BLOG TOUR: The Cat Share - Angela Jariwala

Sometimes it’s as simple as meeting the boy next door.

 

Jenni lives alone with her cat Oscar – yes, she’s single but, after breaking up with her boyfriend, she’s more than content to be living alone. Sometimes she worries she might be playing things too safe, but she’s had enough of taking risks.

 

Ben is a firefighter and, if he’s honest, he’s finding life hard. The arrival of a small tabby cat, who Ben decides to call Fred, helps him feel less isolated. But then, one day, Ben decides to take a chance. Wanting to reassure Fred’s owner he’s not stealing their cat, he attaches a note to the cat’s collar. 

 

As the two neighbours start corresponding via the cat, their notes to each other reveal the truths they are hiding from even their closest friends, and themselves.

 

The Cat Share is a warm and joyous romantic comedy about two strangers in love with one very greedy cat, inspired by a true story, for fans of The Flat Share, You’ve Got Mail and Rescue Me.

 

What did I think?

Consider my heart officially warmed after reading The Cat Share by Angela Jariwala.  It is so lovely that it really did leave me feeling like I had a visible warm glow around me.

The two main characters, Jenni and Ben, have both had their hearts broken so they're settling into the safety of a single life.  Jenni has her cat Oscar to keep her company although he keeps going missing and unbeknown to Jenni ends up in Ben's house.  Oscar is so greedy, you'd think he had never been fed the way he cries for food and with Jenni and Ben both feeding him, that cat flap is going to be a tight squeeze very soon.

The romance part of the story is so sweet and it really makes you realise that it's a small world as Jenni and Ben seem to be drawn to each other like magnets (stuck on their hearts by Oscar, no doubt).  I can't tell you how many times I laughed at Oscar's antics; I don't have a cat but I could easily visualise some of his strops and manipulations.

Incredibly heartwarming and delightfully romantic, The Cat Share is a very funny feel-good book that I intend to read again.  A very highly recommended read and one not to be missed for rom-com fans.

I received a gifted paperback to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Jumper - Debbie Johnson

You’ve seen Mark Darcy in his reindeer jumper, now meet Marco Cavelli in this season’s Christmas knit!

For single mum Maggie, Christmas has always been a family occasion – her daughter Ellen filling the house with her bubbly warmth and mistletoe, her dad Paddy having one too many festive tipples, and the traditional family Christmas tree looking like a drunken elf vomited a rainbow all over it.

But this year, with both Ellen and Paddy away for the holidays, Maggie’s facing a truly blue Christmas – alone with nothing but a bottle of Baileys and an M&S turkey dinner.

Until walking the snowy streets of Oxford, Marco Cavelli quite literally crashes into her life – and, complete with broken leg, becomes her unexpected houseguest. All dreamy brown eyes and 6’5” of gorgeousness, the man is hotter and more delicious than a freshly baked mince pie.

Though Maggie always thought it’s a truth universally acknowledged that you never kiss a man in a Christmas jumper?

What did I think?

Nothing puts a smile on your face like the thought of Colin Firth as Mark Darcy (or even Mr. Darcy, yum) in his Christmas jumper in the fabulous Bridget Jones's Diary.  Not a Mark but a Marco is the eye candy in this fun festive frolic by Debbie Johnson.

Maggie is a great character; she is so very realistic and thinks she has everything she wants in life, having given up on love since before her daughter, Ellen was born.  There's nothing wrong in window shopping for men, but Maggie doesn't intend to go through with the purchase - oh no siree!  So when she drools over the Christmas jumper wearing guy and his child in the park, she never expects to bump into him - literally.  Feeling so guilty about causing Marco's broken leg, Maggie is talked into caring for him in her home.  With a little encouragement from Ellen and a sprinkling of Christmas magic, maybe Marco and Maggie are meant to be.

Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Jumper is such a fun festive read that I couldn't help but smile all the way through it.  I had it on my TBR pile last year but just missed out on the festive season so I put it at the top of my pile for this year, and I am so pleased that I did. It's not full of sugary sweetness by any means, as Maggie has such terrible insecurities and her life has been anything but easy which only makes you root for her even more.  I felt like Maggie was one of my friends at the end and if anyone deserved a bit of happiness, she definitely does.

I've read a few Debbie Johnson books now and each one hasn't failed to deliver a huge sprinkling of laughter, a massive dollop of real life and hope for a happily ever after.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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The Year of Saying Yes Part 1: It Started with a Dare - Hannah Doyle

Join Izzy on her journey from January blues to joy. THE YEAR OF SAYING YES by Hannah Doyle will make you dirty-laugh, feel warm and fuzzy, and rediscover life's magic - all thanks to one little word: yes. Fans of Lindsey Kelk, Mhairi McFarlane and Lucy-Anne Holmes, you're in for a real treat.

The first of four exclusive part-serialisations of THE YEAR OF SAYING YES by Hannah Doyle.

Dear Readers

It's drizzling outside, which totally matches my #currentmood. Pigs in blankets, all the mince pies and a festive Baileys or five are distant memories. You know the drill - it's January. Everyone's banning booze (terrible idea) or cutting carbs (impossible). To add to the misery pile, my plans to seduce the man of my dreams at the stroke of midnight flopped spectacularly.

I'm Izzy. I don't just need a New Year resolution, I need a whole new life. And I need YOU. My dreary life is about to get a total makeover - it's my 'Year of Saying Yes'. And this is where you come in. It's up to you to #DareIzzy. I'm saying yes to your challenges, no matter how nuts, adventurous or wild they are. The sky's the limit - I'm at your mercy, readers!

Wish me luck. I have a feeling I'm going to need it.

Love

Izzy x 

What did I think?

With a bundle of laughs from the very first page, I knew that I was going to love The Year of Saying Yes Part 1.  In a similar vein to Bridget Jones, Izzy's unique voice shouts from every page as we get to know this funny, quirky singleton.  Not only is Izzy hilarious, she is also very real and I'm sure that many readers will identify with her.  I do a similar thing with names as she does and I am struggling to contain my laughter just thinking about Fittie McNoShirt.

This is a great idea for a series of books.  Part 1 being January to March, starts with New Year's Eve and Izzy getting ready to see the object of her affection, Gorgeous George.  The only problem is, Gorgeous George doesn't know how much Izzy likes him and for the past 3 years Izzy has been hoping that they will finally get together.  As she holds out hope that tonight will be the night, George announces that he has a new girlfriend and Izzy's balloon of hope is burst.  So instead of making resolutions of things to do in the new year, Izzy decides to make a list of things to say no to - an aptly named to don't list.

The To Don't list is flipped on its head when Izzy's editor decides to run a feature on Izzy saying yes to everything with readers suggesting challenges that Izzy has no option but to say yes to.  What could possibly go wrong?  A fun makeover and a complete switch off mini break sees a remarkable change in Izzy starting to take shape.  Perhaps Gorgeous George won't be able to say no to Izzy but maybe it is too late now that Alex, aka Fittie McNoShirt, is in the picture.

Hannah Doyle has such a way with words that even someone with no sense of humour wouldn't be able to stop themselves from laughing out loud at Izzy's shenanigans.  It's so lighthearted, refreshing and fun; I absolutely loved The Year of Saying Yes Part 1, the only thing wrong with it is that it is too short...roll on Part 2.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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Dating for Decades - Tracey Krimmer

IT guru Cassie Noble can depend on networks and servers. It's the people in her life that always let her down. With her fortieth birthday looming, she'd love to find a way to trust and commit to someone. 

Eager to work out her problems methodically, Cassie reaches out to her support group. Electrician Keith manages to infiltrate their all-female ranks, infuriating her with his flippant jokes and his all-too laid back attitude. The other women all find him hilarious and she can’t see why. She takes this seriously and he’s doing anything but.

When Cassie needs Keith's help on a project at her day job, she's dreading having to work closely with him, however much his hazel eyes make her stop dead in her tracks. As days turn to weeks, he starts to break down her hard exterior. She’s seeing new possibilities. She’s seeing the future…a life that is joyful and bright. A life that includes Keith.

But when a letter from her mother drags her back to the world where Cassie has no control, she shuts down. Can her support group yank her back from that place where hope is lost? And can the man who once drove her crazy be the one who finally doesn’t let her down?

What did I think?

I absolutely loved the title of this book - Cassie, our sassy single leading lady, is about to turn 40 and has therefore literally been dating for decades.  Cassie may always be the bridesmaid and never the bride, but, as the song goes, that's the way uh-huh-uh-huh she likes it!  She has set up a support group for people who are struggling to find partners; a group that comprises only women.  When Keith walks in one day looking to join the group, Cassie argues that the group is for women only but she has met her match in Keith and he does manage to join the group.  He's a big hit with the group as he gives the women a much needed male perspective on their problems.

Cassie is attracted to Keith but when she needs to find an electrician for work, she gives Keith the job and puts her budding feelings aside as she wants to keep their relationship on a purely professional level.  Just to confuse Cassie further, her boss appoints his nephew, Lucas, to work with her.  At first Cassie sees Lucas as competition but when he starts to flirt with her, Cassie thinks what harm can it do?  He is 17 years younger than her so it's just a bit of fun, right?  You could almost feel the testosterone wafting out of the pages as Lucas and Keith square up for a bit of competition.

While all the fun flirting is going on, we get to delve into Cassie's past and find out why she is so averse to marriage and always runs away at the first sign of a relationship getting serious.  This part of the story is what sets Tracey Krimmer apart from traditional chick-lit authors.  Cassie is so well developed as a character; she has so many layers and at first I was eager to rip each layer off like a pass the parcel game, but quickly realised that I was getting to a fragile layer that needed to be handled with kid gloves.  As a solitary tear rolled down my face at one point of the story, I felt as if Cassie had become one of my close friends.

Dating for Decades is a hidden gem; it is so much deeper than chick-lit with characters you can't help but fall in love with.  A fun and witty book about dating but also a thought provoking read of how parents can sometimes damage their children; but ultimately blood is thicker than water.

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

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