Gizem: The story of a forbidden fruit by Jakaria Maroof.

Follow Gizem, a young woman in Egypt, as she copes in times of riches and poverty.

This book started off in the present day when Gizem is successful making me wonder where this story would go. Unfortunately it went downhill all the way from there. She was born into a rich family and I enjoyed the sections about the Arab Spring and the Egyptian Revolution but then Gizem was thrown into poverty and this novel became a great drag. This story bumbled along with a dull, soap opera lack of quality style. Then Gizem meets a character called Iblis and the focus turns to him. This POOR novel then turned into a load of suspicious nonsense. I read it to the end but it got no better and was a real drag. Gizem was not even mentioned again and this sad tale did not have a proper ending.

Gizem was badly written with appalling grammar, bad editing and had clearly not been proof-read. It was tiresome reading so many words that a spellchecker would not catch but made no sense as part of that sentence. I get far better English spoken to me from passengers for whom English is a second language.

I did not enjoy reading Gizem and think it is a book to AVOID. I vote this sorry novel the lowest score of just 1 star as I feel it is such a BIG FAIL.

Gizem is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook and was written in 2017.

The Daughter of The Forest by Sharon Gentry.

Chloe is having a Friday night out with Viviane and Mia. They go to a bar and meet some guys. Later they go to the woods where the party continues.

This short story is about romance and werewolves. This should have been a fun read and I liked how Sharon started her story by describing the woods as creepy and mysterious. The tension was there but slowly this short story became quite tame in it's surprise and reading pleasure. The plot was quite predictable and the sex was brief. Nothing shined out as different or stunning. This tale was quite a disappointment and as a showcase for Sharon's talent it was a FAIL. I did not find this short story a joy to read, it did not give me a buzz. I thought the content was padded out and was very lacking. This was a POOR read for me and even with the inclusion of double penetration, The Daughter of The Forest only gets 2 stars from me.

The Daughter of The Forest is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook and was written in 2016.

Guest Bed by Luke P. Narlee

Ron has been married to Kate for 12 years and then he meets Courtney, a stranger who sits next to him on a train.

I found Guest Bed to be a brilliant read and it gave me all I wanted from a book. Guest Bed is told in the first person and as a married man myself, I found Ron extremely easy to relate to. Luke had the dialogue between Kate and Ron spot on, as I believe ALL married women talk like that! There was a great psychological tension running through this novel and I really felt for Ron.

Through his writing, Luke shows he really understands not only the dynamics of marriage but also how men relate to ALL women. Forget the concept of only one woman in the world for every man but consider women as job seekers where many are suitable for the vacancy.

Ron is a likeable character and you can't help feeling sorry for the troubles he has wandered into. Although this book is fiction, this sort of thing can happen in real life. As you read through this book the fear builds that these problems could happen to you. Throw in a few beers whilst your wife's friends are around and this book becomes very, very real.

I found Guest Bed to be a very engaging read for all men. I suspect women will enjoy this book but am not foolish enough to discuss it with my wife! I thought Guest Bed was a VERY GOOD read and reading it was a thrill. I can find nothing wrong with this book, so it gets the top score of 5 stars from me.

Guest Bed is Luke's debut novel but from reading it, you would never guess. This man has great talent, he can write a great tale and understands what makes men tick.

Guest Bed was written in 2016 and is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook.

The Deepest Grave by Harry Bingham.

Follow Detective Sergeant Fiona Griffiths in her sixth novel working with the South Wales Police from Cardiff. This book can be read as a standalone, which was good as I have not read any of Harry's other books. The Deepest Grave is a murder investigation that is told as a first person narrative, so your focus is all about Fiona.

I am a fan of first person narrative novels and Harry gives you the personality of Fiona straight off the bat. I kept thinking of Nessa from Gavin and Stacey, although Fiona never asks "What's occurring?". I liked how Harry used the local character of Cardiff in his story even though no character had a curry and asked for "half and half".

I liked the setting of this novel as I have lived in Cardiff since 1991. It was a joy to read a novel set on my home turf and although Fiona travels around a lot, Harry makes sure all the locations are real. It annoys me when authors set their stories in fictitious locations. I feel that readers would also enjoy this novel even if they had never visited Cardiff. Harry uses Welsh place names and words in such a gentle way that English born readers, me included, will view the spellings as normal, for example Llanymawddwy and Caledfwlch.

The plot was good and every now and then, Harry would review the progress of the murder investigation to stop the reader forgetting any of the details and flow of the story. The Deepest Grave covers a lot of ground and issues. I found it a pleasant read to go through. The ending is fine and everything is wound up tidy. What I liked most was the author's note at the end when Harry explains the differences in crime thrillers.

I thought The Deepest Grave was an enjoyable, workaday, GOOD read. It gave me what I wanted, a story to roll along with, like reading friends' updates on Facebook. The Deepest Grave gets 4 stars from me but Harry does explain in his author's note how different styles of crime thriller appeal to readers. This reasoning I appreciate and although I vote The Deepest Grave 4 stars, for many readers this could be a 5 star read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Orion for giving me a copy of this book on the understanding that I provide an honest review.