Three Amazing Things About You, By Jill Mansell

I have to start by saying how much I love Jill Mansell's books and I wait in earnest for her yearly book release. This year, I was lucky enough to get a preview copy of the book via Netgalley so I didn't have to wait quite so long.

This year the main character in the book is Hallie, who has cystic fibrosis and who also runs her own website called threethingsaboutyou.com where her readers write in with their problems and Hallie does her best to give them advice.

However, as always, there are a multitude of characters in the book who all get linked up eventually and the thing that keeps the reader reading is finding out the link between them, as well as finding out if they all live happily ever after.

So there's also Tash and the story of how she meets and falls in love with the man of her dreams, and there is Flo, who also does the same thing.

As usual, Jill really builds up her characters from the beginning so the reader can really empathise with them and enjoy the ups and downs of their journey along the way.

The thing I love so much about Jill Mansell's books is that they are very realistic. They are about ordinary people with ordinary lives and then something special happens to them which makes their life complete, and that is very heartwarming. However, I must warn you now that there were some very sad bits in the book as well, which came all at once and nearly made me want to stop reading it. I was enjoying the heartwarming stories and then all of a sudden, things changed.

But that is quite true of life itself and there was quite a strong message in this book - that life is too short and that you need to grab every opportunity that you can and don't waste the short lives that we all have.

And so, once again, Jill Mansell has pulled it out of the bag, and now I have to wait for another year for her next novel. I get so engrossed in her books that I read them far too quickly and then get a bit sad when they are over! But I urge you to go and read this and take from it what you will.

One Funeral, by Kate and Stone Bastion

This book follows the previous novel by the same authors, No Weddings and it picks up directly where the last one left off, however from a different point of view,

In the last novel, Cade met Hannah and fell for her, however she resisted his charms. Cade, who could never resist a challenge, made it his mission to get to know her better. In doing so, he discovered that like him, she was also scarred by previous relationships.

If you'd read my last review, I was most disappointed by the last book as it was billed as being a romantic novel - erotic fiction infact, told from the man's point of view. However, all they got as far as was kissing - right on the last page!

So I thought I would give this second novel a go to see if the heat had picked up. And I'm afraid to say that I got only a fraction of the way through before getting bored and giving up - sorry!!

It picks up with that kiss, however it is from Hannah's point of view now, which is a good idea as the reader now can hear how she feels about Cade and their situation. Despite this, I felt that it was repeating a lot of information I had previously read in the first book and didn't really need to read again.

Her and Cade agreed to go on a date to see how things would go, but Hannah couldn't get out of her head and decided, as a way to get over things and help move her relationship with Cade forward, she agreed to go to counselling.

It was at this point that I felt this wasn't going to work for me. Hannah went to her counsellor and the reader has to go through these sessions with her, working out her thoughts for the boy and why she is so messed up. Having recently been through a similar situation, I was in no mood to read about Hannahs troubled life.

So I gave up on the book. It just wasn't promising to be the romantic novel that I thought it was and judging by the title, it sounds like it probably is a bit depressing.

If you liked the first one then definitely give this one a go but just be prepared for what you are letting yourself in for!

The Girl on the Train, by Paula Hawkins

The Girl on the Train has already received amazing advanced praise from reviewers all over the world and I have to say that I really enjoyed it too. I won't be surprised if this book does exceptionally well in 2015.

Rachel gets the same train every day to work and every day it stops at the same signal. Rachel loves peering into the garden of the house it stops at and imagining the life of the perfect couple who lives there. Until one day, she sees something that shatters this illusion and she gets drawn into a terrifying chain of events.

I was interested in this book because it had been likened to the book Gone Girl, which I enjoyed very much. And yes, there are similarities between The Girl on the Train in its storyline, style of writing and the way it keeps you guessing until the end.

The characters were built up very well and there are chapters that are dedicated to three of the main women in the story. You do have to pay attention to the dates of each chapter as well though, which I didn't and got a little bit confused at times, but as long as you're on the ball it's quite easy to work out where you are in the story.

I loved this book and I would certainly recommend it. It kept me guessing and kept me hooked. And the ending came as a surprise to me as well - I certainly wasn't expecting it. I had been missing a good thriller/mystery book in my life this year and I think I have finally found it.

I was lucky enough to be given an advanced reading copy from the publishers through Netgalley and Girl on the Train will be released on 15th January 2015.

Third Time Lucky by Pippa Croft

Third Time Lucky, is the third and final novel in the romantic trilogy by Pippa Croft. It leaves off pretty much where the last book finishes - with Lauren receiving a call about Alexander and rushing to his aid.

The book then moves on to tell the story of the last term at Wyckham College and it's time for the two of them to consider what will happen to them both when term finishes.

As per the last two books, there isn't much studying being done and far too much sex - in fact I think this book has far more sex scenes than the last two put together! It's not classed as an 'adult' novel, but there are definitely enough hot sex scenes, it gives 50 Shades of Grey a good run for their money.

Aside from that, there are also the usual trials and tribulations in the world of Alexander and Lauren - the up's and the downs and the interferences. Also, Lauren's parents pay a surprise visit to Falconbury to check out the person who is taking their daughter away from them.

I have to be honest in this review and say that the only reason I continued reading was to find out the ending - was she going to stay with Alexander in England or go back to the US for good. And actually, I was quite disappointed with the outcome.

I hate doing plot spoilers but I feel like I have to here so if you don't want to know the end, look away now!

**PLOT SPOLIER**

I felt that the ending was an afterthought. It went on for too long and Alexander returning and Lauren turning down the job offer was meant to be a surprise, or a shock - which it really wasn't. By that point I'd actually given up caring what happened to them and felt that the ending was a bit of a cop out by the author. She obviously hadn't made up her mind what was going to happen, but as it is a trilogy, it has to have a definite answer. And the answer was that Lauren was going to go travelling as she wasn't ready to settle down, and would keep Alexander in mind for when she returned. The couple then left to have sex again!

I was very disappointed as I would have liked it to have been the fairy tale ending. I wanted something definite to happen that would make Lauren sure that she was going to stay with Alexander forever and that she would find a job in England and for the story to have the romantic ending I was hoping for. But sadly, no that wasn't the case.

And now the trilogy is over, I have to say that I don't think I would read it again. I enjoyed the books and they provided light reading, however I don't think they are either romantic novels or adult novels. I would recommend these books to those people who are looking for something light to read - perhaps summer holiday reading.

This Little Piggy by Bea Davenport

This book, published by Legend Press, tells the story of a hot summer in1984 where there is a miners strike taking place. Clare Jackson, the local journalist, has been sent over to the Sweetmeadows estate where there has been some trouble brewing. A little baby has been found dead, thrown off the balcony, and Clare takes it upon herself to get to the bottom of the killing.

I chose to read this book from Netgalley because I needed something with a mystery genre to get stuck into. I was also drawn to the fact it was set in the same year I was born!

However, the thing I find with crime novels that are written from the point of view of the journalist is that there is too much too'ing and fro'ing. And this one was no exception. Clare was always in her car driving around town and going back and forth to the Sweetmeadows estate to hunt down new stories. It also felt like she was doing the job of the police without actually being the police but the reason as to why this is becomes clear later on in the story.

Clare meets and befriends a girl from the estate called Amy, who has been neglected and uncared for, and Clare takes her under her wing. However, Amy has a tendency to exaggerate the truth and make things up and unfortunately for Clare she gets very drawn in to this.

At first, I didn't enjoy this book. There wasn't much going on and Clare was going back and forth without actually getting anywhere. I skim read through to about half way and then it picked up. I was desperate to know who the killer was, and although I'd read a few reviews saying that it was obvious from the start, I didn't feel that way and had to read on.

I felt that the characters in the book were developed very well and I ended up sympathising with Clare quite a bit and feeling sorry for Amy. It was well written, and what happened at the end came as such a shock - I really wasn't expecting it!

I would certainly recommend this book to those people who love a good mystery and a book that you can't put down. At the end of the book is says that Bea Davenport has written another novel and I will certainly be giving that one a go too.

No Weddings by Kat Bastion and Stone Bastion

I was given an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 

It caught my eye because it was advertised as a romance book written from the point of view of the man! I initially thought it was part of the erotica genre however there was absolutely no sex in it at all. 

However, looking beyond that, it was a very good story and I was hooked.

Cade is a successful business man (although it was hard to work out his age because he was still at 'school') and the youngest of 5, with 4 older sisters who feature prominently throughout. 

On building up his newly formed events business, Cade is introduced to Hannah, the ice queen who Cade is instantly attracted to and makes it his mission to get to know her better. 

The thing I liked about this story is the way the characters were built up. It allowed the reader to actually empathise with them and feel what they were going through. Although Cade is made out, in the beginning, to be a bit of a player and a 'lad', as he gets to know Hannah she affects him in a way he wasn't expecting. 

This story is part of a series, with the next part being told from Hannah's point of view so it will be interesting to find out how that works. But I would highly recommend this book to fans of the romance genre. If you are a fan of erotica you might be disappointed but you could give it a go anyway?

The Second Time I Saw You, by Pippa Croft

This is the second novel in the trilogy of Women's fiction / Erotica novels written by Pippa Croft and I was again lucky enough to be able to read this book via Netgalley in return for an honest review.

This novel carries on from where the last one left off, bar a couple of weeks for the Christmas Holidays, and it's the second term at Oxford for Lauren and Alexander. In the previous novel, they had parted ways and looks like they hadn't spoken for the whole of the holidays.

However, when Lauren returns to her room at Oxford for the new term, she is greeted by a distraught Alexander, with some devastating news.

This novel follows the same format as the last one and is just another chapter in the drama that is Lauren and Alexander. I wasn't overly enamoured by the first novel but this one curiously drew me in to their lives again.

It is an easy read, and at times it feels like you are inside a soap opera, or overhearing a group of girls gossiping in the pub, about boys and shopping and school. There isn't much substance to it and it is quite predictable.

There was definitely more sex in this one, and I can't help but compare it to the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, in which there was mild drama and lots of unnecessary sex in the second book. Pippa Croft's trilogy is much the same. We know the characters now and are just following them in the up's and downs of their lives and there is lots of sex thrown in for good measure. The one difference I noticed, was that when the sex did happen, it was more interesting to read, whereas the descriptions of the acts in Fifty Shades became quite monotonous.

Once again, this novel ended on a cliff hanger which is a clever tactic to get the reader to move on to the next one, and that's exactly what I will be doing. It is light reading where you don't have to concentrate too much and there is just about enough excitement to move the story along at a good pace and keep the reader hooked.

The next novel, Third Time Lucky, is available for pre order now - and after the first two stories the title of the third book seems very fitting. I'm looking forward to reading it!

Prime Deception by Carys Jones

I was contacted by the author on Goodreads, to read and review this book via Netgalley, in return for an honest review.

On reading the blurb about the book, I immediately thought it would be something that I wanted to read and accepted the invitation.

The book tells the story of the Deputy Prime Minister, Charles and his affair with one of his interns - Lorna, who tragically commits suicide one day, not long after breaking up with Charles. However, Charles doesn't believe the report and sets about, with Lorna's twin sister, Laurie, to find out what actually happened on that night.

The story started off well. There was lots of build up about Charles' life and some mystery surrounding Lorna's death and then the mysterious appearance of a girl who looks just Lorna, which sets Charles' emotions running high again.

However, the story didn't really do it for me. There was too much too'ing and fro'ing with Laurie being called in Charles' office, and then going back home, to coming back to London, to going back home again. In the end I lost track.

There were also too many flash backs to life with Lorna. There were a whole two chapters, almost, at the beginning of the book in which Charles remembers the affair and what had happened - which was relevant at that point in the story, I just felt it went on for too long. And then there were the flashbacks that Laurie had with her life with Lorna, and it seemed that these were just added as padding, rather than adding any depth.

For me, the suspense wasn't built up enough around Lorna's death and it wasn't until the last chapter that things picked up pace and the real story came out. Which was a good end, one which I didn't see coming but not an overly spectacular one.

I feel that this story had a good premise, but that it was probably written in the wrong time frame. It could have started much earlier on in the affair and been built up much better. However, the writer has potential and her work was well written, just not quite the right story. I do feel though, that this story would make for a good short film or for a television series, as the use of flashbacks could be made more of on TV.

The First Time We Met, by Pippa Croft

I was lucky enough to be given a free reading copy of this book by Netgalley.

Lauren Cusak arrives at Oxford, after a struggle with her parents to let her move from America to England to complete her masters degree. She is the daughter of the US Senate and just had her heart broken by her long term boyfriend. She is determined not to let anything get in the way of her studies, but that all changes when she bumps into Alexander Hunt in the corridors on her first night at the University.

There is some electricity that sparks between them on this first encounter, but I didn't really get the feeling that it was as intense as it was made out to be. They left feeling that they should stay away from each other when actually they were drawn to each other.

The story goes on, explaining how Lauren and Alexander's relationship progresses and this seems to be the whole basis of the story. Apart from the repulsive Rupert, Alexander's cousin, who is determined to make a move on Lauren, and Scott, Lauren's ex boyfriends cousin, who just happens to also be studying at the same university in England!

I have to say that I didn't really get this book. I'm not sure if it was trying to be 50 Shades of Grey or not. If it was, then it wasn't done very well. There were some intense sex scenes between the two of them, which were very well written. They were very graphic, however they didn't quite fit into the context of the book, and although they are both over 21, the fact that they are still 'at school' made them a bit strange to read.

I felt that the book was quite slow, and I couldn't see where it was going until it got the last chapters where it turned out that it was going to result in jealousy and the fact that society was suggesting that they shouldn't be together. It ended on a very predictable note, leaving the story wide open for the next book, which I also have a copy of and will be reviewing soon.

I don't think that the book was for me, but I will be reading the next one to see where it goes from here. I would recommend this to readers around the 18-22 age mark who enjoy reading light romantic fiction and who won't shy away from the graphic sex scenes scattered throughout the book.