One last client

A week at a beautiful chateau in the south of France – it should be a straightforward final job for Dora. She’s a smart, stunning and discreet escort and Daniel has paid for her services before. This time, all she has to do is convince the assembled guests that she is his girlfriend. Dora is used to playing roles and being whatever men want her to be. It’s all about putting on a front.

One last chance

It will be a last, luxurious look at how the other half lives, before Dora turns her back on the escort world and all its dangers. She has found someone she loves and trusts. With him, she can escape the life she’s trapped in. But when Dora arrives at the chateau it quickly becomes obvious that nothing is what it seems…

One last secret

Dora finds herself face to face with a man she has never forgotten, the one man who really knows her. And as old secrets surface, it becomes terrifyingly apparent that one last secret could cost Dora her life…

My Thoughts:

What an absolutely gripping read from Adele, she always seems to make her books better and better. It was such a unique story about Dora who is an escort but is very good at her job until she meets Daniel. She thinks she can have a new life and get married but things turn sour and a face from the past threatens to haunt her yet again, can Dora escape before it is too late? such a gripping and engaging read, I worried for Dora and it is a story about an escort that many authors probably wouldn’t go there but Adele has pulled it out of the bag with this phenomenal masterpiece, I actually felt as though I learnt a little too. I enjoyed this book so much.

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

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Typhoid Mary: a selfish monster, or a hounded innocent?

They called her Typhoid Mary. They believed she was sick, that she was passing typhoid fever from her hands to the food that she served. They said she should have known.

But Mary wasn’t sick. She hadn’t done anything wrong.

She wasn’t arrested right away. There were warnings. Requests. And when she was finally taken, she did not go quietly. Branded a murderer and condemned by press and public alike, Mary continued to fight for her freedom, no matter the cost…

My Thoughts:

This sounded like a different kind of read to me, and an interesting one that is set in 1900’s, the first half of the book captured my attention and had me intrigued about where the story would go but the second half left me feeling restless and wanting the book to end. Mary is a hardworking woman from Ireland who goes to work as a cook in America, unfortunately for her, she is a carrier of typhoid, after reading this book you will feel a lot of sympathy for Mary and what she has to go through. I did find her a little irritating at times especially when she kept on returning to work after many that she had fed had died. The last half of the book I found monotonous and couldn’t wait to finish it.

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In a remote dale in a northern English county, a centuries-old rural community has survived into the mid-1930s almost unchanged. But then Jack Liggett drives in from the city, the spokesman for a Manchester waterworks company with designs on the landscape for a vast new reservoir. The dale must be evacuated, flooded, devastated; its water pumped to the Midlands and its community left in ruins.

Liggett further compounds the village’s problems when he begins a troubled affair with Janet Lightburn, a local woman of force and character who is driven to desperate measures in an attempt to save the valley.

My Thoughts:

I received this book as a gift from a fellow book lover and I have to say I was blown away with it. I found it such a powerful and so moving. This is the first book that I have read by Sarah and I cannot wait to read her others, I already have my eye on a few. After having a recent holiday in the Lake District I knew I would be pining when I got home so this was the perfect pick me up read to remind me of those beautiful days with all the gorgeous scenery. Sarah’s description of the scenery and everything around is perfect, even though the story is a sad one, It really captured the Lake District and I thought it was such a wonderful yet powerful story. I need another holiday to The Lakes now.

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When ex-marine Sarah French joins a luxury superyacht as on-board security, she’s excited to get her life – and career – back on track.

Surrounded by crystal waters, it seems like the perfect place to start over.

As they head into open water, though, tensions between the crew quickly build. And when someone goes missing, Sarah has a terrifying realisation.

One of them is a killer. All of them are suspects.

To protect the other passengers, Sarah needs to uncover the killer’s identity, and return the boat safely to shore.

But there’s a storm on the horizon – and not all of them will make it back alive . . .

My Thoughts:

I really liked the sound of this book, Sarah is ex marine and is not working as on board security for a super yacht. Then things start to go from bad to worse and Sarah uncovers something that is terrifying. Someone on board is a killer but who? many red herrings, you can cut the tension with a knife, the suspense gets to you as you just want to find out who the killer is and why. I liked this story but with so many characters I did feel as though I had to keep going back to remember who was who and also I found it a little long winded. But overall it was an ok read.

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

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Eliza has a full house! When her three children grew up and moved out, she downsized to a smaller property… but now they’re all back. Every room in the house is taken and Eliza finds herself sharing her bed with her eldest daughter and her daughter’s pug. Combined with the online course she’s trying to finish, plus her job to fit in, there just isn’t the peace and quiet that Eliza needs.

So when an ad pops up on her laptop saying ‘house-sitters wanted’, Eliza can’t resist the chance to escape. She ends up moving to a rural finca in southern Spain, looking after the owner’s Iberico pigs, learning about secret gastronomic societies… and finding a new zest for life and love along the way.

My Thoughts:

Jo Thomas is definitely one of my go to authors when I feel like I need cheering up. They are the perfect pick me up. Eliza is a mother who thought when her three grown up children moved out that she would be able to rest and relax in her own company, but unfortunately they had other ideas and have all moved back in. Eliza can’t get a any peace and quiet when everyone wants something from her and she has a job and an online course to finish. So when she sees house sitters wanted in rural Spain she decides to take a leap of faith and see if she can get the quiet time she craves and really needs. This trip really changes Eliza for the better and she realises she can do anything she wants. There are some amusing parts in this book, but it also feels as though I knew Eliza and I am sure many women will be able to relate to her situation which makes her more loveable. Also I love how Jo’s descriptions makes you want to be where ever she has set her books, and the food sounded utterly divine and sumptuous. I wish I was there to experience it all.

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

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KEEP YOUR FAMILY SAFE.
WHATEVER THE COST…

Jamie and Victoria are expecting their first baby.

With a few weeks to go, they head off for a final weekend break in a remote part of the North Pennines. The small and peaceful guesthouse is the ideal location to unwind together before becoming parents. Upon arrival, they are greeted by Barry and Fiona, the older couple who run the guesthouse. They cook them dinner and show them to their room before retreating to bed themselves.

The next morning, Jamie and Victoria wake to find the house deserted. Barry and Fiona are nowhere to be seen. All the doors are locked. Both their mobile phones and car keys have disappeared. Even though it’s a few weeks early, Victoria knows the contractions are starting.

The baby is coming, and there’s no way out.

My Thoughts:

This was a superb thriller that is full of twists and turns that kept me wanting to read on. It was thought provoking and I felt as though I needed to know what happened straight away so read it in one sitting. The main characters are Jamie and Victoria who decide to go for a weekend away to a remote part of the North Pennines, they are expecting a baby very soon so need a break but when things start to go wrong and Victoria starts having contractions will they all be ok? there is also a major twist in the story that was very unexpected but oh so good, I liked how we as the readers also find out what actually happened too, with the timeline that runs alongside the other story. Such a great read from Robin.

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

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Olivia and Anthony are planning A Very Extravagant Wedding at the newest hotel on the tiny Scottish island of Mure. They’re flying in chefs, musicians and something called a living flower wall… and no one is even allowed to think the word bridezilla.

Flora is trying – and failing – not to let Olivia and Anthony’s wedding distract her from planning her own big day with Joel. But the couple have wildly different ideas about how to celebrate and somehow, just when their relationship should be plain sailing, everything is suddenly very hard indeed.

And then there’s Lorna and Saif. The local headmistress and the GP desperately keeping their relationship a secret to protect his sons. But while they’re looking out for the boys, who’s looking out for them?

My Thoughts:

I have loved all of Jenny’s books in the past, and this one was brilliant like all her others. This is book 13 of the Mure series and you can read it as a standalone but I would recommend reading all of them from the beginning. I wanted to devour this book so fast but I made myself savour it, I loved the story and all of the characters, we meet new characters and some of my favourite characters from the previous books. All the characters are relatable too, and the story was a warm hearted and uplifting. You will fall in love with Mure and the people that live there, I wish I could escape there.

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

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They’ve offered you a luxury apartment, rent free. THE CATCH: you may not live long enough to enjoy it…

No visitors. No nights spent away from the apartment. No disturbing the other residents.
These are the only rules for Jules Larson’s new job as apartment sitter for an elusive resident of the Bartholomew, one of Manhattan’s most high-profile private buildings and home to the rich and famous.

Recently heartbroken and practically homeless, Jules readily accepts the terms, ready to leave her past life behind.

Out of place among the extremely wealthy, Jules finds herself pulled toward other apartment sitter Ingrid. But Ingrid confides that the Bartholomew is not what it seems and the dark history hidden beneath its gleaming facade is starting to frighten her. Jules brushes it off as a harmless ghost story – but the next day, her new friend has vanished.
And then Jules discovers that Ingrid is not the first temporary resident to go missing…

Welcome to the Bartholomew…You may never leave.

My Thoughts:

This is the first book I have read by Riley and it will not be my last, I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Jules is desperately short on money so when she sees a job come up to be an apartment sitter she accepts all the terms, though there are rules and if you don’t abide then there are consequences. There is a dark history related to the apartment and when Jules discovers more, is this really the job for her. It had the right amount of creepiness and intrigue to get the juices flowing and I was in anticipation on what would happen when I turned the page. There are a great selection of characters which made the story even better. And the ending was really good too. I cannot wait to read more by Riley.

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Insights into the world of a Prison Doctor, this time taking us deeper into the walls of Bronzefield, the UK’s biggest women’s prison.

From the drug addicts who call Amanda ‘the mother I never had’ to the women who’ve pushed back at domestic abuse, to women close to release in their 70s, who just want to stay in the place that they’ve always known, these are stories that are heartbreaking, harrowing and heart-warming. Amanda listens, prescribes, and does what she can. After all, she’s their doctor.

My Thoughts:

I have really enjoyed reading all of DR Amanda’s book where she tells us true stories about all the different prisons she has worked in. It is a fascinating and eye opening world where very little of us know what goes on behind the scenes at a prison. This book is centred around the biggest female only prison and some of the stories really got to me, I think what got me with this book is that so many people will judge without having heard the story but when they understand the ins and outs first they will understand. This story really took over all my emotions and I felt exhausted after reading it but it is well worth the read.

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DANGER. DEPORTATION. DEATH.

These are just some of the fates facing the inmates at
Huntercombe prison.

Some have fled their homeland in fear of their lives.
Others are being sent to a country they left decades
ago. But Dr Amanda Brown is doing all she can for each
patient stuck in no-man’s land. They have little or no idea
of what awaits them outside, but she treats them with
kindness and respect. Whatever their crime, and whatever
their future holds, she is still their doctor.

My Thoughts:

I found this a very moving book, it had me in tears quite a bit, as it is all true stories what Dr Amanda had gone through whilst writing this book is absolutely heart breaking. I really felt for her. There are many accounts of different people who are held in centres before deportation. It was such an interesting and great insight into this kind of world that many don’t know much about. I found it fascinating to hear all the different stories. A great page turner.

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