Newest Women's Fiction Reviews
The Dead Wife's Handbook by Hannah Beckerman
Rachel wasn't ready to drop dead at thirty-five. It's been a year since - a year she's spent trapped in some sort of netherworld that allows her brief, tantalising glimpses of the lives of those she's left behind. There's no apparent rhyme or reason to the glimpses, and Rachel wishes they were more often and lasted longer. Full review...
Bring Me Home by Alan Titchmarsh
When we first meet Charlie Stuart he's half wishing that the guests at his annual summer party at his Scottish castle would hurry up and leave - and half hoping that he could delay what he knows will have to be done once everyone has gone. He knows that life will never again be the same, but to understand why we have to go back from June 2000 to 1960 when Charlie was just a young boy being shown the ways of the loch and the surrounding land by the ghillie, who, oddly enough, was also his uncle. Full review...
Mother of the Year by Karen Ross
The one person who could best judge a 'Mother of the Year' competition would surely be a nominee’s daughter, right? And yet where three-time winner Beth Jackson is concerned, her daughter JJ is the one person who remains unconvinced the accolade is warranted. Full review...
We That Are Left by Juliet Greenwood
Hugo and Elin are settling down to life at home in Hiram Hall now Hugo is back from the Boer War. He refuses to speak about his experiences in Africa but carries the psychological effects. However, appearances count for a lot so they both continue to run the house, gardens and staff while Elin tries to ignore the deficiencies in their marriage. She succeeds as well but then two things change her outlook: the arrival of daring adventurer Lady Margaret ('Mouse' to her friends) and the less welcome outbreak of World War I. Both will leave their indelible mark so that, for Hugo, Elin and many others around that time, there'll be no going back. Full review...
The One Plus One by Jojo Moyes
Jess is a single mum of a rather smart little girl. She’s also single step mum, if there’s such a thing, to a rather troubled teenage boy. This is the story of this unusual but endearing family of three, and a road trip to the other end of the country, showing that even with few resources, mums will go to the ends of the earth for their children. It’s also the story of Ed, a wealthy businessman whose life interacts with theirs in an unconventional way. A single mum meets a single man, but in an unpredictable way. Full review...
The Memory Book by Rowan Coleman
When Claire Ryan first hears the devastating news that she has Early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, her first instinct is to run away. However, she does not get far before she realises that she is already forgetting where she lives and the names of simple everyday objects that she has always taken for granted. The worst implication of the news though is that soon she will no longer remember the special events in her life such as giving birth to her daughters nor will she recognise their faces or remember how much she loves the man that is her husband. Not only is this traumatic for her, the effect on her family is unbearable. This is a modern day tragedy with seemingly, no happy ending. Full review...
The Darling Girls by Emma Burstall
Leo Bruck, a world famous conductor, died suddenly of a heart attack. Amongst many mourners at his funeral are three women for whom Leo was much more than an acquaintance. Victoria was his long term partner and mother of his two children, Ralph and Salome. However, Maddy has also shared much of her life with Leo and he is father to her daughter Pheobe. Then there is Cat, who met Leo about eighteen months ago and they also formed a relationship. All three were aware of the others and, for whatever reasons, had tolerated the parallel lives that Leo was leading. However, they had never met before the funeral and there is instant dislike particularly between Victoria and Maddy. Full review...
Left and Leaving by Jo Verity
Set in modern day London, this novel explores the lives of two central characters who, on the surface, could not be any different. However, after a catastrophic incident in the city, Gil and Vivian are thrown together through the rather annoying, interfering character of Irene. Spending time with each other in the run up to Christmas, both Gil and Vivian find themselves having to face up to various family issues and responsibilities that, before, they were able to ignore. Full review...
Come to Me Quietly by A L Jackson
Aleena hasn't seen Jared for six years. Not since he hit the very bottom of his downward spiral and ended up in prison. She's trying to move on, let go of the boy she secretly loved all her life. Just as she's starting to make progress, Jared reappears. Full review...
It Felt Like A Kiss by Sarra Manning
Ellie Cohen lives with two of her best friends, works in an exclusive gallery, and sees her loving Jewish grandparents every first Friday of the month. Her single mother, Ari, has always been the epitome of cool and is Ellie’s best friend and confidante. The only thing they don’t talk about is Billy Kay, Ellie’s biological father. That doesn’t stop him being one of the nation’s favourites, recently knighted, and talked about by pretty much everyone else. But Billy is a non-issue for Ellie. She doesn’t need him, she has Chester, her mum’s best friend, who has always been enough of a dad if she needed. Her only real trouble is her penchant for lame ducks, or fixer-uppers. Full review...
Sheila Levine Is Dead and Living in New York by Gail Parent
Oy vey! Sheila Levine is down on her luck. Try as she might to meet a nice, Jewish boy to marry, she just keeps ending up with schmucks. The wrong side of 30, single and living in Manhattan, well if only she’d taken her mother’s advice at the time. Now it’s too late. There is no hope. The only thing Sheila can do is respectfully take her own life (having made all the arrangements and tied up the loose ends beforehand, of course. Nice girls always clean up after themselves). Full review...
Take Me Home by Daniela Sacerdoti
Inary Monteith is confused. She's just spent the night with her close friend, Alex and it seems that it means more to him that she will allow it to mean to her. After her fiance ditched her not that long before the wedding she decided that she would never allow herself to be hurt like that again. Then the problem seems to be solved for her as she has to leave London and return to Glen Avich in the Scottish Highlands. Her sister, Emily, has been waiting for a heart transplant but it now looks very unlikely that she will make it through to an operation. Full review...
Emma by Linda Mitchelmore
Emma Le Goff was determined that she and her childhood sweetheart, Seth Jago, would get married but the vicar seemed strangely reluctant to oblige. Their pasts were against them. Seth’s brother had been hung and his father and brother were in prison. No one could - or would - quite believe that Seth had kept himself above the criminality. Then there were the deaths of Emma’s mother and brother, which might not have been an accident. To top it all Emma had lived with Matthew Caunter - the vicar wasn’t prepared to accept that she was simply his housekeeper. No - there was no question of his marrying them, but Emma came up with a novel solution to the problem. Full review...
Wish Upon a Star by Trisha Ashley
Cally is a single mother. The novel begins with the birth of her daughter Stella, and the discovery that her baby has a serious heart condition. Stella’s first few years are taken up with hospitals and medical procedures but eventually the NHS can provide nothing further. Then Cally learns that a doctor in Boston is able to do a new kind of operation, one that could potentially give Stella a totally normal life. The only problem is the enormous cost of surgery in the US, not to mention the need for flights and accommodation. Full review...
Christmas at Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop by Jenny Colgan
Rosie Hopkins lives with her boyfriend Stephen in the village of Lipton, and we meet them first on a winter’s evening, with snow gently falling on the picturesque buildings around their cottage. Or, rather, Rosie’s great aunt Lilian’s cottage. For Rosie is a town girl who came to look after Lilian some time previously. Lilian has moved to a lovely care home, and Rosie runs her traditional sweet shop. Full review...
The Emergence of Judy Taylor by Angela Jackson
Judy's life had been the stuff which many others might envy: she'd grown up with friends about her whom she'd known since primary school and married the first man who asked her - but he did seem to be doing rather well. Then one day she discovered a lump. A hard lump. In her right breast. Nerve-racking test followed nerve-racking test, but eventually she was told that everything was absolutely normal. Husband Oli wanted to celebrate. So did her friends. The problem was Judy. Missing the bus home after her hospital appointment she sat in a cafe and thought. She realised that normal was not what she wanted. She wanted something more. Full review...
Dark Witch (The Cousins O'Dwyer Trilogy) by Nora Roberts
American Iona Sheehan moves to Ireland in order to discover her ancestors' roots and oh so much more. Her ancestors were witches and her cousins Branna and Conor O'Dwyer have acquired the family talent. Under their care and tutelage Iona has her own skills honed as she develops the magick passed down to her in between her work at the local stables. Unfortunately magick isn't the only thing to have survived the centuries. Cabahn, the nemesis of Sorcha, the first O'Dwyer dark witch, has unfinished business with the cousins and not in a good way. Full review...
Ghost Moth by Michele Forbes
Belfast 1949: Katherine is about to become engaged to fireman George Bedford when she meets Tom McKinley. He's bright fun and makes her feel more alive than dependable, boring George ever could. The weight of the decision Katherine eventually makes will haunt her for a lifetime. We fast forward to Belfast 1969 and as the troubles in Northern Ireland exacerbate, as do the cracks in Katherine's marriage. In fact 20 years and four children later, they've become chasms. Full review...
Leaving Haven by Kathleen McCleary
After years of trying for a second child, Georgia is over the moon to conceive using an egg donated by her best friend Alice. The pregnancy progresses well and everything is looking rosy for Georgia and husband John until, with mere weeks to go, she uncovers a devastating secret that changes everything, including her ability to love her new baby, Haven. Full review...
Is This Love? by Sue Moorcroft
Sue Moorcroft is not a typical ‘chick lit’ writer, despite the pink and purple cover of this novel, and the fact that her publisher is ‘Choc Lit’. Certainly there’s a romantic element to the book, but there’s a great deal more besides. Love, in the title, does not simply refer to romance and adult relationships, but also includes strong family ties. Full review...
The Gravity Between Us by Kristen Zimmer
Kendall Bettencourt, at the age of just 19, has become one of Hollywood's hottest properties, but is missing her best friend Payton. Flying the other girl out to keep her company in LA and help teach her music seems like a sensible thing to do. But Payton's realised she thinks of Kendall as more than a friend - does Kendall feel the same way about her, and can their feelings survive the craziness of Hollywood life? Full review...
Fractured by Dani Atkins
Rachel is not living a life most people would covet. Her job is dull, she lives alone in a grotty flat, she has a scarred face that makes people stop and squirm, and she still hasn’t come to terms with the death of her best friend – who lost his life saving hers. She has to drag herself out of London and back to her hometown for the wedding of a close friend, and she goes so reluctantly because it’s the first time the whole gang will have been back together since the accident, five years ago. It’s really not a life to hold on to. Surely she’d rather anything else? Full review...
When You Walked Back into My Life by Hilary Boyd
Hilary Boyd wrote best-selling 'Thursdays in the Park', which I enjoyed immensely, so I was delighted to be given the opportunity to read her latest novel. With the stalwarts of a white-coat hospital romance as the major characters, and a sub-plot involving a dying old lady and her money-grabbing nephew, there's plenty to hook lovers of an easy-read romantic novel. Hilary Boyd writes straightforwardly, and the story flies across the pages. Full review...
An Englishwoman in New York by Anne-Marie Casey
I just love that feeling. I’m in the hands of an writer who knows the business of writing inside out, and I can relax and enjoy a surprise ride with plenty of laughs along the way. No, I’m not related to veteran scriptwriter and producer Anne-Marie Casey: in a literary world awash with good reads, this is the highest-calibre popular novel I’ve read in a while. Full review...
Finding Mother by Anne Allen
Nicole Oxford knew that her marriage was over when she discovered that Tom had been unfaithful - again. They'd seemed like the golden couple of television but that and their gorgeous home suddenly seemed as insubstantial as dust. Taking a break from work Nicole flew out to stay with her parents in Spain. Actually, they were her adoptive parents - and Nicole wondered if the bond between them all was going to be strong enough to stand the weight of what she was going to ask of them. Nicole had stopped liking herself and she felt that she needed to go back to her roots, discover who she was - and she wanted their help to trace her birth mother. Full review...
