An Ideal Husband by Erica James

 

After 30 years of marriage, and a wonderful family Christmas, Louisa is stunned when husband Kip asks for a divorce on Boxing Day. He’d never seemed unhappy – and they’ve raised three children together.

For months, Kip has been secretly seeing a younger woman – and if that wasn’t bad enough – it’s the woman who broke their youngest son’s heart.

Now Kip is moving out and embarking on a new life with Zoe, and Louisa is left to pick up the pieces. Their beloved family home, Charity Cottage, is up for sale, and tensions are running high.

Yet, despite the betrayal and anger, when Louisa lays eyes on what might be a unique and welcoming new home, she feels a first glimmer of hope that life might be taking a turn for the better.

And while Louisa is making exciting plans, Kip finds himself facing challenges of his own and begins to learn that living the dream may not be as simple as he thought…

I have loved many books by Erica James over the years so I had high hopes for her new release An Ideal Husband and with a cover that pops out from the shelves thanks to its bold coral colour I am sure there will be many hands reaching for this one at the airport on the way to their Summer Holibobs!

This book felt very different from the authors previous books but none the less it was still such a fabulous current read that felt so honest and believable as she tackles infidelity and marriage break down after an affair, exploring the effect it has not on just those directly involved in the relationship but the results it has on the rest of the family too.

The family all have a very close bond and have lived a very loving life together but all it took was one crack to then splinter the family and yet the power of love shows there is still a thread connecting them together but we continually find ourselves unsure of how stitching their family back together will look in the end thanks to the unpredictability of the storyline.

I loved all of our characters ( other than Giles ) which surprised me because some of the things the characters done particularly Zoe and Kip I thought would turn me against those characters but I genuinely felt for them all. I was so desperate to see Louisa with a happy ever after that is the romantic in me but I never quite knew if Kip and Louisa would find their way back together again and I am not going to spoil it for you but all I will say is the way the book ended did in the end feel the right outcome to the story.

This book felt more fresh and modern compared to the authors previous novels and has a more uplifting feel looking at new beginnings in later life when our lives take an unexpected turn. It shows that our paths can get so tied up in our partners that when we find ourself out of the relationship its learning to start again alone and find our own strength to then go ahead with what we want for ourselves.

Although there were many sad and devastating parts of this book the storyline never felt heavy or gave a sense of doom and gloom it was full of hope, optimism and shows the strength, love and support of a loving family.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would actually say its probably my favourite novel by Erica James.

Available to buy HERE!

Dragon Rider by Taran Matharu

 

Jai has spent his life forced to serve the cruel empire that killed his family and now rules his people.

To grow ever more powerful, the emperor’s young son is betrothed to Princess Erica of the Dansk Kingdom. An unconquerable realm, where ancient beasts roam. The princess brings with her a priceless gift: dragons. Only Dansk Royalty can bond with these magical beasts to draw on their power and strength. Until now.

When the betrothal goes wrong, a bloody coup leads to chaos at court. Finally, Jai has a chance to escape. He flees with a fierce Dansk warrior, Frida, but not before stealing a dragon egg.

To vanquish the empire, he must do the impossible: bond with a dragon. Only then he can seize his destiny, and seek his revenge …

Dragons are storming the bookshelves more so since the hype of Fourth Wing, but my first love of Dragon novels came from the Eragon series so I have a soft spot for fantasy novels that host a dragon or two so as soon as I saw the cover for Dragon Rider by Taran Matharu a fizzle of excitement began and I wasted no time in getting started.

But I am going to start with a word of warning if you are expecting a storyline heavy on Dragons that has the modern excitement that Forth Wing gave then thick again, the best way of explaining this book is more if Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones had a book baby then this is more on the right path!

The author definitely has a skill for character building as each of the characters were so well developed and easy to distinguish between which can often be an issue in Fantasy books with such a vast number of characters with obscure names but by the end of the book our main character Jai feels like a character, we have really formed a bond with. This definitely felt like a first book in a series, it felt like it was setting the tone and building our relationship with the characters for what I am hoping to be an action filled second book with a lot more of the connection between Jai and Winter because this was something seriously lacking in this book but I am hoping this is because Winter is so young and that as she matures there becomes a dialogue between them.

This book for me was a 3.5/4 star read but had the ability to have been a 5-star read but personally for me I found the book had a strong start with an introduction to key characters and an insight into the history behind how Jai finds himself an aid to the emperor as well as the various politics between the different regions. But the middle part of the book fell short for me and incredibly drawn out with the constant repetition and focus on the core and mana, I get that this is an important part of being a Soulbound and this certainly empathised this but it got too repetitive and actually made me want to skim read a little which is not something I do in books. It just felt like the storyline had lost its way and was stuck in a dark hole with nothing much happening for 100 or so pages. Luckily it picked back up for a promising ending so my intrigue was piqued again and now I would definitely pick up the next book.

Available to Buy HERE

It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover

 

Lily and her ex-husband, Ryle, have just settled into a civil co-parenting rhythm when she suddenly bumps into her first love, Atlas, again. After nearly two years separated, she is elated that for once, time is on their side, and she immediately says yes when Atlas asks her on a date.

But her excitement is quickly hampered by the knowledge that, though they are no longer married, Ryle is still very much a part of her life—and Atlas Corrigan is the one man he will hate being in his ex-wife and daughter’s life.

After reading It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover which I thoroughly enjoyed I don’t know why I waited so long to pick up a copy of It Starts With Us but I settled down to read it last night and before I knew it I only had three chapters remaining which I finished before work this morning. Safe to say I was swept away by this book and wished I had picked it up sooner.

We are reunited with our main characters from the first book and this book carries on where the last left off with Lily now a mum but divorced from Ryle even though they are co-parenting. Atlas is ready to shower Lily with love but Lily has reservations because she doesn’t want to jeopardise things with Ryle and the set up they have but is it time for her to finally move on and feel happiness, security and contentment?

I wasn’t quite sure what I was expecting from this book but it is quite different from the first. It is a more gentle book rather than the deep explosive storyline that we had in book one this one is more full of hope and healing and feels a lot lighter and happier with a rekindled romance.

We are introduced to a new character too called Josh and he brings something new to the storyline to keep things fresh and intriguing. He becomes a key character in this book alongside Lily and Atlas but Ryle feels like he begins to fade away in this novel.

In a way this book is predictable, you could see how the romance was going to end up but it didn’t effect my enjoyment of the book sometimes it is just nice to read a hopeful romantic read without all the dramatic twists and turns and especially after all we see Lily go through in the previous book, she has had more than her fair share of trauma so all I wanted as a reader was for her to get her happy ever after that she deserved.

Personally I wouldn't recommend reading this book without having read the first book because you build such a bond and learn so much about the history between Lucy and Atlas in the first book so if you read It Started with Us on its own it will probably feel a little bit of a fluffy and forgettable read.

I think it is safe to say that the author has finished this book off perfectly and that the characters have come to their natural end now so I can honestly say despite seeing many different opinions on this duology I actually really found myself invested in these two books and I would definitely recommend them to other readers.

Every Move You Make by C.L Taylor

 

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer…

Alexandra, Lucy, Bridget, River and Natalie. Five friends who wish they’d never met. Because the one thing they have in common is the worst thing in their lives: they are all being stalked.

When one of their group is murdered, days after their stalker is released from prison, time stands still for them all. They know their lives could end just as brutally at any moment – all it takes is for the people they fear the most to catch up with them.

When the group receive a threat that one of them will die in ten days’ time, the terror that stalks their daily lives becomes all-consuming. But they know they don’t want to be victims anymore – it’s time to turn the tables and finally get their revenge.

Because the only way to stop a stalker is to become one yourself…

C.L Taylor is one of my go to authors when I want a unpredictable and gripping psychological thriller so I was eager to dive into her new release Every Move You Make which takes us into the world of Stalking.

The book gets off to a gripping start wasting no time in getting gritty with a murder so I was already finding myself falling into this storyline with intrigue. We get to know four main characters River, Alex, Lucy and Bridget who are all victims of stalking and have formed their own little support network via whatsapp to help each other seen as they all find themselves frightened for their lives but things take a turn when they are at a funeral and receive a wreath stating that one of them will die in 10 days time, question is which one of them is the target?

I have to say though I did struggle a little with this book, for some reason I kept losing my way with whose stalker was who and I continuously found myself getting mixed up between Alex and Bridgets characters now I don’t know if this was just me or if this was actually done on purpose to cause confusion because I found where I was concentrating on trying to follow who was who I took my eye off the ball and wasn’t trying to look for clues to see who could be trusted or if there were cracks in anyone’s stories which would allow me to see if anyone had an ulterior motive.

The book really picks up in the last quarter and I found myself flicking greedily through the pages as things were beginning to come to light and things were taking a darker turn. I can hold my hands up and say I was completely in the dark with the revelation, I hadn’t had an inkling at all so the storyline was completely unpredictable for me which I loved. The author was able to bring the emotions of fear, suffocation and desperation to her characters because she knows firsthand what it is like to have a stalker and her experiences, she has used to bring insight and depth into the subject matter of this book.

Available to buy HERE

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Seven Summers by Paige Toon

 

Six summers ago

Liv and Finn meet working in a bar on the rugged Cornish coastline, their futures full of promise. When a night of passion ends in devastating tragedy they are bound together inextricably. But Finn's life is in LA with his band, and Liv's is in Cornwall with her family - so they make a promise. Finn will return every year, and if they are single they will spend the summer together.


This summer

Liv crosses paths with Tom - a mysterious new arrival in her hometown. As the wildflowers and heather come into bloom, they find themselves falling for one another. For the first time Liv can imagine a world where her heart isn't broken every year.

Now Liv must make an impossible choice. And when she discovers the shocking reason that Tom has left home, she'll need to trust her heart even more . . .

Seven Summers was a breathtaking read that was packed full of emotion which pulled at my heart strings. Set in my personal happy place in Cornwall it has a wonderful Summer setting on the glorious sandy beaches and the buzzing bar of Seaglass where our characters come together.

Our FMC is Liv who I loved from the start, she has a pure passion for sculpting but her life path is put off balance after a heart-breaking loss and she feels her duty is to look after her brother Michael who is a favourite character of mine as he brings a touch of lightness and humour to the storyline at times.

Her passion isn’t the only thing effected though so is her heart which belongs to the gorgeous Finn but their love can only be for the Summer each year but their love is put to the test.

This is a storyline that feels so real and so pure which is why each heart-breaking moment that Liv faces brought a lump to my throat. Her resilience through each one is admirable and I longed for her to finally find her happy place in life, doing what she enjoys with the person she loves.

What I loved with this book was the constant will they won’t they feeling. One minute feeling like it was so predictable what the out come would be to then being thrown off guard and doubting how things would go but one thing I can hand on heart say, I never in my dreams imagined what actually did happen in the last part of this book but I was broken that little bit more.

This book tackles loss and grief with such delicate care and it shines a light on how loss can shape your life for years to come. The storyline also focuses on love and how for some in life there is room in your heart for more than one person but you can love in different ways but ultimately your heart knows what is right.

This was another beautiful read from Paige Toon. She has always been a favourite author of mine and her last few books she really has poured her heart and soul into them and have broken my heart in each of them but I wouldn’t want it any other way, she has a pure gift.

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Meet Me When my Heart Stops by Becky Hunter

 

The first time Emery's heart stops, she is only five years old...

Emery is born with a heart condition that means her heart could quite literally stop at any moment. The people around her know what to do - if they act quickly enough there will be no lasting damage, and Emery's heart can be restarted. But when this happens, she is briefly technically dead.

Each time Emery's heart stops, she meets Nick. His purpose is to help people adjust to the fact that they are dead, to help them say goodbye, before they move on entirely. He does not usually meet people more than once - but with Emery, he is able to make a connection, and he finds himself drawn to her.

As Emery's life progresses, and she goes through ups and downs, she finds that a part of her is longing for those moments when her heart will stop - so that she can see Nick again.

This is the story of two fated lovers who long for each other, but are destined never to share more than a few fleeting moments - because if they were to be together, it would mean the end of Emery's life.

Meet Me When My Heart Stops by Becky Hunter is quite unlike anything I have read before, she has such a wonderful imagination and she pours this into this endearing storyline.

The storyline is centred around the life of Emery who we first meet when she is only five years old, we quickly learn that she has a heart condition that causes her heart to stop meaning that for a short time she dies. But each time she dies she meets Nick who is there to help her come to terms with her passing however this is a first for him too as he has not had anyone return before.

As we follow Emery through her life and the continuous deaths we see how she lives a somewhat double life not allowing herself to fully embrace life but also having this pull to see Nick again.

This is an unrealistic storyline and yet it was such a beautiful one that actually really touched my heart and Emery pulled me into this storyline and didn’t let me go until she had really pulled at my heart strings. There were some really tender moments especially at the end of this book and I was choked.

The unlikely romance is at the core of the storyline but we also explore friendships and life challenges too, it was poignant and very honest to see the effect of Emery’s illness on her family dynamics as well as seeing how it altered decisions that Emery made along the way never quite letting herself live a fulfilling life when really she was protecting those around her.

It shows you that you never know how long you have in life, you could be the healthiest person and suddenly lose your life young or you could be living with ill health and live a long life so the only thing to do is live life to the fullest and make each day count like it is your last.

This was a unique and emotive read that I highly recommend, I quite honestly couldn’t put the book down.

Available to buy here.

The Saturday Place by Alice Peterson

 

Three perfect strangers who help each other to believe in love again

Holly's husband died, and she’s lonely. She needs to do something to save herself, quickly. Next thing she knows she’s interviewing for a voluntary cooking job, surprised to be ambushed by a scruffy man who looks like he has a past.

Angus has messed up. He’s lost the respect of his family and has none for himself. If it weren’t for his brother and friend who run the café, he’d be sleeping on the streets. Angus is about ready to give up – until he meets Holly, who sparks something in him.

Then Lauren arrives from the homeless shelter. She came to London with nothing but an old train ticket, a teddy bear, and the clothes on her back. With no family, no home, no friends, she doesn’t know what love is. People scare her. She’s terrified of Angus and Holly. At first.

Each of them finds themselves in the Saturday café at a time when they need something to grab hold of. It might have to be each other…

I knew 2024 was going to be a great year for books when I saw the news that one of my favourite authors Alice Peterson was back with a new book. The Saturday Place invites us to a café that provides more than a hearty meal, it’s a place of support, socialising as well as a sanctuary to fill your belly with food that would have otherwise gone to waste.

The storyline has three central characters Holly, Angus and Lauren who all find themselves in the café as volunteers but little did they know that by volunteering and helping others they themselves find that they are benefiting from this little community hub too. Each of our main characters are living a difficult chapter in their lives but with each other for comfort and support they form an unlikely bond and begin to see that with time and small gradual changes which may feel like hurdles at times that life that has taken a dark turn can be full of light once again.

This storyline is so simple yet so emotive and pure, tackling challenges that many of us have come across either personally or to those close to us. There are no dramatic twists and turns or big secrets to uncover it is an insightful and touching novel that will touch your heart and capture your attention the whole way through.

I personally felt so connected to this book especially to the lovely Holly having also lost my husband I found I could relate to so many thoughts, feelings and emotions that she had most strongly the loneliness that engulfs you. The way the author writes about living with grief after the loss of your partner was so tenderly done and honest. I longed for a happy ever after for her not necessarily to find another partner but just to feel happy, loved and fulfilled.

Lauren’s story was another delicate one too and I loved watching her blossom as a person as she learned to trust and to accept help. The who book though focusing on touching topics still felt hopeful and uplifting.

I was quite sad to leave these characters behind but I loved every moment of this book.

Available to buy here CLICK HERE

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