Book Synopsis:

A riveting new mystery from the award winning author…

When Henry Farrell took a job policing Wild Thyme, Pennsylvania, he was recently widowed and still trying to find his feet.His first big cases put Officer Farrell face to face with Wild Thyme’s encroaching demons. Now, he’s got the lay of the land and he’s newly married to a local girl.

Then a body – headless and half eaten by a bear – is discovered in the woods. With the help of a local biologist, Henry tracks the bear, hoping to catch him before any more lives are lost, but when his nephew disappears into the same woods they realise they may be facing a far bigger and more sinister threat.

The Bramble And The Rose is available in ebook now and will be published in hardback on the 10th April 2020. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

I really enjoyed this unique, dark crime thriller which had a bit of a classic feel to it. This was actually a new author for me, though I have heard lots about him, so I was very intrigued to start reading.

Firstly the author does a great job of setting the scene with his wonderfully vivid descriptions of Wild Thyme, a small rural village in Pennsylvania. I felt that I could really imagine the little village and the woods with all the amazing nature. This helped me to understand the story more and I liked being able to imagine clearly the locations in the story.

The main character Henry Farrell was a fantastic creation who I enjoyed following throughout his investigation. He’s quite a complex character with a few skeletons hiding in his closet which I found very interesting to find out about. He seemed like a very real character, particularly as he had made a few mistakes and I found myself warming to him as the story went on.

The murder mystery was incredibly interesting to follow especially as it seemed like such an open and shut case at the start. The plot was very satisfying and I enjoyed following the different storylines as they came together towards the end. It does have a bit of a dip in the middle but do keep going as things get very exciting later on.

Huge thanks to Connor from Faber for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Tom Bouman’s first book, Dry Bones in the Valley, won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel and a Los Angeles Times Book Prize. He lives in Pennsylvania.

Book Synopsis:

A lifetime of love. Six months of silence. One last chance.

Frank hasn’t spoken to his wife Maggie for six months.

For weeks they have lived under the same roof, slept in the same bed and eaten at the same table – all without words.

Maggie has plenty of ideas as to why her husband has gone quiet, but it will take another heartbreaking turn of events before Frank finally starts to unravel the secrets that have silenced him.

Is this where their story ends?
Or is it where it begins?

With characters that will capture your heart, THE SILENT TREATMENT celebrates the phenomenal power of love and the importance of leaving nothing unsaid.

The Silent Treatment will be published in ebook and hardback on the 2nd April 2020. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

The Silent Treatment was a beautifully written story about love, sadness and secrets which somehow manages to be both heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time.

Maggie’s story really resonated with me as I know very well how your relationship changes as the years go on and how having children can affect the relationship you had with your husband. Suddenly you have all these little people who need you in order to survive and this often means that your husband gets sidelined. I therefore really felt for Maggie and how she was feeling.

The story is told by both Maggie and Frank so that the reader gets to hear the story from both points of view. My favourite part of this was Frank’s story as I loved that he was telling us what was going on at the same time as explaining himself to Maggie. This intimate glimpse into their relationship was really affectively done and meant that I felt everything they were going through like it was happening to me.

I so enjoyed this wonderful book and felt very sad when I finished it as the characters had started to feel like they were old friends. The message in this book was a beautiful one, that you shouldn’t hold off telling someone how you feel as you never know what’s going to happen.

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

About The Author:

Abbie Greaves studied English Literature at Cambridge University. She worked in publishing for three years before leaving to focus on her writing. She now lives in Edinburgh, Scotland. The Silent Treatment is her first novel.

abbiegreaves.com

Twitter: @abbiegreaves1

Instagram: @abbiegreavesauthor

Book Synopsis:

Hassanakis is a young Muslim boy of Turkish descent growing up on Crete during WWI. Fifteen generations of his family have lived on the island and until now he has never had any reason not to think he is a Cretan. But with the Great Powers tussling over the collapsing Ottoman Empire and the island’s Christians in rebellion, an outbreak of ethnic violence forces his family to flee to the Cretan City of Chania. He begins to lay down roots and his snappy dress earns him the nickname of Hassan ‘the mirror’. As WWI draws to a close and the Turkish War of Independence rages, he begins a heady romance with the elegant Hüsniye. There are rumours that the Cretan Muslims will be sent to Turkey but Hassanakis can’t believe he will be sent to a country whose language he barely knows and where he knows no-one. This powerful novel drawn from the diary of a refugee family evokes the beauty, complexity and trauma of Crete’s past and weaves it into a moving tale of an ordinary man living through extraordinary times.

Children Of War is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase a copy using the link below.

My Review:

Children Of War is a beautifully written, poignant read which I found utterly fascinating. This book takes the reader through some of the interesting history of Crete which is a subject I didn’t know much about. I had no idea that they had such a interesting and colourful history so I enjoyed following events throughout the years. The story is interspersed with lovely poems and songs from the area which helps give the reader an idea of their culture and the kinship they enjoy which was also very interesting to learn about.

The author’s writing style was just beautiful and the diary entries helped make the story seem much more personal, so all that happens is very hard hitting. I often found myself getting teary whilst reading. The author perfectly blends fact with fiction which I thought was cleverly done. I always like being able to look up historical events and learn a little more about them.

The wonderful friendships between Hassanakis, Vladimiros and his wife was absolutely wonderful to read about. The fact that they could enjoy such a close, warm friendship despite their differences in religion was beautiful. I so enjoyed reading the passages involving them and I loved the descriptions of their special bond.

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

About The Author:

Ahmet Yorulmaz was a Turkish a journalist, author and translator. He was born in Ayvalik to a family of Cretan Turks deported to mainland Turkey as part of the Greek/Turkish population exchange decreed in the Treaty of Lausanne. He was fluent in modern Greek and translated novels and poems from contemporary Greek literature to Turkish. Most of his original works were written with the aim of making people learn about Ayvalık, the city where he grew up. He dedicated himself to Greek-Turkish friendship and rapprochement.

Paula Darwish is a freelance translator and professional musician. She read Turkish Language and Literature with Middle Eastern History at SOAS in London graduating with a First in 1997. In 2015, she was invited to attend the Cunda International Workshops for Translators of Turkish Literature, where she participated in a collaborative translation of the works of Behçet Necatigil. Her submission from the novel Savaşın Çocukları by the late Ahmet Yorulmaz won a prize in the 2015 PEN Samples Translation Pitch competition. In 2017, her translation of the short story Uzun Kışın Suçlusu by Demet Şahin was part of the 10th Istanbul International Poetry and Literature Festival. She has also translated some notable non-fiction works, including a bilingual catalogue of the buildings of the famous Ottoman architect, Sinan. She is a qualified member (MITI) of the Institute of Translators and Interpreters.

Book Synopsis:

Woman. Wife. Smuggler. Spy . . .

A thrilling and heart-wrenching novel inspired by the astonishing real life story of Nancy Wake. Perfect for fans of Suzanne Goldring’s MY NAME IS EVA, Kate Quinn’s THE ALICE NETWORK and Imogen Kealey’s LIBERATION, soon to be a blockbuster movie.

In 1936, foreign correspondent, Nancy Wake, witnesses first-hand the terror of Hitler’s rise in Europe. No sooner has Nancy met, fallen in love with and agreed to marry French industrialist Henri Fiocca, than the Germans invade France and force her to take on her first code name of many. The Gestapo call her the White Mouse for her remarkable ability to evade capture when smuggling Allied soldiers across borders. She becomes Hélène when she leaves France to train in espionage with an elite special forces group in London. Then, when she returns to France, she is the deadly Madame Andrée. But the closer France gets to liberation, the more exposed Nancy – and the people she loves – will become.

Inspired by true wartime events, Code Name Hélène is a gripping and moving story of extraordinary courage, unfaltering resolve, remarkable sacrifice – and enduring love.

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

My Review:

This was a powerful and thrilling piece of historical fiction which was an absolutely fantastic read. I’m a huge fan of historical fiction especially if it’s based on a real story so this book really appealed to me.

Firstly Nancy – what a woman! The things she did were so courageous that it completely blew my mind Independent, fierce and incredibly strong she was a lady who I wish knew personally as I would have loved to hear all her stories. The fact that she does all the amazing, brave things but still keeps some of her feminity by always applying red lipstick made her seem even cooler in my eyes too.

As you can probably expect from a spy story, I found this book to be very fast paced and there was always something going on to keep me very intrigued. I really enjoyed following Nancy on her exploits and learning a little more about what it was like to be a spy. The author manages to perfectly convey the feeling of uncertainty and the tension that goes with being a spy so that I often felt I was living everything alongside Nancy as the atmosphere was so well described. There are a few rather graphic and a little disturbing scenes in the book which I found hard to read but are in keeping with what happened during the war but these didn’t detract from my enjoyment at all. I absolutely loved this book and will be recommending it to everyone. My understanding is that it’s soon to be made into a film which I am very excited about.

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

About The Author:

Ariel Lawhon, author of I Was Anastasia (2018), Flight of Dreams (2016) and The Wife, The Maid And The Mistress (2014), is a critically acclaimed writer of historical fiction. She lives with her family in the rolling hills outside Nashville, Tennessee.

Book Synopsis:

Chaos reigns in the sleepy village of Aramoana on the New Zealand coast, when a series of shipping containers wash up on the beach and looting begins.

Detective Constable Sam Shephard experiences the desperation of the scavengers first-hand, and ends up in an ambulance, nursing her wounds and puzzling over an assault that left her assailant for dead.

What appears to be a clear-cut case of a cargo ship running aground soon takes a more sinister turn when a skull is found in the sand, and the body of a diver is pulled from the sea … a diver who didn’t die of drowning…

As first officer at the scene, Sam is handed the case, much to the displeasure of her superiors, and she must put together an increasingly confusing series of clues to get to the bottom of a mystery that may still have more victims…

Containment will be available in ebook and paperback now. The ebook is currently only 99p. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

I’m a huge fan of this author and in need of distraction at the moment decided to pick it up as I knew it would be a fantastic read. I was not disappointed as this was another gripping crime thriller from this talented author.

The book started in a very interesting way, when some shipping containers wash up on the beach. This brings out the worst in people and I found it interesting to see how quickly it took for chaos to reign. The discovery of a body turn into an intriguing case for Sam and her team.

I absolutely loved Sam who was such an amazing character. It was great to see her progression through the book as she tries to work out the kinks in her new job and build the trust of her colleagues. Some of the banter and interesting descriptions that are used to describe her colleagues were hilarious and I actually found myself laughing out loud as I read. Sam’s relationship with Maggie was brilliant and I so enjoyed reading about the two of them. It was great to be able to see how the case can affect a police detective personally and see her work through this with a close friend.

Overall I really enjoyed this addictive book which just drew me in from the start. It was great to follow Sam on her investigations and to try and figure out what was going on. The beautiful descriptions of New Zealand helped me visualise the settings and made me determined to visit New Zealand again in the future. Whilst not as dark as her previous books it was still hugely enjoyable and I can’t wait to read more from her in the future.

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

About The Author:

Vanda Symon lives in Dunedin with her husband and two young boys. A former pharmacist, Vanda is now a domestic goddess, a writer and full-time mum. She is heavily involved in the community, sitting on numerous committees, and hosts a monthly local radio show called ‘Write On’, focusing on writers and the world of books.

Book Synopsis:

Paris, today. The Museum of Broken Promises is a place of wonder and sadness, hope and loss. Every object in the museum has been donated – a cake tin, a wedding veil, a baby’s shoe. And each represent a moment of grief or terrible betrayal. The museum is a place where people come to speak to the ghosts of the past and, sometimes, to lay them to rest. Laure, the owner and curator, has also hidden artefacts from her own painful youth amongst the objects on display.

Prague, 1985. Recovering from the sudden death of her father, Laure flees to Prague. But life behind the Iron Curtain is a complex thing: drab and grey yet charged with danger. Laure cannot begin to comprehend the dark, political currents that run beneath the surface of this communist city. Until, that is, she meets a young dissident musician. Her love for him will have terrible and unforeseen consequences.

It is only years later, having created the museum, that Laure can finally face up to her past and celebrate the passionate love which has directed her life.

The Museum Of Broken Promises is available in ebook and hardback now and it will be published in paperback on the 2nd April 2020. You can purchase or pre-order your copy using the link below.

My Review:

I absolutely loved this beautifully written, touching love story from one of my favourite writers.

Firstly I absolutely loved the descriptions of the museum of lost things and wish there was a real museum like it that I could visit. I think it would be utterly fascinating to explore and very interesting to learn all the stories behind the objects. I think it would be emotional to read about all the disappointments in people’s lIfe.

Laure is an interesting main character who it took me a little while to warm too as she seemed quite a cold, standoffish person when we are first introduced to her. However I soon realized that this was to protect herself from getting hurt again as she has been in the past. I liked how the reader often get little glimpses of her gentler self though like her tenderness towards the stray cat in her road. These helped me to understand her more and realise why she was acting the way she does.

I’ve always loved books set in the cold war as it’s always interesting to learn about how life was under Communist rule, especially as it is so different from our normal daily life. I must confess that I knew little about Czechoslovakia’s Communist past however so I found all the little details about this very interesting. Most books seem to be based in Germany so I liked that the author set if in a different country so I could learn more about the time.

The actual love story was wonderful to read about and I enjoyed watching it develop. Even though I knew from the beginning that it didn’t have a happy ending I kept reading in the hope that it somehow ended differently to how I thought.

Huge thanks to Charlotte Walker from Love Reading for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Corvus for my copy of this book. If you’re a fan of beautifully written, fascinating historical fiction then you’ll love this book.

About The Author:

Elizabeth Buchan was a fiction editor at Random House before leaving to write full time. Her novels include the prizewinning Consider the Lily, international bestseller Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman and The New Mrs Clifton. She reviews for the Sunday Times and the Daily Mail, and has chaired the Betty Trask and Desmond Elliot literary prizes. She was a judge for the Whitbread First Novel Award and for the 2014 Costa Novel Award.
elizabethbuchan.com

Book Synopsis:

I should have realized something was wrong when I saw the way people looked at me in the hotel that morning. The way they glanced at my daughter Madison and the fearful look in their eyes when they found out I had inherited the old family home.

Then I find a jewelry box in my mother’s room. It sits covered in blue satin, hidden away in dust, untouched for years. And the contents inside change everything.

In my gut I know I need to admit this was a mistake, take my children by the hand and forget about my past forever. But now I’ve started digging I know that it’s impossible to leave…

A gripping and emotional novel about what it means to belong. The Daughter She Lost is perfect for fans of Kerry Fisher, Diane Chamberlain and Liane Moriarty.

The Daughter She Lost is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

I was a huge fan of this author’s first book so I was very excited to be invited onto the blog tour for this, her latest book. Once again the author has written a fabulous book involving lots of secrets, lies and intrigue which was hugely enjoyable to read.

The plot of this book was very cleverly done and I enjoyed watching the different stories come together slowly in a very satisfying way. The author unravels everything in a tantalising way that ensured I kept reading as I wanted to find out how everything would end. I loved how little clues or reveals would be dropped in one story and would affect the other other storylines too. I found myself almost trying to shout at the characters at times as they hadn’t worked things out.

The tension and intrigue slowly builds throughout the book until an amazing ending which took me completely by surprise. I thought it was very clever how the author managed to keep me in suspense the whole book.

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

About The Author:

I write dark, emotional women’s fiction as well as romance with a twist. My most recent book, My Mother’s Silence, is an emotional journey about homecoming and family secrets set in the wild Scottish highlands. It has been shortlisted for the Jackie Collins Romantic Thriller Award 2020. My holiday romance Moonlight on the Thames was a bestseller in urban fiction and top 100 Kindle book. My first three novels: Finding Home, Finding Secrets and Finding Dreams all feature intelligent, feisty contemporary heroines who set out to unravel the mysteries of the past. Your opinions are important to me, so please do leave a review. I love hearing from readers, so if you wish to get in touch, please visit my website: http://www.laurenwestwoodwriter.com, or follow me on twitter: @lwestwoodwriter or Facebook: Lwestwoodbooks. Thank you for reading!

Book Synopsis:

Daisy grew up around secrets she knew by heart but were never spoken. She had no idea just how much damage secrets could do, but she would soon learn.

It’s a warm, cloudless morning on the day the envelope arrives for Daisy. Soft sunlight streams into the apartment she shares with her partner, Anderson, who is sleeping peacefully. Daisy’s fought hard for this happiness, worked her way up from being a vulnerable teenage runaway to a woman with a stable job and a loving boyfriend.

But when Daisy discovers the handwritten wedding invitation from her childhood best friend, Stella, her bright morning turns suddenly dark. The wedding is back amongst the misty woods and rolling hills of Daisy’s North Carolina hometown. The same town where she is still known as ‘the crazy one’ for telling people about the dead girl she saw that summer’s day in the woods. A girl who looked just like her, and whose body was never found.

During that fateful summer, as rumors spread that Daisy was either insane or a liar, she sought refuge in her friendship with kind and beautiful Stella. Until the day she discovered Stella’s shocking betrayal and their sweet friendship grew bitter. Now, fifteen years later, can Daisy forgive Stella, the girl she once called ‘blood sister’? And why is Stella reaching out now, after all this time?

There’s only one thing Daisy is sure of—if she wants to build a happy future, she’s going to have to finally confront the mysteries of her dark past.

The Girl I Thought I Knew is a spellbinding and moving novel for fans of Liane Moriarty, Kristin Hannah and Kerry Fisher.

The Girl I Thought I Knew is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

This was a fantastic, intriguing story of forgiveness and believing in yourself. It’s a hard book to review as I don’t want to give away any spoilers.

I was immediately drawn into the story and Daisy’s life as the story is written like it is actually happening to you. The plot is very well written and the story alternates between the present and the past which made for very interesting reading. I liked trying to work out how things in Daisy’s past were influencing her future. The small town mentality was wonderfully described and helped create some of the mystery in the book as I wondered what secrets they were all hiding.

The mystery in this book slowly increases as the book goes on and I found it very hard to put the book down as I was so enjoying it. There is a little dip in pace in the middle but it soon picks up so do keep going as the ending is absolutely brilliant- I seriously didn’t see that coming!

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

About The Author:

Kelly Heard published poetry in literary magazines before signing her debut novel, Before You Go, with Bookouture. Kelly writes about nature, about families, about finding strength you didn’t know you had. Her characters are outsiders and empaths, weird kids from small towns. Similarly, she loves the outdoors, long drives, or quiet afternoons with a craft project and a glass of wine. She prefers writing to most other pastimes, but you’ll occasionally find her in the garden, hiking, or exploring thrift shops (the spookier the better). She lives in Richmond, Virginia, but the Blue Ridge Mountains will always feel like home. For more updates, follow Kelly on Twitter at @heardkj1, where she muses on writing, parenting, and where the two intersect. If you’d like to be kept up to date with Kelly’s latest releases, then sign up to her mailing list at http://www.bookouture.com/kelly-heard/. Her second novel will be released in March 2020. Website: http://www.kellyjeanheard.com