#BlogTour! #Review – #TheGiftOfFriends by #EmmaHannigan @headlinepg @AnneCater

The final blog tour of the day is one that is incredibly bittersweet. The author of this book, Emma Hannigan, sadly lost her life in February 2018, after fighting cancer for over ten years. It is an honour to be involved in the blog tour for her final novel, ‘The Gift Of Friends’, and I would like to extend my thanks to both Anne, and Headline, for inviting me to take part and for the ARC.

Emma Hannigan is sorely missed, but her inspiration, love and light, and beautiful words will continue to live on.

Kingfisher Road – a leafy, peaceful street in the town of Vayhill. But there are whispers behind closed doors. Who is moving into Number 10?

Engaged to handsome, wealthy Justin Johnston, Danielle appears to her new neighbours to have the perfect, glossy life. But not everything is as it seems…

In fact, each of the other four women who live close by has a secret, and each is nursing their own private heartache.

But could a gift be waiting on their doorsteps? And, by opening their front doors, and their hearts, to each other, could the women of Kingfisher Road discover all the help they need?

What does TWG think?

I really didn’t want this book to end. I wanted to savour the warmth of the characters, and I wanted to stay wrapped up in Emma Hannigan’s magical storyline.

‘The Gift of Friends’ was an incredibly bittersweet novel to read, as I couldn’t ignore the fact that it was the authors final novel due to her passing last year.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book as it highlighted something important which a lot of people seem to forget – not everything is as it seems. It really isn’t, and sometimes you just need just one person to understand that, so that you can deal with whatever you need to deal with.

Just like the residents of Kingfisher Road. They all came together when they needed to and I adored the loyalty between each of the women.

‘The Gift of Friends’ truly is a gift in itself, hence my very vague review as I feel that the storyline needs to be unwrapped by the individual reader.

This is such a heartwarming and beautifully written novel which highlights the importance of having someone in your corner, regardless of whether they’re near or far. Emma Hannigan hugged me from the inside out in a way that only she knew how to do with her unique style, and unique courage. A cosy, uplifting story which was an absolute pleasure to devour.

Buy now.

#BlogTour! #Review – The Dinner in the Sky by Anne John-Ligali (@AnneJohnLigali) @RaRaResources

Happy publication day to Anne John-Ligali and ‘The Dinner in the Sky’, I am delighted to be kicking off the blog tour today with a review. Many thanks to RaRaResources for inviting me to take part and for the ARC.

After a shocking confrontation with an unexpected encounter, Constance tries to piece her life back together and is on a mission to finally move on.

The thought of having her friends near is comforting as they take time out of their busy online lives and meet up at their favourite place, A Cupful of Dreams Café. Everyone seems happy enough until cracks begin to show and all is not as good as it seems. Constance tries desperately to keep positive as there’s so much to look forward to: shopping for posh frocks, dinner at The Shard and a movie premiere.

As things start to look rosy, a few odd tweets begin to pop up from nowhere. At first, they seem innocent, but as the weeks go by and premier night draws near, not only do the tweets increase but they become more obnoxious.

By the time Constance and her chums arrive on the red carpet, she’s determined to work out who the troll could be and to keep them from spoiling her evening. However as Constance soon learns, the troll wants to destroy far more than that!

Breathtaking views of London.

Posh frocks and Paparazzi

But there’s definitely trouble in the air …

What does TWG think?

Constance and friends are back! ‘The Dinner in the Sky’ is the third book in the series and, even though the author gives readers the low down on what has happened in the previous two books, I would recommend reading the books in order as all three storylines are very closely linked.

Constance’s love for her little boy, Charlie, just makes my heart melt, and the fact that there were several idiots who couldn’t see just how special the little guy was, really irked me. Hes just a little boy – theres no need for people to be so horrible!

Anyway, there is a lot of drama in this installment which definitely fits in with some of the characters personalities for sure. I would say that, for me personally, ‘The Dinner in the Sky’ isn’t my most favourite of the three books because I felt that the drama was never ending, and at times just there for the sake of it.

That said, I thought it was a very fun read and the friendships between people who couldn’t have been more different, was incredibly heartwarming to read.

Buy now from Amazon UK

About the author.

Anne John-Ligali is a writer and found of Books and Authors UK, a website that features author interviews, cover reveals, blog posts, features and reviews. She loves all things books, going to book events and meeting other book worms. She has written her first series and is currently writing her first novel.

When Anne is not writing she is likely to be playing with her kids, going for walks in the park, watching Netflix or thinking up more stories. Originally from Peterborough, Anne now lives in London. After moving to London she studies graphic design at the University of Arts and held a number of IT jobs in the city. Anne continues to write romantic comedies, women’s fiction, and has the desire to write a non-fiction book and a few children’s books.

Author Social Media Links –

Instagram

Twitter

Facebook

#BlogTour! #Review – #PoppysRecipeForLife by Heidi Swain (@Heidi_Swain) @TeamBATC

Eeeek! It’s finally my turn to shake my Swainette pom poms for Heidi Swain’s new novel, ‘Poppy’s Recipe For Life’. Hugest of thanks to Harriet and the lovely team at TeamBATC for the ARC goodies and blog tour invite. It is such an honour to be involved in this tour, so thank you. Here is my review:

Things haven’t always been straightforward in Poppy’s life but her dreams are finally within her reach.
 
She’s moving into a cottage in beautiful Nightingale Square, close to the local community garden, where she can indulge her passion for making preserves and pickles. She may not have the best relationship with her family but she is surrounded by loving friends, and feels sure that even her grumpy new neighbour, Jacob, has more to him than his steely exterior belies.
 
But the unexpected arrival of Poppy’s troubled younger brother soon threatens her new-found happiness and as the garden team works together to win community space of the year, Poppy must decide where her priorities lie and what she is prepared to fight for …

What does TWG think?

Oh she’s a good egg this one, isn’t she? Heidi Swain has delivered yet again. Never mind Poppy creating recipe cards, I think this author needs to create her own recipe cards so we all know how she does it!

I have been a huge fan of Heidi Swain’s novels from the very beginning, and I can honestly say that with each new book she releases, the standard just gets higher and higher. She truly does not disappoint at all.

We are back in Nightingale Square, but this time with a new resident called Poppy. She was afraid that she wouldn’t be able to move into her dream home due to her mothers selfishness. However, Poppy had her own little guardian angel who helped make her dream come true and she swiftly became the new name on the garden’s rota.

Unfortunately for Poppy, her happiness was short lived. Families eh, who’d have them? I won’t delve into the why’s and wherefores, but let’s just say that the phrase ‘you can’t pick your family…’ is very apt in this book, that’s for sure.

‘Poppy’s Recipe For Life’ had me changing emotions like the weather. One minute I was feeling all tender and warm due to the community spirit, and then the next I was angry because of stupid choices which had a domino effect on the rest of the community. I just wanted to knock some of the characters heads together and tell them to stop being so stupid, and no, I don’t mean Poppy and Mr Grizzle…..!!!!

This is such an uplifting, cosy novel which took me under its wing from the get go. In no time at all I was able to lose myself in Poppy’s life, watch the community in Nightingale Square go from strength to strength, and be a part of several characters journeys to self discovery. I never knew that a garden could have so many magical powers, yet this particular garden went above and beyond with the magic, and so did the people involved. I have never read a story which enveloped me in such love and joy, all because of a garden, as ‘Poppy’s Recipe For Life’ did.

Heidi Swain really knows how to make her characters come alive in a way that will have her readers hanging onto her every word, wishing that the story wouldn’t come to an end. Another story which has been written from the authors heart, straight into the hearts of the readers in the way that only Heidi Swain can. A tender, uplifting, and huggable novel with humour that will make you add ‘snorting like a pig’ to your list of party tricks on Tinder.

Buy now!

#BlogTour! #Review – Edie Browne’s Cottage by the Sea by Jane Linfoot (@JaneLinfoot) @HarperImpulse @RaRaResources

I am very excited to be taking part in the blog tour today for “Edie Browne’s Cottage by the Sea’ by Jane Linfoot. Many thanks to RaRaResources for the blog tour invite, and many thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Here is my review:

Those who don’t jump will never fly...

Hurtling through the sky was supposed to be Edie Browne’s flight of independence. But when she falls head over champagne bucket while celebrating her successful landing, her life is changed in an instant. But starting over has its benefits, and as Edie relearns the basics under the watchful eye of her Aunty Josie and an entire Cornish village of new friends and neighbours, she finds love and joy she never could have imagined in theunlikeliest of places…

Come home to St Aidan and Periwinkle Cottage for a romance full of love, laughter and friends for life.

What does TWG think?

I….erm….wow. Someone help me? If I’m not too careful, my eyes will start leaking again and my review would end up being a mixture of unfinished sentences, ‘umm’ and ‘wows’. Hell, I have a feeling it might be like that anyway, so I apologise in advance! The reason why I say all of that is because I have no idea how to write a review for this book without bursting into tears. Don’t worry your pretty little head, I’m not crying because it’s bad, I’m crying because I was so moved by Edie’s story, and I’m not ashamed to admit that I read the last chapter of the book through misty eyes because I was sobbing my heart out.

I’m not even being overdramatic, I was literally covering the sleeve of my dressing gown in tears and snot, which then prompted my dog to put his arms around my neck to give me a hug.

You’re probably wondering why, this beautiful looking book, made me sob my heart out, right? Well, do not be fooled by the pretty exterior as ‘Edie Browne’s Cottage by the Sea’ has a lot more going for it than the cover suggests.

Edie’s life changed dramatically overnight when her health took a nosedive and left her having to start again. Reading simple words was no longer a walk in the park. Counting became impossible, and remembering details felt like Edie was doing a degree every time she spoke. She was afraid of the uncertain path before her and had everything crossed that Cornwall was going to help her.

The fact that this storyline tells the story of a character who is living with an invisible condition, makes me feel emotional all over again. As someone who lives with 8 chronic illnesses which make day to day life such a challenge both mentally and physically, watching Edie on her own journey hit home big time. The way that the character opened up about grieving for the person she once was, completely hit the nail on the head. It’s something that people cant understand unless they have been through it themselves, and unfortunately for me, I completely understood where she was coming from as I continue to grieve for the person I once was.

If i had my own pom poms, i would be cheerleading Edie until my throat was raw. She is such a beautiful character who deserves bucketfuls of happiness. She doesn’t deserve to go through life as though shes walking on eggshells. The friendships she made in Cornwall had me in hysterics, and her new found friendship with six year old, Cam, made me overcome with emotion yet again. For such a young boy, Cam had been through his own fair share of heartache – it wasn’t fair, but I was so glad that he had Barney in his corner.

I know I keep going on about the emotion in this storyline, but I really can’t help it, for me it was a large part of the storyline due to how much I was able to resonate with it on a personal level. ‘Edie Browne’s Cottage by the Sea’ had me in hysterics thanks to the brilliant humour of the residents in St.Aidan. I loved the addition of the dogs, Robert and Dustin as well – they both added to the overall vibe of the storyline in their own little way.

It’s safe to say that I absolutely fell in love with Jane Linfoot’s new book. The beautiful storytelling alongside the heartwarming premise and humourous characters, was such a delight to read and definitely one of a kind. This storyline isn’t a typical storyline, nor is it a predictable one. In fact, it couldn’t be more different if it tried. I feel sorry for the author now though as she has set the bar extremely high for herself, and her next book.

I may have finished the book sobbing my heart out, but Edie’s journey filled my heart with such joy and made me feel as though I finally belonged somewhere. Thank you, Jane Linfoot, for being the voice for invisible conditions, and the voice for people who are too afraid to be their true selves in fear of judgement.

‘Edie Browne’s Cottage by the Sea’ is one of my all time favourite reads and is practically perfect in every way. A poignant, emotional read which hit home in a way I never thought it would. I loved it.

Buy now from Amazon UK

Buy from Amazon US

About the author.

Jane Linfoot is a best selling author, who lives in a muddy cottage, up a steep hill in Derbyshire, with her family, their pets, and an astonishing number of spiders. Although she loves seeing cow noses over the garden wall, she’s happy she can walk to a supermarket.

Jane grew up in North Yorkshire where she spent a lot of her childhood avoiding horizontal gales blowing off the sea, and wrote her first book by accident, while working as an architect, and renovating country houses. While she loves to write feelgood books that let readers escape, she’s always surprised to hear her stories make people laugh, admits to (occasionally) crying as she writes, and credits her characters for creating their own story lines.

Jane’s garden would be less brambly if she wasn’t on Facebook and Twitter so often. On days when she wants to be really scared, she rides a tandem.

Her latest books include a series of stand alone novels, based around a seaside wedding shop in Cornwall. Cupcakes and Confetti – The Little Wedding Shop by the Sea, Sequins and Snowflakes – Christmas at the Little Wedding Shop, and Bunting and Bouquets – Summer at the Little Wedding Shop, and most recently, The Little Cornish Kitchen. These are all published by Harper Impulse, an imprint of Harper Collins.

#CoverReveal!! #SilentNight by Geraldine Hogan (@GerHogan) @Bookouture #ComingSoon

IT’S COVER REVEAL TIME!!!!!!!!

It feels like it’s been AGES since I last took part in a cover reveal! I am pretty much peeing my pants*** in excitement for this one, that’s for sure!!!

(***not literally, but I am SO excited!).

Some of you eagle eyed readers may be thinking ‘I know Ger Hogan!!!!’, and you would be correct, however this ‘Ger Hogan’ has turned to the dark side, favouring Geraldine Hogan for the release of her new crime series with Bookouture! How exciting is that!

Today I have the pleasure of helping Bookouture and Geraldine, reveal the cover of ‘Silent Night’, which is due to be published on 23rd August 2019 – not TOO long!

Are you ready to see this cover?!

A baby is snatched from her pram in the garden. She’s never found. Thirty years later her sister, now a mother herself, is brutally killed.

 When Anna Crowe is killed in her sleep alongside her children, the quiet local community of Corbally is shocked. It’s also a chilling reminder of  when her sister, Janey, disappeared as a baby, twenty nine years ago, never to be seen again.

 Detective Iris Locke is assigned to the case and, after a year undercover which ended in failure when her cover got blown, she’s desperate to make her mark – and to live up to the reputation of her ex-cop father, the former head of the Limerick Murder Squad.

 Jack Locke ran the investigation into the disappearance of baby Janey. But by reopening the old case, Iris is also reopening old wounds for the team. Can she untangle the dark secrets that lead to one sister vanishing and the other’s death – even if it means digging into the past of someone very close to her?

Ohhhhh my word!! Chilling? Er, hell yeah!!! If you want to get your copy pre-ordered right now, you can do so via this little link here, for a steal at 99p!
(Price correct at the time of posting. Any price increase isn’t controlled by TWG and can change at any time.)

I CANNOT WAIT to get my hands on this!!!

#BlogTour! #Review – #ThoseWhoAreLoved by Victoria Hislop (@VicHislop) @HeadlinePG @AnneCater

Next up on TWG today is a review of ‘Those Who Are Loved’ by Victoria Hislop. Many thanks to Anne Cater and Headline for the blog tour invite and ARC – it’s a pleasure to be involved in the tour today!

Athens 1941. After decades of political uncertainty, Greece is polarised between Right- and Left-wing views when the Germans invade.
Fifteen-year-old Themis comes from a family divided by these political differences. The Nazi occupation deepens the fault-lines between those she loves just as it reduces Greece to destitution. She watches friends die in the ensuing famine and is moved to commit acts of resistance.

In the civil war that follows the end of the occupation, Themis joins the Communist army, where she experiences the extremes of love and hatred and the paradoxes presented by a war in which Greek fights Greek.

Eventually imprisoned on the infamous islands of exile, Makronisos and then Trikeri, Themis encounters another prisoner whose life will entwine with her own in ways neither can foresee. And finds she must weigh her principles against her desire to escape and live.

As she looks back on her life, Themis realises how tightly the personal and political can become entangled. While some wounds heal, others deepen.

What does TWG think?

‘Wow’, is all I can say to this one! How do you even begin to write a review for a novel like this one? If you are into your history, ‘Those Who Are Loved’ will be right up your street. What an intricately detailed, powerful novel this is.

Set in Greece, main character, Themis, tells the story of her life during the Second World War, and the devastation she, and many others, had to live through. I’m not clued up on my history regarding Greece, so it was a very bittersweet pleasure to learn more about what happened in the 1940’s over there, even though it was quite heartbreaking to read at times. It’s not that I was ignorant to the fact that the Nazi’s took over Greece, I had no idea as it’s a topic which isn’t given as much ‘airtime’ so to speak, as other historic events from that time.

Themis is a character and a half. She is one of a kind and a true gem whose life I had the honour of delving into. I cannot even begin to imagine just how many hours research, Victoria Hislop embarked on to get the details of the storyline up to scratch, but it is very clear that the author took to the task to ensure that the storyline was as factually correct as possible.

‘Those Who Are Loved’ is a very deep, atmospheric read, that is full of emotion and incredibly complex due to the political and historical premise behind the storyline. This book blew my mind, and I can honestly say that Victoria Hislop has set the bar incredibly high with this novel. A beautiful, compelling, highly atmospheric read which I was able to sink my teeth into and forget my surroundings – perfect.

Pre-order now! Published 30th May.

#BlogTour! #Review – #BonnieAndStan by Anna Stuart (@AnnaStuartBooks) @Tr4cyF3nt0N @TrapezeBooks

Many thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me to take part in the blog tour for ‘Bonnie and Stan’ by Anna Stuart – I am excited to be sharing my review today as part of the blog tour. Thank you to Trapeze also, for the ARC. Here is my review:

After 50 years together Stan still adores his wife… so why is he dating again?

Bonnie and Stan are soulmates. They met during the Swinging Sixties, to the soundtrack of The Beatles and the Merseybeat scene. Now they’ve grown up and grown old together, had children and grandchildren. They are finally building their dream home, when disaster strikes.

Stan is running out of time, and can’t bear the thought of leaving Bonnie alone. Alongside his teenage granddaughter Greya, he forms a plan to find Bonnie a new love of her life. And she must never find out…

What does TWG think?

What a soundtrack this book has!!! I wasn’t born in the swinging sixties, yet I know all of the songs mentioned in this book, AND I was able to do a little sing song whilst reading it!

If you were to open a dictionary and look up the word ‘love’, I wouldn’t be surprised if you saw the definition as being ‘Bonnie and Stan’. No matter what those two lovebirds went through, their love for each other seemed to get stronger and stronger with each passing day.

In this story, we get to follow Bonnie and Stan’s life in the present, as well as in the early sixties when their paths originally crossed. A time where the Beatles were huge, and fashion was a statement nobody dare forget even now. Even though many years have passed, Bonnie is still by Stan’s side, and visa versa, but the thing is, due to the fact that in the parts of the book where the sixties are mentioned and Stan was part of a band, they didn’t use their real names. Bonnie wasn’t always by Stan’s side, though when Bonnie needed it the most, Stan rushed to hers with no questions asked. Can you work out which band member Stan was?

You really do need to believe in romance to appreciate every iota of this storyline, something which I have never been good at. That said, I totally appreciated the emotion behind the romance and the hurdles the couple had to jump over to reach the here and now.

Poor Bonnie and Stan have another massive hurdle to get through, one which will no doubt make your heart break due to the unfairness of it all. Like I said, I’m not a romantic sort, yet even my heart decided to smash. Life can be so, so unfair.

Anna Stuart took me on a journey I won’t forget in a hurry. A journey which told the story of two characters who were written with incredible depth and warmth. I adored the authors powerful storytelling, and I feel that she captured the essence of Bonnie and Stan’s love for each other, absolutely beautifully. Such a poignant, tender, loving novel with an absolutely BELTER of a soundtrack to boot.

Pre-order now from Amazon! Publishes 30th May.

#BlogTour! #Extract from #Stolen by Paul Finch (@paulfinchauthor) @AvonBooksUK

I am a huuuuuuge fan of Paul Finch and, whilst I’m absolutely gutted that I couldn’t get round to reading ‘Stolen’, I am still delighted to be hosting this magnificent author on my blog today. Don’t fret though, I will be reading and reviewing as soon as I can. Thank you to Avon Books for inviting me to take part in the tour, and for the ARC. Enjoy the extract!

How do you find the missing when there’s no trail to follow?

DC Lucy Clayburn is having a tough time of it. Not only is her estranged father one of the North West’s toughest gangsters, but she is in the midst of one of the biggest police operations of her life.

Members of the public have started to disappear, taken from the streets as they’re going about their every day lives. But no bodies are appearing – it’s almost as if the victims never existed.

Lucy must chase a trail of dead ends and false starts as the disappearances mount up. But when her father gets caught in the crossfire, the investigation suddenly becomes a whole lot more bloody…

Buy now from Amazon

Extract.

An increasingly excited canine yelping drew Lucy’s atten¬tion back to the cottage, where the rear doors to vehicles were now being opened and muzzled dogs brought out on chain leashes. Even through the zoom-lens of her scope, and with the whole of the farmyard area lit up, many of them were already so horribly scarred from battles past that their breeds were unidentifiable, but by their lean, squat, muscular frames she reckoned they’d be fighting species of old: pit bulls, Staffies and the like, an impression enhanced by the thick muzzles they wore, and their steel-studded leather harnesses.

Lucy shook her head.

Mahoney now walked across the farmyard, his guests following, though they kept their four-footed charges well apart from each other. As most of these animals, if not all, had been trained through years of brutal abuse to despise other dogs on sight, they were already snarling and rearing, having to be forcibly restrained.

Geraldson watched through a pair of binoculars.

‘Savages,’ he whispered.

‘Yeah, well, don’t worry,’ Lucy replied. ‘Tonight, they’re going to learn what it means to be chained and caged.’

At the other side of the farmyard, perhaps fifty yards from the cottage, there was another clutch of outbuildings, all in a similarly dilapidated condition to the main house. The largest had clearly once been a barn of some sort; it was an ugly brick and concrete structure, but its roof had evidently caved in some time ago, because while the rest of it was rotted and flimsy, that was relatively new, made from sturdy sheets of corrugated steel.

Mustn’t have the guests getting wet if it rains, Lucy thought.

Mahoney went into the barn first, through a side-door. Lights came on within, and then he re-emerged on the east-facing side, pushing open a large pair of timber doors, through which the men and dogs now trooped. It was difficult to be sure what went on after that, because once the majority were in there, all Lucy could see through the open doors was a chaos of bodies milling about, the dogs still grizzling and snarling at each other.

#BlogTour! #Review – Her Husband’s Mistake by Sheila O’Flanagan (@sheilaoflanagan) @HeadlinePG @AnneCater

If you hear a banshee type noise, don’t panic, it’s only me squealing at the fact that I am on the blog tour for THE Sheila O’Flanagan. Oh my!!!!! Thank you, Anne Cater, for the blog tour invite, and thank you to Headline for the ARC – I am delighted to be reviewing ‘Her Husband’s Mistake’ on my blog today!

Roxy’s marriage has always been rock solid.

After twenty years, and with two carefree kids, she and Dave are still the perfect couple.

Until the day she comes home unexpectedly, and finds Dave in bed with their attractive, single neighbour.

Suddenly Roxy isn’t sure about anything – her past, the business she’s taken over from her dad, or what her family’s future might be. She’s spent so long caring about everyone else that she’s forgotten what she actually wants. But something has changed. And Roxy has a decision to make.

Whether it’s with Dave, or without him, it’s time for Roxy to start living for herself…

What does TWG think?

Should we feel guilty for wanting to do things for ourselves? For Roxy, that question is taking a very long time to be answered. If she didn’t have her cheating husband, Dave, breathing down her neck, I can guarantee that the answer would be no, we shouldn’t feel guilty. We are only human after all, we are bound to feel some sort of guilt because, heaven forbid, we chose to do something that didn’t involve doing a weekly shop, washing our partners small, and being waitresses to our children.

However, we knew what we were signing up for, right? I have never been married and currently, I don’t intend on that ever being in my future so I am probably the wrong person to be commenting on domestic bliss. BUT, surely being in a marriage means supporting one another through good times and bad, supporting them with any decisions they make, not making the other one feel bad for choosing to do something which makes them happy….yada. Am I wrong by thinking that?

I will hold my hands up and say that I wasn’t sold on ‘Her Husband’s Mistake’ to begin with. I mean, who would want to read about a marriage going tits up? The thing is, I WANTED TO! I couldn’t see the appeal to the storyline, however I became incredibly invested in the emotion behind Roxy’s decisions, I refused to put the book down and ended up feeling a bit like a curtain twitcher whilst reading the rest of the book. Dave decided to get his end away with the next door neighbour not long after Roxy had buried her father – bit of a cactus, wouldn’t you agree?

The way that Dave treated Roxy throughout the book had me reeling with anger. How dare he twist the situation! How dare he act like the victim even though HE was the one who broke the trust in their marriage to begin with? How dare he go behind Roxy’s back and make decisions that affect them all, all because he doesn’t like her doing a job that she enjoys? Why is it okay for him to carry on living the life of Riley, yet as soon as Roxy chooses to do a job and gain some independence outside of the family, he sees red and DEMANDS? No. No. NO! I was absolutely livid. I didn’t quite realise how fuming I was until I stood up and my legs decided to channel their inner Shakin’ Stevens. I really wasn’t expecting to become so emotionally involved with the characters, but I just couldn’t help it.

Okay, at first, the storyline is a bit of a tame Eastenders, however once the storyline gets going, the characters bring the story into a whole new league of its own. The thing I loved most about ‘Her Husband’s Mistake’ was the relatable and raw elements. Sheila O’Flanagan has tapped into family dramatics and written a story which showed the issues that families may be up against, in a way that readers may be able to take on board for their own lives. The poignancy behind each of the characters personalities really hit home and I felt that the authors signature style was put in the spotlight brilliantly.

‘Her Husband’s Mistake’ is a thought-provoking, emotive read which certainly made me think about what I want out of life, and that I deserved to be happy. Roxy deserved to be happy. She deserved to be treated like Roxy, not just Roxy the wife, or Roxy the mum. She is a person in her own right and deserves to be respected for that just as much as the next person. I really enjoyed this book in the end, and it is definitely a story which has made my cogs work a lot harder than others!

Pre-order now! Published 30th May 2019.

#BlogTour! #Review – A Bakery at the Little Duck Pond Cafe by Rosie Green (@Rosie_Green1988) @RaRaResources

Second blog tour of the day is for ‘A Bakery at the Little Duck Pond Cafe’ by Rosie Green. Many thanks to RaRaResources for the blog tour invite and ARC, here is my review:

Ellie’s dreams of opening a bakery in Sunnybrook are finally coming true and best friends Fen and Jaz are happily rallying round, helping her to plan a fabulous grand opening day. Everything in their garden seems to be rosy –until the arrival of a newcomer brings chaos to the village and tests relationships to the limit. Can the bakery succeed in the face of such upheaval? And more importantly, can firm friendships survive?

What does TWG think?

How are we on the 5th book in the series already?! The absolute beauty of these books is that each one can be read perfectly well as a standalone. Now, whilst that is good if you want to read the books out of order, as they’re all utterly brilliant, I wholeheartedly suggest that you binge read the other books anyway. You know, just because you can!

Katja, thanks to her unusual name, hasn’t had it easy. For many years she has been at the brunt of people’s idiocy, thus feeling as though she has to hide her true self from other people due to fear. Just like she does when she goes for a job in Sunnybrook. Instead of introducing herself as Katja, she fills out her application form with the name ‘Kate Baker’. Apt for the job, I won’t lie, but it was such a shame that she felt as though she had no other option but to hide her true heritage.

As someone with an unusual name (Kaisha, for those who aren’t aware), I have wished, at times, that I had a name that wouldn’t constantly get mispronounced. Or a name that would be more fitting to the country I live in (I have an Indian name). However, the older I get, the more I refuse to shy away from my name. Yes, it still aggravates me when it gets mispronounced, even when you’ve corrected someone on how to say it, and yes, it does irk me when I gets misspelt, especially online because it’s right in front of people. Sorry, I have gone off on a bit of a tangent here, but I just wanted to explain how I could see where Katja was coming from and how it affected me.

Anyway, back to the book. Katja wasn’t the only new addition to the bakery, she had a new flatmate called Madison. I’m sorry to say that I absolutely detested that character. I don’t get why, when things get a little heated near the end of the book, Madison’s revelation goes unnoticed and Katja is the one feeling as though she is in the wrong? Madison is a sneaky, sneaky devil. I don’t care whether she turned out ‘fine’. Nobody should treat others like the way she did, even if she felt as though she was doing it for Katja’s own benefit. No.

Maisie, once again, stole the show, and so did Little Maisie. I just wanted to scoop up that little girl and give her a big hug as it was obvious that she was struggling with things. I could not stop the grin from appearing on my face when Little Maisie made herself known…again. What a beautiful, beautiful piece of writing that was. Between you and me, my eyes may have stung just a teeny bit….

I love how wholesome Rosie Green’s storytelling is, and the way that she brings her characters and their lives to life in such a humorous yet relatable way. Sunnybrook is a place that I can get lost in time and time again – keep the books coming is what I say!!

‘A Bakery at the Little Duck Pond Cafe’ isn’t just a tale about tantalising treats and fractured relationships, it’s also a tale about mistaken identity and learning to love yourself despite the differences. It’s about being true to yourself and taking that time to appreciate your own unique traits. Most importantly, it’s about living life in the way that is true to your own beliefs, and not because you’re living it due to guilt and the past.

A tender, emotive read – can I have a hug? Not from Madison though, obvs….

Buy now from Amazon UK
Buy from Amazon US

About the author.

Rosie Green has been scribbling stories ever since she was little. Back then they were rip-roaring adventure tales with a young heroine in perilous danger of falling off a cliff or being tied up by ‘the baddies’. Thankfully, Rosie has moved on somewhat, and now much prefers to write romantic comedies that melt your heart and make you smile, with really not much perilous danger involved at all, unless you count the heroine losing her heart in love.Rosie’s brand new series of novellas is centred on life in a village café.Confetti at the Little Duck Pond Cafe will be the sixth in the series.

Breaking News -Coming Soon –Confetti at the Little Duck Pond Café

With Ellie and Zak’s Big Day on the horizon, the sun is shining brightly on the Little Duck Pond Café community. But as dark clouds begin to roll in, threatening more than one close relationship, will the wedding of the year take place at all?

Follow Rosie Green on Amazon to hear when its published and available for purchase –click here.