Blog Tour: 'Laura Lake and the Hipster Weddings' by Wendy Holden

She'll need a triple-barrelled name for the castle one. She'll need a gallon of glitter for the woodland one. She'll need a lobster-shaped hat for the Shoreditch one.
Laura Lake longs to be a journalist. Instead she's an unpaid intern at a glossy magazine – sleeping in the fashion cupboard and living on canapés. But she's just got her first big break: infiltrate three society weddings and write a juicy exposé.
Security will be tighter than a bodycon dress, but how hard can it be? Cue disappearing brides, demanding socialites – and a jealous office enemy who will do anything to bring her down...
Today I am really excited to be part of the blog tour for author Wendy Holden's latest novel, 'Laura Lake and the Hipster Weddings'! I had been quite curious to check out this book ever since I stumbled upon the lovely bright cover several months ago, so when I was invited to be part of this tour I didn’t even have to think about it. And, which was actually even quite a surprise to myself, this also happened to be my first Wendy Holden novel! No idea why it has taken me so long to finally pick up a book by this author, but I am glad I finally got the chance to do just that. Be sure to check out my review of the novel below, and visit some of the other blogs that are taking part in the tour by taking a look at the blog tour poster!
Laura Lake has always wanted to step into her father's footsteps and become a journalist. However, her actual life is slightly different from that particular dream as she is living in Paris, taking care of her grandmother Mimi, and trying to get by with her job working for an estate agency. When she is unexpectedly given the chance to start working as an intern for popular magazine Society, Laura knows she cannot possibly say no and moves to London to show what she can do. With the assignment to write an article about three different modern-day weddings, Laura suddenly finds herself in all kinds of challenging situations. Throw in her secondary school arch-enemy, and Laura has more than enough to deal with while trying to prove being a journalist is what she was meant to do... No matter what it might take.
I’m glad to say that my personal first experience with author Wendy Holden was an entertaining one in the form of ‘Laura Lake and the Hipster Weddings’, which was a lovely break from reality and a thoroughly enjoyable novel. I have to say I was already quite excited to pick up this read after having just seen the cover and the book description; I love fun chick lit reads, and I love books about weddings, so I already had a feeling this was going to be a winner. Laura is a great heroine, and from the first few chapters I already felt myself rooting for her and hoping she’d be able to achieve her dream of becoming a journalist, and stepping into her father’s footsteps. Next to Laura, the novel has some fun and interesting characters at its core, adding their own touch to the story.
The novel kind of reminded me of ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ in places; I loved that book, so I really enjoyed the resemblances, even though I have to give Wendy Holden credit, because this is definitely an original novel and not just a knock-off of another one. She does have quite a distinctive way of writing; this is, of course, a good thing as an author, but I personally found it a bit tricky at times and didn’t 100% get into it. However, the story and the characters convinced me, and that’s also why this book deserves the high rating I’m giving it. ‘Laura Lake and the Hipster Weddings’ is a very colourful, quirky and wonderful novel, unlike anything else I’ve read, and quite simply a great chick lit read.

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.

Win free signed copies of Laura Lake And The Hipster Weddings by sharing your own hilarious wedding stories with me! I can't wait to read them! They might even inspire another novel! Please go to https://goo.gl/forms/xYaoaGCgxPpNR23g1  Thank you.  Love Wendy xx

September 2013 release: 'Gifted and Talented' by Wendy Holden

It's the new university term among the dreaming spires. The start of a whole new life. 

 

Meet Isabel, beautiful, clever, shy - and leaving home for the first time. Meet Olly, recently graduated, idealistic and a little hopeless, a man whose heart leads his brain and for whom opportunity just hasn't come knocking - yet. Meet Amber, the It girl who is soon partying with the fast set - and no-one is faster than Jasper de Borchy, glamorous leader of the notorious Bullinger club. Meet the grown-ups: Diana, recently divorced mother-of-one, newly arrived in town to take up a post as college gardener - and Richard, the new college head, a widower, a scientist, and as lonely as some of the specimens he captures in his science lab. 

 

The rich, the poor, the shy, the extrovert, the givers, the takers. Meet the Gifted and Talented.

 It was love at first sight for me as soon as I saw the cover of Wendy Holden's September 2013 release 'Gifted and Talented' on Amazon. Isn't it stunning?! I almost wouldn't even care what the book is about with a cover like that and Wendy Holden's name on it! However, the blurb luckily doesn't disappoint either. I already love the sound of the mix of characters, both youngsters and grown-ups, and I'm curious to find out what will happen to them and how their stories are connected to one another. Can't wait to pick up my own copy!

Click here to pre-order this novel on Amazon now!

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

Even though some of you are lucky enough to still be on holiday, or might even have a last-minute weekend away booked, summer is slowly coming to an end! September is almost upon us, which means Autumn isn't too far away. I'm already looking forward to sitting inside, getting comfortable on the couch with a warm blanket, a cup of tea, and a good novel! When it comes to books, September has plenty to offer, so be sure to have a look at these upcoming releases and add the ones you like the sound of to your to-read list!

Emily Liebert - 'You Knew Me When' (3rd of September 2013)

When Katherine Hill receives word of an inheritance from former neighbor Luella Hancock, she reluctantly returns home to the people and places she left behind. Hoping for a second chance, she’s met by an unforgiving Laney, her former best friend. And there’s someone else who’s moved on without her—someone she once loved. Tethered to their shared inheritance of Luella’s sprawling Victorian mansion, Katherine and Laney are forced to address their long-standing grudges. Through this, they come to understand that while life has taken them in different directions, ultimately the bonds of friendship and sisterhood still bind them together. But are some wounds too old and deep to mend?
  
Why so excited? --> Emily Liebert's debut novel 'You Knew Me When' is released on the 3rd of September, and this is a release I've been excited about for quite some time. I was lucky enough to receive a review copy and absolutely loved it. Katherine and Laney are great characters, and the story made me just want to keep on reading, while at the same time I didn't want it to finish. Definitely pick up this novel as soon as you can, you won't be disappointed!

Sue Margolis - 'Coming Clean' (3rd of September 2013)

Eleven years ago, Sophie and Greg couldn’t get enough of each other. A pair of full-time jobs and two kids later, they’re in therapy asking themselves where all the sexy times went. Sophie thinks she knows: They’re buried under Greg’s mess. And even though her slob of a husband tries to make up for his shortcomings by cooking the occasional meal, Sophie is left to clean umpteen dirty dishes.

The last straw is when Greg uses some inheritance money to buy a World War II Sherman tank, which starts World War III in their marriage.

Sophie doesn’t so much surrender as retreat—right out of the relationship. While Greg almost immediately shacks up with someone else, Sophie finds herself facing even more uncertainty due to a job reorganization. And even though she begins to lose her heart to a high school crush, Sophie starts to realize that a shiny new relationship doesn’t always offer the softest place to fall…and she may find self-acceptance and love in the place she least expects it.

Why so excited? --> I'm not familiar with Sue Margolis' work, but I've read and heard that her novels are 'wickedly funny'. The blurb already shows traces of this, and I am quite curious to find out more about Sophie and Greg, and their own World War III!

Victoria Fox - 'Glittering Fortunes' (6th of September 2013)

Charlie Lomax hasn’t seen his brother in years. Cato’s been too busy living the A-list Hollywood dream to bother with the likes of a small Cornish town. But now he’s back. Hollywood and British aristocracy are about to clash, as Cato sets out to claim the Lomax legacy he believes is his birthright.

Unsuspecting Olivia needs a job after spectacularly failing to make a life for herself in London. Forced back to Cornwall, she has no idea what she's letting herself in for by becoming a gardener at the crumbling but beautiful Usherwood estate.

She certainly didn’t bargain on becoming embroiled in the biggest scandal of the year, and not least because the brooding Charlie is a man she can’t seem to stay away from…

Why so excited? --> I love the glamour and scandal of Victoria Fox's novels, and it sounds like 'Glittering Fortunes' definitely fits those two keywords! The clash of Hollywood and British aristocracy sounds fabulous, and I'm looking forward to reading more about Charlie and Cato, and the Usherwood estate (already love the sound of this)!

Amy Silver - 'The Reunion' (12th of September 2013)

They thought they'd be friends forever.

Jen, Andrew, Lilah, Natalie and Dan were inseparable at university, but in the seventeen years since they left they have hardly seen each other. Until Jen invites them all to stay at her house in the French Alps. The house where they once spent a golden summer before tragedy tore them apart.

When a snowstorm descends, they find themselves trapped and forced to confront their unresolved issues, frustrated passions and broken friendships. And as relationships shift and marriages flounder, the truth about what really happened years before is slowly revealed. And Jen realises that perhaps some wounds can never be healed...

Why so excited? --> I just love the cover of 'The Reunion' and I think it fits the story very well, from what I can gather from the blurb. I am intrigued by the idea of these four university friends, getting together again after seventeen years, to see what has changed and what might still be the same. I'm already looking forward to finding out more about these characters and the storyline!

Jane Green - 'Tempting Fate' (12th of September 2013)

When Gabby first met Elliott she knew he was the man for her. In twenty years of marriage she has never doubted her love for him - even when he refused to give her the one thing she still wants most of all. But now their two daughters are growing up Gabby feels that time and her youth are slipping away. For the first time in her life she is restless. And then she meets Matt...

Intoxicated by the way this young, handsome and successful man makes her feel, Gabby is momentarily blind to what she stands to lose on this dangerous path. And in one reckless moment she destroys all that she holds dear.

Consumed by regret, Gabby does everything she can to repair the home she has broken. But are some betrayals too great to forgive?

Why so excited? --> Is there a reason not to be excited about a new Jane Green novel?! Most chick lit fans will be familiar with Jane Green and her work, and will understand why I'm really looking forward to picking up my own copy of this novel! Gorgeous cover, fascinating blurb, and a handsome male character named Matt (a name I've always had a particular weakness for)... I can't wait!

Wendy Holden - 'Gifted and Talented' (12th of September 2013)

It's the new university term among the dreaming spires. The start of a whole new life.

Meet Isabel, beautiful, clever, shy - and leaving home for the first time. Meet Olly, recently graduated, idealistic and a little hopeless, a man whose heart leads his brain and for whom opportunity just hasn't come knocking - yet. Meet Amber, the It girl who is soon partying with the fast set - and no-one is faster than Jasper de Borchy, glamorous leader of the notorious Bullinger club. Meet the grown-ups: Diana, recently divorced mother-of-one, newly arrived in town to take up a post as college gardener - and Richard, the new college head, a widower, a scientist, and as lonely as some of the specimens he captures in his science lab.

The rich, the poor, the shy, the extrovert, the givers, the takers. Meet the Gifted and Talented.

Why so excited? --> It was love at first sight for me as soon as I saw this cover on Amazon. Isn't it stunning?! I almost wouldn't even care what the book is about with a cover like that and Wendy Holden's name on it! However, the blurb luckily doesn't disappoint either, so I am thoroughly looking forward to this!

Melissa Hill - 'The Guest List' (12th of September 2013)

When funny, kind and gorgeous Shane proposes, Cara is over the moon, and can't wait to share the news of their engagement with all their friends and family.

Excitement, however, quickly turns to apprehension when it seems that everyone has a fixed idea of the perfect wedding and offers to 'help' with the planning. With tussles over the ceremony and the size of the guest list, sibling rivalry and insistent in-laws-to-be, Cara can see the vision she has of her big day being ripped to shreds.

So she and Shane determine to make a stand and do things their way. But when they announce their plans for a beach wedding on a beautiful Caribbean island, there is uproar. Threats are made, family secrets are revealed, and things turn decidedly stormy.

Will Cara and Shane manage to overcome all obstacles? Or will their dream wedding turn into a nightmare?

Why so excited? --> To those of you who visit my blog often, this cover might seem familiar. That's because the hardback version of 'The Guest List' was one of my April 2013 picks, but I couldn't help but pay some attention to the paperback release as well! Melissa Hill is one of my favourite chick lit authors and I can't wait to pick up a copy of this gorgeous novel in September!

Be sure to keep an eye on the blog for more upcoming September 2013 releases!