Tag: Review Books

I had never read a Jackie Collins novel until I was sent this one to review and was expecting a Jilly Cooperesque romp!
Instead whilst there was plenty of romping I was introduced to a colourful cast of characters headed by Lucky and Lennie Santangelo in a fast paced thriller. Lucky Santangelo is in charge of her life, things are going well – until her Father Gino is murdered execution style. Whilst in the past he has had his moments he had been happily settled with his younger wife Paige and so Lucky sets about discovering the culprit and taking her revenge! After all no-one messes with the Santangelos!

Meanwhile Max, her daughter, is busy becoming the new face of a famous fashion house despite being surrounded by a lecherous boss and photographer. Bobby her son has his own problems when in the process of opening his new club he finds himself accused of murder.

There are a whole host of supporting cast members with their own desires to extricate themselves from one another. Pablo want to escape Alejandro. Denver, Bobby’s girlfriend is trying to prosecute a notorious drug dealer and putting her job before him. Willow, just wants another moment in the spotlight and is being hassled by her money hungry mother. Billy, a famous film star who has the hots for anything that moves and Venus, Lucky’s friend.

There are plenty of others and the action moves swiftly. The first few chapters introduce us to the various character groups, useful for the uninitiated, and from there the stories start to weave together as the characters cross paths in their search for stardom, business deals and love. The settings are drawn well and the characters drive the plot along at a fast pace!

I wasn’t sure how the various characters would come together but as the story progresses they interweave and you find yourself going AHA. Lucky is the character holding it all together and even as she plans her Fathers funeral, tries to get her arrested son freed from prison and get his sister back from Europe in time for the funeral she has the sense that something isn’t right! Is she correct to have such foreboding and if so will she manage to solve the problem in time? I couldn’t possibly say. Perfect for fans of quick paced summer reading!
4/5

This is a fantastic read. At once horrific and humorous the central character Joe and Beck come to life as do the supporting cast in a unique way. Joe is lonely, he works in a book store, he meets Beck and he falls in love. So does Beck only she doesn’t know it yet. Joe infiltrates his way into her life and attempts to remove all the obstacles to his goal.
He carries out acts that are despicable but totally believable in the form of the narrative. The book is over 400 pages long but is compelling. You read it quickly and hungrily and become absorbed by the characters and how far Joe will go to achieve his ambitions.
I really enjoyed the read and kept thinking Joe couldn’t do anything more outrageous to capture Beck, but then he does, perhaps he’d get caught out. You feel the tension with Joe as the book is written from his point of view and however warped his view is you find yourself rooting for him, wanting him to get what he wants and yet at the same time you know it will be better for everyone he does get caught.
Suspenseful, a real page turner, a romance but a thriller as well this is runs across several genres. 5/5

This is a lovely story, well written and tender, both heart warming and heartbreaking.
Ivy is a make-up artist and Fisher is a director, they get together and Ivy falls pregnant. Fisher stands by her sensing that despite their brief liaison he is falling for Ivy. She in turn is falling for him.
This is a story about how two people come together and form a relationship. They have their up and downs and awkward moments, meeting each others family , who to spend their first Christmas with and Frank, (Ivy’s brother) unexpected stay with them.
At times it looks as if events and circumstances are going to break them apart. El, Fisher’s best friends is dying, he has Huntingdon’s and Fisher has to deal with this as well as the rapidly approaching birth of his children. Not to mention directing his first film penned by a colleague.
Somehow the two of them forge ahead. The characters are warm and well drawn, the relationships depicted touching and the emotions pull at the heartstrings. I haven’t read a book for a long time that made me feel happy and sad by the end and I would love to know what happened to Ivy and Fisher a few years down the line!
5 out of 5

*Beware this review contains some spoilers*
This is a well paced thriller set in the US, the main action taking place in the Florida Keys. In the background is JFK and the looming missile crisis which means that the last thing anyone needs is a serial killer who seems to be able to slip the net at will.
The viewpoint comes from a variety of angles. Stella is the main character that centres the plot, a bright young thing with an interest in psychopaths due to her own difficult background. She flies out to start her doctorate but is taken to a BBQ at the beach with JFK and his handsome brother. Over the BBQ Stella’s expertise come to light and she is deployed to the keys to help the FBI unmask the killer.
Initially she meets resistance, she is female, young and has no credentials, however after a heated first meeting with the lead agent she establishes her knowledge and begins to be accepted. Despite her initial profile being successful in identifying the main characteristics of the killer he manages to escape. Being local he knows the area well and is able to assume a new identity but soon enough the net is closing in forcing him to escalate his end game. This he does and although the end felt a little rushed it is a satisfying conclusion. The characters are well drawn and I could imagine the two main investigators Stella and Lee combining their efforts in future investigations.
The only slight negative I felt was the relationship between Stella and Lee, this seemed a little obvious and cliche, however it does not spoil the plot and does give the characters a definite reason to want to see one another again and care what happens to the other.
I give this 4/5, a good read, especially on the beach!

Short stories are notoriously difficult to write, and this is a cover to cover collection by the same author. I have to say it is really rather good. The stories have a melancholic air, bittersweet and touching, they leave you thinking about the messages they give about family and relationships. They look at different relationships and the way that people react to one another and to the actions of others.
The voices that develop in each story is individual and the stories can be read one by one or together. It is a collection that I would read again and find different facets in the story. They are written simply but contain deeper meanings.
My personal favourite in the collection was The Balloon Party. I think the most striking thing about the collection was that the protagonists were ordinary people you could meet anywhere in situations you could imagine yourself in. Well worth a read as it was a fascinating read.
5/5

This was an intriguing story, that begins with a cyclist running down a pedestrian on a busy New York Street. What follows is a rather one sided romance to begin with as Darcy, the cyclist tries to piece together the details of Aiden’s life with very few clues to go on. There is the added complication of taking care of Bailey, a rather large husky dog! We explore several parks, shopping areas and the cream of Manhattan high society with Darcy.
One of the lovely things about the book is the blossoming friendship between Darcy and her neighbour, who Darcy has previously dismissed as cranky and unfriendly, instead they find mutual interests and Grace begins to move on with her life! Throughout there are lots of book references and Darcy delights in the regency romances that fill the shelves of the book shop she works at. There are lots of colourful characters and we find out about Aiden more through Darcy and her meetings with people who know him and what they have to say about him than anything.
There are many twists and turns and the ending for me was a surprise which was refreshing as well. i enjoyed this book and wanted to keep reading so definitely a page turner.

This was a great twisty-turny psychological thriller and as soon as I finished I wanted to turn it over and start again! The novel begins with a sadistic killing broadcast live over the internet with Detective Robert Hunter watching on and trying to determine if this event is real or hoax. When the body turns up the reality of the situation becomes apparent.

Hunter and his partner Garcia embark on a hunt for the killer who is a computer genius, even outfoxing the FBI high flyers. The killer raises the stakes by allowing viewers over the internet to vote on the death method of his next victim and this provides an interesting thinking point. If you thought someone was about to be killed, would you vote on the method used? Would you watch? This novel as well as being an accomplished thriller which shows the murders from the killer, victim, onlooker and agent points of view makes you think about the implication of actions.

The novel talks about choices and the outcome as it builds is intense and surprising! The end of the novel is both satisfying and in keeping with the rest of the story not tamely tailing off and the murders are gory and unusual, if you’ve seen the SAW films expect something similar! If you are of a nervous disposition you may find yourself feeling uncomfortable. I wanted to get to the end to see how it would all happen, short chapters and just the right amount of technical information kept the novel moving along at a swift pace with enough characterisation that I felt I was getting to know them.

I would definitely recommend this book as a high quality novel but also as one that is thought provoking read it and you’ll see – would you be part of the pack and vote, absolving yourself of responsibility because everyone else is doing it, or would you be disgusted and pretend you had never come across pickadeath.com? 5/5

I read this book as quicky as I could, from the moment I got it. I have read several of Rebecca Chance’s previous novels and I was hoping this would be as good as the others and I wasn’t disappointed! The novel centres on three women – Belinda who was married to a King and faked her own death, Lori who marries King of Herzoslovakia and Chloe who is engaged to Prince Toby. Each woman has her own problems to deal with.
Belinda is holed up in paradise with her lover after discovering her husbands infidelity, with another man! After discovering this secret she had to escape several attempts on her life! Now her son is about to marry and she wants to be part of it!
Then there is athletic Lori who is watched by the King and courted in a whirlwind romance, she readily accepts his proposal thinking it is a love match made in Heaven, events and her Mother in Law to be, the dowager take over controlling her every move. Even an attempt to escape is thwarted and the marriage takes place, the truth of the matter is only recognised by Belinda who can see the same things happening to Lori as happened to her- movements dictated, picked to be good breeding stock and drugs used to ensure what the dowager wants the dowager gets! On honeymoon Lori realises the sad truth and is lucky to have her bodyguard Akilla to fall into.
Then there is Chloe, relentlessly bullied by the press and more upmarket set. She tried hard to fit in but seen as a social climber and ridiculed my many she comes into her own as the wedding approaches. She proves with the help of her best friend to be media savvy, picking British designers and sorting out messes others have got themselves into. Hers is the only real love match.
The women find themselves thrown together as Belinda determines to save Lori from a loveless marriage where she is just breeding stock, and at the same time returns to London to see her children. At turns amusing, with enough sex to keep most happy without it intruding into the narrative, and showing us real women even when elevated into the realms of royalty this is perfect summer reading!

I have read a few books by Milly Johnson and this is completely different from her other books. It tells the tale of three career girls who are busy and appear to have it all! Appearances can be deceiving as Lara, Clare and May are all experiencing turmoil. What better way to forget it all than to escape to a luxury spa in the country. The only problem, there is a mix up with the booking and they end up in a cosy cottage in the village of Ren Dullem where the locals are less than friendly and the sky is filled with strange clouds.
Clare discovers a hidden lagoon underneath the cottage and so begins an adventure. The Hathersage brothers Val, Frank and Gene all provide interest for the ladies but this results in even more problems for the ladies who find coffee kiosks being shut in front of them, unfriendly locals and a very disgruntled Daisy Unwin.
Then there is Joan who is attempting to make money by defrauding an elderly lord until she also discovers that there is a secret hidden in the village and does her best to reveal it. As the ladies get further through their stay they find themselves falling in love with the village and discovering things about themselves. This is a great read and hard to put down once you start

CONTAINS SPOILERS

Expect to see this book everywhere because the name alone will sell it, having said that it is a decent summer read, perfect for the beach or garden. The story is in the main well constructed and told in fluent prose which is easy to follow. Part one features short stacatto chapters whilst in part two the chapters are more lengthly but this suits the novel. It is a tad predictable at times although the ending was a surprise and has one of those increasingly annoying prologues which rather than add to the story try to set up an air of mystery, but a quick perusal of the blurb renders unnecessary. The story is told from a variety of viewpoints which adds interest and allows us to see things from a variety of angles. Anyway niggles aside a worthy read 4/5

Initially we are presented with a love story and a well to do family – the Arnolds. They are in war time England and their son is joining the RAF, he has made friends with James Blackwell who has charmed and manipulated his way through life, including into the RAF where he has been struggling to survive until he meets John. Whilst visiting the Dower house he is introduced to Diana. She is charmed by him and they share some times together and despite the war manage to see each other on the odd occasion. Based at Upminster the war is gaining momentum and it is difficult for the men to get leave, snow compounds the problem but James managed to get to Cambridge to see Diana who is studying at Girton college.

The next time they are together the pair have a shotgun marriage and on their return the officers are called to return to Upminster to fly out. Tragically John, riding a motorcycle is killed on his way and James is shot down without any sign of a parachute evacuation and therefore presumed dead. Heartbroken, Diana then discovers she is pregnant and single. Luckily she has the support of her family and together they move forward until ten years later Diana finds herself living in Nice with new husband Douglas who has also taken on Stella.

Diana has taken to having lunch at her favourite cafe and is shocked one day to hear James, and after pursuing a taxi and feeling foolish and being convinced by her father that her imagination is playing cruel tricks on her she tried to accept his death. This doesn’t prevent her from looking at every taxi for days until eventually a flower stall holder Helene talks to her about her own experiences and Diana begins to move on. That is until she comes face to face with James. It turns out he did evacuate and then promptly deserted, what he does not reveal is that the person he is now is not the mysterious and sexy young man Diana fell in love with! He is still charming but everyone seems to be afraid of James and defers to his demands. Helene and Armand know why and they take it upon themselves to let her know his true persona by letter.

By then James has discovered that he is a father, that Douglas is very wealthy and that Diana can still be manipulated. She lends him money for what she believes is a legitimate business interest and he plans to get more,  charms Diana to bed and leaves her with a dilemna about her marriage to Douglas. She is both appalled and excited by his dramatic reappearance in her life despite his abhorrent acts and desertion.  On her way to rendezvous with him again Diana finally reads the letter sent to her and her world is shattered, when James realises the game is up an appalling plot unfolds with his greed driving his actions there is no telling where James will stop. The conclusion is fast paced and I didn’t expect the final act, it draws in all the main characters and finishes in a fast and furious fashion. I did enjoy the story and it was a pleasant read, the characters are well drawn and if the reason I didn’t get five stars is I felt that they could have expressed more emotion rather than been as accepting as they are of the events that unfold!