I'd had Scarred by Kylie Walker on the go for a while. It was one on my phone and I just dipped in and out of it when I found myself in places where I had a few minutes to spare...
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Pain...Fear...Uncertainty...
That pretty much sums up Kelly Ward's life in a nutshell.
Surviving a childhood filled with horrific abuse and then at the hand of the one man
that saved her... her first love that she trusted only to discover he was really a monster. Jesse Donovan will try and kill her again once he gets out of prison.
On the run... New city...New identity is the new Chloe Green. Not the broken, scarred and frail Kelly Ward.
Trying to build a new life towards her life-long goal of becoming a teacher, she accepts a job at one of the most prestigious gentlemen clubs in Rhode Island as a pole dancer. Her goal - save as much money as she can...No Men...No Distractions.
That is until she meets Derek Stark. Self-made Millionaire, dark-haired, blue-eyed and a body of a gladiator. He wants Chloe...but does he have an ulterior motive? Is he connected to her old life somehow - Kelly Ward's life? She soon discovers that Derek does have secrets of his own, secrets that will change her life forever...right before Jesse is released from prison and is ready to start hunting her.
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It took me a long time to get this finished, partly because it was so damn long and I was only reading it bit at a time, but also because it was really hard going in places. I found that the main storyline held some readability, but it wrapped up earlier than the book did, and the last leg of the book was almost pointless. My review echoes this - it was a good read, mostly!
I was very lucky to receive an advance reader copy of Nicola's new novel. I am very much an Elwood fan and I couldn't wait to get reading Free the Dark by Nicola Rose, The Elwood Legacy book 3. The last in the trilogy!!
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The world is descending into devastating chaos. There’s a new enemy to mankind on the horizon… it’s me.
I’m ready to let go of morality. It’s time to play.
But how much ‘fun’ is too much when you’ve accidentally triggered the vampire apocalypse?! Are there any lines left that shouldn’t be crossed?
There’s a brand new hunger under my skin, and it wants more. More of Alex’s darkness, more of Zac’s light—
The two don’t go together, but that doesn’t stop the pull in my chest, or the ravenous shadowy beat that strikes a constant melody in my soul, driving me forward, destruction in my wake.
Can I really side with vampires and stand by as humanity is lost?
Because once that darkness is set free, pulling it back might be beyond my capabilities…
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I read this cover to cover in just over twenty-four hours, and it only took so long due to having to sleep and go to work!! Check out my review - but be aware it may be a little spoilerish if you haven't read the start of the trilogy yet! Get started with Taste the Dark now!
I totally read my own book this month too - I had the first physical copy of Destiny to read through and check for formatting errors. It was amazing to have it in my hands for real and I cannot wait to share it with you guys this summer!
~~~The predetermined course of events in life that some people believe others are to follow; an inevitable and unavoidable future.
What would you do if you found out that your life was a lie? How would you react to finding out that your destiny had once been your wildest dreams? Who do you turn to when those you’re meant to trust turn their backs on you?
When Serena meets the mysterious new guy at college her life seems complete. Great friends, good grades, hot boyfriend. That is until she tells her parents and life as she knows it begins to unravel in ways she cannot understand.
The box in the attic holds the clues to a past she doesn’t remember, but do they also show her the future she’s long since forgotten? Her mother believes so and tears a rift between them trying to convince her that Dylan is bad news, pushing Serena into the arms of another family. A family she is destined to be a part of.
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Obviously, I am not going to review my own book - but please check it out on my website - there will also be a Book Launch Party in July which everyone is welcome at! Details are all on the Facebook Event Page.
Book Club chose The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern for their classic this month and I loved having an excuse to finally pick this up. I have always wanted to read it, and have had it on the bookshelf for some time, but never gotten around to actually reading it.
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The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. The black sign, painted in white letters that hangs upon the gates, reads: Opens at Nightfall, Closes at Dawn.
As the sun disappears beyond the horizon, all over the tents small lights begin to flicker, as though the entirety of the circus is covered in particularly bright fireflies. When the tents are all aglow, sparkling against the night sky, the sign appears. Le Cirque des Reves. The Circus of Dreams. Now the circus is open. Now you may enter.
As the sun disappears beyond the horizon, all over the tents small lights begin to flicker, as though the entirety of the circus is covered in particularly bright fireflies. When the tents are all aglow, sparkling against the night sky, the sign appears. Le Cirque des Reves. The Circus of Dreams. Now the circus is open. Now you may enter.
~~~
Oh My Wow!! I cannot believe that I have never gotten around to this before... It should have been one of my favourites all this time! I can't find the right words to express how much you should all go and read this if you haven't already!!
Check out my review and then go get your own copy and go to Les Cirque des Reves.
Next up was Call Me Star girl by Louise Beech ready for the event with her and Carrie Martin. I picked this up four days before the event. I did not need four days - I read it in two sittings!!!
~~~Stirring up secrets can be deadly ... especially if they're yours...
Pregnant Victoria Valbon was brutally murdered in an alley three weeks ago - and her killer hasn't been caught.
Tonight is Stella McKeever's final radio show. The theme is secrets. You tell her yours, and she'll share some of hers.
Stella might tell you about Tom, a boyfriend who likes to play games, about the mother who abandoned her, now back after fourteen years. She might tell you about the perfume bottle with the star-shaped stopper, or about her father ...
What Stella really wants to know is more about the mysterious man calling the station ... who says he knows who killed Victoria, and has proof.
Tonight is the night for secrets, and Stella wants to know everything...
With echoes of the Play Misty for Me, Call Me Star Girl is a taut, emotive and all-consuming psychological thriller that plays on our deepest fears, providing a stark reminder that stirring up dark secrets from the past can be deadly...
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This one created a media storm when the little girl who helped co-write it went on morning television a few weeks ago. Can You See Me by Libby Scott and Rebecca Westcott. Eleven-year-old Libby is autistic herself and helped co-write the story of Tally, meaning that the narrative of the book is credible and true to the characteristics and lifestyle of a child with autism.
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Endearing, insightful and warmly uplifting, Can You See Me? is a story of autism, empathy and kindness that will touch readers of all ages.
Tally is eleven years old and she's just like her friends. Well, sometimes she is. If she tries really hard to be. Because there's something that makes Tally not the same as her friends. Something she can't cover up, no matter how hard she tries: Tally is autistic.
Tally's autism means there are things that bother her even though she wishes they didn't. It means that some people misunderstand, her and feel frustrated by her. People think that because Tally's autistic, she doesn't realise what they're thinking, but Tally sees and hears - and notices - all of it. And, honestly? That's not the easiest thing to live with.
Wowsers! What an emotional and intriguing book. Had me gripped from the moment I opened the front cover. I loved the 'Then' and 'Now' storyline that ran through the book, although I did find myself hastily reading the 'Then' chapters as I was desperate to find out how things were unfolding in the 'Now'. An amazing read, check out my review!
I also picked up Maria in the Moon by Louise Beech the day of the event with high hopes of fitting it in before meeting her that evening... Instead, I read around a quarter of it and then took an impromptu nap in my conservatory!
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Thirty-one-year-old Catherine Hope has a great memory. But she can't remember everything. She can't remember her ninth year. She can't remember when her insomnia started. And she can't remember why everyone stopped calling her Catherine-Maria.
Dark, poignant and deeply moving, Maria in the Moon is an examination of the nature of memory and truth, and the defences we build to protect ourselves, when we can no longer hide...
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I finished this off in my conservatory one sunny evening and loved it. Although a little slow in places, I found the touching storyline gripping and the emotional depths to this novel had my both racing for the end to find out what happened, and dreading the ending because I knew it wouldn't be happy. Check out my review, I've tried to keep it spoiler free.
I picked up the Children's Book of the Month for May, pretty much at the end of the month... Better late than never right?! Malamander by Thomas Taylor was one that I just had to read, all be it, it just took me a while to get around to it!
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Nobody visits Eerie-on-Sea in the winter. Especially not when darkness falls and the wind howls around Maw Rocks and the wreck of the battleship Leviathan, where even now some swear they have seen the unctuous Malamander creep...
Herbert Lemon, Lost-and-Founder at the Grand Nautilus Hotel, knows that returning lost things to their rightful owners is not easy - especially when the lost thing is not a thing at all, but a girl.
No one knows what happened to Violet Parma's parents twelve years ago, and when she engages Herbie to help her find them, the pair discover that their disappearance might have something to do with the legendary sea-monster, the Malamander. Eerie-on-Sea has always been a mysteriously chilling place, where strange stories seem to wash up.
And it just got stranger...
~~~
Oooooo!! So good!! I loved this book!! Not only is it beautiful with its glorious sprayed edges but the story is amazing! Eerie-on-Sea is a great setting and Herbie and Violet are really good characters. The malamander is a legend in the town and creates the best kind of children's mystery as the two children go searching for the lost things. Check out my review and then go out and buy this, not just for the kids, but for yourself too... an escape into children's fiction is recommended regularly to detach from the real world!
This one created a media storm when the little girl who helped co-write it went on morning television a few weeks ago. Can You See Me by Libby Scott and Rebecca Westcott. Eleven-year-old Libby is autistic herself and helped co-write the story of Tally, meaning that the narrative of the book is credible and true to the characteristics and lifestyle of a child with autism.
~~~Endearing, insightful and warmly uplifting, Can You See Me? is a story of autism, empathy and kindness that will touch readers of all ages.
Tally is eleven years old and she's just like her friends. Well, sometimes she is. If she tries really hard to be. Because there's something that makes Tally not the same as her friends. Something she can't cover up, no matter how hard she tries: Tally is autistic.
Tally's autism means there are things that bother her even though she wishes they didn't. It means that some people misunderstand, her and feel frustrated by her. People think that because Tally's autistic, she doesn't realise what they're thinking, but Tally sees and hears - and notices - all of it. And, honestly? That's not the easiest thing to live with.
~~~
What a truly important and special book!! Rebecca and Libby have done an amazing job of bringing Tally and her autism to life in a way that is both enjoyable and educational, and I really hope that many adults encourage their children to read this book as I honestly believe that it is important for children to understand learning and behavioural difficulties, especially youngsters who can be really cruel to someone who is 'different' to what they expect them to be. Check out my review for more and then go and buy yourself a copy of this wonderful story!
That's your lot!! Eight books in four weeks - who knows where I find the time!!
More next month, I've already started one!!
Keep Reading, Bookworms x
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