By Samantha Scott-Jeffries

The Final Hitch is the latest installment from Samantha Scott-Jeffries, and follows on from her preceding novel I Do, I Do, I Do. We join protagonist, wedding planner and soon to be bride Izzy Mistry on the journey to her very own wedding – which is not without its mishaps and adventures along the way.

From the off this charming read will have you dreaming of foreign soils and romance abroad; as Izzy renovates a neglected property in a small village in the Majorcan mountains.

The descriptions of local Spanish delicacies will have your mouth watering as Scott-Jeffries has the art of recounting mouth watering food down to a tee. You can almost smell the delicious aromas as she describes Izzy’s trip to local Majorcan markets, and you will yearn for a life sipping expressos in a bourgeois cafe in rural Majorca.

Despite her new engagement, there are two love interests on the horizon and not only does Izzy have to wrestle with her heart, she has to contend with learning a new language as she transforms a dilapidated town house into the home of her dreams.

Scott-Jeffries will have you guessing until the last few chapters making this a true page turner, and one I guarantee you will finish in one sitting as you will not want to put it down.

Will she choose kind, enchanting Tomas, the son of her boss; or old flame Harrisson, a trendy art director who seems to have changed his hard-partying ways in favour of a blissful married life abroad? The two are polar opposites but Izzy cant’ seem to make up her mind who or what she wants.

It is a simple, sweet read which captures the magic of Majorca perfectly. A few threads of the story are left untied, so now I simply can’t wait for the next volume from Scott-Jeffries following the precarious love life of the unique Izzy Mistry.

8/10

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By Meg Cabot

Before I review this novel I must confess that Meg Cabot is one of my all time favourite novelists; she is a brilliant writer of chick lit and every one of her books is a page turner – I am pleased to say that Queen of Babble is no different.

History of fashion student and air head Lizzie Nichols had just graduated, (or so her friends and family think) from college and has decided to spend her summer with her long-distance boyfriend. There’s only one catch – they have only met once and she can barely remember what he looks like. From the off, her beloved Andy is not all he cracked up to be and she soon realises she had made a horrific mistake.

Novel Cover of The Queen of Babble

As things don’t go to plan in London, Lizzie soon finds herself in desperate trouble – luckily her best friends Shari and Chaz are holidaying in nearby France and she takes a train to meet them. En-route, she finds herself spilling out all her troubles to a complete stranger called Luke – or so it seems. Little does she know he is the handsome owner of the villa she is about to spend her summer at! It is then that the real fun begins, with plenty of twists and turns along as the Summer progresses and Lizzie is unable to keep her big mouth shut.

Luke is handsome, rich, clever, considerate – and of course has a model girlfriend to match. But worst of all he now knows all of Lizzie’s secrets! The novel follows Lizzie’s escapades as she tries to mend her broken heart with a little help from old friends, new friends and of course Luke.

Can unlucky-in-love Lizzie Nichols find romance in Europe after all or will she return home with a broken heart?

This novel ticks all the boxes and is everything you would want from a holiday romance read. Cabot draws you in and makes you fall in love with her ditzy protagonist – plus a huge bonus is that there are two more installments from The Queen of Babble which I am yet to read – can’t wait!

9/10

The cover of this enticing novel by Janet Mullany promises ‘a rakish regency romance’ and I must agree they have got it spot on! From the word go, the reader is given a delicious insight into the fraught mind of a single woman in an age where a successful marriage is everything.

Being a huge fan of Austen and other such authors, I loved the feeling of stepping back in time and experiencing historical England; and it makes you feel that women have always had the same ‘man troubles’ whatever the era may be! Improper Relations is told in the first person, alternating between the hero and heroine; this was an aspect of Mullany’s style that I loved and was unusual in that you are given both sides to the story – a refreshing change!

A Rakish Regency Romance from Janet Mullany

After losing her best friend and distant cousin Ann Weller in marriage to the Earl of Beresford, sharp-witted protagonist Charlotte Hayden feels inclined to be even ruder than usual to potential suitors – much to her mothers disappointment! However she is caught in a compromising liaison with Beresford’s wicked cousin, the attractive and dastardly Shad – or so she is led to believe.

Charlotte finds herself in a reluctant marriage, missing Ann more than ever and paired with a husband more difficult to read than a book in a foreign language! Charlotte’s reactions to the restrictions of society are laughable and as a reader your frustrations grows with hers, as each complex situation and problem presents itself to her. I read with baited breath as Charlotte faced crossed wires, her husbands near-fatal illness, the potential loss of her best friend and many a fashion disaster!

You really do feel like you are with Charlotte every single step of the way through the story.  Mullany, a self confessed ‘comical historical romance writer,’ has cleverly created a character who portrays the day to day anxieties of a young woman in an old fashioned age, but whom modern day women can relate to perfectly.

Improper Relations is a must read and provides a refreshing take on marriages of convenience!

I would give this novel a 4/5 and eagerly await Mullany’s next novel.

The novel follows the adventures of two outsiders, trying to fit in and find the one place they can truly call home. A tranquil dock in sunny Seattle sets the scene, however the peace is quickly shattered when a building goes up in smoke and everyone suspects it’s the doing of a ten-year-old pyromaniac.

The story quickly picks up pace when heroine Andes, a twenty-five-year old traveller trying to find the one place she can call home, accompanies her new ward Chase to Sunnyside Queens- where trouble seems to follow them.

Mary Carter turns the chick lit genre on its head delivering Andes- the ultimate flawed heroine whose obsession with deadly vipers is one of many secrets she will do everything to keep under lock and key.

However this is not to be as history rears its ugly head, forcing Andes to face her past once and for all, and return to the place she ran away from ten years ago.  

I enjoyed the unique storyline which explores the obscure inner workings of a religious cult in West Virginia. Carter’s style is unusual in that her characters are rebellious misfits, yet the reader is sure to fall in love with them all the same; Mary is almost educational in the way that she humanises conditions that are usually misunderstood- such as religious practices and pyromania impulses.

As the plot unravels with every unpredicted twist and turn, light is shed on Andes history before the true horrors of her past are revealed. This novel is certain to keep the reader guessing with every turn of a page, be sure to expect the unexpected! From cover to cover this will set your pulse racing- this is one book you will not be able to put it down.

By Abbey Wass

I have just finished Marian Keyes new novel This Charming Man, and I must say that I am wholly undecided whether I actually like this book or not?

The ‘charming’ or not so charming protagonist, Paddy De Courcy is an evil Irish politician and the embodiment of fear itself for all the women involved in the plot. He is a serial domestic abuser and the plot follows the relationships he has with various women, gradually revealing the violence behind the seemingly perfect façade.

I think the feminine and sparkly cover betrayed the harsh, gritty storyline within; I expected a light hearted rom-com style read, and instead got a graphic insight into the imprisoned life a sufferer of domestic violence leads.

This is not to say this ‘informative’ novel is bad, just unexpected and very sad. Keyes is clever in the way she portrays the acrimonious Paddy, first making you empathise with his situation lulling you into a false representation of his character, and then swiftly pulling the rug from beneath your feet!

The violent scenes are somewhat heartbreaking, which should in effect make it a gripping and good read, however I still come to the conclusion that it is just not something I would like to read about.

Sorry Keyes, although it is an educating read it is just not my cup of tea!

Rating: 2/5