The Friendship Fling - Georgia Stone

It’s very hot in my part of the country right now. And author Georgia Stone turns up the heat even higher with her new book, The Friendship Fling! This book is most definitely a beach read!

Ava is a barista in a coffee shop. She doesn’t really love her job. Her love life is a series of one night stands. And then Finn walks into the café. He’s in London for six months on a work contract. And Ava can’t stand him. He talks too much, he’s upbeat and he’s got a list of things he wants to do before he leaves the country.

I really enjoyed the back-and-forth of this pair. Each of them have chapters, but it is Ava that drives the tale. The supporting characters are well drawn and have their parts to play.

Now you might think that you know what’s going to happen in this book. And you might be right, but you’ll enjoy the journey to get there! Beach reading for sure!

Shell Games - Bonnie Kistler

I was excited to hear that Bonnie Kistler had a new book out. I really enjoyed her previous book - The Cage. But I have to say that this new novel - Shell Games - is even better!

Have you heard the phrase "Shell games" before? "A shell game is a swindle, a fraud, especially one in which items or information are shifted around in a secret manner to avoid detection." Meet Kate, her daughter Julia and her extended family. Oh, did I mention that Kate is very, very rich? Huh uh.....she is.

And how about the word gaslighting? "To manipulate someone using psychological methods into questioning their own sanity or powers of reasoning."  

Well, I was totally caught up from the first few pages. We meet all of the characters and I started to slot each of the into their 'place' in the plot. And....they changed their narrative, their standing, their loyalty and more. Just when I thought I had the answer to the whodunit, someone changed their story. I loved being unable to find the answer all the ways to the last pages. (Truly, the last two pages)

Kudos to Bonnie Kistler - a clever writer! See for yourself - read an excerpt of Shell Games. 

Hampton Heights - Dan Kois

Hampton Heights is Dan Koi's latest release. I'm sure the cover caught your eye - it did for me. And it gives you a very good idea of what awaits you in the book. Not quite sure yet? How about the subtitle? - One Harrowing Night in the Most Haunted Neighborhood in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

1987. Three pairs of newsboys are in the Hampton Heights neighborhood soliciting subscriptions to the local paper. At night. None of them have ever been in this part of town. It's kind of spooky - but the prize is too good to walk away from. One night changes so much with our paper boys- and. their manager Kevin.

There's a Stranger Things /Brothers Grimm / Stand by Me feel to Hampton Heights that's just right. The book is funny, spooky and yes, thoughtful. 

I ended up binge reading Hampton Heights  - I just had to know what happened. See for yourself - read an excerpt of Hampton Heights. 

The Island of Lost Girls - Alex Marwood

I've read and enjoyed all of Alex Marwood's books. I picked up her latest book - The Island of Lost Girls - by her name on the cover.

The prologue introduces us to twelve year old Mercedes, who lives on a small Mediterranean island, in 1985. Mercedes is our protagonist and her timeline flips from 1985 to present day 2016. Robyn is also on in 2016, looking for her daughter - a teenaged runaway.

And behind the seemingly idyllic façade, there is a wealthy man who believes he can buy anything and everything - and this extends to people as well.

I enjoyed the then and now timeline flips. As readers we are now witnesses to the 'how things got to be like this'. And the tension grows with every new chapter.

The level of debauchery and cruelty is quite ugly to read, and I had to put the book down more than once. But it was Mercedes who had me picking the book back up. She's an excellent lead that you'll be urging on. I quite liked the depiction of her marriage to Felix. Robyn is just as tenacious in her desire to find her daughter. But she too encounters nothing but the circle of protection around the wealthy. I'll leave things there for you to discover if there is retribution for our protagonists....

Here's the thing - sadly, this tale isn't that far from the truth at all. See for yourself - read an excerpt of The Island of Lost Girls. 

Gentle readers please note there are a number of triggers in this book and may not a book for you.

Bookworm - Robin Yeatman

Bookworm is Robin Yeatman's debut novel.

Now, that cover and title had me expecting a lighthearted read. (Yes, sometimes it's solely the cover that makes me choose to read a book!) But, what I found inside the pages was not what I had expected.

Victoria is not overly happy with her life - her job, her parents, her best friend and especially her husband. Victoria also loves to read, seeking solace by getting lost in a book - and often imagining herself in other situations. One of her favorite things to do is come up with life stories for strangers that she sees.

Bookworm is told in a stream of consciousness style. Normally, I don't enjoy this style, but it does work in this novel. I felt like I was headed down the rabbit hole with Victoria. The lines between fantasy and reality have started to blur for her and there's no predicting where Yeatman is going to take Victoria. 

I liked the premise and the choice of delivery, but I did find the narrative to be somewhat repetitive - especially the 'levitation' scenes. There's not one character that's likable and I never connected with any of them. Which put me 'outside' the book looking in. I did want to see how it panned out. I did enjoy the ending - it's quite good. But, while the description of the book promises some black humour, it wasn't for me. 

Overall, Bookworm is a hard book to put a genre label on. Decidedly different. But see for yourself - read an excerpt of Bookworm.

The Transatlantic Book Club - Felicity Hayes-McCoy

The Transatlantic Book Club is actually the latest book in Felicity Hayes-McCoy's 'Finfarran Peninsula' series. It's the first I've read by this author and I really enjoyed it. I didn't feel out of step at all from not reading the ones before - if anything, I just found some new titles to add to my list!

After the death of her Irish grandfather, Cassie Fitzgerald decides to travel from Canada to Ireland to stay with her grandmother Pat. Cassie easily settles into life in Lissberg, working as a hairdresser and driving the mobile library van. Well, that cemented things for me - a mobile library would be my dream job! The bricks and mortar library also starts an online book group with the US town of Resolve. Most of the members have roots in Finfarran. I thought this was fantastic idea - and discovered in the author's notes that it indeed had its roots in reality.

Hayes-McCoy explores love, loss, grief, hope, friendship and more in this multi-generational tale. I really liked Cassie as a lead character. She's one of those bright moments in a book - not perfect, but giving it her best. She comes off as quite real. I was also drawn to the enigmatic Fury O'Shea, who seems to turn up at the right time and know what is, or isn't needed. But the character who stole the show for me is The Divil - Fury's dog. Loved him! I didn't love Frankie - he's definitely the 'villain' in the book.

I appreciated the descriptions of the Irish countryside. Hayes-McCoy has a cottage of her own in Ireland and the setting details benefitted from this first hand knowledge. And I think I would love to live in Pat's wee flat above the store - it sounds so cosy.

 

The Transatlantic Book Club was a perfect feel-good read for me . Fans of Jenny Colgan would enjoy this book. See for yourself - here's an excerpt of The Transatlantic Book Club.

Dear Amy - Helen Callaghan

Dear Amy is the debut novel from Amy Callaghan.

Margot teaches English at a private school in England. She also writes an advice column for the local newspaper. She feels like a bit of a fraud though, handing out advice as her own personal life is a bit of a mess.

Then Katie, one of her students disappears. And shortly after a 'help me' note arrives for 'Dear Amy' at the newspaper office from girl named Bethan - who also disappeared - twenty years ago.  Is someone playing a horrible joke? Or could the author of the letter really be Bethan? Could she still be alive? Then another letter arrives and Margot finds herself involved in the investigation. Great premise!

Dear Amy is told in first person from Margot's point of view. But as the book progresses, I began to have my doubts about Margot's outlook. Yes, Callaghan employed one of my favourite plot devices - the unreliable narrator. Margot is mercurial - hard to pin down and somewhat difficult to like. But that's okay with me - I don't necessarily need to like every character in a novel to enjoy the book.  The perpetrator of the crimes is also given a voice - and their thoughts are distinctly chilling.

As the pages turned, I began to think I had things figured out. Turns out I did, but kept turning as I wanted to see how the story played out. The pacing did seem to slow down in the latter third of the book and I think the resolution could have been reached a bit quicker. And I'm not sure if the romantic subplot was even necessary (or for this reader, believable).

Overall, I enjoyed Dear Amy. It was entertaining and I liked Callaghan's writing.  A good debut novel and I look forward to the next book from Helen Callaghan. Read an excerpt of Dear Amy.

You can learn more about Helen at her website, like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.