What Rachael Reads

 Just a short update this Monday evening to remind any of you lovely readers that the blog is back! (And very much still under construction!) I am using my non-reading, non-reviewing, non-working, non-parenting time to learn a few skills, including web design; so watch this space!  In the meantime, I am currently re-reading the David Raker series by Tim Weaver. I first came across the series around 4 years ago, and there may (or may not) be a previous blog post about it because I loved it! I saw a post on Twitter last week advertising the latest release in the series and having just finished the Kate Marshall series by Robert Bryndza, I thought it's probably a great time to start the Raker series all over again to really dig deep into the character. When you read (or binge watch) a series consecutively, I feel like you really get to know the characters on a deeper level and you don't have that time lapse in between where you can forget some of their quirks and flaws. I raced t...

Today I am pleased to get my turn on the blog tour of Mark Roberts' new thriller ' Day of the Dead '. Let me introduce you to a fantastic author and a really, really great book! About the author... Mark Roberts Meet Mark Roberts. Born and raised in Liverpool and educated at St. Francis Xavier's College. Mark taught in mainstream schools for twenty years and for the past twelve in a school for teenagers with severe learning difficulties. He received a Manchester Evening News Theatre Award for Best New Play of the Year. and was long listed for the Golden Dagger for ' What She Saw '. ' Blood Mist ' is the first novel in the DCI Eve Clay series and is set in his native Liverpool. About the book... A serial killer. A hero to some. A wanted criminal to others. The man who calls himself Vindici broke out of prison last year. Now he's filmed himself torturing and killing paedophiles in Liverpool's affluent suburbs. Half the city are ...

Today we welcome the lovely Lauren Westwood and her most recent novel Finding Secrets, published 1st March 2017. A country house, a precious jewelled locket, and a puzzle dating back to the London Blitz and Imperial Russia. Utterly captivating, a fantastic romance from beginning to end. Perfect for the fans of Carole Matthews and Milly Johnson. Alex Hart loves her dream job as manager of Mallow Court, a historic Elizabethan house, even if her friends think she needs to get out more. But a discovery in the pocket of an old coat – a jewelled mechanical locket shaped like a bird – changes everything, and Alex discovers that things are not as they seem. From an old diary, to a handsome barrister, a mysterious clockmaker, and the darkest hours of the London Blitz, Alex must follow the trail of the jewelled bird to uncover the truth about the things she holds dearest – and someone is determined not to let sleeping dogs lie! Only by finding the secrets of the past can Alex find t...

Extremely proud to announce our very first blog tour stop! The lovely Lauren Westwood is bringing to us her second novel Finding Secrets. Visit us next Saturday, 11th March to check out Lauren and her book!

I couldn't be more excited for World Book Day this year! My eldest two children have decided they would like to dress as Hermione Granger and Quidditch Harry Potter. Costumes ordered and delivered ready! Now just the small matter of deciding what the toddler and the dog will wear! I, on the other hand will be spending the day at my local Waterstones and any other bookshops that I may come across, breathing in the atmosphere and sipping tea with my latest read. Don't forget World Book Day is Thursday 3rd March! March is actually shaping up to be pretty exciting so far. Aside from the usual reviews and offers we have our very first guest blog post from the lovely Lauren Westwood. Lauren's upcoming novel Finding Secrets is due for release on March 1st and I am looking forward to reading it and of course chatting with Lauren very soon. My newest Amazon haul has just arrived as we speak and today I have decided to add some true classics to my shelf in the form of the B...

So, my first read of 2017 was Christobel Kent's The Loving Husband. This book had been recommended to me by a friend and had been on my to-read list for quite a while. A Sunday Times Bestseller and popular among various book clubs and social media, I finally decided to read it. Blurb (courtesy of Amazon): Fran Hall and her husband Nathan have moved with their two children to a farmhouse on the edge of the Fens - a chance to get away from London and have a fresh start. But when Fran wakes one night to find Nathan gone, she makes a devastating discovery. As questions about her husband and her relationships start to mount, Fran's life begins to spiral out of control. What is she hiding from the police about her marriage, and does she really know the man she shared her bed with? I am a huge fan of this 'domestic thriller' genre and with blockbusters such as The Girl on the Train and Gone Girl making such a huge impact over the last 12 months or so, it seems I ...