31.10.12

Book Review: Beautiful Disaster by Jamie Mcguire

Abby Abernathy doesn't drink or swear and she works hard. Abby believes she has buried her dark past, but when she arrives at college, her dreams of a new beginning are quickly challenged by the university's walking one-night stand.
Travis Maddox, sexy, built and covered in tattoos is exactly what Abby needs and wants to avoid. he spends his nights winning money in a floating fight club and his days as the notorious college Lothario.
Intrigued by Abby's resistance to his charms, Travis tricks her into his life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain celibate for a month, if Abby loses, she must live in Travis's apartment for the same amount of time.
Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match. Or that this is the start of an obsessive, intense relationship that will lead them both into unimaginable territory...
I have such mixed feelings about this book and I shall do my best to explain them. Initially I was absolutely hooked and I couldn't put the book down. But then as I got to know the characters more, I began to dislike them; and whilst I wanted to know what happened, I didn't enjoy it as much. Travis and Abby are both pretty dysfunctional so you know that sparks will fly when they get together. However, I found them a little selfish as they each did several things that they knew would wind each other up. I understand that they are consumed by their intense, passionate relationship, but they showed little regard for the others around them.
Jamie McGuire has created two very interesting characters, just because I didn't like them doesn't mean that they were badly written. Both are trying to escape from their pasts and they must decide if they can do that together or whether their relationship will ruin their future.
Beautiful Disaster is just that, two people in love with disastrous consequences. It was an intense read and I was left wondering how I felt about the characters and the decisions they made.

Dot Scribbles Rating: 3.75/5

Many thanks to the kind people at Simon and Schuster for sending me a copy of this book to review, Beautiful Disaster is out now.

29.10.12

Book Review: Black Heart Blue by Louisa Reid

"They tried to make me go to my sister's funeral today. In the end I had to give in... I'd been walking in her shadow for sixteen years and I liked its cool darkness. It was a good place to hide."
Rebecca's twin sister Hephzibah was beautiful and daring. She was the one who always wanted more. The one who wouldn't listen. Now she's gone. Rebecca is alone.
While there were two of them, they stayed silent about their home life. But Rebecca, who knows the truth about how her twin died, suddenly finds herself keeping too many secrets. Hephzibah dreamt of escape, but failed. Could Rebecca be the one to find freedom?
Original and unforgettable, Black Heart Blue is not just Rebecca and Hephzibah's story. It is a story about all of us: a story about the lies we want to believe, the truth we sometimes can't accept, and having the courage to discover the difference.
Wow, this book is a brilliantly powerful read. I became completely engrossed in Rebecca and Hephzibah's story and I have thought about the book so much since I finished it.
Black Heart Blue looks in detail at the issue of child abuse. Rebecca and Hephzibah's father is the local vicar and it appears that he is above suspicion. The two girls undergo years of systematic abuse and live in fear of their parents who they call The Mother and The Father.
The book is written from both sisters' perspectives, before and after Hephzibah's death. It is interesting to see how both sisters interpret the situation and how much they love and want to protect each other.
Both girls just want to be normal, they have no grand ambitions, just to feel safe and happy, things that most of us take for granted.
Louisa Reid is an excellent author, I felt that she really expressed the horrors of the situation. I found myself crying in several places as Rebecca and Hephzibah's story was so believable. The author also highlights the difference between people who turn a blind eye and those who will put themselves out to help and protect others.
Black Heart Blue is a difficult  but excellent read. I think that Louisa Reid has been incredibly brave to tackle such a difficult and emotive issue in her first book. Her writing style draws you in and I hope that she has many more books to offer in the future.

Dot Scribbles Rating: 5/5

Many thanks to Penguin for sending me a copy of this book to review, Black Heart Blue is out now.

25.10.12

Book Review: The Angel at No.33 by Polly Williams

'Am I dead? I don't feel dead...'
Sophie cannot leave the people she loves. Her husband, Ollie- a man who once watered a house plant for a year before realising it was plastic- is lost without her. Their son Freddie is so little. And her friend Jenny? There's something she desperately needs to know before it's too late.
I took this book on holiday and my sister borrowed it first, she loved it and couldn't put it down. I really enjoyed it but I found it a tiny bit slow in places. Just goes to show how a book can easily get different reactions.
Sophie is dead when we first meet her, there is no long drawn out illness so it is as much of a shock to her as it is to those around her. Now she can see everything that is going on  without others being able to see her. Sophie has to watch her husband and son struggle with their loss. She has to watch her best friend Jen try to get on with her life and worst of all she has to watch other women try to take her place.
Polly Williams is a very witty writer but The Angel at No. 33 is also extremely poignant. I know it is terribly cliched but this book makes you take a step back and be grateful for what you have in life.
As I said, I did find this book a little slow in places but I still think it is a worthwhile read. It never hurts to be reminded of the bigger picture.

Dot Scribbles Rating 4/5

Many thanks to Headline for sending me a copy of this book to review, it is out now.

22.10.12

Book Review: The Light Behind the Window by Lucinda Riley

The Present
Emilie de la Martinieres has always fought against her aristocratic background, but after the death of her glamorous, distant mother, she finds herself alone in the world and sole inheritor of her grand childhood home in the South of France. An old notebook of poems leads her in search of the mysterious and beautiful Sophia, whose tragic love affair changed the course of her family history. As Emilie unravels the story, she too embarks on her own journey of discovery, realising that the chateau may provide clues to her own difficult past and finally unlock the future.
The Past
London 1943. A young office clerk, Constance Carruthers is drafted in the SOE, arriving in occupied Paris during the climax of the conflict. Separated from her contact in her very first hours in France, she stumbles in to the heart of a wealthy family who are caught up in a deadly game of secrets and lies. Forced to surrender her identity and all ties to her homeland and her beloved husband, Constance finds herself drawn into a complex web of deception, the repercussions of which will affect generations to come. 
I have read and enjoyed all of Lucinda Riley's books but in my opinion The Light Behind the Window is by far her best.
At 529 pages, it is quite a lengthy read but I flew through it. I was entertained and captivated by the story from the very beginning, right until the final page.
I had become so interested in the characters that I really did not want their story to end.
The story is split between the present and the past  but the two are expertly woven  together. Constance Carruthers is an office clerk in 1943, her husband Lawrence is missing in action so when she is called to serve her country by travelling to Paris, she almost has nothing to lose. However, Connie's mission does not go to plan and instead she becomes embroiled in the lives of the aristocratic de la Martinieres family. They offer her refuge in Paris but they also change the course of her and her family's lives forever.
Meanwhile in the present day, Emilie de la Martinieres has just lost her mother. She was a very distant figure in her life and so Emilie is left confused about her feelings over her death. Emilie's life is about to change too as she is the sole heir of the Martiniere's fortune and estate. She has always fought against her background but now she has to face up to her family's tremendous history and decide how and if she will preserve it for the future. Emilie meets Sebastian at this time and he is eager to help her organise the estate. Can she  trust him, is it finally time to allow someone in to her life to love her properly?
I don't think I will be able to do this book justice in my review. I found both stories so interesting and I loved the way in which they gradually came together and interlinked. I enjoyed the past and the present aspects of the book equally. Emilie's story reminded me a little of My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier. She has to question everything and everyone around her as it is not just herself that she has to protect but also her family's legacy.
The past aspect of the book was brilliant, Lucinda Riley explored and captured war time Paris and I think she showed just how far people were prepared to go in order to protect their country. I think a lot of books that discuss the war focus on those fighting at the front line but The Light Behind the Window highlights the many men and women who risked everything for little or no recognition.
Lucinda Riley has written a fabulous book. Her stories are always captivating and intricate with characters that you come to know and believe in. I highly recommend The Light Behind the Window but make sure that you have some spare time as you will not want to stop reading once you have begun.

Dot Scribbles Rating: 5/5

Many thanks to Pan Macmillan for sending me a copy of the book to review.



18.10.12

Book Review: Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson

Memories define us.
So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep?
Your name, your identity, your past, even the people you love- all forgotten overnight?
And the one person you trust may only be telling you half the story.
Welcome to Christine's life.
There was so much hype surrounding this book when it was published and this strangely put me off. I wish I hadn't been though as Before I Go to Sleep is a stunning book.
Christine wakes up every morning knowing absolutely nothing. Not her name, her past, her hair colour, her house and her husband Ben. She relys on Ben for everything, he patiently explains it all to her every time she wakes up. He holds all of her memories and past experiences. How does she know he is telling the truth though, she has no memory so how can she be sure that he is not lying and why would he lie?
Before I Go to Sleep is a very sinister book but it's such a good read. Christine is so incredibly vulnerable and you begin to gain a picture of how terrifying it must be each time she wakes up.
S.J. Watson is very clever at building up the tension and suspense . I was constantly guessing at the outcome and I found myself analysing everything the characters said to see if I could catch them out.
I think this book works so well as it is entirely plausible, that makes it even more frightening.
Before I Go to Sleep is an excellent book and I was totally captivated by Christine and her terrifying situation. I would urge anyone to read this book, it is compulsive reading as soon as you start the first page.

Dot Scribbles Rating: 5/5

16.10.12

Competition Winners!

Thanks to everyone who entered my recent competitions! I have put the correct answers and entries into a hat and these are the three winners:

The answer to the F. Scott Fitzgerald competition was 1896 and the winner is:

Jessica from The Book Worm Chronicles


The winner of The Bride Stripped Bare and With My Body by Nikki Gemmell is:

Lisa Williams (Noodle Bubble)

And finally the winner of Witch Hunt by Syd Moore is:

Vivienne from Serendipity Reviews

Congratulations to all the winners, I really hope that you enjoy your books! Please get in touch by email or DM me on Twitter with your postal addresses and I can get the books out to you. Thanks to everyone who took the time to enter.

6.10.12

I'll be back soon!

I am 30 on October 20th! So my lovely husband is taking me on holiday on Saturday to Gozo which is one of my very favourite places! I shall be doing plenty of reading whilst I am there so there will be reviews as soon as I am back plus I shall announce the winners of my three recent competitions! See you all soon!

2.10.12

Book Review: Witch Hunt by Syd Moore plus giveaway!

Between 1560 and 1690, over 500 women were tried for witchcraft in the county of Essex. In Syd Moore's chilling novel, journalist Sadie Asquisth researches a book on the subject and begins to experience strange, ghostly visions. By digging up the truth about the witch hunts, Sadie appears to have opened an unearthly connection to the women treated so cruelly and killed centuries before.
In the modern world, Sadie is sure she is being followed, her flat is burgled and she finds clues that reveal her own past isn't all that she believed. Can she find peace for the witches of Essex's history and can she find a safe path for herself?
If you like a good ghost story then you have to read this book. It has been a long time since a book has kept me awake at night but I could not get this story out of my head.
Witch Hunt focuses on Sadie Asquith, she's a freelance journalist and begins investigating the Essex Witch trials in which over 500 women were tried and many lost their lives. Her research leads her to begin writing a book which looks at the character of Matthew Hopkins or The Witchfinder General as he was known. Sadie's research brings some shocking details to light and she knows that she's on to something highly significant. However, something is also on to Sadie, she begins having ghostly visions and encounters, her flat is burgled and the word 'desist' left behind. She realises she is in danger but who or what is trying to stop her and will she ever find any peace whilst these women's memories are so tarnished?
I read and enjoyed Syd Moore's other book, The Drowning Pool but I felt as though this was on a totally different level. Moore creates a sinister atmosphere which she sustains throughout; it felt very much as though I was reading a traditional ghost story in a modern day setting.
The presence of Matthew Hopkins in the book is highly sinister. Syd Moore constantly gives the reader accounts of the terrible deeds he carried out and even though he is dead, I felt as though he was highly threatening within the book, as if his memory alone could harm Sadie.
Sadie is a good character but there were times when I found her a little frustrating. She seemed to take a while to make connections between certain events and I found myself getting annoyed at times.
Witch Hunt is an atmospheric and gripping read. Just be warned that it will make you very aware of the things that go bump in the night!

Dot Scribbles Rating 4.5/5

Many thanks to the lovely people at Avon for sending me a copy of the book to review, Witch Hunt is available now!

If this review has interested you in the book then you may be in luck as the generous people at Avon have given me a copy to give away. Simply leave a comment on this post and the winner will be picked at random. This competition is open until midnight on Tuesday 9th October and is only open to UK residents. Good Luck! 


All change here!

I have made the decision to stop doing written reviews on here for a little while. I shall keep this page open but for the time being I sha...