Alba in bookland: Mira

Today's review is for Miracle on 5th Avenue, the third book on Sarah Morgan's latest trilogy, From Manhattan With Love. It can be easily read as a stand alone but I'd recommend reading the first two, to get to know the characters better and because they are a fantastic stories too. Here are my thought on this one:

Title: Miracle on 5th Avenue (From Manhattan with Love #3)

Author: Sarah Morgan

Published: October 20th 2016 by Mira

Amazon | Amazon UK

Blurb: Sometimes love needs a Christmas Miracle…

Hopeless romantic Eva Jordan loves everything about Christmas. She might be spending the holidays alone this year, but when she’s given an opportunity to housesit a spectacular penthouse on Fifth Avenue, she leaps at the chance. What better place to celebrate than in snow-kissed Manhattan?

What she didn’t expect was to find the penthouse still occupied by its gorgeous–and mysterious–owner. Bestselling crime writer Lucas Blade is having the nightmare before Christmas. With a deadline and the anniversary of his wife’s death looming, he’s isolated himself in his penthouse with only his grief for company. He wants no interruptions, no decorations and he certainly doesn’t appreciate being distracted by his beautiful, bubbly new housekeeper. But when the blizzard of the century leaves Eva snowbound in his apartment, Lucas starts to open up to the magic she brings…

This Christmas, is Lucas finally ready to trust that happily-ever-afters do exist?

Review: After loving the first two book in this series, Sleepless in Manhattan and Sunset in Central Park, I was really looking forward to Eva's story. From the previous books we knew she was a hopeless romantic and that since the death of her grandmother, her only family, she had been feeling a bit lost. Also that she was looking for her happily ever after but it had been avoiding her... until now.

As soon as Eva meets Lucas ( and by "meet" I mean gets attacked by him and pinned to the floor) you can see sparks flying. Lucas is a really interesting character, the moody thriller writer that is suffering writer's block has lots of secrets and I just wanted to know them all at once. But Eva and Lucas don't jump into bed immediately, they really get to know each other and you soon realise what a perfect couple they would make. It's actually really cute to read how they interact with each other and how they become real friends before things get messy.

Something I'm loving in this series is the strong bond of friendship between Eva and her two best friends. They both got their happy ending in the previous books but they are there for Eva no matter what. They really get each other and it's a joy to read how supportive they are but also how they enjoy teasing each other. And another thing I'm absolutely loving is the setting, who doesn't love New York? And this story gives us New York at Christmas, what could be better? I mean, there is a snow blizzard but once it's over, Sarah Morgan paints such a magical picture of this famous city.

Miracle on 5th Avenue is a great addition to this already fantastic series. Eva and Lucas' story is so cute and romantic, it had me swooning every few pages. Definitely the perfect read to enjoy in a crispy afternoon with a hot chocolate in hand.

Rating: 4 stars

I would like to thank the publishers for sending me a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Today I'm delighted to welcome author CJ Skuse on the Blog. She has just published The Deviants with HQ Young Adult and to celebrate, today she answers all my bookish questions! Have a look:

Hi CJ and welcome to Alba in Bookland. First, can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Yep, I’m the author of five YA books - Pretty Bad Things, Rockoholic, Dead Romantic, Monster and The Deviants. I was born in 1980 in Weston-super-Mare. I have First Class degrees in Creative Writing and Writing for Young People and, aside from writing novels, I work as a freelance children’s fiction consultant for publishers and scouts while also lecturing on the Postgraduate course in Writing for Young People at Bath Spa University. My sixth novel Sweetpea is a contemporary adult black comedy and will be published in April 2017 by HQ/HarperCollins.

Your latest book, The Deviants, is described as The Famous Five meets We Were Liars: five teens spend a summer getting revenge on the people who have wronged them, with tragic consequences. What inspired this story?

I started writing The Deviants in 2001, initially to do a modern YA mickey-take of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five novels; a group of teenagers would terrorize a small seaside town and then prove themselves by solving the mystery of a serial killer or something. Then I kept getting bored of writing it and I think that was my subconscious telling myself I wasn’t ready to write it yet. I picked it up again last year when I was contracted to write another book in the same vein as Monster and by this point, I was ready to write it and I knew what kind of story, tonally, it had to be. It was always in my mind to write an ensemble piece about a group of kids who ‘do something’ – it just took me a long time to realise what they did!

This book kept me in my toes for hours and surprised me more than once. When you were writing it, did you have it all figured out or did you let the characters play a bit?

For my last two books, I’ve had a general idea of where it’s going and both times, the ending has surprised me and this has greatly enriched the stories in my opinion. George R R Martin says that writers are either gardeners or architects when it comes to planning – I think it’s good to be a bit of both; to have some idea of how it’s going to go and how the characters all interact with each other but to also allow for the unexpected. For instance, in the very first draft of the story, Zane wasn’t even part of the Fearless Five. He was this very two-dimensional school bully who’d beat up the younger kids for their lunch money. But then I realised why he was so angry and how it related to the rest of the group. He’s actually my favourite character – I wanted to bring him into the story more but he wasn’t ready, until the end. I love how his arc develops.

Was it difficult to get in the head of these teens? They have so many issues and secrets, especially Ella. Did you have to research certain topics?

Yeah, without going into too much detail I found case studies in real life and online for all the characters in the story, even Neil. It was important for me that these characters comes across as realistically as possible. I also did a hell of a lot of research that’s not in the book about mental asylums as Jessica was originally going to have been sent to one and kept as a secret, but that subplot disappeared in about the 5,645th draft! I researched boxing a bit too, and legal highs, plus cerebral palsy and pregnancy. My research took me to lots of new places/people which is the wonderfully random thing about writing fiction.

What do you expect your readers to feel while reading The Deviants?

I just want readers to invest in it – to want to follow these characters and care about what happens to them. I also want them to feel Ella’s anger - because I think if you feel the way she does, you will understand why she acts the way she does, especially at the end – I want them to feel the chronic injustice of it all.

Why did you decide to start writing YA?

I don’t think I knew I was writing YA until someone asked me why all my protagonists were in their teens, and that’s because I was 16/17 when I started seriously thinking about pursuing writing as a career. Until that point, I wanted to be Gillian White or Irvine Welsh – I just thought I was writing stories. I was quite an unhappy teenager – I had total ‘square peg’ syndrome, so to speak; still do sometimes - and writing was a total catharsis for me. It still is today, while also being a job that I have to discipline myself in order to do. I tend to work out my feelings through writing. Each book I’ve written has been a direct response to an event in my life – bereavement, redundancy, heartbreak, it’s all there!

What are you working on now? I've read that your next book might not be YA, can you tell us a bit about it?

Yes, it’s a contemporary adult black comedy, being pitched as Bridget Jones’s Diary meets Dexter which is probably the most accurate summation of a book ever! I watched that BBC 3 show Fleabag recently too and there’s definite shades of that in it. My character is your everyday girl-next-door type of woman, trying to hold down a job, a relationship and friendships while simultaneously having an incredible lust for murder. It’s first and foremost a comedy but with dark themes and lots of killings. And it’s called Sweetpea.

For any readers that are new to your books, how would you describe your writing?

My books were once described as a children’s birthday party that someone has thrown black paint all over. I love that description and have used it ever since!

And finally, what is the latest book that has blown you away?

I bang on and on and on about this book all the time but it’s a book called Amy, Chelsea, Stacie, Dee which Penguin Random House have published in the States and which The Chicken House are publishing in 2017. I had no preconceptions when I picked it up in my capacity as a reader and at the time I was going through a massive YA reading slump – nothing was really impressing me and everything was getting a bit predictable – then this book came along and blew me out of the water. Constantly kept me guessing and confounded my expectations. Stunning novel.

Thanks so much CK Skuse for stopping by and answering all my questions! The Deviants is an unmissable read, I hope that you all pick it up after reading a bit more about it.

Author bio:

C.J. Skuse was born in 1980 in Westonsuper-Mare, England. She has First Class degrees in Creative Writing and Writing for Children and, aside from writing novels, works as a freelance children’s fiction consultant and lectures in Writing for Children at Bath Spa University. C.J. loves Masterchef, Gummy Bears and murder sites. Before she dies, she would like to go to Japan, try clay-pigeon shooting and have Ryan Gosling present her with the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

Find CJ on Twitter at twitter.com/CeejaytheAuthor

About the book:

Title: The Deviants

Author: CJ Skuse

Published: September 22nd by HQ Young Adult

Amazon | Amazon UK

Blurb: When you set out for revenge, dig two graves

Growing up in the sleepy English seaside town of Brynston, the fearless five – Ella, Max, Corey, Fallon and Zane – were always inseparable. Living up to their nickname, they were the adventurous, rowdy kids who lived for ghost stories and exploring the nearby islands off the coast. But when Max’s beloved older sister Jessica is killed, the friendship seems to die with her.

Now years later, only Max and Ella are in touch; still best friends and a couple since they were thirteen. Their lives are so intertwined Max’s dad even sponsors Ella’s training for the Commonwealth Games. But Ella is hiding things. Like why she hates going to Max’s house for Sunday dinner, and flinches whenever his family are near. Or the real reason she’s afraid to take their relationship to the next level.

When underdog Corey is bullied, the fearless five are brought back together again, teaming up to wreak havoc and revenge on those who have wronged them. But when the secrets they are keeping can no longer be kept quiet, will their fearlessness be enough to save them from themselves?

Today I'm delighted to welcome author Anna Snoekstra to the blog. She publishes her debut novel, Only Daughter, today with HQ Stories and to celebrate, she has stopped by to answerall my bookish questions! Have a look:

Hi Anna and welcome to Alba in Bookland. First, can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Hi! Thank you so much for having me.

I’m an Australian writer living in Melbourne with my husband, two housemates and tabby cat. I was born in Canberra, and moved here about ten years ago. I studied Screenwriting originally and spent years making short films, music videos and writing feature-length scripts. It was a great experience to be able to write something and then see it come to life! A few years ago I decided to try my hand at novel writing and have since fallen in love with it.

Last year was a life changing for me, with my novel being accepted by a publisher and the option for a film adaptation being taken. I also eloped to Nashville with my boyfriend where we got hitched!

Your debut novel, Only Daughter, is about a girl who disappears and a woman who returns, many years later, claiming to be that girl. What sparked this idea?

I was fascinated with the idea of imposters after seeing the Ingrid Bergman film Anastasia, about a woman who pretends to be the long-missing royal Anastasia Nikolaevna. After a bit of research I was surprised that the impersonation of missing persons has happened countless times throughout history. Martin Guerre in 16th century France, Walter Collins in Seattle in the 1920s. Even more recently is Nicholas Barclay in 1990s Texas.

I spoke to an Australian Missing Persons Detective about her experiences, as well as how this would scenario would play out now which was fascinating.

In some ways I think everyone plays different parts for different people. Maybe you are sassier with your friends, sweeter with your mother. I wanted to take this idea to it’s absolute extreme. I find the idea of becoming someone else captivating and was really interested in the way a person could play tourist in someone else’s life.

The ending took me completely by surprise. Did you have it planned since the beginning or did you start writing and just let the characters play?

A little bit of both. I have the big events planned out, but I try and let my characters find their way there organically. I let them react to the events organically, and sometimes that changes the way the story turns out. Character is always more important than plot for me.

I really believe in the subconscious part of writing, and I try and embrace that. I think that if you plan things out too much, the story can loose some of it’s heart.

This is the first book I've read set in Canberra, why did you choose it as your setting? Could this story happen anywhere or does the setting play a key role in it?

Canberra is a very small and new city, with bush pressed up against modern buildings. It’s the kind of place where it isn’t uncommon to see kangaroos hoping down the streets of the sprawling suburbs. I grew up in Canberra, and I was a teenager when the bushfires that swept through the city in 2003. These events are vividly etched in my memory. Setting Bec’s story during this time made her feel even more real to me. The fires got very close to my house and we had to evacuate. It affected everyone I knew and a lot of people lost their houses.

In some ways I guess the bare bones of this situation could happen anywhere, but for me the city and this story are inextricably linked.

What do you expect your readers to feel while reading Only Daughter?

I believe that you need to weight darkness with light. I really wanted the story to have a sense of fun, to avoid it becoming relentless in its more frightening themes. So I hope readers will feel the joy of the book as well as the horror.

Only Daughter has all the ingredients of the perfect Psychological Thriller: tense and fast-paced with unexpected twists and unreliable characters. Could you tell our readers what else this book has that makes it stand apart from the crowd?

I think it’s that sense of joy. Readers are invited into the beautiful, unblemished friendship of Lizzie and Bec. They are allowed to remember the joy of your first crush, or the pleasure of that first kiss with someone you think is amazing. They are able to see the other side of the counter at McDonald’s, where camaraderie is everything and your colleagues are your family. Where the summer feels endless and the days are long and friendship is everything.

Why did you decide to start writing thrillers?

When I was a kid I was never allowed to watch anything scary. I would sometimes get up in the middle of the night and watch thrillers on the foreign language channel with the sound off, just reading the subtitles. I think I was always slightly fascinated with darker stories, partly because they were forbidden!

I also believe that thrillers are a good medium to discuss some real-world issues that are hard to talk about directly. I definitely funnel my fears and anxieties into my work. It can be very cathartic.

I've read that Only Daughter is being published in several countries and Hollywood has shown interest in it. How are you feeling about it all?

I couldn’t be more excited. It’s amazing that people are connecting to this story, which feels so personal to me. I’m still getting my head around the idea that people are reading it, especially in different countries to Australia. It’s fantastic!

Which authors have inspired you to become a writer yourself?

When I was thirteen I was strangely obsessed with Mary Shelley. I found Frankenstein hard to read at that age, but I loved the story behind it. I thought it was so inspiring how she described the summer she wrote it as “when I first stepped from childhood into life.” I think I also liked how she surprised everyone with how fantastic, and how dark, her story was.

And finally, what can we expect from you next?

At the moment I am in the midst of the process of editing my second novel, Dolls. It’s about a young woman who desperately wants to be a journalist and how far she’ll go to get a story.

It’s about ambition, and societal notions of success. It will be out around this time next year!

Thanks so much Anna for stopping by and answering all my questions! Only Daughter is an unmissable story, I hope that this interview has picked the curiosity of many readers.

Keep up with Anna online at:

Webpage: www.annasnoekstra.com,

Twitter: twitter.com/annasnoekstra,

Facebook: facebook.com/AnnaSnoekstra

Goodreads: goodreads.com/author/show/14074268.Anna_Snoekstra

About the book:

Title: Only Daughter

Author: Anna Snoekstra

Published: September 22nd 2016 by HQ Stories

Amazon | Amazon UK

Blurb: In this chilling psychological thriller, one woman's dark past becomes another's deadly future.

In 2003, sixteen-year-old Rebecca Winter disappeared.

She'd been enjoying her teenage summer break: working at a fast-food restaurant, crushing on an older boy and shoplifting with her best friend. Mysteriously ominous things began to happen—blood in the bed, periods of blackouts, a feeling of being watched—though Bec remained oblivious of what was to come.

Eleven years later she is replaced.

A young woman, desperate after being arrested, claims to be the decade-missing Bec.

Soon the imposter is living Bec's life. Sleeping in her bed. Hugging her mother and father. Learning her best friends' names. Playing with her twin brothers.

But Bec's welcoming family and enthusiastic friends are not quite as they seem. As the imposter dodges the detective investigating her case, she begins to delve into the life of the real Bec Winter—and soon realizes that whoever took Bec is still at large, and that she is in imminent danger.

I'm sure you've heard about All Is Not Forgotten. The campaign behind this book has been huge and it's probably going to be one of the psychological thrillers of the year, but is it any good? Yes, it is! Check out my review to know more. Also, I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Wendy Walker for the Blog Tour of this book (check it out here).

About the book:

Title: All Is Not Forgotten

Author: Wendy Walker

Published: 14th July 2016 by Mira

Amazon | Amazon UK

Blurb: In the small, affluent town of Fairview, Connecticut everything seems picture perfect.

Until one night when young Jenny Kramer is attacked at a local party. In the hours immediately after, she is given a controversial drug to medically erase her memory of the violent assault. But, in the weeks and months that follow, as she heals from her physical wounds, and with no factual recall of the attack, Jenny struggles with her raging emotional memory. Her father, Tom, becomes obsessed with his inability to find her attacker and seek justice while her mother, Charlotte, prefers to pretend this horrific event did not touch her perfect country club world.

As they seek help for their daughter, the fault lines within their marriage and their close-knit community emerge from the shadows where they have been hidden for years, and the relentless quest to find the monster who invaded their town - or perhaps lives among them - drive this psychological thriller to a shocking and unexpected conclusion.

Review: All Is Not Forgotten is probably one of the best and darkest psychological thrillers I have read in a long while. The premise for this story is highly interesting and controversial: what if you could erase your memory of a traumatic event just taking a pill? Would it help you or only complicate things farther as you still have the emotions but nothing to relate them to? With Jenny Kramer it seems that it did not work as good as everyone had thought...

The story is narrated mainly by Jenny's psychologist who is trying to help Jenny recover her memory and also helping her parents understand the whole process. So we know what he is thinking and why he does what he does as he explains everything in a very easy way to follow (even if it takes a while for him to explain certain aspects). Plus, there are some parts narrated in first person by the other characters so you get quite a clear image of what is going on in their heads. This makes for an incredibly addictive story as it jumps from one thought to another, from one time to another and from one character from another without following a clear order. I wanted to know everything at once but at the same time I wanted to stop and analyse every sentence and every new piece of information.

As the story unfolds, it keeps surprising you in the most unexpected and clever ways. And nothing is as straight forward as you might have thought at the beginning. Also, if you are thinking of picking this book (do it!) be prepared for some uncomfortable scenes as the attack is described in graphic detail.

Wendy Walker certainly has the capacity to not only captivate her readers but also manipulate them. The narrator turns out to be quite unreliable and there's a point in the story that you no longer know who to trust or what is really going on and I think that's what makes this book so compelling and unexpected. Every characters was well developed and played a crucial role in the story.

All Is Not Forgotten is a book you cannot miss. It'll play with you, shock you and confuse you but above all it will blow your mind.

Rating: 5 stars

I would like to thank the publishers for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

Today's review is for Sunset in Central Park, the second book on Sarah Morgan's latest trilogy, From Manhattan With Love. It can be easily read as a stand alone but I'd recommend reading the first one, Sleepless in Manhattan, first to get to know the characters better and because it's a fantastic story. Here are my thought on this one:

Title: Sunset in Central Park (From Manhattan With Love #2)

Authors: Sarah Morgan

Published: July 14th 2016 by Mira

Amazon | Amazon UK

Blurb: In the chaos of New York, true love can be hard to find, even when it's been right under your nose all along...

Love has never been a priority for garden designer Frankie Cole. After witnessing the fallout of her parents' divorce, she's seen the devastation an overload of emotion can cause. The only man she feels comfortable with is her friend Matt--but that's strictly platonic. If only she found it easier to ignore the way he makes her heart race...

Matt Walker has loved Frankie for years but, sensing how fragile she is beneath her feisty exterior, has always played it cool. But then he uncovers new depths to the girl he's known forever and doesn't want to wait a moment longer. He knows Frankie has secrets and has buried them deep, but can Matt persuade her to trust him with her heart and kiss him under the Manhattan sunset?

Review: We are back in Manhattan for the second book in Sarah Morgan's latest trilogy. I really enjoyed the first book, Sleepless in Manhattan, which focused on Paige and Jake's story and I was looking forward to knowing more about this trio of friends. Sunset in Central Park revolves around Frankie, the apparently toughest of the three friends.

Already in the first book, I got the feeling that Paige's older and protective brother, Matt, was a bit interested in Frankie and I thought that would be a really interesting story as I immediately liked him. And I was not wrong, their story was so enjoyable and sweet (with a fair bit of hot and cold, to keep you reading non stop) and I think I might have fallen a bit in love with him. He was all in all a good guy with a huge heart. He didn't play games and he was always truthful to himself and his feeling. I contrast, Frankie was quite a complex character, with a troubled past and more insecurities than you might have thought at the beginning. They complemented each other quite well actually.

Something I love in this series is the setting. Who wouldn't leave it all behind and take a plane to New York? And Sarah Morgan really brings this city to life in her stories. Plus, in Sunset in Central Park we also travel to our beloved Puffin Island for a few days. This was such a treat for readers of her previous trilogy! I loved this bit of the story and how it helped Frankie too.

All in all Sunset in Central Park is another fantastically romantic story by Sarah Morgan. I might not have enjoyed it as much as Sleepless in Manhattan but I'm certainly loving this series. And I can't wait to find out Eva's story in the last installment and catch up with the rest of the characters.

Rating: 4 stars

I would like to thank the publishers for sending me a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

All Is Not Forgotten - Author Interview with Wendy Walker

Today I'm very excited to take part in the Blog Tour for All Is Not Forgotten by Wendy Walker. All Is Not Forgotten is going to be the psychological thriller of the year. Having already read it, I can tell you that it's a super addictive and unpredictable story that you don't want to miss. It's out today and to celebrate, Wendy Walker stopped by to talk about it:

1) Hi Wendy and welcome to Alba in Bookland. First, can you tell us a bit about yourself?

My name is Wendy Walker and I live in Connecticut, which is just northeast of New York City. I went to college at Brown University and law school at Georgetown University. I spent one year at the London School of Economics and I got to travel all around Europe. I have had many jobs from waitressing to investment banking at Goldman Sachs, to commercial litigation and now family law. I have three teenage sons and a large extended family.

After I had my first son eighteen years ago, I decided to stay home to raise my children until they were all in school. I felt lucky to be able to do that and so I took the job very seriously! But after about a year, I started to feel unfulfilled so I started to write whenever I had free time (which was not very often!). I had two more children in five years and all the while I kept writing. I even wrote in the back of my minivan while waiting for them at pre-school! I felt like a time scavenger, especially after I found an agent who thought she could sell my work. Of course, life is never that straight forward! It was a long road and 17 years getting to the writing and publication of All Is Not Forgotten. During that time, I published other novels, edited, and eventually went back to work as a lawyer (after 14 years away from the field). The work I found was in the area of family law and it was a wonderful fit for my life experience. I practiced for five years, eventually opening up my own practice which focuses on consulting.

I am currently writing almost full time- but my doors are still open and I still have a few clients.

2) All Is Not Forgotten is about a teenage girl whose memory of a violent assault is medically erased with a drug and its consequences in her life. I found this idea very original and controversial. Where did your inspiration for it come from?

I read an article years ago about the emerging theories in memory science and the treatment of PTSD with drugs that can lessen the emotional impact of a trauma memory. I thought at the time that this could lead to significant moral, ethical and legal questions if such techniques were offered to victims of crime. When I decided to write a psychological thriller in 2015, I thought this concept would offer readers a great deal of substance. I started to do research and discovered that this area of memory science had just exploded and that drugs were now being developed with the hope of mitigating, reconsolidating and even erasing trauma memories. I developed the characters and plot in a way that I hoped would explore this fascinating topic.

3) How did you research this?

Much of my initial research was done reading articles and research papers available on the Internet. There was an incredible amount of information, from detailed articles summarizing the research findings to the actual findings as they were reported in various science and medical peer journals. I then had relevant parts of the manuscript reviewed by neuroscientist Dr. Efrat Ginot, PhD, who was finishing her book The Neuroscience of the Unconscious: Integrating Brain and Mind in Psychotherapy, and Dr. Felicia Rozek, PhD, who is a practicing therapist with experience with children and adult trauma.

4) What difficulties did you face getting inside Jenny Kramer's head to tell her story?

Really, it was not difficult. I think the teenage years are so fraught with anxiety and anticipation and big decisions and social conflict, that we all remember what it felt like. I was able to get inside her head on this basic level, and from there it was a matter of drawing on empathy (which is a major theme in the novel). I think if we imagine what it would feel like to be in someone else’s shoes, and then draw from our own painful experiences, we can come pretty close to understanding the emotions of others. I also read a lot of material from rape victims and therapists discussing their treatment so I could better understand the emotional torment that is specific to sexual assault. I wanted to be as authentic as I could on this issue, while also keeping in mind that Jenny did not remember what happened to her so her journey would be different in that respect.

5) If you found yourself in a similar situation, would you choose to remember or to forget?

I think I would choose to remember. But I would also take full advantage of the wonderful treatments that can mitigate the emotional pain that is attached to the factual memory.

If I had to choose for my child … I honestly do not know. I think that is what makes this topic so compelling.

6) All Is Not Forgotten has all the ingredients of the perfect Psychological Thriller: tense and fast-paced with an unreliable narrator. Could you tell our readers what else this book has that makes it stand apart from the crowd?

What is different about this novel, I think, is that, first, it deals with a very real world controversial issue. I believe that we will be faced with decisions about treating our traumas and being able to choose, not only to lessen their emotional impact, but to forget or alter their facts. Every one of us can imagine having to make this choice – either for ourselves or for a loved one, a child.

Second – All Is Not Forgotten has many subplots that are highly relatable to our everyday lives. There is the Good Charlotte/Bad Charlotte theme. The dynamic between Charlotte and Tom and how it plays out in their marriage. The issues around parenting and the things we would do to protect our children. And the friendship between Jenny and Sean and how people who have suffered in the same way have a bond that transcends gender, age and pretty much everything else. All of these issues are things people face in their own lives and I think that makes this book thought provoking as well as entertaining.

And third – the structure of All Is Not Forgotten is unique. I designed it to move in different directions, backwards and forwards and sideways, but in a fluid, conversational way. It was my goal to grab the reader, make him or her stop everything else, put away computers and phones and televisions, and focus on the characters and the story and emotions they contain. I think we are moving, as a world culture, toward more complex and non-linear forms of entertainment. Because of the overwhelming amount of devices and applications, we often have numerous inputs running all at once. We can follow them all if they are simple and moving in a straight line. But I think this takes away from the pleasure of certain types of entertainment, such as television drama, film and books. Most of us want to be so engrossed in a story that we live and breathe it and forget our own lives. Entertainment is about escaping and feeling things we don’t normally feel. To that end, I was very much inspired by some of the newer films and television dramas that have captivated audiences with their multidimensional deliveries. We see the plot from years ahead, and years behind. We see the characters in the past and present and future. And we have to piece together the plot using the clues given to us. This forces us to be engrossed and occupies every part of our brains and in the end we do escape because we cannot follow the story if we don’t give it our full attention. I know something is good when I have to shut my computer screen (and with it facebook, twitter and my three email accounts!). All Is Not Forgotten attempts to create that feeling of total escape by telling the story in a way that is new, but that feels as seamless as an engrossing conversation with a friend.

7) About your writing process: Are you a plot planner or do you prefer to just write and see what happens?

I am a plot planner for sure! For All Is Not Forgotten, I had different colour note cards for each plot line. I kept them in order and then layered them into each chapter. When I read through the first draft, I kept a list of facts that each character learned or revealed and I wrote down numbers next to them as they occurred in the book. I also went back into the manuscript several times to layer in more pieces of the back story for each character to add substance and depth. Their stories consumed my mind entirely for many weeks and new ideas would come throughout the day and night. I would write them down and then go back in and add them when I had time.

8) You began your writing career writing Women’s Fiction – what compelled you to switch across to the genre of Psychological Thrillers?

My first two published novels were called Four Wives (2008) and Social Lives (2009). These books were in the genre of women’s fiction and involved stories of women in wealthy suburbs struggling with their identities, marriages, children, and former lives. I have lived in suburban Connecticut most of my life, both as a child and a grown woman, and I find it fascinating! Here, many women quit their highly skilled jobs to take care of homes and families while their husbands work long hours and travel for jobs in finance. This always made me think about Betty Friedan and her seminal work, The Feminine Mystique. I built my plots around these themes of economic dependency and the division of labour within families where both partners are highly skilled and educated.

After I started practicing law again, I never gave up the dream of making a career as a writer. I used to tell my boys that it was important to always have a dream, but to also be responsible. I did not stop working as a lawyer. But I also managed to keep writing! I signed with a new agent and she loved my concept of a psychological thriller based on memory science. I was a bit nervous about switching genres, but I had always enjoyed suspense and thrillers and I was very interested in this story concept, so I dusted it off and wrote All Is Not Forgotten. It was great advice and I am so glad that my children may get to see my dream come true (fingers crossed) so that they will believe what I told them about having dreams and never giving up – even if you have to keep your day job!

9) Finally, can you tell us what you’re working on now?

Yes! I am working on my next psychological thriller. Here is a little bit about it:

Five years ago, two sisters disappeared into the night. Now, one has returned to tell the dark story of years spent on an Island off the coast of Maine. As the FBI searches for the Island and the sister who did not make it out, we learn about the twisted past the girls endured in their own home before they left - and the truth about where they have been comes under scrutiny. Through the voice of our narrator, the sister who has returned, and the testimony of the Bureau’s forensic psychologist, the stories of past and present converge in an unexpected ending.

Like All Is Not Forgotten, this novel has an original narration structure and complex plot that is intended to capture the reader’s attention from the start and not let go until the entire story is told!

Connect with Wendy Walker:

Webpage: wendywalkerbooks.com

Facebook: facebook.com/WendyWalkerAuthor/

Instagram: instagram.com/wendygwalker

About the book:

Title: All Is Not Forgotten

Author: Wendy Walker

Published: 14th July 2016 by Mira

Amazon | Amazon UK

Blurb: In the small, affluent town of Fairview, Connecticut everything seems picture perfect.

Until one night when young Jenny Kramer is attacked at a local party. In the hours immediately after, she is given a controversial drug to medically erase her memory of the violent assault. But, in the weeks and months that follow, as she heals from her physical wounds, and with no factual recall of the attack, Jenny struggles with her raging emotional memory. Her father, Tom, becomes obsessed with his inability to find her attacker and seek justice while her mother, Charlotte, prefers to pretend this horrific event did not touch her perfect country club world.

As they seek help for their daughter, the fault lines within their marriage and their close-knit community emerge from the shadows where they have been hidden for years, and the relentless quest to find the monster who invaded their town - or perhaps lives among them - drive this psychological thriller to a shocking and unexpected conclusion.

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From #1 NY Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes a deeply powerful and emotional story about struggling to overcome your past and find where you belong. This was my first book by this author but I was greatly impressed, I'm sure it won't be my last. Read my thoughts here:

Title: The Problem With Forever

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Published: June 16th 2016 by Mira Ink

Amazon | Amazon UK

Blurb: For some people, silence is a weapon. For Mallory "Mouse" Dodge, it's a shield. Growing up, she learned that the best way to survive was to say nothing. And even though it's been four years since her nightmare ended, she's beginning to worry that the fear that holds her back will last a lifetime.

Now, after years of homeschooling with loving adoptive parents, Mallory must face a new milestone—spending her senior year at public high school. But of all the terrifying and exhilarating scenarios she's imagined, there's one she never dreamed of—that she'd run into Rider Stark, the friend and protector she hasn't seen since childhood, on her very first day.

It doesn't take long for Mallory to realize that the connection she shared with Rider never really faded. Yet the deeper their bond grows, the more it becomes apparent that she's not the only one grappling with lingering scars from the past. And as she watches Rider's life spiral out of control, Mallory must make a choice between staying silent and speaking out—for the people she loves, the life she wants and the truths that need to be heard.

*First of all I would like to thank the publishers for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Review: The Problem With Forever tells the story of Mallory, a teenager who is about to start her senior year at a public high school for the first time. After an abusive and complicated childhood, Mallory was finally adopted by a fantastic couple but her past still chases her, she doesn't talk much and meeting new people and talking to them is still a huge challenge for her. This is why her decision to go to a public high school is so brave and important for her.

From the first chapters, we instantly know that Mallory is going to be one of those special characters that stay with you long after finishing the book. I think Jennifer L. Armentrout made a great job creating her and characterizing her. It's difficult not to feel bad and even feel pity for her at the beginning, but Mallory quickly shows she is made of strong stuff and wants no pity. As the story progresses, we see her grow and flourish and become a better version of herself. It was a very special moment, to see her find her voice again as I ended up really caring for her.

And then there's Rider. He shared Mallory's horrible childhood and became her protect during those tough years but they haven't seen each other for four years, when Mallory walks into his class. They are both shocked and curious about each other and soon start to reconnect. I felt like this reconnecting was not rushed and they really got to know each other again. It was clear that they needed each other to be better and get past their memories and I was very happy for them both. Theirs turned out to be a beautiful love story.

The Problem With Forever is a very emotional story that made me shade a tear or two and really touched me. It's such a bittersweet story. Although I'd say it's sweeter than bitter. And I felt like a privileged observer while reading it. Mallory's story is one worth reading and I'm sure it'll leave no one indifferent.

Rating: 4 stars

Social info:

Webpage: jenniferarmentrout.com

Facebook: facebook.com/JenniferLArmentrout

Twitter: twitter.com/jlarmentrout

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1UaMhA4

#TheProblemWithForever

Author bio:

# 1 New York Times and International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math.

Jennifer also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn.

Book Review: Remember My Name by Abbey Clements

Today's my stop on the Blog Tour for Remember Name, model and TV presenter Abbey Clancy’s debut novel. A romantic comedy about a girl from Liverpool who dreams of hitting the big time, which I enjoyed immensely. Read my thoughts about it here:

Title: Remember My Name

Author: Abbey Clancy

Published: May 19th 2016 by Mira

Amazon | Amazon UK

Blurb: From the moment Liverpool teenager Jess stars in the school musical, she knows that she’s GOT to be a star. Fast forward a few years and the closest the now 22 year old Jessica has got to stardom is as a children’s entertainer – which is where she meets Jack, uncle to the spoiled 5 year old birthday princess, who spots Jessica’s talent and offers her a job with a record label. But that means that she’ll have to leave her family and her home and move to London – where she quickly finds that the streets aren’t quite paved with gold. And as she spends her days making tea for bitchy PR girls and her nights in a mouldy studio flat, Jessica wonders if leaving Liverpool for London has been a terrible mistake.

Attending an industry party – unfortunately only to serve canapes – Jessica’s fortunes suddenly change when Vogue, the singer due to perform at the event drops out. Before she knows it, Jessica volunteers to stand in and takes centre stage. After a dazzling performance, she is surrounded by people wondering who this amazing new talent is. What’s more, her star turn has been captured by the press and she has become an overnight sensation.

Plunged into the crazy world of glitz and glamour, Jessica’s life is transformed but as her star rises, she loses touch with her roots. Jessica’s teenage dreams of stardom may have come true, but at what cost?

*First of all I would like to thank the publishers for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Review: As soon as I spotted Abbey Clancy's debut, I knew it was my kind of read, as I love going behind the scenes of the crazy world of glitz and glamour, and I was not wrong. Remember My Name is a really fun and entertaining story about a girl from Liverpool who becomes the new musical sensation overnight and the consequences it has in her life and her family's.

I think that I enjoyed this novel so much because I instantly liked Jessica and I was rooting for her from page one, when she was dressed as Elsa and was attacked by a snow machine mid Let It Go. She was down to earth, quite naive, hard working and above all, believable as a character. And she had the best family, supportive and caring. I think when she finally got her chance at being rich and famous and became Jessika (with a K), I was as excited as her.

As you can imagine, as soon as Jessica became Jessika, she was a bit blinded by the fame and fortune and kind of forgot where she came from. But I guess that it must be difficult to stay true to yourself when everyone starts adoring you and you cannot even go to the loo without it making to the news. There was a moment halfway through that I was sure that I knew how the story was going to go and end but there were enough twists (some quite unexpected) to keep me intrigued and on my toes during the whole book.

Another part I enjoyed about this story was the more romantic part. There are a couple of love interests in Jessica's new life and I think the author handled this part really well. More than one scene had me giggling and I was really happy with the ending.

If your are looking for a highly entertaining story with lots of fun situations, humour, love and great characters, Remember My Name is the one for you.

Rating: 4 stars

About the author:

Liverpool-born Abbey Clancy is one of the UK’s most in demand models. She successfully combines being a wife and mother with her career as a presenter and model. She is a UK brand ambassador for many top brands including Matalan, Reebok and Avon. Abbey is married to Premiership footballer Peter Crouch and has two small daughters.

Remember My Name is her debut novel.

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I had not read any books by Fiona Harper but I had always heard great things about them so when I was offered to review her latest one, I jumped at the opportunity. Have a look at what I thought of The Summer We Danced:

Title: The Summer We Danced

Author: Fiona Harper

Published: April 7th 2016 by Mira

Amazon | Amazon UK

Blurb: After a humiliating divorce and watching her former rock star husband leave her for a model live on reality TV, Pippa is determined to disappear. So she returns to the small Kent village where she grew up to make a fresh start. Little did she know that would mean saving her beloved childhood dance school or falling for her old school crush Tom too!

*First of all I would like to thank the publishers for sending me a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review: The Summer We Danced is a cute story about finding yourself again, love and dancing, lots of dancing. I think the dancing scenes and references were the part that I enjoyed the most, so if you love dancing yourself or watching old Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies, this is your book.

The story focuses on Pippa, who returns home after her "kind of famous" rock star husband dumped her for a younger model. As you can imagine, Pippa's self esteem is at its lowest and she decides to drown her sorrows with food, something that doesn't really help her loving herself again. What does help her is rekindling her love for dancing, especially when she finds out that her beloved old dance teacher Miss Mimi is still bossing around in her dancing academy.

It took me while to get into the story, I guess because I wasn't sure I liked Pippa. But as the story progressed and we learned more about her, her past and how she gave everything to help Miss Mimi and her school, I started to feel more involved in the story too. Then, there was the love story between Tom and Pippa. They were best friends when they were teens and it was actually a comment from him which made Pippa quit dancing. Something I found a bit silly, but anyway, they meet again after 20 years and apparently there's still a sparkle between them. I didn't really get a vibe from them and their story was done and dusted quite quickly with a couple of misunderstandings thrown their way. This was actually OK because the main plot was saving Miss Mimi's school and that part I really enjoyed. They organised a Hollywood inspired dancing show, which sounded amazing.

All in all, I'd say The Summer We Danced is a light-hearted fun story that has its week points but that delivers what it promises. I enjoyed it but it won't leave a mark. As I said, the best part was all the dancing, which made me check Fred and Giger videos and reminded me how cool those old movies are.

The Chic Boutique on Baker St. is Rachel Dove's debut novel with Mills & Boon. Rachel is the proud winner of the 2015 Flirty Fiction Competition with Prima Magazine and Mills & Boon. A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing her, have a look here. Now, you can read my thoughts on the story:

Title: The Chic Boutique on Baker St.

Author: Rachel Dove

Published: April 21st 2016 by Mills & Boon

Amazon | Amazon UK

Blurb: Amanda is making the idyllic escape to the countryside to find a new life. Ben is picking up the pieces of his life after his wife left. Could a chance encounter outside Amanda's 'chic boutique' set them on the road to renewed happiness? Shop owner Amanda leaves London behind for life in the country and find's love with local vet Ben in this fun, addictive winner of the Prima Flirty Fiction competition.

First of all I would like to thank the publisher for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

Review: As soon as I spotted the cover of this book and read the blurb, I knew that it was going to be my kind of read. Who hasn't thought about leaving a boring and too demanding job behind and open a vintage, upcycling and crafts shop in the idyllic countryside? Well, that's exactly what Amanda does after discovering her boyfriend with his secretary. I certainly couldn't wait to know more about her new adventure, especially when there's a sexy vet next door.

It turns out though that Amanda's dream is not that easy and she is up to a rocky star. The sexy vet is quite hostile towards her and the whole community is quite afraid of change so new comers are not exactly their cup of tea. But there's a group of ladies who seem to rule the village and when their "leader" takes a shine to Amanda, things start to get better. Especially when the ladies decide that she and the sexy vet would make the perfect couple.

During the story there's a lot of meddling from the ladies, that's something I really enjoyed. It had me chuckling more than once, reading about their plans and how subtle they were (not). But then, the love story kind of takes center stage and even if there are a few subplots, they are done and dusted quite quickly. I would have like reading more about the shop and about all the ideas Amanda wanted to incorporate, also more about village life and the festival they come up with to save a beloved building.

But all in all, I really enjoyed this story. I found it really up-lifting and light-hearted with charming characters and scenery. Perfect to relax a couple of afternoons and enjoy a bit of romance.

Rating: 4 stars

Title: Sleepless in Manhattan (From Manhattan With Love #1)
Author: Sarah Morgan
Published: March 10th 2016 by Mira
Amazon | Amazon UK

Blurb: What if the person who broke your heart, is the only one who can help you find your future?

Great friends. Amazing Apartment. An incredible job. Paige has ticked off every box on perfect New York life checklist. Until disaster strikes and instead of shimming further up the career ladder, Paige is packing up her desk.

Her brother’s best friend Jake might be the only person who can help her put her life back together. He also happens to be the boy she spent her teen years pining after, and Paige is determined not repeat her past mistakes. But the more time she spends with Jake, the more Paige realises the one thing that was missing from her world all along. The perfect New York love story…

First of all I would like to thank the publisher for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

Review: When you pick a novel by Sarah Morgan, you more or less know what to expect: friendship, banter, sexy scenes and lots of romance. But, somehow, with every story she always manages to surprise me. In the first book in her new trilogy, we travel to New York to meet best friends Paige, Frankie and Eva. They work and live together so when their company make the three of them redundant, they find themselves in quite a difficult situation. In this first book, the star of the story is Paige. She is driven and hard working and is determined to turn this situation around so with a bit of encouragement, she decides to set their own events company.

The encouragement comes from Paige's brother, lovely Matt, and his best friend, gorgeous and dangerous Jake. As you can image, sparks fly every time Paige and Jake meet. But Paige learnt her lesson, when she confessed her love for him when she was a teenager and he politely but firmly refused her. Plus, Jake dates a new girl every week. It shouldn't be a problem for them to work together, should it? But the tension between them just kept escalating and I kept wishing they could see they were made for each. Lucky for us, all this sexual tension lead to some really sexy scenes with these two.

As much as I enjoyed Paige and Jake's story, I also had a great time getting to know dreamy Eva and tough Frankie and, of course, protective and all in all good guy Matt. Sarah Morgan's trilogies always introduce us to a trio of characters and then each book focuses on each of them and I can hardly wait to read all about Eva's and Frankie's stories. Plus, I had the feeling that Matt might be interested in one of them...

Another thing that made me fall in love with this novel was the setting. I love New York, I've been there twice and I'm already looking forward to going back. With this story I could totally picture myself there, from cool and trendy Brooklyn to posh and lively Manhattan. The life and shine of the city really got through the story and it felt like it was one more character in the story. Plus, the setting gave the novel a movie feeling (the ending also helped with this, what an ending!). I'd definitely love to see this story in the big screen.

All in all, Sleepless in Manhattan is Sarah Morgan at her best. She brings us a romantic story that ticks all the boxes with lovable characters and a stunning setting. What else can you ask for?

Rating: