Tag SpellBound Books

Marriage Unarranged by Ritu Bhathal @RituBhathal@ZooloosBT @SpellBoundBks  #romance #chicklit #bookreview

yvonnembee 6 Comments

I am delighted to be one of the Book Bloggers opening the tour today and to share my review today for Marriage Unarranged by Ritu Bhathal. This was a fabulous read that took me into the life of Aashi, her family and her friends. A chick-lit with an Indian twist!

My huge thanks to Zoe at Zooloos Book Tours for my spot on the Blog Tour and for arranging my e-copy of the book via NetGalley from the publisher Spellbound Books.

It all s̶t̶a̶r̶t̶e̶d̶ ended with that box…
The year 2000 and Aashi’s life was all set.
New Millennium, exciting beginnings, new life.
Or so she thought.
Like in the Bollywood films, Ravi would woo her, charm her family and they’d get married and live happily ever after.

But then Aashi found the empty condom box…

Putting her ex-fiancé and her innocence behind her, Aashi embarks upon an enlightening journey, to another country, where vibrant memories are created, and unforgettable friendships forged.

Old images erased, new beginnings to explore.

And how can she forget the handsome stranger she meets?
A stranger who’s hiding something…
Coming Summer 2023, book 2 in The Rishtay Series

PURCHASE LINKS – AMAZON UK – US

MY REVIEW

This is the first time I have read anything by this author and I need to read more. I loved the journey I was taken on with the story of Aashi, her brothers Bali and Sunny, also her best friend Kiran.

After discovering her fiance isn’t quite the man she thought he was, Aashi makes the decision to break up the relationship. Aware of the possible embarrassment and shame that she may bring on her family worries her. It is so good that she has an understanding family and her best friend.

Deciding to use the honeymoon holiday rather than cancel it, Aashi and her brothers and Kiran make the journey to India. A trip that brought surprises and new experiences as well as new contacts.

This is such a wonderful story and it was interesting to see the author had put a list of the Punjab terms for the different family members. I have to say that as I got to know each of the family members and also others in the cast it soon became easy to understand them. This list of terms also includes that they may refer to non-related people as well.

This was a fabulous story and one that was full of so many things I know nothing much about. Understanding the family and the traditions as well as how things are gradually changing was great, also the food. mmmm… it sounds amazing. The one thing that I really appreciated knowing was the way the characters reacted when they arrived in India. The distinct smell and the colour overload were something that I had not even considered.

While this is a story about family and friends, it is also one about working out what makes the characters tick. There is a wonderful romantic tension, and nothing is straightforward. I do like the referrals back to tradition and how the rest of their families would feel. Even though each character has a choice, they are always resp[ectful of their families and how things will appear. Family is the core of the story in some ways and it was great to discover this.

As the story gradually progressed from home to India and then back home again I was taken on a whirlwind of a tour. Had some giggles and laughs as well as feeling for some of the characters. Aashi especially. It seems that Aashi transformed when she was allowed to be herself, and this was a subtle but amazing thing to watch.

How things worked out at the end was so appropriate and I felt it kept within the traits of the characters and it just felt really right.

I cannot wait to read the next book in this series, as this one was the first. A story that I think fans of romance and contemporary fiction are going to love. I know I did and I would definitely recommend it.

The only problem with this book that I had, is that I have to wait until next year before I can read the second in the series!!!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ritu Bhathal was born in Birmingham in the mid-1970s to migrant parents, hailing from Kenya but of Indian origin. This colourful background has been a constant source of inspiration to her. From childhood, she always enjoyed reading. This love of books is credited to her mother. The joy of reading spurred her on to become creative in her writing, from fiction to poetry. Winning little writing competitions at school and locally encouraged her to continue writing.
As a wife, mother, daughter, sister, and teacher, she has drawn inspiration from many avenues to create the poems that she writes. A qualified teacher, having studied at Kingston University, she now deals with classes of children as a sideline to her writing! Ritu also writes a blog, www.butismileanyway.com, a mixture of life and creativity, thoughts and opinions, which was awarded first place in the Best Overall Blog Category at the 2017 Annual Bloggers Bash Awards and Best Book Blog in 2019.
Ritu is happily married and living in Kent, with her Hubby Dearest, and two children, not forgetting the fur baby Sonu Singh.

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Many thanks fo reading my post,a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx

Black is the Colour by Seamus Connolly @seamusconnolly_ @ZooloosBT @SpellBoundBks #thriller #crime #debut #bookreview

yvonnembee 2 Comments

I am delighted to be one of the Bloggers to open the Tour today for a Debut Author and share my review. Black is the Colour by Seamus Connolly was a brilliant read and if you like twisted thrillers then have a look at this one!

My huge thanks to Zoe at Zooloos Book Tours for my spot on the Tour and for arranging my copy via the publisher Spellbound Books.

It has been almost three decades since the brutal murder of a young father took place on the streets of Glasgow.

Fleeing the country as a child Cal Lynch returns to Scotland a man, a lawyer, determined to exact vengeance on the gangster who killed his father and tore his family apart.

His desired retribution would be complex and challenging. He had dreamed, trained and prepared for the day of his return.

Falling in love was not part of the plan.

As Cal’s revenge on Eddie Quinn draws ever closer, what happens next will leave him broken and fighting for his very existence.

Black Is The Colour is a gritty gangland tartan noir thriller set against the turbulent backdrop of Thatcher’s Britain.

PURCHASE LINKS – AMAZON UK – US

MY REVIEW


What an absolutely fabulous read this book was. If I didn’t need to go to work I would have easily read it in one sitting.

From the synopsis, I knew this was going to be a thriller, I didn’t realise just how twisted it would get though. Cal has returned to Scotland, he has a plan and one that he has thought about for many years. He has revenge on his mind and he knows who he has in his line of sight. As a solicitor, Cal is able to use his experience and also the law to get what he needs to get. Or, so he thinks. Things don’t go all his way and there will be a price to pay along the way.

This is s set in the criminal world in Glasgow. While Cal has been away and made himself a name and a career he has never forgotten his roots. This is something that the author brings into the story and it is great to see. Cal knows the streets, and the people and thinks he knows what he is getting himself into. Plans, well on paper they are always great and even if you think you have all the alternatives covered, well there is something that will go awry.

This is a tense thriller and mystery novel and considering it is only around 180 pages long, the author has certainly made for an addictive story. This is one that is dark, it has unexpected twists and not everything is black or white.

I really liked getting to know Cal and some of the other characters. It doe shave that feel that there could be more to come in way of a series. I do hope so as I think there is the potential for much more.

There are a good amount of characters and I think the balance is about right for them, they are there because they are needed. Again there are some who I do think would make for great recurring characters.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is a well-paced story with plenty to keep you thinking and guessing. A couple of great curveballs to keep you on your toes and I look forward to reading more from this author. It is one for crime, thriller and mystery fans and one I would definitely recommend.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Seamus Connolly is a Scottish based author who has recently published his first novel – Black is the Colour. Brought up in the West of Scotland he combines gritty reality and great humour within his fiction writing.
Seamus is currently drafting a follow up to his debut novel which promises to keep readers enthralled with twists and turns to keep the pages turning.

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Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx

The Seamstress of Warsaw by Rebecca Mascull @rebeccamascull @SpellBoundBks @zooloo2008 #TheSeamstressOfWarsaw #historicalfiction #bookreview

yvonnembee 7 Comments

I am absolutely delighted to share my review today for The Seamstress of Warsaw by Rebecca Mascull. This is an amazing book that I adored, poignant, emotional and just simply fabulous.

My huge thanks to Zoe at Zooloo’s Book Tours for my spot on the blog Tour and for arranging my e-cop of this stunning book from the publisher SpellBound Books.

1940
London
A man learns a shocking truth about his past.
Warsaw
A mother writes a diary as the ghetto walls go up.
From the bombed streets of London, to occupied Warsaw, to the Polish forests bristling with partisans, will their paths cross?
Will their pasts be reconciled?
And will they survive the deadly assaults on their freedom and their lives?

THE SEAMSTRESS OF WARSAW is a tale of endurance and loss, family and blood, stories and histories, that questions the nature of who we are and where we are going, when the road ahead is burning.

Purchase Link – AMAZON UK or US

MY REVIEW…

When Daniel discovers that he is not who he thought he was, it leads him on a journey at one of the worst times in history to travel. Leaving his home in London her manages to get to Poland to try and find his real family. It is 1940, the family he is looking for is Jewish.

It always sounds so wrong when I say how much I enjoyed a book especially when it is one within this time in history. The persecution of the Jews, the atrocities, the danger for everyone in Europe no matter their belief, their ethnicity or their country. I did, however, really, really enjoy this story.

This is a story that has two sides to it, one is from the perspective of Daniel, the other his Polish mother, Helena. Having two perspectives is great, especially when neither is aware of what has happened or is happening to the other.

The story details so many awful and desperate ways people survived the ghettos, as the Jewish people were crammed into appalling conditions. This is hard reading, but the author has done it in such a way as to get across the imagery and being visceral rather than dramatic. This gives a sense of quiet belief and hope amidst the horror.

The story is very moving and emotional, and I found myself wanting and hoping for various scenarios to unfold. The story is wonderfully paced and also frustrating as opportunities and moments are missed.

A wonderful, wonderful story that captivated and enthralled me. It is one that is a journey of discovery, hope and of survival. I think if you like historical fiction set during WWII and that has historical facts and some wonderful research then this one will be for you. It is a story I would definitely recommend.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…

Rebecca Mascull is an author of historical novels. She also writes saga fiction under the pen-name of Mollie Walton. 
Rebecca’s latest book under the Mascull name is coming on September 18th 2021, THE SEAMSTRESS OF WARSAW, the powerful tale of two people unknowingly connected to each other, caught up in the whirlwind of World War II, whose perilous journeys we follow from the Blitz to the Warsaw Ghetto and beyond, published by SpellBound. 
Mollie Walton’s The Ironbridge Saga series is set in the dangerous world of the iron industry: THE DAUGHTERS OF IRONBRIDGE (2019). The second book in the trilogy is THE SECRETS OF IRONBRIDGE (2020), set in the brickyards of the 1850s. The third book is set in the coalmines and servants’ quarters of the 1870s: THE ORPHAN OF IRONBRIDGE (2021). All three are published by Bonnier Zaffre. Mollie’s next trilogy will be set in WW2 North Yorkshire and the first book of this saga will be out in March 2022, published by Welbeck. 
Her first novel as Rebecca Mascull, THE VISITORS (2014) tells the story of Adeliza Golding, a deaf-blind child living on her father’s hop farm in Victorian Kent. Her second novel SONG OF THE SEA MAID (2015) is set in the C18th and concerns an orphan girl who becomes a scientist and makes a remarkable discovery. Her third novel, THE WILD AIR (2017) is about a shy Edwardian girl who learns to fly and becomes a celebrated aviatrix but the shadow of war is looming. All are published by Hodder & Stoughton. 
She also completed the finishing chapters of her friend and fellow novelist Vanessa Lafaye’s final work, a novella called MISS MARLEY, a prequel to Dickens’s A CHRISTMAS CAROL. This novella is published by HarperCollins. 
Rebecca has worked in education, has a Masters in Writing and lives by the sea in the east of England. She is also a Fellow of the Royal Literary Fund, based at the University of Lincoln. 

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The Map Maker’s Daughter by Caroline Dunford @verdandiweaves @SpellBoundBks @zooloo2008 #yafiction #fantasy #bookreview

yvonnembee 10 Comments

I am delighted to share my review today for The Map Maker’s Daughter by Caroline Dunford. This is a Young Adult fantasy read that I really enjoyed.

My huge thanks to Zoe at Zooloo’s Book tours for my spot on the Blog Tour and for arranging my e-cop of the book.

Sharra’s world is a terrifying place.

Violent seismic ‘Shifts’ and outbreaks of an all-consuming black fire radically alter landscapes on an increasingly frequent basis. Only the Map Makers can predict where the Shift will fall, and Sharra, daughter to one of the most famous Map Makers, yearns to join their ranks and break a cultural taboo which forbids female cartographers. Sharra’s father, Lord Milton, is one of the few to challenge the current order, but his shadowy past limits his political reach and his second wife, Lady Ivory, is determined to manipulate him to ensure a privileged future for herself and her daughter, Jayne.

The main obstacle standing in Ivory’s way is Sharra.

MY REVIEW…

This is a wonderful Young Adult Fantasy book that follows the adventures of Sharra, she is the daughter of a mapmaker. Their role is to warn the world when the earth shift. When shifts happen danger and death follow.

Sharra is not like most girls her age, she’s a bit of a tom-boy, gets into trouble and is interested in the skill of map-making. This skill isn’t just your average map-making, it is a skill that literally can move mountains. Girls and women do not possess this skill, but then Sharra’s mother had the skill so it can happen.

This is a really enjoyable fantasy story, it has some magical intrigue to it and it is easy to follow. I would say that this is more a lighter fantasy book and it would work very well for younger readers. There is enough description to keep the plotline flowing and plenty of mystery and intrigue to keep the attention. I soon found myself caught up in this book and quite unable to leave it until I had finished it.

The character of Shanna is an interesting one, she has a stepmother who is always on at her, a father who is trying his best and also the stereotype of what society expects of a young woman of her position. This gives several elements that make for interesting reading. Add into this the danger that Shanna is in from those who want to have more of a hold over the map-making skills and it makes for a good action-adventure story.

I really enjoyed this, it is a good Young Adult Fantasy that I read in one sitting, I did find it wrapped up a little quick for me, and I could have quite easily read another 50 pages or so. I also think there is the potential here for another follow on book and if that is the case I would definitely be picking that one up. This is a fantasy, coming of age type story and one I would happily recommend. 

About the Author…

Caroline lives for stories. Reading them. Telling them, Watching them. She can’t get enough of them. She can hypnotise people and she sings well in the shower. She enjoys cooking, but hates housework, and has managed to convince everyone who knows her that she doesn’t understand washing up. So much so that when friends visit some of them do it for her. Fortunately she also has a dishwasher. She always feels she didn’t make enough of her teenage years, and hopes that at least the teenagers in her books do!

Visit Caroline at – Facebook – Instagram – Twitter – Website

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The Lies I Tell by Joel Hames @joel_hames @zooloo2008 @SpellBoundBks #mystery #suspense #bookreview

yvonnembee 3 Comments

I am delighted to share my review today for The Lies I Tell by Joel Hames. This is a mystery and suspense thriller that is a slower paced one, but also very addictive and intriguing.

My huge thanks to Zoe at Zooloo’s Book Tours for my stop on the Blog Tour and for arranging my copy of this fabulous book.

SHE’S WATCHING YOU,

BUT WHO’S WATCHING HER?


From the bestselling author of Dead North, a tense, claustrophobic psychological thriller perfect for fans of Lucy Foley, Claire McGowan and Clare Mackintosh.

Meet Polly.
Meet Emily.
Meet Belinda.

They’re all me.

My name is Lisa and I’m an identity thief. If I’m not inside your system stealing your money, I’ve probably already stolen it. I’m your friend. I’m a thief. I’m gone. I’m in control.

Only now, the tables have been turned. I’m in danger. My son is in danger. And I don’t know where that danger’s coming from.

Any friend.
Any enemy.
Any stranger.
Anyone from the past I’ve been trying to outrun for years.

NOBODY CAN BE TRUSTED.

My Review…

This was a book I took a little longer to read than usual. It is a story that alternates timelines and has several names that I needed to get used to. The names are the different aliases used by the main character, Lisa. She is an identity thief and a mother. Each one of these aliases is used in a different way.

This is a clever and complex story as I followed Lisa and her son Simon. Lisa’s story is told in two parts, the main one is set in a present day setting. The second is in shorter italicised chapters and this is about her time growing up and is gradually brought up to the present. I do like this style as you tend to get stories that are more in-depth giving the reason behind certain behaviour.

As the synopsis suggests, Lisa is definitely stumped when she discovers that someone has done the very thing that she does to others. The story follows true frustrations, struggles, torments and dangers that she now has to face. Thanks, f it was just Lisa she would know what to do, but she has her son to think of.

This is a slower-paced story and one that I was glad to slow my reading speed down for. It gave me the chance to absorb the story more and understand the character. This was clever and I was so intrigued by it. Following Lisa’s reasoning as to who could be after he led me down so many routes and roads. Not once did I have any inkling as to how the end would play out until the author was ready.

A mystery as well as suspense. I do think it is a thriller and psychological element to it as well. It’s a fabulously twisted story that gradually picks up as the story progresses. It is one that really caught my attention and I would definitely recommend it.

About the Author…

A Londoner in exile, Joel Hames lives in rural Lancashire with his wife and two daughters.

His works of fiction include the bestselling Sam Williams trilogy Dead North, No One Will Hear and The Cold Years, and the standalone psychological thriller The Lies I Tell.

When not writing or spending time with his family, Joel likes to eat, cook, play the piano, and make up excuses to avoid walking the dog. There’s the MMA thing, too, but he doesn’t like to show off.

You can find out more about Joel and sign up to his mailing list through social media or his very own Website

Twitter – Facebook

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Many thanks for reading my post, a alike or share would be amazing 🙂 xx