A Streetcat Named Bob – James Bowen

 

When James Bowen found an injured, ginger street cat curled up in the hallway of his sheltered accommodation, he had no idea just how much his life was about to change. James was living hand to mouth on the streets of London and the last thing he needed was a pet.

Yet James couldn’t resist helping the strikingly intelligent tom cat, whom he quickly christened Bob. He slowly nursed Bob back to health and then sent the cat on his way, imagining he would never see him again. But Bob had other ideas.

Soon the two were inseparable and their diverse, comic and occasionally dangerous adventures would transform both their lives, slowly healing the scars of each other’s troubled pasts.

A Street Cat Named Bob is a moving and uplifting story that will touch the heart of anyone who reads it.

 This was such a touching easy read.  It tells a amazing story of how animals can help people when they are in a time of need.  I knew homeless people existed, I knew drug addicts did too.  But little thought was taken as to how people end up this way, or what they do to get themselves better.  James’ and Bob’s story is quite unusual, its very well written from James’ perspective and although personal it isn’t a sob story with emotional blackmail which leaves you feeling quite depressed.  It’s quite uplifting and it does have a message to tell.  I’m rating this one as a good read.

Getting Away With It – Julie Cohen

  Liza Haven couldn’t wait to escape the small village where she grew up with her perfect identical twin sister, Lee. Her life in LA as a stunt woman is reckless, fast and free – and that’s just the way she likes it. But when a near-fatal mistake drives her home, she finds Lee gone and everyone in the village mistaking her for her twin sister. Liza has to deal with her ailing mother, the family ice cream business, and Lee’s dangerously attractive boyfriend. Liza’s always been the bad twin, but as she struggles to keep up the masquerade and puzzle out where her sister has gone, she realises it’s not so simple. She’s spent her whole life getting away with it – is it finally time to face up to who she really is and where she really belongs?

 

So the gist of this book is there are two twins, one a “good” (Lee) then other “bad” (Liz).  Lee disappears and Liz returns home to take her place running the family ice cream business.  Liz takes her place because in their home village she’s not liked at all and feels it’s easier to pretend to be the good twin.  I thought that it would be confusing as the twins have quite similar names but the story when following Liz is in first person where when following Lee it’s in third person.  There’s also the standard complication of a love interest for Liz who happens to be Lee’s boyfriend!  It’s a good read, something to save for a rainy day.

The Dark Duet – C.J. Roberts

BOOK ONE OF THE DARK DUET: Captive in the Dark

Caleb is a man with a singular interest in revenge. Kidnapped as a young boy and sold into slavery by a power-hungry mobster, he has thought of nothing but vengeance. For twelve years he has immersed himself in the world of pleasure slaves searching for the one man he holds ultimately responsible. Finally, the architect of his suffering has emerged with a new identity, but not a new nature. If Caleb is to get close enough to strike, he must become the very thing he abhors and kidnap a beautiful girl to train her to be all that he once was.

Eighteen-year-old Olivia Ruiz has just woken up in a strange place. Blindfolded and bound, there is only a calm male voice to welcome her. His name is Caleb, though he demands to be called Master. Olivia is young, beautiful, naïve and willful to a fault. She has a dark sensuality that cannot be hidden or denied, though she tries to accomplish both. Although she is frightened by the strong, sadistic, and arrogant man who holds her prisoner, what keeps Olivia awake in the dark is her unwelcome attraction to him.

BOOK TWO OF THE DARK DUET: Seduced in the Dark
The exciting, titillating, and action-filled conclusion to Captive in the Dark.

What is the price of redemption?

Rescued from sexual slavery by a mysterious Pakistani officer, Caleb carries the weight of a debt that must be paid in blood.

The road has been long and fraught with uncertainty, but for Caleb and Livvie, it’s all coming to an end.

Can he surrender the woman he loves for the sake of vengeance?

Or will he make the ultimate sacrifice?

 

I must warn you that these books contain very disturbing situations, dubious consent, strong language, and graphic violence.  Think Fifty Shades meets the Liam Nielson film Taken.  The story is good, it is quite a taboo subject the author is writing about and the twist although predictable was well written.  There are some places where it gets a bit much and I think it will put many readers off.  And it could be compared to a Fifty Shades in many places – I think I liked these books better than FSOG mainly down to the quality of writing.  Although like FSOG I did find it slow and repetitive in places.  I’m going to rate these as a good read.  They’re worth a read as they are very unusual and not a subject I’ve read about before.

Polly – Freya North

NEW on ebook for the first time with NEW author afterword.He’s out of sight, she’s out of her mind.

Polly Fenton is about to embark on a year-long teachers’ exchange to America. Swapping cottage pie for corn dogs is one thing, but trading lives with her American counterpart, Jen, is quite another.

The minute Polly’s feet touch down Stateside, she’s swept off them altogether. When she meets Chip Jonson, the school athletic trainer, all thoughts of home suddenly disappear.

Spanning three terms and two countries, this is a sparky and sassy story of New England and Old England, fidelity and flirtation, receiving one’s comeuppance – and making amends

Polly is one of my favorite Freya North novels.  It isn’t traditional chick lit and tells quite a different story to the usual boy meets girl.  I wouldn’t mind to be a teacher, just so I could do a job swap with someone in another country – especially America!  Polly is already in a relationship from the start of the book, which is unusual as normally the leading lady is single and the book is about how she finds her man.  Freya touches on real problems a long term and long distance relationship may encounter.  I love the language Freya uses, the imagery is so realistic; even though I’ve never been to New England I can imagine the setting.  Again Freya converses with her reader through the book, by providing a narrating voice which is fantastic.  It helps to set the scene and also give more understanding of what is going on.  I’m rating this as a good read

 

The First Time I Saw Your Face – Hazel Osmond

 

Jennifer had it all. But a terrible accident has taken almost everything. 

Moving back home, her future isn’t looking too bright. Until she meets Mack.

Sexy, dishevelled and just a little clumsy, he starts to make her believe that she can move on from the past and embrace life all over again. But he has a secret he’d do anything to protect and he’ll have to betray her to keep it…

 

I really enjoyed this book, however felt the middle bit let it down some what.  The quality of writing is good.  Very funny in places and well researched.  But I found myself getting a bit bored after Mack got found out, thinking get together already!  It was obvious how the book was going to end – which I don’t mind as it’s how they get there which I find more interesting.  But I was starting to think, I don’t care how these guys get together just do it already!

The description used is good, I could feel what Jen was going through and could relate to Mack’s predicament.  The humour had me laughing out loud in places.  The way Hazel has described the characters is great, she compares them to funny things.  I particularly liked how she’d described the people in the drama club.  I’m rating this as a good read.  My next book is Chloe by Freya North (I know an old one but I so enjoyed reading Sally a few weeks ago I have to read them all again)

Second Time Around – Erin Kaye

 

 

 The path of true love never did run smooth…

A heart-warming tale of love in the face of family and friendship, perfect for fans of Cathy Kelly and Maeve Binchy.

Divorcee Jennifer Irwin has it all – a successful interior design business and two loving children. But as her 45th birthday approaches and her children prepare to start their own lives, Jennifer is left feeling lonely in her empty nest.

That’s when she meets Ben Crawford – a man 16 years her junior – as their attraction heightens, Jennifer realises what she’s been missing. But mindful that the small-town Ballyfergus residents would never approve, they conduct their affair in secret.

But a secret is never a secret for long…

As the affair surfaces, Jennifer encounters opposition from friends and family, especially her daughter Lucy. Enraged by her mother’s relationship, Lucy seeks comfort in the arms of charismatic but troubled, Oren. Jennifer knows that Oren is not the man he seems, but can she convince her daughter of that?

And with everything going against them, can Jennifer and Ben’s love survive? Or will she risk losing her daughter to be with the man she loves?

An enjoyable read which was predictable in places but had a unique twist to the story.  I loved the setting.  Having never been to Ireland, I seem to have a small infatuation with this country.  It’s well written, which was easy to read right from the beginning.  I loved the couger story as well as Lucy’s.  It’s refreshing to read the traditional chick lit storey line with a modern twist.  But really it’s not a book I’ll rave about.  I enjoyed it, but it was just a good book really.  Good enough to read on holiday, or whilst relaxing after a hard day at work.

I’m rating this as a good read.  My next book is The Love of My Life by Louise Douglas

 

Nourished By That Which Consumes – Joseph Ephraim

There isn’t a blurb available for this book, but go to http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nourished-That-Which-Consumes-ebook/dp/B008O7VQLS to read the prologue for free!

The first thing which striked me about this book was it’s length.  It’s considerably shorter than the books I normally read.  I’m still trying to work out if this was a good or bad thing and if it was intentional.  Based in Singapore this book has quite a few gory bits in it.  The writing is good, the prologue draws you in however I did get a little confused.  It doesn’t take much though to confuse me!  The character’s names were similar which I understand wasn’t avoidable.  I think more time (words) could be spent explaining how Yu-Lin got to where she was.  but that aside I enjoyed it and would well support if it was extended from a short story to a full length novel.  I’m rating this as a good read.

I’m a bit stuck now what to read next.  I want to read the new Marian Keyes book but it isn’t out for a few days 😦

Do You Come Here Often? – Alexandra Potter

Life’s full of surprises. Grace never expected to wake up on her thirty-first birthday and realise that Mr Right had turned into Mr Wrong. She never expected to break off her engagement. But then she never expected to go on honeymoon with her ex-boyfriend either. Set against a backdrop of a late-night radio show hosted by Dr Cupid who promises to sort out the love lives of his listeners, this is a romantic comedy that looks at what it’s like to be single again, about finding true love and how it can all get very, very complicated… 

I’m back to my chick-lit romance comfort zone.  And I’m not too sure if I like it.  I’m starting to think that one genre isn’t enough for me and perhaps now is the time to move outside of my comfort zone.

Back to the book, I did enjoy it.  I loved how you were kept guessing about why Jimi never called Grace until the end of the book.  I thought it was something to do with his exam results and his traditional father but no I was wrong.  I wont tell you as I don’t like my reviews to be spoilers.  I laughed in places and just as I thought it was getting slow we’d swap to another character and I’d find it hard to put it down.  But that said I didn’t read it with such urgency like I did with some other books.  Which in a way is nice not to have a book to take over your life so much seeing I’ve had a busy time this week with the event on Monday and yesterday I went to the Olympics to cheer on Team GB in the Equestrian Dressage.

I’m going off track again!  All in all this is a good book, it’s very well written the way Alexandra Potter explains and describes things in her book is good.  I liked that there wasn’t too many characters.  I knew from the very beginning who people were and even small parts like Tanya I remembered who she was when she appeared again further on in the book. Which I think is down to how the author has described and written about the characters.  I don’t retain names very well so it’s good to read a book where the author has taken time to lay the foundations of a character as it helps me hold on to their names and especially in Tanya’s case where she’s only in it twice (once at the beginning and then again towards the end)  So when she was brought back towards the end I didn’t think “Who the hell is this?”.  I was like “Oh, Tanya the snobby bitch from the birthday meal”

This isn’t an amazing book, however it is very entertaining and nicely written familiar story with a twist.  I’m rating this as a good read.

So to my next book a little different to what I’ve read and reviewed before; The Night Circus but Erin Morgenstern.  Hope I enjoy it!

Before I Go To Sleep – SJ Watson

Christine wakes up every morning in an unfamiliar bed with an unfamiliar man. She looks in the mirror and sees an unfamiliar, middle- aged face. And every morning, the man she has woken up with must explain that he is Ben, he is her husband, she is forty-seven years old, and a terrible accident two decades earlier decimated her ability to form new memories.

But it’s the phone call from a Dr. Nash, a neurologist who claims to be working with Christine without her husband’s knowledge, that directs her to her journal, hidden in the back of her closet. For the past few weeks, Christine has been recording her daily activities—tearful mornings with Ben, sessions with Dr. Nash, flashes of scenes from her former life—and rereading past entries, relearning the facts of her life as retold by the husband she is completely dependent upon. As the entries build up, Christine asks many questions. What was life like before the accident? Why did she and Ben never have a child? What has happened to Christine’s best friend? And what exactly was the horrific accident that caused such a profound loss of memory?

Every day, Christine must begin again the reconstruction of her past. And the closer she gets to the truth, the more un- believable it seems.

This book is so inspirational.  On a writing level as Watson wrote this book as part of  a course he was attending and also on a story level.  I really enjoyed this, not my usual Chick Lit genre but I was gripped from the beginning and throughout the book.  My one disappointment was the ending I wont give it away but I left me with some questions and feeling that the book was unfinished.  Other than that I cant see much fault in the book – it’s well written the Watson has avoided each day getting repetitive.

The characters aren’t complex at all – there is no depth to them, but that is what makes this book work.  It’s written from Christine’s point of view so the lack of complexity makes you sympathize with her condition and makes you think what it would be like if you were in her situation.

I’m rating Before I Go To Sleep as a Good Read.

Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy

Romantic, liberating and totally addictive, Fifty Shades of Grey is a novel that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you for ever.

When literature student Anastasia Steele interviews successful entrepreneur Christian Grey, she finds him very attractive and deeply intimidating. Convinced that their meeting went badly, she tries to put him out of her mind – until he turns up at the store where she works part-time, and invites her out.  Unworldly and innocent, Ana is shocked to find she wants this man. And, when he warns her to keep her distance, it only makes her want him more.

But Grey is tormented by inner demons, and consumed by the need to control. As they embark on a passionate love affair, Ana discovers more about her own desires, as well as the dark secrets Grey keeps hidden away from public view .

OMG I am back in the world of the living.  It’s alright, don’t panic it’s just I spent the past week reading these bloody books and now I think my brain has been tainted for the rest of my life.  I’m not too sure if that is a good or bad thing.  On the plus side I haven’t been on facebook/twitter for a week as all my spare time has been spent reading these books.  On the down side I’ve been left feeling cheated and a little bit cheap for what I have read/been exposed to.  Don’t get me wrong I like a saucy book just like the next girl, however even reading first sex scene which was quite tame compared to the rest I was like WTF?  It just isn’t realistic enough – it’s very fantasy.   But to me the appeal of fantasy is that there is some element of it could, maybe if I don’t step on the cracks in the pavement for the rest of the week happen to me.  There is no hope in hell am I going to find myself a Christian Grey – although lets face it we’re all more attracted to his money, penthouse suite and good looks than the fact he like to tie up small brunette women and beat them seven shades of Sunday with his twitchy palm?  Show me a girl who wouldn’t want a Audi R8, staff at their beck and call and a yacht?  I am no feminist – shoot me now!

This aside I enjoyed the story.  Enjoying finding out why Christian is like the way he is, reading how he deals with his demons and seeing that eventually he can be a hearts and flowers kinda guy.  Which then goes to make him even more unbelievable.  Maybe I need to stop reading fiction???  But for a good book to be enjoyable like I said before even fiction needs to have some kind of realism to it.  FFS I found LOR believable – why on earth did I have trouble with this?  I think my issues is having read them, finding out that it’s Twilight FanFiction.  It was a like a DOH! moment when I read that on the internet once I’d finished the trilogy.  Obviously Ana is so Bella and Christian is morning over his dark lost soul.  This does not compare to Twilight – I still hold a torch for Twilight, because it is believable right?  All I need to do is move to Forks and I’ll be introduced to a load of Vampire’s and native indians that shapeshift into Wolves.  Simples!  No, sorry Twihards, I’m a fan, but maybe not that much of a fan – I enjoy the escapism.  Lets just leave it at that.

Because of this I’m rating this as a good read – make of it as you will, but I will leave you with this…

All you people dissing this trilogy – don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.  The reason you haven’t read it is because you have some misconceptions on what it’s really like.  Read it, read all three books.  Then you can either feel enlightened or slightly cheap like I do.