This is an entertaining, original take on the cozy mystery genre. JT Bird has subverted the genre by taking on an “Animal Farm”-esque situation where the animals control the city, hence the “City That Barks and Roars.”
Panda is missing and it’s up to Frank Penguin and his new colleague Chico Monkey to crack the mystery! Then, the stakes are raised and three more creatures go missing. Can they save the city and solve the puzzle?
This was a quick, fun and entertaining read. The author is a comedian and this came across in the natural humour that lined the narrative. I have to admit I didn’t totally connect to it as I sometimes felt that I was hallucinating, reading about animals who could talk etc! However, I’ve tried many a time to get into books that are more surreal and fantasy based, and I’m glad this is one I tried.
Overall, I enjoyed it as it is an original story with some gripping plot points and worked as a great form of light relief compared to my usual reads and the current world goings on!
I would recommend this book to fans of the fantasy or cozy mystery genre, who are willing to try something a bit different.
Wow! Another Bookouture book that I have been blown away by.
This book tells the story of Katherine, who has always dreamed of having a big family after growing up an only child. Heartbreakingly, the story opens as Katherine has just lost one of her twins and had to have a hysterectomy after a complicated and dangerous childbirth situation.
Katherine is absolutely devastated but is determined to go to great lengths to ensure that her son, Jamie, is not her only child. When we see the fractured relationship between her and her mother, which she says is caused by her mother’s overprotective and controlling nature, we begin to understand why she sees being an only child as a negative option.
But why is her relationship with her mother so fractured? And why are they so determined to hide secrets and lies from each other?
This book has absolutely been a gripping, emotional rollercoaster of a read. I really enjoyed hearing the stories from both Katherine and Hazel’s points of view as it helped me to sympathise with both of them.
The ending of the book is one of the most dramatic, climactic and exciting endings to a book I’ve read in a long time, worthy of a duff duff from Eastenders haha!
In all seriousness though, this is a fine piece of domestic drama fiction from a brilliant Bookouture author and I highly recommend it to fans of Jodi Picoult, Amanda Prowse, Katie Hewitt or Emma Robinson.
I was completely pulled into this one by the cover and the blurb. The cover looks mysterious. The shadows and mixed images suggest darkness, confusion and a journey… I was completely intrigued to find out what the book was about.
I am not a big historical fiction fan and it is only a genre I dip into every now and again, but I really do tend to enjoy stories based around the first and second world wars and this one did not disappoint.
It tells the story of Adam, and his doctor, James as they try to rebuild their lives and move forward in the aftermath of the first world war…
The use of multiple perspectives completely pulled me in and made me consider a rather complex question. Would I rather remember nothing of my life, good, bad or ugly, or remember it all but be haunted by the bad memories?
This story is totally gripping, heart breaking and beautiful. It is based on a true story and you can see the extent of research that has gone into the book related to the details around the war and the issue of PTSD.
An important and poignant book that needs to be read by everyone, in my opinion.
Wow! This book has blown me away and is definitely one of my top reads for 2020.
I was drawn to this book by the cover. The image is piercing and haunting as the woman looks terrified, lost and distraught. Then you have that intriguing title, which made me ask: Who was the last wife? What happened to her?
I was totally hooked on the plot. You have Tess, who is newly married and has recently moved to Bath. She is very excited about the prospect of living in a beautiful house, with her loving husband and starting a new role at a new hospital…
Until her husband starts to behave strangely, and an odd woman claims to know secrets about him and his ex-wife. To Tess’ knowledge, Daniel had never lived in this area before or had a wife, so what’s the truth?
The characters in this book are completely believable and raw. Tess describes her husband as a Jekyll and Hyde character and I found him quite manipulative, but also his demeanour quite intimidating and terrifying at times too!
This book made me ask so many questions and was completely gripping and thought provoking. I have completely loved getting lost in this dark thriller which has some mind-blowing twists and extremely clever characterisation!
I would totally describe this author as another queen of the psychological thriller genre and I cannot wait to read more of her novels!
I first fell in love with the character of Sherlock Holmes as an English Literature undergraduate, where I studied the selected works of Arthur Conan Doyle. I have also enjoyed the films and TV shows inspired by this clever, stubborn, enigmatic character.
This is the first piece of literature based on the character that I have read, which was not written by Arthur Conan Doyle himself, and credit where it’s due: I think M K Wiseman does a fantastic job.
It is clear that a lot of research and investigation has gone into the character of Sherlock Holmes, as well as the facts around Jack The Ripper. Sherlock Holmes’ narrative voice and personality comes across clearly, and it is easy to see this as an extension of the stories told by Arthur Conan Doyle.
I was completely hooked on the narrative and found it difficult to put down. I have always been fascinated by unsolved murders and so on, so it was unsurprising really that the mixture of both these things was a clear hit for me.
The writer remained loyal to Sherlock and his character and I really enjoyed reading an original twist and fusion of the stories.
Highly recommended to Sherlock fans and fans of semi factual historical and/or crime fiction!
This was my first read by this author and I was completely pulled in and intrigued by the cover and the title.
It tells the story of Amber, George and their much loved and long awaited daughter, Mabel. Despite her unconditional love, Amber is finding motherhood tough and lonely, and is feeling that George is slipping away from her…
So when her sister offers to babysit for one night so that the couple can rest and reconnect, Amber is reluctant but eventually decides what could possibly go wrong? Ruby is forgetful and a little disorganised, but she is also her sister and loves baby Mabel as if she were her own, so it will all be fine, right?
Wrong! There is a complete unravelling of events and lots of twists, turns and surprises. I was kept hooked on this one as the writer used different perspectives and time frames to slowly reveal to the reader what had happened to baby Mabel.
I loved how she used a variety of narrative voices so that we could hear from a distinct set of characters, sometimes without revealing who those characters were.
There were some bits where I was sat thinking “That seems to be a bit odd to be true”, so I was glad when the ending revealed I was right to be suspicious! The ending was original, climactic and well written.
This was an original take on the well trodden psychological thriller plot of a missing child and one I highly recommend to fans of this genre.
I was drawn to this book by the title “Ruthless Girl”. It drew a picture in my mind of what the ruthless girl might look/be like, and made me wonder: Who is the ruthless girl?
This is book 7 in the series but it was easy to read and very enjoyable as a standalone book. I’d definitely love to read more by this author, though
The opening is very engaging and dramatic as someone is shot within the first few pages! From then on, I was hooked!
One of my favourite aspects had to be the way Emma brings her characters and the gangland culture in which they live, to life. I loved the use of dialect to make the characters more real, more British.
Gang leader Freddie is one of my favourite characters I have ever read about in a book. He is clever, cunning, brutal, violent…but he also shows another, more human side where he is loving, loyal and caring. There was one particular part when Freddie is talking to his mum, and this exchange even managed to make me quite emotional.
The plot gains pace towards a gripping and climatic ending. There are many cliff hanger endings to chapter, and I loved the use of questions to draw you in and make the reader want to find out what happened next. There is twist after twist – I waes completely hooked!
The ending was brilliant and leaves it open for another installment of this incredible series – I really hope there is one!
This book is perfect for fans of gritty, gangland crime drama and I highly recommend it!
I absolutely adore Amanda’s fictional work & will always respect her as an author, but this book opened my eyes and has helped me respect her also as a mother, and a human being.
This is an emotional, inspirational and honest memoir told through an original style, as mother and son write alongside each other to detail their descent into the “grey” world and their journey back out of it.
It was eye-opening and interesting to hear the details from two points of view, as it gave a whole new perspective on it each time you read the other person’s take on the situation. It was clear to see that Amanda’s actions came from a place of love, but also optimism and she seems almost blinded by the beauty of her son, which I think we all are when it comes to our children. Unconditional love, right? Whereas Josh’s take on the situations are very much blunt, dark and raw. At times, this makes it a difficult read, but it’s such an important one.
I loved how each chapter began with a quotation from a famous, usually literary, voice. This gave me time to pause, think and ponder and I found myself writing down many of the quotes for future reference. I also really felt the quotes related to motherhood resonated with me, as if they were almost universal truths. Being that my oldest child is not yet 3, I didn’t expect to relate so much.
This book is very much reminiscent to me, in some ways, of Matt Haig’s Reasons to Stay Alive and would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed that book, or anyone who has ever dealt with depression, either as a caregiver or an individual themselves.
I have to admit, it was quite therapeutic for me as it helped me process some things which I keep locked up in the back of my mind – mainly the mental illness of my ex partner, and the story of a boy who attended seminars with me at university. Both attempted suicide on a number of occasions but the day when my university pal did not turn up for lectures & I learned what had happened… well it stays with you. And no matter how far removed, if you are a compassionate person, you feel angry and sad that you could not or did not help. Amanda really reminds the reader, with brutal honesty, the difficulties of helping someone who is in the midst of this mental illness. 💔
The ending is not the end, as such. It is clear that for Josh this is a new beginning, with a renewed sense of hope. They both make some very important points about the attitude and treatment of people with mental health and how it is linked to education, especially university education. I hope to, with permission, use snippets of this for my own classroom teaching as I join in with the dialogue around mental health issues that hopes to fight the taboos and end the stigma. ❤
It is a totally captivating and beautiful book and I highly recommend you read it.
The front cover of this book is one that grabs you. It suggests this book will be about art, forgery, culture… and probably disaster.
The book is based loosely on a historical event – the flooding of Florence in 1966. As the water rises in the city and the weather worsens, so does the tension and suspense of this story.
The story is told by five strangers, from five different perspectives. Their worlds collide in unexpected ways and the secrets they’ve been keeping threaten to be revealed…
The structure of the story was very original and it is clear that the author put a lot of research and thought into the book. I struggled with the structure to begin but once I got into it I felt it flowed rather well, with lots of cliffhangers and questions being raised. Overall, an enjoyable read for anybody who likes semi-historical books and/or suspense!
Let me start this by saying that I absolutely love Jodi Picoult. She is my all time favourite author and I have never read a book by her I disliked.
The opening of the book hooks you in. Dawn is involved in a plane crash. Then in true Jodi Picoult style, a sophisticated narrative covering a large time is constructed and unfolded to reveal how Dawn got to this point in her life.
I loved how Jodi Picoult placed this story in two different geographical areas. It was nice to escape to a whole new setting. I loved reading about the heated atmosphere in the chapters about Egypt.
The premise of the story, in some ways is very simple. The Book of Two Ways refers to an ancient Egyptian scripture, which Dawn studies with her love interest, Wyatt.
However, it could also refer to Dawn’s dilemma. She loves Brian, but she is in love with Wyatt. Brian represents one way of living – home, security, safety, family. Wyatt represents passion, dreams, risk, adventure. Who should she choose, and why?
There were some parts of the novel I found difficult to deal with, at first. Though it is clear that Jodi put a lot of research into the Egyptology side of the story, it went over my head a little bit.
I also feel like readers need to be aware of the trigger warning associated with death. Dawn comes into contact with death and the dying a lot, due to her job. Whilst reading, I couldn’t help but think of my Nan, who died in 2018. However, I think if you’ve recently had a bereavement this is one you should shelve for a little while.
During the last 150 pages, I really got into the story and fell in love with it. The characters are raw, flawed and damaged. They are beautifully created and executed.
Overall, this is a beautifully written and cleverly crafted story about what it means to be in love, and how facing death can make us ask hard questions about our life.
*Ceri's Lil Blog* 