#BlogTour! #Review – Not Just For Christmas by Natalie Cox (@NatCoxWrites) @orionbooks @AlainnaGeorgiou

Another publication day review, this time it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas for Natalie Cox and ‘Not Just For Christmas’. Huge thanks to Orion for the blog tour invite and the ARC. Here is my review:

Charlie hates the holidays, and this year is shaping up to be her worst yuletide ever. Her boyfriend has left her for his personal trainer, her flat is out of bounds after a gas leak, and her mother has gone to spend Christmas in Melbourne with her fifth husband. Finding herself single, mildly concussed and temporarily homeless, Charlie hesitantly agrees to dust off her wellies and spend the festive season in Devon, looking after Cosy Canine Cottages, her cousin Jez’s dog-care centre. 

However, her plans for a quiet rural Christmas with only the four-legged friends for company are dashed as soon as she meets Malcolm the deaf Great Dane, Hugo, his gorgeous (but engaged) owner, and Cal, the undeniably attractive but unbearably haughty and patronising local vet…

What does TWG think?

Omg this book had me in hysterics!!! A non-dog lover ends up looking after a very pregnant pooch, a deaf Great Dane, several other dogs and a couple of other animals – what could possibly go wrong!!! First of all, if you aren’t a fan of dogs, why would you offer to care for more than one of them? Nothing like throwing yourself in the deep end!! I don’t mean this to sound deafest (is that even a word?!), but I struggled to imagine a dead Great Dane. Maybe it’s because they are such massive dogs, I don’t know, but this one was certainly a sweetheart that’s for sure!

I was a little unsure of Charlie at first. I know she had a bit of a rubbish start to the festive season, but the way she came across sometimes was a little bit irritating and, as mean as this sounds, I was rather happy to see the vet give her a taste of her own medicine. Pardon the pun. I’m not saying that she deserved to be treated like rubbish, because nobody really does (welllllllllll), I just found her to be a little bit selfish. Well, selfish and hilarious! What a combination! She irritated me sometimes yet had me laughing like a seal on helium! How is that even possible?! Don’t worry though, my opinion of her changed big time by the end of the book, going from finding her irritating to finding her a bundle of energy.

‘Not Just For Christmas’ is full of such vibrant and colourful characters, and yes, the animals are included! I loved how fun the storyline was yet it also had a hint of serious topics throughout, highlighting the important fact that animals aren’t just for Christmas as well as several other relatable themes.

Natalie Cox has such an addictive writing style which is not only humorous, it’s also heartfelt. I thoroughly enjoyed ‘Not Just For Christmas’ and I just adored meeting Malcolm – what a gentle giant he is! A flirty, fun, and fabulous read – the perfect escape!

Buy now!

#BlogTour! #Review – I Wanted To Tell You By Anna Mansell (@AnnaMansell) @Bookouture

Happy publication day, Anna Mansell! I am delighted to be one of the bloggers kicking off the blog tour today, many thanks to Bookouture for inviting me to take part and for the ARC! Here is my review of ‘I Wanted To Tell You’:

‘Sometimes I think that if I’d found a way to talk, we’d be together now…’

When Helen finds a bundle of unsent love letters, tied with a red ribbon, and signed only ‘the love you wished I could be’, she wonders who they could belong to.

The same day, however, her husband Alex announces he’s leaving. She’d believed their love would last a lifetime, but now he’s gone and she hadn’t even realised there was anything wrong.

Desperate to understand, Helen doesn’t know where to look for answers. But the letters keep drawing her back. As she reads the words of loneliness, loss and regret, something in them helps her start to make sense of it all… Even as she realises someone has been keeping heart-breaking secrets.

But who do the letters belong to? Can the sender ever be reunited with the one they love, or is it too late? And when Helen finds out the truth about Alex, can she find it in her heart to forgive him, or will he never be the love she wished he could be?

What does TWG think?

Oh, Anna Mansell, what have you done to me?!

What a fabulous bunch of characters in this book! Helen finds herself in a bit of a sticky situation in her marriage, completely unaware of the demons her husband, Alex, is trying to fight. Whereas, Geoff, is trying his hardest to fight battles for both himself and his wife. I’m trying to be careful with spoilers here, so of course there is a lot more to each of the characters lives than the above.

Have you ever been the type of person to sit and write your feelings down, hoping they make a lot more sense written down than in your head? Many of you are probably nodding your head right now! I’ve never been good at expressing my own feelings yet someone in this book seemed to be pretty good at it. Funny how we are all different, isn’t it?

I was so pleased that Helen found comfort in someone elses written feelings at a time she needed them the most – I had no idea how her situation with Alex was going to pan out, but the emotional element of it regarding mental health was very powerful and very relatable.

Geoff and Connie, wow, what a storyline written from the heart, and what a relationship to aspire to! I was captivated by their relationship, but the situation they had unfortunately found themselves in was utterly heartbreaking. I didn’t just read about two characters where Geoff and Connie were concerned, I felt like I had found long lost family. I will hold my hands up and say that I cried – I’m not ashamed to admit it! I don’t think that I would have been able to stop the tears from falling even if I tried. Their connection is a beautiful gift to be discovered – relish in it!

‘I Wanted To Tell You’ is a thought provoking, insanely beautiful and poignant read which left me with half a heart broken, and half a heart filled with a joy. Anna Mansell has delivered in every sense of the word, and I am sure that she has made a very important person proud.

I am jealous of every person who gets to read this book for the first time and discover the beauty which lay beneath each of the characters barriers, whilst also being part of a powerful and beautifully written story of love, life, loss, and strength.

Buy now!

About the author.

Anna had a brush with ‘fame’ as a magician’s assistant back in 1977. She later decided that being sawn in half by her magical performing father, at barely 6 months old, was too submissive a role. She vowed to channel the trauma in to something much more pro-actively creative. Having failed at acting, singing and professional murder mystery parties (she was ALWAYs the one to die!), she fell to something much more solitary: writing. How To Mend a Broken Heart was her first novel and her life was not on the line in order to write that or her second: The Lost Wife. Anna lives on a dairy farm in Cornwall with her two children, her husband, and her ex-racing greyhound, Olive Dog.

https://www.facebook.com/AnnaMansellWriter/

https://twitter.com/AnnaMansell

#Review -#EveryColourOfYou by Amelia Mandeville (@AmeliaMandev) @LittleBrownUK @MidasPR

I will probably end up sounding like a worn out record no doubt, but I must apologise for the delay in posting my review of this book. Due to several weeks of internet issues and me nearly losing my shizzlemannizzle with the company, I now have a backlog of books to both read and review because of the Wi-Fi issues. It may take me a few days to get up to speed so please do bear with me and once again, I’m very sorry!

Here is my review of Amelia Mandeville’s ‘Every Colour of You’. Many thanks to Midas Pr for asking me to be involved in the blog tour, and huge thanks to Sphere for the ARC.

We had a story – short, but not a simple one. I couldn’t stay here and explain it all to you. If you really want to know, you’ll have to take time out of your day. You’ll have to read it…

Zoe’s life is full of colour. A fan of impromptu yoga, inspirational quotes and experimenting with hair dye, she’s on a mission to make the most of each and every day – even if she is currently spending most of her time behind a checkout till.

Then she meets Tristan. The rumour is that since his dad died, Tristan’s life has fallen apart. No one has seen him for months. But now he’s reappeared, does that mean he’s back to ‘normal’?

Zoe soon realises Tristan is struggling with a sadness that she can’t possibly understand and becomes determined to bring a world of colour back into his life. But the harder she tries, the more she realises it’s something she can’t fix – and in trying to put him back together, a part of her is beginning to fall apart. . .

What does TWG think?

Two people, two different lifestyles, two different outlooks on life – pretty standard, right? Wrong. As we go about our daily chores, ensuring our children/pets are fed, ensuring that our smalls are washed, our stomachs are full, and our lives are fulfilled, we often don’t think about whether Jo Bloggs crossing the street is feeling blue. Or whether Mrs Robinson who works in the local shop is feeling a bit green. Or whether the child who sits on their own in the local park every lunch time, is sitting there with a massive black cloud over their head. But is it our ‘job’ to wonder about other people’s colours?

Zoe reminded me of a Unicorn – someone who wasn’t afraid to show the world who she was, regardless of whether her colours were everyone’s cup of tea. She didn’t care as they were HER colours and that was WHO she was.

On the other side of the colour spectrum sat, Tristan. Whilst it may be a slight understatement to say that it was clear that Tristan was feeling a bit ‘blue’, his character was so relatable, I couldn’t help but tear up. The poor soul couldn’t understand his own feelings. He thought he was abnormal. He thought nobody wanted him around because he didn’t believe he was worth something. How many of us have sat there and thought that? -holds own hand up-. The important thing to admit is that he IS ‘normal’ (whatever that is), and feeling what he was feeling isn’t abnormal if that’s how he feels. Who has the right to dictate how someone reacts to a situation, or whether something hurts them? Nobody does.

Even though Zoe was a very, very colourful character, her life wasn’t without issue. She had issues, just like the rest of us, but her outlook on life was completely different due to her situation. Again, I was able to relate to Zoe as well and the fact that she came out with, ‘why does hidden pain get pushed aside because it isn’t as visible as someone who has hurt their body?’ (or words to that effect, not a direct quote). Oh how she hit the nail on the head! It’s right though, isn’t it? Why does mental health get people running away because they can’t see the persons pain? Just like invisible illnesses. And anyway, why should hidden pain be treated any different to a pain that is visible on a body like a broken limb or such? It shouldn’t! I’m sure Amelia Mandeville felt this when she wrote the book, but it is so easy for us to sit here and say that, yet people still require the prompts to sit there and change their perception of mental health.

Zoe was the type of person who wanted to live life to the full because she knew it was something precious – and good on her! Tristan was the type of person who struggled to straighten out his emotions and went about his day unsure about his place on this Earth – again, good on him. If that’s how they both felt!

Amelia Mandeville hit the nail on the head more than once in this book. Her attention to detail was first class, and it was evident that the theme of the storyline was written straight from her heart. I mean come on, you can’t bull….shizzle your way through this sort of stuff. You either have had to live it directly, or been there indirectly to appreciate just how emotional and solitary mental health turbulence can be.

‘Every Colour Of You’ was very, very hard-hitting and extremely powerful. It’s about time that a book was written about mental health in such a blunt manner as this book was. I’m not saying that people need to be shocked into understanding a situation, but it certainly can help the penny to drop if a subject is approached in a different way. This was the ‘different way’ – I wish I could give the author a huge to say thank you, daft eh?

The most important thing I got out of #EveryColourOfYou was that everyone person on this planet has different colours to their personalities, with some people having colours which shine brighter than others. It doesn’t mean those people with brighter colours are any more important than those who have a pallet of darker colours, it just means that a different person has their own little rainbow. Some days your own colours may dull a little, and some days your colours may shine bright like a diamond – but they’re yours, ALL YOURS. And you know what? If someone doesn’t like your colours, what does it matter?

#EveryColourOfYou is a fantastically written, emotionally poignant, and highly relatable read which left me covered in goosebumps and feeling accepted for the first time in a long time. Whether you have been directly or indirectly affected by mental health issues, I urge everyone to pop this book onto their Christmas lists, shopping lists, ‘just because’ lists.

Phenomenal beyond belief – let’s be proud of our colours.

Buy now!

#BlogTour! #Review – A Little Christmas Charm by Kathryn Freeman (@kathrynfreeman1) @rararesources @choclituk

Hurrah for being able to read fast! If you aren’t aware by now, I adore Kathryn Freeman’s novels and this one was no different. I am delighted to be sharing my review of ‘A Little Christmas Charm’ as part of the blog tour today, many thanks to RaRaResources for the blog tour invite, and thank you to the publisher for the ARC. Here is my review:

Would you swap sea and sunshine for tinsel and turkey?

Gabby Sanderson is used to being let down – even at Christmas. Which is why she’s happy to skip the festive season completely in favour of a plane ticket and sunnier climes.

But this Christmas could be different, because this time she might not be spending it alone. Can Owen Cooper charm Gabby into loving Christmas in the same way he’s charmed his way into her life, or is he just another person who’ll end up disappointing her?

What does TWG think?

That’s it, I’m done!!!! I think I’ve found ‘The One’! I’m not even joking! Okay, there is a teeny tiny problem though – he is two dimensional and, erm, not real. Well, he was certainly real in my mind!! Is it me or is it hot in here?!?!

If you have read this book already, you’ll know exactly what I’m on about. However, if this is still on your TBR pile (it should be), stop shaking your head at me and just trust me! Owen Cooper is going to be sending a lot of readers in their own boat of dreams!!!

And helloooooooooo, I felt like I was reading a book about myself! Gabby is me! Pfft, aside from the Mr Cooper obvious, but aside from that I related to that character SO much! Poor Gabby has trust issues due to her mother – her childhood was a never ending reel of disappointment which has unfortunately led to problems in her adulthood. Hardly surprising really though (you’ll see what I mean when you read it). It was such a shame to see Gabby so broken, yet her emotions were things I saw a lot of in myself. That was pretty hard going, I shan’t lie.

Owen Cooper hasn’t had it easy either, and it was nice to read a book with a male character that wasn’t afraid to show his vulnerable side. ‘A Little Christmas Charm’ might have the ladies swooning, but there is a lot to the book which I thought even male readers will be able to relate to and enjoy.

I loved how the author brought ‘dysfunctional families’ into the spotlight! Not every household has a mum, dad and children. Families come in all different shapes and sizes what with step families, half siblings, adopted families, and even the families that are made up of people you love rather than people who share the same DNA. It’s a shame that people think families should be a certain way, so I adored what Kathryn Freeman did with her characters in this story, that’s for sure!!

Watching Gabby flourish was definitely a highlight for me (again, aside from the obvious!!), and I felt that the entire storyline worked from the humour to the choice of Christmas decorations, to the choice of confectionary and drunken one liners. Seriously – this book had everything I could have wanted and I was absolutely gutted when it came to an end!

‘A Little Christmas Charm’ isn’t just full of a LITTLE charm, it’s full of so much charm, poor Santa would need another sleigh to carry it all. A hot under the collar, laugh out loud, uplifting, heartwarming, and utterly amazing book – I will be recommending this book until I am blue in the face! Make sure you ask Santa for this one – I absolutely loved it!!

Buy now!

About the author.

A former pharmacist, I’m now a medical writer who also writes romance. Some days a racing heart is a medical condition, others it’s the reaction to a hunky hero. 

With two teenage boys and a husband who asks every Valentine’s Day whether he has to buy a card (yes, he does), any romance is all in my head. Then again, his unstinting support of my career change proves love isn’t always about hearts and flowers – and heroes come in many disguises.

Social Media Links – 

Website:  http://kathrynfreeman.co.uk

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/kathrynfreeman

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/KathrynFreeman1

Giveaway – Win a paperback copy of A Little Christmas Faith by Kathryn Freeman (Open Internationally)

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

Enter the giveaway now!!

#BlogTour! #Review – The List That Changed My Life by Olivia Beirne (@olivia_beirne) @annecater @headlinepg

Apologies for the delay in posting this, internet issues have been the bane of my life and now I need to clear the backlog of posts whilst also reading to catch up. That said, I am delighted to welcome debut author, Olivia Beirne to TWG today as I review her first novel. Many thanks to Anne Cater for the blog tour invite, and thank you to the publisher for the ARC. Here is my review:

Sometimes all you need is a little push…

When Georgia’s sister is diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, she promises to do everything her older sibling can no longer do, resulting in a journey that will change her life forever…

Georgia loves wine, reality TV and sitting on the sofa after work. She does not love heights, looking at her bank account, going on dates, or activities that involve a sports bra. And she will never, ever take a risk.

That is, until her braver, bolder, big sister finds out that she won’t be able to tick off the things she wanted to do before turning thirty, and turns to Georgia to help her finish her list.

With the birthday just months away, Georgia suddenly has a deadline to learn to grab life with both hands. Could she be brave enough to take the leap, for her sister?

And how might her own life change if she did?

What does TWG think?

As a chronically ill x8 person, I emotionally welcome stories with chronic illnesses as the focus of the book. This is one of THOSE books and, despite MS not being one of my own illnesses, I still want to thank the author for putting a topic at the heart of her book to spread overall awareness of both the illness, and the way in which chronic illnesses can affect people.

Now, the idea surrounding a ‘bucket list’ in a book is one that has been doing the rounds in several books I’ve read this year. However, the concept has never been delivered in the way that it was in this book – yay to uniqueness!!!

For a lot of people, turning thirty is a big deal as it’s the age where people expect you to have done many things by. I know – why do we adapt our lives based on other people’s ideas as to how we should live? Why do we feel the need to compete with the Joneses so to speak? Answer – we are human. Georgia doesn’t feel as though she matches up to her big sister, Amy, yet Amy feels as though she isn’t as good as her little sister, especially after her recent diagnosis. Georgia can’t help but focus on all of the things she wishes she had, whereas Amy is grieving for the things that she can no longer do or is limited by. That said, both sisters are unaware that they are battling against their own sub-consciences whilst also unintentionally directing it at the other. Following?

I found the concept of this novel rather emotional because of my own personal battles with chronic illnesses. I thought that Olivia Beirne nailed the thought process to a T, highlighting the fact that grieving things you can no longer do, is actually a thing.

Whilst the topic of MS is very strong, there is a lot of humour and witty one liners that seemed to balance the rest of the book. Georgia had me in hysterics multiple times, and it was her personality and Amy’s strength which shone the brightest throughout the book.

Olivia Beirne is a very gifted writer! I have a feeling that this book was written from the heart because there were some things included in the story which I don’t think even Google would have been able to muster!

All in all, ‘The List Which Changed My Life’ gave me food for thought in more ways than one. I really did enjoy following Amy’s journey and I am delighted that chronically ill people are finally getting their time in the spotlight in a positive and realistic manner. I am so looking forward to reading more from this author!

Buy now!

#BlogTour! #Review – The Liars Wife by Samantha Hayes (@samhayes) @Bookouture

I apologise for the delay in posting my review for this blog tour, however I have been having internet issues big time, whilst also trying to clear the backlog of posts from the past two weeks. Please do bear with me as the Internet still isn’t fixed (thank goodness for Tesco wi-fi!). Many thanks to Noelle from Bookouture for the blog tour invite and ARC, here is my review of Samantha Hayes’, ‘The Liars Wife’.

When Ella wakes up in hospital following a hit and run incident, she is scared and confused. Close to tears, her eyes fall on a get-well-soon card on the window sill and the nurse reassures her that her loving husband will be back soon.

But Ella has never been married… 

What does TWG think?

Ermmmmmm, where do I even begin with this one?! Part of me just wants to sit here with my mouth gaping open, yet the other part of me wants to shout out ‘OMFG WHAT THE F…….’! However I can’t really do either as 1) my mouth gaping open isn’t a pretty sight, and 2) you can’t really class either of the above as a review!

I am going to have to be so careful with my review here as the risk of spoilers is incredibly high. So, let me start by saying this…and I mean this is a lovely way and not at all negatively; THIS IS BLOOOOOOOOOOMING TWISTED! It is! I would love to be a fly on the wall in Samantha Hayes’ mind – can you just imagine what goes through the mind of this author when she comes out with storylines so disturbing as this? Again, weirdly I don’t mean that negatively! Usually the word ‘disturbing’ isn’t a positive thing, yet with authors who write books such as this one, it is indeed a compliment!

Ella hasn’t had an easy life, and, judging by the path her present and future is currently on, I can only assume that her life won’t be getting any easier anytime soon! At work, Ella keeps herself to herself – she has a routine, and she likes to stick to it. However, thanks to a ‘little’ accident, Ella’s routine goes completely out of the window and the life she once knew is now no more. Imagine a puppet. Bear with me here….

Are you imagining it? Right. Now Put a name to the puppet and call it Ella. Done? Good. Now, imagine that Ella’s life is being governed by someone/something which is do dark and disturbing, it’s enough to make Ella want to snip the puppet strings once and for all. Catch my drift? Ella cannot move without the puppet strings being controlled. Her life is no longer her own. Her decisions aren’t…you guessed it, hers. ‘So why can’t she remove herself from the situation?’, I hear you ask. Well, don’t you think that if it was as easy as that she would have done it already? It isn’t, and it’s a life or death situation.

I’ve said it once already (or maybe twice) but I’ll say it again – ‘The Liars Wife’ is the type of disturbing which makes your stomach roll yet you can’t take your eyes off the paper. It’s the type of read which is so gritty, you’ll end up making your own eyes gritty trying to stay up until goodness what time to finish reading it (trust me, I was that person). What a fast paced, thrilling, highly addictive, and turbulent read which left me gasping for air! Hand on heart, I have never read anything like this before, but Samantha Hayes has certainly set the bar incredibly high for herself with her next book! Geeeeeeez!!!

Buy now!

About the author.

Samantha Hayes grew up in Warwickshire, left school at sixteen, avoided university and took jobs ranging from private detective to barmaid to fruit picker and factory worker. She lived on a kibbutz, and spent time living in Australia and the USA, before finally becoming a crime-writer.

Her writing career began when she won a short story competition in 2003. Her novels are family-based psychological thrillers, with the emphasis being on ‘real life fiction’. She focuses on current issues and sets out to make her readers ask, ‘What if this happened to me or my family?’ 

The Liar’s Wife is out now!

To find out more, visit her website www.samanthahayes.co.uk
Or connect with Samantha on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SamanthaHayesAuthor
And she’s on Twitter @samhayes

#BlogTour! #Review – #AlaskanHoliday by Debbie Macomber (@debbiemacomber) @arrowpublishing @Rachel90Kennedy

I am so very sorry for the delay in getting this blog post up. It was meant to be part of the blog tour but for the last two weeks I have had, and still have, issues with my internet. I’m trying to clear the backlog of blog tour posts as quickly as I can, so do bear with me.

I am delighted to be finally sharing my review of Debbie Macomber’s, ‘Alaskan Holiday’. Many thanks to Rachel Kennedy for the blog tour invite and ARC. Here is my review:

An uplifting tale of finding unexpected love in the Alaskan wilderness from bestselling author, Debbie Macomber.

Before beginning her new job as sous chef at one of Seattle’s finest restaurants, Josie Stewart takes on a six-month position cooking at a lodge in an Alaskan lake town. It’s only temporary–or so she thinks, as she becomes a valued part of the local community, falling in love with the people who call the Klutina Lake home.

But one man, in particular, stands out among the rest of Josie’s new friends: an intriguing swordsmith whose very existence forces her to question whether her heart wants to return to Washington at all.

What does TWG think?

How have I not read a Debbie Macomber novel before? Well, until this one obviously! I think I even have several of her books on my shelves! After reading ‘Alaskan Holiday’, I am uberly ashamed with myself for not delving into the realms of Debbie Macomber’s mind before now. Seriously.

Set in Alaska (yes, state the obvious I know!), Josie has found herself becoming part of the community as she reaches the end of her temporary job cooking in the local lodge. Not only has she won the hearts of the community with her scrumptious plates of food, she has also won the heart of the local swordsmith, Palmer. Unfortunately for him, Josie has a life waiting for her back in Seattle as she plans to embark on the cooking career of her dreams. At what price though?

I thought Jack, Palmer’s friend was like a big kid in a sweet shop! Yes his personality was a little bit brash at times, but his heart was in the right place and I felt that he kept Palmer on the straight and narrow in a weird and wonderful way. It was pretty clear that Palmer had fallen head over heels in love with the local cook – was there any reason to be so arrogant about it though? I’ve heard that love can do weird things to people, granted, however Palmer seemed to take it to a whole new level!

‘Alaskan Holiday’ didn’t blow my mind as such, yet I adored the whole premise of the book and felt that the storyline was perfectly in sync with the characters and the paths which they had each chosen. I loved how the story wasn’t heavy which meant that I was able to zoom through it in one sitting.

‘Alaskan Holiday’ is the ideal escapist read for any time of the year. Even though it may be set in a place that is absolutely freezing, the level of romance throughout the entire novel is enough to keep anyone warm. This definitely won’t be the last Debbie Macomber read of mine, that’s for sure!

Buy now!

#BlogTour! #Review – I See Through You by Daisy McNally (@daisy_mcnally) @AlainnaGeorgiou @orionbooks

I am so very sorry for the delay in getting this blog post up. It was meant to be part of the blog tour but for the last two weeks I have had, and still have, issues with my internet. I’m trying to clear the backlog of blog tour posts as quickly as I can, so do bear with me. However, I am delighted to be sharing my review (finally) of Daisy McNally’s, ‘I See Through You’. Many thanks to Alainna Georgiou from Orion Books for the blog tour invite and ARC.

It started with a lie . . .

Skye has finally met someone she can trust. A holiday romance, of all things. But you know when something real comes along, when it’s meant to be. Don’t you? A week after returning home, and Johnny has disappeared. He hasn’t called or returned her messages.

Then, with the easiest of lies, Skye finds a way back in to Johnny’s life – and to the people in it. When she makes an unlikely friend, they realise that Johnny is telling lies of his own. So will the two women find a way to bring him down – or each other?

It ended with the truth.

What does TWG think?

What a marmite book! I don’t mean that rudely at all, especially seeing as I am a huge fan of marmite, however, I really did struggle to get into this book at the beginning as I couldn’t make head nor tail of what exactly Skye was trying to achieve. Not only that, I couldn’t work out what her fixation was with Johnny! Granted I haven’t exactly had a holiday romance myself so I am unsure of the protocol where such things are concerned, but aren’t holiday romances just that?

Anyway, after I told my brain to broaden it’s horizon’s and read the rest of the storyline with an open mind, I was pleasantly surprised to find that for a book I wasn’t struck on to start with, ended up being one that I was highly addicted to. Funny how things change isn’t it?

Skye is very manipulative yet has the vibe of someone who has their heart in the right place. Weird putting the two together I know, but that’s just how it was. Her heart had been trodden on and she had been let down – I can see why she had the mindset that she did where Johnny was concerned…to a point. What shocked me was the psychologically damaging vibe she had as thought she was intent on ruining his life in revenge. Was she throwing her teddy out of the pram because a man didn’t respond to her after their holiday fling? Or was Johnny in the wrong for leading her on and involving her in a twisted set up?

Reader, I have to say that I am on the fence – I can’t answer those questions despite having read the book myself. Usually having unanswered questions at the end of a book annoys me, but the whole addictive personalities of the characters, the intricate psychological elements, as well as the ‘did she or didn’t she?’/’did he or didn’t he?’, kept me enthralled and had me hooked line and sinker.

Daisy McNally is a unique story teller, I’ll give her that, but wow she doesn’t half make it work in her favour!! I didn’t see through the characters in this book but I fell in love with the authors detailed and twisted storytelling, that’s for sure!

Buy now from Amazon

#BlogBlitz! #Review – For Once in My Life by Colleen Coleman (@CollColemanAuth) @Bookouture

Happy publication day, Colleen Coleman! #ForOnceInMyLife is available to buy as of TODAY! I am so excited to kick off the blog blitz today with my review. Many thanks to Bookouture for the blitz invite and ARC.

Twenty-nine-year-old Lily Buckley planned to be happily married and in her dream job by now. Instead she’s been single since being left at the altar three years ago, and works at her local paper, writing about giant vegetables at the village fete and a dog who looks exactly like Chewbacca.

 Not quite what she was dreaming of.

 So when Lily’s given the opportunity to write her own column it’s exactly what she’s always wanted – except what she has to write about. She has to do one thing every week that scares her.

 With encouragement from sexy colleague – and adrenalin-junkie – Christopher, Lily agrees. From sky-diving to haunted houses, Lily is going to be pushed to her limit. But Lily is hiding something – the thing that she fears the most of all…

 Ever since her heart was broken Lily has been afraid of falling in love again. Will fear hold her back once more – or can Christopher help her to finally find happiness?

What does TWG think?

Move over Beyonce, there’s a new sassy lady in town!!

Lily has never felt….good enough. She’s never felt….worthy. She has never felt like she belongs. Ever since she had her heart smashed into a pulp, Lily decided to take the number 20 bus to ‘I’ll never fall in love again’. Some of you might be familiar with it. Hell, some of you might even be familiar with Lily’s feelings. Haven’t we all felt like that at one point in our lives? I certainly have! I’ve never felt good enough for anyone, I’ve never felt worthy, and recently thanks to my character being tarnished, I feel like I cannot be myself. Just like Lily. I’ll be honest – I didn’t want to relate to her. I didn’t want to find myself nodding along when she expressed her thoughts and feelings, purely because of the negativity that is shown towards people who don’t feel good enough. I’m sure you’ll understand if you have been in that position.

Anyway, sorry, I’m veering off a little. With no wedding to plan, no honeymoon to embark on, and no pitter patter of tiny feet coming her way, Lily threw herself into her job only to watch her safety net fall down around her. Well, do you honestly think that she would have let that happen?

For once in HER life, Lily embarks on tasks which scare the bejeezus out of her so that she can then write about it for her colomn. A work type bucket list if you will. Bonkers? Perhaps. Thought provoking? Definitely! I know and you know that Lily could have easily turned round and told her colleagues where to go, but she didn’t. She took their ideas, grabbed them by their youknowwhats and gave it her all despite being scared shizzleless. It was as though Lily was sticking two fingers up to the person who wronged her several years ago, by showing them that she didn’t need them in her life to actually live it. It’s one thing to sit there and think about doing adrenanlin inducing things, but it’s a completely different ball game to go and actually do them and to allow yourself to be proud of your own accomplishments.

At the start of the book, Lily was a very guarded and unsure type of character. A person who wanted her loved ones to be happy before she even made herself happy. A person who, deep down, knew she was worth more than she gave herself credit for, but had absolutely no idea how to believe it herself. But, by the time I reached the end of the story, I had watched Lily grow and flourish before my very own eyes and yes, I actually felt quite emotional watching that happen because I had had faith in her from the beginning.

Colleen Coleman doesn’t just write novels which make me snort attractively like a pig wearing a bow, nor does she just write books which are laced with copious amounts of sassy wit. No. She writes novels from the heart, speaking to her readers through relatable situations with relatable characters, and boy does she do it brilliantly.

‘For Once in My Life’ is a brilliant, life-affirming novel which is guaranteed to give you a kick up the toosh when it comes to having faith in yourself and what you deserve. I thought the whole concept with Christopher was very, very clever, and I loved how it all came together so naturally as though it was meant to happen all along.

I’ve said it already, but I’ll say it again; move over Beyonce!! Lily is about to steal your sassy crown! Wow – the sass alone is enough to re-ignite fire in bellies, that’s for sure!

Colleen Coleman never disappoints – in actual fact she gets better and better with every new release!

I loooooooooved it and everything it stood for. Poignant, hilarious, sassy, thoughtful, heart-warming – an all round belter of a book! Amazing!

Buy now!

About the author.

Colleen was born in Canada and raised in Ireland. She is the winner of the much-coveted Novelicious Undiscovered People’s Choice Award launched to find the next ‘chick-lit star’. 

She spent years teaching English and Philosophy before finally taking a deep breath, scrunching both eyes shut, putting her pen to paper and vowing not to lift it again until she wrote the words ‘the end’. As a result, her first novel, Don’t Stop Me Now was born. 

Colleen lives between London, Ireland and Cyprus with her very patient husband and very,very chatty twin daughters.

 Author Social Media Links:

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/CollColemanAuth/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/CollColemanAuth

WEBSITE:  www.colleencolemanbooks.com

#BlogTour! #Review – The Fourth Victim by John Mead (@JohnMeadAuthor) @RaRaResources

Many thanks to RaRaResources for the blog tour invite and ARC – here is my review of ‘The Fourth Victim’ by John Mead:

Whitechapel is being gentrified. The many green spaces of the area, which typify London as a capital city, give the illusion of peace, tranquility and clean air but are also places to find drug dealers, sexual encounters and murder.

Detective Sergeant Julie Lukula doesn’t dislike Inspector Matthew Merry but he has hardly set the world of the Murder Investigation Team East alight.  And, it looks as if the inspector is already putting the death of the young female jogger, found in the park with her head bashed in, down to a mugging gone wrong.  The victim deserves more.  However, the inspector isn’t ruling anything out – the evidence will, eventually, lead him to an answer.

What does TWG think?

I really don’t quite know how to review this book I must admit. I was quite intrigued about the overall premise of the book to begin with – police procedural, a whodunnit and questionable circumstances – definitely my kind of book.

However, I couldn’t help but feel as though I was missing something! There were times where I felt as though I had walked into a conversation half way through, or picked up the book in the middle of a situation when in actual fact I hadn’t. I couldn’t quite grasp the way in which the storyline came together which ended up making the novel, in my eyes, a very difficult book to follow.

That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the police procedural content, especially the gripping events which led to the conclusion. There was definitely a complex level of suspense throughout the entire novel which I thought worked very well with such flawed characters.

For me, ‘The Fourth Victim’ had the ideal recipe for a belter of a read, I just felt that the icing on the cake needed a bit of fine tuning. All in all an intensely promising read.

Buy now!

About the author.

Born in the mid-fifties in East London, on part of the largest council estate ever built. I was the first pupil from my local secondary modern school to attend university.

I have travelled extensively during my life from America to Tibet. I enjoy going to the theatre, reading and going to the pub. It is, perhaps, no surprise that I am an avid ‘people watcher’ and love to find out about people, their lives, culture and history. 

Many of the occurrences recounted and the characters found in my novels are based on real incidents and people I have come across. Although I have allowed myself a wide degree of poetic licence in writing about the main characters, their motivations and the killings that are depicted.

 

Social Media Links – 

Amazon author profile: https://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B07B8SQ2ZH

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnMeadAuthor

Goodreads profile: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17891273.John_Mead