THE LADY RISKS ALL by STEPHANIE LAURENS...

THE LADY RISKS ALL

BY STEPHANIE LAURENS

THE BLURB:-

Neville Roscoe, mysterious and enigmatic, lives resolutely outside society, bound only by his code of honour- until challenged by his desire for the one woman he cannot have.

Miranda Clifford is a lady imprisoned by rigid respectability- until tempted by a passion beyond her power to deny.

Flung together in peril, through danger and intrigue, they discover a love impossible to ignore...or keep.

Filled to the brim with glamour and breathtaking passion, discover the latest novel by the queen of historical romance.

THE REALITY:-

This was very Mills & Boon in its conception, with the idea of a dashing hero and a virginal, beautiful heroine. With bodice ripper written all over it, the novel certainly delivered, with a storyline of mystery and intrigue that was a page turner, as you strived to find out who the mysterious villain of the piece really was. I got this wrong- I thought it might be Wraxby, one of Miranda's suitors, but it turned out that it was someone introduced way into the novel. I won't spoil the surprise!

I'm glad that Miranda chose to turn her nose up at the (ridiculous to modern eyes and ears) conventions and proprieties that a young lady was supposed to follow and went with her heart and lustful body instead. This was a real Regency romp with some great characters, including Roscoe- seemingly advantageous, but in reality a true gent with a good heart and a duel persona.

My only criticism would be the length of the various bedroom scenes in the book. Reading one for the first time was erotic- enough for me to text my partner and tell him to have it hard for me later. By the second and third time, the writing had become long winded and a bit daft. One love scene was seven pages long and seemed to take forever to read, and that's with me skimming through it. Jesus, that's time enough for me to do the deed and have a quickie, wipe me fanny on the curtains and bugger off home!! 

BEACH EAST, QUEEN ELIZABETH OLYMPIC PARK, STRATFORD...

A beach in the heart of east London?  No, I'm not on drugs and it wasn't a mirage!

I visited Beach East the other day and was very impressed- well, it's only up the road from me so I thought, why not give it a go?  Southend and Brighton are both easily accessible from London train stations and can be completed as a day trip (done that, many times) but this is even more local to me.

Setting a beach up in London is a fantastic idea.  With white sand, a paddling pool, funfair and a bar for the adults (featuring some lovely cocktails!) this is great fun and it's something that all ages can enjoy.

It was also nice to take a stroll around the Olympic park for the first time.  It seemed so clean and modern.

I've been up the Orbit (a freebie thanks to Newham council) but have yet to venture into the stadium (currently being re-modelled) or the Aquatics centre.  I will certainly make it my business to check out the latter soon.

SILVER MESH RHINESTONE SHOES...

I bought these as a little belated Birthday pressie to myself.  They are silver mesh and rhinestone and I NEEDED a pair of shoes that were dressy but not too high (walking around on 5 inches can be hard work sometimes!!!!)  At 3 and a quarter inches, these are child's play.

They were £24, reduced from either £44 or £49 (I can't remember which) and were from a department store in Ilford called Bodgers.

It's nice to see a good, old-fashioned independent (or at least I think it's independent!) department store like this still going, in a world that's made up of chain stores and conglomerates.  The store needs a lick of paint and their name is truly awful, but you can find some really individual and quirky pieces there.

TAKE THIS WOMAN by JOSEPHINE COX.

TAKE THIS WOMEN

BY JOSEPHINE COX

THE BLURB:-

Blackburn, 1947.

In a tiny front parlour fourteen-year old Laura Blake watches her beloved father die. But not before he tells her she will make something of her life. Laura never forgets his words. Yet her path to success proves to be a rocky one. Forced to trundle a cart around the back streets, selling other folk's cast-offs to support her family, Laura learns enough to start work in her uncle's furniture shop.

But then fate deals another cruel blow when she is brutally raped. Bearing the child of her attacker in secret, she vows to make the world pay for its injustice towards her.

As she grows older her beauty blossoms, and her new toughness helps her forge a career in the antiques business. But it is in affairs of the heart that Laura stumbles, and before she can find fulfilment, she must learn to put the past behind her, and give as well as take.

THE REALITY:-

This was one long tome of a read, along the lines of A Woman Of Substance by Barbara Taylor Bradford, which is probably my favourite book and certainly the most inspirational I have ever read. Indeed, I'm sure Josephine Cox has read it too- the concept of trapping your enemy by making him a much-needed loan that he has no way of paying back, as he is dissipate, and making him attach the deeds to his business and house featured in that book, as it does here.

But I'm not going to accuse the writer of plagiarism- this novel was just too bloody good for such accusations and I'm sure that all the best ideas get recycled (as a mass market fashion designer, I know this to be true!)

Tough and gritty and a real rags-to-riches story, this book is very keen and honest in its emotions. I loved the character of Laura and how she triumphed over adversity. It's obvious that some people do seem to have a lot more bad luck than others and I like the fact that she managed to turn her life around, drawing from her true friends, and smite her enemies.

It was horrible that she got breast cancer towards the end- that particular affliction has reared its ugly head in my family. Let's just put it this way- I wouldn't dream of skimping on the monthly self-checks. I'm glad she survived and managed to rid herself of her scumbag of a husband and fell into the arms of her true love.

Very truthfully written with a good mix of likeable and hateful characters, it's quite a long and intense read, but a worthwhile one.  

THE KISSING GARDEN by CHARLOTTE BINGHAM

THE KISSING GARDEN

BY CHARLOTTE BINGHAM

THE BLURB:-

As children, George Dashwood and Amelia Dennison loved to roam the Sussex Downs and, just as their two very different families were friends, so were they, until they are caught in a thunderstorm. Sheltering from the elements, George realizes that the way he feels about Amelia has changed. But it is 1914 and the declaration of war cuts across any romantic plans that the two might have.

George is away at the front for four years, but when the miracle happens and he returns home safely Amelia finds that the boy she loved has gone. Although they marry it seems that George does so from a sense of duty. It is only when they discover and old priory with a magical atmosphere that their chance for happiness becomes a reality.

THE REALITY:-

It took me a while to get into this one- the first few chapters were predictable and dragged, so I ended up speed reading the next hundred or so pages. But I forced myself to go back and start again and the story naturally became more interesting and made more sense.

The idea of an enchanted garden is a very lovely one but there were times when the story became almost too fey and whimsical. By the time the book got to Gwendolyn's illness and subsequent recovery you had to question whether the author was in some way...touched and soft in the head. I pressed on. The idea of a kind of magic from long ago purposely affecting a future place in time was nice, as were the sections from The Noble One and Longbeard.

But by the time George was becoming involved in politics the writing, although historically interesting, was long-winded and I yearned for the end! It was nice that the story started in exactly the same way as it began, with a shell shocked hero returning from war.

And that word sums up this work- nice. But nothing exceptional.

BONES NEVER LIE by KATHY REICHS

BONES NEVER LIE

BY KATHY REICHS

THE BLURB:-

When evidence survives, no secret can ever be safe.

For a decade, forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan has been haunted by the one who got away. The killer of young women. The monster. And the one who has now come back. Feeding on fear, grief and rage. Killing again. Killing girls. Getting closer. Coming for Tempe.

THE REALITY:-

This Kathy Reichs Temeperance Brennan novel was brilliant, like these novels tend to be. She is a real expert in her field and I always love learning new things whenever I read one of her stories.

This book had a great twist as to the well-being of the monster, Anique Pomerleau, and an unexpected second perpetrator with a very interesting condition. I shan't spoil the surprise!

I have to question the author's use of names, though. Get a load of this little lot:- Ellis Yoder... Jewell Neighbors... Mona Spleen... Melody Keller... Hen Hull... Beau Tinker... Tawny McGee... Grinder. The latter two sound like porn star names, Beau Tinker sounds like something from a Carry On film and, in general, they sound like something Jackie Collins would have invented and put in one of her bonkbusters (I once read a JC novel where one of the principal characters was called Marcus Citroen...puuurrrleeeeaaase!)

I'm glad that Andrew Ryan finally proposed to Tempe. Hallelujah! I'm always as interested in what's going on between these two as I am of the crime element. But you can be sure that the next book will consist of to-ing and fro-ing between them. I wish the author would make Tempe's lovelife more straightforward.

I have to say, I do love the way Tempe watches the series Bones in her free time.  Clever, that.  

This book came with the addition of a good short story, and whilst I can read about dismembered humans whist eating, I found that I couldn't read about a snake having an autopsy, or the gorier details of bird carrion. I don't know what that says about me but yuk! The nitty gritty sure as hell put me off my grub (and that's not an easy thing to do!)

BEFORE I MET YOU by LISA JEWELL

BEFORE I MET YOU

BY LISA JEWELL

THE BLURB:-

London, 1920. Arlette works in Liberty by day, and by night is caught up in a glamorous whirl of parties, clubs, cocktails and jazz. But when tragedy strikes she flees the city, never to return.

Over half a century later, in the grungy mid-'90s, her granddaughter Betty arrives in London.

She can't wait to begin her new life. But before she can do so, she must find the mysterious woman named in her grandmother's will.

What she doesn't know is that her search will uncover the heartbreaking secret that changed her grandmother's life, and might also change hers...

THE REALITY:-

This is my first introduction to Lisa Jewell and I  have to say that she's created quite a gem of a book (yep, I know the word connection sounds incredibly naff!)

For me, the best thing about this novel is that it was extremely easy to relate to, simply because the character Betty is roughly my age and she moves down to London in exactly the same year that I did. Ah, the memories!  London in the late 1990s was returned to me fondly. What a time! I think I recognised the Soho heavy metal pub in the book as The Intrepid Fox- alternative/heavy hang-out of the day (and where I met my long-term ex-boyfriend).  Perhaps the story is a bit far fetched, what with Betty getting off with and bedding a rock star, but then I suppose someone's gotta do it.  Also, a story wouldn't be a story without a little extraordinary tucked in amongst the mundane.  As a character, I loved Betty and her fashion foibles. I was there!

Her step-grandmother Arlette is also super-intriguing, from the rich cornucopia of treasures inside her flatlet-style bedroom to her wonderful, glamorous sartorial excesses.  She was someone you really wanted to get to know and the story didn't disappoint, with her era brought alive in fantastic bohemian detail.

With quite an unusual storyline, hers wasn't a typical romance and there was no happy ever after.   I found myself liking her handsome beau, Godfrey, and really felt for him when Arlette dumped him.  That part of the novel brought tears to my eyes, and I think she reacted to her situation totally wrongly and might just have had a chance of happiness (albeit brief) had she taken another route. Read the story and see what I mean.   It's also interesting reading about a mixed race relationship, and how different members of society reacted to it in the 1920s.

The detective side of the novel, with Betty searching for Clara Pickle, was what really moved the story on.  I liked the short chapters (writing lesson to self...) and the way the various people she met helped her in her quest to unravel the mystery.

It's also nice for Lisa Jewell to add some of her personal experiences at the end of the book. This is definitely an author whose work I will be reading again, and someone who I found inspirational in terms of helping me in my quest to achieve my own goal of publication.