Review: 'Pretty Shore' by Carla Caruso (2014)

Professional organiser Celeste Pretty has a summer getaway planned in well-to-do Robe, the 'Hamptons' of Australia. She's staying at the beach 'shack' of her hunky new builder beau, Lenny Muscat. The first week she'll de-clutter the holiday home of fashion designer Sabine Cloud with her assistant, Flip Belmont. Then she'll enjoy loved-up bliss with Lenny.
But despite Celeste's penchant for organisation, things have a way of veering off-script. She soon discovers the last person who occupied Sabine's pad - the designer's model daughter, Romy - died from a possible overdose. Plus, Sabine's uber-glam real estate agent seems intent on throwing herself at Lenny. Meanwhile, Flip is distracted by the bad-boy son of a rock star, Blaise Zenith, who some say is responsible for Romy going off the rails.
And Celeste thought sunburn and sand in the house were all she'd have to worry about these holidays.
Last year I was introduced to author Carla Caruso when I got the chance to read and review her novel 'A Pretty Mess', the first part of the Astonvale series. I really enjoyed the book (click here to read my review) and fell even more in love with Carla's writing style when I reviewed her Christmas novella 'Secret Santo.' I couldn't wait to read the second part of the Astonvale series, 'Pretty Shore', and was really happy when I managed to get a review copy through NetGalley. I looked forward to catching up with Celeste, Lenny, and Flip and kept my fingers crossed, hoping I'd enjoy the novel as much as I enjoyed the first Astonvale book!
Celeste Pretty can't wait for her holiday with her hunky boyfriend Lenny Muscat in the small beach town of Robe, Australia. However, Celeste's holiday doesn't officially start until she has finished her latest assignment, organising the house of designer Sabine, one of the Robe locals who also happens to be the mother of supermodel Romy who died recently. While Celeste's assistant Flip is unexpectedly distracted by bad boy Blaise, who is rumoured to have been involved in Romy's death, Celeste has her hands full not only dealing with her best friend suddenly not talking to her anymore but also the gorgeous local real estate agent, who seems to have set her sights on Lenny...
Sometimes sequels can disappoint, especially when you really enjoyed the first book of a series and the second book has to live up to that. Luckily, this was not the case with 'Pretty Shore, which is just as much of a thoroughly entertaining and fun read as 'A Pretty Mess'. I personally love Carla Caruso's writing style; it's well-paced, really comfortable to read, and perfect for the chick lit genre. Celeste and Flip are two great female characters and I loved the fact that the author decided to focus on both their storylines, which were just as interesting. The two women are dealing with different things and I was fascinated by everything happening to them from the first chapter until the last. 
The novel also has a wonderful scene setting which made me long for a warm and sunny day at the beach! It's also a read that's perfect for a day at the beach, but just as perfect when you're craving a bit of sunshine in your life. I definitely advise readers to first pick up 'A Pretty Mess' before reading this, because I think it makes the reading experience more fun if you know the characters' background stories. Overall, 'Pretty Shore' is a summery, thoroughly entertaining read with a good dose of fun, secrets, and intrigue; I already can't wait to read the third Astonvale novel, 'Pretty Famous'!

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.

Review: 'A Pretty Mess' by Carla Caruso (2014)

Sometimes, to come clean, you've got to get your hands dirty ...
Celeste Pretty, a self-confessed neat freak, has found the job she was born to do: a professional organiser, de-cluttering people's homes and workplaces. Her new business gets off to a cracking start when she lands her first client, health and fitness guru Natalia Samphire, in the well-heeled suburb of Astonvale. But things get messy at Natalia's mansion when Celeste finds a blackmail note and other mysterious items. And then there's Lenny Muscat, the sexy builder renovating the place, whose constant presence is muddling Celeste's usually organised brain.
When things get decidedly suspicious at the mansion, she and Lenny have to team up to investigate. But will Celeste emerge with her heart and professional reputation unscathed?
Not too long ago I was contacted by HarperCollins Publishers Australia about reviewing Carla Caruso's latest book, 'A Pretty Mess', which was released on the 1st of October 2014. The novel is the first in a new series, the Astonvale series, and I have to say that after seeing the cover and reading the blurb I was quite curious about it and looked forward to picking it up, especially since I didn't have the chance to check out Carla Caruso's work before!
Celeste Pretty is a professional organizer; a job which is simply perfect for a neat freak like herself. She decided to start her own company called POPink and has landed her first very important job, namely helping fitness guru Natalia Samphire organise her new home. Celeste wants to do anything she can to make sure she does a good job, but at the same time she's busy dealing with her cousin and new assistant Flip and Lenny, the handsome builder who's working on Natalia's house and always seems to be around. To make matters even worse, Celeste unexpectedly discovers Natalia is being blackmailed by someone, and soon she finds herself entangled in way more than just the organizing job she signed up for...
This book can be described as a combination of enjoyable chick lit and an entertaining touch of detective/who-done-it/mystery. I really liked the plotline of the novel and it didn't take long before I was fully immersed by the story, guessing what would happen to the characters and how it would all work out in the end. It took me a bit of time to get used to the main protagonist, Celeste. There were moments when I really liked her, and then her sometimes slightly snobbish behaviour came around the corner again. However, I did warm to her as the story progressed and I definitely wouldn't mind reading other stories in which she stars as the leading lady.
Lenny, the hunky builder who works for celebrity Natalia Samphire just like Celeste, was a great male character and I think many female readers will develop a small crush on him like I did. The chemistry between him and Celeste is undeniable and really added something fun to the story. There are some colloquialisms used in the book which I wasn’t familiar with, but from the context I could get what I needed to understand what was going on, so it definitely didn’t ruin the reading experience. Overall, ‘A Pretty Mess’ is a fun and entertaining chick lit and mystery mix and I already look forward to the next part of Carla Caruso’s ‘Astonvale’ series! Rating:

8/10

  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.