Saturday 18 February 2017

Cover Reveal

Today I am so excited to be able to share an EXCLUSIVE Irish cover reveal with you for one of my most anticipated books of 2017 by one of my favourite authors who I call the
Queen of Emotional writing.....

The Woman at 72 Derry Lane by Carmel Harrington.




Set on a beautiful leafy street in Dublin, the novel explores the unlikely friendship between two neighbours. Beautiful, serene Stella, who appears to have it all, and gruff, bad-tempered Rea, who seems to have lost it all…including her marbles if you believe the neighbourhood gossip. But appearances can be deceiving and both women discover that behind closed doors everyone has a secret they are desperate to keep…

I love the sound of this novel and I love the look of the cover too, what are your thoughts on The Woman at 72 Derry Lane?

Paperback       Kindle

The Woman at 72 Derry Lane is due for release 1st June for the Irish release followed by the Uk release in September.

Saturday 11 February 2017

A Song For Tomorrow Giveaway


Earlier this week I shared my review with you for a Song For Tomorrow ( If you missed it click HERE to read it ).
I was actually lucky enough to get a copy of this book last year so I finished reading this book a long time ago and yet this book has stayed on my mind ever since and Alice Martineau's story is one that I feel everyone would find encouraging, uplifting and heartbreaking all at the same time and so everyone should read this book.

I have decided to do a giveaway to give one lucky reader who hasn't got their hands on this book yet the chance to read this stunning novel.
This is a worldwide giveaway.
GOOD LUCK!





a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sisters and Lies by Bernice Barrington

One hot August night, Rachel Darcy gets the call everyone fears. It's the police. Her younger sister Evie's had a car crash, she's in a coma. Can Rachel fly to London right away?
With Evie injured and comatose, Rachel is left to pick up the pieces of her sister's life. But it's hard fitting them together, especially when she really doesn't like what she sees.
Why was Evie driving when she doesn't even own a licence?
Who is the man living in her flat and claiming Evie is his girlfriend?
How come she has never heard of him?
The more mysteries Rachel uncovers the more she starts asking herself how well she ever really knew her sister. And then she begins to wonder if the crash was really the accident everybody says it is.
Back in hospital, Evie, trapped inside an unresponsive body, is desperately trying to wake up. Because she's got an urgent message for Rachel - a warning which could just save both their lives . . .

Sisters and Lies follows the story of two Irish sisters Rachel and Evie. Rachel is a successful writer but Evie has had a more turbulent life and when Rachel receives a phone call to say her sister has been in a car crash in her boyfriends car and as a result is in a coma Rachel travels to London to be by her sisters bedside and is determined to get to the bottom of why her sister was driving when she doesn’t even have a license and to her knowledge doesn’t have a boyfriend! Things just don’t add up but who can Rachel trust and will Evie ever wake up from her coma?

I really liked how this book was told from Rachel’s POV as she is trying to piece together the pieces of her sisters life and also told from Evie’s POV as she is stuck in her coma unable to communicate and is reflecting back on what happened to result in her accident and also looking back on her life growing up. I loved both sisters although they didn’t seem to have a great bond they both were likeable characters although Evie did take longer for me to warm to as due past actions and way of life but as the storyline progressed and we get to know Evie through her own thoughts rather than other people’s perception I really felt for her and could see in a warped way why she did what she did.

Evie's boyfriend Donnagh was a shady character, from the moment I met him I was on guard this guy was too squeaky clean and yet he wasn't devoted to sitting around his girlfriends bed every day but I also felt like it was to obvious that he had any involvement into Evie's accident. I found I was gripped the whole way through and I loved that the author pulled the wool over my eyes with her twist, I never for a moment came close to discovering the truth. 

The storyline is fast paced and there is a flow of secrets revealed which kept me interested, waiting to see what would be revealed next to see if I could solve the mystery before Rachel. I think this was a noteworthy debut by Bernice Barrington and I think fans of Liane Moriarty and Jane Shemilt will enjoy Sisters and Lies so this is well worth adding to your TBR piles.


Friday 10 February 2017

Cover Reveal.


I do love an exciting cover reveal, and today I am able to share with you the cover for Heidi Swain's upcoming release Coming Home to Cuckoo Cottage.
What are your thoughts on the cover?
Personally I love the vibrant colours that are used and this is definitely Heidi's best cover yet in my opinion!

Blurb

When Lottie Foster’s grandmother’s best friend Gwen dies, she leaves Lottie her lovely home, Cuckoo Cottage. 
Lottie loves the cottage but Matt, a charming local builder, points out that beneath its charm it is falling apart. Luckily he is always on hand to help with the problems that somehow seem to keep cropping up. But is he just a bit too good to be true? Certainly Will, Lottie’s closest neighbour, seems to think so. 
Lottie plans to set up her own business renovating vintage caravans. She hasn’t told anyone about the project she has cooked up with Jemma from The Cherry Tree Café to repurpose Gwen’s old caravan and turn it into a mobile tearoom. 
But before she can finally enjoy living with her legacy she must uncover who she can trust, and who to avoid. And with two men vying for her attention, can she find love in her new home…? 


COMING HOME TO CUCKOO COTTAGE IS OUT ON 13th JULY 
YOU CAN PRE-ORDER BELOW

Thursday 9 February 2017

A Song for Tomorrow by Alice Peterson


Tom fell in love with Alice the moment he saw her. He realises that being with her will not be easy, but she is a force of nature, a burst of sunlight in his otherwise ordinary world. 

Some people might look at Alice and think she has everything, but Alice knows she is not like other women. Her life is complicated, unpredictable, difficult. Alice does not like pity. All she wants to do, has ever wanted to do, is sing. 

Alice has been told not to follow her dreams. So has Tom. But when fate has already dealt a tough hand, it’s time to stop listening to everyone else and only follow their hearts.



Alice Peterson has always been a favourite author of mine and her book By My Side has always sat on the top spot. When I read the synopsis for A Song for Tomorrow I knew this was going to be a deep moving read so I had my tissues at the ready.

Alice Martineau has always dreamed of becoming a singer but words from her past have prevented her from chasing her dream but when she gets yet another rejection from her modelling career she makes the decision to finally make her dream a reality.

When Tom sets eyes on Alice for the first time it was like love at first sight and before long a beautiful romance begins to blossom but can Tom cope with the struggles and unpredictability that Alice deals with on a daily basis?

I feel as though my heart has been pulled out and ripped into a thousand pieces and maybe taking this book with me to read whilst having my hospital treatment was not a good idea judging by the looks I received with tears running down my face! I haven’t been so moved by a book since reading Me Before You and because of Alice Peterson’s beautiful and insightful writing style mixed with the fact that this storyline is actually based on the real life of the remarkable Alice Martineau fight to achieve her dreams I found this book more personal and emotional.

As we have come to expect with Alice Peterson’s books the protagonist has a disability and in this book Alice suffers from Cystic Fibrosis. The author always explores the conditions of her characters in such depth and she brings such detailed awareness of how each characters life is affected by their condition. I was aware of CF but reading this book has opened my eyes up to the daily struggles that sufferers face. There are many people in the world who long to become singers and it is an extremely difficult industry to get in to and yet add to the mix the symptoms of CF with the damage to her lungs, the constant need to cough and struggle to breathe and yet Alice was still determined to fight her way to the top and I was routing for her the whole way through I really wanted to see her achieve her dream as this is someone who really deserves to make it.

Although this was a really emotive read I found this such a beautiful and uplifting storyline as Alice brings us many highs as we watch her on her journey to attempt to become a singer, she is such a strong, understanding and determined character who grabs life with both hands and will do everything she can to enjoy each day and push to get what she dreams of. I found I had such admiration for Alice and her outlook on life can sure teach us a thing or two.

I loved the relationship between Alice and the loveable Tom, like any new relationships there are ups and downs as we begin to get to know one and other but Tom also was learning about CF and the fact that he went out of his way to read up on the condition when this was a new relationship and could have walked away showed what a lovely guy he was and how much he adored Alice I found him really endearing.

The author has put her heart and soul into this novel and it is felt on each and every page and I can imagine chapter 75 was a difficult one to write but I had goosebumps reading this chapter as there was so much emotion put into this and it was just beautiful and this was where I broke.

Since finishing this book my interest has been piqued and I wasted no time in going online and finding Alice’s album Daydreams and her voice is liquid gold she really has a strong talent and I hope that what Alice Peterson has managed to capture in this book will help to introduce this wonderful woman’s music to many readers to enjoy.


I never believed Alice Peterson would knock my favourite By My Side off the top spot but this book has achieved that and I am sure this will be my book of the year 2017 it sure will be an incredibly hard one to beat but one thing is for sure this storyline will stay with me for a long time as it has truly captured my heart.

Rare Gem Rating

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Alice Martineau's CD Daydreams

Monday 6 February 2017

The Things I Should Have Told You by Carmel Harrington

Every family has a story…

But for the Guinness family a happy ending looks out of reach. Olly and Mae's marriage is crumbling, their teenage daughter Evie is on a mission to self-destruct and their beloved Pops is dying of cancer. Their once strong family unit is slowly falling apart.

But Pops has one final gift to offer his beloved family – a ray of hope to cling to. As his life's journey draws to a close, he sends his family on an adventure across Europe in a camper van, guided by his letters, his wisdom and his love.

Because Pops knows that all his family need is time to be together, to find their love for each other and to find their way back home…

The Queen of Emotional writing has struck again! Carmel Harrington always delivers a novel that will pull at the heart strings and bring a tear to your eye and her novel The Things I Should Have told You is no exception.

Pops is the heart of the Guinness family but he knows his time is coming to an end but he is determined to do one more thing before his time is up and that is to attempt to help them all get away from their struggles that they have all faced in this difficult year but will it be enough to repair Mae and Ollys marriage?

This was such an endearing read that had me hooked from the opening chapter. We lean early on in the book that the family have been through the mill this year not just with Pops but also the strain on Mae and Olly’s marriage as well as a tragic incident that had daughter Evie fighting for her life when her little brother Jamie found her unconscious. The Guinness family were so down to earth and like most families they have their flaws but being handed this wonderful opportunity at this time was just what they needed.

Carmel Harrington has such a wonderful way of bringing her characters to life that before long you forget they are fictional characters and you come to care about them and just wish for a happy ending for them. I loved each and every character in this book and because most of the book is told from both Mae and Olly’s points of view we really get to know these characters well but we also have a good insight into what is going on in Evie’s life too which I thought was handled in a very tender way. Of course we also have little Jaime to who brought a few laughs along the way which broke up the emotion of the book from time to time.

I was getting quite excited to see where the Guinness’s journey would take them next and although they covered many different places on their adventure the storyline never felt rushed and the author also described each area on great detail so it was easy to visualise. One thing I did love was the idea of making sure that each area they visited they would eat the local cuisine and I think I need to be braver and make this one of my goals next time I am away.


This is another corker from Carmel Harrington that will not disappoint, I never seem to find any constructive criticism to give after reading one of her books as they tick all of the boxes and yet she still manages to come back bigger and better each year. 

Paperback               Kindle

Sunday 5 February 2017

The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHO TO TRUST WHEN YOU CAN'T EVEN TRUST YOURSELF?
I look at my hands. One of them says FLORA BE BRAVE.
Flora has anterograde amnesia. She can't remember anything day-to-day: the joke her friend made, the instructions her parents gave her, how old she is.
Then she kisses someone she shouldn't, and the next day she remembers it. It's the first time she's remembered anything since she was ten.
But the boy is gone. She thinks he's moved to the Arctic.
Will following him be the key to unlocking her memory? Who can she trust?

When I read the synopsis for The One Memory of Flora Banks I was instantly intrigued and I couldn’t wait to meet Flora.

Flora has suffered with anterograde amnesia since the age of 10, unable to retain new memories she relies on her parents and best friend Paige help and her notes on her arms to keep her safe. When Flora kisses her best friends boyfriend Drake before he sets off to Svalbard she wakes up the next day and for the first time she remembers. Flora is certain that Drake is the key to repairing her memory and she is desperate to find him as she takes a courageous journey to attempt to find him.

The opening chapter pulled me straight into the storyline and I was instantly worried for Flora who we soon learn is such a brave and loving character who I loved. The first part of the book I really enjoyed and we really got an insight into how confusing and worrying things can be for Flora when she constantly has to discover that she is no longer the little 10 year old girl she thinks she is.

Flora goes on a remarkable journey which for someone suffering from anterograde amnesia was a difficult and dangerous thing to do but her determination drove her to carry on to achieve her goal of finding Drake. She seemed to be one of these characters that everyone loved and cared for and where ever she turned she seemed to find people who would look out for her and she made some great friends along the way.

This was quiet a hard review to write and rate because I really enjoyed the plot and I loved Flora and the ending was very clever and brought a lump to my throat so this should have easily have been a 4 star read for me but  for a big chunk of the middle part of the book I found my attention begin to waver and I was on the verge of skim reading which I hate but because of the constant repetition it became a bit of a chore. I can understand why the author kept writing the same things over and over again to give us an insight into what life is like for Flora who constantly has to absorb the same information continuously but for me the repletion was too much and at one point I did consider putting the book down but I am pleased I carried on as the author pulled the storyline back with the wonderful ending.
All in all this was an enjoyable read and I am sure other readers will not find the repetition a problem , one thing for sure is that everyone will fall in love for the courageous Flora.



Kindle                      Paperback

Wednesday 1 February 2017

My Sweet Revenge by Jane Fallon

I want to make my husband fall back in love with me.
Let me explain. This isn't an exercise in 1950s wifeydom. I haven't been reading articles in old women's magazines. 'Twenty ways to keep your man'. That couldn't be further from the truth.
I want him to fall back in love with me so that when I tell him to get the hell out of my life he'll care. He won't just think, 'Oh good'.
I want it to hurt.
Paula has had Robert's back since they got together as drama students.
She gave up her dreams so he could make it.
Now he's one of the nation's most popular actors.
And Paula's just discovered he's having an affair.
She's going to remind Robert just what he's sacrificing.
And then she's going to break his heart like he broke hers.
It will be her greatest acting role ever.
Revenge is sweet.
Isn't it?

My Sweet Revenge is the first book I have read by Jane Fallon and what a great introduction to her books, I will definitely be picking up some of her backlist now.

When Paula discovers that her husband Robert who is in the public eye is having an affair she is desperate to get him to full back in love with her but don't be fooled she isn't a desperate love sick wife she is a determined strong minded woman who is going to deliver her sweet revenge right at his feet!

This was such a great read and it had my inner girl power coming to the surface I was right behind Paula and was routing for her to flip the switch on her husband Robert but I also love that she was finally focusing on herself, she seemed to have just been plodding along through life and now she was taking some time for herself to not only improve her image and her health but just to actually start living in general.

The book alternates between Paula's point of view and also Saskia’s point of view who is the mistress Paula suspects Robert to be having an affair with. At times I thought the book was predictable but then the author would suddenly through something in the storyline that would then make you rethink which helped to keep my attention hooked the whole way through.

I loved watching the little ideas Paula would concoct to get her revenge they brought a little wicked sense of humour to the storyline. I did feel like the storyline was a little drawn out as we came towards the end of Part 2  turn overall I really enjoyed this book and I am looking forward to going back and discovering more titles by Jane Fallon now.



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