Book-Mad-Mum

      Debs and Marc have reached a crisis point in their marriage and they don’t really know how they got to this stage. It’s the night before Christmas Eve and with their two children upstairs in bed, things begin to boil over and emotions run high. The relationship has turned sour, nasty, and toxic and you know from the start that this can’t possibly have a fairy tale ending, but Tina holds our hands and guides us through the twists and turns and occasionally puts an arm around our shoulder when she reminds us happier times for Debs and Marc.   This is a dark, twisted tale which will leave you feeling uncomfortable at times but also wonder what goes on in Tina’s head for her to come up with a story as dark as this!!!! Wonderful characters that you really invest in – a brilliant read.

  Hannah is an agony aunt known as the Queen of Hearts who works on a radio programme, but she’s just been offered her dream job working on a morning TV show. During her last radio broadcast, a caller (Diane) rings in with a tragic story about how her brother committed suicide because two people did something to him years before that he could never quite move on from. Hannah’s blood runs cold as the story seems very familiar to her, as she knows only too well what happened on that night. Is Diane just sad, or a lonely woman looking for a friend, or does want revenge?   I should start this review by saying that I know MK Hill when we worked together “back in the day” but this is an honest and open review. This is the first book of MK Hill’s that I’ve read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. There are several WTF moments, and when I got to the first one, I squealed with delight as I wasn’t expecting it at all – it was a complete surprise! There are loads of twists and turns an...

  Wow! That’s how I’m going to start this review. Any book that keeps me awake until 2 o’clock in the morning so that I can finish it, is a brilliant book as far as I’m concerned. Don’t get me wrong, I tried to be sensible and put it down to get some sleep, but then I was lying there in the dark and wanted to know what happened – it was like binge watching a series on Netflix – there was absolutely no way that I could sleep without knowing the conclusion! At the start of the story, lawyer Amy is approaching her 30 th birthday when she slips and bangs her head. This leaves her with temporary amnesia which means that she can’t remember anything that happened in the last six months. She certainly doesn’t remember her boyfriend Jack, a busy doctor who has yet to meet her friends and family. From there the story builds as Amy narrates us through her account of events, and you’re left not knowing if her version is real or is it paranoia from her brain injury! There were times when I...

  Lachlan Wallace is stuck at home after a car accident stalled his army career. With months of physiotherapy still to endure and only Bert & Ernie, his dog and cat for company, he’s taken to gazing out of the window, watching the world spin on without him. And then he notices a vase of flowers on the windowsill of the apartment opposite his. Drawn to their hope and colour, he decides to reach out and sticks a message in his window… WHAT ARE THOSE FLOWERS CALLED? Bethan Gwynne is a stranger in a new town. Bringing up her son Noah by herself, she is slowly rebuilding her life, but loneliness is one obstacle she has yet to overcome. She’s intrigued by a glimpse of her neighbour in the apartment across from hers – and then, one evening, she sees a message in his window just for her.   This is the first book of Miranda’s that I have read, and it was quite enjoyable. I felt I could engage with the characters, although at times they really frustrated me as well!! I did q...

  What a way to start the New Year! You will open the pages of this book and instantly you will be drawn into the dysfunctional story of identical twins Leah and Megan. Also thrown into the mix, is Megan's coercive husband Chris - it's safe to say that these three characters all have "issues"-  these are not people you want to live next door to!   I don't want to say too much about the plot as I want everyone to experience it for themselves, but it's safe to say that it has more twists and turns than an Alton Tower's rollercoaster.   Sarah Bonner gets into your head and completely messes with it! The book is split into several parts, and each part is told by a different character - when each character told their version of events I truly believed what they were saying and so my opinion was constantly changing, and just when I thought I had figured out who did what...BOOM! Another twist!   My first book of the New Year, and to be honest, I don...

    Fran Cooper’s life is at a crossroads. Leaving her job as a personal assistant to relocate to Sheffield when her boyfriend inherits his grandma’s house, life isn’t panning out exactly how she thought it would. Fran now works as a temp but when she’s offered a seven-day booking acting as an assistant to a celebrity she accepts it. However, the booking isn’t in London, it’s on a private yacht in the Mediterranean en route to a tiny Italian island and the glittering Crystal Ball, along with the world’s rich and famous. When Fran is left behind on the island of Panarea she is talked into gate-crashing the ball, where she literally bumps into “All American” guy Evan, who promises to be her guide for the evening, as long as there are no life stories, no last names or personal details. This was like a modern-day retelling of the Cinderella story - an enthralling and captivating grown up fairy tale. I loved Fran’s chara...

  It’s 1941 and the bombs are still falling when we return to St Ives to celebrate Christmas with the Cornish Girls. With the war ongoing,  Lily  is feeling anything but festive. That is, until Eva asks if she’ll join her in working at an officers’ convalescent home, lifting her spirits no end. Eva  came to St. Ives to be near the man who almost gave his life to protect hers. But will the wounded pilot ever help to heal himself by opening his heart to love? Rose  suspects the local orphanage is mistreating its charges – and it’s her job to uncover the truth before it’s too late… This is the second time that we meet the Cornish Girls – we first meet them in “Wartime With The Cornish Girls” and it was fantastic to be reunited with them again in this book. If I’m completely honest, it took me a little while to remember who was who, and what their relationships/friendships were with each other but once I did it was another glorious read and lovely and festive...