The Mister

 The Mister by E. L. James

Published 16 April 2019 Arrow

Alessia cleans the stylish apartment daily.

She does the laundry, irons the shirts, changes the bedsheets, empties the bins and finally, when her work is done for the day, she sits at the beautiful piano and plays from memory.

Sometimes Bach that she learned back home in Albania.

Sometimes the composition half-finished on the music stand.

The Mister is often out when Alessia is cleaning. Once, she saw him. Lying on his bed. Naked. The first naked man she had seen and he was beautiful. Now Alessia hides in the laundry room when he is at home. She is nervous of him.

Maxim's life has just been turned upside down. Before, there was no work hard, play hard - he just played. Fast cars, expensive clothes, beautiful women - he flirted with the world and the world opened before him.

Then Kit died.

Without his older brother, the family responsibilities fell to him. Then his brother's widow fell into his bed. No, life is complicated enough for Maxim - so why can't he concentrate on what he should be doing and stop thinking about doing his Daily? Alessia is stunning - but so shy, afraid of him.

Maxim may not know of her past - that she was trafficked from Albania to the UK, but he knows for certain that he wants her in his future.

I didn't know what to expect with a new novel from E. L. James. An X-rated Made in Chelsea perhaps? There is no Christian and Ana. Instead of a businessman and a student we get a playboy and a scrubber. The setting is London. The storyline more...criminally inclined. The sex scenes seemed more tame but perhaps I am more worldly after reading the Shades trilogy. The Mister was a quick read, amusing in places, tense in others. I liked Alessia, she was resilient. Again it was a rescue read - they both rescue each other but it was the trafficking storyline that really held my interest. Human trafficking is a heinous act and is increasing - across England and Wales, 5144 modern slavery offences were recorded April 2018 to March 2019 and bringing it into reader's awareness can only be a good thing. 

Fallen

Fallen

by Lauren Kate

Published 1 July 2010 by Corgi

I am aware I am very late to this particular YA party. Fallen was published in 2010 and is the first in a series of four books. There was huge hype about it when it came out with Lucinda and Daniel having enough fans to topple the Edward and Bella Twilight 'ship. It was this hype however that kept me from reading Fallen and, true to its title, it had fallen from my memory and been packed away into a TBR box.

This year I decided not to go on a book buying ban (I mean...could you imagine!) but instead actually read the books I own rather than read borrowed ones (I work in a public library). It was because of this that I uncovered Fallen and gave it a go.

I am sorry to say I have not 'Fallen' in  love with the story. Or with Lucinda and Daniel. Or with any part of it other than the cover art (gorgeous). It is an easy read but I found it sooooo slow and therefore tedious. The action that did occur fell flat until about the last 100 pages during which **SPOILERS INCOMING** my favourite character died and it was all just a bit...meh.

The premise is that Lucinda and Daniel are meant to be. Over and over again. The problem is Daniel is a fallen angel which means they can't be together and when they do get together, Lucinda dies - usually when they kiss. This time is different. Lucinda killed a guy when she kissed him which got her sent to this creepy reform school which is actually a front for the angels. When she and Daniel do lock lips, she's still breathing. Cue celebrations and research but of course, not everyone is happy that Daniel and Luce are together again.

As I said, it is the first of four books and I would have passed it on to a charity shop but as I looked at the front again, discovered it had been personally dedicated and signed by Lauren herself. Awwww! I haven't met Lauren so I am guessing my cool colleagues at School's Library Service did an event with her and brought me a book back. I shall therefore be keeping the book and may even try Torment - the next in the series (after I've emptied another couple of these TBR boxes).

Carnal Acts

Carnal Acts

by Sam Alexander

Published 15 June 2014 by Arcadia Books

This novel is described as crime noir. Dark and at its most terrifying. While I found this a dark read - as most are - I did not find it terrifying. This may please or disappoint you depending on the crime genre you prefer.

Set in the Northern English borders (hurrah) DI Joni Pax and DCI Hector 'Heck' Rutherford are investigating a murder at an Albanian-run brothel. Their suspect is on the run and bodies soon start piling up as Joni and Heck try to solve the crimes and take the Albanian mafia down.

Expect strong language, sexual scenes and violence.

I was a little nervous in starting this book as I expected it to be too gritty, however I was very quickly hooked on the tense plot and whip-smart twists. I felt really invested in Joni and Heck - both through their backstories and with their actions in cracking this case. As a duo, they work well. I see a fatherly respect building between them. The setting was pleasantly unusual - not East London or inner city Manchester but the rural town of Corham with cameos of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne and Roman Northumberland.

I would have absolutely picked up another Sam Alexander novel to read (which is apparently the pseudonym of a highly respected crime writer) were there any more published but at least feel I can now say I am a fan of Police procedural crime fiction.

Blood for Blood

Blood for Blood by Ryan Graudin

Published 13 July 2017 by Orion

First up, this is the sequel to Wolf by Wolf. If  you have not read Wolf by Wolf, click away now as there will be spoilers!

OK, now that's out of the way, here we go...

I loved, loved, loved Wolf by Wolf. I had just finished reading  it when I went for a job interview (for my current post) and was asked to talk about a book I had recently enjoyed. I remember spelling out Ryan's surname for the interviewer as she wrote the details down so I must have sold it to her. In truth, the YA book sells itself. It is a rich imagining of the world if Adolf Hitler had been successful. 

It has been a few years now since I read Wolf, but managed to get hold of a copy of Blood for Blood and the characters and plot immediately came back to me - always a sign of good writing.

It begins with failure. Yael's failure - but not through her doing. She is hunted across the world, first followed, then joined by Luka and Felix. Yael fights her way to Germania to see if the resistance survived, to see if she needs to add more wolves to her pack and to see if she can try again. On her way she meets new allies and ghosts from her past. One thing is for certain, the German occupation is threatened as long as Volchitsa breathes. 

I did enjoy reading this book, however not as much as Wolf. Yael is a great character - a survivor, and it was great to read another side of her as she interacts with Luka and Miriam.

Unfortunately, I found it a slow read, possibly because Wolf is packed with action, however the end was rounded off satisfactorily (if unfairly!).

This is the third of Ryan's books I have read and proudly consider myself a fan. Looking forward to more 

It Started with a Tweet

It Started with a Tweet by Anna Bell

Published 28 December 2017 by Bonnier Zaffre

With a title like that, how could I not pick this up to read? Twitter is by far my favourite social media platform.

Twitter is also the go-to of marketeer Daisy Hobson who spends her days posting updates, photos and tweets both for herself and her employer but, when one fateful night she drunkenly tweets from the wrong account, Daisy finds herself not only without a job and a home but also publicly humiliated as her drunk-tweet goes viral.

Sister Rosie comes to the rescue in the form of a digital detox in Cumbria. Reluctant Daisy is not impressed - especially when she sees the run-down farm (without 3G) that they will be staying in.

Trapped in a crumbling cottage without Wi-Fi, Daisy discovers that with a bit of #DIY and some #TLC its not just the farm that can receive a makeover.

This is a lighthearted easy read - full of fun. Alongside the sisterly bonding are marriage woes and a unexpected love triangle. Life in the Fell community has never been so entertaining.

Just One Year

Just One Year by Gayle Forman

Published 7 November 2013 by Definitions

This is the sequel to Just One Day and will make much more sense if you read that book first - its wonderful!

It follows Willem as he wakes up in hospital in Paris with the nagging feeling he should be somewhere, with someone...

By the time he remembers, Lulu is gone and so are Willem's hopes of explaining - he doesn't even know Lulu's real name.

Over the course of a year we follow Willem as he tries to forget and then find Lulu. We get to meet his family and friends and get a glimpse of his nomadic lifestyle that led him to be performing Shakespeare in Stratford-upon-Avon the day Lulu's tour group were visiting.

I read this YA novel in one sitting. I was impatient to see Allyson (Lulu) and Willem reunite but that's the kind of soppy romantic I am. Willem's story however is still enjoyable and really fleshes out the spontaneous Dutchman we met in Just One Day. I especially enjoyed reading about his time in India and relationship with his mother. 

I'm very glad to have finally found out what happened after. I read Just One Day a long time ago and yet Forman's characters came straight back to me. 

If you love your YA romance and travelling, give this duology a try!

And the Mountains Echoed

And the Mountains Echoed

By Khaled Hosseini

Published by Bloomsbury 8 May 2014

This was a Book Club choice and I approached it with trepidation for two reasons. Firstly, I had heard such good things about Hosseini's writing and yet not read his work so I was concerned I would be disappointed as can often be the case surrounding hype, and secondly, that I had not yet read fiction set in Afghanistan and thought I may struggle with the pronunciation of names / locations and understanding the culture of the Afghan people. 

Neither concern was founded. This was a wonderful read. It began with the retelling of an Afghan myth - a father abandoning his child to save the rest of the family. This myth becomes reality for 10 year old Abdullah and his younger sister Pari when, in 1952, Pari is given by her father to a rich, childless couple living in Kabul. 

I could not put this book down. The characters! The plot! Heartbreaking, fascinating, emotional and tender it left me feeling whole, and wholly in love with the novel. The Book Club members loved it too - those who had read Hosseini before have encouraged me to read his other works; The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns and Sea Prayer and more than one revealed they would like to read more myths and folktales from Afghanistan. My copy now sits on my bookcase, patiently awaiting the other three books. 

I'll finish similarly to how I started, but this time with two recommendations. Don't be put off by the unknown or let your confidence get the better of you. Pick up a book and try it. Also, join a Book Club. They are everywhere now - online, at your local Library, in Coffee Shops and Bars. Share your love of reading and dare to be brave in reading something new to you.