Drift Stumble Fall by M. Jonathan Lee

Drift Stumble Fall by M. Jonathan Lee
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - on and off over 2 days

Pages - 310

Publisher - Hideaway Fall

Source - Review copy

Blurb from back cover

Richard Brown has had enough of his life of commitment, resentment, routine and responsibility. Staring out of his window, he enviously observes the tranquil life of Bill, the neighbour living in the bungalow across the road. From his lounge, Bill keenly watches as Richard's young family grows. Yet underneath the apparent domestic bliss both lives are lies, secrets, imperfections, sadness and suffering far greater than either could have imagined. As the two men watch each other from afar, it soon becomes apparent that other people's lives are never what they seem.

My Review

Richard is a married father of two young children, he feels trapped, anxious and needs to get out for self preservation. The mundane life, the screaming children, the coldness of his wife, the irritation of his in laws, Richard cannot take anymore. When he looks out the window and sees his elder neighbour, calm, quiet, perfect he can't help but wish he could swap, even if it meant losing many years of his existence. Richard has to get out, he needs to escape, for himself and for his families happiness, the more he watches his neighbour the more he needs to cement his plan to be free.

Lee is an author who is a campaigner for mental health, from the books of his I have read this is very clear in the stories and his writing. Whilst Richard is the main focus of the story, we see signs of other glimpses of mental health in the other characters. His wife I felt had a huge struggle going on, in the glimpses we get of her and her interactions I think she is also suffering deeply and I think this is very clever writing by the author. We often get so self involved and wrapped up in our own lives, struggles, personal issues, Richard is so wrapped in his own journey and issues his wife is just background noise.

I think mental health is something we need more focus on and doing it in the form of fiction is a fantastic idea. We get to see inside a seemingly happy family life, we see that through Bill's eyes, the neighbour across the way that Richard covet's "happy" home. We see how Richard struggles daily and the lengths he will go to to avoid time with his family. I really wasn't a fan of Richard for a lot of the book, his plan on what he was going to do was despicable. However when you get into the story and understand his suffering, his journey it gives you a different insight.

An important show of how the grass isn't always greener on the other side, something many of us are guilty of yearning for. How mental health can affect us differently and completely control our lives, outlooks, actions. It provokes thought and challenges judgements the reader can't help but make when initially meeting Richard and by the end giving a completely different view point. 3.5 out of 5 for me this time, I have a fair few books by this author on my tbrm I need to bump them up the list.

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Oh Dear Sylvia by Dawn French

Oh Dear Silvia by Dawn French
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - Over 2 days

Publisher - Penguin

Pages - 342

Source - The Works

Blurb from Goodreads

Who is in Coma Suite Number 5?

A matchless lover? A supreme egotist? A selfless martyr? A bad mother? A cherished sister? A selfish wife?

All of these. For this is Silvia Shute who has always done exactly what she wants. Until now, when her life suddenly, shockingly stops.

Her past holds a dark and terrible secret, and now that she is unconscious in a hospital bed, her constant stream of visitors are set to uncover the mystery of her broken life. And she must lie there, victim of the beloveds, the borings, the babblings and the plain bonkers.

Like it or not, the truth is about to pay Silvia a visit. Again, and again and again . . .


My Review

Sylvia is in a coma, Sylvia is loathed by members of her family, worshiped by her friend Cat. Shunned by her daughter Cassie and son Jamie, cared for by nurse Winnie, visited by Tia her cleaner, Ed her ex husband and her eccentric sister Jo. Each brings their own issues and slowly reveals Sylvia's past, their issues and relationships with her bringing the reader into the know of just who Sylvia is.

Some of the characters are hilarious, Tia is her cleaning, proud and very funny in some of her chat and outlook on matters. Cat is a complex character who happily would have Sylvia just to herself and not her family. Ed has much mixed feelings for his ex wife, the things she has done and looking back on their relationship before she changed. Cassie struggles to even look at her mother despite the critical condition she is in, Jamie refuses to acknowledge her and Jo, Jo is a wild card, chaos, dramas and very much all about her as she tries some very questionable things to "wake" her sister up.

The book is a mix of humour, sadness, tough issues, abuse, possessiveness, relationships, violence, suicidal intentions. It is also about relationships and family, huge focus on both, with Sylvia being in a coma, all the characters address all their issues with her in a very honest and raw emotive way. This is my first book by French, it won't be my last 3.5/5 for me, a very mixed bag and whilst there are a fair few characters, each chapter is titled with their name so it is very easy to follow.

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The Intruder by P S Hogan

The Intruder by Phil Hogan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1.5 days

Pages - 281

Publisher - Black Swan

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

He has the key to hundreds of houses.
Maybe even to yours.

William Heming is an estate agent. He’s kept a copy of every key to every house he’s ever sold. Sometimes he visits them. He lets himself in – quietly, carefully – to see who lives there now, what they’re like, what they’ve been doing.

But what will happen when he gets caught?


My Review

William Heming is not your ordinary estate agent, William takes great interest in the people moving into his homes. He keeps copies of all the keys, he spies on the people moved into his home, he tracks them, he visits them and sometimes, just sometimes, he involves himself in their lives.

Told in first person point of view we get to hear exactly his thoughts and reasoning or the things he does. Flashes back in time to when he was younger also gives the reader a bit of insight into a bit more of his character. His outward persona is vanilla, non threatening, someone you wouldn't give another glance but William is a dangerous man, obsessive, a stalker and may even be in your house without you knowing.

Oooft after reading this, if you didn't change your locks when you moved into your house, you will. If you haven't checked your loft, you will. Every noise will have the hairs on the back of your neck standing up. I think the grab for this kind of book is how easily it could be true, it could happen to you. The atmosphere builds up very quickly, eerie, creepy without being over the top and wraps itself around you so have to find out how it plays out. The end was a bit too quick for me, they say an author is doing their job properly if they leave you wanting more. 3.5/5 for me this time, this is my first time reading this author, I would be interested in checking out more of his work!

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Death of an Actress by Antony M Brown

Death of an Actress: A true story of sex, lies and murder on the high seas by Antony M. Brown
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 300

Publisher - Mirror Books

Blurb from Goodreads

Published in time for the 70th anniversary of one of the most dramatic trials in British criminal history.

DEATH OF AN ACTRESS is the second in the Cold Case Jury Collection, a unique series of true crime titles. Each case study tells the story of an unsolved crime, or one in which the verdict is open to doubt. Fresh evidence is presented and the reader is invited to deliver their own verdict.

October 1947. A luxury liner steams over the equator off the coast of West Africa and a beautiful actress disappears from her cabin. Suspicion falls on a dashing deck steward with a reputation for entering the cabins of female passengers. When the liner docks at Southampton, the steward is questioned by police. Protesting his innocence, he makes an astonishing admission that shocks everyone, and is charged with murder. His trial at the historic Great Hall in Winchester draws the world's media. He is found guilty and sentenced to hang.

But was the verdict sound?

Many believe not.

Now for the first time, Antony M. Brown has secured unprecedented access to the police file, enabling the definitive story to be told. Included in the file are original court exhibits, including a hairbrush with strands of the actress's red hair. Could a personal effect left behind in her cabin provide clues to how she might have died? Take your seat on the Cold Case Jury...




Blurb from Goodreads

So I do read and watch true crime stuff and was surprised I had never heard of this, apparently it made the news at the time it all happenes. In the 1940s an actress went missing on a luxury liner where she was travelling as a first class passenger. Brown investigates, adds his own thoughts amongst that which he reports. Included in the book is a website you can visit after reading the book to cast your vote on what you think actually happened.

Without giving spoilers, Brown includes all the information that is public so by search you can quickly find the court ruling for this case. Brown also includes unseen evidence, information and statements that hadn't previously been released and how he came to have access to them.

Brown gives accounts of what could have happened given the information available, statements made by passengers, facts and speculation, all of which he highlights which is which. It is an interesting case, no doubt about it and raises questions to why things processed or where omitted in the investigation. Photographs are included in the book, verbatim statements/accounts and descriptions of the actresses quarters as well as a layout of the boat. This is the second book by this author in the cold case files, I enjoyed the writing, the subject matter and him giving thoughts on all possibilities rather than only his opinion on what happened. I also like the fact you can visit the website after, whilst I expected it to be more than what is offered I did find it a good wee add on. The chapters are relatively short which I always like however in this case even more so because when you finish a chapter you can put the book down to read up on that part/facts then go back to it. 3.5/5 stars for me this time, I liked it, this is my first dance with this author, it won't be my last, I have already looked into the first book in the series to buy! If you have read it, what do you think actually happened, which theory do you thinks better?

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Stephen King themed giveaway

Happy June you beautiful people - sorry that is me just getting the June giveaway up however, I think you might agree that is is worth waiting for. I have also decided to make it International so sharing the joy worldwide!



Little miss paws had to get in on the action as usual lol, don't worry that is my postcard her wee claws are reaching for.







So, up for grabs is, one brand new paperback book of "Joyland" by the master of horror himself, Stephen King. The Pennywise (new Pennywise) clown postcard I bought at horror con, I bought a few knowing I would pop one up as a giveaway. And finally a wee spooky magnetic bookmark to go with it because who doesn't love a wee bookmark and magnetic is one of my fav types.







The giveaway is as listed and seen in the photograph. As I said I will open it up worldwide so everyone has a chance to get it, I know there are a fair few followers of the blog scattered around the globe and it is always nice to allow everyone the opportunity to win. I did a wee collage of the items so you can get a better look.







I have loved Stephen King books since I was a kid, it was his books, IT in fact, that got me hooked on reading and horror! I hope you guys have a great day whatever you are up to, thanks for taking part in the giveaway and supporting the blog. As always, enter using the Rafflecopter below, the more entries you complete the more times your name goes into the draw.



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Happy June and May reads

Can you believe it is June already! This year is flying by. So I have seen on many blogs, round ups, a highlight of all the books the person has read the previous month. As I am pretty much house bound (and couch bound for the best part of my days just now) I thought this would be a good thing to try. In total I read twelve books in May, not counting the one I finished today, that will go as book one in June!







Before I do, I thought I would show you the book I am starting June with (I finished my book earlier today but started that in May so it goes into May's reads). Look at my wee reading "corner" basically Princess Trixie's side of the couch with a blankey (far too hot to use tonight), my fab cushion my lovely pal Jaime got me and miss paws. The book is "The Intruder" by author P. S. Hogan, I believe this is the only book by this author so far.







My first book of May was The Rebel by author Jamie Raven - 4/5 stars, click here for my review. I had read this author before and like but hadn't loved the story, this one was fantastic and I plan to go for the back catalogue.





My Sister's Secret by Tracy Buchanan, 4/5 for me you can read my review here. Family secrets, duo timeline - past and present, relationships, a first for me with this author, it won't be my last.





The Girl in the Ice by Robert Bryndza, 4/5 for me, you can read my review HERE. Another first, first time reading this author, first in a series you can read my review here. I kept hearing about this from readers and bloggers in The Crime Book Club book group on Facebook.





Ararat by Christopher Golden, 3/5 for me. I apparently didn't write a review for this one :O however it is a supernatural, spooky, murder story taking place up a mountain in Turkey. Very atmospheric, the blurb can be found HERE from Goodreads.





Meet me at the Museum by Anne Youngson, 3.5/5 for me, you can read my review HERE. A genteel novel, composed in letters between two people who spark up a friendship and go on journeys of personal growth.





A Bargain in Silver by Josie Jaffrey, 3.5/5 for me. You can read my review HERE. This is a series with vampires and weepers, weepers are like zombies and infecting the human race, the vampires need to protect their food source and so it begins. This is the first book in a series.





Host by Robin Cook was only 2.5/5 for me, you can read my review HERE. I did like the medical aspects of this book and I plan to read more by him however I had issues with some of the interactions and actions of some of the characters. If you have read it I would love to hear your thoughts.





Darker by E L James, 3/5 for me, you can read my review HERE. This is book two of the Fifty Shades books told from Christian's point of view. I never got all the hate for the original books and the abuse stuff, however, reading from his pov I can see some folk will have issues with him/it. If you liked the original I think you will enjoy this, it fills in some of the gaps.





Beyond the Sea by Melissa Bailey, 4/5 for me, you can read my review HERE. This wee book sat on my review pile for a long time, I wish I had read it earlier. A mother struggles with her grief and returns to the Hebridean Island to deal with it. The story also deals with legends, mermaid myths and I just loved that.





Dead Girls by Graeme Cameron, 3.5/5 for me, you can read my review HERE. This is book two in a series, well I hope there will be more, it is very different from book one but I think fans will still enjoy it.





The Girls by Lori Lansens, 3.5/5 stars, you can read my review HERE. This is a story about two sisters who are conjoined, craniopagus twins. From their medical issues, family history, relationships, it is a very touching story and I love when you learn about things from a fiction book.





The Coven by Graham Masterton, 4/5 for me, you can read my review HERE. Set in the 1700s we have a widow who goes to work at a refuge for "fallen women", before long she is caught up in claims of witchcraft, missing people and threats to herself. She is a fantastic strong female character and I liked it so much I am going to buy book one, I hadn't realised this was book two.


And there you have it folks, that was my May's reading, a relatively mixed bag. I would recommend them all, even if I don't love a book I know it comes down to personal taste and what wasn't for me why be loved by another. This is my first ever round up post, not sure I will ever do another lol, it took ages and my screen kept freezing/crashing. What books have you read in the last month? Have you read any of the above? Hope you guys are having a great day whatever you are up to.

Paris by the Book by Liam Callanan

Paris by the Book by Liam Callanan
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Time taken to read -3 days

Pages - 384

Publisher - HQ Stories

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

A missing person, a grieving family, a curious clue: a half-finished manuscript set in Paris. Heading off in search of its author, a mother and her daughters find themselves in France, rescuing a failing bookstore and drawing closer to unexpected truths.

Once a week, I chase men who are not my husband….

When eccentric novelist Robert Eady abruptly vanishes, he leaves behind his wife, Leah, their daughters, and, hidden in an unexpected spot, plane tickets to Paris.

Hoping to uncover clues—and her husband—Leah sets off for France with her girls. Upon their arrival, she discovers an unfinished manuscript, one Robert had been writing without her knowledge…and that he had set in Paris. The Eady women follow the path of the manuscript to a small, floundering English-language bookstore whose weary proprietor is eager to sell. The whole store? Today? Yes, but Leah’s biggest surprise comes when she hears herself accepting the offer on the spot.

As the family settles into their new Parisian life, they can’t help but trace the literary paths of some beloved Parisian classics, including Madeline and The Red Balloon, hoping more clues arise. But a series of startling discoveries forces Leah to consider that she may not be ready for what solving this mystery might do to her family—and the Paris she thought she knew.

At once haunting and charming, Paris by the Book follows one woman’s journey as her story is being rewritten, exploring the power of family and the magic that hides within the pages of a book.




My Review

When Leah's husband goes missing it isn't exactly worrying, he does go off a lot to write and always comes back. This time he hasn't left a note, this time he hasn't come back, Leah and her two daughter's are trying to come to terms with it, why has he gone, where has he gone and why hasn't he come home? They find themselves in Paris, looking for Robert, making a new life for themselves both working in a book shop and looking after two young twins. The girls are adjusting to life in Paris, learning the language, constantly looking for their dad. Leah follows men who could be her husband, she sees him constantly whilst trying to come to terms with the fact he may actually be gone for good this time.

I have flipped back and forth on this book, 2.5 stars or 3 stars. I loved the location, once they get to Paris, Callanan describes the city so well I was actually there. The language, the social interactions, the etiquette, the buildings, the feeling of walking down the streets, it really made me want to visit again, this time as an adult.

The story itself, I read it as a woman's husband has disappeared so the book focus is going to be on that, tracking him and a whole big mystery. Whilst yes the husband aspect is addressed it isn't, for me, the bulk of the story. That was taken with Leah's personal journey, the courage to try and find out what happened, re locating, assessing her own self, her parenting, her relationship with her girls, analysing her relationship and what it was like with her husband. Therefore for me it was more of a personal journey, self exploration for Leah and the husband disappearance, whilst it kicked it all off, that took a back seat. That doesn't make it a bad story, not at all but it is one of the reasons I don't always read the blurbs now as I think you go in with a pre conceived idea and expectations of what the book will be which can hamper your enjoyment of the book. This is on me as a reader and not the author but it does hugely impact how I get on with the book.

My other issue was it jumps around an awful lot so I had to go over pages to make sure where the character was and what was happening. The timeline goes from present day, then flips back to a memory of say her and her husband either living together or pre marriage or how they came to be then back to current happenings. Then there are references to the books that brought Leah and Robert together, they both love works by two different authors and Leah talks about one that was made into a movie. How it impacted on her, how it brought her and Robert together and it did pique my interest into them which I love when a book does that. I am not sure if there was an undercurrent to the book that just went over my head that maybe other readers may well appreciate.

My other big issue was actually Leah and Robert's relationship, he could just take off for unknown amounts of time to write. Leaving wee notes hidden in the house for Leah or the girls to find but it wouldn't tell them where he was or how long he was going for. It worked for them but I couldn't understand it, I couldn't imagine living in a relationship or household like that. It did give pause for thought though and made me contemplate what comes much later in the book. I cannot fathom Leah's choices or actions, I don't get Robert either but as a mother Leah had me totally baffled. Again maybe it was done purposely and the reasons are just over my head completely. I finished the book a few days ago and am still pondering it so credit to the author for that. 2.5 out of 5 for me this time, this was my first dance with Callanan and I would read more of his work if I came across it. Really interested in hearing what other readers made of this and more importantly Leah's behaviours, her and Robert's relationship and some of the choices they make. I think this would be a brilliant book for a book group discussion as there is so much of the book you can break down, analyse and I think will split many opinions!

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