BLOG TOUR: The Beginner's Guide to Loneliness - Laura Bambrey

 

The perfect feel-good read from an exciting new voice in women’s fiction, for fans of Heidi Swain, Cathy Bramley and Jenny Colgan.

Tori Williamson is alone. After a tragic event left her isolated from her loved ones, she’s been struggling to find her way back to, well – herself. That’s why she set up her blog, The Beginner’s Guide to Loneliness, as a way of – anonymously – connecting with the outside world and reaching others who just need a little help sometimes.

 

When she’s offered a free spot on a wellbeing retreat in exchange for a review on her blog, Tori is anxious about opening herself up to new surroundings. But after her three closest friends – who she talks to online but has never actually met – convince her it’ll do her some good, she reluctantly agrees and heads off for three weeks in the wild (well, a farm in Wales).

 

From the moment she arrives, Tori is sceptical and quickly finds herself drawn to fellow sceptic Than, the retreat’s dark and mysterious latecomer. But as the beauty of The Farm slowly comes to light she realizes that opening herself up might not be the worst thing. And sharing a yurt with fellow retreater Bay definitely isn’t.  Will the retreat be able to fix Tori? Or will she finally learn that being lonely doesn’t mean she’s broken . . .

 

Welcome to The Beginner’s Guide to Loneliness! Where you can learn to move mountains by picking up the smallest of stones…

What did I think?

I LOVED THIS BOOK!  Yes, I'm shouting but if just one person hears me then it's a job well done.  Laura Bambrey's awesome debut novel should come on prescription as it's not only perfect escapism for our troubled times but it's guaranteed to leave a smile on your face.  

Tori is such a wonderful character and I loved her from the start.  Owner of the blog, The Beginner's Guide to Loneliness, she readily admits that she is lonely but she has built up a following online that reminds her that there are other lonely people out there.  With no family or friends in her life, Tori has a select group of 3 virtual friends she has never met but who she loves dearly.  When she is invited to review a wellbeing retreat for her blog, Tori must step out from behind her screen and meet some real people.

Everyone at the retreat is there for a reason, some to escape the real world and others to work through deep-rooted issues.  I don't think Tori realises how much she fits into the latter category until the magic of the retreat starts to work on her.  The double whammy of events in Tori's past resulted in her pulling down and bolting the shutters but her new friends at the retreat have the key and together they have the strength to overcome any difficulty.

I feel like I went to the retreat with Tori as I found myself looking at my own life, particularly how I think about and talk to myself, and I don't think I have ever used the Kindle highlight function so much.  I loved the completely honest and enlightening excerpts from Tori's blog at the beginning of every chapter and I must have highlighted most of them.  I need to read the book again just to revisit these pearls of wisdom because I absolutely raced through the whole book in my eagerness to get back to The Farm to find out what would happen next.

Beautifully written, The Beginner's Guide to Loneliness is a completely awesome debut.  It's uplifting, heartwarming and surprisingly enlightening.  Perfectly plotted, it's painted like a masterpiece with just the right amount of shade so it's not all sweetness and light.  It's so good that I will be reading it again and if that's not the highest recommendation I can give, I don't know what is.  A stunning debut and an absolute must read.

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

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

Follow the tour:

BLOG TOUR: Cabin Fever - Alex Dahl

 

Alone and isolated in a vast Scandinavian forest, a therapist begins to read her client's novel manuscript, only to discover the main character is terrifyingly familiar...

You are her therapist.

Kristina is a successful therapist in central Oslo. She spends her days helping clients navigate their lives with a cool professionalism that has got her to the top.

She is your client.

But when her client Leah, a successful novelist, arrives at her office clearly distressed, begging Kristina to come to her remote cabin in the woods, she feels the balance begin to slip.

But out here in the woods.

When Leah fails to turn up to her next two sessions, Kristina reluctantly heads out into the wilderness to find her.

Nothing is as it seems.

Alone and isolated, Kristina finds Leah's unfinished manuscript, and as she reads she realises the main character is terrifyingly familiar...

What did I think?

Alex Dahl has been on my radar for a while but Cabin Fever is the first book of hers that I have read.  It's very well written with believable characters and intriguing plotlines, both past and present, and I love the slow build up of tension that you only seem to get in Scandi-Noir novels.

Although the cover and title suggest a very claustrophobic read, I would say that Cabin Fever is more of a slow burn.  This isn't a bad thing by any means, it just surprised me that it seemed to take a while for the book to get going.  I found it to be a book of two halves, with the first half being slower-paced scene setting and then the pace ramps up when Kristina actually gets to the cabin.

I think I may have read too many books (if there's such a thing) as I did work out what was going on quite quickly, however, there are past and present plotlines so there were still some surprises in store for me.  I can't really say much about the plot or characters as it will spoil it for others but both the disappearance of Leah and Kristina's past are two excellent hooks that kept me rapidly turning pages.

Dark, disturbing and intriguing, Cabin Fever is a compelling and suspenseful read that builds tension gradually like layers of snow.  This would be a great book to curl up with on a dark winter's night as snowflakes graze your window.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour; this is my honest review and all opinions are my own.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

Follow the tour:

BLOG TOUR: Songs in Ursa Major - Emma Brodie

 

Behind every greatest hit, is an even greater love story.

THE SUMMER OF 1969

From the moment Jane Quinn steps barefoot onto the main stage at Island Folk festival, her golden hair glinting, her voice soaring into the summer dusk, a star is born – and so is a passionate love story.

Jane’s band hits the road with none other than Jesse Reid, the musician whose bright blue eyes are setting hearts alight everywhere. And as the summer streaks by in a haze of crowds, wild nights and magenta sunsets, Jane is pulled into the orbit of Jesse’s star.

 

But Jesse’s rise could mean Jane’s fall. And when she discovers a dark secret beneath his music, she picks up her guitar and writes her heartache into the album that could make or break her: Songs in Ursa Major.

Set against the heady haze of the 70s and alive with music, sex and sun-soaked hedonism, SONGS IN URSA MAJOR is an unforgettable debut and the soundtrack to a love story like no other.

What did I think?

Wow!  What a debut!  I simply couldn't put it down.  I loved Songs in Ursa Major from the start and not just because it starts in the Summer, the Summer of '69 - oh yeah!  (I just had to get a bit of Bryan Adams in there).  Partly inspired by the life of Joni Mitchell and James Taylor, Songs in Ursa Major is set in the cutthroat music industry and filled with drama and beautiful music.  It actually reminded me a little of the tv show Nashville, although Jane Quinn is a LOT nicer than Juliette Barnes, and it really is the perfect cure for fans of the show who are suffering from a Nashville hangover.

I adored the main character of Jane Quinn and enjoyed reading about her warm and loving family along with an intriguing mystery about her mother's whereabouts.  Jane has such amazing natural talent but the music industry is definitely a man's world in the 60s and 70s.  Jane is thrust into the limelight by a twist of fate that results in her band going on tour with huge folk star Jesse Reid.  It feels like Jane and Jesse are made for each other as the pair get closer but Jane has a difficult decision to make as becoming Jesse's girlfriend will eclipse her musical career.  

Emma Brodie's writing feels incredibly authentic as the music industry is laid bare, warts and all.  There are tantrums and power struggles as well as some beautiful songwriting.  The whole book virtually vibrates to the beat of the incredible music within and I found myself composing my own melodies in my mind to match the wonderful lyrics.  Being both visual and audible is something I've never experienced in a book before, showing what an amazing writing talent Emma Brodie has.

An absolutely stunning debut, Songs in Ursa Major is a compelling and entertaining novel.  I felt rather emotional at the end but I know it's not the last I'll see of Jane Quinn as I plan to read Songs in Ursa Major again.  Songs in Ursa Major is definitely the soundtrack to my Summer of '21.  Highly recommended to all readers and one not to be missed by music fans.

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

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

Follow the tour:

BLOG TOUR: Home - Penny Parkes

 

A gripping and heartfelt story about overcoming the past and finding where you belong.

 

Anna Wilson travels the world as a professional housesitter – stepping into other people’s lives - caring for their homes, pets and sometimes even neighbours. Living vicariously.

 

But all Anna has ever really wanted is a home of her own – a proper one, filled with family and love and happy memories. If only she knew where to start.

 

Growing up in foster care, she always envied her friends their secure and carefree lives, their certainty and confidence. And, while those same friends may have become her family of choice, Anna is still stuck in that nomadic cycle, looking for answers, trying to find the courage to put down roots and find a place to call home.

Compelling, rich and evocative, Home is Anna’s journey to discovering that it isn’t where you settle down that matters, but the people you have around you when you do. 

What did I think?

I can't believe that Home is the first book by Penny Parkes that I have read but oh my word I loved it.  I love how the cover of the book perfectly encapsulates the variety of homes in this wonderful novel about Anna Wilson's search for a home to call her own.

Housesitting for the rich and famous sounds like a wonderful job...at first.  Wouldn't we all love to see how the other half live?  Of course the downside of that is moving from house to house and living out of a suitcase but Anna is used to this as her life in foster care saw her constantly on the move.  Anna's backstory has resulted in her stuck in a cycle of moving from house to house, afraid to push the pause button and settle down in her own home in case happiness is cruelly ripped away from her.

I absolutely adored the wonderful character of Anna, from her unwavering professionalism in the face of adversity to her undying love for her friend Kate.  Page by page her story curled around my heart like creeping vines until they bloomed in a torrent of tears at Anna's graduation.  I was so proud of Anna, she felt like my best friend and I didn't even realise I was crying until tears dripped onto the page.  

There are multiple layers to this fabulous story that kept me completely engrossed and totally immersed in the book, as evidenced by my tears.  Home really does feel like it contains the full spectrum of emotions as it evoked so many emotions in me.  Above all I felt incredible gratitude for my own home life and it made me consider how our childhood has the power to influence our adulthood.  

Warm and uplifting, Home is a compelling and surprisingly emotional novel.  It was an absolute delight to read and I'm definitely going to check out Penny Parkes' earlier novels.

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

My rating:

Buy it from

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

Follow the tour:

BLOG TOUR: A Cut for a Cut (Detective Kate Young #2) - Carol Wyer

 

DI Kate Young can’t trust anybody. Not even herself.

In the bleak countryside around Blithfield Reservoir, a serial murderer and rapist is leaving a trail of bloodshed. His savage calling card: the word ‘MINE’ carved into each of his victims.

DI Kate Young struggles to get the case moving—even when one of the team’s own investigators is found dead in a dumpster. But Kate is battling her own demons. Obsessed with exposing Superintendent John Dickson and convinced there’s a conspiracy running deep in the force, she no longer knows who to trust. Kate’s crusade has already cost her dearly. What will she lose next?

When her stepsister spills a long-buried secret, Kate realises she’s found the missing link—now she must prove it before the killer strikes again. With enemies closing in on all sides, she’s prepared to do whatever it takes to bring them down. But time is running out, and Kate's past has pushed her to the very edge. Can she stop herself from falling?

What did I think?

I love everything that Carol Wyer writes and A Cut for a Cut, the second book in the DI Kate Young series, is no exception.  It's absolutely brilliant: fast-paced, gripping, tense and fraught with danger.  As it summarises the main plot points from book 1 (An Eye for an Eye), A Cut for a Cut can be read as a standalone, but it is so much richer and impressive when read in series order.  Whichever order you read the books in, the Detective Kate Young series is a must-read for crime fiction fans.

Kate Young and her team are on the hunt for a serial rapist but Kate has one eye off the ball as she strives to bring her husband's killer to justice.  With corruption in the force, Kate's every move is watched and reported back to dodgy Superintendent John Dickson.  As Dickson works feverishly to cover his tracks, Kate is slowly gathering evidence against him but time is running out unless Kate delivers on the rapist case.

Ooh this series is SO good and Carol Wyer's plotting in A Cut for a Cut is dazzling.  I was on the edge of my seat and feeling suspicious of pretty much everyone throughout this fantastic novel.  With so much going on, it really kept me on my toes and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.  As much as I wanted to find out who the rapist was, I was equally intrigued by Dickson's cover up as this is the thread that binds the series together.

Simply brilliant!  A Cut for a Cut is outstanding from start to finish.  It's a stunning addition to a marvellous series and I can't wait to see what's next in store for Kate.  Very highly recommended.

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

My rating:

Buy it from:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the author:

USA Today bestselling author and winner of The People's Book Prize Award, Carol Wyer writes feel-good comedies and gripping crime fiction. 

A move from humour to the 'dark side' in 2017, saw the introduction of popular DI Robyn Carter in LITTLE GIRL LOST and demonstrated that stand-up comedian Carol had found her true niche.

To date, her crime novels have sold over 750,000 copies and been translated for various overseas markets.

Carol has been interviewed on numerous radio shows discussing ''Irritable Male Syndrome' and 'Ageing Disgracefully' and on BBC Breakfast television. She has had articles published in national magazines 'Woman's Weekly', featured in 'Take A Break', 'Choice', 'Yours' and 'Woman's Own' magazines and the Huffington Post.

She currently lives on a windy hill in rural Staffordshire with her husband Mr Grumpy... who is very, very grumpy.

When she is not plotting devious murders, she can be found performing her comedy routine, Smile While You Still Have Teeth.

Social Media:

Website www.carolwyer.co.uk

Blog www.carolwyer.com

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

Twitter https://twitter.com/carolewyer

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/carolwyer

Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/carolewyer

Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/carol-wyer-407b1032

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14925467.Carol_Wyer

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj5O-lvkAYO19S0AMW8VqJQ

Follow the tour:

BLOG TOUR: The Lies We Tell - Jane Corry

 

Sarah always thought of herself and her husband, Tom, as good people. But that was before their son Freddie came home saying he'd done something terrible. Begging them not to tell the police.

Soon Sarah and Tom must find out just how far they are willing to push themselves, and their marriage, to protect their only child . . .

As the lies build up and Sarah is presented with the perfect opportunity to get Freddie off the hook, she is faced with a terrifying decision . . .

Save her son . . . or save herself?

What did I think?

I love Jane Corry books as you're never quite sure what's going to happen next and that's definitely the case with her latest page-turner, The Lies We Tell.  Bursting with secrets and lies, there's an underlying tension throughout as the full picture is gradually revealed over the course of the novel.

Sarah and Tom have a marriage built on lies but love for their son has held them together...until one more lie threatens to tear them apart.  It's clear that they got married far too quickly without fully knowing each other inside out so Tom really does only have himself to blame.  I did feel sorry for him though as it felt like he was the third wheel in the family when their much longed for son Freddie came along.

At each twist and turn of the story, you can't help but wonder what you would have done in the same circumstances.  It's a mother's instinct to protect her child but at what cost?  Sarah is used to lying and burying secrets so one more lie isn't going to hurt, but it's never just one...it's called a web of lies for a reason!  

Reading The Lies We Tell is like opening Pandora's Box as no-end of secrets and lies erupt from the page with earth-shattering consequences in this amazing page-turner from Jane Corry.  It's quite a chunky book at 512 pages but I read it much more quickly than I expected as I couldn't wait to discover every single secret it had hidden.

Tense, gripping and constantly asking the question: 'what would you do?', The Lies We Tell is another quality novel from the pen of Jane Corry.  I was hooked from the start and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

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

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

Follow the tour:

BLOG TOUR: The Guesthouse at Lobster Bay - Annie Robertson (author), Eilidh Beaton (narrator)

 

When Emma sees The Guesthouse at Lobster Bay for sale, she knows it's the seaside haven she needs to recover from a recent trauma. But as soon as Emma collects the keys, her dream of owning a successful guesthouse unravels....

Emma has a month to get the house ready before her guests arrive, a task made harder by the discovery that an enormous dog was included in the sale. Then there's the unwelcoming next-door neighbour, Aidan, who Emma must turn to for help. Over the summer, Emma must navigate unforeseen dilemmas and new friendships, and keep her business afloat. But as she falls in love with Lobster Bay, is she also falling for Aidan?

What did I think?

One of the things I love about audiobooks is how the narrator brings the book to life and Eilidh Beaton does that beautifully in her wonderful reading of The Guesthouse at Lobster Bay.  I didn't expect such an emotional story and I found myself laughing and crying as we follow Emma's journey.

Emma suffers a terrible trauma in the opening of the story which forces her to re-evaluate her life.  I had goosebumps on my arms and a lump in my throat as the scene was vividly portrayed and my heart completely went out to Emma.  At first I couldn't understand her bottling it all up inside herself but as interactions with her family were described I don't think they would have listened to her anyway.  A new start where nobody knows anything about her is called for and Emma realises a lifelong dream by buying a guesthouse in Scotland.

Oh my goodness, Lobster Bay sounds so idyllic and I thoroughly enjoyed my virtual visit there, I say virtual but it felt so very real to me.  I loved all of the characters in this fabulous story: Emma, previous owner of the guesthouse Hilda, next-door neighbour Aidan and surprise house fixture Wilbur.  I felt very honoured to tag along with Emma as we see her overcome various hurdles and deal with many misunderstandings.

It always surprises me how many voices are in a narrator's repertoire.  Eilidh Beaton is outstanding as she brings Annie Robertson's colourful characters to life and I wouldn't have been surprised to turn around and find them in the room with me.  Isis Audio seem to have a knack of pairing authors with narrators and they've done it again with the perfect pairing for The Guesthouse at Lobster Bay.

Warm and heartfelt, The Guesthouse at Lobster Bay is an emotional and uplifting story.  With ups and downs it feels so very realistic and I finished listening to it with a sunny smile on my face.  Annie Robertson is a new author for me but I'll definitely be picking up some more of her books.

I received audio files from Isis Audio to review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

Follow the tour: