Book Synopsis:

Lies can be buried… Secrets always come to the surface

Amarante is paradise…
An uninhabited, unspoilt island somewhere in the Indian Ocean.
Only those who know it exists can find it.
 
But paradise comes with a price…
Virginie and Jake sail to Amarante for their honeymoon, but they are not alone.
They have to adjust to life on the island with five strangers.
 
And not everyone will live to tell the tale…
Dark secrets surface and their dream abruptly turns into a nightmare.
Removed from society, they find out what they’re truly capable of.

Deep Water is published in ebook and paperback on the 7th July 2022. You can pre-order your copy using the links below.

My Review:

Deep Water is a very intriguing and engrossing read. The story starts off very dramatically as a naval ship finds a boat giving off distress signals in the middle of the ocean which has an injured man and woman on board. From this we hear more about the couple’s interesting experiences on an deserted island which go from idyllic to scary quickly.

The island setting helped create a lock door scenario due to the isolated location and that, along with the reader knowing that something bad happens but not why or how, makes it very intriguing. I found I had to keep reading as I wanted to find out why everything went so wrong. The level of tension and anticipation slowly increase as the book continues until I found it hard to put down.

From the dramatic opening the story slows down and we get flashbacks into the characters past explaining how they came to be on the island. Everything seems a bit too perfect between them and this put me on alert to any hidden secrets the two might be hiding. I enjoyed getting to know the couple and learning more about their past. The author is a skilled sailor and I liked how she puts some of her sailing knowledge into the story as it makes the story seem more realistic.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and am excited to read more from this author. The pacing was good, the characters were very compelling and there were enough twists to keep me glued to the page. The ending was brilliant, very action packed and I felt all parts of the story were nicely tied up.

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:

Emma Bamford, a freelance journalist, is working on an MA in prose fiction at University of East Anglia, UK. She is the author of Deep Water and the memoirs Casting Off and Untie the Lines. Find out more at EmmaBamford.com.

Good morning everyone today on JoJo Recommends I’m featuring Show You My Love by Natalie Hamilton.

Firstly apologies for not posting any music recommendations recently as some of you might already know I’ve been in hospital and I’ve not been able to look at a screen for a while.

Natalie is a singer songwriter from New Haven, CT in the US. I first found Natalie on twitch and immediately loved the vibes on her stream and how friendly everyone was. She plays guitar and piano on her stream as well as singing.

If you would like to follow Natalie on Twitch or social media you can do so by clicking the links below.

How To Listen:

Natalie has some beautiful songs which are great to unwind with. Show You My Love is a very soulful song with a jazzy feel to it. It’s her first single and I’ve linked the video for it below along with a recent cover of hers.

JoJo Recommends on Island Vibing Presents:

After a short break JoJo Recommends is back on Island Vibing Presents! As it’s the summer streams aren’t going to be every week but I’ll still be doing features on my blogs.

If you’d like to watch Island Vibing on twitch please click the link below.

JoJo Recommends Playlist:

You can now listen to Natalie and all previously featured artists on a special playlist I’ve created on Spotify.

Thanks for reading and happy listening!

Book Synopsis:

The Witches of Woodville Part 3

August 1940
 
In a quiet village in rural Kent, the enemy is at the gates . . .

The Battle of Britain rages and Faye Bright encounters the ghost of a pilot who won’t give up the fight. Before she can help him, Faye is whisked away to join a motley crew of witches to perform a top secret ritual on the White Cliffs of Dover that could repel the invaders.

But there’s a catch. The ritual must be executed in the nuddy. Mrs Teach threatens mutiny. Miss Charlotte is intrigued. And Faye wants to call the whole thing off when she suspects there’s a spy in their midst.

It’s up to Faye Bright to uncover the traitor, all while dealing with the ghost haunting Ivy Barn who may hold the key to the truth. But first, Faye has to learn to fly . . .

For fans of Lev Grossman and Terry Pratchett comes the third novel in this delightful series of war, mystery and a little bit of magic . . .

My Review:

The Ghost Of Ivy Barn is another fun, captivating and magical read from the fabulous Witches Of Woodville series.

Firstly it was great to be back in Woodville with the wonderful Faye and Bertie. The author has created a wonderful world that I loved spending time in. It’s the perfect blend of historical and magical setting.

Faye and Bertie are are fantasy characters who I’ve enjoyed following throughout the book. Their budding romance helps provide some of the more humorous moments in the book. Faye has done a lot of growing up in the series and this one sees her continuing to develop and learn to control her magic better. She’s a very determined, fiesty lady who know what she likes and what she wants. She has gained a lot of respect with people in the village which was nice to see.

The plot was very interesting and I think it’s very clever how the author includes real historical events into the story. The author has managed to find new ways to breathe life into this series with the inclusion of the new witches and the new war mission which was very intriguing. I really enjoyed watching everything unfold and come together.

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:

Mark Stay got a part-time Christmas job at Waterstone’s in the nineties (back when it still had an apostrophe) and, despite being working class and quite lippy, somehow ended up working in publishing for over 25 years. He would write in his spare time and sometimes those writings would get turned into books and films, including the Witches of Woodville series from Simon & Schuster, and the forthcoming Warner Bros. horror movie Unwelcome.

Mark is also co-presenter of the Bestseller Experiment podcast, which has inspired writers all over the world to finish and publish their books. Born in London, he lives in Kent with Youtube gardener and writer Claire Burgess and a declining assortment of retired chickens.

Come and say hello at markstaywrites.com

Get free short stories at the Woodville Village Library https://witchesofwoodville.com/#library

Book Synopsis:

The first chapter in a dark and gritty crime seriesBrought up believing that sex is the devil’s work, a killer only finds release once he has saved his victim’s souls. Abiding by his vision, he marks them as his. A gift to guide his chosen ones on the rightful path to redemption.Detective Inspector Paolo Sterling is out to stop him, but Paolo has problems of his own. Hunting down the killer as the death toll rises, the lines soon blur between Paolo’s personal and professional lives.

My Review:

Say Your Prayers is a gritty, dark and addictive thriller which is the first book in the DI Sterling series.

The story alternates between the Killer and DI Sterling’s point of view which I found very interesting. The Killer has to be one of the most horrible, sadistic killers I’ve met for a while. Through his story we learn more about his background and what made him like he is. We learn more about DI Sterling and the busy home life he is trying to juggle alongside work too. I quickly grew to like Sterling and felt a lot of sympathy for him as I know how difficult it is to juggle both.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and have already bought book two which I hope to read soon. The plot was very fast paced with lots of little storylines running alongside the main one which was very clever. There were lots of twists and a few red herrings which kept me guessing until the end. The ending was fantastic, very dramatic and hugely satisfying.

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

About The Author:

When not working on her crime novels, Lorraine Mace is engaged in many writing-related activities. She is a columnist for both Writing Magazine and Writers’ Forum and is head judge for the Writers’ Forum monthly fiction competitions.A tutor for Writers Bureau, she also runs her own private critique and author mentoring service. She is co-author, with Maureen Vincent-Northam, of The Writer’s ABC Checklist. Other books include children’s novel Vlad The Inhaler – Hero in the Making, and Notes From The Margin, a compilation of her Writing Magazine humour column.

Book Synopsis:

To have a future, she must confront her past . . .

It’s 1929 and after running away from her family in Lancashire, becoming a dancer in London and having a riotous time in Paris with her best friend Nancy, would-be fashion designer Vita Casey is now living a much more sedate life in New York with her baby son, Bertie, far away from her evil brother, Clement, and her nemesis, Edith.

When the disastrous events of the Wall Street Crash change their destinies, Vita and Nancy flee to Los Angeles, where Nancy is determined to make it in the talkies. Schmoozing their way into the ranks of the Hollywood elite, Vita is starting to think that she can begin to fulfil her fashion ambitions. But when the love of her life, Archie, is hired as a writer on Nancy’s new movie and Clement exacts his ultimate revenge, Vita’s past and present collide.

She has no choice but to tell the truth and try to reclaim what is rightfully hers before it’s too late.

The Sister’s Return is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the links below.

My Review:

The Sister’s Return is the third book in the fantastic A Stitch In Time series and another thoroughly exciting and captivating read.

The book follows Vita and Nancy as they travel to New York and then Hollywood to chase their dreams. I have to say I loved the two feisty and determined main characters. They were brave enough to go against convention and live their lives to the full which was lovely to read about. They soon started to feel like old friend and I felt invested in their story.

The author has clearly done her research and I loved all the fantastic descriptions that helped make the era come to life. It must have been an interesting time to live through and I eagerly drank in all the details. The fashion in particular sounded fabulous and has led to many wasted hours looking on Google for similar items.

Overall I loved this book and thought it was a great way to end the series. The fabulous plot quickly drew me into the story and there always seemed to be something happening to keep me reading. The many twists kept me on my toes as did the constant threat of Clement who I’d gladly have seen come to a sticky end. I’m sad the series has ended and look forward to re-reading it soon.

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

About The Author:

Joanna Rees, aka Josie Lloyd and Jo Rees, is a bestselling writer of numerous novels, including rom-coms, blockbusters and big-hearted adventures such as Come Together, Platinum and A Twist of Fate. With nearly twenty years’ writing experience, Joanna regularly teaches creative writing in schools and libraries and runs a successful novel-editing business. She also records regularly for Radio Gorgeous. Based in Brighton, Joanna is married to the author Emlyn Rees with whom she has three daughters. They have co-written several novels, including the Sunday Times number one bestseller Come Together, which was translated into twenty-seven languages and made into a film. They have written three bestselling parodies of their favourite children’s books, including We’re Going On A Bar Hunt and The Teenager Who Came To Tea as well as a light-hearted activity book encouraging people to stop being addicted to their technology called Switch It Off. Joanna is always delighted to hear from readers.

Book Synopsis:

She forgot about her childhood friend… until his body is found under her garden. Can she prove she didn’t commit the decades-old murder?

Lucy Freeman struggles to find satisfaction in life. Trapped in the shadow of her rock star brother, the thirty-two-year-old craves more than her days at home caring for her terminally ill mother. But her routine takes a turn for the horrifying when a giant sinkhole collapses the earth outside their house and reveals a skeleton.

Shocked to discover the bones belong to a former member of her sibling’s band, Lucy’s worst nightmare comes alive when police suspect her of the killing. And as she turns to her dying parent’s diaries in a desperate search for vindication, she’s entangled in a dark and complicated truth.

Will unearthing long-buried wrongs prove lethal?

Lies at Her Door is a heavy-hitting psychological thriller novel. If you like strong character growth, overcoming dysfunctional relationships, and revealing unexpected secrets, then you’ll love AA Abbott’s chilling whodunnit.

My Review:

This was an interesting, creepy and original read that I really enjoyed. For quite a short book it manages to pack quite a punch which I thought was very impressive.

The story starts when a sinkhole appears under the house and a skeleton is revealed. The reader gets taken between the past and present as the truth is slowly revealed. I soon found myself very intrigued and had to keep reading in order to find out who the murderer was.

The characters are very interesting ones who I never felt like I could trust. As soon as I started feeling sympathy for one of them, something would happen to completely change my opinion. The tension slowly increased until it was almost palpable and the many twists kept me on my toes. The ending was brilliant and very clever, especially the double tier ending.

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

About The Author:

Book Synopsis:

1942. Hull, East Yorkshire – It is the most heavily-bombed city outside of London – but for the sake of national morale the Hull Blitz is kept top secret. Only the politicians in Whitehall and Hull’s citizens themselves know of the true chaos.Newly-posted Inspector Ambrose Swift cannot believe the devastation he finds. But for Swift and his two deputies – part-time bare-knuckle boxer Jim ‘Little’ Weighton and Dales farmer’s daughter Kathleen Carver – it’s murder, not the war, that’s at the forefront of their minds.When a series of sadistic killings is wrongly blamed on locally-stationed black American GIs, Swift, a one-armed former WW1 cavalryman who tours the rubble-strewn city on a white horse, soon discovers these are no ordinary murders. The fetid stench of racism, corruption and perversion go to the very top. And for Swift, Weighton and Carver, finding the real killers means putting their own lives at risk – because powerful forces in the US and Britain cannot let the war effort be undermined. Not even by the truth.

My Review:

I’ve been a huge fan of this author’s books so I was very excited to discover he had a new book coming out. Once again the author has written a engaging, twisty mystery that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Set in Hull the book follows Inspector Swift as he tries to solve two gruesome murders which quickly become apparent aren’t just ordinary murders. I liked Swift who seemed a determined inspector who obvious cares about his job. Kathleen made a great partner for him and I really enjoyed watching them work together. Through Kathleen we learn more about women’s role in policing and attitudes towards women at the time. I really hope we see more of this partnership in future books.

I thought this was a fast paced, read with the author cleverly blending fact and fiction to make a very interesting story. I enjoyed learning more about Hull during the war and more about American attitudes towards race at the time. The author has clearly done his research and I loved the little details he included that helped make the era come to life.

Overall I really enjoy this book and am hopeful that this is the start to a fab new series. There were lots of twists that kept me guessing and I could never quite work out which way the story was going which I always enjoy.

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

About The Author:

East Yorkshire-born David Young began his East German-set crime series on a creative writing MA at London’s City University when Stasi Child – his debut – won the course prize. The novel went on to win the 2016 CWA Historical Dagger, and both it and the 2017 follow-up, Stasi Wolf, were longlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. His novels have been sold in eleven territories round the world. Before becoming a full-time author, David was a senior journalist with the BBC’s international radio and TV newsrooms for more than 25 years. He writes in his Twickenham garden shed and in a caravan on the Isle of Wight. The Stasi Game, his sixth novel, is available to pre-order now. You can follow him on Twitter @djy_writer

Book Synopsis:

Eight ordinary people. One extraordinary choice.

It seems like just another morning.

You make a cup of tea. Check the news. Open the front door.

On your doorstep is a box.

Inside the box is the exact number of years you have left to live.

The same box appears on every doorstep across the world.

Do you open yours?

My Review:

The Measure is an original, thought provoking and emotional read which I think would make a great book club read.

The story follows 8 characters that all receive boxes with strings of different lengths in them that are meant to show how long their lives will be. I found this scenario instantly intriguing and I was quickly drawn into the story. All the characters were great creations who I enjoyed getting to know. Most of the characters were likeable and I really felt for them as they tried to deal with their feelings after receiving their box.

This book cleverly deals with some tough subjects like prejudice, religion and politics as we see how society deals with the after affect of the boxes. It was quite poignant to see the treatment towards the so called short stringers and how they are initially ostracised by society.

Overall I loved this book and will definitely be recommending it to others. The book had a great pace to it and was quickly very addictive. It’s a book that has stayed with me long after I’ve finished reading. I think this would make a great book club read as I feel there would be lots to discuss.

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

About The Author:

Nikki Erlick’s writing has appeared on the websites of New York Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar, Newsweek, Cosmopolitan and The Huffington Post. She graduated Harvard University summa cum laude and is a former editor of The Harvard Crimson. She earned a master’s degree in Global Thought from Columbia University. The Measure is her debut novel.

Book Synopsis:

Will the coming war divide them . . . ?For as long as she can remember Peggy O’Shea has been expected to work at the family dairy, look after her younger siblings, and eventually marry cow-keeper Martin Gallagher. And that’s the way it has predictably gone, apart from one glorious summer when at the age of eight she meets handsome Anthony Giardano.But there’s bad blood between the Irish O’Sheas and the Italian Giardanos, so perhaps for the sake of both of their families, it’s a good thing when Anthony suddenly disappears.Ten years later at the start of the war, Peggy bumps into Anthony again. But as they begin to rekindle their friendship, Italy joins forces with Germany and Liverpool turns on its Italian residents overnight, making any relationship between Peggy and Anthony impossible . . .The Girl From Liverpool is a gritty World War Two historical saga from Elizabeth Morton, acclaimed author of Angel of Liverpool.

The Girl From Liverpool is available in all formats now. You can purchase your copy by using the links below.

My Review:

I’m a huge fan of saga’s so I jumped at the chance to be on the blog tour for The Girl From Liverpool, especially as Elizabeth was a new author for me. The story follows Peggy and Anthony from 1930 and continues throughout the second world war.

One of the things I most enjoy about saga’s is that I feel they tell the stories of people’s everyday life experiences and I always manage to learn something new. This book was no exception and I enjoyed learning more about how Italian and German citizens were treated in the UK. I also didn’t realise that people in the cities tried to keep pigs and found it hilarious to read about their attempts in this book.

Peggy and Anthony were fantastic main characters who I enjoyed following throughout the book. They just seemed made for each other and I loved the way they came out of themselves when it was just the two of them. Martin on the other hand was a nasty piece of work and I couldn’t work out why the lovely Peggy was with him. I was very invested in their story and I wanted to keep reading to see how it all ended for them.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this author in future. The book was well written and had a great flow to it as there was also something happening to keep my interest. I think I went through every emotion whilst reading as there were some sad, shocking moments but also some funny or heartwarming ones which was really nice and stopped the story becoming too sad. The Liverpudlian humour was evident throughout the book too and I loved the banter between the characters. I enjoyed spending time with the two families and hope there will be a sequel soon.

Huge thanks to Chloe from Pan Macmillan for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Elizabeth Morton was born in Liverpool and worked as an actress. She is known for playing Madeline Basset in Jeeves and Wooster and Lucinda in the Liverpool sitcom, Watching. As well as TV, she has also worked in theatre and film. She trained at Guildhall School of Drama and as a writer, with The Royal Court Young Writers’ Group. She is an award-winning short-story writer and has also written drama for TV, film and theatre. In her formative years at convent school, she spent her weekends playing the piano accordion in Northern Working Men’s Clubs. She lives with her husband – the actor Peter Davison – in Middlesex and is the author of A Liverpool Girl and A Last Dance in Liverpool.

Book Synopsis:

You can’t spell Dream Man without DRAMA.As a PA to famous New York playwright Juliette, Winnie has spent the last seven years behind the scenes fetching coffee, soothing egos and buying birthday presents.Putting her own career plans on hold to (once again) cater to Juliette’s every whim, Winnie reluctantly agrees to accompany her boss on a trip across the pond to work on London’s West End.There, she meets Juliette’s dashing nephew Liam (hello, hot accent!). With a standing-ovation-worthy smile, Winnie can’t help crushing on him. Hard.When Juliette notices her assistant is distracted, she forbids Winnie from seeing Liam, making sneaking around backstage even more thrilling . . .Dream job. Dream man. We’re totally Here for the Drama.

Here For The Drama is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the links below.

My Review:

I thought this was a charming, sexy and hilarious read that helped cheer me up during a stressful time.

The characters were really great creations that I fell in love with over the course of the book. Winnie was a fantastic main character who very confidential but also wonderfully quirky which made her really endearing. Liam and her seemed like a great match for each other! Their interaction and banter were a joy to read about. I was completely behind them and kept hoping there would be a happy ending for them.

I’ve always been completely fascinated by the theatre and the stage, especially as I’ve not got the nerve to act myself. I therefore found the scenes in the theatre absolutely fascinating. It was very interesting to learn more about what goes on behind the scenes and what is involved in putting on a production.

As you can probably tell I loved this book and look forward to reading more from this author in the future. The sweet romance that develops between Liam and Winnie was addictive and there were some some surprising twists took me by surprise.

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

About The Author:

Kate Bromley lives in New York City with her husband, son, and her somewhat excessive collection of romance novels (it’s not hoarding if it’s books, right?). She was a preschool teacher for seven years and is now focusing full-time on combining her two great passions – writing swoon-worthy love stories and making people laugh.