Review: 'Some Kind of Wonderful' by Sarah Morgan (2015)

Her whole life, Puffin Islander Brittany Forrest has dreamed of adventure. And at the age of eighteen, she thought she'd found it in bad boy Zachary Flynn. But after just ten tempestuous, smoldering days, their whirlwind marriage went up in smoke, and Brittany resolved to put him out of her mind forever.
Zach knows he let Brittany down, but being back on Puffin Island and seeing Brittany again stirs up long-buried emotions. This daredevil pilot has never felt worthy of her, yet he can't stay away—even when he knows the chemistry between them will only complicate his life.
As long, hot summer days on the beach dissolve into sultry, starry nights, Brittany and Zach find that the sparks between them are more powerful than ever. Could it be that the second time around, their dreams of a happy-ever-after will finally come true?
I keep adding names to my list of authors who I’ve heard and read a lot of positive things about but haven’t actually read a novel from, and I always look forward to finally being able to check out the highly-praised work of these writers. So, when I found a review copy of Sarah Morgan’s ‘Some Kind of Wonderful’ on my doorstep I was delighted. I’ve heard so many positive things about Sarah Morgan’s work and I was really excited to finally sit down with one of her novels and be introduced to her writing. ‘Some Kind of Wonderful’ was released on July 2nd by Mills & Boon and is actually the second part of the Puffin Island series. I have to admit I usually never pick up second or third parts of series if I haven’t read the first book (I prefer to know the whole background story, I can’t help it!), but I decided to make an exception for this one and hoped it would also work as a stand-alone novel (which it luckily did)!
Brittany Forrest loves her job as an archaeologist, travelling all over the world and making exciting discoveries. When she breaks her wrist, she has no other choice but to return to her home on Puffin Island, Maine. While Brittany looks forward to spending time in her grandmother’s cottage and catching up with her best friends, she quickly realises there are also unpleasant memories from her past waiting for her, most specifically in the form of her ex-husband, Zach Flynn. Brittany married bad boy Zach when they were young and in love, but the marriage only lasted for 10 days, when Zach ran off and broke Brittany’s heart. Now, 10 years later, Brittany wants nothing to do with Zach but this turns out to be quite tricky with both of them living on Puffin Island. From the start, it’s clear that the chemistry they had back in the day is still there and hard to ignore. But is Brittany willing to give Zach a second chance or should she spare herself the pain and trouble…?    
I love warm-hearted, easy romance reads that make you forget about the real world for a few hours and that’s exactly what Sarah Morgan’s ‘Some Kind of Wonderful’ is. The novel is the second part of the author’s Puffin Island series, which started with ‘First Time in Forever’ and will end with ‘Christmas Ever After.’ Each part of the trilogy focuses on one of three best friends Emily, Brittany and Skylar and their love lives, which reminded me a bit of Linda Lael Miller’s ‘Brides of Bliss County’ series which I had the pleasure of reading earlier this year and also focuses on three best friends and the romances in their lives. I straight away liked Brittany, the independent and stubborn protagonist in ‘Some Kind of Wonderful’, and loved her friendship with Emily and Skylar. Zach is the perfect handsome bad boy that will undoubtedly make many readers swoon, but also a character with a complex and fascinating background that is further explored in the novel. The chemistry between Zach and Brittany was just great and resulted in quite a few well-written steamy scenes.
The story is set on Puffin Island in Maine (USA) which is described as a simply gorgeous place. I loved the feel of the island and all the inhabitants being up-to-date on each other’s lives and helping and supporting each other whenever necessary. It made me love the story and the characters even more and I just wanted to pack my bags and join all of them on the island. While ‘Some Kind of Wonderful’ is the second part of a trilogy, it can be read as a stand-alone, which I did. I personally would have loved reading the first book first, just so I knew the background stories of all the characters and what they had already been through together, but the novel definitely also works as a stand-alone. Overall, ‘Some Kind of Wonderful’ is a lovely summer read with a wonderful cast of characters at its core; perfect for romance fans or anyone looking for a romantic escapist read for a few hours!

Rating:9/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: 'The Longest Holiday' by Paige Toon (2013)

'Don't wait for the storm to pass; learn to dance in the rain…'

 Laura has been married to the man of her dreams for seven months. But a week before the wedding, Matthew made a terrible mistake. 

Escaping the humiliation that is now her marriage, Laura is whisked off to Florida's Key West by her best friend Marty. A carefree holiday full of cocktails and fun, surrounded by gorgeous, tanned men, is exactly what the doctor ordered. 

Distraction comes in the form of sexy Cuban scuba diver Leo. Laura's instant attraction to him knocks her flying, and she falls hard. 

As the end of the holiday approaches, Laura doesn't want to go home. Is it time to face the music? Or is there more to Key West than a holiday romance?

If there is something that can get me really excited, it’s a new Paige Toon novel. I read ‘Pictures of Lily’ several years ago, and since then Paige has definitely been one of my favourite chick lit authors. I don’t know what it exactly is about her novels, but they always manage to take over my life for several hours, in the best way possible! Once you get stuck in one of her tales, you don’t want to put it down until you’ve finished it. I had already fallen in love with the gorgeous cover (such lovely summer colours) of ‘The Longest Holiday’ and even though it took me some willpower, I decided it would be the perfect first read of my summer holidays this year. So, while I was on the way to my first holiday stop, the lovely city of Bath in England, I got stuck in ‘The Longest Holiday.’

Laura Smythson’s life is suddenly turned upside down when she finds out her husband of just a few months, Matthew, made a horrible mistake on the evening of his stag do. In an attempt to leave it all behind, Laura goes on a trip to Key West in Florida with her best friend Marty, where they spend their time in the sun, drinking and relaxing. Thankfully, Laura finds a good distraction in the form of diving instructor Leo, whom she fancies straight away. As the end of the trip comes near, however, Laura knows she shouldn’t do anything with her feelings since she is still married, but at the same time she can’t stand the thought of leaving Key West and Leo behind...

This was such an enjoyable and great read. I immediately got the ultimate holiday feeling from the descriptions of Key West, and from the beginning of the story I was already hooked. I especially loved Laura, she’s a great heroine that is easy to warm to, and the chemistry between her and Leo (such a great and brooding male hero to fall for!) was amazing. I love it when you find yourself rooting for two people to get together, and to me, the sparks between these two were practically coming from the pages! 

Paige Toon’s writing style is simply captivating, and easy to read, which made me fly through the pages of ‘The Longest Holiday’ and not want to put it down. I especially loved the saying that is used on the cover of the book: ‘Don’t wait for the storm to pass, learn to dance in the rain.’ The way this was used in the novel was so fitting and definitely inspiring! If you are looking for that perfect summer read to take with you to the beach or on holiday, definitely pick up this novel... Trust me, you will not want to put it down!

Rating:9/10

Review: 'Party Games' by Jo Carnegie (2013)

Although the countryside town of Beeversham looks picture-perfect, nothing is quite as it seems. Behind closed doors, three women are struggling to lead the lives they want.

Vanessa seems like she simply must have it all - she's beautiful, rich and married to gorgeous actor, Conrad. But beneath the glitz, she is asking herself whether this really is the life she wants to lead - when she has so much, why does she feel so empty?

Meanwhile, Fleur is trying desperately to save the farm that her family have lived on for hundreds of years, when playboy Beau makes her an offer she can't refuse.

And Catherine has given up the high-flying career she thought she always wanted, and is trying to build a wonderful new life in the country. But finding rural bliss is harder than it looks.

Hopes and dreams, loves and losses - and lots and lots of secrets - let Jo Carnegie take you behind the scenes of one very special town.

Since I first saw the cover of Jo Carnegie’s latest novel ‘Party Games’ and had read the blurb, I was secretly hoping I would be receiving a review copy, and thankfully, I did (thank you, Transworld!). I hadn’t read anything by Jo Carnegie before, but I really liked the sound of ‘Party Games’. A picture-perfect village, three female characters with their own stories to tell, hopes, dreams, secrets... I knew, without a doubt, that this would be an entertaining read!

The town of Beeversham is a small village in England where big things are about to happen. An anonymous building corporation has plans to knock down the town’s castle and build a large theme park instead, promising new jobs and more tourists. The inhabitants of Beeversham are against the plans, but how can they stop this enormous change from happening? At the centre of this, we have three female inhabitants of the small town: Vanessa, the UK’s favourite female celeb, who is stuck in an unhappy marriage until she meets the new hunky gardener Dan; Fleur, who is doing everything she can to save her family’s farm while trying to ignore heartthrob Beau’s romantic advances; and Catherine, who has given up her career as a successful magazine editor in order to start a family in the countryside, but when she can’t get pregnant she finds herself looking for something else to keep her occupied. Much is happening in the small town of Beeversham, but no one knows what enormous changes lie ahead...

Where do I start with this novel?! After about fifty pages, I already noticed a lot was going on. Different storylines, many characters... It really took me a bit of time to get into the story, but as soon as I did, I simply didn’t want to stop reading. The novel became kind of addictive, like a soap opera, with all the intrigue, lies, secrets, unexpected twists and turns. I loved the three female characters (Catherine, Vanessa, and Fleur) and their individual storylines. They were each really different characters that brought a fascinating story to the table, and I loved how the novel focused on them in turns, while using the main Beeversham tale as a red thread to which everything else was somehow linked.

‘Party Games’ can really be described as a soap opera on paper which is scandalously enjoyable and addictive. I really liked Jo Carnegie’s writing style; pleasant, quick, easy-to read. However, I did sometimes lose track of all the different characters and who was who and what their link to the other villagers was. I really loved Vanessa, Fleur and Catherine and the characters close to them, so I wouldn’t have minded if some of the smaller characters would have remained anonymous. Overall, ‘Party Games’ is an addictive, thoroughly enjoyable, scandalous and glamorous read you will not want to put down, and I personally can’t wait to pick up some of Jo Carnegie’s other novels.

Rating:8/10    

  

July 2013 releases to look forward to! (Part 1)

And then July was almost upon us! Time for summer: sunshine, day trips to the beach, watching the sunset, ice cream... And most importantly, holiday reading! Have you already decided which books to fill up your suitcase with? Well, no worries if you haven't, July has got some pretty amazing releases coming up. And if you already decided on your holiday reading, you'd better think again!

Lori Nelson Spielman - 'The Life List' (2nd of July 2013)

1. Go to Paris
2. Have a baby, maybe two
3. Fall in love

Brett Bohlinger seems to have it all: a plum job, a spacious loft, an irresistibly handsome boyfriend. All in all, a charmed life. That is, until her beloved mother passes away, leaving behind a will with one big stipulation: In order to receive her inheritance, Brett must first complete the life list of goals she’d written when she was a naïve girl of fourteen. Grief-stricken, Brett can barely make sense of her mother’s decision—her childhood dreams don’t resemble her ambitions at age thirty-four in the slightest. Some seem impossible. How can she possibly have a relationship with a father who died seven years ago? Other goals (Be an awesome teacher!) would require her to reinvent her entire future. As Brett reluctantly embarks on a perplexing journey in search of her adolescent dreams, one thing becomes clear. Sometimes life’s sweetest gifts can be found in the most unexpected places.

Why so excited? --> I read somewhere that fans of Cecelia Ahern will love this particular novel, and as I'm a big Cecelia fan, I couldn't ignore this! I love the idea behind this novel, mainly because I am a true list-maker myself, but also because I am interested in Brett's journey to achieving the things on her list and with that fulfilling her mother's last wish... I have a feeling this will be a tearjerker! 

Adele Parks - 'The State We're In' (4th of July 2013)

What are the odds that the stranger sitting next to you on a plane is destined to change your life? Especially when they appear to be your opposite in every way.

She's a life-long optimist, looking for her soul mate in every man she meets; he's a resolute cynic - cruel experience has taught him never to put his faith in anyone.

People can surprise you. In the time it takes to fly from London to Chicago, each finds something in the other that they didn't even realise they needed.

Their pasts are such that they can never make one another happy and it's when they get off the plane, that their true journey begins...

Why so excited? --> Adele Parks is one of the big names on the chick lit scene, so do I even have to explain why I am looking forward to this specific release? I've already heard lots of fascinating and enthusiastic things about 'The State We're In', especially that it's a novel that requires some thought and will stay with you. Can't wait to get my own copy!

Jo Carnegie - 'Party Games' (4th of July 2013)

Although the countryside town of Beeversham looks picture-perfect, nothing is quite as it seems. Behind closed doors, three women are struggling to lead the lives they want.

Vanessa seems like she simply must have it all - she's beautiful, rich and married to gorgeous actor, Conrad. But beneath the glitz, she is asking herself whether this really is the life she wants to lead - when she has so much, why does she feel so empty?

Meanwhile, Fleur is trying desperately to save the farm that her family have lived on for hundreds of years, when playboy Beau makes her an offer she can't refuse.

And Catherine has given up the high-flying career she thought she always wanted, and is trying to build a wonderful new life in the country. But finding rural bliss is harder than it looks.

Hopes and dreams, loves and losses - and lots and lots of secrets - let Jo Carnegie take you behind the scenes of one very special town.

Why so excited? --> I'm personally not familiar with Jo Carnegie's work, but when I first saw the cover of 'Party Games' it already caught my eye! I love stories about countryside towns and tales that focus on more than one main character, so I look forward to finding out more about Beeversham, Vanessa, Fleur and Catherine!

Charity Norman - 'The Son-in-Law' (4th of July 2013)

For three years Joseph Scott has been haunted by one moment-the moment that changed his life forever. Now he is starting over, and he wants his family back more than anything.

This is the story of Joseph and his wife, Zoe; of their children, Scarlet, Theo and Ben, for whom nothing will be the same; and of Zoe's parents, who can't forgive or understand.

A compelling, moving and ultimately optimistic story of one man who will do almost anything to be reunited with his children. And of the grandparents who are determined to stop him.

Why so excited? --> I didn't know anything about the release of this novel, until I was lucky enough to receive a review copy of Charity Norman's new book. I've already read it (review will be up on the blog soon), and trust me, if you're looking for a gripping, emotional read, you have to pick up a copy of 'The Son-in-Law'... Definitely a recommendation!

Lindsey Kelk - 'About a Girl' (4th of July 2013)

I’d lost my job. I’d lost the love of my life. My mum wasn’t talking to me. My best friend was epically pissed off. And my flatmate probably had a hit out on me by now. I never meant for things to get so out of hand…

Tess Brookes has always been a Girl with a Plan. But when her carefully constructed Plan goes belly up, she’s forced to reconsider.

After accidently answering her flatmate Vanessa’s phone, she decides that since being Tess isn’t going so well, why shouldn’t she try out being Vanessa? With nothing left to lose, she accepts Vanessa’s photography assignment to Hawaii – she used to be an amateur snapper, how hard can it be? Right?

But Tess is soon in big trouble – she isn’t a photographer, she isn’t Vanessa, and the gorgeous journalist on the shoot with her, who is making it very clear he’d like to get into her pants, is an egotistical monster.

Far from home and in someone else’s shoes, Tess must decide whether to fight on through, or ‘fess up and run…

Why so excited? --> Because it's Lindsey Kelk! Do I really have to say more? The 'I Heart...' series is one of my favourite book series and over the past few years, Lindsey Kelk has become one of my favourite authors. Her books are a great way to escape reality and they always crack me up. Tess sounds like a great new heroine, and I'm SO excited to read everything about her (and that gorgeous journalist...)!

Ashley Prentice Norton - 'The Chocolate Money' (4th of July 2013)

An innocent little girl
A phenomenal fortune
A mother like no other

Ten-year old Bettina and her mother, Babs, are heiresses to one of America's biggest fortunes. But Bettina’s whole life is overshadowed by that of her beautiful, hedonistic mother, the glamorous but domineering Babs.

At fifteen, Bettina escapes to New England and an exclusive, preppy boarding school called Cardiss, where she hopes she can finally start to figure out who she really is. But while she thinks that fitting in with the other students represents her best chance of surviving the cliques and politics of Cardiss, soon she’s making choices that show that Babs' maternal shadow still looms long over her. Can Bettina ever break free to forge her own identity - or is she simply doomed to being her mother's daughter forever?

Why so excited? --> Somehow, I am really intrigued by the cover of 'The Chocolate Money.' Cardiss sounds like an interesting boarding school (I've always been fascinated by boarding schools, I can't help it!) and I'm quite curious to find out more about Bettina and Babs and their mother-daughter relationship. I honestly have no idea what this novel will be like, but there's nothing like a good surprise read every now and again!

Fanny Blake - 'The Secrets Women Keep' (4th of July 2013)

Rose waits for her family to arrive at their villa in Tuscany when a casual glance at her husband's phone tips her world upside down. The text reads simply: 'Miss you. Love you. Come back soon.' 

Daniel has always been popular with women, she knows that. But until this moment she has had no cause for worry. Has something shifted within their marriage without her realising?

As the family gathers for the summer break, Rose's faith in Daniel is shaken. How well does she really know him? She fears that, after decades of marriage and children, the man who lies beside her at night is lying in other ways too. Then events take a tragic turn.

Why so excited? --> Fanny Blake's new novel sounds like a traditional, enjoyable chick lit, ideal to take with you on a trip to the beach! A villa in Tuscany, a troubled marriage, secrets, a tragic turn... 'The Secrets Women Keep' definitely has caught my attention and I can't wait to find out more!

Be sure to check the blog in the upcoming days for part 2, filled with some other lovely upcoming July releases!

June 2013 release: 'Save the Date!' by Allie Spencer

 

Family weddings can be hell.

 

...and, marooned in Italy for her cousin's nuptials, Ailsa can be forgiven for thinking that this one is worse than most. With the bride and groom at loggerheads and the guests in uproar, it is a million miles away from the rest and relaxation she'd been hoping for.

 

And then suddenly, in the middle of the mayhem, she comes face-to-face with Nick, the man she walked out on just a few months earlier.

 

How can Ailsa help get the wedding back on track when she and Nick can't stop arguing? But if they do, she might remember why she fell in love with him in the first place - and then there really would be trouble.

 

The past few weeks I've been hearing and reading lots of exciting and lovely things about 'Save the Date!' and I can't wait for its release on the 20th of June! The cover is simply stunning and I can't wait to get my hands on a copy. The story sounds great: a wedding, Italy, a good love-story... I'll definitely be adding this to my holiday book list!

 

Pre-order your own copy here!