Monthly Archives: February 2013

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Hot to Trot by Lou Wakefield

Hot to Trot‘Hot to Trot’ by Lou Wakefield is my belated Valentine’s Day tie-in review. I chose to read this as it is a romantic comedy. I have to say that the opening of the story captures the reader’s imagination and pulls you in with wit being the main essence between the main character, Kate Thornton, and an elderly woman, Minnie McAlpine.

Kate Thornton is a thirty-something British actress who has had some bad luck with her career of late. She has used up her spare time playing Backgammon on the Internet and in doing so, she has built up a relationship with one of the regular players, ‘Andy the Cowboy’. Whilst ‘Andy’ is kind with his gameplay and sympathetic to her career situation, Kate learns that he has had a fall and broken his arm, thus making it difficult for him to make ends meet on his ranch, Blue Yonder, in Canada. Without giving him the heads-up, Kate decides to fly out to Canada to hopefully be of some assistance to ‘Andy’.

It is on this flight that Kate is seated next to Minnie McAlpine. Minnie hears of the situation that Kate has put herself in and although Minnie is very friendly and likeable, she also has a quirky side to her. Minnie is full of ironic and sarcastic remarks which couldn’t help but put a smile on my face.

The synopsis for this novel is very interesting. It is the idea of dropping everything you know to go and help out a person that you thought you knew, with the added possibility of some romance. However, when Kate reaches Blue Yonder she finds out that Andy doesn’t have a broken arm and isn’t aware of her at all. The real Andy, for me, was not a typical hero. He was quite rude, set in his ways and limited to his lifestyle. He didn’t welcome new ideas and was very miserable. His behaviour towards Kate was mostly ignorant and a little hostile in places. Kate isn’t sure whether to stay or go and therefore, on a romance level for me there was nothing. I didn’t feel much in the way of a connection towards the characters.

Kate is obviously a friendly woman who likes to assist wherever she can. As the novel moves on Kate’s character becomes more irritating. Although she wants to help Andy she stretches herself by going through his office drawers, asking locals on his situation, etc. I didn’t like these situations and, as a reader, made me feel uncomfortable. Kate’s character begins really nice but she becomes interfering and nosey.

I found the middle of the story quite lengthy and long-winded and as the story moves on it loses the sense of humour we began with. Kate has the mystery to solve of who it was that she was playing on the Internet with, calling themselves ‘Andy the Cowboy’. This takes up a great deal of the novel but it moves forward quite slowly, with Kate acting as a local gossip with neighbours of Andy’s, who she doesn’t even know herself. This was a little cringeworthy. However, throughout the novel there are little twists to keep the reader guessing on who the culprit is behind ‘Andy the Cowboy’.

The ending of ‘Hot to Trot’ did disappoint me. After having such a lengthy middle to the story the end seems like only a few pages. Throughout the novel the romance was missing and I was hoping that it would more than make up for this at the end. But I’m afraid I didn’t feel it. This seems such a shame as the book began on a high note and was quite enjoyable. Minnie McAlpine is my favourite character and, even though she has a role throughout the book, it would have been nice to have mentioned her more. If there were more intense and intimate moments with Kate and Andy, with the humour lasting throughout, then this novel would be much more notable.

Reviewed by Caroline Barker

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Name our latest knitted character

Latest knitted character 1Welcome to our latest addition to our knitted character collection. Knitted by Carol Davies, a follower of a Reader’s Review Blog and a close friend. You may remember our first knitted monster character, Rob Zombie. You can find him at the link below:- https://areadersreviewblog.wordpress.com/2013/01/28/rob-zombie-knitted-character/

560224_10151425123914640_363434232_n[1]Unfortunately, our latest addition does not have a name yet! Therefore, we would like some name suggestions please!! All suggestions will be noted and Carol will then pick her favourite name at the end of the month.

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Put your thinking caps on guys and gals and who knows – our gothic doll may soon have your chosen name. All suggestions need to be made by Thursday 28th February 2013.

To make a suggestion all you have to do is leave a comment below or visit and ‘Like’ our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/AReadersReview and leave a post with your suggestion. We will look forward to hearing from you guys!

Thanks to Carol for the time and effort she has put into these great characters. And good luck guys! Caroline x

149970_10151425124809640_843003521_n[1]    556305_10151425124659640_1191915896_n[1]

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Valentine’s Day Tie-In Review

As a Valentine’s Day tie-in we have a review from Wendy Morris, a reader of our blog and a close friend, who has kindly done a guest post for us on Sophie Kinsella’s ‘The Undomestic Goddess’.  This review complements the review of Louise Wise’s The Fall of the Misanthrope which can be found at https://areadersreviewblog.wordpress.com/2013/02/14/book-review-of-the-fall-of-the-misanthrope-i-bitch-therefore-i-am-by-louise-wise/ and Louise Wise’s own post on her writing experience which can be found at https://areadersreviewblog.wordpress.com/2013/02/14/introducing-author-louise-wise/. We would like to thank Louise and Wendy for their time and effort. HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

 THE UNDOMESTIC GODDESS by SOPHIE KINSELLA

The Undomestic GoddessI’m a big fan of Sophie Kinsella books but this one for some reason was a bit harder to get to grips with than some of the others I’ve read of hers. It’s a bit of a slow starter in that the build up to the disaster which leads our heroine in the book (Samantha) to leave her old life to start afresh seems a bit too dragged out and I’ll admit that at one point I wondered whether to bother finishing reading the book at all as the storyline started to get boring. It wasn’t until midway through the book that you could feel any kind of attachment with the lead character but once I did BOOM. The book had me hooked and I didn’t want to put it down.

It goes a bit down the Cinderella line with Samantha practically turning into a skivvy working for a well off but kind couple who confuse her for a domestic help but of course she then meets her Prince Charming in the end. The ending I’ll admit after all the build up to it was a bit feeble and I kind of expected better but all in all it was ok. So for this book I would give it 3 out of 5 and anyone who decides to read it just keep with it.
Reviewed by Wendy Morris
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Happy Valentine’s Day!

Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone reading this post. To help you celebrate the day we have a post from author Louise Wise, who writes both chick-lit and sci-fi romance. I have followed this with a review of her novel The Fall of the Misanthrope.

I hope that you enjoy reading them. Have a great day and remember to eat lots of chocolate!

Tina @ ARR

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Introducing Author Louise Wise

The Fall of the Misanthrope_Cover_KINDLE[1]Thank you Tina for allowing me to introduce myself on your website. My name’s Louise Wise and I write romance (feels like a confession!). My books include Eden, A Proper Charlie, The Fall of the Misanthrope and a non-fiction book called So You Want an Author Platform?

I began writing from an early age. Being the youngest of four, I think I found I could express myself better through writing. I was often seen in my bedroom scribbling away in a notebook.

I remember getting an Olivetti typewriter for my tenth birthday and I thought it was the state of the ark! When I was older, I bought myself an Amstrad computer and my little Olivetti ended up in the loft. By then I’d written four novels (I still have them), and submitted them to Mills & Boon. I was rejected, but looking back, I don’t blame M&B—they were terrible! (I do have some very nice letters of encouragement from M&B though).

Eden concept cover with title and name[1]-004I was always told ‘write what you know’ and so I used my interest in astronomy and began Eden. ePublishing was unheard of back then and getting a traditional publisher interested in it, even though I had an agent, was impossible. I was continuously told that Eden was ‘too original’ or ‘no market for the genre’. But, sadly, I believed in those who said it’d never sell and it remained forgotten and writing ePublishing took off and I thought I had nothing to lose by publishing Eden myself. It took off almost immediately, with 500 downloads in its first month!

AProperCharlie_EXTRASMALL[1]I continued with A Proper Charlie and then my latest contemporary romance The Fall of the Misanthrope. I began another contemporary book (which is still in its draft state) but emails starting coming from readers who’d read Eden and loved it. They wanted more. They wanted its sequel.

I had thought of a sequel a long, long time ago, before I was ground down by the continuous rejections, and my idea resurfaced and took shape almost immediately. I wrote it in three months. My passion for Eden and love for the characters were still there! It was like meeting up with old friends and discovering we could carry on where we left off.

http://www.louisewise.com/

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Book Review of The Fall of the Misanthrope. I bitch, therefore I am, by Louise Wise

The Fall of the Misanthrope_Cover_KINDLE[1]Romancing the Dark Side of Chick-Lit

I read Louise Wise’s sci-fi romance Eden, last year and really liked her voice. I was intrigued by the title of her more recent publication, The Fall of the Misanthrope. I bitch, therefore I am, especially with its billing as a ‘dark chick-lit!’ Misanthrope is a deeply romantic and insightful tale, which deals with difficult issues and the healing power of love. It is also very humorous and made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion!

In the novel,Valerie Anthrope (Miss Anthrope – I loved the pun) is a young woman who runs a financial brokerage. Valerie is not only serious minded and hard working but, she can also be a bit of a bitch. She lives alone and keeps herself to herself, concluding that it is best not to care for anyone. There nevertheless resides within her a deep sadness and vulnerability.

In steps Ellen Semple, a missionary worker returned from abroad, who, in true ‘fairy godmother’ form resolves to make Valerie her next ‘project. Ellen senses something is not quite right with Valerie and does her best to bring light into her darkness. She secures part-time employment in Valerie’s small office. Then, believing that Valerie’s outlook is due to financial difficulties, she persuades her nephew Lex Kendal, a successful businessman, to put a large contract her way. When she sees that Lex is intrigued by Valerie, she warns him off her, believing that Valerie is too fragile to handle Lex’s ‘love’em and leave ‘em philosophy.’ Yet Lex does not take no for an answer, and Valerie falls for him. When she discovers that he is Ellen’s nephew, a fact that they deliberately hid from her, she feels deceived, let down and deeply wounded. To protect herself from future hurt she dumps Lex, almost as soon as their affair has begun.

Yet it is too late, Valerie’s armour has begun to crack and she starts to unravel and descend into depression, the dark dreams she has been having since childhood intensifying. It is from this moment that the  novel, much of which has been light hearted, becomes darker, yet humour still abounds. I am glad to say that the tale did reach a satisfying conclusion. The prologue and the epilogue also contain an unexpected twist and make the reader question both fate and free will.

Valerie is  complex, early childhood events having shaped her into the woman she is. Indeed, she is  ‘stuck’ in the past and needs to let go. The hard face she presents is very much a façade to protect herself from future hurt and loss. The circumstances surrounding Lex’s and Ellen’s deceit unlock her emotions, giving her a chance to face them and heal herself.

Lex, a divorced single parent is a loveable rogue. He is attracted to Valerie and decides to make her one of his many conquests. He has never really grown up. However, Lex becomes smitten with Valerie, who is so unlike his usual women and her prickly nature is a challenge he wants to win. At first he is not thinking long term, but he soon realises how vulnerable she is and wants to help. He finds that he is very much in love with her. I found their developing relationship believable and touching.

The character of Ellen is pivotal. It is Ellen who decides to turn Valerie’s life around. She starts by making small changes in the office, trying to draw Valerie out in conversations and encouraging her to socialise. Oh, and she also introduces her to Lex! The secondary characters of Tim and Paul, Valerie’s employees are also supportive of her. Tim in particular is also very protective, knowing of her history.

I feel that anyone who has experienced anxiety or depression due to past trauma, or is close to someone who has, will find that this book deals sensitively with the subject. It also illustrates the redeeming power of love. Despite the serious subject matter, Misanthrope is a very funny love story, the humour ranging from light to dark. The author’s descriptions of how Ellen bursts into Valerie’s ‘grey’ world and adds shades of colour to it are hilarious, as is the banter between Valerie and Lex and her reaction to his tried and tested seduction techniques.

Louise Wise is a British author and, like Eden, the novel has a British feel.  I again found her voice fresh and original and I was immediately intrigued by the characters and quickly drawn into the plot – it would make an excellent screenplay with the right cast. I recommend this book to all romance lovers, not just those who enjoy contemporary romance or chick-lit.

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Deadlocked (Sookie Stackhouse Book 12) by Charlaine Harris

Deadlocked (Sookie Stackhouse, #12)Slow and frustrating to intense and dramatic – the reader truly goes through their paces with this twelfth instalment of the Sookie Stackhouse series in ‘Deadlocked’.

There is no doubt that Charlaine Harris has created a brilliant series with these novels. We are introduced to very different characters from all corners of the supernatural world from vampires, werewolves and shapeshifters to fairies, witches and demons. And throughout these novels the audience has a great dose of romance, mystery, action and adventure. But throughout the series I have felt mixed emotions as some novels have exceeded expectation whereas others have left me disappointed.

Unfortunately, I was a little disappointed at ‘Deadlocked’. Until the latter stages of the story I found myself feeling bored, frustrated and easily distracted. When reading a Sookie Stackhouse book I believe the reader expects a fairly quick-paced adventure with mystery, romance and action along the way. However, these expectations were not met as there was very little action and where was the romance?

I found the story to be slow during the first couple of chapters. Sookie is having a catch-up with her girlfriends at a Ladies Night only event. I feel that the conversations are far too detailed concerning the lives of some characters that are not fundamental to the story, whilst there are other characters that the reader would rather be hearing about. Although this idea of the catch-up is good in terms of re-capping the reader or introducing the new reader of the series, I felt that it was too long. At the same time I remember thinking to myself that new readers of the series probably hadn’t been given enough information on past events and characters, making this novel difficult to read as a stand alone.

Chapter 3 really begins the story for me, when Sookie attends a vampire party at Eric’s house and finds him drinking blood from a young girl. Minutes later the girl is found dead in Eric’s yard and this is where the mystery begins. Eric is a main suspect for killing the girl and Sookie cannot be sure that he is innocent. The scenes at the party are dramatic. As the novel is written from Sookie’s point of view, as is the whole series, the reader can understand her emotions and reactions to Eric and what has happened. After the party scenes, I felt that the investigation into the girl’s death was left, in the story,  for the police to look into, whilst Bill was carrying out his own digging. However, Sookie did not seem to have much to do with this at all.

As main characters of the series I was surprised to find that Eric, Bill and Alcide (among others) did not have as much mention as expected. I found this novel concentrated mostly on Sookie, her Fae family and the cluviel dor, left from her grandmother, which would allow her one wish. While other characters appeared busy working out what was happening with the vampires, werewolves and fairies Sookie seemed to be waiting around for news. During this time Sookie seems helpless, with not much to do other than keep the cluviel dor secret and safe.

To fill in these gaps the reader is subjected to Sookie’s chores and errands. We find out who she serves at Merlottes, what they have to eat and hear more chit-chat while she’s carrying out her daytime job as a waitress. Sookie will also go to the convenience store and cook for her friends, etc. For me, this is not information I need to know – a sentence or two would have been adequate. But even though this is tedious it does give the reader a contrast between Sookie’s daily life and the ordeals she faces with the supernaturals. This also provides the reader with the knowledge that Sookie is almost an ordinary gal in which we can relate to.

Although I found this novel disappointing in many areas that is not to say that it is not worth a read. I would recommend fans of the series to still read this, whilst readers new to the series would be best to start from the beginning of the series with ‘Dead Until Dark’. Dead Until Dark (Sookie Stackhouse, #1)I say this because the latter chapters really opened up the story and many loose ends were wrapped up in quite a dramatic way. At this point in the book nothing distracted me and I felt quite tense reading these scenes as we found out who killed the young girl and why. These intense and dramatic scenes really made the book. Sookie does end up in a spot of bother, needing help herself and then needing to help a friend. I cannot really say more without spoiling the end but it is worth the wait!

There are still some areas that need wrapping up such as who will Sookie give her heart to, will Felipe ever leave and allow Eric to remain Sheriff of Area 5 or will Eric marry Freyda? What lies in store for Bill, Sam and Alcide? All of these questions make me want to read the following novel ‘Dead Ever After’ hopefully being released in May 2013!

 

Reviewed by Caroline Barker

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The Club by Sharon Page

theclub-201Racy Regency Romance

 I enjoy Regency romances and have wanted to read a Sharon Page novel for some time. This one intrigued me as it has a gentleman’s club at the centre of the plot and promised to be a sensuous read!

In The Club Widow Jane Beaumont, Lady Sherringham enters a notorious private club, posing as a patron, in search of her friend Delphinia. Del disappeared after she was seen attending the club with her debauched husband. Jane, intent on finding out what happened to her friend, immediately encounters Christian Sutcliffe, Lord Wickham, Del’s brother, a well-known libertine. Christian went into self-imposed exile abroad after he killed a man in a duel over a woman, but has returned to search for his sister, who had written to him telling him how unhappy she was, prior to her disappearance. Neither Jane nor Christian believes the claim made by Del’s husband, that Del has ran off with a lover to the Continent.

Christian warns Jane to stay out of the club before she compromises her safety. However, Jane and ignores his wishes and they spend more time together in and out of the club, as they try and find out what has happened to Del. Jane, abused by her deceased husband, is skittish around men and it takes all of her courage to venture into the club, posing as Christian’s lover.

Mrs Broughton’s club is a place where married couples of the ton go in search of sexual fulfilment and adventure – not always with each other! The author describes a number of consensual scenes, between a range of partners, which include bondage and the use of other paraphernalia one would expect in a sex club.  It becomes clear that some women, including Del were not wholly willing participants in the activities there. Whilst investigating the club, Jane and Christian also uncover some other nefarious activities taking place at an establishment linked to it.

Christian and Jane knew each other when they were younger and often clashed.  Christian found Jane to be rather serious and forthright, always willing to criticise him, whereas Jane believed Christian to be a wastrel and a womaniser. Jane fears male contact and is adamant that she will not marry again and put herself at the mercy of another man. However, she slowly finds herself drawn to Christian romantically. She is torn between what she knows of Christian’s past behaviour and the actions he takes now, where she sees him care deeply for those around him and act with honour. Indeed, she thinks his considerate behaviour towards her is prompted by his desire to rescue her and not out of love. All this is at odds with the rumours about his sexual conquests and liking for violent sex.  She also fears that he will face trial for his sin of shooting the man in the duel.

I immediately liked Christian. He was reckless in his youth and got up to all sorts of adventures abroad, although Jane learns that his actions were not just about self-gratification but also about rescuing those less fortunate than himself. He is not afraid of using violence or the threat of violence against those who threaten those he loves. He recognises Jane’s fear of men early in the novel and it is to his credit that he strives to protect her from the sexual advances of a number of debauched men in and out of the club. When they eventually become lovers he is patient and attentive, realising that she has never known physical pleasure only abuse. There are nevertheless a number of sensual lovemaking scenes between them in some inventive locations!

There a number of secondary characters who naturally resent the couple investigating Del’s disappearance and other matters that come to light in their search for her. The plot develops swiftly and involves scenes at the club, blackmail, violence and murder. There are also a number of unexpected plot twists. With all of these obstacles, we are left wondering whether Jane and Christian can ever find their happy ever after.

I  recommend this novel if you enjoy Regency romances with added spice. I liked the fact that the plot revolved around the club and the underbelly of London and I enjoyed the interaction between the hero and heroine. The plot was complex and engaging and acted as an excellent counterpoint to the sex scenes. Due to the lovemaking scenes, I would class the novel as sensual in content and therefore suitable for those aged 18 and above.

Author’s website www.sharonpage.com

Published by Ebury Publishing, part of the Random House Group www.randomhouse.co.uk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Love is in the Air – Author Louise Wise

The Fall of the Misanthrope_Cover_KINDLE[1]Christmas is now a distant memory, the January sales are now over and Spring is on the horizon. It is also the time of year when our thoughts turn to LOVE!

To celebrate such a heart warming emotion, we at ARR have decided to post a review of Louise Wise,’s dark chick-lit romance, The Fall of the Misanthrope. I bitch, therefore I am, on February 14th. The author Louise Wise has also written a post for us in which she shares her experiences as an author and this will accompany my review.

Those of you who have read my earlier post will know that her sci-fi romance  Eden was one of my favourite reads of 2012. See my review here https://areadersreviewblog.wordpress.com/category/sci-fi-romance/

In Misanthrope, Valerie Anthrope (Miss Anthrope) is a successful young business woman, who needs no one in her life to make her happy, least of all a life partner. However, this is all about to change as her ‘fairy godmother’, aka Ellen Semple has decided to step in and make Valerie her next ‘project’. What follows is a deeply romantic and insightful tale, which deals with some difficult issues and the healing power of love.

We are looking forward to Louise’s visit and we hope that there will be more authors who decide to drop by in the future. We would also be very interested to hear your suggestions for a top romantic read, in any genre, for us to enjoy!

Tina @ ARR

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Tina’s Random Thoughts – Book Covers

Catherine and Lucy's party 2012, Xmas 2012, snow,eton Lake Middl 097I am often astounded by some of the beautiful images on many of the book covers of the novels that I read. I do not have an artistic bone in my body when it comes to drawing or painting. My stick-men and women have not progressed much beyond the level my 4 year old currently exhibits!

We have all heard the old adage, ‘never judge a book by its cover,’ and although I try not to fall into this trap, even in this increasingly digital age, book covers still catch my eye. Their images stay with me alongside the pictures painted by the words of the author. To me a good book cover can not only be an item of great beauty, but it, alongside the title, represents the start of a journey the author is taking me on, even before I have read the first word of the novel.

I’d be very interested in what others think of book covers. Has their role has diminished in the era of e- publishing or do you think that book covers are more important than ever to help readers choose from what can be a bewildering mass of new publications? Also how has the increase in e-books impacted on the artistic community who produce them?

I’d also like to learn more about the processes involved in commissioning, selecting and producing a book cover and how authors, artists and publishers work together to do so. What brief is given to the artist and what other factors provide inspiration? I may try to use these thoughts to create a future post in collaboration with a book cover artist, publisher and author if I can track some suitable volunteers down!