Publication Day Review: The Haunting of Hattie Hastings, Part Three by Audrey Davis

The Haunting of Hattie Hastings, Part Three by Audrey Davis

Published: 30th July 2018

Pages: 101

Available on Kindle

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Rating: 5/5 

Blurb

Nothing lasts forever … Gary’s time on earth seems to be coming to an end. His visits are less frequent and his visibility is fading fast. But he still has a mission to accomplish, which involves Hattie and her ability to pass on a heart-rending message.

Best friend Cat’s ex-husband is determined to prove that he deserves another chance, but do leopards really change their spots?

Times are tough for Hattie’s mother Rachel, but where there’s life, there’s hope …

Meanwhile, is there someone already in Hattie’s life who can help her move on when it’s finally time to say goodbye?

Get your tissues at the ready – both for laughter and tears – with the final instalment of a trilogy that has been hailed ‘brilliant’, ‘hilarious’, and ‘a great feel-good read’.

Review

This is the final part of the Hattie Hastings story so if you haven’t read parts one and two yet I strongly suggest you so everything in this book makes sense to you.

Hattie’s husband Gary was killed in a road traffic accident but afterwards he didn’t disappear completely, after re-appearing several times to Hattie and her best fiend Cat. Gary’s been given a mission to help those he’s left behind, and in this part, he’s finally worked out what that mission is before he can rest in peace and he sends Hattie to Scotland to try and help him on his quest.

In this the final part of the story it was to say goodbye to Gary for good, something which I did find quite emotional, as I’ve grown to love his honest nature and obvious devotion to Hattie.

 Audrey Davis has done a fantastic job of giving each character a proper ending, something which can appear rushed and incomplete even in some longer books but has been done sympathetically and completely. I have loved reading the Hattie Hastings trilogy mostly because I love Audrey’s writing style of quick witted one-liners which has taken the issues of loss and grief and explored them in a sensitive way with humour that just works.

I really hope this gets made into a complete book as I’ve loved joining Hattie and Gary in their journey to everlasting peace, well Gary anyway. I’m really looking forward to what Ms. Davis’ writes next.

About the Author

Audrey Davis survived secondary school on the West coast of Scotland. Rubbish at science but not too bad at English, she originally wanted to be an actress but was persuaded that journalism was a safer option. Probably wise. She studied at Napier College in Edinburgh, the only place in Scotland at that time to offer a journalism course.

Her first foray into the hard-nosed newspaper world was as a junior reporter in Dumfriesshire. Duties included interviewing farmers about the prize-winning heifers to reporting on family tragedies. She persuaded her editor to let her launch an entertainment column which meant meeting the odd celebrity – or just the downright odd. From there, she moved to the loftier rank of senior reporter back in her home patch. Slightly more money, fewer farm animals but a higher crime rate. As Taggart would say: 'There's been a murrrrder!'

After a stint in London on a video magazine – yes, she is that old – Audrey moved to Singapore with her fiancé. She tried valiantly to embrace the stinking heat, humidity and lack of jobs, although she did work briefly on a magazine which was banned by the government for 'artistic' use of naked men's bottoms.

Next on her adventures was a land Down Under where her main focus was raising Cost Centre One (aka firstborn) and coming to terms with the imminent arrival of Number Two. Still, she loved the Aussie way of life – BBQs, beaches and bring your own booze to restaurants – so it came as a blow when OH announced a move back to the UK. Not a job between them, the climate a possible deal breaker and an Exorcist-style vomiting infant on the flight home didn't bode well …

Always a survivor, Audrey sought out similar-minded friends (i.e. slightly bonkers), got the children into a good school and thought about taking up writing again. Sadly, thinking about it was as far as she got, unless you count shopping lists. Then, hubby drops another bombshell. Switzerland. As in – it's packing time again. Off to the land of cheese, chocolate, scarily efficient trains and a couple of teeny, tiny issues. Like driving on the 'wrong' side of the road and speaking a foreign language (French). The former was conquered fairly quickly (we'll skip over the wall demolition in week two), the latter remains an ongoing battle of the hopeful against the hopeless. At least she provides amusement for the local workforce.
It wasn't until 2016 that Audrey rediscovered her writing mojo with an online Writing Fiction course. From there, her first novel – A Clean Sweep – was born, although it took a bit longer than nine months from conception. A short, darker prequel – A Clean Break – followed, and in November 2017 she published the first in a novella trilogy, The Haunting of Hattie Hastings Part One. Part Two is published on 21 March 2018, with the conclusion following in July. After which she might have a wee lie down …

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/audreydavisbooks

Twitter- https://twitter.com/audbyname

Purchase from Amazon UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Haunting-Hattie-Hastings-Part-Three-ebook/dp/B07DT2P5Q3

Blog Tour Review: The Distance Between Us by Georgie Capron

The Distance Between Us by Georgie Capron

Published: 1st July 2018

Publisher: Aria

Pages: 428

Available on Kindle

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Rating: 4/5

Blurb

For fans of Marian Keyes, Hurrah for Gin and Allison Pearson. A tear-jerking but uplifting modern love story about motherhood and marriage.

Happy children, happy husband, happily ever after?

Tasha knows that she should count her blessings: married for eleven years, mother to three healthy children, she should be content with her lot.  However, feelings of frustration have settled over her like a dark cloud.  Despite living under the same roof and sharing the same bed, Tasha has never felt so distant from her husband, Charlie.  She feels worn down by the mental load of motherhood, drowning in the never-ending chores that keep the family and household afloat.  Most of all she worries that her once happy marriage is slipping away from her.

Tasha longs for something to change, but when change comes calling will it really be the answer she was hoping for? And is it possible to fall in love with the same person twice?

A modern day love story about family, marriage and risking it all to have it all. 

Review

Tasha has been married to Charlie for eleven years and together they have three children all of which are at school. Recently Tasha has being finding motherhood harder and more mundane than usual and longs for more support from Charlie who seems to spend forever in the office. Whenever Tasha tries to talk to Charlie he seems to move further and further away from her. When neighbour Javier offers Tasha some kind words she succumbs to his advances and makes a massive mistake. The pair then separate, and Tasha is left even more alone wondering how on earth she’s going to cope and win Charlie back.

This is one of those novels which really highlights the adage “you don’t realise what you’ve got until its gone” in Tasha’s case she begins wake up to how supportive Charlie was being a parent and being a partner.  As she works out how to be happy on her own can she find away to win back Charlie’s trust.

At the beginning I found Tasha to be a strong and independent character but after her misdemeanour she’s racked with guilt and when Charlie finds out she seems to become weak and crumble, she totally forgets how much she tried to communicate with Charlie that she was unhappy, and he just ignored her. I thought Charlie was a very realistic character and did love how the love for his children was portrayed throughout the book. I just wish he’d had the same affection for his wife then none of the drama would have happened.

The Distance Between Us was a realistic look at a marriage into trouble.  It highlights the need to communicate in a relationship. Georgie Capron has managed to portray every emotion felt by these characters so as a reader we can feel the disappointment, the hope, the anger and all the frustrations throughout the story and this I really enjoyed as it felt very real. There are some sad and worrying moment sin the story which do make it quite a heavy read but I think she has managed to balance this with some more light-hearted moments with the children.

Overall I found this an enjoyable read and I’m looking forward to reading more from this author. Thank you to Aria who sent me a copy to review via Netgalley and invited me to be part of this blog tour.

About the Author

Georgie lives in South West London with her husband and daughter. Alongside her writing she works as a primary school teacher and she particularly enjoys teaching English. She studied Italian and History of Art at the University of Edinburgh and did a PGCE in primary education at the University of London.

Follow Georgie

Website: https://georgiecapron.com/

Twitter: @GeorgieCapron

Facebook: @GeorgieCapron

Buy now links:

Amazon: mybook.to/TDBUCapron

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2JUK6G4

iBooks: https://apple.co/2JJ2j65

Google play: http://bit.ly/2LNjMLw 

Follow Aria

Website: www.ariafiction.com

Twitter: @aria_fiction

Facebook: @ariafiction

Instagram: @ariafiction

Blog Tour Guest Post: More Than Us by Dawn Barker

More than Us by Dawn Barker

Published: 21st May 2018

Publisher: Canelo

Pages: 334

Genre: Women's Fiction, Family Drama

Available on Kindle

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Today I'd like to welcome Dawn Barker to my blog, author of the inspiring novel More Than Us, she's going to give us some insight into the inspiration for the novel, over to Dawn.

Blurb

When parents disagree on how to care for their child, is it justifiable to take extreme measures?

Emily and Paul have a glorious home, money in the bank and two beautiful children. Since leaving Scotland for Paul to play football for an Australian team they have been blessed. But sadness lies behind the picture-perfect family - sixteen-year-old Cameron has battled with health troubles his entire life. There's no name for what he has, but his disruptive behaviour, OCD and difficulty in social situations is a constant source of worry. 

When Paul's career comes to a shuddering halt, he descends into a spiral of addiction, gambling away the family's future. By the time he seeks help, it's his new boss Damien who recommends and pays for a rehab facility.

While Paul is away, Emily has to make a tough decision about their son. She keeps it from Paul knowing he'll disapprove. And when a terrible accident reveals the truth, Paul takes his son and goes on the run, leaving Emily to care for fourteen-year-old Tilly, who unbeknown to her parents is fighting battles of her own.

Can the family join together for the sake of their loved ones, or will their troubles tear them apart?

Guest Post: The Inspiration Behind More than Us by Dawn Barker

The inspiration for writing More Than Us

Dawn Barker

First of all, thank you for having me on your blog today. I’m very excited that More Than Us, my third novel, is out now!

Of all my books, More Than Us was the one that took the longest to write. I remember having the first idea for it about four years ago, while my family and I were living in Cape Town in South Africa. I remember walking in the beautiful Camps Bay area with my husband and talking about the problems that young sportsmen (and women) face after being drafted in their teenage years into elite sport, then propelled into a life where they are treated like stars. Here in Australia, there have been some high-profile cases of Australian Rules Football and swimming stars who have then struggled to adjust to the real world when their careers end and become addicted to substances. I know in the UK, there have been similar stories reported of soccer stars, where the fame and money involved is almost incomprehensible. For many young men, when their career ends, often in their twenties or thirties, they have to adjust to real life, which is difficult when they haven’t completed their education, and have never had to learn to manage things the way that the rest of us do. I thought this would be an interesting character for a book.

That idea grew, but I needed more, and then I recalled a case I saw at work (I’m a psychiatrist for my day job) many years ago, when a family disagreed with the cause of their teenage son’s psychosis. This child’s father sought alternative treatment, while the mother wanted the treatment that I recommended as a doctor. I never knew how that case ended, as I only saw the family briefly, so I thought that writing about a similar case would allow me to explore all the complicated issues and beliefs that we have in our society about mental illness.

I then started writing the first draft of this book a few years ago, combining those ideas and also exploring the often-conflicting views about mental illness in children. As a child psychiatrist, I have absolutely no doubt that children can become psychiatrically unwell, of course, but I also feel that sometimes, mental illness is over diagnosed, and I share the concern of many about the use of medication in children when diagnosis is unclear.

In writing More Than Us, I hoped to explore all of these issues through the eyes of a fictional family living that experience. It certainly helped me to consider many of the issues in depth and I hope that it provokes some thought and discussion amongst readers.

Thanks again for having me on your blog today!

About the Author

Dawn Barker is a psychiatrist and author. She grew up in Scotland, then in 2001 she moved to Australia, completed her psychiatric training and began writing. Her first novel, Fractured, was selected for the 2010 Hachette/Queensland Writers Centre manuscript development programme, was one of Australia's bestselling debut fiction titles for 2013, and was shortlisted for the 2014 WA Premier's Book Awards. Her second novel is Let Her Go. Dawn lives in Perth with her husband and three young children.

Twitter: @drdawnbarker