Kate ForsterReseñas

FROM AUDIBLE: It's nearly Christmas, Julia Devine's favourite time of the year. She's just programmed a wonderful lead into the holidays at Sunny Street Cinema, which leaves her plenty of time to worry about going home to Cumbria for Christmas. Her mum and stepdad are fine, but the thought of spending another holiday with her awful stepsister Becca is enough to make a Scrooge out of anyone.

When Becca calls to let her know about the dreamy pilot she's bringing to Christmas lunch, Julia finally snaps and does something very silly. She tells Becca she's dating heartthrob movie star Hugo Turner.

Of course, Julia isn't dating Hugo Turner - she isn't dating anyone - but Becca will never let her live it down if she discovers Julia's lie. Enter Sam Hunter, ordinary guy on the street with a startling resemblance to a movie star. Without any holiday plans of his own, he's the perfect stand-in for the real Hugo. Sam has his own reasons for agreeing to be Julia's sham movie-star boyfriend. It's just for one weekend, right? But will this Christmas charade flourish into real Christmas magic?

Amanda feels as if her life in New York is falling apart. Her mom has died, she has lost her job and also been evicted from her apartment. Then she receives the news that she is the recipient of a manor house in England, the garden of which she is tasked to restore! Upon arrival, Amanda meets Diana, the former owner of the manor, and finds a new romance interest in Simon the gardener, whose life has also taken a downturn. This story tells of Amanda's adventures and adjustment to her new life in England.

The storyline alternates between present day and Diana's past in the 1960's. However, this does not disrupt the flow of the story. This is just a nice friendly read for a beautiful summer's day.

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.½

Amanda is practically destitute. Her mother has recently died from brain cancer, her boyfriend is non-committal, she has just lost her job and to top it all off she has been evicted from her tiny New York apartment. Out of the blue, she receives notice that her mother has won a competition, and the prize goes to her. Amanda has won a house in a small village near Newcastle in her mother's home country (England). Amanda travels to her new home, Moongate Manor, and takes on the massive task of restoring the estate's gardens. But it's not just a house and garden, her new adventures result in her meeting a potential romantic partner. Simon the heartbroken gardening assistant, Diana, the former owner of the estate and plenty of friendly locals. This is a delightful, feel-good story. Great holiday reading.½

Thank you so much to the publishers and netgalley for allowing me to review this book xx

I think the cover is lovely and, I adored the storyline. The flitting back and forth, the intrigue, the characters, it was a page turner I could not put down until I had got to the end ( thank heavens for insomnia!!)

This book was a true delight from London, Paris, Nice and Switzerland. I cannot recommend this book enough when it is published, it really was a joy to read.

I rate this book 5/5

This book connects readers with literary assistant Eve Pilkins as she works at the gothic-inspired mansion of Edward Priest, famous author to assist him in finishing his latest book. Eve feels as if she is in a gothic novel herself, including huge echoing rooms, strange sounds at night, a mysterious housekeeper, and a sad little girl, not to mention the handsome, brooding author. There is plenty of drama to keep readers immersed in this novel about Eve's adventures coaxing Edward Priest to finish his next novel, as well as her developing relationships with his children and the author himself.

I received this book from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Eve and her close-knit family love celebrating the birthday ( Eve and her twin brothers are all born on Christmas Eve) Christmas season with gusto. When her abusive boss insists that she spends her Christmas cajoling the publishing houses's biggest author into completing his latest book, she is a little more than non-plussed. Eve sets of to Cranberry Cross where she meets the impossible Ed Priest and his blended family and all of their quirks and relationship dramas. Eve works to set things straight, get the book submitted and celebrate Christmas in style while developing feelings for her dashing author. "Christmas Eve at Cranberry Cross" is a charming story full of Christmas cheer. A lovely read for the holidays.

Christa Playfoot has spent most of her life caring for others, playing nice, allowing her ex-husband to dictate the rules and take credit for her cooking and achievements. Now she is on her own and starting from scratch. Her first assignment is a personal chef over the Christmas holidays for a single dad at Pudding Hall.

"Christmas Wishes at Pudding Hall" by Kate Forster is the perfect mix of romance, adventure recipes, Christmas cheer and generosity of spirit. It makes for a delightful and fulfilling holiday read.

Tressa, a small-time artist, has set up a simple life for herself in the small town of Port Lowdy. She wants nothing more than to paint without pressure, take photos for the local newspaper and avoid her overbearing mother. She is certainly not looking for love. At least, not until Dan, the angriest man in Ireland comes to work at the paper.

"Finding Love at Mermaid Terrace" is a lovely and light story about the lives and loves of the long term residents and curious newcomers in a small seaside town. The characters are endearing (even the mother in her own way) and the story is charming and simple. It is an uncomplicated delight to read.

Daphne le Marche, matriach of an international cosmetics concern, is dying and needs to finalise her will. Much to the dismay of her greedy son, she leaves her business, assets, the bulk of her fortune, and most importantly, a secret formula, to her granddaughters. This creates a family row like no other.

This is a wonderful, fun and easy to read venture with elements of fashion, romance, mystery and family drama. The story switches between Daphne's past, and the present lives of the grandchildren Billie and Celeste. It's a wonderful light read, and a good edition to my holiday collection.

This book turned out to be very inspirational for me and I enjoyed it after I got through the beginning. I found the beginning a bit boring and all those different points of view made book really confusing at first but after the story really started, it got better and in the end I couldn't put it down until the very last word.
The story was lovely, and the events in the book restored my faith in girl power. Daphne's story was very sad but at the same time very inspirational and I'm very, vey happy with the ending.
All the characters added to the books quality because they were very deep and complex characters and I like how they have they own stories within the main story.
All in all, this was a very lovely book and I loved reading it.

*I received the ARC from the publisher via NetGalley

"Starting over at Acorn Cottage" by Kate Forster has a little bit of everything; drama, despair, baking, renovations, love and a touch a magic.

Clara's life is a mess. On discovering that her partner has been having an affair with her best friend, she throws caution to the wind, buys a rural property sight unseen, and chucks in her job in to start a life at Acorn Cottage. After a few minor setbacks, Clara forges new friendships with local baker Rachael, retired teacher Tassie, and the handsome handyman, Henry.

The characters are wonderful, flawed, believable and relatable. The plot flows smoothly, making it a hard book to put down. This is more than a simple romance novel, through the tales of three women and their interconnecting lives, it examines coming to terms with past mistakes and wrongs, managing emotions and rebuilding lives.

In the current world climate, it is wonderful to read such an uplifting and enjoyable piece, "Starting over at Acorn Cottage" is a light, engaging and delightful piece of escapism.

The young and gifted de Santoval triplets have been brought up in a world of fashion, money and privilege. Over the years the three have drifted apart, with Carlotta immersing herself in the horsey set, Grace in the art and auction house business, and Violetta in the party girl, reality TV life style. When their father Leon, does the bunk with his long term mistress, and their mother Birdie is found unconscious and in a coma, the three sisters are reunited. Unaccustomed to adversity, the sisters must work together to rebuild their family business, and deal with family issues, support their ill mother, and maybe find love on the way.The characters are a little annoying in parts, somewhat believable in others, with a few relatable traits in each.With loads of sex, fashion, art and fun, "The Sisters" by Kate Forster is a wonderfully light read, suitable for days by the pool, weekend reading, and an escape from daily routine. Good fun.

I love Christmas stories, and this Novella is a gem. A family must pull together emotionally after the loss of a baby boy, in order to rekindle their love for each other & the Christmas season.

When her husband makes holiday plans without her, movie star Maggie grabs her manager Zoe heads to London for some matchmaking and reflection on her own marriage. Recommended. NetGalley.com provided a galley copy for review. (172)½

I don’t care what anyone says about covers – they attract me! But in very shallow ways – my first thought of the cover of Close Up was, ‘which lipstick is that?’ (I really need a coral red colour like that) and was shortly followed by, ‘I want those sunglasses’. Inside the covers though is a book where the majority of the characters have all the tangible things they could possibly want. Naturally, it’s the things that money can’t buy that they want – love, family and success. The road to obtaining that is one hell of a ride!

Let me backtrack for a moment. Kate Forster is an Australian author, but this book is firmly centred in Hollywood. It’s the kind of juicy Hollywood story that I love to devour over the course of a weekend – spurned lovers, fierce friendships, a race for an acting role, fights that make you squirm in your seat and that all-elusive happiness. Close Up has it all - watch out Jackie Collins!

The book is centred around three women - Maggie Hall is an incredibly successful actress who age is just starting to catch up with. A genuinely nice person; a gift of a pair of designer heels to a washroom attendant sends her and friend Zoe on a crazy ride of drama and coincidences. Zoe is Maggie’s best friend and agent, but has a desire to produce the book that all Hollywood is talking about – The Art of Love. After securing the film rights and hiding drunken writer Hugh in L.A., she’s out to make a deal studio bigwig Jeff. Can she get past Jeff’s blustery façade and demands for actors?

Dylan’s trying to make ends meet as a washroom attendant, valet parking person…anything that allows her to stay in L.A. while she hunts for her birth mother. After meeting Maggie Hall, a job working for her ex-stepson post heart transplant sounds easy. But she didn’t think she would fall for Elliott – or that Aussie heartthrob Will would be such an idiot…

Meanwhile Maggie is trying to get the role of Simone in The Art of Love. But is her growing friendship with the author true, or just very, very good acting? Add in some flashbacks to two young girls abused and alone and this makes for a plot at breakneck speed! I loved the plot of Close Up – sure, you may have already guessed the answer to how the main characters fit together, but the ride is damn good. Forster has a talent for writing arguments that I was embarrassed to witness because the emotion came through so strongly. But there are some beautiful moments too where everything comes together just perfectly. Some of the coincidences in the book are probably too out there to be true, but if they can’t happen in fiction, where else can we dream?

The supporting characters are wonderful and really lift the book from Hollywood romp to wonderful book. Elliott, Maggie’s ex-stepson (and son of Will) is a shy character who has been through a lot – a heart transplant and a crazy-angry father have him wanting to stay in his room for eternity. It’s wonderful to see him blossom with Maggie’s support, followed by Dylan’s friendship and love. Will (who I really hope is not based on any Aussie star) is just unlikeable – he doesn’t seem to care for much beyond a starlet and throws his weight around, expecting all to bow in submission. It’s nice to see a little payback occur! Jeff, studio head with a triad of divorces, is beautifully gruff and has some of the best insults-come-compliments in the book. His presence lit up the page.

I loved this book – a perfect weekend read (but make sure you don’t have much else to do, because you won’t stop reading)!

Thank you to Penguin Australia and The Reading Room for the copy of this book.

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Kate Forster’s latest novel is an entertaining story about ambition, desire, friendship and love set in LA’s Tinseltown, featuring three women looking to make their dreams come true.

The screenplay of ‘The Art of Love’ is Hollywood’s latest ‘it’ project, one that talent manager Zoe Greene is intent on using to take her career to the next level. Actress Maggie Hall would do anything for the starring role, determined to deny that after twenty years as America’s sweetheart, she is at least a decade too old for the part. Dylan Mercer came to Hollywood searching for her birth mother, not a film career, but who can resist the lure of fame and fortune?

I was expecting a shallow Hollywood novel, dripping in glamour and celebrity name-dropping, so I was pleasantly surprised to discover Close Up offers a warm and engaging story. Moving between the present and the past it reveals how the lives of Zoe, Maggie and Dylan intertwine as they each reach a crossroads in their life, and discover that success is not all their hearts desire. Romance is a feature of the plot for all three women, troubled briefly by miscommunication and personal issues.

Close Up proved to be an enjoyable, well written escapist read and since this is Hollywood, you can expect a fairytale ending for all.½

Willow Curruthers, an Oscar winning actress, had it all - wealth, fame, a rock god in her bed and three adorable children - until the tabloids publicly outed her cheating husband and she discovered the money was all gone. Homeless, jobless and penniless, she accepts the generous offer from her children's nanny, Kitty, to relocate with her to Middlemist, Kitty's ancestral home. The aging country mansion, the ownership of which Kitty shares with her brother, has been empty for years but quickly becomes home to Kitty, Willow and her children, Merrit, upon his surprise return to England, and a film crew, when Willow precipitously lands a film role for a period drama. As Middlemist is slowly restored to her former grandeur, Willow begins to find her feet but will she find herself seduced by the lure of fame and fortune once again?

My lack of sympathy for Willow almost saw me give up on Seduction after the first chapter. Having relinquished the care of her children to the nanny, Willow comes across as self absorbed and shallow, less interested in her family's well being than preserving appearances. Finding herself destitute, (well, except for a few thousand pounds left on her ex's credit card) shakes Willow to the core and as she begins to piece together a new life, one that includes Merrit Middlemist, that I slowly warmed to her, despite her eventual relapse into diva-dom.

It is Kitty, the unassuming nanny of Lucian, Poppy and Jinty Curruthers, who I thought to be the best character in Seduction. Eager to please and generous, Kitty who opens her home and heart to Willow and her children. Though practical and capable, Kitty lacks self confidence but soon begins to blossom with the attention of Ivo, a young, handsome actor in the movie filming at Middlemist. But Kitty's fragile poise is shattered when her deepest secret is revealed and she flees Middlemist, finding shelter with the eccentric film director, Harry.

I found the plot of Seduction to be fairly predictable though I thought there were some interesting elements, particularly in regards to the ongoing debate about Lucien's 'quirks'. I also liked they way in which Forster weaved the history of Middlemist Manor into the story.
The pace is fine though I thought the backstory for the characters in the first few chapters was revealed rather clumsily and the dialogue is sometimes a little stiff.

I enjoyed Seduction as a light and easy read for a lazy summer afternoon. Kate Forster is also the author of The Perfect Location which also combines an Australian actress with Hollywood glamour in an exotic locale.

A fun read with some unusual situations.

Lily is back from Australia for the first time in seven years to spend Christmas at her mum’s house in a small, gossipy English village. To her surprise, she returns to find that her mother is dating the man next door, who also happens to be the father of her ex-boyfriend Tom. Tom, who broke Lily’s heart all those years ago. Tom, the real reason Lily fled to the other side of the world and stayed there. Tom, who is also home for Christmas and right there, next door.

In what is shaping up to be the worst Christmas ever, somehow Lily and Tom have to try to get along and play happy families, but living with the man who she is clearly not over is proving to be difficult, and tensions are high. Add in some drunken caroling, a reindeer bite, a potent Christmas pudding and some meddling parents and Lily’s trip home will turn her entire life upside down.

Recommended by Linda 3 July 2015