Peanuts & Eggcups by Sara Mendes da Costa

I have received a free PDF copy of the book “Peanuts & Eggcups” by Sara Mendes da Costa to review.

Here is the book blurb.

For Maggie Parsons there’s only ever been one man: the stunningly delicious Luke Henderson. Unfortunately, he left her, without explanation, after their ‘first night’ together …breaking her heart in the process. 

Now ten years on, without any contact, he’s back and going to her school reunion. Great! And, to confuse matters…so is his suave, sexy, brother Tony who makes a major play for Maggie, then turns up with his insufferable – supposedly ex – fiancée! 

Via the reunion, a black eye, getting the sack (as a result) a madcap girlie holiday and juggling her confused emotions around the two alluring brothers…Maggie starts to build a picture of what she really wants in life. 

Trouble is, Maggie’s a pawn in a game she doesn’t even know she’s playing …and things are about to get a whole lot more complicated.

I loved this fantastic chick-lit book. It starts with an invitation for Maggie to a school reunion 10 years on. Does she want to go or not and see Luke Henderson, her old school boyfriend. He had broken her heart by walking out on her with no explanation straight after the first time they had sex together. Two serious relationships later, she still hasn’t really got over that.

She is still best friends with her mates Catherine, Jenny (Luke’s sister) and Pauline from school. They are all working hard on her to go to the reunion as it is deadline day to decide, to which she eventually agrees.

Roll forward to the day before the reunion. Maggie and Catherine are busy last-minute preparing. Little things like Maggie with frizzy hair discovering the wonders of hair straighteners for the very first time really made me smile. And another, the next morning too late to buy a new pair, Maggie has to get Mr Fixit to tape the heel back onto her black stiletto, which you just know is a disaster waiting to happen.

Although on the guest list, Luke doesn’t show up at the reunion. However his younger brother Tony does and Maggie ends up flirting with Tony and subsequently dating him.

That’s all I’m going to say for now, but I loved how you get to know all the characters, not just Maggie. Of course Luke makes an appearance at last. And so many more scenes to follow – Mr Henderson’s 70th birthday party and a girlie holiday and Catherine’s wedding to name but three. Lots of twists, some predictable and some less so.

---

Here is an excerpt from chapter six to give you a taster. To bring you up to speed, Sara’s protagonist, Maggie, returns to work after getting a black eye (and a painful bruised knee) at her school reunion. She’s greeted by two of her colleagues (her friends) Craig and Maureen.

Monday morning, before I’d even limped to my desk, I was the talk of the office. It seems bad news travelled fast.

‘Did you hear about Mike Tyson?’ Craig quipped as I walked up. ‘After going just two rounds with our Maggie, he’s been forced into early retirement and is threatening suicide,’ he finished, greedily scoffing down some toast.

‘Ha bloody ha.’ I sat down at my desk, putting my handbag down by my feet. ‘Who’s been spreading the gossip?’

‘Mate, you were on the nine o’clock news last night. A satellite picked up on you and your shiner while it was scanning for alien life; thought we’d been invaded!’

‘Surprised they didn’t spot you then,’ I said.

Maureen was silently staring at me.

‘I’ve told you before about nicking others birds’ blokes,’ Craig said throwing a scrunched up ball of paper at me.

‘Don’t be so mean, Craig. I’m sure Maggie’s got a perfectly good reason for having a black eye.’ Maureen had found her voice. ‘Haven’t you, Maggie?’ she enquired.

‘My heel gave way on my stiletto. I fell over and hit the ground that’s all. Nothing particularly earth shattering I’m afraid. So you can tell your friend Mike Ty thingy…’

‘Tyson, dim bird.’

‘Tyson then, that he’s really got nothing to worry about and he’s not to do anything silly on my account.’

I tried to act like I didn’t care but I was pretty embarrassed. There had been a point in my life where I’d quite fancied the idea of a black eye, just to see what it was like but now I had one, I wished I hadn’t. I felt like one of those women you sometimes see in the supermarket on a Saturday morning; one black eye and not much self-esteem. Four unruly kids hanging off her. Another baby in the trolley wailing for food and an expression on her face that says I need out but I don’t know how to get there. That’s how I felt. Although I didn’t have a boyfriend or husband who had given me my black eye, people were sure as hell going to think I did. Either that or they’d think I’d got into some drunken pub brawl with another girl. Or maybe a fight in the taxi queue. The women would all think I was bad news and avoid me like the plague and whisper behind my back and the blokes would all be asking if we’d had lesbian sex while we were at it. My life was doomed.

---

Peanuts & Eggcups is available on Amazon, currently priced at £3.99 on Kindle. I loved it and highly recommend it, Looking forward to Sara’s next two novels.

I’m participating in the book tour and you may like to check out some of the other blog stops on the tour.

About Sara Mendes da Costa

Sara Mendes da Costa is the voice of the BT Speaking Clock; the fourth person to hold this prestigious title since 1936.

A successful, world-renowned voiceover artist, her dulcet tones are easily recognisable on television, radio, film and across countless media.

Never far from the press, she’s known for her appearances on BBC Breakfast, ITV This Morning, Children in Need, Wake up to Wogan and The Today Programme, and balances her prolific voiceover career with her passion and commitment as a novelist.

Peanuts & Eggcups, her debut novel – hotly anticipated by the industry – is “The perfect & highly addictive reading companion for women’s fiction fans”. `

A lover of laughter, creativity, great storytelling and a wee dram, Sara adores writing novels and seeks to entertain, uplift and inspire.

Her upcoming novels: Time & Time Again & Maggie Ever After, are expected in 2017.

Visit: www.saramendesdacosta.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/speakingclock.saramendesdacosta

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BTSpeakingClock

Visit Yet Another Blogging Mummy on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Instagram

Disclosure.  This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.