Regular readers of my blog will know that I love Angela Marsons and her amazing Kim Stone books, but they will also know that I don’t read chick lit. But here we are, a review for a chick lit book, but it is by Angela Marsons so that makes it all ok in my eyes.
Thank you to Bookouture for having me as part of this blog tour and for a copy of If Only by Angela Marsons. I was under no obligation to review the book and all thoughts are my own.
My Review:
Ok, so first things first. I don’t read chick lit. The only times I do is when I know the author and really want to read their book and support them (the last one was by Kim Nash). But Angela Marsons, the author of If Only, doesn’t normally write chick lit which is why I find myself reviewing this book, because I absolutely love her Detective Inspector Kim Stone books, and I really wanted to see what storyline had made Marsons move into chick lit world.
I have to admit that it took me a while to stop waiting for someone to die. My brain knew that I was reading a book by Angela Marsons and so there had to be dead bodies somewhere. Whenever a character walked into a room I held my breath waiting to see what horror they would find, but that never happened and eventually my brain seemed to accept that this was not going to be a usual Marsons read and relaxed into the story.
I discovered that it is actually quite nice to read a book with no murder and the characters started to grow on me and shockingly, I actually wanted to know whether someone would get the man they lusted after. Although I have realised that I hate the name Cher (sorry if that is your name, it reminds me of someone who was incredibly annoying), but then there was also a character with my daughters unusual name which was a pleasant surprise.
I don’t feel that I am best placed to judge whether If Only is a brilliant example of a chick lit, but I did find it surprisingly enjoyable and although I hope that Marsons concentrates on her Kim Stone series, I secretly hope that she branches out again soon.
Blurb:
“I want Michael Hunter to fall so deeply in love with me that he can’t bear to be more than fifty feet away,” Cher declares to her best friends over cheesecake and wine. But what if she’s searching for happiness in the wrong place?
As Cher types up letters about overflowing rubbish bins in a job she hates, she dreams of Michael Hunter. He’s gorgeous, smart, funny and he’s about to become her new boss. But he barely looks at Cher except to ask for a coffee refill. How can she get him to notice she’s the perfect girl for him?
While Cher ignores the warning from workmate Dan that Michael is bad news, her friends have their own problems to fix. Sarah is longing to start a new life with a man who won’t commit, and bride-to-be Deb should be looking forward to her wedding, but her future mother-in-law is turning it into a nightmare from hell… If only her fiancé could see it that way.
So, when one summer evening, over several glasses of wine, Cher, Sarah and Deb stumble across an old book and decide to cast a wishing spell, they don’t think for one minute that it will come true. It’s just three best friends having a laugh and throwing some herbs around the garden. Or is it?
Totally unputdownable, absolutely full of laugh-out-loud ‘I’ve so done that’ moments, and plenty of emotional twists and turns that will keep you refilling your wine and racing through to the end. The perfect romantic comedy for fans of Shari Low and Sophie Kinsella.
About The Author:
Angela Marsons is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of the DI Kim Stone series and her books have sold more than 4 million in 5 years.
She lives in Worcestershire with her partner and their 2 cheeky Golden Retrievers.
She first discovered her love of writing at Junior School when actual lessons came second to watching other people and quietly making up her own stories about them. Her report card invariably read “Angela would do well if she minded her own business as well as she minds other people’s”.
After years of writing relationship based stories (The Forgotten Woman and Dear Mother) Angela turned to Crime, fictionally speaking of course, and developed a character that refused to go away.
She is signed to Bookouture.com for a total of 28 books in the Kim Stone series and her books have been translated into more than 27 languages.
Many of her books, including Blood Lines, Dead Souls, Broken Bones, Fatal Promise and Dead Memories reached the #1 spot on Amazon on pre-orders alone and the translation of Dead Souls, La Verita Sepolte, recently won the prestigious Primo Bancarella award.
If Only by Angela Marsons is out now and is available from:
Amazon: https://geni.us/B091TZ5GZJcover
Apple: https://buff.ly/3wyTXab
Kobo: https://buff.ly/39Rcu7T
Google: https://buff.ly/2Q67mWh
If only I could read faster 