Redemption Road - Lisa Ballantyne

The crash is the unravelling of Margaret Holloway. Trapped inside a car about to explode, she is rescued by a scarred stranger who then disappears. Margaret remembers little, but she's spent her life remembering little - her childhood is full of holes and forgotten memories. Now she has a burning desire to discover who she is and why her life has been shrouded in secrets. What really happened to her when she was a child? Could it have anything to do with the mysterious man who saved her life?

Flitting effortlessly between past and present, this is a suspenseful, gritty and emotionally charged journey of an estranged father and daughter, exploring the strength of family ties and our huge capacity for forgiveness.

I have to admit that the title of this book put me off reading it for a while. It was on my to be read list and it came around to the top so I decided to read it. Straight away I thought - why did I not read this sooner! I was gripped from the beginning, both by the plot and the wonderful writing.

The story flits between 2013 and 1985 with two very different tales, which you deduce must somehow tie together. There are a few red herrings along the way which meant I didn't quite get the ending right.

Although I could see where the story was going, I kept reading as the characters are brilliant and I really want to know what happened to them in their respective timelines. One thing I think that is hard for a writer to do is write a character's accent. Lisa Ballantyne pulled this off - I could hear the Scottish accent but it wasn't written so precisely that I couldn't understand what it meant.

Yet another book I've read where the tale is told from two different sides - what the papers and public think have happened and what actually happened, a really clever plot device. We also get to meet well developed characters from very different walks of life,  gangland families, a mechanic, and a journalist who is a devout man of God.

I have only one gripe with the book - and that is perhaps due to my having a fairly good knowledge of places and their location in the UK. A drive from Newcastle to York even by back roads would not take the time given in the book. To arrive in the Black Country and then be at Mam Tor in the Peak District is a little weird and any bus that goes from Leek, to Ashbourne, Buxton and then Hanley is going a very long way round and back on itself - to many it probably won't be spotted, but when you know the area it is annoying and spoils the reading.

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars, despite the bad route planning!

My thanks go to netgalley for a free e copy of the book to review.

The Rosie Project - Graeme Simsion

I'm not sure there is a product description for this book, and having read it on my kindle, I don't know what the "back page cover" said. This is a book from my personal bookshelf, which I decided to read mainly because of all the hype surrounding it. It's taken me a while to get around to it mainly because I wasn't sure what it was about and also the lobster on the cover put me off!
So, what is it all about? Don Tillman is a genetics professor who views the world very logically due to him I believe having Aspergers Syndrome. To me he comes across as Spock meets Roy Cropper (Coronation Street). 

He has reached the age of 40 and the research he has read points to married men living longer and happier lives. So he decides to tackle the acquisition of a wife in the same way he would his research. He formulates a questionnaire to garner suitable candidates to be his wife.

Alongside this is his friend, Gene, who is also a professor and collecting women from each country to add notches to his bedpost, albeit being married to Claudia. 

Don begins his research project but meets Rosie - thrown into the mix by his friend Gene. What follows is a tale of how he and Rosie interact - very unconventionally given Don's OCD approach to the world. 

My favourite part of the book was when they were cooking and the meal was going to be late. Rosie suggests putting the clock to the time it would have been, which ensures that Don is able to let go of the his OCD and cook the meal.

I found this a strange book, certainly different to anything I have read before. It did make me laugh out loud and there are some fabulous observations in this book. If you find it difficult to suspend disbelief, then this is probably not the book for you.

I'm giving it four out of five stars. 

There is a sequel book out now - I am intrigued by what happens next.........

What Milo Saw - Virginia Macgregor

•  A BIG story about a small boy who sees the world a little differently
• For fans of The Rosie Project, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Wonder, comes this spellbinding and generous-hearted tale about a small boy who just wanted his gran to come home.

The description of what this book was about was very vague, as you can see from the blurb above. So in deciding to read it,  I went on the premise that I had enjoyed the other books cited and I wasn't disappointed.

Milo is a 9 year old boy - but this book is not a children's book. Although the tale is told through Milo's eyes some of it is very grown up material - like when he catches his Dad with his "tart". 

Basically the book is about Milo's Gran who goes into Forget Me Not Nursing Home, whereas he wants her to continue to leave with him and his Mum at home. Milo doesn't think she is being cared for properly and sets about investigating behind the scenes at the home.

As the story is told through Milo, at times I did wonder if this was just a small boy not understanding the ways of the world. In fact when he goes to tell a policeman his concerns, this is what he is told, he needs to see the bigger picture. Ironic when Milo has a disease that means he can only see a pin point of the world at a time.

All of the characters are so believable and drawn so well that I felt like I knew them. Because of that most of the time I became so engrossed in what was happening that I forgot I was reading a book. I just saw the whole story unfolding before me. I found myself gasping out loud the storytelling was so realistic and at times unexpected in events.

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

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

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.