Friday, April 21, 2017

Review - The Art of Keeping Secrets by Rachael Johns

The Art of Keeping SecretsThe Art of Keeping Secrets by Rachael Johns
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Ebook, 464 pages
Published September 19th 2016 by Harlequin MIRA
Source: Netgalley

Synopsis:
'Little secrets grow up to be big lies…

They’ve been best friends since their sons started high school together, and Felicity, Emma and Neve share everything … or so they thought.

But Flick’s seemingly perfect marriage hides a shocking secret which, with one word, threatens to destroy her and her family’s happiness. Emma is in denial about a potential custody battle, her financial constraints, the exhaustion she can’t seem to shake off and the inappropriate feelings she has for her boss. And single mum Neve is harbouring a secret of her own; a secret that might forever damage her close-knit relationship with her son.

When the tight hold they have each kept on their secrets for years begins to slip, they must face the truth. Even if that truth has the power to hurt the ones they love, and each other.

Perhaps some secrets weren’t made to be kept.
'


My Thoughts:
Rachael Johns is fast becoming one of my favourite Aussie female authors.

The Art of Keeping Secrets had me totally engaged from the start and I really enjoyed how each chapter was broken up to focus on one character at a time while still managing to meld all of the story together as one.

I loved all three of the main characters, Felicity, Emma and Neve and thought they were all portrayed in such a realistic manner. I felt like I could relate to them all in some way or another.

I also really liked that although there were snippets of romance in this book here and there, it wasn't the main focus and there were so many other meaningful and engaging parts to the story line. This book literally had me going through a variety of emotions ranging from sadness one minute, to anger the next and then seriously happy.

Rachael Johns is definitely one author I get excited about reading now and I would highly recommend this book as her best one yet in my opinion.


Monday, April 17, 2017

Review - The Bride Wore Size 12 by Meg Cabot

The Bride Wore Size 12 (Heather Wells, #5)The Bride Wore Size 12 by Meg Cabot
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Ebook, 392 pages
Published September 24th 2013 by William Morrow Paperbacks
Source: Publisher for review

Synopsis:
'Heather Wells is used to having her cake and eating it too, but this time her cake just might be cooked. Her wedding cake, that is.

With her upcoming nuptials to PI Cooper Cartwright only weeks away, Heather's already stressed. And when a pretty junior turns up dead, Heather's sure things can't get worse—until every student in the dorm where she works is a possible suspect, and Heather's long-lost mother shows up.

Heather has no time for a tearful mother and bride reunion. She has a wedding to pull off and a murder to solve. Instead of wedding bells, she might be hearing wedding bullets, but she's determined to bring the bad guys to justice if it's the last thing she does . . . and this time, it just might be.'


My Thoughts:
This was my first ever Meg Cabot novel and unfortunately it just missed the mark for me. I was constantly left wanting more, and not in a good way. There just weren't enough plot twists or action to keep my full attention.

Maybe I would have enjoyed it better if I'd started reading from the first in the series and seen how the characters developed along the way because even though they were all realistic enough, none of them seemed to have much depth and Heather seemed to be a bit over the top sometimes in my opinion. Cooper was probably the most interesting character of them all so it would have been nice to see a bit more of him in the story, but everyone else seemed a little bland.

I can't help but compare Heather to one of my favourite female characters, Stephanie Plum from the Janet Evanovich novels and she doesn't even come close to being as interesting.

One bonus was that I didn't guess the ending so that is one thing that always makes me happy but unfortunately the whole story seemed a little fluffy for me and lacked enough substance to make me want to read the earlier books in the series.


Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Review - Plant Craft: 30 Projects that Add Natural Style to Your Home by Caitlin Atkinson

Plant Craft: 30 Projects that Add Natural Style to Your HomePlant Craft: 30 Projects that Add Natural Style to Your Home by Caitlin Atkinson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
256 pages
Published October 5th 2016 by Timber Press
Source: Netgalley for review

Synopsis:
'Not everyone has a garden—but with only a handful of materials and a little bit of time, everyone can bring the beauty of nature into their home. Plant Craft features projects inspired by the natural world and made out of live plants, cut flowers, foraged branches, and more. You’ll learn how to create a colorful floral mural, an elegant table centerpiece, a serene underwater sculpture, a whimsical mobile, and more. The step-by-step instructions are clear, easy to follow, and fully illustrated with color photographs, and the projects vary in difficulty. Given the right care, they all have the potential to grace a home for a long time.'

My Thoughts:
I found this to be such a beautiful and inspiring book. It has easy to follow instructions and really makes you want to get some more greenery around the home or to make as gifts to family and friends.

There is loads of information at the start covering things such as the best materials to use, the best types of plants, lighting, temperature, containers, general care and maintenance plus common problems.

All of the projects give extensive instructions along with their materials and tools list plus alternative suggestions. Lots of pictures accompany each step of the building and assembly process with the ideal watering, light, temperature and maintenance applicable to each project as well.

There really are some great ideas in this book ranging from those that are quite easy and don't require too many materials, to those that are a little bit more complex and time consuming depending on your preference.

Overall this would make a great coffee table book as well as a lovely gift for anyone who is a bit crafty and loves plants or do-it-yourself projects.



Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...