5* Review: Falling by Julie Cohen

Buy HERE from Amazon.co.uk

Honor’s secret threatens to rob her of the independence she’s guarded ferociously for eighty years.

Jo’s secret could smash apart the ‘normal’ family life she’s fought so hard to build.

Lydia’s could bring her love - or the loss of everything that matters to her.

I first discovered Julie Cohen when Transworld kindly sent me a copy of Dear Thing in 2013. I was hooked after a few pages and fell in love with Cohen's storytelling voice, her warmth and humour. The award winning Where Love Lies was to be released the following year and that too was wonderful, a very different story but just as good. I was ecstatic when I saw that there was a new release on the horizon and quickly requested a copy to review but I am always wary when I really have loved an authors previous work...what if this one doesn't live up to my expectations?

There was certainly nothing to fear!

I read Falling in two days - completely destroying my own word count, but it was totally 

worth it.

The story is centred round a three women within a family: octogenarian grandmother, Honor, mother to Lydia and daughter-in-law to Honor, Jo, and sixteen year old Lydia. The chapters are told from each of their points of view offering all round windows into their lives.

Honor is a cantankerous old woman, doesn't like mess or noise in her home and likes her own way. So when she has a fall and breaks a hip she is mortified to have to move in with Jo and family for a while. She and Jo do not see eye to eye and tensions have been very strained since Stephen, Honor's son died ten years previously when Lydia was very small. Jo remarried and had two more children so Honor felt truly a stranger in their home.

Jo's husband left her holding the babies and ran away with the au-pair, charming character. She's run ragged, has no time for herself whatsoever and feels old and dowdy...until an interesting new neighbour moves in. She really is a wonderful, kind, caring mother though and seems to have the patience of a saint! (at this point it is clear to me that I identify more with Honor. We share the same level of cantankerousness).

And lastly, Lydia. Sixteen, with all the social worries of a sixteen year old, about to take her GCSEs and harbouring a huge secret that would rock her world if it came out. Plus she misses the father she never really knew, she has to help out with her younger brother and sister who although she adores - are really taxing at times.

The dynamics of the family are just wonderful, I absolutely ADORED Honor's character - and there are certain scenes in the book, especially with the children that were so comical and heart warming, it really is a wonderful book.

As always, secrets don't necessarily stay buried - and this builds up to a massive climax, with a wonderful ending. There is such an undercurrent of encouragement in this book, it was extremely uplifting to read!

If I could give this book more than 5* I would, and it has definitely gone in to my top 5 reads of all!

Many thanks to Transworld for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dorothy Koomson - That Girl From Nowhere Blog Tour

That Girl From Nowhere 

Review, Q&A and Fujufilm Instax 8 Mini Giveaway

Top 5 Book Characters

Dorothy Koomson is the author of ten published novels (number 11 is out May 2016). Here, she undertakes the very difficult task of choosing her five favourite characters from the books she has written.

5. Clemency Smittson from That Girl From Nowhere

Clemency is a woman in her late thirties who was adopted as a baby and unknowingly sets herself on the path to meeting her birth family when she moves from Leeds to Brighton during a turbulent period in her life. Clemency is a new entry on the list, obviously because she’s my last published character. She arrives here, though, because she is probably one of my most complicated characters to date. She is so incredibly flawed, it was great to create her. With all that she faces in her life, she tries to do the right thing but often gets it wrong, while being a bit of a people pleaser. She’s also strong minded, selfish, big-hearted and loving. I hope that comes across in the telling of her story.

4. Serena Gorringe & Poppy Carlisle from The Ice Cream Girls

Cheating, I know, to have two of them but I couldn’t separate them. I love these two characters because they were the first two I wrote when I penned my first ‘emotional thriller’ – a book with a crime at the heart of it that focuses mostly on the impact that crime has on the people involved. Poppy and Serena are both sexually involved with their violent teacher as teenagers and when he winds up dead they’re both accused of it but only one of them goes to prison. Serena and Poppy are both products of their involvement with a violent, manipulative man and I based my characters on the real-life experiences of the people I spoke to. I felt a real responsibility when writing the book to accurately portray those experiences and not descend into sensationalist stereotypes about seductive young girls who lead grown men astray.

3. Kamryn Matika from My Best Friend’s Girl

She was my first ‘complicated’ (read: slightly unsympathetic) character. Kamryn she has been hurt by her best friend - Adele - and fiancé, Nate, when they have a one-night stand and Adele goes on to have Nate’s child. Kamryn cuts them both off but years later, Adele gets in touch to ask her to look after her daughter because she’s dying. When I first wrote her I thought I had to make her more ‘perfect’ and likeable but as the story unfolded, I realised that she had every right to be prickly and slightly stand-offish – she’d been wronged many times over. That realisation, I think, allowed me the freedom to be more realistic with all the characters in the book and I had a lot of fun creating someone who wouldn’t normally be the main character/hero of a story.

2. Greg Walterson from The Chocolate Run

He is the bad-boy of my second novel and probably my most favourite male character out of all the men I’ve created. People tell me all the time they like my male characters, but when I ran a survey on my website, Greg was the winning lead man. There is something delicious and dangerous but also comforting and kind about him. Yup, still my favourite male character.

1. Ceri D’Altroy from The Cupid Effect

Ceri, who in The Cupid Effect discovers she’s modern-day Cupid, is the character out of all of my books who is most like me. She finds the same things funny as me, she has the same taste in TV heroes and people used to tell her their problems all the time (people used to do that to me, too). She’s the character who secured me my first publishing deal so I’ll always love her just that bit more for that. (Don’t tell my other characters.)

Thanks, Donna, that was fun. Dorothy x

That Girl From Nowhere by Dorothy Koomson is published on 24^th March by Arrow, price £7.99 in paperback. 

GIVEAWAY!

Share your favourite photo and its story to #ThatGirlMemories to win a Fujifilm Instax 8 camera.

Review:

Clemency (Smitty), was adopted not long after birth with nothing other that a box decorated with butterflies to link her to her birth mother (the tradition/tale behind this box is captivating). After a painful breakup and while still grieving the death of her adoptive father, who throughout the book we see was a wonderful, caring man, she decides to pack up her life and move to the town she was born, Brighton, with the view of carrying on her jewellery making business. Her somewhat domineering mother decides, without invitation, to move with her. Clemency is certain the agenda behind this is to make sure she does not try to trace her birth family, which she has promised her adoptive mother she will never do. But a chance meeting sees that the decision is taken from Smitty's hands, and this starts a chain of events which changes everything in Smitty's life.

True to form Koomson tackles a variety of sensitive issues with care, making them as believable as they are hard hitting. I found looking deeply into Smitty's life and feelings interesting, how she perceived herself and the world around her, the feeling of being unwanted, not finding a place she belonged. The family dynamics of both her natural and adoptive family were especially fascinating, although I'm not sure I cared for any of her family members much - especially the deplorable cousin Nancy. So much jealousy, betrayal and deception goes on behind closed doors.

As always Koomson has a fabulous knack of writing an engaging tale with interesting twists and natural and in parts humorous dialogue, so many times I had to remind myself I was not reading someone's memoirs. I particularly enjoyed the vivid description of Smitty's many photographs on her wall (a collection of her most important life memories), and it has inspired me to get a 'real' camera to take photos over the summer and be able to have them in my hands instantly. 

Fans of Dorothy Koomson will devour this and it will make fans of new readers.

GIVEAWAY!

Share your favourite photo and its story to #ThatGirlMemories to win a Fujifilm Instax 8 camera.

Missing Pieces by Heather Gudenkauf

Available from:

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com

Everyone has secrets…

Sarah Quinlan's husband, Jack, has been haunted for decades by the untimely death of his mother when he was just a teenager, her body found in the cellar of their family farm, the circumstances a mystery. The case rocked the town where Jack was raised, and for years Jack avoided returning home. But when his beloved aunt Julia is in an accident, hospitalised in a coma, Jack and Sarah are forced to confront the past that they have long evaded.
Sarah and Jack are welcomed by the family Jack left behind all those years ago—barely a trace of the wounds that had once devastated them all. But as facts about Julia’s accident begin to surface, Sarah realises that nothing about the Quinlans is what it seems. Caught in a flurry of unanswered questions, Sarah dives deep into the rabbit hole of Jack’s past, but the farther she climbs, the harder it is for her to get out. And soon she is faced with a hard reality she may not be prepared for.

The book opens tantalisingly with the murder of Lydia Tierney decades before, as she is trying to prepare a celebratory supper for her children, Jack and Amy as they finish school for the holidays. 

Then, back in the modern day Jack receives news that the aunt that raised him, Julia, has had a bad accident back in his home town Penny Gate and he really should return - something he has been unable to do for many years and his wife Sarah has never met his family, all very strange...

His return is obviously awkward and there are many questions raised - none more so than by Sarah as things are not as they seem, it would appear that their marriage is built on a bed of lies and she is thrown into a situation where she questions everything.

Then cryptic text messages start to arrive with small clues that make her fear for her safety and she turns detective to try to find the answers she needs to unearth the clues to the murders that have taken place and to find out who her husband really is.

I really enjoyed this book! Fast paced and gripping it leaves every chapter on a cliffhanger so you just have to read on! This book reminds me in so many ways of another of my favourite authors, Diane Chamberlain and if you are a fan of hers it's a must read!

Copy provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

5* Review - Wickham Hall by Cathy Bramley

Available on Kindle/Paperbook from Amazon.co.uk

Holly Swift has just landed the job of her dreams: events co-ordinator at Wickham Hall, the beautiful manor home that sits proudly at the heart of the village where she grew up. Not only does she get to organise for a living and work in stunning surroundings, but it will also put a bit of distance between Holly and her problems at home.

As Holly falls in love with the busy world of Wickham Hall - from family weddings to summer festivals, firework displays and Christmas grottos - she also finds a place in her heart for her friendly (if unusual) colleagues.

But life isn’t as easily organised as an event at Wickham Hall (and even those have their complications…). Can Holly learn to let go and live in the moment? After all, that’s when the magic happens…

The beautiful full length version - all four parts of the wonderful Wickham Hall is finally here! I loved this series from Cathy Bramley and it is a treasure to read it with no interruptions and waiting in between!

Holly Swift gets the job of her dreams as events co-ordinator at her beloved Wickham Hall, many of her happy childhood memories have been made here and it holds much sentiment to her and her mother. Secrets swiftly (no pun intended) begin to weave their way into the story and we realise all in Holly's life is not completely rosy. Her mother has a huge and crippling problem and Holly does not know who her father is, a matter which is smoothed over by her mother who by her own admission, has enough love for two parents, but it is still a nagging question in Holly's mind.

As Holly settles into life at Wickham Hall wonderfully, we get properly acquainted with the rest of the characters as well, and they're an interesting bunch, some more likeable than others. One I particularly liked was that of Benedict Fortescue, reluctant heir to the Wickham estate and Holly's boss. He lives a reasonably carefree lifestyle and running the estate is way down his list of priorities. 

The events held at Wickham Hall are described in glorious detail making you wish and feel as though you are there, I particularly loved the whole Winter Grotto part but they are all equally fab; a spring society wedding, a summer fair to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Fortescues at Wickham Hall and a drama packed firework extravaganza. 

I thoroughly enjoyed how Holly's backstory played out and eventually a happy ending was found (which is a treat in all Cathy's books) with a really poignant scene. I would adore a sequel to Wickham Hall and it would make an absolutely spellbinding series on television, move over Downton Abbey...

Anyone with an interest in the behind the scenes view of events planning and stately homes will adore this, and for those just wanting a gorgeous story to lose yourself in...this will delight, I'm sure.

A fabulous...

Cathy is also the author of the best-selling romantic comedies Ivy Lane, Appleby farm and Conditional Love. She lives in a small Nottinghamshire village with her husband, two teenage daughters and Pearl, the Cockerpoo.

Her recent career as a full-time writer of light-hearted romantic fiction has come as somewhat of a lovely surprise after spending eighteen years running her own marketing agency. However, she has always been an avid reader, hiding her book under the duvet and reading by torchlight. Luckily her husband has now bought her a Kindle with a light, so that’s the end of all that palaver.

You can get in touch with Cathy via her Facebook page or on Twitter.

Pretending to Dance by Diane Chamberlain - 5* Review

Available here from Amazon.co.uk

When the pretending ends, the lying begins . . . Molly Arnette is good at keeping secrets. As she and her husband try to adopt a baby, she worries that the truth she's kept hidden about her North Carolina childhood will rise to the surface and destroy not only her chance at adoption, but her marriage as well. Molly ran away from her family twenty years ago after a shocking event left her devastated and distrustful of those she loved. Now, as she tries to find a way to make peace with her past and embrace a healthy future, she discovers that even she doesn't know the truth of what happened in her family of pretenders.

Molly's story is told alternately though her modern day life in San Diego and her life as a fourteen year old in North Carolina, it tells the tale of an unsure - slightly geeky kid from a really good, close family - albeit a slightly unconventional one. She's extremely happy and has a really wonderful father, until something unthinkable happens.

She hides what happened in her childhood well until she and her husband decide to adopt a child, and the subject of open adoption (where the birth mother is involved in the child's life) comes up, then memories and hidden fears from her past come flooding back, with that and bad news it brings her memories very much to the fore of her mind.

This was a truly wonderful book, one that will stick with me for a very long time. I instinctively felt a huge pull towards Molly's wonderful father, he is a therapist and just handles every situation in the most amazing way - I wish I had his 'answer for everything' way with my teenagers! I also felt a connection with Graham as like him, I too suffer from Multiple Sclerosis, and that's where it got sticky for me. If you read the book you will see that extremely hard hitting issues are tackled that kind of scared me - a lot! However Chamberlain makes it quite clear that Graham has a rare and extremely aggressive form, still made me think and I would probably exercise caution if you are a sufferer, maybe I'm too sensitive - I don't know?

I do still feel the HUGE need to give this book five stars as it was a truly wonderful book and a really wonderful story! It will be a read you won't forget...

Review copy kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

That Girl From Nowhere - Dorothy Koomson

Buy HERE from Amazon.co.uk

‘Where are you coming from with that accent of yours?’ he asks.
‘Nowhere,’ I reply. ‘I’m from nowhere.’
‘Everyone’s from somewhere,’ he says.
‘Not me,’ I reply silently.

Clemency Smittson was adopted as a baby and the only connection she has to her birth mother is a cardboard box hand-decorated with butterflies. Now an adult, Clem decides to make a drastic life change and move to Brighton, where she was born. Clem has no idea that while there she'll meet someone who knows all about her butterfly box and what happened to her birth parents.

As the tangled truths about her adoption and childhood start to unravel, a series of shocking events cause Clem to reassess whether the price of having contact with her birth family could be too high to pay...

Clemency (Smitty), was adopted not long after birth with nothing other that a box decorated with butterflies to link her to her birth mother (the tradition/tale behind this box is captivating). After a painful breakup and while still grieving the death of her adoptive father, who throughout the book we see was a wonderful, caring man, she decides to pack up her life and move to the town she was born, Brighton, with the view of carrying on her jewellery making business. Her somewhat domineering mother decides, without invitation, to move with her. Clemency is certain the agenda behind this is to make sure she does not try to trace her birth family, which she has promised her adoptive mother she will never do. But a chance meeting sees that the decision is taken from Smitty's hands, and this starts a chain of events which changes everything in Smitty's life.

True to form Koomson tackles a variety of sensitive issues with care, making them as believable as they are hard hitting. I found looking deeply into Smitty's life and feelings interesting, how she perceived herself and the world around her, the feeling of being unwanted. not finding a place she belonged. The family dynamics of both her natural and adoptive family were especially fascinating, although I'm not sure I cared for any of her family members much - especially the deplorable cousin Nancy. So much jealousy, betrayal and deception goes on behind closed doors.

As always Koomson has a fabulous knack of writing an engaging tale with interesting twists and natural and in parts humorous dialogue, so many times I had to remind myself I was not reading someone's memoirs. I particularly enjoyed the vivid description of Smitty's many photographs on her wall (a collection of her most important life memories), and it has inspired me to get a 'real' camera to take photos over the summer and be able to have them in my hands instantly. 

Fans of Dorothy Koomson will devour this and it will make fans of new readers.

Appleby Farm Part Two - A Family Affair by Cathy Bramley - 5* review

Appleby Farm Part Two on Amazon.co.uk

It’s impossible not to feel cheerful at Appleby Farm, so Freya is putting her doubts about her love life to the back of her mind for now.

But when she discovers the truth about its financial troubles, Freya has to face up to reality: they might lose the farm. There’s only one person she can ask for help, and it’s the last thing she wants to do… Can a trip to Paris change the farm’s fortunes?

As Appleby Farm’s fate hangs in the balance, Freya is surprised as her own dreams for the future take shape. But who will be at her side as her dreams become reality?

Appleby Farm is an irresistibly charming novel told in four parts – following the adventures of Freya Moorcroft in love, friendship and a spot of farming. A Family Affair is part two. It features some friendly faces who appeared in Cathy's bestselling series, Ivy Lane, but it can be read and enjoyed as a standalone story.

Each part of Appleby Farm contains 10 chapters.

Getting back into the familiarity of Appleby Farm didn't take a second, and I was pleased to find Freya back at the farm she loved, with her equally beloved aunt and uncle.
Remembering that she rushed back to be with her uncle that had suffered a heart attack, we find all is relatively well with Uncle Arthur although he is still ill in hospital, but it's the farm that is suffering worse health, albeit financially, as Freya remembers the red reminder bill that she saw.

Freya puts her thinking cap on and draws on every resource she can, until she can go no further and has to take the leap of contacting her parents who she has always vowed never to go cap in hand to, but when needs must...she makes a trip to Paris to see them even though she doesn't have the best of relationships with them. The scenes with her mother are touching and give away a lot of background story as to why she grew up on the farm with Aunty Sue taking the mothering role.

She just seems to be making a dent in the debts and getting Appleby Farm on the up when another disaster strikes, which could be last straw for Appleby Farm, even with the new workforce she has managed to get in place. 

Another really lovely story, beautifully researched as ever and plenty of cliffhangers to keep the reader guessing until part three - although I really with there were to be ten parts, not just four. I am already enjoying this series even more than Ivy Lane (which I adored) and cannot wait for the next installment. 

Another...

Here's my review of  Appleby Farm Part One 5*

Review: The School Gates by Nicola May

The School Gates on Amazon.co.uk

The school gates are a great social leveller, with parents from all walks of life brought together whether they like it or not at the start and end of their children’s day. For a few, friendships forged there will bring drama, for others consolation, for some romance… When single working mum Alana reveals the identity of her love-child’s father, she isn’t prepared for the consequences. Dana knows she should be content with her perfect house and perfect husband but finds herself longing for another child and wishing for more fulfilment. Mo’s life has always been hard, but the violence of her alcoholic husband could be the last straw, which only friendship with super-mum Joan can get her through. And what of gay Daddy Gordon? Will he be able to juggle parenthood and cope with his broken heart at the same time? 

Featherstone Primary, a good school in an affluent area, yet the school gates certainly do not present the peaceful manner you may expect.

The School Gates follows the lives of five families; the wealthy Alana - Eliska has everything she could want except time with her mother who works every hour, Dana, ex au pair who has made a perfect life for herself and her family - but there are cracks under the surface, Joan - with a large family to care for and money tight things are a struggle but she still finds time to help her lovely friend, Mo. I loved Mo, she keeps her little family together even when things really are at rock bottom, and lastly the wonderful gay dads, Gordon and Chris - adoptive fathers to Gordon's nieces after a family tragedy. Will he cope?

Their lives, however different intertwine and they are all certainly not what they seem under their well constructed exteriors. 

The mixture of characters works perfectly and each family/character is well developed. The plot is complex to begin with - keeping track of who's who but you soon get to grips with it. It must have been difficult for Nicola May to write as there are many sub plots but kudos to her as it never goes off track or gets too confusing. 

My favourite character has to be Mo, mother to little Rosie and wife to alcoholic Ron. She does have an incredibly tough time of it, I just wanted to wade in and rescue her. I was thankful for her friendship with Joan, mother of four, most of whom always have nits.

I look forward to working my way through Nicola's newly published back catalogue (have a look at more of Nicola May's work here at Accent Press)

Witty, heartwarming, VERY racy in places, and a well deserved

The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain

Buy HERE from Amazon.co.uk

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.

As readers of my previous blog may remember I am a HUGE Diane Chamberlain fan! I love her ability to tell a story and capture the reader instantly, I hate books where I have to wait for endless chapters before I'm drawn in, this never happens with Chamberlain. If you have never read one she has a massively long back catalogue to work through!

The Silent Sister starts with an intriguing prologue, then sees high school counsellor Riley McPherson returning to her childhood home to deal with the aftermath of her father's death, tidying up his estate etc... It becomes apparent quite quickly that there are secrets within this family. Riley's older brother, Danny, is a tortured soul. He is an Iraq war veteran and is badly affected by the death of their eldest sister, Lisa, a musical child prodigy who they had been brought up to believe committed suicide after battling with depression. His anger fuels him and his relationship with Riley is a strained one.

The further Riley gets into ordering her father's paperwork and belongings, the more secrets she discovers, and each one shocks her further to the core, and before long she realises her whole life is built on deceit. She finds a box of newspaper articles that state quite clearly that Lisa murdered a man, her violin teacher, and drowned herself before she came to trial. But as she delves further, the rumours begin that makes Riley wonder, is Lisa really dead?

As with all Chamberlain's books I was hooked from the very beginning, and read quite quickly through to the last page. However...I was slightly disappointed? I found the characters slightly two dimensional, and really struggled with the character of Danny - Riley's brother, I get that he was a tortured soul, terribly angry about his childhood, blighted by the apparent death of his sister, but it lacked any progression, resolution, anything really on his part. In fact I always assumed the story was on the cusp of revealing some huge secret about him, it didn't.

The plot was cleverly woven, yet a part of me wonders if there was maybe a little too much to weave? If a slightly less complicated plot could have allowed for more depth in the characters? It lacks the suspense and twists in the plot as some of her older novels, The Midwife's Confession being one of my favourites. 

I did, overall, find this offering quite predictable, but still a really good read.