Armed with a degree from Oxford that she doesn’t have a clue what to do with, Ciara Bree convinces her two best friends, Elle and Gem to spend their first summer of freedom backpacking across the globe. Now it’s time to shop, sunbathe, think about boys for a change, and party hard…

First stop: LA!

The girls hit Tinseltown for a few days of shopping, star spotting, and even a movie premiere!

But their plan to sneak into an exclusive celeb party in West Hollywood backfires. Elle’s gorgeous older cousin, Zack, is called to the rescue and despite knowing she should stay away, Ciara just can’t seem to resist him.

The ideal summer treat for those relaxing days soaking up the sun!

*I kindly received this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Review: When I first spotted this title in Netgalley, I couldn't resist the gorgeous cover and I loved the idea of a serialed novel for a girls trip around the world. On this first book of the series we meet the girls: the hard-worker Ciara, a total geek who had never had an interest for boys or make up until she met the other two girls in Oxford, Elle and Gem, both from rich families, intelligent and pretty, they love partying and having fun. 

Their first stop is LA and these girls have taken the concept of backpacking to a new level: grandpa's mansion overlooking the city. Two days to enjoy the best of Hollywood: shopping, celebrities, movie premieres, parties... And Elle's gorgeous cousin for Ciara to enjoy. How much action can you fit in two days and a hundred pages? It turns out that a lot. Well written, flirty and naughty, with witty dialogues and a lot of fun, I really enjoyed Aimee's style and I'm sure this series is going to be a great summer read. I can't wait to read the second book, in Miami this time, and find out how the adventure is going with these girls and see if a certain cousin makes an appearance again. 

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Humorous author, Carol E. Wyer has just taken launching a new book to a new level. To coincide with the forthcoming release of her seventh book, Carol will be taking on some unusual challenges including belly dancing, a ‘Bush Tucker’ trial, zorbing and zip lining while playing a kazoo and indoor skydiving. Carol says, “After completing the book I suddenly had an urge to have a go at some of the challenges that the characters face. So, I thought, why not? The inner child in me went crazy with delight and encouraged me to commit to a few mad challenges before I remembered how old I really am. It’s too late to back out now so, we’ll have to see how they work out.” The first challenge is in London at GoApe where she will attempt to zipline while playing a kazoo and try not to land on her publisher who is accompanying her. You can see the results at her blog or YouTube. 

Her latest release, Three Little Birds due out August 15^th is a tale of friendship, self-discovery, romance and topped with lashings of the by now familiar humour we have come to expect from this author.

    

  Three Little Birds If your friend challenged you, would you dare? Charlie Blundell cannot get over the tragic death of her only daughter. She drifts between her job at the Art cafe and her hospital radio show, the only things which give her life purpose. Her best friend, the madcap Mercedes, cajoles Charlie into writing a 'carpe diem' list, but then swaps Charlie's list with her own. Now, each must complete the other's challenges, and the outcomes will astound both of them. The challenges begin as a series of relatively harmless, fun activities. Soon, though, the stakes increase when Charlie has to complete her challenges to save the hospital radio station. As the tasks become more demanding, a handsome stranger takes an interest in her, but he is not what he seems. One challenge causes a secret buried deep within her to surface, which may prove to be her undoing. Three Little Birds is a story of love, friendship and discovery, laced with hilarity and topped by a wickedly funny parrot called Bert. 

Three Little Birds is published by Safkhet Publishing and released August 15^th 

Purchase links on Safkhet website and Amazon UK  

Carol E Wyer is an ex-teacher and linguist who lives in rural Staffordshire. Having written a series of educational yet amusing books for children, she turned her attention to the adult market in 2010 when her son flew from the nest. Her best-selling novels have won several awards for humour and much attention from the media. Since then, she has appeared on over thirty BBC radio stations, several international radio stations, NBC television and BBC Breakfast television discussing age-related subjects such as ‘Irritable Male Syndrome’. Her writing style has been described frequently by the media as 'witty' or 'humorous' and has even been compared to the acerbic wit of Jeremy Clarkson and the humour of Robin Williams. Carol has written articles for and featured in several national women’s magazines including Take A Break, Choice, Woman’s Weekly and Woman's Own who also wrote about her journey to becoming a best-selling author. Last year, she took a crash course in stand-up comedy and has performed her comedy talk Smile While You Still Have Teeth to sell-out audiences in Lichfield, The Black Country and will be on main stage the Isle of Wight Literary Festival in October along with big name celebrities, Alan Titchmarsh, Katie Price, Sheila Hancock and novelist Katie Fford.

Follow Carol on Twitter @carolewyer or Facebook Carol E Wyer

Blurb: Sometimes you find perfect where you least expect it...

Libby Potter has just lost the perfect job, the perfect apartment and the perfect boyfriend. Moving back to the same home town that she couldn’t wait to escape when she was younger was definitely not on her todo list. Especially as it means running into the man whose heart she broke when she left.

Pete Bennett can still make Libby’s world stop with just the sound of his voice – even ten years on. Only now, she is the last person in the world that he wants to see.

As everyone else welcomes Libby home with open arms, she realizes she’s missed that special closeness that comes from lifelong friendship. And, as Libby tries to make amends with Pete, she begins to wonder whether she made the right choice in leaving all those years ago.

When an amazing career opportunity gives her the chance to leave again, Libby will have to decide what her version of perfect is… and where she really belongs.


*First, I would like to thank Kim at Bookouture for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

Review: When all your life you have been told that you need to work harder, aim higher and go farther, I guess that going back home might be stressful to say the least. So imagine Libby, who used to be a city girl with a high profile job and the perfect boyfriend, back at her home town with nothing, where everyone knows her and her story with Pete, her exboyfriend or ex love of her life, where there's no professional succes to achieve, where her posh clothes make her feel from a different world.

I liked Libby, but she was a bit too obsessed with what everyone else might think of her. This is why I loved Pete, he didn't have a care in the world about what others might think, he just cared about his loved ones, wanted them to be happy. He was a hard-worker with a child spirit and he was kind and strong. Perfect book boyfriend material. I loved how he tried to get the young care-free Libby back and how he wasn't afraid of making a fool of himself in front of others.

Jenny writes a cute story about the importance of belonging to a place, the importance of having your loved ones close and about what you are willing to sacrifice to have what you really want. Plus the setting of this book is stunning, I could totally picture the endless beaches, she swing on the tree or the porches where life seems to go by slowly. A perfect summer read.

If you don't believe me, you can read Jenny's Guest Post about why Love Me for Me is the perfect beach read and see some photos of the beautiful setting.

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Colliding with a second chance.....

On the heels of graduating college and trying to cope with her mother's death, Emily Cooper moves to New York City for a fresh start.

While harboring secrets of his own, Dillon Parker takes care of Emily through her grief. Knowing he can't live without her by his side, he's sweet, thoughtful, and everything Emily has ever wanted in a man.

Until she meets Gavin Blake-a rich and notorious playboy who is dangerously sexy and charming as hell. Emily tries to deny the instant connection she feels, but Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome is not inclined to let go so easily. Recovering from his own painful past, Gavin will stop at nothing to win Emily over.

This unexpected encounter compels Emily to question her decisions, forcing her to make a choice that will destroy friendships, shatter hearts, and forever change her life.

Review: After reading really good reviews about this book, I decided to get it a while ago and I have finally got around to read it. Collide tells the story of Emily, a girl who has just lost her mother to cancer and feels that she is still alive only thanks to her loving boyfriend, Dillon. So she decides to move to New York to be with him. She moves in with her friend Olivia though because she is not ready to have such a serious realtionship with Dillon. But he is more than ready and keeps bringing up mariage.

Then Gavin appears and his attraction to Emily is electrifying. He has found the one and he is going to get her no matter what. Even when fate plays one of his games and she turns out to be the girlfriend of one of his dearest friends, he is not going to stop until he gets her. 

On first impression, Emily is a strong woman in love with a nice guy and Gavin is kind of a womaniser who just wants a new toy but as the story unfolds we learn that first impressions are not always true. Dillon is a beast, an arrogant lier who controls Emily with lies and insecurities and the memory of her mother. Emily is weaker that we first thought and quite vulnerable. And well, Gavin is the knight in shinning armour. Will the good win? Well we don't know because the book is left with a cliff hanger and you just want to go to amazon and get the second book instantly!

I really enjoyed the game between Emily and Gavin during the book. You discover little by little that he is a good guy and that he really cares about her. They make each other laugh and feel good, and you enjoy every interaction they have. As for Dillon... you'll hate him and you'll wonder why she cannot see his true self. It's actually quite frustating and there's always something between Emily and Gavin. Why can they just see what's in front of them and live happily ever after? I guess that life is not that easy and a love so intense must be epic, otherwise why would we read the book? 

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Blurb: Darcy Archer works in a small bookstore on Manhattan's Upper West Side. A dreamer who secretly wishes for true love similar to that in her beloved novels, Darcy refuses to settle for anything less than being swept off her feet by the perfect man.

One day, when cycling to work, Darcy accidentally crashes into a sharply dressed man walking his dog. He is knocked unconscious and rushed to the hospital, but his dog gets left behind. Wracked with guilt over the accident, Darcy resolves to care for the dog and reunite him with his owner. But the dog is not the only thing that's been left behind and when she finds a small beautifully wrapped package - suspiciously shaped like a book - she becomes curious. She decides to try and figure out all she can about this man, and make the delivery herself. Darcy gradually becomes drawn into his life; one that she soon discovers is filled with books, travel, adventure and all the wonderful things she's ever dreamt about. It doesn't take long before Darcy builds up a picture of this man's lovely life, and feeling an immediate kinship towards him, tries to make things right.

It might be a challenge but doesn't she owe it to him to try? But does fantasy match reality? And what happens when he finally wakes up?

*First I would like to thank the Team of Books and the City at Simon and Schuster for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. *

Review: This was my first book by Melissa Hill so I didn't know exactly what to expect. But from the first pages I could tell that I was going to like this book. Darcy is a bookworm, she loves books. Her house has piles of books everywhere and she even works in a book store. As a bookworm myself I instantly warmed to her. She was also strong and had her own beliefs and wouldn't give in under the insistence of her aunt, her only family, that she should want more in life: a better job, a high profile boyfriend and days at the spa. 

Darcy is happy dreaming and day dreaming about Mr Darcy but then, one day she hits a stranger with her bike and when he wakes up in hospital he doesn't remember who he is. So Darcy, out of guilt and maybe because he is gorgeous, starts helping him to recover his memory. I really enjoyed the mistery surrounding the stranger and how bit by bit Darcy discovered more things about him. Also while he was in hospital she took care of his dog, an active but well behaved husky that added a funny spark to the story.

The setting of the book was perfect: Christmas time in New York. I have been twice in New York but both during summer so reading this book all I wanted to do was book a plane to go back in december. Melissa created a sweet story with a feel good atmosphere that will make you smile non-stop. And if you are a bookworm, which I know you are, you'll love Darcy! So go for it and bring the christmas decorations out!

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