Women's Fiction
The Only Way Is Up by Carole Matthews
Lily and Laurence Lamont-Jones were on holiday in Tuscany with their friends. Lily had enjoyed it but she had a nagging suspicion that Laurence's mind was elsewhere. Quite how bad his worries were didn't become apparent until they flew home to find that their house and car had been repossessed along with all their worldly goods. They were left with the contents of their suitcases, the clothes they stood up in and a mountain of debts. After a night in the cheapest motel they can find the family of four is moved into the only available accommodation – a very scruffy council house on a sink estate. Full review...
Up Close and Personal by Leonie Fox
I had high hopes for a bright and breezy bonkbuster from Leonie Fox's third novel, having read some favourable reviews of her first two books. The title, cover art and blurb suggest a frothy, fun, flirty and sexy read, so I was very disappointed to find this is anything but. Full review...
Just Breathe by Susan Wiggs
Sarah may be struggling to make a living off it, but she does enjoy her job as a cartoonist. She's been through a lot recently, including her husband's battle with cancer, and her alter ego Shirl provides an outlet for a lot of the emotions and confusion she's feeling. Full review...
A Place Of Secrets by Rachel Hore
A collection of 18th century books offers Jude an opportunity to combine work and a visit to her family in Norfolk. She works as a valuer at a London auction house, and it has been a while since she went home. Full review...
Counterfeit Kisses by Sandra Heath
Stephen Holland was gullible and certainly no match for the Duke of Exton who was a proficient cheat at cards when there was something which he wanted. In this instance what he wanted was the Holland Tiara and despite all that Sir Gareth Carew could do, Holland, in his cups to the point of being unable to get himself home, lost the tiara. When Carew took the drunk home Holland blamed Carew for the loss and Susannah Holland swore that she would regain the tiara and have her revenge on Carew. Such is the fate of those who do good turns. Full review...
My Sister's Voice by Mary Carter
Twenty-eight year old Lacey Gears is a fiercely independent deaf artist living in Philadelphia with her boyfriend Alan and her puggle Rookie. Lacey is proud to be deaf and has no desire to become hearing. When she finds a note in her mailbox telling her she has an identical twin called Monica, Lacey dismisses it as a joke but curiosity gets the better of her when she sees a picture of Monica, and she soon finds herself confronting Margaret, her orphanage house mother who confirms Monica’s existence and their separation twenty-five years ago. Full review...
Heading Home by Katie Flynn
Claudia is seven when this book opens, in Liverpool in 1926. She's a careful girl, perhaps a little spoilt, although clearly not wealthy. She enjoys the protection of thirteen-year-old Danny who comes from a poorer family, and evidently has something of a crush on Claudia. Even in this first chapter, she comes across as somewhat self-centred, wanting people to think well of her, but not naturally generous or empathic. Full review...
The Final Hitch by Samantha Scott-Jeffries
Following her first outing in Samantha Scott-Jeffries I Do I Do I Do, Izzy Mistry is back and comfortably settled into her life in Majorca as a wedding planner. Izzy loves her job and certainly isn’t expecting to be planning her own wedding anytime soon, so is rather surprised when she finds herself being proposed to by two different men on the same night. One of these men is her ex-boyfriend, Harrisson, and Izzy soon finds herself back in his arms, planning to start a new life together on the island. But as they start to renovate their beautiful new home in the mountain town of Soller, the sheen on their relationship starts to fade, and Izzy is left wondering whether she made the right decision. Full review...
Men I've Loved Before by Adele Parks
Natalie and Neil are an average thirty-something aspirational couple, living a comfortable life in West London. Having agreed before they married five years ago that they never want children, a chance remark from one of Neil's friends quickly changes his mind. Suddenly being a dad is all Neil can think about and meeting severe resistance from Natalie he tries many methods to persuade her. Feeling under huge pressure, Natalie seeks refuge at her parents' house where she discovers her old address book, or little black book as it became known when she was single. Inside are the old addresses of Natalie's ex-boyfriends and as she reminisces Natalie starts to wonder if Neil is indeed the one, or whether it was just good timing that resulted in them getting together. As Natalie decides meeting up with her exes is the best way to see if indeed the one slipped through her fingers, Neil embarks on a seedy new hobby and the two practically stop speaking to each other. Will they be able to save their marriage? Full review...
Grandmother's Footsteps by Charlotte Moore
Verity's husband has died suddenly and she decides to sell Knighton, the house she has lived in for large parts of her life, where she was born and brought up and where she has lived for thirty years with her husband and daughter. She must sort out all the possessions and papers stored there, and this prompts her reflections on the past, including her not so happy marriage. She also realises that now Simeon is dead, she can reveal a family secret to her daughter Hester. Full review...
The Tapestry of Love by Rosy Thornton
Catherine Parkstone has sold her home in England and moved, lock, stock and tomato plants, to a tiny hamlet in the Cevennes mountains in France's Massif Central. It's eight years since her divorce and her children are now grown and (reasonably) independent, so it's time for her to do what pleases her. Her aim is to set up a sewing business in the hamlet – doing upholstery, soft furnishings and tapestry – but she has to come to terms with the extremes of the weather, French bureaucracy and the understandable reserve of her neighbours who are not keen to see more tourism taking over the area. It's not long before Catherine falls in love – with the landscape and a way of life. Full review...
Lady Farquhar's Butterfly by Beverley Eikli
Olivia - Lady Farquhar - has recently been widowed. This does not upset her in the least; indeed, as becomes clear through the novel, her husband was an unpleasant bully who subjected her to all kinds of abuse. Unfortunately, however, the terms of his will have ensured that her beloved toddler Julian has been taken away to live with his uncle Max until such time as Olivia marries someone considered to be above reproach. For that reason, she is seriously considering marrying Nathaniel, a clergyman who has helped her for many years. The only problem with that is that she finds him increasingly repulsive... Full review...
No Matter What by Wendy Kremer
Wealthy American Jason Tyler needs a wife fast to stop his cousin Calvin from taking over the family oil business. After responding to his advert English girl Amy Courtland meets Jason in London to discuss his proposal. Amy is desperate for the money Jason is offering her to be his wife so she can pay off the debts her father has left behind. Her feet barely touch the ground in Los Angeles before Amy finds herself with a new surname and new life as Jason's fake wife. But unlike the rest of Jason and Amy's families, Calvin is not convinced by the marriage and is determined to prove it is a sham. When Jason decides to take Amy into the Venezuelan jungle with him on a business field trip Amy soon finds her life in danger on more than one occasion, leaving Jason to wonder if someone is behind these strange events. Full review...
Kissing Mr Wrong by Sarah Duncan
Kissing Mr Wrong is the first book I have read by Sarah Duncan and it has definitely given me an appetite to read more. It tells an absorbing tale with many different threads that bind together well and with a main character that I loved. Indeed, it has all of the ingredients for a riveting read – one that I didn't want to put down. Full review...
Grass Stains by Kirsty Robinson
Being the editor of a style magazine has its perks: free tickets, free gigs, endless parties, alcohol and drugs. And that is what Louisa's life consists of – one continuous binge. Louisa spends her life going from one party to another, but it's not all it's cracked up to be and her life is starting to fall apart. Full review...
A Change For The Better by Pamela Fudge
Jo Farrell had spent all her life caring for other people. After she lost her alcoholic husband and her demanding, hypochondriac mother she had time for herself, but when she looked in the mirror she wasn't particularly impressed by what she saw. The middle-aged, slightly plump woman with grey curls reminded her of her mother and the clothes she was wearing did little to help either. It was something odd which helped her to change. The very scruffy man from downstairs (the sort you would cross the road to avoid) came to borrow a newspaper and somehow they got talking about what needed to be done to change her life. Full review...
The Kindest Thing by Cath Staincliffe
Imagine that your partner of twenty or so years discovers that they are dying from a terminal disease. Now imagine that they've asked you to help them to die a little sooner, on their own terms. What would you do? This is the dilemma that faced Deborah and, after she went ahead and helped her husband Neil to die, she found herself charged and standing trial for murder with her own teenage daughter, Sophie, testifying against her. Full review...
Confessions of a Duchess by Nicola Cornick
Dowager Duchess Laura Cole has come to the village of Fortune’s Folly to live a quiet life as a widow with her young daughter. But when the village squire decides to invoke the Dames’ Tax, a law requiring every unmarried woman to give up half her wealth to him, the town becomes a hotbed of men searching for heiresses now desperate to marry. Joining the men is Dexter Anstruther, sent to secure a rich wife and carry out a murder inquiry on behalf of Lord Liverpool. The last thing Laura and Dexter expect is to see each other again after their steamy encounter four years ago. But their passion for each other is reawakened and looks set to ruin them both. Full review...
The Bridesmaid Pact by Julia Williams
I recently read Last Christmas by Julia Williams and enjoyed it so much that I was determined to read more by this fabulous author. The opportunity presented itself in the shape of 'The Bridesmaid Pact', a truly wonderful book that not only met but also exceeded all my expectations. In fact it was so good that I read the last 200 pages in just one day, totally ignoring my family whilst doing so. Full review...
The Liberation of Alice Love by Abby McDonald
You can just picture Alice Love standing before the panel on Britain's Got Talent.
'And what do you do?' they like to ask.
'I work in the film industry...'
'Oooh, really?'
'...as a lawyer.'
'Oh.'
Like all those accountants they're always showing, you can imagine that Alice too would receive a rather luke-warm welcome on the show. And Alice would concur that her job isn't all that glam, even if her industry itself is a bit swish. But it's an appropriate job for her, since Alice is very sensible and by-the-book. She's certainly not the type of person to go overdrawn, or run into any kind of trouble financially, so when her card is declined one day she's pretty sure it's just a computer error. Full review...
Midnight Girls by Lulu Taylor
Best friends Allegra McCorquodale, Imogen Heath and Romily de Lisle, known as the Midnight Girls, spend their nights at the exclusive Westfield Boarding School for Girls up in the attic rooms smoking and bitching. But when the girls are witness to a tragic accident, they become bound together forever by what they have seen and vow never to tell. Full review...
Confetti Confidential by Holly McQueen
Confetti Confidential is the third book in the Isabel series, but the first one I've read. Even without that grand claim on the front, you couldn't help but draw comparisons between Kinsella's series and this one from the very first page. The writing style is virtually identical – to the point where you do actually wonder if this is just a pseudonym – and while the chatty, chummy, conversational approach is not for everyone, if it's the sort of thing you like then this is the sort of book you'll love. Full review...
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You Don't Have To Be Good by Sabrina Broadbent
Bea Kemp has reached a crisis point in her life. She is in her forties, childless, enjoying a tedious job and a lacklustre marriage with Frank. She seems to have spent her entire life 'being good' and it really does not seem to have got her anywhere. Her only pleasure seems to come from the time she spends with her niece and nephew, Laura and Adrian, and as her successful sister Katharine has no qualms about using her as an unpaid childminder, that's quite a lot! However, all that looks set to change when Katharine announces that she is moving away with the children so she does not need Bea to look after them. Full review...
Saris and the City by Rekha Waheed
Yasmin Yusuf is a likeable main character with a group of Sex-and-the-City-style friends. The story begins with Yasmin splitting up with the man she was convinced was going to propose, rapidly followed by losing her job. We then follow her as she determines to become successful and make her mark in her new job, whilst holding out for the package in her personal life. I particularly liked the way each chapter is a lesson and lets the reader know what Yasmin will be learning or proving through events played out in that chapter. For example, chapter one is Lesson One: If he's the bad boy and you're the good girl, you will get burnt, hence the resulting ex-boyfriend. Full review...
Fragile Memories by Joan M Moules
Maura was surprised when she inherited the manor house at Picton near Salisbury. She hadn't been close to her Uncle Tom for many years and he had a stepson, Jim, whom she thought would have inherited in preference to her. It was five years since she's been back to Picton and when she returned to put the property on the market she was surprised by the extent of her longing to return there. Money was going to be a problem though. She worked as a model and couldn't really to this from the manor – and she didn't have the money for the property's upkeep. Her boyfriend, Nick, had an answer. He already had three successful restaurants and was looking to extend into the countryside – what better place could there be for his new restaurant? Full review...
Virgin Widow by Anne O'Brien
The mighty Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, is famous throughout England as one of King Edward IV’s most trusted advisors. But as Edward is lured towards another influential family when he falls in love with Elizabeth Woodville, Warwick responds by backing the alliance between Margaret of Anjou and King Louis XI of France, aiming to put Margaret’s husband Henry VI back on the English throne. A helpless pawn, Anne is torn away from the man she loves, who will grow up to become Richard III, to be used as political capital by her father and his allies as they try to regain the kingdom of England. Full review...
Playing for Keeps by Sally Wragg
The Vernon family have been involved with Rislington Rovers Football Club – The Rogues - for generations. Presently there are three generations actively involved with the Club, although Eleanor Vernon, the matriarch of the family, wishes that husband Landon would spend a little more time with her. As the Rogues are facing relegation and a police investigation into their finances, stalwart Landon isn’t likely to be doing that any time soon and when the Club needs a new Chief Executive the appointment is one which divides the Vernon family and it seems that there’s not one of them whose personal life isn't in turmoil. Full review...
Hannah's List by Debbie Macomber
It was a year since Dr Michael Everett's wife Hannah died from ovarian cancer and his grief was still as painful as ever. He certainly wasn't ready for what his brother-in-law, Hannah's brother, handed him. It was a letter which Hannah had written some time before her death and not only did she suggest that he should remarry, she went on to name three women she thought would make a good wife for him. Winter Adams was the chef who owned the café on blossom Street, Leanne Lancaster had been Hannah's nurse, but who was Macy Roth? Full review...
The Finishing Touches by Hester Browne
As the daughter of its owner, and a highly experience management consultant to boot, Betsy is the obvious choice to call for help in turning around a finishing school failing to make the grade in 21st century London. Except... Betsy never attended the school as a student, and she's not so much 'management consultant' as she is 'shop assistant' – a distinction many a proud parent could be forgiven for missing. With the Tallimore Academy facing financial ruin, however, Betsy isn't so much their best hope as she is their only hope. Full review...
The Not-So Secret Diary of a City Girl by Allie Spencer
Banking analyst, Laura McGregor has her secret diary accidentally uploaded to the Internet. The diary contains her thoughts about her lacklustre relationship with a trader, her attraction towards a “dirt-digging journalist” and massive discrepancies in the accounts of her new manager. Full review...
A Perfect Proposal by Katie Fforde
I have read most of Katie Fforde's books and each and every one has proved to be enjoyable and entertaining. A Perfect Proposal comes up to the same high standard and, having just finished reading it, it has left me wanting more! Her style is very relaxed and easy going and she always creates believable characters that you can't help caring about. Full review...
A Change of Fortune by Sandra Wilson
Leonie Conyngham seemed to have everything going for her. She was beautiful and set to be the belle of the forthcoming season, but a family disaster stripped her of her position as the most important pupil in her school and placed her there as the lowliest teacher, there to do the bidding of those above her. Her possessions stolen and in debt she had little choice in the matter. Her physical attractions have not left her though, but now the young rakes of London are not looking at her as a possible wife, but to see who can be the first to deprive her of her virtue. Full review...
Salt Blue by Gillian Morgan
I always judge a book by its cover. The eyes in the pretty face on the cover of Salt Blue are arresting, but difficult to assign to a period, though it’s clearly women’s or teen fiction. I imagine that the cover might attract fiction readers of mainstream women’s magazines such as Women’s Weekly or Woman’s Own, so it’s spot on for the story inside. Full review...
Mother of the Bride by Kate Lawson
This is the story of Jess Foster who is busily preparing for her forthcoming marriage to Max Porter, willingly aided by her mum, Molly, and her stepmother, Marnie. It soon becomes apparent though that the women have different ideas, particularly opinionated Marnie who seems set on Jess having the society wedding of the year and even goes as far as hiring a wedding planner. Molly, on the other hand, agrees with Jess that things should really be kept simple. Thus the scene is well set for all the moods and mayhem which occurs when arranging a wedding. Will Jess be able to stick to her guns and arrange the type of wedding that she wants or will it just be easier to give in to other suggestions? Full review...
What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
'This wasn't the worst thing that had ever happened to her…it was just the most ridiculous' laments thirty nine year old mother of three, Alice, who has had the last ten years of her life struck from her memory by a blow to the head in her step aerobics class. Alice now thinks she's twenty nine, newly pregnant with her first child and happily married to Nick and furthermore she hasn't a clue what she's doing at an aerobics class in the first place. Full review...
The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand
On the island of Nantucket, four couples have forged strong bonds of friendship. Together they live and love, raise their children, share their dreams. It's an idyllic existence and at the same time a very purposeful one. The couples have worked hard to create the quality of life they now enjoy and nothing can take it away from them. Until now. Greg and Tess are dead, the result of what appears to be a sailing accident. They leave behind two young children, and six devastated friends, all of whom have to come to terms with what has happened. For some there is guilt over final words said or final warnings left unsaid. For others, there is the knowledge that secret relationships will now have to stay that way evermore. 'The Castaways' is the book of that fateful summer, the accident and its aftermath, but it's more than just that. It's a look at the precious role friends and family play in our lives, and how innocent actions or words can change the course of history forever. Full review...
A Most Rebellious Debutante by Karen Abbott
Lucy Templeton, daughter of Lord Templeton, fell in love with her dancing master. It wasn't entirely unusual for a seventeen year old girl to feel this way, but it was better that it was unheard of when she was caught in his arms. A substantial sum of money for the dancing master ensured that he would disappear and Lucy was sent to stay with her married sister as punishment. She was not to attend parties or social functions and must spend her time looking after her sister's young children and doing good works, until such time as the Templetons could get her married off. All might have gone according to their plan had she not had a chance encounter with the notorious Lord Rockhaven and a stolen kiss catches her heart. Full review...
The Horse Dancer by Jojo Moyes
Only two things in life matter to fourteen-year-old Sarah: her horse Boo and her grandfather Henri Lachapelle. Henri sees Sarah's skill at horsemanship as her way out of their inner city London life and wants her to follow in his footsteps and become a member of France's elite equestrian academy Le Cadre Noir. Full review...
Truth to Tell by Mavis Cheek
Robert Porter was angry. The politician filling the television screen was lying. He knew it. He railed against it and said politician would have thought himself lucky not to be there in person. Nina only managed to calm her husband by enquiring whether he would like red or white wine with the meal and had that been the end of the matter then that would have been the end of the matter – if you see what I mean. But the telephone rang and it was Robert's boss with details of the team-bonding office trip to Florida. Robert assured him that he was really keen to go (he wasn't) and Nina was looking forward to it too (she wasn't). And then Nina started wondering about the difference between the politician's lies and Robert's, er, evasions. Surely it must be possible to tell the truth? Full review...
The Last Letter From Your Lover by Jojo Moyes
I do love a story that wraps me up completely within its little world, making me want to ignore my long list of things to do and just curl up reading all day. Jojo Moyes' new novel certainly managed it. I felt transported back to the 1960's, entirely caught up in the characters' lives, riding their highs and lows alongside of them, and I ended up desperately foisting my just-woken-up toddler onto my husband so that I could just read the last four pages without her hanging off my arm! Full review...
Trust Me, I'm a Vet by Cathy Woodman
Though I'm not a pet owner and as such had never thought too much about it, I believed this book when it told me there are two types of vets (three if you count the Vietnam kind, though for these purposes let's not). No, I mean the city type who look after poodles and hamsters and maybe the odd depressed gold fish, and the country kind who stick their hands up cows' bottoms for fun, and think horses are man's second best friend, as well as essential equipment for extracurricular activities. Maz definitely falls into the first category, but when her love life gets as sticky as a cancerous canine tumour, she realises that London is not the place to be any more. An opportunity arises at the rather tweely named Otter House Veterinary Clinic, and she seizes it, pleased to have a reason to flee the capital, at least temporarily. Full review...
My Lady Domino by Jeannie Machin
Adele Russell serves behind the counter in a haberdashers and lives over the shop. It wasn't always like that though as it's only a few years since she was a wealthy heiress engaged to marry an earl, but after her father's financial ruin and his death in a fire her fiancé broke off the relationship and Adele was lucky to be taken in by her old nurse. It's taken some time to come to terms with what happened and Adele has reconciled herself to her lowly position until she finds an invitation to a masked ball. What harm would there be in her wearing her mother's ball gown and domino, just for a taste of how things used to be? Full review...
Sea Creatures by Val Harris
Rowena Moon and her husband Brendan lived on the Cornish coast with their three children, Jenna, Charlie and Olivia. Brendan was an artist – and a reasonably successful one. Rowena ran a local café and the children had the freedom of the local beach. It sounds like, and probably was, an idyllic childhood until one day Rowena disappeared without warning and without explanation. It was devastating and affected each of the children in different ways as they grew up. Twenty two years later the five are reunited and the mystery of their past unravels. Full review...