Today I am on the tour for You’ll Pay by Alex Moon, 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: 240
Synopsis: My husband Henry is missing — and there’s a dead body in my bed.
Six weeks ago, Henry wrapped his truck around a telephone pole. Now he’s laid up at home with a shattered leg. We’re drowning in debt.
We might lose our home.
Then our new neighbors move in.
They’re charming and wealthy. They offer us small jobs around their house. Easy work. And the pay is unbelievable.
Nothing comes for free though.
And then I come home to find a body in my bed — and it’s not even my husband.
You always have to pay your debts . . .
My Thoughts: this book was fantastic, it was creepy, it was chilling and genuinely scared the life out of me because of how realistic it was & how easy it is to fall into the trap that both Ellie and Henry fell into through no fault of their own!
As realistic as it felt at times, I did fine myself rolling my eyes at how naive Henry in particular was, but then I started questioning wether he was actually naive or wether he was just turning a blind eye to everything that was happening around him.
This book was dark, a lot darker than I expected, but I was hooked, it had drawn me in so much that I just couldn’t put it down!
Highly recommend, this is my first dive into Alex’s work & it’s left me so excited to read more in the future!
Today I am on the tour for Street Sweeper by Bren Gosling, 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 providing me with an extract of the book.
Firstly can we just appreciate how striking this cover is?!
Before we get into the extract let me tell you a little about the book and the author!
Pages: 344
Synopsis: London, 2002. When Almir, a twenty-one-year-old Kosovan ex-boy soldier, is relocated to London with a new identity, flashbacks undermine his ability to keep his job as a street sweeper. Then he meets Roland, a forty-year-old British Jamaican, a Council surveyor trying to escape his Pentecostal upbringing, and failed relationship with Shirl with whom he has a fifteen-year-old son.
Roland and Almir become closer as Roland offers first friendship, then sex, yet Almir remains secretive about his past, and struggles to identify as gay, forcing Roland to question their relationship. And who is Muzzafer, the name Almir repeatedly shouts out during frequent nightmares? As tension builds, Almir confronts his involvement in a war atrocity, which threatens to destabilise his sanity and his new UK life.
But, against all these powerful obstacles, Almir and Roland’s love for each other continues to grow. Is it strong enough to last?
About the Author:
Bren Gosling, an alumnus of City University’s Novel Studio, is published in numerous anthologies, and was a finalist of the London, Brighton and Exeter Short Story Prizes. Street Sweeper won the Novel London Literary Prize in 2021, and the inaugural Book Edit Writer’s Prize for under-represented writers. The novel was shortlisted for the New Anglia Manuscript Prize in 2023. Bren’s plays have garnered two Offies nominations, and an ONComm Commendation. His latest play, Invisible Me starring Tessa Peake Jones will be at the Southwark Playhouse April 8th – May 2nd. Find out more about Bren’s work at http://www.brengosline.com Bren explains: “My writing explores the narratives of quiet lives, extraordinarily lived, marginalised voices of overlooked people and places. A member of the LGSTQ+ community, / have researched the experiences of being a gay first generation British Jamaican man, through interviews; / spent time in a pentecostal church. I interviewed Kosovan immigrants to the U.K as well as the head of department of Albanian Studies at University of London to better understand Albanian culture and recent history. I shadowed a street sweeper at Walthamstow Cleansing Depot. What interests me is bringing untold stories to life by creating fictional narratives. This has been my focus in writing STREET SWEEPER.”
Extract: The supervisor claps his hands, making that noise like a pricked balloon Almir hates. Big Ben, they call him – the supervisor – because he’s tall and runs everything like clockwork. A scramble to get to the lockers, collect protective gloves and other gear. ‘Almir, you’re on Hoe Street.’ Almir hurries to collect his set of brushes and heavy duty refuse bags. He runs into the yard and loads them onto the waiting van, climbs in, then takes his place alongside the other sweepers. Big Ben slams the side door of the van and almost immediately they are away. All his six travelling companions, except one, are immigrant labour. His will be the third drop-off. That’s what he knows.
A roar of heavy traffic hits him as he opens the van door and jumps down, Hoe Street a rude awakening after the warm and silent interior of the van. A bitter morning and he really would prefer not to have to get out; the height of rush-hour traffic and red double-deckers are swarming over the Bakers Arms junction like angry bees around a hive. ‘Laters, man!’ Glenford calls to him from the van as it revs up and moves off. Almir doesn’t acknowledge. Already he is carrying the long brushes and stack of empty bags to the barrow parked overnight in a crevice behind the pub’s giant plastic bins. Quickly, he puts on protective gloves. Best to go straight for it. He thinks about what he will do when he’s finished. The shower he’ll have at the leisure centre after his workout in the gym. Before he takes another sleeping pill, maybe a trip to the internet café behind the Tube station. Only a fifteen-minute walk from the bedsit. Elyes might be there. Elyes the “illegal” Algerian who lets him have a terminal for free if things are quiet. Late on a Monday night in Walthamstow, things usually are.
Traffic remains heavy. Slow moving, emitting a low drone: a strange orchestration of engines turning over. He is sure a pack of children have run ahead of him, deliberately littering small piles every few paces. When he reaches First Avenue, just before the pedestrian crossing, cars, buses and lorries are at a standstill. Somehow, he’s managed to lose one of his gloves. He warms the uncovered hand by putting it inside his jacket. Headphones on. Press play button of the Discman. Shakira will provide the necessary distraction to get him through this yawn fest. But nothing. A fucking flat battery. Honking car horns above the din greet him when he removes the headset. He mops his brow; despite the freezing weather, sweat is oozing from his forehead. He takes the broad-bristled broom from its resting clip on the barrow, hammers the brush head into the pavement. Begins to sweep. The foul taste inside his mouth has resurfaced. A white truck belting techno music stops at the kerb. The driver glares at him before winding down the window and carefully aims a smouldering cigarette butt at Almir’s feet. He clenches his jaw, primed and ready for military action, even now; even without the AK-47 or a hand grenade strapped to trouser belt. He wants to lash out but knows if he does, he won’t be able to stop; the rage will overtake, he will end up doing something he’ll regret. So… Half close eyes. Push broom forward then back, forward thenback. Allow the steady repetition to lull this anger burning inside. When the truck moves on, his heart continues to pound, thrusting surges of blood through the veins of his neck. Beads of sweat drip onto his cheek landing tiny slaps. The broom strikes an object. More resistance than usual. And Almir stands upright, paying proper attention for the first time. A large carrier bag. Whatever’s inside is peeping out of the top, the colour of bright tomato skin. Step forward, bend down, inspect… He shrinks back as if to avoid a deadly poison. Eyes clamp shut. Don’t let it be not that, now, again. His lids peel back regardless, like a forced ophthalmic examination. Inside the bag… Something. Something which makes him feel he’s been made to eat hot stones. Pair of red sandals, women’s sandals. And the shoe uppermost, now in full view, has the strap missing, exactly like, EXACTLY LIKE… Outside, noise fades. All that’s left are the sounds of his laboured breathing, his thumping heart. Back in time. Back in Kosovo, with his platoon on that last reckless reprisal mission. Feet cement-filled. A deep ravine. Smell of burning. The cawing of black crows crossing a blue sky. And the terrible screams of a woman. Leg blown off and pitched up on a rocky slope. Dancer’s leg with red sandal still attached and with the strap missing. All self-control deserts him. He retches and throws up; partially digested egg roll in a coffee-coloured puke.
If you like the sound of this book it can be bought here! ☺️
Today I am on the tour for Mr 2 Out Of 10by Sharon Ibbotson, 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: 341
Synopsis: ❤️ Forced Proximity ❤️ Enemies-to-lovers ❤️ Second Chance
Live-in carer, Bo Armstrong, expected to be evicted the moment Sir Geoffrey died. The grand house she’d quietly called home was always destined for his nephew.
And it is. Max Fitzroy inherits the house.
But the garden — the development-ready land worth millions — now belongs to Bo.
Max is furious. He thinks she manipulated his uncle. Bo thinks Max is entitled, arrogant . . . and far too used to getting his way.
Now they’re stuck, under the same roof. And their history makes it worse.
Because months ago, in a reckless moment of heat and bad judgment neither has forgotten, they crossed a line.
Now every argument crackles. Every glare lingers. Every touch feels like a challenge.
And the longer they’re forced together, the harder it is to tell what’s resentment . . . and what’s desire.
My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this one, we’re following Bo who is a live in companion for Sir Geoffrey, so when he dies she’s left at a loss for what to do other than keep his beloved garden alive in his memory, she knows he had no family apart from an estranged nephew Max, she’s met him once thought he was arrogant, yet still had a night of passion with him.
When he comes back for the reading of the will they’re thrown into each others path in a way they never expected!
This book is fun, the banter between Bo and Max is off the charts & the sex is even better, but they both know it’s just a bit of fun, a way for Max to let off steam after a night of working.
On the surface this is just a hot will they won’t they romance but as you get further into the story you realise it’s so much more than that, it’s vulnerability and honesty, it’s about finding a place where you belong when you’ve just felt lost for most of your life & learning to come to terms with a past you had no control over.
It deals with some hard subjects & can get pretty deep at times, but you couldn’t wipe the smile off my face whilst I was reading.
Today I am on the tour for Between The Pages And The Rink by Meadow Thompson, 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: 544
Synopsis: If loving one hockey player is reckless . . . loving two is irresistible.
After enough heartache to last a lifetime, I made a rule: No men. No hookups. No distractions.
Then I walked into the Ivywood Wolves’ ice rink.
Dylan Crawley is the golden-boy captain — cocky grin, effortless charisma, and used to winning on, and off, the ice. Torin Anderson is the grumpy enforcer — dark eyes, rough edges. The kind of man who doesn’t smile . . . but makes you feel everything.
One is all swagger. One is all silence. Both are completely off-limits.
Until the night they step in to protect me — like it’s instinct. Like I’m already theirs.
Dylan makes me laugh. Torin makes me burn.
And when they decide they’re not competing . . . but sharing? The rules shatter.
Now I’m caught between two possessive hockey gods who don’t play fair — and don’t plan on letting me go.
Maybe I should choose. Maybe I can’t. Maybe I don’t want to.
A steamy, small-town, why choose, hockey romance featuring a grumpy enforcer, a cocky captain, a heroine with PCOS,found family, and possessive heroes who fall hard.
My Thoughts: this book was an absolute delight, I was a little bit daunted by the size of it but if I’m honest this didn’t feel like an almost 550 page book! – the writing was so seamless and held your attention the whole time that before you knew it you were half way through without even realising.
I loved all of our main characters, our FMC Fawn is an author or at least she’s trying to be, she’s in the process of writing a book whilst dealing with her own heartbreak and visiting her grandad who is in a care home with dementia.
Then we have our MMC’s Torin and Dylan, best friends they’ve been there for each other through everything, the loss of Torins dad, Dylan’s mum having to be moved into a care home (see where this is going? 😅) and all the other, smaller things that make being big name hockey players difficult.
I won’t go into anymore of the story but they all end up meeting at the ice rink and they hit it off, whilst Fawn is trying to decide who she wants or even wether she’s ready to let herself be vulnerable with another person again.. the boys make her an offer she can’t refuse.
I was laughing out loud at this book on one page and then the next I was crying, I was swooning and if it had been a physical book I’d have been fanning myself with it too! – when I tell you this book is hot 🥵 you best prepare yourself.
It was more than just smut though, there was a deep storyline throughout too, one that had me kicking my feet like a little girl, I absolutely adored this book you 100% need to go pick it up… now I just have to wait and find out if there is going to be more!
Today I am on the tour for Reaper by Vanda Symon, 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: 300
Synopsis: A killer is hunting Auckland’s homeless. No one cares.
No one but Max. These are his people….. Max Grimes is homeless, living on the streets of Auckland – among the forgotten, the invisible. But now someone is hunting the homeless, killing them one by one. No one cares. Except Max.
Trying to put his shattered life back together, Max is pulled into a deadly game when a face from his past reappears, reopening wounds he thought were long buried.
As whispers of a Grim Reaper spread terror through the city, Max must race against time – not only to find the killer, but to outrun the ghosts chasing him.
Because if he fails, he’ll be next.
My Thoughts: this is my first go at Vanda’s writing but this one had me so hooked that I can promise you it won’t be my last.
This book was so realistic that it made it slightly terrifying, we all have homeless people living on our streets so this could happen no matter where we are from.
For Max this was all a little too close to home, he’s now one of those homeless people but with his past as a detective he’s able to sniff out clues that your average person wouldn’t.. & with homelessness now being part of his reality he has a perspective that the police won’t see, which comes in handy when his ex partner call him for help.
This book was dark and twisty whilst staying very true to life, utterly heartbreaking, the way some of these characters were living through no fault of their own made me feel so emotional, it’s not often a thriller makes me want to cry, but this one just felt so raw.
Also really worrying how easy it was to trick these characters, it shows how trusting someone can be and how abhorrent others are to pick on some of the most vulnerable people in our society.
More than all that though the book really shows that even when you’ve hit rock bottom your life still has value, you’re still a person and what you can do is still important.
Possibly not the intention of the book with it being a thriller, but everyone will take different things from the same story.
The writing really sinks its teeth in leaving you unable to put the book down until you’ve got to the resolution.
Today I am on the tour for Selecting The Wrong Love by E. Masson and Julie G. Henry, 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: 170
Synopsis: Three men. One future. A choice that will change everything.
She chose the wrong man. Now she’s paying the price…
Amber’s life was perfectly planned until one man destroyed everything she thought she knew about love.
Medical school dropout. Failed marriage. Shattered dreams.
This wasn’t supposed to be Amber’s story.
She was the girl with the plan. Top grades, medical school acceptance, a future that would finally repay her mother’s sacrifices. Nothing could derail her…
Then James crashed into her life with his gentle hands and devastating smile. He became her anchor in the chaos of university life, the friend who never asked for more even though his eyes burned with want every time he looked at her.
But Amber didn’t want safe. She wanted spectacular.
Levi was spectacular. Confident, brilliant, already making waves in their medical program. When he pursued her, Amber felt chosen. Special. Like she’d finally found her equal.
However, fate had other plans…
One positive pregnancy test later, her carefully constructed future collapsed.
Amber chose love over dreams. And she chose wrong.
Now her marriage is a beautiful lie falling apart at the seams. Her dreams are buried under years of playing the perfect wife to an imperfect husband.
And James, sweet devoted James, has built the life she always admired while she wasn’t looking. He’s still single. Still successful. Still quietly loving the woman who shattered his heart for someone else.
But second chances are fragile things. And Amber’s about to discover that some windows close forever.
My Thoughts: I’ve been excited about this one since I helped with the cover reveal at the back end of last year! And let me tell you the book didn’t disappoint ☺️
For such a short book a lot happened and it had me feeling all sorts of different emotions, I got sad for James, my heart broke for him, we could all see how in love with Amber he was and how perfect they would be together, I couldn’t help but feel that Amber used him and that she knew exactly what she was doing and that made me so angry!
Levi came across as confident but I found him a bit creepy and entitled, the minute things got hard he wanted a divorce, found himself in a predicament that gave him a fresh start and a way out which he took instantly.
I did find the end went a bit too perfectly and wrapped up a bit too quickly, I would’ve like maybe 50 more pages so things could’ve been fleshed out a little more.
The writing was definitely addictive and did what he needed to do because I am eagerly awaiting book 2!
Today I am on the tour for The Tradwife’s Lie by Bella Ellwood-Clayton, 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: 334
Synopsis:
In Westbrook, tradwives are currency. Belonging has a price.
And the most dangerous thing a woman can do is change her mind.
I didn’t come here to be brave.
I came to disappear.
After New York, after the firm, after everything that broke me, Westbrook felt safe. Predictable. A place where the rules were clear, and someone else made the decisions.
I became a tradwife. My husband is a doctor. He’s a lot older than me. But he’s kind, and caring. Maybe too caring.
I learned how this town really works — the rankings, the favors, the silence. I learned when to smile, when to look away, and which questions never get asked.
Now I’m pregnant. But I can’t tell my husband.
Now I know what happened to the women who stepped out of line.
And now I understand the truth:
Westbrook isn’t about tradition. It’s about control.
My Thoughts: this book read like one of limited series on Netflix, I was hooked, it made me feel uncomfortable all the way through & I know it makes me sound weird but I love it when a thriller has you wrapped up in the story that any little noise that happens around you makes you stop for a second.
In this one we’re following Marni, who is trying to escape something traumatic in her past & finds the community in Westbrook, she very quickly becomes a Cherry, one of the main people after Elke which means she has a lot of responsibility in withholding the rules and expectations.
I had no idea what a Tradwife was going into this book and if I’m being honest I’m not sure I’m really any the wiser but what I do know is that the concept of it made me feel so uneasy, it felt seedy and underhand and just yucky (yes I know that description makes me sound like a child) but it worked so well with the story.
There’s, secrets upon secrets, no one is telling the truth & I think I can honestly say I liked one character in this book & that was Simone.
That’s not a slight on the author at all, I felt like they were all written to be unlikeable so you didn’t gravitate towards trusting anyone.
Today I am helping to celebrate the release day for The Country Nurse by Sally Tarpey, thank you to Zoé at Zooloos Book Tours for organising it and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.
Pages: 273
Synopsis: 1937. As the storm clouds of war gather over Europe, shy but determined Tilly Truscott leaves her close-knit Hampshire home to train as a nurse at the Royal County Hospital on the Isle of Wight. Thrust into a demanding new world, she forms an unlikely friendship with spirited Fliss Marcheson and finds herself drawn to the charming Dr Jonathan Burrows.
Back home, Tilly’s beloved nephew Ronnie dreams of becoming a pilot. When an act of quiet heroism brings him into the life of Sarah, a young woman hiding heartbreak behind her gentle smile, an unexpected connection sparks between them.
1939. War is declared, and Tilly and Fliss are sent overseas — to France, then the deserts of North Africa — where their friendship becomes a lifeline amid the horrors of the front lines. There, Tilly finds unexpected comfort in the kindness of American surgeon Jed Martinez, forcing her to question where her heart truly lies.
As bombs fall and lives hang in the balance, the Truscotts cling to hope across continents and battlefields. But when Tilly’s ambulance is caught in a deadly bombardment and Ronnie’s Spitfire crashes behind enemy lines, survival will demand extraordinary courage if they are to find their way back to the people they love.
My Thoughts: it’s books like this one that make me doubt myself when I say I’m not a huge fan of historical fiction, I enjoyed it so much that it was read in one day.
This is book 3 in the Truscott Sisters Saga, it will read fine as a stand alone but I would highly recommend reading them all in order to really appreciate everything in this book.
This time we’re following Tilly & Ronnie as they embark on their first jobs/adventures as adults, Tilly is becoming a nurse & Ronnie is wanting to be a pilot, it almost seemed crazy to me that they were old enough for that as we have witnessed them grow up over the 3 books!
Whilst they’re busy working towards their dreams, they both find themselves changing their paths slightly when WW2 is announced.
This book is both heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal measure, there were moments that had me sat there with my heart in my mouth but then in the next chapter I’d find myself with the biggest smile on my face.
I adored all of the characters but I particularly loved Fliss, her sass added a lightheartedness to the story at just the right times.
Thoroughly enjoyed this whole series & I am a little sad that it’s over.
Today I am on the tour for Because of You by Dawn Treacher, 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: 228
Synopsis: All their lives, Hex and Maddison have been as close as a brother and a sister could be, until Hex is found hanging in the woods near their home. After Hex’s death, Maddison continues to live in the shadow of his memory, fleeing from home and the disapproval of her mother and father. Living alone in the city, in a bedsit where her only company is her own voice and a bottle, Maddison’s apathy becomes fear when she acknowledges that she can foretell when people are going to die, although she is eaten with regret that she could not prevent Hex’s death. When Maddison meets Hugo, she feels the stirrings of love but cannot rid herself of her obsession with Hex. Her disturbing visions of death begin to overtake Maddison’s mind and lead her to a strange and dangerous conclusion about her lover, one which could ultimately lead to murder.
Because of You is Dawn Treacher’s first foray into the world of psychological thrillers and is a dark and despairing look at a broken mind and what happens when familial love becomes obsession. Talented author Dawn is also an accomplished children’s fiction writer as well as the Green Fingered Sleuth murder mystery series of cosy crime books and one speculative fiction work. We look forward to more from this prolific and popular author.
My Thoughts: when I tell you I was not prepared for how chilling & haunting this book was, absolutely my fault. I had the other books of Dawns that I have read in my head which are cozy mysteries.
This was straight up psychological thriller & I was hooked.
Maddison has the ability to see how people will die when she looks at them, not everyone of course or the poor woman would never leave the house, she can see the brutal ones, the victims of assault & murder, her visions can be quite graphic too so beware of that when going in.
The premise of that really drew me in, because why could she see them.. what is it about her that makes that possible?
I felt the grief so brutally in this book, it felt so real & honest, Maddison really loved Hex, some would say too much that their relationship was almost bordering crossing a line, but the heartbreak and devastation was very apparent, getting little glimpses into his journal made him feel like a very present part of her life and her story despite him dying all those years ago.
I’m not really sure I’m going this book justice with my review but the writing was beautiful, but left a chill in my spine and had my whole body in goosebumps more than once.
I’m also proud to say that I didn’t see the final twist coming at all, completely threw me off.
Dawn, I think it’s fair to say you’ve found your genre & I can’t wait to see what comes next 🙌🏼
Today I am on the tour for Don’t Answer The Phone by Miranda Rijks, thank you to Zoé at Zooloos Book Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and the n you to the author and the publisher for my copy.
Pages: 290
Synopsis: She’s the woman of his dreams. He’s the monster from her nightmares.
When Daniella rescues elderly Peggy from a mugger on a Boston street, she expects nothing in return. But then she meets Peggy’s son, Lucas—devastatingly handsome and utterly captivating. Unlike her distant husband Grant, Lucas sees her. Wants her.
Daniella can’t resist and they spend one reckless night together which she immediately regrets.
Too late, because Lucas doesn’t just want Daniella. He needs her. And he’s willing to destroy everything—and everyone—standing in his way.
Lucas plays the long game, worming his way into Daniella’s life—befriending Grant, charming her twin daughters, inveigling his way into her family. Every time she turns around, he seems to be there.
As the depths of his obsession become clear, Daniella realizes she’s in a fight for her life. Because the family she tried to help is hiding something dark. Something deadly.
And she’s already in too deep to escape.
My Thoughts: well Miranda has done it again, written a book that hooks you straight away & has you on the edge of your seat until the very end.
And you can guarantee getting to that point won’t be straight forward, you’ll be pulled backwards and forwards until you don’t know which way is up & you’ll have yourself convinced that you’re somehow the bad guy 😂
In this one we’re following Danielle, a mum of 2 teenage girls who are about to go travelling, which she believes will give her and her husband a chance to work on their marriage which is feeling a bit stagnant.
She never thought that helping a woman after she was mugged would cause her life to take a turn that there was no coming back from, but saving Peggy leads her to Lucas & once Lucas has her in his sights he will do anything to make her his.
This book felt so real and so dark, Lucas was absolutely terrifying, but what a skill Miranda has as a writer to have the ability to make me so uncomfortable but at the same time to have me so wrapped up in the story that it’s impossible to stop reading.
I’m almost scared to think about what she might come out with next.
prdgreads 