Published by Penguin 2013, 423 pages, £3.85

3 stars

I’m at my parent’s house, spending some days away from the grinding city. Over the past two weeks I have read a few books; YA fantasy, regency romance, political criticism… all of them fairly intense. It was rainy and I wanted something light and cosy. So I went to my TBR shelf and picked up Billy and Me by Giovanna Fletcher (married to Tom from McFly- I know I couldn’t help plugging that in, even though it has nothing to do with her writing abilities, but for some reason it made me feel comforted. I am was a total McTween). Anyway, the book did deliver, but don’t expect too much. It was like a fluffy cupcake; sweet, airy, easily digested.

The story follows Sophie May, a regular nice and quiet gal working at a tea-room, in rural Kent.  She also has a tragic past that is revealed in flashbacks. Basically she has put her life on hold, is too scared to take risks and leave her vulnerable mum. Billy Buskin is a famous actor, who used to be a a teen heart-throb but is determined to make his career ‘serious’ now he’s all grown up. He is filming Pride and Prejudice (you’ve guessed it ding ding ding, he’s Mr.Darcy) and becomes a regular at ‘Tea-on-the-hill’.

Its love a first sight. Sophie gets swept up into his mad world of acting, which is full of mean managers and vindictive leading ladies. You really do feel for her when the insecurities, loneliness and paranoia starts to kick in. Then you become interested to see how the couple steer across some rocky problems.

There is something homely about Fletcher’s writing. I think it was probably the British references; Marks and Sparks, lemon drizzle, lippy, cardie… However, there were a lot of cliches that made me cringe, one example being a flamboyant gay character thrown in. Sophie and Billy’s relationship didn’t really feel real. There was no heat or tension developed between them. They were basically ‘going steady’ from day one ( I promise I wasn’t born in the 50s). Billy’s gorgeousness is constantly emphasised, but it wasn’t enough to make the reader fall in love with him. He was like a cute puppy, constantly cheerful and upbeat. There were some swoon moments, but not enough to get your pulse racing.

These lukewarm emotions invade most of the plot. Another sad crisis strikes Sophie at the end, but it just wasn’t sad enough and was something I saw coming.

xx

Published by Penguin Books, March 2015, 360 pages, £8.99

4 stars

What would it be like to run into a twenty-six year old William Shakespeare? Whether you have studied him for years or adore two lines from Romeo and Juliet, this book is suited for anyone curious about the man who owns the biggest share in English literary education. Its gorgeously detailed and rich in history. Chapin has it all down: dialect, food, architecture, politics, people, publications…

Its 1590, rural Lancashire, and I can practically smell the dry fields from the first paragraph. Katherine is a smart, no-nonsense and highly educated widow. At thirty-one she is content to just carry on her existence reading and helping family members. No one has been able to match her affinity with the written word. Until she meets Will; a new school master with rumours swarming about him. They say he’s just a glove-makers son. He’s also a player (actor), a writer and a keen philanderer. They say he’s married to a woman much older than him. He flits in and out between Stratford, London and other parts of the country entertaining and playing favours to potential patrons.

Katherine meets a rude, charming and handsome man she immediately recoils from. Chapin draws him up in a way that’s not lame and obvious. He’s definitely honey-tongued, witty..weird compared to the average 16th century man, everything you might imagine him to be. There are also neat and subtle references to plays which wink at you; three ‘witches’ that arrive on their way to imprisonment, a Twelfth Night festival, and Katherine herself as the untamed ‘Shrew’.

Their mutual passion for poetry draw Katherine and Will dangerously close. She becomes his writing partner for ‘Venus and Adonis’, which became a highly successful narrative poem. I would recommend reading it if you haven’t before. The playful contrasts and sumptuous eroticism of the piece appears woven in Katherine and Will’s relationship. I was enticed line by line.

Unfortunately, the heat that builds up between them slows down 60% through. You are offered distraction in the form of family and political dramas while Elizabeth I is undergoing a crack-down of Catholicism. Paranoia, suspicions and accusations are flying around in all directions and the family gets torn part as a result of them. And then, Will ends up a bit of an ass. He is a player of all sorts and at the end of the day a social climber. Chapin is not afraid to portray him negatively and exposes him simply as a manipulative user. Like Katherine, I was captivated and wooed, but ultimately to feel the heart-break  when the ink turns sour.

Published by Dial Books, Jan 2016, 394 pages, 3.85

3.5 stars

I had this on the back-burner for a while. It didn’t seem exciting enough, so I kept putting it off and nearly forgot about it. I was sifting through my kindle archive last week and thought I’d give it try. It turned out to be quite a nice read, especially if you’re in the mood for something light and summery.

Samantha Reed lives a ‘princess life’, in a nice house, never having to worry much about money or grades. But she doesn’t come across spoilt at all, just lonely. Her mother had developed a passion for politics, so is always off campaigning and rising up the levels. Her older sister, a more rebellious and outspoken character spends most of her time with her boyfriend. Samantha is careful, quiet and overall good-girl, but this is put to the test when her mother brings home a disturbing boyfriend/political adviser. Clay hurtles into their lives, transforming her mother into a polished Senator barbie, and spreading his controlling streak everywhere.

Despite her mother’s prejudice against them, Samantha also has a secret obsession with the family next door, which have a Weasley/ Cheaper by the Dozen style: big, loud, chaotic but warm and affectionate. Each child has their own unique way about them and the parents are loving and all-knowing. After years of spying on them from her room, she stumbles across the second eldest son, Jase Garrett. He’s the cute, animal-loving, car-fixing, totally boy-next-door figure. They hit it off immediately and their relationship starts to grow intense. And then something happens to make her choose between her mother and Jase.

The book starts off fairly engaging with lots of characters and conflicts, especially the Garrett siblings. Half-way through when things are going good with Samantha and Jase, it does stray towards the boring side. It’s only towards the end when the real dilemma happens. Even though the ending nicely resolves this sweet-fuzzy style, there are some things from the plot left forgotten.

 

 

Published 1972, by Avon. 512 pages, 3.99.

This was the first ever popular historical romance. It was an instant bestseller and completely changed the genre. It opened up the flood-gates to a whole new way of writing and publishing for women. Woodiwiss’s daring inclusion of explicit scenes rocked everybody’s boat, and the ripples are still in effect today. Like The Sheik, it was a fascinating read for this 21st century reader. But the book was truly awful.

Young, innocent and beautiful Heather, lives a Cinderella lifestyle with a cranky old aunt, who is irrationally jealous of her beauty. One day a dodgy uncle offers her a a chance to teach at a girl’s school and whisks her off to London. When they get there, its clear his intentions are far from paternal and he tries to rape her. She stabs him with a knife and runs off, only to fall into the clutches of a tall, dark handsome captain. He mistakes her for a prostitute and keeps her locked up in his cabin, whilst raping her.

At this point (which is only 30% through), I wondered if the story would get any better. There was just too much rape, weeping, and Captain Brandon’s eye-balls constantly glued to Heather’s body. But it didn’t really. Heather escapes (score..) and goes back to her aunt, only to find out that she is pregnant. Her aunt whisks her back to London to find the Captain so that he will marry her. An old friend of her late father, who is a judge and very kindly (where was he from the start of this misery tale?) helps. Heather and Brandon are married, but the latter’s not happy about it because he thinks she tricked him into it (I KNOW! God forbid he would think dragging women off the street and raping them is his own fault). So he takes her back to America where he’s from, whilst being mean to her throughout.

Thing is, he has unrealized love for her, so he’s not completely mean. The tender moments build up to a reconciliation at his estate, which is kind of swoony, but not enough to make-up for the rest of the book. The secret of her killing her uncle follows her to America, but she and Brandon manage to sort it out after some mysterious moments and fighting scenes.

So yes, I would only recommend this if you want a sociological insight into some 1970s erotica.

xxx

 

1921, about 200 pages, got it off Project Gutenberg.

I’ve been doing some research on popular romance novels and The Sheik was one of the first, published in 1921. It was a fascinating read but I would only recommend it if you, like me, are curious about the bygone world.

Diane Mayo is a boyish young woman. She was raised by an uncle who never wanted to be saddled with a child. So she adopted ‘masculine’ traits: not emotional or lovey-dovey. She liked travelling and being independent. On one of her travels, she gets kidnapped by a powerful Sheik who intends to imprison her as his mistress. He’s also a handsome, mysterious, strong figure of the desert, who is prone to moody fits.

She protests at first (obvs because she gets raped multiple times) but then ends up falling in love with him. She learns things about his past and family. He’s actually half Spanish and had a European education before being adopted by a Sheik (so that apparently makes him ‘OK’). His father was a horrible English lord, so that’s why he hates English people and wants to kidnap them..

The novel is wrong and uncomfortable. It’s racist, sexist, misogynist, rapist- a lot of ists. But its not really graphic in terms of sexual or violent scenes. It was easy to read and thrilling at times. I could see why this was popular and started off the sub-genre of Sheik romances. It even inspired its own silent movie, which many consider it classic, but I thought was a bit naff and even creepier.

Click here for Amazon link, Where Roses.. is easier to get as an ebook (£4.46), Kiss the Bride is only available in used paperback form (£0.24).

I found these two at a local car-boot sale! Before the amazing Meg Cabot (author of YA sensational Princess Diaries series) became famous, she wrote romances under the name Patricia. And they are sooo good! My favorite is Educating Caroline. I also have review of A Little Scandal and An Improper Proposal. They have all recently been re-printed in digital form, so the hard copies require some digging up on Amazon.

These two books are good-old regencies, which has as much bodice and frills you desire, as well as adventures in the Scottish highlands.  Where Roses.. was her first ever book so I was deeply keen. It felt so familiarly Meg Cabotish, that I was not disappointed. She has a way of story-telling that makes readers feel warm and comforted. There is a humor in how she presents her characters (main and secondary), that I find endearing and memorable.

Where Roses.. is about a loaded and selfish Lord Rawlings who has no desire to become head of his family’s estate. This would mean giving up on spending endless days partying with his mistress. So when he finds out that his recently deceased brother had a long-lost child, he jumps to the opportunity of restoring the rightful heir (all in the name of what is right). However, this child is living in the middle of nowhere in Scotland with an aunt who refuses to have anything to do with the aristocracy.

When he goes all the way to confront the ‘liberal spinster’ (radical haha), she turns out to be a beautiful young woman who rightly puts him in his place. The relationship is very electric, fast-paced and physical. Its a fun read- especially when Pegeen (I know such a cute name) relents to accompanying Lord Rawlings back to London, upending his debauched lifestyle with his mistress and friends. There are also secrets about Pegeen’s family that are later revealed.

3 stars

Kiss the Bride is about orphaned Emma, raised in London society by the charity of her relatives, but then runs off with an Earl to get married in a tiny village in Scotland (got to love those highlands). Stuart, who Emma admires for his desire to become a priest and help the needy, dies and leaves her penniless. His cousin, rich and haughty Earl of Denham, comes to visit her after hearing about the death. She hates him because he didn’t support her marriage, despite being like an older brother growing up.

James plans to the honorable thing and bring her back to London to stay with his mother. He is also secretly in love with her and always has been- so that makes things complicated. She is constantly pursued by men for marriage, because the situation of Stuart’s death has lead to a hefty inheritance. However, an incredibly sexist Judge has ruled she cannot get the money until she marries. So they have no choice but to marry! But James makes sure that this time she doesn’t get away, even if it means having to change his selfish lifestyle. This is helped by the way Emma finds herself uncontrollably drawn to him. I liked this better than Where Roses.., because even though it was just as physical, it was more wooey.

3.5 stars

xx

 

May has been a busy month. I pulled the plug and left work for various practical reasons (I assure you), but essentially it was so I can be a writer. Here, I think its apt to pronounce ‘writer’ with a US twang so it sounds like ‘riderr’. But anyway, I am going to focus on shaping this blog up and give freelance a whirl. It’s only with time to practice that I can become good enough to play with the big boys right?

I also read some books that didn’t fit in with my reviews. It’s only when I started blogging that I have become obsessed with my TBR (to be read) list and feel guilty  when I read something that’s been published ages ago and will put me behind with the trend. Which is silly- reading should only be pure enjoyment. I read and enjoyed To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, both of which you can find on my Goodreads.

Here is a round up of other books I read in May:

His Wicked Wish by Olivia Drake 

Published by SMP Romance, 31st May 2016.

2.5 stars

I read Bella and the Beast a few months ago and really enjoyed the mysterious Egyptian secrets plot and the hot characters. I felt like there was something different going on there. Romances can really fall into a plot-loop. The main appeal of them is the predictability- the reader loves feeling safe and fuzzy knowing what’s going to happen. It’s when we have the great characters and the plot-twists, the magic happens. But if you don’t, they end up reading all the same, the same conversations and dramas.

I felt like this happened with His Wicked Wish. The first half got me interested. Maddy Swan is an actress at Covent Garden who wants to open a shop. She decides that her best option is to become a mistress to one of the noble-men who are always lingering around the theater. But then Nathan Gilmore enters the fray and straight-up asks for her hand in marriage with the sole purpose of embarrassing his cruel father, an Earl, by bringing home an actress (gasp!). Maddy plays along, despite her dislike for the devilish rogue, because in fact her mother was the daughter of a duke, shunned when she married an actor- her father. So she would rise up society enough to confront her grandfather (gasp!) as well as have enough money for the shop. This build-up was fun because of course the two are attracted to each other.

But the second half of the book falls into the usual misunderstanding and stubborn behavior when the couple won’t admit their actual love. The result were paragraphs of frustrated conversations and solitary brooding. There are jealous brawls, a pregnancy, a kidnap and an overdue familial reunion, until the happy ending. This book also has many things I’ve encountered before: a cute younger sister, a knowing older maid, and a rapacious villain. I just yearned for something extra.

Many thanks to SMP for my review copy.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer #1 Lunar Chronicles

Published by Penguin UK, Jan 2013.

5 stars

I got three books from the Lunar Chronicles last year during my publishing intern days. They remained on the shelf because I thought they might be too young for me.  I was wary it was another fantasy/dystopia saga that could get boring.. The Selection (3-4th book, just no) and Talon (book 3, such a shame, I kept falling asleep).

But the book was light-weight enough to take on a trip to Berlin and it was cropping up on IG all the time, so I thought I’d try it.

It knocked me out. I loved every page.

I don’t know what else to say to persuade you to read it, other than ‘read it’!

Cinder is the grimy-faced young teen, working endlessly as a mechanic for her abusive step-mother in New Beijing after the 4th world war- so we get a whole lot of new gizmos like Android bots (like in the movie iRobot with Will Smith), portscreens (advanced iphones), and cyborgs. And Cinder is an adopted cyborg, discriminated as a second class citizen because cyborgs are not considered human. Meanwhile an incurable disease is wiping out earth, and the evil Queen Levanna of the moon people (called lunars) threatens to take-over. (As a former Sailor-moon addict, I loved the references to it). When Cinder agrees to help the handsome Prince Kai fix an android, she get involved in all of the above. Secrets from her past are de-canned and out pops a whole new life she was clueless to. The author has created an exiting world and adventure with amazing characters you are instantly friends with.

If you’re worried about another fairy-tale adaptation being cheesy, boring, cliche- don’t be. Where some bits were obvious, it still keeps it fresh. I am currently reading the sequel- Scarlett, where Meyer slips in another well-known yarn to continue Cinder’s story. We meet a young girl from France who is trying to find her missing grandmother and the only one who can help her is a strange but attractive street-fighter called Wolf. 200 pages in, its SOOO good… and I hear it gets better.

The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L.Armentrout

Published by Mira UK/ Harlequin teen, May 2016.

4 stars

This was my first time reading this author- but heard wondrous things and was not disappointed. I loved it! Compared to my recent YA reads- not quite as good as Cinder or more appropriately Walk the Edge as that’s a contemporary.

I found the premise very engaging. Armentrout shines a spotlight on child neglect, abuse and post-traumatic syndrome. Mallory had been a foster-child to cruel carers. She finds it hard to talk because she learnt that keeping quiet meant less harm her way. The only way she got through it was because of Rider- another foster-child. He protected and cheered her up when things turned nasty. But an accident forced the two of them to be separated for 4 years.

Even when Mallory found loving adoptive parents, and had a few years of therapy and home-schooling, she finds it tough saying one word to a stranger. When she decides to take the plunge and enter high school everything becomes too overwhelming- least of all Rider happens to be there as well. Its been 4 years- is he still the caring friend he once was? Had he too found a loving home and a way to forget the past? It doesn’t help that he is also super hot and dating the prettiest girl there.

Its a beautiful story, if not for some mushy paragraphs, that went on longer than necessary.

Girls will be Girls: Dressing Up, Playing Parts and Daring to Act Differently by Emer O’Toole

Published by Orion, Feb 2015.

3.5 stars

Dr. O’Toole claims that gender roles are just that- roles. Before you say hold up, Shakespeare’s Jaques already banged on about that, O’Toole goes into the grits with what happens at the very moment boys and girls are brought into the world and taught to be different. She analyses the struggle between agency (your choice) and structure (society).

This part memoir, part case study is witty with plenty of revealing anecdotes that is in the same vein as How to be a Woman (Caitlin Moran), but less rude and more academic. It did get a bit waffling and joke heavy at times. We also learn a lot of Irish vernacular…

One interesting case goes like this: A boy had lost his father. A few years later when he was in a car accident, he was brought to a hospital where the surgeon exclaimed: ‘I can’t operate on him- he’s my son’. Who is the surgeon?

Apparently, hardly anyone ever says that the surgeon is the mother- most talked about adoptive and return from the dead fathers- including me. There lies O’Toole’s evidence.

What can we do to play around with social construct and essentially drop the act?- dress up as a woman/man once in a while. O’Toole once dressed up as a man on Halloween and felt strangely comfortable and empowered. If you’re a woman- stop shaving. O’Toole has stopped shaving and got a lot of hate for it when she went public. Apparently shaving wasn’t really pushed before WW2, only until Gillette introduced a woman’s shaver, its become the norm. A prefect example of structure vs agency.