. Book 1 will always hold a special place in my heart. It was so sad. This one was good but I did not cry. I did feel for Lou. I feel like she always gets bad luck!

It is starting to feel like MOyes is milking this too much, and I do hope this was the end...wait no I don’t. Cos of that thing you know. But I liked this one because it felt more relaxed. Just a girl in the city.

I am curious to see if there is another one. She left it a little open-ended. What is next? Or will she leave it to us to decide. And I know what I want to happen. Not THAT. I am so angry that Lou just let him come back. No. 

She gave us a happy little ending, with more that could come. Making it in the city. But yes, I was pissed. Sam is not right for Lou. I hated it. F grand gestures. No, why did Moyes have to go and do that. It did ruin the book for me.

I adored Sam in book 2 and the beginning of book 3. But he F’ed up and I loathe him. Lou deserves better. He needed to really do more than that. He needed to really do a lot and sure that “grand gesture” is a nice beginning, but I would make him earn me. And I would still probably tell him no after all of that. LOL

Some things can not be forgiven. And her other guy, sigh, Josh was so nice in the beginning, but then suddenly he was a jerk. Like I said to you I did feel the author changed that too quickly. We should have seen something from the start and not make him into an arsehole all the sudden. So that she could get her other man

It was all of a sudden. I can see if it had been a few months and then he starts having enough of Lou’s weirdo-ness. I am bummed but we should’ve known better. He looked like Will but he is not Will whatsoever. Will would’ve kicked his butt. 

I am finding it hard to discuss this book. It was really good one, I enjoyed it, but other than the men and Agnes, fu Agnes! I do not have a lot to say. As for the Agnes thing, I would not have been that nice, I would have taken her down with me.

It is SOOOOOO hard to not give away spoilers. So mannnyyyy of them. And yes F Agnes too. I felt bad for her at the beginning, but she just used Lou. I would’ve easily tossed her under the bus. No, I will not take that graciously. But maybe that makes Lou better than us. I am glad it happened though, because I am glad we got to learn more about the old lady. I actually ended up loving her and that little Pug. Super cute!

Haha, the pug with the shifty eyes, yes he was a darling...after a while,and the old lady too. Agnes, I got her, but at the same time as she was so supposedly in love she did that. But I guess all is forgiven in love in this book.

I do wish that the author gave us more of a conclusion with that whole story. Because that is a huge thing to lie about. I am curious. 

I do want to know. And I do not know why he did not just sent Elaria to work for his wife. She kept calling Agnes a whore, i mean that is not cool. The household would sure have been happier.

He was just blind to it all. I would not be cool with a person working for me calling my BF names. And that daughter? No….she needed a slap in the face. A little snot, but realistic. That happens all the time. It is more common for a step child to hate the new, young bride/husband. Especially if they were older when the parents break up. 

Still, you are 24. Get a job and shut up. I get being resentful, but I do feel these two could have been happy if everyone hadn’t been a dick about it.

Right??? I am glad that she was finally put in her place. She was a little beyotch. Like I said...I felt bad for Agnus...but then she did what she did and I was pissed. Not cool. Sure things worked out, but I can’t imagine doing that to one of my friends. 

Right! Not cool Agnes.

Ok so the narrator whose name I do not remember did a great job. I really felt like I liked the story more cos of her.

I adored the narrator. I loved all of her accents. So fun!

Would I have liked the print as much...doubtful. A good narrator makes everything so much better :)

Mhmmm I am not sure. I think I would’ve liked the story, but the narrator for sure added more to it so it made me like it better. She was the perfect Lou. 

SO even with that THING, I felt the book was really good. I wanted to know what would happen to Lou and I liked the narrator. I call that a success, hehe ;)

I am glad we decided to read this. I know we were both unsure because of how BAD book 2 was. I’m happy with this choice. The story was really good even though Sam and Agnus were aholes. But it does give us a reminder that life is not fair and Lou has bad luck. I miss Will D: 

A good solid choice. Yay. That means the next one will probably suck. Is it your turn?

It is your turn m’am. ;) But yes, I am pleasantly surprised with this pick. I was worried because the last book was good too. Two good, solid picks??????? Makes me worried for December’s choice!

I kind of want to go xmsssy but that is doomed to fail

That sounds like a good plan, but knowing our luck it will fail. Hahahaha

The end! I need to take in S and wake her.

Okay! I am helping Gma move today. Ugh. It is soooo cold out there. 

About the Authors

Carole and Blodeuedd have been blogging a long while now. The last couple of years the epic duo have been discussing books, watching movies, and even wetting the pen and sharing their stories with the worldwide web. They both love cats, chocolate, and a good story.

Audio: Christmas on the Island - Jenny Colgan

Audio CD, 7 Hours and 35 Minutes

Narrator: Sarah Barron

Published October 16th 2018 by HarperCollins

Series: Summer Seaside Kitchen #3

Women's fiction

Thank you Harper for this review copy

My Thoughts

This story certainly was bittersweet. It was a story about the people, this island, and their hopes and dreams.

But first, this is book 3 and at first I felt, well not lost, but I did feel like I if I had gone into a room filled with people who knew each other. And I dared not approach anyone cos they all seemed to enjoy each other's company so much. But I got to know them by watching them, it that makes sense.

The book is mostly about Flora, a former lawyer, who now runs the Seaside Kitchen. She loves this windswept island and its people. And her big farming family.

I do not know the story of her and Joel. But I guess they worked together, became a couple and now live on Mure. But not together. And she is preggers, and he has some horrible past that makes him scared of loving anyone. So she takes small steps and this could break him. Which is so sad, because she needs some support too. But he does seem really messed up.

There is her brother Fintan, and hos husband Coltan who is dying. I guess if I had seen them meet and fall in love then this would have been so sad.It still was sad, but yes it would have been so much more heartbreaking then.

Then there is Saif, a doctor from Syria who was reunited with his boys, but his wife is still missing (and yeah, after this book I doubt she is alive.) But he mourns and feels like maybe they still live somewhere where there are more like them.

Lorna, the teacher who is in love with Saif, but she also knows he still loves his wife. Poor Lorna. Poor Saif.

And then there Christmas approaching.  A person in itself. And the light it brings this island. And I mean literally cos yes I know the darkness of December. You get up it is dark, you get home it is dark.

Conclusion:
Some romance, friendship, heartache and longing. A sweet and sad Christmas tale. And the stories are not over.

Narration

Sarah was really good. I loved her accent and her kid voice was so fun. Perfect

I was there on the island with them. Feeling sadness,  being hungry and happy

Cover

SO pretty

Blurb

On the remote Scottish island of Mure, the Christmas season is stark, windy, and icy-yet incredibly festive and beautiful ...

It's a time for getting cozy in front of whiskey barrel wood fires, and enjoying a dram and a treacle pudding with the people you love-unless, of course, you've accidentally gotten pregnant by your ex-boss, and don't know how to tell him. In the season for peace and good cheer, will Flora find the nerve to reveal the truth to her nearest and dearest? Will her erstwhile co-parent Joel think she's the bearer of glad tidings-or is this Christmas going to be as bleak as the Highlands in midwinter?

Meanwhile Saif, a doctor and refugee from war-torn Syria is trying to enjoy his first western Christmas with his sons on this remote island where he's been granted asylum. His wife, however, is still missing, and her absence hangs over what should be a joyful celebration. Can the family possibly find comfort and joy without her?

Travel to the beautiful northern edge of the world and join the welcoming community of Mure for a Highland Christmas you'll never forget!

Carole's Sunday Review_ Freefall

Author: Lily Iona MacKenzie

Title: Freefall - A Divine Comedy

Genre: Women's Lit, Historical, Fiction, Comedy

Pages: ebook

Expected Publication: January 1st 2019

Where I Got It: My shelf (Given to me by the author/publisher for my honest and unbiased opinion)

Tillie Bloom, a wacky installation artist, who reconnects with three former friends—women she had hung out with in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s—in a four-day reunion at Whistler, B.C. The new intimacy they experience prompts them to celebrate their approaching sixtieth birthdays together, as well as the millennium, in Venice, Italy, where two thirds of the book take place. During this time, secrets surface, their stories binding them closer together.

As we come to know them better, the women’s identities shift, enlarging, becoming more complex. Each one’s life has taken a different direction. Tillie and Daddy have both moved to the States from Canada, where Tillie has given herself over to art. Daddy—once a radical feminist/hippie and now a lesbian—has turned into a successful real estate saleswoman. Moll, tres sportif, a housewife and mother of three, spends her free time exploring the Canadian outdoors. Sibyl—also married and a shrewd bookkeeper addicted to 4000-piece jigsaw puzzles, cigarettes, and wine—has a cabin in Whistler, a home in Vancouver, and a flat in Venice.

While Sibyl, Moll, and Daddy assume they’re in Venice to vacation and deepen their relationships, Tillie has a hidden agenda: she intends to crash the Biennale, an art extravaganza scheduled every other year, hoping to find a larger audience for her art. But first she must find the ideal place to construct her installation that features casts she made of her three friends’ bodies as well as other zany pieces.

Soon after they arrive in Venice, they visit the church of the Santa Maria Della Salute where Tillie and a lascivious priest, Father Lazarus (a half-Ethiopian dwarf), fall for each other. Later, Tillie thinks Frank, her former photographer lover, who recently died, has returned as a pigeon, much like the one that made a dramatic appearance at his wake. It pursues her through the streets of Venice, complicating her developing relationship with the priest and offering some wonderfully comic moments.

Tillie often gets lost in the maze of streets, but she resurfaces sooner or later, intrigued by the various reflective surfaces and how they participate in the city’s love affair with light. These reflections counter the pull of darker forces, causing the four women to reevaluate themselves and their lives. Tillie, in particular, experiences a new understanding of herself that propels her into a new age, not unlike what she had experienced in the early 1960s.

I was drawn in by the cover and the title. After I read the summary, I had no choice but to give it a read. 

The story follows Tillie and her three friends. They have been friends for many, many years. Like everyone, Life can get in the way and they drift apart for a while. They decide to get together for a 4-day reunion. We get to see them in the 50s and 60s and more recently. It was fun to see how they have changed. 

I liked Tillie. She was an interesting character. It was fun to her morph and change throughout the stories. It was cute the little romance she gets. He was fun. I liked him a lot. A very unique character indeed. 

The rest of the girls were fun to read about too. The name Daddy bugged me though. I kept thinking that someone's dad was there. However, I think Daddy was one of my favorites of the girls. I liked them all, don't get me wrong, but she was intriguing and she made me chuckle. 

I enjoyed the jumping between time. It was done well and I never got lost or confused. It was a good way to learn and understand our girls. I always get a little worried, but it worked well. 

It did take a bit for me to really get into the story. The beginning dragged a little bit. However, once we really got to the meat and potatoes of learning about the girls was when I got into the story fully. It was worth the wait for sure!

Overall, I liked it. It was a nice people story. The friends were interesting and it was fun learning about their pasts and what they grew to be. Tillie is our main character, but her friends certainly took the spotlight from time-to-time. It was fun! I recommend this to anyone who likes a good people story. I'll stamp this with 4 stars. 

Audio: The Secrets She Carried - Barbara Davis

Author Barbara Davis

Narrated by Tiffany Morgan

Publication date Sep 4, 2018 by Tantor Media

Running time 13 hrs 5 min

Sample

Historical fic/Women's fiction

My Thoughts:

I could not really put my finger on what was missing in this novel. I am still not sure. But I knew it was something when I fell asleep (not the first time), and did not rewind so to say. Instead I went forward and did not feel I had missed much. That is when I do know that something is missing for me. And I do not know what!

Maybe it was that it was two parts? I felt like the Adele story could have been a really good and tragic book. But now we had to read about Leslie too, and sure her part could have been good too, but maybe without the Adele bits. I never got Leslie's obsession and why Jay did not help her more.

And the end was the final nail in the coffin. There was still one road not taken and instead we got a haha, what a good book that would be. No, I want to see how that turned out!

So we have two stories that just do not flow well together...I guess. And maybe I did not take to Leslie. Adele I got.

I also wondered about so many things! Like yes I get that your mum died, but why did you stay away for 30 years? Why didn't your gran just come and visit you? Who did your gran marry? We never heard about that. Poor grandmother Maggie!

Conclusion:

Only ok from my point of view.

Narrator

I did like her, but maybe her voice was too smooth. I do listen a lot in the dark after all. She had such a pleasant voice and she did make the book better. 

Of course at the same time, her voice was very even since the book did not really go up and down either.

Blurb:

When a young woman returns to North Carolina after a thirty-year absence, she finds that the once grand tobacco plantation she called home holds more secrets than she ever imagined.

Though Peak Plantation has been in her family for generations, Leslie Nichols can’t wait to rid herself of the farm left to her by her estranged grandmother Maggie—and with it the disturbing memories of her mother’s death, her father’s disgrace, and her unhappy childhood. But Leslie isn’t the only one with a claim to Peak.

Jay Davenport, Peak’s reclusive caretaker, has his own reasons for holding onto the land bequeathed to him by Leslie’s grandmother. Before she died, Maggie hinted at a terrible secret surrounding Adele Laveau, a lady’s maid who came to Peak during the 1930s and died under mysterious circumstances. Jay is haunted by Maggie’s story, yet the truth eludes him—until Leslie uncovers a cryptically marked grave on the property.

As they delve into the mystery of Adele’s death, Leslie and Jay discover shocking secrets that extend deep into the roots of Leslie’s family tree—secrets that have the power to alter her life forever.

Audio: Miranda's big mistake - Jill Mansell

Audio CD, 15 pages

Published August 7th 2018 by Tantor Audio (first published 1999)

Romantic fiction /women's fiction

For review

My thoughts.

I like Mansell's books. They are always sweet and they never disappoint. Of course this one I actually wanted to listen to because of Gabrielle Baker, and she made is so much better. Her voice was perfect for it.

Miranda works in a fancy hair saloon. So far she does she lowly jobs, and hey, with her luck and messing things up, that might be a good idea. Her boss forgives a lot. Things others would not. But then she is sunshine. Happy, nice and funny. Who would not want to work with her. She is the one that the book is about, but since this is a Mansell book everyone else gets a lot of time in the spotlight too.

Like her boss ..Fen or Ben? I could actually not get that right. Anyway, the hot guy who owns the saloon and dates supermodels. But he is such a good guy.

Bev, who is the receptionist for the place. She is dyyyyyyying to meet someone, and this woman needs to calm down.

Flo, who owns the house where Miranda rents a room. Oh FLo was hilarious! I wish I am that cool and sassy when I get old.

Chloe, whose husband dumped her when she got preggers. That ahole! Chloe is so sweet and nice!

But as the blurb can tell you she will meet someone and fall in love, and dang he made is so hard to dislike him. Cos he is an ahole, but he does seem to like Miranda. There is also another mistake she makes early on that comes back through out the whole book, and I will not say more there, except, some mistakes are worth making.

The only weird thing was when she fell for someone and...let's just say, she got over it so fast. It felt like, why even write that particular story. It was strange and I can not say more.

But do not worry, everyone will be happy (except for Greg, he does not deserve too).

Conclusion:
I enjoyed it

Narrator Gabrielle Baker
Oh she is just wonderful! I really like her voice and she makes for a great Miranda

Cover
She does not take a single bikeride...cute still

Blurb:
Revenge is a dish best served sweet . . .

Miranda's most recent male-related catastrophe is the seemingly perfect Greg. He's gorgeous, witty, and they're on the brink of falling madly in love . . . until Miranda finds out he's just left his pregnant wife.

With the help of her friends, Miranda plans the most delicious revenge a heartbroken girl can get. But will Miranda learn from her mistake, or move on to the next "perfect" man and ignore the love of her life waiting in the wings?

Audio: Sheer Mischief - Jill Mansell

My thoughts:

Mansell likes to write from many POVs at times,  and that is the case here.

First we have Janey, who is the main POV. Her husband disappeared one day, and she still wonders about that almost 2 years after. Like who wouldn't! She is kind, but with low self esteem. She keeps comparing herself to her thinner pretty sister. Also she totally flirts with the wrong man,  I so worried about that.

Then there is Maxine who is a whirl storm. I really can not compare, but even if the book starts with J, I would say Maxine gets almost the same numbers. Anyway,  you can not dislike her, even though she is flighty, can not be trusted and likes men too much. But she is still kind and funny and she does love her sister. She is the worst and the best at her job and I kept shaking my head, but she was amusing to read about.

Their mum gets a minor POV later on, but hush hush about that.

Then there is Guy, who Maxine sets her eyes on. Oh he was so blind when it comes to women. But he is a really nice guy, really. And he loves his kids.

There is love to bo found and lost. New roads to take. Secrets to find out. Lives to live. It's a nice book and even though I knew what would happen with some, I did wonder about the road there cos it sure took long ;)

Conclusion:

A lovely book where everyone got what they deserved, good and bad.

Narrator. Charlotte Anne Dore

I actually had some issues here. I tried every speed, but it was always the same thing, her sentences felt...chunky? They just did not flow. Luckily I could still enjoy it, but yes it did bug me.

Cover

Cute. No head though

Blurb:

It's not that Janey Sinclair isn't pleased to see her sister. It's just that being woken at seven by Maxine, complete with police escort, isn't quite how she'd planned to spend her Sunday. Even so Janey, who's just rebuilding her life after her husband disappeared, is delighted that her sister's back in the Cornish town where they grew up. When Maxine sets her sights on Guy Cassidy, an impossibly glamorous fashion photographer, Janey knows there's no limit to the mischief her sister will get up to in order to dispatch her rivals. But little do they know that the competition is a lot closer to home than they think . . . 

Audio CD, 15 h
Published July 3rd 2018 by Tantor Audio (first published 1994)
Womens fiction
For review

Audio: This could change everything - Jill Mansell

All it takes is one email to end her relationship, get her kicked out of her apartment, and just about ruin her life. Essie Phillips never meant for her private rant about her boss to be sent to everyone in her address book, but as soon as it goes viral, her life as she knows it is over. Solution: move to a new town, find a new job, make new friends. If only it were as simple as that...

My thoughts:

Review Essie writes something for fun, but then something happens and everyone knows her mistake. Her boyfriend, his mum, and she looses everything. Her job, her boyfriend and her home. But honestly, her boyfriend was not that special and his mum a horror. Even if it takes Essie a while to realise this.

So she needs a place to live, an a new job and all POVS come together. As for Essie, she was normal and likable.

Then there is Cilla, a 83 year old with a taste for fashion, and omg she was so cool.

Connor, who left a good paying job to find his passion. A nice guy.

Then there is Lucas, a bar owner, and Essie's BFF Scarlett who sounds like a hoot.

They all have their spot in the limelight and I do not know how she does it. The book is not that long, but the story takes place over some months so people have time to become friends, find romance and find new things to like. It all works really well.

Conclusion;
A nice story about many stories. Friendships are made and romance is found

Narrator Esther Wane

Oh her voice of this annoying person cracked me up, and I liked her Connor voice. It made me lol.

She did a great job with it all 

Audio CD, 11 pages

Published June 5th 2018 by Tantor Audio (first published January 25th 2018)

Romantic fiction

For review

The real Katie Lavender - Erica James

At 30, Katie Lavender thinks she is better than most when it comes to dealing with life's surprises. But when she gets a request to visit a solicitor, she's not expecting the dramatic turn her life is about to take. There, she receives a letter from her deceased mother that literally changes everything she ever knew about herself...

My thoughts:
The book starts with Katie finding out that her dad was not her real dad. Her mother's letter explains it at all, and now, does she want to find him? Well duh, the book is almost 500 pages of course she goes to find him and there is a lot of drama.

She meets a bitchy family, I mean seriously, they acted like 4 year olds. "My dad wont love me anymore!" Omg, pull it together, you are a grown woman! I get that it was done for drama but I wanted to slap those horrid siblings.

It really is a family drama and follows her "new" family and cousin's family. Things are happening, I will not say more there. But we get a short insight into everyone. They do have their issues.

Katie has her own issues. Her job, her boyfriend that is pretty meh, being alone in the world with no family and then this big secret coming out.

Conclusion:
There is drama, there is romance and there is one messy family. I enjoyed it, even if I wanted to slap the S%¤t out of a few people.

Cover
eh

Paperback, 480 pages
Published March 1st 2012 by Orion
Women's fiction
Own

Audio: The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris - Jenny Colgan

It's true that Anna Trent is a supervisor in a chocolate factory . . . but that doesn't necessarily mean she knows how to make chocolate. And when a fateful accident gives her the opportunity to work at Paris's elite chocolatier Le Chapeau Chocolat, Anna expects to be outed as a fraud. After all, there is a world of difference between chalky, mass-produced English chocolate and the gourmet confections Anna's new boss creates. But with a bit of luck and a lot of patience, Anna might learn that the sweetest things in life are always worth working for. 

Audio CD, 10h
Published January 18th 2018 by Tantor Audio (first published January 1st 2013)
Women's fic /romantic fiction
For review

My thoughts:

OH I can still hear Anna's voice in my head! She sounded so fun, and like we would have a jolly good time together.

Let us begin. Anna has an accident and spends some time at a hospital and re-connects with an old French teacher of hers. She kind of floats through life, sure working at a choco factory is fun (omg, that would be so amazing!), but what else?

The book has another POV too. A young Englishwoman in the 70s who falls for a handsome Frenchman, and well it is obvious how it connects, and kind of sad too.

I liked Anna and her new life in Paris. She has no idea what to do but she just goes for it. She truly finds something to be happy about.

I also liked the 70s story and wondered how it all would work out...

Conclusion:

Sweet, and bittersweet. Fun and I need to go to France and eat REAL chocolate. Oh and food.

Narrator:  Beverley A Crick

Oh her Anna voice was so fun! Yes, like I said, Anna and I would be amazing friends. Her voice was just perfect. Shy, happy, confused, sad and witty.

She really made this book fun

Sample

The strawberry hearts Diner - Carolyn Brown

Being broke, unemployed, and stranded back in the tiny town of Pick, Texas, was not part of Jancy Wilson’s plan. Yet here she is, watching her car literally go up in smoke—along with her last-ditch hope of staying with her cousin in Louisiana. When Jancy spies a Help Wanted sign hanging in the window of the quaint Strawberry Hearts Diner, the memories of the two years she spent there as a teenager—and the lure of the diner’s beloved strawberry tarts—are enough to draw her in and plant her feet…but only temporarily.

Raised by parents who refused to settle anywhere for long, Jancy has never known what it is to have roots. Now that Jancy’s swept up by the warmth and character of this quirky little community—and by the pull of an old crush—it’s beginning to feel like home. She’s making friends and even discovering the sweetness of falling in love. But when the town is threatened, Jancy knows it will take more than its legendary tarts to save it. Can she fight for this little Texas town—knowing she might not stay forever?

My thoughts:

This book was all these tarts are awesome, the best ever and oh my I am drooling! I need to try those strawberry tarts. My mouth was watering through out the entire book.

Jancy has no one and then she gets stranded in her gran's hometown. Poor thing, she only meant to visit the grave and then she is there, no money, no car, nothing to her name. But this is a C Brown book and that means a lovely small town where people are friendly. She gets a job, she gets a place to sleep. There are some great people in this town. And Jancy is a nice woman, just unlucky in love and she has made mistakes because of that.

The diner is run by Nettie and Vicky. Two good women and one of them might find herself being sought after too ;) Then there is Vicky's daughter Emily with her own love story. But this is still Jancy's story and yes she finds romance too. Love and strawberry tarts all around.

Conclusion:
Romance, friendship and good honest people. That is why I like Brown's books. The people and the towns they live in. Oh and that she always makes me want to eat or drink something that she mentions.

Cover
nice

Kindle Edition, 288 pages
Expected publication: July 18th 2017 by Montlake Romance
Women's fic/contemporary romance
Netgalley

Audio Review: The beach at Painter's cove - Shelley Noble

The Whitaker family's Connecticut mansion, Muses by the Sea, has always been a haven for artists, a hotbed of creativity, extravagances, and the occasional scandal. Art patrons for generations, the Whitakers supported strangers but drained the life out of each other. Now, after being estranged for years, four generations of Whitaker women find themselves once again at the Muses. Leo, the Whitaker matriarch, lives in the rambling mansion. Jillian is a jet-setting actress, down on her luck.  Issy, Jillian's daughter, has a successful life as a museum exhibit designer that takes her around the world. But the Muses and her grandmother are the only family she's known, and when her sister leaves her own children with Leo, Issy knows she has to step in to help. Steph is only twelve years old and desperately needs someone to fire her imagination and bring her out of her shell. What she begins to discover at the Muses could change the course of her future. 

My thoughts:

Family drama and family love. 

It's a book about 4 generations. Leo and Faye, sisters, who are missing the good old days when artists flocked to their house. They are getting old, the house is getting old. I really liked Faye, she was quite the character, lost in her dreams and not caring what others thought about her. While Leo was lost in her own mind at times, and not in a good way.

Jillian left her kids with her parents and concentrated on her Hollywood career. It did make it hard to like her at all, she had just left her kids and was now chasing rich benefactors. 

Izzy who is the main character is Jillian's daughter. She loved her job but leaves everything to help her grandmother and her sister's kids. I liked her and she does get a bit of romance at the end too. You know I like that.

Then there is Steph, Izzy's niece. She has a pov too and brings a bit of whimsy and childlike wonder to the story.

The house is crumbling. Everyone has spent way too little time together before this but they come together. They work together, laugh together, argue, but the day is saved at the end. There is forgiveness, people move on and yes some find love and new things to enjoy.

Conclusion:
I enjoyed the story and it did seem like a lovely place to visit.

Narration

She did a good job and I found myself lost in the story in a good way. I never thought about how she did voices or anything like that. The story just flowed and I listened. 

Audio CD, 12 h
Published June 13th 2017 by Tantor Audio
Women's fiction
For review

Amber Green takes Manhattan - Rosie Nixon

When her TV producer boyfriend Rob announces that he’s been offered a job in New York, filming with the infamous Angel Wear lingerie models, Amber knows its her perfect chance to take the New York fashion world by storm.

But Amber wasn’t counting on unruly toddler photo shoots, clandestine designer handbag scams and a Hollywood star who is determined to wear as little as possible on the red carpet. Until she meets a disgraced former designer who could turn her career around…or leave it all in tatters.

Fun, adventure, glamour and high-fashion make this is the perfect feel good women’s fiction read.

My thoughts:

This is the second book about Amber Green, and yes I do feel like it could work as a stand alone. You meet Amber and her boyfriend Rob. They met in book 1 where Amber worked for this crazy stylist. And it's time for a new adventure.

Amber is fun, sweet and yes she can get a bit too invested in what she does. She just loves fashion so much. And it does seem like she would be fun to spend time with.

The story is about her going with Rob to Manhattan cos he got a job there for a few months, and who would say no to that! She also sees a chance to start working as a stylist again. And yes she really is the luckiest woman at times, things happen easy and by mistake. But this is a fun light book and things are meant to be like that.

Of course there is some drama with besties, romance and work. We all need a bit of drama to work harder.

Conclusion:
I have missed á fun sort of chic-litish book. It really is the perfect book for summer, and not to mention the beach. 

Paperback, 427 pages
Expected publication: June 29th 2017 by HQ (first published May 29th 2017)
Amber Green #2
Womens fiction
For review

Love in Row 27 - Eithne Shortall

What happens when Cupid plays co-pilot?

Still reeling from a break-up, Cora Hendricks has given up on ever finding love. For herself, that is. To pass the time while working the Aer Lingus check-in desk at Heathrow, Cora begins to play cupid with high-flying singles.

Using only her intuition, the internet, and glamorous flight attendant accomplice Nancy, Row 27 becomes Cora's laboratory of love. Instead of being seated randomly, two unwitting passengers on each flight find themselves next to the person of their dreams - or not.

Cora swears Row 27 is just a bit of fun, but while she's busy making sparks fly at cruising altitude, the love she'd given up on for herself just might have landed right in front of her...

My thoughts:

This one was cute and had some more serious moments too. I liked how it was build too, but we will come to that soon.

Cora works at the airport and she spends way too much time researching passengers and putting one couple in row 27. Hoping they will fall in love. And as the book progresses it turns into more of an obsession. She must find love for others, but what about herself?

She does have help, I mean how else would she see if it pays off? Nancy, a stewardess, tries her best to spy on the happy, or unhappy couple ;)

What I liked is that we actually got the POVS from the couples in row 27. Sometimes it works, sometimes they are so wrong for each other. And we also get 2 frequent fliers and get to see them sit there a few times. I really wanted her to find a match for Ingrid, and as for Aiden, well yes he needed some happiness too.

The more serious aspects would be her mum getting worse and worse since she has Alzheimers and Cora disappearing into her matchmaking world.

Conclusion:
There is friendship, humour and romance all around. Some will find love, some not. I enjoyed this tale, it was light.

Cover
Ok

Paperback, 352 pages
Published June 1st 2017 by Corvus
Romantic fiction
For review