Book Synopsis:

Woman. Wife. Smuggler. Spy . . .

A thrilling and heart-wrenching novel inspired by the astonishing real life story of Nancy Wake. Perfect for fans of Suzanne Goldring’s MY NAME IS EVA, Kate Quinn’s THE ALICE NETWORK and Imogen Kealey’s LIBERATION, soon to be a blockbuster movie.

In 1936, foreign correspondent, Nancy Wake, witnesses first-hand the terror of Hitler’s rise in Europe. No sooner has Nancy met, fallen in love with and agreed to marry French industrialist Henri Fiocca, than the Germans invade France and force her to take on her first code name of many. The Gestapo call her the White Mouse for her remarkable ability to evade capture when smuggling Allied soldiers across borders. She becomes Hélène when she leaves France to train in espionage with an elite special forces group in London. Then, when she returns to France, she is the deadly Madame Andrée. But the closer France gets to liberation, the more exposed Nancy – and the people she loves – will become.

Inspired by true wartime events, Code Name Hélène is a gripping and moving story of extraordinary courage, unfaltering resolve, remarkable sacrifice – and enduring love.

Code Name Helene is available in ebook and hardback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

This was a powerful and thrilling piece of historical fiction which was an absolutely fantastic read. I’m a huge fan of historical fiction especially if it’s based on a real story so this book really appealed to me.

Firstly Nancy – what a woman! The things she did were so courageous that it completely blew my mind Independent, fierce and incredibly strong she was a lady who I wish knew personally as I would have loved to hear all her stories. The fact that she does all the amazing, brave things but still keeps some of her feminity by always applying red lipstick made her seem even cooler in my eyes too.

As you can probably expect from a spy story, I found this book to be very fast paced and there was always something going on to keep me very intrigued. I really enjoyed following Nancy on her exploits and learning a little more about what it was like to be a spy. The author manages to perfectly convey the feeling of uncertainty and the tension that goes with being a spy so that I often felt I was living everything alongside Nancy as the atmosphere was so well described. There are a few rather graphic and a little disturbing scenes in the book which I found hard to read but are in keeping with what happened during the war but these didn’t detract from my enjoyment at all. I absolutely loved this book and will be recommending it to everyone. My understanding is that it’s soon to be made into a film which I am very excited about.

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

About The Author:

Ariel Lawhon, author of I Was Anastasia (2018), Flight of Dreams (2016) and The Wife, The Maid And The Mistress (2014), is a critically acclaimed writer of historical fiction. She lives with her family in the rolling hills outside Nashville, Tennessee.

Book Synopsis:

Chaos reigns in the sleepy village of Aramoana on the New Zealand coast, when a series of shipping containers wash up on the beach and looting begins.

Detective Constable Sam Shephard experiences the desperation of the scavengers first-hand, and ends up in an ambulance, nursing her wounds and puzzling over an assault that left her assailant for dead.

What appears to be a clear-cut case of a cargo ship running aground soon takes a more sinister turn when a skull is found in the sand, and the body of a diver is pulled from the sea … a diver who didn’t die of drowning…

As first officer at the scene, Sam is handed the case, much to the displeasure of her superiors, and she must put together an increasingly confusing series of clues to get to the bottom of a mystery that may still have more victims…

Containment will be available in ebook and paperback now. The ebook is currently only 99p. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

I’m a huge fan of this author and in need of distraction at the moment decided to pick it up as I knew it would be a fantastic read. I was not disappointed as this was another gripping crime thriller from this talented author.

The book started in a very interesting way, when some shipping containers wash up on the beach. This brings out the worst in people and I found it interesting to see how quickly it took for chaos to reign. The discovery of a body turn into an intriguing case for Sam and her team.

I absolutely loved Sam who was such an amazing character. It was great to see her progression through the book as she tries to work out the kinks in her new job and build the trust of her colleagues. Some of the banter and interesting descriptions that are used to describe her colleagues were hilarious and I actually found myself laughing out loud as I read. Sam’s relationship with Maggie was brilliant and I so enjoyed reading about the two of them. It was great to be able to see how the case can affect a police detective personally and see her work through this with a close friend.

Overall I really enjoyed this addictive book which just drew me in from the start. It was great to follow Sam on her investigations and to try and figure out what was going on. The beautiful descriptions of New Zealand helped me visualise the settings and made me determined to visit New Zealand again in the future. Whilst not as dark as her previous books it was still hugely enjoyable and I can’t wait to read more from her in the future.

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

About The Author:

Vanda Symon lives in Dunedin with her husband and two young boys. A former pharmacist, Vanda is now a domestic goddess, a writer and full-time mum. She is heavily involved in the community, sitting on numerous committees, and hosts a monthly local radio show called ‘Write On’, focusing on writers and the world of books.

Book Synopsis:

Paris, today. The Museum of Broken Promises is a place of wonder and sadness, hope and loss. Every object in the museum has been donated – a cake tin, a wedding veil, a baby’s shoe. And each represent a moment of grief or terrible betrayal. The museum is a place where people come to speak to the ghosts of the past and, sometimes, to lay them to rest. Laure, the owner and curator, has also hidden artefacts from her own painful youth amongst the objects on display.

Prague, 1985. Recovering from the sudden death of her father, Laure flees to Prague. But life behind the Iron Curtain is a complex thing: drab and grey yet charged with danger. Laure cannot begin to comprehend the dark, political currents that run beneath the surface of this communist city. Until, that is, she meets a young dissident musician. Her love for him will have terrible and unforeseen consequences.

It is only years later, having created the museum, that Laure can finally face up to her past and celebrate the passionate love which has directed her life.

The Museum Of Broken Promises is available in ebook and hardback now and it will be published in paperback on the 2nd April 2020. You can purchase or pre-order your copy using the link below.

My Review:

I absolutely loved this beautifully written, touching love story from one of my favourite writers.

Firstly I absolutely loved the descriptions of the museum of lost things and wish there was a real museum like it that I could visit. I think it would be utterly fascinating to explore and very interesting to learn all the stories behind the objects. I think it would be emotional to read about all the disappointments in people’s lIfe.

Laure is an interesting main character who it took me a little while to warm too as she seemed quite a cold, standoffish person when we are first introduced to her. However I soon realized that this was to protect herself from getting hurt again as she has been in the past. I liked how the reader often get little glimpses of her gentler self though like her tenderness towards the stray cat in her road. These helped me to understand her more and realise why she was acting the way she does.

I’ve always loved books set in the cold war as it’s always interesting to learn about how life was under Communist rule, especially as it is so different from our normal daily life. I must confess that I knew little about Czechoslovakia’s Communist past however so I found all the little details about this very interesting. Most books seem to be based in Germany so I liked that the author set if in a different country so I could learn more about the time.

The actual love story was wonderful to read about and I enjoyed watching it develop. Even though I knew from the beginning that it didn’t have a happy ending I kept reading in the hope that it somehow ended differently to how I thought.

Huge thanks to Charlotte Walker from Love Reading for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Corvus for my copy of this book. If you’re a fan of beautifully written, fascinating historical fiction then you’ll love this book.

About The Author:

Elizabeth Buchan was a fiction editor at Random House before leaving to write full time. Her novels include the prizewinning Consider the Lily, international bestseller Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman and The New Mrs Clifton. She reviews for the Sunday Times and the Daily Mail, and has chaired the Betty Trask and Desmond Elliot literary prizes. She was a judge for the Whitbread First Novel Award and for the 2014 Costa Novel Award.
elizabethbuchan.com

Book Synopsis:

I should have realized something was wrong when I saw the way people looked at me in the hotel that morning. The way they glanced at my daughter Madison and the fearful look in their eyes when they found out I had inherited the old family home.

Then I find a jewelry box in my mother’s room. It sits covered in blue satin, hidden away in dust, untouched for years. And the contents inside change everything.

In my gut I know I need to admit this was a mistake, take my children by the hand and forget about my past forever. But now I’ve started digging I know that it’s impossible to leave…

A gripping and emotional novel about what it means to belong. The Daughter She Lost is perfect for fans of Kerry Fisher, Diane Chamberlain and Liane Moriarty.

The Daughter She Lost 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 latest book. Once again the author has written a fabulous book involving lots of secrets, lies and intrigue which was hugely enjoyable to read.

The plot of this book was very cleverly done and I enjoyed watching the different stories come together slowly in a very satisfying way. The author unravels everything in a tantalising way that ensured I kept reading as I wanted to find out how everything would end. I loved how little clues or reveals would be dropped in one story and would affect the other other storylines too. I found myself almost trying to shout at the characters at times as they hadn’t worked things out.

The tension and intrigue slowly builds throughout the book until an amazing ending which took me completely by surprise. I thought it was very clever how the author managed to keep me in suspense the whole book.

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

About The Author:

I write dark, emotional women’s fiction as well as romance with a twist. My most recent book, My Mother’s Silence, is an emotional journey about homecoming and family secrets set in the wild Scottish highlands. It has been shortlisted for the Jackie Collins Romantic Thriller Award 2020. My holiday romance Moonlight on the Thames was a bestseller in urban fiction and top 100 Kindle book. My first three novels: Finding Home, Finding Secrets and Finding Dreams all feature intelligent, feisty contemporary heroines who set out to unravel the mysteries of the past. Your opinions are important to me, so please do leave a review. I love hearing from readers, so if you wish to get in touch, please visit my website: http://www.laurenwestwoodwriter.com, or follow me on twitter: @lwestwoodwriter or Facebook: Lwestwoodbooks. Thank you for reading!

Book Synopsis:

Daisy grew up around secrets she knew by heart but were never spoken. She had no idea just how much damage secrets could do, but she would soon learn.

It’s a warm, cloudless morning on the day the envelope arrives for Daisy. Soft sunlight streams into the apartment she shares with her partner, Anderson, who is sleeping peacefully. Daisy’s fought hard for this happiness, worked her way up from being a vulnerable teenage runaway to a woman with a stable job and a loving boyfriend.

But when Daisy discovers the handwritten wedding invitation from her childhood best friend, Stella, her bright morning turns suddenly dark. The wedding is back amongst the misty woods and rolling hills of Daisy’s North Carolina hometown. The same town where she is still known as ‘the crazy one’ for telling people about the dead girl she saw that summer’s day in the woods. A girl who looked just like her, and whose body was never found.

During that fateful summer, as rumors spread that Daisy was either insane or a liar, she sought refuge in her friendship with kind and beautiful Stella. Until the day she discovered Stella’s shocking betrayal and their sweet friendship grew bitter. Now, fifteen years later, can Daisy forgive Stella, the girl she once called ‘blood sister’? And why is Stella reaching out now, after all this time?

There’s only one thing Daisy is sure of—if she wants to build a happy future, she’s going to have to finally confront the mysteries of her dark past.

The Girl I Thought I Knew is a spellbinding and moving novel for fans of Liane Moriarty, Kristin Hannah and Kerry Fisher.

The Girl I Thought I Knew is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

This was a fantastic, intriguing story of forgiveness and believing in yourself. It’s a hard book to review as I don’t want to give away any spoilers.

I was immediately drawn into the story and Daisy’s life as the story is written like it is actually happening to you. The plot is very well written and the story alternates between the present and the past which made for very interesting reading. I liked trying to work out how things in Daisy’s past were influencing her future. The small town mentality was wonderfully described and helped create some of the mystery in the book as I wondered what secrets they were all hiding.

The mystery in this book slowly increases as the book goes on and I found it very hard to put the book down as I was so enjoying it. There is a little dip in pace in the middle but it soon picks up so do keep going as the ending is absolutely brilliant- I seriously didn’t see that coming!

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

About The Author:

Kelly Heard published poetry in literary magazines before signing her debut novel, Before You Go, with Bookouture. Kelly writes about nature, about families, about finding strength you didn’t know you had. Her characters are outsiders and empaths, weird kids from small towns. Similarly, she loves the outdoors, long drives, or quiet afternoons with a craft project and a glass of wine. She prefers writing to most other pastimes, but you’ll occasionally find her in the garden, hiking, or exploring thrift shops (the spookier the better). She lives in Richmond, Virginia, but the Blue Ridge Mountains will always feel like home. For more updates, follow Kelly on Twitter at @heardkj1, where she muses on writing, parenting, and where the two intersect. If you’d like to be kept up to date with Kelly’s latest releases, then sign up to her mailing list at http://www.bookouture.com/kelly-heard/. Her second novel will be released in March 2020. Website: http://www.kellyjeanheard.com