Book Synopsis:

Daisy Darker’s family were as dark as dark can be, when one of them died all of them lied and pretended not to see . . .

Daisy Darker is arriving at her grandmother’s house for her eightieth birthday. It is Halloween, and Seaglass – the crumbling Cornish house perched upon its own tiny private island – is at one with the granite rocks it sits on. The Darker family haven’t all been in the same place for over a decade, and when the tide comes in they’ll be cut off from the rest of the world for eight hours. When the tide goes back out, nothing will ever be the same again, because one of them is a killer . . .

Daisy Darker is published on the 18th August 2022.

My Review:

I’ve heard a lot of great things about this author, so when I heard she had a new one coming out I was very intrigued. Daisy Darker is a dark, creepy and tense read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Firstly I think it’s fair to say that the Darker family is highly dysfunctional and I’m very glad they aren’t mine. I don’t think there was a single member I liked, though I did feel very sorry for Daisy and the sad, lonely childhood she endured. Her family’s treatment of her was awful, especially the bullying she experienced from her sister’s that no-one seemed to care about. I found myself not feeling a lot of sympathy for them and was almost glad that they were getting their just deserts.

The setting of the Island based Seaglass house was an interesting one. I started off loving the fun, quirky nature of Seaglass and was wishing I could visit in in real life. However this quickly changed as the murders started happening and the very quirkiness of the house helped create a sinister, creepy atmosphere. The island location also helps create a closed room scenario which helped rack up the tension as the family realise they are trapped on the island with a killer.

Overall I loved this book and can’t wait to read more from her in the future. The story is very fast paced and very gripping so I soon found myself hiding away from the kids desperate to read a little bit more. I had lots of theories about who could be behind the murders and though one of them was correct I think it shows the strength of the author’s writing that I wasn’t able to narrow it down more. The ending was brilliant, dramatic and unexpected. As mentioned above I did guess part of the ending but has no idea it would unfold so darkly or dramatically. It’s definitely an ending that has stayed with me long after reading.

Huge thanks to Pan Macmillan for my copy of this book via netgalley. Highly recommended by me!

About The Author:

Alice Feeney is a New York Times million-copy bestselling author. Her books have been translated into over twenty-five languages, and have been optioned for major screen adaptations. Including her novel Rock Paper Scissors, which is being made into a TV series by the producer of The Crown. Alice was a BBC journalist for fifteen years, and now lives in Devon with her family. Daisy Darker is her fifth novel.

Good morning everyone! This week on JoJo Recommends I’m featuring Lonesome by Drawmona.

Mona is a singer songwriter from Germany who is also a twitch streamer. I always love her streams as they are super chill with some absolutely beautiful music. Her community are really friendly and you always get a big hello when you join.

Here are some facts about Drawmona:

– played guitar & harmonica for 20 years

– trying to get better on the piano

– busking for about 5 years, before starting streaming while studying mechanical engineering

If you would like to follow Drawmona on Instagram or Twitch you can do so by clicking on the links below.

How To Listen:

Drawmona plays some truly beautiful music on her streams and I always enjoy joining her streams as they are great to relax with. Her music is mostly acoustic covers but she does have one or two originals too. Her music is only available on YouTube at the moment but she is planning on recording her originals soon for other streaming platforms. I have linked the YouTube video for Lonesome below as well as one of her most recent covers.

JoJo Recommends on Island Vibing Presents:

Jojo Recommends is also featured on Island Vibing Presents twitch stream. It’s always great fun choosing an artist and recording myself for my segment. I think I’m getting a bit better at it too now, I just need to try and not say umm so much…

If you would like to see my Island Vibing Presents feature you can do so by clicking on the link below.

JoJo Recommends Playlist:

As mentioned above Drawmona’s music isn’t available on Spotify yet but I’ll definitely add it to the playlist when it is. You can listen to a previously featured artists using the link below.

Thanks for reading and happy listening!

Book Synopsis:

Two decades on from a passionate courtship and marriage, Lucas and Esther are getting divorced.  

For Esther, it’s proving hard not to feel bitter watching Lucas enjoying his successful career, not to mention the attentions of his gorgeous, intelligent, and predictably younger lover. She meanwhile is struggling to forge a new life for herself, navigating the pitfalls of modern dating, while trying not to despair at the cost of living as a single woman of a certain age.

Then Lucas faces a shattering accusation at the same time as their children Dylan and Lily, start to implode.  When Dylan runs away, and as his father fights to save his reputation, Lucas and Esther find themselves back in each other’s lives, whether they like it or not. 

Has too much water passed under the bridge, or will long-forgotten loyalties and feelings bring the family back together, just when they need each other the most? 

My Review:

The Split is a fantastically gripping family drama that I flew through in a couple of days. I always love books involving families and the secrets they can hide as it’s very interesting watching everything unfold from the side lines whilst knowing that you’re not involved at all.

This is a bit of a slow burn as the author explains the background and we learn more about the characters but soon picks up to become very gripping. I loved Esther who seemed a very strong, likeable lady who was easy to get behind as she was quite relatable. She was very different to her husband who I didn’t warm to at all as he was very self obsessed. I felt for them both when Dylan runs away though, as a parent I can understand that anxiety and worry that would cause.

Overall I really liked this book and enjoyed getting to know Esther and her family. There were lots of twists and red herrings that kept me guessing as to what was going to happen next. I found myself invested in the story, and the family, so wanted to keep reading to find out if the family reunite or if Dylan gets back safe. This was the first book I’ve read by this author and I look forward to reading more in the future.

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

About The Author:

Amanda Brookfield is the bestselling author of 16 novels including Good Girls, her first book for Boldwood, Relative Love and Before I Knew You, as well as a memoir, For the Love of a Dog starring her Golden Doodle Mabel. She lives in London and has recently finished a year as Visiting Creative Fellow at University College Oxford.

Book Synopsis:

An unforgettable story about love in all its chaotic glory from the author of Last One At The PartyA book synopsis is fundamentally ridiculous. How can I possibly convey, in only 100 words, the events of the past year and their impact on my perfectly ordered existence?It is insufficient space to accurately detail how I was blackmailed into demonstrating my flawless algorithm to find a soulmate, despite having no desire for one.In my former life I avoided trivial human connections. I was alone, accomplished and brilliant.Unfortunately, that solitary and driven woman no longer exists.My name is Indiana Dylan and this is the extraordinary account of how I fell in love.There: 100 words exactly.

My Review:

I loved this author’s first book so was very excited to learn she had a new one out, especially when I found out it was a completely different genre. I absolutely loved this book and thought it was an original, quirky book that manages to be emotional and funny at times.

Firstly I loved the fantastic characters in this book and I really enjoyed getting to know them. The story is told from the point of view of Indiana, Lina and Jack who are all very different from each other. I liked how real they are and how all of them had flaws. This also meant there were parts of them I liked and other parts that really frustrated me about them. There were also some characters I loved to hate in the form of Lina’s difficult boss Cameron and her colleague Emily who reminded me of an old boss of mine.

The plot unfolds at a good pace and I was soon drawn into the story. There always seemed to be something happening and I found the book very hard to put down as it was very addictive at times. I liked the subtle message the author includes in the story about grief and how it’s important to check on people if they seem to change. It was poignant to see Jack trying to work through his grief but heartwarming to see how others helped him.

Overall I loved this book and actually enjoyed it more then her first book which I didn’t think possible. I’m very excited to read more from her in future and to see what genre she tackles next.

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

About The Author:

Bethany Clift is a graduate of the Northern Film School and the director of her own production company, Saber Productions. Her debut novel, Last One at the Party, was published in 2021 and the television rights have been optioned by Scott Free Films.

Book Synopsis:

Summer on St Kilda – a wild, remote Scottish island.Two strangers from drastically different worlds meet . . .Wild-spirited Effie Gillies has lived all her life on the small island of St Kilda but when Lord Sholto, heir to the Earl of Dumfries, visits, the attraction between them is instant. For one glorious week she guides the handsome young visitor around the isle, falling in love for the first time – until a storm hits and her world falls apart.Three months later, St Kilda falls silent as the islanders are evacuated for a better life on the mainland. With her friends and family scattered, Effie is surprised to be offered a position working on the Earl’s estate. Sholto is back in her life but their differences now seem insurmountable, even as the simmering tension between them grows. And when a shocking discovery is made back on St Kilda, all her dreams for this bright new life are threatened by the dark secrets Effie and her friends thought they had left behind.

My Review:

Oh my goodness I absolutely adored this book. This was the first book I’ve read by this author and I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to read one of her books. I went on such an amazing journey with Effy and just fell in love with all the wonderful characters.

The book is told in two halves. Before describes Effy’s life on St Kilda before the evacuation and After details Effy’s life after the evacuation as the villagers adjust to life on the mainland. I initially felt very sad when the story switched to After as I had really enjoyed the fabulous descriptions of life on St Kilda but I actually ended up loving following life at the house and all the fabulous people Effy meets.

I loved the author’s vivid descriptions of St Hilda which told of a very different life to the one I know. The author writes the book so I felt like I was actually there scaling the cliffs and hunting for birds alongside Effy. I was so intrigued that I spent a lot of time googling the Isle to see how it looked in real life. I doubt I’d have been able to cope with the harsh life there but it was interesting to live it through Effy. The description of the house and the community there amongst the servants was also really wonderful. I loved following Effy as she adjusted to life at the house and made new friends.

Overall, as you can probably tell, I loved this book and can’t wait to read more in the series. I quickly became absorbed into Effy’s world and found the book hard to put down as I was so enjoying it. There was always something happening to keep my interest and I loved following Effy & Shoto as they grew closer. I really wanted there to be a happy ending for them both. The last few chapters were brilliant and I loved the unexpected way the book was going. Fair warning the book does end sudden on a cliff hanger though and I’ll now be impatiently awaiting the next instalment next year.

I highly recommend this book to all historical fiction lovers and anyone who’s looking for an absorbing, intriguing read.

About The Author:

Karen Swan is the Sunday Times top three bestselling author of twenty books and her novels sell all over the world. She writes two books each year – one for the summer period and one for the Christmas season. Previous summer titles include The Spanish Promise, The Hidden Beach and The Secret Path and for winter, Christmas at Tiffany’s, The Christmas Secret and Together by Christmas.Her books are known for their evocative locations and Karen sees travel as vital research for each story. She loves to set deep, complicated love stories within twisting plots.Her five book historical series called The Wild Isle, is based upon the dramatic evacuation of Scottish island St Kilda in the summer of 1930.

Book Synopsis:

Three women. An isolated town. A decades-old mystery.

They hate me down there, in Boldville. I can read it in their eyes, smell it on their noxious breaths. That dreaded little town hates everything about me: not just my personality and form, the clothes I wear, but the way I think.
The things that I know.

1933. Cornelia Stover is headstrong and business-minded – not the kind of woman the men of Boldville, New Mexico, expect her to be. Then she stumbles upon a secret hidden out in the hills . . .

1970. Decades later, Joanna Riley, a former cop, packs up her car in the middle of the night and drives west, fleeing an abusive marriage and a life she can no longer bear. Eventually, she runs out of gas and finds herself in Boldville, a sleepy desert town in the foothills of the Gila Mountains.

Joanna was looking for somewhere to retreat, to hide, but something is off about this place. In a commune on the outskirts a young man has been found dead and Joanna knows a cover up when she sees it. Soon, she and Glitter, a young, disaffected hippie, find themselves caught up in a dark mystery that goes to the very heart of Boldville, where for too long people have kept their eyes shut and turned their heads away. A mystery that leads them all the way back to the unexplained disappearance of Glitter’s grandmother Cornelia forty years before . . .

A captivating, atmospheric new novel from the lauded author of The Long, Long Afternoon, This Wild Wild Country simmers with secrets, lies and terrible betrayal, unravelling the lives of three women at the mercy of their times.

My Review:

This Wild, Wild Country is an intriguing and inspiring read that I really enjoyed.

Firstly I loved the setting in this book which was so vividly described I felt I was actually there able to feel the heat and dust for myself. From the start the reader is aware of the slightly sinister, strange atmosphere surrounding the town. The sheriff was an ominous leader and the fear from the town’s people was almost palpable at times.

The story is told in two timelines one set just after the gold rush and the other during the hippy movement. I hadn’t read much about either period so I really enjoyed learning more about them. It was particularly interesting to learn how the hippy movement impacted women as I hadn’t thought about that before. Did the idea of free love and sharing everything extend to women’s bodies? I hope it didn’t but sadly that doesn’t seem to be the case for some people.

Overall I really enjoyed this book which gripped me from the start. There are some fantastic, strong women characters which I enjoyed watch grow throughout the book. There are some tough subjects mentioned but I found it very inspiring to see how the characters dealt with it. The ending was very satisfying, though I do wish the book had continued a little bit longer so I could find out what happens to the characters afterwards, especially Joanna.

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

About The Author:

Inga Vesper is a journalist and editor. She moved to the UK from Germany to work as a carer, before the urge to write and explore brought her to journalism. As a reporter, she covered the coroner’s court and was able to observe how family, neighbours and police react to a suspicious death. Inga has worked in Syria and Tanzania, but now lives in Glasgow, because there’s no better way to find a good story than eavesdropping on the chatter in a Scottish cafe on a rainy day.

Book Synopsis:

Welcome to No.12 rue des Amants

A beautiful old apartment block, far from the glittering lights of the Eiffel Tower and the bustling banks of the Seine. Where nothing goes unseen, and everyone has a story to unlock.

The watchful concierge
The scorned lover
The prying journalist
The naïve student
The unwanted guest

There was a murder here last night.
A mystery lies behind the door of apartment three.

My Review:

I loved this author’s last two books so I was very excited to start reading this one, keeping it until I could sit down and properly enjoy it.

The story starts off slowly as the author sets the scene, while we get introduced the mysterious, apartment blocks and the interesting residents. From the start I had a bad feelings about the apartment blocks and admired Jess’s courage that she stayed there so long when I think I’d have run away.

Each character has a chance to narrate the story and we get to hear each of their points of view. It was very intriguing to learn more about them and their history with each other. All of them have secrets which are slowly revealed and makes the book difficult to put down as there always seemed to be something happening. I had mixed feelings about the main character Jess. She seemed very real as she had moments of strength but also vulnerability where I just wanted to reach into the book and give her a huge hug. She did frustrate me at times though as she seemed oblivious to the danger she was in and just seemed to wander into situations without any thought about her safety.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be recommending it to others. The tension builds slowly until the book becomes very hard to put down. There always seemed to be something happening to keep my interest and lots of twists that helped keep me guessing as to what way the story was going. I liked that the author keeps the story going for a little bit after the dramatic ending so we find out what happens to everyone.

If you’re a fan of gripping, atmospheric mysteries I highly recommend this book!

About The Author:

Lucy Foley studied English Literature at Durham and UCL universities. She then worked for several years as a fiction editor in the publishing industry – during which time she also wrote her debut, The Book of Lost and Found. Lucy now writes full-time, and is busy travelling (for research, naturally!) and working on her next novel.Visit her Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/LucyFoleyAuthor and follow her on Twitter @lucyfoleytweets

Good Morning everyone today on JoJo Recommends I’m featuring Cringe Binge by Sea Elephant.

Sea Elephant are an Indie rock band from Utah consisting of Jackson Harden, Hayden Berg, Jeshua Anderson, and Nathan Jones. They have been together 7 years and Cringe Binge is their debut album. One of their members, Jackson Harden, streams on twitch and I was one of his first viewers!

If you live locally they are having an album release party on the 6th August at the Velvour Music Lounge in Utah.

You can follow Sea Elephant on social media or Jackson on twitch by clicking on the links below.

How To Listen:

Cringe Binge has 11 songs on it each one slightly different to each other and ranging in style from Indie rock to folk. It is available on all major streaming platforms some of which I’ve linked below or you can buy their music on Bandcamp. I have included my favourites from the album and the title song below.

JoJo Recommends Playlist:

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

Thanks for reading and happy listening!

Book Synopsis:

War is fleeting, but true love last forever…

May 1944 Hope and excitement is in the air when news breaks of the allied forces landing in Normandy. D Day has arrived. However, the day-to-day struggles for the Tobacco Girls continue.Carole Thomas wants her old life back. She is burdened with the guilt of being a young single mother and considers having baby Paula adopted, but Maisie Miles will do anything to stop her.Phyllis Mason having found the love of her life is getting married in Malta to Mick Fairbrother, but will the dangerous legacies of war plague her happy day?Bridget O’Neill finds herself posted to one of the hospitals receiving the injured from the D-Day landing beaches. Her most fervent hope is that her husband, Lyndon, does not become one of them.Peace is on the horizon, but will their wishes and dreams win through and bring them a happy ever after?

My Review:

I’ve been a huge fan of The Tobacco Girls since the beginning and have always looked forward to a new addition to the series. I’ve grown extremely fond of the three main characters Maisie, Bridget and Phyllis as the series has unfolded. It’s been great fun to follow them throughout their war time experiences.

One of the things that always stands out in this series is the fantastic historical details that really makes the story come to life. I enjoyed learning more about this period in the war when the tide finally seemed to turn in favour of the allies. It was also interesting to learn more about the atmosphere back home with evidence of the war still visible but with a slightly more hopeful shift towards the future.

As always we go through some real highs and lows with the girls but I found it heartwarming to see that, despite being separated, they were still there for each other as much as they could be. The introduction of single mother Carol was very interesting and helped me fall more in love with the wonderful Maisie as it shows how kind hearted she is. The ending was beautiful and I closed the book satisfied and excited to find out what happens next.

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

About The Author:

Lizzie Lane is the author of over 50 books, a number of which have been bestsellers. She was born and bred in Bristol where many of her family worked in the cigarette and cigar factories. This has inspired her saga series for Boldwood The Tobacco Girls.

Book Synopsis:

This is going to be the longest week of Washington Poe’s life…

Detective Sergeant Washington Poe can count on one hand the number of friends he has. And he’d still have his thumb left. There’s the guilelessly innocent civilian analyst, Tilly Bradshaw of course. Insanely brilliant, she’s a bit of a social hand grenade. He’s known his beleaguered boss, Detective Inspector Stephanie Flynn for years as he has his nearest neighbour, full-time shepherd/part-time dog sitter, Victoria.

And then there’s Estelle Doyle. Dark and dangerous and sexy as hell. It’s true the caustic pathologist has never walked down the sunny side of the street, but has she gone too far this time? Shot twice in the head, her father’s murder appears to be an open and shut case. Estelle has firearms discharge residue on her hands, and, in a house surrounded by fresh snow, hers are the only footprints. Since her arrest she’s only said three words: ‘Tell Washington Poe.’

Meanwhile, a poisoner called the Botanist is sending the nation’s most reviled people poems and pressed flowers. Twisted and ingenious, he seems to be able to walk through walls and, despite the advance notice given to his victims, and regardless of the security measures taken, he is able to kill with impunity.

Poe hates locked room mysteries and now he has two to solve. To unravel them he’s going to have to draw on every resource he has: Tilly Bradshaw, an organised crime boss, even an alcoholic ex-journalist. Because if he doesn’t, the bodies are going to keep piling up . . .

My Review:

I’m a huge fan of this author so I pre-ordered this book as soon as I knew about it. Once again the author has written a gripping, twisty book that was hard to put down.

It was great being back with Tilly and Poe following them as they tried to catch another murderer. The Botanist has to be one of the worse villains I’ve come across in a book. Not because he was particularly cruel or violent but because of how cold and calculated he was. He seemed to have absolutely no regard for people he considered below him (most people as it turned out) and this sent a shiver down my spine as I read. He seemed impossible to catch which I found very interesting and I enjoyed following Tilly and Poe as they investigated.

As always the fab police team was very entertaining to follow throughout the book. I loved the easy banter and in jokes that exist between them which helps break up some of the darker moments in the book. I felt like I was part of the team at times which I really enjoyed, especially as I recognised some of the in jokes that are mentioned from previous books.

This story drew me in from the start and I quickly found that I couldn’t put the book down. There was always something happening to keep my attention either from the case or from the teams antics. There were lots of twists and red herrings that kept me guessing and I honestly couldn’t figure out how the botanist was doing it until the characters figured it out in the book. It was nice to see a different side of Poe too and for him to get a win in his personal life for once. The double twist ending was brilliant, and unexpected as I thought the story was winding down. Highly recommended from me!

About The Author:

Multi-award winning author M. W. Craven was born in Carlisle but grew up in Newcastle. He joined the army at sixteen, leaving ten years later to complete a social work degree. Seventeen years after taking up a probation officer role in Cumbria, at the rank of assistant chief officer, he became a full-time author. The Puppet Show, the first book in his Cumbria-set Washington Poe series, was published by Little, Brown in 2018 and went on to win the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger in 2019. It has now been translated into twenty-one languages. Black Summer, the second in the series, was longlisted for the 2020 Gold Dagger as was book three, The Curator. The fourth in the series, Dead Ground, was published last June and became an instant Sunday Times bestseller.Website: mwcraven.comTwitter: @MWCravenUK