Book Reviews

The Vintage Summer Wedding by Jenny Oliver This book was chosen as part of my summer of light reading and I downloaded it onto my Kindle (I know, gasp of horror) but the blurb on Amazon took me in and I couldn’t help myself. Anna…

Half A King by Joe Abercrombie As part of my relaxing summer plans I had made the decision not to read any heavy duty books and instead to stick to light contemporary fiction.  That was, of course, until I was asked to review Half A King.…

Hood by Stephen Lawhead (Book One of the King Raven Trilogy) I have to admit that this review is going to be slightly biased as I absolutely adore Stephen Lawhead’s work.  From the Pendragon Cycle which is based on the myth of King Arthur to his forays…

Sparkles by Louise Bagshawe Diamonds are forever.  Secrets aren’t… I was sent this book by my lovely friend who instructed me to find a quiet place and get lost in the pages.  Ever one to oblige I waited until I knew I would have a…

Sealed with a Kiss by Rachael Lucas I am a sucker for a ‘feel-good’ story, you know, the type where you can block out the sound of everything else around you and just become totally absorbed in the story unfolding before your eyes.  When I picked…

The Hive by Gill Hornby Welcome to St Ambrose Primary School.  A world of friendships, fights and feuding.  And that’s just the mothers. This book has been published amongst much to-do.  Just a quick read on the internet showed that it was subject to a…

The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards Families have secrets they hide even from themselves… The story begins in 1964, when the wife of Dr David Henry goes into labour in the middle of a snowstorm.  David’s wife, Norah, delivers twins, a boy and a…

The Universe Versus Alex Woods by Gavin Extence A tale of unlikely friendship I was sent this book as part of the Book Swap being hosted by Jocelyn at The Reading Residence.  It was a book I had seen mentioned a number of times but…

Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld I have to first start this review by saying that I absolutely loved the premise.  Identical twins, Kate and Violet are polar opposites in every way except one; they both have ‘senses’ i.e. an ability to foresee the future.  Kate, our protagonist, refuses to…

The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult Love and war.  Murder and mercy.  Betrayal and forgiveness.  A story that will change everything. I desperately wanted to read this book after reading the review over on Beth’s blog, Plastic Rosaries.  In the review Beth said there was very little…

The Blasphemer by Nigel Farndale ‘He had always been scared of flying. Now, the fear is real. A plane crash. The water is rising over his mouth. In his nostrils. Lungs. As Daniel gasps, he swallows; and punches at his seat-belt. Nancy, the woman he…