Newest Women's Fiction Reviews
Women's Fiction
The Wedding Diaries by Sam Binnie
Kiki and Thom are getting married! The proposal might not have been quite as fabulous as Thom would have liked (bad Kiki!) but that’s all sorted now and with barely a year to plan the shindig, Kiki needs to get cracking. With dresses to try on, venues to find, wedding cakes to taste test, there’s lots to be done, and so the sensible option is to start a diary, to chronicle this magical time in her life but also for her to keep track off all those little To Dos which will lead up to I Do. Full review...
A Strange Inheritance by Mark Neilson
Meg had just lost her job when she received the letter from the Solicitor. It was all very mysterious but when she presented herself in his office she discovered that an Uncle she knew nothing about had left her an inheritance. It wasn't just any inheritance, either – in addition to a substantial sum of money she was now the proud owner of a mill in the Yorkshire Dales. Almost on a whim she decided that she wouldn't sell the property. The more that she saw of the mill, the more that she felt she wanted to live there. She loved the local town and it was a bonus when she made a friend – a fellow Scot – on her first day there. Full review...
In the Name of Love by Katie Price
Charlie Porter is a television sports presenter who's recently broken up with her footballer boyfriend. She and her friend Zoe now refer to him as TFB. The first letter is for 'total' and the last casts doubts on his parentage. I'm sure that you can work the rest out for yourself. On a holiday to Barbados (Zoe's footballer boyfriend forgot her birthday, you see...) she meets Felipe Castillo, a central figure in the Spanish Eventing team and hotly tipped for an Olympic medal. There's an almost immediate attraction - after Charlie has given him a piece of her mind because of his attitude to a waiter - but there are one or two difficulties in the way of their relationship. Full review...
The Painted Bridge by Wendy Wallace
Young bride Anna Palmer places her trust in all the wrong people. One choice that backfires spectacularly is her impulsive marriage to the Reverend Vincent Palmer. Less than a year after their marriage he tells her that they are going to visit some of his friends at a place called Lake House. But Lake House is a privately run asylum 'for genteel women of a delicate nature'. Once there Anna discovers that she is not allowed to leave without Vincent's approval. Full review...
Wife 22 by Melanie Gideon
Alice and William Buckle have been married for quite a few years and have two teenage children and a dog. With their busy lives, they end up having little time for each other and rarely get the opportunity to talk about the things that matter. In order to do something about her feelings of discontent, Alice googles 'happy marriage?' and although there seem to be no magic secrets for success, a little later she is invited to take part in an online survey about modern marriage. She is given the label, Wife 22, and is assigned to her caseworker, Researcher 101, who sends her questions periodically, and is also available through email to answer any queries. Alice soon enjoys being able to pour her heart out through the questions that she has to answer but also finds that she is becoming more than a little attracted to her faceless caseworker. They start chatting through facebook and Alice finds it quite exciting to mildly flirt with her new friend. However, the more she does so, the more disgruntled she becomes with her own husband. There comes a point though where Alice has to decide whether to take things further and if she does, what will become of her marriage? Full review...
Second Time Around by Erin Kaye
When Jennifer and Ben first meet, they really like each other. It doesn't take long before they are dating and although there is over sixteen years difference in age, they get on so well that they can see that they do have a future together. However, as Ben is closer in age to Jennifer's children, Matt and Lucy, she is worried about what they will think. Ben's parents are equally unhappy especially as they feel that if Ben stays with Jennifer, she is not likely to provide them with the grandchildren they so desire. It seems that there's no way to keep everybody happy. Full review...
French Lessons by Ellen Sussman
There are six main characters in this book which is really three stories in one. Nico, Philippe and Chantal know each other, and Nico knows Josie, and Philippe knows Riley, and Chantal knows Jeremy, but Josie and Riley and Jeremy don’t know each other or anyone else. The first three are French tutors who have private lessons with their foreign students on the streets of Paris, using the city as a better backdrop for learning than a stuffy classroom. This week they each have Americans engaging their services, and over the course of one day the lives of students and teachers all change in ways they never expected. Full review...
Lace by Shirley Conran
Lili might be young but she's a superstar and she's used to getting what she wants. She's just summoned Judy, Kate, Maxine and Pagan to her suite in Manhattan's most exclusive hotel. They might be at the top of their professions - Fashion, PR and interior design but it's Lili who holds the whip hand here. She has a simple request:
Which one of you bitches is my mother? Full review...
Shadow of Night (All Souls Trilogy 2) by Deborah Harkness
Shadow of Night moves on from where A Discovery of Witches finishes. Matthew Claremont (vampire, intellectual and, even after centuries of life, still looking a pretty decent 37 years old) and Diana Bishop (historian and witch with a pedigree stretching back to the Salem witch trials) are married and have time-walked to 1591 to look for Ashmole 782, the ancient book that Diana let slip through her fingers in 2010. They also need to find Diana a tutor to help her control the powers that she's chosen to ignore for a lifetime. There aren't just supernatural items on the agenda though; Diana thought she knew all there was to know about her new spouse but there are secrets to be discovered, his connection to the historic 'School of the Night' being one of the less dangerous. Oh, and another thing, they discover that the 16th century isn't, perhaps, the best time to visit if you're a witch, especially if you need to advertise for a tutor. (I think we could have told them that if they'd asked!) Full review...
The Taliban Cricket Club by Timeri N Murari
We all know, or think we know, how oppressive life was for Afghans, particularly Afghan women, under the Taliban regime, but when you read this novel, boy do you get a sense of how tough it really was. Full review...
In Her Shadow by Louise Douglas
Hannah has had one nervous breakdown due to unbearable guilt and seems on course for a second. How else can she explain the fact that the still dead Ellen seems to be following her around? It all started two decades earlier... Full review...
The Day You Saved My Life by Louise Candlish
Holly, in her early twenties, is a single mother who has had severe post-natal depression since the birth of her son Mikey. He is now a toddler, and they live with Holly's mum, Joanna. She has a somewhat sordid past of her own but has given everything to raising Holly in a loving environment; she has also had to do most of the caring for her small grandson. Full review...
The Secrets Between Us by Louise Douglas
Sarah and Alexander meet at a time when both are looking for a fresh start following the demise of their previous relationships. She is vulnerable, he is needy, and together they can support each other. Sarah is quickly employed as a live in housekeeper in his sprawling home, and moves south from Manchester to join Alex and his young son Jamie. Life in a small village takes some getting used to, especially given what has happened. Genevieve, Alex’s popular, pretty and wealthy wife, has disappeared. Some say of her own accord, others are sure something sinister has happened to her, but in any event she has not been heard from since she left town and the locals are suspicious of Sarah’s motives. In their eyes she is moving in on the man who rightly belongs to the town sweetheart, taking over the role of mothering Jamie, and generally weaselling her way in to become the lady of the house before Genevieve’s bed is even cold. Protestations that she is simply an employee, not a lover, fall on deaf ears, and with Genevieve’s family being the most prominent in town, it’s hard to get anyone to be on Sarah and Alexander’s side when accusations start flying. Full review...
Dragon of Life Book 2 Minor Gods by Mark Devine
Luke and Martha have been apart for some time as Luke's been in Valparaiso where one of the hotels which he sold to a consortium of employees has been having problems. When they meet again it's in Seattle, but they're on their way to the Far East in the hope of starting a new life free from the attentions of the FBI which they so tired of in the first book in the series. They had perhaps hoped that life would be simpler - but this is Luke Whittaker we're talking about and 'simple' is just never going to happen. Full review...
Whatever It Takes by Adele Parks
Whatever it takes means giving up your exciting, settled life in the capital to move to Dartmouth, if that’s what your husband wants.
Whatever it takes means being a constant shoulder to cry on for your best friend even when that nagging voice at the back of your mind is asking whether this is really a two-way friendship.
Whatever it takes means prioritising the needs of others – your daughters, your in laws – ahead of your own needs. All day, every day.
Whatever it takes means maintaining a calm, put-together demeanour in the face of event crashers, party trashers, unfaithful spouses and life-changing secrets.
Whatever it takes means keeping up appearances, no matter what. But if a relationship’s a sham, it’s only a matter of time before the façade starts to crack and splinter. Full review...
Dragon of Life Book 1: Raining Truth by Mark Devine
When we first encounter Luke Whitaker he is - he tells us - a disembodied spirit placed in this part of the heavenly kingdom so that he can remember his life and emotions exactly as they were lived. I don't know about you, but I'd find that rather unpleasant and decidedly embarrassing. Luke Whitaker recognises that there are parts of his life which he'd rather remove from the record, but acknowledges that he can't. We join him in 1967 in Seattle and he's on his way to Honolulu. When he sets off he doesn't realise quite how momentous the trip is going to be. Full review...
Turn Back Time by Pamela Fudge
Charles and Tessa have managed reasonably well since their divorce. Both adore their daughter, Megan and would agree that the other is a good parent - that is if they ever had any contact with each other other than the occasional text or email. Just before Megan is due to go to university Charles sends a message to Tessa via Megan. He has something which he needs to discuss with her and thinks that they should meet. Full review...
I Still Dream About You by Fannie Flagg
At the age of 60, Maggie Fortenbury's glory days seem to have passed her by. An ex-Miss Alabama, she headed for the fame she dreamt of in 'the Big Apple' and ended, instead, making disastrous life choices that took her along a different route. However she had made one good decision: to work for the diminutive Hazel Whisenkott, midget and founder of Red Mountain Realty. Now, as Hazel is dead, and despite her friendship with her colleagues (obese, optimistic Brenda and moaning Ethel), suicide seems the next logical step. It has to be done correctly as Maggie comes from an era when you wouldn't want to let anyone down or any commitment unfulfilled. Therefore picking her final day becomes increasingly difficult when other things get in the way, including a troupe of Whirling Dervishes. Full review...
Indelible Ink by Fiona McGregor
Once wealthy, middle class Australian suburbanite Marie King never thought she'd be starting a new life at 59 but here she is, divorced and having to sell the marital home. Unfortunately, attached to the marital home is the marital garden into which Marie didn't only give life but also pour her own life. However, Marie tries to be positive and decides that if she's going to be a new person, she may as well go the whole way. This means tattoos (much to her offsprings' horror) and an unlikely friendship with tattooist Rhys. With that comes the realisation that the privileged suburb of Mossman isn't all there is to Sydney. There's much more to the city, and indeed herself, than she first thought. Full review...
Chocolate Shoes and Wedding Blues by Trisha Ashley
Tansy was brought up by her great-aunt Nancy, who is in her nineties at the start of this book. Tansy lives with her fiancé Justin, but time is racing by and she is beginning to despair of ever getting married or having babies. Justin is under his demanding mother's thumb, and Tansy loves getting away to the village where her great aunt owns a small shoe shop. Full review...
This Is How It Ends by Kathleen MacMahon
This is an incredibly gentle (and gently funny) love story set in the winter of 2008 when the Irish economy was booming and the US were about to elect their first black president. Hugh (a deliciously grumpy surgeon) and his currently unemployed architect daughter Addie lived happily in an Irish seaside town. Ok, he'd broken both his wrists tripping over Addie's dog and Addie found it hard not to cry sometimes, but they were alright. Then one day, out of the blue, they receive a voicemail message from Bruno, a distant American relative who's just popped over the ocean to say 'Hi!' Remembering the last US relative who came to visit (it didn't go well), Addie and Hugh decide to ignore the phone... and the front door... and the occupant of the bench seat across the road... He's bound to go home eventually. Full review...
Amber Scott is Starting Over by Ruth Saberton
Amber Scott has been with her fiancé Ed for over ten years. Things may not be perfect in their relationship but they muddle along OK in their London home, both going off to their separate jobs. However, one day, just as Amber is about to celebrate a promotion of her own, Ed announces that he has been offered a partnership in a law firm. This should be fantastic news but the problem is that it is over two hundred miles away in Cornwall and would mean Amber having to give up everything that she has worked for in order to go with him. And, of course, as Ed points out many times, if she really loves him she wouldn't even have to think about it. Full review...
Ten Years On by Alice Peterson
The prologue of this book sees Becca with her student friends at a New Year's Eve party. Afterwards, she and her boyfriend Ollie and their flatmate Joe hang out for a while, talking about the future. They wonder what they might be doing in ten years' time... Full review...
Dangerous Waters: Mystery, Loss and Love on the Island of Guernsey by Anne Allen
Jeanne Le Page suffered a panic attack as the ferry neared Guernsey. It was a decade and a half since she'd left the island following the deaths of her parents in a boating accident. She'd been in the boat with them but had no memory of what happened other than the occasional flashback. It was the death of her grandmother which brought her back to the island, but she never intended to stay for long - in fact just long enough to arrange for the sale of the cottage which her grandmother had left her. But somehow the island worked its magic on her and she found herself making friends and developing more of a social life than she'd had back on the mainland. Full review...
Another Home, Another Love by Gwen Kirkwood
Rosemary Palmer-Farr is nowhere near as grand as her name might lead you to expect. In fact she's a down-to-earth girl, fresh out of horticultural college who's taken over the gardens attached to her mother's hotel. It's her mother who has the social pretensions. She's determined that Rosemary Lavender (it's OK - everyone else calls her Rosie) is going to make a good marriage and that certainly doesn't include any of the tenant farmers (or their offspring) she's been so friendly with. And when push comes to shove she'll do whatever is necessary to keep her away from one particular man of the soil whilst pushing the suit of the local landowning family. Full review...
The Lonely Furrow by Pamela Kavanagh
The loss of the family business was no fault of the Drummond family, but by the time that they'd repaid what was owed they had no home and no means of making a living. The elder son, Nathan, lost his fiancé and there was little left for them to do but to leave Glasgow and move to a farm which had been in Florence Drummond's family for some time. They weren't farmers, but there was little choice but for them to buckle down and make the best of the situation presented to them. Full review...
The Lady Most Likely by Julia Quinn, Eloisa James and Connie Brockway
Hugh, the Earl of Briarly, has acknowledged his mortality after a nasty accident, and has decided to take a wife. Not being a very sociable person - he likes horses better than people - he asks his married sister Carolyn to produce a list of eligible young ladies. She does so, and then invites them and various other friends to a house party. Full review...
Me and My Sisters by Sinead Moriarty
Louise, Sophie and Julie. Three women. Three sisters. One a successful business woman. One a successful trophy wife. One a successful mother of four. All of them seem to the others to have it all. All of them have more troubles than the others could ever imagine. Full review...
Nutmeg by Maria Goodin
Meg was rather underdone when she was born. Her mother ate lots of eggs during pregnancy, in the hope of giving her a good glaze, but instead she came out clucking like a chicken, and was fortuitously caught in a frying pan by the gas man... Full review...
The Greatest Love Story of All Time by Lucy Robinson
It was the blurb on this one that had me interested, mentioning Fran’s 30th birthday (mine’s a few months away) and the fact she’s bluffed her way into a very posh job (something some might say I’ve just done too). I thought we might be kindred spirits and even if we weren’t, I thought I might be signing up for some fun, flirty chick lit which is never a bad thing.
Until now. Full review...
Ninepins by Rosy Thornton
Laura lives deep in the Cambridgeshire Fens with her daughter Beth and at the time that we meet them she's just coming up to her twelfth birthday. Her father has remarried and now has three young sons, but mother and father decided early on that they would have cordial relations for Beth's sake - and the habit has stuck. Money from Beth's father is a little hit and miss, so Laura has been in the habit of letting out the pumphouse - once a drainage station - to students, but this time its occupant is Willow, who is seventeen years old and who has been in care. It takes a while for her history to emerge, but her mother was a hippy with no sense of responsibility and it seems that Willow might have been guilty of arson. Full review...
Rainshadow Road by Lisa Kleypas
It's sometimes said that bad luck comes in threes. It certainly happens that way for Lucy, the rather hapless heroine of this book. First her boyfriend of two years announces that he wants her to move out, because - of all things - he has decided that he likes her sister Alice better. Then Lucy's car breaks down. And then, just as she seems to be dealing with her circumstances fairly well, she is knocked over by a car. Full review...
Alice Brown's Lessons in the Curious Art of Dating by Eleanor Prescott
'Alice Brown's Lessons in the Curious Art of Dating' is a very enjoyable and light-hearted look at the world of dating agencies. Table for Two is a thriving agency run by Audrey Cracknell and her team including Alice who is most successful at setting up dates leading to lasting love. There is nothing more exciting that receiving gold written wedding invitations from former clients. There's also fierce competition from the other dating agencies in town especially Love Birds run by Audrey's arch rival, Sheryl Toogood. Then of course, there's the annual Matchmakers' ball – the highlight of the year but also the place to be seen and score points. There's a great deal of fun and lots of romance too. This book is pure escapism. Full review...
Escape by Barbara Delinsky
Emily and James are a couple of 30-something lawyers living in New York, except they’re not really living so much as existing, running from home to work to yoga class to book club, barely spending any time together. It’s just the way it is until one day Emily takes a particularly tough call at work and realises in that moment that what she’s doing isn’t right. It isn’t how she imagined life would be. It isn’t what she went to law school for, or what she wants. And so she leaves. Fleeing the city for an altogether more relaxed place, she tells neither her work nor her husband that she is leaving, she just goes. Full review...
Welcome To Rosie Hopkins' Sweetshop Of Dreams by Jenny Colgan
Rosie Hopkins is reluctant to leave her beloved London, Gerard, a live-in boyfriend of eight years and her work as auxiliary nurse. But when an elderly aunt who had spent her life running a traditional sweetshop in a small village in the North of England becomes just too elderly to cope, Rosie surprises everybody – even herself – by taking up the challenge. A 100% townie who can't ride a bike and doesn't seem to own a waterproof, a pair of wellies or even walking boots, Rosie soon discovers that the countryside has its charms, not least of which is the local supply of masculine eye candy. Soon she will find herself re-opening the shop (just to sell it as a running concern, you understand) as well as somewhat accidentally, saving and enriching lives all around, from a lady of the manor's Lab to her own dignified, but possessed of an acid tongue, great aunt Lillian. Full review...
The Book of Summers by Emylia Hall
When Beth receives a parcel from her estranged mother she realises she must finally face up to her past. The parcel contains a scrap book, full of photos from each summer when Beth was 10 until she was 16. As she turns the pages we learn of Beth's childhood, the separation of her parents and the summers she spends with her mother in Hungary. Full review...
The Fever Tree by Jennifer McVeigh
Frances Irvine enjoys a privileged lifestyle in Victorian England: a beautiful house, servants, rich gowns and all the trappings her position as the daughter of an industrialist demands. However, Frances' lifestyle proves to be a precarious house of cards balanced on her father's investment in the Northern Pacific Railroad in North America. When the Canadian terrain proves too much for the railroad construction to continue, her father's shares are rendered worthless. As this occurs just before his sudden death, Frances is forced to make a choice as her finery and home are auctioned off. Does she throw herself on the mercy of her lower class relatives or commit herself to a loveless marriage to distant cousin Dr Edwin Matthews? Full review...
Croissants and Jam by Lynda Renham
Even before Annabel Lewis boards the flight to Rome that will take her to her wedding, she is having doubts. After all, she has only known Simon for seven months and he does tend to be quite controlling and not much fun. So, when a series of unfortunate events causes her to miss her connecting flight, although she is reluctant to admit it, it is a welcome relief. She does still intend to go ahead with the wedding though, so she needs to find away to get across France and into Italy. As there are no flight options, she ends up agreeing to share a car with the man who inadvertently made her miss her flight. As a fashion conscious stylish woman though, she is more than a little perturbed when the car in question ends up as a clapped out old Citroen (affectionately known as the lemon) and when Christian, her travelling companion, stops at a French supermarket so that she can get some clothes to wear. Bels is much more used to designer labels than cheap and functional clothing. Full review...
The J M Barrie Ladies' Swimming Society by Barbara J Zitwer
When Joey Rubin arrives at Stanway House to oversee its renovations she is looking forward to the challenge of preserving its ties with one of her favourite authors, J M Barrie. It also means a change of scenery from her somewhat lonely life in New York as well as the opportunity for catching up with Sarah, her oldest and closest friend. However, things don't go quite according to plan as Sarah has changed out of all recognition and everything Joey says or does seem to cause offence. Full review...
The House on Willow Street by Cathy Kelly
You don't get to a certain age without having a bit of a past and a few stories, some of which you'd rather weren't told and others which you'd just plain rather forget about. In the idyllic Irish coastal village of Avalon we meet four women and they've all got big histories. Tess is descended from the local landowners, but now she lives with her teenage son Zach and her nine-year-old daughter Kitty and she owns the local antiques shop. It's a struggle to make ends meet when her marriage falls apart. To cap it all, her first love and the man she's never really forgotten returns to the village but they're no friendlier than they were the last time they met. Full review...
The Summer of Living Dangerously by Julie Cohen
When I read Julie Cohen's book Nina Jones and the Temple of Gloom a couple of years ago my poor toddler had to endure neglect for the day since I couldn't stop reading it. This time Julie had me risking my own health since I started reading her new book in the bath and my husband came to find me there several hours later sitting in stone cold water, unwilling to get out since I didn't want to stop reading! I do love it when you find a book that captures your imagination, but I'd advise perhaps a comfortable armchair located near to a stash of plentiful snacks would be a wise place to begin. Full review...
Babies In Waiting by Rosie Fiore
Three women, three different situations, ages spanning three decades. Gemma, Toni and Louise don’t have masses in common, but come into each other’s lives when they all fall pregnant around the same time. With partners, parents, siblings and other friends not quite getting all that’s going on in their heads...and in their tummies...the women quickly form a tight support network in which all their differences cease to matter. Full review...
