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Book Review - The Snowman by Jo Nesbo (movie tie-in)

Title: The Snowman (Harry Hole Book 7) Author: Jo Nesbo Edition: Movie Tie-in Rating: 5 stars  'The Snowman' was the book that ...

Monday 6 June 2016

Book Review - Counting Chimneys (Brighton Girls Trilogy 2) by Sandy Taylor

Title: Counting Chimneys (Brighton Girls Trilogy 2)
Author: Sandy Taylor
Release Date: 10th June 2016
Rating: 4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture who gave me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

'Counting Chimneys' is a lovely, heartwarming read that continues the story of Dottie Perks from Sandy Taylor's wonderful debut novel 'The Girls from See Saw Lane'. Here we reunite with Dottie as she's making a new life for herself in London, with a job she loves, good friends and a lovely boyfriend. But soon fate takes her back to Brighton and the past she thought she'd left behind.

'Counting Chimneys' introduces new characters who steal your heart from the moment you first meet them, as well as revisiting old friends. It's the perfect book to lose yourself in on a long, hot summer day. A gentle read, moving at times, and one that leaves you with a warm glow when you turn the final page.

Although I did find the story to be a bit too predictable at times, the richness of the characterisation made that less important than it might have been in the hands of a less capable writer. Beautifully written and a lovely continuation of the 'Brighton Girls Trilogy', I look forward to reading the conclusion to this fabulous story.

I would recommend 'Counting Chimneys' to anyone who enjoys a gentle, moving family saga that's easy to read, but is also full of heart and memorable characters.

A heartwarming 4 stars.

Thursday 2 June 2016

Book Review - The Night Stalker by Robert Bryndza

Title: The Night Stalker (DCI Erika Foster book 2)
Author: Robert Bryndza
Release Date: June 2nd 2016
Rating: 4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture who gave me an ARC of 'The Night Stalker' in exchange for an honest review.

I've been eagerly awaiting this second outing for DCI Erika Foster by Robert Bryndza, and I'm happy to say it didn't disappoint. The first book in the series 'The Girl in the Ice' is also available now.

'The Night Stalker' is an exciting, fast paced page turner of a novel. It's a heart pounding psychological thriller, with many twists and turns that keep you guessing right up to the last page.

I didn't think book 1 of this series could be topped, but here Robert Bryndza does it with ease. In DCI Erika Foster he has created a fascinating character who I look forward to hearing more of in the future.

A fabulously thrilling 4 stars. Highly recommended.

Wednesday 1 June 2016

Book Review - A Dictionary of Mutual Understanding by Jackie Copleton

Title: A Dictionary of Mutual Understanding
Author: Jackie Copleton
Rating: 4 stars
Release Date: May 2016

Thank you to the publisher and TBC who gave me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A beautifully written and moving tale about a time in history I knew very little about. I thought the back and forth between the past and present (through letters and diary entries) worked very well here. A difficult read at times, the unimaginable horror and anguish of what happened in Nagasaki in 1945 is palpable.

The secrets and lies that tore Amaterasu's relationship with her daughter apart are told with great skill and believability. Is the badly scarred man who turns up at her door 40 years after the bomb really her long dead grandson? Or has Sato delivered one last twist of the knife to the already broken Amateruso?

A book unlike any other I have read, 'A Dictionary of Mutual Understanding' is an emotionally charged and unsettling story that will stay with me for a long time to come. A recommended 4 stars.