blog tour – Book Dust Magic

An amazing crime novel: The Whisper Man by Alex North #BookReview #BlogTour #Crime #TheWhisperMan

GIFTED / Today I am proud to be the host for The Whisper Man blog tour.
I want to say thank you to Jenny Platt from Michael Joseph for inviting me.

About the book:

In this dark, suspenseful thriller, Alex North weaves a multi-generational tale of a father and son caught in the crosshairs of an investigation to catch a serial killer preying on a small town.

After the sudden death of his wife, Tom Kennedy believes a fresh start will help him and his young son Jake heal. A new beginning, a new house, a new town. Featherbank.

But the town has a dark past. Twenty years ago, a serial killer abducted and murdered five residents. Until Frank Carter was finally caught, he was nicknamed “The Whisper Man,” for he would lure his victims out by whispering at their windows at night.

Just as Tom and Jake settle into their new home, a young boy vanishes. His disappearance bears an unnerving resemblance to Frank Carter’s crimes, reigniting old rumors that he preyed with an accomplice. Now, detectives Amanda Beck and Pete Willis must find the boy before it is too late, even if that means Pete has to revisit his great foe in prison: The Whisper Man.

And then Jake begins acting strangely. He hears a whispering at his window…

My Review:

When it comes to thrillers, I have to admit I was very lucky this year. I didn’t read a lot of them, but I liked almost all of those I read.

The Whisper Man is a thriller that stands out, and I dare to say that there’s a big probability that it will end up on my “favorite books of 2019” list. My guts tell me I won’t forget this story any time soon.

The story is set in a small town and it has that small town vibe that I love so much, with few but very impressive characters and a plot that make you read long after you had to turn the lights out.
At least, that’s what happened in my case.

I was surprised how fast I flew trough the story, and how easy to read it actually was.
I ascribe it to the fabulous writing style that pulled me in and kept my attention until the very end.
I liked the way the writer led me through the story without many philosophicall thoughts about life, but he still made me think about life and people anyway.

This novel also played with my mind (just a little bit) because at some point I wasn’t sure whether there will be a paranormal aspect to it or was it all just the twist of words to make me think that way.

I can proudly say that I am satisfied with every part of The Whisper Man. It was intense and thrilling until the very end I recommend it to lovers of good stories.
If you like crime fiction, make sure to read The Whisper Man. I hope you will love it as much as I did!

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The one with troubled teens: Breakers by Doug Johnstone (Blog Tour) #BookReview #BlogTour #GeneralFiction

GIFTED / Today I am proud to be the host for the Breakers blog tour.
I want to say thank you to Anne Cater for inviting me, and to Orenda Books for providing me with a copy of this book.

About the book:

Seventeen-year-old Tyler lives in one of Edinburgh’s most deprived areas. Coerced into robbing rich people’s homes by his bullying older siblings, he’s also trying to care for his little sister and his drug-addict mum. On a job, his brother Barry stabs a homeowner and leaves her for dead, but that’s just the beginning of their nightmare, because the woman is the wife of Edinburgh’s biggest crime lord, Deke Holt. With the police and the Holts closing in, and his shattered family in devastating danger, Tyler meets posh girl Flick in another stranger’s house, and he thinks she may just be his salvation . . . unless he drags her down, too. A pulsating, tense psychological thriller, Breakers is also a breathtakingly brutal, beautiful, and deeply moving story of a good kid in the wrong family, from one of Scotland’s finest crime writers.

My Review:

Breakers is the novel that cought my attention with it’s synopsis. The story sounded interesting and it has been a while since I read an adult book with teens as main characters.

This novel is perfect for readers who usually read young adult, but would like to try adult fiction. Since our main characters were teenagers, the story often (at least to me) read like ya novel, but only with stronger language and some taboo subjects.

The story touches some serious topics like poverty, drug addiction and incest.

Even though it has an interesting plot, this is a character driven story.

It also blurs the line between moral and wrong, and it will probably (at least at some points to the story) make reader root for guys that don’t make the right choices.

As for my reading experience, I wish I got more attached to our main characters, because I would enjoy the story more.
This way, I only followed the story with Tyler, but I wasn’t emotionally invested, not in the way I wanted to be.

Also, the atmosphere of the story reminded me of Savages by Don Winslow. It is a totally different book from that one, but I still couldn’t help but think about it while reading.

The writing style was solid. There were no beautiful sentences that would make me think of life, but it was easy to follow and well structured.

I feel like most people who read this book absolutely loved it, so I guess I’m in minority here when I say it was an average piece of fiction. It wasn’t bad by any means, but I wouldn’t describe it as mind blowing either.

I would recommend this story to everyone who likes to read general fiction and to young readers who’d like to try some adult novels.

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The one for hopeless romantics: The Summer of Chasing Dreams by Holly Martin (Blog Tour) #BookReview #BlogTour #Romance #TheSummerOfChasingDreams

Today I am proud to be the host in The Summer of Chasing Dreams blog tour.
I want to say thank you to Holly Martin for inviting me.
I enjoyed reading Eva’s story and now I’m ready to tell you all about it.

About the book:

Eva is quite content with her life in London. In her job as a cover designer, she works at home, and often in her cosy pyjamas. She’s happy to stay in her safe little world and not explore much outside of it.

She is the opposite of her mum, a free spirit who craved finding adventure and thrills in all corners of the world. But on the day her mum’s will is finalised, Eva finds a list of all the dreams her mum wanted to achieve in her life. Things she never did because she fell pregnant with Eva.

Eva decides these dreams will not go unfulfilled — she is going to be brave and complete them for her mum. As Eva has no experience travelling the world, she hires a guide to go with her on this holiday.

Gorgeous but rude Thor Anderson is not the person she would choose to accompany her on this journey, but somehow she gets stuck with him. As they discover the world together Eva starts to think he might not be as bad as she first thought. She is swept away by Thor’s kindness and mischievous sense of humour. But will it be a simple holiday romance or could this wonderful adventure lead to so much more?

My Review:

Holly Martin is one author I always like to support. Her books are always uplifting, perfect to made a stormy day brighter, or sunny day even more shiny. In other words, they radiate happiness, and The Summer of Chasing Dreams was no exception.

The story follows Eva Blue (who’s name reminds me of Beyonce’s daughter) who, after her mother’s death, goes on an adventure to chase dreams her mother never had an opportunity to experience.
Her company is a tourist guide called Thor (and yes, that is his real name).
They go on that adventure alone, because Eva paid for the private tour, and the more countries they visit, the stronger their connection is.

I was never the one to enjoy road trip books, so the main reason why I decided to read this book is the author.
I would probably never pick it up based on synopsis.
However, now I am glad I did, because I really enjoyed it.

I love the way the connection was built between our main characters. I, as a reader, could sense it immediately, but it took some time until Eva and Thor recognized it too.
They tried to resist it at first, but with time, it was impossible for them.

The only thing that I wasn’t a fan of was how Thor was an unrealistic character. I don’t think any kind of man would talk about his feelings so openly from the very beginning and I don’t know… He just seemed like a character girls dream about, but I don’t think there are those kind of men in the real world.
Everything about him and his behaviour was… Like he was pulled from someone’s imagination (and in reality, he was: from Holly Martin’s imagination).
Most women will probably like him for that, but I had to say how I feel…

The writing style was great. Easy to read and enjoyable.
The story is written in third person, and it mostly follows Eva’s POV, with some small parts with Thor’s POV.

The end was predictable (as it usually is in romantic comedies) but I wouldn’t change anything about it.

I would recommend The Summer of Chasing Dreams to everyone who likes to read romantic stories, but also to those who enjoy reading about adventures around the world.

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Book Review: She Lies in Wait by Gytha Lodge (Blog Tour) #BlogTour #BookReview #SheLiesInWait

I am happy to be today’s host in She Lies in Wait blog tour.
I want to thank Jenny Platt from Michael Joseph, Penguin for inviting me.

About the book:

Six friends. One killer. Who do you trust?

On a hot July night in 1983, six school friends go camping in the forest. Bright and brilliant, they are destined for great things, and young Aurora Jackson is dazzled to be allowed to tag along.

Thirty years later, a body is discovered. DCI Sheens is called to the scene, but he already knows what’s waiting for him: Aurora Jackson, found at long last.

But that’s not all. The friends have all maintained their innocence, but the body is found in a hideaway only the six of them knew about.

It seems the killer has always lurked very close to home…

My Review:

She Lies in Wait is a pure crime story, so don’t let the quote on the cover fool you. It is not dark, deep thriller, but it is a good crime novel.

Reading this book was kind of interesting experience for me. My copy arrived really late (it was so late I actually lost the hope that it would arrive at all) so I had only 3 days to read it.
Since I am a slow reader it was questionable if I would make it, but since the book was pretty interesting and it read pretty fast, I was worrying for nothing.

The story follows two time lines: one that happened 30 years ago when a group of friends went to party into the woods, and one of them ended up missing, and today’s time when the body of a missing girl was found.
Through the story, we follow lives of people who were in the woods 30 years ago, and two main characters, inspectors Jonah and Hanson who work on the case.

The story was good, and the writing style was also fine.
My favorite part when it comes to writing style were dialogues. Characters talked like real everyday people and their conversations were easy to follow.
The story is written in third person.

One downside of this story is that main characters seemed too one dimensional to me.
We did get little pieces of their past and that each of them had something that happened to them in the past, that made a huge impact on their lives, but we didn’t find out what it was nor did we get to see more of their personalities.
I assume, since this is the first book in the series, that they will be more explored in the future books, but in all honesty, I would like to know them more to even have a desire to hang out with them on their next adventure.

When it comes to the case itself it was a solid, entertaining tale, and it even though it occurred to me that the person who turned out to be the killer could be guilty, when we came closer to the end, I didn’t know who committed the crime.
I have to mention that crime novels are not usually what I read, so I am not as critical to this type of stories as crime fans are.

Overall, She Lies in Wait is a good novel that I would recommend to people who like to read crime stories every now and then.

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Mind blowingly amazing: The Taking of Annie Thorne by C. J. Tudor – Book Review (Blog Tour) #BookReview #BlogTour @MichaelJBooks #TheHidingPlace

I am so honoured to be today’s host in The Taking of Annie Thorne blog tour.
I want to thank Jenny Platt from Michael Joseph, Penguin for inviting me.
This novel blown my mind and it is now the best book I’ve read this year so far.

About the book:

Joe never wanted to come back to Arnhill. After the way things ended with his old gang–the betrayal, the suicide, the murder–and after what happened when his sister went missing, the last thing he wanted to do was return to his hometown. But Joe doesn’t have a choice. Because judging by what was done to that poor Morton kid, what happened all those years ago to Joe’s sister is happening again. And only Joe knows who is really at fault.

Lying his way into a teaching job at his former high school is the easy part. Facing off with former friends who are none too happy to have him back in town–while avoiding the enemies he’s made in the years since–is tougher. But the hardest part of all will be returning to that abandoned mine where it all went wrong and his life changed forever, and finally confronting the shocking, horrifying truth about Arnhill, his sister, and himself. Because for Joe, the worst moment of his life wasn’t the day his sister went missing. It was the day she came back.

My Review:

It’s been a long time since a book scared me. When I say long, I mean more then a decade long, and The Taking of Annie Thorne managed to do just that: scare me.
And what is even more interesting, I read the scene that made my heart jump while I was working. I think that tells you how invested in this story I was. I’ve even put my daily obligations aside.

C. J. Tudor is a well known author who wrote a novel called The Chalk Man. I haven’t read that book even though I’ve heard it was amazing.
Because of that, I wasn’t prepared for the story The Taking of Annie Thorne actually is.

The whole time, I was sure this would be one of those psychological thrillers, but it is actually a real, blood curling horror.
And I loved it!

It reminded me of stories Stephen King wrote, but with it’s original quality.
I have to stress out here that I have never read a book written by Mr. King, but I’ve watched movies based on his stories.

This book was so good, I can’t even properly articulate how positively surprised I was.
And I don’t talk about the story only, but about the writing style too.
It is so thrilling and the book is unputdownable, but also it contains numerous beautiful (or just awesome) sentences.
Trust me, this book is full of good quotes!

The story is written in first person, following Joe’s POV.

The Taking of Annie Thorne is also known by the name The Hiding Place.

I was so satisfied with this novel that now I want to watch the movie based on it.
I know that is something we readers often say, but this time I mean it on a whole different level. I really want to watch this movie, and I can’t even imagine the world without it.
I have no idea what is the situation when it comes to film rights and this particular novel, but I am sure that it will happen!

Now when I finally read a horror book, after years and years of pause (my last one (I think) was sth written by R.L. Stine, and we don’t count rereads here!), I want to read more.
This book showed me horror books can actually be amazing.

The Taking of Annie Thorne left us with some unanswered questions, but even despite that, I have to admit that I loved the end.
I mean, I wouldn’t mind getting some answers (or epilogue no 2) but the end itself was pretty awesome.

In the end, I just want to say that this book is the best one I read in 2019 so far.
I can’t wait to read The Chalk Man now!

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Book Review: Not Just for Christmas by Natalie Cox #NotJustForChristmas #BlogTour @orionbooks #BookReview #Christmas #Comedy

I am so honoured to be today’s host in the Not Just for Christmas blog tour.
I want to thank Alainna Hadjigeorgiou from Oron Publishing for giving me this chance.
Not Just for Christmas was so fun to read and I really, really enjoyed it.

About the book:

Title: Not Just for Christmas

Author: Natalie Cox

Publisher: Orion

Date: November 15th, 2018

Pages: 352

Format: eARC

Source: from Publisher for a review

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Charlie hates the holidays, and this year is shaping up to be her worst yuletide ever. Her boyfriend has left her for his personal trainer, her flat is out of bounds after a gas leak, and her mother has gone to spend Christmas in Melbourne with her fifth husband. Finding herself single, mildly concussed and temporarily homeless, Charlie hesitantly agrees to dust off her wellies and spend the festive season in Devon, looking after Cosy Canine Cottages, her cousin Jez’s dog-care centre.

However, her plans for a quiet rural Christmas with only the four-legged friends for company are dashed as soon as she meets Malcolm the deaf Great Dane, Hugo, his gorgeous (but engaged) owner, and Cal, the undeniably attractive but unbearably haughty and patronising local vet…

Review:

If you’re looking for a good Christmas comedy, look no further!
Not Just for Christmas (or Mutts and Mistletoe, as it was previously published under that name) has everything you need this season in your festive chick lit: the most likeable protagonist you could wish for, many cute dogs, pups, hot guys, snow, food and lots and lots of humour.

Still, even though it’s funny and entertaining, it does not go overboard and everything in this novel, every element, is dosed just right.

The story follows Charlie, who after the accident that caught her apartment, stays at her cousin’s place.
Her cousin runs hotel for dogs, and after she goes on a trip to meet the love of her life, Charlie stays to run the place over Christmas.
Charlie is not a dog person, but day by day she discovers the beauty of mutts and one’s relationship with them.

Not Just for Christmas was lovely, warm story that put a smile on my face so many times.
It is a feel good story that will make readers’ lives better, I honestly believe that.

The writing style is stunning, and it reminds me of Sophie Kinsella’s, but it is still different. In my language, I would call it “pitko” which means that you drink the words, that’s how it easy is to read.

This book has 352 pages and it felt like it had only 200 pages, that’s how fast I read it (and I am a slow reader).

I liked all the characters. Even our villain was sympathetic.

Still, my favorite was Malcolm, a deaf Dane who certainly gave this book a heart.

I don’t say this often in my reviews, but I wouldn’t change anything in this novel.
It was perfect just as it was, and I am so grateful I had a chance to read it.

I can already see it will be the one book I’ll recommend to everyone around me.

If you’re looking for a good Christmas comedy, I highly, highly recommend you Not Just for Christmas (or Mutts and Mistletoe) because trust me, it will put a smile on your face and warm your heart, just like it did my.

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Q&A with Penny Parkes, the author of The Larkford Series (Best Practice Blog Tour)

I am so happy to be today’s host in Best Practice blog Tour.
I want to say thank you to Hayley McMullan for giving me this opportunity, to Penny Parkes for answering all of my questions, and to Simon and Schuster UK for sending me a free copy of the book.

Best Practice is out now in hardcover and paperback.

About the book:

THE BRAND NEW BESTSELLER FROM THE AUTHOR OF OUT OF PRACTICE
Love and laughter with the residents of Larkford is exactly what the doctor ordered!

Dr Alice Walker has become accomplished at presenting a façade to the world – to anyone watching, she is the epitome of style, composure and professionalism. But perhaps it was to be expected that the cracks might begin to show at some point. Thankfully Grace is on hand to offer both friendship and support when it’s needed most.

Meanwhile, Dr Holly Graham has her hands full both professionally and personally. Planning a wedding with Taffy Jones is challenging enough, even before some surprising news changes everything. At least beloved Larkford resident, Elsie, still has a few tricks left up her sleeve!

Dr Dan Carter, on the other hand, has decided to throw himself into his career – the best antidote he’s found to unrequited love. When tragedy strikes in the heart of Larkford, Dan makes it his mission to help the community.

Penny Parkes’ first novel, Out of Practice, won the RNA’s ROMANTIC COMEDY OF THE YEAR AWARD in 2017.

Q&A

Hi Penny, thank you for visiting Book Dust Magic. Can you please introduce yourself?

Hi, I’m Penny Parkes and I write novels about love, community and sneaking behind the scenes – it’s the contrast between my fictional GPs’ personal and professional lives that provides the springboard for my Larkford novels.

Can you please describe your journey to become a published author?

The moment I turned from talking about writing to actually writing seriously didn’t happen until my children started school. Going back to my old line of work finding film locations just wasn’t an option, so I had a small but distinct window of opportunity to see if I could make it as a writer. That focused the mind rather!

There have been many points of serendipity along my path to publication, but the common theme has always been taking a risk, jumping in with both feet, walking into a publishing party knowing nobody, taking on a challenge… And happily I haven’t looked back…

I just love The Larkford Series. Have you always planned for it to be a series, or was Out of Practice meant to be standalone in its early stages?

In my mind, it was always a series, but it has grown and grown, as my characters have developed on the page. Larkford gives me scope to write the stories behind the stories.

Who is your favourite character?

Oh, without a doubt it has to be Elsie Townsend – although she can be a bit of a show-off and can monopolise a scene without careful attention! Her Life Lessons and general empathy and generosity are a joy to write. In fact, she’s fast becoming my role model for my later years…

I always imagine your series as a Lifetime TV show. I assume you’d like to see it on the screen one day, but this time I want to ask you what TV shows do you like to watch?

It probably will come as no surprise to learn that Greys Anatomy and House MD feature very highly on my wish list for TV-time. I’m also a huge fan of shows like Sherlock, Elementary and The West Wing – sharp, funny, clever drama where I can’t predict the outcome (the curse of a writer’s mind that spoils many a TV show)

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Reading – obviously – and from a variety of genres. I feel positively twitchy without a book on the go! I’m also a huge movie fan and love to escape to the cinema. The rest of my spare time I’ll spend swimming, walking The Ginger Ninja, baking gluten free goodies or plotting the next Big Family Adventure. It also has to be said that I spend a glorious amount of time catching up with friends and fellow writing mates and just putting the world to rights over coffee or a little something stronger.

Where do you find your inspiration?

In the most unlikely of places, to be honest. Sometimes it’s not so much an event, as a comment, or a glance that sets the cogs tumbling into place. I do believe that you cannot

write fiction effectively in isolation though – conversations, movies, books, newspapers – they all add in to the mix.

What kind of music do you like to listen to?

When I’m writing, it has to be classical music, otherwise I start singing along! Einaudi is a firm favourite.

There is a presumption that all writers are also avid readers. How many books do you usually read in a month and what book did you really like that you read this year?

I’ll usually read one or two books a week, but on occasion I’ll devour a much-anticipated proof overnight – I don’t sleep much! Something in The Water by Catherine Steadman ticked all my boxes and is sure to fly next year.

Doing this interview with Penny Parkes was so much fun, and reading her books is even more awesome.
Make sure to check out The Larkford series, and to visit other blogs that participated in the tour.

The Marriage Pact Experiment (blog tour) – book by Michelle Richmond

The Marriage Pact is a thriller by Michelle Richmond. In an honor of it’s paperback release, lovely people from Penguin Random House decided to do an experimental blog tour in which bloggers won’t post a book review, but will stick to the rules that were given (for at least 2 weeks) and later will let everyone know how that experiment impacted their lives.

I want to thank Jenny Plat for invitation to be part of this experimental blog tour.

This is my story…

When I got the invitation and read the rules, I have to admit although I was pretty excited, some rules I didn’t like at first (like giving my boyfriend all of my passwords).
However, I wanted to do it and see if there will be some kind of big change in my boyfriend’s and my lives since we pretty much already stick for the most of the rules (spoiler alert: there wasn’t).

So… without further ado, these are the rules:

1. Always answer when your partner calls
2. Exchange at least two thoughtful gifts every month
3. Cook your partner dinner twice a week
4. Unfollow your ex on social media
5. Never spend more than two nights apart
6. Tell your partner all your passwords
7. Only wear clothes your partner deems attractive or
appropriate
8. Enable the ‘find my phone’ feature so your partner
always knows where you are
9. Have no secrets from each other
10. Don’t even think about trying
to escape

As I already stressed out, the rules we stick to (my boyfriend and me) are already pretty much similar to these ones. I personaly don’t see them as rules, I just think it’s the way our relationship functions.
However, some rules were new and some we had to adapt since they were imposibble to stick to because of higher force (read: work).

There was never a question whether I’d always answer his calls, because that what I always did, so that rule wasn’t hard to follow.

When it came to rule no 2, that was a funny story. I decided to buy him a pullover (it’s his favorite type of clothes and looks pretty good on him) pre Valentine’s Day and he loved it! But, he thought I bought it to him since there were final sales at the stores, so he didn’t even think about the rules.

The rule no 3 we kinda skipped or adjusted. The thing is, I always cook lunch, almost never dinner. It’s practically the same, only we eat earlier in the day. It’s because I work the way I work, and with his job, it’s just easier to cook lunch.
I love cooking so that one wasn’t hard to follow. I actually cook at least 4 times per week (I don’t only when I don’t have time or when there are leftovers from the day before), so to be honest, this rule passed unnoticed.

Deleting exes wasn’t a problem because I don’t have a contact with any of mine, and my boyfriend is not on any social media, so he didn’t have anyone to delete either!

The rule no 5 we just had to skip. It’s because of his job. Sometimes he has night shifts and we just couldn’t stick to that rule 100%. However, since we live together, we spent every other night together, so I am counting this rule as checked!

Tell you partner all your passwords – well, here is where I cheated. To be honest, I thought this rule was kinda stupid, so I just left open all of my passwords on my computer. If he wanted, he could have visited everything and read everything, but he didn’t, because he’s not nosy and he knows I have no secrets.

The rule no 7 was the hardest to follow. I would wear an attractive clothes for a day, then I would forget, or would feel stupid waring certain clothes. So this one was adjuted as well.
If it was up to my boyfriend, I would wear lacy body all the time, but that’s not how you can function 24/7.
But I tried, I really tried!

The rule no 8 we also skipped because trust it or not, I don’t even have that option on my phone (or maybe I just couldn’t/didn’t know how to find it).

I can safely say that I have no secrets from him, so rule no 9 wasn’t hard to follow.
It was even sad that there wasn’t that “I have to tell you something” moment that I usually read about in my books.
If nothing, this rule showed my how boring my life actually is.

And as for rule no 10 – I didn’t even cross my mind to escape. I love being in a relationship with him and I would only move forward with him, not without him!

About the book:

Newlyweds Alice and Jake are a picture-perfect couple. Alice, once a singer in a well-known rock band, is now a successful lawyer. Jake is a partner in an up-and-coming psychology practice. Their life together holds endless possibilities. After receiving an enticing wedding gift from one of Alice’s prominent clients, they decide to join an exclusive and mysterious group known only as The Pact.

The goal of The Pact seems simple: to keep marriages happy and intact, and most of its rules make sense: Always answer the phone when your spouse calls. Exchange thoughtful gifts monthly. Plan a trip together once per quarter. . . .

Never mention The Pact to anyone.

Alice and Jake are initially seduced by the glamorous parties, the sense of community, their widening social circle of like-minded couples–and then one of them breaks the rules. The young lovers are about to discover that for adherents to The Pact, membership, like marriage, is for life, and The Pact will go to any lengths to enforce that rule. For Jake and Alice, the marriage of their dreams is about to become their worst nightmare.

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The Witchfinder’s Sister Book Review (Blog Tour)

the-witchfinders-sister-blog

I am so happy to be today’s host in The Witchfinder’s Sister Blog Tour.
I liked this book and I am excited to share my review.
I’d like to thank Josie Murdoch from Penguin Random House UK, for giving me this opportunity.

spoiler vrpca

About the book:

The number of women my brother Matthew killed, so far as I can reckon it, is one hundred and six…

1645. When Alice Hopkins’ husband dies in a tragic accident, she returns to the small Essex town of Manningtree, where her brother Matthew still lives.

But home is no longer a place of safety. Matthew has changed, and there are rumours spreading through the town: whispers of witchcraft, and of a great book, in which he is gathering women’s names.

To what lengths will Matthew’s obsession drive him?
And what choice will Alice make, when she finds herself at the very heart of his plan?

spoiler vrpca

My Review:

It has been 15 days since I read The Witchfinder’s Sister, and I still don’t know what to think about it.
That happens rarely to me, almost never.
I have to warn you that my review will probably be all over the place because I am still finding the words to express my thoughts, but there is one thing I can say for sure: The Witchfinder’s Sister left me confused.

The story follows Alice Hopkins who returns to her childhood town to live with her brother Matthew, after a tragic death of her husband.
Since she saw him last time, Matthew changed.
He gained a lot of respect and hangs out with powerful men.
His job is to “expose” witches, put them on trial and punish them if they’re found guilty.

First thing that has to be stress out is that Matthew’s character is based on real person who lived in 17th century in England, and who is responsible for many of lives lost because women were accused of practicing witchcraft.
Despite that, this novel is piece of fiction.

It is told in first person, from Alice’s point of view.
I can’t say if the language in this book is authentic to the one that was in use in 1645, but it sounds a bit different from today’s modern English, but at the same time it reads pretty quickly.

The first third of the book was excellent.
The author really managed to describe the cold atmosphere that I imagine was present in that time.
I also liked how it wasn’t clear if the paranormal aspect was really present in the plot, or was it just in the minds of people that live in this book.
There was a point where I had to stop reading because I was too scared (and it was bedtime, so I didn’t want to have a sleepless night(I feel obligated to also tell you that the “problem” was in my head and the book isn’t as scarry as I was afraid it would be)).

The second half of the book was boring, which is a shame.
There were so many descriptions and so little conversations.
I wish we got to see more scenes from trials, but instead we got scenes with Alice hanging out with accused woman.
However, parts where she’s discovering mysery around her brother were really interesting.

I still don’t know what to think about the ending part related to Matthew.
It was somewhat unusual, that is for sure!

The end was good. I really, really liked the last sentence.

Overall, I liked the story in general, but I think it could have been told in more interesting way then it was.
It had potential to be even better.

Still, I think fans of historical fiction would appreciate this story so I recommend it to them, as well as to everyone else who’d like to read more about real witch hunt that happened in England during 17th century.

3,5

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About Beth Underdown:

Beth Underdown was born in Rochdale in 1987. She studied at the University of York and then the University of Manchester, where she is now a Lecturer in Creative Writing.

The Witchfinder’s Sister is her debut novel, and is based on the life of the 1640s witch finder Matthew Hopkins.

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The Secret Life of Lucy Lovecake Book Review (Blog Tour)

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I am so happy to be today’s host in The Secret Life of Lucy Lovecake Blog Tour.
I really enjoyed reading this book and I am excited to share my review.
I’d like to thank Janne Moller from Black & White Publishing, for giving me this opportunity.

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About the book:

Daisy Delaney’s life is pancake-flat. A talented baker and passionate lingerie specialist, she has wound up with no one to bake for and a career that hasn’t proved successful. But when she starts a delicious relationship with famous French author-chef, Michel Amiel, everything begins to look a bit more exciting.

That is until Michel’s bestselling cookbook is knocked off the top spot by newcomer ‘Lucy Lovecake’. His outdated recipes slide down the charts, while the popularity of Lucy Lovecake’s new dating cookbook is rising like the perfect sponge.

As Daisy teeters on the brink of love, how can she ever tell Michel that she is the mysterious Lucy Lovecake? Could he ever forgive her for finishing off his career? And more importantly, does Daisy even want to be with a difficult, egotistical, down-on-his-luck Frenchman just as her career is beginning to take off? Especially when she has some other very interesting offers…

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My Review

They say “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover”, but when it comes to The Secret of Lucy Lovecake, you should.
Why?
Because the story of this novel is exactly like the cover – girly and cute.

However, when it comes to synopsis, in this particular case, the story does not follow it in a way one would expect. Everything that’s being said is true, but there’s also a big part of the story that hasn’t been mentioned.
This is a story that talks about love interest and Daisy keeping secret from her lover, but it also talks about aspiring author on her way to become a published one, and her life after having a best-seller.

I really appreciated that aspect of the story, because it showed what publishing a book looks like, and in a way it made me learn something I didn’t know before.
I think mentioning it in synopsis wouldn’t hurt.

The story is written in first person, following Daisy’s POV.
Daisy’s voice is quirky and is really easy to read.
With really short chapters (84 in total) the book reads pretty quickly, and it is very likely that faster readers will finish it in one sitting.

On a quick note, I think the story would have been better without first four chapters (in those chapters we got to see Daisy’s life now when her book is bestseller, and then we go back into the past and follow the story from the beginning).

I liked characters in this story.
The one that stands out the most was Michel Amiel, who is also Daisy’s love interest.
I know it is stated that he is her boyfriend, but I wouldn’t use that word to define him.
He’s very complex and there is so much more then meets the eye when it comes to him. He suffers from depression, self medicates it with alcohol, he is very self centred, grumpy and overall one bitter man.
On the other hand, he can be fun and sweet.

Since this story is told from Daisy perspective, I wish the author (or should I say Daisy) gave us a chance to fall in love with him, or just like him better.
I mean, Daisy likes him, but we don’t see what she likes about him. Almost everytime she talked about him or described scenes with him, there was something problematic about him.
I wish we got to see why she fell for him.
Honestly, I feel like there was more connection between Daisy and Michel’s mother then between the two of them.

The end was very sweet and cute.
I can’t say I was 100% satisfied with the way the story was wrapped up, because it felt like the author decided to turn a blind eye on Michel’s depression (or maybe that is something that will get more attention in the next book).

Overall The Secret Life of Lucy Lovecake is a fun novel that I would highly recommend to chick-lit lovers.

3,75

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About Pippa James:

Pippa James is a full-time writer with a love for food, fashion and all things French. She is best known as Janey Louise Jones, author of the fantastically successful Princess Poppy series, with sales of over 4 million copies to date. Before Princess Poppy took over her life, Pippa James had always intended to write contemporary fiction and this debut novel is the start of a brand new series, perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes and Sophie Kinsella.

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