The Fear - C.L Taylor

Pages: 416


Sometimes your first love won’t let you go…
When Lou Wandsworth ran away to France with her teacher Mike Hughes, she thought he was the love of her life. But Mike wasn’t what he seemed and he left her life in pieces.
Now 32, Lou discovers that he is involved with teenager Chloe Meadows. Determined to make sure history doesn’t repeat itself, she returns home to confront him for the damage he’s caused .
But Mike is a predator of the worst kind, and as Lou tries to bring him to justice, it’s clear that she could once again become his prey…"





I brought this book on Saturday morning and by Sunday evening I had finished it. Even though I love to read, it's been a while since I have finished a book that quickly. It was so addictive to keep turning the pages and you felt like you was living alongside Lou and Chloe.


The book is split into four characters points of view: past Lou when she was in France with Mike, Lou in the present facing Mike, Wendy the Ex wife and Chloe the new girl Mike is grooming. 

When reading the book, you feel sorry for Lou whilst she was in France with Mike, lured there by the love she had for him and under the pretence of being away for a romantic weekend suddenly changes into a nightmare new life where she may never be able to return to England? 
Seeing Mike in a new light has changed her thoughts on him and starts to think he is not the person she fell in love with. 

18 years after the France trip with Mike,  Lou returns back to the town where she first laid eyes on Mike and messed up the rest of her life. After a disastrous romantic trip to be with new boyfriend to France she realises Mike has had more an influence on her present life than she had thought    


The other two characters, Chloe and Wendy fill in the gaps of the story and how they have connections with Mike. Will he manage to whisk Chloe off too? And as no-one in her family seems to care, will she even more under Mike's Spell?


The book then finishes with an ending of a year after lou and Chloe meet, it literally made my eyes go wide with what happened! Honestly if I was you, and haven't brought it yet, go buy it. And if you have it, go read it!
Buy The Book: Amazon or also available in Sainsbury's for £2.99
More About the Author


Until the next review, bye for now 
Hayley
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A Year at the Star and Sixpence by Holly Hepburn

Amount of Pages: 400

About this book:
When sisters Nessie and Sam inherit a little pub in a beautiful country village they jump at the chance to escape their messy lives and start afresh. But when they arrive at the Star and Sixpence, it's not quite what they imagined - it's pretty much derelict, ruined by debts, and it's going to be a huge job to get it up and running again. But they are determined to make the best of this new life and they set about making the pub the heart of the village once again. Their first year at the Star and Sixpence won't be easy, though nothing worth doing ever is.
But when the sisters' past comes back to haunt them, they start to think that the fresh start they needed is very far away indeed…
Curl up with A Year at the Star and Sixpence - the perfect novel to start the new year the way you mean to go on.

As it says above, this book is great to start new year, so that's what I'm doing (does it count even if I started on the 2nd?)
The paperback book consists of four parts originally as kindle ebooks:

1. Snowdrops at the Star and Sixpence
2. Valentine's Day at the  Star and Sixpence
3. Summer at the  Star and Sixpence
4. Autumn at the  Star and Sixpence

Snowdrops at the Star and Sixpence
The first part of the novel is meeting  sister's Nessie and Sam, finding the pub, meeting the local residents with some interactions were better than others (I'm looking at you Franny!)
With the stress of having the pub reopen and trying to fit into the local community, I read the first quarter of the book so quick to find out more!

Valentine's Day at the Star and Sixpence
Heading back to the pub two months later, and not much has changed. Nessie's and Sam's secrets are still hiding but are slowly starting to appear by the anonymous valentine day flowers.
Not only are they facing inner secrets, they also have a dinner at the pub they have for the loved up couples of Little Monkham.

Summer at the Star and Sixpence
We're back at the pub in the summer months for the wedding of the year who happens to be one of Sam's friend who can possibly give the pub a good review and bring in extra income!
With the heat rising from both the sun and Owen's job thing, will the romance between Nessie and Owen blossom or sizzle like a flat pancake?

Autumn at the Star and Sixpence
Throwing a halloween party had been Sam's idea, so what will happen when she catches herself kissing a mystery man dressed up down in the cellar?
Will something and someone put a bump in the road for the relationship of Nessie, Owen and Luke?
Want will happen to the much loved village of when a loved member of the community has to get rushed to the hospital. Will they gather round or  will they be criticises

Christmas at the Star and Sixpence
The final part of the book focuses it being a year since they've arrived at the pub and put their own taste on how it will look.
After having a year at Little Monkham, they reflect on their relationships with the villagers and if they have a future there.

My Thoughts
This is my second Holly Hepburn book I have read and I enjoyed it as much as the first one (which was The Picturehouse by the Seaside).
I felt like I was in the pub alongside Sam and Nessie, working in the pub serving the locals.
Holly's writing made you feel like you knew all about the lives of the villagers and the village itself.
I hope that in the future, there will be a stand alone follow up or a whole follow up of characters of Little Monkham.

Below are links to buying the book and all things related to the author:
Buy on Amazon
All About Holly
Holly's Twitter

For all you book-lovers out there, here is my goodreads account if anyone wants to follow it to read my reviews on there as well:
Hayley

Jennifer Brown's Journey by Angie Langley

“Hold onto your hats, Jennifer Brown is a whirlwind ready to rip apart your reading list. Jennifer Brown’s Journey is Angie Langley’s debut novel but it more than packs a punch”
Five feet one and full of fizz, Jennifer Brown lights up the room. She has a gorgeous partner, a wicked best friend, and a boss who doesn’t mind that she’s the worst typist on the planet. She’s loyal, generous and irredeemably ditzy. Everyone loves Jennifer Brown.But can she learn to love herself? When her world caves in, she needs every ounce of her steely core to step back from the abyss and take charge of her life, reinventing herself first as cook and housekeeper to a saucy sexagenarian, then as manager of a tumbledown country estate with sensitive secrets.Peopled by a battalion of hilarious characters from the caustic, cross-dressing confidant to the besotted ex-boyfriend with a barmy ex-wife, Jennifer Brown’s Journey is a heartwarming, thoughtful, often poignant portrait of the trials of life as a thirty-something woman.Jennifer Brown champions the importance of self-belief, and the value of a bucket-sized glass of wine in a tight spot.And, always in the background, there’s the quiet man with the warm eyes, and the velvet vowels.What on earth is Jennifer Brown going to do about him?

Angie Langely is the first author to offer me the chance to review her book which I am very grateful for even though I've only started up.

Part One - The Office
Working as a personal assistant for the head of the company, Jennifer is trusted to send out emails on his behalf but is often embarrassed by the good old autocorrect and making out things more interesting than then seem.
After leaving her cheating boyfriend Pete, she suddenly finds herself homeless and running out of options to move into. Does she move into the hippy dippy girl with twenty cats, some chickens and a 3 legged goat, or move into a caravan where the one next door gets used as her boss's love nest.
Or, what about once in a lifetime experience to travel to Australia and visit an old flame to rekindle a romance

Part Two - Fishers Keep
The second section of  the book follows Jennifer's next stage in her new life and making choices for herself.
After changing career paths to become a housekeeper (slight undomestic goddess by Sophie Kinsella Vibes from this chapter, which is great because I loved that one!) for an older man who Jennifer thinks wants more than a housekeeper.
After learning how to become the perfect housekeeper to the Gerald, Jennifer faces a challenge of him finding a wife to fill his lonely nights and his quest involves going to many countries to find a younger woman. Whilst Jennifer is at Fishers Keep she wonder what will be next for her career path and will eventually move onto the next part of life once she's steered the man in the right direction (notice the trend with Johnathon as well)

Part Three - Thornhill Hall
The final part of Jennifer Brown's Journey is the next part of the  when she becomes an estate manager for an elder gentlemen called George who is completley different to Gerald (doesn't try to come on to her)
After her contract gets extended, she becomes a part of the Thornhill family along with the owners and the other staff members.

My Opinions on the book:
I am very lucky to have had the chance to read the book (thanking you again Angie!). I feel on some levels I can relate to: being short, clumsy and constantly making typo's and constantly trying to be a bubbly person!
I would love to hear and follow up on Jennifer's Brown journey and find out if she ever goes out with David Harwood (who is clearly very keen, go girl!)
But for now, I'll leave you the links below of the how to buy it as an ebook from amazon  and the website of the author.

Read the author's website here:Angie Langley

Buy the book here: Jennifer Brown's Journey

For now, I'll be reading more books and reviewing books,
Hayley
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