Book review: Beautiful Day by Kate Anthony

My edition: Paperback, to be published on 10 April 2014 by Penguin, 384 pages.

Description: Rachel is looking for her beautiful day. She's worried about everything: being a good mother, money and starting a new job.

Philip is a lost soul in the world and he could do with a friend.

They are just about to meet and when they do everything will change. Rachel and Philip don't know it yet, but they each have what the other needs. They can save one another, and not in the way you might expect.

This is a story about finding happiness and love in all their forms. And how sometimes you can find them in the most unlikely of places.

Rating:

Book review: Truly, Madly, Deeply - 24 New Stories

My edition: Paperback, published on 21 February 2014 by Mills & Boon, 415 pages.

Description: 24 short stories about romance.

From wedding days to special anniversaries, steamy one-night encounters to everlasting loves. Truly, Madly, Deeply takes you on an unforgettable romantic adventure where love is really all you need.

This collection brings together all new specifically selected stories from star authors from the Romantic Novelists' Association including international bestsellers Katie Fforde, Carole Matthews, Adele Parks and Miranda Dickinson, and many, many more and is edited by Sue Moorcroft.


Rating:

Penguin Blogger Night 2014

When lovely Laura from Laura's Little Book Blog invited me as her +1 to the Penguin Bloggers Night 2014 I was thrilled. Not only at the prospect of meeting some of the Penguin team and authors, but also for the chance to catch up with Laura in person, as so far we've chatted just on the Internet. Unfortunately she fell ill just before the outing and we didn't get to meet up after all, but we should be seeing each other at another literary event next month (fingers crossed).

I still decided to attend the Penguin event (though I felt a bit awkward at first as I was by myself) and I am very glad I did as it was a wonderful evening where I got to meet some of the Penguin team (hi Francesca and Lija!), their authors and fellow bloggers. Also, there was wine, which is always a good thing. I've been to various author Q&As at Foyles on Charing Road Cross before and have nothing but praise for them; they're super well organised and the authors I've met there have always been very approachable and interesting to talk to.


As soon as I walked into the Gallery (the special space the store reserves for these kind of bookish events) I was given a sticker to put my name and blog on, which was a clever ideas as it made meeting new people much easier (even though in the first instance eyes wandered to the chest area of another person - where the sticker was - before introducing ourselves).

I was also shown two big tables stacked high with new and upcoming Penguin releases and a pile of tote bags and was told to make my own goodie bag. Eh... it's probably not a wise idea to let a book lover addict lose on so many gorgeous new novels. I tried to be super strict with myself and imagine my out-of-control TBR pile at home (I say pile, but it has now grown to multiple bookshelves as it will no longer stack in a single pile) while I was choosing which TWO books I'd take home, but as you can see from the picture below that really didn't work. At all.

I did start off with just choosing three books, but then I talked to some fellow bloggers (mostly Clare from 50 a Year and Kinga from The Book Snob, hi girls!) and we were drawn to different titles which made me pick up even more. And then when my bag was definitely completely full I spoke to lovely author Elizabeth Fremantle, so OF COURSE I had to grab a copy of her novel too. And so then there were seven.


After some more exciting book chat (I get very enthusiastic where books are involved) it was time for readings from some of the Penguin authors. Obviously this would be the highlight for most people who were attending, but sadly this was also the time I had to leave as I had theatre tickets booked for that night long before I was invited to the event. Even though I normally love my theatre outings I was disappointed this meant I couldn't stay to the end of the Penguin Blogger Night and so prolonged my leaving until the last possible second (I ended up having less than 10 minutes to run from Foyles to the Theatre on St. Martin's Lane and take my seat there), but I still I only caught a bit of the first reading.

Fun to note though is that each author was introduced with a personally picked tune on the piano by a lovely pianist I also got to talk to earlier on the night. Apparently one of the intros was a Beyonce song, which sounds equal measures totally random and completely awesome.


This is actually the back of the tote (the front shows a John le Carré title) but I love the Penguin logo
Many thanks to the wonderful Penguin team for organising such a fab event (sorry I couldn't stay longer - it was me, not you) and to Laura for inviting me (even if you couldn't make it yourself this time around), it really was a great bookish evening.

Book review: Bad Brides by Rebecca Chance

My edition: ebook (proof), to be published on 27 March 2014 by Simon & Schuster.

Description: Milly Gamble is an up-and-coming actress, and the perfect English flower child. At 23, she's always been cast as the innocent heroine. But looks can deceive. Calculating and fiercely ambitious, Milly is determined to be the most famous star in England. And how better to achieve her goal than by dating Tarquin Ormond, lead singer of the biggest folk band of the moment? Tarquin is madly in love with Milly; Milly is only in love with herself.

Brianna Jade is an all-American pageant girl. The daughter of Tamra Maloney, a stunning billionairess, Brianna is a sweet, pretty girl who is more than happy to go along with her mother's ambitious plans for her. Now Tamra's brought her to the UK and hooked her up with an Earl. He has a crumbling stately home and needs a rich wife to help restore it to its former glory. Tamra is as ambitious and determined as Brianna is sweet and innocent - is this more a case of mother-in-law-zilla than bridezilla?

Both Milly and Brianna's upcoming weddings will be huge, lavish events that garner national press. But with the cover of the biggest magazine in the country to be won, things are about to get very dirty…

Rating:

Sunday post #25

Sunday is when I sit back with a lovely cup of tea and write about all the wonderful new books I've received and purchased in the past week. This post participates in fab memes Showcase Sunday and Stacking the Shelves.




• A Place to Call Home by Carole Matthews (review copy)
• Coal Creek by Alex Miller (review copy)
• Chop Chop by Simon Wroe (Penguin)
• Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey (Penguin)
• Em and the Big Hoom by Jerry Pinto (Penguin)
• Love, Nina by Nina Stibbe (Penguin)
• Sisters of Treason by Elizabeth Fremantle (Penguin)
• The Strangler Vine by M.J. Carter (Penguin)
• Things I Don't Want to Know by Deborah Levy (Penguin



Thanks everyone for your advice last week on how to showcase unsolicited review copies I may not have time to read an/or I'm not interested in! I particularly liked the idea to mention them on social media (I'll have to do regular book post Tweets) and putting a widget on my blog.

This week nearly all my new books are from Penguin and their brilliant Blogger Night 2014 at Foyles on Wednesday. It was a lovely evening consistent of book chat with some of the Penguin team, authors and fellow bloggers and a massive goodie bag to take home (aren't they a gorgeous bunch?). I'll make a proper post about the event in the next few days.

Out of the two review books I received this week I am most excited (read: ecstatic) to pick up the new Carole Matthews title, A Place to Call Home. Her charming and heart-warming books rank amongst my absolute favourites and I'm thrilled to both have the opportunity to read this novel early and to be a part of the blog tour for it.

Hope you guys had a brilliant bookish week as well!

Book review: A Single Breath by Lucy Clarke

My edition: Paperback (proof), to be published on 27th March 2014 by Harper, 416 pages.

Description: The deeper the water, the darker the secrets.

There were so many times I thought about telling you the truth, Eva. What stopped me was always the same thing...

When Eva's husband Jackson tragically drowns, she longs to meet his estranged family. The journey takes her to Jackson’s brother's doorstep on a remote Tasmanian island. As strange details about her husband's past begin to emerge, memories of the man she married start slipping through her fingers like sand, as everything she ever knew and loved about him is thrown into question.

Now she's no longer sure whether it was Jackson she fell in love with – or someone else entirely...

The truth is, it was all a lie.

Rating:

Theatre review: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Synopsis: When Charlie wins a golden ticket to the weird and wonderful Wonka Chocolate Factory, it's the chance of a lifetime to feast on the sweets he's always dreamed of. But beyond the gates astonishment awaits, as down the sugary corridors and amongst the incredible edible delights, the five lucky winners discover not everything is as sweet as it seems.

Roal Dahl's deliciously dark tale of young Charlie Bucket and the mysterious confectioner Willy Wonka comes to life in a brand new West End musical directed by Academy Award winner Sam Mendes.

Featuring ingenious stagecraft, the wonder of the original story that has captivated the world for almost 50 years is brought to life with music by Marc Shaiman, and lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman (Grammy winners for Hairspray; Smash) and a book by award-winning playwright and adaptor David Greig (The Bacchae; Tintin In Tibet).

Rating:

NPH Top Ten Perfect Styling Cream

I am used to having more bad hair days than good ones so whenever I come across a new styling product that promises to eliminate frizziness and make my hair feel silky smooth, I'm always keen to put it to the test. NHP is developed for professional salon use to care for dry, colour treated or brittle hair in need of nourishment to restore the internal balance and to condition the external structure of the hair shaft.

The Top Ten Perfect Styling Cream is their hero product, so to speak, and I had the opportunity to put it to the test. Even though it is technically a cream, it is also a spray and it's rich in organic argan and macadamia oil, silk proteins and panthenol. The product's name derivatives from the ten benefits it aims to achieve:

• Immediately imparts vitality and improves the visual appearance of the hair
• Repairs and nourishes dry and damaged hair
• Tames and eliminates frizziness
• Disentangles leaving the hair feeling silky and smooth
• Helps to reduce and prevent split ends
• Protects against heat styling damage
• Helps with brushing and straightening
• Improves body and volume
• Adds extra shine and protects colour
• Ensures a long-lasting perfect style

Argan oil is a hot ingredient in hair care at the moment; it promises to give the user silky smooth and frizz-free hair, almost as if by magic. While personally I haven't come across a product yet that can do that without an extensive treatment in a hair salon first, nor one that will last me all day, Top Ten comes close. Very close. Usually I have to scurry to the nearest mirror throughout the day to ensure my hair is still in tip top condition and add another few sprays of styling product to keep it in place, but when I was using the NHP styling cream I found that only towards the end of the day my hair started to look a little less in control, which is not bad going for a few quick spritzes as part of my morning hair routine.

What I loved foremost about Top Ten though is that it's a cream but a sprayable one; taking the best of both hairstyling worlds to make one easy to use and very effective product. My preference normally goes to creams as they work better than a spray, but the big risk with these is that the product clutters, as it is harder to spread out evenly, resulting in my hair feeling as if it's glued together in places. Anti frizz sprays on the other hand, while properly distributing the product, normally are weak and watery making them less effective as a styling product. This cream and spray hybrid combined the best elements of both options.

Not all ten benefits of the product are applicable to me and so I cannot testimony to the entire list of promised benefits, but the ones I find most important certainly ticked all the right boxes. My hair felt silky and smooth, was frizz free for (almost) the whole day, it had a pleasant fragrance and though I don't need it per se I noticed an added bounciness and volume to my hair. Also noteworthy is that the product is free from potentially irritating or aggressive synthetic ingredients such as SLES, DEA, parabens, paraffin and colourants. Plus the company aims to look out for the environment as all packaging is 100% recyclable and products are created using renewable and ecological sources of energy. Well done, NHP, well done.

Book review: A Heart Bent Out of Shape by Emylia Hall

My edition: Paperback, published on 13 March 2014 by Headline, 400 pages.

Description: For Hadley Dunn, life so far has been uneventful - no great loves, no searing losses. But that's before she decides to spend a year studying in the glittering Swiss city of Lausanne, a place that feels alive with promise. Here Hadley meets Kristina, a beautiful but elusive Danish girl, and the two quickly form the strongest of bonds. Yet one November night, as the first snows of winter arrive, tragedy strikes.

Hadley, left reeling and guilt-stricken, beings to lean on the only other person to whom she feels close, her American Literature professor Joel Wilson. But as the pair try to uncover the truth of what happened that night, their tentative friendship heads into forbidden territory. And before long a line is irrevocably crossed, everything changes, and two already complicated lives take an even more dangerous course...

Rating:

Sunday post #24

Sunday is when I sit back with a lovely cup of tea and write about all the wonderful new books I've received and purchased in the past week. This post participates in fab memes Showcase Sunday and Stacking the Shelves.


• A Heart Bent Out of Shape by Emylia Hall (review copy)
• Beautiful Day by Kate Anthony (review copy)
• Girlchild by Tupelo Hassman (review copy)
• Me and My Sisters by Sinéad Moriarty (won)
• The Vacationers by Emma Straub (review copy)
• Truly, Madly, Deeply by various authors (review copy)



Three of the review novels listed above arrived completely unexpectedly. I've had the occasional unsolicited book in the past but this is becoming more frequent nowadays because I have also started to receive them for one of the sites I work on for my day job, Woman's World. On the one hand I love surprises in the post, on the other... with the amount of books that have arrived lately it's becoming harder and harder to review them all, something I always used to do, and not everything I get for review is to my taste either. So while I appreciate the books I feel really guilty for maybe not having the chance to read and review them swiftly (if at all).

What do you guys do when you receive unexpected books you don't have time for and/or you think you don't like? Is there a way to still give them some exposure? I feel a sense of responsibility when kindly given an advance copy of a novel, and would look to help spread the word - even if I don't have time to read and review the book.

I've read some absolutely AMAZING books in the last two weeks by the way (reviews will be up soon). I particularly loved A Heart Bent Out of Shape by Emylia Hall and A Single Breath by Lucy Clarke, both authors who had debuts out just a few years ago that were already excellent and have now surpassed themselves with their second novels. The authors balance beautifully lush travel writing with intriguing and poignant stories - making for very satisfying reads.

What are some of the best books you've read recently? I'm looking for recs of novels that either combine travel writing with a fiction story, such as the titles mentioned above, or literary fiction along the lines of Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick or Last Bus to Coffeeville by J. Paul Henderson. Thanks, guys!

Book review: Skeletons by Jane Fallon

My edition: Paperback, to be published on 27th March 2014 by Penguin, 448 pages.

Description: Jen has discovered a secret. It's not hers to share, but is it hers to keep?

If she tells her husband Jason, he might get over the shock but will he forgive her for telling the truth? She might drive a wedge through their marriage.

If she tells someone else in Jason's family - the family she's come to love more than her own - she'd not only tear them apart but could also find herself on the outside: she's never really been one of them, after all.

But if she keeps this dirty little secret to herself, how long can she pretend nothing is wrong? How long can she live a lie?

Jen knows the truth - but is she ready for the consequences?

Rating:

Fushi's Virgin Organic Coconut Oil

Coconuts evoke the feeling of far away and sizzling destinations; tropical islands with pure white sandy beaches, a crystal clear cerulean ocean and palm trees dotted around the lush and colourful landscape. Besides the holiday feeling and occasional coconut cocktail it isn't something I use on a daily basis, though I have eaten the flesh before and sometimes use the milk in my cooking and baking. What I didn't realise however, is that is it incredibly versatile and the oil is perfect for daily use both internally and externally.

Virgin Organic Coconut Oil, which is extracted from the kernel of the drupe, is one of the products from British health and wellbeing company Fushi and I got to put it to the test. According to the company, the cold pressed and unrefined oil is not only nature's own anti-ageing moisturiser, but it is also a skin conditioner to combat dryness and flakiness; hair treatment to boost shine and encourage growth; and a dietary oil to help you shed those last winter pounds.

Upon opening the jar of coconut oil I was hit by the intense sweet and tropical fragrance of the product. It was simply delightful and I was instantly transported to that tropical island I mentioned earlier. Despite the white substance within being noticeably solid, as soon as it came in contact with my fingers it melted like soft butter - leaving an oily filter on my hand which I could then easily apply as a very nourishing moisturiser to my skin. It was predictably a little slippery and shiny, but it was absorbed quickly, leaving no visible traces other than the pleasant tropical scent.

Consuming a tablespoon of the oil would help digestion and the release of sugars but I have to say it was strange sensation to eat it on its own. As expected it initially had a greasy and buttery texture, though as it melted into a more oily consistency it was pleasant enough to consume. I rather recommend trying it as a cooking oil, as I loved using it for this purpose myself. A tiny bit of the solid product when heated went a very long way and it added a gentle hint of coconut flavour to the food. It would also make a wonderful addition to sweet bakes, especially if there's chocolate involved as that is always a winning combination.

In all I'm surprised by how versatile the coconut oil is and I haven't even tried all of its purposes yet. It can be used on hair to encourage growth and battle dandruff, and is supposedly also able to ease skin conditions such as eczema. So far I loved it the most as an organic and uniquely flavoured cooking oil to add a dash of the tropics to my meal, and I look forward to exploring more of its internal and external uses in the future.

Book review: Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan

My edition: Paperback, to be published on 13th March 2014 by Sphere, 464 pages.

Description: Polly Waterford is recovering from a toxic relationship. Unable to afford their townhouse, she has to move miles away from everyone, to the sleepy little seaside resort of Polbearne, where she lives alone above an abandoned shop.

And so Polly takes out her frustrations on her favourite hobby: making bread. But what was previously a weekend diversion suddenly becomes far more important as she pours her emotions into kneading and pounding the dough, and each loaf becomes better and better. With nuts and seeds, olives and chorizo, with local honey (courtesy of local bee keeper, Huckle), and with reserves of determination and creativity Polly never knew she had, she bakes and bakes and bakes... And people start to hear about it.

Sometimes, bread really is life... And Polly is about to reclaim hers.

Rating:

Book review: Split Second by Kasie West

My edition: Hardcover, to be published on 13th March 2014 by HarperCollins 360, 368 pages.

Description: Addie hardly recognizes her life since her parents divorced. Her boyfriend used her. Her best friend betrayed her. She can't believe this is the future she chose. On top of that, her ability is acting up. She's always been able to Search the future when presented with a choice. Now she can manipulate and slow down time, too . . . but not without a price.

When Addie's dad invites her to spend her winter break with him, she jumps at the chance to escape into the Norm world of Dallas, Texas. There she meets the handsome and achingly familiar Trevor. He's a virtual stranger to her, so why does her heart do a funny flip every time she sees him? But after witnessing secrets that were supposed to stay hidden, Trevor quickly seems more suspicious of Addie than interested in her. And she has an inexplicable desire to change that.

Meanwhile, her best friend, Laila, has a secret of her own: she can restore Addie's memories . . . once she learns how. But there are powerful people who don't want to see this happen. Desperate, Laila tries to manipulate Connor, a brooding bad boy from school—but he seems to be the only boy in the Compound immune to her charms. And the only one who can help her.

As Addie and Laila frantically attempt to retrieve the lost memories, Addie must piece together a world she thought she knew before she loses the love she nearly forgot . . . and a future that could change everything.

Rating:

Therapi Honey Skincare

I love honey; I put it in my tea and on my toast and use the bee elixir extensively in my cooking and baking. Yet despite my adoration for the sticky treat I don't use many beauty products that contain honey as an essential ingredient - especially none that have created their entire brand around it, which is what Therapi Honey Skincare has done. The British organic skincare company was founded by beekeeper of 25 years Tanya Hawkes and she brings a real passion and commitment for the trade to the range of honey-infused beauty products.

The three skincare lines available are purifying Lemon Myrtle for oily and combination skin, nourishing Rose Otto for dry and mature skin, and balancing Orange Blossom for normal skin. Each line also features a honey gel cleanser, facial toner and a moisturiser. Furthermore, Ultra Radiance Cream, which is the company's 'hero' product, uses propolis which aims to rejuvenate the skin through the natural promotion of collagen and elastin synthesis.

I was delighted to try a selection of the products to discover if honey in beauty products is just as enticing as it is in edible treats and the verdict in this case is that it most certainly is. While the gold liquid is not the sole ingredient in the products and as such its flowery sweet fragrance wasn't the first thing I noticed when trying the moisturisers, I did find the Orange Blossom Honey Gel Cleanser suitably floral; I could almost hear the buzzing of the honeybees around me when trying the product. This was a wonderful and effective cleanser to use, both in the evening to take off make-up and in the morning for a refreshing start to the day. It was quick and easy to apply and made my skin feel pleasantly clean and fresh afterwards.

From the moisturisers I instantly fell head over heels in love with the gorgeous Lemon Myrtle variant which had such an amazingly inviting scent; upon receiving the product I found myself opening it again and again just to get a whiff of the fragrance. While intended for oily and combination skin I actually found it worked wonders on my normally dry skin as well, which shows that you should always give a product a try, even if the label makes you doubt if it would work for you. Cold to the touch and light of texture, I found the cream very easy to apply and it absorbed instantly, leaving my face smooth and free of any dry areas for many hours after use.

The Rose Otto Propolis+ Ultra Radiance Cream intended for dry and mature skin had noticeable nourishing qualities too. The delicate rose fragrance was heavenly, but I found the cream quite oily and thick in use - making it more difficult to apply evenly and leaving a faint shiny filter for a few minutes after application. It was perfect for more tough areas, such as elbows and knees, and I assume will be an equally pleasant moisturiser for more mature skin.

I thoroughly enjoyed using these ambrosial products; the soft natural fragrances and organic ingredients are incredibly appealing from a consumer's point of view and personally I've found a new favourite brand I'll certainly be exploring more from in the future. Also commendable is the fact that five per cent of the company's profits are donated to bee conservation projects, which I believe is an incredibly important and worthwhile cause and one that cannot get enough column inches.

Blog tour: Tiny Acts of Love by Lucy Lawrie (review + giveaway)

My edition: ebook, to be published on 6th March 2014 by Black and White Publishing.

Description: Arriving home with her new baby daughter Sophie, employment lawyer Cassie opens her email to find she has 104 new messages in her inbox, all with the subject '48 Stitches Later'. To Cassie's horror, her overly-excited husband Jonathan has sent a grisly blow-by-blow account of Cassie's labour - plus attached photo - to everyone in her contacts list, including her clients!

Amid mood swings, post-natal hypochondria and the side effects of the fated email, who saunters into her world again but her sexy, swaggering ex-boyfriend Malkie - the one who got away? Unlike Jonathan, Malkie seems to get her - and he'd like to get her into bed again too!

She also finds herself advising a funeral director on ghost protocol, discovers in the taskforce of Babycraft mums and dads just how competitive parenting can be, and becomes (possibly) involved in an act of hotel spa fraud - never mind trying to tackle her own emotional rollercoaster through her first year of motherhood! Is she strong enough to face everything her new life has to throw at her? And will tiny acts of love be enough to help her cope with it all?

Rating:

Book review: Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick

My edition: Paperback, published on 16th January 2014 by Headline Publishing Group, 273 pages.

Description: Leonard Peacock is turning 18. And he wants to say goodbye.

Not to his former best friend, whose torments have driven him to consider committing something tragic and horrific.

Nor his mum who's moved out and left him to fend for himself. But to his four friends.

A Humphrey Bogart-obsessed neighbour
A teenage violin virtuoso
A pastor's daughter
A teacher

Most of the time Leonard believes he's weird and sad but these friends have made him think that maybe he's not.

He wants to thank them, and bid them farewell.

Rating:

Sunday post #23

Sunday is when I sit back with a lovely cup of tea and write about all the wonderful new books I've received and purchased in the past week. This post participates in fab memes Showcase Sunday and Stacking the Shelves.


• Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick (review copy)
• Landline by Rainbow Rowell (review copy)
• Season to Taste or How to Eat Your Husband by Natalie Young (free)


  This was a very bookish week with on Tuesday the Tinder Press first birthday party (where I got a copy of the gruesome yet strangely alluring Season to Taste) followed by the launch party for A Hundred Pieces of Me by Lucy Dillon the day after. I love literary events as it's a great opportunity to mingle with authors and those working for publishers to talk about all things books, so to have two in one week was a real treat.

I am also very pleased with my review books this week, which are both titles I've been very excited to read for a while now. Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock is the first book I've requested through new site bookbridgr (it was super easy and quick to do) and what a novel to kick start it with. I finished it in a day (my commute back and forth and my lunch break) because I couldn't put it down. It's a beautiful and brilliant novel and I cannot stop thinking about it. I'll publish my full review tomorrow but for now I can say that I HIGHLY recommend it. It's the first novel by Matthew Quick I've read and I'll be definitely checking out his others too - have you guys read any of his books yet?

While I didn't enjoy Eleanor & Park as much as many other people (It was good but not mind-blowing, my expectations may have been too high after all the hype though) I am very keen to check out Rainbow Rowell's new novel. I think she has a wonderfully honest and relatable way of describing people's lives and I hope that this book can turn me into a fangirl (pun intended) of her work.

What have you guys been reading this week? I've picked up Bad Brides by Rebecca Chance for the weekend as I needed a fun escapism read after the emotionally intense (but utterly amazing) Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock.