BLOG TOUR: The Italian Job - Kathryn Freeman

I'm a huge Kathryn Freeman fan so I'm delighted to be one of the bloggers opening the Rachels' Random Resources blog tour for The Italian Job.  After you've found out more about the book and read my review below, keep on scrolling for a fab giveaway to win a paperback copy of The Italian Job.

Dream job. Dream house. Fake fiancé.

A year in a gorgeous Italian castle…

When Anna Roberts’ life implodes, an online search leads her to an ad for the ultimate dream job – management of a gorgeous castle on the shores of Lake Como, accommodation included. The only catch? Anna can’t do it alone…

…With the last man on earth she’d choose!

The castle owners will only accept a couple as caretakers, which means Anna needs a man on her arm at the interview. Enter her neighbour, Jake Tucker. Though Anna and Jake have never seen eye-to-eye, Jake’s had a rough few years and an escape to Italy sounds ideal. Yet, when they get the job and jet off, Anna and Jake face an unexpected challenge. Pretending to be a couple is difficult … but pretending the tension simmering between them doesn’t exist is quickly proving impossible!

What did I think?

It always makes me happy when a new Kathryn Freeman book drops on my kindle and I read most of The Italian Job with a huge smile on my face.  It's a little more raunchy than usual, as the sexual tension between the two characters sizzles throughout, but there's no graphic sex scenes.

I just loved the characters of Anna and Jake - they're not your typical girl next door and boy next door as they have always been at loggerheads.  Jake is a bad boy and Anna is a saint, or at least that's how they've always seen each other.  Jake happens to be in the right place at the right time when Anna finds the perfect job to escape her life (and her ex) and the pair find themselves running a castle in Italy.  

Jake would have been the last person I would have asked to help out if I was Anna but she's hardly a big fan of men at the moment so I can see why she'd pick Jake as he can't disappoint her when she doesn't expect anything from him.  He just needs to pretend to be her boyfriend, which isn't as easy as it sounds when they can't stand each other!  Of course, there's no surprises where their storyline goes but I enjoyed it as there are a colourful cast of characters to meet along the way.

Former pharmacist Kathryn should prescribe her novels as a drug-free pick me up; they never fail to put a smile on my face and The Italian Job is no exception.  I enjoyed every minute of my virtual trip to Italy - thank you, Kathryn!

I received a digital ARC to read and review for the blog tour; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the author:

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to write a book. It may have had something to do with my obsession with reading romance. Real life interfered and I headed off in a different direction – into the world of science, becoming a pharmacist before joining the pharmaceutical industry. I did end up writing, but it was about disease and medicines. Decades later, I’m finally doing what I always wanted to do.

With a husband who asks every Valentine's Day whether he has to buy a card (yes, he does), all the romance in my life is in my head. Then again, his unstinting support of my career change proves love isn't always about hearts and flowers - and heroes come in many disguises.

Social Media Links –

Website: http://kathrynfreeman.co.uk

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathrynfreeman

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KathrynFreeman1

Giveaway to Win a PB copy of The Italian Job by Kathryn Freeman (Open INT)

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BLOG TOUR: Ghosts - Dolly Alderton

Nina Dean has arrived at her early thirties as a successful food writer with loving friends and family, plus a new home and neighbourhood. When she meets Max, a beguiling romantic hero who tells her on date one that he's going to marry her, it feels like all is going to plan.

A new relationship couldn't have come at a better time - her thirties have not been the liberating, uncomplicated experience she was sold. Everywhere she turns, she is reminded of time passing and opportunities dwindling. Friendships are fading, ex-boyfriends are moving on and, worse, everyone's moving to the suburbs. There's no solace to be found in her family, with a mum who's caught in a baffling mid-life makeover and a beloved dad who is vanishing in slow-motion into dementia.

Dolly Alderton's debut novel is funny and tender, filled with whip-smart observations about relationships, family, memory, and how we live now.

What did I think?

I was looking for something light to read and decided on Ghosts by Dolly Alderton, expecting a light-hearted and funny dating style rom-com.  Whilst it is partly a rom-com, it's certainly much more than that and I found it surprisingly more poignant and heart-wrenching than funny.

Apart from her day job of food writer, Nina Dean has two main parts to play in Ghosts: girlfriend and daughter.  As (potential) girlfriend we see her negotiating through the tricky minefield of online dating then choosing a man who seems too good to be true.  As if new relationships weren't difficult enough, Nina's dad is showing the first signs of dementia and her mum is going through some kind of identity crisis.  Nina certainly has a lot of balls to juggle.

There are so many things that I liked about Nina; her size 11 size (having been an annoying size 13 in my past), her middle name of George (after George Michael) and her friendship with her ex-boyfriend Joe to name but a few.  I really liked how The Edge of Heaven by Wham was woven into the story and resulted in one or two surprises for the characters.  I defy anyone not to sing the opening 'Yeah yeah yeah' to themselves while reading Ghosts but I had absolutely no idea what the song was about until now.  Yikes!  

Nina's burgeoning relationship with Max made me want to reach into the book and tell Nina to run away very fast.  There must be something in our DNA that makes a woman go all weak in the knees when a man says he wants to marry her, even on a first date.  There would be scorch marks on the floor and a puff of smoke in his place if a woman said that to a man when they first met.  It's all part of the dating game, a game for two players but only one of them knows the rules.

Although it wasn't the laugh out loud book I was expecting, Ghosts is a very enjoyable read; it's honest, heartfelt and surprisingly poignant.

I received an ARC from the publisher to read and review for the blog tour; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

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Ghosts - Dolly Alderton

 

Nina Dean has arrived at her early thirties as a successful food writer with loving friends and family, plus a new home and neighbourhood. When she meets Max, a beguiling romantic hero who tells her on date one that he's going to marry her, it feels like all is going to plan.

A new relationship couldn't have come at a better time - her thirties have not been the liberating, uncomplicated experience she was sold. Everywhere she turns, she is reminded of time passing and opportunities dwindling. Friendships are fading, ex-boyfriends are moving on and, worse, everyone's moving to the suburbs. There's no solace to be found in her family, with a mum who's caught in a baffling mid-life makeover and a beloved dad who is vanishing in slow-motion into dementia.

Dolly Alderton's debut novel is funny and tender, filled with whip-smart observations about relationships, family, memory, and how we live now.

What did I think?

I was looking for something light to read and decided on Ghosts by Dolly Alderton, expecting a light-hearted and funny dating style rom-com.  Whilst it is partly a rom-com, it's certainly much more than that and I found it surprisingly more poignant and heart-wrenching than funny.

Apart from her day job of food writer, Nina Dean has two main parts to play in Ghosts: girlfriend and daughter.  As (potential) girlfriend we see her negotiating through the tricky minefield of online dating then choosing a man who seems too good to be true.  As if new relationships weren't difficult enough, Nina's dad is showing the first signs of dementia and her mum is going through some kind of identity crisis.  Nina certainly has a lot of balls to juggle.

There are so many things that I liked about Nina; her size 11 size (having been an annoying size 13 in my past), her middle name of George (after George Michael) and her friendship with her ex-boyfriend Joe to name but a few.  I really liked how The Edge of Heaven by Wham was woven into the story and resulted in one or two surprises for the characters.  I defy anyone not to sing the opening 'Yeah yeah yeah' to themselves while reading Ghosts but I had absolutely no idea what the song was about until now.  Yikes!  

Nina's burgeoning relationship with Max made me want to reach into the book and tell Nina to run away very fast.  There must be something in our DNA that makes a woman go all weak in the knees when a man says he wants to marry her, even on a first date.  There would be scorch marks on the floor and a puff of smoke in his place if a woman said that to a man when they first met.  It's all part of the dating game, a game for two players but only one of them knows the rules.

Although it wasn't the laugh out loud book I was expecting, Ghosts is a very enjoyable read; it's honest, heartfelt and surprisingly poignant.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an ebook via NetGalley for the purpose of review; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

BLOG TOUR: I Know the Truth - M.A. Comley

From NY Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Justice series, M A Comley, who has sold over three million copies worldwide.

She escaped his clutches.

Now she hides under a new name.

For the past five years, Lucy has lived in fear of her past.

But all that changes when Matthew enters her life.

Is she able to trust another man after...

Should she listen to her head or her heart?

As she fights for her future, someone is lurking in the shadows with their own agenda.

And they will determine whether she lives or dies.  

What did I think?

I've had M.A. Comley on my radar for a while now but she's written so many amazing books that I didn't know where to start.  So with her latest novel , I Know the Truth, being a standalone psychological thriller I was very excited to get my hands on a copy.

Lucy is a great main character; she's very careful with money and men so it's quite out of character for her to meet a man on her night out with her best friend, Trisha.  There's something about Matthew that just clicks with Lucy, but she's understandably nervous about starting a new relationship.  Although I found it a bit odd that Lucy was so trusting of a man she had just met, especially with her history, Matthew puts her at ease and things go swimmingly until she meets his family.  If I was Lucy, I would have run a mile if my boyfriend had brought a member of his family on our second date, but Lucy thinks Matthew is worth it.  The story is written with so much menace, that I just hoped she was right.

The storyline is very intriguing and held my interest, although it did take me a few chapters to get into the rhythm of the book as the prose is quite heavily conversation based.  As the threats and danger increase, Lucy's fairytale turns into a nightmare.  Only Trisha knows Lucy's past so my mind was whirring nineteen to the dozen as I tried to work out who was threatening Lucy.  It was clearly someone who would go to any lengths to ruin Lucy's life and I had my suspicions who it was, but of course I was wrong!  

Fast-paced and fraught with danger, I Know the Truth is a pulse-rocketing psychological thriller.  I'm definitely going to be adding more M.A. Comley books to my ever-expanding TBR pile.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon




About the author

M A Comley is a KINDLE UNLIMITED ALL-STAR author as well as being a New York Times, USA Today, Amazon Top 20 bestselling author, she has topped the book charts on iBooks as a top 5 bestselling and reached #2 bestselling author on Barnes and Noble. Over two and a half million copies sold world wide. She’s a British author who moved to France in 2002, and that’s when she turned her hobby into a career. 

When she’s not writing crime novels as well as caring for her elderly mother, she’s either reading or going on long walks with her rescue pup Labrador, Dex.

Here is a list of her books, Cruel Justice, Impeding Justice, Final Justice, Foul Justice, Guaranteed Justice, Ultimate Justice, Virtual Justice, Hostile Justice, Tortured Justice, Rough Justice, Dubious Justice, Calculated Justice, Twisted Justice, Prime Justice, Heroic Justice, Shameful Justice, Immoral Justice and Overdue Justice. There are several novellas and short stories in the series too.

No Right To Kill, Killer Blow, The Dead Can’t Speak, Deluded and The Murder Pact in the DI Sara Ramsey series. 

Her other successful series are: The DI Sally Parker thriller series, which includes WRONG PLACE, NO HIDING PLACE, COLD CASE, Deadly encounter and Lost Innocence

The DI Kayli Bright Trilogy – The Missing Children, Killer on the Run, Hidden Agenda, Murderous Betrayal and Dying Breath. 

The Hero series, TORN APART, END RESULT, IN PLAIN SIGHT, DOUBLE JEOPARDY and CRIMINAL ACTIONS.

There are three books in the Intention series, Sole Intention, Grave Intention and Devious Intention.

Plus a couple of standalone novels – EVIL IN DISGUISE and FOREVER WATCHING YOU.

She has also penned a cozy mystery Private Investigator series – Murder at the Wedding, Murder at the Hotel and Murder by the Sea.

As well as co-authoring the Deception Series co-authored by fellow NY Times bestselling author, Linda S Prather Clever Deception, Tragic Deception and Sinful Deception.

You can follow M A Comley via:-

Twitter: @ComleyMel

Blog: http://melcomley.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://smarturl.it/sps7jh

Newsletter: http://smarturl.it/8jtcvv

BookBub: www.bookbub.com/authors/m-a-comley

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BLOG TOUR: The EX-Girlfriend - Nicola Moriarty

SHE WANTS HIM BACK. SHE WANTS YOU GONE. 

Luke is the one. After everything she's been through, Georgia knows she deserves someone like him, to make her feel loved. Safe. 

The only problem is his ex-girlfriend. Luke says Cadence is having trouble accepting their break-up, but Georgia thinks there's more to the story. She has the feeling someone is watching her. 

So when everything starts to go wrong at work, at home, in her old friendships and her happy new relationship with Luke, Georgia starts to feel afraid. 

It's becoming clear Cadence wants what she has. But how far will she go to get it? 

What did I think?

I've been meaning to read a Nicola Moriarty book for a while and The EX-Girlfriend sounded so good that it jumped right to the top of my Nicola Moriarty queue.  It's fast paced and a really easy read that is impossible to put down so I found that I raced through it in two sittings; it would have been one sitting but, rather disappointingly, I had to put it down so I could go to sleep when I was 75% through.

The prologue is entitled 'The Elevator' and it sent shivers down my spine; there's nothing worse than being in an enclosed box with someone you don't want to be in close contact with.  It could be quite innocuous but there is just something so menacing about it and that's before we even get to know the characters of Georgia and Cadence.

I really liked the character of Georgia; the youngest and only girl in a family of boys.  Although she may have been taunted and teased by her brothers when they were all growing up, I had no doubt that they would look out for her and never more so than when she brings her new man, Luke, to her brother's wedding.  The way she met Luke was rather fortuitous as she had been stood up on a Tinder date.  Georgia was just about to leave the bar when she got hassled by some beefy blokes and Luke rode in on his white horse to come to her rescue.  Fate does seem to work in mysterious ways and Georgia happily exchanged numbers with Luke.  She later finds out that Luke comes with a lot of baggage, namely his ex-girlfriend Cadence.

By the end of Chapter Two my bullshit-o-meter was going absolutely haywire.  Maybe I'm just old and sceptical but, apart from his ex-girlfriend issue, Luke seemed too good to be true.  Meanwhile, Cadence sets out on a campaign to get Luke back by stalking Georgia.  This really was very frightening and it just shows how easy it actually is to stalk people these days thanks to Social Media.  I always cringe when people 'check in' to places, sharing every minutiae of their life and not realising that they're leaving themselves wide open and vulnerable.  Georgia didn't seem to be able to go anywhere without Cadence's eyes on her and I really started to worry about how far this would go when it seemed like Cadence not only wanted Luke back, but she wanted to ruin Georgia's life in the process.

Gripping, chilling and scarily believable, The EX-Girlfriend is a firecracker of a read; I couldn't put it down.  Even if I had worked some of it out (and I'm not saying whether I had or not), it didn't spoil my enjoyment one bit and I was immensely satisfied at the girl-power ending.  Nicola Moriarty has definitely earned the full five stars for this The EX-Girlfriend and I'm even more excited to read her other books now.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon




About the author:

Nicola Moriarty is a novelist, copywriter and mum to two small (but remarkably strong-willed) daughters. In between various career changes, becoming a mum and studying at university, she began to write. Now, she can't seem to stop. The Fifth Letter was her UK debut novel, followed by Those Other Women. 

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BLOG TOUR: Ghoster - Jason Arnopp

Kate Collins has been ghosted.

She was supposed to be moving in with her new boyfriend Scott, but all she finds after relocating to Brighton is an empty flat. Scott has vanished. His possessions have all disappeared.

Except for his mobile phone.

Kate knows she shouldn't hack into Scott's phone. She shouldn't look at his Tinder, his calls, his social media. But she can't quite help herself.

That's when the trouble starts. Strange, whispering phone calls from numbers she doesn't recognise. Scratch marks on the walls that she can't explain.

And the growing feeling that she's being watched . . .

What did I think?

Holy Ghoster, Batman!  What have I just read?  Ghoster is not at all what I expected it to be but I absolutely loved it.  Jason Arnopp has written such a highly original creepfest that it melted my brain and blew my mind.  Prepare to be gobsmacked when you pick up a copy of Ghoster; also clear your schedule as you'll not be able to put it down.

Oh Kate Collins, where do I start?  She needs a good talking to after deciding to move in with a guy she met only 3 months ago, not only that, it involves her relocating from Leeds to Brighton, and not only that again, she met him on a digital detox retreat after Super Liking him on Tinder.  Coincidence?  I don't think so, Kate!  This was a car crash waiting to happen and I wasn't wrong, just not in the way I thought.

When Kate turns up in Brighton, with all her worldly belongings, Scott's flat is empty and there's no sign of him.  As a paramedic, she's used to gaining entrance to homes in an emergency and suddenly finding herself homeless in a strange town certainly counts as an emergency.  When she gets into Scott's flat the only thing left to show he was ever there is his mobile phone and a creepy face drawn on the glass of the balcony door.  This throws Kate into even more turmoil as she has gone cold turkey on social media and smart phones since her obsession with looking at her phone caused an accident at work.  Just picking up Scott's phone is like holding a cigarette to your lips after you've given up smoking.  It's something Kate must do if she wants to find answers to why Scott disappeared but she must control her addiction before she loses herself again.

As scary as the story is in Ghoster, it has a more frightening underlying message: mobile phones can kill.  It's good to be reminded of this as we've all heard the horror stories of fatal car accidents due to somebody texting or checking their phone, but this was a more sobering smack in the face of accidents that can be caused by the actions of a mobile phone user anytime, anywhere, anyplace.  You can't go anywhere now without seeing people walking around with their heads down looking at their phones and it doesn't stop there as chances are that conversation at home is lost to the digital device to which their eyes are glued.  Ghoster definitely gave me food for thought regarding my own mobile phone usage and I think switching my phone off, although difficult to do, would be a great way to have some distraction free time to do more reading.

Ghoster is very original, current and creepy as hell; with the dramatic disappearance being a massively intriguing hook, I simply couldn't put it down.  You need to have an open mind to enjoy this multi-dimensional out of this world thriller; even if you expect the unexpected, it will still blow your mind.  Ghoster is an outstanding book; I absolutely loved it!

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon




About the author:

Jason Arnopp is the author of the new Orbit Books novel Ghoster, which Barnes & Noble's SFF blog has said, "just might qualify as the first true horror novel of the 21st Century." The Three author Sarah Lotz calls it, "a fiendishly smart exploration of obsession and social media addiction", while Cross Her Heat author Sarah Pinborough reckons it's, "twisty, creepy and utterly absorbing."

Arnopp's previous novel was The Last Days Of Jack Sparks (2016), which has been described as "a magnificent millennial nightmare" (Alan Moore), "scarier than watching The Exorcist in an abandoned asylum" (Sarah Lotz) and "The Omen for the social media age" (Christopher Brookmyre). Director Ron Howard (Apollo 13, Frost/Nixon, The Da Vinci Code) optioned the film rights shortly after the book's 2016 release.

Arnopp co-wrote the official behind-the-scenes book Inside Black Mirror with Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones.

Check out his four shorter-form fiction titles:

-- Beast In The Basement, a suspenseful, mind-blowing thriller novella

-- A Sincere Warning About The Entity In Your Home, a chilling and groundbreaking short story set in YOUR home

-- Auto Rewind, a dark, emotionally charged thriller novelette

-- American Hoarder, a supernatural creep-fest available only when you join the author's free mailing list at JasonArnopp.com

Arnopp previously wrote and executive-produced the Lionsgate feature film Stormhouse and script-edited the Peter Mullan feature The Man Inside. He has also written for the worlds of Doctor Who (BBC), The Sarah Jane Adventures (BBC) and Friday The 13th (New Line Cinema).

In his past life as a rock journalist, he interviewed the likes of Bon Jovi, Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne and Guns N' Roses. He was once surrounded by angry guards holding semi-automatic weapons at The Vatican. His Slipknot biography, Slipknot: Inside The Sickness, Behind The Masks, was released in 2001 and is now available as a Kindle Edition. Arnopp has also written a guide to journalistic interviewing, entitled How To Interview Doctor Who, Ozzy Osbourne And Everyone Else, which is also out on Kindle.

Arnopp's latest non-fiction book is From The Front Lines Of Rock. Available in the Kindle Store now, it gathers 30 of his favourite nterviews he wrote as a rock journalist, with the likes of Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Iron Maiden, Korn, Kiss, Faith No More, Garbage, Nine Inch Nails and Green Day.

When you sign up for Arnopp's free newsletter at JasonArnopp.com, you can also download his short story American Hoarder for free. You might also want to check out his YouTube channel by searching for his name there. What a wonderful world.

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Practising for Christmas - Rachael Richey

A remote coastal cottage; a group of old friends; the Christmas holidays. It's just the break Olivia needs to help her relax and forget her worries. What could be more perfect? But that was before she found a handsome unconscious stranger on the beach. Add in a case of mistaken identity, a lot of kissing practice, and an inquisitive best friend, and things begin to get more than a little complicated. 

The large bump on Adam's head hurts, but he refuses to go to the hospital—or back home—and eventually accepts Olivia's offer of hospitality. When her friends arrive the following morning, a chance remark catapults them both into a bizarre and amusing situation that promises to make it a Christmas to remember.

What did I think?

I don't read a lot of chicklit these days but there are certain authors I make an exception for and Rachael Richey is one of them.  As it's the 1st of December, I find it rather fitting to start the advent period with a review of a Christmas themed book.

Olivia had planned the perfect getaway for the Christmas break: a cottage by the sea with her new boyfriend and best friends.  Only she broke up with her boyfriend and she's dreading being alone at Christmas when her friends might think she made her boyfriend up in the first place.  Olivia arrives at the cottage a few days early to get it ready for her guests and happens upon an unconscious man when walking on the beach one day.  With a cut on his head, Olivia takes Adam back to the cottage to tend to his wounds and I could feel the air positively FIZZING with sexual tension.

Despite her worries that he could be an axe murderer, Olivia offers Adam her couch for the night so she can keep an eye on his head wound.  He's just about to leave when one of Olivia's friends arrive and presume he is Olivia's boyfriend, as she hadn't told them that they had broke up.  Adam sees it as a bit of fun to go along with the ruse but there's nothing fake when he kisses Olivia - oh boy!  Of course, things are never perfect and Adam has some secrets of his own...but if Adam and Olivia are meant to be, fate will find a way.

I absolutely adore Rachael's Richey's books and her amazing ability to sweep me away with her gorgeous storylines; for anyone who believes in fate and believes that one day her prince will come, you will LOVE this book.  It's not all sugar-coated and feel-good as there's a good dollop of real life hurt and disappointment in there, but I always know that I'm going to finish one of Rachael Richey's books with a smile on my face.

Practising for Christmas is a fabulous feel-good festive frolic and the perfect book to curl up with by the fire on a dark wintery night.  So whip up a hot chocolate and allow Rachael Richey to warm the cockles of your heart with this seaside Christmas treat.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

BLOG TOUR: The Importance of Being Aisling - Emer McLysaght & Sarah Breen

Meet Aisling.

She's a country girl learning to love the city sophistication of unlimited Pinot Greej and brunch, though smashed avocado still mystifies her. She can plan anything, from Secret Santa for her ungrateful colleagues to a hen party for not one but two brides.

But even Aisling is thrown off course when her job and relationship suddenly go up in smoke.

Life in the city was supposed to be glamorous and grown-up, but all at once she's heading home to live with her mother. (Not without a detour to Vegas first - she's unemployed and single, not dead.)

But between making new friends and rivals, and finding her eye caught by a very handsome but very unavailable new man, going home is full of surprises. Could small town life actually hold the answers Aisling is missing?

What did I think?

I am delighted to see that Aisling (pronounced ASH-ling) is back in this fabulous sequel to Oh My God, What a Complete Aisling.  Some things could only happen to Aisling so prepare to gasp and giggle as this latest instalment of her life plays out.

I really felt that Aisling grew up in this book.  She has to cope with life after Daddy, in addition to being made redundant and breaking up with her long time boyfriend, John.  Only Aisling could do it in such style as she goes on an absolutely hilarious girly trip to Las Vegas before figuring out what she wants to do with her life.  Moving back in with Mammy and endless cups of tea gives her the chance to take stock of her life.  As she emerges from her chrysalis like a beautiful butterfly, she spreads her wings and takes on the world...with a little help from her friends.

This book is written with such spirit by Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen that it virtually speaks to you.  I could hear Aisling's voice as clear as a bell and feel like I know her as well as I know my friends.  In fact, I care so much about her that I feel as if she is one of my friends.  This colourful character of Aisling is destined to appear on our TV screens and it would be an absolute travesty if it is not picked up by a producer.  Think Sex and the City goes to Ireland and it's comedy gold.

Both hilarious and heart-warming, your life will feel so much brighter after another instalment of Aisling in The Importance of Being Aisling.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon



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BLOG TOUR: Bad (Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know Trilogy) - Chloé Esposito

She stole the life she wanted. Now someone wants to steal it back . . . 

Alvie Knightly may be waking up in the Ritz, but her life is no bed of roses.

Firstly, she has the mother of all hangovers.

Secondly, her beautiful, spoiled twin sister Beth has just been found dead in Sicily - and the police want Alvie for questioning.

And thirdly, Alvie's hot new boyfriend has vanished with every penny of the millions they stole from Beth.

But he picked the wrong girl to mess with.

Alvie will pursue her ex to Rome in a game of cat and mouse that only one of them can survive.

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned . . .

But can Alvie get revenge before her crimes catch up with her? 

What did I think?

If I had known that this was the second book in a trilogy, I wouldn't have picked it up but thank goodness I didn't realise this because I have never had as much fun reading a book in all my life.  I think I laughed most of the way through it, often sniggering like a schoolgirl and noting down some of the hilarious names that Alvie calls her boyfriend.  So, as I enjoyed it so much, you clearly can read this book as a standalone and I never felt at a disadvantage at all as there is a quick recap of what happened in the first book to fill in all of the blanks for readers jumping in at book two.

Alvie Knightly is on the run after the suspicious death of her sister, Betta, so she has a really great idea to steal her twin sister's identity.  The police aren't looking for a dead woman, are they?  After getting double crossed by her boyfriend, Nino, Alvie vows revenge and tracks him to Rome - it's fortunate that she installed that tracker on his phone, isn't it?  The scrapes that Alvie gets into along the way had me roaring with laughter and I'm even tittering away now as I think of them.  She is one crazy woman and she's not afraid to go after what she wants...and snatch it from whoever has it, like a spoilt child.

I'm not going to mention the hilarious things that happen, but I have to say that Alvie's decision to get a tattoo and the subsequent inking was one of the funniest things I have ever read.  Whilst a lot of the book is funny, it is also often quite steamy and the sex scenes were a little descriptive for my delicate disposition.  It's par for the course in this type of book so it's to be expected and Alvie is such an extreme character that you never know what, or who, she's going to do next.  There's a lot more to this book than the steamy scenes so I'm loathe to call it 'trashy', however, my fairy godsister loves a trashy novel and I think she will absolutely love this; I'll be passing my copy her way to see what she thinks of it.

Alvie's crime capers almost have a slapstick feel to them which lulled me into a false sense of security, so I got quite a rude awakening at the end...which leads nicely on to book 3.  I'm definitely going to pick up the first book in the series, Mad, to see exactly what Alvie got up to in Sicily and I'm looking forward to reading the final book in the trilogy, Dangerous to Know, when it is released in October.

Full of side-splitting hilarity, Bad is the perfect book to take on holiday this year but be prepared for some funny looks as you won't be able to contain your laughter!  

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon


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Guilt - Amanda Robson

Your sister. Her secret. The betrayal.

There is no bond greater than blood . . .

When the body of a woman is found stabbed to death, the blame falls to her twin sister. But who killed who? And which one is now the woman behind bars?

Zara and Miranda have always supported each other. But then Zara meets Seb, and everything changes. Handsome, charismatic and dangerous, Seb threatens to tear the sisters’ lives apart – but is he really the one to blame? Or are deeper resentments simmering beneath the surface that the sisters must face up to?

As the sisters’ relationship is stretched to the brink, a traumatic incident in Seb’s past begins to rear its head and soon all three are locked in a psychological battle that will leave someone dead. The question is, who?

What did I think?

Short, punchy chapters make Guilt a rocket-fuelled read.  One sister is dead and one is in jail, but which is which?  I changed my mind SO many times, so I can either say I was right or wrong, but one thing I'm sure about is that I was thoroughly entertained whilst reading Guilt.

The bright cover caught my eye and, having seen lots of chat on social media, I snapped up a copy when I saw an ebook in my local library.  This is the sort of book you would pick up on a weekend and never put down, however, I chose this as my 'day' book so I read it over the course of 3 days.  It is so cleverly written that you don't know whose voice you are listening to in the present as you investigate the past.  

Zara and Miranda are two sisters who were so close that they lived together.  Miranda has always felt as if she had to look after Zara, for reasons that become clear when you start reading the book, but now Zara has found Seb she doesn't need Miranda so much.  Seb seems to be the perfect boyfriend for Zara on the outside but inside he is dark and twisted and is determined to tear the sisters apart forever.  Why would he do this?  How would he even manage to come between two very close sisters?  All this and more are answered in Guilt.

I absolutely loved Guilt; it is just the sort of book you need now and again to reinvigorate your reading mojo; the type of book to get your heart racing and your eyes greedily devouring every last word.  I do have a copy of Amanda Robson's debut, Obsession, in my own library so I definitely plan to read that soon.

Guilt is a fast-paced, thrilling and compulsive read that had my heart pounding and my brain twisting; Amanda Robson has definitely secured a top spot in the psychological thriller genre with Guilt.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon