Review time 🕵🏻♀️ Stone Cold Heart by Caz Frear ☠️
DC Cat Kinsella is hiding a terrible secret, it’s eating her up.
The lies to her colleagues.
The lies to her boyfriend.
Only her dad knows.
The reminders are constant. Will the past stay hidden?
Meanwhile young Naomi has been found dead. Her creepy older flatmate seems to be hiding a few secrets but was it him?
Naomi’s boss has classed her as boring and quiet, is she hiding her true thoughts or is she really that self centred and dismissive of her employees?
Naomi was last seen at a work party at her boss’ house, the guest list is riddled with suspects, but who had motive?
One of the suspects seems familiar to Cat. And then it hits her…
Now Cat needs to work out who to believe, as two of the characters turn on each other.
Frear has nailed the characters in this book, the suspects all ooze out suspicion, arrogance and selfishness, meaning even if you want it to be one suspect over the other, you’re not quite sure if you’re right until the end.
I loved the way this story unfolded, it was back and forth pointing the finger at all the suspects. It was a good old fashioned crime thriller. Frear has this incredible way of setting the scene and having so much detail in her pages, that the story feels alive and grips you in the same way that famous detective TV shows do.
A rollercoaster of a plot; full of mystery, twists and that sizzling secret.
Frear is on fire!
Stone Cold Heart is out now in paperback and eBook versions from Zaffre publishing. It is the second in the DC Cat Kinsella series, but CAN be read as a standalone if you wished. Big thanks to the publishers for sending me a free copy, I chose to share my review on my blog and here.
P.S. Sorry for the random angle of the book, I was trying to get the Stone Cold Heart to show in the light!
🖌 Review Time! 🖌
Here are my thoughts on The Carer by Deborah Moggach
The Carer was everything I hoped it would be, it explored family dynamics in such a raw and candid way, that it would be difficult to not find some aspect of this story that will make you think.
Robert and Phoebe have hired a new carer for their dad, James. Whilst they love him deeply, their deep rooted memories from their childhood means there is some distance between them all.
Along comes Mandy, she brings the light back into James’ life and has him giggling and gossiping like a school girl. It’s hard for Robert and Phoebe not to resent this blossoming friendship, how can their dad have the relationship they’ve always craved with their father with a stranger?
Robert and Phoebe are fascinating characters, they are both stuck in a rut and whilst they still laugh and have happy memories, it’s clear they’re both miserable. Clearly in denial, they’d rather focus on something or someone else. And that someone else is Mandy. The pair become obsessed with thinking the worst in her, they think she’s after their father’s money… are they right? Mandy is definitely very comfortable in James’ cottage and has clearly been rearranging the furniture and all the papers…
Then part 2 and part 3 of the book comes along and completely changes the whole atmosphere of the book. I LOVED this. I did not see this coming and am still reflecting on the shock I felt…
And here I must stop recounting to you, because I already fear I’ve given too much away!
What I loved most about this book were the characters. They’re all fabulously quirky and charming. I loved reading of their individual approaches to life and they all brought magical gifts to the table, making this book so easy to fall in love with and wrap you up in the sleepy, idyllic locations.
Moggach’s style is immersive and captivating, whilst also having a maturity to it – you know you’re in safe hands.
Glorious from start to end.
The Carer is out NOW from Tinder Press in hardback and eBook versions!
#gifted #thecarer #deborahmoggach #tinderpress #bestexoticmarigoldhotel #newnovel #newfiction #outnow
Good morning friends! This the second book I’ve read by @tjenkinsreid this year and it’s safe to say I’ve fallen hook, line and sinker for her – she is just incredible!!!
Here are my thoughts on The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
👗💚📸💍👼🎞👯♀️💋👏🏼👰🏼⭐️
This was a fascinating read.
When Monique is approached by Hugo’s people to interview her for a piece in her magazine, she is shocked. Why her? She’s not high up in the company and she hasn’t done many features. Her boss is thinking the same thing but an actual interview from Hugo is like liquid gold, it’s not worth overthinking.
Monique knows as soon as she begins talking to Evelyn that she had an ulterior motive in picking her, but neither she or us find out why until the end of the book. (WOW – btw)
Evelyn then begins her tell-all exclusive, for Monique to piece together, as we begin to understand why she married seven times and how she became the icon that she is.
Broken into sections, Evelyn recounts to Monique what each husband meant to her and brings to life the 50s, the 60s, the 70s and the 80s through her wonderful depiction of Hollywood and those in the industry at that time.
Taylor’s style captivated me again with her ability to make everything seem so real, her books are THE definition of atmospheric for me – as they sweep you up and fully surround you in the glitz, the magic and all the glamour of the era.
Monique’s own backstory provides a link to the present and we discover that she, too, has suffered a fair share of heartbreak. Can Evelyn’s story help her heal or is it just providing her with a short term fix – distraction?
My favourite husband had to be Harry, he’s the best friend all girls dream of. He’s selfless and caring, and his story… WOW… it really moved me.
I don’t want to spoil anything about this story, but what I will say is Taylor has included a powerful message within these pages to stand up for what you love.
The book flowed so beautifully that is was difficult to put down, I had it finished in record time and felt pure devastation as I finished the final words.
I’ve fallen hook, line and sinker for Taylor Jenkins Reid – she is incredible!
🐝 The Honey Bus by Meredith May 🍯
@bestbookforward had mentioned The Honey Bus in one of her IG videos and not only was I hooked by the cover, I was curious about the topic of this memoir.
Meredith uses these pages to tell us about her childhood and her relationship with bees. With complicated family dynamics, her grandpa and the bees become her confidants and provide her with the refuge she craves from her turbulent relationship with her mum.
The more time she spends with the bees, the more she learns of their roles and their family dynamics; and whilst she’s not experiencing it at home, she sees the stability, support and strength that a family should have. Her grandpa uses the bees as a medium, to discuss family issues, allowing Meredith to understand and cope with her mum.
After finishing this memoir, it’s fair to say I clearly knew very little about honey bees before I started it!
I was absolutely fascinated by how these bees ‘work a hive’; it’s a very sophisticated mini-metropolis with every bee having a role to play in their society, their dedication to everything they do is both enthralling to watch and incredibly humbling. We could learn a lot from bees.
This is a beautiful, moving and powerful read that will make any reader reflect on themselves and the relationships surrounding them. It’ll make you feel grateful for the stability you may have overlooked, and remind you to pay attention to those chores/jobs that people around you do, without you even appreciating how it keeps your home/your work/your life moving smoothly.
But the most important message is to understand how much we need bees, which is starting to be well heard thanks to the campaigns, however I’ve never before appreciated the severity and the detailed reasons of why the bees are in decline.
I adore books like this, there is nothing more satisfying than reading and learning at the same time. My heart grew from reading of Meredith’s childhood, and my brain stored even more compelling facts.
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