Saving Grace by Jane Green

****
On the surface Grace has the perfect life; as beautiful wife of celebrated author Ted, benefactor of important charities, with rich and influential friends and a regular on the New York social scene.  But beneath this veneer, Grace has a troubled past, a demanding and difficult husband whose fame is on the wane and although Grace gives the impression of being in control, her home life is in a mess after Ted’s assistant leaves to care for her ailing mother.  Into this chaos steps the dowdy Beth who can not only tidy up their life, she’ll take Grace’s life over completely and push her out of her marriage.
Can Grace get her life back?  Does she want to?

It’s an interesting idea, but at first I found the story a little slow, the addition of the recipes at the end of the chapters didn’t help as they were an unnecessary distraction.

Beth is so conniving at times it made me cringe - I was begging Grace to realise and take control.  Although it was completely plausible that Grace’s personal experience of mental health issues had such an impact on her own behaviour I was frustrated that she was so easily taken in.  The book becomes more interesting as Grace finds her own way through her personal hell and by the end I was cheering for her to get a happy ending.

I’ve not read any Jane Green novels recently and only remember her early Jemina J stuff, she’s obviously moved on a long way and I shall look out for more.  A thought provoking, unnerving and at times uncomfortable read.  Well worth a look.

Thank you to netgalley and Pan Macmillan for my review copy.

It Must Have Been the Mistletoe by Judy Astley

****
It felt a little bizarre reading a Christmas book just as the new school year was starting, particularly as I have a self-imposed rule of not buying or reading Christmas themed books until December.  However, this was for review and so rules are made to be broken!

Anna and Mike have decided that after many years together it’s time to formalise their amicable split, but before they go their separate ways they arrange a last big family Christmas in a rented house in Cornwall.  Their idea is that it will convince their children that they are doing the right thing. Thea and her siblings, Jimi and Emily aren't convinced about their decision but go along with the plans.  

A big family get-together brings on all the usual rivalries, spats and misunderstandings.  Throw in a couple of unwanted guests, unexpectedly heavy snowfall and a gorgeous surfer landlord and the scene is set for an eventful Christmas where primary school teacher  Thea, still recovering from her split with the self-centred Rich manages to get her life back on track.

It’s easy reading and a little predictable, but the way the characters bounce off each other, particularly the irrepressible Charlotte, makes it very entertaining.  I've not read any Judy Astley for a while, but I will have another look at ones I've missed.  This was written with a light touch and is a definite Christmas feel-good read.

Thank you to netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld 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 Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion

****

Firstly, I must say I loved The Rosie Project; where Don Tillman, socially inept but brilliant geneticist, set himself the challenge of finding an appropriate wife.  However, I had this as an audiobook and the narrator did a fantastic job and I'm not quite sure whether I would have liked this one a little more if I’d listened to it rather than read it.

In this second novel we find Don and his wife Rosie, newly relocated from Australia to New York and Rosie is expecting a Bud (baby in development).  Understandably, Don struggles with his feelings towards this huge event and there follows a sequence of events demonstrating Don’s unique take on life that become increasingly bizarre.  Some are funny but others missed the mark for me.
What I found a little sad was that Rosie seems to lose all her understanding of Don’s differences and I lost sympathy with her very early on.  Don is complete star, he tries so hard to do the right thing and I'm glad that there is a group of committed friends that become “Team Don”, even the obnoxious Gene becomes more likeable.  Through these friends Don becomes a more rounded and complete character (minus Rosie) whilst keeping his endearing quirks in a way that is both believable and readable.

Overall, I didn't love it, which was disappointing, but it is worth a read and Don remains a unique and engaging character who you really want to win through.


Thank you to Netgalley and the Penguin UK for my advance review copy.

A Place For Us (Part 2) by Harriet Evans

****

I'm not a great one for serialisations, mainly because I'm not too good at holding onto characters and plots once I've finished a book, but I really enjoyed Part 1 and was desperate to see where it was all going.  Well, it's more of the same really and again, I'm left hanging until the next instalment becomes available in a few weeks.

Without giving any spoilers, one huge family secret is revealed, Daisy's true character is shown in much more detail and further cracks are starting to appear.  I'm sure there's much more to come as the perfect family becomes unravelled.  My only question is how have they managed to keep it all under wraps for so long?

It remains a gripping read and I enjoy family sagas.

Thank you to Netgalley and Headline for my review copy.

One Night in Italy by Lucy Diamond

*****

A light and entertaining read that I loved.  Going by the title you’d expect gorgeous descriptions of beautiful Italian cities, but no…it’s set in Sheffield, which makes it a definite winner for me!

All the characters are linked by an Italian for Beginner’s night school class which they join for various personal reasons.  Sophie is the teacher, who has reluctantly returned to Sheffield after years of travelling, due to her father’s sudden illness.  Anna, a journalist at the local paper discovers that she has an Italian heritage and this inspires her to learn more about the food and culture. Terribly nice but rather downtrodden Catherine is suffering from empty- nest syndrome as her children go to University and her husband leaves her.  These three women and the supporting cast of the eclectic remaining members of the class quickly become firm friends and provide encouragement and practical help as they find their way through their problems.

It’s well written, humorous and rattles along at a pace and has the good feel factor.  It also mentions many beloved places in my home town which made it a great read.  Highly recommended and one for fans of Milly Johnson.

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.