BOOK REVIEW THE HERD BY EMILY EDWARDS

Two best friends

Elizabeth and Bryony are polar opposites but their unexpected friendship has always worked. They’re the best of friends, and godmothers to each other’s daughters – because they both trust that the safety of their children is their top priority.

One little secret

Little do they know that they differ radically over one very important issue. And when Bryony, afraid of being judged, tells what is supposed to be a harmless white lie before a child’s birthday party, the consequences are more catastrophic than either of them could ever have imagined.

Every parent’s worst nightmare . . .

Wow what a book this is. Thought provoking and moral questioning. I raced through this very apt and timely read.

As parents our priorities are our children’s safety,health and happiness. We make mistakes because we are human but what happens when your decision presents consequences for others?

My children are both autistic so that added a extra layer to this story.

Insightful,sensitively written ,clever and fascinating book.

A great exploration of our flaws and mentality surrounding hard hitting topics.

Highly recommend.

BOOK REVIEW CAT LADY BY DAWN O’PORTER

CAT LADY [n.]
Single, independent, crazy, aloof, on-the-shelf, lives alone . . .

It’s safer for Mia to play the part that people expect. She’s a good wife to her husband Tristan, a doting stepmother, she slips on her suit for work each morning like a new skin.

But beneath the surface, there’s another woman just clawing to get out . . .

When a shocking event shatters the conventional life she’s been so careful to build, Mia is faced with a choice. Does she live for a society that’s all too quick to judge, or does she live for herself?

And if that’s as an independent woman with a cat, then the world better get ready . . .

Fresh, funny and for anyone who’s ever felt astray, CAT LADY will help you belong – because a woman always lands on her feet.

Firstly thank you for the copy on netgalley. Ive read some of her previous books so was excited to read this.

I absolutely loved this! It’s very funny and will have you racing through the pages.

Witty,fresh ,modern and very relatable .

Thought provoking and so apt for today’s society we live in.

Mia was a fantastically written character whose voice is still in my head..she’s hilarious and a breath of fresh air .

Published 27th October and I highly recommend spending time with this cat lady…. she will exceed your expectations….

BLOG TOUR HERE COMES THE SUN BY JO CLEGG

It’s never too late for a new beginning…

Steph Herrington runs a successful hair salon – she can make your hair look amazing but she’s no gardener. An allotment was her late husband’s dream. But when her daughter, Jessie, decides to take the plot on in her dad’s memory, Steph sees a chance to bridge the gulf that grew between them as their loving, close-knit family fell apart…

Only the gnarly tangle of weeds and thorns – and working together to tame it – is much harder than they’d imagined. But as winter turns to spring and fruits and vegetables start to flourish – and with the support of Jessie’s loyal friend, Hog, and handsome fellow plot-holder and single dad, Richard – can Steph and Jessie’s relationship grow back stronger than ever?

Firstly thank you for my copy to review and having Me on the blog tour.

This is a heartwarming and uplifting story of grief, family secrets and new beginnings. But what runs through the pages is a mother and daughter bond that’s been tested and it looks like they are faced with a big challenge…Will it make or break them??

As a single mum and mum of a daughter I could relate to some parts. Even when they are older they still need you and vice versa…

Packed with wit and warmth this is a great summer read. Escapism but also realistic dealing with things not uncommon to lots of families.

Published 4th August and do check out the other blogs taking part in the tour.

BOOK REVIEW BEFORE I DO BY SOPHIE COUSENS

What would you do if the one that got away turned up the night before your wedding?

Audrey is marrying Josh; steady, dependable Josh, the love of her life. They share a flat and a bank account, and it’s the only relationship that Audrey’s ever had that feels like something she can put her trust in. But romance should be full of fireworks, and as the big day approaches, Audrey’s found herself wondering if Josh really is ‘the one’.

So, when Josh’s sister Miranda arrives at their rehearsal dinner with Fred – Audrey’s ‘What If?’ guy, the man she met six years ago and had one amazing day with but never saw again – Audrey can’t help but see it as a sign.

Surely Fred’s appearance the night before Audrey is due to get married can’t be a coincidence. And when everything that could go wrong with the wedding starts to go wrong, Audrey has to wonder: could fate be trying to stop her from making a huge mistake?

______________________________________

Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for my copy to review on netgalley. Ive had the pleasure of reviewing all of her books. They are such a joy to read so I always treasure them.

Full of humour and wit .

Great characters with their own voices.

Packed with romantic moments and dramas this is a perfect summer rom-com for your holidays.

We all have that one who got away or where things were left unsaid so I think we can fully relate to Audrey’s situation. However on your wedding day….

There’s definitely moments of the grass is greener and I think it’s explored really well .

Uplifting and life affirming this is a great book.

Published e book 18th August and paperback 29th September.

BOOK REVIEW SUMMER PEOPLE BY JULIE COHEN

A love that can’t be stopped.
A secret that will change everything…

Marriages end with a whisper, not a bang. Not an argument, which is after all about passion, waves crashing on a shore, but with the small pockets of coldness that an argument creates. It’s like islands. They don’t sink like Atlantis. They wear away, little by little, until all you’ve got left is a single rock and a light. A warning to safer travellers to stay away.

The last time Vee left the shores of Unity Island, she thought she’d left forever. But this summer, she’s returning with her charming husband, Mike.

Vee’s unexpected arrival, this time as one of the wealthy ‘summer people’, sets the small island community alight with gossip. What’s more, her childhood best friend, Sterling, is furious that she’s come back – Vee abandoned him when he needed her most.

And then Vee meets Rachel, Sterling’s wife, and a spark is ignited within her that she can’t extinguish. And as summer turns to autumn, long-buried secrets emerge that will cause a storm greater than any of them could ever have imagined.

But when autumn comes, who will sail away with the tide and who will choose to stay behind on the island…?

Firstly a big thank you for to the publishers for my copy to review on netgalley. I’ve enjoyed her previous books.

Beautifully written and captures humans and all of our wonderful messy emotions and behaviours

Life’s journey and mishaps .

Love, loyalty and lies .

Secrets are bubbling away on the island and what will be the final push .

A great summer read to escape with. Julie’s writing transports you away to this summer location.

Published 4th August

BOOK REVIEW GINGER AND ME BY ELISSA SOAVE

Wendy is lonely but coping.
All nineteen-year-old Wendy wants is to drive the 255 bus around Uddingston with her regulars on board, remember to buy milk when it runs out and just to be okay. After her mum died, there’s nobody to remind her to eat and what to do each day.

And Wendy is ready to step out of her comfort zone.
Each week she shows her social worker the progress she’s made, like the coasters she bought to spruce up the place, even if she forgets to make tea. And she even joins a writers’ group to share the stories she writes, like the one about a bullied boy who goes to Mars.

But everything changes when Wendy meets Ginger.
A teenager with flaming orange hair, Ginger’s so brave she’s wearing a coat that isn’t even waterproof. For the first time, Wendy has a real best friend. But as they begin the summer of their lives, Wendy wonders if things were simpler before. And that’s before she realizes just how much trouble Ginger is about to get them in

Thanks for my copy to review on netgalley. I’ve heard a lot of buzz surrounding this book and it was correct.

I loved this complex story of someone who essentially is lonely and bit lost in her ways .

She steps out of her comfort zone but will it all be plain sailing .

Real ,genuine and relatable look at families and how they aren’t all perfect.

Everyone has their way of escapism but at what cost do you do it ?

A fantastically written book about friendship, identity and not having it all yet figured out…

Full of wit,warmth and pockets of wisdom .

Published 21st July

BOOK REVIEW THE CALL OF CASSANDRA ROSE BY SOPHIA SPIERS

Annabelle seems to have it all. The perfect house, a successful husband, a darling son. But Annabelle is troubled. Trapped in an unhappy marriage, failing at motherhood, and at odds with her new privileged lifestyle, Annabelle begins to self-harm, a habit resurrected from her traumatic past. When she meets the alluring and charismatic hypnotherapist Cassandra Rose, she is offered a way out. Through hypnosis, Annabelle is encouraged to unearth her painful repressed memories and face her childhood demons. But as the boundaries between her hypnotic trance and reality begin to dissolve, Annabelle becomes increasingly vulnerable to much darker forces.

Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for my copy to review on netgalley.

Wow what a book and even more wow what a debut …. this blew me away!!

Captivating ,tense and claustrophobic.

This is perfectly written to ensure you feel just aa tense and on edge as she is.

Fantastic thriller that will have you hooked from start to finish. Thought provoking and unpredictable.

A fantastic new voice in psychological thrillers and I wish her every success with this and look forward to reading more .

Published 13th October

BOOK REVIEW WHEN I FIRST HELD YOU BY ANSTEY HARRIS

Silence tore them apart. Can the truth bring them back together?

In 1960s Glasgow, anti-nuclear activists Judith and Jimmy fall in love. But their future hopes are dashed when their protestors’ squat is raided and many, including Jimmy, are sent to prison. Pregnant and with no word from Jimmy, Judith is forced to enter an unmarried mothers’ home, give up their baby and learn to live with her grief.

More than half a century later, Judith’s Mending Shop restores broken treasures, just as Judith herself has been bound back together by her late, much-missed partner, Catherine. But her tranquillity is shattered when Jimmy―so different and yet somehow the same―reappears, yearning to unpick the painful past.

Realising they each know only half of the other’s story, Jimmy and Judith finally break the silence that tore apart what might have been their family. Amid heartbreak and hope, how much can now be mended?

Firstly thank you for my copy to review on netgalley. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Anstey several times and her previous books are beautiful.

Emotive and sensitively written this will capture your heart. Written in dual narratives and timeliness this really puts you in the characters shoes.

I’m adopted so I could relate to this storyline .

Anstey is a beautiful writer who pours her soul Into her books and it shines through .

Life affirming and uplifting whilst dealing with serious subjects .

Another fantastic book and I wish her every success with the release.

Published 24th January 2023.

BOOK REVIEW THE BUTCHER AND THE WREN BY ALAINA URQUHART

WREN WAS NEVER AFRAID OF THE DARK.
UNTIL SHE LEARNT THAT SOME MONSTERS ARE REAL. . .

In deep Louisiana, a serial killer with a taste for medical experimentation is completing his most ambitious project yet. The media call him ‘The Butcher’ – and, so far, he’s proved impossible to catch.

With her encyclopedic knowledge of humanity’s darkest minds, and years of experience examining their victims, forensic pathologist Dr Wren Muller is the best there is. The longer the Butcher’s killing spree continues, the more determined she is to bring him to justice. And yet, he continues to elude her.

As body after body pile up on Wren’s examination table, her obsession grows. Pressure to put an end to the slaughter mounts. And her enemy becomes more brazen.

How far is Wren willing to go to draw the Butcher into the light. . .?

Firstly thank you for my copy it was very unexpected! I recieved on the Monday before I went on holiday , it was finished by the end of that day !

Wow what a read and a debut at that.

This is going to be huge and I already forsee an adaption down the line for TV or film.

This was daring, gripping ,gritty and chilling.

Fantastically written with expert knowlege. Unpredictable with great insights into the characters psyche.

This is still on my mind a week on and I’ve recommend it to several people already.

I thoroughly enjoyed this and wish her every success on its release on September 13th.

BLOG TOUR SUCH A GOOD MOTHER BY HELEN MONKS TAKHAR

Rose O’Connell aspires to be the perfect mother.

And when she receives an unexpected invitation into The Circle, an elite clique of beautiful, wealthy and connected mums at her son’s exclusive school, it seems her dreams are about to come true. Every mother would kill for an invitation, and once she joins, Rose’s social status soars.

But what is each woman hiding beneath her immaculate exterior?
Why did a previous member take their own life?
And why have they singled out unassuming Rose to take her place?

Rose is about to find out that darkness lies at the heart of The Circle. And it’s far too late to run…

Big thanks for my copy to review on netgalley.  I loved her debut !!

I raced through this.

Intoxicating and chilling.

Fantastic book that has you hooked from the start.

If you have kids you’re likely to have stood in a playground… say no more…

Thought provoking..how far would you go to ensure you fit in. And we would all do what we can for our children.

Published 4th August and do check out the other blogs taking part in the tour.