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Showing posts from June, 2020

Before the Crown by Flora Harding

Set in the time of WW2 and the end of the war that has been dreamed of by many, stands a love story between two people. One brought up with duty and with the constant public eye always looking up to her as a figurehead. The other, a man who was born into a royal family no longer existent with no true home to go to and a family scattered across the globe. Elizabeth is a princess who has always known that duty is one of the most important things that she must hold in the highest regard in her life, especially knowing that she will one day be queen. This can be seen as being a blessing and a curse. However, this has created her in the character that she must always be on her guard and in the constant eye of her mother and father, so that she doesn't stray too far away. Philip can be seen as being fairly opposite in his character and those that have surrounded him throughout this part of his life. Described as being more of a person who acts before he thinks of the consequences, this h

Night Owls and Summer Skies by Rebecca Sullivan

Emma Lane is a newly-minted adult who for the past several years has been living under the custody of her father. It is now summer and she is being driven to her mother's to spend time with her before she goes off into the big bad world. But not all is what she hoped it would. When arriving at her mother's she is told that instead of staying at her mother's home, her mum is going on a cruise... but without her. Instead, she is thrown into the world which she escaped from as a kid, Camp Mapplewood. Camp Mapplewood and her have history that goes way back, but one of the main points which Emma makes early on is the mental health issues which she has inherited from it. The only connection that she does seem to have left since her last encounter is her friend, turned pen pal, Jessie. Emma seems like one of those people who doesn't think before she speaks or doesn't like it when she doesn't get her own way. This is expressed when she realises that she has to spend the

A Patchwork Family by Cathy Bramley

Gina is a woman who has had a lot of darkness in her life for the past few months, however, all is once again looking up as she starts a new chapter. Recently divorced, she now has the ticket to go out into the world and do something independent and follow her dreams as a childminder. However, as she begins to strive out into the world and become something for herself disaster strikes. The Evergreens, the place which she calls home has now been put up for sale. This is now Gina's fight for what is right for both her and friends. Does she have the confidence and tenacity to keep what is most important to her? Gina has been living on The Evergreens estate for a while now, while renting Welcome Cottage and running her childminding business from there with great success. However, when the divorce comes through, she finally decides that it is time to branch out and expand. But this is left in tatters after her landlord unexpectedly dies and leaves the estate to both her great-niece and

Expiry Date by Rachel Ward

When a body is discovered under a factory, the status quo of the community is shook to its core. However, it is only when shop workers, Bea and Ant begin to question what really happened that information about more horrific events come to light. Kingsleigh itself, the town in which the story takes place, can be seen as being cosy and idyllic. Although, this view is radically changed when Bea investigates into the body which has been found. The more that she researches through the history of Kingsleigh itself, the more that she discovers that nothing is as good as it seems, especially from the people that she knows the most. This creates the search for clearing someone's name most close to her, she must first be able to dig deep into some of the secrets that have been locked away until now. However, this poses the question of whether no one is truly innocent in this game and everyone could be a suspect. The great thing about this book is that its not predictable. In fact, there are

Moon Dog by Jane Elson

         Moon Dog is a book which has the honour of what is rarely categorised as being an undiscovered little gem. This book can be identified by all ages as being something which is considered to be relevant not only to the target audience of children, but also ages which are older and have gone through similar events throughout their own childhoods. It is an idea which appeals to most people throughout life, as there are so many people who have had the same fantasy of owning a dog when we were children ourselves. The main characters are secondary school kids named Marcus and Delilah. They are shown to have many varying differences, but the thing that connects them is their love of dogs and how they both wish for one themselves. However, the main plotline is based on a Newfoundland dog which Marcus names Moon Dog. Moon Dog herself can be seen to be a little bit of a mystery as she only seems to appear at night with the same men next door which is said to unoccupied. This is truly an

The Lost Prince by Alonna Williams

The Lost Prince is a story which can be seen to be influenced by aspects of Disney's Aladdin, Hercules, The Lion King and maybe a little bit of Anastasia, knotted into a bow in the YA genre.  The story begins with how King Dorian needs an heir and his belief that his grandson may still be alive somewhere. This then jumpstarts the search for the missing prince and whether there could be the possibility that he survived where his parents did not. He sends out a search with some of his men where they believe that it is less suspicious for them to say to the public that the royal family is one the search for a missing person, rather than the missing twenty year old prince. But doesn't this already make such a search by the royal family quite suspicious? Any search from a royal family rings some sort of alarm bells doesn't it? However, I find this part of the story to be less believable due to how there would always be some rational person seeing behind the veil of th

Unusual Confusion by Ada Almond

Hello everyone. On this occasion, we will be looking at a self-published debut novel which in my opinion, is so relevant to the present day. Can we just start by having a look at this book cover? Isn't it glorious? The teenage me is quite jealous right now. If only I had this book back in the day, I would have never let go of it. It would have taken centre stage right on my bookshelf with pride. Then again, I've always been a sucker for a good book cover. But aren't we all? So, where should I begin? Lets have a talk on the synopsis... The story is focussed on one girl in particular, her name Lexi Miller and her trials as young girl who doesn't believe in herself. She has been suffering with some form of mental illness, which she calls Solitary and keeps this knowledge to herself. She is also coming to terms with her sexual orientation, while battling the problems with everyday life at school. This also deals with the profound effect of bullying and how this shap