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26 December 2017

Searching for Mr Tilney by Jane Odiwe (Tuesday Intro & Teaser Tuesday)

If you're a Jane Austen fan and have yet to read anything by Jane Odiwe, you are seriously missing out. Her love for Jane shines through the pages of her books and Searching for Mr Tilney is no exception. Of course, it doesn't hurt at all that I am absolutely in love with Henry Tilney so the title alone made this book a winner for me even before I started reading it. As it is, I'm still only about 15% in, but it's already a book I would recommend.

As always, "First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros" is from the first paragraph or two of a book being read now (or in the future) and is hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea. "Teaser Tuesday" at The Purple Booker asks for a random line or two from anywhere in the book currently being read.

Amazon Description

19 December 2017

Mistletoe and Murder by Robin Stevens (Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday)

Have I mentioned lately how horribly much I adore Robin Stevens and her Murder Most Unladylike Mystery series?!? I meant to read this one last year but got overwhelmed with NetGalley stuff, so this year I've decided to take a break from ARCs and dove right in. Ooooh how I've missed Daisy and Hazel (whom I still declare to be my Spirit Animal more often than not)! 

In this installment the girls are at Cambridge visiting Daisy's brother for Christmas break. Their friends and fellow detectives Alexander and George are also there so when a mysterious death occurs (as so often is the case when Daisy and Hazel are involved), the four of them set out to figure out what happened. Of course, they don't always work together so the competition and frustration of boys versus girls is a fun little addition to the normal Wells and Wong dynamic I've come to love.

Of course I recommend this highly and of course I'm going to say to read them in order. For those in the States, I know that we're a bit behind in publication dates (and the U.S. title is still unknown to me at this time), but copies are available on Amazon through the Marketplace and at BookDepository. Well worth the extra time they might take to ship!

As always, "First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros" is from the first paragraph or two of a book being read now (or in the future) and is hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea. "Teaser Tuesday" at The Purple Booker asks for a random line or two from anywhere in the book currently being read.

15 December 2017

Christmas at Mistletoe Cove by Holly Martin (Book Beginnings & Friday 56)

I've been wanting Eden's story to be told since she was first introduced in the first Hope Island book, Spring at Blueberry Bay. (Yes, this is where I tell you to read them in order. Major spoilers if you don't!) When it was finally released in September I jumped on it, but couldn't bring myself to read it until closer to Christmas and it was so worth the wait. Holly is giving Eden exactly the story I was hoping for.  Once again Holly Martin has proven why she's my go-to for Christmas romance and I'm not even finished with the book yet. It already has five glowing stars for me and would get more if available!

Friday 56 (today is 56% from the ebook) is hosted at Freda's Voice
& Book Beginnings (share the first few sentences) is at Rose City Reader.

Amazon Description

12 December 2017

Two by Tilly Tennant - An Unforgettable Christmas Series (Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday)

This week I've decided to tease the latest books from Tilly Tennant which, together, make up the series "An Unforgettable Christmas." Of course, they should be read in order. You've probably already figured out that I'll always say that.

The first in the series is A Very Vintage Christmas. It's the story of Dodie Bright, who loves all things vintage. She has her best friend Isla, stick-in-the-mud boyfriend Ryan, hilarious Gran, and her own vintage clothing shop. She tries to see the best in everyone and will often go out of her way to help others, such as her homeless friend Nick. She finds an old love letter dating back to World War II in the pocket of a coat that comes into the shop and decides that she needs to return it to the family of the woman who received it -- or the man who sent it. She doesn't have much to go on, but it leads her to the doorstop of Ed Willoughby who decides to help her search. There are lots of ups and downs but it's a delightful story without being overly schmaltzy. 



Dodie's best friend, Isla McCoy, gets her story told in A Cozy Candlelit Christmas. She finds out that she has received a mystery inheritance from the grandmother she never knew -- largely because her father exited her life when she was five. In order to receive it, though, she needs to go to the French Alps and spend time with her father. Her mother tries to stop her, but she goes anyway because she feels like it may mend the part of her that has always felt a bit broken. Besides, she has no boyfriend holding her back -- she's firmly anti-relationship. Of course this means that once she reaches St Martin-de-Belleville  the men are plentiful and tempting and romance blossoms. It's not the romantic aspects of this book that I enjoyed the most, though -- it was Isla's blossoming relationship with her father that touched me the most. The other bits were nice, but felt more like they were there because they had to be.


As always, "First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros" is from the first paragraph or two of a book being read now (or in the future) and is hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea. "Teaser Tuesday" at The Purple Booker asks for a random line or two from anywhere in the book currently being read.

10 December 2017

Blog Tour : The Runaway Children by Sandy Taylor


Sandy Taylor's When We Danced at the End of the Pier absolutely blew my mind and I still talk about it and recommend it often. I've still been holding off on reading the other books in that particular series because I've felt that there was no way that they could measure up. How could an author possibly pen multiple books that would both tear at my heart and make me laugh until I cried? Of course, then The Runaway Children was announced, and a spot on the blog tour opened up for my birthday, and I knew it was somehow fated. Somehow I knew that Sandy Taylor was once again going to keep me up at night, and her characters would become treasured loved ones.

I wasn't wrong at all.

The Runaway Children focuses on Nell Patterson and her little sister, Olive. They're evacuated from their home in the East end of London with their brother Tony -- leaving behind their mother, newborn brother, and everyone and everything they know and love. Like so many other children they were sent to the countryside in Wales. Watching the two girls adjust to their changing circumstances was as much of a roller coaster for me as it was for the characters. I grew attached to Taylor's villages and inhabitants -- most of them, anyway. Most of all, though, I grew attached to Nell and Olive and their amazing relationship. The age difference is significantly different here than it was between the sisters in When We Danced, but here it worked in making the relationship even more special. 

I don't want to say too much because I fear that if I truly start gushing about how perfect this book was, I won't be able to stop until I've given it all away. This is one that needs to be read rather than told.

*****

Visit the other tour stops:

UK 🇬🇧 http://amzn.to/2xAwtXf 
US 🇺🇸 http://amzn.to/2iDTz5i

A heart-wrenching, unforgettable story of two evacuee sisters during the Second World War… Perfect for fans of Orphan Train, Nadine Dorries and Diney Costeloe.

London, 1942: Thirteen-year-old Nell and five-year-old Olive are being sent away from the devastation of the East End. They are leaving the terror of the Blitz and nights spent shivering in air raid shelters behind them, but will the strangers they are billeted with be kind and loving, or are there different hardships ahead?

As the sisters struggle to adjust to life as evacuees, they soon discover that living in the countryside isn’t always idyllic. Nell misses her mother and brothers more than anything but she has to stay strong for Olive. Then, when little Olive’s safety is threatened by a boy on a farm, Nell has to make a decision that will change their lives forever…

They must run from danger and try to find their way home.

Together the two girls hold each other’s hands as they begin their perilous journey across bombed-out Britain. But when Nell falls ill, can she still protect her little sister from the war raging around them? And will they ever be reunited from the family they’ve been torn from?

An unputdownable novel of unconditional love, friendship and the fight for survival during a time of unimaginable change. The Runaway Children is guaranteed to find a place in your heart.

About the author: 

Sandy Taylor grew up on a council estate near Brighton. There were no books in the house, so Sandy’s love of the written word was nurtured in the little local library. Leaving school at fifteen, Sandy worked in a series of factories before landing a job at Butlins in Minehead. This career change led her to becoming a singer, a stand up comic and eventually a playwright and novelist.
https://twitter.com/SandyTaylorAuth
https://www.facebook.com/SandyTaylorAuthor/


06 December 2017

Blog Tour : It Had To Be You by Keris Stainton


If I actually gave awards for "best ____ of the year," Keris Stainton's It Had To Be You would likely win for Best RomCom of 2017. There was so much that I loved about this book and it is definitely one that I can see myself re-reading any time I need a little pick-me-up.

Bea is a twenty-five year old hopeless romantic who has had a recurring dream for years about "The One" and exactly how she would meet him. She even moved to a specific part of London in order to see the dream become a reality. Her life basically lives like a romcom -- complete with an internal voiceover much like that in movie trailers. (I totally get it. The same voice has invaded my own head on more than a few occasions.) She has the odd mix of friends and housemates, the quirky bookstore job, and the lack of a clue about what she really needs and wants.

It ends up being pretty predictable fairly early on as to what should (and, ultimately, does) happen for not only Bea but for the supporting characters as well, but that takes nothing away from the joy and delight I had in reading it. After all, aren't all romcoms a bit predictable? Isn't that why we read and watch them? And yes, I've already worked on "casting" this one in my head -- Olivia Cooke as Bea? Sydney White as Freya? Matthew Lewis would definitely be a perfect Henry! Oh what a fabulous movie it would be to add to my collection!

Make sure you check out the other stops on the blog tour to celebrate the release of this fabulous 5-star read ... and, of course, buy the book!


Available now!
US🇺🇸http://amzn.to/2BuvhTD

Twenty-five-year-old Bea is a hopeless romantic with a hopeless love life – until now. New beau Dan ticks all the boxes: he’s good-looking, kind and thoughtful. The complete opposite of Bea’s ex, who once threw her out in the middle of the night when she was ill so she didn’t disrupt his sleep.

So when her friends point out that she and Dan don’t have fireworks, Bea ignores them. Dan is the whole package. And yet Bea can’t stop comparing him to her best friend Henry… Because Dan doesn’t get Bea’s jokes. Or like books. Or make her laugh until she can’t breathe. Or become speechless when Bea puts on her favourite black dress for a night out…

As time goes on, Bea can’t shift the feeling that something just isn’t right. On paper Dan is the perfect man. But in reality… Will Bea be brave enough to ask for more from life – and get the fireworks she deserves?

A laugh-out-loud romantic comedy for fans of Giovanna Fletcher, Cate Woods, and Mhairi McFarlane.


About the author: 

Keris lives in Lancashire with her husband and two sons. She’s written a bunch of books for young adults and children, and is obsessed with Twitter, tea, and 1D.




01 December 2017

The Girl I Used to Know by Faith Hogan (Book Beginnings & Friday 56)

Every so often a book comes along that shocks me with how very much I love it. Faith Hogan's The Girl I Used to Know is one of those books. I was expecting to like it ... otherwise I wouldn't have requested it from NetGalley and Aria in the first place ... but it absolutely stole my heart. More accurately, Tess and Amanda stole my heart.

Tess lives in Amanda's basement -- much to the dismay of Amanda and her husband, Richard. She's a cantankerous woman in her mid-sixties and does whatever she can to keep her flat and keep her landlords as on edge as possible. She wasn't always miserable, but something happened years prior that more or less stole her spirit.

Amanda is busy being a society wife and mother, maintaining the perfect house, and slowly becoming unrecognizable to even herself. She once had spunk and artistic dreams and now she has weekly coffee/gossip sessions with the other wives where she finds herself eating a bit too much and losing herself a bit more.

The two definitely don't like each other. They don't even really know each other in spite of having lived at the same address for many years. Of course all of this begins to change as each decides to re-know themselves, they end up knowing each other. What a wonderful combination they make, too! Add in the other characters who tag along on their journey's of rediscovery (sometimes knowingly, sometimes not), and we've ended up with a book that kept me up in the middle of the night more than once because "just one more chapter" kept turning into several.

Highly recommended to anyone who has ever looked in the mirror and had to wonder what in the world happened ... and to anyone who just loves a good story with amazingly rich and complex characters.

Friday 56 (today is 56% from the ebook) is hosted at Freda's Voice
& Book Beginnings (share the first few sentences) is at Rose City Reader.


Amazon Description