Cafe Tropicana - Belinda Jones (2006)

Ever been sitting in a cafe drinking your coffee and dreaming of faraway places? Maybe as faraway as where that delicious coffee bean in your coffee came from? Or is that just me? This book combines my love of coffee (liquid gold in my opinion) with a great little love story. It's also nice reading about beautiful Costa Rica and discovering some of its natural wonders - which includes a quietly romantic Latin man ... a winning combination for me! Ava has decided to make her daily drop of heaven her business plan so she sets out to find the "perfect" spot to open her coffee shop. When she finally finds it, it just as quickly slips right through her fingers. Disappointed, she is offered a second chance at making her dreams a reality by her father - but what's the catch? She has to move to Costa Rica where he lives with his new wife (who is the same age as Ava)! The deal proves too good to refuse so she embarks on a journey to the land of the coffee bean, full of big ideas. When she arrives the reality is not quite the vision she had in mind and coffee is the least of her problems as she soon finds herself torn between two men, and has to decide which one truly makes her happy. This is a full-flavoured story about the journey to make the perfect cuppa with a bit of romance along the way. (VF)

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California Dreamers - Belinda Jones (2011)

Stella is a make-up artist in England who has grown tired of her life making pouty models look good on film. So when she becomes friends with an A-list actress named Marina, Stella hopes that this is her chance to have a change in scenery. Soon, Marina whisks Stella off to a picturesque movie set in California, where she meets the gorgeous actor Milo, who is the world's hottest superstar. Shockingly, Milo actually seems to show an interest in Stella, though she can't understand why. But, are Marina's intentions that of a true friend, or does she have another plan up her sleeve? With characters that are both likeable and relatable, this is another great read from Belinda Jones. Though it's not set in an exotic foreign locale, it still glows in the California sunshine. This is a great read for anyone who wants to escape their own lives for a bit and step into the life of someone a bit more glamorous. (AS)

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Calling Romeo - Alexandra Potter (2002)

Juliet's relationship with live-in boyfriend Will is in a rut after two and a half years together. When he forgets to meet her for their Valentine's Day dinner, she finds herself drawn to rival ad man, Sykes, who is over from Italy to pitch for the same account. He whisks her off to fair Verona - but can romantic gestures (or lack thereof) make or break a relationship?

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Campaign Ruby - Jessia Rudd (2010)

Ruby Stanhope gets an email announcing that her position with a London investment bank has been made redundant. As she goes to collect her free box to pack up her belongings, she fires back a sarky email to her bosses that goes viral. That night she attacks a timely delivery of Australian wine, and ends up purchasing herself a plane ticket to Melbourne. Staying in the Yarra Valley with her aunt, she is offered a job by Luke, the chief of staff for the Leader of the Opposition Max Masters, just as a snap election has been called. The long-sitting PM has just been ousted by his Treasurer Gabrielle Brennan. Thrust on to the hectic campaign trail, Ruby's soon jetting across the country - sometimes saving the day with her trusty toolkit, sometimes leading things astray. This is like an Australian version of Sammy's Hill by Kristin Gore (the daughter of former US vice-president Al Gore). Written by the daughter of ex-prime minister Kevin Rudd, the part that makes it so fascinating is how it details the ousting of a prime minister by the woman who becomes the nation's first female PM - which is exactly what happened to her father several months AFTER this book was finished. This is a very funny, easy-to-read debut - and would easily travel beyond Aussie shores.

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Can I Tell You a Secret? - Evelyn Cosgrave (2009)

Three sisters turn up, one by one, on their grandmother Angela's doorstep, each running away from a problem and with something to hide. Susan has ended her engagement after having a fling at a wedding and has her eye on her Gran's hot gardener. Except she discovers he's her cousin Gavin. Felicity, who had been set to make her fortune from a website, has had a public meltdown at work. And no one is surprised that flighty Marianne is in some sort of trouble again. But the biggest surprise of all comes from Gran. It's also no secret that this book just doesn't gel.

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Can't Live Without - Joanne Phillips (2012)

After an out-of-use but plugged-in washing machine causes a fire that all but destroys Stella's house, she finds herself left with no possessions apart from the charred sodden remains of all that she once coveted. As a single mum of an 16-year-old, Lipsy, her possessions had come to mean security but with no insurance that security has gone hence her list entitled "Can't Live Without". Top of the list is an American-size fridge-freezer with ice maker and a Kenwood mixer. Then Stella discovers that Lipsy's new boyfriend, Rob, is 30 and to top it all off she's been spending weekends with him whilst telling Stella she was at her Dad's who 16 years too late has now decided he actually wants to get to know his daughter. Throw in the too-organised neighbour Joshua who decides to ask Stella out in an attempt to mould her, her dad in prison for a crime it appears he didn't do and Stella's boss Paul who has been her best friend, confidante and if Stella had her way mate and all in all we have a book that will keep you hooked right to the end. (LM)

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Can We Start Again? - Shirley Benton (2012)

Tammy and Alvin may have ended things on a bad note but that doesn't mean they don't still have feelings for each other. So when Alvin shows up on Tammy's doorstep on the day they were supposed to be married with little more than a hope and prayer, Tammy is slightly thrown. Revisiting her past with Alvin is sure to bring back memories that she'd sooner forget, but yet, not trying again would make her wonder what would have happened for the rest of her life. So reluctantly, Tammy agrees to go along with Alvin's plan of doing all the things on their "pre-parental" plan. But will the end result be heartbreak all over again or a new beginning? With extremely likeable and relatable characters, this is a story that readers will understand. After all, we've all made mistakes and we've all wished we could start again. Although Alvin puts up with a lot more than most men would, you've got to love Tammy and will understand where she's coming from through flashbacks throughout the story. This is a timeless love story about facing your fears and not looking back when you know the only way to go is forward. Another excellent novel from a fresh new voice in women's fiction. (AS)

Note: Shirley Benton is a contributor to Chicklit Club.

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Can You Keep a Secret? - Sophie Kinsella (2003)

Emma Corrigan is a young woman who spills her most intimate secrets to a complete stranger on a plane. She is horrified to then learn that this handsome stranger is her American boss, Jack, who's visiting the company's London branch. Emma is a fantastic character that every reader will identify with. Sophie Kinsella does not disappoint in this hysterical novel that you will not be able to put down. (AO)

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Carpool Diem - Nancy Star (2008)

Annie is one very organised New Jersey mum - she has to be as she juggles a demanding corporate job and her family. But when she tells her bosses she's not willing to work out of Connecticut during the week, they show her the door. So now she has more time to ferry her daughter Charlotte around to soccer. Soon Winslow West, the crazy coach of the top girls soccer team, the Power, has his eye on the talented Charlotte. His is a world of exhausting training sessions where death is the only excuse for absence and not even Halloween or storms will stop match time. And for the competitive soccer mums on the sidelines, there's even a position for an anti-rage rep to stick lollypops in the mouths of disruptive parents. As Winslow builds his dream team and a massive Soccer-Plex, it seems one dissatisfied parent has sabotage on their mind. A sharp satire that is unashamedly over-the-top, this really kicks a winning goal.

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Carrie Pilby - Caren Lissner (2003)

As the book blurb says: 'Carrie Pilby needs to find 10 things she loves. And do five things she fears . . . But first she has to leave her apartment.' Carrie doesn't fit in - she skipped three grades through school so had finished Harvard by age 19 - and prefers lying in bed in her apartment. It doesn't help that Carrie looks down on everyone with a lower IQ (which includes almost everyone in New York). The only person she sees regularly is her therapist, who comes up with a plan to get her interacting socially, including joining an organisation and going on a date. But Carrie goes about her mission in her own quirky way, picking a church to join so she can expose it as a cult, and turning to the personal ads for a date, picking Matt who is wanting to cheat on his fiancée.

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Catch a Rising Star - Tracey Bateman (2007)

Former daytime soapie star Tabby Brockman is sacked from her job in a bookstore after an incident with a rabbit costume. But it seems God does have a plan for her - she's getting the chance to return to her TV role on Legacy of Life: her character Felicia Fontaine isn't in fact dead but is emerging from a coma. But back on the set she finds her nemesis Rachel Savage is also joining the cast, the TV writer who killed her off still hates her and she's got to find a way to bond with her character's children. On the personal front, her mum has set her up with an unwanted boyfriend, who just won't leave her alone, and she's got a big crush on stage dad David - but Rachel already has her claws in him. It's book one in the Drama Queen series - more books centred on Tabby's flatmates Dancy (You Had Me at Good-bye) and Laini (That's Not Exactly Amore) follow.

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Catch Of The Day - Kristan Higgins (2007)

All Maggie Beaumont yearns for is just a decent guy who will stand by her and be a good father to her future kids. Despite being the owner of the sole restaurant in her Maine town, accepting any sorts of blind dates and eagerly volunteering and organising fundraisers, Maggie just can't seem to find The One. When she meets gorgeous bachelor Tim O'Halloran, she unintentionally tells everyone about her new crush, later discovering he's their new priest. Will she ever find true love? Or will the seemly cold and grumpy lobsterman Malone be The One? I found this a disappointing read compared to Higgins' other books because of its lack of surprises and twists. (XT)

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Celebrity Bride - Alison Kervin (2009)

Kelly Monsoon is leaving behind her small, cold flat she shares with her two best friends Sophie and Mandy to move in with her new boyfriend. Who just happens to be Rufus George, one of Hollywood's hottest actors. Kelly works for a British theatre company and met Rufus while he was treading the boards there. And although Kelly devours Heat every week, she still finds settling into a celebrity's life difficult. With super-critical stylist Elody overhauling her body and her look, the paparazzi capturing her every move, and Rufus back in LA spending time with a gorgeous co-star, Kelly finds she is losing touch with her old life. Don't get thrown by the cover illustration and back cover blurb - this isn't about planning a celebrity wedding at all. In fact there isn't a proposal in sight for the first 250 pages and Rufus only appears as a guest star. A sequel is in the works.

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Celebrity Shopper - Carmen Reid (2010)

Annie Valentine is back for the fourth time for more shopping and makeovers. This time Annie has scored herself a second season with TV series How Not To Shop. However even with Ed at home looking after the baby twins, things aren't completely rosy, with never-ending house renovations, fears she might be replaced on the show and a nosy tabloid reporter hanging around waiting to get a juicy scoop on Annie. Her friend Svetlana and her newly found daughter Elena also make a reappearance in this novel. As Svetlana has lost most of her money through the recession, Elena starts a dress business called The Perfect Dress. But when Svetlana makes a few bad business choices behind Elena's back, is the business doomed before it even takes off? The action then heads off to that fashion mecca Paris before Annie decides to show the world that even she can hike up the Scottish hillsides in three-inch heels. Another fun read about our favourite fashion shopper - is there more tales to come? (PP)

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Celebutantes - Ruthanna Hopper and Amanda Goldberg (2008)

Probably my favourite Hollywood insiders' book so far. Lola was born into Hollywood royalty on Oscar night - her father is an award-winning director. But she has two main problems - she's an Actorholic getting over a devastating break with actor SMITH (Sexiest Man in the Hemisphere) and she's got Career Deficit Disorder - or no idea what to do with her life - a disorder very common with Adult Children Of in Hollywood. Meanwhile her best friend Kate, a very ambitious agent, is still trying to leap up the ladder while her best actress friend Cricket is still striving for her big break. Then upcoming fashion designer Julian, Lola's BGF (Best Gay Forever), appoints her as his Hollywood ambassador to get someone into his gowns for the Oscar red carpet. But her rival Adrienne Hunt is out to destroy her career and she has to deal with self-centred actresses like Olivia. With lots of celebrity bad behaviour and name-dropping.

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Cents and Sensibility - Maggie Alderson (2006)

Stella Fair, luxury reporter for a London newspaper, knows all about elite brands but somehow starts dating Jay Fisher, without realising the renowned playboy is the billionaire heir of an American banking group. Then her six-times married father Ham doesn't want her seeing Jay because he dislikes his family. Throw in some work problems alongside romantic tensions with a colleague and stepbrother, and Stella finds that money might make the world go round but it doesn't make the path to love any easier to tread - even in Prada wedges.

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Certain Girls - Jennifer Weiner (2008)

Cannie Shapiro, from Weiner's 2001 book Good in Bed, is back - and in her world it's 13 years down the track. Still plus-sized and feisty, she has married her diet doctor, Peter Krushelevansky, become a best-selling novelist and is now writing science fiction under a pseudonym. Her biggest priority in life is getting ready for her daughter Joy's bat mitzvah. But the adolescent Joy is tiring of her mother's constant attention and is looking for a place in the in crowd and a closer relationship with her father Bruce. When she gets her hands on Cannie's novel Big Girls Don't Cry, a thinly disguised memoir written in anger after Bruce left, Joy wonders how much of it is true. Meanwhile Peter announces that he wants a baby - which means finding a surrogate mother. With Weiner's novels, you know you're on a certain thing - expect flawed but intriguing characters, family dramas and emotional twists. But this one is certainly not my favourite. The mother-daughter dynamics are well explored, the unexpected fate of one of the characters gives a power-punch towards the end but the surrogacy sub-plot shouldn't have been so sidelined.

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Champagne Babes - Amanda Brunker (2010)

This continues the escapades of Eva Valentine, a former wild-child diva turned newlywed mother. When Eva marries Michael and gives birth to their daughter Daisy, her dreams of domestic bliss are shattered as the man she loved enough to marry turns into a stranger she can no longer talk to. Faced with the difficulties of spending her nights with a man who only wants her for sex (even though her stitches have barely healed) and raising her daughter practically single-handedly, it isn't long before Eva feels like an overweight desperate housewife who's gagging for some fun and a return to the crazy and glamorous days of her past. To top it all off, her long-time friend Maddie seems to be steadily turning against Eva and letting her down at a time when she needs her most. Luckily, her best friends Parker and Lisa are on hand to drag her away for weekends of fun and excitement. As things get worse and worse on the home front, Eva can no longer ignore the temptation on offer on her weekends away from reality ... and it's anyone's guess whose bed she'll end up in. What I liked best about this book was that the author wasn't afraid to write about subjects that might be deemed contentious or non-PC. The book presents such situations as a new mother going out drinking shortly after the birth of her special needs child, and the manner in which nobody wants anything to do with someone who's taken a drug overdose even if it means the person dies without help. It's always refreshing to see new topics explored in books, particularly topics that make you wonder what you would do in that situation. Although Eva describes herself as a diva, she's a likeable one, and you cannot but sympathise with her for the way in which certain characters treat her in the book. There are plenty of raunchy scenes, but for those who wonder whether that might be their cup of tea, the action is not too in-your-face and you'll find yourself chuckling at the situations the characters find themselves in - particularly at a swingers' party in Paris. There are three books in the Champagne series, and if you like this one, you'll be happy to invite Eva and her pals back into your life again at some stage in the future. (SBB)

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Champagne & Butterflies - S.J. Foster (2009)

Kyla and Kimari Fontaine are gorgeous, privileged sisters who are finishing their final year at Penn State University. Kimari, an aspiring author and the wilder of the two, falls for Penn State football player Sean. After graduating, her dream comes true and she publishes her first novel, thrusting her into high-profile parties in New York City. However, she soon discovers that her partying ways and a questionable picture of her with an infamous playboy rapper might jeopardise her relationship. Kyla, the more reserved sister, is torn between two men. Vince is a stable medical student who adores Kyla. Troy is the two-timing ex-boyfriend who she cannot resist. After much heartache, Kyla realises who she belongs with, only to learn that it might be too late to salvage the relationship. This is a fun quick read that follow the lives of two sisters as they make the transition from the college years to adulthood. (AO)

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Chance - Alex Hines (2011)

Ava Duane's life needs a change. Her boyfriend is unromantic and uncommitted and to make it worse Ava's younger sister is getting married. The only thing Ava seems to look forward to is the new series of Strictly Come Dancing. When she meets her sister's dress designer and finds out she designs the costume for the TV show, Ava's passion for dance is reignited. She enrols in a dance class and soon finds her ideal dance partner. But when the chance comes to change her life, will she be brave enough to? Chance is a tie-in to the British TV series Strictly Come Dancing which sees celebrities learning to dance and battling it out to become the champion. The link to the show is very tenuous, and at points it seems a little shoehorned in. But Ava is a likeable character with a normal everyday life, who you feel for as she tries to add a bit of sparkle to her life. It is an easy, enjoyable read but won't have you dancing for joy. (AB)

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Chanel Sweethearts - Cate Kendall (2010)

Jess Wainwright runs a very stylish country cafe but then gets an offer to work as a head designer in the city. Can she really leave Stumpy Gully and adapt to life in Melbourne? But really what's there to stay for - her long-term relationship with Graham has ended, leaving her without the boys she loved like her own sons. And a possible relationship with her old friend Nick doesn't look like it's going anywhere. Meanwhile, her overbearing sister-in-law Caro is worried that her father's new girlfriend is trying to get her hands on their inheritance; her friend Tori is dealing with a shopping addiction; and two greenies are working on a smelly project that may just change the world. The authors dish up yet another series of caricatures including the well-coiffed, well-to-do townies who regularly arrive in their gleaming vehicles. The Jess in the city aspect was seriously underplayed; the dirty rat could be smelt a mile off, and the mentions of Chanel are few and far between. But it may be just the ticket if you want to lose yourself for a few hours with a light read.

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Changing Grooms - Sasha Wagstaff (2009)

TV journalist Tessa heads to Appleton Manor in the Cotswolds to film a documentary about the wedding of Oscar-winning movie star Clemmie and her actor fiance Rufus. Rufus used to play rugby with Will Forbes-Henry, who has returned to England to rescue his family's fortune by turning the manor into a hotel. Will is wary of Tessa and has a number of burdens on his broad shoulders - his parents Jack and Caro continue to have an open marriage, his fiancee is stuck in France, his artist brother Tristan still hasn't got over a past love and his aunt Henny and cousins Milly and David have moved in after his uncle's death. It is certainly no surprise who's going to end up with whom - perhaps best suited to those who like racy rural romps in the vein of Jilly Cooper.

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Charlie All Night - Jennifer Crusie (1996)

Allie McGuffey needs a miracle. Hopefully, a miracle in the form of a new boyfriend or at least a temporary man to make her ex-boyfriend Mark jealous. She produces Mark's radio show - well she used to produce it before she was knocked aside by his new girlfriend, Lisa. In the dingy bar while searching for substitutes she meets Charlie, a new radio host at her Ohio station. She also happens to be producing him. Soon, Allie is trying to make Charlie a household name, while Charlie would rather just take it easy. And after a one-night stand goes awry the two begin an affair, with Charlie's on-air seduction leading the way. (SN)

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Chasing Daisy - Paige Toon (2009)

After getting her heart broken, Daisy Rodgers flees America in the hope that putting as much distance between herself and her ex will help speed up her recovery. Jumping at the chance to see the world (while getting paid to do so) she joins the team catering to the world's highest paid, supercharged racing drivers on the Formula 1 Grand Prix circuit. Only trouble is, it's not long before she finds herself falling for one of the drivers and with him already having a girlfriend (a childhood sweetheart no less), surely it can only lead to one thing - further heartbreak. With enough twists and turns - with one in particular that will have you quite literally gasping for breath - this is a highly enjoyable read. A real "paige" turner in fact. Plus if you were a fan of Johnny Be Good, then look out for the cameo appearances from Meg, Johnny and Christian, along with the revelation of just who the father of Meg's baby was! (KC)

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Chasing Harry Winston - Lauren Weisberger (2008)

Emmy's latest long-term relationship has just ended. Instead of Duncan popping the question, he's run off with his personal trainer. Adriana only ever has flings and doesn't have or need a job. But as she approaches 30, she's beginning to think things need to change. So Emmy and Adriana make a pact - Emmy is to sleep with a man from every continent while Adriana is looking for one man to place a diamond ring on her finger within the year. Meanwhile their friend, the slightly neurotic book editor Leigh, is about to get engaged to her boyfriend, Russell, a real catch. So why has author Jesse Chapman got her all hot under the collar? If you have been hankering after some pure chick lit (and aren't looking to scratch the surface too deep), this story about three friends trying to change their lives may be just as welcome as a four-carat diamond ring.

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Cheating at Solitaire - Ally Carter (2005)

Julia James is a self-help guru who has spent the past years proclaiming herself as a role model to single ladies all around the globe. When an accidental meeting between Julia and wannabe actor Lance Collins occurs, the paparazzi snaps a picture of the two of them together and the very next day splashed all over the tabloids is the headline "Julia James and Lance Collins - A Couple". This is bad news for Julia who has made her name on telling women that they don't need a man to be happy. With her fans labelling her a hypocrite, she is forced to flee home. Lance follows suit and now the two must work out their dilemma as rumours spiral out of control. When a manuscript from Julia's past comes to light, it seems that her days as an author are over. Can she redeem herself in the writing world or is it time to start a new page in her life? This is a light-hearted story with plenty of humour. (PP)

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Chelsea Wives - Anna-Lou Weatherley (2012)

Imogen has the life in Chelsea, an exclusive borough of London that many would dream of. An ex-model and wife of a wealthy bank owner, she has the life where anything can be bought, except happiness. Joined by her Chelsea friends Calvary and Lady Yasmin Belmont, the three women are united by secrets and loveless marriages; turning to each other to exact revenge on their husbands. As the tag line says 'on the King's Road, revenge is sweeter than champagne...' This book grips you from the prologue where there has been a diamond theft and you are immediately hooked into the story. The book paints a picture of the life of a glamorous wife in Chelsea to whom money is no object. This is helped along by the name-dropping of designer labels that in some books can seem shoehorned in but in this case seems to add to the story. It is well written and the author does well to make you feel empathy with the characters who might as easily have been too posh for you to care about. It is a light-hearted read that reminds you that money can't buy you everything. (AB)

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Chemistry for Beginners - Anthony Strong (2009)

Dr Steven Fisher is in search of the female orgasm or at least a drug to make them happen. He's got pretty close to it, until Annie aka Miss G the orgasmically challenged PhD student turns up. Steven struggles to understand why she keeps failing the test, and he soon is reading D.H. Lawrence and Victorian poetry in a bid to work out what love has to do with the chemistry. But will he find out in time before his product launch? Chemistry for Beginners is a bit like Adrian Mole meets chick lit. Definitely quirky and at times it feels like you're reading the diary of your geeky brother. But you end up warming to both Annie and Steven and there are definite plots twists and turns that you don't see coming. If you're looking for something a bit different then this could well be it. (AB)

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Chinese Whispers - Marisa Mackle (2005)

Fiona loses her flatmate when she is caught at a party half-naked with Ellie's new man, Connor. Ellie, a travel journalist, doesn't stick around long enough to find out it was all an innocent accident. So Fiona's hunt for a new flatmate brings the beautiful but vulnerable Bunny to her doorstep - she's fleeing an abusive boyfriend and has an impressive stash of cash. After stuck-in-a-work-rut Fiona goes along on a travel junket intended for Ellie, she meets magazine social diarist Angela-Jean who wants her to fill in while she goes to New Zealand to find herself. But first AJ turns Bunny into Dublin's latest It Girl.

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder - Joanne Fluke (2000)

Hannah Swenson is your average 29-year-old. Her mother constantly tries to set her up with every available man in the tiny town of Lake Eden, she is helplessly devoted to her job as the owner of The Cookie Jar - oh, and she just found a dead body behind her store. As the town worries and wonders who the murderer could be, Hannah devotes herself to searching out the guilty party. But can she find the murderer before they kill again? Or will she be the next victim? This mystery takes the reader through all aspects of a good novel: romance, suspense, humour, plus delicious food. It is the first in a series of Hannah Swenson murder mysteries. (SN)

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Chocolate Mousse and Two Spoons - Lorraine Jenkin (2008)

When waitress/artist Lettie finally leaves her abusive boyfriend, she is encouraged to cast her net beyond Lyme Regis and place a personal ad in the newspaper. Her most promising response comes from Welsh forester Dougie and soon she's off to his village. This sweet romantic story is flavoured with an unexpectedly strong cast of characters including the obese Eve who dotes on drunkard Peter; a charming couple known as the Worm Gatherers and perpetual student Rizzo who has his eye on the luscious Lisa. It was a case of expecting light, fluffy chocolate mousse and getting so much more.

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Chocolate Shoes and Wedding Blues - Trisha Ashley (2012)

When Tansy needs to start again, she heads to her home village of Sticklepond (from Chocolate Wishes) to set up her dream shoe shop Cinderella's Slippers. She gets caught up in listening to the recordings of the life story of her great-aunt, uncovering long-lost family secrets. With moody actor Ivo Hawksley, and her two evil step-sisters meddling in her life, Tansy wonders if she'll ever get her own happy-ever-after. This was a nice, easy, light-hearted read. You immediately bond with Tansy and feel the warmth of her great-aunt Nancy. But for me, the story of Justin her ex doesn't work and it let the book down. (AB)

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Choosing Sophie - Leslie Carroll (2008)

Former burlesque dancer Venus de Marley (aka Olivia) finds out only by reading the New York Times obituaries that her estranged father has died. Leaving her fiancé in Colorado, she heads home for the funeral and discovers the eccentric millionaire has left her his beloved baseball team, the Bronx Cheers, as long as she 'closes the circle'. Also attending the funeral is 20-year-old Sophie Ashe, who Olivia adopted out as a baby - she thinks that their bonding is what he meant by closing the circle. As Sophie moves in, Olivia fights a legal challenge, puts the players in a raspberry-coloured uniform and drafts some new talent. There's lots of baseball jargon but it helps pull you into the drama of a game. But it was a bit disconcerting to see that famous team sometimes referred to as Red Sock. Also suggest you skip the conclusion offered in the Extra Innings part of the book.

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Christmas at Tiffany's - Karen Swan (2011)

Cassie married at a young age, thinking she found "The One", but 10 years later all she has found is heartbreak, betrayal and loss. To help her get her life back on track her three best friends, Kelly, Anouk and Suzy, hatch a plan for Cassie to live with each of them in the most glamorous cities in the world for four months each. Starting out in New York with Kelly, then Paris with Anouk and finally London with Suzy, Cassie is forced to leave the old her behind and reinvent herself in new and challenging ways. While at it, she finds love once again, discovers her passion and notices a new woman blossoming after years of being stuck in a home alone most days. But, all things great don't last for Cassie as she sees her new love lost and her newfound passion dissipated after a horrible tragedy. It's only the lists made by Suzy's brother, Henry, that get Cassie through the turmoil and help her find her way. But will she find what she truly wants before the year is up or has she let it slip through her fingers once again? Karen Swan did an amazing job with this novel. It's wonderful to see Cassie's transformation from a fragile young girl to a worldly sophisticated woman throughout the course of a year. The storyline is spot on and everything that happens seems to be related to something else, giving the reader clues as to what's to come without being too forward. It's chick lit at its most brilliant and it will leave you wanting to spend Christmas at Tiffany's ... or at least curled up in front of a fire with this beautifully written novel. (AS)

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Christmas at the Cupcake Cafe - Jenny Colgan (2012)

Issy Randall is back for Christmas at her quaint Cupcake Cafe but will things be the same when her boyfriend, Austin, is sent to New York for work? While Issy couldn't be happier that it's Christmas and time to start baking delicious holiday treats for her customers, the absence of Austin and the fact that he may not be coming home weigh heavy on her heart. Obviously, Issy can't leave the cafe that she's worked so hard to build. In addition, Pearl and Caroline, though competent workers, couldn't possibly hold things together while Issy was away. But sometimes you just have to have a little faith in your friends and the universe as a whole. Will Issy and Austin make things work or is their fairytale romance finally over? This is another great read for those who met and loved Issy the first time around. Even if you didn't read the original Cupcake Cafe novel, you can still enjoy Issy and friends in this one because it can easily stand alone. It's a heart-warming Christmas book that will have you rooting for Issy to figure out what she wants most! (AS)

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Christmas Cake - Lynne Hinton (2009)

Margaret, Beatrice, Louise and Jessie are close friends who reside in Hope Springs, North Carolina. The women, who are all members of the cookbook committee of the Hope Springs Community Church, are holding a Christmas cake recipe contest. Margaret, the heart and soul of the group, learns a few weeks before Christmas that her breast cancer has returned and has spread to other organs. Margaret tells her friends that all she wants for Christmas is to visit her deceased mother's hometown in Texas. So the best friends set off in a stolen funeral parlour van across country to fulfill Margaret's wish. Charlotte, the former pastor of Hope Springs Community Church, meets them in Texas for support. Continuing the Hope Springs series, this is a beautifully written holiday story about friendship that you will not be able to put down. (AO)

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Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor - Lisa Kleypas (2010)

This is an enchanting holiday story about three very different people whose paths cross: Mark Nolan, a handsome pessimist who runs a coffee shop on San Juan Island; Holly, who at six years old lost her mom in a tragic car accident, and is now living with her uncles Mark and Sam; and Maggie, a sexy, short toy shop owner with a head full of crimson curls, who lost her husband after only a year of marriage. Holly connects to Maggie right away but Mark isn't sure about the red head who believes in magic and fairy tales. Lisa Kleypas has a special talent in sweeping the reader away in her stories so you don't want them to end. This is the first in her Friday Harbor series. (AV)

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Citizen Girl - Nicola Kraus and Emma McLaughlin (2004)

Recent graduate Girl has had a feminist upbringing and been taught to make a difference. After being fired from her non-profit job for standing up for her rights, she meets Guy at a networking event and he hires her to work for My Company. Her role is to attract Ms magazine into the company's net site. But Girl plans to use her place in corporate America to extract a huge donation for a woman's charity. One of the most panned chicklit books, it's in our Top 10 Most Disappointing.

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City Dog - Alison Pace (2008)

I had high hopes for City Dog when I first began reading. The idea of an adorable West Highland White Terrier as a main character was unexpected and unique. However, I soon found myself bored with the plot and uninterested in the characters ... except for Carlie, the dog. Recently divorced, Amy has put aside her novel to focus on a series of children's books chronicling the adventures of her Westie, Carlie, and Carlie's faithful, albeit fictional, companion, Robert Maguire. With the success of the books, Carlie is tapped as the star of her own television show and Amy finds herself a reluctant stage mother. As things with the show begin to go awry, and her love life becomes just as confusing, Amy gets a sense that it might be time to return to both her literary, and familial, roots. I kept hoping by the end of the book that the characters would have redeemed themselves. However, I just felt Amy was a sad, depressed divorcee who was letting things happen to her instead of making the life she wanted. Her romance with Nick, whom she meets at the television studio, lacks any real chemistry and feels more like adolescents on a first date than thirty-somethings looking for a partner to enhance their lives. The most enjoyable parts of the book were the chapters "written" by Carlie. I loved having a dog's point of view on her human. (LEK)

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Class - Jane Beaton (2008)

This is a story about life at a Cornwall boarding school for girls - but, unlike most boarding school books, told more from the viewpoint of a new teacher. Maggie Adair has left behind her long-term boyfriend Stan in Scotland to become English teacher at Downey House. Can their long-distance relationship survive and why is she so attracted to David, her opposite number at the boys' school? There's also principal Veronica Deveral, whose secret past is about to confront her, and French teacher Claire, who's having an affair. For those wanting the students' perspective, there's Fliss who can't wait to get thrown out of the school; scholarship winner Simone who's trying her hardest to fit in; and Alice, the beautiful troublemaker. I enjoyed the fact that all the threads weren't neatly sown up at the end - leaving us wanting to return to Downey House for the sequel.

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Claudia's Big Break - Lisa Heidke (2011)

Claudia has just scored the holiday break she desperately needs. Marcus - her boss and married lover - is sending her on a trip to Greece. All she has to do is deliver an envelope to one of his business contacts, Con, in Athens, and then she is free to soak up the sun on Santorini island. With Marcus forking out for two weeks accommodation - his guilty payoff over the end of their relationship - Claudia invites along her two best friends, Tara and Sophie. But Con seems to be a slippery character - and her piece-of-cake business transaction never seems to eventuate. Heading off to Santorini, she meets up again with an Australian traveller called Jack. But surely Claudia didn't go all the way to the Greek isles to have a fling with someone from home? Meanwhile Tara, a magazine writer, is hoping the trip will provide all the inspiration she needs for her novel, while Sophie is wondering about the state of her marriage and whether she's cut out to be a mother to her young son. With its glorious setting and enticing plot about women on the brink of 40 weighing up their lives, I had high hopes for this third novel from Heidke. But with characters I just didn't relate to and the oh-so predictable mystery subplot, it was all too tempting to take a break from reading it.

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Claudia's Big Break - Lisa Heidke (2011)

Claudia has just scored the holiday break she desperately needs. Marcus - her boss and married lover - is sending her on a trip to Greece. All she has to do is deliver an envelope to one of his business contacts, Con, in Athens, and then she is free to soak up the sun on Santorini island. With Marcus forking out for two weeks accommodation - his guilty payoff over the end of their relationship - Claudia invites along her two best friends, Tara and Sophie. But Con seems to be a slippery character - and her piece-of-cake business transaction never seems to eventuate. Heading off to Santorini, she meets up again with an Australian traveller called Jack. But surely Claudia didn't go all the way to the Greek isles to have a fling with someone from home? Meanwhile Tara, a magazine writer, is hoping the trip will provide all the inspiration she needs for her novel, while Sophie is wondering about the state of her marriage and whether she's cut out to be a mother to her young son. With its glorious setting and enticing plot about women on the brink of 40 weighing up their lives, I had high hopes for this third novel from Heidke. But with characters I just didn't relate to and the oh-so predictable mystery subplot, it was all too tempting to take a break from reading it.

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Clothesline - Kate Supino (2011)

Kelly has a dream of sewing and making beautiful things for people. When she graduates from college, she starts working at Clothesline, a retail clothing store in the heart of San Francisco. She meets Sera, a struggling college student trying to make it on her own. When Ana, who becomes an assistant manager with Kelly, tells the girls that she needs to make extra money, they automatically start thinking of ways for all of them to have extra income by going into business with each other. Their first project is a Mini Vendi-vending machine, then they move on to door-to-door selling and dog grooming. Along the way they start to realise they really don't know that much about each other and Sera and Kelly start to wonder why Ana needs the money. With the crazy ideas they come up with to make extra money, you will love this story about why mixing friendship with money-making maybe it isn't the best idea. Or is it? (CG)

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Cold Enough to Freeze Cows - Lorraine Jenkin (2010)

Iestyn Bevan doesn't have a lot of luck with the ladies, instead he pines after fellow farmer Menna Edwards. Menna seems more interested in her rugby shirts and rams. Iestyn enlists the advice of Johnny 'Brechden' - the local stud - and his brother's girlfriend, the lovely Sima, life coach extraordinaire. Then there is Louisa whose family are all hiding behind their own secrets. As the village characters' stories weave together, they come to a head on the night of the Annual Sheep Breeders Dinner, where their lives change forever. Like a Welsh Love Actually, this is a nice ensemble chick lit book. It transports you well and truly to the farmyard. The only problem is that just as a story for a particular character gets really good, it then switches to another character's point of view and you get sucked into their story instead. (AB)

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Come Again - Josie Lloyd and Emlyn Rees (2000)

In this sequel to Come Together, Jack and Amy are now happily loved up and about to get married. Their friends' love lives are not nearly as sorted. Susie wants to stop having mindless flings; H has a crush on a colleague; Matt has a crush on H; and Stringer is embarrassed that his reputation as a ladies' man is far from true. With the big hen and bucks night looming, anything could happen. A very funny, well-written account told from the various viewpoints.

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Come Back to Me - Sara Foster (2010)

Alex comes face-to-face with his disturbing past when he and his wife, Chloe, go on a restaurant date. Chloe's lawyer colleague, Mark, introduces his date Julia, but the woman abruptly leaves the table, never to return. It appears that she knows Alex but he isn't about to shed any light on their past relationship - not even to Chloe. As Chloe deals with a largely absent husband and Mark - her ex - showing renewed interest, she finds she's facing another life-changing development. This is a very promising debut, with a storyline teeming with slowly revealed secrets and unexpected turns. It's told from each character's perspective, and is set between London and Perth. Extra points to anyone guessing the final twist.

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Come Together - Josie Lloyd/ Emlyn Rees (1999)

This is the story of two London singles Jack, an artist, and Amy, an office temp, who connect after meeting at a party. Switching between his and her viewpoints, it outlines their first tentative steps towards becoming a couple - the lies they tell each other, their work hassles, what their friends think of the new relationship. They are just about to head off on their first romantic holiday when Jack gets caught up with his nude model and Amy goes out with an old college flame. This gives a very humorous insight into both sides of a fledging relationship. It was adapted into a 2002 TV movie.

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Comfort & Joy - Kristin Hannah (2005)

When Stacey suddenly shows up in the driveway just before Christmas, Joy can't help but wonder if her sister is here to ask for forgiveness after destroying her five-year marriage to Thom. Instead, showing no sign of remorse, she is bearing news of her pregnancy and upcoming wedding to Thom. Unable to bear the pain of betrayal, Joy drives off to the airport, mindlessly purchasing a ticket to Hope, in British Columbia. However, her plane crashes and she finds herself alone in the woods. Struggling to find a way out she stumbles across a log building, the Comfort Fishing Lodge where she meets widower Daniel and his son, Bobby. It's a heartwarming story about the greatness of love and forgiveness. It reminds me a lot of Cecelia Ahern's If I Could See You Now. I enjoyed this book very much but it lost points because of the abrupt ending. (XT)

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Comfort Food - Kate Jacobs (2008)

Gus Simpson's Cooking Channel TV show is losing its spark, so she is paired with an ambitious, younger co-host - former Miss Spain, Carmen Vega - for a live cooking show. Their tension leads to on-air chaos as Gus' adult daughters, reclusive neighbour and others join the Eat, Drink and Be team. This has all the right ingredients for a nourishing read as Gus deals with getting older, sharing the limelight, letting go of her daughters and recovering from loss.

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Coming Home - Melanie Rose (2010)

After a sudden snow storm leaves a young woman stranded and unconscious on the side of a deserted road, the only thing she can recall is being picked up by a rescuer who she feels extremely connected to. Upon waking with no memory of herself, her accident or where she is, "Kate" as she comes to call herself, finds she is face-to-face with a little girl named Jadie who wants to know if she is her new mummy. Unbeknownst to Kate, this little girl has not uttered a word in two years, since her sister died and her mother ran off due to the grief. Now Kate has to figure out who she is and how she got to this house in the country, while also trying to figure out the little girl's father, Vincent. Why did she feel so connected to him when he rescued her, yet she hasn't felt anything towards him since she has woke up? To complicate matters more, the housekeeper Tara doesn't approve of Kate's visit and wants Kate to get her memories back so she can get on with her life. Tara's brother Colin, a hypnotherapist, decides to help Kate try to get back her memories. But when Kate starts recalling strange memories that make no sense at all and may not even be her own, she begins to wonder what it is that brought her to this house. She now doesn't think she's here by chance, while Jadie thinks Kate is an angel, sent to help the family in their time of need. While the story shows a lot of promise it fails to answer some key questions for me about Kate's real identity. But otherwise the story flows nicely and is quite suspenseful and interesting. It will make readers wonder what it really means when you experience deja vu and will also encourage the reader to believe in the magic of second chances. (AS)

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Coming Up Next - Penny Smith (2008)

Katie Fisher, co-host of breakfast show Hello Britain!, is on holiday when she finds out she's been replaced by a younger model. Keera Keethley is an ambitious, publicity-hungry woman on the rise despite her lack of interviewing nous. One of the reasons Katie loses her job is viewer feedback that she has an "unappealing" and "unfunny" sense of humour. Their opinion is certainly spot on if the dreadfully woeful puns throughout this book are anything to go by. Katie takes off to her parents' home in Yorkshire, where she hooks up with her brother's friend Bob and is papped in various states of drunkenness. With an awful character you would step right over if you saw her lying in a pool of her own vomit, let's just hope Smith, a regular British TV presenter, has nothing coming up next on the fiction front.

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Commencement - J. Courtney Sullivan (2009)

In the unfamiliar halls of Smith College, an all-women's school, Bree, Sally, Celia and April form a unique, beautiful and often tested friendship. On the cusp of adulthood in the 1990s, these four young women are privilege to what many generations of young women before them were not - options. Sally, dealing with the grief of losing her mother, finds herself in an unexpected affair with an older man. April, a passionate feminist, teams up with a radical women's rights activist and finds herself in a dangerous situation. Bree struggles between the opportunities provided by Smith and her life and fiance she left behind at home. Celia, having attended Catholic school all her life, shows up with a Vodka bottle wrapped in a Snoopy blanket. She soon discovers that the halls of Smith are very different to what she expected and after one life-changing night, Celia will question everything she thought she knew. Sullivan gives insight to the girls' past before entering Smith and takes the reader on a well-written, tear-inducing, laugh-aloud, smart ride to adulthood where their friendship will be tested. As the girls struggle to find independence in a world where they are discovering what type of women they want to be, they learn to let themselves depend on one another. Through it all, the reader will learn, "there are so many ways to be 26". (JE)

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Committed - Elizabeth Gilbert (2010)

At the end of her wildly successful bestseller, Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert was living happily unmarried with Brazilian-born Felipe, who had captured her heart during her sabbatical in Bali. Having each been through very painful divorces, Elizabeth and Felipe vowed never to marry again. That is until the Department of Homeland Security intervened and said the easiest way for Felipe to remain with her in America would be for them to get married. To hear Elizabeth tell it, you would think the couple had been handed a death sentence. Committed is an account of the 10 months they spent travelling around South-East Asia, gathering documents, and securing the blessings of the government to marry. Only then would they be allowed to return to the United States to resume their life together. During this time, Elizabeth began researching the origins and history of the institution of marriage, speaking with women from all walks of life in an effort to gain a better understanding of how love, marriage and partnerships compare to Western views. Though a bit long-winded at times, Committed raises valuable questions and makes valid points about the benefits, and disadvantages, of marriage to both men and women. (LEK)

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Confessions of a Beauty Addict - Nadine Haobsh (2009)

Beauty expert Bella Hunter writes the most popular column in uber-chic magazine Enchante - readers just can't get enough of her beauty advice, even though she's not immune to her own styling disasters such as dying her hair orange or staining her clothes with self-tan. But Bella's lucky streak is about to end when she imbibes too much wine during a newspaper interview and reveals secrets about her bitchy industry. Snubbed by her fellow beauty colleagues, the only magazine that will touch her is Womanly World - a magazine more suited to the over-50s. And despite dating a rising model and heading off on a Paris junket, Bella just can't come up with the right ideas to impress her new publisher, James. Written by a magazine insider (who also lost her job after being exposed as a beauty blogger who revealed too much), this is classic chick lit that may just have beauty junkies rushing out to get a copy - without stopping first to apply their make-up.

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Confessions of a Call Center Gal - Lisa Lim (2011)

College graduate Maddy isn't having much luck landing a job. She goes to visit her best friend in Idaho and starts working at the Lightning Speed Call Center as a call center rep. It's not her ideal job and the location is the last place she expected to be living but she's trying to make the best of it. Maddy soon learns how difficult the dynamics of a call center are. The customers are rude and possibly insane and some of her co-workers aren't much better. She forms bonds with people she never would have gotten to know if not for this job and they find themselves banding together as a family just to get through each day on the phones. Maddy finds herself attracted to co-worker Mika even though she swore she would never date someone from the call center. Maddy has to decide if she's going to make a career for herself at the call center or if she's going to take a huge chance and leave the only job she's known and the co-workers she's grown to love to have the career she's dreamed of. Maddy is a great character that you'll be laughing and cringing along with. Lim has written a strong debut novel about real issues with a lot of heart and humour. (AR)

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Confessions of a Demented Housewife: The Celebrity Year - Niamh Greene (2008)

This sequel, again in diary format, picks up from where the first book left off so you should really read them in order. This year Susie's desperate to befriend the new celebrity mum at the school gates, Angelica Law, wife of an American actor. She's also keeping up with the (pre-divorced) Richies with her new country retreat and trying to avoid being revealed as the desperate housewife in Lone Father's new raunchy novel. Meanwhile husband Joe is reassessing his life after a near-death experience, her brother-in-law is finally coming out and she's been roped in to be her best friend Louise's birth partner. Plus with her nest now empty for a few hours with Jack at playschool, Susie's thinking about returning to the workforce. Maybe her A-lister friend Angelica can help her score a glamorous TV job.

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Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict - Laurie Viera Rigler (2007)

LA woman Courtney Stone wakes up to discover she's in the body of a Regency-era Englishwoman called Jane Mansfield back in 1813. Jane has been in a riding accident, and those around her put her strange behaviour down to that. Courtney, a huge Jane Austen fan, at first thinks perhaps she's been reading too much Pride and Prejudice. But soon Courtney realises she must quickly get to grips with being a gentleman's daughter (still unmarried at 30 too!) - the boredom, the morals, the lack of hygiene, the corsets ... not to mention the demanding mother and the possibly untrustworthy suitor, Charles Edgeworth. This is a very funny story which leaves you desperate to know how Jane fares in our time in the sequel Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict.

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Confessions of a Karaoke Queen - Ella Kingsley (2011)

Maddie is the daughter of 80s legends Pineapple Mist and though she loves her very eccentric parents she would like nothing more than to live a normal life where she is not reminded of her family ties. So, when her parents call her home one day to announce they are going on tour and Maddie is now in charge of their struggling karaoke bar Sing It Back, she's none too happy. What does she know about running a karaoke bar? And even worse, it's falling into disrepair, there are hardly any customers and the staff seem like the only loyal people around. Maddie is torn on whether to close the bar for good until she comes across an ad for a reality TV show set in a karaoke bar. The ad promises to renovate the establishment and make it into a hip and fun place to sing. What's she got to lose? Before she has time to think about it and change her mind, Maddie signs a contract and the filming begins. First off, the name of the bar is changed, then the decor and then the staff. The producer, Evan, has turned the old bar into one of the hippest spots in town and with it made stars out of the staff and Maddie. But, in the process, he has also created drama and made Maddie a tabloid target. Not to mention that he hired the most gorgeous director ever, whom Maddie instantly falls for. As the show heads for a live finale, it seems like Maddie's life is spiralling out of control and everyone is against her. Has she gotten herself in over her head or will she be able to save her parents' club from the evil hands of Evan before it's too late? This is a wonderful, light-hearted debut that will remind readers of Becky from Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic series. It is a great book to warm your soul with and will no doubt be a favourite of many as Maddie is the type of character that you find yourself rooting for right until the very end. (AS)

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Confessions of an Air Hostess - Marisa Mackle (2007)

It's not been a good week for air hostess Annie. First her boyfriend Niall borrows £1000 then dumps her by text. Then she's suspended for a week after passengers overhear her rant about the bastard. Then she wakes up in hospital after a tangle with a Mercedes. But on the plus side, the Mercedes owner, the oh-so appealing businessman Oliver Kane, does replace her ruined Jimmy Choos. And she can spend her suspension and recovery time in the Spanish coastal town of Malaga, keeping company with gorgeous pilot Danny. A lighthearted romp with a delightful heroine, but it unfortunately hits a bit of turbulence when some too-improbable scenarios are thrown in.

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Confessions of a Reluctant Recessionista - Amy Silver (2009)

Cassie loves designer shoes and handbags, massages, getting about in taxis - in fact she loves to spend. But when Cassie is retrenched from her admin job at an investment bank and loses her high-flying boyfriend Dan, she has to embrace the art of being thrifty. But despite her best efforts to cut back, heed the budgeting advice of her student flatmate Jude and find a new job, the world seems to conspire against Cassie and make her spend even more. This is an entertaining tale with an endearing heroine for these global financial crisis times.

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Confessions of a Serial Dater - Michelle Cunnah (2005)

Rosie is dumped by boyfriend Jonathan after she fights off his lecherous boss at a dinner dance. But the night is not completely lost because she also meets a gorgeous doctor, Dr Love, who saves her from a pair of crippling shoes. She thinks she's finally found her dream man when a chance encounter brings her into contact with the doctor again but Luke Benton has a secret past. Somehow Rosie ends up on a wedding table from hell to find she's slept with all the men present (like a female Hugh Grant from Four Weddings and a Funeral).

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Confetti Confidential - Holly McQueen (2010)

Isabel Bookbinder is back for a third time, complete with a new career. This time Isabel has decided to be a top wedding planner. She scored a job with Pippa Everitt but Isabel is not a partner, as Pippa told her originally, but instead just a slave to Pippa's every whim. When Isabel inadvertently messes up two weddings at the same time - one of them for a huge celebrity - Pippa fires her and Isabel is forced to start out on her own. Her first client is her best friend, Lara, who is marrying Isabel's brother Matthew. It's none or all for Isabel though, so when she gets a call from an international pop star Summer Shelley (who just may think that she is still working for Pippa) to plan her wedding, Isabel can't say no. Even though Summer wants the wedding in three weeks time, Isabel takes the job, intent on showing her dad that she can do something right. How hard can it be really? Throw in a very handsome photographer named Dan who Isabel has a crush on and her boyfriend, Will, who is not too pleased with Isabel's obvious affections for Dan and you've got a sweet and heartwarming story. At first, I wasn't sure I was going to like this book. I kept thinking : how many times can Isabel change jobs and still make a fresh story out of it? But I was pleasantly surprised as Isabel pulled me right in once again with her trouble-making ways (nothing she does is on purpose of course) and her attempts to do good by her father. It's a must-read for whenever you want something light and enjoyable. (AS)

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Consider Lily - Anne Dayton and May Vanderbilt (2006)

Lily Traywich works in the children's wear section of her parents' department store. She's Christian, goes to Super Single Sundays, has never had a boyfriend and writes a fashion victim's blog. After a bad press report about a store fashion parade that she organised, Lily allows best friend and fashionista Reagan to make her over. Soon Lily is dressing in the latest fashions and is even dating. But is her new way of life causing her to lose hold of everything that matters?

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Construct a Couple - Talli Roland (2012)

Serenity Holland is back, and she now has a great job at a reputable magazine. And with her relationship going well, she thinks she has life in London pretty much sorted. But when a routine assignment uncovers a secret that may threaten her boyfriend's company, she decides to do whatever she can to help, in her typically haphazard manner. Can Serenity balance her fledgling career with her relationship, or are the secrets just too difficult to keep? As a huge fan of Talli's, and of Build a Man in particular, I had high hopes for this book, and it didn't disappoint. I wondered if it would be possible to top Serenity's previous antics, but Roland pulled it off with aplomb. The main character Serenity is lovable and relatable, and her hilarious exploits were a delight to read. She makes mistakes, and tries desperately to clean up after herself, and there were points in the book that I couldn't help but laugh out loud. I also particularly liked the character of Gregor, I thought he was brilliantly described, and I loved to hate him. A wonderful sequel to Build a Man, I hope to read more about Serenity Holland in the future. (LO)

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Conversations with the Fat Girl - Liza Palmer (2005)

Maggie thought she and Olivia would be best friends forever. Now she's not so sure. After sharing hopes, dreams and being overweight since grade school, Olivia decides to get a gastric bypass and has become someone Maggie barely recognises, both inside and out. With her new body and life, Olivia has found the man of her dreams and maid-of-honour Maggie has been tasked with planning her best friend's wedding shower, and keeping Olivia's secret, overweight childhood from her new friends and fiance. As she navigates her way through her own insecurities with life and love, Maggie begins to examine her relationship with Olivia and wonders if they really have anything in common anymore. Honest, heart-warming and spot-on, if you love cheering for the underdog, you will love this debut novel. (LEK)

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Cooking For Mr Right - Susan Volland (2005)

When her ex-boyfriend, Gaston, announces that he is marrying a schoolteacher he just met, 26-year-old Kate Linden is gobsmacked. Filled with regrets, the Seattle sous-chef quits her job at Sounds Bistro to devote her time to cooking up a scheme to get Gaston back, assisted by his mother. As Gaston offers Kate a job with his company, will she get the man she wants? Or will she realise that she's making the second mistake in her life? (XT)

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Country Pursuits - Jo Carnegie (2008)

The up-market village of Churchminster is in uproar after discovering a developer has his eye on vast tracts of land for a downmarket housing estate. The villagers are united in a multi-million-dollar fundraising campaign to out-bid disreputable developer Sid Sykes at auction. And Sykes' plans aren't the only sinister development - what with one of the locals turning up dead, a cloaked figure roaming around and a ghost going bump in the night at the mansion of 80s pop star Devon Cornwall. As family matriarch Clementine heads the fund-raising committee, her grand-daughters are more tied up with love matters. Caro isn't aware her arrogant City husband Sebastian is playing away; Camilla isn't sure about her uncouth farmer Angus; while it seems Calypso has given up on men totally. Just the trip if you're in the mood for a lively, irreverent rural romp with lots of name-dropping.

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Cougars - Claire Irvin (2011)

When Caroline Walker finds out Les, her husband of more than 20 years, has been cheating on her, her perfect world crumbles. Now a single mother of a teenage girl Rachel, and a successful (a.k.a. busy!) business owner, Caroline is sexy, fit, and after a pep talk from her best friend Maryanne - she's ready to party. Maryanne shows Caroline a life full of glitz, glamour, parties, and best of all, younger men. This book's main focus is relationships: Caroline's mother-daughter relationship with Rachel, her relationship with her best friends Esther and Maryanne, her relationships with her employees at work, and most intriguing, her relationship with a 19-year-old male-model named Adam. As Caroline looks deeper into her relationships she finds that things aren't always what she thought they were, divorce has given her a new outlook on life. Then everyone's world is flipped upside-down with the announcement of a pregnancy. An interesting and funny read, I couldn't put it down. I am looking forward to Claire Irvin's next book. (AV)

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Crazy in Love - Chris Manby (2009)

Golf resort heiress Birdie Sederburg is used to getting whatever she wants. So when the man on her radar, soapie star Dean, doesn't reciprocate an interest in her, she rear-ends his car so she can take him out to dinner in apology. Dean's agent, Justin, convinces him to date the socialite - for publicity sakes. But when he starts romancing his co-star instead, Birdie decides to go to even more drastic lengths to gain his attention - she arranges her own kidnapping. Meanwhile, former law student Nate, now an eco-warrior, is campaigning against her grandfather's environmentally destructive developments - and takes a job as Birdie's gardener to get close to her. For those looking for an outrageous read about an infatuated socialite whose entourage includes a sex-change personal assistant, a ditzy fellow heiress as a loyal best friend, and a stylist whose fashion-forwardness places Birdie at the top of the worst dressed list.

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Crossing the Line - Lauren Baratz-Logsted (2004)

In the sequel to The Thin Pink Line, just as Jane reaches the end of her fake pregnancy, she finds a baby abandoned outside a church on Christmas Eve. She throws a New Year's Eve party for her family and friends to reveal all about her pregnancy and the new baby, who she christens Emma. As Jane makes plans to become Emma's foster parent, she befriends a black woman to help her learn about the baby's heritage. But then her book, the Cloth Baby, comes out and looks like spelling the end to her foster chances. The story then heads towards a too-predictable conclusion.

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Croissants and Jam - Lynda Renham (2012)

Annabel Lewis is on her way to her wedding in Italy but every conceivable roadblock is about to get in her way. Starting with her flight getting delayed for an annoying, yet handsome, passenger who is late, and then having to make an unscheduled stop in France for a medical emergency, it seems like Annabel, or Bels as she likes to be called, will never make it to her impatient fiance in Rome. Unless, of course, she takes up the offer of the handsome stranger who offers her a ride. What Bels doesn't know is that calamity after calamity is about to take her life in a totally different direction and her love for her overbearing fiance will be put to the test time and time again. Does she really want to marry him? What if she just stayed in France for good and never made it to Rome? And why does this handsome stranger seem intent on making her life so much more complicated? This is a wonderful novel full of loveable characters and scenes that will make you laugh out loud. Even though it isn't published by a major publishing house, this novel should be on the book shelf of anyone who wants a sweet, escapist read that will stick with you long after the last page. (AS)

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Crossing Washington Square - Joanne Rendell (2009)

This is one of those books that I am so happy I read. The day I was browsing the bookstore, I remember picking it up off the table and putting it back down two or three times. My hesitation was more about spending money on another book than it was on the story itself. But something about the description just stuck with me and I had to have it. This book has what I consider the perfect elements of a chick lit novel - a New York City setting, strong, intelligent women wrestling with their lives (and each other), and of course, a love interest or two. The fact that these women are English professors referencing centuries of women's fiction was the icing on the cake for me. Diana Monroe and Rachel Grey are both English professors at Manhattan University with completely different areas of study. Diana is a tenured expert on Sylvia Plath and Rachel has just moved to New York to teach contemporary women's fiction. They clash from the get-go and things between them become further strained when visiting Harvard professor Carson McEvoy vies for the affections of them both. When they agree to co-lead an undergraduate literary trip to London, they are forced to interact on a new level and end up learning about themselves, and each other, in the process. An engaging, smart story showing you can't always judge a book by its cover, especially when it comes to people. (LEK)

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Crystal - Katie Price (2007)

Crystal is hoping a reality TV band competition will launch her singing career. Paired with her best friend, Tahlia, and bitchy upstart Belle, the Lost Angels begin to soar in the audience polling. But when Crystal falls for Belle's boyfriend, Max, their illicit relationship could spell the end for the band. And the tabloids haven't even begun spilling all the band members' secrets yet. Watch out for the guest appearance from one of Price's other characters, glamour model Angel, who shares the same hairdresser. For those who want a juicy plot without having to think too hard. And the biggest surprise - the heroine isn't big-busted!

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Crystal Balls - Amanda Brobyn (2011)

Tina Harding doesn't believe in the psychic world, yet when she is dragged to a psychic fair by her employee, Chantelle, she is surprised to find that the allure of knowing your destiny is hard to resist. After sitting with a psychic with a crystal ball that holds all the secrets to Tina's future, the hard-working businesswoman feels like she has found a quick and easy way to know exactly what is going to happen before it actually happens. After years of putting her painful past as a failed actress behind her, Tina is thrilled at the prospect of having a head start on her future, love life and her career. As Tina soon finds out, things don't always go to plan - even when you have the help of a crystal ball. Her flirty liaisons with the gorgeous real estate maven, Brian Steen, seem to run out of steam before they even get going for one reason or another. But, no matter what, the crystal ball is always right...isn't it? Tina is an entertaining character and the storyline flows along easily while not losing itself along the way. At the end of it all, whether you're a fan of psychics or not, this book is sure to entertain you and make you laugh until you cry. (AS)

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Crystal Clear - Nell Dixon (2010)

Azure Dawn, who prefers to use the name Zee, has never quite made sense of her mother's alternative lifestyle. She has created a normal life for herself as a teacher, who lives with her accountant fiance, Simon, far away from her mother's craziness. With one phone call, Zee's new life is taken apart as she returns home to care for her sick mother, Marla, and help to run her crystal shop. Waiting for her is Drew, the boy who broke her heart many years before. Her mother soon has her involved in a variety of harebrained activities and it looks like Zee won't be travelling down the path to normal anytime soon as she untangles the past and tries to see where the future lies. An enjoyable read that lets you get to know the characters and hope that Zee makes the right choices. You certainly end up believing you know what's right for Zee but does she? (NR)

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Cuban Heels - Emily Barr (2003)

Maggie moved to Brighton after breaking up with her boyfriend. But she doesn't let on to anyone that things aren't working out too great - she's working at a strip club and hasn't made any friends. Instead she eavesdrops on her neighbours Libby and David. When she finds they are travelling to Cuba, with a baby in tow, Maggie also makes plans to head to Havana, enrolling in the same language school as David. Meanwhile her childhood friend Yasmin is up to her usual man-stealing tricks and looks set to create waves in Maggie's new life. Another vivid travel story from Barr with a dark centre.

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Cum Laude - Cecily von Ziegesar (2010)

Meet Shipley, Eliza, Tom and Nick, four college students starting their freshman year at Dexter college. All four are completely different but bound together by one drug-fuelled night at freshman orientation. Shipley is one of those good girls who never does anything wrong and wants to break free during college; Eliza is a rebel who is jealous that her beautiful roommate Shipley is attracting all of the male attention; Tom is your average jock complete with the I'm-better-than-you persona and Nick is a bona fide hippie who wants to build a yurt on the campus and smokes way too much pot. During their freshman year on the small New England campus, each of them finds college life difficult yet filled with new wonders that only freedom from high school can evoke. Leaving behind their pasts for a somewhat brighter (and higher) future and stumbling quite a few times along the way, this novel is filled with all of the cliches you'd expect a book about college freshmen to include. There's lots of drugs, keg parties, debauchery and jealousy but there is a little bit of depth to each character which just might be the saving grace for this otherwise average novel. (AS)

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