Review: The Last Piece of My Heart by Paige Toon

When life feels like a puzzle, sometimes it's the small pieces that make up the bigger picture... Join Bridget on a journey to put her world back together.

A successful travel journalist, Bridget has ambitions to turn her quirky relationship blog about the missing pieces of her heart into a book. But after a spate of rejections from publishers, she accepts an alternative proposition.

Nicole Dupré died leaving behind a bestselling novel and an incomplete sequel. Tasked with finishing the book, Bridget is thankful to have her foot in the publishing door, even if it means relocating to Cornwall for the summer and answering to Nicole's grieving husband, Charlie...

Review: I was so excited to read this novel and once I started it I couldn't put it own. I love how Paige Toon has such a knack for sweeping you off to a new place and leaving all your worries behind. This time we are swept off to Cornwall for a little bit and then to Thailand, what more could we ask for? I still really felt so immersed in Paige Toon's writing, even though I wasn't necessarily somewhere exotic, it just must be the gift that she has! 

I loved the fact that this novel features and author, I wonder how much personal experience was put into this? And yet it is also about so much more. It is about learning to love after being hurt, about what constitutes lies and deception and about grief and how people handle that in different ways. And there are so many characters facing all or some of these issues. And yet I never felt at any time like this was an issue driven book. I just loved getting to know Bridget and in turn her getting to know Nicole and Charlie. 

This book definitely has a slightly slower pace than some of this author's previous novels, I think perhaps because so much of it takes place in one setting. I loved the family aspect of it too, both Nicole's family and Bridget's family. There were some mo moments that made me laugh and others that made me cry. Of course I wanted to be eating fish an chips during the first section of the novel and then during the latter part of the novel, I was desperate for Pad Thai!

If you are a fan of Paige Toon then obviously you will love this novel. If you are looking for a summer read that you can loose yourself in and escape from the real world then this definitely needs to be added to your collection. The slightly slower pace didn't stop me finishing this one in one day and I am sure that you will absolutely fly through this one, tissues at hand and be left feeling all warm and fuzzy afterwards!

To order your copy now, click here!

Guest Review: Mistletoe on 34th Street by Lisa Dickenson

Olivia has never experienced a snow-covered, 'traditional' Christmas before. Having grown up in a family that chose winter sun over decking the halls, she's not sure what all the fuss is about. So when she and her colleagues are stranded in New York after a work trip, Olivia is perfectly happy spending the holiday season in the Big Apple.

Jon, Olivia's friend, on the other hand is desperate to get home in time for his big family get-together. Nevertheless, determined to make the best out of the situation, he sets out to show Olivia how enchanting Christmas in New York can be. And when handsome New Yorker Elijah is added to the mix, could the magic of the season finally be working its charm on Olivia? As 25 December draws closer, Olivia suddenly finds herself with a decision to make: who does she really want to kiss under the mistletoe this Christmas?

Review: I haven't read anything by Lisa Dickenson before, but this story sounded right up my street, dealing as it does with Christmas and New York, a lovely and exciting city to visit over the festive season. The book has a really pretty cover too, to draw the reader in. 

The main character, Olivia, is visiting New York with work colleagues for a conference, but is due to return just before Christmas. A person who has never embraced the whole Christmas experience, she intends to spend the whole festive season on return from the Big Apple relaxing by herself. While in the city, she meets native New Yorker, Elijah, who begins to open her eyes to the beauty of Christmas, while old friend Jon also chips away at her resolve by introducing her to the wonders of Christmas in this exciting city. Mother Nature also plays a major role by dumping lots of snow on the world and leaving everyone stranded and unable to return home as planned, but giving Olivia extra time to appreciate the good things about Christmas. 

I loved the characters in this story. Olivia is such a great person, looking after her work colleagues, who all seem to have their own problems which she has to take on her shoulders. I admire her ability to concentrate on being the boss and dealing with her 'charges' when New York is out there waiting for her. However, she was a little naive when it came to dealing with the men around her. 

I heartily recommend this book to lovers of Christmas or New York, or both. The story is crammed full of humour and romance, and the delightfully Christmassy feel of New York at this time of year is brought to life through Lisa's skilful descriptions. If you're not feeling the festive spirit yet, this would be a great book to help you out. 

To grab your copy, just click here!

Guest Review: Christmas Under A Cranberry Sky by Holly Martin

This year spend a wonderful Christmas on Juniper Island, where love can melt even the iciest of hearts… 

Piper Chesterfield lives a glamorous life travelling the world and reviewing the finest hotels. She calls nowhere home, she works alone and that’s how she likes it. For long ago Piper decided that to protect her heart she should lock it away. 

So when Piper’s next assignment brings her to the newly opened Stardust Lake Hotel for the festive season, the last person she expects to face isGabe Whitaker, the man who broke her heart so completely she could never love again. 

But Piper isn’t the only one who has been frozen in time by heartbreak. Gabe hasn’t forgotten the golden-eyed girl who disappeared from his world without a trace. 

Now fate has reunited them on Juniper island, can the magic of Christmas heal old wounds? And can this enchanting town be the one place Piper can finally call home? 

Curl up with this gorgeously romantic tale and let the glistening snow and the roaring fires of Stardust Lake Hotel get you in the festive spirit this Christmas. 

Review: I really enjoy Holly Martin's books and was excited to see that there were not one but two Christmas stories from her this year. Once I got started on this one, I finished it in no time at all, as it was easy to read but not so easy to put down. Her previous books that I have read have all been set in the south of England, in the town of White Cliff Bay, but this is set in the Shetland Isles.

The main characters are Piper (Pip for short) Chesterfield and Gabe Whitaker, both of them lovely people. Piper has been working as a mystery guest, reviewing hotels for a magazine and moving from one job to the next for 10 years without a break. She decides to take a 6-month sabbatical, but her last job, at the brand new Stardust Lake Hotel on Juniper Island has her stepping right into a past that she has tried to forget. At the hotel, she becomes reacquainted with childhood friend Gabe, who is now a widower with a charming four-year-old daughter, Wren, and is the hotel owner. Gabe's brother and sister are also involved in the running of the hotel.

The island itself is basically a Christmas holiday resort that Gabe has spent a lot of time and money developing. It sounds absolutely idyllic; he has covered all angles to make sure that it will appeal to guests the whole year around. The entire population of the island is involved in the business in some way or another. The only negative influence is a small group of Shetland ponies, who are constantly up to mischief it seems.

I really enjoyed this story. The descriptions of the island Christmas resort had me longing to be able to go and spend the holidays there. I loved that the whole island was involved in the venture, with craft shops in addition to the main complex. Gabe has even built special units where guests have a clear view of the stars at night, and the Northern lights when they are visible. Holly has really used her imagination in building this resort to appeal to everyone. Even the mode of transport by which visitors reach the island is fantastic. The next book, Christmas Under a Starlit Sky, to be published soon, takes up the story of Gabe's sister, Neve. I can't wait to read it!

Review: On The Other Side by Carrie Hope Fletcher

A love story like no other, this is the debut novel from Carrie Hope Fletcher, author of the Sunday Times No. 1 bestseller All I Know Now.

Evie Snow is eighty-two when she quietly passes away in her sleep, surrounded by her children and grandchildren. It's the way most people wish to leave the world but when Evie reaches the door of her own private heaven, she finds that she's become her twenty-seven-year-old self and the door won't open.

Evie's soul must be light enough to pass through so she needs to get rid of whatever is making her soul heavy. For Evie, this means unburdening herself of the three secrets that have weighed her down for over fifty years, so she must find a way to reveal them before it's too late. As Evie begins the journey of a lifetime, she learns more about life and love than she ever thought possible, and somehow , some way, she may also find her way back to her long lost love . . .

On the Other Side will transport you to a world that is impossible to forget. Powerful, magical and utterly romantic, this is a love story like no other from everyone's favourite 'big sister', Carrie Hope Fletcher. 

Review: this is unlike anything I've read before and for that reason it was pure escapism. I read this book in two sittings, it could have been one if I didn't have other things to do because once you fall into this world, you won't want to get back out again! I had no idea what the book was about when I picked it up, I just knew there was a lot of hype surrounding it and I had been introduced to some of the characters through the power of YouTube and so I knew I wanted to read it. I like going into books with a completely open mind like that sometimes and I recommend to anyone that that is how they approach this book so if you want to go away and read it now before reading anymore of my review then feel free to do so...

Ok so the concept of the book is Evie Snow literally trying to get to the other side and it takes you through her memories and shows you the secrets that she has stopping her from crossing over to the other side, going to her version of heaven. This sounds like a slightly depressing concept and so that is why I said it is best to go into this book with an open mind becaue this book is not in the slightest bit depressing. It is quite the opposit in fact, more like a warm hug of a book with a lot of interest and intrigue along the way. I really liked the shift between times and it is made all the more easy to read because the different time setting have a different font and so you always knw whether you are in the past or the present. 

As the book progresses, we gradually get to learn about Evie's family and Evie's great love. I really liked the way these characters were bult up, seeing them as their elder and younger selves. I really liked Evie and enjoyed joining her as the protagonist of this novel. I also really liked Jim, he was such a kind and understanding person and I totally fell in love with him mere pages into the book. One of the interesting things about the book is that we never learn where the story is actually set. There is a city but it is never names. I like the fact that this author has left us to make up our own minds about where the setting actually is, I have my own thoughts and I'm sure you'll have yours too! 

I have to say that I love the cover of this book, it is beautiful with and without the dust jacket and there are all sorts of clues from the book and things that tie into the story on both covers, you find yourself flicking back and forth as you read-it really is very clever. I loved reading this book, it was truly warm and lovely. It was wonderful to switch off from the outside world and immerse myself in its pages for a good few hours! This book would make an awesome film and everyone should set aside some time and read it for themselves! 

Guest Review: Letters From Lighthouse Cottage by Ali McNamara

The sun is shining in the quiet little seaside town of Sandybridge

Sandybridge is the perfect English seaside town: home to gift shops, tea rooms and a fabulous fish and chip shop. And it's home to Grace - although right now, she's not too happy about it.

Grace grew up in Sandybridge, helping her parents sort junk from vintage treasures, but she always longed to escape to a bigger world. And she made it, travelling the world for her job, falling in love and starting a family. So why is she back in the tiny seaside town she'd long left behind, hanging out with Charlie, the boy who became her best friend when they were teenagers?

It turns out that travelling the world may not have been exactly what Grace needed to do. Perhaps everything she wanted has always been at home - after all, they do say that's where the heart is...

Review: I was delighted to see a new title from Ali McNamara on the shelves when I was out shopping. I had no idea that this was in the pipeline. I immediately bought the book and couldn't wait to get the opportunity to open its pages. 

It is a really charming story centred around three school friends and following the ups and downs of their lives over a period of thirty years. The story starts off with them all living in the little seaside town of Sandybridge. Grace lives there with her parents, helping them when she can with their antiques business. Danny is one of the sporty, cool set at school; although he is quite unlike Grace, she has developed a bit of a crush on him. Charlie is a newcomer to the town, where his parents have moved to take over one of the tea rooms. Part of Grace's parents' business involves them doing house clearances, and it is when she goes along with her mum to clear Lighthouse Cottage, once inhabited by the keeper of the town's now defunct lighthouse, that she discovers the source of the letters mentioned in the title of this book that will give her guidance over the years.

I found this story quite captivating. It is quite a saga of the happenings in the lives of these three very likeable young people as they follow their different paths, parting and coming together again at various points over the thirty years. The town of Sandybridge, and, in particular, the Manor House there, Sandybridge Hall, seem to call them back from wherever their activities take them.

Once started, I found it difficult to put the book down. I am sure that most people would enjoy it just as much as I have. It was so cleverly written that I was not at all sure how it would all end. I like that in a book - much better than knowing from the first few pages who would end up with whom. I would also like to mention the book's cover. It is a really attractive representation of a seaside town that could have you imagining yourself sitting on the stripy deckchair depicted on the beach, perhaps reading this very book!

Review: The Summer Escape by Lilly Graham

Amongst the beautiful olive groves and sea-front tavernas, summer has arrived on the sun-drenched island of Crete. 

After losing the love of her life, Ria’s life has been on hold. So when her boss becomes completely unbearable she makes the snap decision to run away to the Greek island of Crete, armed only with her passport. 

When Ria finds herself working for eccentric novelist Caroline, she meets handsome vineyard owner Tom. He’s charming, mysterious and Ria starts to wonder if it’s not just the beautiful Greek island that she’s falling for. 

But as Ria gets to know Tom better, she uncovers a tangled web of secrets. What is he hiding? Ria has some secrets of her own. Can she open up to Tom and learn to live again? 

This summer, escape to the sun with this charming and emotional story about starting over and grabbing happiness with both hands. 

Review: Lily Graham is a new author to me, but I was keen to read this novel having had a look at the synopsis. The cover is also something to attract readers, with its lovely summery, Mediterranean feel. I wasn't drawn into the story immediately, but from chapter 2, when the actions of the heroine suddenly became a little bizarre, I was hooked and devoured the rest of the book as fast as I could. 

The main character is Ria (short for Ariadne, the name due to her father's being Greek). She is somewhat disillusioned with her job as an obituary writer for a newspaper, a job made all the more unsuitable for the young woman because of a tragedy in her recent past and also due to the attitude of her fellow workers and her boss towards her seemingly excellent writing, which they really don't appreciate.  Her life takes a turn when she does something completely out of character, gets on a plane and lands up on the beautiful Greek island of Crete. She is very lucky in the people she meets up with there who bring her out of the depression she has been suffering from  for so long. In addition to Ria, there are some other really strong and interesting characters in the story, including the local English newspaper editor, Nigel, a retired travel writer, Caroline, Tom and Tony, brothers connected with the wine business, and Iliana, Tony's wife. Ria ends up helping Caroline to write her memoirs, which lead to some amusing revelations. Caroline and Ria develop a lovely relationship; she's a much better boss than the one Ria left behind.

I really liked the fact that this is not a simple love story. There is some sleuthing entwined with a growing romance for Ria. There is a mystery to be solved, and she is not going to be happy until all the facts are revealed. I also liked most of the characters  Ria meets during her investigations, except of course for the wicked ones that we are not supposed to like at all! Although I was always fairly sure who she was going to fall for, I was not clear until the very end how the mystery would pan out. It was enjoyable watching the growing relationships between Ria and the rest of the characters and also the way in which the clues to the mystery were pieced together.

Lily Graham's writing really brings Crete to life on the pages of this book. You can almost smell the souvlaki and feel the sand between your toes and the sun on the back of your neck.  I'm not so sure about the Greek coffee though!  If you're looking for a summer escape for yourself, pop this one into your bag or suitcase.  I'm sure, like me, you will be transported off to the Greek islands and become immersed in the mystery Ria has found. 

Review: My Map Of You by Isabelle Broom

Holly Wright has had a difficult few years. After her mother's death, she's become expert at keeping people at a distance - including her boyfriend, Rupert.

But when Holly receives an unexpected letter explaining that an aunt she never met has left her a house on the Greek island of Zakynthos, the walls she has built begin to crumble. Arriving on the island, Holly meets the handsome Aidan and slowly begins to uncover the truth about the secret which tore her family apart. 

But is the island where Holly really belongs? Or will her real life catch up with her first?


Immediately I saw the cover of this book, with its sea, sand and bougainvillea-covered buildings, I knew that I wanted to read it. Isabelle Broom is a new author to me and I was interested to see what the story was all about. It didn't pull me in straight away, but once I got into it, I really couldn't put it down.

The main character is Holly Wright. She is living an existence that certainly doesn't match the cover to begin with - working in London for an online clothing retailer and in a relationship with boyfriend Rupert. However, her world is turned upside down by a letter from solicitors in Greece informing her that an aunt she did not know existed has left her a house on the beautiful Island of Zakynthos. Holly is not the most confident of people, but decides to go off and take a look at this property. What she finds is not just a house, but a whole family history of which she had previously been unaware.

I really loved the character of Holly and the way in which she flourishes as the story progresses. Isabelle Broom has written this so well. I could almost smell the Greek food, feel the sand of the beaches between my toes and feel the sunshine warming my bones. It brought back memories of my visit to this self same island as Holly visits all the tourist attractions as well as the quieter, unspoilt parts. Of course, Holly meets lots of new people on the island, all of whom I found  lovely, likeable characters. The list includes the local shop keeper, the ex-pat who owns the local bar, and, of course, the dishy Irish vet, Aidan, who lives next door. The story has great depth to it. It's not just a simple romance; the way in which Holly's story emerges is very powerfully told, and there were parts that had me in floods of tears as well as the happy moments.

This book would definitely make great holiday reading, although it should come with a warning that it may have you dashing to the travel agent to book another holiday on a Greek island. It certainly had me yearning to return. I look forward to reading more from Isabelle Broom.

Blog Tour: The Island Escape by Kerry Fisher

Today I am part of the blog tour for a very exciting new book which was released last week, The Island Escape by Kerry Fiaher. Now I have a gorgeous copy of this book on my TBR pile but I was thrilled when I was asked to be part of the blog tour for this title too because I'm really excited about picking up this book and escaping to another world, another time and another life. I'm very lucky to have a guest piece from Kerry today and so without further ado, I'll hand over to the lovely Kerry...

Thank you so much for inviting me onto your blog to talk about how I researched the settings in The Island Escape. I really enjoyed indulging my love of travelthrough one of the main protagonists, Octavia. She is very free-spirited and imagined that she would lead a bohemian life with barefoot kids on a beach somewhere exotic. Instead she ended up in suburbia, married to her unadventurous husband, Jonathan.  Her best friend’s divorce is the catalyst for setting her thinking about ‘the one that got away’, which leads her back to Corsica where she lived nearly two decades earlier.

When I was considering Corsica as a location, it started me thinking about the gulf between what you imagine your life will be like when you’re carefree at twenty and the reality when you’re forty. I’ve been very lucky – fortunately for me, the ones ‘who got away’ headed to the hills, dust and heels flying, never to be seen again! But it didn’t stop me wanting to write a story of someone whose ‘what if…?’ had a different outcome. 

I’d love to be able to say I took a luxurious research trip to Corsica to write that part of the book but actually I relied on Google images, my own photographs and my memory of teaching English there for a year when I was nineteen. I lived up on a hillside in a boarding school, which served all the surrounding mountain villages. The kids arrived on Monday morning and disappeared off on Friday night. At weekends, I was on my own in a hugeschool, with a myriad of doors, dark corridors and axe-murderish corners to navigate before I could escape back to the village. There, my companions were stray cats or old men playing cards in the bar. Thankfully, a French girl my own age came to work at the school and together we explored the island. 

Thirty years later, it’s astonishing how clear my memories are. The transparent sea where we caught and ate sea urchins. The wonderful rock formations, the sunsets and the strong perfume of gorse (the maquis). And a sense, at all times, of how small the island was, how claustrophic, how anyone you spoke to always had a cousin, aunt, brother who worked at your school or knew one of your pupils. 

The Island Escape also has several scenes in nearby Sardinia, where I travelled when my English friends came to stay. With the nonchalance of youth, we went on a camping holiday there, without a tent. We slept under the stars one freezing April, knocking ourselves out with some god awful rosé wine that we drank straight fromthe carton. I still remember the chill of the damp sand beneath my sleeping bag, though I wish that I’d appreciated my youthful ability to leap up the next morning without a creak or groan.

All that travel talk has given me itchy feet, so I’m off to research locations for a new novel – and this time, I think a little trip is in order…

And you can order this fabulous novel RIGHT NOW! Here's the blurb for you...

Can one woman’s marriage survive her best friend’s divorce? Fans of Veronica Henry and Erica James, this is the next book to add to your reading list.
It’s time to get back to where it all began…
Octavia Shelton thought she’d have a different life. One where she travelled the world with an exotic husband and free-spirited children in tow. But things didn’t turn out quite like that.

Married to safe, reliable Jonathan, her life now consists of packed lunches, school runs and more loads of dirty washing than she ever thought possible. She’s not unhappy. It’s just that she can barely recognise herself any longer.

So as Octavia watches her best friend’s marriage break up, it starts her thinking. What if life could be different? What if she could escape and get back to the person she used to be? Escape back to the island where she spent her summers? And what if the man she used to love was there waiting for her…?

Review: The Sun In Her Eyes by Paige Toon

Blinding sunshine… A bend in the road… What became of the little girl with the sun in her eyes?

Amber was three when a car crash stole her mother's life. She doesn't remember the accident, but a stranger at the scene has been unable to forget. Now, almost thirty years later, she's trying to track Amber down.

Amber, meanwhile, is married to Ned and living on the other side of the world in London. When her father has a stroke, she flies straight home to Australia to be with him. Away from her husband, Amber finds comfort in her oldest friends, but her feelings for Ethan, the gorgeous, green-eyed man she once fell for, have never been platonic. 

As Ethan and Amber grow closer, married life in London feels far away. Then Amber receives a letter that changes everything. 'Before your mother died, she asked me to tell you something…'



Review: A new Paige Toon novel has now become a summer staple! Of course the fact that her novels perfectly encapsulate the true meaning of escapism and generally take you to warm and sunny climbs really helps with this...This novel lives up to all of these things and very helpfully i began reading this on a very sunny weekend. I began reading and did not stop until I was halfway through, half of the book in one sitting, I was so intrigued by this storyline and so attached to the lovely main character Amber. Now this book is just a little darker than Paige Toon's previous books but I really liked the fact there was a little hint of mystery and a lot of 'did she really just do that?' about it so don't worry, Paige Toon fans, the Paige Toon sparkle is definitely still there!

Amber was a great character because on the surface she seems to be a totally fearless female, changing her job, flying half way around the world and being confident with it, however, underneath there are a whole load of insecurities that she has stemming back from childhood and ranging all the way up to the present day! I love the fact that Paige Toon writes such deep characters with such back stories. This really shows in the fact that her characters tend to pop back in and out of her novels, if they weren't so well-established, they wouldn't be able to do that!

Now there were a couple of characters I didn't like in this novel and they were the males in Amber's life, and I'm not talking about her Dad! Ethan and Ned again both seemed like lovely guys on the surface but they both had sides to them that just didn't sit right with me. Ethan seemed inherently selfish and controlling and Ned seemed to be out for himself and nobody else. Of course these guys both have redeeming features and well and I didn't hate them quite so much by the time i reached the final page of the book but yet another example of characters who are so true to life and so well written that they can have these lifelike characteristics which would make you hate them!

Of course a Paige Toon novel has a fabulous setting... The sun in the hills and the heat of Australia contrasting with the rain and claustrophobic nature of London is so beautifully written yet again! I love the feeling of escapism that you get with a Paige Toon novel and it really makes me want to pick up another of hers right now, just to get away to sunnier climbs even for a mere 300 pages or so! Overall I really enjoyed this book. It was a great form of escapism on a dull British day and I enjoyed getting to spend the 385 pages with these characters. If you're a Paige Toon fan, or if this is your first dabbling into this author, I'm sure you'll find something to keep you entertained in this novel!

Review: Lola and The Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion...she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit--more sparkly, more fun, more wild--the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket--a gifted inventor--steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

Review: I read this book straight after finishing Anna and the French kiss and I would really recommend doing it this way because you totally stay in the lovely bubble that is Stephanie Perkins's writing. This book was possibly even better than Anna and the French kiss because I just loved the characters of Lola and Cricket even more so than Anna and St Clair. However, I didn't think that the storyline of this novel was quite as compelling as the first on these companion books. 

The reason I loved Lola so much was because she was such a free spirit and so independent. I loved her fashion sense, her confidence and her sense of hope in the world. She didn't whine, she had gay dads and a mom who'd gone off the rails and she as coping just fine, getting on without a fuss. When she saw something she wanted, she went for it, even if that mean schlepping across town in a yellow raincoat when there was no rain! 

Cricket was as much of a gentlemen as I could've hoped for, a bit like Lola, he saw what he wanted and he went for it and I loved that about him too. He seemed to be really close to his family and also wanted to do whatever he could to help Lola-such a cute little character! The character of Max on the other hand really was the bad boy and somebody many readers, myself included, will love to hate! Lola's dads are awesome, if a little over protective and of course there is the hitch girl character which every YA novel needs in the mix. 

The setting of this novel is fabulous and totally made me want to go to San Francisco. The streets and houses are really well written and described and I am literally desperate to go and experience that for myself now. This is another novel where not an awful lot happens and has the classic boy meets girl formula but it's wonderful in its inoffensiveness! It will leave you with the same warm and fuzzy feeling that Anna and the French Kiss leaves you with and you will definitely want to be creating shakier outfits and booking yourself on the next flight to San Francisco! 

Review: Thirteen Weddings by Paige Toon

Last year, Bronte left Sydney for a wedding in England, where she met newly single Alex. After a night of passion they parted ways, and Bronte returned to Australia.

Now working on a picture desk for a magazine in London, Bronte is about to meet her new colleague, who turns out to be all too familiar. Although awkward at first, as Alex is now engaged to the girl he was on a break from when they met, they soon become friends.

But as the two get closer, and the wedding day looms, it is clear that Alex and Bronte have unfinished business

Review: I was very excited about reading this book. I love it when a book comes out by an author I know I like and try and make time to read it straight away. This book got off to a great start for me. I find it easiest to get into a book when you are dumped straight in the action, getting to know the characters as you go along. This was definitely the case in this book and I loved the idea of starting off with a hen party coinciding with a stag party and two characters meeting that way. The rest of the story line was really good too but began to slow for me, towards the middle of the book. Thankfully there was a really long epilogue which wrapped everything up nicely, which again is something that I love. I thought the idea of someone going through life photographing weddings was fab and adds to my assurance that Paige Toon does escapism better than anyone else in her novels, but it just felt a little slow for my personal reading taste. This is not something that has happened to me with a Paige Toon novel before, let me reassure you!

I thought the characters in this novel were really interesting and the mix of personalities was just great, you couldn't get a more random bunch if you tried. I liked this though, because it is indicative of friendships that I have and those friendship groups that I see around me! Bronte was a great protagonist, if a little indecisive. If she had been more decisive, however, a lot of stuff in the book wouldn't have been able to happen. She was very brave to give up everything for a job in the UK and throw herself into the wedding industry too, that way that she did. I loved the two male leads in this book, but definitely favoured one over the other because of his free spirit and unconditional ability to love!

There was an interesting storyline involving alcoholism and another involving closeted homosexuals among the clergy which i thought were unique choices for a novel like this. I'm no sure that they fitted with with Thirteen Weddings persona but it was refreshing to have these issues dealt with with such honesty by an author who normally covers slightly lighter topics. Overall I did enjoy this novel, i just didn't get as much of the usual Paige Toon sparkle that i normally get from these books. Nevertheless, I will definitely be counting this up there with the others and it would make a super summer read whether you're lying on a beach or sitting in your own back garden!