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    • The Goose Road Blog Tour

      Posted at 1:37 pm by jemima, on April 2, 2018

      thumbnail_Goose road jacketGrab a mug of tea, get comfy…today is the start of a blog tour for the brilliant book, The Goose Road!
      Yes that’s right hello!! It’s me, back with (yet another) blog tour, but today I’m spoiling you! Not only do you get my review, you also get a chance read a little extract of The Goose Road by Rowena House!

      Not enough? Okay, how about A GIVEAWAY!!!!thumbnail_Rowena House headshot (Walker)

      Yep, you got it! I am giving you the chance to win one of 2 copies of The Goose Road! The Giveaway is UK only (sorry guys!) but more on that later.

      Big thanks to Jo who send me my copy of The Goose Road and is letting me have 2 winners!


      First up I’ll give you the extract (cause I’m nice like that), and I hope it’ll entice you to want to read more and enter the giveaway!!

      I’m turning hay in the top meadow when I hear the squeak of rusty wheels and look up to see Monsieur Nicolas, the postman, pedalling up the lane. I stiffen, suddenly afraid that I know the reason why he’s here.

      Please, God, let it not be Pascal.

      Soft summer sounds surround me now that I’m still. Grasshoppers. Distant birds. The eternal hum of bees. The creaking of the bicycle is like some infernal machine, let loose in the Garden of Eden.

      Please, God, not my brother, Pascal.

      I think about that other August day two years ago, when the jangling of church bells shattered the peace of the valley. Pascal and I dropped our pitchforks and ran to the village square just in time to hear the mayor announce, “Men of France! To arms!”

      Father left straightaway, but Pascal stayed long enough to show me how to gather the harvest, how to scythe and how to plough. I was twelve years old and so excited. Now my hands are calloused and my back aches like an old woman’s.

      Monsieur Nicolas clatters slowly past the orchard, waking the geese. They flap and hiss as they waddle towards the fence. Mother appears at the kitchen door, wiping her hands on her apron. Her back is very straight.

      Monsieur Nicolas clambers awkwardly off the saddle and pushes his bicycle up the hill towards our gate. I hold my breath. My legs shake. My vision blurs with tears.

      Please, God. Not Pascal.

      Monsieur Nicolas stops again. He rests his bike against our fence. The geese clamour and shriek as he opens the gate to our yard. Stifling a cry, I pick up my skirts and run.

       

      It’s Father, Mort pour la France on some distant battlefield. The letter telling us is crushed in Mother’s hand. I bow my head and make the sign of the cross, then ask, “Who’s the letter from? May I read it?”

      She turns hollow eyes on me. “It’s from your brother, my angel.”

      “Pascal! Is he safe? Is he well? Oh, Maman, does he say when he’s coming home?”

      Relief bubbles inside me. I’m torn between laughter and tears. But when I reach out for the letter, Mother’s knuckles whiten as she tightens her grip on it.

      “Your father is dead, Angélique. Have you no feelings at all?”

      I hang my head, the pain in her voice cutting through me. For her sake, I try to remember something nice about him. One small thing. But I can’t. All I recall are his fists and his belt and his leather razor strop. Pascal got the worst of it, but sometimes late at night I’d hear Mother whimpering too.

      “Well?” she asks, sounding weary now rather than angry.

      My gaze remains fixed on the earthen floor and the dust-flecked shaft of sunlight falling across it while the ticking of the kitchen clock grows louder between us.

      Am I wicked, I wonder, a heartless, unforgivable child because I’m not sad he’s dead?

      I try to squeeze out a tear, but inside my head I can hear the thwack, thwack, thwack of his drunken anger, and Pascal’s sobs as he rushed up to his room, and Mother’s muffled voice through his closed door, hushing him, telling him not to fuss.

      “I am sorry,” I say at last. “Are you?” I give a tiny shrug. “For you, yes.” She sighs, then turns her back on me and takes her

      apron off. “See to the animals,” she says, “then come in to change.

      We’ll go to Mass this evening.”


       

      I was utterly enchanted by The Goose Road, perhaps because I really like books set in wartime/in the past, or pehaphs because I really fell in love with the characters in The Goose Road especially René and Angélique!

      Now if you know me, I’m strictly against doing spoiler reviews (unless stated) and that is still the case here, as I want you to be urged into reading this book with the sheer knowledge that Rowena has a fantastic writing style, her prose and the way she writes is stunning. I was captivated from the first page and read the book in two sittings (I had to sleep).

      I am also struggling to believe that this is her debut as she is a wonderful story teller! I truly felt like I was Angélique keeping the family farm running and travelling across France. And another thing I adored, wait, LOVED, was that it was set in World War One, something (correct me if I’m wrong) is severly lacking in children’s literature? And with this year being the centinary of the end of the First World War I feel as though we will have a fair few more WW1 books being released. I just hope they are all as wonderful as Rowena’s.


       

      I mean if you skipped everything just for the giveaway then you must have amazing taste.

      The rules are simple for this giveaway.

      Number 1: Follow my Twitter, this will be where you are contacted by me to say you have won.
      –@JemimaJOsborne

      Number 2: Retweet my giveaway tweet (it will be pinned to my page)

      Number 3: Must be living in the UK

      Number 4: BONUS ENTRY! Comment below with a book recommendation!

      If any of this has tempted you to pick up the book you can check it out below, The Goose Road publishes 5th April 2018 and is available anywhere you buy your books:

      Amazon 

      Waterstones

       

      May the odds be ever in your favour

       

       

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      Posted in book bloggers, book reader | 5 Comments | Tagged Blog Tour, blogging, book, book review, books, booksread, british, drinkingbooks, extract, france, giveaway, instabook, personal, reading, reads, review, reviewing, reviews, stories, walker books, world war 1
    • Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-A-Thon

      Posted at 8:26 pm by jemima, on April 22, 2016

      Hey guys, this is a quick post just to let you all know I am taking part in the Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-A-Thon.

      UK time starts at 1pm, so I’ll be able to catch a lie in before starting. I’ll be tweeting my progress too so be sure to follow me over on twitter;

      @JemimaJOsborne

      I hope you can join me in reading some books from 1pm 23/4/16 to 12:59pm on 24/4/16.

      Here is a photo of my *Current* TBR for tomorrow. Now this could all change, books can be taken away/added. But here goes- yes it is ambitious but some are just short stories I want to read.

      dUiNLeRg.jpg

      As you can see it’s an array of ARC’s and fantasy. Two of my favourite things!

       

      If you are taking part, let me know what books you want to read.

      Happy reading!

       

       

      Posted in reading, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged arc, book, bookish, books, booktube, booktuber, deweys, deweys 24 hour readathon, drinkingbooks, mystery, readathon, reader, reading, review
    • Chasing Charlie | Blog Tour

      Posted at 11:43 am by jemima, on April 20, 2016

      Hey guys!

      It’s another stop on a blog tour, today’s review is Chasing Charlie by Linda McLaughlan which was kindly sent to me via the publishers, Black and White Publishing. Currently it is in e-book form but will be released in paperback tomorrow!

      9781785300134.jpg

      First, lets just discuss that cover? The red bus!! The black figures?? Oh my god it is just a perfect cover! What does it tell you?

      If you got;

      Woman chases man in London then you’re an ace detective!

      Linda McLaughlan is a debut author and Chasing Charlie is all about an unlucky-in-love Sam, who bumps into her first boyfriend, the charming but roguish Charlie, she falls head first for him all over again. Even though he broke her heart, she’s determined to win him back – even if she has to chase him all over London…

      I fell in love with this book from the first page, I did not stop reading it until I turned the final page, I was captivated!

      I’ve recently been reading loads of YA/Fantasy novels so this was just a perfect break from it. I loved Linda’s writing style and how her characters are crafted. And so many fantastically crafted ones too!

      Plus there’s that added bonus of a certain character in love with Sam! It just made me go squealing with glee at every moment!

      Readers will instantly find themselves connecting with Sam, especially if they’ve ever dated a shitty boyfriend!

      Filled with characters you’d love to know, be, hate and/or slap, I really enjoyed this read. We meet Sam and her friends Mara, Claudia and Ed as they are entering their 30s, with real-life, boring jobs and other commitments to think of-

      Totally reminded me of Bridget Jones oh so much!! I loved it!!

      Sam *literally* bumps into her first love, Charlie, and is instantly besotted (again).

      Ed has just returned from a trip to India, ready to declare his love for the now preoccupied Sam.

      Claudia is juggling the mortifying news she has an STI and the growing realisation she has met her match.

      And Mara plays mother hen to all, which would be detrimental to her own love life, if she had one.

      Told in numerous POV’s but in no way was it hard to remember whose chapter you were in. The author does a fantastic job of slightly altering the style of the narrative to differentiate between each character. Normally I’m not a fan of multiple POV’s but this worked extremely well!

      Of course there’s embarrassing moments that will leave you cringing and definitely remembering past mistakes you might have made!

      I have read many rom-coms but this is just a perfect example of real life being reflected. It was honest, real, mortifying and just full of love and laughs. I loved it! This is a perfect, joy of a book- great for a holiday read. Although if you plan to do anything you’ll definitely cancel those plans in favour of reading this book!

      I hope Linda writes many more books- she’s an auto-buy author now!

      5-stars1

       

      If this review has convinced you enough to wanna check out the book, click here to order now!

      Amazon

       

      Check out the other dates on the blog tour;

      Day 1 has an extract!

      Chasing Charlie Launch invite
      Chasing Charlie Blog Tour Small Banner

      Once again, many thanks for the chance to review this amazing debut B&W!

      Posted in book reviews, Uncategorized | 1 Comment | Tagged book, book review, bookblogger, books, bookstagram, bookstagrammer, chasing charlie, drinkingbooks, reader, reading
    • Dream Thieves||REVIEW

      Posted at 10:58 pm by jemima, on March 30, 2016

      17370618Ronan Lynch has secrets. Some he keeps from others. Some he keeps from himself. One secret: Ronan can bring things out of his dreams.

      If you didn’t already see it, a few days ago I posted a review of the first book in a cycle called The Raven Boys. Today I’m going to be reviewing the second book with many thanks to Olivia over at Scholastic for sending it my way.

      If you’ve not read the first book please do so unless you want to be spoiled for the entire first two books.

      Done?

      Okay, onto my review;

      I want to rave and gush and just tell you all my emotions and everything about this book, but I absolutely don’t want to say one tiny thing that would spoil the small, wonderful surprises this book has.

      Whilst mainly focusing on Ronan,

      tumblr_nj2kkmWdhZ1r9yp9ro3_500.gif

      No not that one.

      The story also covers Blue’s growing affection for Gansey is so well done, as is her growing to desire to kiss and be kissed despite her knowledge of the consequences.

      Ronan is a tough guy to like, but as the story openly admits that fact it made me like him so much more. Obviously in this book he faces the drugged up Kavinsky. Ronan has secrets, and Kavinsky thinks he knows what they are but he’s eveeer so slightly wrong. Silly Kavinsky…

      The plot meanders, and very little of it seems to have anything to do with the hunt for Glendower. But with the brilliance of her writing, Maggie makes everything feels like it has to do with Glendower.

      Overall I loved this book, will be definitely re-reading again soon, and cannot wait to read book 3 because HOW CAN YOU LEAVE IT LIKE THAAATTt????

       

      Posted in book reviews, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged blogger, book, bookblogger, books, booktopia, booktube, booktuber, british, chapters, cycle, dream thieves, drinkingbooks, f4f, maggie stiefvater, raven boys, reading, readingbooks, review, tea
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      🧡🧡🧡I just loved this book so much! @aliceoseman literally wrote about my life here. If you’ve found yourself in love with a band or celebrity (we all have) then this book is for you. I found elements of each character incredibly relatable and I loved every second of it. I Was Born For This hits shelves in May and I am SO picking up a finished copy. Thanks again to @harpercollinsch for supplying me with an early copy of the book. Review on blog to come🧡🧡🧡
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      Love, Simon or rather Simon Vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda was just one of the books I read last month and I loved it!! @beckyalbertalli is an amazing author and I cannot wait to watch Nick play Simon!!
      Finished Obsidio in the early hours and I loved it so so much!! Review to be released on 13/3 #obsidio
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