Review - Something You Should Know by Melissa Hill

Something You Should Know by Melissa Hill
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1.5 days

Blurb From the back cover

Her mouth went dry and for a second Jenny didn’t think she would be able to breath – it couldn’t be him, could it?

Just when everything was going so well for Jenny and Mike, Roan Williams had to come back into their lives. Four years earlier, while her friends Tessa, Gerry, Karen and Shane were falling in love and heading for happy ever after, love-rat Roan had broken Jenny’s heart and completely shattered her life. Harboring a terrible lie, Jenny had struggled to pick up the pieces of her life, but if Roan was going to be around, the truth would have to come out.

It would ruin everything but Mike had a right to know…

My Review

I haven't had much time for reading lately so went for something light and chick lit. It is what it is, a story about a girl and a guy and all the complications that follow, although this one is a little different. We start in present day and Jenny is happy as she can be with Mike, they are going to get married and life is bliss. As with these type of scenarios something is bound to go wrong. Jenny's old flame is back in her life and she has to come clean to her friend about why she is so upset. We flick back to the not too distant past and start from when she first met her ex and the bulk of the story goes from there.

We follow Jenny and Roans meeting, relationship ups and downs and meet all of Jenny's close friends and the ins and outs of their relationships. There is an unexpected, shocking turn of events nearing the end of the book that I didn't expect or see coming which did give you a jolt. Jenny I found irritating for a lot of the book but came to if not like here then at least tolerate her. An enjoyable story and I would read this author again, 3/5 for me this time.

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Review - The Walking Dead: Rise Of The Governor by Robert Kirkwood

The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor by Robert Kirkman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read 3 days

Blurb From Goodreads

In the Walking Dead universe, there is no greater villain than The Governor. The despot who runs the walled-off town of Woodbury, he has his own sick sense of justice: whether it's forcing prisoners to battle zombies in an arena for the townspeople's amusement, or chopping off the appendages of those who cross him. The Governor was voted "Villain of the Year" by "Wizard" magazine the year he debuted, and his story arc was the most controversial in the history of the Walking Dead comic book series. Now, for the first time, fans of "The Walking Dead "will discover how The Governor became the man he is, and what drove him to such extremes.

My review

I have never read the comics of the walking dead but I do love the program and thought this book would link into it. There are no characters (that I have so far seen up to) from the show so don't go into this book thinking that there will be. The main characters are a small band of survivors, two brothers Philip and I think it was Brian, Phillip's little girl and his two friends of old. The story starts with the epidemic already underway and they are just trying to survive and understand what has happened. Soon enough you have zombies attacking and all their wits are tested to the max.

I did quite like this book (you know my love of zombies by now), and I found despite having a lot of real life things to catch up on I didn't want to put the book down. Love them or hate them the characters had their weaknesses and strength and you wanted to know if they made it.

A few issues I had with it was there seemed to be a lot of medical terms used, at times I liked this and other parts I felt it wasn't needed nor did it add to that part of the story. Phillip tended to have some severe behavior issues that I didn't notice right away and some of it let me thinking what is going on, did I miss something. As always there is gore and bad language so if your not a zombie fan and don't like that kind of thing then this book isn't for you. If your a fan of the zombie genre and fancy a fast paced adventure of the undead with some easy to follow characters then this is worth a go. I would read another by these authors, 3/5 for me.

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Octobers pre-loved giveaway

Again the pre-loved giveaway isn't going to be listed this month and apologies for this being posted so late. I will be instead hosting another Amazon voucher give away for the value of £5. Please use the form below and leave a comment for an additional entry

The competition as always runs to the end of the month, good luck and feel free to share. Click here to enter the competition

Review - The Fall by Claire McGowan

The Fall by Claire McGowan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time Taken To Read - on and off for 10 days

Blurb From Goodreads

What would you do if the man you love was accused of murder?

Bad things never happen to Charlotte. She's living the life she's always wanted and about to marry wealthy banker, Dan. But Dan's been hiding a secret, and the pressure is pushing him over the edge. After he's arrested for the vicious killing of a nightclub owner, Charlotte's future is shattered.

Then she opens her door to Keisha, an angry and frustrated stranger with a story to tell. Convinced of Dan's innocence, Charlotte must fight for him - even if it means destroying her perfect life. But what Keisha knows threatens everyone she loves, and puts her own life in danger.

DC Matthew Hegarty is riding high on the success of Dan's arrest. But he's finding it difficult to ignore his growing doubts as well as the beautiful and vulnerable Charlotte. Can he really risk it all for what's right?

Three stories. One truth. They all need to brace themselves for the fall.

My Review

You live in a huge house, wear all designer clothes/jewelery, and you and your husband have high flying jobs - everything is perfect. Until one night everything changes, you have memory loss and your husband to be is arrested for murder. He remembers punching the guy and being angry but everything else is a blank and now Dan is arrested and awaiting trial and the story follows Charlotte, Keisha (a stranger who Charlotte needs in more ways than one) and DC Matthew Hegarty.

I liked some aspects of this book and others got under my skin. For example Charlotte's guy possibly being innocent and not knowing as they both have memory loss was good and hooked you in. Keisha was really irritating and hard to like, she is foul mouthed and stayed with a violent moron to the detriment of her child and relationship with the child (although this also shows a good sharp dose of realism as this happens often in real life). Charlotte is also irritating as she seems to display contradicting behaviors throughout the book. There is a lot of bad language throughout although this adds to the contrast between classy working upper class Charlotte and struggling lower class Keisha. I would have liked to have read more on Dans company and the issues behind what they did and also the issue Charlotte had with her boss earlier in her career but this wasn't covered in great detail.

There is a lot or moral issues going on in this story and I think some people may enjoy it on that level. I don't know if my lack of enjoyment stems from having to dip in and out of this over a 10 day period but I did like some aspects of it therefore I am giving it an on the fence 3/5.

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Septembers Competition Winners is.....

Cathy Grouchey - The winner has been notified. Thanks so much to everyone who took part. Apologies for the delay in picking a winner but as mentioned in a previous post I am not able to get on as much as before due to new commitments but as soon as I got a chance I sorted it. I will do the same for Octobers pre-loved giveaway or competition, whichever I manage to get time for.



The winner was picked by the method I always use for competitions but it has been a while since I explained so for the new visitors here it is. I used to use a hat and write all the names in but when you get over 200 entries (that was for the Mark Billingham book), I changed it. Now I have numbers written and I use a wee box I got at Christmas from my Secret Santa on Risi. (picture added below and the lucky number this time was 12).

Review - Still Missing by Chevy Stevens

Still Missing by Chevy Stevens
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time Taken To Read - 3 days

Blurb From Amazon

On the day she was abducted, Annie O’Sullivan, a 32-year-old realtor, had three goals—sell a house, forget about a recent argument with her mother, and be on time for dinner with her ever-patient boyfriend. The open house is slow, but when her last visitor pulls up in a van as she's about to leave, Annie thinks it just might be her lucky day after all.

Interwoven with the story of the year Annie spent as the captive of a psychopath in a remote mountain cabin, which unfolds through sessions with her psychiatrist, is a second narrative recounting events following her escape—her struggle to piece her shattered life back together and the ongoing police investigation into the identity of her captor.

My Review

Annie Sullivan is your ordinary working girl, family arguments, a job she loves and a nice boyfriend. Thinking she is just about to sell another house and celebrate with her boyfriend, fate plays a terrifying card and everything Annie knew is now gone. Kidnapped, alone, scared and everything is about to get a whole lot worse - Annie is trapped with nowhere to run and no answers as to why she is suddenly in Hell on earth.

I loved the first 3 quarters of this book, and I mean loved - I was totally hooked! The book is written in sessions (like a diary form) to her "shrink", going from before the kidnap, to present day, to just after the kidnap. The story is written so well it grips you from the start and you hold your breath and even forget to breath out during some of it as you get so drawn in.

However in the last quarter things that happen just were a little to unrealistic (coming from a zombie/horror lover I realize how contradictory this sounds) but it did ruin it for me a fair bit. Also the conclusion and wrap up, I had some issues swallowing that too - it still makes for a good read and worth picking up, I am sure some people will love it but for me I was a tad disappointed considering how fantastic it started out. The author catches the psychological side of it perfectly and when I couldn't continue reading (life getting in the way), I did find myself thinking what is going to happen next. I would definitely read this author again and for a first book she has done a great job, I just wish the last part had stayed as good as the first 3 quarters, 3/5 for me.

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