Review: Only a Monster (Monsters #1) by Vanessa Len

I downloaded this book because I love YA fantasy and I was intrigued by the cover and  blurb.

Sent to stay with her late mother's eccentric family in London, sixteen-year-old Joan is determined to enjoy herself. She loves her job at the historical Holland House, and when her co-worker Nick asks her on a date, it feels like everything is falling into place. Then a Good Samaritan attempt gone wrong sends Joan spinning through time, and her life begins to quickly unravel. Her family aren't eccentric, they're monsters with terrifying hidden powers. And Nick isn't just a cute boy: he's a legendary monster-slayer who will do anything to bring them down. Because in this story, Joan is not the hero...

I have been raving about this book to anyone who will listen to me! It so clever and original; I think the last time I felt like this about a book was when I read the first Harry Potter, years ago. Vanessa Len has created an amazing world of 'monsters' and 'heroes'. Every detail is well-thought-out and completely believable, and the characters are wonderful. There's also the central dilemma: what do you do when you find out you're on the wrong side of good and evil? Believe what you're told implicitly? Or dig around a little further?

A fabulous, magical read, Only a Monster deserves to be a huge success.  There are elements of Harry Potter, Buffy the Vampire-Slayer, Back to the Future and Loki, but the story is told with a fresh, original voice and a modern twist. I loved it and I can't wait for the next one in the series!

Thank you to Vanessa Len and Hodder and Stoughton for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

Review: The Hemlock Cure by Joanne Burn

I downloaded this book because I love historical fiction and the cover is beautiful! Also the story is set in Eyam, which is where my grandmother's family came from!

It is 1665 and teenage Mae desperately wants to be an apothecary, like her father Wulfric. But Wulfric ignores Mae's obvious natural talent, preferring instead to take on a male apprentice - whom, ironically, Mae ends up teaching! So Mae turns to Isabel, the village midwife, who walks a dangerous line with her herbs and remedies. In those days an intelligent, strong-minded woman could easily be accused of witchcraft. As Mae tries to hide her friendship with Isabel (and Isabel's adopted son, Rafe), another danger is on its way from London. One that threatens to engulf them all.

The village of Eyam, in Derbyshire, is now famous for being the 'Plague Village' - where the inhabitants courageously chose to close themselves off from the rest of the country to avoid the sickness passing onto others. 'Lockdown', basically! Despite being an apothecary, Wulfric favours prayer as the best way to prevent the Plague from spreading, even destroying Mae's notes when she tries to research a treatment or cure. The author's research into herbs and their use in the 17th century is incredible, and I also loved all the historical detail, about how the Plague affected London, and how only the rich could run from it - the poor had to stay and suffer! Eyam itself was not quite as realised as I'd hoped, but many real-life characters had 'walk-on' parts, which was a nice touch.

The only negative for me was the omnipresent narrator, who kept pulling me out of the story while I tried to work out whose viewpoint it was. Despite that, I loved this story of female friendship and empowerment.

Thank you to Joanne Burn and Sphere/Little Brown for my copy of this book, which I requested via NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

Review: The Lighthouse by Fran Dorricott

I downloaded this book because I love stories about old lighthouses. They have lots of history and an air of mystery about them - very much like the lighthouse in this story!

Six friends travel to a remote island north of the Scottish Highlands for an old school reunion. The island is uninhabited apart from the lighthouse and a cluster of old cottages, now renovated into holiday homes - although there is one room the friends are unable to get into, or find a key for. Only one of them, Genevieve, has done any research into the history of the island, but none of them are interested in her tales of deaths, drownings and disappearances - they are here to have a good time!

The pace of The Lighthouse is a little slow but the desolate island and creepy lighthouse are described in a way that brings them brilliantly to life. The tension as Strange Things Happen builds up terrifically. The only reason the story didn't really work for me is that Genevieve is the only one who properly knows the history of the island and she never gets to tell anyone until the end, which means the denouement comes left of field. I'm the kind of reader who likes to work things out from clues scattered throughout the story, rather than have it explained to me, but the story is atmospheric, well-written and deserves a solid four stars.

Note: Fran Dorricott also writes as Francesca May.

Thank you to Fran Dorricott and Avon Books UK for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

Review: The Family You Make (Sunrise Cove #1) by Jill Shalvis

I've only recently discovered Jill Shalvis and have been happily working my way through her backlist, so I was thrilled to receive an early copy of The Family You Make.

Levi and Jane are stuck in a ski lift gondola (cable car), halfway up a mountain, when a blizzard hits and the gondola in front of them crashes to the ground. Faced with the very real possibility that they are going to die, Levi phones his family to say goodbye but then can't bring himself to utter the words. When his mother hears Jane in the background, she assumes Jane is his new girlfriend. Unable to tell his mother the truth, he goes along with it. What harm can it do? Except Levi and Jane are then rescued and now his family will go to any lengths to meet her...

The Family You Make features two couples. Commitment-shy Jane trying to navigate her fake/not fake relationship with Levi, and her friend Charlotte, who also has problems trying to form relationships because of trauma in her past, and is trying to ignore her attraction to Levi's friend Matteo. Levi has a large, exuberant family, who love him despite not really understanding him. Jane, after being passed from relative to relative while she was growing up, is so used to having no one care about her, she is always ready to move onto the next job before she outstays her welcome. Can Levi persuade her to stay and give him a chance - despite the 'help' from his family? And can Charlotte learn to trust Matteo enough to take their relationship to the next level?

Warm, witty and wise, with thoroughly engaging characters, I was really rooting for both couples to have their very own happy ever after. I loved Levi's quirky family, especially his niece Peyton, and I can't wait for the next book in the series (The Friendship Pact). A five-star read. Would suit fans of Sarah Morgan and Susan Mallery.

Thank you to Jill Shalvis and Headline Eternal for my copy of this book, which I requested via NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.