Book Review – The Wish List

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Author: Ruby Hummingbird

Publisher: Bookouture

Release Date: November 12 2019

Book Blurb:

Sometimes you have to hit the bottom before you can float to the top.

Maria Birch is seventy years old and, for her, every week is the same.

On Monday, she does her weekly shop. On Tuesday, she goes for a blow-dry. On Wednesday, she visits the laundrette. But Thursday is her favourite day of all – everything hurts less on a Thursday.

Every Thursday Maria walks to her local café. Waiting for her at one of the red gingham-topped tables is Albie Young, a charming man with a twinkle in his eye and an impressive collection of tweed flat caps. Every week, the pair share a slice of marble cake and a pot of tea.

Except, one week, Albie doesn’t turn up.

My thoughts:

Maria lives a very regimented life. Part of her routine includes meeting Albie at a local cafe each week. Maria really looks forward to her meetings with Albie. One day after 4 years of weekly meetings, Albie isn’t there.

Over the next few weeks and months Maria learns more about Albie (and herself) that she did in the 4 years of having tea and marble cake with him.

I loved this story. Marias story is clear and engaging and even though we don’t really meet Albie. He has an engaging presence of the main character.

Disclosure: received this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Where to Buy: If you would like to buy this book you can get here via my affiliate link.

Another Mrs B Book Review – Secrets of the IN-Group

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Author: Carolyn Re and Loretta Re

Publisher:

Release Date: May 2, 2019

Book Blurb:

Six women in the riverside city of Albury realise that, without social media skills, they’re staring irrelevancy in the face. Their book club won’t cut it any more. It’s time to go virtual.

But their decision to plunge into the on-line world brings shocking revelations and unexpected outcomes. Friendships, new and old, are tested and their lives teeter on the edge of collapse. They must navigate a path through the chaos. But who exactly can they trust?

A small town. A world wide web.
Is the net really a friend?

My thoughts:

A lovely book and insight to the lives of the women who belong to the IN-Group.

I have recently been reading a lot of cozy mysteries and I found the pace of this book to be a much needed change.

I really like how the authors wrapped up the storyline and had me guessing to the end.

Disclosure: I received this book from Book sirens in exchange for an honest review.

Where to Buy: If you would like to purchase this book you can find it in my store here.

Another Mrs B Book Review – Nine Perfect Strangers

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Nine Perfect Strangers

Author: Liane Moriarty

Publisher: Macmillan Australia 

Release Date: September 18, 2018

Book Blurb

What do I reckon & my rating

This book has a great description and I really wanted to enjoy it.

The setting of the health retreat was good. The 9 people all had good reasons for being there. There were certainly some twists and turns I wasn’t expecting. I enjoyed uncovering more about the characters as the book went on and the follow ups at the end were a great.

This book could have been a really good thriller.

Disclosure: I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Where to buy: You can buy this book here from my Amazon Store. If you do buy the book, I receive a portion of the sale price.

Book Review – The Forger and the Thief

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Author: Kirsten McKenzie

Publisher: Squabbling Sparrows Press

Release Date: July 31 2020

Book Blurb:

A wife on the run, a student searching for stolen art, a cleaner who has lined more than his pockets, a policeman whose career is almost over, and a guest who should never have received a wedding invite. Five strangers, entangled in the forger’s wicked web.

In a race against time, and desperate to save themselves and all they hold dear, will their secrets prove more treacherous than the ominous floodwaters swallowing the historic city?

Dive into a world of lies and deceit, where nothing is as it seems on the surface…

My thoughts: 5 people, an epic flood, fantastic history and some scary villians make an epic mix.

Due to end of year busyness I wasn’t able to sit and luxuriate in this book like I usually would. The way Kirsten has woven the story and written the characters meant I didn’t have to wonder about where I was up to and what the characters were doing. The book stayed with me it was THAT GOOD.

Disclosure: I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Where to Buy: If you would like to buy this book (and I wholeheartedly recommend you do) you can find it through my affiliate link here.

Another Mrs B Book Review – In five Years

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In five years

Author: Rebecca Serle

Publisher: Quercus

Release Date: March 10 2020

Book Blurb: Type-A Manhattan lawyer Dannie Kohan has been in possession of her meticulously crafted answer since she understood the question. On the day that she nails the most important job interview of her career and gets engaged to the perfect man, she’s well on her way to fulfilling her life goals.
That night Dannie falls asleep only to wake up in a different apartment with a different ring on her finger, and in the company of a very different man. The TV is on in the background, and she can just make out the date. It’s the same night – December 15th – but 2025, five years in the future.
It was just a dream, she tells herself when she wakes, but it felt so real… Determined to ignore the odd experience, she files it away in the back of her mind.
That is, until four and a half years later, when Dannie turns down a street and there, standing on the corner, is the man from her dream…

What do I reckon:

Our main Character Dannie has a good life, a great job and a wonderful fiance.

 One day something happens that throws a bit of change into her life.  Dannie wakes up and finds herself in a different apartment, with a different ring on her finger and a new man in the kitchen.  She figures out that she is somehow 5 years into her future.  She soon wakes again to find herself back in the present and not sure how to process what happened.
This is a fun book that kept me guessing. A great theme and perhaps keep some tissues close by.

Disclosure: I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Where to buy: You can buy the book from my shop here.

Another Mrs B Book Review – If I never met you

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If I never met you

Author Mhairi McFarlane

Book Blurb:

Laurie and Jamie have the perfect office romance
(They set the rules via email)

Everyone can see they’re head over heels
(They staged the photos)

This must be true love
(They’re faking it)

When Laurie is dumped by her partner of eighteen years, she’s blindsided. Not only does she feel humiliated, they still have to work together.

So when she gets stuck in the lift with handsome colleague Jamie, they hatch a plan to stage the perfect romance. Revenge will be sweet…

What do I reckon: 

Laurie (our main character) has been a relationship with Dan for almost 20 years.  She’s happy, she has good friends, a good job and a home that her and Dan own and live in together.

One night, all that changes and suddenly Laurie is alone.  Soon Laurie and a work colleague hatch a plan for Laurie to get some normality and confidence back in her life. 

The book is set in Manchester.  The use of Social media kept in style with current times.  The characters are all likable and it was a great way to relax and forget about real life for a minute. 

I enjoyed this book.  There were a few twists and turns which kept me interested.

Disclosure: I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Where to buy. You can buy this book from my amazon affiliate link here.

Another Mrs B Book Review – House of Trelawney

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Title : House of Trewlawney

Author: Hannah Rothschild

Publisher: Knopf

Release Date: February 11, 2020

Book Blurb: For more than seven hundred years, the vast, rambling Trelawney Castle in Cornwall–turrets, follies, a room for every day of the year, four miles of corridors and 500,000 acres–was the magnificent and grand “three dimensional calling card” of the earls of Trelawney. By 2008, it is in a complete state of ruin due to the dulled ambition and the financial ineptitude of the twenty-four earls, two world wars, the Wall Street crash, and inheritance taxes. Still: the heir to all of it, Kitto, his wife, Jane, their three children, their dog, Kitto’s ancient parents, and his aunt Tuffy Scott, an entomologist who studies fleas, all manage to live there and keep it going.

What do I reckon : When I first saw this book I knew I had to read it,.  A madcap tale of a family of minor royals, their traditions and management of the family estate.

Trelawney estate is 800 years old,  In its prime the family had plenty of money, a sprawling farm and the house was in tip top condition.  Over the years parts of the farm have been sold, so now now there isn’t much left.  The house itself has fallen into disrepair. 

The story focuses on the current occupants of the house and some of the extended family.  Some of the topics covered include: family obligation, love, renovations, money, infidelity and insects.  Yes you heard that right…. INSECTS.

I LOVED the characters.  I got quite invested in what I thought was going to happen.  When the book finished with an ending that was different to what I expected wasn’t quite sure what to think.  But you know what?  in a way I think that was a good thing because I was so invested in the characters.  There aren’t many authors who have that way with character development.  All in all a great read.

Where to buy: You can buy the book from amazon here. – this is not an affiliate link. I just like the book and really want to tell you about it.

Book Review – Every Thing You Are

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Title: Everything you are

Author: Kerry Anne King

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Book Blurb. One tragic twist of fate destroyed Braden Healey’s hands, his musical career, and his family. Now, unable to play, adrift in an alcoholic daze, and with only fragmented memories of his past, Braden wants desperately to escape the darkness of the last eleven years.

When his ex-wife and son are killed in a car accident, Braden returns home, hoping to forge a relationship with his troubled seventeen-year-old daughter, Allie. But how can he hope to rescue her from the curse that seems to shadow his family?

Ophelia “Phee” MacPhee, granddaughter of the eccentric old man who sold Braden his cello, believes the curse is real. She swore an oath to her dying grandfather that she would ensure Braden plays the cello as long as he lives. But he can’t play, and as the shadows deepen and Phee finds herself falling for Braden, she’ll do anything to save him. It will take a miracle of forgiveness and love to bring all three of them back to the healing power of music.

What do I reckon & my rating.  This book covers some interesting themes. Grief, Alcoholism, teen angst, and a good old fashioned curse. When Ophelia MacPhee inherits her grandfathers store and workshop she soon learns there’s more to the job than she thought..

As a Luthier she has a responsibility to keep the instruments she makes maintained,. Some instruments require more care than others.

This is where Braden Healey comes in. He owns a cello made by Ophelia’s grandfather.

As part of the extra care, Ophelia needs to meet with Braden to discuss the cello.

Ophelia arrived in Braden’s life when he was very vulnerable. He is getting to know his daughter Allie. He and Allie both have some intense personal issues they need to resolve as well as the management of the cello.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest and fair review.

Where to buy.

Amazon

After All I’ve done

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Title: After all I’ve done

Author: Mina Hardy

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Release Date: 10th November 2020

Book blurb from Amazon: Five months ago, an accident left Diana Sparrow badly injured and missing a few months of her memory. As if that’s not enough, she’s started having recurring nightmares about the night of the accident. Dreams that feel so real, she’s left questioning: maybe she didn’t just slide off the road into a ditch. Maybe, just maybe, she hit something. Or someone.

What do I reckon & my rating: Fairly early on I thought I knew what was happening in this book. I was wrong. About as far wrong as you can get.

Our main character is Diana. The story starts with her recovering from an awful car accident. A side effect of the accident is that Diana has some amnesia. She cannot remember a large chunk of time before the accident.

Diana lives with her husband Jonathon. They do not have any children. Her mother in law Harriet lives in an apartment at their home. She starts to piece together the events leading up to the accident, her brain is understandably confused with recovery and the things she learns surprise and disgust her.

The story is written from a few different points of view which keeps the plot moving and the reader guessing.

This book fits into the thriller category quite well. I would recommend it to anyone who likes a good build up and a suspenseful ending.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A solid 4/5 stars.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

You can pre order this book via my affiliate link here:

Amazon