Friday 23 January 2015

No-One Ever Has Sex On A Tuesday by Tracy Bloom



Never has a one-night stand led to such chaos!

Childhood sweethearts Matthew and Katy agree they must never see each other again after they end up in bed together following a school re-union.
So all is forgotten... until eight months later when a shock meeting at an antenatal class forces them to confront the fact that Matthew could be the father of Katy's baby. Oblivious to the mayhem unfolding, Matthew's highly-strung wife frets over giving birth to twins and Katy’s much younger boyfriend refuses to take fatherhood seriously.

Love and life are messy but Katy and Matthew take things to a whole new level as deep emotions begin to resurface and hormones run riot. 

How will they navigate their way through this almighty cock-up?


I was given a copy of this from Netgalley. 

I thought this would be a funny book to say the least. I laughed in parts, but I would say the Katy, Matthew and Ben love triangle is slightly a bit boring. Matthew's wife doesn't know that Matthew and Katy had a relationship when they were in school and also the baby that Katy is carrying COULD BE his :O. Ben has found out things and Katy is wondering where her relationship with Ben is going. There is Daniel, Katy's gay friend and boy does he like drama lol.

Would I read anything more by Tracy Bloom, I would try and read more by her.

Saturday 17 January 2015

Follow The Leader (DS Allie Shenton #2) by Mel Sherratt



A man’s body is found on a canal towpath. In his pocket, a plastic magnet in the shape of an E.

Days later, a second victim is found, this time with the letter V tucked into her clothing.

As the body count rises, the eerie, childlike clues point to a pattern that sends DS Allie Shenton and her colleagues into full alert.

The race is on. Allie and the team must work quickly to determine where the killer will strike next.

The rules are simple but deadly—to catch the killer, they must follow the leader.

From the acclaimed author of Taunting the Dead comes a flesh-creeping tale of a child's game with a terrifying, grown-up twist.
 


I was given a copy of this book via Netgalley. Well I haven't read Taunting The Dead yet, so I will definitely be reading that. 

The book starts off with an old child's nursery rhyme that most of us will know. Each chapter is short to draw the reader in. The characters are likeable and dislikable. The story goes back in time and forward to modern day time with a twist. Yes, Ms Sherratt gives out who the culprit is, but she draws you in to find out why and a more in depth view into the characters nature. What made this sweet person a killer in the 1st place. There is plots that even I didn't see coming and boy am I glad I read the book.

Read this thrilling novel within 2 days as it had me gripped and kept me up til gone midnight to find out the ending. A DEFINITE PAGE TURNING THRILLER to me.

Thursday 15 January 2015

Daylighters (The Morganville Vampires #15) by Rachel Caine



While Morganville, Texas, is often a troubled town, Claire Danvers and her friends are looking forward to coming home. But the Morganville they return to isn’t the one they know; it’s become a different place—a deadly one… 

Something drastic has happened in Morganville while Claire and her friends were away. The town looks cleaner and happier than they’ve ever seen it before, but when their incoming group is arrested and separated—vampires from humans—they realize that the changes definitely aren’t for the better.

It seems that an organization called the Daylight Foundation has offered the population of Morganville something they’ve never had: hope of a vampire-free future. And while it sounds like salvation—even for the vampires themselves—the truth is far more sinister and deadly.

Now, Claire, Shane and Eve need to find a way to break their friends out of Daylighter custody, before the vampires of Morganville meet their untimely end…



Unfortunately, this is the final installment of the superbly wonderful Morganville Vampires. 

I have loved every step of the way in these books. I'll admit it's going to be different to read anything else by Ms Caine, but I think her writing is wonderful. 

Who survives the Daylighters rule? Does Amelia and gang die once and for all in this wonderful book? What does Claire, Eve and Shane do in Morganville? All will be revealed in the final book. You have to read it to believe what happens? Also WHO IS THE DAYLIGHT FOUNDATION?????????

Tuesday 13 January 2015

13:24: A Story of Faith and Obsession by M. Dolon Hickmon



“For some readers, this account of obsession, abuse, and redemption could strike too close to home; but those who want a hard-hitting, emotionally charged crime story should place this near the top of their reading list.” —D. DONOVAN, e-book reviewer, Midwest Book Review 

A FORENSIC THRILLER WITH A SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS TWIST 

A teenager named Chris knocks on the door of his mother’s ex-boyfriend—then shoots the man dead in premeditated fashion. Hours later, an officer responding to a loud music complaint discovers a second body surrounded by a gruesome scene. With few clues to explain ‘why’, blame for the crimes settles on Chris’s obsession with the dark and violent heavy-metal band, Rehoboam. Reporters broadcast this speculation under sensational headlines, but detective William Hursel is convinced there is a deeper motive. Trailing Chris, William uncovers an underworld where human traffickers ply the wealthy with unseemly indulgences. 

Meanwhile, Rehoboam’s lead singer, Josh, thinks he may finally be ready to take the next step in his relationship with the band’s fiery female drummer. But when news of Chris’s crime spree triggers flashbacks of a harsh, fundamentalist upbringing, Josh finds his career and his romance unexpectedly interrupted. Linked to the widening criminal investigation by his cryptic responses to Chris’s fan club letters, Josh must eventually choose between clearing his name and keeping the secrets of his past. 

“Mr. Hickmon writes with the clarity, power and passion of someone who really knows what he is writing about, and who understands the wide range of responses human beings experience when trying to deal with lives affected by ongoing trauma. There are textbooks that explain the scientific mechanisms that underpin post-traumatic stress disorder, but this book tells a story that reaches out to help us all understand.” —DR. KIM ETHERINGTON, Bristol University psychology professor emeritus 


I was given a copy of this from Netgalley a while ago. Going from what the synopsis was about, I thought it looked and sounded like a great Mystery Thriller. But as I started to read the book and know about the child abuse and stuff that has happened to characters, I'm not sure I can carry on reading.

The child abuse is from a god fearing father to his son who only wants to be the best and not have a belt to him every time his father is displeased. The other child abuse is unmentionable and I feel that knowing that the way the book is heading, I don't feel comfortable reading it. People have read this book with the clarity that it was a brilliant Mystery, but I just can't go forward knowing the situation these 2 characters are in.

Fall of Night (Morganville Book 14) - Rachel Caine



Thanks to its unique combination of human and vampire residents, Morganville, Texas, is a small college town with big-time problems. When student Claire Danvers gets the chance to experience life on the outside, she takes it. But Morganville isn’t the only town with vampire trouble...

Claire never thought she’d leave Morganville, but when she gets accepted into the graduate program at MIT, she can’t pass up the opportunity. Saying good-bye to her friends is bittersweet, especially since things are still raw and unsettled between Claire and her boyfriend, Shane. 

Her new life at MIT is scary and exciting, but Morganville is never really far from Claire’s mind. Enrolled in a special advanced study program with Professor Irene Anderson, a former Morganville native, Claire is able to work on her machine, which is designed to cancel the mental abilities of vampires. 

But when she begins testing her machine on live subjects, things quickly spiral out of control, and Claire starts to wonder whether leaving Morganville was the last mistake she’ll ever make...


I've had this book for quite a while. I've read all the others in the series minus the last 2. So I started reading Fall of Night where Bitter Blood left off. With Claire Danvers leaving MORGANVILLE. Shock horror, NO ONE GETS TO LEAVE MORGANVILLE. 

Well I had to find out what the journey would entail. See what the outside of Morganville is like for Claire. She meets up with her Best Friend from school Elizabeth who has an apartment in Cambridge and also has a stalker. She also gets to know her new Professor Irene Anderson. Who knows what secrets she is hiding as she has been a Morganville resident in the past. She even knows Myrin as she used to be one of his assistants. We also get to meet a new vampire called Jesse. She is one hell of a looker.


We also get to see some of the old gang. Will Claire and Shane's relationship last or is this where the journey ends for 1 of them. I think this was a great way to show Claire outside of Morganville and seeing her in the real world. But what happens in the book, you will have to read for yourself as I said, it's action-packed like all the other Morganville books.

Sunday 11 January 2015

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut



Kurt Vonnegut's absurdist classic Slaughterhouse-Five introduces us to Billy Pilgrim, a man who becomes unstuck in time after he is abducted by aliens from the planet Tralfamadore. In a plot-scrambling display of virtuosity, we follow Pilgrim simultaneously through all phases of his life, concentrating on his (and Vonnegut's) shattering experience as an American prisoner of war who witnesses the firebombing of Dresden.

Don't let the ease of reading fool you - Vonnegut's isn't a conventional, or simple, novel. He writes, "There are almost no characters in this story, and almost no dramatic confrontations, because most of the people in it are so sick, and so much the listless playthings of enormous forces. One of the main effects of war, after all, is that people are discouraged from being characters."

Slaughterhouse-Five is not only Vonnegut's most powerful book, it is also as important as any written since 1945. Like Catch- 22, it fashions the author's experiences in the Second World War into an eloquent and deeply funny plea against butchery in the service of authority. Slaughterhouse-Five boasts the same imagination, humanity, and gleeful appreciation of the absurd found in Vonnegut's other works, but the book's basis in rock-hard, tragic fact gives it a unique poignancy - and humor.


I picked this up for a book buddy read. Well I can honestly say that I am not impressed. There was no story to the book. Kept going all over the place, from Mr Vonnegut's time in the war to a bloke who had been abducted by aliens and I really can't say I enjoyed where it was going in the end. So I won't be reading anymore of Mr Vonnegut's books in the future.

Thursday 8 January 2015

The Paper Magician (The Paper Magician Trilogy #1) by Charlie N. Holmberg



Ceony Twill arrives at the cottage of Magician Emery Thane with a broken heart. Having graduated at the top of her class from the Tagis Praff School for the Magically Inclined, Ceony is assigned an apprenticeship in paper magic despite her dreams of bespelling metal. And once she's bonded to paper, that will be her only magic... forever.
Yet the spells Ceony learns under the strange yet kind Thane turn out to be more marvelous than she could have ever imagined - animating paper creatures, bringing stories to life via ghostly images, even reading fortunes. But as she discovers these wonders, Ceony also learns of the extraordinary dangers of forbidden magic.
An Excisioner - a practitioner of dark, flesh magic - invades the cottage and rips Thane's heart from his chest. To save her teacher's life, Ceony must face the evil magician and embark on an unbelievable adventure that will take her into the chambers of Thane's still-beating heart - and reveal the very soul of the man.
From the imaginative mind of debut author Charlie N. Holmberg, The Paper Magician is an extraordinary adventure both dark and whimsical that will delight listeners of all ages.


I've listened to this story about a young girl who wants to become a Paper Magician. Not sure what I think of it, as she was a curious young girl working with an older Paper Magician. She walks was learning from him, then his ex comes and takes his heart and Ceony Twill is there when she comes. Following the trail to Emery Thane's heart and she ends up walking through his heart when she is fighting for the life of her mentor. What happens next is amazing. You have to read this to know what happens next.

The Trafficked (Detective Johnny Mann #2) by Lee Weeks



DETECTIVE JOHNNY MANN IS BACK
Missing children. An evil racket. A race against time …
Summoned to meet his boss, rebellious Detective Johnny Mann expects to be told that he is being demoted. Instead he is ordered to lead the investigation into the kidnapping of Amy Tang - the illegitimate daughter of a major player in the skin trade, CK Leung.
Mann is reluctant to help - he has crossed paths with CK before- but he has no choice.
Nine-year-old Amy is the third child to be kidnapped and held for a vast sum of money, but while the other two children were released after the vast ransom was paid, Amy is still being held captive.
Mann's investigation takes him to London, where he teams up with DC Becky Stamp. Within days of his arrival, an arson attack kills twelve women and children. The charred bodies of the victims are found chained to their beds - their injuries rendering them identifiable…
What is the link between the kidnapping of Amy in Hong Kong and the deaths of these women and children and can Mann discover the truth before it's too late.
Prepare to be terrorised all over again with this disturbingly addictive thriller from the writer hailed as the female James Patterson.

I've had this book for 3 years and it's been 3 years since I've read her 1st book The Trophy Taker. 

Detective Johnny Mann is on the case of a missing Triad's Daughter. There is a turf war going on in the middle of this storyline. There are some things in this story that will make you cringe, turn away from the book and think what is the world coming to.

I can't wait to see what else Detective Mann does in the next book.

Friday 2 January 2015

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..."

Memories define us.

So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep?

Your name, your identity, your past, even the people you love—all forgotten overnight.

And the one person you trust may be telling you only half the story.

Welcome to Christine's life


I've had this copy for nearly 3 years, I've been meaning to read it and see what all the fuss was about. Well now I have read/listened to the book, I've still yet to make my mind up. Not seen the film neither.

It starts off weird to the extent I don't know much about amnesia and the effects it can have on the person and the family. It brings you in to think Christine is out of her mind daily, wondering why she forgets who she is and what's she been doing. It brings you back to her past when she tries to remember things, sees a doctor and the person who is living with her is not who he seems to be. Yes, it was intriguing, but in some parts I can honestly say I was like "Do I want to carry on reading this". I did carry on as I wanted to know if the person was really who she thought. 

Not a bad storyline and I can honestly say I gave it 3 stars as to me it was an ok book. Sorry to those who thought it was a page turner, maybe it was just me at the time.