When foster carer, Cathy Glass, is asked to foster Darcy-May, a two-day old baby, she is very concerned.

The baby is coming to her straight from hospital and will have no contact with her teenage mother, Haylea. Even more worrying, she will be brought to Cathy with a police escort as it’s vital her extended family don’t know where she is.

Abandoned at birth, Cathy and her family quickly bond with little Darcy-May although they have to accept she will eventually leave them to be adopted. But fostering is rarely straight forward, and when Haylea asks to see her baby a different story begins to emerge. It’s so alarming that even Cathy, a highly experienced foster carer, struggles.

My Thoughts:

This was another fantastic book written by Cathy. I have to say this one was broke my heart. I mean all of these books do, it shows the highs and lows Cathy has to deal with on a daily basis. Cathy is so professional and brilliant at what she does, she gives every child such a loving and stable home. This story is about Darcy May and her mother Haylea. Darcy May comes in to Cathy’s care but her mother doesn’t want anything to do with her, But she wants to stay with Cathy. When Cathy finds out why she doesn’t want anything to do with her baby, it shocked me to the core. I felt sick. I felt better they were both being looked after by Cathy but for how long? I think this story really hit home and I think it will stay with me for a long time. I look forward to the next book.

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

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A close-knit street, the clink of glass on glass, summer heat. Two girls on the brink of adolescence, throwing cartwheels on the grass. Two girls who tell each other everything. Until one shimmering afternoon, one of them disappears.

Lizzie is left with her dread and her loss, and with a fear that won’t let her be. Had Evie tried to give her a hint of what was coming, a clue that she failed to follow?

Caught between her imaginary guilt, her sense of betrayal, her own powerful need, and the needs of the adults around her, Lizzie’s voice is as unforgettable as her story is arresting. This is no ordinary tale of innocence lost . . .

My Thoughts:

Lizzie and Evie are two teenage girls that are best of friends, they literally share everything with each other until one day there is only one of them. That day changes for Lizzie considerably. Lizzie then sets out on a journey to get Evie home, some parts are quite disturbing as to how far she will go to get her best friend back but there is a sense that it is engaging enough to want to read on. What Lizzie finds out about Evie and her home life, she wonders if she really knew her at all. It is a powerful story that is well written.

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

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A scream cut through the night as they watched flames engulf the woodland. Fire ripped through the trees, leaving only charred branches behind. And then they saw it… on the ashen forest floor… was a body.

Police officer, Mitchel Prescott answered the phone with a shaking hand. It was the one call he had been dreading. It was the hospital at Green Acres… his father Thomas, had died in the night.

Returning to the small town he had been avoiding since he was a child, Mitch must lay his father to rest.

When he arrives, the close-knit residents refuse to speak about Thomas’ death, other to explain he was found burnt to death in the woods and his dementia was the likely cause.

But when Mitch discovers traces of accelerant on his father’s body, he’s certain it wasn’t an accident. Then his childhood home is broken into, his father’s study ransacked, and a rock thrown through the window warning him to leave.

Mitch is convinced Thomas had discovered something that had got him into trouble… something that would threaten his entire family.

But what secret is worth killing for?

My Thoughts:

Wow this is such a brilliant thriller, I am so looking forward to reading more by this author as this book blew me away. If this book got made into a film it would be awesome. The story takes you on a journey where you never really know where it will lead, the story builds up and up to a dramatic and shocking climax. After Mitch’s father dies, he tries to piece together what really happened to him, a few incidents have left him wondering if all was at piece before he died, but can Mitch really find out what was going on. I liked the pace of this book and how tense it made me feel, I wanted to discover if foul play was on the cards or something else. There are a few parts that are a bit graphic like when they mention the body but I expected it. I now am going to keep P L Kane’s name and look out for more books by this awesome author. It was my kind of thriller and I would recommend it. It deserves more than five stars.

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

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Tony Redmond is one of the few truly good people you will ever meet.

His is a story of tireless hard work and astonishing bravery across wars, refugee crises, air crashes, earthquakes, typhoons, volcanoes, and disease outbreaks for over thirty years. Featuring stories of hope and redemption, as well as untold suffering and mismanagement, this unique account could only have been written one who has for decades performed incredible feats of altruism.

His raw, honest book takes the reader from the wards of Manchester’s Nightingale hospital to Kosovo, from Sierra Leone’s Ebola outbreak to Kashmir, and from Haiti to the Philippines, finding its author risking life and limb to help those affected by events beyond their control.

But while humanitarian work and medicine require an innate goodness, not all those involved have benign motives. And saving lives requires difficult choices: between the desire to relieve suffering and the need to weigh up the context. Too often medical aid is found wanting, doing more harm than good.

How are life-or-death choices made in the heat of the moment? What are the consequences of your action, or inaction? Is it better at times to do nothing? How do you live with yourself if you want to help but can’t? This is a frank account of the personal toll – physical, mental and social – frontline medicine levies on those who choose to do it. But ultimately, it offers a tale of optimism, persistence and triumph over adversity, speaking to the resilience and fortitude of those who help and those whose lives they save.

My Thoughts:

I found this a remarkable story about such an inspiring man. From this story we get a rare and eye opening insight into what the world knows very little about. The compassion and dedication is remarkable the whole way through this book. I felt as though I have learnt a great deal about things that I knew very little about. DR Tony Redmond is such an inspiration to the world and to me and I feel very honored to be able to shout out about his incredible work and life. There are parts to this book that are sad but that’s life and we have to deal with these things as they come along, but the incredible work DR Tony has done is awe inspiring. A book that will stay with me and I would recommend it to many people.

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

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Tara Carver seems to have the perfect life. A loving mother and wife, and a business woman who runs her own company, she’s the sort of person you’d want to live next door to, who might even become your best friend.

But what sort of person is she really?

Because in one night of madness, on a work trip far from home, she puts all this at risk. And suddenly her dream life becomes a living nightmare when the married man she spent one night with tells her he wants a serious relationship with her. And that he won’t leave her or her precious family alone until she agrees.

There seems to be only one way out.
And it involves murder…

My Thoughts:

I don’t know how I feel about this book, I found it really had to write a review. I don’t know if the author had made the main character someone nobody would like, if yes then he succeeded. The first half of the story was good and I wanted to see if Tara would get her comeuppance after she slept with a man whilst her husband and kids are at home, this man now wants a lot more and she is in big trouble. I really didn’t like Tara at all, I felt as though the story was a little too long and drawn out but I liked how we get to hear both sides of the story and at the end we see what is going on ten years later. This is my first book by Tony Parsons and I would read another one of his books just to see what a different plot would be like.

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

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When Emily smiled at Mrs Simpson on the way to school, she had no idea what would happen next…

Find out in The Smile that went a Mile, the warm and friendly book that shows how just one person being kind can make everyone’s day better.

My Thoughts:

This is a children’s book and I am an adult but I am so glad I have read it as it really did put a smile on my face. I just want to say as much as I loved the story, the illustrations are superb. They really took me back to my childhood of proper illustrations in children’s books, they are absolutely wonderful. It is a lovely story about Emily and how her smile is passed on and makes a lot of people’s day. I think it also will teach children to be kind and caring of other people. And how one smile can make a whole big difference to somebodies day. I think Amanda needs to write more children’s books especially if she works with Paul the illustrator. I think we can really help change children’s perspective on the world. I loved it and would happily read it again just for a smile.

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

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It’s the following Thursday.

Elizabeth has received a letter from an old colleague, a man with whom she has a long history. He’s made a big mistake, and he needs her help. His story involves stolen diamonds, a violent mobster, and a very real threat to his life.

As bodies start piling up, Elizabeth enlists Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron in the hunt for a ruthless murderer. And if they find the diamonds too? Well, wouldn’t that be a bonus?

But this time they are up against an enemy who wouldn’t bat an eyelid at knocking off four septuagenarians. Can The Thursday Murder Club find the killer (and the diamonds) before the killer finds them?

My Thoughts:

This is the second book in the Thursday Murder Club series and even though I enjoyed the first book I would say this one is so much better. We carry on from the first book into this book, and it is such a great read. I feel as though the characters are friends and couldn’t wait to see what they would get up to next. It really shows you what older people will and can get up to. It was funny too and captivated me through out. I like how each chapter is a different person so you get each of the characters perspective over things. A really enjoyable read that is seriously good. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone but you must read The Thursday Murder Club first as you get to know a bit about the wonderful characters that surround this book.

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

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High-flying lawyer Jessica Wells has it all. A successful career, loving husband Tom and a family she adores. But one case – and one client – will put all that at risk.

Edward Blake. An ordinary life turned upside down – or a man who quietly watched television while his wife was murdered upstairs? With more questions than answers and a case too knotted to unravel, Jessica suspects he’s protecting someone.

Then she comes home one day and her husband utters the words no one ever wants to hear. Sit down … I have something to tell you

Now Jessica must fight not only for the man she defends, but for the man she thought she trusted with her life – her husband.

My Thoughts:

I was so excited to see another book by Susan out, and couldn’t wait to read it. I just love to style that Susan writes, it captures you in from the very first page and you don’t want to come up for air until the ending. You will be gripped from this terrifically woven tale about Jessica who is a lawyer and has a lovely family and husband. But one of her clients may put all that in jeopardy. Edward is Jessica’s client and one night when he was watching TV downstairs his wife was murdered upstairs, what really went on that day? did he do it? or is something more sinister at play here? we go on a journey with Jessica to uncover the real truth about what happened on that deadly night. Then just when things tense up her husband says to her I have something to tell you.. what could it be? twists and turns make this book engaging and gripping. I was sad when it came to the ending but by god that ending was superb. I wish one of Susan’s books was turned into a film as I feel as though it would be a major hit.

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

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Frustrated that she spends all her time as either a mum to a football-obsessed teenager or a wife to a workaholic husband, Hannah wants something for herself. When the chance comes to take over the Post Office in Little Maudley, a charming Cotswold village, Hannah grabs it with both hands.

But village life is not so picture-perfect after all: Hannah finds herself an outsider in this tight-knit community where the height of your hedge is a gossip-worthy subject. Even her idea to introduce a small bookshop to the Post Office causes a stir. At least Ben seems to have found his place as he joins the local football team, coached by ex-professional Jake Lovatt. But a shocking secret from their past threatens to uproot the new life they’ve made for themselves, and has drastic consequences . . .

My Thoughts:

This is my first book by Rachael, and I found it a nice easy pick me up read. It is written well and the story flows well throughout, I liked the sound of the storyline and wondered what Hannah would do with the post office, but how will the villagers react to her bringing her family to this small village where outsiders are under scrutiny. It is such a warm and kind hearted story that I now want to read all of Rachael’s other books. This story truly was everything and certainly didn’t disappoint.

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On a cold, dark day in a tiny Dutch village, Saskia and her boyfriend Frans watch as Nazi soldiers force thousands of prisoners towards Amersfoort Concentration Camp. Their hearts break as they see the desperate faces of innocent men and women and realise that the war is closer to them than it’s ever been before…

Saskia’s father’s draper’s shop is raided when the guards suspect that he is Jewish, and Frans is soon forced to enter the concentration camp every day to collect scraps of food as it’s the only way to feed the animals on his family’s farm. But despite the growing fear the couple feel, when a prisoner begs Frans to send a letter to his beloved reassuring her he is alive, they know they must risk everything to help him. Right under the noses of the Nazi occupiers they smuggle his letter. And eventually they ferry hundreds of messages for prisoners, bringing them hope in the darkest moments of their lives.

But every letter Frans gets out of the camp puts him in even more danger.

And every reply Saskia manages to collect is a risk.

And then Saskia is led into Kamp Amersfoort and is forced to wear a yellow star.

Inside, she cannot ignore the pain of the other prisoners, and Frans knows she will be putting herself in more danger to help them – attracting the attention of the guards. The couple know they must act. Everyone says it’s impossible to escape the camp, but it’s the only option they have left. Their love has kept them together but is it enough to help them survive?

My Thoughts:

This book is a true story and is set in 1944 in Amersfoort Concentration Camp. It is a sad and emotional story about two young people in love who risk everything. Even just looking at the cover gave me a sense of dread of what these poor people had to go through. It literally gave me shivers reading about what happened in those Concentration camps is absolutely heartbreaking and devastating what they were put through. I found this book interesting and gripping and I have read a couple of books set in Concentration Camps but this one really got to me, I was in tears most of the way through. Imogen has a way when she writes that you feel as though you are there and want to help them, it is an story that is powerful and inspiring and one that will stay with me for a very long time, but one I would recommend.

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

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