I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review in any way.
Published: 22nd May 2015
Description from
Goodreads:
Sun, sea and a sexy stranger - a whole lot of fun just got a lot more complicated.
Capable, confident and career-driven, Ellen had her dream job and a marriage proposal from her boyfriend Ross. Life was good, her future set. Until it wasn't and everything fell apart...
Whisked off to the beautiful island of Corfu to plan her sister Lacey's big, fat, Greek wedding, Ellen is hoping some time out will help her clear her head and heal her heart. But letting go of her past is not going to be easy.
With Lacey in full on Bridezilla mode, Ellen is soon distracted from her own problems. And when the all-inclusive hotel treats on offer at Blue Vue include one gorgeous, brooding Adonis - Yan - Ellen finds him difficult to resist.
But Ellen isn't looking for love or lust, or anything involving too much ouzo... or is she?
My relationship with Truly, Madly, Greekly was very much turbulent and changing. One minute I loved it and the next I couldn't stand Ellen.
I think it's now safe to say that I didn't really like Ellen, she was a pushover and a wet lettuce. Her ex stole thousands of pounds from her account that her mother left to her when she died, and she didn't report it to the police or tell her family, who could have actually helped her. And why did she do this I hear you ask, pride, apparently. A load of rubbish if you ask me. Then there was also the fact that she avoided answering the phone when her work called her, she was worried about some woman, although her fears on that were, honestly confusing and pointless. She was also scared that they'd found out she'd embezzled thousands of pounds from her ex's company. I actually found this act of fraud to be a redeeming quality, although giving it all away to charity was a bit too goody-two-shoes.
So Ellen wasn't my favourite character, and I was worried for a while that Truly, Madly, Greekly was a lost cause, but then Yan. I really liked him, he redeemed Ellen, so thank you Mandy Baggot for making Yan the way you did, he was lovely.
Yan is originally from Bulgaria, he left after some serious stuff went down between him and the head of the mafia. So he's earning money working in the hotel to pay for his dream of opening a childcare facility where he can teach local children. Let's just take a minute to appreciate just how darn sweet that is! He's a huge guy, with ridiculous muscles and he wants to work with children. That's only the beginning of the Yan cuteness. I'm not a fan of over the top accents or dialect in character's speech, if someone starts sprouting ridiculous Scottish terms that no one in the history of Scotland have ever said, well it can get very annoying and is a big book turn off. So with Yan being Bulgarian there was definitely the opportunity for Mandy Baggot to fall into said category. I am very relieved to say that that wasn't the case. Sure, Yan had stilted English, but this was shown through sentences that were not quite correct, rather than words taken from dialect. Mandy Baggot's use of these sentences that weren't quite right made Yan seem even sweeter, and really served to emphasise the humour between Ellen and Yan.
Ellen goes on holiday with her little sister Lacey. She's the baby of the family and treated accordingly. She's also engaged, although she didn't wear her ring and she kept flirting with the staff. Lacey irritated Ellen, sure she loved the hell out of her, but she was definitely the annoying little sister. Their dad made it Ellen's responsibility to look after Lacey and make sure she always did the right thing, which was clearly not her job. I actually really liked Lacey, she did act spoilt from time to time, but I found the fact that she was dealing with her engagement, and more specifically whether or not she actually wanted to get married was a good enough excuse.
I can definitely imagine reading Truly, Madly, Greekly while sat in front of the swimming pool or sea while on holiday. It's definitely the perfect summer holiday companion.
Have you read Truly, Madly, Greekly? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
'Truly, Madly, Greekly' by Mandy Baggot
4 Stars
Labels: 2015, 4 Stars, Book, Mandy Baggot, Published 2015, Review, Romance, Truly Madly Greekly
