Better Than A Rest by Pauline McLynn

I thought it would be a fun book to read. It sounded promising. A [female] P.I and it was supposed to be "hilarious". I'll just stick to Janet Evanovich from now on.

"...cheeky and chirpy crime..." - My arse!

It's sloooow. I don't get it. It's badly written. I cried when I read it but not for the right reasons. There's nothing funny about it. At all. I gave up after reaching the "half-way" mark.

Run! Run for your lives!!

More Mischief by Kate Thompson

Apparently a sequel but you don't have to have read the other one (Thank God).

Actress in a daily soap and her life.

What?! All they seemed to do in this book was to eat mussels, watch a pair of otters and "fuck"...

I don't know what Marian Keyes was on about (see cover).

Not worth the time.

Perfect Strangers by Robyn Sisman

2 people - 1 man and 1 woman change workplaces for a month. He goes to London and lives in her flat. She goes to NYC and takes up residence in his flat. He is being outmanoeuvred from his regular job by a nasty bitch colleague and stand-in girl finds out the truth and decides to help boy.

It wasn't a bad book but quite slow and even though I knew what would happen before I started, there was not a single twist. I didn't really feel for either of the 2 people and it never won me over.

A lukewarm kind of feeling about this one. Neither good nor super-bad.

Playing James by Sarah Mason

Holly Colshannon is a hot shot journalist at the Bristol Gazette, covering 'pet deaths' with an aptitude for injuring herself which means she's a regular at the casualty department. She feels very unlucky when she is made the new crime correspondent as the relationship between the newspaper and police department is anything but healthy. There is, however, a new PR officer and she thinks that it'd be "absolutely brilliant" if Holly were to shadow an officer and write a diary in the newspaper, for a 6 week period. And this is where green-eyed, handsome but grumpy Det. James Sabine comes in. He is not at all happy with his assignment and lets everyone, especially Holly, know about it and they don't get along at all. The readers love her diary and they think that something is up between the handsome detective and Holly and even her own family thinks that there is something going on but how can it be? Det. James Sabine is getting married in just a few weeks.

So, another book by the same author read in quick succession which is what I tend to do if I like the first one. "The Party Season" was funny but Playing James is so much funnier. I laughed out loud almost the whole way through and sometimes even putting the book down for a second to compose myself. It's not very easy to read when you're crying as the tears have a tendency to slightly blur my vision. I recognised myself in Holly as I too am very prone to accidents although I have (knock on wood) not got a 'loyalty card' at the casualty department... It's just hilarious and a book I most certainly will read again. Well, after I've read the next Sarah Mason, of course. I'm saving that for my holiday but I might not be able to stay away...

The Party Season by Sarah Mason

Cute, energetic Isabel Serranti works as a party planner for a big company and has somewhat not too happy memories from her childhood as her then best friend Simon Monkwell started bullying her and since moving away after a year or so, has not seen him since. But. Simon has worked himself up into a position as a very respected entrepreneur and from what Isabel has heard about him, he's still his old bullying self. As of a fluke she is drawn in to plan a charity ball that is to be held at the Monkwell estate and has to go there although seriously hoping that Simon will be too busy sacking people and not have time to come and bully her again. When she gets to her childhood grounds she's starting to remember things she had forgotten and even comes to realise that not all memories are what they seem.

This is my first Sarah Mason book and certainly not my last. I laughed out loud as Isabel and her friends made a mess of things and felt for her in moments that were not kind to them. As always there's a love story/triangle/drama and this book is no different. They guy you think is Mr Right for our heroine is not necessarily so and obviously the guy she loathes has his nice and loving moments, which doesn't make things any easier. Well, I knew which one I would have chosen but sadly he's gay.

Seriously, if you're looking for a book with a whole new concept and a story line with more twist and turns than Britney Spear's knickers (when she wears them) then this is not the book for you. If you want a book that makes you; 1. laugh 2. thinking of calling in sick so you can stay in bed reading and 3. makes you want more from the same author - then, this is the one for you. I've bought my 3rd Sarah Mason book today but I'll be saving that for my holiday next week!