Review: Firewatching by Russ Thomas

January 13, 2020

Firewatching by Russ Thomas
on 20th February 2020
Genres: Thriller, Police Procedural, Cold Case
Pages: 418
Format: ARC, Paperback
Buy on Amazon
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four-half-stars

ONE WRONG MOVE
A body is found bricked into the walls of a house. From the state of the hands, it’s clear they were buried alive and had tried to claw their way out before they died. Soon, the victim is linked to a missing person’s case and DS Adam Tyler is called.
WILL IGNITE
As the sole representative of South Yorkshire's Cold Case Review Unit, Tyler recognises his role for what it is – a means of keeping him out of the way following an ‘incident’. When this case falls in his lap, he grabs the opportunity to fix his stagnating career.
THE CITY
When he discovers he has a connection to the case that hopelessly compromises him, he makes the snap decision not to tell his superiors. With such a brutal and sadistic murder to unpick, Tyler must move carefully to find out the truth, without destroying the case or himself.

Meanwhile, someone in the city knows exactly what happened to the body. Someone who is watching Adam closely. Someone with an unhealthy affinity with fire . . .

Firewatching is Russ Thomas’ debut. That in itself is crazy. The authors work…his words, his research, his narrative, where born from flames. It is red hot. It flows so effortlessly from the pages and dives straight into your head. Of course, the moment you pick this book up, you will forget about the tasks you had planned for the rest of the day. Nothing is as important as finding out the secrets this book contains. Toilet breaks, food none of it even registered in my head. Be prepared to race to the finish. Lace up those Nikes and….run!

This was deliciously dark and complex, Firewatching gives us an introduction to DS Adam Tyler. A man with a broken past. Confident but quietly vulnerable. He’s got something to prove but at what cost? He has flaws just like the rest of us, but he does want to do good. He’s the sole representative of South Yorkshire’s Cold Case Unit and he is not scared to ruffle a few feathers with the murder squad. Also, he’s been known to make mistakes and allowed his temper to get the best of him, but he is dealing with idiotic instances of homophobia. consequently, he’s got the scars to remind him of his mistake, but DS Adam Tyler is human.

The book opened, and you knew the tone had been set. We meet the firewatcher and their communication comes in the form of blog posts. They are telling and give the insight into a very dangerous individual. The author likes to wind us up and keep us on the literal edge. We knew the antagonist was more than the eye could see. There was a history there. A deep-seated evil born from flames. What was the motive?

I can’t fully describe this authors writing style, but it blew me away. He was precise, constantly hitting the mark, like a marksman never missing his target. It became very personal with DS Tyler and before long he was tangled up in the mess of solving a murder that occurred six year ago. I enjoyed how Tyler navigated working with his superiors through instances of yet more homophobia, asserting the fact that it was a cold case but yet, trying not alienate himself from the entire team. Tyler was a curious character but one I felt an instant connection to. He’s had a hard life and could quite easily have gone off the rails spectacularly, but his career is what keeps him on the straight and narrow. You can tell that he wants to relate to people and socialise, but he finds it difficult. He really doesn’t want to let anyone in.

Finally crap hit the fan. You really don’t want to mess about when fire and murders are especially concerned.

The secondary characters just increased the strength of this novel tenfold. They all flowed together. They had everything that real life displays – differing personalities, temperaments and dreams. As a result, Tyler was surrounded in a grey cloud of parent’s actions, his boss being a bit of ass. Nevertheless, Tyler had to navigate the muddy waters of a cold case that needed drawing to a conclusion quickly.

Firewatching is quite literally too hot to handle. The pages sear into your brain leaving you aching for the next clue. My hands flew through the pages. I was aching for more. Firewatching cements Russ Thomas’ place in the most exciting crime writer to watch!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Russ Thomas, author of debut novel - Firewatcher.

Russ Thomas was born in Essex, raised in Berkshire and now lives in Sheffield. He grew up in the 80s reading anything he could get from the library, writing stories, watching large amounts of television, playing videogames, and largely avoiding the great outdoors. He spent five years trying to master playing the electronic organ and another five trying to learn Spanish. It didn’t take him too long to realise that he’d be better off sticking to the writing

After a few ‘proper’ jobs (among them: pot-washer, optician’s receptionist, supermarket warehouse operative, call-centre telephonist and storage salesman) he discovered the joys of bookselling, where he could talk to people about books all day.

His debut novel Firewatching is the first book in the DS Adam Tyler series.

Russ Thomas Website

Review: Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

January 11, 2020

by J. K. Rowling
Published by Pottermore Publishing Genres: Action & Adventure, Boarding School & Prep School, Contemporary, Fantasy, Fantasy & Magic, Fiction, General, School & Education, Wizards & Witches, Young Adult, Young Adult Fiction
Format: Paperback

The Dursleys were so mean and hideous that summer that all Harry Potter wanted was to get back to the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. But just as he's packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange, impish creature named Dobby who says that if Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts, disaster will strike

And strike it does. For in Harry's second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor, Gilderoy Lockhart, a spirit named Moaning Myrtle who haunts the girls' bathroom, and the unwanted attentions of Ron Weasley's younger sister, Ginny.

But each of these seem minor annoyances when the real trouble begins, and someone -- or something -- starts turning Hogwarts students to stone. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past is finally told? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects . . . Harry Potter himself?

Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets is the second instalment in the hugely successful Harry Potter franchise. The book opens up during the summer break, therefore, Harry is back with his mother’s sister, Petunia and his uncle Vernon and their disgusting son, Dudley. The abuse of Harry is still very much apparent, and he is longing for summer break to be over, so that he can be back with his friends. The friends that haven’t bothered to write to him all summer. No communication. Nothing. He needs to be back with his own people not with family that don’t treat him like family at all, but, how will he get there?

Harry’s first year brought shocks and anguish after discovering that the wizard that killed his parents and tried to kill him is still alive, although in more of a half-life. He has been using others to drain the energy from – finding a way to regain his power. The man who must not be named – Lord Voldemort. This book really opens the door into Voldemort. Harry discovers an enchanted diary that gives him an unadulterated view into the memories of Voldemort. What happened in his school years to turn him into the monster he is now? What kind of power does he have over people? Is he just as smooth as it is believed he was?

Ron’s younger sister, Ginny, becomes entranced by him. He reaches out to her through the diary. Ginny is his perfect target. She pours her heart out to the diary and he is an understanding, attentive ear. She tells him her deepest secrets and fears, including, for her wish to have Harry Potter notice her. This goes on months and all the while Voldemort uses her as a vessel to get stronger. He’s becoming stronger and as a result of this manages to get Ginny to unleash a monster that petrifies the victim. This runs alongside Harry hearing a voice that apparently only he can hear – it is discovered that this is because he is a parselmouth – the ability to talk to snakes. This is an extremely worrying development as the founder of Slytherin was also one.

Ominous messages appear in the school threatening that non-full-blood student will die. This seriously concerns Harry and Ron as their best friend, Hermione is one such student. It also signals the point when the Chamber of Secrets has been reopened. The last time was fifty years ago. The trio investigate and discover that Hagrid was expelled during that time for harbouring a dangerous, man-eating spider. Will they find out who opened the chamber before the monster kills someone?

Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets was one of real intrigue. The writing was captivating, and I read it all within one sitting. Rowling incorporates themes of child naivety and the teenage horror, therefore, discovering that the adults can’t always protect you. I would have enjoyed reading more about Lord Voldemort and his past. I’m looking forward to getting immersed into the next book. The strength of the main character base is still hugely enjoyable with some new characters adding complexity and human emotions into the mix.

Check out my review to book one Here

Review: The Haunting of Strawberry Water by Tara Gould

January 8, 2020

I received this book for free from Anne @ Random Things Tours in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: The Haunting of Strawberry Water by Tara Gould

The Haunting of Strawberry Water by Tara Gould
Published by Myriad Editions on January 29th 2020
Genres: Fiction, Short Stories (single author), Suspense, Thrillers, Women
Pages: 64
Format: ARC, Paperback
Source: Publisher
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four-stars

‘This dazzling series shows that if the barriers can be vaulted there is true beauty to be had from the lesser-walked streets of literature. These works are both nourishing and inspiring, and a gift to any reader.’ —Kerry Hudson
A gripping tale of post-natal depression, this short story reads like a modern retelling of The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and has much in common with Sarah Water' The Little Stranger in its realisation of psychological distress as a supernatural phenomenon.A new mother, traumatised by an arduous labour, tries to come to terms with being abandoned as a baby by Olivia, the mother she never knew. Set in the eponymous ‘Strawberry Water’, a mysterious 1920s country bungalow which overlooks a fast-flowing river, the story begins with a faded photograph of the woman our narrator assumes to be her mother.
Spotlight Books is a collaboration between Creative Future, New Writing South and Myriad Editions to discover, guide and support writers who are under-represented due to mental or physical health issues, disability, race, class, gender identity or social circumstance.

The Haunting of Strawberry Water catapults you into an ethereal memory of an important figure. A Mother. An extension of yourself, connected by genes and love. Someone that will stand by you until their last breath. They can protect you or they can destroy that link forever. Tara Gould depicts an elegant but deeply heart-breaking tome that displays the links between motherhood and mental health. It’s disturbing but so very perfect. Gould is an artist of trauma, she knows exactly how to inject a longing and flaw to her character. Is our outcome in life more of an inevitability due to our childhoods or can it be altered?

An extremely toxic relationship between a girl and her forgotten mother. It’s the kind of novel that will capture your attention and have you examining your own relationship with your mother. It’s deeply claustrophobic. The regimes that the abandoned daughter goes through to keep that one link to the forgotten one. The narrative voice is strong, with a sense of melancholy that seems to escalate as the character ages. It was interesting to see a child grow right before our eyes. Her mannerisms, her growth, her constant longing for answers to a broken link in a chain. Her own change into a mother herself.

It really is a story of growth and change. A coming of age story. However, I felt the story was directed more towards Olivia, the mother. Why she left, who she was, where did she go? She was the ever-present ghost in the life of a girl that shaped how she lived her own life. Becoming a mother is a massive event, it changes you in ways you never knew were even possible. You suddenly have this little bundle that you are completely responsible for and it can weigh heavily on you. Your previous life is never going to be the same again. You must change and adapt. It was a highly emotional study of relationships and hardship. Regret and longing.

The Haunting of Strawberry Water is a totally original, emotionally charged short story of incredible loss of potential. The potential of love. It’s dark and layered.

Tara Gould, the author of short story, The Haunting of Strawberry Water

Tara Gould studied visual arts at Brighton University and an MA at Sussex University. Her short stories have been published in anthologies including the Asham Anthology for Women Writers, and her plays have been broadcast on BBC Radio 4. In 2016 she was Writer in Residence at Creative Futures. She lives in East Sussex.

https://twitter.com/taragouldy?lang=en

Book Review: Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton.

January 3, 2020

Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton
on 9th January 2020
ISBN: 9780241374504
Genres: Mystery, Thriller
Pages: 320
Format: ARC, Paperback
Source: Publisher
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In a rural English village in the middle of a snowstorm, the unthinkable happens- the school is under siege.
From the wounded headmaster barricaded in the library, to teenage Hannah in love for the first time, to the police psychologist who must identify the gunmen, to the terrified 8-year-old Syrian refugee, to the kids sheltering in the school theatre still rehearsing Macbeth, all must find the courage to stand up to evil and try to save the people they love . . .

Thanks to the publisher for my ARC copy of Three Hours. This book review is completely unbiased.

This is genuinely one of the hardest reviews I have ever had to pen…not because it’s bad, but because this book was all kinds of awesome. but also shocking. Awesomely heart-breaking, awesomely nerve-shattering and awesomely guts tearing out. This is a story of the present being forged by the past. Are we all a product of our upbringing? Just what parts of our past deems what we will become in the future? How much to we cling onto the past? Is it subjective? Is it a case of mere psychology or individual personalities? I’d like to hope that no matter what our childhoods threw at us, we would know what was right and wrong. I would hope that our mere humanity would bring us out on the right side.

This book is not for the light- hearted. Three Hours is a book that is heavy in its content. Its heavy in the emotional stakes and if you are anything like me – it will break you down, rip you open and leaving you with one tiny needle to try and stitch yourself back up with. It is the kind of book that will inject cold hard fear into your spine.

I don’t live too far away from the Dunblane school that was the victim of the UK’s only shooting massacre, and I can remember vividly how much devastation that caused to the families and the community as a whole. It makes you question everything – your friends, your family, the thin line between reality and fantasy. There won’t be a dry eye in the house – I completely soaked my ARC copy. The author has an amazing talent for completely ruining her reader.

“Love is the most powerful thing there is.”

The headmaster in this tale is heroic. He puts himself in the direct firing line, having no regard for his own life, therefore, he treats his students like his extended family, he allows them to just be themselves. No uniform, no head boy/girl, no prefects and most importantly no religion. That being said, this shouldn’t be a school that is targeted in such a violent attack, right? He is the gentlest teacher I have come across. This isn’t the first time he has put his pupils needs first…He has a big heart and his predicament pulls at your heartstrings.

The pupils. The most important characters. The strength of them. The will of them. They have different personalities. They experience fear in different ways. And yet… and yet they are as one in a terrifying situation. They deserve the publicity; their names deserve to be said out loud over and over. The perpetrators deserve nothing. Some little details I didn’t see coming, some surprises. It was harrowing and breaking bit by little bit. I don’t want to give it away so just read the book.

Leave your assumptions at the door. They really don’t belong here. This author…just wow. The narrative blew me away. This is the type of story that we really hope we don’t have to read about again, especially in the newspapers. The author brought us the human impacts of such an act…the victims, the parents, the teachers and the perps. It is an examination of the human condition in which, it displays it’s ability for cruelty.

Rosamund Lupton ticked all of the boxes. She has weaved an intense web of mystery, an upsetting and haunting narrative that just won’t quit and the one thing that glues it altogether? Love. A storyline that is propelled by rocket fuel, hiding in plain sight. This book is setting the bar impossibly high for the start of 2020.

Three Hours is a book to remember. An original work of suspense. Hooked from the very first page. This is an amazing race-to-the-end thriller that you have been craving.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rosamund Lupton, author of the sensational thriller book, Three Hours.

Rosamund Lupton is the author of four novels.

Rosamund Lupton graduated from Cambridge University in 1986. After reviewing books for the Literary Reviews and being invited to join the Royal Court Theatre, she won a television play competition and subsequently worked as a screen writer. Her debut novel Sister, was a BBC Radio 4 Book at Bedtime, a Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller, has been translated into over thirty languages and has international sales of over 1.5 million copies. It was the fastest-selling debut of 2010 by a British author, and was winner of the Richard and Judy Best Debut Novel of 2011 Award and the Strand Magazine Critics First Novel Award. Film rights of Sister are currently under option.

Lupton’s critically acclaimed second novel Afterwards also went straight into the Sunday Times bestseller lists and was the No. 2 Sunday Times fiction bestseller of 2011. The Quality of Silence her third novel was a Sunday Times best seller and a Richard & Judy bookclub pick

Her new novel Three Hours comes out on 9th January 2020.

Book Review: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

December 27, 2019

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling
Published by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc on January 29, 2015
ISBN: 9781408866191
Pages: 272
Format: Paperback
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Harry Potter's life is miserable. His parents are dead and he's stuck with his heartless relatives, who force him to live in a tiny closet under the stairs. But his fortune changes when he receives a letter that tells him the truth about himself: he's a wizard. A mysterious visitor rescues him from his relatives and takes him to his new home, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

After a lifetime of bottling up his magical powers, Harry finally feels like a normal kid. But even within the Wizarding community, he is special. He is the boy who lived: the only person to have ever survived a killing curse inflicted by the evil Lord Voldemort, who launched a brutal takeover of the Wizarding world, only to vanish after failing to kill Harry.

Though Harry's first year at Hogwarts is the best of his life, not everything is perfect. There is a dangerous secret object hidden within the castle walls, and Harry believes it's his responsibility to prevent it from falling into evil hands. But doing so will bring him into contact with forces more terrifying than he ever could have imagined.

Full of sympathetic characters, wildly imaginative situations, and countless exciting details, the first installment in the series assembles an unforgettable magical world and sets the stage for many high-stakes adventures to come.

Why on earth has it taken me so long to read the massively hyped Harry Potter books? Well, when they were released I was older than its target audience and being the stroppy teenager, I was – refused to read them…After all I was capable of reading more grown-up literature, but, I was a fool! I really missed out on an awesome adventure because this thirty-two-year-old grown ass woman has loved the first book in the series. My dilemma is though, what can I add in this review that hundreds of wonderful readers haven’t already?

“Call him Voldemort, Harry. Always use the proper name for things. Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself.”

The appeal is intrinsic. It’s a story that is an easy read and the dive into the plot is smooth and complete. You are transported into the magical world and in that moment, also, you can fully appreciate how this series’ changed children’s lives. it is magical. It is pure and simple escapism.

Childhood can be brutal and traumatic experience and the magical world of Hogwarts allows a child to not feel so alone. The experience of reading these novels has become something like an old friend, a safety blanket that reminds them that good things can prevail. It’s a depressing existence of living under a cupboard under the stairs however, he found his tribe. Feeling like you belong – I think a lot of children understand the journey to finding their place in the world. J.K. Rowling’s writing is brilliant, she has the direct switch to my imagination and she turned it on in glorious technicolour.

I read the book in a matter of hours, the pull to carry on was too strong. My eyelids were drooping with Christmas fatigue – I had to finish it. Its obvious that you don’t need to be a child to enjoy this series – it transcends age groups/genres etc. I am hoping I see deeper characterisation as the book series progresses.

“There are some things you can’t share without ending up liking each other and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.”

I’m not going to do a full-blown review like normal. Who doesn’t know the story of Harry Potter- The Boy Who lived, instead some miniscule observations, I have picked up along the way. At points I wanted to jump into the author’s head and pick apart her thoughts. I wanted to find out the answers. But, alas, I have to read the book like everyone else.

Observations

Snape – wow, some deep stuff going on in this guy’s head. I think there is more to him than just the evil guy persona he’s putting forward. Probably one of my favourite characters.

Hagrid is awesome. Soft and gentle. Fiercely protective of his tribe.

If I was a parent of these children, I would majorly be concerned with the activities they get up to – mainly fighting trolls and coming face to face with a three headed dog.

Currently at odds with book Dumbledore in the book and the movie one.

The Black Sheep by Sophie McKenzie

June 6, 2019

The Black Sheep by Sophie McKenzie
on Feburary 1st 2017
ISBN: 9781471133213
Genres: Thriller, Thrillers & Suspense
Pages: 512
Format: Paperback
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Francesca was widowed a year ago. Since then she has focused on her children, trying to soothe their grief as well as her own. Her husband and father never quite saw eye to eye but no one could have cared more for her in the past year than her close-knit family. Finally, she feels she might be ready to move on with life.
Until she is contacted out of the blue by someone who says he must get information to her. That her husband's death wasn't what it seemed. And that her family know more than they say ....
Who can Francesca trust? And what will happen to her if she puts her faith in the wrong person?

I really had high hopes for this book but it just fell flat for me unfortunately. Black Sheep is focussed around the events and the fallout after Francesca’s husband, Caspian is murdered in an apparently random attack. It deals with the effects within her close-knit Catholic family. Some reasons why it just didn’t work for me;

Flaky Character building.

We meet Francesca, a widowed mother of two. She is attending her deceased husband’s memorial service (he was murdered 16 months ago). She is approached by a stranger that flips her entire world upside down for the second time. The information that she receives from this man is that he had received threatening messages from someone that was close to them both. From this point forward she’s looking for any link to what he has told her, it also seems like since she got this information that everyone is know acting differently around her. She’s chasing ghosts, shadows in order to hold onto the possibility that her husbands murder wasn’t just random.

Her Sister Lucy, is a very nervous, timid character due to an event that happened in her youth. She still lives at home with their father and step-mother (decidedly odd). I found her behaviour to just be weird for someone of her age group and didn’t feel her character really brought any substance to the story.

Predictability

From the first few chapters I had worked out the endgame of the story. This was despite twists and turns taken within, it just didn’t provide the shock factor that I think the author was looking to portray. The story was often very slow and points and unfortunately, I found myself thinking that I wish I was reading something else. I also think that the author wanted the subject matter to be controversial, maybe even a bit taboo but for me personally it didn’t have that desired effect. But, it could be a trigger novel for many people. I think it just lacked that Punch!

The Writing was disjointed

Although the main character had suffered such incredible loss, I didn’t really feel any real feeling for her. I wasn’t really feeling connected to any of the characters, which is a real pity as the story as a whole had huge potential. The strongest character, from a written perspective was the best friend Ayesha. The other characters just lacked depth. The paragraphs felt repetitive and in places quite contradictory.

Overall, I just think this book promised more than it delivered which is a real shame.

The Never List by Koethi Zan

June 2, 2019

The Never List by Koethi Zan
Published by Penguin on June 24, 2014
ISBN: 9780143125587
Genres: Fiction, Thrillers, Suspense, Crime
Pages: 303
Format: Paperback
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“Psychological thriller writing at its best. Cancel appointments and give up on sleep. It’s that kind of book.” —Jeffery Deaver
For years, Sarah Farber and her best friend, Jennifer, kept what they called the Never List: a list of actions to be avoided at all costs, for safety’s sake. But one night, against their best instincts, they accept a cab ride—one with grave, everlasting consequences. For the next three years, they are held captive with two other girls in a dungeon-like cellar by a connoisseur of sadism. Ten years later, Sarah’s abductor is up for parole and she can no longer ignore the twisted letters he sends to her from prison. But when Sarah decides to confront her phobias and reconnect with the other survivors she begins unraveling a mystery more horrifying than even she could have imagined.
A blazingly fast read with eerie similarities to the recent kidnapping case in Cleveland, The Never List is a smart, riveting, and bold pageturner that will leave readers awake all night with the lights on.

I enjoy a good messed up psychological thriller as much as the next person and this didn’t disapoint. The story follows the main character Sarah Farber, now being referred to as Caroline Morrow. It opens up on her flashbacks of being held captive in a cellar in her captors house, one Jack Derber. Jack by all accounts is an incredibly intelligent man but boy is he scarily dangerous.

Sarah now lives her life in a very OCD and controlled way. She never goes outside, she works from home and her concierge of her apartment block never lets anyone near her door unless he has her prior consent. Everything changes when her ex captor is up for his parole hearing and the victims keep receiving letters from him. Jim, the investigating FBI officer talks her into being a witness in his hearing alongside Tracey, another victim. These two have no relationship and Tracey refuses to be in the same room as her. Intriguing? Sarah finds out that Tracey also has received letters and makes the connection that the cryptic information included within could solve some of her questions she contacts Tracey to try and get her on board.

Sarah’s friend, Jennifer was killed during their time in captivity and Sarah hasn’t been able to find peace, is this her opportunity to uncover the truth? Where did he bury her?

Sarah and Tracey discover that whilst in jail, Jack has married a girl called Sylvia and Sarah travels back to try and make contact with her, however, she has dissapeared without a trace. They discover that she was a part of a religious cult. Sarah meets with the leader of said cult, Noah. Another interesting character. Tracey and Sarah go on a road trip of acceptance, intrigue and terror, they meet characters along the way that not only confuse their track to discovering the real driving force behind Jack’s motivations but cement their suspicions.

The first half of the book had me hooked, I enjoyed the narrative of the past and the future. You can feel the very terror of their situation and was edge of your seat reading. However, it fell a bit flat in places for me personally. Jack Derber was this big terrifying figure that had plagued and tortured the women for years and yet within this book there was no appearance from him, no scene with him and I did feel completely dissapointed with that. The terror would have been more relatable if we had some scenes with him.

The other issue I had with the narrative was how readily Tracey seemed to be willing to accept what Sarah offered as way of an explanation and then they just got on with things like they were best buddies. In a real life scenario there would have been far more questioning and relationship building – It was a major event after all.

It was a page turner for sure, you wanted to find outcome to the story and although the ending was a bit shocking I don’t think it was fully out there in terms of endings. However, I would have like to find out what happened explained instead of just skimmed over, therefore I’m rating this book

Book Review: Thoughtless by S.C Stephens

May 16, 2019

Thoughtless by S.C. Stephens
Published by Simon and Schuster on August 16, 2012
ISBN: 9781476717494
Genres: Fiction, Romance, New Adult, Contemporary, Women, General
Pages: 608
Format: Paperback
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From the #1 New York Times bestselling author S.C. Stephens comes a powerful and emotional contemporary romance featuring a young woman in a new city who finds herself torn between her handsome, reliable boyfriend and a sexy local rock star.
For almost two years now, Kiera’s boyfriend, Denny, has been everything she’s ever wanted: loving, tender, and endlessly devoted to her. When they head off to a new city to start their lives together—Denny at his dream job and Kiera at a top-notch university—everything seems perfect. Then an unforeseen obligation forces the happy couple apart. Feeling lonely, confused, and in need of comfort, Kiera turns to an unexpected source—a local rock star named Kellan Kyle. At first, he’s purely a friend she can lean on, but as her loneliness grows, so does their relationship. And then one night everything changes…and none of them will ever be the same.

S.C Stephens is the leader in making you feel happy, deeply sad and down- right rage inducing angry!

The story basically starts off with Kiera moving to Seattle to be with her boyfriend Denny, who has recently accepted an internship in the city. This is where she meets the Rock god, Kellan.

Denny is unexpectedly forced away for 2 months for work, which leaves Kiera upset and distraught at being left in a strange city all alone. Her “friendship” with Kellan turns into something more with “ innocent” flirting, that one night leads to a sexual drunken encounter with Kellan.

Kellan goes through the emotions of cold, sarcastic and back to loving again after their encounter. Denny is now home and Kiera falls back into his arms. This is the first place I wanted to scream at her! I mean seriously! Even at this point you all knew that Kellan felt more for her than his usual one nighters.

Kellan is heartbroken and decides to leave as he just can’t watch Denny and Kiera together. She begs him to stay selfishly. This leads to an explosive sex scene in the espresso stand. The chemistry is palpable between them, but Kiera leaves him cold, when she leaves him for Denny, AGAIN!

Do You Want me Inside you again?
Kellan Kyle

The back and forth friendly flirting takes up a large chunk of the book until Anna, Kiera’s sister turns up for the weekend.

Anna is attracted to Kellan and Kiera fizzles with silent rage. She doesn’t know why? Seriously, uh I don’t know?? Maybe because you are in love with him, you stupid girl! They all go out clubbing, Denny leaves her alone on the dancefloor and she is approached by Kellan. Dirty Dancing doesn’t have a look in. Sexy gyrating leads to Kiera trying to strip the clothing off him. This was so fucking hot!! Kellan escapes away from her as Denny re-emerges.

Kiera made a huge mistake here in my opinion. She went home and had sex with Denny but mentally it was Kellan she was with. Does this not tell her something?? Jeeee-Whizz that girl can be thick!

This all blows everything to a head where Kellan calls it off, but in Kiera’s mind Kellan slept with her sister that night. Talk about a cluster fuck? Kellan starts “dating” again. Yeah, ok if your idea of dating is sleeping with a different girl every night.

Everything comes to a head when Keira can take no more and blows at him at Pete’s bar. She slaps him very hard after a crude comment. Kellan finally breaks down in the back room after an intense exchanging of words.

“I’m so in love with you, Kiera. I’ve missed you so much. I’m so sorry. I’m sorry i say awful thing to you. I’m sorry I lied about your sister. I never touched her. I promised you I wouldn’t. I couldn’t let you know..how much I adore you…how much you hurt me”

You think it’s a happy ever after there, right? WRONG!! She goes between the two still back and forth. I really felt every emotion that Kellan felt. I bawled like a little girl for him, I felt pure rage for him. I wanted to smack the living daylights out of her.

She picked Kellan. Then she picked Denny. GOD GIRL GET IT TOGETHER!! Until finally Denny found out. Not from Keira telling him either. The showdown led to Keira protecting Kellan from a blow from Denny which she took, this led her to a stay in hospital.

Denny leaves her. Kellan leaves her. Although, I felt she deserved it, I was sad for Kellan, you could obviously see that Keira was his world.

Anyway, Keira moves into a new flat. She’s lost without Kellan. She is the depths of depression. She finally realises she loves him. Only took you how long?? Anna takes her to a show and her heart breaks at the melancholy of Kellan’s singing. She finally convinces him that its him she wants, forever.

So, this book grabbed my heart and pulled it clean out of my chest and stamped all over it. So far this is the only book to make me majorly cry and hurt for the characters. I love Kellan!! He is the man whore of all man whores. The hottest fictional rock god of all time. Keira, well I believe she was a naive girl who probably felt lost and confused in her feelings for both men. I could of given this book 10 stars. I need a minute!

The Silver Eyes (Five Nights at Freddy’s #1) by Scott Cawthon & Kira Breed-Wrisley

May 9, 2019

Five Nights at Freddy's: The Silver Eyes by Scott Cawthon
Published by Scholastic UK on March 6, 2017
ISBN: 9781407181110
Genres: Young Adult, General
Pages: 400
Format: Paperback
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Ten years after the horrific murders at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza that ripped their town apart, Charlie, whose father owned the restaurant, and her childhood friends reunite on the anniversary of the tragedy and find themselves at the old pizza place which had been locked up and abandoned for years. After they discover a way inside, they realize that things are not as they used to be. The four adult-sized animatronic mascots that once entertained patrons have changed. They now have a dark secret . . . and a murderous agenda.
*Not suitable for younger readers*

Being an avid fan of the game franchise Five Nights at Freddy’s and the general lore behind the story, I was quite keen on giving this one a shot. Everything is not as it seems and it builds to crescendo revealing the story to be one of a supernatural intrigue. The story allowed us gamers to understand the backstory better and answered some questions left behind from the game itself.

Charlie is the main heroine in this story, her Father owned a pizza restaurant called Freddy Fazbear’s. It had one big difference, Charlie’s father designed and built animatronic mascots to both serve and entertain the guests, mainly children. Along the way, something went wrong . Charlie’s friend, Micheal, was dragged away by one of the mascot’s and nothing was ever the same again.

Ten years later Charlie and her group of friends return to the town where the kidnapping happened to celebrate the scholarship Micheal’s parents have set up. The friends gather and reminisce about old times and talk does eventually lead to the incident and Freddy Fazbears. For some innate reason, they all decide that it would be a totally awesome idea to go and check out the place once again, only to find the mall that was going to built next to it has been abandoned and Fazbears has been bricked up around it (yup, that in itself tells you something isn’t quite right!!) The Story continues there, with them investigating the deserted restaurant and the creepy goings on.

I gave this book 3 stars out of 5. I liked it but there was parts of the story that did indeed leave me confused. Charlie’s family situation was odd and entangled but I didn’t feel there was enough done to try and clear that up for the reader. Overall, it was a fun read.