prdgreads

Today I’m on the blog tour for Brazen by Julia Haart, 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: 464

Synopsis: Ever since she was a child, every aspect of Julia Haart’s life – what she wore, what she ate, what she thought – was controlled by the rules of ultra-Orthodox Judaism. At nineteen, after a lifetime spent caring for her seven younger siblings, she was married off to a man she barely knew. For the next twenty-three years, her marriage would rule her life.

Eventually, when Haart’s youngest daughter, Miriam, started to innocently question why she wasn’t allowed to sing in public, run in shorts, or ride a bike without being covered from neck to knee, Haart reached a breaking point. She knew that if she didn’t find a way to leave, her daughters would be forced into the same unending servitude.

So Haart created a double life. In the ultra- Orthodox world, clothing has one purpose – to cover the body, head to toe – and giving any more thought than that to one’s appearance is considered sinful, an affront to God. But when no one was looking, Haart would pour over fashion magazines and sketch designs for the clothes she dreamed about wearing in the world beyond her Orthodox suburb. She started preparing for her escape by educating herself and creating a ‘freedom’ fund. At the age of forty-two, she finally mustered the courage to flee.

Within a week of her escape, Haart founded a shoe brand, and within nine months, she was at Paris Fashion Week. Just a few years later, she was named creative director of La Perla. Soon she would become co-owner and CEO of Elite World Group and one of the most powerful people in fashion. Along the way, her four children – Batsheva, Shlomo, Miriam and Aron – have not only accepted but embraced her transformation.

Propulsive and unforgettable, Haart’s story is the journey from a world of ‘no’ to a world of ‘yes’, and an inspiration for women everywhere to find their freedom, their purpose and their voice.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: I feel bad saying that I really enjoyed this book because some parts made for really uncomfortable reading.

Imagine having no control of your life, every little thing you do has to be done with the permission of one person & he’s not even related to you – that’s how Julia lived for so long, until she found the courage to leave and attempt to follow her dreams.

Things weren’t always like that though. Things were pretty normal for Julia until she was 8 years old and then her mother and father became Orthodox Jews and suddenly everything changed, her childhood was slowly stripped away & she wasn’t allowed to have a say in her own life.

She doesn’t marry for love, she marries one of the few people her mum says is good for her and she pops out children because that is what her duty is now, but she always been left wanting more, whilst also not wanting to lose her children, is there a happy medium & will she find it?

I loved this, it can be quite heavy reading so I did find myself switching to the audio book & I think that helped. it gave it a more personal feel and really allowed me to lose myself in Julia’s story.

One I would highly recommend!

🐧❤️

Today I’m on the book tour for The Undateable Gay by Mark David Woollard, 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: 207

Synopsis: Think you’re unlucky in love ?
You know nothing of dating misery until you’ve delved into the world of the undatable gay
Mark Morgan just can’t catch a break.

As he documents his struggles through the dating minefield of the gay world, Mark tries to find the answer to the eternal question:

does Mr Right truly exist?

With his best friend and fag hag, Tullene for support and a bottle of Savvy B (or 6), he battles his way through failed date after date. And ponders many a profound question:

How much savvy B is too much?
Will he ever be able to bottom?
Should you wear Ugg boots on a first date?
Can you find love in a gay sauna?

One man keeps popping up ( pardon the pun) like a proverbial bad penny, but will Mark ever bag Travis.
Or should he leave him where he found him- in his late teens on a dance floor in G-A-Y?

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: firstly can we talk about this cover, eye catching, colourful, a lot going on but also a lot fun, which pretty much sums up the entire book.

The book is basically Mark looking back on his notoriously tragic dating experience, it’s hilariously funny in places, so much so that I found myself laughing to myself whilst reading more than once and had to take myself upstairs and away from the family.

This was told in the first person and in chapters that were almost like diary entry’s which meant you really felt like you were in the middle of the action – this meant that sometimes I could see what was about to happen before it happened and everything in me wished I could save Mark from the hurt/anger/humiliation he was about to experience.

Now I’m not a wine drinker, I’m more of a baileys girl, so much so that I have to try ALL the new flavours when they’re released just incase I’m missing the most amazing thing I’ve ever tasted BUT more than once I found myself craving a “Savvy B” whilst reading this 😂

The writing in this book was absolutely amazing, I’m not ashamed to admit that I struggled to work out wether it was fiction, wether the author was recounting his actual dating history or wether it was a mix of both, but whatever it was I was well and truly invested.

There was one character who kept appearing like a bad smell and it made me want to slap him, we all have one of those people in our lives. Someone who doesn’t want you, but doesn’t want anyone else to have you either.. if you’re reading this and you’re of those people then just stop because people deserve to be loved.

I could go on about this book forever because it just made me want Mark to be my Gay Best Friend, but I rely on a wheelchair so maybe that’s not the best idea after the fiasco at the wedding 👩🏻‍🦽🤣

If you trust my judgement at all when it comes to books and you’re a fan of romantic comedy’s with a little bit of a twist then please give this a go, I promise you won’t regret it.

🐧❤️

Today I’m on the book tour for Shimmer by Alan Meredith, 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: 96

Synopsis: Lyla is having the worst year of her life and then her Mum announces they are moving to a strange new town. The only silver lining is the signs that a cat has made itself home in the new house. Lyla quickly finds out though that Shimmer is no ordinary cat….

My Rating 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: I can’t say too much about this book because it’s really short and I wouldn’t want to give it all away.

Lyla had be en taken away from everything she knows, they’ve moved away because her dad died suddenly and everything just reminds them of him and they think a clean break will help.

Lyla starts hearing meows in the night and is convinced a cat is letting itself in on a night, she’s always wanted a cat so she thinks if she can catch it she can convince her mum to keep it.. but when she finally sees it she realises it’s not a normal cat…

The turn it takes then wasn’t what I was expecting, it gave me an insight into my own cats life and made me worry about her when she leaves the house 😂

I never thought a book like this would make me cry, but this one had me sobbing.

I really enjoyed it, it’s different to anything I’ve read before and it’s another one I would highly recommend.

🐧❤️

Today I’m on the book tour for Midas by Alan Meredith, 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: 115

Synopsis: Hearing voices when no one is talking to you is a bad sign right? When twelve year old Tyler follows the calls of his name into the burnt out house on the roundabout, and finds a golden lizard called Midas, his luck appears to have changed for the better. Right?

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: well for a middle grade book there were parts of this that made me feel uneasy and I’m a 31 year old woman so I can only imagine what a child would feel.

We’re following Tyler a 12 year old boy who lives with his mum. they don’t have a lot of money and all he wants is a lizard, so when his mum does the weekly shop he goes to the exotic pet shop and looks at all the lizards and other animals before meeting his mum on the bakery aisle looking at all the treats they can’t afford.

To make ends meet they dumpster dive & Tyler finds a glass cage perfect for a lizard, when his mum lets him take it home he feels like his luck has turned.. then he finds Midas a gold lizard who makes himself invisible any time anyone else appears.

There’s a well known saying if something seems too good to be true it normally is and Tyler will soo learn just how right that is..

This was brilliant. A powerful, impactful story with a very important message. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it to the younger generation particularly those just starting secondary school

🐧❤️

Today I’m on the blog tour for It Only Takes A Minute by Sasha Lane, 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.

Synopsis: What if you could live in a different country for four weeks?

What if you could live a different life for four weeks?

That’s what this was supposed to be. Four weeks of sun, sea, and cocktails.

I wasn’t supposed to fall in love.

Do I go back to my old life, or risk starting a brand new one?

Does that really happen in real life, or just in the movies?

Life can change in an instant though. After all, it only takes a minute…

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: how much can your life change in 4 weeks? – enough to leave a lasting impression?

We’re following Keira who has decided to take a sabbatical from work & go travelling, the only problem is she doesn’t do things like this, she’s not spontaneous in the slightest and has never travelled on her own before, but her best friend is married with a little girl and another baby on the way & she’s not long since split up with her now ex boyfriend… so she’s feeling a little stuck.

After basing her travel destination on a pastel de nata, she quickly books her flights and accommodation before she changes her mind.

This book is perfect to just lose yourself in for an afternoon, the perfect escape it kind of made me wish I was on holiday 😂

Sun, sea, new friends who own a bar and a gorgeous man to keep you company.. what more could you need?

This story was funny, funny enough to have me laughing out loud whilst also being realistic and relatable, I found myself shaking my head at some of the situations Kiera found herself in.

I loved Dylan from the start. I can’t explain why but he just completely won me over, I was definitely in his corner.

I read this book in one sitting, I just couldn’t put it down, definitely one I would recommend to fans of the romance genre

🐧❤️

Today I’m on the book tour for The Second Wife by Miranda Rijks, 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: 276

Synopsis: She married the man she loved. Then she met his family.

Tamsin has recently married renowned composer Robin Featherstone. Robin is much older, but Tamsin doesn’t care – she’s in love.

And she knows Robin loves her too, even if he is very close to another young woman – his assistant, Mia.

But Robin’s ex-wife and grown children aren’t happy – they’re sure Tamsin is a gold-digger and Mia is an opportunist.

Then, when Robin dies suddenly, the family’s worst fears are realised – Tamsin stands to inherit everything. But when the will is read, its contents are beyond shocking.

As Mia and Tamsin are pitted against each other, only one thing is clear. The family will go to any lengths to stop either of them inheriting even a part of Robin’s estate.

Isolated in the family mansion, fearing for their lives and distrustful of each other, Tamsin and Mia are determined to stand their ground. But then a dark family secret is revealed which may engulf them all…

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: this is the second book I’ve read by Miranda & I loved ‘The Influencer’ so much that a small part of me was worried that The Second Wife wouldn’t live up to the high expectations I had, turns out I should have had more faith in Miranda’s writing because I loved it!

We’re following Mia, she’s at the house of Robin Featherstone for an interview as his second housekeeper.. she’s really hoping she gets the job, she’s an aspiring musician and Robin Featherstone is a very well known composer, however she’s dubious that she’ll get it because she’s hiding a big secret about her past.

Tamsin the new wife is young and beautiful. She has everything you could want., a husband who adores her, money to spend and a rather impressive cactus collection, but not everything is as it seems.. Robin’s children don’t like her and the ex wife is still lingering, the last thing she needs is a new cleaner who idolises her husband before she’s even started.

I won’t say anymore because I’ll end up telling the whole story 😂

The story was a slow burn and very character driven, I appreciated this because normally psychological thrillers are story driven and you don’t get to know the characters which can sometimes make it hard to get invested..

There were times in the story when I was on Tamsin’s corner and other times when I was all for Mia but at times I couldn’t help but feel they were both being played and if they just worked together they would get to the bottom of everything!

With a whole host of characters all with different personalities this made it hard to work out who the guilty party was but the journey was a lot of fun!

I had a soft spot for Marek because I have an autistic step brother so at times I just wanted to wrap him up in a big cuddle and take him away from everything.

Lots of action, lots of secrets and lots of possible suspects all with motive meant that I didn’t work it out for myself at all.

absolutely brilliant!

🐧❤️

Today I’m on the tour for Santa Fe Psychosis by Max Talley, 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: 178

Synopsis: Jackson Bardo, an out-of-work Private Investigator, is summoned to New Mexico by his ex-girlfriend. Her life is being threatened and she needs money. But he doesn’t have enough when he arrives. And days later, she disappears.

Joining forces with his friend, Police Detective Diego Juarez, the pair set out to find her.

During their search, Juarez is given the job of locating a missing teenager. But the discovery of another girl – dead – leads them to uncover a child trafficking operation.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧.5

My Thoughts: I’ve never read anything by Max before, but when I saw the beautiful cover and read the synopsis I couldn’t wait to dive in!

The book opens with Bardo receiving phone calls after midnight from his ex girlfriend saying she was in trouble and needed money. So he drips everything and travels to Santa Fe to help, he doesn’t have all the money she needs but as a PI he thinks he might be able to use his unique skill set to help her, only once he gives her the little money he has and she disappears does he learn that maybe he doesn’t have the whole story!

Whilst looking for her he gets himself into a bit of trouble which ends with him and his partner Juarez finding a dead body.. they had no how deep that one body was going to throw them.

For such a short book this had a lot in it and I was here for it, every time you thought you’d got to the crux of the action and surprises it threw something else at you.

Parts of this book made for very uncomfortable reading but in the best kind of way! Some of the characters have me an uneasy feeling from the beginning and outside of the main 3 Bardo, Juarez and Ravello you didn’t know who could be trusted and who couldn’t.

The book was told in the 3rd person which meant we got to experience everyone’s feelings and thoughts rather than seeing them through the opinion of the first person, for me this made it easier to get lost in the story because the writing just flowed so easily.

Gripping, powerful, shocking and left on a cliffhanger.. does this mean it will be part of a series?! I really hope so. I wasn’t quite ready to say goodbye to the main characters.

🐧❤️

Today I’m on the book tour for How to Spot a Psychopath by MQ Webb, 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: 354

Synopsis: Could you tell… Would you?

When four-year-old Mia Edwards goes missing on a play date, everyone suspects Jessica Green knows what happened, especially Mia’s mother, Holly…

But Jess won’t tell anyone.

Psychiatrist, Dr. Oscar de la Nuit, is perceptive and determined to save Jess from the same regret and secrets he lives with.

Big Little Lies meets The Silent Patient in this psychological suspense, as a missing child case turns into a deep, psychological puzzle that explores whether you can ever know who someone really is.

Oscar thinks he has Jess figured out, but will she lead to Oscar’s redemption, or will she be his downfall?

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: well this book kept me guessing until the last couple of chapters! – I absolutely loved it!

We’re following Oscar, a psychiatrist he’s trying to help Jess remember what happened to Mia, a 4 year old who went missing whilst in her care, she’s being accused of murdering her and with Jess staying silent she’ll be sent down for a long time of she doesn’t start talking.

This story was told in 2 different timelines, then obviously starting before and leading up to Mia’s disappearance and the now which is dealing with the aftermath. I love a book told in this way because you kind of get both parts of the story at the same time. You’re left guessing but in the right way & not left trying to remember bits for too long.

There’s a whole host of characters that could be guilty and an underlying story with more than one of them, I genuinely had no idea who to trust!

The ‘good guys’ were brilliant Oscar and Hayley were a perfect team, working together but not afraid to question each other when things just didn’t add up.

I thought I had everything figured out and then a curveball was thrown in at the last minute, the writing was addictive and immersive, I can’t explain why but something kept me just turning the pages, I lost all sense of time and life around me whilst I was reading!

Would absolutely recommend this if you’re a fan of a psychological thriller and cannot wait for book 2 to be released ☺️

🐧❤️

Today I’m on the tour for The Tenant by Angela Lester, 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: 261

Synopsis: Amy is the perfect landlady. But she does have some ground rules…

Kate has always dreamed of a life in music. And now she’s finally done something about it – giving up her steady job, moving to the city to enroll in a degree program at a prestigious college.

Needing a place to live, she answers an ad and moves in with Amy who seems a nice lady – mothering and protective.

At first Kate is glad to have some support in this strange city, but gradually Amy’s presence becomes more and more stifling – it just seems so hard to get away from her. And every time Kate tries, something terrible happens…

As her life spirals downwards, Kate struggles to understand what’s happening. Is Amy plotting against her? Or is she simply buckling under the stress of adjusting to her new life?

Fearing for her sanity, Kate knows she needs to get some answers and begins to look into the history of the creepy old house she shares with Amy. What she finds is beyond her worst nightmares…

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧.5

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this thriller, it was a slow burn, at times a little too slow for me but there was something about the writing that made it impossible for me to put down and keep turning the pages.

We’re following Kate, who is wanting a career in music so she’s given up her job and the stability she had to attend a music college and get her degree.. the only problem is that she has no where to stay.. enter Amy a landlady who recently lost her mum and is looking for a tenant for company as well as much needed money.

There’s a whole host of different characters and who all have an integral part on the story.

Every one is hiding something & poor Kate can’t remember anything, is she sleepwalking or is she drinking too much and having blackouts?

The chapters were the perfect length for me for a thriller which had me always saying “just one more” and before I knew it I’d finished the book!

I guessed parts of the reveal but not all of it.

A good solid thriller that I would recommend to everyone ☺️

🐧❤️

Today I’m on the tour for It Never Rains But It Paws by Jacqueline Lambert, thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author for my copy.

Pages: 217

Synopsis: Five years after giving up work to travel full time, Dog-ma Jacqueline (Jackie) and Dogfather Mark race against time to leave the UK before Britain exits the EU. If Brexit happens, their four Cavapoos (Cavalier/Poodle cross) Kai, Rosie, Ruby, and Lani will lose their puppy passports, and the Lambert Family will be unable to travel together. But Brexit isn’t their only obstacle. A few months into their adventure, the pandemic suddenly shatters their plans, and leaves them trapped in the epicentre of Europe’s No. 1 coronavirus hotspot.

The fourth road trip Europe adventure in author Jacqueline Lambert’s “inspirational and hilarious” series of true travel memoirs invites you to join the couple as they discover even more amazing and little-known places, this time in France and Italy. However, this isn’t just a priceless escape travel story filled with humorous mishaps and mountain adventure. The coronavirus pandemic separates the family from their loved ones at home, and leaves Jackie stranded alone during a blizzard in a remote Italian village, with Mark thousands of miles away, back in the UK.

Between terrible weather, political mayhem, and a global pandemic, Jackie and Mark try to take lessons from each hardship. Yet, even with a positive attitude, a sense of adventure, and a caravan full of loved ones, you can’t stop all the obstacles life rolls your way. These “amusing and informative” travel stories are certainly proof that It Never Rains… But It Paws!

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: I was originally interested in this because my grandad and his partner Sue quite regularly go away in their camper van with their dogs (although unfortunately there is only one of them left now 😔) so I thought it would be fun to see a “behind the scenes” as such.

This has everything I was hoping it would and more.

The descriptions of some of the places were beautiful and quite vivid so it was easy to picture them & there was history thrown in too which was a really nice touch.

Parts of this book made me laugh a lot, especially the snake in the garden 😂

Other parts made me feel sad especially the parts about marks family some of that felt very close to home and my heart went out to them.

Reliving the pandemic through a book brought everything back again, how difficult things were but also how different things were all over the world and how each country dealt with it all differently.

I didn’t realise when reading this that there were 3 books previous to this one & I can’t wait to find the time to dive into the others because this one just had me captivated from the beginning.

🐧❤️