BOOKSTAGRAM TOUR: Mrs. Papadakis - Florence Wetzel

After five years of married life in a Cretan fishing village—milking goats, sidestepping village gossip, and contending with octopus in her refrigerator—American Carolyn Papadakis starts to wonder if she should return to the US.

An unexpected visitor deepens her doubts, and a new friendship with a pair of traveling hippies draws Carolyn into risky choices. As her marriage teeters on the edge, Carolyn must decide between the life she created and the one she left behind.

Full of humor and heart, Mrs. Papadakis paints a vibrant portrait of village life while exploring identity, belonging, and the challenge of building a life far from home. Perfect for readers drawn to literary fiction, cross-cultural life, and stories of identity and belonging.

 

What did I think?

Having read and enjoyed Aspasia by Florence Wetzel, I was very excited to return to Crete with Mrs. Papadakis and I was not disappointed.  The two books aren't linked (I don't think), other than both being set in Crete, but I did sometimes feel like I recognised some of the characters.

Carolyn feels like she gave up a lot when she moved to Crete to marry Vasilis Papadakis, in fact she has even given up her forename as she is now known as Karolina.  It's no surprise that she wonders whether she did the right thing in leaving her career and life behind in America.  Through Carolyn's feelings of 'The Plunge' and 'The Pang', the reader gets to know Carolyn so well that I felt as if she was an acquaintance of mine.

Florence Wetzel perfectly portrays the culture and people of Crete through her descriptive and evocative writing.  The characters are incredibly well developed, whether they are humans or goats.  It's quite a short book at 240 pages so it's easy to read in one sitting and there's a surprising amount of depth to the storyline to keep the reader invested and entertained.  

Heartfelt, humorous and entertaining, Mrs. Papadakis is a beautifully written and thought-provoking book.  I really enjoyed it and would highly recommend it.

I received a gifted paperback for the Love Books Tours bookstagram tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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BLOG TOUR: Moondance - Diane Chandler

I've made no secret of the fact that I am a huge fan of Blackbird Digital Books and its sister imprint, Nightingale Editions.  Their books are so unique, outstanding and memorable that I know I am guaranteed not just a good book, but I book I will remember and recommend for years to come.  Moondance is certainly one of those books and I am delighted to take part in the blog tour with a review and a giveaway.

This is one book you don't want to miss so make sure you enter the giveaway at the end of my post.

Bittersweet, at times funny, and always emotionally raw, this is by far the most moving and honest novel you'll ever read about IVF and its impact on a marriage.

How can you long for someone who doesn't exist?

Cat has always been in control of her life. Happily married to Dom, but flying high as a political lobbyist, she dismisses his desire to start a family ... until she herself is ready.

But what if it is then too late?

Complex and selfish, intelligent and open, if she is to succeed in having that elusive child, Cat must battle through gruelling fertility treatment and the emotional strain it places on her marriage. By her side, Dom, easygoing and ever the optimist, finds that he too risks being run ragged by their journey.

Both are forced to come to terms with their longing for a baby against the blitz on a relationship tested like never before.

By the winner of The People's Book Prize for Fiction 2016

A rare, raw, engaging fictional account of the traumas of infertility told with frankness and humour.

What did I think?

Moondance is one of those books that you come to the end of and realise that you have just experienced something so very special.  I can tell you now that it will be in my top books of the year.  There is so much emotion within the pages that I often felt so much despair that I could have cried, then something would happen to lift my mood and I would end up wiping away tears of laughter.

Cat and Dom seem like the perfect high flying couple.  They both have good jobs and Cat is so proud of her career that most of her clients were guests at her wedding.  I mean Dom was so selfish for wanting some of his family there when Cat had more clients to invite!  I did actually wonder sometimes as to how matched Cat and Dom really were.  Dom was already in a relationship when Cat first met him.  He was unashamedly drawn to Cat and couldn't get her out of his head.  Surely it's fate and they are meant to be, but fate has dealt a cruel blow when the couple try to conceive to complete their family. 

They are both from very different familial backgrounds.  Dom comes from a loving family where his parents and siblings remain close in adulthood.  Cat, meanwhile, is from a broken family with a mother she barely sees and who she calls 'Lizzie' rather than mum.  Cat is quite close to her brother, Billy, and is a confidante to her niece, Daisy.  It is probably due to her family history that children weren't really on Cat's 'To Do' list but it's always the same old story: wanting something you can't have always makes you want it more.

So the couple turn to IVF with so much hope at the start - Cat has never failed at anything in her life!  As time goes on and each failed procedure takes its toll on their relationship, it isn't long before the fingers of blame are pointed.  You'd think it wouldn't matter who's fault it is, but once that thought is out there, there's no going back.  Every argument, every upsetting moment, out comes the accusation of fault and blame.  Are Cat and Dom strong enough to overcome it all?  I actually felt like I went through the IVF with them, I had hope at the start and then I felt my heart plummet at the same time as Cat realised her procedures had failed.  Diane Chandler has cleverly created some very multi-layered characters -  as each layer is peeled away, I felt my allegiance swing from one to the other.  I made some assumptions from my first impressions and it was fascinating to see how my feelings towards each character changed throughout the book. Everyone seems to be hiding a secret in Moondance; some secrets are funny and some might even be relationship breakers.

Obviously, the thread running throughout the book is the IVF procedure, but there's so much more to Moondance than a couple trying to conceive.  The strong theme for me was family: not the incomplete (in their eyes) family of Cat and Dom, but the family they already have.  Cat has brushed aside some of her family but at difficult times you can always rely on the people who love you.  A strong family is invaluable, they experience every high and low of our lives with us.  Diane Chandler has completely captured the effect of infertility and IVF on every single person in Cat and Dom's life in this honest and candid account.  I think we've probably all been guilty of asking the seemingly innocent question: 'Do you have children?' but you just never know how distressing and devastating the answer to that question might be for some people.

Moondance is an outstanding novel that completely bewitched me from start to finish.  Written so beautifully with such powerful emotions, I really felt as though Diane Chandler had left a piece of her heart within these spellbinding pages.  It's definitely going to be one of my top books of the year and I enjoyed it so much that I plan to read it again.  It's not often that I mark a book for re-reading so that's a Bookmagnet seal of approval right there!  

I chose to read an ARC of this book, all opinions are my own

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Win an ebook of Moondance by entering the giveaway now!  Open internationally, winners will be chosen on 6th November and contacted via email.  Good luck!

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BLOG TOUR: Single by Christmas - Rosa Temple

To celebrate the release of Rosa Temple's second book, Single by Christmas, I have 2 stops on this fabulous blog tour.  My first stop was Tuesday 18th October and you can read my review here, but as an extra special treat Rosa has very kindly allowed me to post an excerpt from Single by Christmas.  Don't miss the giveaway that is running throughout the tour where you can win an e-copy for yourself.

 Single by Christmas by Rosa Temple

Excerpt

You might be wondering what I was doing, sitting in a graveyard at five minutes to midnight on Christmas Eve. And if you guessed gravedigger or graverobber, you’d be wrong. But ask yourself, who sits in a graveyard when it’s cold and out and out spooky unless it’s absolutely critical? The church, where I attend Midnight Mass with my family every year, is just across the way. But sitting on that particular bench just inside the graveyard was absolutely critical.

You see, in the lead up to Christmas I managed to lose something. Well, not something, someone. Charlie; my reason for living, my heart, my soulmate … you get the idea. And before you start crying, don’t worry, he wasn’t buried there. At the time, I wasn’t exactly sure where Charlie was, but he knew I was there. Waiting.

By the stroke of midnight I would have known for sure if I’d truly lost him. I’d asked him to join me and my family for the service. They’d arrived earlier. I smiled and greeted them all – Mum, Dad, big sister, Elise, and her husband and my younger sister, Jo-Jo. They asked where Charlie was and I managed to hide my worst fears and say he’d be along soon, that he was held up. So they just kissed me and piled inside with the rest of the congregation.

My family had been looking forward to seeing Charlie, even more so than they were me. You see, like everyone who meets Charlie, they’d fallen in love with him. Who could blame them? He’s charming, he’s intelligent, he’s sweet, kind, generous. The list could go on. I admit those things weren’t what first attracted me to Charlie. No, the attraction was pure lust and desire. He walked into that New Year’s Eve party the year before and I was stunned into silence. And I’m never silent. Tall, well dressed, mesmerising looks and those dimples that appear every time he smiles, which he does a lot by the way.

And I love Charlie’s family, too. His mum, Leeza, his dad, Don, who Charlie gets his looks and sense of humour from, and his brother. I wasn’t sure Leeza approved of Charlie having a white girlfriend, at first, but I realised that was just paranoia on my part. His family are not like that. His mum, who I grew to admire and love, was just being protective, the way some mothers are.

But, I digress. My family had no idea that I’d seen Charlie twenty-four hours prior to the service and that we’d had a heated argument and that Charlie had practically slammed a door in my face. Minutes before that I’d made a complete and utter fool of myself in front of his wonderful family and he’d walked away with such disgust and disappointment in his face my heart broke in two. He’d closed the door on me but I hadn’t stopped sending begging texts and hysterical voicemails just so he would show up on Christmas Eve – like he’d promised me. I wasn’t expecting a miracle, just praying for one. Because it would have taken a miracle for Charlie to walk towards the church, bypass the tall wooden doors, see me on the bench, push open the graveyard gates and tell me he’d forgiven me.

With everyone nice and warm inside the church, I continued to sit watching puffs of vapour appearing in front of my face from every exhale, brimming with an apology that may never be heard.

You might be saying, “If Charlie’s that wonderful, why couldn’t he just come to the church, it’s Christmas after all?” You have to know, he’d never be that unforgiving without very good reason.

Honestly? It took a whole year of knowing Charlie to finally understand what it is to love someone completely and to be loved the very same way in return and just one month to lose it all.

And this is how … 

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BLOG TOUR: Single by Christmas - Rosa Temple

I can't believe it has been almost a year since I read the fabulous Natalie's Getting Married, so when Rosa Temple asked me if I would like to read her new book she got a massive YES PLEASE!  This is a double whammy of a blog tour as you get to read my review today and then on 26th October you can read an excerpt from the book.  There's also a giveaway running throughout the tour where you can win 1 of 5 ebook copies - Good Luck!

You’ve heard the saying, ‘opposites attract’ haven’t you? Well meet 27 year old Alex Marshall, a party girl with a penchant for free flowing Prosecco, and her devilishly handsome scientist boyfriend, Charlie, who loves jazz and dinner for two.

Alex and Charlie are together for 11 blissful months until Alex goes out of town and does something she will later regret. Was she drunk? You bet. Does she want Charlie to know? Well what do you think?

With the couple about to spend their first Christmas together will Charlie be the forgiving kind or will Alex be Single by Christmas?

This is a feel good, Christmas novel with very few mince pies, not much snow and absolutely no mistletoe – just a couple of best friends, a sociopathic nemesis and a lot of drinking.

What did I think?

I first came across Rosa Temple earlier this year when I read and reviewed Natalie's Getting Married, which I described as 'a surprising little gem of a book'.  I absolutely adore Rosa's writing; when reading her books it feels like you are being welcomed by life-long friends. It's not often that I get hooked on a book outside the crime/thriller genre but the drama of Alex's life certainly had my eyes glued to the page.

Alex Marshall seems to have it all: a handsome boyfriend who thinks the world of her, a couple of very close friends and a career heading in an upward direction.  Alex really doesn't realise how lucky she is and she is so dizzy at times that she can't see how her actions are affecting other people.  She is trying to juggle her boyfriend, her friends and her job and it's only a matter of time before she drops a ball or two.

Alex takes her boyfriend, Charlie, for granted and he always seems to get bumped by Alex's friends or her job.  Charlie has a busy and important job too but he has his priorities in the right order and makes time for Alex and his family.  They just seem to be a bit out of sync and like ships passing in the night, so if Alex isn't careful she will lose Charlie.  I could have shook Alex at times and if I hadn't liked her so much I would have said she was selfish.  She gets offered a job in Edinburgh and just assumes that Charlie will support her and move with her, but she has no idea what is going on in Charlie's personal and professional life.

Edinburgh is another story.  When Alex goes up to look at the Edinburgh office she goes out with some of her potential new workmates. After a few drinks too many, she wakes up the next morning with one of her colleagues.  So she hot-foots it back to London but, as we all know, secrets have a way of coming out however deep you bury them.  As Christmas approaches, will time be called on Alex and Charlie's relationship or will they be kissing under the mistletoe?

Single by Christmas is another fabulous book from Rosa Temple.  I thought I was going to dislike Alex intensely due to her apparent selfishness but she really means no harm; she just can't say no to people (friends, family, Scottish men).  Written in Rosa's inimitable funny, warm and modern style, Single by Christmas is full of misunderstandings, secrets, drama and disaster - a bit like most office Christmas parties.  So curl up on your favourite chair with a hot chocolate and read Single by Christmas, you won't be disappointed.

Many thanks to Rosa Temple for providing an e-book in exchange for an honest review.

My rating:

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About the author

Rosa Temple is a writer of romantic comedies, chick-lit and contemporary romance. To date she has published one novella, Sleeping with Your Best Friend, and her first full length novel, Natalie’s Getting Married, was published on 14^th March 2016.

She has tried her hand at various occupations, from tea lady (albeit for one morning only after being returned to the agency because half an office block suffered caffeine deprivation) to supervising the office running the London Bar Exams.

Rosa is a Londoner born and bred and still resides in West London with ambitions to escape to the country when a suitable country pile becomes available.

In 2014 she was awarded a Distinction in her Creative Writing MA from Brunel University.

Rosa admits to being a reluctant keep fit addict. She owns a yoga mat, a pair of trainers and a spin cycle that gathers dust in the corner of her writing room. She vows that she will run the London Marathon again but has been saying this since her first and only marathon, run in 2010. Hence the trainers.

Having been a ghostwriter for several years, Rosa has written several magazine articles and has penned a multitude of one off novellas and novella length series in the romance genre and in its various sub-genres to include: contemporary romance, historical, adult only, romantic comedies and sweet romances.

Rosa is a member of a writing critique group who meet monthly. This lively and hard working group keep her on her toes as she hones her writing, listening and editing skills.

Rosa’s husband and eldest son are both musicians, her second son swims at a National level for his London team.

Before devoting the majority of her time to her writing of romantic comedies and chick-lit, Rosa was a singer (that’s how she met her husband) and still continues to perform and write songs.

Early reviews show that Natalie’s Getting Married is a favourite of many readers and book bloggers and she follows it with Christmas romantic comedy novel, Single by Christmas, with plans to publish a book series in the very near future.

Rosa loves to chat (about anything really) so follow her on Twitter @RosaT_Author or visit her blog, Rosa Temple Writes, on rosatemplewrites.blogspot.co.uk

Read an excerpt of Natalie’s Getting Married on Goodreads or Facebook

Blog – Rosa Temple Writes: http://rosatemplewrites.blogspot.co.uk/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RosaT_Author

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14071311.Rosa_Temple

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01LY2MLIH

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LY2MLIH

Google+ : google.com/

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Career Girls - Louise Bagshawe

All's fair in love and war?  Blonde, beautiful, upper-class Rowena Gordon is the perfect English rose.  Topaz Rossi is a feisty, Italian-American red-head from Brooklyn.  Both are determined and talented.  And there's nothing they wouldn't do for each other. Until Rowena hooks up with Topaz's boyfriend.  Now, years later, they are star career girls at the top of their game; Topaz in journalism, Rowena in the music industry.  When their paths cross again, Topaz is not about to just forgive and forget.  She'll do everything in her power to shatter Rowena's success.  And Rowena will do anything to stop her...

What did I think?

I was pre-warned that this book was a little steamy and it certainly was!  Sex scenes aside, it was actually a really enjoyable story about two women who used to be friends at university but fell out when Rowena slept with Topaz's boyfriend.  When they both find themselves in New York, whilst trying to climb the career ladder, we find out that Topaz has neither forgiven nor forgotten Rowena and seeks her revenge.

Rowena is a young executive in the music industry, trying to discover bands and make a name for herself.  Topaz is climbing the ladder in magazines and uses her influence to take shots at Rowena every chance she gets.  It was really exciting to see what Topaz would do next and I almost forgot that Rowena was the boyfriend-stealing baddie and started to feel sorry for her.  Then Rowena starts an affair with a married man, making any compassion I felt for her melt away like the ice cubes in my gin and tonic (who am I kidding, I don't water down my drinks).

I wouldn't have the energy to carry a grudge like Topaz, but it certainly made good reading.  As they were mixing in the same social circles, I did wonder if they could ever bury the hatchet and be friends again.  When business eventually throws them together, I couldn't put the book down!

As with other Louise Bagshawe books we are treated to excellent descriptions of items being worn.  This one didn't feel it was advertising as much as Destiny but I still wondered if people in New York walked backwards as their ass always seems to get a mention.

It was a nice few hours of escapism from Louise Bagshawe with the glitz and glamour of New York's social scene and the cut-throat backstabbing of the business world.

My rating:

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