Book Synopsis:

This is a story about taking a leap of faith
And believing the unbelievable
 
They say those we love never truly leave us, and I’ve found that to be true. But not in the way you might expect. In fact, none of this is what you’d expect.
 
I’ve been visiting my mother who died when I was eight.
And I’m talking about flesh and blood, tea-and-biscuits-on-the-table visiting here.
 
Right now, you probably think I’m going mad. 
Let me explain…
 
Although Faye is happy with her life, the loss of her mother as a child weighs on her mind even more now that she is a mother herself. So she is amazed when, in an extraordinary turn of events, she finds herself back in her childhood home in the 1970s. Faced with the chance to finally seek answers to her questions – but away from her own family – how much is she willing to give up for another moment with her mother?
 
Space Hopper is an original and poignant story about mothers, memories and moments that shape life.

Space Hopper is available in hardback and ebook now. You can purchase your copy by using the link below or through your local indie bookstore.

My Review:

Space Hopper was an incredibly moving, poignant and original story that will stay with me for a long time.

Firstly I absolutely loved the magical aspect of the story and I really enjoyed learning more about it throughout the book. As someone who’s sadly lost a few close relatives the idea that I could somehow contact them and spend some time with them is very appealing. It was therefore lovely to be able to experience this through Faye and see how the experience helps her. I liked the way the magical side of the story was present throughout the story as to often in similar books it is only there for a small part of it.

The main character Faye is a interesting main character and I felt instantly connected to her in the way she felt about being a mum. For me there is no greater fear than leaving my young children behind so I felt a lot of sympathy to how Faye was feeling about the loss of her mother. Louis, Faye’s best friend, is an absolute delight and managed to bring a lot of humour into the story. He is partially sighted and I liked this link with the author’s real life job of working with the RNIB. It was interesting to learn more about how it affects him and his perpective on what people with sight can see.

The author manages to weave some quite serious topics into the book whilst maintaining the uplifting and charming side of the story which I thought was very clever. The idea of faith, God, love and grief are all discussed within the story which was fascinating to follow. I think this would make it a very good book club read as I feel there would be lots to discuss.

Overall I really enjoyed this uplifting and quirky read which is hard to believe is the author’s debt. The plot is well developed and I was quickly absorbed into the story. I felt very sad when the book ended as I had to say goodbye to all the lovely characters and the lovely, magical world the author has created.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Simon and Schuster for my copy of this book via Netgalley. If you are looking for an original, charming read to escape reality for a little bit I highly recommend this book!

About The Author:

Helen Fisher spent her early life in America, but grew up mainly in Suffolk where she now lives with her two children. She studied Psychology at Westminster University and Ergonomics at UCL and worked as a senior evaluator in research at the RNIB. She is now a full-time author.Space Hopper is her first novel. She is currently working on her second novel.

Book Synopsis:

CAN YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH SOMEONE YOU’VE NEVER SEEN?

Alice and Alfie are strangers. But they sleep next to each other every night.

Alfie Mack has been in hospital for months recovering from an accident. A new face on the ward is about as exciting as life gets for him right now, so when someone moves into the bed next to him he’s eager to make friends. But it quickly becomes clear that seeing his neighbour’s face won’t happen any time soon.

Alice Gunnersley has been badly burned and can’t even look at herself yet, let alone allow anyone else to see her. She keeps the curtain around her bed firmly closed, but it doesn’t stop Alfie trying to get to know her. And gradually, as he slowly brings Alice out of her shell, might there even be potential for more?

Before I Saw You is available in ebook and hardback now . You can purchase your copy using the link below or through your local indie bookstore.

My Review:

Before I Saw You is a heartwarming, fun book which is surprisingly emotional in places.

I absolutely loved Alfie, one of the main characters who was a very funny, positive person who it was easy to warm to. His easy conversations and banter with the other patients was great to read about and had me chuckling out loud on a few occasions. I had to admire him his determination to try and get Alice to talk to him when many would have probably given up.

The story alternates between Alfie and Alice which lets the reader get to know more about them. Through this we learn more about their past and what brought them to the rehabilitation ward. I found it very insightful to be able to learn more about the character’s emotion state throughout the book and it was quite emotional at times to see how the two of them have struggled with what has happened. I liked the way that the author doesn’t sugar coat this, when I think it would have been easy to do, but instead has made it quite realistic with how the two characters have to learn to live with the realities of their new lives.

The book is quite a page turner and I found it difficult to put down at times as I was enjoying the interaction between the characters. The plot is a bit predictable at times but I actually liked this as I felt I could relax into the story and just enjoy watching it develop. The ending was very interesting and I liked that the author doesn’t tie everything neatly into a bow but instead leaves it open ended so the reader can imagine what happened for themselves.

This is the first book that I have read by this author and I’d definitely be interested in reading more from her in the future – especially if it was a sequel to this lovely book!

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Hayley from Transworld for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Emily Houghton was a digital specialist, but is now a full-time creative writer. She originally comes from Essex but now lives in London. Emily is a trained yoga and spin teacher, completely obsessed with dogs and has dreamt of being an author ever since she could hold a pen.

Book Synopsis:

JACOB IS FEELING SAD AND FED UP – HOW WILL HE BECOME MORE CONFIDENT?★Mr Broccoli is the tale of a young boy Jacob who feeling sad and fed up. Through discovering the health benefits of eating his greens he becomes stronger and more confident. Anti-bullying is an important theme in this story to help children learn to respect others and feel more confident in themselves. Mr Broccoli a SUPERHERO vegetable who already has that confidence and later becomes role model to Jacob.Veggie Adventures.

Mr Brocoli is available in ebook and paperback now. The ebook is currently only £1.25. You can purchase your copy using the link below or through your local indie bookstore.

My Review:

Mr Broccoli is a fun and entertaining children’s book which has a lovely important message at its heart. I think i know it off by heart now as it is my daughter’s favourite choice for a bed time story.

The story was well written and very engaging, with my daughter enjoying it from the first page. She especially loved the bright colourful drawings that accompanied the book and despite not being able to read spent ages looking at the pictures in the book, retelling the story to herself. Since reading she often makes up similar stories with the carrot toy we got her from Aldi .

The message about how important it is to eat your vegetables is subtely included into the story without it being overdone. My daughter actually already likes vegetables when they are given to her but she has become even more enthusiastic about them and actually asks if she will be getting vegetables for supper now. As a parent I have to admit I had my doubts about how successful this book would be in encouraging children to like vegetables but i have to admit I’m pleasantly surprised with the results.

I thought this was an excellent children’s book and I will definitely be recommending it to other parents. Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to the author for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Natasha Rose Mills was born in Oxford. In her childhood, she enjoyed writing short stories. In her adult years she discovered her passion for acting to explore characters and develop them in writing. Latterly, during a transitional period in her life, she turned to health and wellness and the benefits of yoga leading to becoming a Certified 200hr Yoga Alliance teacher.
The first book “Mr. Broccoli” part of a series “Veggie Adventures” combined imaginative
characters with a theme of nutrition. Children can be fussy when it comes to eating vegetables creating an imaginative world around vegetable characters could encourage children to
eat more healthily. This sparked the wonderful idea of providing the message to the reader
through engaging short stories of Veggie Adventure series, with “Mr. Broccoli” being the first.

Book Synopsis:

A struggling silhouette artist in Victorian Bath seeks out a renowned child spirit medium in order to speak to the dead – and to try and identify their killers – in this beguiling new tale from Laura Purcell.

Silhouette artist Agnes is struggling to keep her business afloat. Still recovering from a serious illness herself, making enough money to support her elderly mother and her orphaned nephew Cedric has never been easy, but then one of her clients is murdered shortly after sitting for Agnes, and then another, and another…

Desperately seeking an answer, Agnes approaches Pearl, a child spirit medium lodging in Bath with her older half-sister and her ailing father, hoping that if Pearl can make contact with those who died, they might reveal who killed them. But Agnes and Pearl quickly discover that instead they may have opened the door to something that they can never put back…

What secrets lie hidden in the darkness?

The Shape Of Darkness is available in ebook and hardback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below or through your local indie bookstore.

My Review:

Wow I so enjoyed this dark, atmospheric read from an author who’s quickly becoming one of my favourites in this genre.

One of the things that most stands out in this book is the fantastic way the author has of setting the scene so that the reader feels like they are actually there watching everything unfold. I often felt like i could picture things happening clearly as if they were unfolding right in front of me. At some points I thought I could smell the things being described which was a new experience for me.

The characters were great creations who I warmed to quickly. I felt a lot of sympathy with Agnes and her struggles to make ends meet. This book focuses on what life was like for the poor in Victorian England with the daily struggle to try and keep out of the poor house or jail. I felt a lot of sympathy towards Agnes as she seemed like a kind hearted lady who was trying to care for everyone at once. It was interesting to see this side of Victorian England and I found myself researching a few things as I wanted to find out more.

This book gripped me from the start and was responsible for a few late nights as I found it hard to put down at times. There were lots of twists that took me by surprise and kept me guessing until the end which I always love. The ending was surprising and not at all how I expected it to end which I thought was very clever.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Raven for my copy of this book. If you are a fan of gothic thillers then I thoroughly recommend this book and all of the author’s previous ones too!

About The Author:

Laura Purcell is a former bookseller and lives in Colchester with her husband and pet guinea pigs. Her first novel for Raven Books THE SILENT COMPANIONS won the WHSmith Thumping Good Read Award 2018 and featured in both the Zoe Ball and Radio 2 Book Clubs. Other Gothic novels include THE CORSET (US title THE POISON THREAD), BONE CHINA (US title THE HOUSE OF WHISPERS) and THE SHAPE OF DARKNESS (2021)

Book Synopsis:

The new novel in the million-copy selling Detective Geraldine Steel series

Living with her colleague and long time love interest, Detective Inspector Ian Peterson, it seems that Geraldine Steel has finally found happiness. But life is never that simple.

As a psychopath starts killing random women on the streets of York, Geraldine is abducted by a drugs syndicate who have been threatening her sister. Geraldine has everything to fight for, and her life is on the line…

For fans of Martina Cole, Mel Sherratt and LJ Ross.

Evil Impulses is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below or through your local indie bookstore.

My Review:

Evil Impulse is another fantastic addition to the DI Geraldine Ward series which in my opinion keeps getting better and better.

Firstly I always enjoy seeing how this author manages to breath new life into this long running series, so I enjoyed reading about the subtle changes to Geraldine’s life. It was good to see her in a relationship and very intriguing to see her a bit emotional as she deals with a case that quickly becomes personal to her. She’s obviously deeply affected by the case which made me wonder if she should have been taken off it rather than proceed, especially as her connection to the case makes it difficult for her to think properly.

I’m a big fan of a good police procedurals so I enjoyed following Geraldine as she tries to solve the case. I liked that the case seemed very realistic and was done in real time without any huge leaps or coincidences. It made me feel like I was there with the detectives trying to solve the case with them which I always love. I did guess who the murderer was but I still found it fun to continue reading to check if I was right or not.

Overall it found this a fascinating, gripping read which I sailed through in a couple of days. The many twists kept me on my toes and second guessing myself whether I was right or not. It’s a little dark in places, as you’d expect from a book featuring gangs, but I felt this wasn’t overdone and helped add to the atmosphere in the book. I’m now very excited to see where this series goes next.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to No Exit Press for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Leigh Russell has sold over a million crime fiction novels, and writes full time. Published in English and in translation throughout Europe and in China, her Geraldine Steel and Ian Peterson titles have appeared on many bestseller lists, and reached #1 on kindle. Leigh’s work has been nominated for several major awards, including the CWA New Blood Dagger and CWA Dagger in the Library, and her books have been optioned by major television production company Avalon Television. She chairs the CWA Debut Dagger Award, and is a Royal Literary Fellow. Leigh writes the Lucy Hall mystery series published by Thomas and Mercer. Find out more about Leigh on her website http://www.leighrussell.co.uk where news, reviews and interviews are posted, with a schedule of Leigh’s appearances. You can contact Leigh via her website, where you can subscribe to her newsletter and follow her on Twitter and facebook.

Book Synopsis:

EVERYONE’S IN DANGER. ANYONE COULD BE NEXT.

An imposing, isolated hotel, high up in the Swiss Alps, is the last place Elin Warner wants to be. But she’s taken time off from her job as a detective, so when she receives an invitation out of the blue to celebrate her estranged brother’s recent engagement, she has no choice but to accept.

Arriving in the midst of a threatening storm, Elin immediately feels on edge. Though it’s beautiful, something about the hotel, recently converted from an abandoned sanatorium, makes her nervous – as does her brother, Isaac.

And when they wake the following morning to discover his fiancée Laure has vanished without a trace, Elin’s unease grows. With the storm cutting off access to and from the hotel, the longer Laure stays missing, the more the remaining guests start to panic.

But no-one has realized yet that another woman has gone missing. And she’s the only one who could have warned them just how much danger they’re all in . . .

The Sanatorium is published in ebook on the 4th February 2021 and in hardback on the 18th February 2021. You can pre-order your copy using the link below or through your local indie bookstore.

My Review:

The Sanatorium is a dark, chilling and atmospheric read which is one of the best books I’ve read recently.

I’m a huge fan of books which feature creepy buildings so this book instantly appealed to me. I liked the unusual angel of an old sanatorium who’s history just seemed to seep from the walls. At times the old building actually seemed like a character in itself which I always love and helped add to the creepy atmosphere in the book. The cold weather also helps and creates a closed room scenario when it cuts off the guests escape.

The characters were great creations that I enjoyed following throughout the book. Elin in particular was an intriguing character who has a lot of personal demons to deal with. It did take me a while to warm to her, particularly when she started the investigation and didn’t seem to know what she was doing but I liked how she changed as the book went on and I actually ended up liking her quite a lot.

Overall I really enjoyed this fantastic read which gripped me from the start and kept my attention throughout. There were lots of twists which kept me guessing and all the guests seemed to have a motivation for the murder which made it difficult to guess who the murder was. The ending was brilliant, very unexpected but a very satisfying way to end the book. It’s honestly hard to believe this is the author’s debut novel and I very much look forward to reading more from her in the future.

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

About The Author:

Sarah Pearse lives by the sea in South Devon with her husband and two daughters. She studied English and Creative Writing at the University of Warwick and worked in Brand PR for a variety of household brands. After moving to Switzerland in her twenties, she spent every spare moment exploring the mountains in the Swiss Alpine town of Crans Montana, the dramatic setting that inspired her novel. Sarah has always been drawn to the dark and creepy – remote spaces and abandoned places – so when she read an article in a local Swiss magazine about the history of sanatoriums in the area, she knew she’d found the spark of the idea for her debut novel, The Sanatorium. Her short fiction has been published in a wide variety of magazines and has been shortlisted for several prizes.

You can find Sarah on Twitter @SarahVPearse and Instagram @sarahpearseauthor

Book Synopsis:

I need to tell you a story, ma chère. My story.

Rosa Kusstatscher has built a global fashion empire upon her ability to find the perfect outfit for any occasion. But tonight, as she prepares for the most important meeting of her life, her usual certainty eludes her.

What brought her to this moment? As she struggles to select her dress and choose the right shade of lipstick, Rosa begins to tell her incredible story. The story of a poor country girl from a village high in the mountains of Italy. Of Nazi occupation and fleeing in the night. Of hope and heartbreak in Switzerland; glamour and love in Paris. Of ambition and devastation in Rio de Janeiro; success and self-discovery in New York.

A life spent running, she sees now. But she will run no longer.

Breathtaking and utterly enthralling, The Dressmaker of Paris is perfect for fans of Lucinda Riley, Kate Morton and Dinah Jefferies.

The Dressmaker Of Paris is published in ebook on the 28th January 2021 and in hardback on the 4th February 2021. You can pre-order your copy using the link below or through your local indie bookstore.

My Review:

The Dressmaker Of Paris is an emotional and atmospheric read which was hugely enjoyable.

Rosa was a very interesting main character and I found it fascinating to follow her throughout her life. She’s definitely had a very hard life and lived through some emotional moments. The reader follows her through all the highs, lows, love and friendship that she experiences which allows them to understand more the kind of person she is. It did take me a while to warm to her as some of the decisions she makes I didn’t initially agree with, though I think as time goes on I came to understand more why she made them.

This book takes the reader to multiple continents which I found very enjoyable. The author has clearly done her research and I loved the way she included little details about the country and their customs which made me feel like I was right there experiencing everything alongside the reader. I learned a few new things about the countries along the way which I always enjoy.

Overall I really liked this book which I thought was very well written. It was a bit darker than I was expecting in places but I felt that this wasn’t over done and that it was balanced out nicely with other lighter moments. The ending was quite surprising and not at all what I expected which I always like. If you are a fan of historical fiction then I think you will like this book.

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

About The Author:

Georgia Kaufmann was born and grew up in North London. She studied Social Anthropology and Demography at Cambridge, LSE and Oxford. For most of her twenties and early thirties, she managed to live elsewhere, with a preference for places beginning with B: Brussels, Belo Horizonte, Brighton and Boston, amongst others. Since 1995 she has lived in London, exchanging her career as demographic anthropologist to bring up her children and write.

The Dressmaker of Paris is her debut novel.

Book Synopsis:

From top-ten bestseller Ella Carey comes a gripping, haunting and utterly captivating novel about love, secrets and betrayal in a story that spans the most tumultuous decades of the twentieth century.

What happens when the truths you have built your life on start to crumble?

Emma Temple sits looking out of the window in her beautiful apartment in the heart of London, surrounded by memories of her younger years as one of England’s most influential artists. Nearly ninety, it would be easy to overlook her as a forgetful older lady. But Emma’s past, including her great love affair which survived two world wars, is about to come crashing into the present.

When her granddaughter Laura arrives asking questions about the portrait that hangs above her bed, Emma is transported back over sixty years. The picture was painted by the only man she ever truly loved, the one soul on earth who knew her deepest secret. But when a newspaper claims that the portrait is a fake, everything Emma believed to be true starts to collapse. Suddenly she is transported back to a sunny house in the south of France in 1923 and the moment when her life changed forever…

An incredibly emotional and totally compelling historical novel about the relationships that shape us and the secrets we never forget. Fans of My Name is Eva, Fiona Valpy and Rhys Bowen will be completely transported from the very first page.

Things We Don’t Say is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below or through your local indie bookstore.

My Review:

I thought this was an intriguing and emotional read which was hard to put down. It was a great book to distract me from the stresses of homeschooling as I could get lost in another world for a little bit.

As with all of her books the author has created some brilliant characters who I enjoyed following throughout the book The author has clearly done a lot of research and the characters all seemed very realistic. My understanding is that they were based on real people, perhaps the Bloomsbury group, which i found very interesting.

The settings in the book were vividly described so that I could really picture them in my mind’s eye. I liked that the author made them all feel different to each other so I knew when I was in a different location.

Overall I really enjoyed this intriguing read that kept me guessing until the end. I liked that the story moved easily between the two story lines and found I like both parts of the story equally which is unusual for me. The end was brilliant, not at a what I expected. I’ll definitely be reading more from this author in the future.

Huge thanks to Sarah Hardy from Bookouture for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book via Netgalley.

About The Author:

Ella Carey is the international bestselling author of The House by the Lake, From a Paris Balcony, and Paris Time Capsule. A Francophile who has long been fascinated by secret histories set in Europe’s entrancing past, Ella has degrees in music, nineteenth-century women’s fiction, and modern European history. She lives in Australia with her two children and two Italian greyhounds.

Book Synopsis:

In 1930s British India, a humble servant learns the art of chaturanga, the ancient Eastern ancestor of chess. His natural talent soon catches the attention of the maharaja, who introduces him to the Western version of the game. Brought to England as the prince’s pawn, Malik becomes a chess legend, winning the world championship and humiliating the British colonialists. His skills as a refined strategist eventually drag him into a strange game of warfare with far-reaching consequences. Inspired by the unlikely true story of chess master Malik Mir Sultan Khan, Game of the Gods is a fascinating tale of karma and destiny, by the author of the multimillion-copy bestseller The Lðneburg Variation.

Game Of The Gods is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below or through your local indie bookstore.

My Review:

Game Of The Gods is a fascinating book about the life of a real life chest champion which I found very interesting.

Firstly the author has clearly done their research and this book contained some fascinating details about Chaturanga which is an Eastern variation of chest. It was very interesting to learn more about the game and how it varies from the game of Chest I know.

The author manages to blend fact with fiction to make very interesting story. Apparently it is based in part on a true story but it’s so well written that it’s impossible to tell where the fiction ends and the true story begins. The main character Malik has definitely had an interesting life. He comes from a very poor background and comes across as shy and vulnerable which really endeared him to me. I liked that despite his incredible talent he was very modest about it and reluctant to tell people about it.

Overall i really enjoyed this clever read which I thought was well translated from the original Italian. I always like learning new things and this book had me googling Malik to try and find out more about him. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I’d definitely be interested in reading more from him in the future.

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

About The Author:

Paolo Maurensig was born in Gorizo, and lives in Udine, Italy. A bestselling author, he debuted in 1993 with The Lüneburg Variation, translated into over twenty languages. His novels include Canone Inverso, The Guardian of Dreams, and The Archangel of Chess. For his novel Theory of Shadows, he won the Bagutta Prize. A Devil Comes to Town, previously published by World Editions, is a brilliant, satirical novella about literary publishing. Game of the Gods is his latest novel and was awarded the prestigious Premio Scanno 2019 Literary Award.