Mad About You - Anna Premoli

Date of Reading: 1/2/2020

Author: Anna Premoli

Publisher: Aria

Publication Date: November 14, 2019

Source: NetGalley 

Rating: 4/5

 

About the book:

 

Giada Borghi has always known exactly what she wants. Graduating with honours? Check. An internship at a prestigious consulting company in Milan? Check! Ariberto Castelli, with his pretty face and unironically monogrammed shirts? Definitely not.

Sure, they may have shared a kiss in a nightclub once upon a time – that doesn't change anything! Boys like Ariberto and girls like Giada just don't belong together. But working so closely with a handsome Italian is bound to turn any girl's head, especially as she realises there's more to Ariberto than meets the eye.

The summer days are long and hot... can Giada make it through with her head – and heart – intact? 

 

Review:

 

      It is hard to let go of a book written by Anna Premoli. Undoubtedly, she is one of my favourite romance authors and this humorous and enlightening story has just confirmed my trust in her. Set in Milan, we get to see a hate-to-love story -- well, it might be one-sided -- and as always the humour and the funny banter between our couple bear Premoli's trademark style. 

      Giada and Ariberto meet first at a bar and  Giada hates him at the very first sight. Reason: a boyfriend like him will be surely approved by her mother and she cannot let that happen. Yup, we have got a weird heroine (or should I say she is nuts?) who hasn't outgrown her teenage tantrums. I do have my own quirks, so no judging her in this aspect. Who is perfect anyway? . . . except for Ariberto. He should be recommended for sainthood; really guys, I don't think this man is real.

      One of the disadvantages of the first-person narrative is that it is hard to make a fair judgement. Ariberto could be a possessive man, but through the love hazed narrative, it is difficult to ascertain. But the patience and stubbornness he has shown in wooing the lady is nothing but remarkable. I know he is too good to be true, but can't help but wish him to be real.

     If you are looking for a sweet rom-com for the weekend, then search no further. This will surely fill your day with laughter and may lengthen you life span for a good measure too. Happy reading!

 

Meet the author:

 

Anna Premoli is a bestselling author in Italy. She began writing to relieve stress while working as a financial consultant for a private bank. Her novel, Love to Hate You won the Bancarella prize in 2013.  

Magic Under the Mistletoe - Lucy Coleman (Blog Tour)

Date of Reading: 14/11/2019

Author: Lucy Coleman

Publisher: Aria

Publication Date: September 5, 2019

Source: NetGalley

Rating: 4.5/5

 

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

 

About the book:

 

Christmas and romance are in the air... 

 

It's December 23rd and while everyone else is rushing home for the holidays, workaholic Leesa Oliver is dreading switching on her out-of-office for the festive season. And it seems her equally driven boss, Cary Anderson, isn't relishing spending Christmas at his family's country estate either.

So together, they draft an unexpected Christmas contract: They'll spend half of the holidays with each other's families, pretending to be a couple. Leesa knows the insufferably good-looking Cary will make her Christmas more bearable, but what happens after the last of the mince pies have been eaten...?

Leesa signed off on a sensible business agreement, but somewhere, amongst the fairy lights and carols, something seems to have changed... It seems there might just be some magic under the mistletoe this Christmas!

Review:

       The fake date trope has been used and reused by many authors but one could never get tired of this storyline. So when I got this book, I was expecting a very predictable albeit relaxing storyline. Suffice to say, I was never prepared for this unique take on such an age-old storyline.
     Leesa Oliver is not a swooning heroine; she is a businesswoman keeping to the realities of life. Wedding? Been there, done that and now it is over. So a business contract to pretend to be someone's boyfriend (even if he is a hot CEO), is not supposed to be hard. Surprisingly, she keeps to her bargain. There is an attraction for sure, but both know from their experience that chemistry won't necessarily mean a happy marriage. As you must have guessed by now, this is a slow-burning romance. Written solely from Leesa's perspective, we come to know of a really powerful and caring woman who comes to her decision with the head as well as her heart.
      And it is not simply about two lovers. This is also the story of two families mending their inner struggles with the help of these two brilliant, brave people. Spanning from one Christmas to another, this also brings the two families together as an ideal marriage should be. They are really an entertaining bunch, especially Cressida, Cary's grandmother. I relished each moment with her as if I have read all her romance works.
      Beginning with a Christmas where winter roars with fury and ending in the next year under the mistletoe, Lucy Coleman has produced a well crafted, brilliantly engineered Christmas story to remind us once again that the season is magical whether we believe it or not. So hop on guys, we are in for a ride . . .

Meet the author:

From interior designer to the author, Linn - who also writes under the pen name of Lucy Coleman - says ‘it’s been a fantastic journey!’ When she’s not writing or spending time with the family, she’s either upcycling furniture or working in the garden.

Linn won the 2013 UK Festival of Romance: Innovation in Romantic Fiction award; her novels have been shortlisted in the UK's Festival of Romance and the eFestival of Words Book Awards.

Living in Coed Duon in the Welsh Valleys with her ‘rock’, Lawrence, and gorgeous Bengal cat Ziggy, she freely admits she’s an eternal romantic.
   

One Christmas Star - Mandy Baggot

Date of Reading: 20/09/2019

Author: Mandy Baggot

Publisher: Aria

Publication Date: September 12, 2019

Source: NetGalley 

My Rating: 4.5/5

 

About the book:

 

Emily Parker is set to have the worst Christmas ever! 

 

Her flatmate's moved out, she's closed her heart to love and she's been put in charge of the school original Christmas show – with zero musical ability.

Disgraced superstar, Ray Stone is in desperate need of a quick PR turnaround. Waking up from a drunken stupor to a class of ten-year-olds snapping pics and Emily looking at him was not what he had in mind.

Ray needs Emily's help to delete the photos, and she needs his with the show. As they learn to work together they may just open their hearts to more than a second chance...

My Review:

    I don't know why I have never picked up a Mandy Baggot book before. Ok, I retract that, I know the reason. I have been quite stupid and well, maybe it was not the right time. Anyway, here I am kicking myself for all the lost opportunities. So take heed folks, and don't be like me. If you are planning to read only one Christmas book this year, let it be this one.
     A primary school teacher struggling set up a Christmas play and a disgraced musician in need of a new start. Nothing much in common if you ask me. But the season of miracles plays its just part and hurray! . . . what we have is a tantalising love story. 
     Emily Parker is a model teacher (someone I would like to be one day). She wins her students' hearts and cares for them deeply. But winning the approval of the school head and the diocese is an altogether different matter. Both of them may not go together. Still, she keeps it together until the very end. As all HP fans believe, 'help is always there, when you seek it' (well, something like that).
     Ray, on the other hand, is a different story. He is not our arrogant musician, drinking up the fame. He is  . . . hmm. . . a bit too soft. This is not something I blame, but as one of my besties used to say "if you are willing to be a doormat, you have no room to complain when others stomp on you". There is a time for compassion, but that should not degrade you as a person. I am glad that he stood up for himself at the end (this was really trying my patience). 
    I cannot finish this review without referring to Jonah and Allen, the gay couple who are the source behind most of the fun. I would have loved to hear their story. Truely a match made in heaven. And there are the children -- Jayden, Rashid, Alice, Cherry, Angelica, Felix, Mathew, Makenzie, Frema, Charlie and Lucas -- if you were real, I would have loved to meet you all. A teacher's true joy comes from his/ her students' achievements. I am sure you are all going to make Emily proud. 
    Am I making you sentimental? Yes, that is the other thing that I want to remind. Keep some tissues at hand. You will definitely need them by the end. Happy reading everyone! 

Meet the author:

Mandy Baggot is an internationally bestselling and award-winning romance writer.

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's 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.

A Question of Us - Mary Jayne Baker

Date of Reading: 04/08/2019

Author: Mary Jayne Baker

Publisher: Aria

Publication Date: September 5, 2019

Source: NetGalley

My Rating: 5/5

About the book:

Two best friends. Eight pub quizzes. One shot at love...

Some people seem like they have all the answers in life. Clarrie Midwinter isn't one of them.

At the age of 26, tomboy Clarrie is still struggling to become a 'proper' grown-up. She's eternally strapped for cash, she hasn't had a date in nearly a year and her attempts to quit smoking tend to take a nosedive after the second pint. Most annoyingly of all, her ladykiller best friend Simon just won't stop asking her out. The only thing keeping her sane is her pub quiz team, the Mighty Morphin Flower Arrangers.

But when Simon bets her a date their team will win the quiz league, Clarrie is forced to confront what she really wants out of life – and love. Is it finally time for her to grow up?

Gloriously irreverent, badly behaved romantic comedy from the author of Meet Me at the Lighthouse.

My Review:

      There is no contesting the fact that enemies to lovers is my favourite trope, but friends to lovers can always bag the second position. And this lovely book undoubtedly goes straight to my favourite shelf. Set in a typically British village, the story had me in the hooks from the very beginning and the pages flew by . . . just like that.

      When I said 'village' that doesn't mean the story is all about a cosy, little Edenic place. On the contrary, most of the story surrounds a tightly knit group and pub quizzes and so we see more booze and talk than any real village life. The humour is irresistible and the banter (with sexual overtones) is spot on. Yup, if you want to pick some British slangs, this is your right pick.

      Main characters are Clarrie and Simon aka Si. They are close since their birth but never could manage that final leap to love, all thanks to Carrie's anxiety. Now, at the age of twenty-six, she is finally cornered into a bet. Well, let fate make a decision and all that. Si is not your typical macho guy (with all his cockiness, he sobs when he learns that his mom is ill) and I just love him for that.

        The other members of the gang have their own major parts too with stories going on their own. We have Sonny (or Sunil) an Indian Sikh, Dave and Gemma. Everyone knows practically everything about each other and that creates the whole fun scenario. Couples are made (not unmade, fortunately) and life goes on. 
       I am practically jealous of them all actually. One of the drawbacks of village life is that there are no secrets, but the support of the tight-knit community can never be replaced. They make you appreciate the little things. I loved the way the story turned out, expected but still quite romantic. Wooh!
       So what are you waiting for guys? Stock your drink cabinet and keep your tissues at hand; this cute little story is going to make you misty-eyed one moment and howling with laughter the other. A great comfort read for the weekends!

Meet the author:

Mary Jayne Baker grew up in rural West Yorkshire, right in the heart of Brontë country... and she's still there. After graduating from Durham University with a degree in English Literature, she dallied with living in cities including London, Nottingham and Cambridge, but eventually came back with her own romantic hero in tow to her beloved Dales, where she first started telling stories about heroines with flaws and the men who love them.

Mary Jayne also writes uplifting, feelgood romances under the pen name Lisa Swift.       

Coming Home to Holly Close Farm - Julie Houston

Date of Reading: 05/02/2019

Author: Julie Houston

Publisher: Aria

Publication Date: February 5, 2019

Source: NetGalley

Rating: 5/5

About the book:

Charlie Maddison loves being an architect in London, but when she finds out her boyfriend, Dominic is actually married, she runs back to the beautiful countryside of Westenbury and her parents. Charlie's sister Daisy, a landscape gardener, is also back home in desperate need of company and some fun.

Their great-grandmother, Madge – now in her early nineties – reveals she has a house, Holly Close Farm, mysteriously abandoned over sixty years ago, and persuades the girls to project manage its renovation.

As work gets underway, the sisters start uncovering their family's history, and the dark secrets that are hidden at the Farm. A heart-breaking tale of wartime romance, jealousy and betrayal slowly emerge, but with a moral at its end: true love can withstand any obstacle, and, before long, Charlie dares to believe in love again too...

My Review:

       I have been a hardcore Houston fan ever since reading 'A Village Affair'. So I approached this new book of hers with some trepidation since a tiny voice inside me was reminding that I don't like war stories. Ya,  you got it right! Never been a fan of guns and bombs . . . I am more of a bow and arrow girl. Thus I am happy to announce that out of the two interconnected stories, I enjoyed the world war love the most. Well, that is Julie's writing for you. Who could ever disregard a star crossed love story?
         As you must have figured out already, there are two stories, going simultaneously in the past and the present. While Madge and James' story is the perfect love story that will give you dreamy eyes for some days, Charlie's story is more about family, sisterly bond and of course finding love again. If I have to pick my favourite characters, that is going to be Daisy and Madge. The former, because she reminds me a lot about my own younger sister who came to my defence all the time at school and Madge . . . because she is one hell of a lady.
        And there is the typical Houston humour which surfaces often enough, even with the serious theme  . . . not surprising considering the number of grannies taking part in the story 😆 
      Altogether a vibrant read you won't dare to put down. Highly recommended!!! 

Meet the author:

      Julie lives in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire where her novels are set, and her only claims to fame are that she teaches part-time at ‘Bridget Jones’ author Helen Fielding’s old junior school and her neighbour is ‘Chocolat’ author, Joanne Harris. 
         After University, where she studied Education and English Literature, she taught for many years as a junior school teacher. As a newly qualified teacher, broke and paying off her first mortgage, she would spend every long summer holiday working on different Kibbutzim in Israel. After teaching for a few years she decided to go to New Zealand to work and taught in Auckland for a year before coming back to this country. 
         She now teaches just two days a week, and still loves the buzz of teaching junior-aged children. She has been a magistrate for the past nineteen years, and, when not distracted by eBay, Twitter and Ancestry, spends much of her time writing. Julie is married, has a twenty-four-year-old son and twenty-one-year-old daughter and a ridiculous Cockerpoo called Lincoln. She runs and swims because she’s been told it’s good for her, but would really prefer a glass of wine, a sun lounger and a jolly good book - preferably with Matthew Mcconaughay in attendance.

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.