Sheryl Browne

A Little Bit Of Madness is a delightfully entertaining romantic comedy about a caring art therapist who will do anything to save her elderly residents' home, The Harbour Rest Home, from being closed down.

Written in the third person narrative and set in Birmingham, England, author Sheryl Browne weaves a humorous and lighthearted tale about Celia Summers, a caring mother of two boys, who enjoys stimulating the lives of a group of elderly residents at the rest home where she works. When Celia show more learns that the rest home might get closed down by the town council, she is determined to do whatever it takes to save her residents from getting evicted from their home. With the help of a quirky set of rest home residents affectionately known as "the troublesome trio": May Binton, Colonel Burrows and Eleanor Simpson, Celia goes about setting a plan of action to attract media attention to help their cause. With a series of madcap misadventures; a condescending boyfriend named Martin who has his own issues; and a hunky knight in shining armor in the form of Police Constable Alex Burrows, who is the son of resident Colonel Burrows, Celia has her hands full with a little bit of madness, that is sure to keep the reader laughing and guessing what will happen next as this zany group of characters' story unfolds.

This is such a fun story that has a nice mixture of romance and humor. The author has created a quirky cast of characters, who are so lovable you can't help but bond with them. The elderly troublesome trio of Colonel Burrows, Eleanor Simpson and May Binton provide a lot of laughter with their engaging dialogue and interactions, they simply draw the reader into the story. As a licensed nursing home administrator for nearly twenty years, I really appreciate the warmth and sensitivity that the author used when describing the care, dedication and thoughtfulness that Celia has towards her residents and her profession. I found myself giggling at different times throughout the book at the trio's crazy antics, it made me think back on some of the antics that my own residents have gotten themselves into through the years. I loved the lighthearted romantic twist in the storyline, where Celia has to choose who her true love is between two suitors who have issues: Martin, her partner who is condescending and boorish; or her rescuer, Alex, the police constable who has his own demons but steals her heart.

With a nice mixture of witty humor and warm romance, A Little Bit Of Madness is a thoroughly enjoyable romantic comedy that will tickle your funny bone.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Reading Addiction Blog Tours.

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I received this ebook free via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I think I can safely say this is one of my favourite reads this year. I loved how sudden all of the events were, even found myself gasping out loud or shaking my head at the actions and words of some of the characters.

I often struggle with child characters because they can tend to be hollow additions, there to move a plot along, but the children in this novel were so real and complete. They broke my heart over and show more over.

The use of multiple perspectives worked perfectly, and I found my favourite character was the one I didn't expect to feel much for at all. Just goes to show how well written each person in this story was. They felt so incredibly real to me that I could imagine running into them on the street, if I lived in the UK that is.

Everything just made sense.

I'm not great at reviews, aside from sharing my feelings on a story, and I can tell you this one was exciting, intriguing, and impossible to put down. I almost want a sequel but I also enjoyed the open ended feeling, filling in the following years in my own imagination.

This is a favourite for 2019 and highly recommended to anyone who enjoys character driven stories and domestic thrillers. show less

This is the second book in the DI Matthew Adams series and continues about 3 years after the events of After she's Gone. While not a hundred percent necessary, I think readers would get more out of this if the books were read in order. It would make it easier to understand the characters' relationships and what they have gone through before.
Matthew and his family have tried to move on, but somebody connected to their past is plotting some serious revenge. Matthew finds himself a wanted man show more and his family are once again put in danger.
What an emotionally exhausting thrill ride! Sheryl Browne continues to let readers look deep into the minds of her characters, but couples it with a bit more action this time. This really had everything. From heartfelt emotions to gripping suspense and even the odd bit of humour and 'aaaaw'-moment. It didn't even matter that it was obvious who the villain was. It's a book that can't really be classified in one genre, and it's done so well. There are bits of police procedural, psychological thriller, and hints of women's fiction with plenty of feelings. Ms. Browne is very skilled at creating loveable characters that are easy to root for but at the same time, she manages to construct nasty, broken characters you'll love to hate. But all her characters come across as credible. I love all of them, although Matthew is occasionally slightly grating with his constant doubts. His teenage niece Ashley is a really intriguing character and it was nice to get more of her mother, Matthew's sister, in this instalment. I'm not really sure where this series could go after this - luckily I'm not a writer - but I'm really hoping Ms. Browne isn't done with Matthew, his family, and his work colleagues yet.
Thanks once again to Choc-Lit for providing me with an ARC. show less

Do you ever come across a book that is absolutely mind boggling, leaving you scraping what’s left of your jaw, up off the floor because the entire time you read it, you were in awe, and on the edge of your seat? Yea, well I was just like that with this book here. The Second Wive is a cosmic explosion of twists, turns, and unexpected elements as you fly through this book. I read it a month or so ago, via NetGalley, and oh my word. There are no words to describe how this book made me show more feel.

Every minute of Rebecca’s life changing experiences became my own. Every pounding heart beat, mine. Every questionable thought, mine. Every. Thing. Mine. Watching what she went through as she stepped into her deceased friend’s life as the second wife…..well, sometimes, I had to stop reading because it became that intense for me. Watching her uncover the truth, watching her fears form….it was utterly chilling at times.

With Rebecca’s and Richard’s characters, you have the perfect blend of good and evil. But, the question is this: are they really good, evil and who they say they are? Browne did a fantastic job of waiting til the very end to let her readers know just what they wanted answered. These characters take your heart and squeeze…..squeeze so hard, your heart feels like it might burst and then, at the end of this white-knuckle thriller, you can finally breathe again. Your heart starts beating again, your breath starts to even out, your mind starts to think about all you just endured to reach the end.

If you looking for a book full of laughs and romance, don’t buy this book. You won’t like it if that’s what you are expecting. If you are looking for a book that will make you drool because your jaw is opened like a codfish the entire time, then buy this book. If you are looking for a page-turner, edge-of-seat, white-knuckle, heart pounding to bursting experience, then absolutely, without a doubt, 100% buy this book. You will not be disappointed and you will be giving it 5 star praises as I did. Fantastically down, Browne. Fantastically done.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley, Bookouture and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.* show less