Third Time Lucky – The Honey Trap – by Victoria Browne

Original Cover

My own copy

The blurb:

A fast moving witty chick lit drama that will take you on a journey of laughter and revelations.

Good friends Sarah a sensible simple soul, Laura bitchy complicated, Beth a ‘too cool for school’ high school teacher, and Jess a funky hairdresser, decide to honey trap Jess's new American boyfriend Richard. How could such a simple plan go wrong? Just add Jess’s new flat mate, hot sexy Elise to the mix, a few glasses of wine and you have a cocktail fit for disaster – especially when Elise honey traps the wrong boyfriend! Good friends are all Sarah needs when her uncomplicated life is jettisoned into chaos.

Dan, Sarah’s boyfriend makes some shady life choices. But who is friend and who is foe?

Wealthy bachelor Lee Preston sets his sights on Sarah and all Lee wants is to make her happy. Life could be fantastic when money is no object and your closet is filled with designer shoes, Oh, and his with secrets.

My Opinion:

*Book provided by the author in exchange for an honest review*

I read Victoria Browne’s first book Gut Feeling last year and really liked it.

The blurb of The Honey Trap sounded great and like my kind of book.

I really like the idea of the book, with honey trapping a boyfriend, sounds like so much fun.

The story follows Sarah and her friends Laura, Jess and Beth. They seemed like a great bunch of friends from the start and I loved following them around. I found it a bit hard to relate to any of them though, mostly because I felt like they weren’t properly lined out. Sarah was the main focus and we learned a lot about her, but then they others were included as well. I got a bit confused of who was really telling the story. On one hand we were able to read about Sarah’s feelings, but then suddenly someone else seemed to take over.

So they honey trap the wrong boyfriend and that’s where it all starts, Sarah’s life changes drastically. I was glad she got rid of Dan, because he seemed boring and dull. But of course I felt bad for her, but when she met Lee though I had some hope. He seemed so nice and perfect for her. After a while his secrets started though and Sarah kind of wasn’t herself anymore, just letting him buy her everything, I couldn’t understand that.

First she was betrayed by Dan and her best friend, would the same happen again?! I was glad she had Beth and Jess throughout the whole story, they were there for her and they added a great spark to it.

For me the story moved a bit to fast, without connections and any details. This made the storyline difficult to follow and I felt it was a pity, because the general ideas were all so great.

What I really like about Victoria’s writing are the funny and memorable scenes she can create. There are so many LOL moments and very entertaining little bits, that made this story special.

All in all, I can say that I will definitely read more of Browne’s stories, even if this one wasn’t really for me.

Rating:

My possible cast:

Sarah: Lily Collins

Jess: Emily VanCamp

Beth: Sophie Turner

Laura: Jennifer Lawrence

Victoria on Twitter: @VixBrowneAuthor

Website: http://www.victoria-browne.com

Goodreads 

Q&A with Victoria Browne

I'm so happy to welcome the wonderful Victoria Browne on Sky's Book Corner today. I read her book Gut Feeling and I absolutely y loved it. There is more of her to come in the summer, I can't wait!!!

Thank you SO much lovely lady for answering my questions it means a lot, xxx. 

Bio

Qualifying as a dental nurse I worked in Harley Street London, before moving into the world of real estate. During this time I also qualified as a mortgage broker and eventually opened my own real estate agency.

Reading was one thing that did not come easy due to dyslexia, causing much frustration. With a great deal of determination, I progressed to where I am today, living in South London with my partner Jon and our two cats. I sold my company to set up a family home and continue my writing career. I now publish though Neville House Publishing and enjoy a full and enriched life.

Author and #chicklit enthusiast, a book worm who likes listening to audio books and a lover of particle physics.

Interview

1. Did you always dream of being a writer?

No. I thought that I would never be a writer because I had dyslexia and couldn’t read. I remember being a small girl holding a thick Steven King novel and smelling the pages wishing that I could read it. (I still love the smell of books)

2. Your novel is called Gut Feeling. Why that name and how was the story developed?

Ashley, the main character from the book actually named it. I couldn’t think of a name until I had finished the book and then it hit me. Ashley had made reference to her gut feelings a few times and it just felt right, you could say I had a “gut feeling.” The story was developed from a short piece of erotic writing. It still features at the beginning of the book but as a much tamer version for the chick lit audience. From there the characters lead me though their lives, one character actually changed his own sexuality. Leon was meant to be a masculine womaniser but I got a few chapters in and realised he was far from masculine! Once I gave in to this, Leon really came out of himself (pun intended)

3. What does your family think about you being a writer?

In a nutshell they love it. My dad is the first to read anything I write, which can make me cringe and I cant think about this when I’m writing or I would not publish anything. My mum lets me bore her with all the story gossip, so by the time I’ve finished the book she knows what has happened and how it ends, all several possible versions of. My fiancés is not a book person so I read my manuscripts aloud to him after it comes back from the final edit which helps me catch any missed typos. My brother I know is proud of me but will never read a girly chick lit even if his sister did write it, oh no. But his wife is a super honest reviewer for me.

4. You suffer from dyslexia, that must be very hard as writer, can you tell us a little more about it?

It was hard for me as a young dyslexic because the help was limited and it wasn’t until I was twenty-five that I found help. Once I had rewired my brain so to speak, I learnt to read and spell properly, however the emotional frustration had a deep impact on my self-esteem. When I was a young writer it did affect my work because the vocabulary I had in my head did not match my spelling ability. I would find myself substituting words on paper in order to make my writing legible, unaware that is only detracted from the writing impact on the reader. I now work to raise awareness for dyslexia in the hope that others can get the right help so that they can learn the written word and not suffer the same issues as I did. Dyslexia is not a reading disability but a language disability, and if someone with dyslexia is taught in a different way so that they understand then there is no reason why they cant read, write and spell as good as anyone else.

5. Can you tell us a little about The Honey Trap?

I’m very excited about this book. Third Time Lucky - "The Honey Trap" Is the first book in a two part series. It is a fast moving witty Chick lit drama that will take you on a journey of laughter, tears, revelations and much more. Good friends Sarah, Laura, Beth and Jess decide to honey trap Jess's new American boyfriend Richard. How can such a simple plan go wrong? Well, Just add hot sexy Elise to the mix, and then a few glasses of wine and you have a cocktail fit for disaster when Elise honey traps the wrong boyfriend. It is due out this Summer 2014… Watch this space.

6. How do you relax?

Can I say that I write? But if I’m not jotting down some sort story or idea for a blog post I like to walk if the weather is warm or veg out on my sofa watching the science channels with my two cats Poppy and Daisy.

7. Where and when do you write your stories?

Any coffee shop that will house me, my favourite is Cafe Nero because they play classical music, which helps me think. If I’m not in a coffee shop then I like to write in my kitchen or spare bedroom that is now my writing room when we don’t have guests over :)

8. What do you do and enjoy when you’re not writing?

I’m really getting into my fitness DVD's now, which I do with my fiancé after work. I like to dance and do like a good evening out with friends for some good food and wine.

9. Who is your favourite author and why?

Oh that’s a really hard question for me, I would have to say Sebastian Faulks. My very first audio book was Bird Song by Sebastian Faulks and my mum bought me The girl at the lion d or for my twenty-first birthday, both books I hold close to my heart. He is such a good writer, I love his descriptions and his details really help me connects to the story.

10. If you were shipwrecked on a desert island what 3 books would you want with you?

Can you keep a secret by Sophie Kinsella to cheer me up, The girl at the lion d or by Sebastian Faulks to keep me strong, and Lovely bones by Alice Sebold for a good old cry.

11. If you could plan the perfect holiday, what would it be?

Oh this is so easy. A week in St Barts at a five star hotel with my own butler!

12. What are 5 items you never leave home without?

Handbag

Business cards

Amex

iPhone

Head phones so I can listen to my audio books on the go.

13. If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be?

Getting the right help for my dyslexia at primary school.

14. Which famous person, living or dead would you like to meet and why?

Marylyn Monroe ever since I read a quote from her when I was Nine saying "I don’t know who invented high heals, but all woman owe him a lot" she is my idle.

15. What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

For me this would have been when Leon one of my characters wrote his own persona. I went home one day after work and said to my fiancé, "Leon's gay" Jon’s just looked at me bewildered, until I explained. It’s an amazing feeling when you sit down with a clear vision of what is going to happen in a chapter and then when your finished you have written something entirely different but perfect. It’s like writing in tongues.

  

16. Coffee or tea? Coffee

17. Paperback or e-reader? E-reader

18. Mountains or the sea? Sea

19. Summer or winter? Summer

20. Sweet or salty? Sweet

Victoria on Twitter: @VixBrowneAuthor

Website: http://www.victoria-browne.com

Gut Feeling - by Victoria Browne

Original Cover

My own copy

 The blurb:

Ashleigh Lands is a twenty six year old dental nurse, who after meeting Dave Croft, a gorgeous twin, finds herself in an impossible dilemma. Living in the heart of London, Ashleigh and her group of friends find themselves in numerous situations, parties, traumas and sexual experiences. With Ashleigh's love cheat lawyer ex-boyfriend Lee Preston pulling on her heart strings Ashleigh goes on holiday to Ibiza with the girls; Rachel a buyer for a large child's clothing company and also Ashleigh's best friend. Beautiful Jules who works for a well-known magazine company. And Gemma a house wife who has just found out her husband was sleeping with his personal trainer. Ibiza brings the girls new friends along with love and loss. Whilst the girls are away Dave has an unwanted sexual encounter. Ashleigh returns home only to have her life thrown into turmoil. "But I heard it with my own ears". Must be true then? ? ?

"A gripping romantic chic-lit fiction novel at its best" - Independent Quote "Laugh out loud best seller"

My Opinion:

*Book provided by author in exchange for an honest review*

Love the title of this novel and I’m so happy Victoria asked me to read and review it, because I loved it. Thanks sweetie, here’s your review xxx

Ash is such a lovely and charismatic character and I adored the way Victoria introduced her to us and began her story.

She has some great friends and every one of them had a special place in the story and also in Ash’s life.

Now, to the men in this story. There is Lee, her ex boyfriend. God, I hated him from the start! Why did he always have to turn up? Well, of course it made the novel fascinating and gripping and I liked the way he was integrated into the story, but still wasn’t present all the time.

Now, let’s talk about the other man and I just say this: BOOK BOYFRIEND ALARM!!! Dave is sexy, gorgeous, caring, funny, a good listener and much more. No wonder Ash was falling for him. Their chemistry was great, I felt that they belonged together. Whenever they were together it was so sweet and adorable, the scenes were described so well and real.

Ash has a holiday planned with her girls, but she doesn’t want to leave Dave, when she comes back her world is turned upside down.

A big misunderstanding and suddenly Dave is not in the picture anymore and Ash questions everything.

Will their true love overcome this?

At this moment I couldn’t put this story down anymore, I was so hooked. Dave and Ash were perfect together and I didn’t want that to change, EVER. Victoria’s writing is gripping, funny, real, honest and full of LOL moments.

The ending is so cute and adorable, I’d really love to read more about Ash and Dave, I feel like there is more to tell, much more…

A wonderful novel, written in such a fun, genuine and absorbing way. LOVED IT!

Rating: 

My possible cast:

Ash: Katie McGrath

Dave: Aaron Tveit

Victoria on Twitter: @VixBrowneAuthor
Website: http://www.victoria-browne.com