‘It's the day they've always dreamed about. But will it turn out to be a nightmare ...?Bel is in the midst of planning her perfect wedding when disaster strikes and everything she thought she knew is turned on its head. Can she hold it all together and, with the help of her friends, and a mysterious man she meets unexpectedly, turn disaster into triumph? Bel's friend, ice-cream parlour owner Violet, is engaged to Glyn, who is besotted by her although Violet fell out of love with him long ago. But however trapped she feels in the relationship, she can't quite say the words, 'I don't want to marry you anymore.' Then, just when she's about to give up and resign herself to married life, she finds love in the most surprising of places. Will duty rule her heart or will she allow herself to be swept off her feet? Max was planning a quick registry office do with her fiance Stuart until she sees a TV programme about traveller brides and becomes determined to have the most extravagantly glitzy wedding ever. But in all the excitement has she lost sight of what's really important? Does she want the wedding more than she wants the groom? And as all three friends find the dress of their dreams at the White Wedding bridal shop, its owner, the lovely Freya, guarantees that her gowns will bring them happiness - though maybe not quite in the way they expected ...’

When three strangers meet at a wedding shop they become firm friends and are soon supporting each other through all manner of drama and excitement in their efforts to have their perfect white weddings. First to walk down the aisle is Bel, but when her nuptials don’t go to plan, she finds herself hiding out in a remote cottage whilst she works out whether she and her betrothed have a future together. Maybe meeting her handsome next door neighbour, Dr Dan, is exactly what she needs to help her move on from a fiancé who doesn’t deserve her? Next up is Violet, engaged to Glyn, a man completely besotted by her, but perhaps a little too much so, especially since Violet is pretty sure she no longer returns his feelings. The grand finale is Max, who’s planning her huge gipsy style wedding, the only problem is her partner is expecting a tiny registry office ceremony. How will he react when he discovers what Max has been up to?

As always, Milly Johnson has created very believable characters that immediately capture the reader’s heart. My favourite of the leads was undoubtedly Bel, she had a really rough time of things, but her escapades kept me thoroughly hooked. I loved the scenes between her and Dan; they were sweet, romantic, and above all often very funny! I wasn’t so keen on Max, and found myself feeling pretty sorry for her fiancé Stuart – she just walks all over him with no regard for his feelings whatsoever!

I admit I wasn’t totally convinced by the relationships between the three heroines. They didn’t seem to spend all that much time together and it was a little too much of a coincidence that they’d continue randomly bumping into each other in the wedding dress shop. However, I did think they formed an interesting group and liked how they interacted together.

The book has very good pace, probably because there is such a lot crammed into it; there really isn’t a dull moment! The absolute highlight for me was the little cameo by a couple of old favourites from ‘Here Come The Girls’, it really made me giggle and can came as a lovely surprise. I was very pleased that Johnson, as usual, provided me with a very satisfying conclusion to her tale!

I’m a huge Milly Johnson fan – for me her novels are just the right mixture of humour, pathos, lovable characters and perfect happy ending. They’re light, yet thoroughly emotionally fulfilling. Whilst not quite reaching the extremely high standards of some of Johnson’s earlier writing, in particular ‘Here Come The Girls’, this made enjoyable reading. It’s no wonder that Milly’s developed such a loyal following from her fans.

4 stars

‘The new fabulously addictive read from No. 1 bestselling author Sheila O'Flanagan. As TV's favourite weather forecaster, Lainey is good at making predictions. But what she doesn't foresee is that her own life is about to hit a stormy patch. With a string of failed relationships behind her, surely history isn't about to repeat itself with her beloved Ken? To add fuel to the fire, her estranged mother announces that she's returning to Dublin. Deanna has always been dismissive of Lainey's choices - particularly in men. And Deanna's lectures are the last thing Lainey needs now. Yet is there more to her mother than she knows? Uncovering some long-concealed family secrets, Lainey begins to reassess her life. Is the happy-ever-after she's always dreamed of really what she wants after all?’

Meteorlogist Lainey is distraught when her beloved boyfriend Ken breaks up with her. The last person she wants to deal with in this distressed state is her mother, Deanna, who’s returning to Dublin for work. Deanna’s parents brought Lainey up whist Deanna was busy forging a name for herself as a prominent feminist, and she’s never understood how a daughter of hers could turn out to be such a hopeless romantic. Lainey is in no mood for another of her mother’s feminist rants, but if the two actually give each other a chance perhaps it’s possible they could finally form a proper relationship.

My main problem with this book was that I found a lot of the speech very stilted: women friends just don’t speak to each other the way Lainey and her pals do! There didn’t really seem to be much flow to the conversation, and everyone came across as more than a little blunt.

Lainey drove me half crazy: she was obsessed with her looks and with getting married and seemed to spend most of the book preening herself. I thought her job as a meteorologist was interesting, but could have been made more of by focussing on the research side, which, after all, was supposed to be the part of her job she was most interested in. As it was, most of what I saw of Lainey at work was just her preparing to do the weather forecast. I also didn’t like the way Lainey was always harping on about her past engagements. Yes, she’d been engaged twice before, but that’s hardly the most unusual thing in the world. Also, you’d think she’d have learnt from these experiences, she is in her thirties after all.

Lainey’s friend’s marriage made an interesting sub-plot, and her relationship served as a comparison with what Lainey expects from married life. I liked the way that the author seemed to let her characters’ voices really shine through, without allowing any opinions of her own to overshadow theirs. Of the main characters, I especially liked Deanna’s mother, Madeleine. I enjoyed her interactions with Deanna: after many years she’s more than capable of dealing with her often difficult daughter.

‘All For You’ sounded pretty good from the blurb, but didn’t really live up to expectations for me. It was a little slow to start, and, though the pace did pick up after a while, not a lot really happens and the ending seemed very abrupt. I also found the mystery of Lainey’s father a little too soap opera-ish for me, it seemed totally far-fetched and not really in keeping with the story. On the plus side, I thought using the feminist movement as a backdrop was clever and original, and I liked seeing how being involved in it had shaped Deanna’s character.

2 and a half stars

_'Ed Middleton is ecstatic: he’s just got engaged to his girlfriend, Sam, and he couldn’t be happier. At least, he thinks he’s engaged. The thing is, it was Sam who did the proposing, and the more he thinks about it, the less he’s sure that she was actually asking him to marry her. She could have just been asking the question, you know…hypothetically. As the wedding day draws nearer, Ed becomes more and more uneasy. Sam keeps disappearing off for furtive meetings and private phone calls, and when he spies her going into a pub with a man he’s never seen before, all his old jealousies and insecurities threaten to re-surface. It’s the perfect time for Ed’s unhinged ex-girlfriend, Jane, to show up on his doorstep. Meanwhile, Dan – Ed’s best-friend and soon-to-be-best-man – is determined to throw him a stag night to remember. And when a severely hung-over Ed wakes up the morning after the night before to see a second dent in the pillow, it seems as if Dan has got his wish. Will Ed manage to find out the truth about his stag night as well as the identity of Sam’s secret man? Or will an accidental proposal lead them both down the aisle to a wedding neither of them ever imagined? '

Ed is getting married to his girlfriend Sam, the woman of his dreams. They’d been living together happily for some time, when one night Sam asked Ed to marry her.  Or at least he thinks she did; it’s only when Ed is telling the news to his best mate Dan that he realises that he’s not absolutely sure that Sam was proposing – was she actually just asking whether he wanted to get married ‘some day’? Much hilarity then ensues, with Ed doing his best to subtly find out whether Sam does genuinely want to tie the knot, ‘helped’ of course by the inimitable Dan.  The reappearance of Ed’s ex Jane leads to further complications, and all the while, Ed is running out of time with the wedding day getting ever closer.

The relationship between Ed and Dan is the real backbone of this book; some of the conversations between them – which mainly take place in their local pub – are nothing short of hilarious. Dan, in particular, is a fantastic character: he’s not the sharpest tool in the box bless him, but thanks to his vast collection of ‘Cosmopolitan’ back issues, he’s sure that not only is he an expert on women, but he’s God’s gift to them too. His verbal slip-ups are a constant source of amusement throughout the novel.

The only downside to the importance of Ed and Dan’s friendship is that I didn’t find out very much about Sam. I wanted to like her because Ed adores her, but I didn’t really get much of an impression of Sam other than that’s she’s a personal fitness trainer who won’t let Ed eat muffins (which didn’t exactly endear me to her!).

I thought that Matt Dunn did very well with his working of the homeless character Billy. Billy is intelligent and witty, and gives Ed some very good advice; his friendship with Ed and Ed’s treatment of him were very clever ways to illustrate Ed’s kind character: no matter how daft he is, the reader remembers how he is with Billy and never forgets that Ed really is a good guy

Dunn’s style of writing is very laid back and witty – the characters are the absolute essence of the book. He doesn’t use a lot of description of setting or environment; the key is the people, not where they are. This makes for a very relaxed easy read and a very close relationship between the reader and the main characters.

The book stopped just a little too soon for me, the ending didn’t seem quite complete, but I do love that the loose end is just ripe to be turned into a sequel: hopefully we’ll be seeing more of Ed’s dilemmas and Dan’s verbal slip-ups in the very near future!

4 stars

‘A sweet, funny and romantic novel from the Sunday Times No. 1 bestseller

It's been a while, but Lara Carson's back in Bath and lives are set to change as a result. Because Lara left her family and boyfriend Flynn eighteen years ago without a word to anyone. Why has no one heard from her since? Her childhood best friend Evie is thrilled Lara's back and able to share her happiness. Evie's about to walk down the aisle with her dream man, Joel. Or so she thinks... Then there's Flynn Erskine, even more attractive now and stunned to see Lara again. The spark between them is as strong as ever, but how's Flynn going to react when he discovers the secret she's been keeping from him? Oh yes, there's a lot of catching up to be done...’

Lara Carson left her hometown of Bath at the age of 16 when she was pregnant with her daughter. Eighteen years later, Lara’s father dies leaving her the family home. She decides to return, much to the delight of her teenage best friend, E vie, who’s just about to marry her fiancé, Jamie. When all doesn’t go to plan for Evie she’s very grateful to have an old friend around to help her pick up the pieces, but it’s not long before Evie needs to return the favour: Flynn, Lara’s teenage love and the father of her child, has also just returned to Bath and is due for a bit of a shock when he discovers he’s a father. Things then get even more complicated when Lara realises she’s still got feelings for Flynn, but has no idea how he now feels about her.

I enjoyed reading about Bath, it’s somewhere I’d love to see more of, and it made a lovely setting. Despite being a city, Mansell portrayed Bath as having a homeliness and almost village-like atmosphere which added to the story – Lara ran into old family friends easily for example, and her old neighbours were interested in what she was now up to, yet it wasn’t so small that she felt completely surrounded by memories.

Some of the funniest moments in the book were provided by a sub-plot involving Harry, a friend of Lara’s, and Enjay Seven, a famous rap artist. Harry is very old-fashioned and a complete stick in the mud.  When he ends up being filmed as part of a television series featuring Enjay the results are nothing short of hilarious.

I also really liked the relationship between Lara and Gigi, her eighteen year old daughter. Gigi’s an intelligent young woman, quite capable of making her own decisions, but loves her mum dearly and still turns to her for advice. From Lara’s point of view, it’s obviously a little hard for her when she sees Gigi building a strong relationship with her newly discovered father: she’s never had to share her daughter to that extent before.

I found I got quite frustrated at times with Evie: Jamie had behaved appallingly to her and yet she seemed determined to go back for more; I couldn’t wait for her to wake up and see sense. On the other hand, I had Lara who seemed absolutely resolute that she wouldn’t notice how lovely her ex was! I really wanted to knock their heads together at times.

I haven’t read many of Jill’s previous titles, but it’s obvious to me why she has such a loyal following: her stories are simply very, very readable. I was definitely absorbed in this tale, and eager to find out what happens to the characters, most of which I clicked with very early on. Of course, as this is the author’s twenty third book, she clearly knows what she’s doing by now!

4 stars

_ ‘When Mona Gray is ten, her father contracts a mysterious illness. His gradual withdrawal from everyday life marks a similar change in Mona, who removes herself from anything - or anyone - that might bring her happiness. Numbers provide a kind of solace, and help her make sense of the world: she counts words in her head, adds her steps, and multiplies people in the park against one another. When she becomes a maths teacher, Mona delights her pupils by encouraging them to find objects that take the form of numbers. But when 7-year-old Lisa appears with a zero that displays real turmoil, Mona knows that in order to help a person in pain, she needs to find a way to connect with the world she has been afraid of for so long. "An Invisible Sign of my Own" is a story about children and adults, and how we protect ourselves from the things we fear the most. It is about superstition and logic and the big muddy area in between. It is written with the same eloquence and flair that characterizes "The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake", this novel marks the sign of a true original in contemporary fiction.’

Mona Grey is a maths teacher obsessed with numbers. She uses her fascination to hide from the reality of her life, in which her father is very ill with a mystery illness. Mona spends her time seemingly desperate to curtail any chance of happiness or success she has, whether by dropping out of the running team when she showed promise, or deliberately sabotaging her romantic life. It’s in bonding and caring for others that Mona can find a way out of her unhappiness, but only if she can allow herself to let them become close to her.

I didn’t really connect with any of the characters, but I did find Mona interesting; she was, to be blunt, fairly loopy – so much so in fact that I sometimes doubted the sense of allowing her to work in a school. I couldn’t help but like her, despite becoming, on occasion, completely exasperated by her. I particularly liked the use of flashbacks throughout the book, which gradually helped me to understand Mona and her past.

 In my opinion the supporting characters lacked oomph, particularly Mona’s mother and father. This was possibly because the protagonist shone so brightly, they paled beside her.  I wanted more from them. And the children Mona teaches seemed to be nothing short of disturbed: there didn’t seem to be one regular one amongst them!

Unfortunately, this book had nowhere near the hold on me that Benders last work ‘The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake’ had, which I found surprising as in a lot of ways they are very similar. They both follow the fortunes of a young American woman who is ‘different’ inwardly, but doesn’t really show it on the outside, and is concerned about a close family member. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy the story, but rather that I had no trouble putting it down and wasn’t desperate to pick it up again.

 ‘An Invisible Sign of My Own’ was certainly an unusual read, and it really stood out from other recent publications. Aimee Bender specialises in the bizarre, a trait which makes her stories completely unique, and I’d encourage readers to give her a try. Her writing style is very, very good, with decent pace, and despite my reservations, I found this very readable.

3 and a half stars

 

_'The story opens with newly married protagonists, Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy, defending their village from an army of flesh-eating unmentionables. But the honeymoon has barely begun when poor Mr. Darcy is nipped by a raging dreadful. Elizabeth knows the only acceptable course of action is to promptly behead her husband (and then burn the corpse, just to be safe). But when she hears rumours of a miracle antidote being developed in London, she realizes there may be one last chance to save her true love – and for everyone to live happily ever after. In ‘Dreadfully Ever After’ we find all our favourite ‘Pride and Prejudice’ characters reunited – but instead of sitting around sewing and daintily drinking tea, they hunt and kill zombies.'

The novel is the conclusion to the ‘Pride and Prejudice and Zombies’ series. When we join the story, Lizzy and Darcy have been married for four years and Lizzy is still finding it hard to adjust to the life of a noble’s wife, a role far removed from and incompatible with her old Shaolin warrior lifestyle. Indeed, she misses killing zombies so much that she still carries her parasol/sword around with her, ever hopeful of a zombie attack in which she’s forced to use it to defend herself.  And in fact, it’s during such an attack that Darcy is bitten by one of the undead.  There’s no known cure and Lizzy knows that the sensible thing to do would be to cut off his head before the change becomes complete. However, desperate to save her husband, Lizzy enlists the help of her old adversary Lady Catherine who claims to know of a cure in London.  Lizzy heads to the metropolis with Kitty, Mary and her father, but will they find the treatment, if it even exists, before Darcy is beyond its help?

I love ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and have read it many, many times! I’m not generally so keen on zombies however, but I was very interested to see how the two would combine. I haven’t read either of the two other titles in the series (‘Pride and Prejudice and Zombies’ and ‘Dawn of the Dreadfuls’), but this did nothing to affect my enjoyment: I was quickly up to speed with the plot.

‘Dreadfully Ever After’ really is something very different to anything that I’d normally read, and I was surprised to discover that I quite enjoyed it – I’d definitely read the others in the series. Whilst you could never say that the characters were accurate to Austen, they did at least possess the basic characteristics and it really added an appealing twist to a zombie story to have them in it. The actual idea of zombies going crazy is of course also nothing new, but setting it in this period and having the characters trained in the fighting arts made it far more interesting.

It was very good to see Kitty and Mary getting a little romantic attention, and it was great to see Kitty coming into her own as a character instead of just being Lydia’s sidekick. I was though a little disappointed in Mr Bennett: he’s so fantastic in the Jane Austen novel – quick, witty and with many a brilliant rejoinder; the same character presented here was far less remarkable and seemed to melt into the background at times.

I’m not sure that the book is completely honest to regency England, but as it’s an alternative England with the undead romping about all over the place we’ll let it go shall we? The point of a book like this is to entertain, not to give a history lesson.

I dare say that some might believe that Austen would turn in her grave if she read this, but actually, I think she’d probably see the funny side and might just end up enjoying it.

P.S. If you thought the original Lady Catherine was scary, try her as a trained killer with an army of Ninjas working for her!

3 stars

‘Georgia, 1177 For twenty years King Giorgi has defended the throne of his fragile kingdom against all comers. Now on the threshold of old age he faces a grave new threat: he has no son to succeed him. There is only his daughter, Tamar; a clever, indomitable and fearless girl. When a revolt threatens her life, Tamar is sent to live in the mountains, disguised as a boy, until a devastating betrayal places her in the hands of her enemies. Her courageous escape convinces Giorgi she should be his heir, but the nobles are outraged - no woman will ever rule them. While her father is alive, Tamar has some protection from the hostile forces that surround her, but once he is dead, she is truly alone. She must find the strength to control the bitterly warring factions at court. She must win the respect of her friends and the fear of her enemies. And she must marry a man of whom the elders approve. But her heart belongs to a reckless boy from the mountains - a poor match for a queen. With rebellion brewing at home and powerful foes circling her borders, Tamar must make a terrible choice between the man she loves and the land she adores...’

In the twelfth century, to the shock of the whole kingdom, the indomitable King Giorgi of Georgia names his eldest daughter Tamar as heir. How can a woman possibly be ‘King’, especially at a time of great unrest? Many believe Giorgi’s decision will be the downfall of his dynasty, but those close to the royal household are not so sure:  it’s true that Tamar will not be able to ride into battle, sword raised, to strike down her enemies, but she has many other qualities of a strong ruler if she’s just given the chance to show them. However, to be a great leader, Tamar will have to make many sacrifices to her own happiness, which she may be unwilling to do.

 ‘The Girl King’ covers a fascinating piece of history, from a part of the world which I haven’t previously read any historical fiction about. This really is what I’d call a ‘proper adventure’ story - we’ve got mean bad guys, a clever and determined princess, a brave hero and plenty of fighting, all in a gripping setting. The tale itself is well told, with great pace throughout, but I would have liked it to have been much longer and to have contained more information, particularly about the politics, mores and customs of the time.

Tamar works well as a heroine for me: she really is her own person and doesn’t let herself be dictated to. She’s also not afraid to go against tradition if necessary and stands up for what’s right. I really enjoyed the moments when she allowed her sense of humour to make an appearance, much to the consternation of some of her advisors.

I thought the author did a good job of making the history accessible whilst producing an extremely readable tale. She’s very honest about the liberties she’s taken, and adds a useful note at the end of the book detailing the reasoning behind her decisions. Yes, she admits she fiddled with the events at times, changing a little of the chronology, and making some fairly improbable assumptions, but if it encourages people to find out more about the history of Georgia, then surely that’s not such a bad thing?

3 and a half stars

_ ‘"The Little Shadows" tells the story of three sisters making their way in the world of vaudeville before and during the First World War. Setting off to make their fortune as a singing act after the untimely death of their father, the girls, Aurora, Clover and Bella, are overseen by their fond but barely coping Mama. The girls begin with little besides youth and hope but evolve into artists as they navigate their way to adulthood among a cast of extraordinary characters - charming charlatans, unpredictable eccentrics, and some who seem ordinary but have magical gifts. Marina Endicott lures us onto the brightly lit stage and into the little shadows that lurk behind the curtain, and reveals how the art of vaudeville - In all its variety, madness, melodrama, hilarity and sorrow - echoes the art of life itself.’

Aurora, Clover and Bella are three sisters performing together on the vaudeville circuit under the scrutiny of their mother, Flora. Flora was a performer herself in her youth and after the deaths of her husband and son, she finds herself desperate for money and takes her daughters on the road. ‘Little Shadows’ follows the family’s endeavours in the vaudeville theatre between 1912 and 1917.

The many minor characters introduced early on were hard to keep track of, and I found this novel very slow, and quite tricky to get into. However, I enjoyed the story more once I’d had a chance to bond with the three girls, and discover more of their individual characters. What I liked about the sisters was their determination and hard work.  Although they could sing and dance well, so could many others and they certainly weren’t the most talented of acts. The book is very clear about the hardships of working in the theatre, such as becoming unemployed very suddenly and having to travel long distances for the hope of a job. The troubles of the era are also referred to, with friends leaving to fight in the First World War. Flora had of course experienced theatre life first hand, and is naturally very concerned to spare her daughters from certain aspects of it, and keen to use her knowledge to help them succeed.

The novel is well-written and has great atmosphere. The era and vaudeville theatre are obviously greatly loved by the author, and the amount of detail given is quite astounding. I actually found it a little too much at times, the near constant minutiae meant that the story became bogged down and the pace and characterisation suffered a little. This was certainly a fascinating and original tale, though you have to really love the theatre as much as the author obviously does to full appreciate this book.

3 stars

_'Love is a rush when you fall for someone addicted to speed…Daisy has been dumped, unceremoniously jilted. Not by any ordinary guy, no…Daisy has a secret in her past that she won’t even tell her best friend, Holly. She’s given up on men – and on her own family. But life still has to be lived and where better to recover than as far away from home as possible. Grabbing a chance to see the world, Daisy packs her bags and joins the team catering to the world’s highest-paid, supercharged racing drivers on the Formula 1 Grand Prix circuit. From Brazil to Italy, from Melbourne to Monte Carlo, life passes in a dizzying whirlwind. But nothing – and no one – can stop Daisy from falling again…this time for a man who is prepared to risk his life, and his heart, for the sake of speed, danger and ultimate success.'

Paige Toon’s third novel is one of my all time favourites; I could quite happily read it again and again. And again!

The action takes place across the globe as Daisy and her pal Holly travel the world with a Formula One team as hospitality girls – otherwise known as ‘Bun Tarts’. Daisy has had her heart broken and is sure she’s in no position to fall for any man any time soon, but she didn’t bargain on meeting Will Trust, one of the two new drivers for the team. Daisy finds that she can’t resist Will’s charm, and he seems interested in her. There are just two problems – Will’s long-term girlfriend, Laura, and Luis, the other new driver, who just won’t keep his nose out of Daisy’s business.

I loved the character of Daisy; her colourful language and quick temper make her very entertaining. As for Luis, I must confess he really is my ideal hero; he’s funny, sexy and mysterious, and how Daisy can fall for the far less exciting Will at the beginning of the book I will never know – silly girl! Daisy’s Italian grandmother is also fantastic; her little plans to help Daisy with her love-life are inspired and very giggle-worthy!

I’ve never been a fan of Formula One, but it gave the story a very unique backdrop and I ended up really enjoying that aspect of the book, it made a nice change from the usual ‘single girl in London/New York’ scenario. The settings are glamorous and original, and there are a few drama fuelled racing scenes which really kept me gripped, including one with a very shocking, and completely unexpected conclusion.

I couldn’t recommend this book highly enough to chick lit lovers. Lots of laugh out loud moments combined with some great drama and real edge-of-your-seat racing scenes makes for a brilliant read. It’s also got just about the most perfect ending of any novel I’ve read; the final scene never fails to make me smile and cry in equal measure. When I finish reading ‘Chasing Daisy’ I‘m always left with just one question – how much fun must Paige have had researching this novel?

5 stars

_ ‘Funny, sharp and deeply poignant, One Night Only explore the pitfalls of fame, friendship and family secrets and gets under the skin of why looking back is not an easy thing to do…

Fame and fortune can’t hide the secrets of her past…

When fading soap star, Helen Redford, goes back to her old home town to make a TV show about her glittering career she catches a glimpse of the might-have-beens that drove her to leave in the first place.

Ex boy friends, old scores to settle, friendships gone sour, chances not taken,and secrets about Helen's family that have haunted her since she was a little girl.

Will Helen be able to put her past to rest?’

Just when the lull in ex-soap star Helen Redford’s work looks like it’s going to become permanent, she’s approached by the producers of ‘Roots’, a television show which delves into celebrities’ pasts, attempting to bring to light any hidden skeletons and produce some shocking revelations. Having been talked into taking the job by her agent, Helen finds herself returning to her home town to film, before performing in the very hall in which she was first discovered. Helen is unaware of quite how many memories will re-emerge, and unwilling to admit her deep desire to know why her mother deserted her when she was growing up. But after so many years, will her question ever be answered?

Flitting between the present and when Helen got her lucky break into show business in her teens, the reader gets a wonderful view of how Helen has changed over the years and what shaped her into the person she is.

The book has a relaxed pace, getting off to a slow start, but I was glad I stuck with it, from the first flashback to Helen’s teenage years I was hooked. I particularly liked her relationship with her singing partner Kate, which was completely typical of teenage girls in general!

This was a light read, but had some backbone and brought up some interesting issues, especially about how far the media should be allowed to interfere in people’s lives - even if some of the individuals involved are celebrities. Welfare is also very blunt about the paths that many take to become famous (she does a fine line in seedy agent!), and doesn’t glamorise show business at all.

‘One Night Only’’s storyline was deliciously unpredictable, but not completely unrealistic, which really kept me turning the pages. I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this novel’s main character; she was very down to Earth and not at all conceited despite her fame, and I appreciated the book’s beautifully satisfying conclusion, which left me feeling I’d been properly looked after by the author.

3 and a half stars.