Blue Running by Lori Ann Stephens Blog Tour

 I'm quite partial to a coming of age story.

Many I'm used to reading focus on teenagers and some sort of romance with a little drama thrown in for good measure.

However author Lori Ann Stephens has written something. Blue Running is her debut novel in the UK and what a story it is.

What I'd describe as a dystopian YA thriller, Lori certainly knows how to grab a readers attention.

Fourteen-year-old Bluebonnet Andrews is on the run across the Republic of Texas. An accident with a gun killed her best friend but everyone in the town of Blessing thinks it was murder. Even her father - the town's drunken deputy - believes she did it. Now, she has no choice but to run.

In Texas, murder is punishable by death. There's no one to help her. Her father is incapable and her mother left the state on the last flight to America before the secession. Blue doesn't know where she is but she's determined to track her down. First she has to get across the lawless Republic and over the wall that keeps everyone in. On the road she meets Jet, a pregnant young woman of Latin American heritage. Jet is secretive about her past but she's just as determined as Blue to get out of Texas before she's caught and arrested.

Together, the two form an unlikely kinship as they make their way past marauding motorcycle gangs, the ever watchful Texas Rangers, and armed strangers intent on abducting them - or worse. When Blue and Jet finally reach the wall, will they be able to cross the border, or will they be shot down in cold blood like the thousands who have gone before them? Some things are worth dying for.

This is a book that had me intrigued by the blurb and by the time I'd read the opening two pages, I just knew I had to know more about Blue and just where her journey would lead.

The Imperfect Art of Caring by Jessica Ryn Blog Tour

 Last November I had the pleasure of reading a novel by at the time a debut author, who I was also lucky enough to call my friend, that novel was The Extraordinary Life of Dawn Brightside.  And the writer, none other than Jessica Ryn.

I'm now even more excited to say that this is my spot on the blog tour for her latest release, The Imperfect Art of Caring. 

Before I share more detailed thoughts on the book I'll say this . . . prepare to feel everything!

One small act can make a big difference.

Violet Strong is strong by name but not by nature, or so she thinks. She listens but never talks about herself. She’s friendly but doesn’t have many real friends. She’s become good at keeping people at a distance ever since she left home at eighteen and never looked back.

But when Violet is forced to return home to care for her estranged mother Glenys, she quickly finds out that life as a carer isn’t easy. Feeling overwhelmed, she’s forced to turn to the other local carers, including childhood friend Adam, for help. Although returning home still feels like a mistake, maybe it will help Violet right some wrongs. After all, she can’t keep running from her past forever, and in learning to look after others, perhaps Violet can start to finally love herself.

The Bone Shard Emperor by Andrea Stewart Blog Tour

 Last year I had the absolute pleasure of reading and reviewing the first book in Andrea Stewarts Drowning Empire series. I was hooked from the first page so when I was offered the chance to join the blog tour for the second book in the set The Bone Shard Emperor, I jumped at the chance.

So here I am sharing my thoughts with you all (spoiler, I highly recommend this novel)

The Emperor is Dead. Long live the Emperor.  
 
Lin Sukai finally sits on the throne she won at so much cost, but her struggles are only just beginning. Her people don’t trust her. Her political alliances are weak. And in the north-east of the Empire, a rebel army of constructs is gathering, its leader determined to take the throne by force.  
 
Yet an even greater threat is on the horizon, for the Alanga – the powerful magicians of legend – have returned to the Empire. They claim they come in peace, and Lin will need their help in order to defeat the rebels and restore peace.  

But can she trust them?

Bob the Bear's Adventures by Alice Chambers Book Review

 Now I know my children are technically older now (hence why my book reviews are predominently adult now). However I do have a younger nephew and I work in a primary school so sometimes I can't resist a good picture book.

Today I'm pleased to share with you my thoughts on Bob the Bear's Adventures by Alice Chambers, who first wrote this story to share with her grandchildren.

Bob the Bear tries to hide in Alice's garden but is always discovered . . . and it seems to love climbing more than hiding! 

Please join Bob the Bear on his hiding expeditions and see if you can find him! He is sure to bring a smile and a giggle for both little ones and big ones when playing hide and seek.

The Story of Our Secrets by Shari Low Blog Tour

 There are some stories that really pull at your emotions and can manage to make you full on ugly cry (that's not a bad thing) and that is just what Shari Low has the power to do.

Her latest novel, The Story of Our Secrets is a poignant story about love, loss and friendship that I think is written to simply make the reader feel everything.

Colm O’Flynn was loved by his close circle of family and friends, however his death came too soon for everyone to make peace with their past.

Shauna, his second wife, adored him. But one night she broke their marriage vows, and didn’t get time to ask Colm’s forgiveness.

Jess was the first Mrs O’Flynn. Her heart is set on someone new, but will the last one night stand she shared with Colm come back to haunt her?

Colm’s best friend, Dan, is recently divorced. Can he take a second shot at happiness if it means betraying the one person who always had his back?

What no-one knows is that somewhere out there Colm left messages that could set them free to start over again.

Can divine intervention help them find Colm’s last wishes before it’s too late to love again?

Flora's Travelling Christmas Shop by Rebecca Raisin Blog Tour

 Tis the season to be festive.

And what better way to find that Christmas spirit than reading a merry sort of book, which is what you'll find when you pick up Rebecca Raisin's latest novel Floras Travelling Christmas shop.

Flora loves Christmas more than anything else in the world, so she’s gutted when her Scrooge-alike boss fires her from Deck the Halls Christmas emporium. But now she finally has a chance to follow her dreams – and what better place to start than the home of Christmas?

​Before she can say ‘sleigh bells’, Flora’s on her way to Lapland in a campervan-cum-Christmas-shop. She can’t wait to spend her days drinking hot chocolate and taking reindeer-drawn carriage rides, but something Flora didn’t expect was meeting Connor, a Norse god of a man who makes her heart flutter and snowflakes swirl in her stomach. There’s just one problem: Connor hates Christmas.

​Can Flora convince Connor of the joys of Christmas – and will she find a festive romance along the way?