Book Review... Honey Trap - Julie Cohen

Honey Trap - Julie Cohen
Little Black Dress, 2008
Headline
ISBN: 9780755341375












My rating

From the back cover:

"Sophie Tennant is used to sticky situations… because Sophie used to be a private investigator, setting honey traps for husbands and giving wives grounds for divorce. But these days she's an aromatherapist – an aromatherapist who's going on tour with a rock band, baby! Which is all good, until she recognises the band's bassist, Dominick Steele: her first honey trap, and the man who taught her she has a dangerous attraction to bad boys. But her attraction's not half as lethal as the vengeful spouse who suddenly seems to be following her!"

Once again, Julie Cohen has blown me away with an awesome story!

What a start to a story, with the heroine being slap-bang in the middle of one of her honey traps. A honey trap that goes slightly awry causing her to rethink her entire life. And then to have her reunited with one of her past honey traps - one that she has never been able to forget - is simply brilliant.

A change for other Julie Cohen books, this one actually included the hero's POV, which worked perfectly; he is such a complex character, I couldn't get enough of him.

I loved every second of the rock and roll background described - it was done with relish and a little touch of cliché that made it really stand out.

The heroine is a wonderful character, really well developed with real issues and emotions. She changed and grew as the story progressed. Very satisfying to read.

The story flows easily, and is sexy and fun with a little bit of mystery thrown in for good measure. I couldn't put it down.

Brilliant! Recommended.

Xx

Review... Girl From Mars - Julie Cohen

Girl From Mars - Julie Cohen
Little Black Dress, 2011
Headline
ISBN: 9780755341399












My rating

From the back cover:



"I, Philomena Desdemona Brown, do solemnly swear to forsake all romantic relationships...
It's not like the vow, made by Fil and her three nerdy male best friends, seemed much of a big deal at the time. Frankly, Fil wouldn't know romance if it hit her in the face, and with her real love being her artist job at Girl from Mars, the comic whose heroine has never had a love interest, she doesn't exactly mind being relationship-free anyway. Until her world is rocked to its core when one of her long-standing quartet and Girl from Mars herself both unexpectedly fall in love. Is it time to give in to temptation and finally fall in love?"

Oh, what a wonderful book! Just what I needed to distract myself on a day when I had the house full of builders making lots of noise!

Julie Cohen is a brilliant storyteller and she really shows it in this book. She captures the thoughts and feelings of her heroine perfectly, and takes her on a journey that had me absorbed right from the start.

The descriptions of the comic book art, and how the heroine creates it, are described with such rich and vividness, I could really visualise it.   

The characters are normal people, as well as slight oddballs, and very relatable in a story that is more than believable.

The love-story is, sigh, built up beautifully and full of ups and downs. The heroine is shy, awkward, and into things most people would find geeky and weird, which makes the book even more endearing, and the author seems to relish writing her.

So many different emotions are explored in the story and it ends up feeling magical. I simply adored it!

Xx

Review... You Don't Know Jack - Erin McCarthy

You Don't Know Jack - Erin McCarthy
Brava
Kensington, 2008
ISBN: 9780758214102












My rating

From the back cover:

"Jamie Peters no longer believes in true love. True idiots, true scumbags, true moochers - these she believes in wholeheartedly, and she's got the checkered dating history to prove it. So, she's more than a little skeptical when her cross-dressing psychic tells her she's about to meet her soul mate - during an accident. Yeah, sounds about right. And then it happens. A knight in shining armour steps between her and a mugger on a subway platform. Just a regular, honest, upright Jack. The kind they don't make anymore...

Jonathon Davidson doesn't believe in destiny - or lying to beautiful women as a rule. But now that Jamie thinks he's just an ordinary guy, how can he possibly tell her that he's really, her roommate's brother, a millionaire to boot, and the jerk who's investigating her application to his grandfather's charitable trust because she may be involved in something illegal? Yeah, rhetorical question. He can't. Not until he knows what's going on. Besides, it would require being able to resist Jamie's luscious curves long enough to say, "Hi, my name is Big Liar. Let's get naked." Sometimes, destiny sucks..."

I have tried quite a few Single-Title romances from a bunch of popular authors but I have never really warmed to the style of them, so I started reading this on with a bit of trepidation. While I can't say that I love it, I did find it relatively enjoyable.

My favourite thing at this book is that the hero falls head over heels in love with the heroine and isn't afraid to say it.

The heroine is quirky and endearing but she constantly pushed the hero away for what seemed like ridiculous reasons and this became incredibly frustrating after a while.

The premise of the book (hero is investigating heroine, falls in love but doesn't say who he really is or what he's doing) had great potential for both conflict and fun, but I think everything was revealed too early, it let the idea down in my opinion. After that it seemed liked all the book was about was the heroine's issues (and she had a lot) and the hero being a bit too-good-to-be-true.

It's an OK read.

Xx

Review... The Chalet Girl - Kate Lace

The Chalet Girl - Kate Lace
Little Black Dress, 2007
Headline
ISBN: 9780755338313












my rating

From the back cover:

"The ski season. A glamorous world of snowy pistes, gorgeous ski instructors and glittering après-ski nightlife. What's not to love?
Quite a lot, thinks Millie Braythorpe. Four months of endless bed-making and cooking for guests have taken their toll, and the only thing she really looks forward to is her nightly gig singing in a little French bar. Then handsome troublemaker Luke comes to stay at her chalet, and before she knows it Millie's head over heels in love. But is Luke to be trusted, or is her Alpine romance destined to end in heartbreak?"

I have wanted to read this book for a while, it comes with a lot of good reviews. And while I found it enjoyable, it wasn't what I was expecting.

The book starts off great; we learn a lot about the heroine, especially how she got to where she was at that point and what she has been through. The author weaves the backstory in well, makes it gripping and not too info-dumpy.

This is one of the first books I have read (in the general romance area) that deals with abortion. This was interesting to me, as it's something that brings a lot of issues/opinions with it. However I don't really think this was made the most out of, it was virtually forgotten about in the second half of the book.

The story was built up beautifully in the first half but after that everything seemed to become too 'easy'. Too twee and convenient. Some great conflict was developed then I felt like the book kind of lost its way.

I also feel that the heroine at 18-19 years old was too young. Everything would have been deeper and easier to relate to if more time had passed since the hurtful events in her life.

Nevertheless, this is a sweet read and certainly holds your attention.

Xx

Review... Nina Jones and the Temple of Gloom - Julie Cohen

Nina Jones and the Temple of Gloom - Julie Cohen
Little Black Dress, 2010
Headline
ISBN: 9780755341412












My rating

From the back cover:

"Get your teeth into this devilishly racy romantic adventure that's full of surprises!
All work and no play makes Nina a dull girl... But when you're PA to a celebrity chef who's even tastier than one of his delicious dishes you can't help loving your job. And what's wrong with fancying the pants off your boss? Erm, everything if he's married to someone else. So when Nina meets sexy Spaniard Juan, she's thrilled to escape to a new life abroad... until Juan does a runner with her hard-earned cash. Nina has no choice but to head home and brave 'The Temple of Gloom' - a gothic flat with some unusual inhabitants. Nina's had enough of bloodsuckers. But is her mysterious neighbour Viktor really a vampire? "

I just love the title of this book! 

Julie Cohen is truly a master when it comes to story telling, and this is another brilliant book from her.

Nina is everything I like in a heroine; she's confident, sometimes overly confident, full of chutzpah, a little bit of a control freak, prone to moments of impulsiveness, and always looking for something more in her life. Call me cruel, but I enjoyed reading about life kicking her about a bit! It made this book feel real, and Nina wallows, winges, and feels sorry for herself like any person would before attempting to rebuild her life.

The story has a wonderful pace and flows beautifully, it grips you right from the start.

The heroine goes on a journey, learns a few lessons and comes out the other end stronger and a better person. Exactly the kind of book I love to read.

Full of humour, darkness, and a little touch of love... Wonderful!

Xx

Book Review... Spirit Willing, Flesh Weak - Julie Cohen

Spirit Willing, Flesh Weak - Julie Cohen
Little Black Dress, 2006
Headline 
ISBN: 9780755334810












My rating

From the back cover:

"Rosie Fox is a liar. A really, really good liar. But when you’re a stage psychic who’s not actually psychic, you have to be. Then one night, while pretending to commune with the dead relatives and pets of her audience, Rosie makes a startling prediction – which tragically comes true. Suddenly she’s trapped in a media frenzy, spearheaded by the impossibly handsome journalist Harry Blake, a man intent on kick-starting his stalled career by exposing Rosie as a fraud. Yet when his interest in her goes from professional to personal, she thinks she can trust him not to blow her cover – but maybe she’s making a huge mistake."


I wasn't entirley sure I was going to enjoye this one. The blub hints at a bit of paranormal in the story, which is just not my thing. But I picked it up, mainly as it's by Julie Cohen!

At times I had to grit my teeth and get through the unexplained moments, such as the prediction, but I kept with the book and ended up enjoying it.

In my opinion it is not one of Julie Cohen's best, but it is well thought out, interesting, and superbly written. The heroines past is weaved in to the story perfectly, I really felt that I 'knew' her and understood exactly how (and why) she got to where she is.

The relationship between the hero and heroine builds nicely and the hero's betrayal was perfectly timed.

The scenes of the heroine on stage doing her psychic readings are really gripping; very evocative, thought provoking, and ever so slightly tongue-in-cheek. There is lots of depth here, you can tell the author has done very thorough research.

So yes, an enjoyable book despite my misgivings!

Xx

Book Review... One Night Stand - Julie Cohen

One Night Stand - Julie Cohen
Little Black Dress, 2007
Headline
ISBN: 9780755334834












My rating

From the back cover:

"Eleanor Connor has written lots of steamy novels, but sadly her own life is more mundane. In fact, the nearest she's come to passion for ages is having to listen through the thin walls of her house as friend and neighbour Hugh seduces an endless stream of women. 
But then Eleanor has a one-night fling of her own, waking up alone, repentant, and as she later realises, pregnant. Desperate to find her missing lover, if only to tell him he's going to be a father, she enlists Hugh to help her search. But should she be looking closer to home to find what she really needs?"


I think I am in love with Julie Cohen's writing. This is another great book of hers, which literally had me at hello!

I read a lot of romance novels (you have probably realised that by now!) so the whole one-night-stand-leads-to-pregnancy theme is nothing new. However this one is a slightly different take on it, and I applaud Julie Cohen for exploring the difficult and darker side of this aspect of life.

I'm sure we all know [of] someone who has been in this situation, and not knowing who, or where, the father is does happen. And that is what the heroine is going through.

This whole book is written with a refreshing honesty, and a touch of brutal reality, plus there is also plenty of humour to balance it out.

The characters are normal people living normal lives, but also lives that have enough secrets and forks-in-the-road to keep you interested.

The love-story between the hero and heroine plays out beautifully. I knew the two of them belonged together and I was desperate for them to realise it for themselves!

A wonderful book.

Oh, and there is a nice little nod back to this book in Julie Cohen's latest 'The Summer of Living Dangerously', it's nice when author's  do this, it makes their work feel very unique to them!

Xx