Category: General Fiction

This Could Change Everything by Jill Mansell

Synopsis: On the one hand, if Essie hadn’t written that letter – the one that only her best friend was meant to see – then she’d still be living like an actual proper grown-up, tucked up with Paul in his picture-perfect cottage, maybe even planning their wedding…

On the other hand (if her true feelings hadn’t accidentally taken the internet by storm, that is) she wouldn’t have moved into the attic flat on the square. She would never have met Conor. Or got to know Lucas…

And she wouldn’t have found herself falling in love with someone she really, really shouldn’t fall in love with…

Kat’s Rating: 5/5 Continue reading “This Could Change Everything by Jill Mansell”

Beneath An Indian Sky by Renita D’Silva

Synopsis: 1928. In British-ruled India, headstrong Sita longs to choose her own path, but her only destiny is a good marriage. After a chance meeting with a Crown Prince leads to a match, her family’s status seems secured and she moves into the palace, where peacocks fill the gardens and tapestries adorn the walls. But royal life is far from simple, and her failure to provide an heir makes her position fragile. Soon Sita is on the brink of losing everything, and the only way to save herself could mean betraying her oldest friend…

2000. When Priya’s marriage ends in heartbreak, she flees home to India and the palace where her grandmother, Sita, once reigned as Queen. But as grandmother and granddaughter grow closer, Priya has questions. Why is Sita so reluctant to accept that her royal status ended with Independence? And who is the mysterious woman who waits patiently at the palace gates day after day? Soon Priya uncovers a secret Sita has kept for years – and which will change the shape of her life forever…

Kat’s Rating: 5/5 Continue reading “Beneath An Indian Sky by Renita D’Silva”

The Summer of Secrets by Tilly Tenant

Synopsis: Harper Woods wakes up every morning on Silver Hill Farm feeling like the luckiest woman in the world. She’s engaged to the tall, dark dreamy Shay and just downstairs are the gorgeous tea rooms she’s always dreamed of owning. 

But Harper is about to discover something that will change her luck forever. For better or worse? She has no idea. Not until an expert can identify whether the stunning collection of jewellery she found hidden in the farm’s foundations is priceless, or more trouble than it’s worth… 

As news of the discovery spreads through the Silver Hill, it seems everyone has a secret history making them the rightful owner. In particular, Will Frampton, stubborn and irritatingly handsome Lord of Silver Hill House, the crumbling stately home the other side of the hill. Too busy trying to untangle the truth, Harper doesn’t notice Shay getting rather close to his ex from the village. 

Harper thought she had everything she ever wanted. If she solves the mystery of her sparkling prize, can she hold onto her dream, or will she lose it all, and be left broken-hearted?

Kat’s Rating: 5/5 Continue reading “The Summer of Secrets by Tilly Tenant”

Blog Tour: The Absent Man by Robert Enright

 Synopsis: BERMUDA JONES AND ARGYLE ARE BACK IN THE THRILLING SEQUEL TO DOORWAYS


Something is killing…

A woman is found dead in her flat on a freezing night in Glasgow, her heart ripped from her chest. With no signs of a weapon or forced entry. Hours later, her heart is delivered to the Necropolis on the outskirts of town.

Six months after stopping the terrifying Barnaby atop Big Ben, Bermuda finds himself on the hunt for a killer in a city he doesn’t know with a police force that doesn’t want him. With no links between the victims and the death toll rising, Bermuda has to face a sceptical detective, a seemingly distracted Argyle and an unknown horror that stalks from the shadows.

All in the name of answering one question…

Who is The Absent Man?

Kat’s Rating: 5/5 Continue reading “Blog Tour: The Absent Man by Robert Enright”

The Perfectly Imperfect Woman by Milly Johnson

 Synopsis: Marnie Salt has made so many mistakes in her life that she fears she will never get on the right track. But when she ‘meets’ an old lady on a baking chatroom and begins confiding in her, little does she know how her life will change.

Arranging to see each other for lunch, Marnie finds discovers that Lilian is every bit as mad and delightful as she’d hoped – and that she owns a whole village in the Yorkshire Dales, which has been passed down through generations. And when Marnie needs a refuge after a crisis, she ups sticks and heads for Wychwell – a temporary measure, so she thinks.

But soon Marnie finds that Wychwell has claimed her as its own and she is duty bound not to leave. Even if what she has to do makes her as unpopular as a force 12 gale in a confetti factory! But everyone has imperfections, as Marnie comes to realise, and that is not such a bad thing – after all, your flaws are perfect for the heart that is meant to love you.

Kat’s Rating: 5/5 Continue reading “The Perfectly Imperfect Woman by Milly Johnson”

The Woman Who Met Her Match by Fiona Gibson

Synopsis: After yet another disaster, Lorrie is calling time on online dating. She might be single in her forties, but she’s got a good job, wonderful children and she’s happy. This, Lorrie decides, is going to have to be enough.

That is, until she receives a very unexpected request from France. Antoine Rousseau, who had once turned a lonely French exchange trip into a summer of romance, wants to see her – after thirty years.

But Lorrie is a responsible woman. She can’t exactly run off to Nice with the man who broke her teenage heart . . . can she?

Kat’s Rating: 3/5

Kat’s Review: I pondered over the rating of this book for some time and finally decided that middle of the road was probably the fairest! I have read other Fiona Gibson books and loved them, and this book was certaingly enjoyable…but…it just wasn’t THAT memorable. Lorrie takes centre stage and is a mother of 2 whose children are now reasonably grown up. She has her lodger and long term friend Stu living with her, a job that she loves, and although things haven’t always been easy it seems things are now ‘easier’. I liked the characters and Lorrie is certainly very readable, however the characters and the storyline were just a bit too vanilla for me.

Lorrie has a request from her first love, who happened to be a French guy named Antoine Rousseau who she met and fell for on an exchange trip in her teens. The story trundled along at a nice pace and it certainly kept me entertained but for some reason it just didn’t do any more than that. It was also a little too preditcable which normally wouldn’t bother me but with the other niggles I had it just didn’t sit right. Overall this was an easy to read book which entertained, but having read and absolutely LOVED books of her susch as Pedigree Mum I couldn’t help feel a little bit underwhelmed.

On A Beautiful Day by Lucy Diamond

Synopsis: It’s a beautiful day in Manchester and four friends are meeting for a birthday lunch. But then they witness a shocking accident just metres away which acts as a catalyst for each of them.

For Laura, it’s a wake-up call to heed the ticking of her biological clock. Sensible Jo finds herself throwing caution to the wind in a new relationship. Eve, who has been trying to ignore the worrying lump in her breast, feels helpless and out of control. And happy-go-lucky India is drawn to one of the victims of the accident, causing long-buried secrets to rise to the surface.

This is a novel about the startling and unexpected turns life can take. It’s about luck – good and bad – and about finding bravery and resilience when your world is in turmoil. Above all, it’s about friendship, togetherness and hope.

Kat’s Rating: 5/5 Continue reading “On A Beautiful Day by Lucy Diamond”

Doorways by Robert Enright

Synopsis: The Otherside is located at the fringes of our world, hiding in plain sight and existing within our shadows. Shielded from humanity, the Otherside is watched over by the BTCO, a highly secret government agency. BTCO agents are the few humans who possess ‘The Knack’, a genetic anomaly that allows them to see the truth of existence. Franklyn ‘Bermuda’ Jones is the BTCO’s finest agent, the only human to have passed to The Otherside and returned. Gifted with the ability to physically interact with The Otherside, Bermuda reluctantly stands between both worlds, pining for the life he had to leave behind and the daughter he can no longer see. Teamed with Argyle, an enigmatic Otherside warrior, Bermuda is assigned the case of a missing woman who has vanished under mysterious circumstances. As Bermuda delves further into the disappearance, he uncovers a conspiracy that threatens to destroy the truce between two worlds…and finds himself in a race against time to safeguard humanity’s very existence.

Kat’s Rating: 5/5

Kat’s Review: Oh. My. God. I cannot believe how much I loved this book. I don’t read Science Fiction and to be honest had no idea this book fell into that Genre. By the time it was in front of me and I started reading I actually groaned out loud AND rolled my eyes!!! Now having finished this in 2 sittings, I feel a little foolish. I mean, ME…reading Sci-Fi and LIKING IT?!?!?!?! So yes it seems I have a new genre to add to my ‘like’ list.

I have no previous knowledge on Sci-Fi books so am probably not the most qualified but the basis of this whole ‘world’ is that there are three types of people. ‘Others’ that belong to the other world, ‘Neithers’ which are stuck in between and us humans! Sounds weird but surprisingly made complete and utter sense when reading it. What made this even more interesting is that the main character Franklyn ‘Bermuda’ Jones is the only bloke who has the ‘knack’ of seeing the Neither and Others but is also the only human that has survived a journey to the other side. With that gift (which he feels is a curse) he is an agent for a specialist and very secretive agency known as the BTCO.

Essentially this book sees Bermuda fighting to find a missing woman along with his sidekick Argyl. What makes Argyl a little bit special is that he is a Neither, so he is stuck between the two worlds and only Bermuda can see him. Your every day passer by just thinks Bermuda is a crazy guy. Argyl is a cracking character and I instantly loved him. He is determined to be the warrior that always keeps Bermuda safe. Once the two of them start to investigate the disappearance of the young girl, they realise that this is a lot more than a straightforward disappearance, and this may well be the thing that tips the world over that edge they have stayed so desperately to one side of.

This book had everything to keep me well and truly entertained and nobody is more surprised at this than me! This author has not only written a compelling book, but has literally converted me now, and it’s a great feeling that I now know I can enjoy Sci-Fi without the eye-rolling! A fantastic read and one that has now made me want to read the next one…Mr Enright PLEASE tell me there will be another!!!

Continue reading “Doorways by Robert Enright”

A Million Love Songs by Carole Matthews

Synopsis: After splitting up with her cheating ex, Ruby Brown is ready for a change. She’s single again for the first time in years and she’s going to dive into this brave new world with a smile on her face and a spring in her step. The last thing she’s looking for is a serious relationship.

Mason represents everything Ruby wants right now: he’s charming, smooth and perfect for some no-strings-attached fun, and yet Ruby can’t help feel that something is missing. Joe on the other hand is kind and attentive, but he comes with the sort of baggage Ruby wants to avoid: an annoyingly attractive ex-wife and two teenage children.

And though Ruby thinks she knows what she wants, is it what she needs to be truly happy? It’s about to get emotional in Million Love Songs.

Kat’s Rating: 5/5 Continue reading “A Million Love Songs by Carole Matthews”

The Year of Taking Chances by Lucy Diamond

Lucy Diamond The Year of Taking ChancesSynopsis: Because love is always worth the risk . . .

It’s New Year’s Eve, and Gemma and Spencer Bailey are throwing a house party. There’s music, dancing, champagne and all their best friends under one roof. It’s going to be a night to remember.

Also at the party is Caitlin, who has returned to the village to pack up her much-missed mum’s house and to figure out what to do with her life; and Saffron, a PR executive who’s keeping a secret which no amount of spin can change. The three women bond over Gemma’s dodgy cocktails and fortune cookies, and vow to make this year their best one yet.

But as the months unfold, Gemma, Saffron and Caitlin find themselves tested to their limits by shocking new developments. Family, love, work, home – all the things they’ve taken for granted are thrown into disarray. Under pressure, they are each forced to rethink their lives and start over. But dare they take a chance on something new?

Kat’s Rating: 5/5

Kat’s Review: Apologies for those that don’t want a lengthy or waffle like review but, well sometimes needs must. Many people know me for my Book Blogging and other know me as a friend etc. What connection some people don’t make is that I also run my own business. A business that was born from a seedling of an idea that came from a book by none other than the lovely Sue, or as others know her Lucy Diamond. For that reason even 5 years on, with my business growing at an alarming rate, but stresses of life getting me down a bit, I did what I have done in the past and turned to a book written by the wonderful lady herself. 

I picked this one up as I still have a few of hers left that I haven’t read and figured there was nothing better to lift me out of the gloom that a book written by Sue. Thankfully my wishes were granted as I raced through this book in one day, over two sittings and that feeling of gloom has lifted a little. The book was an absolute corker and brought me out of the feeling sorry for myself phase. Thee women have a chance meeting at a New Years Eve Party and from that point on they all become intertwined in each others lives.

I particularly liked Gemma Bailey. The married Mum of two who seems to have a wondrfully settled life with a great husband and wonderful home, until an event changes her life in an instant. Then there is Caitlin who is trying to work through her grief after losing her Mum. She returns to Larkmead to try and sort out her Mum’s house but whilst there she not only befriends Gemma and Saffron, but she discovers some things about herself which will alter her life. Saffron, the thrid and final of the trio is a PR exec just on a visit from London trying to clear her head.

These three characters were a pure joy to read about. Nothing about their journey’s was easy, but they were done with the support of family and friends. The story kept me engaged from start to finish and I was genuinely anoyed to have finished. Luckily for me I have another couple of LD books to keep me going. Some may say this book is predictable, but for me this is the perfect balance. A sheer joy to read and another reason for me to thank my lucky stars that Sue managed to inspire enough confidence in me to give my own business a go.