The Flight of Cornelia Blackwood by Susan Elliot Wright

What has happened to Cornelia Blackwood?

She has a loving marriage. But she has no friends.
Everyone knows her name. But no one will speak to her now.
Cornelia Blackwood has unravelled once before. Can she stop it from happening again?

From a supremely talented storyteller, The Flight of Cornelia Blackwood is a powerful novel of motherhood, loss and loneliness and how we can make damaging choices when pushed to our emotional edge. A paperback bestseller with her debut novel, The Things We Never Said, and nominated for an RNA Award in 2014, Susan Elliot Wright has written a truly important novel that explores the dark depths of psychosis with honesty and sensitivity.

Title: The Flight of Cornelia Blackwood

Author: Susan Elliot Wright

Published By: Simon & Schuster

Publication Date: 21st February 2019

Links:  UK:   Amazon        Waterstones

             US:   Amazon

Our Review

Shocking and heartbreakingly poignant. 

I wish I could say that this book has a happy ending but sadly it doesn't. What it does provide is a sensitive and raw description of a woman in the grip of psychosis. I also wish I could say that things like this don't happen in real life but unfortunately they do.

This is a story of the struggles of motherhood when everything goes wrong. An honest and unflinching account of a new mum who suffers from a severe mental illness. 

The circumstances of Leah’s life are written in detail as the story switches from now to then and helps us to develop a deep empathy for her and an understanding of why she does what she does. Why don't people talk to her? What could she have done that would break her so irreparably? It's very easy to judge Cornelia Blackwood but this story shows that we all need to try to be a bit more understanding and hope that women suffering from this diabolic and destructive illness can find help.

Although we hear a lot about mental illnesses in the news lately, I haven't heard so much about this particular illness, probably because no one wants to talk about it. So whilst this is such a tragic story it's a really important subject to raise awareness about this cruel illness. 

Totally gripping throughout. 

Sincerely

Book Angel x

About the Author

Susan Elliot Wright grew up in Lewisham in south-east London. Before becoming a full-time writer, she did a number of different jobs, including civil servant, cleaner, dishwasher, journalist, and chef.  She has an MA in writing from Sheffield Hallam University, where she is now an associate lecturer, and she lives in Sheffield with her husband. She is the author of The Things We Never Said and the Secrets We Left Behind. To find out more, visit her website: http:/www.susanelliotwright.co or follow her on Twitter @sewelliot.

If Only I Could Tell You by Hannah Beckerman

Audrey's family has fallen apart. Her two grown-up daughters, Jess and Lily, are estranged, and her two teenage granddaughters have never been allowed to meet. A secret that echoes back thirty years has splintered the family in two, but is also the one thing keeping them connected. As tensions reach breaking point, the irrevocable choice that one of them made all those years ago is about to surface. After years of secrets and silence, how can one broken family find their way back to each other? Moving, thoughtful and surprising, If Only I Could Tell You is impossible to put down - and impossible to forget.

Title: If Only I Could Tell You

Author: Hannah Beckerman

Published By:  Orion

Publication Date: 21st February

Links:  UK:   Amazon     Waterstones

Our Review

If Only I Could Tell You by Hannah Beckerman is such a beautifully written and heartbreaking story. The ending transcends what we have come to expect from a tear jerking novel and literally takes us to another realm.

The story is told from three points of view, Audrey and her two daughters Jess and Lily and it moves between the present and 1988 when a traumatic incident occurs in the family.

The relationships between the three main characters are extremely complicated and Audrey is always torn between her daughters.

This book is about a family who are all painfully suffering in different ways and although they have kept a distance between them, they each hold a key to the others cure.

I felt that the story was going one way and then was completely surprised when it veered into a completely different direction that I really didn’t see coming. The way Hannah writes and reveals the story is so subtle and delicate it’s almost like peeling back the petals of a beautiful rose.

This is the first of Hannah’s books that I’ve read and I shall now read her back catalogue. 

Sincerely

Book Angel x

About the Author

Hannah Beckerman is an author, journalist and broadcaster. She is a regular contributor to The Observer, The FT Weekend Magazine, and The Sunday Express, and was the book critic on Sara Cox's Radio 2 Show. She chairs literary events around the UK and has been a judge on numerous book prizes including the Costa Book Awards.

Prior to becoming a full-time writer, Hannah was a TV Executive who spent fifteen years producing and commissioning documentaries about the Arts, History and Science for the BBC, Channel 4 and Discovery USA before turning her hand to writing.

Hannah lives in London with her husband and their daughter.

What Happens in France by Carol Wyer

“She stood and took her place in front of the camera... It was now or never”

Bryony Masters has been looking for her long-lost sister, Hannah, for years, but when their father has a stroke her search takes on new urgency. So when primetime game show, What Happens in France, puts a call-out for new contestants, Bryony spots the ultimate public platform to find her reality TV-obsessed sister, and finally reunite their family.

With the help of handsome teammate Lewis, it’s not long before she’s on a private jet heading for the stunning beauty of rural France. With a social media star dog, a high maintenance quiz host and a cast of truly unique characters, Bryony and Lewis have their work cut out for them to stay on the show and in the public eye.

Yet as the audience grows and the grand prize beckons they find that the search that brought them together may just fulfil more than one heart’s wish…

This heartwarming romantic comedy of friendship, family and laugh-out-loud adventures is perfect for fans of Kirsty Greenwood, Colleen Coleman and Marian Keyes.

Title: What Happens in France
Author: Carol Wyer
Publication Date: 28th January 2019
Published By: Canelo
Links:  UK:     Amazon     US:    Amazon


Our Review


This is such a heartfelt story about a girl called Bryony Masters who is determined to find her long lost sister who ran away from home when she was only sixteen.

Bryony had always looked up to Hannah and neither she nor her parents ever got over their loss. When their dad has a stroke it becomes even more important that Hannah is found as they are running out of time.

Bryony then applies for a TV game show called What Happens In... as she feels this will raise lots of publicity for her search.

On the show she meets up with gorgeous Lewis who is her friend’s neighbour and a man called Oscar who has a lovable little pug called Biggie Smalls, he is already famous on Instagram and has lots of followers.

The game show scenes were lots of fun and Carol was able to convey really well the amount of energy and buzz that goes on backstage. I was able to quiz my husband on the questions that the contestants were asked so he enjoyed it too.

The other aspect that Carol managed to convey really well was the emotion tied up in Bryony and Hannah’s relationship. Bryony was only a small child when Hannah left and she could never understand why she went especially as Bryony had an illness in childhood so was quite a fragile little thing.

I felt quite sad about all the years they had missed out on as sisters but I also really felt for Hannah too and it was interesting to eventually see her side of the situation and what was going through her mind at the time.

I really liked Bryony’s character and was rooting for her the whole time and think she really got what she deserved in the end.

A lovely emotional read about sisterly love
Sincerely 
Book Angel x



About the Author



Carol Wyer, who also writes as Carol E. Wyer, is an award-winning author and stand up comedian who writes feel-good comedies and gripping thrillers.
Her book, Grumpy Old Menopause won The People's Book Prize Award for non-fiction 2015.
Carol moved to the ‘dark side’ in 2017 with the DI Robyn Carter series, starting with best-seller LITTLE GIRL LOST the #2 best-selling book on Amazon, #9 best-selling audiobook on Audible and was in the USA Today Top 150.
The Robyn Carter series has sold over 400,000 copies and foreign rights have been sold into 9 countries, earning her acclaim as a crime writer.
Following the success of THE BIRTHDAY and LAST LULLABY, 2019 sees the release of three more DI Natalie Ward books and two new romantic comedies, the first, the much anticipated WHAT HAPPENS IN FRANCE.
Carol has been interviewed on numerous radio shows discussing ''Irritable Male Syndrome' and 'Ageing Disgracefully' and on BBC Breakfast television. She has had articles published in national magazines 'Woman's Weekly' featured in 'Take A Break', 'Choice', 'Yours' and 'Woman's Own' magazines and the Huffington Post.

To learn more about Carol, go to www.carolwyer.co.uk or follow Carol on Twitter: @carolewyer.

Carol also blogs at www.carolwyer.com 

Follow the blog tour here...

Spring Blogger Evening 2019

My Fave author and friend Milly Johnson xxx

   

One of the highlights of my year has to be the annual Simon and Schuster Spring Blogger evening which is held at their headquarters in Greys Inn road. The event was organised by the amazing Sara-Jade Virtue who really is the hostess with the mostest and thanks to her and the Books and the City team we received a lovely warm welcome as we arrived.

The event is always a joy because its a chance for amazing authors and bloggers, many of whom have become friends that I know will be in my life for ever, to get together and have a good old catch up over fizz and nibbles. Followed by an array of delicious cupcakes, decorated in themes from the books.

Two special ladies,

 Milly Johnson and Mary Lewis x

Lifelong friends, me with

 Mary Lewis and Molly Blakemore x

The atmosphere was charged with a buzz of excitement as old friends and new mingled. Then we were given goody bags which had lots of treats in them including samplers for each of the authors' books and beautiful, finished advanced copies of Messy, Wonderful Us by Catherine Isaac and If You Could Go Anywhere by Paige Toon who wasn't at the event but I've included a link below to pre-order.

Incase you were wondering what was in the little 

box it was this amazing necklace from Panda Eyes x

Goody Bag Haul x

After moving into the other room and sitting comfortably each of the authors read an extract from their book and I have to say every one sounded fantastic and yet they were all so different from each other. I have put pre-order links where possible below.

What a line up of fab authors. x

There was such a fantastic line up of authors there; including Iona Grey, Alice Peterson, Claire Frost, Milly Johnson and Rachel Hore, many of them I've read before but I was also introduced to a couple of new authors too. Also present was the lovely Heidi Swain, Juliet Ashton, Louise Candlish and Catherine Isaac who was promoting her new book Wonderful, Messy Us! which sounds amazing and will be out in Spring 2020, she had a photo booth set up and it was lovely to have a photo taken with her in it and with my friend Molly Blakemore. Catherine's previous book, You, Me, Everything was amazing and has been commissioned for a movie which is so exciting.














The evening simply flew by, after the readings we were able to get our books signed by all of the authors and then mingle some more before heading off home.

I really do love my booky events as I feel I have found my tribe and it's always such a joy to see everybody again.

Huge thanks to Sara-Jade for just being her as she is so very highly thought of by us all.

Please see below for author links:-

The epic and long-awaited new romance from the author of Letters to the Lost, winner of the RNA Award.The Glittering Hour by Iona Grey


‘I can toast to my future, but the thundercloud over my head, the threat of a storm, will follow me like a shadow wherever I go. The truth is, I have a potential bomb in my bag, and who knows when or where it will go off’
If You Were Here by Alice Peterson


This heart-warming and funny novel is the perfect balm for the Insta-weary mind
Living My Best Life by Claire Frost


THE QUEEN OF FEEL-GOOD FICTION!
'Every time you discover a new Milly book, it’s like finding a pot of gold' Heat
The brand new novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Perfectly Imperfect Woman - a gorgeous read full of love, life and laughter.
The Magnificent Mrs Mayhew by Milly Johnson


COMING SEPTEMBER 2019.
The unmissable brand new novel from Rachel Hore, the Sunday Times bestselling author of Last Letter Home, a Richard and Judy 2018 Book Club pick.
The Love Child by Rachel Hore


Could you hate your neighbour enough to plot to kill him?
Those People by Louise Candlish


Treat yourself to a glorious novel full of food, sunshine, friendship and love!
Poppy's Recipe for Life by Heidi Swain


From the acclaimed author of You Me Everything, now optioned for film
Messy, Wonderful Us by Catherine Isaac.


The brand new novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author Paige Toon. The perfect summer read for 2019!
If You Could Go Anywhere by Paige Toon

Unfortunately I couldn't find a pre-order link for Juliet Ashton's new book yet so here is one for a new edition of one of her previous books.
The Woman at Number 24 by Juliet Ashton



I'm sure you'll agree that 2019 is going to be an amazing year for books so happy reading everyone, until next time.

Sincerely
Book Angel x