Review of Welcome to Rosie Hopkins' Sweetshop of Dreams by Jenny Colgan

I am a big fan of Jenny Colgan and loved her last novel Meet me at the Cupcake Café, so you can imagine how excited I was to receive a copy of her latest book in the post.

Welcome to Rosie Hopkins’ Sweetshop of Dreams contains everything you expect from Colgan - from the warm, friendly characters to the twist and turns in the plot that leave you trying to guess what the outcome will be. Rosie is a lovely character who I liked straight away; she is at loose end with a job and a relationship that seem to be going no where. When she leaves behind her busy London life to help her frail aunt in the small rural village of Lipton she does not expect to want to stay around long. However, life with her Aunt Lilian is definitely not what she expected.

This is a wonderful book that will leave you craving sweets. It really made me think of all of my childhood favourites – I even had to go out and buy some chocolate limes and rhubard and custard sweets. There are some great laugh out loud moments and quite a few surprises as Rosie works hard to fit in with village life. I particularly liked the descriptions of the shop and how Rosie tries to bring life back into it. I also enjoyed the way that Lilian looks back on her life in Lipton.

This is Jenny Colgan at her best. Highly recommended – especially if you have a sweet tooth!

Welcome to Rosie Hopkins’ Sweetshop of Dreams is released on the 28^th March. To celebrate I am giving away a copy of the book and a Nostalgic Favourites Gift Bag of sweets from Mrs Kibble’s Olde Sweet Shoppe. To enter retweet this post or leave a comment. Closes 15^th April 2012. Open to UK residents only.

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

Review of Priceless by Nicole Richie

Priceless is a modern day ‘riches to rags’ tale. Charlotte Williams is a Park Avenue princess who has always had everything she ever asked for. Suddenly her life is turned upside down when her father is arrested for fraud. With no other family, Charlotte flees to New Orleans, but how will she survive without everything she has become accustomed to?

I must admit I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book, but I actually really enjoyed it. The novel is told in short chapters, which give it a fast paced feel and made me want to keep reading. In fact, I only sat down to read a couple of chapters and ended up glued to the sofa until I had finished the book! There were also some great twists and turns in the storyline that I hadn’t been expecting.

I really warmed to Charlotte’s character. At first, I felt that I would dislike her, but my opinion changed a lot as the story progressed. I loved Kat’s character and thought that she was very witty. 

Overall, I would recommend this as a fun, light read. Perfect to take on holiday.

Thank you to Harper Collins for sending me a copy to review.

Review of Never Coming Home by Evonne Wareham

One of the things I enjoy most about Choc Lit books is that there is always a male and female perspective, whereas so many romantic novels are only told from the female point of view. The male character in Never Coming Home is Devlin, a mysterious figure who is a world away from many of the previous Choc Lit heroes. We are not told that Devlin is handsome, in fact, he possesses scars that he wants to hide. However, his past is unknown and at times dark and this gives him a real edge and attractiveness.

Never Coming Home is a dark romance full of suspense. Heroine Kaz Elmore learns the devastating news that her five year old daughter has been killed in a car crash. Just as she is beginning to get her life back on track, she is dealt some shocking news that gives her hope.

Soon the plot twists and turns its way from London to America and Italy and what appeared to be a tragic accident turns into a much deeper and sinister state of affairs. Wareham’s writing is fantastic and pulls the reader right to the heart of the story. I found it difficult to put this down.

I really loved this novel. It is a darker read and there is quite a bit of violence, but it fits well within the context of the book. It is action packed and kept me guessing right to the very end. I am looking forward to reading more from Evonne Waeham.

Thank you to Choc Lit for sending me a copy to review.