Review - Dead Lovely by Helen Fitzgerald

Dead Lovely by Helen Fitzgerald
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Publisher - Faber and Faber

Blurb from Goodreads

Krissie and Sarah had been best friends since they were children. But cracks start to appear when Sarah and her husband Kyle who have been trying unsuccessfully to have a baby and Krissie accidentally becomes pregnant following a drug-fuelled dalliance in a Tenerife toilet cubicle. Then one night friendship turns to betrayal, and to murder.


My Review

The book starts with Krissie and an admission of adultery with her best friends husband and the murder of her best friend Sarah. How is that for an opening first page! The story then bounces back to when Krissie, our main character, finds out she is pregnant and it is Sarah who helps her through it. This leads to an opening on Sarah's story and her husband who is also Krissie's friend of old. we get a background on their relationships then back to what is happening and reverting back to relevant history. Sarah has problems conceiving which leads to issues with her husband Kyle and they are all dealing with issues. They decide to go on a camping trip together, which is where the story starts initially and then goes back to a chunk of the book later, where everything takes a dark turn.

This could be one of the most bizarre books I have read or at least up in the top ten. It starts off with dark humour, a build up of their friendship and all the carry on in between. It then just takes a crazy turn where it stretches the imagination to be believable, body excretions are involved in a graphic and stomach turning way and everything goes crazy.

You can't help but keep going as you want to know where the story will end up, I honestly couldn't see where this was going to go. It is incredibly crazy, over the top with it's madness although only after the camping trip really as before that it was just a story laying foundation between the characters. I have an author event in Waterstones which is why I bought this book to see the way the author writes. As this is her first book I can't wait to see how her writing has progressed and what the new book is like. This one I would say if you don't go for a tale that goes a bit over the realms of believability with mentions of body excretions and are easily offended avoid this one. Sex is mentioned a few times throughout and again I can't stress enough about body fluids also there is a pedophile story branched in as well, just an fyi. I am not sure how her other novels compare but this one I feel is a 3/5, certainly for the bulk of the story.

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Review - The Make by Jessie Keane

The Make by Jessie Keane
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Publisher - Harper

blurb from Goodreads

Murder, loyalty and vengeance collide in Jessie Keane's gritty fourth novel.


Life is good for Gracie Doyle – running her Manchester casino keeps her busy. Until the police turn up at her door one day and her world is turned upside down. She is given news that her two estranged brothers have been viciously attacked. George is in hospital on a ventilator and worringly, Harry is missing.


Gracie has no option but to leave the good life and dip her toe into the murky waters of her East End past. She leaves for London in an attempt to avenge her brothers and in doing so uncovers some unsavoury secrets about the lifestyle they've been leading. Their little games have got them into big trouble with the wrong people…


She must keep her wits about her and try to find Harry, or it could prove fatal…



My Review

Gracie Doyle is our main character and where the story starts off. She runs her own Casino in Manchester and life is good. The police inform her that her estranged brother is on a ventilator and may not survive after a vicious attack whilst her other brother is missing. Gracie receives her own threats and heads to London to see what her brothers have been up to and dragged her into. Soon she realizes that this is serious and begins to do some digging before she becomes the next target.

I have to be honest, I have enjoyed Jessie Keane's last two books I read but this one was quite a struggle. It starts off fairly quickly with enough to grab your attention but I just felt it was slow going in a lot of places. It starts present day in December with Gracie, then skips into the recent past to cover Harry and George, her brothers, and what happens with them to lead up to recent events.

When things kick off it does hold your attention but really that is all, I struggled between giving this a 3 or 2 star rating. I finally went with a 3 star as it is a decent read but I feel it does pale in comparison to her other work I have read and enjoyed. I will read her other work as I do enjoy her writing style but if your just about to try this author I would start with another book, 3/5 for me this time.

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Brand new copies of MandaSue Hellers Broke (paperback)

As part of the book tour I took part in for Mandasue Heller's awesome new book, Hodder & Stoughton are giving away two brand new copies of Broke in paperback. This competition will run for 2 days and end on Monday. To be in with a chance for this great prize you just need to fill in the rafflecopter below.

Good luck to everyone entering. I really enjoyed this book, read my review here http://www.alwaysreading.net/2013/01/arc-broke-by-mandasue-heller.html

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Review - The Black Widow by Jessie Keane

Black Widow by Jessie Keane
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Publisher - Harper

Blurb from Goodreads

In Dirty Game, Annie Bailey was an East End Madam. In Black Widow she’s queen of the gangs and trying to save her daughter’s life…

Annie Bailey had done it all; Madam, mistress and Gangster's moll. Now she's Annie Carter, and she taking over the East End.

Annie knew that it wouldn't last. Everything was going so well; she was living in Majorca, had Max Carter - the head of the Carter firm by her side, and had given him a beautiful daughter, Layla. But if there was one thing life had taught her, it was that everything could change in the blink of an eye. One minute she's lying by the pool, the next she's out cold. When she comes round Max and Layla are gone.

It's not long before she gets the demands. They want money or she'll be getting her little girl back in pieces…

There's only one thing Annie can do, she heads back to the East End of London and gathers the Carter firm together. Someone has snatched her husband and child. Now there's a score to settle, and it's being settled Annie Carter style…



My Review


The book starts off about 4 years after the first book. Annie is happy married to Max and they have a beautiful wee girl Layla. Living in Majorca and not having to think about anything Annie has gotten comfortable and let her guard down and she will pay for it. She is lying in the sun enjoying her family one minute and the next she wakes up to a blood bath and Max and Layla are gone. She soon discovers that if she wants her family she better pay up. Annie finds herself going through a horrific journey, trying to jump through hoops to meet the demands, keep her family safe and maintain her sanity but the clock is ticking!

I have to say, the book starts quite quick and then slows down a bit but keeps you engrossed. Annie's character, albeit she has had a shock, seemed a light version of her previous hard as nails character. I didn't like it and it seemed to take forever for Annie to get with it and come into her character. For that reason the book almost got a 3 star rating, however, over half way through it starts to pick up and I couldn't put it down. Annie becomes the Annie we know of old and tackles things head on and does what she has to to try and get her family back.

I also wasn't overly impressed with the massacres in this book, not in how they are done as the writing is fine but it just seemed overkill and not required. I am going to get into the third book soon and hoping things are evened out a bit. We see the characters of the past back in this tale and it is nice to read about people we have met in the previous book. There are a few new faces in this one, some to love and some to hate. I would recommend reading the first in this series as it helps build up your picture of what Annie is really like and a love for the other characters. This one I was on the fence with for quite a bit but the latter half of the book really saved it so 4/5 for me this time.

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Review - The Midwife's Confession by Diane Chamberlain

The Midwife's Confession by Diane Chamberlain
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Publisher - Harlequin Mira

Blurb from Goodreads

"I don't know how to tell you what I did."

Would you read a letter never meant to be opened? Would you want to know secrets never meant to be told? Or should a woman's mistakes stay buried?

An unfinished letter was hidden among Tara and Emerson's best friend's things after her suicide. Noelle was the woman they entrusted to deliver their precious babies into the world, a beloved friend. Her suicide shocked them both. But her legacy could destroy them.

For her letter reveals a terrible secret that challenges everything they thought they knew. Taking them on a journey that will irrevocably change their own lives - and the life of a desperate stranger - forever.


My Review

Imagine your best friend had killed herself, the kindest and most helpful person in your wee town and out of the blue she kills herself. Now imagine you and your other best friend trying to go through her stuff and piece it all together. This is what happens with Tara and Emerson after Noelle commits suicide. A midwife who helped many and ran loads of programmes to help others and for no known reason has left them. As they start to go through her belongings they discover secrets that show they didn't know their friend at all and some secrets that will rip their world apart.

Oh.My.God I loved this story and had life and work not got in the way I would have got through it in one sitting. The story goes chapter to chapter from each of the girls and from the present to the past. Each chapter is named on who the view point is from (it is all done in first person narrative) and the past is dated so you can follow it easily. A few times I felt I knew exactly where the story was going and then Chamberlain would pull something else out of the bag and turn it on its head. The twist at the end I did not see coming and gasped!

This book has had some slated reviews which I actually don't understand as it is well written, engaging from the start and covers a lot of bases. Some parts of the story some people may find a bit "aye right" but overall it is very well done and I bought into it all. The characters are quite different and each has something you will like or hate. It is books like this that prompt me to go off and snap up all of the authors work and race through them. I thought it was a great read although some parts of it may be a bit upsetting as one of the characters is a midwife and as much as they bring and experience joy there are some sad moments in their career. This was a blinder for me, I loved it so 5/5 for me.

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Additonal giveaway - Turner by Karl Drinkwater

I am giving away my copy of my latest read and ARR book - Turner by Karl Drinkwater. The book has the slightest evidence of being read, however the spine is in tact and has no creases or damage. The back cover has a wee kick out due to being carried around in my bag for a few hours. You can find my review here http://www.alwaysreading.net/2013/08/arr-turner-by-karl-drinkwater.html

This is a wee additional giveaway so it will only be open for a week, fill out the rafflecopter form as always.

a Rafflecopter giveaway Any questions or issues, please drop me a note

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ARR - Turner by Karl Drinkwater

Turner by Karl Drinkwater
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Blurb From Goodreads

An isolated Welsh island seemed like the perfect escape for a convict on the run, a jilted woman, and a policeman seeking a quiet life. When the surly locals turn to murderous violence the three visitors are forced on the run together, trying to stay one step ahead of their increasingly insane pursuers.

The bad news keeps coming. There are too many to fight. There is no escape from the island. And the worst storm in years has just begun. They can only run and hide as they face a night of horror and madness. If they don't work together then none of them will live to see the light of day.

Phil Rickman, on BBC Radio Wales' Phil The Shelf literary programme, likened it to "The Wicker Man in Wales". The writer Bec Zugor summed it up as: "This will do, for visiting remote islands, what Jaws did for swimming in the sea."

This tense survival horror novel is a homage to decades of nasty villains, scary predicaments, and bloody books and films.

My Review

A small island in Wales, beautiful countryside, small population and right beside the sea, sounds perfect right? It does for a newly located police officer David Smithwick, wanting a quiet change away from his recent past with his new dog Spotty. A young man, Chris, looking to stay under the radar, get a wee job and keep his head down & Megan a young woman taking a break, camping and being at one with nature after being jilted by her lover. These three are looking for something in this island away from the "real world" and get a lot more than they bargain for. When David happens upon Megan by accident, or fate, soon they realize this town is more than they bargained for and are soon on the run for their lives. When Chris comes into the mix, the trio must trust in each other, strangers, to fight for their lives and try and come to terms with what is happening and stay ahead of the horror and violence that awaits them.

When I am approached by an author who isn't well known, I approach the books with an open mind but never expect too much. I was really surprised and delighted by this wee book, coming in at 191 pages, I read it in one night. It is a creepy wee town and there are more than the three characters I listed above, they are the start of main ones. There are "baddies" throughout the book and satanic tones but I don't want to spoil any surprises or ruin the suspense for you. The book reminded me of many, many horror movies that I have loved growing up, not in a copying sense, more how you are drawn in to the creepiness and thinking oh no, do go in there or don't do that.

It doesn't take long to start and the anticipation that something is about to go wrong and is eerie starts from the opening chapter. There were a few wee things that annoyed me however characters in horror movies and books will always evoke this reaction, for me anyway.

Chris has quite a mouth on him and if swearing offends you, you should steer clear of this book as his language does get quite colorful. However I believe if you were being hunted down you may be the same and it falls in with his character background, which you find out about as the story progresses.

I did enjoy this book, especially one part near the end of the story, I may have actually whooped out loud! I would read this author again and indeed have another on my tbr list but for me this time it is a 4/5. If your looking for a new author to try, like stories that revolve around remote towns gone wrong, blood lust and murder then I think this might be perfect for you. Available on amazon for £7.00 in paperback or £2.01 for the kindle. Thanks to the author for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

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