But I Smile Anyway…

Not only was I reading this month, but also nervously awaiting reviews of my own book, number 2 in the Ristay Series, Straight As A Jalebi, out on June 1st! Heaven knows how I concentrated on other people’s books when I was so anxious about my own!

Coming Home by Smitha Vishwanath
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Coming Home is a book about self-discovery.
Shanaya is a woman in her late twenties, navigating life in Dubai with a great job in finance. Her life is turned upside down after the sudden death of her mother from cancer.
She returns to India to be with her father and sister and to find herself, too.
Is it a love story?
I’m not sure I would place it solely in the romance category, as the tale has more layers. But there definitely is a slow-burn romance in the offing, too.
Though she is independent, Shanaya has been instructed to meet Suresh, a doctor, who has been deemed a suitable proposal for her. But life in a different country means they have yet to meet. They do meet. But is that the romance which will change her life?
Or is there something more about Jay, an American Indian, heading a project she inadvertently becomes involved in?
I loved the ashram Shanaya visited. I’d love to go someplace like that!
Shanaya has some good friends throughout the story, who we meet, each with their own backstory that helps to give the story more depth.
An interesting story.

Begin Again: The most relatable book of 2023 by Helly Acton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I don’t think anyone expects a kebab to be their final downfall, or at least not in how it affects Frankie Mackenzie.
She feels stuck in her life. Inn her job, relationship status, and location. Basically, adulthood sucks.
Then after what she feels is a disastrous first date, She meets with an untimely death.
But, lucky (or unlucky) for her, she’s granted a second chance at life, but with a twist.
She’s given the chance to revisit some major crossroads in her life, to see which change she should have made, and the opportunity to step back into her life with a possibly more positive outcome.
I guess we all have those moments of ‘what if?’ in our lives. Decisions we wish we had taken rather than the ones we did.
I loved how this story explored how the grass may look greener, but it isn’t always, and that we can make our lives what we want from whatever point we decide to make changes.
Frankie’s death by kebab incident allows her to reassess her life and what is important to her, and of course, there is the romantic side, too.
Is Toby really the ‘one that got away? Should she have stuck with rich playboy Callum? Or is nerdy Oli all that he seems, or more?
I romped through this on one sun-soaked day and enjoyed it immensely!

Releasing 6th July, 2023

Tastes Like Shakkar by Nisha Sharma
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I had to giggle at the end of this when reading the acknowledgements, especially the line about aunties asking if it was like 50 Shades… As I read some steamier bits, I thought the EXACT same thing!
OMG. Does that mean I am an aunty now??
Okay, back to the book!
I only recently read Dating Dr Dil, so the cast of characters was fresh in my mind and Tastes Like Shakkar was another fantastic addition to the Shakespearean-styled series that Nisha Sharma has crafted.
This time we go Taming of the Shrew.
Bobbi is an event planner hoping to take the reins of the family business she has worked hard to support over the years. But things aren’t going as smoothly as planned, and she needs to prove herself to her uncle while planning her best friend Kareena’s wedding.
Bunty is trying everything he can to avoid becoming the successor to his family business – frozen naan bread. And not any old naan bread, but the best in the US! Instead, he wants to focus on his passion, cooking. Plus, he has to support his best friend through his wedding to the above-mentioned Kareena.
This means they need to be together a lot. And that is a problem because they really don’t get on.
Well, there is crazy hot chemistry, but it’s like a lust/hate relationship… or is it?
I loved the plus-sized heroine, Bobbi, and Bunty, the Punjabi chef/son of the Naan King!
Nisha Sharma touched on some great topics through this story, especially the expectations of society when it comes to looks and familial expectations.
And she took the spice factor to another level!
I am eagerly awaiting the third book, taking the story further with another possible couple within this friendship!
Many thanks to NetGalley and, Harper Voyage, Avon Books for an arc.

Releasing 1st August, 2023

The Women Who Wouldn’t Leave by Victoria Scott
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another beautiful story from author Victoria Scott.
Connie has run away from her life in London, back to her mother’s house in a small village, away from prying eyes.
She grew up on the estate before leaving for the bright lights in the capital to live with her father.
She doesn’t know much about the people there, though she knows of them, and neither does she have any interest in getting to know them better.
Matilda has lived in her house on the estate since it was built. She has been there for decades, yet she still doesn’t know her neighbours and isn’t interested in getting to know them. She has her house, her memories and her animals.
Both women have secrets that they’d rather keep to themselves. However, an accident somehow builds a bridge of communication that becomes stronger as time goes on, especially when there is a fear of both women losing their safe spaces.
I loved this beautiful story of friendship and resilience.
Both these characters have a tragedy-filled story behind them, which is heartrending to read, and though they are polar opposites, I loved how they connected and the development of their relationship, despite being from such different generations.
The whole community on the estate is an interesting bunch, and the animals, though noisy, were what ultimately brought them together.
A fantastic read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for an ARC.

Releasing 3rd August, 2023

Join me near publication day, to have a catch up with Mandy when we meet for a Book & A Brew!

The book review will follow, there. Obviously it’s ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!

Releasing 15th August, 2023

The Stolen Hours by Karen Swan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was extremely excited to read this second book in Karen’s Swan’s series. The first showed what a departure it was from her usual stand-alone stories. However, the level of detail and evident research made that a compelling read.
The Stolen Hours was no different. Written at a parallel time to the first, we see events unfold through the eyes of the second of a trio of friends from St Kilda. The first was Effie’s view. This time we learned more about Mhaira.
The oldest daughter of the postmaster, and one of many children, it is high time for her to marry.
Since the island is small and there are scarce prospects, a man is suggested from one of the neighbouring isles.
She meets him and finds some attraction, but confusion sets in as certain feelings she experiences may not be appropriate, especially as they are not all for the man to be her intended.
Back on the isle, there are further problems, which we already know, as a reader, if the first book has been read. Mhaira has several more worries of her own on top of that.
I don’t want to spill the beans, as that would ruin it for a prospective reader.
The journey we started at the end of book one is extended further at the end of this book, with the mystery surrounding the factor’s death on the island, the day the inhabitants had to evacuate, which is left unsolved, obviously to be revealed during the next book, I guess, but we are given plenty more backstory for the characters we got to know in the first book, as well as more of a glimpse into their futures on the mainland.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and cannot wait for the next book!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an ARC.

Releasing 20th July, 2023

Fair Rosaline by Natasha Solomons
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a retelling of a classic Shakespearean play, Romeo and Juliet, with a twist.
Rosaline is a character mentioned briefly in the play, and this novel builds a whole other side to the story of the romance, which is Romeo and Juliet.
It’s like a twisted fairytale, as everything romantic and heartwrenching is proven to be incorrect and, in fact, tortured, horrific and incredibly sad in those versions of events.
We, as a reader, if we know the original play, are made to question so much. There is enough ambiguity within the play to make a lot of what happens in Fair Rosaline a distinct possibility.
The point is, do we want to believe that there could have been a more sinister plot at play behind the scenes?
I have studied different texts like this, for example, Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, by Tom Stoppard, based upon two characters mentioned in passing in Hamlet. and they create fascinating backstories which may not have been on our Bard’s mind but can add another level of depth to an already well-known story.
I have to say it did hook me and made me feel a bit upset at the thought of Romeo not being who we always thought he was!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Bonnier Books, Manilla Press, for an ARC.

Releasing 3rd August, 2023

The Dance Deception by Becky Ward
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have enjoyed a few books set in reality tv life, specifically using a dance competition as the base for the story, so I was excited to read this.
Kate, our main character, is in a funk at work, and having lost her boyfriend to a colleague, ends up entering a dance competition and leaving her job, with no prospects beyond the possibility of winning the £25,000 prize.
Enter a hot dance partner (or 2). There were ups and downs, followed by a decent conclusion.
Unfortunately, it left me a little flat on the storyline. I wasn’t really given a chance to know the characters. However, I was given plenty of detail when it came to their sexual activity!
You are mere paragraphs into the story before things become rater steamy, and this is more the flavour of the book. Open door scenes aplenty, but not so much substance.
It was an easy read but not necessarily something I would pick up again.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for an ARC.

Releasing 3rd August, 2023

Bad Men: The feminist serial killer you didn’t know you were waiting for by Julie Mae Cohen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’ve read a few thrillers recently with the whole #MeToo as its motive for women serial killers, so when I read the book blurb, I was intrigued, especially as there was an alternative dimension to this story, compared with the others.
Saffy is one of the protagonists. She is quite a contradiction in terms. A wealthy heiress, she would stoop at nothing to protect her younger sister. Having been wronged in the past, it feels like her mission to rid the world of as many Bad Men as she can. It’s not a pastime, like her charitable work, that she can add to any CV, but she is proud of what she does and the intricate planning involved in all her missions.
What she does feel a bit of a hypocrite about is her crush.
Jonathon is a real crime podcaster, specifically investigating serial killers, and an author, writing about cases he has investigated and, at times, even helped to solve when the police were hitting dead ends. He should be a mortal enemy. Someone able to read her like a book. Someone she should be steering clear of.
But she just can’t help herself.
I read it pretty fast as I turned the pages, learning how Saffy started on her #MeToo crusade before the hashtag even existed and then how their paths crossed and become intertwined.
Lots of twists and turns kept me reading!
I enjoyed it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Bonnier Books, Zaffre, for an ARC.

Releasing 20th July, 2023

Saving the Good News Gazette by Jessie Wells
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read The Good News Gazette when I really needed something light-hearted and positive, and it was just the tonic, so I was extremely excited to get a chance to read this sequel to Saving the Good News Gazette.
I mean, who doesn’t want a feel-good paper and a lot of wonderful people in the community clubbing together to make things happen?
This time we enter the story with Zoe, our editor, a year or so into her journey of publishing her own little paper with her friend, Ollie.
There is a little worry about advertising and revenue, but they are hopeful. As with the last one, somehow, Zoe gets reeled into helping with another huge project to save the community’s cinema from being knocked down by a developer.
But she has other things on her mind, in the shape of her boyfriend, Sam, and his rival, and her now work colleague, Daniel…
Plus, there’s a movie being filmed in the village, and the local hooligans are threatening to sabotage any positive steps the community make with their project.
this is a review, not a synopsis, so let me stop there and say I loved this one every bit as much as the first. It was a joy to rekindle relationships with the characters and follow the simmering passions in Zoe’s life!
I have to say that the ending was a bit of a cliff-hanger, but at least that means I know more is coming!
Many thanks to NetGalley, and Harper Collins, UK One More Chapter for an arc.

Releasing 4th August, 2023

So, tell me what you have been reading, and what caught your eye from the above!