​In The Soup is the second book of Wilton's that I've read in this series. The first of these, Save Our Shop, first introduced me to Wilton's rather quirky and very British sense of humour. For me it was very reminiscent of the humour I grew up with; the Frankie Howard's and Benny Hill's of this world. I found it fun, enjoyable and a real break from the more weighty subjects that I was generally reading. 
While I remember belly-laughing at some of the antics in the first book, I found this less so, in the second. That doesn't mean to say I didn't enjoy In The Soup, I very much did, but some of the slapstick and caricatures seemed a little more over-the-top than in the first book. 
The second book continues the efforts of our hero, William to have his first book published and to find a satisfactory end to his unrequited love for Sally. No matter what William tries to do, he always seems to create a situation that Sally can misread and accuse him of philandering. 
This is a great book to while away a rainy afternoon and release some of the tensions of our everyday life. I would definitely recommend In The Soup if you need some light-hearted reading and, if you are a fan of that typically self-deprecating British humour, I know you will love it. 
An enjoyable read and a solid four stars, from me, for In The Soup 

I note on Amazon that Wilton is also a children's author. You can check out his work here:  

Water Into Whine, I guess is a marked departure for Kelly, from his usual genres, which tends toward comedic slapdash, as evidenced by his Damsels' series, with a bit of horror and mysticism thrown in for good measure, in some of his other offerings. 

Kelly made it clear in his introduction that the motivation for writing Water into Whine, was a challenge from a couple of his friends to write something "smutty". Well, Mr. Kelly, you answered that challenge in "spades"! Water into Whine, if nothing else, is a definitely one enormous pile of smut. Unlike the Damsels' series where the smut is implied through the use of ribald and euphemistic jokes, the grubbiness is laid out for all to see (and read) in Water into Whine. The concentration on the erotica (although pleasant to read) didn't take away from the quirky story being told, however. 

We are introduced to the Reverend Redders who, along with his wife Miriam has a very interesting philosophy on life, especially as it applies to sin. In a nutshell, the good Reverend believes we are all sinners and we are all forgiven our sins by Jesus' death at Calvary. It is, therefore, our bounden duty, as Christians, to sin well and to sin often, something they are quick to do.      

This is a funny, quirky, little story, with a whole heap of sex scenes. Do nit read this book if you are of the prudish mold, however, it is a fun story. If I had a couple of riders to my review, they would be as follows: The sex scenes did at times tend to become repetitive, although kudos to the author for varying the ways and means of the participants to reach their climaxes. I do realize, as an author, how hard it is to write fresh and inspiring erotica. I think Kelly did a pretty good job of handling all of this "smut". The second thing that disappointed me a little was the focus on the Reverend's sexual impropriety, to the detriment of his financial improprieties, which I felt could have been explored a little more. 

The good thing is, it appears the Reverend Redders and his seductive wife Miriam have been reassigned to a remote Scottish Isle and reappear in the next installment of this tale from Kelly, titled Vicars and Tarts. 

A good, satisfying and slightly heated Sunday afternoon read. If you like a bit of slap and tickle, a bit of a quirky little story, then Water into Whine is a definite yes, but only if you are broad-minded. I give this effort fro, Michael H Kelly a very solid four-star rating. Thanks for the fun read.

You can check put more of Michael H Kelly's work here: http://amzn.to/24tVoSV  

​I was fortunate enough to be offered this book by Lucinda Clarke for Beta Reading, prior to final editing and production. Having read Clarke's work in the past and realising this was a totally new genre for her, I was keen and excited to do so. 

This dip into the world of Grown Up Fairy Tales is one that I enjoyed greatly. What I find, especially with legacy published authors is that they get caught up in a genre, or a character series, that quickly becomes their sole focus. What was successful before, must be successful again and they spend their time churning out turgid, formulaic and often, frankly, boring books, year after year. That is why the vibrant Indie Author community is so important. These authors have nothing to lose, so they are prepared to push the boundaries and try different things - things that interest them and excite them. The benefits are apparent for the readers as the variety on offer is so great and so extensive. This is exactly what Lucinda Clarke has done. The author of two exceptional adventure, fiction novels set in Africa, she has also written several memoirs detailing humorous and fascinating parts of her career to date. Now, she has switched genre and focus completely, bringing us; Unhappily Ever After, and we, as readers, are richer for that.    

Unhappily Ever After is exactly what it says; a fairy tale for grown-ups. Clarke uses humor and  sarcasm, combined with a weird and wonderful cast of characters to expose base human traits, political correctness and stereotypes for what they really are; a joke! I love reading stories that use characters from my childhood and you will find many of these characters in Unhappily Ever After. We are presented with a variety of princesses that we first met as youngsters, Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and others, but their characters now are barely recognizable. These are lazy, indolent and arrogant people who look down their noses at us mere common folk and dismiss the riff-raff as just being grateful for whatever crumbs they are lucky enough to receive from their tables. I found myself often thinking of the similarity of these characters to those of the Shrek movie franchise, so if you liked Shrek, you'll probably enjoy Unhappily Ever After. 

Unhappily Ever After may not set you "belly-laughing", but the humor is subtle and clever and a credit to the author's wonderful imagination. If you want a break from the everyday fare available out there, I would recommend you escape into the fantasy world of Lucinda Clarke's mind. This is a book for grown-ups though as it pulls no punches in its political incorrectness. It is fun and harmless entertainment, at its very best. This is a clear five-star book in my mind. 

Check out all that Lucinda Clarke has to offer here: http://amzn.to/26iblh1

​Badgers and Jam - An interesting title to an interesting and at times intriguing book. It's a little hard to be sure what Badgers and Jam was really intended to be. Is it a comedy, a whodunnit, or indeed an opportunity for the author to introduce us to the special nature and mind of someone afflicted with Down's Syndrome? I rather suspect the latter and as such it achieved the purpose. 

We are introduced to Marty Rockman, a moderately successful British comedian, who dies on stage, apparently of a heart attack. Death is not the end, however - on his journey to the hereafter, he is advised that in fact he has been murdered and he has twenty-four hours to find and extract some satisfaction from the murderer. 

Marty is not able to manifest himself back on earth, but he is allowed one earth guide to assist him in his quest to discover the murderer. Marty chooses his twelve-year-old son, with his former wife, Dom, who has Down's Syndrome. What follows is a funny, at times almost farcical, but also, often touching experience as Marty and his talented son seek to discover the true murderer. Along the way they collect a number of people, some of whom are a help, but a few who prove to be a hindrance. 

This was a very easy book to read and although at times the story required some considerable suspension of belief, I really enjoyed the look inside a Down's Syndrome person's mind. As someone who has worked with "intellectually disabled" people in the past, I, like I suspect, the author, had often felt there was much more going on inside those minds than we would give them credit for 

This was a sweet story from Nicci Rae and I did enjoy the read. I would have no hesitation in recommending this book for anyone who enjoys something a little different, with a touch of humour and no small degree of sarcasm. I solid four stars from me, for Badgers and Jam.

You can check out all of Nicci Rae's work here: http://amzn.to/23tNQTk      

I decided to read Ooh Matron mainly because of the positive buzz and vibe I had heard about it in various FB groups and on Twitter. I like memoirs, especially ones full of funny anecdotes and the wisdom that comes with age. 

I will say, right from the start, that Ooh Matron is a well written, well researched and generally very interesting book, but as a memoir to set me giggling in mirth, not so much. I guess my main gripe is the cover. The cover, tended to suggest a humorous content and the author did also make reference to the "Carry On" films, in the introduction. This led me to believe it would be chock full of hilarious goings-on in the medical profession. That certainly was not the case. Yes, there were a few anecdotes of student nursing shenanigans, but not what I felt the cover lead me to think  

What Ooh Matron is, is a thoughtful and thorough documentation of the training of a student nurse in the 1980's. For what it was, I enjoyed the book. I was impressed by the author's knowledge (still) of what she went through to achieve the coveted status of Qualified Nurse. I also liked her well researched and interesting bonus features about the history of psychiatric nursing. An interesting counterpoint in the book is the description, by the author's stepdaughter, a newly degree graduated Nurse, comparing the training of the 1980's with today. 

If you are thinking of buying this book for a hilarious romp through a student nurse's eyes, I would say don't, but if you like honest, well-written and well-researched memoirs, especially if you have a medical background, this is a lovely book to read. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed the read and am definitely encouraged to read more from Butfield and find out where her nursing career led her next. A good, solid four stars from me.

You can find more of Butfield's work here: http://amzn.to/1Uf8eCL​      

​Anti-Social Media is an interesting little tale that attempts to show us some of the failings of our internet and social media lifestyle. 

The book was relatively inoffensive and at times did raise a laugh or two. Perhaps I'm still social media naive but the basic premise seemed to be just a bit too far-fetched. That having been said it was an enjoyable read and one that I got some satisfaction from.

The basic plot revolves around an unknown screenwriter, Constance, accidentally following a major Hollywood actress, Jennifer, and then being accidentally followed back. What ensues could best be described as a comedy of errors as Constance is sucked into a world she knows little about and is even less prepared to handle.     

As a first-time author Heywood has probably taken on a difficult subject, but in general, it was well handled. The characters were almost caricatures of real people, but that may have been the author's intent to highlight the stupidity and falseness of social media. 

Despite my reservations, I would still say that this was a book that might well appeal to a wide range of people, especially those that live much of their lives out on the social media. I found it all a bit predictable and a little heavy on detail at times. A good read for a boring afternoon. Three stars from me. 

You can check out Anti-Social Media here: http://amzn.to/1PJfBRi      

​Save Our Shop S.O.S, is a funny, quirky little story about an English small village shop, that is in danger of being closed and the efforts of its supporters to keep it running. It is genuinely funny in places and actually reminded me somewhat of a Benny Hill episode with its manic pace at times. I could very well picture the late comedian playing the part of Uncle Albert in this story. 

It was an enjoyable read and a light break from some of the heavier reading I've been into lately. My only recommendation to the author would be to consider removing the introduction as it was far too explanatory of the plot. It wasn't needed as the plot unraveled very well during the telling of the story. 

If you like quirky, British humor, this would be an excellent Sunday afternoon read. I feel Michael Wilton has an interesting style and I look forward to the next work to spring from his pen. Judging from his Amazon page his work to date has been Children's Books, so it was interesting to see him handle an adult story like Save Our Shop. A simple, unpretentious, comedy of manners that earns Save Our Shop four stars.

You can check out Michael N Wilton's Books here: http://amzn.to/1Ja55zT  

Every once in a while you get to read something special and this is what John Sharpe: No. 1,348 by Riley J Froud is - something very special. 

To be honest, I had always intended to read this, but I guess the title was strange enough to make me move it down the to be read list, each time it came up. I finally dived into it and what a treat was in store for me. 

How to describe John Sharpe: No. 1,348? Possibly it was the Author herself who summed it up best in the story when she talked about Alice in Wonderland. I guess, for me it is Alice in Wonderland meets Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - for adults. 

As I was reading this, I couldn't help but think that this type of book is exactly why I love Indie Authors. They are fresh, interesting and full of wonderful ideas. This book is the epitome of the classic indie author. I couldn't imagine a legacy publisher going for this book and yet it would be well worth someone taking a chance on Froud. 

I loved the style this was written in, especially the little asides to the reader, sort of like a narrator shot to the camera, in a movie. I've seen this done before, but not as well as Froud does it in this book. 

The tale itself is a mishmash of fairy tales, but centers on the premise that there were two evolutionary paths of man, many eons ago. Eventually, one of these paths (the smarter ones) removed themselves from the "overworld" and created an "underworld" for them to live in. The humans left in overworld apparently are now devolving back to their ancestral roots (perhaps an astute observation by the author), whereas those in the Underworld continue to evolve. 

The story of the hunt for the real John Sharpe (the Underworld's Queen's son, who was banished to the Overworld, years earlier) is told in a fun, conversational style. I found it incredibly refreshing and enjoyable to read. There was the odd occasion when I felt the little explanatory asides were beginning to get patronizing, but I could easily forgive that as the read was so much fun. 

I would recommend this book to anyone who needs a bit of a laugh or cheering up. The humor is very British, which as a colonial, I got and loved. This is a fun, light, read and just what the doctor ordered. 

Five stars all the way for me. Well done Ms. Froud!