Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

***
It's ages since I've read any Sophie Kinsella...I bought "Remember Me?" last Christmas but it's somewhere languishing at the bottom of my TBR pile. I did enjoy the first couple of shopaholic books, but thought the later ones were money for old rope and the film was horrendous...how could she let them do that?!! Unfortunately there were many aspects of this book that either annoyed me or I simply hated and that's why it ended with a pretty low star rating.
The main fault (and it is only my opinion) is that the main character Lara Lington is awful. She is whiny, self obsessed and develops no redeeming features as the book continues. She stalks a dead loss of an ex-boyfriend, has no friends in the book apart from a lying business partner, has weak parents who seem only to want to protect her from the horrors of her own making and a sister who hates her. Not a loveable person or someone you want to feel a connection with!! She has an "evil" corporate uncle who owns the Kinsella idea of a UK starbucks and it's his earlier actions that finally create part of the plot.
Anyway, at the funeral of Great-Aunt Sadie, who none of them have ever bothered to see during her 105 years, Sadie's ghost (who appears at her 1920's best) attaches herself to Lara and makes her find her missing and much loved necklace. Now as Lara is such a waste of space, I couldn't understand why Sadie bothered and this was my problem throughout. Sadie is amazing, and although she's initially annoying I grew to love her and Kinsella's description of her clothes, style, language and moods was brilliant. Sadie was the only reason that I read to the end as I truly didn't care what happened to anyone else.
The first two thirds of the book is pretty pointless and repetitive and smacked a bit of writing for a forthcoming film...there's too many "humorous" set pieces, like the breaking into the uncle's house, climbing up a mountain of gilt chairs...they're not funny, but seemed to be "quirky girl" romcom scenes. Ed, the love interest was dull and wasn't given the opportunity to develop. Lara got a fantastically happy ending complete with rich boyfriend, new super-successful business - but through no effort of her own. All Lara’s problems are of her own making and this really irritated me, even the big show down with her uncle was weak.
The back story of Sadie’s life was touching and the idea of Sadie visiting her own portrait was lovely. The ending is bittersweet and fitting but there was simply too much Lara in the way.
It seems ironic that Sadie is the only dead character when all three stars are awarded to her being an amazing life affirming character!

Moonshine by Christina Jones

***1/2
I'm afraid I've maybe set up some of my favourite authors for a bit of a fall...maybe, I have such high expectations but I sooo looked forward to this and was a bit disappointed. (Sorry!)  I love Christina Jones and although I have a couple of her older ones to still read, the "Fiddlesticks/ Hazy Hassocks" magical series have been fabulous...although I thought the last one "Happy Birthday" was less sparkling!  I particularly loved Heaven Sent with YaYa and the fireworks, so I genuinely am a huge fan but dare I say it, it's all becoming a bit too formulaic - unloved woman, gets crazy new job, finds magical recipe, recipe has unexpected results and leads to finding gorgeous man who loves her instantly!  It's all a bit over used now and sadly the characters are becoming less interesting along the way...Cynical, moi?!!  Well, although in this one it's magical wine it lacks the fizz and sparkle of previous books.
Cleo, our heroine has recently divorced and is now living in a trailer.  She gets a new job as Mimi's PA, a posh title fo general dogsbody, but quickly becomes indispensible.  She finds old wine recipes stashed away from one of the trailer's previous owners, "Mad Molly" and she decides to try them for the Harvest do at the big house!  One night she falls over the delectable Dylan (the most beautiful boy in the world - yuk! How patronising? Do we want our heroes to be boys?!) Dylan helps her make the wine which involves trips through fairy glens and Lover's Cascade.  Sadly it takes her too long to catch on that he's actually Mimi's son and Lord of the Manor in waiting.  Once she does find out there's a fair bit of sparring between them about class and money, which is too painful and unneccessary to go into but Dylan ends up being an all round good egg with a social conscience.
Elvi, her teenage friend falls in love with Dylans younger brother Zeb, but for such a clever girl has a putridly limited vocabularly!  Yes, I know it's supposed to demonstrate how teens speak, but when written down it's just dire!  Got fed up of the pre-watershed use of "chaffing" too...if you want them to swear, I think we're grown up enough to accept it!  The wine (along with the interchangable Blackberry Blush/ Bush - proof reading errors again!) creates interest at the Harvest do and allows the teenage love to thrive.
Cleo is ever so slightly dull, this is further evidenced in that her best friend is Doll who was totally unmemorable in the Mitzi story! Dylan might be gorgeous but he disappears for large sections and the attempted last minute save of demonstrating Dylan's good works didn't really ring true. Sadly the whole thing felt a bit tired, twee and lacked the sly humour of previous books.
An extra half star because I love her earlier stuff and this had potential, but needs a massive injection of new ideas!

What Happens in London by Julia Quinn

****1/2
Olivia Bevelstoke is beautiful, blonde and slightly bored with the whole London scene. Her best friend has married her brother and although she's happy for her it has left a bit of a hole in her social life. Olivia fills this gap by spying on her new neighbour, Harry Valentine, after she hears wild stories about him...did he really kill his fiancée? Harry is amused by her inept attempts to spy on him but becomes further involved in her life when asked to spy on a Russian Prince who is very interested in pursuing Olivia. He vows to keep her safe from the suspicious prince but that becomes increasingly difficult when he realises he is in deeper than he thought.
I gave it the extra half as I thought it was a better plot than the previous Miranda Cheever novel, but it's not up to the standard of the best of the Bridgerton books. However, Olivia, despite being sooo beautiful (and I do hate perfect heroines!) is a vivacious and fun character. I thought she was a bit weak in the Miranda Cheever story, but her wit and inability to think before speaking gave the story the usual Julia Quinn sparkle. Harry is slightly different to many of her usual heroes in that he has a proper job as a translator for the war office. He's clever and bookish and although he becomes a bit of an action man towards the end it isn't his main feature. The two of them hate each other on sight, but gradually the romance develops. Have to say at first this sudden change isn't convincing but as both characters are so likeable you do want them to get together. Strangely for Quinn the love scenes seemed fairly perfunctory - not her usual stuff!

The ending is silly and contrived and was far too painlessly resolved, particularly as Alexei was foul in the earlier part of the book but then had a personality transplant. Still I really wasn't bothered as it's just a delay until they get together.

Sebastian's recital of the dreadful Miss Butterworth novel was amusing and he's someone that I'm interested in finding more about in the future. A fluffy, humorous regency romp that's not particularly memorable and not a keeper, but was entertaining.

One Little Sin by Liz Carlyle

***
Sir Alasdair MacLachlan is a has a notorious reputation, but his life as a rake catches up with him when Esmee Hamilton appears on his doorstep in the middle of the night with her baby sister in tow.  Esmee has lost her home in Scotland and hopes to reunite her sister with her father before starting again, however, Alisdair has different ideas and offers to home both of them.
This is the first in a trilogy and was an enjoyable historical romance.  After reading lots of Julia Quinn novels, it did seem to take its self a bit too seriously at times but the romance between Alasdair and Esmee although not surprising was engaging and he is certainly an attractive hero!  The twist at the end was obvious, particularly after Lady Kirton's comments about her sister, but it at least makes a tidier, less scandalous ending for the couple and Sorcha.
The introduction with the gypsy fortelling the three men's future was a bit naff but sets the scene for the triology...and I will read them all as I do want to know what happens to them partiularly Quin who despite being in a large section of the story remains very mysterious, but his mother is a fantastically formidable lady!

Mr Darcy's Diary by Amanda Grange

***
It's reasonable with books like this to have a fair idea of what you're getting.  Yes, I'm in the middle of a "regency" period again, and thoroughly enjoying a wallow in a more polite world of empire line dresses and men in tight breeches! (Just humour me...I get over it and read other things eventually!)  Pride and Prejudice is one of my absolute all time favourites, (this was true before Colin Firth, but he just gave me further justification) and I have read several follow-ons, versions from different chracter's perspectives etc and they are a bit of a mixed bag from the good to the dire.  This is a pretty fair one and overall is okay.  It starts in the summer of Georgiana's trist with Wickham and then follows the original, although as it's Darcy's diary we get to see what he's up to during the huge middle section when he disappears from P&P.  My main grizzle is that it's meant to be a diary and although that has potential what it actually creates is the need for Darcy to write word for word large swathes of reported speech - not really what happens in a diary.  To add insult a lot of it is a straight lift from the original text!  This jars with me as a reader and also ruins the flow, but mainly I'm irritated that this process uses up the space that I wanted for Darcy's inner thoughts.  Okay, so he worries about Georgiana and shows an increasing dislike of Caroline - that's not a big surprise.  The description of his motives behind his poorly executed proposal are just pompous and there is lack of warmth in his affection for Elizabeth, beyond the "fine eyes" comment which is repeated too regularly. (As is "satirically")
However despite that, it did draw me in after a fairly unimpressive start and of course there's the happy ending.  Certainly not a keeper, but unlike some other P&P related books it didn't destroy the integrity of the original characters.

Pastures New by Julia Williams

*****
I've enjoyed a couple of books by Julia Williams, particularly "Last Christmas" which was totally indulgent over the holidays, so I decided to go back to an earlier one that somehow I'd missed.  A quick summary of the story - Amy and her young son Josh make the big move to Nevermorewell after the death of her husband and the increasingly pressurised relationship with her mother-in-law.  Amy settles into a more gentle life with her allotment, new friends and a career change.
Her developing feelings for local GP Ben manage to confuse both her and Josh, until the slow burn romance  is dramatically challenged by the reappearance of Ben's vampish ex Caroline.

Like her others I've enjoyed it's mainly down to the strong, likeable characters.  Amy deserves sympathy and although sometimes at a loss, is never pathetic.  Her confusion and delaying tactics are completely understandable.  Likewise Harry and Saffron provide a more practical, common sense foil to the emotional Amy. As a hero Ben is believable, again, his avoidance of uncomfortable situations was honest.  My only nagging doubt was the quick change in Amy's mother-in-law, maybe love does change everything...but I'm not totally convinced!
The setting is idyllic and although it could never make me love gardening or believe that having an allotment would improve my life, the rural village was an effective backdrop.  It's not a fast paced book but I really cared for the characters and overall it is a lovely, gentle, touching story.

The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever by Julia Quinn

****
As a ten year old it is clear that Miss Miranda Cheever is not destined to become a great beauty and unfortunately there's plenty of other children to make that perfectly clear.  At her best friend Olivia's eleventh birthday party Miranda Cheever decides she hates Fiona Bennett and falls in love with Olivia's older brother, Viscount Turner.  Nine years later Turner is a bitter widower and Miranda is about to have her first season in London.  Will he ever see her as anything other than a clever but naive girl?

I've read all of the Bridgerton series and am now starting to work my way through the others.  You know what you're getting with a Julia Quinn book, a jolly romp through the regency period with heroines who are a bit too independent and not too beautiful and heroes that have a problem with commiting to their "true love".  It's possibly a bit predictable but done with style and great humour.  This seemed "thinner" than the others I've read, mainly beacuse it lacks a sub-plot and has fewer minor characters to become interetsed in.  Best friend Olivia doesn't come across as particularly interesting, although there is scope for her to develop with her skill for saying the most tactless thing at inappropriate moments.  It'll be interesting how this goes with the next book "What Happens in London" which is based on Olivia's story.
However, Miranda is a likeable character and doesn't come across as too wet, despite her long unrequited love for Turner.  As a hero, Turner varies from disagreeable to quite sweet, although it's clear how badly he fared with his first wife Leticia, it's not really enough to explain why he can't admit he loves Miranda.  It is corny that she has to be close to death for him to realise, but again, it just about does enough in terms of story development and in keeping this female interested!  There's the usual twists and seductions to keep things moving along.  Overall, I enjoyed it - it's well done, but not her absolute best.