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Looking for presents, stocking filler, anniversary presents. You name it. Holding a #secretsale on the 30th at 7.30pm. Join in for deals and games. #fm #norrthampton #beautyforless #fragrance #longlasting #perfumeaddict #makeup #loveyourself https://www.instagram.com/p/CDvuOV7A1eU/?igshid=q0pkaied1arb

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I've been giving blood since I was 24, although I wasn't allowed for a while due to anemia. I have given 8 pints and have just booked in to give another on Friday. I hate the sight of blood and really hate needles, but do it because it can save someone's life. @givebloodnhs https://www.instagram.com/p/BxuzCDBHcrSoKQfZqrgSKgtR-PSUKH-ACIy-Z80/?igshid=1gnb1astshonw

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Sunday night at the ice hockey..... Now home to thaw out ❄️ https://www.instagram.com/p/BtJlp02lfs__JTAuEOzTIJGu9Nx5qLeBmax2FQ0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=oiqmuxn6lqj7

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Happy Birthday Mr. @dfx47 https://www.instagram.com/p/BsDC_M-laNv4jANjaoPnXj0yZs24HEm_umoDL40/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1a9wq3ku0fxel

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Evening at @kewgardens https://www.instagram.com/p/Br-5zt2lm8yTXnunM7tuKduHrecTBl5olxlseM0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=oynz2waua3nl

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The Practice at Larkford has suddenly been thrust under the spotlight – and its nomination as a ‘NHS Model Surgery’ is causing the team major headaches. Dr Holly Graham should be basking in the glow of her new romance with fellow doctor, Taffy – but she is worried that the team is prioritising plaudits over patients, and her favourite resident, the irreverent and entertaining Elsie, is facing a difficult diagnosis. Add to that the chaos of family life and the strain is starting to show. Dr Dishy Dan Carter’s obsession with work is masking unhappiness elsewhere – he can’t persuade girlfriend Julia to settle down. It’s only as Julia’s mother comes to stay that he realizes what she has been hiding for so long. Alice Walker joins the team like a breath of fresh air and her assistance dog Coco quickly wins everyone round – which is just as well, because Coco and Alice will soon need some help of their own. Can they pull together and become the Dream Team that the NHS obviously thinks they are?

Review

It was nice to be back in Larkford again, with some familiar characters and also some new ones, both the two legged variety and the four!

I did think that this book was slightly too long winded and that some bits could be missed out, but these all make the story in the end. It was nice to see some new characters come in, it showed that even Doctors have problems, even if we on the outside don’t think that they do. Alice has the cutest little dog called Coco and it was nice to see her play a part in this book, not just be there for the sake of it. Coco is an amazing dog, and I think Penny has drawn attention to important matters which medical dogs do, raising awareness of this.

 I do feel like I may have missed parts when I was reading it as I did get a bit confused in parts. I am glad that Milo has gone and that Julia has managed to find herself a career in which she will progress and put all her services to good uses.

I am looking forward to reading the next one as this one has been left for it to be done. I am interested to  see where Penny takes Larkford and the practice.

 3 stars

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During the mid-1980s, a brutal killing spree began in Los Angeles as several women were murdered, having been sexually assaulted and shot in the chest with the same .25 calibre gun. The man responsible was Lonnie David Franklin Jr. However, his identity wouldn't be revealed for more than 20 years, by which time he had become one of America's most prolific serial killers. At the time, Los Angeles was a city struggling under the weight of racial inequalities and a crack epidemic that was sweeping through its most deprived areas. The victims were black women, and often addicts and sex workers. Many in the communities of South Central felt that these factors all caused a lack of interest on the part of the LAPD in investigating the murders, allowing Franklin to carry on his killing spree undetected.

 Review

 I was given this book to review by the publisher so would like to say thank you to them.

 I had never heard of this serial killer, I did my masters dissertation on serial killers (SK) so have an interest in them. However, in terms of SK this is one that is very tame. There are no stories of him luring people in and killing them, keeping their body or even eating them. No all he seemed to do was rape them and kill them hiding them under a blanket or whatever was near by.

 The writer is a journalist and it is done in a very journalistic style, for me it was very hard to get on board with, it was a bit bland and boring. There was only a few bits in which the words from Franklin himself spoke, the rest seemed to be her opinion, and the trail.

 Franklin as far as the book states did not have any traits of the MacDonald Triad, which is present in serial killers – however his childhood wasn’t looked into very much so this cannot be too accurate.

 In terms of his killing, there wasn’t much to write about, he fabricated a lot of his story making it seem how he wanted it to seem. You later on find out that the stories you have read are fabricated, you do not find out at the time.

 Most of this book could be skimmed over, there was no details really to draw you in and hook you to make you want to read every page in its entirety.

 I feel like the only reason the author got this story was before she is friends with someone in the police department, if that hadn’t been the case I am pretty sure he wouldn’t be getting all the press. I understand that he is a serial killer but this one could have just been left alone. Yes they do come in all shapes and sizes and all have different MO’s but this one for me was rather dull.

 I cannot help but think that he is classed as Americas most notorious serial killer, most are in order to draw attention, yet I had never heard of him. 

3 stars  

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Evie Snow is eighty-two when she quietly passes away in her sleep, surrounded by her children and grandchildren. It's the way most people wish to leave the world but when Evie reaches the door of her own private heaven, she finds that she's become her twenty-seven-year-old self and the door won't open. Evie's soul must be light enough to pass through so she needs to get rid of whatever is making her soul heavy. For Evie, this means unburdening herself of the three secrets that have weighed her down for over fifty years, so she must find a way to reveal them before it's too late. As Evie begins the journey of a lifetime, she learns more about life and love than she ever thought possible, and somehow , some way, she may also find her way back to her long lost love . . .

Review

 I picked this book up in the charity shop as I had heard about it so decided to pick it up. This is the first of Carrie’s books I have read, despite the fact she has 3 out.

When I started it I was really confused and not sure I would stick with it, however I am so glad I did. It was a nice heart warming story, which got better as it went along.

For a YA novel it was good, it covered a lot of topics and shows that children never really know their parents childhood. This was a good story idea and the mixture of past and present was really good. It didn’t dwell on one more than the other, and they were both as good as the other.

Like I mentioned, this is the first one book of Carrie’s I have read, I wouldn’t rush to pick another one up, but I did enjoy it. I would not put her next one at top of my list but would like to read it, maybe as a light read break from other books.

It would have been a 4 if the first part hadn’t been so confusing for me.

 3 stars

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Lizzie Dixon's life feels as though it's fallen apart. Instead of the marriage proposal she was hoping for from her boyfriend, she is unceremoniously dumped, and her job is about to go the same way. So, there's only one option: to go back home to the village she grew up in and to try to start again.   Her best friend Jemma is delighted Lizzie has come back home as she has just bought a little cafe and Lizzie's sewing skills are just what she needs to help get it ready for the grand opening. With a new venture and a new home, things are looking much brighter for Lizzie. But can she get over her broken heart, and will an old flame reignite a love from long ago...?

  My Review

 I am ashamed to say this is the first one of Heidi’s book I have read. I don’t know why it has taken me so long to get around to reading one. This was a mix of bake off and the great British sewing bee. Two of the best programs on tv, the one with Mary Berry of course!

 I just wanted to keep reading this book, it was such a nice light read perfect for the summer. It had a great set of characters, although some bits were a bit predicable, there were some bits I had no idea were coming. The story was really good, it was very well thought out and the writing style was really good. You felt like part of the gang and part of the village.

 The cover is beautiful and the title is very sweet, from these two facts alone, you know you won’t be disappointed.

 I had to go out and buy the rest of her books and I cannot wait to dig in.

  4 stars

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Memphis, Tennessee, 1939 Twelve-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings live a magical life aboard their family's Mississippi River shantyboat. But when their father must rush their mother to the hospital one stormy night, Rill is left in charge, until strangers arrive in force. Wrenched from all that is familiar and thrown into a Tennessee Children's Home Society orphanage, the Foss children are assured that they will soon be returned to their parents - but they quickly realize the dark truth... Aiken, South Carolina, present day Born into wealth and privilege, Avery Stafford seems to have it all: a successful career, a handsome fiancé, and a lavish wedding on the horizon. But when Avery returns home to help her father weather a health crisis, a chance encounter leaves her with uncomfortable questions and compels her to take a journey through her family's long-hidden history, on a path that will ultimately lead either to devastation or to redemption. My review I have never read any of Lisas books before but I will be looking for them now! This book was stunning and I didn't want to stop reading and I didn't want it to end. It is horrible to know that this was based around true events as well. Never in a million years have I ever thought about this happening. Lisa has obviously done her research and has provided a list of resources at the end incase you want to do more for yourself. I am struggling with words to describe this book. You just want to keep reading and never stop. I cannot say how much I enjoyed this book. So many vivid descriptions and scenarios you can imagine yourself being a fly on the wall. Just fantastic. One of my must reads for the year. 5 stars

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PRELUDE Baltimore, Maryland August 3, 1939 My story begins on a sweltering August night, in a place I will never set eyes upon. The room takes life only in my imaginings. It is large most days when I conjure it. The walls are white and clean, the bed linens crisp as a fallen leaf. The private suite has the very finest of everything. Outside, the breeze is weary, and the cicadas throb in the tall trees, their verdant hiding places just below the window frames. The screens sway inward as the attic fan rattles overhead, pulling at wet air that has no desire to be moved. The scent of pine wafts in, and the woman’s screams press out as the nurses hold her fast to the bed. Sweat pools on her skin and rushes down her face and arms and legs. She’d be horrified if she were aware of this. She is pretty. A gentle, fragile soul. Not the sort who would intentionally bring about the catastrophic unraveling that is only, this moment, beginning. In my multifold years of life, I have learned that most people get along as best they can. They don’t intend to hurt anyone. It is merely a terrible by‑​product of surviving. It isn’t her fault, all that comes to pass after that one final, merciless push. She produces the very last thing she could possibly want. Silent flesh comes forth— a tiny, fair-haired girl as pretty as a doll, yet blue and still. The woman has no way of knowing her child’s fate, or if she does know, the medications will cause the memory of it to be nothing but a blur by tomorrow. She ceases her thrashing and surrenders to the twilight sleep, lulled by the doses of morphine and scopolamine administered to help her defeat the pain. To help her release everything, and she will. Sympathetic conversation takes place as doctors stitch and nurses clean up what is left. “So sad when it happens this way. So out of order when a life has not even one breath in this world.” “You have to wonder sometimes . . . why . . . when a child is so very wanted . . .” A veil is lowered. Tiny eyes are shrouded. They will never see. The woman’s ears hear but cannot grasp. All slips in and slips away. It is as if she is attempting to catch the tide, and it drains through her clenched fingers, and finally she floats out along with it. A man waits nearby, perhaps in the hallway just outside the door. He is stately, dignified. Unaccustomed to being so helpless. He was to become a grandfather today. Glorious anticipation has melted into wrenching anguish. “Sir, I am so terribly sorry,” the doctor says as he slips from the room. “Rest assured that everything humanly possible was done to ease your daughter’s labor and to save the baby. I understand how very difficult this is. Please offer our condolences to the baby’s father when you are finally able to reach him overseas. After so many disappointments, your family must have held such great hope.” “Will she be able to have more?” “It isn’t advisable.” “This will be the end of her. And her mother as well, when she learns of it. Christine is our only child, you know. The pitter-patter of little feet . . . the beginning of a new generation . . .” “I understand, sir.” “What are the risks should she . . .” “Her life. And it’s extremely unlikely that your daughter would ever carry another pregnancy to term. If she were to try, the results could be . . .” “I see.” The doctor lays a comforting hand on the heartbroken man, or this is the way it happens in my imaginings. Their gazes tangle. The physician looks over his shoulder to be certain that the nurses cannot hear. “Sir, might I suggest something?” he says quietly, gravely. “I know of a woman in Memphis . . .”

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Prologue I was eleven years old the first time I saw him but I still knew straight away. It was something about the darkness of his eyes and the way his face scrunched up when he smiled. I didn’t tell him, of course. That wasn’t how it worked, I understood that even then. I had to wait for him to realise. Two years it took. Though it felt more like an eternity to me. Still, it was worth the wait. I knew it then and I know it now. Nineteen years, ten months and twenty-one days later.

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I ESCAPED

My name is Flora Dane and I was kidnapped from a beach on spring break. I spent 472 days with my captor before I was found.

I SURVIVED

I spent the last five years trying to reacquaint myself with the rhythms of my life. But everything is different. I've had to learn how to protect myself in this dangerous new world.

I'M RECKLESS

There are other predators out there and I'll do anything to stop them. Am I a victim or a vigilante? Detective D. D. Warren doesn't know. Sometimes neither do I.

When another girl disappears, I know I have to FIND HER, whatever it takes, even if it means putting myself in danger...

My review

 I have to be honest and say that this sat on my bookcase for a long time, them one day I took it off the shelf and decided it would be my next read as its been there for a while. I did not regret this decision.

 This is my first Lisa’s books, depsite being number 8 in the series I was able to join in with what was going on and the characters, I did not feel like I had to read the rest before I got to this one. Which a sign is a good writer.

 I really enjoyed this book, it gripped me in and kept me guessing along the way. I had no idea who it was, either the kidnapper or the story of who had been kidnapped. It took me a while to cotton on, but it was so good! I cannot wait to read more from this author. I think she may become one of my favourites if all her books carry on like this.

 4 stars

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A serial killer is burning people alive in the Lake District's prehistoric stone circles. He leaves no clues and the police are helpless. When his name is found carved into the charred remains of the third victim, disgraced detective Washington Poe is brought back from suspension and into an investigation he wants no part of. Reluctantly partnered with the brilliant but socially awkward civilian analyst, Tilly Bradshaw, the mismatched pair uncover a trail that only he is meant to see. The elusive killer has a plan and for some reason Poe is part of it. As the body count rises, Poe discovers he has far more invested in the case than he could have possibly imagined. And in a shocking finale that will shatter everything he's ever believed about himself, Poe will learn that there are things far worse than being burned alive…

 My Review

 I requested this book as it seemed along the lines of Chris Carter, the first chapter was fantastic. However, after about 35% I wasn’t sure if I would continue with this book, it was a bit more to do with the detectives than the actual serial killer itself. Not what I expected.

 However, I did stick it out past 35% and I am glad I did, at the end  you understand why it is laid out the way it is. And the murders are a bit gruesome, but make you have a little laugh because they are so obscure. The plot in itself is good, and does look at things you would never think about.

 I know I am only giving it 3 stars, however, it was enjoyable, and it did have a few twists and turns to keep you guessing. I am looking forward to the next book in the series to see where the author goes next and how his writing style will develop.

  3 stars

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If you fall too fast, you just might crash...Daisy has been dumped, unceremoniously jilted. Not by any ordinary guy, no...Daisy has a secret in her past that she won't even tell her best friend, Holly. She's given up on men - and on her own family. But life still has to be lived and where better to recover than as far away from home as possible. Grabbing a chance to see the world, Daisy packs her bags and joins the team catering to the world's highest-paid, supercharged racing drivers on the Formula 1 Grand Prix circuit. From Brazil to Italy, from Melbourne to Monte Carlo, life passes in a dizzying whirlwind. But nothing - and no one - can stop Daisy from falling again...this time for a man who is prepared to risk his life, and his heart, for the sake of speed, danger and ultimate success.

 My review

 I love Paige Toon books, this was a bit different from any of her others that I have read. Not until about 2 weeks afterwards  when I went to a spring blogger evening at Books and the city, did I  find out that Paige had this close to her heart, due to her dad being in the race world.

 I really liked the idea of this book, and as I am not a fan of F1 it was nice to jump into the world of those behind the scenes. I never thought about what might actually be going on behind them and the amount of work that has to be done.

 The characters were good, you just couldn’t help reading just one more chapter so that you could know what was going on. There was a little bit of repetition in some places but it didn’t matter to me as I was drawn in. Daisy has had to go through a few bits but she has a great friend by her side, Holly. The men in this book are a bit dishy as well. Who knew having 2 men in your life could be so much fun. There was moments of smiling and moments of Omg NO!

 You read this book and go into their world and this is a wonderful experience.

  5 stars

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Nell and Van meet as children when their parents fall in love, but soon they are forced worlds apart. Five years later, they find each other.  Their bond is rekindled and new feelings take hold, but once again they must separate.   For the next two decades, fate brings Nell and Van together every five years, as life and circumstance continue to divide them. Will they ever find true happiness? And will it be together?   ‘One day, maybe five years from now, you’ll look back and understand why this happened…’

My review

Paige Toon does it again!

What a fantastic book, if I was a crier at books this one would be one that would of gotten me going, such a great, tender story of how life is.

I could not put this book down, I hate stopping in the middle of chapters which meant for me just sitting and reading, taking little breaks for house work, adulting is a lot less fun than reading.

The characters were great and you really felt like you got to know them and that you were an integral part of their life all the way through. I liked how the book started and also how it was in 5 year age gaps, but it didn’t miss out what had happened in those gaps which I thought was very clever on Paige’s thinking.

I do love Paige’s books anyway, but I have to say that this one seemed a bit more in depth than some of the others, a real tug on the heart strings. It made me happy and sad, and just eager to know more, I just wanted to keep going and find out what happened. I read this book in a day, which is something I never do unless I am on holiday so it must have been a really cracking book for me to do this.

Perfect if you want to dive in and escape to Nell and Van’s world and not leave until you know everything.

5 big fat stars! I LOVED IT