Book Review: The Anti-Social Season by Adele Buck

 

The Anti-Social Season is written by Adele Buck and published by Mills & Boon as part of their newish contemporary Afterglow series. Thea Martinelli is a burnt out firefighter who is starting a new career as social media officer for the fire service. Simon Osman is a librarian and social media coordinator who has been tasked with showing Thea the ropes and how social media work. Simon had a crush on Thea on school but she doesn’t remember him. Sparks fly between the pair but can they stop living in the past and move on to a future together?

I enjoyed that this novel is contemporary with a reversal of roles. Little was made of this by the author and I feel it would have made the characters more believable if there was a bigger part of the storyline focusing on this, even if it was just Thea rescuing a kitten from a tree! Lots of humour and spicy romantic moments between the pair, and some fun little interludes with Thea’s landlady too. I didn’t enjoy the harping back to the fast. The characters needed to be focusing more on how they were to move forward in their lives. Simon appeared rather wimpy at times as he seemed to be overly upset about Thea ignoring/ not remembering him from school. The festive backdrop is a nice touch to the storyline but doesn’t overwhelm it. As an aside I hate the graphics on the Afterglow series, they make the novels look cheap and dreary. 

I would recommend this book as a quick read.

I love Mills & Boon UK and I think you will too! Click my personal referral link to get a discount on your first purchase http://rwrd.io/f4yjeqp?c 

I received this book via Netgalley and Mills and Boon in exchange for a honest review. I am a #MillsAndBoonInsider #netgalley #gifted

 

Book Review: The Woman at My Wedding by L.G. Davis

The Woman At My Wedding is the first part in the a two part series - Broken Vows. This is a psychological thriller with several twists and turns. 

Brynn and Nathan are due to get married. They live in Stoneview Florida in an upscale beach resort. Brynn owns and manages a high end artist gallery whilst Nathan is a criminal lawyer working away from home on a high profile murder case,  The defendant being Amanda Lane, in a case that could make or break his career. Debbie, Brynn’s mother in law from hell, arrives unannounced the month before the wedding is due to take place claiming she help with the wedding preparations.

This is where things start going wrong for Brynn. The only hint the reader has is “The Woman”. First the wedding cake figurines are left broken with a note threatening Brynn.  Her veil is found damaged on the beach, the venue is cancelled, money goes missing and the list goes on. Brynn suspects Debbie is behind it all but has to be careful as she knows all about Brynn’s past and she has worked hard to move away from this. 

The other two suspects are Hannah who is the florist and maid of honour and Elena who has known Nathan for years and is making Brynn’s wedding dress. 

As the wedding draws closer the problems just keep on coming! Will the woman be unmasked and will the wedding actually take place? 

A psychological thriller, full of twists and turns that keeps the reader engrossed in the tale. The main characters seem at first to be mundane and average but as the plot progresses they become more complex and interesting, the book is written using a dual perspective using the voices of Brynn and the unknown woman. This is a clever storytelling device and I enjoyed reading the plot from their perspectives.

An enjoyable read that could have been confusing and dragged but due to the fast paced storyline kept the reader’s attention. I am looking forward to reading the second one in the series. 

I received this book via Netgalley and Bookouture in exchange for a honest review

 

Win Chamilia Disney Sterling Silver Mickey Crystal Pearl Pendant

Anyone remember the Chamilia range by Swarovski. They made grown up style Disney charms and jewellery. I purchased some when Swarovski shut the brand down to use as prizes but then forgot about them! So the first prize will be a Disney Mickey Mouse Sterling Solver and crystal black pearl pendant and chain.   

The Mickey head is sterling silver with a black crystal pearl for his face. It measures 1x1cm. A crystal pearl is a simulated pearl with a crystal in its centre covered in a pearl coating. They are stronger than natural pearls and they are less likely to be damaged by hairspray, perfume etc. They are the highest quality man made pearl. The chain is Sterling Silver, has the Chamilia tag, is 46cm in length with a 5cm extender attached. It comes boxed in a little Chamilia drawer and suedette bag. 

It is very elegant and understated. I have one and regularly wear it: Tgg he ey can still be found on eBay and Vinted for around 2/2 their original retail price. 

Competition Rules:

Must be following my Instagram acount - @sparkling_magpie;

Like and comment on the competition post;

Like and comment on other IG posts for extra entries (especially the glasses post);

C/d 01 Dec 23.59pm GMT ;

Open worldwide.

Win Little Silver Hedgehog Sterling Silver Hedgehog Pendant

 

Win this Little Silver Hedgehog Sterling Silver hedgehog pendant over on my X (formerly Twitter account: @susan1375

This is a recap of my blog post about the pendant/ review: 

Continuing my charity giveaways, this month’s prize can be found on my Twitter account This month I chose a sterling silver hedgehog necklace (£42) from Little Silver Hedgehog an Etsy seller. She designs and makes all her jewellery in her tiny design studio in York. All her jewellery is inspired by nature and wildlife but most importantly of all at least 10% of all profits is donated to helping preserve and save hedgehogs. She also runs a hedgehog rescue. 

The hedgehog population is in decline thanks to humans encroaching on their turf and it is estimated there will be none left in the U.K. within 20 years! It is important to support rescues as a lot of them are self financing and ill hedgehogs or rescued baby hedgehogs are expensive in terms of medication, food and accommodation! 

 

So on to the necklace. Beautifully packaged (and the outer packaging is designed to fit through letterboxes) the pendant measures 1.3 cm in with and the chain is a 16” snake chain. The pendant is very discreet and elegant, perfect to wear all the time.  I’m sure any nature lover or hoggie supporter would love it or any other of her hand made beautiful items. 

She also runs online wildlife/ hedgehog care courses and jewellery courses at her York studio. I’m planning to go and do a 1 day course hopefully next year. If you want to find out more the Twitter, which is the easiest way to access her blog, Etsy, Facebook is Littlesilverhedgehog. 

Rules:

Must follow my Twitter account- @ susan1375;

Retweet and comment on the competition post;

Closing date 25 November 23.59pm GMT;

I purchased the item so any questions please contact me;

This competition isn’t affiliated with either X (formerly Twitter) or Blogger.

Win a Heathergems Higland Coo / Cow Pendant

In the last blog post I reviewed Heathergems Highland Coo (cow) pendant and in this post I am giving one a way, that I purchased myself, just in time for Christmas. Just follow the link below to fulfil the Rafflecopter options and good luck. 

Link >>> a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rules:

Must fulfil the mandatory Rafflecopter options;

Competition is open worldwide;

Opens 06 November closes 30 November 2024;

This couldn’t affiliated with either Blogger or Heathergems, I purchased the item myself so any queries please contact me. 

Good luck!

Review: Heathergems Highland Coo Necklace

I do love a highland cow product (especially jewellery) and my garden is filled with Scottish heather (despite liking in the North West of England). Heathergems, as the name suggests, have created a line of sterling silver jewellery which incorporate ls Scottish heather and the items are made in Scotland. 

The Scottish heather is gathered from the Perthshire hillside, which helps the local wildlife and generate  the local area, cut and clean the heather, dye the heather and compress the stems into resin and compressed under 60 tonnes to create a block which is then cut to size and crafted into wearable pieces of art. Due to this process no two pieces are the same colour, so this little cow is unique! Visit there website for a more detailed explanation and pictures of the process. 

The cow or coo (£36.95) comes in a beautiful gift box. Each piece is handmade and multicoloured and unique to you. The cow measures 32x22mm and hangs on a 18” sterling silver necklace.  The front of the cow is slightly curved giving him more dimension whilst the back is flat so comfortable to wear. It is a beautiful piece and would make a great gift for yourself or someone who likes highland cows. 

I think the whole range is great, it is eco friendly, made in Scotland, you can visit the visitors centre and watch the items being made. There is nothing not to like about Heathergems  The products are reasonably priced especially as they are handmade. 

I purchased this item myself and the views expressed in this blog are my own. 

Review: Glasses2U

 

My eyesight has deteriorated quite a lot over the last few years plus I have been diagnosed with glucoma. I have worn glasses since I was 6 or 7 but was determined not to have bifocals after seeing my mum struggle for years with them. I tried to combine reading with long distance glasses for several months (due to the expense of thin, expensive lenses) but struggled when I was out and about to use my stick and safely swap glasses without dropping them! 

I gave in and decided to try varifocal glasses. I was advised by Boots that the lenses by themselves would be over £500! I decided to look online and as glasses2u have got good Trustpilot reviews I went with them. Their prescription glasses start at £19.95 but sadly I knew mine would cost more than that! I chose the Sophia ladies glasses in lilac (also available in silver and gold). They cost £34.99 including prescription lenses but as I was upgrading I went for the Varifocal Alpha Premium Lens: G2Y Platinum Pack which is £116.64. Altogether my glasses cost £144.92.

I really  liked the customer service. I had my prescription from Boots which I sent over but they still wanted a photo of me wearing their glasses - they sent me a pair with plain glass in so they could check the PD was correct which was very efficient. The glasses arrived within a week in letterbox friendly packaging. The box contained glasses, a leaflet giving instructions on how to care for the glasses and and adjust the frames so they fit and a felt glasses case. 

My glasses are really comfortable to wear, don’t look or feel cheap and are really light, my nose dent from the last pair is slowly disappearing! I did get the thinnest lenses available and they still stick out as you can see in the photos but that happens with all my glasses as my eyesight is so poor. The lenses are still quite light and I can’t really tell I’m wearing varifocals. The colour of the glasses is perfect. The lilac has just the right amount of gold, pink in it to give the face definition. I am really pale so sometimes the colour of glasses can really affect the shape and dimensions of your face. I liked that the front of the glasses frame and the arms had texture which stopped the glasses from looking cheap and boring. I am so pleased to have found this company and I intend to buy the silver version of the glasses as my Christmas present to me! I just wish they had been around when my mum was struggling with her glasses as it really affects your life if your eyesight is poor anyway and then the glasses on offer don’t really help. 

I purchased this item myself and the views expressed in this blog are my own.