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.

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.