BOOK REVIEW THE MEMORY SHOP BY ELLA GRIFFIN

Will every treasured possession find its perfect home?

Nora’s world has been turned upside-down. Escaping heart-break in London, she returns to her childhood home in Dublin where her grandmother’s beloved house is being sold. Nora has been left with an inheritance of treasured belongings, but no home of her own in which to keep them.

Unable to bear auctioning them off, Nora resolves to stay in Dublin and open The Memory Shop, a very special business which matches each gorgeous object with a perfect new owner. It’s not long before these objects begin to transform the lives of those they touch, creating new stories and new chances at happiness.

As Nora lets go of a lifetime of treasures, she unlocks tantalising clues to her grandmother’s mysterious past. But can she finally let go of her own…?

Firstly a big thank you to Elaine at Orion for my copy to review . The cover is absolutly striking and after reading the book it really sets the scene .

What a beautiful uplifting emotive read.

Each charactar with their own story to tell is woven into Noras life through the memory shop .

Nora is one strong independent woman with her own heartache but she is force to be reckoned with when it comes to getting a job done.

Full of history ,hurt, love and promises for the future .

There was one chapter regarding a relationship that wasnt that healthy and it really struck a chord for me . Thank you to the author for capturing the emotions perfectly !

Grear charactars great premise .. loved every page.

I look forward to reading more from this fantastic author

Published 22nd March

BLOG TOUR THE LOVE FACTORY BY ELAINE PROCTOR

You can control want, but desire controls you

A smart, sexy, witty novel about love and desire, and how losing everything can sometimes be the best thing that ever happened to you

Anna is a writer whose small but perfectly formed novels sell zip. When she falls on hard times and tries her hand at erotic fiction, she faces an uncomfortable truth. Though she’s a wife and mother of two, her stories fail to fly because she’s never experienced true sexual desire. Even her Sicilian grandmother – wearer of diamante sunglasses and knock-off Louis Vuitton – knows more than she does about true passion.

A romance-writing workshop doesn’t help, so Anna turns to her friends for inspiration. As secrets and desires are revealed, Anna discovers more about the people close to her than she ever knew. When Cordelia, a romance-writing classmate, suggests she borrows an alter ego to banish her inhibitions, a new world opens up to Anna and The Love Factory – a group of writers penning ever more successful sexy stories – is born.

And yet Anna knows that she can’t rely on borrowed passion and an alter ego forever. For her tales to truly sizzle, she needs to find a proper love of her own.

Firstly a big thank you to Alanna at quercus for my copy and having me on the blog tour.

This is a author ive not read before and as a blogger i love having change .

I whizzed through this.

Funny fresh and full of wit.

This is a story about what happens when change occurs .

Being brave and bold and going for new challenges .

A great mix of charactars and strong women who empower and inspire each other.

Families working together through difficult times whilst having fun along the way.

This is a book about self discovery and courage and not to see change as always bad.

Do check out the other blogs taking part.

Published 22nd March

BOOK REVIEW THE SECOND CHILD BY CAROLINE BOND

Why do you love your child? Is it because they’re a straight A student, a talented footballer? Or is it simply because they’re yours?Sarah and Phil love both their children, James and Lauren. The couple have the same hopes and aspirations as any parent. But their expectations are shattered when they discover that their perfect baby daughter has been born with a flaw; a tiny, but life-changing glitch that is destined to shape her future, and theirs, irrevocably. Over time the family adapt and even thrive. Then one day a blood test casts doubt on the very basis of their family. Lauren is not Phil’s child. Suddenly, their precious family is on the brink of destruction. But the truth they face is far more complex and challenging than simple infidelity. It tests their capacity to love, each other and their children, and it raises the question of what makes – and what breaks – a family.

Firstly a big thank you to corvus books for my copy to review .

Before I even knew the premise of the book it looked intriguing.

This really reminded me of Sinead moriatys writing who is a author I adore.

To say this is Caroline’s debut book only shows how gifted a writer she is . This book is incredible and I can’t wait to read more from her .

Great concept and characters and a brilliant thought provoking storyline

As a mum of special needs children I could relate to some parts a lot .

Published 22nd March and i wish her every success with it

BOOK REVIEW CHARLIE AND ME BY MARK LOWERY

Thirteen-year-old Martin and his younger brother Charlie are on a very special journey. They’re going to be travelling 421 miles all the way from Preston to the very tip of Cornwall. They’re hoping to catch a glimpse of the dolphin that regularly visits the harbour there. But is that the only reason they are going?

It’s a journey that’s full of challenges and surprises. Martin adores his brother Charlie but he’s not like ordinary kids. He’s one in a million. He was born far too early, and ought to have died. And cheeky, irrepressible, utterly unique Charlie is always keeping Martin on his toes – especially on this crazy trip they are now on. Martin is doing his best to be a good big brother, but it’s hard when there’s something so huge coming once they get to Cornwall …

Firstly a big thank you to Tina at Piccadilly for my copy to review.

This is a absolute gem of a book and must admit i had tears in my eyes towrds the end .

This is a story about the bond betwen siblings and all that entails.

I found it so enlightening and endearing to capture a glance into their world. Especially as a mum and a mum to autistic children. Just like Charlie my youngest is more demanding than his elder sister .

This is a sweet funny tale that takes you on a emotional adventure .

Beautifully written and i look forward to discovering more from this author.

BLOG TOUR HOLD MY HAND BY MJ FORD

A horrible vanishing act…

When a young Josie Masters sees a boy wearing a red football shirt, Dylan Jones, being taken by a clown at a carnival, she tries to alert the crowds. But it’s too late. Dylan has disappeared…

Thirty years later, Josie is working as a police officer in Bath. The remains of the body of a child have been found – complete with tatters of a torn red football shirt. Is it the boy she saw vanish in the clutches of the clown? Or is it someone else altogether?

And then another child disappears…

Firstly a huge thank you to Sabah at avon for my copy and having me on the tour .

The book was delivered by a rather confused postman as it was playing music…creepy music at that. So I had a suspicion I was In for quite a read !

I absolutely loved this book and it’s a debut! Incredible and let’s hope that means there are plenty more boks to follow.

This had everything you need for a psychological thriller.

It was so dark and disturbing at some parts I was actually cowering.

Addictive as I couldn’t read fast enough to find out the truth.

So many twists and turns it’s like a fairground ride .

Unpredictable fast paced and very unsettling especially as a parent !

Can’t praise this enough and has been on my mind all day

Published 8th March and I wish him every success !

Do check out the other blogs taking part in the tour and read on for a extract .

Bath was never quiet, of course, but Friday lunchtime in the summer holidays was pretty close to Jo’s idea of hell. An engine of commerce. Tourists jostling with street performers, gaggles of teenagers up to nothing. Workers – mostly Europeans and South Americans – on breaks from jobs at hotels. People spilling out of cafes, bars and shops. And here and there, the city’s true denizens – Jo’s bread and butter. The drug addicts, leaning towards their next fix. The pickpockets, swimming with the tides. The petty criminals who existed in every city; the grit in the machine.
Jo fought through the pedestrians outside the Assembly Rooms before slipping off into a narrower alley, a row of bikes chained up against a set of railings. She found the hat place, and though at first she thought it must be closed, when she pushed the door, it opened, a bell above her clanking. A small, very elderly man with luxuriant white hair and a stoop looked up from behind a counter.
‘Good day to you,’ he said.
Jo smiled at the unexpected chivalry, but just as she was about to speak, her phone rang again. This time the vibration was different.
‘Excuse me!’ she said, and she backed out of the shop to take the call.
‘Why aren’t you answering?’ said Rob Bridges, her DCI back at the station. ‘Ben’s been trying for the last hour.’
It took Jo a moment to gain her composure. ‘With my mum,’ she said. ‘It’s in the diary.’
Bridges breathed a sigh. ‘Fine, can you talk?’
‘What’s up?’
‘We’ve got a body. Bradford-on-Avon. A kid.’
Jo looked at her reflection in the window of the shop, swal¬lowed. ‘Go on.’

BOOK REVIEW LET ME LIE BY CLARE MACKINTOSH

The police say it was suicide.
Anna says it was murder.
They’re both wrong.

One year ago, Caroline Johnson chose to end her life brutally: a shocking suicide planned to match that of her husband just months before. Their daughter, Anna, has struggled to come to terms with their loss ever since.
Now with a young baby of her own, Anna misses her mother more than ever and starts to ask questions about her parents’ deaths. But by digging up the past, is she putting her future in danger? Sometimes it’s safer to let things lie . . .

Well here we are with the 3rd thriller from bestselling author and boy it is good!!

I was one of her first ever reviewers for her debut in 2015 and ive been a fan ever since.

She is one of my authors i dont even need to read the blurb i know im guaranteed a thrilling read.

Well she has excelled herself with let me lie , this is a incredible book.

With so many twists and turns you barely get chance to catch your breath.

I was completely gripped and the emotions that evolved with the story .

Unpredictable and fast paced this will be another bestseller. This makes you think and question people’s motives

Along the main narrative of Anna there is another one of a police officer who is dealing with his own stress . It is a very clever format as shows different side to mental illness and grief.

I wish Clare every success with this book.

Published 8th march

BLOG TOUR KISS ME KILL ME BY J.S CAROL

When Zoe meets Dan, he’s everything she is looking for in a man – intelligent, charming, supportive.
It’s only after they’re married that she realises that he’s controlling, aggressive, paranoid.
And there’s no way out.

Or is there?
Zoe knows she has to escape, but Dan’s found her once before, and she knows he can find her again.
But Dan has plans of his own. Plans that don’t necessarily include Zoe.

Be careful who you trust . . .

Firstly a big thank you to Imogen at zaffre books for havinh me on the blog tour.

Im delighted to be sharing a extract for you …it sounds like a thrilling read !

Out in e book now and paperback in May .

Do check out the other blogs taking part.

In hindsight she could see how her path had been set back in Montana when she was still a kid. She had never been one of the popular girls at school. She would try to fit in, but then it got to the point where it just wasn’t worth the effort. It didn’t matter what clothes she wore, they were never going to be cool enough; it didn’t matter what she said or did, it was never quite going to be the right thing. Her parents would tell her she was amazing, that she could be anything she wanted, that she could do anything, and for a while she believed them. She had this whole future mapped out for herself, one where she would escape from Great Falls and become rich and famous, and that would show everyone.
Except it hadn’t worked out the way she imagined. Life never did. First her mom died, and then her dad, and somewhere between those two events her dreams shrank to the point where she lost sight of them. And then Daniel Barton had entered her life and encouraged her to dare dream again, and for a short time her dreams had burnt brighter than ever, like fireworks. The trouble with fireworks, however, was that they always burned out too quickly. If she had been a stronger person she would have found some way to leave him, but who was she trying to kid? There was no way to get away from someone like Daniel, not when they’d gotten their hooks into you.
Zoe shut her eyes and ate another spoonful of soup. With them closed, she could almost imagine she was in a restaurant, maybe even Giovanni’s, eating a late lunch with Lizzy after the last customers had left. When she opened them again her life was the same as ever; the same as it would always be from now until the day she died. The kitchen really was beautiful, like something you might see in an interior design magazine. Until you looked a little closer. How many of those perfect kitchens had a padlock on the pantry door? Or the refrigerator? There might not be any bars on the windows, but this was still a prison. She finished eating and for a while just sat there staring into space. Three years of marriage. How had that happened? It felt like three hundred.

BOOK REVIEW THE PERFECT GIRLFRIEND BY KAREN HAMILTON

Juliette loves Nate.
She will follow him anywhere. She’s even become a flight
attendant for his airline, so she can keep a closer eye on him.

They are meant to be.
The fact that Nate broke up with her six months ago means nothing.
Because Juliette has a plan to win him back.

She is the perfect girlfriend.
And she’ll make sure no one stops her from
getting exactly what she wants.

True love hurts, but Juliette knows it’s worth all the pain…

Firstly thank you to Wildfire books for my proof copy.

I thought I had reviewed this straight after reading but I couldn’t find it…blogger error.

However luckily this book is one that stays in your mind weeks after reading.

This is eerie and really got under my skin… to be in the mind of someone clearly unstable but thinks they are ‘normal’

I would love to know where Karen drew her inspiration for this character .

We have all no doubt experienced rejection in some form and it hurts … well see what happens when that hurt fuels someone entirely . Love becomes obsession ….

There were a lot of omg moments reading this and i found it fascinating especially as a former psychology student .

Cleverly written and i wish her every success with it and look forward to more as quite suprisingly this is Karen’s debut book.

Published 22nd March

BOOK REVIEW THE INTRUDER BY P.S HOGAN

He has the key to hundreds of houses.
Maybe even to yours.

A gripping, sinister, deeply unsettling novel from the most sociopathic narrator of 2018. Meet Mr Heming…
***
William Heming is an estate agent. He’s kept a copy of every key to every house he’s ever sold. Sometimes he visits them. He lets himself in when the owners are out. But what will happen if he gets caught?
What will he do next?

Firstly a big thank you to Rosie for my copy .

The design was incredible and had my kids trying to pinch the key !

A atmospheric dark read which certainly makes you feel unsettled.

We get really into this guys head and it’s not a great place to be !

Admittedly there were times I was a bit lost in the direction it was going.However an exceptionally written book.

Out now in e book published May 31st in paperback

BOOK REVIEW THE HOUSE SWAP BY REBECCA FLEET

‘No one lives this way unless they want to hide something.’
When Caroline and Francis receive an offer to house swap, they jump at the chance for a week away from home. After the difficulties of the past few years, they’ve worked hard to rebuild their marriage for their son’s sake; now they want to reconnect as a couple.
On arrival, they find a house that is stark and sinister in its emptiness – it’s hard to imagine what kind of person lives here. Then, gradually, Caroline begins to uncover some signs of life – signs of her life. The flowers in the bathroom or the music in the CD player might seem innocent to her husband but to her they are anything but. It seems the person they have swapped with is someone she used to know; someone she’s desperate to leave in her past.
But that person is now in her home – and they want to make sure she’ll never forget . .

Firstly thank you to Poppy for my proof copy. I have seen lots of other bloggers praise and its definitely a anticipated read of 2018.

It has all the ingredients of an addictive thriller

Told in alrernate narratives and timelines.

We as the reader are spoonfed the details so we have a build up of anticipation. And it doesnt dissapoint !

Completely addictive and unpredictable .

Dark and chilling and left me feeling quite unnerved and unsettled .

Cleverly written and thought provoking .

I wish Rebecca every succes with this book which i predict will be flying off the shelves .

Published 3rd May