This novel starts as it means to go on, with a great opening sentence (You know you’re in for a bad day when the Devil eats your last HobNob)spoken by the heroine, Jemima. A witty, charismatic character who has a big secret which she doesn’t want to share, Jemima meets her match in former rock musician Ben, who has a secret of his own. Who will admit the attraction first – Ben or Jemima? I was kept on tenterhooks as I waited to find out.
I can’t discuss the developing story line of this novel without giving far too much away. But I will say this – when Ben finally opens up to Jemima, it’s one of those of-course-why-didn’t-I-notice-that-ages-ago moments, and I was really impressed. The clues and hints are all there, but they are so cleverly hidden that the reader (or this reader, anyway) didn’t spot them.
The characters are great. They’re all brilliantly realised and well-rounded, and I cared about them all. Well, apart from the villainess Saskia, whom I wanted to slap! Single mother Rosie and her baby son Harry are lovely. Landlord, disgustingly successful artist and sex god (he wishes) Jason is lots of fun. The hero Ben is sweet, vulnerable, totally gorgeous (ooh those tight jeans) and also completely believable. Since the story is narrated in the first person by Jemima, it is easy to identify with this heroine, and to want everything to come right for her in the end.
This story exemplifies the fact that when you fall in love you hand the beloved a loaded gun. Over the course of the story, Jemima and Ben learn to be brave enough to trust, and they’re rewarded for it in the end. If you enjoy romantic fiction full of slightly risque but hilarious humour, clever plotting and characters who will live on in your mind, this story is for you.
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I bought this book on the recommendation of a friend and was not disappointed at all. The author describes it as a dark, psychological romance with jokes which is exactly as I found it to be and more. I found myself unable to put it down until I had finished reading it and the characters stayed with me for quite a while afterwards. I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a story that is more complex than the average romance with more than the requisite amount of twists and turns. I am sooo looking forward to getting my hands on the next offering from Miss. Lovering, ‘Starstruck’ I can’t wait.
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This is not the normal genre I read but having won a copy in a competition and being a music lover I thought I’d better read it. Am I so glad I did. It’s brilliant. One of the best reads I’ve had in a long long while. The characters are plausible, likeable with one exception (but she’s meant to be horrible!) with such a rapport between them you really feel you are there in the room with them. The twist in the plot came as a total surprise. Too often it’s so obvious what is coming next. It certainly wasn’t in this one. As for the humour and observation from life and babies, I was hooked from the first page. There’s not many books I actually finish, this one left me hungry for more and I will certainly be reading more of Jane Lovering’s books if this one is anything to go by. A lovely writer, a lovely story. Thank you Jane. Kit
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A lovely romantic read with some brilliant twists,
This novel starts as it means to go on, with a great opening sentence (You know you’re in for a bad day when the Devil eats your last HobNob)spoken by the heroine, Jemima. A witty, charismatic character who has a big secret which she doesn’t want to share, Jemima meets her match in former rock musician Ben, who has a secret of his own. Who will admit the attraction first – Ben or Jemima? I was kept on tenterhooks as I waited to find out.
I can’t discuss the developing story line of this novel without giving far too much away. But I will say this – when Ben finally opens up to Jemima, it’s one of those of-course-why-didn’t-I-notice-that-ages-ago moments, and I was really impressed. The clues and hints are all there, but they are so cleverly hidden that the reader (or this reader, anyway) didn’t spot them.
The characters are great. They’re all brilliantly realised and well-rounded, and I cared about them all. Well, apart from the villainess Saskia, whom I wanted to slap! Single mother Rosie and her baby son Harry are lovely. Landlord, disgustingly successful artist and sex god (he wishes) Jason is lots of fun. The hero Ben is sweet, vulnerable, totally gorgeous (ooh those tight jeans) and also completely believable. Since the story is narrated in the first person by Jemima, it is easy to identify with this heroine, and to want everything to come right for her in the end.
This story exemplifies the fact that when you fall in love you hand the beloved a loaded gun. Over the course of the story, Jemima and Ben learn to be brave enough to trust, and they’re rewarded for it in the end. If you enjoy romantic fiction full of slightly risque but hilarious humour, clever plotting and characters who will live on in your mind, this story is for you.
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|More twists and turns than a twisty turny thing,
I bought this book on the recommendation of a friend and was not disappointed at all.
The author describes it as a dark, psychological romance with jokes which is exactly as I found it to be and more. I found myself unable to put it down until I had finished reading it and the characters stayed with me for quite a while afterwards.
I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a story that is more complex than the average romance with more than the requisite amount of twists and turns.
I am sooo looking forward to getting my hands on the next offering from Miss. Lovering, ‘Starstruck’ I can’t wait.
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|Don’t Stop the Music,
This is not the normal genre I read but having won a copy in a competition and being a music lover I thought I’d better read it. Am I so glad I did. It’s brilliant. One of the best reads I’ve had in a long long while. The characters are plausible, likeable with one exception (but she’s meant to be horrible!) with such a rapport between them you really feel you are there in the room with them. The twist in the plot came as a total surprise. Too often it’s so obvious what is coming next. It certainly wasn’t in this one. As for the humour and observation from life and babies, I was hooked from the first page. There’s not many books I actually finish, this one left me hungry for more and I will certainly be reading more of Jane Lovering’s books if this one is anything to go by. A lovely writer, a lovely story. Thank you Jane.
Kit
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