Tuesday 19 February 2019

Broken – Betsy Reavley #BlogTour #Extract


Broken – Betsy Reavley

Today I am pleased to be able to participate in the blog tour for Broken by Betsy Reavley.  My thanks go to Bloodhound Books for my spot on this tour.


About the Book

Annabel, a troubled young woman trying to put her life back together, decides to take a trip to the Suffolk coast to clear her head and get away from her mother. But when she arrives in the little seaside town, she discovers a series of grisly murders have taken place and police are searching for a twisted killer. 

After a fateful meeting with a mysterious stranger, Jude, the course of her life changes and soon she finds peace in a world away from the misery she has known.

But when Jude comes under suspicion from the police, and her idyllic world is threatened, Annabel’s happy existence starts to become a nightmare.

Can Annabel escape her painful past or is her fate sealed? And why is she haunted by horrific visions when she seems on the verge of finding happiness? 

This astonishing novel will take you on a shattering journey through Annabel’s fight for survival and will ask if the greatest threat we pose is to ourselves.

Suitable for over 18’s only. It contains graphic scenes some readers may find disturbing. 

(Please note this is a change in title having previously been published under the title Beneath the Watery Moon)

Betsy Reavley has made me fall in love with this story and ripped my guts out at the same time.   The most beautiful and poetic story takes a leap in to the dark side leaving you wondering.   Not for the faint hearted.  Compelling work from a highly talented author. – Alexina Golding reader review

Extract

Due to other issues, I have not been able to read this in advance of the review, but could not let the publication of this book go by without me participating in the blog tour.  I am seriously looking forward to this book landing on my kindle and will add to my ever growing TBR pile and read shortly.

To celebrate the publication ofthis book I am pleased to be able to share an extract with you and hopefully you will be also eagerly going off to buy this book and looking forward to curling up with a nice drink of your choice (hot chocolate), some chocolate itself and a nice comfty chair to read in. 

I still couldn’t speak, so I shrugged, looking into the bottom of my empty glass.

‘I’ll be back in a mo.’ Jude stood and pushed his chair away as he spoke, and left the table. He returned a moment later with a pint of water.

‘I hope you don’t mind, but I thought you could do with this.’

He pushed the glass to me, with a kind but sad expression.

‘Jesus, am I that bad?’ I asked. I took a sip of water. He seemed satisfied by this and sat back to watch the musician, who was by now half-cut himself. We sat together, not speaking, for a few songs.

‘Why are you here?’ he asked.

Taken aback by the question, I felt compelled to be honest. I opened up to this stranger about my life and the spell I’d spent in the psychiatric hospital. It poured out of me with frightening ease. I unburdened everything that had been swimming around my troubled head since my release, and with each confession the weight on my shoulders felt lighter. Jude listened, his eyes fixed on mine, nodding with understanding, not interrupting.

Instead of feeling judged, I felt like a Catholic in the confessional. The more I spoke, the less I cared whether he understood or not: the release was what I needed. I’d been so lonely and trapped within my own head, it was a blast of freedom and enlightenment to talk to someone else.

After my monologue I felt like a new person. I looked around the bar to find it was nearly empty, and the man with the guitar had given up and gone home. Sally was behind the bar, polishing glasses and chatting merrily to a gentleman who was clearly trying to get away.

Jude looked down at his hands; I could tell he was deciding what to say.

‘You needn’t say anything,’ I told him, ‘I’m not after pity or advice. I just wanted to get it all out. Don’t worry, I’m not dangerous or anything.’ The statement sounded eccentric.

‘I was a lost soul, once,’ he said, pulling his chair closer, ‘but I’ve since found happiness. It’s late now, but I’d like to talk to you about it sometime, if you’d let me?’ His words slid over me like butter.

‘Sure.’

‘Tomorrow,’ he said, getting up. ‘Meet me tomorrow at eleven, in the bar, and I’ll tell you all about my journey.’

‘OK,’ I agreed, also standing, and feeling more sober than I deserved. ‘My name is Annabel, by the way. Guess I’ll see you then.’

With that, the mysterious Jude left the bar and walked out into the night. I stood, stunned, wondering what on earth had just happened; Sally broke my reverie.

‘Seems you have an admirer, my love. Word of advice though, he ain’t exactly normal.’

‘Neither am I,’ I said, smiling as I stepped out to light a cigarette. I set off walking and followed the winding tarmac from the pub towards the shore, as the lights from a truck came creeping up behind me. 

Wow can someone please come and take over my hecticness that is stopping me from reading all day and let me read this book now!!

About the Author

Author of  The Quiet OnesThe Optician's Wife,  Frailty, CarrionBeneath the Watery Moon and the poetry collection The Worm in the Bottle. Betsy was born in Hammersmith, London. 

As a child she moved around frequently with her family, spending time in London, Provence, Tuscany, Gloucestershire and Cambridgeshire. 

She showed a flair for literature and writing from a young age and had a particular interest in poetry, of which she was a prolific consumer and producer. 

In her early twenties she moved to Oxford, where she would eventually meet her husband. During her time in Oxford her interests turned from poetry to novels and she began to develop her own unique style of psychological thriller.
Betsy says "I believe people are at their most fascinating when they are faced by the dark side of life. This is what I like to write about."
Betsy Reavley currently lives in London, with her husband, 2 children, dog, cat and chickens.

Social Media Links

Website: http://www.bloodhoundbooks.com/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/BetsyReavley

Check out the rest of the blog tour with these fabulous blogs:  


My thanks to Betsy Reavley for providing this excerpt and the publishers Bloodhound Books for my spot on the blog tour.  

Sunday 17 February 2019

The Migraine Relief Plan





Today I am pleased to be able to participate in the blog tour for The Migraine Relief PlanMy thanks go to Rachel Gilbey for my spot on the blog tour. 



About the Book


The Migraine Relief Plan: An 8-Week Transition to Better Eating, Fewer Headaches, and Optimal Health

In The Migraine Relief Plan, certified health and wellness coach Stephanie Weaver outlines a new, step-by-step lifestyle approach to reducing migraine frequency and severity.

Using the latest research, her own migraine diagnosis, and extensive testing, Weaver has designed an accessible plan to help those living with migraine, headaches, or Meniere’s disease. Over the course of eight weeks, the plan gradually transitions readers into a healthier lifestyle, including key behaviors such as regular sleep, trigger-free eating, gentle exercise, and relaxation techniques. The book also collects resources—shopping lists, meal plans, symptom tracking charts, and kitchen-tested recipes for breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner—to provide readers with the tools they need to be successful.

The Migraine Relief Plan encourages readers to eat within the guidelines while still helping them follow personal dietary choices, like vegan or Paleo, and navigate challenges, such as parties, work, and travel. A must-have resource for anyone who lives with head pain, this book will inspire you to rethink your attitude toward health and wellness.



Extract

On my blog today I am lucky enough to be able to share with you one of the recipes that are used.

I am a big fan of rice and often have rice two or three times a week in multiple dishes that we cook.  So to have a recipe that features rice is lovely and I must admit this is one that I will be trying. 


Serves 4

1 handful fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley
1 cup (150 g) wild rice
1 tablespoon (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil or unsalted butter
2 large carrots
2 ribs celery
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

·         Wash the parsley and roll up in a towel.
·         Rinse and drain the rice, then add 2 C. (500 ml) filtered water or unsalted chicken or vegetable stock. Cover and bring to a boil in a medium saucepan, then turn down the heat to low and cook for 45 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the cover on for at least 10 minutes.
·         When the rice is done, scrub the carrots and slice very thinly on the diagonal.
·         Wash the celery and finely mince.
·         Finely chop the parsley.
·         Heat olive oil or butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add carrot and celery; cook 6-8 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in rice, parsley, and pepper. 
·         Cook one minute until everything is warmed through.

Ingredient notes:
Wild rice is only grown in North America and may not be available overseas. You could substitute a hearty brown rice instead.

Prep time:                           15 minutes
Cooking time:                     55 minutes
Passive time:                      10 minutes

Budget friendly: Very

“My family is starting to like the fact that I don’t have any added salt in my dishes, because they can add their idea of the perfect amount of salt on their own. This was very easy to prepare.”
Gabby N.
“Without any salt or spicing, I thought it might be a bit bland. In face, it is quite flavorful. I would definitely make this again: delicious, hearty, unique, easy.”
Laura P.


Now for those of you that take photographs of your food and post them on social media, according to the picture in the book it should look like this. 




However I know that mine will never look like this, but will hopefully taste delicious in any event. 

If eating food like the one above, reduces my migraines and is still enjoyable then I for one will be extremely glad and happy.  I am one of the lucky ones (touch wood) who doesn't get stricken down with blinding migraines which result in me having to go and lie down in a dark room for days on end.  I am able to control mine with medication and as long as I take the medication at the start of my headache I am able to 9 out of 10 times stop it transferring to a migraine.  Some people are not so lucky and they have my utmost sympathy and if you are one of those unfortunate people, then this book might be of use to you.  

 


About the Author


Stephanie Weaver, MPH, CWHC, is an author, blogger, and certified wellness and health coach. Her recipes have been featured in Cosmopolitan, Bon Appetit, Cooking Light, Parade, and more. She lives in San Diego, CA. 




Social Media Links


 


To buy from:


http://bit.ly/MRPlan