Nicki's book blog

Jog on-How Running Saved my Life- Bella Mackie- Running/divorce/athletics It’s wonderful when you read a book and know that someone “ gets you” . Bella began running after her short lived marriage broke down. A life long sufferer of agoraphobia and anxiety issues made most things a challenge let alone going out for an activity. I believe we all run for a reason and how and why we started can be anything from a nightmare to a comedy. (This book has lots of light moments in it to make you smile).  Mental health is one of the big reasons for many. As Bella says “your body takes your mind along with it”. If you are not sure about this- try counting in sevens down from a hundred whilst running- harder than you might think- thinking you can do whilst you run- however your mind will literally have a mind of its own and take you to calmer places. There are lots of stats to tell us how good exercise is for us not just in body but in mind too. Bella takes us thou

Dear Daughter of a Narcissistic Mother- Danu Morrigan OMG! Boy oh boy and every other exclamation I could ever think of. I wish I had seen this thirty years ago. From the very outset it “got me” and understood my issues with my mother. This was like pulling back a curtain revealing what my life has been like up to this point. About 30 pages in I gave it the title of my new found bible, so inspiring are the words between the pages in how to deal with these terrible people who blight lives behind closed doors. If you haven’t experienced a narcissist (and it is a diagnosable medical condition as well as “just” a trait) it’s hard to explain the dramatic effects that they can have on people- people they are “supposed” to love and care for. Shame, guilt, low self esteem, never being right, never being loved not even appreciated, are just a few of the feelings heaped on their victims. Enough! This book is about recovering and dealing with them and what a book

Death’s Dark Veil - Patricia Dixon- Cover reveal Secrets, lies and evil lie in wait. Ivy and Georgie have secrets and pasts riddled with shame and betrayal. On a cold February day, both women leave home hoping to rebuild their lives, not knowing their worlds will soon collide. When fate eventually brings them to Tenley House, the home of a bitter, domineering matriarch who controls her fickle son and terrorises her adoptive granddaughter, the women find themselves in danger. Behind the facade of propriety, amidst secrets and lies, the truth will unfold when evil is awakened… Hiding in plain sight and sworn to avenge the wrongs of the past, something stalks the corridors of Tenley. It listens and waits patiently, lurking in shadows, tormenting its prey and when the time is right, begins to strike down the occupants of Tenley, one by one... Deceptively dark with a creeping sense of menace, this is the tale of two young women drawn together by circumstance and heartbreak.

Time will Tell- Eva Jordan- Family life/ Mystery Hunter Black is begin reported as dead and one family are glad to hear the news as he attacked their daughter Cassie. Lizzie, Cassie’s mother lost her father a year ago and still misses him terribly. The family are questioned by the police and no one is quite sure where anyone else was on the day that he died. We learn a more about Salocin Lemalf (father and grandfather to the family) named after Nicolas Flamel who was attributed to be able to turn scrap into gold and knew the secret of immortality. I loved Salocin in the previous books( 183 times a Year and All The Colours In Between) and it was lovely to learn more about him. When he met his wife and when Lizzie was small, what life was like for them and what he got up to. One of his famous phrases was “It’s not a life, it’s an adventure”. How right he was. Each person in the book (and the previous ones) is a real character which shines through the pages.

My Last Lie - Ella Drummond- psychological l was very heavily pregnant when she had an accident and lost her baby. Her husband Theo although very supportive chose this time to have a short lived affair. Pilar ended up in therapy. We know she had a secret at the time but don’t know what it is. A year or so later Theo surprises her by taking her to a new house, their new start. She knew they were going to move but not where. She had always wanted a house by the coast and although this one is a short distance it is her perfect house and even has a studio for her to do her art work. On arrival odd things begin to happen to Pilar, silent phone calls, pictures altered around, things she can’t quite account for. As she is now pregnant again she puts it down to baby brain but knows that something is amiss- just not quite what. Her new friend Natalie is very taken by Theo and when she finds her at his office she wonders if things are beginning all over again

THE FOUR OF US by Aine Toner -contemporary fiction/family life Four women four lives. Two have been friends almost as long as they can remember and the other two were gathered along the way. They know almost every nuance of each others lives. So they think. Lucy has a partner and not of the gender the others think and she is scared to tell them despite everything. to this end when they meet she suggests that they take a friendship break for 6 months and then meet again and take it from there. To her surprise two of the others are happy to go along with this. Lucy is normally the quiet one so the others are a little surprised but perhaps give in more easily because of this. Christine is happily married to Mark who is very keen to start a family. Christine isn’t so sure and is sneakily taking her pill without him knowing. I took to this book easily. I think we have all been in situations not only like this, wanting to take a break from a pest of a friend b

Broken - Betsy Reavley -Crime/psychological Oh wow! I almost read this in one sitting- I couldn’t put it down.Annabel has been in a psychiatric home after suffering a breakdown. She has manic depression. Being released to the care of her family home, she decides after a while to take herself off for a few days, telling her family that she is staying with a friend. Whilst there she meets Jude who seems to understand her as she off loads to him and he promises to show her what freedom is and his own story. The town she is staying in has recently had two young women murdered. Something Annabel knew but hadn’t associated with her choice of location for her break. We get occasional glimpses of a woman taken prisoner. Firstly trapped in the boot of a car and then in a cellar with her hands and feet bound. This is Annabel's recurring nightmare, where she can’t get away from her faceless tormentor and she awakes dripping in sweat to find she

Love me Tinder- Nicola May Romcom 99p on kindle *** Laugh and smile (and cringe) at the antics of internet dating. Callie has split from her  cheating husband after being together 12 years. Her social life is in the doldrums and so she decides to join Tinder, the dating app. For anyone who has dated on the internet  you will recognise some of the characters.for anyone who hasn’t had this experience -  prepare to smile and grimace! The one who doesn’t look like his picture, Ok he did  but twenty years ago. The one who is only there for one reason and the one who only  talks about himself. The list goes on. Callie soon finds out the do’s and don’ts and  how to read the characters behind the photographs. I loved this and had to smile and  felt for Callie and also at Lady P- the African Grey parrot with a mind of her own  and language to match! Love and life, divorce and trust. The ups and downs of life  we all go through. A really really enjoyable read.

Five Bloody Hearts- Joy Ellis- Crime DETECTIVE MATT BALLARD’S LAST CASE MIGHT BE THE ONE THAT FINALLY BREAKS HIM. Matt is a very likeable character and this book is no different. You take to him from the start (it will stand alone but helps if you have read the previous one in the series - I had but two years ago). He is shortly hoping to retire and waiting until his replacement finishes her latest case. Meanwhile he has a call from the fiancee of a serial killer, one who she says has now repented. Matt is sceptical to say the least. The news is that he believes that there will be a series of copycat murders, something he only told to one of his inmates who has now confided in the potential killer. IS this all a clever ruse and the man behind bars trying to gain something? There is also a gangland turf war between the Lithuanians and Latvians and two bodies have been found with the same tattoo. No-one dare speak out, in fear for their own safety. Ooooh!!!