Helen Bridgett

In this follow up to The Mercury Travel Club we rejoin Angie and friends at the point where the sky's the limit for their quirky little Manchester based travel agency. The award winning travel agency is firmly established in the high street and they have plans to invest in a luxury hotel in an exclusive resort. It seems like everything is going right until the vacant shop across the road is revealed as 'Launch', another travel agency and the high street is only big enough for one of them.

Launch's owner, Lorenzo, is described brilliantly by Helen Bridgett as a snake in the grass who slithers along the high street wearing his snakeskin belt. Obviously, I was on Team Mercury but with this brilliant snake theme the reader is under no illusion that Lorenzo is a typical cartoon style bad guy. I even found myself imagining him as Dick Dastardly. His underhand dealings threaten to put Mercury out of business but Angie's colleagues and friends rally round to play him at his own game. With customers and even staff moving over to Launch, is it too late to save Mercury? Time to bring in the big guns: Patty!

I absolutely love Angie's friend, Patty. She reminds me so much of Patsy in Absolutely Fabulous, but now Patty has a new man in her life she is ready to settle down again. There are still hints of the hilarious Patty we know and love, especially in the dating advice she gives Angie. I couldn't help but laugh out loud at some of the things she comes out with but it was lovely to see another side to Patty as she shows what she's made of when the chips are down.

After working so hard for her business, Angie deserves a bit of happiness in her private life and she's met a lovely man in Michael. With Lorenzo's plans to destroy Angie's business in full force, Angie's relationship with Michael also comes under threat. I felt as if Angie's world could fall around her at any moment...but not if her friends have any say in the matter it won't. I love how close these guys are; they aren't just colleagues and business partners, they're a family and a force to be reckoned with in the fight against snaky Lorenzo.

The Heat is On had me laughing one minute and seething the next. It felt very much like a fight between good and evil and even typing the name 'Lorenzo' is enough to make my skin crawl and my blood boil. One thought remained constant whilst I was reading: if it seems too good to be true, then it probably is. It's frightening but true, how quickly we can switch our allegiance when offered a shiny new 'too good to be true' deal but don't forget that you often get what you pay for...and here's one especially for Lorenzo: what goes around comes around.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.… (meer)

Well this little gem of a book was just what I needed when I was feeling a bit low, not unlike Angie Shepherd at the start of The Mercury Travel Club. I think I read this whole book with a smile on my face and certainly struggled to contain my laughter, indeed many laughs did escape whilst reading this book.

Angie was looking forward to her silver wedding anniversary when her husband, Alan, left her for a younger woman. Forced to sell their family home and start a new life, Angie may feel like curling up and feeling sorry for herself but her friends and family have other ideas. Her hilarious friend, Patty, is instrumental in keeping Angie on her feet as she takes a few tentative baby steps on the road to singledom. Patty gives the impression that she's a bit of a man-eater but she's more words than actions and has an absolutely enormous heart of gold. I couldn't get enough of Angie's hilarious mother; I really looked forward to her appearances and couldn't wait to see what imperfect pearl of wisdom she would come out with next.

Angie works in a travel agency and has a lovely boss, Charlie. When Angie decides to make her dreams a reality, Charlie offers her a business partnership where they offer themed holidays and The Mercury Travel Club is born. Like all best laid plans, things often go wrong but that is the charm of the club. Angie keeps a cool head and is calm under pressure, making her trips much sought after, despite some attempted bad press. As the Entrepreneur of the Year awards approach, Angie sets her sights on the award. Will she win it? Whatever the outcome, you'll be sure they'll have a good time!

I loved the quirky chapter names, each one giving a little hint as to what was in store next. I almost clapped with glee (I would have if I could have put the book down) when I saw a chapter with the title 'The Kids Wanna Rock'. As I involuntarily started singing, "Turned on the radio, sounded like a disco...", I was delighted to see my absolute favourite singer Bryan Adams getting some well deserved column inches. Maybe not the real man but a tribute band, but still, any book that gives Bryan a mention gets a big thumbs up from me. "I got my first real six string, bought it at the five and dime..." (Admit it, it's in your head now)

With such an impressive debut and a fabulously witty writing style, I am overjoyed to see that Helen Bridgett plans more books in The Mercury Travel Club series. The Mercury Travel Club is hilariously funny and a perfect pick me up. If I had a passport, I'd certainly sign up!

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest an unbiased opinion.… (meer)

I was a big fan of the first outing for The Mercury Travel Club, so I couldn't wait to get back to Angie, Patty and co. As with most books in a series, it took me just a little bit of time to remind myself who everyone was and what had happened before but I was soon settled in and loving being back with these engaging characters.

So, Angie and Charlie are running their travel business and doing a grand job of it with the help of Josie, who comes up with all sorts of ways of getting people signed up for their trips. Angie's relationship with Michael is bobbing along ok and Patty, Angie's slightly mad best friend, is with Jack. All is well until, that is, a new travel agency, filled with technology and delights to entice any customer, comes along and opens up bang opposite Mercury.

I really felt for Angie. She'd put her all into Mercury and is devastated to think that she might lose it. Heck, I was devastated for her! But I loved all the ways she, Charlie and everyone else, came up with to try and keep their beloved business going. I won't say whether it works or not but let's just say that all was concluded satisfactorily. I said in my review for The Mercury Travel Club that Helen Bridgett ought to go into business herself with her wonderful ideas and I stand by that as once again she's come up with some corkers. I'd love to go on one of the trips myself, especially the treasure trail.

There are a cast of characters that really work here and I'd be very happy to read more about them in the future. Some are wacky (Patty and Angie's mum in particular), some are kind (Jack and Michael), some put their all into whatever they do (Angie and Charlie), but all are fabulously well-rounded individuals who add their own special something to the story.

The Heat is On made me smile a lot. It's warm, it's feel-good, it's fun, even riotously so at times. It's about comradeship, finding love and starting all over again. Helen Bridgett's stories are an absolute pleasure to read. I do hope we'll meet Angie and co again in more Mercury adventures.… (meer)

Wow. What a way to start a book. Angie's husband leaves her for the caterer at their daughter's party. I would have probably fallen apart, been in shock, denial, and than looked to get a new start. All things that Angie did as well. She made new friends in the process with Patty, Shelia, Charlie, and Josie.

I loved the concept for The Mercury Travel Club. It is an agency that I would want to book with. The group came up with some fun and creative ideas. Which speaking of the group, they were good together. Yet, separately, they were alright. Again, together, they were magic. They fed off each other and their personalities and what they brought to the group.

While, I liked everyone, I wanted them to be more eccentric and kind of over the top with their personalities. Additionally, Angie needed to let go more and go with the flow. The story did not really feel like it started to pick up steam until about a third of the way in. Which was almost too late. It felt like when I would take two steps forward, I would go back three steps. The story was just middle of the road for me with not a lot of laughs.… (meer)