BOOK REVIEW OUR SUMMER TOGETHER BY FANNY BLAKE

Caro knows how to be a mother-advising her grown up daughters on career and relationship worries.  She knows how to be a grandmother -enjoying the hectic energy of her three year old grandson.  She knows how to be a daughter -helping her aging mother retain her independence .

She thought she knew everything about being a wife, but when her husband suddenly leaves her for another woman, everything is thrown in the air. So ,when a chance meeting introduces her to Damir -younger ,intriguing and attentive -she realises that opening up to a man so different from everyone else in her life ,might also mean getting to know who she really is. ….

Firstly a big thank you to Elaine at orion for my copy to review. 

I finished this evening and I’m already missing Caro.  What a enjoyable lovely character . She had such  a warmth to her I felt like she really stepped off the pages into my imagination.

This author is a brilliant storyteller and she captures the reader very quickly .

This is so much more than  a love story ,this is about finding out who Caro is and what does her heart truly desire. 

What once felt scary to her she is now embracing and living life to the full again. 

As a woman and a mum I know only too well what it’s like regarding putting others first and Caro is realising albeit quite late that she needs to do the same . So even though she was an older generation than me I felt I could connect and relate to her .

Through falling in love again she also begins to love and respect herself .

A fantastic summer read full of warmth humour and new beginnings .

BLOG TOUR THE SUMMER OF SERENDIPITY BY ALI MCNMARA

The Summer of Serendipity

Ali McNamara
Published 13th July 2017

The magical new summer novel by the author of Little Flower Shop by the Sea

One summer, property seeker, Serendipity Parker finds herself on the beautiful west coast of Ireland, hunting for a home for a wealthy Irish client. But when she finds the perfect house in the small town of Ballykiltara, there’s a problem; nobody seems to know who owns it.

‘The Welcome House’ is a local legend. Its front door is always open for those in need of shelter, and there’s always a plentiful supply of food in the cupboards for the hungry or poor. 

While Ren desperately tries to find the owner to see if she can negotiate a sale, she begins to delve deeper into the history and legends that surround the old house and the town. But for a woman who has always been focussed on her work, she’s remarkably distracted by Finn, the attractive manager of the local hotel.

But will she ever discover the real truth behind the mysterious ‘Welcome House’? Or will the house cast its magical spell over Ren and help her to find true happiness?
Ali McNamara attributes her over-active and very vivid imagination to one thing – being an only child. Time spent dreaming up adventures when she was young has left her with a head bursting with stories waiting to be told.

When stories she wrote for fun on Ronan Keating’s website became so popular they were sold as a fundraising project for his cancer awareness charity, Ali realised that not only was writing something she enjoyed doing, but something others enjoyed reading too. 

http://www.alimcnamara.co.uk | @AliMcNamara

Firstly a big thank you to clara for my proof copy and I am delighted to be taking part in the blog tour.

I’ve read a few of her books and they are all delightful and full of a little extra magic. 

I was completely transported to the emerald isle , I have never been and it sounds beautiful.

Great characters and a flowing narrative.

You can tell she’s guarded and been hurt in the past but time away from the hustle and bustle seems to be softening her armour.  Could she be finding her happy place and most of all who she really is? 

Ali is a great storyteller that whisks you away from reality and recently I’ve needed it more than ever. 

A book guaranteed to lift your spirits this summer.

Do check out the other blogs taking part

 

BOOK REVIEW HOT MESS BY LUCY VINE

Have you ever shown up to Sunday brunch still smelling of Saturday night ?chosen bed, Netflix and pizza over human contact?  Stayed in your mould ridden flat because it’s cheap ? 

Meet your spirit animal , Ellie Knight .Her life isn’t turning out exactly as she planned.  She hates her job , her friends are coupling up and settling down and her flatmates are just plain weird.

Some people might say she’s a hot mess but who really has their sh*t together anyway? For fans if fleabag and girls this is a fresh and funny coming of age story with a single girl heroine that will speak to millennials everywhere .

Firstly a big thank you to elaine at Orion for my copy to review 

I read this in one swift gulp .

I absolutely loved it and I guarantee woman from all walks of life will be able to relate and identify with Ellie.

Her tales of dating are hilarious real and so entertaining .

As a single woman im certainly not without a horror story or 2 and this book will reassure many that it’s OK to not have it all together.

There’s so many pressure on women to have everything and this is a big fingers up to all of that and loudly saying a woman doesn’t need a man to be happy !!

As much as this is a hugely funny tale it also examines family dynamics and how  they come together in hard times. I loved reading about her dad who’s such a character . The relationship they have is heartwarming .
Ellie discovers who she really is and what she wants from life .

A brilliant laugh a minute modern tale of the trials and tribulations of the young woman of today’s world .

Will  you join Ellie and announce that you are a hot mess? 

Published 13 th July 

BLOG TOUR SUMMERS LEASE BY CARRIE ELKS

If music be the food of love, books are certainly the appetizers . . .

Cesca Shakespeare has hit rock bottom. Six years after the play she wrote bombed at the box office, she’s unable to hold down a job, keep an apartment, and worst of all her family have no idea how far she’s fallen. So when her fairy Godfather offers her the use of his friend’s Italian villa for the summer, she grudgingly agrees to try writing a new play. That’s before she finds out the house belongs to her arch-nemesis, Sam Carlton.

When Hollywood heart-throb Sam Carlton sees his name splashed across a gossip rag, all he wants to do is hide. That’s how he finds himself traveling to Italy, deciding to spend the summer in his family’s empty villa on Lake Como. Except when he arrives it isn’t as empty as he’d hoped.

Over the course of the hot Italian summer, Cesca and Sam have to come to terms with their pasts. What begins as a tentative friendship quickly grows into an intense attraction – and then a scorching fling. But they can’t hide from reality forever . . . as their different worlds collide, Sam and Cesca face a choice: is this just a summer romance, or could their love weather even the coldest winds?

Firstly a  big thank you to Clara at Little brown books for sending me a copy to review and having me share my love on the blog tour .

I absolulty  loved this book ,it offered complete escapism and lots of swooning !

Set in  the gorgeous location of italy its hard to not be whisked away as you read .

Cesca hasnt had much luck in recvent years and jumps at the chance to get away ,clear her head and possibly write . However fate has different ideas and beforee long shes is face to afce with the very person who chjanged her luck all those years ago.

We watch as they go from hate to love ,from tension to passion .

And it is steamy!! Sam was the epitome of a book hunk and i enjoyed reading about him .

Cesca is a great charactaar strong independent and very talented …she just needs to believe in herself a bit more .

Full of romance and fun thsi makes for a sizzling summer read .

I cant wait to read more from this author and about the shakespeare sisters .

 

 

 

 

 

BLOG TOUR AND BOOK REVIEW HER LAST BREATH BY TRACY BUCHANAN

A girl has gone missing.  You’ve never met her ,but you’re to blame.

Food writer Estelle Forster has the perfect life. And with her first book on the way ,it’s about to get even better. 

When Estelle hears about poppy O’Farrell’s  disappearance,  she assumes the girl has simply run away. But Estelles world crumbles when she’s sent a photo of poppy, along with a terrifying note : Im watching you.  I know everything about you. 

Estelle has no idea who’s been threatening her , or how she’s connected to the missing teen, but she thinks the answers lie in the coastal town she once called home,  and the past she hoped was long behind her.

Estelle knows she must do everything to find poppy.  But how far will she go to hide the truth -that her perfect life was the perfect lie!

Firstly a huge thank you to sabah at Avon for sending me a copy to review and having me on the blog tour. 

Wow wow wow!! What an absolutely incredible book.

This book is so twisty and keeps you on your toes .

Every time I felt I knew the truth and what direction it was going there was yet another shock in store! 

Packed full of secrets and scandal .

My daughter is called Estelle and I saw myself in the books Estelle so that made the reading experience that more personal and strong.

Estelle has worked hard to leave her past in the past and have a fantastic life and future.  That’s all about to change 

However are things all that they seem? 

Who can she trust? 

I devoured this in one swift gulp and couldn’t stop reading . Addictive fast paced and completly unpredictable. 

This for me is Tracys best book yet .

One of the best psychological thrillers I’ve read this year for sure .

Make sure to check out the other blogames taking part! 

Published 29th june 

 

BLOG TOUR THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING ME BY CAROLINE GRACE-CASSIDY

When was the last time you put yourself first ?

Thirty eight years old divorcee courtney Downey has no idea who she is any more. She has devoted her life to bringing up her beloved 15 year old daughter Susan,  but Courtney JUstinov doesn’t get the celebrity -obsessed,  Snapchat -filtered teenage world Susan is part of ,and they’re growing apart. When Susan announces she wants to live with her dad and his new younger girlfriend,  Courtney us debates.  But could the end of one life be the beginning of another?  

When Courtney is offered a job in beautiful sun kissed Cornwall,  she and her vivacious best friend claire follow their hearts and leave their problems behind for a summer of sand ,sea and second chances. And when she meets sexy but infuriating builder Tony,  Courtney rediscovers her passions for life, for cooking and for love. 

But just as courtney is folloeorinally looking forward to the future, and crisis with Susan pulast her back to Dublin,and back into old habits . Will she ever be able to let go of the past and embrace the importance of being herself? 

Firstly a big thank you to lina at black and whire publishing for my copy. I have not read any of this authors books but after reading this I would love to!

I could relate a lot to Courtney being a single mum and questioning who she is etc.

Raising a teenage daughter is tough whatever the situation.  However having to share her with a cool dad and step mum is the final straw. 

This is a funny book with great charactars set in a idealsick location.

Courtney starts to live for herself and get that zest for life again .

Could she really be happy? 

Or will her commitments pull her back. 

Really enjoyed this book and was cheering her on.

Do check out the other blogs taking part.

BOOK REVIEW BLOOD SISTERS BY JANE CORRY

Alison and kitty are bound by a secret. 

Kitty lives in a care home.  She can’t speak properly and she has no memory of the accident that put her there. At least that’s the story she’s sticking to.

Art teacher Alison looks fine on the surface.  But the surface is a lie . When a job in a prison comes up she decides to take it-this is her chance to finally make things right. 

But someone is watching kitty and Alison. Someone who wants revenge.

And only another life will do. …

I preordered this ages ago as I absolutely loved Janes debut my husband’s wife.

Even the title and cover give you a chill so I knew I wasn’t going to be disappointed. 

Told in alternate narratives between the sisters one who remembers it all but is keeping quiet and one who is screaming but can’t be heard. 

Loved exploring the dynamics of sisters and friends and the pull these can have on our ability to make the right choices.

This is a dark read which suffocates you as we get closer to the truth. 

With twists and turns along the way it’s really a heart pounding psychological thriller.

Completly addictive and unpredictable, this will have you hooked very quickly.

Jane uses what she knows of the prison system and invests it into her charactars and their storyline . 

I whole heartedly recommend Janes books and I cannot wait to see what her next book brings!

BOOK REVIEW LAST SEEN BY LUCY CLARKE

In a small seaside community,  there’s always somebody watching …

Seven years ago,  two boys went missing at sea -and only one was brought to shore. The sandbank,  a remote stretch of coast dotted with beach huts, was scarred forever.

Sarahs son survived , but on the anniversary of the accident he disappears without trace. As new secrets begin to surface, the sandbank hums with tension and unanswered questions. Sarahs search grows more desperate and she starts to mistrust everyone she knows -and she’s right to.

Firstly let me say how much I adore lucys books,  I don’t even need to know the title or the blurb to want to read it. I always know I will love it.

Last seen was preordered and devoured in the bath which felt quite apt to this particular story.

This had me completly hooked instantly .

Very cleverly written … I didn’t know if I was coming or going with all the twists and secrets being revealed. 

Who can be trusted?

Who knows what really happened seven years ago ? And most recently on the anniversary ??

Through Lucys detailed descriptive writing I felt I was on that beach smelling the seawater .

I could relate to both the women as mothers and I loved the exploration of there friendship and how it had developed but also broken over the years .

That pain of losing a child doesn’t bear imagining .

The guilt of your child surbingo.

Can you ever move on from such tragedy?

And what has happened to Jacob. 

Full of tension and mystery this will have you engrossed and gripped till the very last page.

If you are yet to discover this authors books then go and enjoy !