Unborn by Rachel McLean

Synopsis:

America, 2026.

Feminism has been defeated.

Equality is a memory.

And abortion has been criminalised.

Three women find themselves on the wrong side of the law. Kate, carrying the child of a sexual predator. Grace, whose baby will be born with a fatal deformity. And Cindee: abused, abandoned and pregnant.

Their punishment will fit their crime.

Can these three very different women come together to fight an oppressive system and win their freedom?

Review:

If you loved The Handmaid’s Tale you will love this book. And if you didn’t, you will still love this book and it should be read by everyone as a compulsory warning. Rachel McLean is very skilfully speculating on what society might look like if men are the ones with the power and women are once again seen as reproductive property. However, this is a gentler version of that kind of world, not as brutal as Handmaid’s Tale, so would make a perfect introduction to that kind of genre.

The story covers short few months in the lives of three women form different social classes. A criminal lawyer Kate, mother-of-three teacher Grace and a sixteen year old shy and scared girl Cindee. Their lives are turned upside down because of one thing and that is pregnancy and loss. Whether the loss is by choice or by accident, the law sees all three women as criminals as abortion is unlawful and proving a miscarriage is harder than ever.

Fantastic, through provoking read. Ii is horrifying for me to think that this is how things used to be (and still are in some countries and worse) and it could always return to that too. Just depends on who is in power. One wrong person and civilisation can be turned upside down.

Thank you very much to TBConFB and the author for this book.

Rating: 5/5

Available to pre-order from:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Witch Dust by Marilyn Messik

Synopsis:

For Sandra, daughter of illusionists, Adam and Ophelia, life’s never been run of the mill! But when Adam’s wandering eye lights on yet another conquest, it proves a chorus girl too far, and Sandra’s caught in the reverberations of her parents acrimonious parting. Coerced into restoring her depressed Mother to the bosom of a family Sandra never knew existed, she’s sucked into a situation that even for her is unnerving.

From being without a single relative, she suddenly acquires several she’d rather do without, and learns a few home truths she’d prefer not to know. Ophelia, it appears, has not been entirely honest about any number of things. There’s no doubt in Sandra’s mind, the sooner she puts as much distance as possible between herself, her newly discovered nearest and dearest, their peculiar tendencies and their failing hotel business, the happier she’s going to be.

Dire straits call for desperate measures and Sandra reluctantly rises to the occasion. A hanged housemaid, a fly-on-the-wall documentary, The Psychic Society and a quasi co-operative journalist all handled correctly should, she reckons, get the family business up and running, which will allow her to do the same – as fast as she can, and in the opposite direction. Things unfortunately move swiftly from bad to farce and then get a hell of a lot darker. One moment Sandra’s struggling to save the family’s income, the next, she’s battling to save their lives.

Review:

What a wonderful book and not entirely what I expected. I thought I was going to read an easy, quick-read, relaxing king of book and this is all that, but also so much more. This novel is a pure joy to read with funny and eccentric characters galore.

Sandra (or Serenissima as she was named by her parents) is a daughter of a magical due. However, just how magical she doesn’t get to realise until she is thrown completely out of what she knows and into the midst of a crazy family, she never knew she had.

Suddenly she is trying to save a family, hotel business, fighting a grumpy old great grandmother, avoiding strange grandmother, who seems to pop out in the weirdest of places and saving herself from a force she just cannot quite put her finger on.

This novel is full of twists and turns, with fabulous characters you will adore and many family secrets that come to blows and only one person to save the day – even if she does not really want to. Yes, this has an air of the supernatural, but anyone enjoying something a little different or just wants that break from a world overflowing with serious news, will love this book.

Thank you very much to TBConFB and the author for this book.

Rating: 5/5

Available to pre-order from:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

The Last Bell by Lana Melyan (The Weight of Magic #6)

Synopsis:

While we deal with our personal drama, another problem knocks on the door.
As the Order starts tracking the Callahan bloodline all over again, they find their way to River Stones.

In an attempt to keep me safe, Gran makes a decision to move out. Her decision is based on two reasons.

First, she is afraid someone from the Order might recognise her. It will make it obvious that I am Callahan, and that's why she needs to stay away from me.

And the second: Nate is the only one who can protect me, and she wants him to move in so he can be next to me day and night.

Will the Order find me? I wish that was the only thing I had to worry about.

Review:

Onto number six in this fab novella series and things are quickly moving on and into a more dangerous territory.

After their little victory in book five and with the sword being nearly ready, our group of heroes try to relax and behave like a group on normal young adults. However, as always, somebody has a different plan and there is no time to stand still.

I think the only thing that slightly went against the grain with this one was Nicki and Nate’s relationship at the start of the book. I felt it was wasting a bit of time and reminded me too much of Twilight books and that has been done too many times now in various genres. I do like their relationship and how much more mature is has made them both, so I felt the start was unnecessary.

Working past that, the story was fast paced, exciting and sad and I am looking forward to finding out where the road leads next.

Thank you very much to the author and TBConFB for this book.

Rating: 4/5

Available from:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley

Synopsis:

One green notebook. Six strangers. The chance to start being honest...

Six strangers with one universal thing in common: their lives aren’t always what they make them out to be.

But what would happen if they told the truth instead?

Julian begins The Authenticity Project – a small green notebook containing his ‘truth’ – to pass on and encourage others to share their own.

Little does he know that this small act of honesty will impact all those who come into contact with the book, and lead to a life-changing world of friendship and forgiveness…

Review:

This book was the best start to 2020 reading. What a pure joy, fantastic concept and brilliant characters. I had high hopes for this one upon reading the blurb and it didn’t disappoint. This will be bought as presents this year and this will be recommended to everyone I know – I will bore people talking about this book, but I don’t care, it’s so good!

What if you found a book that called for the ultimate truth. The truth you would never say out loud, the truth that you are scared off, that keeps you up at night, that embarrasses you. The kind of truth you know would feel so good admit, but at the same time is absolutely terrifying.

Well that’s exactly what happens to Monica. Owner of a café, seemingly happy, friendly, has-it-all kind of person. Until she finds The Authenticity Project notebook with one story in it. Story of a lonely, elderly gentleman, once life-of-a-party artist, Julian Jessop. It is up to Monica now to carry on or abandon the project. Of course, she chooses to continue the truth telling, writing down her deepest thoughts.

Unbeknown to him at the time, when Julian leaves the notebook in Monica’s café, he starts a series of events that change the lives of a handful of carefully chosen people including his own. People that really need a helping hand, even if they don’t know it yet.

This novel was such a pleasure to read. It is a thoughtful story of people like you and me, that sometimes think they are perfectly happy until something comes along to shows us a better way of life. People have become shut away from reality with technology, modern day issues and busy live styles. I do wonder if finding such a notebook would really make people stop and think.

This book will stay with me for a while. It definitely got me thinking – what would I write in that notebook if I was to find it?

Thank you very much to NetGalley and the author for this amazing story.

Rating: 5/5

Available to pre-order from:

Amazon UK

Amazon US