Millie Marotta's Animal Kingdom (a colouring book adventure)

Lose yourself in Millie Marotta's animal kingdom....

Illustrator Millie Marotta grew up in rural Wales surrounded by all kinds of plants and animals. She works from her studio by the sea and draws inspiration from the wonderful wildlife around her.

Now you can personalise her beautiful illustrations and create an animal kingdom of your own. From the beetle in need of a colourful, iridescent shell, to the whale waiting for a magnificient ocean home, there is a whole world of fauna and flora to explore. All you need are pens, pencils and a bit of imagination.

Who does not love colouring in?? A pastime which can be enjoyed from all ages - as soon as a child can hold a pencil or crayon, colouring and drawing can be enjoyed, a pastime which has no upper age limit. Colouring books are a staple rainy day activity source and these too can aimed at different ages, from simple, bold outlines to more detailled and intricate designs, there is something for everyone.

This book is full of beautiful, line drawings featuring floral and fauna of many descriptions. There are illustrations with big, open spaces to colour, but also areas which are infilled with intricate patters - many have a 'zentangle' appearance which is a craze flooding the crafting industry at the present time. The book is beautiful to look at while in black and white but will also be fantastic when coloured in. The drawings could be coloured in my a mix of ages, they would make a great family project and I am sure that they would look stunning mounted in a picture frame and hung on the wall.

My only negative on this project, and it is one which I think is evident in all colouring books, is that the pictures are printed on both sides of the page. Dependent on the medium used to colour in the illustrations, the colour may bleed through to the other side - especially if alcohol ink pens are used. 

This is a great book for adults or teenagers who enjoy colouring in. I also think it is a great book to have as a family project on a wet and cold Sunday afternoon or over the Christmas period.

I received this book through the Amazon Vine Programme.

I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh

A tragic accident. It all happened so quickly. She couldn't have prevented it. Could she? In a split second, Jenna Gray's world descends into a nightmare. Her only hope of moving on is to walk away from everything she knows to start afresh. Desperate to escape, Jenna moves to a remote cottage on the Welsh coast, but she is haunted by her fears, her grief and her memories of a cruel November night that changed her life forever. Slowly, Jenna begins to glimpse the potential for happiness in her future. But her past is about to catch up with her, and the consequences will be devastating ...

Wow, wow, wow, wow,wow!! I absolutely loved this book!

I first met Clare Mackintosh when I went to went to this year's Chipping Norton Literary Festival. She is the founder and Festival Director and was also in the process of writing her first novel. She is a lovely lady and I was surprised to hear that she had been in the police force for twelve years before leaving in 2011 (she didn't look old enough!). I was, of course, very  interested to read her debut novel and was very pleased to hear that Clare had added me to her advance proof list - thank goodness I had had blogger business cards printed before the festival.

As soon as started reading the book I was hooked. The story is a sad one, a young boy is killed in a hit and run accident and the police investigation does not have many clues to investigate. The team are soon told to close the case due to lack of evidence but a trusty DC keeps going to get justice for Jacob.  What follows is a great story which has so many twists and turns that just when I think I know who was driving the car and what happened on that fateful day, Mackintosh throws something new into the mix and I am again left completely in the dark. These little twists kept me engrossed throughout the whole book and I was sad to see it end. I can't wait for Clare's second book!!

I highly recommend this book to all of my blog readers, lovers of crime fiction or anyone looking for their next book to read. It is one of my top ten books of 2014.

Thank you to the author and publisher for sending me the book to review.