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Thank you to The Book Club Reviewer Group, Netgalley and Avon Books UK for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Pages: 384

Synopsis: Last winter she had a plan.

Lucy fell in love with tumbledown Rosemary Cottage as a child. So thirty years on, when she loses her city job and discovers the cottage is for sale, it feels like fate. She’ll raise her children in Burley Bridge and transform the cottage into a B&B with her husband.

But a year can change everything . . .

Now Lucy is juggling two children and a B&B, but on her own. Christmas looks set to be their last on Rosemary Lane – until she meets James, a face from her past and someone who might offer a different kind of future . . .

Should Lucy leave the cottage behind? Or could this winter on Rosemary Lane be the start of something new?

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: I went into this without really reading the synopsis, it was a total “judge a book by its cover” moment, but can you blame me, the cover is beautiful.

I initially thought this was going to be a soppy Christmas romance, but honestly I couldn’t have been more wrong, we follow Lucy, who after just losing her job decided she needs a change of scenery so when she notices the house she fell in love with as a child is up for sale it kind of feels like fate, after all she told her friends back then that one day it would be hers!

She moves into the house of her dreams with her husband and 2 kids and is looking forward to their first Christmas together in the village, but then tragedy strikes and all of Lucy’s hopes and dreams are shattered into a million pieces and she’s left wondering if she did the right thing in moving from Manchester to West Yorkshire.

It was heartbreaking to see Lucy change so much and doubt her husbands love and devotion to her, but it felt so real that I found myself doubting everything too.

Witnessing Lucy open up and let people in again was a truly beautiful, heartwarming thing to experience it made me want to see where her story goes next!

This book is more about friendships old and new and learning how to trust and lean on people in your time of need.

I urge everyone to pick it up, you won’t be disappointed.

🐧❤️

Today is my stop on the blog tour for We Met in December by Rosie Curtis, thank you to Avon books for inviting me to take part and providing me with a copy.

Pages: 376

Synopsis: What if you couldn’t get away from the one who got away?

This December, unlucky-in-love Jess is following her dream and moving to Notting Hill. On the first night in her new house-share she meets Alex, the guy in the room next door. They don’t kiss under the mistletoe, but there’s still a spark that leaves Jess imagining how they might spend the year together – never mind the house rule against dating…

But when Jess returns from her Christmas holiday, she finds Alex has started seeing Emma, who lives on the floor above them. Now Jess faces a year of bumping into the man of her dreams – and, apparently, the woman of his.

Jess is determined to move on and spend the year falling in love with London, not Alex – but what if her heart has other ideas?

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My thoughts: I do love a good contemporary romance book and this one definitely didn’t disappoint, Jess is 29, She’s not long broken-hearted with her boyfriend/boss after finding out he was cheating on her with another colleague so she’s found herself a new job in London and moved to a house in Notting Hill that her friend has recently inherited, she will be living with a few strangers, but the rent is cheap.

On her first night in the new house there is a party of sorts, Jess meets Alex and instantly feels like they have a connection, The next day though she sees him leaving the room of another one of her housemates and resigns herself to the fact that they will be just friends.

For the most part this was a lovely heartwarming story, seeing Jess and Alex’s friendship develop was amazing to read and kind of made me feel at some points that they would be better off staying that way.

The story wasn’t perfect, Alex’s relationship with Emma is just a friends with benefits arrangement which is fine it happens, but he spent a lot of time saying he needed to end it before she caught feelings, but then ended up back in bed with her.

He also only seemed to notice and ‘want’ Jess when she decided that he wasn’t interested and started online dating to find her own little piece of happiness.

The story turned into a bit of a “will they, won’t they’ situation and I honestly didn’t know what side I was on until the ending had happened & made me happy!

If you enjoy a Christmas romance which isn’t straight forward and had many twists and turns then I can definitely recommend this one.

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Today is my stop on the blog tour for You, Me, Forever by Jo Watson. thank you to Emily Patience for inviting me to be part of it and to Headline Eternal and Netgalley for my copy.

Pages: 400

Synopsis: It all started with faulty elevator – and a love letter…

Writer Becca Thorne needs an idea – fast! She might have a huge bestseller to her name but, with the deadline for book two approaching, Becca knows she’s in danger of losing the career she cares so much about. But Fate has other plans for her when she almost plummets to her death with two strangers in a faulty elevator.

Although Becca emerges in one piece, her precious vintage handbag doesn’t, and that’s when she realises that inspiration has been with her alll along. Hidden inside the bag’s now-torn lining is a set of beautiful love letters.

It might not be her story, yet Becca can’t seem to get the romantic words out of her head and feels compelled to discover who wrote the letters. But there’s more waiting for Becca than the tale of a romance from long ago – it might be the chance to live her own love story and follow the path Fate has always intended her to…

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: this is going to be a really difficult book for me to review for the simple fact that I don’t want to spoil anything.

I loved Becca right from the beginning, she was ditzy but loveable, she was always getting herself into situations that made you laugh out loud and shake your head at the same time. I even found myself more than once saying out loud “what are you doing?!” Or “why would you do that?!” – I found myself eagerly awaiting the next fail moment!

I loved the fact that she was following the journey of the couple in the letters that she found to try and get to the bottom of what had happened to them, but unbeknownst to her she finds her self slap bang in the middle of the whole thing when she ends up spending time with people who are actually connected to the Lady mentioned in the letters, it’s then that this whole journey becomes more about finding the letters that she wrote and seeing if she can return them to the intended reader.

This story was heart wrenching and heart warming all at the same time, I had a lump in my throat for a lot of it from trying to hold back the tears, I was so invested that I was sad when it ended, but also pleased with the end result.

This is the first time I’ve read something by Jo Watson, but I honestly can’t wait to pick up more from her in the future.

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Today is my stop on the blog tour for Who did you tell? By Lesley Kara! – thank you to Anne from Random Things Tours for inviting me to be a part of it & to Bantam Press for my copy.

Pages: 304

Synopsis: It’s been 192 days, seven hours and fifteen minutes since her last drink. Now Astrid is trying to turn her life around.

Having reluctantly moved back in with her mother, in a quiet seaside town away from the temptations and painful memories of her life before, Astrid is focusing on her recovery. She’s going to meetings. Confessing her misdeeds. Making amends to those she’s wronged.

But someone knows exactly what Astrid is running from. And they won’t stop until she learns that some mistakes can’t be corrected.

Some mistakes, you have to pay for . . .

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: This book was a difficult read at times, our main character Astrid is a recovering alcoholic, she’s been sober for almost 200 days and has moved to a small town to be with her mum after successfully completing rehab.

She’s still coming to terms with the death of her ex boyfriend Simon, we know there is a secret surrounding him, there are lots of Astrid hinting towards it and this is the main crux of the story as Astrid starts receiving little notes and photos saying that they know what she did.

This book is mainly told from Astrids perspective, but we do get the odd paragraph from the person who is following and tormenting Astrid and those ones honestly gave me goosebumps and made me shiver, especially the opening paragraph.. WOW.

Astrid is just starting to get her life together, she’s getting back into painting and has fallen in love, but can she stay on the straight and narrow long enough for her to enjoy the happiness she’s creating?

This book had me hooked from the beginning and I honestly couldn’t put it down.

Would definitely recommend to absolutely everyone.

❤️🐧

Thank you to The Book Club Reviewer Group, Netgalley and Orion for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Pages: 368

Synopsis: As children, Gabi and Thea were like most identical twin sisters: inseparable.

Now adults, Gabi is in a coma following a vicious attack and Thea claims that, until last week, the twins hadn’t spoken in fifteen years. But what caused such a significant separation? And what brought them back together so suddenly?

Digging into the case, DS Kate Munro is convinced the crime was personal. Now she must separate the truth from the lies and find the dangerous assailant – before any more blood is spilled

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧

My thoughts: this is a really hard book to review as most good thrillers are because the devil is in the details, I can’t give anything away because it will ruin the overall enjoyment and shock factor to the book, but sometimes you read a book and wish you could go back and experience it for the first time all over again.

I absolutely flew through this, I couldn’t put it down, it would have been a one sitting book if things like sleep weren’t important 😂

We follow twin sisters Thea and Gabi, the book opens with Thea being questioned because Gabi is in hospital in a bad way having been attacked a couple of days before, but you soon learn that even from the beginning things aren’t always as they seem, how can you be sure you’re talking to the right twin when they’re identical?

When DS Kate Munro is looking into the attack she realises that it bears some resemblance to the murder of the girls parents 15 years ago, which leads her to go digging through an old solved case, because something doesn’t feel right.

This book really shows that’s family isn’t just about DNA and how far some people will go to protect the ones they love.

I personally can not wait for the next instalment!

🐧❤️

Thank you to TBC Reviewer group, Netgalley and Orion for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Pages: 304

Synopsis: You trust your family. They love you. Don’t they?

When 17-year-old Eva Olsen awakes after a horrific accident that has left her bedbound, her parents are right by her side. Devoted, they watch over her night and day in the attic room of their family home in the forests of Norway.

But the accident has left Eva without her most recent memories, and not everything is as it seems. As secrets from the night of the accident begin to surface, Eva realises – she has to escape her parents’ house and discover the truth. But what if someone doesn’t want her to find it?

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My thoughts: it took a few chapters to get into this book, the first few were a little confusing, but I stuck it out and honestly I’m glad I did, there is so much that is left open to the readers interpretation, why is she locked in the attic? – why are her parents being evasive whenever Eva asks questions? What’s the real reason they don’t even let her into her old room? Why are they keep her best friends away?

It’s not until she manages to escape out of the attic that she understands the gravity of the secrets that are being kept from her.

With them still not knowing who or what caused Evas accident she’s still on edge, and constantly feels like she’s being watched, this book honestly had me on the edge of my seat, it made me feel anxious/scared along with the main character.

Just as you think you’ve worked out what’s happening and where the story is headed another twist is thrown at you and I honestly felt myself getting tied up in knots along the way.

If you’re a fan of this genre this is a book you absolutely have to pick up!

🐧❤️

Pages: 386

Synopsis: Leah Griffiths has woken up after a few too many glasses of Prosecco with a hangover – and discovers she’s accidentally bought a little Christmas tree farm in Scotland!

At first she’s horrified, but perhaps it’s the perfectway to forget all about her cheating ex.

And when she meets grumpy (but ridiculously gorgeous) pumpkin farmer Noel underneath the mistletoe, Leah begins to believe that at Christmas time, anything can happen…

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My thoughts: this is the second book by Jaimie Admans that I’ve picked up and just like the first one this made me feel all warm and fuzzy.

Jaimie has a way of making you relate all her characters and I’m definitely here for it.

This story follows Leah who wakes up after a few too many Prosecco’s to find out that she’s actually spent her inheritance on a Christmas tree farm, she’s not disappointed to discover this and throws herself into getting ready to leave.

When she arrives she realises that the perfect little Christmas dream she had in her head is not the same as the reality, the Christmas tree farm she’s bought is run down and the house is dilapidated.

A stray squirrel brings a sexy Scottish farmer and a cute little chihuahua into her life though and things start looking up, could he be the answer to her prayers?

I really enjoyed reading about Leah and Noels relationship dynamic and how it evolved throughout the book.

I’d love to be a part of Roscoe Farm or Peppermint Branches, if only they were real places 😂

Thank you Jaimie for another fabulously festive heartwarming read!

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Today is my stop on the blog tour for Snowed in at The Practice by Penny Parkes. thank you to Anne at Random things Tours for organising it and to Simon and Schuster for providing my copy via netgalley.

Pages: 496

Synopsis: Dr Holly Graham is finding life with two sets of twins exhausting. Even with husband Dr Taffy Jones and devoted friend Elsie by her side, she is completely outnumbered. Making the transition back to work will be no easy feat but a regular slot on Radio Larkford as their on-air doctor might be the perfect stepping stone, until an unexpected job offer changes everything.

Dr Alice Walker’s new canine clinic at Larkford Surgery with Coco, her assistance dog, has been a storming success. If only shipping her best friend, Dr Tilly Grainger, in from South America to cover for Holly had been such a smooth transition. It seems that Tilly isn’t finding life in the peaceful Cotswolds valley as rewarding as she’d hoped, and she is causing chaos …

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧.5

My Thoughts: When I agreed to be a part of this blog tour, I hadn’t realised that this book was the latest in a series, totally my fault for not doing the research but unfortunately this sometimes left me feeling a little bit lost as I didn’t know any of the back stories!

However, that being said it still worked as a standalone I thoroughly enjoyed the story and found myself getting invested in the characters lives quite quickly.

Because I haven’t read the other books there isn’t really a lot I can say about character development BUT I loved all of the characters for different reasons.

I really enjoyed the sense of community within the story & how they all pulled together when it mattered, it had a very ‘real” feel to it and it made me heart happy!

This book still made me have ALL the feelings and dealt with some pretty hard hitting topics in a very sensitive way which is t always easy to do.

I’ve also discovered my library has all of the books in this series and can’t wait to dive in from the beginning!

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Here it is! the gorgeous cover of the highly anticipated finale of AA Abbott’s crime series! – isn’t it beautiful?! 😍😍

Birmingham has well and truly been put on the crime thriller map with the success of the TV series Peaky Blinders but for bookworms amongst us the popular Trail Series has long brought readers into the modern day 21st century with its tense storylines, murder and intrigue set in and around the city.

The Trail series features a vodka business, a cancer cure and obsessive killers. Every book is a good read in its own right – each is a great crime story with terrific twists to keep the tension mounting – but together, they follow the same characters over several years.

The Trail series author AA Abbott also known as Helen Blenkinsop, has been compared with the likes of Ruth Rendell, John Grisham and Jeffrey Archer.  She lived and studied in Birmingham for nearly 20 years and her passion and love for the city became the inspiration for the Trail series.

Now, after four successful editions the last storyline will be revealed in the publication of THE FINAL TRAIL which will be launched in Birmingham on 28th October.

In the last book …”Glamorous Kat White has built a successful craft vodka brand in Birmingham, but she has an uneasy relationship with her business partner, Marty Bridges. Her mother had previously supplied with poisonous vodka. Marty doesn’t trust Kat, resents having to depend on her for commercial success, and isn’t thrilled that his eldest son wants to marry her. That’s not his biggest problem, though. He’s trying to develop a cancer drug with Kat’s brother, Erik, and it’s draining money he doesn’t have. Just as he finds an investor with pockets deep enough to fund their research, Erik is lured to the former Soviet Union and thrown into jail. Meanwhile, Ben Halloran, who killed his father to save Kat’s life, is faced with the twin risks of a murder charge and his brother’s deep-seated desire for revenge. Can Ben escape with his life and liberty? And can Marty save both Erik and his business – and learn to trust Kat?”

Helen said “I’ve been writing about these amazing characters for over 5 years, so you can imagine, they have become a part of my life. It’s been a great journey and they have come through so many storylines that it feels right for them to achieve their dreams at last.”

Most of the action in THE FINAL TRAIL takes place across the city and features the famous Rose Villa Tavern and 1,000 Trades in the Jewellery Quarter; The Mailbox, home to the BBC in Birmingham, Holloway Head by the famous Pagoda Island and locations in Harborne and Edgbaston.

Helen added “It’s going to be very sad to launch the last book as the stories and characters have built up such a following but it will give me the opportunity to weave new and exciting tales – I have so many ideas buzzing in my head.”

THE FINALTRAIL is a perfect read for those who like a fast-paced crime thriller combined with suspense, humour and plot twists.  It’s ideal to take away on holiday and provides a great read during the autumn/winter nights.

THE FINALTRAIL will be available to order from Amazon in e-book, paperback and  dyslexia-friendly format from Monday 28th October 2019.

BUY IT HERE!

Synopsis:Family feuds just got bloodier… A gripping thriller, and a great story of death, revenge and vodka.

To save glamorous Kat White’s life, Ben Halloran killed his gangster father. Now his brother wants to even the score.

The gripping Trail series of British crime thrillers reaches its dramatic conclusion in this compelling page turner.

❤️🐧

Thank you to Kelly at LoveBooks for organising this blog tour and inviting me to take part and to Urbane books for my copy.

Pages: 211

Synopsis: Ophelia Street, 1970. A street like any other, a community that lives and breathes together as people struggle with their commitments and pursue their dreams. It is a world we recognise, a world where class and gender divide, where set roles are acknowledged. But what happens when individuals step outside those roles, when they secretly covet, express desire, pursue ambitions even harm and destroy? An observer in the midst of Ophelia Street watches, writes, imagines, remembers, charting the lives and loves of his neighbours over the course of four seasons. And we see the flimsily disguised underbelly of urban life revealed in all its challenging glory. As the leaves turn from vibrant green to vivid gold, so lives turn and change too, laying bare the truth of the community. Perhaps, ultimately, we all exist on Ophelia Street.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧

My thoughts: As someone who was born in the early 90’s I can’t say how true this book was to 1970, but what I can say is that the community had a different feel to what I know of today, no one really spoke to each other, they only really knew of each other in passing – it was very much a say hello but nothing else, Unless it was the men in the local on an evening.

This book isn’t normally something I’d pick up on my own, but the story kept me interested all the way through, there were quite a few characters and they were all very different and brought a different aspect and a different feel to the story.

The majority of the book was told from the perspective of the main character as if he was looking back, which I appreciated, it gave the book a genuine feel to it, sometimes I forgot I was reading a novel because it felt like someone’s life story.

A lot of hard hitting topics are dealt with in this book, we have a murder, a suicide, a death, a breakdown of a relationship, as well as animals dying to

Heads up, get some tissues ready for chapter 9, it made me cry a lot.

Overall this book made me feel lots of different emotions, which is impressive with it being so short, it just wasn’t my kind of book so it felt like it missed the mark for me.

Still an enjoyable read though, so if you like what you’ve read in my review then pick it up and see what you think ☺️

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