Monday 18 September 2017

Book Review: Dating an Alien Pop Star by Kendra L Saunders



The Blurb

To blend in among humans and win their favor, a couple of new-in-town extraterrestrials disguise themselves as English pop stars — and kidnap geeky Daisy to help them pull it off.

Twenty-nine-year-old Daisy Kirkwood has only just escaped her small-town life and run away to New York City, the land of last-minute secret gigs at famous musical venues, when she's kidnapped by aliens. Unfortunately, no one ever writes about how to handle alien abduction in those fancy NYC guidebooks.

Griffin and Dev are supermassively sexy aliens from a politically and environmentally troubled planet who arrive on Earth with very little knowledge about human ways other than what they learned from a wayward E! News signal. Their mission is to pretend to be the most influential people on the planet—English pop stars, of course!—and gain the help of a powerful secret society. Upon arriving, they abduct Daisy Kirkwood, a nerdy young woman who loves music but could seriously use a bit of help in the love-life department. Though Griffin and Daisy initially squabble, neither can deny the intergalactic sparks whenever they're too close to each other. Together, they must face murderous aliens, cultural misunderstandings, bad backup musicians, and the dark side of fame and the media, all set against a tight deadline… 

Part High Fidelity, part Bridget Jones' Diary, part Doctor Who, Dating an Alien Pop Star is a sexy romantic comedy.

My Review

If you want some light relief in the form of a funny, insane story involving sexy rock stars, then this is the book for you!

I do like a rock star, it has to be said, so when I found out who and what inspired the author to write this novel, I just had to read it.

I'm glad to say I wasn't disappointed. The two aliens who abduct the very human Daisy are utterly adorable. The very talented and Griffin is infuriatingly irresistible, as is fellow visitor, devoted Devon, who is lumbered with the responsibility of looking out for his wayward friend. 

The minor characters are not particularly fleshed out, but there is so much going on that it doesn't matter. The pace is fast and as crazy as Griffin's questionable dress sense, but it's anchored by the believable Daisy. She is the voice of reason, the antidote to the madness around her. Whisked away on a roller coaster ride of adventure, she manages to hold onto her sanity, even when she realises she is falling for this weird little alien prince. I loved her. And I loved Griffin. And Devon! 

It's a great observation on our celebrity-obsessed society.

Okay, so it's unlikely to win the Booker prize or thrill the literary luvvies, but I really enjoyed reading this book! It's a thoroughly entertaining read and I'll be reading the sequel, Engaged to an Alien Pop Star, very soon.

You can buy Dating an Alien Pop Star here, and follow the author @Kendrybird on Twitter. She's lovely.

Sunday 17 September 2017

Blog Tour: Maria in the Moon by Louise Beech


I'm delighted to be on the blog tour for Maria in the Moon, by Louise Beech, author of The Mountain in My Shoe. This new novel will be published by Orenda on September 30th, and you can buy it here

Thank you to the author and publisher for the advanced reading copy. This review is my unbiased opinion.

The Blurb

'Long ago my beloved Nanny Eve chose my name. Then one day she stopped calling me it. I try now to remember why, but I just can't.' 

Thirty-one-year-old Catherine Hope has a great memory. But she can't remember everything. She can't remember her ninth year. She can't remember when her insomnia started. And she can't remember why everyone stopped calling her Catherine-Maria. With a promiscuous past, and licking her wounds after a painful breakup, Catherine wonders why she resists anything approaching real love. But when she loses her home to the deluge of 2007 and volunteers at Flood Crisis, a devastating memory emerges ... and changes everything. Dark, poignant and deeply moving, Maria in the Moon is an examination of the nature of memory and truth, and the defences we build to protect ourselves, when we can no longer hide... 

My Review

I didn't find Catherine an easy character to like at first. She's abrasive, prickly and doesn't make friends easily. As a reader, I felt I, like character in the book, as if I was being held at arm's length. But as I got to know Catherine, the more I began to understand her.

She has an uneasy relationship with her family; her mother and father are both dead and she is left with a step-mother who, Catherine believes, only puts up with her out of a sense of duty to Catherine's late father. Mother's partner, Graham, is lovely, though his daughter is not quite as friendly. The one constant ally in her life is aunt 'Hairy' Mary.

Catherine's house is still being repaired after flood damage and she splits her time between working in a care home and volunteering. She starts volunteering for a flood helpline, and we learn how being a victim of flood damage can have a serious emotional impact on people as well as the loss of home and belongings. As a volunteer, she adopts a different name, and she is also told not to get attached to the callers, but she finds it impossible to disassociate herself from them. Catherine is not good at following rules.

No one can get to know the real Catherine, with her hiding behind these other names. She's not even sure herself who she is, as her memories of the year she turned nine have disappeared. Gradually these memories are coming back to her. She knows she needs to remember, but she is scared too.

I found the pace of the book quite slow, and a little hard to get into to start with, but as I got to know Catherine and her memories started to come back, I became more involved in her journey. It's dark and murky and by half-way, I was utterly submerged. 

About the Author

Louise Beech remembers sitting in her father's cross-legged lap while he tried to show her his guitar's chords. He's a musician. Her small fingers stumbled and gave up. She was three. His music sheets fascinated her - such strange language that translated into music. Her mother teaches languages, French and English, so her fluency with words fired Louise's interest. She knew from being small that she wanted to write, to create, to make magic.

She loves all forms of writing. Her short stories have won the Glass Woman Prize, the Eric Hoffer Award for Prose, and the Aesthetica Creative Works competition, as well as shortlisting twice for the Bridport Prize and being published in a variety of UK magazines. Her first play, Afloat, was performed at Hull Truck Theatre in 2012. She also wrote a ten-year newspaper column for the Hull Daily Mail about being a parent, garnering love/hate criticism. Her debut novel was a Guardian Readers' pick for 2015. 

She is inspired by life, history, survival and love, and always has a story in her head. Her debut novel, How to be Brave, came from truth - when Louise's daughter got Type 1 Diabetes she helped her cope by sharing her grandad's real life sea survival story. Her second novel, The Mountain in my Shoe, was be released in September 2016 and was inspired by her time working with children in the care system.

When she was fifteen Louise bet her mother ten pounds she'd be published by the time she was thirty. She missed this self-set deadline by two months. Her mother is still waiting for the money.

Link to website - http://louisebeech.co.uk/
Follow Louise on Twitter: @LouiseWriter

Saturday 16 September 2017

Blog Tour: Dan Knew by F J Curlew






I'm delighted to take part in the Blog Tour for Dan Knew by F J Curlew. It was published on 5th June 2017 and you can buy it here.

The Blurb
A Ukrainian street dog is rescued from certain death by an expat family. As he travels to new countries with them a darkness grows and he finds himself narrating more than just his story. More than a dog story. Ultimately it's a story of escape and survival but maybe not his.
The world through Wee Dan's eyes is told in a voice that will stay with you long after you turn that last page.
The animals in this book are all real, as are their stories. The people's names have been changed to protect their privacy. Fact or fiction? Well, dogs can't talk, can they?
My Review

When Fiona contacted me to ask me if I was interested in reading her new book about a dog named Dan, she had me at 'dog'.

Anyone who knows me knows I love dogs, so this story about a little dog, rescued by a family, intrigued me.

The story is told entirely from Dan's point of view, which is refreshing, and also very funny at times. The author shows her knowledge of dogs, bringing our little canine to life within the pages. He knows 'Mum', but her husband is only ever known as 'Him', which is quite telling about his position in the family. Dan settles in with his new family, including other dogs, after being rescued from a harsh life on the streets in Ukraine. 

I found it a little hard keeping up with the family's ever-changing locations, but then I guess a dog wouldn't know places by names as we humans do, but Dan recognises familiar places by scent and sight. The author described the cold snowy winters very well, making me shiver even in our summer heat. 

Dan's devotion to his Mum is evident, and his confusion at some of the human behaviour is quite funny, but also heartbreaking. He shows how dogs are so empathetic with their owners, feeling sad when they are sad, and wanting to protect them. Dogs are more than family, and it was lovely reading this book as told from the littlest member of this dysfunctional family.

I want a dog.

About the Author

Fiona dropped out of school aged 15, because being the consummate rebel, she hated it! After becoming a single parent she decided to return to education, graduating in 1996 with an honours degree in primary education. Ah, the irony!

As soon as she graduated she packed everything she owned into her Renault 11, including her daughter, two dogs and a cat, and headed off to Estonia to become an international school teacher. After fifteen years of teaching, predominantly in Eastern Europe, she returned to the UK .

She now lives on the east coast of Scotland with two Scottish rescue dogs and a disgruntled Portuguese cat.

Fiona's first book was To Retribution – A love story/political thriller set in times of turmoil. You can buy it here.

Tuesday 12 September 2017

Book Review: Final Girls by Riley Sager




Thanks to the publisher, Ebury, and Netgalley for the ARC. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

The Blurb

FIRST THERE WERE THREE

The media calls them the Final Girls – Quincy, Sam, Lisa – the infamous group that no one wants to be part of. The sole survivors of three separate killing sprees, they are linked by their shared trauma.

THEN THERE WERE TWO

But when Lisa dies in mysterious circumstances and Sam shows up unannounced on her doorstep, Quincy must admit that she doesn’t really know anything about the other Final Girls. Can she trust them? Or...

CAN THERE ONLY EVER BE ONE?

All Quincy knows is one thing: she is next.

My Review

Quincy is a member of a gang called Final Girls, but she is not interested in having any contact with the other members. She wants to forget about her ordeal - not that she can remember much of it anyway. She buries herself in baking instead, and forges a new life for herself away from the eyes of the media.

Quincy lives in a flat with her boyfriend, Jeff, and has the occasional visit with Coop, the cop who rescued her when her five friends were slaughtered at a cabin in the woods. He is now her 'protector', and he's always there to make her feel safe. There are cleverly written flashbacks, so the reader is driven mad with wanting to know what happened, whilst wanting to hide behind a cushion.

One of the other girls, Lisa, is reported as having committed suicide, and the other one, Sam, turns up on Quincy's doorstep, instilling chaos and fear into Quincy's carefully constructed life. 

Fast-paced, chilling and atmospheric, this book had me gripped, reading late into the night. The twists and turns kept me guessing, right until the end.

A breathless thriller.

You can buy Final Girls here.
Follow the author on Twitter @riley_sager

Thursday 7 September 2017

Book Review: Big Sexy Love by Kirsty Greenwood


The Blurb

Olive Brewster is living a small, safe life. She’s happy enough with her job at the local market, it’s no big deal that doesn't have boyfriend, she even likes that she still lives in her childhood home. No drama and no fuss means no problems! And that's just how she likes it.

Except … Olive's best friend in the world​, Birdie, is dying.

Birdie has one final wish. She wants to track down her first love, her epic once in a lifetime love, her "Big Sexy Love", Chuck. And because she's stuck in the hospital she needs Olive's help to do it. But there’s a teeny problem: Chuck is somewhere in New York and Olive has never even left her home town, let alone roamed the crazy streets of Manhattan!

As if the big city isn't scary enough, Olive has to contend with Seth, a cocky comedy TV writer who thinks she’s a joke; Anders, a bored socialite who’s taken a shine to her; and the fact that no matter how hard she tries to track down Chuck, he does not seem to want to be found.

Can Olive learn to overcome her fears, abandon her old safe routine and fulfil her best friend’s dying wish? It's going to take extra bravery, one badass attitude and a whole lot of Big Sexy Love to make it happen …

My Review

Well, what can I say about Big Sexy Love? It's an outrageous tale, about an ordinary woman who gets into the most outrageous and extraordinary predicaments. How anyone could end up in so much trouble is beyond belief. It's totally over the top.

But it is also just about the funniest book I have ever read.

Olive has lived her life as safe as possible. She doesn't like change. But then her friend, Birdie, has a dying wish that only Olive can fulfill; Olive doesn't really get a choice in the matter.

So off she goes, to New York, and her troubles start when she bumps into the most arrogant man ever, the irritatingly very handsome Seth. She also meets other larger than life characters; the mysterious and very strange Anders, and outspoken elderly neighbour, Mrs Ramiriz.

Yes it's bonkers, mad, a helter-skelter riot of a read, and as I said, Olive's adventures are utterly outrageous. 

I loved it! 

Think I've found another favourite author...

Buy it here and read it now!

About the Author

Kirsty Greenwood is the author of three fast-paced, funny and fearless romantic comedies. She is also the founder and editor in chief of Novelicious.com.

Kirsty sends out a really cool letter each month with wonderful giveaways, bookish updates and general good stuff. You can sign up to get the letters here.

Kirsty Tweets at @KirstyBooks, Instagrams at @kirsty_greenwood and can be found on Facebook at KirstyGreenwoodBooks. Her favourite thing is when readers get in touch to say hello!

Book Review: The Break by Marian Keyes

The Blurb
Amy's husband Hugh has run away to 'find himself'. But will he ever come back?
'Myself and Hugh . . . We're taking a break.'
'A city-with-fancy-food sort of break?'
If only.
Amy's husband Hugh says he isn't leaving her.
He still loves her, he's just taking a break - from their marriage, their children and, most of all, from their life together. Six months to lose himself in South East Asia. And there is nothing Amy can say or do about it.
Yes, it's a mid-life crisis, but let's be clear: a break isn't a break up - yet . . .
However, for Amy it's enough to send her - along with her extended family of gossips, misfits and troublemakers - teetering over the edge.
For a lot can happen in six-months. When Hugh returns, if he returns, will he be the same man she married? Will Amy be the same woman?
Because if Hugh is on a break from their marriage, then so is she . . .
The Break is a story about the choices we make and how those choices help to make us. It is Marian Keyes at her funniest, wisest and brilliant best.
My Review

How was excited was I to receive an ARC via Netgalley and the publisher, Penguin, for Marian's latest book? Oh, very!

I love Marian's books, and this one does not disappoint. The Queen of Women's Fiction is Back!

Poor Amy, abandoned by her husband, Hugh, who wants to go off and 'find himself' in Thailand. When he says he wants a break, he means a total break from the marriage; he wants carte blanche to sleep with other women and forget he has a wife back home.

Amy doesn't get any choice in the matter. Everyone around her tuts and frets about his betrayal, some jumping joyfully on the gossip wagon with a sense of schadenfreude, others telling her what she should and shouldn't be feeling.

Marian writes with a sparkly warmth and wit, lending depth to her characters. I was drawn in straight away into this tale of family, guilt and uncertainty. Amy struggles to accept her husband's decision, as I think anyone would. There was no real sign beforehand that their marriage was in trouble... or was there? Hugh had been depressed after losing two people close to him, but everyone is still shocked. Amy veers between anger at Hugh and guilt at her own behaviour. 

Then there's the other characters in Amy's chaotic life, spiky daughter Neeve, from her first marriage to footballer Richie, 16 year old Kiara, Amy's daughter with Hugh, and the delicate Sofie, their niece. They all struggle with the fall-out from Hugh's departure. 

Amy has struggles all too common in real life, realising that supporting your friends isn't always a two-way street. Sister Derry wouldn't know commitment if it slapped her round the face, friend Steevie is a man-hater, and Posh Petra has enough on her plate with The Kid from Hell. They, and others, are all glorious characters who are wholly believable.

It's a poignant story, dealing with some serious issues such as abortion in Ireland, injected with Marian's usual sharp humour. Amy's Mam's new-found fame is hilarious, adding some lighthearted relief. The pace is gentle, which works perfectly. I still didn't want to put the book down, yet I didn't want it to end.

Another great read from Marian Keyes. 

You can buy The Break here.

About the Author

Marian Keyes' international bestselling novels include Rachel's Holiday, Last Chance Saloon, Sushi for Beginners, Angels, The Other Side of the Story, Anybody Out There, This Charming Man and The Woman Who Stole My Life. Three collections of her journalism, Under the Duvet, Further Under the Duvet and Making It Up as I Go Along, are also available from Penguin. Marian lives in Dublin with her husband.

Follow Marian on Twitter - she is hilarious!