Book Synopsis:

Fran’s wedding dress shop isn’t like any other. A treasure trove of history, filled with gowns from every decade for every type of bride. But not as you’d expect.

Something bold for the shy and retiring.
Something simple for the woman who is unafraid to stand out.
And something dazzling for the bride who wouldn’t normally dare to be different.
No matter your expectations, you’d never guess your own perfect dress. But Fran knows… she feels the wisdom woven into every gown, a gift from the previous owner waiting to be handed down to the next bride.

When Fran finds a dress that seems to be perfect for her she can’t wait to know its complex history which starts with her getting to know the son of the previous owner…

The Perfect Dress is available in ebook on the 17th October. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

I’m a typical girl and love looking at beautiful wedding dresses, often stopping outside our local shop to look at them. This book therefore really appealed to me, especially as it was inspired by a real life exhibition.

The concept of the story is a very interesting one and I loved the idea of someone being able to talk to wedding dresses in order to determine who they are suitable for. This helped provide an almost magical element to the story which was hugely enjoyable! The histories behind the wedding dresses and the bride’s were fascinating to read about too, especially how different they all were.

Francesca was a fabulous main character who was great fun to read about. She’s very zaney and often made me smile with her interactions with her customers. I was pleased when she met Rafe and had a chance of happiness herself.

Overall I thought this was a hugely enjoyable, heart warming and original read which was very well written. The story unfolded at a great pace and I found I enjoyed following Francesca’s story. This unbelievably is the author’s debut novel and I’m very excited to read more from her in the future.

Huge thanks to Katie Cregg from Transworld publishers for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Louisa Leaman was born, raised and now lives near Epping Forest. She studied Art History at Leeds University before becoming a teacher working with children with special needs. After winning the Times Education Supplement’s New Writer’s Award, she turned her hand to writing books for children. Louisa currently writes content for the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, but has also been published in the Guardian, the Observer, the Independent and The Times Educational Supplement. Her interest in the arts is often inspiration for her plots and her first book, The Perfect Dress, was inspired by the V&As large wedding dress collection and fulfils her dream of writing romantic fiction. When she isn’t busy writing or rearing her three lively children, she paints portraits, takes long walks and spends far too long browsing vintage clothing shops.

Book Synopsis:

When a homeless war veteran is beaten to death by the police, stormy protests ensue, engulfing a small New Jersey town. Soon after, three cops are gunned down.

A multi-state manhunt is underway for a cop killer on the loose. And Dr. Tessa Thorpe, a veteran’s counselor, is caught up in the chase.

Donald Darfield, an African-American Iraqi war vet, war-time buddy of the beaten man, and one of Tessa’s patients, is holed up in a mountain cabin. Tessa, acting on instinct, sets off to find him, but the swarm of law enforcement officers gets there first, leading to Darfield’s dramatic capture.

Now, the only people separating him from the lethal needle of state justice are Tessa and ageing blind lawyer, Nathaniel Bodine. Can they untangle the web tightening around Darfield in time, when the press and the justice system are baying for revenge?

You can purchase your copy using the links below.

Amazon UK:

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1785358766/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1785358766&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/justice-gone-n-lombardi-jr/1128875661?ean=9781785358760

Book Depository: https://www.bookdepository.com/Justice-Gone-N-Lombardi-Jr/9781785358760?ref=grid-view&qid=1544400889897&sr=1-1

Waterstones:
https://www.waterstones.com/book/justice-gone/n-lombardi-jr/9781785358760

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ww/en/ebook/justice-gone

Extract:

Chapter 7

The funeral services, particularly the burial, had been announced as private and that sympathizers should remain at a discreet distance; and in a demonstration of exemplary respect, the hundreds of supporters complied with the request.
Family and comrades, especially those from the New Hope Clinic, were designated to be at the gravesite. An uninvited guest, surprisingly, was also among them: John Garson, Police Chief of Bruntfield Township.
After the lowering of the coffin, and the slow deliberate departure of the mourners, Garson slipped away, in the opposite direction that everyone else would follow toward their cars and hired limos: crossing fields of gravestones until he reached the coppices of oak trees, in order to escape the press.
Everyone else present merged into the group of activists who assembled at the gate of the plot, all intent upon making known the measure of their sorrow to the public.
The crowd that participated was moderate in numbers, but in no way insignificant—about seven hundred were reported to have shown up. They marched, waving their signs and chanting slogans, from the central commercial district to the Bruntfield Veterans Memorial Park, where a makeshift stage had been set up for the guest speakers. The local TV stations from Newark and Trenton, including the network affiliates, were present covering the march.
The whole thing was fairly orderly, despite the loud chants of “Justice for Jay” and the cardboard signs that said: WE DON’T WANT KILLER COPS, SHAME ON YOU, PROTECT NOT KILL, PUT THE ANIMALS BEHIND BARS. Police presence was minimal and subdued.
Once they arrived at the previously setup podium in the park, representatives of the various groups got their chance to express their views with the condition of keeping it short, and as per Marshal Felson’s request, focused on the incident. The fact that Jay Felson was approached by police when he was not in the act of committing any crime was stressed on more than one occasion. The TV crews covered the speeches with utmost diligence, as this was one of the highlights to be expected. Finally, for the emotional touch, the organizers called on the young man’s father.
“We are here today to let the city authorities know that we will be following very closely the grand jury proceedings!” Marshal Felson shouted. “That we, as a community, will not just brush this aside. I am grateful to all of you who have shown concern and have voiced their support for my son.” He gave up the mike and walked off the stage amid cheers and applause.
A rather frail-looking young man with glasses took control of the audience to announce that Dr. Tessa Thorpe from the New Hope Trauma Recovery Clinic was to be the next speaker.
Tessa had given much thought as to how she should dress for the occasion. Her first instinct was her Karen Kane pants suit, but dismissed that idea to wear her copper-brown print kaftan in its stead.
Now, with its folds caught in the vigorous September breeze, giving the illusion of a multitude of miniature flags fluttering around her, her thick locks of hair dancing around her head, she spoke to the crowd, slowly, deliberately taking her time. “Hello, my fellow citizens.” She stopped to survey the mass of people standing in front of her. Dramatic pauses replete with eye contact, if not overdone, were quite effective in getting one’s message across. Not surprisingly, Tessa knew how to get her message across, a special art in the realm of behavioral scientists. Public relations firms, advertising companies, political campaigns, all hired an army of psychologists to sell a product. And Tessa Thorpe, as someone who had thirty years’ experience as a criminal psychiatrist, could sell as well as any of them. “We are here today for two reasons, two very important reasons that are essential to our well-being in a modern society. Freedom is one, and justice is the other.”
Enthusiastic cheers.
“When the call for war came, we were told that our enemies hated our freedoms. We were told that the citizens of Iraq had been held hostage by a ruthless dictator who denied his own people these freedoms. Our invasion of that country was sold to us as Operation Iraqi Freedom. And so we sent our young men and women off to war, the most traumatic experience a human being could ever go through, with the belief that they were fighting for liberty and freedom. And yet, one of those whom we had sent…had come back to us only to have his own freedom denied. His single offence at the time he was approached by law enforcement officers was that he was exercising his freedom to stand on a street corner.”
This elicited a roar from the crowd.
“This is not merely tragic, it is an act of deplorable fraud, being denied the very thing he fought for!”
More heartfelt cheering.
“When I was young, we were made to pledge allegiance, an oath that ended with the phrase, ‘with liberty and justice for all.’ Well, Jay Felson was denied liberty…let us make sure he is NOT DENIED JUSTICE!”
An ear-shattering reverberation of concurrence.
Having descended from the little platform with the crowd still shouting in endorsement, Tessa was serially embraced by her coworkers: Casey, Ed, Penny…all with praise about her wonderful speech, culminating in Marshal Felson’s hug, whispering into her ear, “Amazing.”
The next event on the program was to go together to the site where Jay was killed at the bus depot in order to lay memorial flowers and gifts. The TV teams followed, instinctively knowing that this was indeed another newsworthy item. In fact, as a human interest story, it tugged at the heart to see the gift bearers laying their offers down. And what made it even more poignant was the huge bloodstain that had yet to be cleaned off the pavement, a crimson smear that drew numerous zoomed-in shots by the camera crews.

About The Author:

N. Lombardi Jr, the N for Nicholas, has spent over half his life in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, working as a groundwater geologist. Nick can speak five languages: Swahili, Thai, Lao, Chinese, and Khmer (Cambodian).

In 1997, while visiting Lao People’s Democratic Republic, he witnessed the remnants of a secret war that had been waged for nine years, among which were children wounded from leftover cluster bombs. Driven by what he saw, he worked on The Plain of Jars for the next eight years.
Nick maintains a website with content that spans most aspects of the novel: The Secret War, Laotian culture, Buddhism etc. http://plainofjars.net

His second novel, Journey Towards a Falling Sun, is set in the wild frontier of northern Kenya.

His latest novel, Justice Gone was inspired by the fatal beating of a homeless man by police.
Nick now lives in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Visit his goodreads page:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6982373.N_Lombardi_Jr_

Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nick.lombardi.9400
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6982373.N_Lombardi_Jr_
Website: http://author-n-lombardi-jr.com/

Book Synopsis:

Blackpool, 1893

Tilly has come a long way from the run-down tenements in which she grew up. She has a small but comfortable home, a loving, handsome husband, two beautiful little’uns – Babs and Beth – and she earns herself a little money weaving wicker baskets. Life is good.

Until the day Tilly returns home to find a policeman standing on her doorstep. Her Arthur won’t be coming home tonight – nor any night – having fallen to his death whilst working on Blackpool tower. Suddenly Tilly is her daughters’ sole protector, and she’s never felt more alone.

With the threat of destitution nipping at their heels, Tilly struggles to make ends meet and keep a roof over her girls’ heads. In a town run by men Tilly has to ask herself what she’s willing to do to keep her family together and safe – and will it be enough?

The perfect read for fans of Mary Wood, Kitty Neale, Val Wood and Nadine Dorries

Blackpool’s Angel is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

I’m such a huge fan of this author and love this series so I was incredibly excited to be invited onto the blog tour for her new book, Blackpool’s Angel.

This author really knows how to write engrossing, heartbreaking reads that are very easy to get lost in for a few hours. This book is no exception and I soon found myself wrapped up in Tilly’s story, frequently reaching for the tissues when events take a turn for the worse. I really felt for Tilly and wanted to keep reading to find out what happens to her.

The story is expertly plotted and there is always something happening to keep me thoroughly gripped. The events in the book worked well with each other and never seemed forced, making the book seem very realistic. As with the author’s previous books this was quite hard hitting as the author doesn’t shy away from the difficult subjects which makes for a harrowing read at times. The way the story is written gives the reader a fly on the wall view of the action which made me feel more involved in the story and therefore I felt everything that Tilly goes through much more personally as if it was happening to me.

As you can probably tell from the above I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read more from this talented author. Huge thanks to Mary Wood for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Sphere Book for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Maggie Mason also writes saga as Mary Wood. Mary was born the thirteenth child of fifteen and throughout her life had various factory, office and home-based jobs, finally becoming a probation service officer before she retired. Mary married in 1963 and with her husband Roy has four children, eight grandchildren, and five step-grandchildren. She got her first book deal in 2013 and has not looked back since.

Blackpool Sisters is Maggie’s fourth novel, and the second in her Sandgonians trilogy, which started with Blackpool’s Angel. A Blackpool Christmas will conclude the series.

Book Synopsis:

When her identical twin Laurel dies, seventeen-year-old Willow s life falls apart. With her parents marriage faltering, she finds escape at her uncle Joe s cottage. But even as they begin to know each other, Willow is plagued with memories of her sister. Then, Lucas arrives in her life troubled, angry and with a dangerous past.

Joe s cottage is idyllic, but the forest is filled with secrets. What is Joe hiding from her? What events have brought Lucas to her door? And who is the Slaughter Man who steals through Willow s sleep?

As the lines between dreams and reality become blurred, Willow s torment deepens. It seems as if her only escape lies with the Slaughter Man.

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

My Review:

The Slaughter Man is a beautifully written, fascinating book which is very different to her previous books but just as brilliant!

The story follows Willow as she tries to cope after the death of her twin sister. When we meet her she has completely shut herself off from everyone and doesn’t talk. The reader is therefore given access to her innermost thoughts and feelings which makes for a very emotional read. Despite her not talking I warmed to her and felt very sorry for her. I found myself hoping that she would speak out and tell someone how she was feeling.

The Slaughter Man was a very intriguing character who I actually found quite fascinating to read about. I was never sure whether he was real or not which ensured I was firmly gripped to the page which gave the book a creepy, supernatural feel at times as I tried to work out what was going on.

Overall I found this quite an emotional book which deals with some quite big subjects, especially how grief can have an affect on someone. There are some wonderful, well drawn characters who I loved to read about and I thought the story was a well plotted beautiful one which will stay with me for a long time. I’m very excited to read more from this author in the future.

Huge thanks to Legend Press for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book via Netgalley.

About The Author:

Cassandra Parkin grew up in Hull, and now lives in East Yorkshire. Her short story collection, New World Fairy Tales (Salt Publishing, 2011), won the 2011 Scott Prize for Short Stories. Her work has been published in numerous magazines and anthologies.
The Summer We All Ran Away (Legend Press, 2013) was Cassandra’s debut novel and nominated for the Amazon Rising Stars 2014.

Legend Press have also published The Beach Hut (2015), Lily’s House (2016) and The Winter’s Child (2017. Cassandra’s fifth novel is due to be published in 2018.

Visit Cassandra at cassandraparkin.wordpress.com or on Twitter @cassandrajaneuk

Book Synopsis:

With her family struggling amidst the nightly bombing raids in London’s East End, Ida Brogan is doing her very best to keep their spirits up. The Blitz has hit the Brogans hard, and rationing is more challenging than ever, but they are doing all they can to help the war effort.

When Ida’s oldest friend Ellen returns to town, sick and in dire need of help, it is to Ida that she turns. But Ellen carries a secret, one that threatens not only Ida’s marriage, but the entire foundation of the Brogan family. Can Ida let go of the past and see a way to forgive her friend? And can she overcome her sadness to find a place in her heart for a little boy, one who will need a mother more than ever in these dark times?

A Ration Book Childhood is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

I’ve been a huge fan of this author’s previous books so you can imagine my excitement when I discovered there was going to be another book in the series.

This author is very good at setting the scene in this book and I felt fully transported to war time London. The detailed descriptions of the blitz were incredibly vivid with the fear of the Brogan family being almost palpable at times. It must have been a very difficult time to be a parent as your primary concern is keeping your kids save which is impossible to guarantee during a war. The author also provides lots of details about rationing which was really interesting. I knew that it must have been a hard time but this book gave me more of an idea how relentless it must have been and how hungry people were.

I found myself fully absorbed into the story straight away and loved reading about the Brogan family again. I often felt like I was actually there in the book watching everything unfold which made me feel more involved in the story. I therefore felt everything that they were going through, crying and laughing alongside the family as the story progressed. I really hope this isn’t the last book in this series as I’d love to read more from the Brogan family.

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

About The Author:

I was born within the sound of Bow Bells in Whitechapel and myfamily have lived in East London since the 1820s.

Until Nov 2015 I wasa qualified district nurse with a BSc in Community Nursing and a MSC inTeaching and Leadership. I am also a member of the Queen’s Nurses’ Instituteand spent my entire nursing career in East London.

In 2006, when I won the Harry Bowling prizeand signed with my lovely agent Laura Longrigg, of MBA Agents. My first contractwas with Orion and I’ve ten books published by them. Last year I quit my job asan academic at a London university and am now a full-time writer.

I nowlive in Bedford with my very own Hero@Home who is a rector in the Church ofEngland. I have three daughters and seven grandchildren plus an oversizedBernese Mountain Dog and a very affectionate cat. When I’m not tapping at mykeyboard I enjoy traveling, walks in the country and socialising with friendsand family.

Book Synopsis:

ONCE YOU’RE IN, THEY’LL NEVER LET YOU LEAVE.

Laura is grieving after the sudden death of her husband. Struggling to cope emotionally and financially, Laura is grateful when a local community, Oak Leaf Organics, offer her and her 17-year-old daughter Tilly a home.
 
But as Laura and Tilly settle into life with their new ‘family’, sinister things begin to happen. When one of the community dies in suspicious circumstances Laura wants to leave but Tilly, enthralled by the charismatic leader, Alex, refuses to go.
 
Desperately searching for a way to save her daughter, Laura uncovers a horrifying secret but Alex and his family aren’t the only ones with something to hide. Just as Laura has been digging into their past, they’ve been digging into hers and she discovers the terrifying reason they invited her and Tilly in, and why they’ll never let them leave…

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

My Review:

I’ve read ever book this author has ever written and she never disappoints with her original, gripping thrillers. It’s always difficult to review her books as I really don’t want to give anything away.

The plot for this book is very clever with the reader getting a creeping sense of unease as the story go on. It quickly becomes apparent that the ‘wonderful’ living arrangement that Laura and Tilly finds for themselves isn’t quite what it seems. I loved this gradual increase of tension as weird events start happening in the house and it was great fun trying to work out where the story was going.

Laura and Tilly were two great main characters which were great to learn more about throughout the book. The mother- daughter relationship changes as the story continues and Alex comes into the picture which was interesting to explore, especially as I remember having similar arguements with my mother at times. Laura’s fear and confusion was almost palpable as she tries to find out what is going on in the house. I really felt for her and wanted to keep reading to ensure that the two of them are safe.

This book gripped me from the start and the many twists kept me guessing until the end. The story is very intriguing and I found I had to keep reading to find out what would happen. When I couldn’t read it I was constantly thinking about it and trying to find sneaky moments when I could read a few more pages which is always a sign of a fabulous book!

Huge thanks to Lily from HQ for my copy of this book and to Jess for inviting me onto the blog tour.

About The Author:

Louise Jensen has sold over a million English language copies of her International No. 1 psychological thrillers The Sister, The Gift, The Surrogate and The Date. Her novels have also been translated into twenty-five languages, as well as featuring on the USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestseller’s List. Louise’s fifth thriller, The Family, will be published in Autumn 2019 by Harper Collins.

The Sister was nominated for the Goodreads Debut Author of 2016 Award. The Date was nominated for The Guardian’s ‘Not The Booker’ Prize 2018. The Surrogate has been nominated for the best Polish thriller of 2018. The Gift has been optioned for a TV film.

Louise lives with her husband, children, madcap dog and a rather naughty cat in Northamptonshire. She loves to hear from readers and writers.

Book Synopsis:

The prison doors slam shut behind Agla, when her sentence ends, but her lover Sonja is not there to meet her.

As a group of foreign businessmen tries to draw Agla into an ingenious fraud that stretches from Iceland around the world, Agla and her former nemesis, María find the stakes being raised at a terrifying speed.
Ruthless drug baron Ingimar will stop at nothing to protect his empire, but he has no idea about the powder keg he is sitting on in his own home.

At the same time, a deadly threat to Sonya and her family brings her from London back to Iceland, where she needs to settle scores with longstanding adversaries if she wants to stay alive.

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

My Review:

I’ve been a huge fan of this dark, thrilling series so I was very excited to get my hands on a copy of this last installment so I could see how it would end.

This is definitely the darkest book in the trilogy and the author doesn’t hold back with some of the hard-hitting, gruesome scenes. The story is told from various points of view, with each character following a different journey throughout the book. I found it fascinating to learn more about the different characters, their stories and to see how it all combined to come to a fantastically shocking conclusion.

This is a fairly short read but the author has packed in a lot of action within its pages. There is always lots happening with some of the scenes leaving me on the edge of my seat as I watched everything unfold. There are some very uncomfortable, chilling parts to this story which might not be for everyone but are in keeping with a story involving gangs. It’s a well plotted book involving lies and corruption but also some heart breaking parts about relationships which made me quite misty eyed.

This is the third book in the trilogy and it’s probably best to read them in order. While I’m sad that the series has ended I’m excited to see what the author comes up with next.

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

About The Author:

Icelandic crime-writer Lilja Sigurdardóttir was born in the town of Akranes in 1972 and raised in Mexico, Sweden, Spain and Iceland. An award-winning playwright, Lilja has written four crime novels, with Snare, the first in a new series, hitting bestseller lists worldwide. The film rights have been bought by Palomar Pictures in California. Lilja has a background in education and has worked in evaluation and quality control for preschools in recent years. She lives in Reykjavík with her partner.
Follow Lilja on Twitter @lilja1972 and on her website liljawriter.com

Book Synopsis:

TWINS HAVE A SPECIAL BOND SOMEONE WILL KILL TO BREAK . . .

As children, Gabi and Thea were like most identical twin sisters: inseparable.

Now adults, Gabi is in a coma following a vicious attack and Thea claims that, until last week, the twins hadn’t spoken in fifteen years. But what caused such a significant separation? And what brought them back together so suddenly?

Digging into the case, DS Kate Munro is convinced the crime was personal. Now she must separate the truth from the lies and find the dangerous assailant – before any more blood is spilled . . .

Ask Me No Questions is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

I was a huge fan of this author’s first book so I was very excited to be invited onto the blog tour for this, her next book. Although this was very different to her first book, as it’s a police procedural, it was still an incredible read!

Kate was a very interesting main character who was incredibly fiesty and clever. She’s not a typical police officer and often seems to do things differently than is expected. She has a lot of problems in her personal life which she’s trying to deal with alongside the investigation which helped make me warm to her as I realised she wasn’t perfect.

I’ve always been fascinated by books involving twins as I’ve read a lot about the twin telepathy and special bond that they share which always makes for a fascinating story. This book really doesn’t disappoint as the author has written a cleverly plotted, intense and twisty read which kept me guessing until the end. The alternating point of views of Kate and the twins was fascinating and I loved following the two stories as they develop. The author is very good throwing twists into the story which makes it go in a completely different direction then I had anticipated. I can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next.

Huge thanks to Alainna from Quercus for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book via Netgalley.

About The Author:

Louisa de Lange studied Psychology at the University of Southampton and has lived in and around the city ever since. She works as a freelance copywriter and editor, and when she’s not writing, she can be found pounding the streets in running shoes or swimming in muddy lakes.