Category Archives: Book Reviews

The Wild Girls by Phoebe Morgan | Book Review

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Is there anything better than a good thriller? Well yes, a good thriller where the characters are female. In my opinion anyway. The Wild Girls is about four wildly (sorry) different women who all go on holiday to Botswana to celebrate their friend Felicity’s birthday. They have not seen each other in years and the last time they did see each other it did not go well. All of the women have secrets, and they want to keep them to themselves.

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Hannah is a new mother, finally after years of infertility. Grace has been a hermit after suffering trauma. She lives with a flatmate who has a boyfriend who is rude to her. She needs to make changes and she knows it. Alison lives with her terrible boyfriend in a flat she can barely afford the mortgage for. All of the women are struggling in their lives. They all need something, so they accept the invitation from Felicity. No one has seen Felicity for years, she immigrated to New York with her boyfriend Nathaniel. It is an all-expenses trip to a luxury lodge in Botswana. Who could possibly say no?

The women arrive at the lodge and Felicity is nowhere to be seen. Things go downhill from there as the women realise that things are not quite right and more strange things keep happening. I do not want to give any of the plot away and to give the review I really wanted- and to truly capture how amazing I think Grace is, a truly brilliant character- I would have to. So instead I will say this: all of the characters are so vivid and perfectly written. There are four different women and each of them is so different and given so much depth. The plot races along. It is hard to put this book down and I really tried not to. I finished it in record time. I reckon you will too. From the great plot to the brilliant characters this book is pretty much perfect. Whats more, you will not see the ending coming. I loved it. A must read.

In a luxury lodge on Botswana’s sun-soaked plains, four friends reunite for a birthday celebration…

THE BIRTHDAY GIRL
Has it all, but chose love over her friends…

THE TEACHER
Feels the walls of her flat and classroom closing in…

THE MOTHER
Loves her baby, but desperately needs a break…

THE INTROVERT
Yearns for adventure after suffering for too long…

Arriving at the safari lodge, a feeling of unease settles over them. There’s no sign of the party that was promised. There’s no phone signal. They’re alone, in the wild.

THE HUNT IS ON.

The Wild Girls is available here.

 

 

 

The Hit List By Holly Seddon | Book Review

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The Hit List By Holly Seddon is one of my favourite books of the year so far. From the first page it drew me in and would not let go. The characters are all perfectly done and the clever story leaves you guessing. Holly Seddon is a master at plotting. It was exciting to read this brilliant novel as a reader, but also as a writer. Ah, that is how it is done, I thought to myself. This book is a must read. No exceptions.

On the anniversary of her husband’s accidental death, Marianne seeks comfort in everything Greg left behind. She wears his shirt and cologne, reads their love letters and emails. Soon she’s following his footsteps across the web, but her desperation to cling to any trace of him leads her to the dark web. And a hit list with her name on it.

To try to save herself from Sam, the assassin hired to kill her, Marianne must first unpick the wicked web in which Greg became tangled. Was Greg trying to protect her or did he want her dead?

The Hit List is available here.

 

THE RAILWAY GIRLS IN LOVE AND THE CHALLENGE OF WRITING THE BOOK

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“What was the most challenging aspect of writing The Railway Girls in Love?” That’s what Jane Cable asked me. I imagine she – and you – think maybe it was difficulties with the plot. But no. The plot was sorted out eighteen months previously. The book is part of a series, you see, and I have to be on top of the plot at all times, and that includes knowing what is going to happen in future books.

Maybe, then, you’re wondering if there was a particular character I found tricky to put on the page. Again, no. Having already written two books about my Railway Girls, I feel I know them inside out.

What, then, was the most challenging thing? Was it when my editor mistakenly sent me the wrong version of the track-change document for editing? Nope. That ended up meaning that I had two track-change documents open side by side, but it couldn’t be described as a challenge.

The most challenging thing – and I can’t begin to describe how I struggled to cope – was that The Railway Girls in Love was my spring 2020 lockdown novel – and the public library was shut. If I tell you that all but a few scenes of both The Railway Girls and Secrets of the Railway Girls were written in the local library, you’ll perhaps start to understand why the library closure posed a problem. For me, writing is about discipline, and discipline is about routine – and my routine was to go to the library every morning and knuckle down to work. I was astonished by how hard I found it to work at home. It’s not as though I live in a madcap household full of noise and disruption – quite the opposite. I can’t explain it. All I can say is I found it remarkably tough to work at home instead of tucked away in my little corner of the library.

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And now, dear Frost reader, you may be asking why I asked Maisie Thomas that particular question. It was because the more I thought about The Railway Girls books, the more I realised they were about the challenges these women faced. It could be said that is the essence of a saga – the increasing obstacles heaped on the characters, who have to beat them all to find their happy ending.

That could all sound rather grim. As could living through wartime Manchester with its air raids, worries about dear ones at home and abroad, and all the suffering and privations that entails. But The Railway Girls in Love, although dramatic at times, poignant at others, is a genuinely uplifting read as these vastly different women help each other and themselves to live out their hopes and resolve their fears.

The third book in the series, this one brings the stories of Joan, Mabel and Dot to resolution with a happy ever after for one of them (as much as can be achieved in wartime, that is) and at the very least happy for nows for the others. It has recently been announced there will be more Railway Girls books (hooray!), focussing on three of the other characters, but I can’t help thinking there is still more to tell about these three too.

I am sure you can tell I am a huge fan of these books. Why? Rich in research, with period detail woven into the story rather than distracting from it, writing that carries you along without you even noticing it. Add to that characters you really care about and gripping plot lines, they really are the most accomplished and enjoyable books.

 

The Railway Girls in Love is published by Arrow on 15th April.

 

 

 

 

Grow Healthy Babies: The Evidence-Based Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy

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grow healthy babies, pregnancy book, pregnancy, Being pregnant can feel like a minefield. Knowing what to eat and what to avoid can feel overwhelming. With allergies on the rise it adds more pressure. So I was excited to see the Grow Healthy Babies book. It is an evidence-based guide to reducing your child’s risk of asthma, eczema and allergies.

I was hoping it would not be a hippy-dippy book preaching to others what to eat and do, and I am happy to report it is not. It is a fantastic, well-researched book which backs up everything it says in droves. This book shows that you can make a huge difference to the health of your child, and it all starts in pregnancy. Pregnant women have more power than they realise.

While some of the research is not helpful to everyone- eating organic food is not within everyone’s range- I found the advice in this book invaluable. I would recommend it to anyone who is having a baby, or even thinking about getting pregnant. It is a truly great book and a triumph for the authors.

 

When lifelong asthma, eczema, and allergy sufferers Michelle Henning, a certified Nutrition & Health Coach, and her husband Dr. Victor Henning decided to become parents, they were well aware that half of all babies born today will develop allergies and up to a third will become asthmatic or suffer from eczema. Using their combined backgrounds in nutrition and science, they began investigating a mountain of medical literature on how to prevent chronic illness so that their baby would grow up healthy.

In their honest and enlightening new book Grow Healthy Babies, the Hennings share their research by distilling the latest medical evidence into a practical, easy to read guide that provides expecting parents with clear and simple steps to lower a baby’s risk of developing a chronic condition by up to 90%. With the goal of empowering parents-to-be or those planning to get pregnant with information about simple choices that improve their health and their child’s health, they cover a multitude of topics including:

  • You can make a difference: By making different choices during/after pregnancy, you have the power to shape your baby’s health for life
  • How your baby’s immune system develops, and how you can strengthen it to prevent chronic illness
  • How friendly bacteria, your microbiome, shape both your and your baby’s health, and how to protect and improve your microbiome
  • Which food choices and supplements during and after pregnancy make a real difference to your baby’s health, according to scientific studies
  • Why environmental factors and certain household products can trigger chronic disease, and how to choose healthier alternatives
  • How birth choices and breastfeeding can influence your baby’s long-term health

 

Grow Healthy Babies: The Evidence-Based Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy and Reducing Your Child’s Risk of Asthma, Eczema, and Allergies is available for pre-order at bookstores nationwide and online retailers such as Amazon.

Look What You Made Me Do by Nikki Smith

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I love getting my teeth into a good psychological thriller and Look What You Made Me Do did not disappoint. The story is based around two sisters and what happens after their father dies and there is an inheritance up for grabs. But all is not as it seems and this books leads you through a gripping plot while your feet never touch the ground. The characters are all fabulously written. This book is outstanding and entertaining, what more could anyone want?

Two people can keep a secret . . . if one of them is dead.

Sisters Jo and Caroline are used to hiding things from each other. They’ve never been close – taking it in turns to feel on the outside of their family unit, playing an endless game of favourites.

Jo envies Caroline’s life – things have always come so easy to her. Then a family inheritance falls entirely to Jo, and suddenly now Caroline wants what Jo has. Needs it, even.

But just how far will she go to get it?

The Art of Repair by Molly Martin

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the art of repair , molly martin, repair, mend, This is the book we all need in lockdown. Never have we had more time on our hands, and never have we appreciated the value of things more. This book show you how to mindfully mend and breathe new life into the things that you already have. It is also beautifully illustrated. Truly wonderful.

For Molly Martin, it all started with a pair of socks. Her favourite pair. When the heels became threadbare, her mother got out her darning mushroom and showed her how to reinforce the thinning stitches and bring them back to life. She has been stitching and darning ever since.

In The Art of Repair, Molly explores the humble origins of repair and how the act of mending a cherished item carefully by hand offers not just a practical solution but nourishment for the soul. Using her own beautiful illustrations, she guides us through the basics of the craft – from piecing and patching to the ancient Japanese art of Sashiko.

This book will stay with you long after you put down your needle and thread. It offers an antidote to our increasingly disposable lifestyle, encouraging us to reconnect not just with the everyday objects in our environment but also with ourselves.

Available here.

CARIADS’ CHOICE: MARCH BOOK REVIEWS

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Carmel Harrington’s My Pear Shaped Life, reviewed by Kitty Wilson

I thoroughly enjoyed this story of Greta Gale, the highs and lows of trying to learn to value yourself. The author wrote empathetically about addiction, body issues and familial relationships. As a reader I was willing Greta on and particularly loved her travels across The States. We could all do with an Uncle like Ray. The author weaves the story of The Wizard of Oz throughout which is exceptionally deftly done, beautifully illustrating the light and the dark within us all.

 

Christina Courtenay’s Echoes of the Runes, reviewed by Kitty Wilson

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, both narratives kept my attention and made me want to keep reading. It was fascinating reading the contemporary storyline and the archaeological detail. The romance kept me hooked and the little bit of jeopardy (no spoilers!) had me willing Mia and Haakon on.

However, it was Ceri and Haukr who captured my heart. I loved this storyline and could have read so much more about them. I rarely find a captive and captor romance convincing but Christina Courtenay writes these characters with such empathy it is impossible not to fall a little in love with them and their story. Am greatly looking forward to the next in the series.

 

Kate Johnson’s Death on the Aisle, reviewed by Evonne Wareham

This is the third book in the Molly Higgins amateur sleuth series from award winning author Kate Johnson, who confidently mixes romance with cosy crime. It can be read as a stand-alone but there are recurring characters and story lines so reading the series in order would be beneficial, and all are enjoyable. The first, Death Comes to Cornwall, was a recent nominee for the Jackie Collins Romantic Thriller of the Year Award. In this third book Kate takes some classic ingredients for romance – hunky hero, capable independent heroine, a Cornish fishing village and a cupcake café and mixes in a celebrity wedding, a film set, a virtual reality show, the wedding planner from hell and a couple of fairly gruesome murders. If you like romance with a hefty dash of crime and sleuthing, it’s an enjoyable read.

 

Carol Lovekin’s Ghostbird, reviewed by Jan Baynham

This is a magical tale that kept me spellbound until the end. I was able to marvel at the figurative language and poetic nature of the prose without it detracting from the pace of the story. The characters are very well drawn, displaying deep emotions, and I was particularly fond of Cadi. Secrets unravelled and the reader journeyed with all the characters to a satisfying conclusion. I loved the interaction between Cadi and the ghost. With its beautiful cover, Ghostbird is a book I thoroughly enjoyed, a book I kept returning to in my thoughts long after I’d finished reading it. Highly recommended.

 

Maisie Thomas’s Secrets of the Railway Girls, reviewed by Jane Cable

I loved the first Railways Girls saga, and the second book in the series did not disappoint. Set in World War Two in Manchester it vividly portrays the lives of women from vastly different backgrounds thrown together to help keep the country’s rail network running.

Although this book focuses on Dot, a working class forty-something grandmother, other stories are woven around hers so cleverly you just have to keep turning the pages. From the horrors of the Christmas blitz to cosy chats in the station tea room, all human nature is here and the writing is so wonderful it draws you in completely. I’m definitely having withdrawal symptoms having finished this one – luckily the next book is due out in April.

 

 

The Joy in You by Cat Deeley | Book Reviews.

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The Joy in You, Cat Deeley, children's book, review, book

I really loved this book. It has beautiful illustrations which are matched with lovely, inspiring words to let children know that it is okay to be themselves, and also go after their dreams. A great book from TV presenter Cat Deeley. My children loved it. Inspiring and positively affirming.

Encourage kids to live out loud and be their truest selves with this picture book from media personality, national treasure and mum, Cat Deeley.

Dream big, as big as the night sky full of stars.
When you discover the things you love, you’ll find true joy.

Journey through a magical world, filled with a colourful cast of animals, where readers have endless opportunities to be themselves and find freedom in expression. They will delight in the silly humour and undeniable spirit of this rhythmic and beautifully illustrated picture book-and take to heart the message that they are enough exactly as they are!

Cat Deeley’s debut is an ideal bedtime book that you can read to your little one over and over again and is the perfect gift for birthdays and baby showers.

The Joy in You is available here.