Book Blog

Friends Forever by Danielle Steel,  “Theirs is a heart wrenching, ultimately triumphant story that spans decades, weaves together a vivid casts of characters, and captures the challenges we face in life—sometimes, if we’re lucky,  with a friend forever by our side.

This is a story about five friends forever they include Gabby, Billy, Izzie, Sean and Andy.  They met in kindergarten and stayed friends until there was only two left to carry on the friendship that started so many decades ago.  They were inseparable.  The girls would go to new teachers and tell them they were sisters.  The boys would go and say they were triplets.  Some believed them others didn’t.

Billy was a big athletic young boy and was wanting to play football...

Vangie Vale and the Larcenous Lava Cake (The Matchbaker Mysteries)

I never thought Edward would come back…

When the court case against my ex was finished, I thought we were finished, too. But it turns out, it was only the beginning.

The Larcenous Lava Cake is book four in The Matchbaker Mysteries, a new cozy culinary mystery series from USA Today Bestselling Author, R.L. Syme.

RECIPE INCLUDED: The Larcenous Lava Cake

Dollycas’s Thoughts 

The past comes back to bite Vangie when Edward returns. She lost everything because of him and she hoped he was out of her life forever. How did he get out of jail? She is sure he is running another scheme and wrapped her up in it again, but she isn’t going down...

About The Book

Mia thinks she has escaped her controlling ex-husband, Rob. She’s found herself a new home, a new boyfriend and a new life.
But when the police arrive to tell her that Rob has been found dead on his boat, things quickly fall apart. Mia is terrified she’ll be suspected, however the police are keeping all options open. They know Mia had reason to hate her ex-husband, but she’s not the only one. Plenty of people wanted Rob Creavy dead, not least his new wife, Rachel.
What they don’t know is that Mia has a secret, one she’s desperate to protect.
But someone else knows. Someone with very dark secrets of their own . . .

My Thoughts

This is a gripping and addictive read, dark and bitter, a read that I will not forget.
I always know that books with an abusive husband touc...

The coronavirus lockdown has led to a big uptick in reading and binge-watching. We’ve given you plenty of recommendations in both categories, but as things gradually get back to normal, one show you definitely don’t want to miss is the Canadian crime series Cardinal. Season four is available on iPlayer at the moment – it’s the best of the set and one of the finest cold climate revenge thrillers we’ve ever watched.

Winter has fallen on Algonquin Bay up in Northern Ontario, and the husband of a prominent local politician has been kidnapped. He dies a brutal death, tied to a stake and left out at night to freeze in the minus-20 degree climate wearing just a thin white parka.

Detectiv...

Translated by Shaun Whiteside — With its release timed to coincide with the UK’s first French Book Week and Bastille Day, Never Forget is French crime author Michel Bussi‘s latest suspense thriller and the fifth to be translated into English.

Jamal Salaoui has a goal – to run the toughest race in France, the Mont Blanc Ultra-Trail, a 68k run which takes around 46 hours to complete. The difference is that Jamal will do it with a prosthetic leg.

One morning while on holiday in Yport, Normandy, Jamal runs his usual morning route, the coastal path along the cliffs and notices a red scarf tied to a fence. When he realises it’s a pure cashmere Burberry scarf worth a small fortune, he takes it and carries on running.

As he approaches the blockhouse he notices a young woman standing l...

Summer by the sea – a time to spread your wings, right?

Leah has come to Dorset to collect seaweed samples for a nutrition research project. She’s trying to leave behind a disastrous family life, and is haunted by the death of her best friend, Claire, on whom she relied for advice.

Here she meets Brendon, an Australian come to search for his mysteriously-vanished-from-the-family great grandfather. Brendon has discovered a fear of British seagulls, particularly Roger, a hand-reared bird which has taken a liking to Leah. As Leah and Brendon form a summer friendship, their pasts catch up with them. But together they help each other to see beyond the narrow confines and mistakes of the past.

The Seasons by the Sea series combines laugh-out-loud humour with damaged people redeemed by l...

Five years ago, Sam Tiller made the best decision of his life … and the worst. Leaving behind a boring 9-to-5 job full of people he hated, Sam took a position that promised adventure and excitement, two things sorely missing from his life. The Community of Species Government (CSG) is certainly exciting. Sam learned about the existence of shifters and vampires, incubi, sorcerers, demons, and so many other creatures he’d never known existed. Now he works with them, is friends with them, and even likes some of them, like his best friend Alistair, who just so happens to be a hellhound.

The worst decision, though? That was when Sam picked up Gideon, a giant, muscular, gorgeous man, from the bar to celebrate the new job and ended up falling for him only to find out that A) Gideon’s a demon...

About The Book

One Summer can change your life…
As a single mum, Ellen Fox missed out on a lot, but she wouldn’t change a thing. Then she overhears her son saying he can’t leave home to go to college because she needs him too much. If she wants him to live his best life, she has to convince him she’s living hers.
To help, Ellen’s best friend Unity creates a list of challenges to push Ellen out of her comfort zone. Unity will complete the list, too. Only to support her friend, not because she needs to change. She’s a perfectly fine thirty four year old widow, who socialises at an old people’s home!
For both women, The Friendship List begins as a way to make others believe they’re doing just fine...

When a long-anticipated holiday takes an unexpected turn…

Aussie farm girl Matilda Moore kicks off her dream trip to London by flat-sitting for her childhood friend. But London is daunting, crowded and noisy, and that’s before Tilly finds a baby on the doorstep. There’s a note attached: “Henry, if you’re reading this, please know the worst has happened.”

Probability expert Henry Church has finally returned home to Wirralong, Australia, to see his grandparents when he gets a phone call from Tilly that breaks every statistical analysis. The probability of him being the father is marginal. Plus, he knows nothing about caring for a baby. Emotions and socializing are even bigger mysteries. He begs Tilly for help—can she cut her holiday short and bring the baby to Wirralong?

Ti...

I know that each child has their own needs and hobbies, sadly mine is only 4 and is totally obsessed with countries and flags (as I am sure you are aware if you follow me). That’s why we are always looking for toys with flags/countries for my little one to learn in a funny way, I can say that he recognises more flags than me and knows where to locate them in the map!
That’s why when I saw the book/toy Discovery Globe by Walker I thought it would be an amazing present for him and I think for any kid who loves to learn in a funny way! Because this is quite a complete set, there’s a book and a globe to assemble.

I’ll start talking about the globe, it’s quite easy to assemble (if the child is young, you’ll have to help them)...