tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91317868868272969942024-03-06T00:26:55.865-08:00(A)My Space (A)My Spacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10855603380669649672noreply@blogger.comBlogger131125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131786886827296994.post-58044968193521886932017-07-05T00:13:00.000-07:002017-07-05T00:13:46.443-07:00BLOG TOUR: The Year of Saying Yes by Hannah Doyle <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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OH HIYA! </div>
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My clever and lovely friend <a href="https://twitter.com/HannahShowbiz">Hannah</a> has written a book and I know I am biased because I love her loads, but I also know a good book when I read one - and this is a BLOODY GOOD BOOK. </div>
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<i>The Year of Saying Yes</i> is the perfect, funny, summer read. The protagonist, Izzy, is stuck in a rut. For three years she has been in love with the same guy that doesn't seem interested in her, she works hard for a shoestring salary and lives in a shoebox flat. </div>
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Fed up, Izzy decides to start living and agrees to her life getting a total makeover as she starts saying 'Yes' to dares readers of her magazine column are sending in. No matter how wild, adventures or plain nuts the challenges are, saying 'no' is not an option... </div>
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Want to find out what happens next? Go <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Year-Saying-Yes-complete-novel-ebook/dp/B072PY5KW3/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1498858035&sr=1-1&keywords=hannah+doyle&linkCode=sl1&tag=shazsbookblog-21&linkId=e5bbc60e88fd655890514bf4d9ee21d4">read</a>!</div>
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And as I'm part of <i><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Year-Saying-Yes-complete-novel-ebook/dp/B072PY5KW3/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1498858035&sr=1-1&keywords=hannah+doyle&linkCode=sl1&tag=shazsbookblog-21&linkId=e5bbc60e88fd655890514bf4d9ee21d4">The Year of Saying Yes</a></b></i> blog tour, I asked Hannah what her playlist was while penning this super book. Doyler, over to you babes.... </div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b>Writing without music is like pizza without prosecco… it just shouldn’t happen! When I was working on my new book I basically LIVED on Spotify, with fun, upbeat scenes requiring some super loud dance throwbacks and the more emoshe scenes needing something more chilled. Don’t judge, but I did *occasionally* need to take a break from writing when Vanilla Ice’s Ice Ice Baby came on just so I could song along. No you be cool! </b></span></div>
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<b>Here are the top three songs I listened to while penning <i>The Year of Saying Yes</i>. </b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><i><b>Blackstreet, No Diggity</b></i><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Hey yo, hey yo, hey yo, HEY YOOOOOOO! Essentially, this is my favourite song of all time. I listen to it when I’m writing, I enforce soon-to-be married friends to add it to their wedding playlist, I make my babies listen to it when they’re giving me sass. I. Just. Love. It.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><b><i>Lady Gaga feat. Beyoncé, Telephone</i></b><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Firstly, what’s not to love about these two badass babes getting together for a collaboration. Secondly, the video is the best thing I saw with my eyes in 2010 (mmm hmmm honey bee). Thirdly, I feel like I could run the world when I listen to it and that’s pretty good when you’re trying to write something that people might actually like. <u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><b><i>Kylie Minogue, Can’t Get You Out of My Head</i></b><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Kylie is Queen. In fact, a lot of Aussies have done a ruddy good job at making pop songs. Remember Holly Valance’s Kiss Kiss and Dannii Minogue’s Put The Needle On It? So may yeses to them, too!</span></div>
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<br />(A)My Spacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10855603380669649672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131786886827296994.post-29281153446677533472016-10-02T10:59:00.000-07:002016-10-02T10:59:38.362-07:00Because of You by Helene Fermont <div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; min-height: 14px;">
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<i>Hannah arrives in London from Sweden in the Seventies and experiences love - and heartbreak, when she meets womaniser Mark. However her affections are split when she encounters high-flying Ben. But heiress Vanessa will stop at nothing to claim Ben as her own and sets in motion a series of shocking events… </i></div>
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Now the dark nights are closing in on us it’s time to add some books to your reading pile… First up, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Because-You-Helene-Fermont/dp/0995490708">Because of You</a></i> by Helene Fermont. </div>
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I’m a big fan of psychological thrillers and this certainly didn’t disappoint. Completely gripping, I finished this in one sitting as I was desperate to know what would happen to all the characters. </div>
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A fine debut from Helene Fermont - I can’t wait to read her next novel! </div>
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(A)My Spacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10855603380669649672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131786886827296994.post-65411930969251693282016-05-11T12:06:00.001-07:002016-05-11T12:06:51.946-07:00*Book review* One for the Nordic Noir fans... <div style="font-size: 16px; min-height: 19px;">
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I'm not a fan of Nordic Noir books - it just isn't a genre I enjoy. But my friend <a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/laurahinton"><span style="color: #1a37ee;">Laura</span></a> from the fab foodie blog, <a href="http://asecondserving1.blogspot.co.uk/"><span style="color: #1a37ee;">A Second Serving</span></a>, does love it and raved about Kristina Ohlsson's, The Chosen so much that I asked her to review it for me. And she kindly obliged… </div>
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On a cold winter's day, a pre-school teacher is shot to death in front of parents and children at the Jewish school in Stockholm. Just a few hours later, two boys go missing on their way to tennis practice. A heavy snowstorm hits the city and the traces of the perpetrator are few and far between. </div>
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Fredrika Bergman and Alex Recht are faced with one of their toughest challenges ever as they hunt for a killer who is merciless as he is effective. The leads are diverse, but all point to the same place: Israel. And someone called the Paper Boy keeps popping up in the police investigation. But who is this mysterious figure? Could he possibly have resurfaced in Stockholm, now claiming new victims? </div>
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<b>Laura says:</b> The Chosen is a Swedish no. 1 bestseller and I can see why as it's tense, dense and incredibly atmospheric. </div>
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This is the fifth book in the Bergman and Recht series, something I didn't realise before starting! Although this is an entirely new story, it felt like there were a lot of characters which meant it could get a bit confusing – if I'd read from the start it might have made things easier. </div>
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Despite that, The Chosen was an excellent read in the Nordic-crime genre. It's a complicated story about revenge and has a real labyrinthine of a plot with its roots in the past and also the present. Interestingly, you know the ending of the story from the very start as the novel jumps around in time but you're still kept guessing the whole way through. It has a great ending too, with a fabulous twist, one that left me with a lump in my throat. </div>
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Despite being quite a complicated read I was thoroughly engaged by the story and would recommend to others who enjoy this type of crime fiction. </div>
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Sound like your cup of tea? Buy it <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chosen-Bergman-Recht-5/dp/1471148793">here</a>… </div>
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(A)My Spacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10855603380669649672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131786886827296994.post-31342944740574085782016-05-08T09:28:00.000-07:002016-05-08T09:29:54.854-07:00Books I loved in April… ❤️<div style="font-size: 16px; min-height: 19px;">
I've read some great books this month. Here's my round-up… </div>
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<b><i>Shop Girl (A Memoir) by Mary Portas </i></b></div>
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<i>Young Mary Newton, born into a large Irish family in a small Watford semi, was always getting into trouble. When she wasn’t choking back fits of giggles at Holy Communion or eating Chappie dog food for a bet, she was accidentally setting fire to the local school. Mary was a trouble magnet. And, unlike her brothers, somehow she always got caught…</i></div>
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<i>In Mary’s family, money was scarce. Clothes were hand-me-downs, holidays a church day out to Hastings and meals were variations on the potato. But these were also good times which revolved around the force of nature that was Theresa, Mary’s mum.</i></div>
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<i>When tragedy unexpectedly blows this world apart, a new chapter in Mary’s life opens up. She takes to the camp and glamour of Harrods window dressing like a duck to water, and Mary, Queen of Shops is born…</i></div>
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I love Mary Portas. She's super sassy and sure knows her stuff. And after reading Shop Girl I admire her all the more as she's got where she is through sheer hard work and determination. </div>
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A completely brilliant autobiography. </div>
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<b><i>The Woolworths Girls by Elaine Everest </i></b></div>
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<i>It's 1938 and as the threat of war hangs over the country, Sarah Caselton is preparing for her new job at Woolworths. Before long, she forms a tight bond with two of her colleagues: the glamorous Maisie and shy Freda. The trio couldn't be more different, but they immediately form a close-knit friendship, sharing their hopes and dreams for the future.</i></div>
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<i>Sarah soon falls into the rhythm of her new position, enjoying the social events hosted by Woolies and her blossoming romance with young assistant manager, Alan. But with the threat of war clouding the horizon, the young men and women of Woolworths realize that there are bigger battles ahead. It's a dangerous time for the nation, and an even more perilous time to fall in love . . .</i></div>
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I have a real thing for books set around the Second World War era so when <i>The Woolworths Girls </i>landed on my desk I couldn't wait to get stuck in - and it didn't disappoint. </div>
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Brilliant characters and a lovely storyline, <i>The Woolworths Girls</i> is a brilliant debut from Elaine Everest. Can't wait to read more from her. </div>
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<i><b>Under Italian Skies by Nicky Pellegrino </b></i></div>
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<i>Stella has life under control - and that's the way she likes it. For twenty-five years, she's been trusted assistant to a legendary fashion designer, but after her boss dies suddenly, she's left with nothing to do apart from clear the studio.</i></div>
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<i>It seems as though the life she wanted has vanished. She is lost - until one day she finds a house swap website and sees a beautiful old villa in a southern Italian village. Could she really exchange her poky London flat for that?</i></div>
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<i>But what was intended as just a break becomes much more, as Stella finds herself trying on a stranger's life. As the villa begins to get under her skin, she can't help but imagine the owner from the clues around her. She meets his friends, cooks the local food he recommends and follows suggestions to go to his favourite places. But can an idea of someone ever match up to the reality?</i></div>
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<i>As Stella wonders if she can let go of the safety of her past, perhaps there's a chance for her to find a way into her future...</i></div>
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As with <a href="http://amylysette.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/my-map-of-you-by-isabelle-broom.html"><i>My Map of You</i></a>, I do love a book set in a pretty part of the world where if I closed my eyes, I could imagine I am there. As soon as I was finished with <i>Under Italian Skies</i>, I wanted to pack my bags and head to Italy for my own adventure! </div>
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This book is just perfect for reading in the sun with a bottle of Prosecco. Salute! </div>
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<i><b>The Disappearance by Annabel Kantaria </b></i></div>
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<i>Audrey Bailey will never forget the moment she met Ralph Templeton in the sweltering heat of a Bombay café. Her lonely life over, she was soon married with two small children. But things in the Templeton household were never quite what they seemed.</i></div>
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<i>Now approaching 70, and increasingly a burden on the children she’s never felt close to, Audrey plans a once-in-a-lifetime cruise around the Greek isles. Forcing twins Lexi and John along for the ride, the Templetons set sail as a party of three – but only two will return.</i></div>
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<i>On the night of her birthday, Audrey goes missing…hours after she breaks the news that the twins stand to inherit a fortune after her death. As the search of the ship widens, so does the list of suspects – and with dark clues emerging about Audrey’s early life, the twins begin to question if they can even trust one another…</i></div>
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I loved Annabel Kantaria's debut novel, <i>Coming Home</i> - and <i>The Disappearance</i> was just as good. In fact it was completely gripping and as the plot unfolded I found myself really unable to put it down. </div>
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With lots of twists and turns, this book has an ending you really won't have expected… </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZl4vTJB6-VMIwYiOm5ztvodJvzpF_mFVoO-6EaTe3DW2YJXvToKHgFeWRXPvKbLWEZYlKu-hz5iaL5tLGwDGP_D4Y5zRK7OPTxX9om6eWGMHaJ-jyu5hMb6OFLCvGFM3WWCqIPkmYIlA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-05-21+at+14.28.02.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZl4vTJB6-VMIwYiOm5ztvodJvzpF_mFVoO-6EaTe3DW2YJXvToKHgFeWRXPvKbLWEZYlKu-hz5iaL5tLGwDGP_D4Y5zRK7OPTxX9om6eWGMHaJ-jyu5hMb6OFLCvGFM3WWCqIPkmYIlA/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-05-21+at+14.28.02.png" width="243" /></a></div>
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<i><b>The Chocolate Lovers Wedding by Carole Matthews </b></i></div>
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<i>The ladies of The Chocolate Lovers' Club should be gearing up for the wedding of the year but life keeps getting in the way . . .</i></div>
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<i style="color: #333233; font-size: 16px;">Lucy is worried about her financial situation and it keeps distracting her. Should she accept an offer of help from an untrustworthy source? </i><i style="color: #333233; font-size: 16px;">Nadia may have a real chance at finding love but other areas of her life aren't so rosy. Something needs to change - but what? </i><i><span style="color: #333233;">Autumn can't wait to meet someone she hasn't seen in a very long time. She's full of hope for the future but then things don't exactly go to plan… And </span></i><i style="color: #333233; font-size: 16px;">Chantal has been through so much and she's finally starting to feel settled. The last thing she needs is the kind of bad news that could change her life all over again.</i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #333233;">Yet, despite all the ups and downs, the Chocolate Lovers' ladies know they can get through it all as long as they have each other. They're not going to let anything get in the way of their happy-ever-afters...</span></i></div>
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Oh I do love a good wedding story! Especially a 'will they, won't they?' wedding story… And no one writes them better than Carole Matthews. </div>
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With brilliant characters and a great storyline, you will laugh out loud in places and get teary in others. A perfect summer read. </div>
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<b><i>The Followers by Rebecca Wait </i></b></div>
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<i style="color: #333233; text-align: center;">Judith has been visiting her mother, Stephanie, in prison once a month for the last eight years. But neither of them can bring themselves to talk about what brought them here - or about Nathaniel . . .</i></div>
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<i>When Stephanie first meets him, she is a struggling single mother and Nathaniel is a charismatic outsider, unlike anyone she's ever known. In deciding to join the small religious cult he has founded high on the moors, Stephanie thinks she is doing the best for her daughter: a new home, a new life, a new purpose.</i></div>
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<i>Judith has never trusted Nathaniel, but even she can't foresee the terrible things that lie ahead. From the moment they arrive, the delicate dynamic of Nathaniel's followers is disturbed. Judith's restlessness and questions unsettle the children who've never known life outside the cult - all except loyal Moses, who will do anything to be her friend. Meanwhile, as Stephanie slowly surrenders herself to Nathaniel's will, tensions deepen, faith and doubt collide, and a horrifying act of violence changes everything. In the shattering aftermath, no one seems safe, and for Judith and Moses the biggest leap of faith is still to come . . .</i></div>
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<i>The Followers</i> is an example of why you should never judge a book by its cover… I picked it up and wasn't sure I was going to like it. But just a chapter in and I was completely hooked. </div>
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I find religious cults a completely fascinating topic and I really enjoyed how it was written - starting in the present day and then flipping back to 10 years ago. It's such an atmospheric read you can't help but be slightly terrified as you wonder how on earth it's all going to end… I can't recommend enough. </div>
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(A)My Spacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10855603380669649672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131786886827296994.post-3680695687721913932016-05-01T11:54:00.002-07:002016-05-01T11:54:59.077-07:00My Map of You by Isabelle Broom <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEissE8Go6UgICavNWlS8EewCIBhQ0lG-dOSniJR2oXI1DSQ0nvJ20WrCqWMsvMgr_0KpuDgWSmUjk1wGGuzZGs_UjHYowj6BxpLGpzc3t75H_wZvluTlzIg6s05ZmKl8mYggG9HoZOveFU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-05-14+at+19.47.13.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEissE8Go6UgICavNWlS8EewCIBhQ0lG-dOSniJR2oXI1DSQ0nvJ20WrCqWMsvMgr_0KpuDgWSmUjk1wGGuzZGs_UjHYowj6BxpLGpzc3t75H_wZvluTlzIg6s05ZmKl8mYggG9HoZOveFU/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-05-14+at+19.47.13.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Holly Wright has had a difficult few years. After her mother's death, she's become expert at keeping people at a distance - including her boyfriend, Rupert.</i></div>
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<i>But when Holly receives an unexpected letter explaining that an aunt she never met has left her a house on the Greek island of Zakynthos, the walls she has built begin to crumble. Arriving on the island, Holly meets the handsome Aidan and slowly begins to uncover the truth about the secret which tore her family apart.</i></div>
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<i>But is the island where Holly really belongs? Or will her real life catch up with her first?</i></div>
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Hurrah! The sun is out! Finally… It feels like it's been winter forever. I'm more than ready to ditch the tights and boots for bare legs and flip-flops. </div>
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And when the sun does make that rare appearance it always makes me crave a holiday where the sun is guaranteed. And this year, thanks to Isabelle Broom, I can't get the idea of jetting off to Zakynthos out of my head… </div>
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I read <i>My Map of Year</i> back in February and it gave me serious wanderlust. The reality was I was reading sat on my sofa, heating on, blanket covering my knees as the wind and rain battered against the window. But as I turned the pages I forgot about the cold, bad weather outside as I was completely transported to the sunny Greek island. Isabelle's writing is SO good it really does make you feel like you're there. </div>
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As well as the wonderful setting, the characters are all super likeable too (apart from the very annoying Rupert…) and you can't help but cross your fingers and hope that after all she's been through, Holly gets a happy ever after… </div>
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I can't rave about <i>My Map of You</i> enough. It's a superb debut novel and I urge you all to put it on your 'to-read' piles. But be warned - post reading you will be desperate to book a holiday… </div>
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<b>Because I am super nosy I like to know about the 'behind the scenes' bits of writing a book. And Isabelle kindly told me the f<span style="color: black;">our things she always has to have on her writer's desk - and the one thing she shouldn't… </span></b></div>
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1) Tea! I can’t recall a single time I’ve sat down to write at my desk without a cuppa to hand. I’ve even got a special mug that I use. It was a gift from my amazing editor Kimberley Atkins, and she brought it back all the way from Disney World for me.</div>
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2) Laptop! Okay, so this one is obvious, but I wouldn’t get very far without the beautiful little beast. It was actually a gift from an ex-boyfriend who did a VERY BAD THING to me, so every time I use it I get a small sense of satisfaction that I’ve used it to be happy and make all my dreams come true.</div>
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3) Travel guides! These are an essential for me, because my novels are all set abroad. And while I do take trips overseas to research my locations and make pages of notes, I still like the books there as a reference. Plus, some of the place names in Prague, where my second book is set, are very tricky to spell correctly – even for a sub-editor!</div>
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4) Max! My lovely dog is the perfect writing companion. Not only does he keep my feet warm by sitting on them when it’s cold, he also listens very patiently when I read the same paragraph aloud twenty times over as I try to get it right. No human would ever put up with that nonsense! One of these days I’ll have to dedicate a book to him…</div>
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…And one thing I really shouldn’t</div>
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Oh, definitely my phone. Does everyone say the same thing? Sometimes the temptation to check Twitter becomes overwhelming, and there’s always the chance that it could ring and distract me. But I’m a needy soul, what can I say? One of these days I’ll drop it in my tea or the dog will eat it – that’ll teach me!</div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/My-Map-You-Isabelle-Broom/dp/1405925272">Buy My Map of You here</a></div>
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(A)My Spacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10855603380669649672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131786886827296994.post-87034783582253934362016-04-12T13:30:00.000-07:002016-04-12T13:48:11.131-07:00A brilliant crime novel... <div style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">
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<i><i style="font-size: 12pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 42px;">DS Nathan Cody, still bearing the scars of an undercover mission that went horrifyingly wrong, is put on the case. But the police have no leads, except the body of the bird - and the victim's missing eyes.</span></i></i></div>
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<i style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 42px;">As flashbacks from his past begin to intrude, Cody realises he is battling not just a murderer, but his own inner demons too.</span></i></div>
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<i style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 42px;">And then the killer strikes again, and Cody realises the threat isn't to the people of Liverpool after all - it's to the police...</span></i></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 42px;">I scare very easily. I am convinced that one day a zombie apocalypse <i>could happen</i> and I even get jumpy when watching <i>Jurassic Park</i> (seriously). <u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 42px;">With this in mind, I really shouldn’t have picked up and started reading <i>A Tapping at My Door</i> when my husband was on a night shift… This book needs to come with a serious warning – do not read when you’re home alone.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 42px;">50 pages in I was convinced that I could hear someone knocking on my front door (it doesn’t help that I live in an apartment block with thin walls so I can always hear comings and goings…) and then when I finally did sleep, I dreamt that my balcony was full of birds all trying to get in and get me…<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 42px;">So basically, David Jackson’s <i>A Tapping at My Door</i> is completely unsettling but completely brilliant. It’s one of those books where you can never predict quite how it’s going to end. <u></u></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 42px;">On a side note, I really enjoy books that are set in places I am familiar with. I was a student in Liverpool for four years and still visit a lot so a lot of the places and street names were places I’ve been too so I could really visualize the characters and what was happening in the plot even more – maybe that’s why it made it so much more scarier?!<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 42px;">I can’t believe I have never read any of David Jackson’s novels before. <i>A Tapping on My Door</i> is certainly one of the best crime fiction novels I have read in a while and I can't wait to read more of his work.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 42px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tapping-My-Door-Gripping-Thriller/dp/1785761072">Buy it here </a> <u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<br style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" />(A)My Spacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10855603380669649672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131786886827296994.post-59549867097059164142016-04-10T10:34:00.000-07:002016-04-10T10:34:21.904-07:00A romance novel you just have to read...<div style="color: #333233; font-size: 16px; min-height: 19px;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgza17HitLIfVn6G5cswrow9WlImtMFowbbl47xUIIdGB_jQ2LZqhrzyPP6TZUof64s_0IM2jYkEXcBPTN0d3Gd0lMtMbt618YJ6M_pSe3dtNJSlAjufo_fml_cb2kGRoWrxxqm8mIyIk8/s1600/IMG_4713.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgza17HitLIfVn6G5cswrow9WlImtMFowbbl47xUIIdGB_jQ2LZqhrzyPP6TZUof64s_0IM2jYkEXcBPTN0d3Gd0lMtMbt618YJ6M_pSe3dtNJSlAjufo_fml_cb2kGRoWrxxqm8mIyIk8/s320/IMG_4713.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>Kate and Becca are cousins and best friends. They have grown up together and shared all the most important milestones in their lives: childhood birthday parties, eighteenth birthdays, and now a wedding day as they each marry their childhood sweethearts, Charlie and Julian. </i></div>
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<i>Kate has always loved Charlie - they were meant to be. Then she discovers that life never turns out quite how you expect it to. And love doesn't always follow the journey it should. </i></div>
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<i>But best friends are forever, and true love will find a way, won't it…?</i></div>
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I'm a sucker for a pretty book cover. I'm also a sucker for, and I've said this many times, books where fate intervenes early on and sends the characters in the book on a completely different path to what you'd expect. <i>These Days of Ours</i> ticked both these boxes so I was hooked instantly. </div>
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We meet Kate and Becca when they are just children and then are taken on a journey throughout their lives as they reach major milestones. </div>
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<i>These Days of Ours</i> is such brilliant storytelling and you can't help but have strong feelings for the characters (I loved Kate but found her a bit of a wet lettuce at times and I thought Becca needed a good slap but I couldn't help find her hilarious too!) </div>
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It's a completely original novel and I was so engrossed from the start that I actually sailed past my tube stop! Early on I knew what I wanted to happen but I had no idea if it would pan out that way… And I'm not going to say anymore than that…! </div>
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A 'Will they? Won't they?' romance novel that is just brilliant. I urge you to read it. </div>
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<i>And the author Juliet Ashton told me the top five things she does to beat writer's block...</i></div>
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<b></b><br /></div>
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<b>Does Writer's Block exist? I believe it's a name given to a whole raft of situations. Tiredness, boredom, distraction, anxiety - all these help to build that block at the front of your mind. When I find myself sitting at the computer, deleting more than I write, tugging at my hair, these are my favourite ways to deal with it.</b></div>
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<b>1 Do something physical. </b></div>
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Writers are soooo indolent. We don't have to get dressed to go to work; that messes with your brain. So if I'm stuck in the midst of a scene, putting dull dialogue into my characters' mouths, I go for a walk. There are two parks nearby, one that hugs the river, so I take the spaniels for a trot. If I replay the scene in my head, nine times out of ten, it comes together by the time I'm home again.</div>
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<b>2 Read</b></div>
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This one can be tricky. Reading something too similar to the work in progress can result in a kind of impersonation, as if writing style is catching, but if I wander off and bury myself in a meaty biography or a crime series, I find it refreshes my mojo. (Not sure what a mojo is, exactly, but its refreshed.)</div>
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<b>3 Talk</b></div>
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Chat saves lives. A coffee with my chum who lives around the corner (and is usually up for coffee as she works from home herself) perks me up and takes me out of myself. Hearing about her day reminds me that there is life beyond the keyboard!</div>
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<b>4 Eat</b></div>
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A dangerous one, this. A natural grazer, I find myself buttering toast and ravishing the Rich Tea biscuits far too often. Actually cooking something from scratch, however, is genuinely therapeutic. The book is pushed to the side, but it doesn't entirely disappear; as I'm chopping onions or grating cheese, little plot niggles resolve themselves. Plus I have an epic lunch to eat (usually it's just more toast).</div>
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<b>5 Push through</b></div>
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Sometimes it's just lack of energy, or a disinclination to work that gets in the way. I try not to give in; if you downed tools every time you felt a little bleurgh no books would get written. Push, push, push - and suddenly you're freewheeling down a (metaphorical) hill, the wind in your (metaphorical) hair. There's no feeling quite like it.</div>
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<b>6 (I know there should only be 5, but this one's a goodie)</b></div>
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Keeping a writing diary is a life saver. I can flick back and see that all these problems have cropped up before, but I've got through them. Writer's block can be smashed!</div>
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<i>Thanks Juliet!</i> <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/These-Days-Ours-Juliet-Ashton/dp/1471155056">Buy These Days of Ours here….</a></div>
(A)My Spacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10855603380669649672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131786886827296994.post-45896620084900527162016-04-08T06:49:00.002-07:002016-04-08T06:49:41.148-07:00*Book Review and Author Chat* The Second Love of my Life by Victoria Walters
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrQRtOFeFDqf5supXMICfuqQvkohNtZ3ITwbIXDLuFSF2oftQTwQbHSO0iJInaHaUNwezrL-esp1MmnpqLhBL62STkIp-hW55l5pnpSejfsjLs8np9yKlcSIgDUwjU0xir78yIgoCNtGA/s1600/Selfie+with+book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrQRtOFeFDqf5supXMICfuqQvkohNtZ3ITwbIXDLuFSF2oftQTwQbHSO0iJInaHaUNwezrL-esp1MmnpqLhBL62STkIp-hW55l5pnpSejfsjLs8np9yKlcSIgDUwjU0xir78yIgoCNtGA/s320/Selfie+with+book.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">In the Cornish town of Talting, everyone is famous
for something.</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">Until
recently Rose was known for many things: her infectious positivity; her unique
artistic talent; and her devotion to childhood sweetheart Lucas.</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">But two
years ago that changed in one unthinkable moment. Now, Rose is known for being
the young woman who became a widow aged just twenty-four.</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">Though
Rose knows that life must go on, the thought of carving out a new future for
herself is one she can barely entertain. Until a newcomer, Robert, arrives in
Talting for the summer...<br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Can Rose allow herself the chance to
love again?</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I loved <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Second Love of my Life</i> immediately. The characters. The setting. And of
course the story itself.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Whilist incredibly sad in places (have a box of
tissues to hand), the book is also full of hope too and you’ll end with a smile
on your face. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">A really impressive debut novel, I can’t to see
what Victoria Walters has next up her sleeve! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">And on that note… Victoria spills the beans on
writing <i>The Second Love of my Life</i>… </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQRGH9XvYPGHty78T_9Li9nZVj9WnwkmDxNYwC8bwYlDw9Vy_vlVPI2KCQZ3jZN3b6H1l9859sEeZZAZU8NtnVqRxLw1URuJU9GBU_fxEYQF6R9JrDph8QCEFklQRt_4KXVVesLtV8rhE/s1600/Vic+with+book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQRGH9XvYPGHty78T_9Li9nZVj9WnwkmDxNYwC8bwYlDw9Vy_vlVPI2KCQZ3jZN3b6H1l9859sEeZZAZU8NtnVqRxLw1URuJU9GBU_fxEYQF6R9JrDph8QCEFklQRt_4KXVVesLtV8rhE/s320/Vic+with+book.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Victoria with her co-author, her cat Harry!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The four things I have on my writers desk - and the one thing I
shouldn't… </span></i></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I actually don’t have a desk, which I
probably should get! But when I write I have my laptop and phone, a mug of tea
and usually have a blanket draped over me as I get really cold writing! </span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What I shouldn’t have is my cat Harry
who is always trying to distract me as I write!</span></b></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The five things that inspired me to write this book…</span></i></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This is a hard question!!! Just wanted
to state that for the record! </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Times; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It wasn’t really things as such, more general life
questions about grief and love but certain parts of the story were inspired
these … </span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1. The town the book is set in: The Gilmore
Girls </span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2. The main character’s art: Starry Night
by Vincent Van Gough </span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3. The town the book is set in: Cornwall</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">4. The music the main character listens
to and mentions: see soundtrack question</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">5. The cat Taylor – my own cat Harry!</span></b></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The five things I learnt when writing this book… </span></i></div>
<i>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1. That I had been using ‘brought’
instead of ‘bought’!</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2. How to re-read my writing again and
again and not go crazy</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3. My writing makes people cry</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">4. Editing notes are not about what is
wrong with your book but how it could be made even better</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">5. That I can write a 90,000 word novel!
There were moments when I wasn’t quite sure I’d make it</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Times; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">.</span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></b></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My soundtrack to writing this book… </span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I created a playlist for the book,
which you can listen to on Spotify – here’s a sample of it:</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1. Famous In A Small Town – Miranda
Lambert</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2. See You Again – Carrie Underwood</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3. Some People – LeAnn Rimes</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">4. Better Place – Rachel Platten</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">5. Ready To Love Again – Lady Antebellum </span></b></div>
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<i>
</i><div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The five things I couldn't have done without when writing this
book… </span></i></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt;">1. Twitter – talking to people helps me
get through the tough writing days!</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt;">2. My cat Harry for making me laugh and
for cuddles</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt;">3. Laptop obviously</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt;">4. Music – I have to listen to music
when I write</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt;">5. Cake (self explanatory) </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Perfect for the weekend, get your copy <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Second-Love-Life/dp/1472229320">here... </a></span><br />
(A)My Spacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10855603380669649672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131786886827296994.post-53083885436363288702016-04-06T12:08:00.000-07:002016-04-06T12:08:29.660-07:00Flying High… <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjACk9n2yl-tL8IGkG54TMymb4WdCELe9MbL_PwWJf7rcKR_4THmwG1X7uZqzA5ULK-3CGeOR6w8Y_JGXTevEbq2XDFt60jj1yrg-wPFh5G1QnNQrvsnnFOWuiAxCZvinTdVVuqh7drrQ0/s1600/Kim2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjACk9n2yl-tL8IGkG54TMymb4WdCELe9MbL_PwWJf7rcKR_4THmwG1X7uZqzA5ULK-3CGeOR6w8Y_JGXTevEbq2XDFt60jj1yrg-wPFh5G1QnNQrvsnnFOWuiAxCZvinTdVVuqh7drrQ0/s320/Kim2.jpg" width="202" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #232323; font-size: 16px;">When the The Infinite Air by Fiona Kidman landed on my desk, I knew it was a read that my dear friend </span><a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/lunacyofink" style="font-size: 16px;">Kim</a><span style="color: #232323; font-size: 16px;"> would love - and I was right! *smug face*</span><span style="color: #232323; font-size: 16px;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font-size: 16px;">
<i>So what's it about? </i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqi_7W0eIvhmHl7IBY94zSzWaAgf8D6nkE9XI8SNpxuKKkDZJslFxXCokadI-c5JeIEbf_vjr0GQN4VStHEiWo1PkKHHl96HtNPWx4Hs6vKLWdPXthKBc-pZYNlwC5P_S72l7whc0SZnM/s1600/51tnwEz0n0L._SY344_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqi_7W0eIvhmHl7IBY94zSzWaAgf8D6nkE9XI8SNpxuKKkDZJslFxXCokadI-c5JeIEbf_vjr0GQN4VStHEiWo1PkKHHl96HtNPWx4Hs6vKLWdPXthKBc-pZYNlwC5P_S72l7whc0SZnM/s320/51tnwEz0n0L._SY344_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #333233; font-size: 16px;">Jean Batten became an international icon in 1930s. A brave, beautiful woman, she made a number of heroic solo flights across the world. The newspapers couldn't get enough of her.</span><span style="color: #333233; font-size: 16px;"> </span></div>
<div style="color: #333233; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">
In 1934, she broke Amy Johnson's flight time between England and Australia by six days. The following year, she was the first woman to make the return flight. In 1936, she made the first ever direct flight between England and New Zealand and then the fastest ever trans-Tasman flight. Jean Batten stood for adventure, daring, exploration and glamour. The Second World War ended Jean's flying adventures. She suddenly slipped out of view, disappearing to the Caribbean with her mother and eventually dying in Majorca, buried in a pauper's grave. </div>
<div style="color: #333233; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">
Fiona Kidman's enthralling novel delves into the life of this enigmatic woman. It is a fascinating exploration of early aviation, of fame, and of secrecy...</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font-size: 16px;">
<i>And here's what Kim had to say…</i> </div>
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Throughout history, daring men and women have boldly gone where no one has been before, conquering land, sea and sky. Just 100 years ago, aviation was new and thrilling. Imagine crossing continents by air! We all take it for granted these days that we can fly to <insert cheap sunshine break here> on our holibobs, but once upon a time not that long ago, we didn’t know how to fly. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font-size: 16px;">
Indeed, the first pilots to attempt long distance travel did so at their peril. Many died. The first man to successfully fly from England to Australia did so in a tiny biplane, the journey taking him 15 days. Think about that next time you settle in for what we have now come to think of a ‘long haul’ flight.</div>
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<div style="color: #232323; font-size: 16px;">
Never one for learning as a child, I now have an insatiable appetite for knowledge. Making up for lost time I guess. That, coupled with the fact my Grandma flew spitfires in the war and it’s too late to ask her everything I wish I had asked her, is why I loved this book. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font-size: 16px;">
The Infinite Air charts one woman’s journey from childhood to aviation pioneer, to old age. I loved the insight into the pivotal moments in Jean Batten’s childhood, the moments that formed the brave and tenacious woman she was to become. Every record breaker has a backstory and it’s fascinating to be privy to it. To see inside their mind and their world and witness the legend being created. </div>
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I was still talking about Jean Batten weeks after I finished the book. I couldn’t stop thinking about how much life has changed for women in less than 100 years. The feminist in me, she likes fair play. She spikes at any suggestion a woman can’t do anything a man can. You should have seen the punch I almost threw at the fella who insisted on calling our games room the ‘Boys Room’ where boys go to do sport. </div>
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<br /></div>
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That’s about as much sexism as I face. But Jean Batten was laughed off the runway when she told people she wanted to fly. Getting married and having babies was all women were good for back then. Reading about Jean’s early years had me incredulously turning the pages, scanning for more evidence of just how shit it was to be a woman back then. A man told Jean she’d make a good secretary. Jean told the man women might require secretaries too one day. The man highly doubted it. Jean’s own father told her: ‘Girls don’t fly.’ Ouch.</div>
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Women like Jean paved the way for our generation to do not just anything a man can, but also whatever we damn well please. People told Jean to stop dreaming and be a good young lady, marry and stifle her big ideas. The were just stoking Jean’s fire - she was determined to be somebody. Not just a good female pilot, but a great pilot. Full bloody stop.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font-size: 16px;">
The book made me happy and sad. Happy that women like Batten existed then and now. Happy that a woman’s place in the world has changed so much. But sad for Jean. Batten was courageous and determined, yet tortured and lonely. It made me question the true cost of fulfilling such extreme ambition. Because with great achievement must come great sacrifice.</div>
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I doff my cap to our foremothers. Each and every woman like Jean, every suffragette, every pioneer feminist who defied, questioned and ignored the low and dull expectations society had for women. We owe those legends the lifestyle we take for given today.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhceV67MDD9zSQUJ4ndwxsUOPkToOV44a71T3EEAJhGYfOigwYLKTIqRVZg4Loe8VXtKL6T9w4QvmI5Uw0B4zKKnqsi0JCsLL3rIGiJYupXDA79thRulTniCYKhRhmhiha7HfcnRSxUU6k/s1600/KIM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhceV67MDD9zSQUJ4ndwxsUOPkToOV44a71T3EEAJhGYfOigwYLKTIqRVZg4Loe8VXtKL6T9w4QvmI5Uw0B4zKKnqsi0JCsLL3rIGiJYupXDA79thRulTniCYKhRhmhiha7HfcnRSxUU6k/s320/KIM.jpg" width="181" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fab words from this lovely face!<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Read all about Kim's legendary Grandma <a href="http://lunacyofink.com/ata/">here</a></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVMhoWSqSw-VdBlLgg5M0wjH5VzmE581ggTgNjdgsW7clK_t031yM7unyczmZ4iu3lDrqtvLRMffgonM4JevWXuZckTiQubfKSf5cyjbn5OxTDAIObRvzNBtRsGoqY9iHeiAkmYGvV7ls/s1600/WINGS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVMhoWSqSw-VdBlLgg5M0wjH5VzmE581ggTgNjdgsW7clK_t031yM7unyczmZ4iu3lDrqtvLRMffgonM4JevWXuZckTiQubfKSf5cyjbn5OxTDAIObRvzNBtRsGoqY9iHeiAkmYGvV7ls/s320/WINGS.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kim's Grandma had WINGS!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
(A)My Spacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10855603380669649672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131786886827296994.post-41890722001587085722016-04-04T08:52:00.003-07:002016-04-04T08:52:47.251-07:00**NEW crime book review** The Loving Husband by Christobel Kent
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There are SO many brilliant books being
released in April. And I am kicking the month off with<i> The Loving Husband</i> by
Christobel Kent… </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzBdSItB4M_l0LeJKRxN6DzKWAN-X3wxEzGRu-_881HX-WZSfgowJBE40p5lerFVdzriv0v30QwFo4cA8NuTTLWLlprkXr8hWOpepnmN6eInOPCUY8n4pSOO6qGxdtciUB35-YI_UTXi4/s1600/IMG_5027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzBdSItB4M_l0LeJKRxN6DzKWAN-X3wxEzGRu-_881HX-WZSfgowJBE40p5lerFVdzriv0v30QwFo4cA8NuTTLWLlprkXr8hWOpepnmN6eInOPCUY8n4pSOO6qGxdtciUB35-YI_UTXi4/s320/IMG_5027.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Can you ever truly know the one you
love?</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"></span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Fran Hall and her husband Nathan live
in a farmhouse on the edge of the Fens with their two children. One February
night, when Fran is woken by her baby, she finds the bed empty beside her and
Nathan gone. Searching the house for him she makes a devastating discovery.</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">As Fran finds herself under intense
police scrutiny, she and her two small children become more isolated as she
starts to doubt whether or not she really knew Nathan. Was he really the loving
husband that Fran had trusted him to be? </span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">As police suspicion grows the
questions for Fran begin to mount. Is there something that she is hiding from
them - something that she has kept hidden from everyone, including her husband?</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
do love a good thriller especially ones where a major event happens within the
first few pages and then you try and spend the rest of the book guessing and
second guessing what the hell the outcome is going to be. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">So
I was very excited to get my hands on <i>The Loving Husband</i> as I knew from the synopsis
it was going to be a rollercoaster read – and it really was… </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Completely
compelling, this novel ticked all the crime boxes for me: dark, addictive, with
an explosive end. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
haven’t read anything by Christobel Kent before but <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Crooked House </i>is now on my TBR list as its received outstanding
reviews and I loved her writing style.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">If
you’re a fan of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gone Girl</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Girl on the Train</i>, then <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Loving Husband</i> is certainly for you.
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Loving-Husband-Christobel-Kent/dp/0751562416">Buy it here... </a></span></div>
(A)My Spacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10855603380669649672noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131786886827296994.post-4392099305052314022016-03-31T13:28:00.000-07:002016-03-31T13:28:59.993-07:00 Other brilliant books I read in March…<div style="font-size: 16px; min-height: 19px;">
Seriously though… How are we at the end of March already?! </div>
<div style="font-size: 16px; min-height: 19px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 16px;">
This month has been full of some absolute page-turner such as <a href="http://amylysette.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/the-glittering-art-of-falling-apart.html">The Glittering Art of Falling Apart,</a> <a href="http://amylysette.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/lover.html">Lover</a>, <a href="http://amylysette.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/new-book-review-missing-pieces-by.html">Missing Pieces</a>, <a href="http://amylysette.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/book-review-missing-rose-by-linda.html">Missing Rose,</a> <a href="http://amylysette.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/music-to-write-brilliant-book-too.html">The Night That Changed Everything</a>, <a href="http://amylysette.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/a-perfect-bank-holiday-read.html">Summer Nights at the Moonlight Hotel</a>, <a href="http://amylysette.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/new-book-review-maestra-by-lshilton.html">Maestra</a>, <a href="http://amylysette.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/what-does-author-keep-on-their-desk.html">Gone Astray</a> and <a href="http://amylysette.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/new-book-review-way-we-were-by-sinead.html">The Way We Were. </a></div>
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<div style="font-size: 16px;">
And I've also loved…. </div>
<div style="font-size: 16px; min-height: 19px;">
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<div style="font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">
<b><i>Return to the Little Coffee Shop of Kabul by Deborah Rodriguez </i></b></div>
<div style="font-size: 16px;">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2oRkFieJIdYbAp98_Cdh9m_u8uzsfkg9j807SWwtQhtRGc65xpbmOOk5eUNTBBR0t_4nQR_S-QZ1BC_JHdLmM1Xb2DDezZ5bGSHSUnQo54I5VJehDPOkzhqk0PgVVsCNcgIoeZdQTy4A/s1600/IMG_4935.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2oRkFieJIdYbAp98_Cdh9m_u8uzsfkg9j807SWwtQhtRGc65xpbmOOk5eUNTBBR0t_4nQR_S-QZ1BC_JHdLmM1Xb2DDezZ5bGSHSUnQo54I5VJehDPOkzhqk0PgVVsCNcgIoeZdQTy4A/s320/IMG_4935.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<div style="color: #333233; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 14px; text-align: center;">
<i>Sunny, former proprietor of the Little Coffee Shop and new owner of the Screaming Peacock vineyard. Can she handle the challenges of life on her own?</i></div>
<div style="color: #333233; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 14px; text-align: center;">
<i>Yasmina, the young mother who now runs the cafe, until a terrifying event strikes at the heart of her family and business...</i></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Layla and Kat, </i><i>Afghan teenagers in America, struggling to make sense of their place in the world...</i></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 14px; text-align: center;">
<i style="color: #333233; font-size: 16px;">Zara, about to be forced into a marriage which will have devastating consequences</i><span style="color: #333233;"><i>…</i></span></div>
<div style="color: #333233; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 14px; text-align: center;">
<i>These women are about to learn what Halajan, Yazmina's rebellious mother-in-law, has known all along: when the world as you know it disappears, you find a new way to live...</i></div>
<div style="color: #333233; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 14px;">
I loved <i>The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul</i> so I was very excited to get my hands on this brilliant sequel.</div>
<div style="color: #333233; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 14px;">
A great insight into the lives of women in Kabul. An emotional eye-opener and a must read. </div>
<div style="color: #333233; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><i>The Bucket List to Mend a Broken Heart by Anna Bell</i></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc-1IPourLPrXkpuqpNoZzVeZsjB1PHTRenIH8O1GjI1nzsvp5957tBOnSpKaIbsMxIxnq4EZMhIzt3qPhInqJ4y3Y-n7sKNagI9D2HoLsYLxrtnlVMA2y3ikp98froOYi013xnIH8OYY/s1600/IMG_4242.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc-1IPourLPrXkpuqpNoZzVeZsjB1PHTRenIH8O1GjI1nzsvp5957tBOnSpKaIbsMxIxnq4EZMhIzt3qPhInqJ4y3Y-n7sKNagI9D2HoLsYLxrtnlVMA2y3ikp98froOYi013xnIH8OYY/s320/IMG_4242.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="color: #333233; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">
<i>Abi's barely left her bed since Joseph, the love of her life, dumped her, saying they were incompatible.</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="color: #333233; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">
<i>When Joseph leaves a box of her possessions on her doorstep, she finds a bucket list of ten things she never knew he wanted to do. What better way to win him back than by completing the list, and proving they're a perfect match?</i></div>
<div style="color: #333233; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="color: #333233; font-size: 16px;"> But there's just one problem - or rather, ten. Abi's not exactly the outdoorsy type, and she's absolutely terrified of heights - not ideal for a list that includes climbing a mountain, cycling around the Isle of Wight and, last but not least, abseiling down the tallest building in town</i><span style="color: #333233;"><i>…</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #333233;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="color: #333233; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">
<i>Completing the list is going to need all Abi's courage - and a lot of help from her friends. </i></div>
<div style="color: #333233; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">
<i>But as she heals her broken heart one task at a time, the newly confident Abi might just have a surprise in store...</i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333233; font-size: 16px;">
I love Anna Bell's warm writing style and you can easily get lost in this. It's laugh out loud in places and a perfect rainy day read. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333233; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">
<b><i>Hester and Harriet by Hilary Spiers </i></b></div>
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<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKHRWAOvRjVbvd4qSu4Vqq8_dbpgStiFy4ckktbsGxdqls2-frRGo9-JLrO792geniqgJKcUDktscmqGBGx3PdK4Dkh85DF7syD4tt2YnaCreomJJMoGrUbKbdzwjrK8On9cToRfLaCqM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-03-31+at+20.58.24.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKHRWAOvRjVbvd4qSu4Vqq8_dbpgStiFy4ckktbsGxdqls2-frRGo9-JLrO792geniqgJKcUDktscmqGBGx3PdK4Dkh85DF7syD4tt2YnaCreomJJMoGrUbKbdzwjrK8On9cToRfLaCqM/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-03-31+at+20.58.24.png" width="233" /></a></div>
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<div style="color: #333233; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">
<i>Sisters Hester and Harriet are reluctantly driving to visit relatives when they come across a young woman hiding with her baby in a bus shelter. Seeing the perfect excuse for returning to their own warm hearth, the pair insist on bringing Daria and Milo home with them. </i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="color: #333233; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">
<i>But with the arrival of a sinister stranger looking for a girl with a baby, followed quickly by their cousins' churlish fifteen-year-old son, Ben, who also appears to be seeking sanctuary, Hester and Harriet's carefully crafted peace and quiet quickly begins to fall apart. And, perhaps, that's exactly what they need...</i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<div style="color: #333233; font-size: 16px;">
Hester and Harriet are such brilliant characters that you won't be able to help but love.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333233; font-size: 16px;">
This books deals with serious issues but without getting too heavy. It's very witty and a real pleasure of a read. </div>
(A)My Spacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10855603380669649672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131786886827296994.post-80459610021445417262016-03-30T14:23:00.000-07:002016-03-30T14:23:19.207-07:00*NEW BOOK REVIEW* The Way We Were by Sinéad Moriarty <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhmCkx128y1EHQUITUrK2QQ7d-hEoyMQe7rvDkJ1LiQQEXLbb60bmGd-E-XL5ru4llTkqxwR9U8PpkDdZFpUi2z_uA9HyElFQ7ZIebzF072sSw5zs-Asg8NVK48TXtWwzyPE2iidpZ8jc/s1600/The+Way+We+Were.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhmCkx128y1EHQUITUrK2QQ7d-hEoyMQe7rvDkJ1LiQQEXLbb60bmGd-E-XL5ru4llTkqxwR9U8PpkDdZFpUi2z_uA9HyElFQ7ZIebzF072sSw5zs-Asg8NVK48TXtWwzyPE2iidpZ8jc/s320/The+Way+We+Were.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div style="font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><i>What would happen if your husband disappeared? You think he’s dead - but in fact he isn’t…</i></b></div>
<div style="color: #333233; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 14px; text-align: center;">
<i>When Alice's husband Ben dies suddenly, her world falls apart. A life without him is unimaginable.</i></div>
<div style="color: #333233; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 14px; text-align: center;">
<i>The only thing that keeps her going are her daughters Jools, 15 and Alice, 11. </i></div>
<div style="color: #333233; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 14px; text-align: center;">
<i>Somehow all three of them come through the dark days. In time, it's even possible for Alice to consider marrying again, with the girls' blessing. So when Ben turns up after three years, her world is again turned upside-down. The girls assume that their family can go back to the way they were. Alice is not so sure.</i></div>
<div style="color: #333233; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 14px; text-align: center;">
<i>Once more Alice has to find the strength to be the mother her daughters need her to be. But this time what that means is far from clear...</i></div>
<div style="color: #333233; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 14px; text-align: left;">
I have SO much love for this book. I loved the characters, I loved the storyline. </div>
<div style="color: #333233; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 14px;">
You'd be forgiven for thinking this was going to be 'just another romance story' but it's so much more than that. <span style="color: #232323;">You have no idea how the story will pan out, right until the end. It's such a clever and interesting plot. </span></div>
<div style="color: #181818; font-size: 16px;">
I'm a huge fan of Sinéad Moriarty's - and this is her best novel yet. </div>
<div style="color: #181818; font-size: 16px; min-height: 19px;">
<br /></div>
<b style="color: #181818; font-size: 16px;">And Sinéad kindly told me what inspired her to to write <i>The Way We Wer</i>e</b><span style="color: #181818;"><b>…</b></span><br />
<div style="color: #181818; font-size: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #232323; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 14px;">
<i>Back in the late 1980s Brian Keenan and John McCarthy, among others, were kidnapped and taken hostage in Beirut. They remained in captivity for over four years and when they were finally released the two men talked about this incredible friendship that had kept them sane. You could see the deep connection and love between them. </i><i>To this day they are best friends and the bond between them remains. I was always fascinated by this.</i></div>
<div style="font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 14px;">
<i>John McCarthy and Jill Morrell’s love story also inspired me. John McCarthy’s girlfriend, Jill, campaigned tirelessly to get him released and then when he was released everyone presumed they’d end up together… But in fact they broke up and he married someone else.</i></div>
<br />
<div style="font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 14px;">
<i>I wanted to somehow write a book with the themes of friendship and lost love worked into the storyline and I wanted to explore the power of memory. I also wanted to look at how people change. What happens when the person you know so well is altered by life? When something happens to turn your life upside down and you have to change to survive, can you get back the way you were or are you permanently altered? Is a happy ending possible for these two characters…?</i></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyLeC42Z0MayTeHL61zNY6Ku00B5A-tWMDs7XXhVIutpmecTLW-Uqjvu17kunjfkbOXomlTCL6MX0PeLWBx1uMNqI59w3E05k5aPt7ckYIZD1H1iCDuBtGt-IuXFmHcSuim2sZSJlullo/s1600/Sinead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyLeC42Z0MayTeHL61zNY6Ku00B5A-tWMDs7XXhVIutpmecTLW-Uqjvu17kunjfkbOXomlTCL6MX0PeLWBx1uMNqI59w3E05k5aPt7ckYIZD1H1iCDuBtGt-IuXFmHcSuim2sZSJlullo/s320/Sinead.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #181818; font-size: 16px; text-align: start;">Sinéad with her brilliant 11th novel</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 14px;">
<i><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Way-Were-Sin%C3%A9ad-Moriarty/dp/1844883493">Read The Way We Were now...</a></i></div>
(A)My Spacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10855603380669649672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131786886827296994.post-53547247284939544882016-03-28T12:28:00.000-07:002016-03-28T12:28:10.602-07:00What does an author keep on their desk….? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieVqrREthCf7ebwAhC66VnqrikyhROftQhsSKqiAXQb9zkal4ARVhyphenhyphenY8lfCPX6o44IArl2Q95IKvdLaiGtLdJnJyyxtej7m1FiVOqL_NkdsB8j7j6laQM9DqP2vnEFXKRLlxdOexlN6nE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-03-28+at+20.00.20.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieVqrREthCf7ebwAhC66VnqrikyhROftQhsSKqiAXQb9zkal4ARVhyphenhyphenY8lfCPX6o44IArl2Q95IKvdLaiGtLdJnJyyxtej7m1FiVOqL_NkdsB8j7j6laQM9DqP2vnEFXKRLlxdOexlN6nE/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-03-28+at+20.00.20.png" width="184" /></a></div>
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<br /><b></b></div>
<div style="font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">
<i>When a Lesley Kinnock buys a lottery ticket on a whim, it changes her life more than she could have imagined…</i></div>
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<i>Lesley and her husband Mack are the sudden winners of a 15 million EuroMillions jackpot. They move with their 15-year-old daughter Rosie to an exclusive gated estate in Buckinghamshire, leaving behind their ordinary lives - and friends - as they are catapulted into wealth beyond their wildest dreams. </i></div>
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<i>But it soon turns into their darkest nightmare when, one beautiful spring afternoon, Lesley returns to their house to find it empty: their daughter Rosie is gone.</i></div>
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<i>DC Maggie Neville is assigned to be Family Liaison Officer to Lesley and Mack, supporting them while quietly trying to investigate the family. And she has a crisis threatening her own life - a secret from the past that could shatter everything she's worked so hard to build. </i></div>
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<i>As Lesley and Maggie desperately try to find Rosie, their fates hurtle together on a collision course that threatens to end in tragedy. Money can't buy you happiness. The truth could hurt more than a lie. One moment really can change your life forever…</i></div>
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What. A. Thriller. Full of plot twists, <i>Gone Astray</i> really made me question whether winning the Lotto would actually be a good thing… </div>
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It's a page-turning debut from Michelle Davies, full of secrets, revelations and mystery. Utterly brilliant. I can't wait for her next novel! </div>
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And have you ever wondered what an author has on their desk when writing - and what they shouldn't? Michelle spills the beans… </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNYWHw-FavWOw7sotHr5E09DnIVlcVn-NTPQtiVMP4Lpnsp58pp_phWf_X1dEj82kmEj3cumXNIm6sFKpcSzGEQFOB1D8HxwNzYBqJn1KAD-OgJ-STMSfqjieAqmpyr10QyyuGMt07SfE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-03-28+at+20.00.30.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNYWHw-FavWOw7sotHr5E09DnIVlcVn-NTPQtiVMP4Lpnsp58pp_phWf_X1dEj82kmEj3cumXNIm6sFKpcSzGEQFOB1D8HxwNzYBqJn1KAD-OgJ-STMSfqjieAqmpyr10QyyuGMt07SfE/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-03-28+at+20.00.30.png" width="207" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michelle at her book launch in Waterstones, Covent Garden </td></tr>
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1. A wireless keyboard – I developed serious neck ache after writing <i>Gone Astray </i>hunched over my laptop, so for my second novel (<i>Wrong Place</i>, out in February 2017) I went old school with a big clunky keyboard. Now I can't write without it.</div>
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2. Nigel Clough - the little plastic figurine of former Nottingham Forest player Nigel Clough was given to me for by my first boyfriend while we were training to be journalists. It was meant to be a jokey good luck present but Nige has <span style="color: #232323;">sat on my desk at every place I've ever worked, even at super-stylish <i>Grazia</i>! I'd be lost without him.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">3. Glossy magazines – when I'm not writing books I freelance</span> for women's magazines as a journalist, so invariably my desk is littered with latest issues. I've always been a magazine junkie, right back to when I was a child and my mum bought me <i>Twinkle</i> and <i>Bunty</i>. My daughter, who's six, now reads the CBeebies one - I'm very proud to be passing the baton!</div>
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4. My Kindle - every time I write a chapter or edit a section of my novels I download the Word document to my Kindle. I find that reading it back in proper book format makes it easier to spot what sentences jar. But when it comes to the final draft I still print the entire thing out on paper – I need to be able to flick through pages one last time before I'm satisfied it's done.</div>
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And the one thing I shouldn't have on my desk...</div>
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<span style="color: black;">Cat litter! Right now I'm sharing my office </span>with our new kitten, Lolly Longwhiskers, because we have an older cat, Woody, as well and the two of them need to have their own private space to escape to while they get used to each other (his domain is the kitchen, wise boy). Lolly's litter tray is in a corner of the office, on the floor, far away from my desk, yet somehow she still manages to sending bits of grit flying in my direction. I'm counting the days until she can take her ablutions out into the garden!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj05uElLAWqe6nHANlVlPxVEyrPOkcR7RMF6nxjAodK-7er8lBkmi-CTc4-fE4yfvRHbfuBjiFPMp_BC5N8xXexwFGSrCuqCw0ub7TtF41JCTRsS4GbUSbUIz9nxYgOjacpotIs9sZ0okQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-03-28+at+19.53.09.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj05uElLAWqe6nHANlVlPxVEyrPOkcR7RMF6nxjAodK-7er8lBkmi-CTc4-fE4yfvRHbfuBjiFPMp_BC5N8xXexwFGSrCuqCw0ub7TtF41JCTRsS4GbUSbUIz9nxYgOjacpotIs9sZ0okQ/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-03-28+at+19.53.09.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michelle's desk - where the magic happens!</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gone-Astray-DC-Maggie-Neville/dp/1447284208">Get Gone Astray here</a></div>
(A)My Spacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10855603380669649672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131786886827296994.post-24230190549479347282016-03-26T15:07:00.000-07:002016-03-26T15:07:38.160-07:00*NEW BOOK REVIEW* Maestra by L.S.Hilton <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggzmPMVegNBkVopO2xEfy-4kxbps1tC8UNgymLB1aXpj8Lz5Ra-uO1yOI11h8LXlnGx5fg0koL4nzvFrXgEkhWTRbmpOHrRrwoeuknTs9h58ql3vXxMFvt71JLw2mh36Jn7tlj1XtwdNs/s1600/Maestra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggzmPMVegNBkVopO2xEfy-4kxbps1tC8UNgymLB1aXpj8Lz5Ra-uO1yOI11h8LXlnGx5fg0koL4nzvFrXgEkhWTRbmpOHrRrwoeuknTs9h58ql3vXxMFvt71JLw2mh36Jn7tlj1XtwdNs/s320/Maestra.jpg" width="257" /></a></div>
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<i>Judith Rashleigh works as an assistant in a prestigious London auction house, but her dreams of breaking into the art world have been gradually dulled by the blunt forces of snobbery and corruption. To make ends meet she moonlights as a hostess in one of the West End's less salubrious bars - although her work there pales against her activities on nights off.</i></div>
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<i>When Judith stumbles across a conspiracy at her auction house, she is fired before she can expose the fraud. In desperation, she accepts an offer from one of the bar's clients to accompany him to the French Riviera. But when an ill-advised attempt to slip him sedatives has momentous consequences, Judith finds herself fleeing for her life. </i></div>
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<i>Now alone and in danger, all Judith has to rely on is her consummate ability to fake it amongst the rich and famous - and the inside track on the hugely lucrative art fraud that triggered her dismissal...</i></div>
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<i>Where do you go when you've gone too far?</i></div>
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I'm a bit funny about books that come with a lot of hype surrounding them. Not in a snobbish way. More in a I read them and feel let down kinda way (I think I may be one of the only people not to have enjoyed <i>Girl on The Train</i>...)</div>
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So when <i>Maestra</i> landed on my desk with its <i>'the most shocking thriller you'll read this year'</i> claims and movie rights already being signed up, I have to admit I put it to one side and marked it as 'not one for me.' </div>
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But then I started reading reviews and began to get FOMO. And I felt that if I was really going to be able to say 'it wasn't for me' then I had to least read a few pages. </div>
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So I took it home - and five hours later I'd finished it. Yep. I went from not thinking I'd enjoy it to not wanting to put it down. Gripped from the very first 'c' bomb dropped on page two. </div>
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Packed full of action I think i gave myself RSI from turning the pages so quickly. </div>
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I had been warned it was slightly filthy - and it was (I won't be passing it on to my mum that's for sure.) But it's not filth in a 'we have to put a sex scene on every single page' way that some books (which shall not be named) do, which becomes incredibly tedious, very quickly. </div>
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Judith is a sassy, smart and very dangerous heroine and I couldn't help but really like her. </div>
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So read it before everyone else does because I do think it will be the most talked abut book this year - and with reason. </div>
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My only complaint? That the second instalment isn't coming quick enough…</div>
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<i><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Maestra-Most-Shocking-Thriller-Youll/dp/1785760033">Try it for yourself </a></i></div>
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<br />(A)My Spacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10855603380669649672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131786886827296994.post-30036078669452350152016-03-24T10:08:00.000-07:002016-03-24T10:08:12.370-07:00A PERFECT bank holiday read… <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Queen of romantic fiction herself!</td></tr>
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<i><b>Summer Nights at the Moonlight Hotel by Jane Costello </b></i></div>
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<i>Lauren Scott lives in 'The most romantic place in Britain', but her love life is about as successful as her mountain climbing skills. The man she's obsessed over for two years has proposed to someone else - and her only solution is to save up for six months to go travelling, so she never has to set eyes on him again. </i></div>
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<i>But when her friends sign her up for a dance class - in the same historic hotel where her beloved dad worked and her most precious childhood memories were formed - Lauren makes a horrifying discovery. It's been sold to a faceless budget chain, which has depressing plans in store. Worse, the entrepreneur behind it all turns out to be among a group of guys her friend Cate roped in to join the very same salsa class they've signed up for.... </i></div>
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Jane Costello is the QUEEN of the romance novel – and this is her best book yet. </div>
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Funny and full of charm with super likeable characters, the moment you pick up <i>Summer Nights at the Moonlight Hotel</i> you'll want to cancel all your plans and turn off your phone so you can finish it in one sitting. </div>
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I learnt two things when reading Jane's latest novel - </div>
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1) That I REALLY need to go to the Lake District ASAP </div>
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2) I absolutely won't be signing up for salsa lessons… </div>
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But what did Jane learn while writing Summer Nights at the Moonlight Hotel? She reveals her six things below… <br />
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1. Salsa dancing is a lot harder than it looks</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Salsa is for everyone, right? Wrong, as I discovered when I dragged my husband to a class with me for ten weeks to research the dance scenes in the book. In fairness, our enthusiasm was hopelessly ill-matched; I had dreams of us as the next Baby and Johnny, burning up every dance floor we’d grace forever more. And he . . . well he didn’t. We quickly discovered that salsa far from easy, that dislocating both knees once a week doesn’t look especially pretty – and that if you don’t take any of it seriously it’s extremely good fun.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><b><i>2. The Lake District is heaven on earth.</i></b><br />
<br />I kind of knew this already if I’m honest. I bought a little holiday home between Bowness and Ambleside a few years ago, which means I’m now lucky enough to visit at least 10 times a year. But the book only served to underline just how much I adore the place. It was the perfect setting to write a novel – sweeping mountains, sparkling lakes and lots of men in climbing gear.<br /><br /><b><i>3. Writing doesn’t always have to be hard.</i></b><br />
<br />Contrary to popular belief that the authors of popular fiction ‘churn them out’, the reality is that most authors, including very successful ones, find writing a novel extremely difficult. As Dorothy Parker said, ‘I hate writing. I love having written.’ That’s me all over – there are times, especially when I’m completing a first draft, when I’m an anxious, perfectionist wreck of a human being who’ll have sleepless nights because I just can’t find a decent resolution to one of my story lines. Well, writing <i>Summer Nights at the Moonlight Hotel</i> wasn’t like that AT ALL. It was a revelation, a joy from start to finish, and possibly the most enjoyable writing experiences I’ve ever had. I think it’s wishful thinking to hope they’ll all be like that from now on.<br /><br /><b><i>4. Good friends are wondrous things.</i></b><br />
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I reflected a lot on friendship when I was writing the book. I love my friends and just can’t imagine life without the handful of women I’ve been closest to in my adult life. They’ve been just as brilliant partying on a Saturday night during the good times as they have been when things have got tough. I won’t say too much, but there’s a dilemma in the book in which one of our heroine’s friendships is really is tested to the limit. It really made me wonder what decision I would make in that position (and I like to think it’d be the right one!)<br />
<br /><i><b>5. Outdoor pursuits are not for the faint-hearted.</b></i><br />
<br />The Lake District is famous for lots of things – beautiful old inns, Beatrix Potter, rambling towns with limewashed cottages and breath-taking views. But I just couldn’t write a book set in a place best known for its lakes and mountains without getting up close and personal with nature. Like many people who live within the national park, a number of my characters either have jobs that involve regularly being up on the fells, or simply spend a lot of time exploring them because there’s nothing like the feeling of being up at the top of a mountain, breathing in the clean air. I did a fair bit of exploring while I was writing this book – and even had a go at something called ‘ghyll scrambling’, which involves climbing a mountain, then scrambling and sliding down via a waterfall, sometimes ending up fully submerged in freezing water. My kids had a whale of a time. I, on the other hand, have only just regained the feeling in my toes.<br /><br /><b><i>6. You can write a sex scene that’s also funny.</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Writers love a challenge, and I did wonder whether this one could ever hope to work. Could you really have a heroine getting it on with someone she’s been crazy about for years . . . and still make it hilarious? I’ll await my readers’ verdict on this one, but I really do hope I managed it in what turned out to be my favourite scene in the book. Of course, it helps if you throw in a pair of Marigolds, a urine sample and a cartwheeling dog in the background on Britain’s Got Talent . . .</span><br />
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So if you have some downtime this rainy bank holiday weekend, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Summer-Nights-at-Moonlight-Hotel/dp/1471149110">grab yourself a copy</a> and lock yourself away with an Easter egg or two. </div>
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And I can confirm the sex scene is LOL… </div>
(A)My Spacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10855603380669649672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131786886827296994.post-90665745514877564012016-03-23T13:48:00.000-07:002016-03-24T09:29:36.847-07:00 Music to write a brilliant book to… <div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 14px; min-height: 17px;">
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<i style="color: #333233; font-size: 16px;"><b>The Night That Changed Everything by Laura Tait and Jimmy Rice </b></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTVja1-E8sstne5Oz3gRnIcby8RYQtHHP2TBSp4-fbhXMPi_GhzwgQ_ufltFryXm-7XVmRIl-8szLR8IuAThrwZxlQ8Dn-h0tx7TjzMaxZXVQeF4EfG36ubKFCI3OgMBAZ5clXGXe37Uk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-03-23+at+20.41.33.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTVja1-E8sstne5Oz3gRnIcby8RYQtHHP2TBSp4-fbhXMPi_GhzwgQ_ufltFryXm-7XVmRIl-8szLR8IuAThrwZxlQ8Dn-h0tx7TjzMaxZXVQeF4EfG36ubKFCI3OgMBAZ5clXGXe37Uk/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-03-23+at+20.41.33.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Rebecca is the only girl she knows who didn't cry at the end of Titanic. Ben is the only man he knows who did. Rebecca’s untidy but Ben doesn’t mind picking up her pieces. Ben is laid back by Rebecca keeps him on his toes. They're a perfect match.</i></div>
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<i>Nothing can come between them. Or so they think.</i></div>
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<i>When a throwaway comment reveals a secret from the past, their love story is rewritten.</i></div>
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<i>Can they recover from the night that changed everything? And how do you forgive when you can’t forget?</i></div>
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You know those rare books that you simply can't put down - but at the same time you really don't want to finish either because it's just TOO GOOD and it's giving you ALL THE FEELS? <i>The Night That Changed Everything</i> is one of those books. </div>
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Told in alternate chapters by the brilliant Laura and Jimmy, they have taken your average, sweet chick-lit plot and put it on a roller coaster with lots of loops the loops. They have turned a rom-com on its head creating an anti-fairytale where you witness a break-up, warts and all. </div>
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<i>The Night That Changed Everything</i> is funny. No it's hilarious. But it's also incredibly sad and will most certainly make you shout: 'NO, THAT DID NOT JUST HAPPEN' more than once. And the ending? Yeah. You won't see that coming… </div>
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It's firmly on my 'Brilliant Books of 2016' list and I really can't stop raving about it to anyone who needs a book recomendation. </div>
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And what would be on the playlist for writing such a brilliant book? Laura and Jimmy have kindly shared the six must-have songs. Over to them… </div>
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<i>We’re both pretty into our music, and always have the radio on in the background when we get together to plan stories, so choosing just six songs for this has been tough. We spent more time on this than we did writing our latest book. Almost.</i></div>
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<b>Enjoy The Silence – Depeche Mode</b><br />
The second question anyone asks us (after <i>Are you a couple?</i> – to which we simultaneously answer <i>No</i> with screwed up faces) is exactly how we write together. The truth is that we never do – we write separately, but only after several days of hardcore planning at Laura’s house in south-east London. And the soundtrack to these sessions is always Absolute 80s or 90s. This song reminds me of staying up into the early hours discussing plots and characters, fuelled by tea (me) and Malbec (Laura). </div>
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<b>Disco 2000 – Pulp</b><br />
Okay, I lie a little bit when I say these sessions are hardcore. At least 81 per cent of our time is spent discussing what would be on the soundtrack if our books were ever made into films. Our first book was about meeting up with your childhood sweetheart years down the line and so this song would be perfect for the reunion scene. We both love Pulp and they’re usually on in the car when Laura drives me back to the station, so I also associate this song with several near-death experiences and the words <i>WATCH THE FRIGGING ROAD, LAURA!</i><b> </b></div>
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<b>There is a Light That Never Goes Out – The Smiths</b><br />
If anyone ever asks why I started writing I admit that it was out of boredom and a bit of loneliness. At the time I was living in Liverpool, where I’d moved for work and didn’t really have any mates. It was a real low point in my life and writing helped fill a hole. It didn’t matter that I was staying in on my own on a Saturday night because now I was writing a blog, and then a book. This song was the soundtrack to that period. </div>
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LAURA</div>
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<b>Le Pastie De La Bourgeoisie – Belle & Sebastian</b><br />
I heart Belle & Sebastian, hard. I listen to them a lot while I write – the tunes are catchy and the lyrics are playful, funny, evocative and surprising - often small, character-led stories within themselves. Le Pastie De La Bourgeoisie centres around a timid, insecure girl who loses herself in books, and is probably the only song in the world to reference both Catcher in the Rye and Judy Bloom. </div>
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<b>I Can’t Read You - Daniel Bedingfield</b><br />
NOW we’re getting rock’n’roll. I still love this tune, and the reason it’s on this list is it relates so much to our books. It’s about liking someone and feeling frustrated that you don’t know how they feel, but at the same time not being the best versions of yourself because our emotions turn us into idiots. The hook of our books is the fact the protagonists can’t read each other, but the reader can read both sides. The lyrics 'Your heart's protecting, I get left behind' could be written about Rebecca by Ben in <i>The Night That Changed Everything</i>, as could 'I wish that you could see a better part of me' in the moment they meet. </div>
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<b>Especially For You – Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue</b><br />
Initially, I was determined to pick three achingly cool songs that would in turn illustrate how cool I am, but I fear I lost you at Bedingfield, so I might as well go here too. Jason and Kylie – through Scott and Charlene in Neighbours – provided the first love story I remember having a real impact on me, back when an author was just something I wanted to be when I grew up. As far as lyrics go, 'If dreams were wings, you know I would have flown to you' is, admittedly, up there with the worst, but I harbour a real sentimental affection for this song.</div>
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Thanks guys! Right I'm off to watch some vintage Neigbours…. </div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Night-That-Changed-Everything/dp/0552170828">Grab The Night That Changed Everything here...</a></div>
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(A)My Spacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10855603380669649672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131786886827296994.post-91943866379223680892016-03-21T14:27:00.000-07:002016-03-21T14:27:41.830-07:00Book review: Missing Rose by Linda Newbery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioIeSahcXMfJQbYYwi0h54wSpM9gCU9hmLgll63Fc4ILGl2qnW32-50AWl4fbjG40ny_jQbtdyZKakPwuuu1gqGD6TuQBIcjAmdg1NjE80LG_q60yx_U_GIXAyZyG1ZDkyAT-I5OlHioM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-03-21+at+20.44.42.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioIeSahcXMfJQbYYwi0h54wSpM9gCU9hmLgll63Fc4ILGl2qnW32-50AWl4fbjG40ny_jQbtdyZKakPwuuu1gqGD6TuQBIcjAmdg1NjE80LG_q60yx_U_GIXAyZyG1ZDkyAT-I5OlHioM/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-03-21+at+20.44.42.png" width="230" /></a></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">It was the day when everything stopped…</span></i></b></div>
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<i style="font-size: 12pt;">At quarter past two on a hot summer afternoon, Anna’s beautiful, headstrong older sister Rose disappears. And Anna was the last person to see her.</i></div>
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<i style="font-size: 12pt;">Their parents, Rose’s friends, the police – no-one can find where Rose has gone or who might have taken her.</i></div>
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<i style="font-size: 12pt;">Twenty years later, Rose is still missing. Anna is the only one who still believes she might be alive, and unable to take control of her own life while her sister’s disappearance remains unsolved, she begins to hunt for the truth herself. But the search for Rose will uncover secrets she is not prepared for…</i></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Cambria; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 32px;">With compelling characters revealing their stories and secrets in a series of flashbacks, </span></span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">Missing Rose</i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Cambria; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 32px;"> is certainly a page turner. There is never a hint of what happened to Rose so as Anna </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Cambria;"><span style="line-height: 32px;">starts to put the pieces of the puzzle together you can't help but try and guess yourself what might have happened. But as the jigsaw completes it won't be the picture you imagine… </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Cambria;"><span style="line-height: 32px;">I love surprise endings, books that make you gasp: 'No WAY' out loud regardless of your surroundings. If you're the same, pop this on your TBR pile. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Cambria;"><span style="line-height: 32px;">Buy it <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Missing-Rose-Linda-Newbery/dp/0552773824">here</a> </span></span></div>
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(A)My Spacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10855603380669649672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131786886827296994.post-90230589797757836982016-03-16T14:07:00.002-07:002016-03-16T14:07:50.593-07:00*NEW BOOK REVIEW* Missing Pieces by Heather Gudenkauf <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKwGiIBh9lToKQHKF9nr1kJEZlR8C9FNdvBiBrf1upFGSQwxzPXPMmdKPa7llQjNW9Bfe1fe3UDHGQdxN4BSNth4s8Gna3KaVlAcnTGIWDzCp8fmdimYzn2AbJYq35KQWKaPA41m2aivI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-03-16+at+21.03.17.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKwGiIBh9lToKQHKF9nr1kJEZlR8C9FNdvBiBrf1upFGSQwxzPXPMmdKPa7llQjNW9Bfe1fe3UDHGQdxN4BSNth4s8Gna3KaVlAcnTGIWDzCp8fmdimYzn2AbJYq35KQWKaPA41m2aivI/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-03-16+at+21.03.17.png" width="216" /></a></div>
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<i>Sarah's husband, Jack, has been haunted for decades by the untimely death of his mother when he was just a teenager, her body found in the cellar of their family farm, the circumstances a mystery. The case rocked the small farm town of Penny Gate, Iowa, where Jack was raised, and for years Jack avoided returning home. But when his beloved aunt Julia is in an accident, hospitalized in a coma, Jack and Sarah are forced to confront the past that they have long evaded. </i></div>
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<i style="color: #232323; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><i><b>But upon arriving in Penny Gate, facts about Julia's accident begin to surface and Sarah realizes that nothing about this family is what it seems. Caught in a flurry of unanswered questions, Sarah dives deep into the puzzling rabbit hole of Jack's past. But the farther in she climbs, the harder it is for her to get out. And soon she is faced with a deadly truth she may not be prepared for… </b></i></i></div>
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This is a gem of a read from New York Times bestselling author, Heather Gudenkauf. </div>
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Dark with lots of tension, you'll think you've figured out 'whodunnit' but then there will be another twist and you'll find yourself not trusting any of the characters at all… And you'll be guessing right up to the last chapter. </div>
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A really chilling page-turner that will engage you from the first page. </div>
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Grab your copy <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Missing-Pieces-Heather-Gudenkauf-ebook/dp/B013L2LQI8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458162105&sr=8-1&keywords=missing+pieces">here</a> </div>
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(A)My Spacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10855603380669649672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131786886827296994.post-7156809137037717712016-03-14T09:40:00.000-07:002016-03-16T14:15:27.046-07:00Lover <style>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0WLCHJFiTasnwPzi5f_wm9XveaCMrRD7pCV5hZu_wn9zCqi7Z9udcovyEPWh62l02ZzatRtpQiLYFb9DA6cJqsXNRK5Y_WAJv4gGuOAI3aW4WLxKVKeOTALvfzoanFq6n2q6vdEK3cYU/s1600/IMG_4370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0WLCHJFiTasnwPzi5f_wm9XveaCMrRD7pCV5hZu_wn9zCqi7Z9udcovyEPWh62l02ZzatRtpQiLYFb9DA6cJqsXNRK5Y_WAJv4gGuOAI3aW4WLxKVKeOTALvfzoanFq6n2q6vdEK3cYU/s320/IMG_4370.JPG" width="256" /></a></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Home is where the
heart is, and Kate thinks a lot about making people feel at home. She works for
a global hotel corporation. She has two young children, and a husband of ten
years. </span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Now, both Kate's
home and her heart are about to implode: she has discovered a series of emails
from her husband Adam to another woman. Probing for answers, she realizes this
not the worst possible discovery - in fact, it is only the beginning. </span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">As her family
unravels, Kate's job becomes increasingly demanding - but how can she provide
the perfect guest experience when her own foundations have been knocked away?
She tries to hold things together for her daughters, but doesn't know what to
tell them when they ask when Adam is coming home. Who was the man with whom
Kate built a life? And what is he to her now?</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOSfyBY1Lc1ZpF2qT8DLIXKHu_a9hUkqN90w1Qw79i6Jh61tvqW5bQqCcLFX3FEOsmeqdHdOzQ-JD78JjJ30LN2DNwlz9PEQr6L-SoxUVo7MRk6AJDJUVIjmGDARwYou3UhAkijL2p7Kk/s1600/41MJUDzpkOL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOSfyBY1Lc1ZpF2qT8DLIXKHu_a9hUkqN90w1Qw79i6Jh61tvqW5bQqCcLFX3FEOsmeqdHdOzQ-JD78JjJ30LN2DNwlz9PEQr6L-SoxUVo7MRk6AJDJUVIjmGDARwYou3UhAkijL2p7Kk/s320/41MJUDzpkOL.jpg" width="198" /></a></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span></i><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I couldn’t have been more excited when a copy of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lover</i> landed on my desk. I’d read so
manygood reviews and I wanted in on the action. </span>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">However, the only problem that surrounds a book with much
hype is I often find they don’t deliver – but that wasn’t the case at all with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lover</i>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">From page one I was completely hooked as the story unfolds
of a very normal couple<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>whose marriage
begins to break down after Kate discovers her husband Adam is having an affair.
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<span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The writing is style is brilliant and so very real. This
isn’t a fairy tale and it certainly isn’t dressed up that way either. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">In fact, as Kate struggles to deal with the information
she discovers and battles with whether she should take her husband back or not,
the whole account is deeply moving and very unsettling in places but that just
adds to it’s brilliance. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Believe the hype and get this book immediately – I can’t recommend
it enough. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: cambria;">Buy it <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lover-Anna-Raverat/dp/1447271300/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1458162842&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=lover+by+anna+raverat">here</a></span></div>
(A)My Spacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10855603380669649672noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131786886827296994.post-29452617945207629092016-03-08T09:08:00.000-08:002016-03-08T09:08:44.699-08:00The Glittering Art of Falling Apart...
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhllpt9S_ONfodYYYDCV_NEbVNwt8lW-1ZYKHb1mNdvbWbcbsjdc-vLDNc-FNYOLOyOyW8bDNva4FeML-NnFgyvfEr181NZbHiR94E9r-avsKY79P_AAB-VBWWajVQ6D-64v1_Q2zQjzMI/s1600/IMG_4138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhllpt9S_ONfodYYYDCV_NEbVNwt8lW-1ZYKHb1mNdvbWbcbsjdc-vLDNc-FNYOLOyOyW8bDNva4FeML-NnFgyvfEr181NZbHiR94E9r-avsKY79P_AAB-VBWWajVQ6D-64v1_Q2zQjzMI/s320/IMG_4138.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">1980s
Soho is electric. For Eliza, the heady pull of its nightclubs and free-spirited
people leads her into the life she has craved - all glamour, late nights and
excitement. But it comes at a heavy cost.</span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Cassie
is fascinated by her family's history and the abandoned Beaufont Hall. Why
won't her mother talk about it? Offered the chance to restore Beaufont to its
former glory, Cassie jumps at the opportunity to learn more about her past.</span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Separated by a generation,
but linked by a forgotten diary, these two women have more in common than they
know . . .</span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"></span></i></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Every now and again you read a book that you
really struggle to get into. Maybe you don’t like the characters or you just
don’t like the plot and you decide to give up. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">I almost did that with Ilana Fox's<i> The Glittering Art of
Falling Apart</i>. I found it a little slow to start and it just wasn’t grabbing my
attention. But not one to give up I decided to plough on – and I am <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">so</i> glad I did. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">From not wanting to read it to suddenly not
wanting to put it down – this book is brilliant. The characters are great and
the ending? Yeah, you won’t see it coming at all. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">A beautiful, romantic, enchanting story - it’s
100% worth persevering with. </span></div>
(A)My Spacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10855603380669649672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131786886827296994.post-18341159334346496722016-03-04T05:53:00.000-08:002016-03-04T05:53:58.558-08:00Five Favourite February Reads
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">February has been SO cold. Which for me was the
perfect excuse to stay in with a good book or two. March isn’t much warmer so
stay in and add this collection to your #TBR pile immediately... </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">The Stylist by Rosie Nixon </span></i></b> </span>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilNRgSk2vifTBta7xJEjYbFZ7tZmKc1OXXGQq2ck_vWNI9n4QEhC9IhLY8bcouO_snl23hMnZW8IbflyK47rJWJOtmxq4qaziArzCYkZ8zTb-ih4daeNVI0bKfkTZA3TCs6BSl8puYOgk/s1600/IMG_4062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilNRgSk2vifTBta7xJEjYbFZ7tZmKc1OXXGQq2ck_vWNI9n4QEhC9IhLY8bcouO_snl23hMnZW8IbflyK47rJWJOtmxq4qaziArzCYkZ8zTb-ih4daeNVI0bKfkTZA3TCs6BSl8puYOgk/s320/IMG_4062.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">When Amber Green,
a shop assistant in an exclusive London boutique is plucked from obscurity and
mistakenly offered a job working with Mona Armstrong, the infamous, jet-setting
'stylist to the stars', she hits the ground running, helping to style some of
Hollywood's hottest (and craziest) starlets.</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">As awards season
spins into action Mona is in hot demand and Amber's life turned upside down.
Suddenly she catches the attention of two very different suitors, TV producer
Rob and Hollywood bad boy rising star Liam. How will Amber keep her head? And
what the hell will everyone wear?</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">I LOVED <i>The Devil Wears Prada</i> and <i>The
Stylist</i> provides just as many LOLZ. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Author Rosie Nixon is the editor of <i>Hello </i>magazine
so she’s certainly in the know for all the behind the scenes gossip and drama
which makes this book even more brilliant. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Plus with the Oscars having just taken place (can
we just take a moment for Margot Robbie’s sequined Tom Ford dress? HEART EYE
EMOJI!) this is THE book to read right now. Lots of fun and super sassy, the
perfect weekend read. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><i><b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Missing, Presumed by Susie Steiner </span></b></i></span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"></span> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJI5YZZ_1Dq83V4jyPq3uicouh_ZtYTRzjogyhbhRlk5fVWc83WBaPbaBWp3YRnyiff6rTdAg5sEXgQap4uI_vaLUrkcKh42bQQ1Kq6pLlxFljJ1ui38unTz4NadU3znndxYVEVkLAGBI/s1600/IMG_4142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJI5YZZ_1Dq83V4jyPq3uicouh_ZtYTRzjogyhbhRlk5fVWc83WBaPbaBWp3YRnyiff6rTdAg5sEXgQap4uI_vaLUrkcKh42bQQ1Kq6pLlxFljJ1ui38unTz4NadU3znndxYVEVkLAGBI/s320/IMG_4142.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Mid-December, and
Cambridgeshire is blanketed with snow. Over the airwaves come reports of a
missing woman – door ajar, keys and phone left behind, a spatter of blood on
the kitchen floor. Detective Sergeant Manon Bradshaw knows the first 72 hours
are critical: you find her, or you look for a body. And as soon as she sees a
picture of Edith Hind, a Cambridge post-graduate from a well-connected family,
she knows this case will be big.</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> And when a body
is found, is it the end or only the beginning?</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span></i>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">This was SUCH a page-turner, full of secrets and
mystery – and shocking revelations. If you like crimes with a big twist, this
is for you. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Fix You by
Carrie Elks </span></i></b></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2cE8o5L-zUEb7bOwrBskdsOPHS7xb43oyQ0ndGy038Q_4HJP6Jkg2Y-Gdxl9daNdzYhQuzhi9lC8KbxVtDIJJYuw-jeNG9T_fvL3u8FQ-LIc62AHELYZsLpszGRvFRsjPnyOzCMUONk8/s1600/IMG_4139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2cE8o5L-zUEb7bOwrBskdsOPHS7xb43oyQ0ndGy038Q_4HJP6Jkg2Y-Gdxl9daNdzYhQuzhi9lC8KbxVtDIJJYuw-jeNG9T_fvL3u8FQ-LIc62AHELYZsLpszGRvFRsjPnyOzCMUONk8/s320/IMG_4139.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">On New Year's
Eve, 1999, Hanna and Richard meet. She is a born and bred Londoner with plans
for a career in journalism. He is the son of a wealthy New Yorker and destined
for Wall Street. As Hanna and Richard go back to their own worlds they keep in
touch, and when Hanna has her heart broken its Richard she turns to. They
reunite and fall deeply, madly in love.</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">But they can't
possibly imagine the ways their love will be tested. Fifteen years after they
first meet, neither can bear to hear the other's name spoken. Then one day
Hanna walks into Richard's office and reveals a shocking secret. Richard must
decide if he can forgive her. And both need to choose whether to take a second
chance on happiness - or if their love is beyond repair?</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">I almost didn’t read this. I picked it up and then
put it to one side, completely judging it by it’s cover and declaring it to be
a ‘too soft a read.’ How wrong I was. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">After picking it back up and deciding to give it a
whirl I was hooked from the very first page. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">You can’t help but fall in love with the characters
and really route for them.</span><i> </i>It was funny and very cleverly written with so many
twists and just went to prove you really shouldn’t judge a book by its cover… </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Out of the Darkness by Katy Hogan </span></i></b>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitVRsxBch1ujbCiPXHhJrcxjBj4Yk73uoC3QS2cwyo31OGlH4h1rgcYRvRXmVIYHsmGHiES6qX1q3MODsOETsZZWZ-nJb1NlpKh4XhBO3YTYix9uT_ENSLMKT2_ep6oAPfgI1FdW08JRw/s1600/IMG_4140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitVRsxBch1ujbCiPXHhJrcxjBj4Yk73uoC3QS2cwyo31OGlH4h1rgcYRvRXmVIYHsmGHiES6qX1q3MODsOETsZZWZ-nJb1NlpKh4XhBO3YTYix9uT_ENSLMKT2_ep6oAPfgI1FdW08JRw/s320/IMG_4140.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Following
the sudden death of her beloved mother, Jessica Gibson's world falls apart. But
after meeting a man who seems heaven-sent, she starts to feel she has something
to live for again, and soon discovers that their connection holds far more
significance than she could ever have imagined. And when Jessica strikes an
unlikely bond with Alexandra Green, the two new friends are taken on an
emotional journey into the world of the supernatural, where psychic mediums
pass on messages from beyond the grave...</span></i></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">If you’re a ‘believer’ (as I am) then
you’ll really love this debut novel form Katy Hogan. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Deeply moving and unsettling in places,
I truly loved it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">The
Forgetting Time by Sharon Guskin </span></i></b></span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidt4XzLfIbu1xTEZgG8-gRu7Of628Q8NvpYS8BiMp7S3vb546qxzIzy4sj58JbfW-4Hu7pQbjZ0z6_sZMdyUrvNBRJW-wb2545Xa_d8EXx9UCK954DgCzzsbf42QAREJVWWWEuwlrzO_8/s1600/IMG_4141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidt4XzLfIbu1xTEZgG8-gRu7Of628Q8NvpYS8BiMp7S3vb546qxzIzy4sj58JbfW-4Hu7pQbjZ0z6_sZMdyUrvNBRJW-wb2545Xa_d8EXx9UCK954DgCzzsbf42QAREJVWWWEuwlrzO_8/s320/IMG_4141.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Noah is four and wants to go home. The only trouble is he's already there….
</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br />
Janie's son is her world, and it breaks her heart that he has nightmares. <br />
That he's terrified of water. <br />
That he sometimes pushes her away and screams that he wants his real mother. <br />
That it's getting worse and worse and no one seems to be able to help.</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">In desperation,
she turns to someone who might have an answer - but it may not be one she's
ready to hear. It may also mean losing the one thing she loves more than
anything - Noah.</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">A novel that
spans life, death and everything in between, <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The Forgetting Time</span> tells an unforgettable story - about Noah,
about love, and, above all, about the things we hold onto when we have nothing
else...</span></i></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">This lovely book had a real feel of <i>The Lovely
Bones</i> to it. A fascinating read that is a little hard work in places, but will
keep you riveted until the very last page. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Happy Reading! </span></div>
(A)My Spacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10855603380669649672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131786886827296994.post-31475280048945614302016-02-21T02:47:00.001-08:002016-02-21T02:47:41.665-08:00Like your books dark? Get your hands on Behind Closed Doors… <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqopE1u2L23AVOR1e1bRcdCiRp21VOy6EapluhguVb6qhNjvju3zFAS67U3-eJQMkus-8BEHKVlpXXgjP1NX_il_ij55ieD0C7Dk0zScHz4Ba-gVBy_8zzbrgQsAX8mgS44Yo_0IhIe3U/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-02-21+at+10.43.13.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqopE1u2L23AVOR1e1bRcdCiRp21VOy6EapluhguVb6qhNjvju3zFAS67U3-eJQMkus-8BEHKVlpXXgjP1NX_il_ij55ieD0C7Dk0zScHz4Ba-gVBy_8zzbrgQsAX8mgS44Yo_0IhIe3U/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-02-21+at+10.43.13.png" width="206" /></a></div>
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<b><i>Everyone knows a couple like Jack and Grace.</i></b></div>
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<b><i></i></b><br /></div>
<div style="color: #181818; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><i>He has looks and wealth, she has charm and elegance. You might not want to like them, but you do. Though, you’d like to get to know Grace better.</i></b></div>
<div style="color: #181818; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; min-height: 16px; text-align: center;">
<b><i></i></b><br /></div>
<div style="color: #181818; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><i>But it’s difficult, because you realise Jack and Grace are never apart.</i></b></div>
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<b><i></i></b><br /></div>
<div style="color: #181818; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><i>Some might call this true love. Others might ask why Grace never answers the phone. Or how she can never meet for coffee, even though she doesn’t work. How she can cook such elaborate meals but remain so slim. And why there are bars on one of the bedroom windows.</i></b></div>
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<b><i></i></b><br /></div>
<div style="color: #181818; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b><i>Sometimes, the perfect marriage is the perfect lie… </i></b></div>
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<div style="color: #232323; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;">
<i>Behind Closed Doors</i> was the second book of 2016 I read and when I’d finished back on the 6<sup>th</sup> January I made a very bold statement – but one that I’m standing by...</div>
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<div style="color: #232323; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;">
B A Paris’s <i>Behind Closed Doors</i> is my book of the year. Yep. I called it - just six days into the year.</div>
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<div style="color: #181818; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;">
<span style="color: #232323;"><i>Behind Closed Doors</i> is </span>terrifyingly brilliant - be warned about reading before bed though, it causes an unsettled sleep!</div>
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<div style="color: #232323; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;">
A sharp and gripping, intense debut thriller, expect the unexpected… I can't recommend this enough (in fact two friends have already taken this on holiday with them. Though I did warn it isn't a light pool read…) </div>
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If you like dark books then without a doubt, this is one for you. </div>
(A)My Spacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10855603380669649672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131786886827296994.post-9543240020405119092016-02-12T07:40:00.001-08:002016-02-12T07:40:53.249-08:00Denise's Debut...
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3xrr0UNpPoMqG5_jhJQDDXjwycmIgto9LxaX7ybbkQAixA42xJbVc4qTJS0RUUCK2FP4vLcSvLLX8AVhj-53_meQVj-RQLt1_p_6oXQUdntFUZYydiztqU_ZqmKAtq7lBLF76wMj4a-c/s1600/EmxH-zn1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3xrr0UNpPoMqG5_jhJQDDXjwycmIgto9LxaX7ybbkQAixA42xJbVc4qTJS0RUUCK2FP4vLcSvLLX8AVhj-53_meQVj-RQLt1_p_6oXQUdntFUZYydiztqU_ZqmKAtq7lBLF76wMj4a-c/s320/EmxH-zn1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><i>If You Could See Me Now</i> by Denise Welch </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Harper was once
a famous actress - but she gave it all up to get married and start a family. </span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">But her husband turned into a bully and a control freak and while Harper has complied too his demands
for years, something then happens to make her question everything… </span></i></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">You know a book is pretty brilliant when you get
really emotionally involved with the characters. I was routing for Harper from
page one – and I despised her husband Aaron. </span><span style="font-family: Times; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">The characters are completely believable and are
really brought to life by Denise – it’s obvious she has drawn from her own life
experiences. </span><span style="font-family: Times; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">I don’t want to say too much as I hate spoilers,
but trust me, this is fast paced and exhilarating – you’ll be hooked from the
first line. </span><span style="font-family: Times; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"> If
You Could See Me Now</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"> is an outstanding debut novel from Denise – I can’t wait
to see what she has up her sleeve next. </span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"></span></div>
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(A)My Spacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10855603380669649672noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131786886827296994.post-25454561762028199722016-02-11T08:21:00.000-08:002016-02-11T08:21:23.768-08:00Something for the weekend?
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Two very different but equally <i>brilliant</i>
books are published today so if you’re after something to read ahead of the
weekend, I can’t recommend these two enough… </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">First up – </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Tainted
Love</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"> by my absolute <b><i>FAVOURITE</i></b> crime writer, Kimberley
Chambers. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAc6oF3nm0NrKcHd7a-cZKoun3ueJC86oyuBInX9KNsQjobzN2WaNoWLYBTPnz12ZcIoC9g_xWSF7DJPRSPf-rhAxtKlHXzb4zLzkwFgxjHuWSpmWblkB8YM_SbkSFmOnl8hWDpVhUEIc/s1600/51S1SmDfljL._SX323_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAc6oF3nm0NrKcHd7a-cZKoun3ueJC86oyuBInX9KNsQjobzN2WaNoWLYBTPnz12ZcIoC9g_xWSF7DJPRSPf-rhAxtKlHXzb4zLzkwFgxjHuWSpmWblkB8YM_SbkSFmOnl8hWDpVhUEIc/s320/51S1SmDfljL._SX323_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_-1.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><i><b>Nobody can hurt you like the ones you love…</b></i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Blood
is thicker than water, love is stronger than hate – and that’s the problem.
When your brother has betrayed you, there’s no coming back.</i></b></span><br /><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">
Vinny and Michael have always protected each other and provided for the family.
Together they were formidable but business always stopped at the front door.
Now someone has changed the rules – women and children are fair game and one of
the Butlers is going to end up six feet under.</i></b></span><br /><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">
Little Vinny is battling not to follow in his father’s footsteps. Sweet
Sammi-Lou has just vowed ‘til death do us part, but it’s only a matter of time
before the truth comes out about the murder he committed.</i></b></span><br /><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">
Dark secrets are spiralling out of control and have the power to destroy them
all for good. Is this the final nail in the Butler family coffin?</i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Three Butlers. Two weddings. One funeral… </span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"></span></i></b></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Sounds gripping, right? Believe me – it <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is.</i> This is the fourth book in the
Butler series but you can still delve into this without reading the previous
three as you do get a recap of what’s happened within the novel. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The characters in this are brilliant and there are so many
twists and turns you’ll be left seriously dizzy. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">It’s completely explosive so if you fancy an East end,
gangland read, you won’t be disappointed<i><b>.</b></i> </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">And secondly - <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Another Love </span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">by
the wonderful Amanda Prowse</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEazDSYHEAFSR0EoTLnJUNHmost4Jw24nW6noNowAhrgWHwICLU8_xm6h-9vNqR0vX1UbujxBK_2O2AKFrYGyr_vAvlzxxdEu7R4YL761uiW2ZMIh8DiRcLxVQp5kB5wsxAiK-0XG3nMs/s1600/51yBOFyffeL._SX314_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEazDSYHEAFSR0EoTLnJUNHmost4Jw24nW6noNowAhrgWHwICLU8_xm6h-9vNqR0vX1UbujxBK_2O2AKFrYGyr_vAvlzxxdEu7R4YL761uiW2ZMIh8DiRcLxVQp5kB5wsxAiK-0XG3nMs/s320/51yBOFyffeL._SX314_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="202" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">In the early
years, she was happy. </span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Romilly had
worked hard for her stunning, modern house in one of Bristol's most fashionable
suburbs. She adored her gorgeous, gap-toothed daughter and her kind and
handsome husband. Sure, life was sometimes exhausting - but nothing that a
large glass of wine at the end of the day couldn't fix. </span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">But then, as
deep-buried insecurities surfaced, everything started to unravel. A glass of
wine became a bottle; one bottle became two. Once, Romilly's family were
everything to her. Now, after years of hiding the drinking, she must finally
admit that she has found another love... </span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Amanda
Prowse is a beautiful writer and deals with some really gritty and
uncomfortable issues, effortlessly.</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"> This is
completely </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">unputdownable read which had me turning
the pages at a serious pace. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Happy Reading! </span></b></div>
(A)My Spacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10855603380669649672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131786886827296994.post-36286440130111461362016-02-08T04:45:00.000-08:002016-02-08T04:45:25.316-08:00January Reads <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh12G0RT2SMUmRFsasNlUriHsh87lI7ltutkDiutlbtP0JUNtTpfXTQQamgo_rcX2YNFgJkAtEXqlWihTH7CI4PpgSzkN3qeATHLLg7go-_w48UIPL_QBNHszAA-8p2dpiMMF-WbiEsGBw/s1600/IMG_3895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh12G0RT2SMUmRFsasNlUriHsh87lI7ltutkDiutlbtP0JUNtTpfXTQQamgo_rcX2YNFgJkAtEXqlWihTH7CI4PpgSzkN3qeATHLLg7go-_w48UIPL_QBNHszAA-8p2dpiMMF-WbiEsGBw/s320/IMG_3895.JPG" width="272" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">I’ve read some absolute corkers in January - here
are my faves…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMlkdD86y6zQ9b4-UmTEyX3_gEMWD9VsDvHnix6cRsNY5EGk5mCZRQbyrkMDkBHFLlWoowYBYXbGoWpqBP_ZO0mjzNnAAdRKmufnF-_beJaq0vFMEds8q6xnTNuiD5Hrd8mBQmsdE9T1o/s1600/IMG_3626.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMlkdD86y6zQ9b4-UmTEyX3_gEMWD9VsDvHnix6cRsNY5EGk5mCZRQbyrkMDkBHFLlWoowYBYXbGoWpqBP_ZO0mjzNnAAdRKmufnF-_beJaq0vFMEds8q6xnTNuiD5Hrd8mBQmsdE9T1o/s320/IMG_3626.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">You know those books you read that are so brilliant
that when you finish you just want to tell everyone that they must read it
IMMEDIATELY? Dani Atkins <i>Our Song</i> is that book. Though as I finished at
2am in the morning I refrained from messaging all my bookie friends straight
away and waited for a more sociable hour to hit… </span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Our Song</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"> brings
you the story of Ally and Charlotte, whose paths have intersected over the
years.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Charlotte married Ally's ex and first
true love, David. And fate is about to bring them together one last, dramatic
time and change their lives forever… <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">With utterly breath-taking plot twists
that leave you shouting: ‘What the….?’ (even at 2am) <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Our Song</i> is so gripping that you won’t be able to turn the pages
fast enough but at the same time won’t want it to end… Please read immediately. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTkKzdWtbTUEHtri20oIWpPECzmbQgw0g-VBNnpBlmE5BOLWaOGubRiI6hT0FlCWBOPn9IOdR6dIJaILF5bT6_5sc8X-duDQFJ2ozqglPk-fI-_JAwz3866-Mw9Z-snNYY7BgLUGADJlU/s1600/IMG_3360.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTkKzdWtbTUEHtri20oIWpPECzmbQgw0g-VBNnpBlmE5BOLWaOGubRiI6hT0FlCWBOPn9IOdR6dIJaILF5bT6_5sc8X-duDQFJ2ozqglPk-fI-_JAwz3866-Mw9Z-snNYY7BgLUGADJlU/s320/IMG_3360.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"> The first book I laid my hands on in
2016 was </span><i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Unforgettable
</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">by
Charlie Maclean.<i> </i></span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">With a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sliding Doors/The Versions</i> of Us style (<a href="http://amylysette.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/my-five-best-books-from-2015.html"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Versions of Us</i></a> was one of my
favourite books of 2015) a chance encounter throws together Alex, an unhappy
lawyer, and Julia, a headstrong actress. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Then the
book splits and alternates between the couple’s passionate love affair and
Alex’s downbeat life without her. One moment. Two lives. One decision… </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">I love
books that take the characters on different paths and this is a stunning debut
from Charlie Maclean - and a perfect read for fans of <i>One Day</i>. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxZq2Dvy_Egjvc6tIj1q5aamBY_uodkLUnNIYtEdo7yBD8Yuc3ZvZrhGubnFKB7CRl3_yggtFfBowQJEBzKjkqbLjoBZe1vkfaRFI_mSEBgL7D6atl8tbCnEsys28ochJCoQ7IITK3gNA/s1600/IMG_3468.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxZq2Dvy_Egjvc6tIj1q5aamBY_uodkLUnNIYtEdo7yBD8Yuc3ZvZrhGubnFKB7CRl3_yggtFfBowQJEBzKjkqbLjoBZe1vkfaRFI_mSEBgL7D6atl8tbCnEsys28ochJCoQ7IITK3gNA/s320/IMG_3468.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">If you
haven’t read a Liane Moriarty novel then you really don’t know what you’re
missing out on.. </span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Three Wishes</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"> is
funny whilst tackling some serious issues.</span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Lyn, Cat, and Gemma Kettle are beautiful 33-year-old
triplets and laughter, drama, and mayhem seem to follow them. </span>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">But apart, each is dealing with her own share of ups and
downs…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Lyn has organized her life into one big checklist, Cat has
just learned a startling secret about her marriage, and Gemma, who bolts every
time a relationship hits the six-month mark, holds out hope for lasting love. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The trio have to deal with sibling rivalry and secrets,
revelations and relationships, unfaithful husbands and unthinkable decisions… </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Fast paced and exhilarating, you’ll be hooked from the
opening line. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghreJl8bxtBRUNd3o4ttDVS3DR7Z0YauMOBkDAPwqs0z8aW8646HFpXRgEX-ukMkLIfqVCS_G_LGxpgsbD9Ve_XiL2JCj-p8byXq0d1Tgi3hxRwS8QPEcWjRK6GNWALWssXst5qfobCkc/s1600/IMG_3423.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghreJl8bxtBRUNd3o4ttDVS3DR7Z0YauMOBkDAPwqs0z8aW8646HFpXRgEX-ukMkLIfqVCS_G_LGxpgsbD9Ve_XiL2JCj-p8byXq0d1Tgi3hxRwS8QPEcWjRK6GNWALWssXst5qfobCkc/s320/IMG_3423.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Last but certainly not least… Lucy Diamond with <i>The Secret of Happiness</i> which looks at stepsisters Rachel and Becca.
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">They live far apart and have little in common. Rachel is
successful with an impressive career, a big house, happily married with three
children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Becca lurches from one dead-end job to another, shares a
tiny flat and has given up on love.</span>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The two of them have lost touch, but when Rachel doesn't
come home one night, Becca is called in to help. Once there, she quickly realizes that her stepsister's life is not so perfect
after all: Rachel's husband has moved out, her children are rebelling and her glamorous career has taken a
nosedive. Worst of all nobody seems to have a clue where she might be… </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">As Becca begins to untangle Rachel's secrets, she is
forced to confront some uncomfortable truths about her own life, and the future seems uncertain. But as they both discover, sometimes happiness can be
found in the most unexpected places . . .</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I’m a big fan of Lucy’s and she doesn’t disappoint with
this lovely story where she writes about family life brilliantly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Happy reading! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
(A)My Spacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10855603380669649672noreply@blogger.com2