*~*Introduction*~*

I've been reading a few Jill Mansell books on loan from a friend recently and have thoroughly enjoyed them, so when the same friend loaned me 'Wrapped In You' by Carole Matthews I was eagerly looking forward to it. I admit to not reading anything by Carole Matthews in the past but then again I had the same reservations about Jill Mansell and ended up loving her work so thought I would give this book a chance at least.



*~*Brief synopsis*~*

The story centres around main character hairdresser Janie, who seems unlucky in love. Having bought her dream cottage she lives alone after splitting with long term boyfriend of many years and lives next door to newly single all round nice guy Mike, who seems keen to be more than just friends with Janie.

When Janie bumps into her ex who informs her he has moved on with the woman he betrayed her for and is about to get married and become a father, Janie tells him that she has planned an african safari holiday over the upcoming Christmas holidays to impress him - which is in fact a complete lie.

Having been drawn into her own lie of an african safari holiday, suddenly it doesn't seem such a bad idea and Janie finds herself spending Christmas in the african plains where a certain Maasai warrior catches her eye. On returning home can Janie ever get on with life without her hunky african Maasai warrior, or will they find a way of being together...?



*~*My thoughts on the book*~*

I didn't know what to expect with this book as it's not the sort of chick lit I usually like to read, preferring more light hearted and less 'soppy' stories as a rule by the likes of Sophie Kinsella and now Jill Manesll. I liked the sound of this though as the blurb didn't make this sound too saccharine sweet and it had a Christmas theme throughout, which again very much appealed to me loving anything festive related. The story kicks off with us being introduced to Janie then subsequently we meet her best friends of Nina who she works at a salon with, and Mike the next door neighbour. I liked Janie instantly though she wasn't a character with much depth at first, but that could have just come down to the fact she was being portrayed as being the 'victim', which if that is was the case then I thought was unnecessary.

I liked Janie within moments of 'meeting' her though little can be said of the other other characters as I felt I only got to know them as the book was coming to an end. There were several characters that I found difficult to relate to and several I just felt 'unattached' to and didn't like, which to be honest made picking up the book on an evening a bit of an effort to read.

I liked the idea of the story and though it seemed a while to actually get going, proved to be quite readable as the story progressed. I didn't think it was anything overly exciting and I was quite satisfied reading only a few chapters an evening (which were only around 5/6 pages long by the way) unlike some books that have me literally taping my eyelids open reading into the early hours with. Though this was a slow burner throughout I did feel I wanted to finish the book and though the story seemed inevitably predictable I did actually enjoy reading it.

I don't want to sound too overly negative here as it is a pleasant enough story and though quite slow at first it does plod along in an easy to read manner once I had got to grips with the characters and their roles in the story. I just feel at times it was a bit of an effort to read and there just didn't seem to be too much happening. There were the odd humorous moments but these seemed few and far between and the actual plot seemed very ridiculous and not life like. This isn't the best book I've ever read but neither is it the worst and though I wouldn't read this particular one again I will definitely read some more of Carole Matthews books mainly to see how they compare.

At just 421 pages long this is an average length though it has to be said at times the book did feel like it was a lot longer. This does have a heartwarming feel to it though and you can't help but spur on Janie and even Mike in their quests for happiness. What is also in it's favour is the cover of the book with it's pretty Christmas scene and glittery snowflakes and fairy lights which as shallow as it sounds I was instantly drawn to and it has to be said it's very aesthetically pleasing.

Priced at £6.99 this is worth borrowing from the library or a friend in my opinion rather than forking out the cash for but maybe I have just not been fully won over by Matthews yet, I'll let you know when I've read some other of her work.

ISBN 978-0-7515-4509-8