Bared To You by Sylvia Day

Title: Bared To You

Author: Sylvia Day

Published: April 2012

Gideon Cross came into my life like lightning in the darkness - beautiful and brilliant, jagged and white hot. I was drawn to him as I'd never been to anything or anyone in my life. I craved his touch like a drug, even knowing it would weaken me. I was flawed and damaged, and he opened those cracks in me so easily… 

Gideon knew. He had demons of his own. And we would become the mirrors that reflected each other's most private wounds… and desires. 

The bonds of his love transformed me, even as I prayed that the torment of our pasts didn't tear us apart…

Rating: 5 Stars

So I realised that I hadn't ever really read any erotic fiction and since everyone has been on such a fifty shades hype I figured it was finally time to find out what all the fuss is about. However I didn't want to just jump on the bandwagon so I decided  to instead read this book first on the recommendation of a friend. 

I'm extremely glad that I picked this up as I have been kept thoroughly entertained over the past day. The scenes between Eva and Gideon were perfectly steamy and the chemistry between the two of them is undeniable. 

My only downside was that despite Gideon being a trouble character which only increases his attractiveness, was that he screwed up way too often. 

Would I recommend this book? Oh yes definitely. This was a brilliant sexy read. 

The Unseen by Katherine Webb

Title: The Unseen

Author: Katherine Webb

Published: May 2012

England, 1911. When a free-spirited young woman arrives in a sleepy Berkshire village to work as a maid in the household of The Reverend and Mrs Canning, she sets in motion a chain of events which changes all their lives. For Cat has a past - a past her new mistress is willing to overlook, but will never understand . . .

This is not all Hester Canning has to cope with. When her husband invites a young man into their home, he brings with him a dangerous obsession...

During the long, oppressive summer, the rectory becomes charged with ambition, love and jealousy - with the most devastating consequences.

Rating: 4 Stars

What I really loved about The Unseen is that it is two different stories set in different time periods that tie together to create one story. In 1911 we follow the vicar's household in Cold Ash Holt, and in 2011 we follow Leah trying to identify a dead soldier. However Leah is set to discover a lot more than the soldier's identity. 

I think that the characters were very well constructed, both the present day and the past ones. Cat is a breath of fresh air as she doesn't really fit in, as she herself says she is neither gentlewoman nor servant. Hester on the other hand is the sweet, docile and very innocent wife of the vicar, so innocent in fact that she remains a virgin. She is a very good natured character who means well, but doesn't always understand what is going on around her. In fact her innocence leads me to believe that her dear Bertie is gay. And Ryan ... Well he's just a smarmy creep. 

The story in itself is good with secrets being slowly teased out of the woodwork including Cat's identity. However to me it just felt like there was a little something missing. 

Would I recommend this book? Oh yes this was an excellent book and I can't wait to read more of Webb's work. 

I'll Walk Alone by Mary Higgins Clark

Title: I'll Walk Alone

Author: Mary Higgins Clark

Published: April 2011

Alexandra “Zan” Moreland, a gifted, beautiful interior designer on the verge of a successful Manhattan career, is terrified to discover that somebody is not only using her credit cards, but may also be impersonating her in a scheme that involves the much more brutal crimes of kidnapping and murder. Already haunted by the disappearance of her own son, Matthew, kidnapped in broad daylight two years ago in Central Park, Zan has been left torn between hope and despair. Now, on what would be Matthew's fifth birthday, photos surface that seem to show Zan kidnapping her own child, followed by a chain of events that suggests somebody has stolen her identity. 

Hounded by the press, under investigation by the police, attacked by both her angry ex-husband and a vindictive business rival, Zan, wracked by fear and pain and sustained only by her belief that Matthew is still alive, sets out to discover who is behind this cruel hoax. What she does not realize is that with every step she takes toward the truth, she is putting herself—and those she loves most—in mortal danger from the person who has ingeniously plotted out her destruction.

Rating: 5 Stars

I loved this. The plot was so intricate, and what a nightmare for an innocent parent to suddenly be incriminated in the abduction of their own child. And whilst Zan can prove that she was elsewhere, you then have to question how these undoctored photos of her abducting her own son can exist. The answer is right there in the book. Sorry but I wasn't going to give you a major spoiler like that for nothing. 

So the criminal mastermind behind Zan's destruction and Matthew's abduction? I'm glad to say that I was on completely the wrong track, instead following the thought patterns of several characters and completely overlooking the one person who orchestrated everything. I have seen other reviews where people have apparently worked out who the baddie is within one hundred pages but I'm not exactly sure what tipped them off. 

What I also really liked is that there are a few chapters from Matthew's perspective, and I'm not ashamed to say that the last chapter, not the epilogue, had me in tears. And now I'm laid here in bed holding my daughter close to make sure nothing happens to her like it did to Matthew. 

Would I recommend this book? Oh yes. It may not have lasted me long but I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella

Title: I've Got Your Number

Author: Sophie Kinsella

Published: October 2011

A couple of glasses of bubbly with the girls and Poppy's life has gone into meltdown. Not only has she lost her engagement ring, but in the panic that followed, she’s lost her phone too.When she spots an abandoned phone in a bin it seems it was meant to be…Finders Keepers!

Except the phone's owner, elusive businessman Sam Roxton, doesn't agree. He wants his phone back, and doesn't appreciate Poppy reading all his messages and wading into his personal life.Can things get any more tangled?

Rating: 4 Stars

I really enjoyed this book and absolutely loved Sam's character. He may be a ruthless businessman who is determined to get his phone back, but he also spends his time helping Poppy come into her own and face the things she's been dreading. However another character that really had me in stitches was Willow. She is the perfect psycho ex who doesn't seem to understand that her relationship has ended, and her emails to Sam are hilarious. I'm certain that she would be have been a total bridezilla given the chance. 

However I wasn't quite so fond of the main character Poppy. Now it's not that I really dislike her, but she just seemed too similar to another character of Kinsella's; Becky Bloomwood from the Shopaholic series. As such whilst I was reading the book I kept thinking oh but that's exsctly what Becky would have done. 

When it came to the storyline I'm glad that Poppy was portrayed as a loyal girl, although I do wonder why alarm bells never rang in her head when Magnus propsed after only a month of being together. I'm glad that even though towards the end she suspects she may have feelings for someone else Poppy always tries to do the right thing for everyone else. 

I think I may have liked to see a couple more stand offs between Sam and Poppy, maybe with a bit more Willow thrown into the mix. I don't know. Given that the entire story takes place over a ten day period things have developed a little quickly. Although that said when you read the book it doesn't feel like a ten day period it feels like several weeks. 

Would I recommend this book? Oh yes. I wouldn't say it had me in stitches,  but there were still some funny moments along the way. 

No One Left To Tell by Karen Rose

Title: No One Left To Tell

Author: Karen Rose

Published: January 2012

Ramon Muñoz has spent five years in prison, convicted of a murder his family is convinced he did not commit. Unable to get the courts to take them seriously, they turn to private investigator Paige Holden for help.

Paige cannot resist the family's pleas. But when Ramon's wife, having just handed her the evidence that will help prove his innocence, is brutally executed in front of her eyes, Paige is thrown headlong into a case which will place her life into jeopardy.

As Paige risks everything to prove Ramon was set up, she comes to realise that there is more at stake if Ramon is freed than she could have ever guessed. Can Paige stay alive long enough to unmask an unstoppable killer who will not rest until there's no one left to tell?

Rating: 4 Stars

I can't quite explain how but this story didn't really head in the direction that I expected. I think it was because while the prologue was an excellent opener, I didn't expect it to end up where it did. However the way the prologue was written has you gripped and instantly you want to know who is behind the murder of Crystal Jones and what it is that she has proof of. 

This is one of those books where there are several strings to follow at any one time, and that's just on the crime front. We follow not only Paige and Grayson as they try to figure out what is going on, but also the sniper who isn't really that bad a guy, and some woman named Adele who for quite a while doesn't really seem to fit into the story. However Rose has done really well with tying everything up together at the ending, and she manages to keep you guessing about the identity of Crystal's murderer right up until the last few chapters. 

I loved her characterisation, especially where Silas was concerned. Even though he is essentially playing the bad guy, he's actually a really nice person who has only ever tried to protect his family. However that led him into making an awful decision and he's been stuck in a rut ever since. 

So why didn't I give this five stars? Because personally I hated the romance between Paige and Grayson. There was nothing for it to be based upon, no foundation to work with. And yet within days they're a forever couple. I'm just not buying it. Although there was a lovely sex scene for me to get excited over. 

Would I recommend this book? Oh yes. For anyone who says a woman can't write crime, go and read this and then come back to me with your opinions. 

Shatter The Bones by Stuart MacBride

Title: Shatter The Bones

Author: Stuart MacBride

Published: January 2011

No suspects. No clues. No rest for the wicked.

'You will raise money for the safe return of Alison and Jenny McGregor. If you raise enough money within fourteen days they will be released. If not, Jenny will be killed.'

Alison and Jenny McGregor – Aberdeen's own mother-daughter singing sensation – are through to the semi-finals of TV smash-hit Britain's Next Big Star. They're in all the gossip magazines, they've got millions of YouTube hits, everyone loves them.

But their reality-TV dream has turned into a real-life nightmare. The ransom demand appears in all the papers, on the TV, and the internet, telling the nation to dig deep if they want to keep Alison and Jenny alive.

The media want action; the public displays of grief and anger are reaching fever-pitch. Time is running out, but DS Logan McRae and his colleagues have nothing to go on: the kidnappers haven't left a single piece of forensic evidence. The investigation is going nowhere.

It looks as if the price of fame just got a lot higher ...

Rating: 5 Stars

I absolutely loved this story. I really really loved it. There were so many laugh out loud moments for me, just with little one liners like "Did your mother find you under the idiot bush?" that really added to the book. And I think the humour was needed, because really the actual storyline is quite dark in some ways. I'm talking about Jenny's abduction, I didn't really care so much about Alison, but threatening to kill a six year old and also cutting off her toes and sending the video to the BBC is just gruesome. 

I think it is somewhat obvious who all the players are when it comes to the abduction, and what really made me laugh was that they all went by names of actors who've played the Doctor, and their leader or brains behind the operation went by the name of someone who'd played the Master. Then again I'm a bit of a geek who enjoys stuff like that.

There is also a really interesting secondary story that runs with Logan's personal life, and we're left with a lovely cliffhanger as to whether or not Samantha will pull through after the house fire. Personally I'm hoping she does but we'll see what happens when I eventually get around to reading the eighth book in the series. Yes I know I'm reading them out of order but shush.

Would I recommend this book? Hell yes. This was an amazing read and I'd happily pick it up again. 

Au Revoir Liverpool by Maureen Lee

Title: Au Revoir Liverpool

Author: Maureen Lee

Published: February 2011

Liverpool, 1937. Jessica is married to Bertie, a mean, patronising man who she has stayed with purely for the sake of her two young children. To make up for the love and passion that is missing from her life, she spends the occasional afternoon at the local cinema, lost in romantic films. But when an unexpected glass of champagne is offered to her in a Liverpool hotel, the consequences turn out to be shattering.

When Bertie discovers his wife's deceit, he is ruthless in his revenge. He sells their house and disappears with her beloved children, leaving Jessica devastated and alone. Then she is asked to visit Paris and help an old friend and her small daughters return to Liverpool before the onset of the war. But Jessica finds herself stranded in Paris under German occupation. With new friends and a small family to care for, she must find the courage that she never knew she possessed...

Rating: 4 Stars

What I really liked about Au Revoir Liverpool was that the main character Jessica is so easy to connect with. Right from the off I found her extremely likeable although I can't quite put my finger on why that was. Even when she spends one afternoon in the arms of another man, thereby ruining her marriage to the horrendous Bertie, I found myself thinking of Jessica as the victim and being wholly on her side. 

Whilst many people have described this book as a wartime romance I saw it as more the story of Jessica coming into her own. Through her own mistake she has lost her husband and her two children and is thoroughly down in the dumps. However she finds herself becoming a completely different person who is capable of standing on her own two feet and surviving wartime France. Okay yes some of that was to do with having a man around the place, but she does survive several years on her own as well. 

So now I'm going to be a little bit nitpicky. The one thing that bugged me was that Jessica kept falling completely and irrevocably in love. Now don't get me wrong, it's perfectly possible to fall in love. But to be completely and utterly in love with one man, and then another one only a year or two later I don't quite buy. There was also one character who appeared to me to have no redeeming quality whatsoever, and that would have to be Sara. Without beating about the bush she's one hell of a bitch. At least her superficial theatre owning husband did something worthwhile in the end. But the last thing that really bugged me was Ethel's reaction to Tom's affair. What woman would just go oh well I'm in love with him, and stay with him for years and yet delight in his later ruin? She doesn't make any sense to me. 

Would I recommend this book? Oh yes. It may have only occupied me for a day but this was a very enjoyable read.