prdgreads

Today I’m on the tour for Knee Deep by Suzanne Lane, 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: 213

Synopsis: Three Best friends with three very different stories.

Georgie Baxter, a sensible wife and mother of two, spends her whole life juggling work with running the household.

Liza Carmichael is happily married to Tom – the most perfect man on the planet. She has a great life but craves for a baby to make their family complete.

Brooke Collins is confident, independent and full of sass. As well as being incredibly gorgeous, she is a highly successful businesswomen, who doesn’t need a man to make her happy.

These three friends have been together forever and support each other through thick and thin. Which is certainly needed at this time of their lives, as things start to unravel for them.

Can they fix each other when they become knee deep in their own problems?

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: this book felt like a breath of fresh air to me, I’ve read a lot of hard hitting heavy books recently & although this one deals with some pretty heavy topics it does so in a way that doesn’t weigh you down!

3 best friends all at very different places in their lives, but yet they come together so well.

I loved them all individually but I loved the dynamic they had as a 3, they were more like sisters than friends and even in the face of massive disagreements they were inseparable.

They gave each other space when it was needed but always knew when it was time to pull together again.

This is a relatively short book at just over 200 pages, but the emotions it made me feel really spanned the whole spectrum!

This is the perfect way to grab some me time with a cuppa, the epitome of friendship that is guaranteed to put a smile on your face by the end ☺️

🐧❤️

Today I’m on the tour for White Crane Strikes by Ivy Ngeow, 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.

I have my review for you today!

Pages: 286

Synopsis: An enormous mansion. A Chinese restaurant. A baby on the way. Handyman Jerome “Jay Jay” Lee has landed a dream job. An underground tong seems to think so too.

Chicago, 1971. Jay Jay’s girlfriend wants a big knock-’em-dead wedding and a new bigger apartment with the whole ball of wax. Grateful when her art world schmoozing lands him a fixer-upper gig for a wealthy arts patron, he has no idea about the sleeping dragon he’s about to wake. His boss gets him a Chinatown side hustle, and Jay Jay looks the other way when he overhears an organized crime conversation for fear of losing the much-needed extra income and takeout treats. But when the Chinese restaurant manager vanishes, Jay Jay is trapped in threatening tong talk and the chow is now no fun. His family is now deep in hot soup.

Will Jay Jay be able to save them before he’s crispier than a burnt wonton?

My Rating 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: when you read the synopsis you might be left thinking that this is a comedy thriller, I know I was 🤣

This couldn’t be further from the truth.

We’re introduced to Jay Jay who’s going for a job interview, he has a child on the way so needs all by he money he can get! – Mr Alfred is a lonely old man who lives in a run down house, the electric only works in one room so he needs Jay Jay to fix it all up.

What Jay Jay doesn’t expect is to find a trap door full of secrets on his first day!

His fiancé Dallas is an aspiring artist who had to give up her dream when Jay Jay lost his job so she now works in a department store and seems to have found herself an admirer.

The story started off slow, but the writing is intricate and really draws you in without you even realising. Concentration is key with this one otherwise you’ll miss key details without even realising.

A whole host of characters all completely different but yet they all come together in ways you don’t expect.

This one kept me guessing right until the last page..

Definitely one you need to pick up!

🐧❤️

Today I’m on the tour for Outcast by Claire Voet, 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: 287

Synopsis: In 1945 Molly Hazleton is heart broken when her fiancé doesn’t return from the war after being reported “missing in action.” So when Aunt Daphne comes to visit with news of having bought a 17th century manor house at auction in Scotland, Molly welcomes the opportunity to start afresh and help her aunt turn Aberdoch Manor into a hotel.

With a strange sense of déjà vu, Molly struggles to understand her connection with the property having never stepped foot inside of it or even Scotland for that matter. Ross McDaniel, the newly appointed gardener, knows more than he is letting on. And when he shows Molly an ancient yew tree named by the locals as the Ghost Tree, after touching it, Molly discovers a remarkable ability to vividly see and experience her own past life – a life of extreme danger and hardship on the road with the Jacobite in 1745, hunted by the Red Coats for crimes she hasn’t committed. She is also in love with a brave, Scot warrior, leader of the McDaniel clan who soon becomes her husband.

Stirring up forgotten memories and an uncontrollable yearning to be back with those she once loved, Molly is hopelessly torn between very different worlds, two hundred years apart!

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧.5

My Thoughts: Now I’m not normally a fan of historical fiction/romance, but when I was invited on the tour for this one something intrigued me and made me decide to give it a go.

The story is told over 2 time lines spanning a couple of centuries, in the 1700’s we’re following Fergus and Ella, in the 1940’s we’re following Molly and her aunt Daphne.

Daphne has just bought a Manor House in Scotland and wants to turn it into a hotel, but she’s not as young as she once was so she ropes her great niece Molly into moving to Scotland to help.

When they get there all the locals go quiet every time they mention that they’ve just moved into Aberdoch Manor..

Back in the 1700’s Fergus has just rescued Ella from the Redcoats who are after her because they think she’s a witch, being English everyone finds it hard to accept Ella in Scotland, there has been some recent history between the 2 countries..

This is a story of love, loss and determination spanning the 2 centuries, everyone is linked together and with the help of a magic tree they may just be able to work out how.

I really enjoyed this one, it was gripping in a way I just didn’t expect and surprisingly my favourite chapters were the ones from the 1700’s.

I thought the underlying message of fighting for what you think is right was apparent throughout which really made me smile. None of the characters backed down even though it would’ve been the easy option.

I also appreciated that the romance aspects of this book weren’t ‘fluffy’ it made it feel more authentic and relatable.

Definitely a book I’d recommended to both fans of historical fiction and to those wanting to dip their toes into a new genre 😊

🐧❤️

Today I’m hosting a spotlight for White Crane Strikes, I’m not officially on the tour until tomorrow, but I just wanted to tell you all about it ☺️

Synopsis: An enormous mansion. A Chinese restaurant. A baby on the way. Handyman Jerome “Jay Jay” Lee has landed a dream job. An underground tong seems to think so too.

Chicago, 1971. Jay Jay’s girlfriend wants a big knock-’em-dead wedding and a new bigger apartment with the whole ball of wax. Grateful when her art world schmoozing lands him a fixer-upper gig for a wealthy arts patron, he has no idea about the sleeping dragon he’s about to wake. His boss gets him a Chinatown side hustle, and Jay Jay looks the other way when he overhears an organized crime conversation for fear of losing the much-needed extra income and takeout treats. But when the Chinese restaurant manager vanishes, Jay Jay is trapped in threatening tong talk and the chow is now no fun. His family is now deep in hot soup.

Will Jay Jay be able to save them before he’s crispier than a burnt wonton?

White Crane Strikes is a standalone. Fans of Lehane, Ovidia Yu and Naomi Hirahara, who like compelling characters, stirring settings and surprising twists, will love this smart and witty thriller.

If you like the sound of this it can be bought here!!

About The Author:

Born and raised in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, Ivy Ngeowis the author of three published novels and numerous short stories, one of which has been performed and broadcast on the BBC World Service.

Others have been published in literary journals such as Burning Press, Lunate, Fixi Novo anthology and andalso broadsheets like The Straits Times.

Her debut novel won the 2016 International ProversePrize, and was published in Hong Kong in 2017. She holds an MA from Middlesex University where she was awarded the University’s 2005 Literary Press Prize, an international competition, out of 1500 entrants. Most recently, she was editor of Asian Anthology New Writing Vol.1 which was published in Feb 2022 in London.

Her lates novel was on a longlist of 12 for the 2021 Avons x Mushens Entertainment Prize for commercial fiction by a BAME writer. Ivy is a regular suburban mum who loves dogs, cake and piano-pounding. She lives in London.

🐧❤️

Today I’m on the tour for The Memories In Blood by Guy Cross, 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: 316

Synopsis: A stormy night; a hit and run and Stephen Porter unleashes a train of events that delivers him—and his family—into the clutches of a terrifying dark magician…

… whose magick works through the medium of blood – and the innocence of children.

Stealer of souls, shapeshifter devil, how can he be defeated?

The answer lies in the memories of Jonny Sorrell, a teenage boy who has no idea they form the key to ending Rook forever.

The question is, will he realise in time?

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: I definitely underestimated how creepy this would be!

We’re following Stephen and his family, Fay and Dr Lofgren and then Elinor and Gray.

They’re all linked but we just don’t know how.. yet!

I have to be really careful what I say because part of the reading experience is because you don’t know what’s happening, you don’t know who’s involved and in what capacity and you don’t know where the story is going next.

Constantly shocking and full of surprises this one really kept me on my toes!

There’s a priest, a vicarage a psychiatric doctor, witches and magick.. lots of blood.. because that’s where the memories are 😉

A secluded cabin like home in a forest and a teenager who is yet to discover everything about himself.

I’m not always a horror fan so I was dubious going into this one, but I’m definitely glad I gave it a chance!

🐧❤️

Today I’m on the tour for Here For The Drama by Kate Bromley, thank you to Tracy at Compulsive Readers for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 352

Synopsis: You can’t spell Dream Man without DRAMA.

As a PA to famous New York playwright Juliette, Winnie has spent the last seven years behind the scenes fetching coffee, soothing egos and buying birthday presents.

Putting her own career plans on hold to (once again) cater to Juliette’s every whim, Winnie reluctantly agrees to accompany her boss on a trip across the pond to work on London’s West End.

There, she meets Juliette’s dashing nephew Liam (hello, hot accent!). With a standing-ovation-worthy smile, Winnie can’t help crushing on him. Hard.

When Juliette notices her assistant is distracted, she forbids Winnie from seeing Liam, making sneaking around backstage even more thrilling . . .

Dream job. Dream man. We’re totally Here for the Drama.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: Oh, this was a lot of fun!

We’re following Winnie, she’s the PA to one of New York’s biggest playwrights Juliette, she may be her boss but Juliette is also one of her best friends and the mother figure she’s never really had so because of all of this Winnie will bend over backwards to make her happy.. even if it means but her own dreams and aspirations on the back burner.

Juliette is travelling to london to help with the reboot of one of her most well known plays, but she doesn’t want to go alone, so she’s roped her second assistant Roshni in to help her convince Winnie it’s a good idea.

Reluctantly she gets on the plane but little does she know she will find the love of her life (or that the love of her life had 4 legs and a waggy tail😛)

I loved all of the main characters in this book, although I think Roshni was amongst my favourites.

There’s sass and banter oozing from all the pages & the shirt snappy chapters added to need to just keep turning the pages the constant “just one more chapter” meant that I was nearly finished before I knew it.

It’s not all plain sailing though, there’s secrets, lies and a whole lot of history.. but more than anything just a lot of drama and I was definitely here for it!

🐧❤️

Today I’m on the tour for Lucie Yi Is Not A Romantic by Lauren Ho, 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: 400

Synopsis: Lucie Yi has tried love – it didn’t work.

She’s decided that finding Mr Right is a myth, and that finding Mr Right-enough-to-have-children-with is the next best option. So when she meets easy-going Collin Read on a platonic co-parenting website, it finally feels like she has found her version of happily ever after.

But things take a turn for the worse when they move back home to Singapore where her very traditional family and remorseful ex-fiancé await.

With pressure mounting on all sides and her perfect plan unravelling, Lucie has to decide how much she’s willing to sacrifice for a chance at happiness – and maybe, just maybe, love.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: Lucie Yi acts like she has everything together, she’s an Independent woman who has everything she needs/wants..

At least that’s what she thought until she went to but a gift for her friends new born triplets, whilst she’s in the store she has a complete breakdown.

She’s realising that she wants a baby, but she knows that love doesn’t work, she’s been there, done that and just got her heart broken, so she finds a way to have a baby, there’s a co parenting website, after a lot of research and some input from her friends she decides to go ahead.. enter Colin.

What follows is a book that is hilarious in places, absolutely mortifying in others and also heartbreaking at times, I’m not ashamed to admit that it made me cry more than once.

I really loved the fact that this book shone a light on a way to have a baby that isn’t necessarily the conventional way.

After reading this I feel like we should all be a little more Lucie Yi!

🐧❤️

Today I’m on the tour for The Vacation by John Marrs, 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: 512

Synopsis: How far would you run to escape your past?

Venice Beach, Los Angeles. A paradise on earth.

Tourists flock to the golden coast and the promise of Hollywood.

But for eight strangers at a beach front hostel, there is far more on their mind than an extended vacation.

All of them are running from something. And they all have secrets they’d kill to keep . . .

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: this is a really long book for a thriller and just over 500 pages, but you soon realise that every single one of those pages are needed, there’s 8 main characters all with their own storyline.

The one place that links them is a hostel on Venice beach.. a place full of secrets and lies.

I can’t say much about this book because it’ll give it away but there’s so many twists that you don’t know which way you’re going.

The quiet ones are the ones you have to watch in this one!

It’s a very gripping book once you get started, it’s told in the past and the present so you get a very well rounded look into all the characters lives.

For a thriller I was very surprised to find that this one made me feel a whole range of emotions and even made me cry.

This is the first book of John Marrs that I’ve read and will definitely be diving into more in the future.

🐧❤️

Today I’m on the tour for Finding Mr Perfectly Fine by Tasneem Abdur-Rashid, thank you to Tracy at Compulsive Readers for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 465

Synopsis: Last week I turned 29. Along with the usual homemade Victoria sponge, helium balloon and Selfridges gift vouchers, my Mum’s birthday present to me was the threat that if I’m not engaged by my 30th birthday, she’s sending me off to the Motherland to find a fresh-from-the-Desh husband

When Zara’s Mum puts together the most archaic of arranged marriage resources (not exactly the romcom-worthy love story she had envisioned for herself), she is soon exhausted by her family’s failed attempts to set her up with every vaguely suitable Abdul, Ahmed and Farook that they can find. Zara decides to take matters into her own hands. How hard can it be to find a husband at twenty-nine?

With just a year to go, time is of the essence, so Zara joins a dating app and signs up for speed dating.
She meets Hamza, a kind British Egyptian who shares her values and would make a good husband. Zara knows that not all marriages are based on love (or lust) at first sight but struggles with the lack of spark. Particularly when she can’t stop thinking of someone else . . .

As her next birthday looms, and family pressure intensifies, Zara knows she must make a decision, but will she make the right one?

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧.5

My Thoughts: this was a book with a lot of humour whilst also having a very serious undertone.

Zara is close to 30, the age where her family believes she will be ‘over the hill’ no one will want to marry her and settle down once she hits 30, so she has 6 months in order to find someone to settle down with.

Her parents believe the perfect partner can be found with a simple ( or not) document known as BioData, her younger sister says it’s all about the online dating and the apps now, whilst her friend Adam from work believes that you should marry for love but not be afraid to have a little fun along the way.

Coming from a Muslim family it’s all very serious business and the fact that this isn’t her first try at finding ‘the one’ means she runs the risk of being shunned by certain family members if she doesn’t do it right this time.

We follow Zara as she navigates the Muslim ‘dating scene’ whilst also trying to find herself again in the process.

I really enjoyed this book, it gave me an insight into the intricacies of a religion that I don’t really know a lot about without being overwhelming.

🐧❤️

Today I’m on the tour for The Bay by Allie Reynolds, thank you so much 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: 416

Synopsis: The waves are to die for. It’s a paradise they’d kill to keep.

There’s a darkness inside all of us and The Bay has a way of bringing it out. Everyone here has their secrets but we don’t go looking for them. Because sometimes it’s better not to know.

Kenna arrives in Sydney to surprise her best friend, shocked to hear she’s going to marry a guy she’s only just met. But Mikki and her fiancé Jack are about to head away on a trip, so Kenna finds herself tagging along for the ride.

Sorrow Bay is beautiful, wild and dangerous. A remote surfing spot with waves to die for, cut off from the rest of the world. Here Kenna meets the mysterious group of people who will do anything to keep their paradise a secret. Sky, Ryan, Clemente and Victor have come to ride the waves and disappear from life. How will they feel about Kenna turning up unannounced?

As Kenna gets drawn into their world, she sees the extremes they are prepared to go to for the next thrill. And everyone seems to be hiding something. What has her best friend got involved in and how can she get her away? But one thing is rapidly becoming clear about The Bay: nobody ever leaves.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: this book took me on one hell of a ride, I don’t know that I was expecting but this book gave me whatever it was and more 😂

We’re following Kenna, who is on her way to Australia because her best friend Mikki is getting married, certain things that Kenna has been told make her believe that Mikki is being mistreated, however when she gets there Jack surprises her by not being the way that she imagined in fact he invites Kenna to come with them to Sorrow Bay…

Sorrow Bay is beautiful, secluded, the perfect spot for surfing but it also holds everyone’s secrets and straight away Kenna begins to feel uneasy.. then when she is introduced to the rest of the group and they all seem standoffish she starts to wonder what it is she’s walked into & why they’re all so secretive.

This is a page turner and a half full of short snappy chapters so although it’s over 400 pages it’s a fairly quick read & it took over my life whilst I was reading it 😂 I didn’t want to stop reading to be an ‘adult’ so I even downloaded the audio book which added a whole new dimension to the story.

I have a phobia of being in the sea and let’s just say this book did absolutely nothing to ease that fear..

If you love a psychological thriller where none of the characters can be trusted then this one is definitely a must read for you!

🐧❤️