Book Synopsis:

Tom is a successful author, but he’s struggling to finish his novel. His main distraction is an online admirer, Evie, who simply won’t leave him alone.

Evie is smart, well read and unstable; she lives with her father and her social-media friendships are not only her escape, but everything she has.

When she’s hit with a restraining order, her world is turned upside down, and Tom is free to live his life again, to concentrate on writing.

But things aren’t really adding up. For Tom is distracted but also addicted to his online relationships, and when they take a darker, more menacing turn, he feels powerless to change things. Because maybe he needs Evie more than he’s letting on.

The Closer I Get is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy of both using the link below.

My Review:

The Closer I Get is a wonderfully dark, disturbing and compelling read which was very hard to put down. The thing that most stands out about this book is how realistic it seems. The author has written about a situation that could actually happen and it’s chilling to see how easy it might be to become obsessed with someone.

The two main characters are incredibly interesting though quite unlikeable characters that I didn’t really warm to, though I don’t think I was meant to. Tom was a hugely arrogant person who I found it hard to sympathise with as his sense of importance was nauseating at times. Evie on the other hand was an interesting character who is portrayed as a classic psychotic female who is very obsessive and almost manic at times. The author has set up what seems to be an open and shut case of victim and aggressor but the more I read the more unsure I was whether that was the case. There is something off about both their stories which made for fascinating reading.

This is quite a dark story which was a very addictive read as I had to keep reading to find out what would happen. The tension in this book is immense as I was never completely sure what on earth Evie would do next, though sometimes I wasn’t sure I wanted to know! I found I felt more and more on edge as the book continued as I didn’t think the story would end well!

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

About The Author:

Paul Burston is the author of Shameless, The Black Path (longlisted for the Guardian’s Not The Booker Prize), and Lovers & Losers (shortlisted for a Stonewall Award). He was a founding editor of Attitude magazine and has written for the Guardian, Independent, Time Out, Times, and Sunday Times. He is the founder and host of London’s LGBT+ literary salon Polari and founder and chair of The Polari First Book Prize for new writing.

Book Synopsis:

A case with no leads.
A victim with no enemies.
A killer with no conscience…

When Detective Beth Young is called to investigate a victim with multiple broken bones, nothing prepares her for what she finds. James Sinclair is fighting for his life, and Beth can’t shake the idea that the nature of his injuries suggest someone with a personal grudge against him.

But James’s devastated wife Laura insists that her kind, softly-spoken husband is a man with no enemies. She was the one with the fiery temper, but James was so calm, she’d never once managed to provoke even a cross word from him in their eight year marriage. And he was the same with everyone – she can’t name one person who might want to hurt him.

But she knows virtually no details about her husband’s childhood or his life before he moved to the Lake District as a young man, and Beth feels sure that the key to finding James’s attacker is hidden in the secrets of his past. Who was he really? And what is the significance of the coded messages that Beth finds hidden on his laptop?

Then two more bodies are found in one of the deep, picturesque lakes that the area is so famous for, exhibiting similar injuries to the ones James Sinclair suffered. How are they connected? And how many more people are at risk?

Beth knows she is in a race against time to hunt a vicious killer who is both elusive and incredibly dangerous. A killer who knows what James did in the past. Who likes to be one step ahead. But who – if they realise they’re being hunted – might come for Beth next…

Fear In The Lakes is available in ebook and paperback now. The ebook is currently only £1.99. You can purchase a copy of both using the link below.

My Review:

I’m a huge fan of this series so I was very excited to be invited onto the blog tour for Fear In The Lakes, the author’s latest book. This book gripped me from the start and was very difficult to put down.

We once again follow DC Beth Young as she responds to a report that someone has been badly beaten which quickly turns into a murder enquiry when two bodies are found. I found Beth to be an interesting character who I really couldn’t warm to. She did seem to try to work with her team more than she had in previous books but she just seemed to think herself much better than everyone which really grated on me.

Some of the scenes in this book were quite graphic and horrifying which made for difficult reading at times. I sometimes had to skip bits as they got a little bit much for my liking but I found this easy to do and didn’t feel that I missed anything by doing this.

The search for a killer soon becomes a race against time, with the tension slowly building until the story becomes very addictive. The author has included some fabulous descriptions of beautiful Cumbria which served as a great contrast with the crimes committed. It’s actually one of my favourite places to visit so I could really picture the surrounding as I enjoyed the book.

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

About The Author:

Graham Smith is a time served joiner who has built bridges, houses, dug drains and slated roofs to make ends meet. Since Christmas 2000, he has been manager of a busy hotel and wedding venue near Gretna Green, Scotland. 

He is an internationally best-selling Kindle author and has six books featuring DI Harry Evans and the Cumbrian Major Crimes Team, and four novels, featuring Utah doorman, Jake Boulder. His ‘Lakes’ series which has three novels featuring DC Beth Young has received much critical acclaim.

An avid fan of crime fiction since being given one of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five books at the age of eight, he has also been a regular reviewer and interviewer for the well-respected website Crimesquad.com since 2009

Graham is the founder of Crime and Publishment, a weekend of crime-writing classes which includes the chance for attendees to pitch their novels to agents and publishers. Since the first weekend in 2013, ten attendees have gone on to sign publishing contracts.

Graham can be found at 

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/grahamnsmithauthor
Twitter
https://twitter.com/GrahamSmith1972 
Website
http://www.grahamsmithauthor.com

Book Synopsis:

Welcome to a school reunion you won’t forget

FRENCH RIVIERA, WINTER 1992
On a freezing night, as her high school campus is engulfed by a snowstorm, 19-year-old Vinca Rockwell runs away with Alexis, her philosophy teacher.

No one will ever see them again.

FRENCH RIVIERA, SPRING 2017
Formerly inseparable, Thomas, Maxime and Fanny – Vinca’s best friends – have not spoken in twenty-five years. But when they receive an invitation to their school reunion, they know they must go back one final time.

Because there is a body buried in that school…

…and they’re the ones who put it there.

The Reunion is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy of both using the link below.

My Review:

The Reunion is an atmospheric, twisty murder mystery which I really enjoyed. I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of a school reunion, though I’ve never been brave enough to go to one myself. I think it would be very interesting to see how everyone had changed and if you still liked the people who were your friends then.

The story focuses on four friends Thomas, Maxine, Fanny and Vinca both in the present day and in 1992 when they were pupils at the school. Through the two timelines the reader gets to know the characters and learns that they have a lot of intriguing secrets that the others weren’t aware of. I actually started to wonder if the four friends were as close as they thought they were as there seemed to be a lot of secrets and surprises.

The author has done a great job of setting the scene in this novel with some fantastic descriptions of beautiful France which, at times, seemed to reflect the plot which I thought was cleverly done. The little glimpses of French culture and life were fascinating and I felt really added to the story.

The mystery and drama surrounding the body the friends buried in the wall of the gym was a well paced and absorbing one. I enjoyed following the two times lines as we discover who the body is and why they were killed. There are lots of twists that kept me on my toes but it was the characters and the group dynamics that really interested me.

I have to admit that I hadn’t heard of this author before reading this book but I’m now looking forward to reading more from him in the future.

Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Virginia from W&N books for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Guillaume Musso was the number one bestselling author in France in 2011 and 2012. Born in 1974 on the Cote d’Azur, he knew from an early age that he wanted to write novels and to touch the largest possible number of people. 

In 2004, ‘AFTERWARDS’ was published in France by XO Editions and was an immediate bestseller and established a loyal following for his unique brand of storytelling which blends romance, adventure, suspense and the supernatural. It was later made into a film starring John Malkovich, Evangeline Lily and Romain Duris.

Since then, with every one of the six novels which have followed, his loyal readership has grown significantly, making him the most widely-read author writing in French today.His stories have universal central themes: missed opportunities, second chances,the passage of time, lost love and redemption.

Cop drama’WHERE WOULD I BE WITHOUT YOU?’ and romantic thriller ‘THE GIRL ON PAPER’ is now available for the first time in English published by Gallic.

Book Synopsis:

YOUR PHONE RINGS.

A STRANGER HAS KIDNAPPED YOUR CHILD.

TO FREE THEM YOU MUST ABDUCT SOMEONE ELSE’S CHILD.

YOUR CHILD WILL BE RELEASED WHEN YOUR VICTIM’S PARENTS KIDNAP ANOTHER CHILD.

IF ANY OF THESE THINGS DON’T HAPPEN:
YOUR CHILD WILL BE KILLED.

YOU ARE NOW PART OF THE CHAIN

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

My Review:

The chain is an incredibly chilling, gripping book which will completely take over your life as you desperately try to finish it. As a parent something happening to my kids is one of my worse fears and I’ve always thought I’d do absolutely anything to get them back. This book was very interesting for me as it helped me live out one of my worse fears and think about what I would do.

Rachel was a great main character who I felt a lot of sympathy for as we follow her through the terrifying situation she finds herself in. The author shows the emotional impact the kidnapping has on her with the reader having a fly on the wall glimpse at all of the anguish and fear she experiences. It was very interesting to follow her as she tries to work out what she should do and the theory behind why she was doing it. The partnership she develops with Pete, her ex brother in law, was very interesting and I liked learning more about Pete as the novel progressed. His drug addiction and PTSD was an interesting twist and I felt added to the story as it made him seem more vulnerable.

I thought this was a very fast paced and thoroughly gripping book which I couldn’t stop thinking about when I wasn’t able to read it. I often found myself hiding in the kitchen away from the kids as I desperately tried to read a few more pages. The tension in the book is almost unbearable at times as things progress and the story becomes more dramatic. I think this would make a great book club read as there would be lots to discuss.

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

About The Author:

Adrian McKinty is a crime novelist from Belfast, Northern Ireland. 

His books have won the Edgar Award, the Anthony Award, the Ned Kelly Award and the Barry Award. Adrian is also a two time Dagger nominee and shortlistee for the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year. 

He studied law at Warwick University and philosophy at Oxford University before emigrating to New York City in the mid 90s.

Book Synopsis:

Straight-laced Jean has always done what’s expected of her – by her traditional parents, by her demonic boss, and by her overgrown baby of an ex-boyfriend.

Until now.

Taking her life into her own hands, she decides to do something that takes her out of her comfort zone; a woman heels-over-head, and not head-over-heels, in love. When Jean meets married-but-open pianist Gabriel, she explores all that modern romance has to offer… but can relationships last without entangled hearts being broken?

Jean is about to find out.

For fans of Dolly Alderton, Holly Bourne and Fleabag, this is fun, fresh, feminist fiction that will have you laughing in recognition and yelling in solidarity.

Strings Attached is available in ebook and paperback now. The ebook is currently only 99p. You can purchase a copy of both using the link below.

My Review:

Strings Attached is a fresh, funny and eye opening read which would be a great book to read in the sun this summer!

In a nut shell this book looks at the concept of modern love and the many different things this can encompass. The reader follows Jean on her journey to sexual liberation through sex parties, sex retreats, open marriages and multiple partners which is definitely not for the faint hearted! The author writes the story with a frankness that is unapologetic and a bit flirty at times which made it a great read.

It was wonderful to follow Jean and Gabriel’s blossoming relationship which seemed very real and quite true to life. Some of the moments between them were actually quite beautiful and some were quite poignant, making me feel quite sorry for Jean.

This was a very funny read which often had me laughing out loud, much to my son’s amusement though I couldn’t tell him why I was laughing! There were some awkward moments which were a bit cringy and some discussions about femanism which went over my head but this didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of this book.

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

About The Author:

Erin Reinelt is an author, journalist and screenwriter. In 2016, she moved to Brooklyn for a year, where she worked as a freelance editor and studied screenwriting at The Jacob Krueger Studio in NYC. Her first script was shortlisted for Diverse Voices, Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY screenwriting competition, as well as the Screencraft Screenwriting Fellowship. She now lives in London, and after some interesting experiences, including dating a married polyamorous Jazz musician, is currently taking a ‘love sabbatical’.

Book Synopsis:

Life can change in a heartbeat…

When struggling actress Heidi has a life-changing accident aged 32, her world falls apart. Stuck in hospital and unable to walk, her only companion is Maud, the elderly lady in the bed next to hers. Heidi misses her flatmate, her life, her freedom – surely 32 is too young to be an amputee?

But when Maud’s aloof but attractive grandson Jack pays a visit to the ward, Heidi realises that her life isn’t over just because it’s different. It might not look like the life she dreamed of, but it’s the one she’s got – and there’s a lot she still wants to tick off her bucket list. With Jack at her side, will Heidi take the first step back to happiness? Or is there one more surprise still in store…?

A feel-good read based on the inspiring true story of journalist Ella Dove. Sometimes all it takes is one small step…

Five Steps To Happy is published in ebook and hardback on the 11th July 2019. You can pre-order your copy of both using the link below.

My Review:

This was a truly uplifting and inspirational read which I will be recommending to everyone! The thing that most makes this book is that it’s based on true events which makes the story more powerful.

The story follows Heidi as she comes terms with losing her leg and how much her life changes afterwards. It was heartbreaking to see Heidi’s life fall apart but very impressive to see how she rallies to make the most of things with the help of the fabulous Maud and her handsome nephew Jack. She has a lot of new skills to learn, with even the smallest task being difficult at first as she learns to become independent and accept how things are.

There are some fabulous characters in this book which are all very well developed and relatable. My favourite was Maud, Heidi’s room mate in hospital, who is so funny, loveable and charasmatic which made me warm to her instantly. It was really lovely to see how Heidi and Maud help and support each other through this difficult time.

This was a brilliant read which will stay with me for a long time. I liked how the author manages to make it both heartbreaking and heartwarming with a touch of humour in it too, which when combined makes for an incredible story. This is the author’s debut novel and I’m very excited to read more from her in the future.

Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Trapeze books for my copy of this book via Netgalley.

About The Author:

Ella Rose Dove is Commissioning Editor at Good Housekeeping, Prima and Red magazines. Originally from Kent and now based in Stratford, East London, Ella studied English and French at the University of Southampton, where she did her dissertation in Creative Writing. In 2015, she completed the Curtis Brown Creative three-month novel writing course. 

In 2016, Ella became an amputee following a freak running accident. She is now an ambassador for the Limbless Association, Barts Health charity and The London Prosthetic Centre, and regularly leads talks, takes part in events and speaks to patients and their loved ones about trauma. 

In her spare time, Ella reads, swims and sings in her local choir – and writes, of course!

Book Synopsis:

I’m Lucy, and I have a secret.
I have a beautiful home, that I’m desperate to escape.
But that’s not my secret.
I tell my friends I’ve never wanted children, when I always have.
But that’s not my secret.
My husband is a celebrated surgeon, who tries to control me.
But that’s not my secret.

Adele knows.
Once upon a time, I knew everything about her and she knew everything about me.
Best friends forever.
But now our secret is beginning to surface.
I can trust her more than anyone. We made a pact.
And she’s never do anything to hurt me. Would she?

This absolutely gripping psychological thriller will have you forgetting everything until the last shocking twist. Fans of Behind Closed Doors, Friend Request, and The Girl on the Train will be hooked. 

The Friendship Pact is available in ebook and paperback now. The ebook is currently only 99p. You can purchase your copy of both using the link below.

My Review:

The Friendship Pact is another addictive thriller from the fabulous Alison James!

This story intrigued me from the start as I have always found the concept of friendship pacts to be fascinating. The two girls in this book are polar opposites to each other which I always enjoy as it’s great to see what they liked about each other and why they grew apart.

My favourite character in the book was Lucy who I felt a lot of sympathy for and the situation that she finds herself in. She seems very sad and defeated when we first meet her and I found myself wishing I could give her a huge hug. As with all great books there was also some characters I loved to hate, especially Lucy’s husband, who is an absolutely vile person. I found I wanted to keep reading to find out that Lucy was ok and that, hopefully, her husband wasn’t!

This is a hard book to review as I don’t want to give anything away but i thought this was a thoroughly grilling and suspenseful read which I raced through in a few days. There is a lot of domestic noir books out there at the moment but this is definitely one of the best I have read.

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

About The Author:

I was born in the Cotswolds but spent most of my formative years abroad. I studied languages at Oxford, then became a journalist and author, returning to university after my two children to take a law degree. After a three-year stint as a criminal paralegal, I worked as a commercial copywriter and then a TV storyliner, before coming full circle to write fiction again.

Book Synopsis:

Wanted, a respectable woman to care for a motherless child.

When William D. Thomas’s wife dies in childbirth, he places an advertisement in his local newspaper seeking a nanny for his newborn child.

He is thankful when an experienced nanny arrives at 43 Laurence Street and takes over from his frazzled housekeeper Mrs McHugh.

Mrs McHugh confides in her bedridden friend Betty, who has a bird’s-eye view of all the happenings on Laurence Street, that the Nanny is not all she seems. Betty begins her own investigation into the mysterious woman.

When the bodies of twin babies are discovered buried in a back garden, by a family who have moved from their tenement home into a country cottage, a police investigation begins. 

But it is Betty who holds the key to discovering who the Nanny really is … and the reason she came to 43 Laurence Street.

The Nanny at No. 43 is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

I’d heard a lot about this author from her first book December Girl so was very interested to read this book.

The author does a great job of setting the scene so that the reader feels like they are actually there watching everything unfold. She’s clearly done a lot of research into the period as there is lots of fascinating historical details which helped make the story for me. I loved learning more about the way of life at that time including what they wore and how they spoke.

The nanny character was an absolutely fantastic character that I kept changing my opinions about. She seems such a quiet, unthreatening character at first that I thought maybe the suspicions were all in the housekeepers head. However things soon become quite murky and I found it hugely enjoyable trying to work out her motives for doing what she does.

I thought this was a very gripping, chilling read which I just couldn’t put down. Something happening to my kids in one of my worst fears so my heart was in my mouth at times as I watched all the action unfold. I found myself reading far too late at night as I desperately wanted to see what would happen next.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book. If you like historical thrillers then you need to read this book!

About The Author:

Nicola Cassidy is a writer and blogger from Co. Louth, Ireland. She started her writing career early, entering short story competitions as a child and became an avid reader. Encouraged by her English teachers, she chose to study journalism at Dublin City University and while working in political PR and marketing, studied a series of advanced creative writing courses at the Irish Writers’ Centre. Later she set up a lifestyle and literary blog http://www.LadyNicci.com, which was shortlisted in the Ireland Blog Awards in 2015 and 2016 and finalist in 2017 and 2018. She signed with Trace Literary Agency in 2016. December Girl is Nicola’s debut historical fiction novel and is set in the mystical and ancient Boyne Valley, Co. Meath, famed for its stone age passage tombs. Elements of the story are inspired by true events. Her second novel The Nanny at Number 43 is published by Poolbeg Press. She lives with her husband and two young daughters in Termonfeckin, Co. Louth. Follow her at http://www.ladynicci.com, on Twitter @ladynicci or http://www.facebook.com/ladynicciblog.

Book Synopsis:

Samantha stumbled out of the party and on to a busy street only ten minutes away from her home. But she never made it home… 

Seven years after Samantha’s disappearance, on what would have been her thirty-fifth birthday, her best friend Diane is shocked to find a letter addressed to Samantha on her doorstep.

Opening the envelope, Diane pulls out a birthday card and a finger nail painted in dusky pink nail polish. The same shade Samantha always wore. The same shade she was wearing the night she went missing.

When police analyse the nail, they don’t get the result they expected. Instead of linking them to Samantha, the nail belongs to another woman, Jade Ashmore. And Jade was murdered the night before the envelope  was delivered….

The Liar’s House is available in ebook and paperback now. The ebook is currently only £1.99. You can purchase your copy of both using the link below.

My Review:

I’m a huge fan of this series which I think just keeps getting better and better! If you’re a fan of gripping police procedurals then you definitely need to read this series!

The story starts with the rather gruesome murder following a swingers party which Nina is called to investigate. There are a lot of suspects and people involved which makes it a difficult investigation. This alongside a one night stand that keeps showing up it soon becomes obvious that Gina is struggling. I liked this character development of Gina as it helps keep the series fresh and very interesting. Gone is the normally hard Gina that readers of the series know and love. Instead she seems more vulnerable and slightly depressed which makes her seem softer somehow. There were times in the book where I wished I could give her a hug.

The book starts off slowly but soon becomes very fast paced with lots of twists and turns to keep things interesting. I so enjoyed watching everything unfold and trying to work out who the murder was, though I was ultimately unsuccessful.

This is the fourth book in the series and it’s probably best to read the books in order so you can understand more of the back story involved. This is fast becoming one of my favourite crime series and I’m very excited to see what the author comes up with next.

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

About The Author:

Carla Kovach is a crime and horror author from the UK. The Next Girl, Her Final Hour, Her Pretty Bones and The Liar’s House are the four books so far in the DI Gina Harte series and are published by Bookouture. Her earlier works include, Whispers Beneath the Pines, To Let, Flame and Meet Me at Marmaris Castle. 

Carla co-runs a video production company, writes stageplays and screenplays. She currently has a horror feature film in production which is due for release in 2019.

Book Synopsis:

When Maisie Meadows finds herself single and jobless on New Year’s Day, she resolves that this will be the year she focuses on bringing her scattered family back together. Romance is all very well, but it’s the people you grew up with that matter the most.

But a new job working at an auction house puts her in the path of Theo, a gorgeous but unattainable man who she can’t help but be distracted by. As their bond begins to grow, Maisie finds herself struggling to fulfil the promise she made to herself – but the universe has other ideas, and it’s not long before the Meadows family are thrown back together in the most unlikely of circumstances…

Can dealing with other people’s treasures help Maisie to let go of the past, and teach her who she ought to treasure the most?

The Unlikely Life Of Maisie Meadows is available in ebook and paperback now. The ebook is currently only £1.99. You can purchase your copy of both using the link below!

My Review:

This was such a wonderful, charming and magical story that should definitely be on everyone’s reading list this summer.

I just fell in love with the main character Maisie who is trying to get her, rather dysfunctional, family back together. She was a great character full of quirky traits and really fun to read about. She has a big heart which just shines from the page and I felt quite sad to finish the book and leave her behind.

I thought this book had a wonderful flow to it which made it easy to get into. I liked the fact that the author resists the temptation to make everything perfect but instead includes some variety into the story with some sad moments alongside the funnier ones. I felt this made the story seem more realistic and like I was reading about a real family so felt more invested in the story.

This is the author’s second book and I’m very excited to read more from her in the future as she knows how to write some fabulous characters!

Huge thanks to Rachel from Rachel’s Random resources for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Avon for my copy of this book via Netgalley.

About The Author:

Jenni Keer is a history graduate who embarked on a career in contract flooring before settling in the middle of the Suffolk countryside with her antique furniture restorer husband. She has valiantly attempted to master the ancient art of housework but with four teenage boys in the house it remains a mystery. Instead, she spends her time at the keyboard writing women’s fiction to combat the testosterone-fuelled atmosphere with her number one fan #Blindcat by her side. Much younger in her head than she is on paper, she adores any excuse for fancy-dress and is part of a disco formation dance team.

The Hopes and Dreams of Lucy Baker was published in January 2019.

The Unlikely Life of Maisie Meadows is out in July 2019.