Author: Patricegotting

Today I am on the tour for The Canterbury Tails by Trudie Pabor, 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: 265

Synopsis: Carol Flynn and Jack Wallis are living and working in the same square mile, eighty years apart. In the twenty-first century, Carol is afraid of potential dangers lurking in the outside world and locks herself away safely at home. Longing to improve her mental health she keeps a diary and rehomes a dog to help her go outside and meet other people.

When out walking Biddy, her Bichon Frise, she sees a poster protesting the closure of the local social club and unwillingly finds herself co-opted onto the committee to save it.
In the twentieth century, Jack is on the home front as the first line of defence for the aeroplane factory, fighting the dangers that invade his world. He has made a special human connection and wants to explore it before time runs out.

When Covid 19 threatens the closure of the social club on their housing estate, saving it could acknowledge Jack’s affections and provide the community Carol is trying to find.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: this was a nice easy read which is exactly what I needed after the heavy psychological thrillers I’ve been reading 😂

We’re following Carol and Jack, Carol doesn’t really leave her house and doesn’t really have any friends, she keeps herself to herself and she likes it that way.. until she meets Jack on a dog walk, Jack is a 99 year old man with some stories to tell to anyone who will listen.

I really enjoyed the fact that the story was told in 2 different timelines, so we got Jacks perspective as the things he was talking about were happening in 1940 and then his thoughts present day (well 2020)

The book took us through the start of covid and how it effected everyone, reading it in a book like this make it sound like utter craziness, it’s so hard to believe that we lived all that just 3 short years ago.

This book was a one sitting read for me and an absolute pleasure throughout although I definitely shed a tear or 2 at one point.

Plus it has dogs, hilarious dogs who know their own minds… what more could you want?!

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Today I am on the tour for Joe Nuthin’s Guide To Life by Helen Fisher, 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: 429

Synopsis: Joe loves predictability. But his life is about to become a surprising adventure.

Joe-Nathan likes the two parts of his name separate, just like his dinner and dessert. Mean Charlie at work sometimes calls him Joe-Nuthin. But Joe is far from nothing. Joe is a good friend, he’s good at his job, good at making things and good at following the rules, and he’s learning how to do lots of things by himself.

Joe’s mother knows there are a million things in life he isn’t prepared for. While she helps guide him every day, she’s also writing notebooks full of advice about the things she hasn’t told Joe yet, things he might forget and answers to questions he hasn’t yet asked.

Following her wisdom – applying it in his own unique way – this next part of Joe’s life is more of a surprise than he expects. Because he’s about to learn that remarkable things can happen when you leave your comfort zone, and that you can do even the hardest things with a little help from your friends.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: I loved this book so much. Joe-Nathan will have a special place in my heart and will stay with me for a long time.

He likes routine, he likes predictability and will take everything you say literally, but with the help of his mum and a little blue book, he gets on just fine.

But how will he cope when he loses his one constant & he finds out there’s another book to help him in her place.

The story is beautifully heart wrenching and made me cry more than once, it really shows that you can achieve anything with the support of friends and even some people that you think are mean.

We learn that there’s nothing wrong with finding your own way to do things & bending the routine slightly is sometimes a good thing.

I know I’m being vague but no matter what I say my review won’t do the book justice.

Just go and pick it up I promise you won’t be disappointed.

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Today I am on the tour for The Psychologists Shadow by Laury A. Egan, 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: 334

Synopsis: In October 1992, Dr. Ellen Haskell begins a new therapy practice in Princeton after a tragic error with a former client. Demoralized by her failure, Ellen strives to restore her emotional and professional confidence. Her parents have departed for Greece, leaving Ellen alone in their secluded country house. As her clients are introduced through their individual sessions, Ellen becomes unnerved when she receives hang-up phone calls and a series of bizarre gifts from an anonymous admirer—first at her office and then at home. As the obsessive lover increasingly invades her life, Ellen’s anxiety crescendos and she begins to fear the stalker’s behavior will escalate into violence.

The Psychologist’s Shadow is a simmering literary suspense and a portrait of a compassionate, introspective therapist who finds herself in a dangerous struggle. As tension accumulates, the reader gains insights during sessions and through the stalker’s journal entries, which serve as discordant counterpoints. Who is the shadow lover? An acquaintance, a shopkeeper, an old boyfriend, or a client?

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: this book is the kind of slow burn book that you don’t realise how creepy it’s going to get or how much it’s going to get your skin until it’s too late and you’re already invested, I wanted to put it down but I couldn’t 🤣

The stalker could’ve been anyone of Ellen’s clients there was glimpses of all of them in the journal entry’s I know that was purposely done and it worked really well, it had me constantly questioning myself and second guessing everything!

The journal entries between each chapter broke the story up well whilst also giving us an insight into how they were feeling about certain things that happen in the book.

Did I work out who the stalker was? No, but I have it a bloody good go!

The chapter where I was all revealed had me on the edge of my seat with my heart in my mouth.

This definitely needs to be added to your TBR!

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Today I am on the tour for Seventy Times Seven by Alex Mar, 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: 377

Synopsis: On a spring afternoon in 1985 in Gary, Indiana, a fifteen-year-old black girl kills a white elderly bible teacher in a violent home invasion. In a city with a history of racial tension the press swoops in.

When Paula is sentenced to death, no one decries the impending execution of a tenth grader. But the tide begins to shift when the victim’s grandson Bill forgives the girl, against the wishes of his family, and campaigns to spare her life. This tragedy in a midwestern steel town soon reverberates across the United States and around the world — reaching as far away as the Vatican — as newspapers cover the story on their front pages and millions sign petitions in support of Paula.

As Paula waits on death row, her fate sparks a debate that not only animates legal circles but raises vital questions about the value of human life. This story asks us to consider the nature of justice, and what radical acts of empathy we might be capable of.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: I am an absolute sucker for True Crime, wether that be a tv programme, a book or even sometimes a podcast, so this one was right up my street!

I don’t know how, but I’d never heard of this case before, going into it knowing absolutely nothing meant I was hooked from the start, some of the things that happened were so shocking that it should have been fiction.

We’re following the story of Ruth Pelke, a sweet innocent elderly, white (yes that bit is important) bible teacher who is murdered in her own home by a group of teenage girls.

There were 4 of them, but only one gets the death sentence Paula Cooper, she’s 15 & black.. she didn’t work alone so why didn’t the other girls get such a heavy sentence?

This book goes a lot further than the actual crime, it’s a look into the death sentence as a whole but mainly focussing on the giving the death sentence to minors, it’s a look into how far a story can reach and how quickly a teenage girl can gain support from people she doesn’t even know.

It’s a story of how forgiveness can be found in the most unlikeliest of places and also shows how your childhood and your upbringing really does impact on the person you turn out to be in the future.

I flew through this and thoroughly enjoyed it, definitely one that I would consider adding to your TBR if you’re a fan of true crime!

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Today I am on the tour for Private Inquiries by Caitlin Davies, thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author for my copy.

Pages: 320

Synopsis: The female private detective has been a staple of popular culture for over 150 years, from Victorian lady sleuths to ‘busy-body spinsters’ and gun-toting modern PIs. But what about the real-life women behind these fictional tales?

Dismissed as ‘Mrs Sherlock Holmes’ or amateurish Miss Marples, mocked as private dicks or honey trappers, they have been investigating crime since the mid-nineteenth century – everything from theft and fraud to romance scams and murder.

In Private Inquiries, Caitlin Davies traces the history of the UK’s female investigators, uncovering the truth about their lives and careers from the 1850s to the present day. Women like Victorian private inquiry agent Antonia Moser, the first woman to open her own agency; Annette Kerner, who ran the Mayfair Detective Agency on Baker Street in the 1940s; and Liverpool sleuth Zena Scott-Archer, who became the first woman president of the World Association of Detectives. Caitlin also follows in the footsteps of her subjects, undertaking a professional qualification to become a Private Investigator, and meeting modern PIs to find out the reality behind the fictional image.

Female investigators are on the rise in the UK – and despite the industry’s sleazy reputation, nearly a third of new trainees are women. After a century of undercover work, it’s time to reveal the secrets of their trailblazing forebears.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: we’ll I’ve well and truly had my eyes opened to a world that I never really knew anything about outside of the fictional female PI’s.

It’s a job and a world that most of us assume is dominated by the male population, well now I know otherwise, and the more I think about it the more it makes sense, no one’s going to expect the little old lady, siting drinking her cup of tea minding her own business to be listening in to conversations and possibly hiding a weapon under her clothes.

We learn a lot about the different types of women who were perfect for the jobs, some of them using their femininity to their advantage to get the answers that were needed.

I really enjoy the way Caitlin writes the books, each chapter is informative and intriguing, yet a reasonable length so the information provided never gets overwhelming or boring.

This book is about more than just telling us about some of the female sleuths, Caitlin herself shows us the process of gaining the qualification to become a Private Investigator, so much research has gone into this book & it really shows!

I’ll be looking out for more from Caitlin in the future.

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So today I am on the tour for The Road Home by Nigel Stewart, as you can see from the poster I’m not actually supposed to be on the tour.. but thank you to Hannah at Hygge Book Tours, the publisher and the author for allowing me to be a cheeky add on 🤣

Pages: 332

Synopsis: Joe Thompson is a success. Great job, own house, car, money. He’s got it all – or he thinks he has until one day, his boss suddenly decides he needs some time off and tells him to take a break, with immediate effect, which leads Joe to get in the car and drive somewhere, anywhere. Eventually, he arrives in Ripon, and the cathedral. Imbibing the atmosphere and the history, Joe’s road trip leads him onto several more cathedrals. Is it a pilgrimage? Is he looking for something he can’t find except in the sanctity of a cathedral? Or is what he is looking for much more simple. A chance encounter with Louise gives him what was really missing in his life – love on equal terms, until he learns Louise’s love comes with complexities, something Joe does not know if he can cope with.

What happens to someone when they get lost? When their past and present don’t add up to their future? Is what Joe has got worth giving up for what he really wants and will he only find it on the road home?

Nigel Stewart’s novel takes Joe not only on a physical journey but an emotional one, too, where he is able to discover the complexities of his own personality and why he has become who he is and how he can become who he really wants to be. The book explores the effects of modern day life when you think you have it all and you actually have nothing.

Initial Thoughts: A beautiful story of re-discovery after a rough and shakey start, and coming to term with past loses. A story that shows that sometimes travel is needed to find your way back home. And that your story doesn’t always end with the destination you had in mind.
Travel along with Joe on his journey to find himself again, you really won’t be disappointed!

If you like the sound of this it can be bought here! It is released tomorrow and will be available on KU.

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Hi hi 👋🏼

I was offered an early copy of The Last Line by the author and I imped at the chance to read it.

Pages: 336

Synopsis: May 1940.

With Nazi forces sweeping across France, invasion seems imminent. The English Channel has never felt so narrow.

In rural Sussex, war veteran John Cook has been tasked with preparing the resistance effort, should the worst happen.

But even as the foreign threat looms, it’s rumours of a missing child that are troubling Cook. A twelve-year-old girl was evacuated from London and never seen again, and she’s just the tip of the iceberg – countless evacuees haven’t made it to their host families.

As Cook investigates, he uncovers a dark conspiracy that reaches to the highest ranks of society. He will do whatever it takes to make the culprits pay. There are some lines you just don’t cross.

THE LAST LINE is a blistering action thriller combined with a smart noir mystery, played out expertly against the taut backdrop of the British home front.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: John Cook was everything you want in a main character of a book he was resourceful, went after what he wanted and refused to take no for an answer, your typical alpha male but yet had a softer caring side that we saw little glimpses of throughout.

I’m not normally a fan of historical fiction and was a little worried that this would be very war heavy, but it wasn’t, weirdly the war was more of a back story.. what we did get was everything else..

Full of action, violence, murder, conspiracy theories people trafficking and that’s just the tip of the iceberg..

A book that had me on the edge of my seat throughout, Stephen is definitely an author I will be looking out for in the future!

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Today I am on the tour for Mute by Richard Salsbury, 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: 330

Synopsis: If Wes is such a quiet man – mute from birth, in fact – why does someone try to murder him one Friday night in the office toilet? Shaken, and dismissed by the police for reasons he doesn’t understand, he goes on the run. But Keiran, his would-be killer and member of a survivalist cult, is not giving up, and tries to get to Wes through his wife, Alex. Though kept apart, Wes and Alex must find out what has happened and why. Not an easy task when the real reason is unknown even to Keiran himself …

Mute is a darkly comic thriller in the spirit of Graham Greene and the Coen brothers.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: I’m going to be honest, I didn’t really know what to expect going into this story l, I have a habit of briefly reading the synopsis and stopping as soon as I see something that appeals to me.

This one was brilliant, the fact that the main character was mute added a new element to the story that not only made it more enjoyable but at certain points made it more frustrating because some situations could have been avoided if he’d just been able to talk 🤣

There was so many layers to this story that you never knew what was coming next and I absolutely loved that, I was kept on my toes throughout!

Lots of fun characters that were strong and all willing to do what you was necessary to get to the bottom of the mystery.

Part comedy, part action and part thriller, this was very different to anything I’d read before, it had me utterly engrossed throughout. I will definitely be looking out for other books by Richard in the future!

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Today I am on the tour for Me Here Without You Now by Edie D. Browning, thank you to Hannah at Hygge Book Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author for my copy.

Pages: 198

Synopsis: Me Here Without You Now is a love story after the love story about a woman who has lost the love of her life trying to move on and getting lost on the way. It’s a feel-good romance book set against the stunning but cold backdrop of Finland’s winter. After building a life abroad with her true love, Louise finds herself dating again. Trying to make sense of late-night eggplant and fire emojis, she grapples with the loss of the love of her life. Between modern text-dating in her forties and navigating the complexities of a budding relationship with a younger man, she becomes entangled in an quirky obsession, and begins to lose touch with those who matter most, including her son.

As the story unfolds through the winter months and culminates just after the New Year, Louise is faced with either going further down the rabbit’s hole and losing everything or confronting her past and shedding her obsessions. But how can someone who has lost so much, love again?

This heartfelt, beautiful and inspiring novel is about love, life, and the resilience of mothers that will make you laugh and cry simultaneously. It underscores that while grief is universal, healing is unique for everyone, reminding us that no matter how challenging life becomes, hope and healing are always within reach.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: this was a very original take on love story that was both heartwarming and heart wrenching in equal measure.

Louise is raising her teenage son alone after the unexpected loss of the love of her life, and she finds herself unexpectedly navigating the love scene again, 2 colleagues have both shown an interest, one younger, he makes her laugh and seems like a lot of fun, the other is very serious & always making little jokes about her love for Captain America.. is either of them going to be right for her?

After the loss of my dad last year I feel that the thoughts and feelings of lousie within this book felt very real and genuine, the self doubt and the sadness could be felt through the pages but on the other side that meant a he positive feelings came through too!

This book made me laugh, it made me cry & at points just sat so heavily on my heart.

An incredibly beautiful debut novel that has left me wanting more from Edie in the future.

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Today I am on the tour for Its Your Turn Now by Theo Baxter, 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: 328

Synopsis: Daisy is desperate to escape her husband. But has she made a deal with the devil?

Daisy Costigan is desperate to leave her violent, controlling husband, Bruce. But she knows he’ll never let her go. And if she tries to escape, he’s promised he’ll do whatever it takes to track her down and have his revenge. She’s trapped.

One day Daisy meets a charming stranger in a bookstore. His name is Marco and he overhears Daisy’s terrified phone conversation with controller Bruce.

Marco makes Daisy an offer. He’ll take care of Bruce if she’ll help him with a little problem – his wife.

Daisy doesn’t really think he’s serious, but two days later Bruce is dead. And now Marco wants her to hold up her end of the deal. If she doesn’t, he says he’ll kill someone she loves.

Stalked by the unhinged Marco, Daisy finds herself in an impossible situation. Can she find a way to escape this terrifying man? Or will she be forced to do the unthinkable?

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: this book was fantastic, now given the subject matter I do feel a bit weird saying that, but it is what it is 🤷🏻‍♀️

The story is hard hitting, brutal and shocking, but the scary thing is that is a reality for a lot of people 😔

I’ll be honest, i found physically reading the words difficult and overwhelming, especially the first part, so I ended up downloading it on Kindle Unlimited and got Alexa to read it to me.

I have to be really careful what I say because this is kind of book that you definitely don’t want spoilers for, a book where you can see the bad stuff unfolding but you know that there is absolutely nothing you can do to stop it.

Let’s just say I’ll never look at bookshop the same way again.

It amazes me now authors can get into the headspace they need to, but I’ll always be grateful that they do.

If you’re a fan of psychological thrillers then this one needs to be added to the top of your TBR.

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