romance

Book Review: Christmas Fling by Lindsey Kelk

Posted on by Libby Price

“Is a fake boyfriend really just for Christmas?

One fake romance. One magical Christmas. One chance to fall in love.|
Laura was all set for a quiet solo Christmas – just her, a bottle of wine, and flat-sitting for a stranger. But when the stranger’s parents mistake her for his mystery girlfriend, she’s swept off to the snowy Scottish Highlands with Callum and his whole family.
Between the cosy sleeper train, charming pubs and breathtaking views, this could be the no-strings-attached Christmas of Laura’s dreams.
But stranger Callum is hot, hilarious and their ‘fake’ chemistry is off the charts.
So is this just a Christmas fling? Or the start of something more?”

As my multiple previous posts will attest, I love a Lindsey Kelk novel – and so was delighted to be granted an advance review copy of her latest book which is out in October – and makes a perfect festive gift / read!

The ‘fake relationship into actual lovers’ has obviously been done many times before – but I still thoroughly enjoyed this book. Laura being a neurosurgeon was certainly unusual for a main character in a rom com (although I do wonder if her speciality changed during the writing process, as at one point the lack of ‘cardiac’ unit was mentioned) and I liked the different ‘vibe’ that gave the book. Callum was lovely – even though he could do with a shake sometimes!! Laura’s friends Desi and Joel were brilliant (definitely reminded me of Bridget Jones and her gang of mates) and really added to the colourfulness of the storyline.

The Scottish Highlands are described beautifully – and you could almost feel the chill off the page. I also liked the modern issues – phone reception (or lack of) and a major life incident in an M&S petrol station! It has also made me think I never want to the Caledonian Sleeper train!

It was a fabulous escapist read – and would be PERFECT to read over the Christmas holidays all cosy and warm curled up in a comfy chair with a hot chocolate (or mulled wine!) There were laugh out loud moments, scenes of great sexual tension – and the chaos of an extended family festive season.

A huge thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for my ARC.

Book Review: Slow Burn Summer by Josie Silver

Posted on by Libby Price

I have thoroughly enjoyed Josie Silver’s back catalogue, and so was delighted to be granted an advance review copy of her new book Slow Burn Summer. I actually read it much earlier in the month and totally forgot to post a review – but that means it’s now out, so if you like the sound of it you can order it immediately for your sun lounger!

“Sometimes pretending to be someone else helps you figure out who you really are…
Freshly divorced and in need of a job – Kate Elliot’s life needs a rewrite. So when she unearths an old letter from her ex-talent agent, Jojo Francisco – she takes it as a sign from the universe to brush off her old acting skills and become someone else entirely.
Meanwhile, Charlie Francisco is back from LA, leaving his dumpster fire of a life behind. He may be well over his head in filling the shoes of his late eccentric father but he is determined to prove he can, and he might just have the job for Kate: to pose as the author for a novel that the real writer wants nothing to do with. It’s not quite the glamorous gig she was hoping for, but he’s looking for a nobody and she needs cash fast.
When Kate and Charlie meet they’re all friction and sparks, but they have one thing in common – they’re determined to play their parts. But as the summer heat ups and the lies get bigger and bigger, can they stick to their lines or will they go off-script?
A steamy and sweet love story set in the heat of a London summer, from the queen of the ‘what if?’ romance Josie Silver.”

Yet again Ms Silver did not disappoint. Whilst she writes lovely romances – and you’re rooting for Kate and Charlie to get it together throughout the book – it’s the supporting cast, the humour and the storyline that all wraps it up into a perfect summer escapist read.

I loved Katie’s relationship with her brother and sister in law, and Charlie’s with his new business partner – who’d previously worked with his Dad for many years. And Katie has a 19 year old daughter – so very similar in age to some of my children – and the interactions between them was written brilliantly too. I even enjoyed the sports fans on the train! The sexual tension builds brilliantly along the way as well – so I can definitely see where the title came from.

Overall a fabulous easy read (and I don’t say that in a derogatory way, and I’m not implying an easy read is an easy write) it’s just perfect when reading for fun on holiday after drinking a cocktail or two!

A big thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for my ARC.

Book Review: The Wrong Daughter by Dandy Smith

Posted on by Libby Price

Sometimes I get a bit confused with Net Galley! I was granted an advance review copy of this in January 2025 for publication in August 2025 – but it appears it’s been out for AGES. I can only assume it’s a different geographical market that it’s being released in next month – but I have read and reviewed it none the less – and at least if you like the sound of it you can purchase it immediately!

“In a shockingly twisty, addictively dark, engrossingly intense psychological suspense for readers of Freida McFadden, Adele Parks, and B.A. Paris, a woman’s world is shattered when her sister returns 16 years after she was abducted from their childhood bedroom.
“Do you have a sister, Ms. Fairview?” The little girl’s question, in all its buttery innocence, slices through me, and the answer catches in my throat. It isn’t as simple as yes or no. It hasn’t been, in nearly sixteen years.
The evening Caitlin and Olivia’s parents leave them to go to a dinner party, both girls are bubbling with excitement. At ages 10 and 13, they are at last old enough to stay home alone. After all, in their idyllic town no one even bothers to lock their doors.
As the summer light fades, after TV and popcorn, the sisters finally put themselves to bed. They’re unaware of the figure watching them through an open window. Or of the back door opening once they’ve fallen asleep.
When their parents return, they will find Olivia’s bed empty. Their golden-haired, long-limbed, eldest daughter gone. Never to return. Until now.
But is the woman who claims to be Olivia all she seems? Is everything Caitlin said she saw that night the whole truth? Their family have dreamed of this moment, but both sisters are keeping more than one secret. What price will they all pay if they end up believing the wrong daughter?“

The book starts around the anniversary of Caitlin’s sister Olivia being kidnapped at knifepoint 16 years ago when Caitlin was just 10, and her sister 3 years older. This has clearly changed the trajectory of the entire family’s lives – as nothing has been seen of Olivia since that night.

Then, intertwined within the chapters about Caitlin, is a story from the point of view of Elinor. She is an orphan, living with her older brother in a remote hall in the middle of the countryside, where their Uncle comes to visit them at weekends. Clearly these stories are going to have to merge at some point – otherwise it would be a very strange book!

It twists and turns hugely – in both timelines – and I was wondering for almost the entire book how and when it would be explained how they meet up! I have to say some of it was pretty far fetched, and the double / triple crossing quite confusing – but that didn’t stop me enjoying the book.

It explores Caitie’s relationships – with family / friends / boyfriend – and how easily external factors can influence these – I have to say I felt very sorry for her quite often during the storyline and was rooting for her throughout.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for my review copy – be it advanced or not!!

Book Review: One August Night by Victoria Hislop

Posted on by Libby Price

When I posted my review of The Island, Victoria Hislop’s novel about Spinalonga, a couple of friends asked if I’d also read the sequel – One August Night. I hadn’t, but I’m very easily lead, so immediately bought it – and then saved it for when we were in Crete on holiday.

The view of Spinalonga from the village of Plaka

Here’s the blurb:

“25th August 1957. The island of Spinalonga closes its leper colony. And a moment of violence has devastating consequences.
When time stops dead for Maria Petrakis and her sister, Anna, two families splinter apart and, for the people of Plaka, the closure of Spinalonga is forever coloured with tragedy.
In the aftermath, the question of how to resume life looms large. Stigma and scandal need to be confronted and somehow, for those impacted, a future built from the ruins of the past.
Number one bestselling author Victoria Hislop returns to the world and characters she created in The Island – the award-winning novel that remains one of the biggest selling reading group novels of the century. It is finally time to be reunited with Anna, Maria, Manolis and Andreas in the weeks leading up to the evacuation of the island… and beyond.”

The sequel cleverly interweaves the final chapters of The Island – starting just as the leper colony is going to be disbanded – so you know some of the storyline already (but having said that, One August Night would work as a standalone book – but I would suggest you should read The Island first anyway!) I’d expected it to bridge the gap between the ‘present day’ and historic elements of The Island – but it’s actually only for a very short period, and doesn’t bring in the more recent characters at all. It focusses on Maria and Manolis and their supporting family and friends, old and new.

Maria has stayed locally – albeit just down the coast in Agios Nikolaos – whilst Manolis leaves immediately after that fateful August night – and his travels and subsequent new life are well described and evocative. The fall out from that evening is examined from all of the people it has affected, and it is really well written.

It was lovely to be reunited with all of the characters – and reading the book whilst being able to see Spinalonga from the hotel was amazing. We visited Spinalonga by boat one day, walked to Plaka another, and drove to Agios Nikoloas in torrential rain another day and Mum and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing both books brought to life. And obviously the rest of the family loved us sharing everything we knew!!

Book Review: Albion by Anna Hope

Posted on by Libby Price

“The Brooke family are gathering in their eighteenth-century ancestral home – twenty bedrooms of carved Sussex sandstone – to bury Philip: husband, father and the blinding sun around which they have all orbited for as long as they can remember.
Frannie, inheritor of a thousand acres of English countryside, has dreams of rewilding and returning the estate to nature: a last line of defence against the coming climate catastrophe. Milo envisages a treetop haven for the super-rich where, under the influence of psychedelic drugs, a new ruling class will be reborn. Each believes their father has given them his blessing, setting them on a collision course with each other.
Isa has long suspected that her father thought only of himself, and hopes to seek out her childhood love, who still lives on the estate, to discover whether it is her feelings for him that are creating the fault lines in her marriage.
And then there is Clara, who arrives in their midst from America, shrouded in secrets and bearing a truth that will fracture all the dreams on which they’ve built their lives.”

This book is a sweeping family drama, based in Sussex between the death and funeral of Philip Brooke – with flashbacks filling in the back story of all of the family and associated cast. I really wanted to enjoy this – but I have to say I didn’t find any of the characters particularly likeable and I found the story arc not incredibly thrilling. It’s also told from the point of view of many different characters – which felt somewhat disjointed.

I also found there were some really ‘preachy’ elements of the book – be that on environmental issues, historic slavery, inherited wealth. It’s been described as beautifully written in reviews – but it just didn’t pique my interest much at all. I persevered and read the whole book – but it just didn’t hit the mark for me at all.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for my advance review copy. If it sounds more of your bag than mine, it’s out now!

Book Review: The Island by Victoria Hislop

Posted on by Libby Price

Later on this year we are taking my parents to Greece to celebrate their respective 75th and 80th birthdays (one for each parent, we haven’t been waiting for 5 years!) Mum has been keen to go to Crete – and more specifically to visit Spinalonga. Pretty much every female friend I’ve mentioned this to has said ‘Oh, have you read The Island by Victoria Hislop?’ Now, Mum had – which is what had piqued her interest in visiting Spinalonga – The Island in question – in the first place, but I hadn’t – until now! Thanks to the kind loan of the paperback from a neighbour of my parents, I’ve joined the club. Here’s the blurb:

“On the brink of her own life-changing decision, Alexis Fielding longs to find out about her mother’s past. But Sofia has never spoken of it. All she admits to is growing up in a small Cretan village before moving to London. When Alexis decides to visit Crete, however, Sofia gives her daughter a letter to take to an old friend, and promises that through her she will learn more.
Arriving in Plaka, Alexis is astonished to see that it lies a stone’s throw from the tiny, deserted island of Spinalonga – Greece’s former leper colony. Then she finds Fotini, and at last hears the story that Sofia has buried all her life: the tale of her great-grandmother Eleni and her daughters and a family rent by tragedy, war and passion. She discovers how intimately she is connected with the island, and how secrecy holds them all in its powerful grip…”

Whilst the book is top and tailed by Alexis’s story – the fundamental part of the book goes back in time to the 1930s and Eleni, Alexis’s great grandmother and her family. It is then a family saga over many years. The descriptions are wonderful and really evocative and you can totally imagine life both on Crete and over the narrow stretch of water on Spinalonga. Learning about how people with leprosy lived was incredibly interesting – and I really enjoyed that aspect. Real world events such as the Second World War are also interwoven throughout the book – and I found out recently how much Greece was part of the war in Europe (my grandfather in law was a prisoner in the Peloponnese in Greece at that time) I had thought of visiting Greece for Classics type history (and we’ve done Athens and Olympia for exactly this) – but this more recent history is equally interesting.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book – and I’m now looking forward to our trip to Crete even more.

At this point I often thank publishers for copies of books – but in this instance, I’d like to thank my parents’ neighbour Wendy for letting me borrow her hard copy!

Book Review: Table for One by Emma Gannon

Posted on by Libby Price

Having enjoyed Emma Gannon’s previous book Olive (which frighteningly was almost 5 years ago!) I request an advance review copy of her book ‘Table for One’ from Net Galley. Here’s the blurb:

“Willow has everything worked out.
*The steady partner
*The successful career
*The grown-up house
Until she doesn’t – and she’s cast adrift on the sea of heartbreak, grieving a future with no clear path.
With her life transformed beyond recognition, and her friends busy ‘moving forwards’, Willow has never felt more alone.
But she’s in good company.
And when inspiration arrives from an unlikely source, she rekindles the relationship she longs for – but has long neglected… The one with herself…“

At the start of the book Willow is living and working with her boyfriend Dom. I have to say he comes across as a complete dick from very early on – and Willow being dumped by him should (and eventually is) the making of her.

Willow doesn’t really seem to have a depth of friendships with people – even though she’s been friends with them a long time (weirdly I remember this from Olive too – which makes me wonder if the author has been burnt by ‘friends’ in the past?)

Then Willow is given a writing assignment by a previous employer – to write about her seemingly ‘smug married’ life (she has neglected to mention she’s single again) compared to Naz, an influencer who’s USP is that she’s happily single by choice. Willow and Naz do get to know each other – and Willow is let behind the social media curtain that Naz lives through.

The one constant in Willow’s life is her Aunt Carla, who has been a mother figure to her for a very long time. Their relationship was really lovely – and I think Carla was my favourite character in the whole book.

Overall the book shows that Willow needs to be happy and content in herself, not just with the expected accoutrements of a 30 something life. I though the ending was really clever – as if Willow was sitting down to write this exact book!

I enjoyed this – and thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for my ARC.

Book Review: Cover Story by Mhairi McFarlane

Posted on by Libby Price

I have declared my love for Mhairi McFarlane’s writing many times before, and when I spotted that advance copies of her next book were out in the wild (the wonderful Marian Keyes had received a hard copy and was singing its praises) I messaged Mhairi on Instagram to see if it was going to be on Net Galley, and she said she thought it was – so I started a daily search. Obviously I only had to search the word Mhairi as she is the Beyonce / Madonna / Adele of women’s fiction!! I almost included Kylie in that list – but actually there is a line, somewhere between my age and my 21 year old eldest daughter – where the word Kylie is followed by Jenner rather than the OG Minogue. Anyway – I digress. I was delighted earlier this week to find Cover Story had arrived on Net Galley – and to be granted an advance review copy – and it immediately jumped to the top of my To Be Read pile!

Here’s the blurb:

“The unputdownable, brilliant new novel from the Queen of Romcom.
Bel’s joined the tiny Manchester office of a national paper from her indie podcast.
Thirty-something Connor is going to back to the start as the new intern.
The latest office news? They can’t stand each other.
So of course Bel bumps into Connor when she’s working undercover on the biggest scoop of her career. And of course she’s forced to improvise, pretending they’re a couple. A couple deeply in love.
Two rivals. One fake romance. The headline writes itself…”

Within the first chapter both the accountancy firm I trained with back in the 90s, and my favourite current TV show (Slow Horses – which Mhairi is now on the writing team for, which I was so excited to hear, almost like a mate had got a big promotion) were both referenced – so I was pretty happy we were on to another winner!

I really liked Bel from the start – even if she and her colleague Aaron were a bit horrible to the new intern Connor when he first arrived at the office of their newspaper on secondment from London. Quite early on you know Bel’s escaped a difficult ‘relationship’ and ended up in Manchester – and more of that is revealed as the book progresses.

You can guess this is going to be an enemies to lovers story arc – but will it actually be?! There are lots of twists and turns along the way – all whilst there is a concurrent storyline of an undercover investigation into a local celebrity politician who is something of a wrong ‘un.

The supporting cast are great – I think Bel’s best friend Shilpa would be a perfect wing woman, and Connor’s brother Shaun is fabulous (and gives Mystic Meg a run for her money!)

The writing is funny, quick witted, modern, entertaining – all whilst covering some deep topics in an incredibly well thought out way.

Every time I read the next Mhairi McFarlane book I have a slight worry that it can’t be better than the previous one, and surely at some point there’s going to be one that is even a tiny bit disappointing – but it just never happens! She is consistently my favourite author every year and this is another triumph.

A huge thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for my advance review copy. Cover Story is out in May, but I would recommend you pre order it now.

Book Review: The Re-write by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn

Posted on by Libby Price

I had seen The Re-write recommended in Red Magazine (my source of a lot of book recommendations) and was lucky enough to be granted an advance review copy by Net Galley. Here’s the blurb:

“Temi and Wale meet in London. They flirt, date, meet each other’s friends.
Then they break up. And Wale goes on a reality dating show.
Instead of giving in to heartbreak, Temi throws herself into her dream: writing. She’s within touching distance of a book deal that would solve all her problems. But publishers keep passing on her novel and bills still have to be paid. So, when the opportunity to ghost-write a celebrity memoir arises, Temi accepts.
And, of course, the celebrity turns out to be Wale…
Will Temi and Wale repeat the patterns of their past? Or can they write a whole new story?“

When I started this book, I realised I was probably far from target audience for it – being old enough to be Temi or Wale’s mother and not a Love Island aficionado – but I need not have worried, I still thoroughly enjoyed it.

You are rooting for Temi from the start. She’s desperate to be a published author – but is being rejected all over the place. She’s done some ghost writing historically – but is then offered the chance to ghost write for a new celebrity – who is, of course, her ex – who has just had a stint on The Villa (basically Love Island!)

There is then lots of will they / won’t they / misunderstandings / crossed wires – and at the same time their histories (from long ago, and more recently but undeclared) are exposed.

Whilst you want Temi and Wale to be reunited from the start, there are plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing!

I also loved that Temi was plus size and a glasses wearer – both of which I could totally get on board with (even at my advanced years!)

The supporting cast of friends and family were also great (or awful, but necessarily so!) and as well as the romance storyline – there are other big topics covered, being a carer, alcoholism, family pressure.

It was published last week – so you can buy a copy now if you like the sound of it.

A big thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for my advance review copy.

Book Review: Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors

Posted on by Libby Price

“The Blue sisters have always been exceptional – and exceptionally different.
Avery, a strait-laced lawyer living in London, is the typical eldest daughter, though she’s hiding a secret that could undo her perfect life forever.
Bonnie was a boxer but, following a devastating defeat, she’s been working as a bouncer in LA – until a reckless act one night threatens to drive her out of the city.
And Lucky, the rebellious youngest, is a model in Paris whose hard-partying ways are finally catching up with her.
Then there was Nicky, the beloved fourth sister, whose unexpected death left Avery, Bonnie and Lucky reeling.
When, a year later, the three of them must reunite in New York to stop the sale of their childhood home, they find that it’s only by returning to each other that they can navigate their grief, addiction and heartbreak and learn to fall in love with life again.”

I was granted an advance review copy of this book, but hadn’t had time to read it until recently (which is good for you guys, as if you like the sound of it, it’s even out in paperback now!) Being one of 3 sisters, and having 3 daughters, it appealed to me as a book exploring those relationships.

You initially meet the 3 sisters in the cities where they are living – London, LA and Paris – and the different ‘vibes’ of each location is really well described. There are flashbacks both to their childhoods and the more recent past so you can become familiar with the back story of the whole family.

They then all end up in New York (again, the city is like a character in its own right).

Each of the sisters have their own demons and battles, and each character is well thought out and written. The interaction between them is also really well observed. Whilst the book is looking at the relationships between the sisters – it also looks at wider family issues, their own personal demons with addiction, personal relationships and motherhood.

I found it really quite moving at times, and really enjoyed the writing style.

The final chapter was 10 years down the line, and I was particularly pleased with the tying up of loose ends – although not necessarily as you’d expect them to be tied.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book – and would definitely read more by Coco Mellors.

Many thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for my ARC – and sorry for being so slow in reading it, but it was definitely worth the wait.