Pack a thriller in your suitcase

Tags

agoraphobic, best friend, best-selling author, bikini, bookshop, café, charming man, chic lit, children, complex web of lies, curious, dark story, date, ddebut author, dead, divorce, Don’t Close Your Eyes by Holly Seddon, edgy, epilepsy, evidence, families, fear, girl, Girl Before by JP Delaney, great reads, gripping story, heart, home alone, husband, husband and wife, innocence, journey, karma, landlord, last word, Lisa Jewell, lives alone, man, marriage, memory, mirror, missing, mistress, One Folgate Street, one session read, page turning twists and turns, Perfect Friend by Barbara Copperthwaite, pool side, protect, psychological thrillers, real, right and wrong, safety, seat, secrets, separated, sinister call, sunglasses, T. A. Cotterell, tense tale, terrifying attack, The Date by Louise Jensen, The Dead Ex by Jane Corry, The Girl on the Train, Then She Was Gone, thriller, toothbrush, tough choice, trust, truth, twin sisters, unanswered questions, What Alice Knew, young age

As well as your bikini, toothbrush, and sunglasses, if you are heading away on holiday this summer, be sure to pack a poolside thriller in your bag.

Offering something a little edgier than chic lit, psychological thrillers have seen a rise in popularity in the past couple of years and there is no end of choice when it comes to great reads.

The Perfect Friend by Barbara Copperthwaite is a truly dark story about the turn Alex’s life takes when her husband leaves her and her children won’t talk to her. All she can do is to turn to her best friend, Carrie, who knows all her secrets and is the only person she can truly trust. Carrie would she’d never let her down, or would she???

Following her divorce, Ali goes out on a date with a new man on Saturday night, but on Sunday morning, she wakes up alone with no memory of what happened to her. And when she looks in the mirror, she doesn’t recognise the face staring back at her. If you loved The Girl on the Train, then The Date by Louise Jensen is for you, and if you haven’t read The Girl on the Train – where have you been?

For a ‘one session read’, it has to be The Dead Ex by Jane Corry. A terrifying attack leaves Vicki suffering from epilepsy and without a husband after he runs away with his mistress. When a call comes to say he’s missing, she starts to believe in karma, but when evidence suggests he is dead, things get real and she needs to prove her innocence.

The Girl Before by JP Delaney is a tense tale full of page-turning twists and turns. When Jane moves into One Folgate Street, she falls in love with her beautiful minimal new, despite the bizarre rules it comes with. As the landlord, and the house, become increasingly strange, Jane becomes curious about Emma, the girl who lived there before her and starts to fear for her safety in her gripping quest to find the truth. Tip, don’t read this if you are home alone, but definitely, do read this.

Secrets in families are never a good idea and that is what is at the heart of Don’t Close Your Eyes by Holly Seddon. Twin sisters Robin and Sarah were separated at a young age and now, in their 30s, one is agoraphobic and lives alone, while the other seemingly has the perfect family and perfect life. When Sarah is accused of something terrible, she needs to track down her twin sister to put together the pieces. A gripping story that will keep you on the edge of your seat right to the very last word.

Back to the husband and wife scenario, and in What Alice Knew, debut author T. A. Cotterell, takes you on a journey of complex web of lies that will have you turning the pages in fear. From the outside, Alice has everything, that is until her husband goes missing one night. After receiving a sinister call, she faces making a tough choice that has her questioning right and wrong and wondering just how far she can go to protect those she loves.

While Then She Was Gone, by best-selling author, Lisa Jewell, isn’t new on the shelves, it is oh so worth a read. Laurel is trying to piece her life back together, 10 years after her daughter, Ellie, disappeared and seven years since her marriage fell apart. When she meets a charming man in a café, their flirtation develops into something deep, fast. Before she knows it, she’s meeting his daughters, and all those unanswered questions that have haunted her about her own child come flooding back.

Pop along to your local bookshop and buy your books before you go away and let us know what you think.

Team Pure Beauty

Give your walls a spring clean

Tags

air of grandeur, animals, antique shops, art, beautiful, bedroom, books, boring, car boot sales, choices, cold, colours, cool, cost effective solutions, cosy, daffodils, design, easy, families, food for thought, frame prints, hallway, hand-blocked papers, home, horizontal stripes, illusion, individual, instant, instantly transform, kitchen, light and dimension, light-reflecting metallic paper, lights, living room, local artist, magazines, mirrors, patterns, Peel-off stickers, pictures, playrooms and kids’ bedrooms, pure natural woven fibres, retro feel, simple, social media, sources of inspiration, spring clean, statement, stunning pieces, stylish home, three-dimensional design, transform, uber-cool, unique feel, walls, weekend supplements, world of interiors, wrapping paper

As the days get longer, the temperatures start to rise and the daffodils show their sunny heads, many of us want to make changes to our homes so they feel lighter and brighter.

Decorating an entire house can be a big job, but by making changes to the walls in your kitchen, living room, bedroom or hallway can have a real impact and create the illusion of complete change.

The way you design your walls can transform cold into cosy, boring into beautiful and take old-fashioned into uber-cool in an instant and we have had a look at how.

Ideas and planning
Before you do anything have a think about the kind of finish you are looking for, what colours and patterns you like as well as how practical your choices are. Social media sites, magazines, weekend supplements and even moving websites can be great sources of inspiration, so use them to work out what would feel best in your home.

Stick it
Peel-off stickers come in a wide range of designs and sizes and instantly transform a wall from a boring background into a world of animals, a space age galaxy or a tranquil garden.

Statements Walls
Broad horizontal stripes or a single wall painted in a bright primary colour can be perfect for playrooms and kids’ bedrooms and give that room a really cool, individual feel.

Map it out
Maps – old and new – not only add a splash of style but they are educational too. You can quite simply paste pages from books, wrapping paper or pictures enlarged on a photocopier, onto a wall and create something totally unique.

Wallpaper
Wallpaper is on trend in the world of interiors right now so there is a lot of choice to decide from. From pure natural woven fibres and light-reflecting metallic paper to hand-blocked papers, three-dimensional designs and digitally printed styles it is hard to know where to start, and sometimes where to stop. Do be aware that wallpaper doesn’t always withstand wear and tear like paint, so be careful where you use it. Vinyl is durable and easy to put up and you can even get washable wallpapers that are wipeable and perfect for families who want a stylish home.stylish home

Mirrors
There are some really beautiful mirrors in the shops but you can also find stunning pieces in antique shops and car boot sales that give a retro feel. Go for a large mirror with a striking framed you will not only add light and dimension to any room but also to add an air of grandeur.

Go for art
Whether you buy from for a local artist, frame prints from the masters or use you kid’s doodles art is a brilliant way to bring your walls to life.

Light it up
Washing walls with light keeps edges bright but also offers a warm glow that lifts an entire room. A picture light not only brighten up a dark space but is a focal point while table lamps spread light across a walls and you will be surprised at the effect under cabinet lighting creates on a kitchen or living room wall.

Prepping your walls
Once you have decided what you are going to do with your walls, you need to make sure they are as clean and smooth as possible.

For a decent base peel away bulging, loose or crumbling plaster, strip off wallpaper and fill in cracks and holes; sanding down the area when it’s dry. Once your walls are ready, prime them using watered-down emulsion and if you are going to be putting up new wallpaper, coat the walls with a sizing solution or watered-down wallpaper paste for a really professional base, then get to work.

Whether you are going for big, bold statements, want to add some warmth or simply need to cover up those sticky finger prints, we hope we have given you food for thought for change.

Team Pure Beauty

It’s never too late to book a holiday

Tags

adventure, airports, August, autumn, baggage, beach, budget, camping, cooking, cycling, Europe, extra, families, family, flights, food, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, foreign currency, friends, holiday, hotel, lakes, last minute break, meals, passports, prices, reserving, seats, Spa, staycation, town, two-week holiday, two-week summer holiday, UK, villa, yoga

 

It’s seems that the holiday season has already started.

Passports are being renewed.

Dog-sitters are being booked.

Bikinis are being chosen.

People are sharing their sunny snaps on social media.

However, if you are still undecided, do not worry, it’s never too late to book a summer break.

Whilst many people book up months, even years, ahead leaving things a later isn’t a disaster, you might just need to do a little more leg-work.

First things first, set dates. If you don’t want to get caught out by the biggest price hikes and busiest times, try to avoid going away during Whitsun half term week in May and the second half of August.

If you love it to be hot, going away in June might not give you the tan you want and if you have toddlers you might want to avoid the blazing sun in Greece in the middle of the summer.

Decide what kind of holiday you want to go on. Is it adventure, beach, spa, cycling, cooking, yoga or just sitting by the pool with a good book? Whatever it is, this is your time away so be sure you do what will make you happy.

Be aware of the world around you, this pretty key at the moment. If you are considering a country where there is political instability and terrorist threats, there may well be great deals but they might not be the best choice. Check details with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and take their advice.

Ask for recommendations. We can all look at glossy brochures and daydream over images on the Internet, but getting recommendations and feedback from family and friends about a hotel, town or villa could be more valuable than any online review.

Don’t forget Spain. If you’re looking for guaranteed sunshine, perfect sandy beaches and amazing food – Spain is a great choice. This country has destinations for everyone, and every budget. There are many flight options and the range of accommodation is as overwhelming as the welcome families receive.

Don’t be caught out by the promise of massive savings. Prices are changing all the time in response to demand making the original price of a holiday pretty meaningless.

What you do need to look at is what is actually included in the price you are quoted. To compare prices you need to factor in flights, meals, transfers and all the other elements of a holiday. You need to ensure you are comparing like with like. If there is a massive difference in prices, try to find out why – for example flights are included but baggage and reserving seats is extra.

Consider going for the all-inclusive option. These are perfect for families who want to know what they will be spending and are looking for excellent facilities, good food, sports as well as value for money.

If you like nature, how about camping? Camp sites across the UK and Europe offer a range of facilities and prices and this can be a fantastic way to take a last minute break that everyone will enjoy.

No one says you have to take the traditional two-week summer holiday. How about splitting up your time off? You could have a week by the Italian lakes early in the season before it gets too hot and busy, followed by a weekend at a holiday park and then a city break in the early autumn.

If all else fails, try a ‘staycation’. Without the stress of airports, passports, foreign currency and sun burn, you can still have a great, relaxing time at home with you and yours.

Whatever you do this summer, have fun.