Sanctuary - V.V. James

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a massive fan of Vic James so of course I was desperate to get my hands on her new book as soon as she hinted about it on twitter. Anything she writes is bound to have me hooked and her description of the new witchy thriller meant I couldn't wait to read it. 

To start with, I found it just slightly confusing as it involves a lot of characters and the chapters are from different characters' points of view. I'm not usually a fan of this type of book. However, I do like knowing the various characters' thoughts and it didn't take me very long to get completely stuck into the story.

Maggie is a detective brought in to investigate a case in Sanctuary, the small town she used to live in. Her boss and the local sheriff both encourage her to make the investigation quick. A fire at a house party and an accidental death. But the more she investigates, the less simple it all seems. Could it be murder, and could magic have been involved?

In Sanctuary, everyone has secrets. Only Sarah Fenn, the town witch, seems to know most of them. But she doesn't know everything, even some secrets right under her nose. On top of this there are so many misunderstandings. Though the families had been friends for years, the mothers had no idea what was going on now that their children were teenagers. The relationship between the mothers did not mirror their kids' friendships at all. The situation gets more and more complicated and when things eventually get out of hand it is terrifying, like mass hysteria and mob mentality and the worst parts of everyone all rolled into one.

Vic's writing itself is like magic. She just leads you where she wants you to go and you follow along thinking you're cleverly working it all out yourself. Then the twists come and you realise you only thought what she wanted you to think! It's a beautiful cover too, in a way describing how isolated and apart the town is, as well as possibly hinting at something to come.

The Sanctuary cocktail actually uses Amer Picon, but as this is not the most common home ingredient (I didn't have any) I did a bit of research and found that Aperol is an acceptable substitute. In my opinion I think it probably improves it.

In a jar with ice, stir together 2 shots of Dubonnet Red, 1 shot of Aperol and 1/2 shot of triple sec. Then strain into a martini glass.

The Boy Who Steals Houses - C.G. Drews

I'm so excited to be part of the Book Blitz for C.G. Drews' second book. This is one book that I read as soon as it arrived in the post, which is EXTREMELY rare for me! If you haven't yet read her first amazing book, A Thousand Perfect Notes, have a look at my review, and for anyone somehow unfamiliar with the author (aliens maybe???), check out her wonderful blog, it's one of my favourites!

Can two broken boys find their perfect home?

Sam is only fifteen but he and his autistic older brother, Avery, have been abandoned by every relative he's ever known. Now Sam's trying to build a new life for them. He survives by breaking into empty houses when their owners are away, until one day he's caught out when a family returns home. To his amazement this large, chaotic family takes him under their wing - each teenager assuming Sam is a friend of another sibling. Sam finds himself inextricably caught up in their life, and falling for the beautiful Moxie.

But Sam has a secret, and his past is about to catch up with him.

   

Sam survives by breaking into empty houses for somewhere to sleep at night. Though his brother is a couple of years older than him, he has constantly had to be the grown up and is always thinking about how he can protect Avery.
My heart broke over and over again for what Sam and Avery go through. I just wanted to bawl my eyes out by the end. I couldn't figure out how it could possibly end well, but the ending was absolutely perfect.

He's officially taken house burglary to the next level. Forget stealing a bed, a key, a home for the night. He's stealing families and their Sunday lunches.

Sam's love interest in the book is Moxie, and she absolutely loves caramel so I had to pair this book with a caramel cocktail. The Caramel Apple Martini from the Martini Diva is pretty simple to make but absolutely delicious. You can find the instructions here.

Giveaway!

Obviously you'll now be desperate to read the book so I am very excited to share a giveaway where you can win a signed and annotated copy of the book as well as an art print.

Click here for a chance to win!

But just in case you don't win, here are the links to buy:

Australia and New Zealand: Angus and Robinson  Booktopia  Amazon Australia  Fishpond

International: Amazon US  Waterstones  The Book Depository  Wordery

The Skin Books Trilogy - Alice Broadway

The covers alone are reason enough to buy these books. Look how beautiful and shiny they are! Of course that's not the only reason... read ahead to find out more.

   

Book 1 - Ink

In Leora's world, you tell the story of your life on your skin. All major life events are inked and more than that, some people are readers and can tell even more from a person's tattoos than is on the surface. There are no secrets as nothing can be hidden when it is on your skin. Now Leora has discovered something and has to find a way to keep it hidden so she can protect the memory of her father. In doing so she realises a lot more about her people and is no longer so sure that everything she has been told all her life is really the truth.

There are various stories from the history of Saintstone and I particularly loved their version of the Sleeping Princess.

After that bombshell of an ending you will definitely want to have a copy of Spark on hand!

Book 2 - Spark

Leora has some huge decisions to make. Does she trust in the stories she's heard all her life, in the truth of Moriah, or does she believe the strange stories that the blanks tell her? They are so similar and yet twisted almost beyond belief.

What is home now, Sainststone or Featherstone? Is it possible that such opposites can both be right and also wrong at the same time? In the second book of the trilogy, Leora has to figure out who she should be loyal to, while constantly worrying about the consequences of any action she takes. No matter what she chooses, she could hurt people she loves.

I didn't find the sequel quite as gripping as the first book but I was still very much looking forward to book 3.

Book 3 - Scar

Being part of both sides is so hard for Leora, she doesn't truly belong in either one as there are those who think her a traitor or spy in both towns. She's tired of being held up as an example, both for good or bad. But she also has allies on both sides and with her knowledge growing she needs to find the strength deep inside her to try and unite the towns.

I love the way the stories are told, and particularly the comparison of stories from the different sides - the same but opposite.

I really enjoyed the final book of the trilogy almost as much as the first. However I was left feeling just a little bit incomplete. I can't say why, I'm not sure what else I wanted and it might have just been the speed at which I read the book. The ending is pretty satisfying. Now hoping for more books from this author!

I was lucky enough to meet Alice Broadway and get my first book signed with this lovely customised quote. I love when authors write something relevant to the book! Fingers crossed for more events so I can get the others signed too.

I found the Ink Martini  while reading book 1, but with amazing foreshadowing on my part, the colour actually matches book 3! 

This is a simple but strong cocktail. Pour 2 shots of vodka, 1/2 shot of blue curacao and 1&1/2 shots of cranberry juice into a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a martini glass.

Ascension & Distortion - Victor Dixen

With Book 3 of the Phobos trilogy - Collision, coming out soon, I thought now would be a good time to post my reviews of Ascension and Distortion. I listened to both of these on audiobook which gave them an additional dimension. The way the books are set out, partly in episodes of a TV show, really lends itself to the audiobook format. I almost felt like I was watching on TV rather than reading a book.

Imagine the Cupido along with the other satellites orbiting Mars.

While I found the idea of the story intriguing and the book well written, I was a bit bothered by the idea that the whole world would be so obsessed with a dating show. People I know have different interests, some of my friends would be right in this group and others would hate the idea! It was almost like the planet Earth was brainwashed. That said, I did still enjoy reading about the interactions between the boys and girls on their 6 minute dates.

Book 1 - Ascension

This book is described like a dating show but it is not as light-hearted as that would sound, there is a lot more depth to the story.

I had very mixed feelings about this book. There was far too much unnatural explanation, a bit like when the movie villain tells the hero exactly what his evil plans are. But I think this could be due to the film-style layout of the book. Also, is it really necessary to use the phrase water-green eyes so many times? Serena McBee sounded extremely condescending and saccharin though I don't know if I would have realised that if I was just reading the book rather than listening. Sometimes you get clues from the voices that might not be there simply from the writing. Quite an over dramatic book. However, I did enjoy the book, it was full of suspense and I really wanted to get stuck into book 2 as soon as I finished it.

Book 2 - Distortion

After sharing her devastating discovery with the rest of the boys and girls on the Cupido, Leonor has to make a deal with the contemptible Serena to save all their lives. Landing on Mars, they have to pull together to set up their new home and work out the best way to survive. But with ever more revelations coming, its getting harder for Leonor to keep them working together. 

Leonor is practically the only sensible one of the group, apart from one of the boys who is super paranoid. Most of the group seem a bit too gullible and also quite ready to fight each other. 

This book really leaves you hanging, I wasn't expecting the ending at all so will be needing book 3 asap!

I did some investigating for a Mars cocktail and saw some amazing cocktail names online, it looks like Mars cocktails are quite popular: Marsgarita, Tequila Mariners, White Martian, Bloody Martian. In the end I decided to adapt the Tequila Sunrise to make a Martian Sunrise. Sunrise on Mars is bluish so I've replaced the grenadine with Chambord. The black raspberry gives it a slightly darker hue.

Pour a shot of tequila into an ice filled tall glass, then top with orange juice. Gradually pour half a shot of Chambord down the side of the glass so it falls to the bottom of the glass without mixing into the rest of the drink. Garnish with a couple of blackberries.

Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel - Ruth Hogan

As a little girl, Tilly's mother moved them to Brighton to live at Queenie Malone's Paradise hotel, where she was the happiest she'd ever been, until her mother sent her away to boarding school with no explanation whatsoever. Split between her childhood and adult life, the two storylines of the book both lead up to an explanation of this sudden event. Lots of mysteries run through the book. How did her father die, why did they leave so suddenly, why did her mother send her away?

Young Tilly is delightful. She's so funny and lively. She mis-hears so much with hilarious results, like wanting to be a virgin because she thinks its a greengrocer. Or the way she sings 'Hark the Herald', apparently something to do with David's tea... She's also convinced that stamp collecting makes you a pervert. The way Tilly loves things without prejudice makes me want to see the world that way too. As an adult, Tilda seems to have lost all that innocence. She has spent her life thinking that her mother didn't really love her and that her father died when she was little. I really felt myself hoping she would somehow find her young self again. 

This was my favourite of Ruth Hogan's books so far. Lots of humour from Tilly, plenty of emotions and wonderful feelings. There are so many charming characters such as Queenie herself, her mother and Geronimo. The occasional secondary points of view are a bit unusual but they work to help to explain what's happening, particularly when you're first seeing things from Tilly's slightly distorted view.

I've adapted a recipe* to create the Queenie's Paradise Hotel Super Cocktail. Shake the following ingredients with ice and strain into a glass: 1&1/2 shot rum, 1/2 shot Passoa, 1/2 shot lemon juice, 1/4 shot grenadine and 4 dashes of Angostura Bitters. Garnish with whatever kitschy stuff you find!

*original Queen's Park Hotel Super Cocktail