It’s been around a month since my last update, and I am now beginning Week 10 of my Slimpod journey.
I listen to my Pods every day, and most days, I listen twice. I now have four in total: the original Slimpod, then Chilpod, Sugarpod and now Fitpod.
Fitpod does what it says on the box. Its job is to encourage movement.
Again, all four are not essential to listen to. You an pick and choose which ones you want to, but I listen to them all. Slimpod is the one recommended to listen to every day.
I’ve watched the weekly videos, too, with lots of advice on how to deal with how your mind is processing the changes to emotional eating.
I am eating much better. I cook more, even on school days, so I can use more proper foods. And I am experimenting more, too!
I’m still walking, daily, and in the Easter holidays, I even walked twice a day! I’ve enjoyed observing the changes around me as Spring really kicks in. The leaves on the trees burst out in glorious greens, and the wildflowers are growing and changing. I love seeing the swathes of bluebells that carpet the floors of the various woodlands around us. Plus, I am enjoying seeing the animals. There are sheep, and one ram who is always in a paddock alone. He stops and stares at me every time I pass him. I have named him Sheep, and I say hello whenever I pass. Then there are the horses in their paddocks. I am lucky enough to see a beautiful white foal with his mother most days, and I’ve seen him grow, from a wobbly-legged baby, to a stronger one, practising how to gallop! It’s just glorious where I live, and the sunshine makes it such a positive place to live!
And the changes in me?
Well, I hit a bit of a plateau with the weight loss initially, but I stayed positive, and now I have lost 12lb, as well as 2 inches off the waist! I feel more energetic, and the daily walks are so good for my mental health!
I appear to have fallen into a natural 14:10 fasting day, as I am eating when hungry, and I rarely feel hungry at breakfast time. My first meal of the day is lunch, and it is always healthy, nutritious and filling. I may snack but equally I don’t always feel the need to reach for sweet stuff. And I eat a good dinner and maybe a take away once in a while.
And I feel good!
So, yup right now, I am two weeks from finishing the initial programme, and I can say I 100% advocate it!
I’m sharing this link, only if you feel like having a go. It gives you 10% off if you wish to continue with Slimpod after your 10 day free trial, and you also get 30 days after, to get money back, if you don’t feel it is for you, so essentially, you have 40 days to try it out!
I’ll leave you with a picture of a happy me on one of my walks, because I am feeling happier about many things in life, right now, and I also feel like I have the mental strength to deal with things that are not so easy, right now, too.
Another timeless, beautiful read by Rachel Burton!
The Blurb
914: Anticipating a long summer of freedom at her friend’s family estate in Cambridge, Grace Villiers is disappointed by an unexpected addition to their party. Then the new arrival offers to teach Grace to swim, and she is forced to see there is more to Algernon Lake than his reputation. But, with war brewing across Europe, this will be a summer that changes everything.
1997: Following her father’s sudden death, Barbara finds herself living with her mother in a house that is, literally, falling down around them. As she tries to put their new home in order, she discovers a photograph of her grandfather as a young man with his friend – two soldiers at the start of the First World War. Setting aside her grief, Barbara becomes determined to uncover their story, hoping it will bring her closer to the family she feels slipping away.
But when her search for answers opens up truths she isn’t prepared for, Barbara will come to realise that some secrets may be best left alone.
A beautifully told dual timeline story by the fantastic Rachel Burton! Set in both 1914, before WW1 started, and in 1997, The House at River’s Edge tells the story of a family and unearths secrets that rock and could shatter many. In 1997, Barbara is helping her mother deal with her father’s death and coming to terms with her own premature widowhood. They end up moving into her mother’s ancestral home in Cambridge, and along with Barbara’s daughter, Penny, they find subsidence that threatens to cut their stay short, and a trunk filled with paperwork that could prove all they know about their lives was built upon lies. In 1914, we meet Grace, who is summering at her friend’s house in Cambridge, not wanting to go back to France where her mother is continually trying to marry her off to one eligible bachelor or another. Here, she enjoys a blissful summer, filled with an innocence that is snatched away as the announcement of war is made. The earlier story spans six years, and each section drips more information about Barbara and her mother’s heritage as the more modern timeline entwines perfectly with the discoveries. I was engrossed in this book and loved the subtle romances within. Burton dealt with the way young people must have felt as they either signed up during the Great War, or if they were a person sat at home, anxiously waiting for news of a loved one who had been called up with great sensitivity. Themes of sexuality, hiding your own self, and suicide feature within. Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.
Rachel Burton is the bestselling author of historical timeslip novels and romantic comedies. Rachel was born in Cambridge and studied Classics and English Literature before starting a career in law. She lives in Yorkshire with her husband, a variety of cats and far too many books.
I do love a romantic story with a more mature FMC, and was pleased to be asked to join the blog tour for Maddie Please’s The Dolce Vita Divas!
The Blurb
Sunshine, Sisterhood, and Second Chances
At the ripe (and fabulous) age of 64, Joanna Dawson finds herself feeling ever so slightly… meh. Her husband, Greg, has run off with a TBT (thin, blonde, trollop, obviously), her kids have flown the nest, and her social calendar is emptier than her wine rack.
As Jo’s 65th birthday looms, she’s left wondering: Is this it?
Enter Susie, her best friend, with an offer Jo can’t quite refuse: an all-expenses-paid trip to Italy to honour their late friend Ellen. Jo’s not sure she wants to go all the way to Italy, but with nothing else to do and if only to make Susie happy, she agrees. A holiday is a holiday after all.
Capri is even more gorgeous than Jo imagined and soon she and Susie are having the time of their life, especially as Jo is reunited with her dashing first love, Paulo. The one who, most definitely, got away…
Things might have fizzled with Paulo decades ago, but in the land of sun, pasta, and far too much wine, Jo begins to wonder: Could this be her second chance at life…and amore?
Pack your bags for a heartwarming, fun, and sun-drenched adventure as Jo discovers that life after 64 might just be the most exciting chapter yet.
I have enjoyed some of Maddie Please’s previous books with older FMCs and seeing as that is where I am in life, it is great to read feel-good fiction targeted at that age. Joanne is a retired woman, about to celebrate a key birthday and reflecting on her life. She’s going to hit 65, divorced, with an ex-husband shacked up with his secretary, three grown-up children, two granddaughters and has recently, reluctantly, welcomed her son back home while he mops up his life after a breakup. A short birthday break with one of her best friends, Susie, gives her reason to want to stretch her wings a little further, out of the comfort of her staid life. They find themselves in Capri, to celebrate the life of one of their friends, Ellen, who passed away, and Jo faces a person she classes as her first love. Paulo. I’m not going to detail what what happens, but there is plenty of wine, pasta, and humour. The side cast of characters, including the indomitable Contessa, mother of Paulo, and little Eric, Paulo’s 5-year-old grandson, bring much enjoyment to the tale, and ultimately, seeing a woman grab her life back when others are saying “What? At your age?”, is just inspirational! Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.
Maddie Please is the author of bestselling joyous tales of older women. She has had a career as a dentist and now lives in rural Herefordshire where she enjoys box sets, red wine and Christmas.
Er, hello? Where did April go? One third of the year done, and only 8 months left!
This month, we had a school holiday for two weeks, so I got some more reading in. (It’s a good thing since I have so many blog tours to read ARCS for!)
I was also determined to do some writing, and I have started a teeny bit, but not as much as I hoped.
TW: Miscarriage/Loss/Grief/Rape Oh, what an emotional read! I’m used to slightly more lighthearted small village stories by Nicola May, but this one still had a community feel and a deeper thread. Gracie, the FMC, is reeling from a tremendous loss and feels that she doesn’t have the support of her partner, Lewis. A betrayal from him is the last straw, and she starts from scratch in her 30s. I don’t want to sit here and regurgitate the story, but it is a beautifully sad story with an uplifting ending. Gracie is going through such a tough time, and it resonated with me, as I expect it will with many other women out there who have suffered a miscarriage. The grief from that can take a long time to overcome. She became a character who supported other women in a similar situation and hammered home the message that miscarriage, whether an early loss or a later one, hits hard for all. Throughout the story, she meets several people, and one is Ed, whom she begins to date. His situation is precarious. (Again, I’m not saying anything because – SPOILERS!) But he is a person who helps build her back up again. We also have a parallel story of Maya and her psychiatrist lover, which weaves in and out of Gracie’s with ease as hidden connections are revealed. All in all it was a great read, and I championed Gracie from the off!
Oh, what a beautiful, sad, yet heartwarming story! Mallory receives some devastating news and just knows that she has to ‘get her ducks in a row’ as her father used to say, before life for her and those she loves the most implodes. There are two stories entwined within this book; one following two sisters, Rose and Gigi, who become estranged after a misunderstanding, and one, thirty years later, of Mallory, and her cousin Penny as they try hard to bring their mothers back together, using a special wedding dress. for Mallory, this is a chance to not only get her mother, Gigi, and her aunt, Rose, back in touch, but to finally tell them her awful news. I was hooked from the beginning. The story covers a few topics, such as racism, loss, grief, but we also have more than one second chance romance touched upon, too. There is such sadness within the story, but it is filled with light-hearted humour as well. The situation Mallory is in is one no mother would ever want to be put in, and that made my heart bleed for her. I feared for an ending that would have me in tears, but instead, hope and positivity shone through. Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.
The moment I saw this book up for review, I jumped at the chance because I have enjoyed every one of Jenni Keer’s novels, and I love the way historical aspects are woven into her fantastic fiction. The House of Lost Whispers is no different. I think it is one of my favourite Jenni Keer books! There is a dual timeline, with a difference. Olivia Davenport, the FMC and daughter of a famous author, is grieving after losing her parents tragically as passengers on the ill-fated Titanic. Olivia is taken to the village of Merriford Lode to live with her legal guardian and her father’s best friend, Sir Hugo, in his large manor house. Olivia loses herself in the fantasy world created in her mind until she is reintroduced to four sons of the family, one younger, one a similar age, and two much older. She finds herself drawn to a particular wing of the house and requests that she be allowed to stay there, displacing a young gardener. The dual timeline bit comes here, where Olivia finds someone else here, not a ghost, but someone who appears to live in the same place, but in a different dimension. He’s the same gardener she displaced, Seth Tanner, and as they go through time, they build an unlikely friendship that sees them through personal ups and downs and the First World War. They never see each other but are strangely able to hear one another. Like the movie The Butterfly Effect, one difference in their lives at a key moment garners different effects to their lives. You have a bit of history, along with fiction, a bit of a murder mystery and a little paranormal romance thrown in. I was hooked from the beginning and loved it. I’m sure I won’t be the only one hoping and wishing for a secret portal to open up, allowing these two very different individuals to meet… I’m not saying anything else. Don’t want to ruin the story for anyone, but it was pure magic! Can’t wait for whatever comes next, Jenni!
Released 27th April, 2025
I’ll be on the blog tour for this at the beginning of May. It’s a great story and another 5 star read for me!
Bel is an undercover journalist, recently moved to a small office in Manchester where she works with a colleague, Aaron. An intern, Connor, slightly older than the usual interns, comes to join the team, and he ends up entwined in her professional life and possibly more. I’ll admit that it took me a little while to get into the story, but after the first few chapters, I was right in there. Told with a dual POV, we learn about Bel and Connor, their pasts, and their current situations. Yes, there is romance, but not conventional, and there is the exposé that both characters find themselves investigating, with a sleazy mayor. Both characters are a bit damaged from past relationships, and it’s great to read how they move from disinterested colleagues, to friends, to, potentially, more. Well written, with a more serious storyline attached to the developing romance, Another brilliant book by Mhairi McFarlane. Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for an ARC.
Releasing 8th May, 2025
Another read I’ll be reviewing fully on a blog tour soon!
Releasing 6th May, 2025
Another Blog Tour treat for next month, by an author I am extremely fond of!
Give me a book about books, bookshops, and book lovers; you know I’m there. Add in the fact that there may be a magical bookshop, and I’m a goner! Amanda James’ books have delighted me over the last few years, and The Midnight Bookshop’s blurb hooked me immediately! It’s not a straightforward story. Three main characters, each with their troubles, and a bookshop they had never seen before, bring them together. Adelaide is a married woman stuck in a painful marriage with a narcissistic husband who spares no opportunity to put her down. Jo is lucky on the face of it. She has everything. A magnificent house, parents who are more than well off and leave her to want for nothing, no inclination to work… but she feels no connection to her mother, and her mother constantly belittles her. Kye is a young man stuck in a life he hates because of circumstances. An unwell mother, and an overbearing brother who has overridden all of his dreams, and he is in trouble of getting sucked up into worse scenarios. In a somewhat fantastical way, the bookshop helps each character to explore the power of books, and the owner, Fay, helps each of her new readers to interpret the messages the books they choose wish to convey. There is fantasy, romance, family expectation, and much more within! Once I was into the story, I didn’t want to climb out! I want to visit that bookshop, too, and let a book choose me, so I can ‘edit’ my life, too! Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins, One More Chapter for an ARC.
I always enjoy Leoni Mack’s European romantic adventures because they feature some physical activity I am highly unlikely to participate in. The descriptions are more than enough for me! This time, I was transported to Italy with Sophie-Leigh, the FMC, a wedding planner, as she was instructed to help plan a wedding for two clients who wanted more than your average destination wedding. They are looking for the thrill of a climb, with commitment at the top of a peak, preferably with a cross there. Memories of a past romance threaten to take over her mind, as Sophie begins the organisation, those memories become a reality as she is faced with the man who effectively popped her climbing cherry, and then her heart, after a whirlwind romance. Combining the climbing and romance, we are taken on a journey, and several climbs where Sophie is paired with Andreas to scout suitable locations, with plenty of time to unpick and rehash their break-up. As I always say in reviews, you don’t want me telling you the plot; that is for you to read, but you want an opinion. Mine is that this is a fantastic read, with a hint of spice, and a shed load of precarious situations where there is a second chance, close proximity and one-bed tropes explored! Thoroughly enjoyed the read. Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.
Releasing 8th May, 2025
Publishing in May, and I am on the Blog tour for this one, so you’ll have to wait until 18th May for the full review !
Okay, grumpy-sunshine/enemies to lovers, eat your heart out! I’ve read a few of Victoria Walters’ books now, and this was precisely the kind of story I would have expected. Another story in the publishing world which I LOVE! Our FMC is Freya. She’s a true romantic, as well as a romance fan. Working as an assistant at a Literary agency is a dream for her, and she aspires to be an agent one day. Enter our MMC, Jake, a grumpy but popular romance author who is one of Freya’s boss’s biggest clients, and also out of favour with the romance community at this stage, because of some unsavoury comments about the genre. By a twist of fate, Freya ends up on a business trip to New York, a place she has dreamt of going to, accompanying Jake, with the sole goal of repairing his reputation at a Romance conference. OMG! So much to love, here! We always go into a romance expecting a HEA or HFN, and the journey to that ending makes or breaks a story. The difficulties that both Freya and Jake go through during this trip make for gripping reading. I finished this in one day! Plus, there is a bit of a spice factor going on!! And featuring a previous book’s character was another little bonus. I love revisiting characters and hearing how they are getting on. 🙂
Publishing 19th May, 2025
Yet another one I am on the Blog Tour for next month!
Absolutely thrilled to be a part of the blog tour for Jenni’s newest release, The House Of Lost Whispers!
The Blurb
On 15th April 1912, RMS Titanic sank and Olivia’s life changed forever… but what if a world existed where it hadn’t?
When the ill-fated maiden voyage of the Titanic leaves thirteen-year-old Olivia Davenport orphaned, she’s sent to live with her guardians, the Fairchilds, in their huge Jacobean mansion – Merriford Manor. But the Fairchilds have more to worry about than a grieving young girl – with war in Europe imminent and four sons to protect.
Olivia feels alone and friendless. That is, until she hears a voice from behind the wall in her tower bedroom. A voice from a man called Seth. Convinced he’s merely a product of her grieving imagination, she learns to live with him but it’s not until after the heartbreak of the war that Olivia, now a young woman of twenty, discovers that he exists in an overlapping world that is just a shudder in time away from her own. A world where the Titanic never sank… And everything since has been just slightly… different.
All Olivia wants is to find a way into his reality. And not just to see the faces of her beloved parents once again. But also to meet Seth. Who might just be the love of her life…
An utterly unforgettable reading group historical novel, that is part romance, part gripping mystery, and part completely heartbreaking First World War historical fiction. Perfect for fans of Titanic, In Memoriam and Lucinda Riley.
The moment I saw this book up for review, I jumped at the chance because I have enjoyed every one of Jenni Keer’s novels, and I love the way historical aspects are woven into her fantastic fiction. The House of Lost Whispers is no different. I think it is one of my favourite Jenni Keer books! There is a dual timeline, with a difference. Olivia Davenport, the FMC and daughter of a famous author, is grieving after losing her parents tragically as passengers on the ill-fated Titanic. Olivia is taken to the village of Merriford Lode to live with her legal guardian and her father’s best friend, Sir Hugo, in his large manor house. Olivia loses herself in the fantasy world created in her mind until she is reintroduced to four sons of the family, one younger, one a similar age, and two much older. She finds herself drawn to a particular wing of the house and requests that she be allowed to stay there, displacing a young gardener. The dual timeline bit comes here, where Olivia finds someone else here, not a ghost, but someone who appears to live in the same place, but in a different dimension. He’s the same gardener she displaced, Seth Tanner, and as they go through time, they build an unlikely friendship that sees them through personal ups and downs and the First World War. They never see each other but are strangely able to hear one another. Like the movie The Butterfly Effect, one difference in their lives at a key moment garners different effects to their lives. You have a bit of history, along with fiction, a bit of a murder mystery and a little paranormal romance thrown in. I was hooked from the beginning and loved it. I’m sure I won’t be the only one hoping and wishing for a secret portal to open up, allowing these two very different individuals to meet… I’m not saying anything else. Don’t want to ruin the story for anyone, but it was pure magic! Can’t wait for whatever comes next, Jenni!
Jenni Keer lives in the glorious Suffolk countryside with her four grown up children, three demanding cats, but just the one husband. She is often frustrated by their inability to appreciate that when she’s staring into space, she’s actually working, and that watching television counts as research. Much younger in her head than she is on paper, she adores any excuse for fancy-dress and is part of a disco formation dance team.
Keer has written two contemporary rom coms and five quirky historicals, with two more due out in 2025.
The best-selling No. 23 Burlington Square (her 1920s sliding doors mystery) has now sold over 100,000 copies.
But I Smile Anyway... 