Weekly Feature: Once Upon a Story...

 'Once Upon a Story' is a weekly feature in which we go back in time and focus  on a specific novel that was released in the same month we're in right now (in this case May), but a few years back! It can be a women's fiction classic from the 1990's or perhaps a great chick lit read from 2011. I thought it would be nice to not just focus on recent releases, but also take the chance to jump back in time once a week and look back at wonderful reads that have been released over the years!

This week, we're travelling not so far back to June 2013 to look back at...  

A quaint suburb. A quiet little book club. A very naughty reading list.
When Estelle sets up a book group in order to increase custom to her struggling cafe, what follows is more mind-blowing than she could have ever imagined...
As the first book club meeting flounders, Estelle suggests a spot of erotica to spice things up.
Inspired by their naughty novels, this group of shy suburban readers shake off their inhibitions and soon discover that their own lives can be just as scandalous...

In June 2013, Sophie Hart's novel 'The Naughty Girl's Book Club' was released and it was one of those books all of the book bloggers seemed to be talking about! I remember seeing the cover of the book everywhere, and it got me really curious. When I was in the UK for my summer holiday, I picked up a copy, but unfortunately it's still lying on my to-read shelf. I still love the idea behind the book, just like the gorgeous cover, so I think it's definitely time to pick it up, a year after its release!

Be sure to visit the blog next week for another blast from chick lit past with 'Once Upon a Story...'!

Review: 'Love, Lies and Lemon Cake' by Sue Watson (2014)

Faye Dobson has lost her sparkle. Living on film star fantasies and vague memories of a marriage that once was, she can’t help feeling that life is passing her by. She dreams of being whisked to Paris for dinner, making three wishes at the Trevi fountain and having sex under the stars. But the wrinkles are multiplying, her husband’s passion is for plumbing, and the nearest she’ll get to Rome is a take-away pizza. 
So when Faye meets Dan the gorgeous Australian surfer guy working in the local deli she can’t help but wonder what it would be like to see the world. He is blonde, tanned, ten years younger and bakes the most amazing lemon cake. Unlike her husband Dan actually listens to Faye, his smile makes her feel fizzy inside, and when he smiles... Oh. My. God. 
But is Faye being silly? What would Dan see in someone like her? Even if he did have feelings for her, could she give everything up to be with him?
Thanks to the lovely Kim at Bookouture, I received a review copy for another promising romantic comedy novel a few weeks ago, namely ‘Love, Lies and Lemon Cake’ by Sue Watson. I remember the release of Sue’s book ‘Younger, Thinner, Blonder’ last year, but up until now I hadn’t actually read any of her work. Sue left behind her life in the TV world to write and her first novel ‘Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes’ focused on a woman struggling with her weight, work, marriage and motherhood. Today, her third novel is being released (congratulations, Sue!) and I’m glad I was given the chance to check out this book and Sue’s writing for myself!
Faye Dobson is having some serious second thoughts about her life. Her daughter has started university and doesn’t seem to need her mum that much anymore, her job as a hairdresser is alright but not that exciting, and she seems to be stuck in a loveless marriage with her husband Craig. Getting tired of losing herself in daydreams about famous Hollywood actors, Faye starts to wonder if she could reinvent herself, start anew.  Her crush on the local deli guy, Australian and handsome Dan, who is ten years younger than her, appears to be a first step towards a change, especially when he seems to be flirting with her as well. Will Faye have the guts to take matters into her own hands and become the person she always wanted to be or is she simply too stuck in her ways to make that change?
I straight away loved the cover of ‘Love, Lies and Lemon Cake’ and was curious to finally check out Sue Watson’s writing . The book has an engaging heroine at its centre; I loved how Faye just seems to find herself in unfamiliar situations where she just blurts out whatever she’s thinking. She’s a fun protagonist whose behaviour and actions made me laugh out loud, but at the same time I admired her for her wanting to turn her life around, for taking that leap. I think many female readers will be able to relate to Faye and secretly wish they could do what she does. This hope of it never being too late to start living your life and do what you want to do is a wonderful message that lies at the core of the story.
Next to Faye, there’s the easily likeable Australian deli guy Dan; I really liked him and was definitely rooting for him and Faye to get together. While I was reading the book, I did occasionally get the feeling that the story was a bit slow-paced and more things could have happened to Faye. She’s a great character and I would have loved to have read more about her. Overall, ‘Love, Lies and Lemon Cake’ is a light-hearted and fun romantic comedy about giving life a second chance and never giving up hope to be who you want to be.  Rating:

8,0/10

  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.

Blog Tour: 'The Bookshop on the Corner' by Rebecca Raisin

Who said that only real heroes could be found in fiction?
Sarah Smith had an addiction – she was addicted to romance novels. The meet-cute, the passion, the drama and the gorgeous men! Now this wouldn’t have been such an issue if she hadn’t been the owner of the only bookshop in Ashford, Connecticut.
Ever since her close friend Lil, from The Gingerbread Café, had become engaged she had been yearning for a little love to turn up in her life. Except Sarah knew a good man was hard to find – especially in a tiny town like Ashford. That was until New York journalist, Ridge Warner stepped into her bookshop…
Love could be just around the corner for Sarah, but will she be able to truly believe that happy-ever-after can happen in real-life too!
Today I’m really excited to be part of the blog tour organised by the lovely girls over at Gosling Girls Book Tours for Rebecca Raisin’s latest novella, ‘The Bookshop on the Corner’, which was released on the 17th of June 2014. Some of you might have come across Rebecca’s name during the past few months in connection with her series about The Gingerbread Cafe. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to read those novellas yet, but I am familiar with Rebecca’s work, only under her pseudonym, Billie Jones. I got the chance to review ‘Mexican Kimono’ last year, a read I really enjoyed (click here to read my review), so I was excited to read something of Rebecca’s romance work this time around!
‘The Bookshop on the Corner’ tells the story of Sarah Smith who owns her own lovely book shop in Ashford, a small town in Connecticut. Sarah loves nothing more than making herself comfortable with a good romance novel in order to dream away about an attractive man who can sweep her off her feet. But, one day, when Sarah is stuck with her nose in another novel, an actual handsome stranger walks into her book shop. Ridge Warner is a journalist from New York who is writing an article about the small town of Ashford and Sarah and her bookshop have managed to get his attention. Will Sarah be able to step away from the pages of her beloved romance novels and take this chance to find love in the real world? 
This is a novella book lovers will undoubtedly fall in love with, just like I did. It was easy to warm to Sarah, because I could recognise myself in her. I’d do anything to be the owner of an amazing book shop like the one described in this story; it sounds like such a wonderful place, heaven on earth for book lovers! Rebecca Raisin’s descriptive writing style really made it easy for me to imagine everything in my head; not just the book shop, but the entire village and the cast of amazing characters. I loved Sarah’s friends, such as her best friend Missy, who runs the beauty salon in town, and CeeCee and Lils from the Gingerbread Cafe, and there’s also the handsome stranger, Ridge; I could completely understand why Sarah was swept off her feet by him!
I’m not familiar with Rebecca Raisins’ other novellas about the Gingerbread Cafe; this didn’t bother me while reading this particular story, so it definitely works as a stand-alone. It did make me curious, though, and I look forward to picking up Rebecca’s other stories in the near future! If I have to name one thing I thought was a bit of a shame, it has to be the fact that this is a novella. The story was quite short and I finished it rather quickly. I fell in love with the characters, the storyline, and the setting, and I definitely wouldn’t have minded if this had been an entire book, with space for more background information and more details. Overall, ‘The Bookshop on the Corner’ is a simply charming, wonderful, quick read; a story which any chick lit/romance/book fan will certainly enjoy. Rating:

9,0/10

  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.