The Island Escape by Kerry Fisher: Review and Extract
The Island Escape is the latest novel from author, Kerry Fisher. It was released by Avon on 21st May 2015. It’s available in paperback and as an e-book. The cover is absolutely beautiful.
Kerry and the lovely people at Avon have shared an extract with us today. Enjoy!
That was three hours ago. I prayed I’d be able to hold on all night. I perched on the mattress, sitting with as little buttock touching it as possible. I wondered if Alicia was asleep. I hated the thought of her going to school in the morning all strung out and exhausted. The memory of her bewildered face as the police marched me away, that teenage bravado long gone, threatened my fragile composure. I hoped she’d heard me shout, ‘Don’t worry, darling, it’s just a bit of a misunderstanding,’ over my shoulder as I ducked into the squad car. I hoped – probably in vain – that Scott had been more interested in comforting her than making sure she understood that ‘I’d driven him to it’.
There was no air. Every time someone opened the door outside in the corridor, the smell of stale urine wafted around. I saw the occasional shadow move past the opaque window to the outside, convincing myself every time that it must be Scott coming to save me. A man was singing ‘Why are we waiting?’ in the cell opposite. Whoever was next to me was trying to batter the door down.
A fetid gust signalled the arrival of someone. The metal shutter was pulled back. Then a dark-haired policeman I hadn’t seen before came in, carrying a paper cup. Another person to feel humiliated in front of. Sitting there in a garb more suitable for carrying out a crime scene investigation made normal interaction impossible. I didn’t even dress up for fancy dress parties. The hairs on my arms lifted with static as I crossed them over my chest.
by 
Review: The Turning Point by Freya North
The Turning Point by Freya North is released by HarperCollins and is available to buy from today (4th June 2015.)
Everyone deserves a new beginning. But sometimes fate isn’t on your side…
Over one short weekend, when Canadian musician Scott Emerson and British children’s author Frankie Shaw meet by chance, a profound connection is made. Their homes are thousands of miles apart: Frankie and her children live by the coast of North Norfolk while Scott’s roots lie deep in the mountains of British Columbia. Against all advice, they decide to see where this might go.
Over oceans and time zones, they make sacrifices and take risks, discovering along the way new truths about love and family. For the first time in a long while, it seems life could be very good. But fate has a tragic twist in store, one that could destroy all that was hoped for.
I was excited when I received a review copy of The Turning Point from HarperCollins. I knew little about the plot when I started the book but from the first few pages, I was hooked. I wasn’t sure where the story was going to go at first but I quickly became invested in the characters and wanted to know what was going to happen to them.
by Review: Polly and The Puffin by Jenny Colgan
Polly and The Puffin is the first children’s novel from author, Jenny Colgan whose previous novels include the Little Beach Street Bakery series.
Here’s the blurb:
Polly heard a CRASH downstairs. Was it a monster? NO! Was it a spider alien? NO!
It was a little puffin with a broken wing…
When Polly discovers an injured puffin, she and her mummy look after him in their cottage by the sea.
Slowly, Neil’s wing heals and Polly must prepare herself to say goodbye to her new friend. Will she ever see him again?.
Let’s get straight into it… I love this little book. It is so cute. When it arrived from Little Brown, it came with a sweet little cuddly puffin (whose name is Neil and he now sits on my desk.) For people who are not familiar with Jenny’s previous novels, Neil the Puffin first appeared in the Little Beach Street bakery series.
With it being a children’s book (I definitely don’t fit into the age range of its target audience,) I didn’t know whether I was going to like it but it’s so sweet and adorable.
by Blog Tour: The Chateau on the Lake by Charlotte Betts
1792. As a teacher at her parents’ Academy for Young Ladies in the heart of London, Madeleine Moreau has lived her life sheltered from the outside world. But on the night of a dazzling Masquerade, tragedy strikes and she is left alone in the world. Desperate to find the family she never knew, Madeleine impulsively travels to France in search of them. But with war around the corner, and fearing for Madeleine’s safety, the enigmatic Comte Etienne d’Aubery offers her protection at his home, Chateau Mirabelle.
Chateau Mirabelle enchants Madeleine with its startling beauty, but it is a place of dark and haunting secrets. As the Revolution gathers momentum and the passions of the populace are enflamed, Madeleine must take control of her own destiny and unravel events of the past in order to secure a chance of future happiness.
I was enthralled with this novel from the first chapter. I have a love of history and this book very much appealed to that interest. It is set during the French Revolution and so I couldn’t wait to get started.
The prose is beautifully written and it sets the scene so well. I really did get the feeling that I was in Paris during the Revolution. There has obviously been a lot of research going into details – the danger and the atmosphere was palpable.
by Review: The Happy Ever Afterlife of Rosie Potter (RIP) by Kate Winter
Falling in love is never simple. Especially when you’re dead.
When Rosie Potter wakes up one morning with what she assumes is the world’s worst hangover, the last thing she expects is to discover that she’s actually dead. With a frustrating case of amnesia, suspicious circumstances surrounding her untimely demise, and stuck wearing her ugliest flannel PJs, Rosie must figure out not only what happened last night, but why on earth she’s still here. (Warning: Small spoilers.)
The title for this book alone made me intrigued. It also made me laugh so I was looking forward to reading it. From the first page, I was pulled into the story. The writing style made it so easy to read and so before I knew it, I’d been reading for a while and not realised that time had passed (when I should have been sleeping. I blame this book for a want to snooze at work. Haha.)
I did think that the main character dying at the beginning would put a downer on the story but Kate Winter writes with such warmth and humour that I found myself laughing out loud in many places throughout the book.
Rosie is unusual in that from the offset, she’s dead. The point of view is quite unique in that respect. She is likeable, funny and relatable and I liked her from the beginning and this kept me turning the page as I wanted to find out what happened to her.
I loved Charles. He is a lovely hero and the story is so bittersweet as you know that, despite the fact that the promise of love is there with him, you know that it is too late. Jenny was a lovely best friend and, like with Rosie, I felt sorry for her and what she had been through prior to the story starting. I did not like Jack. He is a great character if you love to hate him.
by Book Club
