tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73022052533184888632024-03-18T11:28:10.591+00:00So many books, so little timeIt's all about books and of course the cat ;)So many books, so little timehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07564778178609301461noreply@blogger.comBlogger1745125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7302205253318488863.post-85795246994880083062024-03-16T21:49:00.006+00:002024-03-16T21:49:59.299+00:00The Marriage Mender by Linda Green<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23872964-the-marriage-mender" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="The Marriage Mender" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1430292195l/23872964._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23872964-the-marriage-mender">The Marriage Mender</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/109397.Linda_Green">Linda Green</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6293956685">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Time taken to read - 3 days<br /><br />Pages - 491<br /><br />Publisher - Quercus<br /><br />Source - Bought<br /><br />Blurb from Goodreads <br /><br />The only relationship she can't save is her own . . .<br />Alison is a marriage counsellor. Her job is to help couples who fear they have reached the end of the line. But the trouble with spending your time sorting out other people's problems is that you tend to take your eye off your own. Even when her husband's ex Lydia arrives on the doorstep demanding to see her son, Alison thinks she can handle it. But what Alison doesn't realise is that Lydia is the one person who has the ability to destroy their perfect family. And sometimes the cracks can run so deep that even a marriage mender can't repair them . . .<br /><br /><br />My Review <br /><br />Meet Alison, a marriage counsellor, someone who helps mend your marriage but what happens when the counsellors marriage and family are the ones needing help? Chris's older son was a baby when his mum Lydia bailed, Alison came along when he was young and became the only mum he knew and gave him a little sister. So when Lydia rocks up looking fabulous, full of stories, intrigue, edgy Josh can't help but be drawn to his biological mother. Chris has never really spoke about her, Alison is doing her best to keep everyone happy and Lydia is just a wrecking ball in their tranquility.<br /><br />Ooft we all have an ex partner we would rather stayed in the past but when kids are involved what can you do. Lydia has been MIA for pretty much eighteen years and now she is back. Stunning, rubbing shoulders with people in the music industry, how do you compete with that? Well Alison isn't the kind of person who does, she is such a good person to the point I was like OH COME ON ALISON put your foot down. She tries to put out fires between Chris and Josh, explaining to her own wee girl who this stranger is and the more outrageous Lydia is the more withdrawn and angry Chris seems to be. It is very much family dramas with unresolved issues, the past coming back to bit them and wreck their perfect little bubble. We also get to see/hear confessions/snippets from the counselling room, some uncomfortable and some of Alison's patients going through some dark themes, coercion, abuse of different kids, hardships and secrets from the past.<br /><br />I think this is my first book by Green and it took me a little to settle to it but I soon got pulled into the dramas and see where it was going next, 4/5 from me, I would absolutely read this author again and will check out her other books.
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So many books, so little timehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07564778178609301461noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7302205253318488863.post-59265018568776124242024-03-13T13:17:00.003+00:002024-03-13T13:17:41.459+00:00A Thousand Boy Kisses by Tillie Cole<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25912358-a-thousand-boy-kisses" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="A Thousand Boy Kisses (A Thousand Boy Kisses, #1)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1453299050l/25912358._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25912358-a-thousand-boy-kisses">A Thousand Boy Kisses</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7074846.Tillie_Cole">Tillie Cole</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6333654753">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Time taken to read - 1 day<br /><br />Pages - 316<br /><br />Publisher - Penguin<br /><br />Source - Bought<br /><br />Blurb from Goodreads <br /><br />One kiss lasts a moment. But a thousand kisses can last a lifetime. One boy. One girl. A bond that is forged in an instant and cherished for a decade. A bond that neither time nor distance can break. A bond that will last forever. Or so they believe.<br /><br />When seventeen-year-old Rune Kristiansen returns from his native Norway to the sleepy town of Blossom Grove, Georgia, where he befriended Poppy Litchfield as a child, he has just one thing on his mind. Why did the girl who was one half of his soul, who promised to wait faithfully for his return, cut him off without a word of explanation? Rune's heart was broken two years ago when Poppy fell silent. When he discovers the truth, he finds that the greatest heartache is yet to come.<br /><br />A stand-alone young adult tearjerker romance, recommended for ages fourteen and up.<br /><br /><br /><br />My Review<br /><br />I kept seeing everyone talking about this and how it ripped their heart out, I don't cry much so figured I would check it out, absolute FOMO. Well the problem is, from the blurb you don't really know why folk had the emotionals and I wasn't expecting it, even from the first chapter we get a sad emotive slap in the kisser. The book takes us through Poppy and Rune meeting as kids, their friendship and relationship blossoming and then as teenagers after a sudden and brutal period of them being cut off for two years, the awkward reunion because Rune isn't the boy Poppy remembers.<br /><br />Young love guys, you remember being a teen and having that wild emotions, first love, hormones so it has all that but takes a deeper level. It is hard to review why the book is so emotive without giving spoilers and we don't do that here. <br /><br />Lets just say depending on your lived experiences I think it packs a harder punch and it was a bit close to home for me, I wasn't expecting it so a bit of a throat punch. A few parts of it I was reading with that painful lump in my throat & did end up with wet eyes once or twice (we don't cry here).<br /><br />Young love, relationships, heartache, health issues, bad boy behaviours, family, friendship and a sweet romantic gestures but also some questionable behaviours. One thing I will say, after reading this book I will never look at a Cherry Blossom tree the same way again and without thinking about this book, 4/5.
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So many books, so little timehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07564778178609301461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7302205253318488863.post-61146222972453468072024-03-07T17:58:00.001+00:002024-03-07T17:58:46.163+00:00Inside The Mind of the Yorkshire Ripper by Chris Clark and Tim Hicks<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/201448555-inside-the-mind-of-the-yorkshire" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Inside the Mind of the Yorkshire" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1698993064l/201448555._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/201448555-inside-the-mind-of-the-yorkshire">Inside the Mind of the Yorkshire</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/491635.Chris_Clark">Chris Clark</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6310985801">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Time taken to read - 3 days<br /><br />Pages - 345<br /><br />Publisher - Ad Lib Publishers <br /><br />Source - Netgalley<br /><br />Blurb from Goodreads <br /><br />The account of the crimes of Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper, including those he was not charged with and has never previously been connected to.<br /><br />The police believed that Sutcliffe attacked women only in Manchester and West Yorkshire, travelling in his car. The authors show that, in fact, he attacked his victims across the UK and sometimes even overseas, while driving his employer’s lorry.<br /><br />Now that Sutcliffe is dead the full extent of his crimes cannot be known, but authors Chris Clark and Tim Hicks have meticulously researched his life and, in this definitive investigation, they reveal many previously unknown victims for the first time. The book includes a number of first-hand accounts from women and children who narrowly escaped death at Sutcliffe’s hand.<br /><br />The police failed to deliver justice for the victims’ families – both in the original investigation and in subsequent cold-case reviews – and the media has failed to hold them to account for this failure. The authors hope that by revealing all Sutcliffe’s attacks and telling the victims’ stories they can help to bring closure for friends and relatives of his victims, both those who are known and those who have remained unacknowledged – until now.<br /><br /><br />My Review <br /><br />So I have seen many documentaries and or programmes over the years about the Yorkshire Ripper including articles and discussions on true crime groups. I had no idea just how horrific his MO was, I think every one knew about the hammer(s) but this book gives graphic details and insight into just how depraved he really was.<br /><br />There is a lot of data in the book as well as maps giving locations and routes, potentials too as there are many more victims attributed to him that those commonly posted/discussed. I never knew he was suspected of male victims too and different attack styles to throw the police off. Add into that how he tried (effectively in many ways) to put the police off his track.<br /><br />The book also discusses those well knows tapes and letters from the alleged ripper and how the police blindly clung to them and just how many times Sutcliffe slipped through their fingers as a result.<br /><br />The book is shocking in many aspects, the bungled investigations, time after time, how some officers were dissuaded from linking cases that they knew was the ripper. The underhanded behaviours, criminal at times, in some of the actions of lack of actions in handling victims, witnesses, statements. It is amazing he was caught and you cannot help but think how many lives may well have been saved had they not missed or ignored so many tings.<br /><br />I think another jaw dropper is that despite knowing all they did wrong, when they were reached out to in more recent times they still refuse to release information or acknowledge certain similarities/cases/victims. One of the authors of this book is an ex police officer so it adds more weight and shock to some of the things you read and what was ignored. Truly shocking in so many areas and I think a lot of information in this book will raise more than a few eyebrows, like I say I had been familiar with the case, who isn't but so much information, victims, falsely accused is discussed in this book, it is actually quite scary how badly it was overall (the case handling not the book). For people who love true crime I think this is a must read as there is so much new (well for me anyway) information, it is wild how much he got away with and how many still have no closure/justice, 4/5.<br /> <br />
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So many books, so little timehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07564778178609301461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7302205253318488863.post-21561793505021573302024-03-06T15:10:00.002+00:002024-03-06T15:10:45.445+00:00The Christmas she married the playboy & The Greek Secret she carries <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59537608-the-christmas-she-married-the-playboy-the-greek-secret-she-carries" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="The Christmas She Married The Playboy / The Greek Secret She Carries: The Christmas She Married the Playboy (Christmas with a Billionaire) / The Greek ... Diamond Inheritance) (Mills & Boon Modern)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1677851551l/59537608._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59537608-the-christmas-she-married-the-playboy-the-greek-secret-she-carries">The Christmas She Married The Playboy / The Greek Secret She Carries: The Christmas She Married the Playboy (Christmas with a Billionaire) / The Greek ... Diamond Inheritance)</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1220404.Louise_Fuller">Louise Fuller</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6280423541">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Time taken to read - 3 days<br /><br />Pages - 384<br /><br />Publisher - Mills & Boon<br /><br />Source - Bought<br /><br />Blurb from Goodreads <br /><br />Their convenient winter wedding!<br /><br />To save her pristine image from scandal, Santina must marry notorious playboy Louis. But after a past betrayal, it’s not gossip she fears…it’s the burning attraction that will make resisting her convenient husband impossible.<br /><br />One scandalous Greek night…<br /><br />Months after their passionate fling, rumours bring enigmatic Theron to Summer’s doorstep – to discover a pregnancy as obvious as the still-sizzling desire between them! He will give their child the family unit he lost. But Summer’s trust isn’t so easily won…<br /><br /><br />My Review<br /><br />Mills and Boon if you have read them you know exactly what you are getting. This book is a two in one. Book one, meet Santina, pristine image and trying to make it in the professional world of ice skating. She has zero interest in the opposite sex especially after having her heart broken and crushed by her ex. Meet Louis, money galore, bad boy reputation, womaniser and often in the press for his antics, so much so it is impacting his work life. When a chance encounter brings them together and the press catch a juicy story the two have to work together to try and salvage both their images. <br /><br />Story two sees Summer, naive going from university and a mostly sheltered life to trying to find her real father and helping her sick mother. She has a passionate tryst with Theron ending in disaster. He shows up again in her life trying to make amends for his behaviour and assumptions but is it too late.<br /><br />The first story I did like better and it was very reminiscing of what I remember Mills and Boon to be but with a modern day theme to it. Good girl, bad boy, money, reputation, hard exterior (for both) and absolute attraction they both try to deny and it goes from there.<br /><br />Book two, I think the whole Greek man and behaviours, for me, didn't work. Instead of passion and sense of wanting to do the right thing as is expected of him I found him to be controlling and really negative behaviours. Summer also came across weak and annoying rather than damsel in distress but also doing the right thing by her family. Maybe if I had read the the other way around I may have taken to it more? Both good stories but I really wasn't a fan of either of the main characters in the second book therefor overall it is 3/5 for me.
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So many books, so little timehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07564778178609301461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7302205253318488863.post-86544352377532385272024-03-02T10:37:00.002+00:002024-03-02T10:37:16.918+00:00March giveaway is now live Happy March people, up for grabs is x1 £5 Amazon voucher, UK only guys as Amazon doesn't allow me to gift outside my own country. <br /><br />
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As usual, entries via Rafflecopter below, comp runs til the end of the month. <br /><br />
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<script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>So many books, so little timehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07564778178609301461noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7302205253318488863.post-16667609784277777632024-03-02T02:27:00.002+00:002024-03-02T02:27:16.847+00:00Claimed by J R Ward <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55711656-claimed" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Claimed (Lair of the Wolven, #1)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1625084829l/55711656._SY160_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55711656-claimed">Claimed</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20248.J_R_Ward">J.R. Ward</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6240151274">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Time taken to read - 1 day<br /><br />Pages - 509<br /><br />Publisher - Piatkus<br /><br />Source - Bought<br /><br />Blurb from Goodreads <br /><br />A heart-pounding new series set in the Black Dagger Brotherhood world, with a scientist fighting to save the timber wolves—and getting caught in a deadly trap herself...<br /><br />Lydia Susi is passionate about protecting wolves in their natural habitat. When a hotel chain develops a tract of land next to the preserve, Lydia is one of the most vocal opponents of the project—and becomes a target.<br /><br />One night, a shadowy figure threatens Lydia’s life in the forest, and a new hire at the Wolf Study Project comes from out of nowhere to save her. Daniel Joseph is both mysterious, and someone she intrinsically wants to trust. But is he hiding something?<br /><br />As the stakes get higher, and one of Lydia’s colleagues is murdered, she must decide how far she will go to protect the wolves. Then a shocking revelation about Daniel challenges Lydia’s reality in ways she could never have predicted. Some fates demand courage, others require even more, with no guarantees. Is she destined to have true love... or will a soul-shattering loss ruin her forever?<br /><br /><br />My Review <br /><br />This is book one of a trilogy, Lydia is all about protecting the wolves in their natural environment and a new hotel/chain is putting everything at risk. Daniel, a drifter appears at the perfect time looking for a job. Someone has poisoned a wolf, money at the facility is low and Lydia will do just about anything for the wolves safety. Both Lydia and Daniel are mysterious and or aloof in their own way and it isn't long before sparks fly between the two and their attraction has more pull that what they are hiding.<br /><br />So the book is from the Lair of the Wolven series and we have snippets of chapters going to the Blackdagger Brotherhood characters, specifically Xhex, dreams and freaking out, then back to Lydia with no seeming reason or cross over, I am hoping with book two we will have more clarity and info (I have book two and three at the ready).<br /><br />There is murder, intrigue, dodgy behaviour, skulduggery, stalking and wolves of course. I would say it is a slow burner at times but when you get to the end it all comes together and absolutely needs book two to be read asap.<br /><br />There is some spice, intrigue, wolfy interactions, secrets, danger and all is not what it seems, like even the folk Lydia has worked with and it being a small town there are secrets and reveals to be had. I am very much looking forward to book two and seeing what is next in store, a good foundation book setting up for the rest, 4/5.
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So many books, so little timehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07564778178609301461noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7302205253318488863.post-69606834921893524902024-02-29T00:00:00.018+00:002024-02-29T00:00:00.142+00:00Unholy Murder by Lynda La Plante <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9etPpOKg6YjEraFs9xKFmVb5CPqEjhWM7E3XHL_iTO-yi9OTQ6fs8Zy4CNbh16SFWAPWZcqOyEZ4ROvfdYnpuWE8MNPaJP5XI2afMY7Qme2S9WrQkDf6zSbbrlcSsOcDUxEAkWUqPTtkHumtD2Ot3AmsTDCpems-1ronWD7ZEYmMD9TpDiS6fpqN85Ag/s1060/LLP%20Tennison%20%20graphic%20Instagram%20%281%29.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="1060" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9etPpOKg6YjEraFs9xKFmVb5CPqEjhWM7E3XHL_iTO-yi9OTQ6fs8Zy4CNbh16SFWAPWZcqOyEZ4ROvfdYnpuWE8MNPaJP5XI2afMY7Qme2S9WrQkDf6zSbbrlcSsOcDUxEAkWUqPTtkHumtD2Ot3AmsTDCpems-1ronWD7ZEYmMD9TpDiS6fpqN85Ag/s320/LLP%20Tennison%20%20graphic%20Instagram%20%281%29.png"/></a></div> <br/><br/>
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The #TeamTennison tour continues, today we have our review for "Unholy Murder" by author Lynda La Plante. <br/><br/>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57010098-unholy-murder" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Unholy Murder (Tennison, #7)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1617755258l/57010098._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57010098-unholy-murder">Unholy Murder</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7929.Lynda_La_Plante">Lynda La Plante</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6247154702">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Time taken to read - 3 days (inbetween shifts as able)<br /><br />Pages - 380<br /><br />Publisher - Zaffre<br /><br />Source - Review copy <br /><br />Blurb from Goodreads <br /><br />'Help me turn the coffin lid over.' Jane Tennison said, grabbing one end.<br />'What you looking for?' Doctor Pullen asked.<br />'I want to see the condition of the interior lining.'<br />'The right hand on the body has a broken fingernails, some are worn down to the fingertips.' Doctor Pullen informed them as they gently turned the lid over. The mouldy white satin lining was torn and hanging loose at the head end. Jane gently brushed it to one side revealing deep fingernail scratch marks on the interior metal.<br />'Oh my God,' Tennison exclaimed. 'She was buried alive.'<br /><br />In Unholy Murder, Tennison must lift the lid on the most chilling murder case of her career to date . . .<br /><br /><br />My Review <br /><br />This is book seven in the Tennison series, Jane is doing pretty well/established and respected considering we are in the early 80s and she is a female officer. This time we have a coffin found on a construction job, when it is opened we do indeed have a body, whilst one cop wants to declare it normal/case closed Jane has always been one to look at everything. Not only is it the body of a nun but upon closer inspection she has been murdered. Now to establish an identity, time line and if a case is to be answered to.<br /><br />I love that Jane is always force for the victims, no matter what she is faced with and lets face it, the previous six books she has more than had her work cut out for her. This time, with the investigation we have to look at the Catholic church and deal with priests, nuns and those in higher capacities. We have bad blood already between some of the officers and those in the holy order. Much is at risk for all concerned and some people will do anything to keep past secrets exactly that, in the past.<br /><br />This time, as much as we have the investigation into the murder/identity, we see more of a person side for Jane and of course how that impacts or clashes with the job. A bit more of a flawed version of the Jane we have come to know and love, not in any huge capacity but a few things in this book make her seem more, I don't think vulnerable is the word I am looking for but certainly mis stepping once or twice.<br /><br />Because there are practicing religious folk and some questionable/shady behaviours/secrets I think there may be a few gasps for those who hold people of the cloth in higher esteem that those who don't. Also the fact the victim is a nun is also a bit of a chest skelp as there are some folk you often put in untouchable categories, innocents, kids, animals, people serving/giving their lives to a higher order. So whilst the book isn't break neck pace it absolutely smacks you in the chops from early on, who would target a nun and in such a horrific way and then you are hooked! 4/5 for me this time, book eight is giving me the eyeball from the shelf already to see what is next in store!<br /><br />
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So many books, so little timehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07564778178609301461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7302205253318488863.post-671857998318958992024-02-25T19:27:00.005+00:002024-02-25T19:27:59.531+00:00All Your Perfects by Colleen Hoover <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38926487-all-your-perfects" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="All Your Perfects" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1531682842l/38926487._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38926487-all-your-perfects">All Your Perfects</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5430144.Colleen_Hoover">Colleen Hoover</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6224061262">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Time take to read - 5 days<br /><br />Pages - 305<br /><br />Publisher - Simon and Schuster<br /><br />Source - Bought<br /><br />Blurb from Goodreads <br /><br />Colleen Hoover delivers a tour de force novel about a troubled marriage and the one old forgotten promise that might be able to save it.<br /><br />Quinn and Graham’s perfect love is threatened by their imperfect marriage. The memories, mistakes, and secrets that they have built up over the years are now tearing them apart. The one thing that could save them might also be the very thing that pushes their marriage beyond the point of repair.<br /><br />All Your Perfects is a profound novel about a damaged couple whose potential future hinges on promises made in the past. This is a heartbreaking page-turner that asks: Can a resounding love with a perfect beginning survive a lifetime between two imperfect people?<br /><br /><br /><br />My Review <br /><br />What an opener, we see an infidelity busted and the book then goes from present day back to the time the infidelity was discovered and everything that transpires afterward. Quinn and Graham met under not the best circumstances but fate tends to have better plans for them. Present day and their perfect marriage is suffering, inability to talk about it, game face on and the longer the elephant in the room doesn't get discussed the bigger the rift between them becomes.<br /><br />This book will have a lot of triggers for many, infidelity, relationship issues, conceiving, issues around it, it is very relationship centric. You know something is between Quinn and Graham but not what and we bounce back and forth past and present. It shows just how huge the issues are between them with stark almost side to side comparison, loves young dream, fresh in the throes of love to present day and struggling to be honest/close.<br /><br />It is hard to go into it without giving spoilers which we don't do but it covers some heartbreak, some big issues within relationships, fertility and everything that comes with it. I think there are some actions/reactions that will annoy/enrage some readers. I think Hoover is a bit marmite, some folk love her stuff, some not so much. Regardless I think she creates characters/situations that whilst you may not always like them I think you can tune into or relate to, 3/5 for me this time. I have a fair few others of hers on the tbrm and I think they all are pretty different, lied but didn't love.
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So many books, so little timehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07564778178609301461noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7302205253318488863.post-51381014169092353672024-02-16T19:11:00.002+00:002024-02-16T19:11:17.346+00:00Alien: Out of the Shadows by Tim Lebbon<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20616846-alien" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Alien: Out of the Shadows (Canonical Alien trilogy, #1)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1393778855l/20616846._SY160_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20616846-alien">Alien: Out of the Shadows</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/59165.Tim_Lebbon">Tim Lebbon</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6216953041">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Time taken to read - 2 days<br /><br />Pages - 347<br /><br />Publisher - Titan books<br /><br />Source - Bought<br /><br />Blurb from Goodreads <br /><br />As a child, Chris Hooper dreamed of monsters. But in deep space, he found only darkness and isolation. Then on planet LV-178, he and his fellow miners discovered a storm-scoured, sand blasted hell — and Trimonite, the hardest material known to man.<br /><br />When a shuttle crashes into the mining ship Marion, the miners learn that there was more than Trimonite deep in the caverns. There was evil, hibernating — and waiting for suitable prey.<br /><br /><br />My Review <br /><br />You guuuuuuuuuys! You know I love horror and the Alien movies are some of my faves - Ellen Ripley is one of the most epic characters in horror/sci-fi especially against one of the most deadly enemies. Here the book is set just after Alien movie, the original and before Aliens (the one with the marines) and to be honest I am so here for it. <br /><br />Ripley ends up on LV178 I think it was, they were mining for trimonite, a substance really hard and I imagine like steel or something to that effect. Of course there is contact with our known apex predators and infection hits. For reasons to become clear later Ripley is pulled from her hyper sleep and docked into a nightmare she barely survived. <br /><br />Tense, creepy, shocking and I LOVE that we get a bit more of Ripley's metal/character and again a horrible situation against the deadliest adversaries. I think this hits a few things that fans would have liked that we didn't see in the first movie and maybe even a few nods to the second.<br /><br />And you know me, even briefly, bringing a cat, especially the legend that is Jonesy back D E lighted, and *gasp* the aliens are not the only adversary, if you are a fan of the series/movies I think you will really enjoy this, 4.5/5 for me!
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So many books, so little timehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07564778178609301461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7302205253318488863.post-72702225014072580012024-02-14T13:11:00.006+00:002024-02-14T13:11:54.381+00:00No Mercy by Martina Cole<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39719360-no-mercy" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="No Mercy" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1548122015l/39719360._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39719360-no-mercy">No Mercy</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/111542.Martina_Cole">Martina Cole</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6196480668">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Time taken to read - in and out over a few days <br /><br />Pages - 436<br /><br />Publisher - Headline<br /><br />Source - Bought<br /><br />Blurb from Goodreads <br /><br />Family always comes first. Until now.<br /><br />Get ready for the ultimate summer read with the explosive new novel from Sunday Times No.1 bestseller and 'undisputed queen of crime writing' ( Guardian ) Martina Cole.<br /><br />Diana Davis has been head of the family business since the death of her husband, an infamous bank robber. She's a woman in a man's world, but no one messes with her.<br /><br />Her only son, Angus, is a natural born villain, but he needs to earn Diana's trust before she'll allow him into the business.<br /><br />Once he's proved he has the brains to run their clubs in Marbella, he is given what he's always wanted. It's the beginning of a reign of terror that knows no bounds.<br /><br />But Angus has a blind his wife, Lorna, and their three kids, Angus Junior, Sean and Eilish. And as the next generation enters the business, Angus has a painful truth to learn. Even when it comes to family, he must show no mercy...<br /><br /><br />My Review <br /><br />Diana Davis is a woman to be reckoned with. In the world of drugs/crime/violence it isn't known for having women in the face leagues. Diana has proven herself time and time again and her eldest Angus is desperate to make his own mark in the game & butts heads a bit with mother dearest. We span across the years as Angus becomes a face in his own right, has his own family & faces the threats & issues that comes with the territory of drugs, violence and crime.<br /><br />It has been a wee while since I read Cole & I don't know why, i do enjoy her books. For anyone not familiar with her work the characters are gritty, grim, shady, violent, some are very loyal and almost all swear like troopers. This book, like some of the others, features some dark themes that others may find triggering, SA, abuse, manipulation, gaslighting, mental health, murder, violence etc.<br /><br />Short chapters which I love, characters that you love to hate, action and skulduggery costly afoot or the threat of. I will be checking to see what others I have still to read and getting them. If you want to leave behind your own world and submerge into the gritty no holds barred world of criminals then look no further, 4/5.
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So many books, so little timehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07564778178609301461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7302205253318488863.post-53116748931810334112024-02-10T13:56:00.001+00:002024-02-10T13:58:17.677+00:00Q&A with Fictional Flames and a wee giveaway So if you follow us on our social media channels you will have seen the candle we got made by small business <a href="https://www.instagram.com/fictional_flames/?hl=en" target="_blank">Fictional_Flames</a>, we love supporting small businesses where able. As well as doing a fab job we have set up a Q&A with the owner Natalie and you have the chance to win one of her fabulous candles. You can choose one of her exisiting ones that have bookish quotes, you can request for a personalised one like we have or a specicial bookish quote, your choice. <br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIgABenuJEfojfF-_j9XWdLk8WSpcHUz84DyeajwRF4hJke2fOeKmsf-4kzUnkH5kIfIWL5xC0OAwKsYf4bKHmVxzv8H4D5op8xE6Y82HPBioVw_2eOc56FG0QEWWGBVu1FosJ6PcD03bCwO-OR8iTDTtDJYv2pZbB_-AZ2VoGRdtUijv2l6kYrckXtQk/s1101/luna%20candle.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="320" data-original-height="1101" data-original-width="959" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIgABenuJEfojfF-_j9XWdLk8WSpcHUz84DyeajwRF4hJke2fOeKmsf-4kzUnkH5kIfIWL5xC0OAwKsYf4bKHmVxzv8H4D5op8xE6Y82HPBioVw_2eOc56FG0QEWWGBVu1FosJ6PcD03bCwO-OR8iTDTtDJYv2pZbB_-AZ2VoGRdtUijv2l6kYrckXtQk/s320/luna%20candle.jpg"/></a></div> <br /><br /><br />
Thanks Natalia for taking time to do a Q&A with us. <br /><br />
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<b>Tell us about the business<i></i></b><br /><br />
Fictional Flames makes premium scented soy wax container candles. What makes my products different is that all labels are fully customisable and I provide a bespoke service to make sure the end design is exactly what my customers want - which works great for other businesses and authors - who are always my favourite to work with! <br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUSTtVcD1U75QZ_uIaXtFfoP923trHjq7f9xJkKa7o5Tf17fbWVdOaSbJWreUrS3IlPP8YRwxGpa7F6RLd4Tr9hlI7s7R97P3jCTIH-sLpInt_TvdCkoXaxsi58lka5mkexfpQ1VAY-EkUgoCwuyVJJaGsZftm8sNa8BsuifAEbm7SCWDXLoipwZmlbrQ/s1080/Screenshot_20240206_120620_Photos.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="884" data-original-width="1080" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUSTtVcD1U75QZ_uIaXtFfoP923trHjq7f9xJkKa7o5Tf17fbWVdOaSbJWreUrS3IlPP8YRwxGpa7F6RLd4Tr9hlI7s7R97P3jCTIH-sLpInt_TvdCkoXaxsi58lka5mkexfpQ1VAY-EkUgoCwuyVJJaGsZftm8sNa8BsuifAEbm7SCWDXLoipwZmlbrQ/s320/Screenshot_20240206_120620_Photos.jpg"/></a></div> <br /><br /><br />
<b>How did you come up with the idea <i></i></b> <br /><br />
Fictional Flames makes premium scented soy wax container candles. What makes my products different is that all labels are fully customisable and I provide a bespoke service to make sure the end design is exactly what my customers want - which works great for other businesses and authors - who are always my favourite to work with! <br />
I started to make candles as a hobby and decided I wanted to share a product I'm so proud of with other people. I decided for a strong bookish theme because it's how i spend most of my time! As someone who is completely allergic to colour I decided I wanted my candles to be explicit, funny and bookish but versatile enough to fit in any room with any decor and on any bookshelf and I felt that the simple design was something that wasn't available with bookish candles <br /><br />
<b>How long has it been going<i></i></b><br /><br />
It will be a year in April! <br /><br />
<b>Where are you based<i></i></b><br /><br />
Nantwich in Cheshire <br /><br />
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<b>If authors et al wished to do a collab what is the best way to approach you<i></i></b><br /><br />
Instagram is always the best way! <br /><br />
<b>How can people help small businesses?<i></i></b><br /><br />
Post engagement is super helpful! And any time that you buy from etsy, leave a review!!!<br /><br />
<b>Where is the best place(s) to buy your candles (ie got your own website or list all where you are/sell)<i></i></b><br /><br />
I'm currently trying to set up a new website so at the moment Etsy <br /><br />
<b>What scents do you recommend?<i></i></b><br /><br />
THERE ARE SO MANY!! Cherry amaretto, Pina Colada, strawberry daquari… there seems to be a theme here 👀👀 <br /><br />
<b>Anything else you would like to add we haven't asked?<i></i></b> <br /><br />
I don't think so but I would like to thank you for including me in this, i fucking love talking about candles😂🩷 <br /><br /><br />
To enter please use the Rafflecopter below, if you are new here you complete the entries you want to, the more you do the more times your name is entered into the giveaway, entries are checked once the winner is drawn. Please note this is UK only as the business only delivers to the UK, the competition runs to the end of the month and will be drawn at the start of March. Good luck lovelies and as always thanks for entering/supporting the blog. <br /><br /><br />
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So many books, so little timehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07564778178609301461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7302205253318488863.post-37899206520895438042024-02-06T12:03:00.001+00:002024-02-10T12:55:40.143+00:00Charlie's Promise by Annemarie Allan<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34654527-charlie-s-promise" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Charlie's Promise" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1490804531l/34654527._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34654527-charlie-s-promise">Charlie's Promise</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2164583.Annemarie_Allan">Annemarie Allan</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6177806340">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Time taken to read - <br /><br />Pages - 192<br /><br />Publisher - Pokey Hat<br /><br />Source - Review copy <br /><br />Blurb from Goodreads<br /><br />Would you break the rules or break your promise? On the outskirts of Edinburgh, just before the outbreak of WW2, Charlie finds a starving German boy called Josef hiding in the woods near his home. Josef can’t speak English and is desperately afraid, especially of anyone in uniform. Charlie promises to help Josef find his Jewish relatives in the city. It’s a journey that will force them to face their fears, testing their new-found friendship, and Charlie’s promise, to the limit. ‘Poignant, graceful, and relevant for today’ Alex Nye<br /><br /><br />My Review <br /><br /><br />Very much young adult, we open with a little boy, hiding at his mothers request as their house is set upon. After Josef finds himself put on a boat and sent off to a country he knows not where, a name and address in his pockets and some German coins. A chance encounter in the woods finds him coming across the path of Charlie and Jean, sparking up a friendship and promise on Charlie's side. Who listens to kids especially when everyone is poor, rumours of horror/crimes against humanity and here we have two weans, altready unlikely pals willing to do what it takes to save their wee pal.<br /><br />The book is under 200 pages long and your main/central characters are pre teen weans so you have the unique simple view point of children but seeing what is going on. Josef is starving, dirty, cannot speak English and the weans themselves come from not much but loyalty and friendship is everything. Putting themselves at risk and in the firing line for all manners of trouble they embark on an adventure to getting Josef where he is meant to be. <br /><br />Set mostly in Edinburgh we see the trials the kids face whilst trying to do the right thing, we follow them along the way through some shady characters and perils along the way. It is YA and whilst it does have some veins of darkness/sadness I think it is told really well, the impact of war (and this is at the very beginning) through the medium of innocent children. It also gives a lot of heart lifting moments and strength from the children simply being children and helping a friend despite having so much threat, obstacles and trouble against them, 4/5 from me. I read this in a few hours! <br /><br /><br />
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So many books, so little timehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07564778178609301461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7302205253318488863.post-20365981675611538932024-02-01T19:58:00.004+00:002024-02-01T19:58:58.809+00:00February giveaway is now liveHappy February loves. I know not everyone bothers with Valentines but I think we can all agree we all like a wee comp. So what is up for grabs? <br/><br/>
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Winner gets x1 box of MilkTray chocolates as in the picture. <br/><br/>
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A wee leather style bookmark, it goes on the page corner, green as in picture. <br/><br/>
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And x1 loveheart keyring that is also a stressball but cutesy shape with a wee face, as shown. The winner picks one - just tell us which colour you would like of the four options available. <br/><br/><br/>
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As everything is quite lightweight I am opening this worldwide. To enter just fill in the Rafflecopter below, as usual please only select the entries you have completed. Once the winner is announced entries are checked/validated prior to announcement. Good luck, we will leave this up until the end of the month. Thanks to everyone who supports the blog, gets books based on our recs and gives us feedback/chat, even Luna has been spoiled and sent bits. Here is to a happy and healthy month for us all. <br/><br/>
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<script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>So many books, so little timehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07564778178609301461noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7302205253318488863.post-7396920119560294662024-02-01T00:00:00.013+00:002024-02-01T00:00:00.125+00:00Blunt Force by Lynda La Plante Blog Tour Today for my stop on the #TeamTennison tour we have my review, non spoiler as per, enjoy loves! <br /><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58522570-blunt-force" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Blunt Force" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1625851681l/58522570._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58522570-blunt-force">Blunt Force</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7929.Lynda_La_Plante">Lynda La Plante</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6178395741">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Time taken to read - 2 days<br /><br />Pages - <br /><br />Publisher - Zaffre<br /><br />Source - Review copy<br /><br />Blurb from Goodreads <br /><br />From Lynda La Plante, the international bestselling author who "practically invented the thriller," (Karin Slaughter) comes a brilliant new page-turner that follows Jane Tennison into the salacious world of theatre to solve a brutal murder in the heart of London's West End<br /><br />Things can't get much worse for detective Jane Tennison. Unceremoniously kicked off the adrenaline-fuelled Flying Squad, she now plies her trade in Gerald Road, a small and sleepy police station in the heart of London's affluent Knightsbridge.<br /><br />With only petty crime to sink her teeth into, Tennison can feel her career slowly flatlining. That is until the discovery of the most brutal murder Jane has ever seen: Charlie Foxley has been found viciously beaten to death with a cricket bat - his body dismembered and disembowelled.<br /><br />As a big-time theatrical agent, Foxley had a lot of powerful friends - but just as many enemies. And alongside her old friend DS Spencer Gibbs, Tennison must journey into the salacious world of show business to find out which one is the killer, before they strike again.<br /><br /><br /><br />My Review <br /><br />Jane is still reeling from the after effects of all that happened in the last book with the Flying Squad, dropped from the team and now in a slow moving station in a decent area. In a sleepy affluent neighbourhood where crime is petty Jane feels everything she has worked so hard for is slipping through her fingers. Taking steps to train for better reactions in situations as those she recently encountered (and being held against her) she also comes across an old familiar face, Spencer. When a routine enquiry turns into a murder so heinous the specialists are called in too, Jane finds herself fighting to prove her right to be heard on the team and an effective investigator.<br /><br />Ah I do love Jane, faults and all, it really grinds my gears though the chauvinistic eejits she has to deal with and proving herself over and over again. Her and Spencer get bumped down the chain as seniors come in and they (the team) find themselves rubbing shoulders with some of Hollywood elite whilst trying to investigate the murder.<br /><br />As always we have skulduggery, lies, secrets, murder, fame, money and all the traipsing that comes with it as Tennison and co try to figure out who would want the victim dead, who he was, who had motive and what would drive someone to utterly annihilate a person the way the victim was.<br /><br />Pacey, shocking, vile behaviours from some of the wealthiest people but amongst a cesspool how do you pick out who has the potential to murder and what secrets may have lead to it. Lets face it, most folk in showbiz, those who help them along the way and those who try to make it would do almost anything to make it and everyone (mostly) has secrets in their closets, some may just well be worth killing for! 4/5 from me, very much looking forward to the next!
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<br/><br/><br/><br/>So many books, so little timehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07564778178609301461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7302205253318488863.post-23363751224114476322024-01-29T19:39:00.001+00:002024-01-29T19:39:08.332+00:00The Ice Cream Girls by Dorothy Koomson<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6780522-the-ice-cream-girls" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="The Ice Cream Girls (Poppy & Serena, #1)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1279481064l/6780522._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6780522-the-ice-cream-girls">The Ice Cream Girls</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/38651.Dorothy_Koomson">Dorothy Koomson</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6117703945">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Time taken to read - as able over 4 days<br /><br />Pages - 452<br /><br />Publisher - Sphere<br /><br />Source - Bought<br /><br />Blurb from Goodreads <br /><br />As teenagers Poppy Carlisle and Serena Gorringe were the only witnesses to a tragic event. Amid heated public debate, the two seemingly glamorous teens were dubbed ‘The Ice Cream Girls’ by the press and were dealt with by the courts.<br /><br />Years later, having led very different lives, Poppy is keen to set the record straight about what really happened, while married mother-of-two Serena wants no one in her present to find out about her past. But some secrets will not stay buried – and if theirs is revealed, everything will become a living hell all over again...<br /><br /><br />My Review <br /><br />Meet Poppy and Serena, Serena is married, kids and still dealing with demons of her past. Poppy is just being released from jail for a crime she says she didn't commit and now twenty years being jailed she is determined to get the guilty party to admit to what they did, that being Serena. Both were referred to as The Ice Cream Girls, both suspected in a murder, one went to jail, one went free. <br /><br />We go back and forth between past and present, Serena and Poppy, teasing out the details of what happened, the before and build up whilst visiting the present and each of the ladies dealing with their now. <br /><br />There are a fair few dark themes in this book, predatory teacher/teen pupil(s), self harm, death, ptsd, we visit prison life briefly and have quite long scenes with the abusive/pervert teacher. The gaslighting/manipulation of an adult to minors is shocking and it shows how easily he did it and delving into violence as well as the other abuse perpetrated on them . Themes of revenge, stalking, mistrust, lies, family dramas. The book has just about everything. Also whilst reading this people reached out saying it is a tv series/show too so I need to check that out.<br /><br />Hard to put down, uncomfortable to read at times due to the content and knowing whilst this is fiction sadly these predators are out there ad very skilled in manipulating these children/teens. 4/5 for me, I have read a few Koomson books and plan to read many more, she is becoming a fave with us.
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So many books, so little timehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07564778178609301461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7302205253318488863.post-30933860348587017772024-01-24T19:02:00.002+00:002024-01-24T19:02:08.787+00:00Behind Closed Doors by Susan Lewis <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23346904-behind-closed-doors" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="BEHIND CLOSED DOORS" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1474109779l/23346904._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23346904-behind-closed-doors">BEHIND CLOSED DOORS</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7142.Susan_Lewis">Susan Lewis</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6172252457">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Time taken to read - 1 day<br /><br />Pages - 382<br /><br />Publisher - Arrow<br /><br />Source - Bought<br /><br />Blurb from Amazon<br /><br />Don't miss this powerful and suspenseful novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author of One Minute Later.<br /><br />When fourteen-year-old Sophie Monroe suddenly vanishes one night, it looks at first as though she’s run away from home.<br /><br />Her computer and mobile phone have gone, and she’s taken a bag full of clothes.<br /><br />As the police investigation unfolds a wealth of secrets from the surrounding community start coming to light. And it seems everyone has something to hide.<br /><br />For Detective Sergeant Andrea Lawrence, the case is a painful reminder of the tragedy that tore her family apart over twenty years ago. She is convinced there is more to Sophie’s disappearance than teenage rebellion.<br /><br />But is the past clouding her judgement, preventing her from seeing a truth that neither she, nor Sophie’s family, would ever want to face?<br /><br /><br />My Review<br /><br />Sophie is fourteen, living in a caravan style holiday place, seeking attention from boys/men to make up for the lack of attention at home. After a huge row with her stepmom Sophie goes missing, initially felt to be one of her stunts but as time goes on it seems it may not just be a teen acting out, is Sophie in danger? D S Andrea Lawrence is on the case and maybe a little clouded due to having her own sister go missing years ago. Can she remain impartial to get to the bottom of it and find Sophie?<br /><br />Set in a smallish town, holiday homes/caravans style setting where lots of people have many secrets as the case becomes serious and the cops start digging it seems everyone has something to hide. Focusing on some shady characters, offences relating to under age girls, cover ups, lies, secrets, families, family pressure. It is a melting pot of gossip, scandal and shocking people who seem more interested in their own issues than a young girl going missing.<br /><br />I think Lewis does well to weave a web of characters, often shady or at least make you question them. Page turner, riveting especially from a nosey stance because you want to know what is going on, what they are hiding and most importantly where is Sophie and can we get her back safetly, 4/5. <br /><br />
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So many books, so little timehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07564778178609301461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7302205253318488863.post-38961396646524565032024-01-20T00:00:00.001+00:002024-01-20T00:00:00.128+00:00A Court Of Wings And Ruin by Sarah J Maas<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50659472-a-court-of-wings-and-ruin" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #3)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1585623092l/50659472._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50659472-a-court-of-wings-and-ruin">A Court of Wings and Ruin</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3433047.Sarah_J_Maas">Sarah J. Maas</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6150687372">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Time taken to read - 5 days <br /><br />Pages - 703<br /><br />Publisher - Bloomsbury<br /><br />Source - Bought<br /><br />Blurb from Goodreads<br /><br />Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin's actions and learn what she can about the invading king threatening to bring her land to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit. One slip could bring doom not only for Feyre, but for everything-and everyone-she holds dear.<br /><br />As war bears down upon them all, Feyre endeavors to take her place amongst the High Fae of the land, balancing her struggle to master her powers-both magical and political-and her love for her court and family. Amidst these struggles, Feyre and Rhysand must decide whom to trust amongst the cunning and lethal High Lords, and hunt for allies in unexpected places.<br /><br />In this thrilling third book in the #1 New York Times bestselling series from Sarah J. Maas, the fate of Feyre's world is at stake as armies grapple for power over the one thing that could destroy it.<br /><br /><br />My Review<br /><br />I wouldn't leave it so long to read the books, I read book two in October and it took me a bit to settle back into this one. There are so many characters/courts/beings (species)/famiies it took me a while to remember who was who and get back into it. I LOVE the books all (so far that I have read) come with a map but I think it would be beneficial to have like a character tree or list, I know these have been out a bit but even a website link we could go to for those of us who are a bit "who was that" "what court are they" and who is freiendly/enemies/frenemies etc.<br /><br />Anyway back to the story, so Feyre is back at Tamlin's to gather info and do what she can to undermine the effort of the war that is coming. Humans are at risk, Fae and those deemed lesser or even just on the "wrong side" are in danger of slaughter and all the horrors that come with war let alone those with magic and don't mind fighting dirty.<br /><br />Once I settled back into the stories and characters I really liked it and started remembering stuff from the previous book(s). I had hated Nesta and for a portion of this book wasn't overly switching but I am warming as bit to her.<br /><br />The book is brutal in parts, there is a war coming with some real bad shady people and Tamlin :O at one point I could have punched him in the face. The things he was saying and in a crowded room, absolutely furious. Like I get he is all kinds of hurt but dude, ooft, brutal!<br /><br />Prepare for a bit of a rollercoaster espesh if you have certain faves because it is a bumpy road, emotive/shocking at times, 4/5 for me this time. I have the next in the series (it is a lot thinner than this chunky monkey) and won't be leaving it as long. If you are unaware this is a series I would go back and read the previous books, you get a better feel for the characters and fyi there are some spicy scenes!
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So many books, so little timehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07564778178609301461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7302205253318488863.post-40690802928322445232024-01-18T00:00:00.001+00:002024-01-18T00:00:00.152+00:00Unbelievable Crimes Volume One: Macabre Yet Unknown True Crime Stories by Daniela Airlie<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123013363-unbelievable-crimes-volume-one" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Unbelievable Crimes Volume One: Macabre Yet Unknown True Crime Stories" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1677390504l/123013363._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123013363-unbelievable-crimes-volume-one">Unbelievable Crimes Volume One: Macabre Yet Unknown True Crime Stories</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/29571873.Daniela_Airlie">Daniela Airlie</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6142848444">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Time taken to read - < 1 day<br /><br />Pages - 104 <br /><br />Publishers - <br /><br />Source - Insta rak<br /><br />Blurb from Goodreads <br /><br />Step into some of the most heinous (yet relatively unknown) crimes ever committed and delve into twelve twisted tales of murder in Unbelievable Crimes.<br /><br />From the deplorable abduction and imprisonment of young women by James Jamelske, who kept his victims in his basement, to the tale of charismatic charmer Charles Schmid who boasted about his savage murders, each story in this anthology dives into pure evil.<br /><br />In one case, I’ll take you back to 1993, to the city of Houston, where two teenage girls, Jennifer Ertman, and Elizabeth Peña, were brutally raped and murdered. This crime can only be described as barbaric and senseless, especially when you factor in the young ages of the killers.<br /><br />I’ll delve into the bizarre and twisted story of Carl Tanzler, a man who becomes fixated on a beautiful young woman. After her untimely death, he kept her as a mummified corpse in his home for years, with a genuinely inexplicable outcome.<br /><br />You’ll also be introduced to the gruesome story of Omaima Nelson, an Egyptian-American woman who killed her husband before cooking and eating parts of his body.<br /><br />While most people know about the incomprehensible acts of Ted Bundy or the wicked crimes of the “killer clown” John Wayne Gacy, there’s an underbelly of true crime that has been left untouched over the years. These crimes had a fleeting news story or a 30-second snippet on a local news station and have since been long forgotten. I believe we should remember these crimes to ensure the victims - and their ordeals - don’t get wiped from true crime history.<br /><br />Discover the dark side of humanity as I delve into some of the most shocking and twisted little-known true crime stories in Unbelievable Crimes Volume One. To most, the senseless acts of violence and pure evil depicted in these cases are simply unimaginable. But, they’re all somebody’s reality.<br /><br />Please note, as with all true crime content, this book contains details that cover real-life murders and violence.<br /><br /><br /><br />My review <br /><br />So whilst these as put as "yet unknown "true crime stories I would say lesser known, not the same ring to it I know. I know a few of them recently from true crime on Tiktok but they are lesser known for sure.<br /><br />If you like stories that don't go around the houses before getting to the story then these will be right up your street. They are each only below or just over ten pages each.<br /><br />Not for the faint hearted, some of these are truly horrific/evil/unnerving, the depravity and depths some of these killers go to, usually for their own personal sick kicks.<br /><br />Some of the stories go beyond just taking someone's lives and the suffering and deviancy of some of these perps is jaw dropping. I have read and watched a ton of true crime and you don't think people can get worse but sure enough there is always another, 4/5 from us.
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So many books, so little timehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07564778178609301461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7302205253318488863.post-85599911235673012122024-01-16T12:59:00.002+00:002024-01-16T12:59:23.220+00:00Alex Cross Must Die by James Patterson<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123193295-alex-cross-must-die" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Alex Cross Must Die (Alex Cross #32)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1696259985l/123193295._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123193295-alex-cross-must-die">Alex Cross Must Die</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3780.James_Patterson">James Patterson</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6166677883">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Time taken to read - 1 day<br /><br />Pages - 416<br /><br />Publisher - Randomhouse UK<br /><br />Source - Netgalley<br /><br />Blurb from Goodreads <br /><br />Detectives Cross and Sampson are tracking a serial killer who's fatally ambushing young men in the “Dead Hours” murders. They don't hear the machine gun fire. At first.<br /><br />“Drop whatever you're doing, Dr. Cross, and head to Reagan Airport,” DC Metro Police dispatch says. “A plane just crashed and exploded on the runway. The chief and the FBI want you and John Sampson there pronto.”<br /><br />The weapon that took down the plane is a remote-controlled Vietnam-War-era machine gun. The list of those who possess the training and expertise to operate the stolen, .50-caliber weapon is short. And time runs even shorter.<br /><br />As Cross and Sampson race to prevent another mass murder, their fearsomely armed opponent once again looks skyward.<br /><br /><br />My Review <br /><br />It has been a few years since I picked up a James Patterson and more so since I read an Alex Cross. I LOVE the Alex Cross series and going on the title I thought this would be a cat and mouse with Cross and a baddy/taunting him. Maybe that is why I liked but didn't love this one.<br /><br />There are a fair few storylines, we have a terrorist attack on a commercial plane, a missing friend in the process of making a multimillion business launch, one of Alex's kids friends has gone missing, a killer targeting runners and if that isn't enough a teacher loved and trusted by all may not be all he seems to be.<br /><br />I love a busy book and there is no denying there is plenty to keep you hooked by I think maybe there was so much we spread just a little thinly. I felt like we hardly seen a whole lot of Alex Cross because there were so many characters to visit/see/chase/action.<br /><br />Page turner yeah, short chapters - we love but I think had we maybe had a wee bit less we may have had more if that makes sense. I liked it I just didn't love it so therefore 3.5/5 for us, terrorism, murder, families, dark web the book has loads to keep you occupied.<br /><br />
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So many books, so little timehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07564778178609301461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7302205253318488863.post-21103292992942310472024-01-10T13:44:00.003+00:002024-01-10T13:44:45.607+00:00Deception by Lesley Pearse <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/122698360-deception" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Deception" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1678223193l/122698360._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/122698360-deception">Deception</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/458937.Lesley_Pearse">Lesley Pearse</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6106549088">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Time taken to read - 1 day<br /><br />Pages - <br /><br />Publisher - Penguin<br /><br />Source - Bought<br /><br />Blurb from Goodreads<br /><br />What happens when the person closest to you has led a life of deception?<br /><br />After the funeral of her mother, Sally, Alice Kent is approached by a man named Angus Tweedy. He claims to be her father and tells her that he served time in prison for marrying Sally bigamously.<br /><br />What does he hope to gain by telling her this now, thirty years on?<br />How can her adored dad Ralph not be her true father?<br />And why did her mother betray her so badly?<br /><br />She had accepted Sally's many faults, and her reluctance to ever speak of the past. But faced with this staggering deception, Alice knows she must uncover the whole truth about her mother.<br /><br />Whatever the cost.<br /><br />As Alice journeys into the past she discovers her mother may never have been the woman she claimed to be . . .<br /><br /><br /><br />My Review <br /><br />When Sallys mum died getting to the funeral is the priority, being a little bit late she clocks a car tailing her and thinks nothing of it. Once the funeral is passed she meets a man who tells her something that will turn her whole world upside down. Did Sally ever really know her mother? Now she is determined to do some digging and get answers about her mother, who she really was and her past.<br /><br />The book flips between present day and back to Sally's mums youth and the years leading up to meeting Sally's dad. Back and forth we learn the impact of secrets of Sally's mum, what made her the way she was and of course the ripple effects it has on Sally.<br /><br />As we delve into the past we deal with some pretty horrific encounters, abuse, manipulation, pregnancy (and things surrounding it of that time period), adoption, death/loss. You know what Pearse's books bring especially those set in the time period, women being abused, unwanted pregnancy etc. Emotive at times as is the author's signature, 4/5 from us.
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So many books, so little timehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07564778178609301461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7302205253318488863.post-26269298101761182902024-01-08T21:18:00.000+00:002024-01-08T21:18:07.000+00:00The Dirty Dozen by Lynda La Plante Carrying on the #TeamTennison tour, we have my review for book five of the series "The Dirty Dozen" enjoy. <br /><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61136606-the-dirty-dozen" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="The Dirty Dozen (Tennison, #5)" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1653081730l/61136606._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61136606-the-dirty-dozen">The Dirty Dozen</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7929.Lynda_La_Plante">Lynda La Plante</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6052582307">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Time taken to read - in and out as able over a week<br /><br />Pages - 490<br /><br />Publisher - Zaffre<br /><br />Source - Review copy<br /><br />Blurb from Goodreads<br /><br />April 1980 and Jane is the first female detective to be posted to the Met’s renowned Flying Squad, commonly known as the ‘Sweeney’. Based at Rigg Approach in East London, they investigate armed robberies on banks, cash in transit and other business premises.<br /><br />Jane thinks her transfer is on merit and is surprised to discover she is actually part of a short-term internal experiment, intended to have a calming influence on a team that likes to dub themselves as the ‘Dirty Dozen’.<br /><br />The men on the squad don’t think a woman is up to the dangers they face when dealing with some of London’s most ruthless armed criminals, who think the only ‘good cop’ is a dead cop. Determined to prove she’s as good as the men, Jane discovers from a reliable witness that a gang is going to carry out a massive robbery involving millions of pounds.<br /><br />But she doesn’t know who they are, or where and when they will strike...<br /><br /><br />My Review <br /><br />Book five in the Tennison series, Jane is doing well and now made it onto the Mets Flying Squad, the first female to do so. It is the 1980s so be ready for sexist, racist, chauvinistic, offensive language from the police and the bad guys. A gang are committing robberies, scoring big and the team are investigating. Jane is quite confident in her abilities and why she got onto the team, through her hard work, merit and record. She finds herself met with hostility both with some of her new team mates and the only other female in the office (not an officer). <br /><br />The thing I like about Jane is she is almost always counted out and she brings it although admittedly she does have a few lapses in judgement at times. The other thing I really like is when they palm her off with nonsense or what they think is insubstantial she treats every job with the same level of efficiency - usually to her advantage.<br /><br />As well as the investigation we get a bit as usual from Jane's private life, her family this time, a bit of office shenanigans, a rough estate and some shady characters/behaviours. Threats, violence, murder and all the things we have come to know/love and expect in the Tennison series, page turner, shocking turns of events and enough variety to keep it fresh even though we are five books into the series, here is to number six, 4.5/5.
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So many books, so little timehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07564778178609301461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7302205253318488863.post-17535188733940753712024-01-07T19:52:00.002+00:002024-01-07T19:52:17.231+00:00Let Go Of What You Know by Amelia Hendrey <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/91141037-let-go-of-what-you-know" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Let Go of What You Know" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1675098330l/91141037._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/91141037-let-go-of-what-you-know">Let Go of What You Know</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17433074.Amelia_Hendrey">Amelia Hendrey</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6088874531">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Time taken to read - 3 days<br /><br />Pages - 262<br /><br />Publisher - Wrate's Publishing<br /><br />Source - Review copy<br /><br />Blurb from Goodreads <br /><br />Following the publication of her acclaimed memoir What Nobody Knew back in 2017, Amelia Hendrey’s readers all wanted to know when her next book would be out.<br /><br />Now the wait is finally over. While in her first book, Amelia bravely described her early years and surviving her brutal parents, in Part I of Letting Go of What You Know, she explains what happened next, humourously recounting her honeymoon in the Canaries, entering the workplace, caring for several quirky cats and becoming a first-time mum. In sharing the good times, Amelia proves how healing, growth and letting go are possible even after the worst start in life.<br /><br />In Part II, Amelia reveals the meticulous diary she kept as the Covid-19 pandemic brought fear and uncertainty into her world once again. Chronicling moments from her day-to-day life that everyone will relate to, her strength in the face of adversity shines through once again.<br /><br /><br />My Review <br /><br />This is the follow up book from "What Nobody Knew" a harrowing account of what Amelia endured/survived as a child. Whilst this book does reference a little about her past it is primarily the focus on the journey/recovery as an adult. <br /><br />The book itself is split into two really, the first is all about Amelia, recovering, how she recovered and found her way through adulthood, work, friends and her family. The second half is diary entries covering the Covid 18 pandemic. What she was doing as the news broke out, updates, statistics, news and what her and her family did during these dates, sometimes just purely entries on the pandemic. <br /><br />I preferred the first part as I feel the book read like two different books, the first Amelia's life and whilst the second did have snippets of what they did on X date it is hugely focused on the pandemic. I did like reading parts of it and its insane how much you forget you got through. And whilst it is interesting it took me away from her story. I would have liked to see them as separate books, one keeping to her life/experiences and the other her views on or just her diary itself with the pandemic.<br /><br />I found it really interesting how she tried to get her book out there and she covers her publishing journey and the steps she took, I think sometimes you forget just how hard it can be for someone getting their book out there when they don't have a big publisher behind them.<br /><br />Easy enough to read although it does have glimpses of distressing content (nothing like the first book which was raw, shocking and central focused on what she survived) she writes with an easy enough flow.<br /><br />It is nothing short of miraculous that Hendrey has came out the other side and with such positivity after what survived. If you haven't read the first book you absolutely should and for this one, especially the Covid stats it is shocking how many deaths/numbers and how things panned out. 3.5/5 from us, we have read Hendrey before and would read her again.
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So many books, so little timehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07564778178609301461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7302205253318488863.post-88004403182785662192024-01-05T14:49:00.004+00:002024-01-05T14:49:41.381+00:00The Prison Doctor: The Final Sentence by Doctor Amanda Brown<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61265619-the-prison-doctor" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="The Prison Doctor: The Final Sentence" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1654933472l/61265619._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61265619-the-prison-doctor">The Prison Doctor: The Final Sentence</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18642857.Amanda_Brown">Amanda Brown</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6100297438">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Time taken to read - 1 day<br /><br />Pages - 222<br /><br />Publisher - HQ Stories<br /><br />Source - bought<br /><br />Blurb from Goodreads <br /><br />Revisit the wold of The Prison Doctor, as she describes stories of her time spent with foreign national prisoners.<br /><br /><br /><br />In true Prison Doctor style Dr Amanda Brown tells heartbreaking stories with warmth and compassion of her time spent working with prisoners whose fate of deportation hangs in the balance.<br /><br /><br />Including moving and memorable stories, such as a Nigerian man who’s dying of cancer and wants to do so with his family around him rather than be deported back to his country where he will die alone, and a Ghanian who is terrified to return home as he knows certain death awaits him there because he’s gay, Dr Amanda describes how in the end she can only do what she does best. And that’s take care of her patients while they’re in prison.<br /><br /><br />My Review <br /><br />I have read the previous two books in this trilogy and followed doctor Brown's storyline of her career working from within a GP and onto prison settings. The stories follow what she has seen, dealt with and the horrific things prisons have seen/done to themselves and had done to them. This book is different, now she is working with prisoners who are up for potentially being deported. <br /><br />I had expected much of the same as the previous two books but this one has a bit of a hollower feeling - I think that is the word I am looking for. Normally we get lots of different people, cases, emergencies, conditions. I think there are a handful people's stories and some were really sad but I expected more. I just felt like this book hadn't gave me as much both in terms of people featured and their stories.<br /><br />The writing is fine as it was, I would absolutely read more by her and I am always interested in any kind of healthcare stories. I think in prison and prison stories (true stories) it gives people a chance to see just how tough it can be in terms of management of conditions, mental health, access to care but I didn't really get that from this one. Sure if featured some bit it was flashes. <br /><br />We also hear a bit more of her career and it was nice to see her reunited with previous colleagues and changes in a place she had previously worked (reshaped for completely different type of individuals). <br /><br />So whilst I found it interested I felt it had a lot less offered than previous books, 3/5 for me this time.
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So many books, so little timehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07564778178609301461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7302205253318488863.post-65394606758162465512024-01-02T18:22:00.002+00:002024-01-02T18:22:35.960+00:00January Giveaway is now liveFor our first competition of January we will have a wee x1 £5 Amazon voucher. <br /><br />
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As the voucher comes directly from Amazon it is open to UK ONLY. Don't worry we have competitions throughout the year,some more than one per month and they are mixed, UK only or open worldwide. Every competition has their own specification/location and almost all are via the Rafflecopter, if they are on our FB side page or Instagram/Tiktok/Twitter they will advise on the post what you need to do. To enter this comp please use the Raffflecopter below, only mark entries you have completed as winning entries are checked. <br /><br /> <br />
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<script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>So many books, so little timehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07564778178609301461noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7302205253318488863.post-66233981818850495742024-01-02T15:32:00.005+00:002024-01-02T15:32:57.437+00:00A Wife's Courage by Kitty Neale <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/74877387-a-wife-s-courage" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="A Wife's Courage" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1684778850l/74877387._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/74877387-a-wife-s-courage">A Wife's Courage</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/493737.Kitty_Neale">Kitty Neale</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6082381033">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Time taken to read - 1 day<br /><br />Pages - 404<br /><br />Publisher - Orion books<br /><br />Source - Bought<br /><br />Blurb from Goodreads <br /><br />Can she choose between her husband and her family? London, 1944. With bombs raining over London, keeping the Battersea Tavern open is no easy feat for owner Winnie Berry - but the community need the warmth and familiarity of the pub more than ever. After marriage, Maureen Fanning had moved out to Wandsworth with her bad-tempered husband Brancher. But when he loses both his job and their lodgings, the only people who will take them in are her kindly grandparents, Len and Renee. Getting a cleaning job at the Battersea Tavern is the least she can do to pay them back. It would all be fine... if it weren't for Brancher. Winnie is determined to take timid Maureen under her wing. But when tragedy strikes, it will be up to Maureen to find the strength she didn't know she possessed...Praise for A WIFE'S COURAGE'A fantastic emotional book to the end' 'What a lovely read once again from Kitty Neale.'<br /><br /><br />My Review <br /><br />This is listed on FantasticFiction as a standalone however there are characters in this from previous books so I think I will need to go back and buy the others. To be fair I do have a few of hers on my tbrm and read a few anyway. Set in 1940s, world war two is under way and bombs are dropping quite often without warning. Winnie and her pub are still there, offering support where needed within their small community. Maureen I don't remember from the books I have read but she is married to Brancher, ugh he is an utter scumbag. We know early on he is a bully to Maureen, eroding her self confidence and even sense of self but you have no idea just how bad he is.<br /><br />In this one we see some familiar faces, some new ones and how the community is coping with their own issues/families/dramas and the ever present threat of death from the bombs. It has been a while since I sank a book in a day and Neale takes you to a place where you can just log out of reality and lose yourself in the community that is Battersea.<br /><br />The book has friendship, love, loss, abuse (emotional/violent/threats of violence), death, racism, attitudes and values of the times. Maureen's character really got under my skin, I think when you have lived with or loved someone who has been in a coercive relationship and seen just how badly they can be made to be and worthless to feel, it is enraging.<br /><br />This is the latest release from Neale and I look forward to her next, I have many from her back catalogue I haven't read so will be getting them. This was a bargain buy and I got another copy for the BDWB's for my workies as I knew it would be a good one, 4.5/5 for me.
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So many books, so little timehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07564778178609301461noreply@blogger.com0