Growing Old Disgracefully by Ada Adverse

The Mills & Boon Modern Girl's Guide to Growing Old Disgracefully by Ada Adverse
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - less than 20 minutes

Pages - 96

Publisher - Mills & Boon

Blurb from Goodreads

’Perfect for the gin drinker in your life.’ – Sun

Have you ever:

Treated afternoon tea as an ‘all you can eat’ opportuntity?

Realised you only ever hoover when you are expecting guests?

Flatly refused to ‘act your age’?

If so, the Mills & Boon Modern Girl’s Guide to Growing Old Disgracefully is for you: a guide to throwing out the rule book, with a feminist twist


My Review

If you haven't came across this wee books let me enlighten you. They are smaller than your normal paperback size, hardback (also available in kindle format) and 96 pages long. You have a zingy introduction to the book, Ada is hilarious, zingy and sharp giving you an immediate feel for the books content.

We have an A-Z and with each letter a wee sentence or two of advice or just a funky quip accompanied on the other bag with a corresponding photo in black and white. Much as these books are tiny and a few sentences per page they really do bring joy, laughter and conjure up some lovely memories. Each one will mean something different to each reader depending on life experiences and where they are in their life. I would think it would be hard pushed for anyone to pick one of these books up and not laugh or at the very least smile.

The books are filled with humor, bite size snippets for each letter and page. Pearls of wisdom or just flashes of quick wit. A small book that brings big smiles. This is the second in the series I have been sent to review, I think I am going to buy the rest and I bought the previous for my friend. Thanks to Mills and Boon for sending me a review copy and once again bring Ada Adverse into my life, a wee burst of feminine joviality that women of all ages can appreciate, 4/5 for me.

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Turning Into Your Mother by Ada Adverse

The Mills & Boon Modern Girl's Guide to Turning into Your Mother: The Perfect Mother's Day gift for mums who have it all by Ada Adverse
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - < than 20 minutes

Pages - 96

Publisher - Mills and Boons

Blurb from Goodreads

’Perfect for the gin lover in your life.’ – Sun

Have you ever…?

A) Opened your mouth and heard your mother come out?

B) Wondered whether a bunch of flowers and breakfast in bed once a year really makes up for the 37 hours your mum spent in St Agnes’ Maternity Ward?

C) Voiced a heartfelt opinion on the weather?

If so, the Mills & Boon Modern Girl’s Guide to Turning Into Your Mother is for you: a guide to the joys of motherhood – with a feminist twist.



My Review

Uck this wee book is a breath of fresh air! An A to Z with "advice" and snippets of motherhood, expectations and reality with a zesty comical take. Accompanied with pictures this Modern Girl's Guide could actually be named To Motherhood than Turning into your mother. Whilst pitched as the perfect mother's day gift, I think this is the perfect gift for any female. I am not a mother & won't be celebrating Mother's day but I think all females would enjoy this book and identify or relate to some of it.

With Mother's day looming it can be a beautiful day of celebration or a day that evokes sadness, emotional turmoil and one that is hard to face. This wee book is a ray of sunshine, I found myself laughing out loud at many of the pages and certainly smiling at them all. Some of the snippets conjured up vivid memories of my own mother and her take on one or two things within the book.

At a tiny 90 odd pages, I flew through this book in between spray painting some furniture, I picked it up for a quick nosey and ended up devouring it page to page. Stopping only once to text a family member and laugh over one of the quotes/advice. Amazing what one woman's quick wit has captured on a page and strikes up a personal memory and laugh. Genuine laughter and being caught off guard with memories, for me is priceless, I love this wee book. There are others in the #ModernGirlsGuides and I will track them down. I would love to see an actual novel from Adverse, she has an easy flow of writing and quick wit even in a few sentences, I think letting her loose on a few hundred pages worth would be priceless, I would buy it! 5/5 for me, whilst it is a tiny quick read it certainly holds its weight against some of the thick novels that are out just now on similar subjects. Thanks to much to Mills and Boon for introducing me to a new author and a series I will track down. For me, this book is a keeper, I have already ordered a copy for me friend and I don't think it is the only one I will be buying, a wee gem of a book!

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Bound By Their Secret Passion by Diane Gaston

Bound by Their Secret Passion by Diane Gaston
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Publisher - Mills & Boon

Pages - 288

Blurb from Goodreads

A forbidden attraction… A hidden desire!

Years ago, penniless Lorene Summerfield wed for duty, giving her siblings the chance to marry for love. But now the generous-hearted countess finds herself widowed…and the man she's loved in silence for years is falsely accused of her husband's murder!

Although he closed his heart to love long ago, the Earl of Penford has always found Lorene irresistible. Their newly ignited passion may be scandalous, but now he'll stop at nothing to clear his name and win Lorene's hand!



My Review

Set in the Eighteen hundreds women are demure, main focus is marriage and babies, matched to families dependent upon their dowry. Lorene will do anything for her siblings including sacrifice her own happiness to secure a future for them. Resented by the staff, thought to be a gold digger after marrying a wealthy older man and unable to escape her mothers past Lorene defies her husband to see her family. When he dies in suspicious circumstances, suspicion falls on the Earl of Penford, the man Lorene's husband accuses of having an affair with his wife. A small down, titles, separated by classes, society is very judgmental and Lorene just wants a quiet life when her past catches up with her bringing trouble, judgement and heartache.

It has been a long long time since I read Mills and Boon books, I loved them as a pre teen. This was brought to my attention with the Mills and Boons insider and just what I needed at this time. Set in the eighteen hundreds I generally don't prefer historical fiction but it works in this book. A genteel period where women and the times are very different from modern day society. Lorene has always been attracted to Dell (the Earl of Penford) but her choices have meant she could never allow him or anyone to know. With suspicion cast on Dell for murder Lorene needs to keep her distance but she has never felt more alone. Then the past caught up with Lorene and her family bringing its own problems, emotions and judgments from the small town.

Very well constructed, the flow goes nicely, kicking off with the lead up t and death of Lorene's husband that sets the path for all that follows. A book that very much looks at morals, societies attitudes, the defined classes, love, families and as with all Mills and Boons stories there is a sex scene or two. Lorene is one of a kind, strong, selfless, loyal, passionate, kind and caring to a fault, whilst her character is one to be praised there were moments when I wished she would be a little selfless and stand up to one or two folk. Overall a really good tale of love, morality, class distinctions, family and honour, just what I needed, 4/5 for me this time. This was my first time reading this author, I would certainly read her again! Thanks to Mills and Boon for providing me with an ARC of this title.

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