prdgreads

Today I am on the tour for Before You Say Anything by Sarah Gate, thank you to Zoé at Zooloos Book Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 347

Synopsis: Bluebell believes in fate. And fate has just brought her the man of her dreams.

At a magical Venetian Carnival, a mysterious stranger in black velvet finds Bluebell hiding in the shadows. She calls him Phantom. He calls her Cinderella. And before he disappears, he asks her to meet him on the Rialto Bridge at noon.

She tells herself she won’t go. She goes anyway.

Because some chances are too tempting to resist.

But Phantom is no stranger. He’s her friend, Jesse. The man she almost kissed on a New York street years ago. Back then he wanted forever. She was too afraid to give him anything more.

Now Jesse lives next door to her little pink house on the beautiful island of Burano. But Bluebell only has ninety days before her visa runs out.

Jesse has an Italian passport and a solution. Marry him. But as friends and on paper only.

Is this fate? Or a chance at love they should have taken years ago?

My Thoughts: this is going to be a really hard book for me to review, I only finished it yesterday and still haven’t actually got my thoughts together.. but what u can tell you is that this was incredible & the perfect ending to what has been a phenomenal trilogy.

In this one we’re following Bluebell, she is the dreamer of the family, the one who believes everything happens for a reason and what will be will be, she doesn’t really believe in love, wether that be because she doesn’t think she deserves it or just because it’s never happened to her I couldn’t quite work out, casual hookups are more her thing, no getting attached or hurt.

She’s currently in Venice and a chance encounter at a masquerade ball will turn her life upside down and throw everything she thinks she knows about love on its head.

I was completely and utterly drawn in to this story very quickly and was so caught up in it all that I couldn’t help but feel it ended too quickly! – I felt like we’d just got to know who Bluebell and Jesse were together and then they were taken away 😂

What a journey they took us on though, neither of them was very good at communicating their real feelings to each other, they preferred to hide behind the fact they were best friends and believe it wouldn’t work instead, which I get, but it also frustrated the hell out of me.

I did finding myself telling them off whilst I was reading, like anything I said out loud would change the outcome of the finished book I was reading…

Sarah has a very unique style of writing that seems to break your heart and fix it again multiple times, but at the same time wrapping you in a warm hug.

I’m going to miss this whole cast of characters, but I’m so excited to see what’s next.

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Today I am on the tour for Inside The Madhouse by Hope Daniels, thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 288

Synopsis: Inside The Madhouse gives a bitterly honest account of life on a modern psychiatric unit including the incredible camaraderie and the often unintentionally funny day-to-day routines.

Hope Daniels became a poster girl for surviving abuse and the care system, thanks to her 2014 Sunday Times bestseller Hackney Child.

Despite everything, Hope grew up determined to have a career and after the release of Hackney Child, she went on to have more successful books, building a loyal fanbase, while also becoming an ambassador and role model for others like her.

However, in Inside The Madhouse, her new and most raw memoir to date, Hope reveals her new life was not quite as rosy as many thought. 

In 2022, when a difficult relationship came to a toxic end and her unresolved trauma of being abused as a teenager began to resurface, she tried to take her own life.

It resulted in her being forcibly sectioned and spending three months in two very different psychiatric hospitals – one NHS and one private. Now, against a backdrop of rattling keys, slamming doors, and the shrieks of patients resisting treatment, Hope reveals what life is really like on a psychiatric ward today – celebrating the unexpected camaraderie amongst the patients and the moments of dark humour which helped her through.

She met countless women who, like her, were haunted by the memories and effects of a lifetime of cruelty and neglect. Their stories are rarely told, they are the shadowy figures who often exist in the margins of society – far from family and friends. In this powerful memoir, Hope shares her own lived experience, and that of her fellow patients, and documents their joint journey towards redemption and recovery.

My Thoughts: what an eye opening book this is, it’s raw, it’s brutal, it’s honest, but interwoven between all the hardships and heartbreak is little glimmers of hope and a light at the end of the tunnel.

If I’m being completely honest this was quite a hard read for me as it was very similar to what happened to my mum earlier this year. Certain situations in this book I could see my mum instead of Hope, I nearly put it down but decided to keep going because I knew Hopes story had a better ending.

The differences in the care that Hope received between the NHS and the private hospital were like night and day, something that shouldn’t be true but if I’m honest didn’t shock me in the slightest! But Hope somehow managed to make the best of a bad situation by getting all of the patients to come together, sharing food and sleepovers in the communal areas made me smile.

This book really shows that they are still real people, with real thoughts and feelings, they are more than just the officials diagnosis, underneath the fog that the gaze of medication creates.

Quite a heavy book, one that will stay with me for a long time, but I have a huge amount of respect for Hope for sharing her story, I can imagine revisiting this was quite traumatic.

You made me laugh, you made me cry and you also made me incredibly proud at the strength it took to pull yourself through the dark times and find a way to make it positive.

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Today I am on the tour for A Body In London by Michael G. Katakis, thank you to Palamedes PR for inviting me to take part & providing me with a copy of the book.

Pages: 234

Synopsis: On September 31, 1948, a body is found near Borough Market. There are signs of foul play. During the autopsy, the coroner finds a note in the dead man’s pocket. ‘My dear Sir Thanatos; Shall we play? Yours, Makris.’ So begins a deadly cat and mouse game with an unseen killer who taunts the famous detective Sir Thanatos Boyd, never considering that his prey might be a far more brutal killer than himself.

My Thoughts: this one really surprised me, historical fiction isn’t a genre I reach for often, but I love a crime book and a mystery so I was sold.

I loved Thanatos as a character, at first I thought he was a bit brash and a bit standoffish, but as the book progresses you see different sides to him, you see the man who gives money to make strangers smile & the man who loves his friends even if it’s quietly.

A body turns up with a note for him, so he knows it’s personal and he knows it’s murder despite it looking anything but!

I found myself getting very attached to all the characters. I was so invested in the whole story, I’m pretty sure I wanted to know who Makris was more than the characters 😂

This may seem like a really silly thing to say but it kind of felt like a cross between Sherlock Holmes and Midsomer murders and I just loved it so much!

Very different to my normal reads but I’m glad I took a chance

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Today I am on the tour for The Father of Shadow and Death by T.J. McKay, thank you to Hannah at Hygge Book Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part.

Pages: 238

Synopsis: Beneath the splendor of empires, there ever beats a poisoned heart.

In the city of Naemralda, a glorious capital of untold wealth and glamor, the people of Ceremai live in exile — content but loathed, and ever dreaming of the homeland they left behind. Only a scorned arbiter and failed priest, Braddock Tuzzein, knows the truth.

That the lands they seek, the lands their ancestors escaped at great cost, are home to a fallen god.

Hakaz, the Dark One, whose waking spirits nearly shattered Braddock’s mind with a single touch.

And now, the wolves of the fallen god are coming for them all.

A tale of grisly murders, monsters, and madness, The Father of Shadow and Death follows one man’s doomed quest to save his people — from the wrath of a vengeful god, and the traitors who hound his every step.

But woe to those who would break a man’s soul.

For the shame of the father begets wrath of the son.

Dar’shenna Cere Ma’z.
“Glory to the children of wrath.”

About The Author:

Tim McKay is an author, editor, and part-time writing professor from Ottawa, Canada. A lifelong pursuer of meaning and joy through the written word — with a small helping of thrills and adventure on the side. 

He has degrees in history and public policy, along with a diploma in professional writing, but likes nothing more than hiking in the woods, running along the Rideau Canal, and connecting with the people he loves. 

Oh, and reading a good book.

If you’re interested in this book it can be bought here! It’s also available on Kindle+

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Today I am on the tour for He Loves Me (Not) by Máire Zepf, thank you to Dave at The Write Reads Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 224

Synopsis: A chilling YA thriller told in verse about online romance, obsession and the dangers hiding behind a screen.

He made her feel seen. Then she vanished without a trace.

Daisy has always been quiet – the kind of girl who fades into the background. So when she meets a boy online who really sees her, she falls fast. He listens. He understands. He makes her feel special in a way no one at school ever has. Soon, Daisy’s world shrinks to a glowing screen. Her mum worries. Her best friend Erin is pushed aside. But Daisy doesn’t notice – she’s in love. 

Then Daisy goes to meet him in real life. And she never comes back. 

Left behind with guilt and unanswered questions, Erin is forced to confront the truth Daisy never saw. In a world where screens can lie and love can be faked, how can anyone know who to trust?

My Thoughts: this book made such an impact on me, I’ll be honest I didn’t read the whole synopsis before reading because I didn’t want to know anything, I literally only read the first sentence and was like “yep, this is for me”

Because of that I didn’t know where the story was going and I was so hooked in that I forgot through this, I was hoping for the best but expecting the worst!

It’s such an important story especially with the internet being such an integral part of life now, it’s so so easy to fall into the trap of thinking you know someone because you ‘know’ them online.

It took me back to my early teens where I was adding everyone on MySpace & MSN (really showing my age here) and never even had a second thought to what I was putting on the internet.

I’m not the target audience for this book at the age of 35, but in a way I feel like it made it so much more raw and real, because I truly understood the consequences of Daisy’s actions, I could see it unfolding but yet felt powerless to stop it (obviously).

Poetry isn’t normally my thing, but I loved it in this book, it was fast paced, kept you engaged and made the story flow really well.

I think He Loves Me (Not) should be a required read in secondary schools to really prepare and open everyone’s eyes.

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Today I am on the tour for Codex Of The Gods by Murray Bailey, thank you for organising it, inviting me to take part and thank you for my copy.

Pages: 366

Synopsis: A murdered billionaire. A vanished relic. A conspiracy older than the pyramids

When Alex MacLure takes the job of curator of a private collection, little does he know that the billionaire owner has a mysterious stone. Or that things will rapidly spiral out of control. Competing parties want the stones and will do anything to obtain them. Special Agent Charlie Rebb is called upon to prove MacLure’s innocence as he is drawn into a web of murder, deceit and conspiracy.
Does MacLure hold the key to exposing the stones’ power? If if he does, what will it mean for humanity?

My Thoughts: it’s no secret if you’ve been following my review for a while that I absolutely adore Murray’s writing and at this point it genuinely feels like this man can do no wrong when it comes to his story telling!

Codex of The Gods is the final book in the Egyptian Stones trilogy and my word does it go out with a bang! this time Alex is doing something a little different, he’s been invited to work on a private collection, all seems to be going well until the man who employed him ends up dead and they somehow have video evidence that Alex is the murderer.. the only problem being he wasn’t there even though the evidence says otherwise!

I really appreciated that this book was more mystery thriller heavy because as I’ve stated in my reviews of the previous books the whole Egyptology aspect normally goes straight over my head 🤣

All I know this time is that some very precious stone had been stolen and Alex stands to lose more than just his freedom if he can’t tell people where it is.

We again get to spend sometime with Charlie, she is a formidable woman and a force to be reckoned with, if she can’t prove Alex’s innocence then no one can!

I was on the edge of my seat trying to work out where the story would go. At times it all felt a little too real, especially with the use of AI. it’s really scary how easily things can be altered now.

This is definitely a book that will keep you guessing right until the end!

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Today I am on the tour for The Christmas Clause by Sharon Ibbotson, thank you to Zoé at Zooloos Book Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 361

Synopsis: Warning: This is not your average Christmas romance! 🎅🎄❄

Mrs Claus wants a divorce.

And she’s hired the one lawyer who doesn’t believe in Christmas.

Somer Henshaw believes in facts. Winning arguments. And never, ever losing her head.

Then a woman in vintage clothing sweeps into her London office and files for divorce — from Santa Claus.

Now Somer is in an ice palace at the top of the world, arguing the most impossible case in legal history. She’s facing judgemental elves. A reindeer custody claim. A prenup drafted by Abraham Lincoln. North Pole jurisdiction issues no court has ever ruled on. And tinsel . . . So much tinsel!

But the real problem is Reuben Winter.

Santa’s lawyer. Ruthless. Insufferable. Built like something the North Pole ordered specially for under her tree. And undefeated across a negotiating table.

Neither will back down.

But every argument leaves them standing a little closer. Every late-night discussion gets a little too heated. And somewhere between the candy-cane negotiation and the pumpkin-spiced hot chocolate scandal, they stop pretending the tension is about the case at all.

Somer Henshaw has never lost a case.

This Christmas, she might just lose her heart.

My Thoughts: now I just have to say that Sharon is fast becoming one of my favourite romance authors, I’ve read quite a few of her books and I know they’re always going to be a fun time, normally with laugh out loud moments too & this one was no different.

I loved Somer as a main character, she was very driven, she knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to go out of her way to get it, she didn’t like to step on people’s toes to get there, she had morals but wasn’t shy about making things known.

Then there’s Reuben, all of the descriptions in this book made him seem hot headed, cold hearted and not afraid to destroy other people’s lives to get results, but right from the off I had a feeling there was more to him than that..

This book had a lot of whimsical aspects, I mean we’re literally following Santa and Mrs Clause, were introduced to head elves and the North Pole! – but looking under the surface there is more going on than just a jolly Christmas time.

I honestly struggled to put this one down. I wasn’t a fan of having to stop reading to go to work, I couldn’t wait to stop adulting so I could pick it back up.

We deal with a lot of serious topics in this book, my heart broke for every single one of the characters for different reasons, I’m not ashamed to admit that this made me cry & really made me think about short life can be, about how nothing is guaranteed so you need to hold on to anything that makes you happy and brings you joy even if other people don’t agree.

This might just be my favourite book of Sharon’s so far, it’s definitely the only one I haven’t rushed to finish because I just wasn’t ready to say goodbye to the characters.

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Today I am on the tour for The Witching House by John Everson, thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 366

Synopsis: Angry and alone, Gianna tests urban legend and writes the name Madelyn in blood on the mirror of the Witching House. When the ghost actually answers, she gains an unexpected friend. But soon Gianna learns friendship isn’t what the dead girl wants the most. Madelyn wants revenge for her murder. Can Gianna stop her before half the town is dead?

My Thoughts: I don’t read a lot of horror because I’m always worried it’ll either feel too real or it’ll give me nightmares 😂 this one hit the nail on the head for feeling too real, but so far no nightmares.

We’re following Gianna, she feels both invisible and taken for granted within her family, they’ve just moved to a new area, she had no friends and her stepmum is pregnant so Gianna is expected to pick up the slack when it comes to housework and other errands.

So when she hears a story of the shell of a burnt out house behind her is haunted she can’t help but to check it out, she thinks the rumours are just a it of fun, so is equally fascinated and terrified when the ghost of Madelyn appears to her in the mirror!

Drawn in by the idea of friendship and someone having her back Gianna keeps going back, it all seems fun at first until people are getting hurt and others are dying, now she’s stuck and struggling to escape Madelyns clutches, she sees only one way out unless she can get some help.

This is so perfectly executed, short snappy chapters help to keep the action permanently at the front of your mind whilst also building tension and suspense.

The setting itself was eery and the descriptions in the book were so intricate that I found myself feeling like I was being watched and had me checking over my shoulder whilst reading.

There were parts of this book that had me holding my breath and feeling claustrophobic, an absolutely fantastic read, but I don’t think I’ll be picking up another horror book for a while.

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Today I am on the tour for Fallowfield by Nicole Swengley, thank you to Anne at Random Things Touts for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 349

Synopsis: Fallowfield Hall: once an avant garde art college, now abandoned and decaying. To journalist Rowan Woodhouse it is the fabled backdrop to her parents’ 1970s love story. But is there more to Fallowfield – and her family – to uncover?

Seeking solace after the loss of her artist-teacher father, Rowan accepts a research project to interview college alumni, hoping this may reveal more about him – and her enigmatic mother who died tragically young.

But Rowan soon discovers that Fallowfield had a darker side than hedonistic student life and idyllic picnics on its famous daffodil lawns. Jealousies, betrayals and rivalries emerge when she learns of the mysterious death of one young woman and the unsolved disappearance of another.

As part and present become dangerously intertwined, how will the suspicions sparked by her investigations impact Rowan’s own troubled life?

My Thoughts: You can tell I don’t often fully read a synopsis because this book was a lot darker than I expected!

We’re following Rowan who has been approached by someone who works at the college her dad attended and then later worked at, to find some pieces for them to display, and then later asked to see if she can put something together with anecdotes from others.

Whilst searching her dad’s things she finds a newspaper article about a girl who went missing not long before they left the area.

She doesn’t really think anything of it until she starts trying to collect anecdotes and nobody wants to talk about Fallowfield, they believe the past should stay in the past.

So what starts as a way for Rowan to get to know her dad as more than just dad ends up her realising that everyone was keeping secrets from her for most of her life.

The dark and twisted undertones of this book really leave you feeling like the story could go in any direction, no one can really be trusted and you’re left wondering if digging into the past will become dangerous!

The writing style had a haunting feel to it that left me unable to stop reading, definitely recommend this one it drew me in from the beginning and didn’t let go until the very end.

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Today I am on the tour for The Official Catchphrase Puzzle Book, thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 192

Synopsis: Decode hundreds of familiar sayings and sharpen your mind with The Official Catchphrase Puzzle Book.  

Based on the popular TV game show Catchphrase, this official puzzle book includes: 

• 8 fun-packed rounds with over 200 official catchphrases introduced by Mr Chips
• ‘Say what you see’ puzzles where images and symbols reveal hidden sayings.  
• Hidden catchphrases to test your knowledge of classic phrases. 
• Super Catchphrase rounds for fast-thinking, competitive fun. 
• Full answers and score sheets at the end of the book.  

Whether you dip in for a quick brain boost or settle in for a longer solve, there’s always a new phrase waiting to be discovered . . . 

Think you know the phrase? Pick up your pencil and prove it. 

My Thoughts: Now this is something that’s a little bit different for me, but as a lover of catchphrase and someone who tends to be pretty good at “saying what they see” I just couldn’t pass up this opportunity!

As soon as it arrived I dove straight in, I loved the way it was done as I was a bit dubious as to how we make a moving picture from a screen translate into a book, but I was honestly blown away by how well it worked!

I had loads of fun with family members seeing who could get the answer first! It really made us laugh and brought out the competitiveness that we don’t often see.

There’s different rounds and levels to dip in and out of, the perfect activity for you to wind down in your own with some chocolate and a cup of tea, or bring the family or a group of friends together, put the book between you, set a timer and see who wins!

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