Book Synopsis:

Dare to step on board The Lion’s Den?

When Belle is invited by her old friend Summer on a luxurious girls’ getaway to the Mediterranean aboard her billionaire boyfriend’s yacht, the only answer is yes.

But once aboard the opulent Lion’s Den, the dream holiday quickly turns into a nightmare. Belle and the other six women Summer has invited are treated more like prisoners than guests by their powerful host, locked into their cabins at night, their every move controlled – and Belle finds Summer herself is no longer the girl she once knew.

It soon becomes clear someone has a dark secret. Pulled into a dangerous game of cat and mouse, Belle realizes she must keep her wits about her if she is to make it off the yacht alive…

The Lion’s Den is available in ebook and hardback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

Ooh I did enjoy this deliciously entertaining, gripping read which would be perfect for enjoying on the beach or, more likely, your back garden this summer!

The author does a fantastic job of setting the scene in this novel and I soon found myself completely drawn into the story and the interesting situation Bella finds herself in. There is definitely some strange things happening onboard the yacht which helps create a rather dark and sinister atmosphere which I found hugely enjoyable as well as rather gripping.

I really liked Bella who came across as a really nice, normal girl. I loved her sense of humour and that she didn’t have any huge flaws which made her behave questionably. I did wonder why on earth she was on the yacht with everyone though as they didn’t seem to have much in common.

Overall I found this a really entertaining and enjoyable read which was a perfect blend of thriller and women’s fiction which also made it a fairly easy read as it had a great flow to it. The way the story is told by alternating the past and present was very clever as was the final conclusion. I would definitely like to read more from this author in the future.

Huge thanks to Emily from Headline for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book via Netgalley.

About The Author:

Katherine St. John is a native of Mississippi and graduate of the University of Southern California. Over the years she has worked as an actress, screenwriter, director, photographer, producer, singer-songwriter, legal assistant, bartender-waitress, yoga instructor, real estate agent, and travel coordinator . . . but finds she likes writing novels best. Katherine currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband and children.

Book Synopsis:

Diana Nammi became a fighter with the Peshmerga when she was only seventeen. Originally known as Galavezh, she grew up in the Kurdish region of Iran in the 1960s and 70s. She became involved in politics as a teenager and, like many students, played a part in the Iranian Revolution of 1979. But the new Islamic regime tolerated no opposition, and after Kurdistan was brutally attacked, Galavezh found that she had no choice but to become a soldier in the famed military force. She spent twelve years on the front line, and helped lead the struggle for women’s rights and equality for the Kurdish people, becoming one of the Iranian regime’s most wanted in the process. As well as being the startling account of Galavezh’s time as a fighter, Girl with a Gun is also a narrative about family and resilience, with a powerful love story at its heart.

Girl With A Gun is available in ebook and hardback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

Girl With A Gun was an absolutely fascinating, captivating read which is amazing to think is a true story.

Firstly I had such huge admiration for Diana and the courage she shows by joining the Peshmera soldiers to help defend Kurdistan. I’m really not sure I’d have been able to do the same thing so it was very interesting to follow Diana on her extraordinary journey. I am sorry to say I knew next to nothing about the events of the Iranian revolution so it was fascinating to find out more.

I found this a surprisingly gripping read which is unusual for an autobiography and there was always something happening to keep me gripped. I raced through this book in a couple of days which hardly ever happens as a mother of three kids. There were some truly gut wrenching, shocking moments which will stay with me forever and was quite humbling as I’ve never experienced similar.

Overall I think this was an amazing, important read which I think everyone should read. Diana is a truly inspirational person and I’m very impressed with her continual fight for women’s rights. If I was to have one criticism it’s that I wish it was longer as I’d have loved to have read more about her life in the UK. However I’m hopeful that she’s saved that for a future book!

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

About The Authors:

Diana Nammi spent twelve years on the front line as a Peshmerga before moving to the UK as a political refugee, founding the Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation in 2002. In 2014 she won the Special Jury Women on the Move Award from UNHCR and was recognised as one of the BBC’s ‘100 Women’. In 2015 she won the Voices of Courage Award from the Women’s Refugee Commission in New York.

In a twenty-year career as a journalist, Karen Attwood‘s work has been published in all UK national newspapers as well as several international publications. She is a former staff writer at the Independent and the Press Association, and was on the launch team for Abu Dhabi’s first English-language newspaper, the National.

Book Synopsis:

Set in the exotic city of Havana on the cusp of revolution, an English woman discovers mystery, romance and scandal in the atmospheric new novel by Rachel Rhys for fans of DINAH JEFFRIES, LUCINDA RILEY and SANTA MONTEFIORE

1957: Iris Bailey is bored to death of working in the typing pool and living with her parents in Hemel Hempstead. A gifted portraitist with a talent for sketching party guests, she dreams of becoming an artist. So she can’t believe her luck when socialite Nell Hardman invites her to Havana to draw at the wedding of her Hollywood director father.

Far from home, she quickly realizes the cocktails, tropical scents and azure skies mask a darker reality. As Cuba teeters on the edge of revolution and Iris’s heart melts for troubled photographer Joe, she discovers someone in the charismatic Hardman family is hiding a terrible secret. Can she uncover the ugly truth behind the glamour and the dazzle before all their lives are torn apart?

Island Of Secrets is available in ebook now and will be published in paperback on the 25th June 2020. You can purchase or pre-order your copy using the link below.

My Review:

Island Of Secrets is an atmospheric and captivating historical read which I absolutely adored.

This author has an amazing ability to perfectly capture a setting so that the reader feels fully transported there so its like they are experiencing everything alongside the characters. Havana has always held some intrigue for me as it’s such a secretive country with a fascinating history so I really enjoyed learning more about the country and what it was really like, especially the huge divide between the rich and poor, the American influence that helped run the country and of course the revolution which changed things for country.

I wasn’t completely sure I liked Iris the main character as she frustrated me with her naivety and some of the dubious decisions she makes. It’s very obvious that she’s in over her head but instead of feeling sympathy for her I felt frustrated and wished she just wise up! The rest of the characters were interesting ones who all managed to bring a different element to the story. I really liked how the author let’s the reader slowly get to know them so that you are given time to make up your own opinions. I think that helped make the story seem more realistic and ensured that I kept reading as I was very intrigued about where the story was going.

The tension and intrigue in this book slowly increases as it becomes more obvious that there are lots of secrets and history lurking beneath the surface. Danger seems to be everywhere and I found myself completely gripped watching the various storylines unfold. The Island setting helps create an almost claustrophobic feel to the story which along with the heat and the brewing revolution helps give the impression that Iris and the other characters are hemmed in and trapped. The ending was very well executed and a very satisfying way to end everything.

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:

RACHEL RHYS is the pen-name of a much-loved psychological suspense author. She is the author of the Richard and Judy bookclub pick, Dangerous Crossing and the bestselling A Fatal Inheritance. Her latest novel is the immersive Island of Secrets. Rachel Rhys lives in North London with her family.

Book Synopsis:

Up until yesterday I knew who I was.
Up until yesterday my life wasn’t a lie.

Rosa Fisher is the smart girl, the good girl. At twenty-five and mid-way through a PhD in the psychology of fraud, she thinks she has herself all figured out. Until that night, when the house is dark and she is all alone, and she hears an intruder on the stairs.

But the intruder isn’t looking for Rosa Fisher. He’s after someone else. And everything Rosa has ever known about her world is about to be turned upside down.

Determined to find out who she really is, Rosa traces her origins back to a small Canadian town, to a fire in a barn and a devastating family tragedy. Which forces her to question – if she can lie with such ease, was she ever really the good girl after all?

The Devil You Know is published in ebook and paperback on the 28th May 2020. You can pre-order your copy using the link below.

My Review:

This was another tense, clever read from this talented author. I was so excited to read another book from her as I’ve really enjoyed her previous books.

Firstly I thought the characters in this book were brilliant. My favourite was definitely Rosa who was a strong, impulsive character who I liked immediately and I enjoyed following her throughout the book. She makes some rather questionable decisions sometimes which gets her into trouble and had me wishing I could somehow go into the book to give her a talking to as I found her so frustrating! I always think this is a sign of a well written character when they can make you feel so strongly about their actions. Jackson Wolf was also an interesting character as although on one hand he was quite terrifying and I felt he’d kill anyone in an instant if he got the chance, on the other I felt there was a hint of something a bit softer about him which I found very intriguing.

The tension in the book gradually increases as the story goes on with the wonderful writing and vivid descriptions ensuring that I couldn’t put this book down. The author has a background in psychology and includes a little bit about the psychology of fraud and the effect it can have on a person. I thought it was incredibly clever how Rosa’s paranoia after the break-in was described as it wasn’t written in a hugely dramatic way but rather with small subtle changes to her which gradually increased as time went on. This made it seem very realistic and meant I felt a lot of sympathy to Rosa.

Overall I really enjoyed this tense, clever read which kept me guessing until the end. I had many theories about who Jackson Wolf was but was proven wrong multiple times which I really enjoyed.

Huge thanks to Alainna from Orion for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Orion for my copy of this book via Netgalley.

About The Author:

Emma Kavanagh was born in Wales in 1978 and currently lives in South Wales with her husband and two young sons. She trained as a psychologist and, after leaving university, started her own business as a psychology consultant, specialising in human performance in extreme situations. For seven years she provided training and consultation for police forces and NATO and military personnel throughout the UK and Europe.
For more information, tweet Emma @EmmaLK

Book Synopsis:

Lover. Murderer. Mother. Meet TSARINA, the most powerful woman history ever forgot.

Spring 1699: Illegitimate, destitute and strikingly beautiful, Marta has survived the brutal Russian winter in her remote Baltic village. Sold by her family into household labour at the age of fifteen, Marta survives by committing a crime that will force her to go on the run.

A world away, Russia’s young ruler, Tsar Peter I, passionate and iron-willed, has a vision for transforming the traditionalist Tsardom of Russia into a modern, Western empire. Countless lives will be lost in the process.

Falling prey to the Great Northern War, Marta cheats death at every turn, finding work as a washerwoman at a battle camp. One night at a celebration, she encounters Peter the Great. Relying on her wits and her formidable courage, and fuelled by ambition, desire and the sheer will to live, Marta will become Catherine I of Russia. But her rise to the top is ridden with peril; how long will she survive the machinations of Peter’s court, and more importantly, Peter himself?

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

My Review:

Tsarina was a fascinating, enthralling historical novel which really brings Russian history to life.

Firstly Catherine was truly an amazing woman. The fact she managed to get to such a high position when she was born a peasant, couldn’t read or write and was a woman in a male dominated society was truly remarkable. I found I admired her more as the book went on and I was firmly on her side, hoping that she succeeded.

The author has clearly done a lot of research into this period and all the little details about life back then helped bring the period to life. I knew nothing about this period so greedily absorbed everything I could. As the blurb says Catherine has mainly be forgotten from history which is really sad, and not much is known about her early life so the author has had to use some imagination at times which I found completely enthralling. Peter was definitely an interesting character who did much for modernising Russia. He was definitely a cruel man and some of his actions were very brutal which made for uncomfortable reading sometimes. One particular scene made me feel slightly sick so just be warned it’s quite graphic at times.

Overall I thought this was a fast paced, addictive read which I flew through in a few days. I found myself so completely emersed in the world she’d created that I found myself confused when I had to come back into the present. The author definitely knows how to make history interesting and I thought this book was brilliantly written and just draws the reader into the story. I will definitely be looking out for this author in the future.

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

About The Author:

Ellen Alpsten was born and raised in the Kenyan highlands, before attending L’Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris. Whilst studying for her Msc in PPE she won the Grande École short story competition with her novella Meeting Mr. Gandhi and was encouraged to continue writing. Upon graduating, she worked as a producer and presenter for Bloomberg TV in London. She contributes to in ternational publications such as Vogue, Standpoint and Conde Nast Traveller. Tsarina is her first novel. She lives in London with her husband and three children.

Book Synopsis:

Say goodbye to your problems
In pursuit of two armed fugitives in the wilderness of Washington State, unique investigator Colter Shaw witnesses a shocking suicide. This leads him to the Foundation – a cult that promises to transform peoples lives. But is there more to it than meets the eye?

Say goodbye to your freedom
Shaw goes undercover to expose the Foundation’s real purpose. Before long he meets the charismatic leader Master Eli, a man who commands terrifying loyalty from his followers.

Say goodbye to your life
Something truly dark is going on beneath the surface of the idyllic community. And as Shaw peels back the layers of truth, he begins to see there is only one way to escape the Foundation… and the price for that freedom might well be your very life.

The Goodbye Man is available in ebook and hardback now. You can purchase your copy of both using the link below.

My Review:

The Goodbye Man is another entertaining, absorbing and thrilling read from this talented author. It’s going to be hard to review this book as I don’t want to give anything away.

Firstly I absolutely loved the main character Colt who was a fascinating, brave man who seemed incredibly skilled at what he does. I liked that he seemed to have a conscience and seemed to care about others which is quite unusual in this type of character. I really enjoyed following him in his undercover work and seeing how he manages to investigate things.

I’ve got a bit of a fascination with cults so found that part of the book to be very interesting. I’m definitely glad I don’t belong to it as I felt trapped just reading about it. The fact that Colt was there undercover added an uncertain element to the story as I was never sure what would happen next whilst he was there and when he would be discovered. I found myself reading faster and faster as I was anxious to find out.

Overall I thought this was a fast paced, thrilling read which I really enjoyed. I didn’t actually realise it was the second book in the series so it can easily be read as a standalone as everything is explained. I liked how the different storylines drew together and how the ending hinted at a sequel. I’m very excited to read more about Colt.

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

About The Author:

Jeffery Deaver is the #1 international bestselling and award-winning author of more than forty novels, three collections of short stories, and a nonfiction law book. His books are sold in 150 countries and translated into twenty-five languages. A former journalist, folksinger, and attorney, he was born outside of Chicago and has a bachelor of journalism degree from the University of Missouri and a law degree from Fordham University.

Book Synopsis:

HER DREAM WEDDING
IS ABOUT TO BECOME A NIGHTMARE

It’s Julia’s wedding day. Her nerves are to be expected – every bride feels the same – but there’s another layer to her fear, one that she cannot explain to her soon-to-be husband, Mark. She’s never told him the details – and she is determined he never finds out.

As she begins down the aisle, spotting Mark in his tailored suit, she knows she is taking her first steps to happiness – her past is behind her, it can’t catch her now. Mark turns to face her . . .

But it isn’t Mark in the beautiful suit – it’s his best man.

Because Mark is missing.  

And Julia’s past is closer than she thinks . . .

Perfect for fans of Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll and Now You See Her by Heidi Perks, this is a dark, twisty psychological thriller that asks the question, how well can you really know anyone?

Before I Say I Do is available in ebook and paperback on the 28th May 2020. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

This was a fantastic, fast paced crime novel which is hard to believe is the author’s debut.

The story is told from the point of view of Julia and Alana as they investigate what happened to Julia’s fiance Mark after he disappeared on his wedding day. What initially looks like a simple case of cold feet turns out to be a lot more complicated and it was great fun to go on the investigation with them. As the story progresses we slowly learn more about them and their past which made for interesting reading.

The author does a great job with the storyline in this book and I thought the plot unfolded at a great pace, keeping me in suspense the whole way through. There were lots of twists which kept me guessing and ensured that the ending took me completely by surprise which I always love. I can’t wait to read more from this author and hope that some of the characters in this book make an appearance in a future book.

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

About The Author:

Vicki Bradley is the author of the psychological thriller, BEFORE I SAY I DO, published 28th May 2020.

She completed a Creative Writing Novel MA at City University of London in 2016. She won the Write Here Right Now competition 2018, came 3rd place in the First Novel Prize, and has been shortlisted for the Virago New Crime Writer and Peter Fraser Dunlop prize with her debut novel BEFORE I SAY I DO.

Vicki is a detective constable in the Metropolitan Police Service and has had a varied career as a uniformed response driver in Brent and then as a detective in Southwark CID. She has managed High-Risk Sex Offenders and worked on the Serious Organised Crime Command. She is currently on a 5-year career break while she focuses on writing.

https://vickibradleywriter.comhttps://twitter.com/vbradleywriterhttps://www.facebook.com/vickibradleywriterhttps://www.instagram.com/vickibradleywriter

Book Synopsis:

From the acclaimed author of The Conviction of Cora Burns, longlisted for the Historical Writers’ Association Debut Crown Award

England, 1943. Lost in fog, pilot Vee Katchatourian is forced to make an emergency landing where she meets enigmatic RAF airman Stefan Bergel, and then can’t get him out of her mind.

In occupied Poland, Ewa Hartman hosts German officers in her father’s guest house, while secretly gathering intelligence for the Polish resistance. Mourning her lover, Stefan, who was captured by the Soviets at the start of the war, Ewa is shocked to him on the street one day.

Haunted by a terrible choice he made in captivity, Stefan asks Vee and Ewa to help him expose one of the darkest secrets of the war. But it is not clear where everyone’s loyalties lie until they are tested…

Published to coincide with the 75th anniversary of VE Day and based on WWII war atrocity the Katyn massacre, When We Fall is a moving story of three lives forever altered by one fatal choice.

When We Fall is available in ebook and paperback now. The ebook is currently only £1.89. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

I absolutely loved this author’s first book so I was very excited to read more from her. Once again she blew me away with another beautiful, heartbreaking and thoroughly engrossing read.

Firstly I hadn’t heard of the Katyn massacre before so I found it very interesting to learn more about it especially as it’s a part of ww2 history which is one of my favourite periods of history. The author has cleverly weaved real life facts from the event, like there being one women victim, into the story which makes the story seem more realistic and made me care about the characters. It was great to learn more about the roles women played in the war too as I feel they are sometimes overlooked.

One of the things I most enjoy about this author is her ability to create storylines that the reader can get completely absorbed into. I felt like I was living events alongside the characters, feeling everything that they did. This book manages to be a gripping thriller but also a heartbreaking read which helped keep me glued to the page. I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to No Exit Press for my copy of this book via Netgalley. If you are a fan of beautifully written, absorbing historical fiction then I thoroughly recommend this book!

About The Author:

Carolyn Kirby’s debut novel The Conviction of Cora Burns was published in March 2019 by No Exit Press the UK and Dzanc Books in North America. The book has received great praise from reviewers and journalists. The Sunday Mirror called it “a great historical novel with bite,” and it was chosen by The Times as an historical fiction book of the month. Before being a full-time writer, Carolyn worked in public housing and as a teacher. She has two grown-up daughters and lives with her husband in Oxfordshire. To find out more, go to http://www.carolynkirby.com