Safe With Me - K L Slater

About the book...

Thirteen years ago someone did something very bad to Anna. Now it’s her turn to get even … 

Anna lives a solitary existence, taking solace in order and routine. Her only friend is the lonely old lady next door. She doesn’t like to let people to get too close – she knows how much damage they can do. 

Then one ordinary day Anna witnesses a devastating road accident and recognises the driver as Carla, the woman who ruined her life all those years ago. Now it’s Anna’s chance to set things straight but her revenge needs to be executed carefully … 

First she needs to get to know Liam, the man injured in the accident. She needs to follow the police investigation. She needs to watch Carla from the shadows… 

But as Anna’s obsession with Carla escalates, her own secrets start to unravel. Is Carla really dangerous or does Anna need to worry about someone far closer to home? 

A compelling, gripping psychological thriller, perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train and The Sister. 

About the Author...

KL Slater went back to university at the age of 40 where she studied for an English & Creative Writing degree and also an MA in Creative Writing.

She lives in Nottingham with her husband, Mac, and has one grown-up daughter, Francesca.

Her first psychological thriller, Safe With Me, is published by Bookouture

Connect with the author:

Twitter: @KimLSlater 

Website: www.klslaterauthor.com

My thoughts...

I was offered an ecopy of Safe With Me by K L Slater as part of a Blog Tour organised by Kim at Bookouture in exchange for an honest review, something which I'm more than happy to give.

I don't know how they do it but Bookouture keep producing debut authors like rabbits out of a magicians hat - each one more fantastic than the last!

This book was no exception we are introduced to the main character Anna who for reasons we're not sure of straight away has chosen to live a solitary existence, keeping everyone at arms length having no friends to talk of other than her elderly, next door neighbour.

As seems to be the normal at the minute the chapters are spit between the present day and  thirteen years previous - each telling a story of now and then until they collide in the middle in a way that made me want to read with my eyes shut - if that made sense.

Anna witnesses an accident that sets off a train of events that had me running down blind alley's and barking up the wrong tree time and again as she plans the perfect execution of REVENGE against the woman who she holds responsible for ruining her life thirteen years ago.  

This is a story where obsession and revenge are played out in such a way that you find yourself sucked into the moment with Anna as she befriends Liam and his family.  Liam being the victim of an RTA caused by Carla - the woman from Anna's past.  The way she ingratiated herself into his and his families lives was something else.  I kept having to shake my head and tell myself it was just a story.  She really was a smooth operator. How an apparently quiet loner can turn into an unbalanced psychotic nutter whilst appearing normal on the outside was most un-nerving. It was so subtle and gradual I think any of us would have be blinded by her.

A fantastic debut with so many twists it'll keep you guessing til the end - I just loved it- if that's a phrase you can use?  Perhaps hypnotised by the words would be better, thank you so much Kim for suggesting I might love this book, you know me so well I did and some! I shall be looking closely at any approaches from seemingly lovely, quiet people and firmly keeping my distance in the future.

This is a book that readers of psychological thrillers will love, watch this space K L Slater is heading to be one of those must read authors, the ones you just buy the book just because it's written by them - forgetting the cover or the blurb.  A definite debut author with a buzz.

The Secret - Katerina Diamond

About the book...

When Bridget Reid wakes up in a locked room, terrifying memories come flooding back – of blood, pain, and desperate fear. Her captor knows things she’s never told anyone. How can she escape someone who knows all of her secrets?

As DS Imogen Grey and DS Adrian Miles search for Bridget, they uncover a horrifying web of abuse, betrayal and murder right under their noses in Exeter.

And as the past comes back to haunt her, Grey must confront her own demons. Because she knows that it can be those closest to us who hurt us the most…

About the author...

Katerina Diamond was born in Weston in the seventies, and her parents owned a fish and chip shop in the Greek community. She moved to Thessaloniki in Greece and attended Greek school where she learnt Greek in just 6 months. After her parents’ divorce, they relocated to Devon. After school, and working in her uncle’s fish and chip shop, she went (briefly) to university at Derby, where she met her husband and had two children. Katerina now lives in the East Kent Coast with her husband and children. This is her first novel.

Author post...

Songs I Love with a Secret Theme

Being a bit of a vanilla goth I like a lot of dark music and secrets are often at the heart of that darkness: something no one is allowed to know about, a confidence. I like songs that make me feel a bit uncomfortable – much like anything else in life I like to be challenged, particularly with regards to aspects of my own character that I would ordinarily try to deny. Plus, songs about secrets are a bit sexy.

The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret – Queens of the stone age

Well, the whole tone of this song really pulls you in: you listen out for the secret, wait for it, but it never comes. It’s just making sure we know there is a secret to be told and if anyone finds out there will be a problem. Queens of the stone age have a few songs with this general feeling, but another along the same lines is the cracker ‘No One Knows’ – with comes with a great video (and Dave Grohl - Foo Fighters/Nirvana - on drums)

Somewhere Only We Know – Keane

This is more a nostalgic notion of a secret, something shared and personal – something that’s known by two people. It could be a place or it could be a feeling. Whenever I hear this song I think of the children’s book The Secret Garden which was one of my favourite stories as a child. I imagine fingers foraging through walls of ivy to find a hidden latch to a hidden door.

Dirty Little Secret – All American Rejects

It’s worth looking for this video if you haven’t seen it. A group of people have written their secrets on notecards and are holding them in front of their face. Some of the secrets there I can really identify with, things I wouldn’t necessarily even think to admit about myself. I think it’s fascinating the things people are ashamed to admit about themselves.

Just – Radiohead

Well, the song itself isn’t about secrets but the video is just brilliant. A man walking down the street stops and lies down, people walk past, each demanding to know what’s wrong with him and why he is lying down, he says he can’t tell them, but they push and push until eventually he does. Then more and more people lie down as they find out the secret; it leaves them debilitated and unwilling to carry on and people keep asking, knowing that they might also lie down if they find out the answer – even knowing that, they still ask. I think it demonstrated perfectly the need to know secrets and answers, even if we know the truth will hurt us.

My thoughts...

First off I received some interesting book post - a cup cake with a severed finger and then the book - The Secret by Katerina Diamond.  My first thoughts were how cool, brilliant marketing I can't wait to read the book, closely followed by I'm a bit freaked out - I know it's not a real finger - least I hope it's not but..... So when Helena at Avon asked if I'd like to be part of a very 'secret' blog tour for The Secret I jumped at the chance.

This was one of those books that took only pages to sink into.  Within eight pages there was three brutal murders and the tension was palpable.  The story beginning in a brothel with one prostitute escaping murder but quite quickly it's apparent it was her the killers were looking for and now she's on the run.

The Secret is fast paced, gritty and a breathe holding read. Based around an undercover police investigation in Exeter with links to another case and the the Plymouth police force. An undercover officer has gone missing and the clock is ticking for Inspectors Imogen Grey and partner Adrian Miles to find DS Bridget Reid.  They need  to infiltrate the gang responsible for some of the most serious crime in the area.  We're talking serious bad boys, drugs, weapons, prostitution, human trafficking and money laundering headed by the most corrupt villains in the UK.  The story is told from many angles and swings back and forth between the present day and Plymouth two years earlier. The advantage with this is that we glean some back history about Imogen and the reasons behind her transfer to Exeter along with some cross over of characters.  People she thought she had left behind appear here as if to taunt her and remind her of some of her darkest times and the reason she spent a year on the sick! 

This was one of those stories that I was glad I read in the daytime - scenes so graphic and gory I wanted to close the book, but the story was such I couldn't leave it alone.  Katerina Diamond doesn't waste time padding out and fluffing up the story she just dives straight getting to the point and leaving nothing to the imagination - her descriptions are graphic and to the point and will leave you open mouthed and 'Oh My Godding' every other page.

This book is a like a game of cat and mouse, with the protagonist changing with each chapter.  My thoughts and feelings changed more times than in any other book I've read. I worked things out in my own head only to have my opinions changed in the next chapter - knowing who to trust was difficult to decide, made more difficult by some of the police working under cover - what was real and what was not became blurred.

Life should be about discovering new things, pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone and trying different things.  I liked the synopsis for this book and really wanted to read it yet I sit here now a couple of weeks after finishing it and I'm still trying to process my thoughts. The content was definitely more graphic than I usually read but was so compelling I just had to read on.

Would I recommend it? - absolutely.  It has to be one of the best written books I've read in a long time. It's darker than most of my friends would read, and when asked if I enjoyed it I'm almost hesitant to say yes, it feels wrong for so many reasons - anyone who has read it will know what I'm talking about. 

I'd urge anyone who enjoys a really good book, that'll make you think, is happy to be shifted outside of their comfort zone to give it a go.  It'll stay with you long after the final page but that's a good thing.  The best kind of book in my opinion is a book that makes you think, that keeps you guessing and Katerina did this with panache.  There are several twists in virtually every chapter that had me virtually talking to myself, silently praying and almost too scared to read on in case I didn't like the outcome, I'm so glad I did and urge you all to read it too.

Christmas Under a Starlit Sky - Holly Martin

About the book...

Step inside a beautiful winter wonderland where love, laughter and cosy nights by the fire will make this Christmas one to remember. 

Neve Whitaker loves managing the Stardust Lake hotel. She gets to work alongside her wonderful family and she’s spending Christmas on the most enchanting, snow-covered island in Scotland. So why is her heart so heavy this festive season? 

It might have something to do with the gorgeous actor Oakley Rey, the man she finished with before he left for California and the man she loves more than anything. With Oakley’s career in Hollywood soaring, Neve is convinced she’d only hold him back. She had to end it with him – at least that’s what she keeps telling herself. 

But now she has a secret she’s struggling to keep, and when Oakley arrives on Juniper Island determined to win her back, Neve is thrown off balance. Will Neve’s fear of having her heart broken again push Oakley away for good, or is it time for her to take a leap of faith? 

Get swept away by this deliciously sweet and heartwarming tale, and spend an unforgettable Christmas on Juniper Island. 

About the author...

I studied media at university which led to a very glitzy career as a hotel receptionist followed by a even more glamorous two years working in a bank. The moment that one of my colleagues received the much coveted carriage clock for fifteen years service was the moment when I knew I had to escape. I quit my job and returned to university to train to be a teacher. Three years later, I emerged wide eyed and terrified that I now had responsibility for the development of thirty young minds. I taught for four years before History Off The Page came to my school to do a Tudor day. I now drive round the country in my little white van, dressing up as a Viking one day and an Egyptian High Priestess the next.

I love to write. The characters do exactly what I want them to do, most of the time. Sometimes they do seem to go off and do their own thing without my permission. It is complete escapism into a world where I have full control.

I've been writing for four years now, every spare second I have, I'm scribbling ideas in a notebook or typing a scene on my laptop. I have written three romantic fiction books. Changing Casanova and The Chainsaw Masquerade were recently shortlisted for the Festival of Romance New Talent Award. My short story, One Hundred Proposals, won the Belinda Jones Travel Club short story competition and was published in the Sunlounger anthology.

My thoughts...

I received an ecopy of this book from Holly's publishers Bookouture in exchange for an honest review - something which I'm more than happy to give.

Christmas Under a Starlit Sky is book two in The Town Called Christmas Series and seamlessly picks up where book one, Christmas Under a Cranberry Sky ended.  This book sees the focus shift to Neve Whittaker - Gabe's sister and manager of the Stardust Lake Hotel and her estranged boyfriend, hunky actor Oakley Rey.

I literally couldn't wait to head back to Juniper Island and the idyllic Town Called Christmas - I have totally bought into the whole package and have spent fruitless hours scouring the internet for this dream location - it's perfect in every way.

In Christmas Under a Cranberry Sky Holly wove a story that wrapped itself around my heart and with Christmas Under a Starlit Sky she's just pulled the strings a little bit tighter - it has it all.  Misunderstandings, secrets, drama, surprises, love and romance - all in a setting to die for.  

Whilst the main focus is on Neve and Oakley and their relationship, which Neve ended because she didn't want to hold him back in his career as an actor we always get to catch up with Gabe, Pip and the the cutie-pie Wren as they are fast becoming a tight knit, little family.  There is also an insight into the softer side of Luke, Gabe and Neve's brother as love  quietly blossoms between him and Audrey.  We also see assistant manager Adam falling in love with Ivy, an artist living and working in A Town Called Christmas after he is part of the search party when she goes missing after a morning walk.

Book two is has slightly more drama than book one and love doesn't run quite as smoothly but Juniper Island has a way of sucking you in and blinding you to any flaws.  The characters all feel like people I'd really like and I was rooting all the way for each and everyone of them.  I quietly oohed and ahed and wished for happy endings and trust me Holly Martin delivers with bells on top - my only disappointment is I haven't been able to book a trip to Juniper Island and the Stardust Lake Hotel yet!  Send me a link please Holly :)

Cupcakes & Confetti (The little Wedding Shop by The Sea - Book 1) - Jane Linfoot

The Little Wedding Shop by the Sea - Book 1

About the book...

The perfect romance to take on your summer hols! For fans of Milly Johnson, Jenny Oliver and Lucy Diamond.

Brides by the Sea, the cutest little wedding shop in all of Cornwall, has it all, including cake baker Poppy who lives upstairs. But wedding planning is not the piece of cake Poppy thought it would be, and when her best friend Cate’s wedding planner walks out, Poppy has to tie up the loose ends so her bestie can tie the knot.

Double-booked venues, ‘rustic’ locations and gorgeous but grumpy farmer Rafe have this wedding pro feeling like she could be Cate’s ‘something blue.’

Will the wedding, the shop and the cake all come crashing down on her? Or will Poppy pull it off to give Cate – and herself – the happy ever afters they deserve?

About the author...

I write happy fiction, with feisty heroines and lots of heart. 

Writing is cool, because I get to wear pretty shoes instead of wellies. I live in a mountain kingdom in Derbyshire, England, where my family and pets are kind enough to ignore the chaos – happily, we’re in walking distance of a supermarket.

I love hearts, flowers, happy endings, all things vintage & most things french. When I’m not on facebook or twitter, and can’t find an excuse for shopping, I’ll be walking, or gardening. On days when I want to be really scared, I ride a tandem.

Author links:-

Author Page Facebook

Personal Page Facebook 

Twitter @janelinfoot

Pinterest

Website: http://www.janelinfoot.co.uk

My thoughts...

This is the first book in the Cupcakes & Confetti series and what a delightful read it was.  It has it all happy bits, sad bits, hopeful bits, hopeless bits but most of all it'll make you smile and at times laugh out loud as the story unfolds. 

The main character Poppy, once a successful marketing guru, responsible for some of the best known food marketing campaigns is back in Devon mending a broken heart whilst baking cakes living and working above a wedding emporium owned by her straight talking, honest and organised, friend Jess.  Her heart having been broken by ex, Brett - an actor who led her to believe marriage was on the cards before suddenly and abruptly heading into the sunset with someone else.

Poppy is joined in the story by childhood best friends Immie and Cate and somehow finds herself applying for a job as a wedding co-ordinator at Daisy Hill Farm after the previous planner suddenly upped and left.  And all because she wants to save Cate's wedding which is booked there later in the year.

Interview day dawns and a nervous Poppy finds herself confronted by the grumpy, non-communicative, farm owner, Rafe.  He's grumpy, bad tempered and just wants someone to get them through the existing bookings, the plan then is to close the wedding business down - he hasn't read her CV but Immie who also works for him, managing and cleaning his holiday cottage lettings has recommended her so that's good enough for him.  

Jane Linfoot has created characters you'll adore - Poppy is low, dis-interested in her own life but loves her friends and is easily coaxed into doing things to help them out - her character has been sapped by the domineering Brett and she is definitely off romantic relations.  Being around all the loved up couples wasn't easy, reminding her of what she had lost. 

Daisy Hill farm owner Rafe is fierce and moody but clearly reliable, determined to see out his obligations with the pre-booked weddings and then wants nothing more to do with them - he's not very communicative and sparks fly when Poppy finds she has to share an office with him and madly for her, his chickens!  

Cate is marrying for the second time, has three children by her first husband a fourth with Liam her husband to be.  She wants everything to be perfect this time around and her wedding is fast turning into a circus - literally. She's so lovely though you can't help but smile as she adds more and more outlandish things to the wedding with no regard of the cost.

Immii is a bit dippy, free spirited and just lovely - she firmly has Poppy's back and knows this job is just what Poppy needs to pull herself out of the doldrums and remember how to live for herself not someone else.

Enter the gorgeous, blue eyed photographer Jules who quickly makes himself indispensable and all of a sudden Poppy finds herself on the receiving end of his attentions - something she definitely wasn't expecting or wants.

The chapters of this book are split into months and the year begins in February and quickly speeds to October as Poppy wings it, organising wedding after wedding that is hampered by chaos, mishaps and mistakes - all successfully hidden from the happy couples who just get to see and feel love and romance all around them.

This is a proper feel-good book.  Perfect for a lazy afternoon curled up on the sofa.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading and watching like a voyeur as the story unfolded, all the characters opening up and growing in confidence and stature.  Poppy and Rafe pushing each others buttons - both fiery and hot-headed then remorseful and calm.  The wedding couples some lovely, some not, unexpected births both human and animal and the chaos that ensues because of them.  Not everyone is what they seem though and when the chips are down it's surprising to see who steps up to the mark.  A gentle romantic, easy read with plenty of fizz - a book that's not all gooey but has depth without being too deep.  Jane gives just enough insight and background into characters to make you feel a connection and I most loved Jess's attitude to any problem - prosecco or gin - often both!  I for one cannot wait until book 2 - Sequins and Snowflakes.

The Christmas Cake Cafe - Sue Watson

About the book… 

Heart-warming and hilarious, a story that will make you laugh, cry and bring a smile to your face.  Get ready for another deliciously amazing Christmas treat from Sue Watson…. 

As the Prosecco chills and Bing Crosby croons, Jen Barker just knows that her long-term boyfriend is about to propose.  But instead of a diamond ring nestled in her champagne flute, Jen finds cold flat rejection.  Her once perfect life and dreams of a husband and family seem even further from reach.  

A working holiday to the Swiss Alps with her younger sister Jody might not be the Christmas Jen had it mind, but it offers her the chance to recharge her batteries and recover from heartbreak. 

When Jen meets handsome ski instructor Jon Zutter her hopes for a happy-ever-after seem within her grasp again. Jon is kind and gorgeous and as they bond over Sachetorte at the picturesque Cake Café, Jen thinks he might just be her perfect man. But a relationship with him comes with a catch – and there are some things even cake can’t fix. 

As the snow falls and Christmas approaches, could this be the place that restores Jen Barker’s faith in love? 

Buy Links

 About the author… 

Sue Watson was a TV Producer with the BBC who combined motherhood and family life with a busy career. However, one day it dawned on Sue that Cosmo magazine may have been telling porkies about 'having it all,' and her life had become a slightly crazed juggling act. 

So after much soul searching (and comfort eating) Sue abandoned her TV career, bought a pink laptop and wrote a novel. 'Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes,' tells the story of Stella Weston, whose life is a constant struggle with a nasty boss at work, the weighing scales and being a mum, wife and daughter. 

Originally from Manchester, Sue now lives with her husband and teenage daughter in Worcestershire. When she's not toiling over her latest novel, Sue bakes (and eats) cake and enjoys very large tubs of Caramel Chew Chew ice cream all to herself while watching 'The Biggest Loser USA.' 

Contact Links: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/suewatsonbooks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/suewatsonwriter

My thoughts…

Imagine, ten years into a relationship and you think your boyfriend is finally going to propose. It's Christmas eve, The setting is perfect, a romantic meal for two in a restaurant with champagne and christmas tunes on the music system. Jen, just knows Tim is going to propose and is waiting for the perfect moment in the evening.  When the big speech finally comes it's not to ask her hand in marriage and to declare everlasting love, it's to shatter her dreams and walk out of her life forever.

Oh me oh my what a beginning.  Jen was devastated beyond words, the ten best years of her life taken and tossed aside by Tim who quite frankly was a supercilious ass - it would be fair to say first impressions count and mine were quite strong and didn't change.

This book has it all - relationships, family, love, laughter, friendship and the biggest amount of humour and cake you can imagine - absolutely perfect.  Clearly no stone has been left unturned as Jen soul searches, looking for her happy ever after and gaining more than an insight into her own soul.  Sue has captured the characteristics of a relationship going through the motions perfectly.  Nothing Jen ever did was good enough and Tim was a mean spirited, small minded ejit - have I said yet how much I disliked him!?  Belittling and side lining Jen at every opportunity.  She just wanted someone of her own to care for and love, whilst Tim wanted to mould her into someone else - chipping away at her character and eroding her confidence.  A relationship based on familiarity and convenience not love and friendship.  When Jen was a child her parents divorced and she had to share her dad with his new wife and baby, something she resented and never quite came to terms with, so it's no wonder she clung onto a dead relationship for so long - it's only in adulthood and because of circumstances that Jen and Jody form a tentative bond each understanding the other a whole lot better.

Almost a year later Jody, persuades Jen to join her and a couple of friends working in Switzerland over the winter months. The story from hereon-in reads like a slalom skier going full pelt down a black run.  With Jen hurtling from one disaster to another.  Sue has a natural ability to write comedy that had me choking on my lunch whilst trying to hold in my guffaws at work - her books have the feel good factor about them that won't fail to lift even the lowest spirits.  They're fun, easy reads but each and every story is multi-faceted.  They're not just light humour but thought provoking and The Christmas Cake Cafe is my favourite so far.  In life some people lose sight of what is important and do things or stay in relationships out of habit more than desire and it's not until they are removed from the situation do they start to question their thoughts and actions.  Jen is no different, as her half sister and her friends drag her kicking and screaming into their madcap plans she suffers inner and outer turmoil and begins to question her own life, hopes and dreams and the relationships within it. 

As I turned the pages my smiles became wider as the humorous bits, become hilarious bits and then Sue throws a bit of love and romance  into the mix and we're off!  I laughed out loud so many times, putting my hand over my mouth as I mouthed oh no until my sides ached. It would be fair to say 'the girls' idea of a working holiday is different to that of mine but then, I like Jen am old ;D

I've grumbled so many times that there wasn't enough cake in the last couple of Sue's books - No more! This time I was spoilt.  I so want to go to Switzerland and taste all the delicious cakes.  Sue has an amazing ability to describe something in such detail it becomes a reality - I've always thought it decadent and wrong to order more than one cake and always struggle to choose - no more I'm going to order half a dozen and try them all. 

Huge thanks Sue for another perfect read that got under my skin, a little bit of soul searching and a lot of laughs. This was beautiful story about friendship, family and discovering what is important in life with a little bit of love and flirting thrown in for good measure - until the next time! 

I've said it before but I'll say it again. Sue Watson's books keep getting better and better, with the bar raised a little more each time - if you haven't discovered this for yourself yet you are seriously missing out. Head to Amazon and indulge yourself in this beautiful read - The Christmas Cake Cafe, you won't be disappointed.

Comfort & Joy - Cathy Bramley

About the book...

Curl up with this feel-good short story, full of romance, surprises and a sprinkling of Christmas magic…!

It’s been a busy year for Verity Bloom at the Plumberry School of Comfort Food, but Christmas Eve is finally here. With delicious treats all wrapped up and the ingredients packed away, Verity is looking forward to a relaxing few days with her new boyfriend.

Good food, family and friends – it’s a simple recipe for true comfort and joy, and all Verity’s friends in the village are full of excitement about the holidays too.

But the weather has other plans in store… Relentless rain leads to a power cut that spells disaster for many of Plumberry’s residents. It’s starting to look like this year’s celebrations could be a total washout.

With dreams of a perfect Christmas dashed, will the last of the festive cheer be swept away in the downpour? Or can the cookery school create a Christmas miracle for everyone Verity holds dear?

About the author...

Cathy is the author of the best-selling romantic comedies Ivy Lane, Appleby farm, Conditional Love, Wickham Hall and The Plumberry School Of Comfort Food. She lives in a small Nottinghamshire village with her family and Pearl, the Cockerpoo.

Her recent career as a full-time writer of light-hearted romantic fiction has come as somewhat of a lovely surprise after spending eighteen years running her own marketing agency. However, she has always been an avid reader, hiding her book under the duvet and reading by torchlight.

Cathy loves to hear from her readers. You can get in touch via her Facebook page or on Twitter.

My thoughts...

I received an email asking if I'd like to read Comfort and Joy ahead of it's publication day 13th October.  Hell yes, for two reasons - one it's written by Cathy Bramley an author I don't think I'll ever tire of reading and two it's a christmas book.  Yes, it's a short story which I find can sometimes leave me feeling short changed  - often short stories aren't long enough o give enough details and background but in this case the way has already been paved.  The starring cast are from the Plumberry School of Comfort Food.

The story begins on Christmas Eve and ends on Christmas Day - Plumberry is full of new romances, most made through the Cookery School and as we meet each couple on Christmas Eve the excitement is palpable.  They are all headed home, loaded down with food for Christmas day ready to enjoy their time away from work, each looking forward to spending their Christmas break with loved ones and family.

It may only be October but Cathy has got me drooling at the mouth wishing it was Christmas Eve already - I love everything about Christmas.  The preparation, the food, spending time with friends and family, the decorations and chilling with a glass of something white and fizzy in front of the fire.  This book sets the scene perfectly. 

Imagine everything good about christmas - friends, family, kindness, love, laughter and generosity. Add a touch of Christmas magic and you have Comfort and Joy - a perfect read that'll get you in the mood counting down the days until it really is Christmas.  I loved this book - a bite sized taster to get you in the mood.  Cathy Bramley knows how to pack it all in.  Just 120 pages that won't fail to touch your heart. What could have been a miserable Christmas for many is transformed when Verity and Tom give up their plans for a quiet first Christmas together in order to open up a haven to the community in the form of The Cookery School. 

There is drama aplenty, sadness and serious moments but these are counter balanced by many uplifting, happy moments that had me smiling and laughing out loud.  Imagine twenty plus ovens all cooking delicious christmas fare - the smell was divine.  You can smell through a kindle can't you?   I could literally taste my Christmas dinner whilst reading this book, it's a real drool worthy read. If I didn't love Verity before I definitely do know - if I could pick a new best friend it would be her - her generosity and kindness shines through, putting others before herself - her own happiness sparkling like a shiny star when she is helping others. If I could step into the pages of this book I would - I so want to live in Plumbery, a village that opens its arms to newcomers and when needed closes them tight to look after them - just perfect.

Connect with Cathy Bramley:

www.cathybramley.co.uk

www.facebook.com/CathyBramleyAuthor

@CathyBramley

Christmas Under a Cranberry Sky - Holly Martin

About the book...

Piper Chesterfield lives a glamorous life travelling the world and reviewing the finest hotels. She calls nowhere home, she works alone and that’s how she likes it. For long ago Piper decided that to protect her heart she should lock it away.

So when Piper’s next assignment brings her to the newly opened Stardust Lake Hotel for the festive season, the last person she expects to face is Gabe Whitaker, the man who broke her heart so completely she could never love again.

But Piper isn’t the only one who has been frozen in time by heartbreak. Gabe hasn’t forgotten the golden-eyed girl who disappeared from his world without a trace.

Now fate has reunited them on Juniper island, can the magic of Christmas heal old wounds? And can this enchanting town be the one place Piper can finally call home? 

Curl up with this gorgeously romantic tale and let the glistening snow and the roaring fires of Stardust Lake Hotel get you in the festive spirit this Christmas.

About the author...

I studied media at university which led to a very glitzy career as a hotel receptionist followed by a even more glamorous two years working in a bank. The moment that one of my colleagues received the much coveted carriage clock for fifteen years service was the moment when I knew I had to escape. I quit my job and returned to university to train to be a teacher. Three years later, I emerged wide eyed and terrified that I now had responsibility for the development of thirty young minds. I taught for four years before History Off The Page came to my school to do a Tudor day. I now drive round the country in my little white van, dressing up as a Viking one day and an Egyptian High Priestess the next. 

I love to write. The characters do exactly what I want them to do, most of the time. Sometimes they do seem to go off and do their own thing without my permission. It is complete escapism into a world where I have full control.I've been writing for four years now, every spare second I have, I'm scribbling ideas in a notebook or typing a scene on my laptop. I have written three romantic fiction books. Changing Casanova and The Chainsaw Masquerade were recently shortlisted for the Festival of Romance New Talent Award. My short story, One Hundred Proposals, won the Belinda Jones Travel Club short story competition and was published in the Sunlounger anthology

My thoughts...

I was given an ecopy of this book by Bookouture, Holly's publisher in exchange for an honest review, something I'm more than happy to do.

From the very first page I knew I was going to love this book.  Piper, the main female character in Christmas Under a Cranberry Sky is a hotel Inspector - traveling the world, writing reviews about the hotels she visits; both good and bad.  She'd already decided after her assignment to the Stardust Lake Hotel on Juniper Island that she would be taking a sabbatical - having some time out to re-think her life and re-charge her batteries. 

Imagine her surprise when she arrives and finds that the hotel and resort is owned by her first love Gabe Whittaker.  A relationship that ended because of misunderstandings and things both said and unsaid.  Pip is there as an undercover reporter to review this new hotel and business.  She has some hard decisions to make as she feels her position as undercover reviewer will compromise the tentative new friendship/relationship she and Gabe easily fall into - it's like the years in-between have never happened.  He of course doesn't know she is an under cover reporter. 

I really don't know how Holly has done but I feel she has crawled into my mind and stolen my dreams.  If I could have any job in the world I'd be a hotel inspector and my dream holiday destination would be a log cabin, in the woods, surrounded by snow, drinking hot chocolate or mulled wine in front of a roaring log fire.  Add christmas - my favourite time of the year, twinkly lights, a christmas village and beautiful glass igloos and I was totally sold!

Holly's descriptions are so vivid I was sucked straight into the setting and love story (both old and new) of Gabe and Pip.  From the journey to Juniper Island, the location and the preparations for the resort opening, the time of year, the characters.  I loved it all. This truly is a perfect slice of deliciousness - a dream like book that totally melted my heart. I oohed and ahed with every chapter. I've told everybody who will listen, this book is not just a nice christmas book - it's special, perfect in every way possible christmas book and to top it all there is a second follow on book available later this month.

I'm hoping that Holly will tell me this place is real and not just fictional - I'm totally sold and would book a visit in a heart beat.  

Thank you Holly - I can't wait for Christmas Under a Starlit Sky where some of the secondary characters in this book come to the fore to tell their story, still set in this dream location.

All fall Down - Tom Bale

About the book...

You tried to save a life. Now you’re fighting to save your own.

It’s the perfect Sunday. Summer sunshine, a barbecue with the kids.
But a knock on the garden gate and two words, ‘HELP ME’, changes everything.

When loving parents Rob and Wendy Turner let a dying man into their home, and do their best to help him, they think pure chance led him to their house. But soon their lives are threatened in ways they could never have imagined … and then the first anonymous letter arrives, forcing them to question all they know.

Someone is watching.
Someone is waiting.
They will stop at nothing.

Rob and Wendy will do anything to keep their family safe, but their children Georgia, Josh and Evan are teenagers now, with their own hidden lives.

Everyone has secrets, but how can you save your family, if you don’t really know them? 

Buy Links:

UK: http://amzn.to/1UjqDJf

US: http://amzn.to/25BFYN7 

About the author...

Tom Bale decided that he wanted to be an author from the age of seven but, after another career got in the way, it wasn’t until much later that his dream was fulfilled.  After several books with Random House, Tom signed with Bookouture for two stunning ‘everyman’ thrillers.

Read more about the author: www.tombale.net

My thoughts...

I am hugely, honoured to be part of the blog tour for this book, All Fall Down by Tom Bale.  I received an ecopy from Bookouture Tom's publisher in exchange for an honest review which I'm more than happy to give.

All Fall Down is the second novel I have read by Tom Bale and most definitely won't be the last.  I don't know how he does it - he's a family man and he has managed to manifest every parents worst nightmares onto paper, almost like if they are out there and shared they could never happen - could they?  His graphic attention to detail is stomach churning and heart attack inducing.  Once again he has feared me half to death, made me sick with suspense and still I kept turning the pages - although I have to admit I started this book whilst eating my salad one lunchtime at work and had to switch to a christmas story I felt so ill and all within the first few pages.

Sunday is the archetypical day, a day for families, a summer bbq in the garden.  But, for the Turners it's the day when their lives as they know them implodes. A knocking on the garden gate and a whispered plea for help reveals a brutally attacked man - why is he at their gate and who attacked him?  Surely nothing to do with their family and his arrival just a random circumstance of chance.  Think again!

This was an incredible book that I found myself compulsively reading. I read faster and slower as the pace of the story ebbed and flowed.  As Tom peels back the layers of the story, me as well as the Turner family get more than a little jumpy with the thought, then knowledge that somebody is watching them, someone has lit the touch paper and is sitting back waiting for the explosion.  Tom builds the tension as the family question first themselves, then each other it becomes apparent that there is more to each of the characters than was originally portrayed.  Rob and Wendy are keeping secrets from each other and their children and their three teenage children Georgia, Josh and Evan are no different. 

I'm not quite sure how he does it but reading a book by Tom Bale makes me sick to the stomach, the adrenalin pumping around my veins and still I go back for more. He knows how to pack a punch and doesn't hold back - All Fall Down was every bit as good as See How They Run.  Another book that left me physically drained, feeling like I'd run the race of my live.  I can only thank God it was 'just a book' and not my life really!

No Turning back - Tracy Buchanan

About the book...

You’d kill to protect your child – wouldn’t you?

When radio presenter Anna Graves and her baby are attacked on the beach by a crazed teenager, Anna reacts instinctively to protect her daughter.

But her life falls apart when the schoolboy dies from his injuries. The police believe Anna’s story, until the autopsy results reveal something more sinister.

A frenzied media attack sends Anna into a spiral of self-doubt. Her precarious mental state is further threatened when she receives a chilling message from someone claiming to be the ‘Ophelia Killer’, responsible for a series of murders twenty years ago.

Is Anna as innocent as she claims? And is murder forgivable, if committed to save your child’s life…? 

About the author...

Tracy Buchanan is a web journalist and producer who lives in Milton Keynes with her husband, their little girl and their one-eyed Jack Russell. 

Tracy travelled extensively while working as a travel magazine editor, sating the wanderlust she developed while listening to her Sri Lankan grandparents’ childhood stories – the same wanderlust that now inspires her writing. 

Find out more about author Tracy Buchanan

Web Page: Tracy Buchanan
Twitter: @TracyBuchanan

My thoughts...

I was given a copy of No Turning Back by Harper Collins, Tracy Buchanan's publishers in exchange for an honest review something I'm more than happy to do.

Wow, where to begin?  This was a real page turner and captured my imagination from the very first few pages.  Tracy's perception of life, bitterness, jealousy and shear shocking horror is so vivid my heart beat faster for practically the whole book.  

The story begins as Anna returns to work from maternity leave to her job as presenter co-hosting a radio chat show, featuring hard hitting, gritting phone-ins.  A job she loves and is good at.  Tracy captures the emotions perfectly - the dead on your feet barely functioning aspect of any new mother returning to work who see-saws between wanting to be at home with her child and needing to be back at work for herself.  Add to that she has recently become a single parent and is facing the spiteful jealousy of a bitter colleague.  Oooh how I loathed Heather from the very first words she uttered!   

At the end of that first day back at work, Anna is exhausted but glad to be getting back to work.  She takes her customary, nightly walk over the beach out to the lighthouse, owned by her grandparents to say goodnight to her beloved grandfather who's life ended, tragically on the rocks beneath it.  Heading for home, Anna and daughter Joni encounter a situation that proves to be life changing.  Not just for them but a whole community.  A community that was rocked on it's heels twenty years ago is once again facing tragedy so awful it's unthinkable, literally everybody touched by it but none more so than Anna.

It was at this point that I thought OMG - I can't read this, the storyline had just taken a dramatic turn, it was shocking and rocked my equilibrium.  The sun was shining and I had turned one page too many into a dark, twisted place with no where to run.  It was so close to the beginning of the book I knew it had to get worse before it could get better and boy did it!

Tracy Buchanan is without doubt one of the best writers I've read that can write in such a shocking way, yet you're compelled to read on - I felt like I was living Anna's world, I really was the fly on the wall - seeing and hearing everything, my heart rose and fell in total sync with the tempo of the book and so many times I wished I could un-read the words.  But for me, the brilliance was in Anna's inner voice, the conversations in her head that play out as thought processes as she decides what to say, who to trust, what to do  Nobody really seems to listen or understand. 

No Turning Back has clearly been researched to a tee.  Tracy has demonstrated through media and that of a small community how word of mouth and the written word can twist and turn what was actually said or done.  Public opinion changing in a blink of an eye. 

Anna's strength of character comes across - many would have crumbled with all that she has to face and the support she gets or doesn't get is surprising. The characters in this book aren't always likeable and in fact aren't always what they seem.  She doesn't know who to trust or who to turn to - her sole focus is that of a mother, the lion like nature kicking in, facing demons far worse than she ever thought possible in her pursuit of the truth.

In case you haven't guessed, I absolutely loved this book and highly recommend it - it's a psychological thriller with a plot that is so intricacy woven it will leave you guessing right until the end.  So many times I had my theories blown like dandelion clocks in the wind and when the answers come with the end of the book you like me will sit back open mouthed and words will fail you - a book with an unthinkable storyline running through it that will make you sit back and be thankful it was just a book, it's not real - yet it so easily could be!

Tracy, thank you - such a vivid, capturing book that will stay with me for a long time to come.