5-Star book review for The Flood at By The Letter Book Reviews

This book review was originally posted on By The Letter Book Reviews on Sunday, May 5, 2016 as part of the #LadLitBlogTour

5/5 Stars
The Flood is the second novel in the Sex, Love & Dating Disasters series. Even though it is the second in the series it actually works really well as a stand alone as the author covers quite a lot of what happens in the first book. I would still highly recommend reading the first though as it is extremely funny.

Reading about Dan and his friends, is like meeting up with your mates who you haven’t seen for awhile.

Poor Dan seems to go from one extreme to another. Going from not having any luck with women to all of a sudden having a flurry of them. It’s obvious that disaster isn’t far behind.

From the hilarious opening chapters all the way through to the end, I was literally howling. This really is such a hilarious read and probably enjoyed best reading it alone. Believe me trying to explain to someone who hasn’t read this book why your laughing, well, let’s just not go there. My family rolled their eyes at me on more than one occasion!

There are so many great characters which in real life I would think were idiots, but you can’t help but be drawn to them. I’m not sure if there’s any characters that I’m not supposed to really like but I honestly loved them all. You certainly can’t help feeling for Dan. He may be a total prat at times but he is a loveable one.

I honestly thought I knew how this story was going to go and had it all worked out in my head how it was all going to end. Well, I couldn’t have been more wrong if I tried! Who knew a Lad Lit novel would hold something up it’s sleeve and have a few shocks and surprises in store? I certainly didn’t and it had the ending leaving me on a high, especially when I realised that this is not the end for Dan and his mates and more importantly for us readers, there is going to be another book!

The Sex, Love & Dating Disasters series has a laugh at both sexes and I think a lot of readers can relate to a lot of what goes on in the books, well as long as you weren’t a saint 😉

Many thanks to the author for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

David's Book Blurg gives The Flood a 5-star book review!!

This book review was originally posted on David's Book Blurg on Tuesday, May 17, 2016 as part of the #LadLitBlogTour

5/5 Stars
The Flood is the second novel in the Sex, Love & Dating Disasters series. If you haven’t already read my review of The Drought, check it out here.

We are back with Dan Hilles and his very unfortunate love life..If you haven’t read the first book don’t worry, the author weaves such a good story they work well as standalone tales.

If possible this book was even better than the first, for me it had more cringy moments where I found myself laughing on public transport.. at one point I even let out a little snort..not my finest moment I’ll admit.

The guys in the story are a very likeable bunch. I think the author really does give a true male perspective. Yes we can be tits sometimes but for the most part we mean no harm.. we just don’t use our brain as much as we should… and we can end up in some awkward situations just like Dan.

From the opening chapters and synopsis I thought I had a good idea what the direction the story would go in but with all the twists and turns the author throws in I literally had no idea what would happen next.. the only thing I knew for certain is that I had to keep reading.

One of the things I liked most in this book is we are introduced to some very weird and fun new characters… some were so unpredictable you just had to keep reading to see what they got up to next

If you read my reviews you’ll know I’m not one for spoilers.. but the ending blow me away.. didn’t see it coming a mile off and I’m eagerly looking forward to more from the author.

I definitely feel the characters have grown a little since the first book, although not very much ha ha they’re still the fun bunch of lads that had me laughing in The Drought.

Overall I felt this was a honest, funny and clever tale that pretty much anyone will enjoy.. how can you not 🙂

If you’re looking for a nice fun read then this is the series for you. It keeps you hooked and leaves you wanting more..

My thanks go to the author for the chance to read/review his work..it was my absolute pleasure

"I almost dropped my Kindle in the bathtub while reading in there, because I was laughing so hard" - BCF Book Reviews reviews The Flood

This book review was originally posted on BCF Book Reviews on Sunday, May 1, 2016 as part of the #LadLitBlogTour

4/5 Stars
I was fortunate enough to review the first book in this series, (The Drought) a few years back (you can see my review HERE) and found it pants-wettingly hilarious, so when I was offered the chance of reviewing the sequel, I grabbed it with both hands, expecting to once again bust a gut laughing.

I was not disappointed!

The Flood picks up where we left Dan and his pals. A spanner has been thrown in the works of Dan’s love life, and his friends, Rob, Jack and Ollie, are there to lend him a shoulder to cry on. Oh, wait, hang on, this is LAD LIT, not chick lit – the guys would laugh Dan out of the pub if he cried like a big girl! Instead they’re there to poke fun at his total lack of prowess with the ladies, and get him into situations he’d do far better staying well out of. But if Dan didn’t get into trouble, we wouldn’t have this gem of a comedy to amuse us, and that would be a crying shame!

The lads are fleshed out more roundly, and we see a little more of what makes them all tick. Jack was still incredibly annoying (I don’t know – maybe it’s a girl thing, but I wouldn’t touch him with a barge pole!), but I found Rob strangely attractive – is he showing a slightly more sensitive side? I’ll leave you to be the judge of that. And Ollie, well, even the thickest of mates can occasionally be the wisest and most astute, and his seemingly naive words, more often than not, provide the advice that helps Dan the most.

Then there’s the introduction of a new Welsh workmate who isn’t black enough, and an absolutely insane flatmate with a dog obsession that had me almost falling out of my chair. More than once, I snorted coffee out of my nose whilst reading this book, and on one occasion I almost dropped my Kindle in the bathtub while reading in there, because I was laughing so hard – I couldn’t put it down!

Seriously, whether or not you are a fan of lad lit, if you like a good laugh, this is the book for you. Just make sure you read The Drought first to really get the most out of this sequel, (you can get it FREE from Amazon until the end of Monday 2nd May – just click HERE) then continue Dan’s hapless adventures in dating with The Flood. Never has a reversal of fortunes been so funny!

"The Flood can definitely be read as a stand alone... I was smiling the whole way through" - The Flood book review (taken from Rachel's Random Reads)

This book review was originally posted on Rachel's Random Reads on Thursday, April 28, 2016 as part of the #LadLitBlogTour

My only slight regret with regard to this book, is that I didn't make the time to read The Drought first, and that is purely because I loved the writing so much in The Flood, that I'm already longing for more. The Flood can definitely be read as a stand alone and enjoyed as such, and I was smiling the whole way through.

My first impressions of this book, was that it reminded me a bit of that 90s TV programme, Men Behaving Badly, especially with regards some of the humour. I find that humour is subjective, so although this didn't have me rolling on the floor with laughter, as I may have been hoping, I did find it very amusing, and there are some brilliant one liners.

In fact any time Olly or Steph said something they got either a giggle or an eye roll from me, depending on the exact level of stupidity they were displaying. They are loveable characters, just unfortunately a bit dim, or as Olly said for himself at one point, that he needed to work on his "vocadbury".

If you are a person who doesn't like reading about men dating multiple people at one time, then this may not be the best book for you. However this is fiction, none of these women got hurt in the making of the book, and it is all a bit of fun, especially for a group of four lads in their twenties, as a result of a very drunken bet.

The Flood is a brilliant example of the Lad Lit genre between its sense of humour and the overall storylines and situations the characters find themselves in. This is emphasised by Dan and the four women he attempts to date simultaneously which include his ex-girlfriend, a stalker, the office ice queen who loves bad boys and the girl he has previously messed up two previous dates with.

We also get to know all of Dan's friends really well, and with the introduction of reasonably naive lad into the group, who needs Jack's expert tuition to be better with the ladies. There are chat up lines galore in this book, as well as drunken hijinx, a very weird flatmate, the stalker's stalker, and all manner of weird and wonderful happenings.

All I am going to say at this point is that books ends with those three words can really bug a person, and I am really looking forward to the next edition of this Sex, Love and Dating Disasters series. I think Steven Scaffardi is definitely a talent to be watched in this genre.

"Brilliantly written, character driven, laugh out loud funny….. Steven Scaffardi makes writing comedy look easy!" - Chat About Books reviews The Flood

This book review was originally posted on Chat About Books on Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Having read The Drought (Sex, Love and Dating disasters, Book 1) not so long ago (You can find my review here – The Drought) I just had to read The Flood as soon as I possibly could.

These books are just hilarious!! If you fancy a laugh, give them a go, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.

I have thoroughly enjoyed catching up with Dan, Rob, Ollie and Jack (amongst others) again, but especially Dan. I definitely have a soft spot for him. He really needs to chill out and go with the flow a bit more. He tries far too hard, in an attempt to impress the ladies, and in doing so gets himself into all sorts of awkward situations!! (The men’s toilet scene with Dan and Ronnie! LOL!!!!!! One of many hilarious moments.)

In contrast to The Drought, where Dan fails to get his leg over for what seems like an eternity, The Flood sees him trying to juggle four different women and not at all successfully, bless him. It makes for a highly amusing read though. I loved it!

Brilliantly written, character driven, laugh out loud funny….. Steven Scaffardi makes writing comedy look easy!

I can’t wait for Book 3!

Amy's Bookish Life gives The Flood a four-star book review!

This book review was originally posted on Amy's Bookish Life on Tuesday, May 10, 2016 as part of the #LadLitBlogTour

4/5 Stars
After reading The Drought and absolutely loving it, I had really high hopes for The Flood. I was really looking forward to getting stuck in and following the adventures of Dan Hilles once more.

After his eight month 'drought' Dan Hilles is ready to put his dating disasters behind him and get back in the driving seat, if only things were that simple. After a drunken afternoon, Dan bets his three friends that he can juggle multiple women at the same time within eight weeks. Sure enough, this isn't plain sailing as Dan soon finds out how hard it is to date four different women without them all finding out about each other. Things soon come to ahead in comical circumstances.

The Flood, like it's predecessor was absolutely hilarious, in a hurt your ribs laughing kind of way. I feel that in this book Dan got himself into more awkward situations than he did in The Drought. Some of them involving pub toilets, giant dogs, a strange flatmate, unfortunate train situations and fights. It was certainly humour at it's best. Like with The Drought it was so hard to stop myself from laughing when reading it in public and I certainly did get a few strange looks, which I couldn't care less about.

All the same characters that I'd grown to love in The Drought were back for The Flood such as Rob, Jack and Ollie and there were also new characters introduced which I found myself loving such as Ieuan and Steph. I found it quite endearing how Jack took Ieuan under his wing and called him 'Iron'. It was little things like that that made the book what it was. I found Dan in The Flood to be somewhat of a lovable prat. I found myself rolling my eyes and the lies he told and the predicaments he got himself into, but at the end of the day I couldn't stop myself from liking him. I think I liked him more in this, than I did in The Drought which I was quite shocked about to be honest.

What I also enjoyed about The Flood was the fact that yes we got the male perspective of things which we had in The Drought, but we also got to see a female perspective as well. In The Drought we didn't really find out a lot about the girls Dan was perusing, however in The Flood we got to find out a lot more about them. I found it rather interesting how my perception of Denise, Dan's 'stalker' changed after finding out some rather shocking things about her. I just found it to be a great thing to have the women in the story more of central thing in this book.

I found The Flood to be a great follow up to The Drought. It was full of the typical British lad humour that I'd come to expect and I couldn't stop myself from laughing. I love how the story ended on a cliffhanger leaving us wanting more and I for one cannot wait to read the next book in the series.

"If you want a book to make your eyes water, make your stomach hurt and cheer you up immensely you can't go far wrong with this one." BCB & More reviews The Flood

This book review was originally posted on BCB & More on Sunday, May 8, 2016 as part of the #LadLitBlogTour

I came across Steven Scaffardi back in 2011 and his novel The Drought. This book has had a massively lasting impact on me and was (and still is) one of the funniest books I had read in a long time. It's a book that seems suited to most people and I think fits the bill in terms of women and men and I know that it was a massive success among my own circle of friends. Since then I have stayed in touch with Steven and been constantly hassling him as to when book 2 was out. It seemed that Steven's real life took precedence (how dare he) but now he has got around to releasing book 2 and it was definitely worth the wait. If you haven't read him before do yourself a favour and buy Book The Flood as well as the follow up, his latest release, The Flood (Book 2).

4/5 Stars
So finally I could delve back into the life of Dan Hiles and his equally crazy friends. Dan Hiles is again allowing himself to be led into stupid bets, and book 2 proves that when he takes a bet. Four girls, eight weeks and multiple dates. Dan's friends Jack, Rob and Ollie are largely responsible for the booze fuelled night where Dan accepts the bet but these three characters are also a must have staple for these books. Although Dan takes centre stage as we see his ridiculous attempts to complete the bet, his friends are there for the journey which makes the book even more funny.

MANY people reading this will be able to empathise with friends like Dan's. As we travel along with Dan things seem to take a more and more ridiculous turn with every bad decision he makes. For me the fact that Dan is a walking disaster makes the book even funnier. Now for some they may read the synopsis and think it's not up to much. The truth is, if you have a wicked sense of humour I cannot see anything you would find as a negative with this book.

It covers all types of situations, the sexist, the ridiculous and the outlandish. However add to that mix a bunch of brilliantly written characters both male and female, along with some excellent scenes that will have you belly laughing and you're on to a winner. Some people may wonder why I am praising this the hilt and then only give it 4 stars? Well the truth is the first book was SO funny that I accidentally spat my tea out while laughing really hard and managed to annoy the commuter in front of me. For me that initial book will always be my favourite and this one didn't quite match it. Other than that, there is nothing negative I can say about this book. I'm astounded a publisher doesn't demand to sign a deal with him as he has all the skill and talent of other Published male authors such as Mike Gayle and Matt Dunn.

If you want a book to make your eyes water, make your stomach hurt and cheer you up immensely you can't go far wrong with this one. I for one am waiting with baited breath for the next instalment which I have a sneaking suspicion will be even better!

Four-star book review for The Flood (taken from Hey Said Renee)

This book review was originally posted on Hey Said Renee on Friday, May 6, 2016 as part of the #LadLitBlogTour

This story of the nice guy trying to be a bad boy had me laughing out loud on several occasions. This is the second book in the series and although I really enjoyed it without reading the first book, I think The Flood would have been even better if I'd read The Drought.

The style of writing reminded me of the self depreciating humour of a stand up comedian (probably because, as it turns out, the author is a stand up comedian). I enjoyed the insight into the inner workings of a man's mind. The eclectic collection of women he was attempting to date at the same time had me hurling advice Dan's way, then the ridiculous situations he ended up in had me saying "I told you so".

If you're looking for some fun escapism, grab both these books, then wait with bated breath for the next one. Please tell me there will be a next one!

The Flood by Steven Scaffardi book review (taken from My Book File)

This book review was originally posted on My Book File on Sunday, March 6, 2016

4/5 Stars
Dan Hilles is ready to spice up his love life after eight months of drought. After spending the afternoon in the pub with his three best friends, he makes a bet. He has to date four women simultaneously in eight weeks, without them finding out about each other, just to prove a point. Dan is more than ready for the Flood to come his way. What could possibly go wrong?

I received a free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

“The text alert pierced my ear drums like someone has just plunged a needle into the side of my head. Blinking hard, my eyes momentarily struggled to recognise my own bedroom.”

Meet Dan Hilles. A great guy living in London, a nice guy… with a hangover and no idea what has happened, only to discover that during the night he somehow ended up in the same bed with two of his friends. From that point onwards it seems like the unimaginable happens to Dan. He gets his very own stalker, his new roommate is somewhat mental, he gets another chance with the girl who’s got away, he gets a chance to make the ultimate man-dream come true and he can make some money by winning a bet. But is anything ever easy when a woman is involved? And Dan has not just one but four women to worry about at the same time, because that is part of the bet. Will he pull it off or will he fall into a death-trap?

I confess that I was nearly dying of laughter most of the time while reading this book. First of all I think it’s great that this book gives mostly a man’s perspective of things but also a woman’s perspective on some occasions. Secondly I loved the use of language in this book. I can imagine that some people might find it a little to direct sometimes but I had no problem with that whatsoever and I loved the way Scaffardi put thing down in such a matter-of-fact-way that even the most bizarre events seem completely logical. Some of the stuff that happens to Dan seems so surreal but at the same time he and all that he goes through are so relatable. I mean let’s be honest we all have, or some of us are in fact, that somewhat unlucky friend. Here’s a small example of what I mean with the above:

“I carefully tried to navigate the phone out of my pocket without inappropriately touching any of the people who were cramped around me, but of course all I succeeded in doing was brushing my hand down the back of the bald guy in a completely unintentionally seductive way.”

This small passage comes from a scene where Dan is train. There are loads of people there and I guess that most of us have been in this situation once or twice (or maybe more often). It’s so relatable, I loved it, I really did. There are so many of these small things in life that have been put in this book, it’s just a great touch to the whole. Then there are the characters. The interaction between the characters are just great and the situations they get themselves into… well what can I say it’s just hilarious. What I liked about most characters is that they were well formed, they were not just portraying one sort emotion or any one-dimensional trait but they changed during the book. The minor characters are not just there either! Some of them are able to make a specific scene, like the bald guy in the train.

So in short:
I think this was great and I had fun reading it. Dan is a nice protagonist, the use of language suits the story and the characters will take you from one crazy situation into another. Overall I think it was just a great romance/comedy/chicklit kind of novel and I’m really looking forward to the next one, though I think that may take a while :’)