Daughter of Smoke and Bone - Laini Taylor

The first few pages of this book were not enough to get me hooked, but for lack of an alternative, I continued on - and I am so glad I did!

The book starts out slow as Taylor introduces Karou and the characters in both worlds. During this part of the book there is a great deal of unnecessary detail about Karou's boyfriend - who isn't really very interesting and is perhaps what put me off. Her boyfriend really doesn't require that much attention considering where the tale leads!

After all of the explaining is through, the book begins to get good, and this coincides with the arrival of Arkiva. He is an angel, but not in the traditional sense...

Taylor unveils Arkiva and his alternate world with such poignancy and care that it is almost as if you are experiencing the unveiling right along with Karou. 

The angel versus demon theme is distorted slightly by Taylor, and you are never really sure who is on which team. This, along with the broken angel Arkiva, keeps the reader intrigued and forced me into reading chapter after chapter well into the early hours..

It seems this is to be a trilogy, with the next book not yet released. I cannot wait :)

Gone - Micheal Grant

I picked this up in a charity shop and promptly added it to my ever-expanding holiday reads pile.

After my recent spat of Zombie novels I was intrigued by the cautionary words in the back of the book: 'Contains scenes of cruelty and some violence', and ready for some gore.

Gone is a tale about a town where everyone over the age of 15 disappears one day, leaving kids behind to do what they will. The book is a modern day Lord of the Flies type tale, with the usual fight for control coupled with the basic need to survive.

Despite being pegged as a YA book and written about children, nothing about this book is child-like. The violent scenes are written well, and certainly make you whince - yet the violence is not misplaced. It reveals to the reader the stark reality if a world without adult supervision.

This book is the first in a series of 6 and I am intrigued to see how the story develops through the books. Needless to say all 6 are already on order... :)

The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Cafe - Mary Simses

The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Cafe is a beautifully written book based in Maine. I have to say, despite having a great story, the best thing about this book is the setting. The sleepy town of Beacon, Maine is described so elegantly that it makes you want to hop on a plane and visit. 

Simses has a witty writing style, in a similar manner as the Bridget Jones books. I felt that I knew Ellen incredibly well by the final pages, and you close the book feeling you've left a well-loved character in a happy place.

The book reads like a romantic comedy, but thankfully there is no heavy on-slaught of mushy romance. Instead there is a wondrous mix of 'will they/won't they' between Ellen and Roy alongside Ellen's endeavour to seek out her grandmother's past. 

This really is a beautiful story and one I will certainly read again whenever I need a little 'happily ever after'.

Bay of Secrets - Rosanna Ley

Whilst on holiday on a sunny sandy beach in Africa, I picked up this book. The cover promised me a perfect holiday read, and it did not disappoint.

The twist of past and present stories reminded a lot of Barbara Erskine's work,; adding a historical mix into the tale. 

I was immediately caught up in the two strands of the tale, and Ley conceals the clever twist until the very last few pages. 

The cover and blurb on the back page peg the book as a romantic read; however the historical side of the tale is just enough to dilute the romantic theme and prevent the tale becoming just another trashy beach romance. 

A beautifully written tale with a clever twist that will have you racing through the pages to the finish. 

Drop Dead Gorgeous - Wayne Simmons

After another gore-splattered series of The Walking Dead left our TV screens, I began looking around for more of the same, and stumbled upon this teensy little novel.

Drop Dead Gorgeous (a hideous title I might add!) took a little nudge from Stephen King and littered it's post-apocalypse world with richly-described characters you quickly grow to love. So much so in fact that you completely fail to notice the distinctive LACK  of zombies until somewhere around page 220. 

Now, seeing as this book is only 288 pages long, I began to get a little bit anxious! The wait though is definitely worth it: with enough  gore and vividly described death scenes to leave your heart-racing and your page-turning gathering speed.

 The usual end-of-the-world backdrops feature; fetid supermarkets, abandoned petrol stations etc, but despite the 'exploited-to-death' subject matter, Simmons still manages to breathe new life into the genre. 

I love the fact that all of the zombies are scorned women on a vengeful rampage, and it made a refreshing change to gind the stronger human characters in the book are all women - albeit all damaged in different ways...

I will be picking up book 2 (Doll Parts) immediately, and eagerly anticipate another blood-soaked helping... Bring it on Ladies!