Book Review / Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix

 

‘I did an evil thing to be put in here, and I’m going to have to do an evil thing to get out.’

They call them wayward girls. Loose girls. Girls who grew up too fast. And they’re sent to the Wellwood House in St. Augustine, Florida, where unwed mothers are hidden by their families to have their babies in secret, give them up for adoption, and most important of all, to forget any of it ever happened.

Fifteen-year-old Fern arrives at the home in the sweltering summer of 1970, pregnant, terrified and alone. There, she meets a dozen other girls in the same predicament. Rose, a hippie who insists she’s going to keep her baby and escape to a commune. Zinnia, a budding musician who plans to marry her baby’s father. And Holly, barely fourteen, mute and pregnant by no-one-knows-who.

Every moment of their waking day is strictly controlled by adults who claim they know what’s best for them. Then Fern meets a librarian who gives her an occult book about witchcraft, and power is in the hands of the girls for the first time in their lives. But power can destroy as easily as it creates, and it’s never given freely. There’s always a price to be paid . . . and it’s usually paid in blood.

Published:  16th January 2025

Publisher:  Tor / Penguin / Random House 

Goodreads :  Click Here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

MY REVIEW

What I loved about this story...   This was a fun read for me.  I already know and adore Grady Hendrix, having loved the majority of his previous books, so I was very excited to get stuck into this one.  I liked that it was not set in present day, but in the 1970s where, it appears, there was a history of unwed mothers being sent somewhere to have their baby type of situations.  So you have this bunch of girls who are stuck in Wellwood House, not being able to escape and being treated in a way that they want to escape or try and get out of it.  Its no wonder they get sucked into the occult and all it has to offer.  From then on its just a downward spiral into mayhem.  Although I would have loved to have been surprised by some twists and turns (most of them were predictable for me) I enjoyed this story nonetheless.  

Would I recommend?  A must pick up for those who have already enjoyed stories by this author.  For those who like a bit of history in their horror, this is a good one to try out also. 

Book Review / By Any Other Name

 

From the New York Times bestselling co-author of Mad Honey comes an “inspiring” (Elle) novel about two women, centuries apart—one of whom is the real author of Shakespeare’s plays—who are both forced to hide behind another name.

Young playwright Melina Green has just written a new work inspired by the life of her Elizabethan ancestor Emilia Bassano. But seeing it performed is unlikely, in a theater world where the playing field isn’t level for women. As Melina wonders if she dares risk failure again, her best friend takes the decision out of her hands and submits the play to a festival under a male pseudonym.

In 1581, young Emilia Bassano is a ward of English aristocrats. Her lessons on languages, history, and writing have endowed her with a sharp wit and a gift for storytelling, but like most women of her day, she is allowed no voice of her own. Forced to become a mistress to the Lord Chamberlain, who oversees all theatre productions in England, Emilia sees firsthand how the words of playwrights can move an audience. She begins to form a plan to secretly bring a play of her own to the stage—by paying an actor named William Shakespeare to front her work.

Told in intertwining timelines, By Any Other Name, a sweeping tale of ambition, courage, and desire centers two women who are determined to create something beautiful despite the prejudices they face. Should a writer do whatever it takes to see her story live on . . . no matter the cost? This remarkable novel, rooted in primary historical sources, ensures the name Emilia Bassano will no longer be forgotten.

Published:  20th August 2024

Publisher:  Random House / Penguin/ / Allen & Unwin

Goodreads :  Click here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

MY REVIEW

What I loved about this story...  The one aspect that I always enjoy when picking up a novel by this author is the fact that she makes me think.  This story was no different.  In this story, we are following Emilia Bassano throughout her life, following her works and where that leads her back in the 1580s.  When I went into this book I really didn't look to much into it or wonder what it was about.  I had not realised that this was based on and includes historical facts and references.  I have always been taught and believed that William Shakepeare was a very successful playright whose plays are still being shown and taught today.  What I had not really realised until reading this book was this may not have been true.  There are a lot of very interesting theories put forward on this book that has certainly made me question whether the history we have been taught is true. 

Would I recommend?  For those who like to think outside of the box and who want to question the history that we have been told throughout our entire lives, this is a very interesting book to pick up.  I can't say whether the history in this story is all fact, some fact or based on fact but the question that is posed in this story, I believe, is certainly one that should be discussed more...

Book Review / Homecoming by Kate Morton

 

The highly anticipated new novel from the New York Times and #1 Globe and Mail bestselling author of The Clockmaker’s Daughter, a sweeping saga that begins with a shocking crime that echoes across continents and generations.

Adelaide Hills, Christmas Eve, 1959

At the end of a scorching hot day, beside a creek in the grounds of a grand country house, a local man makes a terrible discovery. Police are called, and the small town of Tambilla becomes embroiled in one of the most baffling murder investigations in the history of South Australia.

Many years later and thousands of miles away, Jess is a journalist in search of a story. Having lived and worked in London for nearly two decades, she now finds herself unemployed and struggling to make ends meet. A phone call summons her back to Sydney, where her beloved grandmother, Nora, who raised Jess when her mother could not, has suffered a fall and is seriously ill in hospital.

At Nora’s house, Jess discovers a true crime book chronicling a long-buried police case: the Turner Family Tragedy of 1959. It is only when Jess skims through its pages that she finds a shocking connection between her own family and this notorious event—a murder mystery that has never been satisfactorily resolved.

An epic story that spans generations, Homecoming asks what we would do for those we love, how we protect the lies we tell, and what it means to come home. Above all, it is an intricate and spellbinding novel from one of the finest writers working today.

Published:  4th April 2023  

Publisher:  Simon & Schuster

Goodreads : Click Here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

MY REVIEW

What I loved about this story...  I can't tell you how excited I get each and every time this author comes out with a new book.  I already adore the writing and adore the style of historical fiction.  This time around the story is split between 1959 and 'present day'.  In the past we follow the story of the discovering of a horrific murder scene and watch this unfold.  In the future we follow Jessica as she investigates what has gone on in the past.  This story just beautifully unfolded and weaved together.  I just could not put this down and at 537 pages, yes I did read this is on one entire reading filled day!

Would I recommend?  100%  If you are a fan of historical fiction fully of secrets and intrigue, this is a novel not to be missed.  In fact, you MUST pick up each and every book this author has released so far!

Book Review / Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

 

The million-copy bestselling Queen of Twists Alice Feeney returns with a gripping and deliciously dark thriller about marriage. . .
. . . and revenge.

Author Grady Green is having the worst best day of his life.

Grady calls his wife to share some exciting news as she is driving home. He hears Abby slam on the brakes, get out of the car, then nothing. When he eventually finds her car by the cliff edge the headlights are on, the driver door is open, her phone is still there. . . but his wife has disappeared.

A year later, Grady is still overcome with grief and desperate to know what happened to Abby. He can’t sleep, and he can’t write, so he travels to a tiny Scottish island to try to get his life back on track. Then he sees the impossible — a woman who looks exactly like his missing wife.

Wives think their husbands will change but they don’t.
Husbands think their wives won’t change but they do.

Published:  14th January 2025

Publisher:   MacMillan / FlatIron

Goodreads : Click Here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

MY REVIEW

What I loved about this story...  Oh this book was good, really good!  I'm a massive thriller reader and I've read a lot over my reading life, so a book has to be at a top tier level to be able to surprise me.  I've not read anything from this author yet so I decided to go into this blind and read this via audiobook (Audible).  Right from the beginning, I was intrigued.  I needed to know what happened to Abby but then Grady travels away from home to process his grief over his missing wife to concentrate on his writing but all is not as it seems.  There were quite a few occassions in this book where I thought the story was going in one direction, but ended up in completely the other direction.  Adored everything about this book, including the ending.  

Would I recommend?  Absolutely, but I would recommend going into this blind (unless you've already read this review - sorry... maybe give it a while so you forget about it first...) with no expectations.  

Book Review / What Does It Feel Like? by Sophie Kinsella

“What Does It Feel Like? is fiction, but it is my most autobiographical work to date. Eve’s story is my story.”—Sophie Kinsella

Eve is a successful novelist who wakes up one day in a hospital bed with no memory of how she got there. Her husband, never far from her side, explains that she has had an operation to remove the large, malignant tumor growing in her brain.

As Eve learns to walk, talk, and write again—and as she wrestles with her diagnosis, and how and when to explain it to her beloved children—she begins to recall what’s most important to her: long walks with her husband’s hand clasped firmly around her own, family game nights, and always buying that dress when she sees it.

Recounted in brief anecdotes, each one is an attempt to answer the type of impossible questions recognizable to anyone navigating the labyrinth of grief. This short, extraordinary novel is a celebration of life, shot through with warmth and humor—it will both break your heart and put it back together again.

“Why did I write such a personal book? I have always processed my life through writing. Hiding behind my fictional characters, I have always turned my own life into a narrative. It is my version of therapy, maybe. Writing is my happy place, and writing this book, although tough going at times, was immensely satisfying and therapeutic for me.”—Sophie Kinsella

Published:  8th October 2024

Publisher:  Dial Press

Goodreads : Click Here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

MY REVIEW

What I loved about this story...   This book was so much fun and heartbreaking, at the same time, to read.  I always hope that every book I pick up from this author has the same feeling to it, and it did.  This time this has a hint of seriousness to it with Eve struggling with her memory and the issues that she has to deal with, but along with that the fact that this book was more autobiographical than her other works.  

Would I recommend?  For fans of Sophie Kinsella, this is a must read.  For others who have not yet experienced this author's writing, this is a must read along with her other novels (although, personally and honestly, I wasn't a big fan of the Shopaholic series).  

Book Review / Framed by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey

 

In his first work of nonfiction since The Innocent Man, #1 bestselling author John Grisham and Centurion Ministries Founder Jim McCloskey share ten harrowing true stories of wrongful convictions. Impeccably researched and grippingly told, Framed offers an inside look at the injustice faced by the victims of the United States criminal justice system.

A fundamental principle of our legal system is a presumption of innocence, but once someone has been found guilty there is very little room to prove doubt. Framed shares ten true stories of men who were innocent but found guilty and forced to sacrifice friends, families, wives, and decades of their lives to prison while the guilty parties remained free. In each of the stories, John Grisham and Jim McCloskey recount the dramatic hard-fought battles for exoneration. They take a close look at what leads to wrongful convictions in the first place, and the racism, misconduct, flawed testimony, and the corrupt court system that can make them so hard to reverse.

Told with page-turning suspense as only John Grisham can deliver, Framed is the story of overcoming adversity when the battle already seems lost, and the deck is stacked against you.

Published:  15th October 2024 

Publisher:   Doubleday

Goodreads :  Click Here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

MY REVIEW

What I loved about this book ...    This book was such an eye opener for me.  Living in England, I don't tend to hear a lot about stories like this in the news despite the fact that it probably does happen here also.  There are some truly heartbreaking stories in this book that I just couldn't believe even though its true.  What made this book even more interesting was the fact that you had two different perspectives, both authors.  One from the side of an author who used to practice law and one from the founder of an organisation that is dedicated to the vindication of the wrongly convicted.   

Would I recommend?  Absolutely.  This is such an important read even for those who live outside of the US.  

Series Review / The Empyrean (Fourth Wing) Series (Books 1, 2 and 3) by Rebecca Yarros

 

Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders...

Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.

With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.

She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.

Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom's protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.

Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die

Published:  Book 1 (2nd May 2023), Book 2 (7th November 2023) and Book 3 (21st January 2025 

Publisher:  Red Tower Books / Platkus

Goodreads :  Click Here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Books 1, 2 and 3, The Empyrean

Source:  Bought

MY REVIEW

What I loved about this story so far ..  I adore this series so far!  It may be better to list here what I didn't like about this story because it wouldn't be a long list.  The writing was easy to read and follow.  The story was addicting, for me, right from the first page.  There are characters that I both like and dislike (sometimes both for the same character).  If I had to pick one thing that I liked the most about this series so far it would have to be the history of the world and certain characters.  I am not going to spoil it for those who either haven't started the series or have not read all of the books yet but there are certain characters where its obvious that there's a lot more history to be discovered.  That's not mentioning the world they are living in which I feel like there's so much more we don't know about yet.  I can't wait for the next book, but I fear I may be in for a bit of wait....

Would I recommend?  Absolutely!  Not too complicated and so much fun to read.  Book 3 read a lot slower than the first two books but feels to me to be more of a book in the series that is laying down the ground work for the next books.  

Book Review / The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins

 

What if the key to happiness, success, and love was as simple as two words?

If you've ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or frustrated with where you are, the problem isn't you. The problem is the power you give to other people. Two simple words—Let Them—will set you free. Free from the opinions, drama, and judgments of others. Free from the exhausting cycle of trying to manage everything and everyone around you. The Let Them Theory puts the power to create a life you love back in your hands—and this book will show you exactly how to do it.

In her latest groundbreaking book, The Let Them Theory, Mel Robbins—New York Times bestselling author and one of the world's most respected experts on motivation, confidence, and mindset—teaches you how to stop wasting energy on what you can't control and start focusing on what truly YOU. Your happiness. Your goals. Your life.

Using the same no-nonsense, science-backed approach that's made The Mel Robbins Podcast a global sensation, Robbins explains why The Let Them Theory is already loved by millions and how you can apply it in eight key areas of your life to make the biggest impact. Within a few pages, you'll realize how much energy and time you've been wasting trying to control the wrong things—at work, in relationships, and in pursuing your goals—and how this is keeping you from the happiness and success you deserve.

Written as an easy-to-understand guide, Robbins shares relatable stories from her own life, highlights key takeaways, relevant research and introduces you to world-renowned experts in psychology, neuroscience, relationships, happiness, and ancient wisdom who champion The Let Them Theory every step of the way.

Learn how

Stop wasting energy on things you can't control Stop comparing yourself to other peopleBreak free from fear and self-doubtRelease the grip of people's expectationsBuild the best friendships of your lifeCreate the love you deservePursue what truly matters to you with confidenceBuild resilience against everyday stressors and distractionsDefine your own path to success, joy, and fulfillment. . . and so much more.

The Let Them Theory will forever change the way you think about relationships, control, and personal power. Whether you want to advance your career, motivate others to change, take creative risks, find deeper connections, build better habits, start a new chapter, or simply create more happiness in your life and relationships, this book gives you the mindset and tools to unlock your full potential.

Published:  24th December 2024

Publisher:  Hay House 

Goodreads : Click to open

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

MY REVIEW

What I loved about this ...  Mel Robbins is a person who I have been introduced to fairly recently and discovering her ideas and work has been very interesting.    This book was a very useful reminder on how to deal with situations like this on a day to day basis.  

What I wasn't fond of with this ...  Although not necessarily a negative, but this is not a new theory and is one that I have come across before.

Would I recommend?  If this concept is new to you I would recommend giving it a go as a introduction to this concept.  

Book Review / The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

A world divided. A queendom without an heir. An ancient enemy awakens.

The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction – but assassins are getting closer to her door.

Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.

Across the dark sea, Tané has trained to be a dragonrider since she was a child, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel.

Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.

Published:  26th February 2019

Publisher:  Bloomsbury

Goodreads : Click Here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Book 1, The Roots of Chaos

Source:  Bought

MY REVIEW 

What I loved about this story...  Wow, what a story.  I already adore this author's writing so I was very excited to start reading this (despite this being on my TBR since it came out in 2019 - whoops!).  It was probably because it is a chunkier of a book at 845 pages long and the text is not very large.  Yes, this took me a while to read both because of its length and the fact that the story was very dense I needed to take my time reading this rather than trying to read it at a quick or even normal pace for me but I enjoyed every minute of reading it.  

Would I recommend?  Absolutely, for those who likes a very dense fantasy style story that you can get stuck into and you'll be a while in you should pick this up.  I will be planning to continue this series but I think I am going to wait until its completed and start back from the beginning again so that I can binge and spend a considerable amount of time in this world.  I can't wait!

Book Review / Burn the Negative by Josh Winning

 

In this incendiary mash-up of horror and suspense, a notorious slasher film is remade…and the curse that haunted it is reawakened.

Arriving in L.A. to visit the set of a new streaming horror series, journalist Laura Warren witnesses a man jumping from a bridge, landing right behind her car. Here we go, she thinks. It’s started. Because the series she’s reporting on is a remake of a ’90s horror flick. A cursed ’90s horror flick, which she starred in as a child—and has been running from her whole life.

In The Guesthouse, Laura played the little girl with the terrifying gift to tell people how the Needle Man would kill them. When eight of the cast and crew died in ways that eerily mirrored the movie’s on-screen deaths, the film became a cult classic—and ruined her life. Leaving it behind, Laura changed her name and her accent, dyed her hair, and moved across the Atlantic. But some scripts don’t want to stay buried.

Now, as the body count rises again, Laura finds herself on the run with her aspiring actress sister and a jaded psychic, hoping to end the curse once and for all—and to stay out of the Needle Man’s lethal reach.

Published:  11th July 2023  

Publisher:  Penguin

Goodreads : Click Here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

MY REVIEW

What I loved about this story...   This story was so much fun for me to read.  Following Laura as she visits LA, obviously with a past that we need to know more about, we see her tryign to investigate a new reboot of a 90s horror movie which she starred in as a child.  What I loved the most was finding out more and more about what happened in the last to Laura and why it matters in the present day story.  I found that the more fascinating part of this story...

What I didn't like about this story...  This story was a little predictable for me so I would have loved to have had some more twists and turns that took me by surprise.  

Would I recommend?  Absolutely.  This book was fun to read with a very interesting back story that kept me intrigued.  I also very much enjoyed this author's style of writing and shall definitely be picking up more books by this person in the future.  

Book Review / A Talent for Murder by Peter Swanson

 

A newlywed librarian begins to suspect the man she married might be a murderer—in this spectacularly twisty and deviously clever novel by Peter Swanson, New York Times bestselling author of The Kind Worth Killing and Eight Perfect Murders.

Martha Ratliff conceded long ago that she’d likely spend her life alone. She was fine with it, happy with her solo existence, stimulated by her job as an archival librarian, constantly surrounded by thought-provoking ideas and the books she loved. But then she met Alan, a charming and sweet-natured divorcee with a job that took him on the road for half the year. When he asked her to marry him, she said yes, even though he still felt a little bit like a stranger.

A year in and the marriage was good, except for that strange blood streak on the back of one of his shirts he’d worn to a conference in Denver. Her curiosity turning to suspicion, Martha investigates the cities Alan visited over the past year and uncovers a disturbing pattern—five unsolved cases of murdered women.

Is she married to a serial killer? Or could it merely be a coincidence? Unsure what to think, Martha contacts an old friend from graduate school for advice. Lily Kintner once helped Martha out of a jam with an abusive boyfriend and may have some insight. Intrigued, Lily offers to meet Alan to find out what kind of man he really is . . . but what Lily uncovers is more perplexing and wicked than they ever could have expected.

Published:  11th June 2024

Publisher:  Harper

Goodreads : Click Here - opens in new window

Series or Stand-Alone:  Book 3, Henry Kimball/Lily Kintner

Source:  Bought

MY REVIEW

 

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this novel, but I'll try!  Firstly, and more importantly, I have to mention that yes this is book 3 in a series but no you don't have to read the stories before it to read this one and make it make sense.  Yes, I would recommend reading the first two books as you would get a better experience all round, but you don't have to if you don't want to. 

This story took me down so many twists and turns I really wasn't sure where it was going to end up, and I really enjoyed the ride.  This story really tested me in my belief of how I feel about characters and whether my instincts are actually right.  

This is such a fun and unnerving thriller that kept me guessing until nearly the end!  Would highly recommend...

Book Review / The Sapphire Widow by Dinah Jefferies

 

A sweeping, breath-taking story of love and betrayal from the Number One Sunday Times bestselling author of The Tea Planter's Wife.

Ceylon, 1935. Louisa Reeve, the daughter of a successful British gem trader, and her husband Elliot, a charming, thrill-seeking businessman, seem like the couple who have it all. Except what they long for more than anything: a child.

While Louisa struggles with miscarriages, Elliot is increasingly absent, spending much of his time at a nearby cinnamon plantation, overlooking the Indian ocean. After his sudden death, Louisa is left alone to solve the mystery he left behind. Revisiting the plantation at Cinnamon Hills, she finds herself unexpectedly drawn towards the owner Leo, a rugged outdoors man with a chequered past. The plantation casts a spell, but all is not as it seems. And when Elliot's shocking betrayal is revealed, Louisa has only Leo to turn to...

Published:  22nd February 2018

Publisher:  Viking

Goodreads :  Click here - opens in new window

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

MY REVIEW

What I liked about this story...

I always look forward to reading a story by this author as I know the story is going to be beautiful.  The descriptions of the scenery alone just makes you feel like you are right there where the story takes place, like this one which is in Sri Lanka.  I can't say whether the descriptions are acurate because I've never visited but it felt real.  Along with that, I liked the mystery of Louisa's husband, Elliot.  Who was he and what secrets did he have?  

What I wasn't fond of with this story...

This was a very slow read for me but this may be my fault as I was interested in the story for the mystery of Louisa's husband and it just took a long while to get to the point.  I also found that the character of Louisa could have been portrayed better, for example I felt like she could have had more depth to her and given more strength than she had given that she has already travelled away from the home country that she knows and her family, to live with her husband in a new country.  I felt that she could have been a stronger character than I experienced when reading the story.   That said, I did enjoy the story for what it is but this would have been a 5 star read if written slightly differently, for me.  

Book Review / The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams

 

The first rule of book club: You don't talk about book club.

Nashville Legends second baseman Gavin Scott's marriage is in major league trouble. He’s recently discovered a humiliating secret: his wife Thea has always faked the Big O. When he loses his cool at the revelation, it’s the final straw on their already strained relationship. Thea asks for a divorce, and Gavin realizes he’s let his pride and fear get the better of him.

Welcome to the Bromance Book Club.

Distraught and desperate, Gavin finds help from an unlikely source: a secret romance book club made up of Nashville's top alpha men. With the help of their current read, a steamy Regency titled Courting the Countess, the guys coach Gavin on saving his marriage. But it'll take a lot more than flowery words and grand gestures for this hapless Romeo to find his inner hero and win back the trust of his wife.

Published:  5th November 2019

Publisher:  Berkley

Goodreads : Link here - opens in new window

Series or Stand-Alone:  Book 1, Bromance Book Club 

Source:  Bought

MY REVIEW

What I liked about this story...

Now this was a really fun story to read.  I had seen this about a lot back when it first came out in 2019 and had always meant to get around to it and never had until now.  I wanted to pick up something that looked fun (I was right!) but something that wasn't being hyped right now.  What I liked the most was the fact that the main character, and a lot of the supporting characters, were male.  I am sure that there are lots of stories like this but I have usually picked up stories like this where there's always a female as the main character.  Being a woman, I can't comment on whether it was an acurate portrayal of men and how they think but it seemed pretty real to me.  I liked the fact that it felt like there was a genuine men's friend group helping each other, or having fun.  

What I wasn't fond of with this story...

Honestly, there wasn't anything specific that I didn't like about this story but it was one of those books that I had fun with, but don't feel the 'pull' to pick up the other books in this series.  That's not to say that I didn't enjoy the writing and would pick up something else by this author but maybe not in this series.

Would I recommend this...

Yes, this was so much fun to read and is a great 'beach' read, or at any time of year you feel like it!