Giveaway: Win a copy of 'Manhattan' by Ronni Cooper

Thanks to Hannah at Little,Brown publishers, I have another fab giveaway for you today! You can win one of five copies of Ronni Cooper's fantastic new novel Manhattan, which I'll be reviewing later this afternoon on the site. It's a superb and racy read, and you'll definitely want to read it!

To enter, simply fill in the Google form below, and answer the question correctly! Winners will be drawn from all correct answers at random after the closing date. One entry per household, open to UK residents only. Closes on Sunday 18th December 2011 at midnight. Good luck!

My Favourite Christmas... by Tamar Cohen

Welcome back to my Christmas 2011 feature! As you know, I've asked lots of authors to write something about their favourite Christmas, and I've been lucky to have a great response. Today, I have the pleasure of welcoming the brilliant The Mistresses Revenge author, Tamar Cohen!

"Favourite Christmas? They’re all favourites!

I have to say I’m not a natural Christmas person. To be honest, each November brings with it a sense of unease that builds until, by December, it has blossomed into full-blown panic. As a mother-of-three, the expectations of me seem so impossibly high. And being a rubbish-present-buying, non-cooking type of person makes me feel even more of a miserable under-achiever in the festive stakes. But here’s a funny thing: in spite of my inherent Scrouginess, I invariably end up loving Christmas.  I can’t pick out a single favourite as all are pretty much spent the same way - with my partner and kids, plus mum, sister, her family and sometimes my brother too. There’s something so reassuring about family traditions – even if those traditions mostly revolve around eating your bodyweight in Quality Streets and spending the day failing to coax recalcitrant kids into a Nice Bracing Walk. For four years between 2004 and 2008, we lived in Southern Spain and had a few Christmases there, which broke the usual festive mould. Breakfast on the terrace overlooking the Mediterranean, Turkey cooked in the outside bread oven, and a nice walk down to the beach rounded off with, for the more hardy of us (of which I’m certainly not one) a quick dip in the sea. Idyllic, but somehow not the same. Not Christmas As We Know It. One year my oldest son performed an ill-judged back flip off a rock, smashed his head as he came down and we ended up spending the rest of Christmas Day in the local A&E, while the in-laws waited at home wearing wilting paper hats and the turkey burnt to a crisp. Give me a traditional British eat-and-drink-all-day-in-front-of-the-telly Christmas any day – so much safer!

Favourite Christmas movie

There’s something about Christmas isn’t there, that allows you to set aside your critical faculties and wallow in schmaltz without feeling the least bit embarrassed? I can’t watch Love Actually at any other time of year without a cynical voice in my head reminding me I’m being emotionally manipulated, but at Christmas I become a total romantic. Andrew Lincoln standing outside in the cold with carols playing on a boombox and his declaration of unrequited love scrawled in black felt pen on giant cue cards. ‘To me you are perfect’. Come on, who wouldn’t melt just a little bit?

Favourite Christmas food

As a long-time vegetarian, I can take or leave Christmas dinner itself. But Christmas Day brunch? Now that’s a completely different kettle of smoked salmon. In our house, it’s the whole traditional hog – champagne and orange juice (in my mum’s case, just the champers – ‘what’s the point in spoiling perfectly good bubbly?’ she says), bagels and blinis, cream cheese, smoked salmon, twists of lemon, plenty of ground black pepper. Pre-brunch, the house is full of grumpy teenagers who’ve been woken up approximately a million hours before their habitual holiday wake-up time, and hyperactive younger children who’ve already consumed their entire chocolate selection box by 6.30am, but as soon as that first cork pops, smiles appear as if by magic and Christmas officially starts.

Favouite Christmas photo

This one of my dog Toffee last year after the kids dressed her up as a reindeer."

You can read my review of Tamar's debut novel 'The Mistresses Revenge' here. You can also buy the book in paperback and as an eBook!

Book News: Tinseltown by Victoria Fox

It's been brought to my attention that Victoria Fox has brought out a festive story, and best of all it's free, and out now! Tinseltown is unfortunately only available for Kindle users (one of my biggest bugbears, its so unfair to those of us who only like PAPER books!) but it sounds like a great read, especially if you want to get into the Christmas spirit!

"Dom Judd is the hottest man in Hollywood. He'll do anything to get out of being a sexy Santa in Hollywood’s famous Tinseltown parade…but can he persuade his brother to take the reins? Waitress Clare has just been dumped. Playing Rudolph is hardly going to help her single status - until she sees how drop-dead gorgeous Father Christmas is! Laney Allen has shot to fame, but hates the limelight - and it seems only Santa can help her overcome her stage-fright... As the snow falls and sleigh bells ring, whose Tinseltown dreams will come true?"

You can buy Tinseltown as an eBook now!

My Favourite Christmas... by Molly Hopkins

Welcome back to my Christmas 2011 feature! As you know, I've asked lots of authors to write something about their favourite Christmas, and I've been lucky to have a great response. Today, I have the pleasure of welcoming the lovely Molly Hopkins!

"I love Christmas, who doesn’t? For me Christmas begins mid November, when my daughter starts dragging me around Top Shop and River Island dropping enormous hints. She’s exceptionally good at hinting, and I’m brilliant at spotting the clues, it’s uncanny really, it’s like we have a telepathic chord pulling our trails of thought together.

Dressing Room River Island, a good starting point for any dedicated Christmas shopper.
    ‘Mum it’s freezing now!’ She complains forcefully, and gives a little shiver to prove her point. ‘You may as well buy me the hat early so that I can get the full benefit of it.’
    She’s not wrong it is freezing.
    ‘Mmmmmm.’ I ponder, peering in the mirror at said hat that she’s jamming on my head. 
    ‘The hat suits you mum! Why don’t you buy one?  Buy it in a different color from me . . . and we can share,’ she suggests thoughtfully and in a rush, and then scooters out of the dressing room.
    I have to admit, I like the hat.  And she’s right, I decide assertively and in a business-like-way, what is the point of buying winter clothes right at the end of winter? The sooner I buy the hat, the better value it will be. It can be a Christmas present to myself, everyone buys themselves presents at Christmas. 
    She’s back!  And panting, staggering under the weight of a pyramid of coat hangers in her arms and a couple of handbags over her shoulder.
    She dumps the whole lot on the floor and smiles broadly.
    ‘Mum, they’re got a scarf, gloves, jacket and handbag to match the hat;’ she tells me informatively, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead. ‘Shall we try it all on?’
    ‘We might as well,’ I agree, ‘because I don’t have anything to go with this lilac hat,’ I tell her truthfully, patting the hat which I’ve grown quite fond of.
    ‘And I don’t have anything to go with the orange hat,’ she says, sounding hard done by.
She picks the orange hat up from the floor and tweaks it on her head, and splays her 18 inch clip-on hair extension over her shoulder.
 ‘Mum, d’you know what is missing here that would go really well with this hat?’
    ‘No. What?’ I ask, a little bewildered, because judging by the state of the dressing room we have absolutely everything to go with the hat.
    ‘Nars Chelsea Girl lip gloss,’ she tells me, looking a bit wounded.
    ‘We’ll get some,’ I say, thinking she’s absolutely right now that she mentions it.

On the pavement priming our new hats and scarves awkwardly, weighted down with five River Island bags between us.
    ‘OK, where’s our shopping list? What are we buying for Auntie Pauline and cousin Bex?’ She asks.
    I bite my glove off and fumble for my shopping list in my coat pocket.
    ‘I was thinking of buying Auntie Pauline a dress to wear on New Year’s Eve, and Bex wants a dressy blazer,’ I tell her.
    She gives a happy shopper sigh. 
    ‘OK, well that’s easy enough, we’ll go to Top Shop,’ she says, pointing a gloved finger Topshopwards.
    ‘Right, let’s go,’ I say, keen to get cracking.
Read more »

Author Interview: Paige Toon

Today it is my absolute pleasure to be welcoming the fantastic Paige Toon to the site for an author interview!! I have been a fan of Paige ever since I read and loved her debut novel Lucy In The Sky a few years ago now, but I eagerly await each of Paige's books every year, because I just know they are going to be amazing reads, and she's never let me down yet! Paige was kind enough to answer some of my burning questions for her, so do enjoy, and I once again thank Paige for taking the time to answer these for me!

Q1. Let's kick off with a hard question... could you possibly pick any of your books as your favourite?! If you can't, which was your favourite to write and why?

Paige: Lucy in the Sky has always had a very special place in my heart because it was my first book and I wrote it in two and a half months with a full-time job – I was massively into the story and the characters, and I was so happy to have a book deal. But I have to say, my new book One Perfect Summer (out May 2012), could actually top it. I absolutely loved writing it – I’m still thinking about the characters every day.

Q2. Your fans always wanted a sequel to Johnny Be Good, which you kindly gave us with Baby Be Mine. How easy was it to go back to writing those characters after a gap of several books, and did you always intend to give them the ending that you did?

I always intended to give them that ending. I wasn’t sure for a while how I was going to get to that point, though! For a year after Johnny Be Good, I wondered how I could do that to Christian – I even wondered if killing him off might be a kinder option!! But that would have been a cop-out. It was hard – and emotional – writing that scene where Meg tells Christian – and later when he has to say goodbye to Barney. But it was nice to revisit the characters. I read Johnny Be Good again to make sure how they were in my head was how I had written them on paper – and they were. And I loved getting to the point where Johnny returned to the story – I’d missed him!

Q3. Now that there is an ending to the question of who fathered Meg's baby, do you think you will ever go back to those characters again, or do you feel you've put them to bed now and it's time to move on?

I actually have a story idea for a few years time if my readers are still reading! And I’m sure I’ll drop in on them from time to time in future books. They get a small mention in One Perfect Summer.

Q4. If 'Johnny Be Good' and then 'Baby Be Mine' were ever to be made into movies, who do you see playing the lead roles of Meg, Johnny, and Christian?

This is a hard one! I actually asked my Facebook and Twitter readers this question recently. In my mind, Johnny looks a bit like a cleaner-cut Kurt Cobain – those beautiful piercing green eyes. Readers have suggested everyone from Johnny Depp to Russell Brand and Josh Holloway (the latter is my preference, I think!) – I’m honestly not sure, so you if have any suggestions, I’d love to hear them! As for Meg, she was based on a character I remember watching on Home & Away YEARS ago! She had leukemia and, ahem, died. She was called Meg as well. And Christian kind of reminds me of the boy from Entourage – Adrian Grenier. A British version though, obviously. They have the same hair.

Q5. Your latest book cover for 'Baby Be Mine' has come under criticism from quite a few bloggers for not matching your previous covers, and being a bit too bland compared to your other books. What is your opinion of it, and were you happy with the change when you first saw it? Also, which is your favourite book cover of all of yours? I have to say mine is probably Pictures of Lily!

I absolutely loved my old covers – I think Chasing Daisy might be my favourite, or Lucy in the Sky. Lucy was different to anything else when it came out, but then other covers came along and seemed to imitate it a little, and it didn’t feel as fresh, so my publishers thought it was time for a change. I was sceptical at first, if I’m honest, but I do like the Baby Be Mine cover – I actually think it’s very pretty. I was a bit shocked when I saw the cover for One Perfect Summer – because it’s VERY different AGAIN! It’s classy, pretty and unique – and that’s the thing about my publishers, Simon & Schuster, they want to make sure my covers are standing out on the shelves and looking unlike anything else out there at the moment. I have a very strong fanbase and I’m very, very lucky, and S&S strongly believe that my books should be getting out there to an even wider readership. They hope that my loyal readers will come with us on the cover journey – because my writing style is unchanged, and everything my readers have come to expect from me is still present and correct. But we’re hoping we might pick up some new readers who might have been put off by the younger, glittery look of my first four books.

Q6. Who are some of your own favourite authors? Could you pick your top 3 'desert island' reads?

Anything by Marian Keyes – I absolutely love her! I adored the Twilight books, so Stephenie Meyer is right up there, too, and I’m always a fan of Lisa Jewell. Sadly I don’t have much time to read – maybe when the kids are in school, but for now all my spare time is taken up with writing or spending time with my husband.

Q7. When you aren't writing books, what do you enjoy doing?

I’m a full-time mum so my days are taken up doing kiddie things – playdates, playgrounds, feeding the giant geese down by the river, zoos, parks etc. We moved to Cambridge in the summer so I also just love parking near the city centre and wandering through the colleges and across the River Cam, armed with an enormous two-seater buggy! In the evenings I usually chill out in front of the telly with my husband. I love going to the movies, too. When I was Reviews Editor of heat magazine, I used to go all the time – sometimes during the day, too! I miss that, sometimes.

Q8. What do you think of the bashing that the term chick lit is getting lately, and what's your opinion of its usage when its applied to female fiction? Do you mind your books coming under the 'Chick Lit' umbrella?

I don’t mind at all. Chick-lit is MY favourite type of book to read, so it is of course the sort of book that I would feel most at home writing. It’s no different to calling a film a chick-flick – which is basically a romantic film aimed at young women. That sums my books up, too, so I’d never be offended by the term.

Q9. You have recently joined Twitter, and you're active on Facebook also. Do you enjoy the interactions these social networking sites allow you to have with your fans, and what would you say is the best compliment you've ever received from a fan about your books?!

I absolutely love interacting with my readers. Nothing makes me smile more than getting messages on Facebook from them. The messages come through to my main email address so I read them as and when they appear, but it can take me a long time to go onto Facebook and reply to everyone individually. When we moved in August, we were without broadband for five weeks, and then my deadline was looming so I’ve only just now replied to everyone from the summer! Now I’m up-to-date though so I should get onto it every few days. I’m still getting the hang of Twitter… In terms of the best compliment, it’s too hard to pinpoint one. The most heartwarming thing is when people tell me they’ve recommended me to their friends – there’s no better compliment than that, and I love the idea of them talking about my books between themselves.

Q10. You have a book coming out this summer, One Perfect Summer, (cannot wait!!) but can you reveal if you're working on a 2013 release just yet?!

I certainly am! I always have the idea for the next book I’m going to write, while I’m writing the one before, so in the next couple of weeks I’ll tackle the synopsis, but I won’t actually start writing until the new year. My head is still so full of One Perfect Summer – I don’t want to let it go, yet!

Thank you so much, Paige!

My Favourite Christmas... by Veronica Henry

Welcome back to my Christmas 2011 feature! As you know, I've asked lots of authors to write something about their favourite Christmas, and I've been lucky to have a great response. Today, I have the pleasure of welcoming Veronice Henry!

"Ever since my eldest son Jake was born, over 21 years ago, we have followed the same traditions year in and year out and not much changes. These are a few of my favourite things:

Helping little fingers prise open the first glitter-encrusted advent calendar door ** New Christmas party clothes - velvet, lace, sequins and glitter **  Late night Christmas shopping at the farmers' market, to buy cheese (Vacherin!), chocolates and mistletoe, then meeting friends in the pub for brandy and ginger ** Wrapping the presents with my husband once all the children have gone to bed, and sharing a bottle of champagne **  The feeling of big, fat, velvet stockings bulging with presents **  Opening our presents to the soundtrack of "The Snowman' read by Bernard Cribbins **  Blinis and smoked salmon  - and more champagne! - while I prepare the lunch **  Fighting over the last pig-in-blanket  - everyone's favourite ** Mince pies made with orange pastry, a big dollop of brandy butter stuffed under the lid ** A head-clearing walk on the beach as dusk falls while someone else tackles the washing up  **  Falling asleep in front of the telly with a Terry's chocolate orange, snuggled up with my boys"

Book Review: The Jewels of Manhattan by Carmen Reid

Like all crazy plans, it was plotted out on a cocktail napkin.

1. Steal fabulous jewels

2. Sell for millions

3. Live happily ever after

Brilliant and oh so simple... when you're a few Cosmopolitans down.

Not quite so easy... if you've never stolen anything before, and you're dating a detective.

The three Jewel sisters, Amber, Sapphire and Em, came to New York in search of the perfect life.

But do they have to steal their dream? Or can they resist the temptation?

I am a big fan of the Annie Valentines series written by Carmen Reid, but I've previously only read one of her stand-alone novels, Three In A Bed, which I really enjoyed. I've been really excited to read Carmen's latest book, another stand-alone novel called The Jewels of Manhattan. I have to say I was disappointed with the cover, which has been outed as being a virtual copy of Miranda Dickinson's novel Fairytale of New York, but I was willing to forgo that and see what the story inside was going to be like. I was hoping for something funny, sassy and a bit "Carmen Reid" but I have to confess that this book wasn't really what I was expecting at all.

First of all, this book is set in America, and is starring American characters. Reid is Scottish, and all her characters before this that I've read have been British, or at least set within a British novel, and I always get the sense that it feels authentic and I don't have a problem reading it. However, with this one, from the beginning I felt like I was a bit unsure about the authenticity of what I was reading, although I don't know why. I've read plenty of non-American authors writing books set abroad, yet this one just didn't sit right with me. I think it was mainly the characters that made it a bit flawed for me, but it is just an overall feeling of the book that I get and couldn't seem to shake off throughout.

The main three characters are the Jewel sisters - Amber, Sapphire and Em. Each of them were very different and I found it easy to tell each of them apart and follow each of their stories, which was good, as I sometimes find with multiple lead characters, it can be a bit confusing. I disliked Em from the beginning, I found her to irresponsible and reckless to be a person I could grow to like, and this was just exacerbated as I read further into the book. Amber was a bit more gutsy and probably the most realistic of the sisters - very hard-working and honest, and I liked how much she wanted to work for a living. Finally there is the most shy sister, Sapphire, who works at an auction house. I liked her but felt we didn't see enough of her to really know her that well, and she did seem a bit naive about the men in her life. Overall, they are three very different characters, and while I disliked Em, and didn't get to know Sapphire enough, I thought they were okay as lead characters, and it was nice to have the family dynamic.

The story is about the sisters attempting a jewellery heist, and I found this was quite interesting. It isn't something I have read much about in chick lit if I'm honest, so it was a good idea of Reid's to branch out into something new and different, especially from her previous books. Yes, she has her fashion in there still courtesy of the three glamourous sisters, but this is really about their lives and the attempted jewellery heist. Without giving too much away, I found things happened a bit too easily for the sisters, and the idea for the robbery seems to just come out of nowhere. Reid does go into a lot of detail about the gems that the sisters want, but as I said, other things happen too fast and way too easily, and in that respect it felt a bit too unbelievable for me.

If I am completely honest, it felt more like I was reading a book for the YA market rather than the women's fiction market, parts of it felt quite juvenile and I just didn't feel like I had to give it my all as I was reading. It was an amusing enough read with some good characters, but there were just elements of it that bothered me and I have to admit I wasn't captivated by it. I did guess the ending, but I have to say that Reid did keep me guessing as I was reading, and I didn't see all of the events within the book coming which was good. If you're a fan of Reid's Annie Valentine series, then I can't necessarily say that you'll like it because it is so different, but if you fancy something a bit unusual to read, then do try The Jewels of Manhattan. It wasn't 100% my cup of tea, but it made for interesting reading!

Rating: 3.5/5

You can buy The Jewels of Manhattan in both paperback and eBook now! (links go to Amazon.co.uk)