#BlogTour! #Review – When Polly Met Olly by Zoe May (@zoe_writes) @HQDigitalUK @RaRaResources

Many thanks to RaRaResources for the blog tour invite and ARC. Here is my review of ‘When Polly Met Olly’ by Zoe May.

Polly and Olly were never supposed to meet…

Polly might spend her days searching for eligible matches for her elite list of clients at her New York dating agency, but her own love life is starting to go up in smoke.

Even worse, she can’t stop thinking about the very person she’s meant to be setting her latest client up with… surely it can’t get any worse!

But then Polly bumps into oh-so-handsome Olly, who heads up a rival agency, and realizes that perhaps all really is fair in love and dating war…

What does TWG think?

Ahhh, I really don’t know what to think about this one!

Polly has found a new job working in a dating agency, despite her own love life containing more tumble weed than Texas. Her actual niche is photography, but seeing as jobs like that are few and far between, Polly needed something to tide her over. By tiding her over I mean ending up actually enjoying her new job.

Like supermarkets and other businesses, dating agencies have to deal with the competition too. I mean, if you’re wanting someone to find you ‘the one’, they had better give you an experience never to forget….right? Owner of the competition, Olly, is a ladies man and one to watch. Polly clearly didn’t get that memo as she ends up having a major crush on the man who is twenty years her senior.

I was gutted that Gabe was gay as I thought him and Polly would have made THE ideal couple. I couldn’t see her with Olly, and to be perfectly honest, i found their coupling a bit too rushed and unbelievable. There wasn’t enough storyline about Olly as a character, and the only parts of the book which focused on the pair, ended up being quite short and sweet which surprised me given the title of the book.

Polly’s character is definitely that, a character. She had me giggling at times, but she also irked me at times. I found her to be someone who was far too easily led and didn’t seem competent enough to think for herself, relying on other people to point her in the right direction for every little thing. It was sweet at first as I put it down to vulnerability.

Overall, ‘When Polly Met Olly’ is a romantic read that is ideal for lovebirds everywhere. I did enjoy the easy to read storyline and unique characters and, whilst I did feel as though the storyline itself was a little bit weak, the premise was fun and certainly one of a kind.

Buy now.

#BlogTour! #Review – #SecretsOfTheHomefrontGirls by Kate Thompson (@katethompson380) @HodderBooks

Happy publication day, Kate Thompson! It is an honour to be kicking off the blog tour today for ‘Secrets of the Homefront Girls’. Huge thanks to Hodder for the blog tour invite and ARC. Here is my review:

Stratford, 1939.

Britain may be at war, but on the home front keeping up morale and keeping up appearances go hand in hand. For the young women working on the lipstick production line at Yardley’s cosmetics factory, it’s business as usual.

Headstrong Renee Gunn is the queen of the lipstick belt – although her cheeky attitude means she’s often in trouble. When Esther, an Austrian refugee, arrives at Yardley’s, it’s Renee who takes her under her wing and teaches her to be a true cockney.

But outside of the factory, things are more complicated. Lily, Renee’s older sister, has suddenly returned home after six years away, and is hiding a dark secret. Meanwhile Esther is finding life in England more difficult than expected, and it’s not long before Renee finds herself in trouble, with nowhere to turn.

In the face of the Blitz, the Yardley girls are bound together by friendship and loyalty – but could the secrets they are hiding be the biggest danger of all?

What does TWG think?

Kate Thompson is my go to author for historical fiction, without a doubt. I have never read a historical novel with such grit and factual beauty like the ones Thompson writes, and ‘Secrets of the Homefront Girls’ is no exception.

Set in 1939, during WWII, ‘Secrets of the Homefront Girls’ tells the story of Renee, Lily and Esther, aka the Yardley girls. What I loved most about this book was the fact that, whilst we are aware of what the soldiers endured in the war and what not, we never really hear about what happened behind the scenes so to speak. I know that a cosmetics factory isn’t really behind the scenes of a war as such, however it still had a large role in showing readers how the war affected businesses that may or may not have been directly affected by any shortages.

Renee, deary me..! I loved her character and her fiestiness, but I just knew it was going to get her into trouble somehow. She acted like she didn’t care, yet I could tell a mile off that it was mostly bravado. Deep down she wanted to succeed and do well, and I felt that she knew that too…..she just didn’t know how to. Either that or she felt that she wasn’t worthy of a happily ever after like her sister, Lily.

Kate Thompson is a phenomenal storyteller who takes facts and turns them into a story which ends up touching every inch of your soul. It’s always hard reading a story set during a time where people lost the ones they loved, however the empathy this author showed, despite not focusing directly on the lost lives, was incredibly moving.

‘Secrets of the Homefront Girls’ is a compelling, magnetic read which allows you to touch up your lippy whilst being taken on a journey of self discovery at the same time. A thoroughly enjoyable, indepth and fascinating read.

Buy now.

#BlogTour! #Review – #TheJulyGirls by Phoebe Locke (@phoebe_locke) @HeadlinePG @AnneCater

Its TWG’s turn on the blog tour for ‘The July Girls’ by Phoebe Locke, author of ‘The Tall Man’. Huge thanks to Anne Cater and Headline for the blog tour invite and ARC. Here is my review:

Every year, on the same night in July, a woman is taken from the streets of London; snatched by a killer who moves through the city like a ghost.

Addie has a secret. On the morning of her tenth birthday, four bombs were detonated across the capital. That night her dad came home covered in blood. She thought he was hurt in the attacks – but then her sister Jessie found a missing woman’s purse hidden in his room.

Jessie says they mustn’t tell. She says there’s nothing to worry about. But when she takes a job looking after the woman’s baby daughter, Addie starts to realise that her big sister doesn’t always tell her the whole story. And that the secrets they’re keeping may start costing lives . . .

What does TWG think?

-claps- YASSSSSS!!!!!! What a book!!!!! I couldn’t believe my eyes! Everything I thought was true, wasn’t, and everything I thought was a lie, was the truth. ‘The July Girls’ is brilliant at taking you under its wing very early on in the book. I actually struggled to put the book down, and before I knew it it was 1am and I had a mere 100 pages left to read!

The author, Phoebe Locke, very cleverly honed in on what a magpie does, yet it didn’t seem to hit home until the book nearly came to an end as all of the puzzle pieces leading up to the conclusion weren’t all there yet.

This book follows the life of Addie, Jessie, and a magpie. What do the three of them have in common? That is the big question. I chose to look past what was right in front of me the whole time, over complicating the storyline for myself. Was there a need to do that? Not in the slightest. Don’t overthink ‘The July Girls’ and just go with the flow, you’ll thank me later!!

I loved the chilling vibe to the book, and I thought that everything was combined brilliantly over the course of the books timeline. Honestly, this is a bloody brilliant book and I was hooked. Addie’s naivety gave the storyline a pinch of innocence, whilst also making all of the suspenseful situations all the more darker. The subject of ‘trust’ is prominent throughout the book, and I must say that that definitely made me think about family ties and whether you can trust those you are actually meant to trust because of who they are.

‘The July Girls’ is dark, devious, and darn right gripping. Whilst I enjoyed Phoebe Locke’s previous novel, the author has come up trumps with this book and has delivered an absolute blinder. I want to read it all over again!

‘The July Girls’ will be published in hardcover by Headline on the 25th July. Pre-order now from Amazon UK

#BlogTour! #QandA with author of #MissingInWales, Jenny O’Brien (@Scribblerjb) @RaRaResources

Last but not least is an interview with author of brand new detective series, ‘Missing in Wales, Jenny O’Brien! Many thanks to RaRaResources for the blog tour invite, and thank you to the author for taking the time to answer TWG’s questions. Before that, here is a little bit more information out ‘Missing In Wales’, as well as the purchase links. Enjoy!

Missing in Wales, the first in an exciting new Welsh-set crime series by Jenny O’Brien, author of The Stepsister. The next in series, Stabbed in Wales, will be available soon.

Alys is fine – don’t try to find us

Izzy Grant is haunted by the abduction of her newborn daughter five-years ago. When a postcard arrives from her missing partner, the man she believes is responsible, saying they’re fine and asking her not to try to find them, she knows she can’t give up hoping. Then she sees a face from her past. Grace Madden. Just where did she disappear to all those years ago? And is there a connection between her disappearance and that of her child?

DC Gabriella Darin, recently transferred from Swansea, is brash, bolshie and dedicated. Something doesn’t fit with the case and she’s determined to find out just what happened all those years ago.

Buy from Amazon UK

Buy from Amazon US

Q and A.

Could you tell us a bit about you and your background before you began writing?
Firstly, thank you for inviting me on your blog. I was born in Dublin, moved to Wales and now live and work in Guernsey as a registered nurse.

Have you always wanted to become a published writer?

I’d always hoped I had a book in me but never dreamt that I’d ever actually knuckle down to write it.

What made you decide to write your new novel?

I think it would have been hard not to. Writing has become a bit of an obsession. I finish one book – have a few days break and start on the next.

How hard was it to find the inspiration for your book?

With MISSING IN WALES the inspiration for the core plot, a missing baby, came from a dream so not hard at all.

If you could pick a favourite character from your novel, who would it be and why?

I like the DC, Gabriella Darin because, like all of us, she’s flawed. She’s not glamorous and she suffers the same minor daily setbacks that turn an average day into a disastrous one.

Did you ever regret writing a character into your story after it was published?

Not that I can think of. I don’t tend to stuff my pages with lots of characters, rather I like to plump out what I’ve got into a more well-rounded portrayal.

Did you find yourself under any personal pressure for your debut novel to succeed and be liked by many?

That’s an interesting question. The first novel I published was Boy Brainy and, at the time I didn’t really think in terms of success. It’s about a couple of boys that are being bullied. When a bullying related incident happened with one of my children, I just wanted it out there, only that. I pressed the KDP (Amazon) button that night.

Time for a tough one, if you could choose any book that has already been published to be the author of, which one would you choose and why?

It would have to be my favourite book. I am David by Anne Holm – purely because of the subject matter and writing style, both of which are superb.

What does your ‘writing space’ look like?

It’s a chair, quite a large one with notebooks on the arms and space for a mug of tea. There’s no room for a desk but I do have the most amazing view, which makes up for the lack of space somewhat.

Were there any authors you wanted to be like, when you were a child?

Enid Blyton was a firm favourite.

If you had to sum up your book to a stranger in five words, what would they be and why?

‘Why steal my baby, Charlie?’

What’s coming up next for you? Any exclusives?

I have two books coming up in the same series, both featuring DC Gabriella Darin. The first STABBED IN WALES finds a woman waking up beside the body of a dead woman when she’s pretty sure she went to bed with a bloke. The second, as yet untitled, is about dead bodies turning up on a beach

One final question. What advice would you give to a writer that wants to be published? Any words of wisdom?

Read. Read and read some more. Read out of genre where possible as well as in and read the books published by the agents you’d like to represent you. Also know your market but write what you enjoy. A book invariably takes months to write. If you want to stick with it, you must be able to invest in the story.

Thanks so much, Jenny! If you haven’t read Jenny’s first thriller, The Stepsister, it is available FREE on Amazon from the 22nd July until the 26th, so get in quick!!

Buy The Stepsister now from Amazon UK

Buy The Stepsister now from Amazon US

#BlogTour! #Review – #AHomeFromHome by Veronica Henry (@veronica_henry @Orionbooks @AnneCater

Next up on TWG is a delightful book from one of my all time favourite authors, Veronica Henry. Many thanks to Orion and Anne Cater for the blog tour invite and ARC. I hope you enjoy my review of ‘A Home From Home’!

Sunshine, cider and family secrets…

Dragonfly Farm has been a home and a haven for generations of Melchiors – arch rivals to the Culbones, the wealthy family who live on the other side of the river. Life there is dictated by the seasons and cider-making, and everyone falls under its spell.

For cousins Tabitha and Georgia, it has always been a home from home. When a tragedy befalls their beloved Great-Uncle Matthew, it seems the place where they’ve always belonged might now belong to them…

But the will reveals that a third of the farm has also been left to a Culbone. Gabriel has no idea why he’s been included, or what his connection to the farm – or the Melchiors – can be.

As the first apples start to fall for the cider harvest, will Dragonfly Farm begin to give up its secrets?

What does TWG think?

There is a reason why Veronica Henry is one of my all time favourite authors, and ‘A Home From Home’ is that very reason! Honestly, this is a home away from home read that delivered hope and beauty behind every word.

For as long as she can remember, Dragonfly Farm had been Tabitha’s home; a place where she felt safe. However one day, her life became a mismatched mess when a loved one passed away suddenly. Not only did Tabitha have grief to contend with, she also had the fear of whether she would end up losing her home.

Theres a lot of history behind Dragonfly Farm, and whilst some of it may be hearsay and what not, a lot of it has been kept a secret from those who were involved the most. Now we all know what secrets do to people, including families! I would have been surprised if the storyline didn’t contain fireworks!

Alongside Tabitha is her cousin, Georgia – literally chalk and cheese. One is fiery and very hot headed, yet the other is more logical. It was interesting to watch their two lives combine as they came together bound by their family ties and grief.

There are a lot of characters to keep an eye on in this storyline, especially as the book is dual timeline and visits the past with more characters. I did struggle to keep up with who was related to who, who dabbled with who, who was still alive and what not, but I think I got the gist of it! By the way, can I just say what AWESOME character names are in this book!!!!

I thought ‘A Home From Home’ was such a magical novel. I really didn’t want it to end and felt as though I had lost my right arm when it did! Veronica Henry, in my opinion, is the queen of comfort reads, and she certainly went above and beyond with her storyline this time round. I was spellbound by the family histories of the Melchiors and Culbones, and i fell in love with the cosy Dragonfly Farm that seemed to hold the key to eternal happiness.

Reading ‘A Home From Home’ is the perfect book to escape into and forget reality. I mean, who needs politics when you have characters like Plum and Gabriel? A truly wonderful, humble, and touching novel that lit up my light for the duration of the story. I adored it.

‘A Home From Home’ will be published on the 25th July. Pre-order now from Amazon.

#BlogTour! #Review – #TheEscapeRoom by Megan Goldin (@megangoldin) @orionbooks @orion_crime @Tr4cyF3nt0n

Omg this book! Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton and Orion for the blog tour invite and ARC of ‘The Escape Room’ by Megan Goldin. I am delighted to be today’s stop on the tour. Hope you enjoy my review!

Welcome to the escape room. Your goal is simple. Get out alive.

In the lucrative world of Wall Street finance, Vincent, Jules, Sylvie and Sam are the ultimate high-flyers. Ruthlessly ambitious, they make billion-dollar deals and live lives of outrageous luxury. Getting rich is all that matters, and they’ll do anything to get ahead.

When the four of them become trapped in an elevator escape room, things start to go horribly wrong. They have to put aside their fierce office rivalries and work together to solve the clues that will release them. But in the confines of the elevator the dark secrets of their team are laid bare. They are made to answer for profiting from a workplace where deception, intimidation and sexual harassment thrive.

Tempers fray and the escape room’s clues turn more and more ominous, leaving the four of them dangling on the precipice of disaster. If they want to survive, they’ll have to solve one more final puzzle: which one of them is a killer?

What does TWG think?

Wow! I am so glad that I don’t read blurbs of books as I don’t think the book would have had the same effect otherwise! I fully suggest you ignore the blurb on this and read ‘The Escape Room’ blind. Don’t worry, my review won’t contain spoilers either!

I really wasn’t sure what to make of this book at first, I’ll be honest. There seemed to be a lot of storyline up in the air, with nothing connecting the individual situations to the overall novel. That said, I was so glad that I kept on reading as oh.my.goodness.me it delivered!! I have never read such a unsettling, uncertain, and chilling read as this one. If you find yourself teetering with uncertainty after the first few chapters, please trust me when I say stick with it! It’s worth it, honestly!!

As I’m sure you can guess by the cover, ‘The Escape Room’ has a large part of the storyline set in a lift. Now usually that sort of thing wouldn’t bother me, that was until I walked into Tesco yesterday to find that someone was in the lift shaft fixing it! I hadn’t long finished reading the book! My legs turned to jelly, I was freaked out!

Many times whilst reading Megan Goldin’s novel, the words ‘what the…..’ fluttered around in my mind. My eyes couldn’t believe what I was reading, and my brain could not understand the lengths which people went to for an extra buck. The whole ‘do you know who you can trust’ vibe is very eye-opening and had me wondering which of the characters I could trust. In all honesty, every single one of them gave me the impression that i couldn’t trust a single word they came out with. It was such a weird predicament to be in as usually there is at least one character you can keep in your corner. Not this time!

I was hooked by ‘The Escape Room’ and its addictive storyline. I have no idea how Megan Goldin managed to weave all of the intricate details of the characters lives together, but she did and I have to say that it was very cleverly done.

For a book which had me perching on the fence to begin with, i can hand on heart say that i bloody enjoyed it! Such a compelling and complex read which continued to surprise me with every new page. I am so excited to read more from Megan Goldin – what a cracking start!

‘The Escape Room’ will be published on the 25th July. Pre-order your copy now from Amazon.

#BlogTour! #Extract from #CallMeALiar by @ColetteMcbeth @HeadlinePG @AnneCater

‘Call Me A Liar’ is on my TBR and I hope I can get round to it soon, however I am delighted to be hosting an extract of the book for my stop on the blog tour today. Thank you to Anne Cater for the blog tour invite. Before we get to the extract, here is a bit more about ‘Call Me A Liar’:

You could say it started with vanity. We believed we were special. But the truth is we were simply vulnerable.

Months after landing their dream job, five brilliant young minds are sent on a remote retreat.

But when one of them disappears, they’re forced to question why they were brought there in the first place.

And for the first time in their lives, they realise too much knowledge can be deadly . . .

One of them is lying.
One of them is guilty.
No one is safe.

Buy now.

Extract.

Joe

Lewes Police Station

October 2017

Let me say this: cracking Libby’s skull was not part of the plan. I can’t even remember hitting her; it was more of a violent push in the deep heat of an argument and before I could do anything to change the outcome, she was flying backwards, her head making a strange metallic sound as it connected with the stone floor. Ting! That’s the only way I can describe it, like one of those instrumental triangles we used to play in school. It was a shame about the floor too – if it had been a shag pile carpet rather than porcelain, Libby might not be unconscious in hospital. But I’m certain safety was not uppermost in their minds when they were designing that house. It was all sharp angles and hard surfaces and glinting, gleaming glass that allowed your own reflection to stalk you.

I don’t mention any of these misgivings to the police, though. My solicitor has advised me it’s not a good line of defence. They’re hardly going to charge a floor covering with a violent crime, he says.

It’s me they have in their sights, at any rate. Every question is angled towards my guilt. What I did. What I failed to do. My shortcomings – of which there are many – have been itemised and catalogued, and while individually they appear harmless enough, their combined effect in the harsh light of the interview room creates an unsettling picture. I don’t doubt this is the ploy, the web the officers are spinning around me. But it is an effective one nevertheless. Having listened to their accusations and character assassinations for the best part of eight hours, I’m beginning to scare myself.

The main issue appears to be my scant adherence to the rules. Yes, it’s true, there are rules of engagement when you find your self in such situations. Say your wife or child goes missing, say you stumble across a body, or in my case, you happen to knock out a loved one, there are set procedures and scripts to follow. Firstly, you raise the alarm. You call 999. You attempt to help the victim. You account for every second spent before help arrives. Officer, I passed wind at 2.02 p.m. You display the correct mixture of horror, fear and sadness. You cry the requisite amount of tears. Basically, you’re aiming for high levels of authenticity in every single action. Anything too forced or overly dramatic will arouse suspicion. Anything too casual and you are cold and callous. It’s a balancing act and I’m no circus entertainer. I’m failing spectacularly.

I did nothing. Try explaining that one away. I tell them I panicked but even that’s not true. I wasted precious minutes standing over Libby unable to compute what had happened. There was nothing left inside me, no nerves or sensory receptors to send messages to my brain. Even when finally I leant over her to assess the level of damage, I became instead mesmerised by my own face, gawping at me from the polished brilliance of the porcelain floor.

Well, look what you’ve done.

You thought you were special.

Turns out you’re every bit as bad as the rest.

The officers say they want to know everything, but this is a lie. They want to know everything around the narrow field of their investigation, scavenging for morsels of extraneous information that will get us nowhere while blocking out the bigger picture. I have no intention of pandering to them. I could tell them Amy Winehouse was playing on the karaoke system at the party downstairs, not Amy herself, obviously, but Will’s brutal destruction of ‘I’m No Good’, but that would be pointless scene­setting, nothing more. I could make a stab at describing the hurt Libby inflicted upon me. Her revelation chiselling into my bones. I don’t love you, I never did. How she stood in front of me and delivered this nugget of truth. I could tell them how it burnt through the epidermis right down to the subcutis, how I thought the pain might send me mad with grief, but this would provide them with a motive, allow them to craft a neat narrative around revenge.

And this is not a story about revenge.

It’s about ambition and greed, and love, I suppose, and what we do in the name of them.

I tell the officers I looked out of the window and saw the car and the two men getting into it and driving off. I tell them I ran into the hallway and that’s when I saw the smoke and felt the blistering heat.

Have I mentioned the fire?

It has been suggested several times that I started it deliberately to cover up my crime, as if an assault wasn’t enough for one evening and I decided to go the whole hog and burn the place down.

Let me say this clearly: I did not start the fire but someone else did.

Everyone invited to the party was meant to die in that fire.

And just because we survived doesn’t mean we’re safe.

Not even Libby, if she ever wakes up.

#BlogTour! #Review – #FiveStepsToHappy by Ella Dove (@EllaRoseDove) @TrapezeBooks @Tr4cyF3nt0n

I hope I do this book justice today! Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton and Trapeze for the blog tour invite and ARC, I am delighted to be today’s stop on the blog tour for ‘Five Steps To Happy’.

Life can change in a heartbeat…

When struggling actress Heidi has a life-changing accident aged 32, her world falls apart. Stuck in hospital and unable to walk, her only companion is Maud, the elderly lady in the bed next to hers. Heidi misses her flatmate, her life, her freedom – surely 32 is too young to be an amputee?

But when Maud’s aloof but attractive grandson Jack pays a visit to the ward, Heidi realises that her life isn’t over just because it’s different. It might not look like the life she dreamed of, but it’s the one she’s got – and there’s a lot she still wants to tick off her bucket list. With Jack at her side, will Heidi take the first step back to happiness? Or is there one more surprise still in store…?

A feel-good read based on the inspiring true story of journalist Ella Dove. Sometimes all it takes is one small step..

What does TWG think?

How the hell do you review this?! ‘Five Steps To Happy’ may be fiction, however it is based on the true story of the authors own life, and all I can say it……wow.

Ella Dove is one helluva woman, and one helluva author. I knew, after racing through 10% of the book in a matter of minutes, that it was going to be a good’un. You know when you just get that feeling about something? I had that and then some. I mean, how does anyone even come back from a situation like this? I know that some people have no choice but to carry on, and others feel as though they cannot cope, but can you honestly blame them for being upset by what’s happened? I can’t. I felt like shouting at the book; ‘don’t tell Heidi to cheer up, you have no idea how she feels!’.

‘Five Steps To Happy’ tells the story of Heidi and her journey as she finds her ‘new normal’ after becoming an amputee after a freak accident. As well as Heidi’s emotions, the storyline sheds light on the domino effect of the accident and how Heidi’s loved ones are struggling to cope with what’s happened.

This was such an eye-opening and poignant read – I had no idea about the journey which amputees go on, nor how long the ‘rehab’ is before they can go back to living in their home. On a personal level, I was able to resonate with some of Heidi’s emotions as I am losing the ability to walk myself, with the prospect of being unable to walk completely by the time I’m 40. Now I’m not taking the owniss off Ella or Heidi by saying that, it’s just I felt comfort by the rollercoaster of emotions, the worry at finding a ‘new normal’, feeling guilty and such. Walking is something we take for granted and it’s not until that ability is hindered, do we realise just how much a part of us walking actually is.

Being based on a true story, the emotion and frustration was very genuine and, because I was aware of the authors story, I felt that Heidi’s emotions hit me a lot harder because someone had actually been in that position if you get what I mean. It wasn’t as though Ella Dove was writing the scenes based on second hand knowledge via other people’s stories.

Talking of other people, I LOVED Maud!!! I just wanted to wrap her in a huge hug and take care of her. Such a lovely, lovely character.

Towards the end of the book, I’m not ashamed to admit that I cried. I honestly couldn’t hold in my emotion any longer. ‘Five Steps To Happy’ is one of the most beautiful, uplifting, honest, and empowering novels i think I have ever had the pleasure of reading. You don’t need to be an amputee to appreciate the powerful words in this story, you just need to have a heart and be willing to listen. People who have found their whole life change over night aren’t expecting people to understand, they’re just wanting people to take the time to listen and be present.

Such a wonderful, wonderful book with a very important message within. I adored its beauty, and I adored the authors magnetic storytelling – I am jealous of everyone who gets to read this for the very first time.

Buy now.

#BlogTour! #Review – The Secret Cove in Croatia by Julie Caplin (@JulieCaplin) @JulesWake @0neMoreChapter_ @RaRaResources

Happy publication day, Julie Caplin, and ‘The Secret Cove in Croatia’! My second RaRaResources blog tour of the days is for this beautiful, beautiful book – thank you so much for having me on kicking off the blog tour, and thank you to the publisher for the ARC. Here is my review:

Sail away to beautiful Croatia for summer sun, sparkling turquoise seas and a holiday romance that’s forever…

When no-nonsense, down-to-earth Maddie Wilcox is offered the chance to work on a luxury yacht for the summer, she can’t say no. Yes she’ll be waiting on the posh guests… But island-hopping around the Adriatic sea will more than make up for it –especially when Nick, her best friend Nina’s brother, is one of them.Sparks fly when they meet on board and Maddie can’t believe self-entitled jerk Nick is really related to Nina.But in a secret, picture-perfect cove, away from the real world, Maddie and Nick discover they might have more in common than they realise…

What does TWG think?

‘Sail away with meeeee……’

If only!!!! I have never been to Croatia before – can someone take me, like now? Oh Julie Caplin, what have you done to me?! I am someone who rolls my eyes at PDA’s and romance itself. I am also someone who adores reading romance despite not being a fan of the actual thing myself. Again, I am also someone who now wants to go to Croatia so I can meet my own Nick! Swoon!!!!! He can keep the shorts though, soz!!!

Maddie is THE best character ever!!! What a breath of fresh air she is. I absolutely loved her and her bluntness. She certainly wasn’t taking any prisoners, that’s for sure! Did I see myself in her? Damn right I did, maybe that’s why I gelled with her personality because I could relate to her personally.

The absolute star of the storyline was the message the author had hidden in between her words; be yourself, don’t go out of your way to be anyone else except you. How many of us have been amongst a group of people and found ourselves changing our mannerisms, adjusting our likes and dislikes, just to make other people like us? How many of us have pretended to be something we’re not, just because a crush prefers us a certain way? Of course – we have all been there and done that! Instead of leaving a situation because it doesn’t fit YOUR needs, you end up changing yourself because you don’t fit THEIR needs, but at the end of the day, what’s more important? Your happiness, or theirs?

Such an easy thing to say, but one of the most hardest things to put into practice. As an outsider looking in, Nick’s situation with Tara was the elephant in the room. People could see what Tara was like, however the only person who struggled to see what she was capable of, was Nick himself. Why could that be? I’ll tell you – it was because he was so close to the situation, he ended up being blindsided by the attention. It wasn’t until someone, aka Maddie, took the time to tell him how it was. Could she have done that out of jealousy because Tara disliked her? Possibly, in fact almost definitely! That said, Maddie’s personality wasn’t that way inclined and, whilst she didn’t want to get involved in someone else love life, she wanted Nick to be happy. Thankfully Tara didn’t help herself at all……

Maddie is very open about her lack of confidence, and that resonated with me big time as, just like her, I am lacking in confidence and I don’t fit in. And yes, I have done what everyone else has done and adapted my personality to suit others but you know what? Why should I? Why should you?

Julie Caplin really opened my eyes with this book. Not only that, she had me in hysterics and racing through the pages as though someone had offered me a lifetime supply of books! The setting was beautifully described and got under my skin big time. I loved it more so because of how Croatia seems to be such an underrated holiday destination. Makes a nice change to be somewhere different in a book as opposed to always being in the same old settings.

I wish I could bottle up the warm and hopeful feeling the book gave me just so that whenever I feel like I don’t fit in, I can dip deep into my heart to remind myself the importance of being true to the skin I was born in.

Julie Caplin is one of the most beautiful story tellers I think I have ever read, and she has outdone herself with ‘The Secret Cove in Croatia’. Hand on heart, one of my all-time favourite reads ever, Maddie and Croatia will be staying locked up in my heart for a very, very long time to come. A truly spellbinding, emotive novel which ticked every single box I never even knew existed.

Buy now.

#BlogTour! #Review – The Dead Wife by Sue Fortin (@SueFortin1) @0neMoreChapter_ @RaRaResources

Late posts this evening, apologies, major chronic illness flare and nausea. Anyway, I am delighted to welcome back to TWG, Sue Fortin and her new novel, ‘The Dead Wife’. Many thanks to Rachel for the blog tour invite and ARC, here is my review:

Police have ruled out suspicious circumstances in the investigation into the death of Elizabeth Sinclair, wife of charismatic entrepreneur Harry Sinclair, found drowned in the lake of the family’s holiday park.

It’s been two years since the Sinclair case closed but when reporter Steph Durham receives a tipoff that could give her the scoop of the year, she’s drawn deeper and deeper into the secretive Sinclair family.

Elizabeth’s death wasn’t a tragic accident. And the truth will come at a deadly price…

What does TWG think?

Holy Thelma and Louise! This book is BRILLIANT!!!!!!

Sue Fortin has really upped her game with the publication of her latest thrill, ‘The Dead Wife’. I mean, Fortin was an incredible author beforehand but now? She has knocked the ball so far out of the court, I’m expecting it to hit Australia or something!

A lot of families have skeletons in their closet or have family members who should never be brought up in conversation. The Sinclair’s however, have a graveyard full of goodness knows what, and it seems as though the entire family need to keep their own mouths shut in case they drop themselves in it.

I was hooked by the first couple of pages of the book where we met Elizabeth, the wife of Harry Sinclair. Elizabeth’s life halted far too soon or, as some of the Sinclair’s may think, not soon enough. But why? Was the fact that she never came out of the lake alive an accident? Or did someone actually want her dead?

Like I say, ‘The Dead Wife’ is a phenomenal book! I was transfixed by the secrets and the attempt to unearth the truth, whatever that may have been, and I loved how intensely complex the entire storyline was as it made me think outside of the box. The Sinclair’s are a very clever family, however a lot of them are cactuses, if not all of them. Of course Harry, the husband of Elizabeth, was in the firing line regarding her death, but as the storyline progressed I had my own thoughts about who I felt was involved.

As always, those thoughts changed as, the person who I originally thought was involved, actually wasn’t! I won’t name names. Let’s just say that this person should have been behind bars anyway. What an absolute BLEEP! Now, before the truth was revealed, a different character (again I won’t name names due to spoilers) spoke to Steph and it was then I realised that they were my new suspect. I can’t even clarify what they said, yet I had a lightbulb moment and a chill decided to travel up my back at the same time. Weird, I know.

I thought Steph was rather brave for sticking her neck out for someone she didn’t know, just so she could unearth the truth. I also thought she was pretty stupid considering the amount of warnings she had, but what do I know!

‘The Dead Wife’ was such an addictive read, I thoroughly enjoyed the dark and twisted nature of the storyline and the characters involved. Yes, there were many red herrings, but they were flawlessly placed throughout the book and gave the novel depth as opposed to just being put there for the sake of it. I honestly cannot recommend Sue Fortin’s new book enough, although I now feel sorry for her as I am wondering how on Earth she is going to beat this beaut of a book!

Suspenseful, chilling, addictive, and utterly brilliant – ‘The Dead Wife’ gave me a new lease of life!

Buy now!