Book Review: Bad Penny by Michele Gorman
Penny’s life is one big, fat secret… and everyone is about to find out.
Penny isn’t the girl she used to be, or the woman everyone thinks she is now. At 19, she bolted for London and never looked back. Nobody there knows who she was – not her care home colleagues, her boss, her clients or even her best friend and flat-mate. Auntie Mags is her only connection to her past, and she’s keeping schtum.
Oli can’t believe his luck. Not only is he about to fulfill his dream of really making a difference (assuming he wins his seat in the upcoming general election), now he’s met the perfect woman. Within a few dates he’s sure he wants to spend the rest of his life with Penny, and it’s all he can do not to shout it from the rooftops.
But Penny has hidden her secret by not shouting from any rooftops. In fact, the quieter, the better. So when Oli’s campaign swings into gear and the reporters start circling, it’s not only her future that’s about to come crashing down.
How can she find a happy ending with Oli when her past will definitely ruin his future, yet living with the lie will ruin their future together?
Then Penny’s past gets out of prison, and he’s about to turn up like a… bad penny.
*****
Penny has a secret and everyone is about to find out.
At 19, she fled to London. No one knows of her life before, not even her best friend/flatmate. Only her Auntie Mags knows her full history.
When Penny meets MP candidate, Oli, they hit it off. However, as Oli begins campaigning, it’s going to be harder for Penny to keep her secret.
Oh I love Michele’s novels so much. This book was no exception.
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Book News: Upcoming April Book Releases
This is one of my favourite posts to do as it gives me the opportunity to see which fantastic novels are due to be released.
April is no exception. I wanted to share five novels I am particularly excited about.
I am such a fan of Jules Wake and so I am excited about the release of the second novel in the Yorkshire Escape series, The Wednesday Morning Wild Swim. This is due to be released by One More Chapter on 30th April, with a paperback edition due in July.
This latest novel sounds like a great summer read.
Ettie is trying to work out what to do next whilst Dominic is trying to forget his past.
With the help of friends, a secret hidden lake and a scruffy dog, a new community is made, just when they all need each other most.
If thrillers are more your thing, then 22 Seconds by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro is due to be released on 28th April.
Book 22 in the Women’s Murder Club series, this sounds like it’s going to be a page turner.
SFPD’s Sergeant Lindsay Boxer has 22 seconds until she loses her badge or her life.
There’s buzz of a shipment of drugs and weapons due to cross the Mexican border before new restrictive gun laws go into effect.
Lindsay’s top informant tips her to a case.
Former cops, all with the same warning on their bodies – ‘you talk, you die.’
Now Lindsay needs to choose.
The third April release is Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
The paperback edition is due to be released by Penguin on 28th April.
I am yet to read any of the books by Taylor Jenkins Reid, (The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and One True Loves are on my TBR list,) but I’ve heard so many good things. This one sounds particularly good.
It’s August 1983.
Nina Riva is throwing the annual end-of-summer party and anticipation is high.
Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas.
By midnight, the party will be out of control.
By morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames.
See, sounds good right?!
The Birdcage by Eve Chase is also due to be released on 28th April.
by Book Review: Old Friends by Felicity Everett
Moving in together. What could go wrong?
Two couples, best friends for half a lifetime, move in together. What could possibly go wrong…?
Harriet and Mark have it all: successful careers, a lovely house in a leafy London suburb, twin boys on the cusp of leaving home. Yvette and Gary share a smaller place with their two daughters in a shabbier part of the same borough.
But when the stars align for a collective move north, it means a fresh start for them all. For Mark, it’s a chance to escape the rat race; for Harriet, a distraction from her unfulfilled dream of a late third child. Gary has decided to reboot the Madchester band that made him famous, while Yvette hopes it will give her daughters what she never had herself.
But as the reality of their new living arrangements slowly sinks in, the four friends face their own mid-life crises, and the dream becomes a nightmare…
*****
Harriet and Mark are both successful. They have two boys on the verge of graduating and moving out and they have a lovely home in a nice part of town.
Their friends, Gary and Yvette, live nearby in a smaller house in a less affluent neighbourhood. Yvette has been a teaching assistant for many years and Gary, a member of a 90’s band, is just about to attempt a comeback.
When it turns out that all four of them are moving up north, they all decide to move in together. Will it be as fun as they imagine or will it simply lead to trouble?
Old Friends was my introduction to Felicity Everett so I didn’t know what to expect.
Immediately, I was hooked on this story, wondering what was going to happen next.
It’s very clear from the beginning how close these two women are. The men have been bought together by the friendship shared by their wives and it was interesting to see how these dynamics and relationships changed as the story progressed.
It’s these characters that drive the narrative rather than external plot points (things outside the perimeters of these four people and their choices.) It deals with some sensitive themes and I feel it does this well. There are some dark moments yes but there are also many insightful ones too, as well as funny scenes – much like life really.
by Book Extract: Keeping up with the Kershaws by Helen Buckley
A lovely big welcome back to Helen Buckley. She’s here with the blog tour for her novel, Keeping up with the Kershaws.
What do you do when your life becomes more dramatic than reality TV?
As the devoted carer for famous antique expert Harold Kershaw, Karrie Morgan was always happy to keep a professional distance from his four spoilt grown-up children, who rarely made time for their father.
But then a surprise involving Harold’s Will means Karrie is flung headlong into a press scandal, and into the chaotic world of the surviving Kershaws.
With the support of her trusted childhood friend Andrew, mild-mannered Karrie must face down ruthless ice queen Portia, master manipulator Gabriel, Botox fanatic Arabella, and ladies’ man Rafe, star of reality TV show Raised in Richmond … although perhaps not as fake and flashy as he initially seems?
As vicious rumours circulate and Karrie’s past comes back to haunt her, she struggles to know who to trust. Can she keep up with the Kershaws’ schemes?
Helen has shared an extract from Keeping up with the Kershaws with Novel Kicks today. We hope you enjoy.
*****beginning of extract*****
In this extract, Karrie is about to face the fury of the four Kershaw siblings, who have found out that she has inherited their father’s millions.
Karrie shuddered with nerves as she paused outside the library, wondering if this was all just some awful nightmare that perhaps she would wake up from. She blinked hard and pinched her hand just to make sure, but she didn’t wake up. It was real and this was really happening, as much as she wished it weren’t. She took a breath, squared her shoulders, and pushed open the door.
The library was once her favourite room in the Kershaw house. The ornate wallpaper was largely obscured by the towering bookcases, made of specially ordered English Cherry, and filled with collectibles and rare books. The room had always smelled of old paper, particles of dust gently floated in the sunlight; a room of knowledge and peace.
by Book Review: Spring Tides at the Starfish Café by Jessica Redland
A big lovely welcome back to Jessica Redland. She is here with the blog tour for her latest novel, Spring Tides at the Starfish Café.
Welcome back to the Starfish Café – where you will find stunning views, delicious food and lifelong friendships.
A new season…
As winter turns to spring, Hollie – owner of The Starfish Café – is feeling content as she settles into her new life with her loving boyfriend, Jake, and their adorable dog Pickle.
But when an unwelcome visitor threatens the future of her café, Hollie must stay strong to protect her family’s legacy…
A leap of faith…
Emerging from an unhappy relationship, Tori finds herself with nowhere to stay and nobody to talk to. The long-hidden secrets of her past weigh heavily on her until a chance encounter with Finley, struggling to come to terms with his own secrets, provides an opportunity to open up.
Can she find the strength to stop hiding from her past and face up to her family? Especially when that would mean letting her guard down and learning to trust again…
A fresh start…?
Little do Hollie and Tori know that their lives are about to collide at The Starfish Café and they may be able to help each other with a fresh start. After all, with good friends in your life, nothing is impossible…
*****
Winter is now Spring. Hollie and Jake are settling into their new life with Pickle and business at the Starfish Café has never been better.
However, someone wants Hollie’s café and it seems they will stop at nothing to get it.
Tori has been with Layton for a few years. After a near death experience, she begins to question their relationship, his commitment and behaviour. It’s also been years since she has spoken to her family. If she left, where would she go?
I was so excited to be invited onto this blog tour. It was so lovely to be back at the Starfish Café. It was like grabbing a cup of tea, pulling up a chair and being back with old friends.
Don’t worry if you’ve not read Snowflakes Over the Starfish Café. Although this book is book two in the series, it could be read as a standalone in my opinion. However, the first book is brilliant so I would recommend it.
Hollie continues to be a wonderful, kind, relatable character. She’s a lot stronger and self assured this time around which was good to see.
Jake continues to be his lovely, charming self and it was great to see him grow as the plot progressed.
by Book Club
