Search
Search results
Hazel (2934 KP) rated I Did It For You in Books
Aug 26, 2023
I haven't read anything by Jayne Cowie before and after finishing this, I won't make that mistake again!!
I Did If For You is a gritty look at a world that has found a way to predict aggression and violence in men. A negative test means the best schools, the best jobs ... the best of everything but a positive test means the complete opposite, and if you refuse, it's as if the result was positive ... what would you do? Could you condemn your son to a life of barriers and hardship for a crime he hasn't committed or would you risk it to get the best that life can offer?
This is the dilemma facing two sisters, Antonia and Bea; they each make a choice which has far reaching and devastating consequences for them, their families and for those around them.
With a very different and intriguing plot, great characters and written at a good pace, this is a really good, thought-provoking read and although I guessed some of the twists, it didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of this book.
Thank you to the author, Random House UK, Cornerstone and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of I Did It For You.
I Did If For You is a gritty look at a world that has found a way to predict aggression and violence in men. A negative test means the best schools, the best jobs ... the best of everything but a positive test means the complete opposite, and if you refuse, it's as if the result was positive ... what would you do? Could you condemn your son to a life of barriers and hardship for a crime he hasn't committed or would you risk it to get the best that life can offer?
This is the dilemma facing two sisters, Antonia and Bea; they each make a choice which has far reaching and devastating consequences for them, their families and for those around them.
With a very different and intriguing plot, great characters and written at a good pace, this is a really good, thought-provoking read and although I guessed some of the twists, it didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of this book.
Thank you to the author, Random House UK, Cornerstone and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of I Did It For You.
Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Silent Man in Books
Aug 27, 2023
I didn't realise this was the last book in a trilogy when I started reading it and whilst it is clear that I have missed the back story, it didn't affect my enjoyment of this book one little bit. My only gripe is with myself, how did I miss the first 2 books in this series??
From the very first page, I was hooked and couldn't read it fast enough. The characters are excellent and I loved the easy and natural relationship between Archer and Quinn. The story is told from various points of view which give a rounded view of the two main plots and whilst this can sometimes cause confusion, not so here.
Written at a fast pace with plenty of twists, turns and scenes of violence and peril, The Silent Man is a book that I can highly recommend to those of you who love a gritty and dark story with a serial killer who uses a unique way to both identify and despatch his victims.
I will definitely be looking out for more by David Fennell in the future and thanks must go to him, Bonnier Books, Zaffre and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of The Silent Man.
From the very first page, I was hooked and couldn't read it fast enough. The characters are excellent and I loved the easy and natural relationship between Archer and Quinn. The story is told from various points of view which give a rounded view of the two main plots and whilst this can sometimes cause confusion, not so here.
Written at a fast pace with plenty of twists, turns and scenes of violence and peril, The Silent Man is a book that I can highly recommend to those of you who love a gritty and dark story with a serial killer who uses a unique way to both identify and despatch his victims.
I will definitely be looking out for more by David Fennell in the future and thanks must go to him, Bonnier Books, Zaffre and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of The Silent Man.
Hazel (2934 KP) rated Hell Train (The Cursed Manuscripts) in Books
May 15, 2022
I think I can safely say that I am a fan of Mr Wright's work; rarely have I been disappointed with anything he has written and Hell Train is no exception.
At the beginning of the book, Mr Wright tells us that his inspiration is Stephen King's The Langoliers and whilst I can definitely see this (and understand because I love The Langoliers), Hell Train is very much an original story.
Mr Wright has a great knack of making the normal develop into something that is totally abnormal and here he does it again. A simple train journey in the middle of the day becomes something entirely different when the train enters a tunnel.
With characters that you love and some you love to hate, a plot that is intriguing and different, a pace that is relentless with no words wasted, with twists that will shock and scenes that might leave you feeling a tad queasy, Hell Train is a quick and enjoyable read and one that I would recommend to lovers of horror.
My thanks must go to Iain for accepting me into his "street team" and for allowing me to read Hell Train and to share my thoughts.
At the beginning of the book, Mr Wright tells us that his inspiration is Stephen King's The Langoliers and whilst I can definitely see this (and understand because I love The Langoliers), Hell Train is very much an original story.
Mr Wright has a great knack of making the normal develop into something that is totally abnormal and here he does it again. A simple train journey in the middle of the day becomes something entirely different when the train enters a tunnel.
With characters that you love and some you love to hate, a plot that is intriguing and different, a pace that is relentless with no words wasted, with twists that will shock and scenes that might leave you feeling a tad queasy, Hell Train is a quick and enjoyable read and one that I would recommend to lovers of horror.
My thanks must go to Iain for accepting me into his "street team" and for allowing me to read Hell Train and to share my thoughts.
Hazel (2934 KP) rated The House at Phantom Park in Books
Oct 9, 2022
I think I can safely say that I am a fan of Mr Masterton's work and have been for many, many years and whilst, for me, some of his books have been hit or miss, this one is definitely a hit and one I thoroughly enjoyed.
Mr Masterton has taken the haunted property/ghost theme and added a new dimension to it. The ghosts were something a bit different which I thought was great; even after all these years, I can still be surprised by the way good authors can bring unique and different ways to kill their characters off and give their readers the chills and Mr Masterton does it with skill here.
I didn't particularly like the majority of the characters very much and admit that the main character of Lilian annoyed me a tad, however in this instance, I don't actually think it matters whether you like the characters or not and it certainly didn't detract from my reading pleasure.
Although a little slow to get going, I would recommend this to people who enjoy a horror story which is a bit different and my thanks must go to Aria & Aries, Head of Zeus and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of The House at Phantom Park.
Mr Masterton has taken the haunted property/ghost theme and added a new dimension to it. The ghosts were something a bit different which I thought was great; even after all these years, I can still be surprised by the way good authors can bring unique and different ways to kill their characters off and give their readers the chills and Mr Masterton does it with skill here.
I didn't particularly like the majority of the characters very much and admit that the main character of Lilian annoyed me a tad, however in this instance, I don't actually think it matters whether you like the characters or not and it certainly didn't detract from my reading pleasure.
Although a little slow to get going, I would recommend this to people who enjoy a horror story which is a bit different and my thanks must go to Aria & Aries, Head of Zeus and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of The House at Phantom Park.
Spark
8.0
Rate It
Book
People are dying downtown, their bodies shriveled away to almost nothing. The police are mystified,...
Young Adult Science Fiction
Hazel (2934 KP) rated Conviction in Books
Jun 11, 2023
This is a really good legal thriller that had me flicking my Kindle screen at break-neck speed to find out what further twists were to be revealed.
Neve is a top lawyer so when she is handed the case of defending Wade Darling after his original barrister jumped in front of a train, she sees the opportunities open before her to make her name as a top barrister. Unfortunately, she has a secret that she is desperate to keep hidden but someone knows and threatens to reveal it if she doesn't lose the trial. What should she do? Throw the trial and destroy herself or defend her client to the best of her ability and threaten not only herself but those she loves?
Conviction is a rollercoaster of a ride that builds and builds with tension, full of twists and turns that had me hanging on every page not knowing what was going to happen next. Full of great characters and written at a fast pace, I would recommend to lovers of great thrillers and courtroom dramas.
Definitely one of my reads of 2023 and thanks must go to Simon & Schuster UK and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of Conviction.
Neve is a top lawyer so when she is handed the case of defending Wade Darling after his original barrister jumped in front of a train, she sees the opportunities open before her to make her name as a top barrister. Unfortunately, she has a secret that she is desperate to keep hidden but someone knows and threatens to reveal it if she doesn't lose the trial. What should she do? Throw the trial and destroy herself or defend her client to the best of her ability and threaten not only herself but those she loves?
Conviction is a rollercoaster of a ride that builds and builds with tension, full of twists and turns that had me hanging on every page not knowing what was going to happen next. Full of great characters and written at a fast pace, I would recommend to lovers of great thrillers and courtroom dramas.
Definitely one of my reads of 2023 and thanks must go to Simon & Schuster UK and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of Conviction.
ClareR (6106 KP) rated Black Thorn in Books
May 22, 2024
I found Black Thorn on my kindle, downloaded last year from NetGalley and forgotten (I’m sorry). So in recompense and quite a lot of guilt, I bought the audiobook. I’m very glad I did. Imogen Church does a great job of reading this rather disturbing story from Agnes Gale’s point of view. She’s the adult daughter of one of the men responsible for the building and sale of the houses in an exclusive development on the Cornish cliffs.
Just weeks after moving in, six people, including children, are dead. All the remaining inhabitants are told to leave their homes as they’re deemed unsafe, and the whole development is cordoned off. Agnes is sure there’s more to it, so she decides to investigate.
There’s a really unnerving atmosphere to this story, probably made more so coming from Agnes’ point of view. She’s autistic, and even though she’s adamant that something isn’t right, she’s largely ignored because of her autism. The insights into Agnes’ personality and her inner thoughts were sensitively handled and realistic, I thought.
All of the characters were really well developed: Errol, Agnes’ friend; Christie her brother; and Trevor her fathers business partner, especially.
This was a thoroughly good listen, and I’m so glad that I (eventually) found it!
Just weeks after moving in, six people, including children, are dead. All the remaining inhabitants are told to leave their homes as they’re deemed unsafe, and the whole development is cordoned off. Agnes is sure there’s more to it, so she decides to investigate.
There’s a really unnerving atmosphere to this story, probably made more so coming from Agnes’ point of view. She’s autistic, and even though she’s adamant that something isn’t right, she’s largely ignored because of her autism. The insights into Agnes’ personality and her inner thoughts were sensitively handled and realistic, I thought.
All of the characters were really well developed: Errol, Agnes’ friend; Christie her brother; and Trevor her fathers business partner, especially.
This was a thoroughly good listen, and I’m so glad that I (eventually) found it!
Morgan Sheppard (1007 KP) created a post
Feb 17, 2026
ClareR (6106 KP) rated Love Forms in Books
Mar 8, 2026 - 7:08 PM
Love Forms was an enjoyable read - I liked it. It looks at the complex feelings Dawn has in the search for her daughter that she gave cup at birth. She now has two adult sons who are aware of their older sister, but Dawn still feels as though something, or someone, is missing.
She seems to have given up many things in her life all for the benefit of others. Giving up her daughter was to stop the scandal for her family; she gave up her career for the benefit of her marriage (it didn’t work) and her children. Being a doctor at the time was incompatible with motherhood for her.
This is a very melancholic read: Dawn appears to be lonely now her children have grown up and moved away. Her time is taken up with thoughts of her past, missed opportunities, and the search for her daughter. She has had failed attempts to find her daughter, and it sounds as though there were financial repercussions as well. There’s no mention of friends, as far as I can remember, just one male friend with benefits.
Should this have been on the Booker long list 2025 and now on the Women’s Prize long list? Why not, it’s an enjoyable, if rather sombre read.
She seems to have given up many things in her life all for the benefit of others. Giving up her daughter was to stop the scandal for her family; she gave up her career for the benefit of her marriage (it didn’t work) and her children. Being a doctor at the time was incompatible with motherhood for her.
This is a very melancholic read: Dawn appears to be lonely now her children have grown up and moved away. Her time is taken up with thoughts of her past, missed opportunities, and the search for her daughter. She has had failed attempts to find her daughter, and it sounds as though there were financial repercussions as well. There’s no mention of friends, as far as I can remember, just one male friend with benefits.
Should this have been on the Booker long list 2025 and now on the Women’s Prize long list? Why not, it’s an enjoyable, if rather sombre read.
ClareR (6106 KP) rated My Good Bright Wolf in Books
Mar 30, 2025
I knew that My Good Bright Wolf was a memoir, it says it is in the title after all, but when I started reading it, I thought I’d downloaded the wrong book. I’m a lover of fairytales, and this memoir reads as such in places, especially as it’s written in the 3rd person. This also seems to create a distance between the author and their story.
At its heart is Moss’ battle with anorexia. After reading about her childhood and her parents, it would be unrealistic to think that both of these factors had nothing to do with her eating disorder. In fact, some of her most intrusive thoughts have her parents voices.
Throughout is Moss’ love of literature, and how the books she read - the girls and women that they portrayed - influenced her self-worth.
This is a story of how women are policed, constrained and ultimately how they are treated in illness. It’s also a story of never feeling that you’re good enough and a lack of control over everything - except the control over what you put in your body.
This really is a stunning, shocking, very emotional memoir, and it reinforces to me what an exceptional author Sarah Moss is.
At its heart is Moss’ battle with anorexia. After reading about her childhood and her parents, it would be unrealistic to think that both of these factors had nothing to do with her eating disorder. In fact, some of her most intrusive thoughts have her parents voices.
Throughout is Moss’ love of literature, and how the books she read - the girls and women that they portrayed - influenced her self-worth.
This is a story of how women are policed, constrained and ultimately how they are treated in illness. It’s also a story of never feeling that you’re good enough and a lack of control over everything - except the control over what you put in your body.
This really is a stunning, shocking, very emotional memoir, and it reinforces to me what an exceptional author Sarah Moss is.