The Other Me - Saskia Sarginson

Eliza Bennet has the life she's always dreamed of. She's who she wants to be, and she's with the man she loves.

But Eliza is living a lie. Her real name is Klaudia Myer. And Klaudia is on the run. She's escaping her old life, and a terrible secret buried at the heart of her family.

This is the story of Eliza and Klaudia - one girl, two lives and a lie they cannot hide from.

To put this into perspective, one woman two lives I think is a little strong. Klaudia was a child and then she called herself Eliza when she went to University - not quite the dramatic event of two lives that the book cover proclaims.

So I was wrong footed when I began to read, as I had assumed (!) that this was going to an adult who had reinvented herself.

Ultimately I suppose the book is about identity and how others perceive you through the bloodline you carry.

However, to me this book was far more interesting from the perspective of Klaudia's Father and Uncle who had been brought up in Nazi Germany. Through Ernst eyes we re live the terror of the jews and their awful fate at the hands of the Nazis - of which Ernst was one. A perspective I had not read this part of history from before.

The writing is really very sensitive and insightful - difficult to read at times, but very poignant.

I kept turning the pages wanting to know if the sins of the father were going to prevent happiness for Klaudia/Eliza - but as I don't do spoilers you need to turn those pages to find out yourself.

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars.

My thanks go to Net galley and Little Brown Book group for a free advance e copy of this book.

Killing Eva - Alex Blackmore

Witnessing a dramatic death at London’s Waterloo Station triggers a series of events that shatter Eva Scott’s world. Dying words uttered on the station concourse awaken a history she had thought long buried. But the past is about to be resurrected, in all its brutal reality. Soon, Eva's life is out of her hands. A genetic key is keeping her alive – but foreshadowing her death. People she loved and lost materialise and then disappear, testing the limits of her sanity. Inextricably linked to her survival is the potential takedown of an economic power, on which hang the lives of many others. The only way out is through. But Eva’s life is no longer her own. And it's killing her.

I read the prequel to this novel - "Lethal Profit" a couple of years ago and enjoyed it.  My only gripe with that book was that the heroine Eva had no survival skills or training in combat and yet luck got her through. 

Quite near the beginning of the book Ms Blackmore makes the point that since we last met Eva she has been in training to defend herself - so that takes care of that! I must admit I didn't realise I would be meeting Eva again but I was glad I did. Fair enough after what she went through I can see the need to learn self defence, but it did become a laboured point.

This book contained good action scenes, which unlike some other well known books, didn't describe every left hook and arm hold in such detail you end up wondering what on earth is happening and who has got what arm where.

Yet again we are drawn in to a world where nothing is quite as it seems, despite knowing some of the characters and their capabilities. The idea of a genetic key I found fascinating and all the flaws you might think you can pick in the plot appear to have been covered. There were also some other great technology ideas.

One observation I had in the first book was you could tell through the writing that a woman had written the book, as there were some insightful feminine tells, this appears to have been omitted from this book, which I found a shame.

I don't do spoilers, but really Ms Blackmore - as I read the last line I did think - not again!

I'm giving this book four stars, mainly because of the ending and being left on a cliff edge!

My thanks go to Real Readers for a free copy of this book in exchange for a review.

The Art of Baking Blind - Sarah Vaughan

There are many reasons to bake: to feed; to create; to impress; to nourish; to define ourselves; and, sometimes, it has to be said, to perfect. But often we bake to fill a hunger that would be better filled by a simple gesture from a dear one. We bake to love and be loved.

In 1966, Kathleen Eaden, cookery writer and wife of a supermarket magnate, published The Art of Baking, her guide to nurturing a family by creating the most exquisite pastries, biscuits and cakes.

Now, five amateur bakers are competing to become the New Mrs Eaden. There's Jenny, facing an empty nest now her family has flown; Claire, who has sacrificed her dreams for her daughter; Mike, trying to parent his two kids after his wife's death; Vicki, who has dropped everything to be at home with her baby boy; and Karen, perfect Karen, who knows what it's like to have nothing and is determined her façade shouldn't slip.

As unlikely alliances are forged and secrets rise to the surface, making the choicest choux bun seems the least of the contestants' problems. For they will learn - as Mrs Eaden did before them - that while perfection is possible in the kitchen, it's very much harder in life.

The most obvious comparison to be made with this book and it's competition to find the New Mrs Eaden is the Great British Bake Off. If you are a fan of that TV show then this book will appeal to you, in fact this book does more than cover the baking competition, we get to go behind the scenes in each of the contestants lives.

For some reason I could not get the characters straight in my head until around half way through the book. Each one is introduced in turn, but a couple of them seemed to be similar and so I struggled to know who was who for a while. It is for this reason only that I gave four out of five stars.

That point aside, I really enjoyed the book. Not only do we have the back story of each character taking part in the contest, but also the back story of Mrs Eaden - the 1960s cookery writer. In this respect it reminded a little of Julie and Julia book/film. As a child on the 60s it was interesting for me to read the social content side as portrayed by Mrs Eaden - it really brought to life for me what it would have been like for my parents.

My favourite character in the book was Jenny, the empty nester. However there is just so much more to her character than her children having left home. I won't spoil the plot, but I was behind this character all the way.

I did feel the book could have delivered a little more, as it really only scratched the surface with the back stories, with the emphasis being on the cookery competition.

Four out of five stars for this book from me. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Hodder Paperbacks for allowing me an advance copy of the book to review.

Scandalous Lies - Nigel May

Move over Jackie Collins, there’s a new blockbuster star in town.’ New! Magazine

Lovers and liars, divas and sinners, welcome to a world of scandal, where one woman will pay the ultimate price.

SUSPENSE: Georgia’s best friend, ballroom dancing sensation Mitzi, has vanished with boyfriend Foster while on holiday in California. Can Georgia get to the truth of their disappearance before it’s too late?

SECRETS: Reality TV star Nova could give the Kardashians a run for their money. But while she allows millions of viewers into her fabulous home, she’s unaware what her husband, celebrity mogul Jacob, is up to behind closed doors …

SEX: Tanya is filthy rich, married to a man who adores her but she is restless. And her sexual appetite is about to get her into a whole lot of trouble.

SCANDAL: Victoria, once the trophy-wife, has lost her mojo. Determined to get her life and marriage back on track, she’s desperate to inject some excitement in her life – but at what cost?

From the glitz of Hollywood to the glamour of Milan and the exotic luxury of India, Scandalous Lies is a deliciously unputdownable read.

As a crafter I see a lot of Nigel May on the Craft channel - so I'm always intrigued to read his wonderful books too. 

l read Trinity Nigel May's first book, but then got mixed up with the order of release, so Addicted should have been my next book to read not Scandalous Lies. Having said that I don't think it matters which order you read them in, as although one of the characters features in Trinity - you don't need to know that story to read Scandalous lies.

I enjoyed Trinity but where I enjoyed this more was the fabulous whodunnit played out in the book. Several back stories kept my interest as we flipped from one to the other and then neatly they all came together to make for a perfect summer read.

I must say that Nigel has a very in depth knowledge of ladies fashion brands - there were some I had never even heard of - I obviously don't move in the right circles.

For me this was Jackie Collins meets Agatha Christie!

Off to read Addicted now!

My thanks to Netgalley for a copy of the book to read.

Manhattan Mayhem - a collection of short stories

Best-selling suspense novelist Mary Higgins Clark invites you on a tour of Manhattan's most iconic neighborhoods in this anthology of all-new stories from the Mystery Writers of America. From the Flatiron District (Lee Child) and Greenwich Village (Jeffery Deaver) to Little Italy (T. Jefferson Parker) and Chinatown (S.J. Rozan), you'll encounter crimes, mysteries, and riddles large and small. Illustrated with iconic photography of New York City and packaged in a handsome hardcover,Manhattan Mayhem is a delightful read for armchair detectives and armchair travelers alike!

Well! NYC and mysteries - was all I needed to request this book to review, topped by a picture of the Empire State Building on the cover - pity it is only a e book.

When I was a child in the 70s I read a lot of Ellery Queen stories - I loved the cleverness of them and the twists and turns. The stories in this book remind me so much of those stories - the plots are quirky and different and a joy to read.


I don't do spoilers so it is difficult to review without giving something away and also as they are short stories they are a little light on depth and character development, so not too much for a reviewer to get their teeth into. As a reader though - the stories are just the right length, just enough suspense and just enough of a twist to make you realise you aren't as clever as you thought you were!

My thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book to review.

You, Me and Other People - Fionnuala Kearney

THEY SAY EVERY FAMILY HAS SKELETONS IN THEIR CLOSET . . .

But what happens when you open the door and they won’t stop tumbling out?

For Adam and Beth the first secret wasn’t the last, it was just the beginning.

You think you can imagine the worst thing that could happen to your family, but there are some secrets that change everything.

And then the question is, how can you piece together a future when your past is being rewritten?

To be honest I chose to review this book based on the fact that I liked the cover, shallow I know. But sometimes a cover can really make you want to read a book and this is what happened to me.

To begin with I thought this was going to be a bit of a pedestrian book with the usual husband cheats, wife finds out etc. Then I got drawn into the wonderful layers that this book has, the insightful writing which just called out to me, yes, this is what it is like, this is what happens in real life. 

But then other layers began to peel back, there was more than one story here, more than one lie. There is so much more to this book than one storyline and the characters really began to feel real to me. With the book being told from two perspectives, it also wasn't easy to hate the wrong doer as you saw it through his eyes too. 

If I had one criticism it was that I got so engrossed that when each chapter ended and another began it wasn't immediately obvious whose voice was narrating. It did alternate across the chapters, but when you are really into a book, you aren't thinking, one character just narrated so now it will be the turn of the other one. 

A great read and even a little teary eyed in places.

My thanks go to Netgalley and HarperFiction for a free e review copy of this book.

Lost and Found - Brooke Davis

THE INTERNATIONAL NUMBER 1 BESTSELLER

Millie Bird is a seven-year-old girl who always wears red wellington boots to match her red, curly hair. But one day, Millie’s mum leaves her alone beneath the Ginormous Women’s underwear rack in a department store, and doesn’t come back. 

Agatha Pantha is an eighty-two-year-old woman who hasn’t left her home since her husband died. Instead, she fills the silence by yelling at passers-by, watching loud static on TV, and maintaining a strict daily schedule. Until the day Agatha spies a little girl across the street.

Karl the Touch Typist is eighty-seven years old and once typed love letters with his fingers on to his wife’s skin. He sits in a nursing home, knowing that somehow he must find a way for life to begin again. In a moment of clarity and joy, he escapes. 

Together, Millie, Agatha and Karl set out to find Millie’s mum. Along the way, they will discover that the young can be wise, that old age is not the same as death, and that breaking the rules once in a while might just be the key to a happy life. 

A lot of comparisons have been made between this book and "The one hundred year old man". I enjoyed The one hundred year old man so thought I would read this book.. 

I struggled with the book to begin with, possibly because it was an alien concept. A little girl left alone in a department store fending for herself. All the things that I thought would have happened in real life didn't- that is she wouldn't get away with it.

Once I suspended that disbelief I got on a little better with the book, but it was still a bit off the wall for my taste. There was also a lot of swearing at one point - didn't bother me as such, as it was part of the character and their make up, but could offend some people I guess.

My other point I put down just to my own stupidity. I thought the book was set in England as there were many references (mainly TV) that signposted this in my mind. So when they set off for Melbourne (and I knew it wasn't the one in Derbyshire UK), I thought "how are they going to do that without Millie's passport". Of course it is actually set in Australia!

For me the book came into its own once Millie joined forces with Karl and Agatha - then it really got going and I found myself laughing out loud at some of the antics and expressions used. There are also some lovely poignant pages where Karl recalls his wife.

So I will say as Millie would "I'm sorry for your loss" and "we are all going to die"...........

My thanks to netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for a free advance copy of this book to review.