#TheWaffleHouseOnThePier – Tilly Tennant @TillyTenWriter @Bookouture #Review

I am absolutely delighted to be todays stop on Tilly Tennant’s blog tour for ‘The Waffle House on the Pier’. As always, thank you to Bookouture for inviting me to take part in the blog tour, and for the ARC.

Run away to Sea Salt Bay, where the sand is warm and soft, the sea is a perfect blue, and a candy-coloured waffle house is about to change Sadie’s life…

For as long as she can remember, Sadie’s grandparents have run the waffle house on the pier at Sea Salt Bay. With its pretty painted chairs, sweet smells, and the warm advice of her beloved grandparents, the waffle house is like a second home

But when Sadie’s grandfather dies, leaving her grandmother without an anchor, Sadie must make a difficult decision. She quits her job and moves back home, determined to keep things going. The trouble is, she knows nothing about running a business, and learning at a million miles an hour with a shop full of hungry people isn’t easy. When she nearly burns the waffle house down, she has to admit she needs to get some help.

Her ex-boyfriend Declan promises to be there for her but Sadie worries that getting too close is a mistake – especially as he has a new girlfriend now. And anyway she’s just met newcomer Luke, with his gorgeous suntan and mellow voice…

Sadie’s family have always loved Declan and they’re not too sure about Luke, leaving Sadie unsure which way to turn. A terrible accident at sea forces her to look into her heart, but what if it’s already too late to tell the right man that she loves him?

What does TWG think?

You know what REALLY bugged me?

The fact that I cannot give this book anymore than five stars :(. (Sorry Tilly, you can breathe now haha). If I could reach into the night sky and pluck out every single shining star there was, I would put them onto Amazon and co in a heartbeat. I truly, truly think that this novel is worth its weight in gold – I loved it. This is Tilly Tennant at her finest, and then some.

Why?

Because ‘The Waffle House on the Pier’ isnt just about what toppings you can put on your waffles, nor is it just about keeping memories alive. It’s about being strong enough to know when something in your life isnt right for you, something which Sadie took the guts to change when she realised that she wasnt entirely cut out for the career she had been working towards.

Not only that, this book is about learning not to settle for second best and being true to your heart. Sadie’s love life was questionable, and many of her loved ones felt as though she made the wrong choice by choosing to ‘dump’ Declan. Every man she dated after him was always being compared to him and his personality. Although I was gutted to find that she didnt date an Ant….

Sadie wasnt given enough credit by her mother for the way she conducted her life, which I felt was a shame as, even if parents dont like the choices their children make, surely they should support them in their endeavours regardless? That certainly wasnt the case there and i really did feel as though Sadie was quite a misunderstood character.

For me, the waffle house may have been a sweet family connection, however it was the true heart and soul of the storyline. A real stepping stone, if you will, to allowing Sadie and her family to finally realise their worths.

Like I said before, this was Tilly Tennant at her finest and, despite having read many, MANY of this authors books, I will even go as far to say that ‘The Waffle House on the Pier’ is my most favourite book that Tilly has written so far.

A delectable, heartwarming, generous, free spirited novel that was absolutely spot on.

Buy now.

#Anna – Laura Guthrie @catherinespark @cranachanbooks @lovebooksgroup

Hugest of thanks to Kelly at LoveBooksGroup for inviting me to take part in ‘Anna’ by Laura Guthrie, and thank you to the publisher, Cranachan Books, for supplying me a review copy.

Every cloud has a silver lining. Doesn’t it?

Anna is thirteen years old, lives in London with her father, and has Asperger’s syndrome.

When her father dies she travels up to the Scottish Central Belt to live with her estranged, reclusive mother. With little support to help her fit in, she must use everything her father taught her—especially her ‘Happy Game’—to integrate into her new community, connect with her mother, discover her past, and cope with the challenges along the way.

What does TWG think?

It’s very rare for me to read a book that is told by the point of view of a child. Now that’s not because I don’t ‘choose’ those types of books to read, it just isn’t often that I come across books written in this way. Seeing as I am so used to storylines with older characters at the focal point of the storyline, it was a little bit difficult at times to remember that Anna was only thirteen years old. She wasn’t an adult that had gone through a marriage, had a child, miscarriage, or made lifechanging mistakes, instead she was a child that was grieving the loss of a parent. A child who was moving away from all she has ever known, to live with someone who she didn’t really know, in a place she wasn’t aware of. All of that is hard enough for any person to deal with, let alone a child with asperger’s.

The topic of asperger’s is very close to my heart as my not so little brother is on the spectrum. Even with that in mind, everyone with asperger’s is unique. Their stories are different. Their outlooks are different, and nobody quite knows what all of that entails unless they’re living that life. Or, if they read books such as this one, which gives an insight to such a misunderstood syndrome.

I really enjoyed reading this novel, however I did find parts of the storyline a bit unmatched, as though I was teleporting to different events without learning the path that was taken to get there. It did confuse me at times, especially as I did feel like I was missing pieces of information and several pieces of the puzzle.

‘Anna’ was a really insightful and heartwarming read which allowed me to look at life in the way that it should be looked at; simply. I found Anna herself, to be a breath of fresh air, and her reactions to the challenges she faced was incredible. She definitely could teach many adults a thing or two, including myself.

If you’re looking for a unique, memorable, breath of fresh air type read, then I highly recommend you purchase this pronto.

Buy now.

#ToTellYouTheTruth @GillyMacmillan @ArrowPublishing

I’m closing the blog tour for Gilly Macmillan and ‘To Tell You The Truth’ – thank you to Arrow Publishing for the tour invite and ARC.

Lucy Harper has a talent for invention…

She was nine years old when her brother vanished in the woods near home. As the only witness, Lucy’s story of that night became crucial to the police investigation. Thirty years on, her brother’s whereabouts are still unknown.

Now Lucy is a bestselling thriller writer. Her talent for invention has given her fame, fortune, and an army of adoring fans. But her husband, Dan, has started keeping secrets of his own, and a sudden change of scene forces Lucy to confront some dark, unwelcome memories. Then Dan goes missing and Lucy’s past and present begin to collide. Did she kill her husband? Would she remember if she did?

Finally, Lucy Harper is going to tell us the truth.

Cross her heart.
And hope to die.

What does TWG think?

I wasn’t entirely sure what to make of ‘To Tell You The Truth’, to be honest. Even now, a few days after finishing the book, I still cant quite get my head around what I had read. That’s definitely not that’s bad thing though, that a book is memorable enough to make me keep thinking about it for days! But do I think that I was bowled over by it? No, probably not.

Lucy Harper has a past that she would rather not be made public, yet being a bestselling thriller writer, Lucy’s life is a bit more in the public eye than she would like. To the outside world she has a wonderful husband, a wonderful life, and the means to create novels that fly off the shelves. However her husband, Dan, seems to have his fingers in a lot more pies than he should. Put it this way, Lucy may earn the money but Dan has the control….and he isnt afraid to use that power to his advantage. Unfortunately that comes at a cost….

‘To Tell You The Truth’ reminded me of a case of mistaken identity. Lucy had her own mind, yet she wasnt always in control of her actions or what came out of her mouth. She had a little help….and not the good kind. I wont give too much detail as I dont want to give too much of the storyline away. Let’s just say that her actions were a little bit questionable, as were Dan’s.

The storyline had me questioning many things, like the truth behind Lucy’s brother and his disappearance. I would have liked many of the questions to be answered within the storyline, however I did feel as though I was left with more questions than answers. I didnt feel as though the loose ends were tied up fully, and I felt that the ending was a little bit of an anti climax because of that which was a shame.

I was impressed with the psychology within the novel, and I appreciated the multi layered personalities of the characters and the uncertainty of the storyline itself. Despite my reservations of a large portion of the book, I did enjoy the addictiveness of the entire read and the thrilling situations which left Gilly Macmillan’s novel etched on my brain.

Buy now.

#APerfectCornishEscape @phillipaashley @AvonBooksUK

Many thanks to Avon for inviting me to take part in Phillipa Ashley’s blog tour today, and for supplying me with an ARC.

Summer in Cornwall is the perfect time for a fresh start…

Seven years ago, Marina Hudson’s husband was lost at sea. She vowed to love him forever – but when kind-hearted Lachlan arrives in Porthmellow, should she deny herself another chance at happiness?

Tiff Trescott was living life to the full as a journalist in London – until her boyfriend’s betrayal brought it all crashing down. Fleeing to her cousin Marina’s cottage, Tiff feels like a fish out of water. And when brooding local Dirk wins a day with her in a charity auction, she’s thrown headfirst into Cornish life.

This summer promises new beginnings for both Tiff and Marina. But are they too good to be true?

What does TWG think?

Life is very uncertain for all of us right now. Meet ups with friends and family in a close knit situation is forbidden. Travelling for a weekend away to a favourite spot can earn us a slap on the wrists. So how can we escape from a locked down world, without breaking the rules?

One word, books. Actually, scrap that.

Two words….Phillipa Ashley. If you arent allowed to go to Cornwall, then this author can bring Cornwall to you.

Romance, friendships, hope; what more could you want? I wasnt too surprised by many of the elements within this story, yet that didnt deter me from enjoying Tiff and Marina’s personalities and their lives. Dirk is a bit of a questionable character for many reasons which become evident the more the storyline progresses, whereas I couldnt help but forge a bit of a soft spot for Lachlan. He seemed to add so much joy to the storyline, a breath of fresh air if you will.

What I loved most about this book was the way it allowed me to getaway and lose myself in the picturesque setting that was being described to me absolutely beautifully. Phillipa Ashley has such an uplifting way with words which made ‘A Perfect Cornish Escape’ a highly enjoyable read.

Buy now.

#TheJulyGirls @Phoebe_locke @AntoniaWhitton @headlinepg

Thank you, Antonia, and the Headline team for asking me to take part in the paperback blog tour for Phoebe Locke’s, ‘The July Girls’, and for the 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!

Buy now from Amazon.

Tell That To My Heart @ElizaJScott1 #review

Many thanks to Eliza J Scott for providing ARC’s for her new book, and happy publication day!

Jemima Dewberry wears her heart on her sleeve. Her weakness for bad boys, coupled with her track record for making bad decisions has led to endless heartbreak. The only trouble is, she can’t seem to kick the habit.

On top of that, her “dream” job at Yorkshire Portions magazine hasn’t turned out to be what she’d hoped, and she seems to have developed the knack of annoying her boss without even trying. It doesn’t help that the new girl seems to have taken an instant dislike to her. All that’s keeping her there are her best friends Anna-Lisa and Aidey, who have picked up the pieces of her shattered heart more times than they care to remember.

When Jemima’s latest boyfriend turns out to be no better than the rest, the hurt and humiliation is almost unbearable. She declares she’s finally through with love, and swears off men for life. But when charismatic Caspar De Verre walks into the office with his dangerous good looks and mesmerising smile, she’s utterly captivated, and her promises to Anna-Lisa and Aidey not to let her heart rule her head are soon forgotten.

But is Caspar all he seems? Anna-Lisa and Aidey have their doubts. And Herbert, the happy-go-lucky black Labrador Jemima’s looking after, doesn’t seem to like him either.

As Jemima falls for Caspar’s charms she finds herself being forced to confront the struggle between her head and her heart. But which one will prove the most powerful?

And will Jemima get the happy-ever-after she so desperately craves?

What does TWG think?

Yay, a new series! The first book in a new series always gets me excited because it’s the first insight into a bunch of new characters. We get to learn about their families, their history, what makes them tick. Its exciting….especially as I am so nosy. Win win really, don’t you think?

This isnt my first rodeo when it comes to reading Eliza J Scott’s novels and, having really enjoyed what i have previously read, I had very high hopes for ‘Tell That To My Heart’.

To be perfectly honest, I thought I was reading a book that had been written by a completely different author. I’m not too sure whether those feelings of mine were due to it being a new series, a new bunch of characters, and the uncertainty of not knowing where the storyline was going to take readers, however I couldnt seem to feel the usual spark that the author laced her words with.

I’m not saying that those feelings lasted the entire duration of the novel, although they did last until the halfway mark. That was when things began to change for me as a reader.

Honey, Caspar and ‘the boss’, really needed their heads banging together. What utterly aggravating people they were! Saying that, their annoying personalities made for great reading. Yes, horrible characters can add negativity to a storyline, yet they can also make the storyline even more addictive as you want them to get their comeuppance and will continue reading until they get just that.

As I said above, it was the halfway point in the storyline when I began to really get into into throws of the storyline. I also began to feel the authors presence more, as though she had grown in confidence as the storyline progressed. I felt that Eliza J Scott was finally believing in her characters and her storyline, and as a reader I really appreciated that connection to the author.

Romance plays a big part in ‘Tell That To My Heart’, as Jemima struggled to see what was right in front of her, instead letting a good looking, disaster waiting to happen type of man, cloud her judgement. We have all been there though, I’m sure!

Overall I really did enjoy getting to know Mim and her friends, and i am really looking forward to seeing where the series goes from here.

Buy now.

#TheNeverHaveIEverClub by Mary Jayne Baker (@MaryJayneBaker) @Aria_fiction

Happy publication day, MJ! I am so excited to be kicking off your blog tour today with a review of ‘The Never Have I Ever Club’. My thanks, as always, go to Aria for inviting me to take part in the tour and for supplying me with an ARC. Let’s get this show on the road then, shall we?

Robyn Bloom thought Ash Barnes was the love of her life – until one day he announced he was leaving her to fly halfway across the world.

Months later, Robyn is struggling to move on – but then she has a brainwave: The Never Have I Ever Club. Her handsome next-door neighbour Will helps her bring their fellow Yorkshire villagers together for some carpe-diem-inspired fun.

From burlesque dancing to Swedish massages, everyone has plenty of bucket-list activities to try, but it doesn’t take long for Robyn to realise what – or who – her heart truly desires: Will.

There’s just one problem: he’s Ash’s twin brother.

Make that two problems: Ash is moving home… and he wants Robyn back.

What does TWG think?

‘Oh, hasn’t he grown?’ – legit the most funniest sentence ever….in context though, clearly! That line had me proper laughing out loud, the timing could not have been better if it tried. Out of context though, that sentence is pretty meh – just trust me on this, ok?!

It’s been a while since I last settled down with a Mary Jayne Baker book, and I have to say that I had really missed reading this authors books. MJB has a mind like a sailor and the humour of Rik Mayall and Michael McIntyre, entwined with her own uniqueness, how could I NOT miss that?!

Now, MJB has a brilliant sense of humour, however after i had read multiple chapters of this book, it dawned on me that MJB’s usual persona wasnt shining through. It felt like she had been told off, put on the naughty step, coming back as good as gold without her usual ‘I’m gonna break out my inner Xtina and get Dirrrrrty’. For me, it felt as though something was holding her back and that’s not the style of MJB I adore.

That said, once the storyline hit the whole love triangle with Robyn, Will and Ash, as well as the Never Have I Ever Club, MJB’s on point, laugh out loud, innuendo filled, sarcastic humour came shining through! I’m sure I even saw little cherubs fly through the air singing ‘Hallelujah’!

Robyn is definitely a marmite character….marmite in the sense that you’re undecided whether you are going to through the jar at her or not. It was abundantly clear that she adored Fliss. It was also abundantly clear that she had no idea what she wanted. Robyn had a nice enough personality, yet her self centred personality really irked me. Will, on the other hand, was an absolute gentleman and so funny! Okay, his martyr moments gave my eyes a bit of excercise, and I wished he would just deck his brother already, but, apart from that, hes a good egg.

The Eurovision element to the storyline was brilliant. It actually made the song contest seem quite fun! Definitely something different to come across, but it really enjoyed it as it just fit with all of the colourful personalities of the characters. I say colourful……rainbows and fireworks. Together. At the same time….

‘The Never Have I Ever Club’ is a humbling, laugh out loud read which, despite starting off on the wrong foot, ended on douze points. With serious and lighthearted situations blending well together, it was the strength of belief and hope which gave this storyline its shining glory. Oh….and the wonder of twins having the same size package or not….

Buy now.

#IKnowYourSecret by Ruth Heald #blogtour @RJ_Heald @Bookouture

Many thanks to Bookouture for inviting me to take part in Ruth Heald’s blog tour for ‘I Know Your Secret’, and for the ARC. Here is my review:

You’re not who you say you are. Neither is she.

She thinks she knows me.
She believes my marriage is falling apart at the seams, that my husband can barely look me in the eyes. She thinks I’m desperate for a baby, that my longing for a family keeps me up at night. As much as I hate to admit it, all of this is true.

She thinks I listen to her advice, that I care about her opinion. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
Because she has no idea who I am. She has no clue that I know everything.

I know her secret. I know that she did the unforgivable. I know how many lives she ruined.

I know exactly what she did. And I’m here for her.

What does TWG think?

Those who say that they don’t like drama, clearly haven’t invested time in the right sort! This, my friends, is the right sort.

Without giving too much away, this story keeps on giving. A bit like a pass the parcel present – so many layers hinting at the intriguing conclusion with their uncertain teasers.

Beth was definitely an interesting character to get to know as there seemed to be a lot more to her than what she let on. At times I wanted to feel sorry for her and what she was going through, yet there were other times where I wanted to shake her and tell her to get a hold of herself.

The overall story was so twisted and nearly tied me up in knots, whilst still managing to be enjoyable and suspenseful at the same time.

I thought that Ruth Heald really delivered with the psychological elements of the story, keeping me throughly engrossed until the very end. An all round intense and entertaining read.

Buy now from Amazon

#TheSightOfYou @byhollymiller #blogtour #review @hodderbooks

I am over the moon to be kicking off Holly Miller’s blog tour for ‘The Sight Of You’, today with a review. Many thanks to the Hodder and Stoughton team for inviting me to take part in the tour and for the ARC.

Joel is afraid of the future.
Since he was a child he’s been haunted by dreams about the people he loves. Visions of what’s going to happen – the good and the bad. And the only way to prevent them is to never let anyone close to him again.

Callie can’t let go of the past.
Since her best friend died, Callie’s been lost. She knows she needs to be more spontaneous and live a bigger life. She just doesn’t know how to find a way back to the person who used to have those dreams.

Joel and Callie both need a reason to start living for today.
And though they’re not looking for each other, from the moment they meet it feels like the start of something life-changing.

Until Joel has a vision of how it’s going to end . . .

What does TWG think?

You may have heard or seen the question ‘if you were reading a book about your life, would you read to the end to find out how your life goes?’. I’ll admit that I didn’t really think too much of that question the first time I saw it….until now that is.

Joel has dreams about the people he loves. Sometimes they are good dreams; a happy event, long awaited happy news. Or they could be bad dreams; the death of a loved one, a disruptive traffic jam, a broken down marriage.

When Joel met Callie, he tried his best not to get too involved in her life. As much as he wanted to keep her at arms length, the friendship that he built with her dog, Murphy, was too much for him to lose. Oh, and he may have had a little crush on Callie too. He was frightened that he would have a bad dream about Callie and that there would be nothing he could do to intervene…..

When Callie said that Joel’s premonitions were a gift, I agreed with her to a point, however I couldn’t help but agree with Joel in the sense that it was as though he had been given a life sentence. He knew things that other people didn’t and if asked, most probably wouldn’t even want to know. I felt for him – how could you live like that? Knowing a loved one was going to die on a certain date and being unable to stop it happening. I did feel a bit frustrated at Joel when he kept on saying how he wanted to tell the people in his dreams that something was going to happen so that it rid him of the emotions that came with it, because hes then giving that person a life sentence. What would be the point in attempting to carry on with your life knowing that you have to fit in everything you’ve ever wanted to do?

On the other side of the coin though, we are having to do that ourselves in our own lives, but because we don’t have a ‘use by’ date so to speak, we think we have all the time in the world to achieve our dreams, when in reality we just don’t. It a difficult one to fathom, and my thoughts change each time I think about it.

‘The Sight Of You’ was a teeny bit confusing at first due to the snippets of messages from Callie, and the switching between character points of view during various stages of their lives. It took me a little while to truly get into the zone of the storyline, yet once I did, as obvious as this is going to sound, things began to make sense and I was able to piece things together and create a picture of what the characters lives may end up looking like.

I was genuinely taken back by the sheer amount of heart, warmth, and emotion that was riddled throughout the storyline. The timelines that were written about certain relationships were so beautiful, so genuine and made for an incredibly tender read.

As soon as it became clear that we were nearing the end of the book, I started to get anxious because, like Joel, I knew I something was going to happen but I couldnt do anything about it. I didnt want the character go – they still had their life to lead. It just wasnt fair. Now I know that this is only fiction and regardless of how I was personally feeling, the inevitable was going to happen anyway, but in a story like this one, it is super hard not to become invested in the lives that were being played out in front of my eyes. The quality of this story needed to be appreciated, and by me investing my own emotion into the book, I felt that I was able to truly to connect with what the author was trying to convey.

‘The Sight Of You’ truly is a one of a kind, memorable and highly emotive read that has made me think of certain things in life that I havent really needed to think about until now. Holly Miller has an exceptional way words – I loved it, i bloody loved it. In fact, I’m just devastated that i cannot give the book more than 5 stars.

The Sight Of You will be published on the 11th June. The book can be pre-ordered now by clicking the link below:

Pre-order now.