The Love Detective

by Alexandra Potter

[Leah]

I love Alexandra Potter’s books, she’s one of my go-to Chick Lit authors, and it’s very rare she disappoints me whilst I’m reading her novels. She’s a Chick Lit stalwart, having been around for ageeees, and with her last release in 2012, it was quite thrilled to know she has a new book out in 2014, and not only that, but it’s the first in a new series, which is even better! Alexandra has never written a series of books before, and I was quite excited to see what this series would bring. The first book The Love Detective, sounded so great, and as soon as I opened the envelope with the book in, I was so happy. It looked so amazing, with it’s blue cover and flowery fonts. With the books for 2014 starting to pile up (and making me sweat) I decided to get stuck in, and I wasn’t disappointed at all.

The Love Detective introduces us to Ruby Miller, who after having her heart broken, has found she’s got herself in a bit of a rut. She spends more time talking to her sausage dog Heathcliff than her friends, and she’s suffering from a serious case of writer’s block. Her agent, Diana, tells her she needs to get away, go on holiday, leave the laptop, and England, and her heartbreak behind, so when Ruby gets a postcard from her sister Amy, who’s in India, Ruby books herself a ticket, and flies out to Goa. But on the day the sisters are meant to come back, Amy rings up Ruby at the airport and tells her not only is she not coming home, but she’s marrying her yoga instructor Shine. Ruby knows she’s got to go and stop her sister before she makes the biggest mistake of her life, and sets off to find her sister, bumping into brash American Jack on the way, and perhaps finding out that the journey she’s on isn’t just a journey to find her sister…

I could go on, and on, and on, about the plot of The Love Detective because there is so much more to it than what I’ve described above! So much more!! I could waffle on for ages, but I won’t. I absolutely loved The Love Detective, it’s probably my favourite Alexandra Potter book to date! I loved the characters so much, I thought the plot was amazing, and I loved how protective a sister Ruby was. I don’t think I’d be quite as willing to go running across India for my sister, but don’t tell my parents that. But what blew me away most, and what surprised me most, was the setting. The novel is set pretty much 98% in India and it sounds like such a wonderful country. It’s not a place I’d pick to go, if I had the choice, but Alexandra brought it to life so well, that I fell in love with the country, just as the characters did. Like Jack said, it does rather make you fall in love. Sure, it sounded jam-packed (the train scene with people hanging off and people squeezing in, sounded nightmarish) but I can imagine it’s just something you would get used to. I want to basically hop on a plane and follow in Ruby’s footsteps, especially if it gives me a Jack and a Rocky.

Being an Alexandra Potter novel, it had to have a bit of magic, and it did and I loved it, as always. It always makes me smile when I pick up on the magical bits in an Alex Potter book. She does it subtley, and well. The Love Detective had me hooked from start to finish, and I adored the characters so much. Ruby and Jack, despite their rocky (see what I did there?) beginnings, really do blossom quite well and it’s so nice to see them interact and see their relationship furthering. I quite liked Jack, I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for him. Rocky was the BEST chauffeur ever, I have to say! I loved how he was trying to match-make Jack and Ruby, and if I ever need a chauffeur I’d like it to be someone like Rocky, he was just awesome. I enjoyed the book so much, and I can’t wait for the second book, Potter has set up a pretty awesome sounding series, and I am pretty intrigued as to where she’ll be sending Ruby (and Heathcliff, and maybe even Jack??) next. I hope it won’t be too far away, because I am already excited for it, and can’t wait to read it. Go read The Love Detective, you’ll thank me, and you’ll also want to visit India, like I do, and that’s all on Alexandra.