Women's Fiction
Christmas at Thrush Green by Miss Read
Set in the rural village of Thrush Green, this book is the latest in a series surrounding familiar characters. There is the feisty Ella Bembridge, who is finally having to admit that old age is creeping up as her eyesight fails. Friends such as Dimity and Charles Henstock are concerned about her, but she refuses to accept any help. Albert Piggott has decided it's time to retire now that his wife, Nelly, is a successful cafe owner and can afford to take care of him! And relative newcomer Phil Hurst and her husband are arranging the local nativity play, despite a number of set-backs. Will everything be in place for Christmas? And will independent Ella make a decision about her future? Full review...
River Deep by Maxine Barry
Two young women both have a love of the Thames. Melisande Ray's beloved hotel, the Ray of Sunshine is on the river bank. It's here that guests come who want to be pampered and looked after in the way that only the best hotels can do well, but when Wendell James checks in to the hotel it's not pampering he's looking for. He's buying a piece of land not far from the Ray of Sunshine and he's sussing out the competition. There's something personal in there too – if his new hotel means that the Ray of Sunshine goes under then that would be an added bonus. There's just a slight doubt in his mind when a red-haired maid catches his eye. Full review...
Remembrance Day by Leah Fleming
In the year 2000 an old lady in a wheelchair watches the unveiling of the new war memorial in the village square. There's pride in what has been achieved, in the family who are gathered around her and there are memories too. Some are good but many are not. Full review...
The Popularity Rules by Abby McDonald
This book is labelled as Abby McDonald's first adult novel, but a brief browse at the juvenile title, cover and formatted content bowls it straight down the teen read alley. The Americanised language, music scene setting and media heroine are aspirational stuff when you're stuck in the pre-scene years. So, despite its label, I've given it four and a half stars based on its appeal as a girlie book. That said, I'm well over eighteen, read the story avidly, and enjoyed the irony. So well done, Abby McDonald, for an entertaining story, cleverly told. Full review...
Through Rose-Coloured Glasses by Anne Baker
Dinah Radcliffe lived in one of the poorer parts of Liverpool and whilst there might not have been a lot of money to spare she was happy in her job as an apprentice milliner and spent her free time nursing her mother, Sarah. Her father had been killed in the Great War, but it was the nineteen thirties and the Radcliffes were making the best of things. The son of their next door neighbour was a jockey and it was his free tickets which took Dinah and her friend to a race meeting at Aintree. It was there that she met Richard Haldane, a widowed businessman who swept Dinah off her feet and introduced her to a life of wealth and privilege beyond her wildest dreams. Within weeks they were married - and within hours Dinah discovered that her husband was not the man she thought he was. Full review...
That Loving Feeling by Carole Matthews
Have you ever wondered what successful authors write about? Since they no longer partake of the everyday world of work, how do they 'write about what they know' while still sounding fresh and up to the minute? And how do they think up all those unique plots? Well, Carole Matthews has solved the problem in 'That Loving Feeling' by setting the book in a Public Library, cleverly utilising the hours she must have spent promoting her previous romantic comedies at Libraries up and down the country. To be cruising towards twenty published novels suggests plenty of interest from library readers and it's a rather nice touch, isn't it, to set a book amongst your loyal fan base. Full review...
The Lost Guide to Life and Love by Sharon Griffiths
Tilly Flint is a food journalist living in London and hankering for a more glamorous life than the one she has. She has a taste of this when her boyfriend Jake takes her to an upmarket nightclub frequented by top footballers and models. Little does she know at the time but some of the people she only glimpses that night are about to become very important to her. Just after, she agrees to go on a working holiday with Jake and they book an isolated cottage in the Pennines. However, an almighty row leads to Jake storming out and Tilly being left on her own. Surprisingly though, it is relief rather than fear that she experiences, particularly when she realises that where she is staying has very strong links with her family's history and that everyone knows of her Great Granny Allen who's sayings Tilly's mother is so fond of quoting. Full review...
House of Angels by Freda Lightfoot
The novel focuses on the Angel family who live in the Lake District in the late 1900s. Josiah Angel is the head of the family and appears to be a respectable business man, bringing up his three daughters after the death of his wife. The family live in a beautiful house and – to outsiders – the daughters seem to have everything – comfort, money, beauty and an easy life, in great contrast to the poverty around them. Not far from Josiah's department store are the workhouse with its brutality and the blocks of slum flats infested with rats. Full review...
Confessions of a Reluctant Recessionista by Amy Silver
Cassie may be 'just' a PA and living and working in one of the most expensive cities on the planet, but thanks to a flair for fashion, and a generous banker boyfriend you'd never know it from looking at her. But, in the fickle world of fashion, friendships and fat-cat bonuses, things can change in an instant. Let go from her job, and from her relationship by her rhymes-with-banker now ex, she is forced to fend for herself and make some cut backs (*shudder*). Forget the Louboutins and the fancy, on-fashion belts, the only buckling she'll be doing any time soon is the buckling down to get a new job, reduce her outgoings, and maintain the smidge of self-respect she has left. Full review...
The Life You Want by Emily Barr
Many good writers have a signature style and for me, Emily Barr's has always been the utterly authentic travel details all her books have been peppered with, whether it be the lazy life in a lush French farmhouse, or the excitement of backpacking across Asia. Her new title is no exception, and this time the destination is India. Full review...
Hedge Fund Wives by Tatiana Boncompagni
Chick lit is about finding a man in order to live happily ever after: not just any man, of course, but Mr Right himself. Hedge Fund Wives is as pink cotton-wooly as any self-respecting chick lit novel in search of a hero. But... it also flies in the face of this convention. In the story, marrying money does not secure the fairy tale ending. It's really amazing that Tatiana Boncompagni has managed to deliver a rags-to-riches happy ending for her heroine while roundly denouncing the riches along the way. Full review...
Angel of Brooklyn by Janette Jenkins
On the eve of the Great War, Jonathan Crane arrives home to the unyielding grey of his home town of Anglezarke, Lancashire with a beautiful new bride on his arm. Beatrice is not immediately warmly received into the embrace of the women of this alien place - her beauty is captivating and the stories about where she grew up, enchanting; Jonathan Crane's new foreign wife is not ordinary among these folk and they are suspicious of her and as sometimes only gritty, British women know how, they are openly and unashamedly hostile toward her. Who is this stunning creature that is trying to infiltrate their lives? Full review...
The Italian Matchmaker by Santa Montefiore
Luca, a half-Italian, rich banker has been through a painful divorce and has decided to take stock of his life. He decides to leave the City behind and, at the suggestion of a friend (and, inevitably, ex-lover) he decides to take off for the summer to visit his parents who have, fortuitously, recently renovated an old palazzo in (the sadly fictitious) Incantellaria on the Amalfi coast. Here, his parents live with a rich assortment of eccentric friends in residence, including a pet pig. Full review...
The Secret Shopper Unwrapped by Kate Harrison
Glamourous Grazia, sassy Sandie and enthusiastic Emily first got together in Harrison's earlier title, 'The Secret Shopper's Revenge'. Now they're back but this time there are many more hassles to deal with than just a bit of simple, secret shopping. Think toy boys and sugar daddies and the odd A-lister, a choice between aging gracefully or disgracefully, reformed criminals and criminal exes, long lost mothers and potential new mothers in law (in the same room! At the same time!) and the delight or dread that comes from finding yourself unexpectedly in the family way. Combine all these factors with the run up to Christmas and you have three good friends run off their feet in every direction but, because friendship is really all that matters, resolutely there for each other in a pinch. Full review...
Unsticky by Sarra Manning
Low paid but with big dreams, talented fashionista Grace is in the process of being dumped by a boy whom she was too good for anyway. If that's not bad enough, he's doing it on her birthday, and if even that's not bad enough, he's doing it in Liberty's. Right by the new season Marc Jacobs bags. It's just wrong. And yet, as one door closes, another opens right next to it. And this one is bigger, older and a lot more expensive. The mysterious Vaughn rescues Grace as the tears begin to fall, whisking her off to dry her eyes over four types of chocolate cake. There are worse things I can think of, that's for sure. Full review...
The Perfect Man by Sheila O'Flanagan
I've read many of Sheila O'Flanagan's books and have always found them light enjoyable reads with interesting storylines and likeable characters. This is what I was expecting from The Perfect Man, and I wasn't at all disappointed.
Unlike most of O'Flanagan's books, this one is not set in Dublin but mainly takes place on a romantic cruise ship in the Caribbean. Britt McDonagh, the successful author of a novel also entitled The Perfect Man, has been invited on board to present a series of talks and workshops about successful romantic writing. Full review...
The Position by Meg Wolitzer
Paul Mellow loves his wife, Roz, seemingly like no other man has ever loved a woman – his idolatry is boundless, bordering on theatrical and yet out of this worship, Paul has the germ of an idea. Who would not want to know the ways in which it is possible to pleasure a wife as beautiful and perfect as his? How could everyone not want to see, to share the artistic renderings of this act of love? Full review...
Fraser's Line by Monica Carly
When Edie died Fraser was devastated. They'd been married for thirty one years and he'd been devoted to her. Nothing had been too much trouble and he'd been quite prepared to watch her flirt with other men, to shine in any company. He was, after all, the man she went home with. Her death had come suddenly and weeks later he was still in a state of shock, but he knew that he would have to sort out her affairs and he enlisted the help of a casual acquaintance to support him. He was in for some painful shocks. Full review...
Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts by Lucy Dillon
Lucy Dillon's previous novel, The Ballroom Class, featured three couples whose individual stories end up muddled when they start the same dancing lessons. In Lost dogs and Lonely Hearts we have three very different families whose lives end up intertwined when they suddenly become involved with the local rescue kennels. Sound familiar? While the premise for the two is similar, the stories share only one common theme: they're both great reads. Full review...
Before We Say Goodbye by Louise Candlish
Olivia suffered a great deal in her childhood and teenage years. Her mother Maggie would disappear, often for months at a time, leaving Olivia and her brother disorientated, upset and - eventually - very angry. But when her mother lies dying, there's a big question Olivia wants to ask. Did her mother deliberately keep her away from Richie, the young man she fell in love with when she was sixteen? Full review...
Eating Blackbirds by Lorraine Jenkin
'Delightful', 'unsophisticated' and 'funny' tags jump to mind for Eating Blackbirds, one of several books published this year, aimed at the women's mainstream market from Welsh publishers Honno. I read it in a couple of sittings, not wanting to put it down. Full review...
The Prodigal Sister by Laura Elliott
Sisters Rebecca, Julie and Lauren are travelling from Ireland to attend their younger sister's wedding in New Zealand. This is unlikely to be just any family reunion though as no one had heard from Cathy since she fled from their home fifteen years ago. There are many unresolved issues but Cathy has invited them all with the hope that they can achieve some closure and hopefully move on with their lives. Full review...
When Good Friends Go Bad by Ellie Campbell
A famous designer, a cleanliness-obsessed stay at home mum and a slightly kooky Yank who talks to angels might not be three people you'd pick to be friends in a normal story, but these women haven't met now, as pushing-40 year olds. No, they were good friends, great friends even, all through high school, and though life has evidently taken then in different directions, you can understand how something like surviving their teen years together would form an everlasting bond. Except it didn't, really. They've barely talked in years, and even the reunion organised ten years ago went wrong. So how is it that they've ended up back in each others' lives? What's happened? Why now? Full review...
Before I Forget by Melissa Hill
At the start of the book, Abby's partner of four years has just left her and, in dealing with her misery, she is becoming a bit of a workaholic and a social recluse. One morning, on her way to work she becomes the victim of a freak accident and suffers a brain injury that is going to affect her long term memory. Faced with the prospect of forgetting all that she holds dear, Abby re-evaluates the way she has been living and makes a list of all the memorable experiences she hopes to create. She also sets about capturing all the memories in a 'memory chest' on her computer so that she will be able to remember all the wonderful experiences. Suddenly she is enjoying life a lot more especially when she meets the handsome and thoughtful Finn. Unexpectedly, Abby's life has never looked better except, of course, for the fact that she keeps forgetting things. Full review...
I Heart New York by Lindsey Kelk
Holed up in a New York hotel room, Angela is getting a New York make over from her NY NBF, Jenny. And how, we ask ourselves, did our heroine end up in The City That Never Sleeps? Well, if you had caught your boyfriend of ten years having sex with a skinny (grrr!) blonde on the back seat of your car (where the car seats of your future children were supposed to go), during the wedding reception of your best friends, and that everyone – including your best friends - apart from you had known what he had been up to for some considerable time, you may very well have kicked off your Louboutins, hitched up your bridesmaids dress and headed for the nearest airport too! Full review...
Secrets and Lies by Jaishree Misra
Four girls became friendly at school in Delhi. Fifteen years later three of them are in London, but Zeba is still in India. She was a promising actress (on and off the stage) at school but in 2008 she's the reigning queen of Bollywood. Let no one say that she hasn't earned her position; some of those producers can be quite demanding – on and off the stage. Back in London Bubbles is the wife of a millionaire Indian businessman. It was an arranged marriage and although it's never been close Bubbles isn't too unhappy. Sam is the trophy wife and her marriage seems to have ground to a halt, whilst Anita, always the brainiest of the group, seems to have difficulty in keeping a relationship going. There was another girl who had an influence on the girls, but they hated Lily D'Souza – and then she died. Full review...
Hot House Flower by Margot Berwin
Themed fiction, where there is a clear obsession with a specific topic can be a bit hit or miss, but in the past I have enjoyed ones that focus on books and shoes and especially food. The key in my mind has always been to write about something other people obsess over, establishing an immediate bond between reader and writer. This title falls into this category but with a rather unusual and specific fixation: tropical plants. I know little about these, and have never really wanted to change that fact, but though I didn't share the author's fascination initially, by the end of the book I was hooked. Full review...
On Black Sisters' Street by Chika Unigwe
Sisi, Ama, Efe and Joyce are prostitutes, working in Antwerp's red-light district. They arrived in Belgium through the auspices of Dele, a grasping, talent-spotting Lagos pimp, who arranges illegal entry into Europe for young women in return for a large percentage of their earnings for many years. Full review...
Sins by Penny Jordan
Sins is set in the 1950s and follows the turbulent love lives of four girls — Emerald, Rose, Janey and Ella. Scheming Emerald is determined to bag herself a royal husband, outsider Rose just wants to fit in, wild child Janey puts her heart and soul into becoming the next Mary Quant, and sensible Ella concentrates on avoiding the mistakes of her parents. As the years pass, the girls reach for their dreams and come to terms with issues that have haunted them from childhood. Full review...
The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig
I used to have months when I would gorge on chick lit before I got married. I lived in London and would wile away the tedium of the tube by escaping into easy, comforting reads of twenty-somethings who worried about shoes and shopping and men. It was reassuring to know that the girl, albeit after a series of highs and lows, would ultimately get the guy. I'm a different kind of person now, a stay at home mum more likely to be found playing in the park than shoe-shopping in London, and so it's been a while since I've felt like picking up a chick lit book. Something about this one intrigued me though. From the back cover blurb it's hard to tell if it's a historical novel, or contemporary chick lit, or perhaps some kind of mystery. I have a feeling that if you come to it with any particular expectations of it fulfilling one of these genres you might be disappointed. But if you see it as a fun, exciting, genre-less read then, hopefully, you won't be able to put it down. Full review...
The Wife by Meg Wolitzer
The fact that Joan Castleman is the wife of one of the 20th Century's most lauded and acclaimed authors has not escaped her notice and certainly there are people a-plenty to remind her how amazing her entire existence must surely be. The role of the supportive significant other is a part that Joan has played for almost her entire life, watching her husband Joe's steady rise to the top of his professional tree, whilst suppressing her own career aspirations and talents to be the silent stanchion of her marriage, in every conceivable way. Full review...
The Hidden Dance by Susan Wooldridge
It is 1933, and the SS Etoile has just left Southampton harbour en route for New York. On board is Lily Sutton, a timid, disturbed woman whose posh accent seems unsuited to her situation of travelling in steerage. Through a series of flashbacks to various years in Lily's life we learn why she is so frightened and what has brought her to make this secretive journey to New York. As well as learning about her romantic aspirations through the story we also see her stumble into a difficult situation on board ship that lends a crime mystery feel to the latter half of the book. Full review...
The Ten-year Nap by Meg Wolitzer
Amy couldn't remember the last time her husband Leo had gotten terribly excited by her. Jill could not understand why she did not really feel like much of a mother to her adopted daughter, Nadia. It had been four years, but still the quiet little girl that she and her husband, Donald, had 'rescued' from a Siberian orphanage seemed like a stranger to her. Roberta didn't seem to know how she had come to give up on her dream to be an artist, but somehow amidst her marriage, the children's craft projects and the part time work as a puppeteer, it had simply faded away until she could barely remember what it was like to hold a brush in her hands. Full review...
Love Letters by Katie Fforde
Love Letters is one of those enjoyable and satisfying reads that is so perfect for these hot lazy summer days. It's gentle pace and intriguing characters draw you in as you want to find out what happens next. What's more, the storyline is based around a literary festival which makes fascinating reading for any book lover like me. Full review...
Pictures of You by Jane Elmor
This is the story of Luna, who is an artist. It's also the story of Angie, her mother, and - to a lesser degree - it's about Nat, a teenage single mother in horrendous circumstances.
It begins when Luna and Angie attend the funeral of Luna's long-estranged father in 2003. Or rather, the story actually begins when Luna and her boyfriend Pierre are making love in a cupboard under the stairs just after the funeral. And the book itself starts with a prologue, set six years later, when an unnamed man (with wife and two children in tow) spots an unnamed woman in an art gallery, and thinks back to a lifetime of loving her.
Confused? Yes, I was too. And not at all sure what to expect. Full review...
Beachcombing by Maggie Dana
You'll like Jill Hunter. She's smart, independent and likes to have fun. Her business is one that she's built up from scratch and she's brought up two sons on her own since her divorce many years ago and to her credit they're both splendid young men. Money's a little tight but she's managed to restore a dilapidated beach cottage in Connecticut where it sits amongst some rather more expensive neighbours. Full review...
Duchess by Night by Eloisa James
In this third instalment of the Desperate Duchesses series the focus is on Harriet, the Duchess of Berrow. A widow of two years, Harriet manages her vast estate, makes judgements in the local court (where the judge is only a drunken figurehead) and is generally settled into her life. But she feels unattractive, old and boring; ready to find another husband but doesn't attract too many dancers, never mind suitors, when she turns up at a costume ball dressed as a dumpy Mother Goose (complete with a stuffed bird). When her friend sets off on a visit to a permanent house party at a residence of a certain very disreputable Lord Strange (in order to create a scandal and entice a husband she never met back to the country), Harriet decides to go with her, but worried about the debauchery, she goes as a young man, a nephew of Duke Villiers who also accompanies the ladies. Full review...