Liverpool Angels by Lyn Andrews

Born at the turn of the twentieth century, Mae Strickland is only a few days old when her mother suddenly dies. Her aunt Maggie brings Mae up together with her own children, Eddie and Alice, and the girls become like sisters. In spite of Mae's unhappy start, life feels full of promise.

Then, as the First World War looms, everything changes. While the local men - including young Eddie - leave to fight, Mae and Alice train as field nurses. As they travel to the front line in the wake of family tragedy, nothing can prepare them for the hardship that lies ahead.

Yet there is solace to be found amid the wreckage of the war, and for both, romance is on the horizon. But it will take great courage for Mae and Alice to follow their hearts. Can love win out in the end?




As soon as I saw this book available to review I jumped at the chance, for lots of reasons, I have been wanting to read a Lyn Andrews book for a long time, lots of people have recommended her writing but I never knew which book to start with,, she is a Liverpool author and I am from Liverpool and I love war stories. I haven't read many war books before, but it has always been a subject that I am very interested in, whether it is book's, TV shows or just hearing stories about it.

What I really liked about this book was the way Lyn had set it just before and during World War 1, which is something you don't find in many books, this straight away got me excited and made me want to read more. I loved that every place mentioned in the story I knew of, I usually like having heard of place names even though I have not been, but actually knowing and being able to picture the places gives you a whole new insight into the novel. What was interesting was how differently they were in the book to how they are now, obviously I have grown up seeing Liverpool how it is now so this book taught me things about my city that I didn't know.

What makes this story stand out from others of this War genre is that most are based on the front line and the men at war and what they go through. Whereas although this does have scenes from the battlefield we learn a lot of what it is like behind the scenes with Alice and Mae being field nurses, treating the injured soldiers before sending them home.

I loved how Lyn wrote the characters exactly how people would of behaved and lived at that time. This was shown in the way that Billy behaved towards Maggie, he expected her to say at home doing the housework, with his dinner on the table when he returned home (from a day of drinking).

The research that Lyn has put into this book is wonderful, it has so much detail and depth as if she has experienced this first hand. You can really get deep into the story and feel as if you are experiencing it with Alice and Mae. There are a lot of shocking and upsetting scenes in this book, which you will obviously get from such a series plot but what the story is trying to tell you is that among all of that there is still hope, love and families sticking together. It makes you wonder if the same would happen now if a war were to break out again (fingers crossed we never find out)!

I enjoyed this book as a break from the genre’s I usually read and would recommend to anybody that likes wartime stories and stories about how women coped at this time.

Freed by Stephie Walls

Annie finally found the strength to break free from the destructive bonds that tied her to Gray. He will forever hold a piece of her heart, but she let him go when he was poised to marry for the second time to another woman.

Brett Ryann has shown her love, devotion, and the security she desperately desires. It may not be the soul shattering passion she shared with Gray, but it's comforting, rocking chair love that will carry her through life. With the help of Brett, she has picked up the pieces of her shattered life and has found the security and unconditional love she’s always wanted. But unforeseen circumstances arise, and Annie is once again forced to choose between the security of the life she’s created or reclaiming the missing piece of her soul.

Living with the pain of losing everything she never knew she had.

Gray has never been able to give Annie the commitment and stability she wants. Foolishly believing she would always be waiting, he’s made choices that make it very difficult to come back into her life. Gray knows his weaknesses and knows he hurt Annie time and again, but in his mind she will always be his. Have his wandering eyes, lack of commitment, and continuous need for freedom finally released her from the force that bound them together? Just when he realizes exactly what he’s lost and what he’s willing to do to get it back, he discovers it may be too late to prove to her that he can be the man she needs him to be.

Freed is the conclusion of Bound by Love. It is a steamy, heart-wrenching, beautiful love story. What happens to relationships and past lovers when marriages, infidelity, children, and maturity collide with the present?

I read and reviewed Bound by Love earlier this year and loved it, so when Stephie contacted me to ask if I wanted to read the conclusion of the series I jumped at the chance! I was in love with the story in Bound and although I had a love/hate relationship with most of the characters, it made the story so amazing. When the last story finished and in the way it did, it completely left me wanting more, I couldn’t believe it when it was over and waiting for the next part has felt like a lifetime.

I don’t want to say too much as you have to read the first book to understand the second so anything I say might give it away, but the book gives you all the same feelings you have when reading Bound. The way you feel everything with Annie, her emotions, extreme highs and then huge lows, her heartbreak, her love disasters, Stephie makes you feel and believe every word. I don’t know how but she manages to grab you and pull you so far into the book, you feel as though you are Annie. Throughout the whole book I didn't know what I wanted to happen, my head and my heart were telling me different things and I couldn't of told you where I thought they would end up. I just didn't want Gray and Annie to be together! I know you’re not supposed to like him but I hated him, the way he thought he could have Annie any time he wanted and then just drop her when he’d had enough, made me so angry!

Although the story and the characters have so many flaws it is so beautiful, heart-wrenching and addictive that you can’t put it down. I read this book in less than 2 days as I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen. I could recommend this series to anybody that likes a contemporary romance with so much emotion you could explode! You have to read the first book though as otherwise this one would not make sense. This book will definitely end up on your list of the most beautifully, fascinating stories you have ever read. It has gone to the top of mine!

Thank you so much Stephie for finishing this wonderful series for my by sending me a copy of this book!

If you think this book sounds good but haven’t read Bound by Love, click the link below to read my review, then go and buy it!

When Alice Met Danny by T.A. Williams

What's in a name?

Devastated after losing her job, eternal pragmatist Alice leaves London for a new start in Devon. It’s there that she meets Danny.

Then she meets another Danny.

And then she meets Daniel – Danny to his friends…

In fact, there seems to be a Danny at every turn! Her neighbour’s a Danny; there’s little baby Danny; there’s a vicar, a windsurfer, even a dog called Danny! And whether it’s laughter, comfort, a flutter of romance or a walk along the beach, they each bring something special to Alice’s new life.

You might say it’s a coincidence. Alice certainly would… at first! But when she suddenly risks losing not just one Danny, but all of them, she begins to wonder: might there be more in a name than she ever guessed?



Firstly I would like to thank the author for sending me a copy of this book to review. I had seen this book doing the rounds on a few other blogs but not really looked into it, then when T.A. Williams followed me on Twitter I started to take a bit more notice of his books and thought this one sounded great. So when he offered a copy of this book for a review, I jumped at the chance. I instantly loved the idea of this book, it is such a simple story line that is made so fun and addictive.

Right at the start of the book Alice is made redundant and although she is upset as she has put her life into the company, she decides this is the perfect chance to start her life again and do something she wants to do. She decides to change her lifestyle and in turn where she lives. With a little push from her work friend Danny, she ends up buying a house on an online auction (before actually seeing it) and moving to Devon, where she is hoping to go to Exeter University to do an MA in History. However, the house is nothing like she expected when she does go to see it, I won’t tell you what it’s like because you will never believe me! But it will take a lot of work for it to be live-able. As she has already rent her London flat to Danny she moves to Devon anyway and rents a cottage in a nearby village. Little does she know she is going to make some connections with people and even animals that all have one thing in common.

I really liked Alice, she is just a normal woman that makes a big mistake but tries to make the best of such a bad situation. She doesn't dwell on it and gets on with her life, something we all need to do at one point or another. The way she is written is great and nothing is too far-fetched, you can believe everything that happens and easily get into the story. Alice is somebody that you instantly feel for and want to help her out, you feel everything she does with her and just want to be her friend, or at least I did.

What makes this book so great is that almost everybody Alice meets is named Danny or Daniel! This is such an interesting and new concept to add into a book! It makes it so much more enjoyable and you can’t help but giggle to yourself each time the next Danny comes along! I couldn't help but start to think every character introduced would be called Danny and was slightly disappointed when they weren't, although I think T.A Williams had the perfect balance between funny and too many Danny’s! Each Danny has ends up connected to Alice in different ways and eventually all tied in with one another.

This is a brilliant story! It has its ups and downs and keeps you guessing at the end which is perfect! It is such a hard book to put down and I really hope we see more of this type of book in the future! Although this is T.A. Williams’ third book this is his first of the romantic comedy kind and it is such a good way to enter into this genre, this is the perfect book to enter this genre with, it breathes new life into an already great genre and if this is anything to go by T.A. Williams is one to look out for! but I will defiantly be adding his other books to my TBR! I would recommend this book to anybody that likes a fun, laid back read that keeps you hooked!

Carys Jones First To Fall Blog Tour

I am delighted to be part of the blog tour for First To Fall by Carys Jones. She will be here on my blog on 29th August, here is the full schedule below so you don't miss a day!

25th August – Girls Love To Read
26th August – Tiger Lily Books
27th August – Agi – My Bookshelf
28th August – Suz Korb
29th August – Emma’s Book Reviews

1st September – Chick Lit Uncovered
2nd September – Reviewed The Book
3rd September – Jill Stratton
4th September - Forever Between Pages
5th September – Ginger Reader

The tour offically starts on 25th August so make sure you keep your eyes out for that!

The Story Of You by Katy Regan

There is no story of me without the story of you

I want to explain it all to you. How this happened. How that summer – the summer I was 16 – made me the person I am today.

I want to share my memories with you: the happy memories are like sunbursts, sparkling on the sea. But then, like a current dragging me under, there's that summer of 1997.

The summer my life exploded.

The summer I had to grow up.

The summer you came into my life.

And so this is the story of you.



I have had Katy Regan's book How We Met in my Amazon Wishlist since it came out last year so when I heard another of her books was being published I had a choice of either reading that first or jumping straight in and reading The Story Of Us, of course after seeing the reviews and hearing so many good things, I chose The Story Of You. Although I don't have anything to compare this book to it has given me such high expectations for Katy's other books. It is amazing, the story, the writing, everything is just perfect.

This is such an amazing book! As soon as I finished the book (which was very hard to take as I didn't want it to end), I wanted to scream from the rooftops how good it was to make everybody read it, but I decided to post a review instead! There are so many different themes in this book which makes the story so intriguing and un-putdownable! I laughed and was close to tears a lot during reading this book! There are some quite upsetting themes in this book, the main ones being mental health issues and miscarriage, Katy has written these into the story so wonderfully that although you are sad it pulls you into the story even more.

I loved the characters in this book, they all felt so real and like you were in the story and actual friends with them. This happens because of how brilliant Katy has written the book, she has made the characters jump off the page and into your heart! You get completely sucked into this book right from the start, I was hooked after less than 10 pages! This is one of those books that all of your emotions go into and you feel very conversation and emotion that the characters feel. My favourite character was definitely Robyn, but I think you’re supposed to say that right? What I loved about this book was how different each character was, yet they all fit perfectly into the same story.

I am purposely not going into much detail about anything in this book because I want people to pick it up without knowing too much about it and experience it’s magic, I promise you will not regret it. It is one of those books that you want to start reading all over again the second you finish, and that is what shows it is a good book!

I can’t thank Katy enough for giving us this wonderfully written book, everything is described so perfectly, emotions are dealt with beautifully. There is nothing I can fault about this book. I couldn't put this book down and finished it in just a few days. I don’t think I will ever stop recommending this book to anybody that asks me for a brilliantly written, heart-warming book. I cannot wait to read the rest of Katy’s novel’s and see what is still to come, we definitely have a bestselling author right here!

Meet The Page Girls!

I am delighted to be able help celebrate the official launch of The Page Girls this week! I also have an exciting giveaway in which you can win a Ebook copy of An Imaginary House by the Sea by The Page Girl's own Cecily Gates. See below for some information about the girls and how to enter my giveaway. I hope you will all join me in welcoming The Page Girls and wishing them a Happy Birthday!

About The Page Girls

The Page Girls (www.thepagegirls.com) is a new online mag with an emphasis on books, cocktails, and female friendships. Each week, they publish a themed issue containing short stories, book reviews, personal and funny essays, videos, cocktail recipes, and more. Some sample issues include The Craziest Thing I Did For Love and LYLAS (Love You Like a Sister).

From July 21-25, The Page Girls is celebrating its first official “birthday week,” which means a giveaway every day plus other goodies. 

Sign up for The Page Girls’ weekly newsletter to get notified about new issues, and be sure to follow them on Twitter and Facebook.


Enter below for your chance to win an Ebook of An Imaginary House by the Sea by Cecily Gates, competition opens at 1.00pm on 21/07/2014 and closes 1.00pm on 25th July. Winner will be contacted within 24 hours of the competition closing. Good luck!

Entry-Form

The Fault In Our Stars finally happened!

So last night I finally went to see The Fault In Our Stars film adaptation. Ever since I found out it was being made into a film back in February, I have been so excited for the day I finally got to see it, but as the release day got closer although I was still excited I started having doubts, would it live up to the book? Would all important parts be included? Would the actors be right to play Hazel and Gus? The list goes on... The Fault In Our Stars is one of my favourite books ever so I would of hated it to be ruined and something else I wanted was for people that hadn't read the book to still feel the same magic you feel when reading.

I read this book over 2 years ago now but I could still remember everything that happened and all of the amazing quotes and feelings John Green put into the book. That is another reason why I was worried the film wouldn't do it justice, if you miss out some of these then the story just couldn't play out in the way it is supposed to.

After now having seen the film I can say I am SO happy! It was exactly like the book and everything that was important was there, being played out on the big screen! Shailene Woodley (Hazel) and Ansel Elgort (Augustus) were perfect choices to play the two main characters, they played the roles perfectly and just how you would imagine them in your head. They put so much emotion into the film and life into the already brilliant story. Aside from the acting, the set and everything in the film, even down to the clothes the characters wore, were exactly how John Green wrote them. I cried in the cinema whilst watching this film, that shows how emotional the film is because I rarely cry at films and never in public, but I just couldn't stop the tears from escaping!

I don't know what it is but John Green's books speak to me in a way that no other books ever have, each one that I have read has made me really think and focus on the good things in life, and value everything I have. They are the perfect novels to turn into films as they all carry such strong messages throughout. I vote for Looking For Alaska to also be made into a film! Pretty please?!

I would recommend that everybody goes to see this film, but please read the book first haha! Here is a link to my review of the book

A Place For Us (Part 1) by Harriet Evans

The day Martha Winter decided to tear apart her family began like any other day.

So opens A Place for Us by Harriet Evans, a book you'll dive into, featuring a family you'll fall in love with ... and never want to leave. If you devour Rosamund Pilcher and Maeve Binchy and have discovered Jojo Moyes, you'll be thrilled to add Harriet Evans to your collection of favourite authors.

The house has soft, purple wisteria twining around the door. You step inside.

The hall is cool after the hot summer's day. The welcome is kind, and always warm.

Yet something makes you suspect life here can't be as perfect as it seems.

After all, the brightest smile can hide the darkest secret.

But wouldn't you pay any price to have a glorious place like this?

Welcome to Winterfold.

Martha Winter's family is finally coming home.

When I received an email from NetGalley pre-approving me to read and review part 1 of this novel I was SO excited! I am ashamed to say this is the first novel by Harriet Evans that I have read, although I have had a lot of her books on my wish list for a long time! Reading this book has made them my next purchase, I fell instantely in love with her writing style and can't wait to read more.

Martha and David live in a lovely old house in Winterfold and have for years, they have had three children there, Bill, Daisy and Florence, but Bill is the only one that still lives in the village, Daisy and Florence have both now moved abroad. Will all of the children return to Winterfold when they are invited back for Martha’s 80th birthday party? This is where Martha will reveal a secret.

I loved how each chapter in the book is about each character and their lives, this gives us an insight into each character straight away and helps us to develop relationships with them. We learn through this that Martha is not the only person that has a secret, each character has something they wish to keep hidden.

The way Harriet has written this book shows how talented a writer she is, she draws you into the novel straight away and I hate that this is only part 1 as I just wanted to read on and on! Harriet has opened this story in such an intriguing way that makes you have to carry on reading. I can’t wait to find out how the characters develop and the story continues.

A Place for Us Part 1 is published on 31st August 2014, you can pre-order on Amazon now.The full book will be published in January 2015.

What Happens To Men When They Move To Manhattan?

Back in May I did a book review and first reveal of the new name for Chase by Jill Knapp, which is What Happens To Men When They move to Manhattan? Which I think is the PERFECT name for this book, read it and you'll see why haha! The book has now been re-released under this name by Harper Impulse and look at the gorgeous new cover!

Blurb

When you live in the fastest moving city on earth, how do you decide-What is worth the chase?

Life in the city gives 23 year old Amalia Hastings a ride she is not expecting… As she tries to find her way on the little island that never sleeps, she discovers she has a harder time navigating through life then she does the streets of Greenwich Village!

Amalia thought she had everything she wanted – a new apartment in Manhattan, a first-rate education at NYU, a group of fabulous friends and Nicholas, a boyfriend who she once believed was her soul-mate. But somehow, it isn’t enough.

Stumbling through her relationships, Amalia encounters Michael. An attractive classmate who quickly moves from being one of her close friends, to an inconsistent friend-with-benefits. After all, the only thing consistent about New York is its beauty.

Amalia is essentially torn between two men, and Michael is torn between two women. Her best friend Cassandra is being strung along by her “boyfriend”, Bryce, and even her friend Olivia is having a secret relationship!

After getting hopelessly lost searching for love in all the wrong places, Amalia finds herself asking – what happens to men when they move to Manhattan?!

Here is the review I did of this book a few months ago, I would definitely recommend you buy a copy!

Paper Towns by John Green

Quentin has always loved Margo Roth Spiegelman, for Margo (and her adventures) are the stuff of legend at their high school. So when she one day climbs through his window and summons him on an all-night road trip of revenge he cannot help but follow.

But the next day Margo doesn't come to school and a week later she is still missing. Q soon learns that there are clues in her disappearance . . . and they are for him. But as he gets deeper into the mystery - culminating in another awesome road trip across America - he becomes less sure of who and what he is looking for.

As I have said before and as most other people do, I adore John Green's writing! This is the third book I have read by him and it has been on my wish list for a while, I finally got it when my fiancé bought me it for my birthday back in April so I couldn't wait to start reading it! John Green is one of my favourite authors so this review may be a little biased but he deserves it and all the hype that all of his books get. He is such a talented writer, he draws you in from the very first page, makes the characters so intriguing and the story so believable and wonderful.

I've seen a lot of criticism attached to this book with people saying it is the same as John Green's other novel Looking For Alaska and although it does have similar qualities, it is completely different. I can't decide which I love more but they are both amazing. John Green's books are not your typical YA/Chic-lit novels, they aren't just love story’s with breakups and teenage troubles. They each have something so much more that you don’t expect when picking up novels of this kind.

Paper Towns is a love story of a different kind and focuses mainly on the disappearance of Margo and the lengths that Q will go to, to find her. Although you do learn this from reading the blurb, the way John Green deals with and writes this is so intriguing and makes it impossible to put the book down! Although some parts of the book seem very far-fetched you can still imagine them happening, this is because of the description John puts into his writing, he describes everything in the book perfectly, the characters, the places, the feelings and emotions. He puts you right in the middle of the story and it is an amazing one!

The characters are different to any others that you would find outside of a John Green novel, he has such a unique way of inventing strange and interesting characters that you fall in love with instantly. My favourite character was definitely Quentin, closely followed by Ben, who puts the fun into what is essentially quite a serious story. I couldn't tell if I liked Margo throughout the story as obviously, she spends most of it missing, but at the end of the book you realise you shouldn't like her and I think that was what John wanted. She is built up throughout the story by Quentin so we see her through his eyes only.

John Green is one of the few authors that as soon as you finish their book you want to instantly flick back to the beginning and read again. All of his books carry messages that never leave your head! I am still recovering from Looking For Alaska and The Fault In Our Stars, both of which I read 3+ years ago!

This is a perfect summer read and I would definitely recommend this to anybody. If you haven’t read a John Green book yet, what are you waiting for? Get to your nearest bookshop or on Amazon right now!

I'm going to see The Fault In Our Stars on Thursday and I cannot wait! I have linked my review of that below if you would like to see what all the hype is about!