Book Synopsis:

Polly might spend her days searching for eligible matches for her elite list of clients at her New York dating agency, but her own love life is starting to go up in smoke.

Even worse, she can’t stop thinking about the very person she’s meant to be setting her latest client up with… surely it can’t get any worse!

But then Polly bumps into oh-so-handsome Olly, who heads up a rival agency, and realizes that perhaps all really is fair in love and dating war…

Perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella and Debbie Viggiano.

When Polly Met Olly is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase a copy of both using the link below.

My Review:

This was a fun, heartwarming book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. Zoe May is one of my favourite ‘chick lit’ author’s and I always find myself keeping her books for a time when I can enjoy them properly.

I absolutely loved Polly who was a very likeable lady who was easy to get behind. She’s trying to make a name for herself in the big bad world and I found I was completely behind her all the way. The chemistry she has with Ollie is utterly adorable. I loved the fact that two such unlikely characters could get together and work so well together. I found I loved watching the relationship develop and found myself wishing I was her on occasions.

New York is one of my favourite cities ever ( I actually got engaged there) so I loved following Olly and Polly as they go about their lives there as I could really imagine where they were. This book has definitely made me want to go back and visit there as soon as possible.

This was a thoroughly absorbing and enjoyable read with lots going on to keep the reader’s interest. I so enjoyed watching everything unfold and found I flew through the pages as I wanted to see how everything would end up. If you are looking for a fun summer read I’d definitely recommend this one.

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.

About The Author:

Zoe May lives in Oxford and writes romantic comedies. Zoe has dreamt of being a novelist since she was a teenager. She spent her twenties living in London, where she worked in journalism and copywriting before writing her debut novel, Perfect Match. Having experienced the London dating scene first hand, Zoe could not resist writing a novel about dating, since it seems to supply endless amounts of weird and wonderful material!

Perfect Match was one of Apple’s top-selling books of 2018. It was also shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s Joan Hessayon Award, with judges describing it as ‘a laugh out loud look at love and self-discovery – fresh and very funny’.

As well as writing, Zoe enjoys walking her dog, painting and, of course, reading! She adores animals and if she’s not taking a photo of a vegan meal, she’s probably tweeting about the dairy industry. She is half Greek and half Irish and can make a mean baklava. Zoe has a thing for horror films, India, swimming, hip hop and Radiohead. She has an encyclopaedic knowledge of handbags having spent several years working in fashion copywriting and could probably win Mastermind if this was her specialist subject!

Zoe loves to hear from readers, you can contact her on Twitter and Instagram at: @zoe_writes. Zoe’s Facebook page is: http://www.facebook.com/zoemayauthor/

She posts updates and blogs on her website, http://www.zoemayauthor.co.uk

Book Synopsis:

“A decadent rock star. A deeply religious radio host. A disgraced scientist. And a teenage girl who may be the world’s last hope. In the tradition of The Stand and Station Eleven comes a gripping saga that weaves an epic tapestry of humanity into an astonishing tale of survival.

Shana wakes up one morning to discover her little sister in the grip of a strange malady. She appears to be sleepwalking. She cannot talk and cannot be woken up. And she is heading with inexorable determination to a destination that only she knows. But Shana and are sister are not alone. Soon they are joined by a flock of sleepwalkers from across America, on the same mysterious journey. And like Shana, there are other shepherds who follow the flock to protect their friends and family on the long dark road ahead.

For on their journey, they will discover an America convulsed with terror and violence, where this apocalyptic epidemic proves less dangerous than the fear of it. As the rest of society collapses all around them and an ultraviolent militia threatens to exterminate them the fate of the sleepwalkers depends on unravelling the mystery behind the epidemic. The terrifying secret will either tear the nation apart or bring the survivors together to remake a shattered world.”

The Wanderers is available in all formats now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

Wow this was an incredible book! I really can’t believe I hadn’t heard of this author before. It’s brilliantly unique, scary and so believable!

The thing I most enjoy about dystopian fiction is that it gives you the chance to experience the author’s imagination and explore the fascinating world they have created. This book was no exception and I really enjoyed traveling in this world with the characters in the unique situation they find themselves in.

I thought this was a very interesting plot which had lots going on to keep the reader thoroughly absorbed. I don’t want to give too much away as I think that would ruin it for others but I loved the way this book progressed and how the story developed. The situation the characters find themselves in is frightening realistic and it was quite disquieting to realise how easily things could break down.

This is a fairly long book which normally scares me and can mean I don’t pick a book up. However I never felt the length of the book was an issue as I was so absorbed that the pages just flew by and I’m so glad I picked it up.

Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for my copy of this book and to Rebellion Press for my copy of this book. I’m very excited to read more from this talented author!

About The Author:

Chuck Wendig is an American author, comic book writer, screenwriter, and blogger. He is best known for his popular online blog Terribleminds, and for his 2015 Star Wars novel Aftermath, which debuted at #4 on The New York Times Best Seller list and #4 on USA Today’s best seller list. As of early 2016, Wendig writes Hyperion for Marvel and The Shield for Dark Circle Comics.
He was a finalist for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in 2013.
Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Book Synopsis:

A mother’s job is to keep her children safe.

Tess has always tried to be a good mother. Of course, there are things she wishes she’d done differently, but doesn’t everyone feel that way?

Then Emma, her youngest, is attacked on her way home from a party, plunging them into a living nightmare which only gets worse when the man responsible is set free

But what if she fails?

So when Tess sees the attacker in the street near their home, she is forced to take matters into her own hands. But blinded by her need to protect her daughter at any cost, might she end up putting her family in even greater danger?

There’s nothing she wouldn’t do to make it right . . .

Stop At Nothing is available in ebook and hardback now. You can purchase a copy of both using the link below.

My Review:

I’ve read and enjoyed a few of this author’s historical novels but this was my first psychological thriller from her. I’m pleased to say that I thought it just as good!

This was an incredibly well plotted book which slowly increased in tension throughout the course of the book until it almost becomes unbearable. I loved the slow drip of information and the slow reveal of what was happening. It made for fantastic reading and ensured that it was a difficult book to put down.

The inclusion of social media platforms like Facebook help to make the book seem very realistic as it suddenly becomes very apparent how vulnerable we are and how much information about us is available on line. I’ve definitely changed some of my settings and habits on social media since reading this book.

The mother – daughter relationship was brilliantly written and I found I felt a lot of sympathy for Tess after the attack. Yes she makes some terrible mistakes, that had me almost screaming with frustration at her, but I felt they came from a well meaning place ( if that makes sense). As a mum I could well imagine the almost primal desperate need you’d have to try and get revenge for your daughter, which had me wondering how far I’d go in such a situation.

This story was fairly fast paced and had lots of twists that kept me guessing how it was going to work out. I had lots of guesses how things would end and I was completely wrong which I always enjoy. If you’re looking for a gripping, absorbing read this summer I highly recommend this one

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Transworld for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Tammy Cohen (who previously wrote under her formal name Tamar Cohen) has written several acclaimed novels about family fall-out:The Mistress’s Revenge, The War of the Wives, and Someone Else’s Wedding. The Broken was her first pyschological thriller, followed by Dying for Christmas. Her brand new hardback novel, First One Missing is out now.

She lives in North London with her partner and three (nearly) grown children, plus one badly behaved dog. Chat with her on Twitter @MsTamarCohen

Book Synopsis:

A new standalone psychological thriller from Colette McBeth, whose dark, twisty and hugely compelling novels are beloved of writers like Paula Hawkins, Clare Mackintosh and Marian Keyes.

You could say it started with vanity. We believed we were special. But the truth is we were simply vulnerable.

Months after landing their dream job, five brilliant young minds are sent on a remote retreat.

But when one of them disappears, they’re forced to question why they were brought there in the first place.

And for the first time in their lives, they realise too much knowledge can be deadly . . .

One of them is lying.
One of them is guilty.
No one is safe.

Call Me A Liar 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 author so I was very excited to be invited onto the blog tour for Call Me A Liar, her latest book. This was another atmospheric, twisty read which kept me guessing until the end.

The complex, unreliable characters are one of the best things in this book as they help create a really dark and sinister atmosphere that keeps the reader on their toes. I think it’s fair to say that no one is who they say they at the beginning and I really enjoyed unraveling everyone’s story and working out how they all fitted into the story.

The story starts off fairly slow as the author sets the scene, introducing all the characters and the retreat they find themselves in. The tension and feeling of unease slowly increases as the reader becomes more aware of who everyone is.

The story is very well written with lots of twists that often moved the story, and my suspicions, in a completely different direction. Just when I thought I had figured everything out, something would happen and I would be right back to the start trying to figure everything out. There is lots of secrets, lies and betrayals which makes for very interesting reading! I can’t wait to read more from this talented author.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Wildfire for my copy of this book. If you like complex, twisty reads that keeps you guessing then you’ll love this book!

About The Author:

Colette McBeth is the author of three critically acclaimed psychological thrillers. Her latest, An Act of Silence, is part domestic, part political thriller. In her former life Colette worked as a political correspondent for the BBC at Westminster, a news reporter and started out on regional newspapers. She lives by the sea with her husband and three children and never has enough time.

Book Synopsis:

SINCLAIR WIFE DEAD!  HUSBAND CLEARED! 

Police have ruled out suspicious circumstances in the investigation into the death of Elizabeth Sinclair, wife of charismatic entrepreneur Harry Sinclair, found drowned in the lake of the family’s holiday park.

It’s been two years since the Sinclair case closed but when reporter Steph Durham receives a tipoff that could give her the scoop of the year, she’s drawn deeper and deeper into the secretive Sinclair family.

Elizabeth’s death wasn’t a tragic accident. And the truth will come at a deadly price…

The Dead Wife is available in ebook now and in paperback on the 5th September 2019. You can purchase or pre-order your copy using the link below.

My Review:

Ooh this was a fantastic, addictive and twisty read that I couldn’t put down. This was the first book I’ve read by this author and I can’t wait to read more from her.

This read gripped me from the start with the very intriguing storyline and the feeling of unease that ran throughout the book which helped to keep my attention. It is obvious from the start that there is more to Elizabeth’s death and the Sinclair family then meets the eye which definitely helped hold my attention as I wanted to find out what it was.

The story is told in two parts, the present day thread follows Steph as she tries to find out what really happened to Elizabeth while in the past we follow Elizabeth in the last few weeks of her life. I really liked Steph and found myself warming to her straight away. I liked that Steph wasn’t perfect. On the outside Steph seems to be a strong, fiesty woman who is very confident and more than able to solve the case. However she’s harbouring feeling of inadequacy and is desperate for the love of her mother.

I so enjoyed following this story and learning more about the Sinclair family. I had lots of guesses regarding what had happened and who had done it but all of them were wrong with the ending taking me completely by surprise which I always love.

Huge thanks to Rachel from Rachel’s Random resources for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Harper Collins for my copy of this book via Netgalley.

About The Author:

Sue Fortin is an award winning USA Today and an Amazon best selling author, an international bestseller and has reached #1 in the Amazon UK Kindle chart. Sue writes mystery, suspense and romance, sometimes combining all three. 

Sue was born in Hertfordshire but had a nomadic childhood, moving often with her family, before eventually settling in West Sussex where she now lives with her husband and family.

You can find out more about Sue at
Website http://www.suefortin.com
Twitter : suefortin1
Facebook : Sue Fortin Author

Book Synopsis:

When the Nazis march onto the cobbled streets of Colmar on November 1st 1940, Josef, a Jewish violin maker, gathers his wife and daughters closely to him and tells them everything will be alright. 

But one year later, three sharp knocks on the door at midnight turn his seventeen year old daughter Sarah’s world upside down. As the oldest child, Sarah must be the first to leave her family, to make her escape in a perilous journey across France via Paris to Poitiers. And she must hide who she is and take a new name for her own safety. For now, bilingual Sarah is no longer a French Jew but a German girl. 

Ralf and Sarah continue their journey together, keeping their identities secret at all cost. But when Ralf is captured, will Sarah pay the ultimate price for sharing who she really is?

A gripping and heart-breaking account of love, bravery and sacrifice during the terror of war. A story of standing up for what you believe in; even if it’s going to break your heart. Perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz and The Ragged Edge of Night. 

The Violin Maker’s Daughter is available in ebook now for the great price of £1.99. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

The Violin Maker’s Daughter is a heartbreaking story of amazing bravery against the odds which will stay with me for a long time. I’m a huge fan of this author and historical fiction set in the second world war so this book instantly appealed to me.

The story follows Sarah who is a young Jewish girl living in Nazi Germany who tries to escape from persecution, leaving her parents and sister behind. Her journey is far from ideal and is incredibly harrowing in places as you might expect given the period. What follows is both a beautiful love story and a brutal coming of age story as Sarah has to grow up very fast.

This was a compelling and hugely emotional read that I couldn’t put down as I desperately wanted to know what happens next. I felt so involved in the story that I felt everything personally and there were many times during the book that I found myself tearing up. Sharon knows how to write wonderful historical fiction that just absorbs you into the story and makes you care about the characters. I have read everything she’s written and I can’t wait to read more from her in the future.

Huge thanks to Kim Nash from Bookouture for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Bookouture for my copy of this book via Netgalley

About The Author:

Sharon Maas is the author of eight novels of historical fiction. She has lived in Germany for 43 years. She now lives in Ireland.

Book Synopsis:

A DIPLOMAT VANISHES
A BOMB DISPOSAL EXPERT GOES ROGUE
THE RACE TO UNCOVER THE PLOT MUST NOT FAIL

Hiding overseas with a price on his head, Sean Richardson is tasked to lead a deniable operation to hunt down and recruit an international model and spy. Moving across Asia Minor and Europe, Sean embarks on a dangerous journey tracking an Iranian spy ring who hold the keys to a set of consequences the British Intelligence Services would rather not entertain.

As Sean investigates deeper, he uncovers dark secrets from his past and a complex web of espionage spun from the hand of a global master spy. As he inches closer to the truth, the rules of the game change – and the nerve-wracking fate of many lives sits in his hands…

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

My Review:

This was a thrilling and very gripping book based on the author’s personal experiences which made for truly fantastic reading.

There is lots going on in this book which immediately sparked my interest and ensured I was fully absorbed from the srart. From political intrigue, terrorist plots and gruesome murders this book had a great plot to it that made the book a very fast paced read.

Sean was my favourite character and I loved following him as he tried to solve a difficult case. He is very brave and very clever which shows in the amazing way he deals with the high risk situations he finds himself in. There are some fantastic scenes describing his adventures which were vividly described so the reader gets a sense of the emotions behind the scenes.

I thought this book was very well written and the plotting was superb with a slow build up of tension and some great revelations to keep the reader on their toes. The style of the book really helps to make this an exciting, gripping read which I found very hard to put down. This was the first book I’ve read by this author and I’m very excited to read more from him in the future.

Huge thanks to Rachel from Rachel’s Random resources for my copy of this book and for inviting me onto the blog tour.

About The Author:

I started climbing at 13, survived being lost in Snowdonia at 14, nearly drowned at 15, and then joined the Army at 16. Risk and adventure was built into my DNA and I feel very fortunate to have served the majority of my working career as an intelligence officer within Defence Intelligence, and as an explosive ordnance disposal officer and military surveyor within the Corps of Royal Engineers. 

I feel privileged to have served for twenty-eight years in the British Army as a soldier and officer, rising through the ranks to complete my service as a major. I served across the globe on numerous military operations as well as extensive travel and adventure on many major mountaineering and exploration expeditions that I led or was involved in.

I was awarded the Geographic Medal by the Royal Geographical Society for mountain exploration in 2003 and served on the screening committee of the Mount Everest Foundation charity for many years. It was humbling after so many years of service when I was awarded the MBE for services to counter-terrorism in 2007.

The Failsafe Query is my debut novel, and I hope you enjoy the follow up novel, The Kompromat Kill, the second in an ongoing series.

Thank you for taking the time to read about me and my debut novel. I’m grateful to all my new followers and enjoy to correspond on twitter and facebook, via Failsafe Query.

Book Synopsis:

Flora’s been in love with her husband for twenty years. The trouble is, he’s been married to someone else for the past fifteen . . .

Now she’s been invited to spend the summer in the shady lanes and sandy coves of Cornwall. It should be blissful.

There’s just one small snag: she’ll be staying with her former mother-in-law, Belinda.

And Flora discovers she’s not the only one invited when her ex-husband shows up out of the blue, complete with his new wife. So now there are two small snags.

Can Flora spend the summer playing happy families with the woman who stole her husband’s heart, and the mother-in-law who might have had a hand in it?

Or will stumbling on the family secret change her mind about them all?

If you like Fern Britton, Katie Fforde and Sophie Kinsella, you’ll love this heartwarming read. 

A Cornish Summer is available in all formats now, you can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

A Cornish Summer is an entertaining and absorbing read which would be a great book to read on the beach this summer.

The author has done a fantastic job of setting the scene for this novel with Cornwall vividly brought to life so that the reader can really picture it in their minds. I loved the small details about the author includes like the busy high Street and packed pubs, which when showed from a residents point of view, shows a different view of Cornwall to what tourists would normally see.

There were some fabulous characters in this book who I loved reading about. The wonderful Roger who lives life to the max and is incredibly generous towards his community giving lots of his time and money to help improve it. In complete contrast to him is his mother in law Belinda who I loved to hate. She’s a very opinionated, snobby lady who likes to have things her way. I frequently found myself frustrated with her and on one occasion tutted out loud. I always think it shows a lot of skill from the author to make the reader have such a strong reaction to a character.

There are a few fox hunting scenes that might not be to everyone’s taste as it does give a blow by blow account of what a hunts like as the reader follows the characters as they participate in one. I didn’t feel that these were overly graphic but if you aren’t a fan you might want to skip these parts.

This is an easy, funny read that does cover a few serious themes like pollution which I thought made for a very interesting read. I enjoyed following the various themes in the book and felt very involved in the characters lives. I felt it was similar in style to Jilly Cooper so if you like her books then I think you’ll enjoy this one too.

Huge thanks to Sriya from Michael St Joseph’s 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:

People often ask me if I always had a burning desire to be an author, and the honest answer is no, in fact it almost happened by accident.

I was working as a copy-writer in an ad agency and tired of writing blurb for soap powder, began writing a novel under the desk. I had no thought of publication, was just doing it to relieve the boredom, but I must say it was a bit of a shock when my boss walked in one day and said we’re not sure you’re entirely committed and gave me the sack!

Actually I think that galvanized me and I was determined to finish it. I did, but it took a while: I was working freelance, and then pregnant with my first child so it wasn’t at the forefront of my mind. When my son was born I discovered babies slept for great chunks of the day, so I revisited it, tapping it onto a computer my brother gave me. (The first draft was in long hand, I’m a complete Luddite by nature, and actually, still write my first draft into note books.)

My husband persuaded me to send it to an agent who took it – amazingly and then a few weeks later I had a publisher too. The Old Girl Network came out about a year later and the first time I saw it in a shop, I was so startled I ran out again! I’m convinced it was easier back then to get published, these days it’s far more competitive because there are so many girls doing it I’m glad I started early!

I’ve written a few more since then, but some things don’t change: I still get a thrill when I see them around. I hope you enjoy the books, I certainly have a lot of fun writing them.’

Catherine Alliott

Good morning everyone I’m on the blog tour for Second Skin by Sue Bentley today and I have a great extract to share with you.

Second Skin is available in ebook now for the fantastic price of £1.99. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

Before I share my extract with you here is a little bit about the book.

Book Synopsis:

The moon was being devoured.

Estranged from birth and raised on tales of the great mountain castle of Idrith-Core, where her distant
father serves as Lord Commander and confidante of the King, Aledra Jewel-Wing was now going there to court.

As one of the Drakkoni, a race of powerful shape-shifters and conquerors of a wild land, she joins her
stepmother at the festival for all peoples. But when in attempting to save a life, Aledra shifts into her
Drakkoni Secondskin – her beautiful second soul: a giant flighted lizard with flaming breath – she breaks
an ancient oath, and the tremulous peace between the Drakkoni and Esrans is shattered.

Branded a fugitive, hunted by her father, and aided in escape by the master-mancer who raised her,
Aledra begins a journey for survival across a war-torn continent.

Extract:

After growing up on a remote farmstead Aledra is making her first visit to the famed castle she knows only by reputation. She’s a little spoiled, unworldly and has run wild on the farmstead. Her narrow views are those of her own race, the proud conquering Drakkoni. It’s a culture shock to see such a diversity of people. She is enjoying the spectacle, unaware that disaster and tragedy is about to befall her…

The clamour of voices, screeches and flashes of light roused Young-Lady Aledra Jewel-Wing from her doze. To her surprise, night had fallen. It was full-black inside the carriage, but with a faint glow of movement across the oiled window covering. Their carriage’s iron clad wheels were rumbling over an even surface and she could feel none of the jolting or stone-crunch that had made the journey such a misery. Unfastening the covering, she looked out of the side window. They were crossing a wooden drawbridge. In the wind torn flare of pitchlights, she could make out a patchwork of colour and seething movement. So many people! Some walking on foot, others in wagons and handcarts, and still others walking beside avian-drawn carts. Rubbing the journey dust from her eyes, Aledra blinked up at a towering archway flanked by huge gates. Above the archway and to either side, was an immense bulk of glossy-black stone. Vertical walls soared upwards, blotting out the stars. Idrith-Core — focus of many bedtime stories during her childhood. Larger and more imposing than she had ever imagined. The journey from the farmstead in the dry river valley, which had taken four times longer than expected, seemed a small price to pay. Never mind that a rock fall had taken them many days out of their way and they had narrowly avoided being set upon by one of the hostile tribes who stubbornly — and in her opinion, stupidly — resisted every effort to civilise them. Or that every dip and lurch over rocky track, ditch and muddy trail, had added another bruise to her aching body. Soon she would be soaking away her pains in one of the castle’s famed hot springs. Her spirits rose, as she recalled that she would not have to face the return journey. Not if all went to plan. A soft snore rose from the woman swathed in veils who was sitting opposite. Aledra decided to let her stepmother sleep on. She was enjoying the novelty of so many new sights and wanted to savour them without distraction. There was plenty of time for a closer look as their carriage crawled and stopped, stopped and crawled, hampered by the crush of travellers.
Leaning forward, she studied the crowd. She saw dark and light-skinned tribal folk, dressed in close-fitting garments of woven grass. Others, chest-bare and wearing leggings and waist-cloths, walked on stilts. Smaller, delicate folk swept past; quicklithe creatures, with beads woven into quill-like hair. She waved at a handcart filled with a family group that had honey-dark skins and straight brown hair. The children waved back, smiling to show blackened, filed teeth. Voices in many accents rang out, mixing with the bellows of beasts and jangling of harnesses.
Aledra noticed a group of men with shaven-heads, wearing necklaces and ear plugs of carved shell. Their fish-skin tunics and packs gleamed with tiny rainbows. She had seen drawings of them in the instruction books Sar Rowan brought to the farmstead. These were folk from the independent tribes who lived in the land of the great lakes, to the mid-west of Esra. Generally natives who did not belong to the United Races Alliance kept to themselves. But festivals provided good opportunities for everyone to trade, arrange marriages and strengthen family ties…

About The Author:

Sue lives in a house surrounded by a wildlife hedge so she can pretend she lives in the countryside. She enjoys reading, walking, cinema, researching her books, and painting and printmaking, when she’s not writing — which isn’t very often!

Sue’s latest book, Second Skin, will be out 18th July 2019. 

Good morning everyone I’m on the blog tour for The Shadow Man by Mark Brownless today and I have a great guest post to share with you.

The Shadow Man is available in ebook and paperback now, you can purchase your copy of this via the link below.

Before I share my guest post with you here is a little bit about the book.

Book Synopsis:

None of us could remember why we drifted apart – we were always so close at school but then… you know. That was thirty years ago, and I hadn’t thought of my school friends in all that time – it was like I’d been made to forget.

And then the dreams started. Dreams that I knew I’d had before. Horrific dreams of fear and fire and death. Dreams of the Shadow Man, a ghostly urban legend who seemed to hang over my home village like an evil spirit. I’d begun to remember, my memories of back then becoming two-dimensional – a lie to mask what really happened – and I knew we’d have to go back. Back to Janey, because she never left.

What did happen to us back then, and do we really want to know? And what about the supernatural horror lurking in the shadows – could we face the Shadow Man again?

Guest Post:

Blog article – Belonging and extract from The Shadow Man, by Mark Brownless.

It’s all Bruce Sprinsteen’s fault. Because in amongst Darkness on the Edge of Town, The River, Born to Run and all his other huge anthems, one of my favourites is My Hometown. And whilst my hometown was actually a little village, NOT a town as my editor pointed out, it resonated when I was writing my new novel, The Shadow Man. So much so that belonging, and the idea of what it means to call somewhere ‘home’ became a key theme in the book. I spent eighteen years calling that little village my home. It’s just a function of geography of course – your family happen to live in a certain place and it is where you identify as your home from thereon in. I knew most of the people in my village, and a lot of the populace would’ve either known me or my family, or at least recognised me as familiar when my friends and I rode around the place on our bikes.
‘Marauding around as if we owned the place,’ as I say in the book.
And for those 18 years or so it was home.

But it’s like when you move house, leaving all those memories of life and love behind and move into a new place, paint a few rooms, hang some pictures on the walls and set your bedroom furniture out so it looks exactly like your bedroom should. After how long is that ‘home’ – a few weeks, a month or two maybe at the most – and suddenly the old place isn’t home anymore and here is where you belong.
So if home and belonging are purely related to the place and the people, then can we ever claim anywhere as home or say that we belong anywhere? Perhaps it’s only when we become synonymous with somewhere that we can truly say that’s where we belong – like 221B Baker Street and Sherlock Holmes or The Queen and Buck House. So for how long must you live somewhere before it genuinely is synonymous with you – truly your hometown? Thirty years? Fifty maybe? Maybe you need to have generations of your family living there – preferably in the same house – for that place and that town to be associated with you. Your histories becoming intertwined.
That’s my way of introducing this extract from The Shadow Man where the main character, Philippa narrating the story in first person, reflects on this subject, and the vengeful spirit they are investigating.

‘It made me think, what is thirty years in the overall history of a place? I grew up here, spent my formative years here, strutted around as a teenager in my home villagehere because I really did feel like I owned the place, and vied for territory with a gang of boys who were doing the same.
Vied for territory with a gang of boys.
Why did that suddenly spring to mind, and why did it trigger something? My spider sense was tingling just thinking of it. What did it mean? Whatever, it was beyond the reach of my sub-conscious, and a new layer for another day perhaps.
This is my home village. The place that I’d called home – and still did sometimes. But then is it? I wondered if I could actually call it that? I’d lived there for eighteen years, sure, but in the lifespan of a village that had been around for hundreds of years, it was nothing. And that was nearly thirty years ago. After leaving home for good, I only returned periodically, for weekend visits – hardly anyone who lived here now would remember me. There’d be even fewer in another ten years. So now I’m a stranger here, as any of the residents of the new houses that had sprung up around the pond would attest if they were twitching their curtains as I stood outside a house I used to know, eyeing me warily until I moved on or drove away.
It’s like I’d never existed.
No legacy here, no history, no nothing.
I was a blip in the timeline, a minor biological load and then gone. Could anyone truly regard a place as their home? Or were we all just passing through? I suppose that if generations of your family had lived somewhere, and had become entrenched within the folklore – the story of the place and the family becoming completely entwined – then maybe that could be regarded as your home.
And how long would that last when you and your kin were gone? A generation? Two?
But what if your attachment to a place was so strong, through a story, an act or an injustice, that you couldn’t leave. That If the bond was so indefatigable that you found a way to exist beyond your bag of watery cells, to transcend the human condition and sidestep death itself – your memory and your spirit intertwining to keep you here forever. What if that was what we were up against.?’

So in the book, the idea is that The Shadow Man, a vengeful spirit that hangs over the village has more of a claim to describing the place as their hometown than any of the women in the story who have moved on. In the real world, I suppose, this idea of placing our loyalty to bricks and mortar is misplaced when, in fact, we don’t belong anywhere at all, only to each other.

About The Author:

Mark Brownless lives and works in Carmarthen, West Wales. He has been putting ideas on paper for some years now but only when the idea for THE HAND OF AN ANGEL came to him in the autumn of 2015 did he know he might be able to write a book. Mark likes to write about ordinary people being placed in extraordinary circumstances, is fascinated by unexplained phenomena, and enjoys merging thriller, science fiction and horror. 
Mark’s new novel, The Shadow Man is a terrifying horror thriller imagining what would happen if you found out the memories of your childhood were untrue, and that something sinister was lurking behind the facade of your life. Could you face what had happened back then? Could you face The Shadow Man.
Mark is also fascinated by myths and legends such as those of Robin Hood and King Arthur. This has culminated in the release of his short story series, Locksley, a Robin Hood story.