A Very Lucky Christmas - Lilac Mills

Synopsis:

Things can't get worse for Daisy Jones... can they?

Christmas is meant to be the happiest time of year so why is absolutely everything going wrong for Daisy? Reeling from a bad breakup, moving back in with her parents and hounded by trouble at work she really shouldn't be surprised when things go from bad to worse..and she ends up in A&E!

Her great-grandmother persuaded her to plant a silver sixpence in the Christmas pud for luck but choking on the coin isn't the 'change' she'd wished for. Yet when dashing Dr Noah Hartley saves the day things finally start to look up. With Christmas Day just around the corner Daisy's determined to make her own luck...and hopefully bag herself a dishy doc in the process!

Review:

So maybe when I first started reading this book I was so worried the book was going to be some soppy old cliche romace books but I opened the book and just read it all in 4 hours, laughing and enjoying each page as they passed by. I was beyond wrong with my first assumption.

First of all I absolutely loved Daisy, shes so real and I could relate to her due to this because she was literally so human and her experiences were reacted to in such a real manner ect. All of these characters were so well moulded, ever so real paper humans, if that makes sense. The pace of this book is so on point, it's not so fast you lose track and not so quick you lose interest, it's well balanced and brilliant read.

Daisy is a great character, Noah is an absolute gentleman and such an idiot at some times I actually did just sigh and roll my eyes like how can someone come to some of those comclusions is beyond me but someone somewhere is probably exactly the same as him. Daisy' family are strong and brilliant women alongside her brother who you can read his protectiveness of his sister which is adorable and lovely and their bond is so beautiful I actually would love to have such a relationship.

I cant even point out anything any degree of wrong for me from this book, I literally loved the whole thing. I feel if you look past the obvious themes of the book you can see it's a story that works with families that have split, the lessons of one parent households, so many real life issues that are really important to explore at some point in someones life. I cant really say much about this book without spoiling things or ruining it in advance before anyone read it as you may literally be into the book up until you get to the things ive mentions so my lips are semi shut. 

There is no way I can give this book anything less than a 5/5, and it for sure has me looking forward to Christmas due to its heavily christmas theme at points in the book and the imersion into family time around christmas. Lilac has done a great job witht his book I look forward to reading more from her.

Links to Book:

Amazon (UK)

Kobo (UK)

Google Books (UK)

Apple Books (UK)

About The Author

Lilac Mills writes feel-good romantic women's fiction, and is the author of Love in the City by the Sea, A Very Lucky Christmas, Summer on the Turquoise Coast, and Sunshine at Cherry Tree Farm. Lilac spends all her time writing, or reading, or thinking about writing or reading, often to the detriment of her day job, her family, and the housework! Home for Lilac is Worcester, England.

BLOG TOUR: Cordial Killing: A Backyard Farming Mystery - Vikki Walton

Synopsis:

Anne is excited for the opening of the Brandywine Inn. Kandi and Hope are her partners in the bed-and-breakfast n Carolan Springs, Colorado, where they also provide homesteading and herbal workshops for guests.

As soon as the guests arrive, its plain that the five old college chums have bad blood between them. When Anne finds a threatening note, its clear that someone is out for revenge. Then they find a guest dead. At first, the death appears to be natural, but suspicions begin to grow.

When a blizzard threatens the Inn, will it trap them all with a killer and no way out?

Cordial Killing is a classic who-dun-it with a twist. Set in the fictional small town of Carolan Springs, you will enjoy an armchair getaway into beautiful Colorado.


Review:

With this being the first book of Vikki Walton's that I have read, I feen honoured to be allowed to have recieved a copy to read and review for the Blog Tour. It is for sure acosy mystery and like most of the mystery themed books i read, this book is added to the list where I didnt get who the culprit was right away and im thankful this book kept me guessing on who and why and when the crime was comitted.

The beauty of this book also comes from the setting, the Inn is and old victorian home and when you put those two words together your mind automatically creates such a beautiful setting as those homes are so beautiful and unique as well as so much more. I think its such a perfect setting for a Mystery book.

Like most books I read, once i hooked there was no way i wasnt able to not think about it, I read the majority of the book whilst on my way to the little lodge we had an holiday booked for in Wales but even when i wasnt reading the book, which was pretty much when we got to the lodge as so much begun to happen, where we were out visiting places and having fun, I was still finding myself thinking about the book and that is a sure sign that it is a brilliant read.

What also shines through in this book is how much time and effort that Vikki put into research and planning because there is so much knowledge intertwined within each word of the book, it's lovely to see that so much time was well spent creating the intricate details.

There isnt anything that I can think of that was an ounce of a negative of this book, with this said I am a little sad I didnt read the first book of A Backyard Farming Mystery series. I can't award this book anything less than a 5 out of 5. Vikki did a great job I can't even begin to explain in words that make sense. To anyone that lkes cosy mysteries, this is a sure thing you'd enjoy reading. This was a super way to get to know a new author and I am super grateful to hav had to opportunity. I hope that anyone who goes on to read any if both of the A Backyard Farming Mystery books enjoys them as much as I enjoyed Cordial Killing.

About The Author

 Vikki’s first words were “I get it!” This attitude became her life-long mantra to always go after what she wants. It also helped her realize her desire to help others get what they really want out of life.

After spending years as a registered interior designer, Vikki began to write. While writing for periodicals, Vikki found herself on assignment interviewing publishers in Colorado Springs. It wasn’t long before the natural beauty of Colorado captured her heart.

After moving to Colorado, Vikki  worked with nonprofits. However, she soon realized she needed more autonomy in her work.Vikki started her own business as a nonprofit consultant and grant writer. She has helped nonprofits across the U.S. to receive millions of dollars for  their work. Yet, she realized doing one thing wouldn’t satisfy her for long.

Vikki became a Work Quilter™ combining her many passions to create multiple income streams. She started speaking and teaching adults on myriad and diverse topics around her knowledge, skills and passions.   She's taught and spoken on Creative Writing, Design for Heart and Home, Fundraising Fundamentals , Suburban Homesteading, Permaculture, How to Get What You Really Want, and of course, Work Quilting. Two words that continually appear on instructor and speaker feedback forms are "engaging" and "knowledgeable."
You'll most often find Vikki out hiking with her dog, outside gardening, traveling abroad, house or pet sitting, or writing her next book.

Born in Chicago, Vikki lived outside of Paris for a few years as a small child. That may account for her love of travel. She moved to Wichita with her parents before going on to live most of her life around the San Antonio, Texas area. She is the founder of #girlswantago and you can connect through Facebook or www.girlswantago.com. Vikki is also an experienced, professional global house and pet sitter.

Vikki's favorite genre is mystery so it wasn't long before she had begun her first cozy mystery series.  Incorporating her love of suburban homesteading, or as some call it, backyard farming, Vikki's first book is Chicken Culprit. 

Death In The Stars - Frances Brody Blog Tour Review

Synopsis:

Yorkshire, 1927. Eclipse fever grips the nation, and when beloved theatre star Selina Fellini approaches trusted sleuth Kate Shackleton to accompany her to a viewing party at Giggleswick School Chapel, Kate suspects an ulterior motive.
During the eclipse, Selina's friend and co-star Billy Moffatt disappears and is later found dead in the chapel grounds. Kate can't help but dig deeper and soon learns that two other members of the theatre troupe died in similarly mysterious circumstances in the past year. With the help of Jim Sykes and Mrs Sugden, Kate sets about investigating the deaths - and whether there is a murderer in the company.
When Selina's elusive husband Jarrod, injured in the war and subject to violent mood swings, comes back on the scene, Kate begins to imagine something far deadlier at play, and wonders just who will be next to pay the ultimate price for fame . . .

Review:

So you all know I absolutely loved Death at The Seaside by Frances Brody when I read it what feels like such a long time ago now, so when I was approached to take part in the Death In The Stars Blog Tour providing a review I simply could not pass the opportunity up.

It feels great to be seeing the familiar faces once again, like a reunion party of sorts. I still love Kate, she remains as intelligent, blunt and beautiful as she was when I last saw her. We also meet some great characters, Selina for starters is an amazing singer, elegant and beautiful and yet i was suspicious about her from square one. Billy is a comedian/performer and hes bubbly and lovely and i warmed to him and felt quite attached to him unaware of his fate. I felt a punch to my gut and heart when I read it. Quite emotional for a character I had only known of for a short time. There are more to talk of but I don't wish to make this paragraph too long. Each character intrigued me and found a part in my heart no matter the outcome of te book which sounds odd but its the way it is.

Upon opening the book i was instantly sucked in, its was incredibly hard to put it down and rest or anything of the sort. Frances has once again created a gripping book, one of which takes ahold of you and refuses to relieve its grip until the very end. My mind was constantly going into overdrive, trying to put the puzzle together before I was told of anything, i admit i was only slightly capable of that. Frances is a great writer, her plots and characters are beautiful, unique and immersive. What is also lovely about this book is how well Frances was able to portray the stage/theatre life back in the 1920's it's beautiful and she did a great job at bringing it back to life for us as readers.

I must delcare this but in my review of Death by the Seaside i said the following:

I didn't feel very connected to any character in the book at all, although Kate is really vivid in my head, I just didn't forge any connection with her, she was just an important role in the book. To find out Kate has a series really makes me wonder if I read more about her will I make connections. It's a really big issues with me, if I can't forge a connection then I really find it hard to read these characters for a long time. Kate is clearly intelligent and resilient and those qualities are great to have I just wished I loved her as a character as much as other have said they do.

Every inch of me takes that back, I fell for Kate and Its undeniable. I'm lookig forward to seeing her again in any books to come.

Frances Brody is a great addition to the Crime writing business, bringing unique and complicated plots to the table. Its a 5/5 from me, a reccomendation to all who love twisty turny plots and crime novels and maybe crime novels with twisty turny plots.

 About The Author

Frances Brody is the author of the Kate Shackleton mysteries, as well as many stories and plays for BBC Radio, scripts for television and four sagas, one of which won the HarperCollins Elizabeth Elgin Award. Her stage plays have been toured by several theatre companies and produced at Manchester Library Theatre, the Gate and Nottingham Playhouse, and Jehad was nominated for a Time Out Award.

Want to see the other posts this blog tour? check them all out by using the banner below.

The Red Thread (The Straits Quartet #1) by Dawn Farnham Blog Tour Review

Information about the Book

Title: The Red Thread (The Straits Quartet #1)

Author: Dawn Farnham

Genre: Asian Historical Fiction

Publisher: Monsoon Books

Format: Paperback

Published: 7^th April 2015

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21149887-the-red-thread

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Red-Thread-Chinese-Singapore-Straits-ebook/dp/B005DIAOSM

Summary:

Set against the backdrop of 1830s Singapore where piracy, crime, triads, and tigers are commonplace, this historical romance follows the struggle of two lovers Zhen, a Chinese coolie and triad member, and Charlotte, an 18-year-old Scots woman and sister of Singapores Head of Police. Two cultures bound together by the invisible threads of fate yet separated by cultural diversity.

Review:

I love learning about new cultures and countries so when I was asked if I wanted to read The Red Thread and write an honest review for the upcoming blog tour I simply couldn't resist. The Synopsis excited me as I wanted to know how everything would play out but firstly how everything would come to be. As a genre that I don't read, I'm actually pretty sure this is my first Asian Historical Fiction book I've ever read and it was an enjoyable first experience.

Set in the Singapore of the 1830's, the story follows Charlotte and Zhen in their different, yet intertwined paths, the Red Thread of the title binding them together. Charlotte is young and now in a foreign land which is not like the Singapore we know of today and Zhen  who's portrayed as super sexy, both of them I cared for and sympathised with them but part of me didn't feel all that invested in them in the end. They were both great characters in a great story I just didn't fully connect with them but I loved them all I could. Alongside our two main characters Dawn mixes a number of real-life characters from 1830s Singapore into the pages,  George Coleman and his partner Takouhi most notably, Coleman was an Irish architect who was responsible for the infrastructure of Singapore 

As a whole I thought the story was very well written, with some good prose and some suggestive passages, so I did enjoy the book, its a great mix of love and culture which in the set period of time and place are conflicting things. There has clearly been a large amount of research into each aspect of the cultural and historic moments within the story. Dawn has done a great job and I can understand why she has gone on to write another 3 books under The Straits Quartet series title.

I love the whole belief in the red thread.'The two people connected by the red thread are destined lovers, regardless of place, time, or circumstances. This magical cord may stretch or tangle, but never break. This myth is similar to the Western concept of soulmate or a destined flame.'

Despite not fully connecting with the characters but loving the plot and the history of the book I can easily give this book a 4 out of 5. Although I have read a few reviews which pointed out many negatives I didn't feel as though they were negatives to me in the situations regarding the plot and the time frame. One day I hope I'll be able to pick up more of Dawns books and enjoy them as I did this one. I recommend this book to anybody who loves history and/or romance. 

About The Author

Dawn Farnham is the author of The Straits Quartet (The Red Thread, The Shallow Seas, The Hills of Singapore and The English Concubine), as well as numerous short stories, plays and children’s books. A former long-term resident of Singapore, Dawn now calls Perth, Australia, home. Her new book, Finding Maria is published in October 2017. Learn more about Dawn at www.dawnfarnham.com.

Website: www.dawnfarnham.com

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

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

*PLEASE NOTE* The Red Thread is going to be FREE on Amazon from 17th - 25th September

Monday 18^th September

Little Hux Tales

Book Lover Worm Blog

Tuesday 19^th September

Fiction Fascination

Our First Year Here

Wednesday 20^th September

Bibliobeth

The Bookish Fairy Blog

Thursday 21^st September

The Writing Greyhound

A Books Eternal Glory

Friday 22^nd September

Big Book Little Book

Two Book Thieves

Saturday 23^rd September

Tales of Yesterday

Rambling Mads

Sunday 24^th September

Rachel Bustin

Kraftireader

Ask No Questions (Detective Caelan Small #1) - Lisa Hartley Blog Tour

About the Book

Title: Ask No Questions

Author: Lisa Hartley

Release Date: 10th 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

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.

Review:

So I got this book request whilst I was in the middle of only wanting to read thrillers/crime novels so I was beyond willing to want to read it, the synopsis pleased me and I just couldn't wait to read it. I'm not quite sure how long it took me to read, maybe 2 days? but all the way I was hooked just turning page after page after page needing to get answers and see this through until the end.

In this book we follow Detective Caelan Small, after an operation goes wrong, the backlash causes her to hand in her resignation before going on a holiday beginning her retirement. That is until she finds out the criminal from the operation that went wrong is back in England she cant seem to say no to joining the investigation once again. From the outset I loved Caelan, she;s a very straight forward and pretty much a character who I can relate to personally when it comes to her emotions and personality.

Richard Adamson, a fellow colleague of Small's is approached by Elizabeth Beckett who is an assistant commissioner for the specialist crime and operations and also part of the Mets senior management team. To him she is god and he cant even refuse to do as he's told even if it means convincing his former colleague to come out of retirement and join the Met once again. He's seen as the only one that knows her enough to be able to talk her around.

Deputy Assistant Commisioner Michael Nasenby, Commander Ian Penrith and Inspector Tim Achebe. When these 3 characters meet Small one for the first time it is clear that there are a vary of emotions towards her. Ian isn't her biggest fan and actually does as far as to rip chunks out of her verbally making no move to hide his feelings about her. Nasenby is sort of like a father figure to her, her previous boss and someone who trusts Small to do a good job. Tim meets her for the first time and is amazed by her skills of working under cover and her techniques of changing from one person to another and I'll admit I was just as amazed as he was. These 3 characters pop up consistently throughout the book and I found it quire easy to follow their encounters by the way they spoke to Caelan,

Every character needs a side kick and for our main character she chooses her own, determined not to work with Richard Adamson again or anyone else but Ewan Davies, ex army now working for the Met. Ewan and Caelan get on well for the most part, they are a great pair that I actually want more of.
One more character to remember is Chief Superintendent Adele Brady, with all of these characters to keep an eye on and think about its quite fun, hard to tell who's friend or foe if any of them are either at all. Each character plays their part, I found it incredibly hard to figure out how the plot was going to go, everything was well felt like it was all hush hush.

The whole book is gripping and full of twists you cant see coming, there are shocks and surprises in store for any reader who will turn the pages of this book. I'm definitely looking forward to hearing more from Lisa Hartley and seeing Caelan Small again in the near future. Hartley created a world and situations which feel completely real, action packed and breath taking. I had to pause a few time at each twist and just take a breath or two just to let myself process what I was reading. It's a truly amazing thriller and I hope that anyone who loves crime and thrillers will get a chance to read this book because its definitely worth it. I may even go as far as to pick up copies of Lisa's previous work just to experience greatness like this. I cant give this book any less than a 5/5 and I will be processing the ending for maybe months to come. A truly amazing piece of work.

Author Information:

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

The Salvation Project by Stewart Ross Blog Tour

Information about the Book

Title: The Salvation Project (The Soterion Mission #3)

Author: Stewart Ross

Release Date: 20^th June 2017

Genre: Dystopian YA

Publisher: Blean Books

Format: Paperback

Synopsis:

Humanity’s hope of salvation lies within a single laptop…

A mutation in human DNA means no one lives beyond nineteen. Scientists working to reverse this pandemic died before their Salvation Project was complete, leaving behind the results of their research in a sealed vault – the Soterion.

122 years have passed. The civilisation of the ‘Long Dead’ is almost forgotten, the Soterion has been burned to ashes, and communities of Constants are tormented by brutal tribes of Zeds. Cyrus, Miouda and Sammy flee their burning city with a laptop rescued from the inferno. They believe it contains the key to the Salvation Project. But its batteries are dead, there is no electricity to power it, and murderous Zeds will stop at nothing to get it back…


Review:

This book review is actually of the first book in The Salvation Project called The Soterion Mission, I wanted to do this so that my reviews were in order so I didn't review The Salvation Project which is book number 3 and then go back and review book 1 and 2 but I'll definitely be reviewing the following 2 books so please keep your eyes out them.
I wasn't so sure what to expect from this book ore series in general, once I received the books I sat and read 25 pages from the first book and could instantly feel the pull of not wanting to put it down. The following day I sat down and managed to finish the book in 1 sitting, it was literally a book I could not put down.

The whole series is based over a hundred years or so in the future, thanks to a worldwide epidemic no one lives past the age of 19, once they reach their 19th year they age rapidly in a mater of weeks. Only living until they are 19  means there is no longer any knowledge of the life from 2019 and beyond, it has all disappeared and life has now turned back to what it would have been like in the early years of human civilisation.

The characters were so well constructed and beautiful, Roxanne is the character that kind of throws everything up in the air at the beginning of the book, she's vulnerable and beautiful, she's clever and can read and write unlike the other characters but she's so real and I felt linked to her and the others in a way I cant even describe. She has knowledge of a place of knowledge, a place called the Soterion which holds the very last intel on human life before the epidemic, it's a place full of centuries of lost knowledge. On the quest to uncover the Soterion she is joined by Cyrus, a handsome and funny man, he knows what he must do the moment he meets Roxanne, he's drawn to her beauty and knowledge and can't help but love her. His life time friend Navid joins him, he didn't even need to be asked, he's a great friend, supportive and trusting, there isn't a good story without a dog, and his name is Corby, failthful and loyal. There are so many good characters when together make a diverse group, I find that characters clash at points and that that's meant to happen, I wasn't a fan of Taja mostly because eof her reaction to the whole thing, she seemed full of hatred towards Roxanne but that was her character but in the end I didn't hate her, her development over the span of the book really helped.

The point of view allows us to explore the words of the Constants who are the tribes who follow the values of the people before them- and the Zeds who are brutal tribes which revel in other people’s pain and suffering. Thanks to the ability to see both sets of people it made the story flow much easier, it gives you as a reader the knowledge from each side.
There were a lot of humorous parts in The Soterion Mission, I found it quite heart-warming and funny when Roxanne begins to talk of the only 2 books she has read so far and one happens to be the IKEA catalogue, which in all fairness helps a little. Where there is humour there are sober moments and to have both sort of intertwined in the story was a lovely contrast.

After meeting the characters early on in the book I instantly clicked with them, they are just teenagers living in a world that can barely work, and their faith in finding the cure to live on was so heart-warming. The connection with the characters doesn't falter, I got emotional too many times and I may have had a one sided argument with the book over a few decisions made within the book but all together the book was a great one for the start of a series, alone the first chapter grips you and let me tell you, the whole book alone makes you want to see where the rest of the series is going.

Its an easy 5/5 from me, its beyond words for me to tell you how I fully feel about this book, I hope a lot of teenagers pick this book up and absorb it as well as the rest of the series because throughout there are lessons everyone should learn.

Thank you to Faye for providing me with the book to which I have given my honest opinion.

Goodreads Link:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35095911-the-salvation-project

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Salvation-Project-Stewart-Ross/dp/0957101929

About the Author

Stewart was born in Buckinghamshire and educated in Oxford, Berkhamsted, Exeter, Bristol, and Orlando, Florida. He taught at a variety of institutions in Sri Lanka, the Middle East, the USA, and Britain before becoming a full-time writer in 1989.

With over 300 published titles to his credit, he is now one of Britain’s most popular and versatile authors. His output includes prize-winning books for younger readers, novels, plays, three librettos, a musical, and many widely acclaimed works on history and sport. Several of his books are illustrated with his own photographs.

Stewart also lectures in France and the UK, gives talks, runs workshops, and visits schools. He is an occasional journalist and broadcaster. His brother, Charlie Ross, is the celebrated auctioneer.

n his spare time Stewart enjoys travel, restaurants, sport, theatre, photography, art and music. He lives near Canterbury with his wife Lucy, and - occasionally - his four children and two grandchildren. Each morning he commutes 10 metres to work in a large hut in the garden.

Website: http://www.stewartross.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Booksmyth

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Soterion-Mission-194311443946577/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/jstewartross

Tour Schedule

Perfect Score - Susan Roebuck Blog Tour

About the Book

Title: Perfect Score

Author: Susan Roebuck

Release Date: 3rd May 2017

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Format: Ebook

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:

I loved the thought of 2 people from the opposite ends of society coming together, it just seemed such a beautiful thought. Both characters took my heart along with them all the way through the book, they were so well constructed and portrayed I really wish I could open my door and they'd be on my doorstep.

Sam struggles with reading and writing and its evident he also had trouble speaking but I can easily understand what he's saying or trying to say, he works hard and is actually quite smart to the point my mind was blown, he knows things people believe he doesn't have the brain to know and he gets a lot of abuse for his 'disability'. He seems like such a frail character but to me he's quite intimidating. He's a drifter and works hard at any job he gets just so he can pay his sisters medical bills, which is the sweetest thing ever because he seemed to not care what it took or what he had to put himself through to do it. He just simply adored his sister and let me tell you, she's a hilarious character who is so real.

Alex is talented and handsome, also rich but all he wants is Sam to love him back and throughout the story you can see the signals being thrown out and you just cross your fingers that they'll be received and sent back. Alex understands Sam just as much as Sam's sister Amy does. You can tell throughout how much he really cares for him, and how much he wishes and wants to do something to help him out. I fell in love with both characters and found it hard to stop thinking of them once I finished the book.

For the other characters in the book, I felt a mix of feelings for, everyone that ever gave any of the main characters and trouble or said or did something I didn't like I was internally hissing. There were very few characters who I loved like Alex and Sam, I think the other characters were written in a way for the reader to make their mind up about? I did make my mind up in the end. With a few characters there's many conflicting emotions but I have to let it be because some of them I cant just hate or just love.

The plot is extraordinary, I mean the mental and physical things the characters have to go through blew me away, the situations they were caught in took my breath away and I was just crossing everything for everyone to make it out okay and everything be fine. There were a few plot twists I didn't see coming, after the majority of the book I just prayed everything would go smoothly and it to go to plan but obviously it never does. Susan created a world with clear knowledge of treatment of those deemed ill or disabled in this time period (1960's), she also created a story in which the powers of love are tested and the ways of which family ties can be strained. The whole corruption part of it really stuck with me, I think its down to me feeling that there is a lot of it in the current world but we are less aware of it or are and just willing to ignore it and pray it to go away.

Its a beautiful tale of love between 2 seemingly very different boys and the pressures of family and supporting those we love. The ending was something I never imagined, it bought around the concept of acceptance of people who are 'different'. Id recommend this to anyone who's in need of a LGBTQ+ read an anyone else. Its an easy 5/5 from me and I cant wait to see more of Susan in the future and will definitely be looking to read her second novel called Hewhay Hall.

Goodreads link for the Perfect Score by Susan Roebuck

Amazon link for the Perfect Score by Susan Roebuck

Author Information

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)

Website: http://www.susanroebuck.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/suemonte

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

Tour Schedule

Monday 19th June

YA Under My Skin

Tuesday 20th June

Portable Magic

Wednesday 21st June

What’s Better Than Books

Thursday 22nd June

A Books Eternal Glory

Friday 23rd June

Blue Striped Square

Saturday 24th June

Summer Reads and Moonlight Dreams

Monday 26th June

Ali the Dragon Slayer

Tuesday 27th June

Birdie Bookworm

Wednesday 28th June

Helen Loves

Friday 30th June

Big Book Little Book

Saturday 1st July

Man of Words