CAT LADY [n.]
Single, independent, crazy, aloof, on-the-shelf, lives alone . . .

It’s safer for Mia to play the part that people expect. She’s a good wife to her husband Tristan, a doting stepmother, she slips on her suit for work each morning like a new skin.

But beneath the surface, there’s another woman just clawing to get out . . .

When a shocking event shatters the conventional life she’s been so careful to build, Mia is faced with a choice. Does she live for a society that’s all too quick to judge, or does she live for herself?

And if that’s as an independent woman with a cat, then the world better get ready . . .

Fresh, funny and for anyone who’s ever felt astray, CAT LADY will help you belong – because a woman always lands on her feet.

My Thoughts:

I loved this book so much, having a cat I felt as though I could relate to Mia. The story is all about Mia and her life, she has a husband and a step child and her gorgeous cat. But there is something missing in her life, so she decides to break free and see what life has in store for her. It is a story that makes you think about what you have in your life and what matters to you the most. It was such a emotional but funny story that you just have to read it. Dawn is such a fantastic writer, she has a way to pull the reader into her books and forget about the real world. I loved it.

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

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What if your dream house became your worst nightmare?

Jess and her husband need a new start. So when the chance to buy a rambling old house in the Suffolk countryside comes up, they leap at it.

But not everyone in Suffolk is welcoming. The locals know a secret about the Maple House, and soon, Jess realises they’ve made a huge mistake.

Something bad happened in that house. Something nobody wants to talk about.

Something to do with the people before…

My Thoughts:

I loved the sound of this book and when reading it you can definitely feel the atmosphere is tense and creepy. A family decide to make a fresh start in Maple House, but what has happened there before, why are people not very welcoming? strange things are going on and Jess and her family don’t know what to do. Will they uncover the deadly truth of the house? I have to say for me it was a slow burner but when it got going it was good. It sets the scene at the start with things happening and going wrong and then you in for a hell of a ride with twists and turns at every corner where you least expect them. I had no clue were this story was going to lead and I could feel the tension and unease just sitting reading it. The ending left me stunned. I cannot wait to read more of Charlotte’s books in the future.

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

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When Julia Child arrived in Paris in 1948, ‘a six-foot-two-inch, thirty-six-year-old, rather loud and unserious Californian’, she barely spoke a word of French and didn’t know the first thing about cooking.

As she fell in love with French culture – buying food at local markets, sampling the local bistros, and taking classes at the Cordon Bleu – her life began to change forever. We follow her extraordinary transformation from kitchen ingénue to internationally renowned (and internationally loved) expert in French cuisine.

My Thoughts:

After watching the film Julie and Julia, I have been fascinated with Julia Child and her life so being able to read this book was my idea of heaven. I got to know so much more about Julia and I loved the way there are photographs in the book. It was a fascinating and eye opening read, with some delicious sounding recipes that made my stomach growl. Reading this book you can see how affectionate and humbling Julia is. It was a wonderful and charming read and I am so glad I had the chance to read it. I now want to go and watch the film again even though I have watched it many many times.

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

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How did life begin? How does it end? What happens to those qualities that make each of us alive as individuals after the bodies they animated die and disappear?

Taking inspiration from Sir David Attenborough’s maxim ‘Nature wastes nothing’ and drawing on the wisdom of commentators as varied as NASA astronauts, the Dalai Lama, existential philosophers, a couple of prescient teenagers and even an engagingly ‘human’ gorilla – Hope . . . and the Hedgehog distils the thinking behind the principal interpretations of creation, before presenting them to the reader in an easily digestible summary.

This is not a religious book and nor does it extol religion – rather it offers the same kind of assurance Bear Grylls presents to his readers. In the same way, it helps unpick the enduring puzzle that prompted Steve Jobs, creator and co-founder of Apple, to enigmatically describe death as ‘Very likely the single best invention of life.’ Which reinforces the importance of hope addressed here.

My Thoughts:

I really had no clue what to expect from this book, I found it such a thought provoking and inspirational read, one that I will go back to time and time again. I really took my time to savour each page and the quotes I enjoyed reading, I feel they give the reader a guidance through life, personally I have found this book very helpful. After reading a chapter or even just a quote it makes me appreciate my life and what I have. It made me take some time out of my day to sit and think about what I had just read. I really hope it helps other people, it is such a positive book. Also I loved some of the illustrations in the book, it made it more special for me.

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

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Thirty years ago, Vincent King became a killer.

Now, he’s been released from prison and is back in his hometown of Cape Haven, California. Not everyone is pleased to see him. Like Star Radley, his ex-girlfriend, and sister of the girl he killed.

Duchess Radley, Star’s thirteen-year-old daughter, is part-carer, part-protector to her younger brother, Robin – and to her deeply troubled mother. But in trying to protect Star, Duchess inadvertently sets off a chain of events that will have tragic consequences not only for her family, but also the whole town.

Murder, revenge, retribution.

How far can we run from the past, when the past seems doomed to repeat itself?

My Thoughts:

So many people had said how good this book was so had to get in on the hype, I am very late to this party but I don’t really see what all the fuss is about. For me the names of people got to me, and I couldn’t see past that. It is a slow burner, not a lot of stuff happens for a bit in the first half of the story. The chapters are short and sweet and the second part was better than the first but still it was not my favourite read.

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The astonishing new portrait of the master of spy fiction, by the woman he kept secret for almost half his life

John le Carré led a life entirely constructed of secrets. First as a British ‘spook’ during the Cold War, then as a world-renowned writer of espionage fiction, but also in his personal involvements. He guarded his private life with fierce determination, so that even when he finally permitted his life story to be written, there was still one element he insisted be excluded: the women.

Married with children for virtually all his adult life, le Carré – David Cornwell – had a number of secret affairs, usually conducted abroad with women encountered by chance on his travels. These relationships were always intense, dramatic, even tragic, yet each was destined to last no more than a few months. But there was one love affair that withstood the test of time; just one woman in all his life whom he took into the innermost sanctum of his writing and his heart.

My Thoughts:

I had heard of Le Carre but never read any of his books, so I went into this memoir with open eyes not really knowing much. I feel as though he may have written best selling books but he spun the same line to each and every women who so much as looked in his direction. It is an honest account of love and betrayal and one that people might not be able to get their heads around. I still don’t really get it after reading the book, I just don’t feel I learnt much about him. I just feel sorry for his family.

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

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Returning to her home town of Wishing Tree is definitely temporary for Camryn. She can’t wait to leave and get back to her ‘real life’. Until she meets Jake. Suddenly Camryn starts to see the town, and it’s Christmas traditions, differently. She thought she’d put her future on hold…but maybe her real life was here all along, waiting for her to come home.

New in town, River is charmed by Wishing Tree’s Christmas traditions and warm-hearted people, especially Dylan Tucker whose snow melting kisses bring her to the brink of love. But Dylan has a secret and River can’t risk falling for him until she uncovers it, even if that means losing him forever.

Both women find themselves faced with difficult decisions. But if they are prepared to risk their hearts, they might find they are about to have a Christmas to remember…

My Thoughts:

If you are after a heart warming festive read then this is the book for you. Camryn is moving back to The Wishing Tree where she used to live. What’s changed since she has been away? She has now become the guardian of her teenage twin sisters. It is such a small town but the people that live there add the charm and friendliness that makes you want to go and visit. I have never read any books by Susan and I can see how much warmth and love she brings to her books. The characters really come alive through out the pages and I wanted to leap in and be part of it all. A good happily ever after read.

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

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No one sees him coming.
A stock-market trader is pushed from a high-rise balcony and falls to his death on the street below. The only clue the police can find is a box of matches.

No one survives for long.
The decomposing body of a member of the Saudi Royal Family is discovered in a car. Evidence suggests the killer took the man’s life, then stole his identity, wore his clothes and lived in his hotel room – before vanishing into thin air like smoke.

Nothing but matchsticks are left behind.
Dr Bloom realizes the only thing linking these murders is a trail of burnt matches and broken lives. Time is running out – and if she isn’t careful, she might be the next to burn …

My Thoughts:

This is book four in the DR Bloom series, this is the first book I have read in this series and I would recommend reading the other books first to get more of a sense of the characters as I felt as though I was missing out on that part. I liked how the plot sounded and was intrigued to find out about certain things. After two people die and the only clue is a box of matches can Dr Bloom find the killer before it is too late. I was intrigued about the matches and what significance they had, there are many turns that keep you guessing till the very end. It was good but the pace for me was a little slow.

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

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Lily and her ex-husband, Ryle, have just settled into a civil co-parenting rhythm when she suddenly bumps into her first love, Atlas, again. After nearly two years separated, she is elated that for once, time is on their side, and she immediately says yes when Atlas asks her on a date.

But her excitement is quickly hampered by the knowledge that, though they are no longer married, Ryle is still very much a part of her life—and Atlas Corrigan is the one man he will hate being in his ex-wife and daughter’s life.

My Thoughts:

This is the sequel to It Ends With Us and I highly recommend reading them in order as the book carries on with Lily, Ryle and Atlas’s story. I really loved this book so much, maybe a little more than the first book. After not seeing each other for so long Lily and Atlas decide to go on a date but it is not as easy as that, nothing ever is especially when you have a ex husband that is on the war path but can Lily and Atlas see a way through all that? There are sensitive topics raised to do with domestic violence, Lily has been through so much and was truly hoping she would get her happy ending finally. She deserves to be happy and with Atlas they are great together. It had a great pace to it all the way through that made me sit on the edge of my seat. I felt emotional after I had finished it, but wow what a corker of a book. Definitely in my top ten books I have loved this year.

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When Sky Terran returns to the village of Middledip after losing the job she loves, she anticipates a quiet Christmas getting used to her new life. However, the annual street decoration competition is coming up and this year, the residents of Winter Street are determined to win.

As she is pulled into the preparations, Sky quickly grows to love the quirky, tight-knit community she is now part of. Including the extremely handsome Daz, who soon becomes more than just a friendly neighbour.

But when Daz’s ex turns up determined to win him back and it seems he might not be the man Sky thought he was, she remembers how much allowing people into her life – and heart – can hurt. As the snow falls, will she and Daz find a way through – and help win a Christmas victory for Winter Street?

My Thoughts:

I love a good Christmas read and this one was really good. I have not read one of Sue’s books for a while and it was a brilliant and festive read. Sky has returned to Middledip the place where she grew up, now as a woman, she has come back after losing her job but gaining a beautiful old house. But does anyone remember her and it being a close knit community how will the villagers react to an outsider? It is a great packed story with plenty of interesting characters. I loved it and loved returning to Middledip.

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

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