Blog tour: I Know Where She Is by SB Caves

It seems whenever enthusiasm for blogging dwindles, it's almost always a book post that sparks the fire again. This time we look to a cracking thriller I was kindly sent to review called I Know Where She Is by SB Caves as part of the initial book release blog tour! Cool stuff eh?

Book blurb:

On the tenth anniversary of her daughter Autumn's abduction, Francine receives an anonymous note containing just five words: I KNOW WHERE SHE IS.

When a young woman approaches her the next day claiming to have sent the letter Francine wants to dismiss it as a cruel, twisted joke.

But the stranger knows things that only Autumn would know.

It soon becomes clear that Francine must go to dark places in order to learn the truth about her child’s kidnapping.

She will discover that danger comes from unexpected sources. She will do things she never imagined herself capable of.

But will Francine get her daughter back-or is it too late?

Publisher: Canelo 

About the author:
 S.B. Caves was born and raised in North London. He loves crime and thriller novels, classic horror movies, Korean/Japanese thriller films and true crime documentaries. He is also a huge boxing fan.

The story is a great psychological thriller as promised, it really does hook you in early on. The depth of Francine's loss of Autumn is understood so deeply. What she has undergone is horrible for anyone but the reader really feels her grief and lack of closure throughout.
Overall the book rates a decent 7/10. It has a plot that is enthralling but felt that the characters outside of Francine and her mysterious letter writer didn't uplift the story enough. Just needed a little something more for me to rate the last few points out of 10.. Enjoyable read in the end!

Read it fo'yo self here:

• Amazon (UK):
• Kobo (UK)
• Google Books (UK)
• Apple Books (UK)
• Goodreads
• Netgalley

Abi x

p.s. was sent a copy for review purposes. So despite the phrase a penny for your thoughts, all thoughts and opinions have come free of charge and off my own back.

Christmas showcase with Circo!

Last week I was kindly invited below ground to a very special evening at Circo. An evening of Christmas shenanigans showing the best the club has to offer for later this year!

On arrival we were greeted with gorgeous Christmas cocktails which are as yet unamed.  Let me warn you though they were lethally good. They were gin based with pomegranate, grenadie, sugar syrup and more included. Garnished with blood orange, rosemary and a dash of icing sugar they went wayyy too easily..


We were served various tasters off the Christmas menu, including a starter, a mini roast dinner and a wee trifle! My favourite by far was the butternut squash which came out in shot glasses with tiny straws. Purely for the taster evening but I had a good laugh trying to eat it.










As the evening went on we got to witness some aerial acrobatics by the trapeze artists. This was honestly thrilling and I couldn't help but get caught up! Tried hard to get a decent pic but they moved so fast!

I did manage to get pick of these two lovely ladies who even let me try the headpiece on. Won't lie to you it weighed a bloody ton after a minute or so. Credit to them for wearing them the whole night.


The night drew to an end with a "Guess that tune" mini quiz courtesy of resident DJ Les Calvert. He was certainly lively and tbh I was a bit gutted I only got to have a taster of the quiz, my competitive side was raring to go!

The whole club had a great fun feel to it, with showgirls and acrobats around. The decor is kooky and random and must be a great hit on a night out (think of the Insta!).

The club offers a range of events, from a crazy afternoon tea(with bare butlers!) to weekly dinner shows and extravaganzas. Check out the place further on their twitter tag #CircoIsBack

Abi x

p.s. I've never been Circo prior to receiving the invite to the Showcase. All opinions within the post are my own! Thank you for having me.

Cheerz

Big ears... sorry couldn't resist! Today's post is just a quick review tbh. Sadly not sponsored(shame eh?) but just a nice post about good service!

Crashing in the spare room comes with its own perils. Mostly that I don't have much say about the colour scheme (weirdly green in case you wondered). But what I can do is decorate over it...

The short story is that's what I did! I wanted to put some nice photos up from my instagram. So looking round at the variety of websites that will let you make prints I finally spotted

Cheerz amongst the crowd. 

I ended up getting 20 pics printed, all from my instagram but you could link your Cheerz account to other social media accounts if you wanted. The selection included a range of sizes but I chose the Polaroid-sequel style. I opted to not have any text on mine but that could be a nice memento if you make some for other people. 

Prices varied depending on what size you chose(naturally) but my order came out to about £7 with postage.

The order came pretty quickly, and they arrived in good condition on proper photo paper. A nice bonus was a cheeky money off your next order code that got included for future use.

Overall I was really happy with the service and how much more personalised my room now looks! 

Abi x

Ps yeah not sponsored, just a pleased blogger with a voice haha

A female doctor?

Have you heard this riddle?

A man and his son are in a car accident. They're rushed to hospital. The man is okay but the son needs surgery. When they arrive the doctor says "I cannot operate, he is my son!" How is this possible? 

The answer, is that the doctor is the sons mother. The majority of people don't get that answer. If they do it's not the first answer people often guess or even guess that quickly. 

Women have been practising medicine for openly for some time now. So why is it when news came out that the next Dr Who would be a women the dark side of the internet rose en masse. Not even a real doctor, a fictional character. 

Jodie Whittaker is a brilliant actress known for her work in critical drama Broadchurch. Does anyone think that she isn't capable of playing the role based on her talent and education as an actress? No.

What people seem to be annoyed about is that she is playing what has consistently been a male role. The Doctor is an alien. Who's to say what gender or sexuality they might be? 

It's an interesting move from the BBC, to throw the gauntlet down and Challenge that notion. A female doctor has been called for for ages now. I grew up with Dr Who, but I fell away from the show around the era of Matt Smith because I wasn't able to relate to it anymore.  

It makes my heart happy to think of the children who get to grow up looking up to a female Doctor. I hope they make the most of the opportunities this presents, particularly as the relationships we've seen the Doctor have have all been with cisgender heterosexual women. Will we see not just the first female doctor but also the first lesbian or bisexual doctor?

Just some interesting thoughts. 

Abi x

Round up: #carnlival

So I was lucky enough to attend my first #CarnLIVal event just the other week. The event is growing to be one of my fave days of the year thanks to Katy and Sam.

This time we all descended into the depths of Yard and Coop for party games and fun. 

Once everyone had arrived we were all given a pin to pop a balloon and receive a raffle ticket. It was hilarious way to hand them out and everyone had a good giggle.

I made quick work of their £5 cocktail list, my favourite of which was the Bubble Butt...literally my mouth is watering thinking about it again haha...

We had the infamous naughty and nice bags, in which I came away with enough condoms to last me for years and a load of yummy sweets!  

When the raffle rolled round, the prizes including everything from Wax and Wicks candles, to a sex box full of supplies! I was lucky enough to win a voucher for a meal at Gustos restaurant, a restaurant I've been before and loved.

Every #carnLIVal event brings opportunities to meet new bloggers and catch up with old friends. This time round was no exception. Keeping with the party theme we all played stick the camera on the Blogger. Technically I was the most right as I "accidentally" stuck mine to Sam and not the bogger poster on the wall!

To cap off a great afternoon, the whole blogger squad was invited to Breakout Liverpool for a challenge. I was placed in a team with fellow bloggers Kiah and Danielle to breakout the tough Classified room. We only just did it with minutes to spare but I'm super proud of our teamwork and success!

Everyone was lucky enough to leave with a goody bag,  I've included a few pics of some of our goodies here. Everyone had a big surprise by far when they pulled out a vibrator! Still the bags were padded out with more PG items like yummy lip balms and tea.

I loved attending #carnLIVal, so thank you for having me! 

Abi x

Roll on next time!! ;)

Blog tour: Ask No Questions by Lisa Hartley

Hello folks! Welcome back to this wee blog. This weeks offering is a review as part of t

he recent blog tour for Lisa Hartley's novel: Ask No Questions.

Summary:

Some secrets were meant to stay hidden… Trust no-one

After an operation goes badly wrong, undercover specialist Detective Caelan Small leaves the Metropolitan Police for good. Or so she thinks. Then the criminal responsible is seen back in the UK.

Soon Caelan is drawn back into a dangerous investigation. But when the main lead is suddenly murdered, all bets are off. Nothing is as it seems. Everyone is a suspect - even close colleagues.

Someone in the Met is involved and Caelan is being told to Ask No Questions.

This isn’t an option: Caelan needs answers… whatever the cost.

The nerve-shredding new crime thriller from bestseller Lisa Hartley starts a must-read new series. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons and Robert Bryndza, it will keep you guessing until the very end.

About the Book

Title: Ask No Questions

Author: Lisa Hartley

Release Date: 10^th July 2017

Genre: Thriller

Format: Ebook

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35486880-ask-no-questions

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B072X2MY21

About the author

Lisa Hartley lives with her partner, son, two dogs and several cats. She graduated with a BA (Hons) in English Studies, then had a variety of jobs but kept writing in her spare time. In addition to this new series with Canelo she is also working on the next DS Catherine Bishop novel.

Website: http://www.lisahartley.co.uk/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/rainedonparade

Review:

 I thoroughly enjoyed this novel from start to finish. The stand out for me was the main character Caelan. Her story is one of revenge that draws the reader deeper and deeper into hidden answers. She was so fierce and admirable throughout.

I've talked in the past about being excited for future offerings after reading an authors work. To me its a sign that I've really been "hooked" into the story and world created. This offering from Hartley strongly gave me this feeling. The twists with the police make me excited for what she might come up with next.

Overall, solid 9/10 for me. It's a great thriller and would be loved if you enjoy crime books as much as I do. 

Abi x

ps: I was kindly sent a copy of Ask No Questions to review, all opinions were my own!

Book review// Perfect Score by Susan Roebuck

Hi there! Welcome back to a new Book review! This post is about a lovely book I was asked to review written by Susan Roebuck.

About the author:

 
My first love is, of course, my husband, my second writing, and my third painting. And now I have time to be able to indulge in all three.
My debut novel, "Perfect Score" was published by Awe-Struck Publishing on Sept 21, 2010 and the paperback was launched on May 11 2011. In May 2017 Mundania Press re-released the ebook.
Perfect Score was an EPIC (Electronic Publishing Industry Coalition) finalist in the 2012 EPIC e-Book Awards in the Mainstream Category.
"Perfect Score" is set in mid West USA in the 1960s and is a story about family relationships, corruption, growing up, integrity, responsibility, and being a man of worth in a society of the worthless.
"Hewhay Hall" is my second novel, published by Etopia Press on April 20, 2012. It has won the EPIC (Electronic Publishing Industry Coalition) 2013 e-Book Award in the Horror Category (an EPPIE)

Book synopsis:

Feckless, exasperating Alex Finch is a rich, handsome and talented singer/songwriter who longs for two things: a career as a professional rock singer, and to have his love for Sam Barrowdale reciprocated. But drifter Sam's two aims are simply to earn enough money to pay his sister's medical bills and to hide from the world his reading/writing and speech disability. At this time the word "dyslexia" is generally unknown so to most people he's just a "retard". From the severe knocks life's dealt him, Sam's developed a tough outer coating and he has no time for a spoilt, selfish guitar player.

Despite his defects, Alex's love for Sam never wavers and when Sam unexpectedly disappears, Alex begins a somewhat bungling quest to find him, only to discover that Sam has a fearful enemy: Alex's powerful and influential yet sociopathic uncle.

As Alex spirals downwards towards alcoholism, many questions need answering. Just why did Alex's evil uncle adopt him at age eleven yet deny him any affection? And what's the mystery behind Alex's father's death?

Both seem to face unbeatable odds. Are they doomed to follow separate paths forever?

 Review:
Perfect Score  is a clever story that tells the tale of two unique characters who face varying challenges. Sam has had a hard life, growing up on the streets, he works in a mix of jobs to fund healthcare for his sister. His life is intertwined with Alex a troubled musician, who is funded by his wealthy Uncle, who expects him to enter the family business. The story takes place in the rugged prairies of the 1960's. A beautiful backdrop for a burgeoning romance. 
Overall I rated the book 8/10. The characters had such complexity and depth to them it was hard not to become engrossed by the novel. The tale focuses not just on love but on family values, how whats expected of us can alter our path in life and how whats perceived as "manly". I particularly like the fact that the relationship between the main characters does not feel forced, it fits naturally into the setting of the novel and its main themes.

The book is available on Amazon and Goodreads.

Abi x

This book was kindly sent to me to review.