I’m thrilled to be on the blog tour for this fabulous looking book.  I’m so looking forward to reading this one it sounds so magical and right up my street!

The Toy Maker is available to buy now in hardback and ebook here.

Huge thank you to Josie from Ebury publishers for inviting me on this tour and providing me with a copy of this book which i’m really excited to read.

I have an exclusive Q&A with Robert Dinsdale to share with you but first let me tell you a little about the book.

Book Description:

The Emporium opens with the first frost of winter. It is the same every year. Across the city, when children wake to see ferns of white stretched across their windows, or walk to school to hear ice crackling underfoot, the whispers begin: the Emporium is open! Christmas is coming, and the goose is getting fat…

It is 1917, and London has spent years in the shadow of the First World War. In the heart of Mayfair, though, there is a place of hope. A place where children’s dreams can come true, where the impossible becomes possible – that place is Papa Jack’s Toy Emporium.

For years Papa Jack has created and sold his famous magical toys: hobby horses, patchwork dogs and bears that seem alive, toy boxes bigger on the inside than out, ‘instant trees’ that sprout from boxes, tin soldiers that can fight battles on their own. Now his sons, Kaspar and Emil, are just old enough to join the family trade. Into this family comes a young Cathy Wray – homeless and vulnerable. The Emporium takes her in, makes her one of its own. But Cathy is about to discover that while all toy shops are places of wonder, only one is truly magical…

Q&A with Robert Dinsdale:

1. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

My name’s Robert Dinsdale. I’m from Northallerton in North Yorkshire, on the edge of the moors, but I currently live in Leigh-on-Sea in Essex with my four year old daughter.

2. What do you do when you are not writing?

I have a young family so time not writing is spent battling with dinner time and bath time and bedtime. And then just taking a deep breath…

3. Do you have a day job as well?

I do lots of copy-writing and editorial work – I’m self-employed and work from home most of the time, which fits brilliantly with family life.

4. When did you first start writing and when did you finish your first book?

It’s a horrible cliché but I don’t really remember a time when I didn’t do any writing. I loved it when I was a child – so writing is very much an extension of a childhood passion for me. I finished my first novel when I was 12 (I skived a lot of PE lessons so that I could sit in the school library and write it), and – because I didn’t know any better – sent it off to publishers and agents straight away. I still have some of the letters they sent back – such an inspiration for a 12 year old boy.

5. How did you choose the genre you write in?

I’ve never made a conscious decision to fit inside any one genre. These are just books as they occurred to me, driven by the things I think about and feel most intensely. The Toymakers is magical because there was such imagination and magic in life, with the advent of my family, when I started writing it. So who knows what’s next…

6. Where do you get your ideas?

All over! But I can trace The Toymakers back to one afternoon in a suburban toyshop with my daughter, when even the most ordinary little plastic figurine seemed a thing of pure magic to her. That catapulted me back to my own childhood, and over the next weeks and months I made up the building blocks of what The Toymakers would become.

7. Do you ever experience writer’s block?

Not block so much as frustration at not being able to translate what’s in my head perfectly to the page. It must be what young children feel like when they don’t have the language to articulate the things they want! Writing can be a lonely and frustrating business but it’s also incredibly rewarding, so everything balances out in the end…

8. Do you work with an outline, or just write?

Lots of brilliant writers swear by outlines but I’ve found it always stifles the process for me. I set off with a destination in mind and I invent things as I go. It often means the start of the novel needs to be revisited to make work, but I just find that writing without maps works best for me…

9. Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult?

I think children’s fiction is incredibly important to us all – so, for all of the very many authors I’ve discovered as an adult who have inspired me and bowled me over, for me, the most important novels are those I read and loved instinctively when I was a boy. They’re the novels that helped us all open our imaginations. For me it was writers like Colin Dann, Richard Adams, Brian Jacques – writers who created other worlds for me to step into.

10. Can you tell us about your challenges in getting your first book published?

I’d been writing and sending my books to publishers and agents for ten years before I got my first agent and, later, my first contract. Looking back, I know that it wasn’t only because my books weren’t strong enough (they weren’t!) but because they were odd, weird little stories too. I needed to learn how to open up my stories before publishers got interested… In the end, the year after I left University, I came to London to do some work experience with a number of literary agencies. It was an eye-opener into what I’d always thought of as the magical, shadowy world of books, and the things it taught me were to help immensely on my own publication journey.

11. Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?

Like everything, it’s a bit of both. The Emporium doesn’t exist – if only it did! – and the story in the book is pure imagination. But, no matter how hard you try, bits of yourself always weave their way into your characters. Cathy’s pregnancy in the book is inspired by watching my daughter’s mum go through the same thing

12. What was your hardest scene to write?

I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but there’s a moment in the novel where something terrible might have happened to Sirius, the patchwork dog. I won’t reveal his fate, but this (even above Kaspar’s experience of war) was the tough stuff…

13. How did you come up with the title?

It just occurred to me right at the outset: something simple and statuesque, that opened the door for the reader directly into the novel. Later in the process we turned around various alternatives, but always swept back to The Toymakers in the end. I couldn’t think of it any other way.

14. What project are you working on now?

I’m between projects. Lots of ideas circling, but I haven’t put pen to paper yet…

15. What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?

These days I try not to read too many reviews of my own work. You remember the harsh reviews and people who haven’t liked your books more than you do the positive, so the only thing to do to stay sane is to keep your head down and get on with the work, to treat triumph and disaster just the same…

16. Is there anything that you would like to say to your readers and fans?

Just a big heartfelt thank you to anyone who’s picked up one of my novels to read, and especially to those who’ve reached out to me online to tell me they’ve enjoyed The Toymakers. Writing is a solitary business and you never quite know what people are making of your book once it’s out in the wild, so it’s fantastic to hear from so many of you – thank you very much indeed.

Thank you so much Robert for taking the time to answer my questions, I wish you lot of luck with The Toy Maker!

About The Author:

Robert Dinsdale was born in 1981 in North Yorkshire and currently lives in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex. He is the author of THE HARROWING, LITTLE EXILES, GINGERBREAD and THE TOYMAKERS.

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I’m delighted to be on the blog tour for the fantastic book Force of Nature by Jane Harper.  This was another 5 star read for me (I know i’m on a roll) and I absolutely loved it.

Force of Nature is available to buy in ebook and hardback here.

The hardback is currently only £5 an absolute bargain!

Book Description:

FIVE WENT OUT. FOUR CAME BACK…

Is Alice here? Did she make it? Is she safe? In the chaos, in the night, it was impossible to say which of the four had asked after Alice’s welfare. Later, when everything got worse, each would insist it had been them.

Five women reluctantly pick up their backpacks and start walking along the muddy track. Only four come out the other side.

The hike through the rugged landscape is meant to take the office colleagues out of their air-conditioned comfort zone and teach resilience and team building. At least that is what the corporate retreat website advertises.

Federal Police Agent Aaron Falk has a particularly keen interest in the whereabouts of the missing bushwalker. Alice Russell is the whistleblower in his latest case – and Alice knew secrets. About the company she worked for and the people she worked with.

Far from the hike encouraging teamwork, the women tell Falk a tale of suspicion, violence and disintegrating trust. And as he delves into the disappearance, it seems some dangers may run far deeper than anyone knew.

My Review:

I so enjoyed this fabulous book.  I thought the premise was very intriguing and I found myself gripped from the beginning with the fascinating mystery of what happened to Alice and why.

The thing that most stands out about this book is the brilliant use of the dual storyline. One follows Federal Agent Fauk and his partner Carmen as they help investigate Alice’s disappearance, the other describes what happened on the woman’s team building hike.  This makes for truly fascinating reading as it helps the reader get a better understanding of all the characters involved, what makes them tick and about their past experiences that still impact them today.  This is especially true in the parts describing the women’s experiences as things start to go wrong and the cracks in their fragile relationships begin to show.  This was expertly done with the author gradually revealing things about each character that really keeps the reader on their toes and guessing who was responsible for Alice’s disappearance.  I must have changed my mind at least a dozen times as each new chapter threw up new information that twisted the story in another direction.  This was hugely enjoyable for me as I love the to be kept guessing and the anticipation of discovering the truth.

I didn’t particularly like any of the women characters as they all seemed fairly unlikable.  They were all quite selfish and no one seemed particularly bothered about anyone other than themselves.  They are all well very different to each other which becomes more apparent as the story and the hike) go on.  I did like Fauk though and developed a bit of a soft spot for him throughout the book, especially when bits of his past are revealed.  He seemed to really care about his partner and his work which was lovely to read about.  I loved how real he seemed and found myself willing him to succeed and discover what happened.

The setting of the book, The Giralang Ranges, help create a very tense, eerie and claustrophobic atmosphere  due to the vivid descriptions on the dense trees which grow close together.  The history of what had happened there a few years previously also helps to create an almost menacing atmosphere and the sensation that the trees could be hiding anything and anyone.  I certainly found myself holding my breath at times as the women ventured further into the trees, wondering what they would discover.

This book is brilliantly plotted and the gradual revelations makes the book very difficult to out down.  The story is very addictive and I started carrying my book around with me and hiding in the toilet from the kids just so I could read a couple more pages.  It’s been a while since a book has made me do this.

This is the authors’s second book, but the first one I have read.  It is the second in a series but I thought it could easily be read as a standalone as anything you need to know is explained to you.  I will definitely be going back and reading her first book, The Dry, soon.

Huge thanks to the lovely Kimberly from Little Brown for my copy of this book and for inviting me onto the blog tour. Just read this book you won’t be disappointed!

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.

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I’m very excited to be on the blog tour for the wonderful Only Child by Rhiannon Navin.  With the increase in terror threats and the possible change in gun laws in America this is a very important book which I think everyone should read.

Only Child is available to purchase in hardback and ebook here.

This was another 5 star read for me!

Book Description:

My Review:

 

German by birth, Rhiannon Navin now lives in New York. She is married, with three children and two cats. This is her first novel.

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I’m thrilled to be on the blog tour today for Blue Night and to be hosting a giveaway.

I’ll reveal how to win a bit later but first let me tell you a little about the book.

Book Description:

I’m very excited to be on the blog tour for this fabulous book and to be able to share my review with you today.

The Owl Always Hunts At Night is available to buy now here.

Book Description:

 

My Review:

As an avid reader it’s always exciting when you find a new author that you love.  I think it’s because this book is a little different than other similar books that had me enthralled from start to finish.

Firstly the crime scene and indeed the crime is something I hadn’t read anything like before.  The crime scene itself is quite surreal and very unsettling.  One of my fellow bloggers, the lovely Francesca, described it as dream like and I think that is a great description of it as there are so many blizzard elements to it that it’s like something you could conjure up in your dreams (or nightmares)! Some of the descriptions of this are quite graphic and there were moments that turned my stomach so if you’re easily offended you might not enjoy this book.

The author takes a lot of time in helping the reader learn more about the characters so they can understand what makes them tick and why they act as they do.  This made me care a lot more about them and what happened to them.  I found myself wanting them to succeed and have a happy ending both in their professional and private lives.  They all seemed slightly lost and broken which is hinted at being because of their job.  This, along with insight into their personal lives, makes them seem very real as I realised this could be something that effects policemen or detectives in real life.  I’ve never read a crime thriller where you are able to learn so much about the characters and it was very affective and helped to keep my interest.

The facts and discoveries are revealed slowly throughout the book with the tension slowly build until an amazing and hard hitting ending which blew me away.  I have a new born with reflux so nights are hard at the moment, but when reading this book I no longer cared about not getting any sleep as it meant I got more time to read this book. I really hope that such a crime doesn’t happen in the real world, although I have an unsettling feeling that it might.

This is the first book I have read by this author and although it is the second book in the series it reads easily as a stand alone as anything you need to know is explained.  I will be going back and reading his first book, I’m Traveling Alone soon.

Huge thanks to Thomas Hill and Transworld publishers for my copy of this book and for inviting me onto the blog tour.  If you like unusual, engrossing and thrilling books you will love this book.

About The Author:

Samuel Bjørk is the pen name of Norwegian novelist, playwright and singer/songwriter Frode Sander Øien. Øien wrote his first stageplay at the age of twenty-one and has since written two highly acclaimed novels, released six albums, written five plays, and translated Shakespeare, all in his native Norway. Øien currently lives and works in Oslo.

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I’m so pleased to be able to share my review for this truly fantastic book! It’s utterly stunning and if you are a fan of historical fiction you need to read! I gave it 5 stars but would have given it more if I could!

In Love And War is available to buy in ebook and paperback here.

Book Description:

I’m very excited to be on the blog tour for the amazing Home by Amanda Berriman today.  This is such a special and important book that I think everyone needs to read.

Home is published tomorrow on the 8th February 2018 and is available to buy here.

Book Description:

Jesika is four and a half.

She lives in a flat with her mother and baby brother and she knows a lot. She knows their flat is high up and the stairs are smelly. She knows she shouldn’t draw on the peeling wallpaper or touch the broken window. And she knows she loves her mummy and baby brother Toby.

She does not know that their landlord is threatening to evict them and that Toby’s cough is going to get much worse. Or that Paige, her new best friend, has a secret that will explode their world.

My Review:

This is such an incredible book.  So emotional and thought provoking, it will definitely be one that stays with me and one that I continue to think about.

Firstly I loved Jesika and I enjoyed reading about the games she played and how she thought.  The author works as a primary school teacher so a lot of these descriptions are very accurate and ones that I recognised from my own kids.  This made the book feel al the more real to me and a lot more emotional.  I felt very sorry for her at times as she reminded me of my eldest with her curiosity and I felt bad as like Tina I don’t always have time to appreciate of accommodate this.  Her innocence adds a very poignant edge to the story as she doesn’t understand the seriousness of what is happening and what she is observing.

I also felt a lot of sympathy for Tina and the situation she finds herself in.  She is obviously struggling but is trying to make the most of a bad situation.  She obviously loves her kids but is sometimes too stressed or busy to appreciate them properly, something I know all mother’s do at times.  The neighbours who are willing to help Tina and her family was so lovely to read about and I had a tear in my eye as i read about how they all rally around Tina and help her when she is in need.  I wish there were more people like this around.

The story is a heartbreaking one and covers some quite difficult subjects making it quite a hard, emotional read at times.  This is particularly true as it is told from a child’s point of view and highlights how innocent children are.  It also shows how abuse could not be discovered as children don’t realise what is happening and the gravity of it.  It took me a little while to get used to the writing as Jesika’s speech is a little disjointed and she is speaking as you would expect a child to talk which is difficult to follow at times- so quite realistic!

This is a very thought provoking book as it really causes you to challenge how you may think or act.  I will definetly be trying not to judge others and be more patient with my kids.  There were parts of this book that just made me want to put it down and hug my kids, even when they were sleeping as it really got under my skin.

Its hard to believe this is Amanda’s debut novel as she writes with such confidence on a difficult subject and I definetly look forward to reading more from her in the future.

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

About The Author:

Mandy was born in Germany and grew up in Edinburgh, reading books, playing music, writing stories and climbing hills. She works as a primary school teacher and lives on the edge of the Peak District with her husband, two children and dogs.

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Eek so thrilled to be involved in the cover Reveal for the amazing Stephanie Butland’s second book, The Curious Heart Of Ailsa Rae.  I absolutely loved Lost for words so can’t wait to read this!

The Curious Heart Of Ailsa Rae is available to pre-order Here.

Before I reveal the fantastic, beautiful cover here is a little about the book.

Book Description:

Cover Reveal:

So without further ado here it is!

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2

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Isn’t that totally gorgeous! I love the colours and that open door just speaks of so many opportunities.  Is it about her opening her heart, her life or about the opportunities open to her?  I can’t wait to find out!

About The Author:

Stephanie Butland lives in Northumberland, close to the place where she grew up. She writes in a studio at the bottom of her garden, and loves being close to the sea. She’s thriving after cancer.
Twitter: @under_blue_sky
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Stephanie-Butland-Author-282828548412029/
http://www.stephaniebutland.com
#Loveday

I’m delighted to be on the blog tour for this fabulous children’s book, the first children’s book to be reviewed by Over The Rainbow Book Blog!

Rocky Rock’s And The Colourful Socks is available to buy in ebook and paperback Here.

Book Description:

Can you help Rocky Rocks find his socks? If you can see, you must tell me, what colour sock you can see? I’ll give you a clue, it rhymes with bed, could it be the colour… Rocky Rocks and the Colour Socks is a fun and interactive way of learning through rhyme by Seniha Slowinski. Illustrations by Nick Roberts.

My Review:

Rocky Rocks is a very fun, cute and educational children’s book which can help children learn their colours.  The reader is taken through the house, visiting the different rooms to try to find a sock of a particular colour.

The story is told in a gentle, easy rhyme with makes it very easy for children to follow.  My eldest is four and he really enjoyed guessing what colour sock we were finding from the rhymes.  The gorgeous illustrations that accompany them provide lots of fun whilst trying to find the missing sock from clues given in the rhyme.  This also gives lots of opportunities to help the children develop their vocabulary and important describing words like under or on.  We had great fun trying to find other objects in the rooms as each room is filled with lots of fun things to find.

My children absolutely loved this book and it has become a firm favourite in our house.  My eldest spends ages looking at it himself enjoying the pictures, as he can’t read much yet.  He especially liked the picture of the real Rocky and makes up lots of stories about him.

I really hope there are going to be more stories of Rocky’s adventures as I think they will be a favourite with pre-school children everywhere.

Huge thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for my copy of this book and for inviting me onto the blog tour.

About The Author:

Hi my name is Seniha Slowinski

And I am really excited about my project please read on to find out why!

My Rocky books are aimed at children, starting from pre-school age upwards and are inspired by my dog (the ‘real’ Rocky) with all the cute and funny things that he does and the children that I taught at Arnott pre-school in Thamesmead.
Teaching children dance at pre school age is very different to teaching older children or adults as they have a shorter attention span and get distracted easily! For this reason I would break up the session with various tasks including story time!
Whilst reading I was not captivating the attention of the little ones and the story was not engaging enough to keep the children interested!
Which is when I came up with the idea to get the children involved!

The books are about discovering and learning by following the character Rocky on his journey, which involves learning about significant things in life such as colours, learning to count and identifying things that their parents, carers or guardians may do on an everyday basis, such as shopping, going to the park, to the gym etc.

Some of the books involve interactive aspects and questioning that enables the children to participate and respond whilst others may have a learning message and factual information.

The books are written using rhymes which are repetitive and make it fun for the child/children to gain a more enjoyable experience.

Some of the stories are based on true events that Rocky has experienced such as visiting the sights of London, boxing, going to the park and training.

 

I am very excited to be on the blog tour for The Perfect Stranger by Megan Miranda.  I loved her first book, All The Dead Girls so I jumped at the chance to review her second novel.

The Perfect Stranger is available to purchase here.

Book Blurb:

Having reached a dead end in Boston, failed journalist Leah Stevens needs a change. When she runs into an old friend, Emmy Grey, who is moving to rural Pennsylvania, Leah decides to join her. But their fresh start is quickly threatened when a woman with an eerie resemblance to Leah is assaulted by the lake, and Emmy disappears days later.

Determined to find Emmy, Leah helps Detective Kyle Donovan to investigate her friend’s life for clues. But with no friends, family or digital footprint, the police begin to suspect that there is no Emmy Grey. Forced to question her version of reality and to save herself, Leah must uncover the truth – no matter how dark or terrible it may be…

My Review:

The Perfect Stranger is a brilliantly plotted and intriguing thriller.

Set in a small town, the author perfectly captures the claustrophobic atmosphere with everyone whispering about the murder and having an opinion on what happened.  There is an uneasy atmosphere throughout the book which intensifies as the book progresses and we delve deeper into what happened.  The town seems to be at war with itself as the older residents are dissatisfied with the newer residents that have just moved in and who they think are changing the town that they love.  As a reader you are constantly wondering which of the colourful characters you can trust and who knows what.  This is especially true in the school where Leah works and the students there, who all seem to react to the news in various ways and who seem to be very interested in what has happened.

The book definitely contains some interesting characters and my opinion changed on all of them throughout the book.  I was never sure who I liked and who I didn’t as I was often proven wrong about the kind of person they were.  I loved that the author was able to do this and keep me on edge.  I read quite a lot of mysteries and its always great when I am not able to guess what happened and who done it.

My feelings about the main character, Leah, changed the most throughout the book.  I was never completely sure about her and what she was about.  Most importantly I wasn’t sure if she was a reliable narrator and if things had happened as as she described.  I wondered what she was running from that made her guard her new life with such fierceness.  Why was she willing to move in with Emmy, a girl she didn’t really know so easily?  I did feel sorry for her at times as it is hard to be lonely in a new town and feel like you are on the outside looking in, but there were other moments when she really frustrated me particularly when she kept insisting on conducting her own investigation into Emmy’s disappearance.

The pace of this novel is fairly slow to begin with as the author sets the scene and we learn morn about Leah & Emmy’s past but it soon picks up about half way through and then becomes almost impossible to put down.  I loved the ending which took me completely by surprise and I felt it was a very satisfactory ending for this fantastic book.

This is Megan Miranda’s second book and the second that I have read.  I will look forward to reading more from her in the future, she is definitely an author to look out for!

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

About The Author:

Megan Miranda is the author of the bestseller ALL THE MISSING GIRLS. She has also written several books for young adults. She grew up in New Jersey, graduated from MIT, and lives in North Carolina with her husband and two children. THE PERFECT STRANGER is her second novel of psychological suspense. Follow @MeganLMiranda on Twitter and Instagram, or @AuthorMeganMiranda on Facebook.

www.meganmiranda.com

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