Blog Tour: 'Other Halves' by Nick Alexander (2014)

Hannah and Cliff’s marriage is over. After a traumatic family holiday, Cliff’s lies have been exposed and Hannah has been reunited with her lost love, Cliff’s brother, James. But after fifteen years together, and forever bound by love for their eleven-year-old son, Luke, breaking free and starting again seems impossible.
A new life in Australia with James beckons for Hannah – but can she embark on this adventure without losing the love of her son? And can Cliff finally face up to issues he has suppressed since adolescence and find happiness in a confusing world?
Amid the turmoil of separation, and with Luke caught in the crossfire, both Hannah and Cliff face the challenge of rebuilding their lives. To make the other halves of their lives count, theyneed courage and determination. But perhaps it’s more than they possess...
As a part of the Fiction Addiction Book Tour for author Nick Alexander, I didn’t just receive the chance to review his novel ‘The Half-Life of Hannah’, but also the sequel ‘Other Halves’ which will be published by Black & White on the 5th of June. I found myself really looking forward to being able to go back to the same cast of characters, curious to find out what had happened to them after the end of the first part, and I hoped I would enjoy the book as much as I enjoyed ‘The Half-Life of Hannah’.
After a not so successful holiday in the south of France, it is clear that Hannah and Cliff’s marriage is over. Hannah is back together with the love of her life, Cliff’s brother James, and wants to start a new part of her life with him. However, her marriage to Cliff lasted fifteen years and resulted in their wonderful son Luke, and Hannah quickly realises it might not be as easy as she thought to cut the ties and start over again. The separation forces both Hannah and Cliff to rethink their decisions and once and for all decide what it is they want in life.  
‘Other Halves’ is the second part of Hannah and Cliff's story and I’m personally really happy the author decided to write a sequel. It felt like the characters had much more to tell, and this book shows that is indeed the case. I really enjoyed that Cliff got his own voice in this story, much more than in the first part. The reader gets to see everything from both Hannah’s and Cliff’s perspective which really added another layer to the story. In the first book, I was definitely rooting for Hannah, while the sequel also shows you Cliff’s perspective on it all and I couldn’t help but feel for him as well. It was wonderful to see these two characters develop and trying to find their own way after their marriage has ended. As the reader I found myself stuck in the middle of the divorce as well, in a way, and Nick Alexander did an amazing job conveying this feeling onto paper, making this a rather emotional read.
After finishing ‘The Half-Life of Hannah’ I first read some other books before starting this one. It was really easy to get back into the story, and I guess you could also read it as a stand-alone, though I don’t recommend it. The first book centres on an important part of Cliff and Hannah’s story, and the two books together make a strong whole and complement one another. The story and the characters are incredibly real, and it made me think about how my own life has turned out because of the decisions I’ve made. ‘Other Halves’ is a wonderful sequel within this realistic, gripping and emotional series; definitely recommended!
Rating:

8,5/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com/ Goodreads     Thanks to the author for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
Be sure to enter the giveaway to win a paperback copy of both books, open internationally. Good luck to everyone!
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Blog Tour: 'The Half-Life of Hannah' by Nick Alexander (2014)

Hannah is thirty-eight and the happily married mother of eleven-year-old Luke, the diamond in her world. Her marriage is reassuringly stable, and after fifteen years she has managed to push the wild dreams of youth from her mind and concentrate on the everyday satisfactions of here and now. The first half of her life hasn't been as exciting as she had hoped, but then, she reckons, whose has? 
When she succeeds in convincing husband Cliff to rent a villa in the south of France for a summer vacation with her sister Jill and gay friend Tristan, she's expecting little more than a pleasant few weeks with her family. But they each have their own baggage - their own secrets - ready to explode on this not-so-relaxing holiday in France. When a phone call at the villa announces the imminent arrival of a ghost from her past, the ambiance is transformed into a raging sea of jealousy as Hannah is forced to question everything she thought she knew and believed. 
But is she brave enough to take the life-changing decisions her future happiness requires?
Today I’m really excited to be part of the blog tour for Nick Alexander’s two novels, ‘The Half-Life of Hannah’ and ‘Other Halves’, organised by Fiction Addiction Book Tours. The books are both being rereleased by Black & White; ‘The Half-Life of Hannah’ was released on the 8th of May and I was lucky enough to receive a review copy as a part of this blog tour. I hadn’t read anything by Nick Alexander before, and I looked forward to read something by a male author for a change. Overall, I mainly read books written by women, since the female population is quite dominant within the field of chick lit, so I was glad to receive the chance to check out Nick Alexander’s work.
Thirty-eight year old Hannah has been happily married to her husband Cliff for the past fifteen years and together they have a teenage son, Luke, who is the centre of Hannah’s life. After a bit of persuading, Hannah convinces Cliff to go on a holiday to the south of France where they have rented a villa together with Hannah’s sister Jill, her daughter, and Jill’s good friend Tristan. Everyone wants to have a relaxing and sunny holiday, but it doesn’t take long before the tension starts to rise. Secrets are being kept and when a ghost from Hannah’s past arrives, she starts to think whether it is time for her to leave this stable life behind and finally start living the other half of her life. 
The blurb of the book doesn’t promise anything too exciting: a family who goes on holiday together to the South of France. However, after just a few chapters, I was already somehow captivated by Hannah’s voice and the story I found myself in. Hannah appears to be incredibly normal; she’s a housewife and a mother, someone who prefers to hide her problems instead of confront them. Yet, as the story progresses, the reader can see Hannah’s struggle and the fact that she isn’t as happy with her life as it might appear from the outside. The flashbacks to the past definitely helped with that, because we get a glimpse into what could have been. I could relate to Hannah and warmed to her, which I suppose many other readers will be able to do as well; the feeling of wanting to change something, but at the same time not wanting to risk everything you have and worked hard for.
Next to Hannah, there’s a mixture of fascinating characters, including Hannah’s son Luke and family friend Tristan, two characters I specifically enjoyed reading about. I didn’t particularly like Jill, Hannah’s sister, but that’s just my personal opinion and didn’t ruin the story for me in any way. I really enjoyed Nick Alexander’s writing style; it was well-paced and comfortable and kept me interested. The book works towards quite a twist at the ending, something I did not see coming, and something that definitely leaves room for a sequel, which I’m really glad there is! As a whole, ‘The Half-Life of Hannah’ is a compelling and fascinating read all about family and finding your true self. I already look forward to reading the sequel, ‘Other Halves’! Rating:

8/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads     Thanks to the author for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
Be sure to enter the giveaway to win a paperback copy of both books, open internationally. Good luck to everyone!

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Blog Tour - 'Tiny Acts of Love' by Lucy Lawrie (2014)

Surviving motherhood? It's all about having the right network. 
Lawyer and new mum Cassie has a husband who converses mainly through jokes, a best friend on the other side of the world, and a taskforce of Babycraft mothers who make her feel she has about as much maternal aptitude as a jellyfish. Husband Jonathan dismisses Cassie's maternal anxieties, but is he really paying attention to his struggling wife? He's started sleep talking and it seems there's more on his mind than he's letting on. 
Then sexy, swaggering ex-boyfriend Malkie saunters into Cassie's life again. Unlike Jonathan, he 'gets' her. He'd like to get her into bed again too... And on top of all her emotional turmoil, she also finds herself advising a funeral director on ghost protocol and becomes involved in an act of hotel spa fraud, never mind hiding cans of wasp spray all over the house to deal with the stalker who seems to be lurking everywhere she looks. Marriage and motherhood isn't the fairytale Cassie thought it would be. Will her strange new world fall apart around her or will tiny acts of love be enough to get her through?
I’m thoroughly excited to be a part of the Fiction Addiction blog tour for Lucy Lawrie’s new release, ‘Tiny Acts of Love’ today! I instantly fell in love with the pretty and cute cover of Lucy Lawrie’s debut novel and the blurb also spoke to me, so I was quite looking forward to reading it. I don’t just have a review of ‘Tiny Acts of Love’ for you today, but Lucy has also made her very own playlist of songs that play a specific role in the novel; a guest post which I personally really love, and then there’s also a giveaway which offers you the chance to win your own copy of ‘Tiny Acts of Love.’ However, first, let’s talk about the book itself!
Cassie and Jonathan are ready for a new part of their life together which arrives in the form of their new-born daughter Sophie. They are slowly getting used to taking care of a baby, but especially Cassie finds herself dealing with all kinds of maternal anxieties. At the same time, she is trying to balance her work as a lawyer (which involves a slightly strange case at a funeral home) and being a mother (with her fellow Babycraft support group parents not making her feel any better about the way she is handling things), and to make matters even more complicated her ex-boyfriend Malkie shows up who really wants to get back together with her. Cassie is doing her very best to make everything go as smoothly as possible, but it turns out marriage and motherhood can both be quite a handful to deal with.
One of the definite strengths of this novel is the group of well-written and realistic characters, particularly the heroine, Cassie. I immediately found myself rooting for her and I think she finds herself in situations that are very familiar and relatable to many readers. Even though I’m not married or a mum, I could easily imagine what it could be like and really felt for Cassie. As a reader, we are taken along on the emotional journey of marriage and parenthood, which includes both laugh-out-loud situations as moving and emotional ones, and there were no boring moments. I just wanted to keep on reading, curious to find out which decisions Cassie would make and whatever situation she would find herself in next.
While I enjoyed the book as a whole, I really liked the fact that there were different storylines. I particularly loved the part of the story focusing on Cassie’s work as a lawyer and how she finds herself involved in a case at a funeral home, and the case involving the lovely elderly couple Jean and Gerry. ‘Tiny Acts of Love’ is a realistic, funny and moving novel that shows the rawness of marriage and parenthood and focuses on those moments we all have of doubting what things could have been like if we had made different decisions. A thoroughly enjoyable debut novel and I look forward to Lucy Lawrie’s future work!
Rating:

8/10

For more information about this book: Amazon UK / Amazon US / Goodreads

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Lucy Lawrie's Playlist for 'Tiny Acts of Love'
Thank you for asking me to put together a playlist for my novel, 'Tiny Acts of Love'. These are songs that I’ve always associated with certain parts of the story, and you can listen to them by clicking here!
Chapter 1 and 2
Ingrid Michaelson – Can’t help falling in love with you
For the first few weeks after my youngest, Charlotte, was born, we spent most of the time just gazing into each other’s eyes, with this song on repeat! It perfectly expresses the wonder of that falling-in-love feeling, and the vulnerability, the sense of fragility, that goes along with that. Tiny Acts of Love begins when Cassie has just got home from hospital after giving birth, and this is very much her state of mind, in those early days with baby Sophie.
Chapter 4
Gretchen Peters – On A Bus To St. Cloud
This song is about how, when you’ve lost someone you love, they can seem to haunt you. You imagine you see them everywhere. In Chapter 4, Cassie has just such a moment when she thinks she catches sight of her old love, Malkie, in a cafe. Even though it’s been years since they split up, and she’s now married to someone else, it still happens from time to time.
“I didn’t seek him out; he was just there, flashing into life in the face of a stranger, or in a half-overheard snatch of conversation. Or captured, fleetingly but perfectly, in the stride of a man passing by on the other side of the street. And then he would be gone again, as lost to me as he always was.”
Chapter 5
Pulp – Disco 2000
In this chapter, Cassie and her husband, Jonathan, celebrate their wedding
anniversary. Jonathan attempts to stage a re-enactment of the night they first
met in a dodgy nightclub, and starts singing ‘Disco 2000’. I love this song - it
captures the quirky fun and energy about Cassie and Jonathan’s relationship.
Chapter 13
Aerosmith - I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing
and
George Michael - I Can’t Make You Love Me
In Chapter 13, Cassie remembers how she and Malkie used to listen to ‘I Don’t
Wanna Miss a Thing’ while lying in each other’s arms in the early days of their
relationship. It’s such a gorgeous song. I love how the piano triplets sound like a heart beating beneath the melody. The George Michael song isn’t mentioned, but I listened to it on repeat while I
wrote this chapter. It captures that heartbreaking moment when you finally accept that a relationship is at an end.
Chapter 16
The Verve – Drugs Don’t Work
Without giving too much away, Cassie and Malkie have a bit of a moment in this chapter. “On the car stereo, a new tune started playing – the first, hesitant, achingly sweet notes of the Verve’s ‘Drugs Don’t Work’. The plaintive, sweeping melody that spoke of love, and loss – well, it just undid me.”
Chapter 22
Susan Boyle – Auld Lang Syne
In this chapter, Cassie and Jonathan see in the new year by tending to baby
Sophie, who has succumbed to a vomiting bug. Jonathan sings Auld Lang Syne to try and calm Sophie down, and Cassie remembers all the different Hogmanays she’s spent with Jonathan over the years. This Susan Boyle version is so pure and gorgeous and sad, and I listened to it on repeat while writing this scene. It’s about remembering the past, but also saying goodbye to it and facing the future, whatever that might be. 
Chapter 35
Gretchen Peters – When You Are Old
I had this song in mind when I wrote this chapter, which centres around Jean and Gerry, an elderly couple who have unexpectedly helped Cassie in her struggles. I think it’s a beautiful evocation of love – the rare kind that truly lasts a lifetime.
Chapter 37
Mariah Carey – I’ll be there
Part of motherhood is about learning to let go, even while you’re still holding
on tight. The lyrics to this song are the words that I imagine Cassie saying to her little girl Sophie, as she begins to grow up and explore the world for herself.

Thanks so much, Lucy!
Be sure to enter the giveaway to win a paperback copy of 'Tiny Acts of Love'!

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Promo Blitz: 'Waiting for Prince Harry' by Aven Ellis (includes giveaway!)

I'm thoroughly excited to be a part of today's promo blitz for Aven' Ellis upcoming release, 'Waiting for Prince Harry'! Not only is Aven Ellis simply a lovely person and great author, but the title includes a reference to Prince Harry and the cover features the UK flag; enough to get excited about, if you ask me!

  Twenty-four-year-old Kylie Reed has always been a rule follower. Organized and cautious to a fault, her dreams for life are often filed away for future use—when she has a house, when she meets her future husband, when she has been at her visual display job at a chic Dallas boutique longer...Kylie always has a reason for living her life in the future, not in the present, and not living her life to the fullest and reaching her dream of becoming a fashion designer.   The only exception to rules, of course, would be running away with Prince Harry—Kylie’s ideal man. A hot, fun ginger boy would be worth breaking all the rules for, of course.  And Kylie is sure Harry just needs the right, centering woman to settle him down.  But living in Dallas and not knowing Prince Harry make this a non-option. Or does it?
Because when Kylie accidentally falls into the lap of a gorgeous ginger boy—yes, even more gorgeous than the real Prince Harry—all bets are off. Could this stranger be the one to show Kylie how to take a chance, to face her fears, and live in the present?  And could this stranger be the Prince Harry she has been waiting for? Kylie’s life takes some unexpected twists and turns thanks to this chance encounter, and she knows her life will never be the same because of it...

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About the Author

Aven Ellis has been writing fiction since she was sixteen. She studied communications at a large Midwestern university, and after graduation, Aven worked as a reporter for a community newspaper, followed by a stint at a public relations agency. 
But writing about city council meetings and restaurant franchises was not as much fun as writing for young women trying to figure out their careers and potential boyfriends. So Aven got herself a job in television that allowed her to write at night.  Connectivity is Aven’s debut novel; Waiting For Prince Harry and Chronicles of a Lincoln Park Fashionista (New Adult romantic comedy) will be published this year.
Aven lives in Dallas with her family. When she is not writing, Aven enjoys shopping, cooking, connecting with friends on social media, and watching any show that features Gordon Ramsay.

For more information: Facebook / Twitter / Website / Pinterest

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Be sure to also check out 'Connectivity', Aven Ellis’ debut novel:

 

Overachiever Mary-Kate Grant (who is indeed named after an Olsen Twin) has followed every rule to the letter to pursue her dream of working in TV programming. Ripping a page from the “hard work pays off” playbook, she takes an assistant level job at a Chicago sports network to break into the industry.

MK has no time or desire for a relationship right now—she is totally focused on her career and being independent, unlike the other women in her family.

But MK’s plans are run through the shredder when she finds herself working for William Cumberland, a British media mogul who made his fortune with Connectivity, a social media site. William blows into Chicago just like the winds off Lake Michigan and purchases the group of networks MK works for—and makes her his personal assistant in the process.

Suddenly MK finds her career plans in jeopardy. William makes her question everything she has ever thought and has the uncanny ability to see right through her. And for the first time in her life, MK finds herself not only questioning what she wants for her career but for her personal life as well…

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Don't miss out on this special giveaway with which you are in the chance of winning 1 x ecopy of Waiting for Prince Harry (when it is published) and 1 x ecopy of Connectivity. Open internationally; good luck to all!

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Thanks to Shaz at Fiction Addiction Book Tours for organising this promo blitz! :)

Blog Tour: 'Finding Mother' by Anne Allen (2013)

Three women. Three generations. Sacrifices for love... 

Who is she really? Nicole is about to find out as she searches for her real mother; the woman who gave her away at birth. With her marriage in tatters, she sets out from England: travelling to Spain, Jersey and Guernsey before the extraordinary story of her real family is finally revealed. Nicole becomes an unwitting catalyst for change in the family. Two women are forced to reveal long-buried secrets. One going back as far as the Second World War. Lives are transformed as choices have to be made and the past laid to rest...

I’m excited to be a host on the blog tour for Anne Allen’s novel ‘Finding Mother’ today, organised by the lovely Shaz from Fiction Addiction Blog Tours! I wasn’t familiar with Anne Allen’s work before receiving a review copy of ‘Finding Mother’, but I was straight away mesmerized by the gorgeous cover (the vivid blue reminds me of the ocean and the bright colours make me long for a summer holiday!) and intrigued by the blurb. Needless to say, I was quite curious to find out more as soon as I had the actual review copy in my hands and looked forward to reading it!

Nicole Oxford was adopted as a baby and brought up by her two loving parents on the island of Jersey. She is now happily married, has a great job, and a lovely home on the mainland of England. However, when Nicole unexpectedly discovers that her husband Tom has been unfaithful to her, her world comes crashing down. Feeling the need to get out of England, Nicole travels to her parents in Spain for a much-needed holiday and she finds herself starting to wonder about her roots, her biological family. After a trip to the adoption agency, Nicole discovers her biological mother is still alive and well, living on the island of Guernsey. With a good dose of curiosity and nerves, Nicole embarks on a journey to find her biological mother, having no idea what she will eventually find and uncover.

At the core of this novel we have a female protagonist, Nicole, who is searching for her biological mother, as the title already suggests. Nicole is a compelling main character and I really enjoyed reading about her journey from Bristol to Spain to the Channel Islands (a gorgeous destination which serves as a great scene setting for this book) in order to find her family roots. Eventually, we are treated to a story of three female generations, with a great set of realistic and well-rounded characters including Nicole’s grandmother Eve (whom I straight away adored) and her adoptive parents (I thought it was fascinating to see how they dealt with their daughter’s search for her biological family).

Even though I sometimes missed a bit of depth and would not have minded if a bit more complication had been added to the storyline, the story moves along in a good flowing pace and deals with fascinating themes such as family and finding your own identity, combined with a touch of romance. ‘Finding Mother’ is a kind-hearted, enjoyable and relaxing novel which is perfect for a lazy afternoon on the couch or in the garden and I personally look forward to reading more of Anne Allen’s books in the future!

Rating:7,5/10

For more information about this book: Amazon UK / Amazon US / Goodreads

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Review & Giveaway: 'Conditional Love' by Cathy Bramley (2013)

All her life she has dreamed of a home of her own, so what’s holding her back?

Sophie Stone, thirty-something serial procrastinator, lover of Take That, Tesco knickers and tea with two sugars, rarely steps out of her comfort zone. So when an unexpected inheritance from a great aunt she’s never met forces her to meet her father, it threatens the very foundations of Sophie’s world.

What did the old lady want her to discover? Was there more to her parents’ break up than she was lead to believe? Sophie will have to face some startling home truths before she can finally build a future on her own terms.

Today, I’m happy to be a part of the Fiction Addiction book tour for Cathy Bramley’s debut novel ‘Conditional Love.’ I instantly loved the cover of the book as soon as I saw it (the pretty red umbrella and the rain consisting of little hearts, too cute!) and the blurb promised a good chick lit read, so I couldn’t wait to get stuck in!

Sophie Stone is a thirty-something who is pretty content with her life. She has a job at a newspaper, the Herald, which she isn’t too excited about but pays the bills; she has a boyfriend Marc, who seems to be fonder of her money than of her as a person, but he’s really fit and good-looking; and she still lives in the same flat she has been living in for years, together with her roommates Jess and Emma.
Sophie isn’t the type of person who likes to step out of her comfort zone, but when she is dumped by Marc on Valentine’s Day and is unexpectedly confronted with a family inheritance, Sophie realises it might be time for a change. Her great-aunt Jane, whom Sophie didn’t even know existed, has left her a part of her inheritance, namely a bungalow. The trick is, though, that she can only receive her part of the inheritance if she meets up with her father, who abandoned Sophie when she was just a little baby. Sophie will have to make some life-altering decisions, and this time around, she can’t simply hide away in a corner and hope everything will fix itself...

I had absolutely no trouble warming to the main character of this novel, Sophie. I instantly liked her, (except for the few moments where I wanted to just scream at her for still liking her ex, Marc) and the same goes for most of the other characters. Sophie’s roommates Emma and Jess, who are sisters, made me laugh out loud with their constant bickering and I think I fell just a tiny bit in love with Nick Cromwell, the architect Sophie gets into touch with. I really enjoyed the different storylines of the novel and the various topics that are focused on, specifically Sophie’s struggles with her family. She is trying to decide whether to meet her father, who abandoned her and her mother when she was just a baby, but at the same time she is quite curious to hear her father’s side of the story. Sophie is forced to make some really important life-changing decisions, and it was great to see Sophie develop as a person because of everything going on in her life.

When first reading the blurb, I can imagine some people thinking that the plot of this book is perhaps a bit clichéd and has been done many times already. However, I definitely think Cathy Bramley managed to give it her own twist, and I personally loved this tale and the characters at its core. This is her debut novel, and I am definitely looking forward to hearing more from her. ‘Conditional Love’ is a warm, well-paced, fun novel, which I am sure any chick lit/romance fan will enjoy!

Rating:8,5/10 

Be sure to enter Cathy Bramley's fabulous giveaway to win some amazing prizes!

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