I'll Be Home for Christmas - Karen Clarke

I'm delighted to share my preview of the forthcoming Christmas romcom by Karen Clarke. I'm a sucker for a feel-good story set in a quaint village with a strong female entrepreneurial character running her own business whilst trying not to fall in love - and this didn't disappoint. I loved it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and author Karen Clarke for giving me the opportunity to read this book prior to publication.

Expected: 14 October 2019 

The blurb

Nina Bailey has come to stay at her Aunt Dolly’s cosy café to nurse her broken heart. She is determined to get through Christmas with no tinsel, no fuss – and definitely no flirting. So when she arrives and meets infuriatingly handsome Ryan Sadler, with his gorgeous forest-green eyes, she is not best pleased. And when Nina overhears him making fun of her, she is furious. (There might have been an incident with a koala onesie and a spilled bottle of milk, but that really wasn’t her fault!) So despite the spark between them, and the fact that he can whip up a fabulous dinner faster than she can say Michelin star, romance and Christmas are off the menu this year.

Can Nina resist the magic of Christmas - and stick to her no-romance rule?

My review

The awkward second read....having recently read and absolutely loved The Beachside Sweet Shop I was keen to read another by this author but it's always with some trepidation  - will it be as good or was it just a one off? I needn't have worried - I loved this one too.

Firstly, lets get the obvious out of the way - yes it's a Christmas book and yes its September but that doesn't matter. Yes this story was set at Christmas and had the usual references to snow, mince pies, and tinsel but unlike some it was a subtle undertone which means that whilst it would undoubtedly be a great read in the run-up to the festive season, really getting you in the mood, it is basically just a funny feel-good story totally enjoyable at any time of the year.

Romance is definitely the last thing on Nina's mind when she arrives to stay at her Aunt Dolly's cosy cafe in a picturesque French village after calling off her wedding - instead she needs to work out what she's going to do with her life. But, Ryan, her cousin's infuriatingly annoying but handsome best friend, is also hiding out at Dolly's.

What I loved most about this book was it's relatability. Whilst thankfully I've never been caught by a really cute guy doing a koala-dance complete with koala noise whilst dressed in a koala onesie, I can't be the only one who can totally relate to those type of cringenly embarrassing situations. It wasn't just the humour though that I could relate but also Nina's predicament of wanting a job she loves but not knowing what that is.

As well as a strong entrepreneurial female lead character, this book had all my other favourite ingredients necessary for a good romcom. There was the super hot, really nice single guy with a complicated past and a charming village setting providing a whole host of great support characters such as Mathilde the mafia granny and Delphine the cat.

Once again I loved Karen Clarke's style of writing - witty and modern but also refreshingly PG, describing connections and spine-tingling kisses rather than x-rated sex scenes. She has a knack of describing things and characters, without being overly explicit, so that you can easily imagine (and fall in love with) them yourself. In fact so much so that I wanted to be in this book - to visit the cafe, date Ryan and be friends with Nina.

My only criticism (if you can call it that) is it that for me it couldn't quite rival The Beachside Sweet Shop, which unsurprisingly is about running a successful and innovative village sweet shop - whilst getting over a heartbreak. This one was similar but as I'm a sucker for a story about female characters running entrepreneurial village businesses I would have loved more about Nina's House Whispering business idea which sadly took a bit of backseat to the romcom in this one.

Never mind, I loved it all the same and it has totally cemented Karen Clarke as one of new favourite authors.


The author
Follow Karen Clarke on Twitter @karenclarke123 or find out more at www.karenclarkewriter.com.

Best of 4 Child Abduction Novels

Bizarrely I seem to have read a lot of books about missing children recently.

I think it's a coincidence and not some unconscious preference but nevertheless it’s a strange realisation to think that in the last few weeks I’ve read four novels about children being kidnapped. I guess (or hope) child abduction is a common theme in psychological thrillers so I’m going to forego the personal psychoanalysis and give you the low down on these books instead.

1. Little Sister by Isabel Ashdown

A twisted world of family secrets and sibling rivalry. After sixteen years apart sisters Jessica and Emily are reunited. But, when baby Daisy disappears while in Jess's care, was Emily right to trust her sister after everything that happened before? Written in my favourite style where the chapters alternate between the two sisters, this book had me gripped from start to finish. My only criticism was that I like books where everyone gets what they deserve which didn't quite happen here.

Find out more at isabelashdown.com

2. Now You See Her by Heidi Perks

My favourite of the four - I absolutely loved this one. Charlotte is looking after her best friend’s daughter and now she's missing. Devastated, Harriet can no longer bear to see Charlotte. But, someone is hiding the truth about what really happened to Alice. I loved Charlotte, the author beautifully depicted her character and the unimaginable emotions of losing someone else's child. I raced through it, desperate to discover the truth, which meant that it was over all too soon unfortunately.

Find out more at www.heidiperksauthor.co.uk

3. The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

Your neighbour told you that she didn't want your six-month-old daughter at the dinner party. You only live next door, you'll have the baby monitor but now, as you race up the stairs in your deathly quiet house, your worst fears are realised. She's gone. Now the police are in your home, and who knows what they'll find there. There's no denyinh this is a page-turner, ending chapters with new relevations that continually cast doubt about who was behind it all. That said there's so much going on that it all becomes a bit too unrealistic and frantic at times. 

Find out more at sharilapena.com

4. Lies Between Us by Ronnie Turner

Unfortunately, this one just wasn't for me. Firstly, I just didn't get it, by the end I was no less confused than at the start - I wasn't sure who was who and who'd done what. It's the stories of three very different people who all have something in common, though none of them know it. Again the chapters alternate between the three characters; one of whom is a young but very odd child who's narrative left me thoroughly disturbed and consequently dreading his turn.

Find out more at www.ronnieturner.wordpress.com

Book Review - Violet by SJI Holliday

I'm delighted to share my review of the latest novel by British writer SJI Holliday. A psychological thriller about obsession, manipulation and toxic friendships as two strangers travel together from Asia to Russia, experiencing the highs and lows of drink, drugs and sex along the way. This was altogether darker and more disturbing than is my usual taste and so not really for me unfortunately.

Many thanks to The Bookbag for giving me the opportunity to read this book direct from the publishers.

Released: 14 September 2019 (Paperback edition will be released 14 November 2019)

When two strangers end up sharing a cabin on the Trans-Siberian Express, an intense relationship develops. But, as the journey continues, through Mongolia and into Russia, things start to unravel - because one of these women is not who she claims to be....

My Review
I've never been but understand that travelling is all about meeting new people and forming instantaneous bonds with people often in chance situations. Well that's exactly what happens when the two main (only) characters meet in a travel agency in Beijing - Carrie is unsuccessfully trying to get a refund on a spare ticket for the Trans-Siberian train whilst Violet is trying to unsuccessfully buy a ticket for the same sold-out journey. As the two team up, travelling through Mongolia, Serbia and into Russia, it could've been the start of a beautiful friendship but this is a thriller after all so it quickly becomes a tale of obsession, manipulation and toxic friendships.

Similarly with the travelling theme this could've been a story set amongst a backdrop of cultural references and spiritual experiences but it’s actually a hedonistic, sexual and drink/drug-fuelled journey of exploration. There’s nothing too graphic, shocking or hard-core but all the same it’s not necessarily everybody’s thing (myself included).

The two characters are completely different - Carrie is outwardly fun-loving, personable and easy-going whereas Violet is intense and unnervingly focused with changeable mood swings. But, are either girl what they appear to be? It is cleverly written in the first person from the perspective of Violet but with regular email extracts written by Carrie, which worked really well to give both characters’ stories. However, unfortunately I didn't particularly relate to or champion either character, finding them both a bit creepy, and this hindered my enjoyment of this book particularly when there was a lack of other characters to immerse myself in. You know how sometimes you can dislike a dark character but still understand and even sympathise with them, well it didn’t happen for me in this case. Some of the problem was perhaps that this story was very much focused on the present; the author didn't really delve too much into the past and the events that had shaped and made these characters who they were.

Despite starting intriguingly with a dead body in the prologue and ending with an unexpected twist, the pace was quite slow. It really was a tale of sinister relationships rather than crime writing, with the book following the girls’ friendship from passing strangers to the gradual development of an intense, unhealthy, obsessive relationship - the dead body wasn’t revisited until the latter stages of the book. In life and fiction I like to see people to get the fate that they deserve but that’s not what happened here and disappointingly the fate of one of the characters was also left slightly unresolved.

Author SJI Holliday is hailed as one of the most gifted psychological thriller writers, with a number of books under her belt. But, unfortunately overall this book wasn't for me, most probably because it just wasn't what I was expecting. As a psychological thriller it was twisted rather than twisting, it developed rather than gripped you, and was altogether darker and more disturbing than is my usual taste. However, for fans of SJI Holliday and those who like a sinister story then I have no doubt that you'll love it.

Follow SJI Holliday on Twitter @SJIHolliday or find out more at www.susiholliday.com.

Book Review - The One by Maria Realf

I loved this. It's an emotional, tear inducing love story tackling some of life's tragedies but there's also plenty of comedy moments and laughs too. For me it was the perfect blend.

First published in the UK: March 2018

The blurb
Lizzie Sparkes should be the happiest girl in the world – she’s three months away from marrying The One in the wedding of her dreams! But then The One before the One walks back in to her life with a bombshell.

Alex’s unexpected return changes everything and now Lizzie faces an impossible dilemma. Because how can you leave the past behind you, when it’s standing right in front of you…asking you for one more chance?

My review
Much to my surprise I loved this. I choose this based on the blurb, not knowing anything about it but thinking it was a romcom. Then, discovering it was described as a "beautiful love story" and likened to JoJo Moyes' Me Before You I put off reading it thinking it might be a bit heavy and emotional for my tastes.

By her own admission, author Maria Realf was originally planning to write a romcom but then her writing took a slightly different turn. This makes total sense as its definitely an emotional, tear inducing love story tackling some of life's tragedies but there's also plenty of comedy moments and laughs too. For me it was the perfect blend.

The story was not only beautifully written but also written in my favourite style with chapters cleverly alternating between the present day (life with current fiance Josh) and the past (life with 'the one Alex).

The characters were wonderfully crafted - from main character Lizzie to her best friend, boyfriend's sister and other supporting characters. As such I was totally invested in their fates and even surprisingly for a love triangle I was drawn to both Josh and Alex to the point where I was weirdly rooting for them both.

I also loved that the author didn't cope out with an unrealistic 'happy ever after' ending but still managed to provide an upliftingly optimistic finish.

Meet the author
Follow author Holly Hepburn on Twitter at @MariaRealf or find out more at www.mariarealf.com.