Saturday, 12 April 2014

Bargain Read: If I Could Turn Back Time - Nicola Doherty*


What if you found The One, then lost him again? 
Or not so much lost him as became the neurotic, needy girlfriend from hell. The girl who tried to make him choose between her and his job, and got seriously paranoid about his relationship with his best female friend... 
Zoe knows she doesn't deserve another chance with David. But if there's the tiniest possibility of making things right, she'll snatch it. Even if it means breaking the laws of physics to do so...

Is it just me who wishes that authors would stop using titles similar to popular songs? I haven't been able to get If I Could Turn Back Time out of my head all week and I think my sister has had enough of my Cher impressions.

Wednesday, 9 April 2014

Review: You Don't Have to Say You Love Me - Sarra Manning




Sweet, bookish Neve Slater always plays by the rules. And the number one rule is that good-natured fat girls like her don't get guys like gorgeous, handsome William, heir to Neve's heart since university. But William's been in LA for three years, and Neve's been slimming down and re-inventing herself so that when he returns, he'll fall head over heels in love with the new, improved her.
So she's not that interested in other men. Until her sister Celia points out that if Neve wants William to think she's an experienced love-goddess and not the fumbling, awkward girl he left behind, then she'd better get some, well, experience.What Neve needs is someone to show her the ropes, someone like Celia's colleague Max. Wicked, shallow, sexy Max. And since he's such a man-slut, and so not Neve's type, she certainly won't fall for him. Because William is the man for her... right?Somewhere between losing weight and losing her inhibitions, Neve's lost her heart - but to who?

A few weeks ago I reviewed my first ever Manning novel It Felt Like a Kiss and since then I have been predictably squeezing in a few of her older reads in between everything else that has been languishing on my TBR pile. It has to be said that You Don't Have to Say You Love Me could have over taken It Felt Like a Kiss as my favourite Manning novel to date.

Sunday, 6 April 2014

Review: The Time of Our Lives - Jane Costello


Imogen and her friends have had their fill of budget holidays, cattle-class flights and 6 a.m. offensives for a space by the pool.So when one of the group wins a VIP holiday at Barcelona's hippest new hotel, they plan to sip champagne with the jet set, party with the glitterati and switch off in surroundings of unapologetic luxury.But as they mingle with movie stars, mafia bosses and millionaires, it becomes clear - with riotous consequences - that even in the most glamorous of locations, things can go wrong. Very wrong . . .

I was actually lucky enough to win an e-book copy of The Time of Our Lives over on twitter and giddy with the high of actually winning something (I think the last thing I won was a swimming contest at age seven) I sat down to read Jane Costello's latest after a horrible week of deadline hell.

Wednesday, 2 April 2014

Bargain Read/Review: A Day at the Office - Matt Dunn


Julie kissed Mark at the office Christmas party. She doesn't seem to remember, but he's not been able to forget. What better day to jog her memory than Valentine's Day?
Calum's found the girl of his dreams on the internet. Trouble is, he's not been completely honest about himself. Tonight he's meeting her for the first time. But will it also be the last?
Nathan's organised his usual Anti-Valentine's party for the office singletons. Sophie's going - again. Though this year, if she gets her way, they might just be leaving together.
One office. Five lives. On the most romantic day of the year.

I have never been one to need an excuse to eat chocolate but at the moment there is the perfect reason to have that cheeky little bar. Galaxy currently have a promotion running in conjunction with Kindle on all of their irresistible reads packs; if you buy a single bar of chocolate you can claim a free Kindle e-book from a small selection, and their bigger bars give you the chance to win your very own Kindle (to read all those new books on). Being a chocolate fiend I have had the chance to read a few of the books on offer and decided to review them for you guys, first up is Matt Dunn's A Day at the Office.


Monday, 31 March 2014

Mini-view: Sea of Shadows (Age of Legends #1) - Kelley Armstrong*


In the Forest of the Dead, where the empire’s worst criminals are exiled, twin sisters Moria and Ashyn are charged with a dangerous task. For they are the Keeper and the Seeker, and each year they must quiet the enraged souls of the damned.
Only this year, the souls will not be quieted.
Ambushed and separated by an ancient evil, the sisters’ journey to find each other sends them far from the only home they’ve ever known. Accompanied by a stubborn imperial guard and a dashing condemned thief, the girls cross a once-empty wasteland, now filled with reawakened monsters of legend, as they travel to warn the emperor. But a terrible secret awaits them at court—one that will alter the balance of their world forever.

A few months ago I reviewed the first in Armstrong's hugely successful Women of the Otherworld series, a bit of a first for me as a fully-fledged supernatural romance novel. Having really enjoyed Bitten and having a bit of a soft spot for YA fiction I thought I'd give the first in Armstrong's latest YA series a go.

Monday, 24 March 2014

Review: Run to You - Rachel Gibson*


Ex-marine Beau Junger likes fast cars and loud music. His body is covered in tattoos and makes girls go weak at the knees. But Beau's not interested in love this year: No women. No sex. No complications. His only worry is saving Stella Leon.

Stella doesn't need saving. She's always been independent, confident, strong. At least on the outside. And she definitely doesn't need a man. After all, she's never known one she could depend on.

But when Beau turns up and spirits her across state to meet her estranged sister, everything changes. They've both got their demons to face, but as the southern heat brings tensions sizzling to the surface, something sparks between them. This tough guy has finally met his match - and they're both about to fall harder than a ton of red-hot bricks...

Rachel Gibson is one of my go to authors as she always guarantees a fun and romantic read and Run to You is no different.

Saturday, 22 March 2014

Bargain Read: How to Get a Love Life - Rosie Blake



Some people book last-minute holidays, walk barefoot in the grass or party on a week night. Not Nicola Brown. Nicola is the kind of girl who double-locks the front door, leaves the plastic covering on new furniture, sticks to a super-strict diet and definitely, absolutely Does Not Date. 
Her colleague Caroline – loopy, warm and exasperated by her, knows that Nicola's reluctance to lose control means she's living only half a life. And so she lays down the gauntlet: Nicola must cast aside her hang ups and go on as many dates as it takes to find true love in time for Valentine's Day. 
The pick of local men is, quite frankly, a bit rubbish. And there are only three months until February 14th. Surely it's an impossible task? But, as Nicola is about to find out on her dodgy dates, letting go isn't quite as scary as she imagined. In fact, it's rather a lot of fun...

I briefly mentioned Rosie Blake's How to Get a (Love) Life in my Bargain Reads roundup last week and since then this fabulous little novel has shot down to 89p, so I thought I'd better get my review up quick-sticks.