Books à la Mode | a book, beauty, and fashion blog: UK

Showing posts with label UK. Show all posts

Thursday, January 11, 2018

Top 10 Behind-the-Scenes Peeks at The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor + Giveaway (US only)

The Chalk Man
C.J. Tudor
from Crown Publishing (Penguin Random House)

A riveting and relentlessly compelling psychological suspense debut that weaves a mystery about a childhood game gone dangerously awry, and will keep readers guessing right up to the shocking ending

In 1986, Eddie and his friends are just kids on the verge of adolescence. They spend their days biking around their sleepy English village and looking for any taste of excitement they can get. The chalk men are their secret code: little chalk stick figures they leave for one another as messages only they can understand. But then a mysterious chalk man leads them right to a dismembered body, and nothing is ever the same.

In 2016, Eddie is fully grown, and thinks he’s put his past behind him. But then he gets a letter in the mail, containing a single chalk stick figure. When it turns out that his friends got the same message, they think it could be a prank... until one of them turns up dead.

That’s when Eddie realizes that saving himself means finally figuring out what really happened all those years ago.

Expertly alternating between flashbacks and the present day, The Chalk Man is the very best kind of suspense novel, one where every character is wonderfully fleshed out and compelling, where every mystery has a satisfying payoff, and where the twists will shock even the savviest reader.

Need You Dead by Peter James Giveaway (US only)

Need You Dead (Roy Grace #13)
Peter James

Roy Grace, creation of the CWA Diamond Dagger award winning author Peter James, faces his most mysterious case yet in Need You Dead.

Lorna Belling, desperate to escape the marriage from hell, falls for the charms of another man who promises her the earth. But, as Lorna finds, life seldom follows the plans you’ve made. A chance photograph on a client’s mobile phone changes everything for her.

When the body of a woman is found in a bath in Brighton, Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is called to the scene. At first it looks an open and shut case with a clear prime suspect. Then other scenarios begin to present themselves, each of them tantalizingly plausible, until, in a sudden turn of events, and to his utter disbelief, the case turns more sinister than Grace could ever have imagined.

Giveaway!

Books à la Mode is giving away one print copy of Need You Dead—yay!!

To enter, all you have to do is tell me in the comments below:

What about you, as a person, is extraordinary? How do you stand out from other people?

Don't forget the entry eligibility terms and conditions!

Sponsored wholly by the publicist—a huge thank you to the lovely folks over at Wunderkind PR!

Giveaway ends June 21st at 11.59 PM (your time).

Open to US residents only—sorry, everyone else! Please check my sidebar for a list of currently running giveaways that are open worldwide. There are plenty to choose from!

Void where prohibited.

Winners have 48 hours to claim their prize once they are chosen, or else their winnings will be forfeited.
Although I do randomly select winners, I am in no way responsible for prizes, nor for shipping and handling.

As a reminder, you do not have to follow my blog to enter, though it is always very much appreciated ❤

Good luck!

Friday, November 18, 2016

7 Heart Review: Victoria by Daisy Goodwin

This is an advertisement for SheSpeaks/St. Martins Press. I received a copy of Victoria for free.

Victoria
Daisy Goodwin

Page Count: 368
Release Date: November 22nd, 2016
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Source: Complimentary copy provided by publicist via publisher in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you, SheSpeaks and St. Martin's Press!)
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Drawing on Queen Victoria’s diaries, which she first started reading when she was a student at Cambridge University, Daisy Goodwin—creator and writer of the new PBS/Masterpiece drama Victoria and author of the bestselling novels The American Heiress and The Fortune Hunter—brings the young nineteenth-century monarch, who would go on to reign for 63 years, richly to life in this magnificent novel.

Early one morning, less than a month after her eighteenth birthday, Alexandrina Victoria is roused from bed with the news that her uncle William IV has died and she is now Queen of England. The men who run the country have doubts about whether this sheltered young woman, who stands less than five feet tall, can rule the greatest nation in the world.

Despite her age, however, the young queen is no puppet. She has very definite ideas about the kind of queen she wants to be, and the first thing is to choose her name.

“I do not like the name Alexandrina,” she proclaims. “From now on I wish to be known only by my second name, Victoria.”

Next, people say she must choose a husband. Everyone keeps telling her she’s destined to marry her first cousin, Prince Albert, but Victoria found him dull and priggish when they met three years ago. She is quite happy being queen with the help of her prime minister, Lord Melbourne, who may be old enough to be her father but is the first person to take her seriously.

On June 19th, 1837, she was a teenager. On June 20th, 1837, she was a queen. Daisy Goodwin’s impeccably researched and vividly imagined new book brings readers Queen Victoria as they have never seen her before.

Review

You bet I had to match my nails to this stunning cover.
Most know her for her long-lived, powerful rule over Great Britain, but very few know her story outside of the monarchy. Victoria is a dazzling glimpse of Queen Victoria not only during her reign; rather, it covers the four-year timespan before she ever thought to ascend throne, to her first few years in.

There's a really interesting dynamic between the struggle for power that surrounds young Alexandrina (Victoria's birth name), as well as her hard-earned path to ascension. A great player in this is Lord Melbourne, Victoria's closest friend and confidante upon King William IV's death—unusual because he was 40 years her senior—who would go on to be a hugely successful mentor in Victoria's most critical years. Goodwin portrays him as a charismatic, hard-to-figure-out character, and I loved the ambiguous but wholly intriguing relationship between him and Victoria.

Victoria is also highly empowering; I loved reading about the obstacles she faced just for being a female ruler, and how she overcame them. Who would have thought, in 1837, that such a small girl, hardly a woman at eighteen, would end up ruling the world?

While well researched, this novel isn't bogged down with facts or a timeline of events that usually makes historical fiction difficult for me. It felt like a natural story, specifically about Victoria's development in her teenage years and early adulthood. It portrays the Queen in a relatable, human light—a perspective I've never seen before, and appreciate extremely. This is a very approachable account of the more intimate details of Victoria's life; Anglican history buffs and romance lovers alike will really enjoy this.

Pros

Story flows well and the ending is satisfying // Many points of rising action and tension // Well-fleshed characters: Victoria is easy to sympathize with and Lord Melbourne is fascinating // A great historical perspective of an endearing character

Cons

Some parts are melodramatic (not that they're overly dramatic, but the characters just act really scandalized over the smallest things) // I wish the subplot with Victoria's domineering mother had been more developed in the latter half of the book

Verdict

Less of an all-encompassing biopic and more of a glimmering coming-of-age story of one of the most powerful female rulers in history, Victoria is a historical drama that paints a vivid picture of the Queen's earliest, most transformative years. Daisy Goodwin is a natural storyteller; lovers of all things British Royalty will eat this book up. Equal parts political examination and budding romance, it left me thinking: What a beautiful novel. If you're curious about Queen Victoria as a person rather than just her political roles, go pick this up immediately.

7 hearts: Not perfect, but overall enjoyable; would recommend, but borrow a copy before you buy! (x)

Saturday, October 15, 2016

Love You Dead by Peter James Giveaway (US only)

Love You Dead (Roy Grace #12)
Peter James

An ugly duckling as a child, Jodie Bentley had two dreams in life—to be beautiful and rich. She's achieved the first, with a little help from a plastic surgeon, and now she's working hard on the second. Her philosophy on money is simple: you can either earn it or marry it. Marrying is easy, it's getting rid of the husband afterwards that's harder, that takes real skill. But hey, practice makes perfect...

Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is feeling the pressure from his superiors, his previous case is still giving him sleepless nights, there have been major developments with his missing wife Sandy, and an old adversary is back. But worse than all of this, he now believes a Black Widow is operating in his city. One with a venomous mind... and venomous skills. Soon Grace comes to the frightening realization that he may have underestimated just how dangerous this lady is.

Love You Dead is the gripping twelfth book in Peter James's Roy Grace series.

Giveaway!

Books à la Mode is giving away one print copy of Love You Dead—yay!!

To enter, all you have to do is tell me in the comments below:

What is the closest you have ever come to death?

Please make your comment MEANINGFUL. Comments solely consisting of stock responses or irrelevant fluff like "Thanks for the giveaway!" will not be considered for entry. Peter and I really want to hear from you guys! :)

I almost drowned as a child, true story! It wasn't super dramatic, I just fell into a small lake but someone dove in right after to rescue me.

Don't forget the entry eligibility terms and conditions!

Sponsored wholly by the publicist—a huge thank you to the lovely folks over at Wunderkind PR!

Giveaway ends October 29th at 11.59 PM (your time).

Open to US residents only—sorry, everyone else! Please check my sidebar for a list of currently running giveaways that are open worldwide. There are plenty to choose from!

Void where prohibited.

As a reminder, you do not have to follow my blog to enter, though it is always very much appreciated ❤

Good luck!

Saturday, July 25, 2015

The Kindness by Polly Samson Giveaway! (US only)

The Kindness
Polly Samson

A novel both heartbreaking and hopeful, about love and family, and the major and minor ways we lose people in our lives—from an acclaimed talent.

Julian’s fall begins the moment he sets eyes on Julia, flying a hawk high on a ridge. Julian is an English student, heading toward academia; Julia is married and eight years his senior. And yet, ignoring warnings from family and friends, they each give up all they have to be together. Their new life in London offers immense happiness, especially after their daughter, Mira, is born.

But when Julian’s adored—and remote—boyhood home becomes available, he sets out to recreate a lost paradise for his new family. Once again, he allows love to blind him. Only when Mira becomes dangerously ill does it become impossible for Julia to conceal the explosive secret that she has been keeping.

In this first introduction to American readers, the acclaimed Polly Samson explores how the yearning for the past can affect joy in the present and the future. The Kindness is a haunting story of love, grief, betrayal, and reconciliation—masterfully plotted and exquisitely rendered.

Giveaway!

Books à la Mode is giving away three print copies of The Kindness—yay!!

To enter, all you have to do is tell me:

Do you think it is a foolish or romantic notion to give up everything you have—including current friends and family—just to be with the man or woman "of your dreams"?

Please make your comment MEANINGFUL. Comments solely consisting of stock responses or irrelevant fluff like "Thanks for the giveaway!" will not be considered for entry. Polly and I really want to hear from you guys! :)

Don't forget the entry eligibility terms and conditions!

Sponsored wholly by the publicist—a huge thank you to the lovely folks at Goldberg McDuffie Communications!

Giveaway ends August 8th at 11.59 PM (your time).

Open to US readers only—sorry, everyone else! Please check my sidebar for the list of currently running giveaways that are open worldwide. There are plenty to choose from!

Void where prohibited.