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 

The Morning After Memoirs by Kate Michaels

Thanks to Laura Stephens from Ago Publishing I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.......

When we meet Jess she wakes up on New Years Day with a horrible hangover from the night before beside a man who she realises is not her boyfriend, Ben.  In fact, she doesn’t even remember Not-Ben’s name.  Jess is a twenty-nine year old who has a dead end job in an office who temporarily moves back in with her parents and the story follows her life and antics throughout the coming year with her friends and how she deals with her new found single life with some funny moments thrown in and memories which I'm sure we've all experienced when we were younger when relationships broke up.

I liked this book and it did make me laugh in parts but even though there are only 12 chapters I felt some of them were a little too long, unfortunately I couldn't warm to the main character and there were some parts that I felt were also a bit unrealistic.  The main character was whingy, needy & got on my nerves at times throughout the book especially where she kept referring to every man she met as "not Ben" even up to a year after her relationship had ended with Ben.  While I can honestly only say that I liked the book, I do think that people who like to hear stories or watch shows like Sex and The City you will love this book.  I am looking forward to reading more work from Kate Michaels.

This is available on Kindle and in all good bookstores.

Alone in the Dark by Karen Rose

Thanks to LoveReading.co.uk & Headline Publishing, I received a copy of this for an honest review............

Homicide Detective Scarlett Bishop has seen enough bad guys slip through the cracks and too many innocent victims go unavenged to know that good doesn't always prevail. So far, she's been able to lock away her rage and her vigilante fantasies. That lock is about to break. A desperate hunt to find a young girl's killer is about to take a deadly turn.  Former army ranger Marcus O'Bannion is a fierce champion of victims' rights. His investigation into the murder of a seventeen year old Asian girl lures him and Scarlett down a dark, dark road and straight into the path of a dangerous, powerful underground ring that deals in human trafficking.  To stop them, Scarlett and Marcus have to be just as cunning and just as ruthless as those they are hunting.  But first they have to make it out alive.......

Alone in the Dark is the second book in the Cincinnati series, the first one been Closer Than You Think.  This can be read as a standalone novel and because I didn't read it I don't think that it really affected my reading of Alone in the Dark by not reading the first novel.  This is the first book by Karen Rose that I've read but unfortunately I couldn't get into it at all, it started off quite slow, it did build up but kind of dropped off again, it could've made a great thriller but I felt it was about 200 pages too long and I ended up skimming through most of the chapters and I put it down numerous times and went off to do other things but I don't want that in a book, I want to be hooked from the first few pages at least and keep me gripped right until the last page is turned but this book didn't do this.  As I said it was my first book I've read by Karen Rose but I would try her earlier books when she started writing first.  I'm sorry, I really tried to like it but it wasn't for me.

Alone in the Dark is available on Kindle and published in hardback and paperback on November 5th and is available in all good bookstores.

Written In The Scars by Mel Sherratt

Thanks to the lovely author Mel Sherratt, I received an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review...........

Scars. Sometimes they’re visible. Sometimes they’re hidden deep within. 

Written in the Scars mainly focuses on four characters in this novel; Donna, Lewis, Megan and Mary.  Some of them are friends, some are poorer than others, they are from all walks of life but they are all associated with The Estate.

Donna's a single mother with two adult children Sam and Keera and after her failed marriage would love to have someone who wants to share her hopes and dreams, makes her happy and makes her smile but when a certain person comes into her life and starts to gives her the attention that she craves, will this be everything that she wanted??

Lewis is an ex soldier who has returned recently from the war in Afghanistan and is suffering from anger and consumed by grief by what he witnessed with his time in the army.  Having constant flashbacks and nightmares he risks loosing everything from his home, hi skid and even his marriage is on the brink of breakup.

Megan Cooper is a sweet girl who is a care assistant in a care home and also a cleaner in the local hospital, she hides her scars on a daily basis since she was old enough to understand for fear of being rejected.

Mary Marshall who is also Donna's mum who has dementia and lives in a care home and can't always remember how she got her scars.  Is she having falls and just can't simply remember or is there someone abusing her within the care home??

This is the third book that I've read a book by Mel Sherratt, I didn't just like it, I LOVED it and it definitely didn't disappoint.  I would definitely recommend it and I CAN'T recommend Mel's books enough.  It is an Estate Novel and this is the forth novel in the series, the first been Somewhere To Hide, the second been Behind A Closed Door and the third been Fighting For Survival.  Written in the Stars is the fourth book in The Estate Series but each one can be read and enjoyed as a standalone novel but I'll definitely read the first three in the series as I did feel that there might have been a bit of the background story that I may have missed out on.   I know that this book will stick in my memory longer than most because of the subject matter. I am really looking forward to Mel's next book already and I'm hoping that this isn't the last that we've heard from The Estate series.

Written in the Scars is published and available on Kindle and from all good bookstores since October 30th 2015 and is currently £1.99 at the time of publication of this review.

Lost Girls by Angela Marsons

Thanks to Bookouture  and Netgalley, I received an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review..........

DI Kim Stone is back with her investigating team and once again are put on the case. The story opens where DI Stone and her side-kick DS Bryant are part of a kidnapping case where two little nine year old girls, Charlie & Amy whom are best friends have been abducted from outside the local leisure centre.  Two families are plunged into a living nightmare.  The couple who offer the highest ransom will see their daughter again.  One girl will live, the other will die, make no doubt about it. A text message to both couples confirms the unthinkable; that the girls are the victims of a terrifying kidnapping.

When a second text message pits the two families against each other for the life of their children.  But which couple want their child back more!?? As the body count mounts up, DI Kim Stone realises that these ruthless killers might be the most deadly she has ever faced with their chances of bringing the girls home alive, are getting smaller by the hour. The clock starts ticking for D.I. Kim Stone and the team.   Will they get to the little girls on time or will it be too late!??  What are the couples trying to hide from their past?  Is there something more sinister behind all this that DI Kim Stone and her team have to try to unravel before it's too late??  Will someone’s child pay the ultimate price??

WOW, WOW, WOW!!!  What a novel Lost Girls was, I didn't think Angela Marsons could top her success with her previous two novels of Silent Scream & Evil Games but once again how wrong was I? It was absolutely fantastic. The sociopath/kidnapper 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 could feel I was right there with the two little girls.  As we discovered in the first and second book in the series, DI Stone has her own hidden past and her own demons and her own buried secrets to deal with which we do touch on a little in Lost Girls.  I will admit that I found parts of the story hard to read and in places it made my skin crawl but it definitely didn't disappoint. It was a spine-chilling , pulse pounding, heart thumping rollercoaster ride.  I know that his book will stick in my memory longer than most because of the subject matter that was involved. I am really looking forward to Angela's next book already where I'm hoping it won't be too long until another DI Stone Novel is upon us.

I've said this in my previous reviews that Angela Marsons is definitely an author to watch and I definitely mean it. It's hard to believe that Angela has written all 3 novels in less than a year which is an amazing achievement and I'm been honest here by saying that all 3 novels will definitely be in my Top 10 Reads of 2015.

I'd HIGHLY recommend ALL three of her novels especially if you're a fan of Rachel Abbott, Val McDermid and Mark Billingham. Silent Scream is only £0.99 & Evil Games is £1.99 respectively on Kindle at the moment so grab it while you can, you won't be disappointed so don't say I never told you so!!!

Lost Girls is published on 5th November and is available on Kindle and in all good bookstores and is currently £1.99 at the time of publication of this review.