Wanderlust - Simon Foster

After 9/11, Aussie expat Luke Bales is determined to make a success of his New York bar, The Billabong.

But when a hot fashion student goes missing from the bar, Luke’s liquor license is threatened and his sidekick placed under suspicion.

To keep his dream alive, Luke follows a bloody trail through the city’s boroughs, soon realizing that evil can strike thousands of miles from home.

Or just around the corner. 

What did I think?

Well this was a little hidden gem of a book and I absolutely raced through it one rainy Saturday afternoon.  I knew I was going to love it from the very first page; not just because it was set in a bar (as many people know I'm a beer lover) but because of the easy going Aussie lingo that reminded me of happy days watching Home and Away and Neighbours.  Lingo that greeted me like an old friend, drawing me in and pulling out a seat with my name on it at this friendly bar in NYC named The Billabong.

The book is named after a beer cocktail served at The Billabong - beer cocktail, you say?  Yes, you heard me right.  I have got to try The Wanderlust, although I'm not sure if I'm brave enough to put a dash of Tabasco in my beer.  Anyway I digress enough about the beer, on to the book...

The story starts as Luke and his assistant, Anchor, are setting up his bar one Monday afternoon for what will surely be another busy evening, when in walk two NYPD detectives.  They are investigating a case of a missing Australian girl who was last seen at The Billabong on Friday night.  Luke recognises her from her photograph but can't say who she was with or when she left the bar as it was so busy, so the detectives want to speak to Anchor, who conveniently made a sharp exit as they entered the bar.  When body parts start turning up, it's not long before Anchor's shady past is revealed and he is collared for the crime.  Luke is convinced of his innocence but the detectives are happy they have got their man.  Case closed.  The case is far from closed for Luke who follows a trail around New York, getting into scrapes along the way and using his Aussie charm to talk himself out of trouble.  

Luke is a great character with some cracking lines; there are too many to mention here and by doing so would spoil the book anyway. Needless to say I was crying with laughter at times despite the sometimes serious storyline.  Any character that says, 'Don't be a galah' to an impending fight scene is a winner for me! 

Wanderlust will appeal to all crime fiction fans and the added humour and laid back Aussie style make it something that little bit different; I'm sure Wanderlust is destined for great things and I know without a doubt that it will be one of my top reads of 2016.  It is so addictive that you can't put it down and as usual I didn't get the whodunnit right.  Either I'm really bad at picking up clues or the author is really clever...I'm going to go with the latter!  If you're looking for something a bit different, you won't go wrong with Wanderlust.

An absolutely cracking (or should I say bonzer?) debut from author Simon Foster and I do hope that Simon lets us catch up with Luke and The Billabong again.

I received this e-book from the author, via Books Go Social, in exchange for an honest review.

My rating:

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The Flood (Sex, Love and Dating Disasters Book 2) - Steven Scaffardi

One bet, four girls, eight weeks, multiple dates. What could possibly go wrong?

Following his traumatic eight month dry spell, Dan Hilles is back in the driving seat and ready to put his dating disasters behind him.

But if only it were that simple.

After a drunken afternoon in the pub, fuelled by the confidence of alcohol, Dan makes a bet with his three best pals that will complicate his love-life more than ever when he brazenly declares that he could juggle multiple women all at the same time.

With just eight weeks to prove his point, Dan is about to find out how hard it is to date a flood of women without them all finding out about each other, especially when they come in the shape of an ex-girlfriend, a stalker, the office ice queen and the one that got away.

The Flood is the hilarious follow-up to The Drought by lad lit author Steven Scaffardi, chronicling the adventures of unlucky-in-love Dan Hilles.

What did I think?

After reading The Drought and absolutely loving it, it was only natural that I followed on with the next book in the series, The Flood. Anybody who reads The Drought, must read The Flood as it really is an absolutely hilarious sequel, but The Flood could easily be read as a standalone with no enjoyment lost.

Obviously I don't endorse or encourage promiscuity or cheating on partners but this is a work of fiction and a light-hearted read; it was great fun to read about Dan juggling his ladies and there is a hysterical scene where all four ladies are in the same pub and I could barely read for the tears of laughter running down my face.  It was like an episode of Benny Hill and all that was missing was Dan being chased out of the pub by his ladies...and everybody else in the pub.

There are some weird and wonderful new characters in The Flood who really must get a special mention.  Firstly, Dan's new flatmate, Tuna.  Yes, I really meant to type 'Tuna'.  Tuna is completely lacking in social skills and he's always creeping up on Dan and asking if they can get a dog, like they're an old married couple.  Then there is Dan's new colleague, Ieuan, pronounced Yigh-Un, but the gang call him Iron.  He's led a bit of a sheltered life and Jack sees a great opportunity to play Yoda as he takes Ieuan under his wing and teaches him the ways of beer and women.  With Master Jack in charge, prepare yourself for a bucketful of hilarity.

My favourite character has to be Ollie, as he is so like Neil from The Inbetweeners.  He's innocent in his stupidity and he meets his perfect partner in Steph, who Dan works with.  There is an absolutely brilliant bit where Ollie and Steph discuss stories in the bible - it's an absolute moment of genius from Steven Scaffardi.  The only problem is that Steph has a high-flying banker boyfriend.  How can Ollie compete with him?  I hope it's a 'watch this space' so we can find out more of this story...

There is so much going on in this book that you can never second guess the story.  There is pretty much a laugh on every page, meaning that I frequently had to stop reading to wipe the tears of laughter from my eyes.  Doctors should prescribe The Drought and The Flood as a little pick-me-up.  Guaranteed to put a smile on your face, unless you have no sense of humour, they are definitely going in my pile of 'books to read again'.

Lad Lit may be a niche genre but I think Steven Scaffardi is on to a winner with this series.  I hope to read more about this motley crew and I don't think I will ever get tired of them.  I miss them already and don't think it will be long before I re-read both books.  Try something new today and join in the fun and frivolity of the Lad Lit revolution!

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

My rating:

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The Drought (Sex, Love and Dating Disasters Book 1) - Steven Scaffardi

Steven Scaffardi's The Drought is the laugh-out-loud tale of one man's quest to overcome the throes of a sexual drought. After the stormy break-up with his girlfriend of three years, Dan Hilles is faced with the daunting task of throwing himself back into the life of a single man. With the help of his three best pals, Dan is desperate and determined to get his leg-over with hilarious consequences! 

What did I think?

This is an absolutely hilarious laugh out loud book.  If you love The Inbetweeners, you will absolutely love Steven Scaffardi's The Drought.  If you've ever been out with your girlfriends and wondered what that group of boys looking over were thinking, then you must read this book!

Having once been called an honorary bloke (and I didn't thump the guy who called me that), I didn't hesitate before jumping on the LadLit blog tour when Steven Scaffardi very kindly asked me to participate.  I like my pints (and have my own beer blog), love Formula 1 and enjoy watching my team attempt to play football, but I don't really know what goes on inside a man's head.  Are they really the stronger sex and do they really think about sex all the time?  Well, perhaps those questions will be answered within the hilarious pages of The Drought.

Dan has just broken up with his long term girlfriend, Stacey, but there's always more fish in the sea, isn't there?   It does sometimes feel like Dan is fishing with a hole in his net as each date ends in disaster, resulting in absolutely rib tickling laughter for the reader.  With Dan's friends helping; best mate and babe magnet Rob; Jack with a PhD in 'Ladies'; and intellectually challenged Ollie, he'll have no trouble finding his next conquest, right?  Wrong!!

As Dan gets himself into one scrape after another, I thought the jokes would run out at some stage, but Steven Scaffardi has a Mary Poppins' handbag of hilarity that goes on and on until I had to put the book down from fear of actually splitting my sides!  The group of friends is a perfect blend of lothario and idiot that made me wonder whether I should buy them a round of drinks or run for the hills!

Guys and gals alike will enjoy The Drought.  I enjoyed every single page of it and I felt like I was part of the group; cringing at Dan's disasters and willing him on at every stage.  I couldn't have contained my laughter if I had wanted to - The Drought should come with a warning: 'Do not read in public places'.  If it doesn't make you cry with laughter, you might need to check your pulse.

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

My rating:

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The Beer Guru's Guide - Chris Street

This book is for all who understand that drinking beer can be a religious experience, a portal to an alternative reality. This is the perfect gift for the millions who like a pint. It features marketing partnerships with breweries and pubs. The author is a high profile advertising creative who will attract media attention. It is fully illustrated throughout, and all for the price of just four pints. As a follower of the Barmy Swami, Chris Street is eminently qualified to reveal the mystical secrets of beer, its sacred nature and the path of the Beer Guru. Go on a quest for the Holy Ale, the sacred beer that flows from the Font of All Knowledge and which bestows infinite knowledge, immortality and enlightenment. Create your own beer temple, master the art of astral travel.

What did I think?

This was a very quick fun read with some absolutely cracking quotes from the beer guru himself.

"Life's short.  Drink as much as you can."

I have a really good sense of humour but didn't laugh as much as I expected.  Having said that, I still think this would be a really good gift book for anyone with a love of beer.

"After a couple of beers, you love everyone and everyone loves you.  Beer is liquid love."

The Beer Guru mentions a quest for the Holy Ale and anyone with a love of Real Ale will know exactly what this means.  Ale lovers the world over are sampling every ale they can, worshipping at the beer altar, until they find the ale that they worship above all others.  I have been on this quest for some time and set up my beer blog to catalogue my very own quest for the Holy Ale.  Please feel free to head over to Ale Be Seeing You to follow my quest.

There are some really good play on words, such as the Dalai Llager, that make this a really fun book that any beer lover will enjoy.

Many thanks to Amy from Souvenir Press for spotting my beer blog and sending me a copy of The Beer Guru's Guide.  It was my pleasure to read it, with a beer in hand, in exchange for an honest review.

My rating:

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