Category: 5-Stars

Posted on

Book Review: Instructions for Falling In Love Again by Lucy Mitchell

.

Instructions for Falling In Love Again 

by Lucy Mitchell

Amazon  US / UK / AU / CA

What would you do if your late husband left you a list of instructions on how to fall in love with someone else?

Pippa Browning is faced with this exact dilemma, three years after the death of her husband, Dan.

Buried at the bottom of a drawer are a collection of notebooks full of Dan’s advice on how to live without him.

Pippa’s notebook is red and contains his instructions on how to fall in love again.

But Dan doesn’t just want Pippa to fall in love with anyone – Dan’s crazy suggestion is that Pippa should date his handsome friend, Mikey Stenton, a known thrill-seeking ladies’ man.

Reluctant to follow Dan’s advice, Pippa enters the world of dating. She embarks on a humorous journey of self-discovery, with the help of her children and two best friends.

It isn’t long before Pippa is finding it hard to ignore Dan’s instructions and Mikey Stenton.

Is Mikey really the man that everyone thinks him to be? Or was Dan right, and Mikey’s simply been misunderstood?

A heart-warming romantic comedy about motherhood, friendship and finding love, the second time around.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I take a sharp intake of breath at the news of Mrs Gladson and the imminent birth of her fourth child. When I saw her a few months ago in the school playground, she’d ballooned overnight and had a look of terror etched across her face.

 

You come across as their friend. I prefer to act like I’m unhinged. Kids pick up on this stuff. It’s good for kids to live with a bit of fear…

 

Your children are feral. If they’re not escaping down ladders to go underage drinking, they’re cutting all their hair off at parties.

 

I’ve found myself in new territory. For the first time in my life, I’m frantically thinking of excuses to leave a woman’s house. ‘Got to go,’ I stammer, searching for the door. She kisses me again, sucking the air out of me like a giant hoover.

 

My Review:

 

This was a fun and witty read, penned with wickedly clever wry humor and sharply honed and double-edged levity while cast with a large slate of amusingly annoying and dysfunctional characters. Pippa was an impractical widow of three years and had been heedlessly turning a blind eye to the carefully planned budget her dying husband had painstakingly drawn up for her, as well as to the brattiness and emotional needs of her three challenging children who by that point had been labeled as “feral” by their grandmother, and were largely beyond Pippa’s weak attempts at control, although she didn’t seem to be expending much effort to rein them in.

 

Her departed husband had always been the responsible and organized parent while Pippa was largely an airy-fairy, ineffectual, and exceedingly lame parent as in many ways she was just as irresponsible as her monstrously mouthy and beastly children. She had avoided processing her grief by ignoring her dead husband’s instructions and spending lavishly and willy-nilly in redecorating her home and indulging in her passion for baking. She received an embarrassing wakeup call, which finally seemed to have rattled the little pea in her brain when her under-aged teenaged daughter was carted home in a drunken state while Pippa had assumed she was upstairs asleep. Oh my, major parenting fail.

 

Ms. Mitchell has hit a home run with her debut publication by serving up a crisp and breezy writing style with engaging storylines that were edgily amusing while also heart-squeezing and observantly emotive.   I wouldn’t want to live anywhere near this loud and obnoxious family, but I enjoyed being privy to their inner workings as Pippa began to find her way back to herself and her dead husband’s thoughtful plan for her. I also scored a fun and irreverent new addition to my Brit Word List with coffin dodger – which is UK slang for the elderly.

About the Author

Instructions For Falling In Love Again is the debut novel from Lucy Mitchell. She lives in South Wales with her husband, her two teenage daughters, a giant labrador and a gang of unruly cats.
Lucy is the author of the award-winning blog, BlondeWriteMore and was a Featured Romance Author on Wattpad.
When she’s not working or writing, Lucy can be found listening to audiobooks in a muddy field with her dog or sat outside her local pub in the sunshine enjoying a glass of wine.
Instructions For Falling In Love Again is out in June 2019.

.

Posted on

Book Review, Giveaway: Dead and Talking by Des Burkinshaw

Dead and Talking

by Des Burkinshaw

 

.Amazon  US / UK / AU / CA

 

If a ghost appeared from nowhere, rescued you from suicide and then ordered you to start solving crimes to help dead people, what would you do?

When it happens to Porter Norton, he just wants to put his head in his hands and have nothing to do with it.

But now he has to atone for the family curse that has seen all the men die at their own hands for five generations.

The Gliss, the sarcastic spirit that rescues him, says he can now and see and hear the Dead – if he’s close to their remains. Porter has to use his unwelcome gift to clear up past injustices. Or else. Forced to investigate the murder of a WW1 British Tommy executed for spying in 1917, he begins to suspect the case has links to his own family history.

Along the way, Porter enlists the help of a bickering group of misfits, who struggle to stay involved – because only fools believe in the supernatural, don’t they?

Full of pop culture references, banter, and twists, the story takes us from present-day London and Flanders to scenes from World War 1.

As Porter, The Gliss, and friends, get deeper into the explosive case, they discover their own lives and sanity are at stake. An evil from WW1 pursues them all.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Poor Cherry. As much comfort as a pair of nettle knickers.

 

You’re about as much use as a sniper with Parkinson’s…

 

Porter sipped the coffee. After the drink and drugs, it was like getting a snog from Aphrodite.

 

Get me some water. I’m drier than an Arab’s roof. Has someone been stuffing my gob full of crackers?

 

“There’s one room here, the Oubliette, where a ghost strokes you in the night. Not in a nice way either.” “Is there a nice way to be stroked by a ghost in the night?” “Probably not, but then I’ve been single for a while,” said Feng.

 

Feng expected to find a doddery old man, wrapped in blankets, dribbling. He was met, instead, by a chipper bald-headed man, with monstrous tentacles of nasal hair… His white eyebrows were the size of slippers. More hair than Barry Gibb in his prime –none of it on top.

 

They’re not Bond villains with a masterplan. They’re the spiritual equivalent of a plague… There are nuclear and chemical weapons now. If yours gets to its full power… It would take seconds for it to realise it should go after the man with the nuclear football. Look who’s holding that. He’s barely got a mind to control, but I’m guessing, what there is of it, would be easy prey.

 

He pressed the Facetime button. Zouche appeared, picking his nose, with the gusto of the Seven Dwarves digging for diamonds.

 

Awkwardness patrolled their corridor like a Pac-Man.

 

 My Review:

 

Admittedly, anything paranormal is not my usual read but there is nothing about this cunningly crafted, highly amusing and vastly imaginative tale that could be considered as usual.   The original storylines were exceptionally creative and bristled robustly with intriguing conundrums and life-threatening events that kept the initially skeptical characters scurrying and adapting on the fly. Mr. Burkinshaw’s tantalizing and engaging writing style quickly lured me into his characters’ rather odd vortex, while his clever humor and sneaky strokes of levity had me occasionally barking aloud, as well as smirking and giggle-snorting throughout.

 

His deftly penned descriptions evoked sharp visuals, which were often outrageously comical, although a few gave my delicate intestines a queasy churn. This deviously clever scribe cast his tale with an unending group of peculiar characters who were each perceptively drawn with their own quirky traits and unique histories, while also realistically delineated with recognizable and mind-tickling human foibles which often led to humorous encounters, and delightfully amusing observations and inner musings. I had four pages of favorite quotes and notes highlighted and have gleefully added his name to my list of talents to watch and hope I am paying attention when his next missive is given wings.

 

I’ve gained three new words and phrases for my ever-expanding Brit Word List with struck off – which is officially being barred from working in one’s profession or field; bonce – head; and screaming abdabs – extreme nervousness.

About the Author

Born in the middle of the Summer of Love on a pre-fab council estate in Luton, teenage bitterness and a chance viewing of the Watergate movie, All the President’s Men, made him vow to become a journalist and bring down the government. 

First, he had to pay for his journalism course, so he became a civil servant. Literally, the day he had enough for his fees, he packed it in.
Twelve years on from watching the film, he was a journalist at The Times and had a big hand in bringing down John Major’s government. News ambitions sated, he packed that in too. 

Several years of working for Channel 4, ITV and the BBC as a senior producer saw him working across the world, but he eventually got fed up with asking bands how the new album was coming along and packed it in. 

He set up his own production company magnificent! in 2002 and simultaneously worked on the BBC Live Events team for another 10 years. But then six years of work on the Olympics came along, so he packed the BBC in. Again. 

Des has jammed with many of his heroes from Paul McCartney to Brian Wilson, Queen to Nancy Sinatra. He has interviewed many A-listers, including David Bowie, Michael Caine, John Cleese, and even Noam Chomsky. 

He has directed/produced a fairly long list of people – Muse, Coldplay, Michael Jackson, Jay-Z, produced BBC3’s Glastonbury coverage for a couple of years, made films about leprosy in India, comedy shorts with Miranda Hart and Lenny Henry and played guitar for Chas and Dave at the Hackney Empire. 

He has made 300+ short films for the Queen, MI5, the BBC, Sky, Discovery, EMI, the British Academy and dozens of authorities, charities and private sector firms. His most recent publication was a series of interviews with leading academics like Mary Beard on the state of the humanities which was published as a standalone magazine by the British Academy.

Fed up with traveling and determined to be a half-decent dad, he now works in London as often as he can. He runs the Young Directors Film School making movies with young people and is about to head up the Digital Film and Video MA at Tileyard. An avid musician and producer, he releases his third album as Romano Chorizo (he plays drums, bass, piano, guitar, and really bad sax). 

He hates to be pigeon-holed, thinks creativity is a learned state of mind and wishes they would teach people memory and learning techniques at school. 

Dead & Talking is his first novel, the first in a series of Porter & The Gliss investigations.

Social Media Links 

www.desburkinshaw.com

twitter.com/DesBurkinshaw,

facebook as Des Burkinshaw

 

Giveaway

 Win 3 x Signed Copies of Dead & Talking

(Open INT)

*Terms and Conditions –  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will be passed to the giveaway organizer and used only for the fulfillment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for dispatch or delivery of the prize.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Posted on

Book Review: Never Look Back by Alison Gaylin

 Never Look Back

by Alison Gaylin

 

Amazon US / UK / CA / AU / B&N/ HarperCollins

 368 pages

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (July 2, 2019)

From the Edgar Award-winning author of If I Die Tonight

Reminiscent of the bestsellers of Laura Lippman and Harlan Coben—with a Serial-esque podcast twist—an absorbing, addictive tale of psychological suspense from the author of the highly acclaimed and Edgar Award-nominated What Remains of Me and the USA Today bestselling and Shamus Award-winning Brenna Spector series.

For thirteen days in 1976, teenage murderers April Cooper and Gabriel LeRoy terrorized Southern California’s Inland Empire, killing a dozen victims before perishing themselves in a fire… or did they? More than 40 years later, twentysomething podcast producer Quentin Garrison blames his troubled upbringing on the murders. And after a shocking message from a source, he has reason to believe April Cooper may still be alive. Meanwhile, New York City film columnist Robin Diamond is coping with rising doubts about her husband and terrifying threats from internet trolls. But that’s nothing compared to the outrageous phone call she gets from Quentin… and a brutal home invasion that makes her question everything she ever believed in. Is Robin’s beloved mother a mass murderer? Is there anyone she can trust?

Told through the eyes of those destroyed by the Inland Empire Killings—including Robin, Quentin, and a fifteen-year-old April Cooper—Never Look Back asks the question:

How well do we really know our parents, our partners—and ourselves?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

When someone is that close, you don’t just hear a whisper. You feel it.

 

She clutched a skittish little terrier in her arms that yapped and yapped, as though it had been born into the wrong life and was desperately trying to alert the world about it.

 

And then I saw it happen: Officer Nelligan recognized us. I knew it before he said anything, just in the way he stopped talking, the way his back straightened, and he seemed to change shape, growing bigger and taller and meaner than he’d been just two seconds earlier. I pictured buttons popping on his uniform, his rage turning him into a giant, a monster that could, would kill Gabriel and me… Time froze into a still photograph. I was standing at one end of a tunnel and Officer Nelligan was at the other and there was no one else in the world but the two of us.

 

I think that spending all this time with Gabriel has made me turn a little, like when you leave a glass of milk out in the sun… Every day, I will do something good for a person or an animal. I won’t go to sleep until I’ve made someone’s life better. And all those good deeds will turn me back.

 

Life rides some of us harder than others.

 

The sky here is so beautiful— like someone spilled a jar of silver glitter over a black velvet cape.

 

Summer glanced up to see the waitress standing over her, a look in her eye like they’d drawn straws back in the kitchen and she was the loser.

  

My Review:

 

After reading If I Die Tonight, I was aware of Ms. Gaylin’s uniquely devious style of slowly weaving seemingly unrelated yet mind-tickling events together into an ingeniously intriguing and complex tale of tragedy and secret lives. The characters were compelling yet deeply damaged and brimming with recalcitrant secrets and incongruence.   The storylines were diabolically captivating and maddeningly paced, keeping my curiosity on a sharp edge. And to my unbridled delight, the last hundred pages exploded with twist after twist, it was brilliant. Alison Gaylin is an exceptional talent and has mad skills, but I can’t help but feel a bit fearful for her neighbors…

 

I was provided with a review copy of this fiendishly clever book by HarperCollins and TLC Book Tours.

About the Author

Alison Gaylin is the award-winning author of Hide Your Eyes and its sequel, You Kill Me; the standalones Trashed and Heartless; and the Brenna Spector series: And She Was, Into the Dark, and Stay with Me. A graduate of Northwestern University and of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, she lives with her husband and daughter in Woodstock, New York.

Find out more about Alison at her website, and connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Posted on

Book Review, Giveaway: I Will Follow Him by Holly Tierney-Bedord

 I Will Follow Him

by Holly Tierney-Bedord

 

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA 

 

A bachelor party on a cruise ship. What could go wrong?

When private detective Francie is hired to spy on a groom-to-be as he and his bachelor party set sail for the Caribbean, she thinks she’s landed herself a week of paid vacation. Between lounging in the sun and sipping margaritas, she just needs to–best-case scenario–report back that he’s on the up and up, or–the unfortunate, more likely scenario–snap a few photos of her target in compromising positions, buy a box of sympathy chocolates for her client, and then collect her pay along with a nice golden suntan.

Blame it on the island breezes or the alcohol, but within hours of setting sail, Francie’s leisurely vacation gets complicated when she starts making careless mistakes. Like accidentally becoming friends with the groom and falling for his best man.

Can she get herself and her mission back on track, or has she blown her cover and possibly even her career?

 

Oceanic Dreams Series

Set sail for love and laughs aboard the Oceanic Aphrodite.

This series of stand-alone romantic comedy novellas releases throughout the summer of 2019.

To learn about the contributing authors and each book, watch our trailer, here: https://oceanicdreamsbooks.com/series-trailer/ and visit our website, here: https://oceanicdreamsbooks.com/

The Oceanic Dreams series is a collection of romantic comedy novellas by eight award-

winning, bestselling, and critically acclaimed authors from around the globe.

Meet Holly Kerr, author of I Saw Him Standing There.

Meet Laura Heffernan, author of Time of My Life.

Meet Tracy Krimmer, author of Circle in the Sand.

Meet Kirsty McManus, author of I Thought it was You.

Meet Holly Tierney–Bedord, author of I Will Follow Him.

Meet Delancey Stewart, author of Take a Chance on Me.

Meet Monique McDonell, author of Shut Up and Dance with Me.

Meet Sophie–Leigh Robbins, author of The Best of You.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Even though I’m in my thirties, I still look exactly like I looked when I was sixteen. My hair is blonde and my eyes are bluish and, for some annoying reason, people often ask me why I look so confused. You’ve heard of resting bitch face? I guess I’ve got resting ditz face.

 

He’s not all that attractive, but like my mom always told me, “Francie, it’s not about the packaging. It’s about the gift inside.” Then she’d add, “With that being said, it wouldn’t kill you to go to aerobics class with me.” The ironic part is, aerobics is what killed her. It turns out she had a blocked artery and too many jumping jacks did her in. Since then, I’ve tried to move as little as possible. I haven’t broken a sweat since 1999. I call it ‘playing it safe.’

 

For the past five years, ever since my dad passed away and I figured it would be easier to take over his shop than clean it out, I’ve been a private detective.

 

 My Review:

 

I gleefully giggle-snorted my way through this wittily written and highly amusing tale. I knew before finishing the first page I was in for a treat.   Francie put the F in the F.N. Meddling Detective and Private Investigation Agency ~ snort! Let me mention Ms. Tierney-Bedord’s clever deployment of levity – it was there in spades, diamonds, clubs, and hearts. I wore a mirthful smile throughout and haven’t had this much fun in ages.

About the Author

Holly Tierney-Bedord is the author of over twenty books including Kindle Unlimited All-Star winner Sweet Hollow Women.

Links:

FB  https://www.facebook.com/HollyRecommends/

Twitter    https://twitter.com/HollyTierney

Instagram   https://www.instagram.com/authorhollytierneybedord

Bookbub   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/holly-tierney-bedord

Goodreads   https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6433388.Holly_Tierney_Bedord

Website   www.hollytierneybedord.com

Follow on Amazon   https://www.amazon.com/Holly-Tierney-Bedord/e/B00M3C9W3E

Giveaway

Giveaway to Win a $10 Starbucks card

(Open to US Only)

*Terms and Conditions –  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will be passed to the giveaway organizer and used only for the fulfillment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for dispatch or delivery of the prize.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Posted on

Book Review: A Family of Strangers by Emilie Richards

 A Family of Strangers

by Emilie Richards

Amazon  US / UK / CA / AU /

 B&N/  BAM

 384 Pages

MIRA; Original edition (June 25, 2019)

Could a lifetime of memories…be a lifetime of lies?

All her life, Ryan Gracey watched her perfect older sister from afar. Knowing she could never top Wendy’s achievements, she didn’t even try. Instead, Ryan forged her own path while her family barely seemed to notice.

Now Wendy shares two little girls with her perfect husband, while Ryan mourns the man she lost after a nearly fatal mistake in judgment. The sisters’ choices have taken them in different directions, which is why Ryan is stunned when Wendy calls, begging for her help. There’s been a murder—and Wendy believes she’ll be wrongfully accused.

While Wendy lies low, Ryan moves back to their hometown to care for the nieces she hardly knows. The sleuthing skills she’s refined as a true-crime podcaster quickly rise to the surface as she digs for answers with the help of an unexpected ally. Yet the trail of clues Wendy’s left behind leads to nothing but questions. Blood may be thicker than water, but what does Ryan owe a sister who becomes more and more a stranger with every revelation?

Is Wendy, who always seemed so perfect, just a perfect liar—or worse?

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Sophie had many ways of getting to the truth. Now she pulled out guilt, a tool she manipulated with the precision of a top chef’s boning knife.

 

The flaws of an older child are bleached by time, while a younger’s are always in plain view.

 

I listen to your podcast, Ryan. I was right there in that awful prison with that poor woman, the one who was sentenced for a crime she didn’t commit. That’s as close as I want to get to iron bars and a cellmate named Butch.

 

“I can tell him she’s on a religious retreat, that while she was traveling she had a spiritual awakening.” Mom looked skeptical. “She’s a Catholic. We’re awakened enough.”

 

I was almost sure who the package was from. I picked it up once more and lifted it to my ear. Bombs today aren’t the Wile E. Coyote variety with dynamite wired to a ticking alarm clock, but cartoon habits die hard.

 

Sophie’s ex-husband was more of a hobby than a relationship. He came and went as regularly as the meter reader, and she regarded him with the same lack of wonder.

 My Review:

 

Despite her prolific listing of thirty books to date, this was my maiden voyage on the crafty vessel Emilie Richards has most recently launched.   I was supremely lucky in my selection as it was an excellent journey, although it was not smooth sailing for the characters featured. I was quickly caught up in the intrigue and my curiosity was primed and frequently prodded into increasingly higher levels of elevation and exasperation with the elusive Wendy and her fawning and over-indulgent mother. The characters were complex yet highly compelling while the taut and absorbing storylines were full of jagged secrets, daunting histories, and disquieting reveals that squeezed my heart. With thirty books to her credit, Ms. Richards certainly knows what she’s doing by now, as her pacing and storytelling skills appear sharply honed and lushly appointed with emotive and vibrant details and perfectly placed lashings of edgy humor. More, please.

About the Author

Emilie Richards’s many novels feature complex characterizations and in-depth explorations of social issues. Both are a result of her training and experience as a family counselor, which contribute to her fascination with relationships of all kinds. Emilie and her husband enjoy dividing their time between the Florida Gulf Coast and Chautauqua County, New York. She is currently working on her next novel for MIRA Books.

Connect with Emilie

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Posted on

Book Review, Giveaway: The Unlikely Life of Maisie Meadows by Jenni Keer

The Unlikely Life of Maisie Meadows

by Jenni Keer

Amazon US / UK / AU

B&N / GP / iBooks / Kobo

When Maisie Meadows finds herself single and jobless on New Year’s Day, she resolves that this will be the year she focuses on bringing her scattered family back together. Romance is all very well, but it’s the people you grew up with that matter the most.

But a new job working at an auction house puts her in the path of Theo, a gorgeous but unattainable man who she can’t help but be distracted by. As their bond begins to grow, Maisie finds herself struggling to fulfil the promise she made to herself – but the universe has other ideas, and it’s not long before the Meadows family are thrown back together in the most unlikely of circumstances…

Can dealing with other people’s treasures help Maisie to let go of the past, and teach her who she ought to treasure the most?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

He was not only showing the new girl from HR around the archives but also giving her a guided tour of his tonsils.

Being single was all very well until your ovaries started idly flicking through pension options – not that she was anywhere near that stage, but sand still trickled relentlessly into the bottom chamber of her hourglass.

Theo’s jeans weren’t distressed, they were positively traumatised.

Honestly, you’re so tightly coiled that if anyone springs your release catch you’re going to ping over the moon.

… her house was sterile, her desk at work was sterile, bloody hell – after six months without a boyfriend, she was sterile.

He doesn’t give up. All the time he’s in my peripheral vision, lurking like an unidentifiable odour.

My Review:

Jenni Keer is found treasure. This cleverly written and highly amusing book had more sparkles than a glitter bomb and was an utter delight to read. I adored every quirky character and savored each brilliantly chosen word. I fell right into this craftily paced and witty tale, which caused frequent eruptions of giggle-snorts and kept a well-earned smirk on my face throughout perusal. I was also quite resentful of any interruption to my reading and may have actually hissed at the ringing phone. Ms. Keer’s writing was deliciously clever, emotive, crisp, and extraordinarily engaging. She definitely has a gift for effortless levity and absorbing storytelling and I deeply suspect ownership of a magical pen or bewitched software, as she is an absolute powerhouse of a wordsmith.

And in addition to being totally besotted with Ms. Keer, I scored three new additions to my Brit Word List with claggy – which is Brit informal for thick and sticky; banjaxed – which is slang for destroyed or ruined; and G Plan – which is an iconic British brand of furniture.

About the Author

Jenni Keer is a history graduate who embarked on a career in contract flooring before settling in the middle of the Suffolk countryside with her antique furniture restorer husband. She has valiantly attempted to master the ancient art of housework but with four teenage boys in the house, it remains a mystery. Instead, she spends her time at the keyboard writing women’s fiction to combat the testosterone-fuelled atmosphere with her number one fan #Blindcat by her side. Much younger in her head than she is on paper, she adores any excuse for fancy-dress and is part of a disco formation dance team.

The Hopes and Dreams of Lucy Baker was published in January 2019.

The Unlikely Life of Maisie Meadows is out in July 2019.

Social Media Links

FB Jenni Keer Writer

Twitter @JenniKeer

Instagram jennikeer

Website – https://jennikeer.co.uk/

Giveaway

Win a signed copy of The Hopes and Dreams of Lucy Baker, pack of Scratbag notelets, pretty purple pen and a Maisie bookmark

(Open to UK Only)

*Terms and Conditions – Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will be passed to the giveaway organizer and used only for the fulfillment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data. I am not responsible for dispatch or delivery of the prize.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Posted on

Book Review: One Last Greek Summer by Mandy Baggot

One Last Greek Summer

by Mandy Baggot

 

Amazon  US / UK / AU / CA  

B&N / iBooks / GP / Kobo

 

Beth Martin is 31, newly divorced and wondering just what life holds for her…

Best-friend, Heidi, is adamant that all the answers lie in Corfu – the island where the girls’ partied away their youth.

So cue a trip to a sun-drenched Greek island, ouzo cocktails, a trip down memory lane…and Alex Hallas, the man Beth has never quite forgotten.

As they dance under the stars, the sand beneath their toes, old feelings begin to resurface and Beth might just have a chance to take back her life. If they can learn to love the people they’ve become…

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

‘How long is it since you’ve had a date now?’ … ‘Almost two months,’ Heidi breathed. ‘My lady parts basically think I’ve sold them for transplant.’

 

‘Repeat after me…I am a woman in my prime.’ ‘Oh, Heidi, have you been going to those motivational hours at the community centre again? Weren’t you put off for good when the guest speaker was someone who had once worked with Harvey Weinstein?’

 

‘I’m not sorry he isn’t dead.’ She took a breath. There had been times she’d wanted to cut the crotch out of his underpants, but death seemed a little too far, even in her darkest moments, drinking his vintage champagne like it was tap water.

 

‘I don’t fancy you either. Never have.’ ‘I don’t know whether to feel pleased or strangely curious as to why not.’ ‘Let’s leave it as an enigma…’

 

All everyone says is that yiayia died of a broken heart. But my mother says she died of shame because she could not bear to live the rest of her life as a widow mourning a man who shared his penis with the entire island.

 

‘He was at the beach bar in Roda, a late-night drink after practice for a band he is joining.’ She shook her head. ‘He is sixty-five years old. The only band he should be involved in is one they put around your arm to monitor blood pressure.’

 

My Review:

 

Greece has been on my bucket list for decades, and although I will confess to being far too lazy to make the arduous trek, I can partially satisfy my curiosity and wanderlust by occasionally picking up a Grecian based tale.   One Last Greek Summer was quite the tasty snack with Ms. Baggot’s divinely keen sense for colorful details and vividly described scenes, I could almost hear the bleating of the baby goats, smell the sea air, and taste the delicious gyros. The writing and storylines were engaging, action-packed, cunningly observant, and shot through with crisp levity and whip-smart humor.   The vibrant characters were appealing, well-drawn, and more than a bit intriguing – even the villainous ones that I wanted to give a pinch or ten.

This was my maiden voyage with the cleverly amusing Mandy Baggot and I am kicking myself for being tardy to the party as she has a wicked wit and an impressive listing of twenty-four published books. I am tempted to unhook the phone and clear my calendar for a month and just indulge in all things Baggot. Suffice it to say, Ms. Baggot has a newly minted baklava loving fangirl.

About the Author 

Mandy Baggot is an international bestselling and award-winning romance writer. The winner of the Innovation in Romantic Fiction award at the UK’s Festival of Romance, her romantic comedy novel, One Wish in Manhattan, was also shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists’ Association Romantic Comedy Novel of the Year award in 2016. Mandy’s books have so far been translated into German, Italian, Czech, and Hungarian. Mandy loves the Greek island of Corfu, white wine, country music, and handbags. Also a singer, she has taken part in ITV1’s Who Dares Sings and The X-Factor. Mandy is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and the Society of Authors and lives near Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK with her husband and two daughters.

Follow Mandy:

Facebook: @mandybaggotauthor

Twitter: @mandybaggot

Follow Aria

Website: www.ariafiction.com

Twitter: @aria_fiction

Facebook: @ariafiction

Instagram: @ariafiction

Posted on

Book Review: The Summer of Sunshine and Margot by Susan Mallery

 The Summer of Sunshine and Margot

by Susan Mallery

 

Amazon US / UK / CA / AU  

B&N/  BAM

Hardcover: 368 pages

Publisher: HQN; Original edition (June 11, 2019)

The Baxter sisters come from a long line of women with disastrous luck in love. But this summer, Sunshine and Margot will turn disasters into destiny…

As an etiquette coach, Margot teaches her clients to fit in. But she’s never faced a client like Bianca, an aging movie star who gained fame—and notoriety—through a campaign of shock and awe. Schooling Bianca on the fine art of behaving like a proper diplomat’s wife requires intensive lessons, forcing Margot to move into the monastery turned mansion owned by the actress’s intensely private son. Like his incredible home, Alec’s stony exterior hides secret depths Margot would love to explore. But will he trust her enough to let her in?

Sunshine has always been the good-time sister, abandoning jobs to chase after guys who used her, then threw her away. No more. She refuses to be “that girl” again. This time, she’ll finish college, dedicate herself to her job as a nanny, and she 100 percent will not screw up her life again by falling for the wrong guy. Especially not the tempting single dad who also happens to be her boss.

Master storyteller Susan Mallery weaves threads of family drama, humor, romance and a wish-you-were-there setting into one of the most satisfying books of the year!

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Just so you know, I’m feeling especially pouty tonight. If you hang out with me, I’ll whine and be unreasonable.

 

“I’m the firstborn. Responsibility is my middle name.” “You’re firstborn by eight minutes.” Margot sighed. “I did love being an only child.”

 

From her perspective, there was only one surefire way to get him to back off. She offered a regretful smile and lightly touched his arm. “I would love to only things are a little contagious…”She waved her fingers toward her crotch. “Down there, if you get my meaning. It’s not horrible but the rash can really burn.” Steven shifted away from her so quickly he nearly lost his balance and fell off his chair.

 

We’ve all done things we’re ashamed of. The point is to do better when we know better.

  

My Review:

 

Margot and Sunshine Baxter were fraternal twins and I adored them and want to be in their circle of friends. Both had started new jobs and had each reached an epiphany over their history of poor choices in their previous relationships with each sister actively striving to improve their lot in that department; if only the past were so easy to leave behind. The characters were beguiling and endearingly quirky with unique yet relevant challenges to accommodate. The storylines were well-crafted, engaging, cleverly amusing, and expertly paced. Ms. Mallery’s wordcraft is well-honed and she certainly knows what she is doing as I have easily fallen into a refreshingly pleasurable state of rapt entertainment with each of her lovely books that I have been lucky enough to peruse.

 

About the Author

#1 NYT bestselling author Susan Mallery writes heartwarming, humorous novels about the relationships that define our lives-family, friendship, romance. She’s known for putting nuanced characters in emotional situations that surprise readers to laughter. Beloved by millions, her books have been translated into 28 languages. Susan lives in Washington with her husband, two cats, and a small poodle with delusions of grandeur. Visit her at SusanMallery.com.

Connect with Susan

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Posted on

Book Review, Giveaway: The Body in Belair Park (The London Murder Mysteries #6) by Alice Castle

The Body in Belair Park

(The London Murder Mysteries #6)

by Alice Castle

 

Amazon 

 

Beth Haldane is on the verge of having everything she’s ever wanted. Her son is starting secondary school, her personal life seems to have settled down – even her pets are getting on. But then the phone rings.

It’s Beth’s high maintenance mother, Wendy, with terrible news. Her bridge partner, Alfie Pole, has died suddenly. While Beth, and most of Dulwich, is convinced that Alfie has pegged out from exhaustion, thanks to playing with Wendy for years, Beth’s mother is certain that there is foul play afoot.

Before she knows it, Beth is plunged into her most complicated mystery yet, involving the Dulwich Bridge Club, allotment holders, the Dulwich Open Garden set and, of course, her long-suffering boyfriend, Metropolitan Police Detective Inspector Harry York. The case stirs up old wounds which are much closer to home than Beth would like. Can she come up trumps in time to stop the culprit striking again – or does the murderer hold the winning hand this time?

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

But the trouble with having lifelong ambitions was that when they were finally realised, you were left treading air like a cartoon cat shooting off a cliff.

 

‘Beth, and you know I don’t like to boast.’ Wendy lowered her eyes modestly for a moment, then ruined the effect by going on to blow her own trumpet in a lengthy solo.

 

Beth remembered neither of them had ever been Scouts. Or Brownies, come to that, though Beth had tried to make up for that by eating her weight in them many times over.

 

Was it Beth’s imagination, or did Katie sound a bit, well, reluctant? ‘You do still want to help out, don’t you, Cagney? Or are you Lacey? You’re the carefree blonde, obviously. I’m the brunette with the bad flick hairdo and the fat arse.’

 

Wendy well enough to realise that she would have been so hands-off as a mother to qualify as an honorary amputee.

 

Beth had thought bridge was just longwinded whist. But no. In Dulwich at least, it seemed as riven with rivalry and toxicity as the set of Who Killed Baby Jane?

 

Mrs Prendergast’s partner was a big man, his pale blue shirt at least a size smaller than its owner. Beth wouldn’t like to be around when his buttons finally decided they’d had enough of this arrangement. Tall and over-spilling the spindly chair in all directions, he was frowning over his cards like a hippo scrutinising a matchbox.

 

All this would be complex enough, without the added burden that her mother would be playing the recent poisoning victim like Meryl Streep on steroids, to get Josh’s full attention.

  

My Review:

 

I have savored each delightful tale in this cleverly written series.   As with the previous installments, The Body in Belair Park was a highly pleasurable read featuring a seemingly confounding and unsolvable mystery with witty comedic accents, cunning humor, and colorful character descriptions that evoked keen and smirk-worthy visuals.   The series revolves around Beth, a quirky pixie of a woman with a questionable work ethic, tight budget, narcissistic mother, tween son, indulged pets, and lax domestic efforts. In addition to being disorganized and easily distracted, she apparently tends to be a trouble magnet. I adore her and want to be her friend.

 

Ms. Castle writing style is refreshingly crisp and breezy yet cunningly insightful and deliciously entertaining. I treasure and covet her agile word skills and sublimely captivating storytelling and greatly enjoy her penchant for unusual fatalities. I fervently hope she continues to unearth them in every suburb across England.

About the Author

Before turning to crime, Alice Castle was a UK newspaper journalist for The Daily Express, The Times and The Daily Telegraph. Her first book, Hot Chocolate, set in Brussels and London, was a European hit and sold out in two weeks.

Death in Dulwich was published in September 2017 and has been a number one best-seller in the UK, US, France, Spain and Germany. A sequel, The Girl in the Gallery was published in December 2017 to critical acclaim and also hit the number one spot. Calamity in Camberwell, the third book in the London Murder Mystery series, was published in August 2018, with Homicide in Herne Hill following in October 2018. Revenge on the Rye came out in December 2018. The Body in Belair Park will be published on 25th June 2019. Alice is currently working on the seventh London Murder Mystery adventure, The Slayings in Sydenham. Once again, it will feature Beth Haldane and DI Harry York.

Alice is also a mummy blogger and book reviewer via her website: https://www.alicecastleauthor.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alicecastleauthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DDsDiary?lang=en

Links to buy her books

http://MyBook.to/GirlintheGallery

http://myBook.to/1DeathinDulwich

http://myBook.to/CiC

http://myBook.to/homicideinhernehill

http://myBook.to/revengeontherye

Death in Dulwich is now also out as an audiobook: https://www.audible.com/pd/B07N1VNMLT/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-140657&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_140657_rh_us

Alice lives in south London and is married with two children, two step-children and two cats.

Giveaway

Win a signed copy of The Body in Belair

(Open to UK and US Only)

*Terms and Conditions –  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will be passed to the giveaway organizer and used only for the fulfillment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for dispatch or delivery of the prize.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Posted on

Book Review, Giveaway: Am I Guilty? by Jackie Kabler

 Am I Guilty?

by Jackie Kabler

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA / B&N

 

A mother’s job is to protect her child…but everyone makes mistakes.

I never thought it would happen to me…

One moment I had it all – a gorgeous husband, a beautiful home, a fulfilling career and two adorable children. The next, everything came crashing down around me.

They said it was my fault. They said I’m the worst mother in the world. And even though I can’t remember what happened that day, they wouldn’t lie to me. These are my friends, my family, people I trust.

But then why do I have this creeping sensation that something is wrong? Why do I feel like people are keeping secrets? Am I really as guilty as they say? And if I’m not, what will happen when the truth comes out…?

Is your book part of a series / standalone? Standalone.

Are there any possible trigger warnings that bloggers/readers need to be aware of?

The book is about a murdered child.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

… it happened again. A weird, crawling sensation, like a bony hand running up my spine… A strange, shivery feeling, that had nothing to do with being cold. A feeling of unease, so intense that it was almost a physical sensation. This morning it had come and gone in a flash, and I’d put it down to being in that odd, semi-awake state but now, as I leaned against the kitchen counter, it stayed, first that shiver up my back, then a sense that something was trying to wriggle its way into my consciousness, a voice far, far too tiny for me to hear trying to make itself audible. I squeezed my eyes tightly shut, trying to listen, but just as quickly as it had arrived, the feeling was fading again, and then it was gone.

 

He’s just an idiot boy, Mum. Sienna can be a bit bratty but he’s so horrible to her. Can’t you send him away to boarding school or something? You know, like those old-fashioned ones in films where the teachers will hit him with sticks and make him eat slugs for dinner?

 

I didn’t realize I was probably a psychopath until I went to university. I’d always known I was a little bit different to other kids I knew, never really had close friends growing up. But I didn’t realize I was that different until I started at Northampton Uni, doing my English and Psychology degree, and there it suddenly was one day, on the big screen in front of me in a crowded lecture theatre –a checklist of psychopathic personality traits. A checklist of my personality traits. … not a sociopath – they were messier creatures, emotionally unstable, impulsive, lacking in patience. Psychopaths make fewer mistakes. I looked down on sociopaths, and even as I realized this I was amused by it. It was a bit like an alcoholic looking down on a drug addict, wasn’t it?

 

 My Review:

 

This was a book of multiples – multiple POVs, multiple suspects, multiple twists and misdirections, multiple liars committing multiple selfish and consciously deceitful acts. Any tale involving the death of a child will undoubtedly be a heart squeezer whether the fatality was accidental or something more heinous, and I was back and forth in my theories of which type of act resulted in the death of eight-month-old Zander.

 

So many secrets were swirling and compounding the issues.   The characters were first presented in a singular dimension with all fingers pointing toward the mother, whose shock and overindulgence of alcohol had blanked her memories of the day.   But as the trial date approached, odd pricklings of recall were itching at her brain, were they real or wishful thinking? And the myriad other characters were not at all trustworthy and were all rather vile creatures.

 

The premise was heartbreaking while the characters were all deeply flawed and tainted with duplicity yet oddly compelling and continually pricking at my curiosity. The storylines were slowly paced and tense in tone, full of angst, despair, regret, guilt, anger, and anxiety while compelling and craftily hinting at undercurrents of subterfuge and deception. I was taut with tension and biting my cuticles as my hypotheses bounced among the various suspects, and while I was partly correct I would never have put it all together or as cleverly as this cringe-worthy conclusion.   This was my first experience reading the well-crafted words of Jackie Kabler and I am kicking myself for not noticing her prior works, she’s got mad word skillz!

About the Author

Jackie Kabler was born in Coventry but spent much of her childhood in Ireland. She worked as a newspaper reporter and then a television news correspondent for twenty years, spending nearly a decade on GMTV followed by stints with ITN and BBC News. During that time, she covered major stories around the world including the Kosovo crisis, the impeachment of President Clinton, the Asian tsunami, famine in Ethiopia, the Soham murders and the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. Jackie now divides her time between crime writing and her job as a presenter on shopping channel QVC. She has a degree in zoology, runs long distances for fun and lives in Gloucestershire with her husband.

Social Media Links –

Twitter @jackiekabler

Instagram @officialjackiekabler

Facebook jackiekablerauthor

 

Giveaway

Win a Signed Copy of Am I Guilty?

(Open Internationally)

*Terms and Conditions –  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will be passed to the giveaway organizer and used only for the fulfillment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for dispatch or delivery of the prize.

a Rafflecopter giveaway