Keep Your Friends Close - Paula Daly

Synopsis

What do you do when your best friend steals your life?

You've been friends since university, when you became the people you are today.

You don’t see each other enough but when you do it’s as if you’ve never been apart.

She's one of the family. You would trust her with your life, your children, your husband.

And when your daughter is rushed to hospital, you’re grateful that she’s stepping in at home, looking after things.

But your best friend isn’t who you think she is. You’re about to find out just how wrong you were...

What did I think?

Wow!  This was a page turner and I started and finished it on the same day.

Natty and Sean seem like the perfect couple.  They have been together since they were teenagers and despite parental pressure to break up they are still together 16 years later.  Eve, Natty's friend from university, turns up one day just as Natty gets a call that her youngest daughter has taken ill on a school trip in France.  Natty rushes off to France leaving Eve to look after her eldest daughter and her husband.

Eve's destruction of Natty's life had me reeling - I was disappointed at how easily Sean was taken in by her and was cheering Natty on when the red mist descended.  Natty was like a lioness defending her cubs and willing to do anything to keep them safe.  When she started to investigate Eve's life, you just know she'd going to overturn a stone with lots of nasty little secrets under it.  I couldn't turn the pages fast enough in anticipation of the final showdown.

The Lake District setting was sublime and sometimes I felt like I was driving down the winding roads and gazing across Lake Windermere.  The blossoming love between Natty's Dad and his home help was a really nice part of the story and had its own twists and turns.  I even laughed out loud at the mention of Sean's parents' breakup and his Mum's explanation for why his Dad left her.

A fantastic psychological thriller - prepare to lose a day when reading this book!

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Buy with free delivery from the Book Depository

Being Someone - Adrian Harvey

Synopsis

Our lives are a tale to be told, but how often do we fear the story in its telling?

James has fallen through life, plotting a course of least resistance, taking each day as it comes and waiting for that indefinable 'something' to turn up, to give his story meaning. His journey lacks one vital element - a fellow traveller.

Then he meets Lainey. Confident. Beautiful. Captivating. And James rewrites himself to win her heart.

Lainey gives James a reason to grow, paints a bright future, promises the happy ending he has sought so keenly. But when we discover we can live the greatest story of all, are we able to share the pages with someone else?

Being Someone is an emotive tale of love, of self-discovery and adventure a story of the eternal search for happiness in another, without ultimately losing ourselves.

What did I think?

It started off a bit odd, with an elephant in India - I thought I had picked up the wrong book, but then the description of the parade was so atmospheric that I could have read a whole book about Indian elephants and been completely content.  Then the author flies us across continents to London and James makes an appearance.  He meets Lainey in a professional capacity and, when they accidentally meet later in a social environment, I really felt that something special had begun.

James and Lainey appear to be a perfect couple, but we all know that life isn't like that.  This is where this book stands out from the crowd; the author is not afraid to take us on a journey through the highs and lows of this relationship.  There is an amazing passage describing the exact moment in time that James realised that he had fallen out of love with Lainey.  It brings new meaning to the phrase "seeing people differently".

An outstanding debut.

Buy it direct from the publisher
Buy it from The Book Depository
Buy from Amazon

I Let You Go - Clare Mackintosh

Synopsis

A tragic accident. It all happened so quickly. She couldn't have prevented it. Could she?

In a split second, Jenna Gray's world descends into a nightmare. Her only hope of moving on is to walk away from everything she knows to start afresh. Desperate to escape, Jenna moves to a remote cottage on the Welsh coast, but she is haunted by her fears, her grief and her memories of a cruel November night that changed her life forever.

Slowly, Jenna begins to glimpse the potential for happiness in her future. But her past is about to catch up with her, and the consequences will be devastating . . .

What did I think?

This was an absolutely stunning debut with twists that had me flicking back over pages to see what clues I had missed.  My mind was racing in all directions as I read each page and I even became suspicious of everybody that Jenna interacted with.  It was so very cleverly written and it's difficult to write the review it deserves without any spoilers.

I loved the layout of the book, with chapters alternating between the police investigation into the accident and Jenna's story.  At the point in the book where Jenna starts taking photographs of the bay, I could actually see it in my head - the beach, the sea, the cliffs - they were all so beautifully described.  I would have definitely placed an order for one of Jenna's photographs!

The author's police training and personal experiences made this book so realistic and emotional.  My heart was almost beating out of my chest at the end.

Believe the hype - buy this, but prepare for some late nights of reading!

Buy it from The Book Depository with free delivery

Buy it from Amazon

The Seed Collectors - Scarlett Thomas

Synopsis

"I have no idea why everyone thinks nature is so benign and glorious and wonderful. All nature is trying to do is kill us as efficiently as possible."

Great Aunt Oleander is dead. To each of her nearest and dearest she has left a seed pod. The seed pods might be deadly, but then again they might also contain the secret of enlightenment. Not that anyone has much time for enlightenment. Fleur, left behind at the crumbling Namaste House, must step into Oleander's role as guru to lost and lonely celebrities. Bryony wants to lose the weight she put on after her botanist parents disappeared, but can't stop drinking. And Charlie struggles to make sense of his life after losing the one woman he could truly love.

A complex and fiercely contemporary tale of inheritance, enlightenment, life, death, desire and family trees, The Seed Collectors is the most important novel yet from one of the world's most daring and brilliant writers. As Henry James said of George Elliot's Middlemarch, The Seed Collectors is a 'treasurehouse of detail' revealing all that it means to be connected, to be part of a society, to be part of the universe and to be human.

What did I think?

I didn’t really enjoy this.  I found it terribly confusing at first as there seemed to be so many names thrown in at once.  By the time I got to know who the characters were I had pretty much lost interest.

I enjoyed the chapter that described Bryony’s shopping trip in Selfridges.  It very cleverly described the thought processes of an addict, whether it be drugs, alcohol or shopping – just one more designer bag after this one!

The seed pod premise sounded intriguing but the pods were hardly mentioned in the first part of the book.  They do have a huge part to play in the ending but I felt a bit duped into reading a book that I felt was mainly about adultery and incest rather than the clever quirky book I expected.

I received this e-book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets - Eva Rice

Synopsis:

Set in the 1950s, in an England still recovering from the Second World War, this is the enchanting story of Penelope Wallace and her eccentric family at the start of the rock'n'roll era.

Penelope longs to be grown-up and to fall in love, but various rather inconvenient things keep getting in her way.  Like her mother, a stunning but petulant beauty widowed at a tragically early age, her younger brother Inigo, currently incapable of concentrating on anything that isn't Elvis Presley, a vast but crumbling ancestral home, a severe shortage of cash, and her best friend Charlotte's sardonic cousin Harry...

What did I think?

This was beautifully written and I felt fully immersed in the 1950's era as Eva Rice sweeps the reader from cocktail parties at the Ritz to duck suppers at Milton Magna.  

The story is very much about Penelope but there is also the mystery surrounding some history between Penelope's mother and Charlotte's Aunt Clare.  Although Penelope met Charlotte by chance and immediately became friends, it's almost like they were drawn to each other by a shared link to the past that they knew nothing about.

I enjoyed the part of the story where Harry hatches a plot to win back his ex-girlfriend, Marina.  Penelope agrees to pretend to be in love with Harry in order to make Marina jealous.  This was fun reading as Marina's jealousy was described in perfect detail whilst a little spark begins to glow between Harry and Penelope.

A lovely feel good story of tea parties, music and magic.

I received this book from the publisher via Bookbridgr in exchange for an honest review.

All This Will Be Lost - Brian Payton

Synopsis:

A FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL

April 1943.  In the bloody turmoil of war, John Easley, a journalist mourning his lost brother, is driven to expose a hidden and growing conflict: the Japanese invasion and occupation of Alaska's Aleutian islands.  But when his plane is shot down he is forced to either surrender or struggle to survive in a harsh wilderness.

A SEARCH FOR THE TRUTH

Three thousand miles to the south, Helen Easley cannot accept her husband's disappearance - an absence that exposes her sheltered, untested life.  Desperate to find and reunite with him, she sets out on a remarkable journey from the safety of her Seattle home to the war in the north.

A LOVE STORY LIKE NO OTHER

An evocative, richly atmospheric tale of life and death, commitment and sacrifice, All This Will Be Lost is a gripping story of survival than illuminates the fragility of life and the fierce power of love.

What did I think?

This is an incredible story - a story that stayed with me long after I read the final page.  I laughed, I cried and I prayed that Helen and John would find each other again.  John really surprised me at times, and the strength he found to survive against all the odds was inspiring.  I liked the fact that Helen and John weren't painted as a perfect couple - they had their fair share of disagreements but Helen didn't hesitate in setting off across the country to find John.  You could even feel that she was close at one point - they perhaps saw the same eagle and I felt that their meeting was just around the corner but Helen got shipped out of Alaska and I began to despair again.  But like the Easley's, I didn't give up hope.

The beautiful writing paints a vivid picture of a desolate landscape and Brian Payton really gives a voice to the people of the Aleutian Islands, a place I'm ashamed to say I'd never heard of.  He also shows a different side to the Japanese soldiers as we're often so quick to think of their brutality in prisoner of war camps.

An amazing story of love, survival and the tragedy of war.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Truth about Ellen - Sarah Louise Smith

This is the type of story we've all dreamed of - it's a piece of perfect escapism for any girl who's ever dreamed about meeting her idol...and let's face it, we all have.

Ellen was a big Four Ape fan in her youth, so it's a dream come true when she runs into lead singer, Jasper Ryan, when she's 21.  Jasper is staying in a hotel, waiting for a flight to go and visit his dying Father.  Ellen manages to get stuck in a lift with Jasper and he invites her into his penthouse suite...but things don't go quite as you'd expect.  I totally expected Ellen to jump straight into bed with Jasper but instead she listens to him reminiscing about his Dad.  Jasper asks Ellen for her number so they can be friends and perhaps go on a date sometime.  Ellen isn't surprised later when he doesn't call.

Several years later, Ellen has to go on a course for work, so she decides to book into a hotel and make a trip of it.  She can't believe her luck when she finds that she is staying in the same hotel as Four Ape guitarist, Tom Green.  Ellen and Tom hit it off straight away but she doesn't tell him that she is a big Four Ape fan - well, she'll never see Tom again after this weekend, will she?  Wrong!!  Tom completely falls for Ellen and before you know it, he's asking her to move in with him - she can't tell him she was a big Four Ape fan now!

Then disaster strike for Ellen, but the most amazing thing happens for a Four Ape fan - the band decide to reform which brings Ellen face to face with Jasper again.  That's ok, he'll never remember her - he didn't call her, he'll have slept with hundreds of women since then.  Oh but he does remember her...leaving Ellen in a quandary.  Does she stay with kind dependable Tom or take a chance on unreliable heartthrob Jasper?

I really enjoyed this.  Ellen is a likeable character - as someone who managed to spill a fried egg sandwich down her top at work, I immediately felt an affinity for her when she made a mess eating a chocolate egg.  Yeah, you're not really going to find two band members falling for the same fan but Sarah Louise Smith has clearly had fun putting every girl's dream into words, whether you're a Take That fan (I'm not) or have another idol who made your heart race as a teenager (and perhaps still does).

I received this e-book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Available for Kindle at Amazon

The Silvered Heart Blog Tour

Today is my stop on The Silvered Heart blog tour and, following the book synopsis below, I have a guest post from the author, Katherine Clements.

1648: Civil war is devastating England. The privileged world of Katherine Ferrers is crumbling under Cromwell's army and, as an orphaned heiress, she has no choice but to marry for the sake of family.

But as her marriage turns into a prison and her fortune is forfeit, Katherine becomes increasingly desperate. So when she meets a man who shows her a way out, she seizes the chance. It is dangerous and brutal, and she knows if they're caught, there's only one way it can end... 

The mystery of Lady Katherine Ferrers, legendary highwaywoman, has captured the collective imagination of generations. Now, based on the real woman, the original 'Wicked Lady' is brought gloriously to life in this tale of infatuation, betrayal and survival. 

Guest Post

Haunted Locations in The Silvered Heart

According to popular legend, Lady Katherine Ferrers, the notorious highwaywoman known as ‘The Wicked Lady’, died in Hertfordshire in June 1660. Rumours of her hauntings have circulated local towns and villages ever since.

Katherine has been seen, and heard, wandering the staircases at her family home, Markyate Cell, and swinging beneath the branches of an old sycamore tree in the grounds. She appears on Nomansland Common, a nearby heathland that was supposedly the site of her criminal activity and the place she was fatally shot. Ramblers and travellers report the sight and sounds of a rider, galloping hard across the common on a grey horse, as recently as the 1970’s.

Both these places feature in The Silvered Heart, my novel about Katherine Ferrers, but is there any truth in the tales?

Illustration by Eric Fraser from Folklore Myths and Legends, 1973.

Markyate Cell, the Ferrers’ family home, lies at the heart of Katherine’s story and plays a significant role in the legend. She is supposed to have embarked on her highway robberies from here, via a secret staircase, at the foot of which she is said to have died.

Originally the site of a 12^th century Benedictine priory, the building was adapted into a family home after the dissolution of the monasteries. The Ferrers family took it over in the mid 16^th century. We have no images from the time that the real Katherine would have lived there; the earliest is this illustration from The Gentlemans’ Magazine, drawn in 1805.

The house we see today dates from the 1840s. It was rebuilt after most of the original building was destroyed by fire. The blaze was rumoured to have been kindled by Katherine’s ghost – those fighting the flames are said to have sensed her malevolent presence. And there is indeed a concealed chamber in the house, revealed by builders in the 19^th century.

To my fictional Katherine, the house is just as important; it represents everything she’s lost and her failure to keep hold of the Ferrers fortune. Her single-minded determination to return is a theme throughout the book.

In a strange twist of fate, the real Markyate Cell has been out of reach to me too. During the time I was researching and writing, the privately owned house was repossessed and has been on the market for some time. Though I’ve tried making enquiries, I’ve been unable to gain access. It would be a great shame to see Katherine’s house completely abandoned and I still hope I’ll be able to visit one day. As far as I know, it is still standing empty. Perhaps Katherine has her house to herself after all!

Markyate Cell as it is today.

Nomansland Common, near Wheathampstead, still exists and is transected by Ferrers Lane, named after our heroine. The spot certainly has a chequered past. The road that runs north across the common (now the B651) was prone to highway thieves and brigands who terrorized travellers in the 17^th and 18^th centuries, and there has been an inn on the spot for hundreds of years (now called The Wicked Lady).

In the late Middle Ages it was briefly the site of a gallows, and a significant battle – The Second Battle of St Albans – was fought nearby during the Wars of the Roses. Skeletons and cannonballs, recovered in the 18^th century, are thought to date from the battle, and have perhaps added to the macabre myths surrounding it. Sadly, the common is associated with a couple of grisly 20^th century murders too. It’s not so surprising it’s grown to be a place imbued with local legends.

The case of the Wicked Lady is an intriguing example of how the stories we tell have a life that lasts long after the facts of the matter have been lost. The Silvered Heart is my own version of the legend, based on what little we know about the real Katherine Ferrers. Whether or not she’s still with us in spirit, I hope the book helps to keep her story alive.

Follow the blog tour:
Monday 18th May - When Fact Mirrors Fiction
Tuesday 19th May - Q&A with Katherine Clements
Wednesday 20th May - The Real Wicked Lady: The Legend Behind the Book
Thursday 21st May - Haunted Locations in The Silvered Heart <--- today's stop
Friday 22nd May - Katherine's Top Ten Costume Dramas
Saturday 23rd May - Women of the Road: Real Life Highwaywomen

Check out The Book Magnet's review of The Silvered Heart

The Silvered Heart - Katherine Clements

This was an absolutely cracking read set during the period of the English Civil War.  It had robbery, treachery, danger and romance and had me turning the pages at speed to find out what was going to happen next.

The story starts in 1648 with Lady Katherine Ferrers en route to her arranged marriage to Thomas Fanshawe when she is held up by a highwayman, thankfully he doesn’t take the lucky silvered heart that hangs around her neck.  I could feel Katherine’s fear and could almost smell the rotten breath of her assailant through the brilliantly crafted words.  When fleeing from the robbery scene, Katherine leaves her wedding dress lying in the mud.  This means that she has to get married in a borrowed red gown, a colour that Rachel, her maid and friend, worries is unlucky.

Katherine soon finds herself trapped in a loveless marriage to a man she hardly knows; she has been married for her fortune which is quickly plundered in support of the king.  During this time of uncertainty in England’s history, Cromwell’s men can arrive at any moment demanding payment for Parliament and Katherine finds her coffers running low.  She rolls her sleeves up and helps with the house while her husband is away in London, frequently dreaming of Markyate Cell, her ancestral home.  It is during a clandestine visit to Markyate Cell that she encounters a bloodied stranger, the highwayman Rafe Chaplin.  Katherine joins forces with Rafe to obtain funds in order to keep her household running and ultimately becomes known as the infamous highwaywoman, The Wicked Lady.

I adore historical novels such as this; there are just enough facts based on real people and events to make you forget it is a work of fiction.  Katherine, Rafe and Rachel’s stories kept me on the edge of my seat at times and there were a few twists along the way to the tragic ending.  I loved the way that the story began with Katherine desperate to keep her precious necklace during the robbery and ending with the reappearance of the necklace in the epilogue set 26 years later in 1674.  Living close to the Northumbrian coast myself, I was also delighted at the mention of Craster in Northumberland and like to think that Katherine eventually found her way there or somewhere similar.

An absolute masterpiece, I was hooked from the first page and couldn't put it down!  Without hesitation I have added Katherine’s debut novel, The Crimson Ribbon, to my must read list.

I received this book from the publisher via Bookbridgr in exchange for an honest review.

Check out The Silvered Heart blog tour

Buy The Silvered Heart from The Book Depository

Ruby - Cynthia Bond

This is the story of Ephram Jennings' love for Ruby Bell in a small town ironically called Liberty.  Ephram, the son of Reverend Jennings, has loved Ruby since he was a child.  Ruby has had a tragic childhood, she has been abused and forced into child prostitution so as soon as she can escape she flees to New York, hoping to find her mother.  Years later, Ruby receives a telegram from her cousin which brings her back to Liberty.  Ruby is labelled a crazy woman and a Jezebel as the menfolk waste no time taking advantage of her.

Ephram lives with his sister, Celia, who has cared for him since their mother was institutionalised.  Ephram finally plucks up the courage to visit Ruby, much to the disgust of Celia.  Ephram finds Ruby living in squalor and rolls up his sleeves and starts cleaning both Ruby and the house.  It is at this point in the book that the most memorable scene for me is described.  Ephram has washed, and is untangling, Ruby's hair when he experiences visions and emotions brought on by each strand of hair that has lived through one of Ruby's experiences. This really was an amazing piece of writing and was described so clearly that I couldn't help but feel quite emotional at the end of it. The thought that our hair holds on to our feelings during different events in our life was quite inspired.

Instigated by his sister, the people of the town try to lure Ephram away from Ruby with disturbing consequences.  Ruby's struggle with her sanity and the ghosts of her past was at times sad but I also felt enraged at the people who made her feel so unworthy.  I was delighted that Ruby's strength appeared in full force at the end.

This is a book not to be read lightly.  It is incredibly disturbing in the descriptions of the abuse and sad that these mindless events tried to shape the woman that Ruby became, to the point where she almost lost her mind.  Ruby may be a work of fiction, but there will have been many Ruby's not just in the deep south of America but throughout the world.

I received this e-book from Blogging For Books in exchange for an honest review.

Buy it from The Book Depository

Day Four - Sarah Lotz

"The trip of their dreams becomes the holiday of their nightmares"

The Beautiful Dreamer has been cruising for four days when it stops dead in the water.  There is no electricity and no phone signal so they can't call for help, but when they don't reach port everyone is sure that the rescue teams will come looking for them.

Then a body is found on board which means there's a murderer on board too!

As security try to keep the search for the murderer under wraps, the ageing psychic on board, Celine del Ray, without the surreptitious help of her assistant appears to receive real messages for people on board, including a message from the dead girl.

As the days go on, the toilets stop working and the food starts to run out.  You can feel the eerily stillness of the sea through the writing and the bubbling undercurrent of craziness about to settle in.  I could almost smell the stench in the description of the lower cabins where the toilets had backed up and soaked through the carpet.

I particularly liked the scenes with the psychic and the manifestations of her spirit guides.  I really felt like something evil had got onto the ship.  It was similar to The Three in that I didn't really know what to make of the ending, other than to draw my own conclusions about life after death, the Bermuda Triangle and conspiracy theories.  There are some links to The Three but you could read this a stand-alone book.  I absolutely loved the press cuttings at the end, in a similar vein to The Three, making you feel like you could be reading non-fiction.

I received this book from the publisher via Bookbridgr in exchange for an honest review.

Buy it from The Book Depository

The Three - Sarah Lotz

Four planes crash on one day in different parts of the world; Japan, America, Europe and Africa.  Three children survive three of the crashes and the world goes crazy as they search for a survivor of the fourth crash in Africa.  Is this a miracle or the start of the apocalypse?

One of the casualties of the plane crash in Japan survived long enough to leave a message:

They're here ... The boy. The boy watch the boy watch the dead people oh Lordy there's so many ... They're coming for me now. We're all going soon. All of us. Pastor Len warn them that the boy he's not to­­--

The last words of Pamela May Donald (1961 - 2012)

This is enough for the religious fanatics to link the four planes to the four horsemen of the apocalypse as Pastor Len builds up his following of Pamelites and sets out to destroy the three survivors of Black Thursday. 

This book was written in such a refreshing unique way - it is a series of interviews and transcripts of the survivors' families telling their stories for a book about Black Thursday.  It feels like you are building up the evidence in front of you in order to come to your own conclusions, which ultimately you have to do at the end.

I was completely gripped by the story and it made me think about our own souls and what happens when we die - the relationship between the survivors and their main family member left me thinking about the belief that part of a soul transfers to the people you leave behind.  Whether it was the soul of a person or something more sinister I'm not really sure so, whilst I really enjoyed reading this book, I felt I had to launch straight into the sequel "Day Four" as the ending felt like it was "to be continued".

Buy it from The Book Depository

Manhattan Mayhem - Mary Higgins Clark et al

This is a collection of short stories to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the Mystery Writers of America.

There are some stunning photographs of New York in between each short story.

Although Jack Reacher pays a visit to the Big Apple courtesy of Lee Child, my favourite stories were Three Little Words by Nancy Pickard and Me and Mikey by T. Jefferson Parker.

In Three Little Words, Priscilla is told she only has a few weeks to live.  One night while out jogging she is stabbed to death.  The author lays out the potential murderers and I found myself choosing one then the other and changing my mind again.

Me and Mikey reads like an episode of The Sopranos.  The author paints a vivid picture of Little Italy and embraces the Italian emphasis on family.

I'm not really a fan of short stories but the photos alone made this one worth reading.

I received this e-book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Published June '15. Pre-order from The Book Depository

The Letter - Kathryn Hughes

This is a story of two women living in Manchester decades apart but both with heart wrenching stories.

Chrissie meets Billy in 1939 and just as war breaks out, she finds out that she is pregnant.  Billy reacts badly to the news and decides to write Chrissie a letter.  Before Chrissie receives the letter she is packed off to Ireland by her strict parents.

Tina is married to Rick and is a volunteer at a charity shop in 1973.  Rick is an alcoholic and Tina is a victim of domestic violence.  Tina finds Billy's letter in a donated suit and she sets out to find Chrissie to deliver the letter.

Part Two of the book focuses on William, Chrissie's son, who was born in a convent in Ireland and adopted by an American couple.  William has travelled to Ireland and then Manchester to find his birth mother and joins forces with Tina when he finds her searching for Chrissie to deliver the letter from his father.

The story of Rick and Tina is disturbing at times due to the depths of the abuse and violence and the story of Billy and Chrissie is heartbreaking as Chrissie is ultimately forced to give up her son.  I was close to shedding a tear on more than one occasion and I would recommend that you read this book with a few tissues by your side.  Kathryn Hughes really brought the characters to life and gave a voice to the story of thousands of women who have given up their babies in convents across Ireland.

I received this e-book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Buy it from The Book Depository

The Dish - Stella Newman

Laura is a food critic for a magazine, a job she acquired not due to her experience or qualifications but due to her love of food and her descriptive writing skills.  Not to mention that the boss is also an old family friend, so Laura turned to Roger for a job after her divorce.

After the abrupt end to a disastrous date, Laura goes to a cafe for a bacon sandwich only to find that the last one has been sold to another customer.  She then plumps for a custard doughnut, but is served a jam doughnut instead.  You've guessed it, the bacon sandwich guy has also now ordered the last custard doughnut!  This prompts Laura to strike up a conversation with the guy, Adam, and barters with him for the doughnut that Adam agrees to share (ahhhh).  

Laura and Adam start dating, but Adam is a chef and his shifts are a nightmare so they find it difficult to meet up.  On one of their dates, Laura finds out that Adam is a chef at a new restaurant in London, a restaurant she visited before she met Adam and about which she has written a scathing review that is soon to be published.  Laura debates whether to tell Adam about the review but as time goes on, it gets harder to tell him.  Then the review is published and all hell breaks loose.

This was what I call a "no brainer" read - it all turns out as you expect in the end.  The food descriptions were excellent and you could almost smell them at times but I didn't really warm to Laura or Adam.  I also thought that the constant printing of Laura's email exchanges with various recipients was a little boring and pointless.  

This would be a good holiday read for chick-lit lovers.

I received this e-book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Buy it from The Book Depository