In at the Deep End by Kate Davies

source: free review copy via AmazonVine
title: In at the Deep End
author: Kate Davies / Twitter
genre: fiction/humor/LGBT
published: 2019
pages: 320
first line: One Saturday morning last January, Alice pointed out that I hadn’t had sex in three years.
rated: 4 out of 5 stars

blurb:

A fresh, funny, audacious debut novel about a Bridget Jones–like twenty-something who discovers that she may have simply been looking for love — and, ahem, pleasure — in all the wrong places (aka: from men)

Julia hasn’t had sex in three years. Her roommate has a boyfriend—and their sex noises are audible through the walls, maybe even throughout the neighborhood. Not to mention, she’s treading water in a dead-end job, her know-it-all therapist gives her advice she doesn’t ask for, and the men she is surrounded by are, to be polite, subpar. Enough is enough.

my thoughts: 
In at the Deep End by Kate Davies was an AmazonVine acquisition. This one has been compared to Bridget Jones. I remember reading Bridget Jones. I read that book twice and watched the film many times. I always get a kick out of Hugh Grant. Anyway, this story centers on twenty something Julia who has been single and lonely for the past three years. She lives in the U.K. with her roommate Alice. Julia always wanted to be a dancer but after an injury she took a job as a civil servant. She thinks sex is overrated and wonders if she will ever find passion and true love. She also misses dancing since it is such a part of who she is.

No-one Ever Has Sex on Holiday by Tracy Bloom

source: free copy courtesy of NetGalley/Bookouture
title:  No-one Ever Has Sex on Holiday
author: Tracy Bloom
published: July 29th 2019
genre: romantic comedy/humor
pages: 209
first line: Katy pulled up outside her house just after nine o’clock at night.
rated: 4 out of 5 stars

blurb:
Get ready to enjoy your first holiday abroad with small children. Highlights include: being woken at 5 every morning and working a gruelling day in unbearable heat chasing kids around the pool with a bottle of sunscreen. Added features: screaming during mealtimes and toddlers moaning about sand. Absolutely no sex guaranteed or your money back!

Katy and Ben and their four closest friends are going to Spain for a week with their kids. Sun, sex and sangria? Almost certainly not.

The couples think they are prepared for all the joys and trials a family holiday has to offer but they have a shock coming, and not only from the kids. Into their first day by the pool crashes Ollie, who has just been dumped by his girlfriend, and Cassie, on her hen party holiday but having serious doubts about her impending marriage. A recipe for a relaxing week abroad? Let’s wait and see…

my thoughts:

No-one Ever Has Sex on Holiday by Tracy Bloom was fun from start to finish and I breezed through this one pretty quickly. I am a seasonal reader so this was the perfect summery read during these hot July days. This book is part of a series by Tracy Bloom and my second time reading this author. I read No-one Ever Has Sex on Christmas Day and enjoyed it as well. Both work fine as stand alone reads.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty

source: free copy via Amazon Prime membership
title: Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory
author: Caitlin Doughty / Twitter
genre: memoir
pages: 242
published: September 15, 2014
first line: A girl always remembers the first corpse she shaves.
rated: 4 out of 5

blurb:
Most people want to avoid thinking about death, but Caitlin Doughty—a twenty-something with a degree in medieval history and a flair for the macabre—took a job at a crematory, turning morbid curiosity into her life’s work. Thrown into a profession of gallows humor and vivid characters (both living and very dead), Caitlin learned to navigate the secretive culture of those who care for the deceased.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes tells an unusual coming-of-age story full of bizarre encounters and unforgettable scenes. Caring for dead bodies of every color, shape, and affliction, Caitlin soon becomes an intrepid explorer in the world of the dead. She describes how she swept ashes from the machines (and sometimes onto her clothes) and reveals the strange history of cremation and undertaking, marveling at bizarre and wonderful funeral practices from different cultures.

Her eye-opening, candid, and often hilarious story is like going on a journey with your bravest friend to the cemetery at midnight…..

*trigger warning for delicate subject matter for some readers*

 

The Duchess Deal (Girl Meets Duke #1) by Tessa Dare

source: purchased
title: The Duchess Deal: Girl Meets Duke 1
author: Tessa Dare
genre: regency romance
pages: 368
published: 2017
first line: Emma Gladstone had learned a few hard lessons by the age of two-and-twenty.
rated: 5 out of 5

blurb:
When girl meets Duke, their marriage breaks all the rules…

Since his return from war, the Duke of Ashbury’s to-do list has been short and anything but sweet: brooding, glowering, menacing London ne’er-do-wells by night. Now there’s a new item on the list. He needs an heir—which means he needs a wife. When Emma Gladstone, a vicar’s daughter turned seamstress, appears in his library wearing a wedding gown, he decides on the spot that she’ll do.

His terms are simple:
– They will be husband and wife by night only.
– No lights, no kissing.
– No questions about his battle scars.
– Last, and most importantly… Once she’s pregnant with his heir, they need never share a bed again.

But Emma is no pushover. She has a few rules of her own:
– They will have dinner together every evening.
– With conversation.
– And unlimited teasing.
– Last, and most importantly… Once she’s seen the man beneath the scars, he can’t stop her from falling in love…

my thoughts:
My first read of 2018 was a good one. The Duchess Deal: Girl Meets Duke 1 nicely kicks off Tessa Dare’s Girl Meets Duke series. It is regency romance with a beauty and the beast vibe to it.

The Duke of Ashbury has been badly scarred at war and lives his life in solitude with his servants as company. He was engaged but it was broken off after he returned from the war. Emma Gladstone is the seamstress that was working on the Duke’s bride to be’s wedding dress and now that the wedding is off, she finally shows up at the Duke’s doorstep hoping to collect the money they owe her for the dress. The Duke has been thinking that he needs an heir to leave his wealth to and he wants to find a wife. When Emma Gladstone comes knocking at his front door the timing can’t be more perfect. He makes her the offer. Marry him and she will be set for life with his wealth, all that he asks for is she provide him an heir. He believes himself unlovable due to the scarring.

No-one Ever Has Sex on Christmas Day by Tracy Bloom

source: NetGalley/Bookouture
title: No-one Ever Has Sex on Christmas Day
author: Tracy Bloom
genre: fiction/holiday humor/romance
published: October 24th 2017
pages: 298
first line: “Tell me there isn’t an enormous inflatable reindeer on the front lawn,” said Katy as she walked into the kitchen and dumped her laptop on the floor.
rated: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

blurb:
Don’t you always plan the perfect Christmas?
Don’t you always think it will be the best one ever?
And doesn’t something always come along and screw it up?

Katy’s been stuck in the office away from her family so she wants it all: snow (fake or real), the Michael Bublé Christmas album, whatever it takes.

There’s only one thing missing as far as her husband Ben is concerned: another baby to complete their family. But Katy isn’t so sure she’s ready yet…

Ben may be playing the role of Master Elf in the pre-school nativity but he is struggling to master his own family life. With romantically-challenged friends, an ex who refuses to go away and Katy’s mum’s 64-year-old toy boy thrown into the mix, Christmas looks like it could be going off the rails… Never mind family planning, can Katy and Ben even plan to make it to the end of Christmas Day?

From the no. 1 bestselling author of No-one Ever Has Sex on a Tuesday, this book will make you cry with laughter, and then book your flights abroad for the festive season.

my thoughts:
I have two words today. Snow. Day. With the snow storm in full effect outside, high winds and freezing temps thankfully work and schools are closed. It will be another comfy pj day with some inevitable snow shoveling later on. Don’t mind me and my gifs lately, I feel like I’ve been including them in each post. I like to add them to reviews, I find they give it a little something extra to express my thoughts. And forewarning, I found a few Gene Kelly gifs, so he will be making an appearance in future posts…lol. I *heart* Gene Kelly.

Anyway, I thought I’d finally get my review up for No-one Ever Has Sex on Christmas Day. This was my last read of 2017 and I couldn’t have timed it more perfectly. I finished it on Christmas Eve Eve. This one is part of as series of books which include No-One Ever Has Sex On A Tuesday and No-One Ever Has Sex in the Suburbs. However, it reads perfectly fine as a stand alone since the author gives you enough background so that you know these characters a little more.