women’s fiction

Tell Me A Secret by Jane Fallon | @JaneFallon @MichaelJBooks @JennyPlatt90 | #blogtour

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I’m absolutely delighted to join the blog tour for Tell Me A Secret by Jane Fallon today! My thanks to Jenny at Michael Joseph for the invitation to join and for my wonderful review copy!

Author : Jane Fallon
Title : Tell Me A Secret
Pages : 403
Publisher : Michael Joseph
Publication date : January 10, 2019

| ABOUT THE BOOK |

Holly and Roz spend most of their days together. They like the same jokes, loathe the same people and tell each other everything. 

So when single mum Holly gets a shot at her dream job after putting everything on hold to raise her daughter, she assumes her friend will be dying to pop the champagne with her.

But is she just imagining things, or is Roz not quite as happy for her as she should be?

As Holly starts to take a closer look at Roz’s life outside their friendship, she begins to discover a few things that don’t add up. Who is the woman who claims to be her ally? 

Perhaps it was a mistake to tell Roz all her secrets.

Because it takes two to forge a friendship. 

But it only takes one to wage a war . . .

| MY THOUGHTS |

This is only the second novel I’ve read by Jane Fallon but I must say she’s fast becoming a firm favourite. When the reading mojo is dipping or I just need a break from all the crime fiction and psychological thrillers I tend to read, she is undoubtedly the perfect remedy.

Holly and Roz are colleagues and friends, working in the script department of a popular TV soap. They chat about anything and everything, gossiping the day away and aren’t averse to mocking their other colleagues from time to time. Then Holly gets a promotion and odd things start to happen. Who is trying to sabotage Holly and why? Holly is fairly confident she knows who is behind these shenanigans but proving it is an entirely different matter.

With its focus firmly on friendship and rivalry in the workplace, Tell Me A Secret had me engrossed from the very beginning. It annoyed me when I had to put the book down for whatever reason and I couldn’t wait to get back to it, which to me is always a sign of an excellent story. These characters are all immensely engaging and remarkably easy to relate to.

As much as the office mystery held my attention throughout, I was equally engrossed in Holly’s life outside of her work. There’s a healthy dash of humour, mostly provided by her best friend Dee, who is the most fabulous character! (With a name like that, how could she not be? 😉)

Tell Me A Secret is a delightfully entertaining and a thoroughly enjoyable tale of friendship, lies, deceit and rivalry. This light-hearted novel left me with a big smile on my face and provided the perfect antidote and escape for those dark and depressing January days. I will most definitely be making time this year to try and catch up on Jane Fallon’s other novels.

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Bookdepository | Kobo | Wordery | Goodreads

| ABOUT THE AUTHOR |

Jane Fallon is the multi-award-winning television producer behind shows such as This Life, Teachers and 20 Things To Do Before You’re 30.

Her Sunday Times bestselling books are Getting Rid of Matthew, Got You Back, Foursome, The Ugly Sister, Skeletons, Strictly Between Us, My Sweet Revenge and Faking Friends. They have sold over a million copies in the UK alone.

Author links : Facebook | Twitter

One Way Ticket to Paris by Emma Robinson @emmarobinsonuk @bookouture #NetGalley #bookreview #blogblitz

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It’s a real pleasure to welcome you all to the first day of the blog blitz for One Way Ticket to Paris by Emma Robinson! My thanks to Kim Nash at Bookouture for the invite and for the review copy, which I received via Netgalley.

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Author : Emma Robinson
Title : One Way Ticket to Paris
Pages : 279
Publisher : Bookouture
Publication date : October 31, 2018

aboutthebook

When I was a kid and I’d lost something, my dad always said ‘Go back to the place you last had it’. The problem is that what I’ve lost is… me.

Kate loves her family more than anything, but recently she has started to feel invisible. Lying awake at three a.m. as her husband snores, panicking about shopping lists, birthday parties, and the school bake sale…

She finds herself in the kitchen, gulping water, staring at a postcard of the Eiffel Tower from Shannon, her best friend.

Paris, with its red wine, slippery cobbles and curly lampposts. Where the scent of freshly-baked croissants hangs in the air, and Kate last remembers feeling like herself.

The postcard is a year old. It has just one line on it: When are you coming?

mythoughts

I’m sure many of us are familiar with sleepless nights, when the brain just won’t shut down long enough for you to relax, when you maybe start to feel a little punchy and even the most stupid idea suddenly seems like the best one ever.

It is during such a sleepless night that Kate realises she’s lost her way. Married to Luke and a stay-at-home mum to two children, she seems to have forgotten who she truly is. Her dad always told her that when you lost something, you needed to go back to the place where you last had it. So to find herself again, Kate books a one way ticket to Paris to see her best friend, Shannon.

Shannon is having problems of her own though and Kate couldn’t have picked a worse weekend to show up unannounced. Because Shannon suddenly finds herself in a position she’s desperately been trying to avoid. On the Eurostar to Paris, Kate meets Laura and thus, the scene is set for a memorable weekend.

These three women find themselves at a crossroads in their lives. Feelings need to be discussed, secrets need to come out in the open and decisions must be made. One Way Ticket to Paris is a wonderfully entertaining story about love, friendship and how sometimes in the midst of the chaos life throws at us, all you need is some time to just breathe and be yourself again.

This isn’t exactly the type of genre I normally go for but I do enjoy Emma Robinson’s writing. Her characters always come across realistic and believable and I have no doubt some of the things Kate, Shannon and Laura deal with are entirely relatable to some readers. From men with commitment phobias, to dealing with pushy mums at your children’s schools yapping on about bake sales and the like, to not having a minute to yourself, which means a clean and quiet bathroom in a hotel suddenly feels like paradise on earth.

With a few chuckles along the way, likeable characters to sympathise with and root for and a healthy dose of romance, this feel-good story is sure to warm your hearts.

One Way Ticket to Paris is out today!

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Kobo | Goodreads

abouttheauthor

Emma Robinson thinks of herself as one of the ‘Bridget Jones generation’ – who are now grown up and having children – and writes novels for women who feel the same.

She also has a blog, Motherhood for Slackers, which takes a humorous look at parenthood, and includes poems such as ‘Dear Teacher’ about her son starting school which has been shared around the world. Emma is an English teacher and lives in Essex with a patient husband and two children who are an endless source of material.

Author links : Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Website

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The Anniversary by Hilary Boyd @HilaryBoyd @MichaelJBooks @JennyPlatt90 #blogtour #TheAnniversary

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Author : Hilary Boyd
Title : The Anniversary
Pages : 403
Publisher : Michael Joseph / Penguin UK
Publication date :

aboutthebook

Stella once thought that if she never saw Jack again, it would be too soon.

But life has other plans for her and her stubborn, handsome ex-husband.

Looking after their daughter in a time of need, Stella finds herself unwillingly reunited with the man she shared the best years of her life with – followed by the worst.

Where tragedy once tore them apart, now Stella and Jack are being drawn back together. But each of them has a new partner and a new life.

Should they fight temptation? Should the past remain the past? Or are some loves simply meant to be?

mythoughts

Here is something I often wonder about. A relationship fails, people move on and live their separate lives, and then one day, sometimes even decades later, they find each other again and decide to give things another go. Why? Do people change that much? What happened to the thing that made them split up in the first place? Is it no longer an issue?

Meet Jack and Stella. Once happily married, they have now been divorced for over two decades. Jack has remarried, Stella has a longtime partner and they haven’t seen each other in years. But now their daughter needs help and Jack and Stella will be bumping into each other on a regular basis, whether they like it or not.

There’s an especially devastating event that caused their marriage to hit the rocks back in the day. Neither has dealt with it particularly well. This is definitely the case for Stella, who has built a rock solid wall around her heart to protect herself. But this behaviour has had an effect on a lot of people, including her daughter. And for myself, as the reader, I found her quite hard to warm to.

The Anniversary is an emotional story about family, grief and loss with complex characters trying to navigate through complicated relationships. Any child of divorced parents knows how difficult it can be to have both parental units in the same place but in this case, there is also a massive elephant in the room and a need to somehow let go of the past.

This novel has you rooting for the characters and wishing for a happy ending. Although maybe not all that surprising with regard to the plot, it’s the characters that make this a wonderfully immersive and poignant read.

The Anniversary is available to buy!

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Bookdepository | Kobo | Wordery | Goodreads

abouttheauthor

Hilary Boyd was a nurse, marriage counsellor and ran a small cancer charity before becoming an author. She has written eight books, including Thursdays in the Park, her debut novel which sold over half a million copies and was an international bestseller. The film rights have been acquired by Charles Dance, who will be directing and starring.

Author links : Twitter | Website

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The Getaway Girls by Dee MacDonald @DMacDonaldAuth @bookouture #blogblitz

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Delighted to join the blog blitz for The Getaway Girls by Dee MacDonald today! My thanks to Kim Nash at Bookouture for the invitation to join and for my review copy, which I received via Netgalley.

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Author : Dee MacDonald
Title : The Getaway Girls
Pages : 314
Publisher : Bookouture
Publication date : July 30, 2018

aboutthebook

Connie McColl is finally free to make her own decisions for the first time in decades. And when she meets glamorous Gill and downtrodden Maggie, at a rather dull flower arranging class, it seems that she’s not the only one dreaming of adventure. The three very different women all agree it’s about time they had a holiday to remember.

So they make a pact for this summer to be their best yet – and drive off into the sunset together…

As they meander their way along the beautiful beaches of France and onto the glorious delights of Italy in their luxury campervan, the new friends have plenty of fun and frolics in the sunshine. But the vacation isn’t quite what they expected…

Gill will do anything to have one last holiday romance, Connie has a surprise inheritance awaiting her in Italy, and Maggie has a secret that is going to catch up with them all…

In the end, all three women discover that the journey they thought would be their last really is just the beginning…

mythoughts

Three years after events from the previous book, The Runaway Wife, Connie is starting to feel a little restless. Time for another adventure then. So when she finds a box that seems to show her paternal grandmother originally came from Italy, Connie decides that’s where she will go.

Joining her on her road trip are two ladies she met in a flower arranging class, Maggie and Gill. These two couldn’t be more different if they tried. Gill is lonely and desperate for a new man after two failed marriages. Maggie would like nothing more but to feel free. Somehow these three ladies strike up the most amazing friendship on their journey to Italy in a motor home.

There will be lots of amazing experiences, new people to meet and even Cupid may make himself known at some point. The adventure isn’t all plain sailing though. Maggie is carrying a secret around with her that may catch up with them all. And what will Connie find out when they reach their destination? Whatever it is, this trip will change their lives forever.

This story made me incredibly nostalgic for all things Italy, which has always felt like home to me. It was huge fun to recognise so many places I’ve visited myself. But more than anything, it made me envious as I’d love to do something like this. Just jump in a motor home or a car and take off, not necessarily knowing where you’ll be spending the night or even if you’ll be coming back to the life you’ve left behind.

I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with these three amazing women. There’s something to admire and like about each and everyone of them. I can only hope that I’ll be as healthy, adventurous and fun as they are when I am that age. This is a truly inspirational, delightful and uplifting story with plenty of chuckles but also rather moving at times.

A heartwarming, entertaining and perfect summer read! I loved being a part of another one of Connie’s adventures and I do so hope there will be more to come. After all, it’s never too late for another adventure and you’re never too old to live life to the fullest!

The Getaway Girls is available to buy!

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Googleplay | iBookstore | Kobo | Goodreads

abouttheauthor

The Runaway Wife is Dee’s first (published) novel but in fact she wrote her very first book – at around seven years of age! This was a love story which she duly illustrated before sewing all the pages together up one side. Writing was what she ‘was good at’ in school and she won several essay competitions, but then life got in the way and she didn’t pick up a pen again until after retirement.

Dee left Scotland and headed for London at the beginning of the swinging sixties. After typing her way round the West End she became an air stewardess on long haul routes with BA (then BOAC) for eight years. After that she did market research at Heathrow for both the government statistics and for BA, she became a sales rep., and was the receptionist at the Thames Television Studios in Teddington when they had the franchise.

She then ran a small B&B for ten years in Cornwall, where she lives with her husband. Dee has one son and two grandsons who live locally.

Author links : Facebook | Twitter

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The Memories of Us by Vanessa Carnevale @v_carnevale @AvonBooksUK @Sabah_K #blogtour

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Delighted to join the blog tour for The Memories of Us by Vanessa Carnevale today! My thanks to Sabah Khan at Avon UK for the invitation to join and the beautiful review copy!

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Author : Vanessa Carnevale
Title : The Memories of Us
Pages : 336
Publisher : Avon UK
Publication date : July 12, 2018

One moment can change your life.

When Gracie Ashcroft wakes after a crash with severe amnesia, she must choose whether to live a life through other people’s memories or to start a new life all her own.

Discovering her late mother left her an old flower farm, Gracie leaves her fiancé, best friend and the home full of forgotten memories behind, hoping to learn who she is now.

Torn between wishing she could remember and afraid of losing what she now has, Gracie starts to wonder: if you had your time over, would you live the same life twice?

If the past determines our present, what happens when we lose our memories of who we are? When you can’t remember what you like or love, from breakfast to the man you’re supposed to be marrying?

If memories are the delicate threads that knit our souls together and make us who we are, who can we be without them?

After being involved in a car accident, Gracie wakes up suffering from amnesia. She can’t remember her own name, her best friend or her fiancé. Gracie is adamant nobody should tell her anything about what her life was like. She wants to find things out on her own because suddenly her job as an interior designer, for instance, doesn’t sound so appealing. So with a clean slate, so to speak, will the choices Grace now makes bring her back to the life she used to have or will things turn out completely differently?

Gracie returns to the flower farm her mother used to own. A place that should feel familiar to her but does nothing of the sort. Yet, it’s through the language of flowers, the stunning power of Mother Nature, that Gracie finds out a bit more about herself and may even find love again. I must say, I really enjoyed spending time at Summerhill. The beautiful descriptions almost made it sound magical. I’d move there in a heartbeat!

The Memories of Us isn’t quite my typical sort of novel. But I was swayed by the beautiful cover and the intriguing description. I soon found myself completely immersed in Gracie’s circumstances and I think the author handled the issue of Retrograde Amnesia quite wonderfully. It was easy to sympathise with Gracie, to imagine what her life was now like, how frustrating it must be when you realise you can’t even remember how to tie your shoelaces. Of course, there’s a dash of romance. While this usually makes me cringe, I actually quite enjoyed this part of the story as well and found myself rooting for a happy ending.

A wonderfully warm and beautiful story about love, heartbreak and hope that even almost left me with a lump in my throat. Thoroughly enjoyed it!

The Memories of Us is available to buy!

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Kobo | Goodreads

Vanessa Carnevale is a freelance writer based in Australia, who has contributed to The Green Parent, The Huffington Post, Muse, and Italy magazine, among others. Her debut novel, The Florentine Bridge, was published in 2017 by HQ in Australia. She was a finalist in the Best New Author category for the AusRom Today Readers Choice Awards 2017.

Vanessa is also the host of Your Beautiful Writing Life Retreats held in Tuscany and Australia.

Author links : Facebook | Twitter

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Happily Never After by Emma Robinson @emmarobinsonuk @bookouture #blogblitz #HappilyNeverAfter

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It’s a real pleasure to host one of the stops on the blog blitz for Happily Never After by Emma Robinson today! My thanks to Kim Nash at Bookouture for the opportunity to join and for the review copy, which I received via Netgalley.

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Author : Emma Robinson
Title : Happily Never After
Pages : 296
Publisher : Bookouture
Publication date : July 10, 2018

aboutthebook

Rory doesn’t believe in love. She’s got far too many real problems to deal with.

She’s just bought a tumbledown house. Her mother is generally behaving like a wicked witch, insisting on calling her Aurora, and generally interfering in her (admittedly pitiful lack of) love life. And her 16-year-old daughter has finally grown out of Disney princesses and discovered dating…

But Rory’s adamant that she doesn’t need saving. In fact, the only thing she’s wishing on a star for is a bit of practical help. However, when she meets a builder whose name is John Prince and who seems to be in the habit of rescuing her (right down to finding her lost shoe one evening) she might have to face a truth as uncomfortable as hobbling home barefoot – that maybe there’s something enchanted in the air.

Her mother, daughter and friends are convinced her prince has come, but Rory just wishes everyone could let it go. Especially when she hears a story that makes her question whether he is really the hero everyone thinks he is.

mythoughts

No, you have not accidentally stumbled upon the wrong blog. I can see why you might think that as this is quite clearly not something I’d normally read. However, I rather enjoyed Emma Robinson’s previous book, The Undercover Mother, and sometimes it’s just nice to step away from all the dark and disturbing stories I usually read.

Rory has a lot on her plate. She’s just bought a rundown house that will surely make a fabulous home in time. But time is exactly something Rory doesn’t have in abundance. Her job as a teacher is increasingly demanding, not helped at all by the new deputy head, who’s more interested in statistics and spreadsheets than anything else. On top of that, her sixteen year old daughter Belle has just discovered dating. Rory doesn’t have time for anything, least of all finding love. She’s perfectly fine without a knight in shining armour coming to her rescue, even if his name happens to be Prince. Or is she?

These characters are all delightful and it was such a joy to get to know them. Rory is fiercely independent, to the point of being stubborn. Her colleagues Susi and Penny are very different as both seem to think the only thing that can make them happy is a man in their lives. Susi especially comes across as rather desperate. But the one who elicited some chuckles from me was Sheila, Rory’s mother, and her gossip about the retirement home she lives in.

Even though there are some funny moments, I wouldn’t exactly call this a laugh-out-loud comedy though, to be honest, but I did thoroughly enjoy it. It’s sweet and a little dramatic and sometimes even a little sad but also realistic as it tackles numerous topics from teenage drama to illness.

Not quite as light and fluffy as I expected it to be but a wonderfully entertaining summer read nonetheless, and for me, the perfect palette cleanser before diving back into the gruesome crime genre.

Happily Never After is available to buy!

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Googleplay | iBookstore | Kobo | Goodreads

abouttheauthor

Emma Robinson thinks of herself as one of the ‘Bridget Jones generation’ – who are now grown up and having children – and writes novels for women who feel the same.

She also has a blog, Motherhood for Slackers, which takes a humorous look at parenthood, and includes poems such as ‘Dear Teacher’ about her son starting school which has been shared around the world. Emma is an English teacher and lives in Essex with a patient husband and two children who are an endless source of material.

Author links : Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Website

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Missing Pieces by Laura Pearson @LauraPAuthor @AgoraBooksLDN #blogtour #MissingPieces

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Delighted to host a stop on the blog tour for Missing Pieces by Laura Pearson today! My thanks to Lucy Irvine at Agora Books for the invitation to join and the wonderful review copy!

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Author : Laura Pearson
Title : Missing Pieces
Pages : 277
Publisher : Agora Books
Publication date : June 21, 2018

aboutthebook

All Linda wants to do is sleep. She won’t look at her husband. She can’t stand her daughter. And she doesn’t want to have this baby. Having this baby means moving on, and she just wants to go back to before. Before their family was torn apart, before the blame was placed.

Alienated by their own guilt and struggling to cope, the Sadler family unravels. They grow up, grow apart, never talking about their terrible secret.

That is until Linda’s daughter finds out she’s pregnant. Before she brings another Sadler into the world, Bea needs to know what happened twenty-five years ago. What did they keep from her? What happened that couldn’t be fixed?

A devastating mistake, a lifetime of consequences. How can you repair something broken if pieces are missing?

mythoughts

Good grief. I am broken. Absolutely in bits.

The lovely ladies at Agora Books were kind enough to include the most thoughtful care package with this review copy, intent on dealing with your emotions while reading the debut novel by Laura Pearson. Now, I consider myself quite tough as boots so I laughed in the face of the “might make you ugly cry” warning. However, after reading just a few pages I already panicked, realising the tissues that were provided would not be sufficient at all.

Missing Pieces is written in two parts. Part one is set in the 1980’s. A time when Tom and his wife Linda are supposed to be happily awaiting the birth of their new baby. But something has happened and Linda is not the woman she used to be. She can’t stand her daughter, won’t even look at her husband and really, really doesn’t want this baby to be born at all.

Part two is set decades later, when daughter Bea discovers she’s pregnant. This prompts her to try and find out what happened all those years ago because the secrets and the guilt have affected this entire family. Even Bea, who has no memories of those days at all. And no, I’m not telling you why this family was torn apart. You don’t have to wait long to find out and I’m sure, like me and the Sadler family, you too will feel the impact to your very core.

This is an absolutely heartbreaking and devastating story about family, love, loss, grief and guilt. The Sadler family are highly realistic and believable characters and there is no hardship at all in becoming invested in them and feeling utterly bereft right alongside them. It’s hard to talk about them without giving anything away. My heart broke for Linda as she struggled to cope. Tom, who has his own issues to deal with, somehow manages to keep going, to take care of his family and despite showing he’s not at all perfect, he is the most wonderful father and the stories he tells his children managed to put a smile on my face, which was much needed!

Missing Pieces is beautifully written, highly moving and emotional. Even when I couldn’t see properly as the tears streamed down my face rivalling the force of the Niagara Falls, I couldn’t put this novel down. It is raw, it is devastating (yes, I’m aware I’ve used that word before but it is!) and yet, it’s wonderful and I absolutely loved it!

I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to get to know this family and even more so, to discover what an amazing new talent Laura Pearson is.

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Goodreads

abouttheauthor

Laura Pearson lives in Leicestershire with her husband and their two children. Missing Pieces is her first novel.

Author link : Twitter

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A Mother’s Goodbye by Kate Hewitt @bookouture #blogblitz

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Truly delighted to be one of the blogger who gets to kick off the blog blitz for A Mother’s Goodbye by Kate Hewitt today! My thanks to Kim Nash at Bookouture for the invitation to join and the review copy, which I received via Netgalley.

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Author : Kate Hewitt
Title : A Mother’s Goodbye
Pages : 348
Publisher : Bookouture
Publication date : June 13, 2018

aboutthebook

Heather is devastated. There’s no way she can keep her baby. She can barely pay the bills as it is. But when she meets Grace, a wealthy, single career woman, who wants a baby more than anything, Heather believes she has found the perfect adoptive mother.

As Grace and Heather’s lives become entwined, they are tested to breaking point, though neither can deny the other’s love for the child. But just when they think they are learning how to live with each other, they receive devastating news that turns their fragile world upside down.

Will either mother know what is the right thing to do for the child they both love?

mythoughts

Stock up on tissues, chocolate and/or ice cream or whatever comfort food takes your fancy because believe me, you are going to need it!

When Heather discovers she’s pregnant, there are no tears of joy. With a husband off work and three other children to feed, life is hard enough as it is and the bills keep piling up. Heather decides to give her baby up for adoption and thinks single career woman Grace might just be perfect.

Grace is terribly lonely after the death of her father. Her job has always come first and now she realises she doesn’t really have anyone in her life. A baby seems the best option to fill that gap.

Another unlikely choice of book for me but this is the thing I like so much about blog tours. Stepping in to fill a gap and be surprised you’ve actually discovered something truly special. I had braced myself for a certain level of predictability but things didn’t at all turn out the way I expected them to.

A Mother’s Goodbye is quite a raw and incredibly emotional story. I didn’t always particularly agree with some of the decisions that were made or the attitudes of both Grace and Heather but you know, walk a mile in someone else’s shoes and all that. We never really know how we’ll react to certain situations until we find ourselves right in the middle of them.

I don’t want to say too much about the plot. The book description clearly tells you there is devastating news that will turn lives upside down, even more so than they already were. I’m not someone who cries easily but I often found myself desperately trying to fight back the tears and thought this book might just break me into tiny pieces.

This is an incredibly moving, powerful and heartbreaking story about motherhood, love and loss that will pull at your heartstrings. It left me tearful and in need of a massive hug and a stiff drink. Beautifully written and extremely evocative, I have a feeling this one will stay with me for a long time to come.

A Mother’s Goodbye is published today!

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Kobo | Goodreads

abouttheauthor

Kate Hewitt is the author of many titles of women’s fiction and romance. Whatever the genre, she enjoys telling an emotionally compelling story. An American ex-pat, she now lives in South Wales with her husband and five children. You can learn more about her and her books at www.kate-hewitt.com.

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The Forgotten Guide to Happiness by Sophie Jenkins @sophiejenkinsuk @AvonBooksUK @Sabah_K #blogtour

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I’m delighted to join the blog tour for The Forgotten Guide to Happiness by Sophie Jenkins today! My thanks to Sabah Khan at Avon for the invitation to join and the review copy!

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Author : Sophie Jenkins
Title : The Forgotten Guide to Happiness
Pages : 320
Publisher : Avon UK
Publication date : May 28, 2018

aboutthebook

Twenty-eight-year-old Lana Green has never been good at making friends. She’s perfectly happy to be left alone with her books. Or at least, that’s what she tells herself.

Nancy Ellis Hall was once a celebrated writer. Now eighty, she lives alone in her North London house, and thinks she’s doing just fine. But dementia is loosening Nancy’s grip on the world.

When Lana and Nancy become unconventional house mates, their lives will change in ways they never expected. But can an unusual friendship rescue two women who don’t realise they need to be saved?

mythoughts

Once again, I find myself reviewing a book I wouldn’t normally pick up. But I was swayed by the pretty cover and the book description and I’m chuffed to bits I decided to give this one a go.

Lana Green is an author who has written a romantic novel based on her own relationship with Mark. Unfortunately, writing the sequel turned into a bit of a nightmare when her soulmate abandoned her and her publisher rejects her manuscript. Lana needs a hero, a muse, and quickly before she runs out of money. As such, she is always looking for inspiration and setting the scene, so to speak, and it was fun following her thought processes and imagination.

Then Lana meets Jack, whose stepmother used to be a writer. Now eighty years old, Nancy Ellis Hall sadly suffers from dementia. When Lana moves in with her to keep her safe, an unexpected friendship develops that might just help Lana find happiness again. And a new novel.

Having a grandmother with dementia herself, I often found myself with a lump in my throat. However, this novel isn’t overwhelmingly sad. It is actually quite witty, most definitely uplifting and even more so, incredibly heartwarming. The author managed to tackle a serious illness like dementia in a light-hearted way that just felt right. Yes, there are tears but there is also laughter, as there is in real life, and ultimately it left me with a big smile on my face.

Sure, there were a few predicable moments but who cares? I most certainly didn’t  because this wonderful novel is filled with the most fantastic, colourful and slightly quirky characters that each warmed my heart in their own very special ways and I thoroughly enjoyed the time I got to spend with them. Not just Lana and Nancy, but the secondary characters as well. Each and every one of them stands out in a way that adds that little something extra to the story.

The Forgotten Guide to Happiness is a truly delightful story about love, friendship and figuring out what matters the most. It wraps itself around you like a warm, comforting blanket and it made me chuckle, a little emotional at times but in the end, pretty happy.

The Forgotten Guide to Happiness is now available to buy in ebook format!

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Bookdepository | Kobo | Goodreads

abouttheauthor

Sophie Jenkins is a serial joiner of writing groups and workshops and a prolific short story writer. To encourage her creativity she regularly enters half-marathons and trains by running from her home in North London to breakfast in the centre of town with a notepad.

The character of Nancy in The Forgotten Guide to Happiness is based on her experiences with her own mother, who was diagnosed with dementia fifteen years ago.

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What Holly’s Husband Did by Debbie Viggiano @DebbieViggiano @bookouture #blogblitz

~ noveldeelights ~ 8 Comments

It’s such a pleasure to welcome you all to my stop on the blog blitz for What Holly’s Husband Did by Debbie Viggiano. My thanks to Kim Nash at Bookouture!

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Author : Debbie Viggiano
Title : What Holly’s Husband Did
Pages : 328
Publisher : Bookouture
Publication date : May 29, 2018

aboutthebook

Holly Hart has been married for fifteen blissful years to hubby Alex. Well … if you don’t count last Christmas, when she accidentally found a load of flirty texts on Alex’s phone. But every marriage has its ups and downs and Alex had a perfectly reasonable explanation … so why can’t Holly forget what she saw?

With the help of best friends Jeanie and Caro, as well as their handsome neighbour Jack, Holly resolves to settle her mind once and for all with a bit of sneaky detective work. So what if her husband isn’t exactly Brad Pitt? He’s hers, and if someone else is trying to steal him she wants to know who…. But the truth is way more shocking than Holly ever anticipated. Can Holly, let alone her marriage, ever recover from what she discovers?

mythoughts

No, you are not visiting the wrong blog. Yes, I’m quite aware that this isn’t my normal sort of read at all. In all honesty, I tend to shy away from pretty much anything romantic or something that promises to make me laugh out loud. Which is like the evil stepsister of that twist you won’t see coming. More often than not, I do see it coming and don’t laugh out loud.

So why pick up something like this, I hear you asking? I don’t really know but let’s call it a broadening of the horizons, cleansing the palette, having a change of scenery, whatever. Truth be told, I actually really enjoyed this one. Go figure. You just never know.

Holly and her husband Alex have been married for fifteen years. Everything seemed to be going perfectly well until Holly finds flirty texts or “sexts” on her husband’s phone. Alex has a perfectly reasonable explanation but Holly isn’t convinced and she can’t forget what she saw. Of course Alex isn’t Mister Perfect but he’s Holly’s and if someone else has her eye on him, Holly is going to find out who it is.

Ever notice how when you think something is going on, everyone around you suddenly starts to act incredibly suspiciously? Holly is convinced her husband is having an affair but just when she starts to zero in on a viable suspect, someone else pops up who may be hiding a thing or two. All this does is fuel Holly’s belief something is amiss but is she on the right track though? One thing is for sure, flowers will most definitely not fix this one.

This has all the elements you’d expect from this genre. Unruly teenagers, a fabulous group of friends, a husband who isn’t exactly going to win any awards, a delightfully camp gay brother and of course, a dashing man to muddy the waters and a rather surprising conclusion. Despite the heartbreaking issue of infidelity, this still managed to be a fun, entertaining and enjoyable story. If chick-lit is your thing, then I have no doubt you’ll enjoy this one.

Perfect for those summer days by the pool with a yummy cocktail.

And in case you wondered, yes, I may have laughed out loud a few times. But you can’t prove it. 😉

What Holly’s Husband is available to buy!

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Kobo | Goodreads

abouttheauthor

Prior to turning her attention to writing, Debbie Viggiano was, for more years than she cares to remember, a legal secretary. She lives with her Italian husband, a rescued puppy from Crete, and a very disgruntled cat. Occasionally her children return home from uni bringing her much joy…apart from their gifts of dirty laundry.

Author link : Blog | Facebook | Twitter

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