Review: Faker by Sarah Smith

Debut author Sarah Smith nails this fun and sexy rom-com where two office foes hammer out their differences to build a love that will last....

FAKER by SARAH SMITH

Publication date: October 8, 2019

Published by: Berkley

Series: Standalone

Genre: contemporary romance

 

Synopsis

Emmie Echavarre is a professional faker. She has to be to survive as one of the few female employees at Nuts & Bolts, a power tool company staffed predominantly by gruff, burly men. From nine to five, Monday through Friday, she's tough as nails--the complete opposite of her easy-going real self.

One thing she doesn't have to fake? Her disdain for coworker Tate Rasmussen. Tate has been hostile to her since the day they met. Emmie's friendly greetings and repeated attempts to get to know him failed to garner anything more than scowls and terse one-word answers. Too bad she can't stop staring at his Thor-like biceps...

When Emmie and Tate are forced to work together on a charity construction project, things get...heated. Emmie's beginning to see that beneath Tate's chiseled exterior lies a soft heart, but it will take more than a few kind words to erase the past and convince her that what they have is real.

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About the Author:

Sarah Smith is a copywriter-turned-author who wants to make the world a lovelier place, one kissing story at a time. Her love of romance began when she was eight and she discovered her auntie's stash of romance novels. She's been hooked ever since. When she's not writing, you can find her hiking, eating chocolate, and perfecting her lumpia recipe. She lives in Bend, Oregon, with her husband and adorable cat Salem. Faker is her debut novel.

You can find her on:

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REVIEW

Faker by Sarah Smith
My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I hate that this book was just okay for me, but unfortunately that's the case with Sarah Smith's debut novel. My first impression was pretty good and I thought this had some real potential. The enemy banter in the workplace with Emmie and Tate was entertaining me and easy to engage with. Emmie is a copywriter at a power tool company named Nuts & Bolts and is in charge of creating product descriptions for the tools. The author herself once worked in a similar position and borrowed from her experience in this male dominated environment. Sexism and sexual harassment are common for the heroine which she combats with a tough, no-nonsense attitude. It's all about showing who's the alpha in the room, and she believes this is simply a disguise that she dons like a sheep in wolf's clothing. Hence, the title Faker.

Even though I was enjoying it, the first niggle I had was the repetitive descriptors of the hero's skin color which I found to be really strange. We are constantly reminded that he is pale, milky, or white to the point where you start to wonder why in the world it was necessary. I don't need to be told almost thirty times how glowingly white he is.

Tate is very rude and abrasive in the beginning of the book. Strangely, that was the most enjoyable part of the story because once they got over hating each other I got bored really fast. The pacing could have used some work. A huge chunk of the story was the two of them "taking things slowly" while making heart eyes and acting like lovesick teenagers. Her internal dialogue had an immature quality to it that became a little cheesy for me. This is coming from someone who regularly reads and loves YA romance.

    Every minute spent with Tate makes me want a hundred more. Every time he says something sweet, I want to hear it over and over. I’ve never been this level of smitten in any prior relationship.

It felt like I was just watching them do routine things day after day while internally swooning and making out occasionally. There was nothing to push the plot forward and create the necessary conflict between them. Tate being an introvert and bad at relationships because of it wasn't accomplishing much. On the other hand, what did cause some drama was his persistent jealousy and uncalled for rudeness towards an acquaintance of his. Jamie seemed like a good guy who did nothing more than ask Emmie out on a date and flirt with her. It was so immature and over the top how Tate behaved towards him, and at some points his behavior got so cringy I had to skim past things.

Another thing I wasn't the biggest fan of was the sexy times in the book. The author used the most unappealing ways to describe things and I couldn't take the scenes seriously. Again, there was a lot of repetition used. Like the heroine's obsession with Tate's "clean mouth" and how it had a complete lack of flavor. Or the over-usage of "between her legs." But with words being thrown around like squealing, yelping, and slurping...instead of feeling any sexual tension between the two of them I was rolling my eyes or fighting the urge to laugh.

The plot could have used more focus on Emmie's work issue with Brett, and her belief that she's putting on an act rather than being another version of her genuine self. So much time was spent on their saccharine exchanges that I never felt it scraped very deep below the surface in any regard. Maybe it's just a case of not connecting to this author. You're not going to click with everyone, and that's okay. But to be honest, if I were to pick a book out of a lineup that I thought was a debut work, I would zero in on this one immediately. Unfortunately this was in the majority a big miss for me, but don't just take my word for it. You may find that your own subjective reading experience is altogether different from mine.

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Review: 25 Days 'Til Christmas by Poppy Alexander

In this heartwarming, feel-good holiday novel, one woman needs to find a little inspiration in the 25 days leading up to Christmas to help her remember the magic of the season and the magic of falling in love—perfect for fans of Jenny Colgan and Josie Silver.

25 DAYS 'TIL CHRISTMAS by POPPY ALEXANDER

Publication date: October 8, 2019

Published by: William Morrow

Series: Standalone

Genre: romance

 

Synopsis

Kate Potter used to love Christmas. A few years ago, she would have been wrapping her presents in September and baking mince pies on Halloween, counting down the days and hours to Christmas. But that was before Kate’s husband left for the army and never came home. Now she can hardly stand December at all.

Kate can’t deny she’s lonely, yet she doesn’t think she’s ready for romance. She knows that her son, Jack, needs a Christmas to remember—just like Kate needs a miracle to help her finally move forward with her life. So she’s decided if there isn’t a miracle on its way, she’ll just have to make her own.

As Kate’s advent countdown to the best Christmas ever begins, she soon realizes that even with the best laid plans, you can’t plan for the unexpected. For when the path of the loneliest woman in town crosses with that of the loneliest man, these two destined hearts might find a way to save the holiday for both of them.

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About the Author:

Poppy Alexander wrote her first book when she was five. There was a long gap in her writing career while she was at school, and after studying classical music at university, she decided the world of music was better off without her and took up public relations, campaigning, political lobbying, and a bit of journalism instead. She takes an anthropological interest in family, friends, and life in her West Sussex village (think The Archers crossed with Twin Peaks), where she lives with her husband, children, and various other pets.

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REVIEW

25 Days 'Til Christmas by Poppy Alexander
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars


I'm not a big holiday novel reader, and I can't pinpoint what exactly tempted me to pick this one up, but I'm very glad I did. In comparison to the other Christmas themed books I've tried this one really stands out and has a completely different feel from the norm. Whereas most lean more towards fluffy and perhaps even a little cheesy, 25 Days 'Till Christmas was much more serious in tone. It focuses on two people in the aftermath of losing a loved one who are struggling to return back to normalcy and find joy in the holidays again. It could have easily been quite a depressing story, but somehow it didn't feel that way at all. Yes, I was sad for both Daniel and Kate, but at the heart it was an uplifting story of healing and hope on both the main characters' parts. One a young widow who is now a struggling single mother to a special needs son, and the other a man who lost his parents and sister in a short span of time and finds himself all alone at Christmas for the first time.

It's been almost four years since Kate lost her husband, and since that time it's been one challenge after another. You really feel for this young woman who has so much on her plate and not enough hours in the day to adequately get everything done. The time when she had a partner to share the burdens of parenting and the harsh realities of adulthood is a distant memory. She's a wonderful mother to her young son, but always feels the worst sort of failure for them having to struggle so hard financially. She has a crappy job that barely pays for their needs, especially after childcare costs. But when her son Jack wants or needs something, she'll happily go without in order to provide for him and make him happy.

This year, she's come to the realization that she has been stuck in a rut and it's not healthy for herself or her son, so she sets out to make the season a happy time for the both of them. Each day leading up to Christmas, they will do a fun holiday activity together which she plans out and puts in Jack's advent calendar.

    She needed to share the joy of Christmas with her son: to be his mother properly, to be there . . . He deserved nothing less, but where would she find the strength to do it? She needed a Christmas miracle.

Things don't go quite as smoothly for her however, because she's constantly hit with a barrage of huge problems. Her son being forced out of his school because he is deemed to have special needs, an elderly family member with dementia who is running out of savings for their care, her company possibly laying her off soon, and the worry of finding the money for basic needs like food and clothing. There's also a horrible woman from Jack's school who takes advantage of her, and a boss who does the same using her tenuous hold on her job over her head. Everything just seems to snowball as time progresses, but she finds it hard to ask for help from her friends.

Daniel was just the sweetest man ever. His awkward fumbling around Kate during his attempts to introduce himself and ask her out were so endearing. He's been out of the dating life for a long time due to devoting his time to taking care of his terminally ill sister. He's always had an attraction from afar for the woman who sold them their Christmas trees every year but never did anything about it. He's such a warm and caring person that you can't help but root for him. He's trying to move on with his life now, but grief will hit him at the most unexpected moments and he finds that he needs to keep busy in order to keep himself distracted. In his time off work, he selflessly volunteers at a crisis call center where he takes calls from suicidal people who need someone to talk to.

The two of them don't interact much at all until around the halfway point. And even then, I wouldn't say that the romance is in the forefront of the story. Eventually they get to know one another a little better on a fun snow day, and their attraction grows, but Kate is hesitant to make the decision to start her first relationship after her husband. This didn't bother me all that much because I was really invested in Kate's journey to happiness.

My one complaint would be that there were a couple of moments where I felt that she was acting out of character in immaturity. She came into the school meeting with a chip on her shoulder and spitting angry at the teachers and administrators who were trying to get Jack tested. In some ways it made sense, because they were trying to send him to a school with expelled, misbehaving kids where he wouldn't flourish. They were also clearly uncaring about where he went and spent no effort in helping her place him in the school he needed because of costs. But to angrily blame them for simply suggesting he needs to be tested for proper placement? She was being pretty belligerent about it. Usually she was so level-headed and rational, but there were points I was kind of confused over her attitude.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and found it to be a really refreshing read. It was also very fast paced and engrossing, lacking any moments of detachment. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a more sober look at Christmastime that's filled with a lot of heart and emotional depth.

    Kate felt like she had spent the last four years since Tom’s horrific death trying to find a way back home, like Dorothy, only to discover that home was not a place, it was people and had been there all the time. All she had to do was to wake up.

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Review: The Library of Lost Things by Laura Taylor Namey

THE LIBRARY OF LOST THINGS by 

LAURA TAYLOR NAMEY

Publication date: October 8, 2019

Published by: Inkyard Press

Series: Standalone

Genre: YA romance

 

Synopsis
From the moment she first learned to read, literary genius Darcy Wells has spent most of her time living in the worlds of her books. There, she can avoid the crushing reality of her mother’s hoarding and pretend her life is simply ordinary. But when a new property manager becomes more active in the upkeep of their apartment complex, the only home Darcy has ever known outside of her books suddenly hangs in the balance.

While Darcy is struggling to survive beneath the weight of her mother’s compulsive shopping, Asher Fleet, a former teen pilot with an unexpectedly shattered future, walks into the bookstore where she works…and straight into her heart. For the first time in her life, Darcy can’t seem to find the right words. Fairy tales are one thing, but real love makes her want to hide inside her carefully constructed ink-and-paper bomb shelter.


Still, after spending her whole life keeping people out, something about Asher makes Darcy want to open up. But securing her own happily-ever-after will mean she’ll need to stop hiding and start living her own truth—even if it’s messy.

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Praise for The Library of Lost Things

"Watch out or you'll lose your heart in this library! Laugh and cry and look up words of the day with your new favorite heroine, Darcy, as she finds first love. This story will give you All the Feels!"  -Kelly deVos, author of Fat Girl on a Plane

"A poignant tale about a young woman with a book-shaped-heart who finds the courage to write her own story." -Nancy Richardson Fischer, author of The Speed of Falling Objects

About the Author:

Laura is a Cuban-American Californian who can be found haunting her favorite coffee shops, drooling over leather jackets, and wishing she was in London or Paris. She lives in San Diego with her husband and two superstar children.

This former teacher writes young adult novels about quirky teens learning to navigate life and love. Her debut, THE LIBRARY OF LOST THINGS will be published 10/08/19 from Inkyard Press/HarperCollins. Her #ownvoices sophomore project, A CUBAN GIRL'S GUIDE TO SWEATERS AND STARS is coming fall 2020 from Atheneum Simon and Schuster.

You can find her on:

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REVIEW

The Library of Lost Things by Laura Taylor Namey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

    He was the home for all my words, even the ones I hadn’t defined yet. He was the home for all my stories, even the ones I hadn’t imagined.

This book had me at "literary genius heroine." I loved the secret gift she had for memorizing passages of her favorite books. Darcy Wells is exactly the type of character I have a weakness for. Shy, intelligent, not exactly nerdy but feels socially invisible. Then to find out that she's named after my ultimate book hero, the dashing Mr. Darcy??? How could I possibly dislike her after that? Spoiler alert: I couldn't. Books are the center of Darcy's world, they're her escape from the harsh reality of her mother's shopping and hoarding addiction. Inside the pages of her books was invaluable information she could stockpile in her brain to get her through a stressful time. Because her mother just isn't there for her to give advice and guidance the way she is supposed to be. She's a young girl trying to cope in the only way she knows how.

    What skills had my mother taught me? How to fall apart, but still look presentable? How to pretend and lie to survive, or shop your bank account dry? I’d learned more about life from books than my own mom.

She knows her mother loves her, but through the years, their roles have become reversed and Darcy has taken on the responsibility of many things she shouldn't have to worry about at her age. Her mother has completely checked out and spiraled into an anxiety ridden maze of denial and comfort spending. If you've seen the show Hoarders, you probably have some horrific images in your head about what kind of filth they're living in. Their situation isn't quite that dire. Her mother holds down a well paying job selling make-up, and on the outside, you'd never guess that their home is stacked with so many piles of stuff that you barely have enough room to walk from room to room.

Darcy has adapted and learned how to project the perfect image and blend into the background so no one asks too many questions. Her best friend's cousin is called in for a favor when a repair needs to be made in their apartment. Her grandmother's monthly allowance is used to buy groceries or pay a bill that wasn't taken care of. And no one, absolutely no one, is allowed to step foot inside her home, because the fear of child protective services removing her is one that she lives with every day. She's one month away from turning eighteen, and she needs to keep their skeletons firmly in the closet until that day. Then suddenly her house of cards starts tumbling down around her. She's hit with one problem after another and everything is on the verge of collapsing with one wrong move. It's all she can do to take one shaky breath at a time.

Asher was such a refreshingly sweet hero. Yes, he's a little moody and unapproachable in the beginning, but his behavior wasn't just teenage angst or bad manners. When Darcy runs into him a few times and starts to get to know him better, she realizes that his mixed messages are coming from a place that he has no control over. Asher is one year ahead of her and just recently graduated, but he's been working for family while he heals from a traumatic car accident that destroyed his plans for the future. I enjoyed the fact that these two formed a friendship first and you could tangibly see their feelings grow into something deeper. To Darcy, he is the unattainable popular guy that she could never hope to capture. She's quirky, secretive, and would rather read a book at a party than socialize. He sees much more of her true self than she thinks and there isn't a part of her he doesn't like.

    “I watched you almost every day.” He smiled. “Watched you tuck hair behind your ear and fall in love with words. And you’re more than pretty. You’re all the places I want to fly to. Your mind is brilliant and so full, it spills out all over you.”

Darcy's best friend Marisol was amazing and every girl should have a supportive person in their life like her. The Peter Pan book that plays a big part in the book was pretty special, and I really enjoyed the relatable quotes at the head of each chapter. I guessed early on how the book tied into the plot, but it was such a creative thing to do that I didn't mind at all. Throughout the story I thought this would be a simple and sweet teen coming of age romance that's low on the angst and high on the cute factor. Then out of nowhere at the end, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself choking back emotion as Darcy navigated the broken relationship with her mother. This is definitely more than your average YA fluff, it has lots of heart and introspection in it.

I thoroughly loved Laura Taylor Namey's debut and I cannot wait to read more from her in the future.

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Review: War of Hearts by S. Young

New York Times Bestselling author Samantha Young writing as S. Young.

WAR OF HEARTS by S. YOUNG

Publication date: October 1, 2019

Series: Standalone

Genre: paranormal romance

 

Synopsis

Thea Quinn has no idea what she is. All she knows is that her abilities have been a plague upon her life since she was a child. After years of suffering at the hands of a megalomaniac, Thea escaped and has been on the run ever since.

The leadership and protection of his pack are of the utmost importance to Conall MacLennan, Alpha and Chief of Clan MacLennan, the last werewolf pack in Scotland. Which is why watching his sister slowly die of a lycanthropic disease is emotional torture. When Conall is approached by a businessman who offers a cure for his sister in exchange for the use of Conall’s rare tracking ability, Conall forges an unbreakable contract with him. He has to find and retrieve the key to the cure: dangerous murderer, Thea Quinn.

Thea’s attempts to evade the ruthless werewolf are not only thwarted by the Alpha, but by outside dangers. With no choice but to rely on one another for survival, truths are revealed, intensifying a passionate connection they both fight to resist. At war with themselves and each other, Conall and Thea’s journey to Scotland forces them to face a heartrending choice between love and betrayal.

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About the Author:

S. Young is the pen name for New York Times Bestselling Author Samantha Young. Her debut adult paranormal romance War of Hearts (A True Immortality Novel) will be published October 2019.

You can find her on:

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REVIEW

War of Hearts by S. Young
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

   “A wolf is only as strong as his heart, and my heart belongs completely to you."

I've been a reader of Samantha Young's for many years, but I'd never read any of her paranormal books. When I saw the announcement for War of Hearts, I was so eager to check it out. I haven't been able to find a ton of new books in the genre to catch my eye, so this was a more than welcome treat! You get a little bit of everything with this one: action, suspense, forbidden love, and mystery regarding Thea's identity. It's all firmly packed together in one heart-pounding package. I read this book in a 24 hour period, completely drawn in from page one. Which is quite remarkable considering the detailed paranormal world that was introduced here. Typically you have some dry spells in the plot where you're just taking in information, but for me it felt so natural and seamless. There wasn't a moment of boredom or difficulty in holding my attention.

Thea Quinn is on the run from a monster. After miraculously surviving the plane crash that her parents perished in, she was taken in by a man who became her worst nightmare. Horrifically abused, and used for her rare supernatural talents, she barely escaped the prison she escaped from. She'd rather die fighting than give up her freedom, so she travels from city to city, always looking behind her shoulder. Thea is a proud woman, very strong mentally and physically, and she has a soft heart despite the tragedy and mistreatment she's been through. This heroine is one of the most badass I've read in quite a while. Her power is almost limitless, yet untapped. Without full knowledge of what type of supernatural being she is, she lacks the awareness of her capabilities. They're used only when necessary-for others' protection as well as her own.

Conall is the alpha of the last wolf pack in Scotland, Clan MacLennan. Though they can't compare in size to many other packs, their strength is undeniable. His parents were both alphas and head of the pack before they died, and he's continuing their legacy. His home and family at Loch Torridon are everything to him. He's protective, fierce, confident, trustworthy and honorable. Someone you could trust with your life if the situation arose. But what if he were the one working with your enemy to deliver you to the devil? He's the last person you want tracking you because once he has your scent there's no escaping him. Out of desperation to help his fatally ill sister, he agrees to deliver Thea in exchange for a miracle cure. What should have been a fairly simple job for him gets complicated fast.

Conall is expecting a cold blooded killer, but after his first run-in he immediately starts to question everything he's been told about her. Nothing is quite adding up and his intuition is pricking him at the most inconvenient time. He grew attracted pretty quickly but fights it hard, knowing that his sister's life must come first. Of course, she wasn't about to roll over and accept defeat easily so it became a battle of wills between the two of them. There were a lot of adrenaline fueled fight scenes, narrow escapes, and betrayal as they made their way back to Scotland. Thea has become a target from another unknown source that puts everyone's lives in danger even further.

I loved the revelations about Thea and the history regarding her identity. I was absolutely riveted after the truth came out and couldn't put it down. Even though the romance had limited time to develop in between the main conflicts, it never felt rushed. Thea and Connall had the kind of tension and chemistry that make you just a little bit giddy as you wait for their resistance to snap. There were a million reasons why they shouldn't be together, but one very big reason why none of them mattered.

    There was right and there was wrong; there was loyalty and responsibility. Everything he felt now was complicated and confusing.

This couple was incredible and easily one of my favorites from the author. Even though this is listed as a standalone, the epilogue leads you to believe that there is still more to be told in this world. You're definitely going to want to get in on this addictive book now, as soon as it's out! I cannot recommend this one enough.

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Book Spotlight with Excerpt: The Lying Room by Nicci French

In this thrilling standalone from the internationally bestselling author of the Frieda Klein series, a married woman’s affair with her boss spirals into a dangerous game of chess with the police when she discovers he’s been murdered and she clears the crime scene of all evidence.

THE LYING ROOM by NICCI FRENCH

Series: Standalone

Publication date: October 1, 2019

Published by: William Morrow

Genre: Thriller, Mystery

 

SYNOPSIS

One little secret between a married woman, her lover, and a killer.

It should have been just a mid-life fling. A guilty indiscretion that Neve Connolly could have weathered. An escape from twenty years of routine marriage to her overworked husband, and from her increasingly distant children. But when Neve pays a morning-after visit to her lover, Saul, and finds him brutally murdered, their pied-à-terre still heady with her perfume, all the lies she has so painstakingly stitched together threaten to unravel.

After scrubbing clean every trace of her existence from Saul’s life—and death—Neve believes she can return to normal, shaken but intact. But she can’t get out of her head the one tormenting question: what was she forgetting?

An investigation into the slaying could provide the answer. It’s brought Detective Chief Inspector Alastair Hitching, and Neve’s worst fears, to her door. But with every new lie, every new misdirection to save herself, Neve descends further into the darkness of her betrayal—and into more danger than she ever imagined. Because Hitching isn’t the only one watching Neve. So is a determined killer who’s about to make the next terrifying move in a deadly affair….

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Praise for The Lying Game:

“This stand-alone from the team of Nicci Gerrard and Sean French, authors of the Frieda Klein series, delivers engaging characters, a complex story, and steadily increasing suspense. International best-seller French belongs on every thriller fan’s TBR list.”
- Booklist

“If you have admired and enjoyed the Frieda Klein... you will definitely like The Lying Room. Even if you are unfamiliar with that series, but are drawn to excellent psychological suspense... this is a book for your “must list.”
- Popular Culture Association

“Fans of domestic thrillers will be rewarded.”
- Publishers Weekly

“Having ended the saga of forensic psychologist Frieda Klein on a suitably harrowing note, French produces a stand-alone that’s just as suspenseful... The sorely tried heroine realizes, “I can’t trust anyone.” Neither can the expertly manipulated reader.”
- Kirkus Reviews

“Attention, fans of Tana French and Ruth Ware: meet your new obsession... The Lying Room ranks among French’s very best, a thriller as combustible as gunpowder, as propulsive as a jet engine. Psychological suspense at its brightest and most blazing.”
- A.J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window

EXCERPT

Excerpted from the book THE LYING ROOM by Nicci French. Copyright © 2019 by Joined-Up Writing. On sale October 1st, 2019 from William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Reprinted by permission.

    When Neve pulled up the blinds, the kitchen sprang into life like a theatre set, empty and waiting for the familiar show to begin. She looked around: it was all a bit threadbare, the skirting boards scuffed and that crack running down the wall. She and Fletcher had been meaning to do something about it for years. There were wine stains on the table and a couple of cigarette burns, cobwebs drifting high up among the lights. Dinner from last night hadn’t been properly cleared away. There were dirty plates on the surface next to the sink and the milk had been left out. Last night: she let the memory pulse through her and then she pushed it away. Not now. Not here.
    The clock said it was ten past seven. She filled a glass with water and drank it slowly, tied her dressing gown more firmly, took a deep breath and turned to face the room. The door opened on cue.
    ‘Morning,’ she said cheerfully to her eldest son.
    Rory blinked, mumbled something, bobbing his head. He was wearing blue jeans, a blue tee shirt and a blue jumper. He had her Irish paleness and he was going to be tall, as she was: in the last year, he had grown by four inches, like a piece of elastic being stretched to the point of snapping. Sometimes Neve thought she could almost see him growing, his limbs elongating, his feet large and flat, his bony face exhausted.
    ‘You’re very matching,’ she said. She wanted to put an arm round him but she restrained herself; he had started to dislike being touched; hugging him had become a stiff, awkward business. He would soon be eleven. Next year he would be at secondary school and in uniform.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Nicci Gerrard was born in June 1958 in Worcestershire. After graduating with a first class honours degree in English Literature from Oxford University, she began her first job, working with emotionally disturbed children in Sheffield. In that same year she married journalist Colin Hughes.

In the early eighties she taught English Literature in Sheffield, London and Los Angeles, but moved into publishing in 1985 with the launch of Women's Review, a magazine for women on art, literature and female issues.

In 1987 Nicci had a son, Edgar, followed by a daughter, Anna, in 1988, but a year later her marriage to Colin Hughes broke down.

In 1989 she became acting literary editor at the New Statesman, before moving to the Observer, where she was deputy literary editor for five years, and then a feature writer and executive editor.

It was while she was at the New Statesman that she met Sean French.

Sean French was born in May 1959 in Bristol, to a British father and Swedish mother. He too studied English Literature at Oxford University at the same time as Nicci, also graduating with a first class degree, but their paths didn't cross until 1990. In 1981 he won Vogue magazine's Writing Talent Contest, and from 1981 to 1986 he was their theatre critic. During that time he also worked at the Sunday Times as deputy literary editor and television critic, and was the film critic for Marie Claire and deputy editor of New Society.

Sean and Nicci were married in Hackney in October 1990. Their daughters, Hadley and Molly, were born in 1991 and 1993.

By the mid-nineties Sean had had two novels published, The Imaginary Monkey and The Dreamer of Dreams, as well as numerous non-fiction books, including biographies of Jane Fonda and Brigitte Bardot.

In 1995 Nicci and Sean began work on their first joint novel and adopted the pseudonym of Nicci French. The Memory Game was published to great acclaim in 1997 followed by The Safe House (1998), Killing Me Softly (1999), Beneath the Skin (2000), The Red Room (2001), Land of the Living (2002), Secret Smile (2003), Catch Me When I Fall (2005), Losing You (2006) and Until It's Over (2008). Their latest novel together is What To Do When Someone Dies (2009).

Nicci and Sean also continue to write separately. Nicci still works as a journalist for the Observer, covering high-profile trials including those of Fred and Rose West, and Ian Huntley and Maxine Carr. Novels include Things We Knew Were True (2003), Solace (2005) and The Moment You Were Gone (2007). Sean's last novel is Start From Here (2004).

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