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| CAMY TANG | KATHLEEN TESSARO | RUTH THOMAS |
| COURTNEY THORNE-SMITH |
PAIGE TOON | GEMMA TOWNLEY |
| SARAH TUCKER | LOWRI TURNER |
CAMY TANG
Sushi for One? (2007)
Lex Sakai is about to become the OSFC (Oldest Single Female Cousin) of the family. This makes her a target of her infuriating grandma, who decrees that she will pull funding from the volleyball team Lex coaches unless she brings a boyfriend to the next family wedding. And grandma is quite willing to keep sending men Lex's way until one sticks. As a Christian, Lex is inspired by Ephesians to compile her own list of traits for the perfect man. But the one man she keeps running into, physical therapist Aidan, doesn't seem to fit the requirements on her list. As Lex battles to find another team sponsor, a serious injury brings Aidan into her life even more. A very promising, witty debut from Tang.
7/10
Also by author:
Only Uni
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KATHLEEN TESSARO
The Flirt (2008)
Olivia Bourgalt du Coudray and Leticia Vane are both disillusioned with love. Olivia is the second wife of playboy Arnaud who fills her days with meaningless social events. Leticia has remade herself from a plain Emily Ann into an elegant lingerie shop owner who eats only once a day and smokes the rest of the time. And she's very determined to keep any men in her life at a distance. This includes her latest lover, Hughie Armstrong Venables-Smythe, a struggling actor of aristocratic stock. Hughie answers an ad in Stage that asks for “an attractive, well-mannered, morally flexible young man”. He becomes a professional flirt hired to charm women who feel neglected, unloved or unattractive. But things get out of hand when he employs his carefully honed skills on both Olivia and Leticia. It's the sort of story where you have to suspend belief in the characters and plot, but it may appeal to those who love classic old-fashioned romantic comedies.
6/10
Elegance (2004)
After suffering the ultimate indignity of being thought pregnant when she's not, Louise Canova discovers an ageing hardback, Elegance, in a second-hand bookshop. She uses this A-Z of style written by French fashion expert Madame Antoine Dariaux to help her transform her appearance. As her old self disappears, her marriage to her actor husband ends. The book helps her deal with a range of events, from a weekend at a country home, to a trip to Ascot and going yachting with a new man. Louise soon discovers that looking the part is only the beginning of acquiring elegance. The novel was inspired by the author's discovery of the Elegance book - the 1960s version of What Not to Wear.
6/10
Also by author:
Innocence
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RUTH THOMAS
Things to Make and Mend (2007)
As teenagers, Sally Tuttle and Rowena Cresswell were inseparable until a life-changing incident destroyed their friendship. Now in their early 40s, Sally is a single mother who still lives in East Grinstead and works at an alterations shop. She wins an embroidery prize and is invited to speak at a conference in Edinburgh. Rowena is now a translator and is in Edinburgh to see her son Joe before he leaves for a new job in America. Memories of their teenage lives are woven into their current story as the pair head towards their predictable reunion. Although I was expecting the needlework part of the story to bore me, I thought the friends-torn-asunder-but-reunited-years-later storyline would keep me going. Apart from the unexpected twist about the blouson, this was one of the most disappointing reads I've had all year.
3/10
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COURTNEY THORNE-SMITH
Outside In (2007)
Kate Keyes-Morgan has a starring role on TV show Generations and is about to face her worst acting nightmare - shooting a lingerie scene. Her husband and manager Hamilton ensures she retains her current stick figure through daily weigh-ins and a diet that consists of a few nibbles of egg whites and chicken. Then Hamilton leaves her for her demanding co-star, Sapphire Rose, who often shuts down the shoot for hours because she can't squeeze into her wardrobe (after all, how can you put on weight following a raw food diet of carrot and seed muffins, cheese and crackers and candy bars?). Hamilton's departure gives Kate her first opportunity to run her own life and career. She moves in with her wise-cracking make-up artist Paige and falls for Michael, who she thinks is a struggling writer but instead is Sapphire's long-suffering agent. This has lots of funny diva action and obnoxious lines from her horrible husband.
6/10
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PAIGE TOON
Lucy in the Sky (2007)
Lucy is heading back to Sydney for the wedding of her best friend Molly and Sam, a guy Lucy has always had a crush on. As Lucy gets on a flight from Heathrow, she's gets a text message, supposedly from another woman claiming she's slept with Lucy's boyfriend James. After an excruciatingly long flight, James' excuses just don't add up - after all he's a lawyer who has a habit of stretching the truth. Enjoying herself back in her hometown, Lucy finds herself drawn to Sam's younger brother, Nathan, a laidback surfer. A first-class read with lots of humour.
7/10
Also by author:
Johnny Be Good
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GEMMA TOWNLEY
Learning Curves: A Novel of Sex, Suits and Business Affairs (2006)
Recently separated from her eco-warrior boyfriend, environmental activist Jennifer Bell gets caught up in a feud between her divorced parents who are rival business consultants. Her mother Harriet, convinced her ex-husband George's firm is involved in shonky construction deals in post-tsunami Indonesia, talks Jennifer into infiltrating his firm by doing her MBA at Bell Consulting. Thinking she'll hate the corporate world, Jennifer is surprised to discover she has an aptitude for the business course and also falls for guest lecturer, Daniel Peterson. She begins to realise there's two sides to every story - in this case which side should she believe?
7/10
Also by author:
When in Rome: A Novel of Piazzas and Passion; Little White Lies: A Novel of Love and Good Intentions; The Hopeless Romantic's Handbook
To come:
The Importance of Being Married
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SARAH TUCKER
The Battle for Big School (2007)
With only 50 places on offer for The Oaks, the best grammar school in Letchbury, parents are working hard to win their child one of the spots - hiring tutors, schmoozing at the golf club, selling a kidney. When Lily has her parent interview, she realises she may be letting down her son, Tim, by not being involved enough in community matters. So the former fashion editor of De Rigueur magazine ropes her friends Julie, Karen and Paul into organising a fashion show to raise money for their school library. But journalist Karen seems too preoccupied to help and it soon becomes clear that life - and the selection process - just isn't fair.
6/10
Also by author:
The Younger Man; The Playground Mafia; The Last Year of Being Married; The Lat Year of Being Single
To come:
School’s Out
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LOWRI TURNER
Switchcraft (2004)
Emma and Gill may be identical twins but their lives are very different. Emma works in the fashion industry, is married to Max and has a teenage step-daughter. Gill works in a pub, shares with flatmates and doesn’t even have a boyfriend. Fed up with their own lives, they decide to swap.
6/10
Also by author:
Stripped Bare