Showing posts with label pregnant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pregnant. Show all posts

Tuesday, 29 September 2026

BLOG TOUR: You Too (The Millingham Series book 3) - Katharine Light


Anna has finally got what she longed for.

After years of focusing on her career—ignoring the quiet, insistent need for a child—a chance encounter with Rob led to an arrangement that changed everything.

Now she’s pregnant.

But nothing about what comes next is simple. This was never meant to be a relationship. As her pregnancy becomes more difficult, Anna retreats, unwilling to face Rob, or the feelings she can no longer ignore.

Because wanting a baby was one thing. Letting someone in is something else entirely.

Rob always knew their arrangement had limits. He didn’t expect Anna would quickly become the one person he can’t walk away from.

Now, both must decide what they’re willing to fight for. Can they overcome the complications of their own backgrounds and truly build a family together?

Or was their connection never meant to last?

 
What did I think?

You Too is book three in the Millingham series but it can definitely be read as a standalone.  I read book one, Like Me and seem to have missed book two, Me Too but I didn't feel disadvantaged at all as each book focusses on a particular pair of characters.  This is Anna and Rob's story.

Anna has always longed to be a mother but events in her past have caused Anna to protect her frozen heart by not fully committing to relationships.  It might be a problem to get pregnant then!  Enter old schoolfriend Rob, who has always had a thing for Anna, and he agrees to grant Anna's wish.

You hear of women blooming when pregnant but Anna is an older mum and her morning sickness is vicious.  I really liked how Katharine Light wrote about Anna's condition as I think morning sickness isn't treated as anything other than a mild inconvenience so it's good for women to watch out for any warning signs that things might not be quite right.  It's not a spoiler about anything going wrong with Anna's pregnancy, but rather a reminder that women shouldn't suffer in silence.

At the heart of the story is a lovely romance between Anna and Rob.  Rob knew what he signed up for at the beginning but he wants more now and Anna is playing her cards very close to her chest; she doesn't want that frozen heart to melt, after all.  It just shows that you do need to take a risk sometimes and you can never really know what someone is thinking or feeling until you ask them.

Warm, poignant and heartwarming, You Too is a gentle read with thought-provoking issues that are very true to life.  It's easy to read and well worth picking up.

I received a gifted paperback for the Rachel's Random Resources blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Purchase link: Amazon




About the author:

Katharine Light was born in Glasgow and lived there until her family moved to Manchester when she was ten. While in her teens, she began writing stories for her younger sister Emma. These mostly centred around a naïve heroine and a 1980s pop star (some would say the hero was modelled on John Taylor of Duran Duran).

She did a degree in psychology at University College London, and after a year travelling, worked in corporate film production for several years, before taking a break to raise her children. 

For many years she wrote mainly during the holidays, around her busy work for a local church.

Her first novel Like Me, published in 2023, was shortlisted for The Selfies Book Awards 2024. Her short story My arms are empty which is based on an episode from her second novel Me Too recently won the City University competition City Writes. 

She is a director of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, with responsibility for organising their conferences, gatherings and awards ceremonies. 

Katharine lives in London with her husband and quite often at least one of their adult children. She loves singing, walking, painting, looking at art, and going to the theatre.

Social Media Links – 
Instagram/Threads – katharinelightwrites1 




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Tuesday, 14 April 2026

Erased - Miha Mazzini


She Doesn't Exist.

Neither Does Her Baby.

Now What?

When a “software error” erases Zala from the system, she discovers that officially, she and her newborn don’t exist.

As Zala fights desperately to prove her existence, and save her child from adoption, she uncovers the Kafkaesque reality of Slovenia’s system — one that erased 25,671 citizens on February 26, 1992.

A chilling thriller about bureaucracy as violence, and one mother’s battle against the state. 


What did I think?

Oh my word, Erased by Miha Mazzini is an emotional and heartrending book that is astonishingly based on real events.  It just blew my mind that this could happen but also reminded me how easy it is to press the delete button on a keyboard.  I thought identity theft was scary but deletion of identity is even worse!  This isn't an imaginative dystopian novel; this deletion actually happened in Slovenia in 1992. Wow!

Zala is about to give birth to her first child so she attends her local hospital, only to be told that she doesn't exist on the computer system.  She is accused of being an illegal immigrant and presented with a bill for her hospital stay, oh and the hospital is keeping her baby.  I can only imagine what Zala felt like and I had feelings of shock, outrage and devastation as I followed every step of her journey as she fights for her baby and her identity.

It's an incredibly emotional read as I really felt for Zala as she is on her own.  She is a very strong character though and there's nothing more powerful than a mother fighting for her child.  Miha Mazzini's evocative writing brings Zala to life so the reader can't help but take her to their heart.  I actually forgot that it was a translated novel when I was reading it so I have to give a shout out to the impeccable translation by Gregor Timothy Čeh.

Shocking, disturbing and harrowing, Erased is a poignant and thought-provoking novel that really makes you think about your own electronic identity and how easily it could be erased.  I would highly recommend this outstanding book to readers of all genres.

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

My rating:

Buy it from:
Fly on the Wall Press (use code BOOKMAGNET10 for 10% off)

Saturday, 6 December 2025

BLOG TOUR: A Family Affair - Joy Wood


Odele Gardia . . . married to wealthy businessman Howard, is the hard-nosed matriarch of the family and will stop at nothing to achieve her goals. She’s ruthless in the boardroom and not afraid to lean on adversaries. 

Sebastian Gardia . . . Odele’s brother and business partner. His wife, Freya, reveals that she is pregnant with their first child.

Elliot . . . the prodigal son, is returning from America with his girlfriend, intending to propose to her.

Business is booming, her brother is going to become a father, and her son is coming home – it’s surely a time to celebrate. But Odele is hiding a huge secret and is constantly looking over her shoulder. If the secret came out, it would destroy the family.

Jimmy Alder . . . booted out of the police force, has been paid to spy on the family. The discovery he makes could have catastrophic consequences for them all.

A dysfunctional family, protectors of their power, wealth and each other, have no warning of the revelations about to erupt and the cost to their dynasty.
 

What did I think?

Oh my word, what an absolute belter of a book this is.  I couldn't put it down and loved every single minute of it.  The Gardia family make the Ewings look like a functional family and J.R. Ewing is a teddy bear compared to Odele Gardia.

Talk about a dysfunctional family - the Gardias are toxic.  Odele and Seb run a business together and whilst their business might be successful, their personal lives are about to implode.  I felt really sorry for their partners, especially Seb's wife Freya who should be on cloud nine after discovering that she is finally pregnant but her short-lived happiness is about to take a nosedive.

What a tangled web of secrets and lies Joy Wood has skilfully weaved for her readers.  There are so many secrets and reveals that I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to discover them all.  A few I suspected but I was shocked and surprised by a lot of them.

Filled with secrets and lies, A Family Affair is a gripping, compelling and unputdownable novel.  It's the first book that I have read by Joy Wood and I will definitely be adding more of her books to my TBR based on the strength of A Family Affair.  Very highly recommended.

I received a gifted paperback from the author to read and review for the Rachel's Random Resources blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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About the author:

Joy Wood has worked as a nurse most of her adult life and turned to writing to ‘see if she could.’ Her earlier work was adult romance and intrigue, but more recently she has switched genres to crime with a romance element which has paid off. In May of 2025, Joy was the fortunate recipient of the RNA award in the crime fiction category for her book Whatever It Takes. Joy lives in the small but charming seaside town of Cleethorpes in North East Lincolnshire and her writing ideas come from watching the tide turn daily, of course with the obligatory ice-cream – someone has to support the local economy!

Social Media Links – 
Instagram: @joywoodauthor




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Friday, 28 November 2025

The Water That May Come - Amy Lilwall


As rising seas threaten to engulf Britain, four lives are on the brink: Pinko, a privileged heir clinging to decadence; Jane, a working-class veterinary nurse racing to reunite her family; her pregnant teenage daughter Ashleigh, grappling with impending motherhood; and humble young artist Gavin. With sanctuary beckoning across the Channel, each faces impossible choices. Who will they save? What will they sacrifice?

A lyrical, thought-provoking novel which blurs borders and challenges notions of identity and belonging. In a future where we all may become refugees, it asks: how far would you go to stay afloat? 


What did I think?

I. Am. Broken.  What an outstanding novel!  I didn't expect The Water That May Come to break my heart as much as it did but it really affected me and I have to admit that I may have shed a tear or two.

The timeline in the book ebbs and flows like the tide as the past is gradually revealed.  It is so incredibly thought-provoking and really made me think about the consequences of your actions, however small, causing ripples across time.  It's very much a sliding doors moment where things could have been completely different if only...

It is so beautifully written by Amy Lilwall with tension and suspense of the possible flood weaving through the prose as people try to flee to safety.  The four main characters all have contrasting circumstances and views but they are linked together by fate.  It made me wonder what I would do in the same situation and also made me consider refugees of today who leave their homeland in search of a better and safer life.

I went into The Water That May Come expecting a speculative, dystopian cli-fi thriller but it is so much more than that.  My heart was pounding so much it's no wonder that it eventually broke and I was absolutely devastated at a particularly poignant moment.  I'm feeling upset just thinking about it now; thar's how much the beautiful, evocative writing affected me.

Unputdownable and unforgettable, The Water That May Come is one of the most addictive books I've read this year.  A very highly recommended and unmissable read.  An easy five stars!

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

My rating:

Buy it from:
Fly on the Wall Press (use code BOOKMAGNET10 for 10% off)

Monday, 28 July 2025

Margo's Got Money Troubles - Rufi Thorpe


Margo Millet's got money troubles. As the child of a Hooter's waitress and an ex-Pro-Wrestler, she's always known she'd have to make it on her own. When she finds herself pregnant by her college professor - who is very keen not to be involved - she realizes she will need cash fast.

At twenty, alone with a baby, what Margo lacks in options she makes up for in ingenuity, and soon she has a plan: she'll start an OnlyFans as an experiment, producing content and writing storylines unlike anything else out there. Help arrives in the form of her live-action role-playing flatmate Suzie, and her father, Jinx - a recovering addict and veteran of the wrestling world, who has experience of making an audience fall in love.

Before she knows it, Margo is an online phenomenon. Could this be the answer to all of Margo's problems, or does internet fame come with too high a price?
 

What did I think?

I don't listen to a lot of audiobooks as I find it hard to concentrate on them but I was completely riveted by Margo's story in Margo's Got Money Troubles.  Elle Fanning's narration is flawless as she brings Margo to life and draws the listener into the story.  Elle is also set to play Margo in the upcoming TV series and I can't wait to watch it.

I really liked Margo; she is intelligent, sharp and caring in spite of her upbringing.  Her mother, Shayanne, is a Hooter's waitress with a gambling addiction and her father, Jinx, is an ex-pro wrestler with a heroin addiction.  It's no surprise that her married college professor, Mark, was able to take advantage of 19-year-old Margo and leave her pregnant, wanting nothing to do with the baby.

Margo has to come up with a plan to provide for her baby and it's actually rather ingenious, although her parents (who aren't together) are divided in their opinion of the suitability of Margo's job.  Then Mark finds out what Margo is doing and sues her for custody of Bodhi...

The story is both hilarious and heartbreaking as Margo is constantly questioned about her suitability as a mother.  Although it takes two to tango, I was so angry with Mark for wiping his hands of Margo in the first place and then deciding that he would be a better parent.  How dare he!!  Margo's parents have a lot to answer for too as she really needs their support but only one of them is prepared to put themselves out to help her.

There are so many funny moments as well as shocks and surprises that had me exclaiming out loud, so you might get some funny looks if you listen to this in public.  I was totally rooting for Margo from the start and I think she is an amazing woman who has more than her fair share of knocks in her young life but is destined for success and happiness.  Ok, I know she's not real but she sure felt real to me.

I absolutely loved listening to Margo's Got Money Troubles and I would highly recommend it.  This book is going to be huge so make sure you grab a copy and listen to it before the TV series comes out.

I received a gifted copy of the audiobook to listen to for the Adventures With Words listen-along and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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