What If I Never Get Over You by Paige Toon

What If I Never Get Over You by Paige Toon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2.5 days

Pages - 416

Publisher - Penguin

Source - Netgalley and bought a copy

Blurb from Goodreads

One Day meets a contemporary Bridgerton in this high-drama, escapist wonder of a love story, Paige Toon’s best yet.

Three days to fall in love. Six years to try to forget.

Ellie didn’t expect to fall in love while interrailing through Europe. But she also didn’t expect to meet a man like Ash. Three blistering days in Lisbon is all it takes to form an unforgettable connection—a bond deep enough for them to scrap their itineraries and plan to meet again in Spain. But Ellie arrives late, and Ash is nowhere to be found.

Six years later, Ellie has landed her dream job working as a gardener for a viscount and viscountess on their sprawling five-hundred-year-old estate in Wales. She finds peace amongst the towering topiary hedges and colorful gardens, but her idyll is shattered when Ash crashes back into her life. And when it becomes clear why he didn’t show in Madrid, her heart breaks anew—for what the truth means for her, and for his fate.

But they have never been able to resist each another, and when the sparks of their attraction fly, Ellie’s life will catch flame. She will have to make a choice.


My Review

Ellie is interrailing (I think of it as backpacking but not sure if there is an actual difference), trying to deal with stuff and personal growth. When she meets Ash she has no intention of dating, she is dealing with a whole host of stuff but then Ash, beautiful Ash and her just click. For three days in Lisbon love blossoms and they make plans to meet and travel together. Typical something happens and they don't meet, she is late and he isn't there when she arrives. Six years of struggling with the loss of what could have been, her family expectations and everything her and Ash had she does something for herself and gets her dream job. Just as everything is going perfectly Ash crashes back into her life, everything is turned upside down, there is a lot of hurt, questions and barriers you could not begin to imagine but what they felt all those years ago still burns, in them both. What do you do when you are pulled together like moths to a flame but everything is stacked against you?

Aw guys, so I have read a Paige Toon ages ago (I checked Goodreads, 2012!) so when we got the chance to read this one, clickity click! I am a sucker for a romance and who hasn't had either a holiday romance or the old one who got away. Coupled with that you have so many family issues, on both the main characters, Ash and Ellie, parental expectations, keeping up with the Joneses . With this one we have a wee bit of classism, societal divides for example the gardeners at Ellies new job, they all work at this beautiful prestigious 500 year old estate but there is a tone between other hired staff and the gardeners.

When Elli and Ash finally find each other again, especially after six long years there is so much to unwrap! I loved the will they won't they, the barriers flung between them, the shady attitude especially exhibited by Ash's dad and one of the help at the house. People can be absolute bangers, snobbery and how folk treat each other, even Ellie's parent's, despite not being in the book much their impact they have on Ellie is huge and far reaching.

A tale of love, near misses, societal barriers, travel, family, relationships, friendships and following your heart and dreams. At one point I had goosebumps, a few moments of NOOOOOO what are you doing! As I said I have only read one of Toon's books before this and will be getting more, 4.5/5 from us.

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A Secret In The Family by Nancy Revell

A Secret in the Family by Nancy Revell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 440

Publisher - Penguin

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

1945, Sunderland. Ida Boulter makes the heart-wrenching decision to leave her five children behind as she escapes her husband and moves to London to start afresh with the love of her life.
1953, County Durham. Ida’s children have since built a new life in the beautiful home of Cuthford Manor – looked after by their eldest sibling Angie and her husband.
But their world is about to be rocked once again when their mother turns up out of the blue for the first time in eight years.
She has come back bearing a secret she can no longer keep from her family.
Will telling the truth cause more harm than good?
Only their love for one another will carry them through the turbulent times ahead.
Readers love Nancy


My Review

Oooft 1945 Ida is running off with her lover and leaving behind her five kids, she knows her eldest will look after them, she always has. A woman leaving her husband and her kids, back in the 40s was almost unheard of, doing it the day before your eldest daughters wedding is pretty brutal. Now eight years later Ida is back and about to shatter her kids lives all over again.

I LOVE when authors create a world and characters you can envelope yourself in and this is exactly what we get here. I mean what a pull, a time when women stayed in marriages regardless of how bad things where and rarely did they leave let alone leave their kids behind. So you have the pull and intrigue right from the off and now eight years have passed and she is back WE NEED TO KNOW!

The kids are at different ages, the younger two are quite delighted and intrigued, the next two are loathe to acknowledge her let alone listen to anything she has to say and the eldest, Angie, she has always been a good and fair person so she gives Ida a chance to talk. I mean the decision kinda is forced on her but regardless some folk would have told her to sling her hook!

Very much actions, consequences, secrets, lies and some pearl clutching, gasp/shock moments, there are some scenes that hint to or actually have threat of violence/SA so prepare yourself. Even the 1940s had some bad folk around and there are always people looking to take advantage. I really liked how many themes ran in the book and at the heart of it all, family and love. There is some classism and snobbery, manipulation/expectation - again the time period it is absolutely expected, 4.5/5 from us this time.

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A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal

A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 338

Publisher - First ink

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Why save the world when you can have tea?

On the streets of White Roaring, Arthie Casimir is a criminal mastermind and collector of secrets. Her prestigious tearoom transforms into an illegal bloodhouse by dark, catering to the vampires feared by society. But when her establishment is threatened, Arthie is forced to strike an unlikely deal with an alluring adversary to save it—and she can’t do the job alone.

Calling on some of the city's most skilled outcasts, Arthie hatches a plan to infiltrate the sinister, glittering vampire society known as the Athereum. But not everyone in her ragtag crew is on her side, and as the truth behind the heist unfolds, Arthie finds herself in the midst of a conspiracy that will threaten the world as she knows it.

From the New York Times—bestselling author of We Hunt the Flame comes the first book in a hotly anticipated fantasy duology teeming with romance and revenge, led by an orphan girl willing to do whatever it takes to save her self-made kingdom. Dark, action-packed, and swoonworthy, this is Hafsah Faizal better than ever.


My Review

I honestly don't know where to start, this is a beautiful copy, mine has sprayed pages which is what drew me to the book, I am a sucker for sprayed pages. So Vampires, tick, romance and revenge it sounded like it had everything I could want. I don't really know what to say, it was very light on the vampire side to be honest to the point I felt they were incidental. Arthie Casimir owns a tearoom that cater to vampires at night, on the sneak. There is a big brutal boss who lords control and power over everything and now Arthie's tearoom is being threatened to be taken from her. With her bestie they embark on a mission with the help of others to do the undoable and take down the bad guy and save the tearoom.

I checked fantasticfiction and it is book one in a series but I feel like I was missing out on so much, Arthie does she have a back story of her own like a whole other book? The romance part again wasn't a huge play at all in the book the only thing that I would say was central and the plot was the revenge and everyone working together.

A mixed bunch of characters, secrets, lies, I would say more flirty and scorn than romance. The coconut thing I will let you read, discover and absorb yourself but that was another thing I was a bit like um ok? The book was ok, I didn't love it but did like some of the characters (Jin - I loved Jin) and interactions which makes it 3/5. Some folk seem to love this book, I think maybe the other series but give me a bit more - I just feel I was missing so much that maybe is why I didn't connect with the characters as much. The book has a map which is stunning, we do love a map.

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The Sixpenny Orphan by Glenda Young

The Sixpenny Orphan by Glenda Young
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 322

Publisher - Headline

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

'Please, sir, take us both. We only have each other. We don't know how to live apart.'

After the death of their parents, sisters Poppy and Rose are taken in by widow Nellie Harper. But whilst they have a roof over their heads, the young orphans are unloved, unwanted, and always hungry, with only one pair of boots between them. Keen to make money, Nellie hatches a plan to sell the girls to the mysterious Mr Scurrfield. But when the day comes for them to leave, Scurrfield reveals he will take only one of the sisters - and he will decide which it will be on the turn of a sixpence.

Ten years later, Poppy is married with three children. Not a day goes by when she doesn't think about Rose, but after many years of searching, Poppy has accepted that her sister is lost to her. That is until a letter suddenly arrives, revealing Rose's fate and breaking Poppy's heart. Determined to be reunited with her beloved sister, Poppy sets out to bring Rose home.

Mt Review

Two poor little girls being "looked after" by a widow, Nellie, who has little interest in them, the weans are barely cared for. When Nellie has the bright idea to make money and be rid of them both she feels she is coming into money and can say goodbye to her pitiful existence. However when the buyer takes only one of the girls, Poppy is heartbroken and will never forget her sister. Ten years pass and finally Poppy has the chance to try and get her sister back however Poppy is poor and struggling to make ends meet and Rose is very different to the little girl Poppy last seen ten years ago.

Ooft family drama/saga guys, classism, set in a time where people could sell off children to the wealthy and not an eyelid batted, ooft. The book is split really in two, the past when the girls are wee and just trying to get by day by day, starving, sharing a pair of boots and then ten years on and divided by class, money and unknown danger.

As well as issues surrounding the time period, poverty, classism we also examine the affects of family being torn apart, experiences and how that shapes character and interaction(s). Wee bit emotive in places, rage inducing and all the things we have come to expect from Young, we do like her books and perfect for stepping out of your own life into others, if only for a short time. 4/5 from us, we have a few of hers on the tbrm and look forward to reading them.

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Running scared by Mandasue Heller

Running Scared by Mandasue Heller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - < 1 day

Pages - 384

Publisher - Pan Macmillan

Source - Netgalley & bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Set in Manchester, Running Scared is a nerve-shredding thriller by bestselling author Mandasue Heller.

When Alexis ‘Lexi’ James falls out with her best mate Nicole over ‘bad boy’ Ryan King, it’s just the beginning of a chain of events that go from bad to worse to deadly.

Returning home one night to her high-rise flat, she is faced by a terrifying scene that changes her life forever and matters are made worse when she is put into care in another town.

Years later, Lexi has left school and is back in Manchester. A chance meeting with Nicole and her so-called ‘other half’ Ryan ends in disaster and she vows never to see them again. Then one night she is saved from a vicious attack by a charming stranger. He takes her home and their acquaintance blossoms into something much deeper.

When her new man receives a call in the middle of the night and leaves in a hurry, she is horrified when he returns with someone she never thought she would see again. It soon becomes obvious that Lexi doesn’t know her new lover as well as she thought, and she is forced to make a decision that will have devastating results . . .


My Review

It has been a wee while since I read Heller and I forgot how much I enjoy her writing. She creates some real unsavoury characters, some we root for and can still get exasperated but some of their choices and behaviours. Meet Lexi, poor, estate kid, best pal has now got money, isn't a very nice individual and her home life brings its own challenges. When she has a chance to stay out, be with her friend and just enjoy a party.............everything changes!

The story spans over ten years, the first part is meeting the characters and then we flip forward to ten years later. Oooft guys, we see some really reprehensive behaviour, shady/dark sides of humanity, abuse, intimidation, SA, abuse of power/authority, drugs, violence, murder - it has a whole whack of everything.

Even when things get really dark you struggle to put it down, how can people be like this and you get the WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!?!? for some people's life choices/decisions, why, NO don't do that, OMG, AHHHHHHH. I read this in less a day, sometimes you just want to step outside your own world/drama just for a little while, Heller gives you that opportunity to immerse in some shady underworld style characters, 4.5/5 for me!

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The Fake-Up by Justin Myers

The Fake-Up by Justin Myers
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 384

Publisher - Little Brown, UK

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

TWO EXES. ONE BIG SECRET. LET THE GAMES BEGIN...

Dylan and Flo are on the rocks. Of course they are in love. Obviously they want it to work. But sometimes it feels like the world is against them. Their flat is falling apart, their friends never stop meddling and the obstacles keeping them from their dreams are insurmountable. Maybe they just . . . aren't meant to be?

The break-up completely shatters them both. While Flo cries in her Mum's kitchen, penning ballads about heartache, Dylan is forced to sleep on his best friend's sofa and channel his pain into acting.

And, unexpectedly, their stars begin to rise.

Soon Dylan and Flo are on the cusp of everything they've ever wanted. There's only one problem: they can't be without one another, but their hard-won futures depend on their estrangement. Can they keep their relationship a secret from the world? Or has fate conspired to keep them apart for good?


My Review

Dylan and Flo are in love, their relationship is great apart from their backgrounds, their upbringings, their issues in their flat and being from different classes the issues that brings. Dylan has some hangups, he wants to put in as much as Flo but Flo comes from money and Dylan has his pride. Flo's friends and family think she can do better, their flat needs some serious TLC, Dylan just needs his one big break as an actor and Flo, voice of an angel just needs her opening, her chance and she will show the world how talented she is. As the strain becomes too much they decide to break up however it is never that easy and they both still love each other but now the world and their friends are watching.

Uck you know what it is like, take the money out of it and we all have had that one boyfriend or girlfriend that our friends/fam don't like, think we can do better than. That is the thing with Flo and Dylan, Flo is a singer, Dylan is an actor and both are looking for their big break which ironically things start looking up when they split and the drama comes with all that jazz.

It is a perfect poolside read or just wanting a wee escapism reading drama of others lives, breaking into the big time, relationship dramas and what happens when you get a bit of fame. Some not very nice characters, some nice, some shady behaviours, it was fine, light, barbed humour at parts, 3/5 for me.

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The Daisy Chain by Al Campbell

Today is my turn on the blog tour, for my stop I have my review - enjoy.

The Daisy Chain by Al Campbell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Pages - 252

Publisher - RedDoorPress

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

Set in an incredibly exciting period of history, a pacy debut, brimming with adventure and romance England, 1771: Recently orphaned Daisy Salter moves from quiet Suffolk society to the hustle and bustle of London. A talented botanical illustrator and amateur scientist, frustrated Daisy finds herself governess to the daughter of her sister and brutish noble brother-in-law. However, a chance encounter with pre-eminent scientist Joseph Banks changes everything and, when the extent of her talent is revealed, Daisy not only becomes Artist in Residence at the magnificent Kew Gardens, but confidante of Queen Charlotte, King George III's wife. But whilst science and plant hunting expeditions are flourishing, at sea the 'triangular trade' is in full swing and Daisy is unwittingly inveigled into espionage, tea smuggling and the slave trade. Who is friend and who is foe? Can Daisy work out whom to trust before disaster strikes?


My Review

So this is my first time reading this author and I feel I am now at a point where I can't say I don't really read historical fiction because that is now quite a few and I have liked them all. Set in 1717, England we meet Daisy. For the time period the females are settling, married, babies, Daisy is somewhat different, she is into science, painting specifically flowers and never really been fussed with male attention. She is bright, gifted and devoted to her father, after his death she has to go and live with her sister and brother in law where everything changes and even Daisy can't ignore the gentlemen callers. Although not all are what they seem!

So set in the time period there is racism, slavery, classism, sexism, skulduggery, shady and underhanded behaviour but there is more to this story. I really do like Daisy, she isn't fainting at the least thing nor gushing over any suitable males. She is interesting, knowledgeable, feisty (for that time period) all things women of that time period would be shunned for.

You have family issues, the shady brother in law with money and his fingers in some really dodgy stuff. As we see Daisy start to take interest in the opposite sex but continue to expand her learning, love of flowers/painting. I loved reading up on some of the characters, flowers, places - it was just nice to sink into. I felt at the beginning it was a bit of a genteel paced book and that was how it was going to be however there are some really dark elements but done without harrowing details or being sensationalist with it.

This was my first time reading this author, I really liked so much about Daisy that I really hope this is a start of a series for her and not a one off. She is very interesting and the book gives some history whist wrapped up in a tale of adventures, mystery and romance, 4/5 for me this time!

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Tell Me How To Be by Neel Patel

Tell Me How to Be by Neel Patel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - < 2 days

Pages - 336

Publisher - Trapeze books

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

Lost in the jungle of Los Angeles, Akash Amin is filled with shame. Shame for liking men. Shame for wanting to be a songwriter. Shame for not being like his perfect brother. Shame for his alcoholism. And most of all, shame for what happened with the first boy he ever loved. When his mother tells him she is selling the family home, Akash must return to Illinois to confront his demons and the painful memory of a sexual awakening that became a nightmare.

Akash's mum, Renu, is also plagued by guilt. She had it all: doting husband, beautiful house, healthy sons. But as the one-year anniversary of her husband's death approaches Renu can't stop wondering if she chose the wrong life thirty-five years ago and should have stayed in London with her first love.

Together, Renu and Akash pack up the house, retreating further into the secrets that stand between them. When their pasts catch up to them, Renu and Akash must decide between the lives they left behind and the ones they've since created.

By turns irreverent and tender, filled with the beats of '90s R&B, Tell Me How to Be is about our earliest betrayals and the cost of reconciliation. But most of all, it is the love story of a mother and son each trying to figure out how to be in the world.



My Review

Growing up in a family where expectations and traditions are set, your brother is everything to make the parents proud and you seem to always be the opposite. You can be your true self, your career is a disappointment - you just want to write songs and you have a secret that is tearing you apart. That is Akash, never measuring up to family expectations, hiding his sexuality, shamed and his internal war causing addictions and destructive behaviour.

The book splits between the view points of Akash and his mum Renu, after his fathers sudden death she is finding herself in a strange new life. She can do what she wants and Renu has her own guilt and secrets. With opportunity and freedom she looks up her old flame but can a widow, with expectations really follow her heart after all these years?

The book is really emotive. I felt for Akash, I got annoyed at him, I felt sad for him, I wanted to hug him, I wanted to slap him. Self destructive behaviour, lashing out, hiding behind a façade and struggling between who he is and who he appears to be for his family. They both, Akash and Renu visit back to their past and secrets that have plagued them and impacted on who they are and actions to the present predicaments they find themselves in.

Again with Renu, I fist pumped the air at one point GO GIRL then another I wanted to slap her for her cruel mouth. As you learn more about both complex characters you understand a bit more about why they are the way they are now, in the present. Woven throughout the book we have lyrics and music from the 90's some I knew and had a wee bit of nostalgia, some I had to ask Alexa to play.

I also liked learning a bit about Akash and Renu's culture, I was often putting the book down to google stuff and I do enjoy when a book gives you a chance to learn a bit more like this. the book features a lot of themes, as I said it is emotive. A gay man having to suppress who he is and the negative impact that has on him, sexuality, sex, love, relationships and Renu, how an arranged marriage impacted so heavily on her life, outlook. What it is like living where she is as a married woman, how the locals treat her and how things are different now she is a widow.

I could go on and on about this book to be honest, it has a very raw and human feel to it, things you like about them, things you don't, how they behave, react, act, family/relationship issues and of course the old actions and consequences. This is my first time reading this author, it won't be my last 4/5 for me this time.

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