Book Synopsis:

An essential lifestyle guide to reducing headaches and other symptoms related to migraine, vertigo, and Meniere’s disease. Its “slow-approach” plan and more than 75 trigger-free recipes set readers up for success—even when they’re in pain.

In The Migraine Relief Plan, certified health and wellness coach Stephanie Weaver outlines a new, step-by-step lifestyle approach to reducing migraine frequency and severity.

Using the latest research, her own migraine diagnosis, and extensive testing, Weaver has designed an accessible plan to help those living with migraine, headaches, or Meniere’s disease. Over the course of eight weeks, the plan gradually transitions readers into a healthier lifestyle, including key behaviors such as regular sleep, trigger-free eating, gentle exercise, and relaxation techniques. The book also collects resources—shopping lists, meal plans, symptom tracking charts, and kitchen-tested recipes for breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner—to provide readers with the tools they need to be successful.

The Migraine Relief Plan encourages readers to eat within the guidelines while still helping them follow personal dietary choices, like vegan or Paleo, and navigate challenges, such as parties, work, and travel. A must-have resource for anyone who lives with head pain, this book will inspire you to rethink your attitude toward health and wellness.

The Migraine Relief Plan is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

I’ve suffered from headaches most of my life and, though apparently they aren’t bad enough to be called migraines, I’ve often been told that diet can help ease them. I was therefore quite intrigued to read this book.

Firstly this book is very easy to read and the advice is easy to follow. The author includes a comprehensive list of foods that should be avoided which was very interesting as I’d only ever been told about three (cheese, chocolate and citrus fruits) before.

With three children I find it quite hard to find time to cook so although I haven’t tried any of the recipes included in the book they all sound quite yummy! They seemed to need a bit if preparation so I think they would require a bit of time to create.

I read an ebook copy of this book and whilst I found it fine to read I think this is the type of book which would be better as a paperback copy as I think it would be easier to find sections quicker.

Huge thanks to Rachel from Rachel’s Random resources for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book which I received in exchange for an honest review.

About The Author:

Stephanie Weaver, M.P.H. is an author, blogger, and certified wellness and health coach. She has a Master of Public Health in Nutrition Education from the University of Illinois. Her recipes have been featured in Cosmopolitan, Bon Appétit, Cooking Light, Parade, and more. She lives in San Diego.

Book Synopsis:

1686, Iceland.

An isolated, windswept landscape.

Rósa is newly betrothed to Jón.

The villagers look on them with suspicion – they don’t trust outsiders.

They whisper dark threats.

There is an evil here, Rósa can feel it.

Alone and far from home, Rósa sees the darkness coming.

She fears she will be its next victim . . . 

The Glass Woman is available in ebook and hardback now. You can purchase a copy of both using the link below.

My Review:

The Glass Woman is an extraordinary novel that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. It manages to be atmospheric, gripping and very dark which makes it the perfect book to snuggle up with on cold nights.

Firstly the Icelandic settings is superbly described so that the reader can picture the scenes vividly. The dark, volatile landscape almost becomes another character as it sits brooding in the background and seems to reflect Rósa’s mood as the book progresses which I thought was very clever. I also loved learning more about Icelandic culture and a bit about their myths or legends which they used to believe in. I’d not read much about rumes so I found that bit particularly interesting.

Rósa was a very interesting character but one that took me a little while warm to. She seemed quite full of herself at the beginning and I didn’t like how she threw everything away even if it was meant to be for selfless reasons. However she soon grew on me and I found I admired her bravery and determination.

This book was surprisingly gripping and there was always an underlying feeling that something was going to happen which helped add to a lot of the tension in the book. I found myself gripped pretty much from the start as I wanted to find out how the story would develop. As I grew to like Rósa my concern for her welfare increased and I wanted to keep reading to make sure she was ok.

I absolutely loved the ending and thought it was the perfect way to end the book. I was so pleased this is worked out how they did though wish it had maybe continued a little further as I would love to have read more.

This is unbelievably the author’s debut novel and I’m very excited to read more from her. This is definitely a book I’ll be thinking about for a while.

Huge thanks to Jenny Platt from Michael St Joseph for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book which I received in exchange for an honest review.

About The Author:

Caroline Lea grew up in Jersey and gained a First in English Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Warwick, where she now teaches on the Creative Writing degree. Her fiction and poetry have been shortlisted for the Bridport Prize, the Fish Short Story Competition and various flash fiction prizes. She currently lives in Warwick with her two young children and is writing her next novel.

Book Synopsis:

BREAKING: Nuclear weapon detonates over Washington

Historian Jon Keller is on a trip to Switzerland when the world ends. As the lights go out on civilisation, he wishes he had a way of knowing whether his wife, Nadia, and their two daughters are still alive. More than anything, Jon wishes he hadn’t ignored Nadia’s last message.

Twenty people remain in Jon’s hotel. Far from the nearest city and walled in by towering trees, they wait, they survive.

Then one day, the body of a young girl is found. It’s clear she has been murdered. Which means that someone in the hotel is a killer.

As paranoia descends, Jon decides to investigate. But how far is he willing to go in pursuit of justice? And what kind of justice can he hope for, when society as he knows it no longer exists?

My Review:

The thing I most enjoy about dystopian fiction is the chance to explore the author’s great imagination through the world they have created . The Last was a very well imagined and frightening story made all the more so by how realistic it seemed. The nuclear weapon is detonated because a politician makes a mistake, which is seeming increasingly likely in today’s political climate. I found myself instantly drawn into this world, trying to work out how I’d fit into it which is always a sign that I’m enjoying a book.

The characters or residents of the hotel are all very varied and well developed. It was fascinating to read about how much they change over the course of the book. The fear and uncertainty that the characters feel are almost palpable at times and I found myself feeling very sorry for them.

This is quite a character driven novel though it is still quite gripping as the more I got to know the characters, the more involved in their story I became. I wanted to keep reading to find out not only who the murder was but also what would happen to everyone.

The murder mystery side of the story was very intriguing and I enjoyed watching it develop. The evidence is tantalisingly revealed and I found myself changing my mind frequently as to who the murder could be.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I’ll definitely be going back to read her previous novels soon. The Last manages to be both a dystopian and a murder mystery which I felt was an interesting mix that worked very well!

Huge thanks to Emily Burns from BrandHive for inviting me onto the tour and to Viking for my copy of this book which I received in exchange for an honest review.

About The Author:

Hanna Jameson’s fourth novel, part murder mystery and part post-apocalyptic thriller – THE LAST – is out early 2019, with Viking UK and Simon & Schuster – Atria Books US. The Last is the story of an American academic searching for the truth about a girl who has been murdered in his Swiss hotel in the aftermath of a nuclear war that has destroyed most of the Western world.

Jameson had written the first draft of her debut, award-nominated novel – SOMETHING YOU ARE – at just seventeen. Something You Are and two further novels in the series – GIRL SEVEN and ROAD KILL – are available now in the UK, Germany, Japan, and the Netherlands.

She lives in London currently, and is working on screenwriting projects. She likes whiskey, history, and emotionally taxing TV shows.

Book Synopsis:

Spring 2000. Paul Geddes visits Venice to research the fin-de-siècle opera singer, Esme Maguire, seeking out a cache of papers held by Eva Forrest, the widow of a collector. What he reads begins in the 1680s, moving through the city s later history of Enlightenment and Revolution, describing a life stretched beyond human possibilities.

She travels across Europe to sing in Regency London and Edinburgh, then Belle Epoque Paris, always returning to Venice, its shadows and its luminosity, its changes and its permanence.

What would it be like to live for nearly 300 years, as an exceptional being who must renew herself time after time, as those she has loved age and die? Could this story be grounded in reality or be merely the product of an ageing woman s delusion, as Paul suspects.

Warily, Eva and Paul fall in love, their tentative emotions bringing them closer until, on a trip to the Dolomites, Eva s past catches up with her.

The Hourglass is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase a copy of both using the link below.

My Review:

The Hourglass is an original and intriguing book which tells the story of one women’s life and loves over three centuries.

I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for Italy and in particularly Venice so the setting of the story was perfect for me. The descriptions were wonderfully vivid and I felt completely absorbed into the Italian culture which the author cleverly includes into the story. It was interesting to see how the city changed and evolved over the years.

The love stories were beautifully written and I enjoyed watching them develop. They were an interesting mixed bag of emotions with some being quite poignant to read about.

It did take me a little while to get into the book and the writing style which reads quite like a classic book at times. However once I’d got into the book I found it to be a very absorbing and gripping read which was very enjoyable.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I’d be interested to see what she comes up with next.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Unbound publishers for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Liz Heron grew up in Scotland and studied at Glasgow University. After spells in Paris, Madrid and Venice, she embarked on freelance writing life in London, contributing arts and literary journalism to a range of publications, as well as editing for book publishers and magazines. Her books include Truth, Dare or Promise, a compilation of essays on childhood, and Streets of Desire, an anthology of women’s 20th-century writing on the world’s great cities. Her work has appeared in various anthologies and her short-story collection, A Red River, was published in 1996. Since then she’s spent three more years in Venice and done a lot of translation: from literary novels to opera libretti for CDs. She writes a blog, mainly on film, as well as art, books and politics.

http://www.lizheron.wordpress.com

Book Synopsis:

One woman’s journey to find herself and help secure the vote. Perfect for the fans of the TV series Mr Selfridge and The Paradise.

1911 Bath. Banished from her ancestral home, passionate suffrage campaigner Esther Stanbury works as a window dresser in Pennington’s Department Store. She has hopes and dreams for women’s progression and will do anything to help secure the vote. 
Owner of the prestigious Phoenix Hotel, Lawrence Culford has what most would view as a successful life. But Lawrence is harbouring shame, resentment and an anger that threatens his future happiness.

When Esther and Lawrence meet, their mutual understanding of life’s challenges unites them and they are drawn to the possibility of a life of love that neither thought existed. 
With the Coronation of King-Emperor George V looming, the atmosphere in Bath is building to fever pitch, as is the suffragists’ determination to secure the vote.

Will Esther’s rebellious nature lead her to ruin or can they overcome their pasts and look to build a future together?

A Rebel At Pennington’s is available in ebook and paperback now, you can purchase a copy of both using the link below.

My Review:

I love historical fiction that’s set in an old fashioned department store! There’s something about the descriptions of the staff and the different things on sale that sends a shiver of delicious anticipation down my back as I know I’m in for a good read.

A Rebel At Pennington’s was no exception as I soon fell in love with the shop and the fabulous staff. They all seemed a lovely, varied bunch of people who seemed to have a great relationship with each other. The descriptions of the many departments and the everyday interactions with staff and customers was great to read about and I soon felt fully absorbed in the story.

Esther was an interesting character who took a little while for me to warm to. On one hand I loved her determination and outspokenness regarding the suffragette movement but in the other she annoyed me as it seemed like that was all she cared about! I wanted to reach into the book and give her a shake as I felt she was missing out on so much right under her nose! This was especially true in her budding relationship with Lawrence which was brilliantly and tantalisingly played out. I so wanted Esther to have a happy ending that I felt she deserved but felt she was being too difficult regarding her views which was very frustrating.

The author has clearly done her research and the historical details were fascinating to read about. I love books that describe the suffragette movement so loved reading about all the details and events included in this novel. I felt swept along with the movement and wished I could have been there to help Esther and her friends out.

This is the second book in the series and while it can be read as a standalone it’s probably best to read the books in order as you get to know the characters and shop more. I so hope there is more to come in this wonderful series!

Huge thanks to Rachel from Rachel’s Random resources for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book which I received in exchange for an honest review. If you like fantastically researched, absorbing historical fiction then you need to read this book!

About The Author:

Rachel lives with her husband and two teenage daughters in a small town near Bath in the UK. Her first novel was published in 2007. Since then, she’s had several books published with small presses and since 2012 has written mainstream romance and romantic suspense for Harlequin Superromance (Templeton Cove Stories) and Victorian romance for eKensington/Lyrical Press.

In January 2018, she signed a four-book deal with Aria Fiction for a brand new Edwardian series set in beautiful Bath. The first book, The Mistress of Pennington’s was released in July 2018 with book 2, A Rebel At Pennington’s, following in February 2019.

Rachel is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and Romance Writers of America. When she isn’t writing, you’ll find Rachel with her head in a book or walking the beautiful English countryside with her family. Her dream place to live is Bourton-on-the-Water in South West England. And in the evening? Well, a well-deserved glass of wine is never, ever refused…

Book Synopsis:

Chastity Riley and her new sidekick Ivo investigate the case of newspaper executives who have been caged and tortured outside their offices … on a trail that leads them to the hothouse world of boarding schools and some harrowing secrets…

You loved Dark … now meet Chastity Riley

On a warm September morning, an unconscious man is found in a cage at the entrance to the offices of one of Germany’s biggest magazines. He’s soon identified as a manager of the company, and he’s been tortured. Three days later, another manager appears in a similar way.

Chastity Riley and her new colleague Ivo Stepanovic are tasked with uncovering the truth behind the attacks, an investigation that goes far beyond the revenge they first suspect … to the dubious past shared by both victims. Travelling to the south of Germany, they step into the hothouse world of boarding schools, where secrets are currency, and monsters are bred … monsters who will stop at nothing to protect themselves.

A smart, dark, probing thriller, full of all the hard-boiled poetry and acerbic wit of the very best noir, Beton Rouge is both a classic whodunit and a scintillating expose of society, by one of the most exciting names in crime fiction.

Beton Rouge is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy of both using the link below.

My Review:

I was a huge fan of Blue Night, the author’s first novel so couldn’t wait to read more from this series. Beton Rouge doesn’t disappoint as it is a fast paced, gripping novel with a fantastic female lead!

The reader is drawn in straight away with the mention of two intriguing, if in one case, slightly bizarre cases involving the tourture and humiliation of two men. The story follows Chastity as she and her team try to discover what the men had done to deserve such treatment. As she investigates we find out more about the victims including how unliked they were and the reasons behind them which made me very unsympathetic towards their plight.

The thing that made this book for me is the brilliant Chastity who is a very likeable character. On one hand she’s a hard, very capable detective who is able to handle herself in some difficult situations. However she has a very caring side, especially towards her friends and wears her heart on her sleeve which was lovely to see. She’s a very real character and it was this, alongside her liking to smoke and drink that made me warm to her. I thought she seemed a very cool character!

This is a fairly short book but the author manages to pack a lot of action into the pages. The chapters are also fairly short which makes for a fast, gripping read and the action never really let’s up which makes the book very gripping. The ending seemed to come much too soon and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series, especially as I’d love to read more about Chastity.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Orenda Books for my copy of this book which I received in exchange for an honest review.

About The Author:

Simone Buchholz was born in Hanau in 1972. At university, she studied Philosophy and Literature, worked as a waitress and a columnist, and trained to be a journalist at the prestigious Henri-Nannen-School in Hamburg. In 2016, Simone Buchholz was awarded the Crime Cologne Award as well as the second Place of the German Crime Fiction Prize for Blue Night, which was number one on the KrimiZEIT Best of Crime List for months. She lives in Sankt Pauli, in the heart of Hamburg, with her husband and son.
Follow Simone on Twitter @ohneKlippo and visit her website: simonebuchholz.com

Book Synopsis:

ALICIA
Alicia Berenson writes a diary as a release, an outlet – and to prove to her beloved husband that everything is fine. She can’t bear the thought of worrying Gabriel, or causing him pain.

Until, late one evening, Alicia shoots Gabriel five times and then never speaks another word.

THEO
Forensic psychotherapist Theo Faber is convinced he can successfully treat Alicia, where all others have failed. Obsessed with investigating her crime, his discoveries suggest Alicia’s silence goes far deeper than he first thought.

And if she speaks, would he want to hear the truth?

THE SILENT PATIENT is the gripping must-read debut thriller of 2019 – perfect for fans of THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW by A.J. Finn and THE GIRL BEFORE by JP Delaney.

The Silent Patient is available in all formats now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

I’m always a little nervous when I read a book that’s had so much hype about it as I wonder if I’m going to be the exception to the rule. However I’m pleased to report that The Silent Patient is every bit as brilliant as reported.

The Silent Patient is an incredibly clever, unsettling and gripping thriller that was a very addictive read. It does start off a bit slowly but soon the story becomes very interesting as we find out more about the characters. This gradually increases as the book goes on and helps make the book almost impossible to put down as little snippets about them are discovered.

The story is told mainly from the point of view of Forensic psychotherapist Theo who has been interested by Alicia’s story from the moment he heard about it. He even changes his job to work at the facility where she is being treated and manages to quickly make her his patient. Through flashbacks we learn more about his life both past and present and how it could still be effecting him today. Theo’s story is broken at intervals by extracts from Alicia’s diary detailing what she was doing and thinking in the days leading up to the murder. These two combined helps make for very interesting reading and helps to gradually increase the tension as we discover more unsettling parts of the whole story.

The author’s background of psychotherapy is evident throughout the book and Theo’s narration often includes information about the theory behind what he is doing. I found this fascinating and thought that it really added to the story as it helps give the reader more details about what is happening. This is never over explained and I liked that the author doesn’t doubt the readers intelligence by doing so.

This is the author’s debut novel and I’m very excited to read more from him. If you like gripping, unsettling reads then you’ll love this book.

Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Poppy from Orion for my copy of this book which I received in exchange for an honest review.

About The Author:

Alex Michaelides was born in Cyprus in 1977. He wrote the film The Devil You Know starring Rosamund Pike, and co-wrote The Brits are Coming. The Silent Patient is first novel, and was inspired by a post graduate course in psychotherapy, and working part-time at a secure psychiatric unit.

Book Synopsis:

The internationally bestselling authors of The Sandman and The Hypnotist return with a terrifying new thriller: Detective Joona Linna–recently returned from compassionate leave–reunites with hypnotist Erik Maria Bark in a search for a seemingly unassailable sadistic killer.

The Swedish National Crime Unit receives a video of a young woman in her home, clearly unaware that she’s being watched. Soon after the tape is received, the woman’s body is found horrifically mutilated. With the arrival of the next, similar video, the police understand that the killer is toying with them, warning of a new victim, knowing there’s nothing they can do. Detective Margot Silverman is put in charge of the investigation, and soon asks Detective Joona Linna for help. Linna, in turn, recruits Erik Maria Bark, the hypnotist and expert in trauma, with whom Linna’s worked before. Bark is leery of forcing people to give up their secrets. But this time, Bark is the one hiding things. 
Years before, he had put a man away for an eerily similar crime, and now he’s beginning to think that an innocent man may be behind bars–and a serial killer still on the loose. . .

Stalker is available now in all formats, purchase your copy from Amazon and all good book shops!

My Review:

Wow, hold on a minute while I catch my breath! What a terrifying, gripping read this was. This is definitely not a book to read at night on your own as it gets under your skin and plays tricks with your mind. Every noise or scrape made me jump and I had to get up and close all the curtains whilst reading, carefully avoiding looking out the window in case I saw a face peering in at me!

The beginning is very chilling as the reader is introduced to the terrifying scenario of the stalker and what he is capable of. The woman’s terror as she realises what danger she’s in is almost palpable and had me on the edge of my seat as I waited for the killer to pounce as I knew he would. The author slowly lets each scene unravel so the reader feels they are there in the room experiencing everything alongside the victim which makes for a very gripping read.

I felt very sorry for the police in this book as they seemed very affected by the case and helpless to stop the murders. The casual attitude of Margot grated on me a little and meant that I didn’t warm to her as she just didn’t seem to care that someone was going to get killed. The hypnotherapy sessions were quite interesting to read about and I found the use of them in such a situation very intriguing. It was sometimes a bit hard to follow the theory and methods behind it though as they seemed quite complicated.

This was a fairly fast pasted, gripping novel although it did get a bit slower in the middle. It soon picked up though with a explosive ending and the revelation as to who the stalker is was very shocking. This is a book that will stay with me for a long time, especially the lesson to keep your curtains drawn at night!

This is the third book I read read from these authors and I’m very excited to see what chilling story they come up with next. How these books haven’t been made into films yet is beyond me!

Huge thanks to Abby from Knoff Publishing for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book which I received in exchange for an honest review. If you like chilling, gripping reads then you’ll love this book.

About The Author:

Lars Kepler is a No.1 bestselling international sensation, whose Joona Linna thrillers have sold more than 12 million copies in 40 languages. The first book in the series, The Hypnotist, was selected for the Richard and Judy Book Club and the most recent, Stalker, went straight to No.1 in Sweden, Norway, Holland and Slovakia.

Lars Kepler is the pseudonym for writing duo Alexander Ahndoril and Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril. They live with their family in Sweden.

http://www.facebook.com/larskepler 
http://www.larskepler.com

Book Synopsis:

He had started to remove his clothes as logic had deserted him, and his skin was cracked. Whatever had been going through Cameron’s mind when he was alive, he didn’t look peaceful in death.

Two brothers meet at the remote border of their vast cattle properties under the unrelenting sun of the outback. In an isolated part of Australia, they are each other’s nearest neighbour, their homes hours apart.

They are at the stockman’s grave, a landmark so old that no one can remember who is buried there. But today, the scant shadow it casts was the last hope for their middle brother, Cameron. The Bright family’s quiet existence is thrown into grief and anguish.

Something had been troubling Cameron. Did he choose to walk to his death? Because if he didn’t, the isolation of the outback leaves few suspects…

The Lost Man is available in ebook and hardback now. It will be published in paperback on the 16th May 2019. You can purchase or pre-order your copy using the link below.

My Review:

I absolutely loved the first two books from this author so you can imagine my excitement when I was offered a copy of her new book to review. I was not disappointed as this book is her best one yet!

The author does a fantastic job of setting the scene so the reader is able to vividly imagine the setting. I felt like I could really feel the heat and the dust of the outback whilst reading. The vastness of the outback is something that is difficult to comprehend if you live in a small country like the UK but the author does a great job of helping the reader understand it with the distances between next door neighbours seeming huge. The heat and the vastness of the place helps to add claustrophobia to the story as you slowly realise how few people live there and therefore how few people could be involved.

The three brothers and their family immediately piqued my interest as I felt there was more to them than is originally revealed. The story is told from Cameron’s point of view and the reader slowly gets to know more about him and his family as the novel goes on. The slow reveal of family secrets is fantastically done and means that the reader is gripped to the book throughout. I couldn’t put it down and found myself hiding from the kids so I could read a tiny bit more. There were lots of fantastic twists which took me completely by surprise, especially the big reveal which made me gasp out loud. I always love it when this happens

This is the third book by this author and I can’t wait to read more from her in the future. If you like gripping, absorbing fiction then you’ll love this book!

Huge thanks to Grace Vincent for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Little Brown for my copy of this book via Netgalley which I received free in exchange for an honest review.

About The Author:

Jane Harper is the author of The Dry, winner of various awards including the 2015 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for an Unpublished Manuscript, the 2017 Indie Award Book of the Year, the 2017 Australian Book Industry Awards Book of the Year Award and the CWA Gold Dagger Award for the best crime novel of 2017. Rights have been sold in 27 territories worldwide, and film rights optioned to Reese Witherspoon and Bruna Papandrea. Jane worked as a print journalist for thirteen years both in Australia and the UK and lives in Melbourne.

(Author’s picture and bio taken from Amazon)