Review+Giveaway: The Time Of Our Lives by Jane Costello

 

MY SYNOPSIS

Imagine This: You are a single-mum. Work always seems hectic on its own. Now even more so with a four-year old in the picture.

Thank God you can afford a holiday these days. Or your friend can win one of those rafflecopters on Facebook no one ever seems to win. Hola, Barcelona!

You ditch your four-year old with your mum amidst tears, you tell your boss you’d like to switch on your phone in case he needs help. He tells you, you are on a holiday so you should really try relaxing.

You’re super-excited to be taking this holiday with your friends since this would be your fist holiday in six years.

Tragedy strikes, when you bump into a super-sexy guy after piling up your plate on the plane, when the kid behind you keeps kicking your seat and getting his cookies all over your hair, when you get to Barcelona and your room is not ready yet, when your boss keeps ringing you about some PR work you need to be attending to(!), when you can’t move on and forget your ex, when you have no time to read past the first line of your book, when you can’t seem to avoid Super-sexy Guy, when you chase down a pickpocket, when you are told to avoid all journalists on your holiday (who want to get info out of you about some scandal at work), when you can’t seem to talk right but blab in the presence of Super-sexy Guy, when you find out super-sexy guy is a journalist… FUCK. Tragedy still keeps coming.

MY REVIEW

I liked this book.

The storyline was perfect. Three friends on holiday, meet up to have a blast, yet Main character cannot seem to get off work related matters, and avoid all journalists no matter how sexy they seem. A star to the storyline.

I loved Imogen. So relatable. Mums out there would dig her, because it’s not always easy to juggle a job as the (acting) manager to one of the biggest companies in the UK and still get enough time to spend with your four-year old who cannot manage to say I love you back. You would love her when she chases pickpockets, when she’s supportive to her two friends, and when she cannot manage to get past the first line of her book because she can’t afford turning deaf ears to her phone.── ★

I loved the other characters. Meredith, the funky pregnant friend with an on-an-off relationship; Nicola, the over-protective friend. To Imogen’s mum who’d call about the (slightest) unimportant issue. To David the boss, and Carmel his wife. All the character were worth reading about.── ★★

The suspense in this book is also a feature that kept me on the edge of my seat. One minute you are unsure of if Imogen would be able to rescue her company, next you are worried if she’d be able to rescue her job. I couldn’t wait to find out what happened in the end. And trust me, I was fulfilled.── ★★★

I liked this book. But I really wished I could have loved, loved it. It had a shaky start, it took me time to really get involved. But of course, it beat my fifteen percent specification for books I’d review.── ★★★★

My rating: Four-point-five stars.

You can win Time of Our Lives by Jane Costello here.

You could also buy Time of Our Lives by Jane Costello on amazon.

I recommend this book to all the mums out there. The ones finding it difficult juggling between their jobs and their babies. Anyone who wants something to relax to this summer should get this.

My work not done here. Off to post my review on Goodreads.

Review+Giveaway: Take Mom Out by Fiona Gibson.

                                                          

                                                              
 Blurb: "What do you need a boyfriend for? You're a mum." Fiona Gibson's eagerly awaited new novel is full of dating disasters. Sharply observed and laugh-out-loud funny, its perfect for fans of Tracy Bloom, Kate Long and Tess Stimson. Three blind dates Two teenage boys messing up her plans And one man who'll melt Alice's heart. 'You need to get back in the saddle...' Alice despises that phrase. She's fine being single - with two slothful teenage boys and a meringue business to run, she has enough on her plate without negotiating the troublesome world of modern dating. However, Alice's three best friends have other ideas. Each one will present her with an utterly delicious, eligible man - all Alice has to do is pick her favorite. Perfect for fans of Tracy Bloom, Kate Long and Tess Stimson.

                                                                MY SYNOPSIS
 

Imagine This: You are a mum of two. A single mum of two after ditching your so irresponsible husband who’d lazy around the house all day having no aspirations. Things have been hard, but you’ve still managed to bring up two very, um, responsible boys very, um, different from their father, I guess. So now you are two-timing a job as a school-secretary and a meringue business which you just had a permit to operate.

So maybe you’ve forgotten about love, or dating, or men, or sex. But you would if you have two hormonal teenage boys to raise who always roll their eyes at your every command. Fuck Tom, your husband who’s now all over Stylish Living with his new wife and a huge business empire with a lovely daughter. Looking very responsible (like he never was) and still fresh-faced.

You don’t envy Tom, you wish him all the best, you’ve moved on and you’ve proved that to yourself and your sons so many times. But your friends think you are stuck up on him because you’ve not actually dated, dated since you gave him the boot. And your mum thinks you are too fat to find a new guy. Your friends think you look fab, despite whatever your mum says and intend to get you back in the game (if ever you were after marrying your childhood sweetheart).

So now here you are juggling three guys with different personalities  (some awful, some not-too-awesome) and you are wondering why you ever agreed to dating again. After so long, just how exactly do you get back into the dating scene where everything has changed? And how do you come back home unscathed without your sons teasing you about just kissing Fat-Tongue Man… right after using your cleansing cloth for a little cleansing (of their anus) of their own?

MY REVIEW

I simple ah-dored this book! So you know in my review I would be screaming at you to get this.

I loved the story-line. Mum hasn’t been in dating for a while, mum running a meringue business, mum single, mum dealing with two hormonal teenage boys who love you one minute when you get them that hot chocolate sticks and hate you when you try to tidy up their room, mum’s friends forcing her back into dating game and actually get to pick one guy each for her (so new). Totally brilliant how Fiona executed it. So mature, yet very, very interesting.── ★

I am nuts for the plot of this book. Again, the execution. It struck me that the whole thing didn’t seem choreographed as with other books I’ve read. It seemed so true-to-life, from one action to the other. Like mom is in the kitchen chatting with friends, then there's a blast of laughter from the TV room or a whoosh from the shower from one of your boys who likes to take long baths.── ★

I loved Alice Sweet! So relatable, so mature. Every mother would love to be Alice, worry too much when her boys even keep telling her she worries too much, does everything for her boys from laundry to making them scramble eggs in the exact texture each of them want them in.  You would so, so love her. As much as I did.── ★★

Not only Alice, but the other characters in this book made it worth reading. There’s Alice’s mum who’s so criticizing of everything Alice does (much like every mother). There’s Viv, the raunchy all-over the place friend who would remind you of Samantha (Sex And The City). There’s Ingrid who’s very sophisticated she’d remind you of Miranda in Sex And The City but with a little more uptightness and class. There’s Kritsy, the other friend who’d bare so much resemblance to Charlotte, very motherly and sweet (enough to have her husband dictate to her for long). Oh, you would love Clemmie, the next-door-neighbor, who loves to show off her property and give Alice the Stylish Living mags so she learns tips on how to decorate her very small flat. I loved each of them!── ★★★

I love the humor in this title. Very funny, lots of chuckling moments. And it’s just so amazing when Fiona likens things to motherhood duties you would so giggle at.── ★★★★

One feature about this book that you would so love is the ending. Very unexpected, very heart-warming. One of those chick-flicks where after watching you get this big chest expansion and makes you want to resurrect the characters afterwards even after the ending.── ★★★★★

You can get Fiona Gibson’s latest Take Mom Out on amazon.

You can also stand the chance of winning Take Mom Out if you enter this rafflecopter.

I recommend this book to every mom. Every woman who plans on being a mum of boys so they actually know they have a huge job cut out for them. Every woman who loves her chick-lit amazing, and heartwarming to pick this up.

My work not done here. Off to post my review on Goodreads.

Review: Browse, Click, Love by Cherie Kay.

                                     


 Blurb:
Cady has everything a young professional could want - a condo in Florida, fantastic friends, a job she doesn't hate, and an eye for fashion. Still bruised after a surprise break-up, she is looking for love and the meaning of life, disguised as an assignment for work. Her adventure into online dating is full of outrageous situations, epic embarrassment, heartwarming friendships, and a surprise insight or two along the way. Cady discovers that the dating world is as confusing as we are. This is her story of love, life and the pursuit of a decent date, fake or otherwise.

REVIEW by Sandra, my blogging partner.


                                             MY Synopsis 
 
Trust me your life can't be shittier than the life of Cady Muddles, maybe interesting but still shitty. 29 years and recently dumped from a three-year old relationship with a guy you absolutely adore for no apparent reason, other than the fact that he wants some space, total bullshit. Only to see him hanging with your soo perfect and sweet  neighbor who unlike you is an accomplished writer with her own column. Such a bitch (I mean the guy). And what could be more worse than meeting him every where and you always end up embarrassing yourself like falling face first at a bar after a failed attempt to belly dance,or falling from the stage of a rock concert (lol).. Soo humiliating gosh!

As if your life was not bad enough, your 50-something year old Mum had to go and fall in love with a 37-year old French guy and is about travel to the other side of the globe to a country that speaks a language called fang(lol). But you realize that it doesn't sound that bad if you get pass the age and moving away thing that her fiancee is not that bad.

At least something good happened to you, you get the chance to make your big break as being a good journalist. Online dating ranging from a 75-year old man, to a lesbian, creepy foot fetish, an animal lover among others. Fortunately you have awesome friends who always have your back. 
 
Interesting the life of Cady Muddles.

                                   

                                        My Review

OMG! this book is Soo and Awesome! And borrowing Kobby's words, I loved, loved this book so much. It was just on point, every single flip of the page. You should most definitely read this book.
 
It was laugh-out-loud hilarious. I laughed soo hard my ribs hurt soo badly.  Gosh Cherie rocked this book. I had to keep assuring my Dad I wasn't crazy, cause i had a glued smile on my lips. I must have looked weird to my parents.★

Great storyline, it actually gave great dating tips without the feel of being at a lecture. You know those boring dating books with bullets that go like "Do not date someone you dont know". Yikes! Boooo Sooo boring. Such books put me off big time. Oh but not this time, I totally enjoyed reading about Cadi's dating escapades.★★


The characters are perfect! So hilarious, so worth-reading about.★★★

I had from Tuesday to Friday to finish the book and I was done by Tuesday evening. Yeah, I could literally not put the book down.★★★★
 
I loved this book from beginning to end and I love Cherie Kay even more for such a wonderful book. So Chic and amazing and awesome and perfect. (Lol, i must sound Cheesy but i promise you, you would love this book soo fucking much).★★★★★

My favorite book soo far this year. Thumbs up.
Rate: five stars/ five stars (deserves every star).

Browse. Click. Love by Cherie Kay is available on amazon.

Sandra's work not done here. Would post this review on Goodreads for her.

Tour +Giveaway: Shot Through The Heart by Matt Cain

                  


Blurb:      

The Silver Screen had never shone as bright . . .

Mia Sinclair is the First Lady of Love, a beautiful film goddess known across the globe for her romantic roles. But in reality life does not imitate art and love is not as easily found in the real world as it is in the movies.

Leo Henderson is the Brit living in L.A, loving the lifestyle and photographing the stars - mostly when they least want to be photographed.

When Mia meets Leo, the sparks fly. But is dating a paparazzi the biggest mistake of her life? And how will she cope when Leo becomes jealous of her friendship with co-star Billy Spencer, the hottest actor in town but a man hiding a secret he's worried could destroy his career?

Shot through the Heart is Matt Cain's debut novel, a Hollywood tale of romance, heartbreak and the lengths some will go to maintain that unblemished movie star image.

                              
REVIEW by my partner in blog crime, Sandra, who happens to be salivating throughout this review.                                                                   
                                                               Synopsis
I bet you think super stars have it all huh, the cash, the simply magnanimous houses. I bet you've always wondered how it'll feel to walk on the red carpet, photographers clicking away wearing that gorgeous Prada, Gucci or Beckham. Ooh, how lovely diamonds wouldl feel on your neck,mm hmm, talk of coming out of a limousine with your fans calling out your name,shouting "I love you, can i get an autograph, oh you are gorgeous" The feeling will be totally orgasmic . 

How hard can it be, really? It is all rosy and sweet and die for.

Try asking that blond beautiful girl from Cleveland, Ohio, who like a lot of girls dreamt of going to LA , the La la Land, City of Angels, of becoming a movie star, falling in love and having a fairytale life, Ooh! How sweet. But she wished someone told her earlier that her fairytale life is, well, a fairytale. Love in reality was not like in the movies, well at least not with the paparazzi chasing her around. And with the eloping of her father and the death of her mother just as her career took off skyrocketing, you would think life would give her a break. What with falling in love with the enemy>

Guess Cupid's bow shot her right through  the heart. Who would have guessed?

Maybe the British hottie with Bad Boy written all over him and a heart melting winky-grin looking for the right girl will tell you everything about these superstars. He should know since he lives off the downfall and breakdown of these Hollywood stars. And sadly, he is the enemy.

What of the Mississippi gay boy rejected by his parents for being himself. He eloped to the City of Angels to pursue his dream of being a movie star. Would he be rejected all over again by the world? All he wanted was to hear the world shout their I love yous and Billy you rock. All he can do is hide his true self with a lie and hide his sexuality.

There is the sweet Harlem girl, the horrifying over-botoxed-if that is a word-cruel publicists, gay secretaries and a whole lot more. It's a whole world out there in Hollywood. And Matt Cain gives you a peek into the life of these Hollywood stars and how really vulnerable they are in reality and how much they need love. Like everyone in need of a 'Shot Through The Heart'.

                                                                      My review
Exciting, Intriguing, Enticing all in one book , simply amazing . If you always wanted to know what goes on in the life of stars look no further, this book is just the one you desperately have to read. It is exciting at the same time romantic.I always thought the life of superstars was amazing, they always had the best clothes, looked fantastic and gorgeous, and dated only guys good-looking enough to be in an Armani underwear catalogue. What an eye opener this book is! Lovely execution for a debut!

Extremely great and interesting characters from the gorgeous Mia Sinclair finding it difficult to find love. With the nickname "first lady of love", you would think she has dozens of suitors considering her beauty and all. To the handsome hot Brit who end up being the awful enemy. To the gay hottie Billy, and the other lovely cast of characters who end up finding love.

I loved reading this book a lot and not to sound cheesy but it turned out to be very interesting and spectacular. I could not help gasping and being stunned through out the book. It was funny, intriguing,enticing and totally awesome. Like a box set. It took me by surprise, kept me in suspense at a point I thought I would die of not knowing what was going to happen. It was just an amazing book

I loved reading this book but i wish I love, loved it, enough to give it a five. But it wasn't that bad for a debut.

So my rating: Four Stars.

Shot Through The Heart, Matt Cain's amazing debut as Sandra puts it is available on amazon.

Pan MacMillan is giving away Three copies, enter the rafflecopter below.a Rafflecopter giveaway



Her work not done here. She's off to put up her review on Goodreads