Nice, France — Retired CIA agent, Cain, is living a quiet life, trying to stay out of trouble.

But he can’t turn off his old instincts like a lightswitch.

When an unsuspecting American woman becomes the target of criminals, he can’t sit back and do nothing.

What starts as one good deed puts Cain in the sights of highly-trained mercenaries, brings him to the attention of INTERPOL, and puts him on a collision course with evil personified.

With no one he can trust, in a land of double-crosses, Cain must rely on his wits to survive.

My Thoughts:

This is book two in the Cain Thrillers and I couldn’t wait to continue with this series. We meet up with Cain who is trying to keep a low profile and enjoy his retirement, but things don’t always go according to plan. Cain can never let things go especially when someone could be in trouble. In this story he helps a woman who has become a target for a nasty bunch of criminals, Cain goes above and beyond to help her as best as he can, but getting caught up in her problems is the least of his worries as he has his own problems to sort out too. I really enjoyed seeing what Cain was up to, he is a great character and Tom the author writes fantastic descriptions to make the reader feel immersed into the story. It is a captivating thriller that leads to some shocking twists. Full of drama and suspense, you won’t want to miss out on this epic read. I am excited for the next book.

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

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One hot summer’s afternoon, five-year-old Ava Sawyer went to a party. She never came home…

Two years later, Ava’s body is found and another little girl, Audrey Briggs, goes missing. Audrey also attended that party …

Leading the investigation is Detective Natalie Ward. A mother of two teenagers, this case chills her to the bone, and is a disturbing reminder of the last job she worked on. One that still keeps her awake at night…

Natalie soon discovers that Ava’s mother has some worrying gaps in her alibi and as she digs deeper, she’s sure Ava’s father is not telling the full story. And what did the owner of the garden centre Elsa see that day? Something that she’s not telling Natalie …

Just as Natalie is facing up to the grim possibility that Ava and Audrey were killed by someone close to home, another little girl from the party doesn’t come home from her ballet lesson. Can Natalie find a way to stop this killer before more innocent lives are taken?

My Thoughts:

I have not read one of Carol’s books for ages so when I saw this one, I thought I must read it. The story centres around a birthday that happened a few years back where a child went missing. Spring back to today and a body has been found, Detective Natalie Ward is on the case and she will stop at nothing to find out who the killer is. But along the way another child is found dead and suspicions arise as it looks as though it could be the same killer. Can Natalie and her team find the killer before more deaths happen? I liked how it was fast paced and I couldn’t wait to become involved, I felt as though I was part of the team. There are a twists that changes things up a bit and I thought I knew at one point but it was a red herring. I liked how some chapters are in a different font and we see the back story of the actual killer and why he did it. It was such a good read and I need to read more of Carol’s books.

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One moment in time can change everything…

The day Scarlett dies should have been one of the most important of her life. It doesn’t feel fair that she’ll never have the chance to fulfil her dreams. And now, she’s still … here – wherever here is – watching the ripple effect of her death on the lives of those she loved the most.

Evie cannot contemplate her life without Scarlett, and she certainly cannot forgive Nate, the man she blames for her best friend’s death. But Nate keeps popping up when she least expects him to, catapulting Evie’s life in directions she’d never let herself imagine possible. Ways, perhaps, even those closest to her had long since given up on.

If you could go back, knowing everything that happens after, everything that happens because of that one moment in time, would you change the course of history or would you do it all again?

My Thoughts:

OMG what a book, so many emotions went through me reading this book. I laughed, I cried and I felt all warm and fuzzy inside. It is a story about love and loss and is very cleverly written. The story is about Scarlett who dies but she felt as though she never got the chance to fulfil her potential. But she is still here and she can watch what her death is doing to the people that she loves the most. Evie is Scarlett’s best friend and housemate and she cannot bear to be apart from Scarlett now that she is gone, life is bleak for her and she doesn’t know how to cope. She meets Nate who was involved in why Scarlett died but can Evie forgive him and be happy again? it was a really interesting way of writing a book but Becky the author has 100% nailed it and I am intrigued to see what she writes about next. It is such a powerful and uplifting read that makes you think one moment can change everything.

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Sky, a senior in high school, meets Dean Holder, a guy with a promiscuous reputation that rivals her own. From their very first encounter, he terrifies and captivates her. Something about him sparks memories of her deeply troubled past, a time she’s tried so hard to bury. Though Sky is determined to stay far away from him, his unwavering pursuit and enigmatic smile break down her defenses and the intensity of the bond between them grows. But the mysterious Holder has been keeping secrets of his own, and once they are revealed, Sky is changed forever and her ability to trust may be a casualty of the truth.

Only by courageously facing the stark revelations can Sky and Holder hope to heal their emotional scars and find a way to live and love without boundaries.

My Thoughts:

Another book by Colleen that I really enjoyed. There is a lot going on in this book and there are some pretty great characters which makes it an intense read. When Sky meets Dean she is interested in him, he seems a bit overpowering but when you have read the whole book you will understand why. I really enjoyed seeing Sky’s character develop through out the pages, they seem to have a great bond but what if Dean has secrets of his own and they could affect Sky in more ways than one. There is a major twist that really does shake things up and the ending was absolutely brilliant and tied everything up nicely. Such a great read.

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

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‘I have a first-day rule. Any sign of trouble, even a whiff of a problem, and I walk.’

Noelle is an efficient and friendly hotel cleaner, a model employee. Or so she’d have you think. The trouble is that she can’t help taking little ‘souvenirs’ as she cleans. Nothing of value, just tokens of happy, normal lives: a lipstick, a hair clip, some tweezers. And by the time the guest has noticed, she’s long gone.

As she starts at her 21st hotel, she’s determined to beat her record of one month in a five star hotel before suspicion falls on her. But when she meets her new colleagues, her plans are complicated. These women aren’t just hands pushing carts down lonely hotel corridors: they are women with lives full of happiness and worry, pain and joy. The kind of lives Noelle has never known how to live. They make her wonder what it might be like to have real friends, people to stick around for…

My Thoughts:

I loved the sound of this book, I haven’t read many books about hotel cleaners and thought this sounded right up my street and it was. Noelle is a hotel cleaner and she can’t help herself to the guests own items. She doesn’t take big things just little things so she can hide them. Once she takes someone’s thing she ends up leaving that hotel anyway, she likes the thrill of it. When she arrives at Hotel 21, the group of cleaners already there are different women to whom Noelle has ever met before can they help her to see what she has been missing out on. I like reading about Noelle’s back story and why she does what she does. I am not saying for a second I agree with it but I understand her more after reading about her. It was nice to hear a little about her new group of cleaner friends too, they have relatable situations they are dealing with. I think this was a great little story.

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

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TikTok sensation Clara Batten has dedicated the last few years to seeking the answer to one of life’s most crucial questions:

Is it possible to raise and nurture two small humans without losing your bloody mind?

The good news is, now she’s found (some of) the answers and is sharing her secrets with the rest of us! In this riotous book, Clara reveals:

• when it’s acceptable to buy your kids lunch from a kebab shop.
• why a jar of pickled herrings from Waitrose is the ultimate guilty pleasure, nay necessity, for a sleep-deprived parent.
• how to finally pursue your acting ambitions in your forties (despite a toddler sh*tting on the stairs during a self-tape audition).

Most importantly, Clara shows us that no matter how much we adore our little treasures, life isn’t just about their A, B and bloody Cs.

My Thoughts:

I needed a bit of light relief from all the other books I have been reading recently and this was the perfect solution. You don’t have to have kids to be able to enjoy this delightful and funny read. Some things reminded me of what my parents use to say to me. It was just such a amusing read and I couldn’t stop laughing. I love Clara’s dry wit and I am sure other parents will be able to relate to all the goings on in this book. It is a must read and I loved it. It really cheered me up. This book is going to be a major hit.

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

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Neither of them expected to fall in love. But sometimes life has other plans.

When Wren realises her fiancé is in love with someone else, she thinks her heart will never recover.

On the other side of the world, Anders lost his wife four years ago and is still struggling to move on.

Wren hopes that spending the summer with her dad and step-family on their farm in Indiana will help her to heal. There, amid the cornfields and fireflies, she and Anders cross paths and their worlds are turned upside-down again.

But Wren doesn’t know that Anders is harbouring a secret, and if he acts on any feelings he has for Wren it will have serious fall-out for everyone.

Walking away would hurt Wren more than she can imagine. But, knowing the truth, how can she possibly stay?

My Thoughts:

I was so excited to get my hands on a copy of this book, Paige is one of my go to authors and I love escaping with one of her books. When Wren finds out her fiancé is not who she thought he was, she knows she needs to get away. The idea of spending the summer with her dad and his family in Indiana sounds ideal. To forget about the past and look to the future but when she meets Anders she doesn’t know how to feel. He has his own problems that he needs to sort out but can they both help each other? it is a lovely story to escape with, full of family, friendship, love and warmth. Such a cracking read.

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

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Budding landscape architect Luisa MacGregor is stuck in a rut – she hates her boss, she lives with her sister, and she is still mourning the loss of her husband many years ago. So when she is given the opportunity to take on a parcel of land in a deprived area, she sees the chance to build a garden that can make the area bloom.
 
Arriving in the rundown seaside town of Collaton on the north-west coast of Cumbria, she realises that her work is going to be cut out for her. But, along with Cas, a local PE teacher, and Harper, a teen whose life has taken a wrong turn, she is determined to get the garden up and running.
 
So when the community comes together and the garden starts to grow, she feels her luck might have changed. Can she grow good things on this rocky ground? And might love blossom along the way…?

My Thoughts:

This is my second book by Sharon and I could not wait to delve in to this story. Luisa hates her job and how her life has ended up, she wants to be outside and do what she loves gardening, so when the opportunity comes by about upping sticks and getting a community garden done she is a little sceptical at first as will she be able to succeed, but with the help of the community can she turn this wasteland into a beautiful garden for all to use. I loved how there is a little bit of everything in the story, friendship, love, gardening and coming together. It simply was such a gorgeous read that you will want to read again and again.

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

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This is a love story about things… 

Gwen’s life has stalled. She’s in her mid-thirties, perpetually single, her friends are busy procreating in the country and conversations with her parents seem to revolve entirely around herbaceous borders and the council’s wheelie-bin timetable. Above all she’s lonely. But then, isn’t everyone?
 
When Gwen’s made redundant from a job she drifted into a decade ago and never left, she realises it’s time to make a change. Over what might be the best – and most solitary – meal she’s ever eaten, Gwen vows to find something meaningful to do with her life, reconnect with her family and friends – and finally book herself a dentist appointment.
 
Her search for meaning soon leads her to volunteer in a local charity shop where she both literally and metaphorically unloads her emotional baggage. With the help of the weird and wonderful people she meets in the shop and the donated items bursting with untold stories that pass through its doors, Gwen must finally address the events and choices that led her to this point and find a way to move forward with bravery, humanity and more regular dental care.

My Thoughts:

I absolutely adored this book, I felt as though I had a connection to Gwen and I really liked her. Gwen is a very likeable character who when being made redundant she knows she needs a change so starts to volunteer in a charity shop. It is all the items that people have given up for one reason or another but also she meets interesting customers too. The charity shop is the place where there are untold stories and they also hold the key for people too. I liked seeing Gwen’s journey throughout and hoped for her to have the happy ending she deserved. I like how the book is split up into different parts where they are an item that the charity shop has and the story behind it. It was very eye opening. For someone that uses the charity shop, next time I go in, I will be thinking about this book.

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

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It’s 1980, Liverpool, Robyn is happy living with May, her nan. She is safe and well cared for. When her nan dies, sixteen-year-old Robyn finds herself homeless. She dreams of finding her father and finding a home. But she has no idea where to begin her search. Imagine Living opens as Robyn is working in her first job, in Waterford’s Bakery. It is here she meets an array of characters who befriend her, but some of the characters are dangerous, searching for the most vulnerable in society to exploit. Robyn must find ways to escape them, as she is forced into navigating her own way in the world, doing her utmost to stay alive.

Throughout Imagine Living, readers are jolted with unexpected surprises, through the kindness of strangers and heartwarming moments of joy. How can Robyn be both living on the streets, where violence and poverty prevail, and own a Dior dress? And how will she handle being blackmailed and bullied? Robyn is in possession of an unstoppable sense optimism and loyalty to those she loves. Her kindness is seen by some as a weakness. But don’t cross her, as she’s formidable at protecting herself, described by many who meet her as a survivor.

My Thoughts:

This is book two in the Disappearing Home Series and I feel now I want to read book one. After reading this book I really like Deborah’s style of writing and I found it well descriptive. This is Robyn’s story and is set around the 80’s era which I love reading about. I found Robyn’s story full of emotion and turmoil and I just wanted to help Robyn. There were some really great characters throughout the story and I really loved reading about the 80’s era, Deborah has done a great job with this book. I read it in a day and would recommend.

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

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