Sunday 24 January 2021

REVIEW - Hell's Teeth - it's got bite

Date read: 24th January 2021

My rating: 4*
Genre I reckon: Paranormal Fantasy + Sciencey
Buy link: Amazon 

Follow the author: James Fahy


Phew, that was a wild ride!

I love how one's perceptions are subtly tested with this book. 
The vampires are not your trapped in a time warp type. They live in a dystopian future alongside humans in walled cities. The Pale are the major threat, not the "Genetic Others". 

The main character, Phoebe Harkness, is a scientist trying to correct the mistakes of the past. Extremely clever yet naive but full of snark - love her! 
She has much to learn, and it's all done the hard way as she's dragged from one horrific situation to another through no fault of her own. 

All the characters are well-developed and leap off the page to pull you into this gripping story. 
There's plenty of other-worldly beings involved - not always as they first appear to be. 

It's gruesome, scary and exciting! A unique take on vampires.


Always in love and light,
TL


Thursday 21 January 2021

PONDERINGS - Depression; an open letter

 


In this post, I'm going to get 'real' - you've been warned! 

And no, I have no idea why the photo app turned my eyes from blue to brown!? 


2020 was HARD! It sucked capitalised Donkey Balls! I think we can all agree on that. 

What's been most frustrating for me is that my depression has started biting harder and more frequently again. After many years of navel gazing & self-love, I'd gotten the hang of it and kept my mental health moderately stable. So, to see it sink is terrifying and annoying. But, there's no escaping that it's taken a battering. As, I'm sure, have many people's. 

Social isolation is a form of torture - prisoners put in isolation spring to mind. We humans, as a species, are a pack animal - we rely on social structure. To deny us this basic requirement was always going to have a detrimental effect. No days out with my bestie or mother-in-law. Confined to quarters for most of the year. 

Plus, and again, I'm not alone; the financial impact. My book sales were lower and I have had 0 temp jobs since the end of January 2020. I managed to get a few shifts on the run-up to Christmas, but with another lockdown, they're not able to onboard me permanently. 

Yet outgoings have not stopped. My meagre savings are whittling down. And I've fallen through the cracks of government assistance. When I know people who have claimed benefits for many years whilst I've worked and paid into the system for well over 20 years, this is rankles deeply. 

And poor old Pusskin became terribly unwell - she's had a few seizures and now I live in constant worry she's about to have another one with every twitch she makes. It's very stressful! 

2021 arrived, and I KNEW it wasn't about to suddenly make everything magickally better. But my birthday happened. January birthdays are usually miserable, but this one was especially so. Not only was it cold & damp with the usual reluctance to celebrate from others (except Hubby), it had the added benefit of not even being able to go out for a splendid meal. 

I had a mild chest infection on the run-up to Christmas. Then in the new year, another one struck. Illness often sucks me into a downward spiral. 

Oh, and I was hormonal. It was the perfect storm! 

I got triggered. For the first time in ages, I reached "active suicidal ideation" - I was thinking of when and how. In detail. Now, the sensible part of me knew to put a long date on that, so I got through no harm done. But it was a struggle, and I'm not going to deny it. If someone had handed me a way out at that moment I'd have taken it. 

This is not somewhere I thought I'd get to again. There's usually a slippery slope into such darkness, and I've become an expert at spotting the early indicators and taking precautionary measures to boost myself back up - a safety rope to cling onto. 

It's scary how suddenly and deeply this bout hit. 

I'm Mrs Positive - I start each day with a meditation and a positive message on Instagram. I literally wrote the book on Self Love. How the af did this happen? I don't know, and that's the most distressing part. It wasn't even a decent trigger ffs. It was just a culmination of mildly poopey things. 

Depression. It is the darkest of dark. It is the loneliest of lonely. It is the most despairing of despair. 

It can feel like you're in a deep, dark well. Or caged in with nowhere to turn. Trapped. 

BUT it is not the end. You can climb out of that pit, I promise. 

"THIS TOO SHALL PASS" once more saved me. It is a mantra I practice daily so it's ready and waiting for such times. It's short and meaningful. 

After storms there are rainbows. Keep walking through. 

Nothing is forever. 

That's why I'm writing this blog post; a reminder to anyone else who needs it. It is not a woe is me piece. There are plenty of people worse off.

But there are people experiencing dark thoughts - more than ever, and some poor souls are suffering in this way for the first time. YOU ARE NOT ALONE! 

I know of someone, far too young, who recently took their own life. There but by the Grace of God and all that. 

When someone reaches that dreadful conclusion there are always people around them who suffer in turn - the what ifs and guilt are monumental. One would not like to bring that down upon another soul. 

Plus, y'know, you don't want to give up just before the good bit!! 

Find your safe place or happy thought - the one thing you can cling to which brings enough comfort to keep going just for one more day. Then another. And another. Gradually, you get through. 

And there's so much help out there. If you don't have friends or family who understand, there are many helplines. Please, please reach out. Asking for help is the most important thing someone in crisis will do. It takes courage and strength, but it's so worth it. 

You are valid. You have as much right to exist as anyone else. You are loved. 

Life is a journey. There are bad times but there are also good times. It's about learning to balance the light with the darkness - one cannot exist without the other. 


I'm fine now btw - tired and resting but OK. This isn't a cry for help. I have my support network. 

Take care.

Always in love and light,
TL





Sunday 17 January 2021

REVIEW - Death at the Frost Fair - brrrilliant

Date read: 16th January 2021

My rating: 5*
Genre I reckon: Historical Detective Short
Buy link: Amazon 

Follow the author: Karen Charlton



As someone with cockney heritage, I LOVE that this book is set around Blackfriars. It gets into the bowels of London, not the polished front of Regency romance. 

The Frost Fair was a real event and yes, an elephant really did cross the Thames on the ice in 1814! 😲
It's fabulous that this real event offers a colourful backdrop for this tale. 

And it's a great story. The characters are well-developed within the space of this short story. At no point did I feel any details were missing or skipped over. There's a realism here that I found refreshing.
Detective Lavender is a stern chap: Holmes-esque in his methodical manner.

Thoroughly intriguing and enjoyable! 


Always in love and light,
TL

Thursday 14 January 2021

REVIEW - The Princess Trap - a right royal romp

Date read: 7th January 2021

My rating: 4*
Genre I reckon: Sexy Brit Romcom
Buy link: Amazon 

Follow the author: Talia Hibbert 


Hooray - a book with a British heroine of colour! And one of the supporting characters is Muslim. Another is mentioned as being bisexual. But they 'just are' - accepted without causing issues in the story.

Cherry is a stunning, voluptuous, confident, powerhouse of a young woman. 
OK, so she seems totally inappropriate for her HR job in a school...err...academy, but hey, it's fiction. 

Enter in damaged Prince Ruben. Of course, he's devastatingly attractive too. And from some little European island.
At the start, I thought his character was going to be into BDSM, but it's more power play. 
Still, the few sex scenes are hot af! 

I really liked how Cherry was there to rescue the prince; the reverse 'damsel in distress'. 
There was good character development and plenty of action. I cared about what happened to the characters and sped through this book. 

Talking of speed, some aspects did feel a bit rushed. A little more time to expand on some points would've set this book at a 5*.

What I really did appreciate was Cherry calling Ruben out on his errors. She was upset and he was made to know about it, but she asked why he'd acted that way to gain understanding. She showed empathy and compassion.

Trigger warning: domestic violence/abuse.

If you're after a fab, modern, sexy read, pick this book. Because who doesn't love a misunderstood guy trying to be better?


Always in love and light,
TL





Thursday 7 January 2021

REVIEW - Crime Scenes, Cats And Killer Heels - me-ow!

Date read: 7th January 2021

My rating: 3.8*
Genre I reckon: Short Story - Crime with Kitties
Buy link: Amazon 



This is a fun, very short story - I managed to devour it in a day. 

A crime scene cleaner (the kind that works for the law), Alice, manages to obtain the ability to speak to cats. Although, she may regret that - they're rather uppity creatures, and even more demanding once you hear what they wish to say. 

The characters are well-written and the plot whizzed along. I just wish there had been more of a build-up of tension around the murderer. But I'm still recommending as it was a fun read and I'd like to read more. 

Now Pusskin has questions!

Always in love and light,
TL






Wednesday 6 January 2021

REVIEW - Christmas At Snowdrop Cottage - snow galore

 

Date read: 6th January 2021

My rating: 4.5*
Genre I reckon: Christmas Romance
Buy link: Amazon 

Follow the author: Helen J Rolfe

Happy new year! My first book review of 2021. And I'm delighted to say it's a fab one. I started reading before Christmas, but festivities slowed me down even more than usual.

I'm blaming Beaufort Scales and Toot Hansell - that dragon totally led me by the snout to another quaint English village. And lo and behold, there's even baked goods. I'm very glad he did though. 

This is everything you want in a Christmas romance. Beautiful decorations, spices, the possibility of snow, stunning scenery and, of course, love is in the air. 

Belle heads to the village she spent so much time in as a little girl but hasn't visited for 20 years. Her purpose is to make her gran's cottage fit for sale. 
Families have drama, and hers has been torn apart. 
Everywhere she goes, memories start to return.

A lovely Christmassy read 💖
I'm sure more books by this author will appear on my TBR.

Love and light,
TL