Cox by Kate Lace

"She'd thought Rollo was a sensational-looking man but then Dan appeared on the scene. And while Rollo was a blonde Adonis, Dan was Heathcliff on steroids:dark, brooding, intense, tall, hunky..."

This is Kate Lace's most recent novel and after reading the blurb of this novel I decided that it was a perfect book for me to read because I LOVED the London 2012 Olympics. I think that I watched nearly every hour of the TV coverage from rowing to judo to cycling and so the opportunity to read a book which is based on Olympic rowing really appealed to me.

The plot revolves around a rowing cox called Amy who meets two very different men at a rowing regatta - one is called Rollo and the other is called Dan. She is training to be a physiotherapist whilst coxing in her spare time and manages to land the perfect job as a temporary physio at the boat club where Dan and Rollo train. Rollo is the rich, gregarious blonde who sweeps women off their feet while Dan is quiet and intense but both have strong feelings towards Amy which causes problems with them working in such close proximity.

As can be expected with a contemporary novel revolving around sport, the Olympics feature quite heavily in the storyline with that being the ultimate goal for all of the rowers. Things get pretty heated on the journey there but the climax of the novel certainly has to be race day in London which was so exciting to read.

I really enjoyed this novel and I felt that Kate Lace perfectly matched the element of sport with that of romance to produce a captivating book. My favourite character was Dan who was somewhat of a modern-day Mr Darcy and had me wishing for a Dan of my own! Aside from my love of Dan, I would definitely  not hesitate in recommending this to a friend and would reassure everyone that no knowledge of rowing is needed to grasp the plot or get caught up in the tension - don't let the rowing aspect put you off!

If you have read this please let me know in the comments below what you thought of it and whether you are as in love with Dan as I am!

...x

The Perfect Hero by Victoria Connelly

"Kay smiled. She'd just bought a house - a six-bedroom hours and a business venture on the seafront in Lyme Regis."

This looked like the perfect summer holiday book encapsulating romance, Jane Austen and Lyme Regis and so I was really looking forward to reading it. 

The plot follows Kay Ashton who, after the death of her mother and friend, decides to use her inheritance in order to buy a B&B on the seafront in Lyme Regis. She has barely started renovations when the unexpected happens and a film crew moves in, desperately needing lodgings.

The film crew happens to be the cast of an adaptation of the Jane Austen novel, Persuasion. This happens to be one of Kay's favourite novels which excites her immensely but more importantly than that, her ultimate crush, Oli Wade Owen is playing the lead character and staying in her house! ****Kay bends over backwards to ensure that Oli notices her and thinks that things may finally be going her way when he invites her out for lunch; however, it is clear to everyone else that he really is not good enough for her.

The other main male character within the novel is Adam Craig, the screenwriter who is in love with Kay. He is thrilled at the prospect of dinner with Kay but things do not go as he had hoped though when she tries to matchmake him with one of the actresses. Adam does not give in and still harbours a hope that she will realise how unsuited she is to Oli (a man who has never read any Austen) and how perfect she would be with him instead.

Victoria Connelly - the author

Bizarrely, my favourite character within the whole novel was not a main character but a relation of Adam called Nana Craig. She is a lively old woman who loves colour which reflects her colourful personality and I think that it is this which made me warm to her so much. She obviously cares for her grandson but at the same time takes a no-nonsense approach when it comes to giving advice - honestly, I believe that everyone should have a Nana Craig in their lives!

Despite being a big fan of Nana Craig, I'm sorry to say that I didn't really enjoy this book, finding it dull, predictable and a little tedious. The plot was fairly clear from the start and seemed very cliché and even the mentions of the gorgeous Lyme Regis coastline and Jane Austen could not salvage the lack-lustre plot and character development. As a result of this, I think that it is pretty clear to see that I would not recommend this to a friend unless they were a particular fan of this type of cliché romance.

Let me know in the comments below what you thought of this book and whether it is just me that found it such a chore to read!

...x

Murder on the Home Front by Molly Lefebure

"Mortuaries, prying into the secrets of thousands, literally thousands, of bodies, each with a tale to tell. There are people who say corpses don't talk, but indeed they do."

This is not something which I would have typically considered for a summer-read but I was really glad to have picked it up because it was absolutely fascinating. The story follows a young journalist named Molly Lefebure who becomes secretary to Professor Keith Simpson, the Home Office Pathologist.

The chapters within the book are all different cases which means that all of the stories are relatively easy to comprehend and it is perfect for someone who wants to be able to read a little at a time. Also, the fact that it is arranged in this way allows Miss Lefebure to showcase a variety of cases, ranging from the bizarre to the thrilling. 

Something which was really nice about this book was also the addition of some pictures. Normally I am not a fan of pictures when I am reading but I found these particularly helpful because they related to certain cases, showing murder weapons and the murderers. The sweetest image enclosed had to be that of a signed picture of the public executioner which read "To Molly, Yours Sincerely Albert Pierrepoint" and helped to demonstrate the close relationships which were built and the acceptance that Miss Lefebure felt in a generally male industry.

Molly Lefebure - the author

The author, Molly Lefebure, had a lovely way of presenting the cases and it was evident that she was genuinely interested in her work which made the book so interesting. She worked for Professor Keith Simpson for just under 5 years and was affectionately known as 'Molly of the Morgue'; the relationships between Miss Lefebure and the police and the morgue workers really come to light through her writing and she sometimes even describes the characters of the policemen as much as the actual murder case! Through the novel I became quite fond of Miss Lefebure and admiring of her tenacity, especially when she was being told that it was unproper for a woman to work in a morgue, and as such I was particularly sad to read that she recently passed away at the age of 93.


This is a very different style of novel and something which I feel will appeal to many different people because of its quintessential Britishness and ability to convey the truth without too many frills and fancies. Recently some of these cases were turned into a tv drama in the UK; however I do not feel that the drama was anywhere near as good as the book therefore I would urge people who are looking for something a little different to read, to try this Lefebure book.

If you have read this or seen the tv drama then please let me know in the comments below what you thought :)

...x

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen by Paul Torday

"I have noticed in this country that although there is violence and aggression - your football hooligans, for instance - there is one group for whom patience and tolerance are the only virtues. I speak of salmon fishermen."

After having seen the recent film staring Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt I was keen to read the actual 'Salmon Fishing in the Yemen' book. Despite knowing the storyline I thought that it would still be a good read however it was inevitable that I would compare it to the film throughout.

The format of the novel was different from anything that I had read previously in that it comprised solely of documents, interviews, emails and diary entries. As a general rule, I am not a huge fan of novels which are not written in a conventional form but this was easy to follow and the emails in particular helped to gauge the relationship between Fred and Mary. Therefore, although I am not completely converted to this style of novel, I understand why the author chose to write in such a way.

Moreover, due to the nature of the novel there were not a vast number of characters which was something that I found particularly interesting because it allows the reader to engage with the personality of each character. The three main characters within the story are:

*Fred Jones - The fisheries expert who becomes engrossed in meticulously planning the logistics of salmon fishing within the Yemen.

*Harriet Chatwode-Talbot - The financial expert who becomes as invested in the project as Fred and the Sheik.

*Sheik Muhammed - The 'visionary' who wants to take the pastime of salmon fishing to the Yemen in order to bring peace to the otherwise troubled country.

Paul Torday - the author

Although the main plot is driven by introducing salmon into the Yemen there are many other issues raised which were of paramount importance to the overall effect of the novel. I think that for me, these issues were of more significance than the actual fishing part because they were expansive issues which will always be relevant.

Relationships are something which the novel serves to highlight both through Fred and his wife, Mary, and Harriet and her fiancé, Robert. Mary is highly career driven and decides to move to Geneva leaving Fred and her marriage behind whilst Robert goes missing in action in Afghanistan. Both of these relationships provide a basis for thought and through their contrasting nature, in my opinion, they are somehow more poignant. 

Another major issue within the novel is that of faith and belief: the Sheik has complete belief in the project and eventually so to do Fred and Harriet. This shows how narrow minded we are when it comes to faith in our modern societies, we automatically think of conventional religions when we hear the words faith of belief when in fact they need not necessarily be related to religion at all.It also led me to think of how cynical we are in the Western world; we tend not to believe things until they are proved to us or are tangible but really isn't childlike optimism and belief better?

The poster for the film adaptation

I know that many people who had read the book before watching the film did not like the adaptation, not least because the endings are different. This led to a surprise for me at the end of the novel and I am still undecided as to which I prefer - the fairytale ending or the more realistic one.

Overall, despite enjoying the book I think that I preferred the film but maybe this is merely because it was how the story was first presented to me. Furthermore, although I very much like the premise of the story and the issues it raises, nevertheless I don't think that I would recommend this novel to everyone because it requires a certain amount of persistence in reading some of the documents which detail the technicalities of salmon.

Please let me know in the comments whether you have read the book or seen the film and what your views were. What did you think of the ending?

...x 

Killer Heels by Rebecca Chance

"She was a perfect size zero. After all this effort, all the extreme dieting and the exercise and the ironclad self-denial, here she was, standing in her perfect designer apartment, in her perfect designer dress, the perfect designer size. This was it. Coco Raeburn was finally perfect."

I was slightly reticent to read this novel and I'm not entirely sure why, it was entirely as advertised - a cross between The Devil Wears Prada and 50 Shades of Grey. The storyline follows an aspiring fashion editor, Coco, in her job at Style magazine working under the enviable Victoria Glossop and cleverly changes between then and now seamlessly allowing the reader to fully engage in the plot.

Coco Raeburn originally enters the fashion world as a UK size 14 girl called Jodie but upon being hired for the magazine is told to change her name (choosing Coco in hommage to Coco Chanel) and become a US size 0. The story follows her rise in the fashion world and decline in weight which ultimately gives her power but not necessarily happiness. I truly liked the character because she had an honest, well grounded sense about her which, despite the ludicrous name, gave her an air of normality in an exclusive world.

Victoria Glossop is another fundamental character within the novel and is renowned as the cut-throat editor of Style UK who wants to head Style USA. She is Coco's boss and has particularly high standards which makes her more than a little difficult to work for, but somehow Coco manages. Apart from merely being depicted as a she-dragon, however, we are able to see a human side to Victoria through her marriage to Jeremy and the subsequent lesbian affair with a model named Lyyke that ensues. This was an unexpected twist in the novel which rather that just being there for the shock-factor, appeared to showcase a real dilemma in Victoria's life which she was powerless to control.

Rebecca Chance - the author

The final character whom I wish to discuss is Jacob Dupleix, a very wealthy businessman and owner of Style. It is no secret that Jacob likes sleeping with younger girls and therefore it is not a surprise that he takes special interest in Coco, leading her eventually into his S&M lifestyle which is so popular in the wake of 50 Shades of Grey. I immediately took a dislike to Jacob, finding him a little creepy and not good enough for Coco, especially when he encourages her to keep losing weight in  order to make her 'beautiful'.

Unlike so many of these types of novels, I found that the ending of Killer Heels was particularly satisfying giving both an unexpected twist and a 'some time later' section.

There were several reasons why I would recommend this novel to a friend but it is primarily because I liked the interaction between characters, genuinely investing in how their storyline developed. Also, I thought that the whole novel was very cleverly structured, effortlessly moving between past and present and clearly showing the differences between London and Manhattan. So, if you are looking for a quick novel to read this summer which is reminiscent of The Devil Wears Prada and 50 Shades of Grey then I suggest that you look no further.

If you have read this, or any other, Rebecca Chance novel please let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

...x