Book Synopsis:

Finding love was not the only goal . . .

When grumpy ex-footballer Alfie Harding gets badgered into selling his memoirs, he knows he’s never going to be able to write them. He hates revealing a single thing about himself, is allergic to most emotions, and can’t imagine doing a good job of putting pen to paper.

And so in walks curvy, cheery, cute-as-hell ghostwriter Mabel Willicker, who knows just how to sunshine and sass her way into getting every little detail out of Alfie. They banter and bicker their way to writing his life story, both of them sure they’ll never be anything other than at odds.

But after their business arrangement is mistaken for a budding romance, the pair have to pretend to be an item to satisfy a public ravenous for more of this Cinderella story. And now they have to decide: is their fake relationship all for show or something so real it might just give them their fairy-tale ending?

A steamy, opposites-attract romance with undeniable chemistry between a grumpy retired footballer and his fabulous and very sunshine-y ghostwriter. For fans of Ted Lasso and Tessa Bailey.

My Review:

Oh I did enjoy this book. It was such an uplifting, heartwarming romance that was extremely funny.

Firstly I absolutely loved Alfie and Mabel who were such a gorgeous pairing that I quickly fell in love with. They are both completely different, with lots of weird little quirks that really endeared them to me. In some way they were complete opposites but I felt that they were both a little lost so I enjoyed watching as they got to know each other. Alfie in particular touched my heart as he has a reputation for being a bit of a grump when actually I think he was just massively misunderstood and could be very sweet at times. His aversion to technology made me laugh as I’m a bit of a technophobe too.

I thought the author’s writing style was a little unusual and it took me a couple of chapters to get used to it. I soon grew to love the author’s use of short sentences and how she keeps in all of Mabel’s babbling as it helped me to understand Mable more. The plot was quite fast paced and there always seemed to be something happening to keep me reading. I loved watching them grow slowly closer and to read about the hilarious banter between the two of them which often had me laughing out loud. The romance seemed quite realistic and I like the extra social media extracts that the author included at the beginning of each chapter.

Over all I absolutely loved this book and I can’t wait to read more from this author. The ending was well done and I liked that all the loose ends were tied up. I think this would make a great film and I’m really hopeful that someone will suggest it soon as I’d love to watch it.

Huge thanks to Chloe from Pan Macmillan for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Charlotte Stein has written over thirty sexy novellas and novels, including the RT award nominated Intrusion and the DABWAHA nominated Run To You. When not writing she can be found eating jelly turtles, watching terrible sitcoms and occasionally lusting after hunks. She lives in West Yorkshire with her husband and their totally real dog, and can be found talking nonsense at these places:

Good afternoon everyone I was very excited to receive a copy of this book earlier this week.  I always love books that explore other cultures and, as I don’t know much about Chinese history, I think this will be a fascinating read. 

Huge thanks to @_swiftpress for sending me a copy I can’t wait to read it. 

Out 30th 2024

Book Synopsis:

A stunning, deeply moving novel about growing up in Beijing in the 1970s and 80s and taking part in Tiananmen Square protests

It is Beijing in the 1970s, and Lai lives with her parents, grandmother and younger brother in a small flat in a working-class area. Her grandmother is a formidable figure – no-nonsense and uncompromising, but loving towards her granddaughter – while her ageing beauty of a mother snipes at her father, a sunken figure who has taken refuge in his work.

As she grows up, Lai comes to discern the realities of the country she lives is: an early encounter with the police haunts her for years; her father makes her see that his quietness is a reaction to experiences he has lived through; and an old bookseller subtly introduces her to ideas and novels that open her mind to different perspectives. But she also goes through what anyone goes through when young – the ebbs and flows of friendships; troubles and rewards at home and at school; and the first steps and missteps in love.

A gifted student, she is eventually given a scholarship to study at the prestigious Peking University; while there she meets new friends, and starts to get involved in the student protests that have been gathering speed. It is the late 1980s, and change is in the air…

A truly remarkable novel about coming to see the world as it is, Tiananmen Square is the story of one girl’s life growing up in the China of the 1970s and 80s, as well as the story of the events in 1989 that give the novel its name: the hope and idealism of a generation of young students, their heroism and courage, and the price that some of them paid.

About The Author:

Lai Wen is a pseudonym. She was born in Beijing in 1970 and left China in 1989 after the Tiananmen Square protests. She now lives in the UK with her husband and two children.

Good morning everyone and happy Friday! I was sorting through my books recently and realised I had quite a few books with cats in the cover!

🐈Tales From The Cafe by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
😸What You Are Looking For Is In The Library by Michiko Aoyama
🐈The Goodbye Cat by Hiro Arikawa
😸Days At The Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
🐈The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa

Out of these I’ve read The Travelling Cat Chronicles and Days At The Morisaki Bookshop which was a book club read. All the rest are tbr and I look forward to reading them soon.

I’m off today and I’m hoping for a bit of a quiet one. I have a blood test this morning and have promised my daughter we can decorate biscuits for the last bit of her brownie baking badge. I’m hoping to sneak in a few pages of my book and finally put away all the clean clothes that have gradually been piling up all week.

I’ve tagged a few people who might want to take part but, as always, no pressure.

Are you a cat or a dog person?

Book Synopsis:

Martha is the youngest of three sisters and, in her mid-thirties, has the dubious honour of being the only one to call off a wedding at the last moment.

Now, feeling as if she’ll be single forever, and trying to keep her low opinion of her sister Iris’s fiancé to herself for risk of looking bitter, Martha needs a change of scene.

When she is given the opportunity of a holiday to Paxos it seems too good to turn down, though the idea of travelling alone is daunting. And when the trip to the Greek island gets complicated, Martha wonders if this has all been a mistake.

But soon the island and its residents start to work their magic on Martha, and when she meets single father Harry and his adorable son Milo, a new way of living is revealed in contrast with the drab routine of her life back home. How can Martha leave behind the warmth of the people, the freedom and the fun, not to mention Harry and Milo when it’s time for her to go home…

Let Helen McGinn magic you away to a world of sunshine and serenity, romance and relaxation. Perfect for fans of Erica James, Carol Kirkwood and Karen Swan.

My Review:

The Island Of Dreams is an atmospheric, romantic read which is perfect from escaping from all the bad weather at the moment.

Firstly I absolutely loved the wonderful descriptions of Paxos in this book, which made me feel that I was actually there experiencing everything alongside the characters. It sounds like a wonderful place to visit and I spent far too much time looking at pictures of it on google. This is definitely not a book to read if you are hungry as some of the food described in this book sounded really delicious. I’ve definitely added Paxos to the list of places I’d like to visit soon.

The character’s were interesting creations and I enjoyed following them throughout the book. It did take me a while to warm to Martha as I wasn’t sure about her at first but she soon grew on me. I liked that she wasn’t perfect as it made her and the story seem more real. The romance between her and Harry was lovely to watch develop, with little Milo often making me smile as he seemed so cute. I felt a bit cross with Martha for even considering the possibility of going home and leaving them behind, but perhaps it wouldn’t have seemed realistic if she’d immediately decided to change her plans.

I thought the story had a steady pace to it and I soon found myself immersed into the story. There were a couple of surprises which I wasn’t expecting but mostly I just enjoyed experiencing island life alongside the characters. My only slight complaint was that the book seemed to end a bit abruptly as I would have liked to find out what happened to the character’s in the future but I’m keeping everything crossed that this means there will be a sequel as I really want to spend more time in Paxos.

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:

I’m Helen, author of The Knackered Mother’s Wine Club blog and book. I was a wine buyer for a big supermarket for years and now write and talk about it on TV’s Saturday Kitchen and This Morning. Along with wine, my other great love is books, both reading and writing them. I really hope you enjoy reading it, hopefully with something lovely in your glass when you do.

Good afternoon everyone I was so excited to receive a copy of this fabulous looking book this week. I’m such a huge fan of this author so I can’t wait to read this book soon.

I’ve been wearing the lanyard at work and I’ve had lots of people commenting on it.

A Lesson In Cruelty is published on the 11th April 2024. Find out more about the book below.

Huge thanks to the lovely Rosie for sending me a copy of this book.

Book Synopsis:

They say you can’t always get what you want. But you can take it.

Anna wants a fresh start. She doesn’t believe she deserves it, but after three years behind bars she has finally paid her dues. Most of them, anyway.

Lucy craves the attention of the only man she can’t have, her alluring Oxford professor. He’s married – not for the first time. Maybe she should be next in line?

Marie the recluse has been locked up for too long. She’s not ready to be free, but some rules are meant to be broken.

Everyone wants a perfect life. But not everyone is prepared to take it.

Unless someone decides to teach them a lesson.

About The Author:

Harriet Tyce was born and grew up in Edinburgh. She graduated from Oxford in 1994 with a degree in English Literature before gaining legal qualifications. She worked as a criminal barrister for ten years, leaving after having children. She completed an MA in Creative Writing – Crime Fiction at UEA where she wrote Blood Orange, the Sunday Times bestselling novel, winner of a gold Nielsen Bestseller Award in 2021. It was followed by The Lies You Told and It Ends At Midnight, both also Sunday Times bestsellers. She lives in north London with her family and two dogs. Follow Harriet on Twitter and Instagram @harriet_tyce

Good morning everyone I hope you had a good Valentine’s Day. I realised yesterday I hadn’t done my normal Spell The Month post yet this month!

F- The FOXGLOVE King by Hannah Whitten

E- ENLIGHTENMENT by Sarah Perry

B- BIG Swiss by Jen Beagin

R- Clara READS Proust by Stéphane Carlier

U- UNLADYLIKE Lessons In Love by Anita Murray

A- ANCESTRY by Simon Mawer

R- RIVER East River West by Aube Rey Lescure

Y- YELLOW FACE by Rebecca F. Kuang

I actually misspelled February the first time and had to be corrected by my daughter. To quote Eric Morecambe I had all the right letters but not necessarily in the right order!

We have another busy day today. I’m working this morning which is always fun and it’s really busy at the moment which is really nice to see. My eldest is going bouldering with a friend and my youngest two are going to their grannies which they love. They’ve been promised croissants from the local deli so keep asking me when they’re going. Then after I’ve finished work we have friends coming over for a catch up which will be lovely.

What are your plans today?

Good evening everyone I was excited to receive a copy of Us In The Before And After by Jenny Valentine through the post this week.

It sounds really good and I can’t wait to read it soon.

Huge thanks to Sarah from Simon And Schuster for sending me a copy.

Out 6th June 2024!

Book Synopsis:

A tear-jerking, heart-breakingly beautiful novel from the award-winning Jenny Valentine, perfect for fans of Adam Silvera, Kathleen Glasgow and Laura Nowlin.

There is one side of that moment, and the other

Before

After

I have dreamed about it ever since

At the start of a long, hot summer best friends Elk and Mab face the fallout of a sudden death, and the lifelong consequences of a single tragic act.

An intensely emotional story that raises questions about love, ghosts, and the unshakeable bonds of friendship.

About The Author:

Jenny Valentine is an award winning writer for Young Adults. She moved house every two years when she was growing up and she has just moved house again, probably not for the last time. She studied English Literature at Goldsmiths College, which almost put her off reading but not quite. Her first novel Finding Violet Park won the Guardian prize in 2007 and since then she has written six more, including Broken Soup and Fire Colour One, as well as Iggy and Me, a series for younger children, and the middle grade series, A Girl Called Joy. Her work has been published in 19 countries.

In 2017 she was the Hay Festival International Fellow, spending the year meeting and learning from teenagers all over the world. She lives all over the place and has two daughters.

Book Synopsis:

2002

Danny arrives at Manchester University determined not to hide from the world any longer. This is the year his life will begin.

He locks eyes with a handsome stranger across the hall at the Freshers’ Fair. It starts with a wink and soon Danny and Guy are best friends.

2022

Now, both single for the first time in years, Danny and Guy return to the confetti-covered streets of the Gay Village for Manchester Pride.

After years of shared adventures and lost dreams, Danny finally plans to share the secret he has been keeping for two decades. He has always been in love with Guy.

Could this weekend be the end of a twenty-year friendship . . . or the start of something new and even more beautiful?

My Review:

Oh I so loved this book! It was such a heartwarming, thought provoking but funny read that I will be recommending it to everyone.

Firstly I loved the two main characters and really enjoyed following them through the book. They both seemed so real and I loved that they had flaws or hangups like everyone does as it helped endear them both to me. It was really heartwarming to see them both find themselves in university and to see them grow more comfortable in their own skin a they get older. I found it very shocking to see some of the reactions people had towards them being gay though and some of the sentiments expressed in this book made my blood boil, especially Guy’s parents who thought ‘ he would grow out of it’. It made me wish that I could go into the book and give both the boys the hug I think they both needed at times. Guy and Danny’s friendship was so lovely to follow and I loved how they always contacted each other, over anyone else, when they needed support. 

I actually went to university in 2002 so I remember this period well and I really enjoyed reliving my youth in this timeline. I went to clubs, drank wkd’s (as bottles were deemed less easy to spike) and danced along to all the music mentioned in this book. The reference to everyone wearing cargo pants made me laugh out loud as it was so true. I actually ended up listening to a lot of the music mentioned while I was reading and teaching the kids some of the dodgy dance moves to One Love by Blue.

I thought this book had a great pace to it and there always seemed to be something happening to keep me reading. Even in the slightly slower moments I just enjoying hanging out with the wonderful characters and their friends, reliving my youth precariously through them. The romance side of the story was well done and I loved watching the two grow slowly closer throughout the years. I had quickly warmed to the two of them and had to keep reading as I really wanted them to get together. 

This is the second book I’ve read by this author and in my opinion he keeps getting better and better! I’m very excited to read more from him in the future. 

Huge thanks to the lovely Joe Thomas from Headline for kindly sending me a copy of this book. If you are looking for a heartwarming, romance book to read this Valentine’s Day (or anytime) then I highly recommend this one.

About The Author:

Matt Cain is a writer, broadcaster, and a leading commentator on LGBT+ issues.

He was Channel 4’s first Culture Editor, Editor-In-Chief of Attitude magazine, has written for all the major national newspapers, and is a regular presenter on Virgin Radio Pride. He’s also an ambassador for Manchester Pride and the Albert Kennedy Trust, plus a patron of LGBT+ History Month.

Matt’s first two novels, Shot Through the Heart and Nothing But Trouble, were published by Pan Macmillan. His third, The Madonna Of Bolton, became Unbound’s fastest crowdfunded novel ever. In 2021, The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle was published by Headline Review and Becoming Ted followed in 2023.

Born in Bury and brought up in Bolton, Matt now lives in London with his husband, Harry, and their cat, Nelly.

*This post was written and posted by Joanna Park on her blog Over The Rainbow Blog. If you see it anywhere else it has been stolen*

Good morning everyone and Happy Valentine’s Day.  I thought it appropriate to share a rainbow romance stack with you today!

❤️The Runaway Heiress by Emma Orchard
🧡 Divorced (Not Dead) by Harper Ford
🧡 Unladylike Lessons In Love by Anita Murray
💛 Token by Beverly Kendall
💚 Love light Farms by B. K. Borison
🩵Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score
💜 When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein
💟 Icebreaker by Hannah Grace
💜 Business Or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon
💟The Book Of Love by Kelly Link
🩷Girl, Goddess, Queen by Bea Fitzgerald
🤍 Anatomy by Dana Schwartz
🤎King Of Greed by Ana Huang

This stack is a real mix of old favourites and books I still need to read.  I’m currently reading When Grumpy Met Sunshine and loving it so far.  I don’t think I’ve laughed so much at the beginning of a book for ages.

I’m hoping for a quiet morning with the kids before taking my daughter to a play date and then I’m working this afternoon which is always fun.  We’re getting lots of young readers in the shop as it’s half term which always makes me smile. Stu and I don’t really celebrate Valentine’s Day but we’re hopefully sitting down for a nice meal later if the kids let us.

I’ve tagged a few people on Instagram who might want to share a romance stack but, as always, no pressure!

Have you got a favourite romance book?

*Please Note: This review was written by Joanna Park and posted on her blog Over The Rainbow Blog. If you see it posted elsewhere it has been stolen. 

Book Synopsis:

THEY CALL ME THE LUCKY ONE. THEY DON’T KNOW I LIED.

Nine years ago, Charlie Colbert’s life changed for ever.

On Christmas Eve, as the snow fell, her elite graduate school was the site of a chilling attack. Several of her classmates died. Charlie survived.

Years later, Charlie has the life she always wanted at her fingertips: she’s editor-in-chief of a major magazine and engaged to the golden child of the publishing industry.

But when a film adaptation of that fateful night goes into production, Charlie’s dark past threatens to crash into her shiny present.

Charlie was named a ‘witness’ in the police reports. Yet she knows she was much more than that.

The truth about that night will shatter everything she’s worked for. Just how far will she go to protect it?

My Review:

Everybody Who Could Forgive Me Is Dead is a dark, compulsive read that was surprisingly thought provoking.

Firstly I found the characters in this book very intriguing and enjoyed following them throughout the book. They were all quite unlikable characters, who all had secrets and I enjoyed slowly discovering more about them. Charlie was a particularly interesting character who I wasn’t sure how I felt about. On one hand I really felt for her as I learned more about how deeply the incident has affected her and how much it has changed her life but on the other I really didn’t know if I could trust her or her version of events. I had a very uneasy feeling about her and found I had to keep reading as I had to find out more about her.

The story is told in two timelines one following events in the current day and the other flashing back to the night in question. I thought the book started off a little slowly as the author sets the scene and we find out more about the characters but soon picks up and becomes very hard to put down. The author does a great job of cleverly withholding information from the reader until the end so I was never completely sure what was going to happen next. There were lot of surprising twists that kept me guessing and although I did guess the ending it didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of the book.

This is author’s debut novel and I’d definitely be interested in reading more from her in the future. Huge Thanks to Beth from Little Brown for sending me a copy of this book. If you like thrillers that make you think then I highly recommend this one.

About The Author:

Hi! I’m Jenny, a writer and editor from London. My debut novel, EVERYONE WHO CAN FORGIVE ME IS DEAD, will be published by St. Martin’s Press (US) and Little, Brown (UK) on February 6, 2024.

My work has been featured in ELLE, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Bustle, Harper’s Bazaar, and more. I spent ten years in New York, where I worked as a senior editor for Bustle and the deputy editor at Marie Claire. Now the digital director for Marie Claire, I live in London with my husband and our rescue dog, Captain. When I’m not knee-deep in Google Analytics, an edit, or a manuscript, I’m a fierce advocate for developmental coordination disorder, known in the U.K. as dyspraxia, which I was diagnosed with when I was nine.