Book Synopsis:

The darkly funny, fiercely honest debut novel about a spirited young misfit and her rocky road to womanhood, stopping at each year along the way.

You’re strange and wrong. You’ve known it from the beginning.

This is the voice that rings in your ears. Because you never say the right thing. You’re a disappointment to everyone. You’re a far cry from beautiful – and your thoughts are ugly too.

You seem bound to fail, bound to break.

But you know what it is to laugh with your best friend, to feel the first tentative tingles of attraction, to take exquisite pleasure in the affront of your unruly body.

You just need to find your place.

From dead pets and crashed cars to family traumas and misguided love affairs, Susannah Dickey’s revitalizing debut novel plunges us into the private world of one young woman as she navigates her rocky way to adulthood.

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

My Review:

Tennis Lessons is a beautifully written, poignant coming of age story which will stay with me for a long time.

The thing that most makes this book is the fantastic narrator who you just can’t help falling in love with. She’s such a memorable character who after a promising start is having a bit of a hard time of things as she’s being bullied at school and has a tricky home life. She quite a tough girl though and is surprisingly forgiving which makes her incredibly endearing.

The style of the book is a little unusual as it’s told in the second person. It took me a little while to get used to but once I did it made perfect sense to me as I felt it perfectly represented the narrator’s unusual, quirky personality which I thought was very clever.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and following the narrator on her journey. It’s a bit of a roller coaster ride at times with some of the teenage scenes being frighteningly realistic and I often wished I could reach into the book and give the narrator a hug. The ending was perhaps not the happy ever after ending I was hoping for but it was a realistic one and it was great to see how much she had grown.

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:

Susannah Dickey grew up in Derry and now lives in Belfast. She is the author of two poetry pamphlets, I had some very slight concerns (2017) and genuine human values (2018). Her poetry has been published in Ambit, The White Review, Poetry Ireland Review and Magma, amongst others. In 2018 she was shortlisted for The White Review short story prize, and in 2017 she was the winner of the inaugural Verve Poetry Festival competition. Her debut novel, Tennis Lessons, will be published in June 2020.

Book Synopsis:

Ted Bailey. Drug dealer. Arms salesman. Killer. There’s no way his soul can survive death. Is there?
But that decision is for God to make, not you. And what God values is not what they taught you in Sunday School.

Darkness Comes is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

Darkness Comes is a very clever, compelling read that is very thought provoking. It’s one of those reads which makes you think about it long after you’ve finished reading.

Firstly I really enjoyed how the author let’s the reader examine Ted’s life through the court case where he is on trial. Ted should be an extremely unlikeable character as he’s done some awful stuff but somehow the author manages to make the reader feel sympathy for him which I thought was very clever. I actually found myself hoping that thing turned out ok for him and he would get off the charges.

Through the court case the author takes the reader on a fascinating exploration about what is right and wrong. Is it still wrong if you do something bad for the right reasons or vice versa. Is it ever ok to break the rules? This is all things which are explored throughout the book and is something that I have continued to think about long after reading.

Overall I really enjoyed this entertaining read with some interesting, flawed characters who I quickly grew fond of. This book is really well written with an unusual storyline which makes it an easy read. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I would definitely be there in reading more from this author.

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

About The Author:

For 40+ years I was an international salesman; I’ve lived and worked on every continent except Antarctica. I was always a writer, though; the very first writing success I remember was standing on the stage of Benton Park Primary School in Newcastle upon Tyne at the age of ten, reading to the assembled school and parents a story I had written. It still gives me pleasure to know that one of my fellow pupils — a man I have dinner with once a year when I go back to Newcastle — was nagged all the way home that afternoon by his mother demanding, “Why can’t you write like John Lynch?” I sold my first freelance piece to Good Housekeeping Magazine in 1989 and that was a good year for me — it was also when I sold my first book to a publisher and my first short story to BBC Radio. (It’s called Bird and you can listen to it on my blog). My mother, the daughter of a Durham miner who first went down the pit when he was 12 years old, was proud that her son had a story on the radio — but even prouder that it was read by Clarrie Grundy from the long-running radio serial, The Archers. I’ve ghost written about 50 books that have been published in other people’s names (you’ll find a video about that on my Author Page) as well as writing my own work. As me, I write under two names: As R J Lynch for a series of five books set in County Durham (with one in the revolutionary American colonies) in the 1760s. As John Lynch for contemporary fiction and two non-fiction books.

Book Synopsis:

You can run, you can hide, but can you disappear for good?

Lauren’s daughter Zara witnessed a terrible crime. But speaking up comes with a price, and when Zara’s identity is revealed online, it puts a target on her back.

The only choice is to disappear.

From their family, their friends, even from Lauren’s husband.

No goodbyes. Just new names, new home, new lives.

One mistake – a text, an Instagram like – could bring their old lives crashing into the new.

As Lauren will learn, disappearing is easy.

Staying hidden is much harder . . .

How To Disappear is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

How To Disappear is a tense, twisty and emotional thriller which I think is the author’s best.

The story follows Lauren and Zara as they join the witness protection program and start a new life. I found it very interesting to learn more about the program, especially the impact it can have on a person. I’ve never really thought about it before but it must be really hard to leave behind your old life and start anew. The emotions involved in this are brilliantly described by the author so that the reader becomes very sympathetic to what they are going through. I often found myself tearing up as I read.

Zara was a very interesting main character who I really enjoyed following through the book. She’s a surprisingly thoughtful teenager and I quickly warmed to her. In a lot of ways I felt that Lauren and her personalities were reversed and Lauren should have been acting the way Zara was.

The author does a great job of increasing the tension in the book until it is almost unbearable. I soon found myself flying through the pages as I desperately wanted to find out what was going to happen next. There were lots of twists and surprises that kept me guessing and further ensured I was glued to the page. The ending was just amazing and a fantastic way to end the book.

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

About The Author:

Gillian McAllister is the Sunday Times Top 10 bestselling author of Everything But The Truth, Anything You Do Say, No Further Questions and The Evidence Against You. How To Disappear is her latest release, a witness protection thriller. All of her novels are standalone and can be read in any order. She is published in ten countries around the world. The Good Sister is her US debut, released by Penguin USA, and is the American title for No Further Questions. The Choice is her second American release which is the US title for Anything You Do Say. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram @gillianmauthor. She also blogs at http://www.gillianmcallister.com.

Book Synopsis:

From the bestselling author of The Girl in the Corner comes a story that asks: how do you forgive the family that lied to you, and love the mum you never had?

When her loving, free-spirited grandmother Primrose passes away, Victoria is bereft, yet resilient—she has survived tragedy before. But even her strength is tested when a mysterious woman attends Prim’s funeral and claims to be the mother Victoria thought was dead.

As the two women get to know each other and Victoria begins to learn more about her past, it becomes clear that her beloved grandmother had been keeping life-changing secrets from her. Desperate for answers, she still struggles to trust anyone to tell her the truth.

To live a full and happy life, Victoria knows she must not only uncover the truth, but find a way to forgive her family. But after so many years, is trusting them even possible?

The Day She Came Back is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

I’m a huge fan of this author’s books as they are always fabulously addictive reads which I know I’ll love. This book was no exception as once again the author has written a beautiful book which manages to be both heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. In a lot of ways this story reads as a coming of age story as we follow Victoria as she deals with not only the death of her beloved grandmother but also the realisation that she’s been lied to all her life.

One of the things I most love about this author is her ability to create relatable characters that are easy to fall in love with. I absolutely adored Victoria and enjoyed following her on her emotional journey. She seemed so real to me that I felt she was an actual friend and therefore felt everything she was going through much more actuely. At times I actually felt like I was experiencing the events myself as the author had described them so vividly.

Overall, as you can probably tell, I loved this book and quickly found myself swept away in the story. It’s one of those books which is hard to put down as I really wanted to find out what was going to happen next. It was the perfect book to read over lockdown as it helped distract me from my normal everyday life.

Huge thanks to Sarah Hardy for Books On The Brightside Publicity for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Amanda Prowse likens her own life story to those she writes about in her books. After self-publishing her debut novel Poppy Day in 2011, she has gone on to author twenty-five novels, six novellas and a memoir about depression co-authored with her son, Josiah Hartley. Her books have been translated into a dozen languages and she regularly tops bestseller charts all over the world. Remaining true to her ethos, Amanda writes stories of ordinary women and their families who find their strength, courage and love tested in ways they never imagined. The most prolific female contemporary fiction writer in the UK, with a legion of loyal readers, she goes from strength to strength. Being crowned ‘queen of domestic drama’ by the Daily Mail was one of her finest moments. Amanda is a regular contributor on TV and radio but her first love is, and will always be, writing.

You can find her online at http://www.amandaprowse.com, on Twitter or Instagram @MrsAmandaProwse, and on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/amandaprowsenogreaterlove

Book Synopsis:

HOW CAN YOU SOLVE A CRIME IF YOU CAN’T REMEMBER THE CLUES?

There is an explosion at a military ball. The casualties are rushed to hospital in eight ambulances, but only seven vehicles arrive. Captain Harry Peterson is missing.

His girlfriend calls upon her old friend Dr Augusta Bloom to support the investigation. But no one can work out if there is a connection between the bomb and the disappearance.

When Harry is eventually discovered three days later, they hope he holds the answers to their questions. But he can’t remember a single thing.

Without any clues, will Dr Bloom find herself lost in this puzzle too?

Lost is available in ebook now and in paperback on the 29th October 2020. You can purchase or pre-order your copy using the link below.

My Review:

Lost is the follow up to Gone which was the author’s debut novel. It’s a very entertaining, addictive and and thrilling read which was hugely enjoyable.

The story line is very intriguing as I have always enjoyed stories around memory loss, maybe because it is such a scary concept for me. The lack of clues made it a harder case for Dr Bloom to solve and meant it was more fun to read as I tried to work out what was going on.

It was great to be back with Dr Bloom and Marcus, especially as it gave them the chance to fix everything from the last book. I’ve always thought they work well together so it was good to see them resolve their differences. Seraphine was an interesting addition to the story, especially as I wasn’t entirely sure I trusted her. She seemed to divide Dr Blooms and Marcus’s opinions and made me wonder if the author was setting up conflict for the future.

The story switches back and forth between when Harry and Karene first meet and the present day when Karene is receiving odd emails. The author keeps us in suspense about the link between these times until the end which I always enjoy. The atmosphere in the book slowly increases until it becomes very intense and made the book hard to put down. My only slight quibble about this book is that at times I felt it was perhaps a little unrealistic but I actually think the author meant this and it didn’t affect my overall enjoyment of this book which I will be recommending to others.

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

About The Author:

Leona Deakin started her career as a psychologist with the West Yorkshire Police. She is now an occupational psychologist and lives with her family in Leeds. This is her debut thriller.

Book Synopsis:

Everyone knows the story of the girl from Widow Hills.

When Arden Maynor was six years old, she was swept away in terrifying storm and went missing for days. Against all odds, she was found alive, clinging to a storm drain. A living miracle. Arden’s mother wrote a book, and fame followed. But so did fans, creeps and stalkers. It was all too much, and as soon as she was old enough, Arden changed her name and left Widow Hills behind.

Now, a young woman living hundreds of miles away, Arden is known as Olivia. With the twentieth anniversary of her rescue looming, media interest in the girl who survived is increasing. Where is she now? The stress brings back the night terrors of Olivia’s youth. Often, she finds herself out of bed in the middle of the night, sometimes outside her home, even streets away. Then one evening she jolts awake in her yard, with the corpse of a man at her feet.

The girl from Widow Hills is about to become the centre of the story, once again.

The Girl From Widow Hill is available in ebook and hardback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

This was a beautifully written, addictive story which I really enjoyed. I’ve been a fan of this author for a while and in my opinion she keeps getting better and better.

This story gripped me from the start when the reader is first introduced to the intriguing storyline concerning Arden’s disappearence. I found myself quickly intrigued as to what it would have been like to be trapped in such a way and how utterly terrifying it would have been. Having read a few of the author’s books I also wondered if everything has actually happened as Olivia/ Arden remembered or if things weren’t quite as they seemed. All of this helped ensure I was soon thoroughly engrossed in the book as I wanted to find out what would happen and if I was right.

Olivia is a very sympathetic character who I quickly warmed to, especially when I realised how affected by the incident she still was. I felt sorry for her as she seemed to have cut herself off from the world in her remote cabin and hardly has any friends to talk to. I found the fact that she had no memories of the incident very interesting and I slowly felt more concerned about her as I read.

This book was a bit if a slow burner, with the pace gradually increasing throughout the book as the investigation continues. The author manages to blend past and present together really well, using interesting extracts from various sources as snippets from when Arden originally disappeared. There were lots of twists and turns which kept me guessing, along with a few false leads which had me unable to put the book down towards the end.

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

About The Author:

Megan Miranda is the New York Times bestselling author of All the Missing Girls, The Perfect Stranger, and The Last House Guest, a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick. She grew up in New Jersey, graduated from MIT, and lives in North Carolina with her husband and two children.

Follow @MeganLMiranda on Twitter and Instagram, or @AuthorMeganMiranda on Facebook.
http://www.meganmiranda.com

Book Synopsis:

“You have one hour to live.”

Those are the only words on the phone call. Then they hang up. Surely, a prank? A mistake? A wrong number? Anything but the chilling truth… That someone is watching, waiting, working to take your life in one hour.

But why?

The job of finding out falls to DI Helen Grace: a woman with a track record in hunting killers. However, this is A case where the killer seems to always be one step ahead of the police and the victims.

With no motive, no leads, no clues – nothing but pure fear – an hour can last a lifetime…

All Fall Down is available in ebook and hardback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

This was the first book I’ve read by this author, though I’ve heard lots of great things, so I was very excited to start this book.

This book gripped me from the first few pages as I found myself drawn into the story and the chilling case DI Grace finds herself in. It’s definitely an intriguing case with lots happening that made me keep reading as I had to know how it would be resolved. The situation seemed very realistic which helped add a chill factor to the book as I could clearly envision what was happening.

Helen was an interesting and very relatable main character who felt like someone I might know. She’s definitely been through some tough times and I loved how tough and determined she was. She has an interesting way of dealing with the stress though which was interesting and I liked that she had that slight flaw as otherwise she might have been too perfect.

Overall I really enjoyed this scary, read which kept me guessing throughout as to what was happening which is always fun. The pace was quite fast and made the book hard to put down. I kept promising myself I’d only read a bit more and look up two hours later. I can’t wait to read more from this author now.

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

About The Author:

M. J. Arlidge has worked in television for the last twenty years, specialising in high-end drama production, including prime-time crime serials Silent Witness, Torn, The Little House and, most recently, the hit ITV show Innocent. In 2015 his audiobook exclusive Six Degrees of Assassination was a number-one bestseller. His debut thriller, Eeny Meeny, was the UK’s bestselling crime debut of 2014 and has been followed by 8 more DI Helen Grace bestsellers.