Sunlounger

by Belinda Jones, Lucy Robinson, Chrissie Manby

Take a trip around the world with 44 of the hottest writers in Women's Fiction!

This collection of sun-kissed short stories will have you boarding a millionaire's yacht in St Tropez, exploring a sheik's palace in Dubai, swimming with dolphins in Australia, partying in Ibiza, surfing in Hawaii, exploring ancient ruins in Turkey and Cambodia and sipping Limoncello in Italy!

Whether you read it on your favourite beach (Sunlounger features golden sands from Greece to Thailand) or on your daily commute or coffee break you will be spirited away on a variety of adventures - some will make you chuckle, some will make your heart pang, others will inspire you to live your life to the max!

Sunlounger has a matching website: www.va-va-vacation.com which features an author page for each of the 44 fab writers involved:

Katie Agnew, Valerie-Anne Baglietto, Rosie Blake, Alexandra Brown, Laurey Buckland, Abby Clements, Miranda Dickinson, Carrie Duffy, Ilana Fox, Victoria Fox, Emma Garcia, Michele Gorman, Kirsty Greenwood, Kate Guest, Kate Harrison, Lisa Heidke, Molly Hopkins, Pernille Hughes, Margaret James, Belinda Jones, Lucy Lord, Chrissie Manby, Louise Marley, Holly Martin, Nigel May, Martel Maxwell, Roisin Meaney, Kiri Mills, Nicola Moriarty, Tamsyn Murray, Emily O'Neill, Lynda Page, Carmen Reid, Wendy Rigg, Lucy Robinson, Talli Roland, Ruth Saberton, Nancy Scrofano, Cally Taylor, Sasha Wagstaff, Anna-Lou Weatherley, Julia Williams, Lara Williamson, Tiffany Wright

Genres: Romance, Short Stories, Travel

692 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Belinda Jones was born in Turnbridge Wells, Kent England. At the age of 19 she moved to London, where she resided for the next ten years before moving to California. She now lives in Los Angeles.

Belinda Jones writes books for women which focus around travel and womens issues, particularly relationships. Her books tend to fall into the romance, chick lit and women's fiction categories

Reviews

[Amanda B · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short stories written by various authors.

[Kelsey van Dillen]

Ik besluit er toch maar mee te stoppen. Welgeteld zes verhaaltjes heb ik gelezen. En geen enkel verhaaltje had ook maar iets te maken met de exotische plaatsen waar ze zich zouden afspelen. Het had net zo goed in mijn eigen woonplaats bij de buren in de achtertuin kunnen gebeuren. Bijvoorbeeld de mooie romance op de Kaaiman eilanden. Geen enkel woord wordt er gesproken over de omgeving of de natuur of wat dan ook. Dat is nou juist waarom ik dit boek lees. Omdat ik van tropische bestemmingen houd en er in dit boek een heleboel zaten. Ik kan hier niet tevreden mee worden gesteld. De verhalen waren allemaal enorm laf, totaal niet romantisch en slecht afgewerkt. Ik had 15 jaar geleden nog een betere short story kunnen schrijven. Wat een enorme bummer.

[Sorcha O'Dowd · Rating 5 out of 5]

When my parents went off on a two week holiday to Italy without me, major jealousy issues ensued. However after having read ‘Sunlounger’, when I received their postcard from ‘Sorrento, Italy’, I could only laugh and think, ‘Oh, I’ve been there, and to Ibiza, Turkey, Australia, Greece, Spain, Cairo, Argentina, Paris, Mexico, Marrikesh, Mauritus, Jamaica, Thailand, Brazil, Cambodia, Iceland, Russia, Dubai and Mallorca. So there!’

This was a wonderful collection of stories to read, and I absolutely loved each one. There were those that were downright hilarious, so hilarious that I literally cackled like a lunatic whilst reading on the bus. There were those that were shockingly sad and emotional, those that made me cry, those that gave me a warm glow and those that made me think ‘Wow!’.
But most of all, every single story made me think ‘I would love to go there.’

I loved how all the writers approached the holiday prompt and had the story give a different message. For example, some of the stories were romantic comedies, but all spoke to the reader in a different way.

All the stories brilliantly depicted the cultural barriers that travellers face when in a different country for the first time. One that really resonated with me in this way was Carrie Duffy’s ‘At First Sight’ (Holiday Destination – Dubai) where an interior designer, married to her work, is ushered into a shop of robes and experiences a glimpse of the life of a Dubai women, where she is covered head to toe with only her eyes on display. It was a brilliant story that showed just how different life is in different cultures. A man in Dubai may have to fall in love with a woman after a glimpse of her eyes, whereas in Western cultures, there tends to be a focus on entire body image.

Kate Guest’s ‘Hanoi Jane’ (Holiday Destination – Vietnam) was great fun as we see character Jane defy the health laws of the country and skip out on her very own adventure with American Toby. It was both hilarious and dealt with serious issues. I loved it!

Two stories that particularly express the dangers of travelling to other countries were Kate Harrison’s ‘Holiday Reading’ (Holiday Destination – Barcelona, Spain), where we see the dangers of women being prey to muggers, and Wendy Rigg’s ‘From Elvissa With Love’ (Holiday Destination – Ibiza) story which describes the dangers of young girls travelling alone, being captured and forced into illegal activities in order to gain their freedom. Sadly these are real issues that face travellers today, and I liked how these stories subtly expressed these warnings without forcing the information on you.

Rosie Blake’s story ‘Ice, Ice Baby’ (Holiday Destination – Iceland) had me in fits of laughter throughout, starting with realistic glimpses of the everyday life of a couple, with them greeting each other in the morning with grunts, yet how despite their petty arguments, are still in love and can be incredibly romantic.

Valerie-Anne Baglietto’s heartbreaking story ‘Genie of the Rock’ (Holiday Destination – Gibraltar) tells the tale of a young recently widowed woman having a miracle happen really touched me, with an added element of fantasy that wasn’t too overpowering gave a wonderful balance to the story. Despite this being the second story of the forty-one in the book, this story stayed with me right till the end.

The award for story that had me most intrigued, and wishing for a whole novel devoted to the story, was Margaret James’ story ‘The Anniversary’ (Holiday Destination – Tuscany, Italy). I loved the mystery infused within the story and how the reader is left guessing and pondering over what exactly happened. Who was the man and why was the woman his ‘project’ and why and how did the events happen the same day every year, and what was the woman’s accident she mentioned? It was a brilliant mysterious and heart-wrenching story that I adored!

I am a sucker for friends turned lovers stories, and loved Pernille Hughes’ ‘Fia McQueen’s Great Escape’ (Holiday Destination – Mauritius) where we see a young girl Fia grieving over being jilted by her fiancé, and is brought back to life by her closest friend Simon. It was a funny, touching and heart-warming story.

And not all of the stories had happy-ever-afters. I really connected to some of the deep emotional stories where I could feel the writer’s pain as I read, as though they had literally poured their soul into their characters. ‘Love at First Kiss’ by Lisa Heidki (Holiday Destination – Venice, Italy & Sydney, Australia) was a moving story about a woman pining after a man who she kissed in Venice. Seeing her unable to move on and live in the present was sad, and although there was no romantic reunion at the end of the story, I rejoiced to see the heroine realise that she needed to find a better place for herself. A stunning piece of writing.

Holly Martins ‘One Hundred Proposals’ (Holiday Destination – Australia) was a fantastic addition to the book, which makes the reader really think about what they themselves want. What is the Perfect Proposal? And what makes it perfect? A brilliant story!

And what better way to send off the readers than with Tiffany Wright’s work of art ‘Signs from Sydney’ (Holiday Destination – Sydney, Australia’. A brilliant journey of self-discovery with the greatest twist at the end that had me swooning and squealing in equal measure.
‘Sunlounger’ has taken me on my very own holiday this year, and has made me laugh, cry, ponder life, and rethink romantic displays of affection (I’m so climbing a tree to get a lime for a guy’s beer one day. Just to see the look on his face!) I wish I could talk about every story in detail because I loved them all so much, like Nicola Moriarty’s ‘The Red Glove’ (Holiday Destination – Australia) and Miranda Dickinson’s ‘Midnight in St. Petersburg’ (Holiday Destination – St Petersburg, Russia) but I’ll just give a mention to every other author who contributed, as I loved every single one of these stories!

5 Stars, and a definite recommended read!

[J.B (Debbie) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to follow

[Fefi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Immagino che non sia così facile scrivere storie rosa molto brevi che possano piacere e,infatti, tutta la prima parte del libro ci sono stati pochi racconti che mi hanno un minimo emozionato e stavo per mollarlo.
Arrivata nella seconda parte,invece,mi sono piacevolmente risvegliata dalla noia e anche divertita.
Antologia di 32 brevi storie rosa scritte da autrici che,a quanto pare, hanno anche pubblicato qui da noi, ma io non ne conosco nessuna; il tema principale direi che è la ripresa della vita,dopo la fine di una relazione,con una bella vacanza da single o con amiche,in posti dove c'è il mare (principalmente Ibiza, isole greche e Costiera Amalfitana), dove però,alcune volte, l'amore ci rimette lo zampino.

[Erikaconlakappa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Una serie di storielle da spiaggia. Qualcuna era anche carina, ma per la maggior parte erano abbastanza insulse.

[Susan Connell · Rating 1 out of 5]

Utter garbage. Basically the same story rehashed 20 times. Don't waste your money

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was chatting to Belinda on Twitter and she offered me a copy of Sunlounger to review, I jumped at the chance. I was going away and what could be more perfect than read stories set abroad?

All I can say is that Belinda Jones I am so sorry it has taken me so long to review, why? Well I didn't want the fabulous collection of short stories to end so I have been stringing them out. (Sorry!)

Well what can I say? This is a brilliant book which contains many well established authors and some not so which have written short stories based in different destinations across the world. Yes there are some a lot better than others, but this is expected in a collection book. What I love about it is that you can get a quick reading fix of a whole story in a short amount of time and feel you have accomplished reading a whole book.

What else I love about short story collections is that I regularly come across authors I have not read before. This happened on this occasion. I read a short story by Katie Agnew set in St Barts and absolutely loved it. I then went out and bought her story Too Hot to Handle on the strength of reading that short story. So thank you Belinda Jones for introducing me to her.

I find it really hard to write a review for a book of short stories as I find it unnecessary to go through each story, I feel that you have just got to read it to see how good it is. I didn't finish the collection while I was away, I savored it and treated myself to a short story over a few nights, this helped me get away for my busy life and just dream about being away on a beach somewhere, or troweling through a busy souk looking for a bargain under the sun.

This is a short story collection that I would recommend everyone to own. It is brilliant, it just makes me happy thinking about it. Thank you so much Belinda Jones for making this book happen and offering it to me to review. I do hope this is continued perhaps a Christmas collection?

I would like to thank Belinda Jones for sending me this copy to review.

For this reviews and others please visit:
Mrsbbooks2011.blogspot.co.uk

[Joanna Gawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’re looking for a bumper crop of romantic short stories, this anthology is excellent value. Although all of the stories contain romance - and, of course, travel - there is a variety of chick-lit, straight contemporary romance, and tales with a haunting, paranormal edge.

Most are well-written and enjoyable to read; some are quite thought-provoking. The vivid descriptions of far-away cities, powder-soft beaches, and sun-drenched souks are a sofa-bound Kindle-reader’s dream escape to undiscovered places in a multitude of countries.

I was particularly taken with Divine Intervention (Laurey Buckland), Midnight in St Petersburg (Miranda Dickinson), One Hundred Proposals (Holly Martin), and La Posada Amor (Emily O’Neill) whose line: ‘I gnawed the end of my straw like a paranoid hamster’ had me in stitches.

Recommended for a light, easy read, and as a way to discover new authors. I have quite a few new samples and books on my Kindle now!

[Cristina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Un "risotto" di racconti che nel complesso risulta piuttosto deludente. L'idea di mettere assieme ben 32 racconti di altrettante autrici poteva essere interessante, ma sulla carta il risultato è (a mio parere) piuttosto fallimentare. Da una parte le storie sono ripetitive e ridondanti (buona parte racconta di quasi trentenni inglesi alla ricerca del vero amore o comunque del vero amore finchè dura e ne viene fuori un ritratto un poco desolante di troppi alcolici, poca soddisfazione e sesso occasionale), dall'altra lo spazio che ciascuna autrice ha è troppo poco per una vera costruzione del racconto e dei personaggi.
Tutte le storie sono comunque conclusive e ce ne sono un paio (quelle con un tocco di giallo) che mi sono piaciute abbastanza. Il resto naviga nella media di una sufficienza risicata.
Va bene da leggere in spiaggia o la sera, prima di andare a nanna, visto che ogni racconto è davvero breve breve.

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a compilation of short stories from a great selection of authors, all showcasing their smoldering passion and hunky heros who are ready to whisk you off your sunloungers and into a bit of perfect escapism. Warning – only romantics need apply! I love a collection of short stories, and more so in the summer as they are ideal ‘pop in and out’ reading material and many an enjoyable afternoon was spent touring the world in the pages of this book. There are, bien sur, a few set in France.

Clichéd it may be, but I have to say this book is packed, like a holiday suitcase, full of tales to give you a fire in your belly and a warm squishy feeling inside. It has to be the most perfect collection of hot, summer girlie stories I’ve read, but coming from authors including Belinda Jones, Miranda Dickenson, Kate Harrison and Abby Clements to name just a few it is hardly surprising.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable collection of short stories, each set in a different destination. A good book to pick up and put down at any time and a great way to be introduced to authors I had not tried before.
I enjoyed some stories more than others, particular favourites were The Venice Trap by Victoria Fox and the hilarious Pack Up Your Troubles by Chrissie Manby.

[Lizzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually like story collections but when I saw this for 99p and saw the stories were by some of my favourite authors, I decided to give it a go. I am so glad I did, because it was great! The stories were great and some of my favourite's were from unknown writers. I would definitely recommend this book.

[Chrissie Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great read if you want to sink yourself into a book that flies you around the world with a few turns of the page. There are so many heartwarming, funny and engaging stories that it's definitely worth a read. Definitely recommend.

[Laura Pickett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been dipping into this book since I bought it two years ago. There are loads of great short stories by some fantastic authors, so between reading full length novels, I'd read a short story or two. It's introduced me to some new names that are now on my reading list too.
Next up, Sunlounger 2!

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, that's $1.99 I'll never get back :(

[Melissa T · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is quite the collection of stories. I like the varied destinations. Full review to come.* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable collection of stories and a great way to discover authors - both familiar and new.

[thecolorsofbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I don't really understand why the italian version has 32 stories and not 44 like the original one.

[Viola80 · Rating 3 out of 5]

i didn't read all the stories, but I found it quite andearing! Not bad if you want something easy and relaxing to dream about places one's visited or would like to visit!

[Marianne Whitehead · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started reading this book on vacation. Sorry but I didn't find it satisfying.