Good morning everyone today on JoJo Recommends I’m featuring The Hardest Goodbye by Lucy May Walker which is a charity single for baby loss charity Tommys.
This is a cause close to my heart as 8 years ago I sadly lost my second son Christopher who was born at 25 weeks old and was just to small and poorly to survive. When I lost him I found it hard to speak to some people about it and some people still don’t like it when I show a picture of him on social media. In the UK 1 in 4 pregnancies end in a loss so there are a lot of people grieving and needing to talk to someone about it. Tommys is working towards breaking the taboo and making it normal to talk about baby loss.
Wave Of Light:
Please join in the wave of light on the 15th of October at 7pm wherever you are in the world in lighting a candle for all the babies gone too soon. Together we can help create a wave of light across the world and help bring attention to this worthy cause.
If you would like more information or to donate to Tommy’s you can do so via the links below.
Lucy May Walker is a British singer songwriter from London. She’s also a London busker and can often be found outside Wembley Stadium singing to the football crowds. She also recently supported Texas on tour in Scotland which is really exciting. If you would like to follow Lucy on twitch or social media you can do so by clicking on the links below.
Jojo recommends is now featured on Island Vibing Presents. Huge thanks to the channel for always being so supportive and for featuring me every week.
They are on every Thursday at 10pm EST (3am BST/ 7pm PST) or the first Saturday of the month at 8PM BST for a special UK friendly stream. The next one is this Saturday if you’d like to catch it.
Death came aboard with the cormorant. It arrived on the seventh day of our voyage…
This is the secret report of disgraced former Foreign Office clerk Laurence Jago, written on the mail ship Tankerville en route to Philadelphia. His mission is to aid the civil servant charged with carrying a vital treaty to Congress that will prevent the Americans from joining with the French in their war against Britain.
When the civil servant meets an unfortunate ‘accidental’ end, Laurence becomes the one person standing between Britain and disaster. It is his great chance to redeem himself at Whitehall – except that his predecessor has taken the secret of the treaty’s hiding place to his watery grave.
As the ship is searched, Laurence quickly discovers that his fellow passengers – among them fugitive French aristocrats, an American plantation owner, an Irish actress and her performing bear – all have their own motives to find the treaty for themselves. And as a second death follows the first, Laurence must turn sleuth in order to find the killer before he has an ‘accident’ of his own.
The new pageturning historical mystery from the author of BLACK DROP, a 2021 TIMES Book of the Year. Perfect for readers of Andrew Taylor, Laura Shepherd-Robinson and S.J. Parris.
My Review:
Blue Water is a gripping, absorbing historical novel from an author who’s fast becoming one of my favourite historical authors.
The reader is quickly drawn into the story and into the lives of the people on board the ship with an exciting chase across the waters. Not only was this a very exciting opening but it also cleverly gave the reader an introduction to life on the sea and the dangers people faced. It definitely wasn’t for the faint hearted and I don’t think I’d have wanted to be on board a similar ship, especially when I discovered what the toiled facilities were.
The ship helps create a locked door scenario which I always find really fascinating. It was very interesting to follow Lawrence in his investigation as he tries to find the murder and the treaty. All the passengers seem to have a motive and I thought it was clever how we learn a little bit more about each of them throughout the investigation.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this author in the future. The style of writing took a little while to get used to but I think helped to add to the story as it helped draw the reader into the period more. The many twists and turns kept me guessing and the fabulous descriptions made me feel like I was actually there on the ship alongside the characters.
Huge thanks to Viper for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
Leonora Nattrass studied eighteenth-century literature and politics, and spent ten years lecturing in English and publishing works on William Cobbett. She lives in Cornwall, in a seventeenth-century house with seventeenth-century draughts, and spins the fleeces of her Ryeland sheep into yarn. Her first novel, Black Drop, was published in 2021. Find her on Twitter @LeonoraNattrass
In thirty-six hours, thousands of innocent people will die. There’s not a second to waste. And no time for sleep…
Michael North has a bullet lodged in his brain which could kill him any second. That makes him the perfect MI5 asset: he’s ruthless, loyal, brave. And, best of all, disposable.
Teenage computer expert Fangfang Yu does not feel the same way. She’s determined to keep her friend out of danger – however many cyber laws she has to break to keep him alive.
Now North has been sent undercover into a doomsday cult on a remote Scottish island. He has thirty-six hours to stop their charismatic leader from inciting the murder of thousands. He can only do it with Fangfang’s help – but when they uncover a shocking link between the cult and the dark heart of the US defence establishment, it doesn’t just put North’s life at risk… it threatens Fangfang too.
Perfect for fans of David Baldacci, Lee Child and Mark Dawson, Sleep When You’re Dead is a rollercoaster action thriller packed with twists that will keep you up all night.
My Review:
Sleep When You’re Dead is a fast moving, absorbing and clever read that is the third book in the series.
Firstly I really liked the main character Michael North and have enjoyed following him throughout this series. He sometimes comes across as to good to be true as he manages to escape one dangerous situation after another but underneath everything is a very likeable guy who I couldn’t help but warm to. His brain injury from his time in the army makes him a very sympathetic character and I liked that rather then let that slow him down it has made him determined to help as many people as possible with the time he has left.
The plot is very fast paced and there were multiple story lines running alongside each other with something to appeal to everyone. I thought it was very clever how the author managed to make these all seem individual so I never got muddled and I liked the slow way they weaved together. There was always lots going on which made the book hard to put down with the pace of the book not slowing down until the last page.
This is the third book in the series but I think it could be easily read as a standalone as the author includes information about the characters and their past subtly into the story without huge summaries of previous books. The ending was brilliant and sets the scene for the next book in this exciting series.
Huge thanks to Sophie from Head Of Zeus for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book. If you’re looking for a new spy thriller series I highly recommend this one.
About The Author:
Judith O’Reilly is the author of Wife in the North and A Year of Doing Good (both published by Viking Penguin, 2008 and 2013 respectively). Wife in the North reached number three in the UK bestsellers’ chart and was in the top ten for five weeks. It was also a top ten bestseller in Germany. It sold into ten countries, was serialised by The Sunday Times and the Daily Telegraph, was a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week, and was based on Judith’s eponymous blog which was named as one of the top 100 blogs in the world by The Sunday
A story of life and survival during the war which is heart-rending and bitter-sweet, bringing you laughter and tears.
Cambridgeshire – 1941
As the war rages on in Europe, it brings untold heartache to the Talbot family at Blackberry Farm.
First Tom is missing in action and then his brother John. leaving the family distraught with worry.
Faith finds herself in trouble and turns to Lizzie for support as fear and grief bring them closer together.
But tragedy is never too far away and when it strikes, it may not be those who fight that suffer the most.
Will Pam’s prayers be answered and will both her sons return home?
And can the family at Blackberry Farm unite to overcome their heartache and find hope for the future?
My Review:
I love this series, and this author, so I was very excited to learn there was to be another book in the series. I think I went through all the emotions whilst reading this book. There were moments of pure happiness which made me smile but also moments of heartbreak too.
The author does a great job of setting the scene so I felt like I was actually there in the farm experiencing everything alongside the characters. It’s an interesting period in history as the war starts to take hold and the effects of it become more apparent. I enjoyed seeing the different sides of the war from the land girls helping at home, to the soldiers fighting and even the nursing side of things. It made for a fascinating read and I liked learning more about the different areas.
It was great to be back with the land girls who are starting to feel like old friends. They seemed such realistic characters that I felt everything they went through keenly as if it was happening to me. It was interesting to see how the war had changed people’s attitudes to things like unmarried mother’s with some putting shame on the mum but others just happy that a little baby was on the way. The farm in general had such a lovely attitude to everyone who came to its doors asking for help which was so good to see. It made me wish I could visit the farm and experience everything for myself.
Huge thanks to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Boldwood for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
Rosie Clarke is a #1 bestselling saga writer whose most recent books include The Mulberry Laneseries. She has written over 100 novels under different pseudonyms and is a RNA Award winner. She lives in Cambridgeshire.
Good morning everyone I’m stuck deciding what book I should read next and would love your help! Let me know in the comments below which of these four books you’d recommend reading next.
Thanks in advance!
Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak
Mallory is delighted to have a new job looking after gorgeous four-year-old, Teddy. She’s been sober for a year and a half and she’s sure her new nannying role in the affluent suburbs will help keep her on the straight and narrow.That is until Teddy starts to draw disturbing pictures of his imaginary friend, Anya. It is quite clear to Mallory and to Teddy’s parents, even in his crude childlike style, that the woman Teddy is drawing in his pictures is dead.Teddy’s crayons are confiscated, and his paper locked away. But the drawings somehow keep coming, telling a frightening story of a woman murdered… and they’re getting more sophisticated. But if Teddy isn’t drawing the pictures anymore, who is? And what are they trying to tell Mallory about her new home?
About The Author:
Jason Rekulak is the author of HIDDEN PICTURES (coming May 2022) and THE IMPOSSIBLE FORTRESS (a finalist for an Edgar Award). For many years he was Publisher of Quirk Books, an indie press headquartered in Philadelphia, where he ghost-wrote many odd books that may or may not surface on this page, depending on the metadata. Today, Jason is an active member of Writer’s Guild East and Mystery Writers of America. He lives in West Philly with his wife and children and too many pets.
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Nora is a cut-throat literary agent at the top of her game. Her whole life is books.Charlie is an editor with a gift for creating bestsellers. And he’s Nora’s work nemesis.Nora has been through enough break-ups to know she’s the one men date before finding their happy-ever-after. To prevent another dating dud, Nora’s sister has persuaded her to swap her city desk for a month’s holiday in Sunshine Falls.It’s a small town straight out of a romance novel, but instead of meeting sexy lumberjacks, handsome doctors or cute bartenders, Nora keeps bumping into…Charlie.She’s no heroine. He’s no hero. So can they take a page out of an entirely different book?Brimming with witty banter, characters you can’t help but fall for and off-the-charts chemistry, BOOK LOVERS is Emily Henry’s best novel yet.
About The Author:
Emily Henry writes stories about love and family for both teens and adults. She studied creative writing at Hope College and the now-defunct New York Center for Art & Media Studies, and now spends most of her time in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the part of Kentucky just beneath it. Find her on Instagram @EmilyHenryWrites.
Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Carrie Soto is fierce, and her determination to win at any cost has not made her popular.
By the time Carrie retires from tennis, she is the best player the world has ever seen. She has shattered every record and claimed twenty Slam titles. And if you ask her, she is entitled to every one. She sacrificed nearly everything to become the best, with her father as her coach.
But six years after her retirement, Carrie finds herself sitting in the stands of the 1994 US Open, watching her record be taken from her by a brutal, stunning, British player named Nicki Chan.
At thirty-seven years old, Carrie makes the monumental decision to come out of retirement and be coached by her father for one last year in an attempt to reclaim her record. Even if the sports media says that they never liked the ‘Battle-Axe’ anyway. Even if her body doesn’t move as fast as it did. And even if it means swallowing her pride to train with a man she once almost opened her heart to: Bowe Huntley. Like her, he has something to prove before he gives up the game forever.
In spite of it all: Carrie Soto is back, for one epic final season. In this riveting and unforgettable novel, Taylor Jenkins Reid tells a story about the cost of greatness and a legendary athlete attempting a comeback.
About The Author:
Taylor Jenkins Reid is the New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & The Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, as well as One True Loves, Maybe in Another Life, After I Do, and Forever, Interrupted. Her newest novel, Malibu Rising, is out now. She lives in Los Angeles.You can follow her on Instagram @tjenkinsreid.
Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng
Twelve-year-old Bird Gardner lives a quiet existence with his loving but broken father, a former linguist who now shelves books in Harvard’s library. He knows not to ask too many questions, stand out too much, stray too far. For a decade, their lives have been governed by laws written to preserve ‘American culture’ in the wake of years of economic instability and violence. To keep the peace and restore prosperity, the authorities are now allowed to relocate children of dissidents, especially those of Asian origin, and libraries have been forced to remove books seen as unpatriotic – including the work of Bird’s mother, Margaret, a Chinese American poet who left the family when he was nine years old. Bird has grown up disavowing his mother and her poems; he doesn’t know her work or what happened to her, and he knows he shouldn’t wonder. But when he receives a mysterious letter containing only a cryptic drawing, he is drawn into a quest to find her. His journey will take him through the many folktales she poured into his head as a child, through the ranks of an underground network of librarians, into the lives of the children who have been taken, and finally to New York, where a new act of defiance may be the beginning of much-needed change. Our Missing Hearts is an old story made new, of the ways supposedly civilized communities can turn a blind eye to the most searing injustice. It’s a story about the power – and limitations – of art to create change in the world, the lessons and legacies we pass onto our children, and how any of us can survive a broken world with our hearts intact.
About The Author:
Celeste Ng is the number one New York Times bestselling author of Everything I Never Told You and Little Fires Everywhere. Her third novel, Our Missing Hearts, will be published in October 2022. Ng is the recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation, and her work has been published in over thirty languages.
From the #1 bestselling author of All Your Perfects, a workaholic with a too-good-to-be-true romance can’t stop thinking about her first love.
Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town where she grew up—she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. And when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life seems too good to be true.
Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head. But Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating” rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.
As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan—her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.
With this bold and deeply personal novel, It Ends With Us is a heart-wrenching story and an unforgettable tale of love that comes at the ultimate price.
My Review:
Wow I’m not sure where to start with this review. I picked up this book as I’d heard lots of great things about it and was naturally very intrigued. I was expecting a light hearted romance story but It Ends With Us is actually a heartbreaking, emotional and powerful read which I really wasn’t expecting.
I was immediately drawn into the story and into the lives of the characters. I enjoyed getting to know Lily, Ryle, Alyssa and the lovely Atlas who was my favourite character. The book is told primarily from Lily’s points of view with flashbacks from her journal as a teenager which gives some background into her relationship with Atlas. I thought this was very effective especially as the flashbacks were spread out to complement what was happening in the present day.
About half way through the book the tone of the story changes abruptly and takes on a more serious note. Although I initially didn’t like this change and kept wishing it would go back to how it was before I soon realised the powerful message behind the story. It would have been very easy to have made this a light hearted story, something the author acknowledges in the epilogue, and I thought it was very brave of the author to take it in a different direction.
Overall I absolutely loved this book and immediately went and bought more books from this author after finishing. The book was just so addictive that I was soon finding any opportunity to read just a few more pages of it as I really wanted to find out what happens next. The ending was perfect and I can’t wait to read the sequel when it comes out later this month. Highly recommended by me!
About The Author:
Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times and International bestselling author of multiple novels and novellas. She lives in Texas with her husband and their three boys. She is the founder of The Bookworm Box, a non-profit book subscription service and bookstore in Sulphur Springs, Texas.For more information and for a schedule of events, please visit colleenhoover.com.To contact Colleen and her team (Her team’s name is Stephanie), please email hooverink@outlook.com
When a demon possesses a person, Drew can see the horrific-looking demon that dwells within. This ability has made him a demon hunter, armed with the one weapon that can send these fiends back to Hell; the demon dagger.
A demon named Nicobar sets its sights on punishing this hunter. It starts by taking the soul of Drew’s son, condemning the boy to life as a psychopath.
This fast-paced, chilling novel follows Drew’s attempt to save his son’s soul and then use the blade to end Nicobar’s time on Earth.
My Review:
Demon Dagger is a fast paced, intriguing read from a new author for me. I’ve never seen the TV show supernatural but as a huge fan of charmed and a teenage crush on the lovely Drew Fuller (who I kept imagine as Drew Price) I was instantly intrigued by this book.
The author takes the reader back to the beginning to when a young Drew meets his mentor Lincoln and learns about his special ability. I really liked this as I felt it helped me understand Drew a little more and helped give me a valuable insight into the world he was to inhabit. This is particularly interesting when Drew becomes an adult and we see the impact his gift is having on his family.
The characters were all great creations who I enjoyed following throughout the book. My favourite character was Mavin who I absolutely loved and enjoyed watching his partnership with Drew. I wasn’t very fond of Drew’s wife though who came across as being quite unreasonable and uncaring at times.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and hope there will be more books with Drew and Mavin. The book is a bit of a slow burn as the author sets the scene but soon picks up to become very thrilling indeed. The author’s fabulous descriptions of the world Drew lives in made me able to clearly see the terrifying demons, and a bit terrified of walking past people in real life after reading. The story kept me gripped until the end of the story and I felt sad to close the book and leave Drew and Mavin behind – more please!
Huge thanks to Zoë for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
Russell R. James was raised on Long Island, New York and spent too much time watching Chiller, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, and Dark Shadows, despite his parents’ warnings. Bookshelves full of Stephen King and Edgar Allan Poe didn’t make things better. He graduated from Cornell University and the University of Central Florida.
After flying helicopters with the U.S. Army and a career as a technical writer, he now spins twisted tales best read in daylight, including horror thrillers Dark Inspiration, Q Island, and The Playing Card Killer. He authored the Grant Coleman Adventures series starting with Cavern of the Damned and the Ranger Kathy West series starting with Claws. He resides in sunny Florida. His wife reads his work, rolls her eyes, and says “There is something seriously wrong with you.”
Visit his website at http://www.russellrjames.com, follow on Twitter @RRJames14, or say hello at Russell R. James or Russell James- Author on Facebook.
WREN WAS NEVER AFRAID OF THE DARK. UNTIL SHE LEARNED THAT SOME MONSTERS ARE REAL . . . _________
In deep Louisiana, a serial killer with a taste for medical experimentation is completing his most ambitious project yet. The media call him ‘The Butcher’ – and, so far, he’s proved impossible to catch.
With her encyclopaedic knowledge of humanity’s darkest minds, and years of experience examining their victims, forensic pathologist Dr Wren Muller is the best there is. The longer the Butcher’s killing spree continues, the more determined she is to bring him to justice.
And yet, he continues to elude her.
As body after body piles up on Wren’s examination table, her obsession grows. Pressure to put an end to the slaughter mounts. And her enemy becomes more brazen.
How far is Wren willing to go to draw the Butcher into the light . . .?
An addictive read with straight-from-the-morgue details only an autopsy technician could provide, The Butcher and the Wren promises to ensnare all who enter.
My Review:
The Butcher And The Wren is an addictive, dark and chilling book which is perfect for reading this spooky season.
Firstly The Butcher is one of the worst serial killers I’ve ever read about. There was something so cold and calculating about him that sent a shiver down my spine as I read. The way he plays with his victims before killing them, making their murders into a game for his enjoyment was truly disturbing and shocking to read about at times.
Wren was a fantastic character who I enjoyed getting to know throughout the book. She’s definitely a clever lady and I found it fascinating to learn more about pathology from her. Her relationship with the other detectives was lovely to see. It was great to follow their investigation, hear their banter but also see how caring they could be with each other. This made them seem more real and I felt more invested in what was have to them as a result.
The story goes along at a great pace and there always seemed to be something happening to keep my attention. Wren and The Butchers point of view is told in alternate chapters which was very interesting as it gave me an insight into the killers mind. The twists kept me guessing which I always love and made me read faster as I was desperate to find out how the book ends.
Huge thanks to Sriya for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Michael St Joseph for my copy of this book. If you love crime fiction or thrillers then you’ll love this book!
About The Author:
Alaina Urquhart is the science-loving co-host of the chart-topping show Morbid: A True Crime Podcast. As an autopsy technician by trade, she offers a unique perspective from deep inside the morgue. Alaina hails from Boston, where she lives with her wonderful husband, John, their three amazing daughters, and a ghost Puggle named Bailey. She is about 75 percent coffee, and truly believes she and Agent Clarice Starling could be friends.
Before writing her first psychological horror novel, she received degrees in criminal justice, psychology, and biology. When she isn’t hosting Morbid, she hosts the Parcast original show Crime Countdown, and a horror movie podcast called Scream!. Her days are usually spent either recording or eviscerating. The way she sees it, when she hangs up her microphone for the day, it’s time to let the dead speak.
Over The Rainbow Blog 