Book Synopsis:

Scarlett‘s aunt lived – and was brutally murdered – in the apartment upstairs. But Scarlett is determined that life should return to some kind of normal, even if that means living with just a ceiling between her and the scene of such a devastating crime. After all, this is her home. She’s safe here. Isn’t she?

Dee is busy balancing her job as a funeral director with organizing an event to mark the disappearance of her best friend, ten years ago. So she’s got enough on her plate without worrying about the threatening messages that are appearing on her company’s Facebook page.

When Scarlett approaches Dee about planning her aunt’s funeral, an unexpected link between them emerges. Together, the two women could uncover secrets that have long been buried. Even while someone wants to stop them digging . . .

The Apartment Upstairs is available in ebook and hardback now. You can purchase your copy using the links below.

My Review:

I’ve enjoyed all of Lesley Kara’s previous books so I was very much looking forward to reading this one. Once again the author has written an intriguing, twisty read which I thoroughly enjoyed.

The story alternates between Scarlett who’s aunt is found murdered in her flat upstairs and Dee who runs the local funeral home who’s enlisted by Scarlett to arrange her aunt’s funeral. I really liked both characters and enjoyed following them throughout the book. They both seemed very real and I felt each helped provide an interesting angle to the book which helped make it unique. I enjoyed watching their relationship grow and to follow their ups and downs as the mystery unfolds.

The books starts slowly but soon picks up and becomes very intriguing. I thought this would be a murder mystery but it quickly became apparent the story is going in a completely different direction. There were lots of twists and misdirection that kept the story very exciting. The suspense in the book slowly builds until it becomes almost unbearable. I found myself sneaking into the kitchen to read or staying up too late to try and read just a little bit more!

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

About The Author:

Lesley Kara is the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Rumour, Who Did You Tell? and The Dare. The Rumour was the highest selling crime fiction debut of 2019 in the UK, and a Kindle No.1 bestseller. Lesley is an alumna of the Faber Academy ‘Writing a Novel’ course. She lives in Suffolk.

You can follow Lesley on Twitter @LesleyKara or visit her website at http://www.lesleykara.com

Book Synopsis:

What if the key to your present lies in the past?London, 1939On the eve of the Second World War, Canadian Maggie Wyndham defies her family and stays in England to do her bit for the war effort. Torn between two countries, two men and living a life of lies working for the Special Operations Executive (SOE), Maggie’s RAF sweetheart locket is part of who she is…and who she isn’t.San Francisco, 2019Over twenty years after Maggie’s death, her daughter Millie and granddaughter Willow take a DNA test that’s supposed to be a bit of fun but instead yields unexpected results. Willow has always treasured her grandmother’s sweetheart locket, both family heirloom and a symbol of her grandparents’ love story. But now she doesn’t know what to believe. She embarks on a search for the truth, one she doesn’t know will reveal far more about herself…A gripping and heart-breaking dual timeline novel about love, loss and buried secrets, The Sweetheart Locket is perfect for fans of Lorna Cook, Rachel Hore and Suzanne Kelman.

My Review:

The Sweetheart Locket was a beautifully written, heartwarming and emotional read that I’ll definitely be recommending to others.

The story follows Willow in the present day and her grandmother Maggie during WW2. I did prefer the war timeline slightly more as it provided me with a new perspective of woman’s roles during the war which I found very interesting. I loved reading about Maggie’s war time experiences and her interactions with her fab group of friends.

Willow’s story was also very interesting and I enjoyed following her journey as she tries to discover more about her family history. There are a lot of similarities between Maggie and Willow’s stories which I thought was clever. Both woman grow a lot during their journeys which I loved, especially seeing how much stronger and independent the two become.

Overall I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait to read more from this author. The story unfolds at a good pace and I was soon fully absorbed in the story. WW2 is one of my favourite eras to read about and I always enjoy finding new areas that I haven’t explored yet. The daily sacrifices ordinary people made are awe-inspiring to read about and always bring a lump to my throat. This is a book that I’ve continued to think about long after reading.

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

About The Author:

Now based in Canada, Jen Gilroy is a full-time writer. She lived in England for many years and worked in marketing communications and academic editing. She is a dual British/Canadian citizen with a postgraduate degree in geography (with a focus on British cultural studies and social history) from University College London.

Good morning everyone! Today I’m pleased to finally share my review of Lucie Yi Is Not Romantic as part of the Random Things Blog Tour.

Huge apologies for lack of posts lately I have been in hospital for the last week. I went to a routine check at the opticians and discovered I had swollen optic nerves. This lead to a hospital appointment the next day, being admitted for lots of tests and being diagnosed with Intercranial Hypertension. It was quite a scary experience as it can be caused by other conditions like tumours but thankfully it’s just lifestyle with me so I’ll be making a few changes and hopefully I’ll be able to get it back under control.

Anyway enough about me and back to my review!

Book Synopsis:

Lucie Yi has tried love – it didn’t work.

She’s decided that finding Mr Right is a myth, and that finding Mr Right-enough-to-have-children-with is the next best option. So when she meets easy-going Collin Read on a platonic co-parenting website, it finally feels like she has found her version of happily ever after.
 
But things take a turn for the worse when they move back home to Singapore where her very traditional family and remorseful ex-fiancé await.
 
With pressure mounting on all sides and her perfect plan unravelling, Lucie has to decide how much she’s willing to sacrifice for a chance at happiness – and maybe, just maybe, love.

My Review:

Lucy Yi Is Not Romantic is a sweet, funny and clever read that would be great for reading in the sun this summer.

Firstly I loved Lucy and enjoyed following her throughout the book. She’s a very strong, determined lady and I liked that she didn’t follow the normal rules. I did find her slightly annoying at times but I actually grew to like this side of her and ended up finding this an endearing character flaw.

There are lots of fantastic supporting characters in this book that help show how loved and supported everyone is. The two main male characters were interesting creations and but must admit I didn’t particularly warm to either of them.

It was particularly interesting to learn more about Asian Culture as I didn’t know much about it before. The expectations of family are always hard to meet and I felt Lucie managed that really well, despite deciding some very modern methods to start a family. I enjoyed all the cultural references too as they helped make the situation seem more real.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this author. I liked how the author takes some difficult subjects and manages to discuss them in a sensitive manner which I thought was very clever. There’s lots of intrigue in the book and I was never sure which way the story was going so had to keep reading to find out.

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

About The Author:

Lauren Ho is a reformed legal counsel who writes funny stories. Hailing from Malaysia, she lived in the United Kingdom, France and Luxembourg before moving with her family to Singapore. Her first novel, Last Tang Standing was an international bestseller.