Book Review: The Other Half of Me by Morgan McCarthy

Jonathan and Theo's childhood is one in which money is abundant but nurture is scarce. With a father who died when they were very young and a mother who starts drinking at lunchtime, the brother and sister are largely left to roam around their sprawling estate in rural Wales, looking only after themselves and each other.
Until, that is, their grandmother, Eve returns to the family home. Eve is a figure who is as enchanting as she is forbidding, and she takes the children under her wing, answering their questions about their family history that have always been ignored. Yet as they grow older, they discover that much of what they've been told is a fiction and that something very sinister lies in their past.

The Other Half of Me is Morgan McCarthy's debut novel and I think it is excellent. The majority of the book is set in Evendon, the family's sprawling Welsh estate. The house isn't described in huge detail but I imagined it to be sprawling and full of secrets. Although the book is set in 2008, I felt as though it had an older feel to it; as if the inhabitants of Evendon hadn't been touched by the modern world.
This book has echoes of The Great Gatsby and I Capture the Castle; there is a plot but you almost don't need anything to happen because the writing is so good.
I really liked the characters of Jonathan and Theo. Theo is central to the whole book; she is incredibly eccentric and innocent and I had a great sense of foreboding from the very beginning that something dreadful would happen to her.
The Other Half of Me is about secrets and their consequences. Should you always keep someone's secret and should you always be prepared to listen and believe when someone shares their secret?
I very much enjoyed Morgan McCarthy's writing and I hope she will treat us to more books in the future.

Many thanks to Headline for sending me a review copy, The Other Half of Me is out now.

Dot Scribbles Rating 4/5

Book Review: Catching the Sun by Tony Parsons

How far must you run in order to find a new life?
When the Finn family leave their London home for the sun-drenched island of Phuket, Thailand, they're certain all their dreams will come true. But paradise has a heart of darkness and disasters made by man and nature conspire to shatter the tropical idyll- and tear their family apart.

I have read and enjoyed a couple of Tony Parson's books in the past so I was very interested to receive his latest one. I felt as though Catching the Sun had a slightly different feel to his other books but I still very much enjoyed the story.
Tom Finn relocates to Thailand with his wife Tess and their twins Rory and Keeva. He is greatly disillusioned with British life and Thailand initially seems like a paradise. I don't want to give the plot away but the Finn family soon encounter new problems in Thailand. Their family unit is placed under huge strain and it soon becomes apparent that all that matters is having each other.
I have talked about the fact that I tend to read books  by female authors with female lead characters. However, I have to say that Tony Parsons is one of the few male authors whose books I enjoy. I think that his male perspective on family life is extremely interesting and honest. . Keeva and Rory were  my favourite part of the book. I think that Tony Parsons used them to add a lot of humour and I love their innocent views of the world around them.
I have never been to Thailand but I could clearly imagine how it is due to Parson's vivid descriptions. You could tell that he had done a lot of research into the place, the people and the culture.
Catching the Sun was a very interesting read. Tony Parsons really made me think about the importance of the family unit and the values we choose to surround ourselves with. I would very much recommend this book.

Dot Scribbles Rating 4/5

Many thanks to Harper Collins for sending me a review copy, Catching the Sun is published on 7th June.

Recipe Book Review: Nigella Express

I am a MASSIVE Nigella Lawson fan so I thought that I would start this new feature with one of my favourite recipe books, Nigella Express. I have all of Nigella's books but I probably use this one once a week and my copy is well thumbed.
Nigella Express is so accessible, I always cook a fresh meal every night and this book has provided us with many gorgeous weekday dinners. My husband and I both work so we don't want to be cooking for hours of an evening but we both enjoy fresh, wholesome food. Nearly all of the recipes in this book are just one page long with easily found ingredients. I also love how Nigella makes recommendations as to what you can do with any leftovers.
Nigella Express is split into thirteen sections ranging from Instant Calmer, Against the Clock and Workday Winners. There are some sections that are a little more specific; there's a whole chapter on speedy Mexican food and a whole chapter on Christmas, both have some great ideas.
Some of my favourite recipes from this book are the Chicken, Mushroom and Bacon Pie (page 175), this is perfect in the Winter and includes garam masala in the sauce so it's really tasty. My husband also loves the Pollo alla Cacciatora which is known as Nigella Chicken in our house. It is like an Italian chicken stew, really filling and perfect served with big pieces of crusty bread. Nigella also includes a gorgeous recipe for Chocolate Pear Pudding; I have lost count how many times I have made this as people always love it and it is incredibly easy.
The pictures in this book are very clear and most are full page; I prefer this as I think it gives you confidence when cooking to have a good picture of the finished product. Nigella also make useful suggestions for alternative ingredients but I have never been unable to get something for her recipes.
As I said, my copy of Nigella Express is extremely well thumbed but I still find new things that I want to try when I look through it. Next on my list are the chocolate macaroons and the black pasta with red mullet which looks delicious.
If you are looking for an accessible book that you can cook from in the week then Nigella Express is perfect. She does have some dishes that take longer and are more suited to a special occasion but in the main I know that I can always rely on this book for tasty weekday dinners.

Dot Scribbles Rating 5/5

Book Review: Summer Daydreams by Carole Matthews plus author interview plus GIVEAWAY!!

What if you had always dreamed of something more...?
Nell McNamara has a happy life: her boyfriend Olly adores her, their four-year-old daughter Petal is the centre of their world and Nell has a steady job in the local chip shop. When the chippy needs a makeover, Nell jumps at the chance to unleash the creativity fizzing inside her.
Inspired by what she can achieve- and encouraged by the very best friends that a girl can have- Nell is determined to try something new. Waving goodbye to the chip shop, she starts up a new business making her own line of must-have handbags, which are soon flying off the shelves.
It seems Nell's dreams are finally coming true, but her success doesn't come without a price. Before too long, Nell has to ask herself if it's really possible to have it all...

I always enjoy Carole Matthews's books as they always have something new to offer but out of those that I have read, Summer Daydreams is definitely my favourite.
Nell McNamara is a brilliant character, she changes so much during the story but her sole aim remains to do the best for her family and their future. I loved reading about Nell's daydreams at the beginning of the book  and then seeing them develop into reality. The reality is that Nell puts her all into the business; it takes over their whole lives and soon Nell is left wondering if it is all really worth it, can she really have her dream career and still be there enough for Petal and Olly? I felt as though I really identified with Nell, having my own business myself with a young daughter, I totally understood the juggling process of being a working mum and the huge amount of guilt that it often involves.
The character of Petal was one of my favourite parts of the book. There were so many moments where I laughed out loud at what she did or said; I think that Carole always manages to inject her books with a lot of humour which just makes them even more enjoyable.
I was really interested to discover that Nell McNamara is actually based on Carole's friend and real-life handbag designer, Helen Rochfort. I would have enjoyed Nell's story anyway but it just added something extra to know that Carole was so inspired by Helen that she wrote this lovely book.
Summer Daydreams is such an enjoyable read and pretty inspiring too. I know that it may sound corny but it really made me feel that you should pursue your dreams; yes it may be hard work along the way but if you really want something then you have to go after it.

Dot Scribbles Rating 5/5

Many thanks to the lovely people at Sphere for sending me a copy of Summer Daydreams to review.

I was lucky enough to interview Carole recently, here's what the lovely lady herself had to say:

1. I thought it was really interesting that Summer Daydreams was inspired by your friend Helen Rochfort, how did you two meet?

We met a few years ago on Facebook. Helen’s status picture at the time was Barbara Cartland and I thought she must be a romance writer. That’s when I found her wonderful handbags. We messaged each other back and forth and, over time became friends. Then my publisher decided to commission a handbag design for The Chocolate Lovers’ Club and we approached Helen. Our friendship progressed to lunch out and the occasional curry with our other halves. That’s how I learned about Helen’s amazing story of how she became an accomplished and successful handbag designer. It was a book just waiting to be written. 

2. Nell pursues her dream career of becoming a handbag designer. Was being an author always your dream career or did you have any ambitions to do something else?

I was always an avid reader, but never imagined that I could become a writer. I thought I might be a teacher or a travel guide or a hairdresser. I even toyed with becoming an Air Traffic Controller - though I have absolutely no idea why. I spent several years working in an office, then several more years as a Beauty Therapist before taking my first steps to becoming a writer. It gave me a lot of good material for my eventual career! 

3. I know that you often visit the locations that you write about. Paris, Miami and China feature in Summer Daydreams, did you manage any research trips?

I didn’t do any specific research trips for Summer Daydreams - other than to Hitchin where the book is set! Which I feel is very remiss of me. But I do travel a lot and I keep a filing cabinet full of maps, photos and videos of everywhere I go. I have been to Paris, Miami - only in passing - and China in the past so I was able to draw on that experience. The weird thing is that now you can do so much on Google Street View. The motel and television studio that Olly visits in the book were both researched on there. But, if I can, I don’t think there’s anything better than going to the place that you’re writing about as it often throws up plots points that you haven’t even thought about.  

4. You have a big on-line presence with your website, facebook and Twitter, do you think that it is important for authors to connect with their readers in that way?

I think it is, but only if you enjoy it. I love Twitter and Facebook, but it is very time-consuming. There’s no better was to get in touch with your readers and find out exactly what they like. The trouble is that there’s always something very distracting to look at, but we do have a lot of fun on there. And some of it may even be useful for work! No, really.

5. The first three chapters of your new book, With Love at Christmas are included at the end of Summer Daydreams. For those who haven't had the chance to read them yet, can you tell us a little bit about the new book?

I do one summer and one Christmas book each year now and my next book is due out in October. It’s called With Love at Christmas and it’s about a warm, chaotic family Christmas. Haven’t we all had them? It features the Joyce family who I first wrote about in my book, That Loving Feeling. It’s not a sequel, as such. We just catch up with them two years later. It’s funny and heartbreaking. Get the tissues ready!


Many thanks to Carole for taking the time to answer my questions.


Finally, I have a copy of Summer Daydreams to give away, to win all you have to do is leave a comment before midnight on 29th May and I will pick a random winner, Good luck! 

Many thanks to Carole for taking the time to answer my questions.

Finally I have a copy of Summer Daydreams to give away, all you have to do is leave a comment by midnight on Tuesday 29th May and I will pick a random winner. Good luck everyone! 

New feature for Dot Scribbles

I mentioned last week on Twitter that I would be starting a new feature on Dot Scribbles. It is something that I have been thinking about for a while so I am excited to finally tell you about it.
I love reading and always have done since I was a child. My other favourite past time is cooking and baking. It is not something that  I have ever really talked about on the blog but I thought why not as it involves a rather large collection of recipe books.
My hobby has also crossed over into work life in the past few months as my lovely sister and I have opened our first cake shop. Vintage House Bakery opened it's doors a few weeks ago and is proving very popular, so now I get to bake most days and call it work!
Anyway, I have digressed a little, the new feature on Dot Scribbles will be recipe book reviews. I know that this won't be everyone's cup of tea and they will in no way be replacing the fiction book reviews that you normally find here. However, I would love to review some of my favourite recipe books on here and you never know, maybe one day there could be a Vintage House Bakery book sitting on my shelf!
If you do have a favourite recipe book then do let me know as it's great to hear what other people have enjoyed. The first recipe book review from me will go up later this week and they will be in a separate tab on the top, I hope that you enjoy them!

Book Review: Fifty Shades Darker by E.L. James

Daunted by the dark secrets of the tormented young entrepreneur Christian Grey, Ana Steele has broken off their relationship to start a new career with a US publishing house.
But desire for Grey still dominates her every waking thought, and when he proposes a new arrangement, she cannot resist. Soon she is learning more about the harrowing past of her damaged, driven and demanding Fifty Shades than she ever thought possible.
But while Grey wrestles with his inner demons, Ana must make the most important decision of her life. A decision she can only make on her own. 

Well the Fifty Shades trilogy just gets better and better. At the end of Fifty Shades of Grey Christian and Ana have broken up as Ana doesn't think she can give Christian what he needs. So Fifty Shades Darker begins with Ana and Christian apart but it soon becomes clear for both of them that they need each other.
E. L. James brings us a little more of the love story in this book. It was fascinating to see the compromises that both are prepared to make in order for their relationship to work. There are graphic sexual scenes again but this book goes a little deeper, however, as before, I felt that the sex scenes reveal a lot about Ana and Christian. In this book, Ana has to admit to herself that although she has limits, there are some things that Christian does which she actually really enjoys. Christian is discovering a whole new side to himself; he has always taken sexual pleasure in hurting women but he can't bear the thought of Ana being in pain.
Added in to this is Christian's past, one of his ex-submissive's contacts Ana; she wants to know how Ana has managed to hold on to Christian. Christian will do anything to keep Ana safe but as he has already found out, Ana does not always do as she is told.
Fifty Shades Darker also explores Christian's awful childhood and we begin to understand why he behaves in such a way. Ana and Christian continue to be fascinating characters in the second instalment. I felt as though they were entirely believable and I wanted more than anything for their relationship to work.
Fifty Shades Darker ends on a bit of a cliff hanger again, E. L. James certainly knows how to make you want more. I can't wait to read the third and final instalment but I know that I will also be quite sad that there are no more books as the world of Christian Grey is completely addictive.

Dot Scribbles Rating 5/5

Book Review: Ghost Flower by Michele Jaffe

Eve Brightman is tough. In and out of foster homes from a young age, she knows how to survive on next to nothing. When a glamorous pair of siblings approach her with a mysterious proposal involving a lot of money, she is torn. Her instinct warns her off- but then her boss tries to assault her and she loses her job. Suddenly $100,000 cash, even for a shady deal shrouded in secrecy, seems like a pretty appealing option.

Eve bears a startling resemblance to siblings Bain and Bridgette's cousin Aurora, who disappeared three years before. Now, with Aurora set to inherit a fortune on her eighteenth birthday, the pair want to get their hands on the money without having to wait the usual four years before a missing person is declared dead. And so begins a Pygmallion-style grooming process, where tough street urchin Eve is forced to learn which fork to use when, and to acquire an in-depth knowledge of the illustrious Silverton dynasty's entire family tree and history.

Once she has been introduced and accepted back into the family, the real test starts. When will she slip up? What are the twins really up to and why does she feel as though there is something she isn't being told? And what is the terrifying whispering that happens outside her room late at night?

I read Michele Jaffe's last book Rosebush and really enjoyed it so I was very excited to read her latest book, Ghost Flower.
Eve Brightman is desperate and can't say no when Bain and Bridgette off her $100,000 to impersonate their cousin who disappeared on the night that her best friend Elizabeth was found dead. The twins have it all planned out so Eve thinks that nothing can go wrong but she really has no idea what she is getting herself into. Eve looks exactly like Aurora and the Silverton family accept her return but Eve is soon in much deeper than she expected to be. Everyone seems to have their own secrets about Aurora and nobody will reveal what really happened on the night of her disappearance. Aurora and Elizabeth apparently left a party together so how did one girl end up dead and the other missing?
Eve is totally freaked out when she hears strange whisperings outside of her bedroom door at night and receives phone calls from Elizabeth; how can she be contacting her when she is dead and what is she trying to warn her about?
Michele Jaffe has written another superb mystery. I was completely drawn into the story and we see everything through Eve's eyes so we experience the twists and turns as she does. Jaffe creates suspense from the very beginning, will Eve get caught out, why is everyone hiding something, who killed Elizabeth and what will their reaction be to Aurora's return?
I highly recommend Michele Jaffe's books, just be prepared that you won't be able to put them down.

Dot Scribbles Rating 4/5

Many thanks to Atom for sending me a copy of this book to review, Ghost Flower is out now.