Winner of a copy of The Accident announced!!

 

A huge thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway for a paperback copy of The Accident by Katie McMahon.   The giveaway closed on the 13th September 2022 and the winner was randomly selected (using Random org) from all correct entries. 

Congratulations to........  Betty Connery

 

The winner has been notified and has seven days to provide a mailing address.

 

Thank you to Echo Publishing and DMCPRMedia for sponsoring this giveaway. 

 

Please check under the Giveaway tab for more great giveaways!  

 

Book Review & Giveaway: The Accident by Katie McMahon

 The Accident 

by

Katie McMahon

 

Can we really let go of the past?

 

Publisher: Echo Publishing

Publication date: 30th August 2022

 

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

 

Pages: 360

 

RRP: $32.99AUD

 

Format read: Paperback

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher via DMCPRMedia

 

My review of The Accident

 

I loved Katie McMahon's debut novel The Mistake so I was eager to read her next offering and I wasn't disappointed. Katie's second book is even better than her first.

 

The book opens with an unidentified accident not far from the local high school. This mystery immediately hooked me in as the story then goes back to the nine months leading up to the accident and the question of what happened was always in the back of my mind.

 

Grace is the mother of teenaged Emma who is struggling with an eating disorder and is also being bullied by the girls in her class at school.

Zoe is a teacher at the local high school.

Imogen is an intern in the local hospital's A & E department. 

The three women are linked by friends, family and lovers. I found the connection to Zoe and Imogen stronger with their first person narration rather than the third person narrative of Grace.

 

There is a very strong theme of rejection as each of the women feel they have lost their soulmate to someone else and deal with this lose in different ways.

There are a few emotive themes running through the novel, such as; overworked emergency doctors, eating disorders, stalking, infidelity, mental illness, bullying, infertility and moral dilemmas. McMahon explores how life experiences shape us and have far reaching affects on those around us.

 

I enjoyed the mixed media style with coronial inquest notes and emails adding to the story and building the suspense.

 

Katie McMahon's writing is rich in suspense, mystery and humour. Her characters are funny, flawed and real. I loved them all!

 

5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

About the author

 

Katie McMahon is a medical doctor and writer. Her first novel, The Mistake, was written after attending a masterclass run by the internationally bestselling author Fiona McIntosh and was published internationally in 2021. Katie has also written articles for The Age and The Quarry. She has lived in London and Melbourne and is now based with her family in Hobart, Tasmania. She works as a doctor and teaches communication skills to medical students. The Accident is her second novel. 

 

 

GIVEAWAY

 

 

With thanks to Echo Publishing and DMCPRMedia I have one paperback copy of The Accident to give away.

 Enter via the form below. (Open to Australian addresses only). Entries close at 6pm (AEST) on Tuesday 13th September 2022.

 

 This giveaway is now closed and the winner was announced HERE

Winner of a copy of The Tap Cats of the Sunshine Coast announced!!

 

A huge thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway for a paperback copy of The Tap Cats of the Sunshine Coast.   The giveaway closed on the 19th August and the winner was randomly selected (using Random org) from all correct entries. 

Congratulations to........  Karen Neville

 

 The winner has been notified and has seven days to provide a mailing address.

Thank you to Ventura Press and DMCPRMedia for sponsoring this giveaway. 

 

Please check under the Giveaway tab for more great giveaways!

Winner of a copy of A Recipe for Family announced!!

 

A huge thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway for a paperback copy of A Recipe for Family.   The giveaway closed on the 12th August and the winner was randomly selected (using Random org) from all correct entries. 

Congratulations to........   Rachael

 

 The winner has been notified and has seven days to provide a mailing address.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and DMCPRMedia for sponsoring this giveaway.

I have another giveaway currently running and you can find it HERE 

 

 

Book Review & Giveaway: The Tap Cats of the Sunshine Coast by Christine Sykes

The Tap Cats of the Sunshine Coast

by

Christine Sykes

 

A moving, heartwarming story of secrets, love and friendship

 

Publisher: Ventura Press

Publication date: 3rd August 2022

 

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

 

Pages: 300

 

RRP: $32.99AUD

 

Format read: Paperback

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher via DMCPRMedia 

 

My review of The Tap Cats of the Sunshine Coast

 

Inspired by her own experience of taking up tap dancing on retirement, Christine Sykes has written a heartwarming story of friendship and ageing.

 

The story follows two women, friends since primary school, who join the seniors tap dancing group, but when the group decides to enter the Senior Superstars State Competition and the other member from their schoolyard trio arrives back in Australia after 35 years in New York, secrets are revealed and cracks begin to appear in the friendship.

 

I loved this story set on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland. Christine Sykes explores life-long friendships and throws in a few hurdles to see how the women will cope. There is a mind-blowing secret revealed, infidelity and a metoo moment.

There is also another very emotive theme running through the novel but that's a spoiler, so no mentions here!

 

Sofia is quiet, the peacemaker who loves to cook and cares for everyone - by far my favourite character.

Carol is driven, very bossy and wants to win. She has trouble seeing other people's point of view.

Bonnie is outspoken and a bit rude. She has had a lot of heartbreak in life.

Even though these women were so close growing up, they each have trauma they are keeping from the others.

 

I've made this sound a bit overwhelming but it's  actually a fun story and I loved the tap dancing! I challenge you not to get up and give it a try whilst reading this book. I did!! 😂 

 

My rating 4 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

About the author 

 

Christine Sykes is a community worker and senior public servant, now retired, who lives on the NSW South Coast. She published her acclaimed memoir Gough and Me: My journey from Cabramatta to China and beyond in 2021 and her award-winning novel The Changing Room in 2019.

As well as writing and tap dancing, Christine loves to walk and have coffee with friends, when she’s not visiting family on the Sunshine Coast, Central Coast, Sydney and Melbourne. The Tap Cats of the Sunshine Coast is her third book, inspired by her and her aunt’s experiences taking up tap dancing later in life.

 

 

 

Giveaway

With thanks to Ventura Press and DMCPRMedia I have one paperback copy of Tap Cats of the Sunshine Coast to give away.

 Enter via the form below. (Open to Australian addresses only). Entries close at 6pm (AEST) on Friday 19th August 2022.

 

This giveaway is now closed and the winner was announced HERE

Book Review & Giveaway: A Recipe for Family by Tori Haschka

 A Recipe for Family

by

Tori Haschka

 

Things are about to get messy..... 

 

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Australia

 

Publication date:  3rd August 2022

 Genre: Contemporary Fiction

 

Pages: 400

 

RRP: $29.99AUD

 

Format read: Uncorrected paperback

 

Source: Courtesy of DMCPRMedia

 

My review of A Recipe for Family

 

Tori Haschka asks, in A Recipe for Family, what makes a family? Can you bring in a total stranger and make them a family member? 

This is a story about working mother's and the pressure of working two jobs, that of mother and employee, and trying to do it all under the burden of guilt and judgement.

Tori Haschka includes situations and circumstances we may have found ourselves in at times and gives them a humorous twist.

Life is messy and brimming with disasters and Stella and her friends are full of advice for each other. Everyone keeps telling Stella an au pair will solve all her problems. 

A Recipe for Family is a modern story, for our time, where both parents need to work to survive financially. The story follows a group of mums living on Sydney's Northern Beaches but I think mothers everywhere will relate to the theme, and the characters, in some way or another.

I liked the addition of the social media posts in a local Facebook group asking for advice under an anonymous guise, although others new exactly who the posters were. This was funny in its truth. 

I loved all the mentions of food as it brought people together and was used to remember a loved one. I was delightfully surprised, after reading about all those wonderful dishes, that the recipes are all there in the back of the book.

I enjoyed Stella's final reflection that she needed to open up more and I felt her and her peers finally became friends rather than competitors by the end of the novel.

The story is told through the eyes of Stella, Elise, her mother-in-law and Ava, The 18yo au pair. I feel each of these characters will be viewed differently depending on the readers age and circumstances.

A Recipe for Family is an observant novel. A satirical look at family and mothering.

My rating 4 / 5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

About the author

(c) Snippets Photography

Tori Haschka is a Sydney based author, food writer and mum of two. Her articles have featured in Grazia, The Times, the Guardian, Mammamia and the Sydney Morning Herald and her blog eatori.com was ranked by Saveur as one of the five best food and travel blogs in the world. Grace Under Pressure is her first novel.

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 Giveaway

With thanks to Simon & Schuster and DMCPRMedia I have one paperback copy of A Recipe for Family to give away.

 Enter via the form below. (Open to Australian addresses only). Entries close at 6pm (AEST) on Friday 12th August 2022.

 

This giveaway is now closed and the winner was announced HERE

Winner of a copy of The Brightest Star announced!!

 

A huge thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway for a paperback copy of The Brightest Star.   The giveaway closed on the 21st July and the winner was randomly selected (using Random org) from all correct entries. 

Congratulations to........   Cheryl M 

 

 The winner has been notified and has seven days to provide a mailing address.

 

Please look under the giveaway tab for more chances to win great books.

 

 

Book Giveaway - Friday Freebie: The Brightest Star by Emma Harcourt

 I received an extra paperback copy of The Brightest Star by Emma Harcourt from Harlequin Australia so I am giving it away to one lucky reader.

The Brightest Star

by

Emma Harcourt

About the book

 

1496 It is the height of the Renaissance and its flowering of intellectual and artistic endeavour, but the city state of Florence is in the grip of fundamentalist preacher Friar Girolamo Savonarola. Its good people believe the Lord speaks through him, just as certainly as the Sun circles the Earth.

For Leonarda Lunetta, eldest daughter of the learned Signore Vincenzo Fusili, religion is not as interesting as the books she shares with her beloved father. Reading is an escape from the ridicule flung her way, for Luna is not like other girls. She was born with a misshapen leg and that, and her passion for intellectual pursuits - particularly astronomy - alters how society sees her and how she sees the world.

Luna wants to know, to learn, to become an astronomer who charts the nights sky - certainly not the dutiful, marriageable daughter all of Florence society insists upon. So when Luna meets astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, she is not surprised that his heretical beliefs confirm her view that world is not as it is presented - or how it could be. These dangerous ideas bring her into conflict with the preacher Savonarola, and her future is changed irrevocably as politics, extremism and belief systems ignite in a dangerous conflagration.

Luna is a woman born out of time, the brightest star of her generation, but can she reconcile the girl of her father's making with this new version of herself? And if she does, will Renaissance Italy prove too perilous and dark a place for a free-thinking woman?

 

I haven't read the book yet but it is getting some fabulous reviews on Goodreads!

 

 Giveaway

 

I have one paperback copy of The Brightest Star to give away.

 Enter via the form below. (Open to Australian addresses only). Entries close at 6pm (AEST) on Thursday 21st July 2022.

 

 This giveaway is now closed and the winner was announced HERE

Winner of a copy of The Reunion announced!!

 

A huge thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway for a paperback copy of The Reunion.   The giveaway closed on the 17th June and the winner was randomly selected (using Random org) from all correct entries. 

Congratulations to........   Daniela P

 

 The winner has been notified and has seven days to provide a mailing address.

 Thank you to Simon & Schuster and DMCPRMedia for sponsoring this giveaway. 

Please look under the giveaway tab for more chances to win great books.

 

 

Book Giveaway - Friday Freebie: The Reunion by Polly Phillips

Thanks to the generosity of Simon & Schuster I have one paperback copy of The Reunion to giveaway.

 

The Reunion

by

Polly Phillips

 

 About the book

 

 Emily Toller has tried to forget her time at university and the events that led to her suddenly leaving under a cloud. She has done everything she can to forget the shame and the trauma – and the people involved. She has tried to focus on the life she has built with her children and husband, Nick.

But events like that can’t just be forgotten. Not without someone answering for what they’ve done.

When an invitation arrives to a University reunion, everything clicks into place. Emily has a plan.

Because if you can’t forget – why not get revenge?

 

Not sure if the book is for you? read my review HERE

 

 

 GIVEAWAY

 

I have one paperback copy of The Reunion to give away.

 Enter via the form below. (Open to Australian addresses only). Entries close at 6pm (AEST) on Friday 17th June 2022.

 

This giveaway is now closed and the winner was announced HERE

Winner of a copy of Esther's Children announced!!

 

A huge thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway for a paperback copy of Esther's Children.   The giveaway closed on the 5th June and the winner was randomly selected (using Random org) from all correct entries. 

Congratulations to........   Josephine R

 

 The winner has been notified and has seven days to provide a mailing address.

 Thank you to Allen & Unwin for sponsoring this giveaway. 

Please look under the giveaway tab for more chances to win great books.

Giveaway coming soon.....

 

Book Review & Giveaway: Esther's Children by Caroline Beecham

Esther's Children

by

Caroline Beecham

 

An audacious story of love, bravery and self-sacrifice in World War Two

 

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

 

Publication date: 3rd May 2022

 

Genre: Historical Fiction 

Pages: 376

 

RRP: $32.99AUD

 

Format read: Paperback

 

 Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

Blurb

 

Austria, 1936: Esther 'Tess' Simpson works for a British organisation that rescues academics from the cruel Fascist and anti-Semitic regimes taking hold in Europe. On a dangerous trip to Vienna to help bring aid to Europe's threatened Jewish scholars, Esther meets Harry Singer, a young Jewish academic and musician - and they fall in love.

 

My review

 

Caroline Beecham has delivered another honourable novel with Esther's Children; a work of fiction inspired by the life of Esther Simpson (1903 - 1996).

 

I loved that this story was based on the life of a real person, Esther Simpson, who through her tireless work saved the lives of many German Jews in her work for The Society for the Protection of Science and Learning. The society endeavoured to secure grants and work, in Britain, for academic refugees.

"On our shoulders rests the future of many of Europe's finest minds...."

Caroline Beecham's writing is exquisite and I found it easy to picture Esther and her colleagues. However, I didn't quite connect with the story the way I did with her previous novels. I found myself wanting more of Harry's story, Esther's love interest and a refugee himself. I was interested in his life in Vienna, the changing face of the city, then in the internment camp where aliens who were classed as a risk to British security were held.

Esther Simpson was an amazing woman, risking her own life and foregoing a family of her own to help many men and women who went on to achieve greatness in their field and I feel Caroline Beecham has done her story proud in Esther's Children.

 My rating 3.5 stars  ⭐⭐⭐½

 

About the author

Caroline is a novelist, writer and producer. She is the author of four books: the bestselling novel, Maggie's Kitchen, Eleanor's Secret, Finding Eadie and Esther's Children, and has been published in the UK and the US. Her debut novel, Maggie's Kitchen, was shortlisted for Booktopia's Best Historical Fiction in 2016 and nominated as book of the year and Caroline as Best New Author by AusRom Today. She has worked in documentary, film and drama, and discovered that she loves to write fiction and to share lesser-known histories; particularly those of pioneering women whose lives speak to us now. Caroline studied the craft of novel writing at the Faber Academy in Sydney, with Curtis Brown Creative in London, and has a MA in Film & Television and a MA in Creative Writing. She currently lives in Sydney, Australia with her husband and two teenage sons.

 

 

 

GIVEAWAY:

Thanks to the generosity of Allen & Unwin I have one paperback copy of Esther's Children to give away. (Australian postal addresses only). Entry is via the form below. Giveaway closes at midnight on 5th June 2022.

This giveaway is now closed and the winner was announced HERE

Winner of a copy of A Stone's Throw Away announced!!

 

A huge thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway for a paperback copy of A Stone's Throw Away.   The giveaway closed on the 21st May and the winner was randomly selected (using Random org) from all correct entries. 

Congratulations to........   Kerissa R

 

 The winner has been notified and has seven days to provide a mailing address.

 Thank you to Allen & Unwin for sponsoring this giveaway. 

Please look under the giveaway tab for more chances to win great books.

Giveaways coming soon.....

 

 

Winner of a copy of The Poinciana Tree announced!

 

A huge thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway for a paperback copy of The Poinciana Tree.   The giveaway closed on the 17th May and the winner was randomly selected (using Random org) from all correct entries. 

Congratulations to........   Leanne 

 

 The winner has been notified and has seven days to provide a mailing address.

 Please look under the giveaway tab for more chances to win great books.

 

Book Review & Giveaway: A Stone's Throw Away by Karly Lane

 A Stone's Throw Away

by

Karly Lane

Poignant, heart-warming and suspenseful....

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Publication date: 3rd May 2022

 

Genre: Rural Crime 

 

Pages: 368

 

RRP: $29.99AUD

 

Format read: Paperback

 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

My review

 

Investigative Journalist Pip Davenport moves to her uncle's quiet, country property to overcome a case of writers block. She is writing a book on her last assignment which ended in a prominent politician going to prison.

 

When a cold-case in the area is reopened Pip can't help but be pulled into the mystery. The town is tight-lipped and Pip feels there is more to this case than first appears.

 

The introduction of two potential love interests for Pip adds a touch of romance to this tension filled crime novel. I must admit to having a sneaky look forward to see who Pip would connect with. 

Pip is a strong, determined character. She is suffering a severe case of PTSD but when her journalistic instincts kick in she is fearless and doesn't balk at ruffling a few feathers.

 

Karly Lane has delivered a wonderfully immersive novel with visually pleasing descriptions, a highly engaging plot, gripping suspense and compelling twists.

 

A Stone's Throw Away is a story of courage, resilience and a passion for the truth. 

 

My rating  5 / 5   ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

 

 

Click the cover image to read my reviews of Karly's book. 

   

GIVEAWAY:

 

Thanks to the generosity of Allen & Unwin I have one paperback copy to giveaway to one lucky reader. (Australian addresses only)

Entry is via the form below. Entries close at Midnight on Friday 21st may 2022.

 

This giveaway is now closed and the winner was announced HERE

Flash Book Giveaway: The Poinciana Tree by Antony Jeffrey

 Thanks to the generosity of Connor Court Publishing I have one paperback copy of The Poinciana Tree to giveaway.

The Poinciana Tree 

by

Antony Jeffrey 

 

 

About the book

 

The Poinciana Tree follows the life of a brave and sensitive woman who never stopped caring for the people she loved. Aimée’s life stretched far and wide across Australia, though rarely to places of her choice. Wherever she went she found people to love, and delight amongst heartache.

The Poinciana Tree is told in two parts, first through the lens of Antony’s mother Aimée, portraying the sadness and loneliness of a young mother’s life in the vastness of Australia during and after the war. As Aimée’s life spans across Melbourne and Brisbane so does the author’s telling of her history, taking us through her idyllic marriage before the war and back to her lonely and at times isolated childhood in the West Australian Goldfields.

 

Following the tragedy of World War II, the second part of the novel takes us to post-war Brisbane as Aimée, now a penniless widow, brings up her two young sons.

 Giveaway:

I have one paperback copy of The Poinciana Tree to give away.

 Enter via the form below. (Open to Australian addresses only). Entries close at Midnight on 17th May 2022.

 

This giveaway is now closed and the winner was announced HERE

Winner of an uncorrected copy of A family of Strangers announced!!

 

 

Once again thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway. This giveaway was only for readers of my blog (it wasn't advertised elsewhere) and although I didn't get the usual hundreds of entries I did get more than I thought I would. So thank you to everyone who reads my waffling on about books. It's good to know I'm not just talking to the void. 😀

The giveaway closed on the 31st March 2022 and the winner was randomly selected (using Random org). 


Congratulations to........   Penny

 

The winner has been notified and has seven days to provide a mailing address.

 Please look under the giveaway tab for more chances to win great books.

My next giveaway coming soon is for a copy of  The Poinciana Tree 

The Poinciana Tree follows the life of a brave and sensitive woman who never stopped caring for the people she loved. Aimée’s life stretched far and wide across Australia, though rarely to places of her choice. Wherever she went she found people to love, and delight amongst heartache.

The Poinciana Tree is told in two parts, first through the lens of Antony’s mother Aimée, portraying the sadness and loneliness of a young mother’s life in the vastness of Australia during and after the war. As Aimée’s life spans across Melbourne and Brisbane so does the author’s telling of her history, taking us through her idyllic marriage before the war and back to her lonely and at times isolated childhood in the West Australian Goldfields.

Following the tragedy of World War II, the second part of the novel takes us to post-war Brisbane as Aimée, now a penniless widow, brings up her two young sons.