Last year I wrote a post on my top five most anticipated chick lit books of 2011 and it was the most popular post on the blog for the year. This year I’ve decided to expand on my list with lists for the three genres I read most, starting today with historical fiction. Here are the books that I’m most looking forward to over the next twelve months (there are seven because I just couldn’t narrow the list down any further!)

The Winter Palace by Eva Stachniak (Doubleday 19th January)

I love reading about strong historical female figures and discovering new areas of history so this book really caught my attention and it has a beautiful cover too.

When Vavara, a young orphaned Polish girl, is brought to serve at Empress Elizabeth’s glittering, dangerous court in St Petersburg, she is schooled by the Chancellor himself in skills from lock-picking to love-making, learning above all else to stay silent – and listen. Soon, she is Elizabeth’s ‘tongue’ – her secret eyes and ears.

Then Sophie, a vulnerable young princess, arrives from Prussia as a prospective bride for Elizabeth’s heir. Set to spy on her by the Empress, Vavara soon becomes her friend and confidante, and helps her navigate the illicit seductions and the treacherous shifting allegiances of the court. But Sophie’s destiny is to become the notorious Catherine the Great. Are her ambitions more lofty and far-reaching than anyone suspected, and will she stop at nothing to achieve absolute power?

The last summer Judith Kinghorn (Headline 2nd February)

Judith Kinghorn’s debut novel set against the background of the First World War sounds like a great read.

Clarissa is almost seventeen when the spell of her childhood is broken. It is 1914, the beginning of a blissful, golden summer – and the end of an era. Deyning Park is in its heyday, the large country house filled with the laughter and excitement of privileged youth preparing for a weekend party. When Clarissa meets Tom Cuthbert, home from university and staying with his mother, the housekeeper, she is dazzled. Tom is handsome and enigmatic; he is also an outsider. Ambitious, clever, his sights set on a career in law, Tom is an acute observer, and a man who knows what he wants. For now, that is Clarissa.

As Tom and Clarissa’s friendship deepens, the wider landscape of political life around them is changing, and soon the world – and all that they know – is rocked irrevocably by a war that changes their lives for ever.

The Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye ( Headline 15th March)

I first heard of this book at a Headline blogger event way back in May 2011. I love New York and this sounds like a fantastic piece of historical fiction.

August 1845 in New York; enter the dark, unforgiving city underworld of the legendary Five Points…

After a fire decimates a swathe of lower Manhattan, and following years of passionate political dispute, New York City at long last forms an official Police Department. That same summer, the great potato famine hits Ireland. These events will change the city of New York for ever.

Timothy Wilde hadn’t wanted to be a copper star.  On the night of August 21st, on his way home from the Tombs defeated and disgusted, he is plotting his resignation, when a young girl who has escaped from a nearby brothel, crashes into him; she wears only a nightdress and is covered from head to toe in blood. Searching out the truth in the child’s wild stories, Timothy soon finds himself on the trail of a brutal killer, seemingly hell bent on fanning the flames of anti-Irish immigrant sentiment and threatening chaos in a city already in the midst of social upheaval. But his fight for justice could cost him the woman he loves, his brother and ultimately his life…

The Perfume Garden by Kate Lord Brown (Atlantic 1st April)

Kate’s debut The Beauty Chorus made my top books of 2011 so I have high hopes for her second novel!

High in the hills of Valencia, a forgotten house guards its secrets. Untouched since Franco’s forces tore through Spain in 1936, the whitewashed walls have crumbled, the garden, laden with orange blossom, grown wild. Emma Temple is the first to unlock its doors in seventy years. Guided by a series of letters and a key bequeathed in her mother’s will, she has left her job as London’s leading perfumier to restore this dilapidated villa to its former glory. It is the perfect retreat: a wilderness redolent with strange and exotic scents, heavy with the colours and sounds of a foreign time. But for her grandmother, Freya, a British nurse who stayed here during Spain’s devastating civil war, Emma’s new home evokes terrible memories. As the house begins to give up its secrets, Emma is drawn deeper into Freya’s story: a story of crushed idealism, of lost love, and of families ripped apart by war. She soon realises it is one thing letting go of the past, but another when it won’t let go of you.

Tigers in Red Weather by Liza Klaussmann (Picador August)

I only heard about this book recently but it was fought over by eight publishers at auction and sounds brilliant!

The epitome of East Coast glamour, Tiger House is where the beautiful and the damned have always come to play in summer, scene of martinis and moonlit conspiracies, and newly inherited by the sleek, beguiling Nick.

The Second World War is just ending, her cousin Helena has left in search of married bliss in Hollywood, and Nick’s husband is coming home. Everything is about to change.

Their children will suprise them. One summer, on the cusp of adolescence, Nick’s daughter and Helena’s son make a sinister discovery that plunges the island’s bright heat into private shadow.

Magnificently told by each of the five characters in turn, Tigers in Red Weather is a simmering tale of passion, betrayal and secret violence beneath a polished and fragile facade.

Citadel by Kate Mosse (Orion 13th September)

I loved Kate’s previous books Labyrinth and Sepulchre so was very excited to see that she is bringing out a third novel set in the same part of France.

Set during World War II in the far south of France, Citadel is a powerful, action-packed mystery that reveals the secrets of the resistance under Nazi occupation. While war blazed in the trenches at the front, back at home a different battle is waged, full of clandestine bravery, treachery and secrets. And as a cell of Maquis resistance fighters, codenamed CITADEL, fight for everything they hold dear, their struggle will reveal an older, darker combat being fought in the shadows. Citadel is a story of daring and courage, of lives risked for beliefs and of astonishing secrets buried in time.

Ravenscliffe by Jane Sanderson (Sphere 27th September)

Jane Sanderson’s debut, Netherwood was another of my top ten reads of 2011 and I can’t wait for the sequel.

On Netherwood Common, Anna Rabinovich shows Eve Williams a house: a large Victorian Villa, solidly built from Yorkshire stone, with wide bay windows that look out over the rugged landscape. This is Ravenscliffe, and it’s the house Anna wants them to live in. It’s their house, she says. It was meant to be. As Anna transforms Ravenscliffe, an attraction grows between her and mineworker Amos. But when Eve’s long-lost brother Silas returns, a rift begins to open up between the two women. Meanwhile, things at Netherwood Hall are changing. Below stairs, the staff struggle to preserve the dignity of the old order but Tobias Hoyland and his young bride Thea Stirling seem to have different ideas.

Stop by later in the week for my top chick lit and paranormal picks for 2012!

Today is release day for Ronni Cooper’s second novel Manhattan and to celebrate publisher Sphere are providing five copies for me to give away. I’m reading Manhattan at the moment and it is an addictive page-tuner of a read that you do not want to miss out on!

Meet the three women who rule Manhattan …

Raine: Born in Brooklyn, the undisputed queen of the City, Raine owns the sexiest, starriest nightclub in New York – and no one is ever going to take her crown.

Mei-Lin: The beautiful, enigmatic madam moves in all the right circles – but it wasn’t always that way. Now her American dream has become a nightmare and she may have to pay the ultimate price for freedom.

Stevie: Once the lead singer of the biggest female rock band in the world, Stevie is now flying solo – but she has a secret that could destroy her.

Now all three women are about to discover that payback is the biggest bitch of all…

To enter this giveaway just leave a ‘pick me’ comment in the box below and I’ll use random.org to choose five winners after the closing date. This giveaway is open until midnight on 24th December. UK entries only please. Good luck!

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky to attend my second blogger event of the summer. Hosted by Harper Collins (thank you Kat and Elinor!) the first part of the event found me enjoying a delicious ‘Not Afternoon Tea’ at the Oxo Tower with fellow bloggers  and authors David Nobbs and Fanny Blake. I reviewed Fanny’s debut novel What Women Want back in April and was very excited to get my copy signed. David was celebrating a new release, It Had to be You which I’m looking forward to reading soon having really enjoyed one of his previous books Going Gently.

With lively chat covering blogging, twitter and writing it was a lovely afternoon with two great authors and a nice opportunity to catch up with Mel (High Heels and Book Deals), Talli (http://talliroland.blogspot.com/) and Jackie (Farm Lane Books) who I’d met at previous events and to meet fellow bloggers Elaine (Random Jottings of a Book and Opera Lover), Simon (Stuck in a Book) and Claire (Paperback Reader).

Following tea we hopped (ok, stepped slowly in my case) onto the river taxi and headed to the Tower of London where we attended the launch event for Sarah Gristwood’s debut fiction novel The Girl in the Mirror. Sarah gave a fascinating talk on the latter days of Elizabeth I’s reign and her relationship with the Earl of Essex including some delightfully horrific details of the beheadings that took place not far from where we sat that evening! Of course I couldn’t resist buying a copy of the book and getting Sarah to sign it too and went home one very happy blogger.

As well as the books featured above there are some fantastic titles being released by Harper in the latter half of 2011 so I thought I’d share with you my July-December highlights (click on the thumbnails to see the full covers)

Last Dance with Valentino by Daisy Waugh (August)

One night. One dance. One love to last a lifetime. 1916. Leaving war-ravaged London, Jenny Doyle sets sail for New York where she is to work for the de Saulles family. Their home, Gatsby-like in elegance, is rife with intrigue and madness. Only Jenny’s friendship with dancer Rodolfo offers escape… until, one tragic day, the household is changed forever.1926. America booms, prohibition rules and Rodolfo has taken his place on the silver screen as Rudolph Valentino. Will the world’s most desired film star and his lost love have their Hollywood happy ending, or will the tragic echoes from their time with the de Saulles thwart them one last time?

The Very Picture of You by Isabel Wolff (September)

A forbidden love, a life-long secret, and one chance to make the right decision. Ella has always been an artist, jotting down pictures from a young age, and now in her thirties she has made it her profession. Commissioned to capture memories, fading beauty and family moments, her sitters often reveal more about themselves than merely their outward appearance.When Ella’s younger sister Chloe asks her to paint a portrait of her new fiancé Nate, Ella is reluctant. He is a brash American who Ella thinks has proposed far too fast, so the thought of spending many hours alone with him fills her with dread. But before long Ella realises there is more to Nate than meets the eye. Inter-weaving the stories of Ella’s sitters – from the old lady with a wartime secret, to the handsome politician who has a confession to make – with Ella’s own hunt for her real father and slow realization that she is falling in love with the wrong man; a truly unforgettable portrait of the many aspects of love.

The Noble Assassin by Christie Dickason (October)

Court beauty, Lucy Russell, Countess of Bedford, feels frustrated by life with her weak husband. Poverty stricken, they are confined to their country estate and excluded from court life in London after he disastrously allies himself against Elizabeth I.Now, some years later, James I is seated on the English throne. His daughter, Elizabeth Stuart, former confidant of Lucy, has married the King of Bohemia. The precarious political situation in Europe is fraught, setting father against daughter. When Elizabeth and her husband are deposed, exiled and forced on the run, James is in no mood to come to Elizabeth’s aid.Hearing of Elizabeth’s predicament, Lucy sees an opportunity to re-establish the Bedford name and offers herself as a peace envoy between the two parties. Setting out on a daring mission across the channel, Lucy discovers she is being manipulated by unscrupulous men, not least the calculating and darkly handsome Duke of Buckingham.Can Lucy tread this most dangerous path, or by risking everything, will she pay the ultimate price?

The Time of My Life by Cecelia Ahern (November)

Dear Lucy Silchester,You have an appointment for Monday 27th July 2011.Yours sincerely,Life.Lucy Silchester has received an appointment card. Actually, she’s been invited along a few times to this appointment, but she keeps brushing the gold embossed envelope under the shag pile carpet. She’s taken her eye off the ball and has busied herself with work (a job she doesn’t love), helping out friends, fixing her car, feeding her cat, seeing her family and devoting her time to their life dramas.But Lucy is about to find out that this is one appointment that she can’t miss. And she can’t escape it either. Her Life is about to catch up with her in the most surreal of ways…

It Started With A Kiss by Miranda Dickinson (November)

How far would you go to find the man of your dreams? Romily Parker is a woman on a mission. On the last Saturday before Christmas, (shortly after disastrously declaring her undying love for her best friend, Charlie) Romily has a sudden, brief encounter with a gorgeous stranger who might, just possibly, be the man of her dreams. It only takes two small words – ‘Hello, beautiful’ – and one, heart-stopping kiss to make up her mind: she has to find him again.Giving herself a deadline of the following Christmas Eve, Romily commits to spending a year searching for the stranger – a decision which divides her family and friends.A sparkling, romantic comedy about an English girl who won’t give up on her dream of love.

The Scarlet Contessa by Jeanne Kalogridis (November)

Daughter of the Duke of Milan and wife of the conniving Count Girolamo Riario, Caterina Sforza was the bravest warrior Renaissance Italy ever knew. She ruled her own lands, fought her own battles, and openly took lovers whenever she pleased.Her remarkable tale is told by her lady-in-waiting, Dea, a woman knowledgeable in reading the ‘triumph cards’ – the predecessor of modern-day Tarot. As Dea tries to unravel the truth about her husband’s murder, Caterina single-handedly holds off invaders who would steal her title and lands. However, Dea’s reading of the cards reveals that Caterina cannot withstand a third and final invader – none other than Cesare Borgia, son of the corrupt Pope Alexander VI, who has an old score to settle with Caterina. Trapped inside the Fortress at Ravaldino as Borgia’s cannons pound the walls, Dea reviews Caterina’s scandalous past and struggles to understand their joint destiny, while Caterina valiantly tries to fight off Borgia’s unconquerable army.

I Heart Vegas by Lindsey Kelk (December)

Angela Clark loves her life in New York. She loves her job, her friends and her gorgeous musician boyfriend, Alex, who is finally ready to move in with her and start planning their future together. Everything is perfect.But, after Angela loses her job, her world starts to crumble around her – her visa is revoked and she’s given the disastrous news that she must leave New York and her life behind and go back to London.Confused, heartbroken and desperate to stay, the last thing Angela needs is a girls’ trip to Vegas just before Christmas – especially when Manhattan at Christmas is so perfect that she never wants to go home…

Olivia Bellamy has traded her trendy Manhattan life for a summer renovating her family’s crumbling holiday resort. Tempted by the hazy, nostalgic memories of summers past – childhood innocence and the romance and rivalries of her teens – it’s the perfect place to flee after her broken engagement. But what began as an escape, may just be a new beginning… As Olivia uncovers secrets buried thick with dust, one by one her family return, their lives as frayed at the edges as the resort. Her father and the mystery woman in the tatty black and white photograph. Uncle John, who’s trying to be a father again to his teenage kids. Connor Davis, the first love she never forgot. Laughter is ringing around Willow Lake once more. This could be Olivia’s summer of a lifetime!

Summer at Willow Lake is the first book in The Lakeshore Chronicles series and a really relaxing and enjoyable summer read. Originally published in 2006, Summer at Willow Lake has been given a fresh new look for summer 2011 and was re-released earlier this month. The story focuses on Olivia Bellamy as she returns to ‘Camp Kioga’ the summer camp her great-grandfather created in the 1940′s to try to restore it to its former glory in order to celebrate her grandparents 50th wedding anniversary. I liked Olivia immediately; both grown up Olivia who runs her own successful business in Manhattan and the young Olivia depicted in flashback trying to find her place in the world.

As Olivia finds her feet she encounters an old flame from her childhood, Connor Davis which instantly adds a ‘will they/won’t they’ frisson to the story. The book begins in the present but chapters flash back and forth to reveal detail of Camp Kioga and its occupants through the years. From Olivia’s own difficult childhood and teenage years in the late 1980′s and early 90′s and her fledgling romance with Connor, to her fathers summer of love in 1977 and the story of her grandparents who defied opposition to marry at the camp they loved in the 1950′s; the history of the Bellamy family and in particular of Olivia’s childhood, drew me in and kept me gripped for all of Summer at Willow Lake’s 535 pages and I’m so glad this is only the first in a series of stories about the Bellamys and the community in Avalon.

There are a lot of different threads to the story, involving various members of the Bellamy family, residents of Avalon the town where Willow Lake is set and their own families. As well as plenty of drama and romance, there are elements of mystery and plenty of surprises from the residents of Willow Lake. I love family sagas/community dramas and the strong element of community entwined with the life of the Bellamy family in this story reminded me of one of my favourite television series – the Gilmore Girls. The stories of early camp life and the romance element of the plot also reminded me of Dirty Dancing which is another of my favourites so you can see why this book appealed to me so much!

I’d highly recommend Summer at Willow Lake to anyone looking for a summer read that is a little bit different from the usual beach reads. With a perfect mix of nostalgia, romance and drama this is a well written book with characters that will draw you in and have you coming back for more – I’m already looking forward to the next installment!

5/5

Summer at Willow Lake is out now and I’d like to thank Christabel at Midas for sending me a copy to review.

You can find out more about Susan Wiggs and her books at: http://www.susanwiggs.com/

This week’s book news has a New York theme …

Free e-book by Lindsey Kelk!

Focusing on Jenny, Angela’s best friend in the ‘I Heart …’ series, Lindsey Kelk has published a short story called Jenny Lopez has a Bad Week and the even better news is that it’s free to download until May 23rd! You can find it on Amazon or iBooks. I’ve downloaded my copy and will hopefully have a review up later this week.

Jenny Lopez is miserable. Having spent the summer working in LA, she’s back home in New York, and missing the three key elements in a girl’s life – a roommate, a job and a boyfriend. Jenny formulates a plan; surely someone must need a roommate and surely someone must need a girlfriend? By the end of the day, she has arranged a viewing for a potential roommate, the gay blond aka the Sex God,secured two dates, and work looking after a top supermodel. Things look like they are back on track; everything is going to work out great. If only life was so easy…

From Notting Hill with Love… Actually … the sequel!!!!

I’m so excited about this snippet of news from Ali McNamara. I loved From Notting Hill with Love …Actually and I’m even more excited that the sequel is going to be set in my favourite city, New York. Just thinking about the huge number of brilliant films set there, I cannot wait to find out what Scarlett gets up to! Ali announced the news on her new website which looks great and the lucky lady is going to New York for a research trip soon. Have a fab time Ali!

Cover Love: Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? By Claudia Carroll

I was browsing Amazon earlier and this cover caught my eye. The plot has me intrigued so this is another book added to the summer reading wish list. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? is released on August 18th.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder…doesn’t it?

What happens when two people decide to give themselves the year off…from each other?

Annie and Dan were the perfect couple. But now the not-so-newly weds feel more like flatmates than soul mates and wonder where all the fun and fireworks went …

When Annie lands her big break in a smash-hit show that’s heading for the bright lights of Broadway, she’s over the moon. Goodbye remote Irish village of Stickens, hello fabulous Big Apple! But with their relationship already on the rocks, how will Annie and Dan survive the distance?

They’re hitting the pause button on their marriage. One year off from each other – no strings attached, except a date to meet in twelve months at the Rockefeller Centre to decide their fate.

Will they both turn up? Or is it too late for love?

What better way to get yourself in the mood for Christmas than with a good film? I love Christmas films in general (who watched Elf the other day?!) but I wanted to do something a bit different for a blog post today so I’ve decided to list my five favourite Christmassy chick flicks. These are films that I love to watch at any time but all feature Christmas in some way.

In reverse order my favourites are …

5. While You Were Sleeping

This is a lovely feelgood film and a large part of it is set at Christmas. Sandra Bullock plays Lucy Moderatz who works in a ticket booth on a subway in Chicago and has a huge crush on one of her customers (Peter). On Christmas Day she saves his life when he is mugged and pushed off the platform. On the way to the hospital, a nurse hears her saying she was going to marry him and assumes they are engaged. His family take her in and she celebrates a lovely Christmas with them but Peter’s  brother works out that something isn’t right and as he spends more time with Lucy to try to find out the truth, she begins to fall for him instead. As Peter wakes up and preparations begin for their wedding, Lucy has a huge choice to make!

4. Bridget Jones’s Diary

I’m guessing everyone knows about this one already but just in case you haven’t seen or read it (it’s based on the novel by Helen Fielding), the film tells the story of a year in the life of Bridget Jones (played by Renee Zellweger). The story is a modern take on Pride and Prejudice and even includes a Mr Darcy (Mark). I love this film and Colin Firth in that Reindeer jumper always makes me laugh but the best bit is the ending in snowy London. I remember thinking when the film came out ‘it never snows like that in London’ … how wrong could I be?!

3. The Holiday

Iris (Kate Winslet) and Amanda (Cameron Diaz) swap homes for two weeks over Christmas to escape from it all. Iris heads to L.A. and and Amanda finds herself in a cute little English cottage. I didn’t see the appeal of Jude Law until I watched this film and Jack Black was a surprise as the other love interest. This is the perfect film to leave you with a warm Christmassy glow.

2. Love Actually

Set mainly in the weeks leading up to Christmas, this is romantic comedy at the highest level. It has a brilliant cast and so much going on that you could never be bored! Amongst my favourite bits are when Andrew Lincoln’s character (Mark) sends a special message to Keira Knightley’s character (Juliet) silently using written cards and when Hugh Grant (as Prime Minister) dances round Number 10

1. Serendipity

This is one of my all time favorite rom-coms and stars John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale. This film sums up the magic of New York (and Christmas)  for me.

From Amazon, “New York City, just before Christmas. The last pair of black cashmere gloves in Bloomingdale’s is on its way to the counter. As the gloves arrive, Sara (Kate Beckinsale) and Jonathan (John Cusack) claim them simultaneously. And so it begins–Sara and Jonathan go to a little coffee shop, named Serendipity, to decide who gets the gloves. They skate in Central Park. They look at the stars–the Cassiopeia constellation has the same pattern as the freckles on Sara’s forearm. She writes her phone number in a book, saying she’ll sell it to a random bookstore tomorrow. Jonathan writes his number on a five-dollar bill, and she gives it to a street vendor. If destiny means for them to be together, the book will find him, and the five-dollar bill will find her.”

So, do you agree? What’s your favourite Christmassy chick flick? Have you got some new ones to add to my list?

(From the back cover) Jeweller Garet James isn’t the same as everyone else. She just doesn’t know it yet.

With her fair share of problems – money (lack of), an elderly father, a struggling business – Garet should be just like any other young, feisty, single New Yorker. If only it was that simple…

It begins with the old silver box that had been soldered shut. All Garet has to do is open it. A favour for the frail owner of the antiques shop. Who wouldn’t help?

Only it’s then that things start to change. Garet doesn’t notice at first, the shifts barely perceptible. But the city in which she grew up is beginning to reveal a long-hidden side – darker, and altogether more dangerous: parallel world of chaos, smoke and blood.

And now it’s out of the box…and it has no intention of going back in.

Lee Carroll is a pseudonym for husband and wife writing team, Carol Goodman and Lee Slonimsky. Carol is a novelist and Lee a poet and they certainly put their combined skills to good use in Black Swan Rising. I loved the use of language in this book and in parts I found that the descriptions were wonderfully poetic, adding to the sense of magic in the story.  Black Swan Rising is the first part of a new urban fantasy trilogy and the first urban fantasy novel that I’ve read that isn’t aimed specifically at the young adult market. That’s not to say that young adult readers won’t enjoy this book but there are some parts that might not be suitable for younger readers.

The focus of the story is 26 year old Garet (short for Margaret) James, a Jeweler living in New York. The action begins straight away as a storm forces Garet to seek refuge in an antiques shop. The owner of the shop recognises a crest on a necklace that Garet is wearing and gives her a silver box bearing the same crest, that has been soldered shut. He asks Garet to use her skills as a jeweler to open the box and return it to him. Garet does as he requests and sets off a chain of events that she could never have imagined would happen.

You definitely need to suspend belief to read this book; it features a myriad of fantastic creatures including fairies, dragons and a vampire and has a wonderfully detailed mythology behind it which I really enjoyed. I also liked the way that despite the fantasy element, the story was strongly grounded in the everyday and familiar, with references to well known landmarks in New York, everyday objects and recent events that have been in the news. As Garet finds out more about her ancestors and learns her true destiny, history (both her own and events in the wider world) is given a completely new and very interesting perspective. I really liked the idea that there is another world existing in parallel to ours which humans cannot see – I certainly won’t look at New York in the same way again if I ever go back!

There are many threads running through the story and a lot of characters to get to grips with. At times I felt like I wanted more information on some of the key characters, but as this is the first in a trilogy, I suspect more detail will be revealed as the series progresses and it certainly left me wanting to find out more. I think the story will appeal to a lot of readers as there is mystery as Garet begins to uncover past secrets, paranormal romance as she finds herself drawn to Will Hughes and elements of horror as well as the fantasy side and sub plots surrounding Garet’s fathers debt and a robbery at the gallery he owns and her friends Jay and Becky and their band.

This is a great debut from Lee Carroll and I’m eagerly anticipating the next installment. If like me, you are new to the urban fantasy genre, I’d recommend Black Swan Rising as an excellent place to start.

I’d like to thank Transworld Publishers for sending me a copy of this book for review.

4/5

You can find out more about Lee Carroll and Black Swan Rising at: http://www.carolgoodman.com/default.asp

(From the UK House of Night website) It seems that (un)life is going pretty well for Zoey Redbird. She’s settled in at the House of Night finishing school and is coming to terms with the vast powers the vampyre goddess, Nyx, has given her. She even has a boyfriend … or two. Best of all, Zoey finally feels she has found somewhere she belongs. Then the unthinkable happens.

Human teenagers are being killed, and all the evidence points to the vampyres at Zoey’s school. While danger stalks the humans from Zoey’s past life, she begins to realise that the very powers that made her so unique might also threaten those she loves. Then, when she needs her new friends the most, death strikes the House of Night. Zoey finds herself facing a betrayal that could break her heart and jeopardise the very fabric of her world.

Spoiler alert! I try to keep spoilers to a minimum in my reviews but as this is the second book in the series, you might not want to read on if you haven’t read the first.

Betrayed picks up just after the end of  Marked with Zoey Redbird still in her first month as a pupil at the House of Night.  All is going well with Zoey getting to grips with life as a fledgling vampyre and her new powers and responsibilities until a human teenager (a footballer from Zoey’s old high school) goes missing and is later found dead very near to the House of Night. As a second teenager goes missing, Zoey’s intuition, coupled with some very strange and ghostly encounters tells her that there is more to this than a drunk teenager wandering off and being attacked by animals. She just has to work out what!

I was pleased that this book carried the story straight on from Marked and as I was reading them one after the other, they really flowed into each other. There were a number of ‘mysteries’ left at the end of Marked and in Betrayed, these are developed in more depth although we still don’t have the full answers at the end of the book – a very clever ploy by the authors as it definitely made me want to keep reading the series!

As you would expect, Zoey’s new friends are all back for Betrayed and we get to learn a bit more about the main supporting characters; Stevie-Rae, Damien and The Twins. There are also a couple of excellent new characters and Zoey’s love life is almost as much a focus of the book as her attempts to work out what is happening to the missing teenagers with three (yes three) guys vying for her attention!

As I’ve said previously, I really like the way that the story combines elements of the everyday and magical and mythical. I also like the way that these books address real issues like falling out with family members, love and relationships and dealing with loss and grief. Although the first book touched on the topic of loss and death, this book goes into more depth and I thought the topic was treated very sensitively.

The pace of the book was just as gripping as the first in the series and I’m looking forward to reading the third, Chosen, soon.

5/5

You can find out more about the House of Night series at: http://www.houseofnightseries.co.uk/

(From the back cover) Fashion historian Holly Ross often wishes she lived in a simpler time when the clothes were glamorous, the men debonair and the endings happy. But, about to be married and with a big promotion promised, her own happily-ever-after seems assured.

So where does it all go wrong? How, is it that in one day Holly finds herself homeless, jobless, penniless – and fiance-less? Why is she cruising on the ultra-luxurious Tiffany Star in pursuit of  dashing property tycoon Denis King? And how come she’s trying to track down a suitcase full of priceless Audrey Hepburn gowns before Interpol tracks her down?

With the sparkling Mediterranean and the eternal city of Rome as the backdrop, this romantic fashion caper starring calamity-prone Holly is filled with intrigue, comedy and plot twists galore. But it takes a major crisis for Holly to realize that a real-life dream can be more exciting than any fairytale.

Before I write anything about this book you should know that I am a very big fan of Audrey Hepburn and Breakfast at Tiffany’s is one of my favourite films (and very good book) to the extent that I walked down the aisle at my wedding to ‘Moon River’! So the cover illustration of a Holly Golightly style figure coupled with the promise of fashion history, Audrey Hepburn gowns and Mediterranean locations had me almost guaranteed to enjoy Holly Would Dream before I’d even read a page.

And enjoy it I did!  If you are a fan of classic movies (particularly those starring Audrey Hepburn or Carry Grant) this is a must read for you. The story is packed full of references to their films and I had great fun spotting them. Holly is a fashion historian and there are lots of interesting fashion and film facts throughout the book.  I also loved that the chapter titles are all songs from the 50′s and 60′s and cleverly help to set the tone of the book – I found I had the songs going through my head as I was reading.

The plot is whimsical and funny and captures the feel of those old romantic movies where the leading lady has to deal with no end of mishaps, confusion and setbacks before all is put right in the world and she gets her man. Holly certainly has to face an ever increasing mountain of setbacks and failures throughout the book and I have to admit to wondering at one point what more could be thrown at the poor girl. Her fiance dumps her, she doesn’t get the promotion she was promised, she goes on a cruise as guest lecturer with a caseload of priceless Audrey Hepburn costumes and loses them, she almost gets arrested and when she does finally track down the final gown something unimaginable has happened to it! The plot twists and turns go on and on but Holly deals with it all with calamitous hilarity. This isn’t a realistic book – it’s not meant to be. It is 420 pages of pure escapism and fun. Karen Quinn creates a sparkling glamorous world with lots of larger than life characters. Holly’s Dad ‘Pops’ and uber-rich high-society Texan widow Carleen Panthollow with their inappropriate comments were my favourite characters and really made me laugh.

Holly Would Dream was released in 2008 and is the first of Karen Quinn’s books that I’ve read. I will now be adding her others to my wish-list. Fun and lighthearted, it is an ideal choice for reading on the beach or by the pool and as the majority of it is set on a luxurious Mediterranean cruise it will definitely put you in the holiday mood!

You can find out more about Karen Quinn and her other novels at http://karenquinn.net/

4/5

Angela is in the city of love – but romance is taking a nose-dive…

When Angela Clark’s boyfriend Alex suggests a trip to Paris at the same time as hip fashion mag Belle asks her to write a piece, she jumps at the chance.

But even as she’s falling for the joie de vivre of Paris, someone’s conspiring to sabotage her big break. And when she spots Alex having a tête-à-tête with his ex in a local bar, Angela’s dreams of Parisian passion all start crashing down around her.

With London and her old life only a train journey away, Angela can’t decide if should stay and face the music or run away home…

Lindsey Kelk is fast becoming one of my favourite authors.  Her two previous novels in the  ‘I Heart…’ series have been brilliant chick lit reads and Paris continues the trend – I’d even go as far as to say it’s her best book yet. But before I get any further into this review, I have to take a moment to say how much I love the cover of this book – it is gorgeous and sums the book up perfectly.

I Heart Paris is the third book in the series, but I don’t think you need to have read the other two to enjoy it, although if you haven’t read I Heart New York or I Heart Hollywood yet I’d highly recommend them too. (For those of you on the look out for a bargain, there is a free copy of I Heart New York with the August edition of Glamour Magazine.)

The series follows Brit chick Angela Clarke as she creates a new life for herself in New York and tells of her adventures as she writes her blog for ‘The Look’ magazine.  Angela is hugely likeable and her antics often make me laugh out loud as I’m reading. I’m having trouble deciding if she is the luckiest or unluckiest character I’ve ever met – on the one hand, she has a fab job, lives in my favourite city, has a sexy indie band boyfriend and one of her best friends is a stylist; on the other, she’s clumsy, can’t let things go, attracts bad luck and seems to get herself into the most awkward situations imaginable. All of this just makes her character more enjoyable but my favourite thing about Angela? She shares my love of Marc Jacobs bags!

I Heart Paris sees Angela’s boyfriend Alex invite her to Paris for a week. At the same time Angela is offered the opportunity to write for the uber-cool Belle magazine (see what I mean about being lucky?!). Angela clearly loves Paris and as with the other books in the series, this is part novel, part insider travel guide. There is a section at the back called ‘Angela’s Guide to Paris’ which lists recommendations for hotels, bars, restaurants and shops. It’s a long time since I’ve been to Paris but the descriptions of people and places seemed very real and the book made me want to hop on the Eurostar and do some serious shopping!

In true Angela style, all is going swimmingly until she gets off the plane in Paris. Someone tries to sabotage her article for Belle and things go from bad to worse as Alex’s ex-girlfriend appears on the scene and makes it clear that she doesn’t just want to be friends with him. The book is full of snappy dialogue and it moves at such a pace that you just have to keep turning the pages. As everything falls apart, Angela finds herself, one year on from her move to New York, questioning all of her decisions so far. I loved the way the book put Angela in a similar situation to the original plot in I Heart New York and seeing how she reacts compared to a year ago. This novel has a very sweet message about where ‘home’ really is and I’d highly recommend adding it to your summer reading list.

You can read more about Angela and her adventures at: www.iheartparis.co.uk

5/5