The Optician's Wife - Betsy Reavley

Can you ever really know someone?

When Deborah, an unpopular seventeen-year-old, meets the charming and handsome Larry, he sweeps her off her feet. The trouble is Larry has a secret.

Then a series of grisly murders cast a shadow over everything.

As Deborah’s world starts to fall apart she begins to suspect the man she loves of a terrible betrayal. And to keep their marriage alive, sacrifices must be made.

A compelling, psychological thriller that unpicks what goes on behind closed doors and reminds us that sometimes the worst crimes can take place closer to home than you think.

What did I think?

Although I have a gargantuan ‘To Be Read’ pile, I just couldn’t resist The Optician’s Wife after seeing lots of excited tweets about it.  So I promptly hot-footed it over to Amazon and picked up a copy from the kindle lending library.  I read it within a few hours as my eyes glued themselves to my kindle (no doubt holding onto the kindle for dear life, in fear of being ripped out).

I did literally read this in one sitting and as I gasped at the ending and finally turned my bedside light out, my eyes remained open, staring at the ceiling.  It took a little while for my heartbeat to get back to normal and I eventually drifted off to the land of nod, dreaming of floating eyeballs and buried bodies (nice).

Deborah, known as 'Dee', has a boring job in Woolworths and heads down to the river at lunchtime every day to eat her prawn sandwich.  One day she meets Larry, an optician, and is amazed that he seems interested in her, in spite of her unattractive Woolworths navy polyester tabard.  I wore exactly the same one when I was a Saturday worker back in the early 90’s, so I know just how sexy they were.

Dee seems a little naïve at first and does whatever Larry tells her to do.  They inevitably get married and have children, then turn into something that wouldn't look out of place on The Jeremy Kyle Show.  The poor children are left to fend for themselves whilst their parents run their dodgy ‘business’ and an abundance of shady characters filter through the house.  Then bodies of people tenuously linked to the couple start turning up in the river with their eyeballs ripped out, leaving the police hunting a suspected serial killer.  As bodies start appearing closer to home, the police move in and the killer has nowhere to hide.

Written at a pace comparable to the speed of light, The Optician’s Wife will either have you up all night reading or awake all night trying to avoid dreaming of severed eyeballs.  Creepy and shocking, it has a stomach churning ending that I will not forget in a hurry.  I’ll definitely be looking out for more books by Betsy Reavley and recommend this one to any thriller lover with a healthy constitution.

My rating:

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Story of a Secret Heart - Cassi Ellen

As Cassi, a 30-year old single woman, leaves a long-term, unhappy relationship, she struggles with the pain and anguish of a broken heart. When, by chance, she meets a handsome stranger, he introduces her to a world that she didn’t even know existed. As she begins to slowly forget all about her broken heart she learns to have fun again. It is then that her life starts to spiral out of control and all she can do is laugh and hang on tight. 

Story of a Secret Heart is about breaking up . . . and breaking down. It’s about the roller-coaster ride of a breakup and all the little stories in-between. 

What did I think?

This was so unusual in the way that it was written as you really feel as if Cassi is talking to you and you’re experiencing everything with her.  For someone who has travelled half-way round the world and is experiencing life in ways I would never dream of, it sometimes feels as if she has never lived at all due to the amount of comical scrapes she gets herself into.

I really liked Cassi as a character; she is so trusting and carefree and takes everything in her stride.  She refuses to wallow in self-pity after the break-up of her relationship and instead goes swimming in the sea of life.  She just needs to be careful that she doesn’t drown or get bitten by sharks, as she is in Australia after all.

I think the main theme of this book was just to enjoy life, have fun and don’t take things too seriously.  I realised how much I had come to care about Cassi when I started to get annoyed at how controlling Cassi’s new man, Ben, was – telling her what to wear and pretty much passing her round his friends.  For me, it was a bit of an eye-opener getting a glimpse into Sydney’s shady underbelly, and ok drugs and prostitution aren’t something I relate to, but it is fiction after all…or is it?

I loved the fun quotes at the end of each chapter and wish that I had written more down as I went along.  It has certainly ensured that I will pick the book up again in the future for some pearls of wisdom, such as these little gems:

‘I’m thankful for the horrible people I’ve met, they have showed me exactly who I don’t want to be,’ — Unknown.

‘Sometimes we stare so long at a door that is closing that we see too late the one that is open.’ — Unknown.

With one foot in the chick lit genre and the other foot in gritty real life drama, Story of a Secret Heart is well worth a read if you’re looking for something that little bit different. 

I received this e-book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

My rating:

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Peanuts & Eggcups - Sara Mendes da Costa

For Maggie Parsons there’s only ever been one man: the stunningly delicious Luke Henderson. Unfortunately, he left her, without explanation, after their ‘first night’ together …breaking her heart in the process. 

Now ten years on, without any contact, he’s back and going to her school reunion. Great! And, to confuse matters…so is his suave, sexy, brother Tony who makes a major play for Maggie, then turns up with his insufferable - supposedly ex – fiancée! 

Via the reunion, a black eye, getting the sack (as a result) a madcap girlie holiday and juggling her confused emotions around the two alluring brothers…Maggie starts to build a picture of what she really wants in life. 

Trouble is, Maggie’s a pawn in a game she doesn’t even know she’s playing …and things are about to get a whole lot more complicated. 

What did I think?

At a hefty 727 pages long (10 hours on kindle) I felt a little daunted about tackling this book, but I needn't have worried.  The pages absolutely flew by as I read about Maggie's trials and tribulations and felt like I ended the book as one of her close friends. 

I think you could guess from its size that this isn't simply a no-brainer chick lit book and I really must raise my glass to Sara Mendes da Costa on her epic debut; she has really allowed the reader to fully immerse themselves in the book and be part of Maggie's story.  I absolutely loved the writing style and regularly laughed out loud at Maggie's escapades that sometimes resonated all too frighteningly well with me.

Maggie and Catherine have been best friends since school, together with Jenny and Pauline they form a close knit group of four.  As they arrange to meet up at their school reunion, Maggie is worried about bumping into her old flame (and Jenny's brother), Luke, so she contemplates missing the event.  As her friends talk her into going, she is disappointed to learn that Luke will not be there so in the spirit of having a good time she flirts with some old pals, including Luke's brother, Tony.  When things get a bit more serious with Tony, Maggie has to decide whether she really likes Tony or whether he simply reminds her of Luke.

Aside from Maggie's story, there are some excellent storylines for the other characters; Catherine is searching for true love and saving her virginity for 'The One'; Jenny has had an affair with a married man and has bowed out after the wife announced her pregnancy; and Pauline is stumping doctors with a mystery illness and has an unsympathetic husband who doesn't seem to be interested in her health.

As a debut, this is a really exceptional novel and I can't wait to see if we'll hear some more from this group of friends.  There are some absolutely hilarious moments that did literally have me laughing out loud.  I'm not going to spoil any of the book but I am still laughing thinking about Maggie at the dentist.  When the dentist announces that she needs four fillings and a crown, whilst all his tools are in her mouth, she answers with "Huck" and I almost choked.  Why do dentists ask questions when we can't move our mouths?  I also have to give a shout out to my football team, Sunderland, for getting a small mention.  Not in a hilarious way, surprisingly ;-)

This would be a great holiday read, keeping you entertained for hours as you soak up the sun.  Of course there are some predictable elements, but at that point we care so much about the characters that it's exactly what we want to read.  Peanuts & Eggcups is an absolutely delightful read and, despite its mammoth size, I didn't want it to finish.  

I received this e-book from Authoright in exchange for an honest review.

My rating:

Available from Amazon UK

A Dream of Lilies (A Touch of Cinnamon Book 3) - Petra March

Nicholas Baudin lives in Toulouse, France, where he owns a small coffee place, Le Petit Café. His life is apparently tranquil, and made of small joys and simple habits. In truth, though, this young man's soul is troubled with memories of a painful event.

Then, on a bright spring day, Nicholas meets a strange, enchanting young woman with white hair, and pale blue eyes. Her name is Lily Brightwell. She is an actress who captivates crowds with her talent and her stories.

As Nicholas begins to fall for the young artist, his life turns into something unexpected and lovely.

What did I think?

The 'A Touch of Cinnamon' series is getting better and better and, albeit this is a short novella, it is most definitely my favourite book so far.  There is something so very poetic about the way it is written as it perfectly blends romance and tragedy.  Although it is part of a series, it could definitely be read as a standalone as enough history of the characters is relayed as a refresher.  For those of us who have read A Veil of Glass and Rain and All the Skies I Will Not See, this was another beautiful and captivating part of the story.

The moment when Nicholas first sets eyes on Lily was absolutely breathtaking.  It is like he is drawn to her by an invisible magnetic field and no matter what they do or where they go, they are meant to be together.  Lily is living with the pain of losing her first love, David, in such terrible, tragic circumstances.  She needs to let go of David before she can love again and, as she faces up to what happened to David, she finds that she has been linked to Nicholas way before she even knew of his existence.

I absolutely love the way that Petra March links all of her stories together, with coincidence and fate playing a starring role.  The stories are so moving with deeply defined and emotionally damaged characters that leap off the page as if you are reading in 3D.  Their thoughts and feelings are laid bare so we feel as if we know the characters inside and out.

A Dream of Lilies is a stunning addition to this remarkable series; A Touch of Cinnamon is a captivating series of love, fate and destiny that would melt even the coldest of hearts.  Each book reads like an act of a play which, when read in its entirety, will have your heart calling for an encore.  Bravo!

  

I received this e-book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

My rating:

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For Reasons Unknown (DCI Matilda Darke, Book 1) - Michael Wood

Two murders. Twenty years. Now the killer is back for more…

A darkly compelling debut crime novel. The start of a brilliant series, perfect for fans of Stuart MacBride, Val McDermid, and James Oswald.

DCI Matilda Darke has returned to work after a nine month absence. A shadow of her former self, she is tasked with re-opening a cold case: the terrifyingly brutal murders of Miranda and Stefan Harkness. The only witness was their eleven-year-old son, Jonathan, who was too deeply traumatized to speak a word.

Then a dead body is discovered, and the investigation leads back to Matilda's case. Suddenly the past and present converge, and it seems a killer may have come back for more…

What did I think?

I feel like I am being spoilt for choice with great thrillers lately and, although I have a huge pile of books to read, I bought this one from Amazon after seeing lots of bloggers getting excited about the imminent release of the next book in the series.  I’ve always been intrigued by cold cases, probably because I never give up on things and don’t like to be beaten, so I thought it was a gripping and completely original storyline.

DCI Matilda Darke is an extraordinary character – at first she appears vulnerable after returning to work following a leave of absence.  It isn’t long before we glimpse the real Matilda Darke though, and realise just how good she is at her job and wonder what happened to make her take time off work.  It almost felt like there had been a book before this one as the author teases us about previous events, but we are gradually allowed glimpses into Matilda’s past so we can gather little pieces of the puzzle as we go along.

To ease Matilda back into work, and because DCI Hales is covering her post and isn’t going to give it up without a fight, she is given a cold case to work on.  A husband and wife were murdered 20 years ago with their 11 year old son in the house.  The house is about to get demolished so the case, which was never solved, is back in the news.  Matilda meets up with Jonathan Harkness, who was the 11 year old boy who may or may not have seen his parents’ murder all those years ago.  Jonathan was so traumatized that he lost the ability to speak for a time after the murders and he has never been able to help the police to piece together events from that fateful night.  What does Jonathan know and what happened to his brother who wasn’t in the house at the time of the murders?

Jonathan is a bit of an odd bod.  He is a bit of a loner and seems to only have one friend – an old lady, Maun, who lives in his apartment block.  As the story unfolds, it would appear that Jonathan and Maun have more in common than they thought, as Maun’s husband died in mysterious circumstances.

When an unidentified body turns up that DCI Hales is in charge of investigating, he is put in direct competition with Matilda as the identity of the victim links to the Harkness cold case.  The competition was so fierce that I thought they might come to blows and Matilda really shows what she is made of as Hales starts to fall apart.

I loved all the dangling threads of this story.  There was so much going on with current events and shady pasts that it really gave my brain a workout.  Even though I had my suspicions as to what had happened, there were still plenty of shocks and surprises in store. 

For Reasons Unknown is an action packed page-turner that had me on the edge of my seat throughout.  I have no doubt that this is going to be a stunning series and a firm favourite of both crime and thriller lovers.  Darke by name and dark by nature – read it or regret it.

My rating:

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My Name is Leon - Kit de Waal

A brother chosen. A brother left behind. And a family where you'd least expect to find one.

Leon is nine, and has a perfect baby brother called Jake. They have gone to live with Maureen, who has fuzzy red hair like a halo, and a belly like Father Christmas. But the adults are speaking in low voices, and wearing Pretend faces. They are threatening to give Jake to strangers. Since Jake is white and Leon is not.

As Leon struggles to cope with his anger, certain things can still make him smile - like Curly Wurlys, riding his bike fast downhill, burying his hands deep in the soil, hanging out with Tufty (who reminds him of his dad), and stealing enough coins so that one day he can rescue Jake and his mum.

Evoking a Britain of the early eighties, My Name is Leon is a heart-breaking story of love, identity and learning to overcome unbearable loss. Of the fierce bond between siblings. And how - just when we least expect it - we manage to find our way home.

What did I think?

This book should come with a packet of tissues; I felt so emotionally invested in this book and completely engrossed in Leon's story that I kept thinking about it long after I had turned the final page.

Leon is almost 9 years old and already he is acting as a carer for his baby brother, Jake, and his mother, Carol. As it becomes clear that his mother cannot look after Leon and Jake, or even herself, Leon and Jake are taken into care. So they pack their meagre belongings and go to live with Maureen, their foster carer.  Maureen has fostered lots of children and she welcomes each and every one of them into her home and loves them as if they were her own children.  With Maureen opening her heart to Leon and Jake so unconditionally, I immediately knew that they were in good and safe hands.

I thought my heart would break when Leon kept wondering when his mother would come back for them but as Carol shows no signs of getting back on her feet, it is not long before Jake is adopted and Leon is left feeling understandably bereft. When Maureen is suddenly taken ill it is her sister, Sylvia, who steps in to look after Leon. As Leon struggles to fit in to his ever-changing environment he rides his bike to the local allotments and makes some unlikely friends - a strange bunch of people who are all struggling to fit in and find that, in the end, they just might all fit together perfectly like the missing pieces of a jigsaw.

My Name is Leon is a wonderful advert for foster caring; it's a beautiful story that reminds us that 'family' can come in all guises, not just those we are related to by blood. We hear so many horror stories on the news that it is so refreshing to read a heartwarming, lovely story like this.  I cried at the beginning, middle and end as Leon's plight is an all too common occurrence.  Kit de Waal, in her astonishing debut, has done an amazing job of giving each of her characters a strong and completely unique voice; from Leon's hilarious innocence to Maureen's inexhaustible love.  Such varied and unique characters who inevitably managed to set up house and make a little home in my heart.

Written with such breathtaking tenderness, My Name is Leon is an emotional, poignant, heartwarming story filled with innocent humour and, above all, hope.

I received this book from the publisher, Penguin, in exchange for an honest review.

My rating:

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The Angels of Lovely Lane (Lovely Lane #1) - Nadine Dorries

It is 1953 and five very different girls are arriving at the nurses' home in Lovely Lane, Liverpool, to start their training at St Angelus Hospital.

Dana has escaped from her family farm on the west coast of Ireland. Victoria is running away from a debt-ridden aristocratic background. Beth is an army brat and throws her lot in with bitchy Celia Forsyth. And Pammy has come from quite the wrong side of the tracks in Liverpool.

The world in which they now find themselves is complicated and hierarchical, with rules that must be obeyed. Everyone has their place at St Angelus and woe betide anyone who strays from it.

But when an unknown girl is admitted, after a botched late abortion in a backstreet kitchen, a tragedy begins to unfold which will rock the world of St Angelus to its foundations.

What did I think?

Although I do tend to call this type of book a "Mammy's book", I did rather enjoy my first Nadine Dorries book, Ruby Flynn, so I had no qualms about reading another and hopping on the blog tour bus.  I didn't enjoy this one as much as Ruby Flynn, but I think anybody who likes a Liverpool family saga type book will absolutely love it.

The book starts in Liverpool in 1940 with Emily Haycock returning home to her sick mother, dreaming of one day becoming a St Angelus nurse.  As the air-raid sirens sound, Emily is near the docks with her heavily pregnant neighbour, Maisie Tanner.  As the bombs fall Emily worries about her family and as the sun rises on a new day, life will never be the same for Emily.

Twelve years later, Emily is Nursing Director at St Angelus Hospital and keen to keep her lowly origins hidden from the high and mighty consultants and snooty Matron.  When a new bunch of trainee nurses arrive at St Angelus, Emily keeps her eye on Pammy Tanner, the baby that Maisie was carrying on that fateful night in the air-raid shelter.  Pammy makes friends with Dana Brogan, a farm girl from Ireland, and Victoria Baker, a rich girl from an aristocratic family.  These unlikely friends form a strong alliance as they stick together to help each other pass their training and become Angels of Lovely Lane.

The NHS was formed in 1948 and it was really interesting to read about the resistance to this new regime, that I'm sure was very true to life.  As changes and improvements were made to medicine, the old consultants and matrons were left behind as junior doctors and trainee nurses embraced the new culture.  It's amazing how far we have come from these early days of the NHS; just think of how quickly women leave hospital after childbirth now, in the not so olden days they would have been confined to weeks of bed rest.

There are a lot of characters in this book and it sometimes got confusing.  I wasn't sure who the main character was supposed to be; Emily or Dana.  Although there is a lot going on, there are some interesting and tragic stories unfolding and I would be interested to read the next book to see how the characters have developed.

The Angels of Lovely Lane is a solid introduction to a new series of books by Nadine Dorries; although it felt a bit busy as we have been introduced to so many characters at once, I firmly believe that all will slot into place when it is read as part of a series.

I received this book from the publisher, Head of Zeus, in exchange for an honest review.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

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