Geared towards people who want to be enlightened ( or simply live a better life) yet feel they can’t do so because of the past and/or current state of the spiritual world, Enlightened as Hell: How to be spiritual and not be a d*ck is the third book by clinical psychologist Dr. Tony Ortega.

Dr. Ortega brings three decades of experience as an actual mental health professional and consumer of an array of spiritual studies, as well as his sassy humour, to distill mental health and spiritual philosophies down to a street level. This is a book for millennials as much as it is for people 40+. Most likely to appeal more to women than men due to the nature of self – help readerships. Dr. Ortega is also a champion of LGBTQI + rights, so this is an inclusive, accessible book for anyone open to learning more about spirituality and potential answers to the question, “Is this is?”

My Thoughts:

What a fantastic and enlightening read. I really felt as though this book spoke to me. I was a bit sceptical before reading this book but I really found it helpful and I think alot of people will find it relatable. Some of the chapters contain humour which was funny. I like the fact that if you don’t want to read the book or if you have already, Each day you can scroll through to a any page and they have a highlighted affirmation that will literally bring positivity to your day. This is definitely going to help a lot of people see that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

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

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They took your fiancée.
They framed you for murder.

You’re given one chance to save her. To clear your name.
You must kill someone for them.

They give you the time and place.
The weapon. The target.

You have less than 24 hours.
You only know that no-one can be trusted…and nothing is what it seems.

My Thoughts:

This is my first book by Simon. I liked the sound of the plot and I felt it had a good pace, however I feel the characters let the story down, for me they just were not believable enough. I also felt as though the ending was rushed which is a shame as it had good premises for being a fantastic read. I just felt a bit let down by it. I don’t think I would pick up another book by this author.

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After The Puppet Show, a new storm is coming . . .

Jared Keaton, chef to the stars. Charming. Charismatic. Psychopath . . . He’s currently serving a life sentence for the brutal murder of his daughter, Elizabeth. Her body was never found and Keaton was convicted largely on the testimony of Detective Sergeant Washington Poe.

So when a young woman staggers into a remote police station with irrefutable evidence that she is Elizabeth Keaton, Poe finds himself on the wrong end of an investigation, one that could cost him much more than his career.

Helped by the only person he trusts, the brilliant but socially awkward Tilly Bradshaw, Poe races to answer the only question that matters: how can someone be both dead and alive at the same time?

And then Elizabeth goes missing again – and all paths of investigation lead back to Poe.

My Thoughts:

This is book two in the Washington Poe series and every bit as good as book one. I like how the stories are different even though we follow the same characters. Poe and Tilly are trying to solve an crime that happened a while ago but something is not right? can they piece together what really happened. I loved reading about Poe and Tilly as I feel as though I have been reunited with old friends. I love how the first chapter packs a massive punch and you just can’t help being drawn into the story. I now cannot wait to read book three. Such a fantastic series so far.

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In 1850s South Carolina, an enslaved woman named Rose faced a crisis: the imminent sale of her daughter Ashley. Thinking quickly, she packed a cotton bag for her with a few items, and, soon after, the nine-year-old girl was separated from her mother and sold. Decades later, Ashley’s granddaughter Ruth embroidered this family history on the sack in spare, haunting language. 
 
Historian Tiya Miles carefully traces these women’s faint presence in archival records, and, where archives fall short, she turns to objects, art, and the environment to write a singular history of the experience of slavery, and the uncertain freedom afterward, in the United States. All That She Carried is a poignant story of resilience and love passed down against steep odds. It honors the creativity and resourcefulness of people who preserved family ties when official systems refused to do so, and it serves as a visionary illustration of how to reconstruct and recount their stories today.

My Thoughts:

This is such a powerful and emotional read. If your into American History this is a good read for you. It is in the 1850’s in America in the time of slavery. We follow the journey of Rose and her daughter Ashley who has been sold for slavery. We see what each other go through on their horrific journey. It was very eye opening to read about and also very sad. This is one story that is hard to review because it was so very sad. I feel as though I have learnt things I never knew about that era.

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

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Tilly was a bright, outgoing little girl who liked playing with ghosts and matches. She loved fizzy drinks, swear words, fish fingers and Catholic churches, but most of all she loved living in Brighton in Queenie Malone’s magnificent Paradise Hotel with its endearing and loving family of misfits. But Tilly’s childhood was shattered when her mother sent her away from the only home she’d ever loved to boarding school with little explanation and no warning.

Now an adult, Tilda has grown into an independent woman still damaged by her mother’s unaccountable cruelty. Wary of people, her only friend is her dog, Eli. But when her mother dies, Tilda returns to Brighton and with the help of her beloved Queenie sets about unravelling the mystery of her exile from The Paradise Hotel, only to discover that her mother was not the woman she thought she knew at all …

My Thoughts:

I picked this book up because it seemed fun and I love the vibrancy of the cover. The plot sounded really good too. It is about Tilda and we see her story flit back from when she was a child to her now as a adult. It was a really interesting story that had me hooked the whole way through. Now as an adult and having lost her mother, she is clearing out her house when she discovers things that she never knew about herself and her childhood. It is a beautiful and tender story about a mother and daughter. I really enjoyed this read and need to read more of Ruth’s books now.

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In 1951 the Australian writers Charmian Clift and George Johnston left grey, post-war London for Greece. Settling first on the tiny island of Kalymnos, then Hydra, their plan was to live simply and focus on their writing, away from the noise of the big city. The result is two of Charmian Clift’s best known and most loved books, the memoirs Mermaid Singing and Peel Me a Lotus.

Peel Me a Lotus, the companion volume to Mermaid Singing relays their move to Hydra where they bought a house and grappled with the chaos of domestic life and three children whilst also becoming the centre of an informal community of artists and writers. The group later included Leonard Cohen who became their lodger and his girlfriend Marianne Ihlen. Clift paints an evocative picture of the characters and sun-drenched rhythms of traditional life, long before backpackers and mass tourism descended.

My Thoughts:

What a beautiful and inviting cover for this wonderful little hardback book. It is a memoir of someone living in the Hydra in the sixties, what life was like then and how people coped. I fell for the island life and wished I could be there to experience it for myself, but it is not all as it seems. There are some great adventures to read about and how life was like in the sixties for a husband and wife with three children. It was an insightful and engaging read and one that I will re read again some time. This book will stay with me for a long time.

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

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Welcome to The Starlings… sun, sea and neighbours to die for.

Security, a sparkling sea view and the best kind of neighbours – The Starlings gated community has it all. Here, doors are left open, children run free, and at the heart of it all is the entrepreneurial Gold Family, who first dreamed up this aspirational vision of ‘Dorset’s Safest Community’. To the outside world the popular family appears glitteringly blessed… until an idyllic party takes a dark turn and one of their number is found slumped at the foot of the clocktower. Who knows what really happened? And what answers are harboured within the old building, the former Highcap Mother and Baby Home?’

My Thoughts:

Being a new author to me, I was not sure what to expect with this book. I thought the plot had that level of intrigue and intensity that made me want to drop everything and start reading straight away. Each chapter is a different person so you get many people’s perspective on the current situation which I liked. I felt that the beginning took it’s time to build up but that gave it a really good level of tension. It is a very dark thriller that will wrap around you and won’t let you leave until the very last page. It was a good thriller and I want to read more of this author’s books now.

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

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In 1951 the Australian writers Charmian Clift and George Johnston left grey, post-war London for Greece. Settling first on the tiny island of Kalymnos, then Hydra, their plan was to live simply and focus on their writing, away from the noise of the big city. The result is two of Charmian Clift’s best known and most loved books, the memoirs Mermaid Singing and Peel Me a Lotus. Mermaid Singing relays the culture shock and the sheer delight of their first year on the tiny sponge-fishing island of Kalymnos. Clift paints an evocative picture of the characters and sun-drenched rhythms of traditional life, long before backpackers and mass tourism descended.

On Hydra, featured in the companion volume, Peel Me a Lotus, Clift and Johnston became the centre of an informal community of artists and writers including the then unknown Leonard Cohen who lodged with them, and his future girlfriend Marianne Ihlen.

My Thoughts:

I thought this book looked really summery and beautiful and I could not wait to read about Greece. It is all about a couple that left London to start up in Greece in 1951. We see how life is like back then and how they settle on a small island to write. It was an interesting read to see how they would cope with the bare necessities. It made me want to feel the sun on my skin and experience what life is like on the small island. A perfect escapism book.

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

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Nine perfect strangers, each hiding an imperfect life.

A luxury retreat cut off from the outside world.

Ten days that promise to change your life.

But some promises – like some lives – are perfect lies . . .

My Thoughts:

I like how the plot is short and sweet and gives nothing away. I have not read many of Liane’s books but this one I felt as though I would enjoy. And I did. I did think with there being a lot of characters it would become confusing but it certainly did not. Each chapter is a different person so you get everyone’s perspective. We also hear of everyone’s stories which some people reading this may be able to relate to atleast one of these peoples lives. It is quite fast moving and some of the chapters are short so you feel as though you have to read one more. It was such a good plot line and I didn’t see the ending coming. It was a really good read. I look forward to watching the series on TV now.

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Two lives are about to be changed by one phone call…

When Davey misdials Hannah’s number, at first they think nothing of it.

After all, Davey lives in Texas and Hannah lives in London.

But when Davey gets a job in London, their paths are sure to cross. As messaging turns to video calling, this feels like the start of something.

Weeks later, Hannah is waiting for Davey at the airport, but he never walks into Arrivals.

When Hannah finds out why, her world is turned on its head. And with their future so uncertain, each must pick up the pieces of their lives.

Will fate intervene once more to bring them together? Or will Davey always be the man that Hannah never met?

My Thoughts:

I loved the sound of this book, it sounded just what I needed to read. It was a slightly different story line which I liked. When Davey misdials Hannah’s number, neither realises what this will entail. Davey lives in Texas and Hannah lives in London so how is this going to work? After talking lots, they decides to meet each other but when Hannah turns up at the airport, Davey is not there. What has happened to him? I never guessed in a million years what the outcome was going to be. This book is full of emotions, I did shed a tear or two, but it is an lovely story about finding love in an unexpected place. Such a beautiful story.

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

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