Book Synopsis:

Spring 2000. Paul Geddes visits Venice to research the fin-de-siècle opera singer, Esme Maguire, seeking out a cache of papers held by Eva Forrest, the widow of a collector. What he reads begins in the 1680s, moving through the city s later history of Enlightenment and Revolution, describing a life stretched beyond human possibilities.

She travels across Europe to sing in Regency London and Edinburgh, then Belle Epoque Paris, always returning to Venice, its shadows and its luminosity, its changes and its permanence.

What would it be like to live for nearly 300 years, as an exceptional being who must renew herself time after time, as those she has loved age and die? Could this story be grounded in reality or be merely the product of an ageing woman s delusion, as Paul suspects.

Warily, Eva and Paul fall in love, their tentative emotions bringing them closer until, on a trip to the Dolomites, Eva s past catches up with her.

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

My Review:

The Hourglass is an original and intriguing book which tells the story of one women’s life and loves over three centuries.

I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for Italy and in particularly Venice so the setting of the story was perfect for me. The descriptions were wonderfully vivid and I felt completely absorbed into the Italian culture which the author cleverly includes into the story. It was interesting to see how the city changed and evolved over the years.

The love stories were beautifully written and I enjoyed watching them develop. They were an interesting mixed bag of emotions with some being quite poignant to read about.

It did take me a little while to get into the book and the writing style which reads quite like a classic book at times. However once I’d got into the book I found it to be a very absorbing and gripping read which was very enjoyable.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I’d be interested to see what she comes up with next.

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

About The Author:

Liz Heron grew up in Scotland and studied at Glasgow University. After spells in Paris, Madrid and Venice, she embarked on freelance writing life in London, contributing arts and literary journalism to a range of publications, as well as editing for book publishers and magazines. Her books include Truth, Dare or Promise, a compilation of essays on childhood, and Streets of Desire, an anthology of women’s 20th-century writing on the world’s great cities. Her work has appeared in various anthologies and her short-story collection, A Red River, was published in 1996. Since then she’s spent three more years in Venice and done a lot of translation: from literary novels to opera libretti for CDs. She writes a blog, mainly on film, as well as art, books and politics.

http://www.lizheron.wordpress.com

Book Synopsis:

One woman’s journey to find herself and help secure the vote. Perfect for the fans of the TV series Mr Selfridge and The Paradise.

1911 Bath. Banished from her ancestral home, passionate suffrage campaigner Esther Stanbury works as a window dresser in Pennington’s Department Store. She has hopes and dreams for women’s progression and will do anything to help secure the vote. 
Owner of the prestigious Phoenix Hotel, Lawrence Culford has what most would view as a successful life. But Lawrence is harbouring shame, resentment and an anger that threatens his future happiness.

When Esther and Lawrence meet, their mutual understanding of life’s challenges unites them and they are drawn to the possibility of a life of love that neither thought existed. 
With the Coronation of King-Emperor George V looming, the atmosphere in Bath is building to fever pitch, as is the suffragists’ determination to secure the vote.

Will Esther’s rebellious nature lead her to ruin or can they overcome their pasts and look to build a future together?

A Rebel At Pennington’s is available in ebook and paperback now, you can purchase a copy of both using the link below.

My Review:

I love historical fiction that’s set in an old fashioned department store! There’s something about the descriptions of the staff and the different things on sale that sends a shiver of delicious anticipation down my back as I know I’m in for a good read.

A Rebel At Pennington’s was no exception as I soon fell in love with the shop and the fabulous staff. They all seemed a lovely, varied bunch of people who seemed to have a great relationship with each other. The descriptions of the many departments and the everyday interactions with staff and customers was great to read about and I soon felt fully absorbed in the story.

Esther was an interesting character who took a little while for me to warm to. On one hand I loved her determination and outspokenness regarding the suffragette movement but in the other she annoyed me as it seemed like that was all she cared about! I wanted to reach into the book and give her a shake as I felt she was missing out on so much right under her nose! This was especially true in her budding relationship with Lawrence which was brilliantly and tantalisingly played out. I so wanted Esther to have a happy ending that I felt she deserved but felt she was being too difficult regarding her views which was very frustrating.

The author has clearly done her research and the historical details were fascinating to read about. I love books that describe the suffragette movement so loved reading about all the details and events included in this novel. I felt swept along with the movement and wished I could have been there to help Esther and her friends out.

This is the second book in the series and while it can be read as a standalone it’s probably best to read the books in order as you get to know the characters and shop more. I so hope there is more to come in this wonderful series!

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. If you like fantastically researched, absorbing historical fiction then you need to read this book!

About The Author:

Rachel lives with her husband and two teenage daughters in a small town near Bath in the UK. Her first novel was published in 2007. Since then, she’s had several books published with small presses and since 2012 has written mainstream romance and romantic suspense for Harlequin Superromance (Templeton Cove Stories) and Victorian romance for eKensington/Lyrical Press.

In January 2018, she signed a four-book deal with Aria Fiction for a brand new Edwardian series set in beautiful Bath. The first book, The Mistress of Pennington’s was released in July 2018 with book 2, A Rebel At Pennington’s, following in February 2019.

Rachel is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and Romance Writers of America. When she isn’t writing, you’ll find Rachel with her head in a book or walking the beautiful English countryside with her family. Her dream place to live is Bourton-on-the-Water in South West England. And in the evening? Well, a well-deserved glass of wine is never, ever refused…

Book Synopsis:

Chastity Riley and her new sidekick Ivo investigate the case of newspaper executives who have been caged and tortured outside their offices … on a trail that leads them to the hothouse world of boarding schools and some harrowing secrets…

You loved Dark … now meet Chastity Riley

On a warm September morning, an unconscious man is found in a cage at the entrance to the offices of one of Germany’s biggest magazines. He’s soon identified as a manager of the company, and he’s been tortured. Three days later, another manager appears in a similar way.

Chastity Riley and her new colleague Ivo Stepanovic are tasked with uncovering the truth behind the attacks, an investigation that goes far beyond the revenge they first suspect … to the dubious past shared by both victims. Travelling to the south of Germany, they step into the hothouse world of boarding schools, where secrets are currency, and monsters are bred … monsters who will stop at nothing to protect themselves.

A smart, dark, probing thriller, full of all the hard-boiled poetry and acerbic wit of the very best noir, Beton Rouge is both a classic whodunit and a scintillating expose of society, by one of the most exciting names in crime fiction.

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

My Review:

I was a huge fan of Blue Night, the author’s first novel so couldn’t wait to read more from this series. Beton Rouge doesn’t disappoint as it is a fast paced, gripping novel with a fantastic female lead!

The reader is drawn in straight away with the mention of two intriguing, if in one case, slightly bizarre cases involving the tourture and humiliation of two men. The story follows Chastity as she and her team try to discover what the men had done to deserve such treatment. As she investigates we find out more about the victims including how unliked they were and the reasons behind them which made me very unsympathetic towards their plight.

The thing that made this book for me is the brilliant Chastity who is a very likeable character. On one hand she’s a hard, very capable detective who is able to handle herself in some difficult situations. However she has a very caring side, especially towards her friends and wears her heart on her sleeve which was lovely to see. She’s a very real character and it was this, alongside her liking to smoke and drink that made me warm to her. I thought she seemed a very cool character!

This is a fairly short book but the author manages to pack a lot of action into the pages. The chapters are also fairly short which makes for a fast, gripping read and the action never really let’s up which makes the book very gripping. The ending seemed to come much too soon and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series, especially as I’d love to read more about Chastity.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Orenda Books for my copy of this book which I received in exchange for an honest review.

About The Author:

Simone Buchholz was born in Hanau in 1972. At university, she studied Philosophy and Literature, worked as a waitress and a columnist, and trained to be a journalist at the prestigious Henri-Nannen-School in Hamburg. In 2016, Simone Buchholz was awarded the Crime Cologne Award as well as the second Place of the German Crime Fiction Prize for Blue Night, which was number one on the KrimiZEIT Best of Crime List for months. She lives in Sankt Pauli, in the heart of Hamburg, with her husband and son.
Follow Simone on Twitter @ohneKlippo and visit her website: simonebuchholz.com

Book Synopsis:

ALICIA
Alicia Berenson writes a diary as a release, an outlet – and to prove to her beloved husband that everything is fine. She can’t bear the thought of worrying Gabriel, or causing him pain.

Until, late one evening, Alicia shoots Gabriel five times and then never speaks another word.

THEO
Forensic psychotherapist Theo Faber is convinced he can successfully treat Alicia, where all others have failed. Obsessed with investigating her crime, his discoveries suggest Alicia’s silence goes far deeper than he first thought.

And if she speaks, would he want to hear the truth?

THE SILENT PATIENT is the gripping must-read debut thriller of 2019 – perfect for fans of THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW by A.J. Finn and THE GIRL BEFORE by JP Delaney.

The Silent Patient is available in all formats now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

I’m always a little nervous when I read a book that’s had so much hype about it as I wonder if I’m going to be the exception to the rule. However I’m pleased to report that The Silent Patient is every bit as brilliant as reported.

The Silent Patient is an incredibly clever, unsettling and gripping thriller that was a very addictive read. It does start off a bit slowly but soon the story becomes very interesting as we find out more about the characters. This gradually increases as the book goes on and helps make the book almost impossible to put down as little snippets about them are discovered.

The story is told mainly from the point of view of Forensic psychotherapist Theo who has been interested by Alicia’s story from the moment he heard about it. He even changes his job to work at the facility where she is being treated and manages to quickly make her his patient. Through flashbacks we learn more about his life both past and present and how it could still be effecting him today. Theo’s story is broken at intervals by extracts from Alicia’s diary detailing what she was doing and thinking in the days leading up to the murder. These two combined helps make for very interesting reading and helps to gradually increase the tension as we discover more unsettling parts of the whole story.

The author’s background of psychotherapy is evident throughout the book and Theo’s narration often includes information about the theory behind what he is doing. I found this fascinating and thought that it really added to the story as it helps give the reader more details about what is happening. This is never over explained and I liked that the author doesn’t doubt the readers intelligence by doing so.

This is the author’s debut novel and I’m very excited to read more from him. If you like gripping, unsettling reads then you’ll love this book.

Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Poppy from Orion for my copy of this book which I received in exchange for an honest review.

About The Author:

Alex Michaelides was born in Cyprus in 1977. He wrote the film The Devil You Know starring Rosamund Pike, and co-wrote The Brits are Coming. The Silent Patient is first novel, and was inspired by a post graduate course in psychotherapy, and working part-time at a secure psychiatric unit.

Book Synopsis:

The internationally bestselling authors of The Sandman and The Hypnotist return with a terrifying new thriller: Detective Joona Linna–recently returned from compassionate leave–reunites with hypnotist Erik Maria Bark in a search for a seemingly unassailable sadistic killer.

The Swedish National Crime Unit receives a video of a young woman in her home, clearly unaware that she’s being watched. Soon after the tape is received, the woman’s body is found horrifically mutilated. With the arrival of the next, similar video, the police understand that the killer is toying with them, warning of a new victim, knowing there’s nothing they can do. Detective Margot Silverman is put in charge of the investigation, and soon asks Detective Joona Linna for help. Linna, in turn, recruits Erik Maria Bark, the hypnotist and expert in trauma, with whom Linna’s worked before. Bark is leery of forcing people to give up their secrets. But this time, Bark is the one hiding things. 
Years before, he had put a man away for an eerily similar crime, and now he’s beginning to think that an innocent man may be behind bars–and a serial killer still on the loose. . .

Stalker is available now in all formats, purchase your copy from Amazon and all good book shops!

My Review:

Wow, hold on a minute while I catch my breath! What a terrifying, gripping read this was. This is definitely not a book to read at night on your own as it gets under your skin and plays tricks with your mind. Every noise or scrape made me jump and I had to get up and close all the curtains whilst reading, carefully avoiding looking out the window in case I saw a face peering in at me!

The beginning is very chilling as the reader is introduced to the terrifying scenario of the stalker and what he is capable of. The woman’s terror as she realises what danger she’s in is almost palpable and had me on the edge of my seat as I waited for the killer to pounce as I knew he would. The author slowly lets each scene unravel so the reader feels they are there in the room experiencing everything alongside the victim which makes for a very gripping read.

I felt very sorry for the police in this book as they seemed very affected by the case and helpless to stop the murders. The casual attitude of Margot grated on me a little and meant that I didn’t warm to her as she just didn’t seem to care that someone was going to get killed. The hypnotherapy sessions were quite interesting to read about and I found the use of them in such a situation very intriguing. It was sometimes a bit hard to follow the theory and methods behind it though as they seemed quite complicated.

This was a fairly fast pasted, gripping novel although it did get a bit slower in the middle. It soon picked up though with a explosive ending and the revelation as to who the stalker is was very shocking. This is a book that will stay with me for a long time, especially the lesson to keep your curtains drawn at night!

This is the third book I read read from these authors and I’m very excited to see what chilling story they come up with next. How these books haven’t been made into films yet is beyond me!

Huge thanks to Abby from Knoff Publishing for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book which I received in exchange for an honest review. If you like chilling, gripping reads then you’ll love this book.

About The Author:

Lars Kepler is a No.1 bestselling international sensation, whose Joona Linna thrillers have sold more than 12 million copies in 40 languages. The first book in the series, The Hypnotist, was selected for the Richard and Judy Book Club and the most recent, Stalker, went straight to No.1 in Sweden, Norway, Holland and Slovakia.

Lars Kepler is the pseudonym for writing duo Alexander Ahndoril and Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril. They live with their family in Sweden.

http://www.facebook.com/larskepler 
http://www.larskepler.com

Book Synopsis:

He had started to remove his clothes as logic had deserted him, and his skin was cracked. Whatever had been going through Cameron’s mind when he was alive, he didn’t look peaceful in death.

Two brothers meet at the remote border of their vast cattle properties under the unrelenting sun of the outback. In an isolated part of Australia, they are each other’s nearest neighbour, their homes hours apart.

They are at the stockman’s grave, a landmark so old that no one can remember who is buried there. But today, the scant shadow it casts was the last hope for their middle brother, Cameron. The Bright family’s quiet existence is thrown into grief and anguish.

Something had been troubling Cameron. Did he choose to walk to his death? Because if he didn’t, the isolation of the outback leaves few suspects…

The Lost Man is available in ebook and hardback now. It will be published in paperback on the 16th May 2019. You can purchase or pre-order your copy using the link below.

My Review:

I absolutely loved the first two books from this author so you can imagine my excitement when I was offered a copy of her new book to review. I was not disappointed as this book is her best one yet!

The author does a fantastic job of setting the scene so the reader is able to vividly imagine the setting. I felt like I could really feel the heat and the dust of the outback whilst reading. The vastness of the outback is something that is difficult to comprehend if you live in a small country like the UK but the author does a great job of helping the reader understand it with the distances between next door neighbours seeming huge. The heat and the vastness of the place helps to add claustrophobia to the story as you slowly realise how few people live there and therefore how few people could be involved.

The three brothers and their family immediately piqued my interest as I felt there was more to them than is originally revealed. The story is told from Cameron’s point of view and the reader slowly gets to know more about him and his family as the novel goes on. The slow reveal of family secrets is fantastically done and means that the reader is gripped to the book throughout. I couldn’t put it down and found myself hiding from the kids so I could read a tiny bit more. There were lots of fantastic twists which took me completely by surprise, especially the big reveal which made me gasp out loud. I always love it when this happens

This is the third book by this author and I can’t wait to read more from her in the future. If you like gripping, absorbing fiction then you’ll love this book!

Huge thanks to Grace Vincent for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Little Brown for my copy of this book via Netgalley which I received free in exchange for an honest review.

About The Author:

Jane Harper is the author of The Dry, winner of various awards including the 2015 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for an Unpublished Manuscript, the 2017 Indie Award Book of the Year, the 2017 Australian Book Industry Awards Book of the Year Award and the CWA Gold Dagger Award for the best crime novel of 2017. Rights have been sold in 27 territories worldwide, and film rights optioned to Reese Witherspoon and Bruna Papandrea. Jane worked as a print journalist for thirteen years both in Australia and the UK and lives in Melbourne.

(Author’s picture and bio taken from Amazon)

Book Synopsis:

One love. Two people. Twenty Years.

From the moment their eyes met across the room at a house party, Erin and Dom were meant to be.

If only it could be so simple. Over the years, the highs and lows of life conspire to keep them apart.

But a notebook can bring them together. On the blank pages of their love story, they write down everything they can’t always say – the secrets, the hopes and the love.

Falling in love is easy but staying in love is where the story begins…

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

My Review:

The book Of Love is a wonderfully romantic, absorbing and thought provoking book that I found hard to put down. It is definitely a book that will stay with me for a long time.

What stuck me most whilst reading this was how realistic the story seemed. Yes there are a few sugary sweet moments but they are interwoven with some of the normal highs and lows that any relationship faces. I found it quite emotional to experience everything alongside the couple and to see how love can change over the years.

The Book of love is a very interesting concept and I wonder if it’s one that is advised in marriage counseling or the like as it seemed to be quite effective. Communication can definitely be a problem in marriage and I think it would be a great idea to have somewhere both people could vent. I’m not sure I’d be able to write so succinctly when angry or upset though and would probably end up making the situation worse as a result, though maybe this is part of a learning curve towards better communication.

This book is very absorbing and I found it both fascinating and comforting to read a fly on the wall account of another couples relationship. There are lots of twists that were often surprising and ensured that I was glued to the page. However the charm of this novel is the way the author slowly develops the characters so that the reader gets to know them intimately. I felt truly invested in their relationship and their lives, feeling every high and low alongside them.

This is the first book I’ve read from this author and I’ll definitely be reading more from her in the future as I thought this book was superb! If you love absorbing, emotional reads then you’ll love this book.

Huge thanks to Harper Collins for my copy of this book via Netgalley.

About The Author:

I’m Fionnuala, pronounced FINOOLA, and am as Irish as the name hints at, though I live just outside London in Ascot. I write character driven novels where I love to poke about under the layers of relationships and see what’s really going on underneath… My debut novel, ‘You, Me and Other People’ was released in 2015 with my second ‘The Day I Lost You’ following in 2016.
October 2018 sees the release of ‘The Book of Love’ my latest novel – a story ‘for everyone who has loved and lost.’

Book Synopsis:

When the high school in the small Norwegian village of Fredheim becomes a
murder scene, the finger is soon pointed at seventeen-year-old Even. As the
investigation closes in, social media is ablaze with accusations, rumours and
even threats, and Even finds himself the subject of an online trial as well as
being in the dock … for murder?
Even pores over his memories of the months leading up to the crime, and it
becomes clear that more than one villager was acting suspiciously … and
secrets are simmering beneath the calm surface of this close-knit community.
As events from the past play tag with the present, he’s forced to question
everything he thought he knew. Was the death of his father in a car crash a
decade earlier really accidental? Has his relationship stirred up something that
someone is prepared to kill to protect?
It seems that there may be no one that Even can trust.
But can we trust him?
A taut, moving and chilling thriller, Inborn examines the very nature of evil, and
asks the questions: How well do we really know our families? How well do we
know ourselves?.

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

My Review:

This was another chilling, addictive read from a fantastic author!

The story intrigued me from the start with a rather brutal, senseless murder and continued to hold my attention with the gradual revelations that follow. The reader is slowly drip fed information about what happens and the different characters which makes the book almost impossible to put down at times as I found myself wondering what would happen next.

The story is told in two time lines titled simply Now and Then. The ‘Then’ timeline follows the investigation into the murders and what happened after. This is mainly from Evan and DCI Yngne Monk’s point of view which makes for very interesting reading. As the story develops and we find out more about the different characters it seems like everyone has something to hide. I think I suspect everyone at one point as I was unsure who to trust. This helps add to the tension in the book as you are never sure where the next twist will come from. It also means the book is highly addictive as you have to keep reading to discover the answer to all the questions whirling around your head.

The inclusion of social media helps give the book a modern, realistic feel to it which makes for a chilling read as it seems like this story could actually happen. Trial by social media has been a much debated subject and one that has caused a few problems. The author includes tweets and status’s from a variety of social media to help give an impression of what people think of the murders. As the murder investigation continues the sense of unease strengthens which gives the story a sense of unpredictability, as you wonder how everyone is going to react.

I’ve read, and loved, all of this author’s books and in my opinion he keeps getting better and better. I was a bit nervous to read a book that wasn’t part of the fabulous Henning Juuls series but I needn’t have worried as this was a brilliant, slick crime thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed.

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:

Thomas Enger is a former journalist. He made his debut with the crime novel
Burned in 2010, which became an international sensation before publication,
and marked the first in the bestselling Henning Juul series. Rights to the series
have been sold to 28 countries to date. In 2013 Enger published his first book
for young adults, a dark fantasy thriller called The Evil Legacy, for which he
won the U-prize (best book Young Adult). Killer Instinct, upon which Inborn is
based, and another Young Adult suspense novel, was published in Norway in
2017 and won the same prestigious prize. Most recently, Thomas has co￾written a thriller with Jørn Lier Horst. Enger also composes music, and he lives
in Oslo

Follow The Blog Tour:

Good morning everyone I am pleased to finally share my review of Me, You And Mr Blue Sky today.

Huge apologies to Tracy Fenton for the delay in posting this.

Me You And Mr Blue Sky is available now in ebook and paperback. You can purchase a copy of both using the link below.

Book Synopsis:

Is love a choice, or is it fate?

Jo-Jo Middlebury is done with love. Linus Travers wants one more shot at it. Mr. Blue Sky, their 1970s-loving guardian angel, offers perspective on both when he’s not busy diving into reruns of “Happy Days” and “Barney Miller.”

Linus can save Jo-Jo’s business, but Jo-Jo makes it clear that she needs no one to rescue her, least of all him. Add to that an ex-fiancé with a change of heart, a single mom who wants a good time, and a married couple who’ve blurred the boundaries of their respective friendships with Linus and Jo-Jo.

All the while, Mr. Blue Sky observes, explains, and ever-so-gently interacts. 

Written by wife-husband novelists Elisa Lorello and Craig Lancaster, You, Me & Mr. Blue Sky is a warm-hearted, humorous dive into the depths of love and the mysteries of how two people find their way to each other.

My Review:

This was a light hearted but insightful read that was hugely enjoyable.

The author draws the reader in with some wonderful descriptions of Montana so the reader feels that they are actually there watching all the action unfold. It sounds like a beautiful town and one that I think I’d like to visit in the future.

The two main characters are well developed and I liked reading about their complicated relationship. The will they or won’t they theme was well developed and I found myself feeling quite invested in their relationship, hoping that they will get together. My favourite character was Linus though as I thought he was a very sweet and caring guy, the type that everyone needs in their life. I wanted to give Jo Jo a shake at times to make her see what a great guy he was.

The story develops very well managing to be a very lovely love story but not too sickly sweet to seem unrealistic. It was quite quirky in places which I really enjoyed and made me smile whilst reading. I felt it was this that made the book stand out from other similar books.

This is the author’s first book together and I’d definitely be interested in reading more from them in the future. I hope this isn’t the last collaboration between the two of them.

Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton 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:

Between them, Craig Lancaster and Elisa Lorello have written more than 20 books. Craig is the author of the popular series of EdwardStanton novels, while Elisa is the bestselling author of the Faking It series. They’re married and live in Maine. You, Me & Mr. Blue Sky is their first novel together.

Follow The Blog Tour:

The blog tour has now finished but do check out these bloggers reviews!