Janet Jackson's Yorkshire B & B by Becky Papworth - #BookReveiw #BlogTour

 

How would I describe Lavender Cottage? You'd never know from the outside quite how big the garage cottage is. It has a pitched, red slate roof you can actually touch if you stretch high enough - useful when clearing the gutters - and a small, pale green, uPVC door, which looks like wood, with two square casement windows either side. The duck-egg linen curtains in the windows are ones I knocked up myself. (Well done, Janet.) They look decent, as long as you don't interrogate them  too closely. They're not straight, plus I ran out of green and white cotton, so I went with a navy blue zigzag stitch. Hopefully it looks deliberate, like something Kirstie Allsopp might run up in a quiet morning.

***

Dental receptionist and Yorkshire lass Janet Jackson (no, not that one) has just turned her garage into a Bed & Breakfast - and without any experience at all, is now awaiting her very first guests.

What can possibly go wrong?

Helped by sulky teenage daughter Chloe and hindered by sex-mad sister Maureen, Janet lurches from one crisis to another, relying on her Yorkshire wit and wisdom to get her through with her bank balance, her love-life and her sanity intact.

A word of warning: if ever you've dreamed of running a B & B, read this book and, like Janet, you'll probably do it anyway.

***

I am so very glad that I was offered the opportunity of being part of the blog tour for this book. It is a little different to my usual reading fare but I enjoyed every word.

I think that its appeal to readers will largely lie with the main character, the titular Janet Jackson. She was a delightful character, and I think most readers will find something in her with which they will identify. The author has not only portrayed her as likeable and engaging, but has developed all of the other characters thoughtfully and thoroughly too. They each contribute to the story, and it will be quite some time before I forget about Maureen, who is Janet's sister and completely attention worthy in so many ways.

As we observe Janet being coerced by those around her, it was a joy to observe how she reins back control of her own life. I felt as though I was accompanying a friend on her journey rather than reading her story and I felt a little bereft to finish the book. I was left wanting more of Janet, her family and friends, and not forgetting the array of guests who frequent her B and B.

Written with humour throughout, this is a wonderfully pleasurable book to read and I recommend it to anyone who wants a lighthearted read but with enough depth to keep you enthralled.

ISBN: 978 1739794811 

Publisher: Can Can Press

Formats: e-book and paperback

No. of Pages: 254 (paperback)

About the Author:

Becky Paapworth has spent 20 years making people laugh as a TV Producer on shows like Have I Got News For You, Rab. C. Nesbitt and Citizen Khan. She's hoping to entertain readers with this account of running a B&B, some of it is based on her own experience (she's not saying which bits).

(Thank you Rachel's Random Resources for gifting me a copy of this book)

Eve of Man by Giovanna and Tom Fletcher - #BookReview

"Against all odds, she survived. The first girl born in fifty years. They called her Eve."

All her life Eve has been kept away from the opposite sex. Kept from the truth of her past. 

But at sixteen it's time for Eve to face her destiny. Three potential males have been selected for her. The future of humanity is in her hands. She's always accepted her fate.

Until she meets Bram.

Eve wants control over her life. She wants freedom.

But how do you choose between love and the future of the human race?

Eve of Man is the first in an explosive new trilogy by bestselling authors Tom and Giovanna Fletcher.

I rarely venture into young adult territory in my reading but this one came highly recommended so I thought I would give it a go. I am very glad that I did because I enjoyed it very much.

The two main characters, Eve and Bram, were extremely likeable and from the first page I was rooting for them. One of the reasons that I steer clear of the YA genre is the teenage angst. I appreciate that we all go through it, then relive it again with our children, and is a very relevant part of growing up. However, the authors did not make it a prominent feature of the story and so I really enjoyed getting to know Eve and Bram.

I equally enjoyed spending time in this new world and I thought the authors did a great job of creating a new future existence and it felt real at all times.

The dual perspective which runs through this book was well executed. I liked being able to assess the situation from both Eve and Bram's point of view and it added an immediacy to the novel.

I am not giving anything away by saying that the ending left me hanging on a cliff edge and I cannot wait to read the next part in this trilogy. This is a strong start for what looks like an exciting trilogy of books.

The book had a cinematic quality and I can well imagine this being turned into a film. If you enjoyed The Hunger Games or The Handmaid's Tale I think you will really enjoy reading Eve of Man.


ISBN:  978 0718186340

Publisher: Michael Joseph

About the Authors:

Giovanna and Tom Fletcher are two of the UK's most successful authors. Tom is the creator of The Christmasaurus, which was the biggest debut children's novel of 2016, while Giovanna's novel, Some Kind of Wonderful, was one of the bestselling women's fiction titles of 2017. Their books have sold over 1.5 million copies and have been translated into over 30 languages. Their social media platforms have a combined audience of almost 6 million followers. Tom and Giovanna married in 2012 and are parents to two boys, Buzz and Buddy.

Eve of Man is their first novel as a writing duo, and the first in a trilogy.