A Very Merry Manhattan Christmas Blog Tour

Welcome to my stop on the A Very Merry Manhattan Christmas Blog Tour! Today I have a guest post from author Darcie Boleyn on Christmas memories. Enjoy!

Christmas Memories by Darcie Boleyn 

One of my earliest Christmas memories is of making sweet mincemeat with my grandmother. She lived in a small terraced house with a tiny kitchen, so we had to drag her foldable table into the centre of her living room in order to have enough space to work. 

My grandmother, or Granny as I called her, was a tiny lady. I’m only five foot but she was even smaller. She’d been a primary school teacher and a deputy head teacher, but she retired well before I arrived. Despite years of dealing with children under twelve, Granny had more patience than anyone I have ever known.

My Granny had an old-fashioned grinder that she attached to the side of the table and we passed a variety of ingredients through it. It wasn’t easy, as we had to turn the handle and it became tiring after a while, but we kept going until we had a large bowl full of sweet, fragrant minced fruit. She added a generous amount of brandy and spices and the mincemeat was almost ready.

The final product was then spooned into jars that we sealed with wax paper and string and secreted away at the bottom of her pantry (yes – she had a pantry!) for a few months to mature.

The whole process took the best part of a Saturday afternoon but it was really enjoyable. I loved spending time with my Granny and preparing for Christmas in advance; it built up the excitement that led to my magical childhood Christmases. These days, I try to capture similar experiences with my own children and I hope that one day I might be lucky enough to do the same with my grandchildren. Time is so precious and we all lose loved ones at some point, but memories and traditions help keep those we’ve lost alive.

Thanks for this touching post Darcie.

Don't miss the rest of the blog tour!

Review for The Beautiful Dead by Belinda Bauer

The Beautiful Dead by Belinda Bauer 
Publisher: Bantam Press
Release: November 17th 2016
Genre: Crime Fiction, Thriller
Source: Copy received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review



Synopsis:

"There’s no safety in numbers...

Eve Singer needs death. With her career as a TV crime reporter flagging, she’ll do anything to satisfy her ghoulish audience.

The killer needs death too. He even advertises his macabre public performances, where he hopes to show the whole world the beauty of dying.

When he contacts Eve, she welcomes the chance to be first with the news from every gory scene. Until she realizes that the killer has two obsessions.

One is public murder.

And the other one is her..."

Review
The Beautiful Dead is an impressive crime novel with stunning prose, complex characters and a plot that crackles with tension. I’d heard great things about Belinda Bauer and I was not disappointed in my first read by her. I raced through this book with my heart in my throat and was blown away by its explosive conclusion.

The story follows Eve Singer a woman who has built a life for herself out of death. As a TV crime reporter it’s her job to give her audience the grisly details as a new serial killer emerges during Christmas time. This killer is an exhibitionist who takes pleasure in displaying his victims around London and Eve is unwittingly giving him the audience he craves as she reports each new murder. After all, every showman needs an audience, and so the killer approaches Eve with an irresistible offer: the inside scoop on each murder as it happens, an opportunity that will secure Eve’s uncertain career in a cut throat industry. However, working for the devil comes at a price and this deal might just cost Eve her life.

The Beautiful Dead is less of a whodunit choosing instead to focus on when and where the killer will strike next, as time counts down until the killers next “performance” you can’t turn the pages fast enough knowing that the next murder will be more sinister than the last. The book is told in alternate chapters between Eve, the killer and his next victim keeping the plot slick and fact paced. The chapters where we get into the killers head are particularly menacing as we slowly learn more about him and come to understand the way he thinks.

In many ways this book is more than just a crime novel and also explores themes such as dementia and sexism in the workplace. One of my favourite things about this book was Eve’s bond with her father, the author takes great care in exploring how his illness affects their relationship.

Overall The Beautiful Dead is an incredibly accomplished thriller that stands out as one of the best of 2016. Belinda Bauer has a new fan in me and I’m looking forward to catching up with her other books, if they’re as good as The Beautiful Dead then I’m in for a real treat!

Review for Comfort and Joy by Cathy Bramley

Comfort and Joy by Cathy Bramley 
Publisher: Transworld
Release: October 13th 2016 (ebook only)
Genre: Chick lit, Women's Fiction, Christmas
Source: Copy received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review



Synopsis:

"It’s been a busy year for Verity Bloom at the Plumberry School of Comfort Food, but Christmas Eve is finally here. With delicious treats all wrapped up and the ingredients packed away, Verity is looking forward to a relaxing few days with her new boyfriend.

Good food, family and friends – it’s a simple recipe for true comfort and joy, and all Verity’s friends in the village are full of excitement about the holidays too.

But the weather has other plans in store… Relentless rain leads to a power cut that spells disaster for many of Plumberry’s residents. It’s starting to look like this year’s celebrations could be a total washout.

With dreams of a perfect Christmas dashed, will the last of the festive cheer be swept away in the downpour? Or can the cookery school create a Christmas miracle for everyone Verity holds dear?"

Review 
I make it a rule to not read any Christmas stories before November but I could not resist diving into Cathy Bramley's festive little number in October!

Comfort and Joy is a Christmas short story featuring the cast from The Plumberry School of Comfort Food a book that I read and loved earlier this year. It was so lovely to catch up with all of my favourite characters and find out where life has taken them since we parted ways.

Our main character Verity Bloom is looking forward to taking a break from the Plumberry School of Comfort Food over the holidays and spending Christmas day snuggled inside with her new boyfriend Tom. But it seems like the weather has other ideas as heavy rain lashes down leading to flooding and power cuts, meaning that for the residents of Plumberry, Christmas is canceled. Can Verity and the Plumberry School of Comfort Food save the day and bring Christmas to an entire village?

I loved every moment reading this book, I wasn't expecting to feel Christmassy so early into the season but this book put me in the festive spirit! I loved the sense of community, kindness and sharing that is explored in this story, all essential ingredients in the true meaning of Christmas. 

Comfort and Joy does exactly what it says on the packaging, whether you're in the mood for Christmas yet or not Cathy Bramley's short story will make you feel cosy and happy bringing a smile to even the most hardened of Scrooges faces.

Review for As I Descended by Robin Talley

As I Descended by Robin Talley
Publisher: MIRA Ink
Release: 6th September 2016
Genre: YA, LGBT, Retelling
Source: Copy received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review



Synopsis: 

Maria Lyon and Lily Boiten are their school’s ultimate power couple―but one thing stands between them and their perfect future: campus superstar Delilah Dufrey. Golden child Delilah is a legend at exclusive Acheron Academy, and the presumptive winner of the distinguished Cawdor Kingsley Prize. But Delilah doesn’t know that Lily and Maria are willing to do anything―absolutely anything―to unseat Delilah for the scholarship. After all, it would lock in Maria’s attendance at Stanford―and assure her and Lily four more years in a shared dorm room.

Together, Maria and Lily harness the dark power long rumored to be present on the former plantation that houses their school. But when feuds turn to fatalities, and madness begins to blur the distinction between what’s real and what’s imagined, the girls must attempt to put a stop to the chilling series of events they’ve accidentally set in motion.

Review
Macbeth is my favourite of Shakespeare’s plays so when I saw that Robin Talley had written a LGBT YA retelling I knew that I just had to give it a read during the build up to Halloween and this book lived up to my every expectation!

As I Descended follows the students of Acheron Academy an exclusive boarding school that nurtures competitiveness and values success in its pupils. As candidates for the coveted Kingsley prize are soon to be selected, the fierce competition between the students heats up. For secret couple Maria and Lily, winning the prize would mean securing their future together earning Maria a place with Lily at Stanford University. With the schools it girl Delilah set to win the prize, the girls realise that for Maria to take first place they need to get Delilah out of the picture, but what starts out as a vindictive plan quickly spirals into a deadly accident. With their futures at stake, Maria and Lily must decide just how far they’re willing to go to protect their relationship and themselves.

As with all of Robin Talley’s books, As I Descended is brimming with diverse characters which is something I always appreciate. The characters in this book are so well written and complex, they’re neither good nor bad which I really loved. It was fun to get into the heads of so many different types of people and to learn about the motives behind their actions.

The story opens on an Ouija board scene and builds in creepiness throughout the book. As I Descended is the perfect blend of thriller and horror story, mixing together human misdeeds with the supernatural for a double dose of terror. This book transcends so many genres offering a little bit of everything to satisfy the tastes of any reader.

With its boarding school setting, ruthlessly ambitious characters, and spooky storyline, As I Descended ticked so many of the right boxes for me. If you love scary reads about jealousy and revenge you’ll love As I Descended.

Five YA Books To Read This Halloween!

Halloween is drawing ever closer and if you're anything like me you're diving head first into some spooky reads at the moment to get into the spirit of the season! Today I wanted to bring you my top five YA book recommendations that I think would be perfect to read this Halloween for anyone looking for something scary or supernatural to get their teeth stuck into.

 The Graces by Laure Eve

It's no secret that The Graces is one of my favourite books of 2016 and if you haven't had the pleasure of reading this wonderful book yet then Halloween is the perfect time to do so! The book follows three siblings who are rumored to be witches and new girl River who develops an obsession with finding out the truth about them. This book is dark and gothic, twisty and turny and is an absolute must read for Halloween!

The Deviants by C.J. Skuse

C.J. Skuse is the best author to become obsessed with over Halloween. All of her books are wickedly dark and an absolute delight to read, but my favourite of her novels is her latest book The Deviants. This book is so shocking that I never want to say too much about it for fear of spoiling someone, so I'll just say that if you like thrillers that throw surprises at you that you never see coming check out this book!

Daughters Unto Devils by Amy Lukavics

This is a book that I read last Halloween and it still sticks with me now as one of my favourite YA Horror stories. What I love about Daughters Unto Devils is that it doesn’t read like a YA novel the creepy, gory parts don’t feel watered down so as to not scare a younger audience making it a genuinely scary read for anyone of any age. It's a short book at just over 200 pages and is perfect for devouring on Halloween night!

13 Minutes by Sarah Pinborough

I read a LOT of thrillers both in the YA and Adult genres and 13 Minutes is one of the best thrillers that I've read this year. It's so well crafted and kept me up until the early hours of the morning turning the pages. If you like Scream Queens or Pretty Little Liars you will love the bitchiness and backstabbing that goes on in 13 Minutes.

As I Descended by Robin Talley

I just finished reading As I Descended the other day and it is one of my favourite books that I've read for Halloween this year! This is a YA retelling of Macbeth and has all of the ghostly and bloody goings on that you'd expect. Any scary story that opens on a Ouija board scene is set to be a good one in my opinion and this book builds on the creepiness throughout. If you like mystery, murder and a dash of the supernatural you won't want to miss this book!

 I hope that if you're looking for a good Halloween read 

that you decide to check out these brilliant books!