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Wrapped Up In You by Carole Matthews
Publisher: Sphere (An imprint of Little Brown Book Group UK)
Release Date: 25th August 2011 (Hardback)/27th October 2011 (Paperback)
Rating: 3/5
Source: Received from publisher for review
Amazon Summary:

A Christmas fling, or has Janie found the real thing? Thirty-something hairdresser Janie Johnson’s single status is a constant source of gossip for her friends and clients. So after too many nights in with her cat, a blind date disaster and news that her ex is getting married, Janie realises it’s time to do something dramatic with her life. It’s time for an adventure! Leaving winter behind, Janie takes the plunge and books an exotic trip to Africa. Her friends think she’s mad and Janie thinks they may very well be right …but then she falls head over heels for her tour guide - and fully fledged Maasai Warrior - Dominic. But can Janie now face spending a snowy Christmas back home without him? Packed with unforgettable characters, romance and laughter, Wrapped Up In You is your very own perfect Christmas Carole!

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Everything Beautiful Began After by Simon Van Booy
Published by HarperCollins Publishers
Release Date: July 5th 2011
Rating: 3/5
Source: The publisher provided this copy for review via NetGalley. Thank you!
Goodreads Summary:

Simon Van Booy brings to the page his unique talent for poetic dialogue and sumptuous imagery in this his remarkable debut novel of love and loss, dependence and independence. Rebecca has come to Athens to paint. Born and raised in the south of France, Rebecca’s mother abandoned her and her sister when they were very young, left to be raised by her loving yet distant grandfather. Young and lost, she seeks solace in the heat of Athens. George has come to Athens to translate language. Dropped off at a New England boarding school when he was a child, he has close to no relationships with anyone, except the study of ancient language and alcohol. Henry has come to Athens to dig. An archaeologist, Henry is on-site at Athens during the day, and roams the Agora on the weekend. Three lost and lonely souls whose worlds become inexorable enmeshed with consequences that ripple far among the ruins of ancient Athens.

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Remember Me by Cheryl Robinson
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Release Date: August 2nd 2011
Rating: 3/5
Source: Publisher via TLC Book Tours, thank you!
Publishers Summary:

What happens when the loyalty that defines the friendship of two women is tested? For Mia and Danielle, finding the answer takes a lifetime.

Mia Marks was an independent black girl from inner-city Detroit with an eye for the hottest fashions and a penchant for the good life. Danielle King was a soft-spoken suburban white girl with artistic ambitions. When they met at an all-girls Catholic high school, neither expected to form a deep bond that transcended race and background and lasted for years. And neither could have anticipated the one indiscretion that destroyed their friendship.

Twenty years later, Danielle is a successful novelist living in Miami. Mia is a schoolteacher in Detroit. But they’re still on common ground. Both are unhappily married and raising teenage daughters, and both are far to proud to make the first move to reconnect-until tragedy brings them back together in the most unexpected way.

Now they must confront the past, discover its untold truths, and learn to survive the increasing complexities of their lives and of a friendship destined to endure.

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Night Road by Kristin Hannah
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Release Date: 17th June 2011 (paperback)
Rating: 3.5/5
Source: Received from the publisher for review.
Amazon Summary:

Lexi and Mia are inseparable from the moment they start high school. Different in so many ways – Lexi is an orphan and lives with her aunt on a trailer park, while Mia is a golden girl blessed with a loving family, and a beautiful home. Yet they recognize something in each other which sets them apart from the crowd, and Mia comes to rely heavily on Lexi’s steadfast friendship. Mia’s beloved, and incredibly good-looking, twin brother Zach, finds life much less complicated than his sister. Jude thought she’d never have to worry about her son, that he’d always sail through life easily achieving whatever he, and his family, wanted and expected – but then he fell in love. The summer they graduated is a time they will always remember, and one they could never forget. It is a summer of love, best friends, shared confidences and promises. Then one moment one night changes them all forever. As hearts are broken, loyalties challenged and hopes dashed, the time has come to leave childhood behind and learn to face the future.

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Monday to Friday Man by Alice Peterson
Publisher: Quercus
Release Date: 21st July 2011
Rating: 3.5/5
Source: Received from the publisher for review
Amazon Summary:

What do you do if you’re 34, single and recovering from being jilted two weeks before your wedding day? This is the dilemma Gilly Brown finds herself in. While friends are marrying, having children and moving into the depths of the countryside, Gilly finds herself alone in London and holding on to her fractured family with their tragic past. It’s time to meet new people. So, she decides to get a Monday to Friday lodger, and after a succession of alarming interviews finally finds the perfect one in the shape of handsome reality television producer Jack Baker. Gilly falls for Jack’s charm and is transported into an exciting social whirlwind of parties, dining out and glamour. When Jack is introduced to Gilly’s family and friends, it’s only the attractive and eccentric Guy, the newest recruit to her dog-walking group, who isn’t quite so convinced about Jack’s intentions. As Guy watches them grow closer, his suspicions of Jack and his feelings for Gilly deepen. Is Jack so perfect after all… and what exactly does he get up to at the weekends?

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Breakfast in Bed by Eleanor Moran
Publisher: Sphere
Release Date: 21st July 2011 (paperback)
Rating: 3/5
Source: Received from the publisher for review
Amazon Summary:

TAKE ONE NEWLY SINGLE WOMAN: At thirty-one, Amber is being bombarded with wedding invitations just as she’s collecting her divorce papers - and her bossy best friend has gone one step further and made her chief bridesmaid. It’s high time Amber regained control of her life.

ADD A PASSIONATE AND FIERY CELEBRITY COOK: Amber’s joy at landing herself a coveted role in Oscar Retford’s kitchen soon fades as she discovers Oscar is as famous for his furious temper and addiction to firing people as he is for the legendary meals he creates.

TURN UP THE HEAT: But as passions start to run high, and her past catches up with her, it looks like Amber’s cooked up a recipe for disaster …

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California Dreamers by Belinda Jones
Publisher: Hodder
Release Date: 21st July 2011 (paperback)
Rating: 3/5
Source: Received from the publisher for review
Amazon Summary:

Ever wished you could make-over your life?

Make-up artist Stella is an expert at helping other people change their images, but when it comes to transforming herself, she doesn’t even know where to start.

So when her new friend, glamorous Hollywood actress Marina Ray, summons her a movie set in California, Stella can’t resist the chance to start afresh - it is the land of sunshine and opportunity after all!

But are they really friends or does Marina have an ulterior motive? What is the secret that both women are hiding about the nautical (but nice) men in their lives? And what will it take to really make both of their California dreams come true?

In a Pacific Coast journey that takes in Los Angeles, the world’s most romantic ranch and California’s very own castle in the sky - this story of friendship, long-distance love, kissing (and making up) is the perfect escapist read.

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The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender
Publisher: Windmill books (an imprint of Random House UK)
Release Date: 3rd February 2011 (Paperback)
Rating: 3/5
Source: Received from publisher to review
Amazon Summary:

On the eve of her ninth birthday, unassuming Rose Edelstein bites into her mother’s homemade lemon-chocolate cake and discovers she has a magical gift: she can taste her mother’s emotions in the slice. To her horror, she finds that her cheerful mother tastes of despair. Soon, she’s privy to the secret knowledge that most families keep hidden: her father’s detachment, her mother’s transgression, her brother’s increasing retreat from the world. But there are some family secrets that even her cursed taste buds can’t discern. 

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