Novelicious - The Female Fiction and Chick Lit Blog

Review - The Apothecary's Daughter by Charlotte Betts

REVIEWED BY DEBS CARR        

It’s 1665 and Susannah Leyton quietly works behind the scenes in her father’s apothecary shop in Fleet Street. She would love to be a recognized apothecary like her father, but the idea of a woman doing something so outrageous makes this dream an impossibility. Susannah likes nothing better than trying out new concoctions from the vast array of ingredients her father stores in his shop. Her mother died tragically years before giving birth to Susannah’s brother and since witnessing that horror, she’s always insisted that she doesn’t wish to marry, but is happy spending the rest of her life working with her father.

One day, Dr William Ambrose, a serious, unsmiling man, comes into the shop and asks to speak to her father. Susannah explains that he’s out and when Dr Ambrose tells her he urgently requires a potion for one of his patients, she offers to make it. He is not impressed with the notion and Susannah can’t help feeling insulted by his abrupt reaction. 

 Susannah’s orderly life is changes beyond recognition when her father falls in love with a young widow and marries her. Abigail and Susannah soon fall out when Abigail starts ordering Susannah around and expecting her to look after her three young stepsiblings. The two women become increasingly antagonistic towards each other, upsetting Susannah’s father, who, much to her distress, takes the side of his spoilt, lazy, bride.

Review - The Fall by Claire McGowan

REVIEWED BY DEBS CARR   

Charlotte arrives home to the minimalist, tastefully decorated Belsize apartment she shares with her handsome, banker fiancé, Dan. She might look immaculate with her shiny, blonde hair and perfectly manicured nails, but she’s stressed out from phone calls about her wedding the following week. The last thing she needs to do is go out that night, but when Dan tells her there’s problems at the bank and suggests going out to a Jamaican club in Kingston Town for some fun, she reluctantly agrees.

Dan offers Charlotte cocaine and for the first time in her life she accepts it. Their evening doesn't go well and Dan angrily confronts the owner, Anthony, when he laughs at him and tells him that Dan’s business card has been cancelled and he has to pay for his drinks. 

Keisha Collins has a very different life to the one Charlotte enjoys. She lives in a run-down, rented flat with her temperamental boyfriend, Chris Deans. Chris is her daughter, Ruby’s, father and also the reason the little girl has been taken from Keisha. She wants her daughter back, but has loved Chris since she first saw him at school when she was twelve and can't imagine her life without him in it. Thankfully, Ruby is being looked after by her mum, Mercy, so Keisha can visit her and knows she’s well loved and properly cared for.

Novelicious Chats To...Ali Harris

INTERVIEWED BY CESCA MARTIN

Tell us about your novel 'Miracle on Regent Street'.

Well, I like to think it’s a real cuddle-up-with-a-cashmere-blanket-and-a-hot chocolate kind of a read, the kind of book that will remind you of classic old movies and bygone days when Christmas was about magic, not money. It’s a story about a sweet, unassuming stockroom girl called Evie Taylor who works in the basement of Hardy's; a faded, forgotten old department store that has seen better days. For the past two years she's lived an invisible life in London, sorting endless boxes of old-fashioned stock by day and looking after her sister’s two young children at night. Her neighbours think she's the hired help, her self-obsessed shop floor colleagues mistake her for her stockroom predecessor and even her manager doesn't know her actual name. But despite all this she loves working at the store. So when she overhears that Hardy's is at risk of being sold unless it seriously increases its profits by December 26^th – just three weeks time - she hatches a secret plan to save it. Evie and Hardy's are both looking for a Christmas miracle to turn their fortunes around, but will it take the shape of the handsome American who has swept in to town and shaken things up like a snow globe?

Was this your first novel?

Ohhho no! I have three completed manuscripts (and a couple of abandoned attempts) lurking in a box somewhere. Although my first attempt (a book called Strawberries and Dreams which I wrote in 1999!) is lost forever on an ex boyfriend’s probably no longer functioning PC. Better off that way, to be honest!

How many years have you been writing?

I’ve written stories since I was little – but I’ve been seriously dreaming of it as a career since I was 22 (aka a long time ago!) I had just left University after studying a degree in Performing Arts and was working as a waitress in a theme restaurant. The chick lit genre had just been born and reading Bridget Jones was a real light bulb moment for me. I began writing my own novel during the day (about a frustrated waitress, of course!) I read every book in the genre, bought the Writer’s and Artists Year Book, studied every acknowledgment page to see who my favourite authors were represented by and bought every book about writing fiction I could. When I’d written three chapters of my novel I sent it to ten agents. I got rejected by nine but when I hadn’t heard from the tenth I decided to take the initiative and ring them. I somehow (don’t ask me how) managed to get through to one of the biggest, most successful literary agents in London and he told me he had my manuscript in front of him and that he thought it had ‘something’ but that he had been about to send me a rejection letter. I begged him to read more and incredibly, he agreed. I went home and wrote four chapters in as many days and sent it to him. When his rejection letter eventually came through I was devastated. At that point I decided that I just wanted to write for a living – so I decided to apply for work experience at some of my favourite women’s magazines. I wasn’t giving up – just taking a sideways step. I wanted to learn skills that I could transfer to writing fiction but in an exciting, stimulating environment. It was the best decision I ever made. After a year of unpaid work, I got my dream job at Company magazine. I spent the next three years writing features – including my own column, working with incredible people, meeting celebrities – and the best part? I got to meet my favourite authors and grill them about how to get a book deal. I was still writing fiction, but in my spare time. I even sent a manuscript off to a couple of publishers –at one point I had lunch with an editor from Harper Collins which I was so excited about, but nothing ever came of it. I was getting closer, but not close enough!

Review - The Generation Game by Sophie Duffy

REVIEWED BY DEBS CARR

Phillipa Smith has had an unusual and sometimes tragic childhood and the book begins with her having just given birth to her daughter. She's in her forties, her husband loves Someone Else and she has no home. She want to tell her daughter everything about her life, believing that there shouldn't be any secrets, but isn't sure where to start.

She decides to start at the beginning with Helena (her mother) hurriedly leaving the private hospital where she's just given birth. Helena is very attractive and also has no husband, and in 1965 that can make life rather difficult. She bundles Phillipa up in her Harrods bag and leaves London for a new start in Torquay.

The book is written in the first person and from Phillipa's point of view. She's an overfed baby, who grows into a tubby friendless infant until she meets Lucas, who soon becomes her best friend. Together they discover the wonders of life in Torquay and the mysteries of the cemetary next door. As the years pass life is cruel to Phillipa, not only does her friend die, but Helena abandons her, leaving her to live above the sweetshop with its owner, Bob. 

It's hard to review this book without giving too much away. I don't want to make it sound miserable, because it's also very funny. It's clever too and reminded me of so many things I used to play when I was small.

Review - The Legacy by Katherine Webb

REVIEWED BY DEBS CARR     

This book follows two timelines. In the present, the sisters, Erica and Beth Calcott return to the house their harsh grandmother has left them in her Will. It's the place where they spent their childhood summers, where they secretly spent time with Dinny, a traveller, and their unpleasant cousin Henry. It's also a place where a tragedy happened that changed the course of their lives.

In 1902, we begin to follow Caroline's story. Caroline's parents are dead and she lives with her haughty aunt in New York high society. She falls in love and quickly marries Corin, a farmer who takes her to live miles from the nearest neighbour in a house where she is expected to cook and clean and mix with people she could never have imagined meeting before her marriage. They are in love, but life doesn't go quite according to Caroline's expectations.

In order for Erica and Beth to keep the house they've inherited, their grandmother has stipulated that both women have to make it their home and live there. Erica isn't frightened about the mystery behind Henry, but she is younger than Beth and can't remember everything that happened on that fateful day. Beth's whole life is marred by her past and she only goes to the house to sort out her grandmother's belongings because Erica has pressured her to do so.

Review - The Darling Strumpet by Gillian Bagwell

REVIEWED BY CESCA MARTIN  

This is a debut novel by Gillian Bagwell and the sumptuous cover, very Phillipa Gregory-esqe, is an instant draw for any fan of the genre.  The book is essentially a detailed account of the life of Nell Gwyn, famously known by many as the lively mistress of King Charles II.  It charts her journey from a waif and stray selling oysters on the streets of London to a much-loved actress and finally to the King’s bed.  Nell is always at the centre of the action, and the pawn in many a rich man’s game.   

The colourful world of 17^th Century England is drawn in fantastic detail.  The sights, smells and bustle of the city are brilliantly portrayed.  The shocking poverty will definitely have you reaching for your smelling salts.  It’s a fascinating period for London and the novel includes the terrible accounts of the plague and the Great Fire of London in a world where death was always close and there was no such thing as buildings insurance.  You could be up one minute and down the next and no one knew this better than Nell.

Review - What Women Want by Fanny Blake

 
This book is about three middle-aged friends and starts with Bea, who, tired of being single for so long, has signed up with a dating agency and is on her way to a lunch date. She works in publishing and is having to deal with a new boss and many cut-throat changes going on all around her. She's forced to make decisions about her staff that she'd rather not have to , but in order to keep on the right side of her new boss, doesn't really have too much choice. Bea's divorced and lives with her teenage son, who is suffering from all the teenage angst you'd expect from someone whose father has left to start a new life with a much younger wife and baby daughters.

Novelicious Chats To...Lotte Daley

Lotte's debut novel FAKING IT is out now (review coming soon!)

 
1. Can you tell us a little about your average writing day?

When I was writing FAKING IT I was lucky enough to be living at home with my parents and my little sister plus a menagerie of animals in a beautiful converted Bakery house in the countryside. It was absolutely idyllic - I didn't realise at the time how lucky I had it! I'm afraid to say I slacked off a lot, did a heck of a lot of procrastinating, honestly, folding my pants and colour co-ordinating my socks would have thrilled me more, which is weird when you think how much you long to be a writer. I had images of me swanning around in half moon glasses being all posh and literary like but in all seriousness, it was kinda like this: rise at 9am, live in pajamas, hair always a mess, live on coffee, smoked like a chimney, felt like a social recluse, make cups of tea, eat biscuits, read the news, 'my working day begins at 10!' I would proclaim to myself so I didn't feel so guilty, it then shuffled to 11am which means I spent a tonne of guilt free time on Facebook faffing around, waffling on Gmail chat to my friends, reading the news, another coffee, whups its lunch time, how did that happen? Then I'd get a burst of creativity at an inappropriate moment and write sometimes for up to thirteen hours in one fell swoop, eyes like saucers high on black coffee muttering to myself about characters, scenes, ideas written down on the back of my hand if I was watching Eastenders or on beermats on the rare occassions I went out, in the case of my thirteen to fifteen hour writing benders, I got RSI and three numb fingers, had to have a fortnight off wearing a ridiculously unattractive hand strap! I didn't have set times, although I tried. I kind of just went with the flow. But I only had  three months to deliver 100 thousand words. Good words too!!

2. When you are writing, do you use any celebrities or people you know as inspiration?

When I wrote FAKING IT I thought about Paris Hilton, models in Vogue, myself (hahah I MIGHT be famous you never know!) hot men (what's new) and in general the celebrity culture. Of course I draw upon experiences - I'm blessed with the most fantastic friends who inspire me so much, they make me laugh and the amount of quotes I have from them for future books is just amazing. Also, I was cursed with a few bad boy relationships that have turned out to be a blessing as I can then use those painful experiences into the boyfriends I create for my characters.

3. What is your favourite Women’s Fiction book of all time and why?

'The Other Side of the Story' by Marianne Keyes. I adore Marianne Keyes, but this particular book I was reading over the Easter break when I was about to sign with my agent - it was so exciting as I was reading all about the characters signing up with agents and getting massive book deals. Although it did kinda disappoint me when I wasn't offered a six figure sum!

Review - The Hating Game by Talli Roland

REVIEWED BY DEBS CARR

The Hating Game by Talli Roland

 When Mattie Johns agrees to star on a dating game show to save her ailing recruitment business, she's confident she'll sail through to the end without letting down the perma-guard she's perfected from years of her love 'em and leave 'em dating strategy. After all, what can go wrong with dating a few losers and hanging out long enough to pick up a juicy £200,000 prize? Plenty, Mattie discovers, when it's revealed that the contestants are four of her very unhappy exes.

Can Mattie confront her past to get the prize money she so desperately needs, or will her exes finally wreak their long-awaited revenge? And what about the ambitious TV producer whose career depends on stopping her from making it to the end?

 Mattie Johns is a tough, no nonsense businesswoman. She’s also in dire financial straits. Kyle, her ex, has not only cheated on her with the one woman she hates, he also took so many of her clients when he left that she’s now having to find ways to keep the bailiffs from the door. When she’s offered the chance to make £200,000 by appearing on a new reality tv programme, she jumps at the chance. After all, Mattie thinks, how bad can it really be?

 Mattie is given a makeover from hell and soon learns that the programme she was expecting to take part in happens to be far worse than she could ever imagine. With the producer of the show determined to impress Silver Hatchett, the ruthless managing director of the media production company, Mattie has to use all her guile to remain focused on the money she needs so desperately to save her business from going under.

 The Hating Game brings Mattie up against four former boyfriends, each with their own agenda for coming onto the show. Her worst nightmare is for Kyle to be one of them. She’s sure she never wants to see him again, but that turns out to be the least of her worries. Mattie has far more to deal with than she could have ever imagined.

 I thoroughly enjoyed The Hating Game especially it’s stronger than usual heroine. Mattie may be tough, but she’s also vulnerable, a fact she manages to hide well. It was fun and at times a little shocking to read about what Mattie has to endure in her determined fight for what she believes in and towards the end, when various truths come to light, characters turn out to be rather different than you’d initially expected them to be.

 9/10

More about this book

Visit Talli's Website

Visit Talli's Blog

Review - Looking for Leon by Shirley Benton

REVIEW BY KIRA SLAUGHTER

 

What would you do to find the one that got away?

Andie hadn’t gambled on meeting the love of her life on a holiday in Las Vegas- but when she meets Leon, love suddenly seems like a bet she can win. That is, until the wheel of fortune steps in and separates them during a fire drill. With next to no info on Leon, Andie finds it impossible to track him down- despite staging a series of publicity stunts to get the media in on the act.

Back in Ireland, journalist Andie begins to write a regular newspaper column about her search. Readers love it and a local TV station flies her back to Vegas to take up the hunt for the man she can’t forget.

What starts off as a simple low-budget documentary, spirals into a frenzied national media search. With the world’s most ambitious PR agent on board, Andie becomes a heroine for those who are looking for love.

But does Leon want to be found?

Before receiving this book through the post I checked it out on Amazon and I thought it sounded like a brilliant read. After finishing it in two days I was proved right. The plot, characters and whole theme of the book keeps the reader hooked until the very last page.

The story is centred around Andie who, after a holiday to Vegas, is hung up on a guy she met in the MGM hotel. After she and Leon are asked to pose with a new car in one of the casinos as part of an advertising campaign, they end up sitting and chatting for hours. That is until the fire alarm goes off and they lose each other in the crowd. In typical romantic comedy fashion, Andie is running through the crowds trying to find Leon but to no avail, he seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth.

Novel News - Hollywood Sinners by Victoria Fox

Debut author, Victoria Fox will be releasing the fabulous HOLLYWOOD SINNERS in April of this year. I've been lucky enough to read an early copy of this book (review coming soon) and I have to say - it really is a must read. Fresh and vivid and SUPER sexy, it's totally set to be the bonk-buster of the year (in my humble opinion, of course!).

The synopsis reads...

POWER Marriage to Hollywood heartthrob Cole Steel secured Lana Falcon a glittering place on the red carpet. But running from a wicked past she has trapped herself in a gilded cage the price of freedom...her soul? REVENGE Kate diLaurentis s career is fading as quickly as her looks... What could be worse than discovering her husband s latest mistress is Hollywood s hottest starlet? Her only option the most shocking revenge. LUST Chloe French s innocent beauty has captured a million hearts, but no one's warned her of the dangerous, dark temptation of rock star Nate - will lust destroy her? GREED Las Vegas King, Robert St Louis s fairytale wedding to Sin City's richest heiress is tabloid gold... But scandal circles like a vulture - dirty secrets are about to be exposed! BETRAYAL From the deepest desires come the deadliest deeds...and these four couples are about to pay for their sins...

MORE ABOUT HOLLYWOOD SINNERS

Talli Roland Takes on Amazon!

We really want Talli Roland's debut novel THE HATING GAME to hit the Kindle bestseller list at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk by spreading the word today. Even a few sales in a short period of time on Amazon helps push the book up the rankings, making it more visible to other readers. It's only £1.90 and can be bought from -

Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.com

No Kindle? Download a free app at Amazon for Mac, iPhone, PC, Android and more. Coming soon in paperback. Keep up with the latest at www.talliroland.com.

 

 

ABOUT THE HATING GAME

When man-eater Mattie Johns agrees to star on a dating game show
to save her ailing recruitment business, she's confident she'll sail through to the end without letting down the perma-guard she's perfected from years of her love 'em and leave 'em dating strategy. After all, what can go wrong with dating a few losers and hanging out long enough to pick up a juicy £200,000 prize? Plenty, Mattie discovers, when it's revealed that the contestants are four of her very unhappy exes. Can Mattie confront her past to get the prize money she so desperately needs, or will her exes finally wreak their long-awaited revenge? And what about the ambitious TV producer whose career depends on stopping her from making it to the end?

Let's get Talli Roland into the Amazon Bestsellers Chart!

Though Talli Roland's debut The Hating Game will be released in paperback on the 9th March next year, the ebook version will be available to download on December 1st of this year.

 As part of her publicity campaign, Talli is hoping to take on Amazon and to get her indie published novel to the top of the Amazon charts - with the help of bloggers!

I love this idea so much, and that's why I'm bringing it to your attention. Can you help? Can you?!

Talli says,

"So I'm dreaming big. Wouldn't it be great if my debut novel by an indie publisher made it into the top ranks of Amazon Kindle sales? It might sound crazy, but it's amazing how quickly your book can move up the ranks if a number of people purchase it on the same day. And with an ebook, there are no distribution issues. Anyone, anywhere can buy it!

On release day -- December 1 -- I'm looking for bloggers (and Tweeters and Facebookers) to help with a Blogsplash to spread the word!

Bloggers: If you sign up, all I ask is that on Dec 1 you post a short paragraph about what I'm trying to accomplish and The Hating Game blurb. I'll send you all the content so you just have to cut and paste! I am aiming to have one thousand bloggers take part (I know, I know -- but it might happen! I'm thinking big!) so anything you can do to spread the word would be FANTASTIC.

Facebookers/ Tweeters: I'll send you a status update to post on December 1, 2010. The Facebook event page is available here"

 

Novelicious will be joining in, fo sho! For more info about getting involved in the blogsplash, and to sign up, you can visit Talli's fantastic blog here.

Her website is here

And you can follow Talli on twitter here.

Let's make this happen! Power to the bloggers!

 

Novel News - From Notting Hill with Love...Actually by Ali McNamara

Ali McNamara has just released the cover of her debut novel FROM NOTTING HILL WITH LOVE...ACTUALLY on twitter (@AliMcNamara) and I have to say...it's beeyootiful. I love it. What's inside the cover sounds fantastic too.

Scarlett O'Brien is in love ...with the movies. Utterly hooked on Hugh Grant, crazy about Richard Curtis, dying with lust for Johnny Depp, Scarlett spends her days with her head in the clouds and her nights with her hand in a huge tub of popcorn. Which is not exactly what her sensible, DIY-obsessed fiance David has in mind for their future. So when Scarlett has the chance to house-sit an impossibly grand mansion in Notting Hill ? the setting of one of her all-time favourite movies ? she jumps at the chance to live out her film fantasies one last time. It's just a shame that her new neighbour Sean is so irritating ? and so irritatingly handsome, too. As a chaotic comedy of her very own erupts around Scarlett, she begins to realise there's more to life than seating plans and putting up shelves. What sort of happy ending does she really want? Will it be a case of Runaway Bride or Happily Ever After? The big white wedding looms, and Scarlett is running out of time to decide ...

I'm a huge fan of Richard Curtis and RomCom movies, so this sounds like exactly my cup of tea. The book isn't out until November, but can be pre-ordered from amazon here

What do you think of the cover?