#Review by Lou of. COCO Rules By Katherine Omerod and Caroline Melis @OmaraBooks @LoveBooksTours @#VirtualBlogTour #BlogTour #NonFiction #Fashion #CoCoChanel

COCO Rules
By Katherine Omerod
Illustrated By Carolina Melis.

Today I pleased to be closing the blog tour for COCO Rules, take a look below to find out more about the book that re-imagaines the iconic quotes of CoCo Chanel. Thanks first to O’Mara Books and Love Books Tours for inviting me to review and for a copy of the book.

Coco Rules takes 30 quotes from the inimitable Coco Chanel and translates them into modern, practical style rules to live by.

With her trademark acerbic wit and no-nonsense attitude, Coco Chanel has always been a wonderfully entertaining source on matters of life and style. Coco Rules gathers her words of wisdom on both fashion and empowerment and uses them to provide solutions to many of the style-based conundrums you might encounter, as well as inspiration on how to be the very best version of yourself – strong, fearless and confident – no matter what you wear.

Written by acclaimed fashion journalist Katherine Ormerod, each rule is accompanied by a bold and stylish illustration from Carolina Melis.

Review

Stylish and fun to read and look at, it’s book that readers can come back to time and time again. It’s wise, authentic and quick. Each page totally stands out with graphic and short, snappy text about each heading from “You’re a one off, so quit trying to change yourself to be like someone else” to “It’s not just about the clothes” to “Audacity and adventure are always attractive assets” to “high heels are a good idea – but only if you can walk in the.” to “Wear clothes by living by your own rules” and so much more, each topic lasting a couple of snappy pages of what lies behind the headings from beauty of your inner and outer self, shows, perfume, make up, clothes, accessories. They’re all covered with something wise, inspirational and advice, all based one style icon and pioneer – CoCo Chanel.

With a stylish, striking cover to go with stylish content, this is a great read for fashionistas and those who have their unique style or just curious about fashion and their own inner and outer self.

Mr Nobody By Natalie Gordon @NatalieGord @LoveBooksTour #MiddleGrade #ChildrensBook aged 9 plus #VirtualBlogTour #BlogTour

Mr Nobody
By Natalie Gordon

Today I have a review to close this virtual book tour of a children’s book that was long-listed in the Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition – Mr Nobody. For those who don’t know, Chicken House is a publishing company specialising in great children’s books. Mr Nobody is an immersive read for children aged 9 plus, where they will gain a family to care about for the length of the book and will prompt inquisitive minds to ask questions and will have them exude in empathy and sympathy as this book has the subject of Alzheimer’s in a child friendly plot. There is also humour and friendship through the pages too.

When nine-year-old Katie’s gran comes to live with the family, Katie is forced to share a room with her moody big sister, Lou. They soon discover that Gran has an imaginary, mischievous friend, Mr. Nobody. Before long, stockings are found cooking in the oven and Gran is found wandering the streets in her nightie, singing along to Elvis. As Gran’s actions become even more peculiar, Katie begins to wonder if Mr. Nobody might actually be real. And why do her new friends, Margaret and Hugo, always appear just when she needs help?

Review

Mr Nobody is a friend of gran’s. Children aren’t the only people to have an imaginary friend, sometimes older people, such as gran’s can too. The gran in the book does because she has Alzheimer’s Disease. This book is immersive and has humour as it shows children this all too real disease and the impact it has. Natalie Gordon has tackled the subject well and in a way that is sure to not only pique children’s interest, but also have a little insight, all whilst being entertained with the characters within this family and friend based story.

Young readers follow Katie in this powerful plotted book and she brings great joy to the sadness that her gran brings. Children who have a relative with Alzheimer’s will particularly identify with this book and even if they don’t, they’ll gain a deeper insight.

Running alongside the story about gran are themes of bullying and modern culture too and there is humour to be found along the way.

All the characters are relatable one way or another. It’s a book that many children are sure to connect with.

#BookReview by Lou Hope In Liverpool @tracy_traynor @LoveBooksGroup #FamilySaga #HopeInLiverpool #Northerners #RiverMersey #BlogTour

Hope In Liverpool
By T.N. Traynor

Emotionally charged with courage and hope is what Hope in Liverpool brings to readers eyes and imaginations. FInd out more in the blurb and review below.

Blurb

Can an alliance of convenience heal two broken hearts?

Liverpool, 1958. Hope Bennett longs to feel safe and wanted. Loyal to an alcoholic mother who gambles away all her hard-earned wages, she’s devastated by the announcement her family is moving and she’s not to follow. But her despondent plan to fling herself off the ferry and succumb to the freezing River Mersey is interrupted by a handsome older man.

John Walker expects to live out the rest of his days drowning in grief, isolated and lonely after the loss of his childhood sweetheart. When he spots a young woman in distress he is immediately drawn to help her.

Can the fragile dream of a better life out of the slums provide the security and companionship they both crave?

Hope in Liverpool is an emotional foray into historical women’s fiction. If you like compellingly complex characters, light humour woven through heart-wrenching drama, and gripping romantic overtones, then you’ll adore T N Traynor’s poignant story.

Review

Set in Liverpool 1958, Traynor has cut an emotional atmosphere for an involving family drama that unfolds. This could be an utterly depressing story, but Traynor has steered away from this just enough to make it hopeful instead.

Hope’s life is challenging to the max, from practically being abandoned and her mother being an alcoholic who fritters away her wages. Hope however shows courage and a certain amount of resilience through the bleakness and hardships. She also has a certain amount of courage as she allows some romance to enter her life, even though life still seems to have some fragilities within it, which, before romance, had an intention of suicide. This is written in sensitively and isn’t dwelled too much upon, but something some people may be able to relate to. By the end there is hope to be had and nicely shows that even through harrowing and bleak times there can be lightness. Readers can discover through the twists and turns of Hope’s life how that happens.

By Lou – Happy Publication Day fo The Meeting Place @olilara_writes @Aria_Fiction #BlogBlitz #Fiction #WomensFiction #RomanticFiction #ContemporaryFiction @Lovebookstours @LoveBooksGroup

The Meeting Place
By Olivia Lara
Blog Blitz

Firstly let’s wish author Olivia Lara a warm Congratulations for her book The Meeting Place. Today, in celebration, you’re treated to the blurb and a little bit about her.
Thanks to Love Books Group for inviting me to the Blog Blitz Tour and for Aria for gifting the blog and other info.

Blurb

What if the Lift driver who finds your cheating boyfriend’s phone holds the directions to true love?

‘Who are you and why do you have my boyfriend’s phone?’

‘He left it in my car. You must be the blonde in the red dress? I’m the Lift driver who dropped you two off earlier.’

And with these words, the life of the brunette and t-shirt wearing Maya Maas is turned upside down. Having planned to surprise her boyfriend, she finds herself single and stranded in an unknown city on her birthday.

So when the mystery driver rescues Maya with the suggestion that she cheers herself up at a nearby beach town, she jumps at the chance to get things back on track. She wasn’t expecting a personalised itinerary or the easy companionship that comes from opening up to a stranger via text, let alone the possibility it might grow into something more…

Come on this 5* journey to love, laughter and back again, perfect for fans of Mhairi Mcfarlane, Josie Silver and Sally Thorne.

About the Author

Olivia Lara’s love for words started as a child when she spent her summer vacations watching her grandfather, who worked for the biggest publishing house in Romania, edit hundreds of books. She is a former journalist for a newspaper and a television network in Bucharest, now a Marketing VP in San Francisco – in between she lived in France where her love for Paris and the Alsace region was born. Her first book, Someday in Paris, became a B&N, Apple, Kobo and Amazon Top 100 Bestseller and was shortlisted for the Romantic Novel Awards. She lives in the Bay Area, California.

Buy Links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Meeting-Point-romcom-wont-summer-ebook/dp/B08YP3H4MZ/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=olivia+lara&qid=1625822706&s=digital-text&sr=1-3

#Review By Lou – Alice, Shaken and Definitely Stirred by Paula Smith @PaulaSmith2424 @lovebooksgroup @lovebookstours

Alice, Shaken and Definitely Stirred
By Paula Smith

Food, Films, Famous People, Romance and a lot of fun… What more can a girl ask for? This book is jam-packed full of all of that. Thanks to Love Books Group for inviting me to review and for The Conrad Press for gifting me the book. The book was published in 2020 and I am delighted to be part of this blog tour.

Blurb

This uplifting romantic comedy takes you on Alice’s journey, interweaving her relationships with real-life characters and dreams involving her favourite romantic screen idols.

Lamenting the loss of her long-term partner and having been made redundant, Alice makes a New Year’s Resolution to get on with life, and definitely without a man. But things don’t quite go to plan. As her Aunty Betty says, ‘Men, dear, are like buses, there are none on the horizon then three come along all at once.’ Alice certainly is shaken and definitely stirred.

Review

The tone of friends who are also related together (Alice and Sue), just chatting, reminiscing, gossiping is just pure fun and something to relax into from the start.

There’s humour to be had and a dream that starts off exquisitely and romantically… until it starts to come tumbling down, down, down, until reality totally hits and there’s work to go to. Alice works for Mr Frobersham as a director and is in the business of buttons for all the top named stores and brands… until things changed when she was off work.
She also has a social life of sorts, involving all sorts of food and drink. This is a book you may want to prepare a snack and a drink before you sit back and relax in the summer sun with.

The interweaving of real life and dreams is quite different and is easy to differentiate from the two, one because of the famous people’s names, two, because it says when she’s having a dream, three, the style of text changes slightly. They are also pretty outlandish and definitely odd, but adds to the fun of Alice. If you enjoy films you’ll enjoy this book, with its references, . In a way the book almost plays out like a film within a book, or a tv show in a book as there are some references and names from tv too and the fact it’s a romcom makes it more so.

When practically swearing off men, 3 enter her life – Ollie, Malcolm and Alistair and it’s rather a conundrum for her to choose which guy would be more suitable for her and to work out who may have a bigger chance of breaking her heart. Mixed in with this, is the hard truth that she needs to find a new job, which brings more than a dose of reality to the book.

The book is set at Christmas time, but not too many references to it. It’s one of those that doesn’t feel like it matters too much when you read it. It’s just a feelgood, cosy rom-com, that I think will make people feel warm inside and can have a very nice time with.

Swop The Satsuma-Sized Secret by Lucy Noguera @monsterscantalk @lovebooksgroup @lovebookstours #AD #Gifted

Swop The Satsuma-Sized Secret
by Lucy Noguera
Cover Reveal

Today I have a Cover Reveal. Meet Swop, he’s a dog who is the size of a satsuma, and his owner Eric. Find out what they get up to in a feelgood book with humour and positivity. Check out the themes, cover and blurb for this middlegrade book for ages 7-9 as well as the bookshops this is available from.

Themes

Friendship Adventure Family Deaf sibling Sign Language Acceptance

Blurb

What would you do if you found the world’s smallest dog?

When Ernie and his family leave the countryside to move to the city. Ernie feels like he’ll never settle into their new home.

Yet on his very first night, a surprising new friend introduces himself – Swop is a very tiny dog. A dog that just happens to be the size of a satsuma.

Ernie vows to keep Swop a secret, but Swop has other ideas and he’s determined to make Ernie’s first day at his new school a memorable one!

About The Author

An ex-primary school teacher and Teacher of the Deaf. I now run a small educational company, specialising in arranging book projects and theatre events for schools and families. I live with my husband, our three children and our three dogs in Ealing, London. Yet the one in charge is our little ex-street dog, even though he has no eyes and three legs. He also happens to be called Swop!

Bookshops where you can find this book…. Check them out!

@telltalesbooks

@booksbantergames

@bookcornershop

@bearhuntbooks

@ANewChapterBks
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