Review On: The Forever House by Veronica Henry

January 28, 2018 mariesbookboutique2 Comments

About the author (as seen in the book)

veronica henry

Veronica Henry worked as a script writer for The Archers, Heartbeat and Holby City, amongst many others, before turning to fiction. She won the 2014 RNA Novel of the year aword for A Night on the Orient express. Veronica lives with her family in a village in North Devon.

Website: https:// http://www.veronicahenry.co.uk

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/veronicahenryauthor

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/veronica_henry

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/veronicahenryauthor/

Publication date: 18th May 2017

Publisher: Orion Books

https://www.orionbooks.co.uk

ISBN: Paperback 9781409166573

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 363 pages

Format reading: Paperback

Copy provided by: Borrowed

Blurb (as seen on the back of the book)

‘ All she wanted was her own four walls around her. A house she could call her own. A house that was hers, forever. A house that looked after her. A cocoon. A haven.’

Hunter’s Moon is the ultimate forever house. Nestled in the Cotswold valley of Peasebrook, it has been the Willoughby’s home for over fifty years, and now kind hearted estate agent Belinda Baxter is determined to find the perfect family to live there.

For Belinda, selling houses is like selling dreams: the moment you find ‘the one’, your whole life there can be imagined. But the sale of Hunter’s Moon unlocks decades of the Willoughby family’s secrets and brings Belinda face to face with her own troubled past…

My review

When I saw the front cover to The Forever House, I really thought it was glorious and enchanting. The cream coloured back ground look like the scene is on a canvas. I loved the way the creator has making the reader feel they are gazing down the path to this beautiful house in front of you. The path has beautiful flowers both sides and gorgeous box hedge’s, which really adds the enchanted and dreamy! The title is done in a gold which adds an air of elegance to an already beautiful cover. The purple of the author’s name is really tied in well with the flowers from the garden and the petals which are floating down to purple flowers at the bottom of the cover. I’m a fan of Veronica’s other books that I’ve managed to read so far and have enjoyed each one on their own merits.

Belinda, is an estate agent; selling everyone their dream home, when that is what she is longing for herself again. She had her dream home in the past. So when it comes back on the market, the vender asks directly for her; which will equate into quite a hefty commission and help her on her way to being in a position to have her own home. But will she take it on or will she let it slip her by because of pasted painful memories that the house hold’s for her?

She also has another house to sell and as soon as Belinda see’s it she has found her perfect house. Hunter’s Moon is owned by Sally and her husband Alexander. The couple now find themselves in an unfortunate position due to Alexander’s heath problems, and ultimately causing them to sell their beloved family home. All they have to do now is tell their son Leo about his father’s illness and that they are selling his childhood home. Leo hasn’t ever found the right women to settle down with, and seems to be a bit lonely. He’s understandable upset, and he and Belinda really don’t get off on the right foot; yet the I could tell that these two were the perfect match.

Hunter’s Moon is a home full of history and was left to Sally by Alexander’s Mother; the historical novelist of her time; Margot Willoughby. I really enjoyed the way Veronica Henry; takes the reader back to the past and explained how Sally came to inherit her husband’s childhood home. It was easy to read and in no way did I find it confusing at any point. I really felt quite emotional for Sally and Alexander situation because I could tell how hard it was for them and how much love they had for the beloved Hunter’s Moon. Belinda organises sealed bid’s for Hunter’s Moon; as she think’s this is the best way to sell and get the right money. At this point I was willing her to make a bid, as there was a lot of interest. Who will buy Hunter’s Moon? Will Belinda find a bit more than love of a house at Hunter’s Moon?

All the character’s I found to be quirky, relatable with some comical at times. The Forever House by Veronica Henry is an emotional, lovely and easy to read story that will keep you entertained till the last page.

Marie’s Book Boutique give’s

The Forever House by Veronica Henry

4 sparkly stars

4 stars

2018 Popsugar Reading Challenge

January 27, 2018 mariesbookboutique3 Comments

Hi there bookish folk!

Here’s the thing guy’s and lady’s, are you for or against reading challenge’s? I mulled this over, and I do realise for some they just add pressure on you and take the pleasure away from reading. But for me I really quite like them! I have taken part the Goodreads reading challenge for about 5 years now and when I first started doing this challenge I never even completed it! ( I did a post all about how I started reading and why I struggled to begin with, you can check this post out here ) This really didn’t discourage me from partaking in the years that followed, if anything it just gave me more determination to try again. And in fact the following years my reading must have got quicker as I began to complete them!

I found out about Popsugar’s reading challenges a few years ago but never had the courage to actually partake! So this year I’ve decided to give it a good go! I think this challenge in particular will push my reading, making me consider books that I might not have even looked at. I feel it’s good to for me to get out of my ‘SAFE ZONE’ every once in a while; as it’s so easy to stick to your favourite genre or author. Don’t you think? And surly this expands the mind? I defiantly think reading different types of books will in turn help my spelling, grammar and might even teach me a new word or two, which is always a bonus!!!!!!

Here are the prompts for this years challenge… ( there’s an advance section which you can start if you complete the first half!)

popsuare reading challange prompt list

I will defiantly give this challenge a good go! I’m not saying I will be able to complete the first half or even make a start on the advanced bit, because of other blogging commitments that I have running through out the year. I must admit I’m quite looking forward to discovering new books, author’s and even learning about a particular subject I had no prior knowledge of.

Are you also taking this years challenge? I would love to hear from you if you are or even your take to reading challenge’s as a whole… please do get in touch. Also peep’s if you have any suggestions for books from any of the prompts, I would love to hear them!!!!!

Hope you all have a wonderful day and thanks so much for stopping by!

Review on: The One Plus One by Jojo Moyes

January 21, 2018 mariesbookboutique2 Comments

About the author (as seen in the book)

jo jo moyes

Jojo Moyes is a novelist and a journalist. She worked at the Independent for ten years before leaving to write full time. Her previous novels have all been critically acclaimed and include The Ship Of Brides, Foreign Fruit, The Last Letter From Your Lover, The Girl You Left Behind and the international number one bestseller Me Before You. She lives in Essex with her husband and their three children.

Website: http://www.jojomoyes.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jojomoyesauthor

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jojomoyes

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/jojomoyesofficial

Publication date: 31st July 2014

Publishers: Penguin Books

ISBN: Paperback 978-1405909051

Hardback 978-1405915571

Pages: 560 pages

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Format reading: Paperback

Copy provided by: my own

Blurb (as seen on the back cover)

One eternal optimist…

Jess Thomas, with two jobs two kids and never enough money, wears flip-flops in the hope of spring. And when life knocks her down she does her best to bounce right back. But there are some challenges even she can’t meet on her own.

Plus one lost stranger…

Ed Nichols is the good guy gone bad. He had it all, then one stupid mistake cost him everything. Now he’ll do anything to make it right.

Equals a chance encounter…

Ed doesn’t want to save anyone and Jess doesn’t want saving, but could Jess and Ed add up to something better together?

My Review

This front cover is very simple with the author’s name and the title in a big circle; which then draws your eye to the family; who are standing in a row, with their backs to the reader. And a lovely dog in the middle.
The One Plus One by Jojo Moyes is a story about a single mother, called Jess. She has a daughter; Tanzie who loves everything maths and her teenage stepson Nicky; who is being brutally bullied and can only seem to rely on her. Her ex and their father Marty is really no help at all. So Jess has to juggle two jobs, the children and the constant money worries all by her self.
Jess receives a phone call from Tanzie’s school teacher informing her of her daughters gift with numbers. He really thinks that Tanzie could really benefit from getting a scholarship at a private school; where they would embrace and encourage her talent for maths. The only problem is she needs to come up with the money to send her there, and knowing how much her daughter would really like and benefit from this wonderful opportunity.

From the start it’s clear that Jess can’t come up with the money and Marty is no help at all. But Jess receives another phone call from Tanzie’s teacher, as he knows of her situation he thinks he may have an idea of how to get the money to sent Tanzie to the private school. There is a Olympiad in Scotland; a competition for students gifted in maths and the prize money would be enough to send Tanzie to the privet school. Her teacher thinks Tanzie has got a really good chance of winning. The problem they now face is not only getting there but doing it on a shoe string. Jess finds herself and her family getting into a difficult position, when Mr Nicholls reluctantly offering his help! But will Jess accept? Will Jess get to the bottom of Nicky’s bullying? Will Tanzie get to the competition at all? They have to face a few huddles alone the way, but will they be able to get over them?

I think Jess and Mr Nicholls are drawn together because they both find themselves going through difficult times and in advert ally helping each other through them and is this the start of something? I also really liked that Mr Nicholls saw how much Nicky loves technology and encourages him to come out of his shell, that was quite sweet, I think he saw a bit of himself in Nicky! I found all the characters to be intriguing and complex, which really helped me to carry on reading till the end of the book. But, having said that I did feel for me it was quite slow in pace. The rating for The One Plus One is purely because this particular story wasn’t really for me, that’s all. I do plan to read more of Jojo’s work in the future, and actually have two books in my to-read pile!!!

Marie’s Book Boutique give’s

The One Plus One by Jojo Moyes

3 sparkly stars

3-stars

Review on: The Trouble with Goats and Sheep by Joanne Cannon

January 14, 2018 mariesbookboutique2 Comments

About the author (as seen in the book)

joanne cannon

Joanne Cannon graduated from Leicester Medical school and worked as a hospital doctor, before specialising in psychiatry. She lives in the Peak District with her family and her dog. The Trouble with Goats and Sheep is her first novel.

Website: http://www.joannecannon.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/joannecannon

Twitter: @JoanneCannon

Publication date: 26 December 2016

Publisher: The Borough Press

http://www.boroughpress.co.uk

ISBN: Paperback 978-0-00-813217-0

Hardback 978-0-00-813216-3

Pages: 464 pages

Genre: Fiction

Format reading: Paperback

Copy provided by: Borrowed

Blurb (as seen on the back cover)

Summer, 1976

Mrs Creasy is missing and The Avenue is alive with whispers. As summer shimmers endlessly on, ten-year-olds Grace and Tilly decide to take matters into their own hands.

But as doors and mouths begin to open and the cul-de-sac starts giving up its secrets, the amateur detectives will find more than they could have imagined…

My Review

The cover for The Trouble with Goats and Sheep is very simple; the title is situated a bit below the top and above the bottom, with a goat placed in between them. The blueness of the backing makes the whiteness from the title and goat stand out. The author’s name is done in yellow. All these colours make me think of a summers sky; It’s eye-catching, intriguing, well that’s how it made me think any way!

Before I start I have to tell you I had mixed felling’s about this book; I not sure if it was a book for me if I’m honest, yet somehow when I read the blurb it kinda intrigued me. So in the hope that I was very much wrong in my thoughts I got stuck in, and shocked myself at how quickly I was turning the pages and really trundling through the book.

The story lasts the whole summer of 1976; when two little girls decide to become detective’s to find out why and where Mrs Creasy disappeared too. Questioning their neighbours as they gather information. They both what to keep The Avenue safe and call on God to see if he will help in there quest. The Avenue is where many secrets are held but will they surface? and will Grace and Tilly find out where Mrs Creasy disappeared too? Will The Avenue be kept safe?

The Trouble with Goats and Sheep; has a great plot which I felt really gave me need to read on, and find out more. Joanne Cannon has also in captures the children’s imagination and the way there little minds work; which will surly have you chuckling as it did me. I did enjoy this read however, I don’t think its one I will be re-reading, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be reading any more from Joanne because I do plan on reading her next book.

Marie’s Book Boutique gives

The Trouble with Goats and Sheep by Joanne Cannon

4 Sparkly Stars

4 stars

Bookish and stationary gifts I received for Christmas!

January 11, 2018 mariesbookboutique2 Comments

Hi Bookish folk,

Firstly I would like to wish you all a Happy New Year! I hope you all had a tremendous Christmas or holiday season! I myself had a really nice time spent with family and friends. I can’t believe how incredibly spoiled I’ve been with some truly amazing book or stationary related gifts (Gosh people really know me well!!!)

I thought today I would share those gifts with you! Who knows it might even inspire you for an idea for the fellow book lover in your life! Or just for yourself!

The first gift I’m sharing with you is so incredibly special and something that I will not only use but I will treasure it always! This gift completely blow me away when I opened it! It just so happened to be made by one of my most treasured friends. This said friend, was the lady who encouraged me and started me on my reading journey; unlocking the bookworm within me! I thank her from the bottom of my heart because I was always reluctant to start and reading has given me so much joy! (You can check out my post I did on this Here) We both adore books, writing and crafting things, and decided to make Christmas presents for each other. (Last year I make her, her very own travel writing kit in its own bag! The kit contains everything she needs for a quiet writing session somewhere! In the kit I put coloured pens, pencils, rubber, sticky notes, a mini dictionary, Helpful hints and tips and a note-book; which I made a removable cover for. Needless to say she adored it!)

Anyway, getting back to this quite frankly, blooming amazing gift, (Sorry I did ramble on a bit there!!) When I was tearing the paper off and opened the cardboard box, I carefully undone the bubble wrap; now at this point I did and said two things A) I cried happy tears of course! and B) I said ‘Oh my god, it’s got all my favourite things on it!’

My friend had brought a lovely wooden box in the shape of a book, and has painted it in all my favourite colours. I just love the effect she has created with the merging of the colours, it’s just beautiful, isn’t it?

She has stuck purple swirly corning like which I think makes the title stand out! Now let’s get on to the title it’s self ‘Majestic Marie’ (I’ll take that!!!!Thanks!!!!)

In the centre she has drawn a scene full of all of my favourite things; a comfortable chair with a squishy cousin with my reading lamp, a table with a brew on ( she knows I like a good cuppa!), Under the table is a handbag; because I don’t go anywhere without one and I do love a handbag!!!!, A line of bookshelves under the window; full of glorious books! ( It’s a bit of a dream of mine, to have a room full of books. I’m sure I’m not alone there! am I book lovers?)

I love that she has added my two cat’s in the scene because they mean the world to me! The likeness to them is really good!

Outside the window there’s blazing sunshine, (I’m a bit of a what you call a sun chaser in my garden!) And the camper van (It’s one of our drams to travel around in a campervan, a bit like the film Thelma and Louise but without the dying part!!!!)

On the spine of the book she has written her name as the creator of this master piece!

So when I had finished marvelling at the box I opened it to find Joy had lined inside the box in velvet material, which I think really finishes off the box really well. Also there was two other small wrapped up presents which were… wait for it… non other than a sorting hat keying and a necklace with Hermine’s wand from Harry potter! I do love the films and the books!!!!!! what a pressie hay!!!!!

The other bookish presents I got were off my mumma bear!

The first one, I really like, it’s a diary; with refill paper (which I will use next year and I will explain why in a sec! also I have a diary for my blog which I did a post about and you can check it out Here)

There are divides; which each have a positive saying on them to divide the months up. But as you will have notices there’s A) no year on it and B) no months that is why this is so great!!!!… it has a pocket at the back with stickers of numbers, months etc.

The pink rings that hold the whole thing together can be changed to a different size if you need to make the planner able to have more pages in.

This next gift mum gave me was a metal bookmark with 50 books to read before you die! When I was reading down the list I was quite shocked at how many I have already read! But gosh their’s an awful lot on there I haven’t…well better get reading then hay!?!

*The Lord of the ring’s trilogy by J.R.R Tolken

*1984 by George Orwell

*Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

*The Grapes of wrath by John Steinbeck

*To Kill A Mocking Bird by Harper Lee

*Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

*Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

*A Passage to India by E.M Forster

*The Lord of the Flies by William Golding

*Hamlet by William Shakespeare

*A Bend in the river by V.S Naipaul

*The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald

*The catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger

*The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

*Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

*The Diary of Anne Frank by Ann Frank

*Don Quixote by Miguel De Cervantes

*The Bible by Various

*The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

*Ulysses by James Joyce

*The Quiet American by Graham Greene

*Birdsong by Sebastion Faulks

*Money by Martin Amis

*Harry Potter series by J.K.Rawling

*Moby Dick by Herman Melville

*The Wind in the Willows by Kennith Garhame

*His dark meterials trilogy by Philip Pullman

*Anna Karenina by Leo Toistoy

*Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

*Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

*The Curious Incident of the Dog in the night-time by Mark Haddon

*On the road by Jack Kerouac

*Heart of darkness by Joseph Conrad

*The Way we live now by Anthony Trollope

*The Outsider by Albert Camus

*The Colour Purple by Alice Walker

*Life of Pi by Yann Martel

*Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

*The War of the Worlds by H.G Wells

*Men without Woman by Ernist Hemingway

*Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift

*A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

*Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

*Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

*One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey

*Catch 22 by Joseph Heller

*The Count of Mote Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

*Memoirs of Geisha by Arthur Golden

*The Divine Comedy by Alighieri Dante

*The Picture of Derian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Now the last gift my mumma got me was something else that made my day! It’s a mug and a coaster with ‘Book Blogger’ on them both! I think my word’s were somewhere along the lines of ‘It’s official now I’m a book blogger!!!!’ ta mumma bear I love them. So now when I’m blogging you just know my brew is going in this mug!!!!!

The final gift was a book which I received off my fella! (This was probably because I went on about it enough!!!) Me life story by Scarolett Moffett. I adore this young lady, and loved her in I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!

I’ve been so incredibly lucky and spoiled this year!

Anyway I hope you enjoyed reading this post as much as I have writing it! Ta for stopping by my lovely’s!