…. but I have been laid low by the cold/cough monster.
Since reading is about all I can do right now other than watch crap TV, there should be a slew of new reviews arriving soon, as well as another giveaway!
Please bear with me, normal service should be resumed shortly 
Grete
x
When Cleo Quinn finds out her seemingly perfect boyfriend has a wife and kids, she does what any self-respecting girl would do, she dumps him. Cleo is a bit disconcerted when his wife Fia turns up out of the blue, gets roaring drunk and spends the night with the notorious and successful sculptor Johnny LaVentura. He also happens to be the pain in the bum that has plagued Cleo for most of her school life. When Fia decides to settle in the village, Cleo’s best friend Ash, fancies her like mad but turns into a blithering idiot in her presence. Cleo’s sister Abbie, whose marriage has always been solid starts wondering why her husband is so distracted and starts worrying about an affair but could never dream what the real reason is. That reason arrives in a whirlwind and blows Abbie’s world apart. Who said village life was dull?
With any Jill Mansell book, you are guaranteed a good, funny and lighthearted read. Take a Chance on Me definitely lives up to that guarantee, and as always her characters are what make her books so enjoyable. Zany, full of life, eccentric and lovable, you are treated to a look into their world and small village life. Even though the situations they get into seem crazy, you can still imagine how you might find yourself in them. The outcomes in reality however, might not be so good, which is why these books are worth reading and are great escapism.
The main character of Cleo makes me laugh, she’s a fun-loving girl with a good attitude and while she has her insecurities, she’s well aware of them. Her older sister Abbie is the solid dependable one and when her world falls apart, it’s amusing the way they swap roles. Cleo’s best friend Ash is well written and funny, a successful radio DJ with the gift of the gab until he meets a woman he fancies. Then he goes mute and tongue tied. The object of his interest is Fia, the wife of the man Cleo was involved with which is an odd, but funny circle. Fia likes Johnny, the local bad boy come good when he returns to the village after living in America. With the usual confusions, hi-jinks and knee trembling moments, Take a Chance on Me keeps you reading til the very satisfying end.
A definite must read for Jill Mansell fans and if you are new to the chicklit/lighthearted romance genre, it’s a good one to start with.
Rating: 
Having grown up in the human world, a place he didn’t fit in nor understand, John Matthew is finally finding his place within the Brotherhood. Trying to put his brutal and abusive past behind him, he finds brief comfort from an unlikely source. Xhex, whose own troubled past haunts her and being half symphath drives her to keep everyone at arms length. Being kidnapped by Lash, the vicious son of the Omega is the last straw and she wants vengeance. Even though John’s brief relationship with Xhex had left his heart broken, he vowed to either find her and bring her home or avenge her death. Fate has played a cruel hand in both their lives but was there a chance for both of them to find peace, or would they continue along their paths alone.
I had mixed feelings when I started Lover Mine. John has been present in the series for a long time, starting before he hit his transition into full vampire and while his history was sad, his present was getting messed up through bad choices, bad memories and a whole lot of attitude. Understandable but it still made me want to smack him upside the head. The same with Xhex too.
Now having arrived at his own book, I was soon drawn right into the story and a lot more made sense about who he has become and why he made some of the choices he did. He had started to feel whiny, sulky and annoying in Lover Avenged and I was really pleased to see him grow out of that. Xhex was a much more layered character than I expected and it didn’t take long before she had claimed her own corner of my heart, along with the other females of the series. She kicks serious ass too which I think makes her the perfect match for John!
I thought the flashes of the history of Darius and Tohrment were a really nice touch and I should have seen where that was going but it still came as a surprise, maybe because so much else was going on in the book.
I’ve probably said this in every review of the series but I still absolutely love that the other major characters from the series appear, which isn’t that surprising since it’s a tight knit group but it’s great (and sometimes painful) to see how they are doing.
I don’t know where to even start with Blay and Qhuinn. They SO belong together but while Blay accepts who he is, Qhuinn is still in denial and thinks he should be doing the female and baby route that his lineage has programmed into him. They are both so hot together and even though Blay might have moved on, I hope there is a future for them and their own book because they are brilliant characters.
The book as a whole was amazing. I absolutely loved it and even with the often horrifying and disturbing events the characters have been through, the emotion, grit and sheer balls of all the characters mean I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I need more, now!
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Thanks so much to everyone who took part, there was an awesome response and some really creative (and some slightly scary!) names for your secret societies. I wish I had more books to give out but since I don’t, here are the two winners randomly drawn!
Jane Middleton who would call hers The Secret Society of the Completely Evil
Janet Broughton who is a goodie, so a Secret Society to save the World would be WRSS. (World Rescue Secret Society) Simple and to the point!
Kind of a nice balance – one good, one evil 
Winners have been notified by email and if you could reply with your postal addresses I can get the books sent out to you.
Hope you enjoy them and thanks again to Piatkus who made this giveaway possible
Next giveaway will be going up in the next couple of days so check back soon
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