Lucy was born to a single mother who had been abused and neglected for most of her own childhood. Right from the beginning Lucy’s mother couldn’t cope, but it wasn’t until Lucy reached eight years old that she was finally taken into permanent foster care.

By the time Lucy is brought to live with Cathy she is eleven years old and severely distressed after being moved from one foster home to another. Withdrawn, refusing to eat and three years behind in her schooling, it is thought that the damage Lucy has suffered is irreversible.

But Cathy and her two children bond with Lucy quickly, and break through to Lucy in a way no-one else has been able to, finally showing her the loving home she never believed existed. Cathy and Lucy believe they were always destined to be mother and daughter – it just took them a little while to find each other.

review

what a lovely story and a very nice end for cathy and lucy was so pleased lucy got what she wanted and she was settled parts made me cry as i felt so sorry for lucy keep being moved but glad it got a happy ending

book description 

The Prodigal is the first in a series of gritty crime novels set in the fictional housing estate of Valley Park in Newcastle upon Tyne. 

Exiled from his beloved Newcastle sixteen years ago, Detective Sergeant Lee Jamieson is returning home in search of the teenage daughter he’s never met. With a good promotion under his belt and his parents gone, he’s ready to return to his roots and the warm Geordie spirit he has missed so much. 

Much to his surprise, his first assignment is in Valley Park, a forgotten sink estate and home to some of the worst social deprivation in the country – the estate where he grew up, and where Nicola Kelly, the wife of a renowned local villain, calls home. 

As Lee and Nicola’s lives become entwined through a series of dramatic events, they fall in love and embark on a dangerous affair that will change both of their lives forever. Nicola’s husband, Micky, has few scruples, and, as he feels her slipping away, tightens his grip on her affections. 

In order for Lee and Nicola to be together, Nicola must make a decision that will determine her future. Loving wife, or filthy grass. 

The Prodigal is a romance / love story at its heart. It examines a range of issues that faced poor communities back in the 90s - issues still faced by those communities today: racism, domestic abuse, drugs, crime, child neglect, mental health, poverty and a sense of hopelessness. 

Nicky Black is a collaboration between two friends, Nicky and Julie, who have known each other for around 20 years. We both had careers in urban regeneration back in the 90s, working at the heart of disadvantaged communities in the North East of England. During that time we experienced the real grit and struggle of peoples' every-day lives, as well as their humour and determination to lead a happy existence, whatever that meant to them. 

Our mutual love of writing brought together two key ingredients: whilst Nicky loves to write vivid descriptions and narrative, Julie excels in writing dialogue. Together they've created a winning formula. The Prodigal is our first novel, and the second is under way. 

Nicky was born and brought up in Alnwick in Northumberland, settling in Newcastle upon Tyne for 12 years before moving south for career reasons. Julie is a born and bred Geordie and still lives in the Toon. 

review 

this book was a hard to put down book loved how it was written this book was full of believeable events that as happened or can happen to anyone, this is a must read

Fame, lust, violence and passionate obsession.... this is Jackie Collins at her unputdownable best!

Lara Ivory is a dazzling movie star with the world at her feet. But at thirty-two she has yet to find a man capable of living with such a tempting object of desire.

Lara's ex, Richard Barry, is a successful film director now married to Nikki, who is producing her first movie, Revenge. Nikki likes to keep Richard close. But Richard is not the kind of man who takes orders. When Nikki persuades Lara to star in Revenge, a bitter struggle for control of Lara's life begins.But then Lara meets Joey Lorenzo, a handsome young actor with a mysterious past. And before she can stop her self, she's swept up in an affair so sensual, nobody can warn her of the dangers.

review
i was hooked to this book from the begining altho it was a long book i loved it jackie collins does this everytime on all her books
loved how she wrote about all the different characters about there past and the present,

After catching her fiancé with another woman at their engagement party, Violet Townsend's world is turned upside down. 
Desperate to numb the pain, she falls into the arms of charming, young entrepreneur Chain Alexander. 
Chain, a notorious womanizer of Philadelphia, not looking for anything more than a night of pleasure with a woman, is drawn to Violet instantly. There is something about her that he needs and wants so desperately and it’s not just sex. 
But Violet is resistant. Can she open her heart again after having it broken so brutally? And more importantly, should she? 


review

i received this book for an honest review, j kahele violet chain had me hooked from start to end and i loved the cover of this book.

violet is a very strong character as alot of people can relate  to in the character loved her character i felt sorry for her character as she did find it hard to move on.
i couldnt put down the book as i needed to know what happened next

Ever since Alexis Newman was young, she knew her path in life, but to get to the top you have to start from the bottom. With no man in her life, she sets out with her best friend to dance her frustrations away. Catching the eye of the crusaders MC resident assassin was definitely not in her life plans. Cobra is not the type of alpha you read about, he's not romantic, he doesn't date, he doesn't care. His life is all about protecting his club, doing whatever necessary. That all changes when he spots her across the club. She sparks something in him. Ice cold Cobra starts wondering whether he can have a happily ever after but at what cost? Setting his sight on love was not in his life plan. With war brewing between the crusaders and their rivals, the hell riders, there is danger lurking around every corner. Will Cobra bring Alexis to the dark side? Or walk away forever? Will Alexis give up her perfect life plan for an unknown future? Decision time. Head or heart? Life, love or death?

review 

i took to alexis and cobra straight  away alexis is confident takes no bull of no one shes hardworking she loves her best friend lauren.

Cobra does like fake and tells it how it is he hard and nothing scares him 

Alexis didnt want a relationship but all that changed when she met cobra, will this happen??

cobra as a secret will alexis and the mc find out?

this is lucii grubbs first book which i couldnt wait for and i love it i got straight into the book and straight away i took to all the characters great mc book from a great  author 

cannot wait till book 2 comes out   ***** stars i gave this book 

 blurb

Two young boys stumble on a dead prostitute. She’s on Sean Denton’s patch. As Doncaster’s youngest community support officer, he’s already way out of his death, but soon he’s uncovering more than he’s supposed to know. Meanwhile Karen Friedman, professional mother of two, learns her brother has disappeared. She desperately needs to know he’s safe, but once she starts looking, she discovers unexpected things about her own needs and desires. Played out against a gritty landscape on the edge of a Northern town, Karen and Sean risk losing all they hold precious.

 

review

This book starts of  introducting sean denton a pcso theres no boring parts at all the crime starts from the begining til the end which is a fantastic why to start a book.
i loved the cover to the book and i was so glad to be able to review this book for helen cadbury.
i was given this book in a honest review and i gave this a 5 star well done helen im a fan

i received this book in return for a honest review
this book is based in a town called grand trespass, haley best friend tiffant went missing but everyone think she as just ran off so they never really bothered but haley knows that tiffany wouldnt have left without telling her where she as gone this town is a very creepy town with a lot of secrets about be resurfaced.
theres a lot of twists in this book which is what i love about a book as it keeps you guessing to the end
this book had me thinking about who thje killer would be i thought i knew but obviously not as when i got to the end i was very much gobsmacked