I struggled to get into this book, as I found Cass a difficult character to relate to, so I gave up in the end. That was a couple of years ago and I recently decided to give it another go, as I really enjoy Trisha Ashley's books. This was a good read, but is a book of the time it was written. That's not completely a bad thing, but I think certain aspects of the book may have been portrayed differently if written more recently. I did enjoy it in the end through, once I appreciated that the character traits that I initially disliked about Cass were more to do with Max's relationship and control over her. I'm glad she realised in the end that he wasn't good for her and was able to move on and away from him.

Really enjoyable read. Good characters and a Good story. Well worth a read. Think others will enjoy.

Enjoyable romantic comedy. Our mostly likeable protagonist, Cass, needs to 're-evaluate her life choices - with a whole new perspective perhaps she can change things for the better? An amusing, quick read with a few twists and turns along the way but do note that this is a re-issue of an early book and previously published as 'Singled Out'.

Review: Another wonderful novel by Trisha Ashley, she is a firm favourite of mine so this review is totally biased ha ha. 

I adore her quirkiness that flows through her writing in all her novels. This is a re-publication and was called Singled Out. This character writes horror stories but seems to have a much more interesting life then a character in a book. I have read similar books with this plot from Trisha were a woman is desperate for a baby but can't find true love, however despite the plot being the same concept as some of her other books she creates a totally different story, with a smashing bunch of characters, which really engaged me.

A must read for all Trisha fans or anyone who is looking to become one.

Cass is a horror writer, but at 44 she is starting to wonder what she had done with her life, had she wasted the last 20 years of her life on Max....the married man who had never left his wife! Now she has realised that she wants a family of her own but but her biological clock is definitely ticking and Max had taken a job in the
States for a year and taken his wife with him!

With Max out of the way should she find someone else..... her friend Jason would certainly oblige, but she only thinks of him as a friend.... and then she meets Dante the new owner of the Haunted Manor.... could she finally move on and ditch Max?

I really enjoyed this book I loved the quirkiness of the midnight visits to the graveyard and the interwoven horror plots while all of the time willing her to dump Max

Really enjoyed this book by Trisha who has become one of my favourite authors. I hadn't read it when it was originally released as Singled Out. Loved the character of Cassie and got thoroughly immersed in the story.

Cass Leigh is a writer of horror books but her life is far more interesting than a book. Her lover of twenty years has moved to California with his wife for a year, leaving her behind to wonder about their relationship; her estranged God-fearing father leaves messages on her machine damning her to Hell; her sister uses her as an excuse when she is visiting her lover; she dresses up as a vampire to earn more money; she yearns for a baby so badly that she is considering her friend Jason as a donor despite his temperament and his strange son; she can't stand Dante, the new guy in the village, but she can't seem to be able to stay away from him; and, last but not least, she pretends to be a ghost in a haunted house to scare visitors.

It took me a while to get into this book but, once I did, I found it quite captivating. Previously published in 2003 as Singled Out, this is a very enjoyable novel with a pinch of fantasy and religious elements and full of very colourful and weird characters - there is not a normal person in the whole book. Add the small village atmosphere and the ridiculous situations that Cass keeps getting herself into and you have an hilarious and engaging novel.

Trisha world really is one of my favourite places to be. This is a re-release of an older book and so is perhaps a little rougher round the edges than the latest novels, but it is still full of warmth, wit , quirky characters and great storylines. I loved Cassie (even forgave her long term affair with a married man), loved Dante, loved Cassie's friends, didn't like Max (said married man, bit seedy) and even had a soft spot for Max's recently deceased wife as she seeks vengeance from beyond the grave! As well as being a long term mistress with a ticking biological time clock, Cassie is a writer of gothic horror novels and part time singing telegram. The plots for her novels are cleverly interwoven with the story (loved the review snippets) and her late night graveyard prowling in search of inspiration is quite amusing. She meets the new owner of the local (supposedly) haunted house and from then on we are all rooting for her and broody hero Dante to get together. The supporting cast of friends and family make for a really entertaining read - especially Cassie's god- fearing father and her odd but loveable brother. Thanks, Trisha for another comfort blanket read! I was lucky enough to have a review copy (thanks NetGalley and the publisher) but I went straight to Amazon and bought a copy for my Mum as I know she will love it too!

I found it hard to get into this story, and I don't think it is one of Trisha's best books, but then, it is one of her earlier works, having been published as 'Singled Out' around 15 years ago.

That said, I persevered (given that this was an ARC in exchange for an honest review), and I was glad I did because I found myself laughing out loud in some parts. Trisha's trademark style is present, albeit a bit less polished.

I did warm to the heroine, Cass, and felt sorry for her at times. I also liked Dante, the hero shall we say. I would have liked to have heard a bit more from him actually.

I found the Gothic parts a distraction to be honest, although I supposed they added a certain quirky charm. And that is how I would describe this book - quirky.

Trish Ashley is one of my favourite authors.
I found the first couple of chapters a bit slow to get into ,a strange family especially her father , but couldn't put it down I needed to find out who she loved in the end a great finish to the book .
I will be looking out for her next one too.

This book was originally published in 2003 under the title Singled Out. I missed it that time around, when I hadn't yet discovered Trisha Ashley, now one of my favourite author; her books never fail to entertain. This one has a different feel from the more recent ones I have read, and there's a bit of the supernatural going on, but as usual it's full to the brim with interesting characters and arresting events.



The central character in this story is Cassandra Leigh, a 44-year-old with a troubled past and a long-term married lover, Max, who appears to be stringing her along. Cass is a writer of horror novels, and we are presented with entertaining excerpts from reviews of her books at the beginning of each chapter. To give her inspiration for plots for her books, Cass lives a rather strange existence, prowling the graveyard or sitting in the church at night and writing long into the early hours; her diet is somewhat unusual as well. She has two good friends in her village, Jason and Orla, both slightly bizarre characters. As luck would have it, her village contains a Manor House which is reputedly teaming with ghosts. The arrival of a new owner, Dante Chase, gives her the opportunity to investigate that avenue, while getting to know this initially unpleasant man at the same time.



I took a few pages to get into this story, but once I was used to the format and the slightly strange characters I really enjoyed it. Although I have read other books by Trisha Ashley that I have preferred to this one, I would still recommend this as a fun read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for a copy of this book which was certainly a quirky and fun read. I got off to a slow start with it and if you do, hang on in there as it is well worth reading. A romance, series of romances, in the book. I couldn’t put it down!

Cass Leigh, horror author, singing telegram and slave for the annual church auction is an interesting character. Mistress of Max for 20 years trying to escape him unsuccessfully until Dante turns up on the scene dark, brooding and troubled. Cass and Dante are two sides of the same coin. Can they be the key to each other’s happiness. An entertaining read

A great fun romp, originally published under the title "Singled Out". This is one of Trisha Ashley's earlier novels that has a certain quirky charm, definitely more humorous in it's content.

I'm a big fan of Trisha Ashley's and was looking forward to reading this - knowing it was one of her early novels reissues under a new title and thinking it was one I hadn't read. However, it was clear to me within a few pages that I had read it back in the day - before I started obsessively tracking my reading (or possibly when I was using a different book tracker which shut down and I had to migrate across and lost a few things in the process).

Anyway, this is Singled Out under a new title and tells the story of schlock horror writer Cass, who was disowned by her parents when she took up with a married man 20 years ago and who is now wondering whether he really is the man for her at all. She's approaching her mid40s and desperately wants a baby, but Max has just taken a job in America for a year with the disabled wife he told Cass only had a few years to live two decades ago. So she starts to look around for other options - maybe her best friend Jason, but he has a wicked temper and his wife is mysteriously AWOL or there's the new mysterious bloke up at the Hall who she finds disturbingly appealing. Add to this her twin sister - always her parent's favourite - turning up suddenly out of favour and Cass's life is taking a turn.

I enjoyed this mostly for the clues it gives to what Trisha has go on to do - there's an eccentric dad, a hippy-ish heroine, the dark and brooding hero and the tight-knit female friendships that we've got used to all here in slightly proto form. This is a bit weirder and a bit less developed that once Trisha hit her stride a few novels later and Cass is one of the wetter and weirder heroines. The big absence (compared to Ashley's most recent books) is that there's no cooking. Cass lives off pub food and shop-bought pizzas and so there's no lovely collection of recipes for baking or chocolatey treats to imagine. So it may split the established fans a bit as it's so different.

Review shall be up on my blog 25/01 - thecosiestcorner.blogspot.com

I have been wanting to read a book by Trisha Ashley for agessssss. Her covers look so beautifully inviting and even the title manages to draw you in. This one is no different and as soon as I saw it on Netgalley I quickly pressed that 'Request' button!

I'd read some wonderful things about Trisha Ashley novels so of course I wanted to read one! I was just lucky when one came up on Netgalley. I was very happy that I requested to read it. Firstly, I just wanted to say how beautiful the cover of this novel is. I love the pink roses on either side of the cover and the big stately home in the background. Also, the female character at the front is dressed beautifully and quite stylishly as well!

When I first read this I wasn't too keen on Cass and her relationship with Max. Max is a married man and to read that they are having an affair was quite sad and something I definitely don't agree with. As the book went on, I actually started feeling more sorry for Cass then annoyed. She obviously is very lonely and just wants someone to love her, however is Max as good as he seems? To me, anyone who can cheat on a partner is no good. I also felt for Cass because even her family appeared to have singled her out.

Cass is eager to meet someone who loves her for who she is and whilst Max is telling Cass to wait, she is in half a mind with what to do. Friend Jason is another contender for Cass' heart, but she's not 100% sure he is the guy for her. Another character whom Cass meets is Dante, after exploring a possible haunted house. Cass has a difficult decision to make but along the way, the story has it's ups and downs for me. There are some funny moments and there are some heart wrenching moments. All of this make for fantastic and interesting reading.

Overall, although it wasn't my most favourite book of all time, I still really enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to reading some more novels by Trisha Ashley. Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for a chance to read this novel, which I have reviewed honestly.

I do love a good Trisha Ashley book!

Although this has previously been published, it wasn't one that I had read before so I was overjoyed to get the chance to read.

Cass, the main character, is absolutely bonkers. In an absolutely loveable way though and I absolutely blumming well loved her! She is part horror story writer and part vampire-a-gram and stuck in a dead end romance with Max who just happens to be married. And not in the country!

Although it is slightly dated it is actually quite refreshing to read a book that isn't all about social media so this was quite a nice change.

I enjoyed reading this and am already avidly awaiting her next book.

This is one of Trisha Ashley's earlier novels previously published as Singled Out but given a bit of a brush up and a lovely cover and re-released and it is also one of her books that I have yet to read. (I don't think there are many left now, apart from the ones that she hasn't written yet!)

Cass is a horror writer and quite a successful one at that. To keep the money coming in she occasionally dresses up as a vampire to take part in surprising people in a 'singing telegram' type of way and spends a lot of time at night in the local graveyard finding her 'muse'. 

It seems that Cass perhaps has it all, apart from one thing - a good heart to love her. She has Max but Max belongs to someone else and is perhaps not all that he seems. Her friend Jason seems to have taken a shine to her, but that might be something to do with her vampire outfit and her parents have disowned her because she as the only dark haired and dark eyed child out of six she clearly must be a throwback to a more evil time. 

But whilst taking part in a bit of ghost hunting in an alleged haunted house, Cass falls in a number of ways into Dante's arms. Trouble is she is not quite sure what happened that night, it is all a bit of a blurr and the only noise she can hear at the moment is that of her ovaries knocking!

Along the way there are plenty of complications, comic situations, jealous wives, bizarrely behaved siblings and a rather dubious diet. 

This is a fun escapist read from this author, the horror stuff weaved through, is really bad but it a wonderfully good way and I think perhaps it maybe a reminder that there is so much literature out there is something for everyone whatever your taste. 

I don't think this a true reflection of the work that Trisha Ashley can produce, her later novels are much stronger in plot, setting and characters but if you are looking for some reading which is escapist good fun then this is the book for you.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Trisha Ashley is one of my favourite authors and I absolutely loved this book

I was really looking forward to this book as so enjoy the author but wasn't one of her best I still enjoyed it and was full of second chances and loves affairs and can they work through that. I did find at times it lost its thread in the story and wasn't as good as usual but I still enjoyed it. Cass has been having a love affair with a married man for years and she's realised she is in her forties and hasn't settled down and had children and is her time running out. Max will not leave his wife as she had an accident and is disabled and he has an affair with her but she suddenly wonders if he's the man for her. His wife dies while they are away for a year and she realises she's not right with him but who does she think is best. Is it Jason a long term friend but she isn't sure then there is Dante who she strangely meets on a dark night and he's living in a new haunted manor. She realises she needs to go for someone and settle down but who is best for her.
This is funny at times along with also being sad and heartwarming.