Patience - Victoria Scott

If you were offered a chance to cure your child's disease, would you take it?

The Willow family have been through a lot together. Louise has devoted her life to her family and raising her disabled daughter, Patience. Pete now works abroad, determined to provide more, even if it means seeing less of those he loves. And Eliza, in the shadow of her sister, has a 'perfect' life in London, striving to live up to her mother's high standards.

Meanwhile, Patience lives her life quietly, watching and judging the world while she's trapped in her own body. She laughs, she cries, she knows what she wants, but she can't ever communicate this to those who make the decisions for her. Patience only wants a voice, but this is impossible.

When the opportunity to put Patience into a new gene therapy trial to cure her Rett syndrome becomes available, opinions are divided. The stakes are high, and the Willow family face an almost impossible dilemma.

And what is a 'normal life,' anyway? Is Patience about to find out...?

Available to purchase - HERE

Incredible.

What a wonderful debut from Victoria Scott, it blew me away. We are taken into the world of Patience, a young lady with Rett Syndrome who needs 24-hour care, having a caring, compassionate family and support network. This normal, run of the mill family face some of the most difficult challenges in caring for Patience and eventually realise they are struggling to give her the quality of life needed. An opportunity presents itself that tears the family apart, each wanting what is best for Patience but each seeing things from a different point of view.

A chance of a cure via gene therapy seems like a miracle and Patience’s’ Mum is passionate that this is what they’ve been waiting for; her dad however questions if the risks are worth it; he is sure Patience is happy and they are managing.

What a challenging, heart-breaking decision to make. The characters were all so engaging, especially as we knew the inner thoughts of Patience and had that special unique insight her parents etc didn’t. Each character has their own struggles on top of caring for Patience, that adds extra pressures to their lives but also extra complexities to this story.

This book is at times heart breaking but thought provoking, it provides an honest insight into those living with severe disabilities and those who provide their care whilst challenging the perception of what a “good life” may be.

There are moments of light, laughter, and lots of love of all kinds. Victoria Scott has written this with intimate knowledge of living alongside this condition and I know it will provide education for others, like me, who knew very little of this syndrome. Her writing has compassion, heart and humour and it captured my attention from the first page.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

BLOGTOUR: The Time of our lives - Abby Williams

 

Pre-Order Links:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Sg3z61

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2JKHisZ

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2xMa5Il

Ibooks: https://apple.co/2ZhNKxM

About the Book

Two women from two very different generations are brought together through dramatic circumstances and help each other to forge new paths.

Twenty-six-year-old Erin has everything she’s ever wanted – a good job, a gorgeous fiancé and a best friend who’s always there for her. But suddenly her life comes crashing down around her. Unable to return home to her parents, she takes a room in a house nearby and her life starts over in the most unexpected of ways…

Seventy-six-year old Lydia, who, shocked by the sudden death of her husband, is devastated to discover that he has left her in crippling debt. With no choice but to take in a lodger, Erin comes into her life. When they find a letter hidden in the attic old secrets come to light and, with Erin by her side, Lydia finds herself going on a trip of a lifetime.

Perfect for fans of The Flatshare, 59 Memory Lane and If Only I Could Tell You

My Review:

We meet the wonderful Lydia recently after her husband passes away. She realises her beloved husband had been keeping secrets leading her son to convince her that she must take in a lodger to make ends meet. With this in mind she meets with the lovely, yet sad, Erin. We’ve seen that twenty-six-year-old Erin has had a difficult time and needs a new start - her fiancé and best friend betrayed her.

Erin moves in and over the following days and weeks we see how both women bring out the better qualities in each other and provide the support each needs to move forward instead of looking back and dwelling on the past.

Honestly, I adored it from the moment these two women met. I was totally absorbed into their lives. Both characters complimented each other fantastically, although both were quite feisty and opinionated. I think they are both brilliant and loved that the emphasis of the book was their relationship and how they helped each other.

We read how each character dusts themselves off and both move on with their lives – even with an age difference they learn so much from the other. They both go on quite a journey in the short time they know each other, there are great successes, heart-warming moments that had me smiling from ear to ear but also failures and disappointments. Throughout it all they have each other; I found myself smiling, laughing but then feeling very empathetic to their situations.

This book is very nicely written, you get a good sense of the atmosphere – their excitement, disappointments, the sadness and the loves each character lives through. We are introduced to a lovely selection of additional characters, although there will be a couple you will instantly dislike.   The perspective changes between Erin and Lydia but it’s done very well and I really enjoy getting two views of events throughout.

I enjoyed how the book encompassed the realities of life, that everything isn’t always perfect, but you live through the moments, you learn, and you continue the best path for you.

Here’s to friendship and having those who support and love you always.

I would highly recommend this book to all, definitely worth a read. 

About the Author 

Abby Williams is the pseudonym for Fiona Ford, writer of romantic up-lit and historical fiction. Fiona started out as a freelance journalist for titles such as Grazia, Sunday Mirror and Stylist before realising her passion lay in novels. Now she spends her days immersed in made-up worlds and reckons she has the very best job in the world. When she's not writing, Fiona is a gym nut, but only so it means she can eat lots of cake and drink lots of wine - not necessarily in that order. She lives in Berkshire with her husband and two cats who she sometimes thinks she might love just a little bit more than all the humans she knows. The Time of Our Lives is her first romantic novel and she is now busy scribbling away her second. 

Follow Fiona:

Facebook: @Fionafordauthor

Twitter: @Fionajourno

Website: www.fionaford.co.uk

BLOGTOUR: Forget My Name - J.S. Monroe

About the book

You are outside your front door. There are strangers in your house. Then you realise... You can't remember your name.

She arrived at the train station after a difficult week at work. Her bag had been stolen, and with it, her identity. Her whole life was in there – passport, wallet, house key. When she tried to report the theft, she couldn't remember her own name. All she knew was her own address.

Now she's outside Tony and Laura's front door. She says she lives in their home. They say they have never met her before.

One of them is lying.

My Review:

‘Forget my Name’ is a fantastic, very well written, thriller that will keep you invested and on the edge of your seat. The books grabbed my attention from the very first chapter and didn’t let up at all.

The story line is very well thought out, and even though so much happens early on I didn’t think it felt rushed at all. The amnesia trope is always interesting, and I feel that in comparison to others I have read, Forget My Name is done in a fresh and gripping way.

The characters are all very interesting, I liked getting to know them – even when I was suspicious of them! It’s written from several points of view and I think this worked well. With other books I have felt confused by this (if not clearly indicated) but I didn’t get that here. If anything, it added to the tension and general confusion over what was going on.

I usually pride myself on being able to figure things out and I must admit I thought I had this all sussed out too, but I was kept on my toes with some good twists and turns. It had me doubting what I thought I knew, not trusting the people I originally had and this for me, makes a superb thriller.

I enjoyed this on a lazy Sunday afternoon, once I’d picked it up I didn’t put it down again until I’d finished!A first book from this author for me but I will look out for more in future.

Thank you to @HeadofZeus for the advanced copy of this book. 

                                          Buy links:

 

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2HyLFcc

iBooks: https://apple.co/2Fu8Wdb

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2OeS78y

GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/2FiksHd

About the Author    

J.S. Monroe read English at Cambridge, worked as a foreign correspondent in Delhi, and was Weekend editor of the Daily Telegraph in London before becoming a full-time writer. Monroe is the author of six novels, including the international bestseller, Find Me.

Follow J.S. Monroe:

Twitter: @JSThrillers

Facebook: @JSMonroeFindMe

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Twitter: @HoZ_Books

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