Nicki's book blog

  I'M WATCHING YOU- by Amanda Brittany- psychological thriller One roller coaster of a read! Charlotte left her hometown of Ensley when she was pregnant as her mother didn't want to know her. Nineteen years later she comes back with the twins and there is a spate of attacks- one is murder- all anyone knows is that the killer wears a fluorescent jacket as the other two victims both saw this. Riona left for university around this time and is now back having set up a business with her friend Erika. Riona and an old school friend are getting anonymous notes and tags of pictures of them from “ watching you”. Who is out to get them and why? OOh! I loved the suspense in this one. It begins over two timelines and then comes together in the present day. Riona is a very likeable character and Charlotte we know has more to her than first meets the eye. I know a book is good when I want to read “ just one more chapter” at whatever time of day, even when real life has time limits and this o

    The Girlfriend by K.L. Slater-psychological thriller One thriller of a read! When you think you have it all and then…………….. Jennifer is married to Cole and they have two children. She has been aware in the past that he had affairs and that his business was in a sticky patch, but thinks this is all now behind them. As the halloween party is about to start, two police officers visit with some tragic news for Jennifer. A few days later there is another visit- from a woman with a baby who says she owns the house, the cars and everything in the bank accounts and that the baby is Cole's son. There is more to Sara than meets the eye and Jennifer has her own secret.  What on earth is going on? OMG- one of those reads you can't put down as every page puts you deeper into the mystery, just as I love them. One heck of a situation to find oneself in and may even make some think about what they blindly sign. Where someone feels totally at someone else’s behest through no fault of their

  Under a Brighter Sky by Dianne Haley WWII historical novel (The Resistance Girl Book 2) Set on the French/Swiss border in the second world war this tells the story of a small group of resistance fighters. Whilst trying to cross into Switzerland a family has been split up. The mother and daughter were taken away by the Nazis whilst the Jewish father Pierre and his son were hiding. The group are trying to keep them safe whilst finding out about the ladies whereabouts to reunite them. The group are also secretly taking part of the Nazi hoard, which has been confiscated from Jews, to either get it back to its rightful owners or to fund the resistance. One of the group has been betraying them to the Germans putting them in even greater danger.     This is a really interesting read being slightly different from many war themed novels, being border and resistance based. Although fiction we know such things did happen and many put themselves in danger or were killed whilst trying to help oth

  You Don't Know What War Is-The Diary of a Young Girl From Ukraine by Yeva Skalietska This last February (2022) Yela Skalietska turn ed twelve . A few days later her world was bombed- literally bombed as she lived in the Ukraine when the Russians attacked. This tells her story. A story of a brave young lady who has gone through things no adult should suffer, let alone a child. Of uncertainty like no other, of war right on your doorstep at a time when all she should be worrying about is which friend she is going out with.  A chance comment by her grandmother, whom she lives with, sets Yeva on a path which not only saves her life but brings her story into the spotlight. It's a short read and one for any age- aimed at the childrens market but brings home the realities to all. A harrowing story with thankfully Yeva and her grandmother being safe but living knowing that their friends and relatives and city are still being targeted. There's photographs through the book showin

  The Sleepover by Keri Beevis When Hannah and Rosie were young, they and their friends befriended Mrs W-Eileen Wickham who invited them to her farmhouse and to play on her land. One day Hannah saw something whilst looking for Mrs W and fled, not daring to mention it. Twenty years later and Mrs W has just come out of prison. Both Hannah and Rosie are getting messages which only Mrs W would know about. Liam is a true crime writer and wants to help but the girls are fed up with intrusive journalists but it appears that there is a score to be settled from the past and Liam can help protect the girls. OMG! One of those reads where you don’t quite know all of the past (we get it slowly through the book- cleverly thought out and perfectly done) which beautifully creates a tension through the pages. Keri is a master of this engaging and holding the reader to keep the pages turning. Tank is wonderful and provides the occasional lighthearted moment. Love him! A story to keep the reader engaged

Maureen Fry and the Angel of the North - Rachel Joyce- Literary fiction After Harold returned from his travels ten years ago,  (The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry) his wife Maureen had a hankering to go and see Queenie's garden as Queenie told her that she had put a memorial to Maureen and Harold's son David in it before she died. David died many years beforehand, something Maureen has never got over and feels his loss every day.  She sets off with her flask and sandwiches in the car for a drive of several hundred miles- something she is not used to. On the way she gets lost and encounters various people. Unlike Harold, Maureen is not a people person and struggles to interact as she would really wish. This is the story of her journey in more ways than one. I loved Harold’s story and this one quickly enveloped me. It's a short story (144 pages) but quickly gets the reader engaged- to me the true skill of an author. We learn about Maureen and even perhaps ourselves as w

  The Woman Outside the Walls by Suzanne Goldring- historical fiction (WW2)   Set in two timelines this tells the story of Anna in the second world war and in 2016. Post war she is trying to survive in Hamburg desperate to find her family. She comes across a group who take her in, she is only seventeen and has been through so much. We then get Anna's wartime story.  In 2016 (and onwards) Anna is ninety  and her neighbour wonders where she is- Anna has fled yet again but got to the bus stop and doesn't know where to go. Her past is coming to the forefront of her mind now she has lost Reg her husband several years ago and feels she should tell someone before it's too late. Her neighbour's son is learning German- the language Anna spoke when she was at the bus stop. Could this and his new interest in history bring Anna’s memories out at last? I really enjoyed this, it's a wartime story in a very different way which to me made it more personal as we get to know Anna in