Review - All Fall Down by Louise Voss & Mark Edwards

Wow! What a thrilling read!

Dr Kate Maddox is a high profile virologist and when a number of her colleagues are murdered in a terrorist attack, she is called upon by a secret agent to go over to the US and help them to find a cure for this pandemic.  Torn between staying to be with her son, and possibly saving the world, she makes her choice and decides that she’ll send her son for a long holiday with his father in another part of the States to keep him protected from the virus that she has spent a lifetime trying to cure.  

Only they hadn’t told her the whole truth. While it was agreed originally for her partner to go with her, when they arrived in the US, they were separated and he decided to split from the secret agent and what they had in store for him to do a little investigating of his own about how his brother, and Kate’s former partner had been killed years earlier. 

Meanwhile a group of tough, killer “ladies” (and I say the word ladies in the loosest sense of the word!) discovered that it was their destiny and that they were the chosen ones who got to decide that the world needed to be refreshed of it's inhabitants and they were hell bent on spreading this virus in the US then onto to the rest of the world.  But first they wanted Kate to become one of them. 

Can Kate find a cure for this disease before it wipes out the people that she loves dearly as well as the rest of the world?  I’m not going to tell you the answer now am I!

This book got my heart thumping, my mind racing, and put me in a state where I was totally oblivious to the outside world while reading this book. It was thoroughly enjoyable, full of suspense and thrills it completely absorbed me. It was exciting, exhilarating, and my heart pounded most of the way through the book. There were times when I felt myself holding my breath and times where I wanted to shout at the main characters about what was going to happen and wanted to help them find a way out.  It took a while for me to come back down to earth and realise that they couldn't actually hear me if I did!

Brilliantly written, with amazing characters, and an unbelievable yet believable plot, very gruesome in parts, yet moving in others, there were so many different qualities in this book which made it a totally superb read.

Thoroughly entertaining, and totally energetic, it certainly grabbed my attention and my imagination and you really had no idea until the very end how it was going to turn out.   To tell the truth when I finished reading it, I felt completely exhausted as if I'd gone through every single one of the will ordeals myself and had to go and have a lie down!   

Mark Edwards and Louise Voss met after Louise saw Mark on a TV documentary about aspiring writers, and a writing partnership was born.

Their first two thrillers, Killing Cupid and Catch Your Death, were huge hits when the pair self-published them online, becoming the first UK indie authors to reach No. 1 in both the Amazon Kindle and Amazon Fiction charts. All Fall Down is their third novel.

Find out more about the crime-writing duo at their website
Facebook: Facebook.com/vossandedwards
Mark on Twitter: mredwards
Louise on Twitter: LouiseVoss1

To buy this book via Amazon UK click here

Launch - Goodnight Brian by Steven Manchester

Last year, it was a real honour to be contacted by Steven Manchester who asked me if I would like to review his novel Twelve Months.  I'm delighted to tell you that it became a #1 best seller on Amazon! You can read my review here.

I’m now really excited to announce that today, January 8^th, The Story Plant will be releasing Steven's new novel, Goodnight, Brian.  Here's a little bit about the book, sounds like it's going to be another tear-jerker and I can't wait to read it, but I'll definitely make sure that I've got a box of tissues at the side of me.  I kind of think I'm going to need them. 



 Fate was working against little Brian Mauretti. The food that was meant to nourish him was poisoning him instead, and the doctors said the damage was devastating and absolute. Fate had written off Brian. But fate didn’t count on a woman as determined as Brian’s grandmother, Angela DiMartino– who everyone knew as Mama. Loving her grandson with everything she had, Mama endeavored to battle fate. Fate had no idea what it was in for.

An emotional tale about the strength of family bonds, unconditional love, and the perseverance to do our best with the challenging gifts we receive,Goodnight, Brian is an uplifting tribute to what happens when giving up is not an option.

Steven Manchester is the published author of the #1 best seller, Twelve Months, as well as A Christmas Wish(the holiday prequel to Goodnight, Brian).

He is also the Pressed Pennies, The Unexpected Storm: The Gulf War Legacy and Jacob Evans,as well as several books under the pseudonym, Steven Herberts. His work has appeared on NBC's Today Show, CBS's The Early Show, CNN’s American Morning and BET’s Nightly News. Recently, three of his short stories were selected "101 Best" for Chicken Soup for the Soul series.

You can find out more about Steven at his website.   

You can also like him on Facebook. 


Available from Amazon.com Goodnight, Brian

Available from Amazon UK Goodnight, Brian

This is also available for Nook

Review - Dangerous Waters by Anne Allen

A thoroughly enjoyable book that I couldn't put down.

Jeanne Le Page, arrives in Guernsey on a ferry and has a panic attack.  She hasn't been back for fifteen years, since she was the only survivor of a boating accident which involved her parents.  Her grandmother has also now died and she has returned to the island because she has inherited her cottage. 

Jeanne has to make a decision as to whether she should sell the cottage, do it up and sell it, or do it up and live in it herself.  It is the latter that she decides and as she has just come out of a relationship along with its associated memories, she makes new friends and meets up with old friends in her efforts to build a new life in the place that she grew up in. 

She does however, get an 'odd' feeling in a certain part of the cottage and while looking for some old recipes of her Grandmother's, she finally uncovers a very old secret which goes back to the time of the German Occupation.  She becomes drawn into solving not one but two old mysteries, and while also trying to overcome her fears of the water, and get back the memories that she has lost, she finds that she is the star witness in one of them and for the second time in her life, she finds that her life is in danger. 

I loved reading this book.  It took me back to years ago when I visited Guernsey and thought it was one of the most beautiful places ever!  Anne's writing made it so easy to conjure up pictures of a very green and beautifully sunny island, with some very cosmopolitan places to visit and enjoy. 

Part of the book talks about her Grandmother's recipes and they try to recreate them using modern measures and ovens.  I was literally salivating at some of the descriptions and a lot of the book is also based around eating out, and I found myself constantly craving all of this gorgeous food that was being described and wanting to visit all of the restaurants.  Anne has done a fabulous job on behalf of the Guernsey Tourist Board as after reading this book, it has really picqued my interest in going there again as soon as possible.

I found that I couldn't put the book down, it was a mixture of mystery and romance, which was a great combination.  She became an integral part of a group of friends, and her relationships that developed within the group were wonderful and she handled one of the group who was getting way too friendly really well.  I read the book in two sittings, finishing it last night and I really couldn't wait to get back to it.   

Jeanne was a lovely character and I found myself wanting to be her, making a new life for herself in a beautiful country, living by the beach, having lots of time and enough money to be able to do up the cottage exactly as she wanted to before she found out that her life was in danger.  It really was written in a delightful way and was a thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable read. 

Anne Allen is a psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, counsellor and Reiki practitioner.  She is a mother of three children, and lives near the sea in Devon after spending many years living in Guernsey.   She loves to read and to travel. 

Find out more about Anne Allen at her website www.anneallen.co.uk
You can follow Anne on Twitter
Buy this book by clicking here

Review - Coffee, Tea, the Gypsy and Me by Caroline James

I absolutely loved this story!

Jo's husband ran off to Spain with their young spanish Nanny and so it was up to Jo to make a new life for herself and her son. On an impulse she buys Kirkton House - a run down guest house, and with the help of a number of local people that she took on as staff, in particular Hattie, with who she became firm friends, they work really hard to make sure they are able to open the refurbished country house hotel in time for the notorious Fair Week.

The Fair is a 300 year old gypsy tradition which the locals hate.  Keeping her hotel  fully booked and her young son happy and loved are the only things on her mind - that is until the handsome John Doherty walks through her door!

As soon as Caroline  starting to write about Kirkton House, I could picture it vividly in my mind and when the refurbishment was complete I wanted to book a room there so i could experience it for myself.  The more I read, the more I felt like I'd actually been there and walked around every area of this delightful house and sunbathed in the glorious garden and I loved it.  I felt like I'd eaten many of the fabulous meals that were created in the kitchen and found my mouth watering when I was reading about them. 

I loved the easy and natural friendship that was forged between Jo and Hattie and how Hattie wanted Jo to make the best of herself and look the part as the owner of this prestigious hotel. I found Jo to be an amazing hostess, and with Hattie on her side they couldn't fail to have a success on their hands.  I felt like I knew each of these amazing ladies and went through such as lot with them in the space of reading this book.  They were so supportive of each other and would have done anything to help the other. 

It was emotional in parts, hilarious in others, great fun to read and fabulously romantic all rolled into one.  As far as I was concerned, the ending was perfect and everything that I hoped for.     

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read, very entertaining, and left you wanting to turn the pages as quickly as possible to find out how the story was going to end.  Caroline is a wonderful author, naturally descriptive and the words just flowed so well throughout.  A fabulous book, which I adored. 

Caroline James ran away from home when she was 15 years old, and after a shaky start working as a waitress on the south coast, clawed her way through the hospitality industry at college in Bournemouth to the front desk of a leading London hotel.  She has owned and run businesses encompassing all aspects of the catering industry, from a pub to a hotel, restaurants and outside catering.  She now lives in Cheshire and runs a hospitality related company and loves to spend her leisure time writing and climbing mountains.

You can buy this book via Amazon

You can follow Caroline on Twitter

Review - Married by Christmas by Scarlett Bailey

A delightful festive read. 
 
Anna has had a difficult past.  Since she was a young girl, before being abandoned by her Mom, she has dreamt about having a wedding on Christmas Eve and her dream is coming true as she is marrying her fiance on Christmas Eve.  She has the whole thing planned down to the very last detail.
 
The only thing she didn't bargain for is the fact that her husband  to be Tom forgot to tell her that he was already married!  To a Las Vegas dancer he met a few years ago when he was in the USA.  Because she wants her dream to come true so much, she flies off to New York to sort it out leaving her best friend Eve & Tom behind.  What she has also missed is that Eve has a secret that she's also been hiding.  Anna meets an old friend Miles on the plane, who insists on helping her out while he is waiting for an audition which could be his big break in the world of music. 
 
This is a wonderful book, full of fun, romance, laughs and love.  The trip to New York made me feel like I was there myself experiencing a snow-covered Christmas in New York which is something I've always fancied.  

Each character was perfectly created, Anna in particular was a great lead role even though I found her a bit was a bit over enthusiastic with her organisation and lists but as her character let go a bit in New York, she became great fun, and her personality developed beautifully and I loved her even more.  Miles and Tom were very different leading males in the story but both equally likeable and Eve is the sort of best friend you would want in your life fighting your corner. 

Married by Christmas is a fun-filled romance that is purely delightful, fabulously festive to cosy up on the sofa with, and with lots of laughs thrown in to keep you thoroughly entertained.   
 

Scarlett also writes as Rowan Coleman and I reviewed one of her books - Dearest Rose - recently too.  You can find that review here. 
 
You can follow Scarlett on Twitter
You can like her on Facebook
You can buy this book via Amazon
You can find out more at her website www.rowancoleman.co.uk

Review - The Pollyanna Plan by Talli Roland

A fairy tale romance, perfect to brighten up a winter's day.

Emma was a hard-working underwriter in the world of insurance. Boyfriend George was a catch, but did her life make her happy? She had a soul-less flat, was a workaholic and had shut away her feelings in a compartment after she lost her dad to terminal illness alienating her mom and her mom's new family when she remarried. She went through life thinking that the worst would happen then wasn't too disappointed when it did!

When she lost her job, and within minutes found George canoodling with another woman, she decided over cocktails with her one and only friend Alice, that from now on she would only look at the positives in her life!   It was while she was hunting down a particular colour to paint her flat that reminded her of her dad, that she met and was attracted to Will who worked in the paint department at her local DIY centre. 

Will had recently been diagnosed with MS hand the last thing he needed was a girlfriend who might run a mile when they found out,like the last one had. He tried to push his feelings for Emma away although he really liked her, and she constantly got mixed messages from him which confused and upset her!

Talli Roland's books are always lively and fresh and full of loveliness.  They are also funny and refreshing. The Pollyanna Plan was all of these things and more. She creates perfect characters, believable plots and delivers fabulously hilarious lines all the way through which make you cough and splutter!

It was thoroughly enjoyable to read, a delightfully romantic story with a perfect fairy tale ending. 

Congratulations to Talli who recently gave birth to a very gorgeous baby boy! I'm sure he'll have some wonderful bedtime stories from a very early age from this lovely lady who again I had the privilege of meeting at the Festival of Romance.  She'll make a fantastic mom and I sincerely, from the bottom of my heart, wish the family a very happy and healthy future.

Talli writes funny and romantic fiction. She lives in London and admits openly on her website to having a crush on Sir Alan Sugar!

Her debut novel, The Hating Game was in the top 100 on Amazon Kindle UK for over 75 days. I was lucky enough to review Watching Willow Watts earlier this year which was a great read, and you can read my review of this book here.

She also writes the 24 Hours travel guides under the name of Marsha Moore. You can find out more about Talli at her website www.talliroland.com or read her entertaining posts at her blogsite http://talliroland.blogspot.com.

You can buy this book via Amazon UK

You can follow Talli on Twitter by clicking here.

Review - Dearest Rose by Rowan Coleman

This book was totally mesmerising!

Rose was just 9 years old when her father, an artist who she loved dearly, left her and her mother. She was left to pick up the pieces and hold their life together. A life that her mother didn't want to live.

Completely alone, she married young, her husband Richard a respectable GP, ten years older than herself and they had a daughter Maddie but she was so unhappy with her life! She clung to the memory of a young man called Frasier who came to her house once trying to trace her father.

When she decided that she could no longer live in her marriage she took her daughter and fled to the only place that came to mind. What she didn't know was who else she might find there!

This was a book that was deep, dark in places and thoroughly captivating! I was completely caught up in the story, totally mesmerised by the wonderful characters and the beautiful picturesque landscapes. It totally consumed my every waking thought and I couldn't rest until I knew the outcome. 

Rose found more than she bargained for in this village that became her home and the relationships that the story weaves a web around were complicated, dramatic and intense.

I particularly warmed to the character of Jenny who ran the B&B that became their home for a short while.  She was a really good person who on the outside was prickly and tough but on the inside was a warm-hearted, genuine soul who would do anything to help. Rosie's best friend Shona was a true friend, someone who would always be there for her, no matter what and vice versa.  We should all have a friend like Shona in our lives!

The book was beautifully written and intriguing from the very first page and I was so determined that I was not leaving my bed this morning until I had finished it! I finally dragged myself out of bed at 1.15pm (disgusting!) when I sadly read the very last page.  I could have gone on reading it forever!

It was heart-wrenching and spectacularly emotional in parts, with a cruel twist yet thoughtful and delicate where necessary, excellently touching sensitive topics in a way which highlighted the issues but with empathy and understanding. I would like to think that if a woman who found herself in the same situation as Rose read this book, it would give them the courage, determination and hope they needed to be able to change their lives. Rose was a sparky, courageous young lady and a complete inspiration!

I totally understand now why Rowan Coleman writes as Scarlett Bailey and keeps the books separate as they are two very different and very distinct writing styles both superb in their own way.

This book for me was an emotional rollercoaster, an incredible story by a magnificent author I had the honour of meeting at the recent Festival of Romance.  It was particularly great when I got to the part of Dearest Rose that Rowan read out, as I knew exactly how the story was written to be told. 

Rowan Coleman grew up in Hertfordshire secretly longing to be a writer despite battling with dyslexia. After graduating from university she worked in bookselling and publishing for seven years before winning Company Magazine Young Writer of the Year in 2001. Her first novel ‘Growing Up Twice’ was published in 2002 and since then she has gone from strength to strength.  

She has also written novels for children and teens under the name Rook Hasting and as I mentioned earlier also writes as Scarlett Bailey.  Her books are published around the world. She now lives in Hertfordshire with her family.

You can follow Rowan on Twitter
You can like Rowan on Facebook
You can buy this book via Amazon UK
You can find her website at www.rowancoleman.co.uk