tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18963837365418430332024-03-13T19:31:50.148+00:00The Book CornerMrsB2011http://www.blogger.com/profile/14483133507984440835noreply@blogger.comBlogger1229125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896383736541843033.post-50045114687895563302020-06-26T06:30:00.000+01:002020-06-26T06:30:03.032+01:00The Hypnotist's Love Story by Liane Moriarty<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23751850-the-hypnotist-s-love-story" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Hypnotist's Love Story" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1418234545l/23751850._SX98_.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23751850-the-hypnotist-s-love-story">The Hypnotist's Love Story</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/322069.Liane_Moriarty">Liane Moriarty</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3355382687">3 of 5 stars</a></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Ellen O’Farrell is a professional hypnotherapist who works out of the eccentric beachfront home she inherited from her grandparents. It’s a nice life, except for her tumultuous relationship history. She’s stoic about it, but at this point, Ellen wouldn’t mind a lasting one. When she meets Patrick, she’s optimistic. He’s attractive, single, employed, and best of all, he seems to like her back.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Then comes that dreaded moment: He thinks they should have a talk. Braced for the worst, Ellen is pleasantly surprised. It turns out that Patrick’s ex-girlfriend is stalking him. Ellen thinks, Actually, that’s kind of interesting. She’s dating someone worth stalking. She’s intrigued by the woman’s motives. In fact, she’d even love to meet her.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Ellen doesn’t know it, but she already has.</span></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With 502 pages my expectations of a good entertaining read were high especially as Big Little Lies was just that. Unfortunately though I ploughed on to the end, nothing much happened. There were so many opportunities to ramp up the pace that weren’t exploited. Because of the lack of pace and excitement it seemed very slow and a bit boring if I’m honest and therefore overly long.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">502 pages in a book is commitment for a reader and I just didn’t think it was a great investment of my time. It’s an ok read for a holiday but not a great read. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Only 3 stars from me, disappointing and lack lustre.</span><br />
<br />MrsB2011http://www.blogger.com/profile/14483133507984440835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896383736541843033.post-28704990420926880202020-06-24T06:30:00.000+01:002020-06-24T06:30:05.984+01:00Hope to Die by David Jackson<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32671010-hope-to-die" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Hope to Die (DS Nathan Cody #2)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1484501680l/32671010._SX98_.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32671010-hope-to-die">Hope to Die</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5779269.David_Jackson">David Jackson</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3355380655">4 of 5 stars</a></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">CROSS YOUR HEART AND . . . </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">HOPE TO DIE</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">There was a hate in this killer. A thirst for obliteration rather than a mere desire to end a life . . .</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">A brutal murder takes place in the grounds of a Liverpool cathedral. A killer is on the loose, driven by a chilling rage. The victim: the last person you'd expect to be subjected to such terrible violence. Can DS Nathan Cody crack the case before another innocent is chosen?</span></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My first novel by this author and my first introduction to DC Nathan Cody. Having missed the first novel in this sequence of DC Cody books I thought it might be difficult to understand the character but Jackson made it easy to get the back story.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All the characters were filled in nicely so missing the first book in the series didn’t spoil the enjoyment.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Psychological thriller with good tension and nit overly long chapters kept the pace going nicely but the concept wasn’t entirely new. There were a couple of surprises but not enough to make the story really stand out. Having said this it’s an excellent read and Jackson even managed to create empathy for the killer who had been mercilessly mentally abused by his mother. Reading parts where he is only 6 having wet the bed and all the punishment that incurred were very moving.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well deserved 4 stars from me.
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<br />MrsB2011http://www.blogger.com/profile/14483133507984440835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896383736541843033.post-24526706934271082882020-06-22T06:30:00.000+01:002020-06-22T06:30:00.767+01:00Hideaway by Nora Roberts<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51172162-hideaway" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Hideaway" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1574392610l/51172162._SX98_.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51172162-hideaway">Hideaway</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/625.Nora_Roberts">Nora Roberts</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3355378621">2 of 5 stars</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span id="freeText4673133507159581971" style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><b>A family ranch in Big Sur country and a legacy of Hollywood royalty set the stage for Nora Roberts’ emotional new suspense novel.</b><br /><br />Caitlyn Sullivan, a daughter of Hollywood royalty, was already a star at ten, but still loved to play hide-and-seek with her cousins at the family home in Big Sur. It was during one of those games that she disappeared.<br /><br />Despite her glamorous background, Cate was a shrewd, scrappy survivor, and she managed to escape her abductors. Dillon Cooper was shocked to find the bruised and terrified girl huddled in his ranch house kitchen—but when the teenager and his family heard her story they provided refuge and comfort, reuniting her with her loved ones.<br /><br />Cate’s ordeal, though, was far from over. First came the discovery of a betrayal that would send someone she’d trusted to prison. Then there were years away in Ireland, sheltered and protected but with restlessness growing in her soul. Then, finally, she returned to Los Angeles, hoping to act again and get past the trauma that had derailed her life. What she didn’t yet know was that two seeds had been planted that long-ago night—one of a great love, and one of a terrible vengeance…</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"> </span></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a meaty read 454 pages so a big investment on your time. It needed to be a great read, sadly it wasn’t.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It starts with a funeral celebration of the oldest Sullivan’s life and the coming together of the extended family at his mansion. When 9 year old Caitlyn goes missing during a hide and seek game it’s not long before the family find themselves facing a kidnapping. Great start and a good hook to get the reader in. Unfortunately having exposed who was responsible fairly early in the book it really had no where to go.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We follow Caitlyn into adulthood and it all becomes very predictable and unfortunately boring. Over half the book was predictable and dragged on to such an extent that I skim read most of the boring dialogue to almost the end when I couldn’t read any more.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Such a successful writer doesn’t really deserve two stars but with lack lustre characters and boring predictable storyline I’m afraid I really can’t give it more.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.
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<br />MrsB2011http://www.blogger.com/profile/14483133507984440835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896383736541843033.post-54411284411605231842020-06-19T06:30:00.000+01:002020-06-19T06:30:03.418+01:00Counting Stars by Keris Stainton<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25399733-counting-stars" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Counting Stars" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1436195595l/25399733._SX98_.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25399733-counting-stars">Counting Stars</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3028584.Keris_Stainton">Keris Stainton</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3355376498">3 of 5 stars</a></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Big city, big dreams, no money, no problem...</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Six 'friends', one flat, big dreams... what could go wrong? When eighteen-year-old Anna leaves school and moves to Liverpool, she feels like her life is finally beginning. She's landed her dream job at a theatre, and she's moving into an exciting (if not slightly run-down) flat on a buzzing street lined with shops, bars, and buskers. Best of all, her new flatmates are kind, welcoming and a lot of fun - what more could she ask for?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">But although her new life is fun, it's also a little overwhelming. Anna's job quickly falls through, and then she realises that although her new friends are great, they're also a little mixed-up... and it's not long before Anna starts using her blog to talk about her experiences, from the hilarious to the ridiculous to the little-bit-scary. But when Anna spills a bigger secret than she can handle, suddenly the consequences are all too real. She'll have to prove she has the mettle to make it in the big city, or risk losing everything she thinks she wants.</span></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Average chic lit book that would appeal to most students who’ve just moved away from home.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mainly dealing with growing up and relationships with boys and learning to live with others.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Likeable characters and an average storyline. Very predictable but an easy read and perfect for holidays (if we ever get back to normal post lockdown life).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Three stars for this one.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.
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<br />MrsB2011http://www.blogger.com/profile/14483133507984440835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896383736541843033.post-16232519682979705262020-06-17T06:30:00.000+01:002020-06-17T06:30:06.750+01:00Two Women by Martina Cole<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/191648.Two_Women" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Two Women" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386925552l/191648._SX98_.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/191648.Two_Women">Two Women</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/111542.Martina_Cole">Martina Cole</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3355374301">5 of 5 stars</a></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Danger and violence have always been part of Sue Dalston's East End upbringing. Unloved by her mother, abused by her father, and brutalised throughout her entire marriage, she's convicted of smashing her husband's skull in a final act of desperation. All that keeps her sane is knowing that she's done it to protect her four children. At last, they are safe from harm. When she is celled up with murderess Matilda Enderby, their fates become inextricably linked. And no one - least of all Sue - could have predicted the consequences . . </span></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a meaty book with 552 pages it is a investment on your time but such a surprisingly easy read it really didn’t seem to drag at all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With believable characters and a strong storyline this novel treated sexual, physical and mental abuse with realistic brutality and yet the characters kept their dignity and respect throughout.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some passages are truly awful in their depiction but the reader has to go on. I loved the East End connection and it resonated with me being a Londoner myself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A cleverly crafted novel and immensely worthwhile read. Has to have 5 stars. Read it you won’t be disappointed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.
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<br />MrsB2011http://www.blogger.com/profile/14483133507984440835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896383736541843033.post-79811872603449345952020-06-15T06:30:00.000+01:002020-06-15T06:30:04.328+01:00The Au Pair by Emma Rous<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37561550-the-au-pair" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Au Pair" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1524088885l/37561550._SX98_.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37561550-the-au-pair">The Au Pair</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17506735.Emma_Rous">Emma Rous</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3355372283">4 of 5 stars</a></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Seraphine Mayes and her twin brother Danny were born in the middle of summer at their family’s estate on the Norfolk coast. Within hours of their birth, their mother threw herself from the cliffs, the au pair fled, and the village thrilled with whispers of dark cloaks, changelings, and the aloof couple who drew a young nanny into their inner circle.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Now an adult, Seraphine mourns the recent death of her father. While going through his belongings, she uncovers a family photograph that raises dangerous questions. It was taken on the day the twins were born, and in the photo, their mother, surrounded by her husband and her young son, is beautifully dressed, smiling serenely, and holding just one baby.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Who is the child and what really happened that day?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">One person knows the truth, if only Seraphine can find her.</span></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After the death of her father, Seraphine comes across a photograph of her mother (from 25 years previously ) holding a baby. Her mother supposedly threw herself from the cliffs hours after she has given birth to twins Seraphine and Danny; the photo shows only one baby and her expression does not fit with someone mentally unstable enough to commit suicide.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Seraphine has always felt there was something wrong either she didn’t belong or there were things her and Danny didn’t know. Determined to find the truth she tracks down Laura the nanny who was present at their birth to give her answers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Seraphine opens up long buried secrets that become deeper the further she digs. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was a page turner novel but I felt the ending was hurried and not entirely satisfactory. It was also confusing in some parts to decipher who was who.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I enjoyed the read but felt the rushed ending and trying to sort out identities and family connections was confusing and at times frustrating. Because of this I can’t give it more than 3.5 stars</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I would like to thank the publisher for sending in exchange for an honest review.
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<br />MrsB2011http://www.blogger.com/profile/14483133507984440835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896383736541843033.post-25738684274075854102020-06-12T06:30:00.000+01:002020-06-12T06:30:02.415+01:00The Liar by Steve Cavanagh<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34080217-the-liar" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Liar (Eddie Flynn #3)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1485826370l/34080217._SX98_.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34080217-the-liar">The Liar</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9813415.Steve_Cavanagh">Steve Cavanagh</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3355369793">5 of 5 stars</a></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">IT TAKES ONE TO KNOW ONE...</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">WHO IS DEADLIER ...</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Leonard Howell's worst nightmare has come true: his daughter Caroline has been kidnapped. Not content with relying on the cops, Howell calls the only man he trusts to get her back.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">... THE MAN WHO KNOWS THE TRUTH ...</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Eddie Flynn knows what it's like to lose a daughter and vows to bring Caroline home safe. Once a con artist, now a hotshot criminal attorney, Flynn is no stranger to the shady New York underworld.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">... OR THE ONE WHO BELIEVES A LIE?</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">However, as he steps back into his old life, Flynn realizes that the rules of game have changed — and that he is being played. But who is pulling the strings? And is anyone in this twisted case telling the truth...?</span></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is my third Cavanagh book in the Eddie Flynn series. I really like the punchy way he writes and the character Eddie Flynn.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is another adrenaline action packed novel that draws you in from the start and hurtles you towards The finale. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When Lenny Howell’s daughter is kidnapped he calls on Eddie Flynn the son of an old friend to help him find out who had taken her. In true Cavanagh style this is a very intricate plotted story that unravels the deeper you get into the book but only really delivering the punch at the end.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Great court room battles and cross examinations revealing only when Cavanagh wants the reader to know the essential information that moves this forwards.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A great read, clever, entertaining, and totally believable. Has to have 5 stars</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.
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<br />MrsB2011http://www.blogger.com/profile/14483133507984440835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896383736541843033.post-32301260886349677122020-06-10T06:30:00.000+01:002020-06-10T06:30:05.571+01:00Tightrope by Marnie Riches<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43832689-tightrope" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Tightrope" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1562830791l/43832689._SX98_.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43832689-tightrope">Tightrope</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13497393.Marnie_Riches">Marnie Riches</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3355367653">3 of 5 stars</a></span><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What happens when a private investigator ends up being the one uncovered?</span></i></b></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Having lost everything after a failed marriage, Beverley Saunders now lodges in the basement flat of a house owned by her best friend Sophie and her husband, Tim. With Bev's former glittering marketing career in the gutter, she begins to do investigative work for other wronged women, gathering dirt on philanderers, bosses and exes.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But when Beverley takes on the case of Sophie's friend Angela, who is seeking to uncover grounds for divorce from her controlling husband, Jerry, the shadow Science Minister, she soon discovers that she isn't the only one doing the investigating...</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Beverley has a secret history she doesn't want coming out - but will she manage to stay hidden long enough to give Angela the freedom she deserves?</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well put together tale about Bev who is a PI and lives in her friend Sophie’s basement flat. When she is asked to investigate one of Sophies friends husband who happens to be a government minister she finds herself entering a dark and sinister world. Once she finds a link between him and a Russian girl who has been murdered events spiral out of her control.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With issues of her own and demons to lay her life becomes evermore entwined with the case. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was a well paced novel with short chippy chapters and a raft of characters but only really one that was pleasant. I didn’t like Bev much at all which spoilt the story for me. She was damaged but she had a ruthless side that was great for her profession but not for her character.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This one gets a 3 stars from me</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.
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<br />MrsB2011http://www.blogger.com/profile/14483133507984440835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896383736541843033.post-46198803277666793142020-06-08T06:30:00.000+01:002020-06-08T06:30:01.347+01:00Killer Affair by Rebecca Chance<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33143069-killer-affair" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Killer Affair" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1496852552l/33143069._SX98_.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33143069-killer-affair">Killer Affair</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3015424.Rebecca_Chance">Rebecca Chance</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3355364985">2 of 5 stars</a></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">A shocking betrayal deserves a wicked revenge . . .</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Stunning, charismatic Lexy O’Brien is the reigning queen of British reality TV. Her life in front of the camera is planned and manipulated as successfully as any military assault.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">But success breeds jealousy. When you’re on top, the only way is down and there’s always someone standing by to give you a shove . . .</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Dowdy Caroline Evans, a part-time blogger and writer of erotic fiction, is brought in to chronicle Lexy’s life. Being taken under Lexy’s wing is a dream come true for Caroline. But sampling the star’s lifestyle is like tasting the most addictive of drugs, and it’s not long before she is craving what she can’t possibly have – or can she?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">And as Caroline and Lexy’s lives and loves become increasingly entwined, it’s only a matter of time before the hidden rivalry becomes a powder keg waiting to explode . . ."</span></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Very Hollywood wives kind of tale with quite a lot of soft porn included to spice up the read. I sometimes wonder if this is added to compensate for poor writing skills - the amount in this book really didn’t add anything meaningful to the overall ‘story’.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The ‘story’ wasn’t really that good - social climber looking for fame and fortune, rises to top on the back of someone else then proceeds to fall from a great height when revenge is exacted.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not a great plot line, sex scenes keep this one afloat if you like that kind of writing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Very average writing skills can’t separate this from a trashy novel. Sorry not for me - 2 stars</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.
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<br />MrsB2011http://www.blogger.com/profile/14483133507984440835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896383736541843033.post-58817732320557952662020-06-05T06:30:00.000+01:002020-06-05T06:30:01.547+01:00Caught by Harlan Coben<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6681454-caught" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Caught" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1437773409l/6681454._SX98_.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6681454-caught">Caught</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/24689.Harlan_Coben">Harlan Coben</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3355362608">5 of 5 stars</a></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">17 year-old Haley McWaid is a good girl, the pride of her suburban New Jersey family, captain of the lacrosse team, headed off to college next year with all the hopes and dreams her doting parents can pin on her. Which is why, when her mother wakes one morning to find that Haley never came home the night before, and three months quickly pass without word from the girl, the community assumes the worst.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Wendy Tynes is a reporter on a mission, to identify and bring down sexual predators via elaborate—and nationally televised—sting operations. Working with local police on her news program Caught in the Act, Wendy and her team have publicly shamed dozens of men by the time she encounters her latest target. Dan Mercer is a social worker known as a friend to troubled teens, but his story soon becomes more complicated than Wendy could have imagined.</span></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m a fan of this writer who consistently turns out novels of the highest quality - Caught is not a disappointment.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pacy dialogue and short meaningful chapters has this book moving at speed to keep the reader engaged. Harlen Coben is such a good story writer, characters that are so identfyible and convincing with just enough suspense and twists to give his novels staying power.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I won’t retell the story or give spoilers you need to read this and enjoy it as it was intended, no hype, no tricks, just a great read. Obviously for me a five star book.
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<br />MrsB2011http://www.blogger.com/profile/14483133507984440835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896383736541843033.post-59759281375288015802020-06-03T06:30:00.000+01:002020-06-03T06:30:07.275+01:00Christmas Under a Cranberry Sky by Holly Martin<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31423829-christmas-under-a-cranberry-sky" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Christmas Under a Cranberry Sky (A Town Called Christmas #1)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1470874832l/31423829._SX98_.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31423829-christmas-under-a-cranberry-sky">Christmas Under a Cranberry Sky</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7336832.Holly_Martin">Holly Martin</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3355359707">3 of 5 stars</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">This year spend a wonderful Christmas on Juniper Island, where love can melt even the iciest of hearts…</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Piper Chesterfield</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"> lives a glamorous life travelling the world and reviewing the finest hotels. She calls nowhere home, she works alone and that’s how she likes it. For long ago Piper decided that to protect her heart she should lock it away.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">So when Piper’s next assignment brings her to the newly opened Stardust Lake Hotel for the festive season, the last person she expects to face is </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Gabe Whitaker</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">, the man who broke her heart so completely she could never love again.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">But Piper isn’t the only one who has been frozen in time by heartbreak. Gabe hasn’t forgotten the golden-eyed girl who disappeared from his world without a trace.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Now fate has reunited them on Juniper island, can the magic of Christmas heal old wounds? And can this enchanting town be the one place Piper can finally call home?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Curl up with this gorgeously romantic tale and let the glistening snow and the roaring fires of Stardust Lake Hotel get you in the festive spirit this Christmas.</b></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nothing separates this Christmas chic lit novel from any other for me. Lots of atmosphere, the place sounded amazing and the main character Pip was likeable but Gabe her ex boyfriend was a bit of a whiny character, declaring his undying love for her one minute and throwing a hissy fit the next. Gabe came over as whiny and self absorbed, wimpy and not prepared to put aside his feelings for her, he was quite childish and immature. Not sure I’d want someone like that but Pip did - each to his own.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Overly long and somewhat repetitive dialogue left this a boring read once they’d got back together again there was really no where else for this story to go.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Can only give this 3 stars - too schmultzy and lacked drama, for me a boring read.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.
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<br />MrsB2011http://www.blogger.com/profile/14483133507984440835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896383736541843033.post-84299707971352782722020-06-01T06:30:00.000+01:002020-06-01T06:30:07.300+01:00The Stranger by Harlan Coben<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22571540-the-stranger" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Stranger" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1408564426l/22571540._SX98_.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22571540-the-stranger">The Stranger</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/24689.Harlan_Coben">Harlan Coben</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3355357289">5 of 5 stars</a></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">The Stranger appears out of nowhere, perhaps in a bar, or a parking lot, or at the grocery store. His identity is unknown. His motives are unclear. His information is undeniable. Then he whispers a few words in your ear and disappears, leaving you picking up the pieces of your shattered world.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Adam Price has a lot to lose: a comfortable marriage to a beautiful woman, two wonderful sons, and all the trappings of the American Dream: a big house, a good job, a seemingly perfect life.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Then he runs into the Stranger. When he learns a devastating secret about his wife, Corinne, he confronts her, and the mirage of perfection disappears as if it never existed at all. Soon Adam finds himself tangled in something far darker than even Corinne’s deception, and realizes that if he doesn’t make exactly the right moves, the conspiracy he’s stumbled into will not only ruin lives—it will end them.</span></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m a huge fan of Harlan Coben and no matter what he writes he never disappoints.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a clever story and written so well. Adam Price’s world is blown apart one night when a total stranger approaches him in a bar and tells him a secret about his wife Corinne. Corinne then disappears, Adam, confused and desperate to find out the truth, finds himself drawn deeper into something dark and dangerous.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Adam discovers this stranger is revealing other people’s secrets that are destroying their lives. He knows he has to find out who the stranger is and stop him but also he believes he is the key to his wife’s disappearance.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well formed characters with good pace and suspense has this novel racing you towards the end.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another success for this prolific writer. Easily a five star read.</span><br />
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<br />MrsB2011http://www.blogger.com/profile/14483133507984440835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896383736541843033.post-78698845222877964162020-05-29T06:30:00.000+01:002020-05-29T06:30:00.550+01:00Not That I Could Tell by Jessica Strawser<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34964878-not-that-i-could-tell" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Not That I Could Tell" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1518404032l/34964878._SX98_.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34964878-not-that-i-could-tell">Not That I Could Tell</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1056657.Jessica_Strawser">Jessica Strawser</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3355354804">3 of 5 stars</a></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="freeText3393345838406339661" style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">When a group of neighborhood women gathers, wine in hand, around a fire pit where their backyards meet one Saturday night, most of them are just ecstatic to have discovered that their baby monitors reach that far. It’s a rare kid-free night, and they’re giddy with it. They drink too much, and the conversation turns personal.<br /><br />By Monday morning, one of them is gone.<br /><br />Everyone knows something about everyone else in the quirky small Ohio town of Yellow Springs, but no one can make sense of the disappearance. Kristin was a sociable twin mom, college administrator, and doctor’s wife who didn’t seem all that bothered by her impending divorce—and the investigation turns up more questions than answers, with her husband, Paul, at the center. For her closest neighbor, Clara, the incident triggers memories she thought she’d put behind her—and when she’s unable to extract herself from the widening circle of scrutiny, her own suspicions quickly grow. But the neighborhood’s newest addition, Izzy, is determined not to jump to any conclusions—especially since she’s dealing with a crisis of her own.<br /><br />As the police investigation goes from a media circus to a cold case, the neighbors are forced to reexamine what’s going on behind their own closed doors—and to ask how well anyone really knows anyone else.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"> </span></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not really my cup of tea, a very well written piece but not sufficiently intriguing or interesting enough to keep me entertained. Would probably come across better as a tv drama where the tension could be ramped up but reading it didn’t do that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was promising at the start when a neighbour and her twin children go missing but it focuses on the neighbours and husband with such intensity that they are all but forgotten until the end. It only really got interesting again for me when we were about to uncover what happened that night of the drinks party when they disappeared.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I felt it was overly long and lacked pace however it was well written and I’m sure others would find it enjoyable. This one gets 3 stars from me but only because it wasn’t really my kind of read.
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<br />MrsB2011http://www.blogger.com/profile/14483133507984440835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896383736541843033.post-19712574046212237722020-05-27T06:30:00.000+01:002020-05-27T06:30:04.536+01:00Pretty Guilty Women by Gina LaManna<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43998065-pretty-guilty-women" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Pretty Guilty Women" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1553046354l/43998065._SX98_.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43998065-pretty-guilty-women">Pretty Guilty Women</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/11010807.Gina_LaManna">Gina LaManna</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3355351846">4 of 5 stars</a></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Four Women. Four Confessions. One Murder.</strong><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Something has gone terribly wrong at the Banks wedding. A man is dead. Four different women rush to offer confessions, each insisting that they committed the crime -- alone.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Ginger is holding her family together by a thread, and this wedding weekend is not the fabulous getaway she anticipated.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Kate has enough money to buy her way out of anything. Well, almost anything.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Emily can't shake her reputation or her memories, and she's planning to drown this whole vacation in a bottle.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Lulu's got ex-husbands to spare, and another on the way -- as soon as she figures out what the devil the current husband is up to behind her back.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Why would they confess to the same murder? Only they know -- and they're not telling. This page-turning novel explores the depths of friendship and the truths we love to ignore.</span></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Three ex college friends meet up at an exclusive luxury hotel for the wedding of a mutual friend Kate, Ginger and Emily are friends of the bride, Lulu who becomes friends to the other three is related to the groom through marriage to Pierce her husband. Lulu is much older than the others and on her forth marriage.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All the friends have secrets and (Lulu apart) having had no contact with each other for five years, they have no idea what each of them has gone through.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We open with a murder and each of the friends confess to the killing. While the confused and exasperated detective tries to unpick the mystery we learn the stories of these friends and what leads each to confess to the murder.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite its hefty 319 pages it is a surprisingly quick read, nicely written with interesting flawed characters. There was a little twist at the end, not completely surprising but it rounds things off. Nothing too heavy with his novel, recommended read - four stars.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.
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<br />MrsB2011http://www.blogger.com/profile/14483133507984440835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896383736541843033.post-17657123357961755462020-05-25T10:47:00.003+01:002020-05-25T10:47:50.423+01:00The Lie Of You by Jane Lythell<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25094927-the-lie-of-you" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Lie Of You" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1438121654l/25094927._SX98_.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25094927-the-lie-of-you">The Lie Of You</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7352467.Jane_Lythell">Jane Lythell</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3355349831">3 of 5 stars</a></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Can you hide your deepest fear?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">To the outside world, Kathy is the very picture of a happy and fulfilled modern woman. She has a beautiful baby boy, a clever, handsome husband and a glamorous, high-powered job.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">But not everybody is fooled. Her employee, Heja, knows the truth: the cracks in Kathy's marriage, her self-doubt, her fear of failure at work. Heja is perfectly placed to destroy Kathy's life. And if she succeeds, she can claim the one thing she wants most...</span></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As psychological thrillers go this wasn’t the best I’ve read not the worse. Centred around three main characters this is a somewhat tragic tale about love, loss, obsession and jealousy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Told through two viewpoints, Kathy married to Marcus is a first time new mum juggling a pressurised job at a magazine and new baby who doesn’t really know her husband of two years either. Insecurities at the start mean the foundation of her marriage are not secure and knowing nothing about Marcus and his refusal to talk about his past means that she becomes paranoid at times.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Marcus is a cold fish, he appears to be very closed, even his speech appears to be guarded and stilted. Perhaps this was intentional by the writer to highlight he is Finnish but it was irritating. Similarly the character of Heja was treated to the same traits and both these characters suffered because of it being unlikeable and one dimensional. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The idea was good but I just didn’t feel we ever really got to know the characters which made it a bit hollow for me. I didn’t connect with any of them and although the reasons behind behaviour of characters came from deeper traumas as a reader I didn’t get that emotional pull.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not a bad read but not a great read, would give this one a three star rating as missed opportunities and lack of depth in characterisation let this down.</span><br />
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<br />MrsB2011http://www.blogger.com/profile/14483133507984440835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896383736541843033.post-80164019180618012912020-04-20T06:00:00.000+01:002020-04-20T06:00:12.077+01:00A Year in Nature - A carousel book of the seasons laurencekingpub .<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A Year in Nature - A carousel book of the seasons @laurencekingpub ..</div>
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This book is simply stunning. I had no idea what to expect and when I opened it I was surprised and amazed.<br />
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This book is beautiful, being 3D it allows you to see everything at once through the different seasons.<br />
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There is so much to see on each page, facts about the seasons but also hidden gems for you to spot. I love the fact we go on a journey with the foxes through the year to see what happens to them. I also love the fact we learn about evergreen trees and trees in general through the carousel.<br />
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This is a perfect book for little ones to learn about the season, brilliant for school aged children 5 and 6 who learn about the seasons in Science but it’s a stunning book to share at any age.<br />
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I would like to thank @laurencekingpub for sending this in exchange for an honest review, this is a book we will be keeping and treasuring as its so stunning.<br />
<br />MrsB2011http://www.blogger.com/profile/14483133507984440835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896383736541843033.post-59276046940000466512020-02-17T06:30:00.000+00:002020-02-17T06:30:01.288+00:00No One Cancels Christmas by Zara Stoneley<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40496936-no-one-cancels-christmas" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="No One Cancels Christmas" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1537562870l/40496936._SX98_.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40496936-no-one-cancels-christmas">No One Cancels Christmas</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5819479.Zara_Stoneley">Zara Stoneley</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3182003568">5 of 5 stars</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Typical rom com, schmaltzy with a warm fuzzy feel good factor read. Lots of dilemmas and misinterpreted situations have this moving along nicely in the typical to com manner. Predictable but not boring and a lovely atmospheric Christmas read with all the snow, hot chocolate, baubles and good looking men fans of this genre love.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lovely Christmas read - five stars as it has everything it needs to make it complete</span><br />
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<br />MrsB2011http://www.blogger.com/profile/14483133507984440835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896383736541843033.post-71866473557828951182020-02-14T06:30:00.000+00:002020-02-14T06:30:00.860+00:00Suspicious Minds by Gwenda Bond<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40535559-suspicious-minds" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Suspicious Minds (Stranger Things, #1)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1540238761l/40535559._SX98_.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40535559-suspicious-minds">Suspicious Minds</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1951011.Gwenda_Bond">Gwenda Bond</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3182000470">5 of 5 stars</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cleverly written psychological/sci-fi/thriller that brings these genres together in an absorbingly frightening tale.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Set in the summer of 1969 in Indiana, 4 college students enrol on an experimental project primarily because they are short of money and they get paid to do it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s not long before Terry (one of girls) realises there’s something more sinister about the project. Discovering a child is being kept at the lab, Terry sets about finding out the truth with dire consequences.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My first novel in the Stranger Things series which I thoroughly enjoyed. Believable characters and storyline, it’s pacy narrative has the reader speeding along to it’s rather unfinished ending. ‘Darkness on the Edge of Town’ I believe is the sequel which I fully intend to read to clear up the unfinished business of ‘Suspicious Minds’. 5 stars for this one</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.
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<br />MrsB2011http://www.blogger.com/profile/14483133507984440835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896383736541843033.post-41652565842555964892020-02-12T06:30:00.000+00:002020-02-12T06:30:08.119+00:00A Stolen Summer by Allegra Huston<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42071156-a-stolen-summer" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="A Stolen Summer" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1556153098l/42071156._SX98_.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42071156-a-stolen-summer">A Stolen Summer</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2812086.Allegra_Huston">Allegra Huston</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3181992853">4 of 5 stars</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Essentially about a woman, who after several years of marriage and one child, finds herself again, with the help of Micajah Burnett the son of an old school friend.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Micajah is 4 years older than Eves own son Allan but he awakes lost passion for life and gives Eve the confidence to break out of her loveless marriage.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sensitively written, beautiful in parts, we see her blossom when she is with Micajah rediscovering her youthful aspirations when she finally sets herself free. He makes her feel beautiful again and although she does love him she realises that she doesn’t need him or anyone to make her feel complete. Not my usual genre but pleasantly and surprisingly a good holiday read - 4 stars</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.
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<br />MrsB2011http://www.blogger.com/profile/14483133507984440835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896383736541843033.post-12038122651968754532020-02-10T06:30:00.000+00:002020-02-10T06:30:05.183+00:00The Loving Husband by Christobel Kent<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27404038-the-loving-husband" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Loving Husband" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1461176564l/27404038._SX98_.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27404038-the-loving-husband">The Loving Husband</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/185385.Christobel_Kent">Christobel Kent</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3181984742">4 of 5 stars</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Atmospheric psychological thriller that journeys through the effects of love and trust. Fran comes to live in the Fens with her husband and children leaving London and her friends, family and job behind her. She’s entirely reliant on her husband where trust is paramount.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Often left alone with her daughter Emme and Ben the new baby, Fran has placed her life in husband Nathan’s hands, cut off from all she knows.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tragically one night she discovers him dead on their farm and her life starts to unravel. How well did she know Nathan, who was she married to?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cleverly woven sub plots come together and the murderer is exposed but not before several red herrings have been discarded. It was a decent story but let down by hollow characters and Frans ‘secret’ being a bit weak - having said that it was an enjoyable read and worth 4 stars</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.
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<br />MrsB2011http://www.blogger.com/profile/14483133507984440835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896383736541843033.post-5517042817258060162020-02-08T21:51:00.003+00:002020-02-08T21:51:39.050+00:00Hello!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I just want to say, I am so sorry, it has been ages since I have posted, I know this. Becoming a new mum has meant I have been trying to adjust to my new life and although I have read books and got reviews I have either been too tired or busy to post. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I h ave now got many backed up and a free night so I am able to schedule some reviews. :) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you for still following (if you are...)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Welcome to any new followers, I promise I will try to be better ;)</span><br />
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<br />MrsB2011http://www.blogger.com/profile/14483133507984440835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896383736541843033.post-63531900711352205002019-10-14T06:30:00.000+01:002019-10-14T06:30:02.208+01:00Star Wars Dooku: Jedi Lost by Cavan Scott<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44643629-star-wars-dooku" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Star Wars Dooku: Jedi Lost (Star Wars)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1553716174l/44643629._SX98_.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44643629-star-wars-dooku">Star Wars Dooku: Jedi Lost</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/87934.Cavan_Scott">Cavan Scott</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3004437926">5 of 5 stars</a></span><br />
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<i><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Delve into the history of the sinister Count Dooku in the original script to the thrilling Star Wars audio production!</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span></i><br />
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<i>Darth Tyranus. Count of Serenno. Leader of the Separatists. A red saber, unsheathed in the dark. But who was he before he became the right hand of the Sith? As Dooku courts a new apprentice, the hidden truth of the Sith Lord's past begins to come to light.</i></div>
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<i>Dooku's life began as one of privilege--born within the stony walls of his family's estate, orbited by the Funeral Moon where the bones of his ancestors lie interred. But soon, his Jedi abilities are recognized, and he is taken from his home to be trained in the ways of the Force by the legendary Master Yoda.</i></div>
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<i>As he hones his power, Dooku rises through the ranks, befriending fellow Jedi Sifo-Dyas and taking a Padawan of his own, the promising Qui-Gon Jinn--and tries to forget the life that he once led. But he finds himself drawn by a strange fascination with the Jedi Master Lene Kostana, and the mission she undertakes for the Order: finding and studying ancient relics of the Sith, in preparation for the eventual return of the deadliest enemies the Jedi have ever faced.</i></div>
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<i>Caught between the world of the Jedi, the ancient responsibilities of his lost home, and the alluring power of the relics, Dooku struggles to stay in the light--even as the darkness begins to fall.</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is the script to the audio production of Dooku: Jedi Lost. The story builds on characters that we know very little about focusing mainly on Count Dooku but also Sifo-Dyas and Asajj Ventress. The audio play also introduces us to several new characters, the most important being Lene Kostana. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The story starts with Count Dooku giving Ventress the task of locating his sister, this part of the story is set in the present however; the story is told mostly in flashbacks in the form of holocrons that Dooku provides in order for Ventress to learn all she needs to find her sister. Whilst Ventess makes her way to the spaceport on Serenno she plays the holocrons, we see Dooku throughout many stages of his life, starting as a child in yhr Jedi academy, becoming an apprentice to Master Yoda, then a Master to Rael and later Qui-gon Ginn, all the way through to taking his seat on the Jedi council. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During these flashbacks of Dooku's life, we see his friendship with the Jedi Sifo-Dyas grow, and his connection with Master Lene Kostana develop. Lene is one of the great characters in this story, she is a Jedi who walks the line between light and dark, but who remains strong enough to never cross the line. We also learn about Dooku's family and his heritage, we learn about the father who hates him, the brother who doesn't want to know him and the sister who loves him. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These sections of Dooku's life are separated with Ventress' point of view in the present, we also see her struggle with the path she is taking and and how her former Master Ky Narec continues to try and guide her even from beyond the grave. This really is a great story, it has taken a character that we have seen briefly on screen in the prequel trilogy and developed him into one of my favourite characters as it slowly chronicles his slip towards the dark side. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I enjoyed this story immensely, it is very well written and provides great scene directions that really help visualise the action. Even after having read it, I would listen to it in its audio format as I feel the sound plays such a large part in this story, hearing it would add an extra dimension. Listen to it or read it, either way I guarantee you will enjoy Dooku: Jedi Lost. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I would give this 4 and a half stars, rounded up to 5 for Goodreads and Amazon, I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.
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<br />MrsB2011http://www.blogger.com/profile/14483133507984440835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896383736541843033.post-74450165772819535002019-10-11T06:30:00.000+01:002019-10-11T06:30:06.740+01:00The Rival by Charlotte Duckworth<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36155733-the-rival" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Rival" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1520084099l/36155733._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36155733-the-rival" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Rival</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> by </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17133246.Charlotte_Duckworth" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Charlotte Duckworth</a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3004432950">3 of 5 stars</a></span><br />
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<i><b>NOW</b><br /><b>Helena</b> is a career woman with no job and a mother without a baby. She blames <b>Ashley</b> for destroying her life. But is what happened really Ashley's fault?</i></div>
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<i><b>THEN</b><br />When Helena hires Ashley to work for her, she's startled but impressed by her fierce ambition. They form a dream team and Helena is proud - maybe this is the protégée she's always wanted to have. But soon Helena realizes that nothing will stand in the way of Ashley's drive to get to the top. And when Helena becomes pregnant, everything she has worked so hard for is suddenly threatened, with devastating consequences...</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Billed as a Crime Thriller this is more like woman’s fiction and as such my expectations were to be reading a crime/psychological thriller.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was a mix of gossip and bitchy office rivalry that culminates in tragic consequences. It was well written but lacked pace and depth. I didn’t jell with any of the characters and because of this I felt indifferent to the outcome.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The ending had a twist of sorts but it was a very ordinary lack lustre read for me and therefore I can only give this 3 stars. Sorry just didn’t keep me interested </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.
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<br />MrsB2011http://www.blogger.com/profile/14483133507984440835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896383736541843033.post-52787392439789010602019-10-09T06:30:00.000+01:002019-10-09T06:30:05.022+01:00Rewind by Catherine Ryan Howard<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43804834-rewind" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Rewind" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1549027972l/43804834._SX98_.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43804834-rewind">Rewind</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3421464.Catherine_Ryan_Howard">Catherine Ryan Howard</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3004425879">4 of 5 stars</a></span><br />
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<i><b>PLAY</b><br />Andrew, the manager of Shanamore Holiday Cottages, watches his only guest via a hidden camera in her room. One night the unthinkable happens: a shadowy figure emerges onscreen, kills her and destroys the camera. But who is the murderer? How did they know about the camera? And how will Andrew live with himself?</i></div>
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<i><b>PAUSE</b><br />Natalie wishes she'd stayed at home as soon as she arrives in the wintry isolation of Shanamore. There's something creepy about the manager. She wants to leave, but she can't - not until she's found what she's looking for...</i></div>
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<i><b>REWIND</b><br />This is an explosive story about a murder caught on camera. You've already missed the start. To get the full picture you must rewind the tape and play it through to the end, no matter how shocking...</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A twisty clever thriller set in Ireland with creepy characters and remote isolated places this book really had it all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Told through multiple timelines it did however become a bit disjointed and difficult to follow. Reading a little and returning later it was hard to remember what had gone on and I had to re-read the chapter before to refresh myself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I did work out early on who had committed the murder but I wanted to know the motive and when it was revealed I felt it just was a bit weak and let down what otherwise could have been a five star rating. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is a good read, I think that as such a prolific reader I probably am harder to please so go and buy it you won’t be disappointed. A solid 4 stars from me</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.
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<br />MrsB2011http://www.blogger.com/profile/14483133507984440835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896383736541843033.post-17669095582400079272019-10-04T06:30:00.000+01:002019-09-25T20:50:13.671+01:00Seven Days by Alex Lake<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47568497-seven-days" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Seven Days" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1565262895l/47568497._SX98_.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47568497-seven-days">Seven Days</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3525499.Alex_Lake">Alex Lake</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2990477989">5 of 5 stars</a></span><br />
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<strong><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A race against time to save her child?</span></i></strong></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In seven days, Maggie's son, Max, turns three. But she's not planning a party or buying presents or updating his baby book. She's dreading it. Because in her world, third birthdays are the days on which the unthinkable happens? she loses her child.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For the last twelve years Maggie has been imprisoned in a basement. Abducted aged fifteen, she gave birth to two sons before Max, and on their third birthdays her captor came and took them from her.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">She cannot let it happen again. But she has no idea how to stop it. And the clock is ticking?</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A compulsive and addictive read from the first to the last page. Told through multiple viewpoints the story of a fifteen year old girl who is abducted while on her way to see a friend. She is imprisoned in a cellar beneath the abductors garage and remains there for 12 years. During this time she is raped and punished and has 3 sons. Each son is taken from her on their 3rd birthday and she never sees them again. Determined this won’t happen to her third son Max, Maggie resolves to get him out of his prison before his third birthday in seven days. In addition to her story we see how her disappearance affects her family and how they slowly fall apart particularly her younger brother James.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Short chapters give this story a pacey and urgent feel and time hopping fills in blanks through the story. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Good strong characters and an urgency to free Max kept this hurtling forward to the end. The ending was just as thrilling with the horrible thought that although it looked like it would be alright you were never completely sure and had to read to the end.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Highly recommended read, full of sadness that made me want to cry for Maggie and Max in parts. Couldn’t fault this one at all, it hits all the right spots - five stars.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.
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<br />MrsB2011http://www.blogger.com/profile/14483133507984440835noreply@blogger.com0