Wednesday 29 July 2015

It's my turn to host
A Very Big House in The Country
 by Claire Sandy 
Blog Tour


'Holidays are about surviving the gaps between one meal and another.'
For one long hot summer in Devon, three families are sharing one very big house in the country. The Herreras: made up of two tired parents, three grumbling children and one promiscuous dog; the Littles: he's loaded (despite two divorces and five kids), she's gorgeous, but maybe the equation for a truly happy marriage is a bit more complicated than that; and the Browns, who seem oddly jumpy around people, but especially each other.
By the pool, new friendships blossom; at the Aga door, resentments begin to simmer. Secret crushes are formed and secret cigarettes cadged by the teens, as the adults loosen their inhibitions with litres of white wine and start to get perhaps a little too honest ...
Mother hen to all, Evie Herreras has a life-changing announcement to make, one that could rock the foundations of her family. But will someone else beat her to it?




Review
A Very Big House in The Country is the story of three families who have never all been on holiday together before, but decide to hire a large country house in Devon with their children of all ages from babies to teenagers - what could possibly go wrong!!

Evie is married to Mike. I loved Evie, she was so easy going, never got stressed and aspired to be an author of raunchy novels. I must admit, it did make me laugh when she was reading what she had written - very Fifty Shades!! Mike, although a nice character, was very clingy and a bit needy due to his upbringing but they all seemed a really good family. Scarlett is their teenage daughter and so typically hates everything and everyone and doesn't want to be there at all!!

Evie's friends are the Ling-Littles' who are a very dysfunctional family with a baby they don't know how to look after and Clive has a son who is set to cause havoc!

Paula and Jon were the third couple to arrive at the house. Many things are brought out into the open regarding their relationship but Paula was an absolute nervous wreck! But what was so delightful about the author's writing, was that you understood why she was like that towards the end.

I can imagine this book turning into a comedy film as it was so full on and every character was different but as the book went on there were some real twists and turns. There were quite a few very funny situations and calamities, which by the end of the book, left me exhausted!!

Thank you to Francesca at Pan Macmillan for the review copy of this book.




Sunday 26 July 2015

Today, I have great pleasure in revealing the cover for book number 2 in the George McKenzie series...........


I can't wait for the next instalment!


Thursday 23 July 2015


My sister's Secret by Tracy Buchanan Blog Tour 


Willow’s memories of her parents are sun-drenched and full of smiles, love and laughter. But a mysterious invitation to a photographic exhibition exposes a secret that’s been buried since a tragic accident years ago.
Willow is forced to question everything she knew about Charity, her late mother, and Hope, the aunt she’s lived with since she was a child.
How was the enigmatic photographer connected to Willow’s parents? Why will Hope not break her silence?
Willow cannot move forward in her life without answers. But who can she really trust? Because no one has been telling the truth for a very long time.
ADDICTIVE, GRIPPING and EMOTIONALLY POWERFUL, this is the perfect read for your summer holiday escape.




About the Author




Tracy Buchanan is a web journalist and producer who lives in Milton Keynes with her husband and daughter and their one-eyed Jack Russell. Tracy travelled extensively while working as a travel magazine editor, sating the wanderlust she developed while listening to her Sri Lankan grandparents' childhood stories - the same wanderlust that now inspires her writing.



Review


This is the first book of Tracy Buchanan's I have read. I do have The Atlas of Us on my TBR pile, but am embarrassed to say I haven't got around to reading it yet! so when I was asked to review My Sister's Secret for a Blog Tour I jumped at the chance. 


The cover straight away got me excited! I do love a good thriller and stories that get the pulse racing and this book doesn't disappoint.


It is the story of the lives of three sisters Faith, Hope and Charity! All have different personalities and different outlooks on life and as the book progresses secrets unravel and it is so clever how the characters weave in and out of each other's lives. Later on in the book Charity's daughter Willow tries to find out more about her parent's lives and the reasons why her aunt kept secrets.


I really don't want to give too much away, but I loved most of the characters (but the few that I didn't quite like were justified!!) and I thought the author described them brilliantly and how they all came together was really quite believable.


I am a bit of a slow reader, but I managed to finish this book in a couple of days it was that unputdownable! Definitely had a bit of a book hangover when I finished this one. Well done to the author and The Atlas of Us has just shot up my TBR pile!!


I found it quite difficult to write this review, as I didn't want to give too much away, but wanted to let you know what a great read it is!


Thank you to Avon Books for letting me review and be a part of the Blog Tour for this wonderful book.





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Why not enter Tracy Buchanan's Competition!




Sunday 19 July 2015

Seven Exes are Eight Too Many by Heather Wardell



The fiercely private Madeleine-Cora Spencer (MC) is the last person who should be on a reality TV show, but when she's shunned by a friend's new wife because "you can't trust desperate single women" her pain and humiliation driver her straight to the "Find Your Prince" dating show's web site.

Armed with date-appropriate clothes and a detailed game plan she arrives to meet her potential loves, only to be dumped....on a remote island with seven ex-boyfriends.

Seven exes! Could this be any worse?


Review
The author, Heather Wardell very kindly approached me and asked if I would review this book for her. After a lengthy wait (sorry Heather!)  I finally got around to reading it! I felt this book was a cross between Blind Date and I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!! 

I did find that I got a bit confused with the amount of characters in the book although the author described all of the characters brilliantly. 

I felt that the story was aimed at a younger audience than me!, but on the plus side, there were some very funny situations during the trials that they had to do before the winner was announced and you found out who MC ended up with!

Thank you Heather for asking me to review this book.

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I'm Back in The Game!!!

Since starting this blog in February I have had a fair few blog tours and been to some wonderful events and just as things were going swimmingly, my laptop dies with all my blogging stuff on my old one! Even my poor Brother in Law (who I send demented with my computer problems!) couldn't fix it - so thank you to my wonderful hubby who went out and bought me a new laptop this week as he was fed up of me moaning! hence my new saying.............I'm Back In The Game!!
 
Come back next week as I have some cracking reviews coming up.....................

Wednesday 8 July 2015

The Doctor's Daughter
by
Vanessa Matthews 
Blog Tour
 
 
 
A prominent psychiatrist's daughter realises insanity can be found much closer to home when she unlocks secrets from the past that threaten to destroy her future.
 
It's 1927, women have the right to vote and morals are slackening, but 23-year-old Marta Rosenblit is not a typical woman of her time. She has little connection with her elder sisters, her mother has been detained in an asylum since Marta was born and she has spent her life being shaped as her father Arnold's protégé.
 
She is lost, unsure of who she is and who she wants to be. Primarily set in Vienna, this dark tale follows her journey of self-discovery as she tries to step out of her father's shadow and find her identity in a man's world. Her father's friend Dr Leopold Kaposi is keen to help her make her name, but his interest is not purely professional and his motivations pose greater risks than she could possibly know. Marta's chance encounter in a café leads to a new friendship with young medical graduate Elise Saloman, but it soon turns out that Elise has some secrets of her own.
 
When Marta's shock discovery about her family story coincides with her mother's apparent suicide, Marta can't take anymore. Nobody she has grown to love and trust is who they seem. Her professional plans unravel, her relationships are in tatters and her sanity is on the line - and one person is behind it all.
 
 
 
 
Review
 
I was asked by the author herself to read and review The Doctor's Daughter and gladly agreed to review and be a part of the Blog Tour. It's really lovely and very humbling for me when an author contacts you direct after seeing you on Twitter, or hopefully seeing my Blog!!
 
Before I read it I had a few Twitter conversations with the author and she said that whether or not I liked the book, it will make me mad, glad and sad. It certainly did that!!
 
The book is mainly based in Vienna and is about a young woman called Marta who is the daughter of a Psychiatrist. Her father, as with most of the male characters in this book, is domineering, egotistical and (for want of a better word) sly!
 
Marta herself, is trying to be her own woman in a man's world, but has to deal with her own demons. I felt the author dealt with some often taboo subjects very well and it mad me sympathetic towards Marta as she felt very confused towards her family as her Mother was in an institution because of Mental Health and she had her own dealings with the illness going on.
 
This was a very dark story, but one I enjoyed reading and the author was right. I didn't like the male characters (who made me mad), the way in which Marta beat her demons to get on in life (made me glad) and the story of her poor Mother and how she was treated (made me sad)!!
 
Well done Vanessa for a stunning story and I absolutely love the book cover!
 
Thank you for letting me read this lovely book.
 
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About the Author
 
 
In 2014, the first draft of my novel The Doctor's Daughter was fortunate enough to be selected for a Free Read by The Literary Consultancy (TLC), a manuscript assessment that is awarded on merit and received interest from a number of literary agents and publishing houses.

My debut poetry collection 'Melodies of my Other Life' was published by indie press Winter Goose Publishing in 2013. Since then I have been featured in several poetry publications and have developed my fiction writing skills through training with the Arvon Foundation.

I have been writing since my teens and during my career have penned several feature articles printed in the national media. In 2012 I started a 30-day writing and blogging challenge during which I won two poetry contests. I regularly update my blog www.ordinarylifelessordinary.wordpress.com with poetry, short stories and author interviews.

I live in Cornwall, England with my husband and four children. I am 38 years old.





Saturday 4 July 2015

It's my turn on the Monty and Me by Louisa Bennet Blog Tour



Extract from Monty and Me by Louisa Bennet

‘Aunt Kay used to love gardening. It helped her unwind,’ Rose says, staring at a dented green wheelbarrow just inside the door. ‘She could grow anything. She’d sing to the flowers, you know.’
I look up and see tears in her eyes. I lean against her leg and feel her sadness. It reminds me of my own. I don’t understand why big’uns’ eyes fill with water but I do under­stand the pain of loss and Rose clearly misses this Aunt Kay very much, just like I pine for Paddy, my old master. It feels like I’ve lost a limb and although it will never come back, the memory is agonisingly real. I howled each night at the vet’s, calling Paddy’s name, but in my heart I knew he wouldn’t come.
I miss Paddy’s hand stroking my head. I miss our fishing trips together and how he’d never scold me when I scared away the fish. I miss our evenings; he’d sit in his armchair tapping away at his laptop as I lay at his feet, head resting on his leather slippers. And I miss his smell: musty books, Listerine, woollen cardigan, and liver treats, which he always kept in his cardigan pocket, just in case.
‘Should mow the lawn one day,’ Rose mumbles, as she walks away.
It takes me a while to focus on what she’s said. Mow? Why? I prefer meadow. Love the way the dandelions tickle my belly and the bees scatter as I charge through the tall grass.
I place a wee-mail above Legless’s ancient message. No need to sign it because every dog has a unique aroma. It’s the same wee-mail I’ve left whenever I’ve had the chance to pee. It conveys my shame. I ask one question: who killed Professor Patrick Salt? I hang my head and tuck in my tail as I plod after Rose. She’s investigating his murder, but little does she know, so am I. I failed Paddy in life and I have vowed I will not fail him in his death.
Rose waits for me.
‘Poor boy,’ she says, giving me a pat. ‘I shouldn’t get cross with you. It’s not your fault I’ve messed up at work.’
It’s early evening in September and summer came late this year so the air is still warm and the light has only just begun to fade. We stroll by a greenhouse with panes of glass missing and tomato plants laden with over-ripe fruit. I can smell their sweetness. I also detect a ratty scent. I clock it for investi-gation later, and follow Rose to the very end of the garden where a tall oak tree tickles the sky and a thick yew hedge marks the boundary. My heart races. This must be where the river is. Oh boy! Just like home. Then I remember this is now my home.
In the distance, there’s a low rumble that becomes a clackety-clack. It gets louder as it draws closer. I feel vibra­tions through the ground. My nose is stung by a gush of air, ripe with hot metal, engine oil and rubber. I step back and bark a warning, then there’s a fearful scream from the other side of the hedge. It tears by so fast it’s gone in seconds, its bright eyes glaring at me through gaps in the foliage. My tail is up and curled over my back like a question mark, my legs wide set, then I charge forward and growl at the creature. I must defend us. I bark at Rose to move away, but she stands there laughing, her ponytail bobbing.
‘It’s all right, Monty, just a train. You’re going to have to get used to it. The line’s on the other side of the hedge.’
She strokes my head and I relax. Not sure about this train thing. Never met one before and until I’ve thoroughly sniffed it, I’ll be on my guard.
Rose kneels down and looks me in the eye.
‘The fence is pretty rotten and I can’t afford to fix it. So I need you to promise me you won’t run away.’ She scratches behind my ear.
I can't wait to read this book, I do love a shaggy dog story!! 


Wednesday 1 July 2015

BritCrime Festival 11 - 13 July 2015


To celebrate the launch of BritCrime’s first free online crime fiction festival, 11-13 July, I have teamed up with BritCrime authors to give away one fabulous prize.

You could win a gift bundle of ten print books, including new releases by Colette McBeth and Sarah Hilary, and MJ McGrath’s Gold Dagger longlisted White Heat. This giveaway is open internationally. One lucky winner will win all ten books.

Please complete the entries in the Rafflecopter before midnight 10th July for a chance to win.

To learn more about the BritCrime festival, please visit http//britcrime.com and sign up to the newsletter. There will be giveaways and live Q&As with bestselling British crime fiction authors hosted on BritCrime’s Facebook page 11 & 12 July.

The Magpies + What You Wish For by Mark Edwards
No Other Darkness by Sarah Hilary
The Life I Left Behind + Precious Thing by Colette McBeth
White Heat by M J McGrath
Beyond the Rage by Michael J Malone
Follow the Leader + Watching Over You by Mel Sherratt
The Harbour Master by Daniel Pembrey

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway