Cape May * Chip Cheek

September 1957

Henry and Effie, young newlyweds from Georgia, arrive in Cape May, New Jersey, for their honeymoon. It's the end of the season and the town is deserted. 

As they tentatively discover each other, they begin to realize that everyday married life might be disappointingly different from their happily-ever-after fantasy.

Henry and Effie are the sweetest newlyweds going, when they travel to Cape May for a week for their honeymoon, they are happy to find they have the town to themselves, or so they thought. 

Carla is Effie's nemesis from childhood, when Effie learns that Carla is staying down the street with her lover Max, she isn't all too pleased.  

But when their invited round, Carla has no relocation of ever being this mean to Effie. With the drinks flowing, music playing and the elegant nights starting to set in, all is soon forgotten as the glamorous parties start to pull Henry and Effie in. 

Though will their marriage last when temptation is just around the corner? As truths are exchanged, lies are told and secrets are kept under lock and key...Can everything be as smooth sailing in their new life as the couple hoped? Especially on New Hampton Avenue.  

Cape May by Chip Cheek,  is the first novel written by the author. I liked the sound of the book as I felt it had the same feel as Tigers in Red Weather that I read a couple years back. 

Set in the 1950's I was drawn to the synopsis, I do love a book set in these eras and it was a good read. The story itself followed the lives of two newlyweds as they navigate through their first weeks of marriage and honeymoon on their own told by the young husband, Henry. 

The first section of the book I really loved, the plot flowed and it worked, there are a few moments where I got a little confused on who is who but then it started to make sense. However, towards the end of the book, and I'll be honest here and its just out of preference, I did get slightly annoyed with one of the characters and the story started to seem like you had picked up an entirely different book. 

With all that said though, I did enjoy the book and it was a quick enjoyable read. I would happily read more by this author in the near future. 

I will be giving this book a 6 out of 10

Cape May is Chip Cheek's debut novel and will be released on 30th April 2019 so be sure to check it out for yourselves and let me know what you think! Many thanks to NetGally and Orion Publishing Group for the advanced copy. 

How to Stop Time * Matt Haig

How many lifetimes does it take to learn how to live? 

Tom Hazard has a dangerous secret. He may look like an ordinary 41-year-old history teacher, but he's been a live for centuries. From Elizabethan England to Jazz-Age Paris, from New York to the South Seas, Tom has seen it all. 

As long as he keeps changing his identity he can stay one step ahead of his past- and stay alive. 

The only thing he must not do is fall in love...

Tom Hazard isn't your normal man, though he looks forty-one he is actually a lot older. He's mingled with the Fitzgeralds, worked for Shakespeare and Captain Cook and played for Aretha Franklin. 

But what if you didn't want to live through all the decades again? What if you were just so fed up, that all you want is a normal life? Though being normal in an underground society is hard, they will always find you and hunt you down. 

The only thing that keeps Tom going is the promise that he made all those years ago and he won't stop, can't stop until he has fixed it all. 

There are many ways to start a fresh life, to live another identity, to forget and move on. But there are also many things that Tom can never erase and Marion is one of them. 

How to Stop Time by Matt Haig, is the first novel that I have read by the author and although it took me a while to get to grips in what was happening within the plot, once I got the hang of it, was beautiful.  

The story itself is very unique and well thought out, the history aspect and the way that Haig has moulded his story around the past is very clever. The only downside that I would have with this book is that in some places it did take a while to get into and it was a bit long winded at first, but I feel looking back now, that the story did need it. 

All in all I highly enjoyed this book and will most certainly be reading more by this unique author, if you have not yet read anything my Matt Haig, make this your first read.

I will be giving this book 8 out of 10

The Light Fantastic * Terry Pratchett

'What shall we do?' said Twoflower.
'Panic?' said Rincewind hopefully. He always held that panic was the best means of survival.

As it moves towards a seemingly inevitable collision with a malevolent red star, the Discworld could do with a hero. What it doesn’t need is a singularly inept and cowardly wizard, still recovering from the trauma of falling off the edge of the world, or a well-meaning tourist and his luggage which has a mind (and legs) of its own. Which is a shame because that's all there is...

Rincewind never seems to be able to get it right, no matter what he says or does in life. 

Last time we saw him, he has just fallen off the face of the Dicworld with his unassigned, utterly useless sidekick - Twoflower. 

Fortunately for them, they landed in a good place albeit in a different continent, away from home and in the company of Bethan, Cohen the barbarian and a bunch of talking boulders. The good bit being that they didn't die on impact. 

Though as always, trouble seems to follow Rincewind and with a rather large bounty on his head for the spell that got lodged in there in the first place (even though he doesn't know how to cast it) he starts to ask his usual question to no one in particular...'why me?'

Some, bloody Wizard alright!

The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett, is the second novel in the Discworld series and I can finally say that I got round to reading it, even though it only took another five years since reading the first novel. 

The story follows on from where it left off in The Colour of Magic , you get to see more of Rincewind and Towflower's friendship which I shall always treasure as its a loving relationship, the kind you get when someone is highly annoyed by them but they still care deeply for them.  

I must say, it did take me a while to read this one, as did when I was reading TCOM. In some ways the book is a little like the first where it quickens up in places then slows right down, there was quite a few things that I was getting a bit confused with, a bit like sensory overload (Though I suppose with a five year gap you would do!)

Never the less, I enjoyed it and the ending was great, I am sad to find out that the next book in the series, doesn't contain both the wizard and tourist but there are more books further down the series where they make a return appearance. I will continue to read the whole series as it is still very enjoyable with some highly hilarious moments in it.  

I will be giving this books 7 out of 10

Unlocked * Maya Cross

The heart can lead you to dangerous places. Abandoned by the man she loves, with nothing more than sweet words and riddles for an explanation, Sophia Pearce felt like her life was crumbling before her eyes. And then they came for her. Now, things will never be the same.

Confronted with the truth about Sebastian's identity, she’s thrust into a high stakes world beyond anything she could have imagined. A world that threatens much more than just her feelings. Sebastian’s enemies will stop at nothing to get what they want, and they want her.

Sebastian and Sophia's relationship isn't all plain sailing at the moment. He's hiding secrets from Sophia and he wants anything to do with her - yet why does she still love him? 

Though when Sophia is kidnapped, everything changes. Sebastian has no choice but to let her in on the world of 'The Alpha Group' and soon everything is more complicated than Sophia feared. 

When someone is trying to sabotage their relationship left, right and centre. There's no option but to run in all directions and hide, but neither of them will go down without a fight. 

Who is in on all of this? Are secrets best left buried? And who really wants them dead?

Unlocked by Maya Cross, is the third and last instalment in 'The Alpha Group' series which I have thoroughly enjoyed. I loved both of their characters, Sophia stayed true to herself and didn't waver to the Damsel in distress kind of girl like are in most books of this genre.

The book itself changed towards the end in a way I was not expecting, but in a good way. I would happily read more by this author in the future. In someways the storyline did drag on a bit and there was some repetitions going on with Sophia, but all in all it was a good read. 

I will be giving this book a 7 out of 10