Review of Wrapped up in You by Carole Matthews

Wrapped up in You is Carole Matthews’ nineteenth novel and the first with her new publishers. I was instantly excited about reading this novel, as it revolves around two of my favourite things; Christmas and Africa.

The novel focuses on the life of Janie Johnson; a single hairdresser from Buckingham who lives with her cat in a quiet village. Having been dumped by her long term boyfriend, Janie is subject to blind dates arranged by her best friend Nina and dubious advice offered by many of her clients at the salon. After one disastrous date too many, Janie follows the advice of one of her older, wealthier clients and books a last minute holiday to Kenya. Here, her heart is stolen not only by the stunning landscape and animals, but also by Dominic, a maasai Warrior based at the camp. A holiday romance blossoms, but can love between two such different people really last long term and can Janie manage a cold, dreary English winter without Dominic?

This is a fantastic story that made me laugh out loud, particularly during Janie’s blind date escapade. The novel surprised me in that it is a Christmas novel, but not as you may imagine and instead is based partly in Africa. The setting in Kenya was one of my favourite parts of the book and made me want to go back to Africa! Matthews has described the sheer beauty of African landscape to absolute perfection.

I loved the idea of Dominic, the Maasai warrior, as hero of this book. Dominic is caring,
trustworthy and seems to really look after Janie; it is also a refreshing change to have a different style of hero to read about. I also cannot write a review without mentioning the lovely Mike who is Janie’s neighbour, I felt so sorry for him at various stages in the novel, but thought that he was definitely a heroic figure as well.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading Wrapped up in You, it is like a modern day fairy tale and is a must read for this Christmas. The ending was not as I expected and is exciting and nerve wracking at the same time, it is the perfect book to snuggle up with on a cold winters evening.
I cannot finish this review without mentioning the gorgeous cover of this book, I loved it straight away and it made me feel very Christmassy!

Wrapped up in You is released in paperback on the 27th October 2011

Thank you to Sphere for sending me a proof copy to review.

Review of The Sandalwood Tree by Elle Newmark

The Sandalwood Tree is a powerful story of love and scandal spanning almost one hundred years.

The story unfolds from two perspectives; that of Evie Mitchell who has arrived in India in 1947 just before the end of the Raj and through the letters and journals of two Victorian ladies living in the same bungalow in Masoorla in the 1850s.
Evie’s husband Martin Mitchell returns from the horrors of the second World War a changed man and when he is offered a Fulbright Scholarship to document the end of the Raj, Evie jumps at the chance of moving to India with their young son hoping that a new setting may reignite their marriage.

Moving to their small bungalow near to Simla, Evie unexpectedly finds some letters hidden behind a loose brick in the kitchen. While her marriage appears to deteriorate, she buries herself in the mystery of deciphering the letters and the identity of the authors.

The plot then moves between 1947 and the 1850’s following Felicity and Adela in England and India. Although, we only hear from felicity and Adela in the third person I felt as if I knew them and really liked Felicity’s character. In her desperation and loneliness Evie becomes obsessed with their story and their fate and it is here that the book excels by managing to intertwine these two different eras together perfectly.

The ending was fantastic and really put everything into place. I enjoyed this book very much; it was so evocative and mesmerizing that I really felt I was there in India smelling the spices and perfumes at the bazaar and hearing the jangling of the bracelets as people walked around. I will definitely be looking out for other works by Elle Newmark.

I read this book as part of the Transworld Book Group Reading Challenge.

Giveaway: Win a copy of Idol by Carrie Duffy

For your chance to win a copy of Idol by Carrie Duffy follow my blog and follow me on twitter. Leave a comment below with your twitter name to let me know you have entered. The giveaway closes on Friday 19th August at 5pm and the winner will be contacted by Monday 22nd August.
Idol is published on the 18th August and is Carrie Duffy's debut novel.
Read my review a couple of posts below to find out more about this fantastic read!
Good luck x
Thank you to Harper Collins for sending me a copy of Idol for this giveaway.

Chick Lit Plus Reading Challenge 2011

I have just joined the Chick Lit Plus Reading Challenge of 2011.

I will read twelve chicklit novels including two by debut authors who have released their first book in 2011.

I will be putting each book on this page as I read them. If you have any recommendations let me know.

1. Idol by Carrie Duffy

Wrapped up in You by Carole Matthews

I was very excited to receive a proof copy of Wrapped up in You by Carole Matthews this morning. Look out for my review in the next couple of weeks.

Review of Idol by Carrie Duffy

I was so excited to receive a proof copy of Idol by debut author Carrie Duffy. This is one of the best books I have read this year and easily one of the most exciting debuts.

Idol follows the lives of childhood rivals Jenna Jonsson, an international pop star and Sadie Lane, an aspiring dancer.

Jenna has already found fame and fortune, but a chance meeting with rock band Phoenix could catapult her to superstardom. However, tensions between Jenna and the band make things not run as smoothly as she anticipated. For Sadie fame is still a dream, but an unexpected situation takes her to Las Vegas where her life changes in an instant. In Las Vegas, Jenna and Sadie are re-acquainted, but can they put events in the past behind them and work together to help one another?

Idol will take you on a non stop journey to some of the world’s most famous A-list destinations, from the recording studios of London to the laid back luxury of Ibiza and on to dizzying capital of gambling; Las Vegas. I loved Jenna’s character, despite her fame she comes across as very personable, whilst I liked Sadie, I found that I didn’t warm to her as much. There is lots of romantic detail in the book and although events seem to move quickly, there are a few twists and turns that surprised me.

Glamorous, exciting and romantic, I found that I couldn’t put this book down. It is a perfect holiday read and I certainly wanted to book a trip to Las Vegas straight after reading this! I am really looking forward to reading more books from Carrie Duffy.

Highly recommended for chick lit fans, Idol is this year's hottest read!

Idol will be released on the 18^th August 2011.

Many thanks to Harper Collins for sending a proof copy.

Review of The Wish by Sasha Blake

Review of the The Wish by Sasha Blake

A great summer sizzler – don't miss out!

The Wish is based around the glamorous and, as we learn, dangerous Las Vegas lives of Ben Arlington 24 year old, super rich son of a casino owner, Lulu his lovely PA. Sasha Arlington Ben's mother and perhaps the coldest character I have ever come across and Bessie, a somewhat shady but elusive character from Sasha's past. Ben's long suffering father Frank also has a key role along with Ben's sister Ariel and other characters including Ben's fiance, Sunshine Beam. Lulu was my favourite character without a doubt, although both Ben and Ariel come across very well.

Sofia appears emotion less and cold hearted throughout and is in my opinion impossible to warm to. Whilst, Lulu is a delight and I found myself hoping that her wish would come true. There are a lot of characters in this novel, but they are all intertwined and link together very well.

Sofia and her assistant, the henchman like Sterling will stop at nothing to halt Bessie from revealing a secret, which could ruin her life. But, what is this secret? This book takes the reader on a journey from the glamour and glitz of Las Vegas, to icy cold Mont Blanc, the exclusive and intimate Bahamas and filthy trailer parks in the dusty Arizona desert. It is a whirlwind story and is worth every minute of it.

The book is divided into four parts allowing the reader to gain information on the early lives of Sofia and Bessie, an introductory part and a concluding part. The short chapters also made me want to read on and on. I thought this worked well and would really recommend this book. It is a great thriller and family drama in one and you will not be able to put it down!