Review | Summer Nights at the Moonlight Hotel ~ Jane Costello

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Learn to dance at the Moonlight Hotel, in the most romantic place in Britain... 

Beginners and singles welcome...

The Moonlight Hotel sits on the shore of England's best loved lake, Windermere, exuding vintage glamour. And in its ballroom weekly dance classes promise evenings filled with music, friends and fancy(ish) footwork.

When Lauren agrees to sign up, it's because she loves the building so much; it holds the key to her most precious childhood memories and she always dreamed of dancing the night away under its roof. Even her newly single friends Cate and Emily aren't going for the men, they're going for the fun - although a little romance wouldn't hurt...

Then comes the news that the hotel has been sold to a faceless budget chain, which has devastating plans in store. And the revelation that marks the start of a chain of events - both on and off the dance floor - that puts the strength of their friendship to the ultimate test...

Summer Nights at the Moonlight Hotel was quite frankly a delight of a read.

Jane Costello's easy, feel good and humorous way of writing made this the perfect book for me to take on a road trip as I was able to pick it up and put it down as and when needed without forgetting what I'd just read and needing to re-read paragraphs!

The book is told from the prospective of Lauren, whom is the main character, as she and her two best friends embark on their first night at a Salsa class.

As the weeks progress we learn all about Lauren and her long standing crush on her fellow teacher, Edwin, and her quest to make her feelings known to him after he ends his relationship.

We also discover Lauren's connection to the Moonlight Hotel so it is quite understandable her reaction to the news that it has been sold to a budget chain. However not all is as it seems as the new owner, Joe,  joins one of the Salsa classes along with his friend, Will.

Whilst Lauren is trying to work her magic on Edwin, Joe and Will get closer to Emily and Cate respectively but as the weeks press on and Lauren dances more and more with Joe her feelings become confused towards Edwin.

Although the book had a very easy going feel to it, there were many twists and turns within the story and as I read each page and turned to the next, I was often left wondering, surprised and sometimes with certain parts of some story lines, shocked!

Despite Lauren, her story, background and connection to the Moonlight Hotel being the main focus of the book, Cate and Emily are heavily featured and each have their own stories to tell which kept the plot fresh and exciting as well as putting the girls' friendships to the test.

There were some brilliant laugh out loud moments and fabulous one liners in Summer Nights at the Moonlight Hotel but equally I found some emotional, touching moments too which all all the makings of a perfect pool side read especially alongside the picturesque setting of the Lake District - one of my favourite UK settings!

I would like to thank Sara-Jade Virtue at Books and the City and Simon & Schuster for an advanced proof copy of 

Summer Nights at the Moonlight Hotel.

Bridesmaids by Jane Costello

The review for Bridesmaids is brought to you by Guest Reviewer, Nicole.

Four weddings.
Three disgruntled ex-boyfriends.
Two very effective 'chicken fillet' boob-enhancers.
And one gorgeous man...

With less than an hour to go before her best friend is to walk down the aisle, Evie is attempting to fulfil her most important role as bridesmaid: to deposit the bride at the start-line.

Although the odds appear stacked against her, she at least has her new 'chicken fillets' to boost her confidence. Until, that is, they are witnessed popping out of her dress by the dazzlingly handsome Jack.

Evie is 27, a sparkly, down-to-earth journalist who has never been in love and has started to think that she never will be. Small wonder, then, that the prospect of being a bridesmaid at so many impending wedding fills her with utter trepidation.

When Jack starts becoming a regular fixture at the nuptials, however, things really start looking up.

Only between her discovery that he's dating the stunning, self-obsessed Valentina, and an unfortunate incident with a 10- inch vibrator, not everything goes quite as Evie might have hoped...

From the get go Bridesmaids had me laughing.  Although first written in 2008, this book jumped out at me on the bookshelf and also heard from my friends that it had won an award too.

Everyone needs a friend like Evie, she would go above and beyond to make her friends happy and smile. I think a lot of girls would relate to her, her hang ups, confidence and wanting the guy that's already taken.

Jack, Evie's love interest takes a shine to Evie and throughout the book I love the chemistry and banter that they have. Jack seems as if he's too good to be true, even her mum loves him (Evie's mum is an eccentric do-gooder). I particularly like the way Jane Costello, shows just how close Evie and her mum get throughout the book, which finds her opening up to her. 

I loved loved loved this book, so good in fact I had to read it again straight away, not bad really as I couldn't put the book down and read it both times in a day.

Follow Evie on her journey with her university pals, which includes, laughter, tears and drama.

The Love Shack by Jane Costello

Life's great when you're 29 years old with a gorgeous girlfriend and a fulfilling job. Until you have to move back in with your mum...

Dan and Gemma have found their dream first home, but the asking price is the stuff of nightmares. The only way they'll ever save enough for the deposit is by moving in, rent free, with Dan's mum.

It's a desperate solution, but it's only for six months. And Gemma's determined to make it work, no matter how bad things get.

But between Dan's mums kitchen karaoke, her constant innuendos, irrepressible argumentative streak and - worst of all - her ham and pineapple curries, life back at home would test the patience of two saints. Which Dan and Gemma most definitely are not.

Then, as they're trying to convince themselves it will all be worth it, Gemma's past comes back to haunt her. And suddenly the foundations of their entire relationship are shaken to their core...

I'm new to reading a Jane Costello novel but when looking at my TBR list The Love Shack grabbed my attention.

I was sceptical when I started reading this as I'm not usually a fan of books where chapters are based from characters point of views (POV's), mainly because I find they don't flow particularly well.
In this case however,  the POV's were only from the two main  characters, Dan and Gemma, and therefore told the story perfectly as each chapter linked.

The couple are obviously madly in love despite Gemma always replying no to Dans wedding proposals... A standing joke between the pair that runs throughout the book.
They've had their ups and downs as most couples do, and throughout various chapters or POV's they highlight their journey on how hey eventually became a couple.
Deciding to take their relationship to the next level, after searching tirelessly, they set their hearts on buying their first home - Pebble Cottage.
Only one thing stands in their way, lack of deposit.

Moving in with  Dans mum is obviously the right choice financially but as we meet Belinda its clear to see why Dan didn't want this outcome... His mother is nothing short of a nightmare - her telling them to "go at it like rabbits" was enough to put me off them getting physical and I was only reading their story!!!

As the sale of Pebble Cottage moves forwards it promotes it's own set of troubles and adds pressure to their relationship with Gemma on edge and fretting about every single detail.

Things go from bad to worse when she bumps into Alex one day.
Alex was her first love and as she meets him on several occasions it's clear he's still crazy about Gemma and she questions her feelings for him vs those to Dan.

The Love Shack had me gripped as I was eager to find out how this couple would survive a very real life problem of getting on the property ladder whilst battling the pressure of mothers/in - laws and ex's.

A thoroughly enjoyable read from Jane Costello and I look forward to diverging into more of her books over the summer!