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.

Good morning everyone today on Two For Tuesday I’m featuring two books by the lovely Liz Hyder.

I read The Gifts a while ago and absolutely loved it so I was very excited to learn she had a new one coming out. This was particularly so as The Illusions is about the early illusionists which have always intrigued me.

I run the bookclub for Rossiter Books in Malvern and The Illusions is our February book club read. I was very excited to learn Liz lives near Malvern and she has agreed to come talk to us as our next book club! I can’t wait to learn more about her book and about the illusionists.

Q: If you could do magic, what would you use it for?
A: I’d use it to summon things to me. The amount of times I’ve left things upstairs or forgotten my tea in the kitchen when I’ve just sat down – it would be useful 🤣

The Illusions by Liz Hyder

What if you had real magic within you . . . ?

The utterly spellbinding new novel from the celebrated author of THE GIFTS

1896. As a group of illusionists prepare for a grand spectacle, one young woman, Cecily Marsden, harbours a secret. For she possesses impossible powers – powers she little understands.

Meanwhile Eadie Carleton, a pioneering early film-maker, struggles for her talent to be taken seriously, and a talented magician, George Perris, begins to see the potential in moving pictures. But in order to achieve his dreams, George must first win over Miss Carleton . . .

As Cecily, George and Eadie’s worlds collide, Cec finds herself facing the fight of her life to save the grand performance from sabotage – and harness the real magic held deep within her . . .

The Gifts by Liz Hyder

It will take something extraordinary to show four women who they truly are . . .

October 1840. A young woman staggers alone through a forest in Shropshire as a huge pair of impossible wings rip themselves from her shoulders.

Meanwhile, when rumours of a ‘fallen angel’ cause a frenzy across London, a surgeon desperate for fame and fortune finds himself in the grips of a dangerous obsession, one that will place the women he seeks in the most terrible danger . . .

THE GIFTS is the astonishing debut adult novel from the lauded author of BEARMOUTH. A gripping and ambitious book told through five different perspectives and set against the luminous backdrop of nineteenth century London, it explores science, nature and religion, enlightenment, the role of women in society and the dark danger of ambition.

About The Author:

Liz Hyder has been making up stories for as long she can remember. Bearmouth, her debut young adult novel, won a Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, the Branford Boase Award, and was chosen as the Children’s Book of the Year by The Times.

The Gifts, her acclaimed debut novel for grown-ups, was published in the UK in 2022 and in April 2023 in the US. The Illusions is out in June 2023 in hardback in the UK. Liz has a degree in drama from the University of Bristol and was, once upon a time, a member of the National Youth Theatre. Originally from London, she has lived in Shropshire for over a decade.

Good afternoon everyone I hope you’re having a good day. I was lucky enough to receive a copy of The Saturday Place by Alice Peterson last week. It sounds really good and I can’t wait to read it soon.

Find out more about the book below.

Out 14th March 2024.

Book Synopsis:

Three perfect strangers who help each other to believe in love again

Holly’s husband died, and she’s lonely. She needs to do something to save herself, quickly. Next thing she knows she’s interviewing for a voluntary cooking job, surprised to be ambushed by a scruffy man who looks like he has a past.

Angus has messed up. He’s lost the respect of his family and has none for himself. If it weren’t for his brother and friend who run the café, he’d be sleeping on the streets. Angus is about ready to give up – until he meets Holly, who sparks something in him.

Then Lauren arrives from the homeless shelter. She came to London with nothing but an old train ticket, a teddy bear, and the clothes on her back. With no family, no home, no friends, she doesn’t know what love is. People scare her. She’s terrified of Angus and Holly. At first.

Each of them finds themselves in the Saturday café at a time when they need something to grab hold of. It might have to be each other…

About The Author:

I have published two non-fiction books, and ten novels, including the critically acclaimed A Song for Tomorrow, and my bestselling title, Monday to Friday Man. My latest novel, The Saturday Place, will be published by Bedford Square Publishers in March, 2024.

My writing is romantic, powerful and emotional, and my storylines always include hard-hitting and thought-provoking themes, such as addiction and disability. My next novel touches on homelessness. My protagonists often have to overcome adversity, based on my own experience of a professional tennis career cut short at the age of 18 when I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. I have never played tennis again, a sadness that will always be with me, but I have very much filled that void with writing. I am drawn to true stories and aim to write with deep compassion, empathy and humour about issues that resonate with my growing readership and that I believe have the potential of reaching and touching millions more.

I live in west London where I am currently training to be a psychotherapist. My most favourite thing is walking my best buddy, my handsome Lucas Terrier, Mr Darcy, in the park.

Good morning everyone and happy Sunday.  I’ve been lucky enough to receive some amazing book post this week:

❤️The Saturday Place by Alice Peterson
🧡 Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth
💛The Lost Paths by Jack Cornish
💚Five Nights by Rachel Wolf
💙The Amendments by Niamh Mulvey
🩵As Young As This by Roxy Dunn
💜Eliza Mace by Sarah Burton & Jem Poster
💟The Lifeline by Libby Page
🩷In Memory Of Us by Dani Atkins
💞Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Slater by Nicci French
🤍Where They Lie by Claire Coughlan
🩶 Fourteen Days by various authors

Huge thanks to all the tagged publishers for sending these to me it’s really appreciated.

I’m working today which I always enjoy, but I’m going to visit my grannie for a bit first.  She can’t hear very well any more so communication is difficult but it’s nice to see her.  I’m then hoping to come home and read some more of The Escape Room which is very intriguing so far.  Escape Rooms never really appealed to me before anyway but after reading this I’m definitely not doing one – ever!

What are your Sunday plans?

Good afternoon everyone I was very excited to receive a copy of this fantastic sounding book yesterday. I absolutely love this author’s books so I can’t wait to read her new one soon.

Huge thanks to the lovely Chloe from Pan Macmillan for sending me a copy of this book.

Out 25th April 2024

Book Synopsis:

A thrilling page-turner about sisterhood, secrets, love and murder by Sally Hepworth, the New York Times bestselling author of The Soulmate and The Mother-in-Law

It’s not just secrets buried at Wild Meadows.

For as long as they can remember, Jessica, Norah and Alicia have been told how lucky they are. Rescued from their own family tragedies, they were raised by a loving foster mother on an idyllic farming estate and given an elusive second chance for a happy family life.

But the girls’ childhood wasn’t quite the fairy tale everyone thinks it was. And when a body is discovered under the home they grew up in, the three foster sisters find themselves thrust into the spotlight as key witnesses.

It’s time for them to return home as adults. The only question is are they innocent victims or the prime suspects for murder?

With darkly comic timing and insidiously twisting plots, Sally Hepworth’s novels are guaranteed to keep you turning the pages . . .

About The Author:

Sally Hepworth is the New York Times bestselling author of nine novels, including The Good Sister and The Soulmate. Her latest novel, Darling Girls, was released in Australia in September 2023, and will be released in North America in April 2024.

Drawing on the good, the bad and the downright odd of human behaviour, Sally writes incisively about family, relationships and identity. Her domestic thriller novels are laced with quirky humour, sass and a darkly charming tone. They are available worldwide in English and have been translated into twenty languages.

Sally lives in Melbourne, Australia, with her three children and one adorable dog. She has recently taken up ocean swimming (or to put it more accurately, ocean dipping)

Good morning everyone and happy weekend. Spring is one of my favourite months, especially when all the beautiful spring flowers start coming out.

I treated myself to a couple of bunches of daffodils this week and I thought I’d do a yellow book stack to match, as I seem to have quite a few yellow books ATM.

💛 Sandwich by Catherine Newman
🧡Big Swiss by Jen Beagin
💛 Divorced Not Dead by Harper Ford
🧡The Psychology Of Secrets by Andrew Gold
💛The Book Of Beginnings by Sally Page
🧡The Night In Question by Susan Fletcher
💛Token by Beverly Kendall
🧡 Butter by Asako Yuzuki
💛Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Slater by Nicci French

All of these are tbr but I’ll be reading Token soon as I’m on the blog tour later this month and I want to fit in The Night In Question as it sounds really good.

Today the two youngest kids have clubs and my eldest is having a friend over to play Xbox. I’m planning on sneaking upstairs and starting my new book. I’ve been distracted again and I’m thinking of starting The Escape Room by L. D Smithson as I fancy a thriller next.

I’ve tagged a few people on Instagram who might want to share a match your flowers post but, as always, no pressure.

Q: What’s your favourite flowers?
A: Daffodils, tulips and gerbera’s

Good afternoon everyone I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this fantastic sounding book this week along with a lovely candle and some rather delicious sweets. I love books set in the Victorian period, especially if they involve a lady detective so this book instantly appealed.

Huge thanks to Duckworth books fory copy of this book.

Out 7th March 2024.

Book Synopsis:

A twisty Victorian mystery featuring quick-witted detective Eliza Mace

In the first of a thrilling new Victorian detective series, Eliza Mace, on the cusp of adulthood, is battling for her independence. Stuck in a crumbling manor house in the Welsh borders in the 1870s, she is thwarted by powers that conspire to protect, control and deceive her. But when her father goes missing in mysterious circumstances, Eliza’s determination to uncover the truth is unstoppable.

Joining forces with the charismatic new police constable, Dafydd Pritchard, she sets out to solve the case, but that’s no easy task. Her father has run up debts in town and beyond, and there are many who bear him a grudge. As she searches for evidence, Eliza exposes dark secrets that threaten to tear her world apart…

About The Authors:

Sarah Burton

Dr. Sarah Burton is the author of three works of non-fiction and two books for children. She was founder-director of Cambridge University’s MSt in Creative Writing and has taught at Royal Holloway College, Goldsmiths’ College and the University of Oxford. She currently teaches regularly for the Guardian Masterclass series, as well as for Cambridge University’s Centre for Creative Writing. She has written extensively for BBC History Magazine and has reviewed for the Times, Spectator, Guardian and Independent. THE STRANGE ADVENTURES OF H is her debut novel for adults.

Jem Poster

Jem Poster has taught creative writing for the universities of Cambridge, Oxford and Aberystwyth. He is the author of two acclaimed historical novels, Courting Shadows and Rifling Paradise, and co-author, with Sarah Burton, of a handbook for fiction writers, The Book You Need to Read to Write the Book You Want to Write.

Book Synopsis:

The summer is the hottest yet in the Brittany coastal town of Morranez, but when a new case lands on the desk of the Toussaints detective agency, there can be no time to relax. As wild fires bear down on the town, the alert goes out for a missing girl.

Nineteen-year-old Briony Moorcroft has seemingly been taken from her sleepy Welsh village and brought to France. Her parents are baffled and scared – Briony needs her life-saving medicine or this case will become even more sinister, and with the police dragging their heels, the Moorcrofts are relying on Mila Shephard and Carter Jackson’s sleuthing skills.

Meanwhile there are mysteries troubling Mila’s life too. Two years after the accident that swept her sister Sophie and brother-in-law Charlie away and left their daughter Ani in Mila’s care, new evidence resurfaces that makes Mila doubt everything.

Can Carter and Mila find Briony before it’s too late? And is the truth about Sophie and Charlie finally about to be revealed…

My Review:

The Summer Of Lies is another very enjoyable, intriguing mystery from one of my favourite authors.

Firstly I absolutely loved the setting of this book which made me feel fully transported to the (sadly) fictional town of Morranez and the beautiful Brittany coast. It’s definitely made me want to visit France soon and it has made me excited to visit the beach again. The constant threat of wild fires were also well described and I sometimes felt that I could actually feel the heat from the fire or hear it crackling.

I thought that all the character’s were wonderful creations and I enjoyed following them throughout the book. It was interesting seeing the dynamic between them and see how much they cared for each other. I really liked following the multiple story lines and I thought it was very clever how the author gradually merges them all together. The reader is given a chance to really get to know the characters and to find out what makes them tick which I think made the story more even more intriguing. It was fun trying to guess what was happening and their motivations for it.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read more from this author soon. This was actually a sequel to The Lost Notebook which I hadn’t realised so it was fun to catch up with the characters again. The book has a great pace to it and I soon found that I couldn’t put the book down. The threat of the forest fire helps add a lot of tension and a sense of danger to the book so I had to keep reading to find out what happens to everyone.  I did guess fairly early on what was going to happen but I had to keep reading to check that I was right. There were lots of twists that kept me guessing, including a huge one at the end which I hadn’t predicted. I believe there is going to be a sequel to this book and I’m very excited to find out how it all ends.

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:

Hello! I’m Louise, author of 12 novels mostly set in the Somerset countryside close to where I live and Sicily. I’m thrilled to have won the RNA Jackie Collins Romantic Thriller award 2021 for The House by the Sea which has sold more than a quarter of a million copies.

I’m currently writing the third of the Brittany collection of novels set in Finistère and all involving missing people. The Lost Notebook was a UK number one best-seller & its sequel, The Summer of Lies was published in February 2024.

When I’m not writing, I love to spend time with my family, friends and animals. I’m passionate about nature, being outside, drawing, wildlife, walking and books. Right now, all my spare time is being taken up by our new Border Collie puppy, Luna.

I really hope you enjoy my books. If you’d like to connect, find me on Facebook Louise Amy Douglas or LouiseDouglas3 on Twitter. Thank you x