I recently discovered some fantastic and hilarious books by Paula Houseman. I cannot wait to share these with you, so let’s get right into it.

‘Paula Houseman is found treasure. My face kept a near-constant smirk and my reading of this vibrant and cleverly amusing story was frequently and forcefully interrupted, as I was laughing so hard I could not see … The storylines and writing were highly entertaining and I was hard pressed to put my Kindle down.’ — DJ Sakata of Honolulubelle (Amazon Top 50 Reviewer)

Excerpt

The only blot on the landscape was the scandalmongering Olive Portnoy and her ramshackle cottage.

Her front yard looked like the suburb’s central waste facility. Many of the neighbours had complained to the council, who sent their people out. These pen pushers had to be seen to be doing something, but nothing changed.

I ran out one morning when I saw a short, dumpy, whiskered, white-haired inspector surveying her house. He held a clipboard against his protuberant belly and was writing something on an official-looking form when I approached him. I told him what I thought. 

He agreed that the yard was extremely cluttered, but in his opinion nothing really constituted a fire hazard—not even the odd weed poking out through the broken concrete that was littered with car parts, an upended birdbath, flowerless flowerpots, rusted-out appliances, newspapers, and plastic crates.

Yeah, well, what about the army of garden gnomes? I’d asked him. Of the twenty or so of these little bearded fuckers with their red pointy hats, seven held guns—one even had a bazooka! What about firearm regulations? I’d asked him. I wasn’t being serious but I didn’t much like that he’d snorted his disdain and eyed me with contempt.  

Oh, yes. Go ahead and disparage me and my concerns, I’d thought. You … you fat, jollyless bastard with your gold-plated pension just around the corner. Maybe you could don a red pointy hat and retire in her garden as Bad Santa. And I hope that when you don’t deliver, the others shoot you with their clay weapons. In the balls. Maybe then you’ll have more respect for gun laws! Ho ho ho.

My review

Ms. Houseman’s writing is magic. She combines romance, love, psychology, mythology, quirky characters you can’t help but fall in love with, and other quirky characters you’ll want to kick in the pants—hard. On top of all that, she has given us an utterly hilarious story that will have you laughing/snort-laughing/spluttering along the way. If you care what people think, I suggest you read this book in private. Warning: do not consume hot coffee while reading Cupid F*cks Up for the safety of your Kindle and your nostrils. Five out of five laughed-my-*ss-off stars. Don’t miss out on this series.

My review

Five stars

Another fantastic book by Paula Houseman. Once again, Ms. Houseman incorporates her unusual mix of everyday life, in-depth psychology, and fascinating mythology, with laugh-out-loud humour. The one thing that really set this book apart from the first two in the series was the angst. I wondered at one point whether the protracted heartache was going to do me in! I loved the combination of hilarity and heartache; Ms. Houseman does it well. And the ending? Oh boy, I need to read book four immediately. Let’s hope the wait isn’t too long.

Behind the scenes

Paula Houseman is an Australian author living in Sydney. I am an Australian author living in Thailand. I may have mentioned—here and there, once or twice (fifteen times, max)—that I miss certain foods from home. When I told Paula that the heartache in book three almost killed me, she sent me an Aussie nostalgia sustenance pack to help with the heartache. What a woman, I thought.

Then I received this:

Followed by another care package.

Are you seeing a theme here? Yes! You’re right. She takes a bite out of everything she sends me. I’ve been told it’s all about caring, sharing and weight-bearing. That she’s looking after my figure at the expense of her own. 🙄

Don’t think about the meat pie. Don’t do it. Don’t. Don’tdon’tdon’tdon’t.

…

SHE BIT THE FREAKING MEAT PIE! 🤬

I have the bitten pie image, but I’m saving it for my Australia Day post later this week. I’ll have a bunch of suggestions on how you can celebrate Australia Day. And, most importantly, there’ll be an interview with Ms. Houseman, where you can get the inside scoop on her books. You’ll love the interview; it’s an absolute laugh riot.

In the meantime, you can check out Paula Houseman’s books here:

Amazon: Odyssey in a Teacup | Cupid F*cks Up | My Troyboy is a Twat

Smashwords | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo | Booktopia (Cupid F*cks Up & My Troyboy is a Twat) 

And you can find Paula Houseman at these places:

Twitter | Goodreads | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram

Or you may find her in a corner somewhere, nibbling my food. 😉

Until next time, take care and happy reading. x Sayara

Website | Amazon Page | Twitter | Facebook