The Dream Keeper's Daughter - Emily Colin

Description
A woman discovers an impossible connection that transcends time and place in this stirring, unforgettable novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Memory Thief.

"A splendid mix of time travel, romantic yearning, and moving on after grief."--Publishers Weekly

Isabel Griffin has done her best to move on since her boyfriend, Max Adair, vanished without a trace eight years ago, leaving her heartbroken--and pregnant. Eerily enough, this isn't the first time someone Isabel loves has gone missing. When she was sixteen, her mother disappeared, and her father became obsessed with finding his long-lost wife--at the expense of parenting Isabel.

Determined not to repeat her father's mistakes, Isabel works hard to become a respected archaeologist and a loving mother to her daughter, Finn, a little girl with very unusual abilities. But while Isabel is on a dig in Barbados, she receives a disturbing phone call. The hauntingly familiar voice on the other end speaks just four words--"Isabel. Keep her safe."--before they're disconnected.

Isabel tries to convince herself that the caller can't possibly be Max. But what if it is, and Finn is in danger? As one mysterious event after another occurs, she can't shake the feeling that, despite what everyone else believes, Finn's father is alive--and he's desperately trying to reach her.

Review

If you've read my review before you will know I love time travel. I have read most of the books out there and so when I came across this one for review I was immediately attracted to it. 

As a premise I think the writer has hit on a twist that I haven't come across in time travel novels before, but it took too long to get to it. Once I did get to the part that contained the time travel I read it with relish. I loved every moment of it, the writer transported me back in time and I was fearful for what would become of Max Adair. How would someone from the present day fit in and act in a strange land.

Meanwhile the "Dreamkeeper's daughter" aspect came into play. Was Finn really communicating with her Grandmother and Father or are they just dreams? This aspect of the book and the character of Finn was tauntingly enticing but it never really got fully explored to its full potential.

Once the time travel aspect of the novel came to an end I was surprised that the book carried on for about another 100 pages. Again this was a different take on a storyline - what happens after people who have time travelled come back to the present day? How are things going to pan out for them?

Although I loved the time travel aspect of this book there were too many words to get to it and too many after it when I just wanted to know how it ended. I feel the story could have been told a little more concisely for my liking. 

I'm giving this book 3 out of 5 stars. My thanks go to Netgalley for a copy of this book for review.

31 Days of Wonder - Tom Winter

Description

'And in that instant, he knows in his heart that today is a momentous day; come what may, he and Alice will meet again, and life will never be the same.'

Alice is stuck in an internship she loathes and a body she is forever trying to change.

Ben, also in his early twenties, is still trying to find his place in the world.

By chance they meet one day in a London park.

Day 1
Ben spots Alice sitting on a bench and feels compelled to speak to her. To his surprise, their connection is instant. But before numbers are exchanged, Alice is whisked off by her demanding boss.

20 minutes later
Alone in her office toilets, Alice looks at herself in the mirror and desperately searches for the beauty Ben could see in her.

Meanwhile, having misunderstood a parting remark, Ben is already planning a trip to Glasgow where he believes Alice lives, not realising that they actually live barely ten miles apart.

Over the next 31 days, Alice and Ben will discover that even if they never manage to find each other again, they have sparked a change in each other that will last a lifetime. In 31 Days of Wonder, Tom Winter shows us the magic of chance encounters and how one brief moment on a Thursday afternoon can change the rest of your life.

Review

Wow - what a book this is. I predict great things for this book and I can see it becoming a film. You really need to read this wonderful insightful book.

Two very separate stories of Alice and Ben - entwined by the author through a brief meeting at a park. Ben decides to track down Alice - he keeps seeing her anyway - or is it someone else who has a message for him. Two different journeys - one physical for Ben and his bike - discovering himself and what his family means to him whilst working through his mental health issues. The other for Alice with her own issues and being on an eternal diet - but who is she trying to please?

I was intrigued by the book jacket blurb but never expected what an absolutely delightful book this would be. Sure, there are some characters such as Alice's boss from hell and her Mother who aren't so nice but they have some classic one liners. As Alice's Mother asks her "what would you say if I got Botox and went on Twitter?". Both characters also have excellent support in the form of Dave and Rachel - not forgetting Neville the parrot. 

It's a great story that in places was deep but also had laugh out loud moments with subtle insights into how people get through life.

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars My thanks to LittleBrownBook and Netgalley for an advance copy of the book.

Little Gray Dress - Aimee Brown

I'm really pleased to be a part of the blog tour today for Little Gray Dress by Aimee Brown. You can see a trailer for the book on Youtube.

Description

Emi Harrison has avoided her ex-fiance, Jack Cabot, for nearly two years. Her twin brother Evan's wedding is about to end that streak.

From bad bridesmaid's dresses, a hyperactive sister-in-law, a mean girl with even meaner secrets, and too much to drink, nothing seems to go right for Emi, except when she's wearing her little gray dress.

When she speed-walks into Liam Jaxon's bar, things get more complicated. He's gorgeous, southern, and has no past with Emi. He may be exactly what she needs to prove for the last time that she doesn't need or want Jack!

Her favorite little gray dress has made an appearance at nearly every major event in Emi's adult life. Will it make another grand appearance when she least expects it?

Review

I'm going to say right off that I loved this book so much. For a debut author this book is just fantastic and I can't wait to read more by Aimee.

So- why did I love it so much. Well it is very funny and yet the characters have such depth that I ended up caring so much about them. So much so that I did actually shed a little tear at one point. Not something I usually do over this genre.

Aimee's writing is so easy to read, the words just flow off the page and it just feels like a bubbly friend telling you the latest tale.

The book leads us through the current day of Emi preparing to attend her brothers wedding. Slowly we begin to learn that there is going be a guest there that she would rather not see. It's Jack her ex-fiance and through flashbacks we learn why he became her ex. 

I was a little horrified by the actions of Jack and was routing for the new guy Liam to be the love interest. But slowly facts from the past unfold and maybe everything is not the way it seems on the surface. 

If you loved the film Bridesmaids then you will probably love this book too. Finally The Little Gray dress - well it makes appearances throughout the book!

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. Waiting for the next book Aimee.

Watching you - Arne Dahl

Description

‘Brilliant visceral writing with terrific pace, this book grips you like a vice from the very first line and never lets you go’ PETER JAMES

A brilliantly breath-taking thriller with twists you’ll never see coming. The start of a new series from international bestseller Arne Dahl. 

Someone is watching.

At each abandoned crime scene there's a hidden clue: a tiny metal cog, almost invisible to the naked eye. Someone is sending Detective Sam Berger a message, and that someone knows that only he will understand the cryptic trail.

Someone knows.

When another teenaged girl disappears without trace, Sam must convince his superiors that they’re dealing with a serial kidnapper and possible killer. As the police continue the hunt to find the latest kidnap victim, Sam is forced to unearth long buried personal demons – he has no choice if he is to understand the brute’s darkly personal message before time runs out.

Somebody is killing just for him.

Review

I was really intrigued by the premise of this book - a crime scene containing cryptic clues. Of course the book had to have some scene setting before the story began properly, but I was getting impatient to find out what the clues were and how they would be solved. Therefore the beginning for me was a little too drawn out.

I didn't have to wait too long though before a great plot unfolded. Sam is investigating the disappearance of a 15 year old girl and he is convinced it is tied to other disappearances. He thinks he has the lead he needs but it only leads to him becoming a suspect in the disappearances.

This books is o very clever with lots of little twists and turns along the way. The plot in some ways reminds me of a modern Sherlock Holmes story. The writing is so descriptive that I felt the tension at every turn, especially in the interview room. 

Once the story really takes off there was no stopping me - I was turning the pages as fast I could to try and second guess this story. However, it's so unusual that I had no idea where it was going to end. Which brings me to the end - what a cliffhanger. I don't do spoilers so I will leave you to read the book blind as I did - you will want more.

A distinctive author, I will be reading more of his books.

I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars - mainly due to the slow start.

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

The Lying Game - Ruth Ware

Description

Four friends. One promise. But someone isn't telling the truth. The twisting new mystery from bestselling phenomenon Ruth Ware.

The text message arrives in the small hours of the night. It’s just three words: I need you.
Isa drops everything, takes her baby daughter and heads straight to Salten. She spent the most significant days of her life at boarding school on the marshes there, days which still cast their shadow over her.

At school Isa and her three best friends used to play the Lying Game. They competed to convince people of the most outrageous stories. Now, after seventeen years of secrets, something terrible has been found on the beach. Something which will force Isa to confront her past, together with the three women she hasn't seen for years, but has never forgotten.

Theirs is no cosy reunion: Salten isn't a safe place for them, not after what they did. It’s time for the women to get their story straight…

Review

This books reads very differently from the previous novel by Ruth Ware "The Woman in Cabin 10". It begins with Isa receiving a text saying "I need you" and that is enough for her to take off back to Salten where her old boarding school was.

We then have some flashbacks to how Isa met her three friends Kate, Fatima and Thea on the way to Boarding school and who basically became a version of mean girls, with their little clique and their "lying game". This aspect of the novel turned me off and I wasn't comfortable with some of the antics they got up to. Did I really want to read about a pack of spoilt brats.

However the book comes back to the present day and Isa now has a 6 month old baby Freya who I feared for whilst reading the book - she really has a few harrowing experiences as well as being hawked around on various trains and all manner of people looking after her. 

The tension of the book for me began to build when the friends realise that they may lose their careers over what happened 17 years ago and most of all that Isa could lose Freya. Coupled with the house they are staying in basically being swallowed slowly by the sea and sounding like something out of the Hounds of the Baskervilles with all the dark marshes around them.

Unfortunately because of the "lying game" I didn't have much sympathy for any of the characters and the book was beginning to drag on. Then suddenly there was a game changer for me and I actually needed to find out who did what and why. The book unexpectedly exploded with unspoken deeds from the past that began to shape a different path than the one I originally thought the book was taking.

I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars and my thanks go to Netgalley for a copy of the book for review.

Wrong Number - Carys Jones

Description

A missing husband. Mysterious calls. And the biggest lie of them all. 
Read with caution - you may never want to answer your phone again...

Will and Amanda Thorn are living the dream until, one day, their phone rings. Within 24 hours, Will is missing and Amanda’s world is shattered. Who was on the phone? Where has Will gone?

Amanda is determined to find her husband and is drawn into a world of drug dealers, criminal masterminds and broken promises.

As the truth becomes clearer, she has to face the terrible possibility that she may never have known her husband at all...

Review 

From the description this book appears to have all the elements to be a real page turner. It certainly started out like that but my interest began to wain slightly when the fact that her husband had disappeared dragged on and on with no seemingly way forward.

However, this did change around half way through the book as we begin to learn more about Will and his past and also that Amanda is not as squeaky clean and innocent as we first thought. She is in fact a hacker! This really forms the basis for how Amanda begins to be able to track her husband down.

The book then goes into the realms of fantasy a little but I stuck with it and it did once again become quite the page turner. Turn pages I did at quiet a pace as there is a lot of descriptive writing that really doesn't add to the story. There is also a sub story with Amanda and her ex-boyfriend who conveniently is a policeman and so this aids the story line.

I did struggle at the beginning of the book to decide if this was set in England or the USA, I like to set the scene in my mind. I'm not sure if Carys Jones is American but I would guess she is based on the fact that her Scottish character talks about driving a shift stick - which we would call a gear stick and also the "police precinct" another term not used in the UK. Minor points but grated with me.

Overall this book does have a good story line and there is now a sequel too.

I'm giving this book 3 out of 5 stars. My thanks to Netgalley for a copy to review.

Big Little Lies - Liane Moriarty

Description

From the author of Truly Madly Guilty and The Husband's Secret comes a novel about the dangerous little lies we tell ourselves just to survive.

Jane hasn't lived anywhere for longer than six months since her son was born five years ago. She keeps moving in an attempt to escape her past. Now the idyllic coastal town of Pirriwee has pulled her to its shores and Jane feels as if she finally belongs. She finds friends in the feisty Madeline and the incredibly beautiful Celeste, two women with seemingly perfect lives - and their own secrets. But at the start of a new term, an incident involving the children of all three women occurs in the playground, causing a rift between them and other parents. Minor at first but escalating fast, until the whispers and rumours become vicious and spiteful, and the truths blur into lies. It was always going to end in tears, but no one thought it would end in murder . . .

Review

I've read a few of Liane Moriarty's books now and loved them, and this was no exception. Written in a slightly different style than her other books. It flips back and forth but also there are inserted into the story the viewpoint of witnesses perception of what they think happened on "the trivia night". This really adds to the tension of what on earth did happen that night.

The book counts down from six months before the night up until the night itself and then the present day. Through this time we get to know each of the characters and find out more than their so called friends do about them and their lives.

Liane paints such a realistic picture of the small community and how the parents all interact at the school. I found the Blonde bombs parents as they are nicknamed hilarious and I am sure true to life. The small minded busy bodies who begin with other parents to make life very uncomfortable for one of the parents after a playground incident - but did it really happen the way it seems to have done?

Although you know from the outset that there has been a murder I kept wondering who it was that was dead, and I never worked it out. A few twists some nice, some not so nice and it was a pleasant change not to have been able to see them coming.

I'm giving this book four out of five stars. Only because I felt it was a little long for my taste.

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