Review & Giveaway: 'Tempting Fate' by Jane Green (2014)

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?
Jane Green is one of the most well-known and popular queens of chick lit and I am sure many of you will be familiar with some of her novels such as ‘Bookends’, ‘Jemima J.’, or ‘The Accidental Husband.’ Her latest novel, ‘Tempting Fate’, was released in the UK in September 2013, but the USA had to wait until the 25th of March 2014. At the start of this year I was contacted by the lovely people at Sarah Hall Productions about possibly reviewing ‘Tempting Fate’ for the US release and I couldn’t say ‘yes’ quick enough; any excuse to sit down with a Jane Green novel!
English born Gabby has been living in the USA for many years and she couldn’t be happier with the life she has built together with her husband of twenty years, Elliot. They have a wonderful home, two daughters, and while Gabby would have liked another child, she knows she has nothing to complain about. Yet, Gaby feels like she is leaving her youth behind and she no longer feels desired, which she is struggling with. So when hunky thirty-something business man Matt appears on the scene, flirting with her, making her feel wanted again, Gabby knows she has to be careful. But one night can change everything, and suddenly Gabby would give anything to just go back in time, back to her old life, but some decisions aren’t that easy to forgive and forget.
I’ve always loved Jane Green; I think she is an amazing author who has her own specific writing style that manages to captivate me every time, and ‘Tempting Fate’ definitely did not disappoint. The book managed to grab me from the first few pages, and especially the first part of the novel, where Gabby meets Matt and slowly becomes infatuated with him, made me not want to put the book down for even a second. The entire book is filled with so much emotion and the characters are incredibly lifelike; what happens to Gabby could happen to every single one of us. One of the absolute strengths of the novel is that you can’t help but feel for Gabby. Despite some of the decisions she makes in the story, I warmed to her and found myself wishing for a happy ending. Even though that is also one of the main messages in this novel; relationships aren’t always easy, and there isn’t always a guaranteed happy ending if you are not willing to work hard for it.
Like the other Jane Green novels I read, the plotline is completely captivating, the characters are fascinating and well-developed (I especially loved the relationship between Gabby and her mother, and the way the reader also gets to see how Gabby and Elliot’s teenage daughters deal with what is happening to their family), and I also particularly loved the setting and the descriptions in this novel. ‘Tempting Fate’ is an incredibly gripping and emotional read that will keep you captivated until the very last page. This novel once again proves why Jane Green is such an established and adored author, a position she undoubtedly deserves. 
Rating:

    9,5/10

For more information about this book: Amazon UK / Amazon US / Goodreads    Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

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US/Canada Giveaway of 3 copies of 'Tempting Fate'!   This lovely book could be yours! I'm really excited to be able to give away 3 copies of Jane Green's fabulous novel 'Tempting Fate'!   This is an US/Canada giveaway only and all you have to do is comment on this post with your e-mail or Twitter account and the reason why you would love to win a copy of 'Tempting Fate' by the 8th of April 2014. There will be 3 copies of the book available and the winners will be contacted as soon as possible.   Good luck to all of you! :)  

Review: 'Henry and Rachel' by Laurel Saville (2013)

Brought to live with the George family as a child, all anyone knew about enigmatic Rachel was that she worked hard, making herself indispensable to the plantation. And she remained a mystery until the day she disappeared…even to her husband. Especially to her husband.

Henry was Rachel’s opposite—gregarious where she was quiet, fanciful where she was pragmatic. After years of marriage, Rachel left Henry and their oldest son without explanation and set off on a steamer for New York City with their other four children. Was her flight the ultimate act of betrayal or one of extraordinary courage? Eight characters connected by blood and circumstance reconstruct Rachel’s inexplicable vanishing act.

Thanks to Sarah Hall Productions, I received a review copy of Laurel Saville’s historical novel ‘Henry and Rachel’, which was published on the 15th of October 2013. I hadn’t read anything by Laurel Saville before, but the fact that the novel is based on real letters written by her own family, more specifically her great-grandparents, sparked my interest. I even received a folder with some extra background information on Laurel Saville, her family, and the novel, which only made me more curious to read the novel and find out more.

After his first wife died in childbirth, Henry was devastated and did not see himself falling in love with someone else. However, as soon as he lays eyes on Rachel, he is captivated by her. Rachel was brought to live with the George family, but she has always been the quiet and pensive type, hiding in corners and not making herself noticed. The two end up together, but their marriage is not a happy one. One day, Henry and his oldest son come home to an empty house; Rachel has taken the four other children with her and has left to go to New York. This novel tells the story of what exactly happened, and how things turned out this way for Henry, Rachel and their family.

Henry and Rachel’s tale is at the core of this novel and is told from the perspective of eight characters that each play a significant part in the story. The background setting is an island in the West Indies in the early twentieth century, a time in which race and class distinction played important roles. The basis for a fascinating and strong narrative is definitely there, but unfortunately somehow this did not result in an intriguing read I did not want to put down. This probably partly had to do with the fact that I thought that Rachel, one of the main characters of the book, was really difficult to read. She’s a distant woman, who eventually decides to flee to New York in order to give her children a better life including an education, but throughout the story I found it difficult to decide whether I liked her or not. Next to her, there weren’t any other characters I specifically liked or disliked, so I kind of missed an emotional link with the people at the core of this novel.

It’s really too bad that the novel is not heavy in plot, because Laurel Saville’s way of writing is captivating. I wasn’t surprised to find out that she has won several awards with her specific lyrical voice, and I’m quite curious to read more of her work. I am positive that others will enjoy ‘Henry and Rachel’, it’s an atmospheric and undoubtedly well-written novel, but personally I wasn’t able to connect with the characters and had expected more, based on the blurb and background information.

Rating:6/10

Review: 'Accused' by Lisa Scottoline (2013)

Mary DiNuzio has just been promoted to partner and is about to take on her most unusual case yet, brought to the firm by a thirteen-year-old genius with a penchant for beekeeping.  Allegra Gardner’s sister Fiona was murdered six years ago, and it seemed like an open-and-shut case: the accused, Lonnie Stall, was seen fleeing the scene; his blood was on Fiona and her blood was on him; most damningly, Lonnie Stall pleaded guilty.  But Allegra believes Lonnie is innocent and has been wrongly imprisoned. The Gardner family is one of the most powerful in the country and Allegra’s parents don’t believe in reopening the case, so taking it on is risky.  But the Rosato & Associates firm can never resist an underdog.  Was justice really served all those years ago?  It will take a team of unstoppable female lawyers, plus one thirteen-year-old genius, to find out.

Thanks to the lovely people at Sarah Hall Productions, I received a review copy of bestselling author Lisa Scottoline’s new novel, ‘Accused’, which will be released on the 29^th of October. I hadn’t read anything by Lisa Scottoline before, but after a search on the Internet I discovered that she has written a very successful series of books about an all-female law firm called Rosato & Associates. The first part of the series was published in 1993, and 10 years later Lisa Scottoline is back with the 12^th part, ‘Accused.’ I was not sure whether I needed to have read any of the other books to be able to understand what was going on, but what better way to find out then to just dive straight in?

‘Accused’ is the twelfth part of the successful book series that focuses on the all-female law firm Rosato & Associates. One of the female characters working at the law firm, Mary DiNunzio, has just been promoted to partner, and got engaged to her boyfriend Anthony. However, Mary does not have time to enjoy these personal celebrations, because a young girl needs the firm’s help. Thirteen-year-old Allegra Gardner is looking for a lawyer to help her free the innocent man who was put in jail for murdering her older sister Fiona several years ago. Mary and her colleague Judy decide to take on the case, but things aren’t looking too good when they find out Allegra’s partners do not support their daughter’s decision to seek legal help and state that Allegra is depressed and unbalanced. Even though everyone else says otherwise, Mary continues to believe Allegra, but where is the evidence to solve the case and, more importantly, how can she find it?

At first I was a bit afraid I wouldn’t be able to follow the storyline, since this is the twelfth part of a series of which I haven’t read any of the other books before. Thankfully, this didn’t turn out to be too much of a problem, even though I do think knowing all the characters’ backgrounds will definitely help while reading the novel. I can understand why the Rosato & Associates books are quite popular, because there’s a strong and fascinating all-female cast of characters at the centre of it consisting of Bennie Rosato, Mary DiNunzio, Judy Carrier and Anne Murphy. However, the story also benefits by the inclusion of other characters such as thirteen-year-old genius Allegra (I loved the bond that develops between her and Mary throughout the story), but also Mary’s amusing Italian family.

I was definitely intrigued by the murder case and finding out whether Allegra was right or not; did someone else kill her sister Fiona, and if so, who could be the killer? I couldn’t predict where the story was going to end, which made me want to read on and not put down the book until I had finished it. I also really liked the more personal touch to the story; the focus on Mary’s engagement and her friendship with Judy. Yet, I felt that perhaps the author could have focused a bit more on the law firm and Mary’s relationships with her colleagues, because I would have enjoyed reading about them, the female cast that turned this series into such a success. I definitely look forward to picking up the other parts of the series to hopefully learn more about these characters and their relationships.

‘Accused’ is a thrilling, realistic and well-plotted must-read that will keep you in its grip until the very last page; a novel that I’d recommend to anyone who loves a bit of suspense, but I’m sure all kinds of readers will be able to enjoy this novel and especially the great cast of women at its centre!

Rating:8,5/10