Down on Daffodil Lane by Rebecca Pugh

Hi everyone 🙂

Hope you are all well and enjoyed my last review.

The book I have been reading recently is “Down on Daffodil Lane” by Rebecca Pugh.

This is the first book I have read by Rebecca and I really enjoyed it.

The story follows Maria Charm who’s recently divorced her cheating husband Mike. So when Maria takes a break to Daffodil Lane to find herself she never thought she would fall in love with the place so much, never mind get a job in Harriet’s Café and make some friends. Is this just what the Doctor ordered for Maria? and to put the cherry on top of the cake could a new romance be on the cards with the very handsome Brad? or is it all to good to be true.

I can not tell you how much I enjoyed reading this book.

It was full of romance, drama, friendship, humour in certain parts and overall such a warm hearted and lovely read.

Straight away I was drawn into the world of Maria and loved being a fly on the wall and seeing how Maria’s life developed.

Maria is the main character throughout the story and even though I didn’t really feel I had anything in common with her and relate to any of the things that she was going through, I still felt really sorry for her, but also saw her as a very strong person which I really liked about her.

There are a number of other wonderful characters throughout the story which play a big role in Maria’s life. Whether That be Harriet who runs the café that Maria works in, single mum and hairdresser Millie who you wish was your best friend or the very handsome and mysterious Brad.

It was just the story that caught my eye with this book but also the front cover. Can we all take a minute to admire how gorgeous it is and if the story doesn’t intrigue you to read this book I think the front cover definitely will.

I loved the whole concept of the story and how easy it was to follow and understand. Before I knew it I had finished the book and I did get quite sad about. I was instantly transfixed into the story from the very first page which doesn’t always happen with me when reading books and before I knew it I had finished the book which I did get quite sad about 😦

This moves me swiftly on to how brilliant I thought this book was written. It was very descriptive from the onset and throughout. I found it that descriptive I could really smell the smells, hear the sounds and I really thought I was in the story, which I love when reading.

So thank you Rebecca for transporting me to Daffodil Lane and writing such a wonderful book and introducing me to some brilliant and unforgettable characters.

On that note I hope you have enjoyed this review.

Until next time.

Happy reading.

Laura x

I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.

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Learning to Love by Sheryl Browne

Hi everyone 🙂

Hope you are all well and enjoyed my last review.

The book I have been reading recently is “Learning to Love” by Sheryl Browne. The story follows Andrea Kelly and her family. Her family consists of partner Jonathan, her mother Dee and her three children, teenagers Ryan and Sophie and little Chloe. Andrea’s life is ticking along nicely and she is thinking about giving up her job as a teacher and following her dream of opening up a vintage clothing shop. But will that ever become possible when a fire breaks out in Andrea’s house and her life and her family’s lives are turned upside down. With Andrea thinking she’s lost everything, will an unexpected neighbour come to the rescue or will it make everything even more complicated?.

I really enjoyed this book. It was full of drama, friendship, love, romance, excitement, suspense and twists and turns from the onset and throughout.

I will be honest it did take me a couple of chapters to really get into the story and at first I didn’t really connect with the character with so much going on, but once I got over that I couldn’t put it down and was a very enjoyable read.

You find yourself getting really involved with Andrea’s life and see her make a lot of tough decisions, whether they be the right ones or not.

As a character I found Andrea was a very selfless character and she put her family and others first, which I thought made her a very strong, kind and lovable character.

On the subject of characters there are a number of colourful and interesting characters. whether that be Andrea’s mother who seems to be very forgetful and a bit mad but is still wiser than people think. Then there is Jonathan Andrea’s partner who has suddenly become very distant from Andrea and she cant figure out why. Another character who plays not only a big part in Andrea’s life but also the story is the very mysterious but very handsome Doctor Adams, who’s life isn’t all what it seems and needs help himself.

There are many more characters within the story but I will let you get to know them when you read the book and make your own opinion of them.

On that note I highly recommend that you read this gripping but also very heartwarming tale, which shows the importance of family and helping others in a time of need.

Also if you haven’t already I would recommend that you read Sheryl’s other books, which are just as good and gripping as this one.

I hope you have enjoyed this review and it has encouraged you to read the book.

Until next time.

Happy reading.

Laura x

 

I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars

 

War Orphans by Lizzie Lane

 

 

 

Hi everyone.

Hope you are all well and enjoyed my last review.

The book I have been reading recently is “War Orphans” by Lizzie Lane.

The story is set in the Second World War and follows a young girl called Joanna Ryan, who’s mother has died and her father is fighting in the War. This leaves Joanna being raised by her step mother who is more interested in socialising than caring for Joanna.

Joanna feels so alone and misses her father so much, but when she finds an abandoned puppy, Joanna’s life starts to look up a little bit and she finds a friend in little Harry.

I was very kindly sent this book by Ebury publishers and when I read the synopsis of the book I knew instantly that I would like it.

The Second World War is subject and time that interests me and I love puppies.

From the first chapter it had me gripped. It was full of drama, adventure, friendship, romance, heartache, heartbreak and was a real page turner from the very beginning and in my opinion this makes a great book.

I wouldn’t say that it was a happy story all the way through, as Joanna doesn’t have a great life and the time the story is set in there was a lot of sad and upsetting times.

As I was reading the book, there was a number of twists and turns that kept you on the edge of your seat and you didn’t really know what would happen to Joanna and little Harry until the last couple of chapters. This in my eyes shows great writing.

On the subject of the writing, I think that Lizzie Lane is a fantastic author. She captures you in every moment of the story and you really feel that you are with Joanna every step of the way and as a reader you really go into the book. I loved Lizzie’s writing style as it was really easy to follow and the story flowed beautifully.

What also loved about the book was the fact that you could really tell that Lizzie the author had done her research around the time the story was set in. In some parts I really felt I was there and I could smell all the smells, hear all the noises and just feel the feelings and emotions some of the characters where feeling and in my eyes this shows brilliant writing.

On the subject of characters there are number of wonderful characters. Some of them you will love and some you will hate.

The main character however is young Joanna Ryan. She is a very vulnerable but also as the story goes on you see her determination and actually that she isn’t as timid and weak that some of the other characters think she maybe and is actually a very strong young girl.  This another great part of the book that I loved because as you read the story you see Joanna grow and it’s wonderful to read and again brilliantly portrayed by Lizzie.

There are a number of other characters who play a big part in the story, whether that me Elspeth Ryan who is Joanna’s step mother, Miss Hadley Joanna’s teacher or Seb who is Miss Hadley’s father. They all play big roles in not only the story but also Joanna’s life.

We cant however forget to mention little Harry the puppy who in my eyes plays the biggest part in changing Joanna’s life and helps her through a lot of difficult times.

I thought the story line was a great idea and something I had not read before, which always interests me.

The main story line was mostly about Joanna but I loved how Lizzie made the other characters have their own little stories going on but in the end they all link in and have an impact on Joanna and this was really clever.

This is the first book I have read by Lizzie Lane and I definitely be purchasing and reading more of her work.

On that note I highly recommend that you read this enchanting, gripping, heart wrenching, but lovable book.

It will have you crying with heartache or crying with happiness and will send you on a emotional rollercoaster.

I hope you have enjoyed this review and it has intrigued you to read this

wonderful book.

Until next time.

Happy reading.

Laura x

 

 

I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars

Harry and Lil Stories by Julia Copus Illustrated by Eunyoung Seo

Hi everyone 🙂

Hope you are all well and enjoyed my last review.

The books I have been reading recently are three children’s books, written by Julia Copus and illustrated by Eunyoung Seo.

They are a set of stories which follow the adventures of Harry the Hog and his friend the Shrew Lil.

The first story I read “The Hog, the shrew and the Hulabaloo”.

This was about Harry the Hog being woken up when he hears a scary noise. He decides to ring up his friend Lil and together they try to find what or who is making the noise.

The second story I read “The Shrew that Flew”.

This was about Lil the shrew who was on her way to Badger’s party when her favourite hat was swepped away by a gust of wind. With the help from her friend Harry the Hog they had to try and find away to get the hat back.

The third story “Hog in the Fog”.

This was about Lil the shrew who was waiting for her friend Harry the Hog to come to tea. But when the weather became very foggy and Harry still hadn’t turned up, Lil decided to go and look for him with the help from her friends along the way.

These three beautiful book where very kindly sent to me by the publishers Faber and Faber.

I thought they where fantastic stories and wonderfully written by Julia Copus.

On each page of the books there are some beautiful pictures which where illustrated by Eunyoung Seo. Theses pictures where stunning and really captivating and colourful. This I feel really makes a good children’s book and will really draw the child more into the story.

I found the books quite educational as throughout the stories they where rhyming which I thought was a lovely touch.

I read these book’s to my three year old nephew who really enjoyed them and got transported into the magical world of Harry and Lil and loved the adventures they went on.

My mum  also teaches three to four year olds and she cant wait to read them to the children and introduce them to such wonderful and lovely characters.

On that note I highly recommend that you read these books to either your children, niece’s, nephews or just for your own enjoyment.

I really think that Julia Copus is a wonderful children’s author and writes such enchanting stories, with Eunyoung Seo bringing the stories more to life with his magical illustrations.

I hope you have enjoyed this review.

Until next time.

Happy reading.

Laura x

I rate these books 5 out of 5 stars.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by JK Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne

Hi everyone 🙂

Hope you are all well and that you enjoyed my last review.

The book I have recently read is not actually a book but the play script of the new play which has recently started in London “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”, written by JK Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne.

The synopsis of the story begins nineteen years later from where the seventh Harry Potter book Deathly Hallows left off from.

Now I don’t really want to go into to much detail about what the story entails, because I feel it will spoil it for you and you wont get the experience I received when reading it.

All I will say however is in my opinion it is definitely worth reading. It’s as magical, exciting, gripping and will export you back into the world of Harry Potter and his friends at Hogwarts that we have missed so much, well I have anyway. 🙂

The writing is outstanding, but I knew it would be before I read it as JK Rowling is one of my all time favourite author’s and I love the way she writes and she is just a brilliant author.

As soon as I read the first page I felt like I was back with all the characters I had missed so much on their magical adventures at Hogwarts in the wizarding world and boy was I glad to be back with them.

I would say however that if you haven’t already I would read all of the other Harry Potter books first before you read this one as it may get confusing if you don’t.

When I first found out that the book would be set out like a play I was a little apprehensive about reading it as I thought I might struggle following the story and may get confused what was going on because it wasn’t set up like a normal book. This did not happen though once I read the first couple of pages I just couldn’t put it down and the story had me gripped and I found myself reading it in a couple of days.

My dad has also read the book as he has read the other Harry Potter books and he said it was just as good as the others and he thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

On that note I highly recommend that you join Harry Potter and a number of other enchanting characters on this journey, with a brilliant storyline with shocking twist and turns from the first page until the very last.

I hope you have enjoyed this review and it has made your mind up on reading this book.

Until next time.

Happy reading.

Laura x

 

I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.

On the other side by Carrie Hope Fletcher

Hi everyone.

Hope you are well and enjoyed my last review.

The book I have been reading recently is called “On the other Side” by Carrie Hope Fletcher.

The story follows eighty two year old Evie Snow who dies peaceful surrounded by her loved ones. But unbeknown to Evie’s family she has been keeping three very big secrets from them for many years. So when Evie dies and thinks that she will go straight to heaven things don’t go as to plan. In order for Evie to pass over to the other side she must go back and let go of those secrets that she has been keeping hold of.

I have waited so long for this book to come and out and it definitely was worth the wait.

This is the second book that Carrie has written (her first being a self help/non fiction book called “all I know now”) but this is the first fiction novel that she has written and what a brilliant one it is and hopefully there will be more to come.

From the very first page the story drew me in immediately and had me gripped.

It was full of drama, wonder, romance, friendship, importance of family, mystery, magical moments and numerous twists and turns from the very beginning.

I found the story such a clever idea and something that I had never come across before. I would like to thank Carrie for introducing me to such charming characters such as Evie Snow and Vincent Winters.

On the subject of characters…

What a bunch of wonderful and lovable people, well some of them are lovable such as Evie, Jim, Eddie who is Evie’s brother just to name a few. Some however are not so warm and loving characters such as Mrs Snow who is Evies mother, a very frosty character. My favourite character is little one and I wont tell you anymore and will leave you to be introduced to little one and what part they play within the story.

One of my favourite things about this book is the relationship between Evie and Vincent it is the typical love story and reminded me so much of Romeo and Julie. I wont go into to much detail about their relationship as I don’t want to spoil it for you.

The book is set up in three parts, which each focuses on a secret Evie has kept from her loved ones for many years. I thought this was a brilliant part and idea within the story and it really kept me on the edge of my seat.

I loved Carrie’s writing style and how the story was portrayed and flowed so beautifully and effortlessly. I did find that about halfway through the story I did get slightly confused and I think it lost a little bit of the pace but after a couple of chapters I soon got back into it.

I would also like to mention how gorgeous the front cover is of this book, If I’m honest this is one of the most beautiful cover design I have seen and if the synopsis doesn’t draw you into reading this book, then the cover design definitely will.

I highly recommend that you read this beautifully written and enchanting book, which will definitely send you on an emotional rollercoaster from the first to very last page.

On that note I hope you have enjoyed reading my review.

Until next time.

Happy reading.

Laura x

I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.

 

 

Super Speed Sam:Hide and Panic Stations by Monty J McClaine

Hi everyone 🙂

Hope you are all well and that you enjoyed my last review.

The book I have currently been reading is a little different from the previous one, as it is a children’s book.

“Super Speed Sam: Hide and Panic Stations” by Monty J McClaine is the first book in a series of books about Sam the basset hound dog and his beloved human family. Sam is not just your average ordinary dog though, Sam has super powers.

When I was asked to review this book by Publishing Push, it really intrigued me as I hadn’t read anything like it before and the synopsis of the book really caught my attention.

It was full of excitement from the very beginning and was a really easy story to follow, I found myself being sucked in to the world of “Super Speed Sam” straight away.

As I said before I had never heard of this type of story before and I thought it was a great and imaginative idea from the author and I wanted to find out what sort of antics Sam and his family got up to.

There are not many characters within the book, which I think is good with it being a children’s book and sometimes having to many characters can become a bit confusing. In this book however the characters consist of Mom, who gave up work to look after her children, Dad who is obsessed with his car, Jack who is always getting into mischief and the adorable Molly who has just learnt to crawl. We cant forget however Sam the basset hound dog who is the main character throughout the whole story and if I’m honest my favourite character.

I really enjoyed reading this book and think that children will enjoy reading it as well.

Its full of excitement, adventure, humour and imaginative writing.

I cant wait to read the next installement in the series and would highly recommend that you give this book a read.

On that note I hope you have enjoyed this review.

Until next time.

Happy reading.

Laura x

I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.

 

 

 

 

Something Old, Something New by Darcie Boleyn

Hi everyone 🙂

Hope you are all well and that you enjoyed my last review.

The book I have recently been reading is “Something Old, Something New” by Darcie Boleyn.

The book follows Annie Thomas who is a mother of three wonderful children, a teacher and has been divorced twice. So when Annie agrees to give her ex husband away at his wedding to his boyfriend, she thinks everything will go smoothly. So what will happen when Annie sets her eyes on Evan her first ex husband, will she feel hate or will old feelings start to come flooding back?

This is the second Darcie Boleyn book I have read and it was just as good as her first.

It was full of drama, humour, friendship, romance and just leaves you feeling all warm and lovely.

As soon as I read the first chapter I was drawn straight into the hectic, but wonderful life of Annie Thomas and her family.

It had me belly laughing from the start but also had me feeling quite emotional in some parts, but was perfectly balanced out.

The storyline was so clever and heartwarming and I think it is definitely a perfect read for this summer.

There are a number of fun, loving characters throughout the story, but Annie plays a huge part from the beginning as the story is told from her perspective.

I cant say I had a favourite character, as they are all different and unique in their own ways and I loved them all in different ways. Whether that be from feeling sorry for certain characters or finding some completely hilarious and just lovely.

I loved Darcie’s writing style, with her fantastic descriptive writing to they way she just makes the the story follow with ease and makes it a really enjoyable read.

On that note I highly recommend that you read this heartwarming and fun read this summer.

It will leave you crying, laughing hysterically and just make you feel all warm and lovely inside.

I hope you have enjoyed this review and that it encourages you to read it 🙂

Until next time.

Happy reading

Laura x

 

I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.

You’re the one that i want by Giovanna Fletcher

Hi everyone 🙂

Hope you are all well and that you enjoyed my last review.

The book I have been reading recently is by the lovely Giovanna Fletcher “You’re the one that I want”.

Without giving to much away because I think it will spoil it for you, the story follows three friends Maddy, Robert and Ben who have been best friends since they where in primary school. But what happens when feelings start to come into play? will this jeopardise their friendship and ruin everything?

This is the third book I have read of Giovanna’s and obviously I have read the two novellas aswell.

I really enjoyed reading this book even if it did take me a couple of chapters to get into the story.

It was a really light hearted read, full of drama, romance, friendship laughter, twists and turns and overall a lovely, fun read.

I loved Giovanna’s writing style, the concept of the story I found very different to other Chic Lits that I have read previous.

One of my favourite parts of the book was how it went from Maddy, Robert and Ben being young children and not really having a care in the world to them going through the teenage years and dealing with all the dramas and obstacles of becoming an adult.

Talking of Maddy, Robert and Ben who are the three main characters through out the story. They were very different yet very similar I found.

Maddy was such a lovely character, I loved her innocents and how Robert and Ben protected her. In parts though I did feel really sorry for her and with all the drama and emotions she went through.

Ben I completely fell in love with from the very beginning and if I’m honest I think he was my favourite character out of the whole story. You wanted him to be you best friend and also take care of him. Like Maddy I felt really sorry for Ben and just wanted to give him a big hug.

Robert was your typical “Jack the Lad” type of character. Boys wanted to be him and be his friend and girls wanted to go out with him. I loved how he didn’t really have a care in the world, but again I felt sorry for him also in some parts of the story because in places he was completely oblivious to what was going on around him.

I would definitely recommend that you read this book and like I said at the beginning I did find it difficult to get into but stick with it and you will get completely absorbed in the complicated yet perfect friendship of Maddy, Ben and Robert.

On that note I hope you have enjoyed this review.

Happy reading.

Laura x

I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars

 

 

 

 

See You Soon by NC Marshall

Hi everyone 🙂

Hope you are all well and you enjoyed the last review.

The book I have been reading recently is a Psychological Thriller by NC Marshall called “See you soon”.

It follows Emily who randomly receives an email off her childhood friend Ali who she hasn’t seen in years.  Ali’s email has Emily feeling very alarmed as in the email Ali says that she is in danger and needs her help But is all what it seems?. Emily makes a trip back to her home town, to see if she can help Ali But by doing this will Emily be putting herself in danger aswell?.

This is the second book I have read by NC Marshall and I thought it was just as good as the first.

It was such a page turner and full of twists and turns throughout the whole story which I loved.

It had me on the edge of my seat from the very first chapter and had me guessing all they way through the book. Normally when I read I book I figure out about three quarters of the way through what will happen but this I had no clue until the last couple of chapters, which I loved.

It was full of drama, mystery, excitement, friendship, love and just had a bit of everything in it, which in my eyes makes a great book.

I loved the authors writing style and how descriptive she was with not only the story but also the way she portrayed the characters and I really felt I was a fly on the wall so to speak and watch the whole story unfold.

The characters are all very believable and not to far fetched. Some you will love and feel sorry for such as Emily and some you will hate or find really creepy in some cases, but again this all really added to the story.

The storyline I thought was a really clever idea and I found myself thinking that it could be made into a TV drama, which I would defintitly watch.

One of my favourite things about the book was how each chapter changed from one character to another, for example you would read one chapter and it would be Emily’s point of view and then read the next one and it would be Ali’s. Again I think this really added to the book and made it such an exciting read. There is also this mysterious character he keeps popping up now and again and you don’t find out who they actually are until the very end. This I found gave the story a lot more mystery and some sort of creepiness, which gave great effect.

I wouldn’t say it is a light read but I would highly recommend that you read it.

It is a really quick read and you can probably read it in an afternoon.

On that note I hope you have enjoyed this review.

Until next time.

Happy reading.

Laura x

I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.