“It Started With A Note” Review

Hello Friends!

I hope you are all doing well. It’s my last free day of vacation, I’m leaving tomorrow, so I’m just enjoy some quiet time at home and decided to write this review.

“It Started With A Note“, written by Victoria Cooke, is a Standalone novel published on December 2nd 2018 by HQ Digital.

I received a complimentary copy of this book thanks to Victoria Cooke and HQ Digital via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Synopsis

Superhero single mum Cath always puts other people first. But now that she’s seen her son safely off to university (phew!), life seems a little, well…empty.

So when Cath unexpectedly discovers some letters written by her great-grandfather during the First World War, she decides to take herself on an adventure to France to retrace his footsteps.

Cath expects to spend her holiday visiting famous battlefields and testing out her French phrase book. What she doesn’t anticipate is that her tour guide, the handsome Olivier, will be quite so charming! Soon Cath isn’t simply unearthing the stories of the past – she’s writing a brand new one of her own, which might end up taking her in a very unexpected direction…

Purchase Links: Amazon | Kobo | Barnes & Noble

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About Author

Victoria Cooke grew up in the city of Manchester before crossing the Pennines in pursuit of a career in education. She now lives in Huddersfield with her husband and two young daughters and when she’s not at home writing by the fire with a cup of coffee in hand, she loves working out in the gym and travelling. Victoria was first published at the tender age of eight by her classroom teacher who saw potential in a six-page story about an invisible man. Since then she’s always had a passion for reading and writing, undertaking several writers’ courses before completing her first novel, ‘The Secret to Falling in Love,’ in 2016

Social Media Links – Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

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My Review

This isn’t the first book I have read of Victoria Cooke and I was expecting some a fun and exciting plot and some real characters that would take me on an adventure. And that’s what I got in this standalone novel.

When I first read the blurb I was immediately attracted and curious about the Cath, because of the first line in the blurb “Superhero single mum Cath always puts other people first.“ I always have a soft spot for single parents in stories, especially single moms. My mom had to take care of me and my brother alone while my dad was in another country working to provide us with anything we needed. That been said, I see my mom as a superhero, and of course I was very curious about Cath.

I can say right now that I found her relatable, and I really felt part of her family because of how the author told us Cath’s story and about her personality. The interaction between her and the other characters was funny and emotional and everything in between. As the friendship keep growing, I felt like I was part of the group.

Another thing I loved was the trip and what we learn as we follow Cath on her new adventure. It was an interesting element of the plot that made everything come together. The History was something that I really was curious about when I first started reading, and I loved how it was added to the storyline.

Overall, I loved the novel and found it engaging and amusing, and added with the fun friendships and sweet romance, it is the kind of book I recommend.

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Don’t forget to comment, don’t be stranger. If you have any book recommendation you can leave a message using the form on my Contact Me page.

If you are an author or publisher and want me to do a review of a book please check out my Request Review page to learn more about the reviewing policies.

I always welcome new books to add to my list and I’m always excited to do reviews and read books. And I’m open to debate and exchange opinions, so let’s talk.

Also, if you would like to join me as a guest on my blog, check out the Guests Post page to know more and contact me so we can start planing your visit.

Love,

Jess

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“The Talisman – Molly’s Story” Review

Hello Friends!

So, I started physical therapy this week and I have family here so I’ve been crazy busy. Plus I have to get used to the new schedule with the therapy, that’s mostly why I’m only posting right now.

Today’s review is of “The Talisman – Molly’s Story” by Eliza J Scott and it’s the 2nd book in the Life On The Moors series and was release yesterday, the 4th February 2019.

Thank you Rachel, at Rachel’s Random Resources, and Eliza for the eCopy of the book and for allowing me to be a part of this blog tour and give my honest review.

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Blurb

Molly’s dream of taking over her childhood home at Withrin Hill Farm with husband Pip and their three children has finally come true. And, as they settle into the stunning Georgian farmhouse, with their plans to diversify into glamping nicely taking shape, the family couldn’t be happier.

But tragedy suddenly strikes, and Molly’s world is turned upside down.

Heartbroken and devastated, she struggles to face each day. True to form, her fiercely loyal best friends, Kitty and Violet, rally round offering love and support, but Molly doesn’t think she’ll ever be able to smile again. Until the day a tall, dark stranger with twinkly eyes arrives…

 Follow Molly’s story in book 2 of the Life on the Moors Series set in Lytell Stangdale, a picture-perfect village in the heart of the North Yorkshire Moors, where life is anything but quiet.

A heart-warming story of love, friendship and hope.

Pre-order Links – Amazon UK | Amazon US

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Author’s Bio

Eliza J. Scott lives in a village in the North Yorkshire Moors with her husband, two daughters and two black Labradors. When she’s not writing, she can usually be found with her nose in a book/glued to her Kindle, or in her garden. She also enjoys bracing walks in the countryside, rounded off with a visit to a teashop where she can indulge in another two of her favourite things: tea and cake.

Social Media Links: Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

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My Review

As someone that has read the first book and quite enjoyed it, I was quite intrigued about this book, and I must say I loved it just like I did the first one. It was another compelling, relatable and emotional story. And although it can be read as a standalone, I highly recommend you read both and have the full experience and get involved in the community and the characters.

The book follows Molly and all of the ups and downs in life. It’s about family, love and loss, and it does show us some of Molly’s past so we can fully understand her and connect with her because of her past and present. I loved that I was able to feel empathy with her.

But it’s not only Molly I liked, all the characters that we get to met for the first time and others that we met in book one, that’s why I recommend for you guys to read the first one as well. And get ready to go on an adventure with well written characters through a plot that will make you emotional, laugh, cry, fall in love, feel heartbroken… And everything is a perfect combination and made the book flow and be very enjoyable.

I won’t talk about the book in any particular aspects because I hate spoilers and you guys should enter this book with your head blank so you can really enjoy the story and even connect with Molly and fully understand the struggles she will go through and all the happy moments and funny ones too.

Overall, this is the kind of story that will take you on an journey. A book about friendship, family and life in general. The author made me keep intrigued and invested in the story.

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Giveaway

For a chance to win “The Letter – Kitty’s Story” (1st book in the series), chocolate and a clutch bag CLICK HERE

Open Internationally

The prize is worth over £40 and consists of a paperback copy of the first book in the Life on the Moors Series, The Letter – Kitty’s Story, 3 bars of Love Cocoa chocolate by James and a Caroline Gardner clutch bag.

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

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Don’t forget to comment, don’t be stranger. If you have any book recommendation you can leave a message using the form on my Contact Me page.

If you are an author and want me to do a review of your book you can go check out my Request Review page.

I always welcome new books to add to my list and I’m always excited to do reviews and read books.

And if you would like to join me as a guest on my blog, check out the Guests Post page to know more and contact me so we can start planing your visit.

Love,

Jess

“Fishing for Māui” Review

Hello Friends!

It’s Tuesday and I’m already tired of this week. I feel like I need a job so I can have some sort of routine or I will go crazy. That may explain why I’m always posting reviews late in the night.

Anyway, today I bring you another novel with food. “Fishing for Māui“, written by Isa Pearl Ritchie, is a fiction, women’s literature, published 4th July 2018.

I want to thank Rachel, at Rachel’s Random Resources, and Isa for the eCopy of this book and for allowing me to join in the fun and by being a part of the blog tour with my honest review of the book.

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Blurb

A novel about food, whānau, and mental illness.

Valerie reads George Eliot to get to sleep – just to take her mind off worries over her patients, her children, their father and the next family dinner. Elena is so obsessed with health, traditional food, her pregnancy and her blog she doesn’t notice that her partner, Malcolm the ethicist, is getting himself into a moral dilemma of his own making. Evie wants to save the world one chicken at a time. Meanwhile her boyfriend, Michael is on a quest to reconnect with his Māori heritage and discover his own identity. Rosa is eight years old and lost in her own fantasy world, but she’s the only one who can tell something’s not right. Crisis has the power to bring this family together, but will it be too late?

“An accomplished story of a family in crisis – Ritchie’s great skill is her ability to conjure the inner lives if her characters. Fishing For Maui is a compassionate meditation on what it means to be well”. – Sarah Jane Barnett

Purchase Links – Amazon US | Amazon UK | Smashwords

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Author Bio

Isa Ritchie is a Wellington-based writer. She grew up as a Pākehā child in a bicultural family and Māori was her first written language. She has completed a PhD on food sovereignty in Aotearoa. She is passionate about food, wellbeing and social justice.

Social Media Links – Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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My Review

This is the first book I’m reading from Isa Pearl Ritchie, and I enjoyed it a lot. It’s a book that was thought provoking and engaging, plus I loved the setting of the story, because although I don’t know much about New Zealand and Māori heritage, I love learning more about cultures and religions.

This book is also a story about a family, and that’s always interesting to me because of the big family I have and all the different countries I have family in, which means there is a diversity. In this case, I loved it because we could see the family dynamic and get to know the characters as individuals and as family members.

Besides the story is told by different characters, from three generations, which made the book amazing, because we can see what those characters think, believe and how the act based on the culture, ancestry and society. From a point of view of a Social Educator that loves cultures and religions, that was a fascinating this and very enlightening.

We meet a lot of characters in this story, and each one has strength, doubts, problems and goals. It really felt like “listening” to my family members talk about their lives. It felt like that because, just like listening to my grandma talk about silly moments or telling me about her love story with grandpa, I felt a connection.

That was the beauty of the author’s writing style. She gave us well developed characters, that were engaging, that felt real and that we could connect to. Like Michael, for example, he’s trying to reconnect with his Māori heritage and discover his own identity. Okay, I may not have a Māori heritage, but I could connect to him because once upon a time I was searching for answers, to define who I really was, to discover my own identity, the characteristics that made me different from all the members in the society I lived in.

This book made me think. It made me think about myself and my own journey to discover who I am, a journey that in a way I’m still taking. It also made me think about my family and my ancestry and were I came from. So, it was a thought provoking book for me.

Overall, I recommend this novel. A novel about food… Food for the body, the mind and the soul.

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Don’t forget to check out all the other bloggers that given their contribute in this Blog Tour, from reviews to basic promo/spotlight posts.

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Don’t forget to comment, don’t be stranger. If you have any book recommendation you can leave a message using the form on my Contact Me page.

If you are an author and want me to do a review of your book you can go check out my Request Review page.

I always welcome new books to add to my list and I’m always excited to do reviews and read books.

And if you would like to join me as a guest on my blog, check out the Guests Post page to know more and contact me so we can start planing your visit.

Love,

Jess