The Idea of You by Amanda Prowse

Out Now

Published by: Lake Union Publishing

Purchase from Amazon here

The Blurb:

With her fortieth birthday approaching, Lucy Carpenter thinks she finally has it all: a wonderful new husband, Jonah, a successful career and the chance of a precious baby of her own. Life couldn’t be more perfect.

But becoming parents proves much harder to achieve than Lucy and Jonah imagined, and when Jonah’s teenage daughter Camille comes to stay with them, she becomes a constant reminder of what Lucy doesn’t have. Jonah’s love and support are unquestioning, but Lucy’s struggles with work and her own failing dreams begin to take their toll. With Camille’s presence straining the bonds of Lucy’s marriage even further, Lucy suddenly feels herself close to losing everything…

This heart-wrenchingly poignant family drama from bestselling author Amanda Prowse asks the question: in today’s hectic world, what does it mean to be a mother?

My Review:

I have heard so many wonderful things about Amanda’s work, but The Idea of You is the first book I have read by her, and I promise you this – it will not be my last! Wow!! What a heart wrenching, emotional, beautiful book this is.

Exploring the struggle to conceive and have a child is something that affects so many people each and every day, and one that whilst we empathise, we have little understanding of how it must feel unless we have been through it. Miscarriage or the inability to conceive is often given the ‘aww’ sympathy reaction but not thought of as a catastrophic loss, which it can be.

The Idea of You explores the impact that this can have both on Lucy personally, but also on the relationship between her and Jonah. That overwhelming urge to be able to carry a baby and become a parent, the secrecy and feeling of failure that you keep from others.

It is further complicated that Jonah already has a teenage daughter Camille who doesn’t make things easy for Lucy, despite her best efforts to make Camille feel welcome. Can they overcome this, especially as Lucy’s urge for motherhood becomes stronger and Camille’s rebellion becomes harder?

This is such a moving book and written with such depth and well developed characters it felt very precious and as I was reading it I could feel my mannerism becoming soft and protective, and I wanted to nurture and honour it. I think this is because Amanda has produced a book so full of reality and realism that it felt like I could be reading someone’s true story and it deserved respect and understanding.

Thank you Amanda for writing a book which will only increase understanding and empathy for the people who have been in this situation, and for writing a book with characters that as a reader I came to care about. They will stay with me in time to come.

The Escape by C.L. Taylor

Out now

Published by Avon Books UK

Purchase from Amazon here

The Blurb:

"Look after your daughter's things. And your daughter…"

When a stranger asks Jo Blackmore for a lift she says yes, then swiftly wishes she hadn't. The stranger knows Jo's name, she knows her husband Max and she's got a glove belonging to Jo's two year old daughter Elise.

What begins with a subtle threat swiftly turns into a nightmare as the police, social services and even Jo's own husband turn against her. No one believes that Elise is in danger.

But Jo knows there's only one way to keep her child safe – RUN.

My Review:

I am a massive fan of C.L. Taylor’s work and got very excited when I saw The Escape was due for release. As always her work is full of drama, suspense, and twists which gripped me and had me hooked throughout.

It all gets off to a fast start as Jo is confronted and her and her daughter threatened. Her husband Max is a journalist and it seems that this could be connected to an investigation he has been involved in. But will anyone actually believe that Jo is being threatened, or will they think that she is in need of psychiatric help.

And so begins a dramatic tale that sees Jo flee her home, family and all around her in pursuit of answers and safety. But will she find it or will she run from one problem to another?

I loved the way the plot has been crafted. Just when I thought ‘aha, I have it’ I would quickly realise I didn’t. I became so engrossed in the story I could feel it and at times wanted to scream at Jo (for a number of reasons). She frustrated the hell out of me at times as she acted differently to how I would have handled the situation, but at the same time I just wanted someone to believe her, or take her under their wing.

The climax of the story had me on the edge of my seat, and unable to tear myself away. Written so descriptively I could sense the sounds, smells and feel the adrenaline. My heart was in my mouth……

The setting is beautiful, and whilst this is a thriller and a tense one at that, I could visualize the village so easily I actually wanted to go and visit the scene and holiday there, it felt real.

Once again C.L. Taylor has written a winning book that is frantic, thrilling, captivating and set my pulse racing!

Blog Tour: Review of How to Mend A Broken Heart by Anna Mansell

Out now

Published by Bookouture

Purchase from Amazon here

What is the book about?

Hello? Rhys Woods? I have a patient here I think you know. Yours is the only number in her diary…

When Rhys is called to the hospital to meet Susan, a woman he barely knows, he is compelled to help her. Still grieving the loss of his brother months earlier, Rhys knows all too well the feeling of loneliness.

There are years between them, but Rhys is the only person Susan will respond to, and when she asks him to bring her her most treasured possession, a book of fairytales, he is intrigued.

Hidden in the book is a clue to Susan’s past, and the painful regrets she carries with her. And as Rhys starts to unearth Susan’s secrets, he finds that his own grief begins to heal too…

Together, Susan and Rhys must learn to live again. Can they help each other to find happiness and finally mend their broken hearts?

How to Mend a Broken Heart is a heart-wrenching and absorbing story about second chances, forgiveness, and making every second count, perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes, Lucy Dillon and Miranda Dickinson.

What did I think?

The first thing that grabbed my attention was the cover of this book. It is beautiful, and as I came to find out, sometimes you can judge a book by its cover, because the story told in the pages were also beautiful.

I must admit that I didn’t fully take in the synopsis before starting to read. I was expecting a light story of someone who has had a break up and has to get back on her feet. But what I found was far more than that. It was deeper, more heartfelt and compelling.

The blurb tells you what you need to know about the book without giving too much away, and that is part of what I found powerful, not knowing the characters stories, and having them revealed to me as I read. Yes, ok, it isn’t too long before you put the pieces of the jigsaw together, but for me it didn’t take away from the book as this is a work that as described on the cover is an emotional, uplifting page turner about love, loss and hope. I felt all those emotions during the course of the story, and as I write this review, just hours after finishing it, I find myself feeling that I have taken a message away that will stay with me.

Susan is a complex and troubled character and like Rapunzel, trapped in a tower of her troubled and sad life, she needs rescuing. When an event happens Rhys is the only contact number they can find on her and so Rhys gets a call which leads to him racing to the hospital thinking his Mum has been injured. Whilst relieved that his family is ok, he is compelled by Susan, and having lost his brother he has an urge to see if by helping Susan he can bring some closure and answers to his grief.

One character not mentioned in the blurb is Kat who is a nurse working at the hospital. She is also key to the story and I loved her. She has her own past that she is battling, but she is strong, caring and compassionate. A little bit of a lost and damaged soul I could relate to her.

I wasn’t initially sure how I felt about Susan and Rhys. Whilst I was reading the words and could understand them it took me time to get inside their heads and emotions, but for me it was worth the wait. Their stories are moving and absorbing, as is Kats. I loved the way that the author has made each of their situations and feelings compliment eachother.

Each chapter is narrated by a different character which gave it an added dimension for me as I was able to look at the how the story evolved from each of their perspectives, in particular Kat and Rhys. Susan is definitely far more closed and surrounded by more mystery which by the end really left me wondering how things would pan for her. I would love to hear her story with her as narrator.

I have just seen that this the debut novel from Anna Mansell which didn’t even occur to me whilst reading. Full of character, depth and emotional writing this book is fantastic, and I can’t wait to read more of her work.

About Anna Mansell

Anna spent almost twenty years trying to shoehorn writing in to her career as a marketing manager for dance and theatre companies. Eventually, she did what you are not remotely supposed to do and walked away from an excellent job in order to try and become a published author. Three years, lots of tears and some slightly hairy bank balances later, she met Kirsty Greenwood and the rest, as they say, is history. Anna lives in Cornwall with her husband and two kids. She feels very fortunate!

https://twitter.com/AnnaMansell

https://www.facebook.com/AnnaMansellAuthor