Boy Racer - Mark Cavendish

Never Look Away - Linwood Barclay

Blurb
There are several nightmares shared by parents, principally involving the disappearance of their children. It is, of course, the job of novelists who deal in suspense to utilise these fears, and that is precisely what Linwood Barclay does in Never Look Away, which is typically mesmerising fare from a writer who knows how to play readers like a musician plays an instrument. In the new book, journalist David Harwood takes his wife and baby son out for the day to a New York amusement park, but while he is buying ice cream, his wife runs to him in a panic and tells him that their child, Ethan, has disappeared. The distressed couple separates to look for their son. When Harwood gives chase to a man with a pushchair, he finds his son unharmed. But to his horror, he discovers that his wife has now disappeared. Harwood is deeply worried, for a variety of reasons -- his wife has been suffering from depression, and his fear is that she has taken some ill-advised -- and irrevocable -- action. But on investigation, it is discovered that surveillance cameras give no indication that she was ever in the rollercoaster park with her husband.

Review coming soon.............

A Tiny Bit Marvellous - Dawn French

Blurb
Everyone hates the perfect family. So you’ll love the Battles. Mo is about to hit the big 50, and some uncomfortable truths are becoming quite apparent: She doesn’t understand either of her teenage kids, which as a child psychologist, is fairly embarrassing. She has become entirely grey. Inside, and out. Her face has surrendered and is frightening children. Dora is about to hit the big 18 . . . and about to hit anyone who annoys her, especially her precocious younger brother Peter who has a chronic Oscar Wilde fixation. Then there’s Dad . . . who’s just, well, dad. A TINY BIT MARVELLOUS is the story of a modern family all living in their own separate bubbles lurching towards meltdown. It is for anyone who has ever shared a home with that weird group of strangers we call relations. Oh and there’s a dog. Called Poo.
 
Review - coming soon.................... 

Mission One: Redeemer: Chris Ryan Extreme: Hard Target

Blurb
Faster, Grittier, Darker, Deadlier... Chris Ryan Extreme When an old friend makes a desperate call for help, former SAS Warrant Officer Joe Gardner is thrust back into the line of fire. His journey leads him into the deadliest favela in Brazil, where violent gangs, crazed hitmen and trigger-happy paramilitaries lurk. Gardner’s only hope of staying alive is through his supreme survival skills and warrior’s instinct.

Review
I loved this book. So much so that I read it in one afternoon. Admittedly it's not a very long book at around 100 pages but still - I'm known to whizz through the first few chapters of a book only to get bored and slow it right down, sometimes never finishing.

I really liked the main character, Joe Gardner, although I did feel there was a lot more to him than we saw. Whether this was due to the book being a short read or not, or whether it's down to the fact that this is part of a series I'm not sure. Maybe the character will develop in books 2 and 3 and we will possibly get to find out some back information about him.

This had all the elements of a top class mystery/thriller. The short chapters (which I love) added to the pace of the book and I literally couldn't put it down. It had lots of action scenes, was intense, had suspense, and had lots of violence. The only fault was the ending which was a bit abrupt and a bit of a let down. I'm not sure what I expected but something a bit more gritty would've been a more deserved ending for an otherwise exceptional book.

If you like a book filled with action then this is the one for you. The violence scenes are, however, not for the faint hearted.

The Replacement - Brenna Yovanoff

Blurb
Mackie Doyle is a replacement - a fairy child left in the crib of a human baby sixteen years ago, to replace the baby when it was stolen away by the fey. So though he lives in the small town of Gentry, Mackie's real home is the fey world of tunnels and black, murky water, a world of living dead girls ruled by a little tattooed princess. Now, because his fey blood gives him fatal allergies to iron, blood and consecrated ground, Mackie is slowly dying in the human world. Mackie would give anything just to be normal, to live quietly amongst humans, practice his bass guitar and spend time with his crush, Tate. But when Tate's baby sister goes missing, Mackie is drawn irrevocably back home to the fey underworld of Gentry, known as Mayhem, where he must face down the dark creatures, rescue the child, and find his rightful place - in our world, or theirs.

Review - coming soon.................

The Gallagher Girls (book 1) - Ally Carter

Blurb
Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses – but it’s really a school for spies. Cammie Morgan is fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways (three of which involve a piece of uncooked spaghetti). But the one thing the Gallagher Academy hasn’t prepared her for is what to do when she falls for an ordinary boy who thinks she’s an ordinary girl.

Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, and track him through a mall without his ever being the wiser, but can Cammie have a normal relationship with a boy who can never know the truth about her?

Review
The reason why I came upon this book in the first place was because my 13yr old daughter wanted it. She'd read the book description and liked the sound of it so I downloaded it onto iBooks and we shared it.
Although I love reading young adult fiction, this didn't really appeal to me. I usually like fantasy, excitement, and thriller type stories as opposed to teen romance but gave it a go. I usually read all of my daughters books before, or at the same time as they do so we can chat about the story and our likes and dislikes. Also, just to make sure they're suitable for their age group.

The book starts pretty well and I flew through the first quarter. It built the theme of the book well and the descriptions of the School transported the reader right into the heart  of Spy School.
I liked the main characters and unlike many other teen novels, there was no enemy out to get the main character which was refreshing, but had me wondering where the story would end up. I mean there aren't many High Schools where ALL of the girls get along.
Half way through we meet Cammie's (potential) boyfriend and this is where the story seems to be picking up and going somewhere. Cammie and her friends aren't sure if Josh is a honeypot or not and set out to 'spy' on him. The rest of the book builds this up and we're wondering right up until the end as to whether Josh has an ulterior motive for befriending Cammie. We're treated to a superb fight scene right at the end which isn't really believable but I don't think it's meant to be. A lot of the book carries humour and is very tongue in cheek but one which will leave teeneage girls wanting more....which is just as well since this is book 1 of 3 (or 4).

Conclusion - a decent read which doesn't really go anywhere.

Coming soon......

The Gallagher Girls 1 - I'd Tell you I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You by Ally Carter

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff