tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67430431396280348372024-03-13T04:50:04.624+00:00Rosie Reads RomanceRosiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01861208732884139245noreply@blogger.comBlogger112125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743043139628034837.post-87822827534500708182016-05-22T19:13:00.000+01:002016-05-25T18:06:12.518+01:00Bargain Read: The Rule Book (The Rule Breakers #1) - Jennifer Blackwood<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2YTNPC_vxfjkTWO3j9ame2ZyhemanldtWJvQEEhU7yx3BKxiC3oSIMRD-rKOh64Q53HdBFgo1286FmR4umjSm-l0BhYsCCQy23gHoeQl7f_dyZDGJzRkLd3rrFRfmYmEMZ9zgm6zaPxvv/s1600/29478744.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2YTNPC_vxfjkTWO3j9ame2ZyhemanldtWJvQEEhU7yx3BKxiC3oSIMRD-rKOh64Q53HdBFgo1286FmR4umjSm-l0BhYsCCQy23gHoeQl7f_dyZDGJzRkLd3rrFRfmYmEMZ9zgm6zaPxvv/s320/29478744.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-align: left;">Starr Media Second-Assistant Survival Guide</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-align: left;">1. Don't call your hot boss the antichrist to his face. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-align: left;">2. Don't stare at hot boss's, um, package or his full sleeve of tattoos. (No. Really. Stop!) </span></div>
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3. Don't get on the malicious first assistant's bad side.</div>
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4. Don't forget to memorize the 300-page employee manual.</div>
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5. If you value your cashmere, steer clear of boss’s dog.</div>
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6. Boss’s dimples are lust-inducing. Do. Not. Give. In. </div>
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7. “The elevator ate your clothes” is not a valid excuse for showing up to important meetings half dressed. </div>
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8. Don't break seven of the rules within the first week of employment if you, ya know, are in dire need of money to support your sick mom.</div>
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9. Whatever you do, don’t fall for the boss. See rule eight about sick mom.</div>
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10. Never forget the rules.</div>
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It's been a wee while since I picked up a good ol' fashioned romance and when I saw <i>The Rule Book </i>for a mere £2.84 on Amazon I thought, why not?<br />
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<i>The Rule Book</i> tells the tale of recent MA graduate, Lainey, and her tattoo'd dreamboat boss, Brogan. Lainey, who's mother is undergoing expensive treatment for cancer, moves to Seattle to take a high earning media job in order to help pay her mother's expensive medical bills, once in situ at Starr's up and coming company, Lainey realises she's falling for the boss -<i> Breaking Bad</i> this isn't. </div>
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Whilst I did enjoy the first in Blackwood's latest series, the book did leave me feeling a little unsatisfied. Perhaps a tad short for my tastes, <i>The Rule Book </i>tries too hard to include every enjoyable facet of popular romance novels.</div>
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Poor Lainey falls into the trap of ditzy yet sassy heroine almost immediately, seemingly living with her foot in her mouth. She makes a lasting impression on Brogan from the start when she accidentally reveals that employees refer to him as the Antichrist. Brogan is seemingly charmed, although I'm not entirely sure why, Lainey does little to distinguish herself as a character and Brogan seems to fall very quickly. Despite their slapstick-esque and repetitious meet cutes, the hero and heroine actually share very little connection throughout the book; where their relationship could be enriched with increased dialogue, Lainey's internal monologue dominates the novel. Despite this, Lainey is an intriguing heroine, just as Brogan is an enticing hero, but Blackwood never quite seems to find the time to develop either character.</div>
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The romantic situation between our characters takes quite a while to come to fruition, and where I am usually a fan of the slow burning romance, <i>The Rule Book </i>just takes that little bit too long to get going and fails to reward the fan with a decent pay off (if you like your romances steamy, you're going to be disappointed). The inevitable break-up drama appears a little rushed, as does the situation with Lainey's mother. </div>
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Having said that, I did enjoy <i>The Rule Book </i>and even squeezed an extra ten minutes out of my lunch hour in order to finish it. Lainey and Brogan definitely share a sweet connection and the lust between the two is well presented, it just never quite develops into anything more for me. If you're after a short, entertaining diversion for less than your average magazine, you could definitely do worse than picking up <i><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rule-Book-Breakers-ebook/dp/B01E3PZRSM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1463939113&sr=8-1&keywords=the+rule+book+jennifer">The Rule Book</a>. </i>Jennifer Blackwood is definitely a name I'll keep my eye out for - especially when I'm in the mood for a bargain. </div>
Rosiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01861208732884139245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743043139628034837.post-15766328846799774572015-11-13T10:00:00.000+00:002015-11-16T19:58:45.029+00:00Review: The Hook Up (Game On, #1) - Kristen Callihan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<strong style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">The rules: no kissing on the mouth, no staying the night, no telling anyone, and above all… No falling in love.</strong></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Anna Jones just wants to finish college and figure out her life. Falling for star quarterback Drew Baylor is certainly not on her to do list. Confident and charming, he lives in the limelight and is way too gorgeous for his own good. If only she could ignore his heated stares and stop thinking about doing hot and dirty things with him. Easy right?</span></blockquote>
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<strong style="font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Too bad he’s committed to making her break every rule…</strong> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Football has been good to Drew. It’s given him recognition, two National Championships, and the Heisman. But what he really craves is sexy yet prickly Anna Jones. Her cutting humor and blatant disregard for his fame turns him on like nothing else. But there’s one problem: she's shut him down. Completely.</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">That is until a chance encounter leads to the hottest sex of their lives, along with the possibility of something great. Unfortunately, Anna wants it to remain a hook up. Now it’s up to Drew to tempt her with more: more sex, more satisfaction, more time with him. Until she’s truly hooked. It's a good thing Drew knows all about winning.</span> </blockquote>
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<strong style="font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">All’s fair in love and football…Game on.</strong></blockquote>
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New Adult books are a genre that I'm still having to encourage devoted romance fans to read. The collegiate setting of most of the genre is perfect for those of us that still indulge in a good high school romance movie with the added bonus of the heat of a romance novel.<br />
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Drew and Anna are an intense young couple but believable for all that. The whirl of emotion and lust that engulfs them is portrayed well by Callihan who tells their story through a well crafted dual POV. Drew and Anna's burgeoning relationship is covered in enough detail to add realism but is fast paced enough to keep the reader gripped.<br />
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The sport element of the book is also really enjoyable. A fan of adult romance series with sports themes (such as Rachel Gibson's <i>Chinhook's Hockey Team </i>series and Jill Shalvis' <i>Pacific Heat </i>series) the football element really appealed to me. American football still isn't hugely well known in the UK so the insight in to the college football system was really interesting, as well as a great way to add something new to both the sport romance and new adult genres. Now, I'm not so naive to think that this is an entirely unique plot, I read a similar book involving hockey just this week, but it was new enough to me to be refreshing and engaging.<br />
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Whilst Drew and Anna are perhaps young enough to annoy some readers with their drama and inevitable mistakes and misunderstandings, to me they read little different to most romantic heroes. Arguably, the novel's main dramatic arc is a little contrived and the personal conflict is perhaps resolved a little too quickly, but Callihan makes up for that with some considerable emotional depth and tension. Anna's journey in particular will resonate with many a reader who's always been unsure of themselves and struggled with their self confidence.<br />
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Fairly indicative of the NA genre as a whole, <i>The Hook Up </i>is not without it's fair share of steamy scenes, pretty much from the get go. For those that enjoy that, I can confidently say that the sexual tension, passion and intimate scenes are some of the most well crafted that I've read and are woven into the plot nicely, not just shoved in towards the end to fill a requirement.<br />
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What initially promises to be a repeat of a fairly typical NA read, <i>The Hook Up </i>is executed with enough talent and promise to keep the most hardened romance reader happy. Callihan is certainly going on my list of go-to authors when I want that emotional, sexy and uplifting romance read.<br />
<br />Rosiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01861208732884139245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743043139628034837.post-2180165513875352512015-11-11T13:00:00.000+00:002015-11-11T13:00:14.126+00:00Review: First & Then - Emma Mills<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">Devon Tennyson wouldn't change a thing. She's happy watching Friday night games from the bleachers, silently crushing on best friend Cas, and blissfully ignoring the future after high school. But the universe has other plans. It delivers Devon's cousin Foster, an unrepentant social outlier with a surprising talent for football, and the obnoxiously superior and maddeningly attractive star running back, Ezra, right where she doesn't want them first into her P.E. class and then into every other aspect of her life.</span></div>
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<em style="font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;"><em style="font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">Pride and Prejudice</em><span style="font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;"> meets </span><em style="font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">Friday Night Lights</em><span style="font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;"> in this contemporary novel about falling in love with the unexpected boy, with a new brother, and with yourself.</span></em></div>
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Emma Mills is not a new name to me, I've long been a fan of her YouTube channel <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/elmify" style="color: magenta;">Elmify</a> and I was very intrigued when she announced the publication of her first novel over 18 months ago. Emma's online presence is, unjustly in my opinion, over shadowed by bigger YouTube stars and I was initially worried that her book would be too. However, I needn't have worried; <i>First & Then </i>is a fantastic novel that easily outstrips many others I've read this year.<br />
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Billed as a hybrid of refined courtship and the bright stadium lights of many a YA romance, <i>First & Then </i>is pitted against a slew of seemingly similar novels in the YA genre. However, whilst clearly getting books into hands, I think Mills' novel is somewhat sold short by this description.</div>
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Peppered with witty and sophisticated dialogue that belies the character's age, <i>First & Then </i>is a novel that draws you in and makes you think. The central romance of the novel, a story line that's executed with all the slow burn and tension of it's regency predecessors, is thoroughly enjoyable and enchanting. Whilst Mills does occasionally stray into cliche when exploring the life of 17 year old Devon and her relationships with the usual extended cast of high school characters, just as she edges towards the trite she delivers a perfectly executed curveball of insight that really elevates the piece. For me though, the true heart of the novel was the relationship between Devon and Foster, alongside Devon's evolving relationship with herself. Devon's a raw and entirely relatable character, one that I wish I'd had when I was a teen.</div>
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Whilst at times<i> First & Then</i> is clearly a debut novel, at others it has an insight and wit that captivate. I can't recall how many sentences that had twists of language so brilliant that I highlighted them in glee. Mills' first book is charming, complex, and profound - it is certainly yet another YA novel that transcends the boundaries of it's genre. <i>First & Then </i>is a book I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to anyone; it's much more than a romance, it's book about finding a sense of self, about family and belonging.<br />
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Mind you, it doesn't help that <i>First & Then </i>is one of the first novels I've read this year that has given me that physical twinge of joy as I read - you know that wee spark of pleasure you get somewhere behind your ribs. Wonderful.</div>
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<i>First & Then </i>is about love, family, and coming of age - a book for everyone that just happens to be set in a high school.</div>
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Rosiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01861208732884139245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743043139628034837.post-41397005137990757512015-04-20T13:25:00.000+01:002015-04-20T13:25:08.969+01:00Mini-view: The Lemon Grove - Helen Walsh<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Each summer, Jenn and her husband Greg return to Deia, on Mallorca's dramatic west coast. This year the arrival of Emma, Jenn's stepdaughter, and her new boyfriend Nathan threatens to upset their equilibrium. Beautiful and reckless, Nathan stirs something unexpected in Jenn. As she is increasingly seduced by Nathan's youth and the promise of passion, the line between desire and obsession begins to blur. What follows is a highly-charged liaison that puts lives and relationships in jeopardy. For Jenn, after this summer, nothing can ever be the same.</span></blockquote>
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<i>The Lemon Grove </i>is one of those books that was being recommended everywhere and by everyone, so I finally decided to pick it up on my last jaunt to my local library; supposedly the perfect summer read, now seemed like a good a time as any.</div>
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Having a quick scout on <i>Goodreads </i>I'll admit that the low reviews that <i>The Lemon Grove </i>has received don't really surprise me - not because the book is bad, far from it, but because it really won't be to everyone's taste.</div>
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On the surface the book is about a dissatisfied married couple, Jenn and Greg, taking a vacation in their beloved Mallorca, when they're joined by Greg's daughter, Emma and her boyfriend Nathan. A family as complex as any other, the arrival of Nathan acts as a catalyst in the seemingly inevitable family breakdown. Really, none of the characters are likeable, but in a way that's what makes them so great. I can't confess to having any great connection to Jenn, or even Emma for that matter, but we've all been at the mercy of turbulent emotions and the havoc that ageing can wreak (at any stage). A somewhat darker side of life, love and obsession is revealed in <i>The Lemon Grove</i> and Walsh navigates her way through with ease and without over complicating the material.</div>
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Walsh has a unique writing style, stark and methodical in it's execution. For all that the novel is short, it's full of rich detail and complex characters. The twists and turns of the plot will keep you hooked and will linger long after your holiday.</div>
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If you're after something a bit different, a tad meatier one might say, to read by the side of the pool this summer then I'd heartily recommend <i>The Lemon Grove</i>.</div>
Rosiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01861208732884139245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743043139628034837.post-65046092357751597292014-10-17T07:00:00.000+01:002014-10-17T07:00:00.749+01:00Bargain Read: The Beach Cafe - Lucy Diamond<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC2rD3oqXv83S9R3PTAGU-JoR4HkDsDnpFEhAsW2l8uK5YvAkSGqPwDRvpJOnYWa0trH1r3SizUx0eAPsKV5GMfIJRT_Thkz-atRWOIDFk3UNh8fVj3q7FvDMe-ADbvAyaI5NI0dH-eE1E/s1600/10244911.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC2rD3oqXv83S9R3PTAGU-JoR4HkDsDnpFEhAsW2l8uK5YvAkSGqPwDRvpJOnYWa0trH1r3SizUx0eAPsKV5GMfIJRT_Thkz-atRWOIDFk3UNh8fVj3q7FvDMe-ADbvAyaI5NI0dH-eE1E/s1600/10244911.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Evie Flynn has always been the black sheep of her family - a dreamer and a drifter, unlike her over-achieving elder sisters. She's tried making a name for herself as an actress, a photographer and a singer, but nothing has ever worked out. Now she's stuck in temp hell, with a sensible, pension-planning boyfriend. Somehow life seems to be passing her by. Then her beloved aunt Jo dies suddenly in a car crash, leaving Evie an unusual legacy - her precious beach cafe in Cornwall. Determined to make a success of something for the first time in her life, Evie heads off to Cornwall to get the cafe and her life back on track - and gets more than she bargained for, both in work and in love...</span></blockquote>
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At this very moment I have a cold and Scotland has well and truly entered autumn, in a desperate attempt to ignore anything festive beginning with the letter 'C' I decided I'd delve into my first Lucy Diamond and reach for a little bit of sun.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><i>The Beach Caf</i><i>é </i>is my first Lucy Diamond but definitely won't be my last. For me, <i>Beach Caf</i><i>é </i>is reminiscent of Jenny Colgan's Great-Aunt series (<i>Meet Me at the Cupcake Caf</i><i>é, <a href="http://rosiereadsromance.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/review-welcome-to-rosie-hopkins-sweet.html"><span style="color: magenta;">Sweet Shop of Dreams</span></a>, <a href="http://rosiereadsromance.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/mini-view-loveliest-chocolate-shop-in.html"><span style="color: magenta;">Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris</span></a></i>,<span style="color: magenta;"> <i><a href="http://rosiereadsromance.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/polly-waterford-is-recovering-from.html">Beach Street Bakery</a></i></span>), which is no bad thing. As it turns out <i>Beach Café </i>came out in the same year as Colgan's <i>Meet Me at the Cupcake Café </i>and there's been a spate of this plot in recent years. Anyway...<br />
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<i>The Beach Café </i>tells the tale of Evie Flynn, a bit of a flitter who's stuck in a rut. The black sheep of the family, working at a temp agency and in a relationship where she may have more attachment to her boyfriend's son than the man himself, Evie is at a bit of a loss. When her beloved aunt passes away and leaves her an adorable café in Cornwall, Evie seems to find her place and is determined to make it work.<br />
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I do love these plots, it's always nice to see characters find their purpose in life outside of romance and, let's be honest, who hasn't dreamed of opening up their own café at some point in their lives? Evie's new life in Cornwall doesn't get off to the easiest of starts and Diamond takes us along with Evie as she really settles in to her own. Evie is a great character and all too easy to connect with, I did occasionally got a little frustrated with her when she took time to stand up for herself but that just made it all the sweeter when she finally did. Evie firmly establishes herself as part of her community, introducing us to a host of wonderful characters, and along with that comes love interest, Ed.<br />
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Ed was an intriguing character who definitely had appeal and his fair share of secrets. For me, the inevitable complications that Evie and Ed hit upon were a little rushed and manufactured, especially since Evie didn't seem to concerned about not knowing Ed's surname never mind his hidden past. The epilogue too, which could have saved this rushed romance between Ed and Evie, takes place only two weeks after we last saw everyone and could have benefited from a bit more distance to ensure readers of a true HEA. However, on that front there is a silver lining, Diamond published <i>Christmas at the Beach Café </i>last year and it's immediately gone on to my festive TBR list.<br />
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Despite the rushed romance, <i>Beach Café </i>is a must read if you're a fan of Jenny Colgan or are after a cheerful and uplifting little novel. Diamond paints the Cornwall scenery so well that I could imagine myself there, stuffing myself full of scones and clotted cream, despite the rain beating against my window. There's plenty going on in <i>Beach Café </i>that it's sure to please most readers, there's romance (albeit not my type), friendship, family relationships, and self - discovery.<br />
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<i>The Beach Café </i>is yet another delightful little slice of Brit-lit and a brilliant read to help keep the chill of in the coming months, at <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beach-Cafe-Lucy-Diamond-ebook/dp/B004ZF70F4/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1413298578&sr=1-1&keywords=beach+cafe"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">59p on the Kindle</span></a> you can't beat this deal.Rosiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01861208732884139245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743043139628034837.post-12911468490812034422014-10-15T07:00:00.000+01:002014-10-15T07:00:00.690+01:00Mini-view: Insatiable (Insatiable #1) - Meg Cabot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Sick of hearing about vampires? So is Meena Harper.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span></blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">But her bosses are making her write about them anyway, even though Meena doesn’t believe in them.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span> </blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Not that Meena isn’t familiar with the supernatural. See, Meena Harper knows how you’re going to die. (Not that you’re going to believe her; no one ever does.)</span></blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">The problem is, Lucien's already dead. Maybe that’s why he’s the first guy Meena’s ever met that she could see herself having a future with. See, while Meena’s always been able to see everyone else’s future, she’s never been able look into her own.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span> </blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">And while Lucien seems like everything Meena has ever dreamed of in a boyfriend, he might turn out to be more like a nightmare.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span> </blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Now might be a good time for Meena to start learning to predict her own future . . .</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span></blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">If she even has one.</span></blockquote>
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I've gone from being a complete paranormal romance newbie to someone who just can't get enough. You may remember me not so much reviewing but gushing about Meg Cabot in one of my <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;"><a href="http://rosiereadsromance.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/review-boy-next-door-boy-1-meg-cabot.html">previous posts</a> </span>so I thought, what better book to add to my growing obsession than the first in her <i>Insatiable </i>series?<br />
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I really hate it when I don't like a book and I hate it even more when I don't really know why I didn't like it.<br />
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Firstly, <i>Insatiable </i>isn't a bad book it's just a tad slow, over a third of the way through and I wasn't caught at all (by that point I normally can't put a book down). This could be explained by the fact that <i>Insatiable </i>is clearly the set up to a series so Cabot is taking her time introducing us to her characters.<br />
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Meena is an intriguing prospect for a character. I love the idea that she can tell how someone is going to die just by looking at them, it reminds me of some of my favourite of Cabot's series <i>The Mediator </i>and <i>1-800-Where-R-You</i>. However, Meena is lacking the usual humour and depth that can normally be found in Cabot's heroines and I found myself just getting a little bit exasperated with her. As for Lucien I found him to be overly cliched and all together too annoying, he's the Prince of Darkness - we get it.<br />
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<i>Insatiable </i>has promise, it has that same wacky and amusing quality as Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series but without the same punch. For me there are too many subplots and not enough characterisation to really drive the novel. I can easily see why people would love Cabot's <i>Insatiable </i>series and I really, really wanted to but I just didn't.Rosiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01861208732884139245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743043139628034837.post-18364469478577269382014-10-13T08:00:00.000+01:002014-10-13T08:00:08.484+01:00Review: Looking for Trouble (Girls' Night Out #1) - Victoria Dahl<div class="separator tr_bq" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">A good reason to be bad...</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Librarian Sophie Heyer has walked the straight and narrow her entire life to avoid paying for her mother's mistakes. But in tiny Jackson Hole, Wyoming, juicy gossip just doesn't go away, so the last thing she needs is for history to repeat itself. Falling hard for the sexiest biker who's ever rode into town would undo everything she's worked for. And to add insult to injury, the sexy stranger is none other than Alex Bishop--the son of the man her mother abandoned Sophie's family for. He may be temptation on wheels, but Sophie's not looking for trouble!</span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Maybe Sophie's buttoned-up facade fools some, but Alex knows a naughty smile when he sees one. Despite their parents' checkered pasts, he's willing to take some risks to find out the truth about the town librarian. He figures a little fling might be just the ticket to get his mind off of family drama. But what he finds underneath Sophie's prim demeanour might change his world in ways he never expected.</span></span></span></blockquote>
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Let's not beat around the bush, Victoria Dahl is one of my favourite authors and for good reason. Dahl's books are funny, sassy and sexy and the first in her new series is wonderfully more of the same.<br />
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Leading on from the novella<i><a href="http://rosiereadsromance.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/mini-view-fanning-flames-victoria-dahl.html"> <span style="color: magenta;">Fanning the Flames</span></a></i>, <i>Looking for Trouble </i>is the story of second naughty librarian, Sophie. The daughter of one of Jackson Hole's most notorious residents, Sophie's been living her life quietly, avoiding attention and temptation. Unfortunately, sexy biker Alex is temptation on a stick. The son of her mother's lover and a man who's also had to deal with the disastrous fall out of his parent's actions, Alex is the last person Sophie should be attracted to but the first to see past her prim exterior. </div>
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Sophie and Alex's relationship has a whiff of the 'star crossed lovers' about it and yet is firmly rooted in reality. Their parents still the source of gossip decades later, the last thing they need to do is attract more attention. Undeniable attraction and considerable lust soon gives way to genuine affection and Sophie and Alex's relationship is a joy<b> </b>to read. Dahl has a way of tracking a relationship from it's easy beginnings to its joyous conclusion. Not once does the relationship feel forced or contrived, the couple faces more than a few obstacles and not everything is tied up in a neat little bow at the end. </div>
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Sophie is a great character, typical of Dahl; strong, fiesty and yet vulnerable. Alex, isn't much different. Fully three dimensional, each character has their flaws, issues, and annoying moments. The supporting characters, some of whom we've already met and other's we're sure to soon, are well realised and given just enough attention to make sure that they too aren't merely cliche. </div>
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Dahl doesn't shy away from real, everyday issues in her novels and <i>Looking for Trouble </i>tackles its fair share. Dahl treats these respectfully, never merely hastening her plot or brushing them under the HEA carpet. Her books are charmingly romantic, delightfully steamy and yet utterly realistic.</div>
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<i>Looking for Trouble </i>is a book that is sure to please any Dahl fan, as well as converting a few more, the perfect romantic and sexy read to curl up with as the weather gets colder. </div>
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Rosiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01861208732884139245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743043139628034837.post-59454672703765106182014-10-11T08:00:00.000+01:002014-10-11T08:00:02.716+01:00Mini-view: The Ocean at the end of the Lane- Neil Gaiman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Sussex, England. A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. Although the house he lived in is long gone, he is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock, and her mother and grandmother. He hasn't thought of Lettie in decades, and yet as he sits by the pond (a pond that she'd claimed was an ocean) behind the ramshackle old farmhouse, the unremembered past comes flooding back. And it is a past too strange, too frightening, too dangerous to have happened to anyone, let alone a small boy.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Forty years earlier, a man committed suicide in a stolen car at this farm at the end of the road. Like a fuse on a firework, his death lit a touchpaper and resonated in unimaginable ways. The darkness was unleashed, something scary and thoroughly incomprehensible to a little boy. And Lettie—magical, comforting, wise beyond her years—promised to protect him, no matter what.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Neil Gaiman is one of those authors who truly baffles me, how in the world he comes up with his tales I'll never know. Genre defying and utterly brilliant, <i>Ocean at the End of the Lane </i>is yet another wonderful book from a unique author. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Gaiman, as I'm sure you know, is a master </span>storyteller<span style="font-family: inherit;">. What I found so wonderful about </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Ocean at the End of the Lane </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">is that it's almost a children's book for adults. </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Ocean </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">has that lyrical quality that is often so present in fairy tales and yet sadly lacking in 'adult fiction'; it's comforting and yet melancholic, innocent and yet sharply aware.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Whilst it might take some time to catch up with the </span>rhythm<span style="font-family: inherit;"> of </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Ocean </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">you'll be glad you did and you'll soon be swept away in Gaiman's absorbing narrative. A difficult book to pin down and a harder one to explain, Gaiman taps in to childhood with effortless ease and encounters magic, fights monsters and questions reality.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you've never read a Gaiman (a genre in his own right, surely?) or not sure if his books are for you, I would urge you to delve into the <i>Ocean at the End of the Lane</i> and discover what you've been missing. </span></div>
Rosiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01861208732884139245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743043139628034837.post-59588306885895794802014-10-09T12:59:00.000+01:002014-10-09T12:59:58.183+01:00Review: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight - Jennifer E Smith*<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><em>Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?</em></span></blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. Having missed her flight, she's stuck at JFK airport and late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's sitting in her row.</span></blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them together once more?</span></blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Quirks of timing play out in this romantic and cinematic novel about family connections, second chances, and first loves. Set over a twenty-four-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span></blockquote>
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This book has been on my TBR for a while and with a long-haul flight coming up I decided to save it to read on the plane. I know, I'm too cool for school, right?<br />
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Whilst only having read one other of Jennifer E Smith's novels, <i><a href="http://rosiereadsromance.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/review-geography-of-you-and-me-jennifer.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">The Geography of You and Me</span></a></i>, I had some high expectations for <i>The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight</i> and luckily these were more than met.<br />
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It might be a bit of a cliche, love at first sight, but if anyone's going to fall head-over-heels at first glance it it's teenagers, and if anyone is going to capture those hormones in action it's Jennifer E. Smith. What I loved about the <i>Geography of You and Me </i>was Smith's twist of language, her poetical insights into the teenage mind and, in this, <i>The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight </i>is no different. I think I highlighted half the book in pure delight.<br />
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Love at first sight, or the dreaded insta-love of the romance world, is a difficult device to tackle and yet Smith does so effortlessly. You're soon dragged into Hadley's life, her attraction to Oliver is undeniable and her teenage yearning entirely understandable. Charming and that little bit mysterious, Oliver is the stuff of teenage (and more than a few adult) dreams.<br />
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Once more the scope of Smith's book goes far beyond the brief relationship of Oliver and Hadley and also explores the complexity of the character's family lives. Hadley is a charmingly mature lead who is struggling to come to terms with her father's betrayal. Whilst I'm sure many readers are going to have strong feelings about this part of Smith's story line, for me it was handled well and I really felt for Hadley. Oliver's mystery is cleared up too and the story lines offer a nice parallel, but that's all you're getting from me on the spoiler front.</div>
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What's incredible is that Smith's novel takes place over a mere day and yet you feel that you've known Oliver and Hadley for a life-time, never mind them finding true love when they least expect it, you'll be swept away too. With each book my love for Smith grows and grows, if you're a lover of romance this is a book you can't afford to miss, no matter your age. </div>
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*Free copy received in return for an honest review, <i>The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight </i>is published by Headline and is available now. </div>
Rosiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01861208732884139245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743043139628034837.post-12679349670993837902014-09-26T09:00:00.000+01:002014-09-26T09:00:00.594+01:00Mini-view: Natural Causes (Inspector McLean #1) - James Oswald<div class="separator tr_bq" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">A young girl's mutilated body is discovered in a sealed room. Her remains are carefully arranged, in what seems to have been a cruel and macabre ritual, which appears to have taken place over 60 years ago.</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"></span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">For newly appointed Edinburgh Detective Inspector Tony McLean this baffling cold case ought to be a low priority - but he is haunted by the young victim and her grisly death.</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"></span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Meanwhile, the city is horrified by a series of bloody killings. Deaths for which there appears to be neither rhyme nor reason, and which leave Edinburgh's police at a loss.</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"></span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">McLean is convinced that these deaths are somehow connected to the terrible ceremonial killing of the girl, all those years ago. It is an irrational, almost supernatural theory.</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"></span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">And one which will lead McLean closer to the heart of a terrifying and ancient evil . . .</span></blockquote>
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What you might not know is that as well as loving romance novels I also love a good crime novel. Being a Scot I also have a really big soft spot for the wonderfully dubbed 'Tartan Noir'. James Oswald is a name that I'd heard a lot in relation to this sub-genre so when I saw the first of his Inspector McLean novels in the library I couldn't help but grab it.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Oswald is now a firmly established author, the fourth in his <i>Inspector McLean</i> series having come out just earlier this year, but to me he's fresh off the press and this shows in <i>Natural Causes</i>.<br />
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What I love about Tartan Noir is the way in which the author manages to capture the city of choice so completely, often meaning that the city becomes a character in its own right. MacBride and Rankin, admittedly two of my favourites in this genre, are excellent at this. McLean is likely to draw some unflattering comparisons with Rankin, both having chosen Edinburgh as their setting. Unfortunately, in some respects, I think these are deserved in the case of <i>Natural Causes</i>.<br />
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Despite having lived near Edinburgh for a number of years (yes, I read author's bios) Oswald doesn't really do the city much justice, there's not much characterisation and little detail about the city added that couldn't have been pulled of Wikipedia. I also didn't really enjoy the supernatural element to <i>Natural Causes</i>, I know that this is clearly indicated in the synopsis of the novel but it did really seem to mesh well with the rest of the book. If you're going to include a supernatural element it really can't be tacked in there, it has to be well established.<br />
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However, I really did enjoy Oswald's characters and they show excellent promise, and, let's be honest, the characters are the most important part of a book anyway. Whilst I didn't love <i>Natural Causes</i> I didn't hate it either and am really looking forward to reading the next in the series.Rosiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01861208732884139245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743043139628034837.post-11743464944689210152014-09-23T21:14:00.002+01:002014-09-23T21:14:21.942+01:00Review: Love Me or Leave Me - Claudia Carroll*<div class="separator tr_bq" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">‘Welcome to the Hope Street Hotel – where you check in married, and check out single.’</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Two years ago Chloe Townsend was dumped at the altar and had to leave behind everything that mattered to her. Even now she’s finding it hard to move forward. That is until she lands an incredible job, running a brand new boutique hotel. Suddenly she’s starting to put her life back together, and, apart from the fact that her hard-to-please new boss is breathing down her neck, things are looking good.</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">But what goes on in the Hope Street Hotel is a far cry from anything she’s ever dealt with before. This is a pioneering ‘divorce hotel’ designed to make every aspect of breaking up efficient and pain-free. In one single weekend, Chloe’s team promises to take care of everything – legal, technical, emotional – and guests check out carefree and single.</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">No one is better qualified than Chloe to understand what couples need when their relationship is at breaking point, but she soon finds herself having to tackle the heartbreak she’s tried to bury. In particular three couples need her help – Jo and Dave, Lucy and Andrew, and Kirk and Dawn – and the opening weekend is full of revelation, trouble, memories happy and sad, facts that need facing, and some very big surprises.</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">It’s time to move on. And it soon becomes clear that some endings are, in fact, very exciting new beginnings …</span></blockquote>
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How do these brilliant authors keep escaping me? I don't know either, but you can be assured that I'm very excited about reading the rest of Carroll's books.<br />
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The premise of <i>Love Me or Leave Me </i>is perhaps a bit far-fetched but intriguing nonetheless. Having never needed the prospective services of a 'divorce hotel' I've never really thought about their potential use, but after reading Carroll's book I do wonder why there isn't one in every city.</div>
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Our entirely loveable heroine Chloe was left at the alter two years ago, still putting herself back together she lands a dream job of running a new boutique hotel. The team at the Hope Street Hotel, headed by Chloe, promises to deal with every aspect of a couple's break up over one quick and efficient weekend. </div>
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Over the course of the book Chloe and her team come to the aid of three couples, Jo and Dave, Lucy and Andrew, and Kirk and Dawn. The novel is told from the point of view of the women in each relationship which means that each of the couples is clearly established and differentiated from each other. The romantic suspense, as it were, is well paced throughout the novel and Carroll drops a few subtle hints here and there about the troubles each of her couples are facing and whether, in fact, their relationships are doomed after all. </div>
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I did enjoy the level of detail that Carroll goes into in Chloe's everyday life of running the hotel, the things that her and her team put up with really do make you wonder. With each relationship carefully examined and featured by Carroll you seen get caught up in the couples' relationships and begin to root for your favourites. Facing break ups every day at work means that Chloe soon has to confront her own heartbreak too.</div>
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If you enjoy some wonderfully woven and realistic romantic story lines that examine love and romance after the HEA then you're sure to enjoy <i>Love Me or Leave Me</i>. Not only are the story lines rich and engrossing, Carroll's characters are also sure to win over your heart. I was particularly fond of young Dawn, although all the characters are equally well developed with clear and distinct personalities, and I was pleased that we got to accompany Chloe as she got back on her feet after her own heartbreak.<br />
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<i>Love Me or Leave Me </i>was a thoroughly enjoyable read that really piqued my interest, it's not often you have a book centred around divorce after all. The book certainly lived up to my expectations as a perfect light read and was one that I couldn't put down, waiting to see how it all turned out for each of the characters. </div>
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*ARC received in return for an honest review, <i>Love Me or Leave Me </i>is published by Harper and is available now</div>
Rosiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01861208732884139245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743043139628034837.post-35778269828804876432014-09-11T16:16:00.001+01:002014-09-11T16:19:50.645+01:00Review: Trapped at the Altar - Jane Feather*<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Headstrong Ariadne Daunt is convinced she loves handsome Gabriel Fawcett, but her grandfather has other plans for her. He decrees that she marry Ivor Chalfont, thus forging a powerful alliance between the two warring families who share ownership of their valley. Given no time to plot an escape, Ari finds herself standing reluctantly at the altar, swearing to honor and obey a man who is not her choice.</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Ivor has treasured Ari as a friend ever since he was brought to the valley as a child, but now he feels a man's desires. He longs to take the beautiful young woman to his bed and make their marriage more than an empty vow. Ari may believe she loves another man, but Ivor believes otherwise—and he will not rest until he gains her heart, her trust . . . and her passion.</span></blockquote>
On reading the synopsis for <i>Trapped at the Altar </i>I couldn't wait to get stuck into the book. I love the friends to lovers trope and the fact that Feather's novel is set in the not often featured 1600s really piqued by interest.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Feather's book (God, don't you wish you had a name like Feather?) is a difficult one for me to sum up, maybe because I've just this very second put it down or maybe because it's one that I can't make my mind up about.<br />
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Firstly, it is hard to love the main character, Ariadne, especially at first as she comes across as incessantly naive, stubborn and spoilt. Believing herself to be in love with Gabriel, a poet from a nearby settlement, Ari refuses to commit to her relationship with Ivor and does begin to grate on the nerves at some points, especially in the face of the gentle patience she is consistently offered. For himself, Ivor is much easier to like as a character; Feather gives us some great insights into his thoughts and his devotion and understanding of Ari is sure to melt many a reader's heart.<br />
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Ivor and Ari's relationship is a solid friendship from the beginning, which is a pleasant element to their tale, and we get to accompany the character's on their slow journey to romance. Occasionally, this journey could be a little too slow and it is a while before we do get to focus on the relationship of our leads, but there is enough interest in the scheming of the novel to keep readers interested up until that point. The ending, in contrast, was perhaps a bit too abrupt for me and we left the characters too soon after the revelation of their secrets. As much as I claim to dislike them, a nice epilogue some years into the future would have rounded off the novel nicely.<br />
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What I did love about the book was the setting. The 1600s isn't an era that gets a lot of attention from historical romance authors who tend to stick to the ever popular Regency era, alongside the occasional foray into the Victorian age. For me, Feather could have amped up her period setting, going beyond the occasional clothing reference or twist of dialogue. However, I don't really read historical romances for a full insight into the period and <i>Trapped at the Altar's</i> setting was different enough and detailed enough for it to be refreshing and add that little bit of extra interest for the reader.<br />
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Overall, I think (having worked through my issues with you) that I did quite enjoy <i>Trapped at the Altar</i>. My first novel from Jane Feather, <i>Trapped at the Altar </i>is a nice romance with a great slow evolution that leaves plenty of opportunities for some sweet moments, as well as those more spicy. With a refreshing setting and some really well developed characters I'd happily recommend the novel to anyone who likes their characters to work a bit for their HEA.<br />
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*ARC received in return for an honest review. <i>Trapped at the Altar </i>is published by Pocket Books and is available now.Rosiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01861208732884139245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743043139628034837.post-62554276868384986602014-07-30T07:00:00.000+01:002014-07-30T07:00:02.113+01:00Mini-view: Fanning the Flames - Victoria Dahl<br />
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<em>Burning for you</em> </blockquote>
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<em></em>Some men are off-limits. Close friends of your ex-husband, for instance. Or firefighters who work in the same building as you. Yet despite her best judgment, librarian Lauren Foster can't help noticing fire captain Jake Davis whenever he jogs by…shirtless. They've always been friends, but all it takes is one not-so-chance meeting at a local bar and one not-quite-innocent walk home to ignite a fierce, uncontrollable desire between them. </blockquote>
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Widower Jake Davis has tried to ignore the spark he feels whenever Lauren's around, but once he sees her curves in a little black dress, there's no turning back. No matter how often she says she's all wrong for him, the sexy, outspoken divorcée is driving him wild in the best possible way. Maybe she's just blowing off steam. Or maybe he can convince her to fan these flames into something deeper, hotter and truer than they ever expected….</blockquote>
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<i>Fanning the Flames </i>is the novella prequel, or taster if you will, to Dahl's new <i>Girl's Night Out</i> series set in Jackson. As an avid Dahl fan I couldn't resist this little snippet to whet my appetite before the release of the first in the series, <i>Looking for Trouble</i>.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>At only 60 pages there's not really all that much to say about <i>Fanning the Flames </i>that isn't going to recap the entire story.<br />
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What I liked most about this novella, and what I like most about Dahl, is that even in this short space we get a good introduction to our characters and enough of a teaser to make me chomp at the bit for the full novel released this week.<br />
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Lauren and Jake's story contains everything that I love about Dahl; great characters, wonderful chemistry and some of the best steamy scenes going. Lauren is a reserved librarian divorcée who's harbouring some serious lust for her ex-husband's best friend, Jake, who just happens to be a particularly hunky fire captain. Jake, our delightfully shirtless jogger, is widowed and in a case of serious denial regarding his best friend's ex-wife. Jake and Lauren make for a great and interesting couple, being a bit older, more experienced, and over coming their loyalty to their mutual acquaintance their story isn't overly simplistic for the short space it occupies and it's always nice to read about people happily settled in their skin and over the age of 25.<br />
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If you've never read any of Dahl's books then this is the ideal taster to introduce you to her fabulous romances, and if you're an established fan then you won't be disappointed.Rosiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01861208732884139245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743043139628034837.post-39267716712854360842014-07-28T07:00:00.000+01:002014-07-28T13:04:23.961+01:00Spotlight: All Souls Trilogy - Deborah Harkness*<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><i>A Discovery of Witches* -</i></b> </blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">In this tale of passion and obsession, Diana Bishop, a young scholar and the descendant of witches, discovers a long-lost and enchanted alchemical manuscript deep in Oxford's Bodleian Library. Its reappearance summons a fantastical underworld, which she navigates with her leading man, vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont. </span> </blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><b><i>Shadow of Night* -</i></b></span></blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Shortly after Diana Bishop and Matthew Clairmont timewalk to London, 1590, they discover that the past may not provide a safe haven after all. Reclaiming his former identity as poet and spy Matthew Roydon, the vampire falls back in step with a group of radicals known as the School of Night who share dangerous ideas about God, science, and man. Many of his friends are unruly daemonsn - the creative minds of the age who walk the fine line between genius and madness - including playwright Christopher Marlowe and mathematician Thomas Harriot. Matthew, himself, is expected to continue to spy for Queen Elizabeth, which puts him in close contact with London's cutthroat underworld. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Together, Matthew and Diana scour the bookstalls and alchemical laboratories of London where they follow the elusive trail of Ashmole 782 - and search for the witch who will teach Diana to control her powers.</span> </blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><b><i>The Book of Life</i></b></span></span> -</blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">After traveling through time in <em>Shadow of Night</em>, the second book in Deborah Harkness’s enchanting series, historian and witch Diana Bishop and vampire scientist Matthew Clairmont return to the present to face new crises and old enemies. At Matthew’s ancestral home at Sept-Tours, they reunite with the cast of characters from <em>A Discovery of Witches</em>—with one significant exception. But the real threat to their future has yet to be revealed, and when it is, the search for Ashmole 782 and its missing pages takes on even more urgency. In the trilogy’s final volume, Harkness deepens her themes of power and passion, family and caring, past deeds and their present consequences. In ancestral homes and university laboratories, using ancient knowledge and modern science, from the hills of the Auvergne to the palaces of Venice and beyond, the couple at last learn what the witches discovered so many centuries ago.</span></blockquote>
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The last in Harkness' best selling <i>All Souls </i>trilogy, <i>The Book of Life</i>, was released last week and having devoured them all I thought I should share my love for the series with you.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>This time last year I don't think I'd read a fantasy novel and now it seems that I can't get enough of them. If, like me, you're a bit of a fantasy novice then Harkness' series is a really good place to start and I really wouldn't start this series if you've anything to do.<br />
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<b>A Discovery of Witches*</b>:<br />
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I went into the first novel not really knowing what to expect but by about 100 pages in I knew that I wasn't going to be able to put it down. Diana, an Oxford scholar and orphaned witch, is busy researching in the Bodleian Library when she stumbles across an enchanted manuscript, drawing the attention of the very community that she turned her back on after the death of her parents. Matthew, a biochemist vampire decides to investigate Diana further.<br />
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Whilst there is a romantic thread to Harkness' stories it's not the centre of the plot but instead does an admirable job of holding it together. Diana and Matthew are perhaps a clichéd couple but I enjoyed their relationship nonetheless. Matthew is the typical vampire character, dominant, authoritative and protective. Diana, who's really just coming into her own in the first book, handles her situation admirably and her vivacity is very infectious and I couldn't wait to see her develop throughout the trilogy.<br />
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The book is full of history, science and plenty of the supernatural, so there's sure to be a thread that appeals to every reader. Harkness manages to balance, adventure, history, romance and character development well and makes the book fly by. Whilst clearly an introduction to an inevitable trilogy the book is really enjoyable and enough of a well-rounded read to keep you entertained and satisfied. </div>
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My only gripe would be that the book is fairly hefty, standing at about 600 pages, and could, in my opinion, get by losing a hundred pages or so. The book only spans the events of about a month and goes in to quite a lot of excessive detail, but, when you're caught up in the action you don't really notice all that much.<br />
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If <i>A Discovery of Witches </i>strikes your fancy then you're probably going to be unable to put it down.<br />
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<b>Shadow of Night*</b>:<br />
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<i>Shadow of Night </i>picks up right were <i>A Discovery of Witches </i>left off, and since I don't want to ruin the whole plot for anyone who hasn't read the trilogy yet I'll steer clear of any major plot points.<br />
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Beginning with Matthew and Diana's arrival in 16th century England the action gets going from the off. For the history lover we're introduced to many famous historical figures which is sure to give the reader a bit of a chuckle. Watching the characters attempt to go unnoticed in the past leads to some amusing moments and the book feels much more light-hearted at points than <i>A Discovery of Witches</i>, although that could be just my soft spot for anything history related. Matthew and Diana have undertaken their journey to find Diana someone who can teach her how to harness her power as a witch and it's fun to read about her adventures in learning to control her abilities. As you'd expect, several points from the first book are cleared up for the reader, much to my delight, but in the process even more mysteries are revealed.<br />
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Matthew becomes a much more complex character when he goes back in time and he and Diana grow forever closer throughout <i>Shadow of Night, </i>their relationship going from strength to strength. In <i>Shadow of Night </i>they finally have to face some obstacles in their relationship and it's nice to see them take them on together.<br />
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Again, the superlative detail did slow down the action somewhat in <i>Shadow of the Night </i>but as I was totally addicted by this point I'll admit I wasn't all that bothered. Also, in some cases the detail was necessary in order to bring about the richness of the period that Matthew and Diana find themselves in. We are introduced to a whole host of new characters in this instalment, so much so that a handy who's who is included in the book, and I'll admit it did get confusing at some points.<br />
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An obvious must read if you've read <i>A Discovery of Witches </i>the second in the series doesn't disappoint and sets up the third book well.<br />
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<b>The Book of Life:</b><br />
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Having been lucky enough to receive the first two books in the series for free in return for an honest review, I had no hesitation in running out and buying the last in the series when it came out just two weeks ago. I'll admit I raced through the book and completely neglected any work that I had to do over several days.<br />
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<i>The Book of Life </i>is the perfect ending to what's been enjoyable adventure of the past two books. It's difficult to review it properly, and explain why I enjoyed it so much without spoiling it completely - but I'll do my best.<br />
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Matthew and Diana's relationship is under more strain than ever when it comes round to the final instalment of their adventure, and it's been nice to follow their journey throughout the novels, I do like following a couple through their ups and downs (that sounds a bit weird) and hoping for their HEA. By the end of the book each character has truly come into their own and it is really hard to part with them at the last.<br />
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Harkness really sees to have found her stride by this final instalment and she really begins to have fun with her premise. Things come to an epic conclusion in <i>The Book of Life </i>and there are some really heart-wrenching scenes to be read, and possibly re-read. There's no shortage of adventure and thrills in <i>The Book of Life </i>and, if anything, it's even more addictive than the first two books of the series as Harkness races through the final chapter. Characters that we only get to see briefly in the previous novels come to full fruition in this final instalment and Harkness doesn't hold back on her revelations. A few fall a bit short for me, especially after their lengthy build up but it's satisfying to read the conclusions all the same.<br />
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All in all<i> </i>the <i>All Souls</i> <i>Trilogy </i>is an action packed mix of adventure, romance, history and the supernatural. Fans of adventures with a bit of a twist are sure to enjoy the series which is helped along by no shortage of romance from our leads Matthew and Diana. For their part, Matthew and Diana are complex and engaging characters. Admittedly, if you're not into the archetypal vampire type then Matthew really won't be for you; Diana is an admirable heroine who fights her own corner well and goes on the greatest voyage of discovery throughout the books, it's great to see her really progress and develop as a character.<br />
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Lengthy, I wouldn't suggest starting the series if you're not into a long-haul commitment, but if you give them a go I'm sure you won't be disappointed.<br />
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*ARCs received in advance in return for an honest review
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgq-b7CbzMqNqaOYNai2yfLAKsjj7b7vMpYMSzYvsRBYuvsNRGqM4C1heszrs_sX9BZzNGXmCXP_vCfNtN0bb7XevFzOSGfkpR_gEnK_SuhiJysW-aDVVMeUVXSP-hEdA3NBGHZW9pv0zx/s1600/10335308.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgq-b7CbzMqNqaOYNai2yfLAKsjj7b7vMpYMSzYvsRBYuvsNRGqM4C1heszrs_sX9BZzNGXmCXP_vCfNtN0bb7XevFzOSGfkpR_gEnK_SuhiJysW-aDVVMeUVXSP-hEdA3NBGHZW9pv0zx/s1600/10335308.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Mindy Kaling has lived many lives: the obedient child of immigrant professionals, a timid chubster afraid of her own bike, a Ben Affleck–impersonating Off-Broadway performer and playwright, and, finally, a comedy writer and actress prone to starting fights with her friends and coworkers with the sentence “Can I just say one last thing about this, and then I swear I’ll shut up about it?”</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Perhaps you want to know what Mindy thinks makes a great best friend (someone who will fill your prescription in the middle of the night), or what makes a great guy (one who is aware of all elderly people in any room at any time and acts accordingly), or what is the perfect amount of fame (so famous you can never get convicted of murder in a court of law), or how to maintain a trim figure (you will not find that information in these pages). If so, you’ve come to the right book, mostly!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">In</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><em>Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, </em></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Mindy invites readers on a tour of her life and her unscientific observations on romance, friendship, and Hollywood, with several conveniently placed stopping points for you to run errands and make phone calls. Mindy Kaling really is just a Girl Next Door—not so much literally anywhere in the continental United States, but definitely if you live in India or Sri Lanka.</span></blockquote>
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Having recently binged on <i>The Mindy Project </i>I couldn't resist picking up Mindy Kaling's book when I saw it on the shelves recently.<br />
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I don't normally read celeb autobiographies but having formed an attachment to Mindy after having practically brainwashed myself watching her show I was willing to try something new. Mindy's book isn't really a biography, more a collection of incidents and stories that Mindy feels like sharing.<br />
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The first two-thirds of Mindy's book covers her childhood, her discovery of her love of comedy and then her struggle to make it in the big bad world. Covering her slow discovery of self as a teenager to the slow acceptance of her body, Mindy's recollections are entirely relatable and told with just the right amount of wit, charm and self acceptance to avoid that reek of self satisfaction. Her tales of trying to reign herself in and learn as part of a team are a lesson that everyone could do with reading.<br />
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The last third is where the book begins to unravel somewhat. Not having much more to discuss, Mindy instead lets us rifle through the selfies on her phone and shares her opinions on chest hair, amongst other things. Whilst I can see how the last section can displease some readers it's so overtly Mindy (because we're best friends now) that I just loved it.<br />
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<i>Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? </i>is more a collection of essays and recollections than a memoir or biography and it can seem quite arbitrary at times, but if you're a fan of Mindy or <i>The Office </i>then it's pretty much a must read.Rosiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01861208732884139245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743043139628034837.post-47359131574513952422014-07-25T07:00:00.000+01:002014-07-25T07:00:03.079+01:00Review: Rogue with a Brogue - Suzanne Enoch*<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn6A2EBDFSd-kZklc4uR9NpAAuYIfrUSoKKwQCJl2nJdPL9TjKlgYtOz4uPVkE49zgt3bMqtfYue1SX-si25gDGvNlNYArYUEPbMK5TTGXbggXChrPqyQtpD8ZGbkLxPHKuq9EeAYEuIxi/s1600/18404306.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn6A2EBDFSd-kZklc4uR9NpAAuYIfrUSoKKwQCJl2nJdPL9TjKlgYtOz4uPVkE49zgt3bMqtfYue1SX-si25gDGvNlNYArYUEPbMK5TTGXbggXChrPqyQtpD8ZGbkLxPHKuq9EeAYEuIxi/s1600/18404306.jpg" height="320" width="195" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><strong>A Rogue For Every Lady</strong></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">London, 1817: Stuck in a Mayfair ballroom, thanks to his lovestruck brother, Highlander Arran MacLawry wants nothing but a bit of distraction from an arranged betrothal—and a clever auburn-haired lass in a vixen's mask promises just that . . . until he discovers that she's the granddaughter of the Campbell, chief of clan MacLawry's longtime rival. Despite their families' grudging truce, falling for fiery Mary Campbell is a notion too outlandish even for this Highlander…</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><strong>The Thrill Of The Forbidden</strong></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Raised on tales of savage MacLawrys, Mary is stunned to realize the impressively strapping man in the fox's mask is one of them. Surely the enemy shouldn't have such a broad chest, and such a seductive brogue? Not that her curiosity matters—any dalliance between them is strictly forbidden, and she's promised to another. But with the crackling spark between them ready to catch flame, love is worth every risk…</span></blockquote>
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It wasn't until starting <i>Rogue with a Brogue </i>that I realised how long it's been since I've read a historical romance, and boy am I glad that I started again.<br />
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<i>Rogue </i>is the second in Enoch's new Highland Regency series, <i>Scandalous Highlanders,</i><i> </i>and is the first I've read but it certainly won't be the last. <i>Rogue </i>tells the story of the second son of Glengask, Arran MacLawry, who has come down to London to save his brother from the Sassenach influence he's surely under (the tale of the first in the series <i>The Devil Wears Kilts</i>). Whilst there Arran meets the enchanting granddaughter of the chief of his clan's sworn enemy, The Campbell's. Arran and Mary are essentially a Highland Romeo and Juliet - albeit a lot more mature and rational - they know they can't be together and yet they cannot resist their mutual attraction. What ensues is an enjoyable romp through eighteenth century Britain as the couple seek to find a way to be together.<br />
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As I've said, Arran and Mary have the touch of the star-crossed lovers about them but they are a lot more together. First meeting at a masked ball, Arran is instantly entranced by the mysterious vixen he dances with but it is clearly and most definitely lust and not love that he feels for his masked partner. I really loved the development of the character's relationship, from the start their dialogue sparks and the growing attachment they feel for one another, growing from lust to love, is a real joy to read. Arran, the stalwart protective beta of his clan comes alive in Mary's company and for herself, Mary really comes into her own becoming a heroine that learns to fend for herself, chase what she wants and claim her life as her own. Arran and Mary's journey, both figurative and literal, really is a romp - boisterous, full of laughs and misadventure.<br />
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The supporting cast to the novel are also wonderful, I became particularly attached to loyal sidekicks Peter and Howard and can only hope that they return later in the series. As for the MacLawry clan, we didn't really get to see much of younger sister Winnie who has her own adventure in Enoch's third instalment, <i>Mad, Bad and Dangerous in Plaid </i>(I am loving Enoch's titles for this series by the way), but she's featured just enough to piqué my interest, as is younger brother Munro who's story surely isn't far away.</div>
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I thoroughly enjoyed Enoch's <i>Rogue with a Brogue</i>, however, there are a few small details that are holding it off that coveted five star spot for me. Firstly, the constant anti-English sentiment offered by Arran occasionally goes too far for my tastes and is, thankfully, not all that accurate and exaggerated by Enoch for the benefit of her story. Secondly, the accent that Enoch writes for Arran and his kin is constant, erroneous and gets really frustrating to read after a while - so much so that after a time I just did my best to ignore it. These are merely personal catches to the novel though and I would definitely not let these prevent me from reading more of Enoch's promising new series.<br />
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If you're a fan of the tartan clad hero and the outspoken heroine who have some undeniable chemistry then <i>Rogue with a Brogue </i>is definitely for you and well worth a read.<br />
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*ARC received in return for an honest review, <i>Rogue with a Brogue</i> is published by St. Martin's Press and is available from July 29th </div>
Rosiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01861208732884139245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743043139628034837.post-87251825445458598612014-07-21T16:16:00.000+01:002014-07-21T16:16:36.789+01:00Bargain Read: Do You Remember the First Time - Jenny Colgan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As her best friend Tashy cuts into her wedding cake, 32-year-old Flora realises she is disillusioned with life. Suddenly, her well-paid job, cosy flat and stable relationship with sensible Olly don't amount to a whole lot. Flora wants to be 16 again. She closes her eyes and wishes. Her wish has come true. </blockquote>
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Waking up the next morning is a shock. But now Flora has the chance to right some wrongs. Trading crows feet for pimples, love handles for a torso Britney Spears would kill for and dull dinner parties for house parties where White Lightning and snogging are the order of the day, Flora revels in a life where things are far less complicated and just much more… FUN. </blockquote>
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It's not all laughs though. Will what she does change the future? How can she get back to the present and her ordinary life? And does she even want to?</blockquote>
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What are you still doing here? Jenny Colgan is only 99p! Go now! Sprint to <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Do-You-Remember-First-Time-ebook/dp/B009YBU3DA/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1405466015&sr=1-1&keywords=do+you+remember+the+first+time"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Amazon</span></a> and then come back and read the review (obviously).<br />
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Whilst it seems like an old trope, I've only actually read a few books with a similar plot line to <i>Do You Remember the First Time </i>and I've read even less that are executed half as well. Admittedly, I've no desire to ever re-live any portion of my teenage years but it doesn't surprise me that many people would jump at the chance to do it all over again. What's great, or maybe a bit weird, about Colgan's offering to this plot device is that Flora doesn't actually go back in time to her teenage years and get the chance to whitewash her life, she instead wakes up one day as a teenager in the present day (as it were). This leads to many an amusing incident of Flora running into current, mature friends of the present and her old flames of the past. </div>
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Flora's shock to the system of how different today's teenagers really are to her own contemporaries is sure to ring true with many readers and her slow realisations about the realiity of the adults that surrounded her as a teen are equally as astute. Flora doesn't make some of the best decisions when she gets her se<span style="font-family: inherit;">cond chance (some are a bit weird frankly) but she certainly makes some important discoveries; maybe being a teenager isn't all it's cracked up to be and maybe she doesn't want to do it all again after all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Flora is also surrounded by a great group of friends that make the book all the more enjoyable: Tashy is the best friend I'm sure we'd all want in a crisis, and first love, Clelland, is the stuff moody teenagers dream off. </span></div>
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My only criticism of the book would be the ending, but that's often the way with these sorts of things. How Flora was going to detangle herself from the mess she'd gotten herself into intrigued me and Colgan did a great job of resolving something that I couldn't think of a solution too at all, and yet it still jarred with me a little bit and I felt that it could have been done better somehow. I'd have liked more explanations or maybe an epilogue. Also, I'm not sure how Colgan explains the fact that Flora's parents also find themselves regressing, although in terms of the story and Flora's development I can see why it was necessary. All in all though I enjoyed <i>Do You Remember the First Time</i> because it was funny, light hearted and just the cheerful read that I needed. </div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Having only recently rediscovered Colgan and completely loving her latest novels it's great that I get the chance to go back and devour all of her previous works, and for 99p everyone can give them a go. <i>Do You Remember the First Time </i>is a great little read, full of plenty of laughs and the sage insights that I've come to expect from one of Colgan's often excellent books. Yes, you might have to suspend your belief a little but I promise it's well worth it, Flora's relatable and charming and the book is certainly entertaining and ultimately uplifiting, well worth a measley £1 I'd say. </span></div>
Rosiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01861208732884139245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743043139628034837.post-5290057213622612222014-07-16T12:00:00.000+01:002014-07-16T12:00:01.102+01:00Review: The Country Escape - Fiona Walker*<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Hidden amid lush Herefordshire parkland, Eardisford is the ultimate English country retreat and it's just been sold for the first time in its history. Romantic daredevil Kat Mason has been bequeathed the estate's lakeside sanctuary, Lake Farm, until she dies or marries. But the new owners want her out now . . .</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span> </blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">In rides charming playboy Dougie Everett, the man hired to sweep Kat off her feet and off the property. Although pursuing the Hollywood dream has not been all he'd hoped, Dougie loves nothing more than the thrill of the chase, but does he risk losing his heart along the way?</span></blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818;">Anyone who's been reading my blog for a while will know that Fiona Walker was one of the first romance authors I read and her books hold a special place in my heart (if you missed this you can read those posts </span><a href="http://rosiereadsromance.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/rarm-my-favourite-romance-reads.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">here</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818;"> and</span> <a href="http://rosiereadsromance.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/read-romance-month.html" style="color: magenta;">here</a>)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818;">. You can imagine my excitement when I received an advanced copy of Walker's latest.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"></span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a>I'll admit that whilst I loved Walker's earlier novels, <i>Kiss Chase</i>, <i>French Relations </i>and <i>Well Groomed,</i> her later ones fell a bit flat with me and it would appear that I wasn't the only one, but she's definitely back on form with the wonderful <i>The Country Escape.</i><br />
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I'd call Walker's novels Brit-lit in it's truest form, many of the characters that appear in her books will be all too familiar to us Brits but the often stereotypical subjects might be confusing and misleading to some other readers. In this way, <i>The Country Escape </i>is no different. The characters come across as caricatures of the British class system, and not always to their benefit. Although Walker does an admirable job of filling us in on each character's background and their motivations, managing to change a lot of our preconceptions along the way.<br />
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Walker's books can be a bit of a slog, they're fairly hefty and often come in at over 500 pages. Walker is no stranger to description and her books are full of keen observation and wonderful character details, but this can slow the story down. Because of that I'd definitely say that <i>The Country Escape </i>is more of an acquired taste, if you're after a quick romantic read then this definitely isn't for you. <i>The Country Escape</i>, however, is perfect for the reader that can't get enough detail and always wants more. If you're interested in the idylls of the British countryside and horse riding then this is also going to be the perfect summer read.<br />
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My only complaint would be the lack of interaction that we get between Kat and Dougie, <i>The Country Escape </i>lacks the passion and spark of <i>Kiss Chase </i>that I so loved and is instead more reminiscent of the family sagas of <i>French Relations </i>and<i> Well Groomed. </i><br />
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If you're a fellow lover of the great Brit-lit and love a good block-buster novel then Walker's latest is definitely for you, there are plenty of laughs to be had and the book is packed full of so much detail that it's easy to get completely lost in the lives of Kat, Dougie and friends and it's quite sad to leave them behind at the last page.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;">*Advanced reader's copy received in return for an honest review, <i>The Country Escape </i>is published by Sphere and is available now.</span>Rosiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01861208732884139245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743043139628034837.post-8847763181009068082014-07-14T12:00:00.000+01:002014-07-15T23:42:19.708+01:00Review: Thirteen Weddings - Paige Toon*<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Last year, Bronte left Sydney for a wedding in England, where she met newly single Alex. After a night of passion they parted ways, and Bronte returned to Australia.</span></blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Now working on a picture desk for a magazine in London, Bronte is about to meet her new colleague, who turns out to be all too familiar. Although awkward at first, as Alex is now engaged to the girl he was on a break from when they met, they soon become friends.</span></blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">But as the two get closer, and the wedding day looms, it is clear that Alex and Bronte have unfinished business</span></blockquote>
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I read <i>Thirteen Weddings </i>when it came out back in May, May! and yet I've never seemed to get round to talking about it and how much I love it. I feel very Austen-esque, maybe if I loved it less I could talk about it more.<br />
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Paige Toon is definitely one of my favourite authors, my go to if I want a romance with that yearning, heartache quality (it's a lot better than it sounds, I promise). Toon's novels are always a bit more complex than your standard romance and that's what I love about them. The romance in Toon's books is never easy, there is often more than one obstacle standing between our hero and heroine and sometimes the choices that have to made aren't all that obvious or clear cut.</div>
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<i>Thirteen Weddings </i>tells the story of Bronte, who's moved to a new job in London only to find that her new colleague is the man she spent an unforgettable night with a few months ago. For his part, Alex is shocked to see that he and Bronte now work on the same magazine; newly engaged Alex can't rekindle the relationship he had with Bronte and they instead become firm friends. What I loved about <i>Thirteen Weddings </i>is that it's not just a love story, it's Bronte's story, it is the tale of how Bronte tries to fit in to her new life and discover who she is. During the course of her story, Bronte follows her passion for photography and discovers her talent as a wedding photographer, making new friends and meeting new love along the way. </div>
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Toon doesn't make any choice easy for Bronte or the reader. Lachie, Bronte's wedding singer boyfriend, is just as likeable and romantic as Alex, and yet the hold that Alex has over Bronte is all to relatable. Toon keeps you guessing throughout the book as to what Bronte's going to do, she faces some difficult decisions and I wouldn't recommend starting <i>Thirteen Weddings </i>if you've got anything else to do - you're going to want to carry on reading to the very end to find out what she decides.</div>
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<i>Thirteen Weddings </i>has some similar threads to Toon's other novels, the connection to Australia as well as a character's interest in photography, but none of her books have that sinking familiar feeling that you can get with some more formulaic authors. Bronte is a complex character, she doesn't really know herself and it takes time for the reader to understand her too. One of the more interesting facets to Bronte's character is her deep-seated fear of churches (not all that convenient for a wedding photographer's assistant) thankfully this is a mystery that Toon does solve and helps the reader to begin to decipher her character. The detail that Toon uses to describe each wedding also adds an extra element to the novel, the humour and drama of each is picked out and gives the reader the chance to revel in some added romance.</div>
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Packed full of emotion, laughs and life lessons <i>Thirteen Weddings </i>is the perfect summer read and one of Toon's best novels so far, a book that I'd throughly recommend.</div>
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*Advanced reader's copy received in return for an honest review. <i>Thirteen Weddings </i>is published by Simon & Schuster UK and is available now.</div>
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Rosiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01861208732884139245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743043139628034837.post-37415024844481985802014-06-18T09:00:00.000+01:002014-06-18T09:00:01.388+01:00Mini-View: Date Expectations - Paul Reizin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Date Expectations</span> tells the hilarious true story of some of the most disastrous dates in the history of courtship, as Paul sets out on an increasingly fraught quest to leave singledom behind ... These include the date with the psycho hippy nutter; the date who didn't turn up; the world's shortest date; and the date with a face like a bag of spanners.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Learn to interpret the secret language of the lonely hearts columns (e.g. 'bubbly' = fat). Learn how to read between the lines of a recorded message - fine tune your radar for those tell-tale references to cats and anger-management classes. And much, much more ...</span></blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Remember - blind dating is like life. By the time you've learned how to do it properly, you no longer need to . . .</span></blockquote>
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Having just moved I've come across a box full of second hand books that clearly caught my attention at one point but that I never managed to quite get round to reading, wanting something a bit easy to settle down with I plucked <i>Date Expectations </i>off of the top of the pile.</div>
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<i>Date Expectations</i> is one of those true stories where every detail has been changed to safeguard the identity of those that appear therein, despite what I'm sure is the occasional exaggeration the book still has that awkward ring of truth about it that keeps you hooked, hoping for that happy ending. I wouldn't have said that <i>Date Expectations </i>was 'un-putdownable' and yet I stayed up most of the night reading it. Reizin has an easy writing style that does draw you in; a keen eye for observational comedy that perhaps veers towards being too<i> </i>sharp on occasion, the book is a definite 'easy read'. </div>
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Reizin certainly has a way with words and the book was undoubtedly amusing, however, the conclusion seemed altogether too rushed and the plot (such as it is) fizzled out towards the end. I'm unsure exactly what we're supposed to take away from Reizin's experiences but the book provided a few hours of entertainment nevertheless.<br />
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<i>Date Expectations </i>is an easy, humorous read with a happy ending and there's not much more that you can ask for. Reizin's account of his voyage through the lonely hearts is a read I'd recommended, especially if you're just after a light book with a few laughs.</div>
Rosiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01861208732884139245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743043139628034837.post-80676367314550783442014-06-04T23:14:00.000+01:002014-09-25T00:15:07.777+01:00Review: The Wrong Knickers: a decade of chaos - Bryony Gordon*<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">For years, women have been told that their twenties are their golden years, filled with fun, parties, sex and glamour. Countless TV shows and movies tell us the same story: this is your perfect decade - don't waste it! You'll never be so happy - or thin - again.</span> </blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Here, in her hilariously honest memoir, Bryony Gordon gives us a fresh perspective. Like Carrie Bradshaw, she may have had a column in a national newspaper, but her twenties weren't one long episode of</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><em>Sex and the City,</em></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">instead they were a decade of hangovers, heartbreak, and hideously awkward mornings-after, all over her overdraft limit.</span></blockquote>
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Something a bit different on the blog today with a review of a memoir from Bryony Gordon, a coloumnist for <i>The Telegraph </i>and one of the paper's best loved writers. As I'm sure we'll soon be hearing from everyone, Gordon has produced the <i>Bridget Jones </i>for the noughties with the added bonus that it is all hilariously true.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><i>The Wrong Knickers </i>covers Gordon's (mis)adventures over her twenties after she leaves university and seeks to live the glamourous, hedonistic life she's always been promised. Throughout her retelling Gordon slowly but surely bursts the bubble that we all clung to in our teens; that it would all be worth it one day when we were twenty-something, young, glorious and free. From the absolute hell of flat hunting in a capital city, to the disappointing lack of true love to be found the morning after, and revealing how expensive wine really is, you'll be pleasantly startled how often you relate to Gordon's experiences. Gordon recounts her tales with shocking honesty, making them all the more enjoyable and that touch more scandalous.<br />
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In my other much more boring academic life, I spend my days reading memoirs so I like to think I know what makes the difference between a good and a bad retelling of one's life. But let's be honest, we all know what makes the difference and that is a good, and enjoyable, writing style. Thankfully, and with no surprise, Gordon's narrative flows with unconscious ease and is shockingly addictive. <i>The Wrong Knickers </i>is definitely one to start when you've plenty of time and perhaps some privacy, unless you're ready to snort with laughter unattractively on a train full of people (let's not speak of it again).<br />
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Not a regular newspaper reader, Gordon was unknown to me until I read <i>The Wrong Knickers </i>and now I'm just wondering where the hell I've been. Gordon's memoir is a wonderfully refreshing and amusing interlude in my usual reading fare and it was nice to see the other side of all these glamorous life-styles we're so often presented with.<br />
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<i>The Wrong Knickers </i>is enjoyable, endearing, clever, and just that little bit naughty. A definite recommended read for anyone who's ever been twenty, thought they were going to meet the love of their life at 3am in a nightclub, and has ever felt that their twenties were miss-sold to them as the best years of their life.<br />
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*ARC received in return for an honest review, <i>The Wrong Knickers </i>is published by headline and is due for release on June 5th.Rosiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01861208732884139245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743043139628034837.post-85223808758070922822014-06-02T20:16:00.000+01:002014-06-02T20:49:00.511+01:00Review: Once Upon a Kiss (Book Club Belles Society #1)- Jayne Fresina*<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><strong>These Book Club Belles are ready to put down their novels and find some real-life leading men!</strong></span></blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">In the sleepy village of Hawcombe Prior, five young ladies of the local book society are reading a salacious romance called</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><em>Pride and Prejudice</em></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">. Upon finishing the book, the ladies race to find their own Mr. Darcy, and the handsome, mysterious Darius Wainwright is the perfect mark.</span> </blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Justina Penny can't understand why her fellow Belles are starry-eyed in the newcomer's arrogant presence. But if the town's only eligible bachelor marries anyone, it should be her sweet, beautiful sister. And it's up to Justina to make it happen. How could this plan possibly go wrong?</span></blockquote>
How has it been so long since I've read a historical romance? I know, I know, it's terrible. But you'll be pleased to hear that I've put an end to this drought and have read and reviewed the first in a wonderful new series from Jayne Fresina.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><i>Once Upon a Kiss </i>tells the tale of Justina Penny, the youngest daughter of a small town doctor and owner of a pleasantly active imagination. Longing for some excitement that goes beyond the activities of her book club, Justina decides to set upon new arrival and very eligible bachelor, Darius Wainwright, as the perfect man to marry her much prettier and much more sensible older sister.<br />
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<i>Once Upon a Kiss </i>is a nice shadowing of the book club's study, <i>Pride and Prejudice</i>, although I must say that Justina reminded me a lot more of Catherine Morland than she did Elizabeth Bennet. Darius, you'll be pleased to hear, is much closer to Mr Darcy. Jussy would be described by some as spirited, but let's be honest she's just plain batty - and I loved her for it. Full of energy and charm it's hard not to let her creep into your heart. Her overactive imagination and fearless spirit get her into plenty of scrapes and humorous situations and thankfully we're along for the ride. Darius is the perfect foil to Jussy, reserved and a touch too serious, with no time for the meddling antics of the Penny family and just about everyone else in the town.</div>
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Jussy and Darius' relationship is of the wonderful 'slow-build' type, providing plenty of opportunities for heart warming moments as the couples attitudes' soften towards one another. The couples verbal sparring is one of the high points of the novel and Fresina's talent for witty dialogue really shines through. Fresina has also skilfully crafted a wonderfully rounded set of secondary characters, from the familiar Mrs Penny to Wainwright's easily dislikable sister-in-law.</div>
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The first in Fresina's new series is a light-hearted delight, clever, packed full of fun and with more than enough romance to keep any reader happy. I can't wait to read the rest in Fresina's new series which promises to be just as enjoyable as <i>Once Upon a Kiss</i>.<br />
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*ARC received in return for an honest review. <i>Once Upon a Kiss </i>is published by Sourcebooks Casablanca and is released on June 3rd.Rosiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01861208732884139245noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743043139628034837.post-34886237975450526552014-06-01T09:00:00.000+01:002014-06-01T22:29:40.826+01:00The Troublemaker Next Door (the MacCauley Brothers #1) - Marie Harte*<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Flynn McCauley never thought he’d be so cliché as to fall for the girl next door. But when Maddie calls him over to help fix her faulty sink, he’s a goner. Too bad the fiercely independent interior designer wants nothing to do with him. Even worse, he’s forced to rely on the advice of his nosy brothers—and his five-year-old nephew!—to figure out how to make her give him a shot.</span></blockquote>
It feels like a long time since I've been introduced to a new contemporary romance author and I can't think of a better addition to my digital shelves than Marie Harte. Having never read any of Harte's books before I wasn't hundred percent sure what to expect, what I got was an enjoyable erotic romance.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><i>The Troublemaker Next Door </i>is the beginning of a new series by Marie Harte that introduces the über masculine and warm hearted McCauley brothers (including honorary Brody) and their sexy, down to earth female neighbours. <i>Troublemaker </i>tells the tale of Flynn, perhaps the most manly and hard to tame of the brothers and feisty, independent Maddie who, unable to deny their chemistry, decide to embark on a strictly 'no-strings' relationship.<br />
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Maddie and Flynn do seem to be the more clichéd characters we are introduced to; independent to a fault Maddie and the manly plumber Flynn who loves his family, but they do make a wonderfully complimentary couple and their journey through their 'no-strings' relationship is enjoyable to read. The relationship between Maddie and Flynn could easily have focused solely on their undeniable sexual chemistry, however, Harte skilfully weaves in emotion and a deeper connection throughout the novel.<br />
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As I mentioned before, Harte's book is definitely one of the steamier that I've read of late and, whilst I don't mind the more stimulating romance novels, I do sometimes perhaps prefer the build up and the tension a bit more than I do the regular sex scenes. Having said that, Harte certainly does have a flare for the sexier scenes and manages to produce passionate encounters that don't shy away from the heat that two people can share, although they're perhaps a bit too blunt for some. I'll admit, occasionally I found them a bit too much, they did seem to take over the plot a bit - maybe not helped by the 'L' word first flitting past Flynn after oral sex.<br />
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The book is clearly a set up for the rest of the series so it didn't focus on Flynn and Maddie as much as I'd like it to have. However, having said that, the characters that we are introduced to are really enjoyable and I can't wait to read their stories when they're published. It's clear even from <i>Troublemaker </i>where the series is going but I'm sure Harte is going to throw a few curve balls in there to keep readers hooked.<br />
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All in all, I think <i>Troublemaker </i>was a brilliant introduction to what looks to be a great new series from Harte. Steamier than most I would definitely categorise <i>Troublemaker </i>as an erotic romance but with plenty of characterisation to keep you engaged and hoping for that happy ending.<br />
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If you enjoy your romance on the sexier side then I'd definitely recommend Harte's books, packed with passion, heart and a few laughs they're the perfect steamy summer read.<br />
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*ARC received in return for an honest review, <i>The Troublemaker Next Door </i>is published by Sourcebooks Casablanca and is released on the 3rd of JuneRosiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01861208732884139245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743043139628034837.post-92218658437231107522014-05-30T09:00:00.001+01:002014-05-30T09:00:03.464+01:00Review: Nobody (Men of the White Sandy #3) - Sarah M. Anderson*<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Nobody Bodine came from a nobody and will always be a nobody. He can disappear into the shadows—no one can see him if he doesn’t want them to. He exists on the edge, in neither the white man’s world nor the tribe’s, dispensing vigilante justice when he sees fit. There’s no other place for a man like him in this world.</span> </blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Until Melinda Mitchell shows up on the rez. From the first moment he lays eyes on her, he can tell there’s something different about her. For starters, she’s not afraid of him. She asks where his scars came from, and why he has so many. But more than that, she sees him. For the first time in his life, Nobody feels like a somebody in her eyes.</span></blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Melinda has come west to run the new day care on the White Sandy Reservation. She’s intrigued by this strange man and his tattered skin, and when she discovers that he’s a self-appointed guardian angel for the boy in her care, she realizes that there’s more to Nobody than meets the eyes. But how far will he go to keep the boy safe? And will she be able to draw him into the light?</span></blockquote>
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If you follow me on twitter you'll know that recently I've been going through deadline hell so I haven't had much time for reading or reviewing, and then I moved! I was worried for a while that I'd never be able to read again.<br />
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Anyway, what you might now know is that <i>Nobody </i>was the best companion through this deadline hell. I was only able to read the book in little snippets here and there and it took me a whole two weeks to finish the book, but I looked forward to each five minute snippet that I grabbed.<br />
<a name='more'></a>I've reviewed one of Sarah M. Anderson's books <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;"><a href="http://rosiereadsromance.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/bargain-read-what-rancher-wants-sarah-m.html">before</a> </span>and I throughly enjoyed that so it really was no surprise that I loved <i>Nobody </i>too. I haven't read any of the other 'Men of the White Sandy' series but like most series you don't have to have read them all in order (or at all if you don't want to) - but I dare you to resist after reading <i>Nobody</i>.<br />
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<i>Nobody </i>tells the story of Nobody who's shadowy self appeared briefly in the previous novels of the <i>Men of the White Sandy</i>. The protector of young Jamie, Nobody is a tortured soul who fits in to neither the white man's world or the tribe's and is feared by both. Nobody is definitely one of the more troubled heros that I've read about, a vigilante who keeps himself apart from everyone, determined not to be reliant on anyone. It takes the arrival of Melinda, the sister of Dr Mitchell, for Nobody to finally let himself be seen.<br />
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I really liked Melinda; running from her past she doesn't immediately settle into life on the reservation but takes some time to adjust. She's feisty, determined and not easily defeated; she's also not afraid of the mysterious Nobody. Melinda, for me, leads the story, which makes for a refreshing change. Melinda and Nobody's relationship also helps set the book apart, neither character seeks to change the other and their love doesn't result in some personality altering compromise.<br />
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I'll admit, this is my first romance that deals with Native American culture so I cannot comment on the accuracy, but Anderson skillfully treads the line between providing enough detail to keep your interest satisfied without making any grand or troubling statements on the culture.<br />
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Finally, the secondary characters in the book are so intriguing, particularly Melinda's sister Madeline and her partner, Rebel, the main characters in <i>Mystic Cowboy</i> - definitely my next read.<br />
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<i>Nobody </i>is everything that I have come to expect from Anderson, a wonderfully emotional and steamy romance with characters that are different enough, and developed enough, to really capture and keep your attention. Anderson's descriptions of the land that Nobody loves really help you invest in life on the reservation and help ground the novel into a wonderfully rounded, perfect escapist read.<br />
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*ARC received from the author in exchange for an honest review. Thanks Sarah!Rosiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01861208732884139245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743043139628034837.post-31539486109572451312014-05-28T11:40:00.000+01:002014-05-28T11:40:00.691+01:00Blog: Liebster Award<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So, I've been away for a while and what better way to ease my way back into blogging than with a little tag thing. The Liebster Award is an award that is given by bloggers to other bloggers, a way of supporting little blogs that you love to read. I was nominated by the lovely Katie Thompson at <a href="http://intothebookcase.wordpress.com/" style="color: magenta;">Into the Bookcase</a>, one of my favourite blogs, so I'd definitely recommend that you go over and give her reviews a read (as well as her own answers to the <a href="http://intothebookcase.wordpress.com/2014/05/23/liebster-award/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Liebster Award</span></a>). Katie asked some brilliant questions and I'm going to get on with answering them after the cut<br />
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Firstly, if you're interested the rules for the award are as follows:<br />
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<li>Thank the blogger who nominated you.</li>
<li>Answer the eleven questions he/she asks.</li>
<li>Nominate eleven bloggers.</li>
<li>Ask these eleven bloggers eleven questions.</li>
<li>Let these eleven bloggers know that they have been nominated.</li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;">I've thanked Katie so now to answer her questions:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;">1. <b>What's the last book you read, and what book are you currently reading?</b></span></div>
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The last book I read was <i>Thirteen Weddings </i>by Paige Toon (review soon) and since I'm still getting over that I've moved on to the lighthearted <i>Date Expectations </i>by Paul Reizin. </div>
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2. <b>How do you organise your TBR pile?</b></div>
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Ha. Well, I've just moved which means that I've discovered a whole box of books that I've yet to read so my TBR 'pile' is now more of a bookcase. I try to read books that I've been lucky enough to be given in advance before their release date and other than that I have a very sophisticated "eeny, meany, miney, mo" system.</div>
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3. <b>What is your favourite genre, and why?</b></div>
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As much as I'd love to say it was romance (and let's be honest it probably is) I'm going to go a little left field and say that I think comedy is my favourite genre. I love books that make me laugh, from crime to fantasy to the odd romance. But I will honestly read just about anything.</div>
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4.<b> Do you like watching film adaptations of books?</b></div>
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Yes, in general I do. Films are not direct copies of the books, they're a different product in their own right and can often add something to your favourite read. I've also discovered some great books through films and even, occasionally, preferred the film adaptation to a book that I didn't enjoy all that much. </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">5. <b>If you could live as your favourite character for a day, what would you do?</b></span></div>
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I have no idea who my favourite character even is so this question is just plain mean. I know that one of my favourite characters is definitely Claire from <i>Outlander </i>and being a history student the possibility of going back in time is really, really enticing and I'd love to wander round 18th century Scotland. A day also seems to be the perfect amount of time to go without modern luxuries.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;">6. <b>Have you met any authors? If not, who would you like to meet?</b></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;">I went with my sister to meet John Green a few years a go and I heard Terry Pratchett speak when I was very little, but I've not met any author recently. I'd love to met Stuart MacBride, his books are brilliant and always make me laugh, or Jennifer Crusie - a firm favourite.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;">7. <b>Paperback or Kindle?</b></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;">I love books and I love all formats of book. Having just moved and lugged ten boxes of books across the country I am definitely going off the heavier paperback and I do love the convenience of the Kindle. I find it very hard to get rid of books, even if I know I am not going to read them again so for that I'd say the Kindle, but physical copies of my favourite books always find their way on to my shelves. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;">Interestingly if it's a book for my degree I have to have it in hard copy as I really don't like reading academic books on the Kindle.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;">8. <b>What is the longest book you've read?</b></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;">I think it was <i>Lord of the Rings, </i>which I absolutely love. I have also read some of the Russian greats which felt longer although I don't think they actually were.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;">9. <b>What is your favourite book series?</b></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;">I love a lot of series, but as far as on-going recurring characters go my favourite has to be the <i>Outlander </i>series by Diana Gabaldon. It's hard to not get attached to Jamie and Claire and I love the historical detail that Gabaldon goes into in her novels. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;">Another series that's more loosely connected that I love and cannot get enough of is Julia Quinn's <i>Bridgerton</i> series, the Bridgerton family is the family that everybody wants to marry into.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;">10. <b>If you opened a book shop, what would you name it?</b></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 23px;">Hasn't every reader thought of opening a book shop or a cafe? I know I have but I spend more time dreaming about sneakily reading all the stock or the massive squishy sofa I'd have inside rather than the name. I'd probably go with something like </span></span><i style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 23px;">Rosie's Reads </i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 23px;">(because I'm imaginative) or maybe </span></span><i style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 23px;">Pumpkin</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 23px;">? I used to really want a </span></span><span style="line-height: 23px;">fairy-tale</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 23px;"> themed cafe called </span></span><i style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 23px;">Pumpkin</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 23px;"> before I remembered the railway station chain that already exists. Bummer.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit; line-height: 23px;"><br /></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">11. <b>You’re stuck on an island, and can only have one book to read. What book would you choose?</b></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I really want to say something like <i>Bet Me </i>by Jennifer Crusie which is one of my all time favourites but I'm worried that I'd start to hate it. Maybe something that I've always meant to read but have never quite gotten round to, <i>War and Peace</i>? Or I could finally finish the <i>Gormenghast </i>trilogy.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Now to nominate eleven bloggers</b>: I can't think of eleven people who haven't already been nominated but I'll try my best, I'm essentially just going to pick some of my favourite people and hope they haven't done it already (if you have and still fancy answering my very deep and personal questions, do it!).</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Charlotte (@<a href="http://twitter.com/charldibs"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">CharlDibs</span></a>) from <a href="http://miscrawl.wordpress.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Miscrawl</span></a></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;">Chloe (@<a href="http://twitter.com/chicklitchloe"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Chicklitchloe</span></a>) from <a href="http://chicklitchloe.blogspot.co.uk/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Chick-Lit Chloe</span></a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;">Eilidh (@<a href="https://twitter.com/Ellsdoug"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Ellsdoug</span></a>), over at <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;"><a href="http://eilidhd.blogspot.co.uk/">Ellsdoug</a> </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;">Erin (@<a href="http://twitter.com/erinschoicee"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Erinschoicee</span></a>), blog at <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;"><a href="http://www.erins-choice.blogspot.co.uk/">Erin's Choice</a></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;">Heather (@</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><a href="http://twitter.com/hross42"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">hross42</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;">) from</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><a href="http://redheatherduff.blogspot.co.uk/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Random Redhead Ramblings</span></a></span></span><br />
Laura (@<a href="http://twitter.com/lauralovelock"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Lauralovelock</span></a>) who can be found at <a href="http://shelovestoread.wordpress.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">She Loves to Read</span></a><br />
Lauren (@ <a href="http://twitter.com/LLABB2014"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">LLABB2014</span></a>), blog at <a href="http://laurenlooksatbrilliantbooks.wordpress.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Lauren Looks at Brilliant Books</span></a><br />
Maria (@<a href="https://twitter.com/AustenStudent"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">AustenStudent</span></a>) over at <a href="http://austenstudent.tumblr.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Austen Student</span></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;">Megan (@</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;"><a href="https://twitter.com/MeganInTheSun"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">MeganInTheSun</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;">) from </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;"><a href="http://readinginthesunshine.wordpress.com/">Reading in the Sunshine</a></span></span><br />
Sam (@<a href="https://twitter.com/sam_smith73"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">sam_smith73</span></a>) from <a href="http://mrsbbooks2011.blogspot.co.uk/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">The Book Corner</span></a><br />
Sophie (@<a href="http://twitter.com/reviewedthebook"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Reviewedthebook</span></a>) from <a href="http://reviewedthebook.co.uk/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Reviewed the Book</span></a><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>My eleven questions</b>: </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;">1. What's been your favourite book that you've read this year (so far)?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;">2. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;">What book are you most looking forward to reading this year?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;">3. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;">Which book do you feel like you should have read but you never have?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">4. Which book have you never been quite able to finish?</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;">5. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;">What's the first book you remember reading?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;">6. A book you didn't think you'd like but ended up loving?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;">7. Whats the book that you recommend most often?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;">8. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;">Do you prefer to use the library or buy books?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;">9. Favourite place to read?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;">10. Favourite reading snack?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;">11. Other than reading (obviously) what's your favourite hobby?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px;">Hope those are interesting enough for you guys, let me know how you get on with answering them and thanks again to the lovely Katie for nominating me.</span></div>
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Rosiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01861208732884139245noreply@blogger.com0