The List

Phoebe Henderson may be single but she sure doesn't feel fabulous. It's been a year since she found her boyfriend Alex in bed with another woman, and multiple cases of wine and extensive relationship analysis with best friend Lucy have done nothing to help. Faced with a new year but no new love, Phoebe concocts a different kind of resolution.

The List: ten things she's always wanted to do in bed but has never had the chance (or the courage!) to try. A bucket list for between the sheets. One year of pleasure, no strings attached. Simple, right?

Factor in meddlesome colleagues, friends with benefits, getting frisky al fresco and maybe, possibly, true love and Phoebe's got her work cut out for her.

My opinion: I was attracted to this book by its cover (I am so shallow when it comes to books!) but it took me a while to download it as I wasn't sure if I would like it. After reading so many great reviews of the book and with the Sex Me Up readathon coming up, I thought I would give it a go!

Phoebe has been single for about a year and is still struggling after her break up with cheating bastard Alex. She hasn't been feeling single and ready to mingle in that time so has also been going without sex for that time. At New Year, Phoebe decides to make a resolution that she is determined to keep and writes a list of sexual challenges that she has always wanted to do or been curious about. She is looking forward to a year of lots of sex and new experiences, but is it going to be that straightforward after her year of chastity?

I was immediately hooked by this book and read about 20% in my first sitting. I really didn't know what to expect from this book, but was pleasantly suprised at the hilarious read I had picked up. The book is written in a diary format, which I always like and we live a year of Phoebe's life with her. The great thing about this book is that although it contains lots of sex, it doesn't feel forced or seedy, but is more like having a very open conversation with your best friend. The book is truly laugh out loud funny whilst still being sexy and at times brutally honest.

I really enjoyed the book and I think it was the right level of bonk buster for me - fun without making me feel like I should be covering it in a brown paper bag and wearing a dirty mac. I will definitely be looking out for more books from the author, but don't think I will be recommending it to my mum - who knows what questions she would ask me if she read about some of the challenges! This was a fun read and is perfect to read whilst hanging out next to the pool this summer.

My rating: Four stars

This week I am taking part in the #sexmeupreadathon

The Inheritance

Welcome to Tilly Bagshawe’s Swell Valley, where the scandal is in a class of its own.

Tatiana Flint-Hamilton’s gilded cage is torn away when her estranged father dies. As the beloved family estate slips through Tati’s fingers, the portraits of her ancestors look down disapprovingly.

The new Lord of the Manor is just as ruthless as Tati. The old-world status of Furlings is everything the wealthy, self-made Brett Cranley has ever wanted. Luckily his wife Angela is the perfect homemaker, happy to fall into line with whatever Brett desires. Along with her two children, Furlings soon becomes Angela’s lifeline, a place she can finally belong. And one she’s not going to give up easily.

Losing everything has made Tati realise that her rightful inheritance is all that she now lives for… and she will do anything to get it back.

But the fate of Furlings lies in the hands of the villagers.

Let the Fittlescombe fireworks begin!

My opinion: I had been toying with reading this book for a while as the cover intrigued me. I was interested in what this sort of bonkbuster novel would be like, and with the Sex Me Up Readathon coming up, it was the perfect excuse to read it whilst lying on a sunlounger in Corfu!

Wild child Tatiana Flint-Hamilton is cut out of her father's will when he dies. Not only does he stop her from inheriting Furlings, the family home, but he insists on conditions for her to receive an allowance. Furlings is passed on to distant Australian relatives, the Cranleys, who up sticks and move to England. Angela Cranley sees the move as a fresh start for her and businessman husband Brett and their two children, moving away from her husband's past. Tati wants to be back in what she considers to be her rightful home and will stop at nothing to get it back.

I was pleasantly surprised that this book had a very good storyline. I'm a sucker for a book set in a rural environment, whether it be a cosy mystery or bonkbuster novel. This one reminded me of Jo Carnegie's books - which I love! I was sucked into the story straight away, and although I hatedthe pretentious Tati at first, I felt like I really got to know her.

The book is set over a period of around ten years so we really get to know the characters and see them grow. The book included a really good mixture of great story and hot sex scenes - although I was confused about just how closely the Flint-Hamiltons and the Cranleys were related. The book is a whopper at over 500 pages, but the story is well paced with a good smattering of well thought out supporting characters, so didn't feel that long.

If, like me, you enjoy reading about what goes on behind the scenes in country villages that are not so sleepy as they appear, then this book is for you. I will definitely be looking for more of Tilly's books, as I think this is probably the right level of sexy book for me! A great story, with a lot of depth and thought behind it, with just the right amount of steamy sex!

My rating: Four stars

This week I am taking part in the #SexMeUp readathon - join in the conversation on twitter!

Holiday reads: Part 2

Here it is, part two of my holiday recommendations! I will be nearing the end of my holiday now, but these are some more books that you can escape into wherever you are! Happy reading!

Tess Brookes was the girl with a plan.

Now she’s the girl with a choice.

Should she stay in London and start her own advertising agency with her best friend and potential boyfriend Charlie? Or should she head to exciting Milan to pursue both a new career as a photographer and a new man, the enigmatic and elusive (and highly irritating) Nick?

For the first time, Tess has to choose between the life she always dreamed of and a future she never imagined possible. With her heart and her head pulling her in different directions, Tess has to make a life-changing decision about What a Girl Wants.

You can read my review here and my interview with Lindsey here.

 

 

 

When Evie Stone’s grandparents enlist her help to save their home in Cupid’s Way, Evie is happy to oblige. On the cusp of her thirties, and still disappointingly single, Evie’s so-called dream job with a firm of architects has been driving her crazy for months. What she needs, even more than a new man, is a challenge.

But saving Cupid’s Way won’t be easy. A perfectly preserved Victorian terrace, surrounded by modern estates and retail parks, the street is a proud oasis of quirky characters, cobbled pathways and communal gardens. Unfortunately, it also sits on prime development land worth millions.

Dynamite Construction have the deal in the bag, and soon the residents of Cupid’s Way will be forced to sell up and ship out – CEO Michael Andrews, charismatic and super-successful, has certainly never let sentimentality get in the way of business. At least, he hadn’t until he met Evie Stone.

You can read my review here and my interview with Joanne here.

 

 

 

Last year, Bronte left Sydney for a wedding in England, where she met newly single Alex. After a night of passion they parted ways, and Bronte returned to Australia. Now working on a picture desk for a magazine in London, Bronte is about to meet her new colleague, who turns out to be all too familiar. Although awkward at first, as Alex is now engaged to the girl he was on a break from when they met, they soon become friends. But as the two get closer, and the wedding day looms, it is clear that Alex and Bronte have unfinished business…

You can read my review here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The third book in the delightful series set in Carrington’s Department Store.

Georgie Hart and Carrington’s Department Store have got the world at their feet. Since a reality TV series put them both on the map, life has been amazing! Carrington’s profits are in the pink, Georgie has carved herself a place in the nation’s heart and her romance with Tom, the store’s boss, has finally blossomed.

Now summertime has come to Mulberry-on -Sea and Georgie is in great demand. The town is holding a big summer festival and she and her mates from Carrington’s are planning on making sure that Mulberry puts on the show of its life!

But Georgie is about to get the offer of a lifetime – one that is just too good to turn down and something that will test her loyalties to their limits… Will Georgie be able to pull off it off once again, or has her luck finally run out?

You can read my review here.

 

 

Holly has learnt that life isn’t about seizing the moment. She might have harboured dreams about travelling the world as a teenager, but she let go of those – just as she let go of Alex.

But what if the feelings never really went away?

Alex wants to make every moment of his new job count. It’s a fresh start in a new city, and he knows that moving to London has nothing to do with Holly. Well, probably.

How do you know if it was meant to be. or never meant to happen at all?

A brilliantly funny, feel-good story of first love, second chances and everything inbetween, perfect for fans of romantic comedies like Love Actually, Notting Hill and Bridget Jones.

You can read my review here.

Holiday reads: Part 1

As I am currently soaking up the rays with lots of good books (and possibly a cocktail in my hand!), I thought that I would share with you some of my recommendations for books to read wherever you go on holiday this year - whether it is a deckchair in the back garden or somewhere slightly more exotic. The first five of my picks are featured today, with the second part on Thursday! Enjoy...

Imogen and her friends have had their fill of budget holidays, cattle-class flights and 6 a.m. offensives for a space by the pool.


So when one of the group wins a VIP holiday at Barcelona's hippest new hotel, they plan to sip champagne with the jet set, party with the glitterati and switch off in surroundings of unapologetic luxury.


But as they mingle with movie stars, mafia bosses and millionaires, it becomes clear - with riotous consequences - that even in the most glamorous of locations, things can go wrong. Very wrong . . .


You can read my review here.

 

 

 

Faye Dobson has lost her sparkle. Living on film star fantasies and vague memories of a marriage that once was, she can’t help feeling that life is passing her by. She dreams of being whisked to Paris for dinner, making three wishes at the Trevi fountain and having sex under the stars. But the wrinkles are multiplying, her husband’s passion is for plumbing, and the nearest she’ll get to Rome is a take-away pizza.

So when Faye meets Dan the gorgeous Australian surfer guy working in the local deli she can’t help but wonder what it would be like to see the world. He is blonde, tanned, ten years younger and bakes the most amazing lemon cake. Unlike her husband Dan actually listens to Faye, his smile makes her feel fizzy inside, and when he smiles… Oh. My. God.

But is Faye being silly? What would Dan see in someone like her? Even if he did have feelings for her, could she give everything up to be with him?

A laugh-out-loud, bittersweet comedy about taking your life back before it’s too late.

You can read my review here and my interview with Sue here.

 

At her beloved husband’s funeral, Carla Pride discovers that Martin never divorced his first wife and has been living a double life with her. And his other wife, Julie Pride, is determined to take everything from Carla – her home, her money, and her memories.

When Will Linton’s business goes bust he at least thinks that with the support of his trophy wife Nicole he will rise to the top again. But Nicole isn’t going to stick around with ‘a loser’ and Will finds himself at rock bottom.

Molly Jones is being bullied into going into a retirement home by her ‘concerned’ daughter-in-law Sherry and son Gram. Then the love of Molly’s life walks in through her door – a man who broke Molly’s heart into little pieces many years ago. But he says he is dying and wants to spend the time he has left with her.

All people in need of a little love and compassion which they find by chance in the stationery and teashop on the corner run by the ever-cheerful Leni, a woman that site developer Shaun McCarthy finds annoying beyond annoying for her ability to remain unrealistically upbeat about everything.

But is the world of Leni Merryman as full of rainbows and sparkles as everyone thinks? Or is her smile papering over many cracks in her heart that will soon be shattered unwittingly by her new friends?

You can read my review here.

Two couples, one honeymoon destination, and enough secrets to end both marriages. Perfect for fans of Jill Mansell

How can one honeymoon cause so much trouble?

Much as Emma loves Tom, she would never have got married if he hadn’t insisted. But with Tom sick for the whole week, shouldn’t she at least take advantage of the entertainment?

Winston married Melissa after a three-month whirlwind romance. As a breakfast TV fitness star, he’s anxious to keep things private. But the arrival of Melissa’s two children soon puts paid to that.

Rosie arrived at the Villa Rosa homeless and pregnant when she was just seventeen. Now, sixteen years later, she runs the place. However, the appearance of Winston throws her into confusion. He might not remember her, but she has never forgotten him.

By the end of the week, none of their lives will be the same. But how will they cope after the honeymoon is over?

You can read my review here and Janey's guest post here.

 

Is Italian really the language of love? A new class of students hopes to find out. Anna’s recently been told the father she’s never met is Italian. Now she’s baking focaccia, whipping up tiramisu and swotting up on her vocabulary, determined to make it to Italy so she can find him in person. Catherine’s husband has walked out on her, and she’s trying to pick up the pieces of her life. But she’ll need courage as well as friends when she discovers his deception runs even deeper than infidelity. Sophie’s the teacher of the class, who’d much rather be back in sunny Sorrento. She can’t wait to escape the tensions at home and go travelling again. But sometimes life – and love – can surprise you when you least expect it. As the evening class gets underway, friendships form and secrets from Italy begin to emerge. With love affairs blossoming in the most unlikely places, and hard decisions to face, it’s going to be a year that Anna, Catherine and Sophie will never forget.

You can read my review here

 

 

 

Author interview: Sue Watson

Today I am very lucky to have the lovely Sue Watson, author of Love, Lies and Lemon Cake, taking part in an author interview and talking about writing, men and of course, cake!

1. Hi Sue, welcome to Sheli Reads. I loved your latest book Love, Lies and Lemon Cake. Can you tell us a bit about it?

Thank you for having me. I hope there’s cake?

Love, Lies and Lemon Cake is a book that has been in my mind for a long time. It was actually a chapter title in my first book Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes and so I started with the title and worked from that, which I have never done before. Faye, the heroine of the novel is flawed, funny, unsophisticated and a bit of a dreamer. She’s married to a man she doesn’t love, in a job she’s bored with and her daughter’s growing up, so when she discovers a ‘living list’ of things she’d planned to do when she was 18 she’s taken back to those heady days of her youth when anything was possible. Riding through Italy on a pistachio-green Vespa, throwing coins in the Trevi fountain, flying to Paris for dinner and having sex under the stars are just a few of the things on the list. But at 42, she is horrified to discover she only ticked two things off that list - getting married and having a baby. So being a dreamer, Faye decides to do something about it – and plans to take her life back, before it’s too late... but what will she have to sacrifice to get that life?

2. When you were planning the book, was Dan always going to be so lovely or did he just turn out that way?

I have to admit, I fell a little bit in love with Dan. I took my unbridled passion for Ryan Gosling and added the sexy Australian accent and came up with a rather delicious recipe for a man. And no I never imagined he’d be so yummy, which makes me think he must exist because he appeared from nowhere and just took over. I have to keep reminding myself he’s not real and the other day I was in the supermarket (buying Serrano ham and queen green olives obviously) and I heard an Australian accent. It was so funny - for a split second I wondered if it was him! Later I decided to up my medication so I was fine, but it really got to me. As for Dan’s physicality – anyone who saw Ryan Gosling in Crazy Stupid Love, will know what I mean – enough said ladies! Ryan won’t mind me using his body for my art – I know we are soul mates - he just hasn’t met me yet.

3. Who was your favourite character to write about?

I loved all the characters – I always do - and by the end of writing a book, most authors will tell you they really miss their characters. But I always enjoy writing the dialogue for quirky characters and Sue (Faye’s friend and boss at the hairdresser’s where she works) was great fun. Sue is a lovely lady but she has delusions of grandeur and uses long words, but they are never the right words. Her husband left her for a red-headed air hostess, and she’s had to embrace the online dating world with gusto – which brings with it plenty of opportunities for humour. I also loved writing lines for Mandy, the tattooed beauty therapist with the looks of a European Princess and the mouth of a docker... these characters write themselves.

4. Reading Love, Lies and Lemon Cake made me extremely hungry - I had to make a goats cheese, Serrano ham and sundried tomato sandwich! Did you snack on anything in particular when you were writing the book?

I only eat ham if it’s been dried in the mountains of Serrano – or the cooked meat aisle in Tesco! J Actually I am always, always dieting – (and always, always overweight) so I have a sensible low calorie breakfast, start writing and by mid-morning I’m starving and end up looking through cupboards for something sweet. If that fails I either head for the nearest shop and buy whatever I’m writing about – or I bake a cake.

5. Have you always wanted to be a writer?

I’d always wanted to be an actress and it isn’t an obvious alternative career but I love to get inside the minds of people and imagine myself doing and feeling what my characters do... I suppose in that way I’m doing a similar job to that of an actress. I was a journalist on women’s magazines and national newspapers, then I became a TV Producer with the BBC – so my job has always been predominantly about writing. However, the big difference is that with fiction you can just make it up – after the facts and figures of TV and journalism this was a revelation and a very liberating thing.

6. Which other writers in your genre do you admire most?

I try not to read too much in my own genre because much of it is so good I am worried I will read it and feel completely inadequate. I love Marian Keyes and have been knocked out by some of the newer voices coming through like Renita D’Silva, Kelly Rimmer and Jenny Hale. My favourite genre though is psychological thrillers – I suppose it feels like a break from my day job but I love writers like Gillian Flynn, Tamar Cohen and Helen Fitzgerald - all amazing, intelligent writers with huge talent.

7. Who would be your dream dinner party guests - alive or dead?

Ryan Gosling so I can tell him about the soul mate thing and how we are meant to be together. He could tell me how he loves slightly older women – especially curvy ones originating from Manchester. We’d eat fish, chips, mushy peas and lemon cake.

8. Lastly, what can we expect from you next? Do you have anything else in the pipeline?

I’m currently writing my next book – it’s almost finished. It’s about two sisters who are very different, and live very different lives. When stuff happens to both of them they have to re-evaluate their relationship and where their lives are now taking them. It involves a bakery and the ingredients are cakes, humour, tears ... and a scrumptious sprinkling of sex.

Thank you so much for having me Sheli... did someone say there’d be cake?

A huge thank you to Sue for answering my questions, and to Kim at Bookouture for arranging this interview. You can follow Sue on Twitter at @suewatsonwriter

 

 

 

Author interview: Lindsey Kelk

So, today I have massive news. Actually it's even bigger than that. I'd say it's mahoosive!! The lovely Lindsey Kelk is here today for an author interview as part of her blog tour for What a Girl Wants and I am pretty damn excited and may even do a bloody great fangirling eek sort of noise...

     1. Hi Lindsey and welcome to Sheli Reads. What can we expect from Tess this time in What a Girl Wants?

The last book saw Tess having the rub pulled out from underneath her in every aspect of her life. This time, she’s dealing with decisions. I think there is a ton of pressure on women to make huge decisions and you’re constantly worrying about cocking everything up and ruining your entire life if you make the wrong choice. I wanted to take a look at that and maybe show someone who isn’t entirely sure of herself try to work out what she wants, rather than what she thought was the right thing to do, which would have been exactly what the old Tess would have done.

2. Who is your favourite character in the book and why?

I really like everyone in these books actually! I love writing Tess because I don’t think she’s that typical a character – she can be a little bit selfish and forget that other people have things they want out of life, that they’re not just there to make her life easier, but it’s never from a bad place. She’s used to being very single-minded and ambitious and now she’s got to learn how to be at the bottom of the all over again. At the same time, I love Paige and Amy, they’re so different to each other but so similar at the same time and I love writing men because it lets me see stuff from a completely different perspective. Whether I’m right about that perspective or not, is a different matter altogether.

3. In About a Girl we follow Tess to Hawaii. Do we get to visit any more exotic locations in this latest instalment of her adventures?

Well, she was offered a job in Milan at the end of About a Girl and whether she ends up taking it or not, given the cover of the book, I think it’s safe to say we’ll see her in Italy!

4. Did you start out wanting to write a story about love rivals or did the story and characters just develop that way? I'm Team Nick by the way!

I did want to write a love triangle. It’s a situation a lot of women find themselves in, or wish they did! The challenge for me was to start out with obvious stereotypes, the good guy and the bad guy, and turn them around a little bit so maybe the good guy isn’t the usual wet, wimpy option and perhaps the bad guy is a bit more complex – but not a bastard with a heart of gold, he’s still a bastard, it’s just that perhaps he’s worth putting up with. Or perhaps not. I’m still undecided.

5. Which other writers in your genre do you admire?

There are so many incredible writers out there at the moment, I hate naming names because I always miss someone off and feel awful. From a personal point of view, it’s an incredibly supportive community right now, without the other writers I talk to on Twitter, I’d go mad. I love Lucy Robinson, she’s become such a good friend and if that was the only thing I got out of these books, I’d be ecstatic. Rowan Coleman has been a huge inspiration for me too, professionally and personally, but really, there’s amazing writing going on from amazing people. I feel privileged to be putting stuff out alongside them.

6. Do you have any routines or rituals to help you get into writing mode?

I sometimes think I do but really, anything I do is procrastination. I really just have to sit down and start writing. That’s the hardest part, for sure.

7. Where is your favourite place to write?

Usually I’m at home, on the sofa or crosslegged on the bed but I love to get away and write when I can. I’m having a total affair with LA at the moment and I love getting up in the morning and going outside to sit in the sunny garden to write. It makes everything seem a little bit easier, I mean, how mad can you get when you’re eating an orange off your own orange tree?

8. Lastly, the big question that I know all your fans will want to know the answer to. Are you planning on writing any more books in the I Heart series?

I’d tell you but I’d have to kill you. Um, well, I’m writing an I Heart ebook for winter called Jenny Lopez Saves Christmas and after that, we’ll see. Angela will definitely be back in some shape or form, one day, but not for a little while.

I'd like to say a huge thank you to Lindsey for answering my questions and to Amy at Harper Fiction for arranging this blog tour. The itinerary of all stops on the tour is below.



 

What a Girl Wants

Tess Brookes was the girl with a plan.

Now she’s the girl with a choice.

Should she stay in London and start her own advertising agency with her best friend and potential boyfriend Charlie? Or should she head to exciting Milan to pursue both a new career as a photographer and a new man, the enigmatic and elusive (and highly irritating) Nick?

For the first time, Tess has to choose between the life she always dreamed of and a future she never imagined possible. With her heart and her head pulling her in different directions, Tess has to make a life-changing decision about What a Girl Wants.

My opinion: I read About a Girl last year and absolutely loved it, so when I was offered the chance to review the next installment of Tess' life and take part in the blog tour, I jumped at the chance!

What a Girl Wants picks up right where About a Girl left off. Tess is back in London follwing her trip to Hawaii and has gone from being unemployed to needing to make a decision about whether she wants to start an advertising company with Charlie, or follow on from Hawaii and go to Milan as a photographer. The choice isn't going to be easy, but Tess needs to make a decision as having her cake and eating it probably won't work out.

I was hooked in by this book as soon as I started reading. As it's nearly a year since I read About a Girl, I had to remember what happened last time as this book picks up directly from the last. I had to wrack my brains at first, but soon got reacquainted with the characters and remembered that I was very much Team Nick in the first book. This book is just as hilarious as the last and I love that Tess is just a normal girl and I can really relate to her. This is one of the great things I find about Lindsey's writing and characters -  they are all down to earth, sometimes outrageously behaved and you are guaranteed to laught out loud on a number of occasions.

In What a Girl Wants we catch up with favourite characters including Kelpiki and Amy, and also meet some new ones. I loved the Milan location of parts of the book and wanted to keep reading to find out what happened next. If you loved About a Girl, you won't be disappointed, but you may not get all of the answers to the questions you have - there HAS to be another book after this one!

A great read and I'm sure it will be a holiday hit this year. I'm already looking forward to finding out what happens next and will have to make do with catching up on the "I Heart" series in the meantime!

My rating: Four stars

I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.