Book Synopsis:

In Alexa’s Shoes – a dramatic, uplifting true story of a young girls struggle to overcome great odds to survive through WWII.

In the autumn of 1940, thirteen-year-old Alexa’s happy life is ripped from her as she, her mother, and many of the locals are rounded up by the Nazis in Poland. Loaded onto cattle trucks, they are transported to an unknown destination. Terror and uncertainty become the new normal. Life is a continuous nightmare as she is selected by a Gestapo officer’s wife, destined to become little more than their slave.

Separated from everyone she loves Alexa relies on her Christian faith, inner strength and courage, to endure through her long nightmare. Her story takes her on a treacherous journey across war-ravaged Europe in search of her family and the life she once knew. Despite living through unimaginable hardships and life-threatening danger, Alexa feels that someone, or something, seems to be looking out for her. Years later, she finds out that not all was as it seemed, as hidden secrets from this dark period in history are revealed to her.

In Alexa’s Shoes is a historical novel that beckons the reader to follow in the footsteps of a real-life individual who walks by faith to triumph over tragedy, one step at a time. It is based on the true story of the author’s grandmother.

In Alexa’s Shoes is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

In Alexa’s Shoes is a compelling though very emotional true story of one girls fight for survival in very difficult times.

I’m a huge fan of historical fiction, particularly if it is set it World War II, so the blurb for this instantly appealed to me. Although I have read quite a bit about the Nazi regime I didn’t know much about this subject and so found it very intriguing to learn more about Alexa’s story.

Alexa is an amazing woman to read about and I so admired her courage and her ability to adapt to new situations. The reader is given a fly in the wall glimpse into her life during the war and as such is there to witness everything that happens to her which makes for very emotional reading as I felt everything personally. The cruelty shown by the Nazis to their prisoners is unbelievable and I found it quite difficult to read about at times, often having to put the book down for a while to gather my thoughts.

This was an easy book to get into and I found it held my attention throughout the book. I think it’s so important for people to read books like this as it might help ensure it never happens again!

Huge thanks to Emma from Damp pebbles tours for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Rochelle Alexandra was born in Scotland and matured in New York, USA. She is a talented artist and photographer, with a real love for poetry and words. After hearing her Polish grandmother’s WWII true experiences over many years, she was inspired to finally write down her extraordinary and uplifting life story.

Book Synopsis:

A fractured marriage. A silent family. A secret worth killing for.

When DC Cat Kinsella is approached by Joseph Madden for help with his wife, Rachel, there’s not much she can do. Joseph claims that Rachel has been threatening him, but can’t – or won’t – give Cat details as to why. Dismissing it as a marriage on the rocks, Cat forgets about it.

That is until Naomi Lockhart, a young PA, is found dead after a party attended by both Joseph and Rachel, and Joseph is arrested for the murder.

Joseph says his wife is setting him up.
His wife says he didn’t do it.
The trail of evidence leads to even more questions . . .

Adulterer. Murderer. Victim. Whowould you believe?

My Stone Cold Heart is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase a copy of both using the link below.

My Review:

This was another fantastic addition to one of my favourite crime series. It was great to be able to catch up with Kinsella and the team again!

Cat Kinsella is fast becoming my favourite female protagonist and I really enjoyed the careful balancing act she does between her work and dealing with her rather dysfunctional family. She’s strong, brave, and capable but is able to show her vulnerabilities too which makes you warm to her quickly. Her team in the police are also very likeable and I loved to read about all the banter between them. They seem very able to play to their strengths and weaknesses which made for fascinating reading. They are all very well drawn characters and seem to work together very effectively which was very nice to read about.

This was a well paced book which was easy to get into and I soon found myself emersed into the story. The plot is very clever with lots of twists to keep me firmly on my toes. Just when I thought I had figured everything out, something would happen which would send the story in a completely new direction. It was a very engaging story with lots of different threads happening alongside each other to keep the reader interested. The cliffhanger at the end was very intriguing and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

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

About The Author:

Caz Frear grew up in Coventry and spent her teenage years dreaming of moving to London and writing a novel. After fulfilling her first dream, it wasn’t until she moved back to Coventry thirteen years later that the writing dream finally came true. She has a first-class degree in History & Politics, which she’s put to enormous use over the years by working as a waitress, shop assistant, retail merchandiser and, for the past twelve years, a headhunter.

When she’s not agonising over snappy dialogue or incisive prose, she can be found shouting at the TV when Arsenal are playing, or holding court in the pub on topics she knows nothing about.

Book Synopsis:

A battle has been won, but the war still wages on . . .

Roper, the Black Lord of the northern people, may have vanquished the Suthern army at the Battle of Harstathur. But the greatest threat to his people lies in the hands of more shadowy forces.

In the south, the disgraced Bellamus bides his time. Learning that the young Lord Roper is planning to invade the southern lands, Bellamus conspires with his Queen to unleash a weapon so deadly it could wipe out Roper’s people altogether.

And at a time when Roper needs his friends more than ever, treachery from within puts the lives of those he loves in mortal danger . . .

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

My Review:

I was a huge fan of The Wolf which was the first book in this series so I was very excited to be invited onto the blog tour for The Spider which is the second book in the Under The Northern Sky series.

In this book the war between the Anamims and the Sutherners continues to rage though this story is told from the Anakim’s point of view, who are my favourite group out of the two. The thing i like most about this series is that it’s not just a fantasy book. Instead the author puts a lot of emotions into the story which made me feel very invested in what happens. There are some fantastic characters in this book with some very strong and brave men and women to enjoy reading about. They all seemed to be more than just military fighters and seemed very honourable in their actions or decisions.

The descriptions in this book were just brilliant and so vivid that it is easy to imagine the world in your mind. I felt like I was actually there alongside the characters experiencing everything with them. The author does a great job in developing the characters and the relationship between them in this book which made the story seem very real.

As mentioned this is the second book in the series though I think it could be easily read as a standalone as anything you need to know is explained. I’m very excited to read more from this author and I would love to see this made into a film or TV series as I think it would be amazing!

Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Rosie from Wildfire books for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

The third of four children, Leo Carew grew up in the centre of London, in the shadow of St. Paul’s Cathedral. Inspired by audiobooks, he developed a late interest in reading and began trying his hand at writing soon afterwards. It was at this time that he also developed a sneaking suspicion that the city was not for him and spent as much time as possible exploring remote areas. After school, this led to two formative months spent on expedition in the High Arctic archipelago of Svalbard.

Three years followed reading Biological Anthropology at Cambridge University, most of which was spent staring out of the window, dreaming about colder climates. Obligatory time with serious studying done, Leo returned to Svalbard – Old Norse for “The Cold Edge” – where he lived in a tent for a year training and working as an Arctic guide. During this time, he revisited a novel he had begun at the age of 12 and began reassembling it in the considerable space offered by 24hr darkness. A reluctant return to London to train as a doctor and pursue a career as an army medic followed, during which time he completed his first novel, The Wolf.

Leo currently lives in London, writing, studying medicine and breaking off as often as possible for an adventure somewhere cold and wild.

Good morning everyone I’m so sorry for my erratic posting at the moment it’s been a tough week! I’m on the blog tour for Lost You by Haylen Beck today and I have an exclusive extract to share with you all.

Lost You is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase a copy of both using the link below.

Before I share my extract with you here is a little bit about the book.

Book Synopsis:

When a little boy goes missing, his mother desperately wants to find him . . . before someone else does. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Shari Lapena and Cara Hunter.

Libby would do anything for her three-year-old son Ethan. And after all they’ve been through, a holiday seems the perfect antidote for them both. Their hotel is peaceful, safe and friendly, yet Libby can’t help feeling that someone is watching her. Watching Ethan. Because, for years, Libby has lived with a secret.

Just days into their holiday, when Libby is starting to relax, Ethan steps into an elevator on his own, and the doors close before Libby can stop them. Moments later, Ethan is gone.

Libby thought she had been through the worst, but her nightmare is only just beginning. And in a desperate hunt for her son, it becomes clear she’s not the only one looking for him.

Who will find him first?

Extract:

Chapter 3:

The first two days of the vacation were the best she could remember. She had gasped as the cab pulled through the resort’s front gates. She couldn’t help herself. Never had she seen a place like this, not even when she and Mason were still together.
A driveway lined by palm trees led to a turning circle in front of the main hotel building. A fountain gushed at the center of a courtyard, surrounded by the U-shaped frontage of the resort. A bellboy opened the cab door as it halted while another opened the trunk and retrieved the two large suitcases, her carry-on bag, and the little plastic wheeled case she had bought specially for Ethan.
The bellboy loaded them all onto a cart and, with a smile, asked her to follow him. She had a moment of embarrassing fluster as she dug in her purse for a dollar bill to tip the bellboy who’d opened the cab door for her before she realized she had forgotten to pay the driver. Once they were paid and tipped, she froze, watching her luggage being carried into the grand building.
I don’t belong here, she thought. They’ll know. Everyone will know.
Libby had always been this way. Even as a little girl, she had felt out of place at school. Her class had been full of middle-class kids whose parents had decent jobs with health and dental plans, who drove new or nearly new cars, who had cable subscriptions and home computers. Libby’s father had worked in a lumber mill before it closed down, but by her teens, he eked out a living doing odd jobs around the town. It was always a stinging source of humiliation when she discovered he was painting the ceilings of a classmate’s home, or clearing their yard, or hosing down their walls.
Since her first day of junior high, she had insisted that her father drop her off at least a block from school; she would not be seen climbing out of his rusting van. She never said it out loud, but looking back, she was certain he knew, and that it had wounded him. But he never complained or argued. He just pulled over every morning and told her he loved her long after she’d stopped saying it back.
It was Libby’s mother who hammered home her position in the world. They lived in a modest house inherited from her paternal grandparents, and her mother kept it well, but the furniture was tired, the carpets worn thin. Her older brother had joined the army when he turned seventeen and although he hadn’t set foot in the house since, he called home once a month. Framed photographs of him stood on every surface, and Libby’s mother mourned him as if he’d died, not run away from her smothering grasp.
When Libby’s art teacher sent her home one day with the advice that she seek private lessons to build on her natural talent, her mother responded that art was for the rich kids, not the likes of her. Maybe become a nurse, she said. There’ll always be sick people, and they’ll always need nurses. Best a young woman from her background could aspire to; a modest career, then mother- hood. Raising children should be her goal in life, everything else secondary.
Always remember who you are, where you’re from, her mother had said. Don’t have to be ashamed, but you’ve nothing to be proud of. Not with a father like yours. When you’re a mother, that’s when you can hope to be proud, she’d said. I raised my boy right, and he served his country. That I am proud of.
What about me? Libby asked that question several times. Have I made you proud? Her mother never answered, always shrugged and looked away.
That creeping humility had followed her around ever since. She didn’t become a nurse, but rather an administrative assistant at Albany City Hall. Not exciting work, but it paid okay. Noth- ing to be ashamed of, but nothing to be proud of. Mason was making his way up the ranks in the Budget Office there when she met him, and his salary was nearly double what she earned in the Department of Purchasing. On their first date, he took her to a fancy French restaurant, and she had a moment of panic when she read the menu. She had the unsophisticated palate of a child who ate spaghetti from cans and took peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to school.
“Is something the matter?” Mason had asked.
Libby had smiled and said, no, not at all, while she fought the urge to get up and run away from the table. She ordered the first items on the starter and entrée menus and pretended to like them when they arrived.
“Why did you do that?” Mason asked over drinks later that evening.
“Do what?” she asked, though she knew what he meant.
“You ordered food you didn’t like and ate it anyway,” he said. “Why?”
She considered lying but knew he would see through it. He always had that knack for mining out the truth, no matter how well hidden.
“I panicked,” she said. “I didn’t even know what I was order- ing. Honestly, you should have taken me to Applebee’s, that’s about as fancy as I get.”
“Okay,” he said, smiling. “Maybe next time.”
And there had been no question there’d be a next time. She fell in love with him quickly and utterly, and they married within twelve months.
But now, thirteen years later, she remembered that feeling, that gnawing fear. I don’t belong here. I’m not good enough. They’ll smell it on me and cast me out. As she watched the bell- boy enter the hotel with her belongings, as the fountain whooshed and splashed, as seagulls called and whirled above, she seriously entertained the idea of getting back into the cab and asking to return to the airport.
Then Ethan took her hand, pulled, and said, “Mommy, let’s
go.”He hopped up and down, the soles of his sandals slapping on the courtyard’s cobblestones.
“Go swimming,” he said, pointing to the hotel’s entrance. “Yeah,” she said, “let’s go swimming.”They walked to the reception desk together, where they handed
her a glass of Champagne, gave Ethan a lollipop, and called her ma’am and wished her a wonderful stay, to call night or day if she needed anything, and that feeling of not belonging, of not being good enough, faded to the background, became a distant whisper rather than an overwhelming clamor.
But it didn’t go away.It never, ever went away.
When she’d left home early that morning, it had been with all sorts of good intentions. One had been to insist Ethan have a nap as soon as they got to the hotel rather than going straight out to the pool. She knew he would be cranky by dinnertime if he didn’t, but when they got to their room on the sixth floor, she went out onto the balcony and looked down. Below was just one of the resort’s seven pools. Ethan stood at her side, his arms wrapped around her thigh, gazing down through the glass barrier.
“Mommy, lookit,” he said.“Yeah, lookit,” she said.The water was a perfect blue, the kind of blue you wished the sky to be. Although she felt tired, and an hour of rest would do them both a world of good, the water looked better.
“Let’s get changed,” she said.
Minutes later, she wore her own swimsuit covered by a light sarong, and Ethan, bare-ass naked, danced in front of her with the sort of excitement only young children know. Libby couldn’t help but giggle as she tried to guide his feet into his one-piece bathing suit. It would protect him from the sun from elbows to knees and was recommended everywhere as the best rash guard for a kid his age. She always took great care in such things; every purchase she made for her son was thoroughly researched, from the clothes he wore to the toys he played with. Over-the-top, many would say, but she didn’t care. She would do right by her boy in every decision she made. He was a miracle, and she treated him accordingly.
She pulled up the zipper at the back and turned him around. “Look at you, little swimmer man.”“Let’s go, Mommy, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go.”“Nuh-uh,” she said. “Sunscreen first.”
Libby slathered it on every inch of exposed skin, even the tiny bit of exposed scalp at the crown of his hair. Again, it was the best, exhaustively tested and approved by dermatologists and pe- diatricians. Finally, she put him in his flotation vest and slipped his waterproof sandals onto his feet.
“Okay,” she said, “now we can go.”
She grabbed the bag and towels provided by the resort, threw in her own bits and pieces, and opened the door. “Come on,” she said.
Ethan zipped past her and out into the corridor, his mouth open, his tongue out, panting like a puppy. The door had almost swung closed behind her when something occurred to her.
“Shit!” she said, and stopped it with her foot, ignoring the pain as the wood slammed into her little toe. “Ethan, baby, wait up.”
She reached inside and took the keycard from the slot by the door, slipped it into the bag along with everything else. Now she let the door close.
Libby looked around for her son, but he wasn’t there. A flare went off in her chest, bright and fierce.
“Ethan?”
She heard him giggle along the hall and marched in that dir- ection, rounded the corner to the elevator bank.
“Honey, what are you—”
He stood inside the open elevator, oblivious to her, laughing as he pressed buttons and made them light up.
“Ethan, don’t.”She heard a chime, and the doors began to slide closed. “Shit,” she said, and lurched forward, her arm outstretched. The doors closed on her wrist, then opened again.“Mommy, lookit,” he said, pointing at the rows of illuminated buttons.Libby hunkered down, seized his upper arms, her nose inches from his. “Don’t ever run away from me like that again.” “But, but—”
“No buts, nuh-uh. If those doors closed and the elevator went away, how would I know which floor you’d gone to? Huh?”
His lower lip curled, and his head dropped, as a whine rose out of him. His face reddened and fat tears dropped from his eyes onto her bare knee. Regret clawed at her, and she pulled him close, wrapped him in her arms.
“It’s okay, baby, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten mad, okay? I just don’t want to lose you, all right? What would Mommy do without her little man, huh?”
She wiped the tears from his cheeks.
“I’m sorry, honey. I’m sorry I yelled at you. Mommy’s sorry. Okay?”
He wrapped his arms around her neck, buried his face between her jaw and her shoulder. “I’m sorry I did the buttons.”
“It’s okay, no harm done. You won’t do it again, right?”He nodded and sniffed.Libby didn’t know the elevator doors had closed until she heard a chime and a disembodied voice said, “Seventh floor.” The doors swished open and an older couple entered. She stood upright, took Ethan’s hand in hers. The couple smiled, and the wife waved at Ethan. He hid his face in Libby’s sarong, and the woman awwed and cooed.
They all remained silent as the elevator stopped at every floor on the way back down. The don’t-belong-not-good-enough feel- ing bubbled up again as Libby noted the couple’s expensive cloth- ing, the amount of gold around the woman’s neck and on her fingers.
Stop it, she told herself. You have every right to be here.
Even so, the feeling followed her out through the side doors that led to the pool she’d seen from her balcony. The pool lay in its own enclave, surrounded on three sides by balconies just like hers. She looked up to the sixth floor, counted three along, and guessed that was her room. Beyond the pool, on the one clear side, lay pathways through a forest of palms that she supposed must lead to the rest of the complex. She squeezed Ethan’s hand to get his attention. He looked up at her, squinting against the sun.
“You want to take a walk or swim right here?”
She knew the answer and wondered why she even bothered asking.
“Swim right here,” he said, and tried to drag her to the water.
“Just a second,” she said, and guided him to a pair of free sun loungers. “Sit.”
Despite his protests, she made him stay put while she laid out the towels, staking out her territory. She made sure her purse and phone were buried deep in the bag, her Kindle at the top, a trashy magazine on her lounger.
“Okay,” she said. “Now we swim.”
They had been in the water for a gleeful thirty minutes before it occurred to Libby that Ethan was the only child here. He had been kicking and splashing and giggling and squealing as she held his hands, or put him on her back while she swam, or lifted him onto the side and let him jump into her arms.
She hoisted him onto her shoulders while he laughed, and she turned a full circle, looking at the others on their loungers. None of them looked back. Something was wrong, and she couldn’t tell what. That don’t-belong feeling came screaming to the surface, and she felt a small peal of panic, even though she had no idea why.
No kids here. Not little ones, anyway. The youngest were early teens. The rest were middle-aged or older. Then she realized.
“Oh God,” she said quietly. “Oh no.”
She lowered Ethan from her shoulders down into her arms and waded toward the steps.
“Mommy, no,” Ethan said.“It’s okay, honey, we’re just going to find a different pool.” She whispered, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, as she passed others on her way to the loungers she had claimed. Ethan began to kick and wriggle and she prayed he wouldn’t freak out here, Oh God, please, not here.
There, right behind the damn loungers she had chosen, where it couldn’t be missed, and yet she had: the sign that read quiet pool: please respect your fellow bathers and keep noise to a minimum.
A couple, two forty-something men, watched as she put Ethan down and began to pack her things. She felt the heat on her cheeks, the stinging embarrassment of making a show of herself in front of these people.
“Something wrong, ma’am?” one of the men asked.
“I’m sorry,” she said in a whisper. “I didn’t realize this was the quiet pool. I’m stupid. I’m so sorry. Stupid, stupid—”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” the man said. “What are you doing? Put your stuff back, you don’t have to go anywhere.”
The other man propped himself up on his elbows, and a deeper part of Libby’s mind noted the hard definition of his body.
“Yeah, you don’t have to go. You weren’t bothering anybody.”
She gathered up a towel, rolled it into a ball, and said, “No, no, we were, we were making too much noise. I’m so sorry.”
The first man, the one closer to her, reached out and touched her arm. “Hey. Stop. Cut it out. Put your things back and relax. All I heard was a kid having fun, and if that bothers anyone, then trust me, they have worse problems than a little noise.”
He directed those last words at an elderly gentleman who watched from the next row of loungers. The elderly gentleman cleared his throat and looked away.
“I’m Charles,” the man said, extending his hand.
Libby looked at his hand for a moment, then took it, told him her name.
“This is my husband, Gerry.” He indicated the man on the far lounger, the one with the pecs and abs that glistened in the sunlight.
“Hey, Libby,” Gerry said as he reached across and shook her hand.
“Now, here’s what I’d like you to do,” Charles said. “I’d like you to put your stuff back, lie down, get some sun, and let me order us some cocktails. How’s that sound?”
Libby hesitated, then said, “I shouldn’t.”
“Bullshit,” Charles said before looking at Ethan and covering his mouth. “Sorry. Bullpoop was what I meant to say.”
Ethan grinned and said, “Bullpoop!”
Libby laughed in spite of herself, in spite of the fear and the uncertainty she felt.
“What about you, young sir?” Charles asked. “You think Mommy would let me buy you an ice cream?”
Ethan’s grin widened, infecting them all.
“I guess that’d be okay,” Libby said, and she sat down on her lounger.
Charles looked up at the cloudless sky, licked the tip of his finger, held it up to the breeze. “What do you think, Gerry? This time of day, this temperature and humidity, the wind speed. I’d say strawberry daiquiris, wouldn’t you?”
“I concur,” Gerry said.
“That’s settled, then,” Charles said. “Strawberry daiquiris all round.”
As he looked for a waiter, Libby felt a glow inside, a smile on her mouth that reached way down deep inside of her.
“Thank you,” she said, the last vowel choked by tears that shocked her.
Charles pretended not to notice.

About The Author:

Haylen Beck is the pen name of internationally prize-winning crime writer Stuart Neville. Writing under his own name, Stuart won the LA Times Book Prize for his debut novel and received critical acclaim for his Belfast-set detective series starring Serena Flanagan. His Haylen Beck novels are set in the US and are inspired by his love of American crime writing.

Book Synopsis:

A bomb detonates in Bradford’s City Park.

When the alert sounds, DCI Harry Virdee has just enough time to get his son and his mother to safety before the bomb blows. But this is merely a stunt.

The worst is yet to come.

A new and aggressive nationalist group, the Patriots, have hidden a second device under one of the city’s mosques. In exchange for the safe release of those at Friday prayers, the Patriots want custody of the leaders of radical Islamist group Almukhtaroon – the chosen ones. 

The government does not negotiate with terrorists. Even when thousands of lives are at risk. 

There is only one way out.

But Harry’s wife is in one of those mosques. Left with no choice, Harry must find the Almukhtaroon, to offer the Patriots his own deal. 

Because sometimes the only way to save lives, is to take them. 

One Way Out is published in ebook and paperback on the 27th June 2019. You can pre-order your copy using the link below.

My Review:

I’m a huge fan of this series so was very excited to be invited onto the blog tour for this book the latest in this fantastic series!

The book starts off with a quiet moment between Harry and his mother which fans of the series will enjoy as it was nice to learn that they might have a relationship now. However things soon become a lot more exciting as Harry finds himself in a race to try and find the man threatening his wife. The author cleverly splits the story between Harry’s investigation into who the terrorist is and what is happening in the mosque which makes for intriguing reading.

The pace soon picks up with the book becoming almost impossible to put down. There are some absolutely fabulous twists that took me completely by surprise and had me reading faster and faster as the book goes on. The tension in the book is slowly built up until it becomes almost palpable and I found myself sitting literally on the edge of my seat as I devoured this book, staying up far too late to finish just one more chapter!

This is the fourth book in the series but I think it could easily be read as a standalone as anything you need to know is explained. This is one of my favourite series which just keeps getting better and better. I’m so excited to see what happens next!

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Transworld publishers for inviting me onto the blog tour.

About The Author:

A.A. Dhand was raised in Bradford and spent his youth observing the city from behind the counter of a small convenience store. After qualifying as a pharmacist, he worked in London and travelled extensively before returning to Bradford to start his own business and begin writing. The history, diversity and darkness of the city have inspired his Harry Virdee novels.

Book Synopsis:

Sometimes you have to risk everything to find your something…

All Andrew wants is to be normal. He has the perfect wife and 2.4 children waiting at home for him after a long day. At least, that’s what he’s told people.

The truth is, his life isn’t exactly as people think and his little white lie is about to catch up with him.

Because in all Andrew’s efforts to fit in, he’s forgotten one important thing: how to really live. And maybe, it’s about time for him to start.

Something To Live For is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

I so enjoyed this fabulous book! I seem to be on a bit of a role with so called ‘quirky’ books so the blurb for this one instantly appealed.

This is wonderful story with a fantastic main character that you can’t help but fall in love with. I found myself feeling very sympathise towards him and wished I could reach into the book to give him a hug. I wanted to keep reading to find out what happens to him and wished furtively that it would be a happy ending for him!

I found myself immediately drawn into the story and into Andrew’s lonely life. The reader has an intimate look into the story, feeling every emotion alongside the characters. I found myself laughing out loud one moment and then crying the next which I always think is a sign of a well written book. The story felt quite realistic which further drew me in as I felt like I was reading about real people so I was more invested in what happens.

This is the author’s debut novel and I look forward to reading more from him in the future. If you like stories that manage to be funny, sad and completely charming then you’ll love 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:

Richard Roper was inspired by an article he read about the council workers who deal with situations when someone dies alone. Their days are spent sifting through the ephemera of those who’ve slipped through the cracks, searching for clues to a next of kin. Council workers are under no obligation to attend the funerals. Yet they do, sometimes dozens of them a year, just to make sure at least someone is there.

Richard Roper lives in London. SOMETHING TO LIVE FOR is his first novel.

Book Synopsis:

Her mummified body is hidden in the dark corner of a basement room, a room which seems to have been left untouched for decades. A room which feels as cold as the grave.

As a rowdy demonstration makes its slow and vocal way along Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, Detective Chief Inspector Tony McLean’s team are on stand-by for any trouble. The newly promoted McLean is distracted, inexplicably drawn to a dead-end mews street… and a door, slightly ajar, which leads to this poor girl’s final resting place.

But how long has she been there, in her sleep of death? The answers are far from what McLean or anyone else could expect. The truth far more chilling than a simple cold case…

Cold As The Grave is available in ebook and in paperback on the 27th June. You can purchase or pre-order a copy using the link below.

My Review:

I’m such a huge fan of this fantastic series which just keeps getting better and better.

The thing I like most about it is that’s it’s not just a crime thriller or a police procedural but also deals with quite current, emotional issues too. This book deals with missing children and the plight of immigrants which makes for very harrowing, emotions reading at times.

The setting of the book is used to great affect with the reader being introduced to the darker side of Edinburgh away from the normal tourist spots. The descriptions are very vivid and I felt that I could picture them in my mind, with some of them making me shiver at the thought of them. They seem so realistic and this book serves as a great reminder that ever city has a darker side that not everyone gets to see.

This is quite a fast paced book with lots of different things happening to keep me gripped to the page. The author shows great skill by altering the pace of the book at times to show the startling contrast of Tom and Emma’s situation or to convey more emotion into the story which keeps the reader on their toes. There was a lot of tension in the book which had me on the edge of my seat as I read faster and faster trying to find out what happens next, though there were also moments when I had to out the book down as I was very nervous about reading on.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Wildfire books for my copy of this book. If you are looking for a fantastic new crime series then you should try this book!

About The Author:

Book Synopsis:

Time to come out of hibernation…

Sylvia Penton has been hibernating for years, it’s no wonder she’s a little prickly…

Sylvia lives alone, dedicating herself to her job at the local university. On weekends, she helps out at a local hedgehog sanctuary because it gives her something to talk about on Mondays – and it makes people think she’s nicer than she is.

Only Sylvia has a secret: she’s been in love with her boss, Professor Lomax, for over a decade now, and she’s sure he’s just waiting for the right time to leave his wife. Meanwhile she stores every crumb of his affection and covertly makes trouble for anyone she feels gets in his way.

But when a bright new PhD candidate catches the Professor’s eye, Sylvia’s dreams of the fairy tale ending she has craved for so long, are soon in tatters, driving her to increasingly desperate measures and an uncertain future.

Sylvia might have been sleep walking through her life but things are about to change now she’s woken up…

A quirky, charming uplifting novel perfect for fans of Gail Honeyman’s Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and Sarah Haywood’s The Cactus. The feelgood bestseller about unrequited love, loneliness and the redemptive qualities of hedgehogs featuring the most unlikely heroine of 2019.

Needlemouse is available in ebook now and in paperback on the 27th June. You can purchase or pre-order a copy of both using the link below.

My Review:

Needlemouse is a delightful, fun read featuring some fantastic characters. It’s quite a quirky read but a thoroughly enjoyable one about loneliness, love and finding yourself.

Sylvia was a very interesting character who I took a while to warm to as she seemed such a prickly character to begin with. She likes things done a certain, controlled way and doesn’t like it when things don’t go the way she wanted. Her infatuation with her boss was a bit cringy to read about at times and I found myself wondering how it would work out. I did like her slightly evil side though which often had me laughing out loud. How I wish I had the nerve to do similar things, and get away with it, to people that upset me! The other characters were equally great to read about and I loved how different they were to each other. My favourite character was Jonas as I loved his gentle manner and obvious love for his late wife. His memories of their time together was so lovely to read about and brought a tear to my eye.

The book is fairly fast paced as there is always lots happening that kept me glued to the page. The chapters are fairly short and told in a diary format which made me feel more involved in the story. I found I enjoyed going on the journey with Sylvia to discover her own life and the person she wanted to be.

Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Tess from Ebury publishing for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Jane O’Connor is a former primary school teacher turned academic and writer. She was born and brought up in Surrey and lived in London until she moved to the West Midlands in her mid-thirties. Jane’s PhD was about child stars and she is now a Reader at Birmingham City University where she researches children’s experiences of celebrity, media and everyday life. Jane lives in Sutton Coldfield with her husband and two young sons in a house full of pirates, dinosaurs, superheroes and lots of books. She really likes all animals, especially hedgehogs. Needlemouse is her debut novel.

Book Synopsis:

At the heart of our present are the stories of our past. In ages gone by, many monarchs died while they were still young. There were battles and diseases and many were simply overthrown. But the days of regal engagement in hand-to-hand combat are over and the line of succession has a good ageing prospect these days.

One of the most famous monarchs in history is Queen Victoria and her passing brought an end to an amazing era. She could be demanding, rude and she frequently fled public duties for the solitude of Scotland. But she loved fiercely and her people loved her fiercely in return. Under her reign, England achieved a greatness it had never known before.

Victoria to Vikings: The Circle of Blood spans from this great queen to another one: Queen Elizabeth II. Ours is the era of the longest living monarch in history and her ancestry is incredible. But walking two steps behind her, stalwart and loyal, stands Prince Philip, the strawberry to her champagne, and with him comes his own amazing Viking heritage.

Victoria To Vikings is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase a copy of both using the link below.

My Review:

I thought this was a truly unique, fascinating and satisfying read which any historical fiction fan will enjoy.

The author manages to cover a lot of history without it ever seeming to be rushed. Instead she manages to make learning very fun with all the fascinating historical details really adding to the story so that the reader can really envision it in their minds. I often felt like I was there alongside the characters experiencing everything first hand.

The pace in this book is quite fast and I found myself easily drawn into the story. The emphasis on the two queens, who are England’s longest serving monarchs, was especially interesting and I enjoyed learning more about what they had achieved in their reigns. I’d never thought about history from this angle so found it very fascinating to read about things from a female slant.

This is the first book in a new trilogy and I’m excited to see where it will go next. Huge thanks to Rachel from Rachel’s Random resources for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book which I received in exchange for an honest review.

About The Author:

Trisha Hughes is a best-selling Australian author who now lives in Hong Kong. Trisha’s books are true stories of ruthless kings, favoured queens, warriors, generals, battles and wars. But standing tall above them all are the strong, stable ones who have persevered. Trisha attends workshops for children’s creative writing groups and is a mentor of a yearly young writers competition. Her first book was published 18 years ago, a best-selling autobiography called Daughters of Nazareth. Trisha has recently published the first two books in this historical trilogy; Vikings to Virgin and Virgin to Victoria.

Book Synopsis:

When Liv, Ellen and Håkon, along with their partners and children, arrive in Rome to celebrate their father’s seventieth birthday, a quiet earthquake occurs: their parents have decided to divorce.

Shocked and disbelieving, the siblings try to come to terms with their parents’ decision as it echoes through the homes they have built for themselves, and forces them to reconstruct the shared narrative of their childhood and family history.

A bittersweet novel of regret, relationships and rare psychological insights, A Modern Family encourages us to look at the people closest to us a little more carefully, and ultimately reveals that it’s never too late for change…

A Modern Family is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase a copy of both using the link below.

My Review:

I really enjoyed this intimate and realistic look into the lives of a modern family. I thought this book was very thought provoking and I found myself thinking of my own family whilst reading it.

The story follows three siblings as they deal with the shock surprise of their parent’s divorce and the effect that this has on them. I liked how the author has used older children in the story as I think it makes for a more unusual and interesting story. The book is split into three sections with each one focussing on one sibling and their thoughts on what is happening. I found this very affective as each one had a very different take on what had happened and who was to blame. The reader has intimate access into the characters personal thoughts, some of which were quite shocking, and it was very interesting to see how each of them thought they were portrayed by others.

I thought this story was beautifully written and I loved the journey the reader is taken on by the author. The intimate look into the characters meant that I got to know them well which made me feel very involved in the story. I’m a big fan of Scandinavian noir but liked how this book was slightly different as it wasn’t crime based which was very refreshing. I think this is a book everyone should read and I’ll be recommending it to all.

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

About The Author:

Helga Flatland is already one of Norway’s most awarded and widely read authors. She made her literary debut in 2010 with the novel Stay If You Can, Leave If You Must, for which she was awarded the Tarjei Vesaas’ First Book Prize. She has written four novels and a children’s book and has won several other literary awards.