Accidentally In Love – Anna Premoli

Accidentally In Love tells the story of Sara and Ethan. The pair couldn’t be more different. Sara is a very successful lawyer who hasn’t had much luck in love and choses to live near her family in Brooklyn. Ethan on the other hand has been born into privilege. When his father dies he and his brother are left the successful business, however Ethan is too busy partying and drinking all of his money away in Manhattans trendiest spots. When Sara is appointed as Ethan’s financial legal guardian conflict is bound to happen due to the fact that they are completely opposites.

Its no secret that reading this type of storyline is one of my favourite genre types and Accidentally In Love certainly did not disappoint. You know those days when you want to read a romance novel that makes you absolutely laugh out loud? Yep, this is a perfect example of the kind of book. Sara and Ethan are both hilarious. The ways in which they go to try and torment the other made me actually laugh out loud at certain points in the book, particularly Ethan as he’s so desperate to get Sara to resign as his guardian. Truthfully, I started this book when I wasn’t feel 100% and I didn’t think I was going to enjoy it, however when I picked my kindle up a few nights later I found myself completely and utterly addicted.

Yes, the story may have been predictable but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. I thoroughly enjoyed the build up in the story. Again, the same applies with Sara and Ethan. Ethan is particular is such the stereotypical, rich bad boy character but he worked so wonderfully in this story. Sara and Ethan’s hate relationship makes such a great read and I think if they hadn’t had stereotypical traits the story probably wouldn’t have been so enjoyable. However, Sara is absolutely hilarious. The ways she reacts to Ethan made me laugh. She tries so hard to remain calm and the one in control as she’s his guardian which makes for a great read.

This is the 2^nd one of Anna Premoli’s novels that I’ve read and really enjoyed reading. They’re always a great romantic story with so many funny moments doted thorough. I think if you’re in between books at the moment and are looking for a reasonable fast read this is the book for you.

Synopsis –

A funny romantic comedy about how opposites definitely do attract... 

Sara Di Giovanni is a successful lawyer in New York City: she is the star of her profession, an excellent role model to her very vivacious little sister, but has so far been unlucky in love... 

Ethan Phelps is the rich playboy trouble-maker whose only talent in life is spending money and dating women... That is until Ethan's father dies with no will to his name, leaving his two sons the legal heirs to his billion-dollar company. 

Sara is forced to become the court-appointed guardian to handle Ethan's share of the fortune, as his family do not trust him to manage it himself. Sara thinks it should be easy, but it's not so simple when Ethan is determined to get rid of her by whatever means necessary... 

What ensues is a dramatic and hilarious power-play between Sara and Ethan... but what will happen when feelings start to get in the way?

Love To Hate You – Jo Watson

Sera normally does everything right, she works hard to support herself and her family and she truly tries to be a good girl all the time. Then after one night of poor judgement she finds herself having a one-night stand…in the back of a stranger’s car no less! However, little does Sera know it wasn’t going to be a one night stand she could just forget about as mystery man. Ben, turns out to be her new boss.

I read Love To Hate You in one day. You know those books that are a nice easy read but addictive so you can’t put them down then you look at the clock and its 2am but you only have a few pages left so you figure you might as well finish the book? This was 100% that kind of book for me. It was just that addictive.

The relationship between Sera and Ben is a ridiculously slow build up despite how quickly they initially get together in the back of his car. To be honest, normally I get bored with storylines like this, I just end up practically screaming at my kindle for them to either get together or just call it a day – no need to leave us, the readers, in limbo. However, I don’t know why but the fact that it is slow works so well in this book and I surprisingly its what I enjoyed most about the story.

The characters were great to read about even if completely stereotypical, especially Ben. He was just the standard arrogant male love interest especially when he ends up being her boss. Again, this normally is something I dislike in books but it just worked in this story. Sera on the other hand couldn’t be more different. She’s so independent and confident in her decisions and just tries to just be a genuinely nice person to everyone and I loved this about her.

Overall, I found the story great. I thought certain aspects were thrown in just to add more to the story, like the problems Sera has with her family particularly towards the end but generally I enjoyed the story. I mean I didn’t stay up until the early hours of the money reading it so you can safety say I enjoyed this book.

If you’re looking for an easy to read, fun romance novel this is your book!

Synopsis –

An unmissable sexy rom-com from the author of ALMOST A BRIDE. Perfect for fans of Joanna Bolouri, Cate Woods and Sally Thorne's THE HATING GAME.

Sera is usually a good girl. (Except for one wild night in the backseat of a stranger's car!) But what happens when that bad boy turns out to be her new boss? And what happens when he wants more than one night...and he can be very persuasive...

For more laugh-out-loud, swoon-worthy hijinks, don't miss Jo's other rom-coms, BURNING MOON, ALMOST A BRIDE and FINDING YOU.

The Extinction Trails - S.M. Wilson

Fact – everyone loves dinosaurs. No matter how old you are I think you’ll always have a part of you that likes dinosaurs so when I received The Extinction Trials by S.M. Wilson in my latest Wildest Dreams book club box its safe to say I was excited to read it.

The Extinction Trails takes you to a land with dinosaurs. The human race is rapidly expanding so needs more space to expand so they host a series of trials to find willing people to go to the continent of the dinosaurs to collect eggs in order to try cause their extinction to make more space for humans. The book follows the story from two contestants point of view, Stormchaser and Lincoln. They both have their own reasons for taking part in the trails. Little do they know what will be ahead of them when they take part in the trials.

The book itself is being advertised as The Hungers Games meets Jurassic Park which is a pretty big statement in itself. However, now I’ve read the book I can honestly say this is the perfect way to describe this book. It’s a gripping story from start to finish – and did I mention it features dinosaurs?! The group of trialists are from a variety of backgrounds and I thoroughly enjoyed reading how they worked together as a team in order to collect the dinosaur eggs. However, like the Hunger Games it does feature multiple deaths so it may not be too suitable for younger readers.

Chapters are told from the point of view of Stormchaser and Lincoln. Now, normally I’m not a huge fan of chapters from multiple perspectives as I find it makes stories a little confusing and difficult to follow. However, this is the same story and it absolutely flows from two perspectives. To be honest, this is one of the few books that I thoroughly enjoyed being told from multiple perspectives and I felt that it really benefitted from it as you could read about what is going on in both of their heads. Aside from that they’re both very different characters but both equally as enjoyable to read about, normally with dual perspectives I majorly favour one of the characters but in this book, I really did enjoy reading about both.

As the synopsis suggests the book is full of danger where characters are willing to stab each other in the back in order to win. The story truly was addictive, I read this within a couple of days despite it not being a particularly short book. It was full of twist and turns and chapters that made you just continue reading as you just had to know what happened next. The continent the dinosaurs live on is so vividly described to the extent I kept checking out of my window every time I heard a noise just in case a T-Rex was lurking outside my window! I was transported to the world and as I read I found myself becoming more absorbed in this world.

The Extinction Trials is going to be a series but the book has a good enough ending that it works as a standalone. However, it still left me wanting more so I’m already eagerly waiting the next instalment in this book series! To be honest, if I saw this book on a shelf I admit I probably wouldn’t have picked it up, I received it in my Wildest Dreams subscription box and I’m so thrilled that I did because this book is brilliant. If you liked The Hunger Games (and dinosaurs!) you will 100% love this book and I can only recommend that you make it your next must read book.

Synopsis –

Betrayal. Sacrifice. Survival.

Welcome to the Extinction Trials.

In Stormchaser and Lincoln's ruined world, the only way to survive is to risk everything. To face a contest more dangerous than anyone can imagine. And they will do anything to win.

But in a land full of monsters - human and reptilian - they can't afford to trust anyone. Perhaps not even each other...

Talk Of Shame – Alex Everwood

Talk Of Shame tells the story of three students in the first year at Somerville University. They’ve all got to the university in different ways and they all have very different ideas of what to get out of the university / sorority experience. The story follows them around as they start the university.

I so badly wanted to love this book. From the synopsis it sounded like such a good book however it just wasn’t overly my cup of tea. Yes, I enjoyed it but personally it isn’t going to be my favourite book. The story is told in multiple perspectives and I don’t really enjoy this in a book. For me, sadly this is what I didn’t even this about this book as I found I just couldn’t get into the story as quickly as I’d have liked. However, I did enjoy the story and I did find myself invested in the characters as the book went on, but it did take me a long time to get into the story and to figure out which character was which.

I actually did enjoy all three of the characters. It was interesting to read about how different every individuals university life can be. What I enjoyed too is that Katie, Jill and Beatrice or not two-dimensional characters. They all don’t seem to be what you initially think about them.

To be perfectly honest, this is probably one of the hardest reviews of a book that I’ve ever had to write. I really don’t want to say that it’s a bad book because it isn’t, its just that for me I didn’t really enjoy each chapter being told from a different person’s perspective. I think if you do enjoy books split like this and you read the synopsis and it sounds like a book you’d like I reckon you probably would. I mean, I enjoyed reading the story and I did feel completely engrossed in the campus life and the characters are likeable. I just didn’t enjoy the different perspectives.

Synopsis –

Goodbye, high school. Hello, Alpha Chi! 

Somerville University. For freshmen Katie Brown, Jill Everson, and Beatrice Fritch, their approach to college-and relationships-couldn't be more different. They kick off freshman year with high hopes, but life doesn't always go as planned. One thing is for sure: no one wants to get caught on the Talk of Shame Instagram feed, the university's unofficial gossip site. One unsavory pic, and your reputation is shot. Unfortunately, that's a lesson learned the hard way... 

Katie's earned admission into the private university through her hard work in high school. Her aunt is paying her tuition on one condition: Katie must join a sorority, specifically Kappa Kappa Theta (KKT.) There's just one problem. Katie was kicked out of the "cool clique" in high school. Now she's independent and afraid of losing herself if forced to become a sorority girl. But is she using independence to protect herself from forming relationships? Especially if it's with the gorgeous editor of Somerville University's student newspaper? 

Jill chose Somerville for one reason: Alpha Chi Alpha (Chi Alpha), the most beautiful sorority house on campus, boasting the prettiest girls on campus. Jill has always been the southern belle who can "wear her weight well." Her confidence and humorous personality have won her lots of friends-and quite a few hook-ups. But she has yet to have a steady boyfriend. But that'll happen automatically once becoming a Chi Alpha. Right? 

And then there's Beatrice. College wouldn't be complete without a frenemy: something that comes easy to the young, coed. A member of Chicago's wealthy elite, she wears only the best labels, drives only the hottest cars, and enrolls at Somerville-the most prestigious private university around. But her status comes at a price: lasting friendship. Beatrice has learned to manipulate others in order to protect herself, and her childhood friendship with Katie was the first one to suffer. Will Somerville give her the chance to reconcile and find her true self? 

Katie, Jill, and Beatrice champion and struggle with the ins-and-outs of Greek Row, a life filled with hook-ups, heartbreak, backstabbing, and cheating. Both in and out of the classroom. 

For fans of Bright Side by Kim Holden, Commencement by J. Courtney Sullivan, and the TV Series Gossip Girl.

The Wedding That Changed Everything – Jennifer Joyce

The Wedding That Changed Everything tells the story of Emily. She has her heart broken by men and even her own mother…so it’s safe to say she’s completely and utterly done with the idea of love. However, her best friend Alice couldn’t be more opposite. Alice is a hopeless romantic who completely believes in finding Prince Charming. Alice has her love life sorted so she has taken it upon herself to find Emily her very own Prince Charming. When a spare place comes available at Alice’s sister’s wedding, Emily finds herself invited. Alice see’s the wedding as the perfect opportunity to find Emily her own perfect match.

From only a few chapters in I knew I would absolutely love this book. You know those books that you start reading then before you know it, its 3am and you’ve finished the book - this is absolutely one of those books! Everything about it just makes it a good book, I loved the story, I loved the setting of the castle, I loved the characters...I could go on!

The story is set in the most wonderfully, magic location of Alice’s family castle, Durban Castle. The descriptions of the castle and its grounds are fantastic and I found myself fully transported there whilst reading the book. I also really liked the actual storyline. I thoroughly enjoyed Alice’s attempts at trying to find a potential suitor for Emily and Emily’s attempts at trying to not get involved in any of it at all. I found myself actually laughing out loud at some of the moments in the book. However, its absolutely a romance novel and this book certainly isn’t lacking those either! Ok yes, some moments are a little farfetched but overall the story is believable and you can truly imagine yourself being in this situation.

All of the main characters are wonderful to read about. I thoroughly enjoyed all of the characters but Emily is a down to earth normal character which only added to my enjoyment of the book. She is funny, prone to getting lost and always up for all the pre-wedding games.

This book is everything you want from a romance novel. It’s a book you can get fully absorbed in quickly and the only bad thing about it is that it ends too soon. I’d very much like a sequel or at least something a little more as I’m just not ready to stop ready to stop reading about these characters. As you can tell, I really enjoyed reading this book and if you like the blurb then you will certainly love this book.

Synopsis –

Love happens when you least expect it… 

Emily Atkinson stopped believing in fairy tales a long time ago! She’s fed up of dating frogs in order to track down her very own Prince Charming, despite the best efforts of her matchmaking best friend…

But now she’s been invited to the wedding of the year at the enchanting Durban Castle, and perhaps bumping into a knight in shining armour isn’t as far away as she thought!

Will Emily survive the wedding and walk away an unscathed singleton – or finally find her own happily-ever-after? 

Miss Match – Crystal Cestari

Amber lives in the world of the supernatural. Mingled in her local community are vampires, sirens, werewolf’s…top that off with the fact her mum is a witch, oh and Amber herself is a matchmaker. All Amber need a do is look into someone’s eyes and she can see someone’s soul mate, the only downside to this power? She can’t see her own happily ever after. It’s a great skill to have until she finds herself falling her classmate Charlie. He replicates her feeling but sadly Amber can she that she is not his happily ever after.

I absolutely loved the idea of this book. I think its such an interesting concept that Amber can see people’s soul mates but then goes hurdling full speed ahead towards someone who she knows isn’t supposed to be with her. 

Honestly, this book wasn’t what I was expecting. Is that a bad thing? Definitely not! I went into this novel expecting a cheesy romance novel between Amber and Charlie but this certainly isn’t what this book is – and I absolutely loved that! You’re thrown into a world of supernatural creatures and it was fascinating to read all about the weird and wonderful people living near Amber. The book really revolves around the kidnapping of Charlie’s potential step mum to be and how Charlie enlists Ambers help to find her, the romance just sort of builds up on the side. If you like me, you enjoy reading about a fantasy world where you’re living amount wizards/vampires and other ghoulies then you will really enjoy this book, the romance element is just a nice added bonus. 

Amber is a great character. She does everything she can to help people and she stands up for herself and others she cares about and for me that makes her a joy to read about. Ok, she makes she daft decisions but the way she bumbles through just adds to her character really. Charlie is wonderful too. His heart is so clearly in the right place and just like Amber he seems to do anything to help those that he cares about.

To be completely honest this book wasn’t an instant love. It did take me a few chapters to get into the story. I’m not sure if it’s because it’s a relatively slow burner but I did have to persevere a little until I got hooked. However, once I did get hooked, I found myself reading this book until far too late to be up reading books on a work night! Then once I found myself completely hooked, the book ended and I pretty much threw my kindle down with sheer frustration with how it ended! Thankfully, I have now discovered book number two so I’ll be eagerly downloaded.

If you enjoy fantasy books with a romantic element I think that you will love this book. Once you get gripped to this book, I can guarantee you will love it!

Synopsis – 

Fans of Geek Girl and Girl Online will love this magically messed-up romance.

Amber Sand has a gift. Five seconds of eye contact, and she can see your soul mate. 

She's seen it all, every kind of happy ending there is. Except for one - her own. So when Charlie Blitzman, the most-desired boy in school, enlists Amber's help, she finds herself falling for him. Problem is, her pesky gift doesn't agree - Charlie and Amber are just not meant to be, or are they?

How can Amber, an honest peddler of true love, pursue a boy she knows is not the one for her?

The Single Girl's Calendar - Erin Green

Esme’s life checklist is going well except now she’s rapidly approaching 30 she has one massive thing yet to tick off – get married. Thankfully she has a long-term boyfriend, Andrew, so she is sure that marriage is just around the corner for her. Esme plans the perfect weekend and is convinced that this is finally going to be the moment that Andrew proposes to her...except she ends up finding out he cheated on her and she breaks up their relationship instead. Her friend gives her a copy of The Single Girls Calendar which requires her to complete a different task every day for her to get over a broken heart. By taking part in the calendars tasks she finds herself moving into a house share with four male housemates within hours of breaking up with Andrew. Her life has officially changed.

I initially thought this book would just be one of the typical romance novels...you know, girl leaves guy, finds another guy then bam they live happily ever after. Boy was I wrong! This book was so much more than this. I gasped out loud, I laughed, I even cried my eyes out at this book! It was full of unexpected surprises. It was so much more amazing than I initially imagined it was going to be and I basically just absolutely loved this book. 

I loved the idea of The Single Girls Calendar. The idea that Esme completes a different challenge daily is such a great idea and works so well in the novel. I have no idea if such calendar exists but if not it really should as it seems such a fun idea and reading about how Esme completes the tasks and seeing her grow as a character the more she completes makes for a fantastic novel.

I really enjoyed reading about Esme and all her housemates. Even though Esme has just broken up with the person she thought she would spend the rest of her life with, she isn’t annoying about it. Thanks to her calendar she starts getting on with her life but her heightened emotions make for some great reading. Esme’s four new housemates are all very different personalities and what I particularly liked was how much they appear in the story without being overbearing and taking the story away from Esme. I really don’t want to write too much about the housemates as to not give away the story but they’re all very different to how I expected them to be. Again, the surprises in this novel even extend to the characters.

Honestly? I loved this book. The author has another book out which I am now very excited to download onto my kindle and read because after how much I loved The Single Girls Calendar I am sure her other novel is going to be just as good. The Single Girl’s Calendar isn’t the cliché romance novel and offers characters you actually want to read about and a storyline that captures your attention from start to finish. The Single Girl’s Calendar is released on the 1^st January so I can only highly recommend that you make this book the first you read in the new year – you will not be disappointed. 

Synopsis –

A task a day to cure a broken heart. 

Esmé Peel is approaching thirty with some trepidation, but hope in her heart. If she can just get her long-term boyfriend Andrew to propose, she will have ticked everything off her 'things to do by the time you're 30' list. She didn't reckon on finding another woman's earring in her bed however, and soon she finds herself single, homeless and in need of a new plan. Her best friend Carys gives her the perfect present – The Single Girl’s Calendar – which has a different cure for heartbreak every day: 

Day 1: Look and feel fabulous with a new hair style. 

Day 2: Step out of your comfort zone and try something new. 

Day 3: Reconnect with friends and enjoy! 

Despite thinking it's a bit of a gimmick, Esmé hasn't got any better ideas, so she puts the plan into action. By the end of week one she has four new male housemates, and despite a broken heart she is determined to show Andrew she can do more than survive, she can thrive. 

It Started With A Tweet - Anna Bell

Daisy is obsessed with being online. Daisy spends all of her spare time tweeting or uploading photos of her life onto Instagram and of course trying to sort out her love life on Tinder. However, on the way to one of her many Tinder dates she tweets something meant for her personal account onto her works account by mistake. Of course this tweet is way too inappropriate for a work Twitter account and instantly goes viral causing her to get fired from her job. Top this off with her best friend wants to kick her out of the flat she lives at, its safe to say Daisy's life isn't going so well. Daisy's sister, Rosie thinks she has the perfect plan to help Daisy - a digital detox, and drags her to a remote village with no phone signal to help her renovate her new house.

I loved this book! I think the reason that I enjoyed it so much because I saw a lot of Daisy in myself. I'm quite ashamed to admit this but I am that person whose surgically attached to their mobile phone. I tweet way too much, spend too many hours browsing Instagram, I google things quicker than you can suggest doing it, I'd never use a real map I'd just go straight to my phone to do it...you get the idea. I was absolutely laughing my head of at certain points in this book, for example when Daisy (the most unsporty person in the world) goes hiking up a mountain just to try and get phone signal...well I have definitely done similar things before so I found it so funny to read about. Honestly, if you're even slightly obsessed with your phone you'll be able to relate with this book and find yourself in absolute hysterics at many moments of the story.

The characters are so easy to read about and are just instantly likable from the start. I was somewhat worried that the story would just be about Daisy moaning that she hasn't got her phone but it isn't like that in the slightest. Daisy is funny and likable which makes her a great lead character. I also like the fact that she does go on a journey as a character, she ends the book as a completely different person than she starts in the novel. Her sister, Rosie is equally as enjoyable to read about. I really enjoyed reading about the attempts they make at renovating the house and how they try to fit into the local community. I absolutely loved reading about how they both cope on a digital detox. The potential love interests in the form of French exchange help, Alexis and Jack, a local who lives next door. They're both so different but both really add to the story. To top it all off the resisdents of the village are brilliant. I live in a rural village and some of the characters (particularly the lady’s gossiping in the post office!) are so similar to people in my village which only added to my enjoyment.

I've read other novels of Anna Bell's and loved them so its no surprise that I enjoyed this book too. Its been along time since a book made me completely laugh out loud so much and this book certainly did. Its been one of the best books I've read of the year and I can highly recommend you buy this book as your next one to read.

Synopsis -

Can Daisy Hobson log off for love...?

Could you survive a digital detox? This hilarious new romantic comedy from the author of The Bucket List to Mend a Broken Heart is perfect for fans of Lucy Diamond and Sophie Kinsella.

Daisy Hobson lives her whole life online. A marketing manager by day, she tweets her friends, instagrams every meal and arranges (frankly, appalling) dates on Tinder. But when her social media obsession causes her to make a catastrophic mistake at work, Daisy finds her life going into free-fall ...

Her sister Rosie thinks she has the answer to all of Daisy's problems - a digital detox in a remote cottage in Cumbria, that she just happens to need help doing up. Soon, too, Daisy finds herself with two welcome distractions: sexy French exchange-help Alexis, and Jack, the brusque and rugged man-next-door, who keeps accidentally rescuing her.

But can Daisy, a London girl, ever really settle into life in a tiny, isolated village? And, more importantly, can she survive without her phone?

Trashy Romance Novel - Jacqueline E. Smith

Whenever I get into a conversation with anyone about books they always ask me what genre of books I enjoy reading. Queue my awkward mumble of 'oh I read a lot of young adult books and um...trashy romance novels...'. I love author Jacqueline E. Smith's Boy Band novels so when I heard she was releasing a novel called Trashy Romance Novel its safe to say I got excited about reading it. It sounded exactly like a book that was going to be my cup of tea!

Trashy Romance Novel tells the story of Delaney. Delaney is quite sweet and innocent so from an outsiders point of view she is pretty much the last person on the planet you'd expect to write a trashy romance novel. Yet she has and now her novel is so popular its being turned into a movie starring some very famous actors. Delaney flies to Scotland with her best friend Gemma to go visit the movie set and watch the all star cast, which includes the rebellious Colin Ward, playboy Benjamin Wyndham and Delaney's celebrity crush Matthew Kent, film the movie. Of course in true trashy romance style, when the normal girl meets the irresistible actor - you know her summer is going to be an interesting one!

As I had such big expectations of this book I was worried that I just wouldn't enjoy it, but I'm very happy to say that I absolutely loved this book. I love the idea of writing a book and then suddenly you find yourself watching your celebrity crush who you pictured when writing it actually playing the character you wrote so for me the storyline truly gripped my attention. If you're like me and read a lot of romance novels and I can guarantee that Trashy Romance Novel won't disappoint. 

The characters were great to read about. Delaney is so down to earth and likable which makes the book that much better to read about. Her best friend Gemma is also one of the greatest things about this book. Delaney is reserved whereas Gemma is outgoing and much more forward of situations. The fact that they're both so different really added to my enjoyment of the book as some moments really made me laugh reading about how they both responded to situations. The love interests in this book are the perfect romance novel characters too. Without spoiling the book, if I had to criticise the book, my only slight issue with it, is that I would've liked to read a little more about Matthew Kent particularly as Delaney liked him so much. However, it really didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book at all so it really isn't an issue.

The book itself is wrote quite unusually. Not only does it tell the story of Delaney's Scottish adventures but it also weaves in chapters of Delaney's book in between. To be honest I'm not usually a fan of novels which switch chapters up like this as I find I get engrossed in one story and it then annoys me when it switches to another but in this particular case I felt it worked well. Delaney watches a lot of her book be filmed so its interesting to actually read segments of the story which she's there watching being filmed. I've certainly worded this in the most confusing of ways but I can assure you it works very well in the novel. 

As you can tell I thought Trashy Romance Novel was fantastic. In my opinion if you love your romance novels you have to make Trashy Romance Novel by Jacqueline E Smith the next novel you buy!

Synopsis -

It all started with a crush. 
How cliché is that? I mean, of all the things to motivate a person to do something, how often does it go back to a silly infatuation? More often than most of us would probably care to admit. 
Of course, this wasn’t an ordinary crush on a cute coworker or a charming friend of a friend I hooked up with at a party. No, I’ve never met the guy who inspired my books. 
But I’m about to. 

Delaney Brooks is the author of The Queen’s Surrogate, the “sinfully satisfactory” romance novel that swept readers around the world off their feet and into the fictional embrace of His Majesty, King Malcolm. 

When her book is adapted into an eight-part miniseries, Delaney and her best friend Gemma fly to Scotland for what promises to be two months of lush green mountains, historic castles, and hot celebrity co-workers, including the gorgeous Matthew Kent, British playboy Benjamin Wyndham, and Hollywood’s hottest reformed rebel, Colin Ward.

The Creakers - Tom Fletcher

One day Lucy Dungston wakes up and her entire world has changed. All the grown ups including her own mum and dad have vanished from town! Then the night after they all disappear, she notices eyes peering out from under her bed and discovers the existence of the Creakers. Will Lucy be able to defeat the Creakers and get the grown ups back? 

The Creakers is a great story to be honest. It captures every story you’ve ever heard about monsters being under your bed and rewrites it into a whole new story which I actually loved. It’s the perfect amount of scary for kids but without it being scary enough to give them nightmares for weeks. Plus like with the Christmasaurus it comes jam packed with wonderful drawings throughout. 

I am a long shot off The Creakers target audience but I really enjoyed this book. I thoroughly enjoy the way in which Tom Fletcher writes his novels. They are so incredibly wrote for children and are constantly engaging the entire way though. I really like the fact that in this novel, the author actually talks to the reader throughout. I felt this is something that works very well particularly in a children’s novel.

I’ve said before how talented I think Tom Fletcher is and it certainly shows in this book. He’s invented a whole new set of fearsome, smelly creatures complete with their own brand new world. Honestly the whole thing is truly believable and as someone who doesn’t take much to scare I know I’ll be checking under my bed for Creakers tonight...

If you have a person whose probably around 10 you have to pick them up a copy of The Creakers for Christmas. I loved reading it and I’m way over the target age so I know for a fact that a child will absolutely love The Creakers.

Synopsis -

The darkly magical new story about the monsters under the bed, from bestselling author of The Christmasaurus, Tom Fletcher.

What silently waits in the shadows at night? What's under your bed, keeping just out of sight?

Do you ever hear strange, creaking noises at night? Ever wonder what makes those noises? 

Lucy Dungston always did.

Until, one morning, Lucy discovers that all the grown-ups have disappeared - as if into thin air. Chaos descends as the children in Lucy's town run riot. It's mayhem. It's madness. To most kids, it's amazing!

But Lucy wants to find out the truth. Lucy lost her dad not long ago, and she's determined not to lose her mum too. She's going to get her back - and nothing is going to stop her . . .

. . . except maybe the Creakers.

It Only Happens In The Movies - Holly Bourne

It Only Happens In The Movies tells the story of Audrey. Audrey hasn’t had the best experience of romance, her last relationship ended badly and her parents marriage didn’t end of well either. So now, Audrey hates everything romantic. In order to get some space from her mother, whose taken her marriage breakup particularly badly, she takes a job at a local cinema. It was here she meets Harry, who she finds herself falling in love with and of course the relationship isn’t like in the movie! 

When you go into Waterstones (and probably every other bookshop) it doesn’t take you long to find one of Holly Bourne’s books on pride of place on the shelves. I’ve always been intrigued by her books as you really can’t read young adult books without having her name on your radar, I’ve just never picked one up. Then I went to an event in the summer picked up a sampler of this book and I knew the minute it was released I had to download it. Honestly, I expected such great things from this book as I loved the sampler but I’m so sad to say it wasn’t for me.

I think my biggest issue was the stories. I just didn’t like it particularly. I’m a huge fan of the adorably cute romance novels - which from the sampler I thought this was going to be but it wasn’t at all like that. So for me, I think perhaps I bought it expecting one type book and book and got something I wasn’t expecting it to be like. For someone like me who likes the cliche romance novels this book wasn’t really my cup of tea - particularly the ending! Despite everything that happens I just couldn’t believe how the book ended. I do however, like the idea of how the Audrey hates romance and the novel revolves around the the cliches of romance. 

Another one of my issues is that (sadly) I couldn’t get on with the characters. I didn’t really get Audrey. I mean she was readable enough but I just wasn’t interested in her story. The same applies to Harry. He was ok, but he does drugs, smokes, sleeps around etc etc etc and for me that made it abit of a rubbish character to read about. I appreciate that actually these two characters are probably much more similar to real life people than most book characters which is great but for me they just were not likeable or particularly enjoyable to read about.

It really does make me sad that I didn’t like this book because people constantly tell me to read Holly Bourne’s novels. I will definitely pick up another of her books as I don’t want to judge on one book and this one was readable, I just didn’t love it. I think if you’re a fan of her previous novels you’re likely to love this one but sadly it just wasn’t my kind of novel.

Synopsis -

Bad boys turned good, kisses in the rain, climbing through bedroom windows... It only happens in the movies. When Audrey meets Harry, it’s the start of a truly cinematic romance – or is it? Audrey knows that Harry is every movie cliché rolled into one. But she still chooses to let him into her heart...

Perfect for fans of John Green, It Only Happens in the Movies is a raw, intensely funny takedown of the lies we’re told about relationship

The Best Thing That Never Happened To Me - Laura Tait & Jimmy Rice

For me it was fascinating that this book was written by two authors. At not one point during The Best Thing That Never Happened To Me do you for once think that it was. Despite being wrote by two authors the book flowed well and I couldn't find any potential points in the plot that had been missed.

The book itself is told from the perspectives of the two main characters Holly and Alex. Having the book told from both perspectives enables us to see the events that occur from both sides well. It made me laugh on multiple occasions just how wrong they both were about thinking they knew how the other felt. I feel that it was definitely a plus side of the book. 

Young Holly dreams of travelling the world but as she's gotten older she has lost that dream and has now settled for working as a PA. Holly is dating her boss, Richard. Richard is very insistent on the fact that Holly must keep their relationship a secret from everyone. Holly isn't having some affair with a married man, Richard just thinks it'll be better to remain a secret. It takes a good way into the book for Holly to realise that not everything Richard says is right. Alex on the other hand has always wanted to be a teacher. He has achieved his dream but didn't expect to be teaching students who had no interest in learning. Both characters are very relatable which I feel is an attribute to the story as you really feel a connection to Alex and Holly.

Holly and Alex are from the same Yorkshire village and were best friends when they were younger. They hadn't seen each other for 11 years and then Alex moves to London where Holly now lives. Holly and Alex have been hopelessly in love with each other most of their lives but neither have ever done anything about it. 

The book explores the relationship between Alex and Holly and makes you wonder if they ever actually will admit to each other that they love each other as more than friends. I found the book very engaging. My only major gripe is the ending as although it is implied I would've loved to know exactly how Holly and Alex ended up. Its left me desperately want to another book to find out exactly what happens! 

Synopsis - 

Everyone remembers their first love.
Holly certainly remembers Alex. But she decided ten years ago that love wasn’t about mix tapes and seizing the moment – though she’s not exactly sure it’s about secret dates with your boss, either.

But what if the feelings never really went away?
Alex wants to make every moment of his new job count. It’s a fresh start in a big city, and he’s almost certain that moving to London has nothing to do with Holly. Almost.

How do you know if it was meant to be… or never meant to happen at all?

Don’t Tell The Groom - Anna Bell

I’ve had this review saved as a daft for a couple of years and I have absolutely no idea why I never posted it. As it’s 9:30pm and I’ve completely forgot about today’s Blogtober I figured I would post this!

Review - 

I'll be the first to admit that the two reasons that I chose to read this book is because it has a stunning cover and because I love the television show Don't Tell The Bride. Don't Tell The Groom is somewhat loosely based on the television show.

Mark and Penny have been in a relationship together for a very long time and have been saving for their wedding day long before Mark had even asked Penny to be his wife. The idea was that when it was time to get married they'd be able to have the wedding of Penny's dreams - complete with a Vera Wang wedding dress and Jimmy Choo shoes. In an attempt to boost the wedding fund more, Penny plays online bingo. Once Mark pops the question it is quickly discovered that Penny has gambled away £10,000 worth of the wedding fund leaving just £5000 worth of money to plan Penny's dream wedding that would rival Kim Kardashian's. In an attempt to keep her gambling hidden away Penny adopts a Don't Tell The Groom style strategy and plans the entire wedding herself cheaply so her accountant fiancé doesn't find out about her gambling. 

I absolutely love the idea behind this book. I find the storyline a great idea and I wished I’d thought of writing this book myself! 

I find it very difficult to relate to Penny in this book which is my only real problem with it. Despite this I did find it enjoyable to read and it made me chuckle at some of Penny's slightly desperate attempts at trying to plan her wedding cheap. Penny even goes to the extent of taking a flower arranging course to arrange her own flowers for the wedding in order to save money! I finished this book very quickly so if you're looking for a book that's a reasonably quick read I would recommend it. 

Synopsis -

Penny has big dreams for her wedding day. She wants an unforgettable celebration, perfect down to the last detail, and has been saving for ages to make her dream a reality. When Mark finally pops the question, it's the best moment of her life. Until Penny checks her wedding fund and is horrified to discover that something has gone terribly wrong. There's far less money there than she'd thought, and it's all her fault. She can't tell Mark the truth about what she's done . . . her only choice is to get married on a drastically smaller budget. 

Working under the pretence of surprising Mark with her plans on their big day, operation 'Don't Tell the Groom' rolls into action, with surprising, hilarious and moving results. Will Penny be able to keep her secret long enough to say 'I do'?

Girl Online Going Solo - Zoe Sugg

Girl Online Going Solo is book number three in the Girl Online series by YouTuber, Zoe Sugg aka Zoella. This book starts the new year with Penny being alone. Noah has gone and no one, not even Penny or his family knows where. So when Penny gets an invitation from old school friend, Megan, to go visit her at her new school she jumps at the opportunity. Seems like a good opportunity for her to make new friends but can Penny really ever move on from Noah?

I’ve never been the biggest fan of this series of books yet I still keep on reading the sequels. I think that I just like the idea of them more than the actual book. I picked this book up to take as holiday reading and to be honest it was pretty good for that. It’s a light hearted quick read which is exactly what I want from a book I take on holiday with me. However, once again I sadly just didn’t enjoy it.

I just can’t gel with the characters. Penny however, does make some character progression in this book which actually is great. It’s wonderful to see her finally standing on her own two feet and getting on with things without depending on Noah. She has truly developed as a character and I loved the fact she’s started getting on with her life. I also really liked how much she helped out other characters in the novel too. Yet despite this I still just can’t get enough of an attachment to her to care about her story. Noah, however is a horrible character. I liked him in book one, despised him in book two and in this book he just seemed neither here nor there. I get that he had to stay out of Penny’s way in order for her to develop but he just didn’t feature enough in this book.

I’ve said in previous reviews of this series that I think it’s great that a person with such influence over a young audience writes about anxiety etc and this book is no exception. A character in this novel has severe stage fright and of course Penny suffers from anxiety. The inclusion of this is such a brilliant thing as I feel many people suffer with mental issues and if it helps even one person feel a little better about what they’re going through then I can’t really knock these books. 

I should just realise now that these books just aren’t for me.  If you loved the previous Girl Online novels however you’ll still love Girl Online Going Solo. It provides the same elements as in previous books that lovers of the others will absolutely enjoy.

Synopsis –

As Penny starts the school year she's ready to face the world - alone. Noah has gone off the radar after ending his world tour early and no one, including Penny, knows where he is. So when she accepts Megan's invitation to visit her performing arts school it seems like an opportunity to make some new friends.

Helping everyone else seems to be the right remedy - Elliot needs her friendship more than ever, and she meets Posey, who she can really help with her stage fright. But is charming Scottish boy Callum the right kind of distraction? And can Penny truly move on when Noah's shadow seems to haunt her round every corner?

Book three in the number-one bestselling Girl Online series.

The Song Rising - Samantha Shannon

The Song Rising by Samantha Shannon is book number 3 in the bone series of books. This book continues as Paige Mahoney has just stepped into her role as Underqueen. However, that position has now brought her a whole host of new enemies who want rid of the clairvoyant community. Paige quickly discovers that a Senshield has been created in order to detect those with clairvoyant powers and sets off on a mission to destroy them. 

I've read all of the books in the series and I actually reread the series of books before reading The Song Rising. The worlds and the story that the author writes about is that detailed and complex that I think you need to get back into the story again to be able to fully appreciate the new books story. Things and the characters that are mentioned throughout this book are things which have been described in previous books so it is now just accepted that you know about these things. It is for this reason that I think that if you're planning on reading this book, you must read the others in the series first. I love this book series and know the world that is wrote about quite well but I think would’ve been struggling to follow without rereading first! 

Personally, I enjoyed this book a lot more than the last book in the series and that is saying something because I adore this book series. I really enjoy the fact that this book see's Paige out and about in other areas of the UK. I feel that this is the book that Paige really develops as a character and despite the fact that she's now Underqueen, she is still absolutely fearless and will do anything to help out when she can. If I had to complain about one thing in this book, its the lack of Warden that appears in the story but again that's only a little thing and more about my story preference than how good the book is. 

Paige in particular develops a lot a a character in this novel. The stakes are higher than ever now she’s the underqueen and her character adapts to this role wonderfully. The pressures of the role clearly show but I really like the actions she takes in this novel. 

This book series has such an incredible way of dragging you into the book. The descriptions are just unbelievable. It’s one of those books that you spend your day worrying about things that are happening in the book. They definitely aren’t happening in your life but you find yourself spending your day worrying about being caught by a Sensheild?! That’s how you know a book is good.

If you’ve loved the book series so far you will absolutely love The Song Rising. If you haven’t yet started reading these books you have to! They’re one of my favourite book series and I’m sure if you’re reading this you’ll love these books too!

Synopsis - 

The hotly anticipated third book in the bestselling Bone Season series – a ground-breaking, dystopian fantasy of extraordinary imagination Following a bloody battle against foes on every side, Paige Mahoney has risen to the dangerous position of Underqueen, ruling over London's criminal population.   But, having turned her back on Jaxon Hall and with vengeful enemies still at large, the task of stabilising the fractured underworld has never seemed so challenging. Little does Paige know that her reign may be cut short by the introduction of Senshield, a deadly technology that spells doom for the clairvoyant community and the world as they know it…

Don't Stop Me Now - Colleen Coleman

Every so often you discover a book which parts of it overlap with your real life so much that you wonder if the author has been secretly spying on you. Well for me, Don't Stop Me Now is that book.

Don't Stop Me Now focussed on main character Poppy Bloom. She has just finished her PhD but suddenly all her life plans have gone four of the window. Her perfect life she has at university has now shattered, unemployed and homeless she's found herself forced to move back into her mums house. One day when she's feeling sorry for her self her life changes forever as she calls into a radio station to air her opinions. This call changes her life as she's offered a job at the radio station. However, now can Poppy successfully balance her work and friends? 

Not one part of this book wasn't likeable. If I had to pinpoint one thing I really loved it's Poppy. She was such a well written and normal character which is very relatable. Poppy’s friends and family are also just delightful to read about. 

As I’ve said before I can completely and utterly relate to this book. I’m sure most graduates have that smack in the face realisation that the life doesn’t end up the way you planned. This book so wonderfully captures that bubble you’re in at university and then how horrendous it is when that bubble pops. From the high of graduating, to the sheer horror of moving back to your childhood bedroom, it’s all just so incredibly described. I loved everything in about this story. I loved the characters, I loved the storyline, I loved the friendship groups etc etc.....I just looked this book!

For me, I adore a relatable book and Don’t Stop Me Now is certainly that! I would recommend this book to everyone - I just loved it!

Synopsis - 

Poppy Bloom planned to finish her PhD and walk straight into a job at her university. But here she is, unemployed, unceremoniously dumped by her boyfriend, and living back at her mum’s in her vampire-themed childhood bedroom.

Not exactly what she was hoping for.

But when Poppy sets her mind to something, nothing can stand in her way. She scores herself an internship at the hottest radio station in town, joins a netball team, and renews her friendship with her oldest friend Leanne. Spending time with Leanne’s gorgeous twin Tom is just a bonus…

But life has a way of tripping you up when you least expect it, and Poppy soon has to decide where her priorities lie… With new friends, a new career and a new romance, can Poppy keep everyone happy, or is everything about to tumble down around her?