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Showing posts from October, 2022

My Darling Daughter by J.P. Delaney

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👩‍👦👩‍👦👩‍👦👩‍👦 .ePUB, 361 pages Expected Publication: 15 Sept 2022 By: Quercus Goodreads | Amazon About The Book: Out of the blue, Susie Jones is contacted on social media by Anna, the girl she gave up for adoption fifteen years ago. But when they meet, Anna's home life sounds distinctly strange to Susie and her husband Gabe. And when Anna's adoptive parents seem to overreact to the fact she contacted them at all, Susie becomes convinced that Anna needs her help. But is Anna's own behaviour simply what you'd expect from someone recovering from a traumatic childhood? Or are there other secrets at play here - secrets Susie has also been hiding for the last fifteen years? My Review: This is my third book by this author and I shouldn't be surprised that I liked it so much. My first read was Playing Nice and the second one I read was Believe Me and both were five-star reads for me. And oh boy was this one something else! I literally could not put it down. The

Snap Out of It by Maddie Dawson

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💔💔💔💔 .ePUB, 338 pages Expected Publication: 03 Jan 2023 By: Lake Union Publishing Goodreads | Amazon About The Book: After three marriages and a lot of living, resilient Billie Slate knows exactly what trouble love can bring. Now she’s reinvented herself as the Heartbreak Bunny, an on-call performance artist who can heal anyone who’s been burned by that four-letter word, LOVE, by hopping about and whisking away sad mementos from their past relationships. Call it magic. Call it peculiar. But her bunny costume is as perfect as her breakup mantra: SNAP OUT OF IT. As Billie’s business goes viral and skyrockets her to sudden fame, her comfortable life turns surreal: her daughter’s marriage begins to fail, and Victor, aka Worst Husband Ever, wants not only to bond with the daughter he left but to win Billie back. Only, he’s got competition: a charming widower might be falling in love with a woman who no longer believes in love. As every romantic notion Billie had pushed away starts push

The Tudors in Love: Passion and Politics in the Age of England's Most Famous Dynasty by Sarah Gristwood

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🫅🫅🫅🫅 .ePUB, 464 pages Expected Publication: 13 Dec 2022 By: St. Martin's Press About The Book: Sarah Gristwood's The Tudors in Love offers a brilliant history of the Tudor dynasty, showing how the rules of romantic courtly love irrevocably shaped the politics and international diplomacy of the period. Why did Henry VIII marry six times? Why did Anne Boleyn have to die? Why did Elizabeth I's courtiers hail her as a goddess come to earth? The dramas of courtly love have captivated centuries of readers and dreamers. Yet too often they're dismissed as something existing only in books and song--those old legends of King Arthur and chivalric fantasy. Not so. In this ground-breaking history, Sarah Gristwood reveals the way courtly love made and marred the Tudor dynasty. From Henry VIII declaring himself as the ‘loyal and most assured servant' of Anne Boleyn to the poems lavished on Elizabeth I by her suitors, the Tudors re-enacted the roles of the devoted lovers and ca

Keep It In The Family by John Marrs

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 🪜 🪜  .ePUB, 326 pages Expected Publication: 18 October 2022 By: Thomas & Mercer GoodReads | Amazon About The Book: Mia and Finn are busy turning a derelict house into their dream home when Mia unexpectedly falls pregnant. But just when they think the house is ready, Mia discovers a chilling message scored into a skirting board: I WILL SAVE THEM FROM THE ATTIC. Following the clue up into the eaves, the couple make a gruesome discovery: their dream home was once a house of horrors. In the wake of their traumatic discovery, the baby arrives and Mia can’t shake her fixation with the monstrous crimes that happened right above them. Haunted by the terrible things she saw and desperate to find answers, her obsession pulls her ever further from her husband. Secrecy shrouds the mystery of the attic, but when shards of a dark truth start to emerge, Mia realises the danger is terrifyingly present. She is prepared to do anything to protect her family—but is it already too late? My

The Locked Attic by B.P. Walter

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🔑 🔑 🔑1/2 .ePUB, 233 pages Expected Publication: 24 Nov 2022 By: HarperCollins UK | One More Chapter Goodreads | Amazon About The Book: There’s something in my neighbour’s attic. Something steeped in shadows. A secret to everyone. Seen by no one…He stands sometimes at the window. Hidden in the corner of my eye. I know he’s there. I know he’s watching. Now my son is dead. My neighbour is not. And I’m going to find out why. My Review: This was my first read by this author and I have to say his marketing department isn't doing him any favours or justice. From the blurb and cover a person would think this is about people locked in an attic and a mother's revenge for her child having that done to them. A person would be forgiven for thinking that this book is a thriller, but it isn't. It doesn't mean that this is a bad book, in fact, it is a  pretty decent book by any measure but it isn't what we readers are led to believe it is, don't let that cover fool you. Thi

The Golden Oldies' Book Club by Judy Leigh

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📔📔📔📔 .ePUB, 309 pages Expected Publication: 06 Dec 2022 By: Boldwood Books Goodreads |  Amazon About The Book: Ruth the librarian fears she’s too old to find love, but a discussion about Lady Chatterley’s Lover makes her think again. Aurora doesn’t feel seventy-two and longs to relive the excitement of her youth, while Verity is getting increasingly tired of her husband Mark’s grumpiness and wonders if their son’s imminent flight from the nest might be just the moment for her to fly too. And Danielle is fed up with her cheating husband. Surely life has more in store for her than to settle for second best? The glue that holds Combe Pomeroy together is Jeannie. Doyenne of the local cider farm and heartbeat of her family and community, no one has noticed that Jeannie needs some looking after too. Has the moment for her to retire finally arrived, and if so, what does her future hold? From a book club French exchange trip, to many celebrations at the farm, this is the year that everyth

Behind Closed Doors by Carol Wyer

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✂️✂️ .ePUB, 3289 pages Expected Publication: 06 Dec 2022 By: Amazon Publishing UK | Thomas & Mercer Goodreads | Amazon About The Book: Two kidnappings, thirty years apart. Can Stacey face her own dark past in order to save her stepdaughter? When Stacey’s ex-husband turns up on her doorstep begging her to help save his kidnapped thirteen-year-old daughter, Lyra, the terror is all too familiar. Stacey’s own violent kidnapping thirty years ago was never solved, and while a severe case of amnesia spares her from recalling the specific horrors, she remembers enough…Stacey knows her father never paid the ransom—she has the missing pinkie finger to prove it. She knows she was only saved because of an anonymous tip-off to the police. And she knows her captor was never apprehended. Lyra’s kidnappers have made it clear the police must not get involved. But Stacey can’t shake the eerie similarities between the two cases, and she’ll use whatever she can, from her journalistic powers to her sh

The Family at No. 12 by Anita Waller

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🏡🏡🏡🏡 .ePUB, 294 pages Expected Publication: 29 Nov 2022 By: Boldwood Books Goodreads |  Amazon About The Book: When Janette answers the door to a potential customer looking to board his dog, she never imagines he has nefarious plans. But minutes later he’s dead and in her cellar. Weeks later she realises she’s pregnant. And so she becomes Mother and the baby Child, and a hidden life begins. But all secrets come out eventually. My Review: It is really hard to write a review for this book. Did I think it was perfect? No. It was a bit over the top for me. Did I find it wildly entertaining? Yes. So much so that I read it in a single sitting. I also think the author very accurately described a thirteen-year-old girl who has never seen the light of day outside of her room. She was so unknowing and naïve, Anita Waller voiced that very well.   But then Marta grows up and it turns out she is very smart, artistically talented, and extremally manipulative. I really enjoyed the beginning of t

The Ingenue by Rachel Kapelke-Dale

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🎹 🎹 🎹 🎹 .ePUB, 313 pages Expected Publication: 06 Dec 2022 By: St. Martin's Press Goodreads | Amazon About The Book: When former piano prodigy Saskia Kreis returns home to Milwaukee after her mother's unexpected death, she expects to inherit the family estate, the Elf House. But with the discovery that her mother's will bequeathed the Elf House to a man that Saskia shares a complicated history with, she is forced to reexamine her own past--and the romantic relationship that changed the course of her life--for answers. Can she find a way to claim her heritage while keeping her secrets buried, or will the fallout from digging too deep destroy her? My Review: I really enjoyed The Ballerinas   by this author and was so excited to be approved for this one and let me tell you Rachel Kapelke-Dale did not disappoint. I absolutely loved the format of this book. Each chapter starts with a part from Saskia's mother's book " Fairy Tales for Little Feminists ".

A Sister's Promise by Caroline Finnerty

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🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹 .ePUB, 262 pages Expected Publication: 22 Nov 2022 By: Boldwood Books Goodreads | Amazon About The Book: Sisters Laura and Penny were once close, bonded together after the early death of their mother. Laura always had her younger sister’s back until one day everything changed and Penny disappeared. Twenty years later Laura finds herself alone and at a crossroads in her life; questioning her marriage and her future. Meanwhile, Penny has spent her whole life running away from her problems until one day she is forced to stop and face the shocking truth. When Penny turns up on Laura’s doorstep late one stormy night, holding the hand of a shivering little girl, Laura is immediately suspicious of her sister’s motives. Just what does Penny want and who is this little girl? Penny carries a devastating secret that will test their bond as sisters and is forced to make an impossible choice. Can the sisters find it within their hearts to forgive and unite before it’s too late? My Revie

If They Knew by Sophie Flynn

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⭐️⭐️ .ePUB, 295 pages Expected Publication: 17 Nov 2022 By: Hera Books Goodreads | Amazon About The Book: What would you hide to get everything you ever wanted? After years of infertility and heartbreak, Hannah and Charlie are finally going to get their dream family. Two-year-old Isabelle is a week away from being theirs; they just have to get through the final adoption approval process. But when a global popstar is found murdered at the celebrity members’ club in their sleepy Oxfordshire village, Hannah fears her past is finally catching up with her. Exposing the truth could see her lose everything… her husband, Isabelle – perhaps even her life. But Hannah doesn’t realise that Charlie has his own secrets, and, in trying to save her, has put them more at risk than she ever thought possible. As the couple get drawn in further to the murky world of celebrity and murder, they soon find themselves caught in a nightmare, forced to make terrible choices. How many bad things will a good pers

The Queen: Her Life by Andrew Morton

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👑👑👑👑 .ePUB, 381 pages Expected Publication: 15 Nov 2022 By: Grand Central Publishing Goodreads | Amazon About The Book: Painfully shy, Elizabeth Windsor’s personality was well suited to her youthful ambition of living quietly in the country, raising a family, and caring for her dogs and horses. But when her uncle, King Edward VIII, abdicated, she became heir to the throne—embarking on a journey that would test her as a woman and queen. Ascending to the throne at only 25, this self-effacing monarch navigated endless setbacks, family conflict, and occasional triumphs throughout her 70 years as the Queen of England. As her mettle was tested, she endeavored to keep the monarchy relevant culturally, socially, and politically, often in the face of resistance from inside the institution itself. And yet the greatest challenges she faced were often inside her own family, forever under intense scrutiny; from rumors about her husband’s infidelity, her sister’s marital breakdown, Princess Di

How to Destroy your Husband by Jess Kitching

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⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 .ePUB, 318 pages Expected Publication: 23 Oct 2022 By: Kingsley Publishers Goodreads | Amazon About The Book: Cassie Edwards swore she’d never fall in love… then she met Jamie. He changed everything, and Cassie’s never been happier. But with less than one month to go to her wedding, Cassie discovers Jamie is cheating on her with his colleague. Blinded by rage, Cassie makes it her mission to seek revenge on the pair. When Cassie looks deeper into her fiancé’s life, she soon realises being faithful isn’t the only thing he’s lying about. As her hunt for the truth takes her to some of the darkest corners of the internet, Cassie learns just how little she knows about the man she shares her life with. It leaves her wondering one thing – is Jamie someone she should destroy, or someone she should fear instead? My Review: I wait to feel a change within me, a niggling guilt telling me I’ve crossed a line, but it never comes.  All I feel is the sweet sensation of jubilation. Ah, reveng

Kinnara by Kevin Ansbro

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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Paperback, 253 pages Published: 13 Aug 2018 By: 2QT Limited Amazon | Goodreads About The Book: Phuket, Thailand, seemed to be the perfect getaway choice for twenty-two-year-old Calum Armstrong: What he saw, and did, on that holiday proves to have far-reaching consequences; not only for himself, but also for those closest to him. In Germany, uncompromising Frankfurt detective, Otto Netzer, is leading the manhunt for a brutal serial killer who preys on heavily-pregnant women…Neither Calum, nor the killer, yet realise that their destiny lies in the hands of a mythical creature who resides beneath the turquoise waters of the Andaman Sea. My Review: I did not read this book, I inhaled it and I especially loved being in Phuket, Thailand, a place I have never visited. Mr. Ansbro certainly took me on a journey there with his descriptions of the people, food, language, and weather. I am not generally a big fan of science fiction but this one is more of a mythical adventure and what a

A Light in the Forest: A Novel by Melissa Payne

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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ .ePUB, 309 pages Expected Publication: 13 Dec 2022 By: Lake Union Publishing Goodreads | Amazon About The Book: Vega Jones escapes an abusive relationship with nothing but her two-month-old baby and the van she grew up in. Her destination is a small Ohio town her late vagabond mother left years ago. It’s one full of nobodies, her mother warned. That makes it the ideal refuge for Vega to lie low, feel safe, and maybe learn more about a past her mother never spoke of. Vega warms to the town and to new acquaintances like Heff, the young deputy and artist who prefers his yard art to actual policing, and empathetic Eve, a local farmer whose near-death experience gave her more than just her life back. But even in this welcoming community, there’s an undercurrent of something unsettled, talk of a tragedy that unfolded in the woods years ago, and a mystery connected to Vega in ways she couldn’t have anticipated. As a mother on the run and following a path of mounting risks and illumi

The Girls Who Disappeared by Claire Douglas

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⭐️⭐️ .ePUB, 286 pages Expected Publication: 10 Jan 2023 By: Harper Paperbacks Goodreads  |  Amazon About The Book: A car accident. Three missing girls. A twenty-year mystery. A woman on the verge of discovering the truth . . .In a rural Wilshire town lies the Devil's Corridor--a haunted road which has witnessed eerie happenings, from unexplained deaths to the sounds of a child crying in the night. In this bucolic stretch of Southwest England famous for its otherworldly sites, nothing is more puzzling than the Olivia Rutherford case. Four girls were driving home. After their car crashed only one--Olivia--was found. What happened to the girls who disappeared? On the twentieth anniversary of the tragedy, journalist Jenna Halliday has arrived in Wiltshire to cover the case. The locals aren't happy with this outsider determined to dig into the past. Least of all Olivia. Soon, Jenna starts receiving menacing notes. The locals have made it clear she's not welcome. But someone is g

The Second Chance Holiday Club by Kate Galley

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💌💌💌💌 .ePUB, 241 pages Expected Publication: 01 Dec 2022 By: Head of Zeus | Aria Amazon | Goodreads About The Book: Evelyn Pringle isn't the sort to make rash decisions. Or any decisions, really – she's always left that sort of thing up to her husband. But he's been found dead, wearing his best suit, with a diamond ring in his pocket that doesn't fit her. When Evelyn finds a letter addressed to a woman on the Isle of Wight, she decides to deliver it. By hand. So begins a very unusual holiday, and an adventure no one could have predicted – least of all Evelyn herself. With the help of some unexpected new friends, and a little effort on her part, Evelyn discovers that it is never too late to have a second chance at life and forge friendships that are well-worth living for. My Review: This story is told from the first-person perspective of our main character, Evelyn. What I enjoyed most about this book was the fact that the seriousness of the issues were mixed with ple

The Lindbergh Nanny by Mariah Fredericks

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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ .ePUB, 300 pages Expected Publication: 15 Nov 2022 By: St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books Amazon | Goodreads About The Book: When the most famous toddler in America, Charles Lindbergh, Jr., is kidnapped from his family home in New Jersey in 1932, the case makes international headlines. Already celebrated for his flight across the Atlantic, his father, Charles, Sr., is the country’s golden boy, with his wealthy, lovely wife, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, by his side. But there’s someone else in their household—Betty Gow, a formerly obscure young woman, now known around the world by another name: the Lindbergh Nanny. A Scottish immigrant deciphering the rules of her new homeland and its East Coast elite, Betty finds Colonel Lindbergh eccentric and often odd, Mrs. Lindbergh kind yet nervous, and Charlie simply a darling. Far from home and bruised from a love affair gone horribly wrong, Betty finds comfort in caring for the child, and warms to the attentions of handsome sailor Henr