ARC Review: The Treatment by C.L. Taylor

October 12, 2017October 11, 2017 Ali@abookishlife6 Comments

The Treatment by C.L. Taylor

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A fast paced and gripping read that’s extremely difficult to put down. I loved the premise of a reform school with a special treatment program that transforms wayward and rebellious teens into model citizens. I kind of wish the author had gone a step further into invasion of the bodysnatcher territory but I found this very enjoyable and engaging.

Despite hearing a lot of great things about Taylor’s adult thrillers this, her first venture into YA, was actually the first book by her I’ve read. I had been meaning to pick up her other stories but it was the usual case of too many books too little time. When I spotted this one on NetGalley however I just couldn’t resist. A book about a reform school that’s brainwashing troublesome teens, count me in. It’s just such a fascinating premise and I love all things about brains, memory and behaviour.

The story follows 16 year old Drew Taylor whose younger brother Mason is sent to the residential reform academy by his mum and stepfather after he’s expelled from school for the third time. Initially she’s a little relieved her brother isn’t causing trouble and she can get some peace and quiet but then one day she’s followed home from school by someone claiming to work at the school. Dr Cobey has a note for Drew from her brother which says that all is not as it seems, the treatment is changing people and he’s scared.

When no one listens to her concerns, Drew is forced to take matters into her own hands and investigate. What she finds leads her to believe her only option is to infiltrate the school to get her brother out, but can she reach him before it’s too late.

It’s a really fast paced and enjoyable read and I found myself flying through the pages, so much so in fact, that I finished the whole book in a few hours. The author definitely knows how to tell a gripping story and despite it being a little predictable in places it held my attention through a couple of long and noisy train journeys.

I loved the idea of this slightly sinister reform school which takes wild and uncontrollable teens and somehow transforms them into perfectly turned out, mindless drones who want to serve society and look down on their former friends. There is something inherently creepy about someone who loses their personality and is completely single minded and almost fanatical, with no sense of humor or mind of their own. It kind of reminded me a bit of Invasion of the Body Snatchers and in a way I do wish the author had taken it further down this path and made it that little bit more creepy and sinister but I suppose it’s supposed to be a thriller rather than out and out sci fi / horror.

In terms of the characters I have to admit that I wasn’t entirely convinced by Drew. She begins the story as this shy and quiet goody two shoes who doesn’t have any friends in real life and is bullied at school then all of a sudden seems to transform into a completely different person when she finds out her brother could be in trouble. I suppose it is possible but it didn’t quite ring true to me which is a shame because I thought the other characters were incredibly well crafted. The staff at the school were particularly well done, superficially nice but with something harder lurking underneath.

There were a few other things that niggled at me a bit as well. I felt like certain aspects were resolved a little too easily, passed over too quickly or just too coincidental to be entirely convincing. I do understand why the author does it but personally I prefer things to be a little less clear cut with a few more twists and turns.

Despite these niggles however I would still recommend you read this book. It’s rare to find a really good YA thriller and this is definitely a good YA thriller. If I hadn’t been travelling to events I probably would have devoured the whole thing in one go.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC. As always all views are my own.

The Treatment is released on 19th October.

WWW Wednesday: 11th October 2017

October 11, 2017October 10, 2017 Ali@abookishlife12 Comments

The WWW Wednesday meme is currently hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words and is a great way to do a weekly update on what you’ve been reading and what you have planned.

To take part all you have to do is answer the following three questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

Ummm…. I’m not really reading any one specific book at the moment. After reading a lot last week I felt like I needed a day off and one day turned into two, then three. I may be in a slump. I’m doing what I usually do when this happens, re reading bits of old favorites and watching movies, until I feel ready to start something new.

Recently Finished

The Rules of Magic

I was on holiday from work last week and the weather wasn’t great (plus my kitty cat wasn’t well) so spent quite a bit of time in the house reading which was sooo good. It’s been far too long since I’ve just spent whole days with a book. As a result I managed to finish 4 books. The first of these was The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman which I’d received from NetGalley. This is a prequel to Practical Magic and tells the story of the Aunts, Franny and Jet and their younger brother Vincent.

It’s probably more family saga rather than a book about magic and witchcraft and it’s a bit of a slow burner. I really struggled with the first half and was pretty close to DNFing but decided to stick with and I’m glad I did as it really picks up after around the 55% mark and turned into a very emotional read. You can read my full review here.

Undercover Princess (The Rosewood Chronicles, #1)

As Rules of Magic left me feeling pretty depressed I decided Undercover Princess by Connie Glynn would be a nice, light read to cheer me up. I knew very little about the book or the author going in. I requested it based purely on the mention of a character obsessed with fairytales, a boarding school setting and some identity switching. Unfortunately I probably should have investigated further as this wasn’t great. It’s supposed to be YA but reads younger than that. The premise is good and I think it does have potential (and it’s really easy reading) but there’s something that’s just not working at the moment. It’s not published till November so will wait to post a full review.

On Friday I received bookmail (yay!!!) as the copy of 36 Questions That Changed My Mind About You I’d won in a Readers First giveaway winged it’s way through my door. I’d read the first few chapters of this and just couldn’t resist starting it immediately. It’s probably not a book everyone will enjoy (there are a shockingly high number of people who DNFed it on Goodreads) but honestly I loved it. It’s got a very odd format which is almost like a script for about 70-80% of the story. Literally pure dialogue (or IMs or text messages) with no descriptions, actions or thoughts. Dialogue is usually my favorite part of any story so this just worked for me and it’s so funny. I still teeheehee just thinking about it. You can read my full review here.

The Lifeguard (Point Horror, #3) The fourth and final book read over the weekend was The Lifeguard by Richie Tankersley Cusick. This is part of the Point Horror series and was one of my favorite books when I was younger. I’d actually completely forgotten about it until I was doing a Top Ten Tuesday a few weeks ago about childhood favorites. When I then spotted it on Kindle Unlimited I couldn’t resist. I’m not sure I would still say it’s a favorite but considering it’s almost 30 years old it’s held up pretty well and it was fun to revisit a book I read a lot.

Reading Next

Probably depends what I’m in the mood for but I have many, many choices including the following:

The Boy on the Bridge The Break Wonder Woman: Warbringer (DC Icons, #1) They Both Die at the End Copycat

Have you read any of the books on my list this week? Any others you’d recommend? As always please feel free to leave comments and links below.

Happy Wednesday Everyone!!!

8 Books with Seriously Scary Covers

October 10, 2017October 9, 2017 Ali@abookishlife5 Comments

The theme for this weeks Top Ten Tuesday over at The Broke and the Bookish is ten books with fall/autumn covers but having had a futile search through my books and feeling all Halloweeny I’ve decided to do spooky covers instead. Whether they’re just a little bit creepy, kinda gross or down right terrifying, these are the covers that either draw you in or send you running for the hills.

Read on if you dare.

1 The Ghost Files by Apryl Baker

The Ghost Files (The Ghost Files, #1) The Ghost Files 2 (The Ghost Files, #2) The Ghost Files 3 (The Ghost Files, #3)

I think every cover in this series has been creepier than the last, I mean look at them. I know a few people who out and out refuse to even attempt this series about a girl who sees dead people purely because of the covers but they are totally missing out. Yes, it’s kinda creepy with ghosts popping up all over the place but it’s pretty good. I’ve just discovered book 4 is out so I’ve already downloaded.

2 Love You To Death by Caroline Mitchell

Love You To Death (Detective Ruby Preston, #1)

This is a serial killer thriller rather than a horror but definitely wins an award for one of the creepiest, most horrible covers I’ve come across. The story is a bit less scary than the cover but still pretty disturbing.

3 The Beast of Barcroft by Bill Schweigart

The Beast of Barcroft

This series has been one of my recent favorite horror reads. You have to love a good monster in the woods story and this is a good (or really evil) monster in the woods story.

4 The Rats by James Herbert

The Rats

As the owner of a cat who is an expert hunter and someone who spends a lot of the time in barns and stables, I am for the most part ok with mice but rats…. Sorry, I know some people keep them as pets but no, no, no. I read this book a long time ago and despite being horrified for most of it really enjoyed it. I’ve been very tempted to do a re read but those beady little eyes are putting me off.

5 The Hatching by Ezekiel Boone

The Hatching Skitter (The Hatching #2)

Bleugh!!! I hate spiders, I don’t mind the odd little tiny one but when there’s as many as there are on these covers (or in my shed) expect much running and screaming. I haven’t read either of these books because of the covers which suggest there might be more than the odd spider in the story.

6 Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Anna Dressed in Blood (Anna, #1)

Another book I haven’t read but based on that cover I really, really want to. Creepy mist, creepy house, creepy sky, lots of blood, looks good to me.

7 Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Graham-Smith

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, #1)

The word that springs to mind with this one is yuck. Again haven’t read but I’ve seen the film. I didn’t really like it and that actually put me off picking up the book despite liking the sound of it. Maybe at some point.

8 I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

I Am Legend and Other Stories

I think this cover pretty much speaks for itself. This has been on my TBR forever and I really should read it soon. I loved the film although I only managed to watch it once because it’s just too sad.

So that’s my top eight (or should that be eleven) books with seriously scary covers. I’m pretty sure I’m missing a few good ones. Have you read any of these or want to read any? Do you know a book with an even creepier cover? I’m always on the hunt for a good creepy story so any recommendations gratefully received.

Feel free to leave comments below and links to your own top ten’s.

Teaser Tuesday: 10th October 2017

October 10, 2017October 7, 2017 Ali@abookishlife4 Comments

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purple Booker. If you want to join in grab your current read, flick to a random page, select two sentences (without spoilers) and share them in a blog post or in the comments of The Purple Booker.

This week I’m continuing my horror themed teasers with one from The Lifeguard by Richie Tankersley Cusick. This was first published in 1988 as part of the Point Horror series and was one of my favorite books when I was younger. I couldn’t resist a re read at the weekend when I came across it on Kindle Unlimited. Brought back some great memories.

My Teaser

He covered his face with his hands and felt the cold sweat pouring off him. He always felt like this – sick and sad and empty – when it was time for the game to be over. When it was time to do what he had to do.

~ 73% The Lifeguard by Richie Tankersley Cusick

Blurb

A summer of sun, sand and murder.

Kelsey’s summer should have been paradise: An invitation to rich and famous Beverly Island, complete with sun-drenched beaches and three gorgeous lifeguards on duty. But Kelsey’s summer is the opposite of paradise. It starts with the note under her pillow from a girl who’s missing. Then there’s the crazy man in the lighthouse who won’t leave Kelsey alone.

And there have been a number of suspicious drownings…. At least she has the lifeguards around to protect her….

Poor Kelsey. Someone forgot to tell her that lifeguards don’t always like to save lives.

ARC Review: 36 Questions That Changed My Mind About You by Vicki Grant

October 8, 2017 Ali@abookishlife7 Comments

The Blurb

Two random strangers. Thirty-six questions to make them fall in love.

Hildy and Paul each have their own reasons for taking part in the psychology study (in Paul’s case it is the $40, in Hildy’s the reasons are significantly more complex). The study poses the simple question: Can love be engineered between two random strangers?

Hildy and Paul must ask each other 36 questions, ranging from “What is your most terrible memory?” to “When did you last sing to yourself?” By the time Hildy and Paul have made it to the end of the questionnaire, they’ve laughed and cried and lied and thrown things and run away and come back again. They’ve also each discovered the painful secret the other was trying so hard to hide. But have they fallen in love?

My Review

Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars

As soon as Hildy and Paul started asking each other the 36 questions as part of a psychology study I was 100% hooked. The style of the book is probably not for everyone given that probably 70-80% is pure dialogue (or instant messaging) but it really just worked for me.

Good dialogue is probably what I enjoy most in a book so I don’t mind if there are no descriptions, no musings on innermost thoughts or even much in the way of action. I get so much more out of a couple of people having a chat and in this book it’s done absolutely brilliantly.

I can’t remember the last time I laughed so much, the banter between the two of them was just so funny but very believable. There are a few darker moments but even they are almost instantly flipped to light.

Hildy and Paul are perhaps a little cliched but honestly, in what romance are there not cliches and I feel like the fact they turned out to be different to what they initially appeared was kind of the point.

There were only really a couple of things that niggled me about this book. Firstly, their ages. I didn’t realize this was YA and spent forever trying to figure out how old they were (it turns out Hildy is 18). There were bits that just seemed a bit silly for those ages, Hildy complaining she’s never going to find love for example (she’s 18). Personally I think it may have worked better if they were a little older (college rather than school).

I also wasn’t so keen on the chapters which were in regular prose. I kind of found myself skimming through them to get to the next question and honestly Hildy needs some new friends as Xiu and Max were horrible.

Overall though this was a brilliant read and one I’d definitely recommend. Sweet, hilariously funny and completely addictive. Loved it. And, if you’re curious about what I mean by weird format, here’s a couple of sneaky peeks (yes, there are drawings too).

I won a copy of this book in a Readers First Giveaway. This has in no way influenced my review.

Where to Find It

36 Questions That Changed My Mind About You is available from the 19th October

ARC Review: The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman

October 5, 2017 Ali@abookishlife5 Comments

The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

A prequel to Practical Magic, this is a book I was eagerly anticipating but took a bit of time to warm up to. The writing is wonderful, as you would expect from Hoffman, but with a slow pace, detailed descriptions and the focus very much on the characters and their relationships rather than spells and potions it took a while to fully engage me.

Franny and Jet’s story is fascinating and truly heartbreaking at times and I’m glad to have read it.

The Blurb

Find your magic

For the Owens family, love is a curse that began in 1620, when Maria Owens was charged with witchery for loving the wrong man.

Hundreds of years later, in New York City at the cusp of the sixties, when the whole world is about to change, Susanna Owens knows that her three children are dangerously unique. Difficult Franny, with skin as pale as milk and blood red hair, shy and beautiful Jet, who can read other people’s thoughts, and charismatic Vincent, who began looking for trouble on the day he could walk.

From the start Susanna sets down rules for her children: No walking in the moonlight, no red shoes, no wearing black, no cats, no crows, no candles, no books about magic. And most importantly, never, ever, fall in love. But when her children visit their Aunt Isabelle, in the small Massachusetts town where the Owens family has been blamed for everything that has ever gone wrong, they uncover family secrets and begin to understand the truth of who they are. Back in New York City each begins a risky journey as they try to escape the family curse.

The Owens children cannot escape love even if they try, just as they cannot escape the pains of the human heart. The two beautiful sisters will grow up to be the revered, and sometimes feared, aunts in Practical Magic, while Vincent, their beloved brother, will leave an unexpected legacy.

Review

I have to confess I’m really struggling with how to rate and review this. I finished it quite late in the evening yesterday and hoped that after a good night’s sleep I’d know how I felt about it but unfortunately my feelings are still all over the place.

I think it’s pretty safe to say when I first started reading it I struggled. Practical Magic is one of my favorite films (I haven’t read the book – sorry) so I think I was expecting something very similar in style and tone. When I was faced with a slow and drawn out story that felt more like a family saga I have to admit I was disappointed. Hoffman’s writing is brilliant and very vivid and she really makes siblings Frances, Jet and Vincent come to life but it’s done in such a slow and meandering way that it really couldn’t hold my attention.

The focus of the story is very much on the family and the relationships between them. There is however a lot of magic in this book, particularly in the beginning as the siblings set out to discover who they are and what they can do. Forbidden by their parents to dabble, they learn first from a hidden magical text and some experimentation and then from their Aunt Isabelle all of the rules, potions and spells they could ever need to know.

Like a lot of the story though there is no big bang or excitement when it comes to magic. It’s all very gently introduced with a focus on the theory rather than the practical. As information on what each and every herb could be used for or what ingredients are required for specific potions was presented I must admit I found my attention wandering. I began finding excuses to put the book down and go do something else and on a few occasions I was pretty close to just giving up on the whole thing.

This wasn’t really helped by my inability to really connect with any of the characters or the relationships between them. With Hoffman’s wonderful writing ability they are drawn beautifully and you get a real sense of even the most minor characters but there was something about them that left me a little cold. They are all well rounded, with both strengths and flaws but I just couldn’t relate to them. Given the nature of the story, it should have been packed with emotion but I just couldn’t feel it.

I think it was around the midpoint, when Franny, Jet and Vincent are on their own, that I finally began to feel and it was at that point I became engrossed in the story. Whereas previously I’d been struggling to pick it up I began to find it difficult to put down. I’m still not sure I really liked any one particular character, a lot of the time I wanted to shake them, but somehow, very stealthily they managed to sneak in and I found myself truly caring about them and hoping things would work out for them.

This is a story about family, love and accepting who you are more than a story of witchcraft and magic. The pace is slow and the writing full of vivid imagery and detail. There isn’t much in the way of fun or light and to be honest the whole thing left me feeling pretty depressed, I cried a lot, but overall I am glad I stuck with it and read to the very end.

It’s probably not a book I would recommend everyone reads, I think it’s more suited to the type of reader who likes a slow paced story about family and relationships rather than one looking for magic and excitement, but I did enjoy it.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC. This has in no way influenced my review.

WWW Wednesday: 4th October 2017

October 4, 2017October 3, 2017 Ali@abookishlife17 Comments

The WWW Wednesday meme is currently hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words and is a great way to do a weekly update on what you’ve been reading and what you have planned.

To take part all you have to do is answer the following three questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

I started reading The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman at the weekend but I have to admit I’m finding it a bit of a struggle. It’s the prequel to Practical Magic, is set in the 60’s and 70’s and follows the aunts (Franny and Jet) growing up and discovering their powers. I was really excited to receive this from NetGalley as while I haven’t read Practical Magic it’s one of my favorite films. I think though I’m finding it a bit slow and drawn out. I keep finding excuses not to read it which is never a good sign.

Recently Finished

Invictus

I’ve had a few days off work (last chance before it gets really hectic) and the weather hasn’t been great so I’ve managed to squeeze in quite a bit of reading and finished three books. The first of these was Invictus by Ryan Graudin which I’d received from NetGalley. It’s about five teens travelling through time to smuggle goods and I absolutely loved it. I do love time travel stories (the whole paradox thing fascinates me) but with this I also really liked the writing style and I loved the cast of characters. Definitely one I’d recommend and you can read my full review here. And, if you don’t want to start a new series, it’s a standalone so you have no excuse 🙂 Moonlight Over Manhattan (From Manhattan with Love, #6)

Second book finished this week was Moonlight over Manhattan by Sarah Morgan which I also received from Netgalley (I’m now at 79% people). I love Sarah Morgan books and always look forward to her Christmas romances, they’re perfect for getting you in the festive spirit. This one has a shy and very kind main character, a sexy ER doc as the love interest and a misbehaving dog so needless to say I enjoyed it a lot. You can read my full review here.

The third and final book finished this week was The Haunting by Alex Bell. I recently read and loved two of the authors other creepy horror stories, Frozen Charlotte and Charlotte Says, so couldn’t resist this when I spotted it for 99p on Amazon. It’s a really quick and easy read and while not quite as good as the Charlotte books it still completely sucked me in. This time it’s a haunted hotel rather than some creepy little dolls but with things moving around, a curse and maybe the ghost of a witch in the cellar it’s still a spooky read.

Reading Next

I came across my copy of The Boy on the Bridge by M.R. Carey yesterday when I was looking for something to use for a teaser and it’s made me very tempted to pick it up next. I’m in a bit of a horror mood at the moment (I watched IT and the Descent on Monday). I also really want to get above that 80% mark at NetGalley so I think I may also pick up Undercover Princess by Connie Glynn or The Break by Marian Keyes.

The Boy on the Bridge Undercover Princess (The Rosewood Chronicles, #1) The Break

Have you read any of the books on my list this week? Any others you’d recommend? As always please feel free to leave comments and links below.

Happy Wednesday Everyone!!!

Teaser Tuesday: 3rd October 2017

October 3, 2017 Ali@abookishlife4 Comments

This week my teaser comes from The Boy On the Bridge by M.R. Carey. I haven’t actually started reading this but I’ve decided that as it’s October I’m going to choose teasers from horror stories (and I couldn’t find my copy of Girl with All the Gifts). This is a companion novel (apparently it starts before and finishes after) The Girl with all the Gifts which I absolutely loved and would recommend everyone reads, even if you don’t like horror.

My Teaser

It calms him now, but still he has to know. He needs to resolve the ambiguity before it topples his reason and makes him panic. Panicking here would be very bad.

~ Pg52 The Boy on the Bridge by M.R. Carey

Blurb

The Boy on the Bridge

Once upon a time, in a land blighted by terror, there was a very clever boy.

The people thought the boy could save them, so they opened their gates and sent him out into the world.

To where the monsters lived.

Review: Invictus by Ryan Graudin

October 2, 2017 Ali@abookishlife7 Comments

Invictus by Ryan Graudin

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Perfect for fans of TV shows like Firefly, I absolutely loved this story about five teens travelling through time stealing artifacts.

There’s something instantly engaging about Graudin’s writing and as someone who isn’t generally a fan of historical fiction I absolutely loved the mix of history and science fiction. There’s plenty of action, a few unexpected twists, a teeny tiny bit of romance and a fantastic cast of characters.

The only bad thing about this book is that it’s a standalone and not the first in a series.

The Blurb

Time flies when you’re plundering history.

Farway Gaius McCarthy was born outside of time. The son of a time-traveling Recorder from 2354 AD and a gladiator living in Rome in 95 AD, Far’s birth defies the laws of nature. Exploring history himself is all he’s ever wanted, and after failing his final time-traveling exam, Far takes a position commanding a ship with a crew of his friends as part of a black market operation to steal valuables from the past.

But during a heist on the sinking Titanic, Far meets a mysterious girl who always seems to be one step ahead of him. Armed with knowledge that will bring Far’s very existence into question, she will lead Far and his team on a race through time to discover a frightening truth: History is not as steady as it seems.

Review

Have you ever started reading a book and known from the very first page you were going to love it? That was exactly what happened to me with Invictus.

I’m a big fan of time travel stories so this was always going to be right up my street but there was something instantly likeable about Graudin’s writing style and I loved the cast of characters she created. When it comes to TV I’m a big fan of sci-fi shows like Star Trek, Doctor Who and Firefly and this definitely has that kind of vibe about it. It really reminded me of Firefly in particular with the crew of the Invictus travelling through time stealing artefacts and trying to avoid the authorities.

I loved each and every member of the crew but most of all I loved the camaraderie between them. There’s a good mix of personalities represented from Farway, the self assured, risk taking captain who can adapt to pretty much any situation to Gram, his quiet and genius best friend and engineer, to Eliot who always seems to be a step ahead and full of secrets. My favorite character however had to be Imogen, Far’s cousin and the historian on the crew. She’s just so bright, positive and devoted to her fur baby, Saffron the red panda. They definitely bring the joy and fun to the story. Medic Priya was probably the hardest to warm up to but I think that was simply the nature of her character, calm and a little detached.

The story is told from the POV of each of the crew members as well as brief chapters from a couple of other characters so you definitely get to know them all well. Personally I loved Imogen and Gram’s chapters the most but I would happily hang out with all of them and just really want to join the crew.

The story itself is fast paced and takes a few unexpected turns. I was drawn in from the very beginning and found it almost impossible to put down. I do love stories with time travel but I get the feeling most writers avoid them because of the sheer volume of work involved. There are multiple time periods historical and future as well as the scientific theories and rules to get right. Honestly I’m exhausted just thinking about it but the author handles it brilliantly.

Everything hangs together beautifully. Every time period visited is created with care and feels real. The sci-fi elements are handled especially well. A lot of thought and research has clearly gone into the science and theories behind time travel (As well as the other tech). It all makes sense and even complex theories are made understandable to non science readers like myself.

I thought the author picked the perfect time periods to visit too. I loved that a big chunk of the book is set in Rome, ancient and future. It’s just such a dramatic and epic time period and the fact that you get to experience the gladiators fighting in the arena is incredible. There’s just so much emotion about the whole thing and it literally had me on the edge of my seat.

Despite being very fast paced and action packed the author has done an incredible job of packing in plenty of emotion. I found myself very attached to the crew of the Invictus and was rooting for them all the way. There’s a little bit of romance but it doesn’t take over the story and is very sweet and believable (I totally shipped it). There is also a lot of humor and some truly heart breaking moments (I cried, on the train).

Basically I loved it from the very start to the very last page. Definitely one I’d recommend particularly if like me you’re a big fan of time travel and aren’t scared of a little bit of scientific theory.

firefly malcom reynolds GIF

OK I couldn’t resist a Firefly Gif 🙂

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC. As always all thoughts are my own.

ARC Review: Moonlight Over Manhattan by Sarah Morgan

October 1, 2017 Ali@abookishlife6 Comments

Moonlight Over Manhattan by Sarah Morgan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I always look forward to Christmas, not because of the holiday itself but because it means we’re in for another Sarah Morgan Christmas romance. She truly is the queen of romance and this book didn’t disappoint. Yet again I picked it up early one Saturday morning and couldn’t put it down. I lost most of the day (something which happens every time I read one of Morgan’s books) but it was totally worth it.

There is a super nice and kind main character Harriet, a sexy blue eyed ER Doctor who doesn’t think he has a heart, a small trouble making dog and the wonderful New York at Christmas setting to make it all extremely romantic.

The story itself is pretty predictable but it’s such an enjoyable journey that you really don’t mind. Morgan is brilliant at creating characters you care about but also at creating this wonderful chemistry between them. Yes there are many of the usual romance tropes but even if I’ve read them a hundred times I still love them and it’s nice knowing you’re going to get the happily ever after.

I also found there was something quite inspirational about this story. Harriet has decided to challenge herself to do something she doesn’t want to every day to try and push herself out of her comfort zone. It’s wonderful watching how she develops over the course of the story as she faces her fears and does things she never thought she could. The confidence and freedom she finds kind of made me want to rush out and start my own Challenge Ali.

As well as Harriet and dishy doc Ethan there are a number of new characters and also some familiar faces. Harriet featured in the previous two books in the series so it was great to catch up with the leads from those stories, although I would have liked a bit more Fliss. There was also a little visit to the setting of one of the authors other series which meant I got to catch up with how they were all doing too. I need to make sure they’re all still loved up.

This is the sixth book in the authors From Manhattan with Love series but while there are some spoilers for previous books it could easily be read as a standalone. I know I have a bit of a tendency to read them in the wrong order and it makes very little difference.

Overall this was a great read and definitely put me in the Christmas spirit. I can’t wait for the next one.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC. As always all thoughts are my own.

The Blurb

She’ll risk everything for her own Christmas miracle…

Determined to conquer a lifetime of shyness, Harriet Knight challenges herself to do one thing a day in December that scares her, including celebrating Christmas without her family. But when dog walker Harriet meets her newest client, exuberant spaniel Madi, she adds an extra challenge to her list—dealing with Madi’s temporary dog sitter, gruff doctor Ethan Black, and their very unexpected chemistry.

Ethan thought he was used to chaos, until he met Madi—how can one tiny dog cause such mayhem? To Ethan, the solution is simple—he will pay Harriet to share his New York apartment and provide twenty-four-hour care. But there’s nothing simple about how Harriet makes him feel.

Ethan’s kisses make Harriet shine brighter than the stars over moonlit Manhattan. But when his dog-sitting duties are over and Harriet returns to her own home, will she dare to take the biggest challenge of all—letting Ethan know he has her heart for life, not just for Christmas?

Moonlight Over Manhattan is released in the UK on the 5th October and is available here, and on the 28th November in the US