Friday 15 November 2019

Blog Tour Review: Outreach by Shelly Berry


Outreach by Shelly Berry
Published: 28th September 2019
Publisher: Book Guild Publishing Ltd
Pages: 320
Available in Paperback and on Kindle
Rating: 4/5

Blurb
When Emily was offered a new job in London, she was sure that her life was about to change – new friends, a career in the big city and the boyfriend she always wanted.

Her new life turns out to be more complicated than she expected. Her flat mates don’t understand her. Her colleagues mock everything about her. Even her father doesn’t support her. The only person who offers her any encouragement is David.

He’s married. He’s her manager. To Emily it’s clear that they have something special. As their relationship develops, everyone seems to want to sabotage their chances.


But some things are meant to be...

Review
After reading the blurb I was sure I would enjoy this book as I love a good romance, and this seemed to hint at something forbidden between Emily and her boss David. What you get instead is a much deeper story where every action is analysed.
Emily’s not a character I liked but she does make an interesting central character and one which I was compelled to find out more about. Shelly Berry has done a great job of unravelling Emily and showing us how her mind works. I don’t want to give anything else away about her character as its what makes this book work.
Emily’s job as a support worker for Drug and Alcohol Action leads her to some very vulnerable people and Shelly Berry’s previous work in this sector shines through as she  has job a great job of portraying their lives accurately as every struggle is shown and how small seemingly insignificant things can lead to massive repercussions is someone’s life. Something perhaps Emily needs to learn.
Outreach was like nothing I’ve read before and although didn’t gel with any of the characters I found them an interesting bunch. Something about this unnerving story kept me reading as its one of those books that just simmers away quietly until something boils overs. I was expecting more of a “bang” at the end of the story; but I did find the epilogue fitting in a way.

Thank you so much to the publishers and Shelly Berry for inviting me to review this book and to Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to be part of the blog tour.

About the Author


Shelly Berry lives in Waltham Forest, London. Having gained a BA Joint Honours Degree in Visual Art and Sociology at Keele University and a Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling, she has since worked in the public sector with vulnerable adults and children – including those affected by mental illness, drug and alcohol misuse, disability, criminal behaviour, homelessness and domestic and sexual abuse. During this time, Shelly developed and nurtured her love of writing. As well as writing fiction, she has previously written for a number of blogs and now writes for the Waltham Forest Echo.

Social Media Links – twitter @ShellyBerryUK

Purchase  Links

Giveaway to Win – 5 x PB copies of Outreach (UK Only)
*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

Saturday 9 November 2019

Blog Tour Review: The Honeysuckle Dream by Kate Frost


The Honeysuckle Dream by Kate Frost
Published:  15th July 2019
Publisher: Lemon Tree Press
Pages:  268
Available in Paperback and on Kindle
Rating: 5/5

Blurb

Two men. Three decades. One decision.
Pregnant at nineteen from an affair with a married man, Leila goes against her parents’ wishes. Alone in an unfamiliar city, a fresh start is terrifying.
Leila struggles to navigate between being a single working mum, new friendships, and her bad choices in men. The heartache of past mistakes haunts her. Disillusioned, lonely, and with a fractured mother-daughter relationship, she swaps the vices of city life for the peace of the country. Yet new-found happiness is short-lived and old habits return.
Can Leila let go of her past and find true love?

Review
The Honeysuckle Dream is the story of Leila Keech who is the mother of Sophie Keech. Sophie has featured in two of Kate Frost’s previous novels The Butterfly Room and The Birdsong Promise. I’ve read neither of these two novels and don’t feel I’ve lost anything as The Honeysuckle Dream works well as its own story.
The story takes place between 1979 - 2012 as we dip in and out of various points in Leila’s life. The story isn’t told chronologically, and I think this works well as each little episode helps us to build more of a picture of Leila as a character and shows how various incidents have shaped her relationships over the years.
Leila’s a very headstrong character who knows her own mind. She’s quick to make judgements and these don’t always have the best outcomes, especially where daughter Sophie is concerned.  Despite not being successful in love Leila has carved a name for herself in the events world and I think that’s something she should be proud of being a single mum with only the support of her best friend.
Having being rejected by her parents and her lover when she was pregnant at just nineteen, Leila’s spent most of her life in Bristol flitting from one lover to the next and never being able to firmly put down roots and find somewhere that is truly home for her and Sophie.  She makes the monumental decision and leaving her friends and old lovers behind Leila heads to Norfolk to start a new life, where hopefully she can reconnect with Sophie and finally find herself.
This was a wonderful read where I couldn’t help but become immersed in Leila’s life. Kate Frost has done a wonderful job of exploring Leila’s character and showing us what motivates her. It was great to feel so connected to a character, so I’m looking forward to reading more from this author and meeting another wonderful character.

Thank you to the author and publishers for sending me a copy to review honestly and to Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the Author


Kate Frost writes character-driven women’s fiction and romances, alongside Time Shifters, an award-winning time travel adventure trilogy for 9-12 year olds. She has a MA in Creative Writing from Bath Spa University where she’s also taught lifewriting to creative writing undergraduates. She is the Director of Children’s and Teen events for Hawkesbury Upton Literature Festival, and she’s the co-founder of Storytale Festival, the first city-wide children’s book festival in Bristol.
The Honeysuckle Dream is Kate’s ninth book and the third (standalone) novel in her popular The Butterfly Storm series. She lives in Bristol with her husband, son, and Frodo, their cute Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.


Giveaway:

Giveaway to Win a Paperback copy of The Honeysuckle Dream by Kate Frost (Open Int)
*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday 1 November 2019

Blog Tour Review: Until We Meet Again by Rosemary Goodacre


Until We Meet Again by Rosemary Goodacre
Published: 31st October 2019
Publisher: Hera Books
Pages: 312
Available on Kindle
Rating: 4/5

Blurb
The Great War drove them apart – but love kept them together
Summer 1914: Shy young woman, Amy Fletcher, lives a quiet life in Sussex. An office worker, she lives at home, along with her parents and spirited younger brother, Bertie. But her life is transformed when she meets handsome young man, Edmond Derwent, son of one of the wealthiest families in the small town of Larchbury, and student at Cambridge University.
The couple are falling deeply in love when war breaks out and, eager to do his duty for England, Edmond signs up as an officer. The couple plan to be wed, eager to start a new life together - but their happiness is short-lived when Edmond is sent to Flanders to lead his men into battle. Amy trains as a VAD nurse and is soon sent to France, where she sees the true horror of war inflicted on the brave young men sent to fight.
Separated by war, Edmond and Amy share their feelings through emotional letters sent from the front line. But when Edmond is critically wounded at Ypres, their love faces the biggest test of all – can their love stay strong while the world around them is crumbling?
A romantic, emotional saga set in WW1 – readers of Rosie Goodwin, Katie Flynn and Val Wood will be captivated by this story of love.

Review
Rosemary Goodacre’s first novel Until We Meet Again is a lovely gentle wartime romance featuring young Amy Fletcher and handsome Edmond Derwent.

At the beginning of the story Amy is an office worker, living with her younger Bertie and their parents in their modest home. One of Amy’s main pastimes is spending free time with the Suffragette movement and her friends Florence and Lavinia. Edmond comes from the wealthiest family in the village and is a student at Cambridge.

A chance meeting with Edmond, an old childhood acquaintance in Hove leads to the beginning of a strong romance between the two. Initially its class and wealth differences which seem to cause problems for their blossoming romance. As the months past and war breaks out Amy and Edmond encounter more and more complications which prevent their romance from developing, will they ever find their happy ever after.

Although this book predominantly focuses on the romance of Amy and Edmond there was plenty of details of wartime events which were unfolding around them and how these affected both of their families, which made for a very emotional read. Rosemary Goodacre seems to have captured the anguish and hope faced by many at this time very well and there were a couple of times I shed a tear or two.

I love that the author has hinted there will be a second book as I did feel there were parts of the stories of the minor characters left untold which left me frustrated at the end of the book. I’d love to know what life has in store for Florence, Lavinia and even Beatrice as the war comes to an end.
Overall this was an enjoyable read and if you’re a fan of Elaine Everest, Elaine Roberts or Kate Thompson then I’m sure you’ll love this book.

Thank you so much to the author and publisher for sending me a copy to review and to Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the Author


Rosemary Goodacre has previously worked in computing and teaching. She has had short stories published and a novella, A Fortnight is not Enough.
Her father's family came from continental Europe and she loves travelling.
She enjoys country walking, bridge and classical music. She lives with her husband in Kent, England.