Newest Women's Fiction Reviews
How to Find your (First) Husband by Rosie Blake
Isobel Graves hasn't got the life she envisioned. She moved to LA to become a star-soaked television presenter, instead she's dressing up everyday in a series of wacky promotional costumes on the streets. She thought she'd be married to a gentleman, instead she's fallen into a lacklustre relationship with a pilot, whose booty calls do not send her sky high. So when Isobel sees a man from her past on TV, someone she was once married to on the playground at school, she wonders what her life would be like if they were married now. With everything to gain and nothing to lose, Isobel attempts to find her first husband and take back control of her life. Full review...
The One We Fell In Love With by Paige Toon
I'm not sure whether it would be flattering or stressful to have 3 beautiful women lusting after you. In the case of Angus, it's itchy footed Phoebe who'd rather be flitting around the French Alps than stagnating in suburban Sale, boho musician Eliza who's still waiting for her big break, and former nurse Rose who is leaving behind an unsuitable boyfriend and a life in the city to move back up north… and live with her mother. It's a complicated situation, made only more complex by the fact that the girls know each other. In the past they've shared a room, and a womb. Hello, triplets. Full review...
Kiss and Kin by Angela Lambert
It's six months since the death of Harriet Capel's husband George. Looking back she's concluded that she was fond of, but probably not in love, with him. They had two sons and it's the elder of these, Roderick who's married to Jennifer. They have three children, but there's been a rather silly feud between the Capels and Jennifer's family, the Gaunts, which dates back to the couple's wedding, when Clarissa Gaunt, Jennifer's mother said something unpleasant in the church which dropped into one of those silences which always occur when you say something which you really shouldn't. Honours (or should it be dishonours?) were even when George Capel later said something crass and vulgar about the bride's mother and was overheard. Full review...
Under a Cornish Sky by Liz Fenwick
Under a Cornish Sky is the story of two very different women who are forced to work together to complete a common goal. Their personalities couldn't be more different, so expect fireworks along the way! Shy Demi is as timid as a mouse and although she is a skilled architect, she is never able to succeed in her career because others take credit for her work. In relationships, she is easily manipulated into doing things she doesn't always feel comfortable with; a fact that is not lost on her sleazy current boyfriend, Matt. Lady-of-the-Manor Victoria, on the other hand, simply oozes self confidence. Although she is in her sixties, she has the body of a much younger woman and has no trouble getting men to do exactly what she wants. Despite a long list of younger lovers providing a pleasurable distraction, her one true love is the family home of Boscawen, a glorious estate set in the picturesque Cornish countryside, not far from the sea. Full review...
How to Find Love in a Book Shop by Veronica Henry
It is with a heavy heart that Emilia Nightingale returns home to the pretty Cotswold town of Peasebrook. Her beloved father Julius has just passed away; his legacy, a well-loved bookshop that serves as a beating heart to the community. Julius was loved by all: he always had time to listen to his customers and share a recuperative cuppa in times of need. However, his finances were another matter entirely and Emilia wonders how she can keep the bookshop open with an ever-mounting pile of debt. Greedy property developer Ian Mendip would be only too happy to help out, but can Emilia really give up on her father's dream? Full review...
These Days of Ours by Juliet Ashton
Not everything that looks like love is love'. Kate and Charlie were childhood sweethearts, so what went wrong? How has he ended up marrying her wayward cousin and Kate marrying her wayward cousin's pretentious ex-boyfriend? How can they still be four friends? Follow Kate through her life where she experiences all kinds of love in all kinds of places and learns that not everything that looks like love is love, but that just sometimes what looks like love might be the real deal. Full review...
Roxy by Esther Gerritsen and Michele Hutchison (translator)
I liked the premise for this novel: a young wife (Roxy) is told at the beginning of the book that her much older husband has been killed in a car accident. To add to the shock of this, the revelation that he died in the arms of his (naked) lover in the car, on the hard shoulder, is a further blow to Roxy. I found this an interesting set-up for a story, and wondered how this was going to go. As the blurb on the back of the novel tells us, she is looking for revenge, I thought the book would be a development of the character of Roxy into a self-motivating, strong character. But this wasn't the case. Full review...
Keep Me Posted by Lisa Beazley
'Keep me Posted' is written in a light-hearted, informal style, narrated by a young mother called Cassie who lives in New York. She and her husband Leo have twin toddlers, and her life is busy, full of technology and fast food. Her older sister Sid is more laid back, and something of a technophobe; although they used to be close, they haven't really been in touch much since Sid and her family moved to Singapore. Full review...
After Birth by Elisa Albert
This book is definitely not for anyone who has a rosy picture of new motherhood. In fact, I would probably avoid it if you are contemplating giving birth in the near future. For any woman who has ever struggled through the first few months of motherhood, however, or a partner of somebody who is going through it, it is an astounding and revelatory read. Never before have I read a more searing, honest and open discussion of the emotional upheaval a woman often goes through after giving birth. Full review...
Outstanding by Kathryn Flett
Ivy House is a preparatory school with an 'outstanding' Ofsted report. Eve Sturridge is the head teacher and she puts heart and soul into making certain that it's the best that it can possibly be - well, as far as she's allowed to by the owner. But it looks as though she's getting into the big time when Stefan and Anette Sorensen (A-list billionaires) choose Ivy House for their son and daughter. There's another bonus too: the Sorensens run a hedge fund and Eve's seventeen-year-old daughter Zoe is keen to have a career in finance. What could be more natural than that some work experience could be on offer? Full review...
Song of the Skylark by Erica James
'Song of the Skylark' has quite a cast of characters, and I found it a little difficult, at first, to keep track of everyone. Lizzie is the main protagonist; we meet her trying in vain to apply for new jobs after losing her previous one. We quickly learn that she was sacked for rather blatant immoral behaviour with her boss, a married man. Full review...
The House on Bellevue Gardens by Rachel Hore
Leonie was left a large, somewhat run-down London house by a friend, some years previously. She's an artist, and something of a bohemian, and lets out rooms at low price to people in need. There's Peter, who occupies the basement and lives in squalor, which - occasionally - she tries to clean up. There are also an elderly Indian couple, Hari and Bela, who have been there for some time, and a young and rather shy man called Rick who is writing a graphic novel. Full review...
The Little Shop of Happy Ever After by Jenny Colgan
I loved the introduction to this book. It explains that it's a story for readers who love books, and outlines with light humour the places where the author recommends settling down with a good book. I related strongly to the idea of reading in bed, and forgetting who is who as I drop off to sleep; this is my usual mode. Travelling is also, in my experience, an excellent time to read. I don't read in the bath - and the author's description of books drying out on radiators conjured up a depressing image - but I enjoyed all her other suggestions. Full review...
Waltzing in Vienna by C G Metts
Filmmaker C G Metts has written four nonfiction books, several of them of local interest to South Carolina natives and visitors. This is his first novel, however, and you may be surprised to learn that it is an enjoyable chick lit/women's fiction romp. Three girlfriends meet up again in Charleston; in their early forties, they're facing turning points in their professional and personal lives. As they reminisce about summers spent together at Folly Beach during college and resume their communal marijuana smoking habit, they summon the courage to decide what they want from middle age and refresh their sex lives. Full review...
The Dyslexic Hearts Club by Hanneke Hendrix and David Doherty (translator)
I recently reviewed a novel by another Scandinavian novelist, Helle Helle, This Should be Written in the Present Tense, and I expected this novel by Hanneke Hendrix to be very similar. It wasn't. That's not totally a bad thing – many people will enjoy the fast-paced, dialogue driven novel that The Dyslexic Hearts Club is. It just wasn't exactly what I was expecting. Full review...
The Gessami Residence by Jane L Gibson
Jenny Walker has been a widow for three years. She's had support from her parents (Dad's still a bit protective), her two sons, who are at university, and her three girl friends. The four women have had a meal together every week but now they've decided to go on holiday for a fortnight. One of the women - Rose - is in the business so she's in charge of making the arrangements and she insists that they have to turn up at the airport before they find out their destination. Ibiza wasn't quite what they were expecting, but then three of the four women are unattached (Amanda is married - in an unenthusiastic sort of way) and they all like to drink and flirt. What couldn't go right? Full review...
The Child's Secret by Amanda Brooke
There are obvious suspects in any missing child case, with the parents often at the top of the list. In the case of 8 year old Jasmine, though, there's someone else who catches the police's eye: local park worker Sam who has something of an unconventional relationship with the girl. Full review...
Strictly Between Us by Jane Fallon
Tamsin and Michelle have been friends for decades. Aside from parents, they're the longest relationship in the book, longer than Michelle and Patrick's marriage, longer than Bea has worked as Tamsin's assistant. All four characters feature heavily, though, in a story that is always moving and never boring. Full review...
Blueprints by Barbara Delinsky
Everyone - even Jamie MacAfee - thinks that her life is perfect. She's engaged to Brad, a lawyer with her family's building firm and is sure that she'll manage to set a wedding date as soon as work pressure eases up. She's employed by the family firm too, as an architect, and appears as one of the presenters on a television renovation show. Her best friend is her mother who's a master carpenter and the host on the same television show - and Caroline has managed to build up her confidence again after a messy divorce. What can go wrong? Full review...
Stars of Fortune (Guardians Trilogy) by Nora Roberts
Sasha suffers from nightmares. The scary details may vary but the gist of the contents remain the same: the voice of a stranger, the presence of evil and the faces of five people on an island, none of which/whom she knows. She tries all she can to exorcise the darkness including transferring the faces and locations into her art but even the refuge of her talent and livelihood doesn't work. In a moment of bravery Sasha discovers the identity of the island and travels to where she knows it will all begin and possibly end. For there somewhere on Crete the other five wait and the evil materialises along with the events that three goddesses began eons ago. Full review...
Sisters on Bread Street by Frances Brody
Julia and Margaret are the Wood sisters, struggling to hoist themselves out of a life of poverty in Leeds just before the outbreak of the first world war. Well, Julia is struggling. Margaret sees her way out as being through marriage to a rich suffragette's son, Thomas. She's an apprentice milliner and beautiful, but both sisters have a disadvantage and it's one which grows bigger as war approaches: their father is German. Full review...
The Unfriended by Jane McLoughlin
The Unfriended lays its cards out on the table right from the first page: this is a novel all about feminism. It's going to have those conversations, and it's going to deliver some opinions, and it's not going to apologise for doing so. Full review...
Shadow Spell (The Cousins O'Dwyer Trilogy Book 2) by Nora Roberts
Spoilers ahead for Book 1, Dark Witch. Life goes on for the O'Dwyer cousins but that doesn’t mean they've given up on Cabahn, the evil one who has stalked their family for centuries. He hasn't given up on them either unfortunately. As the cousins' resolve increases so does their links with their 13th century ancestors from when their powers – as well as their problems – originated. Meanwhile the problem of their friend Meara Quinn may seem paltry by comparison but it's still a problem. She's desperate not to fall in love with Connor O'Dwyer. Good luck with that Meara! Full review...
Boyfriend by Christmas by Jenny Stallard
Genie works as a writer for an online women's lifestyle site, the sort that tells you to eat at the cereal café down the street (before everyone starts rioting outside), advises you on where to get the best seasonal homewares, reviews getaways from cottages in the Cotswolds to mansions in Miami, and throws in interviews with important/influential/IT women for good measure. Genie, though, has a rather niche role. She writes on dating and love and being single in the city. But since she's been single a while, her editor is getting fed up with it and sets her a challenge: find a boyfriend by Christmas, and blog about the process. Full review...
