The Apprentice by Tess Gerritsen

A year after the intense cat and mouse chase that culminated in the imprisonment of  Warren 'The Surgeon' Hoyt, Detective Jane Rizzoli finds herself facing a series of  murders that are uncomfortably familiar. With traits similar to the surgeons exactly what is Rizzoli dealing with- an admirer? a copy cat? or worse an Apprentice? The novel follows Rizzoli as she faces the trauma of the past and breaks down the demons that stand before her. Joined by the guarded and secretive Agent Gabriel Dean and introducing Maura Isles- can the team stop the Apprentice before they become fully qualified? 

Tender Is The Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

Excuse me whilst I collect my jaw up off the floor. Never ever has a book ending made me feel so utterly enraged, thoroughly deceived and unexpectedly shocked as this one has.

Imagine a world in which animal meat is no longer fit for human consumption. Where do we turn for our meat fix? I'll give you a clue-it's not plant based. Humans are bred for consumption. Raised like cattle with no rights. 

Eight Detectives by Alex Pavesi

Eight Detectives by Alex Pavesi is unlike anything I've ever read before. It's a book within a book. There's a collection of individual and stand alone murder short stories collectively known as The White Murders that are interspersed throughout the main book, Eight Detectives in such a unique way. Eight Detectives focuses on publisher, Julia and the illusive and socially withdrawn author Grant as they discuss the upcoming publication of Grant's iconic work "The White Murders". As a reader we get a short story from The White Murders followed by a chapter that involves Julia interviewing Grant discussing the short story, how we wrote it and what it meant to him at the time. It's a fantastic format and not nearly as complicated as I've made it sound.

Haven't They Grown by Sophie Hannah

Beth and Flora haven't spoken in years, not since their children were little. Now the children are all grown up, well, some of them are.... Haven't They Grown by Sophie Hannah follows Beth as she attempts to unravel how and why her former best friend's children haven't aged in twelve years. Is it a web of lies and deceit? Is Beth slowly losing her sanity or are unaging children merely the tip of the iceberg? 

Days Out | Sundown Adventureland

Sundown Adventureland is a theme park specifically aimed at children under 10 years of age. We visit Sundown often as we're annual pass holders. It's close to where Dan's family live, making it a perfect day out for us all. Sundown is a bit of a local treasure as it's been around for many years, my grandparents can remember visiting it when it was Pets Corner and though it's changed dramatically over the years it's still owned by the same family. 

Coeliac | Wahaca, Southbank.

Prior to being diagnosed with Coeliac Disease I considered myself to be a real foodie. Once diagnosed I went on a bit of a mental health journey whilst I accepted my newly discovered food restrictions. I used to visit London often and thoroughly enjoyed the foodie culture, in particular the markets and street food vendors. Since going gluten free I've only visited London once and I was rather hesitant regarding food and chose to stick with well known restaurant chain, Wahaca. I know there is a vibrant gluten free foodie community just waiting for me to discover but whilst my confidence grows it's reassuring to know that there's a safe place to me eat when out and about in the city.

Coeliac | The Golden Cross, Coventry.

We recently stayed at Bede Serviced Apartments in Coventry to attend the Freefrom and Allergy Show at the Birmingham NEC. We had a spare afternoon and decided to make the most of our child free time by heading out for a meal. Eating out when you're Coeliac is an anxiety inducing occasion that requires a lot of planning, scouring menus and reading reviews. We researched gluten free places to eat in Coventry and came across the usual chain restaurants but to my delight I chanced upon a glowing review for The Golden Cross, a 17th century pub that has an entirely gluten free kitchen- what a stroke of luck to be a twenty minute walk from somewhere that sounded so amazing!

Accommodation | Bede Serviced Apartments

We stayed at Bede Serviced apartments for 3 nights in order to attend the Allergy and Freefrom Show at the NEC Birmingham and the German Christmas Market in the city centre. The apartments are around 20 minutes from the NEC and 40 minutes from the City Centre.

Coeliac | The Stable Birmingham

After a busy day at the NEC for the Allergy and Freefrom Show we headed into the city centre to visit the German Christmas Market. A quick Google of the best gluten free places to eat brought up some fabulous reviews for The Stable Birmingham so we decided to give it a try.

AD GIVEAWAY | IDentity Lingerie Silk Pyjamas

Pyjamas have always been a staple in my life. There's something incredibly comforting about being at home in your nightwear. For me clothing signifies that I'm ready to face my fears and head out into the outside world. Clothes are my armour. In contrast, pyjamas are my safe place. Loungewear and nightwear signifies taking a step back from the world and retreating to the comfort of my own home. Pyjama days are a necessity for me so when IDentity Lingerie asked me to review their luxurious range of Long Silk Pyjamas I jumped at the chance.

Days Out | Peppa Pig World

I recently gave Paulton's Park a glowing review as it's a great family theme park but as the Peppa Pig World is such a significant part of the park and likely to be one of the main reasons for people to visit I thought it deserved a stand alone review.  As I mentioned in my Paulton's Park review, Peppa Pig World is a hefty four hour drive away for us, factor in the copious amount of toilet trips that a four year old needs and you're looking at a full days travelling- so was it worth it?

Accommodation | Room and Roof Southampton

We recently visited Paulton's Park to explore Peppa Pig World. Due to how far away the park is from where we live we decided to make the most of the journey and enjoy a full week away. We prefer to stay in apartments rather than hotels as having Coeliac disease can make it hard to eat out so having private catering facilities makes things easier and often cheaper. We choose Room and Roof Apartments for our stay. We stayed Monday to Friday in a one bedroom apartment. 

Days Out | Paulton's Park

We live a four hour drive away from Paulton's Park, factor in travelling with a four year old and with toilet breaks, snack stops and leg stretches you're looking at a full day travelling. I needed this theme park to be exceptional, it had to be a roaring success or the stress of the journey wouldn't have been worth it. Thankfully Paulton's Park really pulled it out the bag. We had an absolutely amazing time at this all ages, family friendly theme park.

The Tin Ring by Zdenka Fantlova

Having read the Tattooist of Auschwitz and Cilka's Journey last year I was recommended this book by a friend. I borrowed her copy and it is the only physical book I've read this year. I really love my Kindle but it was wonderful to hold a physical book, there is something about well thumbed pages and that unique paper smell that makes my heart soar. It's like holding history in your hands (so thank you Susan for the experience ❤️) 

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley

The Hunting Party is set in the Scottish wilderness. A group of thirty somethings have booked the entire lodge for their annual New Year's Eve getaway. There's the 'perfect couple' with their new baby, the 'university sweethearts' that have been together since forever and the 'new couple' that are eager to please. Then there's the eternally single one. Factor in a perky hostess and a surly groundskeeper an you've got everything you need for a classic 'whodunnit'

The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

The Mercies is the tale of a small coastal fishing village that suffers a great tragedy, one that disrupts the entire nature of the people that live there. An almighty storm killing almost all the men and leaving the women behind to grieve, strive and ultimately aim to survive the harsh realities of their new lives. Help arrives from foreign shores, shores that are ran by patriarchies and religious zealots. What will happen to the women of Vardo? 

Accommodation | Nox Kensington

I am a big fan of a city break and I love to visit London. We live around 2 hours away via train and are fortunate to have a direct train route depart from the neighbouring town. Being from 'up North' means London accommodation prices always come as a shock. We look for something affordable, comfortable, clean and practical. We're not bothered by luxury when it comes to a city break as we spend most of the time out of the hotel exploring the local sights and as we travel by train we don't need to consider our parking options. I'd never heard of NOX hotels before but there are quite a few branches in the London area. We were travelling with Iris this time and had planned to spend the majority of our time around the museums so we chose to stay at the NOX Kensington branch. 

Review | The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne

The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas is a classic must read novel so it's hard to believe that this is the first time I've read it at the grand old age of 33! I think a lot of people read this book at school alongside other classics such as Of Mice and Men, The Diary of Anne Frank and To Kill A Mockingbird- can you believe I've never read any of those? I'm starting to understand why the secondary school I attended was closed down after my year group left and ultimately demolished. The reading list seems to be severely lacking but secondary school gripes aside- is this book as powerful as I've been led to believe?

Review | Blue Ticket by Sophie MacKintosh

Blue Ticket by Sophie MacKintosh imagines a world in which your parental destiny is decided by the luck of the draw, I suppose in the real world whether we are able to have children is predetermined by genetics, health and personal fertility but imagine if it was decided literally by a draw. White ticket means your future includes children. Blue ticket means it does not. No questions, no re-draws just blind acceptance of your fate depending on the ticket drawn. What ticket would you wish to be?

29 Seconds by T M Logan

Regular readers of the blog will know that I love T M Logan novels. I've read The Holiday, Lies, The Catch and now 29 seconds. This book is the second book that T M Logan wrote but each book is standalone and unrelated to the others so the order in which you read them doesn't really matter though a word of warning- don't read this one first. If I'd have read this one first I would have been significantly less likely to read any of the others. It pains me to say this but this is the one and only T. M Logan book that I've not enjoyed- so much so I almost gave up reading it!