Book Synopsis:

A gripping, darkly comic tale of searing loss, coercive control and the consequences of taking the wrong path.

Every morning Janet Brown goes to work cleaning offices. It calms her, cleanliness, neatness. All the things she’s unable to do with her soul can be achieved with a damp cloth and a splash of bleach. However, the guilt she still carries about a devastating loss that happened eleven years ago, cannot be erased.

Then, Janet finds herself involved in a train crash and, recognising the chance to do what she couldn’t all those years ago, she makes a decision. As news spreads of Janet’s actions, her story inspires everyone around her, and for the first time her life has purpose and the future is filled with hope.

But Janet’s story isn’t quite what it seems, and as events spiral out of control, she soon discovers that coming clean isn’t an option. Because if Janet washes away the lies, what long-buried truths will she finally have to face.

If I Let You Go by Charlotte Levin is a deeply moving and gripping portrayal of a woman coming to terms with loss.

My Review:

If I Let You Go is a gripping, absorbing but heartbreaking read that will stay with me for a long time.

Firstly I absolutely loved Janet who was a very sympathetic character. The reader quickly becomes aware of Janet’s situation so I was completely on her side hoping she manages to find a way out of it. It was heartbreaking to discover how much guilt Janet has regarding her daughter and worse how it is used against her by her despicable husband Colin who I absolutely hated. I often wished I could have a strong word with him and found myself getting frustrated with Janet at times as she falls for his rubbish, often making excuses for his behaviour.

I thought this book was very fast paced and there always seemed to be something happening to keep me reading. The chapters are fairly short which makes the book very moreish and my concern for Janet made me want to keep reading to check she was ok but with a degree of trepidation as I wasn’t sure how things would work out for her.

Overall I really enjoyed this book which I will be recommending to everyone. The story is told from Janet’s point of view with a few flashbacks to Janet’s past. There are a few trigger scenes that some people might find hard to read about and some truly heartbreaking moments but I didn’t feel it was an especially sad book as there were some heartwarming moments too. The ending was brilliant and made me realise how far Janet has come.

Huge thanks to Chloe from Pan Macmillan for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Charlotte Levin has been shortlisted for the Andrea Badenoch Award, part of the New Writers North Awards, and for the Mslexia Short Story Competition. IF I CAN’T HAVE YOU is her debut novel, and IF I LET YOU GO is out in March 2023. Charlotte lives in Manchester with her cat Opal Moon and kittens Leonard and Walter.

I’m a huge fan of this author so I was incredibly excited to be offered the chance to get a proof of her latest book. Huge thanks to Ellie Hudson and Penguin UK for my copy I’m so excited to read this soon. There was chocolate with it too but it might not have survived to make it into the picture…. 😅

Out 22nd June 2023

What new books have you received recently?

Book Synopsis:

You can run away from your life.
But you can’t run away from murder.

---

When her family tragedy is splashed across the newspapers, Nancy decides to disappear. Her grandmother’s beautiful Regency house in a quiet seaside village seems like the safest place to hide. But the old house has its own secrets and a chilling wartime legacy . . .

Now someone knows the truth about the night Nancy’s mother and stepfather were murdered. Someone knows where to find her. And they have nothing to lose . . .

So what really happened that night? And how far will she go to keep it hidden?

DON’T MISS THE CAPTIVATING NEW BOOK FROM SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR JANE CORRY

About The Author:

Jane Corry is a writer and journalist (Daily Telegraph and women’s magazines) who worked for three years as the writer in residence of a high security male prison. This experience helped inspire her Sunday Times Penguin bestsellers ‘My Husband’s Wife’, ‘Blood Sisters’, ‘The Dead Ex’, ‘I Looked Away’, ‘I Made A Mistake’, ‘To Tell The Truth’ and ‘We All Have Our Secrets’. She has now sold over a million copies of her books world-wide.

Jane worked as an RLF Fellow at Exeter University and is a former creative writing tutor at Oxford University. She also writes short stories as well as a weekly digital column about being a granny for My Weekly. In addition, she is a regular contributor to The Daily Telegraph and speaks at literary festivals all over the world. Many of her ideas strike during morning dog-jogs along the beach followed by a dip in the sea – no matter how cold it is!

Jane’s latest novel ‘We All Have Our Secrets’ is available from bookshops, supermarkets and online. http://linktr.ee/janecorry. Her next novel ‘COMING TO FIND YOU’ is being published by Penguin in June 2023. You can find Jane on Twitter at @JaneCorryAuthor and on Facebook at JaneCorryAuthor as well as Instagram. See her website for details of events and to sign up to her newsletter. http://www.janecorryauthor.com.

Good morning everyone and happy Saturday! Today I thought I’d share some of the books I’m hoping to read this month. I think I might have over done it again but I’ll hopefully manage to read most of these!

⭐Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score

⭐ Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent

⭐ Stepping Up by Sarah Turner

⭐The Clockwork Girl by Anna Mazzola

⭐Things They Lost by Okwiri Oduor

⭐Never Never by Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher

⭐Murder Under The Tuscan Sun by Rachel Rhys

⭐ Mother’s Boy by Patrick Gale

⭐ Little Wing by Freya North

⭐ What July Knew by Emily Koch

I’m hugely excited to read the new books by Liz Nugent and Rachel Rhys as I’m a huge fan of their books. Stepping Up I’m reading as part of a Tandem Collective read-along and The Clockwork Girl is a bookclub pick for March!

The rest are all books I’ve heard lots of good things about, so naturally had to get a copy. I’m hoping to read them this month or asap. I’m especially excited for Mother’s Boy as it was recommended to me by the lovely Joanne from Portobello Book Blog and she always gives great recommendations.

What books are you looking forward to reading this month?

Book Synopsis:

From the acclaimed author of The Last Checkmate comes a brilliant novel spanning from the Russian Revolution to the Nazi occupation of the Soviet Union and following two unforgettable women…their fates intertwined by ties of family and interrupted by the tragedy of war. Perfect for readers of Kate Quinn, Pam Jenoff, and Elena Gorokhova.

Russia 1917: Beautiful, educated Svetlana Petrova defied her stifling aristocratic family to join a revolution promising freedom. Now, released after years of imprisonment, she discovers her socialist party vying for power against the dictatorial Bolsheviks and her beloved uncle, a champion of her cause, was murdered by a mysterious assassin named Orlova. Her signature? Blinding her victims before she kills them. Svetlana resolves to avenge his death by destroying this vicious opponent, even as she longs to reunite with the daughter she has not seen in years.

USSR 1941: Now living in obscurity in a remote village, Svetlana opens her home to Mila Rozovskaya, the eighteen-year-old granddaughter from Leningrad she has never met. She hopes to protect Mila from the oncoming Nazi invasion, but when the enemy occupies the village, Svetlana sees the young woman fall under the spell of the resistance—echoing her once-passionate idealism. As Mila takes up her fight, dangerous secrets and old enemies soon threaten all Svetlana holds dear. To protect her family, she must confront her long-buried past—yet if the truth emerges victorious, it holds the power to save or shatter them. A risk Svetlana has no choice but to take. 

My Review:

Daughter’s Of Victory is a sweeping, absorbing piece of historical fiction from a new author for me.

Firstly The Russian Revolution and the Second World War are two of my favourite time periods so I knew from the start that I was going to love this book. The author has clearly done a lot of research and I eagerly drank in all the wonderful details the author includes in the story. The descriptions were so vivid that I often felt I was actually there watching everything unfold alongside the characters. I especially liked learning more about the rise of Lenin and the difference between the two revolutionary groups as I don’t think I knew much about them before.

The two main characters Svetlana and Mira were two very strong women whose dedication to their cause was very admirable. I liked following them through the book though I found myself getting frustrated with the unfairness of their situation at times. These two characters are actually based on real life historical character’s which I really loved. It always adds an extra element to the story for me when you know someone really went through events in a book.

This book does start off a little slow as the author sets the scene but soon picks up and becomes incredibly absorbing. I loved following the two timelines and the exploits of the two amazing main characters. The author does a great job of merging the two storylines in a realistic way which made me feel more involved in the story and care about what was happening to them. I liked that the author doesn’t take the easier, happier route in the story as it kept me on edge and not sure which way the story would go.

The ending was brilliant and very emotional. I kind of wish that it had ended a slightly different way but it’s definitely an ending that will stay with me. The author has included a very interesting author’s note which gives the reader more information about the real life historical character’s and her thought process whilst writing this book.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Harper 360 for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Gabriella Saab is the author of The Last Checkmate. She graduated from Mississippi State University with a bachelor of business administration in marketing and lives in her hometown of Mobile, Alabama, where she works as a barre instructor. She is of Lebanese heritage and is one of the co-hosts of @hfchitchat on Twitter, a recurring monthly chat and community celebrating the love of reading and writing historical fiction.

Book Synopsis:

Framed for murder. Now she’s free . . .

A woman attends a funeral, standing in the shadows and watching in agony as her sons grieve. But she is unable to comfort them – or reveal her secret.

A decade earlier, Heather gets her children ready for bed and awaits the return of her husband Liam, little realising that this is the last night they will spend together as a family. Because tomorrow she will be accused of Liam’s murder.

Ten years ago Heather lost everything. Now she will stop at nothing to clear her name – and to get her children back . . .

My Review:

The Mother is another fast paced, gripping read from one of my favourite thriller writers. I always make sure I start one of his books on a day I have lots of free time as I know I will struggle to put it down.

The story follows Heather as she is released from prison for a crime she didn’t commit. She is desperate to get justice and get her kids back. I really liked Heather and admired her dogged determination to get her kids back, doing things that had my hair standing on end. Her friend Jodie, who helps her on her mission, was another great character and the pair of them make a wonderful team. I was completely on their side, with the unfairness of everything that was happening making me cheer them on hoping for a good outcome for them.

I thought this book was incredibly fast paced and there always seemed to be something happening to keep me reading. The story is told in two timelines one in the past and one in the present. I liked the way the two storylines complimented each other, gradually revealing things to the reader. There were lots of twists that kept me guessing and the realistic plot made me wonder what I’d do in a similar situation. I love my kids but I’m not sure I’d go to the extremes Heather does. The ending was brilliant and I especially enjoyed that I hadn’t been able to guess the outcome.

Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me onto the blog tour and to the publisher for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

T.M. Logan is a Sunday Times bestseller whose thrillers have sold more than 2 million copies in the UK and are published in 18 countries around the world. The Holiday was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick and is now a major Netflix drama. His Sunday Times bestselling thriller, The Catch is soon to be a major TV Drama. Formerly a national newspaper journalist, he now writes full time and lives in Nottinghamshire with his wife and two children. Follow him on Twitter @TMLoganAuthor.

📚 Happy World Book Day!

Good morning everyone and happy World Book Day. I’m lucky to have three kids who absolutely love books so I thought I’d share some of their favourite books today.

⭐ Fireborn by Aisling Fowler

⭐ Spaceboy by David Walliams

⭐ Fairy Unicorns: Frost Fair by Zanna Davidson

⭐ You’re Called What? By Kes Gray & Nikki Dyson

⭐ The Runaway Pea by Kjartan Poskitt & Alex Willmore

⭐ Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey

⭐ My Daddy Is A Monster by Natalie Reeves Billing

⭐Diary Of A Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

⭐ Louise The Lily Fairy by Daisy Meadows

⭐ The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton

My kids are 10, 7 & 5 but my 10 year old seems to prefer younger books and my 7 year old older books. (She’s currently trying to read Matilda as she loved the musical). We also recently read The Magic Faraway Tree together which I loved as it was one of my favourites when I was a kid. My eldest in particular is a huge bookworm and hard to keep up with as he gets through books so quickly. If anyone has any recommendations for magic/ fantasy books for a ten year old please let me know!

We aren’t perfect though as, at his recent parent’s evening, we found out my 5 year old is behind in his reading at school – we think mainly due to his concentration levels so we are making a real effort to try and help him.

What was your favourite authors as a kid?

Book Synopsis:

A TikTok sensation! Sparks fly when a competitive figure skater and hockey team captain are forced to share a rink.
 
Anastasia Allen has worked her entire life for a shot at Team USA. It looks like everything is going according to plan when she gets a full scholarship to the University of California, Maple Hills and lands a place on their competitive figure skating team.
 
Nothing will stand in her way, not even the captain of the hockey team, Nate Hawkins.
 
Nate’s focus as team captain is on keeping his team on the ice. Which is tricky when a facilities mishap means they are forced to share a rink with the figure skating team—including Anastasia, who clearly can’t stand him. 
 
But when Anastasia’s skating partner faces an uncertain future, she may have to look to Nate to take her shot. 

Sparks fly, but Anastasia isn’t worried… because she could never like a hockey player, right?

My Review:

Icebreaker is a gripping, romantic read that I found very difficult to put down. I had a major book hangover after reading this as I so enjoyed this book.

Firstly I absolutely adored the characters in this book and enjoyed following them throughout the story. Anastasia and Nate were great main characters who I quickly fell in love with. I loved watching strong, feisty Anastasia stand up for herself but then get to know her softer side in her relationship with Nate. Nate was a very sweet boy, who wasn’t afraid to stand up for his friends even at the cost to his own ambition. He’s very caring towards Anastasia and I loved how he supported her in working through her issues. The chemistry between them was amazing- don’t we all wish we could have a boyfriends like Nate? Some of the scenes between them were very spicy hence the over 18 warning at the beginning of the book.

I thought this book was very fast paced and their always seemed to be something happening to keep my interest. Even in the slower moments of the book I was just happy to hang out with Anastasia, Nate and their amazing friends whose group I’d love to have been a part of. There were quite a few surprising twists that kept me guessing and I especially liked the gentle change in pace towards the end as I felt it helped me get to know the characters better.

The ends was brilliant and I loved that the author continues the story a few years later so that the reader discovers what happens with Anastasia and Nate, though sad as it meant there was no chance of a sequel with them. If you’re a fan of romantic fiction with a bit of spice – I highly recommend this book!

About The Author:

Hannah is an English self-labelled “fluffy comfort book” author, writing predominantly new adult and contemporary romance from her home in Manchester.

When she’s not describing everyone’s eyes ten-thousand times a chapter, accidentally giving multiple characters the same name, or using English sayings in her American book that nobody understands, you can find her hanging out with her husband and two dogs, Pig and Bear.

Good morning everyone I haven’t done a Two For Tuesday for a while so thought I’d do one featuring my two new Colleen Hoover books! If you’ve followed my blog for a while you’ll know that I’m a huge fan of hers so I’m excited to read these soon.

Have you read anything by Colleen Hoover? If so what was your favourite book?

Heart Bones

Moving, passionate, and unforgettable, this novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover follows two young adults from completely different backgrounds embarking on a tentative romance, unaware of what the future holds.

After a childhood filled with poverty and neglect, Beyah Grim finally has her hard-earned ticket out of Kentucky with a full ride to Penn State. But two months before she’s finally free to change her life for the better, an unexpected death leaves her homeless and forced to spend the remainder of her summer in Texas with a father she barely knows.

Devastated and anxious for the summer to go by quickly, Beyah has no time or patience for Samson, the wealthy, brooding guy next door. Yet, the connection between them is too intense to ignore. But with their upcoming futures sending them to opposite ends of the country, the two decide to maintain only a casual summer fling. Too bad neither has any idea that a rip current is about to drag both their hearts out to sea.

Never Never by Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher

Forgetting is terrifying. Remembering is worse…

Charlie Wynwood and Silas Nash have been best friends since they could walk. They’ve been in love since the age of fourteen. But as of this morning… they are complete strangers. Their first kiss, their first fight, the moment they fell in love… every memory has vanished.

Now Charlie and Silas must work together to uncover the truth about what happened to them and why. But the more they learn about the couple they used to be… the more they question why they were ever together to begin with.

Forgetting is terrifying, but remembering may be worse.

The Number One Sunday Times bestselling author of It Ends with Us joins forces with the New York Times bestselling author of The Wives for a gripping, twisty, romantic mystery unlike any other.

Good morning everyone I was tagged by the lovely @always_need_more_books to try the #spillthetea challenge. It took me a while to choose and I did think about cheating and having two books for each category but I’m happy with my final choices!

T – A book that TAUGHT you something. I May Be Wrong is a book I’ve been recommending to everyone since reading. It taught me so much not just about what it’s like being a monk and monastic life but also about meditation.

E – A book you didn’t want to END. I really didn’t want My (Extra) Ordinary Life to end as I’d absolutely loved following the lovely Emily and just fell in love with her throughout the book. I’m really hoping there’s a sequel so I can read more about her and Josh.

A – An AUTHOR you can’t get enough of. Tracy Chevalier is one of my favourite authors and I always look forward to her books. I could easily have used her for the Taught part of this challenge as she has taught me about some fascinating historical periods too.

Hope you like my selection, I can’t work out how to tag so Claire Knight, Nicki Mags and the lovely Joanne from Portobello Book Blog if you read this I’d love to see your choices too.

Good morning everyone! I was lucky enough to win a copy of one of my most anticipated reads of the year, through a giveaway the lovely Jo Garrick (Murder, Jo Wrote) was running on Instagram. I’m a huge fan of this author and I can’t wait to read this book in the near future.

The Hike is published in ebook and hardback on the 27th April 2023.

Book Synopsis:

THE PERFECT DAY FOR A HIKE

Leaving behind their everyday lives, four friends hike out into the beautiful Norwegian wild – nothing between them and the mountain peak but forest, sea and sharp blue sky.

THE PERFECT PLACE TO DISAPPEAR

But there’s a darker side to the wilderness. A woman went missing here one year ago, scarring the mountain with suspicion and unanswered questions.

Now, the friends are hiking into the heart of the mystery. And waiting on the trail is someone who’d do anything to keep their secrets buried – and to stop the group walking away alive . . .

About The Author:

Lucy Clarke is the author of eight psychological thrillers, and her books have been sold in over 20 territories. Her most recent novel, One of the Girls, was a Sunday Times bestseller and a Richard and Judy Book Club pick. Clarke lives by the sea with her husband and two children.