The State We're In

Synopsis

What are the odds that the stranger sitting next to you on a plane is destined to change your life? Especially when they appear to be your opposite in every way.

She's a life-long optimist, looking for her soul mate in every man she meets; he's a resolute cynic - cruel experience has taught him never to put his faith in anyone.

People can surprise you. In the time it takes to fly from London to Chicago, each finds something in the other that they didn't even realise they needed.

Their pasts are such that they can never make one another happy and it's when they get off the plane that their true journey begins...

Review

I was giving up on Adele Parks and then I read The State We're In and my faith in her was restored. The State We're In is just fantastic. It is based around two people who meet on a plane and discover they have more in common than they expected. It's so difficult to review this book without giving away the story and twists and they are so good.   All I can say though it is immensely enjoyable, beautiful and one of the best book I've read this year. 

I'm not a die hard Adele Parks fan but I would say this is one of her best books. Just read it okay? READ IT. You will love it. 

The Heart of Devin McKade

Synopsis

HE WAS THE ONLY MACKADE WHO MOVED SLOW

Sheriff Devin MacKade had always had his eye on Cassie Connor Dolin. Twelve years of trying to watch over her and her children. Twelve years of being the dependable friend, of seeing his beauty married to a beast. 

Twelve years of hell.

Now that was going to change, though he knew he’d have to be careful, move slow. But if Cassie came any closer, he might just toss her over his shoulder and carry her off! And he wasn’t sure either of them was quite ready for that yet. But soon…

Thoughts 

When was the last time you enjoyed a Nora Roberts book and thought to yourself, this (whichever book you were reading) could be the best book I've ever read? If you've never read any of her books and you are above a certain age i.e 21 and above, don't start. You've missed your window of opportunity to enjoy Ms. Roberts' books. Actually no, read her old stuff, the new stuff I've struggled with. I would say read The Chesapeake Bay Series, stay away from The Vision in White, they were awful. 

Has Nora Roberts has lost her place in the literary world? With many other authors co mung up who are more gritty and sexier, is she still relevant? She was the E.L James of 2000, now she's a bygone, a slightly fazed Boy-band member with the burly stomach with no relevance.I used to love her, I worshiped her books in fact, now she reminds me of every romance author out there with silly story lines and sillier characters with mind numbing dialogue.  


The Heart of Devin McKade was no different from her previous books, same old macho, good looking men and week female characters. This is the kind of book I would have enjoyed at 15 year. It left me wondering whether her books can now only be enjoyed by prepubescent girls on the clasp of adulthood.

The Fortune Hunter

Synopsis

In 1875, Sisi, the Empress of Austria is the woman that every man desires and every woman envies. 

Beautiful, athletic and intelligent, Sisi has everything - except happiness. Bored with the stultifying etiquette of the Hapsburg Court and her dutiful but unexciting husband, Franz Joseph, Sisi comes to England to hunt. 

She comes looking for excitement and she finds it in the dashing form of Captain Bay Middleton, the only man in Europe who can outride her. 

Ten years younger than her and engaged to the rich and devoted Charlotte, Bay has everything to lose by falling for a woman who can never be his. But Bay and the Empress are as reckless as each other, and their mutual attraction is a force that cannot be denied.

Purchase

The Family Way - Review

Synopsis

It should be the most natural thing in the world. But in Tony Parsons’ latest bestseller, three couples discover that Mother Nature can be one hell of a bitch.

Paulo loves Jessica. He thinks that together they are complete – a family of two.
But Jessica can't be happy until she has a baby, and the baby stubbornly refuses to come. Can a man and a woman ever really be a family of two?

Megan doesn't love her boyriend anymore. After a one-night stand with an Australian beach bum, she finds that even a trainee doctor can slip up on the family planning.

Should you bring a child into the world if you don't love its father?

Cat loves her life. After bringing up her two youngest sisters, all she craves is freedom. Her older boyfriend has done the family thing before and is in no rush to do it all again. But can a modern woman really find true happiness without ever being in the family way?

Three sisters. Three couples. Two pregnancies. Six men and women struggling with love, sex, fertility and the meaning of family.

Synopsis

Tony Parsons exceeds in creating drama with simple prose, great characters and relatable family dramas. The Family Way was at times moving, engaging and effortless. It didn't try too hard, with the dialogue flowing beautifully. However it did feel as though Tony Parsons was a man in a woman's world, trying to understand and failing miserably. The Book stumbles upon a subject that I felt Tony Parsons was ill equipped to navigate. The Book centers around three sisters: Cat, Jessica and Megan and the men in their lives. He addresses three women's attitudes towards motherhood questioning whether all woman want babies. 



It does preach about motherhood and places it on a pedestal and at times doesn't recognize that some women do not want to be mothers. It was very judgmental and although the drama was real and conceivable, I found it difficult to relate on a deeper level with any of the characters.I enjoyed some parts of this books immensely but other times I was cringing or annoyed with Tony Parsons for failing to understand the female mind as he often succumbs to cliches. 

Review: Turning Thirty

Synopsis
Unlike a lot of people, Matt Beckford is actually looking forward to turning thirty. His twenties really weren't so great...and now he has his love life, his career, his finances -- even his record collection -- pretty much in order, like any good grown-up should. 

But when, out of the blue, Elaine announces she "can't do this anymore," Matt is left with the prospect of facing the big three-oh alone. Compounding his misery is the fact that he has to move back in with his parents. (Goodreads)

Review
Turning Thirty follows Matt, who returns home to England from New York after a break up with his girlfriend. He moves in with his parents and meets up with his old school friends and along the way overcomes his anxieties about turning Thirty. 

There's nothing new about about Turning Thirty, it's very unoriginal and expected. 
It's not as funny nor is it particularly insightful however the characters are great if contrite at times. It's Mike Gayle on a good day, not as funny as Mr. Commitment but not as bad as Brand New Friend. There isn't much of a plot and it relies heavily on inane conversations between the characters. I would recommend it as a simple, slightly unrealistic read.