Blog Tour: 'Carry You' by Beth Thomas (2014)

Daisy has lost her mum to breast cancer. She’s at rock bottom and doesn’t think she’ll ever get back up again. Her best friend Abi has other ideas – she tells it like it is and she’s determined to make Daisy remember the person she used to be.
What Daisy doesn’t know is that, thanks to Abi, her life is about to take an unexpected turn, when she signs them up to do a charity walk. Added to which, someone is about to burst into Daisy’s world in a riot of colour reminding her that life can be full of surprises.
I’m absolutely delighted to be a part of the blog tour for Beth Thomas’ debut novel ‘Carry You’, which was released on the 24th of April, today. Not only did I immediately fall in love with the book as soon as I saw the cover (I love the pastel colours, the silhouettes of the couple standing next to the tree, the by-line... Simply gorgeous!), but I was also touched and fascinated by the blurb. My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer several years ago, and thankfully, she is one of the women who managed to beat the disease. The topic of the novel is something that means a lot to me, and I was curious to see what the book would be like. As a part of the blog tour, I also received the chance to interview author Beth Thomas, so be sure to scroll down to read more about Beth, her inspiration for this book, and her future plans as an author!
After the death of her mother, Daisy is finding it incredibly hard to cope with every-day life. Even getting up from the couch or her bed and going outside seems like simply too much. Her best friend Abi wants to do anything she can to help Daisy get back on her feet and become the same old Daisy again. She decides to sign both of them up to do a charity walk at night to raise money for cancer research. Daisy has to start training for the walk, which gets her into all kinds of situations and is the start to her finding her way again, learning how to deal with everything that life throws our way.  
I honestly adored everything about this novel: from the pretty cover to the inspiring storyline to the fun characters and the captivating style of writing. I loved Daisy, the protagonist. It was incredibly easy to warm to her and I quickly find myself rooting for her to get back on her feet and try to make the best of things. Daisy’s really funny and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing her develop as a person throughout the story. Next to Daisy, there are some brilliant secondary characters, like her amazing best friend Abi and neighbour Felix, who becomes Daisy’s walking buddy. 
Trying to deal with a loss and finding yourself again is something almost everyone has to deal with at a certain point in their lives, and I think Beth Thomas managed to turn this experience into words in a beautiful way. Her writing is fabulous, in my opinion, and I am already excited about her future releases. ‘Carry You’ is a read I can’t recommend enough to others; it’s warm, touching and truly inspiring and one of my favourite books of 2014 so far.
Rating:

    9,5/10   For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads     Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.  

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Author Interview with Beth Thomas

 

Can you tell us something about your novel, ‘Carry You’? I’d love to. Carry You is the story of Daisy who is dealing with bereavement and feeling very down. She’s in a real rut, with no job, no home and no motivation. But luckily for her she has an inspirational best friend, Abby, who literally gets Daisy moving again by signing them both up to do The Moonwalk together – a 26 mile power walk round London, at night, in aid of breast cancer research. Little by little, Daisy gets back on her feet, until by the end of the book… Ah, but that would give it all away!
Where did you find the inspiration for ‘Carry You’? Is it in any way based on your own personal experiences? Yes, in many ways it is. My own mum died just over 11 years ago, and for anyone who’s lost someone, the feelings stay with you for a very long time – probably forever. I drew on my experience there to try to capture how Daisy was feeling at the start of the book. Also I have now completed the London Moonwalk three times, and it remains one of the most surreal, fantastic and inspirational things I have ever done.
Have you ever participated in a charity run yourself? Why did you decide to write about it? Ah, yes, sorry, I’ve kind of answered that one already! For anyone who feels like they’d like a challenge but maybe can’t imagine being able to run a marathon, I’d thoroughly recommend The Moonwalk. It still takes training, a lot of it, so it’s very time-consuming, but the end result is to get fit and raise money – win-win!
What about the protagonist of the novel, Daisy. Can you tell us a bit more about her and how she became your main character? That’s a tricky one. I started off with the idea of someone grieving, and how that might have an effect on everything in that person’s life. Anyone who’s been through something difficult will know that it can bring your life to a complete standstill for a while. So I wanted to show that, and how grief can make you selfish and thoughtless too. Daisy’s character was also an important way to demonstrate Abby’s personality – that no matter how apparently lazy and self-centred Daisy was being, Abby knew it was the grief and remained understanding and loving. In a ‘tough love’ kind of way.
There’s a great mix of support characters in the novel. Which character did you most enjoy writing about and why? Ooh you can’t ask me that! If I say I have a favourite, the others will be upset! (*whispers* Felix).
Can you perhaps tell us something about your future plans as an author? Are you already working on a next novel? Yes, I’m working on my second book. In fact the first draft is almost done, and then I have to rewrite, but I’m looking forward to that. It’s a bit like pimping it up – the main story is there, I just have to add a little frosting, which is always good fun.
Do you have any tips for aspiring writers? The main thing I would say is don’t give up! And when I say that I mean don’t stop writing. If you get knocked back by a publisher, just keep going. I know of so many people who want to be writers but never actually finish what they’re writing. It’s lengthy and time consuming and hard work but you must simply keep going. And if you feel that what you’ve written is poor, don’t worry. Get the story down first – you can always go back and improve things once you’ve cleared your head a bit.
What is the last book you read that you’d like to recommend to others? I haven’t read anything for ages – so difficult to find the time. But I did read Life of Pi last year, which was incredible. Thoroughly recommend that.
Which book could you not live without? I know it’s a terribly old and clichéd answer, but I would have to say Pride and Prejudice. I think what Jane Austen did back then was ground-breaking. She invented chick-lit! Every writer could learn from her subtle character depiction. I love it.
And last but not least, if you had to describe ‘Carry You’ in just three words, which words would you pick? Love. Friendship. Hope. Or maybe MY FIRST NOVEL!
Thanks so much, Beth!

Blog Tour: 'Before You Die' by Samantha Hayes (2014)

Today I'm really excited to be part of the blog tour for Samantha Hayes' new release, 'Before You Die', a gripping read you definitely don't want to miss!

 

It has taken nearly two years for the Warwickshire village of Radcote to put a spate of teenage suicides behind it.

Then a young man is killed in a freak motorbike accident, and a suicide note is found among his belongings. A second homeless boy takes his own life, this time on the railway tracks.

Is history about to repeat itself?

DI Lorraine Fisher has just arrived for a relaxing summer break with her sister. Soon she finds herself caught up in the resulting police enquiry. And when her nephew disappears she knows she must act quickly.

Are the recent deaths suicide - or murder?

And is the nightmare beginning again?

Samantha Hayes’ novel ‘Until You’re Mine’, the first part in her detective series based in Birmingham which was released in June 2013, was really well-received; I read several very positive reviews online and heard only good things from other book bloggers. I have to admit, it had made me quite curious, even though my bookshelf is usually not filled with crime/detective/psychological suspense novels. I personally prefer feel-good reads, but I can definitely enjoy a good crime book every now and again. So, after hearing all these positive sounds about Samantha Hayes’ writing, I was really excited to be asked to be part of the blog tour for her new release, ‘Before You Die’, which was released on the 24th of April!

Detective Inspector Lorraine Fisher is ready for a break from her demanding job and is hoping to spend some relaxing time with her sister Jo in Radcote, the town where they grew up. However, during her stay Lorraine suddenly finds herself caught up in a local police case involving a supposed case of suicide. Radcote has a history involving a spate of teenage suicides, and no one wants a repeat of this. Yet, Lorraine has her doubts whether these recent deaths are actually suicides or murder. The case becomes even more personal when Jo’s son Freddie starts acting strangely and is obviously hiding things from his family. When he disappears, Lorraine knows they have to act fast before another body is found.

After reading ‘Before You Die’ I can definitely understand why so many people recommended Samantha Hayes’ novels to me. The story managed to grip me from the first few pages and I didn’t want to put it down. I ended up finishing the book in just two sittings, because it kept me guessing. The story is told from multiple perspectives, with quite a lot of characters, and I constantly found myself doubting which characters to trust, trying to figure out what the ending of the story would be like. Thanks to all the twists and turns, the ending had me on the edge of my seat and was quite unexpected, and I personally loved the fact that I was so surprised by it all.

The book was incredibly realistic, quick-paced and easy to read; I found myself flying through the pages. I straight away liked Lorraine, the main character of the novel, and I particularly warmed to Lana, another teenager living in Radcote and a friend of Freddie’s. Her family also takes on a central role in the novel, and I found myself fascinated by her story and role in all of it. Overall, ‘Before You Die’ is a quick-paced, enthralling and realistic read that had me on the edge of my seat; a book you will not want to put down until you’ve read the last word on the very last page!
Rating:

    8,0/10   For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads     Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
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I'm really excited to have a special blog post by Samantha for all of you, in which she tells us more about the characters in her new novel!

Thanks so much to Jody for having me on her blog as part of my tour. It’s publication week for me so I’ve been visiting lots of lovely blogs telling everyone about my new novel, Before You Die.

Today, I thought I’d talk about the characters in my book and what they mean to me. This novel is the second in a series of thrillers about married detectives DIs Lorraine Fisher and Adam Scott. They live in Birmingham with their two teenage daughters, Grace and Stella. Before I started the series, I wrote four stand-alone crime books, so bringing back regular characters is a new—and fantastic!—experience for me.

When I finish writing a book there’s always a sense of sadness that the process has come to an end. There’s the new one to look forward to getting stuck into, of course, but I’ll have been with these characters pretty much every single day for a year, so it’s a kind of loss to say goodbye. With that in mind, writing a series suits me perfectly!

Lorraine Fisher, a detective inspector in the West Midlands Police, is a woman after my own heart. We first meet her in Until You’re Mine and, while she’s not based on me, we do share some traits. We both like to think we’re organized when perhaps we’re not, we try to take on too much, we’re both mums to teens, and often end up dropping balls when trying to juggle family and work (although I have it a lot easier than her because I work from home!).

Lorraine is direct and can be very tough when needed, although she definitely has a softer sideand is fiercely loyal to her family as you’ll find out in Before You Die. One of her pet hates is mixing work and home, so when her nephew, Freddie, goes missing while she’s taking a break in the country with her sister, we see how she reacts to this collision of emotions. Let’s just say it doesn’t turn out to be much of a holiday for her!

Adam Scott, also a DI and Lorraine’s husband, loves his wife dearly, though if you’ve read Until You’re Mine, the first in the series, you’ll know that he’s got a bit of making up to do. The pairoften work together in the Major Investigations Unit, and Adam knows that Lorraine is determined to keep up with him career-wise. Although he’s a great dad, he doesn’t always see that Lorraine’s got her hands full both at home and work. Somehow, Adam always finds time to go for a run when Lorraine is probably ferrying one of their girls somewhere! But he’s a crack detective and, when teamed up with Lorraine on a major case, there’s no stopping him.

I love to write about families, and Before You Die focusses on not only Lorraine’s immediate family, but that of her sister, Jo, and her son Freddie. They live in south Warwickshire in a lovely made-up village called Radcote. I based it on a real area but decided the locals perhaps wouldn’t thank me for having a body count on their doorstep.

Jo has recently separated from her partner Malc, leaving Freddie miserable and depressed. I love writing about kids, teenagers especially. Their emotions are so mixed up as they crossover intoadulthood, and not only that but they’re still vulnerable – even though they think they’reinvincible! I’ve pretty much covered all age ranges through being a mum, so feel I know what I’m talking about.

Poor Freddie is struggling with his feelings, especially those for a girl in the village, Lana. When the pair of them unwittingly get caught up in two apparent suicide cases that take place locally, their love is really put to the test, and Freddie shocks us with what he reveals about himself. Not only that, but just how much do the teens know about the tragedies, and to what lengths will they go to protect each other?

And then there’s Gil. Gil is probably my favourite character in the book (apart from Lorraine and her family, of course!) – although it’s actually really hard to pick a favourite as I loved writing them all. My cast is so varied, and none more so than Lana’s Uncle Gil. He’s autistic and lives with Lana and her family in their large manor house. Gil is a brilliant artist, as is sometimes the case with autistic people. He has an incredible talent for drawing exactly what he’s seen, even ifhe’s only glimpsed it for a few moments. Couple this with his determination to settle down with a nice lady, and Gil is indeed a lovable character in my book – or is he? Careful not to stereotype him, Gil has his own story to tell about the apparent suicides, and it’s not initially clear if he’s quite as innocent as we are led to believe.

So there you have a few of the characters in Before You Die. I hope I’ve whetted your appetites a little for you to pick up a copy. I loved writing this book and hope you enjoy reading it just as much!

Thanks so much, Samantha! :)

Review: 'The French for Always' by Fiona Valpy (2014)

Leaving the grey skies of home behind to transform a crumbling French Château into a boutique wedding venue is a huge leap of faith for Sara. She and fiancé Gavin sink their life savings into the beautiful Château Bellevue – set under blue skies and surrounded by vineyards in the heart of Bordeaux.
After months of hard work, the dream starts to become a reality – until Gavin walks out halfway through their first season. Overnight, Sara is left very much alone with the prospect of losing everything.
With her own heart breaking, Sara has five weddings before the end of the season to turn the business around and rescue her dreams. With the help of the locals and a little courage can she save Château Bellevue before the summer is over?
It’s almost the end of April and I think we can safely say that Spring has definitely arrived. This also means the start of a couple of months in which we will be treated to numerous new releases filled with the feeling of summer! Gorgeous holiday locations, steamy summer flings... I’m already looking forward to all the brilliant reads, and my first summer novel of this year arrived in the form of Fiona Valpy’s ‘The French for Always’! I was contacted by the lovely Kim at Bookouture about possibly reviewing Fiona Valpy’s second novel, which will be released on the 25th of April, and I couldn’t possibly say no after seeing the gorgeous cover!
Sara and her fiancé Gavin made the decision to leave their comfortable life in the UK behind and are now making their dreams come true in France. They used their life savings to buy a wonderful chateau in a small French village in order to turn it into a thriving wedding venue. A lot of work needs to be done, but with enough weddings booked for their first season, Sara is excited and ready to turn their new business into a success. However, when Gavin suddenly decides to leave, Sara is left alone with no idea how to do it all on her own. Next to that, without Gavin’s financial help, Sara knows she will have to eventually sell her beloved Chateau Bellevue. The only thing left to do is try and make the absolute best of the five weddings still planned until the end of the season, to show everyone what she is capable of before summer ends.
I fell in love with this novel as soon as I had read the first few pages. I am a sucker for any story that in one way or another has to do with weddings, but I have to admit, I’m not a particular fan of France. Yet, the descriptions of Chateau Bellevue, the surroundings, the small village and its inhabitants... I loved it and the whole atmosphere in the novel immediately made it feel like summer, even though it was raining where I was! The main character, Sara, was easily likeable and I felt myself rooting for her and her wedding business, especially after her fiancé Gavin decides to leave her and she suddenly has to set up the business on her own. Luckily, Sara is surrounded by a great cast of supporting characters, including the trustworthy Karen and handsome and charming Thomas.
The storyline, which revolves around Sara and her attempts to save Chateau Bellevue, was really enjoyable, especially because of the five weddings that are organised at the venue while the story enfolds. Each of the weddings featured a specific couple, all of them different from one another with their own background. Fiona Valpy’s writing is great; well-paced, detailed, and captivating, and I definitely look forward to reading more of her work in the future. ‘The French for Always’ is a wonderfully warm and thoroughly enjoyable read, and definitely the book to pick up if you are looking for your first taste of summer! 

Rating:

    9,5/10   For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads     Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.