Sweet Temptation by Lucy Diamond

This is my second read through of the book and although I could remember bits and pieces nothing had really stuck with me about the plot or the characters.  It is a rather bland story that meanders around without ultimately going anywhere and feels more like a very long introduction to the three main characters:

Jess - Browbeaten by her boyfriend she has no self esteem and only longs to finally set their wedding date.  For someone so meek and brought down she sure does soon switch to business woman extraordinaire when she quits her Spa job and sets up a mobile beautician's business.  My fingers itched to slap her face at the rubbish she put up with from her boyfriend and though it was a relief when she left him the actual mechanics of her regeneration to a "strong woman" were barely believable with no sign of psychological trauma which I am sure a real person would have been suffering from, after all Charlie has virtually given her Stockholm Syndrome style brainwashing.

Maddie - Busy mum who comes good in her job after her boss tries everything to humiliate her backfires.  She is an exercise zealot and when her mother dies she turns to exercise to blot out her grief and almost destroys her marriage in the process.  She is innately selfish but sees herself as selfless.  At least the Author acknowledges this within the character and we feel like we are in on a bit of a joke at Maddie's expense for chunks of the book.

Lauren - By far my favourite character.  She is eternally cynical and doesn't really care who knows it.  This was the one person who felt like she had real emotions and whose life experiences had damaged her but she accepted this and is working through the hurt of her husband's betrayal and subsequent divorce.

This is an easy read that is told in chunks that make it perfect for the commute or to pick up and put down on holiday.  I had little real connection with the characters and the plot is really more of a string of events that happen to these three women who become friends after a couple of FatBusters meetings.  There is no gradual unfolding of events with it being more of this happened and then this happened which isn't necessarily a bad thing as you never get that "one more chapter" feeling.

Overall it is a middle of the road chic lit book that passes the time entertainingly enough but never really grips you.