Sylvia Penton has been hibernating for years, it’s no wonder she’s a little prickly…
Sylvia lives alone, dedicating herself to her job at the local university. On weekends, she helps out at a local hedgehog sanctuary because it gives her something to talk about on Mondays – and it makes people think she’s nicer than she is.
Only Sylvia has a secret: she’s been in love with her boss, Professor Lomax, for over a decade now, and she’s sure he’s just waiting for the right time to leave his wife. Meanwhile she stores every crumb of his affection and covertly makes trouble for anyone she feels gets in his way.
But when a bright new PhD candidate catches the Professor’s eye, Sylvia’s dreams of the fairy tale ending she has craved for so long, are soon in tatters, driving her to increasingly desperate measures and an uncertain future.
Sylvia might have been sleep walking through her life but things are about to change now she’s woken up…
A quirky, charming uplifting novel perfect for fans of Gail Honeyman’s Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and Sarah Haywood’s The Cactus. The feelgood bestseller about unrequited love, loneliness and the redemptive qualities of hedgehogs featuring the most unlikely heroine of 2019.
Needlemouse is available in ebook now and in paperback on the 27th June. You can purchase or pre-order a copy of both using the link below.
My Review:
Needlemouse is a delightful, fun read featuring some fantastic characters. It’s quite a quirky read but a thoroughly enjoyable one about loneliness, love and finding yourself.
Sylvia was a very interesting character who I took a while to warm to as she seemed such a prickly character to begin with. She likes things done a certain, controlled way and doesn’t like it when things don’t go the way she wanted. Her infatuation with her boss was a bit cringy to read about at times and I found myself wondering how it would work out. I did like her slightly evil side though which often had me laughing out loud. How I wish I had the nerve to do similar things, and get away with it, to people that upset me! The other characters were equally great to read about and I loved how different they were to each other. My favourite character was Jonas as I loved his gentle manner and obvious love for his late wife. His memories of their time together was so lovely to read about and brought a tear to my eye.
The book is fairly fast paced as there is always lots happening that kept me glued to the page. The chapters are fairly short and told in a diary format which made me feel more involved in the story. I found I enjoyed going on the journey with Sylvia to discover her own life and the person she wanted to be.
Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Tess from Ebury publishing for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
Jane O’Connor is a former primary school teacher turned academic and writer. She was born and brought up in Surrey and lived in London until she moved to the West Midlands in her mid-thirties. Jane’s PhD was about child stars and she is now a Reader at Birmingham City University where she researches children’s experiences of celebrity, media and everyday life. Jane lives in Sutton Coldfield with her husband and two young sons in a house full of pirates, dinosaurs, superheroes and lots of books. She really likes all animals, especially hedgehogs. Needlemouse is her debut novel.
At the heart of our present are the stories of our past. In ages gone by, many monarchs died while they were still young. There were battles and diseases and many were simply overthrown. But the days of regal engagement in hand-to-hand combat are over and the line of succession has a good ageing prospect these days.
One of the most famous monarchs in history is Queen Victoria and her passing brought an end to an amazing era. She could be demanding, rude and she frequently fled public duties for the solitude of Scotland. But she loved fiercely and her people loved her fiercely in return. Under her reign, England achieved a greatness it had never known before.
Victoria to Vikings: The Circle of Blood spans from this great queen to another one: Queen Elizabeth II. Ours is the era of the longest living monarch in history and her ancestry is incredible. But walking two steps behind her, stalwart and loyal, stands Prince Philip, the strawberry to her champagne, and with him comes his own amazing Viking heritage.
Victoria To Vikings is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase a copy of both using the link below.
My Review:
I thought this was a truly unique, fascinating and satisfying read which any historical fiction fan will enjoy.
The author manages to cover a lot of history without it ever seeming to be rushed. Instead she manages to make learning very fun with all the fascinating historical details really adding to the story so that the reader can really envision it in their minds. I often felt like I was there alongside the characters experiencing everything first hand.
The pace in this book is quite fast and I found myself easily drawn into the story. The emphasis on the two queens, who are England’s longest serving monarchs, was especially interesting and I enjoyed learning more about what they had achieved in their reigns. I’d never thought about history from this angle so found it very fascinating to read about things from a female slant.
This is the first book in a new trilogy and I’m excited to see where it will go next. 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:
Trisha Hughes is a best-selling Australian author who now lives in Hong Kong. Trisha’s books are true stories of ruthless kings, favoured queens, warriors, generals, battles and wars. But standing tall above them all are the strong, stable ones who have persevered. Trisha attends workshops for children’s creative writing groups and is a mentor of a yearly young writers competition. Her first book was published 18 years ago, a best-selling autobiography called Daughters of Nazareth. Trisha has recently published the first two books in this historical trilogy; Vikings to Virgin and Virgin to Victoria.
When Liv, Ellen and Håkon, along with their partners and children, arrive in Rome to celebrate their father’s seventieth birthday, a quiet earthquake occurs: their parents have decided to divorce.
Shocked and disbelieving, the siblings try to come to terms with their parents’ decision as it echoes through the homes they have built for themselves, and forces them to reconstruct the shared narrative of their childhood and family history.
A bittersweet novel of regret, relationships and rare psychological insights, A Modern Family encourages us to look at the people closest to us a little more carefully, and ultimately reveals that it’s never too late for change…
A Modern Family is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase a copy of both using the link below.
My Review:
I really enjoyed this intimate and realistic look into the lives of a modern family. I thought this book was very thought provoking and I found myself thinking of my own family whilst reading it.
The story follows three siblings as they deal with the shock surprise of their parent’s divorce and the effect that this has on them. I liked how the author has used older children in the story as I think it makes for a more unusual and interesting story. The book is split into three sections with each one focussing on one sibling and their thoughts on what is happening. I found this very affective as each one had a very different take on what had happened and who was to blame. The reader has intimate access into the characters personal thoughts, some of which were quite shocking, and it was very interesting to see how each of them thought they were portrayed by others.
I thought this story was beautifully written and I loved the journey the reader is taken on by the author. The intimate look into the characters meant that I got to know them well which made me feel very involved in the story. I’m a big fan of Scandinavian noir but liked how this book was slightly different as it wasn’t crime based which was very refreshing. I think this is a book everyone should read and I’ll be recommending it to all.
Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Karen from Orenda books for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
Helga Flatland is already one of Norway’s most awarded and widely read authors. She made her literary debut in 2010 with the novel Stay If You Can, Leave If You Must, for which she was awarded the Tarjei Vesaas’ First Book Prize. She has written four novels and a children’s book and has won several other literary awards.
‘Kate Marsden: nurse, intrepid adventurer, saviour of the lepers or devious manipulator, immoral and dishonest?‘
As she lies on her deathbed visited by the ghosts of her past, who should we believe, Kate or those who accuse her of duplicity? Memory is a fickle thing: recollections may be frozen in time or distorted by the mirror of wishful thinking. Kate’s own story is one of incredible achievements, illicit love affairs and desperate longing; those of her accusers paint a very different portrait – of a woman determined on fame and fortune.
The reader navigates a narrative as fractured as the Siberian ice Kate crosses in search of a cure for leprosy, and as beautiful as Rose, her lost love, as the full picture emerges of a life lived when women were not expected to break the mould.
God’s Children is available in ebook and paperback now. The ebook is currently only 99p. You can purchase a copy of both using the link below.
My Review:
God’s children is a fascinating, gripping book based on the life of a real person which I always enjoy! I’d sadly not heard of Kate Marsden before so found it very interesting to read more about her life and the important work she did in helping find a cure for leprosy. She was an incredibly brave and clever woman who I couldn’t help but admire, particularly as she worked in a time where women were considered the weaker sex.
The descriptions in this book are very vivid and I often felt like I was there experiencing everything alongside Kate. This made for quite an emotional read at times as there are some quite poignant moments in the book. The descriptions of the places she visits are also wonderfully evoked and I enjoyed reading about how things were back then.
My only slight niggle with this book was I found it a little difficult to get into as it seemed quite disjointed at first. However I soon got used to the style and found the writting to be quite beautiful in places. I think this is an important book that everyone should read about and I will be recommending it to everyone. I only mention the niggle to encourage others who might feel the same to continue as trust me it’s worth it!
Huge thanks to Emma from Damp pebbles tours for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
Mabli Roberts lives in a wild, mountainous part of Wales. She has an MA in Creative Writing from Lancaster University and is now a Visiting lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Wales. Most of the inspiration for her writing comes from stomping about on the mountains being serenaded by skylarks and buzzards.
Welcome to Brew, a cafe where kindness is almost as important as coffee… almost!
Abbie has fled London and the humiliation of not being able to make rent after being made redundant. Her sister, Louise, unlucky in love, has thrown herself into her career at the local hospital. And Eszter, who has travelled from Hungary with her daughter Zoe, is hoping to fulfil her husband’s dying wish: to reunite his family.
This summer, three very different women are inspired by the random acts of kindness written up on the Kindness Board at Brew, and decide to make a pact to be kinder to others and to themselves.
Can a little bit of kindness really change your life? Eszter, Abbie and Louise are about to find out!
Summer At The Kindness Cafe is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.
My Review:
Summer At The Door Cafe is a fun, summery book which is perfect for relaxing in the sun with!
Firstly the concept of this novel was absolutely brilliant and something I wish could happen in real life. It focuses on three different woman who are all struggling and a cafe that encourages people to perform random acts of kindness. This leads to some truly wonderful and heartwarming scenes that were so lovely to read about.
The characters were fabulous and I enjoyed learning more about them as their stories are slowly revealed. The close friendship that develops between them was so lovely to read about and the scenes showing the interaction between them were some of my favourites in the book. They all seemed so real and I found a wishing I could be friends with them.
The village of Little wood sounds like a great place to live and I loved all the descriptions of the idyllic village. The sense of togetherness that the village has was very heartwarming to read about and I loved the community spirit they had. The theme of love and friendship is evident throughout the book without ever being sickly sweet which makes for a fabulous read. I felt quite sad to finish the book and leave the characters and village behind. I really hope that this won’t be our last visit!
Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Harriet Collins from Simon and Schuster for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
Victoria Walters writes up-lifting and inspiring stories. She’s the author of two novels, THE SECOND LOVE OF MY LIFE, and SUMMER AT THE KINDNESS CAFÉ. She has been chosen for WHSmith Fresh Talent and shortlisted for an RNA award. Victoria was also picked as an Amazon Rising Star, and her books have won wide reader acclaim.
As well as being an author, Victoria also works as a Waterstones bookseller. She lives in Surrey with her cat Harry (named after Harry Potter), and loves books, clothes, music, going out for tea and cake, and posting photos on Instagram.
Find out more about Victoria by following on Instagram at @vickyjwalters, on Twitter at @Vicky_Walters or by visiting her blog at: http://victoria-writes.com/.
The Girl on the Train meets Before I Go to Sleep with a dash of Bridget Jones in this chilling tale of love gone horribly wrong … Some love affairs change you forever. Someone comes into your orbit and swivels you on your axis, like the wind working on a rooftop weather vane. And when they leave, as the wind always does, you are different; you have a new direction. And it’s not always north.’ Any woman who’s ever been involved with a bad, bad man and been dumped will understand what it feels like to be broken, broken-hearted and bent on revenge. Taylor Bishop is hurt, angry and wants to destroy Angus Hollingsworth in the way he destroyed her: ‘Insidiously. Irreparably. Like a puzzle he’d slowly dissembled … stolen a couple of pieces from, and then discarded, knowing that nobody would ever be able to put it back together ever again.’ So Taylor consults The Art of War and makes a plan. Then she takes the next irrevocable step – one that will change her life forever. Things start to spiral out of her control – and The Sunday Girl becomes impossible to put down.
The Sunday Girl is available in ebook and paperback now. The ebook is currently only £2.99. You can purchase a copy of both using the link below.
My Review:
This is a hard book to review as I don’t want to give away any spoilers but needless to say the author has written an original, thrilling read that was hard to put down.
The author does a great job of setting the scene for this book creating a situation that is very believable and realistic. As such she helps create a lot of tension in the book as the reader feels very involved in the situation, feeling every emotion as if they were there experiencing everything alongside the characters.
Taylor was an interesting main character who was easily to like although her ditziness made me want to scream at times. I felt very sorry for the situation she finds herself in and I was firmly on her side throughout the book and hoped she’d find her way out! Angus on the other hand was a horrible, devious little man who I loved to hate. Just when I thought I couldn’t dislike him anymore, he does something else that had my blood boiling in disbelief. I always think this is a sign of a great writer when they can make you feel strongly about a character.
This was quite a fast paced book with lots happening to keep the reader firmly gripped to the story. I liked the way the tension is slowly built up and the gradual way the truth about the characters was revealed. The ending was brilliant and completely unexpected which is always a bonus! This unbelievably is the author’s debut novel and I’m very excited to read more from her in the future.
Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Simon and Schuster for my copy of this book which I received in exchange for an honest review.
About The Author:
PIP DRYSDALE is a writer, actor and musician who grew up in Africa and Australia. At 20 she moved to New York to study acting, worked in indie films and off-off Broadway theatre, started writing songs and made four records. After graduating with a BA in English, Pip moved to London where she dated some interesting men and played shows across Europe. The Sunday Girl is her first novel and she is working on a second.
In November 1944, Sub Lt Bob Clark, a twenty-year old agent with Britain’s top-secret Special Operations Executive, parachuted into northern Italy. He left behind the girl he had fallen in love with, Marjorie, his radio operator.
Captured by the enemy, Bob’s fate hangs in the balance and Marjorie won’t know for six months whether he is alive or dead.
Monopoli Blues recounts the story of Tim Clark’s journey to uncover the story of his parents’ war – and the truth behind the betrayal of his father’s Clarion mission to the Nazis…
Monopoli Blues is available in ebook and paperback now. The ebook is currently only £1.99. You can purchase a copy of both using the link below.
My Review:
This was a brilliantly written story about love and courage from a remarkable generation of people that we owe so much to.
This was one of the first books I have read that details the work of the SOE and other Byzantine organisations so I found all the details regarding this truly fascinating. It was quite eye opening to learn about all the amazing things people did and the horrific things they experienced during the war, some of which are unimaginable. The war generation weren’t always able to speak about their experiences which makes books like this even more important as these stories will soon be lost.
The authors have obviously done a lot of research into his parent’s war stories and there is a lot of history included about the war which made for very interesting reading. The thing that most stood out for me about this book was the personal stories that he included which helped me learn more about the characters and what war was like for them. The author does a great job of showing their personalities as well as the loneliest and fear they’d have felt which made me feel more involved in the story as I felt I knew them personally.
This book was surprising gripping and I soon found myself absorbed into the story. I so enjoyed reading about a part of the war I didn’t know much about before and looking up further information on the internet. The author has included some fabulous pictures which helps bring the story to life as the reader can envision the characters and places better. My only slight niggle about this book is that I wish the pictures had descriptions with them so the reader could determine who was in the pictures and where they were taken.
Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Unbound for my copy of this book. If you like fascinating, gripping war stories then you’ll love this book!
About The Author:
Tim Clark spent a large part of his career working as a lawyer at one of the world’s leading firms specialising in M+A and corporate work in the UK and internationally, ultimately becoming Senior Partner. Since retiring as a lawyer, Tim has taken on board positions on a number of corporate, arts and charitable organisations, and senior advisory roles at a number of international think tanks. Nick Cook is an author, journalist, broadcaster and entrepreneur. In 1986, he joined the world-renowned Jane’s Defence Weekly, initially as a reporter, rising quickly to become Aviation Editor, a position he held until 2005. His first novel, Angel, Archangel, was published in 1989 to critical acclaim. In 2001, Cook’s first non-fiction title, The Hunt For Zero Point, was published, reaching Number 1 in Amazon’s Non-Fiction charts. He has also written, hosted and produced two documentaries about the world of aerospace and defence – Billion Dollar Secret and an Alien History of Planet Earth. He lives and works with his wife and two children in London.
After 50 years together Stan still adores his wife… so why is he dating again?
Bonnie and Stan are soulmates. They met during the Swinging Sixties, to the soundtrack of The Beatles and the Merseybeat scene. Now they’ve grown up and grown old together, had children and grandchildren. They are finally building their dream home, when disaster strikes.
Stan is running out of time, and can’t bear the thought of leaving Bonnie alone. Alongside his teenage granddaughter Greya, he forms a plan to find Bonnie a new love of her life. And she must never find out…
Bonnie & Stan is a poignant, surprising love story set during the Swinging Sixties and the present day. Ultimately feel-good and full of emotion, Bonnie & Stan will make your heart sing.
Bonnie & Stan is available in ebook and paperback now. The ebook is currently only 99p. You can purchase your copy using the link below.
My Review:
Bonnie and Stan is an unusual love story that manages to be both heart warming and heart breaking at the same time. It’s definitely a story that will stay with me for a long time.
The story alternates between the 1960’s and the present day as it tells the love story of the two main characters Bonnie and Stan who are two just beautiful characters! I really enjoyed reading about them and following their story right from the moment they met. They seemed like a great team with each of them complimenting the other perfectly which was a joy to read about.
Although the later timeline did provide some beautiful moments, I did prefer the 60’s timeline as it’s always been one of my favourite era’s. I liked how the author includes lots of fabulous little details like the music and fashion at that time which really helped bring the era vividly to life. There are some real people included into the story too like Cilla Black which made me smile whilst reading and made the story seem more real.
Although slightly slow to start with I was soon drawn into the story and fell in love with the main characters so I felt invested in what happens to them. I went through a range of emotions whilst reading going from laughing one minute to crying the next. I didn’t want this book to end and felt quite sad when I finished the book and had to leave the characters, and the sixties, behind. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I can’t wait to read more from her.
Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Trapeze books for my copy of this book via Netgalley.
About The Author:
Anna wanted to be an author from the moment she could pick up a pen and was writing boarding-school novels behind the sofa by the age of nine. She made the early mistake of thinking she ought to get a ‘proper job’ and went into Factory Planning – a career that gave her some wonderful experiences, amazing friends and even a fantastic husband, but did not offer much creative scope. So when she stopped to have children she took the chance to start the ‘improper job’ of writing. During the baby years she wrote in those gaps provided by sleeps, play schools and obliging grandparents, publishing short stories and serials in all the women’s magazines. Her ultimate aim was to write longer fiction and several years ago she published a series of successful historical novels under the pseudonym Joanna Courtney. She will continue to publish under that name but is delighted, as Anna Stuart, to also be able to write Bonnie and Stan – a real-life romance set in both the present day and sixties Liverpool.
Good morning everyone I’m on the blog tour for Still Standing by Natalie Queiroz today and I have a fantastic extract to share with you today which is from one of the most personal and poignant parts in the book.
Still standing is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.
Book Synopsis:
Natalie Queiroz was eight months pregnant when she was stabbed by her partner in the most vicious attack imaginable.
In the space of nine minutes, and in broad daylight, Natalie was stabbed twenty-four times with a carving knife. She suffered horrific wounds to her lungs, liver, stomach and uterus, whilst the knife missed her baby by a margin of two millimeters, before the arteries in her wrists were methodically severed by the hooded attacker she finally realised was her partner and the father of her unborn child.
After heroic intervention by passers-by and police, the attack was brought to an end, but her ordeal was not over. An air ambulance rescue was launched, and against all medical odds, Natalie and her baby survived – but not without life-changing physical and emotional damage.
Still Standing is the story of one life-shattering event – what came before that fateful day, what happened on it, and how one woman and her baby survived to rebuild and heal together after it. At once a shocking story of evil, manipulation and violence, and a truly moving reminder that a life can be pieced back together, no matter how bad the damage, this book will empower and inspire anyone who has ever faced true adversity to rise up and stand tall.
Extract:
BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP… rhythmic, pulsing, electronic noise. Slight move of my head… mouth open, tube down my throat… slowly being pulled out. Gagging. Head groggy, eyes slowly focusing.
What the **** is going on?
‘Natalie, hi, Natalie… Do you know where you are?’ A voice came from somewhere, I’m not even sure where.
‘Erm…’What?! What the hell is happening? The attack… The helicopter… The baby? Bobby?…
‘The QE… I think I’m in the QE…’ I slurred, my eyes not wanting to open properly.
‘That’s right, Natalie. You are in the QE. You were brought here yesterday after you were badly attacked in the street. Do you remember that?’
I nodded. Stabbed… I was stabbed, my head was telling me. They think it was Bobby – was it? Surely that wasn’t true?
’You have a little baby daughter, Natalie. She is alive, in Intensive Care at the Women’s Hospital – a true little fighter.’
I smiled and nodded to show I’d heard them.
The baby survived? How? I thought the knife would have killed her. Our baby, Bobby’s daughter, is here. Born alive… My little girl.
I think I must have drifted off again, stirring out of the blackness some time later. As my eyes opened and adjusted to the light, I saw many people near my bed, looking at me in concern. I couldn’t move my body. Tubes and wires seemed to be coming out of me or be attached to every part of my body. I felt numb, alone.
Bobby… he can’t have gone? He can’t have done this, surely? I needed him, I wanted him. Where was he?
That question was soon to be answered as the police visited my bed later that day. Soon, it became apparent who the man sat near the end of my bed was, too: I was having twenty-four-hour police guard for at least the next few days – standard procedure in a case like this. As DI Ian Ingram and his colleagues came in and introduced themselves, a sense of empathy radiated from them.
‘Where’s Bobby?’ was my first question.
‘Natalie, we need to ask you what you can remember about yesterday. Do you remember who attacked you?’
‘I was attacked in Sutton… as I walked down Trinity Hill. I was stabbed… lots of times.’ Had it all really happened?
‘And I think I remember being told it was my partner Bobby, but I can’t fully remember…’
Every part of me was wishing they would tell me I was wrong but, deep down, I knew I had remembered it correctly, plus he wasn’t with me.
‘Yes, Natalie, you were attacked in the street yesterday by a man with a knife. That man was indeed your partner, Babur Raja – Bobby. He’s under arrest at Sutton Coldfield police station, currently being questioned.’
Tears streamed down my face as I lay back on the pillow, coursing past my earlobes and landing on the white linen behind my head. The officers looked at me with concern, knowing this was almost certainly beyond anyone’s ability to take in, especially after coming out of a coma following a violent attack.
‘Natalie, I’m really sorry but we need to take a statement from you about the attack. It’s really important that we do so sooner rather than later. Anything at all you can remember may be key in this. I know it’s difficult and if you don’t feel well, just tell us,’ an officer informed me.
Feel unwell? I’m in Critical Care, unable to move, attached to monitors, drains, oxygen, drips, catheters. I’ve been stabbed lots of times by the man I adore. Don’t think I feel that perky now, if I’m honest…
My head betrayed my thoughts and nodded. They had to do it, that much I understood, and so I numbly pushed on through this surreal world I had woken up into. I went through my account of the previous day in as much detail as I could recall whilst an officer scribbled it all down on official statement sheets.
How is this happening? This surely can’t be real? my head screamed.
The statement was to be used in court at a much later date. As we finished, or I drifted off to sleep (I’m not entirely sure which), I was presented with a pen and asked to sign what I had just gone through. I went to move my left arm, but it was heavy – encased in bandages and plaster.
Of course, he slit open my wrist on my left hand. Is the hand OK? I wondered. I put my right hand up to my bandaged limb and stared at the exposed fingertips. That was the moment when I realised the damage to my hand was serious – I couldn’t feel it at all. I tried to wiggle the tips of my fingers. Nothing, it was dead. Completely dead.
Is my hand still intact? Am I going to lose it? My head swam with questions. The gravitas of my whole situation was sinking in me, like the Titanic into the icy waters. I was drowning with it too, it was almost all too much to bear. ‘I want to speak to him.’ I turned to face the officers. They stared at me in sympathy, knowing I was struggling to understand exactly what had happened.
‘You won’t be able to have any contact with him at all, Natalie. Not until the investigation and trial is completely over,’ an officer replied kindly.
But he’s my partner, the father of my baby! I should be able to speak to him at least! Why on earth did he do this, just why?
Fresh tears streamed down my face. The police went off, saying they would return. They thanked me and the doctors. I then saw my family for the first time. Everyone was acting as if things weren’t that bad, but their faces told me everything I needed to know. I wasn’t totally ‘out of the woods’ and I pushed down the rising fear that I could still die. Then my thoughts turned to my baby: how was she? Was she out of the woods herself?
‘Have you seen her?’ I asked croakily, my eyes searching theirs to see if there was anything they were hiding from me.
‘Yeah, we’ve seen her. We’ve just been with her now whilst you were with the police,’ Mum replied, smiling, holding back the tears. ‘We even got to see her last night so she wasn’t alone.’
‘What’s she like?’ I wanted to know. Then it came bursting out: ‘Does she look like him?’
There was a noticeable pause around the bed. ‘She’s absolutely beautiful, Nat. Perfect little girl,’ said Mum, smiling again.
‘Who does she look like, Mum?’ I noticed she had swerved that part.
‘She does look a bit like him, I won’t lie to you. But she’s so tiny and her own person,’ she added.
More tears came like a wave over me. My daughter, the baby Bobby and I chose to have, the baby he so wanted – but he wasn’t here. I couldn’t ask any more questions so I settled my head to one side and dropped off to sleep again. High volumes of morphine and a cocktail of other drugs flowed through my bloodstream, taking the edge off the physical and emotional pain.
Life was more than I could bear. I had woken up in a true nightmare, a hellhole. How on earth could I pull through this? But I didn’t have any answers, I was numb.
About The Author:
Natalie Queiroz is the survivor of one of the most appallingly brutal attacks imaginable. After being stabbed two dozen times by her partner when she was eight months pregnant, she has rebuilt her life and inspired people the length and breadth of the country with her courage and refusal to be bowed by her trauma. Alongside a successful full-time career, she has since become a motivational speaker and, through various feats of endurance and daring, raised thousands of pounds for the Midlands Air Ambulance charity she owes her life to.
Two friends Wynn and Jack have been best friends since their first day of college, brought together by their shared love of books and the great outdoors.
The adventure of a lifetime When they decide to take time off university and canoe down the Maskwa River in northern Canada, they anticipate the ultimate wilderness experience. No phones. No fellow travellers. No way of going back.
A hellish ride But as a raging wildfire starts to make its way towards them, their expedition becomes a desperate race for survival. And when a man suddenly appears, claiming his wife has vanished, the fight against nature’s destructive power becomes entangled with a much deadlier game of cat and mouse.
The River is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.
My Review:
The River is a descriptive, emotional thriller about survival and friendship.
The thing that stands out about this book is the author’s wonderful descriptions of the Canadian wilderness which is so vivid that it makes the reader think they are actually there experiencing everything alongside the characters. Canada has been top of my must see places for ages so I drank in all the fabulous descriptions and the details about the animals the boys see there.
The two main characters Wynn and Jack are very likeable guys who I warmed to instantly. They are two best friends with a shared love of the outdoors and I enjoyed reading about the contrast between them. Wynn is a gentle guy who always looks on the bright side of life, while Jack is a tougher guy who’s a lot more cautious. Their friendship was lovely to read about and I so enjoyed following them on their journey.
The author slowly builds up the tension in the book as the fire gets steadily closer and the boys start encountering strange people. As things get more desperate the boys have to fall back on their survival skills which makes for very interesting reading. All this combined makes for a truly gripping read which I couldn’t put down as I was so absorbed in the story. The life or death circumstances without any safety net, no phones what were they thinking, further adds to the thrilling nature of this book. I had to keep reading to find out what happens to the boys.
The ending was very clever and took me completely by surprise which is always a bonus! This is the first book I’ve read from this author and I’d definitely be interested in reading more from him in the future.
Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me onto the blog tour and to W&N publishers for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
PETER HELLER is the award-winning author of THE DOG STARS, a New York Times bestseller and a Guardian, San Francisco Chronicle and Atlantic Book of the Year. Born and raised in New York, he has travelled the world as an expedition kayaker, writing about challenging descents in the Pamirs, the Tien Shan mountains, the Caucuses, Central America and Peru. He is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where he received an MFA in fiction and poetry, and won a Michener fellowship for his epic poem ‘The Psalms of Malvine’.
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