I am so happy to be part of the blog tour for Meet Me in London by Georgia Toffolo. And not only am I participating, but I also have the privilege to kick it off! Thank you to the amazing team at Mills & Boon, for this opportunity. Below is an image of the Blog Tour Banner – please check out the rest of the book bloggers that are participating as well:
The team were so kind to send me a very beautiful personalised package, including some handmade gifts as well. The beautiful biscuit is by PippingGoodBiscuits. The personalised bauble with my name by Claires.Crafts. And the handmade clay earrings by OchreHandmade. These are all amazing small business that deserve your attention. And if you cannot support them at this time, at least give them a follow. They are amazing!
Meet Me In London is a beautiful and emotional Christmas book. It follows Victoria, a designer that hopes to one day showcase her work. And it also follows Oliver, a millionaire and an owner of a big business, who is under pressure from his family to find a woman and settle down.
Oliver makes a deal with Victoria. He will help her showcase her designs and help the children she teaches. In return, she will pretend to be his fiancee on the opening day.
But, as you can imagine, things won’t go to plan. They will start developing feelings towards each other. Furthermore, an accident that happened in the past has scarred Victoria for life, and because of that, she is afraid to open up and trust another man.
My Thoughts:
The romance is beautiful, because it is raw and real. I felt the love, care and lust, as much as I felt the pain, the hurting and the need to protect the other person. The slow-burn pace was also something I really enjoyed. I loved how caring Victoria is, not only with Oliver, but with everyone in her life. Especially the children that she teaches. All she does in life is just give and give, without expecting anything in return. And the fact that she has been so hurt in the past for various reasons is so heartbreaking, and it does make you root for her all the way through.
And I also loved the respect that Oliver showed, always ensuring Victoria is okay and in agreement with whatever comes next. I don’t think this happens too often in romance novels, and it was a really important moment to note. The character development between Victoria and Oliver is amazing, and it all ends up in happy tears. I love how she makes him care more about the people and the community, rather than just his business.
I also loved Oliver’s family. When a millionaire’s family with a family business is represented, we usually see them as bitter and arrogant. And very often, they are rude to the person their son is dating. So I would be lying if I told you I wasn’t expecting that. But this book surprised me in a very positive way. The family of Oliver were very supportive of Victoria (minus the annoying cousin). They made her feel welcome and very loved from the start. She even got along very well with the mother.
The friendship in this book is precious! The lovely bond that Victoria shares with Zoe, Lily and Malie is beautiful! Since the accident in which they all were involved, they have become closer than ever and always supported each other through thick and thin. The friendship that these girls share is something every girl dreams of.
I loved this book so much! It put me in a wonderful Christmas mood, and made me want to decorate my Christmas tree, even though I need to put pumpkins first. 🙂 I really hope Meet Me In London by Georgia Toffolo is made into a Christmas movie. I swear, I will be the first person to watch it!
Also, there is a new book coming out in Spring 2021 called Meet Me in Hawaii, with Malie, one of Victoria’s best friends. It has surfing and I cannot wait for it!
I was part of the Instagram Readalong of The Courage To Care: A Call For Compassion by Christie Watson, thanks to the TandemCollectiveUK team. They sent me the book, together with the discussion prompts, and me and an amazing group of bookstagrammers have been reading it and discussing it for the duration of five days. The Courage To Care is published by Vintage Books.
I chose to read The Courage to Care because both my auntie and mum are nurses. I also used to be a carer in a Care Home for people suffering from Dementia. The work nurses do, the hours they put into saving lives and the compassion and courage they have is incredible. I felt an obligation to read this book, and use my platform to emphasise how important nurses are.
In The Courage to Care, Christie Watson writes about the importance of nurses, not only in the hospitals, but just everywhere. The schools, on the streets, hospices, care homes, in prisons. And in Covid-19 times, when people need them the most, nurses are there, sacrificing their own health and families in order to help others. Their courage and bravery is something I have always admired, but especially in these hard times, it is something we shouldn’t forget.
This book is filled with different stories, showing nurses in different environments.
It is also filled with Christie’s personal stories and struggles, managing her nursing career, whilst also ongoing an adoption process and being a single parent.
It is very hard for me to write a detailed review of this book, without spoiling the stories for you, and I will do my best, because these stories are something that you should experience first-hand, for yourself.
With every story, we get close not just with the nurses, but with the patients and their families as well. We get to feel how they feel. And sometimes nurses are able to help them and bring happiness and hope to their lives. Other times, there is nothing else a nurse can do to help, except to just show compassion and make the patient feel comfortable. And during Covid-19 times, the nurses share the last moments with the people that couldn’t be with their loved ones.
This book made me cry more times than I could count, but it also made me giggle at times too.
Among all the sadness that comes with illnesses and hospitals, nurses are also there to make lives better for people. Give them hope. And for a moment, help patients forget that they are ill, even just for a moment.
I am so grateful to be able to read the Courage To Care.
And I am so grateful to be healthy at this very moment. This book made me appreciate the present. It reminded me to be kind and to show courage where needed, and help others who might need help. I cannot recommend this book enough!
This year, I had the opportunity to re-read The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. It was a favorite of mine when I was in high-school, and I read it again to see whether I still enjoyed it.
John Green’s writing is one that I can always come back to. It’s very easy to enter the world he builds, and I remember vividly how much I enjoyed Looking For Alaska as well.
Hazel is suffering from terminal cancer. And even though her tumor shrunk by some miracle and bought her a few years, Hazel knows not to be hopeful. She is lonely and depressed, and she feels like a burden to her family. She goes to Cancer Kid Support Group, quite frankly, just to make her mum happy.
But then one day, a gorgeous Augustus Waters suddenly appears, and Hazel’s story is about to change. He is immediately intrigued by her, and he wants to get to know her. Before they know it, they spend all their days together and get closer to each other.
And Augustus’s story is also not a fairytale. He has been battling cancer and won, and now he’s supporting his friend Isaac with his eye cancer too. Which is also how he ends up to the support group meeting.
I loved their instant connection, and I loved their love.
Their bond was something special and for the short time they were together they manage to have so many adventures and learn so much about each other. And when the tragedy strikes, which I won’t mention, even though most of you probably know how it ends, it’s very sad. It’s devastating and heartbreaking. That part made me cry the first time I read it, it made me cry on my re-read and I am quite sure it will keep making me cry every time I read it.
I loved Hazel and Augustus’s love for books, and the whole part about Hazel’s favourite book and their trip to Amsterdam. Not only because they do it, but because of how selfless Augustus is with his last wish, and his letters, to try and make this happen – just for her. You can see that the only thing he cares about is Hazel. And it’s such a beautiful thing to see.
But something I noticed, that many of you might disagree with, is that I wasn’t too fussed about their love this time. It was cute, but maybe because they were teenagers, it felt not as deep. I think that if they happened to stay together and marry, that after 10 years they wouldn’t be happy. There were little things in the book that made me feel like this. And I know it’s an unpopular opinion, but I’ll just put it out there.
What I loved most about The Fault in Our Stars is how real this book is. Especially about the cancer part.
I have had the luck to not ever be ill myself or have any family close to me, but I have had friends and long distance relatives suffer from cancer, and I could feel the suffering and heartache it causes. Especially when a person you love so much doesn’t make it. And the process of treatment is such a hard battle, ongoing struggle and fighting the odds. It must be so hard to keep fighting and to stay positive. I can understand why some people feel like they just want to give up. Even Hazel does a few times, especially at the beginning of the book. The pressure you feel from the family as well, they want you to keep fighting, and you just can’t imagine another day of suffering, it must be devastating. And John Green explains this part so well – and it hurts my feelings every time.
The Fault in Our Stars is a one of a kind.
Still an all-time favourite, and I think it will always stay that way. Happy and sad story of two teens in love, trying to fight cancer against all odds and just be happy, when destiny has other plans. I definitely recommend it!
Boy, oh boy, do I have mixed feelings about 100 Speeches That Roused the World by Colin Salter.
The reason I picked up this book is because I have always been in love with speeches and orators. I believe that the ability to speak in front of an audience is a very powerful skill, and I admire it as such. Many great leaders and many successful people use this skill to make people listen and act in a way they want them to. That is where the true art is, and I really admire this aspect. The fact that you can listen to two or more people tell you the same thing, and only one being able to convince you to do something or believe in something they say is a true gift.
Which takes us to the second reason I picked this book up. To find out more about the people who had this ability in history and made a difference in one way or another. And for the most part, I was pleased. There are speeches of many great (and not so great) leaders out there, speeches of people that made breakthroughs in their fields, people who fought for their rights.
But there was a pattern I noticed in these 100 speeches.
Most of these speeches were either from the UK or USA. And most of them were presidents, prime ministers,royalty or leaders in any other way. And all their speeches were speeches during the wars. Telling their people to fight for their nations.
And I have nothing against those speeches. They were perfect for their time and they did their purpose at the time. What I had a problem with is that there were so many more important times in history when a speech was made and it represented a change.
What about all the speeches that philosophers have given in ancient Rome and Greece? For Rome, where is Julius Caesar’s speech to the senate? For Greece, how about the movement for freedom of speech? What about the speeches during humanism and renaissance? What about some of the groundbreaking speeches that scientists have given over the years?
I was a bit disappointed with the format of the book as well, as the speeches were mostly short paragraphs, followed by a full page of the author’s notes, mostly quoting the same speech again. It was very helpful to know the background of how the speech made a difference in the world, but when most of those speeches didn’t really make any difference, and I was involved in a history lesson of the most important wars in history, it wasn’t much of a fun read.
To conclude, this book wasn’t what I was looking for, both format and content wise. The 100 Speeches mentioned in this book didn’t do enough justice for me. I believe that title is misleading, but I can also understand that some people can still learn a lot by reading it.
Welcome to the October TBR! I hope you are doing well, and are well into the autumn spirit! I am so looking forward to Halloween, even though I am not sure how I will be able to give out treats with Covid still going on. Maybe I’ll have to open up my garden and do a scavenger hunt or something similar. Any ideas?
September was a pretty good month in terms of my reading, even though life got a bit in the way. I still need to catch up on a few book reviews, but keeping a positive mindset, as always!
This month, I have something different planned for you. It wasn’t really planned, it happened naturally, but I think it turned up quite well in the end. My sister came to visit me one weekend, and she always loves my TBR Raffle videos on Instagram. This time, she asked me if she can choose the prompts. So I agreed. And not only did she end up choosing the prompts, but she ended up choosing the books as well. I had to add a few more titles in the end, which I am ue to review in October, but I am confident I can manage to read them all this month.
And with that. let the October TBR raffle commence.
The October TBR Raffle
I am filming my TBRs on my Instagram Stories. Make sure to follow me on Instagram, and check out the “Monthly TBR” highlight at the beginning of each month!
My TBR Raffle game is simple: I have a number of prompts that I put in small papers, into a jar. I draw a prompt, and I fit in a book that matches my prompt. Here is a list of the current prompts I have. Feel free to leave any prompt suggestions in the comments. Once the paper is drawn, I put it back into the jar, so it has an equal chance to get drawn again. I draw a total of 8 prompts, which result in 8 books for the month. If I fail to read a book, it automatically goes into the next month.
*This month, my sister chose my prompts and my books. I had a lot of fun doing this with her, and maybe I’ll let her do it again in the future! 🙂
My October TBR
✨ 1. New Author
My mum had an impact on this choice, as she was in our living room while we were having our fun. And she’s also been trying to get me to read this title for a very long time now. So she chose The Love Letter by Lucinda Riley.
When Sir James Harrison, one the greatest actors of his generation, passes away at the age of ninety-five he leaves behind not just a heartbroken family and a wealth of memorabilia from his long career but also a secret so shocking, so devastating that it could change everything…
Joanna Haslam is an ambitious young journalist, assigned to cover the legendary actor’s funeral. The great and the good of the celebrity world will be there. But Joanna stumbles on something dark beneath the glamour: the mention of a letter Harrison has left behind, the contents of which he was desperate to conceal. As she gets closer to tracking down the source, she realises that there are other very interested parties. And they’ll stop at nothing to reach the letter before she does.
The current lowest rated book on my October TBR is Devil’s Mist by Liam Moiser. I think the reason for the low ratings has to do with low number of people that read it, so I am excited to dive into this one. It has camping and scary stories, and I think it has the perfect mood for Halloween.
A camping trip with a friend’s family, with a campfire to sit around and tell scary stories – except Rosie’s dad says this one is true. According to legend, the house across the lake hosts a strange curse, a missing daughter and a threat that anyone who ventures close will meet the same fate. Rosie and Jenny shrug the story off, but as events escalate, it becomes crystal clear that the curse is real and someone else is the next target.
Although they try to deny the truth, a note from an unlikely source confirms their deepest fears. Lies unravel, allies form and the truth about what happens back then threatens to come to light. But one answer remains shrouded, haunting all involved: Will they escape the mist before it comes for them or are they doomed to be lost forever?
South America, 1990. Ben Ronson, a British police officer, arrives in a mysterious forest to investigate a spate of killings of a local species called the Duendes. They are silent, vaguely humanoid creatures – with long limbs and black button eyes – that have a strange psychic effect on people, exposing them to their suppressed thoughts and fears.
The crimes have taken place in a landscape known as the Delta and to reach it Ben has crossed the Zone, a territory which wipes the memories of all who pass through. He remembers nothing of the preceding days; what he did or felt or saw.
Ben is uneasy about what he may have done in the Zone and avoids opening the diaries he kept whilst there, busying himself with the investigation instead. He becomes fascinated by the Duendes, but the closer he gets, the more he begins to unravel. As the Delta starts to take hold of his mind, Ben becomes increasingly haunted by the unopened diaries and the terrible secrets they might hold…
My Sister was so happy this also popped up. So she chose one of her favorite books, which I haven’t read yet. It’s After by Anna Todd. After is the first book in the After series.
Tessa is a good girl with a sweet, reliable boyfriend back home. She’s got direction, ambition, and a mother who’s intent on keeping her that way.
But she’s barely moved into her freshman dorm when she runs into Hardin. With his tousled brown hair, cocky British accent, tattoos, and lip ring, Hardin is cute and different from what she’s used to.
But he’s also rude—to the point of cruelty, even. For all his attitude, Tessa should hate Hardin. And she does—until she finds herself alone with him in his room. Something about his dark mood grabs her, and when they kiss it ignites within her a passion she’s never known before.
He’ll call her beautiful, then insist he isn’t the one for her and disappear again and again. Despite the reckless way he treats her, Tessa is compelled to dig deeper and find the real Hardin beneath all his lies. He pushes her away again and again, yet every time she pushes back, he only pulls her in deeper.
Tessa already has the perfect boyfriend. So why is she trying so hard to overcome her own hurt pride and Hardin’s prejudice about nice girls like her?
For my classic read, my sister chose Emma by Jane Austen. Emma has been on my TBR for a very long time, and I am really looking forward to finally reading it for the October TBR.
Emma Woodhouse is one of Austen’s most captivating and vivid characters. Beautiful, spoilt, vain and irrepressibly witty, Emma organizes the lives of the inhabitants of her sleepy little village and plays matchmaker with devastating effect.
It’s amazing that we have both a Lowest Rated and a Highest Rated prompt in the same month for October TBR. I really love these. My current highest rated book is All About Amy by James J. Caterino. All About Amy has been on my TBR for a while now, and I remember winning it in a giveaway from Goodreads, a very long time ago.
Meet Troy Carter Brown, a man living a life of quiet desperation. One day, a mysterious woman from California shows up on his doorstep claiming to be a walk-in, the transmigrated soul of Amy Ellis, his long lost girlfriend who died in a tragic boating accident nearly twenty years ago. Is she merely playing him in some sort of an elaborate con game, or has the soul of Amy really returned to Troy in the form of this alluring stranger named Julie Saxton. Only in the end, as Troy and Julie end up on the run together fleeing for their lives from local gangsters, will the dramatic truth be revealed.
My sister chose Uprooted by Naomi Novik for the standalone prompt for this October TBR, , because she knows I want to read this book so bad! Thanks sis!
Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life.
Her people rely on the cold, ambitious wizard, known only as the Dragon, to keep the wood’s powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman must be handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as being lost to the wood.
The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows – everyone knows – that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia – all the things Agnieszka isn’t – and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her.
But no one can predict how or why the Dragon chooses a girl. And when he comes, it is not Kasia he will take with him.
Officer Ryan Quinn, a rookie raised in a family of cops, is on the fast track to detective until he shoots an unarmed black male. Now, with his career, reputation and freedom on the line, he embarks on a quest for redemption that forces him to confront his fears and biases and choose between conscience or silence.
Jade Wakefield is an emotionally damaged college student living in one of Philadelphia’s worst neighborhoods. She knows the chances of getting an indictment against the cop who killed her brother are slim. When she learns there’s more to the story than the official police account, Jade is determined, even desperate, to find out what really happened. She plans to get revenge by any means necessary.
Kelly Randolph, who returns to Philadelphia broke and broken after abandoning his family ten years earlier, seeks forgiveness while mourning the death of his son. But after he’s thrust into the spotlight as the face of the protest movement, his disavowed criminal past resurfaces and threatens to derail the family’s pursuit of justice.
Ryan, Jade, and Kelly–three people from different worlds—are on a collision course after the shooting, as their lives interconnect and then spiral into chaos.
What do you do when your fake engagement starts to feel too real…
Aspiring clothes designer Victoria Scott spends her days working in a bar in Chelsea, and her evenings designing vintage clothes, dreaming of one day opening her own boutique. But these aspirations are under threat from the new department store opening at the end of her road. She needs a Christmas miracle, but one is not forthcoming.
Oliver Russell’s Christmas is not looking very festive right now. His family’s new London department store opening is behind schedule, and on top of that his interfering, if well meaning, mother is pressing him to introduce his girlfriend to her. A girlfriend who does not exist. He needs a diversion. Something to keep his mother from interfering while he focuses on the business.
When Oliver meets Victoria, he offers a proposition: pretend to be his girlfriend at the opening of his store and he will provide an opportunity for Victoria to showcase her designs. But what starts as a business arrangement soon becomes something more tempting, as the fake relationship starts to feel very real. But when secrets in Victoria’s past are exposed will Oliver walk away, or will they both follow their hearts and find what neither knew they were looking for…
I am also participating in a blog tour for Haunted by multiple authors. This book is a collection of spooky short ghostly stories and my tour stop is on 28th October, right in time before Halloween. If there is just one title I can pick to be most excited about – it’s definitely this one!
And that’s my October TBR. Make sure to follow me on Instagram, so you can stay up to date with my current updates during the month. What are you planning to read this month? Let me know in the comments!
![The Courage To Care by Christie Watson [BOOK REVIEW] diary of difference](https://i0.wp.com/diaryofdifference.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Book-Review-Banner-89.png?fit=982%2C552&ssl=1)
![100 Speeches That Roused the World by Colin Salter [BOOK REVIEW]](https://i0.wp.com/diaryofdifference.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Book-Review-Banner-86.png?resize=663%2C373&ssl=1 "100 Speeches That Roused the World by Colin Salter [BOOK REVIEW]")
