Review: Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella

Title: Wedding Night

Author: Sophie Kinsella

Published: Bantam Press May 2013

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Status: Read from May 08 to 09, 2013 — I own a copy {Courtesy the Publisher}

My Thoughts:

Wedding Night, the latest novel from popular chick lit author Sophie Kinsella, exhibits her trademark charm and penchant for absurd humour.
Her heroine is thirty year old Lottie Graveney who is devastated when the marriage proposal she is expecting from her long time beau Richard isn’t forthcoming. In fact he tells her he is not interested in marriage in the forseeable future and for Lottie that means the end of their relationship. She is still reeling from the break up when her ex boyfriend, Ben, gets in touch after more than a decade’s silence. As the pair reminisce about the summer they spent together on the idyllic Greek island where they met, Ben reminds Lottie of their pact to get married if they were both still single at thirty, confesses he never stopped loving her and proposes almost all in one breath. Lottie says yes and the pair decide not to wait arranging a no fuss registry wedding for just a few days hence. Lottie has only one condition – no sex until their wedding night. Despite the strenuous objections of Lottie’s sister, Fliss, and Ben’s best friend, Lorcan, the marriage goes ahead and the newlyweds jet off to Ikonos for their honeymoon, but Fliss isn’t about to let her sister make the biggest mistake of her life and she will do anything to stop them consummating the marriage.

Wedding Night is pretty much exactly what I expected from Kinsella, the plot is predictable, the characters largely OTT and yet it doesn’t seem to matter much because it’s all good fun, even if utterly unbelievable.
Where Wedding Night does differ from other novels I have read by Kinsella is the narrative told from two point of views. Lottie is the flaky, starry eyed heroine familiar to the author’s readers while her older sister, Fliss is a little more sensible and cynical. I liked Fliss a little more than Lottie though neither behave particularly well, Fliss is overzealous in her attempt to help her sister while Lottie makes a cascade of impulsive decisions.
As long as you don’t overthink it, there are some real laugh out loud moments as Lottie’s and Ben’s attempts to consummate their marriage are deftly thwarted by the hotel manager at the behest of Fliss including broken volume controls, intrusive butlers and a couples massage that causes Lottie to have a painful allergic reaction.

A lighthearted rom-com, Wedding Night is a amusing way to spend an hour or two when you don’t have the energy for anything more taxing. I didn’t think it’s Kinsella’s best but fans should still enjoy the familiar silliness.

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Review: The Rules of Conception by Angela Lawrence

 

Title: The Rules of Conception

Author: Angela Lawrence

Published: MIRA: Harlequin Australia May 2013

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Status: Read on May 03, 2013 — I own a copy {Courtesy the Publisher}

My Thoughts:

Debut author Angela Lawrence explores a woman’s desire for motherhood in The Rules of Conception. Rachel Richards is in her mid thirties, single (again), financially secure and wanting to be a mother. Worried time is running out, she makes the choice to go it alone. Rachel begins to investigate her options, eventually choosing a ‘known donor’ but the conception of her plan turns out to be much easier than it’s execution.

I was intrigued by the premise of The Rules of Conception, primarily because I have a friend currently considering her options. Like Rachel, none of her relationships have worked out and as she approaches forty her biological clock is ticking ever louder. There are so many factors for her to consider and I hoped that Lawrence would provide some insight into the journey.

I found the viability of the varied options Rachel explores really interesting, from co parenting arrangements to the purchase of anonymous donor sperm from abroad. They each have their pro’s and con’s, raising issues I hadn’t given much thought to.
Eventually Rachel determines that a ‘known donor’ is the right choice for her and her search leads her to Digby, a man who wants to father a child but not raise one. Armed with a list of questions and a legal contract Rachel is sensible about the process in an attempt to control the situation, but her narrow focus doesn’t allow much room for variations of her circumstances.

What I do think the story lacked was emotion, Rachel is focused on her plans but there is no real sense of excitement or apprehension from her about the pregnancy, birth or her general circumstances until very near the end. She never seems to daydream about her baby’s future, muse about what he/she will look like or debate baby names neither does she seem concerned about the baby’s health or worry much about Digby’s honesty, even when he disappears. Most everyone is supportive of her decision and I think the story could have benefited by having a character to really challenge Rachel.

Most of the angst in the story involves Rachel’s relationship with her horrific boss, a situation that definitely evokes sympathy and which her pregnancy threatens to exacerbate, yet even that fizzles out to a bland truce.

The Rules of Conception is interesting, entertaining and I thought Lawrence wrote sensitively about the practical issues involved in the process of choosing single parenthood. It is a thought provoking story and as such I will be passing it on to my friend.

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Review: The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Eternity Cure {Blood of Eden #2}

Author: Julie Kagawa

Published: Harlequin May 2013

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Status: Read from April 29 to 30, 2013 — I own a copy {Courtesy the publisher}

My Thoughts:

Though it took me a while to warm up to Julie Kagawa’s Iron Fey series I ended up enjoying it, as well as the first book of the spin off series, The Lost Prince and when I was lucky enough to receive a copy of The Eternity Cure, I was happy for the excuse to dive into another of her series.

I picked up The Immortal Rules to read before beginning The Eternity Cure and though I enjoyed elements of Kagawa’s writing and her creative post-apocalyptic world-building, I found myself a little underwhelmed. Nevertheless I moved straight on to The Eternity Cure which picks up almost five months later.

**Note:  Immortal Rules is currently free to download in the iTunes store**

Having left Eden, and Zeke, behind, Allison is tracing her sire and mentor Kanin, who is being held captive by the psychotic vampire Sarren. Avoiding the Rabids, feeding only when necessary on the opportunists that cross her path, she follows the call of blood but when her journey is intercepted by her ‘blood brother’, she reluctantly agrees to an alliance with the murderous vampire. Pooling their knowledge, Allison is stunned when the trail leads to her former home, New Covington and is appalled to find the population under threat by a lethal variant of the Red Lung virus. With time running out, Allison must find a way into the heart of the city to save Kanin before the world is lost.

The Eternity Cure is fast paced and action packed and what I do really like about this series is it’s gritty, dark nature. Real, bloody, visceral violence is usually avoided in young adult novels but here Kagawa almost revels in it.
This darkness though is offset by snarky humour and romance (those who complained about the lack of lurve in The Immortal Rules should be satisfied with the sweet and hopeful reunion of Allie and Zeke), but more importantly by the way in which the heroes hold onto hope and fight to survive.
Unfortunately I did find the plot fairly predictable, there were no real surprises, from Stick’s double betrayal to Sarren’s evil scheme and despite some resolution, the story ends on a cliff hanger which will have fans bemoaning the 12 month wait until book 3.

Despite my lack of overt enthusiasm, I did enjoy The Eternity Cure. It’s a fast, easy read and fans of the first novel should not be disappointed with the continued action, romance and Allison’s drive for redemption.

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Review: Ghost Money by Andrew Nette

 

Title: Ghost Money

Author: Andrew Nette

Published: Snubnose Press August 2012

Status: Read from April 19 to 20, 2013 — I own a copy{Courtesy the author}

My Thoughts:

Early last year I read and very much enjoyed Hard Labour, an anthology of crime writing by Australian authors. After that review, the editor, Andrew Nette, asked if I would be willing to read Ghost Money, which I believe is his first full length published novel.

Introducing ex-cop turned private investigator Max Quinlan on the trail of missing Australian businessman, Charles Avery, Ghost Money is a gritty detective novel set in the late ’90′s. Quinlan, employed by the missing man’s wealthy sister, begins his search in Thailand, the scene of his past professional disgrace, but soon discovers Avery has fled to Cambodia. Following the man’s trail, Quinlan enlists the assistance of an ambitious Australian journalist and his interpreter, Sarin, only to find himself the target of ruthless killers and treasure hunters.

Quinlan, born of a wartime liaison between his Vietnamese mother and soldier father, was raised in Australia after his mother’s death. Orphaned after his father’s suicide, Quinlan eventually joined the police force where his Eurasian appearance was both a help and a hindrance to his job. It was his role in a failed joint operation in Thailand that essentially put an end to his career and after Quinlan resigned from the force, he began to take on missing persons cases.
There is a nice depth to Quinlan, though at times his motivations are questionable. I don’t quite understand why Quinlan doesn’t simply walk away when his search for Avery puts his own life at risk nor why he insists on walking blindly into a number of easily discernible traps. That being said, I like that Quinlan is a man with limits, he makes mistakes but keeps moving forward, doing his best for his client.

Of the supporting cast it is Sarin I found most interesting, the Khmer translator chooses to become embroiled in Quinlan’s mission and proves to be a helpful guide. The romantic element involving Sarin’s sister and an American archivist wasn’t particularly strong and largely irrelevant to the story.

Nette spent several years in Cambodia and his knowledge of the country’s politics informs his character’s experiences. Though I did think Nette was in danger of overwhelming the narrative with facts at times, his insights into the Cambodian conflict are fascinating, particularly regarding the legacy the Khmer Rouge. A particular strength of the novel is the author’s portrayal of the landscape of South East Asia, from it’s seedy urban centers, to the areas of grinding rural poverty.

Ghost Money takes the reader into a world of violence, betrayal and corruption with twists and turns leading through the gritty underworld of south east Asia. If you enjoy noir detective novels and are interested in something different, then you should take a chance on this interesting thriller.

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Review: The Railwayman’s Wife by Ashley Hay

Title: The Railwayman’s Wife

Author: Ashley Hay

Published: Allen & Unwin April 2013

Synopsis: In a small town on the land’s edge, in the strange space at a war’s end, a widow, a poet and a doctor each try to find their own peace, and their own new story. In Thirroul, in 1948, people chase their dreams through the books in the railway’s library. Anikka Lachlan searches for solace after her life is destroyed by a single random act. Roy McKinnon, who found poetry in the mess of war, has lost his words and his hope. Frank McKinnon is trapped by the guilt of those his treatment and care failed on their first day of freedom. All three struggle with the same question: how now to be alive. Written in clear, shining prose and with an eloquent understanding of the human heart, The Railwayman’s Wife explores the power of beginnings and endings, and how hard it can be sometimes to tell them apart. It’s a story of life, loss and what comes after; of connection and separation, longing and acceptance. Most of all, it celebrates love in all its forms, and the beauty of discovering that loving someone can be as extraordinary as being loved yourself.

Status: Read from April 07 to 08, 2013-I own a copy {Courtesy the publisher}

My Thoughts:

For over a week I have been trying to write a review of the Railwayman’s Wife but can’t seem to get past a few random notes and half formed sentences. Not even to re-articulate the plot except for a few basics. There is no reason for this to be so difficult, I liked The Railwayman’s Wife well enough, it’s a character driven novel, set post WW2  in a small coastal village in southern New South Wales,  exploring the pain of grief and loss. A wife, Annika, loses a much loved husband to a tragic accident and a returned soldier, Roy, struggles to overcome his wartime experiences, both are hoping for light, love and peace to return to their lives and both fear that it will never eventuate.

Not being able to articulate my thoughts about The Railwayman’s Wife has played havoc with my schedule, I can’t seem to move on to writing the next review, so here are those notes and half formed sentences for you to make of what you will.

• The prose is lovely and the imagery beautifully expressed, definitely the strength of the novel
• The story unfolds at a measured pace, there is little in the way of overt action with the drama internalised by the characters.
• Annika’s grief is realistic as it evolves through time
• Isabelle’s [Ani and Mack's daughter] precociousness is sweet rather than irritating. She has character in her own right.
  
• Annika’s perspective of her relationship with Roy is ambiguous
• I thought Frank’s character to be  distracting, I am unsure of his role in the story.
• I found the ending rather bleak, without the sense of hope I expected
  
• Overall, it’s a melancholy novel, mired in tragedy and emotional distress, but redeemed by occasional glimpses of beauty and love.
  

Perhaps this interview with Ashley Hay  will be more useful for  you decide if you’d like to pick it up. Currently Allen & Unwin is offering Australian readers the chance to win 1 of 30 copies of The Railwayman’s Wife  – visit Facebook to enter

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Review: The Best of Us by Sarah Pekkanen

Title: The Best of Us

Author: Sarah Pekkanen

Published: Washington Square Press April 2013

Status: Read from April 10 to 11, 2013 — I own a copy{Courtesy the publisher/netgalley}

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My Thoughts:

In The Best Of Us, Sarah Pekkanen explores friendship and marriage when college friends reunite for a week long vacation in Jamaica. It is Dwight’s thirty fifth birthday and his wife, Pauline, has arranged the all expenses paid trip to celebrate. Tina, a harried mother of four is worried about leaving her children behind but can’t resist the lure of temporary escape. Allie is confronted with an uncertain future while Savannah is still recovering from a broken heart after her husband left her.

The villa is a private piece of paradise, with Pauline ensuring their every whim is catered for and the group, which includes Tina’s and Allie’s husband’s, are eager to take advantage of the once in a lifetime experience. Initially, the good humour and college reminiscences flow as freely as the alcohol and good food, allowing the reader to develop a good sense of who these people are and what they mean to each other.

I found it easiest to relate to Tina but each of the women is familiar in one way or another. While I thought the women were well developed and realistically flawed characters, their path in the story is predictable. Allie, for example, who always puts others before herself, commits a selfish act while the sultry Savannah flirts outrageously to hide her own insecurities. The men are marginalised for the most part – even birthday boy, Dwight- though they provide context for the women’s everyday lives.

As a hurricane approaches Jamaica, unrest builds amongst the house guests and the camaraderie is slowly tainted with envy, guilt, secrets and lies. The women of the story are eventually forced to come to terms with the choices they have made and find a way to move forward in their lives.

The Best of Us is an engaging novel, I found it a quick and satisfying read and it is sure to be enjoyed by fans of ensemble women’s fiction.

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Review: The Town That Drowned by Riel Nason

Title: The Town That Drowned

Author: Riel Nason

Published: Allen & Unwin March 2013

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Status: Read on March 30, 2013 — I own a copy {Courtesy Allen & Unwin}

My Thoughts:

The Town that Drowned is a gentle story by debut Canadian author Riel Nason which was recently recognized by several major national literary prizes.

It’s the mid sixties and the narrator is fourteen year old Ruby Carson who lives in a small rural town named Haverton on the banks of the St John River which wends it’s way through New Brunswick, Canada. Ruby’s best friend has moved away over the summer and she is dreading the return to school. Already a target of derision by her peers because of her brother’s strange behaviour, Ruby finds herself ostracized after falling through the ice and seeing a vision of the town underwater as drowned townspeople drift by.

While The Town That Drowned is a coming of age tale as Ruby experiences the angst of adolescence, including first love, the larger story centers around the death of a community. Ruby’s insensible vision becomes a reality when survey pegs appear in the town and the government announces that the building of the new Mactaquac Dam will result in the relocation of Haverton.

The strength of this story is in Nason’s characterisation of a community struggling with change. Just as Percy, who has Asperger’s, finds it difficult to tolerate any deviations from order and routine, the townspeople are unwilling to embrace the government directive to desert their homes. How each deals with the inevitable paints a poignant tale of loss, change and renewal.

The writing of The Town That Drowned has a dreamy quality but the slow pace coupled with the lack of overt plot action meant I found my attention wondering more than once, even though I found the idea of a town being forcibly destroyed in this way fascinating.

While labeled as literary Young Adult, mainly I suspect because of the teenage narrator, I think The Town That Drowned will more likely appeal to an adult audience who will appreciate the literary style. Reviews suggest it particularly resonates with those whose childhood communities have fallen victim to a similar fate as Haverton.

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Review: From Midnight to Guntown by John Hailman

 

Title: From Midnight to Guntown: True Crime Stories from a Federal Prosecutor in Mississippi

Author: John Hailman

Published: University Press of Mississippi April 2013

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Status: Read from March 31 to April 01, 2013 — I own a copy {Courtesy Netgalley/publisher}

My Thoughts:

From Midnight to Guntown is a true account of various cases encountered by retired Federal prosecutor John Hailman during his thirty year career in the Mississippi justice system.

The cases Hailman relates are interesting and cover a wide range of criminal activity from bank robbery to corruption and terrorism. The focus is on the workings of the justice system and specifically Hailman’s role in the investigation and prosecution of the cases he dealt with.

Occasionally the cases are amusing, detailing bungling robbers for example, but more often they are simply tragic, such as in the case of the Natchez Trace shooting which resulted in the death of a young boy. I was horrified to learn that in Hailman’s district an amateur local hitman will usually kill for less than $5000, often for less than $1000 and saddened to learn that racial tensions still flourish in the South. While some cases are mentioned only in passing several are the focus of in depth reporting including the murder of Emmett Till, an African American boy who was murdered aged 14 in 1955 for flirting with a white woman and whose case was reopened in 2004.

Hailman’s writing has a lot in common with a detailed legal brief. It is rich with procedural detail, perhaps too much for the average reader though the minutiae of he said/she said/he did/she did will probably be appreciated by someone who works in the legal or justice system.  The text isn’t entirely dry however, Hailmain is candid and personable and even humourous at times.

Usually I am content to ignore formatting issues in e-galley’s but in this instance I found it affected my reading experience. A line and a half of text, was followed by a blank line, then a line and a half of text, then a blank line and so on, and this became a real issue for me as it was very distracting.

From Midnight to Guntown shares fascinating insights into the complexity of crime and justice in Mississippi. This is a book true crime and legal thriller buffs are sure to enjoy.

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Review: Cora’s Heart by Rachael Herron

 

Title: Cora’s Heart

Author: Rachael Herron

Published: Random House Australia March 2013

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Status: Read on March 26, 2013 — I own a copy {Courtesy the publisher}

My Thoughts:

When I saw the cover of Cora’s Heart in the Netgalley catalogue I assumed it would be an Australian rural romance by a new author and I made the request without even reading the blurb. It was only later that I discovered that despite the Australian publisher, this title is neither by an Australian author nor set within Australia, instead it is a contemporary romance by an American author and one of half a dozen or so books by Rachael Herron set in the fictional USA small town of Cypress Hollow.

This title introduces Cora Sylvan who has just been scraping by since the untimely death of her husband, Logan, selling homemade jams, preserves, candles and hand knitted items. When her workshop catches fire, the loss of more than half of her stock pushes her to the brink of financial ruin but Cora is determined to hold on to the only home she has ever been able to call her own, no matter what tempting offer Mac Wildwood is willing to make.

Cora’s Heart is a story of unrequited love and second chances. As teenagers Logan, Mac and Cora were close friends but circumstances resulted in Cora marrying Logan, despite the simmering attraction between her and Mac. With Mac’s return to Cypress Hollow both are confronted with their regrets and their guilt. I think Herron develops the relationship between Mac and Cora well, showing how their adolescent attraction has never really faded despite time and distance.

I really liked Cora and thought her neuroses were endearing, rather than annoying. I love the idea of her What If.. book, (What if… there is an earthquake etc…) something Cora uses to give her peace of mind. Having had such an itinerant childhood as a foster child her need for stability and control makes perfect sense, but her fierce independence also leaves her closed off from intimate interactions. Risking her heart with Mac is difficult and Herron shows Cora’s struggle to let go and risk everything for happiness.
Mac is a little more of an enigmatic character. Though he has a plausible reason for missing Logan’s funeral and failing to visit over the years, I did think it was a little weak. Still he is an appealing hero, protective of Cora, the memory of his cousin and willing to do what he thinks is the right thing despite the cost to himself.

I breezed through Cora’s Heart in an afternoon and found it a light, sweet and satisfying romance. And if you knit you will adore the pattern for a pretty sweater included in the last few pages.

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Review: His Brand of Beautiful by Lily Malone

Title: His Brand of Beautiful

Author: Lily Malone

Published: Escape Publishing March 2013

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Status: Read on March 23, 2013 — I own a copy {Courtesy the Publisher}

My Thoughts:

His Brand of Beautiful is a debut contemporary romance for Lily Malone with Harlequin’s fledgling digital imprint, Escape.
Christina Clay manages the family winery and has come up with an idea to expand the iconic company, but she needs the help of marketing guru Tate Newell to ensure a successful launch. Tate isn’t really interested in dealing with Christina and her company, her cause based advertising strategy doesn’t align with his own principles, but he finds inspiration in the concept she floats – a wine label that reflects the wild side of Australia, and decides to give her a chance to show him just how wild she can be. But Christina is not a woman easily tamed, when she wants something she goes all out to get it – and Tate can give her everything she ever wanted.

I really liked the chemistry between Christina and Tate, which is present from the first moment they meet. They have a lot in common, including deep emotional scars after tragic loss and both are afraid of risking their hearts fully. The author explores their fears well, it’s evident a relationship between two such guarded people is never going to be easy.

Christina seems to swing wildly between two extremes, she is immensely generous at times but can also emotionally selfish. This is evident particularly when Christina drops a bombshell on Tate and doesn’t seem to understand his reaction to her manipulation. To be honest I felt her obtuseness in this situation didn’t really fit with her character.
I loved that Tate is a mixture of businessman and jackaroo. He is easygoing and fair minded but no pushover. His wounded heart ensures sympathy and his patience with Christina is admirable. I thought he made an appealing romantic lead.

There were two elements I struggled with, the first being Tate’s comparisons between Christina and his dead sister Jolie that, initially at least, I found pretty creepy. The second had to do with what I perceive as a gap in the storyline between Tate and Christina’s first intimate encounter and Christina’s bombshell. Christina’s personal goal is mentioned not at all during that period whereas I would expect it to be at the forefront of her mind and emphasised within the story.
Overall however I did enjoy the book. The sexual tension is well developed, the sex scenes are hot yet tasteful and love triumphs, despite all the obstacles.

His Brand of Beautiful is an engaging romance that moves between suburban Adelaide and the South Australian Outback, and a nice first effort for romance fans to savour with a glass of good wine.

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