Book News: What a Girl Wants by Lindsey Kelk

I'm always a big fan of summer but this year I'm even more excited (if that's possible!) as Lindsey Kelk and her newest character Tess are making an appearance in July.

I love the cover of this book. I've spent ages studying it trying to decide which man Tess has chosen and where she's going to go!

What a Girl Wants is the sequel to About a Girl and is due out on 17th July. You can pre-order What a Girl Wants from Amazon UK now.

Synopsis
Tess Brookes was the girl with a plan. Now she's the girl with a choice. Should she stay in London and start her own advertising agency with her best friend and potential boyfriend Charlie? Or should she head to exciting Milan to pursue both a new career as a photographer and a new man, the enigmatic and elusive (and highly irritating) Nick? For the first time, Tess has to choose between the life she always dreamed of and a future she never imagined possible. With her heart and her head pulling her in different directions, Tess has to make a life-changing decision about What a Girl Wants.

Review: I Heart Christmas

Author: Lindsey Kelk
Publisher: Harper
Release Date: 21st November 2013
Pages: 384
Genre: Chick-Lit

Source: NetGalley

Synopsis

Angela’s planning her very own fairytale of New York…

• Enormous Christmas tree
• Eggnog
• Eccentric British traditions
• Gorgeous man

But Santa’s throwing her a few curveballs – new job (as if it’s not mental enough already), new baby-craze from her best friend Jenny, and Alex determined they should grow up and settle down. Once friends start turning up uninvited on her doorstep (and leading her astray), can Angela really have a merry little Christmas? So much for happy holidays – something’s got to give…

Review

There are two reasons why I was crazily excited for this book. One: Christmas in New York, what could be any better?! Two: Angela is back! I've really missed Angela's madness and I was desperate to know what she was like in the Christmas period.

Angela has planned the perfect Christmas holidays in New York. She's booked time off from her new job, planned some lovely Christmas themed activities for her and husband Alex and she's looking forward to some relaxation time. What Angela didn't factor into her plan were her family and friends. Angela's best friend Jenny has a rather special gift in mind this year - a baby and Angela's family have Christmas plans of there own. With all this to bare in mind Angela isn't sure how her Christmas will work out after all.

This book really was a laugh a minute. One of my favourite lines in the entire book had to be:
"‘And I want a unicorn to fly me to work every day but that’s not going to happen, is it?’
‘Unicorns don’t fly!’ Jenny shouted.
'That’s not the point!’ I shouted back."

I was in stitches! The relationship between Angela and Jenny was as brilliant as ever. Watching them deal with life's dramas added to the hilarity, they have such a unique way of dealing with their problems.

It was definitely interesting to catch up with the gorgeous man in Angela's life: Mr Alex Reid. Alex is ready to settle down and have grown up conversations about future plans which as you can imagine freaks Angela out and provides a whole other host of problems for her. I love that Alex is maturing and thinking about the future, he's a man with the full package: good looking and the perfect man for a long term relationship!

I loved reading about Christmas in New York. The huge Christmas trees, ice skating in Central Park - it all sounded so magical and I could completely appreciate why Angela felt that Christmas was a special time of year. Lindsey Kelk has such a fantastic writing style that kept my immersed in the story and eager to read on to find out what other messes Angela and co. had got themselves into!

Another absolute kicker from Lindsey Kelk, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I'll be eagerly anticipating Angela's next appearance!

5/5 Stars

My Song Choice: Anything Could Happen by Ellie Goulding

Showcase Sunday #19

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by Vicky from Books, Biscuits, and Tea. Its' aim is to showcase our newest books or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto eReaders each week. To join Showcase Sunday or find out more click here.

Hi everybody! So my resolve has finally crumbled, I have been refraining from buying books for a while to try and catch up on my tbr pile, but now I've made a sizeable indent, its time for some more book buying! I must admit I've quite enjoyed discovering new books this week!

eBooks

Beyond Grace's Rainbow by Carmel Harrington (bought)

I Heart Christmas by Lindsey Kelk (for review)

Physical Books

This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith (won)

Truly, Madly, Deeply by Various (for review)

Amelia Grey's Fireside Dream by Abby Clements (bought)

What have you received this week?

Beckie xxx

Showcase Sunday #16

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by Vicky from Books, Biscuits, and Tea. Its' aim is to showcase our newest books or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto eReaders each week. To join Showcase Sunday or find out more click here.

Hi everyone! I hope you've all had wonderful weeks, I sure have. I've started back at university for my third and final year so I'm sorry if I've been a bit quiet. I cannot believe I am near the end of my university career, where have the last two years gone?!

eBooks

Second Time Lucky by Sophie King (for review)

Meet me Under the Mistletoe by Abby Clements (bought)

A Jersey Kiss by Georgina Troy (bought)

Physical Books

The Time of my Life by Cecelia Ahern (won)

River by Destiny  Barbara Erskine (won)

About a Girl by Lindsey Kelk (won)

I love the range of books I have received this week. I have a book for every occasion: holidays, christmas, plain chilling out and lots more. Thanks to Harper Impulse for the books they sent me for a competition I won :)

What have you received this week?

Beckie xxx

Review: About a Girl

Author: Lindsey Kelk

Publisher: Harper

Release Date: 4/07/13

Pages: 416
Genre: Chick-Lit

Synopsis

I’d lost my job. I’d lost the love of my life. My mum wasn’t talking to me. My best friend was epically pissed off. And my flatmate probably had a hit out on me by now. I never meant for things to get so out of hand…

Tess Brookes has always been a Girl with a Plan. But when her carefully constructed Plan goes belly up, she’s forced to reconsider.

After accidently answering her flatmate Vanessa’s phone, she decides that since being Tess isn’t going so well, why shouldn’t she try out being Vanessa? With nothing left to lose, she accepts Vanessa’s photography assignment to Hawaii – she used to be an amateur snapper, how hard can it be? Right?

But Tess is soon in big trouble – she isn’t a photographer, she isn’t Vanessa, and the gorgeous journalist on the shoot with her, who is making it very clear he’d like to get into her pants, is an egotistical monster.

Far from home and in someone else’s shoes, Tess must decide whether to fight on through, or ‘fess up and run…

Review Lindsey is back with a brand new book and a brand new character! Having devoured the I Heart... series I could not wait to embark on Tess Brookes' adventure. I was not disappointed! 
Tess has had her life planned out from a young age. She had spent 7 years carving out her career path to Creative Director when she is sacked unceremoniously with absolutely no warning. To escape the mess that has become of her life, Tess jets off to Hawaii under her flatmate's name and takes on  her photography job. How hard can it be to play the part of Vanessa and take a few pictures? Tess is about to find out!
Tess finds herself in beautiful Hawaii with breathtaking scenery and a new gay best friend - Kekipi, who is the perfect guy to show her the sights. However not all is perfect, she has to work with an arrogant journalist, Nick, who knows exactly what buttons to press to get her riled up. Can Tess resist Nick's advances and stay strictly professional on the job?
I thought Tess was a really great character. I sympathised with her when her life fell apart and I thought it took real guts to take a step away from her life and go to Hawaii - even if she did take her flatmate's place! I laughed when she laughed, I cried when she cried and I felt I was completely involved in her story. She was such a funny character and I found this really refreshing. 
Nick was such an arse! I wanted to punch him at first for being an arrogant pig but in the end who doesn't love a bad boy?! As more and more layers of this gorgeous man are revealed, I warmed to him and I really liked what was inside his steely interior.
Lindsey has created another stunning book. The one liners were hilarious and I found myself laughing out loud in a variety of situations. Hawaii was such a stunning place and I felt that Lindsey described the location amazingly. I could clearly imagine the soft white sand and the turquoise blue sea. A brilliant summer read which I will be recommending to all my friends. I cannot wait for the next book in the series!
5/5 Stars
My Song Choice: Get Lucky by Daft Punk No explanation needed ;)

Showcase Sunday #9

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by Vicky from Books, Biscuits, and Tea. It enables everyone to showcase the books they receive each week. To join Showcase Sunday or find out more click here.

Hi everyone! Only 2 books to report this week. I haven't managed to make it to a book shop so maybe that can be my aim for next week!

On My Kindle:

Sinfully Summer by Aimee Duffy About a Girl by Lindsey Kelk
I'm definitely feeling a summery holiday vibe from these books. The colours on these covers are gorgeous. I can't wait to escape to Marbella and Hawaii courtesy of Aimee and Lindsey!
What have you all received this week?