Sorcha O'Dowd's Blog, page 10
October 17, 2015
Book Review ~ ‘Cross Stitch’ by Amanda James.
Cross Stitch by Amanda James
(Needler #2)
Genres: Romance, Adult, Time-Travel.
Publisher: Choc Lit
Release Date: December 9th 2014.
SYNOPSIS
A stitch in time may save nine but a cross-stitch spells disaster …
It should be the happiest day of her life. Despite past heartache, Sarah Yates is finally marrying her true love, John Needler.
But Sarah and John can’t pretend they’re an ordinary couple. They’re time travellers and where time travel is involved, nothing runs smoothly. One minute Sarah is saying her vows and the next she is hurtled back in time to a country that is on the cusp of war, and into the company of the bad-tempered Veronica Ratchet.
Newly-wedded bliss is certainly not on the cards for Sarah as events see her travelling from the British punk era to 1950’s America. And even when she returns home she can’t escape Veronica.
But when the past and the present collide, that’s when the real problems start …
Book Review ~ ‘Cross Stitch’ by Amanda James ~ 5 Stars!
It’s been a couple of years since I read ‘A Stitch in Time’, so I made the decision to re-read the first book before moving onto ‘Cross Stitch’. In doing so, I’ve had the most wonderful couple of days reimersing myself in John and Sarah’s world, laughing along with their banter, and nervously witnessing Sarah’s trips to the past. I’d definitely recommend making a reading marathon out of the two books one after the other, as you just become a part of the Stitch and Needler world, and I was more than happy to get lost in it.
‘Cross Stitch’ had the same essence to ‘A Stitch in Time’, a brilliant underlying level of humour, and a sweet tenderness that tugged at my heartstrings. I loved seeing John and Sarah in their happily ever after, and how Sarah’s decision to continuing stitching at the end of Book 1, influenced her relationship with John throughout Book 2.
I particularly loved Veronica. A brilliant portrayal of a WWII teacher, Veronica was gutsy, stubborn and more than a little strict. The stark contrast between her and Sarah’s relationship with students was great to see, and really showed how different education has changed in the last seventy years! Veronica’s character development was also spectacular, seeing first hand the experience that another Stitch had when they started their life-style was really wonderful, and I loved seeing how they saved people in a way that was natural to them; Sarah with a quick initiative, and Veronica with a no-nonsense manner.
Amanda James really packed the emotion into ‘Cross Stitch’, and there are some brilliant scenes where we see how Sarah isn’t as unaffected with her trips to the past as she may always show. Her desperation to have a child, and her pain at leaving having to leave Artie in the previous book, all make an appearance here too, which allows for some great development into her character and in her relationship with John.
Gorgeously romantic, ‘Cross Stitch’ was everything I hoped for in a sequel to ‘A Stitch in Time’.
5 Stars!
*Review copy was kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon US ~ Waterstones ~
Amanda James
~ Facebook ~ Goodreads ~ Twitter ~ Website ~
October 8, 2015
Cover Reveal ~ ‘Wrapped in Lace’ by Prescott Lane.
Wrapped in Lace by Prescott Lane
Genre: Contemporary Romance (Holiday)
Series: Standalone
Release Day: November 2nd
SYNOPSIS
When I was a little boy, the best thing about the holiday season was unwrapping presents on Christmas morning — tearing off the paper and tossing it on the floor. Now that I’m a man, I like to unwrap slowly, deliberately, taking my time to savor what lies before me. I still like to throw the wrapping on the floor, but now I know the best gifts come wrapped in lace.
And unlike when I was a kid, I won’t get sick of this present by New Year’s. I’ll definitely be playing with this girl day after day after day.
After six years avoiding my hometown, the last thing I expected when I returned was a wannabe bad girl to unwrap my heart and rip open my soul. But that’s exactly what happened. Now if I can just get the hell out of my own way, maybe I’ll finally get the best gift of all — her!
Come get unwrapped by Drew this holiday.
I sat back and studied the canvas. I’d finally gotten it right — the way his lips turn up in that smile that makes both my heart and panties melt. It had taken me over a dozen tries to get it just perfect, but I finally had. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel any better. I thought if I could capture Drew’s smile on my canvas, my pain would somehow lessen. Because I’d always have his image, that his leaving me wouldn’t hurt so bad. It hadn’t worked. The pain in my heart was just as sharp, just as overwhelming as it was yesterday and the day before. I knew I’d never get over him. I knew it like I knew the deep blue color of his eyes, the rough spots on his hands. I knew it like I knew the way his lips tasted, the feel of his thick brown hair.
Prescott Lane
Prescott Lane is the author of First Position, Perfectly Broken, and her new release, Quiet Angel. She is originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, and graduated from Centenary College with a degree in sociology. She went on to receive her MSW from Tulane University, after which she worked with developmentally delayed and disabled children. She married her college sweetheart, and they currently live in New Orleans with their two children and two crazy dogs. Prescott started writing at the age of five, and sold her first story about a talking turtle to her father for a quarter. She later turned to writing romance novels because there aren’t enough happily ever afters in real life.
Happily Ever Afters Guaranteed.
~ Facebook ~ Pinterest ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Website ~
October 6, 2015
Book Review ~ ‘The Japanese Lover’ by Isabel Allende.
The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende.
Genres: Historical, Contemporary Romance.
Release Date: 3rd November 2015.
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK.
SYNOPSIS
From New York Times and internationally bestselling author Isabel Allende, an exquisitely crafted love story and multigenerational epic that sweeps from San Francisco in the present-day to Poland and the United States during the Second World War.
In 1939, as Poland falls under the shadow of the Nazis, young Alma Belasco’s parents send her away to live in safety with an aunt and uncle in their opulent mansion in San Francisco. There, as the rest of the world goes to war, she encounters Ichimei Fukuda, the quiet and gentle son of the family’s Japanese gardener. Unnoticed by those around them, a tender love affair begins to blossom. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the two are cruelly pulled apart as Ichimei and his family, like thousands of other Japanese Americans are declared enemies and forcibly relocated to internment camps run by the United States government. Throughout their lifetimes, Alma and Ichimei reunite again and again, but theirs is a love that they are forever forced to hide from the world.
Decades later, Alma is nearing the end of her long and eventful life. Irina Bazili, a care worker struggling to come to terms with her own troubled past, meets the elderly woman and her grandson, Seth, at San Francisco’s charmingly eccentric Lark House nursing home. As Irina and Seth forge a friendship, they become intrigued by a series of mysterious gifts and letters sent to Alma, eventually learning about Ichimei and this extraordinary secret passion that has endured for nearly seventy years.
Sweeping through time and spanning generations and continents, The Japanese Lover explores questions of identity, abandonment, redemption, and the unknowable impact of fate on our lives. Written with the same attention to historical detail and keen understanding of her characters that Isabel Allende has been known for since her landmark first novel The House of the Spirits, The Japanese Lover is a profoundly moving tribute to the constancy of the human heart in a world of unceasing change.
Book Review ~ ‘The Japanese Lover’ by Isabel Allende ~ 5 Stars!
At its heart ‘The Japanese Lover’ is a story about love. Not just romantic, but all the types of love in the world; the love of a lover; a friend; family; acquaintances; mentors – it portrays them all, and you are left with that feeling of satisfaction as you turn the last page and think over the strength of the bonds the characters you have come to know have for each other.
I absolutely adored ‘The Japanese Lover’. There is something about Isabel Allende’s stunning writing that made it not just a historical romance, but instead a magical journey where I actually saw the places and people being described, and could feel the connection they all shared.
Beautifully crafted, The Japanese Lover takes you across the globe, and across time. I have a special place in my heart for World War fiction, and the way that Allende described the actions of the Americans due to their fear of the Japanese migrants was fascinating. I learnt so much from this book about the war that I never had before, all through her lyrical storytelling, which made it even more real than reading it in a historical textbook.
Alma is a character that you have to work to love. She can be difficult and stubborn, yet Allende developed her character brilliantly, by giving us glimpses into the past to see how she’d grown up, and the people she loved throughout her adult years. Most of all we see the strength of her relationship with four very different people; Nathaniel, Ichimei, Seth and Irina and come to see that love can take many different forms.
The story of Irina and Seth is also beautifully told and is woven brilliantly between the passages of the past, mimicking the detective work they are doing to uncover Alma’s past.
A beautiful story which spans decades.
5 Stars!
*Review copy was kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
Available for Pre-Order
~ Waterstones ~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon US ~
Isabel Allende
~ Facebook ~ Goodreads ~ Twitter ~ Website ~
Book Review ~ ‘The Lost Girl’ by Liz Harris.
The Lost Girl by Liz Harris
Genres: Historical, Western, Romance
Publisher: ChocLit
Release Date: 16th October 2015.
SYNOPSIS
What if you were trapped between two cultures?
Life is tough in 1870s Wyoming. But it’s tougher still when you’re a girl who looks Chinese but speaks like an American.
Orphaned as a baby and taken in by an American family, Charity Walker knows this only too well. The mounting tensions between the new Chinese immigrants and the locals in the mining town of Carter see her shunned by both communities.
When Charity’s one friend, Joe, leaves town, she finds herself isolated. However, in his absence, a new friendship with the only other Chinese girl in Carter makes her feel like she finally belongs somewhere.
But, for a lost girl like Charity, finding a place to call home was never going to be that easy …
Book Review ~ ‘The Lost Girl’ by Liz Harris ~ 5 Stars!
Liz Harris has delivered a beautifully portrayed romance of two people of different cultures, at a time of racial, and cultural unrest. I adored Liz Harris’ novel ‘The Road Back’, and with ‘The Lost Girl’, Harris has again shone with her portrayal of an American raised Chinese girl ‘Charity’ and the struggles she has in finding herself when she is neither purely American, nor purely Chinese.
Charity was a brilliant heroine, and what I loved especially was seeing how she developed as she grew up. Instead of starting the novel when Charity was in her late teens, we are instead introduced to Charity as a baby, when young Joe takes the orphan home to his family, and from this we see her struggles as she grows up, shunned by Americans for the colour of her skin, and shunned by the Chinese, as she is not as a ‘Good Chinese Girl’ should be. By the time we see Charity as a teenager, I was able to understand her choices in a way I wouldn’t have had I not witnessed her home life growing up. I really loved the scenes with Sin Lu and Chen Fai, especially how they interacted with Charity in English that improved over the years, whilst contrasting with the brewing hate of the miners for the Chinese in their town.
This story is one of a growing love, and I adored seeing Joe and Charity reconnect after he had left home for seven years. Their relationship was a special one, and I felt so strongly for Joe when he wanted the best for Charity, even though knowing that might not be with him. There are some issues that are dealt with brilliantly in this book; the cultural unrest where the miners grew to hate the Chinese for their taking lower wages, leading a knock-on effect of the miners having lower wages too; the difference in day-to-day life in cultures, and the festivals and rituals of the Chinese compared to the Americans. All this was rich with historical detail, and I felt as though I was there in the story, learning alongside Charity.
This is a gorgeous tale of a forbidden love that grows from childhood, the dangers of a love unrequited, and the strength of belief in your culture in times of upheaval.
5 Stars!
AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER
~ Facebook ~ Goodreads ~ Twitter ~ Website ~
October 5, 2015
Book Review ~ ‘The Wicked Will Rise’ by Danielle Paige.
The Wicked Will Rise by Danielle Paige
(Dorothy Must Die #2)
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
Release Date: March 31st 2015.
SYNOPSIS
In this dark, high-octane sequel to the New York Times bestselling Dorothy Must Die, Amy Gumm must do everything in her power to kill Dorothy and free Oz.
To make Oz a free land again, Amy Gumm was given a mission: remove the Tin Woodman’s heart, steal the Scarecrow’s brain, take the Lion’s courage, and then Dorothy must die…
But Dorothy still lives. Now the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked has vanished, and mysterious Princess Ozma might be Amy’s only ally. As Amy learns the truth about her mission, she realizes that she’s only just scratched the surface of Oz’s past—and that Kansas, the home she couldn’t wait to leave behind, may also be in danger. In a place where the line between good and evil shifts with just a strong gust of wind, who can Amy trust—and who is really Wicked?
Book Review ~ ‘The Wicked Will Rise’ by Danielle Paige ~ 5 Stars!
Smart, funny and electric, this follow-up to ‘Dorothy Must Die’ embodies everything I loved about the first book, and kicks away the little errors that I’d noticed in its predecessor. What keeps me reading above all else, is the storytelling, and I read this is one sitting as I was just so engrossed in the story that Paige was telling. I loved the world that she had taken and twisted, and given a whole new dimension to. Whilst Oz is not her creation, she still made it fresh, and made it her own. This is particularly noticeable in ‘The Wicked Will Rise’ as Amy’s adventure takes her away from the Emerald City and into territory that is new to us.
I loved how Amy’s character has developed over the two books so far. Her quirky asides, whilst still present, were more focused, which brilliantly highlighted how focused she had become as a person and on her mission as a whole. At first her sarcasm was a protective shield against the harshness of the world, but as she became stronger throughout this book, her wit became stronger and more grounded, whilst still remaining the same Amy Gumm that we loved at heart.
And Nox. *sigh* Oh Nox, how I love your bad boy awkwardness. The tension built brilliantly between Amy and Nox and I was desperate for more. Danielle Paige does a great job at hooking you in, and you will happily wait any length of time to see your favourite characters because you just know that their story will be told with justice.
‘The Wicked Will Rise’ ends with another cliffhanger, and wow was it a brilliant one! I have so many questions, and the story has taken an even darker turn, which I was not expecting, and I can’t even begin to guess where the story will go next.
A brilliant job!
5 stars.
*Review copy was kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
~ Waterstones ~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon US ~
Dorothy Must Die Stories
(Dorothy Must Die Prequels #0.1-#0.3)
SYNOPSIS
Long before Amy Gumm got swept away from a Kansas trailer park…Dorothy Gale received a package on the night of her 16th birthday: a pair of red high-heeled shoes. Dear Dorothy, the note read. I thought about silver to match the ones you lost, but in the end I decided that red was more your color. I think you know what to do with them.
And with a knock of her heels, Dorothy returned to the magical land that made her a star—and Oz would never be the same again.
This bind-up of three prequel novellas to the New York Times bestselling Dorothy Must Die series follows Dorothy Gale as she transforms from good girl to Wicked Witch. Kiss the land where troubles melt like lemon drops goodbye. Here there’s danger around every corner, and magical shoes won’t be able to save you.
~*~
Dorothy Must Die
(Dorothy Must Die #1)
SYNOPSIS
I didn’t ask for any of this. I didn’t ask to be some kind of hero.
But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado – taking you with it – you have no choice but to go along, you know?
Sure, I’ve read the books. I’ve seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little bluebirds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can’t be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There’s still a yellow brick road – but even that’s crumbling.
What happened? Dorothy.
They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe.
My name is Amy Gumm – and I’m the other girl from Kansas.
I’ve been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked.
I’ve been trained to fight.
And I have a mission.
~*~
Yellow Brick War
(Dorothy Must Die #3)
SYNOPSIS
In this dark, action-packed third book in the New York Times bestselling Dorothy Must Die series, Amy Gumm—the new girl from Kansas—must do everything in her power to save Kansas, kill Dorothy, and make Oz a free land once more.
Amy Gumm’s mission to take down Dorothy Gale is not going according to plan. Dorothy has found a way to bridge the worlds of Oz and Kansas, and if the power-hungry dictator of Oz has her way, Kansas will be destroyed forever. Now, Amy has to team up with the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked to save her home, restore the balance between the magic and nonmagic worlds, maybe get the guy—and kill that not-so-sweet Kansas farm girl once and for all.
In the third installment of the New York Times bestselling Dorothy Must Die series, Danielle Paige’s twisted versions of beloved Oz characters are back, including the biggest, baddest, most famous of all: the Wicked Witch of the West.
Welcome to the other side of the rainbow. Here there’s danger around every corner, and magic shoes won’t be able to save you.
October 4, 2015
Man Booker 2015 Shortlist: Bookseller Review ~ ‘A Little Life’ by Hanya Yanagihara.
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara.
Genres: Literary Fiction, Contemporary.
Publisher: Picador.
Release Date: August 13th 2015.
SYNOPSIS
Brace yourself for the most astonishing, challenging, upsetting, and profoundly moving book in many a season. An epic about love and friendship in the twenty-first century that goes into some of the darkest places fiction has ever traveled and yet somehow improbably breaks through into the light.
When four classmates from a small Massachusetts college move to New York to make their way, they’re broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition. There is kind, handsome Willem, an aspiring actor; JB, a quick-witted, sometimes cruel Brooklyn-born painter seeking entry to the art world; Malcolm, a frustrated architect at a prominent firm; and withdrawn, brilliant, enigmatic Jude, who serves as their center of gravity. Over the decades, their relationships deepen and darken, tinged by addiction, success, and pride. Yet their greatest challenge, each comes to realize, is Jude himself, by midlife a terrifyingly talented litigator yet an increasingly broken man, his mind and body scarred by an unspeakable childhood, and haunted by what he fears is a degree of trauma that he’ll not only be unable to overcome—but that will define his life forever.
In rich and resplendent prose, Yanagihara has fashioned a tragic and transcendent hymn to brotherly love, a masterful depiction of heartbreak, and a dark examination of the tyranny of memory and the limits of human endurance.
Book Review ~ ‘A Little Life’ by Hanya Yanagihara ~ 5 Stars!
A brilliantly written book, and well-deserving of its place on the 2015 Man Booker Shortlist, ‘A Little Life’ is a hefty tome, but one that tells the most heartbreaking and realistic of stories. This is a book that will consume you from beginning to end.
Did I enjoy it? Well, as much as you can enjoy reading about such a traumatic life, then; Yes. But this book is not meant to be enjoyable, and I think it’s important that any reader goes into this book, knowing that it is not one to laugh along with, it is one that will be giving you the strongest of messages.
This book is told over a period of 30+ years. It doesn’t start with childhood, as many novels that follow this narrative type do, instead it starts at the beginning of Jude’s new life. Jude is the character that the story follows, and you learn as you read follow the lives of the four university friends, that the person that brings them all together in some way, is Jude. His past is a traumatic one, and his present is just as painful, being haunted by the memories of his past, but this novel shows the true strength of friendship.
The story took twists and turns that I was not expecting, and throughout you can feel the tension and darkness rising within Jude, Wilhelm, Malcom and JB as they go through the ups and downs of life, career and love. There is depictions of love so strong that it can save a person, and loneliness that can ultimately break them.
A thoroughly brilliant read, but not an enjoyable one. And that is in no way a criticism, in fact it is a compliment. There are not many books that can be so stressful, so painful to read, but that you are so engrossed in that you have to read to the end. The pain of this novel, and its strength too is what you should read it for, and you will not regret it.
5 stars!
*Review copy was kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
~ Waterstones ~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon US ~
THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2015
The Winner will be announced on Tuesday 13th October 2015.
The SHORTLIST
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler
Satin Island by Tom McCarthy
The Year of the Runaways by Sunjeev Sahota
A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James
The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma
The LONGLIST
Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg
Lila by Marilynne Robinson
Sleeping on Jupiter by Anuradha Roy
The Chimes by Anna Smaill
The Green Road by Anne Enright
The Illuminations by Andrew O’Hagan
The Moor’s Account by Laila Lalami
October 1, 2015
Blog Tour Round-Up.
~ A ~
Jaimie Admans
North Pole Reform School
Not Pretty Enough
Meredith Allard
Her Dear and Loving Husband
~ B ~
Mandy Baggot
Made in Nashville
Tracy E. Banghart
Shattered Veil
Karen S. Bell
Sunspots
A.J. Bennett
Now or Never
Avie Bennett
The Couple on the Green
Rebecca Berto
Being Kalli
The Rental
Karice Bolton
RecruitZ
The Afterworld Series
April Bostic
The Howling Heart
Elizabeth Briggs
More Than Music
Sera Bright
See Through Me
Jacinda Buchmann
Indigo Incite
Claudia Y. Burgoa
Next to You
~ C ~
Deanna Chase
Defining Destiny
Shanna Clayton
Pretending
~ E ~
Aven Ellis
Waiting for Prince Harry
Allie Everhart
Choosing You
~ G ~
Priscilla Glenn
Coming Home
Elisabeth Grace
Rumor Has It
Victoria Green
Silver Heart
Valerie Grosjean
Undying
~ H ~
Layla Hagen
Lost in Us
Michelle A. Hansen
Before They Find Us
Jenny Harper
Maximum Exposure
Juliana Haygert
Breaking Fences
~ J ~
Brooklyn James
The Boots My Mother Gave Me
~ K ~
Gayle C. Krause
Ratgirl: Song of the Viper
~ L ~
Prescott Lane
Perfectly Broken
Jane Lark
The Illicit Love of a Courtesan
The Scandalous Love of a Duke
Just You
K.N. Lee
Dark Prophet
Amber Lin
How to Say Goodbye
~ M ~
Nana Malone
London Bound
Patty Maximini
The Reason I Stay
Jamie McGuire
Apolonia
Cindy Miles
Stupid Girl
~ N ~
Elisa Nader
Escape From Eden
Elodie Nowodazkij
One Two Three
~ O ~
Katherine Owen
This Much is True
~ R ~
J.A. Reynolds
Peaceful Genocide
~ S ~
Megan Squires
Draw Me In
Karen-Anne Stewart
The Rain Trilogy
Ash to Steele
~ T ~
Matthew Turner
Tick to the Tock
~ W ~
Rachael Wade
The Replacement
C.E. Wilson
Othello
Book Blitz ~ ‘Fairy Tale Confessions Collection.’
Fairy Tale Confessions Collection
Published by: Amber Leaf Publishing
Publication date: October 1st 2015
Genres: Fairy Tales
SYNOPSIS
Fourteen bestselling authors twist up your favorite tales. Will your favorite have a happily-ever-after?
Get ready to meet some sexy, not-so-valiant princes, punk-rock princesses, villains turned heroes, and truly vile monsters wreaking havoc within our favorite tales.
Read about Dancing Princesses getting their groove on in a disco club, a seriously sexy Rumpelstiltskin, and one alluring Puss-in-Boots, plus many, many more captivating characters in these fourteen all new short-stories.
(This collection and its authors are being featured at RT 2016 at the Fairy Tale Costume Party in Vegas, hosted by Sarah J. Pepper and Tish Thawer. Be sure to get your copy and stop by if you’re attending the event.)
~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon US ~ B&N ~
GIVEAWAY: OPEN INTERNATIONALLY
*eCopy of Fairy Tale Confessions & $100 Amazon Gift Card*
September 25, 2015
Book Blitz ~ ‘Girl Wife Prisoner’ by Hanna Peach.
Girl Wife Prisoner by Hanna Peach
(A Good Wife #1)
Publication date: September 19th 2015
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
SYNOPSIS
How far would you go to set yourself free?
Drake Blackwell is successful, controlling, and hiding a violent family past. He just made his latest investment: Noriko.
Imported from Japan and wed to a stranger, Noriko struggles to stick to the rules of a Good Wife. Drake can’t seem to love her, not the way she wants to be loved. She dreams of freedom beyond the gates of Blackwell Manor.
She meets Keir, a passionate young gardener who shares her desire to break free. He gets under her skin and ignites a fire in her she can’t ignore. In the midst of her quiet desperation she thinks she has found happiness. And a glimpse of hope.
But this affair can’t last…can it?
There is a darkness lingering, but not how you’d expect. There are monsters, but not as you usually know them. The truth is, in this story, no one is completely innocent. And it’s always darkest before the dawn.
Although part of a series, this is a standalone novel with no cliffhanger.
WARNING: For ages 18+. There are scenes in this novel that infer or allude to physical violence.
“Noriko…”
I paused.
“Never mind,” he said.
I turned to face him. “No, it’s something. Say it.”
“I was going to ask you something but…”
“Please, ask. You’ve just done me the most wonderful thing. If there’s anything I can do.”
“This might sound stupid.”
“Try me.”
“Can we, just for a while, pretend that you aren’t you and I’m not me?”
“Who would we be then?”
“Anyone.”
“Anyone?”
“I just need…someone to talk to.”
“And you want to talk to me?”
“Yes. No. I don’t want to talk to Mrs. Riko Blackwell. I want to talk to the girl I found standing in my Japanese garden. The one I found so easy to talk to. I don’t think there’s anyone in the world who might understand me, except for her.”
~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon US ~ B&N ~ iBooks ~ Kobo ~ Smashwords ~
Q. Sum up Girl Wife Prisoner in 5 words or less.
A. Forbidden love, desperate acts, redemption.
Q. What other books is Girl Wife Prisoner similar to?
A. Jenn from I Heart Books told me she thought it was similar (but different) to Insidious by Aleatha Romig. I haven’t read Insidious so I can’t say whether it’s true or not (but it’s now on my TBR list).
Q. What’s next?
A. Paper Dolls, a psychological thriller/love story about a woman who has to choose whether she saves her sister or her boyfriend, is coming out early Jan 2016. Then A Wild & Terrible Love (A Good Wife #2), a tale of wild love and revenge, shortly afterwards.
Q. What are some of your favorite books?
A. Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen, Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane, Archer’s Voice by Mia Sheridan. Eclectic, I know.
Q. What do you do when you’re not writing?
A. Read, travel, spend time with the Love of my Life.
Hanna Peach
Hanna is the bestselling author of the Bound romantic suspense series and the Dark Angel fantasy series. Although she writes in more than one genre she can’t write a book without weaving together a complicated plot and filling it with twists. She writes what she believes: good people can do bad things, ordinary people can do great things and choose love above everything.
Eternally restless, Hanna has lived in Indonesia, Australia, Germany, Scotland, England, Croatia and Ireland – everything she owns fits into one suitcase. She’s planning her next move with her gorgeous (and understanding) partner right now. If not writing, she can be found wandering a dusty market in Marrakesh or trekking a mountain in Peru, often using her travels as settings in her novels.
To WIN a copy of her next release go to www.hannapeach.com.
~ Facebook ~ Goodreads ~ Twitter ~ Website ~
September 22, 2015
Book Review ~ ‘Hawaiian Heartbreak’ by Libby Cole.
Hawaiian Heartbreak by Libby Cole.
Hawaiian Heartbreak #1
Genres: Romance, Contemporary
Release Date: 29th August 2015.
SYNOPSIS
What do you do when you meet someone who could be the love of your life, but to be together, one of you will have to give up everything?
Kayla had her life all mapped out, before her ex-boyfriend tipped her world upside down by cheating on her. But she’s had her time licking her wounds. Now she’s ready to take time out for herself on a dream vacation in Hawaii. If that won’t pull the shattered pieces of her heart back together, nothing will.
What she hadn’t planned on was falling for someone new. Especially someone tall, tanned, and distractingly sexy. What starts out as a fun holiday fling quickly turns into a full-blown love affair, with neither wanting to face up to the fact that the clock is ticking until Kayla has to return home.
The first book of three in the Hawaiian Heartbreak trilogy. This book is recommended for readers over the age of 18 due to explicit sexual content.
Book Review ~ ‘Hawaiian Heartbreak’ by Libby Cole ~ 4 Stars!
I loved this first instalment of the Hawaiian Heartbreak Trilogy. Fun, flirty and fiery, it fits the bill for the perfect afternoon read.
Libby Cole did a brilliant job at setting the scene for this story. I’ve never been to Hawaii myself, but reading Kayla’s story, I felt like I was there, experiencing all the new things she was seeing, and falling in lust with the sexy tour guide like she was. I loved the scenes when she was exploring the island with Jay, as we see some serious issues being discussed, such as the water life, and the damage done by tourists in the past. Kayla was so eager and enthusiastic about learning new things that I just connected with her straight away. She was a smart girl, eager to learn new things but just didn’t have the chances in life to show her full potential. Her and Jay set the pages on fire, and it wasn’t just their insanely hot chemistry, but also their witty banter, and their obvious connection with each other, both emotionally and in their intelligence.
This is more than just a fun short story, it packs the emotional punch as well, and the ending will have you begging for the next instalment. I really admired how the story unfolded, and it has me desperate to know what happens to Kayla and Jay next.
I also have questions, I’m excited to see answered. What is the painful past that Jay has been keeping hidden? How do Jay and Adam know each other? All things I’m looking forward to in the next books.
Just a small thing, but I’d also like to see Kayla interact with some other characters. Other than the brief interaction with Adam, I feel like Kayla has only seen Jay. I’d love to see her get to know some other locals, or meet a newly married couple, or make friends with some other young tourists.
Gorgeously written, this is a wonderful read! Looking forward to Book 2!
4 ‘Fiery’ Stars!
