I’m a big fan of Diane’s books and was looking forward to the release of her latest novel: The Good Father, so when her publicist offered me an advanced review copy I really couldn’t say no!

The story is told from the viewpoint of three characters. Erin, who is grieving the loss of her young daughter and struggling to connect with her husband. Robin, who is preparing for a wedding and discovering that her future husband isn’t quite the man she thought he was. And Travis, a man who wants nothing more than to be a good father to his four year old daughter Bella.

When a fire rips through Travis’ home leaving him and Bella with nowhere to live he makes a decision that will change their lives forever, in trying to keep his daughter safe he takes a risk that means he might lose her.

Through the voices of each of these wonderful characters Diane tells their story, as we learn more about their histories and the events that have brought them to the present day, where the threads of their stories intertwine as the story builds to a frenetic pace. When I passed the point of no return I had no choice but to ditch my plans, lock myself in a quiet room and keep reading right through to the end, desperate to know how it turned out, and willing the characters to do the right thing, make the right choices, and keep each other safe!

Diane’s novels just keep getting better and better and this one is a deserving five star read – I highly recommend it.

Here’s an excerpt of the book to whet your appetite:

I pictured Erin finding the note. She would find it, wouldn’t she? If she didn’t, then what? I thought of all the things that could go wrong and my head hurt like a bitch. First things first, I told myself. First I had to get to JumpStart before Erin left or else the whole plan was going to cave in.

You can click here to follow the rest of the blog tour. See what other readers thought of the book and read some more extracts. You can also live chat with Diane on Thursday, May 31 at 3:00pm ET - click here for more details.

Jenny and Ruth were fast friends growing up in Cornwall but when Ruth’s parents suddenly decided to move to Canada when the girls were eighteen they lost touch.

Fast forward a decade and a chance encounter on a train throws the two women together again, and it’s not long before they realise that their lives have become inexplicably linked together for Ruth’s son Adam is the unknown son of Jenny’s husband Tom who died in a tragic accident six months earlier.

As the story unfolds Sara mixes the past with the present as she reveals the secrets that culminate in the present day. I thought the characters were believable, but thought there were times when Sara only really scratches the surface of the emotions at play. I also found myself a little uncomfortable in places where the lines of Jenny’s relationship with Adam become blurred. Does she look at him as a step-son, or as a reincarnation of her husband?

All in all it was definitely an enjoyable read and I will be keeping an eye out for Sara’s other books.

I was looking for something light hearted to read yesterday and since my options are pretty limited at the moment since the majority of my To Be Read books have been packed ready for our move I decided that The Cupid Effect was probably a good bet, especially as I thoroughly enjoyed Goodnight Beautiful the other week.

This is Dorothy’s first novel and unfortunately the only word I can think of to describe it is meh.

Sometimes an author’s debut is so good that you are scared to read anything that follows in case they peaked too soon. With Dorothy I think the reverse is true, I’m actually glad that I didn’t read this one first or I would never have discovered her other gems like Goodnight Beautiful or My Best Friend’s Girl.

This is simply chick lit, with no real point to it I’m afraid, other than Ceri packing in her life in London, moving to Leeds to fulfil her heart’s desire and discovers that she has an effect on people that causes them to try and fulfil the desires of their own hearts. It’s mildly amusing at times but not really very memorable I’m afraid. I did get three quarters of the way through and then wonder whether I should even bother finishing it as I had no vested interest in the characters, but thought I might as well stick it out until the end.

If I were you I’d skip this one and pick up one of her other books instead.

It’s been a while since I read anything of Emily’s and I had forgotten how much I enjoyed her books. Emily is a travel writer by day and her stories always whisk you off somewhere exotic, this time you won’t be surprised to hear that the main action takes place in Cuba.

The tale is told from the perspective of two of the characters. First up we have Maggie, a 28 year old woman who moves to Brighton after she splits up from her boyfriend and desperate for friendship decides to follow her neighbours to Cuba! Maggie’s life is built on a series of little white lies that she has told her family – that she works for American Express and has made friends with her neighbours – when really she’s a lap dancer by night and the closest she has come to a conversation with said neighbours is listening to their lives through a baby monitor!

The other voice is Libby’s, the neighbour who used to be a successful lawyer but now spends her days looking after her baby Charlie and feeling like a fat and frumpy stay at home mum. She is appalled when her husband wants to spend six months living in Cuba so he can learn Spanish, but when she gives in and finds herself in Havanna she discovers a side of her that she thought had disappeared with the birth of her son.

As Maggie conspires to become a part of Libby’s world we learn that both girls have secrets in their lives, but in trying to bury her past Maggie finds herself on a dangerous path of self destruction that eventually puts Libby’s life in danger.

It’s a brilliant read, definitely one for the beach this summer.

I’d almost forgotten that the readathon was taking place this weekend. I’m kicking things off with Cuban Heels by Emily Barr. What are you reading first?