Written by Paula Houseman

I loved it! 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

Published by	WildWoman Publishing (30 July 2018)
Genre	RomCom
Pages	335
ASIN	B07FZWR76L
ISBN-10	0648283631
ISBN-13	978-0648283638

My thanks to author Paula Houseman, and Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for the invitation to join the blog tour for Cupid F*cks Up and a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The blurb:

Ruth Roth is a straight shooter. Pity Cupid’s not.

Smart-mouth Ruth is an inspirational humour columnist for a popular women’s magazine. Recently divorced, she has found the love of her life. Without any help, mind you, from the little fat love god. Ruth has decided she herself is her one and only.

And she’s in a comfy place. Why wouldn’t she be? No need to yell ‘Put the bloody toilet seat down!’ No need to hoover toe-nail clippings off the carpet.

But then a silver-tongued Prince Charming fronts up in his shiny Merc and tickles her discarded, little-girl fantasies. He tells her their love is written in the stars.

It must be a misprint.

A romance with this particular PC is not so PC! Still …

Ruth’s life plays out more like ancient myth than fairytale. And what hot-blooded woman can resist forbidden fruit?

There's a problem, though. Ruth does not have a hot-blooded mum. Ruth has a pain-in-the-arse mum whose squawking disapproval cranks the taboo up a notch.

All the more reason to take up with the stud! But it means taking on the harpy.

Tensions mount, and even Ruth’s man can’t protect her from the trash-talking voices in her head. It looks like he can’t muzzle his own either. When an earth-shattering revelation causes him to give her grief, it makes her feel like she’s dating her mother.

Taking the kind of advice she doles out to her readers is not so easy, and Ruth wonders if this love can survive. More to the point, is it worth the trouble?

RomCom fiction

My thoughts:

I recently read and reviewed Houseman's first book in the Ruth Roth series, Odyssey in a Teacup, and wrote at the end of my review that I regretted not signing up for the upcoming blog tour for two other books in this series. Well, miracles happen, and Rachel offered me the chance to review both books! [Does a little dance] Whilst I'm a bit concerned about meeting my blog tour deadlines in the next couple of months, I wasn't going to pass up the chance to find out how Ruth's story continued.

So, Cupid F*cks Up is the second book in the Ruth Roth series, and picks up Ruth's story shortly after we left her in book 1.

It's the same old sarky Ruth with her doubts and fears, once again hilariously told, and this time we have a birth, a couple of deaths, two marriages, the prospect of reincarnation (for those of us who believe in that sort of thing) and the cliffhanger which provides the story link into book 3.

This is another laugh-out-loud read which I thoroughly enjoyed. The circumstances Ruth relates to us in her own inimitable voice, are all perfectly believable, and I found myself nodding along, and again making comparisons with events amongst my own friends and family.

If you enjoyed book 1, you'll absolutely love this one. I'm now off to read My T(r)oyboy is a Twat (Ruth Roth Series Book 3).

Purchase from:

Amazon UK Amazon US Amazon CA Amazon AU

Author Bio – Paula Houseman
Paula Houseman was once a graphic designer. But when the temptation to include ‘the finger’ as part of a logo for a forward-moving women’s company proved too much, she knew it was time to give away design. Instead, she took up writing. She found she was a natural with the double entendres (God knows she’d been in enough trouble as a child for dirty wordplay). As a published writer of earthy chick lit and romantic comedy, Paula gets to bend, twist, stretch and juice up universal experiences to shape reality the way she wants it, even if it is only in books. But at the same time, she can make it more real, so that her readers feel part of the sisterhood. Or brotherhood (realness has nothing to do with gender). Through her books, Paula also wants to help the reader escape into life and love’s comic relief. And who doesn’t need to sometimes? Her style is a tad Monty Pythonesque because she adores satire. It helps defuse all those gaffes and thoughts that no one is too proud of. Paula lives in Sydney, Australia with her husband. No other creatures. The kids have flown the nest and the dogs are long gone.

Author Bio – Paula Houseman

Paula Houseman was once a graphic designer. But when the temptation to include ‘the finger’ as part of a logo for a forward-moving women’s company proved too much, she knew it was time to give away design. Instead, she took up writing.

She found she was a natural with the double entendres (God knows she’d been in enough trouble as a child for dirty wordplay).

As a published writer of earthy chick lit and romantic comedy, Paula gets to bend, twist, stretch and juice up universal experiences to shape reality the way she wants it, even if it is only in books. But at the same time, she can make it more real, so that her readers feel part of the sisterhood. Or brotherhood (realness has nothing to do with gender).

Through her books, Paula also wants to help the reader escape into life and love’s comic relief. And who doesn’t need to sometimes?

Her style is a tad Monty Pythonesque because she adores satire. It helps defuse all those gaffes and thoughts that no one is too proud of.

Paula lives in Sydney, Australia with her husband. No other creatures. The kids have flown the nest and the dogs are long gone.

Other stories I've read by Paula Houseman