Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout Blog Tour

 I have to admit, before joining this tour I had never read one of Elizabeth Strout's novels. This was something I quickly rectified by purchasing My Name is Lucy Barton and Anything Possible to read before I started her latest novel Oh William!

Strout writes in such a pure way. Her honesty pulling you into the story and making you feel as though it is all reality.

Lucy Barton is a successful writer living in New York, navigating the second half of her life as a recent widow and parent to two adult daughters. A surprise encounter leads her to reconnect with William, her first husband - and longtime, on-again-off-again friend and confidante. Recalling their college years, the birth of their daughters, the painful dissolution of their marriage, and the lives they built with other people, Strout weaves a portrait, stunning in its subtlety, of a tender, complex, decades-long partnership.

The Country Village Winter Wedding by Cathy Lake Blog Tour

 I've recently become a huge fan of Cathy Lake.

Having been given the chance to join the blog tour for her most recent release The Country Village Winter Wedding, I went ahead and purchased the previous two books in the series and read them at speed before delving into the newest addition.

These are feel-good books at their best.

Clare Greene and Sam Wilson are getting married and everyone in Little Bramble is excited for the event of the year. But Clare and Sam are busy people and have left organising their wedding to the last minute.

Luckily, wedding planner Hazel Campbell has recently moved to the village. She had what she thought was a wonderful life in Edinburgh with a successful business, a loving fiance and her own wedding coming up. But when she caught her groom-to-be in bed with her best friend she fled, leaving everyone and everything behind.

Little Bramble seems like the ideal place for Hazel to start over. As she throws herself into planning the perfect country village winter wedding, she starts to find herself again. And soon she realises that a second chance at happiness might just be on the cards . . .

Femlandia by Christina Dalcher Blog Blitz

 Christina Dalcher in recent years has become one of my favourite authors. I found her previous novels, Vox and Q to be relevant and chillingly genius with their storylines.

Her latest novel Femlandia, after reading the blurb sounded like it was going to be just as clever and now I'm here with my space on the blog tour to let you know if it lived up to my expectations.

Miranda Reynolds always thought she would rather die than live in Femlandia. But that was before the country sank into total economic collapse and her husband walked out in the harshest, most permanent way, leaving her and her sixteen-year-old daughter with nothing. The streets are full of looting, robbing, and killing, and Miranda and Emma no longer have much choice—either starve and risk getting murdered, or find safety. And so they set off to Femlandia, the women-only colony Miranda’s mother, Win Somers, established decades ago.

Although Win is no longer in the spotlight, her protégé Jen Jones has taken Femlandia to new heights: The off-grid colonies are secluded, self-sufficient, and thriving—and Emma is instantly enchanted by this idea of a safe haven. But something is not right. There are no men allowed in the colony, but babies are being born—and they’re all girls. Miranda discovers just how the all-women community is capable of enduring, and it leads her to question how far her mother went to create this perfect, thriving, horrifying society.

The Post Box at the North Pole by Jaimie Admans Blog Tour

 I don't think it's a secret that I love Christmas. I'm one of those people that starts everything festive quite early and I am more than happy to read a Christmas themed book any time of the year. So when I was asked back in September if I'd like to read Jaimie Adman's latest novel, it was a big, fat yes from me!

The Post Box at the North Pole is a wintery delight of a romance (spoiler alert, I loved it!) keep reading to find out just what it has to offer.

Sasha Hansley hates Christmas. As a child, it was her favourite time of year, but ever since the tragic death of her mother, it has completely lost its magic.

But when she gets an unexpected phone call from her eccentric estranged father, she’s forced to dust off her snow boots.

He has been running a Lapland style Christmas village in Norway and after suffering a heart attack, he is on strict doctor’s orders to slow down. Eager to reconnect with her dad, Sasha books the next flight out there. Only she has never actually been on a plane before, let alone to the Arctic Circle.

Met at the runway by drop-dead-gorgeous Taavi Salvesen, they sleigh ride through the snow with the Northern Lights guiding their way.

When Sasha uncovers sacks of unopened Santa mail – letters that children and adults from all over the world write to Santa every year – she realises that she can send a little bit of magic out into the world by replying to some of them.

With Taavi on hand to help, will Sasha rediscover her own excitement for Christmas and find love among the letters?

Shiver by Allie Reynolds Blog Tour

 I heard of Allie Reynolds novel Shiver at the start of this year but so many books, so little time meant that I never got around to reading it . . . until now.

This month sees Shiver being released in paperback which means more us get the chance to experience what I now know is Allie's debut novel and I'll say before even beginning my review that this book is extremely well written!

When Milla is invited to a reunion in the French Alps resort that saw the peak of her snowboarding career, she drops everything to go. While she would rather forget the events of that winter, the invitation comes from Curtis, the one person she can't seem to let go.

The five friends haven't seen each other for ten years, since the disappearance of the beautiful and enigmatic Saskia. But when an icebreaker game turns menacing, they realise they don't know who has really gathered them there and how far they will go to find the truth.

In a deserted lodge high up a mountain, the secrets of the past are about to come to light.

Lemon by Kwon Yeo-sun Blog Tour

 Books that have been translated. Have you read any? Did you enjoy them.

I certainly have. One of my favourites recently was My Brother by Karin Smirnoff. However, I now have a new novel to add to that list of books I'd recommend ...

Lemon by Kwon Yeo-sun.

Translated by Janet Hong, this is not your typical crime novel. 

In the summer of 2002, when Korea is abuzz over hosting the FIFA World Cup, nineteen-year-old Kim Hae-on is killed in what becomes known as the High School Beauty Murder. Two suspects quickly emerge: rich kid Shin Jeongjun, whose car Hae-on was last seen in, and delivery boy Han Manu, who witnesses Hae-on in the passenger seat of Jeongjun's car just a few hours before her death. But when Jeongjun's alibi turns out to be solid, and no evidence can be pinned on Manu, the case goes cold.

Seventeen years pass without any resolution for those who knew and loved Hae-on, and the grief and uncertainty take a cruel toll on her younger sister, Da-on, in particular. Unable to move on with her life, Da-on tries in her own twisted way to recover some of what she's lost, ultimately setting out to find the truth of what happened.

Told at different points in time from the perspectives of Da-on and two of Hae-on's classmates, Lemon loosely follows the structure of a detective novel. But finding the perpetrator is not the main objective here. Instead, the work explores grief and trauma, raising important questions about guilt, retribution, and the meaning of death and life.

Cruel Castle by Bryony Pearce Blog Tour

 I'm quite the fan of a book series (not so much of the wait for the next novel in the set to come out) so when I was asked if I'd like to join the blog tour for Bryony Pearce's latest story Cruel Castle, I was rather pleased to be able to read the first in the series - Savage Island - before swiftly jumping into the next instalment Cruel Castle.

Now before I delve in to the rest of my review I'll just say this, I think you could read Cruel Castle as a standalone but having the backstories of certain characters did add to the over all story arc.

Having survived the horrors of Savage Island, Grady is now stuck working for Gold, the psychopath who masterminded the gruesome competition. Sent on a “team-building exercise” in a remote castle, he starts to plot his escape.

Ben and Lizzie are in hiding, presumed dead after escaping the island. If they’re ever to return to their families, they need to bring Gold down. So they secretly join Grady in the castle. But as the doors slam shut and the series of deadly challenges between them and freedom are revealed, it looks like history is going to repeat itself...

A Christmas Wish on a Carousel by Lottie Cardew Blog Tour

 Christmas and books, two of my most favourite things in the world (if we forget about my husband and children). 

You may well be seeing a few festive reviews on the blog over the next few weeks, although I highly recommend reading these types of books all year round for that feel good factor.

Enough of my rambling, I of course was a little excited when I was given the chance to read Lottie Cardew's latest novel A Christmas Wish on a Carousel, it's a book that ticks all of the boxes as far as I'm concerned.

Keep on reading to find out exactly why ...

When Cara Mia Shaw makes a desperate wish one night, while riding on a carousel at a Christmas market, little does she know her small, but safe world is about to spin off its axis.

Befriending a fascinating returnee to the village, an elderly woman called Perdita with a jaunty pink beret and the wisdom of a life well lived, might set Cara on a different, albeit harder, course, if she’s brave enough to listen. Art was always her passion, after all, even if fate seemed to have other ideas.

And then there’s the new man in her life, who her friends think is perfect for her because they set her up with decent, reliable Greg in the first place. Cara’s been hurt enough times to know the difference between a good man and a feckless one. Until Wilfred comes along – moody, sarcastic, and scattered – just to complicate matters and meddle with Cara’s resolve, to the horror of almost everyone around her. But is either man ultimately meant for her, anyway? And will she self-sabotage as usual, or gamble everything this time, including her heart?

It might take the highs and lows of friendship, the risk of a forbidden romance, and a Pomeranian called Loki – not to mention some much-needed Christmas magic – before Cara finally realises the wish she made that night on the carousel might just be about to come true.

The Hiding Place by Amanda Mason Blog Tour

 I like a bit of a spooky tale, mix in a touch of the  to a story and I'm intrigued to say the least.

The Hiding Place by Amanda Mason certainly has a ghostly vibe about it and I felt an eerie atmosphere from the first chapter, to put it bluntly I was hooked (but not quite wanting to read the book when the sun went down).

Nell Galilee, her husband and twelve year old step-daughter Maude rent a holiday cottage by the sea, needing time and space away from home after Maude became involved in some troubling events. Nell grew up in this small, wind-blown town and has mixed feelings about returning, and it isn't long before she is recognised by a neighbour, seemingly desperate to befriend her. The cottage too has been empty for some time, and from the start Nell feels uncomfortable there. Something isn't quite right about this place . . .

Maude, furious about being brought here against her will and her father's attention falling so often elsewhere, soon finds herself beguiled by the house's strange atmosphere. There are peculiar marks in the roof beams above her bedroom, and in another room, a hiding place, concealing a strange, unnerving object.

As the house gradually reveals its secrets, Nell becomes increasingly uneasy - and Maude spellbound. But these women - and the women that surround them - are harbouring their own secrets too, and soon events will come to a terrible head . . .

The Haunting of Lindy Pennyworth by S.M. Pope

 I remember reading books such as Goosebumps and Point Horror when I was younger, liking the idea of being scared (but not too much). 

As I've got older my tastes in stories has evolved and I'll admit that I don't tend to opt for spooky novels anymore.

However...

When I heard about The Haunting of Lindy Pennyworth, I was more than a little intrigued.

Nobody believes Lindy when she says she doesn’t pull her out on purpose. Nobody believes Lindy when she says she hears voices in the night. Nobody believes Lindy when she says her dead ancestors are haunting her dreams. Nobody believes Lindy 

Twelve Dates Till Christmas by Jennifer C. Wilson Blog Tour

 It's October, so we're totally safe to mention the C word right .... Christmas. Well Christmas books at least.

I mean it's my two favourite things rolled into one, reading and festive feels.

Jennifer C. Wilson's novella is both fun and funny and I do believe even the blurb will have you wanting to read this one.

Callum and Lexie are perfect for each other - at least, that's what everyone tells them. But they're just good friends, aren't they? And neither wants to ruin the solid friendship that's treated them so well since university.

But when an old school friend of Callum's asks Lexie for a date, and passions overflow on a work night out, could it be the trigger to show each of them what they have been missing out on all this time?

The Impossible Truths of Love by Hannah Beckerman Blog Tour

 Books are written to make you feel, or at least that's what I think. 

To me, a sign of a good story is one that induces an array of emotions as you turn the pages. You know the ones, where you get lost in it all and it begins to feel extremely real, plausible.

Hannah Beckerman has done just that with her latest novel, The Impossible Truths of Love.

When Nell’s father makes a deathbed declaration that hints at a long-held secret, it reignites feelings of isolation that have plagued her for years. Her suspicions about the family’s past only deepen when her mother, Annie, who is losing her memories to dementia, starts making cryptic comments of her own.

Thirty-five years earlier, Annie’s life was upended by a series of traumas—one shock after another that she buried deep in her heart. The decisions she made at the time were motivated by love, but she knew even then that nobody could ever understand—let alone forgive—what she did.

As the two women’s stories unravel, a generation apart, Nell finally discovers the devastating truth about her mother’s past, and her own.

A Little Piece of Paradise by T. A. Williams Blog Blitz

 Oh how I love a good romance.

It's just the perfect escapism, especially in the moments when you're having a tough time in your own reality.

And that's where authors like T.A. Williams come to the rescue.

So I am beyond excited to share with you my review for their latest novel A Little Piece of Paradise. Prepare to fall in love .... with Italy.

When Sophie’s uncle leaves her a castle in the Italian Riviera in his will, she can’t believe her luck. The catch? She and her estranged sister, Rachel, must live there together for three months in order to inherit it.

Having worked in Rome for four years, Sophie’s excited to revisit to Italy, even if it reignites memories of a cheating ex who soon learns of her return and wants to rekindle their spark. Sophie realises that distance does indeed make the heart grow fonder – but for her friend back home, Chris, who she discovers is more to her than just a friend.

With the clock ticking, can Sophie and Rachel stick it out and heal old wounds, or are the sisters destined to go their own way at the end of the three months? And does Chris feel the same way about Sophie as she does for him?