NetGalley Reviewer nix21230

How selfish can someone be?!?!!  Asking your twin sister to stand in for you during a blind date arranged by your boss, so you stand a better chance for a promotion than your rival at work? Sure, I could possibly accept this as a ONE OFF, but not for Margaux to expect her twin Sloane to continue seeing Roman, still pretending to be Margaux and to be boring... Neither can I understand how the (female) boss thought this was acceptable to even suggest! Ignoring all of this, Renshaw has created a beautiful story between Roman and Sloane, which was extremely enjoyable to read. I loved the art element of the story, including the little twist. The way Roman protected his daughters was believable and added to his character. The romance developing between Sloane and Roman was captivating too.  You or Someone Like You by Winter Renshaw is out on 18 July 2023, but you can pre-order your copy now. If you use my link below, I get a small percentage of your purchase (at no extra cost to yo...

Last year, I read the brilliant "The Naughty Or Nice Clause" written by Kate Callaghan, so when I saw she had another book available on Netgalley I grabbed it as soon as I could. I was not disappointed!  In "Ms Perfectly Fine", Callaghan mixes romance and a bit of suspense to create a hard to put down enemies to lovers story. Autumn, a professional pianist is finally ready for the spotlight again after her tragic accident and she's practicing all hours to be fully prepared for her first public concert in ten years. However, she's not prepared for or welcoming the distraction of her landlord suddenly having let half of the house where she's living to someone else. Having IT geek Elijah suddenly appear inside her house in the early hours, is a shock to say the least!  At the beginning of the book it's very easy to side with Autumn against the Elijah, but as the story evolves, the good and the bad of the two characters evens out. Eating your housemates ...

This book caught me by surprise!  Great storyline, fantastic characters and the added twist of some unconventional healing powers brought this book to the next level.  Please tell me that there is another book in the works so we can find out more about Brian, pretty please with a cherry on top?!

Despite not being a main character in the story, I really loved Nana Irene! She's the clever lady behind everything that happens! She forces the three cousins, Taryn, Anna Rose and Jorja to work together to look after her flower shop The Lucky Shamrock whilst she takes care of her best friend Ruby following her recent surgery. They have all got fond memories of their grandmother and the flower shop, but less so of each other so it's not without hesitation and trepidation that the three of them agree to help put.  It gets off to a rocky start, as expected, but events in the village soon keep them all busy and they have to work together to stay on top of orders coming in. To their help the have Clinton who's been helping Irene and Ruby with deliveries - and now he is finding himself in a bit of a mediator role.  From the clever Nana Irene and her friendship with Ruby, the village girls competing for Clinton and the many free meals, the dark pasts of the three cousins and the ...

I cannot believe this is Katy Turner's first book! She (and the team at Joffe Books) has made an amazing job. Thank you for letting me read an ARC of this fantastic story.  It all starts off with Holly missing out on her "it's in the bag" veterinary job in Ascot. Instead she is strongly encouraged to take up a position in a small fishing village in Scotland for a year. With no other job to fall back on, she reluctantly heads north. Quickly making friends with two of her work colleagues Holly settles in pretty smoothly; if only the boss was that easy to get on with.... As the year progresses we follow Holly and her friends through events like cake sales, dances, dog shows, and Friday nights at the pub.  I really enjoyed that there were more than one leading couple in this story; this is much more a story about life in Scotland than a narrow minded enemies to lovers romance story. Holly and Greg, Chloe and Angus, Paolo and Fab/Hamish, but also the interaction between Gr...

Romance story where two people running competing businesses fall for each other and let chemistry talk in stead of listening to common sense. Entertaining, somewhat believable, and an easy, enjoyable read. Perfect for the beach this summer! #BoundtotheRivalCEO #NetGalley

Following Covid and the introduction of remote working for those who were normally office based, we've all had to use various collaboration tools to improve the way we work together. Simon wants to take it one step further by advocating for collaboration tools to be used for creating a more productive and engaging work environment. At the centre there needs to be a central hub (such as Slack or Microsoft Teams) where we communicate and share files, combined with ways to interact and communicate (such as Zoom or Google Meet) including video calls and making presentations. By having everything saved in a central place, real-time conversations and sharing of files are easier. Simon provides a number of tips on how to use collaboration tools effectively. He argues that it is important to create a culture of collaboration within the organisation, and to provide training (during paid working hours) on how to use the tools effectively.  I found this book to be informative and reassuring, ...

I am not really sure why I picked this book on Netgalley; I don't even watch TV or get excited by seeing so called celebrities on the streets of London (UK). To me,  Managing the Matthews comes across as a peak behind the scenes of how unreal so called reality TV is, with scripted scenes, added drama and fall outs to ensure viewers return episode after episode, and series after series. It also provided a (fictional) insight into the life of a Hollywood celebrity manager; although Kell came across as far too kind in what I'd expect to be a cut-throat environment.  Interesting story which was easy to read. Assuming there'll be other books in the series, I'll pick them up if they appear on Netgalley or Kindle Unlimited.  #ManagingtheMatthews #NetGalley 

This is a story about strained family relationships, forgiveness and giving second chances. It's well written and easy to get into. Will Fairweather is a middle-aged man who is struggling with his life; in the middle of a divorce, with work at a standstill and he's not really sure what he wants to do, or how he fits in.  When he receives a call from his father Red, Will reluctantly agrees to move in with him. What Will doesn't know is that Red has recently been diagnosed with cancer and wants them to reconnect. Spending time with Red, Will realises that there is much more to his father than he thought.  All in all, it is a heartwarming and amusing story showing that there can be good in life! #OldBoys #NetGalley

How to Write a Short Story in Five Days is part of the "How to do stuff" series by Jason Fink. As it says on the tin (cover), it provides a formula to write a short story in just five days, but also tools to develop as a writer. In short day one is used to plan your story including come up with ideas, invent a few characters and create a rough outline. The next day it's time to write the first draft without overthinking it too much. Just write! Based on your work from Day 2, you spend Day 3 refining and editing the draft. Assuming all has gone well so far, during Day 4 it's time to polish the story and hopefully have some input from early readers to work in (or ignore!).  The final day is allocated for formatting of the story and sending it off for publication, Simples! Fink provides lots of tips and ideas, as well as writing exercises in the book and this is one of few times I really wished I had a printed copies so I easily could make notes as I read. #HowtoWriteaSh...

A Paris Odyssey is the third book in the Odyssey series by Axel Forrester.  When I found this one on Netgalley, I realised that I hadn't yet read the second story - A Chinese Odyssey. Fortunately they are all short stories and only takes an hour or two to read each, so I went and read the previous first; I definitely recommend reading them all in order! In this instalment Grant heads to Paris (surprise, surprise!) for a few weeks to get inspired by Parisian life and develop his art - again his cameras are the main instruments.  Using his cameras and a lot of walking he explores mainly the non-touristy parts of Paris; all made even more interesting with the characterful people he gets to know and hangs out with. As with Forrester's two previous stories, it is part autobiography, part fiction, written like a diary documenting life in Paris. What you see is what you get and a great way to explore a new place.  I wonder where Grant is heading next! #AParisOdyssey #NetGalley

A Chinese Odyssey is the second book in the Odyssey series by Axel Forrester.  In this instalment Grant heads to rural China to document a trip by teachers to learn more about the Chinese school system.  As with A Cornish Odyssey, this short story (less than 200 pages) is part autobiography, part fiction.  Written in a straight forward, plain English, diary style tone, it provides insight into a part of China that not many has the opportunity to see.  All in all, an enjoyable and quick humours read.

A well-woven and engaging historical novel set before, during and after the second world war.  Elisabetta, Marco, and Sandro have been best friends since forever.  Elisabetta loves her books and dreams of being a writer herself. Marco is the sporty one, with a father who hopes he'll be the next professional cyclist in the family. Finally, Marco is the brains, an extremely promising mathematician, and Jewish. As the war develop, the three long-term best friends suddenly realise that according to the new rules they are no longer equal. As they get older, their friendship develops into something more; Elisabetta is in love with both Marco and Sandro, and they both love her. They somehow manage to all three get along, with Marco and Sandro taking turns in spending time with Elisabetta.  The vivid story-telling by Scottoline brings the reader straight back to an occupied and war torn Rome, with poignant description of daily life including the struggles and the injustice experi...

When Christmas is no longer your thing and you don't want to be the Debbie Downer ruining the season for everyone, then you book yourself a cottage in a secluded space and prepare to hunker down throughout the "festive" season. However, when someone else has exactly the same plan and end up at the same cottage as you, suddenly the "alone at Christmas" no longer is a possibility. I love how Rose and Charlie awkwardly cope with the situation, sending text messages and leaving notes for each other in the kitchen - all in an effort to allow the other one to be alone.  As the story develops the many layers of the characters come to life and it's easy to get invested in their wellbeing and cheering them on! There is happiness, but also sadness in this story and some parts may be better read in privacy than on the commute... I highly recommend this Christmas story, even in April!! #ThisChristmas #NetGalley