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Handbags and Gladrags - Maggie Alderson (2004)
Magazine fashion stylist Emily Pointer has a rule about fashion: never wear anything older than six months . . . unless it's so old you can pass it off as vintage. From Milan to London, Paris to New York, Emily tries to keep her affair with Australian photographer Miles a secret - especially from her husband. But she starts to discover that even the designer clothes in her closet won't contain the skeletons lurking inside.
5/10
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Hand-Me-Down - Lee Nichols (2006)
Anne Olsen has an intense phobia about anything that is second-hand. As the third sister behind beautiful Charlotte (a famous swimsuit model) and brainy Emily (an acclaimed feminist writer), Anne had enough of hand-me-downs during her childhood. Growing up in her sisters' shadows, she admits to being an underachiever who has drifted from job to job (she says like the Bronte sisters, the authors the girls were named after, she is Anne the unknown one). Then Charlotte's ex high school boyfriend, Ian Dunne - now an antiques shop owner - comes back on the scene, and despite having a boyfriend, Anne discovers she still has a big crush on him. Could she ever end up with a hand-me-down man?
7/10
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Help Wanted, Desperately - Ariel Horn (2004)
As Alexa Hoffman is finishing her final year of college, she starts applying for a job - any job. From a deodorant sniffer, voice of Meow TV, earthworm breeder and sex phone operator, Alexa is desperate to find a position that will let her move to New York to join her boyfriend Jared. And if she doesn't find something, she's booked on a flight to the Pacific island of Majuro to teach English. But she discovers that interviewing for jobs is soul-destroying (who knew you needed aligned nipples?) And all the positive fortune cookies in the world aren't going to help now. The book is based on Horn's own job hunt experiences, including winning a national contest to become the voice of a TV show for cats (unfortunately it never went beyond its pilot). She eventually got a job as a teacher and wrote this book. A very humorous read.
7/10
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He Loves Lucy - Susan Donovan (2005)
Marketing exec Lucy Cunningham has got round-the-clock access to a gorgeous personal trainer for a whole year. But first she's gotta give up chocolate before it literally kills her. She's become the guinea pig in a marketing pitch for Palm Club Gym, where trainer Theo Redmond will take her fitness-challenged, overweight body and turn it into lean machine - all in front of a Miami TV audience. And for every pound she loses, she and Theo will each earn $1000. With Lucy intending to use her payout for dropping 100 pounds to flee her psychotic boss and open the doors to her own agency, she is willing to sweat. But she never expected things to heat up between her and Theo.
6/10
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Hitched - Zoe Barnes (1998)
Gemma and Rory want a small wedding but when his mother hears of their engagement she begins hijacking the preparations. The couple decide that the only way to control their big day is to pay for it themselves. So Gemma swaps to a higher paying job and Rory puts in more hours as PA to the very attractive Lisa. But as the wedding approaches, they find themselves drifting apart.
6/10
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Hippy Chick - Louise Harwood (2007)
Ibiza is a clubbers' paradise where people escape the rat-race to enjoy the surf, sand and good times. But for Honey Ballantyne, who is responsible for running her family's hotel while her hippie parents chill out, she is beginning to think she needs to escape paradise. Especially as her old friend Edouard's return from London shows her just how trapped she's become. When her father Hughie cracks his head after diving into the shallow end of the pool to impress another woman, he confusedly calls his daughter Rachel. Honey is intrigued to uncover who this mystery woman is and begins a journey that changes everything. The story often appeared disjointed, as if you'd missed reading some pages - or perhaps overindulged in some Ibiza-style partying.
5/10
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His Other Lover - Lucy Dawson (2008)
When Mia trips over her live-in boyfriend Pete's mobile on the way to the bathroom one night, she reads a text message that makes her world fall apart. The message from Liz is far too intimate to be from a work colleague. Is Pete really capable of having an affair? Mia doesn't have much time for cheaters - she no longer sees her best friend Katie because she couldn't be trusted around her boyfriends. So Mia calls in sick to work and starts on a quest to uncover the truth. With the evidence indicating that Pete is indeed having an affair with an actress called Liz, Mia decides to start playing dirty to get rid of the other lover. If she's not going to walk out, then she sure is going to fight back. A captivating debut that will have readers cheering on Mia and her underhand tactics. The only negative was an inconclusive ending which left me wondering if the last few pages were missing.
8/10
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Holly's Inbox - Holly Denham (2007)
Holly Denham begins work as a receptionist at a London investment bank, and since she lied about her front-of-house experience, she's struggling just a bit. But luckily, the other receptionist Trish takes her under her wing and an old school “friend” Jennie who works upstairs extends a welcoming arm. Told in email format, Holly navigates her new job and a new romance - with one of the company's vice presidents, James. Her work day is punctuated with daily emails to and from her best friends, Jason and Aisha, and her family, including her brother Charlie who's opening a nightclub, her parents who have moved to Spain and her granny who loves signing her up for online groups. But some secrets from Holly's past are about to be revealed. Be warned - this book based on the website www.hollysinbox.com is very addictive. Just don't let your boss catch you reading it.
8/10
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Hollywood Girls Club - Maggie Marr (2007)
Celeste Solange is a movie star whose film producer husband has not only taken off with a teenage actress - he's also given her the part that was meant to herald Celeste's comeback. Her powerful agent Jessica Caulfield recommends that she takes the starring role in the low-budget film being produced by their friend Lydia Albright. But although Seven Minutes Past Midnight has new writer Mary Anne Myers turning it into a killer script, the male star is in jail, the director Zymar is too busy getting high in Bali and the new studio boss is desperate for Lydia to fail.
6/10
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Hostile Makeover - Wendy Wax (2005)
After Shelley Schwartz's father has a heart attack, he hands his advertising company over to golden boy Ross Morgan. Shelley is annoyed she was overlooked, even though she hardly ever showed up for work. Determined to prove herself to the new boss and her father, she starts showing an interest in the business and takes on some of the company's worst clients. But she's finding Ross is more than a match for her.
5/10
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Housewife Up - Allison Penton Harper (2006)
In this sequel to Housewife Down, widow Helen loses her $2 million windfall to a shonky investor, so she is forced to get a job. Her new boss, Rick, is a businessman who needs help handling his personal affairs. He keeps making huge demands of her but he may just come through for her in the end.
4/10
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How to be Famous - Alison Bond (2005)
Author Alison Bond's work in the movie industry no doubt inspired this book about the cut-throat world of film and fame. Lynsey Dixon works at a top talent agency in London. After she prevents the sacking of British actress Melanie Chapman from a movie set, she is transferred to LA to help Melanie settle into a new TV show. On a bus trip across America, Lynsey meets Serena Simon, a beautiful 14-year-old runaway who has dreams of becoming a starlet.
6/10
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How to Kill a Guy in 10 Days - Kayla Perrin (with Brenda Mott) 2007
Hailey McGaw arrives back in Miami after her divorce and bumps into former best friend Lexie Muller at a bookshop. The pair hit the town to celebrate, and after a night at a male strippers club, they stumble across one of the hunks - dead in the car park. Discovering that the victim, Rafael, was the boyfriend of one of their school friends, Joey who has become transsexual entertainer Josephine, they start doing some sleuthing of their own. On impulse, they also agree to buy the bookstore from Josephine's aunt Gina, who seems very keen to leave town. As the case heats up, the women discover that stumbling across a dead body is becoming a nasty habit.
5/10
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How to Sleep with a Movie Star - Kristin Harmel (2006)
On the day that Mod magazine entertainment editor Claire Reilly interviews Hollywood heart-throb Cole Brannon and finds him to be a down-to-earth guy, she discovers her freeloading boyfriend cheating on her. She heads to a nearby bar to drown her sorrows where she bumps into Cole. Backstabbing colleague Sidra DeSimon then leaks a false story about Claire sleeping with the movie star, so Claire has to fight to protect her professional reputation. An enjoyable read from an American magazine writer with lots of celebrity mentions, it just would have been better if it hadn't followed the predictable, Hollywood fluff ending.
6/10
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How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls - Zoey Dean (2007)
Yale graduate Megan Smith takes a job at a trashy tabloid, waiting for her big break into serious journalism. But her inability to come up with juicy story ideas for Scoop sees her fired. But her boss recommends her for another job - as tutor to two Palm Beach heiresses, the Fabulous Baker Twins - Sage and Rose. Their grandmother Laurel Limoges, a cosmetics queen, reveals the scholastically challenged girls will only receive their $84 million inheritance if they get into Duke University; Megan will get her college debts paid out if they succeed. Megan also decides to use her time in Florida to kick-start her career, by writing an expose of the shallow Palm Beach society. The twins have no intention of dragging themselves away from the pool to study and enjoy tormenting dowdy Megan until she realises that she has to transform her appearance to win them over. Meanwhile Megan finds herself thinking less about her boyfriend from home, and more about Will, the boy-next-door.
8/10
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Husbands - Adele Parks (2005)
Bella has never told anyone about her registry wedding to Stevie, an Elvis impersonator. Not even when city trader Philip proposed to her. Nor when best friend Laura introduces Stevie as her new man and invites Laura and Philip to join them on a trip to Las Vegas for an Elvis competition. Could things get any more complicated?
6/10
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Hysterical Blondeness - Suzanne Macpherson (2006)
When Nordquist store assistant Patricia Stillwell takes part in an experimental weight-loss program, she expected to lose some weight. But changing her brunette hair to blonde? The change in her appearance means Patricia is suddenly getting noticed, including by store heir Brett Nordquist. With a wedding to plan and a promotion to a more prestigious department, this blonde is certainly finding she's having more fun. But what will happen when the dark roots start showing again?
5/10