Love Letters To The Dead by Ava Dellaira

Love Letters To The Dead by Ava Dellaira 

This book is beautiful and sad, painful and brave, uncomfortable and amazing. I had to stop reading so many times due to my tears obscuring the words and I'd sit, clutching the book to my chest waiting for the sorrow to pass. 

It starts as a school assignment, write a letter to a dead person, but becomes so much more. Laurel is hurting, she's lost her older sister May, her family has fallen apart and she feels like she's disintegrating too. Nothing makes sense anymore so Laurel turns to the page and writes her pain down on paper. Addressing each letter to a celebrity who died tragically, she tries to explain to them and to herself what is happening in her life, and why she is feeling so lost and guilty. 

I loved all the characters, 
Laurel isn't perfect, she's not supposed to be, because none of us are. But her childish belief that her sister was, despite knowing deep down in her heart that it isn't true, makes her set herself impossible standards, dooming herself to constant failure. 
May is a damaged, broken little girl who grows up too fast. She feels the responsibility of her family's happiness lies completely on her shoulders and that weight proves to much to bear. 
Sky is  cute, uninterested in popularity, smart, caring and kind. He has a deepness and maturity that belies his age but he's not flawless, he's human.
Hannah makes me cry so much. She's beautiful, but so broken. Life hasn't been kind to her, and she's deals with things the best she can. Unfortunately her need to feel loved pushes her into the wrong arms time and time again.
Natalie is honest, kind and strong. She's a wonderful friend and her love for Hannah is for me, the most beautiful story in the book.
Every character, is there for a reason, they are the pieces of the puzzle that is Laurel's story. 

Thank you Ava Dellaira for this beautifully written book, for the honesty and for not holding back with the reality of how harsh life can sometimes be. But thank you also for the poetry, and for the love and friendship and the sparks of light that remind us why we're all still here.


I give Love Letters to the Dead five stars ★★★★★
isbn 978-1-4714-0288-3
Published in 2014 by Hot Key Books 
I bought a copy of this book

The Sisters by Claire Douglas

             The Sisters by Claire Douglas

I was given this book with the words, "Just read it!" So I did... and it's incredible! The story coils, winds and twists, dragging you in deeper and deeper, making you question everything you think you know. It's genius!

Pain and despair haunt Abi, she's lost her twin sister in a tragic accident but everywhere she goes she sees her sister's image in her own reflection. Broken and in need of a new start she moves to Bath. There she meets the enigmatic twins Bea and Ben... will she find the peace and happiness she so sorely needs?

The story jumps between Abi and Bea and their thoughts and perceptions, and we jump with it. What is really happening? Who is telling the truth? The tension builds and builds, and just when you think you might have an idea as to what is happening, you realise you don't!

This is a book you won't be able to stop thinking about!



I give this book five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
isbn 978-0-0075-9441-2
Published in 2015 by Harper Collins
Was given a copy of this book by a friend

The Ice Twins by S.K. Tremayne

                 The Ice Twins by S.K. Tremayne 

Be prepared to be haunted, terrified and chilled to the bone.  

This is the story of Angus and Sarah Moorcroft and their identical twin daughters Lydia and Kirstie. A year after Lydia dies in a tragic accident the family move to a tiny Scottish island. Can they pull together the broken pieces of their hearts and their lives and learn to live again? 

This is where the horror begins.

You will tentatively turn each page, desperate to know what is going to happen, but terrified to find out! The thoughts will be thrashing around inside your head, confusing you, convincing you of you what is around the next corner only to cackle wickedly when you get it completely wrong. 

I read this book in a couple of days although there were times I had to physically put it down as I could feel the darkness seeping out of the pages, chilling my blood.

Come read with us...

I give this book five stars
isbn 9780007459230
Published 2015 by Harper Collins 
I was given a copy of this book by a friend 

My Everything by Katie Marsh

             My Everything by Katie Marsh 

On the day Hannah is finally going to tell her husband Tom that she's leaving him he has a stroke... and life changes in an instant.

This is one of those 'what if' books that makes you think. What would YOU do in this situation?

Whether you agree with the decisions Hannah and Tom make or not, this is a wonderful, heartwarming book that will make you both laugh and cry. Hard to read in parts as you feel their pain, their regrets, their insecurities and indecision, but definitely worth it.

Monsters by Emerald Fennell

              Monsters by Emerald Fennell 

A twisted tale of two friends with an unsavoury interest in murder. 

This book is incredibly creepy and grisly! So very, very dark! 

We never find out the main characters name, but this didn't stop me from becoming morbidly intrigued with her every thought and action. And as her friendship with Miles deepens, so does her fascination with all things macabre. 

 All the characters in this book are either broken or ghastly! When children with a dark side are neglected or abused, the fallout is inevitable; when they're surrounded by evil... well, it's explosive!  'Monsters' had me guessing all along and the twist at the end was brilliant!! 

Tony Tripoli

Poems inspired by the Arts by Tony Tripoli 

I didn't really enjoy this book very much. That might say more about me than the poetry but I prefer longer poems with more descriptive language. I like poems that make me think, make me feel, poetry that is a spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.

Saying that, the one poem that did grab me was Fantasy of a Walking Man based on Alberto Giacometti's L'Homme Qui Marche.

 It evoked feelings of anguish, heartache and despair. That is the one poem that I will be going back to, that over time I will read again.

H.M.C

               White Walls by H.M.C

White Walls is a psychological thriller that had me biting my nails, as my heart raced and my mind tried to foresee the next twist. It's a whirlwind of a story that burst off the page and engulfed me it as it surged, twisted and turned.

Jade Thatcher is a psychiatrist who after a failed marriage returns to her hometown and gets a job at the Rowan's Home Psychiatric Institution. But all is not as it seems and as Jade gets to know her patients, more and more questions arise and she soon discovers a secret that threatens to destroy both her and everyone around her.

The descriptive writing is beautiful. The characters are incredibly complex and also very authentic, very real.

Once I'd started reading, I just couldn't put it down!

ian laing

this is what you're doing wrong by ian laing

Hilarious in parts, uncomfortable in others, this book reads like stand up comedy. There were pages that made me think of a group of blokes getting drunk in the pub, and trying to put the world to rights... ignoring the fact that they were offending pretty much EVERYONE with their views. As politically incorrect as a book could possibly be, but if not taken seriously, at times very funny.

Sarita Mandana

        Good Hope Road by Sarita Mandana

Good Hope Road transported me to the front during the First World War. The cold and despair in the trenches, the futility of lives lost in order to advance but a few feet, the hunger, the pain of missing loved ones was all tangible and yet the hope, the camaraderie, the bravery and determination was so prevalent it brought tears to my eyes. 

The story is in parts narrated by Obadaiah Nelson, an American volunteer fighting with the French Foreign Legion in The Great War in 1914, but then jumps forward almost two decades and is Major James Stonebridge's story and the fallout of him returning from the Front a damaged, haunted man.

This book is a must read, a glimpse into the heartbreak and devastation of war, but also the damage both physical and emotional to the young men fighting and the lack of assistance and understanding when they return home. 

Elizabeth Fremantle

Watch The Lady by Elizabeth Fremantle 

              Stella star of heavenly fire,
              Stella lodestar of desire.

                                    Sir Philip Sidney, Astrophil and Stella




Penelope Devereux is a beauty that inspires exquisite poetry. But that is not all she is; fascinating, intelligent, prudent, unafraid of flirting with danger... had she been a man, she would have surely been a renowned figure in English history. Goddaughter of Queen Elizabeth I, sister of the Earl of Essex, she loves Philip Sidney but her heart is to be broken when she is forced to marry another.

This book is like a doorway to the past. On opening it to the first page you found yourself transported to Elizabethan England. You don't just follow Penelope in her life in the English Court but you feel her happiness, heartache and fears.

When Sidney looks at her, you feel your heart skip a beat and your breath catch in your throat. When in the Queen's presence your hands tremble slightly and every word is measured carefully before being spoken. Fear of unintentionally saying the wrong thing or displeasing the Queen in any way is palpable.

Beautifully written, enchantingly told, this story brings to life a most alluring character whose story deserves to be told.

When We Were Animals

When We Were Animals by Joshua Gaylord

"In the town where I grew up, when the boys and girls reached a certain age, the parents locked themselves up in their houses, and the teenagers ran wild..."


This is a dark coming of age novel.

Lumen lives with her widowed father, she's a well behaved girl, trustworthy, intelligent, and excels at school. But, she lives in a strange town. A town where when they reach puberty, the teenagers go through what they call "breaching". They run naked at night when the moon is full, all social restrictions are thrown to the wind and their animal instincts take over.

The story is told by Lumen, Alternating between her as a teenager, and then years later as a married mother.

At times it reads like a nightmare, happenings beyond your control, panic, fear, running, and nothing making sense. Which is essentially what it means to be a teenager. Feelings of uncertainty, of waiting, wanting something but not knowing what that something is, prevail for Lumen.

This book is beautifully written, honest and savage at times. The characters are not just believable but recognisable. Every adult reading the story will find something of themselves in there. My only negative comment would be that occasionally I felt it stopped short of how brutal, how ruthless teenagers without restraints can be.

I really enjoyed When We Were Animals and look forward to reading more by this author.


I give When We Were Animals four stars ★★★★
isbn 9781785030949
Published in 2015 by Del Rey
I received an uncorrected proof copy in a goodreads giveaway

Des Farry

Did Socrates Get Pissed? by Des Farry

This is a humorous short story, very tongue in cheek, hilarious in parts. The characters are all self obsessed but don't mind telling everyone else how to live their lives. Pretty much everyone get's on each other's nerves and the management speak is priceless. 

I only gave this book three stars because the characters grated on my nerves and by the end of the book I could have happily banged their heads together... but maybe that's just me.

No Place For A Lady by Gill Paul

1854 and Britain is the grip of the Crimean War.

Young Lucy Harvington after a whirlwind romance travels to the Crimea with her husband Charlie. Her older sister Dorothea Gray follows her to the front as a pioneering nurse working alongside Florence Nightingale.

Both sisters will risk their lives and face unimaginable horrors. How will they survive?



                                                      *************************


I picked up this book and couldn't put it down. I felt an immediate affinity with the older sister Dorothea and both hers and Lucy's stories grabbed me and refused to let go.

This is a beautifully written book, the images portrayed are done in a way that allows you to step into the story and live the adventure with the characters. The horror of war is described honestly, without holding back at all on the brutality, the fear and the devastation  it brings.

I love the story, the history entwined into the lives of these fictional characters is fascinating. This book is a must read and I can't wait to read more of this authors work.

Memoirs of an Ordinary Guy, Not Rich, Not Famous, Just Truths by Mel RJ Smith

A fascinating story of one man's adventures from boyhood, through adolescence and into adulthood. Funny tales that had me giggling. Painful memories and wrong choices that turned his life upside down and tore at my heartstrings. Recollections of happy times that made me smile. All of these shaped his life and brought him to where his is today.

An honestly written, witty and compelling read.

The Invisible Guardian by Dolores Redondo

A killer is at large in a remote Basque Country valley, enter Inspector Amaia Salazar. 

Young teenage girls are being brutally murdered, and this evil brings Amaia back to Elizondo, back to the place of her childhood, determined to find the killer and exorcise a few demons of her own. Reality and myth intertwine as Inspector Salazar searches for the truth. 

I really enjoyed this story, I found the character of Inspector Salazar fascinating.  She's intelligent, insightful, courageous and confident yet at times vulnerable and haunted. She's a very strong leading lady. well supported by a cast of beautifully written characters, from the almost too perfect to be true James, to the controlling, bitter and malicious Flora. 

As the search for the killer progresses, we find ourselves learning more and more about Amaia, her family, her past and the history of Elizondo and it's surrounding areas. Legends of the community tangle with the facts, as we are taken on a pilgrimage through darkness, horror and evil, with light coming from places least expected. 

The only issue I had with this book, is that it creeps forwards a little too slowly, with so much detailed description, I sometimes felt a little bogged down. It could be possible that something got lost in the translation, or that I was simply too anxious to find out what was going to happen next. 

To conclude, a fascinating thriller, part of a trilogy and I for one will definitely be looking out for the next book in the series. 

Harper Lee

Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee

There is no way I can review this book in a coherent and sensible manner. My passion for To Kill A Mockingbird, for Scout and Atticus is too strong. Every word will be lead by emotion. My excitement and apprehension on learning of this books very existence was momentous. The author had always pronounced vehemently that she would never publish another book. So, on learning that she was doing indeed that, but it was questionable as to whether she was coerced into agreeing to it's publication left me perturbed. The comments, reviews and general consensus leading up to it's release made me determined to read it with an open mind without prejudice.

To begin with, I have to say that the extra glimpses into Scout's childhood were for me, very emotional. Jem, Scout and Dill's games and life view were such an integral part of TKAM and to be able to add to those was heart warming.

Meeting Scout as a young adult was exactly as I had expected it to be. She's the same headstrong, full of life and gumption Scout as she was as a child.

This is a story of growing up, of finding oneself.
To misquote Thomas Wolfe,
"“You can't go back home to your family, back home to your childhood, back home to romantic love , back home to the old forms and systems of things which once seemed everlasting but which are changing all the time..."

Scout finds herself questioning everything she thought she knew and believed.

Some of the conversations between Scout and Atticus make for uncomfortable reading, especially when you've held Atticus Finch on a pedestal your entire life... kinda like Scout has. The higher you build your pedestal, the further your idol has to fall.

Am I glad this book was published? YES! Whilst reading it, I'd stop and clutch the book to my chest, feelings akin to reconnecting to a long lost friend. We may not have followed the same paths, but the connection and affection is still there. As I finished reading the last sentence, tears pouring down my face, I was grateful for the opportunity to revisit with the Finches and the Maycomb community.

A Game For All The Family by Sophie Hannah

Justine Merrison, her husband Alex and fourteen year old daughter Ellen leave London and move for a quieter life to Devon. Life for Justine and her family is about to get very weird indeed. 

The book alternates between the story Ellen writes for a school assignment and Justine's life. Ellen's best friend disappears... or does he? Justine receives threatening phone calls and things get more and more mysterious. 

Let me start by saying how much I enjoyed reading A Game For All The Family; although enjoyed doesn't seem like the right word, delighted in, relished, loved and adored would be more appropriate words.

Justine and her "I do Nothing with a Capital N" motto drew me in. Ellen's dark and enigmatic story kept me guessing until the very end. 

My mind raced as the story weaved this way and that. I got it wrong, time and time again, although I did manage to solve one of the mysteries before the end. This is a brilliant, chilling psychological thriller and it had me gripped to the very end. 

The Clock Struck One by Helen Deakin

A new house. A new life. A whole new nightmare!

Life doesn't seem fair for Tamara, a typical teenage girl struggling with the the move to a new town away from her friends. But life is about to get a whole lot worse.

There’s something not quite right about this new house; this town. The voices she is hearing and the inimical nightmares seemingly induced by the house itself are starting to frighten Tamara worse than anything else has ever scared her before. It doesn’t help that she’s become a complete stranger to her own family, shunted and ignored by them.

Something bad is coming. Something horrifying and Tamara is powerless to stop it.

                                                       **********************

This may be a short story, but it has so many twists and turns. It starts out like a usual horror story and is dark, eerie, creepy and chills you to the bone. It has you thinking, wondering, trying to work it out and the twist at the end was not what I was expecting. Brilliant story telling. 

The language used by the author describes everything so perfectly, so thrillingly, so terrifyingly.

Thank You Helen for the chance to read this wonderful book, can't wait to read more of your work.

After the Crash by Michel Bussi

Emilie Vital or Lyse Rose de Carville?
In December 1980 a plane crashes on the Franco-Swiss border and 168 out of the 169 passengers perish. The sole survivor, a three month baby girl. But there were two families travelling with an infant, who's baby survived?
Eighteen years later and on Lylie's ( an amalgamation of both girls names ) birthday she receives the journal of  the detective, Credule Grand-Duc paid by the de Cavilles to discover the truth.

The journal takes us on his eighteen year journey, searching for the true identity of the Miracle Baby found in the wreckage.

The heartbreak the two families go through as they each fight to prove the baby is theirs is tangible, the grandparents on each side, wanting desperately to bring their granddaughter home.

The story twists and turns, each clue sending thoughts in a different direction. It'll have you scratching your head, guessing, then guessing again.

This is the authors first book to be translated into English, and I really hope it's not the last.

Alex Lamb

Roboteer by Alex Lamb

"One species. One universe. Two sides. 

The human race has spread to the stars. Those few who live in the wastes of space have been forced to adapt themselves with technology and genetic modification.

For the billion left on Earth, trapped in squalor and gripped by a new religious fervour, those who have tampered with the human form are heretics.

And so the unequal war began,

The Earthers have deployed a devastating new weapon, Only one outworlder ship can be spared to investigate this new threat, And on board, his mind linked to the ship's drones and weaponry, is their brand new Roboteer.

What they find, will change the universe, and the human race, for ever."

                                                        ******************

My thoughts.

Allow me a moment to squee...

I absolutely loved this book. Join roboteer Will Kuno-Monet and the captain and crew of the Ariel on their adventure in outer space and their fight not only for their own survival, but to save the human race.

Imagine the future, where life as we know it no longer exists. The Earth is ruled by the Prophet and his religious doctrine is the legal order. No one is entitled to freedom of thought or speech, the Prophet and his minions rule with an iron fist. 

In outer space are the few who have escaped earth, they have adapted to their new way of life by adapting themselves! With genetic modification and technology they have found  a way to survive. 

The characters are all beautifully written, Will makes you love him immediately. Ira is the strong silent type who is loyal to the last. Rachel is kind, caring, and can kick some serious butt! Amy is not only brilliant but also holds the team together when things start to go awry. John is the sarcastic genius. Hugo, I have renamed Hugo the annoying. 

On the other side we have the Prophet, who, as any other dictator is only interested in himself, his wealth and his precious ideas. General Gustav Ulanu, who believes that science and knowledge are the values on which we should build our lives upon. Admiral Konrad Tang, with the need to be right and to win at all costs. Disciple Rodriguez a pious, narcissistic, slimy little man with no soul.

And the Transcended, are they guardians or bullies?

Fantastical spaceships, sensational battles, warp speed flight, aliens that step in and not only move the goalpost but change everything anyone thinks they know! A story that makes you wonder what it is that makes us human.

I adored every moment of this book, the writing is exquisite and evocative,  "Above them was a sky full of floating stuff, like clouds from some heavy-metal hell - gunmetal clouds with thorns.".  I can't wait for the sequel. 

The Thing: Zero Day by Lee McGeorge

Antarctic.
Just a small group of men in camp, it's freezing cold, there are regular snow storms and often zero visibility. Enter a flying saucer crashing into the ice. 
The Thing: Zero Day is full of fast paced, thrilling, nail biting action! Brilliantly written, amazing characters that grab you immediately and take you with them on their suspense filled adventure. 

Pandora's Brain by Calum Chase

I'm not sure where to begin? 
So, I'll start with a wow! and a "this books is seriously awesome!" 
Pandora's brain challenges what you think you know about artificial intelligence. It has you questioning yourself and your ideas and beliefs, and wondering just how you'd feel if AI was as imminent as the story suggests. 

Matt is an amazing character, he gives the subject of AI the human touch. The twist and turns in the story make the journey a breathtaking one! I'd love to mention details, but I don't want to include any spoilers! 

Fast paced, fascinating concepts, it grabbed my attention from the first page and didn't let go. The ending? All I can say is Mind Blown! 

This book is a must read!