Archive for May 18th, 2009

Emma Burstall, author of Gym & Slimline, has her second novel out on September 3rd. The synopsis reads:

Evie, Nic and Becca are wannabe writers. The three friends are members of a creative writing group and they decide to enter a national competition. But while they ponder their plots and agonise about their characters, their own lives are going far from smoothly.

Evie’s still pining for the husband who left her for a younger woman and is relying increasingly on clairvoyant Zelda. But who is Zelda really? Nic’s battling a drink problem and is in despair about her workaholic husband who is addicted to his laptop. A shocking discovery shakes her to the core, but will she realise in time that she must stop protecting him? Becca’s a City highflyer who seems to have everything - until a childhood friend turns up, threatening to expose the secret she’s kept buried for nearly thirty years.

How will her marriage, her children, her friendships survive it? And on top of that there’s a deadline. The women have just eleven months to complete their manuscripts. Who will win the competition - and can there be any real-life happy endings?

I quite like the sound of the book, as well as her debut novel Gym & Slimline

If only you knew then what you know now… Imagine if you could go back ten years and meet your younger self – would you recognise her? And what advice would you give?

Wear sunscreen!
Back away from those PVC trousers?
DON’T give that idiot your phone number?
Lemon juice won’t bleach your hair – it just attracts wasps…
He’s the one - don’t let him go!

For Charlotte Merryweather, there’s no need to imagine. She’s about to find out for real. With surprising consequences… (more…)

Emma Bowd’s debut novel, The Shoe Princess’s Guide To The Galaxy, is due out on 1st June and the synopsis reads:

Overwhelmed by the realities of first-time motherhood and disillusioned with the corporate world, Jane trades in her Manolos for nappies, nipple shields and the foot spread of a yeti: a lifestyle choice her man-eating girlfriend, Rachel, thinks is taking retro chic just one step too far.

Unlike the lovely Liz, who’d give anything to be in Jane’s pram shoes. Desperate to reconnect with the outside world, Jane finds salvation in her local New Mothers Group, a nonagenarian neighbour, and a royal duo of bloggers dedicated to shoes and behind-the-scenes celebrity gossip. Meanwhile, her unlucky-in-love best friend, Fi, thinks she’s found THE one - Marco.

Should Jane be concerned that Marco is a handsome, intelligent, Italian shoe designer with a passion for teaching his craft to bored housewives? Or that her work-focussed husband is spending increasingly long hours at the office A heart-warming and timeless tale of the transition from career-girl to new mum, The Shoe Princess’s Guide to the Galaxy is a sassy and sparkling debut about one modern woman’s attempts to put her best foot forward.

It sounds a really great read.

Author Anne-Marie O’Connor, now with Random House publishers, has a new book out in August entitled Star Struck. It looks like a great summer read based around popular musical reality shows such as X Factor and American Idol, so is sure to be an enjoyable book. Here’s the full synopsis:

“All Catherine wants to do is sing,but a TV show is about to make her a star . . .

Can an ordinary girl’s dreams really come true?”

Star Struck is released on 6th August 2009, and is available for pre-order on www.amazon.co.uk now.

Olivia Felicone has just been made a widow after her husband Luca died in a car accident.

Luca was the love of Olivia’s life, and she’s not sure how she can go on without him. She isn’t close to the Felicone family, but begins an affair with Luca’s twin brother Marc behind everyone’s backs, as it makes them both feel closer to Luca.

But is it really the best thing for both of them?

When I read the plot of the book, I thought it sounded very interesting, and I was intrigued to see how the author was going to tackle the issue of a widow having a relationship with her brother-in-law, and also in trying not to make the lead character of Olivia hateable because of it. Amazingly, Douglas has succeeded in making the story believable and yet allowing you to still like Olivia, and understand why she is continuing in her actions. Olivia is a very likeable character, and because of the way the story is written, you do feel very sorry for her, and almost develop feelings of hatred towards the Felicone family for their treatment of Olivia.

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