Raincoats and Retrievers by Cressida McLaughlin

Raincoats and Retrievers by Cressida McLaughlin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It’s autumn and Primrose Terrace has never looked lovelier. But things are far from rosy for the Barker’s at No.6. Cat’s been walking their pair of gorgeous Golden Retrievers and she’s noticed that things are distinctly chilly between owners Juliette and Will. For Cat, things are coming to a head with Mark, but is he the right man for her? Especially as she is getting closer to flatmate Joe. Cat thinks she must be able to do something to stop autumn falling on the Barker’s marriage, but is there anything she can do to resolve her feelings about Mark?

Raincoats and Retrievers is the third part of a serialized novel told in four parts – all set in Primrose Terrace.


I began reading this delightful series a while back and I enjoyed it so much. Something happened and I never got round to reading this installment, so when I turned on my kindle and saw it staring at me, I couldn't wait to continue the series and got stuck in.

It is the beginning of Autumn and we get to take another dip into Fairview and the neighbours of Primrose Terrace. I was worried picking this up after such a long time away from the series, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to slip into it easily and that I would have to reconnect with the characters. I am so glad I was wrong, as soon as I had finished the first page I felt back in these wonderful characters lives and felt I had never been away. Something else I noticed about reading this so far apart from the others is that these novellas could quite easily be read a stand a lone novels, however reading them in order does allow you to really connect with the characters and make links.

Cat Palmer's dog walking business is really taking off, she gets to know not only the canines that she walks but also the families they come from. In this installment we get to meet some new characters and Cat soon discovers that one of her retrievers owner is having marriage trouble. She is also having her own trouble when it comes to her love life, her and Mark seem to hit it off but at the same time seem to not want to commit, finally they go on a date, are things beginning to look like they could have a future?

This is such a quick series to read, the writing flow well and it is enjoyable. I love the fact this has been released in installments. Personally I find it so much easier to read a book broken down in this way. Perfect for busy days and nights when I only get an hour or so to read. This actually makes me feel like I have completed something. I can't wait for the final part now.

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

This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



10:00 a.m.
The principal of Opportunity, Alabama's high school finishes her speech, welcoming the entire student body to a new semester and encouraging them to excel and achieve.

10:02 a.m.
The students get up to leave the auditorium for their next class.

10:03
The auditorium doors won't open.

10:05
Someone starts shooting.

Told over the span of 54 harrowing minutes from four different perspectives, terror reigns as one student's calculated revenge turns into the ultimate game of survival.




This is a book that I am finding difficult to review... Although I have had this sitting waiting to be read for such a long time, due to the nature of the book it did take me a while to get to.

When I heard about this book I instantly wanted to read it. Living in the U.K we are lucky enough not to have a gun culture, as they seem to have in America, however we regularly hear about school shootings. It is only something we can listen to and be shocked in disbelieve that someone would want to do something like that.

This made it a really interesting book for me, I wanted to try and understand it. I feel that this book has made me feel the fear that the victims would feel but I felt I was unable to develop many feelings at all for the shooter as I didn't get to know the character that well. Maybe that was the point of the story, to not be able to read the shooter at all and to instill fear in the reader.

The story takes place over 54 minutes and is about a school shooting, it did take me a while to get into the book as there are a few characters we jump to and from, in between that we had flash backs, where we discovered information about some of the characters and briefly the shooter. Throughout the book we come across some big secrets, ones that perhaps could have effected the event unfolding, or perhaps are the reason this is happening.

Once I got to grips with who was who, I could see links between the characters and did 'enjoy' the book. 'Enjoy' perhaps is not the right word, but I wanted to reach the end and read it in record time and find out what happened in the end. I found it difficult to relate to the characters, and not many of them were that likable. I did grow to like some of them as the novel went on.

This is a pacy book and I did enjoy that aspect of it. At times I couldn't believe such little time had passed as it felt it could have been hours, this was something I think that was very good. I would have thought in that situation that is probably correct, a few minutes would feel like hours.

I am not very emotional when it comes to books, they never really seem to grip me that much, however the last 20% of this book really got to me. By the end of it I had a lump in my throat, something which is a whole next experience for me when reading a book so it obviously had a big effect on me.

I liked the link between the characters and I also enjoyed the acts of bravery shown by some characters, the completely selfish act to save others, this gives the human race hope. This also reminds you as a reader, there are some good people out there who are willing to put themselves in danger for others.

This is a book, that if you read it will stay with you for a very long time, regardless what you think of it and surely then Nijkamp has succeeded as an author. I think this is a powerful debut YA novel, which is hard and emotional to read.

I really loved the epilogue, most books I don't think they bring an awful lot to the story, this one was different. It made that lump of mine get even bigger, but it was totally worth it. We were left with a few unanswered questions, however I can live with that.

This book is for the YA market, however on the back it is suggested 14 years and up. I would have suggested a slightly older age range just due to the brutality in the book. I know if I had read this at 14 it would have freaked me out and I wouldn't have wanted to go to school the next day.

This book is not perfect, far from it but overall this book is one you should read, it is a hard subject and perhaps one you will struggle through, but it is shocking and real.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Little Girl Gone by Alexandra Burt

Little Girl Gone by Alexandra Burt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



A baby goes missing. But does her mother want her back?

When Estelle’s baby daughter is taken from her cot, she doesn’t report her missing. Days later, Estelle is found in a wrecked car, with a wound to her head and no memory.

Estelle knows she holds the key to what happened that night – but what she doesn’t know is whether she was responsible…
Gone Girl meets Girl on a Train was how this book was billed and having read both of these books I was really looking forward to fast paced psychological thriller. I was left a bit deflated as I found it to be mainly about psychoanalysis of a postpartum woman who appears to have 'lost' her child and only through many sessions with a therapist can the reader unpick what has happened to her baby Mia.

The first part of the book was totally gripping, especially when Mia is suddenly missing and Estelle has been in a car accident and appears to be suffering from amnesia - but then page 162 for 100 pages not until page 262 did it really get going again. Although a fascinating process to piece together snippets of memory as Estelle is given triggers it was so slow and almost boring. I was very close to just quitting but I do try hard not to do this so I can given an honest review so persevered with it. As I said pg 262 it started to gain momentum again but I felt that Alexandra Burt must have realised she had to finish this and from then on it was hurried and for me an anti climax.

I didn't really like this book, it seemed way too long and I couldn't really connect with the characters, at the end I really didn't care what happened the ending was not really worth the investment of having read 456 pages and such a shame it was marketed against two very good novels as it set expectations very high. It was in no way as memorable as these other two novels and feel readers will get the wrong idea about this book from the marketing.

I can only give this book 3 stars and this is mainly due to the fact that it was well written.

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

Time after Time - Hannah McKinnon Cover Reveal

I have managed to bring you the cover of Hannah McKinnon's new book - Time after Time and look how beautiful it is!

Hayley Cooper, a powerful but now struggling lawyer, fantasizes about what her life would be like if only if she’d made different choices. It’s understandable; the past two years have been hell. She barely sees her kids, her boss is trying to sabotage her, and her marriage is falling apart.

Burnt out, Hayley goes to sleep wishing for a different life. When she wakes up married to her first boyfriend, one she has not seen in over twenty years, she realizes there might be some truth in the saying “be careful what you wish for”. Over a single weekend, like Ebenezer Scrooge, Hayley gets to see her life on other side of the white picket fence – not just with her first ex, but with each of her past loves. But is the grass always greener, and will she ever want to go home?

The book publishes on 2ndJune

THANDIE NEWTON’S PERFORMANCE OF CHARLOTTE BRONTË’S JANE EYRENOW AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO DOWNLOAD AT AUDIBLE

THANDIE NEWTON’S PERFORMANCE OF CHARLOTTE BRONTË’S JANE EYRENOW AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO DOWNLOAD AT AUDIBLE

NEW RECORDING OF BRONTË’S MASTERPIECE CELEBRATES THE BICENTENARY OF HER BIRTH

21st April 2016 – Audible Studios, a production arm of Audible.com, today announced the release of acclaimed stage and screen actress Thandie Newton’s audio interpretation of Charlotte Brontë’s beloved novel Jane Eyre. Two centuries after Brontë was born, this intimate enactment of her most enduring work is now available for download at audible.co.uk/JaneEyre.

"Jane Eyre is in a class of its own. It’s romantic, dramatic, spiritual, and it remains extremely relevant today” said Newton, the star of The Pursuit of Happyness, Crash, Mission Impossible:II and the upcoming HBO series Westworld.“The book brilliantly mirrors the reality of being a human being. I loved using my voice to bring these characters to life. I gave myself over to the story completely, breathing the book in and then gently exhaling it for the listener in what became a very personal and intimate interpretation. There is a special magic in audiobook performance, being read to is one of the most comforting and nourishing bits of stimulus that exists. It’s a luxury and a pleasure. It feels like I’ll be sending the gift of the book out to a lot of people I don’t even know, and that is such a privilege.”



Newton recorded Jane Eyre in Audible’s London studios.

“Jane Eyre has been interpreted so many times over the years, but you haven’t quite experienced it until you’ve heard the extremely talented Thandie Newton read it to you,” said Audible EVP and Publisher Beth Anderson. “Her astonishing performance really calls attention to how ahead-of-her-time Brontë was, and how vibrant Jane’s character remains even centuries after the novel’s publication. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate Charlotte Brontë’s bicentennial than by experiencing her greatest creation anew with this remarkable recording.”

With a 30-day membership trial at Audible, new listeners can enjoy any one audiobook, including Newton’s performance of Jane Eyre, for free.



In addition to Newton, among the acclaimed performers who have recently narrated works of literature for Audible are Emma Thompson, Rosamund Pike, Dan Stevens, James Franco, Jesse Eisenberg, Jake Gyllenhaal, Kate Winslet and Tim Robbins. In 2013, Audible Studios won its first Grammy Award, for its production of Janis Ian’s memoir Society’s Child, and also won the Audie Award for Audiobook of the Year, for Colin Firth’s performance of Graham Greene’s The End of the Affair.

Audible, the world’s largest seller and producer of downloadable audiobooks and other spoken-word content, invented and commercialized the first digital audio player in 1997, and has since been at the forefront of the explosively growing audiobook download segment. In 2015, listeners around the world downloaded 1.6 billion hours of audio from Audible.com outlets; Audible members downloaded an average of more than 17 books over the course of the year. Two thirds of new Audible members are first-time audiobook buyers.

ABOUT AUDIBLE, INC.

Audible, Inc., an Amazon.com, Inc. subsidiary (NASDAQ:AMZN), is the leading provider of premium digital spoken audio information and entertainment, offering customers a new way to enhance and enrich their lives every day. Audible was created to unleash the emotive music in language and the habituating power and utility of verbal expression. Audible content includes more than 250,000 audio programs from leading audiobook publishers, broadcasters, entertainers, magazine and newspaper publishers, and business information providers. Audible is also the preeminent provider of spoken-word audio products for Apple’s iTunes Store.

Alien: out of the shadow audio clip

Alien: Out of the Shadows

An Audible Original Drama

dramatised for audio by Dirk Maggs, from the novel by Tim Lebbon

AVAILABLE FROM 26^TH APRIL 2016

Pre-order now

A fast-paced thriller set between the first two Alien films, following a terrifying fight for survival and an intense struggle between human and artificial intelligence 

A brand new audio drama, Alien: Out of the Shadows – starring Rutger Hauer (Blade Runner and Batman Begins) in his first role for audio, Matthew Lewis (Harry Potter film series), Corey Johnson (The Bourne Ultimatum and Kingsman: The Secret Service) and Kathryn Drysdale (Two Pints of Lager and St Trinian’s) – is available to download from 26^th April atwww.audible.co.uk/scream.

A new chapter in the Alien franchise, the sci-fi audio drama is directed and produced by the renowned radio director Dirk Maggs (radio series of Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy), based on the original novel by award-winning author Tim Lebbon.

The story follows Chief Engineer Hooper (Corey Johnson), who finds himself in command of a stricken orbital mining vessel after its captain is killed.  Hooper finds himself not only responsible for the lives of his fellow crew, but also for the survivor of the only previous alien encounter, Ripley (Laurel Lefkow). 

Hooper’s ship, a large mining freighter, is in orbit over a planet whilst servicing a mine on its surface below.  Suddenly, two of its drop ships appear unexpectedly from the storm-lashed planet, with on-board cameras revealing alien creatures are loose on the vessels, attacking the mining crew on their return to the freighter.  The crew must struggle not only against the ferocious predatory aliens but also against Ash (Rutger Hauer), the Artificial Intelligence on board the freighter that will stop at nothing to secure an alien specimen alive. 

Rutger Hauer (voicing Ash) says, “Working on such a famous franchise was a challenge, but an amazing one to have. This was also my first introduction to audio work; it was fascinating to focus on just how powerful the voice can be for such a unique, non-human character like Ash. In the art form I work in, creating compelling audio drama is the ultimate illusion.”

Matthew Lewis (voicing Baxter) says of working on audio, “Audiobooks and dramas are a new medium for me, but luckily I was working with some true professionals who I could learn from; since its audio only, you have to squeeze as much emotion from every line as you can without overdoing it.  I'm a huge fan of the Alien universe and the opportunity to be a part of that was very exciting - I love playing all kinds of different characters from different walks of life, and a seasoned bridge officer such as Baxter in a science fiction scenario was a completely new one for me too.”

Tracey Markham, Country Manager at Audible UK, says, “We are thrilled to add a dramatized chapter of the Alien franchise to our collection of original audiobooks.  Starring one of sci-fi’s best loved actors, Rutger Hauer, in his first audio role, ‘Alien: Out of the Shadows’ not only allows fans to once again get lost in this fantastic world, but also adds to Audible’s popular sci-fi collection.”

Alien: Out of the Shadows was directed and produced by Dirk Maggs, who also adapted it for audio from the original novel by Tim Lebbon. It is available to download from 26^th April! (pre-order now) at www.audible.co.uk/scream.

Cast List

Ash – Rutger Hauer

Baxter – Matthew Lewis

Hooper – Corey Johnson

Ripley – Laurel Lefkow

Kasyanov – Andrea Deck

Lachance – Mac Macdonald

Jordan – Barbara Barnes

Powell – Abdul Salis

Welford – Nathan Osgood

Sneddon – Kathryn Drysdale

Garcia – Regina Brandolino

Vic Jones / Cornell – Tom Alexander

Download at www.audible.co.uk/scream

Below you will be able to hear a clip from the audio-book. 

Dewey's 24 hour readathon April 2016

So already I seem to be a little behind in the readathon this year. I have been faffing, I went and did a good deed though, I handed out 16 books for #worldbooknight which made me feel really good, after catching up on the internet I am now finally ready to begin. So, so far not a good one as it is hour 3 and I haven't even read a page... I did buy a couple of books this morning however, so I think these will be added to my list to read today. OK so all mini challenges I complete will be updated to this page. 

Hour 8 - 10:
On a break - caught up and had dinner. 

Hour 7: 

Pages: 61
Number of books: 1
Total pages: 261
Total books: 1

Hour 6:

Pages: 61
Number of books: 
Total pages: 200

Total books: 


Hour 5:

Pages: 87
Number of books: 
Total pages: 139
Total books: 

I decided not to do the Mini Challenge for hour 4 as I want to get into reading!
Hour 4: 
Pages: 52
Number of books: 
Total pages: 52
Total books: 

I decided not to do the Mini Challenge hour 3.

Mini Challenge 2: Hour 2:
Ok, here are my top books I read as a child, I can't actually remember more than 3 as I tend to go crazy over an author and read all of their books in the series. So here are the 3:

1. My earliest memory of a book I loved was Katy Laura and the dream boat. This was a short story, I think one of the very first I was able to read on my own. I also loved having this read to me. 

2. Anything by Jacqueline Wilson - I literally had the entire set of her books, I also used to read them to my baby brother!

3. I really loved my stage books when I was at school. Biff, Chip and Kipper in The Magic Key series. 



Pages: 
Number of books: 
Total pages:
Total books: 


Mini Challenge 1: Hour 1 



1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?

Well hello! I am over here in the U.K. South of England to be exact. :)


2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?

I am trying something different today, I have decided not to have a TBR pile, which I have created just for the readathon. I am going to be reading whatever my mood is. So I can't answer this question at the moment.


3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?

Snack??! Well I am going to say my dinner - going to have fajitas, I have been so hungry today already I have eaten more than I do in a normal day...


4) Tell us a little something about yourself!

OK, this is my fourth 24hour readathon, each one I participate I tend to read less than the previous one, I know that is not a good sign, however I really am going to try and exceed my target today!


5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to?

I am most looking forward to getting time to sit and read for a long period of time. I have been in a little reading slump the last couple of weeks so I am really hoping to get out of it today.

Each hour I will leave my stats as shown: 

Pages: 
Number of books: 
Total pages:
Total books: