Try Not To Breathe by Holly Seddon

Thanks to Corvus Books and the author Holly Seddon, I was delighted to receive a copy of this in exchange for an honest review........

You won't be able to put it down. Just remember to breathe.

Alex is a journalist who cuts herself off from everything and everyone but her one true love - drink, which is a constant battle with her demons but when she is forced to write a piece about a coma ward she meets a face from her past, Amy.  Amy was fifteen when she was savagely attacked and left for dead in a park. Her attacker was never found but since then, she has drifted into a lonely, timeless place.  She's as good as dead, but even her doctors are not sure how much she understands.  As Alex begins to investigate the attack to uncover the truth and find out what happened on that fateful day, she opens the door to the same danger that has left Amy in a coma.........

This book is brilliant, it had me gripped from the first few pages right through to the end. I even had to slow down reading it as I didn't want it to end. This story is told in a dual time narrative ~ back to 1995 when the attack happened and in the present day of 2010 and it slowly weaves a web with a mystery element of what actually happened to Amy on that fateful afternoon. I thought that I'd worked out who the attacker was halfway through it but I was completely wrong and as it was getting towards the end I could feel my heart beating quickly and I almost forgot to breath so it's definitely not for the fainthearted.  This is Holly Seddon's debut novel. I didn't like it, I LOVED it and it definitely didn't disappoint.  Try Not to Breathe has been compared to last year's hit The Girl On The Train but seeing as I haven't read that one (just yet) I can't really compare but this was a highly addictive and a MUST read for all fans of Psychological Thrillers.  I'm really looking forward to Holly Seddon's new novel which will hopefully be sometime this year (no pressure Holly).

Try Not To Breathe was published on the 7th January and is available on Kindle for £3.99 at the time of publication of this review and from all good bookstores.

Freedom's Child by Jax Miller

Freedom Oliver is a drunk, she's trouble and it seems to follow her around no matter where she goes.  Freedom has lived in a small town in Oregon for the past eighteen years, working at a bar and drinking away her troubled past. Twenty years ago, Freedom was arrested for killing her husband and spent two years in jail (where she put her newborn daughter up for adoption) before being exonerated.  Now she's in witness protection and trying to stay hidden from her dead husband's psychotic family. With nothing to do but anonymously watch on Facebook as her kid grows up, she feels trapped, bored, and heartbroken.

One day she reads that her daughter is missing, possibly even kidnapped. Freedom absconds her handlers, gets on her motorcycle, and heads for Kentucky, where her daughter was raised.  No longer protected by the US marshals, she is targeted and tracked by her husband's vengeful and resentful family, who are eager to make Freedom pay for his death. With nothing else left to lose, Freedom risks everything to make amends for a past that still haunts her. Will she make it or will her husbands family catch up with her???

This book is brilliant, it had me gripped from the first few pages right through to the end. I even had to slow down reading it as I didn't want it to end. It is a pretty gritty book in parts so it's definitely not for the fainthearted.  This is Jax Miller's debut novel, I didn't like it, I LOVED it and it definitely didn't disappoint.  Freedom's Child was a fast paced, action packed read and it was highly addictive and a MUST read for fans of Thrillers.  I loved this book so much that I included it in my Top 12 Reads of 2015.  I'm really looking forward to Jax Miller's new novel which will hopefully be sometime this year (no pressure Jax).

Freedom's Child is currently available on Kindle for £1.99 at the time of publication of this review and from all good bookstores.

The Doctor's Daughter by Vanessa Matthews

Thanks to the author Vanessa Matthews, I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review..........

It’s Austria 1927, women have the right to vote and morals are slackening, but 23 year old Marta Rosenblit is not the typical woman of her time. She has little connection with her elder sisters, her mother has been confined in an asylum since Marta was born. Her father’s friend Dr Leopold Kaposi is keen to help her make her name, but his interest is not purely professional and his motivations pose greater risks than she could possibly know. Marta's chance encounter in a café leads to a new friendship with young medical graduate Elise Saloman, but it soon turns out that Elise has some secrets of her own. When Marta’s shock discovery about her family coincides with her mother’s apparent suicide, Marta can’t take anymore. Not one person around her that she has grown to love and trust are who they seem.

This is by no means a happy read and is quite dark and disturbing in places.  This novel is primarily set in Vienna with a dark tale that follows her journey of self-discovery  as she tries to step out of her father’s shadow and find her identity in a man’s world but is full of secrets, lies and betrayals.  This was on my TBR pile for over 6 months and to be honest I didn't think I was going to enjoy this book but I didn't like it, I LOVED it but I'm just sorry I didn't pick it up sooner.  It was well researched and constructed.  The story flowed really well and does deal with a very sensitive and hard-hitting issue - I found I had a little tear in my eye at the end along with shedding a few along the way, so grab this book, curl up on the couch and prepare to have a few lump in your throat moments too. It definitely didn't disappoint. This is Vanessa Matthews  second novel, her first been Melodies of my Other Life and I look forward to reading more work from her.

The Doctor's Daughter is currently on Kindle for £1.99 at the time of publication of this review, in all good bookstores I really enjoyed this book so much that I included it in my Top 12 Reads of 2015 and I'd HIGHLY recommend this book and especially if you're a fan of Historical Fiction.

The Venus Trap by Louise Voss

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer & Netgalley, I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.........

Jo Atkins is a divorced mother of one and has recently  gathered the courage to enter the dating scene again.  She's had a couple of dates with Claudio, whom she vaguely remembers from her youth, but after a few dates decides he’s a bit creepy and politely tells him ‘thanks but no thanks’.  But Claudio doesn't seem to take to this too kindly to this and hoping that she'll never see him again Jo wakes up sick and terrified, handcuffed to her own bed.  She is given a week to prove her love for Claudio—or he will kill her.  Can she escape to raise the alarm before it's too late or will Claudio get his way??

WOW!!!  What a novel The Venus Trap was, it was absolutely fantastic. Claudio's character was absolutely brilliant, very well written and cleverly constructed.  They were everything you'd expect with a sociopath - cold, calculating, manipulating and has no regard for anyone's feelings or who they hurt on their path of destruction.  At times, I felt sorry for Claudio as he just wanted someone to love him back but unfortunately went about it the wrong way and in certain parts I could feel I was right there in the bedroom with Jo willing to help her out.

This is my first book that I've read by Louise Voss and it definitely won't be my last either.  I loved this book so much that I inclued it in my Top 12 Reads of 2015.  I'd HIGHLY recommend this novel especially if you're a fan of Rachel Abbott, Angela Marsons, Mark Edwards, Val McDermid and Mark Billingham. The Venus Trap is currently £3.98 and FREE with Kindle Unlimited so grab it while you can, you won't be disappointed so don't say I never told you so!!!

The Venus Trap is available on Kindle and in all good bookstores.

My Top Books of 2015

Hi everyone,

Well Christmas is nearly upon us which means it's nearly the end of another year and what a year 2015 has been for books.

I would like to firstly say thank you to all the authors, publishers and all the bookish people for all the support I've received throughout the year whether it was allowing me to read ARC's of their books, tweeting my reviews or viewing my blog, it's given me great confidence to make me continue doing what I love which is my LOVE for reading and reviewing.

Below you'll find listed my Top 12 Books of 2015 (well there's actually 13 as I couldn't leave any of these out) but they are not in any particular order.

Lost Girls ~ Angela Marsons

The Girl Who Broke The Rules ~ Marnie Riches

Only The Brave ~ Mel Sherratt

Those We Left Behind ~ Stuart Neville

The Two of Us ~ Andy Jones

The Doctor's Daughter ~ Vanessa Matthews  

Untouchable ~ Ava Marsh

Freedom's Child ~ Jax Miller

Follow Me ~ Angela Clarke

Disclaimer ~ Reneé Knight

Afraid ~ Mandasue Heller 

No Other Darkness ~ Sarah Hillary

The Venus Trap ~ Louise Voss

       
That's the list and hope you've enjoyed reading it. Hopefully you've read at least one of these titles and if not then I suggest you do. I'm already looking forward to the 2016 books where I hope I will find some excellent reads.

Merry Christmas to you all and best wishes for 2016 Xxx

Follow Me by Angela Clarke

Today, it's my turn on the final day of The Follow Me Blog Tour and I'm delighted that I was asked to participate with some great Book Bloggers so a HUGE thanks to Helena Sheffield from Avon Books and Netgalley, I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review........

LIKE. SHARE. FOLLOW . . . DIE

Freddy Venton is an unpaid reporter but would love nothing more than to be taken on and have a paid salary but currently has to make do with working in a coffee shop.  She's quite addicted to social media (I've been guilty of this on numerous occasions, who isn't!??)  She checks her phone first thing in the morning to see what she may have missed out on on her newsfeed the night before along with all of her other apps aswell as checking her apps last thing at night too.  She bumps into Nasreen Cudmore, a childhood friend who is now a member of the police force and an ambitious one at that too but eight years ago these two young girls did something that was unforgivable. Now, police officer Nasreen and investigative journalist Freddie are thrown together again in a desperate struggle to catch this scheming, fame-crazed killer. The ‘Hashtag Murderer’ posts chilling cryptic clues online, pointing to their next target.  Their account is gaining momentum every hour as the number of followers rises but so is the body count.  But can they stay one step ahead of him or will it be too late? Can they escape their own past??

This is the first book by Angela Clarke and what a debut it was, I didn't just like it, I LOVED it and it definitely didn't disappoint. There were a few twists in it, which I loved as I was convinced that I'd worked out who the killer was halfway through but I definitely wasn't expecting who I thought it was. There were parts in the book I could feel my heart thumping so it's definitely not for the fainthearted.  We are all too familiar with social media, it's part of our daily lives, whether it's Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat or Whatsapp,  the threats and dangers that these can pose and the way some people can use them dangerously to their advantage which sometimes cause tension, rows and fallouts between friends and family.  It really goes to show you that there can and are some crazed people on the internet these days and I'm sure we've all heard stories whether it be on the news or reported on social media.  I am really looking forward to reading more from Angela Clarke and she definitely is an author to watch and I would HIGHLY recommend this book and especially if you're like me quite addicted to social media so don't say I never told you.  I think I may have to check who my followers are in future just incase the "Hashtag Murder" may be following me...........

Follow me is available on Kindle from 3rd of December and will be available in all good bookstores from 31st December 2015.

25 Random Things About Me

Thanks to Kate at Bibliophile Book Club at http://bibliophilebookclub.wordpress.com for coming up with this idea & giving me the opportunity to use this idea for my own blog. I think it’s a great way for everyone to find out more about the person behind the blog, do here we go.

1. What is your middle name?

Elizabeth for Christening & took Bernadette for my Confirmation

2. What’s your favourite Drink?

I’m addicted to Hot Chocolate but I don't have it all the time but I do love a nice cup of tea, I have at least 3-4 mugs a day, possibly more when I'm reading of course. I also love Coke Zero.

3. What’s your favourite song at the moment?

Well it’s that time of year, so I'm loving all the Christmas songs, I also love the 80's & 90's also.

4. What’s your favourite food?

Oh, its got to be a creamy chicken, bacon pasta dish ~ delicious!!!

5. What’s the last thing you bought?

I've bought quite a few Christmas presents over the past few days, I also bought myself Star Wars PJ's for Christmas & a Star Wars top for my little nephew.

6. Favourite book of all time?

This ones really hard but I'd have to say To Kill A Mockingbird, I read it when I was 15 for my Junior Cert exams & then re-read it when I was in my 30's & definitely seen it from a different perspective.

7. Favourite Colour?

I wear a lot of different colors but my favorite colour is purple.

8. Do you have any pets?

Yes, we have 2 cats, Tiddles & Snowy, would be lost without them.

9. Favourite Perfume?

Pure Poison ~ Christian Dior

10 – Favourite holiday?

It has to be Orlando, Florida, I went there numerous times when I was younger with my brother, thanks to my super parents, we were brought every year until our late teens do magical experiences & great memories. I have to get back there again one day.

11. Are you married?

No, but I am engaged to Brian who's my best friend & soul mate. We're together almost 11 years & our anniversary is next week.

12. Have you ever been out the country? If so, how many times?

Oh, I'm not sure, I've travelled to Spain, Corfu, Greece, Orlando, Tampa & I've been to a few places in England & Wales numerous times.

13. Do you speak any other language?

I learned German when I was in school & also been from Ireland I can speak some Irish but I'm raging I never pursued it to become fluent.

14. How many siblings do you have?

I have 1 brother who is 5 years younger than me.

15. What is your favourite store?

I’m a big fan of Penneys but I also love Heatons, Dunnes, Debenhams, H&M, Forever 21 & M&S.

16. Favourite restaurant?

I would have to say I love The Lavey Inn which is in Cavan where my fiancé is from & I love going in when we visit his family.

17. When was the last time you cried?

A few weeks ago watching the Sainsbury's ad featuring Mog 

18. Favourite Blog?

This is a hard one as there are so many great book blogs out there but I'd have to say ~

https://bleachhouselibrary.blogspot.ie

https://bibliophilebookclub.wordpress.com

http://beccasbooooks.blogspot.co.uk

19. Favourite Movie?

I'd have to say Home Alone, The Santa Clause, Santa Clause The Movie, Indiana Jones Trilogy, mainly anything with Harrison Ford.

20. Favourite TV show?

I have quite a few ~ Currently Better Call Saul, Homeland, Red Rock. I was devastated when these were finished ~ Quantum Leap, Prison Break and Breaking Bad.

21. PC or Mac?

I use PC, phone or iPad for everything.

22. What phone do you have?

Galaxy Samsung S4.

23. What’s your favourite pastime?

Reading & blogging my reviews hoping someone might find a new read for themselves, watching football & other sports and spending time with my family.

24. Can you cook?

Yes, I cook all the time & don't mind it really but if was given choice I wouldn't, haha!!

25. Do you have any tattoos or piercings?

No, I don't have any of either.

I hope you enjoyed my post & learned a little bit more about me, please feel free to leave a comment below 