Book Review: The Mysterious Writing Group by Susan Willis

The lovely Author Susan Willis has released another fabulous short story. I have to admit after reading many of her short stories ( All of which you can find reviewed on my blog), The Mysterious Writing Group is my favourite so far.

I downloaded when it was available to download for free. So thank you Susan for this freebie little coffee break read.

Description

Christine has joined her four friends from a writing group at a murder-mystery weekend in a manor house. Although they enjoy each other’s company in their writing sessions, Christine wonders how the dynamics of the group will work over three days? They have been studying the golden age detectives and she is huge fan of Sherlock Holmes.
To even out numbers Christine pairs up with a newcomer, a Welshman, called Owen who she immediately likes when he offers to be her sidekick, Doctor Watson. While using their powers of deduction they discover some mysterious happenings, which makes Christine wonder if everyone is who they say they are?

My Thoughts:

The Mysterious Writing Group is a perfect coffee break read. Like I have said with all of my reviews for Susan Willis’ short stories, they are a great little escapism read when you have a little time to yourself.

I liked this story because it’s all things bookish. The characters are from a writing group where they meet to discuss their work. The main character Christine begins within the first few pages talking about well known authors who write crime books. And to top it all off they go to a murder mystery weekend. It is a booklovers perfect set up.

The writing flows, the characters are relatable, and the story has a full rounded plot within its shorter styled book.

I have to say as well, I was not expecting it to end as it did……..

A cracker of a read and my favourite short story by Susan Willis so far. I’m readily waiting for the next one. 😊

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Links:
susanwillis.co.uk

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com

Twitter – @SusanWillis69

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Mini Review, Short Story by Susan Willis: The Author is Missing. Is His Story Happening For Real?

I have read lots of short stories the past year. This last one by Author Susan Willis was the one to finish off my Goodreads yearly challenge. I set my Goodreads Challenge at 30 books to read for 2019, and this was number 30. Yes, Short stories do count!

Description:

Rupert Robbins had instant success last year with his first crime novel. It was a best seller. His husband, Ian, is supportive and encourages him every step of the way. Rupert can write anywhere, but his favourite place for inspiration is in the park. It is while he is there one day that Rupert helps an older lady who stumbles with her shopping bag and twists her ankle. Will Rupert wish he’d looked the other way and not been the good Samaritan?

My Thoughts:

This is another quick coffee break read by the wonderful Author Susan Willis. In my opinion, this is her best short story so far.

It was based on an Author, a reader and a cosy criminal act.

The characters were portrayed well enough to give good pictures of them in my imagination. There were only two main characters so the short story had enough substance to fill these personalities. Both were very different.

I didn’t know where the end would lead. When I got to the end, I was satisfied that I had read a mystery book with good character definition, great descriptive detail and included a beginning, middle and end.

I look forward to more short stories by Susan Willis in 2020. 🤞

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*I just found out that Susan Willis is having her first ever blog tour for her new full sized novel beginning February 1st 2020, hosted by the awesome Rachel’s Random Resources. Keep an eye out for that.  See the book HERE! 

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 Links:

Goodreads

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com

Twitter?@susanwillis69

www.susanwillis.co.uk

 

Book Review: ‘The Bullet Proof Proposal’ by Rebekah Louise. ( A Novelette).

Rebekah Louise is the Author of a previous book of short stories that I have reviewed HERE!. Rebekah wrote a book which included 5 short stories called ‘Love, Life and Dreams’. I enjoyed Rebekah’s first book so when she asked me to read and review her new novelette, I was very pleased to do so. The Bulletproof Proposal is a short but packed story. I really enjoyed the escapism reading of it. Thank you Rebekah for my copy.

If you like the sound of it, (and why wouldn’t you!), then its your lucky day because tomorrow (February 14th 2018 ), especially for Valentines Day, Rebekah is offering free e copies of The Bulletproof Proposal. I have a guest post from the Author herself tomorrow, so watch out for that and the links to get the book.

Description:

After five years of dating Lisa is anticipating that all important question, will you Marry me?

Impatient, Lisa decides to take matters into her own hands and propose to Matt, after all it is the 21st Century.

Only she takes it one step further and with the help of her best friend Mandy, she prepares the ultimate proposal.

What she doesn’t know is whether this will be the beginning of her happily ever after or the beginning of the end.

My Thoughts:

What a fun and easy to read story. This was perfect for reading after a hard day at work. It is short enough to read in one sitting or like me, you could break it into two.

Lisa takes a gamble on her relationship. Being the impatient modern woman that she is, she doesn’t want to wait to be asked that all important question. She wants to know they will be together forever now. So Lisa prepares to most extraordinary proposal that you can imagine.

Between Lisa, her best friend and her Mum, they make and prepare a plan that sounds crazy at first ( and for quite a large part of the planning of it). But this is the fictional world that Rebekah Louise has created for our entertainment and she does it so well.

I had no idea if this spectacular plan was going to work for Lisa? But it was enjoyable to watch it play out and see where it would end.

Will Lisa become a happily married? Or will her plan bring egg on her face? Read The Bulletproof Proposal to find out.

You can find a copy of the book and details of the Author in the links below.

Links:

www.rebekahlouiseauthor.co.uk

Facebook. Twitter. Instagram

Goodreads. Amazon.com Amazon.co.uk

 

Book Review and #Giveaway. The Big Event by Anne John-Ligali.

Thank you to Rachel at RachelsRandomResources.com for organising this blog tour, and thank you to Anne John-Ligali for my copy of this book. I did a cover reveal for this book at the beginning of the month, and mentioned at that time how excited I was to read it. I was right to be excited, it is a brilliant book. 

Description:

You are cordially invited to the party of the season where you’ll meet Constance and friends in action. 

Constance Jeffries is excited when she gets the chance to meet up with virtual friends at a get-together in a London hotel. She’s been tweeting and messaging her lovely friends for years and feels they must be just as excited to finally meet her in person too. Or so she hopes. 

The Big Event is first part in a short story series about the importance of ‘real’ friendships and how it’s the little things that matter the most.

My Thoughts:

This is a lovely easy reading short story. I think the cover does a great job of representing the inside story, the characters and the sparkles. Constance will be an interesting and friendly character to follow and I am already looking forward to seeing what she does next. 

The story feels like it is setting a base for more stories to follow, yet still being a very enjoyable read on its own. I think if you use social media yourself, you will be able to identify with the characters that Anne John-Ligali has created. I wonder how many readers will have particular social media users in mind when they read this story?

I have a feeling this Author will be very popular, and her books will be quite addictive reading. I can’t wait for the next instalment. 

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I am already looking forward to the next part of this online friendship story, which is due out next year. 

GIVEAWAY TIME. 😊🍰🍵

And now for an amazing giveaway that suits this book so well. Sorry international’s but its UK only due to the prize location. You can win a Sparkly afternoon tea for 2 at London’s Vertigo42 in Central London, and an e book copy of the wonderful book The Big Event.

All you have to do is follow the link below where you see all the terms and conditions. Fill in the form and say why you would like to win the prize.

Follow the link HERE!

The competition closes on December 15th, and the winner will be announced on Anne’s social media pages and blog. So why wait, press the link and fill it in now, you could use the prize for yourself or give it as a special Christmas gift. 

Here is the link again, press it now and tell Anne why you want to win. 

AnneJohnLigali.com/why you want to win.

Good Luck!

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And are some links where you can stay in touch with the Author and hear about new releases. 

Author Blog   /   Author Twitter / Author Facebook.  /  Instagram /   Booksandauthor.co.uk

Blog Twitter  /   Blog Facebook

And now to really tempt you into the lovely world of The Big Event is Anne’s trailer for the book. 

Author Bio.

Anne John-Ligali is a writer and the founder of Books and Authors UK, a popular website featuring author interviews and book reviews. She loves all things books: reading, writing, going to book events, and meeting other book lovers. She has written a series of short stories and is currently writing her first novel.

When Anne is not writing, she is likely to be at soft play with her kids, taking long evening walks in Hyde Park, making green smoothies, window shopping, or having a pampering session at her local beauty salon (whenever she gets the chance). She can also be found watching box sets (albeit with a bit of shame at still having to catch up on Scandal, Grey’s, and Downton).

Originally from Peterborough, Anne now lives in London. After moving to London, she studied graphic design at the University of Arts and has held a number IT administration jobs in the city. Anne continues writing and aspires to write more women’s ficton books, a non-fiction book and several children’s books.

 

 

Cover Reveal: The Big Event, by Ann John-Ligali.

Thank you to Rachel from RachelsRandomResources for inviting me onto this cover reveal for the very brilliant sounding new book by Ann John-Ligali. As I said to Rachel, my tbr is overflowingly huge at the moment, so I am hesitant to accept any new book requests at the moment! But this new book, The Big Event just sounds so good and a book that so many of us bloggers and tweeters will be able to relate to. I’m so looking forward to reading it.

It will be published on 30th November 2017, and you can pre order it HERE!

But for now, have a look at this amazing cover, and tell me that you can see why I instantly wanted to add it to my toppling tbr. 

Description:

You are cordially invited to the party of the season where you’ll meet Constance and friends in action. 

Constance Jeffries is excited when she gets the chance to meet up with virtual friends at a get-together in a London hotel. She’s been tweeting and messaging her lovely friends for years and feels they must be just as excited to finally meet her in person too. Or so she hopes. 

The Big Event is first part in a short story series about the importance of ‘real’ friendships and how it’s the little things that matter the most.

Does this sound familiar to my bookblogging buddies? It would be fabulous to meet up with friends we speak to here, but there is always the wonder….. what would happen? This fictional book is right up my street, and I can’t wait to see what happens. Isn’t the cover just so glamorous! I love it. 

There is also a trailer for the book, and today you can watch it right here!

About The Author

Anne John-Ligali is a writer and the founder of Books and Authors UK, a popular website featuring author interviews and book reviews. She loves all things books: reading, writing, going to book events, and meeing other book lovers. She has written a series of short stories and is currently writing her first novel.

When Anne is not writing, she is likely to be at soft play with her kids, taking long evening walks in Hyde Park, making green smoothies, window shopping, or having a pampering session at her local beauty salon (whenever she gets the chance). She can also be found watching box sets (albeit with a bit of shame at still having to catch up on Scandal, Grey’s, and Downton).

Originally from Peterborough, Anne now lives in London. After moving to London, she studied graphic design at the University of Arts and has held a number IT administration jobs in the city. Anne continues writing and aspires to write more women’s  fiction books, a non-fiction book and several children’s books.

Links:

Amazon.co.uk

Twitter/@AnneJohnLigali

Twitter/@BooksNAuthorsUK

FACEBOOK      INSTAGRAM

Facebook – BooksNAuthors

www.booksandauthors.co.uk

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Book Review: When Implausible Events Occur. by Lucia Morosanu

I’m really enjoying short stories at the moment, so when Author Lucia Morosanu approached me and asked if I would like to read and review her book, I jumped at the chance. I read her synopsis and a few other reviews of this book, and just knew that I would like this book.

If you like the sound of it, you will see the links at the bottom of this post showing the links for the book. It is FREE on Amazon at the moment, so grab it while you can!

Description:

Love… What is it all about? Nobody really knows, but everybody has an opinion and a story. And this is the story of a boy named Alex and a girl named Diana and how a series of highly implausible events changed their relationship forever: and made for an interesting self-discovery journey.

My Thoughts:

I read this book quite quickly, its a short story and a good one. My thoughts as I was reading this book were that the thought process and emotional parts were so well written that it seemed to come from personal experience. I don’t know if the Author has been on a personal journey of love and self discovery, but this book was so well written that I could really feel like I was there with Die, (Diana). It is a beautifully written book by a talented Author.

The story follows Die after her live in long term boyfriend just ups and walks out one day. The story tells us how Die copes, what she thinks and what she does. If you have recently been through a break up this book would be perfect for you. If not, then it is still a very eloquently written story that drew me right into the characters thought processes.

The book is heartfelt, emotional and also has amusing parts too….

A friend visits to see how Die is and says….

“Do you want some chocolate?”

The main character Die is a writer, and the language that Die uses is just like the language of an inspiring writer. I felt that the book was about writing aswell as the story, which was great. I took pleasure in the way the words were used in this story, it was just so beautifully written.

“Its futile to pretend that linguistic grandiosity can explain life”…………..”That’s why I want to be a writer”

I would give this book 5 stars, I loved it and will definitely be looking out for more work from this talented Author! Even better that the book was free at the time from Amazon! See the links below and grab it while you can.

If you read this book, please let me know below what you thought of it. If you don’t read it, I would still love to hear from you!  😉

Thank you.

Free on Amazon today!

UK – Amazon UK

US – Amazon USA

 

Book Review: 12 Hours, by Hannah Harvey.

This novella just published by fantastic author Hannah Harvey. You might remember my post on her release date yesterday. With the exciting release of the book, I was very keen to read and hence review it. It did not disappoint!

The book is the author’s fifth Young Adult book, with the difference being that this is a novella, just 54 pages. 

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Description:

Two months ago, Riley was heartbroken when her boyfriend of almost a year, James, broke up with her on her graduation day, and then left town without saying goodbye.
She hasn’t heard from him since that day. Until now.
Now it’s two months on. It’s midnight, and she’s just received a message from him.

I’m outside. I need you.

Three little words she’s never been able to resist from him. Over the next twelve hours, follow Riley on an emotional journey, as she tries to work out why he’s back. If he’s staying and what she wants now that he’s back in her life again.

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My Thoughts:

This was a lovely read, very obviously young adult genre as it follows Riley through the night time hours with her ex boyfriend James. We learn straight away that Riley thinks James is the love of her life…. except he left! But now he is back and has contacted her by a text in the middle of the night. Riley goes out to see what he wants, and then we follow the two of them through the night, over the 12 hours. (clever title  😉 )

I liked the way the author wrote this book, it was like 24 (with Jack Bauer) but nothing like the storyline!!! I mean you could follow the story in real time, its a nice idea especially for a novella. The author wrote the characters with a lot of thought and insight, she could really get into the heads of the young people, and imagine how they would react to the situations that happened. It was emotional and exciting all at once. 

As the story continued and you got to know James, my feelings for him changed. You will have to read to see yourself…….. no spoilers here!

This is the first book of Hannah Harvey’s that I have read, and I loved it. It was cute, thoughtful and very well written. I will definitely be reading more of her books.

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Check out Hannah here:

log: www.the-book-tower.blogspot.co.uk
Twitter: @BookTowerBlog

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If you have read this or any other book by Hannah, I would love to hear from you.

Happy Reading!

 

Book Review: Chalet Girl Plays Cupid, by Lorraine Wilson.

A short story based on The Chalet Girl Series. I haven’t read any of the other books in this series, but this book worked fine as a stand alone. Though it does make you want to read ALL the other books in the series too.

The description:

A match made on the slopes…

After a messy break up that’s left her homeless, jobless and single, temporary chalet girl Emily needs a fresh start! So when best friend Holly asks her to help out before the start of the winter season at the exclusive Chalet Repos in Verbier, Emily jumps at the chance. What broken heart can’t be fixed by après ski cocktails?

Verbier seems like the perfect escape, until Emily meets super-sexy and darkly brooding winter athlete Jake. She’s meant to be avoiding men at all costs, but the spark between her and Jake is sizzling! As she finds herself increasingly left alone with Jake, Emily begins to wonder if Cupid has paid a visit to Chalet Repos…!

My Thoughts:

This is a nice easy read that I enjoyed over a lazy evening snuggled up with a blanket, cups of tea and some chocolate. I have started to really enjoy short stories recently, you get to read and finish a book with (usually) a great sense of satisfaction and enjoyment. This was certainly the case with this book.

The book was escapism complete. OK, so life might not have been great for Emily, the main character. But she is living in a ski resort chalet with her friend and a hunky guy. The place sounds idyllic and I was transported away to a snowy holiday place. 

Emily’s life was a bit of a mess, but she remained positive and focussed on trying to make someone else happy. She is a great character. As this is the only book I have read in the story, I don’t know if I will hear more of Emily or more about Holly and Scott who seemed to own the chalets? But I do know that I really enjoyed the read, the characters and the description of where the stories are based. It is definitely a place I want to re visit.

I have just added a lot of books to my tbr pile, as I want to read plenty more of this series

 If you want to read this book, or have already read it, please comment below what you thought of it and let me know if the rest of the series is just as good?

This book is currently available free on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Chalet-Girl-Plays-Cupid-Short-ebook/dp/B00SS45A2S/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1427304716&sr=8-3&keywords=chalet+girl

Happy reading.

 

Book Review: Rescue Me, by Serena Bell.

This is another Valentine Short story book that I downloaded. This is FREE on Amazon at the moment, so if you like the sound of it. Go get it!

The Description:

Getting stood up on Valentine’s Day has taken Molly Mack places she never would have dared to go…

After Molly Mack’s deadbeat boyfriend dumps her on the most romantic day of the year, Molly finds herself pushed to the edge—and in a tight spot. The only rescuer for miles around is her grumpy, laconic—and piping hot—neighbor, Dave Jenkins. Before long, Molly and Dave have struck enough sparks to bring the fire department running. Now the question is, Does Molly still want to be rescued? Or is she exactly where she wants to be?

My Thoughts:

I did enjoy this book, the story was nice and it was a quick fun read. The characters were interesting, I liked the beginning where the main character Molly is so mad that she throws her shoe across the room, with the shoe ending up going out the window!

As, its a short story I won’t speak anymore of the plot. It won’t take you long to read it yourself. I liked the story, but there were parts in it that were a little too raunchy for me. I am a bit of a prude. I think if the raunchy parts were tamed down to just kissing, then I would have liked it more. This is totally personal taste, and if you don’t mind a little sex in your reading then this would be a great book for you.

I guess the cover is telling in the type of book that it was. However, the writing style was good, the story ran a good course and I would recommend the book if you like a little fizz in your reading.

Did you read this, or are you going to? Let me know what you thought.

Thanks for reading.

 

Book Review: The Valentine Free Zone, by Fiona Gibson.

I downloaded this book as a short Valentine read, I love short stories as they are quick reads and also because they give you an idea of the authors style of writing, if you want to read more of their books.

Well, I knew I enjoyed Fiona Gibson’s books anyway, as I have read some of hers before. So, I had high hopes for this little read already.

The Description:

The Funny One: Part of the Love…Maybe ebook short story collection.

Sally’s teenage son Riley wants her out of their flat while he cooks a special Valentine supper for his girlfriend… so how on earth is she supposed to spend the most romantic night of the year?

A laugh-out-loud Valentine’s read, perfect for fans of ‘Outnumbered’ and Fern Britton.

My Thoughts:

This book is a quick, easy read which I really enjoyed. It doesn’t have any of the slushy, mushy typical Valentines stuff. It has characters being independent and strong.

It starts with Sally going on a daytime Valentine’s date with her boyfriend Michael. The date is to a very boring museum. Michael has to work that night, so Sally has to spend the night doing something else. Her son Riley however, wants the house to himself to entertain girlfriend Zoe. So, Sally has to find other arrangements for the night.

This book was easy reading, fun and light. I liked the main character Sally and was proud of the way she handled her love life and her family life. I also liked the character of Riley, her son. A typical nice 19 year old boy, wants to enjoy his girlfriend, but also wants to keep his Mum happy too. 

I like the style of writing of this author and will certainly keep reading her books.

If you want a quick read, whether for Valentine’s day or not, I recommend this book and this author.

Have you read it, or are you going to? Let me know your thoughts and as always any other book recommendations you have for me.

Thanks for reading and have a great day.