Fishing for Maui by Isa Pearl Ritchie @IsaPearlRitchie @rararesources #bookreview

Happy Wednesday everybody!

Excited to share with you today my review for this beautifully told story about family, food, and culture! A huge thank you to Rachel for my invitation to the tour and two Isa Pearl Ritchie for her lovely words!💛

A novel about food, whānau, and mental illness.

Valerie reads George Eliot to get to sleep – just to take her mind off worries over her patients, her children, their father and the next family dinner. Elena is so obsessed with health, traditional food, her pregnancy and her blog she doesn’t notice that her partner, Malcolm the ethicist, is getting himself into a moral dilemma of his own making. Evie wants to save the world one chicken at a time. Meanwhile her boyfriend, Michael is on a quest to reconnect with his Māori heritage and discover his own identity. Rosa is eight years old and lost in her own fantasy world, but she’s the only one who can tell something’s not right. Crisis has the power to bring this family together, but will it be too late?

“An accomplished story of a family in crisis

– Ritchie’s great skill is her ability to conjure the inner lives if her characters. Fishing For Maui is a compassionate meditation on what it means to be well”. – Sarah Jane Barnett

My Thoughts

A beautifully told story about family, food, and culture; set against the beautiful backdrop of New Zealand….

Told from multiple points of view, spanning three generations, this book really gives you a honest glimpse into the lives of this family… The family members all have strong and differing opinions on things such as food, culture, and tradition… everyone’s story was told so exquisitely with such elegance at times I felt as though I was reading poetry…

This book just touched on so many different subjects from food to blogging to surfing to medical practices to mental illness to tradition etc. I found I could relate with almost all of the characters, in one way or another, some more than others…. The book captivated my interest throughout and was extremely thought-provoking…. The setting of New Zealand definitely added something to the story for me I learned about a culture I had no previous knowledge of…

A quiet story that’s true beauty is in its words and its characters, recommended to anyone who is looking for a gentle thought-provoking story….

Purchase Links

Amazon US – https://www.amazon.com/Fishing-Maui-Isa-Pearl-Ritchie-ebook/dp/B07DZBXSCN/

Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fishing-Maui-Isa-Pearl-Ritchie-ebook/dp/B07DZBXSCN/

Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/826608

Author Bio –

Isa Ritchie is a Wellington-based writer. She grew up as a Pākehā child in a bicultural family and Māori was her first written language. She has completed a PhD on food sovereignty in Aotearoa. She is passionate about food, wellbeing and social justice.

Social Media Links –

https://www.facebook.com/isapearlritchie/

https://twitter.com/IsaPearlRitchie

https://www.instagram.com/isapearlritchie/

Christmas Spirit by Nicola May @nicolamay1 @rararesources #bookreview #giveaway

Happy hump day!

Delighted to share with you today my review for this festive short story! Many thanks to Rachel for my invitation to the tour and two Nicola May for her wonderful words!🎁

It’s two days before Christmas – and Evie Harris finds herself both manless and jobless. After a chance encounter with handsome Greg (and egged on by her toy-boy-eating friend, Bea) she agrees to work at a homeless shelter on Christmas Day.
Striking up an unlikely friendship with homeless Yves, Evie begins an unwitting journey of spiritual awakening, all set against the sparkling winter backdrop of London landmarks. 

A New Year’s Eve revelation is on its way . . . but will it leave Evie with a happy heart, or will she allow the pre-Christmas past to dictate her future?

My Thoughts

A charming and festive Reid, a powerful story in a little package! 🎁

This was a suite short story all about the magic of Christmas… a story filled with peace, hope, and strength… a lovely story about finding wisdom and tranquility where you least expect it…

Evie goes out with her BFF Bea, for a night of drinking and forgetting… forgetting that she just broke up with her boyfriend a few days before Christmas… while out she meets the handsome Gary with a heart shaped birthmark…. with some arm twisting from Gary and Bea, Evie is convinced to volunteer at a soup kitchen on Christmas Day… while at the soup kitchen she meets Yve and that’s when all the magic begins…. there is something very special about Yve, is he Evie’s very own guardian angel?

Such a beautiful story sprinkled with so much magic and love! I absolutely loved the message of this book… and yes the romance moves quickly, but it had two they’re only 58 pages… I have to say there’s quite a bit packed into this short book… I love the message, I love the lessons, I loved the watercolors, I love the poetry, I love the characters, I love the setting…. my favorite part though was the magical twist at the very end!

A holly Jolly story that will put you in the holiday mood and fill your heart with hope❤️💚❤️

*** thank you so much to Rachel for my copy of this book ***

Purchase Link:

Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Christmas-Spirit-Nicola-May-ebook/dp/B00GG2O66U

Amazon US –  https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Spirit-Nicola-May-ebook/dp/B00GG2O66U

Nicola May – Biography

Nicola May lives near the famous Ascot racecourse with her black-and-white rescue cat, Stan.  Her hobbies include watching films that involve a lot of swooning, crabbing in South Devon, eating flapjacks – and, naturally, enjoying a flutter on the horses.

Nicola likes to write about love, life and friendship in a realistic way, describing her novels as ‘chicklit with a kick’.

She has written eight novels, with Christmas Spirit being her first novella.

Follow Nicola May

Website – www.nicolamay.com

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/NicolaMayAuthor

Twitter – https://twitter.com/nicolamay1

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/author_nicola/

Giveaway – Win 5 x PDF copies of Christmas Spirit (Open Internationally)

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/33c69494153/?

48 days until Christmas! Have you started shopping yet? I haven’t! Berit☀️✨

The Good, The Bad & The Rugby by Mark Farrer @mark_farrer @damppebbles #TheGoodTheBadTheRugby #bookreview #giveaway

Happy Wednesday!

Excited to share with you today my review for this good old-fashioned fun crime thriller that doesn’t take its self too seriously! Thank you so much Emma for the invitation to the tour!😊

Getting to the truth. By trial… and eror error.

Cullen is on jury duty, and the sleepy Scottish town of Melrose is experiencing a rare crime wave: the famous Rugby Sevens trophy is stolen, a dead body is unearthed, there is a spate of petty arson, and someone drives a van into Gloria’s front room.
Why? And what is her husband doing every night up on Eildon hill?

In this hilarious crime romp, misguided loyalties, thwarted love, and unbelievable gullibility reach crisis point on the one day in the year when the world pays a visit to Melrose.

At the final whistle, Cullen will ensure that justice is done.

Because sometimes twelve good men just isn’t enough.

My Thoughts

This was a fun and humerus crime thriller….

This is one of those books you don’t want to read in public, unless you want to get those funny looks when you’re laughing out loud at apparently nothing… an over-the-top character driven story about some quite interesting characters… i’m not even sure how to review this… it’s like when you tell a joke you heard on a late night television show and it falls flat, Because you cannot deliver it quite the same way?

A cleverly crafted story about rugby, a jury trial, and a lot of crazy antics… i’m currently chuckling to myself just thinking about some of the shenanigans that went on in this book! It really was just plain good old fashion fun! A book that did not take itself too seriously that Will leave you with a smile on your face and tears running down your cheeks from laughing so hard!😂

Recommend when you’re in the mood for a fun book filled with laughter and Fabulous characters!

About Mark Farrer:

Mark was born in Liverpool, studied Computer Science at Hull University, then had a successful career in IT management in London and the South-East for twenty years before moving to Edinburgh in 2001. He continued working in IT until 2015 when he decided to retire from the rat race and focus on becoming a writer. He now spends half his time writing and the other half worrying why he is not yet making money from writing.

The Good, The Bad & The Rugby is Mark’s third comic novel featuring a morally righteous loner called Cullen. He also has a perma-free novella on Amazon, called Dirty Barry, which tells how Cullen and Big Paul first met. He is currently at work on a second novella, called Bronchial Billy.

Mark has three children, one at University, one on a gap year in Ghana, and one still at High School. He lives with his partner Claire, a photographer, near West Linton, in the Scottish Borders.

He likes: his Mini Cooper, songwriting, playing piano, vanilla panna cotta, The Beatles, woodburning stoves, wittertainment, Bill Bailey, #sadmanonatrain, fruit gums, Carl Hiaasen, The Wire, spicy food, Van Gogh, Lindsey Buckingham, oaked chardonnay, House MD, long walks, cinema, reading in bed, florentines, Only Connect, board games, Otis Lee Crenshaw, Budweiser, GBBO, India, cheese, David Armand’s mimes, bookshops, Scandi Noir, Diet Coke, The Economist, Blackadder, good sausages, Dickens, Helena Bonham-Carter (secret crush), the Times crossword, the song mmmbop, and pies.

And lists.

He dislikes: ITV, pinot grigio, tattoos, ballet, ready meals, rap, religion, clutter, artificial raspberry flavouring, marmite, jazz, under-powered showers, people who don’t look after their stuff, opera, sprouts, and waste.

And mashed potato.

He really doesn’t like mashed potato.

Social Media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mark_farrer

Website: http://markfarrer.com/

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mark-Farrer/e/B074S4XMGL/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Purchase Links:

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Good-Bad-Rugby-Mark-Farrer-ebook/dp/B07H3ZL5P5/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1538912556&sr=1-1&keywords=the+good+the+bad+and+the+rugby+mark+farrer

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Good-Bad-Rugby-Mark-Farrer-ebook/dp/B07H3ZL5P5/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1538912862&sr=8-1&keywords=the+good+the+bad+%26+the+rugby+mark+farrer

Download DIRTY BARRY for FREE!  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dirty-Barry-Mark-Farrer-ebook/dp/B0792YCD2X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1539679727&sr=8-1&keywords=dirty+barry

UK Only Giveaway:

For your chance to win 2 bookmarks featuring the covers of all four of Mark Farrer’s books, please click the following Rafflecopter link.  Please note this a UK only giveaway. The 14 winners will be selected at random and your postal address will be passed onto Mark Farrer. There is no cash alternative.  The giveaway ends of midnight (GMT) on 16th November 2018.  Any personal information stored by the Rafflecopter giveway will be deleted after the winners have been drawn.  Good luck!

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/995da7e516/?

Thank you so much for stopping by! Berit☀️✨