TITLES K

Titles - A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T The The U V W X Y Z

Kate & Alf - Carrie Stone (2015)

Kate is hoping that her long-term live-in boyfriend, Alf, will propose to her on her 32nd birthday. Instead he presents her with a dog. Then his friend Marcus comes to stay and Kate can't help but feel attracted to him. With Alf's work situation up in the air and Kate wanting to respark her artistic interests, maybe the couple aren't meant to be together after all. This storyline dragged so much, by the second half I was skim-reading pages just to get to the end quicker. So much time was spent on the internal dialogue of each character - not just Kate and Alf - as they weighed up everything that happened according to everyone's past history and psychological motivations. Overall this great cover hides a dull, poorly crafted story.


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Kate's Escape From the Billable Hour - Petula Parker (2014)

After amassing an incredible number of billable hours, including plenty of pro bono work, young lawyer Kate is sure she's about to be rewarded with a massive annual bonus. After all she's put her personal life on hold - and deferred as many toilet breaks as she could - for the past year. Instead Kate gets a horrible performance review - and fobbed off with a tube of skin concealer. So she goes on a bit of a rampage around the office, quits her job and books a ticket to Barcelona to stalk the cute Spanish exchange student, Diego, who once stayed with her family. Equal parts hilarious and scary (with its tongue-in-cheek portrayal of the soul-sucking life of a lawyer), this is a delightful debut. Kate is an outstanding character who is forced to come to terms with her life not turning out the way she thought it would.


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Kate's Wedding - Chrissie Manby (2011)

Kate, 39, has just been proposed to by Ian. The couple want a very simple affair and plan to just tie the knot at the local registar's office. But as Kate announces her engagement, her mother Elaine informs the family that she has breast cancer. Kate's sister, Tess, decides Kate's wedding couldn't come at a better time to cheer up their mother who thought Kate would never get married. So Kate and Ian's simple wedding turns into a more lavish wedding - the sort of affair Kate never wanted. Diana is engaged to Ben and is the total bridezilla - she knows what she wants and she is going to get it! Diana was born on the historic day of Prince Charles and Diana's wedding in 1981 and was even named after the princess. Once she hears that their son, Prince William, and Kate are getting married in the same month as herself she feels that it is fate and that she needs to have the best wedding ever. Armed with her father's credit cards and her mother who is trying to give her the wedding she never had, it seems Diana's wedding may turn into an over-the-top affair that Ben never wanted. Which bride gets the man and the wedding of their dreams? Released to coincide with the royal nuptials, this hilarious story puts the spotlight on two totally different brides. At first it was hard to get into but it turned out great in the end. (CG)


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Kat Fight - Dina Silver (2012)

Kat Porter has a contented life, with a job in advertising, best friend Julie by her side and a long-term boyfriend in Marc. Everyone, including Kat, was sure that Marc was going to pop the question any day now but instead he calls off the relationship. A broken-hearted Kat is set on a blind date, which turns out to be a disaster. Then one day Kat bumps into Julie's current love interest, Ryan, and they start falling in love. Can she go behind her best friend's back like this? This is a quick read, packed with hilarious situations and cheeky dialogue. (SS)


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Katy Carter Wants a Hero - Ruth Saberton (2010)

High school teacher Katy dreams of being a bestselling novelist, working on her historical romance about a highwayman whenever she can. But her own romantic happily ever after comes to a grinding halt when she is forced to play host to her ambitious fiance James' colleagues. The resulting dinner party fiasco makes Bridget Jones' blue soup incident look quite tame. After James dumps her, Katy heads to stay with her friend, the vicar's wife, in Cornwall. There she bumps into a famous romantic hero, Gabriel Winters, who's in town to shoot a movie. When the dreamy actor makes Katy an offer she can hardly refuse, Katy's life becomes more dramatic than even her imagination could have dreamt up. Definitely one of 2010's funniest stories, with Katy Carter the sort of chick lit heroine we've all been waiting for.


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Keep Calm and Carry a Big Drink - Kim Gruenenfelder (2013)

It's been almost one year since Mel, Nic and Seema pulled their magical charms out of the cake at Nic's bridal shower and everyone except Mel is living their dream. Seema is about to marry Scott in an elaborate Indian wedding and Nic, the wife of an NBA coach, is pregnant. Mel is single and sick of her job as a math teacher. At Seema's bridal shower, Mel is anxious to pick the passport cake charm, but instead ends up with the money tree charm. She decides to take destiny into her own hands and still travel. A last-minute trip to Paris to visit Seema's sexy older brother and then a trip to Hawaii to visit an old friend, makes for an unexpected summer full of surprises. At the end of the novel, the charms are pulled out of another cake and Mel, Nic and Seema realise that cake charms are never wrong. This story - the follow-up to There's Cake in My Future - is a light read and although the main character was a bit whiny at times, it was enjoyable. (AO)


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Keeping Mum - Emma Hannigan (2012)

This book tells the story of three sets of mothers and daughters. Ava and her daughter Daisy have always shared the same values but Daisy realises that she wants to make big changes in her life much to her mother's dismay. Mia and her daughter Felicity have always had a great relationship, but when Felicity leaves home to go to university and meets an older man, their relationship is tested. Greta and her daughter Tally are total poles apart and have practically no relationship at all. The mothers are faced with challenges as their daughters begin to build their own lives and make decisions that their mothers don't always approve of. All six women meet by chance on a holiday to Spain, which provides them with the opportunity to salvage their relationships. This book is one of the best books I have read all year. It has all the ingredients of a perfect chick lit book. I laughed and I cried and couldn't wait to find out what happened next. (BS)


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Keeping Mum - Kate Lawson (2009)

Cass, who runs an antique shop, is about to head off to Cyprus with her choir when her friend Fiona asks her to spy on her boyfriend Andy. Very reluctant to get involved, Cass wonders if Fiona is right to be suspicious when she spots him at the markets with a younger girl. Meanwhile Cass is fending off the unwanted attentions of an architect with a man bag, and dealing with the early arrival of her houseguests, her overbearing mother and her toyboy boyfriend. Not that things are going to be any more peaceful in Cyprus . . .


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Keeper of the Light - Diane Chamberlain (2011)

This is the first book in the Kiss River trilogy. While Olivia is working in ER, a gunshot victim comes in who unfortunately Olivia cannot save. The victim is called Annie and she is the woman her husband, Paul, has been having an affair with. With Paul unable to get over losing Annie, he and Olivia separate. Throughout the novel, Olivia finds herself stepping into the shoes of the wonderful Annie who everybody loved, even to the point of befriending Annie's bereaved husband and daughter. Olivia sets out to get her own husband back but along the way finds secrets from the past that could tear lives apart. The thought-provoking book is extremely well written and the reader empathises with Olivia. There are twists and turns throughout and while the book is not immediately gripping, it becomes so the more you read. (SG)


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Keepsake - Kristina Riggle (2012)

Sisters Trish and Mary have both been affected by their mother's hoarding but in drastically different ways. Trish is raising two boys by herself since her husband left when the items in their house started closing in around them. Mary, on the other hand, keeps her house in meticulous order, so much so that she anything out of place causes her major anxiety. When Trish's younger son, Jack, injures himself in the house and Child Protective Services arrives to investigate, she realises she needs to do something about the situation before she loses her children. Reluctantly, she agrees to get help from Mary, their judgmental father and her ex-husband in an attempt to preserve her family. In the process of getting to the bottom of the piles of stuff, the sisters uncover startling information about their mother and finally begin to understand that there is always more to something that what we allow the world to see. While Keepsake is a fascinating look into the issue of hoarding, it is more an example of things on the surface being far from what they appear. Touching yet somewhat predictable in spots, the story takes a closer look at the relationships between family members and how we learn to cope with the tragedies of life until we are effectively ready to deal with them. (LEK)


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Kickstart my Heart - Lana Penrose (2009)

This picks up where To Hellas and Back finishes, with Lana heading to London after her four years in Greece leaves her with a broken marriage and her self-confidence at an all-time low. Through a friend she joins the entourage of a nice-guy Australian pop star (despite him not being mentioned by name, it's not hard to work out it's Darren Hayes). As a woman at the tail-end of her 30s who has to dive back into the dating pool, Lana finds herself embracing her inner rock chick/cougar during her dalliances with a range of unsuitable men. She also takes to stalking an author, passing her number on to Russell Brand and getting up close (well, close enough to touch his arm, anyway) with Guns N Roses' Slash. Will she ever rediscover that crazy little thing called love?


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Killer Cocktail: A Molly Forrester Novel - Sheryl J. Anderson (2005)

"Solving a murder is like falling in love, you get caught up in it, then boom it's over and you vow never to do it again, till next time." Molly Forrester, an advice columnist for Zeitgeist Magazine, needs time out. After solving the murder of her editor, she fell in love with a cop and thought her career as a serious journalist would take off but to her dismay none of that happened. Her friends, sensing her depressed state, invite her to the Hamptons for a flash engagement party with lots of wine, partying and guys. All is going well until the girls get a knock on the door from the groom-to-be, saying his fiancee has been found dead. Can Molly help save the day by clearing him and finding the true murderer? Look out for wine-fuelled arguments, bridal wars, expensive jewellery and a case of 'I'm the better daughter-in-law' syndrome. This second book in the Molly Forrester Mysteries series is a fun-filled and light-hearted mystery that will keep you guessing right up to the last chapter. (PP)


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Killer Heels - Rebecca Chance (2012)

Coco is determined to do anything to move up the ladder in glossy fashion magazines - even changing her name and becoming ultra-skinny. Her boss, Victoria, is the editor of UK Style but has her eye on an even bigger prize - to get her skyscraper heels under the editor's desk in New York. Mireille is the fashion director at the American magazine and isn't particularly keen on having to deal with Victoria again. And from the boardroom, charismatic media magnate Jacob pulls the strings. With all the magazine machinations, this will appeal to lovers of The Devil Wears Prada. In fact Victoria may well remind many of the cutting Miranda. But it is a much raunchier version - there's lots of sizzling sex, including some S&M for the Fifty Shades brigade and a risky lesbian affair with a model. And in true bonkbuster style, someone isn't willing to stop at anything - even murder - to get their way. This outrageous story will make you want to slap a few faces and send food parcels to Coco.


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Killer Queens - Rebecca Chance (2013)

We always wonder what goes on behind palace doors, but now we have the chance to be a fly on the wall and discover what really happens when the public are no longer watching... Chloe is counting down the days until she can marry Prince Hugo, making her a princess and one day a queen. Everything seems to be pretty perfect in their little world until Hugo's family begin to cause a whole manner of problems. First there is Hugo's snotty sister, Sophie, who doesn't think a commoner like Chloe should be marrying into the royal family, and then there is Hugo's devilishly handsome cousin, Toby, who catches Chloe's eye... Lori, a retired athlete, has just accepted King Joachim's hand in marriage. She will soon become the Queen of Herzoslovakia but she can't help but question the speed with which she was engaged and wonders if the whirlwind romance was really a "romance" after all. Lastly, Belinda, Hugo's mother who died tragically in a skiing accident when Hugo was a young boy, may be about to come back from the dead. Three women, each dizzy with royal attention, have to decide what they really want in life and whether the men they are in love with are really the right ones for them... Rebecca Chance doesn't disappoint with her latest novel; in fact this could well be her best yet. The plot is clever, addictive and relevant. Get lost in the world of royalty and be taken to all corners of the globe as you get a sneak peek into the secret world of Buckingham Palace! (LL)


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Killing Monica - Candace Bushnell (2015)

Pandy Wallis is the author of a best-selling book series, which has morphed into an even more successful film franchise. With the public head over heels in love with her main character Monica, Pandy has been enjoying the high life that Manhattan and her big advances offer. But now Pandy wants to write a serious historical novel based on her ancestor Lady Wallis but her publisher isn't keen. Meanwhile Pandy's going through a nasty divorce from her chef husband Jonny and has fallen out with SondraBeth Schnowzer, the actress who plays Monica. As Pandy wonders how she can get her life back on track, all roads seem to point to her killing off her famous creation. Although Candace Bushnell denies the link to Sex and the City and Sarah Jessica Parker, her own most famous creation looms large over this story. Despite being an enjoyable guilty pleasure read, the storyline does get rather convoluted and maybe would have worked better in a different order, with more emphasis given to certain aspects of the plot. It's a story about identity, all wrapped up with a feminist message - with the worst character name ever (Schnowzer, really?).


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Kindred Spirits - Sarah Strohmeyer (2011)

The Ladies' Society for the Conservation of Martinis was formed after a PTA meeting, in which four mothers found they had a lot more in common than originally thought. From that fateful day forward, the women meet once a month to discuss important issues (motherhood, husbands etc) and drink martinis. However, the group soon starts to dissolve as the demands of life take over each of the women's lives. Two years later, fate throws the group back together after tragic circumstances take away one of the members. As one of her last wishes, Lynne asks that the group reconvene to go through her personal items. As they do, the women discover a letter from Lynne that reveals a long-held secret and instructs the women to fulfill one of her final wishes. This is both a heartwarming and heartbreaking story, which shows the true power of friendships, even ones that have seemingly fallen apart, and of course, the power of a good martini. The women are wonderfully crafted characters - resilient, funny and most importantly real. They feel like old friends that you've known forever, which makes the book an easy and delightful read. (AS)


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Kiss Heaven Goodbye - Tasmina Perry (2010)

On a luxurious Caribbean island, four friends' lives will be changed forever. Miles is a wealthy man who has it all; Sasha is a beautiful girl looking for the right man to fulfil her dreams of wealth and class. Alex is a small-town guy who got a music scholarship to Danehurst, the university where the students met. And Grace is his sister. The four end up living different lives after one fateful night trying to forget what happened and move on. But the past always has a way of creeping back into the present. With lots of glamorous settings around the world, this is a great read of mystery and the love lives of these four people who are bound together by this secret whether they want it or not. (CG)


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Kissing Mr Wrong - Sarah Duncan (2010)

English illustrator Lu is looking for Mr Right but she doesn't want to have children. When she meets tall, dark and handsome engineer Marcus at an art event, he ticks all the boxes but unfortunately is about to move to Minneapolis. Then she meets Nick, who works for an armed forces charity, who is so Mr Wrong - he's got an ex-wife and two sons and lives a far more chaotic lifestyle than the ultra-organised Lu. As Nick helps her trace a World War I soldier for her grandmother, Lu finds herself falling for him - if only she didn't have to play the stepmother role. The war research story offers a different and interesting thread to the familiar tale of a woman's search for Mr Right.


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Kissing My Old Life Au Revoir - Eliza Watson (2013)

Samantha Hunter seems to have everything going for her: she has a fabulous job as an event planner (and a big well-deserved promotion coming her way), a handsome boyfriend, and a few days to spend in the amazing city of Paris, partly working, partly visiting her younger sister Libby. However, when Samantha is unexpectedly confronted with not getting the promotion she had been working hard for, plus finding out her boyfriend actually supported that decision, her Paris trip is suddenly turned upside down. Soon, Samantha is running around the city, not only to try to help her heavily pregnant sister who won't reveal who the father is but also making some important decisions about her own life in the process. The reader is immediately thrown into the story, and after a quick setting of the scene, we are taken along on Samantha's journey. I loved how strong and independent Samantha is; she's ambitious and with her fight for gender equality within the business world, a true example for female readers. However, she also shows her more emotional side, which comes to the surface in relation to her family, specifically her relationship with Libby. Of course, the setting of the novel, the city of Paris, also adds a charming, French touch to it all. Some elements in the novel slightly confused me, and I think at times certain parts of the plotline could have been left out without doing any damage to the main storyline. I also wasn't particularly taken in by the romance tale at the centre of the novel. I don't want to give too much away but I would have liked to be thrown off my feet by a male character, which didn't happen for me with this particular novel. However, overall, Kissing My Old Life Au Revoir is a fun, engaging, fast-paced read with a great heroine at its centre. (JoH)


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Knit the Season - Kate Jacobs (2009)

This third instalment of The Friday Night Knitting Club takes us back to Walker and Daughter for the holidays. College-age Dakota Walker is struggling to find her way in the world. Torn between her blossoming career as a pastry chef and the future of the Upper West Side knitting store started by her mother, Georgia, Dakota struggles with having the life she wants while still remaining true to her mother's dream. Hoping to land an internship in the kitchen of the "V" hotel during the holidays, Dakota is stunned when her father, James, tells her he's planned for the whole family to spend Christmas in Scotland with her great-grandmother. As much as she wants to be with family for the holidays, she doesn't want to miss the opportunity for the internship, which would give her great career experience. At the same time, her head is also spinning with the news that her father has a new girlfriend and Peri, the knitting store manager, may be leaving Walker and Daughter for a new career. Dakota realises what it means to be a grown-up and has to make choices that will shape her future. This is a delightfully warm tale of family ties, the strength of friendships, and making tough life choices, and will no doubt put you in the holiday spirit. (LEK)


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Knit Two - Kate Jacobs (2008)

Six years have passed since the Friday Night Knitting club mourned the loss of Georgia Walker. Peri is running the yarn store for Georgia's daughter, Dakota, to take over one day. Dakota is now a freshman in college still figuring out her relationship with her father, James. He gets a lot of input and help from the other members of the club on Dakota's behalf. Lucy, one of the members of the club, gets the opportunity to go to Italy for work. Will the club go with her? Will James trust Dakota's decisions? I liked the first book but absolutely loved this second book in the series. It was great being able to check in and see the characters grow. (JG)


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Knotted - Michelle Holman (2009)

'When Daneka Lawton was awakened at 6am by her radio clock and Lily Allen singing her song Smile, she was unaware that her personal nemesis had just stepped off a 747 at the Auckland airport.' Danny is an ER nurse in the North Shore with funky coloured hair and an attitude to match. After her sister's death from breast cancer six months ago, Danny is raising her niece Mia and nephew Matt on her tight budget, with no family to support her. Until, out of the blue, Danny starts to receive letters from Ross Fabello, the brother of the children's dad, who is wanting to get to know the children and introduce them to his family. Worried, that the Italian-American family will take the children away from her, she ignores his letters. Finally after a series of unfortunate events Ross ends up at the hospital where she works. For both parties, it's hate at first sight as neither wants to give up the children. Ross hires a PI to investigate Danny while she Googles him and finds out he is also the famous author RF O'Rourke. After a series of events and slanging matches including the famous apple-throwing incident at the supermarket, together they discover more about each other and in time themselves. Filled with an interesting cultural mix, this book includes New Zealanders Pakeha and Maori as well as Americans, Italians and the Irish. This is one of those books that once you start reading you won't be able to put it down. (PP)


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Knowing Me Knowing You - Mandy Baggot (2011)

When single mother Kate is forced to employ Joel, a male escort, to accompany her to a business dinner, they end up competing in a relationship contest, with a 100,000-pound prize. Kate is desperate to win and save face, despite the fact that she and Joel barely know each other. With her ex-husband back on the scene, and a two-year-old to raise alone, with Kate be able to juggle every aspect of her life and still learn enough about Joel to win the contest? I instantly liked the main character Kate, she was so relatable and easy to warm to. I couldn't help but think I'd like to be her friend, which is always a good thing as I genuinely cared about her throughout. Her evolving relationship with Joel was interesting and I absolutely loved the whole Knowing Me Knowing You contest! From the Love Dove to the stereotypically sparkly and upbeat host, it was all so well written and entertaining! Despite the fact that I had the Abba song stuck in my head the whole time while reading, this was a very funny and entertaining read. (LO)


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