Wednesday, 27 September 2017

Keep You Safe - Melisa Hill


About the book… 
What if your choice for your child could harm someone else’s?

Every mother faces impossible choices. Vaccination is one of the hardest. For single mum Kate O’Hara, there was no decision to make. Her daughter Rosie is one of a small percentage of Irish children who can’t be vaccinated against measles. All Kate can do is hope that her little girl is safe.

For mummy blogger Madeleine Cooper, it was a leap of faith she wasn't prepared to take when she and her husband declined controversial measles jabs for their daughter Clara. All she can do is pray that it’s the right decision.

But when classmates Clara and Rosie both become sick will Kate pay for Madeleine’s choice?

Buy Links:
Amazon UK
Amazon US

About the author… 
A USA Today and No. 1 Irish times and Italian best-seller, Melissa Hill’s books are translated into 25 different languages. One of her titles has been optioned for a movie by a major Hollywood studio, and another is currently in development for TV with a top US production company. 

Contact Links: 
Website: www.melissahill.ie 
Twitter: @melissahillbks
Facebook & instagram melissahillbooks

My thoughts…
I was given an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review by Harper Collins, Melissa Hill's publisher.  This is something I am more than happy to do.

Wow, where do I start - what a book.  This is one of those books that once I started to read it I couldn't put it down - it was gripping from the word go.  Two families are linked by a childhood virus, school friends Clara and Rosie haven't been vaccinated against measles, both sets of parents have valid but very different reasons; that is until both girls get sick - one bounces back, one doesn't.  The community is rocked and divided and everyone seems to have an opinion - not least the press and social media.

Melissa Hill has written a book that is highly emotive and thought provoking - it is a story that will make you question and evaluate every decision you make or have made. How often do we consciously consider how decisions we make are going to ripple and affect others way beyond our immediate situation? Probably hardly ever perhaps never - after reading this book you might just begin to!

Melissa really has struck gold with this new genre.  Jodi Picoult, Diane Chamberlain - eat your heart out, you've got serious competition here! Keep You Safe was well structured and paced with characters that emerged and grew along with the story.  Friendships, both solid and tenuous are all affected and moved to stand in one corner or another pledging their allegiance to one decision or another - although as we find out nothing is ever quite black or white.

I highly recommend this book and guarantee you'll be turning the pages with your heart melting, fingers crossing for happy endings all round - simply brilliant, a book that will provide a talking point and debate amongst the closest of friends.
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Christmas at Mistletoe Cove - Holly Martin


About the book… 
Christmas has arrived at Hope Island, promising snowflakes, surprises and plenty of seasonal joy. So snuggle up and fall in love at Mistletoe Cove …

Growing up on Hope Island, Eden Lancaster always believed that if you wished hard enough for something, dreams really could come true. But Eden’s greatest wish is also her biggest secret: she has been completely in love with her childhood friend, the charming and attractive Dougie Harrison, for as long as she can remember. And he has no idea.

When Dougie leaves his successful life in New York to return home to Hope Island for good, Eden can’t escape her feelings. Her heart is full of hope that her romantic dreams are finally, at long last, going to come true…

This Christmas could change everything. But can a lifelong friendship really turn into the perfect romance? And will Eden get the happily ever after she’s always wished for?

Christmas at Mistletoe Cove is like a warm hug on a cold winter’s day. The perfect treat this Christmas for fans of Debbie Johnson, Cathy Bramley and Miranda Dickinson.


About the author… 

Holly has been writing for 8 years. She was shortlisted for the New Talent Award at the Festival of Romance. Her short story won the Sunlounger competition and was published in the Sunlounger anthology. She won the Carina Valentine’s competition at the Festival of Romance 2013 with her novel The Guestbook. She was shortlisted for Best Romantic Read, Best eBook and Innovation in Romantic Fiction at the Festival of Romance 2014. She is the bestselling author of 18 books.


My thoughts…
I was given an ecopy of this book by Bookouture - Holly Martin's publishers in exchange for an honest review, the s is something I'm more than happy to do.

I can't tell you how excited I was to hear Holly Martin had a new Christmas book out and not only that it was set in the wonderful Hope Island - a place I've grown to know and love, whose residents feel like friends. Hope Island and it's inhabitants are simply magical, I always find myself reading about their lives with a soppy grin on my face.

This time the story focuses on childhood best friends Dougie and Eden.   Eden was totally in love with Dougie after they had shared a kiss at Mistletoe Cove.  She thought it was the beginning of something....until Dougie left Hope Island 12 years previous with his parents and then stayed away to follow his dreams, settling in America.  Unbeknown to him, he left behind a bereft and heartbroken Eden. Each visit he made home over the 12 years he was away squeezed her heart a little bit harder so the day she found out he was moving back to Hope Island she was beside herself with anxiety and excitement in equal measures.

I really don't know how Holly does it but she has once again draped her blanket of love and sparkles over this warm, witty story.  It is truly magical, I was swept up in the magic and excitement as Dougie paved the way for Eden to hope, wish and dream.  Holly's descriptions are so vivid I was sucked straight into the story and was rooting for Eden and Dougie to find romance and find their happy ever after.

Holly always adds subtle humour to her novels and Christmas at Mistletoe Cove is no exception. This was a book that had me creased with laughter and smiling one minute then cringing behind my hand the next as Eden's parents joined their friends in sharing anecdotes and offering the pair the sort of advice you definitely wouldn't expect to get from your parents.  Add Christmas to the mix and you really have got a magical book that I was sorry to finish.

Anyway, enough said - go out and buy this gorgeous book, you won't be disappointed.  I however am off to have supper - mince pie flavoured pancakes anyone?
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Friday, 15 September 2017

Deadly Intent - Sheryl Browne


Series: A DI Matthew Adams Thriller – Book #3 (can be read as a standalone)
18+ (some violence and language)
About the book… 
What if you and your family were at the mercy of a psychopath/a man with no conscience? 
Just when DI Matthew Adams thinks he’s left the past behind him, it comes back to haunt him once again; this time in the form of the Conner family. 
Like Matthew, the Conners have lost a child in tragic circumstances – and they’ve also found themselves in the hands of one of the most depraved criminals to walk the streets: ‘Dead-eyed’ Charlie Roberts, a drug addicted low-life with a penchant for extreme violence. 
Matthew’s greatest affinity lies with Daniel Conner, the brooding father who still blames himself for his youngest child’s death. But when Daniel’s wife and daughter are tortured and tormented by Roberts, can Matthew prevent him from completely ruining his own life for an act of revenge particularly when, once upon a time, that’s exactly what Matthew would have done too?  

Buy Links: 

About the author… 
Heartache, humour, love, loss & betrayal, Sheryl Browne brings you edgy, sexy, heart-wrenching fiction. A member of the Crime Writers’ Association, Romantic Novelists’ Association and shortlisted for the Best Romantic e-book Love Stories Award 2015, Sheryl has several books published and two short stories in Birmingham City University anthologies, where she completed her MA in Creative Writing. 

 Recommended to the publisher by the WH Smith Travel fiction buyer, Sheryl’s contemporary fiction comes to you from award winning Choc Lit.




My thoughts…
Before reading this book I hadn't previously read anything by Sheryl Browne so her switch to penning a thriller from romantic fiction had no impact on me.  But, I can imagine it may shock a few of her readers.  She looks like butter wouldn't melt yet she has just written an edgy dark novel that hits you straight between the ribs within the first few pages.

I held my breath, felt sick and cried whilst reading Deadly Intent - why? Because Sheryl painted the opening scenes so vividly I wanted good to overcome the bad and desperately cared about each member of the family - an achingly difficult book for me to read but one I couldn't put down.

A tragic accident sees them losing their youngest daughter and they go from being a happy connected family of four running their own business to three individuals each seemingly unable to function or take their rightful place alongside each other as part of a family.

The age old problems of communication and guilt is at the heart of their problems.  Jo and Dan avoid each other and can't communicate their feelings without it coming across as an attack on the others behaviour.  As a direct consequence their actions have a serious and detrimental effect on their teenage daughter.
As a female and mother of a 28yr old daughter I've 'done' the teenage years and lived through the angst and self confidence issues, wanting to fit in, appear older than a teenager and pushed the boundaries - safe in the knowledge that I as a mother or my parents when I was a teenager would let the boundaries be pushed and allow them to give a little safe in the knowledge that those very same boundaries were there to keep my daughter and myself safe.
Emotions ran deep for me whilst reading this book - I felt for each of the family in different ways but I particularly felt for Kayla and wanted to shake Daniel and Jo and make them see what was happening under their nose with their daughter. It has to be every families nightmare for their children to come into contact with drugs and the evil effects they have on life.
This book is all consuming, it will eat you and throw you back out but you won't be able to put it down until you find out whether a family at rock bottom can survive.
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Monday, 7 August 2017

If You Could See Me Now - Keris Stainton


About the book… 

Izzy Harris should have it all – but her boyfriend has been ignoring her for months, she’s been overlooked for a promotion, and the owner of her local coffee shop pervs on her every time she has a craving for a salted caramel muffin.

Then her life is unexpectedly turned upside down.

Izzy dumps her oblivious boyfriend, and leaps on the chance to win a big pitch at work. Needing to work closely with gorgeous colleague Alex is an added perk…

But then her best friend has her heart broken, the pitch is way more complicated than expected, and Alex is keeping secrets. Does Izzy have what it takes to help her friend, save her career and get the guy?

A funny, feel-good read about finding yourself – and love – when you least expect it, for fans of Joanna Bolouri, Cate Woods, and Lindsey Kelk.

Buy Links: 
About the author… 

Keris lives in Lancashire with her husband and two sons. She’s written a bunch of books for young adults and children, and is obsessed with Twitter, tea, and 1D.

Contact Links: 

@Keris
https://www.instagram.com/kerisstainton

My thoughts...

I was given an ecopy of this book by Bookouture, Keris Staintons publisher in exchange for an honest review. This is something I am more than happy to do.

What a delightful book, when if like me recently, you've lost your reading mojo and everything book you pick up seems to blend into the last then this is a book is for you I knew nothing about the book, Kim at Bookouture recommended it, I trust her 100%, so downloaded it and read this week-end whilst on a friends narrow-boat. What a tonic, a proper laugh out loud, amusing read which is also a bit sad at times too,

Imagine going through life feeling invisible and inferior to everyone - nobody really seeming to look at you, listen to you or pay any heed to anything you do either at home or at work - that was Izzy Harris' life. I don't really think she realised properly how low her self esteem was until one day she literally disappeared with hilarious consequences.

I think we've all at times wished we could be a fly on the wall - well Izzy gets her chance and uses it to get her own back on a few people. It felt like I was on a journey with Izzy as she got the opportunity to see herself and her life clearly, not really liking everything she saw and then gradually with the support of best friend Tash and a hunky, Australian from the office she begins to rebuild her confidence and takes control to turn her life around.

I so wish I could have been a fly on the wall as I suspended disbelief so many times - laughing and smiling at the consequences. Every page is filled with funny moments that literally made me howl - Izzy is such a fun character I was rooting for her all the way as she dumped her boyfriend, got even at work, shocked her family and found love when she least expected it. I highly recommend this book, you'll whizz through the pages in no time and be sat like me now wondering what's next! Thank you so much Kim for recommending this book and Keri for writing such an uplifting, fun read — just perfect to lift me out of my funk.



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Friday, 2 June 2017

A Daughters Courage - Renita D'Silva


About the book… 

How much would you sacrifice to save your family?

1929. When a passionate love affair threatens to leave Lucy in disgrace, she chooses a respectable marriage over a life of shame. With her husband, coffee plantation owner James, she travels to her new home in India, leaving her troubled past behind her.

Everything in India is new to Lucy, from the jewel-coloured fabrics to the exotic spices. When her path crosses that of Gowri, a young woman who tends the temple on the plantation’s edge, Lucy is curious to find out more about her, and the events that lead her to live in isolation from her family…

Now. With her career in shatters and her heart broken by the man she thought was her future, Kayva flees from bustling Mumbai to her hometown. A crumbling temple has been discovered in a village nearby, and with it letters detailing its tragic history – desperate pleas from a young woman called Gowri.

As Kavya learns of Gowri and Lucy’s painful story, she begins to understand the terrible sacrifices that were made and the decision the two women took that changed their lives forever. Can the secrets of the past help Kavya to rebuild her life?

A breath-taking journey through the rolling hills of India, deep into the secrets hidden within a family. For fans of Santa Montefiore, Dinah Jefferies and Victoria Hislop.

Buy Links...
About the author… 

Renita grew up in a picturesque coastal village in the South of India, the oldest of three children. Her father got her first story books when she was six and she fell in love with the world of stories. Even now she prefers that world, by far, to this.

Contact Links: 


My thoughts…

I was given an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review by Bookouture, Renita D'Silvas publisher. This is something I'm more than happy to do.

This is the first book I've read of Renita's and now I've got to go back and read all her others. This was such a beautiful read with characters that you can't help rooting for. The story is set between the 1920's and the present day and is told from the viewpoint of four very different women - Lucy, Gawri, Kavya and Sue. Each from different backgrounds and upbringings, each with a reason to want to escape to another life. Each thought they had it all before life puts them on a different path.
I particularly loved reading about India, a country that is on the top of my must visit places. So many different cultures and traditions played out across the pages, some uplifting and vibrant like the beautiful silks and sari's and some dark and tragic - I found it very moving and humbling to read about Gowri in particular.

This was more than just a good read for me, the words Renita wrote painted a picture so vivid I literally flew through the pages, a very thought provoking, emotional read. I sat for a long while after finishing the book just contemplating how very different peoples lives can be - we all have hopes and dreams of living happy lives and sometimes the tiniest thing can shatter them. A Daughter's Courage is a wake-up call, nothing should ever be taken for granted because in the blink of an eye it can all change.

I highly recommend A Daughter's Courage on so many levels, family, friendship, love, hope, tragedy, travel and characters who have the greatest grit and determination - a must read.


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Wednesday, 31 May 2017

Secrets of the Dead - Carol Wyer


About the book… 

Three murders. Three innocent victims. What secrets did they share with their killer?

A bottle of bubble bath and colourful, plastic boats were scattered in small puddles on the floor. In the bathtub lay Linda Upton, fully-clothed, her lips a shade of blue, and her bloodshot eyes wide open.

When a young mother is found drowned in the bath, clutching a receipt saying ‘all debts paid’, Detective Robyn Carter knows it’s just the beginning of a harrowing case. She recognises the signs of a serial killer, and when a second victim with a receipt is found, her worst fears are confirmed.

With the local press whipping the public into a frenzy, Robyn is under pressure to solve the crime yesterday. But her team can’t find a link between the two bodies, and the cracks are starting to show.

Just when her leads have dried up, Robyn discovers an unsettling clue she thinks could unlock the case. But as she chases across the plush carpets and manicured lawns of the wealthy elite, honing in on the killer’s shocking motive, one of her own is put in terrible danger.

The press call him The Leopard for his stealth, speed and brutality. Can Robyn stop the most twisted killer of her career before it’s too late?

Buy Links: 


About the author… 

As a child Carol Wyer was always moving, and relied on humour to fit in at new schools. A funny short story won her popularity, planting the seed of becoming a writer. Her career spans dry cleaning, running a language teaching company, and boxercise coaching. Now writing full-time, Carol has several books published by Safkhet and journalism in many magazines.

Carol won The People’s Book Prize Award for non-fiction (2015), and can sometimes be found performing her stand-up comedy routine Laugh While You Still Have Teeth.

Contact Links: 
My thoughts…

I was given an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review By Bookouture, Carol Wyer's publisher.  This is something I am more than happy do.

Having read Little Girl Lost, Carol's first thriller I couldn't wait to read her second thriller Secrets of the Dead.  This was another captivating read that was gripping from the very first page.  Carol has ramped up the intensity, giving more depth to each of the characters and a plot line that made me gag!  He descriptions and narrative created images so vivid they played out like a film in my minds eye.  I was only grateful to be reading this outside on a sunny day, not at my usual bedtime!

Detective Robyn Carter is called upon to investigate a series of murders the only link to each appears to be a receipt for £250,000 with 'debt fully paid' scribbled in red on the bottom.  An unexplained death at the local hotel and spa has Robyn's radar twitching - although it seems like the case of death is a simple heart attack Robyn is not convinced and is immediately thinking 'serial killer'. 

Several times I thought I had the plot all sewn up, I'd then turn the page and it was all blown apart - each page turn revealing another twist and gem of a clue.  Carol had me second guessing up until almost the last page.  I was repeatedly dragged out of my comfort zone back into the heart pounding - breath holding - silent pleading - fingers crossing world that Carol had dragged me into.  Wanting justice and revenge - she sure knows how to evoke strong emotions in a reader.

I highly recommend reading both this and if you've not already done so Little Girl Lost - two highly charged thrillers that will leave you finger tapping waiting for the next one.
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Sunday, 14 May 2017

Ella's Ice Cream Summer - Sue Watson


About the book… 

Ella’s life just hit rock-bottom, but can a summer by the sea mend her broken heart? When life gives you lemons… make ice-cream!

Life hasn’t always been easy for single mum Ella, but she has just hit an all-time low; she’s jobless, loveless, very nearly homeless and, to make matters worse, now the owner of a pocket-sized pooch with a better wardrobe than her.

Packing her bags (and a bigger one for the dog), Ella sets off for the seaside town of Appledore in Devon to re-live the magical summers of her youth and claim her portion of the family ice-cream business: a clapped-out ice-cream van and a complicated mess of secrets.

There she meets gorgeous and free-spirited solicitor, Ben, who sees things differently: with a little bit of TLC he has a plan to get the van – and Ella – back up and running in no time.

Ella’s Ice-Cream Summer is a heart-warming and hilarious romance that will scoop you off your feet and prove it’s never too late for a fresh start. The ideal holiday read for fans of Lucy Diamond, Abby Clements and Debbie Johnson.

Buy Links: 
UK ðŸ‡¬ðŸ‡§ http://amzn.to/2mCM95j  
US ðŸ‡ºðŸ‡¸ http://amzn.to/2mZX0Hl
About the author… 

Sue Watson was a journalist on women’s magazines and national newspapers before leaving it all behind for a career in TV. As a producer with the BBC she worked on garden makeovers, kitchen takeovers and daytime sofas – all the time making copious notes so that one day she might escape to the country and turn it all into a book.

After much deliberation and copious consumption of cake, Sue eventually left her life in TV to write.  After a very successful debut novel, Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes Sue signed with Bookouture.

Contact Links: 
My thoughts…

I was offered an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review by Kim at Bookouture as part of the blog tour for Ella's Ice Cream Summer.  This is something I'm more than happy to do.  

 Sue Watson is one of my most favourite authors, her books are go to books when I want a pick-me-up, much cheaper than a prescription and better than any tonic you can buy across the counter.  They are books that will have you drooling in one way or another - either from the more than lovely lead men or the very delicious cake they usually feature.  I guessed this one would be different, the clue is in the title 'Ice-Cream' would I still get my fix?  Absolutely, definitely, without a shadow of a doubt YES!!!
Ella's Ice Cream dream had me smiling and grinning like an idiot from the very first page. In the first few chapters we meet Ella and her family and friends - an eclectic bunch of characters that I could relate to straight away. Each and every person, just slightly more bonkers than the next. My favourite being her mother, Roberta who is loud, opinionated and on a different page in life to everyone else, leaving total chaos in her wake as she plays up to her Italian heritage and gets the wrong end of pretty much every situation.

The story begins with Ella losing her job, her children have finished university and are off to spread their wings leaving Ella feeling like a redundant mum home alone with no purpose or direction - she only has her slightly bonkers mother to care for. To add to that she finds out that her ex husband wants to sell the family home in order to keep wife number two in the manner she has become accustomed to.

News that her mothers sister, her aunt Sophia has died brings back memories of happy, sunny, summers spent in Appledore in Devon. Of time spent helping out at her aunts Italian, ice-cream parlour and enjoying endless days of sunshine playing alongside her older cousin Gina - a girl that Ella has always looked up to and aspired to be like.

Roberta, Ella's mother refuses to attend the funeral and begs Ella not to go either. The two sisters had fallen out many years before and Ella's mum obviously holds a deep seated grudge as she refuses to reveal why - something that Ella finds difficult to reconcile and can't understand why she refuses to share the reasons behind the fall-out. Ella goes alone and after the funeral Ella attends her aunts will reading and finds herself the proud owner of Reginaldo, an old ice cream van owned by her aunt, this evokes many happy memories of summers spent on the beach, something Ella is eager to recreate.

Sue Watson takes us down the motorway to Devon with Delilah - Delilah being Josh her sons girlfriends dog, a dog with a better wardrobe than you or me I hasten to add. Ella decides that she'd quite like to take some time out and the opportunity to re-live one last summer of her childhood is too hard to resist. She's also secretly hoping she can find out what is behind the family feud.

Ella's Ice Cream summer was a delicious read, a journey with mouth watering descriptions as I followed Ella to Devon and totally bought into Ella's dream. It's a story with more than a little romance, a story steeped in mystery and secrets that were revealed slowly throughout the book.. There's more than one love interest and Roberta and Delilah are for me the stars of the show. Sue's ability to create multi-faceted characters is second to none - polishing them just a little more with each chapter until they shine and can stand alone - I totally loved this book. The descriptions of the various ice-creams and sorbets had me drooling, oh how I wish my 'fat club' was based in Appledore.

Another thumbs up for me - Sue has done it again and got the recipe just perfect! A totally uplifting read, with all the glitz and glamour of the Italian Riviera. Sue is an author I'll never tire of reading, each and every book delivers what it says on the tin - escapism, laced with pure indulgence - in this case ice-cream - mmmmmmm!
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