#PromisesInTheDark by @DKHood_Author @Bookouture #review

Happy publication day to D.K.Hood and ‘Promises In The Dark’! I am delighted to be kicking of the blog tour today – many thanks to Bookouture for having me.

The young girl pushes against the backseat of the family sedan, fighting to free herself from the crude ties restricting her hands and feet. As the car speeds towards the edge of town, she looks back at her family home, and watches in horror as it is suddenly engulfed in a mass of flames. Trembling with fear, she turns towards the driver and hears only laughter. She knows that the worst is yet to come…

Detective Jenna Alton surveys the charred remains of the large suburban home, stopping to pause at the three lifeless bodies of the Woods family. Jenna knows she’s looking for a serial killer, but her priority is finding the missing teenage daughter last seen on the night of the inferno.

Days later, Sophie Wood’s body is discovered floating in a shallow pool of crystal-clear water—known locally as Dead Man’s Drop—but Jenna still doesn’t know who would target the quiet family in such a brutal attack.

Delving into the family’s past, she makes a shocking discovery—a link between the killer and someone connected to her deputy David Kane. If Jenna is right and the killer is back and seeking revenge, then she must act fast to keep her deputy safe.

When another girl is taken, Jenna and David follow the trail into a network of underground caves on the outskirts of town. With little time before the killer claims his next victim, they race into the pitch-black tunnels, unsure whether they have just walked into the killer’s trap. Can they find the girl in time and escape the caves without the killer chasing them down?

What does TWG think?

One of, if not THE most disturbing book of the series so far! Which is saying something considering the things that Kane and Alton have come across in the 9 previous books.

A story that starts off with young children being the bait, indirectly speaking, always puts the fear of christ up me. Not that I’m saying should a child be used as bait later on in the book then I’ll be okay with it, not at all. I just find themes like that enough to make my jaw drop further, and a nervous energy crawl up my body far quicker than if I had read it in the middle. That’s exactly what happened here. The prologue plants the seed and ties the roots of the storyline in knots, making it hard for the reader to leave it alone regardless of how nervy you have begun to feel. Honestly, it was brilliantly written and definitely set the scene for the rest of the book.

Once again Kane and Alton have their work cut out for them. Their murderer hasn’t made things very easy for them, despite leaving a ‘trail’ of dead bodies in his wake. Whoever this person is is clearly dangerous and doesn’t think much of other living things. Just another thing that kept me hooked!

I was very disturbed by the storyline, but without sounding weird, I didnt find that a negative thing because what else would you expect from a thriller? Teddy bears and picnics? No. D.K.Hood may have her characters having picnics, but she would also have a dead body stuffed in the bear! (Just to clarify, that isn’t what happens in this book!)

As I may have said once or twice, I was truly glued to this novel and the way the characters developed over time. It may be the tenth book in the series, yet Kane and Alton never fail to surprise me.

Yet another dark, devious, and utterly transfixing novel from an author who is outstanding at holding her readers hostage with her words.

Buy now.

Happy Dog Days at the @PugCafe – Anushka Fernando and Bertie the Pug @PugBertie @TheMirrorBooks

I am delighted to be closing the blog tour for ‘Happy Dog Days at the Pug Cafe’ by Anushka Fernando and Bertie the Pug – many thanks to Mirror Books for inviting me to take part and for supplying me with an ARC to review.

Bertie the pug had an unlucky start in life.

Diagnosed with hemivertebrae and unable to walk, his owner decided to open up a dog-friendly cafe where he could meet friends and have fun.

The Pug Cafe quickly became a very special place for all dog owners to meet and have a drink.

But when the cafe faced closure, it was brave Bertie the pug and his friends who came to the rescue.

Inspired by true events, Happy Days at the Pug Cafe tells the heartwarming story of one little pug and his beloved cafe.

Help yourself to a Puguccino, put up your paws and get your nose into the heartwarming tale of Bertie and friends.


What does TWG think?

Goodness me – I really wasn’t expecting tears to fill my eyes reading this! Who would have thought a book about a bunch of pugs socialising in a cafe would have made me cry?!

Well, there was a lot more to this book than socialising pugs – something which completely blindsided me if I’m totally honest!

You see, Bertie the pug wasn’t very well when he was small and he needed to have an operation that came with a warning regarding his life. One of his owners, Anushka, was so frightened by what potentially could happen, and rightly so!

‘Happy Dog Days at the Pug Cafe’ is written in the voices of both Bertie and Anushka, with Anushka taking on the role of letting readers into the mind of the pug…as best as she is able, obviously! Because the narration of the book is so unique and cleverly done, I truly felt as though little Bertie was talking to me. Seriously, dog owners – we have all done it. We have all spoken for our dogs, or our other pets, but never have I ever read a book like that. It was so cute!

Like I said before, there was a lot more to the story than pugs going for a cuppa on a Saturday morning. The Pug Cafe ended up being a lifeline for some. Somewhere where they could be themselves without worrying about whether they would be liked or not. A place where they would get support should they, or they beloved pooch, would get poorly. It was that which made the tears fall. I won’t delve into the details as to what exactly happened or who was involved, but it certainly caught me because we don’t like to think about that sort of thing, but of course we have to.

I thought it was a brave thing for Anushka to do regarding her confidence issues, and I really do think that a lot of readers will be able to relate to her in various different ways. I know that I ended up nodding my head multiple times whilst reading this.

As emotional as this way, ‘Happy Dog Days at the Pug Cafe’ made me chuckle and left me grinning from ear to ear. This is really such a joyful, heartwarming novel which highlights the trials and tribulations of being a pet owner, not having much confidence, as well as finding the strength to go for what you want. That takes a lot of courage.

Getting to know Bertie was an absolute joy – what a hilarious, firecracker of a pug he is. A truly lovely, lovely read.

Buy now from Amazon.

Christmas Gift Idea with #TheWritingGarnet and @SousChefTweet #ChristmasGiftIdeas #foodie

Christmas 2020 isn’t going to be a Christmas that we are used to, so why not go with the flow and give a foodie gift that is different to anything you have probably given before?

Dishoom ‘From Bombay With Love’, (published by Bloomsbury) is a cookery book with a difference. A real cookbook with the love of food and traditional cooking at the heart of its spine. Not only does the book contain various recipes to make you think ‘ooooohhhh!’, they have been placed in between a real life story about life in Bombay, the types of cafes and buildings you may come across should you ever travel there, descriptions of traditional table settings or merely traditions in themselves. The authors have even included a map! (See picture at the very beginning.)

I love the personal touch of the cookbook and how every page has been written in a way that makes you feel as though you’re getting a taster of a cuisine that you may not have been able to try for yourself. Alongside the recipes and personal story are incredible pictures of varios buildings in the country, each having their own careful description attached to them for reference. What a lovely touch I must admit.

Thanks to the fabulous team at SousChef, Dishoom ‘From Bombay With Love’, comes with a group of ingredients in its own little cotton, drawstring bag. Think Ready Steady Cook but a bit more upmarket! The ingredients included in the bundle are:

Amchoor powder

Urid beans

Tamarind pulp

Black cardamom

Gram flour

Chana Masala 100g

Kashmiri chilli powder

I have never cooked food like this before, however now that I have no excuse having both some of the ingredients and an actual cookbook with easy to follow recipes, I can honestly say that I will definitely be giving this a go sooner rather than later.

If you like the sound of this foodie bundle from SousChef and wish to purchase a set for yourself, a loved one, or even both, then pop yourself along to their website for the  dishoom cookbook and more.

(Disclaimer: My set was gifted by SousChef themselves, and my thoughts and opinions are honest and unbiased. Many thanks to the team.)

#TheBoyBetween by Amanda Prowse and Josiah Hartley (@MrsAmandaProwse) @BOTBSPublicity #mentalhealthawareness #depression

Before I go any further I just want to say sorry to Amanda, Josiah and Sarah for the delay in posting my review, and thank you to Sarah and Netgalley for the ARC.

Bestselling novelist Amanda Prowse knew how to resolve a fictional family crisis. But then her son came to her with a real one…

Josiah was nineteen with the world at his feet when things changed. Without warning, the new university student’s mental health deteriorated to the point that he planned his own death. His mother, bestselling author Amanda Prowse, found herself grappling for ways to help him, with no clear sense of where that could be found. This is the book they wish had been there for them during those dark times.

Josiah’s situation is not unusual: the statistics on student mental health are terrifying. And he was not the only one suffering; his family was also hijacked by his illness, watching him struggle and fearing the day he might succeed in taking his life.

In this book, Josiah and Amanda hope to give a voice to those who suffer, and to show them that help can be found. It is Josiah’s raw, at times bleak, sometimes humorous, but always honest account of what it is like to live with depression. It is Amanda’s heart-rending account of her pain at watching him suffer, speaking from the heart about a mother’s love for her child.

For anyone with depression and anyone who loves someone with depression, Amanda and Josiah have a clear message—you are not alone, and there is hope.

What does TWG think?

Firstly, having the courage to openly discuss a time in your life where you felt suicide was the only option, with complete strangers and in the form of a book, is such a brave thing to do. I take my hat off to Josiah for choosing to put awareness above everything else. Its not an easy thing to do at all. I don’t know you, but I’m proud of you.

Secondly, Amanda….its hard enough being a parent, let alone being a parent who has to watch from the sidelines whilst her child goes through a situation only they can get themself out of. I cannot even begin to imagine how hard it must have been to go through that with Josiah, or the toll it took on your own mental health. Not only that, the courage it must have taken you openly dissect and ‘admit’ where you felt you went wrong as a parent, and to talk about such a heartbreaking time in your life. Your strength astounds me and I am so proud of you.

Depression is STILL seen as a taboo thing because you cannot see what is broken so, if you cannot see what is broken then nothing must be broken…..right? Completely and utterly wrong. In the book Josiah stated that he wished he had broken his arm or his leg because then he and others could see what was broken and what was needed to fix it. With depression or other mental illnesses, it isn’t a case of one thing fixes all.

How do I know this? Because like millions of other people, and like Josiah himself, I have depression and I also have a form of EDS too (hEDS in fact). As soon as I read about that diagnosis, my breath caught in my throat because I could relate to him on yet another level. I wanted to shout into the book that Josiah wasn’t alone because I could, and can, empathise with him.

This isn’t an easy read by any means. Its raw. Its hard hitting. Its emotional. Its dark. But above all else, its honest. Choosing to openly admit you were close to suicide, and choosing to talk about extremely personal things in order to bring awareness to the topic, is, as I’ve already said, such a brave thing to do. Unfortunately it can also bring a lot of judgement which, whilst its part of human nature to comment on the situations of the world and his wife, we have no right to do so as each and every one of us are different. Each and every one of us react to things in a different way, and what upsets one person may not upset another.

For example; in her chapters, Amanda spoke about how she felt she had let her son down with her parenting. Personally, I feel that she acted from the heart and in a way only a mumma bear knows how. I don’t think that she did anything wrong as a parent, because she was only acting out of love and fear. But Amanda does/did think those things. Is she wrong to feel like that? Hell no. Is my opinion wrong? No. Im an outsider looking in, there’s a huge difference.

Josiah’s story is a very relatable one and I would love to say that it’s unique in the fact that it doesn’t happen very often, but it does. What doesn’t happen very often is someone being so open about it instead of choosing to act like everything was all fluffy clouds and rainbows.

The honesty throughout this book, from both Amanda and Josiah, was incredibly moving and at times shook me to the core because I understood. Now me saying that isn’t taking the onus off them, not at all.

I am so proud of Amanda and Josiah for their strength and courage as they wrote this book together. It is such an important topic to discuss, more so as a one size doesn’t fit all and different things work for different people. I want to thank them both for sharing their stories with the world, and I wish I could hug them both. However my ramblings will have to do!

I cannot recommend this book enough. Its beautifully harrowing, tenderly heartbreaking, but poignant and severely honest. Its a little ray of hope when the skies turn grey. Its the one shining star in the night sky to help you on your way. Its a ‘friend’ when you feel like you have absolutely no one to turn to.

Buy now.

#TheMissingPiece by Catherine Miller (@Katylittlelady) @bookouture

Broken Heart Syndrome: A sudden and acute form of heart failure, brought on by emotional or physical distress..

After years of studying cardiac medicine, thirty-one-year-old Keisha knows the heart inside out. She knows the average heartrate for each age group, she can name every valve, and she can tell you exactly how much blood it pumps daily.

The one thing she doesn’t know is how to fall in love. And nor does she want to. The secret her tattoo covers is a reminder that the best way to protect a heart is to never let it feel in the first place…

Seventy-nine-year-old Clive is Subject Five in Keisha’s latest research project. He’s been in love since he was seventeen, ever since he met Nancy at a tea dance. But last night, his beloved wife was killed. Suddenly, he has no one to waltz with. He has woken up in hospital, a widower diagnosed with Broken Heart Syndrome.

These strangers, brought together by a broken heart, must face up to the truth of their pasts. Can Clive teach his new friend that until you’ve loved, you haven’t lived? And can Keisha help him see that it’s never too late for a second chance?

What does TWG think?

Omg I was all excited at first after spotting the main characters name, thinking that my name was being used!!!! Spoiler…its not as I’m Kaisha, not Keisha. Gutted! And no, they’re not pronounced the same either! Trying not to read it as my own name was definitely a task and a half I must say ha!

Keisha is a very reserved character who is severely set in her ways. Her own little quirks (like continuously checking her pulse) are what makes her who she is, but not many people understand her because of it. Honestly, she doesn’t even understand herself half the time!!

After the loss of a loved one, Keisha’s life changed and she was left feeling as though she was the cause and so, because of that, Keisha put that energy into her work to try and help others such as Clive or, as he is affectionately known; Subject number 5. No, not mambo number 5….SUBJECT number 5.

Poor Clive hasn’t had it easy and he fights a daily battle with his memory. I felt for him but I was so pleased that Keisha and nurse George refused to give up on him, even when he wanted to give up on himself.

I thought this book was such a cute, heartwarming novel which took on a voice I hadn’t really heard/read before. I thought the storyline was so unique and so interesting, my attention didn’t falter from the book at all.

Whilst I didnt cry or find the book overly emotional, I did love how touching it was and how every character had multiple layers to their personalities, as I felt as though I was constantly surprised by a new revelation instead of knowing everything straight away.

Its evidently clear that a lot of love and attention has gone into creating this story by the author, and I believe that she has done herself and her characters exceptionally proud by bringing their story to life in such a tender and warming manner.

Overall this was an enlightening, thoughtful read which warmed that ice cold heart of mine.

(Many thanks to Bookouture for the ARC)

Buy now.

#TheHouseatMagpieCove by Kennedy Kerr @KennedyKerr5 @bookouture

Many thanks to Bookouture for inviting me to take part in this blog tour and for the ARC.

The Cornish beach house creaked in the salty sea wind and, from the weathered wooden porch, Mara watched a lone magpie circle above. It was silly to think that her mother’s spirit was still with her, but Mara felt as if there was something keeping her here. A secret that needed to be told…

When Mara Hughes inherits her late mother’s tumbledown beach house overlooking the bright, sandy sweep of Magpie Cove, it couldn’t have come at a worse time. With her marriage on the rocks and her husband threatening to take the family home, the beach house – with all the bittersweet memories it holds – might be the thing that finally sends Mara’s world crashing down around her. She tells herself she’ll only spend a few days there: sell it and move on to rebuilding her life.

When Mara arrives, the house is in a worse state than she feared – holes in the bedroom ceiling, birds’ nests in the attic and the beautiful, wrap-around porch on the brink of collapse… but she loves it anyway. With all its history it feels like the last link to her late mother and, determined to do whatever it takes to keep it in the family, Mara strikes a deal with local handyman – and town heartthrob – Brian Oakley to save the crumbling cottage from ruin.

But when a box of unopened old letters arrives on her new doorstep – a bequest from her mother’s will – Mara’s resolve to save the beach house will be tested to the limit. Because Mara’s mother’s perfect childhood in Magpie Cove was forever spoiled by one haunting day in July, and the letters contain a secret about her family that Mara can scarcely believe to be true…

What does TWG think?

I really needed a book like this to fall in my lap as it was such a perfect distraction during such difficult times.

Its been a while since I was last transported to Cornwall and, whilst I’ve ‘travelled’ there multiple times via various different stories, I genuinely missed reading about idyllic and picturesque scenes. Was definitely better than reading my four walls!

Mara’s heartache is evident from the get go. She could fight against it all she wanted, however the more she fought, the stronger her emotions became. That said, i don’t think a box full of letters helped matters either!

I really felt myself getting lost in the storyline and Mara’s past, and I loved how the transition from reality to fiction was so very well done. Hats off to the author, Kennedy Kerr, for that as that is an incredible talent to have.

I really enjoyed getting to know Mara and, even though there was a lot of emotional situations in the story, I still felt that it was a really uplifting and humbling novel. Such a pleasure to read.

Buy now.