It’s the 1970s, and Sarah has spent a lifetime trying to bury memories of her childhood: the constant fear, the horror of her school days, and Fane, the vast, crumbling house that was the sole obsession of her mother, Iris, a woman as beautiful as she was cruel. Sarah’s solace has been her cello and the music that allowed her to dream, transporting her from the bleakness of those early years to her new life with her husband Daniel in their safe, if slightly chaotic, Hampstead home and with a concert career that has brought her fame and restored a sense of self.

The past, though, has a habit of creeping into the present, and as long as Sarah tries to escape, it seems the pull of her mother, Fane Hall and the secrets hidden there cannot be suppressed, threatening to unravel the fragile happiness she enjoys now. Sarah will need to travel back to Fane to confront her childhood, and search for the true meaning of home.

My Thoughts:

The cover of this book is absolutely stunning and magical. The story is set in the 1970’s where Sarah has many memories of her childhood, the only consolation now as an adult is her cello and her husband. But when she has to return to her childhood home, will the past come back to haunt her? can she ever lay her mind to rest? I found it a dark story but woven in between the darkness was hope. It is all about how when darkness can involve you, trying to find a way out and there is hope. I thought the twists were good and the story held my attention. The characters were all good in my mind too. I liked it.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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Every morning Janet Brown goes to work cleaning offices. It calms her, cleanliness, neatness. All the things she’s unable to do with her soul can be achieved with a damp cloth and a splash of bleach. However, the guilt she still carries about a devastating loss that happened eleven years ago, cannot be erased.

Then, Janet finds herself involved in a train crash and, recognizing the chance to do what she couldn’t all those years ago, she makes a decision. As news spreads of Janet’s actions, her story inspires everyone around her, and for the first time her life has purpose and the future is filled with hope.

But Janet’s story isn’t quite what it seems, and as events spiral out of control, she soon discovers that coming clean isn’t an option. Because if Janet washes away the lies, what long-buried truths will she finally have to face.

My Thoughts:

Janet is a cleaner and the only way that makes her feel calm is running a cloth around but she carries guilt about something devastating that happened in the past. Her husband is a right pig and I couldn’t stand him from the get go. After an accident forces Janet to make a life changing decision but should she go for it? will she ever be able to feel free from the guilt? This is my first book by Charlotte and I really enjoyed how each chapter was a layer of Janet and once we keep unpeeling we see more sides and her story. I really felt for Janet, at times I wanted to cry for her and other times I was smiling and encouraging her. This is a story about loss, grief and a twisted relationship.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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LONDON. EARLY MORNING.

A body is found in a padlocked suitcase.

Investigator Emma Makepeace knows it’s murder. And it’s personal.

She quickly establishes that the dead man had been shadowing two oligarchs suspected of procuring illegal weapons in the UK. And it seems likely that an insider working deep within the British government is helping them.

To find out who the traitor is, Emma goes deep undercover on a superyacht owned by one of the oligarchs.

But the glamorous veneer of the rich hides dark secrets. Out at sea, Emma is both hunter and prey, and no one can protect her.

Never has the turquoise sea and golden sands of the Rivera seemed so dangerous.

My Thoughts:

I loved the sound of this book, it sounded dark, dangerous and full of adventure and spies. Emma is an investigator and in this book she has to investigate two people that are supposedly acquiring illegal weapons, Emma knows it is going to be a hard case to crack but she will do everything she can to bring these people down. But she is also in danger. This had a great pace to it, packed with lots of things going on, a bunch of mysterious characters that you don’t know if you can trust. I liked Emma and I felt as though she was a strong woman. A great high speed thriller that you can get your teeth into.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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Down by the river, Phoebe Featherstone is about to make a life-changing discovery . . .

Clever, nosy Phoebe is unable to get out much, but she has a talent for uncovering her neighbours’ secrets by examining the parcels delivered by her courier father, Al.

When they discover an abandoned baby otter on the riverbank, Phoebe must step out of her comfort zone – and she experiences an unexpected sense of happiness that she has not felt in a very long time. But now, further secrets are coming to light.

Phoebe soon realizes that something is amiss at the local otter sanctuary. She will need to overcome her own close­ly guarded issues and put all her sleuthing skills to good use if she wants to save the otters . . . and in the process, change her life for ever.

My Thoughts:

I have read a couple of Hazel’s previous books in the past and enjoyed them. There is something about otters that I just love so I couldn’t miss an opportunity to read this book. The cover is wonderful especially with the cute otter on the front. The story is about Phoebe who lives with her father, she is unable to get out an about as much as a girl her age should. Throughout the story we learn why and I really felt for her, I feel as though there are other people in her situation that will be able to relate. When her and her father find a abandoned otter cub on the riverbank they decide to take it to the local otter sanctuary but never realise how much it will change and help Phoebe. Though someone is set on sabotaging the otter sanctuary and it is up to Phoebe to work out who it is and why. I found this a nice and easy read. I look forward to continuing the story every time I picked it up. I really felt for Phoebe and her situation and was hoping for the best for it. What more could you want? some really cute otters and a fantastic led story about them.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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When twenty-five-year-old Takako’s boyfriend reveals he’s marrying someone else, she reluctantly accepts her eccentric uncle Satoru’s offer to live rent-free in the tiny room above his shop.

Hidden in Jimbocho, Tokyo, the Morisaki Bookshop is a booklover’s paradise. On a quiet corner in an old wooden building, the shop is filled with hundreds of second-hand books. It is Satoru’s pride and joy, and he has devoted his life to the bookshop since his wife left him five years earlier.

Hoping to nurse her broken heart in peace, Takako is surprised to encounter new worlds within the stacks of books lining the shop.

And as summer fades to autumn, Satoru and Takako discover they have more in common than they first thought. The Morisaki bookshop has something to teach them both about life, love, and the healing power of books.

My Thoughts:

This is a story about Takako, her life is not going how she thought it was going to go, her boyfriend has dropped a bombshell on her that is going to affect her life. Her uncle agrees for her to stay above his shop. When she finds the Morisaki Bookshop she realises there is more than meets the eye in between the aisles of the bookshop. Here is the bookshop helping to heal her and her mind. It is a nice easy short story that felt so at calm and peacefulness reading it. It is really true when people say books are a good healer and you can really get lost in a book. Readers are going to love this story and fall in love with the charming characters. A powerful little novel.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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At night, in a corporate office block in an unnamed metropolitan city, a cleaner begins her shift.

As she cleans Sad Intern’s desk, she throws away some of her more alarming health supplements, and leaves her healthy snacks instead. Mr Buff’s desk is immaculate, but he seems to have a secret smoking habit – not conducive to his fitness journey – which she’s going to help him kick. She confiscates the knitted coaster that attractive, sensitive Yarn Guy has given to Cola Woman – someone who clips her nails in the office doesn’t deserve his gifts.

But tonight, while scrolling through your emails, she’ll discover the secret you’ve been hiding – the one that will threaten her job, and the jobs of everyone she takes care of. And you’re about to find out that, sometimes, your most powerful enemy is the one you don’t even see.

My Thoughts:

The book is set between the hours that the cleaner is doing their job which is during the evening. It was a very interesting story about someone that sees and hears things but you would not necessarily know that they are there. Working at a high rise office, they set about doing their routine but also listening out and going through personal belongings which made me cringe slightly as you wonder how many cleaners actually do this in real life. Reading it from the cleaners point of view and how they go about their business slightly fascinated me and made me realise cleaners do a lot more things then they are paid for. It was an interesting and engaging read.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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In her twenties, Emma Blair marries her high school sweetheart, Jesse. They build a life for themselves, far away from the expectations of their parents and the people of their hometown in Massachusetts. They travel the world together, living life to the fullest and seizing every opportunity for adventure. On their first wedding anniversary, Jesse is on a helicopter over the Pacific when it goes missing. Just like that, Jesse is gone forever.
   
Emma quits her job and moves home in an effort to put her life back together. Years later, now in her thirties, Emma runs into an old friend, Sam, and finds herself falling in love again. When Emma and Sam get engaged, it feels like Emma’s second chance at happiness. That is, until Jesse is found. He’s alive, and he’s been trying all these years to come home to her. With a husband and a fiance, Emma has to now figure out who she is and what she wants while trying to protect the ones she loves. But who is her one true love? What does it mean to love truly?

My Thoughts:

I was excited to read this one as I had previously read one of Taylor’s books and enjoyed it, however this one just didn’t hit the spot for me. At a young age Emma marries Jesse and they have the perfect life together until one fateful day changes everything. How can Emma get through the grief and rebuild her future. She decides to move back home. When she meets someone she has not seen for a very long time, he helps her to see there is light at the end of the tunnel and maybe she could be happy again. Until her past comes back to haunt her and she finds out something that really shakes her world. But now she is in a dilemma and she doesn’t know what to do? I liked the start of this story, but as the story went on it seemed a bit silly and I started to despise Emma. I didn’t think she deserved to be with either man. It was a predictable story.

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NOTHING IS DEADLIER THAN TRUE LOVE…

Wes and Ivy are madly in love. It’s the kind of romance people write stories about. But what kind of story?

Because when it’s good, it’s very very good. But when it’s bad, it’s bad.

But their breakneck cycle of catastrophic vengeful break-ups and head-over-heels reconnections needs to end fast. Because suddenly, Wes and Ivy have a common enemy – and she’s a detective.

One wrong move will be fatal – so if Wes and Ivy can’t stick together, this break-up might just be their last.

My Thoughts:

This is a domestic thriller which tells of a toxic and horrible relationship between Ivy and Wes. Both of them find it hard to live with each other but also they both find it extremely hard to live without each other. The way the story goes, I didn’t particularly like either of them, they were both as bad as each other. But the twist that came made me a little more captivated with the story. It was a long one but don’t lose hope until the twist, then things start becoming good. I found it a dark read.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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When Jem Rosco – sailor, adventurer and local legend – blows into town in the middle of an autumn gale, the residents of Greystone, Devon, are delighted to have a celebrity in their midst. The residents think nothing of it when Rosco disappears again; that’s the sort of man he is.

Until the lifeboat is launched to a hoax call-out during a raging storm and his body is found in a dinghy, anchored off Scully Cove, a place with legends of its own.

This is an uncomfortable case for DI Matthew Venn. He came to the remote village as a child, its community populated by the Barum Brethren that he parted ways with, so when superstition and rumour mix and another body is found in the cove, Matthew soon finds his judgement clouded.

As the stormy winds howl and the village is cut off, Venn and his team start their investigation, little realizing their own lives might be in danger. . .

My Thoughts:

This is the second book in the Two Rivers Series and Detective Matthew Venn is back again. If you haven’t read one of Ann’s books, I would recommend them, this is my third book by her and I have really enjoyed them. Detective Matthew Venn is called out to a body in a dinghy but who it belongs to is a surprise to everyone in the village, can Matthew and his team piece together this unusual murder, but Matthew has his past to contend with too as he tries to work out the who, what and why for this murder. I found it a quick paced thriller that led me down the garden path then took me to an unexpected place I never thought I would end up in. Overall another great read by Ann.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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She’s faked her profile picture. He’s just a fake . . .

When happily divorced Joni finds Ant via a dating app, neither is entirely honest about who they are.

But when they meet in real life, they fall for each other. Soon they are a happy, steady item. Until Joni discovers Ant is still on the app, still dating other women . . .

Having secret rivals devastates Joni. So she decides to take revenge. But not on them.

Can she turn these rivals into allies to get back at the real enemy . . . Ant?

My Thoughts:

I have read a couple of Jane’s books now and I have to say this one sounded really good however I found it was not really for me. I found it a slow burner and very long and drawn out. Joni finds Ant on a dating app neither of them are telling the truth about some things. So after talking they decide to meet and like each other a lot. When in a steady relationship Joni realises something is a bit off with Ant and decides to find out… he is still dating other women, so she gets her own back on him and plots sweet revenge. It is a very predictable story.

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