Keep You Safe By Melissa Hill Book Review

Keep You Safe Melissa Hill

When I first took this book out of its envelope I was not sure I wanted to read it. As a mother I was worried it would play on my fears. But you should never judge a book by its cover and I jumped in. To say that I loved the book would be an understatement. It really pulls you in and does not let go. It is not just that it is well written, it also carries the story along so well, and is so believable. The characters are well rounded and relatable, even if sometimes they do something you think is idiotic. This book takes an issue that rumbles on in society: the MMR vaccination and its link to autism, and the consequences to people not vaccinating their children, and then tells the story in a riveting way. It also has a mummy blogger in it, which makes the book even more relevant. Modern and entertaining: you will be gripped until the very last page. A stunning book.

 

A mother always knows best. Doesn’t she?

What if your choice for your child could harm someone else’s?

Every mother faces impossible choices. Vaccination is one of the hardest. For single mum Kate O’Hara, there was no decision to make. Her daughter Rosie is one of a small percentage of Irish children who can’t be vaccinated against measles. All Kate can do is hope that her little girl is safe.

For mummy blogger Madeleine Cooper, it was a leap of faith she wasn’t prepared to take when she and her husband declined controversial measles jabs for their daughter Clara. All she can do is pray that it’s the right decision.

But when classmates Clara and Rosie both become sick will Kate pay for Madeleine’s choice?

A stunning and addictive new book club read from beloved bestselling Irish author Melissa Hill that explores every mother’s worst fear

 

The Savvy Traveller Survival Guide By Peter John Review

This book on avoiding traveling scams is well written, humorous and full of great advice. Highly recommended. 

 

Travel is one of our favourite activities. From the hustle of bustle of the mega-cities to sleepy mountain towns to the tranquillity and isolation of tropical islands, we love to get out there and explore the world.

But globe-trotting also comes with its pitfalls. Wherever there are travellers, there are swindlers looking to relieve individuals of their money, possessions and sometimes even more. To avoid such troubles, and to get on with enjoyable and fulfilling trips, people need to get smart. This book shows you how.

The Savvy Traveller Survival Guide offers practical advice on avoiding the scams and hoaxes that can ruin any trip. From no-menu, rigged betting, and scenic taxi tour scams to rental damage, baksheesh, and credit card deceits – this book details scam hotspots, how the scams play out and what you can do to prevent them. The Savvy Traveller Survival Guide will help you develop an awareness and vigilance for high-risk people, activities, and environments.

Forewarned is forearmed!

About the Author. Peter John is a lifelong traveller who dabbles in office work while planning his next trip. He has never knowingly scammed anyone, but has been scammed while he travelled more times than he cares to remember. He hopes that others can learn from his mistakes, which are spelled out in merciless detail in this book.

The Savvy Traveller Survival Guide By Peter John

 

J.D Robb Secrets In Death | Recommended Reads

j.d. robb secrets in death

A thoroughly enjoyable read from one of the world’s most prolific, and successful, writers.

No one is going to miss Larinda Mars. A ruthless gossip queen with a lucrative sideline in blackmail, there’s no lack of suspects when she’s murdered in a fashionable New York bar. With so many people wanting her dead, it’s going to be a tough case to crack.

Lieutenant Eve Dallas may not like this particular victim, but it’s her duty to bring the killer to justice. As she digs deeper into Larinda’s mysterious past, it becomes clear the reporter had a unique talent for uncovering secrets. Including ones very close to home for Eve and her husband Roarke…

Someone was willing to commit murder to keep their secrets hidden. And with Eve now working to uncover the truth, she and her team are heading into serious danger.

J.D Robb Secrets In Death is available here. 

How to Have a Baby and Not Lose Your Shit By Kirsty Smith Book Review

How to Have a Baby and Not Lose Your Shit By Kirsty Smith is a funny and searingly honest book about parenting. You will nod in agreement and laugh out loud. Well written and humorous, this is a great book for first time parents, and even for those who are having another, just so you know you were not, and are not, alone. Fun, entertaining and definitely worth a read.

 

So you’re having a baby! Congratulations! Have you started panicking yet?

How to Have a Baby and Not Lose your Shit is for women who want to start a family but are not sure quite how ‘into’ babies they are. Women who have no intention of ever making their own Play-Doh (yes, that’s a thing). Women who think that babies are a teeny, weeny bit boring.

Appealing to new and expectant mums (as well as existing mothers who will identify with many of the experiences!) this is not a book about surviving parenting: having a baby is not an ordeal, it’s a brilliant life-affirming experience. This book is about enjoying parenting but acknowledging its challenges, about how you can love your children to the moon and back but still not like having fingers that smell of poo.

If you want to know how looking after a toddler is basically just like that time your mate got dumped and went on a six-month bender, or why holding a baby at a wedding and immediately wanting to swap it for a glass of champagne doesn’t mean you’re not ready for motherhood (it just means there is champagne) – this is the book for you. It answers the real questions modern women have about parenting. Can I wipe bottoms and still kick-ass? What if all the other mums are really, really boring? Is it okay to Google the answers to everything?

Written by a mum of two who thinks her children are wonderful but wishes they could be wonderful in a quieter, tidier, less annoying way, this book is a funny, insightful, and honest account of being at home with babies and small children and all the wondrous things that entails: like carrying a pot of dead bees in your handbag and trying to source ice cubes that aren’t ‘too cold’.

It won’t make your baby sleep through the night, or cure colic, but it will make you laugh when you’ve been up all night… which is the next best thing.

About the Author In her career as a TV Producer working in magic & comedy, Kirsty Smith introduced Russell Brand to an erotic lady wrestler, locked two presenters in a cage with 60 chickens for a week, and was made to magically appear dressed as a Morris Dancer from a giant pair of underpants. Now at home with two small children, life is almost exactly the same but even funnier and with added rice cakes. Kirsty blogs as Eeh Bah Mum.

How to Have a Baby and Not Lose Your Shit By Kirsty Smith is available here.

 

Moonlight Over Manhattan By Sarah Morgan | Recommended Reads

moonlight over manhattan sarah morganA fun and engaging Christmas read. The perfect book to curl up with on a cold day with a mug of hot chocolate. Delightful. 

 

She’ll risk everything for her own Christmas miracle…

Determined to conquer a lifetime of shyness, Harriet Knight challenges herself to do one thing a day in December that scares her, including celebrating Christmas without her family. But when dog-walker Harriet meets her newest client, exuberant spaniel Madi, she adds an extra challenge to her list – dealing with Madi’s temporary dog-sitter, gruff doctor Ethan Black, and their very unexpected chemistry.

Ethan thought he was used to chaos, until he met Madi – how can one tiny dog cause such mayhem? To Ethan, the solution is simple – he will pay Harriet to share his New York apartment and provide 24-hour care. But there’s nothing simple about how Harriet makes him feel.

Ethan’s kisses make Harriet shine brighter than the stars over moonlit Manhattan. But when his dog-sitting duties are over, and Harriet returns to her own home, will she dare to take the biggest challenge of all – letting Ethan know he has her heart for life, not just for Christmas?

Moonlight Over Manhattan is available here.

The GoodFather: Becoming a Dad For the First Time Without Losing Your Mind, Changing Your Identity, or Emigrating by Lee Price

The GoodFather: Becoming a Dad For the First Time Without Losing Your Mind, Changing Your Identity, or Emigrating by Lee Price

A humorous and well written book on becoming a father. Has some good advice- and some bad: like do not buy a nappy bin or wet wipes, seriously, do not listen to that part- and many great insights and advice. It will make you laugh. Buy it for the dad to be in your life, but have a flick through yourself as it is funny and has some great tips. 

Part-diary, part-guide, part-warning – The GoodFather is a light-hearted but invaluable look into the world of first-time fatherhood.

Detailing the author’s eye-opening path of discovery, the book charts his journey (alongside that of his partner and their baby) as he goes through pregnancy for the first time. The nuggets of information he picks up along the way, the tips to help smooth the process for all parties, and the precious opportunities to bank some brownie points, are all detailed.

This isn’t your typical lecture on pregnancy and fatherhood, rather a real, tangible, honest account of what will happen, and how to survive it.

In this book:

> Learn essentials such as key dates, what happens at maternity appointments, what to pack for the hospital, and how to avoid blowing your cash on needless baby tat.

> Dig into an A-Z terminology guide to help you navigate the ridiculous amount of jargon that comes with being an expectant father.

> Get up-to-speed on baby milestones and size guides, some painfully-learned maternity shopping advice, and the importance of good snacks.

> Oh, and a chapter about sex. Don’t get your hopes up. Seriously.

> This book also features regular ‘real parents tips’ from mothers and fathers whose comments haven’t been passed through some rose-tinted filter.

The Author. Lee Price is an award-nominated national print journalist and published sportswriter. Previously of Shoot! magazine, and a feature writer at The Sun newspaper, Lee is currently ‘PR & Mischief Champion’ at Paddy Power. Lee has written a number of previous titles including: FIFA Football: The Story Behind The Video Game Sensation, The Bundesliga Blueprint: How Germany became the Home of Football and Turning My Back on the Premier League.

The GoodFather: Becoming a Dad For the First Time Without Losing Your Mind, Changing Your Identity, or Emigrating by Lee Price is available here. 

Best Day Ever By Kaira Rouda Book Review

best day ever, kaira rouda
Best Day Ever ticks all of the boxes for what people want in a thriller these days: an unreliable narrator, domestic discord, and enough twists to keep you guessing. A tense domestic suspense novel, a zoomed through this novel at a quick pace, always wondering what was going to happen next. It is superbly written and keeps you hooked until the last page. The novel takes place over 24 hours and has an unreliable male narrator, two things which make it different. A great novel from USA Today bestselling author Kaira Rouda. Read it now. Our Day In The Life with Kaira Rouda is here.

 

Paul Strom has spent years building his perfect life: glittering career, beautiful wife, two healthy boys and a big house in the suburbs.

But he also has his secrets. That’s why Paul has promised his wife a romantic weekend getaway. He proclaims this day, a warm Friday in May, will be the best day ever.

Paul loves his wife, really, he does. But he also wants to get rid of her. And with every hour that passes, Paul ticks off another stage in his elaborately laid plan…

 

Best Day Ever is available here. 

 

 

Unique Book for Mature Women Wanting to Date Out Now

 From Dinner Date to Soulmate – Cynthia Spillman’s Guide to Mature Dating – a practical and witty one-stop resource for older women looking to enter or re-enter the world of dating is out now. 

Author Cynthia Spillman, founder of The International Dating Academy and formerly the Chief Executive of Dinner Dates, is on a mission to help mature women re-entering the dating market to find love. For many, following either divorce or widowhood, it is a period of anxiety, uncertainty, and trepidation – all of which can be overcome with appropriate preparation and organisation. As Cynthia states in the book: “Make a Plan. Work the Plan.”

Distilling all the knowledge she has formed from her many years of helping people find love, Cynthia shows how searching for a fulfilling new relationship must be undertaken mindfully and strategically, and that in order to attract the partner she deserves, a woman must first feel good about herself.

From Dinner Date to Soulmate guides readers through a series of proven steps, encouraging them to examine their previous relationship patterns, and provides a whole host of mature dating skills, strategies, and techniques to be put into practice. The book covers both offline and online dating.

 

Cynthia Spillman is Chief Executive of The International Dating Academy, a one stop dating shop for people who wish to improve their dating skills. She was formerly Chief Executive of Dinner Dates, the UK’s top social networking club for elite professional singletons. Her area of expertise is in mindful dating. Her articles have been published in a number of magazines including Vogue, Woman’s Own and online magazine Single Living. She is also an award-winning inspirational trainer and motivational speaker. She has kissed a lot of frogs in her time, but is now happily married to her third husband, Peter. She divides her time between London and Nice.