Welcome

Hello and welcome to my new blog.

For those of you who don’t know, I used to run the successful blog Babydolls and Razorblades. That blog had unfortunatley disbanded at the end of 2020, this was a decision I didn’t take lightly but felt was the right choice as it featured things that are no longer relevant to me.

I ‘ve always said my blogs would feature things that I enjoy Babydolls and Razorblades didn’t feel like me anymore, so here we are. A nice, shiny new blog and new name that I think is more suiting and more appropriate (at least it doesn’t sound like a porn site).

This new blog will be Jolene’s Book Corner (obviously). It will include Book Reviews only!!!

Please check out the Review Policy page.

Book Review: Just Friends at Thistle Lodge by Margaret Amett

Thank you to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for giving me the chance to review Just Friends at Thistle Lodge by Margaret Amett

Blurb

One romantic getaway. Two friends. Seven days just pretending…

When Nina Copeland’s mates try to match her with the guy next door, she needs a plan. Because Matthew’s just a friend, and Nina has a secret she doesn’t want him to discover – not until she’s tidied her messy life.

After his divorce, physics teacher Matthew Gilchrist has kept his heart locked safely away. So why do people keep pushing him to date his chirpy neighbour? He and Nina are fine just as friends. Aren’t they?

Nina hatches a solution to get everyone off their backs: fake a relationship at a family reunion, then stage a break-up so life can go back to normal. What could go wrong?

Stuck together at a romantic highland lodge, new feelings lure them out of the friend zone. But if love is to find a way in, Nina must confront her past, and Matthew put his heart on the line.

Review

Book Two in the Glenbriar series and what a lovely read this was, I was hooked from the start, there were plenty of humourus moments and I particularly liked the character Nina. The story and characters were portrayed very well. I highly recommend reading this book.

Purchase here

Book Review: The Cruise by Caroline James @carolinejames12 @rararesources

Thank you to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for giving me the chance to review The Cruise by Caroline James

Blurb

Leaving behind the heartache, guilt and disappointment of their real lives, three friends decide that now they’re in their sixties, it’s time they finally did something for themselves!

Swapping Christmas turkeys and BBC reruns for crystal waters, white sandy beaches and smooth golden rum, Anne, Jane and Kath throw caution (and tradition) to the wind as they set sail on a luxury two-week Christmas cruise around the Caribbean.

Will the three friends find the comfort and joy they seek aboard the Diamond Star?

Review

What a delightful and hilarious read The cruise was perfectly written and the characters were likeable, well majority were. The story was well thought out and it definitely kept you engrossed. I completely enjoyed reading this book, I highly recommend it, such a perfect escape read.

Purchase here

Book Review: Not that kind of Ever After by Luci Adams @luciejadams

Thank you to Hannah Hargrave and Luci Adams for asking me to review Not that kind of Ever after.

Blurb

Once upon a time, in a flatshare south of the river, there lived an aspiring author named Bella Marble. Above all things Bella wants to find love. But one fateful week changes everything.

When her best friend moves in with the most boring ogre in history and her perfectly paired parents tell her their own love story is coming to an end, Bella’s illusions of finding ‘the one’ shatter. With the help of her very own knight in shining Armani, Bella ditches the fairytale and decides it’s time to write herself a brand-new kind of happy ending. And while London may be fresh out of Princes, it’s got a surplus of frogs – and as Bella learns, kissing frogs can be extremely fun.

Review

Well what can I say about this book; apart from how freaking funny and relatable it is. It is a very well written debut that I couldn’t put down and I absolutely adored the characters, especially Bella. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading more from this author.

Purchase here

Book Review: The Kill by Evie Hunter @rachelsrandomresources

Thank you to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for giving me the chance to review The Kill by Evie Hunter

Blurb

After six years in prison for a crime he did not commit, Sebastian Carter is out and determined to get answers about who set him up. He knows it’s someone close to him and Sebastian will make sure they pay.

Ava Harper is living a lie. Although she loves her job caring for young Lily Carter, her real reason for being in the Carter household is to get answers of her own – from none other than convicted murderer Sebastian.

Sebastian hates liars, but he’s intrigued by Ava. As he gets to know more about her, he wonders if the answers she’s looking for could solve his mystery too.

Or will getting too close to Ava risk them both getting killed…?

Review

This is the first book I have read by this author and it most certainly will not be the last. It was well written and flowed well. The book was gripping from the start with plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Purchase here

Book Review:Scottish Country Escape by Julie Shackman

Thank you to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for giving me the chance to review Scottish Country Escape by Julie Shackman

Blurb

Determined to overcome a family tragedy, Elle Cassidy decides to reopen her late mother’s ailing newsagent as a stationery shop in the quiet Scottish town of Fir Haven.

But when the arrogant yet handsome crime writer Dexter Grayling almost runs over Elle in his beast of a sports car, the town is thrown into a tailspin – especially when Dexter claims that local resident Linda Carlucci has put a curse on him and he is no longer able to write.

Can Elle put aside her dislike for the self-absorbed writer and help Dexter uncover what is really going on with the Carlucci family? And in the process will Elle realise that there’s a lot more to her beloved Fir Haven than she first thought…

Review

I absolutely adore this series, not only because its based in Scotland but also because they are very well written and cosy.

The latest installment is another wonderful read, I was hooked from the start. There were plenty of twists and turns to keep you on your toes. It was a fab romantic read, absolutely adored Elle.

I look forward to reading more in this series. Highly recommend.

Purchase here

Book Review: Where the water falls by Romola Farr @RomolaFarr @rararesources

Thank you to Merlin Ward and Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for giving me the chance to review Where the water falls by Romola Farr

Blurb

It had been a long, hot summer followed by a very wet autumn. The River Hawk, lying to the north of a former little mill town, was in full flood but nobody imagined the catastrophe that lay ahead.

Not the elderly couple who created a beautiful memorial garden that would become a lake.Not the opera singer who found a friend who would risk all to save her life.

Not the owner of Wax Polish who would battle to rescue her first love.Not the new parents who would be overwhelmed and torn apart.

And certainly not two drama students whose lives would change forever.

Review

I don’t know where to start, this was a beautifully written story that was a rollercoaster of emotions. I was hooked from the start. This was another brilliant book from Romola Farr, I highly recommend checking her other pieces of work out.

Purchase here

Book Review: Stolen Kisses at the Loch View Hotel by Margaret Amatt @AmattAuthor @rararesources

Thank you to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for giving me the chance to review Stolen Kisses at Loch View Hotel by Margaret Amatt

Blurb

One hotel. One week. And a secret that could change everything.

Ever-optimistic Briony Dalgleish has watched her dreams evaporate. Now, the only way to save her beautiful hotel in the Scottish Highlands is to sell up. In desperation, she agrees to a deal with an American businessman, but when his representative arrives, Briony recognises him as someone she’d rather forget.

American sci-fi geek Zach Somerton is on a last-ditch mission to redeem himself after an epic business fail. If he messes up this time, his career is over. But Scotland’s like another planet, and Zach’s facing crazy locals, bizarre legends, and a woman who’s out of this world. When his boss forbids him to reveal to Briony the real reason he’s at the Loch View Hotel, Zach’s loyalty is tested to the limit.

Forced to work together, Briony and Zach investigate the hotel’s murky past and face up to their own. But getting too close could end their careers. Can Briony and Zach find a way to let in love? Or will secrets and lies crush their chance of happiness?

Review

This is the first book in the new The Glenbriar Series but can easily be read as a standalone and is a spin off of the Scottish Island Escapes series.

I absolutely loved reading this book, it was a perfect start to the knew series. I instantly fell in love with the setting and characters. I really enjoyed the mystery that ran throughout.

i look forward to reading the next installment to what promises to be a fan series.

Purchase here

Book Review: The Catch by Shari Low and Ross King

Thank you to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for giving me the chance to review The Catch by Shari Low and Ross King

Blurb

At a glittering after-party on the night of the Academy Awards, author Mirren McLean celebrates her win with her childhood friends Davie Johnston and Zander Leith by her side.

Three kids from a tough street in Glasgow, the dazzling trio rose from the ashes to become Hollywood stars with global fame and vast fortunes.

This is their moment in the spotlight.

But by morning, there’s only darkness.

A secret from their past has come back to haunt them and the shield of stardom can’t protect them from the horrors of their old lives.

Someone is out to destroy them… and unlike the movies, there’s no guarantee that the good guys will win.

Review

So after you get past the long list of characters there is actually a really good story being told.

It was a well written book but ideally you should read book one, The Rise, prior to this because it’ll give you a more in depth understanding of what’s going on. There was a lot of “I need to know more” moments so it definitely kept you on the edge of your seat.

Purchase here

Book Review: The Perfect Girl by Kelly Golden @kellygolden1234 @rararesources

Thank you to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for giving me the chance to review The Perfect Girl by Kelly Golden.

Blurb

Sophie is perfect. She has blonde hair and blue eyes and when she smiles her wide, open, caring smile, her teeth sparkle. Everybody loves her. So would I, except she’s my husband Mike’s best friend, and sometimes they seem a little too close for comfort.

This summer, Sophie is renting the grand house next door, bringing over fancy wine, offering to babysit our beautiful three-year-old daughter. It’s nice, actually. She’s smart and funny. Maybe the way she is with Mike – squeezing his arm, tilting her head when she laughs at his jokes – is just how she is with everybody.

But then she says something that sends a shiver down my spine – does she know something about me she shouldn’t?

And when her new husband arrives, looking slightly too familiar, I realise my time is running out. My baby girl and I are in terrible danger.

Sophie really is perfect. She has me perfectly trapped. And as my world begins to crumble, I start to wonder: does Sophie just want to steal my husband, or has she planned the perfect murder?

Review

I absolutely loved this book, it was gripping from the start and the end of every chapter made you want to know more. The story was well written and I adored the characters (even the bad ones), you felt as though you were there in the story. I highly recommend this book and look forward to what else the author has to offer.

Purchase here

Pretty Evil by Zoe Rosi @zoerosiauthor @rararesources

Thank you to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for giving me the chance to review Pretty Evil by Zoe Rosi.

Blurb

You’ve done a bad thing. She has you in her sights. Now you’re going to pay.

Meet Camilla Black: an affluent, respected, influential fashion magazine editor, who lives it up in her beautiful Mayfair apartment. But Camilla’s glamorous life is a lie. Behind her poised exterior beats the cold dark heart of a vigilante killer, a murderer hell-bent on wreaking vengeance upon bad men.

Camilla expects to get away with murder. She’s careful. And anyway, it’s worth the risk. She’s making the world a better place with each predator she kills. But when one of her victims’ bodies is unexpectedly found, his gruesome death is splashed all over the papers.

To make matters worse, she’s now being pursued by Detective Wheelan, a new addition to the Met with laser-sharp focus and a worrying habit of solving impossible crimes…

She knows she should stop, but she can’t. Some men just deserve to die. Will Camilla’s insatiable appetite for justice be her downfall, or can she outsmart the police?

Review

Pretty Evil (previously Predator) isn’t something I would normally read but it sounded so good I couldn’t resist and having read the authors other books (under Zoe May) I was super excited to sink my teeth into one of her thrillers.

There is no messing about with this book, you are at the thick of it straight away and you are kept captivated throughout. The story flows well but be warned it is very graphic at times and can be overwhelming.

The book wasn’t what I was expecting, it was well written but too graphic for me, however I thought Camilla was a fabulous character and I did enjoy the overall story.

Purchase here