A Path To Jupiter - Paul Richard Scott

Synopsis:

Arthur Kippax hates his name, but there's nothing he can do about it. He's a child of the 1950's, growing up in the 1960's in Sheffield - the Steel City. His parents are down-to-Earth, working class, as are most of his friends, but he will eventually go to Grammar School, learn to stand up for a principle, sit on his own chair and benefit from a good State Education. He will also learn that life is never fair, that God does not suffer little children but causes little children to suffer, in different and often insidious ways. The music of "The Swinging Sixties" becomes a soundtrack for his life, loves and adventures.

Review:

I found this book on an increasing pile of reads that my daughter had to review. From  the moment I picked this book up I found it impossible to put down.

I was born in the late 60's and grew up in a family with mom, dad, step brother and later on a baby sister. Close relatives lived around the corner and were there to pick up the pieces when my dad passed away when I was ten. Ok that's enough about me ,but I mention the close family ties as these are few and far between in todays society.

This book is written beautifully, and quite often I found myself in tears as I too felt the emotion that the main character Arthur felt. Without giving away the story, and believe me I could write for ever about this book as I loved every chapter. The musical quotes made me laugh and gave me greater enthusiasm to read more and more.

The story is one of childhood, love and loss which will touch your heart in the most endearing way .I was totally engrossed and could relate to dads brylcream and the faint whiff of Old Spice as he would dab it on to take nan to the weekly session of bingo. 

The irony is amazing, talking about the proverbial Larry who is always a happy chap to the reference to Lou Kemia and Roo Bella, each used in a way to show the innocence of a child who is affected by the loss of his first love. A truly brilliant read full of humour, the occasional ripe language which only adds to the read but is essential in order to truly immerse yourself into. 

I'd happily give this book a 5/5, I can only hope that there is a second book being written to follow this fabulous read.

Thank you, Paul Richard Scott, for the memories, and for the tears of sadness and laughter

On Holy Ground - Louise Cole Blog Tour

Synopsis:

Saving the world was just the start.
In The Devil's Poetry, Callie gambled with her life to stop a war. And she won. But now the game has changed. A Reader who understands the Book's magic is either a savior or a curse - what she can't be is free. When Callie stranded in the US, hunted and penniless, she desperately needs allies. But whose agenda can she trust? She must re-evaluate everything she knows, and find a way to escape, or die trying.

Review:

Late in June of last year I was happily a part of The Devil's Poetry blog tour and back then I was ecstatic with the opportunity and absolutely loved the book and tour so when I was contacted about being a part of the On Holy Ground ( The Devil's Poetry Series #2) Blog Tour, I simply could not say no.

On Holy Ground started with one hell of an opening sentence, which I absolutely loved but will not post here because its sort of a bummer to share something you should read in the book first, and even that's after reading the first of the series.

As with the previous book the point of view switches between first person from Callie and third person from a range of other characters’ perspectives. With nearly a year between when I read the first book it took me a little while to find my way with remembering the characters but I managed easy enough once I settled.

While The Devil's Poetry was set nearly exclusively around Callie's home town and London, the second instalment of the series jumps locations several times, and we get to see a lot more of the Order and the Cadaveri. The location jumping and the wide focus we get which allows us to see more of The Order and The Cadaveri is one of the highlights of this book. As it shows us more of these two opposing teams per say, we have a chance to learn more about their aims, their motives and what they are and are not willing to do to achieve them compared to what we see in The Devil's Poetry. I found that throughout the book, the lines of good and evil and the choice between right and wrong become so hard to distinguish and more faded than ever. There's no denying that the moral complexity in this series alone, not just this book, is one of my favourite things, it reflects the real world around us much more effectively than anything that has the good guys fighting the forces of evil.

In On Holy Ground I absolutely loved seeing Callie having to deal with things on her own. In The Devil's Poetry she generally had the Order around her, a team of highly skilled operatives protecting and directing her in the way she needed to go. In On Holy Ground she's cut off, isolated and on the run and she's bloody brilliant! The 'chase' sequences are well written, dramatic and exciting and have the feel of a action movie to them as she changes disguises and tries to stay one step ahead of her pursuers. It's also very hard for her and me as the reader to be sure of who she can trust, as every one has their own agenda. Despite this, it is nice to see Callie keep acknowledging the help she is receiving, whether from strangers or her support network back home, and that wherever she is, knows that she is never completely alone.

There is no way on this god given earth that I can give this book anything less than a 5/5, it ramps up the action and drama in comparison to the first book, gives us more detail of the world of which its set within and allows the reader to interact with some morally complex characters. I must say that if you haven't read the first book of the series but want to read this one, definitely take the time to read the first book first, it makes a difference.

Book Information

Title: On Holy Ground (The Devil’s Poetry #2)

Author: Louise Cole

Release Date: 14^th April 2018

Genre: YA Thriller

Publisher: Valkyrie Books

Format: Ebook & Paperback

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38721327-on-holy-ground

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Holy-Ground-Devils-Poetry-Book-ebook/dp/B07C1XVTXD

Author Information

Louise Cole has spent her life reading and writing. And very occasionally gardening. Sometimes she reads as she gardens. She can be seen walking her dogs around North Yorkshire - she's the one with a couple of cocker spaniels and a Kindle. She read English at Oxford - read being the operative word - and hasn't stopped reading since.

In her day-job she is an award-winning journalist, a former business magazine editor and director of a media agency. She writes about business but mainly the business of moving things around: transport, logistics, trucks, ships, and people.

Her fiction includes short stories, young adult thrillers, and other stuff which is still cooking.

Her YA and kids’ fiction is represented by Greenhouse Literary Agency and she is also published on Amazon as one of the Marisa Hayworth triumvirate.

Don't forget to check out the other blog posts on this blog tour.

The Secret of the Lost Pharaoh (Matthew Connor Adventure series, #2) - Carolyn Arnold

Synopsis:

In Egypt’s Western Desert lies the tomb of an unnamed pharaoh that hides a secret so powerful, it could destroy the world as we know it.

Archaeologist and adventurer Matthew Connor has made a career of finding legends the world has all but forgotten. Though there’s one in particular that has fascinated him for years—the Emerald Tablets. Myth says that they possess the knowledge of the universe, allowing humankind to traverse Heaven and Earth, and have the power to bestow wealth and wisdom upon whoever possesses them. But if they fall into evil hands, it could cause a global disaster.

So when a former colleague stumbles across an ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic map that promises to lead to a pharaoh’s tomb and the Emerald Tablets, there’s no way he’s turning down her invitation to join the dig. He only has one stipulation: his best friends Robyn Garcia and Cal Myers come with him.

The road ahead isn’t going to be an easy one, and their shared dream of recovering the Emerald Tablets is being crushed at every turn. And just when they think it’s all over, they learn there are a few clues they have overlooked. But they’re no longer the only ones searching for the Tablets. Now, the fate of the world hangs in the balance, and soon they’ll find out that when it comes to hunting legends, they can’t trust anyone.

Review:

The Secret of the Lost Pharaoh is the second in the Matthew Connor series of books by author Carolyn Arnold. Matthew, a renown archaeologist, is contacted by an old friend who is currently working on a dig in Egypt. Having possibly discovered the tomb of a nameless pharaoh, this friend called Alex seeks Matthew’s expertise to join her in what may end up being the discovery of the fabled Emerald Tablets. Not willing to pass up the opportunity of a lifetime that would solidify his reputation, Matthew invites his best friends to tag along for the adventure. With the exploration full of mishaps and mystery and amongst whispers about “curses”, Matthew begins to wonder if the name he's made for himself is worth the damage that could be the result if the tablets fell into the wrong hands.

When I was first contacted to read and review The Secret of the Lost Pharaoh, I was immediately intrigued. Ancient Egypt has always been a fascination of mine, I loved Ancient Egypt when we often spoke of it in History classes as i grew up, and  wont lie, who doesn't love the mummy films from back in 1999 with Brendan Fraser. So I jumped at the opportunity to give it a read and give an honest review. The detail in which the dig site, underground catacombs, burial chamber and subsequent riches were described made me feel as if I were standing next to Matthew and Cal as part of the team, Carolyn has a way of doing that so it was so easy to sit back in a chair and sink into the story.

Like other time before now, I was a little concerned with this being the second book in the series that there would be gaps in the story or the characters because I had not yet read City of Gold and maybe I'd end up confused and lost. I shouldn't have even worried because although it's the second adventure, Carolyn crafted the narrative to focus on the present adventure, although we do hear about the team’s previous adventures/activities together as they are mentioned in the context of the story, but they are served with just the right amount of filler (which did make me want to read the previous book so badly.) There was never a moment I was lost or confused due to the referencing of previous encounters between the characters. 

If you like action-packed adventure books that’s that will keep you reading well into the early hours or in my case, right through them, I have no issue in recommending The Secret of the Lost Pharaoh to you. After this introduction to the Matthew Connor series, I am seriously considering picking up a copy of City of Gold, as well as any future books in the series. This is my 3rd time reading work by Carolyn and by the looks of it, its definitely wont be the last.

Its an easy 5/5 from me, maybe even higher if my scale went that high.

Radar Road: The Best of On Impulse - Nath Jones

Synopsis:

Radar Road: the Best of On Impulse highlights an exploration of twenty-first century narrative. In four collections that move from raw to refined, the On Impulse series invites the reader to contemplate how we use language now: online, in full-length books, and with each other. Morgan Kiger arranged this fifth collection to stand on its own while showcasing the series's original trajectory from catharsis to craft.

Review:

Nath Jones dissects human life through her work, showing us it all in his guts and glory. As a result we see many of the stories lying parallel with real human lives both witnessed and imagined.

In this collection we play witness to the beauty of ageing lovers, the magic of a child’s perspective, the blight of sudden change and the uncommon kindness of neighbourhood and community. Although there are so many people through this book there is a common thing shared by all the women, they are at first seen as the soft, couldn't hurt a fly type, harmless and innocent but they go to show their true hardness bought on by resilience and strength.

Through  the writing in all of these short stories which vary in length and mood, Nath allows us as a reader to look at lives intimately through a window which makes the read even more entertaining. Each person felt incredibly real to me, their experiences taking their toll on me as i read on and on.  I felt a few rang familiar to me, emotions i knew of, experiences that rang all too clearly in my head which only made me love Nath' writing more as everything was so accurately represented.

Some of the stories have some great lines and smart twists that come that kind of made me sit back going 'oh damn' for a solid six minutes... Having read this collection, I really want to read more of Nath' work because I'm so in love and intrigued with what other things Nath can make me feel and experience through her work.

 Without a doubt this book, collection of short stories and a few poem like entries deserves a 5/5. Its down to the relatability of all that was within and even then there is no reason to take the rating any lower.

Wrecking Ball: A Big Lad From a Small Island - Billy Vunipola

Synopsis:

Wrecking Ball is a captivating and humorous memoir by Billy Vunipola, one of the stars of England's recent rugby renaissance, and will be enjoyed by those who have read the recent autobiographies by Jonny Wilkinson, Brian O'Driscoll, Dan Carter and Paul O'Connell.

Standing at 6 feet 2 inches and weighing almost 20 stone, Billy is a rampaging and unmissable presence on the rugby pitch, for both club and country.

Wrecking Ball is his captivating story so far, chronicling his remarkable personal odyssey of 10,000 miles, from the tiny Tongan village of Longo Longo to the imposing vastness of Twickenham.

Join Billy on his journey from the year-round sunshine of Tonga to the bitter cold of a British winter, from his favourite Pontypool kebab shop to finding himself eating broccoli for breakfast, and from carefree childhood games in the middle of the Pacific to the serious business of playing professional rugby in Europe.

Wrecking Ball is a wonderfully eccentric and witty book, written with bags of charm. It captures Billy's colourful family and upbringing, and creates a rounded and fascinating portrait of a young man finding his feet as a modern English rugby player.

Review:

I'm going to have to try and contain myself as I write this review, as some people may know I'm a huge fan of the England Rugby team and well Billy Vunipola is one of the members of the team so when I saw he had a book out about his life and his story so far I just had to grab a copy and ahhhh!!! Okay so I've wanted to read the autobiographies of Jonny Wilkinson, Brian O'Driscoll, Dan Carter and Paul O'Connell whom are some kick ass players but I never actually got my hands on any copies even though I'd see the covers everywhere but I couldn't not pick up Billy's book and I'm sure ill go an pick up copies of the other autobiographies some time.

So Billy plays number 8 for England and Saracens and if you saw him and his older brother Mako you'd probably have a pre judgement on them by their sheer size Billy is past 6ft tall and nearly 20 stone so already with that information you're probably sizing him up and backing away from the guy, but honestly although he makes big hits and can probably make severe dents in opposing teams defence he's actually a great guy.

This book about his upbringing from the moment his father set foot on English soil all the way to the 2017 British and Irish Lions Tour of which he had to miss due to injury, we watch as Billy grows up facing many challenges and a huge amount of running!
Before I even went into this autobiography I knew a few things about Billy, like he was born in Sydney and as he grew up could have played for either Australia, Wales or England professionally, I knew of some injuries he had sustained through his career and how some other very well known rugby players had grown up with him (which is always such a great thing to see) but this book kind of opened the doors wider, it showed us the Tongan culture and way of life that Billy and Mako grew up in as well as all the other issues like his first real fight, his debut at Wasps and more things alike.

Throughout reading this, I've laughed and cried with Billy, realising so many things about such a great player that I didn't know before, feeling every emotion he must have experience through each of his experiences as a kid. I've never really felt so attached to someone in such a way that I now do with billy because although I don't personally know the man nor have I met him, this book he wrote for fans and other alike really allowed us to see that even though he is a professional rugby player who is in the public eye a lot, he is still human who has had to fight to get to where he is and has struggled but fought tooth and nail for all he has.

Its an emotional read but intriguing and very eye opening, I loved getting to know more about Billy and his upbringing as well as his family and the culture of which he grew up in before coming to England. I can give this read and easy 5/5 without question and recommend it to any fans of Rugby to any degree. Now I'm off to binge buy every other rugby player autobiography I can and then binge read and fangirl for days.

Happyland: A Fairy Tale in Two Parts - Tes Mekonnen

Synopsis:

Would you like to court me to Happyland?" Prince Gobbledygook asks Lily Marshmallow and himself. Therein the journey begins to find Happyland. Follow him as he tries to define happiness with a little help from his friends, Big Wig Sophisticated Pig, Brutus Beaujolais and Cornelius Wordbook, an English gentleman with a book-for-a-head. Prince Gobbledygook duels, loses his ladylove, regains his original name and gains a friendship that will last for fourforevers. Will they make it to Happyland?

Review:

This book was definitely different to other books I have ever read, like ever. To some, some of the language in the beginning of the book can throw you off and confused you, but after you get used to it the story flows right along with the unique writing style. For me, I seemed to be pretty well absorbed into the book and the language that confused some readers just seemed to click with me which was strangely amusing somehow. The language used and the illustrations that come with, I think it really fit the story because it is a very quirky story, one that I don't think I've ever really heard of before. I think that the story was super cute and very much enjoyable.

On the surface, the story tells of the inexplicably sad Lily Marshmallow, who is discovered by Prince Goobledygook and led henceforth to a promised land of sorts, known to the Prince as Happyland. Some may say it looks like the usual prince meets potential princess but indeed it is not the case here, this book is much much more.

I thought the illustrations were absolutely gorgeous, and its worth it to just read this for that alone. I think its some of my absolute favourite artwork I have seen ever, and I am so glad it was included in the novel. I must appreciate Anthony Resto and all the illustrations throughout the book, they really helped bring the characters and story to life.

Overall, I did really enjoy this book. I loved all of the quirky characters and the different writing style as well as the unique setting. I love the little 'Morals' we get to read at the end of each sort of scene/chapter. 

LILY MARSHMALLOW IS NOT AN OBJECT OR SOME WEAK WOMAN THAT REQUIRES A MAN TO SAVE HER. SHE IS LIFE. PRINCE GOBBLEDYGOOK IS IN SOME SORT OF PURGATORY AND SHE IS HIS MIRROR. I MUST EMPHASIZE THIS—LILY MARSHMALLOW IS LIFE AND LIFE DOESN’T TALK AND WE ALL WANT TO FIGHT FOR IT. I TRIED TO INFUSE MY PHILOSOPHY INTO HAPPYLAND. 

PRINCE GOBBLEDYGOOK IS THE NOW.

LILY MARSHMALLOW IS LIFE.

ADOLFO DUMFRIES IS FUTURE (A CAUTIONARY TALE).

LEOPOLD BALTHAZAR II IS PAST. 

THIS STORY MIGHT BE FICTITIOUS, BUT IT EXPLAINS MY JOURNEY FOR SEEKING HAPPINESS.

THANK YOU, 

TES MEKONNEN

The story also posed some philosophical questions related to our own understanding on the concept of happiness. The story sees the characters searching desperately for Happyland, and towards the end of the book, discussing the value of happiness in relation to both money and selflessness. These instances provide a moral framework to the tale, and allows the reader to think about how the events that take place in the characters’ journeys may relate to their own lives today.

This book is great, looking past what we see at face value, it's food for thought which always makes me love the book more. I give the book a 4.5 out of 5 and I don't dislike anything about the story or anything i just for some reason cant give it a solid 5, which I would if I could.

Also a huge thanks to Tes Mekonnen who provided me with a copy of the book for a honest review, it's lovely to be trusted with work that had taken time and love to craft. It's an honour.

The Rogue's Fate - Missy De Graff

Synopsis:

If your life hung in the balance, would you choose to make your own destiny or leave your life to fate?

Lucinda Raven is being hunted by her ex-lover, a controlling rogue Alpha, who is determined to perform the sacred mating ritual that will bind them together forever. Knowing nothing will keep him from carrying out his ruthless plan, Lucinda is on the run and seeks refuge in the territory of an old friend.

Caidan Moone, cursed Alpha of the Blood Moone Pack, has a tortured history that haunts him daily. He sees the arrival of this beautiful and alluring nomad as a chance at redemption from his prior failures and invites her to stay, despite the danger it brings to the entire pack.

As Caidan and Lucinda grow closer, her two worlds collide and Lucinda must face the events of her dark past in order to save the future. Will Caidan be able to protect her without sacrificing his pack? Or will she end up bearing the mark of her psychotic ex?


Review:

I must admit my expectations were very average for this book before I went into it of course. I don't often read werewolf/shifter books so of course this was a sort of breath of fresh air for my reading head. what is great about is this book has been written by an author who was able to give the whole werewolf thing a twist that gives anyone reading its a pleasant surprise.

The plot was well thought through and very well executed with many nice twists a long the way, The new twist to the werewolf book scene allows the author to take the story to a whole new level, The pacing was perfect, It was never a victim of rushing through the story missing out details and all the good stuff or drugging it out for too long to make it enjoyable.

Lucinda is a very like able character, you can't help but feel for her and her situation. It's a clear representation of being caught between a rock and a hard place and She doesn't understand the actions of Dylan but is determined to make the best of her life and what she's got. She will Stop at nothing to do what she feels is best for those she cares for and loves, even when those people would happily leave her to fend for herself. Lucinda is a strong character I held to. It was lovely to see her grow throughout the book.

Caidan is what I like to call a 'typical' alpha werewolf, driven by hard honour and what he thinks is right even If he cant seem to make sense of any situation.

As said previously, as a werewolf /shifter book It's great s has a lot of action and a heavy amount of romance running throughout. Thanks to the new twist Missy bought to the table, the book is above any of the usual 'shifter' Stories. I massively enjoyed this breath of fresh air to my reading habits and I definitely recommend this book to any far of the paranormal (werewolf (shifter needs.
A well deserved 5/5 from me and I'd like to thank Renzo Boggio from Inkitt for bringing this book to my attention.