Christina Jones (1)

Well, before reading Only One Woman I thought almost 500 pages for chicklit was FAR too long, but in this case it was definitely not long enough! Oh, how I wanted to continue the story of Renza, Stella and Scott, even though I had already read 500 pages of their story; I was left begging and thirsty for more!

I admit to feeling a little bit daunted that this book was so huge on my kindle, but once I started it I really didn't want it to end. The story of Renza falling in love with guitarist, show more Scott, was so sweet and heartrending that I fell in love with the couple myself. So when Renza moved to Germany and Stella came on the scene to threaten the perfect life we had built for Renza and Scott, I felt my heckles rise and I SO wanted to hate her, but I didn't. I felt like Scott; how could I love two women when only one can ever win?

This was SO very cleverly written in the form of diary entries. We are introduced to teenager, Renza, falling in love for the first time with band-member Scott. She is so sweet and innocent, but when she moves to Germany it isn't long before Scott's roving eye finds another target. Don't get me wrong, Scott isn't looking to replace Renza but there's something so very special about Stella, which is why I couldn't hate her! I really defy anyone to pin their colours to any one mast - Renza and Stella are both so very special and, through the marvellous writing of Christina Jones and Jane Risdon, we get to know them as if they are part of ourselves.

I absolutely adore the sixties vibe that was so cleverly woven throughout this book. I found myself humming the tunes that were mentioned and felt as if I had been transported to the colourful sixties era. The insecurities of new love were laid out in full view via diary entries from Renza and Stella, and I felt as if I was there reading the pages over their shoulder. Oh, how I longed for one or the other to conquer Scott's heart but, at the same time, I didn't want the other to lose. I don't think I can ever successfully describe the conflict going on in my head as I raced through this epic swinging sixties novel. When there are two people you love and one of them has to lose, how on earth can you choose?

What a glorious technicolour ride this was: Only One Woman manages to make the reader fall in love with two women and I really felt as if I should be able to choose between them, but I simply couldn't! I honestly believe that every reader will want both women to get their man, so to which mast will you pin your colours? Renza or Stella? YOU DECIDE!

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion. show less

Finally got around to reading this one and it wasnt too bad! I dont know if you would class this as "chick-lit" (a genre I usually avoid with a barge pole), but enjoyable brain-fluff none the less.[return][return]Jemima Carlisle leaves Oxford in a rush due to losing both her jobs in one day. She settles in Milton St John, where she had been planning to set up a bookshop anyway, and in the middle of the horsey set. She has an aversion to the whole horse racing people, due to her father being show more a terrible gambler, and so she has some preconceptions (many drawn with a great big brush to be honest), which are slowly turned around, mainly due to some very sexy (and some rather kinky!) people show less

Tickled Pink by Christina Jones was a fun, light romance story that was set in a wonderfully eccentric English village called Steeple Fritton. The story is focused on two women, Posy and Lola and how they manage to come through some very bad times, find new loves and bring the village a much needed boost.

Posy, whose fiance impregnated and married another woman, was ready to leave the village and start a new life but ultimately decided that she would stay even though that meant seeing her ex show more and his new wife often. Lola, on the other hand, had been the mistress of a wealthy man for the last 25 years but upon his death, his wife ensured that she lost both her job and her home. Through a series of mishaps she ends up in Steeple Fritton at Posy’s parents Bed and Breakfast.

Not much to say about this one, a Chick Lit with heart and humor. show less

When Cleo finds some old recipes for homemade wine, her and Dylan have a go at making the wine, planning to serve it at the Harvest Home festival. Cleo obviously fancies Dylan, and even though he's a bit of a player, I found myself really wanting her to end up with him.
In a side story Cleo's teenaged friend Elvi is falling in love with Zeb, a rich kid who she knows her father will hate.

The Harvest Home festival is what the whole book leads up to, and it doesn't disappoint. When the wine is show more served for the first time it turns out to have magical effects on anyone who drinks it. This made for some really funny scenes, but it also revealed the secrets of some of the characters, which brought everything together nicely.

I really loved this book. I felt really involved with the characters and I enjoyed reading about the developing romances. I thought the story was a really original idea and I will definitely be seeking out more books by Christina Jones. show less