Wednesday 30 July 2014

The Four Streets by Nadine Dorries






This book is written by Nadine Dorries who most people in the UK will know as a somewhat controversial MP. Nadine divides opinion and I am fairly sure that this book will do the same. It is the first part of a trilogy, the second part being issued in December 2014. 

The book is set in Liverpool in the 1950's. It was about a tight knit Irish Community who through trials and tribulations showed how far they would go for each other. Two young girls with their own secrets which they had to keep close to their hearts. I found this story a little disturbing especially with Molly's threatened innocence.  Although it started off well and thought it was going to be a nice book about a community pulling together, it ended up that there is a dark side to it, and rather than spoil it, I would say if you are super-sensitive then it may be wise to give it a miss but if you enjoy advertisements for the NSPCC this is the novel for you. It upset me, made me feel sick and I didn't enjoy it at all, it was very graphic, poorly written with a ghost character thrown in just to make it that little less believable.  Unfortunately because I didn't enjoy this book I won't be reading the next installment of this trilogy.

Thank you to Lovereading.co.uk & Head of Zeus via Margaret Madden for allowing me to read and review this book. This book is available on kindle & in all good bookstores.

Friday 25 July 2014

Before I Go To Sleep by S J Watson








'As I sleep, my mind will erase everything I did today. I will wake up tomorrow as I did this morning. Thinking I'm still a child. Thinking I have a whole lifetime of choice ahead of me...'

Before I Go to Sleep tells the story of Christine Lucas, who is trying to piece back her life after suffering an accident that has caused her to have anterograde amnesia. Chrissy can remember everything that happens to her during the day but as soon as she goes into a deep sleep, her brain goes into delete mode resulting in Christine waking up next to a stranger. Her memories are not really all gone, her brain just can’t piece the images together.

This book is chilling, watching Christine write in her journal trying to piece together, everything she has missed in her life. The pieces don’t fix and she comes to realise that her life is a lot different than she thinks it is. Making this a gripping read with unexpected twists and turns to keep you reading into the early mornings. I’m really impressed that this is S J Watson’s first novel. Before I Go to Sleep is an addictive read and masterfully written.

I received this book from a friend who told me that I'd enjoy it & I definitely did. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes psychological thrillers; it is a well crafted book that takes you on a thrilling journey, fully of twists and turns. As far as a book is concerned, this one has it all; suspense, mystery, intrigue, violence and romance.

This book is available on Kindle & in all good bookstores & the movie is released in Ireland & the UK around 5th September 2014.

Tuesday 22 July 2014

Into The Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes


Into The Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes is a fantastic, intense, gripping, compelling and harrowing psychological thriller and I for one really enjoyed this page turning novel and found it quite hard to put down as I had to know what would happen next. Utterly compelling from start to finish. I loved the narrative structure, with a short episode from the present, then one from the past, all delivered in the first person, with main character Cathy taking us through the terror that has invaded her life, and what it has reduced her to in the present day - a lonely, fearful woman with OCD, constantly checking the security of her home and limiting her life. It's a chilling portrayal of obsessive destructive love and it's after effects. This is not a book for the faint hearted and I have to warn readers there is quite a bit of profanity in this novel and some people may find that offensive so therefore be warned.

I probably have passed this book in the bookshop numerous times but failed to even pick it up as its cover didn't stand out much and I have to be honest do not judge a book by its cover when you're browsing books as this book has proved. This was picked as a read for our Book Club a couple of months ago and I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed this novel and Elizabeth Hayne's ability to craft such a gripping tale.

This was my first Elizabeth Haynes novel that I've read and it definitely won’t be my last. This novel is very well written in terms of suspense and it really had me gripped from page one. It's prose is simple and the sort of novel you can happily cosy up on the sofa, once you have locked all the doors and windows and know you are going to be in for a cleverly crafted psychological thriller (you've been warned).

Into The Darkest Corner is available on Kindle & in all good bookstores.

Sunday 20 July 2014

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult



"In nineteen minutes, you can mow the front lawn color your hair, watch a third of a hockey game. In nineteen minutes, you can back scones or get a tooth filled by a dentist; you can fold for family of five.....In nineteen minutes, you can stop the world, or you can just jump off it".
"In nineteen minutes, you can get revenge".

As a huge Jodi Picoult fan & having read many of her books in the past I had been meaning to pick this up so many times to read it that I was only too happy to pick her for when my monthly book choice came around for Book Club. The book is set in a small town of New Hampshire, Sterling where the people were shattered by an act of violence. A violence that no one expected, a massacre that kills ten students and injured nine. The unforgettable event that widens the understanding of every witness that touches and experience of such a violent event.

I found this book quite hard to put down this book because the entire time you're seeking answers. Why? What actually happened? What made it progress to this? Things like that. Things that people asked after the tragedies in Columbine, Virginia Tech & most recently, the Sandy Hook Elementary School, Connecticut amongst all the other school shootings that have happened. The chapters flowed & I couldn't turn the pages quick enough to see how the story developed. Another reason why I loved this book & I felt a connection with it is because I was bullied in Secondary School did bring back some memories of my years in school, however I just have to let the book speak for itself. It's such an amazingly sensitive story, to critique it too much might skew your own opinion going into it. The writing is beautiful, the characters complex and real. That's all I'm going to say, I think you need to find the rest out for yourself.

Friday 18 July 2014

Perfect Wives by Emma Hannigan





This book is a nice enjoyable read with a really heart-warming story, not wanting to give too much of the plot away, this story follows the lives of a famous Hollywood actress Jodi Ludlam who has come back to her roots to live in the Dublin Village of Bakers Valley in Ireland and raise her young son, Saul, and where she also has to face some ghosts from her past & also the life of one of the villagers Francine Hennessy, who goes from been a work-a-holic to been a full-time mum and how she copes with all the difficulties thrown at her along the way.  However these two women cross paths & form an unlikely friendship.  Now picture a beautiful cottage with country village surroundings.  Beautiful, but she cannot escape her popularity and is recognised by many of the Mum's in the school playground when she enrolls her son at the school. Of course, typical to human nature most of them are gasping for breathe and wanting to make a friend of her.  There is also a valuable lesson in life there also but I'll leave that to the reader to find that out.

Although Emma Hannigan has had 6 bestselling novels in the last number of years, this was my first time to read a book by this author.  I was quite entrigued by the beautiful cover & couldn't wait to get started on it.  The chapters flowed really well, the characters were well developed & believable.  It's not a straight forward story at all, I think Emma Hannigan has weaved a brilliant piece of artwork there and keeps your slowly trailing along a path where clues are, but you just don't pick them up.  It's a real easy read & the pages just kept on turning.  I will definitely read a few of her other novels now. 

Thank you to Headline Review via Margaret Madden for allowing me to read and review this lovely book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. This book is available on kindle & in all good bookstores.