It's A Vets Life by Cathy Woodman: A Review

It's A Vets Life by Cathy Woodman

When Was It Released?:  10th November 2011

Where Did I Get It From?: From the publishers in exchange for a review. Thankyou!
Who Published It?: Arrow
Number Of Pages: 400 pages

When I was younger, growing up in the countryside, I always wanted to be a vet. I love animals and constantly begged my mum and dad for a pet. Sadly one never came and my dream of being a vet quickly diminished when I realised I can't handle the sight of blood. My love of animals, however has continued, and upon finding a set of books about, you guessed it, a vet living in the countryside, I just could not pass up on reading them.

Maz Harwood loves her job as a vet, even if it does mean long hours and dirty conditions. She is planning to marry fellow vet, Alex, at Christmas and already had a gorgeous baby boy George. Lately though, things for Maz have been stressful with having to juggle her plans for the weddng and her family. Maz decides to try and improve the situation and take matters into her own hands, which doesn't go quite as well as she had hoped. Maz begins to think she will need to miracle in order to rekindle the love her and Alex once shared.

While It's A Vets Life is part of a series of books by Cathy Woodman, you do not need to have read any of the previous books to enjoy the latest installment. While it is always best to read all the previous books, I found it reassuring that no important parts of the story would be missed. Anything mentioned from previous novels is described in detail so you don't become lost at any point. Cathy Woodman's insight into the world of being a vet, as she herself was once a practicing vet, adds an extra layer to really bringing the clinics in the book to life. I really enjoyed that she was able to add this realism to the world that she has created in It's A Vets Life. Creating this quaint countryside village and community had me wanting to move to there immediatly. The way in which she is able to deal with writing about a rocky relationship, as well as other emotional incidents that occur while creating empathy yet not making the story too sombre with the witty humour she adds, had me hooked.

Many of the characters from the previous novels were brought back in It's A Vets Life, which added the familiarity of reading about characters you already know. Maz is a character you will begin to really care for as you get to know more about her and her life, being a really compassionate and generous character. I did find that my feelings towards the character of Alex changed during the course of It's A Vets Life. In the previous novels I found that I really liked Alex and the relationship that he has with Maz. However, through the course of this novels my feelings towards him changed, as his selfish actions towards Maz became more promient. As for Old Fox Gifford, I still found myself disliking him with a passion. He is selfish, sexist and set in his ways, unable to listen to anyone elses views or opinions.

I found the actions that Old Fox Gifford, takes about half way through the novel, to be quite disturbing. It was definatly not something that I saw coming, nor did I expect it to happen. While I knew that it was an integrial part of the storyline and a turning point for some of the characters, the incident was not something I particularly enjoyed reading about. Nor did I really fully understand why it happened as it did. The actions taken, however, did not take away from my overall enjoyment of It's A Vets Life.

It's A Vets Life has both characters you will find yourself caring about, and a storyline that will have you laughing and crying throughout. The Otter House books are a great series and I cannot wait to see if Cathy Woodman will continue on with these books. I really hope so. If you haven't picked any of these books up yet then I would highly reccomend that you do.

Waiting On Wednesday : Nine Uses For An Ex Boyfriend

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that and looks upcoming releases that we cant wait to get our hands on.

This week's pre-publication I really can't wait to read is:

Nine Uses For An Ex-Boyfriend by Sarra Manning (2nd February 2012)

Hope Delafield hasn’t always had an easy life. She has red hair and a temper to match, as her mother is constantly reminding her. She can’t wear heels, is terrified of heights and being a primary school teacher isn’t exactly the job she dreamed of doing, especially when her class are stuck on the two times table.

At least Hope has Jack, and Jack is the God of boyfriends. He’s sweet, kind, funny, has a killer smile, a cool job on a fashion magazine and he’s pretty (but in a manly way). Hope knew that Jack was The One ever since their first kiss after the Youth Club Disco and thirteen years later, they’re still totally in love. Totally. They’re even officially pre-engaged. And then Hope catches Jack kissing her best friend Susie…

After reading and loving You Don't Have To Say You Love Me by Sarra Manning, last year, and loving her edgy fresh take on chick lit, I am excited to read her latest novel Nine Uses For An Ex-Boyfriend. I love the synopsis and cannot wait to see Sara Mannings take on the cheating boyfriend. The cover is also gorgeous and really pops.

What books are you waiting on this Wednesday?

Top Ten Books I'm Excited To Read in 2012

I'm participating in Top Ten Tuesday hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Every Tuesday The Broke and the Bookish post their top ten lists on various topics: Top Ten Tuesday page

This weeks topic looks at the Top Ten Books I'm Excited to Read in 2012. While there are so many books I cannot wait to read released this year, narrowing this list down was an extremely difficult task:

1.I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella - Sophie Kinsella is one of my favourite authors, therefore any novel she writes will always be highly anticipated by me. That aside, I think the storyline for I've Got Your Number is a really interesting one. Poppy loses her engagement ring and her phone all in one day, yet she finds a phone belonging to someone else. Poppy decides to keep the phone but the owner, Sam doesn't appreciate her reading his messages and wading into his personal life. I think this sounds like such a fun read and I cannot wait to get my hands on it.

2. I Heart London by Lindsey Kelk - After reading and loving the rest of Lindsey Kelk's I Heart series, I'm excited for the latest installment. I Heart London, will take readers to one of my favourite cities London and I'm looking forward to seeing what situations Angela finds herself in, in this novel.

3. The Patchwork Marriage (UK) / Another Piece of My Heart (US) by Jane Green - Ever since reading Life Swap when it was first released a few years ago, Jane Green has been my all time favourite author. I have since then read everything she has published and loved them all, meaning that now I am desperatly awaiting her latest release, The Patchwork Marriage. The only thing I don't like about Jane Green's novels is that they always have different titles across the pond. It gets me confused!

4. Construct A Couple by Talli Roland - After reading Build A Man a couple of months ago and finding it to be my favourite read of the entire year, I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am for the prequel; Construct A Couple. Serenity was such a fantastic character and I cannot wait to see how her relationship continues in this next novel. Talli Roland has also become one of my favourite authors, with her unique storylines, quirky characters and quick wit, every book she writes just gets better and better.

5. These Girls by Sarah Pekkanen - Sarah Pekkanen's has such a way of capturing the characters emotions that whenever I read one of her books I am taken on an emotional journey so raw it feels as though I am someway involved in the journey too. Her stories always delve into the reality of marriage and These Girls is no exception, with the story centering around a husband wanting to rewrite the rules of his realtionship with his wife.

6. Isla And The Happy Ever After by Stephanie Perkins - After reading Anna And The French Kiss do I really need to explain my reasons for wanting to read more from Stephanie Perkins?! The story and characters Stephanie Perkins created in Anna And The French Kiss were so beautiful and romantic that I would happily read anything Stephanie Perkins writes, without even reading the synopsis.

7. A Million Suns by Beth Revis - Usually I am not a big fan of sci-fi fiction, however Across The Universe by Beth Revis, managed to change my mind a little. I was swept away on the Godspeed in Amy's life and cannot wait to find out what happens in the next book in the series, A Million Suns.

8. Promised by Caragh M O'Brien - The first Dystopian novel I ever read was Birthmarked by Caragh M O'Brien, which was the first book in the Birthmarked series. It really opened my eyes to the Dystopian genre and made me excited to read more. Prized was the second book in the series and, in rare fashion, was just as good as the first book. Now I cannot wait to see how Gaia's journey will continue and whether the third book will be able to live up to my expectations.

9. The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa - I think perhaps every person who has ever read any of the books in The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa is absolutly on the edge of their seats waiting for the first book in her Blood Of Eden series, The Immortal Rules. While the new series will be focused on Vampires,  a slight change from the world of Fey, it is still paranormal, and therefore I am expecting big things from this book.

10. Where We Belong by Emily Giffin - I adored Emily Giffin's Something Borrowed and Something Blue and so I am excited for her next novel, Where We Belong. I love how the cover continues the trend of her previous novels and I'm sure I will be devouring this one in no time at all.

After compiling this list I know cannot wait to get my hands on all these novels. I don't want to have to wait!! Which books are you excited to read in 2012?

The Secret of Happy Ever After by Lucy Dillon: A Review

The Secret of Happy Ever After by Lucy Dillon

When Was It Released?:  10th November 2011
Where Did I Get It From?: From the publishers in exchange for a review. Thankyou!
Who Published It?: Hodder and Stoughton
Number Of Pages: 480 pages

After hearing so many great things about Lucy Dillon's novel Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts, as soon as I was presented with the opportunity to review her latest novel The Secret Of Happily Ever After, I jumped at the chance. I have no idea why I have not previously read any of Lucy Dillon's books, however this is all set to chance after devouring and falling in love with The Secret of Happily Ever After.

Anna's dream since she was a little girl was to run a bookshop, and her dream has just come true. She loves being surrounded by the childhood classics she has always loved and it helps that it gets her away from her rowdy stepchildren. The neglected bookshop is brought to life and Anna and even her best friend Michelle, who does't believe in true love is swept along. But when secrets from Michelle's childhood threathen to come back to haunt her and disaster threatens Anna's home. They both begin to wonders if maybe their fairytale endings aren't exactly what they had dreamed of.

From the first page I was captivated by the setting of the picturesque, quaint, village of Longhampton. Lucy Dillon does such a fantastic job, describing the setting that I found myself instantly wanting to pack up and move to a cottage in Longhampton with at least one or two dogs in tow. I loved the community spirit that all the inhabitants of Longhampton seemed to have, pulling together and helping each other out in difficult situations, something which would only ever happen in a village in the countryside. I especially enjoyed that Anna and Michelle work in a bookstore, and Anna's love for books was ever present throughout the novel. Very rarely in books are the main characters even seen to be reading, let alone to have the passion for them that Anna has.

Having the story told from two different viewpoints, both Anna and Michelle's, really added extra depth to the novel and meant I became extremely invested in both of their lives. Many times in novels I find myself routing for the lead characters, however it is rare for me to become as invested in a characters wellbeing as I did with Michelle and especially Anna. At times I even wanted to step into the pages and give Anna a great big hug. She is such a kind, caring character, who is always putting others, in particular her husband and step children above herself. Her only real joy came in the form of the bookstore and her dog, Pongo. The addition of dogs within the story, really added to the country lifestyle and by the end of the book I found myself wanting to have a dog of my own. Michelle, also had her hard moments, and while she may appear tough on the outset, once her layers were removed and really started to care for her too.  The only character I did not like was Phil, Anna's husband. I found that he was selfish and did not care at all about Anna's feelings or needs.

The Secret Of Happy Ever After, was one of my favourite reads of 2011. The story was beautifully told, the characters ones I found difficult to forget long after I finished reading, and my emotions swept away with the pages. Many times I found myself almost on the verge of tears, which is very rare when reading a book, and then the next second laughing out loud. This is the perfect book to read on a cold winter night. I have already recommeneded this book to all my friends and family and would definatly recommend it to you too.

Home For Christmas by Cally Taylor: A Review

Home For Christmas by Cally Taylor

When Was It Released?:  10th November 2011

Where Did I Get It From?: From the publishers in exchange for a review. Thankyou!
Who Published It?: Orion
Number Of Pages: 368 pages

When Christmas time rolls around each year, I love to read as many Christmas chick lit novels as it is physcially possible to do so. After reading and being captivated by Cally Taylor's novel Heaven Can Wait, I knew that Cally's latest novel Home For Christmas would be on the top of my reading pile as soon as I received a copy.

Beth Prince, a twenty-four year old romantic, works in the Picturebox, a charming independant cinema. Beth has a boyfriend she believes is her dream man, theres just one problem, none of her boyfriends have ever told her they love her. Desperate to be told 'I love you' for the first time Beth decides to take matters into her own hands and then wishes she hadn't. With Beth feeling low, bad news arrives in the handsome shape of Matt Jones, the regional director of a chain cinema who is determined to get his hands on the Picturebox.

Home For Christmas is told from two different viewpoints; Beth and Matt's, with each chapter alternating between the two characters. I really enjoyed being able to gain two perspectives on events that unfolded throughtout the novel. Usually in chick lit novels, the male characters feelings and emotions are not portrayed, so this was a refreshing change that I would love to see in more novels. At many points in the novel I did find myself literally laughing out loud. I really enjoy any book that I read to be humourous, even if only in a subtle way. Home For Christmas really excelled with the humour injected into the characters, adding an extra spark to the novel. Cally Taylor's wit is one of the reasons she is such a fantastic author that I will always look out for. The characters were another contributing factor as to why I enjoyed Home For Christmas. Cally Taylor has managed to create characters that I really cared about by really bringing them to life. Beth, while at times being a little naive was caring and extremely likeable. I couldn't help hoping that she would find love and be able to keep her job at The Picture Box cinema. I also really enjoyed reading about Carl, although I detested him as a character, he definatly made certain moments within the novel very entertaining.

I did find that unlike Cally Taylor's previous novel, Heaven Can Wait, Home For Christmas was a little cookie cutter for my tastes. While I, and most chick lit lovers, enjoy a romance story that is neatly wrapped up, I do enjoy a little originality, and in my option that is where this novel lacks. I also would have liked to see a little more of the Christmas theme within the story. While the novel ends at Christmas time, there is very little mention of Christmas for a book entitled Home For Christmas.

Home For Christmas is a very enjoyable, quick and charming read, that I managed to devour in just one sitting. I would reccomend this book to anyone looking for a cozy Christmas read over the holidays. I will be looking out for more of Cally Taylor's novels in the future.

Finding Mr Flood by Ciara Geraghty: A Review

Finding Mr Flood by Ciara Geraghty

When Was It Released?:  13th October 2011 (Paperback edition)

Where Did I Get It From?: From the publishers in exchange for a review. Thankyou!
Who Published It?: Hodder and Stoughton
Number Of Pages: 550 pages

Finding Mr Flood is the third novel from Irish author Ciara Geraghty. After reading and devouring her two previous novels, Saving Grace and and Becoming Scarlett, to say I was excited to read Finding Mr Flood would be understatement. While the book is pretty large at 550 pages, which can sometimes be a little off-putting, I delved into the novel almost as soon as I received it.
Thirteen days before Dara Flood was born, her father walked up the road and never came back. Now in her twenties Dara likes structure in her life with her days and nights meticulously planned out. That is until her sister, Angel, gets sick and Dara's life goes into disaray. Unable to find a compatible match for the kidney Angel needs, Dara sets out on a journey to find her father who could be the last hope they have. Along the way to finding her father, Dara uncovers some suprising truths she never expected to unearth.

The plot of Finding Mr Flood, with Angel's illness, made the novel quite a serious one. I was able to completely emphasise with Mrs Flood and Dara's worry and distress over Angel and whether or not she would be able to find a compatible kidney. Ciara Geraghty's writing really drew me in and I became emotionally involved with these character's lives. I found myself genuinely concerned invested in the search for a kidney for Angel and also in the search for Mr Flood. Serious issues, such as illness and parents disappearing and never returning are not often subject matter in chick lit. I enjoyed this refreshing change from the norm and felt it made the novel more realistic, as not everything in life works out and people fall on hard times every day. I also enjoyed the romance aspects within Finding Mr Flood, which are more prominent later on in the book. I felt it progressed naturally, rather than two people seeing each other and automatically falling in love. While, I don't want to give too much away involving any romance, I will say that I felt the characters made an interesting and adorable couple.

Dara, as a character, was someone I found extremely interesting, as she is so different from the average woman in her twenties. She leads a very responsible and serious life, which makes her seem mature beyond her years. I did enjoy seeing her come out of her shell more as the novel progressed. I also liked Angel, Dara's sister, as a character. While she is suffering from a life threatening illness and does feel the strain from this, throughout most of the novel she is upbeat and trying to see the positive in everything. I found her to be very inspiring as a character, while still retaining the worry that anyone with a serious illness would have.

I have to admit, however, that at times I found Finding Mr Flood a little too serious. While I understand that the subject matter of an illness is a serious one, I would have liked to have seen a little humour thrown into the mix in order to stop the story becoming too sombre. Along with this, I did find that with the book being 550 pages long, the plot was a little slow. While, I enjoy getting to know characters and situations in details, there were a couple of moments that I wanted something to happen in order to move the story onwards a little more.

Finding Mr Flood is an interesting, beautifully written story, that I would definatly reccomend to anyone who enjoys their chick lit with a little something extra. While it does not compare to Ciara Geraghty's two previous novels, which had set my standards very high, I did really enjoy reading about the journey Dara and Angel take throughout the story. You won't be forgetting about Finding Mr Flood any time soon.

Wrapped Up In You by Carole Matthews: A Review

Wrapped Up In You by Carole Matthews

When Was It Released?:  27th October 2011

Where Did I Get It From?: From publisher in exchange for a review. Thankyou!
Who Published It?: Sphere
Number Of Pages: 440 pages

When the winter months descend on us, the cold weather draws in and the days get darker and darker there is one thing that I look forward to, and that is curling up with a cup of hot chocolate and an inviting Christmas novel. With an abudance of Christmas related novels released each year I always have to try to be selective in which ones I read and Carole Matthews' Wrapped Up In You was one that I just could not pass up. The cover is so gorgeous with the snowflakes and sparkle that I had a hard time not reading this one back in October when it was released.

Janie Johnson, a thirty year old, hairdresser is single and happy that way. All her friends and clients, however think its high time she found herself a man. After a disastrous blind date and finding out that her ex is getting married she realises she needs a change. Janie does the most adventurous thing that she can think of and books a safari trip to Africa. Everyone thinks that she has gone crazy but then while in Africa Janie falls in love with her tour guide, a Massai Warrior named Dominic. With Dominic in exotic Africa and Janie in wintery England how will they keep their relationship alive?

I loved the premise and idea behind Wrapped Up In You. The unique way in which Carole Matthews took on a holiday romance was really enjoyable. What I loved most though was the way in which Carole Matthews took on the often overlooked subject in chick lit of interacial relationships and the issues that are faced within them. Thinking back I seem unable to recall any chick lit novels that focus around interacial relationships in this way (although I may be wrong, my memory does tend to fail me sometimes.) The prejudices and criticisms focused on where so realistic and centered around how many couples still face these problems in society. With the book being set in Africa, I also felt this added a unique element to the story, very few books are set in this destinations. The descriptions were so well done that at times I could almost feel as though I was on safari with Janie. While Carole Matthews focuses on this serious issue, Wrapped Up In You is still a lighthearted, fun read, which I really liked. The humour within Wrapped Up In You had me laughing out loud on more than one occasion.

Janie's character was extremely likeable and while she had her insecurities and flaws, she was still a fun and interesting person to read about. I enjoyed the way in which her character evolved along with the story becoming more confident and sure of herself. Even though Janie was a little vunerable and naive I was still routing for her to find love and have her happy ending throughout. I loved Janie's cat, Archie too, he was such a hilarious animal, and his interactions with Dominic were interesting to read about. My favourite character, however had to be Dominic. He was such a quirky, refreshing, addition to the story. I was enthralled with the way in which he has to adapt to life in England and the different cultures from what he was used to in Africa. While, I did not like the way in which Janie's friends treat Dominic, I did feel that it was a true representation of how there are still prejudices in today's soceity of interacial relationships.

Overall, I enjoyed Wrapped Up In You, finding it to be a unique, fun and cozy.  My only issue with Wrapped Up In You, was that the ending seemed a little too much of a fairytale ending for my liking. While I enjoy a happy ending, I felt that all the issues within the story were all of sudden fixed very easily. This did not, however, effect my enjoyable of Wrapped Up In You. The romance aspects within the story were so beautifully written and enrapturing that I flew through the book. I would definatly recommened Wrapped Up In You as a must read for this time of year.

Build A Man by Talli Roland: A Review

Build A Man by Talli Roland

When Was It Released?:  5th November 2011

Where Did I Get It From?: From Talli in exchange for a review. Thankyou! 
Who Published It?: Self Published  
Number Of Pages: 352pages

After reading and falling in love with Watching Willow Watts and The Hating Game by Talli Roland, earlier this year, I was on tenter hooks awaiting the release of her next book. Luckily I did not have to wait long before Build A Man was published in Novemeber. As soon as I recieved my copy, I could not resisit making time especially to get started on reading it. I am still in awe as to how Talli Roland has been able to release three books this year, all at such a high standard of writing, and of all three I have to admit that Build A Man is my new favourite.

Build A Man follows the life of Serenity Holland, an American living in London, working as a receptionist to the rich and self obsessed clients at a plastic surgery clinic. Her real dream, however is to become a journalist, and she puts all her effort into pitching magazines with ideas in the hope of getting her work published. Her luck might just be changing, however, when she meets Jeremey Ritchie at the cosmetic surgery clinic, who is determined to make himself over from head to toe in order to become Britain's Most Eligable Bachelor. Serenity cannot resisit using Jeremey's story as a pitch to one of the top tabloid's, a story the editor just can't refuse. Serenity is determined to make her column a success, by going under cover to get access to every part of Jeremey's life. All goes wrong, however when her editor makes Serenity cover all the gory details of the surgery and Serenity must decide how far she is really willing to go for her dreams to come true.

I was enraptured by Build A Man from the very first page and could not put it down until I had finished the last page. The writing flowed so well that even if I had wanted to stop I don't think I would have been able to. The concept, as with all Talli Roland's novels, was so unique and different from the usual chick lit novels. I loved the idea of Build A Man and the quirky little elements that were added along the way. You can always count on Talli to bring a creative twist to her books. I would love to be inside her head for just one day to see how she comes up with all her ideas. I also enjoyed the message and the moral dilema behind the story in Build A Man, with Serenity using her professional position as the cosemtic surgery clinic in order to gain juicy details for her column. Then later on in the story Serenity's conscience coming into play with whether or not she should be doing that or not.

In terms of characters, I love Serenity. While I was reading Build A Man I was constantly wishing Serenity was a real person so that I could become friends with her. She was so fun, with so much life and energy, even when she was in a bad situation she still managed to pull herself out. I found her such a unique, interesting character. Even though she may have made some bad and morally wrong decisions, she still has a conscience and never set out to intentionally hurt anyone. I also liked the character of Jeremey too, enjoying the way in which his character gave a glimpse into male insecurities, which is not often present in chick lit. The way in which he has also been hurt in past relationships, made him seem genuine, if a little guarded.

Overall, I really loved Build A Man. I just did not want this novel to end. It was such a humourous, unique book that I became so personally involved in that at times I forgot the characters weren't real. I am so excited to have found out that Talli is currently writing a sequel to Build A Man, which will explore Serenity and Jeremey's relationship. The sequel, Construct A Couple is set for release next year (just hurry up and write it Talli, I don't think I can wait that long!).