prdgreads

Today I am on the tour for Diagnosis or Death by Jake Lynch and Annabel McGoldrick, thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 298

Synopsis: Janna Rose is back! The Oxford journalist-turned-therapist is shocked by a colleague’s sudden death, which police dismiss as suicide – but she’s not convinced.

Pursuing her passion for justice, Janna investigates further only to be drawn into a shadowy world of Artificial Intelligence, where identity is fluid and nothing quite as it seems.

But who are the men behind the scheme, and what are their real motives? With dark forces threatening to drag her down and peril around every corner, Janna must deploy all her insights into human motivation to reveal the truth.

My Thoughts: although this is book 2 in the series it seemed to work really well as a stand alone, all we were missing was a proper introduction to the characters but that in no way took away from the story!

We soon get to know Janna, she’s funny, she’s clever and isn’t afraid to say and do what is needed to get to the bottom of everything!

She always has her patients (I don’t know if that’s that’s the right word 🫣) best interests at heart, she knows when to push and when to back off, she seemed to be a really good reader of people, I enjoyed the therapy sessions, I felt like a fly on the wall looking into something I shouldn’t be seeing, but weirdly felt included at the same time!

I was a bit worried that the AI aspect would make the story confusing but it didn’t, it added a really interesting spin on the mystery and just took a little bit more research and digging!

I loved how the reveal was slow and steady, it allowed us as readers to guess and question ourselves.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one & plan to go back to the first book & will absolutely be looking out for more in the future ☺️

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Today I am on the tour for Killer On The Set by PN Johnson, thank you to Zoé at Zooloos Book Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 348

Synopsis: A dream role in a hit TV drama is not all it seems when actor Holly Elding is warned to turn down the part and run for her life! 

A missing actress, a superyacht full of stolen art, an FBI man with a hidden agenda, a chateau set to burst into flames, a love triangle and a web of deceit.

Can Holly and disgraced cop turned stuntman Josh Corton bring down the gang before they’re written out for good?

My Thoughts: I really appreciate when the synopsis of a book gives you nothing but the bare bones of the story, just enough to intrigue but not enough to spoil anything!

I’ve read a book by PN Johnson before so I knew I was in for a good time and this didn’t disappoint, we’re following Holly who had just landed her dream role, so why are people putting her off, she thought they would be happy for her but instead they almost seem worried or scared?

It doesn’t take long for her to realise that the crew are hiding things & that things might not be as good as they seem, the director is very particular and isn’t a friend to tell you when you’re in the wrong.

Holly then finds out that one of the actresses that have just been written out of the show is actually missing and takes it upon herself to find out the truth.. it’s not long before she finds herself stuck in a real life police investigation that is almost parallel to the part she is supposed to play in the show.

Full of tension and intrigue, you can feel it coming through the pages! Yet another one that I really struggled to put down, full of characters that you want to trust but know that that would be stupid!

A rollercoaster of a journey, which left me not knowing which way was up. highly recommend!!

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Today I am on the tour for The Drowned Girl by David Mark, thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 251

Synopsis: She went into the water. She isn’t coming back.

A woman vanishes from a remote lake in Cumbria. All that’s left behind are her abandoned clothes, a ringing phone, and a stretch of dark water that won’t give her back.

Moses Crow knows this place. He grew up here. Before prison, before he became the man people crossed the street to avoid. He hasn’t been back in thirty years, but the drowning has stirred up old rumours about a girl who went missing in the caves long ago, and the family who raised him want him home – to keep the police at arm’s length, and the past where it belongs.

Moses knows that out here by the wild tarns, the past doesn’t get buried… it drowns. But now the lake is giving up its dead. And his family’s secrets will not be far behind.

My Thoughts: as I was reading this book I did have a moment where I thought maybe it wouldn’t be for me, but there was something in the writing that just kept me reading & I’m so glad I did! it was dark, very dark & twisty, I really felt for Moses, he didn’t want to be there, very early on I got the feeling that he was hiding secrets he had buried a very long time ago.

Secrets that the longer he stays threaten to reveal themselves.

The style of writing is very different to what I’m used to, it felt kind of poetic in the way that it flowed & it was perfect for the story line it really took hold of you and in a way refused to let go, I was hooked!

The story was told in both the past and the present which if you’ve been here a while you will know that’s one of my favourite ways to read a book as you seem to get more of an understanding of the story, but especially in a thriller because you get little glimpses of possible future twists that you don’t realise until afterwards!

Will definitely be picking more books up from David in the future, this one kept me guessing right until the end.

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Today I am on the tour for Because You’re Worth It by Sally Jenkins, thank you to Zoé at Zooloos Book Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 368

Synopsis: At sixty-four, Michelle thought her best years were behind her. She couldn’t have been more wrong . . .

When Michelle loses her beloved husband Eddie, she’s sure the best part of her life has gone with him.

Then her mother passes away, leaving her half a million pounds — money Michelle is certain she doesn’t deserve.

Determined to give every penny to charity, Michelle sets out to find the worthiest cause. And she’s not doing it alone.

There’s Doug — her landlord, her brother’s oldest friend, and the rugby-playing heartthrob of her teenage dreams. He’s kind. He’s funny, and he still makes her stomach flip like she’s sixteen. There’s just one problem, Doug has broken more hearts than Michelle has had hot dinners, and she’s not about to become another name on his list.

Then she meets dashing charity trustee, Luke,and is swept into a world of scarlet ball gowns and champagne. For the first time in years, Michelle feels beautiful. Desired. Worth it.

But a forgotten suitcase, hidden away in storage, holds a secret about her inheritance. And as Michelle uncovers the truth, she must decide — about the money, her future and who her heart truly belongs to.

My Thoughts: this book was lovely, it was quite refreshing to read a romance where the main characters were older, they’d lived a life, they weren’t perfect and all came with a huge heap of baggage.

Michelle our FMC has been through a lot, she’s widowed, she’s just lost her mum, she’s living with her brothers best friend and if she’s really honest with herself, she’s never really felt valued in her life, her childhood was hard, she always felt like she wasn’t really good enough, that she let her mum down constantly & now that her husband is gone too her relationship with her daughter isn’t the best.

So to try and make up for her ‘mistakes’ she has the genius idea of donating the inheritance from her mum to a charity she deems worthy.. it’s what her mum would want right?

The story was beautiful, but a lot of it had an underlying feeling of sadness, it’s told in 2 timelines, one from Michelle and one from Nellie, I really enjoyed this aspect because it meant we got a real insight & the best bit for me was the fact that Nellie’s parts for the majority were told through letters that she had written to her late husband.

I really felt the grief within those letter and I’m not ashamed to admit that although they didn’t make me cry it was a close one.

Not all of the characters in this book had good intentions and sometimes it was hard to tell which way the story was going to go, but I was invested and really struggled to put it down.

This is the second book of Sallys that I have read and thoroughly enjoyed which makes me excited to see what she comes up with next!

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Today I am on the tour for Wonderful by Louise Beech, thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 381

Synopsis: A Hollywood idol. The Virgin Mary. An everyday girl from Hull.

Three women, three eras, surprising things in common…

On 4th August 1962, the night she should have died, Marilyn Monroe – the biggest star in the world – receives a visitor who changes the course of her destiny. The Virgin Mary appears in her kitchen with a curious message. Inspired, Marilyn abandons her home, her life, her fame, and disappears into the night…

Fifty-four years later, in a Hull kitchen, Flora Baker finds Mary, bathed in light. She has a similar message for the working class woman who is on the poverty line and dreaming of a better life. Flora begins to make changes that impact not only her life but the lives of those around her…

Do Marilyn and Flora have more in common than just Mary’s visit? Are they somehow linked across time? And is Mary’s message for all the women of the world?

Wonderful is about the way women are portrayed in both history and the world of celebrity, about women not being quiet, and about women united by the shared stories that shape them.

My Thoughts: this book is actually a really hard one for me to review, I loved it, it absolutely blew my expectations out of the water, but yet I can’t seem to articulate my thoughts into words.

The story is told in 2 time lines, in one we’re following Marilyn Monroe and in another we’re following Flora, both linked in a weird way by The Virgin Mary.

This book shows the true power of fiction, you can completely rewrite someone’s story.. the idea of Marilyn not dying on that day was something truly beautiful to experience, yet her impact on the world was the same because everything else she achieved was done in silence and in secret.

This story had me feeling all sorts of emotions, I cried, I laughed, I cried again, I was so invested in the whole story, felt like I was a part of it, I was genuinely sad when it ended.

I would normally say literary fiction isn’t a genre that I reach for, but after this book I may have to be more open minded.

Thank you Louise for opening my eyes.

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Today I am on the tour for Forever Reckless by Eve L. Mitchell, thank you to Zoé at Zooloos Book Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 431

Synopsis:

🖤 Morally grey MMC
🖤 Sports Romance
🖤 Enemies to lovers
🖤 Opposites Attract
🖤 Forbidden love
🖤 Suspense

The golden boy has secrets. I’m about to discover his biggest one.

Dante Spence. Quarterback. National champion. Star of the Alabama Lions. The smile on every billboard — charming, untouchable, worshipped.

I’m the dean’s daughter. I can spot a performance from across a banquet hall.

The academic office assigned me as his tutor for one semester. It’s simple. He flirts. I ignore him. He passes. I walk away.

But I start noticing things.

The pill bottle in his bag with someone else’s name on it. The phone call I wasn’t supposed to hear. The way his perfect smile disappears when he thinks no one’s watching.

Dante isn’t the man on the billboard. He’s ruthless. Reckless. Hiding something dangerous enough to destroy his career.

I should stay far away from him. I could ruin everything he’s built.
So why does he look at me like I’m his to own?

He’s not safe.
And the worst part . . .
I don’t want him to be.

My Thoughts: this one felt like so much more than just a romance, it had heart, the characters were flawed and had their own struggles, it just felt real & genuine.

I get the feeling we were all supposed to see Dante as tough, a real knobhead but if I’m honest I loved him right from the beginning, he keeps his secrets but he does it with the best of intentions, he wants to protect his family, especially his sister, he’s seen her hit rock bottom before & will do anything he can to stop that from happening again.

Savannah.. I don’t know what to say about her, I just wanted to wrap her in a hug, she protects herself by putting everyone else first, because if they’re happy, they will leave her alone, leave her to get on with the things she does best.. because if you don’t rock the boat no one asks questions right?

All that changes for both of them when they meet each other! – you can feel the chemistry between them oozing through the pages, the tension was amazing.

I love the way Eve writes a romance that has all the spice, but the story behind it is full of depth and feeling, it pulls you in and leaves you with no choice but to feel the emotions too! – I’m really hoping this isn’t a stand alone, I need to know more about the side characters in this book!

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Today I am on the tour for Heartbreaker by Jude O’Reilly, thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 296

Synopsis: A mother under attack.

Three years ago, Daphne Monroe woke up to find her family had been murdered while she slept. To the police, she’s the prime suspect. To the world, she’s a monster. To the killer, she’s the next victim on a blood-soaked list.

A killer on the move.

Now he’s back to finish what he started – and Daphne should be running for her life. Instead, she’s trying to make sense of a tangled web of medical obsession, organ donation, and a young girl’s murder.

Nothing to lose.

Three years ago, the serial killer destroyed her life and broke her heart. Now, Daphne wants justice for her murdered children and she’ll stop at nothing to get it.

But the killer is closing in. And Daphne Monroe is out of time…

My Thoughts: they always say to never judge a book by its cover, but this time I couldn’t help it, it’s so eye catching, it gives nothing away but leaves you with enough intrigue to pick up the book! – it’ll be no surprise that I went in blind, I didn’t read the synopsis, all I knew was that it was a thriller!

It’s so eery, because a lot of it is a guessing game and Daphne is left in her own for a lot of it to work things out for herself because the people she should be able to turn to aren’t listening they just think she’s guilty and won’t be convinced otherwise.

Daphne can’t shake the feeling this all linked to the heart transplant she had 10 years ago.. but why?

The closer she gets to the truth, the more of a web she’s tangled in and can’t see any way out!

The tension in this book is palpable, it had my heart beating so fast and my anxiety through the roof. I loved it!

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Hi 👋🏼

today I am sharing a review of Elodie Harts new book ‘The Spare’ which will be out on the 11th June!

Pages: 346

Synopsis: I’ve spent my entire life engaged to one man. But it’s his brother I’ve always yearned for.
Now, four days before our wedding, Xavier has thrown me over—and Benedict has stepped in instead. The spare. The playboy. The heartbreaker whose reputation stretches across the Mediterranean.

Benedict de Vere is everything his brother isn’t: reckless, restless, and seemingly unbothered that this match is a transaction. He’s marrying me to save my reputation. My reasons for wedding him are… more complicated.

I’m going to be his duchess.

I’m going to share his life.

His bed.

I should be up to the challenge. After all, they call me the ice queen for a reason. I’ve had years to perfect my mask.

But I’ve longed for him since I was eighteen years old. And Benedict doesn’t do serious. He doesn’t do forever. The trail of broken hearts he’s left behind is evidence of that.

Being one of those broken hearts would be devastating enough. Knowing him that intimately, then being cast aside?

Now imagine that happening in our marital bed.

It’s a loneliness I wouldn’t survive.

Tropes:
👑 Arranged marriage
👑 Modern duke and duchess
👑 Billionaire
👑 Opposites attract
👑 Reformed playboy MMC
👑 Ice queen FMC
👑 She marries her fiancé’s brother

My Thoughts: It was no secret that I was always going to love this book! – in my eyes Elodie can do no wrong! her books are always glamorous giving you a hint of a life that is so far out of reach for us every day people but make the characters so down to earth and relatable that we get pulled in and taken along to enjoy it all without ever feeling out of place!

I LOVED Ben, I knew his redemption arc would be more than worth the wait, he’s flawed obviously and had to learn a new way of being around women, he doesn’t always get it right in the beginning but the important thing is that he learns! Very swoon-worthy, very sensitive to the people around him and not afraid to ask for help when he knows a situation has him out of his depth! (I think I might prefer him to Xav 🤫)

It was so lovely to get to know Selena better after the raw deal she got in book 1 & I really appreciated that we got to see the scene with Xav from her perspective. Instantly made me want to wrap her in a hug and never let her go.

Her vulnerabilities were shown to us from the beginning in the form of her inner monologue and although she saw them as a weakness it was clear to us as the reader how strong she was even if she didn’t feel like it!

Seeing them learn and grow together and turn what they had into a marriage of dreams was lovely to witness, there was no insta love despite their attraction to each other being years old.

The spice in this book was chefs kiss, it was more subtle whilst also being incredibly hot which fit the softer feel of the book perfectly.

And as always the banter between the characters and the one liners were perfect & had me laughing out loud.

A beautiful book that I read in one sitting and then was sad that it ended 🤣

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Today I am on the tour for The Big Oh by Alona Stark, thank you to Zoé at Zooloos Book Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 296

Synopsis: When your orgasm tutor is your worst mistake…and your best shot at happily ever after…

All Camille Sutherland wants to do is survive her coursework, keep the lights on at the adult toy shop she works at and calls home, and figure out why orgasms have always eluded her. Romance is nowhere on her agenda. Until a sexy sales rep walks in and offers to help her, um, test the merchandise. Now she’s rethinking everything.

Desmond Blake is one deal away from finallyproving to his father that business can be just as noble as medicine. All he has to do is convince a shop owner to sell. Easy. Or it would’ve been…until he became obsessed with the woman who stands to lose her job and her home if he succeeds.

With secrets unraveling, lies surfacing, and a heart she never planned to risk on the line, can Cami put her trust in Des—and love—when it matters most?

Guess there’s only one way to find out…starting with The Big Oh.

My Thoughts: do not be fooled by this cutesy cartoon cover, my god was this book hot 🥵 Cami works in a sex toy store, surrounded by all these toys and enhancements & still it able to quite get there, she’s left feeling like there is something wrong with her, is she broken?

Along comes Desmond, unbeknownst to her he’s there to convince her boss to sell the business, they get talking & he offers to give her lessons, no touching, no strings.. but we all know it won’t stay that way 😂

I devoured this, but forced myself to savour it, I read it slowly over a few days I just loved Cami and Des so much, their chemistry was off the charts and their banter was chefs kiss!

The story was just full of heartwarming characters, I adored Lenny, she was absolutely bonkers in the best way possible!

I’m already eagerly awaiting the next story that Alona comes up with next 😍

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Today I am on the tour for Sixty Is The New Assassin by Shesh, thank you to Hannah at Hygge Book Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 245

Synopsis: WAS AN ASSASSIN’S ROLE AKIN TO A CEO’S ROLE? BOTH NEEDED SOME SUSPENSION OF MORALITY, A WILLINGNESS TO DO THINGS THAT MOST WOULD NOT, OR COULD NOT. 
After retiring from active corporate life, sixty-year-old Ishmael Dollah keeps himself busy with regular runs around the city, tennis at the club and his book club meets. Life is good—a bit staid maybe, but good. That is until, one day, he hears of his beloved daughter-in-law’s rumoured affair. Suddenly Ishmael’s perfect world is turned upside down.

Never one to give in, Ishmael decides to take matters into his own hands. He’ll apply his sharp mind and ruthless boardroom tactics to plan not a hostile takeover, but a carefully orchestrated act of vengeance.

As he treads the fine line between right and wrong, blurring it to suit his needs, Ishmael realises he rather enjoys the process. Sixty Is the New Assassinis an intriguing blend of dark humour and suspense that will keep the reader hooked up to the very end.

My Thoughts: this was a lot of fun, a bit serious, a bit tongue in cheek with a lot of laugh out loud moments thrown in!

I’ll be honest despite the name of the book I didn’t actually expect there to me any murder in the book so that threw me off completely, until then I though Ishmael was all talk 😂

The writing was engaging and the story was told in a way that drew you into it slowly but with enough intrigue to keep you turning the pages! – I kept saying to myself “just one more chapter” and before I knew it I had finished the book.

The different character perspectives we got thrown in helped to not only lighten the book but helped you get a well rounded view of the story as a whole.

This book had me shocked & shaking my head in utter disbelief and what was happening & then not even 2 pages later I was smiling to myself.

A thoroughly enjoyable read that will appeal to a lot of different people.

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