Book Synopsis:

Can she unlock the mysteries of the past?

A country at war

It’s the summer of 1919 and Ellen O’Brien has her whole life ahead of her. Young, in love and leaving home for her first job, the future seems full of shining possibility. But war is brewing and before long, Ellen and everyone around her are swept up by it. As Ireland is torn apart by the turmoil, Ellen finds herself facing the ultimate test of love and loyalty.
 
A long-buried secret

A hundred years later and Clare Farrell has inherited a dilapidated old farmhouse in County Meath. Seizing the chance to escape her unhappy marriage she strikes out on her own for the first time, hoping the old building might also provide clues to her family’s shadowy history. As she sets out to put the place – and herself – back to rights, she stumbles across a long-forgotten hiding place, with a clue to a secret that has lain buried for decades.
 
For fans of Kate Morton and Gill Paul comes an unforgettable novel about two women fighting for independence.

The Forgotten Secret is available in ebook now for the fantastic price of £2.99. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

The Forgotten Secret is the first book I’ve read by this author, although I have heard lots of great things! So I was excited to be invited onto the blog tour for this, her latest book.

Firstly the author has clearly done her research into what was a turbulent time in Irish history as the period is vividly described so the reader feels like they are actually there experiencing everything alongside the characters. I’m ashamed to say I didn’t know much about The Irish War of Independence before reading this book so I was truly fascinated to learn more about it.

The dual timeline mystery was very well done and I enjoyed watching it all unfold. I did prefer Ellen’s story due to the historical detail but I found myself intrigued by Charlotte’s story too and trying to guess how the two stories would merge together. I liked that there weren’t any huge jumps or coincidences in how the two fit together which helped to make the story seem quite realistic.

The last part of the book is quite emotional, as you might expect due to its subject matter, and I found myself totally caught up in the story. By this time I felt that I had really got to know the characters well and I’d gone on a huge journey with them so the ending had a huge impact on me. I rarely cry in books but found myself sobbing as the end played out which I always think shows a lot of skill from the author that they’ve made you feel this way.

Huge thanks to Rachel from Rachel’s Random resources for inviting me onto the blog tour and to HQ Digital for my copy of this book via Netgalley. If you like absorbing, emotional dual timeline stories then you’ll love this book!

About The Author:

Kathleen McGurl lives near the sea in Bournemouth, UK, with her husband and elderly tabby cat. She has two sons who are now grown-up and have left home. She began her writing career creating short stories, and sold dozens to women’s magazines in the UK and Australia. Then she got side-tracked onto family history research – which led eventually to writing novels with genealogy themes. She has always been fascinated by the past, and the ways in which the past can influence the present, and enjoys exploring these links in her novels.
When not writing or working at her full-time job in IT, she likes to go out running. She also adores mountains and is never happier than when striding across the Lake District fells, following a route from a Wainwright guidebook.
You can find out more at her website: http://kathleenmcgurl.com/, or follow her on Twitter: @KathMcGurl.

Book Synopsis:

‘I THOUGHT SHE WAS OUR FRIEND. I THOUGHT SHE WAS TRYING TO HELP US.’

After the sudden death of her husband, Tess is drowning in grief. All she has left is her son, Jamie, and she’ll do anything to protect him – but she’s struggling to cope.

When grief counsellor Shelley knocks on their door, everything changes. Shelley is beautiful, confident and takes control when Tess can’t bear to face the outside world.

But when questions arise over her husband’s death and strange things start to happen, Tess begins to suspect that Shelley may have an ulterior motive. Tess knows she must do everything she can to keep Jamie safe – but who can she trust?

The Perfect Betrayal is available now in ebook and in paperback on the 27th June 2019. You can purchase or pre-order this item using the link below.

My Review:

The Perfect Betrayal is a fantastic psychological suspense novel which manages to explore a serious subject in its pages.

The story starts off slow as the reader learns more about Tess, her situation and how she is coping with her husband’s death. However it soon builds up as strange, unexplained things start happening and the reader becomes increasingly aware that not everything is as it seems. The tension increases until it’s very difficult to put the book down. I found myself holding my breath at times as certain parts of the book play out.

Tessa is a very sympathetic character that I warmed to instantly and wanted to keep reading to check she was ok. The author’s descriptions of her grief and the love for her son are vividly described ensuring the reader is completely on her side. She’s a very relatable character as I can well imagine other mother’s acting in a similar way.

The twist was utterly brilliant and I definitely didn’t see it coming. It was one of those twists that made me gasp and flip back through the pages to see if I could have figured it out sooner!

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

About The Author:

Lauren North writes psychological suspense novels that delve into the darker side of relationships and families. She has a lifelong passion for writing, reading, and all things books. Lauren’s love of psychological suspense has grown since childhood and from her dark imagination of always wondering what’s the worst thing that could happen in every situation. 

Lauren studied psychology before moving to London where she lived and worked for many years. She now lives with her family in the Suffolk countryside. Readers can follow Lauren on Twitter @Lauren_C_North and Facebook @LaurenNorthAuthor

Book Synopsis:

Will she find the truth?

England, 1940

After a sudden unexplained disappearance, Thomas Charles comes back into Cat Carlisle’s life with the suggestion she leave London – and the threat of bombs – to move to back her childhood village in Cumberland.

Back in her hometown Cat discovers her childhood friend, Beth Hargreaves, is suspected of murder. As Cat tries to prove Beth’s innocence, she discovers a scheme of deception that affects the whole village. Can she uncover the family truths behind the murder and expose the enemy hiding in plain sight?

Get ready for another gripping read from USA Todaybestselling author of THE SILENT WOMAN!

The Family Secret is available in ebook now and in paperback on the 16th May 2019. You can purchase or pre-order your copy using the link below.

My Review:

The Family Secret is a fantastic cosy mystery with some wonderful historical detail. I’ve always been a huge fan of books set in WW2 and the author does a great job of evoking the atmosphere of that period. I felt transported back to that time with the vivid descriptions helping the reader to picture the era in their mind.

The main characters are all strong females which is always a hit with me and I enjoyed reading about them. They were very clever, together woman who fought against the sexism that existed at that time in order to break out of the more traditional roles woman usually took. They were all extremely likeable characters that I felt completely supportive of and wanted to keep reading to find out what happens to them.

The story is very gripping and well plotted with the story unfolding at a great pace . It read a bit like a classic murder story and I liked that it managed to keep me guessing until the end. This is the second book in the series and while it could be read as a standalone it is probably best to read them in order as I think you will understand more about the characters.

Huge thanks to Rachel from Rachel’s Random resources for inviting me onto the blog tour and to HQ Digital for my copy of this book via Netgalley which I received in exchange for an honest review.

About The Author:

Terry Lynn Thomas grew up the San Francisco Bay Area, which explains her love of foggy beaches, windy dunes, and gothic mysteries. When her husband promised to buy Terry a horse and the time to write if she moved to Mississippi with him, she jumped at the chance. Although she had written several novels and screenplays prior to 2006, after she relocated to the South she set out to write in earnest and has never looked back. Now Terry Lynn writes the Sarah Bennett Mysteries, set on the California coast during the 1940s, which feature a misunderstood medium in love with a spy. When she’s not writing, you can find Terry Lynn riding her horse, walking in the woods with her dogs, or visiting old cemeteries in search of story ideas.

Book Synopsis:

When an young man is found stabbed to death in a side street in Newcastle city centre in the run up to Christmas, it looks like a botched robbery to DCI David Stone. But when DS Frankie Oliver arrives at the crime scene, she gets more than she bargained for.

She IDs the victim as Herald court reporter, thirty-two-year old Chris Adams she’s known since they were kids. With no eyewitnesses, the MIT are stumped. They discover that when Adams went out, never to return, he was working on a scoop that would make his name. But what was the story he was investigating? And who was trying to cover it up?

As detectives battle to solve the case, they uncover a link to a missing woman that turns the investigation on its head. The exposé has put more than Adams’ life in danger. And it’s not over yet.

The Scandal is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

I’m a huge fan of this series and I was very excited to read more from this wonderful author. Once again the author has written a fantastic, gripping book in what is becoming one of my favourite crime series.

Firstly the opening chapter in this book is utterly brilliant and hard hitting. The reader is immediately intrigued by the image of the woman running from an unknown threat, which brings lots of unanswered questions to your mind. The terror the woman is feeling is almost palpable and sent a shiver down my spine as I wondered what had happened. It helps to set the tone perfectly for the rest of this tense and atmospheric book.

The central partnership of Stone and Oliver just goes from strength to strength and I thoroughly enjoyed reading more about them. The relationship they have just seems to gel based as it is on mutual respect and trust. I loved the banter that exists between them and the fact that they can go from laughing with each other to being deadly serious when they needed to be.

The investigation concerning what happened to Adam was very intriguing and I enjoyed watching it unfold. The investigation seemed very realistic with no coincidences suddenly jumping out at you. Due to the lack of witnesses or forensic evidence the police have to build a case pretty much from scratch. It was fascinating to watch how they do that and how they discover links between things.

This book is incredibly gripping, fast paced and hugely enjoyable. I alternated between wanting to read more to find out what happens and wanting to slow down to savour this fabulously written crime book. I so hope there will be more books in this series!

Huge thanks to Alianna from Orion for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book via Netgalley. If you are looking for a fantastic crime series then you need to read these books!

About The Author:

Multi-award winning Mari Hannah is the author of the Stone & Oliver crime series, the Ryan & O’Neil series and the DCI Kate Daniels series. 

In July 2010, she won a Northern Writers’ Award for Settled Blood. In 2013, she won the Polari First Book Prize for her debut, The Murder Wall. She was awarded the CWA Dagger in the Library 2017 as the author of the most enjoyed collection of work in libraries. 

Mari is reader-in-residence at Theakston Old Peculier Crime Festival. She lives in Northumberland with her partner, an former murder detective. 

To find her or see where she’s appearing, visit her events page at: marihannah.com or follow her on Twitter @mariwriter.

Book Synopsis:

Waking up beside the dead girl, she couldn’t remember anything.
Who she was. Who had taken her. How to escape.

Detective Abigail Boone has been missing for four days when she is finally found, confused and broken. Suffering retrograde amnesia, she is a stranger to her despairing husband and bewildered son.

Hopelessly lost in her own life, with no leads on her abduction, Boone’s only instinct is to revisit the case she was investigating when she vanished: the baffling disappearance of a young woman, Sarah Still.

Defying her family and the police, Boone obsessively follows a deadly trail to the darkest edges of human cruelty. But even if she finds Sarah, will Boone ever be the same again?

Past Lives is available in ebook and hardback now. You can purchase a copy of both using the link below.

My Review:

Past Lives is a dark, intense page turner with some fantastic characters that just make this book!

The three main characters are all strong female ones that were wonderful to read about. I was especially drawn to Boone as I really admired the determination she showed in trying to solve the case, long after she had to. Roo was another very endearing character whose broken English I felt made her seem slightly more vulnerable though it did make me smile at times as it was quite entertaining. I enjoyed reading about the friendship that developed between the three and the way they worked together to solve their case.

The book covers the difficult subject of human trafficking which makes for a dark, harrowing read at times. The author doesn’t sugar coat the violence and terror that could be included in this situation which makes for quite uncomfortable reading, especially when it was aimed towards characters you have grown very fond of. All this combined makes the situation seem very real which makes reading it a very intense almost unbearable experience. I was on the edge of my seat sometimes as I watched everything play out.

The plot is quite a complex one though Broone’s amnesia gives the author the chance to go into more detail about some areas or go over things again seemingly for her sake but also cleverly gives the reader a chance to get things straight as well. The police investigation was very well described and I found the way it all developed very interesting to follow.

This was an incredibly intense, atmospheric read which I found very difficult to put down. The opening chapter is very intriguing and immediately throws up lots of questions that I wanted to find out the answers to. The short chapters helps give a frantic feel to the investigation and makes for an fast read.

This unbelievably is the author’s debut novel and I’m very excited to read more from this talented author.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Headline for giving me a copy of this book.

About The Author:

Dominic Nolan was born and raised in north London. PAST LIFE is his first novel.

Book Synopsis:

Raised by her mother and Maeve on Slanbeg, an island off the west coast of Ireland, Orpen has a childhood of love and stories by the fireside. But the stories grow darker, and the training begins. Ireland has been devoured by a ravening menace known as the skrake, and though Slanbeg is safe for now, the women must always be ready to run, or to fight.

When Maeve is bitten, Orpen is faced with a dilemma: kill Maeve before her transformation is complete, or try to get help. So Orpen sets off, with Maeve in a wheelbarrow and her dog at her side, in the hope of finding other survivors, and a cure. It is a journey that will test Orpen to her limits, on which she will learn who she really is, who she really loves, and how to imagine a future in a world that ended before she was born.

The Last Left Alive is available now in ebook and hardback. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

The Last Left Alive is a fantastically dark and gripping piece of dystopian fiction which I thoroughly recommend.

The thing I most liked about this book is how realistic it seems. So often in dystopian fiction everything seems quite rosy with some degree of the world we live in still existing and everyone miraculously having what they want. This isn’t the case in this story with the author painting quite a bleak picture of the world that exists and the groups of survivors that exist, stripped back to their most basic needs which I found fascinating to read about. I found I enjoyed exploring this world the author has created.

Orpen is a very intriguing main character who I immediately warmed to and who I enjoyed following as she navigates her way through this new world. She is very brave and feisty, though a little niave at times which made me want to just give her a hug, not that I think she’d want one! Her current predicament is interspersed with flashbacks from her childhood and it was quite heartbreaking to see the contrast between the two. Yes it was quite a basic life that she led but she was obviously loved and cared for which, compared to the present, was quite emotional to read about.

The story is quite fast paced and gripped me from the start with the vivid descriptions of the precarious position Orpen finds herself in. There is always a sense that there is danger lurking just out of sight waiting which keeps the reader on their toes as you are never sure where the danger is going to come from. It was very interesting to go on a journey through this world and to watch Orpen find her place in it.

This unbelievably is the author’s debut novel and I can’t wait to read more from her in the future. If you like dark, atmospheric and tense dystopian fiction then you’ll love this book. If you’ve never read any dystopian fiction then I urge you to start with this one!

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

About The Author:

Sarah Davis-Goff was born and raised in Ireland. After going to college in the US and UK, she eventually returned, and now lives in Dublin. ‘Last Ones Left Alive’ is her debut novel.

Book Synopsis:

I’m not the wife you think I am

Just weeks after giving birth, new mum Stephanie Henderson and her baby girl disappear.

With husband Adam in despair, and the police investigation stalled, it’s up to her sister Jess to find them. But when Adam starts to behave suspiciously, Jess starts to question what really happened.

Following news of a tragic accident, she suspects the worst and, in turmoil, goes in search of answers. But Jess isn t prepared for what she uncovers . . . or for what happens next.

This is a twisted psychological thriller that will make you question what is real, and whether you really can trust those you love.

My Sister Is Missing is available in ebook and paperback on the 14th March 2019. You can pre-order your copy using the link below.

My Review:

My Sister Is Missing is a thought provoking and gripping book that will stay with me for a long time.

From the start the reader is aware that someone has gone missing but how and why is only revealed slowly as the story goes on which made for a very interesting read. The story follows the two main characters Adam and Jess as they try to work through the mystery and find out what happens.

The background of the characters and all they’ve experienced is cleverly mixed into the story, allowing the reader to form a better picture of what might have happened. This does involve some scenes that are hard to read about at times and therefore night not be to everyone’s taste. I found that I kept changing my mind about the characters throughout the book and couldn’t decide whether I liked them or not!

This book does take a while to get going as the author takes some time setting the scene and letting the reader learn more about her complex characters. However it soon picks up and there were lots of twists that kept me guessing. Just when I thought I had figured everything out something would happen that took the story in another direction which kept me on my toes. The ending was very interesting and a nice way to end this book, although i did feel it was a little too perfect in some ways with everything wrapped up neatly but that’s just my opinion!

Huge thanks to Anna from Red Door publishing for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book which I received in exchange for an honest review.

About The Author:

Julia Barrett wanted to be a writer from a very young age, but it wasn’t until her late thirties that she plucked up the courage to take time out from her teaching career and focus on her writing. She is based in Essex and lives there with her husband and two children. She is currently working on her next novel and completing an MA in Creative Writing.

W: juliabarrett.co.uk

T: @Julia_Barrett_