Review: Our Kind of Cruelty

Our Kind of Cruelty by Araminta Hall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mike and Verity.
Verity and Mike.

All the way through this story I was hooked.
I listened to this on audio and just couldn’t stop listening.

Mike loves Verity. They’ve known each other for years.
Mike comes from a not so good background.
He’s got one objective in his life......making Verity happy.

But alas. He strays, leaving a relationship in tatters.

But it’s ok. It’s the games they play.

Playing games with each other seems to be a regular in their relationship especially where sex is involved. Verity likes to play out her fantasies in one way or the other.

Just who is at fault here you just won’t find out......not yet.

Whose playing who?

This is sinister, chilling, obsession, greed and much more.

It’s a very dark book that kept my 100% interest.

I’m so very glad I got to this.

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Review: The Wife Upstairs

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A very compelling book that I literally couldn’t leave alone.

Jane is a young girl whose life hasn’t been easy. She takes a job as a dog Walker and around that neighbourhood she gets more customers who hear about her and now she’s earning a little money.

She’s stating with this this uncouth guy. It’s not permanent and she wants out.

But her luck is soon to change but is it for the better?

This book has so many twists in it I got dizzy.

This little suburb has.....
Idle women with different clubs set up....
Gossip is rife....
Fallings out and a place where I’d describe as “people with twitchy curtains” I absolutely loved this book.

The characters
The storyline
The hidden secrets
The rags to riches

One book I’m keeping solidly on my shelf.



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Review: Only Child

Only Child by Rhiannon Navin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It’s honest and fair to say that this book made me cry on several levels.

A shooting takes place at this little boys school.
I remember when this book came out it was around about the Florida shooting I believe. I put this book aside and was going to come back to this one day. Now was the time.

His brother who attended the school was was older than him I’m sorry to say became a fatality of the shooting.

Listening to this on audio, it’s read by a talented narrator. Absolutely awesome! You need to Google him for sure!
It’s just like this little boy is reaching out and talking to me. Telling me what he observes, what he experiences and his innermost feelings.
That’s why I believe this made me so aware of morals to this story.

The grief when the mother finds out her eldest boy is dead being described by her youngest child was just something you couldn’t ignore. He was sat here by me telling me!

The parents are grieving. They do this in their way. But what about The Only Child they have right now?

He screams out pop pop POP in his nightmares and his father comforts him. Yet emotionally what is going on in this little boys mind, heart and emotions?

Child are resilient, they say.

That doesn’t mean we adults do not need to help them along the way to make sense of it all.
To guide them. To answer questions or even be there.
They are not immune !

Oh what a book!

My little heart found it sometimes too much......
That child talking to me on audio, explaining to me. Letting out his thoughts, his emotions.

Well done to the author and fantastic job to the narrator.

Impacted on me for sure.

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Review: Little Darlings

Little Darlings by Melanie Golding
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a spine chilling thriller.

It kept me on tenterhooks all the way through.
So was the mother who just gave birth to twins suffering from some sort of psychosis? Was the traumatic birth what sent her over the top?

This is a deep psychological thriller that will make your teeth rattle for sure.

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Review: The Roanoke Girls

The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I can’t believe this one slipped so far down the list. At the time of it’s pretty release and release there was so much hype I thought I’d wait. Let the waters calm down or my expectations would be so high.....then I forgot! Other books piled on top (you know how that is right.)

This was such a well told story that it’s only taken me 1 and 1/2 days to read. Mostly evenings.
Such is love.
Twisted.

There are so many forms of love, this one crossed the mark to somewhere it never should go.....ever!

When I read further in the Roanoke Girls was not a normal family. The conclusion of these girls. Why?

I later found out but never guessed in my wildest of dreams the finale.

What a compulsive read.

Definitely 5

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Review: The Carer

The Carer by Deborah Moggach
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this story.
His kids are older, got lives of their own.
They’re dad is getting older, he needs someone to care for him
Neither can do this with they’re commitments etc so they need a Carer. A paid Carer.

Mandy is employed to look after their Father.

I loved the unexpected twist in this, I was definitely thinking a different route so loved the surprise it gave me.

Part one is the NOW.

Part TWO

We go back in time in life of the parents.

It was fascinating how this was developed.

I need to look more into this authors work.
It’s been over a year I’ve had this on my shelf. Saw it on audio on BorrowBox so downloaded it. I listened to it whilst moving around and on times of sitting I followed it with my book.

The narrator was very good. Easy to listen to.

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Review: Downsizing: How I Lost 8 Stone, Reversed My Diabetes and Regained My Health

Downsizing: How I Lost 8 Stone, Reversed My Diabetes and Regained My Health by Tom Watson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As a person who needs to loose more weight and diabetic 2 mine could be controlled by eating, or rather, what I eat so I thought I’d take a look at this book.

Not much into Politics so didn’t know who this person was, so, not the reason I wanted to read it.

It’s informative as per most books like this.
As all diabetics are told......eat less carbs as carbs turn into sugar which causes us problems.
Less sugar in general.

Tom went on a low carb high fat sort of regime. I think he mentioned Keto as one one of the successful.

I’m in no doubt and awe that he’s lost so much weight which is astounding and I praise him for that. It’s the most difficult things to do, loose weight, then.......keep it off!
There’s no easy way, there’s no magic wand.

Being in his position I’d love for him to rally for manufacturers to less the sugar content in food.
To lobby for better healthier foods. We are getting bigger as a nation, I’m one of them. We sit more too as we e “machines” that do housework, chores, work and let’s not not forget, online shopping!
We don’t need to move much!

He gave an honest and open account of his life which I can relate to in part.

Would I recommend this book?
Yes, I think I would as it’s got some really good advice and let’s face it.....
He’s lost a half of his body weight. He’s reversed diabetes in his life so far.
It’s no easy fete that! I admire him.

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Review: Love in Lockdown

Love in Lockdown by Chloe James
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Cute
Romantic
Sweet
Very sugary
Too sugary sweet at times

Bit close to home seeing we are still in lockdown

But I did enjoy the sweeter unthinking read that you could just go with it once overlooking we are actually living in it at this time, just enjoy the cuteness without overthinking.

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Review: The Island

The Island by C.L. Taylor
My rating: 0 of 5 stars


Review Take your phobia or phobias.
Scares you right?
Mix them with being on an island with a guide that is now dead, just a group of your friends.
And then.....things happen one by one that bring out your individual phobias. Then there’s these guys.

It’s a YA read but can be for any age, it certainly has its scary moments that you bite your nails over.

Great portrayal of characters, young adults with kicking in hormones, great read!

My one down disappointment in the book was a portrayal of mental health excuse.
That will make sense to you when you read it.

It stood out to me because my husband lives with bi polar and I’ve been around psychosis in unwell people for over 30 years. So it hit home to me in a bit of a negative way.

A part from that, I loved it.

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Review: An Unusual Boy

An Unusual Boy by Fiona Higgins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I wanted to carry on reading this book but things got in the way last September with over commitments so I picked this book book a couple of days ago and finished it in a flash. Such a well written book with a subject matter that really keeps your attention, not only that, you’re emotions are going to be wrecked. I kid you not when I say how all over the place I was with my feelings.

I’m with the majority, it’s a book you shouldn’t miss.

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