Book review: Stella Duffy “Calendar Girl”

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Mar 042018
 


Stella_Duffy_Calendar-Girl_300x465

I’ve been meaning to read this book for ages, and now thankfully, I’ve finally got round to it. It is a shame there is such a glut of new books and fiction out there as some of the older classics get snowed under by the noise of “new talent”.

Calendar Girl is definitely one of those titles worth uncovering again. It has a great plot with a very elegant twist that is very well written. Duffy creates a fine balance between surprising twist and sinister foreshadowing that makes the ending a satisfying conclusion to the gripping ride. This, first novel in the series, is a great introduction to the private investigator Saz Martin and her adventures.

I look forward to reading the next book in this series and getting to know Saz better.

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Book review: Elle Spencer “Casting Lacey”

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Jan 312018
 

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This title hit Amazon by storm. It was published in December 2017 and has catapulted its way to the #1 Best Seller in “Lesbian” and “Lesbian Fiction” categories over the course of January.

The plot concept, though not completely original, is a definite favourite fantasy: Down-and-out jobbing actor, Lacey, meets A-list star, Quinn, because (and this is where there is a delicious little lesbian twist) A-list star hires jobbing actor to be her fake girlfriend.

In this novel, perhaps true to Hollywood, beauty starts out skin deep since Lacey is ostensibly chosen on the strength of her looks alone, initially. But, luckily, it does not take long for us to get acquainted with Quinn and Lacey’s unique voices, true depth of character and substance.

The plot thickens when the potentially shallow business arrangement is complicated by unforeseen events that place pressure on both Lace and Quinn separately and together. This forces them to drop their barriers and soon they are thundering along a roller-coaster of joy, love, betrayal and despair. But what does this ultimately mean for them contractually, professionally, and privately behind closed doors?

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Book review: Blake Crouch “Dark Matter”

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Jan 142018
 


Blake Crouch "Dark Matter"

My thoughts:

I really enjoyed the concept of this book and it has fuelled my imagination no end and I sometimes wish I had written this book. However, I do not envy the author for having to struggling with the conundrums and complexities this concept must have presented. A fantastic intellectual and emotional challenge I suspect.
The only down side, if there could be a down side to such a wonderful book, I would say was the ending. But then, how does one deal with the problem of infinity nice and neatly in the final pages of a novel?

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Book review: Philip Pullman’s La Belle Sauvage

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Jan 072018
 


Philip Pullman's La Bell Sauvage

My thoughts:

I loved the “Dark Materials” trilogy and was super excited when I discovered here was another opportunity to meet up with Lyra and go on adventures in her fantastical world of daemons and dust. This prequel did not disappoint. It is certainly another, hugely imaginative, awe inspiring, action packed quest to save the magical child set in Oxford, England.
Personally, I would have liked to have known more about some of the characters, especially the more mystical ones. The baddie, in particular, was an intriguing, very sinister character that certainly captured my imagination. However, I would have liked to know more about him. What made him the way he was? And, I would have liked to understand his motivation for pursuing the main characters, a bit more fully.

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