Book Review: ALL THE SINGLE LADIES BY JANE COSTELLO

Genre:  Romance/Contemporary Fiction

Published:  Simon & Schuster  (2 Feb 2012)

Pages:  496  (Hardcover)

Source:  From the Publisher

My Rating:  9.5/10

About the Book:


Samantha Brooks' boyfriend Jamie has announced he is leaving, out of the blue. He is loving, intelligent and, while he isn't perfect, he's perfect for her - in every way except one: he's a free spirit. And after six years in one place, doing a job he despises, he is compelled to do something that will tear apart his relationship with Sam: book a one-way flight to South America. 
But Sam isn't giving up without a fight. With Jamie still totally in love with her, and torn about whether to stay or go, she has three months to persuade him to do the right thing. With the help of her friends Ellie and Jen, she hatches a plan to make him realise what he's giving up. A plan that involves dirty tricks, plotting and a single aim: to win him back. But by the time the tortured Jamie finally wakes up to what he's lost, a gorgeous new pretender has entered Sam's life. Which begs the question ...does she still want him back?

I know it's only January but if I read another book this year that I enjoy as much as this then I will be very happy!

I loved the writing, the story, the characters and the pace of the book - it was so much fun to read with some laugh out loud situations.

We first meet Sam, narrator and main protagonist when her car breaks down, she is the sort of girl who is normally unflappable in a crisis, but on this occasion, having just been told by Jamie that he is leaving her to live in South America, she breaks down in front of the bemused AA man.

While Sam tries to play it cool around Jamie pretending that she's doing great without him and even going out on dates trying to make him jealous, he just can't make his mind up - should he stay or should he go?  Should Sam let him go and move on or should she fight tooth and nail to win him back?  This is the main crux of the story, though there are plenty of other characters who weave in and out and who all have problems of their own, including her adopted sister who doesn't know whether to meet her real father, her friend, Jen, who can never keep hold of her boyfriends for long and doesn't know what she's doing wrong.

It's very easy to get involved with Jane Costello's characters, they are all so likeable and her easy writing style and short chapters make you want to keep turning the pages, hoping that it will all turn out right in the end because you want everyone to be happy.

Overall, I highly recommend this book!

According to Cosmopolitan 'If you like Sophie Kinsella, you'll love Jane Costello'.

A Special Thank You to the publishers for sending me this book to review.

Check out the lovely ladies over at Books and the City where they have chosen All the Single Ladies as their Book of the Month for February, which is exciting in itself but, even more exciting for me, is that they have picked my review as their Review of the Month!  How fabulous is that?  A huge thank you to everyone there.

Book Review: AS THE PIG TURNS BY M.C. BEATON

Genre:  Mystery

Published:  BBC Audiobooks: Unabridged  (20 Oct 2011)

Rating:  8/10

About the Book:

Winter Parva, a traditional Cotswolds village next door to Carsely, has decided to throw a celebratory hog roast to mark the beginning of the winter holiday festivities and Agatha Raisin has arrived with friend and rival in the sleuthing business, Toni, to enjoy the merriment. But as the spit pig is carried towards the bed of fiery charcoal Agatha - and the rest of the village - realise that things aren't what they seem... 

This was my introduction to the world of Agatha Raisin, a cantankerous, obstinate, opinionated busybody and, to be honest, not a very nice person overall!

Though she does have some good traits such as loyalty to her friends and employees.

She also has a knack of being in the right place at the right time, for instance when a pig is being roasted she is the only one to realise that it’s not a pig but a man …. she also discovers a body in an unusual place.

I really enjoyed listening to this story and I did come to like Agatha’s bustling nosiness and her vulnerabilities.  The story moves along at a steady pace, it was never boring and I found it easy to follow.

I shall be reading more of this entertaining series.

 

Body Care Product Review: ROSA FINA INNOCENCE CREAMY FACE WASH by Barefoot Botanicals

About the Product:

Natural purity for heaven-sent skin! This foamy, but creamy Rosa Fina - Innocence - Creamy Face Wash both refreshes and nourishes the complexion.

Toning rosa mosqueta oil combines with soothing calendula, willow and mallow to condition the skin, while mineral-rich dead sea salts purify and rejuvenate. For skin that feels born again. More than a cleanser, this product actively nourishes and balances your complexion too. It gives more than it takes away.

This face wash has a lovely creamy texture with a gorgeous smell .... I use it every morning and night and it makes my skin feel very clean and non-greasy, it doesn't feel dry or tight.

According to the instructions you are supposed to "massage over skin in circular sweeps then remove with a damp cloth" but I prefer to splash my face with water to rinse it all off and it doesn't leave a residue.

It doesn't lather up so don't expect it to be full of bubbles!

Overall, I have been very happy to use this ..... I have had no adverse reaction ..... my skin does tend to be greasy and Barefoot Botanicals say that it is recommended for Sensitive, Mature, Rosacea, Fine Lines, Wrinkles, Scarring, Combination, Oily, Acne skin.

About Barefoot Botanicals:

The Barefoot Botanicals Rosa Fina range is Barefoot's specialist range for mature skin and skin in need of special care. Formulated from a rare and highly therapeutic rosa mosqueta oil pressed from seeds of a wild Chilean rose. This precious ingredient is clinically proven to dramatically reduce wrinkles, stretch marks and scar tissue, leaving skin smooth, firm & radiant.

 Barefoot Botanicals name was inspired by the ancient Chinese tradition of barefoot doctors who travelled from village to village without shoes, dispensing wisdom and remedies. The secret of Barefoot's success lay in its advanced formulations, which combine the best of cutting-edge science with a thousand years of herbal wisdom. Each ingredient has been carefully sourced to provide high performance with powerful therapeutic benefits without sacrificing ethical integrity

Available from mypure.co.uk in a 100ml tube.

As with all the products on the Mypure website the Rosa Fina Creamy Face Wash is sulfate free (sodium lauryl sulfate SLS, sodium laureth sulfate SLES, ammonium laureth sulfate ALES), paraben free & phthalate free.

Some other products that I have reviewed for Mypure are --

Living Nature Firming Eye Cream

A'kin Lavender and Rose Moisturising Night Cream

Comvita Anti-Ageing Nourishing Hand and Nail Cream

Lovea Argan Brilliance Shine Shampoo

Book Review: THE HUNGER GAMES BY SUZANNE COLLINS

Genre:  YA/Science Fiction/Fantasy/Adventure

Published:  Scholastic  (Sept 2008)

Pages:  464

Rating:  8.5/10

THIS HAS BEEN REVIEWED BY MY SON

About the Book:

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. But Katniss has been close to death before - and survival, for her, is second nature. "The Hunger Games" is a searing novel set in a future with unsettling parallels to our present. Welcome to the deadliest reality TV show ever...

When I first heard about Suzanne Collins "The Hunger Games" I thought it would be an epic novel about kids being forced to fight in jungles and would be a philosophical meaning about how corrupt and injust the legal system and the government is. 

So you can understand my reluctance when I started hearing people comparing it to Twilight and Harry Potter. 

These reluctances where soon banished when I found it to be not as huge and clever as I thought but still a fun, exhilarating ride with a female protaganist that you can't help but root for. I would mostly compare it to 1984, although not as depressing, and the Japanese movie "Battle Royale", although not as brutal. Somewhere in between is the Hunger Games. It is fun, exciting and this is only part one, which means it hopefully will get better and better. 

Also look out for the motion picture coming out in Spring 2012.