Friday 31 August 2018

Five Years From Now by Paige Toon

Five Years From NowFive Years From Now by Paige Toon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What if you met the right person at the wrong time?
 
Nell and Van meet as children when their parents fall in love, but soon they are forced worlds apart.

Five years later, they find each other.  Their bond is rekindled and new feelings take hold, but once again they must separate.
 
For the next two decades, fate brings Nell and Van together every five years, as life and circumstance continue to divide them. Will they ever find true happiness? And will it be together?

 


I love all of Paige Toon's novels, however this one I felt didn't live up to her usual high expectations. I thought that this was just 'very nice'. I felt she was trying to make this a tear jerker, don't get me wrong, this did touch me a lot, especially in the last few chapters but I felt that I was expecting a little more.

Nell and Van were bought together by their parents love, sharing everything together from the age of 5. Over the years their lives are taken in different directions and they only seem to be reunited every five years.

This book has very big chapters, something, which if I was reading this after a hard day at work I would have struggled with as I wouldn't have been able to get through a chapter a night. Reading this on holiday though I read it in a couple of sittings so it was absolutely fine. That's just something to be aware of, if like me you like to read a chapter at a time...Although not billed as a young adult, this felt very that.

Although this wasn't my favourite novel by Paige, it wouldn't put me off reading her others, I enjoy most of her books and always look forward to her next one. If you like her books I would recommend you give this one ago.

I would give this 3.5* (rounded up to 4* for Goodreads and Amazon)

Wednesday 29 August 2018

Anyone for Seconds? by Laurie Graham

Anyone for Seconds?Anyone for Seconds? by Laurie Graham
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Life has been going downhill for ex-TV chef Lizzie Partridge ever since she spectacularly ended her television career by throwing a chocolate mousse at the host of Midlands This Morning. Her partner Tom has left her, Nigella and Jamie have got the cookery world sewn up, and now her cookery column - her last bit of work - has been axed. Surely the only way is up from here?

In a desperate bid for sympathy and attention she runs away, from the gas bill and the mouse under the sink, and in wet and wintry Aberystwyth she experiences a brush with her past and a glimmer of new prospects. And when her nephew's girlfriend - a TV producer - has the bright idea to reunite her with her former nemesis and target of the mousse attack in a new show, it seems like things could be going Lizzie's way again after all!



I have to admit from the title I wouldn't have chosen this book and that would have been a great shame as I really enjoyed it. I suppose because the lead character was around my age I could relate to her easily and I liked her cynical take on life.

It follows the adventures of Lizzie Partridge who used to be a TV chef but after a spectacular altercation on air she was unceremoniously dumped and replaced by a younger model. Licking her wounds Lizzie decides no one would miss her if she disappears (secretly hoping it wont take long for her family and friends to miss her) she goes to Aberystwyth and has a little adventure.

I liked Lizzy, funny, sarcastic, over weight, jobless, single, quick witted and great one liners she is a survivor and someone who anyone would like as a good friend.

I won't re-tell the story, it's such a good read you need to read it yourself. Funny and poignant at times with good secondary characters that fitted with her so well. Lots of humour in this book and often hilarious things going on in the background. I liked everything about it, the story, the characters and the easy way this was written. It's an easy 5 stars from me and I look forward to reading more from this author.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

Tuesday 28 August 2018

Kiss of Death by Paul Finch blog tour



Could this be the end for Heck?


The Sunday Times bestseller returns with an unforgettable crime thriller. Fans of MJ Arlidge and Stuart MacBride won’t be able to put this down.

Don’t let them catch you…

A Deadly Hunt
DS ‘Heck’ Heckenburg has been tasked with retrieving one of the UK’s most wanted men. But the trail runs cold when Heck discovers a video tape showing the fugitive in a fight for his life. A fight he has no chance of winning.

A Dangerous Game
Heck realises that there’s another player in this game of cat and mouse, and this time, they’ve not just caught the prize: they’ve made sure no one else ever does.

A Man Who Plays With Fire
How far will Heck and his team go to protect some of the UK’s most brutal killers? And what price is he willing to pay?



Extract:



HECK’S ORIGINS

Readers often ask me which other crime authors are my benchmarks?

Which of those writers who focus on the seamy side of life are the ones who’ve most influenced me in the writing of my own novels? I’d imagine that lots of guys and girls in my situation get asked similar questions, and like me, will respond by reeling off lists of the most impressive names in the business – because we’ve all read widely in the field, and we’d be lying if we didn’t admit that we’ve all probably taken something from every great crime novel that’s gone before us and the masterclass cop characters we’ve so easily been able to picture thanks to how well realised they were on the written page.

But one question I’m rarely asked – and something I’d like to deal with today – is are there any film or TV cop characters who’ve been a stimulus for me, particularly with regard to DS Mark ‘Heck’ Heckenburg (who’ll be reappearing on the bookshelves very shortly, in KISS OF DEATH, of course)?

In response, I think it’s true to say that there are probably four celluloid cops (or cop situations) that have had this kind of direct impact on me; two films and two TV shows.

It might be an embarrassing thing for some writers to admit, because we are supposed to be literary types who, deep down, should only be affected by genuine greatness, though I’d contend that greatness can be found on the screen as well as in book-form.

Anyway, here we go. The two cop movies and two cop TV shoes that most made an impression on me and were most instrumental in the development of my character, Heck, are, in chronological order: Bullitt, The French Connection, The Sweeney and The Shield.

Aside from the fact that these are all essentially slick, quick, tough-talking action thrillers, set in contemporary times and an unforgiving urban setting, in actual fact they could not be more different from each other, and they’ve had very different effects on my work.



First, the movies …

BULLITT (1968), directed by Peter Yates, starred Steve McQueen as Frank Bullitt, a San Francisco police inspector in charge of a Mafia super-grass who is shot and critically wounded shortly before he’s due to give evidence. Bullitt needs to track the killers and whoever gave them their orders, but increasingly upsets his superiors as the enquiry threatens to lead him into ever higher places in the city’s administration.

One of the first ever cop thrillers to examine the often real connections between organised crime and the establishment, Bullitt is high on action but low on violence, casting a sexy and athletic film star in a very cerebral role, which sees him working his way through a highly complex investigation by following his instincts rather than his orders. Readers of the Heck books will probably not need an explanation from me as to what kind of influence this exerted. While the outsider cop is a regular fixture in crime fiction – and Heck is no different, loving his ‘roving commission’ – he often develops theories based on his own analysis of

crime scenes and crime situations which his bosses can’t buy into. Much of the drama and tension in the Heck books stems from the balancing act he must perform between following a system he often suspects is bent or incompetent, or both, and following his own gut.



THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971), directed by William Friedkin, cast Gene Hackman as Eddie ‘Popeye’ Doyle, a real-life New York narcotics cop, whose vindictive pursuit of a local mobster leads him to break open one of the biggest heroin importation rings in US history.

The reason why this one was influential may not be immediately obvious. While Frank Bullitt was a handsome hero, Popeye Doyle is a slob and a boor, and unpopular with his colleagues, and that is not the way I’ve envisaged Heck. Heck is usually affable and has one or two friends on the force, even if not necessarily among the brass. But he and Doyle share a dogged nature; it’s that instinct thing again, that old-fashioned police hunch business. In The French Connection, Popeye only gets to the real bad guys after a prolonged and convoluted enquiry, which many of his fellow officers oppose because they simply don’t trust him. And that’s been the story of Heck’s life in all seven novels so far. Neither he nor Doyle have an unfailing faith in their own judgement, but they’re both of them stubborn and bullish enough to keep advancing along an increasingly difficult track despite growing evidence that it’s likely to be a dead-end.



And now the TV shows …

THE SWEENEY (1975/78), made by Thames Television, starred John Thaw as Jack Regan, a northern copper displaced to London, and now a DI in Scotland Yard’s elite Flying Squad, a unit who exist solely to tackle the city’s gangs of armed robbers.

The situation was the bigger deal for me here, rather than the actual character. While I certainly took some influences for Heck from John Thaw’s electrifying portrayal of Regan – I referenced it directly in Kiss of Death, the exiled northerner, lonely and cut off from his family, perennially unlucky in love – ultimately, I was more interested in his relationship with the underworld. By its nature, the real-life Flying Squad had to wheel and deal to get results; it was interested in big fish, not little ones. Therefore, unofficial alliances were made. They relied heavily on informers, against whose own criminal activities they often turned a blind eye. To some, this was common sense policing; to others it was corruption. The Flying Squad of the 1970s did eventually come unstuck, when it got embroiled in some seriously questionable practises, and this also happens in the TV series. But in the Heck books, which are set in the here and now, we never take it that far. Nevertheless, Heck refuses to play by the rules; he knows every trick in the book, which may include strong-arming criminals and even blackmailing them. At the same time, he makes allegiances with lesser villains in order to pull in the more dangerous ones. Heck is not corrupt, but in the heavily bureaucratic world of 21st century policing, all this would be complete anathema. So, even though Heck’s methods gain him extraordinary results, as Regan’s did back in the 1970s, we always get the feeling that, at any moment, his time could be up.



THE SHIELD, (2002/08), will almost certainly be my most controversial selection. A popular but divisive US cop show from Fox, it told the tale of South-Central Los Angeles’ infamous Strike Team, a group of undercover detectives, led by Sergeant Vic Mackey (a bravura performance by Michael Chiklis!), who would literally stop at nothing in their war against street crime.

Based on the real-life Rampart unit, who in the 1990s were the centre of a huge misconduct scandal, Strike Team members are openly portrayed as corrupt, killing some of their targets, framing and stealing from others, robbing criminal strongholds and even, on one occasion, murdering a fellow police officer who’s grown suspicious about them. However, such was the skill with which the show was written, directed and performed, that you endlessly rooted for these maverick antiheroes, even though you knew it would at some point come crashing down in flames – as indeed it did. I should say straight away that there is no aspect of Vic Mackey in Mark Heckenburg. Mackey is ruthless, violent and sadistic. Oh, he is charismatic, and he has his caring side with his family, but when he’s on the job, he’s an out-and-out hoodlum. But what I inherited from The Shield was not the character but the milieu.



The borough of Farmington is a fictional corner of LA, where every kind of crime and vice is rampant. Psychos, weirdoes and creeps populate every street; there are serial killers, gangbangers, child-molesters and pimps. Drugs and disease are everywhere; there is horrendous squalor. And yet there is colour to all this. In the fashion of James Bond or even Batman, The Shield features some of the most wonderfully deadly and deranged villains I’ve ever seen on television: the Jesus lookalike who collects people’s feet (whether they’re alive or dead); the handsome, intelligent Texan who relentlessly murders needy women; the scar-faced gangster who burns his rivals at the stake. It’s perhaps no coincidence that in the Heck books, we try to offer a cross-section of villainy, but that it’s always (or so we hope) memorable and outlandish. The inspiration for that could lie with Bond and Batman, but it’s mostly the case, I think, that it lies with The Shield.


Friday 24 August 2018

The Big Little Festival by Kellie Hailes

The Big Little Festival (Rabbit's Leap, Book 2)The Big Little Festival by Kellie Hailes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Love happens when you least expect it…

Jodi is panicking. It’s only weeks until her little village in Devon holds its first ever festival and everything is falling apart.

Desperate to avoid disaster, she brings in notorious party planner Christian to save the day. Although she wasn’t prepared for just how gorgeous he wuold be!

Men are off the cards for Jody and surely Christian is the last man she would ever date? But with tensions rising – along with the bunting and homemade scones – she’s about to find out…


Apparently this is the second in the series, I haven't read the first one and it really didn't matter. Rabbit's Leap is a small Devon town and they are getting ready to host the first Big Little Festival, Jodie is in charge and she has hired in help as she can't organise it all in time. The village community have been very good to her so she wants to give something back.

When I was reading this, it quickly came apparent that the story of the festival was more of a secondary story and the reader was going to become immersed in the feelings between Jodie and Christian the man she had hired to help with making the festival a success.

Personally I was a little disappointed with this, I knew there would be a love interest in the book and I was all for that, however I thought there would be more about the festival, which I didn't get. Perhaps I was just not in the mood for a chick lit type read and wanted the book to have a little more substance. Saying this it was an enjoyable read and I read it pretty quickly.

I would recommend this if you have read the other in the series or you just want to escape in a light bubble for a couple of days.

Wednesday 22 August 2018

The Adults by Caroline Hulse Blog Tour

The AdultsThe Adults by Caroline Hulse
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

MEET THE ADULTS.

Claire and Matt are divorced but decide what's best for their daughter Scarlett is to have a 'normal' family Christmas. They can't agree on whose idea it was, or who said they should bring their new partners. But someone did - and it's too late to pull the plug.

Claire brings her new boyfriend Patrick, a seemingly eligible Iron-Man-in-Waiting. Matt brings the new love of his life Alex, funny, smart, and extremely patient. Scarlett, their daughter, brings her imaginary friend Posey. He's a rabbit.

Together the five (or six?) of them grit their teeth over Organized Fun activities, drinking a little too much after bed-time, oversharing classified secrets about their pasts and, before you know it, their holiday is a powder keg that ends - where this story starts - with a tearful, frightened, call to the police...

But what happened? They said they'd all be adults about this...



When this landed on my doormat to be reviewed I couldn't wait, from the premise and the cover I thought I was in for many laughs along the way. Unfortunately I didn't find it that funny and I kept waiting for the humour, which never came for me.

4 adults all intertwined by one girl Scarlett, the daughter of one of the original couples, all holidaying over Christmas together, accompanied by Posey a large pink rabbit (Scarlett's imaginary friend.) What could possibly go wrong for them all?

Starting with a call to the ambulance service one of them have been shot with an arrow, we don't know who and go back and forth through the book to get the answer.

The story was ok, different but not what I was expecting, I found although some of the chapters very short, some dragged and were slow. I also thought Alex, the girlfriend got a little muddled in the middle of the story and I am not sure I agree with the solution they all came up with at the end. I thought that was quite unrealistic.

The book was one that I am glad I have read, however it was not my cup of tea, there will be many who enjoy this book.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

Monday 20 August 2018

29 Seconds by T.M. Logan

29 Seconds29 Seconds by T.M. Logan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Give me one name. One person. And I will make them disappear . . .

When Sarah rescues a young girl in trouble, she expects nothing in return. But her act of bravery puts a powerful and dangerous man in her debt. He lives by his own brutal code, and all debts must be repaid - in the only way he knows how.

He offers Sarah a way to solve a desperate situation with her intolerable boss. A once-in-a-lifetime deal that will make all her problems disappear.

No consequences. No comeback. No chance of being found out.

All it takes is a 29 second phone call.

BECAUSE EVERYONE HAS A NAME TO GIVE. DON'T THEY?



When Sarah saves the daughter of a Russian mobster from being abducted her only concern is that the girl is found safe, she doesn't expect the gratitude of her father who offers her the chance of making someone 'disappear' from her life if she wants it.

Sarah has a job as an academic at a university but her boss is a sexual predator and he makes it quite clear to her that unless she plays ball he will ruin her career. She believes that her talent will show through despite this odious Professor but he has made it his business to protect himself with others secrets and lies and there is no one who will stand up to him or go against him. All the female staff know exactly what he's like and they devise a set of rules when dealing with him, never be alone with him, don't encourage him, keep your distance when you can and never be with him when he's drunk as he's unpredictable and could be violent.

Naturally then when she is given an opportunity to be rid of him forever after much soul searching she makes the 29 second call to the Russians.

It does not turn out how she had hoped it would and when things go wrong she is forced to take matters into her own hands. Helped by her friend and her dad she has once last chance to free herself from Prof Lovelock for good.

Good characterisation and short sharp chapters kept up the pace and suspense. I did guess in part what would happen but it does have a couple of twists I didn't see coming. Nicely written (my first book by this author) and a good easy read well worth 4 stars and I look forward to reading more of T M Logan's work in the future.


Saturday 18 August 2018

Secrets in Sicily blog tour with extract



ARIA_Feeny_SECRETS IN SICILY_E.jpgSecrets in Sicily by Penny Feeny


Sicily, 1977 Ten-year-old Lily and family arrive for their annual summer holiday in Sicily. Adopted as a toddler, Lily’s childhood has been idyllic. But a chance encounter with a local woman on the beach changes everything… 10 years later… Ever since that fateful summer Lily’s picture-perfect life, and that of her family, has been in turmoil. The secrets of the baking hot shores of Sicily are calling her back, and Lily knows that the answers she has been so desperately seeking can only be found if she returns to her beloved island once more…




Extract:

In  Lily’s  earliest  memory  of  the  villa  there  was  no  Harry;  even  her  mother  was shadowy.  She was  two,  or  maybe  three.  Her  father  had  led  her  through  rooms  that  seemed  huge  and  dark  and  cluttered  with  fascinating  curiosities.  The  pair  of  them  had  burst  out  onto  the  terrace  and  on  the  table,  she  remembered,  lay  a  bowl  of  peaches,  flushed  and  downy  and  warm  from  the  sun.  Her  father  had  picked  her  up  and  whirled  her  around  his  head  and  then  he  had  lowered  her  and  stroked  her  cheek  with  his  finger,  saying  her  skin  was  as  soft  and  silky  as  a  peach.  In  another  summer,  baby  Harry  appeared  and  she  began  to  dote  on  him.  Six  years  later,  though  he  could  be  irritating,  she  couldn’t  imagine  being  without  him.  He’d  been  dozing  in  the  back  of  the  hire  car  on  the  way  from   the  airport  and  she’d  had  to  push  him  off  her  shoulder  more  than  once,  but  now  he  woke  with  a  jolt  to  ask  if  they  were  nearly  there.  Lily’s  insides  were  tight  with  anticipation.  They  were  driving  along  country  roads  and  the  scenery  enthralled  her:  silvery  groves  of  olives,  golden  orchards  of  oranges  and  lemons,  ranks  of  vines  troopin g  uphill  in  formation  like  sturdy  little  armies,  everything  shimmering  in  a  heat  haze.  The  sky  was  so  blue  and  the  air  so  hot  that  the  road  ahead  of  them  was  wavy  and  out-of-focus.  She  was  excited,  but  nervous  too,  because  there  was  always  the  chance  that  things  would  have  changed.  That  they  would  turn  into  the  bumpy  drive  that  led  to  Villa  Ercole  and  it  wouldn’t  be  there  anymore  because  it  had  caught  fire.  Or  they  wouldn’t  be  able  to  have  their  usual  rooms  because  other  people  were  staying.  Or  the  sweet  chestnut  trees  cradling  the  hammock  would  have  been  chopped  down.  Or  the  old  clanking  bicycles  thrown  out...  Lily  wanted  everything  to  be  exactly  the  same;  she  wanted  to  be  able  to  run  across  the  cool  terracotta  tiles  and  find  familiar  touchstones.  This  was  important  to  her.  Even  her  parents  were  excited  to  be  at  the  start  of  their  holiday,  their  mood  giddy.  ‘Shall  we  have  a  bet,’  Alex  said,  ‘on  what  colour  dress  Dolly  will  be  wearing?’ Lily  and  Harry  giggled.  Dolly,  like  many  Sicilian  women  of  her  generation,  would  be  wearing  black,  even  though  she  hadn’t  been  widowed;  black  conferred  dignity.  ‘While  Gerald,’  said  Jess,  ‘will  be  in  white.  Off-white,  rather...’‘And  a  big straw  at,’said  Lily.    ‘Nicotine  white,’  said  Alex.  ‘with  splashes  of  Nero  d’Avola.’‘What’s  that?’

‘It’s  a  type  of  red  wine.’ ‘Nero  means  black  in  Italian.’ ‘True,’  said  Alex.  ‘But  the  Italians  describe  grapes  as  either  black  or  white,  whereas  we’d  say  red  or  green.  D’you  think  they  might  be  colour-blind?’ ‘Grapes  aren’t  red  actually, ’  said  Harry.  ‘They’re  purple.’ ‘Oh,  what  heaven!’  said  Jess.  ‘Look  at  all  those  juicy  melons.’ Ahead  of  them  a  donkey  was  trundling  a  cart  laden  with  huge  glossy  watermelons.  With  a  wave  at  the  carter,  Alex  accelerated  past  it.  ‘Even  better,’  he  said. ‘Look  down  there!’  And  to  their  joy  Roccamare  came  into  view.  The  fishing  village  huddled  in  a  sheltered  cove  with  a  row  of  palm  trees  along  the  shoreline  and  a  forest  of  boat  masts  in  the  harbour.  Villa  Ercole  lay  on  a  spur  of  land  above  the  beach,  screened  by  oleander  bushes.  Years  ago  it  had  been  painted  the  same  pink  as  the  oleander  but  this  had  faded  in  the  sun,  and  Gerald  in  his  nicotine-white  trousers  and  wine-splashed  shirt  wasn’t  the  sort  to  bother  with  redecoration.  

Alex  had  to  swerve  to  avoid  the  pot-holes  and  they  could  hear  the  suitcases  sliding  in  the  boot.  They  were  coming  for  a  month,  as  usual,  but  they  didn’t  bring  a  lot  of  possessions.  Who  needed  toys  when  you  were  running  about  outside,  or  several  different  outfits  when  you  spent  all  day  in  a  swimsuit?   Besides,  Gerald  had  sets  of  backgammon  and  chess  and  packs  of  cards  and  old  scratched  gramophone  records  for  dancing.  Jess  and  Alex  thought  his  record  collection  antiquated  and  the  sound  quality poor,  but  this  was  good  for  Lily  and  Harry  because  no  one  was  worried  about  wrecking  them.  Villa  Ercole  was  the  sort  of  place  where  you  could  run  completely  wild  without  getting  into  trouble  and  Dolly  was  the  best  provider  of  sweetmeats  and  pastries  that  Lily  had  ever  come  across.  Harry  wound  down  his  window  and  shouted.  Alex  played  a  fanfare  on  the  car  horn.  Dolly  came  rushing  out  in  her  black  dress,  though  she  wore  an  incongruous  flowered  overall  on  top  of  it,  which  Lily  was  pleased  to  see  because  it  meant  she’d  been  cooking.  Jess  unwound  herself  from  the  passenger  seat  and  spread  out  her  arms,  towering  over  Dolly,  who  was  closer  to  Lily’s  height.  Dolly’s  real  name  was  Addolorata,  after  Our  Lady  –  not  the  Madonna  with  the  Christ  child,  but  the  grieving  mother  whose  son  had  died  on  the  cross.  Alex  had  nicknamed  her  partly  because  she  was  small  and  chunky  and  full  of  treats  like  a  bag  of  dolly  mixtures  and  partly  so  that  he  could  greet  her  with:  ‘Well,  hello,  Dolly!’  as  he  did  now.


_ARIA_ Secrets in Sicily Blog Tour poster (1).png


What
s that?



Wednesday 15 August 2018

The Killing Type: A short story from the bestselling author of My Husband’s Wife by Jane Corry

The Killing Type: A short story from the bestselling author of My Husband’s WifeThe Killing Type: A short story from the bestselling author of My Husband’s Wife by Jane Corry
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Susie and her sister have never been close. These days they barely speak. So when Danielle messages her out of the blue and begs to meet, Susie knows something must be wrong.
But what Danielle tells her seems crazy. Her husband, Simon, may be a bully, but surely he wouldn't hurt her?
Then the accident happens. And Susie is forced to rethink everything.
Who is lying?
Who is telling the truth?
And who, really, is the killing type?


I have read other books by Corry and I really have enjoyed them. This, however I found way too short and the time in between the chapters jumped by a lot and at times I had hoped I knew what went on in between them.

The overall idea for this story I liked and I thought it could have developed well into a full length novel. Unfortunately I thought it was very rushed and at times felt a little under developed because of this.

I can't complain, it is currently free on Amazon and it is worth the read, don't let this put you off of other Corry novels if you haven't read anything by her as they are pretty good. I have decided to give this 3* due to the idea of the story as it was good, just rather rushed.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.


Monday 13 August 2018

The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down: How to be Calm in a Busy World by Haemin Sunim

The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down: How to be Calm in a Busy WorldThe Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down: How to be Calm in a Busy World by Haemin Sunim
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The world moves fast, but that doesn't mean we have to. In this timely guide to mindfulness, Haemin Sunim, a Buddhist monk born in Korea and educated in the United States, offers advice on everything from handling setbacks to dealing with rest and relationships, in a beautiful book combining his teachings with calming full-colour illustrations. Haemin Sunim's simple messages - which he first wrote when he responded to requests for advice on social media - speak directly to the anxieties that have become part of modern life and remind us of the strength and joy that come from slowing down.

Hugely popular in Korea, Haemin Sunim is a Zen meditation teacher whose teachings transcend religion, borders and ages. With insight and compassion drawn from a life full of change, the bestselling monk succeeds at encouraging all of us to notice that when you slow down, the world slows down with you.




I rarely read non - fiction, however I picked this little gem up for a little be of self pampering. This is a lovely little book, sectioned into different areas and is incredibly easy to read, not meant to be read cover to cover, just to be picked up here and there when you need time for yourself.

This is a thoughtful little book, which has some lovely quotes in that help you think about things, not too deeply but will help you slow down and reevaluate things in your life.

I really enjoyed this book and it will be one that I regularly pick up.


Wednesday 8 August 2018

Her Name Was Rose - Guest Post





Her name was Rose. You watched her die. And her death has created a vacancy.



When Emily lets a stranger step out in front of her, she never imagines that split second will change her life. But after Emily watches a car plough into the young mother – killing her instantly – she finds herself unable to move on.



And then she makes a decision she can never take back.



Because Rose had everything Emily had ever dreamed of. A beautiful, loving family, a great job and a stunning home. And now Rose’s husband misses his wife, and their son needs a mother. Why couldn’t Emily fill that space?



But as Emily is about to discover, no one’s life is perfect … and not everything is as it seems.





Guest Post:

One of the most common questions writers are asked is “How do you come up with your ideas”?

There is no clear, defined answer unfortunately. For any of us who have spent days or weeks, or even months trying to find the next idea to stick for the next book, it would be really handy if we had a go to method for picking what our next book will be about.

The truth is, you never really know when inspiration will strike or what will fire off an idea that you can take and transform into 90,000 words of a novel that will grip a reader.

Over the years, different things have inspired my stories. My own experiences of Post Natal Depression inspired my first novel Rainy Days and Tuesdays. A real life love story I reported on during my journalism career inspired The First Time I Said Goodbye. My grandmother’s battle with Alzheimer’s inspired Still You.

There were elements of real life experiences in all my women’s fiction books. But it’s a bit harder when it comes to finding ideas for thrillers. Thankfully most of us would have found ourselves under threat or under the control of a twisted individual!

But sometimes a kernel of a story can kick of something very different. When it came to ‘Her Name Was Rose’, there were a number of ideas that came together to make me sit down and put pen to paper.

First of all, the opening line ‘It should have been me’, popped into my head and wouldn’t go away.

Secondly I’d noticed how social media had become a very public way for people to express their grief, particularly after a tragic death and how people increasingly used the likes of Facebook to write messages to the deceased expressing their sorrow.

At the same time, I knew that Facebook and all other social media isn’t really real. They are showrooms for our actual life. We show people the good things, the happy memories, the days when we look at our very best, when we are being the best friends, mothers, partners and people we can be.

Quite often there is something very different going on behind the scenes of what we choose to share with people.

It has taken “keeping up with the Joneses” to a whole new level as we battle not only to have what others have, but to be as happy as they are.

The pressure to be happy, and grateful is immense.

So with those ideas in mind, I came up with the characters of Rose – who has the picture perfect life – and Emily, who craves it more than anything.

From there a story of intrigue and twists and turns followed and the ideas kept coming. Sometimes I would see an interaction between people and be inspired. More often than not the idea for the next twist would come to me while I was doing something really mundane like taking a shower or walking on the beach.

And now I’m preparing to start writing another book and waiting for that moment of divine inspiration to get me back at my writing desk.

All ideas welcome!

Monday 6 August 2018

Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny

Standard DeviationStandard Deviation by Katherine Heiny
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Graham’s second wife, Audra, is an unrestrained force of good nature. She talks non-stop through her epidural, labour and delivery, invites the doorman to move in and the eccentric members of their son’s Origami Club to Thanksgiving. When she decides to make friends with Elsbeth – Graham’s first wife and Audra’s polar opposite – Graham starts to wonder: how can anyone love two such different women? And did he make the right choice?

I'm not sure I really 'got the point' of this book. It was like a observational comedy script with humour that felt both forced and fake. About a New York family (with an Asperger's son) and their situational every day life it felt like a lot of diary entries rather than a well thought out smooth flowing novel. I found it a strange book, the character of Graham the husband was a little dull and his second wife Audra was so over the top that I actually felt she was smothering both him and any chance of a real story. Graham I feel possibly believes he made a mistake with marrying Audra who is so different from his first wife Elspeth as anyone could get. He actually sounds bored with Audra and appears to be just settling for second best. Elspeth comes back into his life and I suppose he is drawn to comparisons. Audra is projected as rather eccentric in her ways but so obsessed with everyone else's life that she can't see the problems in her own.

I didn't really like this book at all, I couldn't see the point of it really. it doesn't go anywhere, it's a bit sad and the comedy just didn't work for me. I know it's had lots of great reviews and I wouldn't say don't bother but it just didn't appeal to me at all. Can only give this one two stars.

Friday 3 August 2018

Anything For Her by G.J. Minett

Anything For HerAnything For Her by G.J. Minett
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

A devilish psychological thriller from the widely loved GJ Minett, for fans of The Girl Before and Lie with Me.

You'd do anything for the one that got away . . . wouldn't you?

When Billy Orr returns home to spend time with his dying sister, he bumps into his ex-girlfriend Aimi, the love of his life. He might not have seen her in eleven years, but Billy's never forgotten her. He'd do anything for her then, and he'd do anything for her now.

When Aimi tells him that she wants to escape her abusive husband, Billy agrees to help her fake her own death. But is she still the Aimi that Billy remembers from all those years ago?

Once Aimi disappears, Billy has to face the possibility that perhaps she had different reasons for disappearing - reasons that might be more dangerous than she's led him to believe . . .

Sometimes trusting the one you love is the wrong thing to do.


This was a bit disappointing in my view, I was intrigued with the title and the blurb but unfortunately it didn't live up to my expectations. I didn't like the way it was written and the characters were so one dimensional, no real opportunity to make a real connection with them or feel as if the time invested in reading the novel was worth the effort. I don't really like 3rd person narratives for the reason that it is hard to form relationships with the characters but I also felt he fell short on dialogue as well. His characters didn't have a lot to say and it was hard to make judgements about them because of this.

It was very slow and nothing much happens until almost halfway through the book, it also was set in three different time lines that had the reader skipping from 2002, 2015 and 2016 never really sure which character we were with and that had the effect of losing momentum. Because of this I must confess to skim reading a lot of the time.

It was a good idea but I felt there were missed opportunities to flesh out characters and allow the reader to form their own conclusions and 'buy' into the story from the beginning, as such, for me at least, I didn't really feel any suspense or real drama in the telling.

Billy, the main character was complex and had obvious psychological issues but he came across as a bit weird and creepy so I couldn't really warm to him anyway, the only character I liked was his sister Mia but again missed opportunities to develop her character or her relationship with Billy.

Sorry because I didn't like the style and couldn't really get into this book I just didn't care towards the end what was happening and sadly can only give this a 2 star rating.

Wednesday 1 August 2018

Love Will Tear Us Apart by Holly Seddon

Love Will Tear Us ApartLove Will Tear Us Apart by Holly Seddon
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Fearing eternal singledom, childhood friends Kate and Paul make the age-old vow that if they don't find love by thirty, they will marry each other.

Years later, with the deadline of their 30th birthdays approaching, the unlikely couple decide to keep their teenage promise. After all, they are such good friends. Surely that's enough to make a marriage?

Now, on the eve of their 10th wedding anniversary, they will discover that love between men and women is more complex, and more precarious, than they could ever have imagined. As Kate struggles with a secret that reaches far into their past, will the couple's vow become the very thing that threatens their future?

Love Will Tear Us Apart is a moving and heart-breaking exploration of modern love and friendship, from the bestselling author of Try Not to Breathe.



After reading the two other Seddon novels, I was really looking forward to starting this one. Her other two have been psychological thrillers and that's what I expected from this one. However, this was very different. We are lead to believe early on that there is a 'secret' threatening Kate and Paul's marriage, however I thought it was disappointing and I was left feeling, 'so what?'

This is told through two time periods, when Kate and Paul are growing up and about their lives and then married with two children, which is the present day. For me the book took a long time to get going and I kept thinking, soon something major will happen, but I never got that.

Although I did enjoy this, I found the pace a little slow, it felt like nothing much was happening for the majority of the book. I did finish it, but I felt a little deflated by it. I would still read Seddon's next novel but I am hoping she goes back to what she is good at and that is writing great thrillers.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.