Book Synopsis:

Sword In The Storm

Born in the storm that kills his father, Connavar grows up among the mountains of Caer Druagh, where the Rigante tribe dwell in harmony with the land and its gods.

But beyond the border, across the water, an evil force is gathering strength – an unstoppable force that will change the world beyond all recognition.

Haunted by malevolent spirits and hunted by evil men, Connavar sets out on a spectacular mission to defeat this new enemy… But he is a troubled soul, dogged by fate – will he be able to defend his tribe and save his people?

Midnight Falcon

They called him Bane the Bastard – though none said it to his face.

Born of treachery, his name a curse, he grew up among the warriors of the Rigante. They valued his skills in war, but they feared the violence in his heart.

And when, as a Wolfshead and Outlaw, he left Rigante lands, they breathed sighs of relief.

But Bane would return, the destiny of the Rigante in his hands, the fate of the world resting on his skills with a blade.

The story of the Rigante continues in Ravenheart.

Sword In The Stone & Midnight Falcon is available in ebook now paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

I absolutely loved these addictive and compelling books, which are the first two books in an exciting new fantasy, adventure story.

Firstly I loved the world the author has created which I think is loosely based on the Roman period in Britain. It was fascinating to learn more about this world and what every day life was like for the characters. The author’s fantastic descriptions allowed me to perfectly imagine it vividly so that at times it felt like it when all happening right in front of me. I could almost hear the clink of the swords and smell the sweat of the battlefield.

The two main characters in the two books were very interesting creations who I enjoyed following on their difficult journeys. I liked that they weren’t perfect as it made it easier to get behind them and feel sympathetic towards them. Both are fierce warriors and very skilled on the battlefield which helped make the action scenes very thrilling to read. Connavar was an especially interesting character as we get to see him grow up and change through the years.

Overall I thought this was a gripping, adventure packed read which was hard to put down. I liked that none of the action seemed overdone and that the story seemed so realistic. Neither book went the way I expected them to which I always enjoy and helped make sure I kept turning the pages. I can’t wait to read more from this fantastic series!

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Transworld for my copy of these books via Netgalley.

About The Author:

David Gemmell was born in London, England, in the summer of 1948. Expelled from school at sixteen, he became a bouncer, working at nightclubs in Soho. Born with a silver tongue, Gemmell rarely needed to bounce customers, relying on his gift of gab to talk his way out of trouble. This talent eventually led to a job as freelancer for the London Daily Mail, Daily Mirror, and Daily Express. His first novel, Legend, was published in 1984 and has remained in print ever since. He became a full-time writer in 1986.

Book Synopsis:

Scarlett is far from perfect.

She changes herself to please others.
She makes mistakes – over and over again.
She repeatedly goes back to people that have hurt her.

Scarlett has a tricky relationship with her mother and is desperate for people to like her.

She moves to London without a plan, but when she manages to land a job at a modelling agency she thinks that her life is finally on track.

Scarlett soon discovers that the fashion industry is far from what she had imagined and her life begins to spiral out of control. But at least people know who she is. She is starting to become someone.

And surely it’s better to be someone – even if it’s someone you hate?

With a vein of dark humour at its core, The High Moments offers an astute, often stark, look at the fashion industry and the challenges you can face as a woman in your twenties. Fans of Emma Jane Unsworth’s Animals and shows like Girls will love this.

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

My Review:

The High Moments is a compelling, funny read which has some quite dark moments in it. It gives the reader a glimpse into the fashion world which I’m very pleased not to be a part of.

Having read the Devil Wears Prada I thought I had a bit of an idea of what this book would be like but I was wrong! This book definitely shows the seedy side of the fashion industry with lots of references to drug taking and sex which might not be to everyone’s taste. However I thought it was this which made the book so intriguing as it gives the reader a glimpse into a world that they weren’t aware of before.

Scarlet is a great main character who I think a lot of people in their twenty would relate to. It was really nice to follow her on her journey into the modelling world as she persues what she thought was her dream career. She’s quite a sympathetic character who I felt quite protective of. I really wanted her to find her path and discovered who she actually was.

Overall I thought this was a really compelling, addictive read which was very funny. I can’t believe this is the author’s debut novel and I look forward to reading more from her in the future. Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Simon and Schuster for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Sara-Ella Ozbek is a London-bred author of South African and Turkish
descent. After graduating from the University of Exeter with a BA in English
Literature, she interned at Vogue magazine and subsequently fell into a job at
a modelling agency.
After six exciting, if somewhat draining, years as an agent, she left to pursue a
career in writing. She attended the New York Film Academy screenwriting
programme then went to Los Angeles where she joined the hustle of the
screenwriters. Out of the frustration and misery came her first novel,
The High Moments.
Aside from the novel, she has written non-fiction for titles including
Because Magazine, Suitcase, Tatler, Drugstore Culture, Voyage D’Etudes and Soho House Notes.

Book Synopsis:

The stunning debut from the new name to watch in espionage thrillers. For fans of Charlotte Philby and The Bletchley Circle, this is perfect Sunday night drama.

LISBON, 1943: When her cover is blown, SOE agent Elisabeth de Mornay flees Paris. Pursued by the Gestapo, she makes her way to neutral Lisbon, where Europe’s elite rub shoulders with diplomats, businessmen, smugglers, and spies. There she receives new orders – and a new identity.

Posing as wealthy French widow Solange Verin, Elisabeth must infiltrate a German espionage ring targeting Allied ships, before more British servicemen are killed.

The closer Elisabeth comes to discovering the truth, the greater the risk grows. With a German officer watching her every step, it will take all of Elisabeth’s resourcefulness and determination to complete her mission.

But in a city where no one is who they claim to be, who can she trust?

City of Spies is available in ebook and paperbackback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

As I might have mentioned once or twice I’m a huge fan of books set in World War 2 so this book instantly appealed to me. Stories about women working for the resistance are always really interesting and I find it incredible to think of these ordinary people doing such brave work.

The author does a great job of setting the scene in her book and her vivid descriptions helped me imagine what Lisbon was like during the war. It must have been an atmospheric though dangerous place to live and I liked how the author manages to reflect this with the short or incomplete sentences in the first part of this book. I felt this helped build the atmosphere and gave the story an edge to it as you became aware that everyone had secrets and no one could be trusted.

Elizabeth (codename Cecile) is a wonderful main character who I really enjoyed following throughout the book. She was such a brave, together character and I found I wanted to keep reading to find out what she gets up to. Some of the situations she finds herself in were very tense and I found myself reading faster and faster until she was out of danger. I always think it shows great skill to make a reader care about a character like that.

Overall I really enjoyed this interesting read which had plenty of twists and turns to keep me glued to the page. It was fascinating to learn more about wartime Lisbon, especially as it’s a setting I don’t think I’ve read much about before. I’m now very excited to read more from this author in the future.

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

About The Author:

Raised in New York, Mara Timon moved to the UK almost 20 years ago; and fell in love with London and the way it melds the old and the new. Growing up with one parent fascinated with literature and the other with history, she started writing from an early age, although it wasn’t until a programme on the BBC caught her interest, and one ‘what if’ led to another, that her first book began to take shape.

Book Synopsis:

The creepiest debut thriller you will read this year!

One little girl.
Mirabelle’s mother loves her. She’s her ‘little doll’. Mother dresses her, paints her face, and plaits her hair. But as Mirabelle grows, the dresses no longer fit quite as well, the face paint no longer looks quite so pretty. And Mother isn’t happy.
 
Two little girls.
On Mirabelle’s 13th birthday, Mother arrives home with a present – a new sister, 5-year-old Clarabelle, who Mother has rescued from the outside world.
 
But Mother only needs one.
As it dawns on Mirabelle that there is a new ‘little doll’ in her house, she also realizes that her life isn’t what she thought it was. And that dolls often end up on the scrap heap…

Mother Loves Me is available in ebook and paperback now for the amazing price if £2.99 and £2.50 respectively. Purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

This was a really gripping, chilling read which I found very hard to put down. I read this book in two days which is no mean feat when you have three kids.

The reader is aware from the start that there is something very wrong with Marabella’s home life. As we follow her around her everyday routine we are made aware of the locked and covered windows alongside Mother’s habit of painting Marabella’s face so she looks like a doll. This made me immediately alert and I found I wanted to keep reading to find out what was going on but also put the book down as I wasn’t completely sure I wanted to know.

Marabella is a very sympathetic character who I felt incredibly sorry for. It was utterly heartbreaking to see how much she had been manipulated and brainwashed by mother. My heart went out to her as she scrambled to try and please mother whilst not understanding what she was doing wrong. I just wanted to reach into the book and give her a hug. Mother was a very sinister character who has obviously had a lot of trauma in her past which slowly gets revealed as the book went on. I, unsurprisingly, hated her and hoped she’d get her just desserts.

The story is told from Marabella’s point of view with the reader getting to discover the truth about her situation and mother at the same time as she does. I thought this was very effective and made me feel more involved in the story. There were a few moments when I felt like screaming into the book as I thought the truth was obvious but Marabella hadn’t figured it out yet.

Overall I thought this a fast paced, gripping read which grabbed my attention from the first page. It really managed to get inside my head so that I started to feel everything the characters were feeling. The ending was amazing but a shocking one which took me completely by surprise. I will definitely be recommending this book to everyone!

Huge thanks to Jen Harlow for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Harper for my copy of this book via Netgalley. If you like chilling, dark and gripping thrillers then you need to read this book.

About The Author:

Abby Davies studied English Literature at the University of Sheffield, then went on to teach English. She lives in Wiltshire with her husband and daughter. Mother Loves Me is her first novel. 

@Abby13Richards

Book Synopsis:

In the terrace courtyard of the palazzo overlooking a sparkling bay, the scent of ripening lemons filled the air. His deep brown eyes gazed into hers with determination and longing. ‘Will you do it? Risk everything and join us?’

Twenty-one-year-old Imogen Fitzpatrick was raised in an English orphanage and never knew her parents. So when World War Two breaks out, she refuses to leave the life she’s worked so hard to build for herself, teaching English to little Marco and Eloisa in the beautiful Italian city of Naples. With their father Giancarlo away fighting for the fascists, there’s no one else to care for these lost children. Imogen’s dark hair and perfect Italian will protect her for now, but if anyone discovers her secret identity as an enemy of Italy, Marco and Eloisa will be left with no one.

As the shadows of bomber planes darken the azure-blue waters of the bay, the one person Imogen can depend on is Fabrizio, the children’s uncle. He’s never seen eye-to-eye with their father, and Imogen is forbidden to speak to him… but whenever they secretly meet in the lemon groves Imogen instantly feels safe. Fabrizio talks passionately of the resistenza, the underground group fighting the regime, and soon Imogen herself is involved – smuggling food along the rocky coast, and even supplying information on Giancarlo to help fight the Nazis and end this awful war.

But when Giancarlo suddenly returns, injured from the fighting, Imogen is shocked to find him much changed. Rather than the fascist sympathiser she knew and resented, she sees in Giancarlo a man who would do anything to protect his children and his beloved Italy. Was she wrong to expose him as a traitor?

Torn between two sides, Imogen’s own life is thrown into terrible danger when a child goes missing and her secret identity is exposed… did she put her trust in the wrong man? And is it too late to save herself, and the children from the horrors of war?

An absolutely stunning and evocative historical read about the bravery of ordinary people in dark times, that will sweep you away to the breath-taking coastline of Italy. Perfect for fans of The Nightingale, The Tuscan Child and All the Light We Cannot See.

Into The Burning Dawn is available in ebook now paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

I absolutely loved this gripping and fascinating piece of historical fiction. I have enjoyed all of this author’s previous books and couldn’t wait to read this one.

Firstly the author does a great job of describing what life was like in Italy during world war two. It was definitely a very hard, frightening time with lots of hardships and living in constant fear that one if your loves one would be killed. It was interesting to learn more about what things were like and how similar it was to life in Germany.

The characters were all really well developed and very engaging. I loved how different they were to each other and how all of them brought something different to the story. Imogen was a very intriguing main character who I felt a lot of sympathy for and the difficult situation she finds herself in. I had a huge soft spot for Fabrizio who was very charming and seemed incredibly cool zooming about on his motorbike. I felt very connected to them all which meant I felt everything that happened to them as if it was happening to people I knew.

This was a really compelling read which gripped me from the start. I thought it was clever how the author weaved the romance into the story in a way that compliments the historical part of the book without taking anything away from the impact of what was happening. As it’s based in world war two it is very tense as you never know who is telling the truth and what will happen next. There are some very emotional scenes which were hard to read at times and I did have to put the book down at one point as it was getting too much for me. However it wasn’t overly graphic and it was in keeping with what would have happened during the war.

Huge thanks to Noelle for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book. If you’re a fan of well written historical fiction then you need to read this book!

About The Author:

Natalie is a RITA nominated, USA Today Bestselling author of six novels: The Dress Thief, The Milliner’s Secret (re-titled “The Girl who Dreamed of Paris”), The Wardrobe Mistress, Summer in the Vineyards, The Secret Vow and most recently, The Paris Girl. Look out for a heartwrenching WW2 inspired novel set in Italy, due out Autumn 2020. Visit her website at https://www.nataliemegevans.uk Natalie Meg Evans has had a varied career, first as an actor in London’s fringe theatre, then as a PR exec and company director and finally, dream achieved, as a full-time writer. She lives with two very lively dogs in rural mid Suffolk. Natalie has collected numerous awards for her writing including the UK’s Harry Bowling Prize (2012). The Dress Thief was nominated for a coveted RITA Award by Romance Writers of America and it won the Greek Public Book award for the best foreign novel; also, the UK’s Festival of Romance readers award (where readers rather than industry professionals select and judge). The Milliner’s Secret was shortlisted for the same award. Natalie was also nominated for the coveted Daphne du Maurier award and was named a finalist for a Romance Writers of America Golden Heart award. Natalie’s titles are available as Spoken Word. She loves to hear from readers.

Book Synopsis:

Tucked away amongst the winding, cobbled streets of Pengelly in Cornwall, the old stone cottage on Memory Lane is full of secrets. Brimming with trinkets and treasures, there are thousands of stories hidden within its walls.

Fifty-four-year-old Grace Clarke arrives in Pengelly determined to uncover the secrets of her past. Standing outside the little cottage, she feels sure that the answers she craves lie inside. The truth about her mysterious long-lost mother and the even more mysterious gifts she was born with…

The Cottage Of Curiosity is available in hardback and ebook now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

The Cottage Of Curiosity is an absolutely wonderful, heartwarming and uplifting read that I absolutely adored. It was the perfect book for curling up with and getting lost in on a cold rainy day!

I thought this was a beautiful story of friendship, new beginnings and finding yourself which I quickly got lost in. It was so nice to follow Grace on her journey of discovery and see her blossom in her new environment. I wasn’t too sure I liked her at the beginning as she seemed quite prickly but I warmed to her as the book went on. She changed so much and it was quite frankly a joy to see how she developed.

Pengelly sounds like an amazing place to live. Not only is it by the sea, a personal dream of mine is to live by the sea, but the community seemed like such an amazing and friendly one who just absorbed Grave into their lives. The fantastic descriptions of the area had me imagining the sand between my toes and I swear I heard waves crashing as I read. It’s definitely a place I’d love to visit in the future.

Grace’s unusual almost magical gift gives the story an original twist which I found very interesting. It was great to learn more about it and to see Grace finally come to accept it, even using it to her advantage at times which was nice to see.

The mystery surrounding Grace’s birth mum was cleverly done as I felt that the author slowly puts clues and insights about the mother’s life into the story in a realistic way which never seemed forced so the story felt more real. I really liked going on the journey alongside Grace, and I will be recommending this book to everyone!

Huge thanks to Jen Harlow for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Harper Collins for my copy of this book via Netgalley.

About The Author:

Celia Anderson lives slap bang in the middle of the Midlands and dreams of owning a cottage by the sea, or at the very least on a canal or river. She makes do with living next door to a pond full of ducks but often manages to sneak more impressive watery places into her writing. Celia loves walking, reading, having large bubbly baths, eating and drinking wine. Over the years, she has found that all of these activities bar the first may be done simultaneously, although this can be messy. Previously a teacher and assistant head, she now writes full time and keeps her feet on the ground by running children’s clubs that mainly involve drama and cake.
An enthusiastic member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, Celia currently organises the judging for the Romantic Novel of the Year Awards. She spends far too much time on social media and dreams of one day being strong-minded enough to leave the house without her phone.

Margaret Mayhew was born in London and her earliest childhood memories were of the London Blitz. She began writing in her mid-thirties and had her first novel published in 1976. She is married to American aviation author, Philip Kaplan, and lives in Gloucestershire.

Book Synopsis:

Chicago, 1950.

Rosalind Porter has always defied expectations – in her work as a physicist on the Manhattan Project to design the atomic bomb, and in her passionate love affair with coworker Thomas Weaver.

Five years after the end of both, her guilt over the results of her work and her heartbreak over Weaver are intertwined. She has almost succeeded in resigning herself to a more conventional life . . .

Then Weaver gets back in touch. But so does the FBI.

Agent Charlie Szydlo wants Rosalind to spy on Weaver, whom the FBI suspects of selling nuclear secrets to Russia.

As Rosalind’s final assignment launches her on a dangerous mission to find the truth, she faces a heartbreaking choice . . .

Believe the man who taught her how to love?

Or trust the man who her love might save?

Atomic Love is available in ebook and hardback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

Atomic Love is a completely captivating, gripping read which I really enjoyed. It is part love story, part thriller which worked really well.

Firstly I loved the main character Rolalind who was such a strong, clever lady who had given up a lot for her beliefs. I found it interesting to learn more about her previous job and how she had become disillusioned as her work on nuclear power wasn’t being used the way she expected. I felt sad that she had to hide her intelligence from people and how hard she had to fight to find herself. All the characters feelings are well described in the book so the reader gets an insight into their inner most feelings which made me feel more connected to them and care about them more.

The author’s brilliantly descriptions makes 1950 America come to life and I found it very interesting to learn how much everything had changed. Some of the sexist attitudes towards woman made my blood boil and I felt sorry for Roz having to try so hard to prove herself.

I thought this was a well written, twisty read which kept me guessing how things would end up, particularly about the love triangle that develops. All of the characters seemed to have different loyalties so it was hard to know who to trust which kept me firmly absorbing into the book. The ending was very dramatic and satisfying which I always enjoy.

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

About The Author:

Jennie Fields, who is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, lives in Nashville. Her most recent novel, The Age of Desire (Pamela Dorman Books/Viking, August 2012), was a New York Times Editor’s Choice and has just been optioned for film.

Book Synopsis:

Film star Amelie Hart is the darling of the silver screen, appearing on the front pages of every newspaper. But at the peak of her fame she throws it all away for a regular guy with an ordinary job. The gossip columns are aghast: what happened to the woman who turned heads wherever she went?

Any hope the furore will die down are crushed when Amelie’s boyfriend Dave is arrested on charges of child sexual abuse. Dave strongly asserts his innocence, and when Amelie refuses to denounce him, the press witch hunt quickly turns into physical violence, and she has to flee the country.

While Dave is locked up with the most depraved men in the country and Amelie is hiding on the continent, Damaris, the victim at the centre of the story, is isolated – a child trying to make sense of an adult world.

Breathtakingly brutal, dark and immensely moving, A Song of Isolation looks beneath the magpie glimmer of celebrity to uncover a sinister world dominated by greed and lies, and the unfathomable destruction of innocent lives … in an instant.

A Song Of Isolation 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 since his debut so I was very excited to learn that he had a new book out as I know they are always fantastic reads. This is going to be a hard book to review as I really don’t want to give anything away.

In this book the author takes the difficult subject of a child abuse case and gives the reader the opportunity to observe it from three different points of view which I thought was very interesting. The story is told by Dave, the accused, his girlfriend Amelia who is a former actress and the victim Damaris. I liked that the author didn’t try to overly sway the readers opinion about the characters so I didn’t find myself siding with any one of the characters which I found interesting as I thought I’d immediately be on the child’s side. That’s not to say I didn’t have a lot of sympathy for him – I did but I also felt empathy towards Amelia and Dave too.

I thought this story was very fast paced with lots of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the end. Some of the revelations where deeply shocking and made me wonder at the lengths done people would go to. The author also takes a swipe at the press and their need for juicy stories regardless if the heartbreak they can leave in their wake. This gave the book quite a modern, realistic feel to it and made me think I was actually following a case in real life.

Overall I would highly recommend this book to anyone who liked fast paced books that make you think. Im excited to see what this fantastic author comes up with next.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Orenda for my copy of this book. Just read it, you won’t regret it!

About The Author:

Michael J. Malone was born and brought up in the heart of Burns’ country, just a stone’s throw from the great man’s cottage in Ayr. Well, a stone thrown by a catapult, maybe. He has published over 200 poems in literary magazines throughout the UK, including New Writing Scotland, Poetry Scotland and Markings. BLOOD TEARS, his debut novel won the Pitlochry Prize (judge:Alex Gray) from the Scottish Association of Writers and when it was published he added a “J” to his name to differentiate it from the work of his talented U.S. namesake. He can be found on twitter – @michaelJmalone1