Book Synopsis:

Return to the world of the multi-million-copy bestselling Chocolat….

Vianne Rocher has settled down. Lansquenet-sous-Tannes, the place that once rejected her, has finally become her home. With Rosette, her ‘special’ child, she runs her chocolate shop in the square, talks to her friends on the river, is part of the community. Even Reynaud, the priest, has become a friend.

But when old Narcisse, the florist, dies, leaving a parcel of land to Rosette and a written confession to Reynaud, the life of the sleepy village is once more thrown into disarray.

The arrival of Narcisse’s relatives, the departure of an old friend and the opening of a mysterious new shop in the place of the florist’s across the square – one that mirrors the chocolaterie, and has a strange appeal of its own – all seem to herald some kind of change: a confrontation, a turbulence – even, perhaps, a murder…

The Strawberry Thief is published in ebook and hardback on the 4th April 2019. You can pre-order your copy of both using the link below.

My Review:

The Strawberry Thief is the highly anticipated sequel to Chocolat which doesn’t disappoint. The cover for this book is absolutely beautiful and the picture above doesn’t do it justice. It’s got some lovely gold detail on the cover and the effect is stunning!

It was great to revisit the village of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes to see what had changed over the years. The reader is also introduced to Rosette a special little girl who doesn’t talk and has an imaginary monkey, called bam as her best friend. She was instantly my favourite character in the book and I so enjoyed learning more about her as she never failed to make me smile! The wonderful relationship she developed with Narcisse was beautiful and it brought tears to my eyes reading about it.

The story of the villagers is intertwined by dark local folk or fairy stories which were fantastic to read more about. I felt they added a slightly mystical element to the story which made the story more intriguing to read about and I felt added something to Rosette who especially seemed to believe them.

This is a very absorbing story that is very easy to lose yourself in. The descriptions of the village are very vivid and I felt that I could picture it perfectly in my mind almost like I was there myself. I really enjoyed going on a journey with the characters and learning more of their secrets. The new shop adds an interesting slant to the story which I felt particularly fascinating though sad to see the village hadn’t learnt their lesson!

Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Orion for my copy of this book. If you like absorbing, magical reads then you’ll love this book!

About The Author:

Joanne Harris (MBE) was born in Barnsley in 1964, of a French mother and an English father. She studied Modern and Mediaeval Languages at Cambridge and was a teacher for fifteen years, during which time she published three novels, including Chocolat (1999), which was made into an Oscar-nominated film starring Juliette Binoche .

Since then, she has written 15 more novels, two novellas, two collections of short stories, a Dr Who novella, guest episodes for the game Zombies, Run, the libretti for two short operas, several screenplays, a musical and three cookbooks. Her books are now published in over 50 countries and have won a number of British and international awards. She is an honorary Fellow of St Catharine’s College, Cambridge, has honorary doctorates in literature from the universities of Sheffield and Huddersfield, and has been a judge for the Whitbread Prize, the Orange Prize, the Desmond Elliott Prize and the Royal Society Winton Prize for Science, as well as for the Fragrance Foundation awards for perfume and perfume journalism (for which she also received an award in 2017) .

Book Synopsis:

‘When people in the village heard I was about to start working in the city they tried to unsettle me with tales of woe. The sun, blotted out by the tall buildings, couldn’t shine and the rain was poisoned by the toxic fumes that poured from the sock factories. My skin would be covered in pimples from the hell of it all’

So begins a young woman’s journey to adulthood. Lizzie Vogel leaves her alcoholic, novel-writing mother and heads for Leicester to work for a racist, barely competent dentist obsessed with joining the freemasons.

Soon Lizzie is heading reluctantly, if at top speed, into the murky depths of adult life: where her driving instructor becomes her best friend; her first boyfriend prefers birdwatching to sex and where independence for a teenage girl might just be another word for loneliness.

In Reasons to Be Cheerful Nina Stibbe shows her extraordinary gift for illuminating the vital details which make us human. She is that rare writer who makes us laugh whilst reminding us of the joy, and the pain, of being alive.

Reasons To Be Cheerful is available in ebook and hardback now. You can purchase your copy of both using the link below.

My Review:

This was a sweet, heartwarming and quirky read that manages to be utterly hilarious!

The characters in this book are very well drawn and developed through the book. I loved reading about the odd bunch of people who make up Lizzie’s workmates and some of the antics they get up to. It was interesting to read about the different attitudes and practices of dentists back in the 80s which I hope aren’t true but wouldn’t be surprised to hear they were! This gives the book a slightly nostalgic feel to it as the 80s is perfectly evoked in all its glory.

I found this book really funny and often found myself laughing out loud at the ridiculousness of the situations Lizzie finds herself in. It was quite heartwarming to read about her attempts to carve a new career out for herself and I found myself completely behind her as she starts on this difficult journey.

I was a huge fan of the Adrian Mole diaries so I was a bit dubious at first to hear Nina’s books described as their successor. However I’m pleased to say that I thought that this description was very accurate and I enjoyed this book as much, or more than Adrian Mole.

Huge thanks to Kate from Vintage Books for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Reasons to be Cheerful is Nina Stibbe’s latest book. She is also the author of award-winning Love, Nina – which was adapted for TV by the BBC – and the much-acclaimed Man at the Helm, Paradise Lodge, and An Almost Perfect Christmas. Born in Leicester, she now lives in Cornwall.

Book Synopsis:

A BRILLIANT NEW PSYCHOLOGICAL DRAMA, FROM THE EBOOK-BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF CLOSE TO MEAND LYING TO YOU

WHAT HAPPENED TO JULIA BLAKE?

She was young and beautiful, married to a famous author. They were celebrating their anniversary at their stunning country estate. So why did Julia Blake walk out of her perfect life, apparently leaving no trace?

Seren, a junior reporter for the local paper, can’t believe her luck when she lands an exclusive with Julia’s husband, Max. But as Seren spends more time at the couple’s remote mansion, probing ever deeper into the case, dark questions await.

What was Julia really like, behind closed doors? Was her marriage to this brooding, secretive man as perfect as it seemed? And did she really mean to disappear that night – or was she murdered?

The Hidden Wife is available in ebook on the 31st March 2019 and in paperback on the 25th July 2019. You can pre-order your copy of both using the link below.

Review:

I was a huge fan of this author’s debut novel so I was very excited to be invited onto the blog tour for The Hidden Wife.

The storyline for this book was very intriguing and I soon found myself drawn into Julia and Serena’s lives. The author takes a little while to set the scene in this book which gives the reader plenty of time to get to know the characters and the situation they find themselves in which was very interesting.

The mystery of what happened to Julia was well developed and I had lots of ideas about what could have happened to her, none of which were right! It soon becomes apparent to the reader that nothing is as it seems which helped to provide lots of tension and suspense in the book as the reader tries to figure everything out.

It does take a little while for the story to get going but keep going as it soon turns into a fantastic read. I’m hoping that the author might be planning a sequel to this book as I really liked the characters and would like to read more about them.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Headline for my copy of this book via Netgalley which I received in exchange for an honest review. If you like gripping suspense novels then you’ll love this book!

About The Author:

Amanda Reynolds debut novel CLOSE TO ME was published in April 2017 by Wildfire Books (Headline) as their very first fiction title. It has been translated into multiple languages and was an eBook number 1 bestseller. 
Her second book LYING TO YOU published in summer 2018 and has been in both the iTunes and Kobo fiction charts. 
Her third book THE HIDDEN WIFE is out in summer 2019. 
Amanda lives with her family and dog in the Cotswolds.

Book Synopsis:

With just one look, she knows how and when you will die . . . 

Nothing surprises Adam Brandt anymore. As a forensic psychologist, he’s seen and heard everything.

That is, until he meets Kassie.

Because she claims to have a terrible gift – with one look into your eyes, she can see when and how you will die.

Adam doesn’t believe her, obviously.

But then a serial killer starts wreaking havoc across the city, and only Kassie seems to know where he’ll strike next.

Against all his intuition, Adam starts to believe her. 

He just doesn’t realise how dangerous this trust might be . . .

To order your copy, please click on the link below!

My Review:

Wow this was a gripping, nerve shredding thriller that I’ll be recommending to everyone! It’s quite an intense read and I found myself thoroughly involved in the action that was unfolding. I thought I could feel Kassie’s fear and desperation as events unfolded and was on the edge of my seat whilst reading!

Maisie was a very interesting main character and it was quite poignant to see how much her gift confused and terrified her. On one hand she seemed like a vulnerable little girl who just needed someone to tell her what was happening and that everything would be ok. However on the other she seemed a very brave, together person who wanted to try and discover the truth about what was happening. She was definitely a character that you could get behind and I felt that I was willing her to be successful.

Some of the action in the book is rather graphic and gruesome so it won’t be to everyone’s taste. It does add something to the story however as it ensures that the reader’s loyalty lies with Kassie. The tension builds until it is almost too tense to bear which made it very hard to put the book down. I found I wanted to keep reading to find out what happens but at the same time wanting to stop as I wasn’t sure I wanted to find out!

The ending and final twist was superbly done! Just when I thought I had figured out what was going on, the story suddenly went off in a completely different direction which had me reading faster and faster as I scrambled to catch up which is always a sign of a great book.

Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me onto the blog tour and for Michael St Joseph for my copy of this book via Netgalley.

About The Author:

M. J. Arlidge has worked in television for the last twenty years, specializing in high-end drama production, including prime-time crime serials Silent Witness, Torn, The Little House and, most recently, the hit ITV show Innocent. In 2015 his audiobook exclusive Six Degrees of Assassination was a number-one bestseller. His debut thriller, Eeny Meeny, was the UK’s bestselling crime debut of 2014. It was followed by the bestselling Pop Goes the Weasel, The Doll’s House, Liar Liar, Little Boy Blue, Hide and Seek and Love Me Not. Down to the Woods is the eighth DI Helen Grace thriller.

Book Synopsis:

When Catherine Saxon, an American correspondent reporting on the war in Europe, is found murdered in her London digs, news of her death is concealed by British authorities. Serving as a linchpin between Scotland Yard and the Secret Service, Robert MacFarlane pays a visit to Maisie Dobbs, seeking her help. Accompanied by an agent from the US Department of Justice—Mark Scott, the American who helped Maisie escape Hitler’s Munich in 1938—he asks Maisie to work with Scott to uncover the truth about Saxon’s death.

As the Germans unleash the full terror of their blitzkrieg upon the citizens of London, raining death and destruction from the skies, Maisie must balance the demands of solving this dangerous case with her need to protect the young evacuee she has grown to love. Entangled in an investigation linked to the power of wartime propaganda and American political intrigue being played out in Britain, Maisie will face losing her dearest friend—and the possibility that she might be falling in love again.

The American Agent is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase a copy of both using the link below.

My Review:

I’m a huge fan of historical fiction especially if it’s set in world war two so I was extremely excited to find a whole new series of fantastic books to read! If you like thrilling historical crime fiction with some fantastic historical detail then you’ll love this book!

The historical detail in this book is brilliant and made me feel that I was actually there experiencing things alongside Maisie. This was especially true of the descriptions of Maisie’s experience in the blitz which was so vividly described I felt I could feel her fear and smell the smoke of the bombs which made for a wonderful reading experience.

Maisie was a wonderful main character that I absolutely loved. She’s a very skilled detective whose precision and attention to detail made the unravelling of the mystery side of this novel very intriguing. It was great to see how her mind worked and watch as she discovered what was going on. It was nice to get to know Maisie on a more personal level too through her trips home where the reader gets to learn a little bit more about what’s going on in her life.

Overall I thought this was a very intriguing historical mystery that I so enjoyed reading . I hadn’t heard of this series before so was surprised to discover this was number 15 in the series, though thrilled as it meant I had a fabulous new series to discover. Despite this I felt that this book could easily be read as a standalone as anything you need to know is explained.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Alison & Busby for my copy of this book that I received in exchange for an honest review.

About The Author:

Jacqueline Winspear is the author of the New York Timesbestselling Maisie Dobbs series, which includes In This Grave Hour, Journey to Munich, A Dangerous Place, Leaving Everything Most Loved, Elegy for Eddie, and eight other novels. Her standalone novel, The Care and Management of Lies, was also a New York Timesbestseller and a Dayton Literary Peace Prize finalist. Originally from the United Kingdom, she now lives in California.

Book Synopsis:

Welcome to the Heady Heights …

It’s the year punk rock was born, Concorde entered commercial service and a tiny Romanian gymnast changed the sport forever.

Archie Blunt is a man with big ideas. He just needs a break for them to be realised. In a bizarre brush with the light-entertainment business, Archie unwittingly saves the life of the UK’s top showbiz star, Hank ‘Heady’ Hendricks’, and now dreams of hitting the big-time as a Popular Music Impresario. Seizing the initiative, he creates a new singing group with five unruly working-class kids from Glasgow’s East End. Together, they make the finals of a televised Saturday-night talent show, and before they know it, fame and fortune beckon for Archie and The High Five. But there’s a complication; a trail of irate Glaswegian bookies, corrupt politicians and a determined Scottish WPC known as The Tank are all on his tail…

A hilarious and poignant nod to the elusivity of stardom, in an age when making it’ was ‘having it all’, Welcome to the Heady Heights is also a dark, laugh-out-loud comedy, a heart-warming tribute to a bygone age and a delicious drama about desperate men, connected by secrets and lies, by accidents of time and, most of all, the city they live in.

Welcome To The Heady Heights is available in ebook and paperback now. You can see your copy of both using the link below.

My Review:

Welcome To The Heady Heights is a hugely enjoyable, wild and funny journey through the late 70s with some wonderful characters.

The 70s has always been on of my favourite era’s with the music being a constant present in my childhood. I therefore loved the references to the culture back then and the music which I often found myself humming under my breath. There were also some tunes that I hadn’t heard of before and I spent an enjoyable evening looking them all up on YouTube. The author should so do a Spotify playlist to go with this book!

Archie and his friends are fantastic characters that were hilarious to read about. I so enjoyed following them on their exploits and reading some of the banter between them which often had me laughing out loud. My husband is Scottish so found the humour in this book particularly funny! I also liked that Archie was older than most of the other characters I’ve read from this era and it was very interesting to see it from the other side of things.

This novel does have a dark side mainly involving the less glamorous side of show business with all the corruption that can exist there. It was quite an eye opener to see what could perhaps exist in the industry and sad to see how it all plays out for some of the characters

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I’d definitely be interested in reading more from him in the future. I think this book would particularly appeal to male readers as I think they’d enjoy the humour in it

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Karen from Orenda books for my copy of this book which I received in exchange for an honest review.

About The Author:

David F. Ross is a graduate of the Mackintosh School of Architecture at Glasgow School of Art, an architect by day, and a hilarious social media commentator, author, and enabler by night. His debut novel, The Last Days of Disco, was shortlisted for the Authors Club Best First Novel Award, and received exceptional critical acclaim, as did the other two books in the Disco Days Trilogy: The Rise & Fall of the Miraculous Vespas and The Man Who Loved Islands.

Book Synopsis:

All Anna wants is to be able to sleep. But crushing insomnia, terrifying night terrors and memories of that terrible night are making it impossible. If only she didn’t feel so guilty…

To escape her past, Anna takes a job at a hotel on the remote Scottish island of Rum, but when seven guests join her, what started as a retreat from the world turns into a deadly nightmare.

Each of the guests have a secret, but one of them is lying – about who they are and why they’re on the island. There’s a murderer staying in the Bay View hotel. And they’ve set their sights on Anna.

Seven strangers. Seven secrets. One deadly lie.

Someone’s going to sleep and never wake up…

Sleep will be published in hard and ebook on the 4th April 2019. You can pre-order your copy using the link below.

My Review:

I’m a huge fan of this author so I was incredibly excited to be included on the blog tour for her latest book. I was definitely not disappointed as in my opinion this is her best book yet!

The book follows Anna as she tries to put her life back together after a tragic car accident she was involved in. I found Anna to be a very sympathetic character who, despite being at fault for the car accident I felt very sorry for as I didn’t feel she deserved what happens. I thought it was interesting that she was a slightly older character as most of the books I read in this genre tend to be younger.

The author cleverly uses the remote hotel setting to create a dark, creepy atmosphere that helps to add a lot of tension to the book as there is a feeling of anything could happen next. Due to Anna’s sleep deprivation the reader is never sure whether to trust her version of events and this helped keep me guessing as to what was going on. It also ensured that the book was very hard to put down as I wanted to keep reading to find out what happens next and who was the murderer.

The story is quite fast paced and there are lots of twists that took me by surprise. Just when I thought I had figured everything out something would happen this made the story go off in a completely new direction. I found I couldn’t put the book down, hiding in the toilet from the kids and thinking about it constantly when I wasn’t able to read it which is always the sign of a great book.

Huge thanks to Sabah from Avon for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book which I received in exchange for an honest review. If you like dark, twisty gripping reads then you’ll love this book!

About The Author:

C.L. Taylor is the Sunday Times bestselling author of six gripping psychological thrillers. They are not a series and can be read in any order:

2014 – THE ACCIDENT
2015 – THE LIE
2016 – THE MISSING
2017 – THE ESCAPE
2018 – THE FEAR
2019 – SLEEP

She has also written a Young Adult thriller, THE TREATMENT, which was published by HarperCollins HQ and is currently writing her second, which will be published in June 2020.

C.L. Taylor’s books have sold in excess of a million copies, been number one on Amazon Kindle, Kobo, iBooks and Google Play and have been translated into over 25 languages and optioned for TV. THE ESCAPE won the Dead Good Books ‘Hidden Depths’ award for the Most Unreliable Narrator. THE FEAR was shortlisted in the Hearst Big Book Awards in the ‘Pageturner’ category.

Cally Taylor was born in Worcester and spent her early years living in various army camps in the UK and Germany. She studied Psychology at the University of Northumbria and went on forge a career in instructional design and e-Learning before leaving to write full time in 2014. She lives in Bristol with her partner and young son.

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