The War of the Wives by Tamar Cohen

Imagine being happily married. Then imagine one day you get a call that turns your world upside down: your husband is dead. You are devastated. You go to the funeral… And come face to face with his other widow.

The War of the Wives brings us the story of Selina and Lottie, two women married to the same man. Simon spends a lot of time travelling, and some how he has managed to fool two women for many years – and at his funeral they come face to face.

The narrative jumps between the two women, as we switch between their experiences, feelings and memories. It’s soon apparent that these are very different characters, and Simon has managed to live two very different lives with them.

Of course, after the initial anger, they find themselves brought together, along with their children of various ages, and some handle this better than others. There are various strands to the story, including the reason behind Simon’s death, financial issues etc.

I have to admit there were times when I wondered just how much could happen to two women, and to me, the reasons behind Simon’s death were not needed, as it just seemed a little too much. I’m also not sure about what happens to Lottie, but that does make for an interesting ending. Despite this little criticism however, this book certainly kept me reading, and I enjoyed the sharp humour Tamar appears to have.

Published by Doubleday July 2012

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

Eighteen-year-old Celaena is a trained assassin, who’s serving a life sentence in the salt mines of Endovier. She’s offered a deal  - to represent the prince in a tournament to become the King’s Champion. If she succeeds, she will eventually earn her freedom, if she refuses she’s likely to die in the mines, like many before her.

Accepting the offer, Celaena starts her training for the contest, keeping her true identity secret. We soon learn that she has been brought up as an assassin from a young age, and she’s a rather determined character.

For me, the first half of the book was the slowest, but this did comprise of some really good world building, which pays off later in the book – by the time the story really kicks off, the world and the characters feel real, and it really comes alive.

Calaena is an interesting developing character, but it was Chaol and Princess Nehemia who really caught my attention. Chaol is the Captain of the Guards sent to watch and train Calaena – he’s a rather guarded person himself, who doesn’t give much away. He appears to be very loyal, and caring when he allows himself to be.

Nehemia is a princess who befriends Calaena, and there is certainly more to her than first meets the eye. If there’s to be a follow up (which I hope there will be) I want to hear more from her.

As for the storyline, I don’t like giving much away, but it focuses not only on her competition and her own journey, but there’s also a supernatural turn of events which I thought was handled really well. The second half of the book doesn’t let go for a moment, as it comes to a satisfying conclusion.

This book is complete in itself, but it’s left open to continue, and with a world so well built up, I really hope it does. For those who want more, there are also four novellas available as ebooks.

Published by Bloomsbury 2/8/12

Dead Scared by S J Bolton

S J Bolton has written five novels, with some recurring characters. I had previously read Now You See Me, which involved Lacey Flint and Mark Josebury, and whilst it’s possible to read Dead Scared on it’s won, I would recommend reading Now You See Me first.

I wasn’t quite as keen on Now You See Me, but it does tell you a lot more about Lacey’s character, and her relationship with Joesbury. Lacey is a complex character, with a colourful, traumatic background – she’s hard to completely like, but is certainly interesting.

In Dead Scared, there are concerns over strange suicides at the Cambridge University, concerns mainly raised by Evi Oliver, the university psychiatrist. Evi is also in one of the earlier books.. her past does seem important, but I’m not sure how much is explained in the earlier book.

Lacey is sent undercover to the university, simply to observe – but she soon gets pulled into the case. Being a detective, she’s unable to sit back and not investigate, and with her background, she soon becomes involved herself.

The suicides are in deed strange – the victims seem to experience strange dreams and hallucinations, although it’s unclear how or why these are happening. Once Evi and Lacey start experiencing the same thing, you pulled into the experience, trying to work out exactly is going on.

I enjoyed this book because it offered more than a basic crime story – it’s tenseful, and the strange circumstances surrounding the suicides offer an added layer to the suspense.

Recommended for those looking for something a little different – I hope we get to find out more about Lacey and Mark’s future.

Leopard Adventure by Anthony McGowan

Leopard Adventure is the first in a new series of books – an authorised contemporary retelling of the classic adventure series written by Willard Price.

The original series was published between 1949 and 1980, and I can still remember working my way through them as a young reader. They told the story of Roger and Hal Hunt, who had many adventures helping their dad capture exotic and endangered animals.

Leopard Adventure introduces Roger’s daughter, Amazon, and Hal’s son Frazer. Sadly the brothers no longer seem to see eye to eye, and so the two young people are only just meeting for the first time. Frazer has already been involved in conservation, but Amazon seems to have been left behind whilst her parents travel the globe!

Amazon is invited to help TRACKS, an organisation which rescues wild animals, no matter what the danger. In this story they are trying to rescue an endangered Leopard, dealing with a dangerous tiger, an out of control fire, and some human enemies.

Amazon and Frazer are rather charming, and it’s nice to see them getting on despite their parent’s issues with each other. They do face some rather extreme situations, but this is combined with some interesting facts and issues surrounding endangered animals and conservation.

I certainly enjoyed the tale, and I can see the appeal for younger readers (it’s aimed at 9+) – which the adventure based content, the animals, and a strong girl character, there’s plenty for everyone. Even as an older reader, I’m quite interested to see how everything will develop, and will probably be picking up the next book in January, Shark Adventure.

The original series is also being relaunched, with new covers, and I’m quite tempted to take a look at those too!

The Thoughts & Happenings of Wilfred Price, Purveyor of Superior Funerals by Wendy Jones

This book is set in 1924, in rural Wales. Wilfred Price is a young undertaker, living with his father. On a picnic, he proposes to a girl he hardly knows. Instantly regretting it, he’s nonetheless caught up in a series of events.

I don’t want to go into the story or the characters, as they are best left to unfold naturally throughout the story. The importance is in how the book is written. It’s written in a rather gentle way, which to me completely reflected the behaviours and feelings of the characters. This is a quiet village, where people are very careful of the way they act and speak, and emotions and secrets are kept very much to themselves.

There are emotions and secrets which are explored throughout the book – there are difficult issues involved, but they are handled delicately.

For me, the first half of the book felt slow, but there was something about the characters which kept me reading. It was definitely worth continuing, and it became one of those books which I picked up whenever I could, just to read a bit more.

If you allow it to, this is a book which will charm you, and surprise you.

Published by Corsair