Exciting new release: 'The Curvy Girls Baby Club' by Michele Gorman

LOVE, LIFE AND A CHRISTMAS DUE DATE

Ellie is fresh back from her honeymoon and can't wait to share her news with her best friends Katie and Jane. To everyone's surprise, mother-of-two Jane has news of her own... The women are due a day apart and Katie can't wait to be an honorary auntie to the babies.

But it's hard to keep your sense of humour, not to mention your self-esteem, in the face of hemorrhoids and elasticated waistbands. Add a clingy mother-in-law, a career in cardiac arrest and a sex life that makes Mother Theresa look lusty, and soon their lives are as out of control as their bodies.

As the co-founders of The Curvy Girls Club, where loving yourself is the only rule, will the friends be able to practice what they preach?

At the start of this year I was lucky enough to have gotten the chance to read and review Michele Gorman's novel 'The Curvy Girls Club' (click here to read my review). I've enjoyed all of Michele Gorman's books so far and I'm really excited Notting Hill Press released a festive-themed novella sequel yesterday titled 'The Curvy Girls Baby Club' which I can't wait to read! The novella is approximately 120 pages in print, so a relatively quick read, and for the next week you can get it for just 99p/99c! If you're familiar with Michele's writing, you'll already know you want to go out and pick this one up as soon as possible; if you're not familiar with her work, what are you waiting for? If you're a chick lit fan, you won't be disappointed, trust me! 

Amazon.com

Amazon.co.uk

Review: 'The Heavenly Italian Ice Cream Shop' by Abby Clements (2015)

Anna and her husband Matteo are preparing to embark on a delicious Italian adventure. After a year and a half running their ice cream shop on Brighton beach and raising their baby Isabella, Matteo is starting to miss Italy. A shared passion for ices means it's easy to settle on a new business idea - they'll open a sorbet shop on the town's cobbled square, a short walk from the sparkling blue sea. For a while, life is sweet; but then Matteo's overbearing family get involved…
Anna's younger sister Imogen has settled in Brighton running Vivien's Ice Cream Shop with boyfriend Finn, and for the first time in her life, she's enjoying putting down some roots. But then, late in the summer, things start to change and her willpower is put to the test… ‎ After a few weeks of relaxing and a wonderful holiday in the USA, I’m really happy to let you all know ‘A Spoonful of Happy Endings’ is back from its hiatus! I can’t wait to update all of you on my latest reads and to see what has been happening within the lovely world of books. To celebrate being back online, I have a review of a great summer read to share with all of you today, namely Abby Clements’ ‘The Heavenly Italian Ice Cream Shop’. This book was released on the 2nd of July by Simon & Schuster and I was so excited when I found a review copy of the book in my mailbox. I love Abby Clements’ writing style and this book promised to be the perfect summer read with its lovely cover and plot line focusing on an ice cream shop, yum! Needless to say, I couldn’t wait to pick up this read to get into the summer mood right at the start of my holiday!
Sisters Anna and Imogen both live in Brighton, England, and have a lot of fun running their late grandmother Vivien’s ice cream shop right at Brighton beach. However, Anna is getting more busy taking care of her new daughter Isabella and her husband Matteo is starting to miss his home country Italy more and more. Together they decide to relocate to Sorrento, Italy for a few months, starting their very own ice cream shop. The idea sounds like a brilliant one, but then Anna realises Matteo’s family might be getting a bit too close for comfort... At the same time, Imogen is dealing with her own issues in the form of her relationship with her boyfriend Finn (is she really ready to put down some roots with someone else?) and making her dream of becoming a professional photographer reality. This summer has a lot of changes in store for both Anna and Imogen, and how will the sisters get through it all when they’re both in different countries...? 
'The Heavenly Italian Ice Cream Shop' is the sequel to Abby Clements' lovely novel 'Vivien's Heavenly Ice Cream Shop' which was released in 2013. I loved the first part of the series and couldn't wait to read more about the characters and their lives (and all the amazing ice cream flavours!). The novel includes several storylines, focusing on both Anna and Imogen. It's easy to like both sisters and their stories were really different but just as enjoyable. The chapters focus on each sister in turn, which made me want to keep on turning the pages in order to find out what would happen to them both. While both Imogen and Anna are interesting individual characters, I also loved the sisterly bond and friendship between them.
Abby Clements' writing is incredibly easy to get into and well-paced; really suitable for a summer chick lit read like this one. The setting is also great with part of the novel set in Brighton and the other part in Italy. I loved the idea of these great ice cream parlours with delicious ice cream tastes, and I definitely craved some of it while I was reading the book! While this novel is a sequel, the author provides the reader with plenty of background information so it's also possible to pick this up as a stand-alone. And though sometimes sequels can disappoint, that is definitely not the case with this one; I loved it just as much as the first part. Overall, 'The Heavenly Italian Ice Cream Shop' is a heart-warming, delicious, escapist read about family, love and ice cream. A fabulous read and one of my personal favourite summer 2015 novels!

Rating:10/10

  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 New Woman' by Charity Norman

Luke Livingstone is a lucky man. He's a respected solicitor, a father and grandfather, a pillar of the community. He has a loving wife and an idyllic home in the Oxfordshire countryside. Yet Luke is struggling with an unbearable secret, and it's threatening to destroy him.

All his life, Luke has hidden the truth about himself and his identity. It's a truth so fundamental that it will shatter his family, rock his community and leave him outcast. But Luke has nowhere left to run, and to continue living, he must become the person - the woman - he knows himself to be, whatever the cost.

Today I'm really honoured to be part of the blog tour for a release I have been really excited about for quite some time, namely Charity Norman's 'The New Woman.' I was introduced to Charity Norman's work when I received a review copy of her novel 'The Son-in-Law' in 2013 and I ended up being blown away by both the story and the author's amazing writing style (click here to read my review). I couldn't wait for Charity's next release, so when I was invited to be a part of the blog tour for her newest release, it was no option to say 'no', even though my blog is on a short summer hiatus at the moment! So be sure to scroll down to see what I thought about 'The New Woman', but also to read an exclusive guest post from Charity Norman herself!

On the outside, Luke Livingstone seems to lead the perfect life: he has a great career as a solicitor; has been together with the woman of his dreams, Eilish, for more than 30 years; lives in a beautiful home in Oxfordshire; and has two great children, Simon and Kate, and even some amazing grandchildren. However, Luke has a dark secret, something he has been trying to hide from the people he loves; something that has been eating him up from the inside. Luke realises he only has two options left: end it for once and for all or come clean to his family and friends. It's time for Luke to start a new life, the life he was always meant to have. But will his family be there to support him? Or will he be forced to face the world alone from now on?

Another thought-provoking and powerful read by Charity Norman, who is definitely becoming one of my favourite women's fiction authors. 'The New Woman' already starts with a few captivating chapters that immediately grabbed me and pulled me into the story, not wanting to let go until the very end. The book has a wonderful and diverse group of characters at its core and the author provides enough background information and detail to really make it feel as if you, as the reader, get to know these characters and understand their actions. The story is told from the perspective of 4 members of the Livingstone family: Luke, Eilish and their children Simon and Kate. I found all of them fascinating characters with their own take on what their family is going through and felt myself looking forward to each chapter, no matter the perspective. Yet, I'd also like to point out that some of the secondary characters were wonderfully written as well, such as Simon's wife Carmela and their son Nico, who is just the cutest little boy.

The release of this book is well-timed, since it deals with quite a controversial and much-discussed topic. The story shows incredible courage, but a lot of other emotions play a central role as well such as anger, confusion, despair and fear. Charity Norman once again writes about a family in crisis, and she does this in an impeccable way, taking the reader on an emotional rollercoaster ride; but at the end I couldn't help but feel I really wanted to go on that ride again. 'The New Woman' is a simply stunning, powerful and thought-provoking read; another great novel by author Charity Norman. Don't hesitate to pick this up; you won't be disappointed!
Rating:9,5/10

  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.

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Guest post from Charity Norman!

As part of the blog tour for Charity Norman's 'The New Woman' I have an excluse guest post from the author herself to share with all of you. Be sure to scroll down to read more about Charity's inspiration for her latest release!

What inspired me to write The New Woman?
I grew up with knowledge that gender isn’t a binary thing, and that some people feel their minds don’t match their assigned, physical gender; but I’m also an old-fashioned feminist who spent years insisting that differences between male and female are massively overstated. I used to insist that there really is no significant difference. My children did not get pink clothes for girls and blue for boys! So you might wonder how it is that I created the character of Luke Livingstone, who is perhaps the character I love the best of all my books so far.
A few years ago I began to do some voluntary telephone listening work on a helpline rather like the Samaritans. We had all sorts of callers and among them were some who were struggling with their gender identity. I can’t go into the details because I’m bound by confidentiality, but I can say that I spoke to some wonderful people. Some had suffered horrible violence and rejection, but carried on with amazing courage and humour. Sometimes though it all seemed too much and I spoke to at least one who was considering ending her own life soon; the suicide rates are very high for transgender people. I admired them so much. I was struck by just how misunderstood this was, and how common. I was ashamed to realize that there were vast gaps in my own knowledge so I began to research and to try to understand. 
It was at this time that I became friends with another telephone listener, a woman in her sixties who had been through transition about a decade earlier. She’s a brilliant woman, well respected in her field, and also a person of great caring – the sort you ask for advice on all sorts of subjects. She’d been involved in helping other trans people and gave me new insight into their lives. I found her really inspiring. I began to notice how transgender people are often seen as caricatures in our society, as figures of fun – the drag queen, the man in a dress. This book was begun long before Caitlyn Jenner hit the headlines, but you only have to see the comments people write under any online article about her to realize just how much fear and anger there still is about transgender people. I think that is when the idea for this book began to form in my mind.
One day, I mentioned my views about gender differences - or the lack of them - to my friend. 
“There’s no significant difference between men and women, is there?” I said. “This is the 21st century. The old gender roles don’t exist any more. It’s all gone out of the window.”
She smiled gently. “Charity,” she said, “from where I’m sitting, there is a difference so fundamental that I had, in the end, no choice but to become the person I’ve always felt I was.”
She was trying to tell me that gender is a part of what defines us. It’s a part of what makes us who we are, and when a person’s mind and their body don’t match they suffer unbearably. By the time it came to deciding what to write next, this story was firmly in my mind and it would not go away. Writing it was a learning curve for me, and pretty humbling. All human beings are different of course; all trans people are different; but I wanted to write the story of a real person, with a real emotional life, and a family, and real struggles, and real courage – and with so much to give. 
Enter, Luke Livingstone. 
Thanks so much, Charity!