Monday 27 November 2017

Book review: The Place We Met by Isabelle Broom


I'm delighted to share with you my review for the latest novel from globetrotting author Isabelle Broom. I'm living vicariously through her books; one day I hope to visit the places she writes about!
So far she's taken us to Zakynthos in My Map of You, Prague in A Year and a Day and the Spanish village of Mojacar in Then. Now. Always; this time we go to Lake Como! 

The Place We Met is published on 30th November, and you can buy it here and at other booksellers.

Thank you to Netgalley and Michael Joseph at Penguin for the ARC.

The Blurb

Taggie is only a few months into her job as a tour guide in Lake Como. She's rushed off her feet, but distraction is what she needs to forget why she left England.

Lucy arrives at Lake Como with her perfect new boyfriend, Pete. Falling fast in love, she's sure that life is about to start for her, it feels so right with him.

But as New Year's Eve approaches and the women meet by chance, it becomes clear this isn't the perfect place of new beginnings. While Lucy is willing to do anything to keep hold of Pete, the past Taggie so desperately wanted to escape is catching up with her . . .

My Review

I really do think the Tourist Boards in the places featured in Isabelle's novels owe her big time. Again, her descriptions of the scenery make you just want to hop on a plane straightaway. Sights and sounds are depicted perfectly, immersing the reader into the surroundings of the story.

We have two protagonists in The Place We Met, Taggie and Lucy, two strangers whose stories entwine in the beautiful setting of the Italian lakes. They are two very different women; Taggie, determined not to let herself be hurt by anyone ever again, and Lucy, who is in the first flushes of romance with her boyfriend, Pete.

As ever, one of the book's strong points is the supporting cast; the elderly Elsie, a strong-willed lady with a rebellious streak; Taggie's friend and co-worker, Shelley; the hilarious couple Gladys and Will-yum, and of course our dark, brooding hero, Marco. Each character is written with such care and depth, we feel we know them instantly.

Heartbreak, jealousy, determination... it's all here, written with the author's usual humour and warmth, resulting in a story that is heartwarming, romantic and uplifting, tugging at the emotions.

Now where are we going next, Isabelle?

About the Author

Isabelle Broom was born in Cambridge nine days before the 1980s began and studied Media Arts at the University of West London before starting a career first in local newspapers and then as a sub editor at heat magazine. Nowadays, when she’s not writing novels set in far-flung locations, Isabelle spends her time being the Book Reviews Editor at heat and walking her beloved dog across the Suffolk water meadows. 

Her novels My Map Of You, A Year And A Day & Then. Now. Always. (published by Penguin Michael Joseph) are out now. The fourth, The Place We Met, will arrive in November.

If you like pictures of dogs, chatter about books and very bad jokes, you can follow her on Twitter or Instagram @Isabelle_Broom or find her on Facebook under Isabelle Broom Author. To find out more about her books, visit her website www.isabellebroom.com





Saturday 25 November 2017

Blog Tour: A Scentational Guest Post by Cassandra O'Leary


When asked what she wore to bed, Marilyn Monroe famously said 'Chanel No. 5'. Unfortunately my efforts to emulate the glamour puss have been thwarted by my children, who said I smelled like Granny. I hope they were referring to the fact my mum likes the same perfume as me, and that I don't smell like old ladies' wee! But the damage has been done - I ended up giving my mum the rest of my beloved bottle and had to seek out my own new favourite.

Today I'm welcoming Cassandra O'Leary, author of Heart Note, a Christmas Romcom Novella, to talk about her favourite perfumes. Buy the book here!

Discovering the Heart Note

Favourite Perfumes and Scents
Love is like a fine perfume… My interest in perfumes started many years ago when I worked as a ‘spritzer chick’ at a department store perfume counter. 

Perfume and scent are closely tied to our emotions and memories. I’m sure most people reading this can recall a specific scent associated with their childhood home, mother, or maybe grandmother. [HA! - SEE ABOVE - Vikbat].

As an example, some of the scents I remember from my childhood might not sound that good mixed together, but they remind me of the place and the time, being a kid. Maybe a cooking smell (apple cake with cinnamon), freshly mown grass, the woody scent of pencil shavings, a perfume (Elizabeth Taylor’s White Diamonds), the washing detergent still permeating clothes when you get them out of a drawer (lavender). 

Perfumes are also made up of layers of ingredients, the top note, the middle note (or Heart Note) and base note. But they also interact with each person’s skin chemistry – one smells good on one person may completely change and smell horrible on someone else. 

You need to try a perfume on your skin and let it unfold over time to discover the true essence. Fascinating! 
My favourite perfumes
It’s hard to name only one or two perfumes that I love. For me, different scents evoke moods, seasons or remind me of a certain time in my life. When I started working on the perfume counter at a department store in my early twenties, I hadn’t worn much perfume apart from the cheapies from the discount stores. 

But we were promoting the launch of Calvin Klein’s new perfumes such as Eternity, Escape and Obsession. A whole new world of evocative and layered scents opened up, and they were addictive. I loved collecting the perfume samples and trying the different varieties. 

My favourite from this era was Eternity, and I still wear it sometimes today. It almost represents that time of my life now, when I was young and finding my place in the world. It’s a fresh floral, light and breezy. 

Eternity by Calvin Klein


Top Notes:
Heart Notes
Base notes



Scents of seduction
What’s a great scent to wear to feel sexy? Well, the answer can be as different as the people choosing the scent. Some will go for the heavier, spicier scents known as Orientals, with base notes of long-lasting ingredients. Opium or Shalimar come to mind. 

When I worked for Yves Saint Laurent perfumes for a while, I fell in love with the heavier, richer, evocative and spicy scent of Opium. I’d wear this perfume when I dressed up in a little black dress for a dinner date in winter, but never in summer. This fragrance is too heavy and rich for summer, when it might seem over the top. 


Something different
I love the fragrance, Dune by Christian Dior (and lots of other Dior perfumes). The following notes don’t quite describe the complexity of this perfume on the skin. It’s actually described as a floral oceanic scent and there’s a freshness to this scent that reminds me of summer at the beach. 

Dune by Christian Dior

Top Notes

Heart Notes

Base notes





For an excellent resource on perfumes and their ingredients, I recommend visiting the website www.basenotes.net – lots of people have reviewed their favourite perfumes and it has full lists of ingredients too. 


Thank you Cassandra!

I'm quite partial to Dior Addict, and Estee Lauder's Modern Muse. What's your favourite perfume? Let me know!

Monday 20 November 2017

Blog Tour: A Rock 'n' Roll Lovestyle by Kiltie Jackson

Today I'm pleased to be on the blog tour for Kiltie Jackson's new book, A Rock 'n' Roll Lovestyle, which was published on 26th September 2017. Thank you to the author and to Rachel at Rachel's Random Resources for the advance reading copy. This review is my own honest and unbiased opinion.

The Blurb

So who exactly is Sukie McClaren?

A Christmas-loving Cat lover? A Sound of Music Fanatic? A Fiercely Independent Woman?

She is all of the above. And when she is sent to Salzburg for a business trip a few weeks before Christmas, she thinks all her dreams have come true. As she packs her suitcase, the only things on her mind are Christmas markets, lots of snow and finally seeing the Doh-Ray-Me steps. Becoming the new best friend of the world’s hottest rock-star doesn’t even get a look in.

Pete Wallace is a reclusive, reluctant, rock-star and the world’s Number One, best-selling, male solo artist. It’s been three years since his last tour and he’s now preparing to go back on the road again. A week in Salzburg, schmoozing with the music press, is one of his worst nightmares. 

He can’t wait for it to be over.

When Pete and Sukie meet, it is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Lonely for too long, he begins to remember how it feels to be happy and, for the first time in six years, Christmas feels special again. 

Eduardo di Santo however, whose kid sister suffered life-changing injuries at a Pete Wallace concert, is all set on getting revenge. When Pete’s new tour is announced, he begins to make his plans. Plans that will culminate in Pete's demise.

Will Pete and Sukie’s new friendship die before it has a chance to flourish?

A Christmas tale full of love, laughter, friendship and revenge.

Purchase from Amazon UKhttp://amzn.to/2woAAoF


My Review

Being a Rock Chick at heart, I immediately leaped at the chance to bag myself a place on the blog tour for this book based on the title itself.

You can tell the author enjoyed writing this book - her enthusiam shows through on every page.

The main protagonist, Suki, is a strong, feisty woman with a very independent streak. She gets on the wrong side of another guest at the hotel she's staying at, with some interesting repercussions. I found her to be a quite cold character to start with, but her slow-burning friendship with Pete starts to melt her heart.

Pete is relaunching his career as a rock star after three years in hiding. He's drawn to Suki, whose no nonsense, plain talking nature is the perfect panacea to all the media people he has to suck up to. He is a real sweetie. He may be a rock star, but heroes are human too.

There's a couple of interesting sub-plots; one of them rather dramatic, but it adds interest to the story.

I found the book on the whole enjoyable, if a little slow and wordy in places, but the author is certainly good at describing the setting, Salzburg, making you feel as if you are there with them.

A good debut.

About the Author

Kiltie grew up in Scotland, Glasgow to be precise. A very unique city wit
h a very unique way of looking at life. When she was old enough to do so, she moved to London and then, after several years of obtaining interesting experiences -which are finding their way into her writing - she moved up to the Midlands.

She currently lives in Staffordshire with five cats and one husband. The cats kindly allow her and her husband to share their house on the condition they keeps paying the mortgage!

Her little home is known as Moggy Towers, even though despite having plenty of moggies, there are no towers!

She loves reading, watching movies, and visiting old castles. She really dislikes going to the gym!

Her biggest desire is that one day she can give up the day job and write her stories for a living.

Kiltie first began writing 'A Rock 'n' Roll Lovestyle' over ten years ago. The project was shelved on Chapter Seventeen as she felt the story wasn't flowing as she would like it to.

In her own words "The images in my head would not come out of my fingers!" Fast forward to November 2016 when, having finished reading Lizzie's Christmas Escape by Christie Barlow, she read more about the author and was inspired with how Christie herself came to be a best-selling author.

In that thunderbolt moment, Kiltie knew - with a deep certainty- that she needed to reacquaint herself with 'A Rock 'n' Roll Lovestyle' and begin writing again. She did this in January 2017 and found the words flowed faster than she could type them. Finally, the time was right for her to write her novel.

Her determination to finish what she had started all those years ago was absolute and the first draft was completed on Sunday 16th April 2017.

Since beginning to write again, the ideas have not stopped flowing. She has begun typing up her second book, 'Of All the Unlikely Places', and book three (not yet titled) has been worked out and is waiting in the wings for its turn in the spotlight.

She currently has a further ten plots and ideas stored in her file (it's costing a fortune in USB drives as each story has its own memory stick!) and the ideas still keep on coming.

She now lives her life around the following three quotes:

"I love having weird dreams, they're great fodder for book plots!"
"Why wait for your ship to come in when you can swim out to meet it?"
"Old enough to know better, young enough not to care!"


Friday 17 November 2017

Book Review: Ours is the Winter by Laurie Ellingham




I'm delighted today to be taking part in the Publication Day Push for Laurie Ellingham's  novel Ours is the Winter. Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher, HQ Digital, for the advanced reading copy. This review is my honest, unbiased opinion.

The Blurb
Journeying across the Arctic, their pasts are about to catch up with them.

Erica, Molly and Noah are embarking on the challenge of a lifetime, driving Siberian huskies across the frozen wilderness of the Arctic. Cut off from the world and their loved ones and thrown together under gruelling conditions, it isn’t long before the cracks start to show.

Erica has it all. A loving husband, a successful career and the most adorable baby daughter. But Erica has been living a double life, and as she nears her fortieth birthday her lies threaten to come crashing down.

Molly was on her way to stardom. But when her brother died, so did her dreams of becoming an Olympic champion. Consumed by rage and grief, she has shut out everyone around her, but now she’s about to learn that comfort can come from the most unexpected places.

Noah has a darkness inside him and is hounded by nightmares from his past. Tortured, trapped and struggling to save his fractured relationship, he knows this journey is not going to help, but try telling his girlfriend that.

As their lives and lies become ever more entwined, it becomes clear that in the frozen wilds there is nowhere to hide.

My Review

Brrr! You'll want to snuggle down under a duvet or a fleecy blanket with a hot chocolate to read this. The setting for this emotional book is in the Arctic snows as we are taken on the journey of a lifetime, a challenging seven day trip sledding with huskies. Laurie has such a magical way of describing the surroundings that I could almost feel the snow stinging my nostrils with the cold.

It's a tale of endurance, as a group of people take on this challenge, taking themselves right out of their comfort zones. Three members of the group in particular find that they cannot escape the past, instead they have to confront it - in just about the coldest place on earth.

Noah's story made for uncomfortable reading. His girlfriend is one of the most annoying people I've ever met in a book - I'd have buried her in a snow drift. 

Half sisters Erica and Molly haven't spoken since their brother died. Their relationship is more complex than that of most siblings. Molly resents older sister Erica for ignoring her, but Erica has had her own problems to deal with. Molly certainly behaves like a much younger sister as Erica tries to reconnect with her. I found it hard to warm to either sister particularly, as they both seem too wrapped up in themselves to consider anybody else.

For me the stars of the book are the huskies. I love the descriptions of them, even if they do have particularly smelly breath. I just want to bury my face in their fur. I love the relationship between Erica and her lead husky.  

Ours is the Winter has great descriptions of the surroundings, but I would have preferred to be able to have connected more with the characters - they just weren't particularly likable.

You can buy Ours is the Winter here.

About the Author

Laurie Ellingham lives on the Suffolk/Essex border with her two children, husband, and cockerpoo Rodney. She has a First Class honours degree in Psychology and a background in Public relations, but her main love is writing and disappearing into the fictional world of her characters, preferably with a large coffee and a Twix (or two) to hand.

Follow Laurie Ellingham on..


Thursday 9 November 2017

Book Review: Some Kind of Wonderful by Giovanna Fletcher


Thank you to Netgalley and Michael Joseph for the ARC. Some Kind of Wonderful is published on 16 November 2017, and you can buy it here. This review is my honest and true opinion.

The Blurb
When the love of your life says you're not The One, who are you?

Lizzy and Ian have been a couple since the first week of university. Now, after celebrating a decade together, everyone thinks they're about to get engaged.

Instead, a romantic escape to Dubai leaves Lizzy with no ring, no fiancé and no future.

Lizzy is heartbroken - but through the tears, she sees an opportunity. This is her moment to discover what she's been missing while playing Ian's ideal 'better half'.

But how much has Ian changed her, and who should she be without him?

Determined to discover who she is at heart, Lizzy sets out to rediscover the girl she was before - and, in the meantime, have a little fun . . .

My Review
This is the first of Giovanna's books I have read. I've noticed her and her books a lot on social media, and everyone says how great her books are, so I thought I should find out for myself. Plus I love her husband (shh! don't tell her) - not in 'that' but cos he seems like such a lovely bloke and they seem to be the perfect couple. Plus I swear I bumped into him and he said hello to me at a Muse gig in Camden, though I was so excited that day it was only afterwards I realised it was him. Or maybe it wasn't.

Anyway this is supposed to be a book review, not a gushing-over-lovely-people fest. So here goes...

Readers, I loved it!

To begin with, our heroine is on holiday with her boyfriend of ten years. It's in her life plan to be married to him. She doesn't know anything else - and everyone around is expecting the same. The build up to the great moment that never is, is full of tension, even though you know what is going to happen. But I can't believe Ian let it get as far as it did - that was pretty cruel, weak and pathetic, and quite frankly she's better off without him.

Lizzy deals with the blow admirably - yes she's devastated, but it's time to re-evaluate her life. At first she flounders, like most of us would, but gradually she gets her confidence back. During her soul-searching she initially thinks she needs to find the 'old' Lizzy, but it's the New Lizzy that needs to emerge from this change.

The supporting cast is good; Lizzy's mum is supportive, her sister Michelle less so (and is quite a selfish, self-centered biatch, though for much of the book she is pregnant so I'm guessing the hormones are to blame). 

It's an easy and enjoyable read, and I'll be adding Giovanna's other books to my ever-growing To Be Read pile..

About the Author

Giovanna grew up in Essex with her Italian dad Mario, mum Kim, big sister Giorgina and little brother Mario, and spent most of her childhood talking to herself (it seems no one wanted to listen) or reading books.

At thirteen she left Essex behind to attend the full-time Sylvia Young Theatre School, where she met her husband Tom Fletcher. Following SYTS she completed an acting BA (hons) at Rose Bruford – since then she's been acting, chaperoning mini actors and dabbling in a spot of freelance journalism for heat, Bliss and Recognise magazines. She currently writes a weekly blog for Hello! Online and posts weekly vlogs on her YouTube channel. 

Giovanna is a firm believer in the power of magpies and positive energy. To see what makes Giovanna smile, view her blog at www.giovannasworld.com, or her Twitter page @mrsgifletcher.

Wednesday 8 November 2017

Book Review: One Christmas Kiss in Notting Hill by Mandy Baggot


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Ebury, for the advanced reading copy. This is an honest and unbiased review.

The Blurb

Imagine the perfect Christmas Kiss…

His strong arms around her waist, her hands on his face, the snow slowly starts to fall…

It’s enough to make Isla Winters cringe! While her sister can’t get enough of this – increasingly common – sight on the streets of London, Isla’s too busy trying to stop Hannah’s wheelchair from slipping on the ice, and making sure she’s not too late to her dream job at Breekers International. 

But everything changes with the arrival of Chase Bryan, fresh from the New York office. He’s eager to learn everything about Isla’s beloved Notting Hill, but as the nights get colder, will cosying up to him come at a price?

My Review

Mandy Baggot is definitely up there in my list of favourite authors. She melted this cynical reader's ice-cold heart with a previous Christmassy novel, One Wish in Manhatten, but this one is even better.

The characterisation is perfect. We have Isla, the main protagonist; single, feisty and desperately loyal to her sister, she's not on the look-out for romance. She's quite put-out when she is singled out to be the new CEO's 'go-to girl'. Who wouldn't be, when they have their own projects to manage? Isla is great; she's not afraid to speak her mind most of the time, and she is fiercely protective of the people and places she loves.

Isla's sister Hannah, is a beautiful character. She's not bitter about being in a wheelchair, but is trying to assert her independence, something quite hard to do with a bossy big sister around. But she is sweet, and young, and she is yet unsullied by her sister's cynicism over romance. The one thing she dreams of is sharing a Christmas Kiss with someone special - if they can see beyond the wheel chair.

Then Chase Bryan sweeps in, and turns Isla's world upside down. Painfully aware of her job and reputation being at risk, she struggles to balance her priorities, whilst trying to fight the growing attraction she is feeling to her new boss. Because that just wouldn't be right, would it? After all, he is The Boss, he has kids, and he lives in New York. But he is utterly gorgeous, and charming without any hint of smarm at all. He loves his kids, and he always wants to do The Right Thing. But that's not always easy, especially with a truculant teen and a wide-eyed younger daughter in tow.

Another, utterly brilliant character is Raj, the postman. I love the way Mandy has written his dialogue - it's very fresh and real, innit? He's fantastic!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and became immersed in the story. I've never been to Notting Hill, but I felt as though I myself was right there with them. The surroundings, the sights and smells are very evocative, and I even found myself pulling a blanket around me against the cold, cold snow in London.

I utterly loved this book, so you should buy yours here!


About the Author

Mandy Baggot is an international bestselling and award-winning romance writer represented by The Kate Nash Literary Agency. In 2017 she was signed by Ebury Publishing (Penguin Random House).

The winner of the Innovation in Romantic Fiction award at the UK’s Festival of Romance, her romantic comedy novel, One Wish in Manhattan, was also shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists’ Association Romantic Comedy Novel of the Year award in 2016.

Mandy loves the Greek island of Corfu, white wine, country music and handbags. Also a singer, she has taken part in ITV1's Who Dares Sings and The X-Factor.

Mandy is a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association and the Society of Authors and lives near Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK with her husband and two daughters.

Visit Mandy’s website at www.mandybaggot.com, and follow her on Facebook and Twitter.