prdgreads

Today I am on the tour for The Night They Stole My Baby by Darren O’Sullivan, thank you to Zoé at Zooloos Book Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the publisher and the author for my copy.

Pages: 310

Synopsis: My baby is due in two weeks. Hand on my bump, I swear to my little girl, I won’t be anything like my mother.

I’m walking home after the perfect baby shower, enjoying the cool summer evening breeze. I can’t wait to rest my aching feet.

I’m almost at my door when the world goes black.

I wake with a blinding pain in my head. Beeping of machines in background. I open my eyes to a white room.

Panic jolts through me. I reach down to my bump, to where my baby should be. But she’s not there.

Then my fingers find a rough line of stitches.

Someone has taken my baby.

Out of me.

My Thoughts: I have been absolutely spoilt by the thrillers I’ve read this year & this one is definitely one to beat.

You’re thrown in at the deep end with the action from the start and I’m not kidding when I say it honestly does not stop.

We’re following Emily who has been hiding a life changing secret for 12 years. And although she knows nothing will ever make up for what she’s hiding she’s hoping that the baby she’s carrying will give her a new focus and a little bit of a fresh start.. if only things were that easy!

The story is told from 2 timelines, then and now. Both were equally harrowing yet totally gripping which is a weird combination, it makes you want to close your eyes and shut the book whilst being totally invested in the story that you have to know what’s going on!

The 2 storylines feel completely different although you know they’re both happening to the same person and it leaves you feeling sorry for Emily in such a strong way that at times I had to remind myself it was just a book.

This is the first time I’ve read one of Darren’s books and after the way it had me feeling I can promise you it won’t be the last.

🐧🩷

Today I am on the tour for Love & Being by JM Langan, 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: 99

Synopsis: Love & Being has been compiled over many years and reflects on the author’s experiences in this complicated and ever-changing world.

Whether it’s a phobia of velour or living with an abusive partner, this anthology tips between humour and horror as her curious mind tries to understand how one can just be.

Trigger warning: some poems in this collection cover sexual and physical abuse, depression, phobias, grief, bullying and miscarriage.

My Thoughts: I find poetry hard to review, because each one is so different and if I’m completely honest it’s not a genre I reach for ever.

But this collection was beautiful and completely heart wrenching, I didn’t understand every single one of the poems but the message behind each one came through in the emotions they had me feeling and the thoughts that they provoked.

Some of them really resonated with me, especially the ones about chronic illness as someone with MS I really appreciated the representation.

I cried at the ones that mentioned grief, something that is at the front of my mind at the moment with the second anniversary of losing my dad coming up.

I can tell you now that a poem has never made me cry so props to the author for her utter skills.

I absolutely would recommend this one, but please take note of the trigger warnings because it won’t be for everyone.

🐧🩷

Today I am on the tour for Janet Jackson Superhost by Becky Papworth, thank you to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 249

Synopsis: Lavender Cottage, Yorkshire’s finest B&B, is owner Janet Jackson’s pride and joy. Now, after a year of running it and coming out alive, she’s set her heart on becoming a Superhost. For that Janet will need a blooming great tsunami of 5-star reviews- despite the many obstacles that stand in her way.

Number one, of course is the guests themselves. their strange requests, habits and lasting damage to her garden, the cottage and her sanity are a non-stop challenge.

Add in the piles of laundry, sleepless nights and scary spreadsheets, sneaky neighbours, and sex with no strings…and her goal seems far away.

Yet despite an endless run of dramas, and thanks to her passion for hospitality and home baking, Janet may find she is just a lemon drizzle cake or two away from a 5- star life.

My Thoughts: this one was a lot of fun, full of laugh out loud moments that had me putting my head in my hands! Whilst shouting at other characters because they were just nasty and horrible.

Poor Janet means well, she lets in the waifs and strays even though it’s clear they they’re taking advantage of her she just sees the best in people, which means that unfortunately she gets hurt a lot along the way.. which made me want to wrap her up in a big cuddle.

She has one dream, to become Superhost which means her little B&B and lavender cottage has to get purely 5 star reviews for all their stays.. and you already know that that won’t happen! But Janet is such a likeable character that you can’t help but get completely wrapped up in her life.

I didn’t read the first book as I obviously didn’t do enough research, I didn’t realise it was a sequel, however this one read really well as a stand alone.

A complete page turner that I found impossible to put down because I just needed to know if she got her happy ever after, or at least her award!

Lavender cottage seemed like the perfect little getaway and I can’t help but with it was a real place I could escape to.

🐧🩷

Today I am on the tour for SIN:THETICA by Keith Anthony Baird, 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: 142

Synopsis: The Sino-Nippon war is over. It is 2113 and Japan is crushed under the might of Chinese-Allied Forces. A former Coalition Corps soldier, US Marine Balaam Hendrix is now a feared bounty hunter known as ‘The Reverend’. In the sprawl of NeuTokyo, on this lawless frontier, he must track down the rogue employee of a notorious crime lord. But, there’s a twist. His target has found protection inside a virtual reality construct and Hendrix must go cyber-side to corner his quarry. The glowing neon signs for SIN:THETICA are everywhere, and promise escape from a dystopian reality. But will it prove the means by which this hunter snares his prey, or will it be the trap he simply can’t survive?

My Thoughts: I will be honest with this one from the start, I’m not really a fan of cyberpunk or sci-fi, but something about the premise of this one intrigued me and the cover sealed the deal for me!

I won’t pretend that I knew exactly what was going on straight away, so it threw me off to begin with, but I ended up really enjoying it!

A bounty Hunter sent into an alternate reality to get his target is definitely not something I’ve read about before, it was fast paced, full of violence and very twisty.

As a main character Hendrix seemed to be full of angst but really lost and still trying to find his place in this ‘new life’ of his and part of me would have loved that to be explored a little more.

The story was really short which definitely added to the “fast paced’ feel, it wrapped up pretty well whilst also leaving some unanswered questions too, which left me wondering if this is going to be part of a series?

One that is definitely worth a read.

🐧🩷

Today I am on the tour for The Long Way Home by Fran Clark, thank you to Zoé at Zooloos Book Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the publisher and the author for my copy.

Pages: 236

Synopsis: An unexpected meeting sets Rose on a path to love and future happiness. When family secrets and even the forces of nature stack against her, the way to a happy-ever-after slips away.

On the West Indian island of Dominica in 1889, Rose was abandoned by her father Antoine on the day she was born, after her mother Nanette died in childbirth. Rose’s mixed heritage makes her an outcast to both of her parents’ families and she grows up with an adoptive family without a true sense of her identity.

When Rose turns sixteen, she meets the poor but charismatic sailor Raphael and a romantic connection blooms, only to be put on hold because of a tremendous hurricane.

Employed by wealthy widow, Elise La Fleur, Rose develops a close friendship with her. But when Elise accuses Rose of stealing her beloved locket, Rose’s world is thrown into disarray.

Can the locket be the key that unlocks her past and the secrets of her birth?

My Thoughts: this is the second book by Fran that I’ve read recently, the last one was a 5 star for me so I was a bit dubious going into this one incase it didn’t live up to my high expectations.. this one was completely different but oh my heart I think I loved it even more.

It was full of characters that you couldn’t help but care about with strong and powerful stories that you end up getting lost in because the writing is just so captivating.

It was heartbreaking in places, but had aspects that had me smiling and cheering the characters on.

It’s old in 2 timelines that on the surface seem entirely unrelated but yet they come together very seamlessly in the end.

It’s quite a short book so I don’t want to give too much away, but what I will say is that I think Fran Clark may have made me a fan of historical fiction!

🐧🩷

Today I am on the tour for Shoot Your Shot by Fiona Embers, thank you to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 215

Synopsis: Roxie Nowak is a former basketball player, with a great job in tech and her own swanky place. She doesn’t date, because what’s the point? Men always want someone petite, pillowy, and pastel—everything that Roxie isn’t—so she sticks to casual hookups, and life is good.

As a hot lawyer and a romantic to boot, Chris Dunn should have no trouble finding love. But a gaping hole at his center, left by childhood hurts, prevents him from having the type of relationship he seeks. He knew Roxie years ago, when her basketball career ended, and she inspired him to take the reins to his career.

When Chris moves back to town and into Roxie’s building, their friendship and mutual attraction deepen. They finally give in with blinding intensity, unaware just how combustible the mix of her avoidance and his insecurity can be—until one vindictive ex-lover lights a match.

My Thoughts: wellll I knew this was going to be steamy but oh my word.. this was something else.

We’re following Roxie, she was a college basketball player until she got injured and all her dreams were shattered..

I loved that both main characters in this book were flawed, they both had trouble accepting love for their own reasons… Roxie has friends with benefits and just doesn’t get attached & Chris just keeps himself to himself, so you’d think the 2 of them getting together would be a complete disaster but let me tell you now it really wasn’t!

There were several times in the book that made me swoon, I thought that they would finally communicate their feelings towards each other that we could clearly see building, then something would happen and it would all come crashing down again. At times I wanted to bang my head against the wall, but in a way it left me more invested in the story!

A lot of sensitive issues were dealt with in this book but were done so well that it had me feeling all sorts of emotions.

This is the first time I’ve read a book by Fiona Embers but it definitely won’t be the last.

🐧🩷

Today I am on the tour for Unforgettable and Never again by Frances Fleur, thank you to Hannah at Hygge Book Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copies.

Unforgettable

Pages: 189

Synopsis: Men, in general, can go jump off a cliff. At least, that’s what Daisy believes and tells herself. Daisy is not a relationship girl. She is not the sort of girl to let a guy get too close. The only thing men are good for is satisfying her desires.

Her life is her job. Fuelled by making a difference her dad would be proud of, Daisy is a paramedic and loves the thrill of the job. But a twist of the arm and an unexpected shift change causes her to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. No one expected that one emergency call would change her life forever.

Setting herself on a different path, can she really have a chance of falling in love, or is she just kidding herself?

My Thoughts: this one is where we meet Daisy, she’s a paramedic, she’s happy on her own with her dog.. that is until she covers her colleagues shift at a football game, one of the players suffers from a cardiac arrest, she saves his life and then they become close.

Taron has amnesia, so although he knows he has a wife, he doesn’t remember anything else.. what develops between him and Daisy is a lot of fun, a lot of spice that I wasn’t expecting and a lot of laughs.

I wasn’t sure which way I wanted the story to go but I had a lot of fun reading it.

🐧🩷

Never Again

Pages: 253

Synopsis: Never again.

Radio silence.

Radio silence is all Daisy got when Taron’s memory returned. The feeling of rejection was crushing as Daisy’s emotions spiralled into self-loathing and doubt. Watching her sister from the sidelines, Cora knew something needed to be done.
When Cora pushes Daisy to go to Manchester and visit their friends, she hopes that time away from London will help heal Daisy’s heart.

But what will happen when she meets Toby, the gorgeous ex-TV star she fangirled over when she was younger?
Will sparks fly? Will she be able to forget Taron, or will he come back for her?

My Thoughts: after the ending of Unforgettable I couldn’t wait to jump into the 2nd part of Daisy’s story.

I couldn’t help but feel that she deserved so much better than what she got from Taron, I wanted someone to realise how amazing she was and just sweep her off her feet.. in walks Toby.. her celebrity crush, which throws her off because she’s just turned up at her best friends house..

This one was everything I wanted and more, although I’ll be honest there’s not a lot I can say without giving huge spoilers for Unforgettable.

I loved the development in Daisy’s character, she knew she wanted Toby and she went after it and oh my was it fun to experience, I got so wrapped up in their life and relationship together that I almost forgot I was reading 😂

I was squealing with happiness by the end of it, but a little bit gutted that this is the end of the series and I’ve only just discovered it, but on the bright side that means I have a back list to catch up on and future books to look forward to!

🐧🩷

Today I am on the tour for The Seeds Of Murder by Dawn Treacher, thank you to Hannah at Hygge Book Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 249

Synopsis Cedric Malleson’s wife, Carolina, is missing. Everyone believes she simply left Cedric because she didn’t want to be a vicar’s wife any longer. Now retired from the clergy, and with time on his hands, Cedric’s mind begins to wonder why. Why did Carolina leave? Did she leave because she wanted to, or because she had to? His thoughts prompt him to begin writing a detective novel, a cosy, murder mystery.
However, his daughter, Scarlett encourages him to take up gardening, a task Carolina used to do when they were together. Little does Cedric realise that whilst he is writing his detective novel and doing the garden, he could be nurturing the seeds of murder.

My Thoughts: I do love a cosy mystery. It gives me my crime fix whilst not being too heavy, they’re easy to read and sometimes a good palette cleanser between books.

This one didn’t let me down, the writing was completely engaging and I found myself totally engrossed in the story line and unable to put it down.

I loved how it brought a bit of todays culture into it with the addition of an influencer in the form of Cedric’s daughter, who was trying her hardest to turn her dad into an aspiring YouTuber, which added a little bit of humour to the story. Kind of a bit gutted that The Green Fingered Vicar isn’t a real YouTube channel! (I don’t even like gardening 🤦🏻‍♀️😂)

The main crux of the story is Cedric trying to find out what happened when his wife disappeared.. was she kidnapped? did she leave? what caused it all? and now that he’s retired from being the local vicar he’s found himself with more time on his hands… can he get to the bottom of the mystery with the help of his local parishioners and his faithful cat Reubens?

Or is he just so wrapped up in the crime novel he’s writing that he has imagined the whole thing and there’s no secrets to uncover?

This was a lot of fun, full of mystery, some red herrings and plenty of twists to keep you on your toes! Definitely one to be added to your TBR.

🐧🩷

Today I am on the tour for Finding Happiness When It Hurts by Lisa Brett, 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: 200

Synopsis: Discover the hidden blessings within these pages to unlock your inner joy

By the time Lisa realised she was in the grip of enormous, life-transforming emotional pain, she was in no position to help herself get out of it. That was until a chance meeting with someone in a field changed everything.
She now wants to help others who find themselves in the same situation and who fear they’ll never be happy again.
This book reveals that not only is happiness within reach but also you can change your life for the better immediately. It provides comfort, reassurance that you’re not alone, and practical ways to help you flip how you see and think about dark moments.
Storytelling, nuggets of wisdom and beautiful illustrations gently but profoundly lead you along the path where happiness is the final destination.
There are also real-life stories from people around the world who, in the darkest of places, found hidden blessings that led them to feel at peace and to be happy and fulfilled once again. 
Lisa’s aim is that this becomes your go-to book in time of need.

My Thoughts: i really enjoyed this book as a whole, although obviously not all parts will be relevant to everyone.

I think the intention of the book is to be able to dip in and out of it when needed to help you ground yourself and find the blessings in your situation, although I’ll be honest I read it all in one go because this is me 😂

I really enjoyed the real stories that had been gathered by Lisa for this book, some of them really helped to make me feel like I wasn’t alone, even the ones that didn’t really apply to my life or my current situation left me with a smile on my face.

The conversations between Gaia and the various characters, felt a bit much at the time of reading but after coming away and giving it some thought I can see the message behind it.. to look for the smaller blessings in life, they don’t have to be big and showy. Even just having a roof over your head and food in your belly is enough.

You could tell whilst reading that so much thought and research had gone into the book, that Lisa truly cares about her readers & how they are feeling.

I won’t lie, as much as I chose to read the book in the hopes that it would help me find some light in a very dark tunnel that had been my journey with grief after losing my dad, I wasn’t really holding out much hope.. BUT the fact that it has had me thinking days after finishing it with a smile on my face tells me it’s done it’s job!

Thank you Lisa. ❤️

🐧🩷

Pages: 486

Synopsis: Dex
Shame. Prejudice. Fear. All woven into the very fabric of my being. I’m swathed in them like the most suffocating cloak.

Beneath this toxic mantle, I wear my desires close to my heart. Where it’s dark. Where they’re safe.

Until I meet Darcy, a dancer at Alchemy and the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. The only problem? Her boyfriend, Max.

She makes me feel alive, but he arouses emotions I’ve taken great care my entire life to condemn and deny and bury. Emotions I’ve always been taught are sinful and wrong.

Together, they show me love far too great to be a sin, too bright to languish in the darkness.

Even as our relationship flourishes, the shame and fear remain in place, tearing me apart and threatening what deserves only the most dazzling light.

If anyone can unstitch this cloak from me, thread by thread, and liberate me, it’s this woman… and this man.

If I let them.

Unstitch is a super spicy love story between Darcy, Max and Dex. It forms part of the Alchemy series but can be read as a standalone, and these three get a great big HEA.

My Thoughts: oh god, I literally have no idea where to start with this one. I’ll be honest and admit I was a little dubious going in, just because I wasn’t sure how it would be possible to pull of 3 pov’s and give them all the time, development and attention they deserved… I should’ve known better because this is Elodie Hart and she is a genius!

We have Max who we met in a previous alchemy book, he’s the dominant one, we have Darcy who is Gens younger sister who has just started dancing for Alchemy and we have Dex who is Belles brother and let me tell you they create magic together. It’s sexy as hell and incredibly intense, so much so that I found myself unable to read it all in one go which is unheard of with me and Elodies books, but I did find reading it slower meant I really appreciated the character development for all 3 & the smaller details that I sometimes miss when I read books fast!

I didn’t think the shower scene in Undulate could be topped. (IYKYK 😏) but the first shower scene in this one had my life, Dex’s inner monologue throughout was everything.. ugh!

I don’t want to give too much away because where is the fun in that but Elodie has 100% outdone herself with this one.

Every book I say I have a new alchemy favourite, but o think it will be near enough impossible to knock Dex out of the top spot now, he overcame so much & it was all done in a way that felt realistic & with real sensitivity to her readers who may be going through similar situations, there were times throughout the book that I just wanted to jump into the pages and give him a great big hug!

This book can definitely be read as a stand alone but I would recommend starting at the beginning with Unfurl and then you get to know all the characters and really appreciate the family that they have created.

🐧🩷