A Night On The Orient Express Review

A Night On The Orient Express

Veronica Henry 

Publisher: Orion Publishing Group

 The Orient Express. Luxury. Mystery. Romance. For one group of passengers settling in to their seats and taking their first sips of champagne, the journey from London to Venice is more than the trip of a lifetime. A mysterious errand; a promise made to a dying friend; an unexpected proposal; a secret reaching back a lifetime...As the train sweeps on, revelations, confessions and assignations unfold against the most romantic and infamous setting in the world.

My overwhelming thought when I finished this book was that I need to go on the Orient Express. An overnight journey from London to Venice via Paris in all the luxury and decadence that this famous train journey continues to offer sounds wonderfully sumptuous and plush. If nothing else this book is a wonderful travel brochure for the journey with the surroundings, the history and food on offer. I really hope Veronica Henry gets a percentage of future holidays booked after people read this!

The story itself actually follows several characters on the same train journey – a modern family with two late teens rebellious children with big secrets, a strict father and nervous new step-mother, an art dealer who is heading to Venice to pick up a birthday present from her grandmother, but struggling to decide between an unsuitable romance and a new job offer, an aging photographer and his muse making their annual trip to Venice, but he has a surprise in store for this year and finally a young couple on a blind date but each with a  broken heart. While they are all on the same train, their stories don’t overlap much, if at all so at times it feels like a collection of short stories. Especially as there are flashbacks to the Grandmothers past and how she ended up on a similar journey years ago.

However, I will confess this story had me in tears before the first 50 pages were over due to a character’s early demise – and it is an emotional story. I had initially picked it up thinking it was a light read – a little chick-lit but the setting of the Orient Express and Venice is just rich background for big emotional upheavals in many characters life’s at different points. By the end they have all made big choices and while we are left unaware of how these choices will affect each person, there is some satisfaction in knowing things do change.   

While the beginning and middle was stronger for me, this is a wonderful holiday read with a pleasing balance between romance, family relations and the impact the past can have on the future. Like a champagne breakfast, this should be savoured and enjoyed until the last crumb.

Recommended for fans of Erica James and Kate Mosse. 8 out of 10

Falling Fast Review

Falling Fast

-       Sophie McKenzie

Publisher: Simon and Schuster Childrens

When River auditions for a part in an interschool performance of Romeo and Juliet, she finds herself smitten by Flynn, the boy playing Romeo. But Flynn comes from a damaged family—is he even capable of giving River what she wants? The path of true love never did run smooth . . .

This is a story about first love and young love. River longs to fall in love – that all consuming  can’t live without them love. And when her all girls school agrees to work with alocal boys school for a production of Romeo and Juliet, River meets Flynn. Flynn is intense, interesting and completely different from anyone River has ever met before. But River solely realises that love isn’t as simple as she thought it was...

This is the first Sophie McKenzie book I ever read and it was well written – River, her friends and family all felt real. River’s emotions at seventeen are spot on and her struggle to find something that was missing from her life familiar. Sophie McKenzie managed to perfectly capture the mindset of the ordinary teenage girl growing up. The emotions of falling in love for the first time are well described. However, there is a big reason why I didn’t like this book as much as I could have: Flynn. The boy River falls for is from the wrong side of the tracks as it were and he is angry. He is moody and critical of others – jumping to conclusions quickly and doesn’t really listen to River. In fact, I really thought he was too tough and too angry to be the hero. I struggled to see a heart of gold underneath the short temper and obsession with money. In fact his principals are non-existent and his respect for River and others minimal. I really didn’t like him!

In short this is a well written, interesting story about first love and possibly first mistakes. It’s quick and easy to read with real heart – but I just wanted to tell River to open her eyes a little more!

Recommended for fans of Jenny Han and Sarah Alderson 6.5 out of 10

The Summer I Turned Pretty Review

The Summer I Turned Pretty

-       Jenny Han

Publisher: UK – RazorBill

Review copy read thanks to RazorBill and did not influence my opinions.

Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer--they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one terrible and wonderful summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along

The Summer I Turned Pretty is a very sweet summer read – perfect for whiling away a few hours. Isabel or ‘Belly’ the narrator is fifteen, nearly sixteen and has been going to the summer house with her Mum and brother as well as her Mum’s best friends and her two sons. Belly has always felt a little left out as the boys, older and more boisterous than her often ignore her. But this summer everything changes when Belly has finally grown up.

Jenny Han has done a marvellous job of capturing that unique mindset of the teenage girl – not yet a woman and yet no longer a girl. Belly is unconsciously selfish and so focussed on her own life that she ignores lots of little signs that all is not the perfect summer she had pictured. Yet she is enduring and it is so refreshing to read a YA book where the heroine isn’t already supremely confident and sure of herself. Belly doubts, changes her mind, pouts and laughs all living in the moment – and that joy of live and exploration of what life could be is a joy to follow!

Jeremiah and Conrad – the two boys who Belly has known forever are similarly shown as teens dealing with life and adult issues in very different ways. I also liked Belly’s relationship with her mother and Susannah – the awkward relationship between a teen girl and her mother is so familiar to most girls! Overall, this is an easy read about a girl finding out what she truly wants – and I am really looking forward to reading We’ll Always Have Summer and It’s Not Summer Without You – the next two books following Belly’s growth.

Recommend for fans of Lauren Oliver and Mary Hooper. 8 out of 10      

Nothing But Trouble Review

Nothing But Trouble

-       Rachel Gibson

Publisher: UK – Corgi

Chelsea Ross knows she's a great actress. Which is lucky, as she's just got the toughest role of her life! Washed up from Hollywood and in serious need of some cash, Chelsea jumps at the $10,000 opportunity to act as 'carer' to famous hockey player Mark Bressler, currently injured after a car crash. After all, how hard can it be to play nice and pick up after an incredibly hot invalid in need of her tender loving care? Just three months of playing nurse and the cash is hers. But Mark Bressler doesn't need help. The moody hockey player's glory days may be over, but he has no intention of letting anyone aid his recovery, least of all the maddeningly cheerful Chelsea. He's determined to get her to quit – and Mark isn't the type to give in. But then again, neither is Chelsea...

I don’t read many contemporary romances. I like a little paranormal usually with my romance, or else I read chick-lit which has the focus on the funny side and the romance a little more PG. So I was very surprised when this turned out to be the fifth book in a romance series based on the Chinooks Hockey team. (I think the cover fooled me into thinking it was chick-lit!). Plus I’m British – I have no idea about hockey!! Luckily, the male lead here is actually a former hockey player who survived a serious car crash so the hockey side was minimal.

The writing was easy to get into, but I’m afraid I struggled to connect to either of the characters. Chelsea was independent and her personality shone through, but I never understood her need to be an actress... it never struck me why she wanted it so badly. Mark was a miserable, grumpy guy – understandably after what he’s been through. But his sudden switch to nice guy didn’t seem to be driven by anything more than lust. In fact, I could see the lust between Chelsea and Mark, but for me it never developed into a love I could believe in.

There are some sex scenes that are a little raunchy and I have to admit I did enjoy some of the early banter between Mark and Chelsea – the rapid squirrel had me chuckling out loud and his comments about her driving her very amusing. I guess it was when the characters got together that I lost interest in the story. There wasn’t anything that drove the story at that point. If you want a quick, smexy read though, then this is for you!

Recommended for fans of Jilly Cooper and Susan Donovan. 5 out of 10

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Life, Liberty and Pursuit Review

Life, Liberty and Pursuit

-       Susan Kaye Quinn

Ebook

When college-bound Eliza falls into a cruise-ship pool, she doesn't expect to fall in love. And when navy recruit David pulls her from the water, he finds her surprisingly hard to resist. But a whirlwind of rescues, candlelit nights, and beachside misunderstandings pulls them into a four-day love affair that threatens to break their hearts before their love has a chance to start. When David leaves for endless drills and physical training in boot camp, and Eliza returns to Albuquerque to prepare for Princeton in the fall, they dare to keep loving each other and struggle to imagine a future when they can be together. But when miles and mistrust pull them apart, they are forced to choose between keeping true to their dreams and having the courage to love.

I don’t read a lot of straight romance – some chick-lit when I fancy something light and frothy and some paranormal romance when I fancy a little more risqué. So this contemporary romance, an e-book I won from Missy at The Unread Reader a while ago, was a change of pace for me. It was another holiday read and the perfect book to chill out with by the pool – especially as the book starts with the main characters on a holiday cruise!

David is a strong man but not an over the top alpha man. Eliza is friendly and kind but emotionally immature – mostly because she just graduated high school. Their blossoming romance first on board and later via letter is a heart warming and very sweet. I liked how they both thought about the pros and cons of their relationship – especially long distance. At one point though I was seriously in danger of starting to dislike David, but then he pulled me back just by doing the right thing. How realistic the relationship actually this is, I’m not sure, but that’s my cynical side kicking in. :-)

It's not a long book, but the pages flew by. If you want a nice chaste romance this is the summer read for you!

Recommended for fans of Simone Elkeles and Sarah Dessen. 7 out of 10