The Rumour by Lesley Kara

The Rumour by Lesley Kara

When single mum Joanna hears a rumour at the school gates, she never intends to pass it on. But one casual comment leads to another and now there’s no going back . . .

Rumour has it that a notorious child killer is living under a new identity, in their sleepy little town of Flinstead-on-Sea.

Sally McGowan was just ten years old when she stabbed little Robbie Harris to death forty-eight years ago – no photos of her exist since her release as a young woman.

So who is the supposedly reformed killer who now lives among them? How dangerous can one rumour become? And how far will Joanna go to protect her loved ones from harm, when she realizes what it is she’s unleashed?

A clever insightful book and a cracking debut novel for this writer. Very addictive I read this in one sitting so the pace is fast and the chapters short and skilfully written. Gossip, the universal addiction, who doesn't like a bit of gossip and speculation but it causes suspicion, accusation and paranoia all of which engulf the little community of Flinstead when whispers and lies get out of control and poison spreads like a die in water.

Joanna has moved to Flinstead from the hustle and bustle of London with her 6 year old son Alfie, a gentle child who has been bullied at school, and comes to Flinstead where she grew up and to be closer to her mother. She works in an estate agent and Alfie goes to the local school. They both struggle to feel accepted and Joanna doesn't make it any easier by not joining the other mothers in coffee mornings and chats at the school gate.

Joanna hears a rumour that a child killer is living in a safe house in Flinstead and in an effort to be accepted in the mothers clique, she repeats what she has heard at the school gate. The mothers are instantly interested in her piece of gossip and Joanna feels that she has breached the barrier into their little social group, what Joanna doesn't realise is that this piece of idle gossip will have disastrous consequences.

The Rumour shows how easy it is to gossip and how secrets and lies can have devastating effects of everyone including the innocent - the 'Chinese whisper' effect reaches far and wide and can't be stopped until it reaches it's crescendo.

Very cleverly written, good characterisation and just enough surprises to keep it going until the unpredictable ending, didn't see it coming. Has to have a 5 star rating for a great first novel.

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

Close To Me by Amanda Reynolds

Close To Me by Amanda Reynolds
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



When Jo Harding falls down the stairs at home, she wakes up in hospital with partial amnesia - she's lost a whole year of memories.

A lot can happen in a year. Was Jo having an affair? Lying to her family? Starting a new life?

She can't remember what she did - or what happened the night she fell.

But she's beginning to realise she might not be as good a wife and mother as she thought.


It starts off quite promising, an accident that results in the memory loss of the past year for Jo Harding and the struggle to find the missing pieces. Her husband appears to want to keep her from getting her memory back and this provides the intrigue, what is he hiding, did he push her down the stairs and if so why? The chapters alternate between before and after the fall so we are able to piece together what leads up to the accident.

I wasn't really engaged with any of the characters they all seemed flat and under developed. Jo struggles with her memory and conscience as she wonders if she was having an affair or perhaps he was. She is also confused as to what has happened to both her daughter Sash and her son Fin - Fin appears to have been to university for a year and suddenly he's dropped out without any real explanation. Sash has hooked up with an older, and to Jo's mind, undesirable man and appears to have completely changed, her appearance, who she is etc. As the story unfolds we learn lies, secrets and betrayals within this dysfunctional family.

I didn't warm to the characters or even like them much although they are fairly believable they were not developed enough to connect with. The pace of the story does ebb and flow a bit, I did skim read some of the chapters as they were repetitive. The subject matter was promising and the book could have been so much better in my opinion that it was, it was for me a bit disappointing. I did also guess the ending so it was not unpredictable at all, I kept waiting for a killer twist but there wasn't any. It was a passable novel, nothing special and not really very memorable - can only give this 3 stars.

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

Friend Request by Laura Marshall

Friend Request by Laura Marshall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Maria wants to be friends.
But Maria is dead . . . isn't she?

When Louise Williams receives a message from someone left long in the past, her heart nearly stops.

Maria Weston wants to be friends on Facebook.

Maria Weston has been missing for over twenty-five years. She was last seen the night of a school leavers' party, and the world believes her to be dead. Particularly Louise, who has lived her adult life with a terrible secret.

As Maria's messages start to escalate, Louise forces herself to reconnect with the old friends she once tried so hard to impress. Trying to piece together exactly what happened that night, she soon discovers there's much she didn't know. The only certainty is that Maria Weston disappeared that night, never to be heard from again - until now. . .


When I saw this book I knew it would be something I would want to read. A thriller based round social media I thought was very current and a great concept.

I feel this is something most people would be able to relate to, facebook, accepting friend requests from people you used to go to school with and thinking you know them. This questions everything, do you really know who is behind the computer contacting you? Do you really know who's profile you are looking at?

This follows Louise, a single mother to Henry. Louise used to be married to Sam, a guy she knew from school but never really got with him until many years later. Sam and Louise hold a secret though, one that she is now deeply ashamed of and one that will never go away. Louise suddenly receives a facebook request from a girl she knew at school, the problem is that this girl is dead, or is she?

The book jumps back into the past, where the reader learns of Louise as a teenager and Maria Western, who the facebook request was from. We discover how Maria arrived at the school and how Louise and her current friendship group bullied her. Jumping to the past and back into the present the reader gets a good understanding of the characters. After the facebook request Louise also gets an invite to her old school reunion, which is back in the school hall. This is traumatic for Louise especially as this is a time in her life that she has been trying to forget.

Although this is fast paced, you are right slap bang in the middle of things from the first page. I did feel it plateaued out in the middle and was a little slow, it did pick up again though towards the ending and wow, I did not see that ending coming. This is a good debut novel and I hope that Marshall will be writing something else in the future. If you like books set in today and include current technology/culture you will enjoy this.

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

If you knew her - Emily Elgar

If You Knew Her by Emily Elgar
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The perfect life?
Or the perfect lie . . .

Cassie had it all - the fairytale wedding, the stunning home, the perfect husband. But when she arrives on the intensive care ward at St Catherine's hospital in a coma, it soon becomes clear that she has a secret; a secret that changes everything.

Alice, the chief nurse on the ward begins to feel a connection with Cassie and can't help but wonder if things are not quite as they seem.

Frank, another patient, can hear and see everything around him but cannot communicate. He understands that Cassie's life is in danger and only he holds the truth, which no one can know and he cannot tell . . .

If You Knew Her is a gripping, heart-stopping psychological thriller, perfect for fans of The Couple Next Door, I See You and Behind Closed Doors.


I have never read a story like this before, I thought the premise with very different. Reading from 3 different perspectives, Frank, who is in hospital paralysed but has a fully working mind and can hear exactly what is going on. Cassie who is in a coma and in the same ward, finally Alice, who is the nurse that cares for them both. Eventually the reader discovers how all characters are linked, dodging red herrings along the way. I thought that the novel was a little slow in places and I was a little disappointed with the ending.

Although this is marketed as a thriller book, I would say it is more of a mystery and 'who dun it' than thriller. As I have previously said this is like no other book I have read, mixing medical with crime is a really great idea, it is not one that I would have chosen to read about I don't think had I of seen it out in a book shop but I did enjoy it, perhaps not as much as I thought I would or hoped.

If you are looking for something a little different to your average psychological thriller give this a go, if you like crime and mystery I also think you will enjoy this one. Elgar is a debut novel and I think this was well written and the premise with good for the book. I look forward to seeing what she brings out next. Overall this was a decent read and I would give it 3.5 * rounded up to 4* for Goodreads and Amazon.

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

Mad by Chloe J. Esposito

Mad by Chloe J. Esposito
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In this compulsively readable debut, set between London and Sicily over one blood-drenched week in the dead of summer, an identical twin reveals the crazy lies and twists she'll go through to not only steal her sister's perfect life, but to keep on living it.

Alvie Knightly is a trainwreck: aimless, haphazard, and pretty much constantly drunk. Alvie's existence is made even more futile in contrast to that of her identical and perfect twin sister, Beth. Alvie lives on social media, eats kebabs for breakfast, and gets stopped at security when the sex toy in her carry-on starts buzzing. Beth is married to a hot, rich Italian, dotes on her beautiful baby boy, and has always been their mother's favorite. The twins' days of having anything in common besides their looks are long gone.
When Beth sends Alvie a first-class plane ticket to visit her in Italy, Alvie is reluctant to go. But when she gets fired from the job she hates and her flatmates kick her out on the streets, a luxury villa in glitzy Taormina suddenly sounds more appealing. Beth asks Alvie to swap places with her for just a few hours so she can go out unnoticed by her husband. Alvie jumps at the chance to take over her sister's life--if only temporarily. But when the night ends with Beth dead at the bottom of the pool, Alvie realizes that this is her chance to change her life.
Alvie quickly discovers that living Beth's life is harder than she thought. What was her sister hiding from her husband? And why did Beth invite her to Italy at all? As Alvie digs deeper, she uncovers Mafia connections, secret lovers, attractive hitmen, and one extremely corrupt priest, all of whom are starting to catch on to her charade. Now Alvie has to rely on all the skills that made her unemployable--a turned-to-11 sex drive, a love of guns, lying to her mother--if she wants to keep her million-dollar prize. She is uncensored, unhinged, and unforgettable.


When this arrived unexpectedly I was really excited, looking at the front cover and reading the blurb I couldn't wait to get started, so I did, straight away! I read this book in 24 hours, as soon as I started I was hooked and needed to get to the next chapter.

This book is set over the period of a week and oh my word does a lot happen, I had to keep reminding myself that it was just a week, which when you read it will agree that that is insane!

'Mad' is such an easy book to get into, Chloe's writing is almost conversational and flows well, I guess this is because it is written in the first person, you feel you know the main character very well. Our main character is Alvina, a identical twin of a sister she hasn't seen in two years, who now lives in Sicily.

Alvina is the 'poorer' sister, the 'outcast' of the family, the one that no one loved and this is evident through flashbacks in the book. Her behaviour most of the time is unacceptable, but at times I was warming to her in the book, feeling sorry for her and starting to perhaps understand at times why she was the way she is, however this does wear off at I read further into the book. She is not particularly very likable and if you are looking for a lovely protagonist this book is not for you.

Beth, Alvina's sister wants her to go and visit but Alvina cannot think of anything worse, that is until she loses her job, gets kicked out of her flat and has no money. She is then on the next flight to Sicily.

I won't go into too much detail from here as I don't want to spoil it for you. What I would stay is that I was very surprised about this. At times I was unsure what genre it was as there are elements from women's fiction, thriller, erotic fiction and even has humour in it. I think that is a major asset this book has as it could appeal to many audiences.

I really, really enjoyed the first half of the book and as I said I couldn't put it down, towards the end though and I suppose indicates how the book got it's title 'Mad' it got a bit far-fetched for me and perhaps loses reality. However, it did not spoil the enjoyment for me and I continued to whiz through the novel. This is not like any book I have read and I really enjoyed it for that reason, I hope to get my hands on the next in the series as I can't wait to find out what Alvina gets up to next one.

I would recommend this as a summer beach read, it is highly addictive and will have you racing through it.

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

The Reading Group: December by Della Parker

The Reading Group: December by Della Parker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


'Brims with laughs, love, family and friendship. You will love this heartwarming read!' Trisha Ashley. Meet the Reading Group: six women in the seaside village of Little Sanderton come together every month to share their love of reading. No topic is off-limits: books, family, love and loss . . . and don't forget the glass of red!

Grace knows that the holiday season is going to be different this year. No turkey, no tinsel, no gorgeously wrapped gifts under the tree . . . how on earth is she going to break it to her little boys that Christmas is effectively cancelled? And can she bear to tell anyone her embarrassing secret? Enter the Reading Group: Grace's life might have turned upside down but there's no problem they can't solve.


This is the beginning of a series, at around 17 pages I was a little apprehensive that I would be able to get into it before it was over. I shouldn't have been worried. It begins with a reading group, Grace is on her way there, but the reader quickly learns that she is struggling in more ways that one and didn't want to attend the group in case she ruined her friends evening. After spilling all at the group, her friends offer to help her out.

This is such an easy read, I couldn't believe that the story was over so soon, I can't wait however for the others in the series, although short and sweet I feel this is going to be a series I devour quickly. This installment is currently free so make sure you download it in time for Christmas.

Eden Summer by Liz Flanagan

Eden Summer by Liz Flanagan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Shy, gothy Jess and stunning and popular Eden are best friends. They've supported each other through some of the hardest things you can go through – death, bullying, love, heartbreak. They know everything about each other.

But then Eden goes missing and Jess knows she has to find her, and fast, because the longer someone is missing, the more likely it is they won't be found. So Jess starts exploring her memories, things Eden said and did in the last few months and she starts to realise that maybe they don't know each other as well as she thought.

Set in the beautifully described stunning countryside of West Yorkshire, an incredibly pacy page turner as the clock runs down on the likelihood of finding Eden alive.


I really wanted to love this book, after picking up a sample of the first chapter I was hooked and couldn't want to continue the story.

This has everything needed for a great mystery/thriller, Eden has had a lot go on over the last few months and is finding it hard to cope with the loss of her sister. Jess and Eden's boyfriend Liam are there to support her through this time. One day when Jess arrives at school she finds out Eden is not there and she never went home last night.

I began racing through this book as I was eager to find out what had happened to Eden, I really enjoyed the chapters, where we learnt more about Eden through Jess' memories and thoughts. I did have issues with this book though. I thought at times the pace wasn't good, I started to switch off a bit in the middle as I felt it was just a bit repetitive and slow. It was slow compared the the pace before, it did pick up a bit towards the end again.

I also thought that Flanagan could have done so much more with the story line, I thought the final was a little flat. It felt like we had been building up to finding out exactly what had happened and the reader was left with an anticlimax. I was disappointed with this as I thought it could have been so much better, it could be down to the title being a young adult book and perhaps the content needed to be a bit 'milder', however I have read other thrillers in this genre with more punch and Eden Summer just didn't give me this.

Jess' relationship with Liam was a little predictable, but it was still enjoyable. I did think at times in the story Jess came across a little desperate, a bit of a cling on and that trait in her personality was not likable. She needed to develop into her own person and not believe that she is nothing without Eden. This annoyed me about her.

Overall this is a good YA, I really like that this is set in the U.K and it British. There is not enough UKYA and this is a great addition to the genre. I would like to read future work by Flanagan as I think she could be big in the YA genre. I would give this 3.5* due to my issues with this book.

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

Distress Signals by Catherine Ryan Howard

Distress Signals by Catherine Ryan Howard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Did she leave or was she taken?



The day Adam Dunne's girlfriend, Sarah, fails to return from a Barcelona business trip, his perfect life begins to fall apart. Days later, the arrival of her passport and a note that reads 'I'm sorry - S' sets off real alarm bells. He vows to do whatever it takes to find her.

Adam is puzzled when he connects Sarah to a cruise ship called the Celebrate - and to a woman, Estelle, who disappeared from the same ship in eerily similar circumstances almost exactly a year before.

To get the answers, Adam must confront some difficult truths about his relationship with Sarah. He must do things of which he never thought himself capable. And he must try to outwit a predator who seems to have found the perfect hunting ground...



Wow, what can I say about this book? I was hooked from the first chapter, this is the type of book you think, oh it's ok I can dip in and out of it but no, I didn't want to put the book down. When I had to put it down I spent all my time not reading it, thinking about it! It has been a long time since this has happened when reading a book.

Adam and Sarah have been together for 10 years, Sarah, the bread winner has been supporting Adam while he has been writing a play, he is a screenwriter and waiting for his big break. Sarah heads off to Barcelona for work, but while she is only way for about 5 days, Adam starts to question their relationship, prompted by Rose - Sarah's best friend. Suddenly Sarah's parents can't get in contact with her and she isn't answering her phone. Adam starts to question everything, especially when she doesn't appear at the airport after her flight.

There were different parts to this story with different peoples points of view, it switched from the past and into the present. Although for a long while I couldn't understand how the two were connected, this didn't bother me as I was enjoying every part of the book. Distress Signals was a face paced novel that really drew me in, I raced through the story and although I did guess I think quiet early on, this didn't matter and I was surprised by the ending. To be honest I am not sure how I felt about the ending, I think I would have liked a little more... but it was a surprise and unexpected, which I did like.

This was a brilliant read, one that got me out of my reading slump and perfect for fans of crime and thriller. This was a very cleverly written book and an excellent start into writing, I couldn't believe this was a debut! Howard has set the standard now and if all her books are as good as this I think she would fast become one of my favourite authors.

This is a gripping book, I don't want to give too much away in the plot as this is a book you have to read. You will race through it as you need to know the truth, I am so glad I read this and I would recommend it to anyone who loves crime and thrillers. I really cannot do this book justice, you just have to grab a copy.

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

Anna and the Swallow Man by Gavriel Savit

Anna and the Swallow Man by Gavriel Savit
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Anna and the Swallow Man is a stunning, literary, and wholly original debut novel that tells a new WW2 story.

Kraków, 1939, is no place to grow up. There are a million marching soldiers and a thousand barking dogs. And Anna Lania is just seven years old when the Germans take her father and suddenly, she’s alone.

Then she meets the Swallow Man. He is a mystery, strange and tall. And like Anna's missing father, he has a gift for languages: Polish, Russian, German, Yiddish, even Bird. When he summons a bright, beautiful swallow down to his hand to stop her from crying, Anna is entranced.

Over the course of their travels together, Anna and the Swallow Man will dodge bombs, tame soldiers, and even, despite their better judgement, make a friend. But in a world gone mad, everything can prove dangerous . . .


I could not write this review immediately I had read this book, I had to take time to analyse the impact it had on me as well as review the writer's style, choice of material and ultimately the story itself.

Normally when I read and review a book I know how I feel about it; this book is different, it is so haunting and parts of it kept coming back to me when I least expected it, it made me 'feel' the characters and that for me is rare. I know that I will remember this story for a long time to come and it easily sits comfortably alongside the likes of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, furthermore I can see this being made into a film and in schools on their listed books to read on the curriculum.

It is a moving, sometimes almost hopeless journey of a small child and a stranger who travel across war torn Poland during the years of the conflict seen through the eyes of the child but written by an adult. Anna's father is a linguistics professor in Krakow who when he goes to work he leaves his daughter with one of his many friends around the city. This particular day he leaves Anna in the care of his Polish friend who is a pharmacist but he does not return. One has to assume that he has been taken by the Germans although what his fate is we never learn. When her father does not return the pharmacist abandons her, perhaps he is afraid of having a Jew in his house or being associated with one but whatever his reason he leaves this little 7 year old girl to fend for herself. It highlights for me the acute need for self preservation of people during the war and the fear for their own lives that made them behave in this way. Anna has been educated by her father in languages and like him she can speak Polish, Russian, German and Yiddish so when she meets the Swallow Man who can also speak many languages she feels sure her father must have sent him to her. I think you need to abandon all grown up thoughts of fear and reason to immerse yourself in the mind of a 7 year old who has no reason to fear anyone of her fathers' many friends who she is used to being left with and that she has complete faith in the fact that if her father has organised this it must be OK.

What follows is her blindly following this stranger who eventually leads her across Poland to safety. Their journey is one not only of Anna's growing up physically but of her 'education' along the way of emotional conflict, the loss of her childhood and the horrors of war mixed with wonders of magical folklore stories and her unequivocal belief that everything will be fine . Children have this innocence that in part shields them from reality making everything like an adventure or a game, with Anna's conviction that the Swallow Man is somehow magical backed up by his tales of folklore she is able to survive her ordeal remarkably well.

We don't really learn much about the complex character of the Swallow Man but the author hints that he had a daughter called Greta who we must assume was either killed or who died and perhaps this is the reason that he forms a bond with Anna. He doesn't show her any real affection although she knows he cares for her. Possibly he does not want to love her knowing one day he will have to let her go, perhaps it is too painful for him like loosing Greta all over again. To Anna he is like a magician, somehow he is able to make himself blend in wherever he goes, not attracting attention and he teaches her to be the same, he teaches her how to survive. When in the city they wear city clothes, when they are in the country they dress accordingly, never seeming to stand out, never memorable and thus they are able to make their way across Poland avoiding or charming the Germans and the Russians along the way.

Beautifully written this was often a difficult read in terms of subject matter and at times felt quite hopeless despite this there was an underlying feeling that Anna would survive. I felt the ending was unfinished on so many levels which opens up the possibility of a sequel. Often a book is read and forgotten quite quickly but I know that this story will stay with me for a very long time, it is impossible to read something so beautifully crafted without it making such an impact. I rarely give a novel a 5 star rating but have to do so for this captivating book. If you haven't read it then you must but don't expect to be entertained expect to be moved and you won't be disappointed.

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

Try Not to Breathe by Holly Seddon

Try Not to Breathe by Holly Seddon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

You won't be able to put it down.
Just remember to breathe.

Alex is sinking. Slowly but surely, she's cut herself off from everything but her one true love - drink. Until she's forced to write a piece about a coma ward, where she meets Amy.

Amy is lost. When she was fifteen, she was attacked and left for dead in a park. Her attacker was never found. Since then, she has drifted in a lonely, timeless place. She's as good as dead, but not even her doctors are sure how much she understands.

Alex and Amy grew up in the same suburbs, played the same music, flirted with the same boys. And as Alex begins to investigate the attack, she opens the door to the same danger that has left Amy in a coma...


When this landed on my door mat unsolicited I was really excited. I had never heard of Holly Seddon, but this sounded like something I would be keen to read.

This is a great debut novel and one that will have you whizzing through. I read this during the last couple of days of the Christmas holidays and I really didn't want to put it down. It captured my interest and had me searching to find the answer.

Alex is a freelance journalist, who has been having a rough time, her marriage broke down, lose of a baby and she is an alcoholic. Her life is in bits and she has been told if she doesn't stop with the drinking she will be dead within the year. The problem is she has lost everything and feels she hasn't got a lot to live for. That is until she stumbles across Amy, during the research for her news article.

Amy is the same age as Alex and lived in the same area as her, however when Amy was 15 and was attacked which has left Amy in a coma like state. Amy has been there years and throughout the book the reader gets to go on the journey with Amy into before and during the attack. Amy is responsive through brain activity and although cannot talk can communicate in other ways through her brain.

Amy had a boyfriend, Jacob. He now has a wife and a baby on the way but can't seem to let go of Amy and regularly comes to visit her. Amy, though had a secret and disappeared the day she was attacked. No one has ever been caught and convicted, Alex begins to dig for answers and her investigation takes her in lots of directions.

We read the story through many points of view, Alex, Amy and Jacob are main, however we occasionally get another characters perspective too. These characters are well developed and all have their own reasons for either wanting to help Alex or not.

I think this is a well written and I enjoyed all aspects of the story. I thought it was a complete surprise and I liked the fact I was left hanging so long before I found answers. The only thing I would say and the reason I gave this 4* and not 5 was that there were some unfinished things for me in this book. I felt it could have been wrapped up a little better, I wanted to know what happened to Amy after. I also would have liked to know a little more about Alex, especially with aspects about her health.

This I feel is going to be a massive book this year and one if you like psychological thrillers to get your hands on.

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

Learning to Speak American by Colette Dartford

Learning to Speak American by Colette Dartford
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Having suffered in silence since the tragic death of their young daughter, Lola and Duncan Drummond's last chance to rediscover their love for one another lies in an anniversary holiday to the gorgeous Napa Valley.

Unable to talk about what happened, Duncan reaches out to his wife the only way he knows how - he buys her a derelict house, the restoration of which might just restore their relationship.

As Lola works on the house she begins to realise the liberating power of letting go. But just as she begins to open up, Duncan's life begins to fall apart.

Colette Dartford's debut novel, Learning to Speak American, explores whether a parent can ever truly move on from the death of a child. And, after all the heartbreak, whether Lola and Duncan can learn to love again.

I didn't think that I was going to enjoy this book; the whole aspect of losing a child and the fallout afterwards felt way too depressing for me but I kept an open mind and started to read it. I suppose 'enjoy' is not a word you could easily attach to this novel purely for the subject matter but I did appreciate the delicate and sympathetic way Colette Dartford approached this. Far from being all doom and gloom and heavy going it was easy to read and believable as this couple tried to re-build their lives together after their tragedy.


Collette Dartford takes the reader on an emotional roller-coaster as this couple try to overcome their loss in their own ways while they seem to drift further and further apart. Some beautiful writing and the author seems to have been able to get under the skin of her characters; sometimes desperately sad and at other times filled with hope for the future. A good debut novel and worth the read - I would give this a well deserved 4 stars.

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

Burnt Paper Sky by Gilly Macmillan with guest post

Burnt Paper Sky by Gilly Macmillan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Rachel Jenner turned her back for a moment. Now her eight-year-old son Ben is missing.

But what really happened that fateful afternoon?

Caught between her personal tragedy and a public who have turned against her, there is nobody left who Rachel can trust. But can the nation trust Rachel?

The clock is ticking to find Ben alive.

WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON?


This story is set in Bristol and is themed around the abduction of an 8 year old boy - Ben Finch, we read the story from a year ago. Throughout the story it is told from two perspectives, which change each chapter Ben's mother and D.I James Clemo. Through these perspectives we learn a lot about both characters their feelings on the abduction, how it is effecting them but also we see other characters thoughts through it.

Rachel, Ben's mother is struggling emotionally from the divorce of her husband surgeon, Paul Finch. Every Sunday Ben and his mother walk their dog Skittle through the woods, Ben is desperate for some more freedom, even if it is just to walk ahead of her with Skittle. Rachel is wary, always has been and thinks she should let go a bit and this Sunday in particular she grants him the freedom he wants so much. Ben skips ahead with Skittle and says he will meet her in the park. When Rachel gets to the park she can see the swing swinging, she thinks Ben maybe playing with her but she later discovers he isn't anywhere to be seen.

Throughout the book you go through lots of emotions, you don't know what has happened to Ben and everyone becomes a suspect to you, there are small seeds that are planted in your head and you decide to follow the route, only to discover you were wrong and your attention changes to someone else. With the impact of the internet and social media, you see what an impact this can have on a case and how easily you can get drawn into it and allow others to influence you. It is easy to see what damage it can cause and how it can change the public perspection on something.

Sometimes I felt things were being exposed about the family that may not have been necessary and have any relevance on the case, however it became clear why these were important and how it helped develop the whole picture of the case and the characters.

I enjoyed the mixing up in the way the story is told, we read emails, transcripts from DI Clemo's psychologist, internet blog posts and online newspaper extracts. This made the story more real for me I think and emphasised the importance of the media in a case like this. I also enjoyed the introduction to each chapter (A different day) this began with a quote, an extract from an article or a website post on missing children.

I thought this was a brilliant 'who dun it', which had me guessing right up until the end. It really pulled me in as a reader and although it is 465 pages long, it is a quick read. Most of the time stories that are this long I can loose interest in or feel intimidated by the size of them. This I managed to read in a couple of days, it is quite possible to read in one or two sittings though. This is very face paced, the characters are developed brilliantly and they are believable.

This is an outstanding debut novel for Macmillan and I look forward to reading more from her. If you haven't read this book and are wanting a psychological thriller, this is a must to pick up. It is thought provoking and you will want to talk about it with everyone.

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


Guest Post - Being a Debut Author by Gilly Macmillan 


Being a debut author in no way resembles what I thought it would be! As so many writers have no doubt said before, the launch from being a solitary person tapping away at your computer to being an actual proper author is a dramatic and unexpected one.



I think that’s partly because however much you might dream about it and read about it before it happens to you, nobody else has your exact experience so they can’t describe what it will be like for you. Every new author will follow their own route to publication, and along the way will gain their own team of agent, publisher, editor and other folks who work on all the different aspects of the book, from cover design to copyediting, to marketing and publicity.



Meeting and working with that group of people has been a huge thrill for me. Once my book deal was clinched, they arrived in my life all of a sudden and with boundless enthusiasm, when I was still reeling from the amazing fact of having found a publisher who wanted my book at all (it took me months to get over that shock). After years in the wilderness there’s nothing like that feeling of being supported by a team of professional people, all of whom want your book to succeed. It’s a very exciting and also sometimes a very daunting prospect!



It brings challenges too. Almost overnight, you have to interact professionally with many new people, learn how to operate as self-employed, rise to all the demands and expectations of your publisher and agent in the UK, and in the case of Burnt Paper Sky there were foreign publishers to meet and work with too. You have many new experiences. I’d never used social media before, or done an author event and while I loved both, it was also a hugely steep learning curve. And while all of that is going on, you must write your second book to a deadline. You have to be prepared to work very hard to keep everything going.



But having said that, I wouldn’t swap any of it for the world. I’ve met incredible and inspiring people, I’ve learned so much and I’ve had brilliant new experiences. Finding a fabulous book community online – bloggers, writers and readers – has been one of those, and getting a copy of your book in your hands for the very first time is not something I’ll ever forget.



I’ve found the whole experience in turns amazing, exhilarating and terrifying and I wouldn’t swap it for the world. I love it. But my favourite bit? That’s still just me at my desk, putting words down on the page.

I would like to thank Gilly for stopping by at The Book Corner today. To buy a copy of this stunning debut, which you will not stop hearing about click  here

7 Days - Eve Ainsworth

Seven Days by Eve Ainsworth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Life is hard for Jess. School should be a safe place but at the moment it's everything Jess dreads, and it's made even more difficult by the threatening presence of Kez. Kez lives in a nicer part of town but her life isn't any sweeter. The only place she finds comfort is knowing she is better off than Jess - or so she thinks.

My mum read this one for me, here is her review:

Not your usual easy read in terms of entertainment value; this is a thought provoking novel taking an inside view of a bully and a victim. Written in dual narrative the novel is set over 7 days and gives the reader a glimpse of life during this period of two teenagers the bully (Kez) and the victim (Jess). I was asked to review this book by the author and saved this for half term (I work in a Secondary school) as I wanted to read it in one go. I had no trouble motoring through this and finished in a day; once I had started I found it difficult to put down.

Essentially the book follows the lives of the two main characters through a seven day period of being bullied (Jess) and being the bully (Kez). I found that I could easily relate to both characters through personal experience and as an observer in the job I do at a Secondary school. I found I was thinking about students in the school and matching them to the characters in the book, a sure sign that Eve Ainsworth has managed to get the characterisation just right.

Right from the start you know that something will happen to one of the main characters - the first page is a letter indicating that the writer is going to end it all. From that point on I needed to know whether it was the bully or the victim which kept me hooked and it was not apparent which way this would go until almost the end of the book.

Although the characters are not that well developed you do get a sense of what their lives are like and why they react in the way that they do, what is important to them at their age and how they discover what is really important in the great scheme of things. Parts of novel will resonate with many people, circumstances and situations that happen in families affect those family members in a variety of different ways which shapes the people they become. In this case you could understand both points of view and how both victim and bully justified their actions and became they people they were. Kez has issues and deals with them by bullying those she believes are weaker than her to make herself feel better. Jess lacks the support she needs at home and falls into the victim bracket easily so is a prime target for Kes. The link between them both is Kez boyfriend Lyn who also happens to be an old friend of Jess who sticks up for her.

I liked the way Eve Ainsworth used the popular texting style in her book which again will appeal to youngsters as they are continually on their mobiles texting each other at any given opportunity. Eve shows how social media has added to bullying in such a public way and the damage it can do. The importance of being part of a group and a sense of belonging are very strong in this book which is so true of teenagers and how those who are a bit different or individual are looked on as being geeks or strange and ostracized. Her writing shows her understanding of teenagers and the often painful journey they make growing up, their need to belong and be accepted by their peers, and in this book how they learn that things are not always what they appear to be.

I hope teenagers are tempted to read this book as I know they will relate to it but equally it is an enjoyable if not often hard to read novel for adults as well.

Well done Eve a good debut novel.

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

The weight of blood - Laura McHugh

The Weight of Blood by Laura McHugh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A gripping debut psychological crime novel about family lies and dark secrets in an isolated community as a series of women go missing.

People still whisper about Lucy Dane's mother who vanished years ago from the town of Henbane, deep in the Ozark mountains.

When one of Lucy's friends is found murdered, Lucy feels haunted by the two lost women: by the mother she never knew, and the friend she couldn't protect.

But her search for answers, in a place where secrets are easily concealed, leads her to a chilling discovery.

And with this revelation, she must grapple with the meaning of family, the secrets we keep, and the lengths we will go to protect the ones we love.

This is a psychological thriller set in the town of Henbane in the Ozark Mountains Arkansas. It centers around the Dane family spanning two generations opening when Lucy's friend is found murdered. She is haunted by the loss and mystery surrounding the murder and is reminded of her own mothers' disappearance when she was just a child. Lucy feels bound to find out what happened to both her friend and her mother.

The story in the main is told by both Lucy and her mother Lila and the author jumps from past to present using this split narrative throughout the novel to bring the two halves together thus solving the mysteries and conclude the story.

There are some good sound characters in this story with detailed scene and mood setting, add this to the very closely tight knit community complete with mistrust of outsiders, secrets and superstitions and you have a recipe for a good psychological thriller. McHugh does not disappoint; this is a well written novel with just the right amount of pace and suspense to keep the reader going right to the end.

We open with Lucy the daughter of Lila who has grown up in Henbane; she is upset about the disappearance of a school friend Cheri whose dismembered body is eventually discovered a year later hanging in a tree. Lucy is haunted by having worried about Cheri but not having done anything to find her. What happened to her and where she was for a year was the topic of conversation all through the spring but once the shock and fear of a killer being on the loose subsides her death fades and she is all but forgotten.

We first meet Lila when she arrives in Henbane in answer to a job vacancy signing a two year contract to work on the Dane farm; an orphan after her parents died in a car crash, she has been through the foster care system and is desperate to belong somewhere with people she can trust. She was passed from foster home to foster home until she reaches an age where she is old enough to find her own way. She learnt at an early age not to trust men having had to fend off sexual advances from the many foster fathers and sons' she found herself placed with while going through the 'system' which resulted in her moving seven times in six years.

Lila's foster sister Crystal said they got moved around so much because they were pretty and had big boobs, foster moms didn't want them tempting their husbands and sons. McHugh tells us that Lila is a hypnotic mystical looking creature, dark black hair and piercing ice green eyes, someone that people feel drawn to. She arrives in Henbane and is taken to a remote farm miles from the nearest town and although apprehensive she knows that she has no where else to go and has to make this work. She works both on the farm and as a waitress in Crete Dane's restaurant/cafe where she befriends another waitress Gabby and they become good friends. Lila also meets Carl Dane, Crete's younger brother and in time they become close. Locals mistrust strangers and Lila is no exception, having no family and reluctant to talk about her past, the town believes she had been cast out of her own community, rumor spreads that she is a witch.

The story does alternate between the two main characters going back and forth in time but McHugh does this very well and is able to maintain continuity so that the reader does not feel lost or confused. I enjoyed the story and the secrets that come out over the course of the book, the tight knit community and strong bonds that bind family loyalties comes through well.

It would not be fair to reveal more of the story so I won't but I would encourage others to read it for themselves and enjoy the journey of loyalty, secrets, truth and consequences. I would give this an easy 4 stars for an enjoyable first novel, Laura McHugh looks like one to watch!


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

The next time you see me - Holly Goddard Jones

The Next Time You See Me by Holly Goddard Jones
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

'Thirteen-year-old Emily Houchens doesn’t have many friends. She finds more comfort playing make-believe in the woods near her house in Roma, Kentucky, than with her classmates, who find her strange and awkward. When she happens upon a dead body hidden in the woods one day, she decides not to tell anyone about her discovery—a choice that begins to haunt her.

Susanna Mitchell has always been a good girl, the dutiful daughter and wife. While her older sister Ronnie trolled bars for men and often drove home at sunrise, Susanna kept a neat house, a respectable job, a young daughter. But when Ronnie goes missing, and Susanna realizes that she’s the only person in Roma who truly cares about her sister’s fate, she starts to question her quiet life and its value.

The Next Time You See Me is the story of how one woman’s disappearance exposes the ambitions, prejudices, and anxieties of a small southern town and its residents, who are all connected, sometimes in unexpected ways. Emily; Susannah; Tony, a failed baseball star-turned-detective, aspiring to be the county’s first black sheriff; and Wyatt, a fifty-five-year-old factory worker tormented by a past he can’t change and by a love he doesn’t think he deserves. Their stories converge in a violent climax that reveals not just the mystery of what happened to Ronnie but all of their secret selves.'



I was sent this in exchange for an honest review. 

What a pleasure to read this debut novel. I was completely captivated from the first chapter to the last.

Great pace and suspense throughout the book, seamless intertwining of all the characters and their place in the novel kept me intrigued and wanting to read on.

The setting is in Roma, Kentucky a small town inhabited by a variety of people who Holly Goddard Jones manages to represent well in the novel. The people conjure up a mixed small town community of people who live pretty ordinary lives where nothing much out of the ordinary happens with its usual misfits and odd balls. The main character is called Susanna who is a teacher at the local school and we are introduced to some of the pupils and learn about their lives and parents some of whom hold important positions in the community. She contrasts the lives of the more privileged pupils with those less fortunate such as Emily who is singled out by the more fortunate students and bullied by them. Susanna’s husband Dale is a band director, Ronnie her sister, Tony a detective who she had a crush on before she married, Emily the socially awkward 13 year old pupil in her class, Christopher the popular older student son of the town lawyer and controlling mother and Wyatt a lonely, unhappy factory worker.

The plot is around Emily finding a body in the woods; she does not tell anyone about it but revisits the body over a period of days. Emily is a deeply troubled teenager; she has a brother who is mentally challenged and who takes up a lot of her parents’ time and energy. Emily has a crush on Christopher but because she is perceived as different, weird, she is picked on by her peers. Christopher is enigmatic and self-assured a leader, trend setter, smart, the kind of boy others are drawn to and admired. He is not unkind really but realises that he can’t allow himself to appear ‘soft’ and so initiates a lot of the bullying that Emily finds herself on the receiving end of.

Susanna has her own troubles of a stale marriage where she is not so much unhappy as appearing to wonder about missed opportunities’. She has a sister who she loves but acknowledges the fact that she has issues around addiction of one kind or another, mostly drink, who seems to have drifted through her life not knowing where she was going. Dale, Susanna’s husband does not like Ronnie and makes no secret about it. Ronnie has a reputation in the small town, she is often picking up men and often drunk but Susanna loves her and defends her.

Ronnie goes missing and this opens up the plot linking this to the body that Emily has found. Through the story the other characters are developed and all have their place in the novel. Susanna discovers how unhappy she is in her marriage when she meets Tony again who is looking into her sisters’ disappearance and she sleeps with him. We feel the cruelty of her life, Wyatt’s life in the factory and how he is ridiculed by his workmates and the pranks they play on him and how he meets Ronnie by chance one night that changes all their lives forever.

This is a cleverly written novel; it has suspense, drama and realism. Given that I have never visited Roma, Kentucky and am not American did not matter, such good writing skills meant that I could still identify with the place and the people. The writing was so good that I could actually picture what they looked like in my mind almost as if this novel was a film I had been watching. Through Holly Goddard Jones’ eyes I knew these people, understood their small minded prejudices’, felt for them – it was amazing how easily Holly Goddard Jones manages to give such a comprehensive view of the residents lives while keeping the momentum of the novel going right up to the end. Very skillful writing I would give this a 5 star and look forward to her next novel with interest.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this to me.