Book Review - The Torn Up Marriage by Caroline Roberts

 

The Torn Up Marriage by Caroline Roberts

Published: 5th March 2015

Publisher: Harper Impulse

Pages: 299

Available on Kindle

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Blurb

Why do we hurt the ones we love, and can there ever be a way back?
“The Torn Up Marriage” is about betrayal, complacency, love and loss, and that key instinct to protect your family. But what happens when you tear that family apart? Kate and Michael are about to find out as they cope with the crushing fallout of his affair, whilst trying to protect their two young children. This powerful and poignant novel captures the explosiveness of everyday life and what it is to be human; to make mistakes.
Set in the historic town of Alnwick, Northumberland, with its stunning backdrop of castles, moorland hills and coastline, this relationship story of love and family takes you in a rollercoaster ride of emotions along with Kate and Michael.
Michael’s mother’s battle with breast cancer shatters them all, yet shows them how precious life, love and family is. Can they find a way back and fight for their battered yet enduring love?
So, what would you do if it happened to you? Could you betray? Could you forgive?

Review
The Torn Up Marriage is the tale of a marriage break up following an affair and how the two sides deal with the fallout from the betrayal. It details all the stages you would expect to go through after a break up including telling the parents, friends, getting back out in the world socially and the eventually meeting of the new partner.

The book starts with Kate making dinner and everything seeming normal but as the paragraphs unfolded you could actually feel her tension as she waits to confront her husband Michael about having an affair. I was totally gripped by this first chapter, it is exactly how I would imagine that scene playing out in real life and the build-up of tension as Kate wonders exactly how to start that awful conversation is just brilliant, I could actually feel my heart racing and was wondering what exactly Michael would do.

As Michael admits that yes he is having an affair and eventually packs his bags to move in with his mistress, you can feel Kate’s world crumble around her as her marriage is ripped apart. The story goes on to detail how both Kate and Michael deal with the break-up. Kate with her anger, loss and humiliation and the difficulty of trying to keep an everyday normal routine going for her two young girls when all she wants to do is drown her sorrows in a glass of wine. Michael with his guilt of ripping his family apart, watching the confusion in his daughter’s eyes’ as they think daddy’s left because he doesn’t love them anymore.

This is a book which deals with everyday emotions when life gets hard, it doesn’t sugar coat them either, some of these scenes are ugly, especially watching Kate turn to the alcohol more and more. They way this book was written sometimes had my stomach in knots with a feeling that something really bad would happen.

The thing I liked most about this book was the way the children were written about. Charlotte and Emily were such lovely innocent little girls that ended being so confused about what was going on and it wrenched at my heart to see them sad. This was very realistic to me and I’m glad it wasn’t glossed over.

The Torn Up Marriage is a book which had me emotionally involved right from the start and I really felt I was right there experiencing all the emotions myself. If you want a book that will really make you question what you would do in a similar situation this is it. Would you stay or go? Would you ever forgive? Would you be tempted in the first place?

I thought this book was brilliantly written and the emotions were spot on, cannot wait to read more from this author.  I would give this book 5/5, simply for the pure emotion it conveys.

Thank you to Harper Impulse for sending me an arc copy to read.

Book Review - Silent Scream by Angela Marsons

 

Silent Scream by Angela Marsons

Released: 20th February 2015

Publisher: Bookouture

Pages: 400

Available in paperback and on Kindle

 

Blurb

Even the darkest secrets can’t stay buried forever…

Five figures gather round a shallow grave. They had all taken turns to dig. An adult-sized hole would have taken longer. An innocent life had been taken but the pact had been made. Their secrets would be buried, bound in blood …

Years later, a headmistress is found brutally strangled, the first in a spate of gruesome murders which shock the Black Country.

But when human remains are discovered at a former children’s home, disturbing secrets are also unearthed. D.I. Kim Stone fast realises she’s on the hunt for a twisted individual whose killing spree spans decades.

As the body count rises, Kim needs to stop the murderer before they strike again. But to catch the killer, can Kim confront the demons of her own past before it’s too late?

 

Review

 

Bookouture is a publisher which has brought some brilliant reads to me over the last eight months of reviewing, so when I heard they had signed a new crime thriller writer I was really excited and Angela Marson’s debut Silent Scream surpasses every expectation I had, I found it to be simply brilliant.

The scene is set back in 2004 when five figures are surrounding a freshly dug and filled grave, vowing to keep the secret of what happened to this body among themselves. Fast forward ten years and head teacher Teresa Wyatt is found dead in her own bath tub, the description of her murder was very realistic and had my heart pounding, a brilliant opening chapter which had me totally hooked.

In steps DI Kim Stone to solve the crime which turns out to be more complicated the Kim and her team expect and as more murders are committed and when children’s bones are found in the grounds of an old children’s home, Kim’s interest in the case becomes more than just professional.

I really loved the main character DI Kim Stone, initially she seems very ruthless with her team and seems to have a hard reputation but as the story unfolds and we learn more about her we realise what she has had to deal with as child.  This made her very real to me as she had a vulnerability about her and the perfect character to lead a new detective series as I feel she has a lot more to share with us. The other character I like was Bryant, I loved his almost cheeky relationship with his boss, which brought a couple of lighter moments to a very involved novel.

This novel is action packed, and totally gripping, my heart was racing all the way through it and I could just not put it down until I knew how it would end. There were a couple of moments where I thought I had it all worked out and then bam nope I was wrong!  The ending which I got was completely not what I expected and that’s one of the reasons I loved this book, you’re left guessing until the very end.

Silent Scream deals with the subject of child abuse and highlights that those with power don’t always treat those children in these institutions with the care that they deserve. When the murders of the children were exposed I was deeply saddened and was rooting so much for Kim to find the murderer before they did any more damage. This topic made the crimes seem more real and tragic somehow rather than killer going on a bloodbath causing rampage.

For me Silent Scream is the perfect crime novel, it had a gritty plot with many twists, some deeply hidden secrets, psychologically damaged characters and a Detective Inspector to solve the crime who had her own flaws so was easier to relate to. It’s just simply brilliant and I think everyone should read it. It’s by far the best crime thriller I’ve read in a long time and I cannot wait to read the next one. I give it 5/5, go buy this book people!

 

Blog Tour Review - Winter Siege by Araina Franklin and Samantha Norman

 

Winter Siege by Ariana Franklin and Samantha Norman

Published: 12th February 2015 (paperback)

Publisher: Bantam Press (Transworld)

Pages: 448

Available in Paperback

Order a copy from Amazon now

Blurb
It’s 1141 and freezing cold.

Gwil, a battle-hardened mercenary, is horrified to stumble across a little girl close to death. She has been attacked, just one more victim in a winter of atrocities. Clutching a sliver of parchment, she is terrified – but Gwil knows what he must do. He will bring her back to life. He will train her to fight. And together, they will hunt down the man who did this to her.

But danger looms wherever they turn. As castle after castle falls victim to siege, the icy Fens ring with rumours of a madman, of murder – and of a small piece of parchment with a terrible secret to tell, the cost of which none of them could have imagined . . .

Review

Winter Siege is a historical novel set in 1141 at the time of the Anarchy between King Stephen and his cousin Empress Matilda, daughter of Henry I. The tale is based on Gwil, a mercenary with a kind heart, Penda the young girl who Gwil takes under his wing after she is brutally attacked and Lady Maud of Kenniford, whose castle comes under siege from the feuding royals.

I have to confess that before being asked to be part of this blog tour I had never read any of Ariana Franklin’s novels, or even heard her name before. Having read one I can understand why she has such a following, Winter Siege is a tale which draws you into the lives of the three main characters and makes you emotionally attached to them. I would love to have been able to spot the point where Samantha Norman took over writing, however I found it flowed seamlessly from beginning to end.

I felt this book did have a slow start and it wasn’t until Gwil, Penda and Maud were altogether that I really began to enjoy the story as that was when we got to know more about the feelings of both Penda and Maud which was far more enjoyable to me the battle for who was going to be England’s ruler. My favourite character was Penda, I thought she made a brilliant male and female character and would love there to be a follow up book to find out what happened next to her. I loved the way she changed from being shy and frightened to being quite cheeky, especially with Gwil and also that she stood and shot her bow with the men which must have been pretty daunting for anyone.  

One thing that did bother me about this book was the over use of expletive words which were used in the dialogue throughout the book, so if this bothers you be warned.

Overall I found Winter Siege to be an enjoyable and will in the future seek out Ariana Franklin’s previous novels and look out for anything else which Samantha Norman writes. I would rate this book 4/5.

Thank you to Transworld for my review copy and asking me to join with this tour, please visit other blogs on the tour for more insight into this book.

Book Review - The Year of Taking Chances by Lucy Diamond

 

The Year of Taking Chances by Lucy Diamond

Published: 1st January 2015

Publisher: Pan

Pages: 454

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

 

Blurb

It's New Year's Eve, and Gemma and Spencer Bailey are throwing a house party. There's music, dancing, champagne and all their best friends under one roof. It's going to be a night to remember.

Also at the party is Caitlin, who has returned to the village to pack up her much-missed mum's house and to figure out what to do with her life; and Saffron, a PR executive who's keeping a secret which no amount of spin can change. The three women bond over Gemma's dodgy cocktails and fortune cookies, and vow to make this year their best one yet.

But as the following months unfold, Gemma, Saffron and Caitlin find themselves tested to their limits by shocking new developments. Family, love, work, home - all the things they've taken for granted - are thrown into disarray. Under pressure, they are each forced to rethink their lives and start over. But dare they take a chance on something new?  

 

Review

Having discovered and enjoyed Lucy Diamond’s books last year I was eager to read something else by her and The Year of Taking Chances seemed the perfect book being as we’re starting a new year. The Year of Taking Chances is based on the lives of Gemma, Caitlin and Saffron who all meet at Gemma’s New Year’s Eve party. The three instantly bond and agree to make the following year the best they’ve ever had, little do they know it’s a year that’s really going to test each of them.

I instantly warmed to all three of these women and was drawn into their story so much that the rest of the world just passed me by until I was finished. These are real women who have to deal with real issues and I loved how much I could relate to them and longed to be part of their little group.

Gemma is a stay at home mum and is beginning to question what to do with the rest of her live now her kids are both at school and see her as “just a mum”, she’s wanting to be more but not sure how to fit it in around her family. I can totally relate to Gemma in this situation as I’m sure many mothers do, we long to be home for our children but also long to belong back in the adult world of work and it’s not easy to find a balance. When Gemma’s world is turned upside down she takes a chance and follows a lifelong dream, but can she manage to keep her family together as well.

Caitlin is returning to her childhood home to pack up the house after the death of her beloved  mother, stuck in a rut with her career and single again after finding her boyfriend with her best friend she’s feeling alone and vulnerable and craving the life she lost. As she begins to pack up the house she begins to uncover a secret which has been hidden for years and her which turns her even more upside down.

Saffron has escaped her London flat to think about her future, escape from PR nightmare Bunty and work out exactly what she’s going to do about her big secret which will more than likely tear her sisters heart to shreds.

Although I loved all three of these women I think my favourite character was Bunty, I just loved the way that she changed from being an over bearing nightmare to an actually quite kind hearted and likable woman. I think her confrontation with Saffron was probably one of my favourite parts of the books as I felt it was a huge turning point for both of these characters, Saffron became stronger willed and more determined and Bunty softened and became less irritating.

The Year of Taking Chances is a book with many themes including friendship, marriage, heartbreak, hidden secrets, pregnancy, careers, lack of money, it’s about the real life dramas we all face, about releasing how lucky you are and that only you can really go out there and get the life you want, all you have to do is take a chance.

I adored this book and was gutted when I’d finished, which wasn’t long as I couldn’t put it down. It’s one of the few books I’ve read where I loved all the characters, even Gemma’s horrible mother! It’s the perfect book to start off the New Year and fans of Lucy Diamond will adore it, I know I did.