Thursday 25 June 2020

Sunny Days & Sea Breezes
by
Carole Matthews
PUBLICATION DAY
* * * * * * * * * *

I do love a Carole Matthew's book and seeing as it looks like we won't be getting any summer holidays this year, I was itching to read about the seaside and long sunny days!
Congratulations to the author on yet another fantastic read. I think this is going to be one of my favourites! Happy publication day Carole.
You can read my review below of this fabulous feel good book by the equally fabulous Carole Matthews.

Blurb
Jodie Jackson is all at sea, in every sense.
On a ferry bound for the Isle of Wight, she's leaving her London life, her career, and her husband behind. She'd like a chance to turn back the clocks, but she'll settle for some peace and quiet on her brother Bill's beautifully renovated houseboat: Summer Days.


But from the moment Jodie steps aboard her new home, it's clear she'll struggle to keep herself to herself. If it isn't Marilyn, who does for Bill and is under strict instructions to look after Jodie, then it's Ned, the noisy sculptor on the next-door houseboat. Ned's wood carving is hard on the ears, but it's made up for by the fact that he's rather easy on the eyes.


Bustled out of the boat by Marilyn and encouraged to explore with Ned, Jodie soon delights in her newfound freedom. But out of mind isn't out of sight, and when her old life comes knocking Jodie is forced to face reality. Will she answer the call or choose a life filled with Summer Days and Sea Breezes?


Review
When Jodie's marriage looks like it's in tatters, the only place she feels she can run to is her brother Bill's newly refurbished houseboat called Sunny Days which is located on the Isle of Wight. All she wants is some peace and quiet to try to sort herself out, so she isn't quite ready for Marilyn who bounds in each morning to clean the already immaculate boat. Marilyn is loud, proud and has a heart of gold, but it takes Jodie a while to get used to her, but she soon realises that she may well depend on Marilyn more than realised.

The boat next to Sunny Days is not as new and could really do with a makeover from the outside, but as it has the name of Summer Breezes and Jodie takes no more notice, but when she is sitting relaxing on top deck and a chainsaw starts up, she is beside herself with anger at her peace and quiet being disrupted, until she sees who is holding the chainsaw...Ned and soon enough her anger waives as she realises that Ned is easy on the eye and that the chainsaw is used to make the most beautiful wood carvings!

Jodie soon fits into the quieter way of life on the Island and meets some new friends. Ida runs the café locally and Jodie soon realises that Ida and Ned are more than friends.

Meanwhile, Jodie's mobile is full of messages from her husband Chris wondering where she is and also her best friend Della. Should she tell her husband where she is or let him stew a bit longer? but she really should speak to Della, who is out of her mind with worry over her "chummie".

A lovely bag of characters in this book and I devoured it in only a few days. Reading about all the attractions on the Isle of Wight reminded me of my childhood days when I went there with my Mum and sister when I was just 16 years old and also reference to the New Forest (Brockenhurst in particular), where I go quite often for short breaks.

I would thoroughly recommend this book and I think this is going to be one of my favourites of Carole's. I loved it!


To buy a copy from Amazon click here

To buy a copy from Waterstones click here






Wednesday 17 June 2020

Wartime at Liberty's
by
Fiona Ford
Review
This is the third in the Liberty series and I have loved all of them so far and this one was no exception.

In this instalment we follow Flo who is mourning the loss of her husband Neil. She is distraught as his last letter to her was not full of the love that they usually shared, but of disappointment that she had lied to him because she loved singing and went behind his back to sing in clubs with her aunt Aggie. Neil had bad experiences of his mother who was also a singer and so didn't want Flo to follow in her footsteps.

Flo's only saviour is her job at Liberty's and her work pals, who always rally around whenever anyone needs help and support.

She also forms a very good friendship with Henry Masters, who although is her superior, treats her like a friend and introduces Flo to a different kind of world by asking her to play piano at his little brother Stan's school and also introducing her to Celia, who would end up becoming more than a pal, she would happen to change Flo's life and turn it upside down!

It's only a matter of time before the past catches up with Flo and threatens her future, but will she be strong enough to fight the ghosts and break free?

This is yet another corker by Fiona Ford and I really look forward to catching up with "the girls". I know that there is another book coming at the end of the year and am so excited for that. I just hope that this series keeps on going as I love the Liberty Girls and they hold a special place in my "book heart".





Monday 15 June 2020



Wedding Bells at the Signal Box Café
by
Annette Hannah

** COVER REVEAL **

Well, when I received a message from the author of this book to ask me to do a cover reveal, you could have knocked me down with a feather!! I have known Annette for years as a fantastic Book Blogger and she kept the fact that she was writing a book quiet!!

Today I have the cover reveal for Wedding Bells at the Signal Box Café and it is published on 6th July 2020 and I will be reviewing on 9th July.

Congratulations Annette on what I am sure will be a hugely successful debut!







Blurb
When single mum Lucy Woods moves to Railway Cottage to be near her grandad, the last person she wants to bump into is her childhood crush and best friend’s brother Dom. Whilst he is as arrogant as ever, he has grown up into an absolutely drop dead gorgeous hunk. Dominic Cavendish is a bitter divorce lawyer who doesn’t believe in Happy Ever Afters but when his Gran meets Lucy’s Grandad in the nursing home, hilarity ensues, and the sparks begin to fly.




Author Bio
 
Annette Hannah is a Liver Bird who relocated to leafy Hertfordshire in the 80’s and now lives near a river with her husband, two of their three grown up children and a crazy black cocker spaniel. She writes Romantic comedies in settings inspired by the beautiful countryside around her and always with a nod to her hometown. As an avid reader she became a book blogger and eventually realised her dream to become an author in 2020.
She loves long walks along the river, travelling to far flung places, the odd glass of Pinot Blush and spending time with her friends and family. 


You can follow her on 
twitter @annettehannah
www.sincerelybookangels.blogspot.com

www.annettehannah.com



Title: Wedding Bells at the Signal Box Café
Author: Annette Hannah
Published By: Orion Dash
Publication Day: 6th July 2020
Links:
UK: http://ow.ly/YUSB50A4M4k 
US: http://ow.ly/VcZv50A4NT5









Saturday 13 June 2020

How to Save a Life
by
S.D. Robertson
BLOG TOUR

REVIEW BY JULIE WILLIAMS


Thank you so much to my lovely friend Julie Williams for stepping in to review this book for the Blog Tour. I am a bit behind with reading this authors book, but I loved his first one and so will try and catch up as soon as I can! Please find below Julie's review as part of the Blog Tour.

Review
I am a fan of novels by this author and eagerly await a new release and this is the 5th book to be published and did not disappoint.

The story begins with the main character Luke having a near death encounter whilst sheltering from the rain. He is suddenly pushed out of the way from falling scaffolding and debris by complete stranger Iris who is also weathering out the storm, but is not so lucky and loses her life. 

Luke a divorcee owns a small barber shop in Manchester and tends to keep to himself; my thoughts were that he came across as a rather quiet yet angry introvert person which could possibly be explained by the breakup of his marriage. Social butterfly Luke is certainly not and the only family in the UK is his cousin Meg who he has always been close to apart from a slight rift recently that neither of them would mend as both being a little stubborn. 

After the accident Meg is Luke’s constant friend and they soon resume their strong bond.

It is interesting to read how almost losing his life nudges Luke into changing his perspective as he struggles to transform  from a pessimistic  half empty guy into the complete opposite. The obstacles he encounters along the way only make him stronger and a much more positive person. 

A delightful story of friendships, hope and transformation, which I found both enjoyable and satisfying. 

My thanks to Net Galley for the ARC and to Julie for allowing me to guest review on her blog.

To order a copy of How to Save a Life click here

Thursday 4 June 2020

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
by
Gail Honeyman

I can't believe that it has taken me so long to read this book. My son read it a few weeks ago and badgered me to read it. Also my boss told me about it too, so I dived in and oh my goodness what an absolutely fabulous read it was! If you have this book sitting on your bookshelf, please read it. It will make you laugh, cry and everything in between!

Review
Eleanor does the same thing, wears the same clothes day in, day out, but that's the way she likes it. Until one day at work she meets Raymond, an IT technician who seems to understand Eleanor and takes her as she is (unlike others). They go for lunch and exchange emails throughout their working week. (Eleanor is very exact and to the point in her emails!).

One day whilst going for lunch they come across a man who has fallen in the street and is unconscious. Whilst Raymond calls and ambulance, Eleanor is told to keep talking to him. Once you get to know Eleanor, you will realise that this is easier said than done!

Eleanor is a very complex character, but also simple in her way of life. She has had the same job for nearly 10 years, wears the same type of clothes every day for work, but when the weekend comes, she sits alone in her flat and drinks vodka, lots of it. Is this to stop the loneliness she feels? or is it to blot out all the events from her past?

When she has good days it will make you laugh out loud, but when the bad days come, I felt myself welling up with sympathy and sadness for her.

This is a beautiful story of ultimately loneliness and how one woman comes to terms with her past to not let it define her future. There were some severe bumps along the way, but meeting Raymond gave Eleanor a lifeline to a future, but will Eleanor be able to see past the blinkers that have partially covered her eyes for so many years and let everyone know that she is completely fine, or will memories from her childhood take their toll?

I truly think this is one of the best books I have ever read and it certainly gave me a "book hangover". I'm not going to lie, but I had a weep at the end, just because it had finished and I really didn't want it to be. Just stunning.









Monday 1 June 2020

Strangers
by
C.L. Taylor
BLOG TOUR




I have been a fan of C.L. Taylor from her very first psychological thriller, The Accident, was published in 2014 and am thrilled to be a part of the blog tour for her first hardback book, Strangers. If you haven't read any of Cally's books yet, why not?! You will be gripped from the very first page I guarantee. I've even got my son hooked now!

You can read my review of this fabulous new novel below. I do feel sorry for Cally as she writes such fantastic, heart racing books, that she is under so much pressure to write more! but as a super fan, all I can say is, please carry on writing such wonderful books! Sorry, not sorry! xx
Blerb
Ursula, Gareth and Alice have never met before.
Ursula thinks she killed the love of her life.
Gareth’s been receiving strange postcards.
And Alice is being stalked.
None of them are used to relying on others – but when the three strangers’ lives unexpectedly collide, there’s only one thing for it: they have to stick together. Otherwise, one of them will die.

Three strangers, two secrets, one terrifying evening.







Review


Having read all of CL Taylor's previous books, I have never yet been ahead of the game and knew who the killer was or what was going to happen. Please don't invite me to be on your team for any murder mystery evening as I am useless!


Strangers is no exception. I had no idea who the victim was going to be and "who did it".


There are three main characters in this book. Ursula is dealing with the death of her boyfriend and as a result of PTSD, she can't help herself when it comes to stealing, particularly shoplifting.


Gareth is a Security Guard in the shopping centre that Ursula frequently shoplifts, but he has problems of his own with looking after his mother who has Dementia and colleagues who will think nothing of "shopping him in" should he make a single mistake at work.


Alice is the manager of the fashion outlet that Ursula often frequents and is just starting a new relationship with Simon who is not who he seems and when she starts being stalked, she takes it upon herself to find out who it is.


In the midst of all these characters there is a dead body, but you don't find out until near the end who it is. It's a fabulous story and very cleverly thought through how all the characters become connected.


I loved the short chapters and finding out about all the characters and why they behaved the way they did.


I loved this one also and I do feel for the author as she writes such fabulous books and is always constantly under pressure to write faster! If you read Strangers, you will understand why. I would totally recommend this book and all of CL Taylor's previous ones too. Well done Cally, keep 'em coming!