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I absolutely adore Shari’s writing, though she is still a relatively new author to me considering her impressive and extensive backlog. This is the third book in a trilogy, and I have devoured every one of them!

Blurb:

Two weeks, four friends and one big bucket list of secrets to unravel…

Brand NEW from the bestselling author of What If? and What Now? – Pre-Order Now!

Val Murray and her best friend, Josie had been planning a ‘Thelma and Louise’ bucket list style holiday.

Now Josie is gone, and Val needs to make the trip before it’s too late.

But Val doesn’t want to do it alone, so she enlists the help of her nieces, Carly and Carole, and their best pal, Jess, who jump at the chance to join Val on a trip of a lifetime.

What Val doesn’t realise is that Carly, Carole and Jess are all at turning points in their own lives, nursing crushing secrets, lies and betrayals.

Somewhere between Los Angeles, Las Vegas and New York they all hit a crossroads and have to decide if they want to return to the lives they left behind or let Josie’s last wishes take them on a brand new adventure.

My thoughts:

Although clearly connected to the previous books in the trilogy, this book does once again have enough merit to work well as a stand alone book. If you’ve never read anything by Shari Low, I can guarantee whichever book you pick up you will not be disappointed.

This book has been another one that I have got completely sucked into. I loved the element of travel and the notion of the girls’ trip. I also loved the poignancy and reasoning behind the trip itself.

This is a book that will make you laugh until your stomach hurts, but also cry until your cheeks burn. A beautiful balance of comedy, mostly based on friendship, as well as the emotional depth of dealing with loss and change. I found the letters written in the book particularly emotional.

I felt a connection with each and every one of the main characters, but especially Val and Carly. It’s quite rare for an author to be able to provide this level of connection with more than one main character, and once again this is just testament to Shari’s talents as a writer.

Overall, a gorgeously heart-warming read by one of my absolute faves. I’d recommend this book and author to fans of Milly Johnson, Carole Matthews and Heidi Swain.

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This is the 3rd installment in this gripping, complex and twisty series. I’m so happy I have kept up with this one, as the series just seemed to get better and better!

Blurb:

Keeper’s Lodge is the concluding story in the Gordon Square, Arlington Terrace trilogy…
Picture postcard’ were the words Detective Sergeant Mike Brugge chose to describe Keeper’s Lodge when they first set eyes on the stunning Scandinavian-style retreat, nestling proudly in the mountains.
They were investigating the disappearance of Rachel Blossom, a psychiatric patient with severe mental health issues. Rachel had vanished and was now classed as a missing person.
The lodge, in its idyllic setting, appeared to be her last known place of residence which, according to the website portrayal, was providing the final step towards independent living.
How was it that she had completely slipped off the grid without a trace? Had her multiple personality disorder outwitted the medical profession into thinking she was of sound mind, was it just a series of blunders by the nursing team, or was there something more sinister going on?
Follow Detective Sergeant Mike Brugge, Detective Sergeant Paul Osman and Detective Constable Mel Brugge, as they delve deep into the underworld of Keeper’s Lodge.

My thoughts:

This has been yet another gripping and thrilling read. It is a true twisty tale, in that I was unable to predict where this one was going. Unfortunately for the characters, but probably fortunately for me (as I love a dark read), this one dives into a far more creepier and underhand situation than I could ever have expected.

The main characters of Mel and Mike absolutely carry this series. They are a brilliant, loving couple and also a professional, and formidable duo. I have loved seeing how their story develops. It is definitely shocking and emotional at times, but the humanity and connection shines through.

The storyline for this book, and series as a whole, is highly original. Tracy does a fantastic job of creating a clear sense of place, sometimes adding in a strong sense of foreboding. I knew straight away that there was something very bad to uncover at Keeper’s Lodge. She is also able to balance this with lighter themes, such as the closeness between parent and child, and the light relief needed with friends as part of a good work/life balance.

I think what I found most haunting about this book is that although it is farfetched, it is within the realms of possibility. It highlights what people will do to cover things up, and how far they will go to control others.

Although this is named as the definitive end to the series, and the writer works hard to draw everything to a neat and satisfactory close, I feel like she could easily carry the characters of Mel and Mike into a new situation if she should wish to do so. They are brilliant characters who will stay with me for a long time!

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I have something a little different for you today and it’s a cook book review! I rarely do these on the blog but I do love a cookbook, and go through fits and starts when it comes to cooking as I get bored of cooking the same old thing!

Blurb:

Cook it Eat it Live it is written by Jo Kenny, food writer and owner of GirlEatsWorld.co.uk.
In this first publication, Jo offers readers a vibrant and varied collection of recipes inspired by both travel and family ties to the UK, Japan, Guyana, the Caribbean.

This delicious collection of every day recipes satisfies appetites for light bites, indulgent dinners, fresh sides and delicious desserts.You’ll find a spectrum of dishes from rich, earthy flavours to fresh aromatics giving you meals to enjoy year round. All recipes are firm favourites in Jo’s own household and cooked regularly. This is family style, every day inspiration to ensure no more boring dinners.

Recipes are punctuated with stories of travel, food inspirations and a personal philosophy of enjoying food unapologetically. Cook it Eat it Live it is about finding happiness in the8 little things and injecting some joy into every day life through wholesome, exciting meals.

My thoughts:

This is different to other cook books I own, which is great. Firstly because at times, it reads more like a travelogue or a “real book” than a cookbook. It is peppered with stories of travel, which give it a personal touch and allow you to connect on a deeper level with the writer and the tecipes

The recipes themselves are easy to follow and I love the fact that they’re organised into locations. This gives you a real sense of the different flavours and cooking styles of different countries, much like you might experience whilst watching a cooking travel show (I love these!) In fact I think this book would translate well onto that sort of platform, if the author fancied pitching it!

My one problem with cookery books usually is if the ingredients are so unusual they’re going to cost you an arm and a leg to get hold of, especially in a small community in Wales. However, thankfully this is not the case with this recipe book and there includes a lot of store cupboard/weekly shop essentials, and anything else is usually widely available.

I would recommend this book to fairly established cooking fans, who want to try something new and exciting

I love Isabella’s books. You can guarantee they are always entertaining, heart-warming and in most cases nostalgic and full of foodie delights. I was so excited to read her latest release.

Blurb:

Willow has opened a custard tart cafe at the end of a popular English seaside pier. Her unique and magical spin on the Portuguese pastel de nata has customers queuing outside the door to taste them.

Tiago’s grandparents are purveyors of The Real Deal: authentic custard tarts made in the Algarve region of Portugal, where his family have been lovingly baking them for centuries. When he moves to England for a new job and chances upon Willow’s wondrous wares, he is out for war. At least that’s his intention. But when serendipity brings Willow and Tiago back together at the departures desk in Bristol airport – destination Faro – outrage isn’t the only spark that flies…

Weston-super-Mare and Portugal are about to collide!

My thoughts:

I am absolutely a custard tart fan, so reading a book about a woman who has the forethought and inspiration to open a custard tart cafe. I have to admit to being a little bit of a Tiago, sceptical about Willow’s variations on the original, but there were some I did sound the like of!

I loved the two settings of Portugal and Weston Super Mare, both of which are two of my favourite placed in the world. I felt like Isabella’s descriptions brought both settings to life, and I felt like I had travelled to these places with Willow.

The story itself is twisty, dramatic and ultimately satisfying. Isabella explores the idea of an unlikely romance, but also develops adequately complex main characters, and brings in themes of friendship, family, identity as well as describing some of the anticipation, worries and challenges of opening your own business in the current climate.

I found this one very difficult to put down once I’d got into it, it is such an entertaining read that is full of heart. I think this may be my favourite read by this author thus far!

I would recommend this book and author to fans of Jane Linfoot, Heidi Swain and Cressida McLaughlin. I have no hesitation in giving this beauty all the stars.

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I absolutely love Judy Leigh’s books and class each and every one as a must read, for myself but also for any romantic comedy fiction fans. Another gorgeously bright and uplifting cover, with a fun and intriguing title, again pullls me in…

Blurb:

Never say never to falling in love…

Val didn’t expect to be starting again in her seventies, but when life gives her lemons, Val is determined to make lemonade.

Settled into her new home – a picture-perfect fisherman’s cottage in the small Cornish seaside town of Lowenstowe – Val is ready to start a new chapter. And with her son due to get married next Christmas, there’s also the little job of finding herself a plus-one to help her face her ex-husband and his new girlfriend.

With the support of her neighbour Connie, and after decades of married life, Val takes the plunge back into the world of dating with trepidation and excitement. But can she remember how the single life works, let alone what her type is? There seem to be plenty of Mr Maybes, but no sign of Mr Right.

As the year passes, and as friendships and community life flourish, Val begins to blossom. And as Christmas approach, she might just decide she doesn’t need that plus-one after all – although never say never… 

Judy Leigh is back with her trademark promise of laughter, love and friendship. The perfect feel-good novel for all fans of Dawn French, Dee Macdonald and Cathy Hopkins.

My thoughts:

I really liked the character of Val straight away. You can’t help but sympathise with her in the opening chapters when her life is turned upside down. As the story progressed, you come to realise what a resilient, brave character she is, to put herself “back out there”. Once again, Judy blows stereotypes such as being “too old” or “past it” out of the water in this uplifting and entertaining book.

Val’s initial heartbreak results in her decision to move away from the community she’s always known, and into a new one. Judy ensures that the readers are able to perform pictures both the setting but also the community’s warm embrace in this novel.

The structure of the book is original and engaging, as we follow Val over a course of the year as she meets potential suitors, with all the comedy, romance and drama that comes along with that. Of course, some of the prospective men are far more ‘suitable’ than others.

Judy manages to pack a lot into this relatively quick and easy read, with my favourite aspects being the sense of community, the comedic points and the development of Val’s growth in her confidence and her friendships.

Another perfectly pitched and uplifting 5 star read from one of my absolute favourites in this genre. An ideal choice for fans of Mill Milly Johnson, Heidi Swain and Cressida McLaughlin.

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I don’t think any crime thriller fan could walk past this cover and title without doing a double take and feeling a flash of intrigue. I was really looking forward to listening to this one, from a new to me author and courtesy of Isis audio!

Blurb:

How do you catch a killer if you can’t identify the victim? A scene of crime officer collects the evidence piece by piece in this gritty British mystery.

SOCO Maya Barton is called to a canal where a heavily decomposed male body has been discovered. A bank card belonging to Trevor Dawlish is found in the cadaver’s pocket, and the name matches that of a missing person.

All seems straightforward—until Trevor’s wife phones the police to say that Trevor has returned home, leaving Maya and the team wondering who the unknown male is.

When it’s revealed that the male was dead before he entered the water, Maya finds herself with a murder on her hands. But when another body is discovered, the case becomes further complicated. The hope is that facial reconstruction of the first victim will help solve the mystery—but it may lead Maya and her team down an even darker path.

My thoughts:

I have to admit that I was so hooked on this one I found myself reading it on the kindle alongside listening to the audio. For example, if my kids were being too noisy or I was trying to put them to bed, I’d pop over to the kindle version.

The opening is very shocking and gruesome, but it draws you in and I really had to know what had happened to this decomposed man in the river.

Despite including lots of characters and different strands and twists, the book maintains a good level of pace throughout and is rather easy to read and enjoy (though some of it is definitely not for the faint-hearted!)

I liked seeing Maya and the team at work, and Kate really showed the implications of work place politics, as well as the way the police force and criminal justice system has ultimately been stretched and cut to within an inch of its life in recent years.

Though this is the 2nd in the series, I found it really easy to get into and get on board with the characters. If the reviews are anything to go by, I need to go back and read/listen go book 1.

Kate is clearly a talented writer of gruesome, gripping crime thriller fiction and I would recommend this book and author to fans of Stuart Macbride, Keri Bee’s and Katerina Diamond.

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I am always on the lookout for new books to share with my girls, who are 2 and 4, and I liked the fact that this one had more of a classic and child-like look to it.

Blurb:

What happens on a Wednesday morning?
As the bin lorry clatters down the street a little boy is watching with interest.
Just like them David is wearing his brightly coloured bobble hat.
He is ready to play.
But where does everything disappear to?
And what happened to Daddy’s important letter?

My thoughts:

This is definitely a fun and engaging read for young children. I loved how it made the binman’s job sound exciting and heroic. If there’s one thing that the pandemic has taught us a society, it’s that we can’t take essential workers and services for granted, so it was nice to see them have the limelight in this book.

David is a great character and reflects lots of attributes that we often see in young children: busy, mischievous and loves role play.

My children also love role play and this book encouraged them to think more about broadening the role plays that they do, as well as the importance of ensuring rubbish goes in the bin, and putting things safe so they don’t “accidentally” go in the “bin” like this story.

I also loved the illustrations. They were colourful, aided the story and I also loved the fact that they took up a whole page. This definitely helped to engage my youngest daughter especially.

A wonderful read for young children and their families, with a great message and a brilliant main character!

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I absolutely love Shalini’s books. They never disappoint and I didn’t expect this one to be any different!

Blurb:

Two families. One house swap. A vacation to die for.

The white-washed Italian villa is perfect. I thought it might feel odd, living in a stranger’s house for the summer, but as my husband and children swim in the infinity pool, I start to relax. And then, in the back of a wardrobe, I find a photograph that shatters everything…

Sparkling green eyes, square jaw, lopsided smile. A young man with his arm around a beautiful woman. The picture is old and faded but I’d recognise him anywhere. The man is my husband.

But we’ve never met the family we’ve swapped homes with and my husband swears it isn’t him in the photo. He’s lying. We argue on the balcony with the sun setting behind us and I storm out.

When I finally calm down enough to go back to the villa to confront him, I find him sprawled across the veranda… dead.

Why would someone kill my husband? Am I in danger? And how well did I really know the man I married?

My thoughts:

This book was completely compelling and addictive. Once I’d started it, I struggled to put it down. I was completely drawn into the two settings, which on the surface are normal or even on the glamorous side, but each one uncovers hidden secrets or dangers.

I was also completely hooked in by the two families. It’s clear from the beginning that neither family is perfect, but I did not expect the twists and turns that cause them to implode and unravel quite so spectacularly.

Once again, Shalini used some wonderful key features of the psychological thriller genre, such as the multiple perspectives including one unknown ‘mystery’ voice.

If you’re looking for an addictive and compelling psychological fiction book, this is the one for you. This book is perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, S E Lynes & Nicole Trope.

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I was drawn to this book by the fun and bright cover. This looked like a fun, uplifting read and I was looking forward to getting stuck in!

Blurb:

Bella Whittington’s caviar-and-Cristal life comes crashing down when she walks in on her fiancé and best friend tangled up in page 34 of the Kama Sutra, limbs everywhere. But her plan to dull the pain with Daddy’s credit card is totalled by the news that they’ve lost the family business. Suddenly Bella’s both single and completely broke.

Shivering in her dingy new studio apartment after a traumatic incident with a homemade turmeric face mask (Hello Tangerina Jolie!), Bella realises she must pull up her Gucci socks and get a job, fast. But Dan, the gorgeous, grumpy owner of the local soup kitchen, hates the Whittingtons, so a teensy lie about her surname gets Bella through the door, and set loose on the stove… Minestrone with a side of melted spatula, anyone?

When Bella’s ex returns with a golden ticket back to her glitzy old life, should she accept? Because that would mean no more box wine and frozen pizza nights with Dan. No more singalongs to the crackly kitchen radio. No more my-heart-is-as-melted-as-that-spatula moments when he finally cracks a reluctant smile… But if Dan finds out the truth about who she really is, will she even have the choice?

An absolutely hilarious, feel-good rom com that will have you snorting with laughter. The new must-read for fans of Sophie Kinsella, Lindsey Kelk and Schitt’s Creek!

My thoughts:

Oh wow! How is this a debut? This book has just ticked all the boxes for me. It is laugh out loud funny, it’s wonderfully gently romantic, it’s really really touching & and it’s thought provoking. It’s incredible that a debut author has managed to pack all those features into this relatively light read.

On first reading, the image created in my head of this ‘fall from grace’ Whittington Soup dynasty princess scrabbling through the dump truck, had me creased at the seams with laughter. However, as you continue with this book, it really provides a deeper meaning and makes you consider your use of food, food waste & spending on “essentials” such as food. It becomes a stark reminder that we may see ourselves as socialist, but thiz country still has a long way to go.

Maybe that’s just me reading more into it than was intended 😅 but even at surface level you can see the beauty of this book. Bella undergoes significant growth, the development of the romance is organic and the descriptions of Liverpool really help to place the story within the city. It’s nice to read something set in another British city, outside of London, and also one that I’ve not been to for a really long time!

Overall, I absolutely adored this book and devoured it from cover to cover. I love it when a book exceeds already high expectations, and this book has certainly done that! I would recommend this book and author to fans of Bella Osborne, Holly Martin & Cressida McLaughlin.

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I was drawn to this book as I love reading new crime thrillers, especially ones with the prospect of meeting a strong and admirable female main character!

Blurb:

The peace of a Midlands village is upset when local businessman Harry Bowers doesn’t return from choir practice.

More concerned than the man’s own wife, it would seem, investigating officer Detective Sergeant Sunita Roy becomes convinced he has been done away with.

But there is no trace of the man, just a litany of evidence of an ailing marriage and a nose-diving business venture.
In charge of her first serious case, DS Roy will struggle to win the respect of her colleagues – in particular her Brummie boss, DCI Gavin Roscoe. All that whilst fighting off the intentions of an increasingly desperate suitor.

Who had it in for the budding chorister? And is Roy tough enough to break down the defences and prejudices of Middle England?

MURDER ON OXFORD LANE is the first book in a series of crime fiction titles by Tony Bassett. Look out for his second book, THE CROSSBOW STALKER.

My thoughts:

I love it when, in this genre, things are explained so clearly and the descriptions are so stark, I feel like I am almost a detective on the case myself.

This is definitely a gripping and suspenseful reads, with multiple suspected murders, various suspects, and at times what feels like a wild goose chase for the killer. You are left feeling frustrated at points, and deeply suspicious of some characters.

You definitely learn to respect, admire and cherish the characters of Sunita and Roscoe. A formidable team, and though I wasn’t okay with how Sunita was treated at first, I do feel like this was a harsh dose of realism on the part of the author, as this is likely how many women feel when entering this profession, unfortunately, even though things should not be that way in the 21st century.

Sunita’s own personal life and the way that is dramatised actually really helped move the plot along and helped pick up the pace when the main investigation was slow moving. It allowed me to see her as more of a sympathetic character, and also three dimensional. It made her successes even more stark as you came to realise the personal challenges she had overcome. She further shows her bravery and strength through this subplot.

You are completely left wondering who on earth the killer could be, and you won’t be able to predict the ending of this one! A great introduction to a new series, and for me personally a great introduction to this author’s work!

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