Monday 28 September 2020

Drop Shot by Harlan Coben

Drop Shot (Myron Bolitar, #2)Drop Shot by Harlan Coben
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 357

Publisher - Orion

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

In the second Myron Bolitar novel from Edgar Award–winner Harlan Coben, a young woman’s tragic death spirals into a shattering drama of menace, secrets, and rage. Suddenly Myron is in over his head—and playing the most dangerous game of all.

Once, Valerie Simpson’s tennis career skyrocketed; now, the headlines belong to a player from the wrong side of the tracks. But when Valerie is shot dead in cold blood and dropped outside the stadium at the U.S. Open, sports agent Myron Bolitar investigates the killing and uncovers a connection between the two players and a six-year-old murder at an exclusive mainline club. As Myron is drawn into the case—along with a dirty U.S. senator, a jealous mother, and the mob—he finds himself caught between a killer and the truth.


My Review

LOVE Bolitar and Win books although I am the first to admit, crime of readers here, to not reading them in order :O shock horror. This was on a cheap Amazon deal but they had me at Bolitar/Win. If you haven't read the series before you totally can read this as a standalone - you get enough snippets to know the chat. Bolitar was an athlete but an injury cut his career dead, he then studied as a lawyer and now has a small rep business for athletes. He is invested in his clients, does what is best for them and doesn't use them as cash cows. His associates is a beautiful ex wrestler, she has attitude, smarts and looks. And his very rich bestie Win, he has money, brains and despite his smaller size he is pretty lethal. Him and Bolitar get involved in crimes/investigating so there is always threats and trouble galore.

This book is no different, a tennis super star who burned out before she hit the top is about to make a come back. The day she has desperately tried to get Bolitar she is gunned down. Police seem to be looking at all the wrong angles, Bolitar and his sense of ?honour has to get to the truth. However there are so many secrets/scandals and big names/money in her past some people aren't happy and Bolitar finds himself (and co) in trouble.

Action, guessing along the way and different themes I did enjoy the book, I do like Cobens writing. However I worked out a good bit of it early on, I never manage that and it kind of spoiled the book a wee bit for me. Always enjoyable reading about this wee team, mostly doing the righteous thing and looking out for the wee people - Win has different chains of thought but as he is on the good guys side you can forgive his very big flaws. 3/5 for me this time, can't wait to read the others - not sure how many there are and how many I haven't read - need to check FantasticFiction and my Goodreads account.

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Sunday 27 September 2020

The One That Got Away by L A Detwiler

The One Who Got AwayThe One Who Got Away by L.A. Detwiler
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Pages - 400

Publisher - Avon books

Source - Netgalley

Blurb from Goodreads

The next chilling thriller from the bestselling author of THE WIDOW NEXT DOOR…

“Get out while you can. You’ll die here…”

Adeline Evans has recently moved into a home for the elderly. A safe space, where she can be cared for.

When she begins to receive cryptic and threatening notes, she is certain that someone is out to get her.

But the residents are warned against listening to a woman who is losing her memory. It would seem Adeline is tormented by the secrets in her past, and that the menace is all in her mind.

Until danger comes down the corridor and starts knocking in the night…

A compelling serial killer thriller from the bestselling author of THE WIDOW NEXT DOOR, perfect for fans of A.J Finn, K.L. Slater and Teresa Driscoll.


My Review

Adeline Evans is our main character, a new diagnosis of early dementia and losing her husband relatively recently, her and her daughter agree it is time for a nursing home. Adeline still has her wits, for the most part and the biggest issue is being back in her hometown. Her daughter Claire wanted them both back there after her father brought the town to her attention. Adeline is furious, after everything they ran away from, why why would he do this. Adjusting to a nursing and her condition is task enough but some of the residents and staff are downright hostile. When she makes a friend she is warned that not everything is as it seems and she needs to keep her head down if she wants to stay safe!


Eeek so the book splits into a few parts, present day and back to when Adeline was a teen and the drawn out what she ended up running from. We soon come to know there is a serial killer operating in Adeline's home town. She also has issues from her past she is struggling to stay ahead of, she just wants to be with her new love & free of her nagging parents. We also hear from the killer and snippets of news reports covering the killings.

I did much prefer the past parts of the book, it worked better for me and I felt compelled to read because I wanted to know the who, why and what of it all. Present day - the nursing home, there was so much, even suspending reality I found myself getting a bit annoyed and ratty with the present chapters. Some of the characters are truly horrific, horrible, abusive and nasty and some of the best books have these "baddies" such as they are but I found myself thinking really? several times. I wanted retribution, comeuppance and a bit more of the why.

I also thinks the fact it was in first person narrative helps create the real feel of someone with dementia, the confusion and fear with their thoughts however I found it confusing at times. It certainly lends an authentic feel/voice to the character and how they are struggling and experiencing everything that is happening to them. I feel like I am being quite harsh and I didn't hate the book but I got really frustrated, I would have liked to have reached in and shouted "What are you doing, DO THIS, DO THAT". Even with present day Adeline you can forgive some of the reactions but young Adeline, some points I was like WHY WOULD YOU NOT DO X,Y,Z. Some people absolutely loved this book so don't take my grumpy moaning take because I did say I didn't hate it, I did enjoy parts of it and think she gave Adeline (modern day) an authentic voice I just didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to. 2.5/5 for me, this was my first time reading this author, I would absolutely read her other books - this one just sadly wasn't the best fit for me.



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The Holdout by Graham Moore

The HoldoutThe Holdout by Graham Moore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - < 1 day

Pages - 325

Publisher - Orion

Source - Netgalley

Blurb from Goodreads

In this twisty tale from Moore (The Sherlockian), the Academy Award-winning screenwriter of The Imitation Game, young juror Maya Seale is convinced that African American high school teacher Bobby Nock is innocent of killing the wealthy white female student with whom he appears to have been involved and persuades her fellow jurors likewise. Ten years later, a true-crime docuseries reassembles the jurors, and Maya, now a defense attorney, must prove her own innocence when one of them is found dead in Maya's room.



My Review

Everyone has moved on from being jurors on one of the most high profile/controversial cases or have they? Maya Seale certainly has or wants to leave it in the past, it has been ten years enough already. However a true crime pod cast type show is coming and Maya is encouraged to take part, from a juror to now a lawyer her bosses heavily encourage it. It doesn't seem so bad, drinks, catch ups and things seemingly going much better than she could have hoped, until someone is murdered - in her hotel room and now Maya is in another role, the accused!

Oooh this is good, split between now and then - mostly present day but we get throw backs to the past and the all important case. Race, pedophilia, murder the case covered everything it should have been a slam dunk but one juror put a spanner in the works. Present day, Maya being accused of murder and having to be represented herself.

It is smart, engaging, pacey and has not one but two mysterious for the readers to guess at and ponder over, can I just say I got neither correct! Legal dramas, a who done it, shady secrets, pasts that would rather be forgotten by many. The case from years ago cannot be put to bed because Maya has to work out who killed the person and even more important how to prove she didn't do it.

A bit of a murder she wrote, some red herrings - I went off on a few chains of thought and was wrong wrong wrong. A book that keeps you on your toes, guessing. A wee spoiler or two dropped in relation to Agatha Christie's books which hopefully by the time I get to them I will have forgotten the references. This is my first time reading this author, I would absolutely read his other stuff, kept me guessing, 4/5 for me.



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Friday 25 September 2020

Fear the Dark by Chris Mooney

Fear the Dark (Darby McCormick, #5)Fear the Dark by Chris Mooney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 485

Publisher - Penguin

Source - Bought online

Blurb from Goodreads

Fear grips a town in Colorado as a murderer targets entire families in their own homes. As police and the FBI struggle to contain the situation, they bring in forensic investigator and serial killer expert Darby McCormick.

What she finds is a brutal and elusive predator who stays one step ahead of their investigation.

As Darby navigates the blood-ties and broken promises that divide the locals, she knows that all the while the killer is watching, waiting and circling his next target: her.

She must not only meet evil—and somehow survive—but also be prepared to face this small town's dark heart ...


My Review

This is book five in the Darby McCormick series, you could pick this up and read as a standalone but honestly, do yourself a favour and go back and read the others, they are fab. Darby is pulled in by the small town cops to help with catching a serial killer targeting families. Darby is an expert in serials, she has dealt with and survived (just) a few up close and personal, she is also a forensic investigator and bloody good at what she does. The wee town cops want this sorted before they are squeezed out by the bigger cops just waiting to pounce and take over.

The killer is methodical, leaves no traces, is super smart and determined. Throughout the book we actually hear from the killer, their urges and their focus on the cops as they close in. A game of cat and mouse begins and of course Darby is in the thick of it, working in a team where some of course don't want a woman. Darby is more than fit for them!

I love Darby's character, she is strong, maybe even more so from what she has survived, even when rattled she puts a face on it and shy's away from nothing. She is great at her job and sometimes her temper and sense of what is right can get her into trouble - I think that is why she is so popular with readers!

Great pace, short chapters which I love anyway but being ill recently it allowed for me to actually get a fair bit of reading done when I was really struggling. The characters are great, Mooney keeps you on your toes and firing through the pages to figure out where the story is going and how it is all going to end. Darby is like a cat with nine lives but you worry for her along the way because this killer seems to be more dangerous than those she has encountered and you fear her luck is going to run out. Hence not being able to put the book down for long, I HAD to know where it was going, the who, why and how - and will she make it to see another book! 4.5/5 for me this time, I have the next in the series waiting to be read and need to buy the other(s) - not sure how many is actually in total!



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Sunday 20 September 2020

The Living Dead by George A Romero and Daniel Kraus

The Living DeadThe Living Dead by George A. Romero
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - as able over 3 days

Pages - 656

Publisher - Bantam Press

Source - 656

Blurb from Goodreads

Set in the present day, The Living Dead is an entirely new tale, the story of the zombie plague as George A. Romero wanted to tell it.

It begins with one body.

A pair of medical examiners find themselves battling a dead man who won’t stay dead.

It spreads quickly.

In a Midwestern trailer park, a Black teenage girl and a Muslim immigrant battle newly-risen friends and family. On a US aircraft carrier, living sailors hide from dead ones while a fanatic makes a new religion out of death. At a cable news station, a surviving anchor keeps broadcasting while his undead colleagues try to devour him. In DC, an autistic federal employee charts the outbreak, preserving data for a future that may never come.

Everywhere, people are targeted by both the living and the dead.

We think we know how this story ends.

We. Are. Wrong.


My Review

If you follow my Goodreads or any of my accounts or just know me you KNOW I LOVE Zombies, movies, books - can't get enough. Romero movies I grew up with and when I heard this was a book he had a hand in, TAKE MY MONEY!!!

I was planning on keeping this until October for my themed reads but I couldn't wait and had to dive in. I always said if I wrote a zombie book I would want it starting or cataloged at a hospital, this is close enough, a morgue.

It spreads quickly and we visit a handful of characters as the outbreak hits and how they react and try to survive the undead. A teenager in a trailer park - crime, poverty racism and now battling to stay alive. A government employee, a pilot trying to prove her worth among the sailors and finding comfort with the carriers priest despite being an unbeliever, hoping the infection won't reach their vessel. A news station, staying online as long as possible, reporting on the stories as they get them. And in Washington, an employee logging all the information of the outbreak as she gets it, staying to the very end to ensure everything is catalogued, as long as people reach out - she has a job to do.

A very mixed bag of characters, I have read and watched a fair amount of zombie stories. This one has the usual themes we see in them all but also a few wee new surprises that I hadn't seen or read before. Romero has given so much so to have this is just the icing on the cake - I would love to have a story, written, delving into the "Day of the Dead" characters, Doctor "Frankenstein" the soldiers, BUB (although I felt in this book we had a wee glimpse or nod to Bub and how he was different to his other fellow zombies). Maybe Kraus will try his hand at something like that, who wouldn't love to hear Bub's story and after reading this I think he well could be the man for the job. 4.5/5 for me, fingers and toes crossed this is something he would consider, I am now aware he has other books out there so will have a nosey at his works and see what he writes. If you are a zombie fan you really need to sink your teeth into this (see what I did there :P sorry, not sorry!).



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Friday 18 September 2020

The Raven by Jonathan Janz Blog Tour



Today is my turn and closing the blog tour for book "The Raven" by author Joonathan Janz.




About the book
Fearing that mankind is heading toward nuclear extinction, a group of geneticists unleash a plot to save the world. They’ve discovered that mythological creatures such as werewolves, vampires, witches, and satyrs were once real, and that these monstrous genetic strands are still present in human DNA. These radical scientists unleash the bestial side of human beings that had been dormant for eons, and within months, most people are dead, and bloodthirsty creatures rule the earth. Despite the fact that Dez McClane has no special powers, he is determined to atone for the lives he couldn’t save and to save the woman he loves. But how long can a man survive in a world full of monsters?

Available to buy now from AMAZON in paperback, hardback and kindle and from Flame Tree Press in paperback, hardback and kindle.



About the author
Jonathan Janz grew up between a dark forest and a graveyard, which explains everything. Brian Keene named his debut novel The Sorrows "the best horror novel of 2012." The Library Journal deemed his follow-up, House of Skin, "reminiscent of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House and Peter Straub's Ghost Story" Since then Jonathan's work has been lauded by writers like Jack Ketchum, Edward Lee, Tim Waggoner, Bryan Smith, and Ronald Kelly. Novels like The Nightmare Girl, Wolf Land, Savage Species, and Dust Devils prompted Thunderstorm Books to sign Jonathan to an eleven-book deal and to give him his own imprint, Jonathan Janz's Shadow Side.

For my stop I have my review, enjoy xxx

The RavenThe Raven by Jonathan Janz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 256

Publisher - Flame Tree Press

Source - Review Copy

Blurb from Goodreads

The world is a mess, civilisation has ended as we know it, scientists are our downfall and activate something within our dna, junk dna. Now the world is a ruin, inhabited by creatures of our nightmares, myths and legends now walking among us. Dez is our main character, a guy on a mission trying to find what is his and survive against the many opponents and beings out there.

We have werewolves, vampires, cannibals and that is just the start. Dez has to get over his own insecurities (we see some of these via diary entries) as we follow him through this new world and those he meets along the way. Not everyone can be a baddie can they? You have to trust someone along the way and find your own place in this horrific new world.

Brutal, murder, death, viciousness, cannibalism, horror, gore and dear lord an eyeball scene ooft, fans will be delighted over some of the vicious mank and death splattered over the pages. I think this book is just scratching the surface, a foundation book that has the making for an epic and long series. A drop of humanity in a world of barbarism, a destructive journey that sees one man pushed to lengths and limits that questions who he is at his core. I do hope the author is planning on delving into some of the creatures mentioned briefly or in passing and seeing some of the characters appearing in a book two (three, four etc). 4.5/5 for me, we are on a mission with the main character, danger on every corner and I just wanted to spend more time with so many of the characters, know their stories and transitions! Here is to the writing Gods that Janz is going to revisit these guys and there will be a book two!



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Thursday 17 September 2020

The Unbearable Lightness of Scones by Alexander McCall Smith

The Unbearable Lightness of Scones (44 Scotland Street, #5)The Unbearable Lightness of Scones by Alexander McCall Smith
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 344

Publisher - Abacus

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

The story of Bertie and his dysfunctional family continues in this fifth instalment alongside the familiar cast of favourites - Big Lou, Domenica, Angus Lordie, Cyril and others - in their daily pursuit of a little happiness. With customary charm and deftness, Alexander McCall Smith has again given us a clever, witty and utterly delightful new novel.


My Review

This is book five in the series, I would suggest reading the previous books as you could pick up here but you would have lost a lot of background on the characters. Pretty much picking up where the last book left off and continuing the characters stories. Cyril the dog is causing more trouble, Domenica is still annoyed by her old acquaintance (friend would be too strong a word) who moved in next door. Poor wee Bertie, his mother is still an over bearing nightmare, Matthew got married and is settling into the role of a husband - well trying to. Bruce, Bruce the cad is back, irritating as per and landing on his feet yet again, getting by on his wit and good looks, will he ever change?

We see a few faces pop up from previous books, a famous Scottish author who has been in more than one book and a larger than life character. Humour, drama, nosiness, every day life, some bantz and friendship - the usual we have come to expect from Smith and the residents of Scotland street.

Left with more than a few questions that I am hoping will be addressed in the next book, specifically - puppies! I need to order the next in the series but not in a huge rush to get to it, 3/5 for me this time.



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Monday 14 September 2020

The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult

The Book of Two WaysThe Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 6 days

Pages - 448

Publisher - Hodder & Stoughton

Source - Netgalley

Blurb from Waterstones (Goodreads one is so huge)

Dawn is a death doula, and spends her life helping people make the final transition peacefully. But when the plane she's on plummets, she finds herself thinking not of the perfect life she has, but the life she was forced to abandon fifteen years ago - when she left behind a career in Egyptology, and a man she loved.


My Review

The book opens with a plane crashing, Dawn is the main character and survives the crash. As with anyone going through something like this she evaluates her life. Married and with a teenager - job as a death doula, go back to that life, or head back to Egypt to the man she loved and left and her dreams - working on a proper archaeological dig. Her life can go one of two ways, which will Dawn choose?

The book is so busy! There are flashbacks to the past, her life and work in Egypt and of course Wyatt, the one who "got away". We see how they met, clashed, worked together and learn a whole ton of Egyptian stuff which I actually found quite interesting, even if some was a bit over my head. Same with quantum physics, there was a lot to chew over in the book, besides all the relationship/self assessing journey. I Think a glossary would have helped with some of this.

The death doula job was very interesting and emotive, we get to see Dawn in action, what she does for her clients and how hard and special that kind of job is. Examining relationships from her past, present, with her husband, daughter, clients it is a busy busy book.

Really different to what I was expecting, the opening with the plane going down was so well done, my heart was in my mouth. Some of the other topics I found interesting, who doesn't find Egyptian stuff interesting and there was even a picture or two in the arc kindle version. Huge central focus on relationships, many types, if you escaped death - would it change up how you lived your life?
3.5/5 for me this time, I do enjoy Picoult books and have a few on my tbrm still to read.




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Thursday 10 September 2020

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

The Guest ListThe Guest List by Lucy Foley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 330

Publisher - Harper Collins

Source - Gifted by a fellow bookworm

The bride ‧ The plus one ‧ The best man ‧ The wedding planner ‧ The bridesmaid ‧ The body

On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.

But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.

And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?



My Review

Everyone is pulled together for wedding extravaganza, that of Jules Keegan and Will Slater, money, fame, fortune and a small well chosen guest list. The location, a remote island on the Irish coast, the wedding everyone wants to be a part of - you would think!

Told from multiple points of view we have Jules the bride, Hannah the plus one, Aoife the wedding planner, Olivia the bridesmaid, Johnno the best man and Will the husband to be. Split between the wedding night when everything kicks off and pre wedding where we get to know all the guests and how they really feel about the others.

Lots of secrets, issues, feelings of unrest, upset, anger and unresolved pasts will finally be addressed, healed, excised and brought to the surface as is the way with weddings! I didn't find the multiple character jumps nor timeline an issue, the reader is teased as we get to know the characters and things revealed as we delve page after page. Maybe a tad frustrated as you would just get something from one character or timeline (pre and night of wedding) and the switch to another. The chapters are brief though so you visit them all for a wee bit and head on to the next.

Lots of drama, relationship issues and some very dodgy characters, especially the old boys club who may be adults now but as soon as they get together they have that pack mentality nonsense which we know to be true to life. I liked it, I have another by this author on my tbrm and looking to reading it, 3.5/5 for me this time.

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Sunday 6 September 2020

Dead and Alive Frankenstein by dean Koontz

Dead and Alive (Dean Koontz's Frankenstein #3)Dead and Alive by Dean Koontz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 400

Publisher - Harper Collins

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Dean Koontz's Dead and Alive

A devastating hurricane approaches New Orleans and Victor Helios, once known was Frankenstein, has unleashed his benighted creatures onto the streets. As New Orleans descends into chaos, his engineered killers spin out of control, and the only hope rests with Victor's first and failed attempt to build the perfect human, whose damned path has led him to the ultimate confrontation with his pitiless creator. But first, Deucalion must destroy a monstrosity not even Victor's malignant mind could have imagined—an indestructible entity that steps out of humankind's collective nightmare with one purpose: to replace us.



My Review

So this is book three in a series, I really enjoyed book one and two and think to appreciate the story and understand it, you NEED to go read the first two. Much as i really liked the first two, not a lover of this one, I like it because I am invested in the characters but the book alone *shrugs*.

The police officers Carson and Michael took a wee bit of a back seat in this one, in that I don't feel a huge amount of anything happened with them. They are in it, there are scenes but in comparison to the previous books, I just felt they didn't really have much impact in this one.

Jacko, the wee weird troll thing - you will either love or hate him, he is annoying and I don't know if he was a Jar Jar Binks style character or a hint of Dobby but I wasn't a fan if I am honest, he is quite annoying overall. Ericka 5 I like, whilst she is default programmed to obey the master I fell she comes into her own in this one. Deucalion also I felt was a bit missing this time, I don't really know what the book's aim was but I feel not a lot happened but I have been left wanting more, I need to know where it is all going to end.

I kept reading because I do enjoy the series, there was some wee plot developments and the next book is set up, hopefully, for greatness. 3/5 for me this time, book four has arrived so hopefully not be too long before I get to it.

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Friday 4 September 2020

The Prison Doctor Women Inside by Doctor Amanda Brown

The Prison Doctor: Women Inside: Stories from my time inside Britain’s biggest women’s prison.The Prison Doctor: Women Inside: Stories from my time inside Britain’s biggest women’s prison. by Amanda Brown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 288

Publisher -

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

From the Sunday Times bestselling author Dr Amanda Brown.

Insights into the world of a Prison Doctor, this time taking us deeper into the walls of Bronzefield, the UK’s biggest women’s prison.

From the drug addicts who call Amanda ‘the mother I never had’ to the women who’ve pushed back at domestic abuse, to women close to release in their 70s, who just want to stay in the place that they’ve always known, these are stories that are heartbreaking, harrowing and heart-warming. Amanda listens, prescribes, and does what she can. After all, she’s their doctor.


My Review

This is the second book by Doctor Brown, you don't need to have read the first to read this one. Doc Brown recounts some of the situations she has encountered in her time working in the prisons and many of the people she has treated or came across.

I think it is so easy to judge folk, people in prison, people with habits - often a combination of both. I think what this does is helps you get past potential prejudices, realise in many cases it really is before the grace of God go I. We get brief glimpses of some of the women she has met, treated and been affected by. A stark realisation of what prison life can be like for these poor woman.

After reading this I started looking into donations for women's prisons charities and hopefully once you read this book you may be a bit more understanding or less judgmental of people (not just women) behind bars. A look at the medical issues these women present with, the difference between care readily available at the call of a cab or your gp. If you haven't read the first book it is really interesting so please check it out. I hope she writes more about her experiences, I think these books are so important for your "average joe". In a world where we need more understanding and kindness, I think these books give a bit of insight into other peoples hardships. 4.5/5 for me this time - recommend for sure and like I say I hope she writes more.




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Tuesday 1 September 2020

My One True North by Milly Johnson

My One True NorthMy One True North by Milly Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 492

Publisher - Simon and Schuster

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Laurie and Pete should never have met. But life has a different idea.

Six months ago, on the same night, Laurie and Pete both lost their partners. Overwhelmed by their grief, they join the same counselling group…and change their lives forever.

From their profound sadness, Pete and Laurie begin to find happiness and healing. Except, the more they get to know one another, the more Laurie begins to spot the strange parallels in their stories. Then Pete discovers a truth that changes everything—one which threatens to reverse everything they’ve worked towards.

But, as surely as a compass points north, some people cannot be kept apart.

With Milly Johnson’s signature “warm, optimistic, and romantic” (Katie Forde, bestselling author) style, My One True North is an unforgettable exploration of the power of love, friendship, and hope.



My Review

Ooft guys the opening chapter, it is well known I enjoy Johnson's books since I first heard of her on Come Dine with Me (yes the foodie program). Laurie and Pete have both lost their loved ones, well meaning friends point them to a wee friendly grief support group where they meet each other and try and work through their loss/feelings. As they get to know each other and process their grief they uncover things that impact on their recovery, friendship and their loved ones.

Relationships, love, grief, loss, friendship. I am sure I recognised a few wee names later in the book from one or two of the previous books! Whilst there is a huge surrounding theme of grief, there is so much love, happiness, humour and depth in the book.

Laurie has a few toxic muppets around her and I found myself getting rage reading some of the exchanges and shows of behaviour, distrusting folk and questioning stuff. Pete is a fireman and the people around him are lovely, well excluding his sister in law who fancies him and is being sooooooo inappropriate considering her sister passed away and Pete is her hubster. Lots of emotions reading this which is one of the reasons I enjoy them so much. Characters you love, characters you love to hate, shady behaviour, total human flaws but also the good guys and nicer side too, 4/5 for me this time, hope the next book is out soon. Sure I have said it before but I need to check her back catalogue and see if there are any I have missed!



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