Author: Patricegotting

Today I am on the tour for Meet The Parents by Emily Shiner, thank you to Sarah at Bookouture for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 325

Synopsis: “We’re so excited to have you here in our home.” My boyfriend’s mother smiles at me a little too wide. His father’s eyes are hard at the edges. It’s like they’re hiding something. But of course, I already know that… 

The mother: Stay-at-home mother Marta lives in her successful husband’s shadow, overlooked by him ever since her darling son Owen went to medical school. She’s not about to let the beautiful Gina take Owen away from her. Marta will play nice, get Gina to trust her. And then she has a plan of her own.

The son: Owen is already certain he wants to marry Gina. She’s perfect. They just have to get through this weekend and then he’ll propose. Sure, his mom can be overprotective. But Owen knows why. He knows what she’s hiding.

The girlfriend: Ever since purposefully running into Dr Owen Whitlock at the hospital, Gina has been playing the doting girlfriend. She didn’t mean to fall for Owen’s charms for real… Now she’s finally meeting his parents at their sprawling, secluded home. Gina knows all about the terrible secrets this family is covering up. And she’ll do anything to make sure they never find out who she really is.

By the end of the weekend, the Whitlock’s beautiful house will have burned to the ground.And someone won’t make it out alive…

My Thoughts: I knew that I would love this book.. I am a huge fan of Emily Shiners books, she always leaves me wanting more and this one was no different!

This one is a constant guessing game that flips the story on its head multiple times.. you honestly never know who is the good guy and who is the bad guy. I know which way I wanted the story to go but was forever doubting myself.

Marta was a horrible woman, but you were left wondering wether she is jealous of Gina, scared of losing Owen or if she’s just overcompensating because she knows the secrets her husband is keeping and doesn’t want Gina to find out!

The kicker is we already know that Gina knows more about the family than they think, she has her own hidden agenda.. they’re linked to a tragic part of her past and she wants to make it right!

Emily really is a cut above in the psychological thriller genre, all of her books are impossible to put down and leave you with a pounding heart by the end.

I am excited to see what she comes up with next, though also a little bit scared.

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Today I am on the tour for Hush Little Baby by J.A. Baker, thank you to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources 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 she hears the baby crying, she knows she has to do something to keep it safe. To protect it from its terrible parents…

When Melissa Crawford snatches a crying baby from outside a house, she knows she’s done the right thing. She can’t bear to see the baby suffer one more day in that house, with those people. With her, baby Gabriel will be safe and loved.

But as Melissa is making her escape, she is involved in a terrible accident which forces her into hiding. She can’t believe she’s been so careless – now she has to lay low and let the dust settle.

Gabriel’s parents won’t care where he is, they’ll be glad he’s gone. But if she goes to prison who will care for the little baby? Who will keep him safe?

But looking after Gabriel is harder than Melissa imagined. Why does he keep crying? Why won’t he settle? Why does he remind her of another child she once loved…and lost?

My thoughts: Melissa has taken her grandson, she believes he is being mistreated and knows that he will have a better life with her, we don’t know the specifics but we’re very quickly drawn into the story and led to believe that it’s for the best!

The book is told in 2 timelines, the present day and then back in 1970 when Melissa was a little girl. The chapters from the past are more compelling and had me turning the pages so much faster! They also helped to put the present day chapters into perspective more and left me as a reader thinking the worst as to the reasons Melissa has stolen Gabriel!

This wasn’t a particularly fast paced thriller, but I think that added to the overall atmosphere of the book and kept me turning the pages, don’t get me wrong there were moments where I was on the edge of my seat and found myself shouting at the kindle, but the most part this was a very subtle thriller that had me biting my nails in utter disbelief.

I will absolutely be reading from this author again in the future.

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Tofay I am on the tour for The Man In My Attic by Tobjn Mahle, 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: 324

Synopsis: He’s in our house.
I never imagined that moving into our dream home, a beautiful Virginia Colonial, would unravel my life.The renovations are finally complete and I revel in the quiet moments, sipping coffee in the morning sun.

But something is off. At first, it’s little things — a creak in the floorboards, a misplaced item. I brush them off, chalking it up to the house settling. My husband Jacob is more distant, buried in late-night meetings and coming home reeking of whiskey and lies.

But I love my life. So I let things go, sweeping them under the rug, because it’s easier that way. That my husband is having an affair isn’t an idea I’m ready to face or believe yet, either.

Our four-year-old son Noah mentions his new friend, Billy, who lives in the walls. I dismiss it as a child’s imagination. Maybe he’s picked up on the strains in our marriage.

As we’re having dinner, Noah peers at his father. “Billy said he knows what you did.” The idea my son knows about his father’s transgressions sends a ball of rage rumbling in my gut . . . and a shiver of fear.

Then one night I hear something — a soft thump in the attic. My heart pounds as I creep up the stairs, the silence of the house amplifying every sound. I reach the top, my breath hitching as I push open the attic door . . .

Billy isn’t imaginary. He’s real. And he’s living in our house.

My Thoughts: I am a huge fan of Robins writing, she just draws you in almost instantly, it has an almost hypnotic feel to it, you just can’t put it down without finding out how it ends!

This one felt too real for it to be fiction, we all have nightmares as children of ‘monsters’ under the bed or imaginary friends who tell you to do things you don’t want to do because you know it’s naughty and you’ll get into trouble.. now imagine every time you go in your playroom there’s someone talking to you through the walls.. for 4 year old Noah that was a reality & he can’t be scary or bad because he’s letting you pick his name and imagine what he looks like, right?

There were so many ways this story could have gone, my heart was in my throat the whole time, the story is a bit of a slow burn whilst also being fast paced at the same time, I know that makes no sense but I honestly don’t know how else to describe it!

The story is told from multiple perspectives which normally would help me work it out, your view of everything is well rounded, you get it from every angle but this time it had me tied in knots 😂

Gary was creepy right from the off I didn’t like him, his chapters almost made me feel like I had to wash my hands!

Another fantastic book from Robin and I’m almost scared to see what she comes up with next!

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Today I am on the tour for His Secret Child by Cole Baxter, thank you to Sarah at Bookouture for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 341

Synopsis: I stand at my father’s funeral, tears rolling down my cheeks. Someone puts a hand on my shoulder, pulling me into a hug. As I look into the face of a woman I’ve never seen before, she whispers something that shatters my world. “He was my father too.”

Staring into the woman’s glassy gray eyes, I pray that she’s lying. I can’t believe that my steady, dependable father could do this to me. But a hush falls over my family as my ‘new sister’ Ava spills secrets about his hidden affairs and how he bought her silence. Now she’s finally free, she wants to be a part of the family.

But as my relatives welcome her with open arms, I’m certain something isn’t right. Details of her childhood keep changing. And I catch the way she looks at my fiancé, batting her long lashes and touching his well-toned arm. Can this woman be trusted? Does anyone else share my fears? Then, with a snide smile, away from the eyes of my family, she tells me that she knows my own dark secret.

I need to stay silent to keep myself safe. Until I find a crumpled white envelope in my father’s office that makes my blood run cold. What if my father’s death was no accident? Is Ava really here to join our family, or tear us apart?

Ava thinks she knows all my secrets, but she has no idea just how far I’d go to protect the people I love…

My Thoughts: this one was a slow pace for Coles books and I’ve read a few of them. For me at the time of reading the change of pace was appreciated and although I didn’t know it when I picked the book up it was exactly what I needed!

The story was a new twist on a plot that’s been done so many times, the secret ‘child’ was actually a fully grown adult that seemed to be just out for what she could get.. the cover is almost like a red herring in itself.

The plot was gripping without being full of twists and turns, we were just following the perspective of one character which helped the story to flow really easily, it also made it so the story only really had one way it could go for the most part which in turn meant that a lot of detail could be thrown in that would otherwise be missed in a thriller that had different timelines/perspectives and plot threads.

A relatively quick read given the slow pace & full of plenty of unsavoury characters for the reader to hate, as well as a couple that the reader will definitely want to succeed.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one like I do with all of Cole’s books!

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Today I am on the tour for Too Busy For Love by Phoebe MacLeod, thank you to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 284

Synopsis: For Beatrice, working at one of London’s boutique hotels is a dream come true. She doesn’t need a social life. She just needs an ordered diary, crisply folded sheets and happy guests. But Beatrice’s routine comes to an abrupt halt when her hotel is raided by the police. Suddenly she finds herself released on bail, and trapped in London, with only the hotel chef Jock for company.

Having decided to make the most of their situation, Beatrice lets her hair down – figuratively and literally – for the first time in her life. And incredibly, despite the threat of possible prison around the corner, she finds she loves every moment spent exploring London in Jock’s company.

But all bubbles have to burst, so when the pair are released without charge, it’s time for Beatrice to get her life, and her career, back on track. She can’t let a little thing called feelings get in her way… So why can’t she forget Jock, even when her career dreams look set to become reality?

Beatrice may like to keep life fully booked, but can you ever really be too busy for love?

My Thoughts: Too Busy For Love is the epitome of a romcom, it had me laughing right from the off when our main characters get caught in the middle of a scandal when the high end hotel they work at gets raided by the police and is found to be a brothel! – that definitely threw a spanner in the works of Beatrice’s life of order and perfection, poor Jock is shocked but just starts rolling with the punches..

Now their lives and careers have completely fallen through and with the possibility of a criminal record hanging over their heads they now have to try and carve out a new path.

Beatrice throws herself into being part of a reality show and Jock finds himself a chef at the equivalent of a greasy spoon.

With the help of some larger than life side characters Beatrice and Jock realise they need and want more from life & they both have a dream they want to achieve..

I really loved the fact that the romance wasn’t the main focus of this story, it was more about finding yourself and realising your worth and what your capable of.

I think this is the first book of Phoebes that I have read but it definitely won’t be the last.

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Today I am on the tour for The Head Teacher by H.M. Lynn, thank you to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 388

Synopsis: A taut edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller, perfect for fans of Freida McFadden and Claire Douglas.
The higher you climb, the greater the fall.

I would never have been hired if they knew what I’d done. My past.

St Ann’s is a strict environment, and after one year in the coveted position of head teacher, I know I can’t put a foot wrong.

Some don’t think I deserve this. Others are desperate for the job themselves.

And one of those people wants to bring me down.

Whoever this person is, they know things about me. Secrets I’ve barely told anybody.

And I’m scared what they might uncover if they delve a little deeper.

And what they might do to me – and my family – if I don’t get to them first…

My Thoughts: i really enjoyed this one, very different to the usual thrillers that I read, its told all in one timeline, in the present day, which left me with a really uneasy feeling because I just didn’t know where the story was going to go!

It’s been a while since a book made me feel like that, uneasy is the word I’m using but in this context it’s a positive thing.

I really felt for Liz all the way through because it just felt that no one was on her side, the daughter blamed her & ran away, the husband wouldn’t even listen to a thing she had to say and just kept telling her that she should know better.

There were so many side characters and different ways that the story good go that I truly couldn’t work it out, I second guessed myself all the way through and still got it wrong! 😂

This one was gripping, I couldn’t put it down, I bloody loved it and think you should all pick it up like yesterday!

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Today I am on the tour for Don’t Tell A Soul by Jessica Huntley, 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: 258

Synopsis: She thinks she’s safe. She couldn’t be more wrong.

Elle, desperate to escape her abusive home, runs away to a seemingly cute small town where she gets a job as a waitress. And meets Vera, who offers her an attic room in her large house.

For the first time in years, Elle feels something like contentment as she bonds with Vera who becomes almost like a mother to her. Blossoming, Elle slowly begins to piece her life back together, make new friends and stand on her own two feet.

But all is not as it seems.

Because this old house contains a dark secret. And much as she cares for Elle, Vera will do anything to protect it. That’s why she’s warned her young tenant that she must never, ever go down to the basement.

But Elle doesn’t obey this simple rule and when she sees what’s down there, she finally understands that her lovely new life is actually the gateway to a special kind of hell…

My Thoughts: when I tell you this book had me in a chokehold i am not kidding, my biggest bug bear with thrillers is when it says on the cover that it’s gripping and has a shocking twist.. I don’t know why it irritates me it just does, but this one was true to its word!

You think it’s bad to start with.. Elle lives in an abusive home, she sees an opportunity to escape and takes it, things can only go up from there, right?

This book lulls you into a false sense of security, you think things are improving for Elle, although if we’re honest you’re only 1/3 of the way into the book so you know there’s more to the story… but I never expected it to do me dirty the way it did, it hits you with an uno reverse not once but twice!

I am aware I’m being vague but that’s purposely done, just go and read the book! 😂

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Today I am on the tour for Before You Say I Do by Sharon Ibbotson, 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: 420

Synopsis:What if you were planning the wedding of the year . . . for the man you were meant to marry?

Wedding planner Ari Lightowler doesn’t believe in happily-ever-after.

Her job is to create the perfect magical wedding for demanding brides. And certainly not focus on her own heartache.

When Ari is invited to plan the upcoming ‘society wedding of the year’ in New York she arrives at the sprawling estate to meet the happy couple.

The only problem? The groom is Tom Somerset, her long-lost love . . . And father of her child.

Eight years ago Ari met Tom at Reykjavik airport. After a whirlwind romance, Tom was called home to New York. He promised to return for Ari.

He never came back.

And she never got to tell him she was expecting his child.

Now Ari must deal with the whims of a society bridezilla who cares more about her wedding than her groom. And the unresolved tensions with Tom.

Because Tom did go back for Ari.

The only question now is who will say I do?

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this one, it starts in an airport, Ari and Tom meet after all the flights have been grounded.. what starts as just getting each other through and supporting turns into a one night stand & then escalates into a whirlwind romance around Europe that is cut short when Tom has to go visit is dying father, with a promise to come back…

Cut to 8 years later, Ari is a wedding organiser with a little girl and Tom is getting married to someone else..

The dual POV’s really made this story what it was, he meant we got a full, well rounded look at the story, it was strange to begin with because it was told from the 3rd person, which doesn’t normally happen in a romance book, but it’s something I really enjoyed as it made me feel like I was on the outside looking in, meaning it was really easy to picture, it read like a film, I film that I would actually quite like to see 😂🤷🏻‍♀️

The story was heartbreaking yet heartwarming, it made me feel all the warm and fuzzies whilst leaving me with my heart in my mouth because I genuinely didn’t know which way I wanted the story to go.

I loved Marnie as a side character, she seemed to just take everything in whilst staying quiet until the time was right and then she wasn’t afraid to say what was on her mind.

It’s a little longer than the romcoms I’ve been reading recently and did feel a little slow at times, but overall a really enjoyable read!

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Today I am on the tour for The Four Horsemen by Rupert Stanbury, 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: 337

Synopsis: The Four Horsemen is the second book in the Gods Galore series about the Olympian Gods in the 21st Century AD.

The gods are still trying to control what we humans are up to. Unfortunately, they’re not being particularly successful. The world is experiencing both plague and famine which Zeus and the Gods’ Council never approved. What’s going on?

Athene’s determined to find out, but before she can get going the God of War initiates an attack on Poseidon’s realm. It’s now all out conflict and the gods are taking sides – one side, in particular.

Wherever there’s a fight, Hebe’s involved. She soon signs up to an army regiment which is full of soldiers even smaller than she is. But war these days involves brains and not just brawn and there’s plenty of both ready to be deployed in this fight!

My Thoughts: now I’ll be honest and say this kind of book isn’t normally one I reach for, it’s a form of historical fiction & Greek mythology.. but I bloody loved this one.

I really enjoy Rupert’s style of writing, it’s hilarious, very tongue in cheek, you almost think it’s a children’s book, but there’s definite adult themes.

I loved being back in the world of the gods, Cerberus is definitely still one of my favourites!

The mix between the world of the gods and the real world is perfect and meeting the Lilliputians properly this time opened the story up in a totally new way.

The world building and descriptions were so on point that it was so easy to picture it all in my head!

I don’t know if this series will continue but if it does I can’t wait to dive in.

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Today I am on the tour for Careful What You Witch For by Emma Jackson, thank you to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 406

Synopsis: Two witches.
One life-changing spell.
Be careful what you witch for. . .

Becca Ashworth’s family is in trouble and with their magical legacy under threat, it puts their small village of Biddicote at risk too. So going against the witching tenets to summon an ancestor for help seems like a small price to pay to fix the problem…at first.

Connor Lynch is the Witches Council’s secret weapon and he’s just been deployed to find out exactly what the Ashworths are up to. But how he ends up posing as Becca’s fake husband at a magical inn in Cornwall as they hunt down a magical artefact is just as perplexing as the cheerful witch herself.

When their attraction for each other grows, Becca and Connor question everything they have been taught – and soon the missing artefact isn’t the only thing they are searching for. As love collides with duty, it’s clear that sometimes you need to be careful what you witch for…

My Thoughts: this one was a mix of a lot of the things I love.. witches, grumpy sunshine love story with a will they/wont they element and a cosy mystery too all thrown in together and it was an absolute joy to read.. although that description feels a bit tame since i read the book in about 6 hours i think it’s fair to say I devoured it.. the writing was almost spellbinding 🫣😂

Becca along with her cousin Harry and his girlfriend Kay are trying to find a cure for an illness that both Harry and his dad have, they know the key lies in an old ashworth artefact and come up with the genius idea to summon a ghost.. what could possibly go wrong??

Connor has been sent by the witches council to investigate Beccas family to find out what they’re up to and what secrets they’re hiding.. the last thing he’s expecting is to fall in love.

Becca and Connor are complete opposites but I thoroughly enjoyed ‘watching’ them fall in love.

It made me laugh so much & I finished the book with a huge smile on my face.. I will be looking out for more books from Emma in the future.

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