BOOK REVIEW THE PLUMBERRY SCHOOL OF COMFORT FOOD BY CATHY BRAMLEY

Verity Bloom hadn’t been interested in cooking anything more complicated than the perfect fish finger sandwich ,ever since she lost her best friend and baking companion two years ago.

But an opportunity to help a friend lands her right back in the heart of the kitchen . The plumberry school of comfort food is due to open in a few weeks time and needs the kind of great ideas that only verity could cook up. And with new friendships bubbling and a sprinkling of romance in the mix ,verity finally begins to feel like she’s at home .

Bur when tragedy strikes at the very heart of the cookery school ,can verity find the magic ingredient for plumberry while still writing her own recipe for happiness?

I don’t think this lady knows how to not write a brilliant book in my honest opinion .  Her books guarantee to leave you with a smile and comforted . In fact I would now instantly buy her books even without reading the blurb !

Her stories contain the right mix of comedy ,romance and drama .

As ever you fall in love with her characters who are all on their own personal journeys . You will be cheering verity on who has to get out of her comfort zone to help those dear to her. Will it pay off or has she bitten off more than she can chew? 

Great charactars ESPecially Tom 😀 Cathy knows how to create a handsome book boyfriend .

Beautifully written and she has quickly become one of my favourite authors .

Perfect for when you want to escape the real world as her books whisk you away . As I’ve said before they are like being embraced in a big comforting hug 

I look forward to reading her next book ! 

 

BOOK REVIEW SHTUM BY JEM LESTER

Ben Jewell has hit breaking point.

His ten year old son Jonah has never spoken . So when Ben and Jonah are forced to move in with bend elderly father ,three generations of men – one who can’t talk ;two who won’t are thrown together .

As ben battles single fatherhood a string of well meaning social workers and his own demons he learns some difficult home truths.

jonah ,blissful in his innocence ,becomes the prism through which all the complicated strands of personal identity,family history and misunderstanding are finally untangled .

 

I had heard great great things about this book and couldn’t wait to read . So after taking it from the library it was devoured in under 8hours.

I couldn’t put it down and I absolutely loved it.

As a parent to 2children on the autistic spectrum I know only too well how it is . This book doesn’t dress it up or focus on the special fun moments ,it’s raw real and hard hitting . It is tough and exhausting and there always seems to be a battle . We are their voice and one part I especially liked was how he included letters and documents involved in raising  a child with special needs. 

We go on a journey with these characters and it’s always brilliant to read from a mans point of view .

This will always stay with me and I think it’s great to have read 2 books recently that talk openly and honestly about raising a child with autism . As a final note I would like to say thank you to these authors for showing the world what it can be like but also that away from the stress and appointments that we are still families who love.

 

 

BOOK REVIEW FALLING BY JULIE COHEN

Can you imagne keeping a secret so devasting you couldn’t even tell the people you love? 

Honours secret threatens to rob her of the independence she’s guarded ferociously for over eighty years .

Jos secret could smash apart the normal family life she’s fought so hard to build.

Lydia’s could bring her love -or the loss of everything that matters to her.

Grandmother ,mother and daughter -three women whose lives are falling apart . But one summers day ,a single dramatic moment will force their secrets into the open .

Can they save each other from falling ?

I have been dying to read this ever since it was published. Julie has become one of my favourite authors and ladies to interact with on social media .

This met my expectations and exceeded them!

I absolutely loved it and there were some parts I could so relate to.

Being a single mum like Jo ,having a teenage daughter like Lydia and also a teenage daughter who’s maybe not as OK as she is saying .

I loved the family dynamics and how we watch these grow and change .

I was rooting for Jo and her sexy neighbour … ! Come on who wouldn’t want that but again with a life as tricky as hers it was never going to be simple .

Reading from each of the different women’s narrative enabled the reader to gather a greater insight into their minds .

A beautiful story on love loss and family .

BOOK REVIEW THE HOUSE ON SUNSET lAKE BY TASMINA PERRY

A family secret. A house in ruin. A mystery to unraveling…

1995. Savannah, Georgia ,where the sunsets are long and golden and the air is hot and heavy with promise . Student him Johnson isn’t happy when he has to abandon his plans of a care free month of inter -railing to spend the summer in the Deep South with his mother and father,a down in his luck author who has been sent to Savannah to rediscover his muse . But when Jim meets the beguiling Jennifer wtaf , the daughter of the owners of cash D’or , the mysterious plantation  house on the shores of a land ,Jim knows he has made the right decision in coming along . Until an event happens that’s shatters Jim and Jennifer’s lives for ever and sets both their lives on a different course.

2015 . Twenty years later casa D’or stands abandonded and neglected ,a victim of tragic events that everyone wants to keep buried. But when Jim johnsons boss buys it as the latest acquisition to his hotel chain ,Jim is forced to return to the house and restore it to its former glory . Fate throws him back into the orbit of Jennifer quart ,the woman his heart has never truly got over ,but as he tries to put the ghosts of the past behind him,he unearths a chilling secret that makes him wonder what he has ever really known about the people he loves .

Firstly thank you to Caitlin for my proof copy and apologies for my delay in reviewing …school holidays !! 

I whizzed through this and like previous books from Tasmina  I was transported into a different place . Beautifully written which creates a descriptive atmospheric read.

Full of secrets and scandal this is addictive reading !

We are presented with a love that’s forbidden and the drama that comes with it. But not just in the past but the present .

Doubts and heartache make it incredibly difficult for jim to evaluate the situation objectively 

Reading a Tasmina perry book guarantees perfect escapism with romance .

BOOK REVIEW A BOY MADE OF BLOCKS BY KEITH STUART

Discover a unique funny and moving debut that will make you laugh ,cry and smile .

Meet thirty something dad Alex 

He loves his wife jody ,but has forgotten how to show it . He loves his son but doesn’t understand him. Something has to change and it starts with him.

Meet eight year old Sam.

Beautiful ,surprising  ,autistic 

To him the world is a puzzle he can’t solve on his own .

But when Sam starts to play minecraft ,it opens up a place where Alex and Sam begin to re discover both themselves ,and each other …can one fragmented family put themselves back together ,one piece at a time? 
Firstly a huge thanks to Kirsteen for sending me a proof copy . Apologies in my delay in reading .

I also want to say thank you to the author for writing this book not only as a reader but also as a mum to two autistic children .

You have written a masterpiece and I for one will be praising this and recommending to everyone .Not just to those in the loop but those who maybe want a better understanding of what it can be like .

Your book is real raw and genuine 

It’s funny emotional and there were times I was reading about my son Lincoln so I had to close the book .

I cried smiled and laughed .

You have not focused on the negative nor the spectacular wonder of the autistic brain . What you have done is write about the real life that happens despite having a special needs child or not .Family life is hard I know full well myself .

I think many readers will appreciate how we see the struggles a male had not just in his role as a dad . 

We watch both Alex and Sam grow together but also as individuals .

This book is beautiful and I will treasure it .

Thank you for also showing that autistic children can be funny kind and empathic …despite what some people believe .

A brilliant story that has been written with love and compassion .

Book review sunshine on a rainy day by Bryony Fraser

Its Zoe and jacks first wedding anniversary and they’ve got an announcement . They’re getting divorced !

Marriage isn’t for everyone -something that zoe and jack discovered only after they’d walked down the aisle .

Bad timing huh?

So now they’re stuck together in their once harmonious marital home ,neither one of them willing to move out of their lovely house .

With Zoe’s three sisters always wanting a say,and jacks best friend trying his hardest to fix things between them ,misunderstandings arise . Tempers flare . Accidents happen …

But maybe things aren’t quite as final as they seem ? 

Firstly thank you to Heleba at Avon for the copy to review .

This sounded like a great fun read but for me it didn’t quite have the same effect when reading .

I managed to finish it and I would describe it as a light easy read .

However I just couldn’t relate to Zoe and the storyline didn’t really go anywhere.

I got cross a few times at her which was maybe intended . 

I found the lives of the othercharacters  more interesting and enjoyed hearing about Zoe’s large family .

A light read with some funny moments but overall a average read. 

Published September 8th