Book Club Book Review: On the Same Page by Penelope Janu

On the Same Page

by

Penelope Janu

 

Publisher: Brio Books (XO Romance)

Publication date: 1st October 2018

Pages: 352

Format Read: Paperback

Source: Publisher via Beauty and Lace Book Club

Sometimes a girl just has to do what’s in her heart …

By day Miles Franklin, named after the famous author, is a successful lawyer. But by night she writes historical romance novels under the pen name Emma Browning. When Miles’s assistant covertly enters her boss's novel in one of Australia’s biggest literary awards—and it wins—Miles’s perfectly ordered world is torn apart.

Lars Kristensen smells a rat. As the CEO of Iconic International, the company publishing Miles’s prize-winning novel, he’s determined to meet the author and uncover her true identity. But Miles is equally determined to protect her privacy—and to keep writing. Even if it means mastering pole dancing, and choreographing a love scene in the back of a horse-drawn carriage … Well, she is a romance writer, after all.

Miles has the grit to keep her secret, but Lars has the smouldering looks and arrogance of any romantic hero she has ever imagined.

Hmm. Sometimes a girl just has to turn the page …

Janu brings up the issue of literary snobbery in On the Same Page. Does it exist? I'm sure it does but I've never come across it.

Miles Franklin is the daughter of two acclaimed authors. She was sent to a psychiatrist in her early teens as she was reading and writing historical romance stories. Her parents thought there was certainly something wrong with her. She was wasting her literary talent.

Miles is a lawyer by day and a successful Historical Romance author by night. Hiding her secret behind the pseudonym, Emma Browning. However when her latest novel wins a literary award there is much disapproval in literary circles, including that of her parents.

I loved Miles! A relatable character; she was uncoordinated, out of shape, anxious and had a chronic blushing problem. She put a lot of herself into her characters and also a lot of the things she wanted to be.

Janu ties the classics cleverly through the narrative with references to many of the greatest literary romances of all time. I loved the snippets of Miles' Historical Romance stories which gave the reader stories within a story.

There is a minor but powerful subplot of teenagers in crisis and how a little attention and caring can make a huge difference in their lives.

The story is filled with humour usually at Miles expense. Written in the first person we learn a lot about Miles' hopes and fears. I would have liked to learn a little more about Lars.

On the Same Page is a wonderful story that will make you laugh and also sigh

My Rating 4.5/5                🌟🌟🌟🌟.5 

*This review is part of the Beauty & Lace Book Club. You can read the original review here

  On the Same Page is book #32 in the Australian Women Writers challenge

and part of the Book Lover Book Review Aussie Author Challenge

  

photo courtesy of Goodreads

Penelope Janu writes contemporary fiction about clever and adventurous women who don’t mean to fall in love, but do. Penelope’s novels, whether coastal or rural, celebrate Australian communities.

Penelope is a lawyer with an interest in social justice issues and the environment. She, like her characters, is up for anything, even though she has a terrible sense of direction. She has six children, big dogs, a distracting husband and never enough time to write.

Penelope hopes readers will fall as passionately in love with her heroines and heroes as she invariably does. She has travelled to many places in the world but has lived most of her life in Sydney, Australia. When not reading or writing Penelope can be found walking the coastline, or in the bush (though she's not much of a walking companion as she plots as she walks). 

Bookish Naughty or Nice Tag : Blogmas 2018

 I'm not usually a big fan of book tags, mainly because I can never find the time to answer questions, search for books and post but I  recently saw this tag on Alliee Reads and thought it was a cute way to get to know a little more about each other.

So let's get started...

 

Rules

• Tag & link the person who tagged you

• Tag and link me/this post
  

• Tick/cross off the ones you’ve done
• Tag another 10 people!

If you’ve not been tagged, go ahead and do it anyway!

Here’s the list for you to copy and do yourself!

1.Received an ARC and not reviewed it  

✿.｡.:* ☆:**:. 𝒩𝒶𝓊𝑔𝒽𝓉𝓎 .:**:.☆*.:｡.✿

I have so many ARC waiting patiently on my shelf I feel guilty every time I walk past them.

 
2.Have less than 60% feedback rating on Netgalley

✿.｡.:* ☆:**:. 𝒩𝒾𝒸𝑒 .:**:.☆*.:｡.✿

My feedback is surprisingly at 80%. I went crazy for a while on Netgalley and requested loads of titles but I'm committed to getting through them all in 2019.

 

3.Rated a book on goodreads and promised a full review was to come on your blog (and never did)

✿.｡.:* ☆:**:. 𝒩𝒾𝒸𝑒 .:**:.☆*.:｡.✿

Always post promised reviews within a week or two of reading and rating.

 

4.Folded down the page of a book

 ✿.｡.:* ☆:**:. 𝒩𝒾𝒸𝑒 .:**:.☆*.:｡.✿

Nooooo!!! Never!!!!

5.Accidentally spilled on a book

✿.｡.:* ☆:**:. 𝒩𝒶𝓊𝑔𝒽𝓉𝓎 .:**:.☆*.:｡.✿

Maybe the occasional tea or coffee splatter but not an actual spill unless it's my tears spilling over my favourite character having their heart broken or, god forbid, dying.

6.DNF a book this year

 ✿.｡.:* ☆:**:. 𝒩𝒾𝒸𝑒 .:**:.☆*.:｡.✿

 I can't bring myself to DNF a book even if it's terrible. I'm always hopeful if I read on it will improve.

7.Bought a book purely because it was pretty with no intention of reading it

✿.｡.:* ☆:**:. 𝒩𝒶𝓊𝑔𝒽𝓉𝓎 .:**:.☆*.:｡.✿ 

Yes! Yes! Yes! I love pretty covers and can't resist them.

8.Read whilst you were meant to be doing something else

✿.｡.:* ☆:**:. 𝒩𝒶𝓊𝑔𝒽𝓉𝓎 .:**:.☆*.:｡.✿  

100% of the time whilst I am reading I should be doing something else.

9.Skim read a book

✿.｡.:* ☆:**:. 𝒩𝒾𝒸𝑒 .:**:.☆*.:｡.✿

I can't skim read. Firstly I wouldn't want to miss something crucial and secondly the author took a long time to write the book, so read whole book! 

10.Completely missed your Goodreads goal

✿.｡.:* ☆:**:. 𝒩𝒾𝒸𝑒 .:**:.☆*.:｡.✿ 

I have a little trick with my Goodreads goal and it's to keep the goal low and then you never miss attaining your goal. And it's not cheating! Is it?

11.Borrowed a book from the Library and not returned it

✿.｡.:* ☆:**:. 𝒩𝒾𝒸𝑒 .:**:.☆*.:｡.✿  

I'm not much of a Library user as I like to keep the books and not have a deadline to read them (thus my answer to Question 1) 

12.Broke a book buying ban

✿.｡.:* ☆:**:. 𝒩𝒶𝓊𝑔𝒽𝓉𝓎 .:**:.☆*.:｡.✿   

Haha! What's a book buying ban?

13.Started a review, left it for ages then forgot what the book was about

✿.｡.:* ☆:**:. 𝒩𝒶𝓊𝑔𝒽𝓉𝓎 .:**:.☆*.:｡.✿    

Only occasionally. I try to write reviews when they are fresh in my mind but sometimes that next read is beckoning and the review gets pushed aside.

14.Wrote in a book you were reading

✿.｡.:* ☆:**:. 𝒩𝒾𝒸𝑒 .:**:.☆*.:｡.✿   

I never write in the books but I do use sticky notes if a sentence stands out that I want to remember later.

15.Finished a book and not added it to your Goodreads

 ✿.｡.:* ☆:**:. 𝒩𝒾𝒸𝑒 .:**:.☆*.:｡.✿   

Goodreads is the only way I keep track of what I have read so all books are added as soon as I finish them

16.Borrowed a book and not returned it to a friend

 ✿.｡.:* ☆:**:. 𝒩𝒾𝒸𝑒 .:**:.☆*.:｡.✿    

If I borrow a book I will tell them that they may not get it back for a while but I will always return it....eventually.

17.Dodged someone asking if they can borrow a book

✿.｡.:* ☆:**:. 𝒩𝒶𝓊𝑔𝒽𝓉𝓎 .:**:.☆*.:｡.✿

My books will only be lent out to close friends and family. That is unless I'm happy to never have it returned.

18.Broke the spine of someone else’s book

 ✿.｡.:* ☆:**:. 𝒩𝒾𝒸𝑒 .:**:.☆*.:｡.✿     

Never! I always take great care when borrowing someone else's book 

19.Took the jacket off a book to protect it and ended up making it more damaged

✿.｡.:* ☆:**:. 𝒩𝒶𝓊𝑔𝒽𝓉𝓎 .:**:.☆*.:｡.✿ 

Taken the jacket off a book and then can't remember the safe place I put it so it wouldn't get damaged.

20.Sat on a book accidentally

 ✿.｡.:* ☆:**:. 𝒩𝒾𝒸𝑒 .:**:.☆*.:｡.✿      

Haha! No, I have books everywhere but I'm pretty sure I've never sat on one.

8/20 𝒩𝒶𝓊𝑔𝒽𝓉𝓎  

12/20 𝒩𝒾𝒸𝑒

I'm happy to see I'm a little more Nice than Naughty when it comes to my bookish ways. 

If you would like to join in consider yourself tagged.

The Questions

1.) RECEIVED AN ARC AND NOT REVIEWED IT
2.) HAVE LESS THAN 60% FEEDBACK RATING ON NETGALLEY
3.) RATED A BOOK ON GOODREADS AND PROMISED A FULL REVIEW REVIEW WA STO COME ON YOUR BLOG AND NEVER DID
4.) FOLDED DOWN THE PAGE OF A BOOK
5.) ACCIDENTALLY SPILLED ON A BOOK
6.) DNF’D A BOOK THIS YEAR
7.) BOUGHT A BOOK PURELY BECAUSE IT WAS PRETTY WITH NO INTENTION OF READING IT
8.) READ WHILST YOU WERE MEANT TO BE DOING SOMETHING ELSE (LIKE HOMEWORK)
9.) SKIM READ A BOOK
10.) COMPLETELY MISSED YOUR GOODREADS GOAL
11.) BORROWED A BOOK FROM THE LIBRARY AND NOT RETURNED IT
12.) BROKE A BOOK BUYING BAN
13.) STARTED A REVIEW, LEFT IT FOR AGES, THEN FORGOT WHAT THE BOOK WAS ABOUT
14.) WROTE IN A BOOK YOU WERE READING
15.) FINISHED A BOOK AND NOT ADDED IT TO YOUR GOODREADS
16.) BORROWED A BOOK AND NOT RETURNED IT TO A FRIEND
17.) DODGED SOMEONE ASKING IF THEY CAN BORROW A BOOK
18.) BROKE THE SPINE OF SOMEONE ELSE’S BOOK
19.) TOOK THE JACKET OFF A BOOK AND ENDED UP MAKING IT MORE DAMAGED
20.) SAT ON A BOOK ACCIDENTALLY 

* This post is part of Jo Linsdell's Link it up Thursday

Storybook Corner Book Review: Animalphabet (Children's Picture Book)

Animalphabet

by Julia Donaldson

illustrated by Sharon King-Chai 

 

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia

Imprint: Two Hoots

Publication date: 30th October 2018

Pages: 32

RRP: $24.99

Format Read: Hardcover

Source: courtesy of the publisher

A splendidly die-cut alphabet of animals from Number 1 bestselling author of The Gruffalo, Julia Donaldson, and visionary illustrator Sharon King-Chai.
Each cleverly cut flap draws you further into a beautifully vibrant world of huge elephants, slithery snakes and growling tigers. Sharon King-Chai's bold colours and shapes make Animalphabet a rich delight for children of all ages while Julia Donaldson's rhythmic text is a pleasure to read aloud. The cleverly written, simple text invites children to compare one animal to another, and clever hints and peep-through holes within the artwork make this a hugely entertaining guessing game as well as a gorgeous book to treasure.
The perfect gift for boys and girls alike who will love embarking on a journey of discovery through the natural world, from one animal to another.

From the best selling author of The Gruffalo and The Guffalo's child.

This beautiful hardcover picture book tempts you right from the first look. The cover has a gorgeous illustration of two elephants in a forest, embellished with foil and cut-outs it’s a book that screams to be picked up.

Each page features an animal of the alphabet, bright splashes of colour, peep through cut-outs giving hints of what’s to come and flaps to lift and peek under. As each animal is introduced we are given a hint by way of a question as to what the next animal will be. B is a butterfly then the question is; Who has more legs than a butterfly?

Dot loved this book and her favourite part was guessing what animal came next. We have read this together many times and she is enjoying the accomplishment of getting more and more animals correct.

Ditto loves flaps and was more interested in seeing what is behind each flap than the related text but this is a book that will grow with the child and can be read and enjoyed over the years to come.

King-Chai’s illustrations are enchanting with great splashes of colour with the scenes perfectly matching the animals depicted with forest scenes, water scenes and desert scenes. A feast for the eyes!!

Animalphabet is a beautiful picture book that would make a treasured gift for any preschool child.

My Rating   5/5      🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

photo courtesy of Goodreads

Julia Donaldson is the outrageously talented prize-winning author of some of the world's best-loved children's books, including modern classics The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo's Child, which together have sold over 17 million copies worldwide, and the hugely successful What the Ladybird Heard adventures. Julia also writes fiction, including the Princess Mirror-Belle books illustrated by Lydia Monks, as well as poems, plays and songs - and her brilliant live shows are always in demand. Sharon King-Chai is an enormously talented designer and illustrator. Having grown up in Australia, she moved to London in 2003 and since then has brought her style and eye for beautiful design to album covers, book covers, stationery and her books Lucy Ladybird, Snail Mail and Animalphabet.


                                                      About the Illustrator 


Sharon King-Chai is an enormously talented designer and illustrator. 
Having grown up in Australia, she moved to London in 2003 and since then has brought her style and eye for beautiful design to album artwork, book covers, stationery and her own books Lucy Ladybird, Snail Mail and Animalphabet, a collaboration with Julia Donaldson. Sharon has a passion for innovation, and her artwork and clever use of paper cutting encourage the reader to think differently about the pages they hold in their hands.

                                       

Book Review: Long Road to Mercy by David Baldacci

                                                 Long Road to Mercy
                                                by
                                          David Baldacci

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Aus
Publication Date: 30th October 2018 
RRP: $29.99
Pages: 404
Format Read: Trade Paperback
Source: Courtesy of the publisher

Her name is Atlee Pine, the latest creation from bestselling author David Baldacci. She has unstoppable tenacity, always a fighter who is unwilling to cede any ground. She has endured real nightmares and she has the emotional and physical scars to show for it. And she got that long before she became an adult.

She is a FBI Special Agent assigned to the wilds of the western US. She has to cover, often solo, vast tracts of area: Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Colorado, Arizona. Small towns, impossibly long distances in-between, isolation like most on the East Coast have never experienced, and an environment where anything can and does happen.

Working with the locals who respect, and also sometimes fear her, and have never really been allowed to know her, Atlee Pine turns her vast investigative skills and unmatched drive to find out the truth. Along the way she will revisit painful memories of her own, come to grips with what she is and what she might one day aspire to be. But in the end, she will have to confront not only a new monster, but also the old one of her nightmares.

Long Road to Mercy is the first in a new series by accomplished author David Baldacci. This book is the introduction of FBI Special Agent Atlee Pine. Atlee’s character is well developed in this first instalment and we learn what makes her tick, her motivations and her past.

Atlee is strong mentally as well as physically although she does have her weak spots, one being her twin sister, Mercy, who was kidnapped and presumed murdered when they were 6 years old. This early loss caused a major upheaval in her life and so began a cycle of relationship non-commitment.

I liked that Atlee was tall and solidly built. Almost making Olympic status in weight lifting her character comes across as real and believable when she has to kick major butt. She can match it with the best of them.

Atlee is called in to investigate the murder of a mule in the Grand Canyon and the disappearance of its rider. As she starts to ask questions she notices that people high up the chain are taking an interest in this case. After delving a little too far Atlee is taken off the case. Atlee and her secretary, Carol Blum (who by the way I loved, a no nonsense woman in her sixties, she is intelligent and feisty) decide to go rogue.

What starts as an animal murder and a missing person case soon escalates to a plot of political espionage involving North Korea, Russia and the US Government. Given the present political climate in America the plot is both relevant and intriguing.

You may have to suspend belief at times but overall the plot was compelling and the characters well fleshed out and believable.

The backdrop of the beautiful and mystifying Grand Canyon was an added bonus for this armchair traveller.

There is a tiny, sweet romance budding at the end of the story and I hope Baldacci continues with this in the next book.

FBI Special Agent Atlee Pine you have a new admirer here. 

Content: Very minimal coarse language

                 No sex scenes

                 

My Rating  4/5      🌟🌟🌟🌟 

photo courtesy of Pan Macmillan

 David Baldacci is one of the world's bestselling and favourite thriller writers. With over 130 million copies in print, his books are published in over 80 territories and 45 languages, and have been adapted for both feature-film and television.

He has established links to government sources, giving his books added authenticity. David is also the co-founder, along with his wife, of the Wish You Well Foundation®, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting literacy efforts across the US.

David and his family live in Virginia.