Happy World Book Day to all the booklovers around the world!
I have been a booklover since I was a child. I remember that before I started reading, I would sit on my bed with my mother or my father and they would read stories to me for hours. It probably wasn't hours but being a small kid, it felt like we were lost in imaginary worlds for the whole night. As soon as I learned to read, I always had a book around. I remember the first one I read only had vowels and I would read out loud to my parents as it was the world's biggest achievement.
I can truly say that my love for books comes from my parents. My mum is a bookworm like me, and we spent hours when I was a teen, sitting in her big bed, reading next to each other. My dad is not such a big reader but he spent so many hours reading to me. It felt special to share all those stories only with him. So thank you mum and dad for sharing your love with words with me. My life had been completely different if I hadn't traveled the universe with the Little Prince, lived adventures with Huckleberry Finn or flown on a dragon with Harry Potter.
Funnily enough, last year it was the first time I heard of World Book Day. Here in Catalonia, we celebrate Book Day the 23rd of April (Saint George's day) and every year in the school we would read and write stories and poems, dress up or other activities related with books. But I think that my love to books can be shared with two days (I'd say there's enough love for the 365 days of the year). So to join the celebrations, I've decided to do a small giveaway.
I saw this quote earlier on twitter and loved it. Books certainly have a special magic. So I've made this tote bag for one lucky winner:
World Book Day
19:54Blog Tour: Hero by Samantha Young
09:00
Title: Hero
Author: Samantha Young
Published: March 5th 2015 by Piatkus
Amazon | Amazon UK
From that moment, they embark in a friends with benefits relationship. Alexa making sure friends is the key word, starts getting to know Cain better and piece by piece, we discover what really happened to these lonely souls to make them who they are now. I adored reading about Cain's other alter ego, not the powerful CEO that everyone fears, but who he is underneath it all. I am sure more than one will fall a bit in love with him.
About the author:
Author: Samantha Young
Published: March 5th 2015 by Piatkus
Amazon | Amazon UK
Blurb: The explosive, emotional and unforgettable new romance from the NYT bestselling author of the On Dublin Street series
Alexa Holland's father was her hero-until her shocking discovery. Ever since, Alexa has worked to turn her life in a different direction and forge her own identity outside of his terrible secrets. But when she meets a man who's as damaged by her father's mistakes as she is, Alexa must help him.
Caine Carraway wants nothing to do with Alexa's efforts at redemption, but it's not so easy to push her away. Determined to make her hate him, he brings her to the edge of her patience and waits for her to walk away. But his actions only draw them together and, despite the odds, they begin an intense and all-consuming affair.
Only Caine knows he can never be the white knight that Alexa has always longed for, and when they're on the precipice of danger, he finds he'll do anything to protect either one of them from being hurt again...
*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: I really enjoyed reading In Dublin Street, Samantha Young's famous series, so when I was offered to review her latest work, Hero, I was over the moon. I must admit though that I was a bit worried about the premise at the beginning, a powerful CEO who has no interest in relationships and the PA who thinks that can save him from himself, has been used a lot in books lately. But I quickly saw that the story had a real depth, that the character had so much to offer and were well developed and that the story had nothing of conventional. It even had an element of mystery that I did not expect but that had me glued to its pages until I knew it all.
Cain and Alexa shared a family past that none of them wanted to remember but when faced with each other, the chemistry between them was undeniable. Cain, after making her lose her job, (unconsciously) did not want to let her go of his life, so he offered her a new job as his PA with every intention of making her life impossible. But with every stolen glance, every involuntary touch and every heated exchange, the sensual tension kept growing between them until there was no going back. I really enjoyed this build up, it was sexy and flowed naturally with the story.
From that moment, they embark in a friends with benefits relationship. Alexa making sure friends is the key word, starts getting to know Cain better and piece by piece, we discover what really happened to these lonely souls to make them who they are now. I adored reading about Cain's other alter ego, not the powerful CEO that everyone fears, but who he is underneath it all. I am sure more than one will fall a bit in love with him.
Hero is a sexy, compelling and emotional story about two people who had to deal with their parents mistakes and learn how to leave their shadow. With some completely unexpected twists that will have you with your heart in your mouth, this novel will capture you. I highly recommend it to old and new fans of Samantha Young, as her sexy style and fast paced narrative makes this story one of her best works. I certainly cannot wait for more from this author.
Rating:
Hero by Samantha Young is published by Piatkus in paperback and eBook. You can find of all Samantha Young’s titles in the Kobo website here: https://store.kobobooks.com/List/the-hottest-new-voice-in-romance-samantha-young/J-xrHY0rhcp8fAjSHjnPlQ
About the author:
Samantha Young is the author of the runaway bestselling On Dublin Street, which sold over 150,000 copies within five weeks and has now been sold in more than 25 countries. Published by Penguin UK until recently, her first book with Little Brown (Castle Hill) was one of the top 10 Hachette ebooks for 2014. This year she has been nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Author and Best Romance. She lives in Stirlingshire, Scotland and is available for publicity purposes, along with corresponding regularly with her 22,000 fans on FB and 15,000 Twitter followers.
You can visit her at www.samanthayoungbooks.com
Blog Tour: People We Love - Jenny Harper + Giveaway!
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Jenny Harper is back with the fourth instalment in her popular Heartlands series.
People We Love will be on tour for the next few weeks, visiting some of the best and brightest book blogs for reviews, guest posts and a colourful giveaway!
What they say:
For readers of Jojo Moyes, Jodi Picoult and David Nicholls, you will love Jenny Harper's People We Love.
Her life is on hold – until an unlikely visitor climbs in through the kitchen window.
A year after her brother’s fatal accident, Lexie’s life seems to have reached a dead end. She is back home in small-town Hailesbank with her shell-shocked parents, treading softly around their fragile emotions.
As the family business drifts into decline, Lexie’s passion for painting and for her one-time mentor Patrick have been buried as deep as her unexpressed grief, until the day her lunch is interrupted by a strange visitor in a bobble hat, dressing gown and bedroom slippers, who climbs through the window.
Elderly Edith’s batty appearance conceals a secret and starts Lexie on a journey that gives her an inspirational artistic idea and rekindles her appetite for life. With friends in support and ex-lover Cameron seemingly ready to settle down, do love and laughter beckon after all?
Review: This was my first book by Jenny Harper but probably won't be the last as I found People We Love to be a beautiful tale. Lexie was a joy to read about, with her crazy red hair and her obsession with vintage clothing (she doesn't even own a pair of jeans!). But she really was a very lovable character. She and her family had gone through so much with her brother's death that they had fallen in a dark place and didn't know how to get out. Until Edith. This lovely old lady appeared in their lives and changed everything. It was hard but beautiful to read about her. Her dementia made her life in another era, but she certainly taught us all a lot about life.
And then there was Pavel, for me, the star of the story. This old Polish man had a vintage shop in town and through the years had become Lexie's confident. He made me shade more than one tear through the story.
Each chapter of People We Love starts with the description of a pair of shoes. I was very intrigued by this short pieces as every pair was accompanied by a short story. Once I knew the significance of these pieces, I fell in love with the idea. But if you have to find out more about these shoes and their secrets, you'll have to read this beautiful story yourself.
Rating:
Jenny Harper lives in Edinburgh. She is the author of four books about Scotland and Scottish culture, a history of childbirth, and The Sleeping Train for young readers. When she isn't writing, she enjoys walking in the Scottish countryside or anywhere warm, and travelling to Europe, America and India.
Find Jenny

Enter via the Rafflecopter below to win:

1st Prize: 1 x Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolour Sketchers Pocket Set and an E-copy of People We Love by Jenny Harper

2nd Prize: 1 x Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolour Sketchers' Pocket Set
Giveaway is international. Jenny Harper and CandleLit Author Services reserve the right to cancel or amend giveaway details at anytime and without prior notification.
Top Ten All Time Favorite Books from the Past 3 Years
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Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists over there at The Broke and the Bookish. I'd love to share my lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!
This week's topic are books that I have read during the last 3 years that have become all time favourites. Surprisingly, it took me a while to make this list, first I couldn't think of enough books and then I had too many and couldn't choose between them, anyway here they are:
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. I only read it last year but since then I haven't been able to forget this poignant story. And there's gonna be a sequel later this year!
The Year I Met You by Cecelia Ahern. Definitely Cecelia at her best. After not loving some of her previous books, this one blown me away.
The Unfinished Symphony of You and Me by Lucy Robinson. Lucy is the best, if you haven't read her books, I don't know what you're waiting for because all of them are all time favourites.
Chaising Daisy by Paige Toon. I only discovered Paige Toon's books last year and it was love at first sight. I love her fresh style and my favourite is Chaising Daisy.
From Notting Hill with Love... Actually by Ali McNamara. This is the first book in one of the best rom com series I have read.
I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella. One of those books I have reread more than once.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. One of the best YA novels I have ever read. It made me cry and smile non-stop.
The Judas Scar by Amanda Jennings. One of my books of 2014, I haven't been able to forget this dark story.
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. Khaled's stories are always works of art.
About a Girl and What a Girl Wants by Lindsey Kelk. I am loving Lindsey's latest series and I am so looking forward to the next installment at the end of the year.
Here they are, the books I have read during the last three years that have stolen a piece of my heart. What are your latest all time favourites?
The Two of Us by Andy Jones
09:57
Title: The Two of Us
Author: Andy Jones
Published: by Simon & Schuster UK
Ebook: February 12th 2015
Paperback: May 7th 2015
Amazon | Amazon UK
*First of all I would like to thank the publisher for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
Author: Andy Jones
Published: by Simon & Schuster UK
Ebook: February 12th 2015
Paperback: May 7th 2015
Amazon | Amazon UK
Blurb: Falling in love is the easy part. What matters most is what happens next...
Fisher and Ivy have been an item for a whole nineteen days. And they just know they are meant to be together. The fact that they know little else about each other is a minor detail. Over the course of twelve months, in which their lives will change forever, Fisher and Ivy discover that falling in love is one thing, but staying there is an entirely different story.
The Two of Us is a charming, honest and heart-breaking novel about life, love, and the importance of taking neither one for granted.
*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: The Two of Us is a moving story about two people who fall in love and after nineteen days of hot romance are faced with a life changing event. They decide to stick together and from that moment we follow their story, with its ups and downs, for a whole year. I found this idea captivating, we are used to read about the build up of a relationship, the flirting, the eye contact, the first kiss... but I am often left wondering if they'll even survive the first month together. In this case, we are thrown in the middle of a short but intense romance that is about to get a whole lot more serious. This, and the fact that the story if told completely from the male point of view, make this novel quite unique.
I actually found the fact that we read the story from Fisher's point of view really interesting. He is a very complex character, full of love and doubts. He is a down to earth guy who is trying to do his best in a difficult situation. I felt like bit by bit, he was becoming part of my story or I was becoming part of his as I found myself really invested in him and his relationship with Ivy. I rooted for him, cared for him and even got mad with him more than once. Plus, the story being told in present makes it even more realistic. Everything that happens in this story might happen to anyone and that's what makes it so special.
I am not sure though that I liked Ivy. You can tell she is a very independent woman who is used to live her life by her own rules. She is almost ten years older than Fisher and has had previous serious relationship, so she doesn't have the naïveté that makes me like him so much. Sometimes she was a bit distant with him and the whole situation but then, we only get Fisher's thoughts about her, so we have no idea how she really is feeling. And as we got to know her better and learnt more about her past, I understood her and her actions better. After finishing the story I really think she was the perfect match for Fisher. They made a good team together.
The Two of Us is a honest and poignant story. You'll have a lump in your throat more than once and you'll shade more than one tear but it will also make you laugh and will warm your heart. And the secondary characters add a palette of emotions to this already moving story. A special mention to El, who had his own story to tell, a real lesson about life.
An outstanding debut, The Two of Us is a unique gem of a book and I am sure it will leave no one indifferent.
Rating:
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