Tag: Read

My Week in Books – 12th November ’17

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MyWeekinBooks

New arrivals

Murder on the Orient ExpressMurder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (hardcover special edition, gift)

Just after midnight, the famous Orient Express is stopped in its tracks by a snowdrift. By morning, the millionaire Samuel Edward Ratchett lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside. Without a shred of doubt, one of his fellow passengers is the murderer. Isolated by the storm, detective Hercule Poirot must find the killer among a dozen of the dead man’s enemies, before the murderer decides to strike again.

The Marriage of Miss Jane AustenThe Marriage of Miss Jane Austen, Vol. 1 by Collins Hemingway (ebook, review copy courtesy of HF Virtual Book Tours)

Tradition holds that Jane Austen lived a prim and proper life as a single woman. But what if she wed a man as passionate and intelligent as she – and the marriage remained secret for 200 years? The Marriage of Miss Jane Austen is a trilogy that resolves the biggest mysteries of Austen’s life, the “lost years” of her twenties – a period of which historians know virtually nothing.

– Why the enduring rumours of a lost love or tragic affair?
– Why, afterward, did the vivacious Jane Austen prematurely put on “the cap of middle age” and shut herself away to write her books?
– Why, after her death, did her beloved sister destroy her letters, journals, and diaries from this period?

The Marriage of Miss Jane Austen trilogy presents an original love story, based on actual history, to put forth a believable, compelling, and plausible answer to Austen’s lost years. Go with Jane Austen as this thinking woman, and sensitive soul, seizes the opportunity for meaningful love with a man who inspires her and understands her independent spirit – the one man worthy of her mind, heart, and soul.

On What Cathy Read Next last week

Blog posts

Monday – I shared my review of Zenka by Alison Brodie, a blackly comic crime caper with a touch of romance.

Tuesday – I featured an extract from In The Dark by Andreas Pflüger

Wednesday – My WWW Wednesday  post is the opportunity to share what I’ve just finished reading, what I’m reading now and what I’ll be reading next. I also published my interview with Gary Corbin, author of Lying in Vengeance, the follow-up to the courtroom drama, Lying in Judgment,

Thursday – I shared my review of Cuz by Danielle Allen, a moving memoir of her murdered cousin, Michael, but also a devastating analysis of the US justice and penal system.

Friday – I was delighted to take part in the spotlight tour for The Tides Between by Elizabeth Jane Corbett.

Saturday – As part of the blog tour, I shared my review of Choosing Hope by Holly Kammier, an emotional story of infidelity, betrayal and self-discovery. I also published an interview with T.F. Jacobs, author of Untangling the Black Web, a political thriller set in the murky world of the U.S. health insurance system. There’s also a giveaway to win a copy of the book that runs until 19th November 2017.

Sunday – I took part in the blog tour for The Lido Girls by Allie Burns, sharing a fantastic interview with Allie all about the book and her research for it.

Challenge updates

  • Goodreads 2017 Reading Challenge – 138 out of 156 books read, 4 more than last week
  • Classics Club Challenge – 5 out of 50 books reviewed, same as last week
  • NetGalley/Edelweiss Reading Challenge 2017 (Gold) – 42 ARCs reviewed out of 50, 1 more than last week
  • From Page to Screen 2016/7– 7 book/film comparisons out of 12 completed, same as last week
  • From Page to Screen 2017/18 – 1 out of 3 completed, same as last week

On What Cathy Read Next this week

Currently reading

Planned posts

  • Review: The Secret of Vesalius by Jordi Llobregat
  • Blog Tour/Extract: Becoming Mrs. Smith by Tanya E Williams
  • Blog Tour/Guest Post: District VIII by Adam LeBor
  • Extract: The Fragile Thread of Hope by Pankaj Giri
  • Review: Letting Go by Maria Thompson Corley
  • Review: Venetian Blood: Murder in a Sensuous City by Christine Evelyn Volker
  • Blog Tour/Review: Illusion by Stephanie Elmas
  • Blog Tour/Review: Whiteout by Ragnar Jónasson

Blog Tour/Review: Choosing Hope by Holly Kammier

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ChoosingHopeTourBanner

I’m delighted to be hosting today’s stop on the blog tour for Choosing Hope by Holly Kammier. Described as ‘a powerful story of passion, deceit and the things we do for love’ you can find my review below. To read reviews of Choosing Hope by other great book bloggers, visit the tour page here.

WinPlus, there’s a giveaway (INTL) with a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card.

To enter the giveaway click here.

The giveaway closes on 16th November 2017.

ChoosingHopeAbout the Book

A broken marriage. A love affair. A lie that changes it all…

Hope Rains Sullivan is living the dream – a successful husband, two beautiful young boys, and a charming home in Northern California. She should be happy. She almost convinced herself she was, until Adrian came along. Adrian, appears to be everything her husband isn’t. He works with his hands, and is even willing to use them in a fight. He’s sexy, strong and fit, with warm brown skin that alludes to his Spanish background. Best of all, he lives for spending time with his kids. Feeling alone in her marriage, Adrian offers her a way out.   Hope’s affair is just the beginning. Her journey inward will require untangling her complicated past and surviving an astonishing revelation. Her lover is not who he pretends to be. She’s searching for her happily-ever-after, and no matter how painful the journey, she’ll find what she’s been looking for all along – the chance to choose Hope.

Praise for Choosing Hope

‘Dark around the edges with a shocking twist I didn’t see coming, this is the kind of book you’ll be passing around to your friends so you can talk about it. Holly Kammier delivers romance, suspense, and a strong, smart heroine who turns out to be nobody’s victim. Don’t miss this one!’ ( Kat Ross, best-selling author of The Midnight Sea)

Format: eBook, paperback (334 pp.)         Publisher: Acorn Publishing
Published: 31st October 2017                      Genre: Adult, Romance, Thriller

Purchase Links*
Amazon.co.uk ǀ Amazon.com ǀ Barnes & Noble ǀ Kobo ǀ iTunes
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

Find Choosing Hope on Goodreads

My Review

Choosing Hope is certainly not your typical romance story. I was quite surprised by how dark it became at times and how disturbing I found the physical and mental impact of some of the events on its main character, Hope.

On the surface, Hope may seem to have it all – a lovely house, a hard-working and successful husband, two lovely children – but underneath there lurks anxiety, frustration and disappointment at what her life has become. Having given up her career to be a full-time homemaker, she feels unfulfilled and restless. Despite the fact that her relationship with Kevin has deteriorated into disaffection on her part and barely restrained anger (or worse) on his, Hope lacks the confidence or self-belief to leave the sanctuary of their marriage.

A dysfunctional family background – including episodes of drug and alcohol-fuelled violence – has made her adept at appeasing the male members of her family and deferring to others’ wishes.  When she reconnects via social media with her first love, Adrian, the possibility of a new and much rosier future opens up for her. Everything about Adrian seems to be the polar opposite of Kevin. He says and does exactly the right things, responding empathically in a way that Kevin does not. But does Hope have the courage to step away from her current life into a new one? And is Adrian as perfect as he seems?

I have to say that for part of the book I did struggle to engage with or feel any empathy for Hope. Her belief that her life came down to a choice between two men rather irritated me. I found myself thinking: strike out on your own, don’t rely on other people to determine the course of your life, how can you let other people manipulate you like this? However, as events unfolded, I found myself growing more sympathetic towards Hope and, in the end, had a degree of admiration for her. And for her mom.

Choosing Hope is an interesting exploration of a woman’s journey through disaffection, infidelity and betrayal to eventual self-discovery and independence.

I received a review copy courtesy of Neverland Book Tours and chose to give an honest and unbiased review.

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In three words: Dark, emotional, unsettling

Try something similar…Exquisite by Sarah Stovell (click here to read my review)

HollyKammierAbout the Author

Co-owner of Acorn Publishing, Holly Kammier is a UCLA honors graduate and an accomplished content editor. With a background in journalism, she has worked everywhere from CNN in Washington, D.C. and KCOP-TV in Los Angeles, to the NBC affiliate in small-town Medford, Oregon. Holly is the best-selling author of the novel, Kingston Court, and Could Have Been Hollywood, a memoir. She recently completed her third book, Choosing Hope, a spin-off from Kingston Court. Holly resides in her hometown of San Diego, California, close to family and friends. A world traveller in her younger years, these days when she isn’t writing or working with new authors, she spends much of her time hanging out with her two boys, Josh and Alex. Holly is an avid reader with a passion for timeless books and beautiful writing. She also enjoys long walks with her Jack Russell Terrier, romantic movies, and making her mischievous sons smile wider.

Connect with Holly

Website ǀ Twitter ǀ Goodreads

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