NEW RELEASE
From Paris with Love - Samantha Tonge (2014)
Gemma Goodwin is now a celebrity, thanks to the success of her appearance on Million Dollar Mansion, and her relationship with Lord Edward is still going strong, although she has yet to agree to marry him. Now they are off to Paris, where Gemma hopes to learn more about French cuisine, and Edward is embarking on a career as a journalist. Once there, Gemma is approached by mysterious Joe, and recruited to undertake a top-secret mission. The pressure of this, coupled with the charismatic Monique, soon leads to trouble in Gemma and Edward's relationship, and Gemma finds comfort in the arms of her new friend, Blade. Paris doesn't turn out to be as idyllic as Gemma had hoped. Having previously read Doubting Abbey and enjoyed it immensely, I was excited to read this sequel and delve back into Gemma's life. She is such an amazing character, really memorable and I loved going on this journey with her to Paris. There is something about Gemma, maybe the fact that she comes across as the underdog, that really makes you take her side and invest in her future. Even though the plot was quite far-fetched, this didn't make it any less entertaining. The descriptive passages were well written, so you can imagine yourself in the streets of Paris easily. There was also a good twist at the end. I did miss some of the characters from the prequel though, such as Lady C, who only makes the briefest of appearances in this book, and Abbey. (LO)
Gemma returns in From Paris With Love - the sequel to Samantha Tonge's Doubting Abbey. The summary says: "Every girl dreams of hearing those four magical words 'will you marry me?' But no one tells you what's supposed to happen next... Fun-loving Gemma Goodwin knows she should be revelling in her happy-ever-after. Except when her boyfriend Lord Edward popped the question, after a whirlwind romance, although she didn't say no ... she didn't exactly say yes either! A month-long cookery course in Paris could be just the place to make sure her heart and her head are on the same page. And however disenchanted with romance Gemma is feeling, the City of Love has plenty to keep her busy; the champagne is decadently quaffable, the croissants almost too delicious, and shopping is a national past-time! In fact, everything in Paris makes her want to say Je t'aime... Except Edward! But whilst Paris might offer plenty of distractions from wedding planning - including her new friends, mysterious Joe and hot French rockstar Blade - there's no reason she couldn't just try one or two couture dresses is there? Just for fun..."
Doubting Abbey - Samantha Tonge (2013)
Gemma Goodwin is an ordinary girl with a love of fake tan and false eyelashes. Without them however she looks remarkably like her roommate Abbey. Abbey's aristocratic family need her to be an integral part of their bid to win reality show Million Dollar Mansion, so the prize money can help restore their estate. But she and her boyfriend are going to Africa to do some charity work, so Gemma agrees to fill in for her, without anyone else knowing about it. Even with the etiquette classes and make-under, can Gemma really pull off being a lady and fool a whole nation into thinking she is Abbey Croxley? I really liked the characters in this book, they were well written and developed. Gemma particularly was relatable and loveable, and she grew immeasurably as the story progressed. The competition itself was excellent, very entertaining. Charlie Chingo was a believable host, and there was plenty of scandal and unexpected twists. I was hooked from the start by this impressive debut novel. (LO)
Doubting Abbey, the debut novel by Samantha Tonge, is about Gemma who swaps identities with a girl from an aristocratic family. The summary says: "Swapping downstairs for upstairs... How hard can it be!? Look up the phrase ordinary girl and you'll see a picture of me, Gemma Goodwin - I only look half-decent after applying the entire contents of my make-up bag, and my dating track-record includes a man who treated me to dinner ... at a kebab shop. No joke! The only extraordinary thing about me is that I look EXACTLY like my BFF, Abbey Croxley. Oh, and that for reasons I can't explain, I've agreed to swap identities and pretend be her to star in the TV show about her aristocratic family's country estate, Million Dollar Mansion. So now it's not just my tan I'm faking - it's Kate Middleton style demure hemlines and lady-like manners too. And amongst the hundreds of fusty etiquette rules I'm trying to cram into my head, there are two I really must remember; 1) No one can ever find out that I'm just Gemma, who'd be more at home in the servants quarters. And 2) There can be absolutely no flirting with Abbey's dishy but buttoned-up cousin, Lord Edward. Aaargh, this is going to be harder than I thought..."