Goodbye Piccadilly by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles

***
Set in 1914, this is the first in a saga about the Hunters, a middle class family, living a tranquil life of afternoon teas and tennis parties in Northcote.  The idyll is shaken by the start of the war and the novel charts not only the wartime changes but the romantic aspirations of Diana, the Hunter’s beautiful daughter who has her eye on the son of Earl Wroughton.

I found it an interesting read, but I didn’t love it.  Historically, it seems accurate but that’s not enough as there’s a mass of books on the same theme and I’ve read several that were far more enjoyable. I didn’t really get involved in the story as I thought the characterisation was thin and one dimensional.  For a large part of the novel I was struggling to remember who was who, particularly as many of the female characters seemed pretty interchangeable.  This could be due to it being a series and part of the slow build, but I’m not sufficiently engaged to want to continue reading about these rather dull people.

Okay, but a bit disappointing.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for my review copy.

A Place for Us (Part 3) by Harriet Evans

***
After the shock of the events in the first two parts, this section is slower paced as characters have to deal with the aftermath.  The darker tone is developed further by the descriptions of David’s horrific childhood experiences in the war.  In a single novel it would probably have been less obvious, but on its own (and with a gap since I read part two) I found it a slightly less engaging read.  However, I do want to find out what happens to the Winters and am holding on for the final instalment.

Thank you to netgalley and Headline for my review copy.

The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness

***

I really wanted to read this book.  I loved A Discovery of Witches, it was brilliant.  I read it twice in a month and pushed my battered copy around friends wanting them to love it too. The second book Shadow of Night, didn't do it for me…it felt a bit “showy-offy” on how many historical characters can be crammed into Diana and Matthew’s timeline and the relationship part I really enjoyed previously seemed a bit lacking.  But second books are tough and there was a lot to set up to make the finale work, so I stuck with it and got really excited about The Book of Life.  

It was a long time coming, and when I first started reading I was overwhelmed by characters I’d completely forgotten…I had nooooo idea what was going on.  After a quick trip to wiki (highly recommended) I was back on track and I got more into it.  However, there are still so many characters that the opportunity to create greater depth and understanding of the really vital people was lost.  Gallowglass is an amazing character but even he got overshadowed at times.

There are a lot of things going on, but by the end I wondered what had actually happened.  Maybe that’s just me?!  Matthew and Diana become (don’t say it too loudly) boring and a lot of the book seems to be about them clocking up airmiles for reasons I don’t remember.  The bad guys we met in the first two books become side lined and the real villain comes from relative obscurity.   I didn't feel that the mystery of The Book of Life was actually properly explained and the way Diana’s appearance was changed/adapted through the novel was bizarre (and probably pretty unattractive).

I'm glad I've read the whole trilogy, but I am disappointed that for me, it didn't live up to the promise of the first book.

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for my review copy.

The Supreme Macaroni Company by Adriana Trigiani

***

I really enjoy Adriana Trigiani’s work and always look out for her books; “Lucia, Lucia” remains one of my all-time favourites.  This is the third part of the Valentine series and I really enjoyed the first, was a bit “meh” about the second and sadly, I feel the same about this one too.

On the plus side, I still enjoy the chaotic and over the top Roncalli family, they provide the light relief and humour that is much needed to get through some of this story.  They are truly fab and these sections are written with sheer brilliance!  However, Valentine is such a whinge…she marries the gorgeous Gianluca but doesn’t want anything to change she seems to be constantly fighting against married life for no purpose.  Lots of business issues take over, but not a lot seems to happen for two thirds of the book.  It also concerned me that the character of Gianluca fluctuates erratically between repressive, demanding husband and a paragon of virtue.

I also couldn’t see where the title came from until quite a way into the story and I still couldn’t really see the point, but Trigiani makes it all clear in the notes at the end of the novel.  (Umm…still not sure about that one.)

For me there are simply not enough gorgeous shoes, fashion and fun involved and far too many portents of impending doom.  I was touched by the events towards the end of the book, but Valentine had already lost my sympathy for me to really involved.   I wanted to read this to finish the series and see how it all finished, but I’m not sure it actually has ended as it has been left fairly open as to the choices Valentine can now make.

I know that this author is fantastic but this one didn’t do it for me, but I will stick with her and hope the next one is a five star.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for my review copy.

The Haunting by Alan Titchmarsh

***
I've quite enjoyed the few Alan Titchmarsh novels I've acquired (usually from my mum!) and thought his last, Folly was really rather good!  In hopes of something similar I tracked down a cheapish, second hand copy of this one and settled for a more subdued read, after the explicit contents of the Fifty Shades series!

Harry is a sadly disillusioned History teacher in his early forties, although he seems much older in his manner and lifestyle!  Still getting over his brief but disastrous marriage he's resigned from his job and decides to buy a quaint but neglected cottage by the river.  He is quickly enamoured by Alex, his new neighbour who lives alone with her daughter, Anne.  New love distracts him from his search for his ancestors but through his new home and an unexpected find from his best friend Rick, history finds him.  Running alongside and eventually coinciding with the modern story is the tale of Anne Flint, a fifteen year old housemaid with aspirations who finds excitement isn't all it's cracked up to be when her adventure quickly leads to tragedy.
It was pretty much as I expected - a gentle paced, easy read.  I enjoyed it, but felt there was a much "bigger" story to be made of the idea.  The whole "haunting" element was a bit of a red herring and the decline of his old headteacher is quickly forgotten; it all felt a bit rushed and skimmed over as if a more extended and in depth book had been hacked about.  Due to this, none of the characters were really memorable and I thought the modern day Anne had so much potential.  Shame really as I liked what was there but just wanted more.

Fifty Shades Trilogy

*** for the whole trilogy
So I gave into all the hype and was pressurised by Elaine at work and bought this series.  I've decided to do the whole trilogy in one post...mainly as I don't feel I have awful lot to say about them, so here goes!  Apologies to all who love the series, but this is only my opinion.

Fifty Shades of Grey
***

Firstly, I feel that I ought to make it clear that I am pretty unshockable, there is nothing in here that I hadn't already heard of, but it's just not my usual reading fare.  However, my work colleague (Elaine, you know who you are!!) had pushed it as a "love story with interesting add-ons".  She has talked endlessly about the series as it has now filled the gap left by Twilight (which she found very, very late!) and had her eyes opened very wide by having to visit the Ann Summer's website to find out what the items in Christian's playroom were for!  I decided to give it a go, partly to stop her nagging me and so I could contribute to her monologue of how wonderful Christian is!
To be blunt, this book irritated me, it was sooooooo repetitive and as it's a pretty chunky book, that's an awful lot of repetition to have to wade through!  It's written in an over simplistic way from Ana's overly naive view.  (How has that girl managed to survive life to this point?)  Constant biting lips, rolling eyes, descriptions of long, expert fingers and the whole inner goddess thing?!! Argh!  Ana is a woefully weak character, Christian (and yes, I get that he's damaged) has no redeeming features apart from being "gorgeous" and having his own helicopter.  As a minor aside, I also felt that Christian was too young considering the huge wealth he's amassed and the power imbalance in all his relationships, to me his whole demeanour (and not just his playroom antics) would have worked better with someone in their mid to late thirties. When I reflect, not a lot actually happens in this book and although I can't say I didn't find some of it enjoyable, I finished it finding the whole thing slightly distasteful.
As an example of how my view differed with Elaine:
Elaine said, "Ooh, when he did that with the tie and then wore it, I knew just how she must have felt!"
I said, "There's no way that tie would be fit to wear to a graduation ceremony after that, even with dry cleaning!"

Fifty Shades Darker
****
Elaine was horrified that I didn't love the first book and tried to convince me that the second was better and the third was "lovely".  As it was two books for £7, I threw them into the shopping trolley and gave up a large part of my weekend. Surprisingly, I am still talking to Elaine, but not for book recommendations!

I actually thought this one was a bit better, I even liked some bits of it (the masked ball), there was a more romantic feel and even some humour.  We finally get to find out the true extent of Christian's tortured past and how it's made him what he is and tries to explain his neediness and control, but what's Ana's excuse then?  What I don't like is the acceptance that his stalkerish and beyond obsessive behaviour is an aspect of his deep love for Ana...no, it's just scary and wrong, imo!  But what bothered me even more is the huge Ana fan club, why is every male in these books instantly attracted to her when she is so sappy and self-obsessed?

Fifty Shade Freed
***
I'm so glad they've changed this cover from a set of handcuffs to a key - I just couldn't take that cover seriously.
I just thought this was boring.  There are only some many ways a girl can be restrained and I'd had enough, I yawned or flicked through the sex scenes which became increasingly repetitive and dull...even Ana was desperate for a bit more variety by this time!  My main problem is that Ana is no more endearing and the whole "don't be angry/ mad at me" was disconcerting in what is supposed to have developed into a loving marriage.
Elaine got her happy ending and the epilogue was sweet, but the Fifty Shades pov section didn't add anything new.

So, to sum up - and I'm rolling my eyes at this point...I can't see how it's going to change your life (except my house is considerably less clean as I read all weekend rather than doing the housework) - although I believe it's worked for a lot of American mommies and made their husbands very happy!
Anyone who has followed my reviews, I am known for loving my "flawed" heroes!  I'm a complete Phantom of the Opera fan, so I get the whole idea of damaged personalities.  For heaven's sake I adore (as does my inner goddess) my brooding, obsessive heroes, but Fifty Shades just doesn't do it for me!  I'm no book snob and appreciate that there's lots of people out there lovin' it.
Well done to the author for tapping into the moment and making the most of the shrewd marketing, it's obviously doing something for a lot of women, but my inner goddess is looking elsewhere.

Nothing but Trouble by Rachel Gibson

***

I'm part of the Transworld Book Group! This book was read and reviewed as part of the Transworld Book Challenge.

Chelsea Ross is a struggling actress who agrees to become carer/assistant (with a $10,000 sweetener, to stick with the job for three months!) to the famous ice hockey player Mark Bressler.  Bressler was injured in a serious car accident, six months previously and despite being rich and gorgeous, has a reputation for being extremely difficult.  He has fired several previous carers and has no intention of letting Chelsea interfere with his life, he determines to be as difficult as possible to push her out.  However, Chelsea is no pushover, she's had to struggle as personal assistant to a tranche of D-listers to fund her limited acting opportunities in dodgy slasher flicks.  She's determined to get the cash and so the two of them clash with interesting results.

I've never read anything by Rachel Gibson before, although her books have occasionally cropped up on my Amazon recommendations - so with the Book Challenge it seemed a good opportunity to have a go!  As I started to read, I had a few reservations, firstly it's an American "chick-lit" and I have read some pretty dire examples in the past; secondly it's the fifth in the "Chinook" series and I can be pretty anal about having to read series in order (sad, but true!) and I was worried that characterisation would be affected by assuming some prior knowledge.  Finally, it's about an ice hockey team, which I know nothing about and have no desire to further my understanding!  Not a promising start, but thankfully, none of this really mattered, although it's clear that some of the characters and incidents have been covered in earlier books, it didn't affect the main plot and I never felt I'd missed anything important.  However, as a minor grumble, some of the US brand names and acronyms baffled me at times!

I can't be unfair and criticise this book - it does exactly what it says on the tin!  The two main characters, although both initially irritating do allow you to warm to them.  The supporting cast are fairly thinly written, but I forgave this as I assume some come through more strongly in the series when it becomes their turn to take the lead.  It's a quick, light, totally predictable chick-lit read.  It's very straightforward and there are no complicated situations or alternatives provided to create distractions from the two main characters.  It was never a case of "will they-won't they", right from the start it's simply a matter of when and where. Unfortunately, as I'm at least ten years older than the target audience and very well versed in this genre, I prefer a bit more before my happy ending.
I've given it 3 stars as it just didn't do much for me, but if it's your bag, you'll enjoy it it!

Lucky Break by Esther Freud

***

I really, really wanted to love this one...I'm going through another "theatrical" phase, had an amazing theatre fest during half term (will try put something about that on my other blog, at some point!) and wanted to wallow in total thesp-ville.  Unfortunately, although I liked it - I didn't love it.
But I did really like these things...
1. the cover!
2. it's beautifully written;
3. it starts off well and brought back vivid memories of the drama students I hung out with when I was at uni.  The whole arty, terribly self-conscious, clever-dickiness of them! Bless...but I can say that, as only a real friend would help them learn lines from Ibsen without the aid of alcohol!  It also reminded me that the tutors were even more pretentious than the students!
4. I liked the character of Nell and although I thought it pretty obvious that she'd probably be the "success" story, she was interesting and well developed.

So there's lots of things to like and I would certainly say to give it a go.  I've never read Esther Freud before, but will look at her other novels.  But overall, I just found the whole thing a bit unsatisfactory and superficial.  I was expecting more and I felt the ending was just too "fairy tale" in a book that at times was brutally honest about an actor's life.

Truth to Tell by Mavis Cheek

***
With her husband constantly harping on about the dishonesty of politicians, Nina Porter questions her own level of truthfulness in everyday life; why does put up with doing things she doesn't want to? How can she allow her best friend to remain oblivious to the faults in her odious lover?  Nina's decision to avoid the small lies we all tell to smooth life over leads to martial discord and an uncomfortable few days on her own when she refuses to accompany her husband on a business trip.
Is it possible to lead a totally truthful life? An unexpected trip to Venice offers temptations that will be difficult to own up to and friends and family fail to see the benefits of always telling the truth.
Over time I've read the odd Mavis Cheek book and have generally found them to be enjoyable.  I was a bit "meh" about this one, mainly because I couldn't see the point, or am I being stupid and that was the point?!!...we all know that we aren't truthful the whole time and usually it's to ease social wheels and avoid hurting others feelings.  Nina was neither likable or interesting and I didn't really warm to any of the other characters.  Even Venice didn't make the whole thing any more appealing.
It wasn't awful, just not for me.

The Italian Quarter by Domenica de Rosa

***
This book tells the story of the di Napoli family, the present story of Sophie and the historical background of her grandfather, Cesare.  Sophie is managing an ordinary life, she teaches English, looks after her cat and has an intermittent love life after her failed grand passion with Robertino in Rome.  All this changes when a journalist takes an interest in Cesare's war records and informs the family that he was a fascist and incited a riot whilst in prison.  Sophie realises that she doesn't truly know her grandfather or her family history and is keen to find out more.  She unravels a story of Naples and how her family moved to Clerkenwell and their drive to become successful.
This is Domenica de Rosa's first novel and I've already read her later books and enjoyed them.  There's many similarities in the warmth and affection shown towards her characters that I liked in this one.  Sophie's modern dilemmas were engaging and I preferred this to the rather large "lump" of wartime history that was thrown in.  Although interested I felt that it could have been woven through more carefully (which she has done far better in later novels).  Maybe my ignorance about Italian politics during WWII didn't help?!
For me the ending was a bit sudden and left to many open ends and although I did like many things about the book, overall I felt it needed tidying up a bit.  Three stars overall - but I do like this author.

Hester's Story by Adele Geras

***
Estelle Prevert escapes an unhappy childhood and becomes Hester Fielding, prima ballerina.  The story charts her career and the difficulties within her personal life through to her middle age when after retiring from performing she reinvents herself as the organiser of the Wychwood Ballet Festival where unexpected events force her to face her past.

Considering that one of my favourite books as a child was "Ballet Shoes", there were elements within this novel that I loved!  It was an indulgent holiday read and I devoured it in a day! Yes, it was predictable and full of stereotyped dancers, but the whole backstage, gossipy aspects made me feel twelve years old again!

The Mistress of Nothing by Kate Pullinger

***
This tells the story of Sally Naldrett, lady's maid to Lady Lucie Duff Gordon in the late nineteenth century. As a last resort to cure her mistress's consumption it is decided that Sally and Lady Duff Gordon will go to Egypt. Due to lack of money, the two women go alone. Egypt is a revelation to them both and although the move is initially shocking, the introduction of dragoman Omar allows them to settle and they "go native". They are less impressed with the ancient sites but enthusiastically embrace the Egyptian culture, its language and people; they encapsulate the move away from the restrictive expectations of the Frangi society but adopting traditional Egyptian dress.

Sally is loyal and proud to serve her mistress, but as time goes on and they settle in Luxor, they become further removed from their previous lives and the relationship changes. The household becomes more relaxed, Lady Duff Gordon becomes involves with local dignitaries and writes home about the unfair plight of the fellahin. Omar proves to be chameleon-like, with his quick ability to take on new roles within the household, including becoming Sally's first lover. On discovering their relationship, Lady Duff Gordon's retribution is terrible for Sally and made more painful by the continued support and affection she shows towards Omar. Sally struggles to cope with her rejection and seeks a new life whilst staying in her new adoptive land.

I hate to admit (being a total Egyptophile!) that I wasn't aware that this was based on real people and circumstances until I started reading the book...my only excuse is that I'm an Ancient Egypt fanatic!! Pullinger does a beautiful job of evoking Egypt in the 1860s and I really wanted to love the book, however, I felt a bit let down by it, mainly because I didn't really get deep enough into the characters to understand their motives.
The first section was probably the most enjoyable. Sally is full of enthusiasm and loyalty; the novelty of a new start in Egypt is engaging and the descriptions interesting. However, Sally isn't a strong personality and her passivity means that she is always on the sidelines, and in the second half of the book, many events are described to her by other minor characters. Once she starts her affair with Omar, my interest drifted off...mainly as I couldn't understand why he behaved the way he did...was it love? Manipulation? He was so thinly drawn it was difficult to see what he wanted to achieve. Why was he so obsessed with maintaining his position with Lady Duff Gordon at the expense of his own family and Sally? Was he simply weak and overawed by his mistress or was there a master plan?
I also couldn't reconcile Lady Duff Gordon's treatment of Sally when she was her only link to her family in England and showed such empathy in other situations. It didn't gel and there was insufficient detail to make it work.
So, overall, it had interesting points and I loved sections of it, but fell a bit flat for me.

Encore Valentine by Adriana Trigiani

***
After her grandma's marriage and move to Italy,Valentine Roncalli becomes joint owner of Angelini's Shoes with her brother, Alfred.  Although not a partnership made in heaven, the determination to expand the business takes her to Buenos Aires to meet a long lost division of the family.  Gianluca, her Italian leather tanner and part time love interest is on and off the scene, but her friends and families marriages are under strain too and will this affect the choices she makes?
I've read most of Adriana Trigiani's books and loved most of them..."Lucia, Lucia" is a particular favourite! This one is the follow up from Very Valentine, which I read about 18 months ago and really liked.  The world of couture shoe making was interesting and the typically Trigiani over the top family was great entertainment.  Unfortunately, this one didn't quite hot the spot and I was a bit disappointed.
Firstly, I don't remember Valentine being such a wet whinge in the first book!  I found her increasingly irritating, mainly due to the fact that she has everything going for her (business, supportive family and friends and gorgeous Italian bloke panting for her!) and yet she dithers around feeling unsure or just moaning.  As a slightly more mature chick-lit heroine (35 years old) I wanted her to get a grip!  The shoe aspect of the book is less important in this novel, but the whole Buenos Aires section seemed a bit of a red herring and didn't really lead anywhere - unless there's a further book planned??!  Gianluca is gorgeous, but totally two-dimensional by being too perfect; okay, I know I like my flawed heroes and so maybe he's not my type (novelly speaking), but he's a paragon of patience as well as being far too well dressed and charming!  Quite honestly I wouldn't have blamed him for going off with Carlotta the Mink lady.  The two redeeming characters are June and Gabriel and even they fall into chick-lit stereotyping at times.
So to sum up - it's okay, inoffense and a light read but Trigiani has done soooo much better and am a bit "meh!" about this one.

This Charming Man by Marian Keyes

***
Charming politican Paddy De Courcy is finally getting married.  This announcement throws several women into turmoil as Paddy isn't all he first appears.  The book charts the history of Lola, Grace, Marnie and Alicia's relationship with him and how he affected their lives.  All four women write from their divergent viewpoints.
Lola is a dippy stylist who thought she'd met the love of her life.  When she finds out about his forthcoming wedding to Alicia, she goes into meltdown and is convinced by her band of devoted friends to drop out and recover in a small cottage in a village filled with Irish stereotypes (a bit like the old TV show Ballykissangel).  Here she gets a fling with a surfer dude and has her Friday nights taken over by a bunch of cross-dressers.  As she grows used to life without Paddy she starts to remember what her relationship was really about and that love wasn't what kept her bound to him.
Grace is a journalist with an odd family, a beloved aging Auntie with cancer, a fantastic bloke and an alcoholic twin sister, Marnie.  Grace is frantically trying to keep all the balls in the air but a guilty secret is making it really difficult.  Marnie is a deluded drinker who had the perfect life but throws it away with her empty vodka bottles.  The sisters know Paddy from way back when he was Marnie's first love and he's proven to be an impossible act to follow.  Alicia is the lucky lady who's going to marry Paddy, but does she know what's she's letting herself in for?
I ought to say I have a good history with Marian Keyes, I relied on her earlier books as my major holiday reads and loved them.  However, in the past few years her novels seem to have become thicker and thicker and as I haven't had a pure beach holiday for such a long time, I have missed most of her later books and so got this from a friend to do a bit of a catch up!
Sadly, I didn't think this was great... (dare I say it?) it just seemed a bit boring, lacked humour and was way too long, it could have easily lost 300 pages.
I know Keyes can do the "darker" stuff, particularly addiction as some of her earlier stuff touched on, but alcoholism, depression, sex trafficking, domestic violence and the machinations of politicians aren't what I want in my chick lit.  She does cover the horrendous themes sensitively, but it just didn't sit right with the pretty, fluffy cover.
The Marnie sections were almost indulgent in their misery and I didn't care enough about her to wallow in all the gloom and self pity; Grace was almost as bad in that she inspired little empathy.  The only flashes of humour came from Lola and due to the other aspects of the book, the silly situations she finds herself in managed to feel a bit forced.  The abbreviated, text talk writing of Lola's sections were also annoying to read...yes, they were in character, but I'd have preferred it to be done differently.
I still think Marian Keyes is brilliant...she's a witty and clever lady, but this isn't (in my opinion) her best.

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake

***
Iris James is the new postmaster of Franklin; she spends her time watching the townspeople and keeping their secrets.  Emma Fitch is newly wed to the local doctor and moves to the Cape Cod town, she is desperate to find her niche and have someone to look after her.  Frankie Bard is a journalist, covering the war in London, reporting back to America via radio.  The war is far removed from the town, but it affects all three women.

This is a Richard and Judy book club choice and had great reviews...I'm a sucker for all that and liked the cover, so I gave it a go.  Unfortunately, I can't say I like it.  Yes, it's well written and there were parts when Frankie was in Europe that I found compelling, but overall I was underwhelmed and glad to get to the end.
I didn't really warm to any of the main characters.  Middle-aged Iris moves to Franklin, but there's no backstory to the move.  What is so important about her getting a certificate from the doctor? What makes the relationship with Harry work, because I couldn't see any point for either of them.  Harry's convenient demise when he finally finds what he's been looking for was really annoying and felt like a cop out.  Emma seems simply needy and I can't really blame her husband for disappearing to London, although he is a bit of a sap too.  Frankie is the strongest character, and her coverage of the plight of the Jews is fascinating, but I wasn't convinced by how it changed her.  The book slips over some potentially interesting questions, such as how did Frankie get out of Europe?
All the major characters are either watching or being watched, this made the book feel claustrophobic but also strangely removed.  The idea of keeping secrets and withholding information fitted well into the wartime setting, but I couldn't really see the point.  Emma had clearly worked out that for whatever reason her husband wasn't coming back and both Frankie and Iris deciding to avoid the issue seems fairly pointless.
The idea of being the story of the edges of the photo is threaded throughout the book and I felt that as a reader I was being kept at a distance, very much at the edge and the whole thing was rather superficial.  The love stories woven through just didn't touch me and so the losses were correspondingly less affecting.
I think it's best to sum it up as a "classic book club" choice as there is lots to discuss, but not necessarily enjoy.  Parts are beautifully crafted and there was evidently huge research behind it all, but I just didn't get it.

Mr Darcy Presents his Wife by Helen Halstead

***
A sequel to Pride and Prejudice which begins with Elizabeth and Darcy's wedding preparations. The title really says it all, as it charts the introduction of the new Mrs Darcy into London society and the continuation of events for the other main characters.
It begins with Lady Catherine de Bourgh writing to Lizzy to let her know how she refuses to acknowledge the marriage and will do all she can to make her presentation to the Ton as difficult as possible.  Darcy also receives a similar missive from another member family and so despite their love, they are in for a potentially difficult time. 
However, the charming Mrs Darcy manages to dazzle almost everyone with her wit and is quickly on friendly terms with the very best people in society.  This creates tension between her and Darcy for not only is she in great demand from people he doesn't necessarily approve of, she becomes the unwitting muse of a inappropriately devoted playwright.  The ongoing tensions within the marriage seem to bring out the flaws in Darcy that Lizzy initially despised. 
I found this an interesting read and felt that it was one of the better attempts to continue P&P, certainly in terms of not making it a "Mr Darcy constantly beds his new wife" book, which many of the sequels are.  I'm not being over critical of those sequels, I've read many and found them good fun, but this one at least tries to fit with morality of the original.
However, although I enjoyed it whilst reading it, on reflection, I'm not sure about where the story went.  I liked the continuation of the sister's stories, particularly Kitty, who always seemed overshadowed by Lydia and the self righteous Mary.  Kitty gets her chance (however briefly) to sparkle and become a more rounded character.  Sadly, Jane and Bingley are much reduced and less interesting and although Wickham gets his comeuppance, I thought Lydia got off far too lightly and deserved a messy and undignified end! (But I'm nasty like that!)  Mrs Bennet remains an embarrassing trial, but again is sadly diminished in creating cringing horror for her daughters.  Other new characters are introduced but I felt that there were too many to find any depth and not particularly useful in themeselves to add to the story except as being a way of making the basic plot work.
Now my real grumble, I actually started to find myself annoyed by Elizabeth at points.  She became too clever, witty and attractive for her own good and I found myself disliking how she almost has her head turned.  Although she retains her slightly cynical air, it was really irritating that everyone loved her and was completely unrealistic in terms of the closed shop that Regency era society was.  Darcy's reaction is to be jealous of her new friendships and to resort to his previous overly proud and withdrawn behaviour which is understandable but goes against how the events and growing understanding of each other in the original novel had changed them and made them better people.
Overall, it's an enjoyable, light read but I was disappointed in how some of my favourite characters develop.

One Day by David Nicholls

***
I truly expected to love this book. It’s had great reviews which is how I found it initially and I’m only a few years behind the main characters, Emma and Dexter, as they graduate in 1988 and that’s the year I went to Uni. So I prepared for a nostalgic trawl through my teens and twenties, being able to identify with the protagonists and indulge a bit.


One Day begins in Edinburgh in July 1988 in Emma’s student flat. It’s St. Swithin’s Day, they’ve just graduated and to Emma’s surprise she’s finally managed to bag the handsome Dexter Mayhew, her crush through Uni and they’ve spend a night kissing and talking about what the future will bring. Emma Morley, hopelessly naive and chasing every good cause wants to make the world a better place, whilst Dexter has no great aspirations other than to be rich. The book follows almost twenty years of St. Swithin’s days charting the pair’s relationship. Their careers, families, friends, successes and dismal failures; they go from an almost romance, to best friends, falling out and finally marriage.
It takes a while for Emma, normal northern lass with a double first class degree to find her niche, going from a co-op Theatre in Education with a beaten-up transit and selection of misfits, waitress in a tacky Mexican restaurant, to the inevitable English and Drama teaching in a tough comp and finally popular author. She holds a candle for Dexter throughout a couple of dubious non-stick relationships and never seems to find anything that matches his sparkle.
Dexter has the rich-kid gap year and then by default, as he’s good looking and can read an autocue ends up as a yoof TV presenter, all estuary English and “big up”. He loves the party life and himself a bit too much, but a reliance on these props makes his career stall. A new girlfriend, Sylvie, helps clean up his act, but a brief marriage and a daughter later, Sylvie moves onto Dexter’s old Uni friend Callum. Another minor breakdown and finally the time is right for Dexter and Emma to get together.

Sadly, and I really did want to love it, it just didn’t do it for me. For once I do think some of my discontent could have been down to listening to the unabridged version of the audiobook, instead of reading the text. The female narrator was fine through most of it, but the majority of the female voices were all over done as "super bright shouty" voices which was intensely jarring and made it difficult to distinguish between characters in some scenes.  It also seemed that the word “really” was massively overused in the dialogue which also got on my nerves, but maybe the narrator just over emphasised it?!  The northern accent used for Emma wasn’t great and at times made her sound dim, rather than from Leeds, but I managed to get over that.
However, despite those “audio” complaints, I stuck to the end,but I became increasingly annoyed and irritated. I just didn’t like either Emma or Dexter enough to care. Emma starts out as a bit of an idealistic but well-meaning character who drifts through life. I didn’t engage with her, but she was inoffensive. Dexter was a different matter. He’s useless, self-pitying, self-indulgent and completely self obsessed. There’s nothing to like about him and although he did improve a little, I didn't feel that he really grew as a character.  There were times during Dexter’s twenties and when handling new baby Jasmine, that I was cringing. It was so painfully awful (and not in a good way) I couldn’t see why Emma had stuck with such an absolute lowlife as this. The number of occasions when he treats her badly, blatantly lies to her and others (within her hearing) and she still gives up the potential of happiness with Jean-Pierre in Paris for him – why?!
There were sections, particularly the early twenties that I did smile at and I identified with the descriptions of post-student life; the scrotty flats, no furniture and cheap posters. The bands, clubbing and restaurants brought back life in my twenties before the endless round of weddings and the new obsession with babies. I completely agreed with Emma’s take on being a surrogate “auntie”. Despite these impressively real flashes, the overall effect still left me a bit underwhelmed and mildly depressed. There wasn’t enough sugar to make it bittersweet for my my tastes; although I’d sussed very early on that the only way the book could end after twenty years was to have an unhappy ending and unlike some other people I preferred the simplistic, non-dramatic way this was handled, the final stages of the book seemed to rush through a tumult of grief and so I was glad when the whole thing had finished.
It’s well written, and it’s brilliant idea to take one day to illustrate the changes over years, but I felt it was a bit too self consciously clever and I just didn't connect or empathise with Emma and Dexter, it just wasn’t for me.

Changless by Gail Carriger

***
Alexia has now married Lord Maccon and has become alpha female of the Woolsey Pack.  She has quickly adapted to pack life and her new role as muhjah to Queen Victoria.  However, her husband disappears and there's some sort of "weapon" that turns all the supernaturals back to human form and exorcises the ghosts.  Alexia is on the case with her entourage including friend Ivy, sister Felicity and the suspicious Madame Lefoux.  Her search to solve the mystery means a traipse up to the badly dressed backwater of Kingair Castle in Scotland and Maccon's previous pack. As the body count stacks up and her husband remains human they have to get to the bottom of it all.
I have to say I found this sequel disappointing, overall.  Although there are flashes of the wit from the previous book, particularly the name of Channing Channing of the Chesterfield Channings, Biffy and Lyall (although both only appear very briefly - which is a huge waste of brilliant characterisation), I got a tad bored by it all.  I think the main problem is that by marrying them off at the end of the first book, things moved on too quickly and the sparky relationship between the two was the most interesting part, which is lost as Maccon disappears for most of the first 200 pages and then is humanised!  That's the whole point of Connall, he's a WEREWOLF!!  The first book was great fun and sexy and that is sadly missing for me in this one.
Ivy remains silly, but instead of funny is slightly pathetic and Madame Lefoux is a stereotyped ambiguous spy/ally.  Okay, for fans of steampunk, there's a lot more content and fantasy mechanical creations with the Victorian version of a fax machine, an advanced parasol and the dirigibles, but I was fairly "meh" about all that and they really were vital to the plot.  As for the plot, I didn't really care what/ who the weapon was...and as for the cliffhanger ending...was it done to make us buy the next book even though this has missed the mark or simply to make us turn against Maccon?!  Is he really that stupid?  I will read the next in the series purely to see how it's all resolved and hope it gets back to the promise of Soulless with huge parts for Lyall and the amazing Biffy!

The Strangley Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber

***
Set in Victorian times, six teenagers are chosen to be "The Guard" and keep London safe from paranormal disturbances. 
Twenty years on, pale (and not particularly interesting) Percy Parker arrives at Athens Academy.  Although older than their usual students she has been recommended due to her amazing ability to learn languages.  Abandoned at a convent by her dying mother and left only a phoenix pendant to remember her by, Percy is also able to see and hear ghosts and has strange visions that she doesn't understand.  After suffering the contempt of the church for her "gifts" and compounded by her unusual looks Percy finds it difficult to be around people and so wanders through life swathed in fabric.
The Guard have all taken on day jobs with Rebecca Thompson the headmistress of Athens and Alexi Rychman a professor in the school.  Prophesy has told them that at some point they will find a seventh to join them and Alexi, the leader of the group, is convinced that this will be the return of their Goddess and his soul mate. 
Percy is immediately taken by the aloof and powerful professor Rychman, her failure to cope with his classes in mathematics leads to remedial tutorials which leads Alexi to question whether it is possible that Percy could be the seventh?
I thought this  bit of an odd one, to me it's could be retitled The strangely rather boring tale of Miss Percy Parker, as not a lot happens and I'm a bit underwhelmed by it all.  It's a reworking of the Persephone myth (guess what Percy is short for!) where she is tricked by Hades into the underworld and parted from her true love.  the book itself is a mix of mildly Gothic paranormal and twee romance, with lots of restrained desire and longing glances.  At first I suspected it was written for the teen audience but as all The Guard characters are mid to late thirties and regularly described as old and/or longing for their youth I doubt it, but when reading it with that audience in mind, I could forgive some of the more cringe worthy sections. (Okay, mini gripe here, and I know mid thirties were truly middle aged in Victorian times, but come on - they're hardly in their dotage!)
I have several reservations, firstly Percy is sooo dull.  She's a timid little creature with no self respect, she has victim written all over her and so that makes the transformation at the end even more unbelievable.  She hates her looks, spends all her time telling people that she is reviled despite the evidence in the book that most men seem to find her different but alluring because of it.  She shows no backbone and is pathetic when Alexi turns her away. 
Alexi is meant to be the stereotypical dark, brooding, magnetic hero and it sort of works but I can only stand "regal" and "noble" so many  times and both were overused to describe all aspects of his bearing throughout.  This insistent on withdrawing from any relationships due to the prophesy was also a bit trite...and made him come across as a bit of a sanctimonious, self righteous prig.  Not what you want in your romantic lead, really.  The chaste, restrained love affair did fit with the setting and atmosphere of the story, but was all a bit too agonised for my taste.
The rest of the guard were pretty forgettable and unimaginative, most suffering from unrequited love and i didn't care! I also sussed what Lucille was straight away without the heavy hints, and suspect the majority of readers would!  I found the descriptions of London at the time of the Ripper to be weak and not atmospheric, it was all a bit too pedestrian and missed a trick.
I bought this as it came up as an Amazon recommendation and didn't realise it was part of a series, I doubt I'll bother with the others as the characters didn't make sufficient impression on me to care what happens next.

The Shoe Queen by Anna Davis

***
Society beauty Genevieve parties every night with the bohemian artists of Montparnasse and longs to be taken seriously for her poetry. She has an amazingly rich and indulgent husband, a fabulous apartment and huge hole in her life which she fills with her extravagant shoe collection. When she sees a rival wearing the most amazing pair of shoes, Genevieve has to have a pair by the same designer.  However, Paolo Zachari, although renowned for his exquisite and eye-wateringly expensive shoes is more famous for his eccentric insistence on ruthlessly selecting his clients, Zachari's footwear is definitely exclusive!  Genevieve becomes obsessed with the shoes and their designer and begins an affair that makes her question her life and the circumstances that lead her to Paris.
I found this interesting, but strangely a strangely empty experience overall.  The detail of 1920's Paris, including the fashions and lifestyle of the debauched artistes is fascinating and Lulu of Montparnasse could fill another book by herself.  It's a blend of luxury and seediness, glamour and TB, a place where shallowness and self indulgence reign...and that's probably why it didn't completely take me over.  I found Genevieve, despite the revelations about her younger self to be an unsympathetic character, I really couldn't find anything to like about her and sadly, all the female characters were similarly hardened, self seeking and ultimately rather pathetic.  For me it was all a bit Moulin Rouge-ish (and yes, I know I'm about 25 years out with the setting) but without the humour!
It is beautifully and cleverly written and I appreciate the research involved to create the atmosphere, but was left feeling a bit disappointed.