Just a quick note before I start this review, today is my two year blogiversary! By complete coincidence, I scheduled this review for today, not realising that it was the two year anniversary of my blog. When I checked what I'd posted last year to commemorate it, I realised I'd reviewed a sampler for Nadiya's cookbook Nadiya's British Food Adventure on my Blogiversary last year! So it seems very fitting to have my review for Nadiya's latest cookbook today!
Since I didn't remember in time that the anniversary was today, I don't have a giveaway lined up this year, but I'm going to try to organise one very soon just as a little thank you to anyone who reads my blog, or follows me on Twitter or Instagram etc. because I'm really grateful for the support. I've made so many new friends over the past two years and I couldn't have wished for anything better.
Finally I just wanted to give a little shoutout to Nikola over at Breathing Through Pages (I hope you don't mind!) for always sharing and commenting on my posts and including me in your happy weekend posts on Twitter, it always makes me smile and feel involved :) So thank you :) (He writes brilliant reviews so go take a look! Click the link above)
That 'quick note' turned into a not so quick note, so I should probably get on with the review now!!

I thought the instructions for this were brilliant, there were additional step by step photos provided which were really clear and easy to follow. I was pleasantly surprised with how it turned out! It's not as beautiful as Nadiya's but it tasted delicious!

Next was the Purple Velvet Cake. 

This book was provided free in exchange for an honest review.
The above is an affiliate link.
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This is the OFFICIAL cookbook, featuring the beautiful, simple and must-try recipes from her upcoming BBC TV series NADIYA'S FAMILY FAVOURITES.
Nadiya shares the food she loves to cook and eat with her family and friends, offering fast, easy and delicious new recipes for every kind of day.
This cookbook shows you how to create the perfect dishes to complement the moments we all love, from days out with friends to big get-togethers and lazy weekends at home, as well as simple and satisfying solutions for busy weeknights and speedy showstoppers for impromptu guests.
Nadiya's new classics from this weeks episode. . .
· FRUIT SALAD FATTOUSH. Nadiya's breakfast twist on Fattoush, a Middle Eastern salad. Fresh, frozen and dried fruits adorned in crumbled, crispy cinnamon tortilla chips.
· GINGER RICE WITH SPICED CHICKPEAS. Basmati rice steeped in fresh ginger and finished in lots of butter, piled high with spiced chickpeas.
· AVOCADO PASTA WITH PEAS AND MINT. A quick and easy mid-week delight. Creamy avocado, fresh mint, peas and red chilli.
· CARROT CAKE PAKORAS WITH A CREAM CHEESE DIP. Imagine a carrot cake, with spices, nuts and raisins, but deep fried, hot and dusted with icing sugar, served with a cool sweet cream dip . . .
With over 100 easy and rewarding recipes, Nadiya's family favourites will soon become yours too.
This is the cookbook you'll reach for time and time again for those memorable moments. You'll find quick meal solutions, food to lift the spirits, fuel for hungry bellies and feasts for friends.
Let Nadiya's recipes fill your home with memories, just as they do hers.

After winning 2015's Great British Bake Off, Nadiya Hussain has gone on to capture the hearts of the nation. A columnist for The Times and a regular reporter for The One Show, Nadiya has also presented two of her own BBC cookery series to great acclaim with Nadiya's British Food Adventure reaching over 3 million viewers. Her next cookery series will air on BBC2 in summer 2018, accompanied by her brand new TV tie-in cookbook.
Born in Luton to British Bangladeshi parents, Nadiya now lives in Milton Keynes with her husband, Abdal, and their three children.
Her previous cookery titles include Nadiya's Kitchen and Nadiya's British Food Adventure.

Today is my stop on the blog tour for Sticks and Stones by Jo Jakeman! Thanks so much to Mia for organising the tour.
Don't forget to check out the rest of the stops!

First things first I just have to warn you, I really, really loved reading Sticks and Stones, so much so that the word 'loved' features in this review 7 times, so you'll have to forgive me if I start to sound repetitive! I'm absolutely obsessed with this book and all I could think about when I wasn't reading it, was getting back to it and reading more. It's such a fantastically written and gripping read that if you manage to put it down (trust me, it's very difficult to do) you just can't help thinking about it constantly.
I loved the writing style. I found it really addictive and I loved the way the story progressed. I guessed one or two small details but for me this book wasn't about twists, it was the characters and relationships that made it what it was.
I became so invested in the characters and what was happening to them that I could've kept reading about them forever. They were so developed and interesting and really compelling.
Sticks and Stones feels like a fresh take on a psychological thriller and I loved the way Jakeman did it. I had so many feelings while reading it, from breathlessness to shock, to amusement, but what I really loved was that I was kept on the edge of my seat the whole way through.
All I can say about this book is read it, read it, read it! I really loved every single aspect of it.
Overall, I'm giving Sticks and Stones 5 out of 5 and adding it to my five-star favourites shelf! It's a fresh and addictive read and an outstanding debut. If you only read one book in 2018, make it Sticks and Stones.

​You can't choose your family. Or can you?
 
Meet the Bensons. They're an ordinary couple. They wash their car, mow their lawn and pass the time of day with their neighbours. And they have a beautiful little girl called Daisy.
 
There's just one problem.
 
SHE'S NOT THEIRS.
 
D. S. Nathan Cody is about to face his darkest and most terrifying case yet . . .

​My goodness, what a read this was! I'm struggling to find enough words to describe how much I enjoyed it!
Don't Make a Sound is the third book in the DS Nathan Cody series and while I haven't read any of the others, that will be changing very soon. It works perfectly well as a standalone, but I wanted to know more about Cody's past, so if you want to dive into this series, I think it will be even more enjoyable to start from the first book.
The plot is brilliantly written and really chilling. It was so tense I could hardly breathe and I think at some points, I may have actually stopped breathing! It had me completely hooked and I couldn't put it down, yet at the same time, I almost didn't want it to end, although I wasn't expecting the ending at all and my shock definitely took over the sadness that the book was finished!
Don't Make a Sound was a combination of everything I love in this genre, not only was it addictive and gripping, it also had funny parts, with the banter between Nathan and his colleagues. David Jackson really is a master at what he does.
Overall, I'm giving Don't Make a Sound 5 out of 5. It's chilling, addictive and brilliantly written. I can't wait to read more by David Jackson!

​David Jackson is the bestselling author of Cry Baby. His debut novel, Pariah, was Highly Commended in the Crime Writers' Association Debut Dagger Awards. He lives on the Wirral peninsula with his wife and two daughters. Follow David @Author_Dave.

Today is my stop on the blog tour for Oh My God, What a Complete Aisling and I'm very excited to be taking part! Thanks so much to Jenny for organising the tour. Don't forget to check out the rest of the stops!

Today is my stop on the blog tour for My Little Eye by Stephanie Marland and I'm so excited to be part of it! Thanks to Alex for the invite to the tour.
Don't forget to check out the rest of the stops!