Review ~ Christmas for the Halfpenny Orphans by Cathy Sharp

 Christmas Reading

Harper
2016

The book blurb...

Little twin sisters, Sarah and Samantha are all alone in the world. When their mother died giving birth to Sarah, she was blamed for the death by her father and her learning difficulties serve only to make him more angry and violent towards her. Now he’s finally abandoned them both and they’ve found sanctuary at St Saviour’s Children’s Home in London’s East End. It seems they’re doomed to be separated; no one wants to take Sarah on, but life apart will break their hearts.

Alice, a former worker at the home who is now a mother and happily married to Bob, finds her happiness under threat when a face from the past reappears. Jack Shaw, East End bad boy, has always been Alice’s weak spot but is she really about to throw everything away?

Angela Morton has her hands full; she’s now in sole charge. But with Christmas approaching, and more than one orphan in desperate need, St Saviour’s is crying out for a miracle.

My thoughts...

This is now the third book in the Halfpenny Street series of novels and whilst each book is written to stand alone, there are characters and situations which are mentioned, which have been in the series from the start. That said, I thought that the story started well, with some nice characterisation and enough detail about St Saviour's Children home to whet my appetite.

The story of two abandoned children who run away from home certainly gets the book off to an interesting start, and when combined with the other story threads, a theme of determination against all odds starts to develop. Christmas for the Halfpenny Orphans is light and easy to read and the characters are nicely portrayed. The way of life at St. Saviour's with all its many complications is well described and the story is both sad and heart-warming in equal measure showing people at both their best... and worst.

It is obvious that the author clearly enjoys writing this series and this shows in the way she lovingly describes her characters so that they become real in the imagination. I am sure that fans of this series who have previously invested in the story and characters will find much to enjoy in this latest novel.

Best Read with..a nice glass of sweet sherry and a warm mince pie..

About the Author

Cathy Sharp is happily married and lives with her husband in a small Cambridgeshire village. They like visiting Spain together and enjoy the benefits of sunshine and pleasant walks, while at home they love their garden and visiting the Norfolk seaside.

Cathy loves writing because it gives pleasure to others, she finds writing an extension of herself and it gives her great satisfaction. Cathy says, ‘There is nothing like seeing your book in print, because so much loving care has been given to bringing that book into being.’

Thanks to Harper for my review copy of this lovely Christmas saga

Killer Reads ~ After Anna and Killing Kate by Alex Lake

There's something rather special about these books and this author.

I am delighted to share my reviews  in a double dose of book excitement !

Harper
2015

The blurb...

A girl is missing. Five years old, taken from outside her school. She has vanished, traceless. The police are at a loss; her parents are beyond grief. Their daughter is lost forever, perhaps dead, perhaps enslaved. But the biggest mystery is yet to come: one week after she was abducted, their daughter is returned. She has no memory of where she has been. And this, for her mother, is just the beginning of the nightmare.

My thoughts...

Every parents worst nightmare is arriving at the school gates half an hour late only to find that their child has gone. For Julia Crowne and her husband Brian , the nightmare has only just started. With no clues as to the whereabouts of their five year old daughter Anna they can only trust that the investigative team will do everything they can to find her before it's too late,

What then follows is a tight, emotional roller-coaster of a ride which examines that very modern phenomenon of a modern parenthood, that of , who is going to be around to wait at the school gates. Understandably, the press and social media have a field day with Julia who is branded a heartless and cruel mother for daring to be late. The inner anguish of a mother coping with tremendous sorrow and devastating guilt really comes across and you can't help but be sympathetic towards her plight.

What worked so successfully for me in this novel was the very clever intertwining of two stories. We get the family turmoil and utter heartbreak of a missing child but we also get an insight onto the chilling and anonymous mind of the perpetrator both of which, I think, was handled very well.

There's a subtle obviousness about the story, so if you are a canny reader, as I most probably am, there are very clever clues as to the identity of the perpetrator which I rather enjoyed. At times I think you maybe have to suspend belief a little but taken as a whole the book is a very cleverly controlled 'whodunit' by an exciting talent in crime suspense.


Best Read with...A glass of ice cold vodka, sharp and crisp..

Harper
2016

The blurb..

A serial killer is stalking your home town. He has a type: all his victims look the same. And they all look like you.

Kate returns from a post break-up holiday with her girlfriends to news of a serial killer in her home town – and his victims all look like her. It could, of course, be a simple coincidence.

Or maybe not.

She becomes convinced she is being watched, followed even. Is she next? And could her mild-mannered ex-boyfriend really be a deranged murderer?

Or is the truth something far more sinister?

My Thoughts..

Kate Armstrong is hoping to put her broken relationship behind her, but her ex-boyfriend Phil refuses to accept that Kate is trying to move on with her life. A holiday to Turkey with her friends allows Kate the opportunity to relax but her return home is fraught with danger and suspicion as she begins to suspect that someone is watching her. A spate of killings in  Kate's home town does nothing to dispel her feelings of disquiet, particularly as all the victims look very similar to Kate.

What then follows is a very clever psychological thriller which gets decidedly more creepy as the story progresses. I really enjoyed becoming involved in the action and felt much sympathy for the characters at the heart of the story, particularly Kate's ex boyfriend, Phil who I felt had a raw deal. There is a deliciously sinister edge to the story which kept me turning the pages almost as fast as the story which is pacy and exciting and which kept me on the edge of my seat.

I did guess the perpetrator quite early on but that didn't lessen my enjoyment of a fast and furious story especially the last few chapters where the tension really starts to bite deep and where the outcome is never always going to be guaranteed.

Best Read with...a glass or two of house red, gently warmed by an open fire..

About the Author

Alex Lake is a British novelist who was born in the North West of England. After Anna was the first book to be written under the author's pseudonym, and was a best selling ebook sensation. Killing Kate is Alex's second novel, published by Harper in 2016. The author now lives in the North East of the US.

Follow the author on Twitter @Alexlakeauthor

Follow Killer Reads on Twitter @KillerReads

My thanks to the publishers Harper and the amazing team at Killer Reads for my review copies of After Anna and Killing Kate.

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Review ~ The Birthday That Changed Everything by Debbie Johnson

Harper Impulse
28th January 2016

Sally Summers' fortieth birthday is fast approaching and whilst she didn't really expect much from her husband of seventeen years, she hoped that in some small way he would surprise her. Happily searching the internet looking for her own birthday present from him and wondering whether to choose a new Dyson or Botox, she was largely unprepared when an email from her husband landed in her in-box. Choosing to surprise her in quite an unexpected way, her husband's email informs her that he is leaving her and the kids in order to find himself. That he chooses to 'find himself' with a nineteen year old lap dancer is not accepted lightly.  

What then follows is a wry look at what happens when a relationship breaks down, of the anger and disbelief ,and yes, it must be said, of the appalling sadness. The trauma of starting again when really Sally just wants to curl up and die and of her trying to keep the peace between two unruly teenagers, whose own angst ridden problems are also the source of some irritation, forms the basis of the story.

A holiday in Turkey, at The Blue Bay resort seems like the perfect place for Sally to nurse her broken heart and which, she hopes, will help to take her mind of what's happening in her private life.  The characters Sally meets up with at The Blue Bay Resort are a quirky and entertaining bunch but it is in Sally's burgeoning friendship with James, a single dad with more than enough problems of his own, where the heart of the books lies.

As always, the author delivers an entertaining read, her stories never disappoint and whilst there are some laugh out loud moments which are very funny, there are also some really searching looks into modern day family life which are quite enlightening. And by spanning the story over the course of a couple of years, and over other holidays at The Blue Bay resort, we get the full effect of Sally's metamorphosis. I really enjoyed seeing how the story played out and the way the author handles Sally's gradual reawakening as a person in her own right, as someone who no longer hides in the shadows,  is really well done. As the story progresses, you can't help but warm to Sally and hope that all goes well for her.

Best read with ...huge slices of pepperoni pizza and a large glass of ice cold gin, easy on the tonic.

About the author

Find Debbie on her website
Find her on Facebook
Follow her on Twitter @debbiemjohnson
Amazon UK

The Birthday That Changed Everything is published tomorrow on the 28th January 

My thanks to the author for sharing her book with me and to Felicity at Harper for providing me with my review copy of this book

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Review ~ The Missing Husband by Amanda Brooke

Harper
July 2015

Jo Taylor, and her husband David, appear, on the surface, to have a good marriage. Like all couples they squabble and bicker, but their latest silly argument about giving David a lift to the train station was particularly uncomfortable. When David leaves the house early the next morning, Jo pretends to be asleep. Later that same evening when David fails to return home, Jo, and the rest of the family, including the police,  feel that David has abandoned her. Pregnant and alone, Jo has some tough decisions to make and a difficult journey to travel before the truth about David's sudden disappearance is revealed.

I think what comes across so strongly in the story is of  the unpredictability of life, and that however well we think we know someone, there is always a little part of ourselves that remains entirely secret. Jo experiences all sorts of feelings, understandable anger at her husband's callous treatment, sadness that she has been left alone to cope with pregnancy and impending motherhood, and huge financial worries as she struggles to cope alone. All combine to make a really interesting story, and one that for me, became a real page turner. I wanted to see how the story developed, speculated about what had happened to David and empathised with Jo as she struggled to make sense of everything. 

This is now the second story by Amanda Brooke that I have read and as with her previous book, Where I Found You, I was struck by her easy style of writing, and the effortless way she draws the reader into the story. There is a realism to her characters which resonates, and in this story, Jo's constant battle against anxiety and panic is done in such a realistic way that you can't help but become emotionally involved in her desperate search for the truth. I read the book easily over a couple of sittings, it's one of those stories that tugs away at you so that you don't want to stop reading until the story is complete. The ending is cleverly achieved and took me by surprise, as I had anticipated a very different outcome.


Amanda's debut novel Yesterday's Sun was chosen as a Richard & Judy Book in 2012. And I am pleased to learn that the author has a new novel, expected in 2016.




About the Author



Follow on her website
On Twitter @AmandaBrookeAB

My thanks to Jaime at Harper for my copy of this book.

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Review ~ Where I Found You by Amanda Brooke.

A lovely summer read.....

Published by Harper

5 June 2014

Maggie Carter is expecting her first baby and her natural apprehension is tinged with more than a hint of sadness. Despite the love of her husband, James, Maggie misses her mother, who before her untimely death reiterated to Maggie that she could do anything that she set her mind on. For Maggie is visually impaired and whilst this is no real barrier to her successful career as an aromatherapist, she does naturally worry how she will cope with the responsibility of a baby. When Maggie, meets Elsa in the park, the two women form an unshakeable bond, which will prove to have an interesting effect on the people around them.

What then follows is a lovely story about the trials and tribulations of motherhood. The joys and sadness of the ties which bind us together and of what happens when life doesn’t always work out the way it was planned. The story is nicely written with a fine attention to detail and an intuitive look at what life is like for someone with visual impairment. I think the balance achieved was just right, never patronising nor condescending, in fact there were vast tracks of the story where I forgot altogether that Maggie couldn’t see. And yet, when the reminders came, in the form of Harvey, Maggie’s guide dog, it was a real pleasure to see how this stalwart young woman seemed to cope with, not just impending motherhood, but also with the challenges of her daily life.

There is a wonderful array of supporting characters who flit into and out of the story, but the perhaps the most  poignant is the emotional connection between Ted and Elsie, an elderly couple coping with the onset of Alzheimer’s and of the upsetting way this deadly disease encroaches on both their past and present.

So, overall, this was a lovely easy read and just perfect for reading in the garden with a nice cool glass of lemonade.

My thanks to Jaime Frost at Harper for my review copy of this book.

 About the Author




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Review ~ What a Girl Wants by Lindsey Kelk

Harper

17th July 2014

From the author of the best selling Heart series

On the surface Tess Brookes seems to be your average girl next door, she’s quirky and funny and sometimes just downright loopy. She’s been in love with her friend Charlie forever but on a holiday to Hawaii, Tess meets Nick and that’s when her life starts to get really complicated. And as she faces the dilemma of either staying in London or of travelling to Milan to take on a new assignment, she needs to decide what's going to happen with Charlie and what on earth is going to happen with Nick!

This is a warm and witty look at the problems all too often encountered in relationships, of those we know we will win and those we know we won’t, but through it all, Tess and her best friend, Amy, have just the right amount of irreverent charm to keep the story fun and entertaining. I really enjoyed the story. The plot moves along at a quick pace and although there were times when I found Tess to be a bit irritating, on the whole, I liked the way the story drew me in and how the characters felt realistic without being overly sentimental or overly dramatic. Amongst all the angst and girlie gossip is the story of the complicated process of finding the right person and I suppose the ultimate moral of the story is that what a girl wants is sometimes not always the answer to the question.

Lindsey Kelk’s writing is as warm and witty as ever as those who have read her work before will testify. Fans will recognise a continuation of  Tess’s story which started with the 2013 release of About a Girl, but for those readers who are new to Lindsey’s writing it is quite easy to pick up this latest story without having read the first book.

So, it’s a definite thumbs up from me for What a Girl Wants; it’s a perfect read for a sunny afternoon by the pool or in the garden, preferably with a nice glass of sparkling rosé close to hand.

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There's a chance to win a copy of this lovely summer read in my giveaway

Enter here

UK Only

  

What a Girl Wants Blog Tour 2014

I am delighted welcome to the blog

Lindsey Kelk 

Published 17 July 2014

Harper

Synopsis

Tess Brookes was the girl with a plan. Now she's the girl with a choice. Should she stay in London and start her own advertising agency with her best friend and potential boyfriend Charlie? Or should she head to exciting Milan to pursue both a new career as a photographer and a new man, the enigmatic and elusive (and highly irritating) Nick? For the first time, Tess has to choose between the life she always dreamed of and a future she never imagined possible. With her heart and her head pulling her in different directions, Tess has to make a life-changing decision about What a Girl Wants.

Lindsey ~ welcome to Jaffareadstoo and thank you for inviting us to be part of your blog tour to celebrate

 What a Girl Wants.

What do you love about writing?

I love telling stories, I love making up people and places and trying on lives that aren’t my own. It’s like reading a book but better, because you’re making it up as you go.

What scares you about writing?

The fear that it will go away. I get so scared that one day I’ll just wake up and I will have completely forgotten how to do it.

Do you write stories for yourself, or other people?

For myself. I've learned the hard way that you can’t please everyone and at the end of the day, I need to be able to close my laptop and know that I feel good about the work that I’m doing. It’s much easier to deal with the criticism if you know that you believe in what you’re doing.

When do you find the time to write, and do you have a favourite place to do your writing?

I write all the time! I've been on constant deadlines for maybe the last two and a half years so there aren’t many days when I'm not working away at something. Mostly I write in my apartment, parked on the sofa or curled up in bed. I spent an obscene amount of money on a beautiful desk to break my bad habits and I think I've sat at it maybe twice…

 Can you tell us what you are writing next?

Yes! Right now I’m finishing up the Jenny Lopez Saves Christmas ebook and then it’s onto my new novel, out next spring.

Lindsey ~ It's been a real pleasure to host this interview, thanks for taking the time to answer our questions.

 Jaffa and I wish you much success

with your blog tour.

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My thanks to Amy Winchester at Harper for organising this Blog Tour
and for generously providing 2 copies of

What a Girl Wants in this fabulous Giveaway.

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck Everyone

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