Article first published as eBook Review: Build a Man by Talli Roland on Blogcritics.

Build a Man is a chick lit novel from Talli Roland – it’s not her first release, but I’ll definitely be checking out her backlist having read this one!

It tells the story of cosmetic surgery receptionist Serenity Holland. Being a receptionist is about as far from her dream job as it gets – she wants to be a tabloid reporter, which is why she left Maine, America, and moved to London. She didn’t get the job she wanted, but she did get a pretty comfortable life living rent-free after bagging her cosmetic surgeon boss, Peter. Serenity thinks that successful, good-looking Peter will help her become the cool, professional version of herself that she wants to be. Her best friend Kirsty thinks she’s nuts for hooking up with such a bore.

So, a few months down the line and Serenity feels she’s stuck in a rut. She’s in a job she doesn’t really want, and her tabloid dreams are no closer to coming to fruition. Until Jeremy Ritchie walks into the surgery. He’s decided that to get the woman of his dreams, he needs a complete makeover, with the help of various cosmetic surgery procedures. Despite thinking that Jeremy looks just fine as he is, Serenity knows she’s now on to a story that no tabloid editor will be able to resist – and the Build a Man column is born! She’s working undercover and nobody but the paper and Kirsty know what’s really going on.

Serenity is excited about her new-found success, and is determined to take it all the way and land a job on the newspaper she’s writing for. Things seem to be on track, until Jeremy’s surgery goes very wrong, and suddenly Serenity’s conscience pricks, big style. The paper want her to continue with the column, warts and all, but is Serenity really that desperate to achieve her dreams?

Build a Man is a fab book. I was interested in the brilliant plot from the beginning, and I quickly found myself rooting for Serenity, despite her poor choices. This is a really fun, engaging read, and without giving too much away, let’s just say the ending left me feeling very glad that there’s a sequel in the works – I want more!

Available from:
Amazon UK
Amazon US

IF ONLY I DIDN’T HAVE A LOVE AFFAIR WITH SLEEP

Author Elizabeth Kyne dreams about what life might have been like

if she’d been blessed with more hours in the day

One night a couple of years ago, I was just getting ready for bed when the phone rang. “Who the hell’s calling at this hour?” was the general reaction in the house. It turned out to be Ian. The conversation went something like this:

“Oh hi Ian, I was just going to bed.”

“Bed? But it’s ten o’clock. Why are you going to bed now?”

“Because it’s bed time.”

He had no concept of a person wanting to go to bed at ten o’clock. To him, it was the middle of the evening and there were four hours until his bedtime.

I wish I were like Ian.

Article first published as Book Review: Wrapped Up in You by Carole Matthews on Blogcritics.

Wrapped Up in You is the first of Carole Matthews’ novels that I’ve read. Based on how much I enjoyed it, it definitely won’t be the last. I read it in a couple of sittings, and had life not gotten in the way, I could have easily have done it in one. It’s that easygoing, not to mention a page turner!

This heartwarming romantic comedy is about Janie Johnson, a thirty-something hairdresser who’s pretty much given up on love. She doesn’t think she’s ever been in love, and isn’t hopeful that she ever will be. She’s just plodding along in life, aware that she’s missing out on something, but has no idea what to do about it. That is, until several things conspire at once to make her change her mind: too many nights in alone, a terrible blind date and the news that her ex is getting married. Before you know it, Janie has booked a ludicrously expensive holiday to Africa and is looking forward to getting away from it all. All her friends think she’s barmy, and by the time the holiday rolls around, Janie’s beginning to agree with them.

However, a flight and a very bumpy drive later and Janie’s being introduced to Dominic, her tour guide for the week. She very quickly forgets her misgivings, and by the time her holiday of a lifetime is over, she’s also convinced she’s found the love of her lifetime. Maasai warrior Dominic is a charming sex god who speaks very good English, and Janie is completely besotted. It appears Dominic feels the same way. Therefore when it’s time for Janie to go home, she really doesn’t want to. But she must.

Arriving home, all Janie can think about is the fact that the love of her life is thousands of miles away. Once again, her friends think she’s crazy and are convinced that Dominic is just trying to snare himself a rich British woman so he can come and live in England. Janie knows that isn’t the case, and continues to think of a way she can be with Dominic. But it certainly won’t be easy…

Wrapped Up in You really is a fab book. It’s an easy read, and had me speed reading to find out what happened next. Janie is a fab – if somewhat ditzy heroine – and Dominic is just… well. He’s not your typical romance novel hero; he’s big, he’s adorable, he’s hilarious and a total sweetheart. There were lots of twists and turns in the book and I wasn’t sure where it was going to end up, which is always a good thing. It’s all wrapped up in a satisfying ending which left me with a great big silly grin on my face. Call it a rom com, call it chick lit. Call it what you like – I’m calling it a damn good book.

Available from:
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Book Depository
Waterstones

Article first published as eBook Review: Prime Time by Jane Wenham-Jones on Blogcritics.

I’ve been acquainted with Jane Wenham-Jones’ work (both fiction and non-fiction) for a while now, and have always enjoyed her writing style. Her humour is such that she can even make non-fiction funny, as well as hugely informative. Previous novels of hers that I’ve read are Perfect Alibis and One Glass is Never Enough, both of which I enjoyed.

Prime Time is a romantic comedy about a middle aged woman who feels every bit her age. Laura Meredith is not having a good time of it: she feels old, fat, hormonal and is still incredibly bitter over the fact that her husband left her for a younger, thinner woman. Add to that a difficult young son, and it’s no wonder that Laura’s PMT is off the scale.

Things in Laura’s life take a dramatic turn, however, when her best friend Charlotte persuades her to appear on a daytime TV show to talk about PMT. Following the show, she’s head-hunted for another one and suddenly she’s being wined, dined and pampered, as well as having mad flirtation with one of the show’s directors. As things heat up in that department, however, other parts of Laura’s life become much more difficult. Charlotte’s husband Roger is up to no good, son Stanley is having trouble at school and she’s struggling to keep up with her day job.

As Laura juggles all the elements of her life, she struggles to keep her cool. Will she manage it, or will her crazy hormones take over and ruin everything? There’s only one way to find out…

Prime Time is a brilliant novel. It’s full of Wenham-Jones’ typical humour, and had me sniggering on more than one occasion. Laura Meredith is a great lead character and despite her faults you find yourself rooting for her throughout, and hoping everything works out for the best. There are plenty of twists and turns throughout the book and it certainly kept me turning the digital pages until the very end – which was a stroke of genius in itself. So if you’re looking for a rom-com about real women and real lives, you should definitely check out Prime Time.

Available from:
Amazon UK
Amazon US

Article first published as Book Review: The Woman He Loved Before by Dorothy Koomson on Blogcritics.

As a fan of Dorothy Koomson, I’ve been coveting this book ever since it was released – and with good reason. The Woman He Loved Before is a mystery right from the title – and has you asking questions right until the very end. This novel tells the story of Libby, a feisty young woman who falls for widower Jack. After initial resistance on Libby’s part, the two have a whirlwind relationship and get married. Libby couldn’t be happier, until a tragic event throws her life off course and makes her question whether Jack is really over his late wife, Eve, and whether he loves Libby at all.

The deeper Libby digs into Jack’s past, and the seemingly perfect Eve, the more fascinated she becomes. Libby starts to unearth devastating secrets, and she quickly realises that they are in fact very dangerous secrets, too. Soon, Libby wonders whether she, too, will end up like Jack’s last wife…

As I mentioned before, The Woman He Loved Before has you asking questions right until the end. Koomson’s powerful writing, and the way the book has been structured means that you’re drip fed information, which keeps you hanging on for more… and more. The book gets darker and mysterious as you keep reading, with enough twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat right until the very last page. It’s a brilliant, gripping plot and possibly Koomson’s best book to date. I’d definitely recommend this to fans of light mysteries and matters of the heart.

Available from:
Amazon UK
Amazon US
The Book Depository
Waterstone’s

Do not be fooled by this book’s innocent looking cover. A modern fairy tale it may be, but innocent it is not. I knew this book was a romance, obviously, but from the cover and the blurb I was sent (I notice the blurb on Amazon mentions sexual heat), I wasn’t expecting the level of eroticism that’s in it. Naturally, this isn’t a bad thing for me as I love to read erotica, I was just surprised by it.

The premise is a fairly familiar one, that is, it’s a twist on the fairy tales we know and love. There’s a good sister and a bad sister, an evil stepmother and a fairy godmother. But that’s where the similarities to classic tales ends.

Diamonds and Toads tells the story of half sisters Delilah and Isadora, who are good and evil, respectively. Without giving too much away, both sisters have an encounter with a fairy within this book. The fairy blesses Delilah with wealth and the man she’s loved for as long as she can remember, and bestows a curse on Isadora which makes her come out with obscene and humiliating comments, whether she means them or not. To make it worse, the man that Isadora has long held a torch for comes back into her life just as the curse is placed on her.

So it seems that life is going swimmingly for Delilah, but of course it wouldn’t be much of a story if everything was straightforward. As the tale progresses, it becomes apparent that both Delilah and Chas have secrets. Ones that could tear them apart. On the other hand, it looks as though Isadora and Sam may get their happy ever after, but there’s just the matter of her evil mother…

I thought Diamonds and Toads was a good fun read. All the fairy tale elements are very tongue in cheek and made for a light-hearted, feel-good book. Like I mentioned before, I wasn’t expecting the erotic elements, but they were very welcome and extremely hot! There were some seriously sexy scenes in the book, including some BDSM. So, if you’re looking for a pure chick-lit/fairy-tale read which doesn’t get too steamy, then perhaps this isn’t for you. But if you enjoy reading erotica and erotic romance, then snap this book up like a shot. It’s well-written, pacy, sexy fun, and I’d definitely look out for more by this author.

Available from:
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Smashwords

Last weekend was the inaugural Festival of Romance, at Hunton Park near Watford in the UK (a very posh venue). I attended on the Saturday to see what it was all about, appear on a panel, attend some panels and generally mingle, meet and chat with some like-minded people. I knew other erotica and erotic romance authors were going to be in attendance too, so I wasn’t going to be the lone smutter in the room!

To avoid rambling on forever, I’m going to break the day down into the panels/debates I attended and give my little commentary.

I got there in one piece, in plenty of time, despite my horrendously early start and having to drive through mile upon mile of 50mph restrictions on the M1. Luckily I had my music to keep me awake!

Registration was a whizz, and I quickly bumped into some people I knew and started chatting and checking out the venue. Soon, though, it was time for the first panel… and I was on it!

Panel: For Her Eyes Only

I was a tad nervous as this was the first panel I’d appeared on, but luckily I had Xcite editors Elizabeth Coldwell and Antonia Adams there to be all informative and interesting if I failed. The audience were gentle with me, however, and I had fun answering questions about the difference between erotica and erotic romance, pen names, how writing short stories and longer pieces differs, how I got into erotica, and much more. I emerged from the panel immensely glad I’d taken part, and much more comfortable about doing it again in the future, which is just as well really, as I’m doing one at Erotica in November. Details here.

The Big Debate: Men and Romantic Fiction

I went into this debate with the intention of sitting there quietly, rather than debating, which I managed very successfully. It was a great fun debate about whether men read romantic fiction in secret, whether they’re fans of romantic fiction, whether they should write it, and much more. The fact that there was a guy on the panel made it all the more interesting – Roger Sanderson, who actually writes as Gill Sanderson commented (this isn’t word for word, just my memory and hastily scribbled notes!) that men can write romantic fiction just as well as women, and that he doesn’t care what the press or other people think – he’s laughing all the way to the bank.

There was discussion on labelling, i.e. are the terms “chick lit” and “rom com” what put men off? Some members of the audience said that in some cases, if guys are told what the book is about then they’d be much more likely to read it, than if they were just told it was a romance. Girly pink and flowery covers were a big issue – raising the question about men reading romantic fiction on their eReaders because a) there’s no visible cover and b) nobody knows what they’re reading.

Overall, this was a good fun debate and raised some interesting questions about romantic fiction and the way it’s marketed, as well as the wonder – do men really read it in secret? I’d love to know, please leave me a comment if you have something to say about this!

Panel: From Chick Lit to Hen Lit

This was another good fun panel. It raised some similar questions to the debate about men and romantic fiction, about marketing, covers and more. But, most importantly, it discussed the label “chick lit” itself and how it came about. I don’t remember who said this, but apparently the term was originally “chic lit” but the press twisted into “chick lit” to be derogatory. Many people commented that the press still tend to be very down on the genre (whatever its label!), but the readers don’t care what it’s called – they’re buying and reading it in their droves. It was also commented that the term “chick lit” actually encompasses a huge amount of books. Many people’s conceptions of the genre are that it is light and fluffy reading – but this isn’t always the case. Many books deal with darker and more difficult issues, but are still packaged in those same girly, flowery covers, and they’re still purchased.

A majority of people disagreed with a recently made comment that “chick lit is dead.” People are still buying masses of these types of books, whether they’re dealing with darker themes or not – so the label should be reclaimed and twisted back to a positive slant. Love live chick lit, whatever you want to call it!

Keynote Interview: Mills and Boon

This is down on the programme as an interview, but was actually a presentation from Mills and Boon. It basically had tons of background on the company and the various lines of books it publishes. There were handy hints and tips on how you can get your work noticed and published by Mills and Boon, including a useful handout. It definitely changed my perception of the Mills and Boon brand – they know what works and they’re sticking to it, but they’re modern and constantly evolving. If I ever decide to try my hand at romance without the naughty elements, I certainly wouldn’t say no to them!

Keynote Interview: Carole Matthews

This was an interview, and a very good one at that. The microphone was playing silly buggers, but as I was sat within a couple of feet of Carole and the interviewer, I could still hear everything. The interview covered a lot of ground, from Carole’s personal experiences with writing, research, agents, publishers, titles, cover design and much more. It also touched on more general elements which would be useful to any other, irrespective of genre. Carole regaled us with a couple of very amusing anecdotes and was happy to answer questions and give out advice – even going so far as to say that she’d be around for the rest of the day and evening if anyone wanted to ask her any questions or have any more advice, which spoke volumes about her personality. No wonder she’s such a popular author! I’m amazed I haven’t read any of her stuff before, but I definitely will.

Indulge with Loveswept – cupcakes and gifts served by your favourite Loveswept hero

I’ve skipped meals out of the programme because they’re… well… meals. But this was a snack with a difference. A scantily clad young man had the pleasure of wandering around the room dishing out yummy cupcakes. He got less than half way before his open shirt was removed altogether, much to the appreciation of the women in the room. He was quickly surrounded by women who were just as interested in him as his cupcakes. I, for one, appreciated both. He was no Jared Padalecki or Philip Winchester, but he was offering me cake, so I was nice to him. He also came round and gave out bundles of postcards tied together, which included details for a free romance eBook download, which naturally I took advantage of.

Dotted in between these various events were chances to chat – hurrah! So I had the opportunity to catch up with some people I knew, talk writing, business, books, new projects and much more. Overall I came away from the day with some fab information, cemented relationships, some cool freebies and a few extra pounds (in weight – from the cake ). If I can get to the festival next year, I’ll definitely go and would recommend anyone else to, too.

Article first published as Book Review: Everyone Worth Knowing by Lauren Weisberger on Blogcritics.

Having read the book and watched the film of The Devil Wears Prada, I suspected that I’d be in for a good read with Everyone Worth Knowing. I wasn’t wrong. This book is chick lit at its finest.

Everyone Worth Knowing tells the tale of Bette, a headstrong woman living in New York. Despite it never being her life’s dream, she works in banking and hates every moment of it. One day, she decides she’s had enough and leaves. Having no idea what to do next, circumstances and contacts suck her into another job – party planning.

With no experience, Bette has to learn quickly, at the same time ignoring the resentment her colleagues inevitably feel about her getting the job as a favour. However, she quickly proves herself and is soon planning the hottest and most exclusive parties in New York City.

Bette spends days planning parties and evenings attending them, leaving less and less time for her family and friends, let alone her non-existant love life. Soon, her job is her entire life. So when she’s mistakenly linked with a notorious and hot British playboy, she can’t understand it. She’s even more confused when her boss and colleagues encourage it. Going along with it, deep down Bette knows that she’s being used, but is too busy working to take much notice.

But when a vicious gossip columnist called Ellie Insider starts writing untrue and spiteful pieces about her, the harsh reality of her lifestyle hits her. Everyone is out for themselves in the crazy world of fashion and celebrity and if Bette gets sucked in any deeper, she’s afraid she’ll end up just like them. Then there’s the tiny matter of a very real love interest that could be lost if Bette doesn’t make some decisions… and fast.

Overall, I thought this was a fab book. It’s an easy read and is absorbing enough that you’ll whizz through it in no time. It’s definitely more action-based than emotional, but I still found myself really liking Bette and rooting for her. If you’ve read anything else by her, or you enjoy books like Bridget Jones’ Diary, Sex and the City, etc, you’ll like this.

Available from:
Amazon UK
Amazon US
The Book Depository