The Drift by C.J. Tudor

 

From Goodreads

Hannah awakens to carnage, all mangled metal and shattered glass. During a hasty escape from a secluded boarding school, her schoolbus careened over a hillside road during one of the year's heaviest snowstorms, trapping her inside with a handful of survivors, a brewing virus and no way to call for help. If she and the remaining few want to make it out alive, with their sanity--and secrets--intact, they'll need to work together or they'll be buried alive with the rest of the dead.

A former detective, Meg awakens to a gentle rocking. She is in a cable car suspended far above a snowstorm and surrounded by strangers in the same uniform as her, with no memory of how they got there. They are heading to a mysterious place known only to them as "The Retreat," but when they discover a dead man among their ranks and Meg spies a familiar face, she realizes that there is something far more insidious going on and begins to use the skills from her former life to interrogate her fellow passengers.

Carter is gazing out the window of the abandoned ski chalet that he and his ragtag compatriots call home. As the years drag on, the view of pine forests and mountaintops has become wallpaper. Together, they manage what they can to survive--mostly manufacturing vaccines against a deadly virus in exchange for life's essentials. But as their generator begins to waver, the threat of something lurking in the chalet's depths looms larger, and their fragile bonds will be tested when the power finally fails-for good.

The imminent dangers faced by Hannah, Meg and Carter are each one part of the puzzle. Lurking in their shadows is an even greater threat-one that threatens to consume all of humanity.

My thoughts

My thanks to the Publishers via NetGalley for a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.

What has happened?  A group of apparently disconnected events happen at a similar time in different places.  As the characters are trying to cope with what has happened to them individually and as the story progresses the characters all appear to have one goal in their sights and that is to survive events happening around them.  No one is sure who they can trust or if anyone can be trusted.  

This was a solid 4 star read from this reviewer.  Another great read by this Author, she sure knows how to grab the reader and write a great story. If you enjoy stories that take you out of your comfort zone, then this may be the book for you.  It is a mix of post apocalyptic meets horror.  To be honest these are genres that I love reading and I look forward with baited breath, to what she writes next for us to devour.

Bring them on ......

Potions & Proposals (Village of Foxford #1) by Kate Callaghan

From Goodreads

In the mystical town of Foxford, tenacious translator Lucinda Hawthorne is on the brink of assuming the prestigious role of High Priestess. However, fate has a mischievous twist in store for her: an unexpected coven gathering reveals that her lifelong nemesis, Benedict Matherson, is also nominated for the esteemed position. They are presented with a grave ultimatum: either become magically bound to one another on All Hallows’ Eve… or risk a fateful vote that could strip them of everything.

Both fiercely independent and driven by their unwavering desires to lead, Lucinda and Benedict reluctantly agree to the binding ritual. Unfortunately, the spell Lucinda’s family casts to thwart the coven’s plot misfires with surprising consequences, and the pair find themselves magically intertwined in ways they never could have foreseen.

With the shadow of All Hallows’ Eve looming over them, the veil between love and hate blurs. Could it be that amidst their rivalry, they will unearth a hidden longing to remain united? Together, they must confront their demons and discover whether they truly desire to be parted after all.

My thoughts

My thanks to the Publishers via NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a gentle cosy story of a developing relationship of sorts between two hugely independent characters both striving to achieve the same goal in the mystical town of Foxford that they both live in.  As fate has plans in store for Lucinda and Benedict, that neither of them had envisaged ~ what will they decide to do?

I enjoyed this story and found it pure escapism, which was just what I needed.  Sometimes, it's great to be able to disappear among the pages of the book that you're reading and forget about what is happening in your world and immerse yourself in the world of the characters in the story.  This is what I was able to do when I found myself in the world that Lucinda and Benedict lived in.  With some twists and turns along the way it was a great story.

I will look for more books by this author.  

Fluke by James Herbert

 

From Goodreads

Fluke is the moving story of a dog with the memories of a human, with the signature twisting plot James Herbert is famed for. A dog wanders the streets, compelled by a ravenous hunger. Hunting a prey he cannot not define, driven by a primal instinct he cannot ignore. He is more than he thinks, more than he can remember and in the depths of his brain the memory of what he once was is clawing for release.

My thoughts

I was a huge James Herbert fan in my teens, way back when Adam was a lad.  I remember fondly reading the Rats trilogy (there's now a graphic novel, which makes it 4 books in the series now) and having nightmares of a sort about rats and what he wrote about them in his books.

I originally read Fluke years ago and I am reading it again for a Reading Challenge.

This cover reminds me of the cover of the original copy that I read. It was published in 1978.  

Whilst I didn't remember all the story, there were parts of it that did start to come back to me as I kept reading. 

Telling the story of a dog that is given the name of Fluke.  Fluke is not all he at first seems to be and as the story progresses, things start coming back to him.  He can remember at the back of his mind that he has been a human in the past, is he right?

There is so much that I could write about the story in this review, but to do so, would spoil it for others  wanting to read the book.

The Champagne Crush by Caroline O'Connell

 
From Goodreads

For fans of The Paradise Problem, a jet-setting romance about a socialite in over her head in a high-stakes job promoting a new sparkling wine with a difficult boss who wants to see her fail—despite the electric sparks flying between them.

Catherine Reynolds has enjoyed a life of luxury, but her diplomat parents have cut her off financially, leaving her flat broke. She is determined to turn things around and gain her independence—so, when an old family friend offers her a lifeline as a PR consultant for his sparkling wine company, she jumps at the chance. But working with Chris McDermott, the company’s no-nonsense president, is anything but easy.

A purist at heart, Chris clashes with Catherine’s glitzy marketing flair; still, the chemistry between them is undeniable. As they travel from New York to Napa, Paris, and the Champagne region of France, their partnership blossoms amid high-stakes industry rivalries and a launch that could make or break them.

When sabotage threatens to shatter their dreams, Catherine must dig deep to prove her worth. With the dazzling unveiling of their new sparkling wine in Bordeaux in jeopardy, will she and Chris overcome the challenges of the past and present to secure their future—and find love in the process?

My thoughts

My thanks to the Publishers via NetGalley for a copy of this debut story by Caroline O'Connell.

Catherine comes from a family that have diplomatic connections and financial security.  For some reason they have cut her off financially and made things harder for her, causing her to find ways to provide for herself in life and not rely on them.  As a result of this she jumps at the chance she is offered of working for an old family friend as a PR consultant for his wine company.

Can these old friends keep things to a working relationship or will  fate have plans that see them developing into more than just work colleagues?

I enjoyed the story of the developing work relationship between Catherine Reynolds and Chris McDermott, it's not long before the relationship begins to take on more than jus a working relationship.  Their personalities clash at times though and things happen that may cause issues for his company and how it progresses in the wine industry.  

Can he put all his trust in Catherine or is she trying to sabotage things for his company?  

This was a great debut novel to escape into and I will look out for more by this author.

Fayne by Ann-Marie MacDonald

From Goodreads

A beloved writer returns with a tale of science, magyk, love and identity.

In the late nineteenth century, Charlotte Bell is growing up at Fayne, a vast and lonely estate straddling the border between England and Scotland, where she has been kept from the world by her adoring father, Lord Henry Bell, owing to a mysterious condition. Charlotte, strong and insatiably curious, revels in the moorlands, and has learned the treacherous and healing ways of the bog from the old hired man, Byrn, whose own origins are shrouded in mystery. Her idyllic existence is shadowed by the magnificent portrait on the landing in Fayne House which depicts her mother, a beautiful Irish-American heiress, holding Charlotte's brother, Charles Bell. Charlotte has grown up with the knowledge that her mother died in giving birth to her, and that her older brother, Charles, the long-awaited heir, died soon afterwards at the age of two. When Charlotte's appetite for learning threatens to exceed the bounds of the estate, her father breaks with tradition and hires a tutor to teach his daughter "as you would my son, had I one." But when Charlotte and her tutor's explorations of the bog turn up an unexpected artefact, her father announces he has arranged for her to be cured of her condition, and her world is upended. Charlotte's passion for knowledge and adventure will take her to the bottom of family secrets and to the heart of her own identity.

My thoughts.

I was sent a copy of this by Helen Richardson, in order to be able to take part in the Blog tour of it back in 2023.   Whilst I started the book back in 2023 when the tour was taking part, I didn't get the book finished and my stop on the Blog tour was an extract post rather than a review.   Sadly, for various reasons the book got put on hold and I have finally finished it.  I found time to read large chunks and what a feast for the eyes it was.

This is the first book that I have read by this Author and I will look out for more by her, if only to compare the stories that she writes with this one.  This was one hell of a tome and at well over 700 pages long, with over a 100 chapters it took some time reading it.

This is a lengthy story that tells us about the life of Charlotte and Charles's parents before they are born, how they met and the relationship that they develop that leads to them getting married.  What happens to them all following the birth of Charlotte and Charles.  Sadly, life doesn't always go to plan and incidents happen that cause problems for this family and have long reaching consequences for them all..

There is so much that one can say about this book after having read it and I was glad when I came to the end and turned the last page as I could finally lay all the families issues to rest.  This story touches on so many different things.  I did enjoy reading about the relationship that Charlotte developed in her adulthood.  Life can sometimes work out the way we want it too and with the person that we want to be with, whether that relationship is one that lasts isn't always as cut and dried as we may want it to be.  

The excerpt below was one that made me think and in some ways relates to reincarnation and the fact that the life we spend on Earth as a human, may not be the only one that we spend on Earth.

Quote 

'' “Miss Bell—” 

“Shall I jump to Pythagoras? Pythagoras was – and here I do not quote, but comment – a vegetablist like Father, for he believed that in consuming animals one risks consuming one’s own grandfather vis-à-vis the doctrine of reincarnation. Beans, likewise, he forbade his disciples, but I cannot find out why. Why?” 

“Why did Pythagoras refuse to eat … beans?” 

 “Yes.” ''

The above quote took place between Miss Bell and her tutor Mr Margalo.  Miss Bell was trying to show Mr Margalo in her own way, how much she already knew.  The quote made me think though, as it's a take on why some people might have thought that it was wrong to eat meat, as in their eyes they could be eating a past relative of theirs due to their belief in reincarnation.

In my opinion, it is an unusual way to look at why eating meat is possibly wrong for some people.  It did make me think though.

This would make a great reading group read in my opinion.

You Are Here by David Nicholls

From Goodreads

From the internationally bestselling and Booker Prize-longlisted author of One Day, one of the most enduring love stories of its generation, comes an uplifting and unputdownable love story about second chances.

Sometimes you need to get lost to find your way...

Michael is coming undone. Adrift after his wife's departure, he has begun taking himself on long, solitary walks across the English countryside. Becoming ever more reclusive, he’ll do anything to avoid his empty house.

Marnie, on the other hand, is stuck. Hiding alone in her London flat, she avoids old friends and any reminders of her rotten, selfish ex-husband. Curled up with a good book, she’s battling the long afternoons of a life that feels like it’s passing her by.

When a persistent mutual friend and some very unpredictable weather conspire to toss Michael and Marnie together on the most epic of ten-day hikes, neither of them can think of anything worse. Until, of course, they discover exactly what they’ve been looking for.

Michael and Marnie are on the precipice of a bright future ... if they can survive the journey.

A hilarious, hopeful, and heartwarming love story—the novel beloved New York Times bestselling author David Nicholls calls “my funniest book yet”—You Are Here is a bittersweet and hopeful story of first encounters, second chances, and finding the way home.

My thoughts

I am not sure how I came across this book.  Whether I saw that someone was reading it and thought it looked good or whether I just saw the cover and synopsis of it and thought I need to read that.  Anyway this is where I was at, when I was sat with a Library copy in my hands to read.

This is not the first David Nicholls book that I have read.  I have previously read One Day by him.  I approached reading this book with an open mind, as you don't always get on with other books written by the same author that you may have previously read.  

Who would fancy tackling doing what Michael and Marnie have been coerced into doing by a mutual friend?  A hike across England starting off on the North West Coast and finishing off North East Coast, taking in parts of the Lake District and the Pennines.  It's one hell of a hike and not one that everyone will complete, as we find out when parts of the group that they are with fall by the wayside for various reasons.

Michael and Marnie, both have mixed troubled relationships in their pasts, they could be anyone as most people have secrets and issues in their pasts.  How will these two get along?  It's the plan of a mutual friend of theirs, that they may get along in such a way that they may find things in common that may align them as a couple.  Will this plan that their mutual friend has work or not?   Only the pages contained within this book will tell you the answer.

I enjoyed this story and the developing friendships and relationships between the group.  The story was even more poignant as some of the hikes were carried out not far from where I live and are places that I have been to in the past. 

The last paragraph of the chapter titled 'Hotel du Lac', made me laugh to myself.  If you've read the book you may know what I am talking about, BUT if you've yet to read the book then keep your eyes peeled for it. It features a copper bath! 

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

 

From Goodreads

With introductions by Margaret Atwood and David Bradshaw.

Far in the future, the World Controllers have created the ideal society. Through clever use of genetic engineering, brainwashing and recreational sex and drugs all its members are happy consumers. Bernard Marx seems alone harbouring an ill-defined longing to break free. A visit to one of the few remaining Savage Reservations where the old, imperfect life still continues, may be the cure for his distress...

Huxley's ingenious fantasy of the future sheds a blazing light on the present and is considered to be his most enduring masterpiece.

My thoughts

I grabbed a copy of this book from my local Library.  It's one I decided to read with planning to read 1984 by George Orwell.  I want to compare the two books.

I read the introduction to this story by Margaret Attwood and David Bradshaw, I was interested to find out what they had to say before I read the story.  The introductions by them went on for quite some time, but was worth reading in my opinion.

The story by Aldous Huxley was written many years ago, but could easily be set at any time as it's a story set in the future.   This is certainly a very thought provoking read and well worth reading in my opinion.  It sure makes you wonder how the drugs that some people take can immerse them in other worlds.  The lives that the drugs will make them assume they live in, are not always the lives that they are actually living in and can affect their mentality as a result of this.  

How does our World compare to the Brave New World?  This is quite a poignant question and one that you will find out for yourself if you grab a copy of this book to read.