The Seven Year Slip - Ashley Poston

Description

An overworked book publicist with a perfectly planned future hits a snag when she falls in love with her temporary roommate…only to discover he lives seven years in the past, in this witty and wise new novel from the bestselling author of The Dead Romantics.

Sometimes, the worst day of your life happens, and you have to figure out how to live after it.

Six months ago, Clementine West had the worst day of her life. So, she came up with a plan to keep her heart safe: stay busy, work hard, take no risks. And it’s been working.

That is until one day she finds a strange man standing in her kitchen. A man with kind eyes, a crooked smile, and a recipe for the perfect lemon meringue pie. The kind of man that, before everything, she could have fallen for . . .

He’s perfect but for one thing: he lives in the past. Seven years ago, to be exact.

Review

Loved that this is a time travel novel, about a book publicist, set in NYC!

Clementine has inherited her late Aunt's apartment on the Upper East side. She had lots of travel adventures with her Aunt who she misses dearly. Her Aunt also had what seems to me a lot of sensible advice which Clementine shares with us. 

Her Aunt had told her the apartment was magical - but that was just when she was little - surely? Except for the day Clementine arrives home from work and finds a strange man in the apartment. He doesn't know her Aunt is dead. In fact he says she has invited him to stay while she's away travelling. 

This was a cute romantic story and a little escapist read into the publishing world and NYC. Falling for a man 7 years in the past when time travelling is hit and miss obviously proves a little difficult for sustaining a relationship. It doesn't hurt though that Iwan is a wannabe chef and cooks some amazing food. 

I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.

The New Wife - J P Delaney

 

Description

'Unputdownable' MICK HERRON
'Fast-paced and exhilarating, you'll be hooked' HEAT
'A summer read which exudes menace' SARAH VAUGHAN

When Finn Hensen gets a call from his sister Jess to say their father has died, neither is heartbroken. Their parents divorced many years ago, after which their father, Jimmy, continued to live a bohemian lifestyle in sun-soaked Mallorca.

Ownership of his beautiful but dilapidated farmhouse in the mountains now passes to Finn and his sister. The only problem is that Jimmy recently remarried and his new wife, Ruensa, is still living there.

The pair agree that Finn should go to Mallorca and tactfully take possession of their inheritance. When he arrives, however, Finn is surprised to find that Finca Siquia has been completely transformed into a chic Mediterranean bolthole by Ruensa and her twenty-seven-year-old daughter, Roze. The Spanish police, meanwhile, are asking awkward questions about Jimmy's death . . .

Are Ruensa and Roze the helpless victims of circumstance? Or will they stop at nothing to get Finca Siquia for themselves?

Review

More twists and turns than the Sa Calobra Road.

Set in Mallorca this book had more of the air of the 1930s than a modern day tale. Perhaps it was the remote farmhouse setting, as modern technology was hardly mentioned. I felt it gave an eerie but calm feel to the story.

Finn and his sister Jess inherit a farmhouse in Mallorca. Their estranged Father recently remarried and neither of them have met the new wife. However, due to an arrangement with their late Mother, Finn and Jess actually inherit the farmhouse not the new wife. 

A trip to Mallorca is called for to ensure they do not have squatters. So Finn agrees to go and sort out the inheritance rights. When he gets there he is not at all prepared for what he finds. He definitely doesn't recognise the characteristics being described as those of his late father. Did he change that much?

I found this book a little like a magic square puzzle. Just as you thought you were getting to the truth you realised there were so many dead ends to stop you from getting there. For me it was a real page turner and I found the writing easy and enjoyable to read as with other books by this author.  Though this is not in the usual vein of the earlier books it is nonetheless for me a masterpiece.

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.

The Little Italian Hotel - Phaedra Patrick

 

Description

Escape to Italy this summer with The Little Italian Hotel, the uplifting new book from Phaedra Patrick, the bestselling author of The Library of Lost and Found.

'The perfect book to read when you want to give your heart a holiday' Sally Page, bestselling author of The Keeper of Stories

’An uplifting story full of hope, love and healing. A perfect summer read’ B. A. Paris

Ginny Splinter, acclaimed radio host and relationship expert, prides herself on knowing what’s best for others. So, she’s sure her husband, Adrian, will love the special trip to Italy she’s planned for their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. But when Ginny presents the gift, he surprises her with his own very different plan: a divorce.

Beside herself with heartache, Ginny impulsively goes live on air to invite four heartbroken listeners to join her instead. From hiking the hills of Bologna to sharing a gondola in Venice and dancing until dawn, Ginny and her guests embark on a holiday of full of fun, hope and healing.

Sunny, tender and brimming with charm, The Little Italian Hotel explores love, the importance of friendship, and reclaiming the present moment – even if it means leaving the past behind.

Review

A nice summery read.

Ginny is an agony art on the radio and has the answers for everything, or so she thinks. Until one day a certain caller queries whether she knows what's happening in her own life. Her life spins out of kilter as she had arranged a surprise Italian holiday for their 25th wedding anniversary and now he wants a divorce. It seems like the listener did know more about her life than she does!

Determined not to waste a 3 week holiday, Ginny downgrades and invites four heartbroken listeners to accompany her for the holiday, who are chosen by her producer. She has no idea what to expect until she meets them all and then maybe she wishes she had stayed home.

What follows is a charming, if not sad in places, account of each of the listeners lives and why they are in Italy with Ginny. The owner of the hotel and his daughter also have their own story to tell and the rivalry between them and the more expensive hotel Ginny was originally to have stayed in. The descriptions of the beautiful Italian countryside and cities was wonderful and I was keen to read on to find out how everyone's story would end.

I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.

Bad Men - Julie Mae Cohen

Description

Saffy Huntley-Oliver has a secret. A secret that she is deeply ashamed of. It's not the fact that she's a serial killer in her free time. In fact, she's quite proud of that. After all she's only killing the bad men. She is making the world a better place.

No, her secret is far worse than that. Saffy has a messy, inexplicable, uncontrollable crush. So while she's busy plotting her next murder, she also has the much harder task of figuring out how to get a boyfriend.

But if there's one thing Saffy knows, it's how to get her man . . .

The feminist serial killer you didn't know you were waiting for. Bad Men is sensational ― CLARE MACKINTOSH

I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a thriller this much. Bad Men is a delight on every page. Saffy is an unforgettable character, funny, charming, horny, posh, homicidal in the tradition of Villanelle or Sweetpea, but also totally original. 10/10 from me ― ERIN KELLY

What a great read - revenge-hungry female killer, hot true crime podcaster, body parts a-gogo. What's not to like? Had me turning the pages like a fiend ― CJ SKUSE

Review

If you liked Killing Eve and Fleabag then you will probably really like this book.

The main characters are Saffy the serial killer and Jon who makes true crime podcasts and is a writer. Saffy only kills bad men and not women as she figures there are enough people in the world doing that already. Her heart really is in the right place, as she delivers what she sees as a kind of public service. 

I loved the character of Saffy from the first page and was hooked right in. Whilst there is humour in this book and it's not too gory, it does contain some bad stuff, as that's what bad men do. So be prepared for that side of things amongst the light hearted moments. 

I really couldn't put this book down. The flipping between the characters telling the story worked so well. Whilst Saffy is a hardened murderer, love eludes her. She wants a boyfriend but obviously not one that asks too many questions. There's also a dog called "girl" who stole a lot of the show, she was a great character. 

This would make a fantastic film or how about we get a Bad Men 2?

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop - Satoshi Yagisawa

 

Description

Hidden in Jimbocho, Tokyo is a booklover's paradise. On a quiet corner in an old wooden building lies a shop filled with hundreds of second-hand books.

Twenty-five-year-old Takako has never liked reading, although the Morisaki bookshop has been in her family for three generations. It is the pride and joy of her uncle Satoru, who has devoted his life to the bookshop since his wife Momoko left him five years earlier.

When Takako's boyfriend reveals he's marrying someone else, she reluctantly accepts her eccentric uncle's offer to live rent-free in the tiny room above the shop. Hoping to nurse her broken heart in peace, Takako is surprised to encounter new worlds within the stacks of books lining the Morisaki bookshop.

As summer fades to autumn, Satoru and Takako discover they have more in common than they first thought. The Morisaki bookshop has something to teach them both about life, love, and the healing power of books.

Review

Translated from the Japanese, this book is quirky and maybe an acquired taste. 

Takako doesn't get jilted, but she may as well have been. Her long term boyfriend tells her he is getting married, but not to her! As you can expect she is heartbroken and also this leads to her giving up her job. 

An uncle she hasn't seen for many years offers her a room rent free above his bookshop. This might appeal to many readers, but Takako doesn't read books. When she agrees to the arrangement she has to move a lot of old books to get to her room, and that is all they are to her piles of books. Until she decides to read one, and then things begin to change for her.

This tale is not like a lot of other Japanese books I have read. There is no magical bookshop or books. Takako just learns a lot from her Uncle about life and of course from books. Just when I thought the book was going exactly where I thought it would a new character appears, and the book changes completely. A little intrigue as to what is happening, and who the new person is, and what they are about led me to love the book even more.

A gently paced book with loveable characters I came to care for, this is a comfort read.

I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.

Murder by Natural Causes - Helen Erichsen

Description

A double life with a single purpose, getting away with murder. Cilla is a 22-year-old contract killer, specialising in the dry job: a murder interpreted as death by natural causes. Her main client, Vladimir Haugr, is the owner of TGR's bridge club in London. In return for a flat, a retainer and expenses, Cilla does five jobs a year. She occasionally works freelance. Neither strong, nor beautiful, Cilla isn't your typical female protagonist. In fact, she is so unremarkable as to render her almost invisible, an advantage in her line of work. She has survived because she is clever, stubborn and lucky. But Cilla knows that, statistically, her luck is about to run out. She must find a way to reinvent herself. Soon.

Review

If you like Killing Eve then I think you will really enjoy this book.

Cilla is a contract killer and her client Haugr owns a bridge club. The beginning of the book focusses a lot on the bridge playing aspect,  it may deter you from reading on if you aren't into gambling. This doesn't last very long and you don't really need to understand bridge to make sense of the rest of the book.

The storyline is dual in that we visit Cilla in her youth and find out about her upbringing, and what has led her to the present day career. A career Cilla has decided doesn't have a long term future for her. At only 22 she's already killed a lot of people and got away with it. But she wants something else for her life before she gets caught. 

She might only be 22 but her character has such depth and has lived on her wits for so long that she has a maturity of someone much older. I really liked her character and was intrigued by her methods of delivering the hits her freelance clients desire. 

It's a fast paced read and a real page turner. I was interested to find out if Cilla really could outwit everyone or would she finally be turned on by those she works for.

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to Pigeonhole for the readalong of this book.

The Lost Bookshop - Evie Woods

 

Description

The Keeper of Stories meets The Lost Apothecary in this evocative and charming novel full of mystery and secrets.

‘The thing about books,’ she said ‘is that they help you to imagine a life bigger and better than you could ever dream of.’

On a quiet street in Dublin, a lost bookshop is waiting to be found…

For too long, Opaline, Martha and Henry have been the side characters in their own lives.

But when a vanishing bookshop casts its spell, these three unsuspecting strangers will discover that their own stories are every bit as extraordinary as the ones found in the pages of their beloved books. And by unlocking the secrets of the shelves, they find themselves transported to a world of wonder… where nothing is as it seems.

Review

A magical and enchanting read.

The book is set over two time lines. One begins in the 1920s and the other is present day. There are three narrators and we see the story through their experiences. 

The story is very surreal, which will not appeal to everyone. However, it is not all magic and fairy tales. There are some very real abuse against women issues explored, and they aren't sugar coated. My emotions flitted between calmness, interest and disgust as I read. Appreciation for the wonderful writing was my overall feeling though. How the author imagined all of this story within a story is amazing. 

There are some strong female characters in the book, which I liked. Opaline in particular is not really of her era with her views and vision. Henry in the present time line reminded me of someone from the 1920s. At times I wondered if that was to be the twist, of which towards the end there were a few. When the final twist did come I was open mouthed as I had not figured that one out at all.

A great read, particularly if you like books within books and a bit of a mystery too. I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars.

My thanks to One More Chapter and Netgalley for the ARC to review and for the invite to the #readalong this week.