Missing You Already by Pauline McLynn

This was a really enjoyable read, although it was sad at times. I felt connected to the main character, Kitty, and sympathised with her situation with her mother's Alzheimer's, which was very well written. The love interest, Simon, was another nice character, who suited Kitty well. The story with Dan and Donna was a strange one, but did have it's place. And I enjoyed reading Kitty's acceptance of the situation and her recovery from it. The only real issue I had with the book was that one minute the sections written from Kitty's perspective were written in first person and in third person another. I would have preferred the consistency of one or the other. The book contained various serious issues and interesting topics, which made it an enjoyable read. I give this book 8/10.

Be My Valentine by Debbie Macomber

This book contained two lovely stories which I really enjoyed reading. Both were quite humorous and the heroines managed to get themselves into some awkward dilemmas! I liked both of the main characters, although they did both irritate me at times when they were irrational and didn't realise how stupid they were being. However, the stories were really nice to read, and I devoured this book pretty quickly because I didn't want to put it down. A lovely read to get you in the mood for Valentine's Day! I give this book 9/10.

A Sea Change by Veronica Henry

This short story was really enjoyable to read. Jenna's struggles and Craig's unhappiness with his job are well represented in a short space of writing and their characters are quickly developed. Everdene sounds like a lovely place - it made me want to visit! And the ice creams described at the beginning of the story made me visualise being there. I was a bit shocked by some of Jenna's actions, but she turned out to be a good person overall, and so I still liked her as a character. I give this book 8/10.

Finding Mr. Flood by Ciara Geraghty

I really enjoyed this book. The storyline of the absence of Mr. Flood is an intriguing one, especially as revelations appear throughout the book. Stanley Flinter was a different kind of romantic hero - he was short, not outrageously good looking and not the strongest person - but this made him all the more loveable. His background story was an added dimension to the book which was really interesting to read about. However, Angel was a bit too annoyingly perfect, Mrs. Flood was a bit hard to like because of her negativity towards Dara, Tintin was a bit too outrageous and Anya irritated me with her accent. But although the minor characters weren't as engaging as I would have liked, the main characters of Dara and Stanley more than made up for it. Their relationship, which built throughout the book, was lovely to read. Overall, this was a book that kept me wanting to read on. I give it 9/10.

Between a Mother and Her Child by Elizabeth Noble

This was a really lovely story, a heart lifting one which shows the journey of grief. It is tinged with some really sad, heartbreaking moments and lots of wonderful characters. As I got to know the characters, I learnt to love them more. Kate was my absolute favourite character. At the start, she had a couple of small chapters that seemed randomly placed and a little confusing. But once she became part of the main story, it all began to make sense. The relationship between the two sisters - Maggie and Liv - was lovely to read, especially as Liv began to live her own life more as Kate appeared. The book seemed a bit lengthy, and as I was about three quarters of the way through I thought it could all be wrapped up, but the rest of the story made it even better. I give this book 10/10.

The Patchwork Marriage by Jane Green

I enjoyed reading this book. Even though the storyline isn't an original one, it was still interesting to read. I liked the main character, Andi, and seeing the story from her side. Emily, the teenage daughter, was suitably horrible. However, I didn't like the chapters written from her perspective. It seems that reading her chapters are supposed to make the reader sympathise with her and gradually start to like her. However, I never grew to like her and she just irritated me the whole way through. I would have preferred it if the whole book was written from Andi's perspective. I didn't like how the story changed from third person to first person, and the tenses seemed a little mixed up, sometimes being obviously in present tense, other times it not being so clear. Overall, the story was good to read and I did enjoy it. I give this book 7/10.

Love and Dr. Devon by Alan Titchmarsh

This was a good read, but not my favourite book by Alan Titchmarsh. There were three main male characters, but I only really liked Christopher. Christopher's story of being left by his wife, and finding happiness within himself was lovely, especially as he started to fall for Maria. Gary and Tiger both irritated me - Tiger because he seemed so easily taken by the young co-pilot and Gary because he seemed a little slimy. However, the storyline with Mr. Tan and the mystery of Dr. Cummings and how they all tied in together was interesting to read. But I did enjoy reading it on the whole. I give this book 7/10.