Book Review - The Stranger's Wife by Anna-Lou Weatherley

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Amazon UK

Title: The Stranger's Wife

Author: Anna-Lou Weatherley

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 16th January 2020

Rating: 4 Stars

Beth and Cath are leaving their husbands.

This is a story about two very different women.

One is wealthy and having an affair with a man who gives her the kind of love that her cold, detached husband does not.

One is living hand to mouth, suffering at the hands of a violent partner who would rather see her dead than leave him.

You may think you know these women already and how their lives will unfold.

Beth will live happily ever after with her little girl and her soulmate.

Cath will go back to her abusive husband.

And these two women will never cross paths.

But you will be wrong.

On the 3.15pm train from London to Bristol, Beth and Cath are about to meet and discover they share one shocking thing in common.

A clever, engrossing and absolutely unputdownable page-turner of a read about what really lies beneath the surface of a marriage. Fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train will be hooked on The Stranger’s Wife.

What a gripping story that certainly had me stumped.

There was always something about Beth Lawler that meant you weren't getting the whole truth but at no point could I have guessed the directions this story went in. 

I was hooked as everything started to come together.

I loved the police team, and also Catherine's story was gritty and real.

Another incredibly good book from this talented author. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily 

Book Review - After The Accident by Kerry Wilkinson - Blog Tour

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Amazon UK

Title: After the Accident

Author: Kerry Wilkinson

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 31st March 2020

Rating: 5 Stars

Under a cloudless Mediterranean sky, two families wheel their suitcases past swaying palm trees towards their hotel to grab a spot by the pool. But behind the smiles, someone is hiding a terrible secret…

I never wanted to come on this trip. I thought the accident had torn us apart forever, but then my mother called out of the blue, wanting to make amends. So here we are, two families on a beautiful island, sipping sangria like nothing ever happened.

My parents’ oldest friend, Daniel, was invited too – I’ve never trusted him, and now he brings up my past mistake every chance he gets. And why does his son, Victor, keep disappearing off on his own?

Even my brother’s here, with his twins. It’s amazing to see my nieces playing happily in the pool. After what happened at home, it still hurts me to be around the girls, but more so that my brother doesn’t trust me alone with them.

Despite everything, it’s going surprisingly well – everyone forcing a smile at the dinner table, laughing at the twins’ antics – until the night my father is attacked on the beach, left for dead on the sand.

As always, all fingers point to me, but this time I know for certain that I’m innocent. And if I’m not guilty, someone else on this holiday is…

A unique and totally gripping psychological thriller that will have fans of T.M. Logan and The Girl on the Train racing through the pages late into the night.

I honestly can't tell you if I have just read a true crime novel,  a set of transcripts from a documentary, or if everything is completely fictional from the mind of a mastermind author.

However you wish to describe this book it is a wonderful experience, had me second guessing every word, had me googling to find out if the Greek island featured was even real.

Everything was incredibly convincing, so I'm still not sure whose accounts were the truth.

I know which character I want to believe,  and its the one I really got inside the head of.  But whether she is delusional or not I'm not completely sure.

It is though that got under my skin from the start and I found myself thinking about when I wasn't reading. 

It was largely in style and content unlike anything I've read before, and I do love originality in a story. 

I would dearly love to know the truth of what happened during those seven days in July but somehow I'm not even sure the author knows. 

It's the first book I've read by Kerry Wilkinson for a long while and now I'm wondering why that is.  Definitely need to read more in future and not just when the cover piques my interest.

100% worth reading this,  its fabulous. 

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Hattie's Home For Broken Hearts by Tilly Tennant - #HolidayReading Mexico

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Amazon UK

Title: Hattie's Home For Broken Hearts

Author: Tilly Tennant

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 10th July 2019

Rating: 4 Stars

Escape to the daisy-strewn windswept Dorset cliffs, to the donkey sanctuary at Sweet Briar Farm, where Hattie Rose is about to find, that in this world, the most unlikely opposites can sometimes attract …

Hattie was once thrilled to call the beautiful city of Paris her home. But when her heart is broken by her boyfriend and she loses her dream job, she bids farewell to the city of love and hurries home to Gillypuddle, a sleepy village on the Dorset coast. But as she returns home she finds her parents struggling to cope with a terrible family tragedy.

In a desperate search for a new start, Hattie takes a job at the donkey sanctuary nearby on Sweet Briar Farm where Jo, the taciturn owner, certainly loves her animals far more than humans. Hattie can’t help but fall in love with the donkeys (and the opportunity to get close to dreamy Canadian vet Seth) but Jo is harder to get to know and when she finds her boss sobbing in her sleep one stormy night, she knows that her new friend is hiding a dark secret.

And when handsome newspaper reporter Owen does some digging into Jo’s past he finds something that connects her to Hattie on a whole new level. Can Hattie trust what Owen says, especially when he seems intent on standing in the way of her blossoming romance with Seth? And can Hattie help Jo to start healing and the donkeys of Sweet Briar Farm?

A beautiful story that will melt the hardest of hearts. If you love Jenny Colgan, Lucy Diamond and Josie Silver you will be enchanted by this life-affirming read that reminds you that home is wherever the people you love are.

I really enjoyed getting to know Hattie, and seeing just why she decides to work at a donkey sanctuary, with a woman who the locals have nicknamed Medusa. 

It is clear that Hattie has a very big heart and loves animals, and that she would love to make the sanctuary a success, if only Jo wasn't so set against all of her ideas and suggestions. 

There are a couple of love interests too, a journalist who has some interesting ideas for dates, and the incredibly sexy vet. 

This was a charming story, filled with some laughs, some interestingly named children, great characters, adorable animals and just a great feel to it. 

I had a lovely time reading this book, and I can't wait to see what Tilly Tennant writes next. 

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - A Million Dreams by Dani Atkins - Blog Tour

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Amazon UK | Amazon US

Title: A Million Dreams

Author: Dani Atkins

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Head of Zeus (UK) / Bookouture (US)

Publication Date: 14th November 2019 (UK) / 19th February 2020 (US)

Rating: 5 Stars

Beth Brandon always dreamed of owning a florist, but today the bouquets of peonies and bright spring flowers are failing to calm her nerves. Because today, Beth has a life-changing decision to share with her husband.

Izzy Vaughan thought she and her husband would stay together forever, but sometime last year, their love began to fade. They both find such joy in their young son Noah – but is he enough to keep them together?

Eight years ago, something happened to these two women. Something that is about to bring them together in a way no-one thought possible...

Thought-provoking, emotional and uplifting, this is a gripping love story for fans of Jojo Moyes and Amanda Prowse.

I've spent the past 24 hours extremely resentful of real life separating my from reading at times,  regretful that I didn't read this while I was on holiday and would have been able to read it in one sitting,  and regularly on the verge of tears, due to the sheer emotion and power behind the words of this book. 

It has really got to me, and is easily one of the best books of the year so far for me.   

A lot of the power and emotion I feel has come because I had no idea what to expect. The blurb gives very little away, and even the first thing to be revealed, not too far into the story, I think I appreciated all the more because I had no idea it was coming.  (OK, I had an inkling perhaps a chapter before but wasn't convinced, and I had the same realisations at couple of times in the book, but never more than a chapter before it happened).  And even if I did think i knew what was about to happen, nothing could have prepared me for the way it was written and the impact it had on me. 

I was completely immersed in this powerful story, and its one that will hopefully stay with me for a long time.  It covers something that would be completely and utter worst nightmare scenarios for the two families involved,  and really does take you on a roller coaster of emotions. 

I suspect I would have been crying for most of the book if I had my own children, instead I just had a massive feeling of empathy regardless and really did love all the main characters. 

For this is an epic love story - but not romantic love, but of a mother's love for their child.   It is written from two perspectives and  from that you great insight into how both Beth and Izzy cope with a situation that I've never read about before anywhere. 

A uniquely wonderful story from an author who always writes powerful stories that grab your heart and don't let go.  

Or in short, it left me speechless, I have no idea how anything else I read for a few days will compare to this and just wow!!!  If you are a fan of anything with an emotional kick to it, you need to read this book. 

Thank you to Head of Zeus and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Please do take a look at the rest of the stops on this blog tour. 

Book Review - Has Anyone Seen My Sex Life? by Kristen Bailey - Blog Tour

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Amazon UK

Title: Has Anyone Seen My Sex Life?

Author: Kristen Bailey

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 14th February 2020

Rating: 4 Stars

It’s normal for your washing machine to get more action than you, right?

I wake up, bleary-eyed. It’s been two years, six months and three hours since I last shaved my legs, and the llama-patterned knickers I’m wearing have seen better days.

We have seven minutes before the kids wake up, and my husband shuffles closer. ‘Ouch,’ he says, a piece of Lego sticking into his back.

Then, a light comes on in the landing. Small footsteps creep down the stairs. A little voice screams, ‘IS SOMEONE COMING TO MAKE BREAKFAST?!’

All hope of having some ‘alone time’ is replaced with wondering if we’ve run out of Cheerios, thinking about the overflowing laundry, and remembering that I forgot to take out the recycling. Again.

Just a typical Monday morning for the Morton family…

Except today, when I go downstairs in my dressing gown, I find something. Something belonging to my husband. Something that definitely wasn’t in the wedding vows. And it’s either going to make us… or break us.

Original, funny and full of incredibly realistic characters.  

Oh and the big secret, which is triggered by well not your regular contents of a parcel when you are a married couple with three children, which catapults Meg into wondering just what her husband is up to. 

Well she jumps to the most logical conclusion and I'm delighted to say she was incredibly wrong and the truth of it, and what is at the heart of a large part of this book is fabulous. 

But because I don't want to reveal just what it is Danny is hiding, even though its revealed quite early in the book,  as I think it is far more fun to come across it naturally in the book - the resulting story is rather unique and quite unlike anything else I've read for a while. 

I would say though that if you are on the prudish side, or not that open minded when it comes to more intimate matters, that this possibly isn't the book for you. 

Thankfully I love all of that sort of thing in books, and thoroughly enjoyed the story. 

So many of the authors observations  were spot on, and the whole arrange of characters were just really realistic.  I loved Meg's children, Danny's brother Stu.  Then there is an incident with the school headmaster that is rather eye opening and hilarious.  Oh and the scene leading up to some police presence was great,  and that moment at Meg's work where various parts of her life may have been about to collide had me gasping and reaching eagerly for the next chapter! 

There is also a lot about the great North / South divide in the UK,  like Meg, I'm a Londoner, and as such a lot of the northern slang being bandied about, well I probably should have googled to check my understanding was right!   While at the same time I was nodding, knowing just how true it all was, and it just added another level of authenticity to the book. 

Kristen Bailey is clearly a shining light in rom com writing and I know I'm looking forward to seeing what she writes next.    A truly enjoyable and memorable reading experience, oh and this is definitely an author that can write a good sex scene. 

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Please do take a look at all the other wonderful bloggers on this tour. 

Book Review - The Leaving Party, Lesley Sanderson - #HolidayReading Mexico

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Amazon UK

Title: The Leaving Party

Author: Lesley Sanderson

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 31st January 2020

Rating: 5 Stars

Every year on the same day, on the anniversary, I receive a single black rose. Thirteen years of dark petals, jagged thorns, dredging up memories I’ve tried to forget…

I’ve packed up my life. All my belongings are carefully sealed in labelled boxes, my suitcases ready for my big move. I’m just days away from a new life abroad with my boyfriend, Ben.

No one knows the real reason I’m desperate to leave.

My best friend, Lena, is throwing me a leaving party. A celebration, to say goodbye. Champagne to toast my farewell. Speeches, full of fond memories.

No one knows what I’m running from.

Then another black rose appears, dragging up thirteen years of buried memories. My passport goes missing. The very people I am trying to escape from turn up at our house.

Someone knows what I did.

This party was meant to be the first night of the rest of my life – but now I don’t know if I’ll see tomorrow.

Someone knows my secret. They’re in my home, they're at my party, and they’re making me pay for it.

Psychological thrillers don’t get more addictive or gasp-worthy than this! Fans of K.L. Slater, The Girl on the Train and The Wife Between Us will love this unputdownable page-turner.

Ava and Lena have been best of friends and inseparable for years, especially after a significant moment 13 years ago. 

Now Lena has organised a surprise leaving party for Ava, before Ava flies to New York to start her new life. 

However I had the feeling very early on that something wasn't quite as it seems, and as the evening of this party progresses, things go from strange to creepy, and I'm trying to puzzle out just how it will all turn out. 

At the same time we get snippets of what happened at a party 13 years ago that changed their lives forever. 

There was an overwhelming feeling of dread and creepiness, all triggered by some black roses, and I do love a book that makes you feel uneasy as you read it. 

This is the first book I've read by this author and I was incredibly impressed by the storytelling and how it made me feel. I found it to be a very quick and compelling story that I read in a couple of very short hours poolside, unable to tear myself away for any reason. 

A gripping and enchanting story that may make you think twice at how well you know the people you are closest too. 

Thank you to Bookouture on Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - The Year of Starting Over by Karen King - #HolidayReading Madeira

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Amazon UK

Title: The Year of Starting Over

Author: Karen King

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 7th February 2019

Rating: 4 Stars

What if – to find yourself – you had to run away?

Last year was meant to be when Holly got her happy-ever-after. But stuck in a job that’s going nowhere, and a relationship that feels more like it’s going backwards… this year Holly has decided it’s time to change her life. She just has to:

– End the relationship with the commitment-phobic boyfriend
– Go on a proper adventure
– Learn to be herself again
– Definitely, categorically not fall in love.

Cramming her belongings into her little yellow Mini, Holly drives on to a ferry bound to Spain, to stay at a remote farmhouse near a beautiful village in the Andalusian hills.

But the day she arrives she nearly crashes her car into a gorgeous guy on a motorbike. He’s called Matias and their paths keep crossing, much to Holly’s irritation. Because as she learns to speak Spanish from the locals, finally starts laying out plans for her own design business, and sips sangria in the sunlit village square, Holly is beginning to remember who she is and what she wants.

So she won’t allow herself be distracted by Matias. Because this year – for Holly – there are more important things in life than love. And she won’t let yet another bad relationship ruin everything… will she?

A moving and uplifting romantic comedy about living each moment and learning to trust yourself again, for fans of Jenny Hale, Debbie Macomber, and Sophie Kinsella.

A story about making the most of a new situation, and of taking a year away from your regular life to follow your dreams. 

Holly manages to come up with a list of 12 things over the next year to complete, from riding a motorcycle, to trying 50 different flavours of ice-cream, to larger ones such as being herself and living abroad, and conquering a fear. 

I love how she moves to Spain for a few months to help her friends set up an artists retreat,  while also expanding her online design business. 

I would have loved to have seen all of Hollie's designs as they sounded impressive. 

I loved this look at Andalusian life in the countryside, high up in the hills, and seeing how Holly is able to integrate herself into life there. 

Her new neighbour Matias is rather sexy and they are both adamant that they don't need romance in their life... but their friendship is really good to watch. 

I loved reading about Hollie's year, the new friends she makes, her attempts to accomplish everything on her list, and just her courage to start her life over and try to enhance it the best way she can. 

It's a really enjoyable book, and had me really entertained for a few hours. 

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily, 

Book Review - Summer at Firefly Beach by Jenny Hale - #HolidayReading Madeira

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Amazon UK

Title: Summer at Firefly Beach

Author: Jenny Hale

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 17th June 2019

Rating: 5 Stars

A totally emotional, gripping page-turner from the bestselling author of The Summer House about the importance of family, re-discovering who you are, and the magic of finding true love under the summer sun. Perfect for fans of Mary Alice Monroe, Nancy Thayer and Susan Mallery.

Hallie Flynn’s favorite place in the world is her great Aunt Clara’s beautiful beachside house, with its inviting wraparound porch and enchanting views across the sparkling turquoise ocean. For Hallie, going to Firefly Beach, filled with magical memories, feels like coming home, but in one moment Hallie is left broken-hearted when her adored Aunt Clara passes away…

As always, Aunt Clara has thought of everything. In her last letter she included a bucket list Hallie wrote as a child, for Hallie to complete. Leaving her dead-end job and predictable schedule, Hallie returns to Firefly beach and embraces Aunt Clara’s words. All the time her childhood best friend Ben Murray, with his golden charm and infuriating ability to be right all the time, is by her side.

Spending the summer with Ben, as they enjoy drinks on the pier and endless talks stretched out in the soft sand, Hallie begins to remember the things that matter most to her. But following the bucket list isn’t an easy journey. It forces her to face the pain of her past as she starts to fall for the person who has been there for her all along...

Just as her heart is healing, an encounter with a newcomer to the beach town, wealthy and talented photographer Gavin Wilson, leaves her questioning her future and shows her she has to make a difficult decision that could mean losing everything.

Will Hallie be able to fulfill Aunt Clara’s last wish and change her life? Or will a secret she’s been keeping destroy her new beginning—and the chance to experience true love?

Incredibly heartwarming story, set in a fabulous location. 

I loved getting to know Aunt Clara just through the way everyone was talking about her, and seeing what was in some of the families letters from her was some really strong emotional writing. 

Hallie is given a list of things she must do before she is allowed her inheritance, and it was her wish list from when she was 12. 

Best friend Ben, and beloved Uncle Hank, who is still grieving for Aunt Clara are on hand to help her with the tasks, and at the same time see her transformation over the summer. 

I also enjoyed Uncle Hanks story line, and discovering the secret that he and Clara have been hiding all these years. 

At times poignant, but on the whole full of love, good times, and a really enjoyable plot, Jenny Hale has pulled it out of the bag again with another fabulous story. 

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - The Garden on Sparrow by Tilly Tennant

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Amazon UK

Title: The Garden on Sparrow Street

Author: Tilly Tennant

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 9th October 2019

Rating: 4 Stars

As the cold winter nights draw in, escape to the sleepy town of Wrenwick, where the streets sparkle with snow and a lonely young widow is about to find that true love really can strike twice…

As Christmas cheer fills Sparrow Street with excitement, grieving widow Nina is having a hard time. December is always a difficult month to face without her beloved husband Gray, the days feel long and bleak, and to cap it all, she’s just lost her job.

So when Nina hears that Sparrow Street’s Community Garden, one of Gray’s favourite places, is to be put up for sale she knows she must do something. Filled with purpose, she gathers the residents of Sparrow Street around her to turn the neglected patch of land into a Garden of Memories.

Working with her neighbours, single mum Kelly and eighty-year-old Ada, Nina soon finds that she’s not the only lonely soul on Sparrow Street. And as the community comes together and the garden flourishes, Nina can’t help but be drawn to Irish gardener Colm with his sparkling blue eyes and kind heart, finding herself confiding in him about all her recent troubles.

But just as Colm and Nina grow closer and he opens up to her about his own secret loss, Colm’s estranged wife returns from Scotland, wanting to try again. Nina knows she should let the man she’s falling for go – it’s the right thing to do. But what if fate has other plans in store? Will the beautiful garden on Sparrow Street have brought two people together only for Nina’s cautious heart to push them apart?

If you love an uplifting, moving love story, then The Garden on Sparrow Street is the perfect romantic read to curl up with on a winter’s afternoon. Fans of Josie Silver and Carole Matthews will love this book!

What a genuinely just lovely story. 

This was a joy to read, and the idea of a memorial garden is really sweet.   Nina and her best friend Robyn have both lost partners to motor neuron disorder, and are now trying to move on with their lives a few year later. 

Nina is scared of even letting another man into her life she is convinced she isn't ready, but then she meets Colm,  but will they actually get together.   There are many fledgling relationships going on all around Nina. 

Sparrow Street seemed like a nice place to live, with some neighbours being far more community minded than others. Robyn was fabulous, she is opinionated, but also clearly cares about both Nina and her son, even if he has fallen in with a bad crowd.  And Winston Nina's dad just was so sweet too. 

I loved the concept of this book, the writing was great and when I was able I was totally engrossed in the pages. With a lovely cast of characters and a great message perfect for this time of year, this was a really enjoyable book.   

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily

Book Review - Christmas at Silver Falls by Jenny Hale

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Anazon UK

Title: Christmas at Silver Falls

Author: Jenny Hale

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 15th October 2019

Rating: 5 Stars

A beautiful festive romance, all about the joy of Christmas with family, second chances, and finding love under the falling snow. This enchanting and uplifting read will have you both laughing and crying while it warms your heart.

White Oaks Inn has always been at the heart of Christmas celebrations for Scarlett Bailey and her family. Her adored gran has owned the rambling, old-fashioned hotel, filled with the scent of cinnamon and chocolate, since Scarlett was a little girl. But now her gran’s home is under threat. And it looks like it could be the Baileys’ last Christmas together there…

Over the holiday season, amidst much-loved festive traditions of baking cookies and decorating the tree, Scarlett throws herself into saving the hotel. When she hears that Charlie Bryant, a handsome, successful property developer, is spending December in Silver Falls, Scarlett is hopeful he might be the answer to their problems.

When they meet, sparks fly between impulsive Scarlett and business-like Charlie – as they both have very different ideas for the future of White Oaks. Scarlett is determined to show him how much White Oaks Inn means to her family and the guests who return there every year and, as they spend more time together, she begins to realize there is more to Charlie than his serious appearance…

But Charlie is struggling with a secret from his own past. Will he be able to face it, or will it stop him from truly opening up and getting close to anyone? And can Scarlett share the true meaning of Christmas with him and save her gran’s beloved hotel along the way?

Having recently seen Jenny Hale's first Hallmark movie, all I can say is I hope they have all her past, present and future Christmas books signed up for movies, as yet again she has written a fabulous story, that would make a really enjoyable film too. 

I loved every second of this book, from seeing if Scarlett would actually be able to enjoy Christmas this year, to discovering just what handsome stranger Charlie is hiding, and whether or not the White Oaks Inn really does have to be sold or whether it can be kept in the family. 

There are many unexpected turns in this book that kept me on my toes and reaching instantly for the next page. 

I'm a huge fan of Jenny Hale's writing, I think I've read all her books, and I can honestly say this is one of her best if not the best.    I felt as though I was part of the Bailey family,  all the members of it had distinct personalities and the setting of the White Oaks Inn, with the snippets of history about it just felt so so real. 

And Silver Falls sounds to picturesque, and its such a cute little town too.  

Literally the only fault I had with this book was that it ended would have happily kept on reading for a lot longer. 

It's a story with such a warm and cosy feel, and it was so quick to read. Before I knew it I was over half way and regretting the common sense part of my body winning out telling me to do some work... before being able to read the rest.  It was enchanting, and heart warming and really was a gorgeous festive story. 

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Single All The Way by Karen King

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Amazon UK

Title: Single All The Way

Author: Karen King

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 28th October 2019

Rating: 4 Stars

Single together for the first time, 34-year-old Meg and her warm-hearted, long-suffering mother Sally are cancelling Christmas, and running away to a tiny cottage on the Cornish coast. For Meg, it is the perfect place to heal, away from all the mistletoe, while for her mother it has a special, and secret, place in her heart – from a love story that seems a lifetime ago…

Meg and Sally find they’re getting to know themselves, and each other, better than ever before. But as they are unable to resist getting involved in the village Christmas celebrations, they encounter two handsome local strangers.

Sometimes, it’s being away from home that helps you realise where your heart is. What neither woman knows is that, by the time the new year rolls around, one woman will have fallen in love with her husband all over again, and one marriage will be over for good…

An escapist, romantic and heart-warming novel for fans of One Day in December and No One Cancels Christmas.

What a really enjoyable story. 

Before I get into anything just have to say I loved every mention of Laurel and Hardy, they weren't in it anywhere near enough for my liking, but I just wanted to cuddle both of them. Strangely I find you just don't get pet bunnies in the books that I read that often, so always good to have a cute animal present. 

Equally you don't often have bother mother and daughter announcing the break up of their respective marriages on the same day, in the run up to Christmas. Which made for a lovely fresh take on a book as the ladies went away to Cornwall, to deal with their heartbreak and see what life may have in store for them in the future. 

Both have their reasons for leaving their partners, and the perspective swaps between both Meg and Sally, and on occasion their husbands, to give a reader a well rounded view of the situation.  

Right up until towards the end I really wasn't quite sure how anything was going to turn out, there were potential red herrings thrown in for good measure, and I was very curious to see if either marriage would be savable. 

The friendships the women made in the little Cornish village were great to see, and I really liked next door neighbours Leo and Sam, and anything that involved balloon animals.   I do love a balloon animal, although how some of those designs were made is beyond me!! 

There are certainly some lovely Christmassy moments,  I loved the Christmas Fayre, the carolling, and seeing just what would happen on the day itself. 

This was though so much more than a festive story, its about relationships, its about whether you should just settle when you get to a certain age or whether there can be more to life, its about whether two people are enough in a family or whether children are a deal breaker.     So a lot of topics covered, all the while keeping you completely engrossed in the story. 

Single All The Way is a really enjoyable, heart warming story set to a festive background that was a joy to read. 

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - First Blood by Angela Marsons

Amazon UK

Title: First Blood

Author: Angela Marsons

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 14th November 2019

Rating: 5 Stars

In the darkness of a cold December morning, Detective Kim Stone steps through the doors of Halesowen Police Station.  She’s about to meet her team for the first time.  The victim of her next case is about to meet his killer…

When the body of a young man is found beheaded and staked to the ground in a secluded area of the Clent Hills, Kim and her new squad rush to the crime scene.

Searching the victim’s home, Kim discovers a little girl’s bedroom and a hidden laptop.  Why is his sister relieved to hear he’s dead – and where is the rest of his family?  

As Kim begins to unearth the dark secrets at the heart of the case, D.C. Stacey Wood finds a disturbing resemblance to the recent murder of Lester Jackson.  But that’s not all Stacey finds …

She’s convinced there is a link between the victims and a women’s shelter run by Marianne Forbes, Lester’s niece. A child of the care system herself, Kim knows all too well what it means to be vulnerable. Could Marianne be the key to cracking this case?

With the killer about to strike again, Kim is in deep water with a rookie squad.  Inexperienced Stacey is showing signs of brilliance but struggling to hold her nerve and, while D.S. Bryant is reliable and calm, D.S. Dawson is a liability. With his home life in pieces, his volatile behaviour is already fracturing her fragile new team.

Can Kim bring Dawson in line and pull her crew together in time to catch the killer before another life is taken? This time, one of her own could be in terrible danger…

Discover where it all began for Kim and her team. An absolutely heart-stopping mystery thriller that will keep you glued to the pages, reading late into the night.  Perfect for Kim Stone fans and new readers to the million-copy bestselling series.

A detective hiding dark secrets, Kim Stone will stop at nothing to protect the innocent.

As a ginormous fan of the D. I. Kim Stone series, I was excited and privileged to be given an advance chance to read the latest book of the series, which unlike the others doesn't move the series on, but instead is a prequel. 

This is the story of how Stone, Stacey, Bryant, and Dawson and their first week as a new team.  We see how Kim's reputation preceded her, we get insights into all the officers personal lives,  and get to see them working together almost instantly. 

For fans of the series this is the book we didn't necessarily know we needed until well you have read it, I was completely hooked on seeing the roots of the series take hold, from a place earlier than Book 1. Would think work as an entry point to read before book 1 if you are new to the series, well I'm too hooked to know for sure, but I'd recommend you read them all as they are fabulous books. 

I completely devoured this book, I was almost upset that I had to pause reading to watch a musical, as I had started it on the tube on the way to the theatre, read more in the restaurant, then enjoyed the show, and read on the tube on the way home, and instead of then doing some work or arguably anything productive I did the only thing possible and finished this book.  Well I needed to see how it all turned out, and just who was behind the crimes. 

I did have my theories but they were wide of mark, and the level of detail at times for the bodies was sickening.  I was kept guessing throughout and enjoyed seeing just how all the different members of the team work. 

As a fan of the series and knowing what a well form partnership Bryant and Stone have, it was amusing to see their first week together, learning the base of each other quirks, and seeing if they could learn when the other was joking or not.  

And the other teaming of Stacey and Dawson, well that was rather interesting,  I got to see a whole new side to both of them, which may yet make me see them in a new light come the next book.  

I genuinely not sure what else I can realistically say without spoiling this book, or the series,  but what I can say is this is genius.  It's a wonderful thriller that kept me o my toes, is a very welcome addition to the series, and the sorts of victims well frankly I did't have too much sympathy with them. 

I also loved the teams first meeting with the pathologist Keats, and even the journalist who occasionally pops up in the regular books had a fleeting conversation with Kim.  Plus I got to understand more about the various rivalries in the different Midlands Police forces.  And as someone who at this time of year does love a Christmas book, there were mentions of Christmas, and I got an understanding of D.I. Kim Stone's feelings towards the holiday season (not relevant to  the story perhaps, but I liked finding out anyway). 

This really is the book where is all begins, and I know I for one am delighted to have read it. 

Thank you to Kim Nash at Bookouture for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.