Cox by Kate Lace

"She'd thought Rollo was a sensational-looking man but then Dan appeared on the scene. And while Rollo was a blonde Adonis, Dan was Heathcliff on steroids:dark, brooding, intense, tall, hunky..."

This is Kate Lace's most recent novel and after reading the blurb of this novel I decided that it was a perfect book for me to read because I LOVED the London 2012 Olympics. I think that I watched nearly every hour of the TV coverage from rowing to judo to cycling and so the opportunity to read a book which is based on Olympic rowing really appealed to me.

The plot revolves around a rowing cox called Amy who meets two very different men at a rowing regatta - one is called Rollo and the other is called Dan. She is training to be a physiotherapist whilst coxing in her spare time and manages to land the perfect job as a temporary physio at the boat club where Dan and Rollo train. Rollo is the rich, gregarious blonde who sweeps women off their feet while Dan is quiet and intense but both have strong feelings towards Amy which causes problems with them working in such close proximity.

As can be expected with a contemporary novel revolving around sport, the Olympics feature quite heavily in the storyline with that being the ultimate goal for all of the rowers. Things get pretty heated on the journey there but the climax of the novel certainly has to be race day in London which was so exciting to read.

I really enjoyed this novel and I felt that Kate Lace perfectly matched the element of sport with that of romance to produce a captivating book. My favourite character was Dan who was somewhat of a modern-day Mr Darcy and had me wishing for a Dan of my own! Aside from my love of Dan, I would definitely  not hesitate in recommending this to a friend and would reassure everyone that no knowledge of rowing is needed to grasp the plot or get caught up in the tension - don't let the rowing aspect put you off!

If you have read this please let me know in the comments below what you thought of it and whether you are as in love with Dan as I am!

...x

The Perfect Hero by Victoria Connelly

"Kay smiled. She'd just bought a house - a six-bedroom hours and a business venture on the seafront in Lyme Regis."

This looked like the perfect summer holiday book encapsulating romance, Jane Austen and Lyme Regis and so I was really looking forward to reading it. 

The plot follows Kay Ashton who, after the death of her mother and friend, decides to use her inheritance in order to buy a B&B on the seafront in Lyme Regis. She has barely started renovations when the unexpected happens and a film crew moves in, desperately needing lodgings.

The film crew happens to be the cast of an adaptation of the Jane Austen novel, Persuasion. This happens to be one of Kay's favourite novels which excites her immensely but more importantly than that, her ultimate crush, Oli Wade Owen is playing the lead character and staying in her house! ****Kay bends over backwards to ensure that Oli notices her and thinks that things may finally be going her way when he invites her out for lunch; however, it is clear to everyone else that he really is not good enough for her.

The other main male character within the novel is Adam Craig, the screenwriter who is in love with Kay. He is thrilled at the prospect of dinner with Kay but things do not go as he had hoped though when she tries to matchmake him with one of the actresses. Adam does not give in and still harbours a hope that she will realise how unsuited she is to Oli (a man who has never read any Austen) and how perfect she would be with him instead.

Victoria Connelly - the author

Bizarrely, my favourite character within the whole novel was not a main character but a relation of Adam called Nana Craig. She is a lively old woman who loves colour which reflects her colourful personality and I think that it is this which made me warm to her so much. She obviously cares for her grandson but at the same time takes a no-nonsense approach when it comes to giving advice - honestly, I believe that everyone should have a Nana Craig in their lives!

Despite being a big fan of Nana Craig, I'm sorry to say that I didn't really enjoy this book, finding it dull, predictable and a little tedious. The plot was fairly clear from the start and seemed very cliché and even the mentions of the gorgeous Lyme Regis coastline and Jane Austen could not salvage the lack-lustre plot and character development. As a result of this, I think that it is pretty clear to see that I would not recommend this to a friend unless they were a particular fan of this type of cliché romance.

Let me know in the comments below what you thought of this book and whether it is just me that found it such a chore to read!

...x