Showcase Sunday #6

 

Showcase Sunday is a weekly event hosted by Vicky at Books, Biscuits and Tea where bloggers share which books they have received or bought throughout the week. This week was a week of firsts for me. Firstly I have been sent my first book to review from a publisher

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So thank you to Georgina @ Headline for sending me a copy to review. If you want a taster of this book you can download one of the stories Uriah's War on Amazon for just 99p here.

 

 

Secondly I was accepted for my first Netgalley arc which was Stable Mates by Zara Stoneley from Harper Impulse which is available from Amazon from September 4th on Kindle, pre-order here.

 

What have you added to your collection this week? Take a look at everyone else's list here.

 

"Waiting On" Wednesday - Saving Grace by Jane Green

 

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where book bloggers share which books their eagerly awaiting for publication.




Release Date: 25th September 2014
Publisher: Pan MacMillan
Pages: 400
Format: Hardback
Pre-Order from Amazon here.

Taken from Goodreads:

Grace Chapman has the perfect life, living comfortably with her husband, bestselling author Ted, in a picture-perfect farmhouse on the Hudson River in New York State. Then Ted advertises for a new assistant, and Beth walks into their lives. Organized, passionate and eager to learn, Beth quickly makes herself indispensable to Ted and his family. But Grace soon begins to feel side-lined in her home - and her marriage - by this glamorous, ambitious younger woman.
Grace becomes increasingly distressed, as nobody around her believes that Beth could mean any threat. Is Grace just paranoid, as her husband tells her, or is there more to Beth than first thought? Then an unexpected email from Beth's former employer changes everything. What is Beth really capable of? Can Grace get her life back? And what if she realizes it's no longer the life she wants?

 

I love Jane Green novels and this looks like another brilliant one, definitely on my must read list. Have a look what everyone is "Waiting On" this week here.

 

Top Ten Tuesday - Books I'm Not Sure I Want To Read For Various Reasons

 

So this week this list at The Broke and the Bookish is books your not sure you want to read, this was really hard for me as I tend to focus on the books I do want to read and 90% of what is in my to be read pile is books I can't wait to read, but here goes:

 

 

1. The Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling

Don't all throw things at me! I never wanted to pick them up when they first came out and now I'm still not sure. I don't actually know anyone whose read them and disliked but magic and fantasy stories are not my thing. I'm sure if I had a copy I'd probably picked it up and be hooked but for now I'm still not convinced.

 

 

2. The Lunar Chronicles by Melissa Meyer

I like the idea of fairy-tale retellings but I'm not huge on the idea of them being set in the future and featuring androids and cyborgs, they again seem very popular so maybe one day.

 

3. Anything else by John Green which is not The Fault in Our Stars

I read TFIOS in June and loved it, it was such a moving book. That was my first John Green book and now I'm scared to pick up another in case its not as good. I have An Abundance of Katherine's in my TBR pile,  do you think should I read it?

 

4. Destined to Feel and Destined to Fly by Indigo Bloome

 I read the first book in the Avalon trilogy during the #SexMeUpReadathon back in July and it has left me with very mixed feelings, the plot line went way over my head and I'm not sure I want to carry on with this trilogy. Has anyone read it? Does it get better or is it still a little far fetched?

 

5.  The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

This was part of the Richard and Judy book club back in Spring 2012, its sat on my shelf ever since and I've never read it. It does sound like something I'd enjoy as do like books set in the 1920s but something is holding me back. Is it worth picking up?

 

6. One for My Baby by Tony Parsons

This is another one which my friend lent to me years ago and it just sat on my shelf, I finally gave it back to her but should I give it another go?

7. The Understudy by David Nicholls

I think I've been put off reading this because I wasn't keen on One Day, I wanted to love it but didn't and think this may disappoint me also.

8. Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira

I think the idea of writing to dead people is slightly creepy but I'm also curious about the story of Laurel, it seems to have mixed reviews so I'm just not sure.

9. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

I'm curious about this one, but it again has mixed reviews so I'm not sure. Is it worth it?

10. The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare

I'm not really a fan of fantasy books with demons, shadow hunters and vampires but as its so popular there is something inside me saying maybe give it a go.

 

So there is my rather eclectic list, which are worth reading and which are not I'd love to know. To see everyone else's list click here. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review - One Hundred Proposals by Holly Martin

 

Publisher: Carina

Published: 25.06.2014

Format: Kindle

Available From Amazon now

 

I have been intrigued by this book since it first started showing up on people’s blogs and was mentioned everywhere. I really love the idea behind it: Is there such a thing as a perfect proposal?  I was a little scared to start reading this as whenever there is a book which has received a lot of praise I worry that I will be the one person that hates it. Well worry not, this book lives up to every good review it has been given and all the praise it has received, it’s heartbreakingly romantic and will take you on an emotional journey with two characters you know belong together.

Suzie and Harry are best friends. Together they run thePerfectProposal.com a website helping would be grooms to plan their perfect proposal. One day Harry asks Suzie what her perfect proposal would be, when she draws a blank, Harry embarks on a mission to find Suzie’s perfect proposal. He decides to do one hundred different proposals over one hundred days.

What is obvious from the very beginning is Suzie is madly in love with Harry and has been ever since they first met. Their friendship goes way beyond the boundaries of a normal male/female friendship, they sleep in the same bed, they’ve seen each other naked, and they know almost everything there is to know about each other. She doesn’t want to tell him how she feels as she doesn’t want to lose his friendship. He’s been her rock since her brother Jack died from cancer and she’s not sure what she would do without him. So the idea of having to watch the man she loves propose to her each day just for research is heart-breaking. Remembering to say no each time Harry asks “Marry Me?” almost pushes Suzie to the edge.

The romance between these two is so beautiful because it seems so real, how many men would you let see you wear a cow suit onesie? Not so many I’m sure. As they start their daily routine of the proposals you so want Suzie to say “yes” every time, however there’s always something holding her back or some mishap which gets in the way and all this just adds to the beauty of this story.

Harry and Suzie are both characters which you will adore instantly. Harry is so kind, funny and really hot that you just can’t help but fall in love with him. I loved the way he would just drop everything and go running to Suzie no matter what time of day it was, how can you not want a man like that?  Suzie is a lovely down to earth character, I love the way that she will let Harry see her when she is a total mess with no make-up on and those pj’s you hide from everyone, I love the way she is a little clumsy and has a habit of falling over at totally the wrong time. These two are just so at ease with each that they need to be together and when the tension between them begins to build I guarantee the only thought running through your head will be “just tell him how you feel!”

Although it seems obvious how the story will end you will be on tenterhooks throughout this book as these two never quite manage to make their true feelings known and you are almost left wondering if they actually will.  This book had me laughing, crying and shouting because I was so frustrated; it is a truly wonderful romantic book which will take you on a journey that you will not want to end.

Rating 5/5

 

 

 

 

Showcase Sunday #5

 

Showcase Sunday is a weekly event hosted by Vicky at Books, Biscuits and Tea where bloggers share which books they have received or bought throughout the week. This week I only picked up two books from the library and my friend Jane has lent me one to read.

 

 

 

 

I'm  a huge Adele Parks fan and her novels just seem to keep getting better, this is set in 1920 after the end of The Great War and focuses on the lives of Beatrice, Ava, Sarah and Lydia. I'm intrigued by this as its her first historical novel. Party Games is Jo Carnegie's first novel which is not part of the Churchminister series, which I loved, so it will be interesting to see what this is like.

 



 

Don't know anything about this one, but its Erica James so is bound to be good. Could be a while before I get round to this one though. So what books have made their way into your collection this week? Take a look at everyone else's list here.

 

Book Review - A Gift to Remember by Melissa Hill

 

Published: 2013

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Pages: 405

Source: Library

Available In: Hardback, Paperback and Kindle

 

Fall head over bicycle wheels in love with Melissa Hill’s A Gift to Remember. Darcy Archer loves books and surrounds herself with them all-day working in a bookshop called Chapters in Manhattan. She spends all her time dreaming about books and longing to find her own perfect Mr Darcy.  One day while cycling to work Darcy crashes into Aidan Harris and knocks him out cold. Racked with guilt Darcy takes his dog and the beautifully wrapped gift he drops and vows to reunite Aidan with his lost property.  At the hospital Darcy finds out Aidan has lost his memory and has no clue who he is or where he came from. Darcy decides to make it her mission to help him piece his life back together  building a picture in her mind of the man she knocked over, who is beginning to resemble Darcy’s dream man. Will Darcy find her happy ever after or will it all be just a dream?

This is the first Melissa Hill book which I have read and I loved it, the story had just enough mystery and plot twists to keep me guessing right until the end. I loved the character of Darcy, she’s just so sweet and helpful and would make a wonderful best friend as she seems incredibly loyal, plus she would probably always have the book you wanted to read in her pile. I loved how she bonds with Bailey the Dog and all the way through I was hoping if she didn’t get the man then maybe she would get the dog.

I thought this book flowed really well and I liked the chapters from Aidan’s point of view as I was able to build my own picture of him from the hints given, the picture I was building was similar to Darcy’s so the ending was a bit of a shock.

I loved this book it was a perfect read for me with a little mystery and romance and any book set in New York at Christmas is a winner with me as I’d love to experience this myself one day.

Rating 5/5

 

 

 

Book Review - Silver Bay by Jojo Moyes

 

Author: Jojo Moyes

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Published: 2007 (This Edition 2013)

Pages: 390

Available In: Paperback & Kindle

 

 

This is a beautifully evocative tale of three women living in the idyllic “Silver Bay” on Australia’s coast and how one man’s visit changes their lives forever.  Liza McCullen lives in the Silver Bay Hotel with her aunt Kathleen and her young daughter Hannah. The three women live a peaceful and sheltered life in the Bay, where Kathleen runs one of the only hotels and Liza spends her time conducting “Whale Watching” tours on her boat. Then Mike Dormer, the mild-mannered smart Englishman who is set to change everything arrives in the hotel.

This book is told through the eyes of the three women and Mike Dormer and although at first you are lead to believe they are all happy with their lives you can soon see they are all missing a little something which turns them from existing into living.  It is beautifully written and will immerse you totally in the lives of these characters.

My favourite character in this book is Mike. I love the way he changed from being very accepting of his circumstances and not really involving himself with decisions to being someone who decides what he wants and does everything he can to get it.

I love the way that both Liza and Mike begin to change their lives after they have been whale watching, it’s as if the whales bring a calm magic to the lives of people who see them. I think this happened to me also while reading, at first I couldn’t really get into the story but then about 100 pages in Liza takes Mike out to see the whales and something changed and I could not put this book down.

Jojo Moyes has once again turned a subject matter I’m not sure of into something utterly beautiful which will touch your heart as the story unfolds.

Rating: 4/5