Weekly Tales – 14/12/2014
Welcome to my weekly wrap up on Tales Of Yesterday where I share what I have been reading this week, what books I have bought or have been privileged to have received and any general bookish or sometimes not so bookish things I have been up to over the past week.
Currently Reading
I’ve just started to read this in preparation for my part on the Milked Blog Tour for this book! I’m really enjoying this book so far. Look out for my review on 20th December as part of the tour!
This week I also finished The Dreamsnatcher by Abi Elphinstone – such a wonderful, magical book. I have rated it as a full star rating on my Goodreads and my review will follow very shortly. I just hope my review can do this wonderful book justice!
I still have not started my Christmas reads….I must start soon! *hangs head in shame*
Book Post
I have been extremely lucky and privileged this week to have received some books from publishers and authors to read and review.
Firstly I would like to thank the lovely author Sarah Sky for sending me a copy of her two books – the first which is already out and the 2nd which is due out in January 2015 which Sarah kindly signed for me. I cannot wait to read these! Thank you so much Sarah. I have also been asked to do a promo post for Fashion Assassin which will feature on Tales Of Yesterday just after publication date!
Publisher – Scholastic
Published – 5th June 2014
Models, spies and lipstick gadgets in this fast-paced new teen series. Jessica Cole is just your average teenager, except when she’s strutting down the glamorous catwalks of Paris. When her father, a former spy, vanishes mysteriously, Jessica takes matters into her own hands. She’s not just good at striking a pose, she’s going to take on MI6 and beat them at their own game. Following her father’s trail, Jessica’s investigation lands her hot on the heels of a deranged former supermodel, Allegra Knight, who plans to unleash mayhem on an unsuspecting teenage population with the launch of her new miracle face cream, Teenosity.
Publisher – Scholastic
Published – 1st January 2015
Models, spies and lipstick gadgets in this fast-paced teen series. Supermodel Jessica Cole has no intention of ever spying again after she was nearly killed by an embittered ex-model and a rogue MI6 agent. That is until she’s blackmailed into posing undercover as bodyguard to a very rich fellow model. What seems like a simple job aboard a luxurious yacht in Monaco soon turns into a deadly mission to stop the most dangerous weapon in the world falling into the wrong hands. Jessica will need every gadget in her make-up bag if she wants to get out of this one alive.
Another wonderful author has also been very kind sending me our a proof of her book which is due to be released in May 2015 – Thank you so much to M G Reyes for sending this wonderful book – I cannot wait to read!
Publisher – Katherine Tegan Books
Published – 26th May 2015
Six gorgeous teens, all legally emancipated from parental control, move into their dream house on L.A.’s infamous Venice Beach only to discover their perfect setup may be too good to be true. The roommates—a diva, a jock, a former child star, a hustler, a musician, and a hacker—all harbor dark secrets but manage to form a kind of dysfunctional family. Until one of them is caught in a lie and everyone’s freedom is put on the line. How far are they each willing to go to hide the past? And who will they betray to protect their future?
I have also received this little beauty via Lovereading and the publisher – this looks like a wintery type of read!
Publisher – Hesperus Press
Publication Date – 16th January 2015
Something had followed them home from Russia – a thought-provoking and chilling drama, Mind of Winter will leave you with a lingering sense of unease before reaching its shocking conclusion. A chilling and dark psychological drama, Mind of Winter is a spine-tingling and beautifully written novel that will leave you guessing until the very last page – perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn or Kate Atkinson. Something had followed them home from Russia. On a snowy Christmas morning, Holly Judge awakens with the fragments of a nightmare floating on the edge of her consciousness. Thirteen years ago, she and her husband Eric adopted baby Tatty, their pretty, black-haired Rapunzel, from the Pokrovka Orphanage #2. Now, at fifteen, Tatiana is more beautiful than ever – and disturbingly erratic. As a blizzard rages outside, Holly and Tatiana are alone. With each passing hour, Tatiana’s mood darkens, and her behaviour becomes increasingly frightening . . . until Holly finds she no longer recognises her daughter.
I have also received these e books for my kindle from the wonderful Kim Nash – look out for my reviews around publication day! Thank You Kim!
Publisher – Bookouture
Published – 13th February 2015
His name is Michael Carmody.
He is a writer and a father.
His son is lying in a coma, fighting for his life.
Her name is Lorraine Cheevers.
She is an artist and mother.
An illicit affair has destroyed her marriage.
Michael is desperate to find the couple who left his son for dead, a victim of a hit and run.
Lorraine is desperate to start a new life for her and her daughter.
Michael and Lorraine are about to cross paths – damaged souls, drawn to one another.
They don’t know that their lives are already connected.
They don’t know the web of lies surrounding them.
They are each searching for the truth. But when they find it, it could destroy them both.
Publisher – Bookouture
Published – 30th January 2015
Thirty years of family secrets. Three generations of women. One family heirloom that could change everything.
When she ran away from her childhood home in Guyana, Rika swore that she would never return. Cut off from her family, she has fought hard to make a life for herself and daughter, Inky, in London.
Now, over thirty years later, Rika’s cantankerous, wheelchair-bound mother, Dorothea, arrives in London. But as old wounds re-open, Dorothea and Rika are further apart than ever.
Inky soon learns that her grandmother is sitting on a small fortune. As she uncovers the secrets of the past one by one, she unravels the tragedy that tore her mother and grandmother apart. But nothing can prepare her, or Rika, for Dorothea’s final, unexpected revelation.
Netgalley
I have also been lucky enough to have been approved for these wonderful books on NetGalley – I can’t wait to read! Thank you to all of the publishers who approved these reads for me. As always reviews to follow shortly.
Publisher – Hipso Media
Published – 10th December 2014
DRAWING AMANDA is set in the under-parented, high-expectation adolescent world of a Manhattan international prep school. Fourteen-year-old budding artist Inky Kahn is still smarting from the death of his father. He thinks he’s found his big break when he bonds with the developer of a new computer game and snags a coveted drawing assignment, for which he uses his secret crush–Amanda–as a model.
But unbeknownst to Inky, the developer has a dangerous criminal past, and is using his computer game to lure and stalk teenage girls. And Inky has inadvertently led Amanda right into his path. Blinded by his own ambition and sulking from his father’s death, Inky hides from the truth. Will Inky, with the help of Rungs, his cybergeek pal, discover the crime in time and save Amanda before the creep ensnares her–or anyone else?
Publisher – Peachtree Publishers
Published – 1st April 2015
It is the last summer before the big shift to high school for Cass, Jemmie, Ben, and Justin, the neighborhood kids readers first met in Crossing Jordan. Ben worries that their summer break will just be the same-old-same-old until his little brother Cody finds a hat left behind by their mysterious missing uncle. The hat—is it magic like Cody believes?—leads the gang to an abandoned building in the woods. Little do they suspect that this old property with a tragic past might just nudge open the door to the future for all of them.
Publisher – Little Tiger Group
Published – 5th January 2015
We’re waiting for you to come and play.
Dunvegan School for Girls has been closed for many years. Converted into a family home, the teachers and students are long gone. But they left something behind…
Sophie arrives at the old schoolhouse to spend the summer with her cousins. Brooding Cameron with his scarred hand, strange Lillias with a fear of bones and Piper, who seems just a bit too good to be true. And then there’s her other cousin.
The girl with a room full of antique dolls. The girl that shouldn’t be there.
The girl that died.
Publisher – Midnight Ink
Published – 8th May 2015
Visiting New York to attend a cousin’s birthday gala, Nic and Nigel Martini are looking forward to cocktails with old friends and a pampered stay at the Ritz. But when the birthday girl’s gold-digging cad of a husband goes missing, the Martini family worries that the social event of the season may turn into a story for the scandal sheets.
Nigel’s condescending aunt begs former detective Nic to find sleazy Leo, despite the fact that it would be better for everyone if he just stayed lost. Trailing a married bachelor with a penchant for trouble isn’t pretty; in fact it’s downright deadly. Assisted by Nigel and their newly adopted bull mastiff, Nic must tangle with her old underworld connections if she hopes to hunt down the dirtiest Martini.
Publisher – Hodder Childrens Books
Published – 5th March 2015
If Finn Maison shouts jump you jump or you are dead.’
Twelve-year-old Willem has Aspergers Syndrome and two main aims in life: to fly and to make at least two friends of his own age. But all the other boys from the Beckham Estate do is make him jump off things. First his desk – and now the wall. As his toes teeter on the edge, Sasha Barton gives him a tiny little wink. Might she become his friend?
Bullied by Finn and his gang the Beckham Estate Boyz, Willem has no choice but to jump. As he flies through the air he flaps his arms, wishing he could fly and escape into the clouds. Instead he comes crashing down and breaks his ankle.
Sasha, angry with herself for not stopping Finn and his Boyz, is determined to put things right. And soon, while the gangs riot on their estate, Willem and Sasha form an unlikely friendship. Because they share a secret. Sasha longs to fly too.
And when Magic Man Archie arrives with stories of war-flying spitfires, he will change the lives of the kids on the Beckham Estate for ever. And perhaps find a way for Willem and Sasha to fly …
Touching on themes such as friendship and bullying, this is a charming tale about overcoming obstacles and finding friendship in unlikely places.
Bought Books
My pre Christmas book buying ban is going reasonably well….except I may have brought a book for my kindle – does that really count?
Publisher – Hot Keys Books Unlocked
Published – 7th November 2013
Sometimes the best gifts are unwrapped…
A saucy Christmas novella to heat up your winter nights!
Ella is dreading Christmas. She vowed to change her life this year, and although breaking up with her boring boyfriend was the first step, she’s been too scared to take the next, and her life has become small.
But then, when working at a Christmas party, Ella meets Joe. The attraction is instant and convenient: neither is interested in more than a fling. While Ella’s been stuck, Joe’s been running. He’s been travelling for a year and has no plans to stop, but he’s home to spend Christmas with his huge, loud family. His father wants him to stay and join the family business, but Joe’s not yet ready for that kind of commitment and isn’t sure he’ll ever be. But as the snow and the presents pile up – and Ella and Joe’s clothes come off – Ella realises she needs to start living again. And that maybe all she wants for Christmas is Joe…
ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS is part of Hot Key Books’ exclusive new novella list, and one of a series of five available this Christmas. Unlock your naughty side!
Other Bookish goings on
Its been quite a busy old week really and it was made even better by these 5 things!
I won #quizya which was run by the lovely Jim over at YAYeahyeah! It was such fun and Jim does such a wonderful job hosting! Well done to everyone that took part and to Jim for hosting!
Tales of Yesterday was mentioned on the fab Hot Keys Books blog post/newsletter – check it our here!
Tales Of Yesterday has been invited on the blog tour for Hobson and Choi book two written by Nick Bryan! I will be reviewing the 1st and 2nd book as part of the blog tour – find our more about the books here.
I’ve signed up for the British Books Challenge 2015 – I cannot wait to start!
And lastly – a bit of fan girling I’m afraid! I am a huge fan of the American actor John C McGinley who used to play Dr Perry Cox in Scrubs and who is currently playing Mr Mansfield in the very funny comedy Ground Floor – I could not believe it when he tweeted me back! Yes I know I’m sad but it made my week!
@ChelleyToy this second season is off the chart!
I can't wait for you to see it!
JCM— John C. McGinley (@JohnCMcGinley) December 11, 2014
@ChelleyToy …thanks, Michelle!
jcm
— John C. McGinley (@JohnCMcGinley) December 11, 2014
#indieadvent
Lastly don’t forget about #indieadvent – Jim over at YA Yeah Yeah has been doing a fab job of running this and posting a guest post everyday in December featuring and celebrating our favourite independent bookshops each day.
I am over the moon to be writing my first ever guest post for Jim over at YA Yeah Yeah ‘s #indieadvent. Look out for my guest post behind door number 19 and for daily guest posts from fab bloggers. Jim is also encouraging people to join in the conversation using the hashtag #indieadvent on the following days – join in the chat. I think this is a wonderful idea and big congrats to Jim for all his hard work and effort with such a wonderful project.
Have you read any of the book above? Do any look like books you fancy reading? Was my fan girling moment a tiny bit on the sad side? I would love to hear from you? Why not leave a comment using the reply button at the tope of the page or tweet me on twitter using @chelleytoy
Happy Reading
