Author: Patricegotting

Today I am on the tour for Ghost Notes by Doug Johnstone, 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: 303

Synopsis:

A heart attack at a funeral, blackmail, murder, grief bots, affairs, the power of music and ghosts of every kind, who threaten the Skelfs’ very existence. The Skelfs are back in another gripping, heartfelt and irresistible mystery.

The Skelf women have been keeping their heads down, running the family’s funeral directors and private investigation businesses. But when a woman collapses at her husband’s funeral and is saved by Dorothy, she finds herself drawn into the murky world of ‘grief tech’ – a booming new industry that creates digital avatars of the dead.

Jenny’s latest case – a simple blackmail job for an old school friend – quickly spirals into chaos as the woman’s tangled love life pulls Jenny towards dangerous old habits.

Meanwhile, Hannah and her wife, Indy, are confronted by the unexpected arrival of Indy’s ex-boyfriend, claiming to be dying and eager for the Skelfs to arrange his funeral. But his arrival uncovers more ghosts from the past, and threatens to upend everything they’ve built.

As their cases collide and their personal lives spiral, the Skelfs face danger from all sides. How far will they go to protect one another, and what will it cost to finally silence the ghosts?

Warm, tense and full of heart, Ghost Notes is another masterful instalment in Doug Johnstone’s award-winning, addictive Skelfs series, and the stakes are higher than ever…

About the Author:

Doug Johnstone is the author of eighteen novels, many of which have been bestsellers. The Space Between Us was chosen for BBC Two’s Between the Covers, while Black Hearts was shortlisted for the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year, The Big Chill longlisted for the same prize. Four of his books have been shortlisted or longlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Novel of the Year. Doug has taught creative writing or been writer in residence at universities, schools, writing retreats, festivals, prisons and a funeral directors. He’s also been an arts journalist for twenty-five years. He is a songwriter and musician with ten albums released, and drummer for the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers. He’s also co-founder of the Scotland Writers Football Club.

Please bear in mind that this is the latest book in a well established series, I highly recommend starting from the beginning with A Dark Matter.

Ghost Notes will be released on the 13th August and can be bought here!

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Today I am on the tour for The Deadly Mooring by Michael K Foster, thank you to Zoé at Zooloos Book Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part.

Pages: 333

Synopsis: The deeper you dig, the deadlier the game … 
Deciding to put his past behind him, DCI Jack Mason is finding it difficult to conceal a secret from his partner. Sent to investigate a Tyne River cruiser fire, emergency services have unearthed charred remains. While authorities suspect arson, Mason holds a different view.

Caught in a web of deceit and brutal homicide, the one person who can help this seasoned detective lies gravely ill in hospital. Going it alone won’t be easy. This cunning predator, a master of disguise, has a long history of targeting law enforcement.

Will Mason trust his own instincts? And what secrets do people take to the grave?

Lives are at stake, and time is fast running out.

About The Author:

Michael K Foster has been writing bestseller crime thrillers since 2006, all of them based in and around the North East of England. His bestselling debut novel, ‘The Wharf Butcher,’ was released in 2015 and offers a unique insight into this rugged landscape. Since then, he has written five more full-length novels featuring the hard-hitting DCI Jack Mason and has garnished an army of loyal readers.

Michael was born in Plymouth, England. After ten years’ service in the British Army, he moved to Newcastle where he earned his master’s degree. A former Magistrate and lifelong fan of the mystery and crime thriller genres, he now lives in County Durham where he enjoys travelling, walking, and two Siamese cats.

Readers can find out more about Michael via his website: https://www.michaelkfoster.com or find him on Facebook.

If you like the sound of this it can be bought here! And is also available on Kindle Unlimited.

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Today I am on the tour for Selecting my Soulmate by E.Masson and Julie G. Henry, thank you to Hannah at Hygge Book Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part.

Pages: 147

Synopsis: She thought fairy tales were over, until love gave her a second chance…
Yet was it real this time, or just déjà vu?

Amber’s world collapsed the day Levi walked away, leaving her with nothing but broken dreams and a son who needed her to be strong.

Single mother. Two jobs. Zero time for fairy tales.

This wasn’t the life she’d planned.

She was supposed to be living her happily ever after, not struggling to pay rent while her ex-husband started over with someone new. Love was a luxury she couldn’t afford anymore. She’d learned the hard way that princes were just wolves in designer suits.

But destiny has a way of rewriting even the most broken chapters.

Then fate decided to test her resolve…

One collision with a stranger changes everything. Rian’s gentle touch awakens something she thought was dead forever. His warmth melts the ice around her heart, makes her remember what it feels like to be cherished instead of used.

But Amber doesn’t want gentle. She wants to stay safe.

Rian is anything but safe. Gorgeous, devoted, everything Levi pretended to be. When he looks at her like she’s worth fighting for, Amber feels dangerous emotions stirring. Hope. Trust. The terrifying possibility of love.

However, some families don’t play fair…

Just when Amber starts believing in second chances, Rian’s powerful dynasty decides she’s not worthy of their golden boy.

Now she’s caught between the man who’s healing her broken heart and a family with unlimited resources and zero conscience. They want Rian back, and they’ll destroy anyone standing in their way.

Including the single mother who dared to love their heir.

Meanwhile, James is still there. Still waiting. Still believing she deserves better than the scraps life keeps throwing her.

But some wars can’t be won with love alone. And Amber’s about to discover that fighting for happiness might cost her everything she’s worked to rebuild.

Some love is worth fighting for. But can Amber survive a war against people who have everything to lose and nothing to fear?

Will she risk it all for the love that saved her, or will she lose the only man who ever saw her true worth?

Will Amber risk her heart for love, or be destroyed by the merciless grip of wealth and power?

An unforgettable tale of sacrifice and desire, of second chances and shattered dreams, this is a sweeping romance that will break your heart, heal your soul, and remind you of the courage it takes to believe in love again.

About the Author: Hello lovely readers! Welcome to my corner of the literary world, where fiction comes alive in all its glory! I am E. Masson, a captivating romance author with my pen dipped in dreams and a heart full of romance, I set my readers on the path of unforgettable journeys through the depths of the human heart. From whirlwind romances to slow-burning love stories, each page of my books are infused with warmth and emotion, leaving readers yearning for more.

I have a talent for creating characters you’ll adore while feeling like old friends and settings that transport you to new worlds. I am here to sweep you off your feet with every word. So, get ready to rediscover the joy of falling in love with my enchanting romance novels. Welcome to the adventure!

If you like the sound of this it can be bought here!

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Today I am on the tour for The Novel Detective by Teresa Dovalpage, thank you to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for organising it and inviting me to take part.

Pages: 280

Synopsis: A twisty, genre-bending metafictional mystery set in Cuba past and present about a writer returning to her long-lost hometown to seek the buried truth about two suspicious deaths at her Havana high school, perfect for fans of Chanel Cleeton and Jean Hanff Korelitz

2020: Teresa, a Cuban-born mystery writer now living in America, gets an unexpected call from her childhood best friend, Estrella, inviting her to Havana. Estrella is determined to get answers about a case that has haunted them both for decades: the purported dual suicides of a teacher and student at their high school. Though Teresa doesn’t quite understand why Estrella is taking the story so personally, she’s along for the ride—as she always wanted to write a novel about this case.

1980: Fourteen-year-old Teresita, bespectacled, awkward and mystery novel–obsessed, is “nosy, but not a tattletale.” She knows who’s been skimming off the top of the amphetamine stash in her mother’s pharmacy, which teacher keeps cyanide in his cabinet at school and that their classmate Yoyi is sleeping with their English teacher. Over the course of one fateful day, Teresita gets closer than ever to learning the “Truth of Life”—her catchall term for the intricacies of adult existence—even if it means coming face to face with death.

Drawing upon the tradition of Latin American magical realism and directly inspired by the author’s own childhood in Cuba and adult life in the United States, this resonant tale is at once personal and universal, full of nostalgia, candor and danger.

About the Author

Teresa Dovalpage was born in Havana, Cuba, and now lives in New Mexico, where she teaches at the college level. She holds a PhD in Hispanic Literature from the University of New Mexico.

She is the author of thirteen novels and four short story collections published in English and Spanish. Her Havana Mystery series, published by Soho Crime, has earned critical acclaim, including an NBC News selection among the year’s ten best books by and about Latinos, an Amazon Editors’ Pick for Best Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense, and praise in The New York Times. Her latest novel, The Novel Detective, was named a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection.

Her Spanish-language work has been published by Anagrama, Renacimiento, Egales, and other presses in Spain. 

A lifelong lover of books, languages, and travel, Teresa draws inspiration from the places she has called home. She lives in southeastern New Mexico, where she teaches, writes, and is always at work on her next novel.

If you like the sound of this book it can be bought here!

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Today I am on the tour for Kiss of The Raven Witch by Ines Gray, thank you to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for organising it and inviting me to take part.

Pages: 394

Synopsis: Careful, Sunshine. You can only provoke a feline shifter so many times.”

Exiled and hunted by her coven, Breezy finds refuge with Nightshade Charters, an Australian witness protection program for shifters. When her grumpy copilot disappears, she breaks the one rule meant to keep her safe: Never return to your old life.

Haunted by his past, Cruz Alejo keeps everyone at arm’s length. But after being paired with Breezy, his brooding self-punishment begins to crumble. When he’s abducted and thrown into underground fighting pits, he’s forced to realize the truth. He’ll break through every wall for the one thing he must have before dying—Breezy’s kiss.

When Breezy’s rescue mission goes awry, she finds herself bound to the same warlock holding Cruz captive. Her only bargaining chip? A deadly quest tied to an ancient prophecy. Now tangled up with a shifter as dangerous as he is irresistible, Breezy must decide how far she’s willing to go to save Cruz, even if it means she must die.

About The Author

Ines Gray is an award-winning dark fantasy romance author who specializes in writing about fated mates and forbidden love. Drawing on twenty years in social work and law enforcement, she weaves gritty suspense into her stories of fallen angels, demons, shifters, witches, and other immortals who lurk in the shadows of our world. A fascination with reincarnation and mythology fuels her multicultural cast and the supernatural worlds she builds. When she’s not crafting high-stakes romance, Ines indulges in action and horror movies, travels with her husband, or answers to her rescue cat with cerebellar hypoplasia. Her mission? To write as many stories as possible about mystical humans and the immortals who shouldn’t love them.

If you like the sound of this it can be bought here! And is also available on Kindle Unlimited.

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Today I am on the tour for Meet The In-Laws by Emily Shiner, thank you to Sarah at Bookouture for organising it and inviting me to take part.

Pages: 343

Synopsis: They say you’re welcome in this family. They’re lying…

Gina Whitlock was never close to her parents. Standing on the porch of her childhood home with her new husband, Dr Owen Whitlock, Gina nervously adjusts his shirt before he tugs his arm away with a sharp look. This is the first time he’s meeting her family. Gina needs everything to go perfectly. More than her marriage is at stake. What happens this weekend could save her life…

But as her mother, Carol, welcomes them inside with a wide smile, Gina notices the newly renovated kitchen and expensive gold watch on her father’s wrist. Things her parents shouldn’t be able to afford. Oozing charm, Owen greets her mother with an unexpected familiarity that sends a chill down Gina’s spine.

Gina didn’t bring Owen here to play happy families. And she didn’t marry him for love. Gina wants revenge. But if her new husband is no stranger to his in-laws, is she more alone than she realized? And in more danger than ever?

About the Author: Emily lives in the mountains of North Carolina and loves hiking with her dogs–only when she’s not thinking up twisted tales, that is. She has tens of thousands of bees, a handful of chickens, and could definitely help you dispose of something vaguely adult-man-sized (but totally hasn’t, so don’t freak out).

If you like the sound of this it can be bought here!

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Today I am on the tour for She Stole My Baby by Jessica Huntley, thank you to Zoé at Zooloos Book Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part.

Pages 277

Synopsis: I race to the nursery gates to pick up my baby daughter. I’m ten minutes late because I’ve been stuck at work.

The receptionist seems puzzled. ‘I think there’s been some confusion. Your daughter was picked up hours ago.’

‘By my childminder?’ I ask.

‘Uh . . . no, Ms Banks. By you.’

My whole world seems to collapse in an instant.

They show me the CCTV. The woman collecting my daughter looks just like me.

Except she’s not.

My worst nightmare has just begun. Someone stole my baby.

About the Author:

Jessica Huntley is an award-winning and best-selling psychological thriller author. She’s an ex-British soldier and Personal Trainer and has been writing almost non-stop for the past five years.

She is now the author of twenty-one books and is both self-published and traditionally published with Inkubator Books and Joffe Books. 

She writes books for thriller readers who like their stories dark and twisty with complex, yet memorable characters, who often suffer from relatable mental health disorders. 

When she isn’t writing, Jessica is either keeping fit, walking her dog or looking after her young son. 

Sign up to her email list to receive news about her upcoming book releases, get a first look at covers and some thriller recommendations. Visit her website where you’ll also be able to download a short story called “You Die … I Die”.

If you like the sound of this it can be bought here!

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Today I am on the tour for Lost Souls by Paul A Mendelson, thank you to Zoé at Zooloos Book Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part.

Pages: 248

Synopsis: How could the scuzziest man in the world and the kindest woman alive ever fall in love?

Arnie Garth has it all. An LA porn empire, a gorgeous pornstar mistress and a legendary wife. Unfortunately, he has the morals of a sewer rat. And when he finds himself on his premature deathbed, he receives some unexpected news: he has no soul.

According to the Keeper of Souls, he was born without one. A heavenly clerical error. His was mistakenly given to the baby girl behind him in the queue – a sweet, selfless Englishwoman named Noreen Milburn, who now has two.

To avoid a fate worse than death, Arnie has just one week to find Noreen, fall genuinely in love with her, and make her fall for him too. No explanations. No shortcuts. Just real love. The problem? Noreen is a sheep-loving Lake District shepherdess who prefers charity work to men, while Arnie’s world is full of porn stars, a furious wife and a hired hitman.

The route to true love runs from LA to Cumbria to Las Vegas. But will it find its way home?

About The Author:

Paul A. Mendelson is unusual in that he has never been a lumberjack or a coal-heaver. He began working-life, after Cambridge, as a trainee solicitor. One particular case caused him abruptly to change direction and he spent several happy years writing commercials for everything from Heinz Spaghetti to Don’t Drink and Drive. 

A chance meeting with the legendary film director Nic Roeg and undisputed Queen of drama Verity Lambert soon persuaded him that 30-minutes was more fun than 30-seconds. His first BBC comedy series ‘May to December’ ran for six series and won him his first BAFTA nomination. He followed this with the hugely popular ‘So Haunt Me’ and his biggest hit ‘My Hero’, starring Ardal O’Hanlon as the hapless Thermoman. Paul also writes acclaimed drama (‘Losing It’ – Martin Clunes – ITV) and many original plays and dramatisations for BBC Radio 4. (‘The African Queen’ starring Toby Jones). He is currently developing several feature films. 

His first novel ‘In the Matter of Isabel’, inspired by the legal case that changed his career, has been widely praised. (‘A wonderfully funny debut novel’ David Lister, The Independent). It was bought by a major Hollywood producer within a week of publication. His first novel for children was ‘Losing Arthur’ about a Hackney lad whose mum posts his imaginary friend to Scotland. (‘Funny, exciting, a wellspring of imagination’ Jamie Rix. ‘Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids’). His second novel for children ‘The Funnies’ was published February 2020 and the second volume of his Henry the Half Time Hero Trilogy, snappily titled Henry Jaffa and the League of Not Really Very Super Heroes came out June 2025. The final volume is out June 2026..

Paul’s most recent novel ‘’Seville’, was inspired by his and his wife’s return exactly thirty years later to the very place they honeymooned. He wondered – what if we meet our younger, honeymooning selves here? The rest is – well, not history. But romance, intrigue, magic and mystery.

Paul’ has also written three volumes of shorter fiction.’The latest, ‘The Makings of Emily Jensen’ has caused every reader and reviewer so far to call it ‘laugh out loud funny’ but also ‘Compelling’ (The Independent) and touching and surprising.

Paul is married and lives in North London. He has two daughters and four grandchildren and is perpetually exhausted.

If you like the sound of this it can be bought here!

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Today I am on the tour for Forbidden Love by Sophia Greenwood with Helen Croydon, 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: 257

Synopsis: When Sophia, adopted as a baby, set out to find her birth parents, she hoped it would give answers about where she came from and why she was given away.
But nothing prepared her for the tumultuous events this reunion sparked. What began as a quest for truth gave rise to a secret that went on to change the course of her life and challenge all that she knew about love.
This heart-breaking and brave true story explores love and loss, belonging and identity, and the lifelong consequences of a mother-baby bond broken too soon.

About the Authors:

Sophia Greenwood is the pseudonym of a British-born writer adopted as an infant in the 1960s. Having lived between the UK and Australia for many years, she draws on a lifetime of personal experience to explore the emotional complexities of adoption, identity, reunion, and Genetic Sexual Attraction. She is currently studying counselling with a particular interest in attachment, parenting, and early emotional development. Forbidden Love is her first book.

Helen Croydon is a ghostwriter and non-fiction development coach. She enjoyed a 15-year career as a journalist and broadcaster during which she wrote three of her own books including two memoirs. She also ran a PR agency for 5 years but missed writing too much. She now helps others articulate their book ideas and bring their stories to life through ghostwriting, editing or mentoring.

If you like the sound of this it can be bought here!

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Today I’m on the tour for Singapore 52 by Murray Bailey, thank you to Murray for organising it and inviting me to take part and also for my copy.

Pages: 412

Synopsis: Chinese New Year 1952
Ash Carter had to leave the Middle East in a hurry. But when he arrives in Singapore he finds himself in the middle of a much bigger problem.
No one knows where, or when, or who but someone is planning an attack. Carter is told to make sure it doesn’t happen. With pressure from politicians and the army and with Chinese Secret Societies watching his every move, he has other plans. He is more interested in finding out who killed his friend.

My Thoughts: now I’m no stranger to Murray’s writing and I have a soft spot for Ash Carter, but this is my first dive into this book!

It was nice to see and experience Ash from the beginning so to speak, the story line was slightly tamer than what I’m used to from Murray and there was less action but I felt that was what was needed for this book!

We’re following Ash as he arrives in Singapore, he’s received a message from a friend asking for help. It seems like an urgent message so he gets there as soon as he can but when he gets there his friend is already dead, in what is believed to be a straight forward car crash, however Ash being the perfectionist and the sceptic that he is doesn’t believe that… what will his investigations uncover?

Whilst in Singapore he also works with the police, the army and the navy to get to the bottom of a black market scandal.

I felt this story was more character based than the other books in the series that I’ve read previously, but it really opened my eyes to why Ash is the way he is sometimes!

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