From Mum With Love - Louise Emma Clarke

Date of Reading: 26/01/2019

Author: Louise Emma Clarke

Publisher: Aria

Publication: February 5, 2019

Source: NetGalley

Rating: 4/5

About the book:

Mum of one, Jess has had enough of endless diaper-filled days and her husband Chris has just the solution to vent her frustrations – a blog.

Jess loves her daughter more than anything, but sometimes she just wants a little bit of freedom – some time for herself. Cue a laptop, a glass of wine and the beginning of a life-changing journey.

Overnight Jess's inbox is full of notifications and before long she is officially a 'mummy blogger' but this new life comes with its own set of rules and regulations. With Queen of the Bloggers, Tiggy, blanking her in public, people recognizing her on the street and her life decisions suddenly judged by strangers Jess's idea of 'me time' is slowly becoming a full-time job.

Will Jess be able to find the right life/work balance? Or will she wish she'd never turned to a world online?

From the award-winning blogger behind 'Mum of Boys & Mabel'.

My Review:

        This book was an unexpected find in one of my random NetGalley searches and was refreshingly honest. I never believed in the so-called romantic picture of motherhood, but sort of thought that the greatest trouble is giving birth itself. Looks like, it is just the beginning of a whole lot of sleepless nights and pent up emotions.

       Anyone who is in the blogosphere can pretty much identify with Jess' new venture into writing and what I loved most about this book is her blog posts (not that surprising since the author is an award-winning blogger). In the form of letters to her daughter Bella, they talk about her initial struggles as a mother, but it all ends irrevocably in a positive note. I won't be human if I am not jealous of Bella. 

        It is with the conflict relating to Tiggy, the novel picks pace. I haven't met anyone like that before in this field, and I don't wish to be. Most of the time I was really happy to see Jess rising up to the challenge with the help of her sister and female companions. And that is what this whole book is about; motherhood is no bed of roses, but help is always there for those who ask for it.

        Altogether an enlightening read that hooked me from the very beginning . . .

Meet the author:

From Mum With Love is the debut novel of Louise Emma Clarke; the award-winning writer behind the blog 'Mum of Boys & Mabel'.

Louise was educated at Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School and the University of Southampton, before moving to London to begin a career in publishing at magazines and newspapers including Daily Express, Take a Break, That's Life, Best Magazine, and Woman's Weekly.

After getting married in 2010, Louise moved to Dubai and worked as a freelance journalist for publications including Time Out Dubai, Time Out Kids, Aquarius Magazine, Gulf News, Baby & Child Magazine, and Dubai Confidential.

She started her blog in 2014, a few months after the birth of her second baby - and it quickly attracted a loyal following of over 100,000 mothers across the globe and won numerous awards for its relatable, humorous content.

Now living in the UK countryside with her husband and three children - Stanley (6), Wilfred (4) and Mabel (2) - Louise is moving into novel writing with the publication of From Mum With Love in February 2019.

Love Heart Lane - Christie Barlow (Blog Tour)

Date of Reading: 10/01/2019

Author: Christie Barlow

Publisher: Harper Impulse

Year: 2019

Source: NetGalley

Rating: 4.5/5

(This review is part of the blog tour organised by Rachel's Random Resources)

About the book:

Welcome to Love Heart Lane…

When Flick Simons returns to the small village of Heartcross she only expected to stay for a few days. The white-washed cottages of Love Heart Lane might be her home, but the place holds too many painful memories, and of one man in particular – Fergus Campbell.

When a winter storm sweeps in, the only bridge connecting the village to the mainland is swept away! As the villagers pull together, Flick finds herself welcomed back by the friends she once left behind. And as the snow begins to melt, maybe there is a chance that Fergus’s heart will thaw too…

My Review:

    'Love Heart Lane' is set in a small but picturesque Scottish village called Heartcross. As a village born and brought up girl, I approached the book with trepidation since I am not a fan of the romantic concepts of village life that clearly has its origins from Wordsworth. The ideas of natural beauty, fresh air and comradeship are sure to be there, but it's also the place where people refuse to change and there will be a few who are only interested in poking at other's personal lives. Ya, its no heaven on earth.
        But a clever writer can always make us forget this dark side and for a moment we are persuaded to follow Coleridge's dictum of willing suspension of disbelief. Clearly, Christie Barlow is quite talented in making us immersed in the story. She is a master writer, and I savoured every bit of this delightful novel.
      It will capture your heart from the very beginning and the moment Flick reaches Heartcross, things start spiking up. So be prepared to read it with some spare time at hand, because you won't be putting down your Kindle any time soon once you start. Felicity (Flick) is not someone to shy away from dangers and her capable hands and strong mind eventually take the village out of the huge crisis. I never thought she was a coward for running away in the past, it might be a bit rash, but something that also needs a lot of courage to do.
       I loved the way the novel ended. Even with the cliffhanger, this is a perfect happy ending for the first book in the series. Can's wait to read more about Flick, Fergus and also about their angelic kid.

Meet the author:

Christie Barlow is the author of A Year in the Life of a Playground Mother, The Misadventures of a Playground Mother, Kitty's Countryside Dream, Lizzie's Christmas Escape, Evie's Year of Taking Chances, The Cosy Canal Boat Dream, A Home at Honeysuckle Farm and Love Heart Lane. Her writing career came as somewhat a surprise when she decided to write a book to teach her children a valuable life lesson and show them that they are capable of achieving their dreams. The book she wrote to prove a point is now a #1 bestseller in the UK, USA & Australia. 

Christie is an ambassador for @ZuriProject raising money/awareness and engaging with impoverished people in Uganda through organisations to improve their well-being as well as Literary Editor for www.mamalifemagazine.co.uk bringing you all the latest news and reviews from the book world.

website www.christiebarlow.com 
Twitter @ChristieJBarlow 

Sorry Not Sorry - Sophie Ranald

Date of Reading: 28/01/2019

Author: Sophie Ranald

Publisher: Bookouture

Expected Publication: February 13, 2019

Source: NetGalley

Rating: 5/5

About the book:

Is this all there is? I hadn’t had so much as a sniff of a shag for over a year. I scraped the last dregs of Caramel Chew Chew ice cream out of the bottom of the tub with my finger and licked it. It left a sticky smear on my phone’s screen when I typed into Google, “How to find love, sex and happiness.” 

Charlotte has always been a good girl. 

She sorts her paper from her plastic. She eats her greens (even Spirulina, whatever that is). Boozy brunches with her best friends on the third Sunday of every month are about as bad as she gets. 

But being good is getting boring… 

Charlotte’s not just stuck in a rut – she’s buried in it up to her chin. The only company she has in bed is the back catalogue of Netflix and falling in love feels like the stuff of fairy tales. So when she stumbles across a popular podcast, Sorry Not Sorry, which challenges women to embrace their inner bad girl, she jumps at the chance to shake things up. 

Old Charlotte would never ask for a stranger’s number, go on a blind date or buy lacy lingerie… But New Charlotte is waving goodbye to her comfort zone (with a side order of margaritas). And it turns out that good things happen to bad girls, as Charlotte finally finds her Mr Right – or so she thinks… Is falling in love too tough a challenge even for Charlotte? 

Fans of Sophie Kinsella, Mhairi McFarlane and Matt Dunn will love this fabulously feel-good novel that will make you laugh till you cry and leave you living life to the full, margarita in hand!

My Review:

        I don't know how much my review will do justice to this book with my sleep induced brain, but my excited heart won't allow me to rest until I have posted this. Have you ever felt that particular urge to share your excitement just after reading an amazing novel? Ever experienced that bubbling happiness that won't be subdued unless you narrate the story to at least one person? If yes, then you know what I am going through now. Yup! I have found this wonderful chick lit (quite accidentally, in fact) and there is only one thing I can shout at you: READ IT!

         Well, since it is made quite clear how much I enjoyed reading it, let's go to the question of why. I am an avid Sophie Kinsella fan and anything of her style is always a bliss. They are not joking in the blurb about this being suitable for Kinsella fans -- the novel is a clever combination of humour, mystery and romance typical of the chick lit and it will keep you on your toes till the very end. (Even now I am tapping my feet on the floor 😇 )

      Charlotte is a heroine that is close to my heart and reading her story, thanks to the exemplary narrative skills of the author, was like being a part of her life. Boyfriend trouble, bridesmaid crisis and stifling but enjoyable work life . . . that pretty much surmises the plot we will go through. Even paced, with bits of mystery and conflicts strewed in between, the novel makes an excellent light read that is hard to put down. It cost me a night's sleep, but that was so worth it. Happy reading everyone!

Meet the author:

Sophie Ranald is the youngest of five sisters. She was born in Zimbabwe and lived in South Africa until an acute case of itchy feet brought her to London in her mid-20s. As an editor for a customer publishing agency, Sophie developed her fiction-writing skills describing holidays to places she'd never visited. In 2011, she decided to disregard all the good advice given to aspiring novelists and attempt to write full-time. Sophie also writes for magazines and online about food, fashion and running. She lives in south-east London with her amazing partner Hopi and Purrs, their adorable little cat. 

Perfect Match - Zoe May (Blog Tour)

Date of Reading: 31/12/2018

Author: Zoe May

Publisher: HQ Digital

Publication Date: January 12, 2018

Rating: 4/5

(This review is part of the blog tour organised by Rachel's Random Resources)

About the book:

Can you ever find true love online?

Sophia Jones is an expert in all things online dating: the best sites, how to write a decent bio, which questions to ask and the right type of photos to use. The only thing she’s not so great at? Picking the guys…

After sitting through yet another dreadful date with a man who isn’t quite what she expected, Sophia is just about ready to give up on the whole dating scene. But her flatmate, Kate, persuades her to give it one more chance, only this time she must create a profile describing her ‘perfect’ man.

Yes, he must look like Robert Pattinson and needs to own a multi-million-pound business, but there are a couple of other deal breakers, too! So, when a guy comes along who ticks every box, surely there’s got to be a catch?

My Review:

     This is my first Zoe May book, and let's say, it surprised me only a few books could. Though I was not that fond of Sophia from the beginning, this wasn't the end I was expecting and I am really glad about it. More than a romance, this is all about a single girl's transformation to maturity. And more than the love story, it was friendship between Sophia and Kate that drew me to the novel . . . oh, how I loved Kate's acting persona!

       But my favourite character, for sure, is Chris. I didn't like the way Sophia just dismissed him outrightly after their first date. What is wrong with a guy who knows about so many things? I was so happy that he got the happy ending he deserved, though not with the one I imagined to be.

       On the whole, a wonderful light read that will keep you guessing till the very end. Zoe has put together a plethora of characters who are perfectly matched with the storyline and you cannot help but love them to the core.

Meet the author:

Zoe May lives in south-east London and writes romantic comedies. Zoe has dreamt of being a novelist since she was a teenager. She moved to London in her early twenties and worked in journalism and copywriting before writing her debut novel, Perfect Match. Having experienced the London dating scene first hand, Zoe could not resist writing a novel about dating, since it seems to supply endless amounts of weird and wonderful material!

As well as writing, Zoe enjoys going to the theatre, walking her dog, painting and, of course, reading.

Zoe loves to hear from readers, you can contact her on Twitter and Instagram at @zoe_writes

Georgiana Darcy - Alice Isakova

Date of Reading: 28/12/2018

Author: Alice Isakova

Subtitle: A Sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice

Publication Date: July 2018

Rating: 3.5/5

About the book:

With her temptingly large dowry, the beautiful and talented Georgiana Darcy catches the eye of numerous suitors, not all of whom wish to marry purely for love. As Georgiana navigates the treacherous waters of courtship, her story becomes intertwined with that of Anne de Bourgh, her wealthy but painfully awkward cousin, who stirs up trouble when she sets her sights on a young gentleman with a rank far below her own. In so doing, Anne encounters the opposition of her proud and domineering mother, the formidable Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and sets in motion a chain of events that brings a damaging secret to light and threatens to destroy Georgiana's dreams of happiness. Intrigues, gossip, and elopements further complicate Georgiana's efforts to find love and avoid the snares of fortune-hunters. 

Written in a sparkling, witty, humorous style on par with Jane Austen's own in Pride and Prejudice, Alice Isakova's Georgiana Darcy continues the tale that has delighted readers for over two centuries.

My Review:

       It is always hard to pass any books related to Jane Austen and this one was tempting as any other with its gorgeous cover. I was transported back to the time I was gulping down all the Austen novels with Isakova creating a familiar vibe through her splendid writing. She has managed to capture the narrative style of Jane Austen effortlessly and the book had the feeling of a true classic.

        Though titled as 'Georgiana Darcy', the book traces not only the life of Darcy's only sister but also that of Anne de Bourgh, the cold and shy daughter of infamous Catherine de Bourgh. In fact, I found Anne's story much more captivating than Georgiana's. I have never given her much attention until I had the privilege of reading this book. Isakova explores her defiant nature which leaves no trace in 'Pride and Prejudice'. One may struggle to accept this unexpected side of Anne, but it also gives a whole new thrill to the story.

       Georgiana's story perks up by the second half of the book and I really loved the way it turned out in the end. The only fault I could find in the storyline was that both Georgiana and Anne keeps a very modern outlook when it comes to the class distinction which feels quite out of place in that time period. Apart from that, this is a nice addition to the sequels of 'Pride and Prejudice' and gives you an unexpected take on some familiar and lovable characters.

Meet the author:

Born in Eastern Europe, Alice Isakova spent the latter part of her childhood in the United States before finally settling in Australia. There she obtained a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Adelaide and won multiple university prizes for outstanding academic achievement.

Alice now lives with her family in rural Tasmania. She spends her free time either writing or pursuing her passion for fitness, especially the disciplines of rhythmic gymnastics, yoga, and ballet. Georgiana Darcy: A Sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is Alice Isakova's first book.