Fizz has taken to lying on my books when my lap isn’t available, it can’t be comfortable yet she seems very happy

What do you think?

Related posts:

1. Book Bonanza! It’s been a very booky couple of weeks here.  They are a bit like buses…. none for ages then several come along at once! A charity shop run, a car...
2. Kelley Armstrong free to read online book I caught Kelley Armstrong’s Twitter announcement that her Teen Paranormal book ‘The Summoning’ is available to read online for free.  You can check it out at http://bit.ly/6OjAbg. I still read...
3. Book Haul! I decided to do the rounds of charity shops this morning looking for books.  Specifically I was looking for the 4th book in the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

However, Jo Brand is one of my all time favourite comedians, I love her dry sense of humour and honest observations about life, and have been a fan for many years.  Look back in Hunger has just come out in paperback and all my excuses were out of the window (these days I can’t afford to buy many hardbacks and then there are the space issues which are a completely different consideraton).  I started reading yesterday morning and could not put it down.  I finished it last night and was struck by just how well her sense of humour translates into writing.

She’s led an amazing life by all standards and some of the trials of growing up she talks about are just laugh out loud funny.  As a Psychiatric Nurse for many years, she has a lot of insight into serious mental health issues that aren’t commonly talked about but she delivers her experiences of them with an up front, no nonsense attitude with a twist of that dry humour.  The other thing I love about her and it comes across well in the book is her sense of style and her weight.  She makes no apology for who she is or how she looks and has never compromised that.  In short, the woman has balls!  And I love her for that.

If you are a fan of Jo Brand, this is a must read.  If you like funny, thoughtful, insightful biographies, this is a must read.

Just read it

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

I’m not sure if this book was better than they have been recently or if having a bit of a break from the series and reading other stuff allowed the magic to return.  Either way, it was a really good read with all the usual suspects leading to a  funny, frantic story with all of Stephanie’s charm and haplessness in full force.  Joe and Ranger were as macho and funny as ever and I love their interactions, even by proxy through Stephanie.  Although Ranger didn’t feature that much, he was his usual hot self when he was around.  Joe just had me laughing at every turn, as he deals with the fallout of the missing money rumours, Stephanie’s ability to find corpses and also her working with Ranger.  I think if his blood pressure goes up any more, he might pop!

I don’t know how Janet Evanovich comes up with all the situations she gets Stephanie into but they are hysterical.  The blue dye moment was just inspired and had me laughing every time it came up.  I also can’t wait to see where Lula’s cornering of Tank takes them, definitely an explosion waiting to happen.

Fearless Fourteen is a great addition to the series and highly recommended if you want to head back to the Burg and Stephanie Plum.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Related posts:

1. Hard Eight Stephanie Plum doesn’t usually investigate missing persons, but as a favour to her parent’s neighbour, she agrees to look into the disappearance of the lady’s great-grandaughter, seven year old Annie...
2. Hot Six If there is one person Stephanie never wants to collect on it’s the mysterious Ranger. When he’s suspected of murder, he skips bail, determined to figure it out and clear...
3. High Five Life is never dull for Stephanie Plum.  Her Uncle Fred has gone missing after entering a dispute with his garbage company and no one has seen him.  Some odd evidence...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

When not writing she can be found shoe shopping, boating with her husband or trying to love an ungrateful cat (I know that feeling!).  With numerous awards and fifteen books under her belt, she has become one of America’s (and quite a few brits too!) best loved romance authors.

http://www.rachelgibson.com/

My Comments

The first book I read was Simply Irresistible and it couldn’t have been more perfectly titled because it really was.  I think it was one of my first brushes with the romance genre, having had trouble finding sci-fi and fantasy to read.  It wasn’t at all what I expected.  It was funny, touching and extremely engaging.  While it was also good and steamy in places, it was also really well written and brought the characters to life in a way that made you love and care about them from the start.

Now, having devoured everything else she has written I can say that stays true in all of them.  There is not a bad book in the set and they are all very entertaining.

Bibliography

• True Confessions
• It Must be Love
• Truly Madly Yours
• Lola Carlyle Reveals All
• See Jane Score
• Simply Irresistible
• Daisy’s Back in Town
• The Trouble with Valentines Day
• Sex, Lies, and Online Dating
• I’m in No Mood for Love
• Tangled Up in You
• Not Another Bad Date
• True Love and Other Disasters
• Nothing But Trouble
• Any Man of Mine

Related posts:

1. Rachel Caine About Rachel Caine Rachel Caine (aka Roxanne Conrad) is a bestselling author of Urban Fantasy with 2 series for adults and one for young adults.  With an award winning paranormal...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

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

• An Offer You Can’t Refuse
• Falling for You
  
• Fast Friends
• Good at Games
• Head Over Heels
• Kiss
• Making Your Mind Up
• Millie’s Fling
• Miranda’s Big Mistake
• Mixed Doubles
• Nadia Knows Best
• Open House
• Perfect Timing
• Rumour Has it
• Sheer Mischief
• Solo
• Staying at Daisy’s
• Take a Chance on Me
• The One You Really Want
• Thinking of You
• Two’s Company

Related posts:

1. 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...
2. 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...
3. 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...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

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: ★★★★☆ 

Related posts:

1. Side Jobs Side Jobs is a collection of stories set in the world of Harry Dresden, occurring in and around the main series. It’s always good to be back in the Dresdenverse,...
2. Ghost Story It’s incredibly hard to write this review without spoilers.  I keep wanting to go ‘ooh and there was this and that!!’ but I shall try not to spoil it. If...
3. Pioneer Woman: Girl meets Cowboy – A True Love Story As I said in my review of Life & Laughing, I usually prefer losing myself in fiction over reading true life stories and biographies. However, every now and then something...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

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: ★★★★☆ 

Related posts:

1. 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...
2. 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...
3. 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...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

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: ★★★☆☆ 

Related posts:

1. Married with Zombies Married with Zombies is a fresh, fun, and very gory look at the Zombie apocalypse! It’s told from the perspective of David and Sarah, a normal Seattle couple, and how...
2. 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...
3. 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...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

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 

Related posts:

1. 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...
2. 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...
3. 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...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

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: ★★★☆☆ 

Related posts:

1. 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...
2. Made to be Broken Nadia Stafford, with her dual lives of hitwoman extraordinaire and outdoor pursuits lodge owner, gets worried when one of her employees, a young girl with a baby goes missing.  Neither...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.