My Expanding Bookshelf

Title: The Woman at the Gates Author: Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger Published: 2nd September 2021, Bookouture Pages: 343 Source: Netgalley Format: Kindle Rating: 3.5/5 "For as long back as Antonia could remember, there had been sliding panels and secret doors to be discovered in her Carpathian village, and the music of their defiance had sustained her." 1944, Germany: Gazing through the barbed wire fence, up to the pale blue sky, Antonia dreams of home: cherry orchards, golden fields, and the man she loves, who she may never see again... Resistance fighter Antonia is out in the forest behind her family's beloved farm when the Nazi soldiers arrive. As she sees her sister Lena and her young nephews herded towards the trucks, guns pointed at their heads, she faces a split-second, heart-wrenching decision: to stay hidden, stay free and continue the flight. Or give herself up and go with her family to protect them - no matter what lies ahead. As she clutches her nephew'...

Title: The Handmaid's Tale Series: The Handmaid's Tale #1 Author: Margaret Atwood Published: March 1998 (originally August 1985), Anchor Books Pages: 314 Source: Gift Format: Kindle Rating: 4.5/5 Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are valued only if their ovaries are viable Offred can remember the years before, when she lived and made love with her husband, Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now...

Title: I Followed the Rules Author: Joanna Bolouri Published: 02/07/2015, Quercus Pages: 352 Source: Bought Format: Paperback Rating: 4/5 Rule 1: Never ask him on a first date. Rule 2: Laugh admiringly at all his jokes. Rule 3: Always leave him wanting more. ...wtf?! Have you heard of The Rules of Engagement? It's a book that promises to teach you to find the man of your dreams in ten easy steps. Unsurprisingly, I don't own a copy. What is it, 1892? But I'm a journalist, and I've promised to follow it to the letter and write about the results. Nevermind that my friends think I'm insane, I'm stalking men all over town and can't keep my mouth shut at the best of times. My name is Cat Buchanan. I'm thirty-six years old and live with my daughter in Glasgow. I've been single for six years, but that's about to change. After all, I'm on a deadline. I Followed the Rules and this is what happened.

Title: Misled Series: Carnal Thirst #1 Author: Sylvia Day Published: 05/10/2005, Sylvia Day Pages: 117 Source: Gift Format: Ebook Rating: 3/5 Special Task Force agent Derek Atkinson has a craving for luscious vampire Sable Taylor. But Sable is a bounty hunter, which makes him direct competition in the capture of wanted criminals. Despite the obvious attraction between them, she won't give him a chance and after two years, he's tired of waiting for her to come round. So he's got a plan to give them both what they want... each other.

Title: Where Rainbows End Author: Cecelia Ahern Published: 2012, HarperCollins Pages: 558 Source: Bought Format: Paperback Rating: 4/5 Since childhood, Rosie and Alex have stuck by each other through thick and thin. But they're suddenly separated when Alex and his family move from Dublin to America. Their magical connection remains but can their friendship survive the years and miles? Misunderstandings, circumstances and sheer bad luck have kept them apart - until now. But will they gamble everything - including their friendship - on true love? And what twists and surprises does fate have in store for them this time...?

Title: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year Author: Joanna Bolouri Published: 20/10/2016, Quercus Pages: 416 Source: Netgalley Format: Ebook Rating: 4/5 A hilarious and heartwarming Christmas comedy. Perfect for fans of Mhairi McFarlane, Tracy Bloom and Chrissie Manby. Thirty-eight year olf Emily has a satisfying job, fab friends, an amazing car and, most importantly, a wonderful flat, exactly 411 miles away from the judgemental, batshit crazy, interfering family she reluctantly sees twice a year. In fact, the only minor stress in her life is her twenty-something neighbor Evan and his penchant for flirting, loud music and even louder sex... but he's nothing she can't handle. Emily also has a boyfriend called Robert and it's going really well. So well, in fact, that this year Emily is hoping to take him home for Christmas to meet her family. Finally she won't be subject to five days of nosy questions from her parents and pity looks from her younger married sibli...

Title: The Rose Petal Beach Author: Dorothy Koomson Published: 2013, Quercus Pages: 663 Source: Bought Format: Paperback Rating: 4/5 Every love story has a dangerous twist. Tamia Challey is horrified when her husband, Scott, is accused of something terrible - but when she discovers who his accuser is, everything goes into freefall. Backed into a corner and unsure what to think, Tamia is forced to choose who she instinctively believes But this choice has dire consequences for all concerned, especially when matters take a tragic turn. Then a stranger arrives in town to sprinkle rose petals in the sea in memory of her lost loved one. This stranger carries with her shocking truths that will change the lives of everyone she meets, and will once again force Tamia to make some devastating choices...

Title: The Shining Girls Author: Lauren Beukes Published: 04/06/2013, Umuzi Pages: 384 Source: Gift from work colleague Format: Ebook Rating: 3/5 The girl who wouldn't die. Hunting a killer who shouldn't exist. Chicago 1931. Violent drifter Harper Curtis stumbles upon a hlouse that hides a secret as shocking as his own twisted nature: it opens into other times. Harper uses it to stalk his "shining girls" across decades - and cut the fire out of them. He's the perfect killer. Unstoppable. Untraceable. Until one of his victims survives and turns the hunt around. Chicago, 1992. Kirby Mazrachi's determination to find the man who tried to kill her has taken over her life.  The cops no longer return her calls. Her mother copes by writing morbid children's books. Her only ally is Dan, the burnt-out ex-homicide reporter who covered her case. As Kirby closes in on her would-be killer, what she finds is... impossible. Murders scattered across the decades a...

Title: Nevernight Series: The Nevernight Chronicle #1 Author: Jay Kristoff Published: 11/08/2016, Harper Voyager Pages: 643 Source: Netgalley Format: Ebook Rating: 4/5 Destined to destroy empires, Mia Covere is only ten years old when she is given her first lesson in death.  Six years later, the child raised in shadows takes her first steps towards keeping the promise she made on the day she lost everything. But the chance to strike against such powerful enemies will be fleeting, so if she is to have her revenge, Mia must become a weapon without equal. She must prove herself against the deadliest of friends and enemies, and survive the tutelage of murderers, liars and demons at the heart of a murder cult. The Red Church is no Hogwarts, but Mia is no ordinary student. The shadows love her. And they drink her fear.

Title: Dear Amy Author: Helen Callaghan Published: 16/06/2016, Penguin Pages: 400 Source: Netgalley Format: Ebook Rating: DNF (34%) Margot Lewis is the agony aunt for The Cambridge Examiner. Her advice column, Dear Amy, gets all kinds of letters - but none like the one she's just received: Dear Amy, I don't know where I am. I've been kidnapped and am being held prisoner by a strange man. I'm afraid he'll kill me. Please help me soon, Bethan Avery Bethan Avery has been missing for years. This is surely some cruel hoax. But, as more letters arrive, they contain information that was never made public. How is this happening? Answering this question will cost Margot everything...

Title: The Reflections of Queen Snow White Author: David Meredith Published: 02/10/2013, David Meredith Pages: 155 Source: David Meredith, in exchange for an honest review Format: Ebook Rating: 3/5 What happens when "happily ever after" has come and gone? On the eve of her only daughter, Princess Raven's wedding, an aging Snow White finds it impossible to share in the joyous spirit of the occasion. The ceremony itself promises to be the most glamorous social event of the decade. Snow White's castle has been meticulously scrubbed, polished and opulently decorated for the celebration. It is already nearly bursting with jubilant guests and merry well-wishers. Prince Edel, Raven's fiance, is a fine man from a neighboring kingdom and Snow White's own domain is prosperous and at peace. Things could not be better, in fact, except for one thing: The king is dead. The queen has been in a moribund state of hopeless depression for over a year with no end in sig...

Title: The Last Days of Summer Author: Vanessa Ronan Published: 05/05/2016, Penguin Pages: 384 Source: Netgalley Format: Ebook Rating: 3.5/5 She can forgive. They can't forget. After ten years in the Hunstville State Penitentiary, Jasper Curtis returns home to live with his sister and her two daughters. Lizzie does not know who she's letting into her home: the brother she grew up loving or the monster he became. Teenage Katie distrusts this strange man in their home but eleven-year-old Joanne is just intrigued by her new uncle. Jasper says he's all done with trouble, but in a forgotten prairie town that knows no forgiveness, it does not take long for trouble to arrive at their door.

Title: This Secret We're Keeping Author: Rebecca Done Published: 07/04/2016, Penguin Pages: 480 Source: Netgalley Format: Ebook Rating: 3.5/5 A pupil and a teacher. Is it ever right to break the rules? Jessica Hart has never forgotten Matthew Landley. After all, he was her first love when she was fifteen years old. But he was also her school maths teacher, and their forbidden affair ended in scandal with his arrest and imprisonment. Now seventeen years later, Matthew returns to Norfolk, with a new identity and a long-term girlfriend and a young daughter, who know nothing of what happened before. Yet when he runs into Jessica, neither of them can ignore the emotional ties that bind them together. With so many secrets to keep hidden, how long can Jessica and Matthew avoid the dark mistakes of their past imploding in the present. From debut author Rebecca Done, This Secret We're Keeping is a powerful and provocative novel about the ties which can keep up together - or tea...

Title: Darkly Dreaming Dexter Series: Dexter #1 Author: Jeff Lindsay Published: 2005, Orion Books Pages: 275 Source: Bought Format: Paperback Rating: 5/5 Dexter Morgan appears to be the perfect gentleman. He leads to a normal, quiet life working as a forensic officer for the Miami Police. He has a nice, shy girlfriend and is liked by her young children. But Dexter has a secret hobby. He's an accomplished serial killer. So far he's killed dozens of people and has never been caught, because he knows exactly how to dispose of the evidence. And there are those who would rather he wasn't caught at all, because Dexter is a serial killer with a difference. He only kills the city's bad guys. Then Dexter's well-organised life is thrown into chaos. Another serial killer is invading his territory - and he wants Dexter to come out and play...

Title: Then Comes Love Author: Lindsay Detwiler Published: 18/03/2016, Hot Tree Publishing Pages: 322 Source: Hot Tree Promotions Format: Ebook Rating: 3/5 Sometimes in life, changes can be good... After losing her husband, her five cats, and her home, Charlotte Noel hates feeling dependent. As Charlotte tries to find her identity in this new stage of life, she comes to realize that drama never ends, dance aerobics can be a war zone, and love is always a possibility. You never know when a midlife crisis is going to strike... Charlotte's daughter, Annie, is going through struggles of her own. Recently divorced, she is feeling frumpy and worn-out. Run ragged, Annie mourns her youth and wonders where her life is headed, all while hoping she can help her daughter Amelia get it together. Settling down can be overrated, especially when you're falling for a rock star look-alike... Amelia is the wild child of the family. Working three jobs, because she just hasn't figured...

Title: Mr Mercedes Series: Bill Hodges Trilogy #1 Author: Stephen King Published: 23/04/2015, Hodder Paperbacks Pages: 405 Source: Bought Format: paperback Rating: 4.5/5 In a mega-stakes, high suspense race against time, three of the most unlikely and winning heroes Stephen King has ever created try to stop a lone killer from blowing up thousands. In the frigid pre-dawn hours, in a distressed Midwestern city, hundreds of desperate unemployed folks are lined up for a spot at a job fair. Without warning, a lone driver plows through the crowd in a stolen Mercedes, running over the innocent, backing up, and charging again. Eight people are killed; fifteen are wounded. The killer escapes. In another part of town, months later, a retired cop named Bill Hodges is still haunted by the unsolved crime. When he gets a crazed letter from someone who self-identifies as the "perk" and threatens an even more diabolical attack, Hodges wakes up from his depressed and vacant retirem...

Title: Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West Series: The Wicked Years #1 Author: Gregory Maguire Published: 2006, Headline Review Pages: 495 Source: Bought Format: Paperback Rating: 3/5 When Dorothy triumphed over the Wicked Witch of the West in L. Frank Baum's classic tale we heard only her side of the story. But what about her arch-nemesis, the mysterious Witch? Where did she come from? How did she become so wicked? And what is the true nature of evil? Gregory Maguire creates a fantasy world so rich and vivid that we will never look at Oz the same way again. Wicked is about a land where animals talk and strive to be treated like first-class citizens, Munchkinlanders seek the comfort of the middle-class stability, and the Tin Man becomes a victim of domestic violence. And then there is the little green-skinned girl named Elphaba, who will grow up to become the infamous Wicked Witch of the West, a smart, prickly, and misunderstood creature who challe...

Title: The Other Me Author: Saskia Sarginson Published: 05/03/2015, Piatkus Pages: 366 Source: Goodreads Firstreads Format: Paperback Rating: 5/5 Eliza Bennett has the life she's always dreamed of. She's who she wants to be, and she's with the man she loves. But Eliza is living a lie. Her real name is Klaudia Meyer. And Klaudia is on the run. She's escaping her old life, and a terrible secret buried at the heart of her family. This is the story of Eliza and Klaudia - one girl, two lives and a lie they cannot hide from. Psychological and suspenseful: the gripping story of one girl living a double life. From rising star Saskia Sarginson, author of The Twins and Without You. Perfect for fans of Maggie O'Farrell and Liane Moriarty.

Title: Papina Author: Katie Hamstead Published: 05/07/2015 Pages: 301 Source: Netgalley Format: Ebook Rating: 3/5 Forrest and Braydon Miller moved to the small town of Papina to follow their dreams and start a family. Braydon loves her new life in the quiet town, kept alie by the prestigious boarding school overlooking the valley. She is so proud of her husband's work, helping the teens on the reservation. Until one day, Forrest doesn't come home. Scandal spreads when one of the teenagers is found missing, too. But Braydon refuses to believe her husband would leave her. When the teen is found, she isn't talking - literally. While Braydon's heart is breaking, she needs to hold her crumbling life together, raise her son, and find a way to love the teenaget enough to find the truth of what happened to her husband.

Title: Pretending to Dance Author: Diane Chamberlain Published: 06/10/2015, St Martin's Press Pages: 352 Source: Netgalley Format: Ebook Rating: 3/5 Molly Arnette is very good at keeping secrets She lives in San Diego with a husband she adores, and they are trying to adopt a baby because they can't have a child on their own. But the process of adoption brings to light many questions about Molly's past and her family - the family she left behind in North Carolina twenty years before. The mother she says is dead but who is very much alive. The father she adored and whose death sent her running from the small community of Morrison's Ridge. Her own birth mother whose mysterious presence in her family raised so many issues that came to a head. The summer of twenty years ago changed everything for Molly and as the past weaves together with the present story, Molly discovers that she learned to lie in the very family that taught her about pretending. If she learns the...