Category Archives: Absolute Froth

Total unadulterated frothy fun, some light-hearted reading for you.

Pink Wellies And Flat Caps – Lynda Renham

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Alice receives two bombshells at the same time- she’s been wearing the wrong bra size all her adult life, and her fiance Charlie is ditching her just before their wedding. These factors were not connected, he’s just an ass. Having been talked into correctly upholstering her boobs by her best friend Georgie (at great expense), Alice has to start over- she’s homeless, her job is going down the pan, and all she has going for her are killer organisational skills and a good rack. Along comes Lady Fairfax-Mason, who offers Alice a live-in job managing the staff of a farming estate in Cornwall, so Alice takes a chance and moves there- to a run-down farmhouse with a staff of one- Lady Fairfax-Mason’s cranky farmer/vet son Edward Fairfax. Of course if his name rings a bell and you know your Jane Eyre, you won’t be surprised by a hidden other-half (although not in the attic!), a fire and one or other plot developments.

Kooks for your Kindle?– Georgie and Casper are Alice’s best friends, Georgie is fiercely protective, and Cas is your standard GBF (Gay Best Friend). There are plenty of local crackpots in Cornwall, and regular people too. Charlie is obviously unworthy of Alice; his selfish, sanctimonious ways are seen more clearly by Alice’s friends than by herself. Edward Fairfax is partly as you might expect- moody, with hidden depths but with a surprising lighter side. My favourite has to be Alice’s colleague Karen who has a couple of scenes with some well observed dialogue: I think we’ve all worked with her at some point.

The Bella-Swan-Pathetically-Self-Sacrificing-Factor– Alice is no pushover, unless a cow is doing the actual pushing. She makes a go of it on the farm, on her own terms, even when things get messy with one of Edward’s rivals. Alice’s swift fall from the vegetarian wagon shows that she doesn’t have as much in common with Charlie as she’d thought, despite being an unequivocal animal lover.

Painting a picture for your paperback?– It certainly made me miss my West Country origins, if not the aromas. Any townies will appreciate the need of a good supermarket at least, and it’s quite an eye opener for the rural life, lack of mobile phone signals and all.

Evaluation of your eBook?– It’s a lively tale covering such themes as settling; to do so or to look for something special; starting over; and friendship, whether your friends know what’s best for you. Of course the story must take a turn for the bizarre if our heroine is at one point held by police as a suspected armed terrorist, but it’s not totally over the top. The feelings are real, being dumped right before the wedding for someone who reminds you of your insecurities, not being supported by family, unappreciated at work, it all adds up. Despite this the tone is light and witty. It’s a reasonably priced frothy read, and does exactly what it says on the tin. Recommended, I’d read another by the author.

Frothy Ranking: 3.5/5 cocktails.

Can be obtained from:

UK: Amazon for £1.98

US: Amazon for $2.99

The Perfect Retreat – Kate Forster

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Oscar winning American actress Willow has called it a day with her cheating British rocker husband, but remains in love with England and wants to stay with her three small children. Her kids’ nanny Kitty might not have a job for much longer due to Willow’s financial situation, fortunately Kitty happens to co-own a crumbling ancestral pile in the west country. Upon de-camping to their temporary home, they discover Kitty’s long lost older brother Merritt has also returned, together they all find a way to restore both Willow’s movie career AND their neglected historic home, Middlemist.

While making a movie at Middlemist, Willow questions her previous resolve to swear off men, Kitty gets better acquainted with a man from her past, Middlemist gets some much needed investment and Willow’s ex, Kerr, gets more than he bargained for.

The Bella-Swan-Pathetically-Self-Sacrificing-Factor– Willow and Kitty are the two leads, and their main difference is confidence. Willow is something of a Gwyneth Paltrow type (American, macrobiotic kids, married a Brit rocker, won an oscar), but much more likable. When it all turns to goop Willow is left homeless, penniless and desperately in need of a job; however once Kitty offers her a lifeline she makes the best of it and stages an impressive comeback. Kitty is a wonderful nanny to the kids but a little more reticent with fellow adults, we find out why, and with a little help she finally gets up the courage to face her demons. Both are immensely charming and this keeps the pages turning. It has to be said, they both throw in the towel when their love lives hit a rough patch, but you’ll know it’ll work out in the end.

Kooks for your Kindle?– Harold the film director had to be my favourite supporting character, his subtle meddling helped all in need. Kerr is everything you might hope for in a cheating rock star hubby, complete with getting caught in the act with Russian sisters and paparrazzi’d. He’s more of a John Mayer than a Chris Martin, so you’ll be hoping he gets his comeuppance. Kitty’s brother Merritt is Kerr’s polar opposite, and thoroughly enjoyable. Even the kids are well thought up, especially the mysteriously quiet Lucian.

Painting a picture for your paperback?– This is mostly set in the West Country, and has just a touch of the Jilly Coopers- but without the horses, slightly less posh, and just as much sex. It’s more modern and real world, despite being set in a historic old house, which as it turns out is hiding a few secrets of its own.

Evaluation of your eBook?– This book ticked many of the boxes on my personal checklist of a perfect frothy read; glamorous; affordable; not too long or short; a little revenge; light but not vapid; fast paced; a little escapism into the showbiz world; well written/edited; and warm without being cheesy. I seem to have missed the author’s first book (this is the second) and some of the characters from the first make very brief appearances here, but it doesn’t look like it’s essential to read the other first. The aforementioned Jilly Cooper feeling is no bad thing, this is more of a modern day homage, while retaining the (mostly) kind-hearted characters, drama, fabulous country houses and reformable bad-guys. Definitely recommended and I can’t wait for more.

Frothy Ranking: 4/5 cocktails.

Can be obtained from:

UK: A bargain at 99p on Amazon.

US: Sometimes available on Amazon, click here to check. Not on Kobobooks or ebooks.

The Bad Boyfriends Bootcamp – Poppy Dolan

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Well this is a new situation, I can’t review this one. I started spotting errors on almost every single page and (being a bit of a pedant) I was so distracted I didn’t pay much attention to the story, which is a shame because the idea had promise, it was warm and funny, the dialogue and narrative was well done. Some of the errors wouldn’t be picked up by a spell checker as they were actual words- just the wrong one, eg. sentry vs century. But I was surprised when there were multiple misspellings which would have been caught by a spell check. A proof reader was credited in the acknowledgements and according to Amazon the copy I have is a new, corrected, issue. Mr Frothy suggested I pursue a sideline in proofreading- unfortunately, as you can see, I have no eye for punctuation! It is a shame to see such a promising frothy book marred by such preventable mistakes, and I hope to read an updated copy soon.

Tripping On Love – Carrie Stone

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We’re back from a long break with an appropriately holiday-themed frothy read! Twenty-something Lizzie would very much like to become accustomed to a more luxurious lifestyle- but having been fired from her last job, cheated on by her fiance, and lodging with an old friend, she’s starting over. Fortunately she lands on her feet and joins a travel agency, quickly increasing her responsibilities and becoming involved in the launch of a Spanish hotel near her mother’s home in Marbella. Throw in a handsome, successful new man, and Lizzie’s life becomes busier and more complicated than she’d like.

Kooks for your Kindle?– The book’s supporting characters were its strength, friend and landlady Mel being a nice relaxed contrast to Lizzie’s focused personality. Lizzie’s social climbing Mum demonstrated how not to raise daughters, but having finally found true love she began to mellow. Lizzie’s love interest Edward was well written and a good match for her, although not around for the Spanish parts of the book. Lizzie’s sister Stella had her own problems; being a few steps ahead of Lizzie she’d married her rich husband and was not satisfied with her lot. However the guilt of an affair was too much for her.

The Bella-Swan-Pathetically-Self-Sacrificing-Factor– Lizzie was an odd character; glamorous, single-minded, optimistically charging through life believing she can achieve anything, and mostly succeeding. I didn’t find her particularly likeable at times, occasionally materialistic, judgemental and a little spoiled. However I do like a strong leading character, and can accept the faults that create one up to a point.

Painting a picture for your paperback?– The action begins in London, but really gets going once Lizzie begins her fortnight working in Marbella, where events take a turn for the bizarre. It’s a definite holiday read, with an additional foray into Ireland included.

Evaluation of your eBook?– On the plus side, it is fast paced and keeps enough grip on the reader to carry you to the conclusion. While there are some unexpected exploits (especially the night at the spanish club), the main big twists are easy to see coming. Having said that, it didn’t play out totally as I’d expected. The main issue for me was the rather clear need for a good edit: A few mistakes in word use and grammar don’t bother me (happens to the best of us!), but the whole book felt a little disjointed which can take the reader out of the story. Scenes seemed to stop partway through, and while the time-skipping kept the story moving, the jumps could have been smoother. The perspective was unusual; for most of the book Lizzie told the tale herself, until a quarter of the way through when we suddenly had a third-person chapter about her sister. These popped up occasionally for the rest of the book, but might have blended better if they’d started earlier.

Frothy Ranking: 2/5 cocktails.

Can be obtained from:

UK: Amazon for only £1.02

US: Amazon for only 99c

Don’t Tell The Groom – Anna Bell

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Penny is feeling pretty pleased with herself, her man Mark finally proposed (only slightly behind schedule), and she’s supplemented their wedding fund by playing online bingo- or so she thought. Penny’s dreams of Vera Wang, Jimmy Choo and all that go with them are thwarted when she discovers she lost £10,000 and has a gambling addiction. But all is not lost- Penny has an idea. She’ll plan the wedding herself, keeping it a secret from Mark, and bring the whole thing in for under £5,000. How hard could all that be?

Kooks for your Kindle?– I loved all the supporting characters, none of them unrealistically over the top, and all adding their own stories. Mark the fiancé was so well suited to Penny and understanding of her quirks, knowing her a lot better than she thought he did. Penny’s best friend Lou had her own issues, but also had very good reason for keeping them from Penny. Mark’s Nanny Violet seemed a little scary at first, but she had the most interesting tale to tell, going back to the 1940s.

The Bella-Swan-Pathetically-Self-Sacrificing-Factor– I’m not normally a fan of heroines so ditzy they can lose £10,000 without noticing, but I was pleasantly surprised- of course it was a mistake not to tell Mark, but she found some ingenious ways to get around the loss of the money, and didn’t mess up again. The subject of gambling addiction is not one I’ve read about before, but it was sensitively handled without taking away from the fun tone of the book.

Painting a picture for your paperback?– Most of the book is on the subject of planning a wedding and the life together that follows, from the perspective of a wedding-obsessed gal. Now I’m the total opposite, but I thoroughly enjoyed the chatty, contemporary, fun narrative and the deadline created a page-turning effect. Any woman who is or will be soon planning a wedding on a budget would do well to read this for some clever and unexpected money saving ideas! (Not to get all service-y, but if you’re planning a wedding that’s either small, unusually themed, budget, same-sex or if you’re just not a fan of the Wedding-Industrial Complex, I totally recommend browsing through Offbeat Bride, so many awesome ideas to be borrowed.)

Evaluation of your eBook?– This will probably be much loved by all chicklit fans, but is especially suited to those that enjoy the Shopaholic/Bridget Jones branch of the family tree, with a lovable, slightly disastrous heroine and plenty of humour. This was a well-rounded book, with some unexpected depth and characters to care about, and it’s cheap too. I found it slightly better than Millie And The American Wedding by the same author; both are wedding themed, but refreshingly different. Side note: It should be required reading for any bride-to-be, it’s a great cautionary tale of taking it all too seriously. Also, I think this might be my favourite cover art ever!

Frothy Ranking: 4/5 cocktails.

Can be obtained from:

UK: From Amazon for £1.53

US: From Amazon for $2.99

Why Do Fools Fall In Love – Louise Marley

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Shelby thought she was born to be a police officer, but after a careless firearm-related mistake she loses her job and has to rethink her career. Thanks to some handy contacts she lands an interesting job with a security company, minding heartthrob actor Luke while he makes an old fashioned English movie in Bath. But when a young American drama queen is his costar and an egotistical englishman is the director it was never going to be easy- especially when a stalker gets nasty. Once the director and Luke both make a play for Shelby, her job is further complicated and life gets a little too interesting.

Kooks for your Kindle?– There are some fun secondary characters, Courtney, the American starlet is just as shopping-obsessed and vain as you might expect, but is kind to Shelby. The cast and crew are a boozy bunch, with much bed-hopping and back-stabbing, especially when Luke’s beautiful ex-fiancee joins the cast. Ross the director soon showed his true colours so I didn’t understand the attraction that Shelby felt for so long.

The Bella-Swan-Pathetically-Self-Sacrificing-Factor– Shelby starts the book with an immature attitude problem which helps lose her the police career she’d worked for, thankfully that is tamed a little in her new job. However her love life was a gigantic wreck of bad decisions. Luckily it’s hard not to like a little woman with a black belt in judo AND karate who can put a man out cold, and able to rescue the rider of a bolted horse.

Painting a picture for your paperback?– The setting and concept was great, making a classic Jane Austen-type movie in Somerset, with the glamour of the movie world, and it was an interesting insight as such. The cover and title of the book was nice and suited the romance but didn’t convey the other theme which was a little more action packed.

Nookie for your Nook?– Nothing you couldn’t get past the mother-in-law, but probably more aimed at the under thirties.

Evaluation of your eBook?– It’s a great theme for a chick-lit book, one that I’ve not come across before in the English market at least. The stalker plotline got set aside for the romantic shenanigans for a while in the middle of the book, so I forgot to have a guess at the culprit, but the who-dunnit part wasn’t too predictable. On the whole the book felt a little uneven at the start and would benefit from another proofread, there were a few minor mistakes (at this point I check this review for embarrassing mistakes of my own…). It flowed a lot better towards the end, and the dialogue sparkled a little more then. If you don’t mind your heroine making some horrific man-choices on the road to Mr Right, you’ll enjoy her calamitous foray into a new career of body-guarding.

Frothy Ranking: 3/5.

Can be obtained from:

UK: Amazon for only 77p.

US: Amazon for only 99c.

Millie And The American Wedding – Anna Bell

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English twenty-something Millie is unable to turn down an order from an old American college friend to come to New York and be her bridesmaid. Unfortunately, not only has Millie slept with the groom (before introducing the bride to him in college), but one of the ushers was her first love and is now married to one of the bridesmaids. In the course of the week, Millie drinks about a year’s worth of alcohol, lives to tell, befriends some of the other bridesmaids, becomes unwilling secret keeper to many, offends the maid of honour, meets various potential new men and finally learns the truth about her former love.

Kooks for your Kindle?– Lots of secondary characters, and even the least sympathetic have their reasons, with the notable exception of Millie’s ex’s mother, who is good old-fashioned evil. Due to all the potential men in the story the outcome isn’t preordained which is a bonus. In getting involved in everyone else’s dramas, the week becomes even more stressful for Millie.

The Bella-Swan-Pathetically-Self-Sacrificing-Factor– Millie stands up for herself well, apart from an initial hiccup with the maid of honour, knows when to step aside gracefully and when to give someone a good slap. It’s a cautionary tale of optimistically hoping getting drunk will help cope with life and then each day closer to the wedding it only causes complications and makes things worse. Of course it makes things more fun at the time and leads to more than one wardrobe malfunction.

Painting a picture for your paperback?– American weddings are totally different from those on the other side of the pond, more bridesmaids/ushers, rehearsal dinners, bridal showers, and this is a great example seen through foreign eyes. Of course some things are the same, hen nights, family dramas, exes, champagne, big dresses. The book is a nice guided tour of an extremely eventful New York wedding.

Evaluation of your eBook?– A refreshing lack of flashbacks, just a straightforward narrative mostly over the course of the wedding week. I would have liked see more of Millie’s normal life to get to know her even better, but on the other hand it was nice to get right into the story. One or two grammatical errors didn’t detract from the experience. The backstory with Millie’s ex is a little heartbreaking, other than that it’s nice and frothy, a quick read, poignant, fun, eventful and fast paced.

Frothy Ranking: 3.5/5 cocktails.

Can be obtained from:

UK: Only 99p from Amazon, I’ve not found it anywhere else, so possibly an Amazon self-publish.

US: Amazon for $2.99.

In Deep Voodoo – Stephanie Bond

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If well-plotted, American, fast-paced, whodunnit froth is your thing then you’ll love this one. Penny Francisco certainly didn’t enjoy watching ‘the other woman’ paint her former beautiful Victorian house bright pink, but it wasn’t enough to make her bludgeon her ex-husband’s head and stab him repeatedly in the chest. Unfortunately that’s exactly the fate he met that night, not long after Penny jokingly did the same to a voodoo doll in his image at her divorce party, witnessed by many.

Penny runs her own health food store in Mojo, Louisiana, which is a little town that gets pretty crowded during the annual Voodoo Festival when the aficionados come to town, with dolls, snakes and sacrificial chickens. Another thing hotting up Penny’s hometown is private investigator BJ, who believes Penny didn’t do it and tries to help- of course this being a Stephanie Bond, they are often distracted my their smoking chemistry.

Kooks for your Kindle?– What makes this a good whodunnit is that there are many tertiary characters, all of whom have suspicion cast upon them at some point, even if it’s just a hint. I was glad not to have guessed the answer. The end result left most of these characters still with a little mystery, and as there is already a sequel, we know why. Highlights include the aforementioned other woman, tarty Sheena, a walking advertisement for her own tanning shop; Guy, Penny’s sexually confused shop assistant; and Mona, Penny’s vindictive former mother-in-law and town Mayor, which gives her ample opportunities to mess with Penny’s business.

The Bella-Swan-Pathetically-Self-Sacrificing-Factor– Penny’s no pushover, and not above a bit of vindictiveness herself when the urge takes her, but on the whole she’s trying to move on after a painful betrayal and get her life back on track. Thankfully she doesn’t rely on man alone (BJ) to rescue her, and does her own digging to help clear her name.

Painting a picture for your paperback?– It’s surprisingly atmospheric, the claustrophobic nature of the small town with everything in sight or at least in walking distance, and especially the voodoo festival. The sounds and smells of the nightly events are brought to life vividly and the Instruments of Death and Voodoo Museum next to Penny’s shop is suitably eerie. Despite the quintessential readable frothiness of the book, there are dark forces at work, and some disturbing bits. Let’s just say it did nothing to quell my fear of snakes…

Nookie for your Nook?– But of course!

Evaluation of your eBook?– It’s a quickie; it only took me three or four hours to devour it (but I do read horribly fast, it gets expensive…). If it wasn’t for the snake thing, it would make me want to head for the steamy cajun south and have some yummy fried food. All in all it’s an absorbing, light, fun, spooky read with lots of intriguing, possibly murderous characters. Not too pricey either.

Frothy Ranking: 4/5 cocktails.

Can be obtained from:

UK: £1.92 on Amazon.

US: $2.99 from Amazon

Christmas Novellas

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Mistletoe in Manhattan- Talli Roland

It’s short ‘n sweet and took about an hour to read, but something a little different. Holly is a true child of Christmas, her parents plan Christmas parties professionally, all year round. Holly was born on the big day, and has always indulged her parents obsession. But now she has a chance to prove herself by planning a massive party for a spoiled British actor- in New York.

A contemporary tale of a modern British girl on the loose in New York for the first time; she holds her own against her employer and his assistant, but will she cave in to pressure from her family and her (rather judgmental) new friend or can she cut the umbilical to her Christmas-obsessed parents?  A quick, cheap, read about adventure and family ties.

Only 77p from Amazon UK and 99c from Amazon US.

Bah, Humbug! Heather Horrocks

This is another quickie, only about an hour’s read, but that’s alright because it’s free from Amazon US and Amazon UK! Lexi is a TV homebody, a younger (unincarcerated) Martha Stewart. She gets by as a single mother to her two kids who are both fans of childrens’ mystery writer Kyle Miller. Just before Christmas they move to a nicer house that Lexi can finally afford- to discover Kyle is their next door neighbour and that he tried to hide a gun in their snowman- purely in the interests of research, fortunately. When Kyle turns out to be a lonely man on a book deadline with a sad family history, Lexi takes him on as a Christmas project; healing the problems with his father and brothers, and helping him regain his Christmas spirit. It’s a cute little love story, with interesting characters.

Santa Maybe – Scarlett Bailey

Saving the best for last- this one’s a little longer, at least two hours worth, and highly original. Thirty-ish Amy is woken on Christmas Eve by Santa- a very HOT Santa- and told it’s her turn for a wish to come true: He’s tasked with finding true love for her by the end of the night. As well as delivering all the gifts! There begins a night of travel over continents and time as they examine a past break up, her absent father, the rat-pack party scene in 1956, Bethlehem 2000 years ago, and snowy Lapland (which is not a lap-dancing club, contrary to the expectations of one elf). This book certainly defied my expectations with an original Santa mythology, unusual elves, and the aforementioned young Santa. This book is unusual fun, with some nice banter between the leads, as well as the minor characters.

Sorry, doesn’t seem to be available from Amazon US, but if you can get it from Amazon UK for £1.28, don’t miss it.

Friends & Rivals – Tilly Bagshawe

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Returning to the irresistible world of the trashy novel, we are on both sides of the Atlantic for this one. Jack and Ivan are partners in their company, Jester, representing musicians in the US and the UK. Originally childhood friends, their different approaches to their talent management business turn them into rivals. Ivan’s wife, Catriona, is keeping the home fires burning in the Cotswolds, naively unaware of her husband’s infidelities. American songstress Kendall has the whole package; the voice, looks, body, ambition and brains to make it in the music industry, but is torn between Jack and Ivan. When Jack leaves the Jester partnership, all bets are off. This is a good size, absorbing, unashamedly trashy read.

Kooks for your Kindle?– The full selection of kooks is certainly here, Ivan the Terrible lives up to his nickname; being an egotistical, narcissistic philanderer. Jack has more compassion, but is no less ruthless when it comes to business. However he’s so caught up in mourning his late wife, he misses some of what’s in front of him. Stella is perhaps my favourite, an American transplant to London, married to a famous rocker and blogging about her smug new age lifestyle, there’s a definite whiff of Paltrow there. Ava the young Yorkshire singer is quite fresh, but her Dad is a little stereotyped.

The Bella-Swan-Pathetically-Self-Sacrificing-Factor– Unfortunately Catriona will have you mentally slapping her for being such a sap; she’s straight out of a Jilly Cooper novel, the kind, homely, frustratingly helpless one who doesn’t know how beautiful she is, and all the men fight to take care of her. It’s a relief when she finds out what a tool she’s been married to, but it doesn’t end there. Kendall isn’t as bad, at least she has the guts to make decisions (even if they’re terrible), and improve her career. She’s not particularly likable some of the time.

Painting a picture for your paperback?– There is a surprisingly vivid portrayal of all three of the main locations, London, LA, and rural Oxfordshire. The author clearly loves LA, and shows its glamorous, sun-shiny, picturesque side. The Cotswolds as seen through Catriona’s eyes is a rural idyll of cottages, dogs, Agas and horses. London is the location for Jack’s talent-management, and his foray into the world of competitive talent TV judging, in which he fancies himself as the next Simon Cowell.

Nookie for your Nook?– They don’t call these bonk-busters for nothing, definitely not for those with a delicate constitution.

Evaluation of your eBook?– Fortunately there is some surprisingly good character development along the way, which redeemed most of them from being unlikable. It’s a little unusual to pitch people against each other in a story and not have a clear good-guy to root for, but it didn’t stop the pages turning. The ending was a little too tidy, I felt some of the characters could have done with a little single time. Although there was plenty to snark on, don’t let that stop you if you like this sort of read. It’s a cross between the middle-class English horsiness of a Jilly Cooper and the trashy American showbizziness of a Jackie Collins- but in the present, not the eighties.

Frothy Ranking: 3/5 cocktails.

Can be obtained from:

UK: Amazon, Waterstones and WHSmith for £3.99.

US: Kobobooks for $8.09
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