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The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain

My Rating: 4/5

Availability: Hardback, Audio, Paperback (15.01.15), Kindle, Kobo and Nook

Synopsis: WHAT IF EVERYTHING YOU BELIEVED TURNED OUT TO BE A LIE? Riley MacPherson is returning to her childhood home in North Carolina. A place that holds cherished memories. While clearing out the house she finds a box of old newspaper articles – and a shocking family secret begins to unravel. Riley has spent her whole life believing that her older sister Lisa died tragically as a teenager.

But now she’s starting to uncover the truth: her life has been built on a foundation of lies, told by everyone she loved. Lisa is alive. Alive and living under a new identity. But why exactly was she on the run all those years ago, and what secrets are being kept now? As Riley tries to separate reality from fiction, her discoveries call into question everything she thought she knew about her family. Can she find the strength inside herself to decide her future.

My Review: Riley MacPherson is the lead in this latest release from Diane Chamberlain. Riley is making her way back to North Carolina to sort out her father’s house shortly after he passes away. Whilst she is there she tries to communicate more with her elder brother Danny, who is practically a recluse. Having served and been severely injured in the war, Danny is a very difficult character to read. Riley’s elder sister Lisa is something of a taboo subject. All Riley grew up knowing was that her oldest sibling had committed suicide. However, when she starts organising things at her Dad’s house, she starts to realise that wasn’t the case.

Riley soon starts to uncover many secrets and the biggest one would be that her sister may still be alive. I wouldn’t say I instantly liked Riley, but her and her brother Danny were intriguing and made me want to read about them more. Like many others their family was a dysfunctional one and I wanted Danny and Riley to talk again. The story shows early on that there are many layers to the various stories and each one brings another emotional dilemma.

The really nice thing that I loved about this book was that nothing is ‘prettied up’, neither is it written without empathy. I really felt for the various situations Riley found herself in. There is also an extremely subtle thread of imminent danger to various characters which made the story that little bit more edgy. DC is also not afraid to touch on subjects that aren’t always easy to discuss, but does so with her beautiful writing skill in a way which is just perfect for the storyline. It was certainly a book that I didn’t want to put down that’s for sure. There was only one minor thing which threw it away from a 5 star read and that was the ending. Although I have since thought about it and I’m not sure any other ending would have fitted any better. I think the position Riley finds herself in the very end is just a sad ending maybe (I’m still not sure why I felt like that). Aside from that another wonderfully captivating read from Diane Chamberlain.

Fire Point by Sean Black (Ryan Lock and Ty Johnson #6)

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My Rating: 4/5

Availability: Kindle, Kobo and Nook (Available 18.12.14),

Synopsis: The sixth novel in the Ryan Lock series. Ryan Lock and Ty Johnson are in Los Angeles and on the trail of an unlikely cult who are planning on taking their message to the world and settling some old scores at the same time.

My Review: My favourite character crush is back! Ryan Lock and his partner in crime Ty Johnson are back for the sixth book in the series. This time around the pair of them are involved in what seems to be a simple request. A wealthy mum asks them to ‘keep an eye’ on her son Marcus following an ‘incident’ at college. Lock’s reluctance to take the case is cast aside when he starts to try to track down Marcus.

Marcus and his ‘friends’ are slightly disturbing and before long it’s pretty clear that this case involves more than Lock and Ty ‘babysitting’. Ryan Lock is a character that I love, but in this latest instalment he feels a little bit more detached than usual. I think he needs a good woman in his life! Ty is just about the coolest damn character you can read. He and Ryan work well together and this series just wouldn’t work unless they both feature in it. The tension and drama as always takes a step up as ‘Krank’ and his friends start carrying out their work.

There are plenty of high tension and action scenes packed into this book so fear not, you certainly won’t be bored. There was a disturbing element of truth with the storyline, which won’t go unnoticed by many, but is sadly a result of the world we live in today. Having read every book in this series from the beginning, I wouldn’t say it’s my favourite but it’s once again a solid and intriguing read that will keep you hooked from the beginning to the end.

As always I will eagerly await the next instalment, and hopefully I will get to read about Sean Blacks other amazing character Byron Tibor in the meantime. Certainly one the fans will love and a series I would highly recommend not just this book but all the ones prior to it. Sean is an author that is not well known enough for my liking and deserves to be up there with every other bestseller out there. I only have one criticism though, I truly think that Ryan Lock needs to hook up with an amazing woman and I think her name will be Kat!!!

Closer Than You Think by Karen Rose (Cincinnati #1)

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My Rating: 5/5

Synopsis: Deacon Novak has returned home. The experienced FBI Agent knows that his move to Cincinnati’s Major Crime Enforcement Squad will be challenging, but the greater challenge will be saving his younger brother before he becomes the kind of criminal Deacon is chasing.

Faith Corcoran has escaped her identity. Being a therapist to victims of sex crimes was rewarding, but her work with their offenders has jeopardized her life. Her move represents a chance to build a new life in the empty old house her grandmother has left her.

What Faith doesn’t know is that a killer has made the house his playground, taking girls into the basement and murdering them. And now Faith is about disturb his fun.

With a murderer focused on her, Faith is going to have to put her trust in Deacon if she’s going to survive. Because this killer is always closer than she thinks….

My Review: I have always been a fan of Karen Rose books and was looking forward to reading this latest release, which also happens to be the first in a new series…yay! When I first started reading this I actually put it down after just 2 chapters. It just didn’t feel right and sometimes I need to go back to a book if I’m not in the mood. This was the right thing to do as when I re-visited again two weeks later I picked it up and then subsequently read at least half in on sitting!

Faith Corcoran is a character that took me a while to like. The book starts with Faith plucking up the courage to visit the house that her Grandmother left to her when she passed away. It’s at this early stage in the book when you realise that Faith is carrying way more baggage than most people and her career as a therapist has brought trouble and danger to her door. What starts as a seemingly innocent visit to the house sets off a chain of events that puts two young women’s lives in danger as well as that of Faith‘s.

The house that her Grandmother had left her turns out to be the scene of particularly harrowing crimes and is just the start of a horrific game of cat and mouse between the killer and the FBI. At this point enter Deacon Novak, the FBI agent that has returned to his home town of Cincinnati to save his younger brother from a life of crime. When he gets called to his first scene he is instantly taken by Faith. I must just point out that Deacon Novak is a brilliant lead character and is so unique in his description that he instantly remains in your memory bank!

The story is packed full of suspense with the suspicion seemingly falling on more than one person. I found myself being more and more drawn in as the story progressed. The only real negative is that at nearly 600 pages I thought the book was probably about 150 pages too long. That one small point aside I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to meeting not only Faith and Deacon, but Greg and Dani in the next book 2.

A Christmas To Remember by Jenny Hale

My Rating: 4/5

Synopsis: Everyone loves Christmas – don’t they?

Carrie Blake loves her job as a nanny but, while her friends are settling down, all of Carrie’s spare time is spent with other people’s families. Though it breaks her heart, her New Year’s resolution is to embark on a new career and fix her love life. As Carrie starts her last job, she’s sure she’ll be going out on a high – the house is amazing, the kids are adorable, and she’s in charge of decorating the tree! The only problem could be her boss… single-dad, Adam Fletcher might be both handsome and successful, but he’s always working. Doesn’t he realise he’s missing out on precious moments with his son and daughter? As Adam’s family arrive for Christmas including his sensitive sister, Sharon, and his fun-loving elderly Grandpa, Walter, Carrie realises that she might just have found the perfect allies in her quest to persuade Adam to loosen up. There’s still time for Carrie to make this the best Christmas ever… after all, Christmas is the time for miracles, isn’t it?

My Review: I feel very torn with this book. On the one hand I loved it and it’s a true romantics dream. On the other hand there was one minor irritant which was the main characters constant referral to self-help books…grr.it drove me mad. That aside, I absolutely loved reading this book. Carrie Blake is going to a new job as a nanny. The Fletcher family are a strange bunch when she first gets there and she instantly feels like maybe she won’t fit in.

What follows is the fairy-tale type of story that I absolutely love reading about. Carrie wasn’t necessarily easy to like, due mainly to the constant feeling of insecurity. I think the character minus the reference to self-help books would have been a lot more likeable. Adam Fletcher is a bit of a dark horse and seems to favour work over his children which Carrie just can’t work out. It seems before too long there is a lot more to the family than meets the eye.

I absolutely adored the rest of the Fletcher family, especially Adams parents, his sister Sharon and especially Grandpa Walter. With an especially festive feel this is the absolute perfect stocking filler and would be a perfect gift. A thoroughly enjoyable read from an author I haven’t read before. I will certainly be looking out for more by Jenny Hale and would definitely recommend this to put on your Christmas to read list.

Pop Goes The Weasel by M J Arlidge (Helen Grace #2)

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Synopsis: A man’s body is found in an empty house. His heart has been cut out and delivered to his wife and children. He is the first victim, and Detective Inspector Helen Grace knows he will not be the last. But why would a happily married man be this far from home in the dead of night?

The media call it Jack the Ripper in reverse: a serial killer preying on family men who lead hidden double lives. Helen can sense the fury behind the murders. But what she cannot possibly predict is how volatile this killer is – or what is waiting for her at the end of the chase…

My Rating: 4/5

My Review: I only recently stumbled across M J Arlidge and after reading his debut for this series ‘Eeny Meeny’, I wanted to get cracking with book 2. DI Helen Grace is a bit of a force to be reckoned with. The first book gives you a real insight into her past, however only parts of her character at present are revealed leaving me with questions at the end of book 1. The story in book 2 is rather gruesome and when a man’s body is found in a house with its heart cut out, I knew this wasn’t a book to be read over my lunch!

We also see the return of Helen’s colleague Charlie although things are rather stilted following the events in Book 1. I really like Charlie and think she makes a great addition to the book and series. The storyline continues with more bodies, more gore and more problems for DI Grace. It’s really fast paced and I read this in just over a day.

I liked seeing more of the personal lives of the people involved, and am eagerly anticipating what book 3 will bring. There are a number of things in Helen’s life which are still unresolved and it will be interesting to see where the author takes them. There is a certain intensity to these books that makes me gripped and the writing flows wonderfully making it a very engaging and absorbing read. I’m hugely looking forward to Book 3 entitled The Dolls House which is due for release in February 2015.

BLOG TOUR: The Stall Of Second Chances by Dana Bate

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My Rating: 4/5

Availability: Kindle, Paperback and Kobo (released 20.11.14), AKA A Second Bite at The Apple available on Nook (25.11.2014)

Synopsis: Sydney Strauss is obsessed with food.

Not just with eating it – though she loves that too – but with writing about it as an aspiring cookery reporter. But food journalism jobs are more coveted than cupcakes, and so Sydney is stuck working for one of TV’s biggest egomaniacs – until she’s left scrambling for shifts at the local farmers’ market.

Selling muffins at the Wild Yeast Bakery is hardly going to make her the next Nigella. But soon Sydney is writing the market’s weekly newsletter, and her quirky stories gain attention from a prominent food columnist. After years of being left on the shelf, she’s even dating again. And then Sydney gets a shot at the story, one that could either make her career or burn it to a cinder – along with her relationship and her reputation.

My Review: I really like the cover of this book and the synopsis sounds fun. Sydney Strauss is stuck working for an ego maniac and frankly it’s a million miles away from the job she envisaged herself doing back in her college days. Food is her real love and when she finds herself out of work she ends up with a job very far removed from her dream.

Instead of the dream of being a food journalist she ends up working at a farmers market for Wild Yeast Bakery. Sydney is a funny girl and she comes out with some hilarious one liners in a weird way because she isn’t outwardly trying to be funny. I also fell in love with her boss at the Farmers Market Rick. Her background and history is told to us in snippets and when an interesting man comes along I felt myself holding my breath and wondering what massive blunder Sydney would make next.

I picked this up with little expectation, and found myself thoroughly enthralled and loved the book. There were small things that annoyed me but nothing major enough to mention. I must say that this is perfect Chick Lit reading and all you need is a comfy sofa and a hot brew or glass of wine and you are all set. A highly enjoyable book, and an author I will definitely be looking out for in the future.

Eeny Meeny by M J Arlidge (Helen Grace #1)

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Synopsis: The girl emerged from the woods, barely alive. Her story was beyond belief. But it was true. Every dreadful word of it. Days later, another desperate escapee is found – and a pattern is emerging. Pairs of victims are being abducted, imprisoned then faced with a terrible choice: kill or be killed. Would you rather lose your life or lose your mind?

Detective Inspector Helen Grace has faced down her own demons on her rise to the top. As she leads the investigation to hunt down this unseen monster, she learns that it may be the survivors – living calling cards – who hold the key to the case.

And unless she succeeds, more innocents will die . . .

Kat’s Rating: 4/5

My Review: Another book, another series, I just love it. A couple of my followers kept mentioning M J Aldridge and I relented and brought another book to add to the ever increasing to read pile. I’m very glad that I did as I read this and loved it. DI Helen Grace is a great character with some serious issues. These are highlighted from the start and it made me more intrigued about her. In addition to Helen we meet her two colleagues Mark and Charlie. Mark has his own issued and Helen does everything she can to keep him on the straight and narrow. Meanwhile Charlie is just trying to find her feet and prove herself to her boss Helen. All three characters were really engaging and highly enjoyable to read about.

The storyline was extremely catchy with murder victims being taken in pairs and left to die alone, hungry and scared. Their only choice is kill or be killed. The body count is high and it seems that there is more to this plot line than first meets the eye. Helen Grace seems to be very much at the front and centre and slowly more and more layers of Helens life are revealed leading to many question in my own head, as well as wondering who on earth would want to do that to her.

The violence is pretty graphic and ramped up with the complications between the three colleagues I was hooked from the start. Although Helen was readable there were still a few unanswered questions about her even at the end of the book. Having said that, for a debut novel it was a cracking read and I have already gone on to start book 2. I think this is a series which will definitely get better and better and the author clearly likes to reveal titbits rather than fling all the character info in within the first book. A definite recommendation from me and I can’t wait to get started on book 2!

No-One Ever Has Sex on a Tuesday by Tracy Bloom

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My Rating: 4/5

Synopsis: Childhood sweethearts Matthew and Katy agree they must never see each other again following a school reunion.

So all is forgotten … until eight months later when a shock meeting at an antenatal class forces them to confront the fact that Matthew could be the father of Katy’s baby.

Love and life are messy, but Katy and Matthew take things to a whole new level as deep emotions begin to resurface and hormones run riot.

My Review: I’ve never read Tracy Bloom and the synopsis on this looked okay so I was hoping for a light hearted and funny read. I’m pleased to say that’s exactly what I got. Katy the lead character is pregnant and attending an antenatal class with her boyfriend Ben. When they arrive the bump into Katy’s childhood sweetheart Matthew and from that point on all hell breaks loose. I liked Katy the main female character but if I’m being 100% honest I actually preferred the boyfriend Ben. He was funny and childish and a fantastic character to read about along with his madcap and equally childish friends.

Matthew on the other hand grated on me from start to finish with his weak and pathetic manner, I just spent most of the time wanting to slap him. The story itself was quite funny and I enjoyed the book and read it in a day and a half. I would say this is the perfect beach read and is a perfect reason to sit and do nothing! I also want to mention the cover, although simple it’s really eye catching and I hope she sticks with this theme as the books look great. I have now made sure I have another Bloom on my Kindle for future reading and will certainly be keeping an eye out for this author in the future.

One Night In Italy by Lucy Diamond

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My Rating: 4/5

Availability: Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle, Audio,

Synopsis: Is Italian really the language of love? A new class of students hopes to find out. Anna’s recently been told the father she’s never met is Italian. Now she’s baking focaccia, whipping up tiramisu and swotting up on her vocabulary, determined to make it to Italy so she can find him in person. Catherine’s husband has walked out on her, and she’s trying to pick up the pieces of her life. But she’ll need courage as well as friends when she discovers his deception runs even deeper than infidelity. Sophie’s the teacher of the class, who’d much rather be back in sunny Sorrento. She can’t wait to escape the tensions at home and go travelling again. But sometimes life – and love – can surprise you when you least expect it. As the evening class gets underway, friendships form and secrets from Italy begin to emerge. With love affairs blossoming in the most unlikely places, and hard decisions to face, it’s going to be a year that Anna, Catherine and Sophie will never forget.

My Review: Three women are the focus in this latest Lucy Diamond release. Catherine is the first and when her husband ups and leaves she feels like she is starting all over again. We also meet Anna who has recently discovered her father who she has never known is Italian, and then Sophie who has returned from her many years abroad to see her ill father. The three women will meet through the Italian language course they all decide to be a part of.

The three women’s stories are told individually and you really get to know each of them before they eventually meet. Anna and Sophie I instantly liked, but for some reason I wanted Catherine to grow a backbone and she annoyed me for the first few chapters. However, when she starts to make changes to her life I warmed up to her. Sophie was my favourite and I loved the way the reader gets to discover slowly why she left the UK, and why her relationship with her parents had gone so wrong. Anna was a funny and warm character and you couldn’t help but get swept along with her in her dream to find out about her Italian roots.

The story flowed beautifully and I was transported into all of their lives and willing them to all get what they wanted out of their classes. In addition to the three main characters we also meet some of the characters at their class, and they definitely made the book complete in my eyes. Once again Lucy Diamond has managed to create a heart-warming story, which takes you away from reality for a few hours. I read this in just under 2 days and really enjoyed it. Certainly a recommended read, although ‘Summer With My Sister’ will always remain my absolute favourite!

What Might Have Been by Matt Dunn

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My Rating: 3/5

Synopsis: A year ago, Evan and Sarah shared one incredible night. Then Evan’s music—the thing that brought them together—suddenly tore them apart.

Since then, Evan’s not been able to forget about her. And try as she might, Sarah can’t seem to get over him either.

With time running out, Evan’s got one last chance to convince her that the two of them were meant to be. But is one night enough for Sarah to make a decision about the rest of her life—even if it was the best night of her life? And if she doesn’t believe in love at first sight, how can Evan persuade her that what they had will last?

My Review: I have liked some of Matt Dunn’s previous books but for some reason this book just left me feeling really impartial (I HATE that!). Evan and Sarah are the lead characters in this book and Evan is a pretty decent guy. He’s a musician who plays the saxophone and had his 10 minutes of fame back in the day. Sarah is an American who happens to stop by a jazz club and sees Evan play. It takes her back to her childhood when her father used to play the sax in clubs. What results is a reckless night together. However events after that one night mean they go their separate ways for a year.

Sarah in the beginning was a reasonably likeable character, however as the book progressed she just irritated me. Whilst Evan goes off to another country Sarah is left behind and her life inevitably changes. When Evan returns he just can’t stop thinking about Sarah and is determined to make Sarah see they are meant to be together. The writing was good as usual, and there is certainly nothing lacking in Matt Dunns ability to write a cracking story. For me though, the character Sarah got worse as the book progressed to the point where I couldn’t have cared less about her.

There are additional characters that make appearances such as Mel (didn’t get enough time in the book in my opinion) and David (who I also couldn’t stand). I read this to the end and it was certainly an easy read. But sadly, it just wasn’t as good as other books he has written. Maybe the character thing was just my issue, because normally I can really take to characters. However, this being one of the major factors for me made me mark it down. Sarah’s incessant whining and to-ing and fro-ing quite frankly gave me a headache. I will still look forward to Matt’s future work in the hope I will love the next set of characters he creates.