Letting You Go – by Anouska Knight

Original Cover

My own copy

The blurb:

What if a tragedy occurred and you only had yourself to blame? How do you move on from the past?

Alex Foster lives a quiet life, avoiding the home she hasn’t visited in eight years. Then her sister Jaime calls. Their mother is sick, and Alex must return. Suddenly she’s plunged back into the past she’s been trying to escape.

Returning to her hometown, memories of the tragic accident that has haunted her and her family are impossible to ignore. Alex still blames herself for what happened to her brother and it’s soon clear that her father holds her responsible too. As Alex struggles to cope, can she ever escape the ghosts of the past?

My Opinion:

*Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

I have all of Anouska’s books in my bookshelf, Letting You Go is the first one I’ve read now, finally!

Alex Foster finds herself back home after eight years. Memories of that tragic accident come back, when she lost her brother. Her dad is still angry with her and holds her responsible. Their relationship is tense and uncomfortable. With her mum being in the hospital, the situation doesn’t get better.

Then there is Finn, gorgeous Finn. Her dad is not a big fan of him and although their feelings for each other are pretty obvious Alex holds back. It’s about what happened eight years ago and her dad has a lot to do with it. I was just hoping for them, because I felt that he changed her in a positive way. He was actually my favourite thing about this book.

I found it difficult to relate to Alex at first and I also couldn’t get into the story. I’m happy I continued reading it, because it got better and better, deeper and really thoughtful. I really enjoyed reading it in the end.

The relationships between the characters and they way Anouska wrote about them really stood out for me.

This is a story full of secrets, lies and heart!

A story about a family, their past, their relationship and their love for each other, no matter what!

I’m definitely looking forward to reading the other Anouska Knight books, because I love her style of writing!

Rating:

My possible cast:

Alex: Cristin Milioti

Finn: Tom Hardy

Anouska on Twitter: @AnouskaKnight

Website: https://anouskaknight.wordpress.com

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Top 5 Harry Potter Spells I Wish Were Real

I spotted this awesome post on Lauren’s blog: http://whatlaurendidtoday.blogspot.ch/2015/07/top-5-harry-potter-spells-i-wish-were.html

Accio - Wouldn’t it be awesome to summon objects? Think of what you can do: You’re reading and you’re thirtsy or hungry “Accio beer“, “Accio ice cream“. Or you forgot something at home and you really need it, there you go. I have to confess, I’m a little lazy at times, so Accio would definitely be handy.

Expecto Patronum – This has to be my favourite one! It’s beautiful, imaginative and powerful. I always imagined what my Patronus would look like ;) And it’s also a great way to send messages.

Lumos (and Nox) - Reading in the dark?! Wouldn’t be a problem with these two spells. And I’m afraid of dark, so I’d definitely always have my wand with some light.

Evanesco – The vanishing spell would be quite handy, wouldn’t it?! You are doing something, but you don’t want people to see certain things, just use it. Or how about you have visitors and the house/apartment is a mess, problem solved! I guess my lazy side comes out here again.  

Reducio – Making things smaller so that they can all fit into my bag?! Hell yes!!! Especially when it comes to packing a suitcase that would be awesome! I could bring as many books as I want and would still have space for all my clothes, shoes and other things.

Well, there you go, I had some other spells on the list as well, but I felt a deeper connection to the other ones – Muffliato, Reparo, Wingardium Leviosa, Alohomora and Riddikulus.

What are your favourite Harry Potter spells?

Book of the Month - August

The books I read this month:

-       The Cherry Tree Café – by Heidi Swain 5/5

-       A Kiss in the Dark – by Lisa Fox 4/5

-       I Knew You Were Trouble – by Paige Toon 5/5

-       Mile High – by Rebecca Chance 3/5

-       Picnics in Hyde Park – by Nikki Moore 5/5

-       It’s Got To Be Perfect – by Haley Hill 4/5

-       The A-Z of You and Me – by James Hannah 5/5

-       The Secret of Midwives – by Sally Hepworth 5/5

-       Appleby Farm – by Cathy Bramley 5/5

-       The Aubrey Rules – by Aven Ellis 5/5

-       Letting You Go – by Anouska Knight 4/5

-       The Great Village Show – by Alexandra Brown 5/5

August was a great reading month for me, not as good as July, but I’m happy. Here are my tow favourites:

Picnics in Hyde Park – Nikki Moore

The bit on the back:

The last story in the fun & flirty #LoveLondon series from exciting new chick lit author Nikki Moore! The perfect novel for reading in the sunshine… and falling in love with London.

A summer to remember…or forget?

When Zoe Harper returns to the UK after five long years in New York, the last thing she expects is to find her younger sister Melody jobless, homeless, broke and dumped. Unfortunately, life has a way of delivering the unexpected. She should know that, given her ex-fiancé Greg’s faithless behaviour.

Filled with rage and determined to get revenge on the infamous Reilly brothers for her sister’s heartbreak, as well as get some answers, Zoe hatches plan Nannygate. Unfortunately that means moving in with the gorgeous but uncaring music producer Matt Reilly to be nanny to his two adorable, complicated children. But something isn’t adding up, and over the course of the hot London summer, she starts to think that perhaps Matt isn’t so bad after all.

Let down by his last nanny and weighed down with guilt about his wife’s death three years before, wealthy but camera-shy Matt has spent a long time pushing people away, including his own kids. His stunning new nanny challenges him every single day in completely different ways, but maybe that isn’t such a bad thing?

But what happens when you open your heart, and someone isn’t who you thought they were? And can it really be true love when it’s on the rebound, and starts off with a plan for revenge?

My opinion:

Nikki’s style of writing is really unique. She always finds a gripping way to engage the reader, the scenes flow beautifully and have an authentic and unique spark. London and the settings seemed vivid and I felt like being there with the characters and that’s what I love for in a story!!! FABULOUS, TERRIFIC and JUST AWESOME!!!!!

Read my review here: http://skysbookcorner.blogspot.ch/2015/08/picnics-in-hyde-park-by-nikki-moore.html

Nikki on Twitter: @NikkiMoore_Auth

Website: https://nikkimooreauthor.wordpress.com

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The Aubrey Rules – Aven Ellis

The bit on the back:

Some of the Aubrey Rules to Live By:

*If I’m going to indulge in French fries, I must add extra time to the treadmill the next day.

*Always keep your work and private life separate.

*Being open to new experiences will never involve eating kale.

*Never, ever date a professional athlete.

For Chicago social media professional Aubrey Paige, the rules are everything. So much so that Aubrey has painstakingly written her rules for living into a polka-dot Kate Spade notebook that she carries with her at all times. It’s her personal guidebook to living her life. These rules are the Holy Grail—ones never to be broken. They guide her actions for everything, from dealing with workplace drama to finding a great guy to date. After all, these are her own rules, built from her life experiences and observations. So they have to be perfect, right?

Or are they?

Because when Aubrey meets a cute Canadian, she suddenly finds her rules being tested and challenged in ways she never dreamed possible. Beckett Riley is the shy, quiet, determined captain of the Chicago Buffaloes, a hockey team on the verge of turning the corner to becoming a winning organization. He’s Aubrey's opposite, with so many qualities that Aubrey had listed as ones she’d never want in a man.

Yet Aubrey finds herself drawn to Beckett in ways she’s never known. And when she unexpectedly finds herself working with Beckett, she wonders if rules are meant to be broken after all . . .

My opinion:

This is the story of a hilarious and passionate girl living by rules, but when meeting the right person she is learning to follow her heart! Two wonderful and relatable characters, who have an awesome chemistry. Aven’s writing has it all – romance, passion, humour, heart, love and so much more!!! She really know how to create a special setting and story!!!

Read my review here: The Aubrey Rules - Review

Aven on Twitter: @AvenEllis

Website: http://www.avenellis.com

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