Review - The Lost Child by Kathleen McGurl

The Lost Child by Kathleen McGurl

Publisher: HQ

Release date: 30 January 2024

Back cover blurb: All she wanted was a child of her own… 1912. As the steamship Carpathia takes the survivors of the Titanic to New York, Lucy desperately searches the decks for her baby, thrust into the arms of another woman as a lifeboat left, and now nowhere to be found. Madeleine is helping her journalist husband to interview the survivors, and when she meets Lucy, she promises she will do anything she can to help her find her lost child. 2022. When archivist Jackie finds a notebook containing the stories of women saved by the Carpathia amongst an auction lot, she learns the story of the missing baby. Desperate to start a family of her own, she feels compelled to dig further. And her search will lead her to a century-old mystery… Inspired by true events, bestselling author Kathleen McGurl weaves history and fiction together in this captivating, deeply moving story.

1912. Ten week old twins, Frederick and Norah are separated with their parents when disaster strikes on the Titanic.

Frederick gets into a lifeboat with his Mother and Norah's life is saved by her Father handing her to a female crew member on the final lifeboat and sacrificing his own life as he realises there's no room for him, and no more lifeboats.

When Frederick and Lucy are later rescued by the Carpathia, Lucy is distraught to learn her husband hasn't made it, but is convinced that her daughter is still alive. 

2022. Post Pandemic. Tim and Jacqui want the same thing. One last adventure before they settle down in to adulthood. Marriage, babies etc.

When Jacqui finds out she is pregnant, it puts their final trip in jeopardy. Believing that Jacqui got pregnant on purpose Tim is resentful towards his partner, unable to feel any excitement for his future parenthood.

A tragic miscarriage drives the couple further apart, and Tim ultimately makes the decision to go on the planned trip without her.

Realising that they may want different things in life, Jacqui lets him, and suggests that they take a break from each other for a while. 

When tragedy strikes in the most unexpected way, Jacqui throws herself further in to her work to take her mind of things that she cannot control. As an archivist, she works for a man who has more than a passing interest in the titanic, and his latest purchase at auction may just be more than either of them bargained for.

Amongst the items is a notebook, containing first hand stories from the Carpathia of those rescued from the Titanic, and those lost. It is there that she comes across Lucy's name for the first time, and is determined to find out how that story ended.

This a beautiful story and love, loss and hope, and I hope to read more from this author.

The Lost Child is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

x Vicky-Leigh x

Review - Piglet by Lottie Hazell

Piglet by Lottie Hazell

Publisher: Random House UK

Release date: 25 January 2024

Back cover blurb: Her life is so full, so why is she hungry? For Piglet, getting married is her opportunity to reinvent. And who could blame her, with a childhood nickname like that? Together, Kit and Piglet are the picture of domestic bliss – effortless hosts, a covetable wedding... But if a life looks too good to be true, it probably is. Thirteen days before they are due to be married, Kit reveals an awful truth, cracking the façade Piglet has created. It has the power to strip her of the life she has so carefully built, so smugly shared. But to do something about it would be to self-destruct. Because there are things you can’t tell your friends, your family. If they could all just leave her to get through the next fortnight, then she can get everything back under control. As the hours count down to the big day, Piglet is torn between a growing appetite and the desire to follow the recipe, follow the rules. Surely, with her husband, she could be herself again. Wouldn’t it be a waste for everything to curdle now?

Piglet whose real name is Pippa, a fact we don't learn until the very end of this novel is what is commonly known as a 'foodie'.

She has always loved cooking, baking, (and eating to help hide her Sister's eating disorder) from a young age.

Kit is Piglet's perfect man. They have just moved in to their dream home together (with Piglet's dream kitchen) just weeks before their wedding.

Then Kit tells Piglet something so devastating that she doesn't know how to deal with it.

So she bakes, and eats, and cooks, and eats, and bakes, and eats, and cooks, and eats in a continuous cycle. until she can no longer fit into her wedding dress.

She goes along with the wedding regardless, a day that has always been fated to end in ruins. But she loves Kit, in spite of everything.

We never find out exactly what Kit did, though it can probably be assumed that he cheated?

But I quite like this air of mystery as we are focused and fully invested in Piglet herself, and rightly so!

This a brilliant, unique and quirky debut novel and I'm really excited to see what this author has up their sleeve next.

Piglet is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

x Vicky-Leigh x

Review - The Two Loves of Sophie Strom by Sam Taylor

The Two Lives of Sophie Strom by Sam Taylor

Publisher: Faber and Faber Ltd

Release date: 2 May 2024

Back cover blurb: ONE MAN. ONE CHOICE. TWO LIFETIMES. A house fire, Vienna, 1933: thirteen-year-old Max is orphaned, disfigured and adopted by an Aryan family who change his identity – and his prospects. A house fire, Vienna, 1933: thirteen-year-old Max saves his parents and escapes unharmed, to face life as a Jew in 1930s Austria. In one unforgettable night, Max Spiegelman’s life splits in two. As war looms and Nazism continues to rise, Max is forced into choices that place him and his alter ego on opposing sides of a divided world. Tethered by their dreams, the boys watch helplessly, haunted by visions of what could have been. But in each parallel universe, they share a magnetic bond with an enchanting, grey-eyed girl. The Two Loves of Sophie Strom is a profound story about how tragedy, choice and life-altering love shape our future.

Vienna 1933, and Max Spiegelman's life is about to change forever.

At just thirteen years old he saves himself and his parents from their burning building. It is no accident. The Spiegelman's music shop has been targeted because they are Jewish.

Vienna 1933, and Max Spiegelman's life is about to change forever.

At just thirteen years old he saves himself, but cannot save his parents from their burning building. It is no accident. The Spiegelman's music shop has been targeted because they are Jewish.

In a Sliding Doors type scenario, Max's life splits in two on the fateful night that his parent's shop is burnt to the ground. 

In the life where his parents survive, he remains Max, but his life and his parents become more and more difficult as the Nazi regime tightens and they head towards War. The family is torn apart by pain and suffering, and Max is forced to flee to safety and hope its never discovered that he is a Jew.

In the life where he is orphaned, he becomes 'Hans', his recovery is slow, and he is adopted by a local family, who have lost a son. He gains a brother by this arrangement. The Hitler Youth member, Jew hating, bully, Karl.

Struggling to fit in, he allows himself to be led by Karl and his acquaintances into a world that Max would never have entertained. Eventually becoming an SS Officer.

Both Max dreams, and has visions of the other, and is haunted by what could have been.

Each of Max's lives is connected by one person, Sophie Strom. A beautiful girl who Max meets briefly the evening before the fire. He doesn't think he'll see her again. But each version of himself can't seem to escape Sophie, and she ultimately helps Max to become the best version of himself in all scenarios.

The Two Loves of Sophie Strom is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

x Vicky-Leigh x

Review - Meet Me When My Heart Stops by Becky Hunter

Meet Me When My Heart Stops by Becky Hunter

Publisher: Atlantic Books

Release date: 21 March 2024

Back cover blurb: What if your soulmate could only ever be the love of your afterlife? Emery is born with a heart condition that means her heart could quite literally stop at any moment. The people around her know what to do - if they act quickly enough there will be no lasting damage, and Emery's heart can be restarted. But when this happens, she is briefly technically dead. Each time Emery's heart stops, she meets Nick. His purpose is to help people adjust to the fact that they are dead, to help them say goodbye, before they move on entirely. He does not usually meet people more than once - but with Emery, he is able to make a connection, and he finds himself drawn to her. As Emery's life progresses, and she goes through ups and downs, she finds that a part of her is longing for those moments when her heart will stop - so that she can see Nick again. This is the story of two fated lovers who long for each other, but are destined never to share more than a few fleeting moments - because if they were to be together, it would mean the end of Emery's life.

Emery is just five years old when she dies for the first time, and meets Nick. 

Who is he?

Is she on her way to the afterlife? Heaven? Who knows?

Luckily Emery's life is saved by the quick reactions of those around her, and after a frantic trip to the hospital and an agonising wait, Emery is diagnosed with a heart condition.

Her heart can literally stop at any moment. Her family are shocked, quickly learning what to do should it happen again, and wrapping Emery in cotton wool.

The 2nd time she meets Nick, she is approaching adolescence and deciding if she wants to have a crush on her best friend Bonnie's older brother Colin.

It's a shock to everyone as it has been so long since the first time it happened, and it makes her family and friends even more protective of her.

Bonnie and Colin are constants in Emery's life, as is her sister Amber, and of course Nick.

There are multiple episodes of Emery's condition taking hold, and each time she wonders if it will be her last.

Every time she meets Nick, she feels more for him, and as she grows older, she realises that she loves him, and wonders if he is the one she is truly looking for, as she seems to struggle so much with relationships in the 'real' world.

Emery lives long enough to have to make the ultimate decision, should she take the breakthrough drug that could 'fix' her condition and live life to the full with her friends and family, or should she seek happiness forever with Nick?

Meet Me When My Heart Stops is a beautifully written, original novel that left me a bit bereft when I finished it. I can't wait for this authors next!

Meet Me When My Heart Stops is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

x Vicky-Leigh x

Review - The Nurse Behind the Gates by Shari J. Ryan

The Nurse Behind the Gates by Shari J. Ryan

Publisher: Bookouture

Release date: 20 May 2024

Back cover blurb: Dachau, 1942. Emilie has been told she’s here to nurse evil men. But the first patient she sees in the cold, dark room is hauntingly familiar. Her first love is not wicked. He couldn’t be. What is he doing here? Emilie’s heart stops as she takes in her childhood sweetheart hunched in a tattered prisoner’s uniform, the light lost from his face. Her new husband, Otto, said this was a camp for criminals. He should know, he’s the doctor. But Danner would never have broken the law. As she looks into Danner’s beautiful brown eyes, she's transported back to their happy childhood in Munich. The friendship they shared. The way her heart once felt like it beat only for him. Before the Jewish laws were enforced and Danner pushed Emilie away to protect her, breaking her heart. Now, Emilie rushes to find Otto, desperate for answers. But when she discovers him waiting with confidentiality papers for her to sign, she realizes her husband has been lying. This isn’t a place to treat sick criminals, but to murder the innocent. And Otto tells her if she doesn’t help, they'll both die. Her hands shake as she receives her instructions. But as she rushes back to the sickbay, searching for a way to escape, her gaze lands on Danner once more. In his eyes, she can see something that almost looks like hope… The thought of losing her first love again tears Emilie’s heart in two. She's determined to keep him alive, and perhaps she can alter the fate of more than just one prisoner. But can she save Danner? Or will she die trying to rescue the man she’s never stopped loving?

This is a beautifully written, harrowing tale of love, loss and hope during WWII.

Danner and Emilie are the very definition of childhood sweethearts. He has grown up on the same street as her, and their mutual friends, Otto, Felix and Gertie. They realise that they love each other early in their teenage years, when they begin to see each other a little differently to how they see their other friends.

As the world around them begins to change, and not for the better, Danner realises that he cannot love Emilie, for he is a Jew, and he does not want to place her in Danger.

As time progresses and the situation for Jews becomes more and more dangerous, he begs her to marry their mutual friend Otto, and promise that she will be happy.

At first, it seems like the right thing to do. But when she is forced to give up her medical studies and move to Dachau with Otto who is involved in a research project she wonders if she's made a mistake.

It isn't until she begins work at Dachau herself that she wonders if she knows her husband at all.

The 'research' that he is involved with is human experimentation, and Danner is one of the inmates that she will be expected to participate experimenting on.

Emilie knows that Danner did nothing wrong? Dachau is a camp for criminals or so she thought? She quickly realises that the Nazi regime that she opposes regards simply being a Jew as a crime.

She is appalled and horrified, wanting to run away from her husband and Dachau and never return. But she knows that she must stay and work through her anger and fear if she is ever hope of saving Danner.

The Nurse Behind the Gates is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

x Vicky-Leigh x

Review - Nothing Without Me by Helen Monks Takhar

Nothing Without Me by Helen Monks Takhar
Publisher: HQ
Release date: 28 March 2024

Back cover blurb: April Eden is about to have the night of her life. The Vanished Woman, the film she wrote and directed is up for a raft of major awards. Her leading lady, Essie Lay, is on the cusp of a stunning comeback after the disturbing scandal that ended her small-screen career a year before. When Essie messages April to say she can’t face the ceremony, April presumes nerves and goes to her Hampstead mansion to persuade her to attend. Instead, April finds Essie dead in her swimming pool. In that moment, April makes an agonising decision, which will force her onto a course of action she couldn’t have imagined. If she is to find out what happened – and protect her own freedom – April is going to find herself face to face with some of the most powerful people in her industry, unforeseen dangers, and discomfiting truths from Essie’s and her own past.

Another fab thriller from this author!

April Eden is about to have the night of her life, a movie that she wrote and directed is up for some major awards, and her leading lady, Essie Lay is about to have a stunning and surprising comeback after the scandal that threatened her career just a year before.

On the night of the award ceremony, April receives a message from Essie saying she cannot face attending. Assuming her friend and colleague is nervous, April makes a last minute detour to Essie's mansion, determined to persuade her to attend. 

It is there that she is faced with an entirely different scenario, Essie is face down in her own swimming pool presumably dead. April, already running late, must make a decision on whether to deal with this now, or go the ceremony.

Thinking that there is nothing she can do for Essie now, she goes to the ceremony. A decision that will change her life forever. 

Told from both April and Essie's perspectives, this is a twisty turny thriller ... Just when I thought I had it sussed, another spanner was thrown in to the works, and another suspect thrown in to the mix.

Essie (Esther) and April have a strange relationship, that has evolved throughout their rise to fame.

I particularly enjoyed the nod to Sunset Boulevard at the beginning of the novel, and can't wait for the authors next.

Nothing Without Me  is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

x Vicky-Leigh x

Review - Seven Days by Robert Rutherford

Seven Days by Robert Rutherford

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Release date: 25 April 2024

Back cover blurb: Your father is on death row. You have seven days to save him. But do you want to?Alice knows her father is guilty of many things. He's guilty of abandoning her. He's guilty of being unfaithful to her mother. But is he guilty of murder? Now on Death Row, he has seven days to live. Some people want him released. Others will kill to keep him just where he is. Alice has only one chance to save him. But should she?

Alice and Fiona's Father has just Seven Days left to 'live' on Death Row before his imminent execution, for a crime he swears he did not commit.

But he has always been unreliable.

Fiona wants Alice, who is a lawyer to help their Father. But she can't.

Even if she wanted to (which she doesn't), she cannot practice law in the State of Florida where their Father is incarcerated. 

Instead she enlists the help of one of her Best Friend's Sofia, who still resides Stateside to see if there really is more to the that fateful night.

Luc Bordeaux, from GALE is assigned to help. 

Fiona and Luc are mistrustful of each other from the start, each sure that the other has a hidden agenda. That is until they realise that there really is more to this case than meets the eye... and Luc's whole career may depend on it.

It is both of their interests to work together to find out the truth, and they only have Seven days to do it!

By it's very nature this is a fast paced thriller of a novel, and I loved it.

Seven Days is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

x Vicky-Leigh x

Review - Neighbours at War by Deborah Carr

Neighbours at War by Deborah Carr

Publisher: 31 May 2024

Release date: Harper Collins UK

Back cover blurb: When everything is at stake, how far would you go to save your neighbour? When German forces invade the Channel Islands and the citizens of Jersey are cut off from the rest of the UK, the islands’ residents bond together to resist the enemy. East London native Helen Bowman was never meant to be here, but when she found herself alone and pregnant her beloved aunt’s home in Jersey was the only place she could go. But now, as the enemy start rounding up anyone not born on the island to be sent to a camp on the continent, Helen is forced to rely on the kindness of strangers, like her new friend Peggy Hamel, to keep herself and her son hidden. But as the Nazis’ net closes in, it’s soon more than just detection that is at stake for Helen and Peggy – it’s their very lives…

Neighbours at War is another brilliantly written novel by Deborah Carr.

When Helen flees to her Aunt's in Jersey after discovering she is pregnant and her boyfriend is already betrothed to another, she believes that she will be safe there.

Richard was engaged to his childhood sweetheart. Both of them know it isn't working, and their relationship is over, but she has a nasty streak and allows Helen to believe that they are still engaged.

WW2 sees Jersey occupied by the enemy. At first Helen is safe with her Aunt, working at 'the Big House' and assisting the resistance as and when she can. 

But then the Nazi rule begins to tighten and all non jersey residents must leave, being forced into overseas camps.

Helen knows that she cannot let her infant son be taken to one of those places, with or without her, so she enlists the help of her neighbours, who are more than willing. Helen and Bobby go into hiding, praying that they will survive the war.

Can they be truly happy without Richard? 

Bobby doesn't know his Father, and Helen feels so betrayed by the only man she has ever loved. 

Can Richard track down Helen and help her to safety? For once she understands the truth, he is certain that they can be together at last. He knows he has made mistakes but he is determined to put them right, no matter the cost.

Neighbours at War is available to pre-order now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

x Vicky-Leigh x

Review - Girl Friends by Alex Dahl

Girl Friends by Alex Dahl

Publisher: Head of Zeus

Release date: 11 April 2024

Back cover blurb: You think you met her by chance. You're wrong. Charlotte has it all: the successful career, the loving family. But, secretly, she is dangerously bored of her life. When she meets free-spirited Bianka, it feels like fate – Bianka is exactly the person that Charlotte needs. They escape to Ibiza where Charlotte dives head first into a life that is looser, wilder. But the holiday soon spirals out of control with fatal consequences. As the aftermath of the trip ricochets disastrously through her life, Charlotte begins to regret breaking out of her carefully constructed life. And soon, she will question whether meeting Bianka was really an accident – or something much more calculated . . .

Would you kill for love?

Charlotte has everything, a successful career, loving family, beautiful home. She doesn't think that she is lacking anything, until she meets Bianka.

When Bianka arrives in to Charlotte's life in a whirlwind, Charlotte realises that she can't live without this woman in her life.

Much to her other friends' annoyance ands skepticism Charlotte invites Bianka on their already planned holiday to her ancestral family home in Ibiza. 

Charlotte and Bianka bond and become more than just friends quicker than anyone could imagine. It's a dangerous relationship...

But Charlotte doesn't realise just how dangerous until she is in too deep.

The hedonistic setting of Ibiza is ideal for the darkness of what unfolds.

I really liked how the Norwegian families were linked even after moving to London. Their community was already close, and clearly skeptical when Bianka and her husband arrived. With good reason! 

I can't say too much more without spoiling this for others, it was, overall, an enjoyable read.

However, if I'm totally honest, this book left me with mixed feelings. 

It explores toxic relationships brilliantly but doesn't really have a satisfying or believable ending. With Charlotte ultimately becoming just as unhinged as Bianka.

Girl Friends is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

x Vicky-Leigh x

Review - The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers by Samuel Burr

The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers by Samuel Burr
Publisher: Orion

Release date: 9 May 2024

Back cover blurb: Clayton Stumper is an enigma. He might be twenty-five years old, but he dresses like your grandad and drinks sherry like your aunt. Abandoned at birth on the steps of the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers, he was raised by the sharpest minds in the British Isles and finds himself amongst the last survivors of a fading institution. When the esteemed crossword compiler, Pippa Allsbrook, passes away, she bestows her final puzzle to him: a promise to reveal the mystery of his parentage and prepare him for his future. Yet as Clay begins to unpick the clues, he uncovers something even the Fellowship have never been able to solve - and it's a secret that will change everything..

Creighton House is home to some of the most brilliant minds in the UK, The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers.

The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers was founded by Pippa Allsbrook years previously when she was looking for a creative outlet for her talent that wasn't work related, and also looking to spend time with like minded people to help with her loneliness.

Years later, Clayton Stumper is left abandoned on the doorstep of the fellowship, much to Pippa Allsbrook's delight. She had always wanted a child, but life unfortunately hadn't worked out in the way that she had planned.

She had thought about fostering, or adoption, until she was betrayed by the very house that she lived in. The Fellowship had been inhabiting Pippa's crumbling ancestral home for years, not realising it's true financial state.

A summer fayre and the worlds biggest puzzle helped to generate the funds needed for the fellowship to be able to stay. And stay they did, welcoming Clayton into their world and giving him the best possible upbringing, even if it was a little unconventional.

When Pippa passes away, Twenty-Five year old Clayton is bereft, but is prompted in to action to try and discover the story of how he came to be left on the doorstep of the Fellowship. He knows that Pippa knows more than she ever told him whilst alive, but he never wanted to push.

Now that she has gone, he feels like he has her permission to finally discover the truth This is confirmed when he discovers that she has left him a set of clues. 

One final puzzle for him to solve...

None of them are prepared for what he is about to discover, it will change everything.

I can't say too much more, as I really want you to discover this delightful novel for yourself! I loved this novel SO much. It is a brilliant debut, and I really can't wait to read whatever this author has to offer next.

The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers is available to buy now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank you to the publishers who approved my request via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

x Vicky-Leigh x

Review - Profile K by Helen Fields

Profile K by Helen Fields

Publisher: Avon Books UK

Release date: 25 April 2024

Back cover blurb: He’s going to kill you. He just doesn’t know it yet. Midnight Jones is an analyst trained to understand the human mind. But everything changes when, in the course of her work, she discovers Profile K’s file – because K stands for killer, and she knows that someone more dangerous than she could have ever imagined walks among them. Midnight knows what Profile K is capable of before he even commits his first crime. But as the news rolls with the brutal murder of a local woman, no one believes what she tells them: that he is capable of so much worse. Profile K will kill again – and, terrifyingly, Midnight realises that the moment she found his file was the moment she became his next target. Because Profile K is coming for Midnight – and the only way to escape with her life is to find him before he finds her… The million-copy bestseller is back with a dark, terrifying journey into the mind of a psychopath that will keep you riveted until the very last page.

What would you do if your employer was putting your life in danger? It's something that shouldn't ever happen, right?

But let's be honest, not all employers are as ethical as we would like, or care about their employees as much as they would have you believe from their external marketing campaigns...

Necto is a highly sought after company, that everyone wants to work for. Amongst many other projects, Necto is responsible for data profiling for different types of clients. There are many different types of profiles returned, except Profile K. 

'Profile K' is a profile that doesn't exist, or so Necto tell their employees. For 'K' stands for Killer.

Midnight Jones has a job as a data analyst that most people would kill for. But she has long questioned the ethics of the company that she works for. Her work for Necto involves profiling potential students for university applications, or so they tell her.

When Midnight stumbles across a 'Profile K' she takes it to her boss, thinking that she's doing the right thing. When he doesn't want to take any action, she takes it to his boss, not caring about the consequences, she needs to make sure that they know what is happening.

Midnight isn't expecting the reaction she gets, but she is glad that Necto appear to be taking it seriously. That is until shortly after, when Necto decide to have a restructure, earning Midnight a promotion, but taking her away from the Profile.

She is certain that the company is trying to hide something, but she doesn't know what, or just how much danger she is in, until she's in too deep.

This is a fast paced thriller of a novel that I absolutely loved. Something very different, and very clever. Highly recommended. 

Profile K is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

x Vicky-Leigh x

Review - She's Not Sorry by Mary Kubica

She's Not Sorry by Mary Kubica
Publisher: HQ
Release date: 2 April 2024

Back cover blurb: Meghan Michaels is trying to find balance between being a single mum to a teenage daughter and working as a full-time nurse. While on duty at the hospital one day, a patient named Caitlin arrives in a coma, having plunged from a bridge onto train tracks below. But when a witness comes forward with shocking details about the fall, it calls everything they know into question. Was Caitlin pushed and if so, by whom and why? Meghan has always tried to stay emotionally detached from her patients, but this time, she mistakenly lets herself get too close, until she’s deeply entangled in Caitlin’s and her family’s lives. Only when it’s too late, does she realise that she and her daughter could be the next victims.

Nurses are supposed to do everything they can to keep you from dying, right? 

That is unless you've turned their world upside down in the worst possibly way imaginable.

Megan Michaels is an exceptional nurse, kind, caring and attentive. 

She is also a single mother to her beloved daughter who she would do anything to protect.

Like most of us, Megan has secrets from her past that must stay hidden.

Megan will do anything to save her daughter from certain death, or a fate worse than.

When Caitlin Beckett poses as an old school friend of Megan's, Nat Cohen who is suffering from being in an abusive relationship, she wants to help. 

Not realising that Caitlin has an ulterior motive.

Megan has unwittingly put her and her daughters lives in danger due to her caring nature.

That's about all I can say, without giving anything away...

I always find Mary Kubica's writing really clever, and this is no exception! There were a couple of twists in this novel that I didn't see coming at all...

I can't wait for the next!

She's Not Sorry is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

x Vicky-Leigh x

Review - Earth by John Boyne

Earth by John Boyne

Publisher: Random House UK

Release date: 18 April 2024

Back cover blurb: From million-copy-bestselling author John Boyne, an inescapably gritty story about one young man whose direction in life takes a vastly different turn than what he expected. It’s the tabloid sensation of the year: two well-known footballers standing in the dock, charged with sexual assault, a series of vile text messages pointing towards their guilt. As the trial unfolds, Evan Keogh reflects on the events that have led him to this moment. Since leaving his island home, his life has been a lie on many levels. He’s a talented footballer who wanted to be an artist. A gay man in a sport that rejects diversity. A defendant whose knowledge of what took place on that fateful night threatens more than just his freedom or career. The jury will deliver a verdict but, before they do, Evan must judge for himself whether the man he has become is the man he wanted to be.

This novel is the second in John Boyne's ‘elements’ series, and I think I enjoyed this even more than 'Water' [the first, which I loved].

Evan Keogh has followed his Father's dream of becoming a professional footballer. But at what cost comes fame and fortune?

Evan has never actually wanted to be a footballer, despite his obvious talent. 

Driven from the Island that he grew up on, after an incident with his so called best friend, he is determined to become an artist on the mainland. 

There is no denying that he has talent, but his work is too similar to those he is influenced by, and he has to resort to other means to start making some money. 

Unfortunately this doesn't end well for Evan, and he is forced to put his true talent to use and follow his Father's dreams for him, resulting in even more devastating consequences. 

Now everyone knows Evans’s name, and not just because he is successful in his profession. 

Evan knows he has made mistakes, but is he man enough to fix them before his life comes crashing down on him for good?

Earth is another great instalment in the elements series, and I look forward to reading the next.

Earth is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops. 

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

x Vicky-Leigh x

Review - How to Kill a Guy in Ten Ways by Eve Kellman

How to Kill a Guy to Eve Kellman 

Publisher: Avon Books UK

Release date: 28 March 2024

Back cover blurb: Are you on a date that doesn’t feel right? Can’t shake that creepy guy at the bar? Worried you’re being followed home? Message M. After one too many terrifying encounters, Millie Masters sets up a hotline for women who feel unsafe walking home alone at night: Message M. But very quickly she realises that there’s much more to be done to help the women who call in. Because the men just do it again the next night, and the next, and the next… And when her own sister is assaulted on a night out, the temptation to take the law into her own hands becomes too much to resist. Because M can also stand for murder… A deliciously dark, hilariously twisted serial killer thriller with a villainous female lead readers can’t help but root for, perfect for fans of Bella Mackie’s How to Kill Your Family, Oyinkan Braithwaite’s My Sister, the Serial Killer, or who enjoyed watching You and now wants to take revenge.

Millie Masters is not your average serial killer. Her first victim is an accidental murder, trying to save a young girl from being attacked.

Millie runs a rescue hotline 'Message M' for women who feel unsafe on a night out, uncomfortable on a date, or whilst walking home etc - all of those scenarios familiar to us women. 

She starts the hotline, wanting to save women from lecherous perverts like the man who attacked her younger sister Katie. She wants to bring that man to justice, but she doesn't know who he is. So she has to bide her time, and in the meantime help other girls and women in trouble.

When Millie is called to save a young woman who thinks she has been drugged, she is forced to break into the mans house to save the woman. In her struggle to make sure that the woman is safe, she attacks the man, leaving him for dead.

When its confirmed that he's dead, Millie is shocked, and then sort of pleased. I mean, it wasn't intentional, but she finds it kind of cathartic, and actually begins to wonder if what she has done is so very wrong. 

If she hadn't acted, the woman would have been attacked, and she probably wouldn't have been the first, right?

What if Millie could rid the world of these disgusting men one by one?

And so it begins...

This is a brilliantly addictive read. Once you've started, you won't be able to put it down. It's a really fun novel, hilarious in places despite it's obvious dark undertone. Highly recommended. 

How to Kill a Guy in Ten Ways is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

x Vicky-Leigh x

Review - Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen

Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen

Publisher: Random House UK

Release date: 28 March 2024

Back cover blurb: Nuclear war begins with a blip on a radar screen. This is a minute-by-minute account of what comes next. It has to be read to be believed. There is only one scenario other than an asteroid strike that could end the world as we know it in a matter of hours: nuclear war. Until now, no one outside official circles has known exactly what would happen if a rogue state launched a nuclear missile at the Pentagon. Second by second and minute by minute, these are the real-life protocols that choreograph the end of civilization as we know it. Decisions that affect hundreds of millions of lives need to be made within six minutes, based on partial information, in the knowledge that once launched, nothing is capable of halting the destruction. Based on dozens of new interviews with military and civilian experts who have built the weapons, been privy to the response plans, and taken responsibility for crucial decisions, this is the only account of what a nuclear exchange would look like. Nuclear War is at once a compulsive non-fiction thriller and a powerful argument that we must rid ourselves of these world-ending weapons for ever.

If like me, you are old enough to remember 'Threads', 'the Day after', 'When the wind blows' etc terrifying you on the television in the 1980s, then you might think you'd be prepared for the horrifying scenario portrayed in this masterpiece of non fiction.

But you'd be wrong.

There is no doubt about it, WW3 will be nuclear, and it will be the end of the world as we know it.

Nuclear War: A Scenario is a meticulously researched novel by Annie Jacobsen an American Investigative journalist, exploring what could (and probably would) happen ..

WW3 begins when the US Early Warning System picks up a nuclear attack en-route from North Korea.

It is an unprovoked attack that puts the US military and Government in to a state of disbelief and shock, but urges them to spring into action and adhere to long rehearsed protocols.

The unthinkable has happened, and they need to act fast.

Everyone knows that a Nuclear War can't be won, but the US needs to defend itself against the enemy, with devastating consequences...

This is a super important book, but I would recommend reading in it in small chunks, and definitely not before you go to bed! 

It is the stuff of nightmares.

Nuclear War: A Scenario is available now via Amazon online and good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

x Vicky-Leigh x

Review - Mrs Quinn's Rise to Fame by Olivia Ford

Mrs Quinn's Rise to Fame by Olivia Ford

Publisher: 28 March 2024

Release date: Michael Joseph

Back cover blurb: Mrs Quinn is the unlikely star of Britain's favourite baking show, but could her newfound stardom cause her biggest secret to unravel? Jennifer Quinn has a secret. Her love of baking has just won her a spot as a contestant on a primetime TV show. It's only the second time in fifty-nine years that she's kept something from her beloved husband Bernard. She's about to be whisked into an unfamiliar world of cameras, timed challenges and celebrity judges. She could be in with a chance of being crowned the best baker in Britain. But, as Mrs Quinn's quiet ambitions turn into unexpected stardom, the other secret she's been keeping is in danger of resurfacing. It was supposed to stay hidden forever. Will Mrs Quinn rise to the challenge? Or, will her success become a recipe for disaster?

Jennifer Quinn adores baking. It has always been her 'go to' activity when she feels stressed, upset, bored.. any excuse to bake something tasty really! Jenny (as she is better known) has been married to Bernard (Bernie) for almost 60 years, she is happy with her life, but wants to do something for herself.

When she applies on a whim for the latest series of Primetime TV Show 'Britain Bakes' (I would guess heavily influenced by the Great British Bake Off that I love!!) she doesn't consider for one minute that she will be successful.

She is called for an audition, which doesn't exactly go to plan. Jenny hasn't told anyone that she has entered the competition, not wanting to disappoint anyone if she is unsuccessful. It isn't the only secret that she has been keeping from her husband.

The other one is decades old, something tragic that happened to her before she met Bernard, that changed everything for Jenny. She has been determined through her life that no one must ever find out. But that is now in jeopardy, for Jenny is successful in securing a place in the competition, and suddenly the press want to know everything about her life.

Enlisting the help of some younger family members, she swiftly moves to set up her own social media accounts to help divert some of the attention away. Everything is fine, until the series airs and old secrets are threatening with surfacing once more.

Not wanting to say anything more and spoil it, I will say that Jenny and Bernard's relationship is the most beautiful thing. The recipes in the book sounds delicious, and I wish that both Jenny and Azeez (fellow contestant) were real because I would definitely be following them on social media.

Mrs Quinn's rise to fame is a beautiful book about what it means to truly believe in yourself, but also affirms that we never stop learning about ourselves no matter how old we are. I'd love to find out what happened to Jenny next...

Mrs Quinn's Rise to Fame is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the Publishers who approved my request via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

x Vicky-Leigh x