BookThing! » chick lit

Love Letters

Grete — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:29:18 +0000

Booklover Laura Horsley is a shy, quiet girl who loves her job working in a small bookshop. When the owner decides it’s time to retire, she finds herself in the scary position of having to find new employment. Against her better judgement, she agrees to help organise a literary and music festival in the countryside and a moment of misunderstanding leads the committee to think she personally knows one of the literary world’s brightest and more reclusive stars. With the funding, band involvement and other author attendance all dependent on Dermot Flynn attending, she is given the task of tracking him down personally and getting his involvement. No small task then, especially since she’s had a crush on him since University and first read his books!

I thought this was an incredibly sweet book. I loved the characters, especially Laura and Dermot and groaned each time they had a missed opportunity be it from bad timing or misunderstandings. The pace of the story was good and as the run up to the festival started, you felt the pressure and urgency mounting which I thought was very clever. It was involving and interesting and I loved seeing Laura come out of her shell. I think a lot of people will see themselves in the character, myself included. There were several funny moments that had me laughing and there were also some very touching scenes which were nicely done. It was very enjoyable, couldn’t put it down and I think it’s definitely one of Katie Fforde’s best books.

Rating: ★★★★★

Age of Misrule I originally wrote this review after finishing the third single book in the series, however there’s now a single anthology which includes the three first books, to which the links...

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This Charming Man

Grete — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:27:46 +0000

Four women, all linked by the love of one man – politician Paddy de Courcy. His current girlfriend Lola hears on the news he is marrying someone else, Grace is both a journalist and an ex and wants to get the scoop on the engagement. Grace’s sister Marnie remembers the first love she experienced with Paddy, and still feels the loss. Then there is Alicia, the fiancee. A dark secret links them together and as Grace searches for the truth to Paddy de Courcy, old wounds are reopened and brought to light.

I love Marian Keyes’ work. It’s usually funny, touching and emotional and This Charming Man is no different in that respect. What it also has which makes it outstanding is a much darker side to the story and at times was very difficult to read because of it. The story flows well and the little flashback segments interjected throughout create concern and confusion which deepens as the plot unfolds. You can’t help but love Lola, Grace and Marnie and empathise with them greatly. The character of Alicia concerned me a little as I ended up not caring about her very much and I’m not sure if that was intentional or not. I finished the book with a powerful sense of relief and while it was on the dark side, how it all turned out was very good.

Rating: ★★★★½

The Other Side of the Story Jojo, Gemma and Lily are three very different women who are linked together through love, life and publishing. Gemma and Lily used to be best friends until Lily stole Anton...
Running Hot With a hidden history and a talent with a twist, Grace Renquist tries to keep her head down and act like a good librarian for the Arcane Society’s Geneology department. ...
Trying to read Darkly Dreaming Dexter I saw a couple of the Dexter TV shows, and I looked them up online, discovering they were based on a book (Darkly Dreaming Dexter). I didn’t see any further...

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Jill Mansell

Grete — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 10:24:28 +0000

About Jill Mansell

Jill Mansell is a full time writer (when she’s not procrastinating) and lives in Bristol with her family. With 20 books all still in print, and over a decade of experience, she is one of Britain’s best loved writers of romantic comedy.

http://www.jillmansell.co.uk/index.html

My comments

Perfect Timing was the first book I read by Jill Mansell, and I loved it so much I had to read it again straight away. My only experience of humourous romance up til then had been Jilly Cooper and it was a revelation to find someone who also created larger than life characters who were funny, charming, witty, and above all, very human. I regularly re-read them and I am always entertained and get very excited when she has a new book published.

Bibliography

Nadia Knows Best Nadia Kinsella gets stranded in the snowy Cotswolds with the attractive Jay Tiernan. She already has the perfect boyfriend and avoids temptation by thinking of Laurie, who she doesn’t get...
Take A Chance On Me 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...
Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married Lucy Sullivan visits a psychic and is told she will be getting married within 18 months. As the predictions for her friends seem to come true, she half believes her...

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The Other Side of the Story

Grete — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:46:50 +0000

Jojo, Gemma and Lily are three very different women who are linked together through love, life and publishing. Gemma and Lily used to be best friends until Lily stole Anton from Gemma. Then Lily has the audacity to have a book published which was also Gemma’s dream. Jojo is the literary agent who works with both of them and has her own problems with love. Sleeping with the boss is definately not the best way to get ahead in publishing.

I think it’s the characters that make this book the funny, touching story it is. The plot is fairly negligible and predictable but with three very strong female characters, it almost has to be that way. You switch between loving and hating each girl as they go through their individual tales, but overall it is a very humerous look at the publishing industry. The book is in sections as the focus switches between characters, and it’s interesting to see shared events from different perspectives. I enjoyed it a lot.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Angels Maggie Walsh is the safe, sane, dependable and potentially boring member of the Walsh family. She shocks everyone when she leaves her husband and escapes to LA to visit her...
Nadia Knows Best Nadia Kinsella gets stranded in the snowy Cotswolds with the attractive Jay Tiernan. She already has the perfect boyfriend and avoids temptation by thinking of Laurie, who she doesn’t get...
Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married Lucy Sullivan visits a psychic and is told she will be getting married within 18 months. As the predictions for her friends seem to come true, she half believes her...

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Angels

Grete — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:29:34 +0000

Maggie Walsh is the safe, sane, dependable and potentially boring member of the Walsh family. She shocks everyone when she leaves her husband and escapes to LA to visit her best friend Emily. Is it a voyage of discovery or has she taken leave of her senses and will she ever find them again?

I think Angels is very cleverly written. At the start you feel Maggie is a fairly selfish individual who has become bored with married life and is seeking some kind of thrill. The truth is very far from it and as the story unfolds, you find out more of what was going on and the reasons behind why she had to leave. It’s poignant at times, very funny at others and as with the rest of the Walsh books, the family interactions are hysterical. I didn’t want to put it down and I was quite sad when I came to the end, but I was definately not unhappy with the way it turned out. Very enjoyable!

Rating: ★★★★☆

A Madness of Angels I don’t really know how to start this review. Usually I say a little about the book and then go on with my thoughts and feelings after finishing it. A...
This Charming Man Four women, all linked by the love of one man – politician Paddy de Courcy. His current girlfriend Lola hears on the news he is marrying someone else, Grace is...
Watermelon Clare has the joy of having just given birth and the shock of her husband leaving her for another woman. She decides to go home to Ireland to her dysfunctional...

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Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married

Grete — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:16:04 +0000

Lucy Sullivan visits a psychic and is told she will be getting married within 18 months. As the predictions for her friends seem to come true, she half believes her own and ends up looking at all new men as prospective husbands. Could it really be the feckless and irresponsible Gus?

The main problem I had with this book, is I never really clicked with the main character. I love Marian Keyes’ work and I really wanted to enjoy it, but Lucy just plain irritated me. All the aspects for a good book are there, the pace was fine and the plot was good but perhaps the subject matter of alcoholism is a little too close to home for me right now. I never considered not finishing it and I was pleased with the way it turned out, but I didn’t put it down with that warm glowy feeling of having been engaged and entertained.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Highland Fling Jenny Porter is a Virtual Assistant, asked by her client to go to Scotland and see if she could find out why a mill he had a stake in, was...
Watermelon Clare has the joy of having just given birth and the shock of her husband leaving her for another woman. She decides to go home to Ireland to her dysfunctional...
The Other Side of the Story Jojo, Gemma and Lily are three very different women who are linked together through love, life and publishing. Gemma and Lily used to be best friends until Lily stole Anton...

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Watermelon

Grete — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:48:59 +0000

Clare has the joy of having just given birth and the shock of her husband leaving her for another woman. She decides to go home to Ireland to her dysfunctional but funny family and try and sort her life out.

This book has everything I’ve come to expect from Marian Keyes. It’s hilarious in parts, sad in others and a fantastic read. I didn’t want to put it down. The pace of the story was good and it’s told from Clare’s perspective with a very funny inner monologue running through it. I highly recommend it!

Rating: ★★★★½

Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married Lucy Sullivan visits a psychic and is told she will be getting married within 18 months. As the predictions for her friends seem to come true, she half believes her...
The Other Side of the Story Jojo, Gemma and Lily are three very different women who are linked together through love, life and publishing. Gemma and Lily used to be best friends until Lily stole Anton...
Angels Maggie Walsh is the safe, sane, dependable and potentially boring member of the Walsh family. She shocks everyone when she leaves her husband and escapes to LA to visit her...

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Nadia Knows Best

Grete — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:24:36 +0000

Nadia Kinsella gets stranded in the snowy Cotswolds with the attractive Jay Tiernan. She already has the perfect boyfriend and avoids temptation by thinking of Laurie, who she doesn’t get to see much due to modelling contracts. Her dysfunctional but loving family drive her nuts but wouldn’t change them for anything, even when trouble is coming and secrets are revealed.

I have been reading Jill Mansell’s books for years and have never come across a bad one. They are always funny, touching, endearing and very human. I do feel however, Nadia Knows Best is one of the weaker ones, a couple of the characters are a little larger than life and very irritating, but it is still an enjoyable book. I first read it several years ago and as with all of Jill Mansell’s books is on my permanent re-read list.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Jill Mansell About Jill Mansell Jill Mansell is a full time writer (when she’s not procrastinating) and lives in Bristol with her family. With 20 books all still in print, and over...
Recommendations: Marian Keyes Marian Keyes is one of those writers that can capture ordinary moments in life and turn them into something special. Funny, witty, sarcastic yet also sombre and poignant, she is...
The Other Side of the Story Jojo, Gemma and Lily are three very different women who are linked together through love, life and publishing. Gemma and Lily used to be best friends until Lily stole Anton...

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Highland Fling

Grete — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 10:07:24 +0000

Jenny Porter is a Virtual Assistant, asked by her client to go to Scotland and see if she could find out why a mill he had a stake in, was failing. Her less than supportive boyfriend Henry thinks she is too softhearted and impulsive to do the job and she is determined to prove him wrong. Agreeing to help out at a roadside cafe probably wasn’t a good start and finding herself lending a hand to everyone at Dalmain House didn’t help either. Deciding she wanted to save the mill from closure, in spite of what her client wanted might have been a bit much but then Henry arrives. Should she tuck her tail between her legs and return home or stick to her guns and do what she set out to achieve, and could the abrasive but attractive Ross Grant have something to do with that?

This book was a bit of a disappointment after enjoying Artistic Licence so much. The character of Jenny was well written and I liked her, but everyone else seemed a bit drab and irritating. She ends up doing so much for everyone else, it felt a bit exhausting and given the interplay between her and Ross, the ending of the book seemed a bit improbable. It was entertaining and I certainly wanted to finish it to see how everything turned out but to me it was an OK read rather than a good one.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Artistic Licence Thea Orville, one time professional photographer, now fed-up landlady to art students is persuaded to accompany a friend on an art appreciation holiday. While there she meets a charming artist...
Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married Lucy Sullivan visits a psychic and is told she will be getting married within 18 months. As the predictions for her friends seem to come true, she half believes her...
Good Haul! Given the amount I read, there would be absolutely no way too I could afford to buy all my books new so I browse charity shops and car boot sales...

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Artistic Licence

Grete — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 16:20:05 +0000

Thea Orville, one time professional photographer, now fed-up landlady to art students is persuaded to accompany a friend on an art appreciation holiday. While there she meets a charming artist and when almost home, decides to throw wind in the face of caution and escapes to Ireland to visit him. Realising she needs a new direction in life, Rory gives her the perfect opportunity and when her nosy friend turns up on his doorstep with some equally unwelcome guests, she seizes the opportunity with both hands. Now if she can just realise her plans while learning to saying NO! to Molly, Rory and Petal, and deny her attraction to the enigmatic Ben, things might just work out…

I find it hard to put Katie Fforde’s books down, they are lighthearted, funny, romantic with wonderful escapism, and Artistic Licence is yet another great read. The only disappointing thing, is that I finish them too soon! This book took me about five hours to read, and just like her other books, left me with a warm glow, and the feeling of having been thoroughly entertained.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Love Letters Booklover Laura Horsley is a shy, quiet girl who loves her job working in a small bookshop. When the owner decides it’s time to retire, she finds herself in the...
Recommendations: Marian Keyes Marian Keyes is one of those writers that can capture ordinary moments in life and turn them into something special. Funny, witty, sarcastic yet also sombre and poignant, she is...
Highland Fling Jenny Porter is a Virtual Assistant, asked by her client to go to Scotland and see if she could find out why a mill he had a stake in, was...

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