Author: Patricegotting

Today I am on the tour for Solo by Caroline Swinburne, 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: 272

Synopsis: You’ve heard of ‘girl meets boy’? This isn’t that. It’s ‘girl meets horn’.

Cate was a top musician in a leading orchestra—until a disastrous solo humiliated her on the world stage. Traumatised, she abandons her instrument, retrains as a language teacher, reinvents herself online, and travels the world.

Ten years later, after her mother’s death, Cate returns to her bleak Midlands hometown, where she’s drawn into mentoring Sarah, a talented teenage horn player with no professional training. Sarah dreams of making music her career, but her family can’t afford a decent instrument or lessons. She learns by ear, her talent undeniable but her future uncertain.

Cate is the only one who can help.

When a local amateur orchestra announces a concert featuring the piece that once destroyed Cate’s career, Sarah’s big break is at stake. For Cate, helping her succeed could mean redemption—if she can finally face her own past.

My Thoughts: now I’ll be honest I don’t often reach for Literary Fiction, I often find that as a genre it deals with tough topics & can sometimes go a bit deep meaning that the experience isn’t much of an escape, that being said I thoroughly enjoyed this one!

The opening was a bit of an emotional start, but for me I think that was good, it endeared me to Cate and made me want things to get better for her even if it devastated me that everything she’d worked for was gone & she was left with no choice but to rebuild her life from the ground up.

She really took it as a fresh start and was happy in her life for 10 years until tragic circumstances brought her back to her home town.

This story was really beautiful, it’s about starting again when you’re knocked down, but then not being afraid to realise later in life that you still might not be on the right path. It’s about realising your worth, finding friends who really care and rediscovering the love for your passion in a different way.

I am so glad I gave this book a chance it made my heart happy!

🐧🩷

Today I am on the tour for Out Daughter is Missing by Darren O’Sullivan, thank you to Zoé at Zooloos Book Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 303

Synopsis: My daughter left for school this morning. She didn’t come home.

Someone’s snatched my little girl.

I have to find her. I have to save her.

But how can I, when I can’t leave the house?

My husband tries to be the perfect stepdad. But I’m not the mother Faye deserves. Ever since the night everything changed, I’ve been too scared to go outside.

I knew it was a dangerous world out there — I was right.

My Thoughts: another thriller that was utterly impossible to put down.

Faye is 13, and struggles with how protective her mum Jo has got in the last 2 years she was attacked, she had no freedom, feels like her mum is constantly breathing down her neck, she’s thinking about running away, has her bag packed and everything..almost changed her mind until she finds the tracker in her bag & now all bets are off!

Little does Faye know that choosing to leave the house that day would change her life forever, she gets abducted and her whole world is turned upside down.

At home Jo and Mark are frantic their girl is missing, they can’t get hold of her, none of her friends have seen her, secrets are coming out, things that Faye hasn’t told them & now they realise she could be anywhere.

It’s fast paced and absolutely brilliant, I really felt everything, when it was Jos chapters my heart was going 10 to the dozen because she was always on edge and anxious I felt that too, I just wanted to put my arm around her and reassure her!

Faye’s chapters had me feeling absolutely terrified, it was almost enough to give me nightmares!

Definitely one worth adding to your tbr!

🐧😝

Today I am on the tour for The First Sin by Cheyenne Brammah, 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: 613

Synopsis: In the sweeping expanse of the Årdrakin Empire, the people fight and die for honor as elite warriors of the galaxy. But long ago, a prophecy was spoken that presaged the apocalypse. Everyone knows and fears the truth: one day, the empire will fall.

Tårik is a guard for small, independent Clan Tsinna. Instead of pondering the end of his civilization, Tårik’s greatest concern is maintaining his honor while escorting a group of impertinent dignitaries across the treacherous Barren Gale. When the Mother Goddess speaks a passage from the prophecy to him, he has the good sense to be frightened, but he doesn’t heed the significance of Her visit.

Then disaster strikes, and Tårik is branded as an exile, leaving him with no home, no honor, and no future. Forced into a desperate struggle for survival, all Tårik can focus on is living just one more day until luck—or maybe fate—gives him the opportunity to join a new clan. But even this is fraught with danger and uncertainty, and it takes him to an inhospitable world far from the empire where survival seems all but impossible.

Faced with new challenges, including trying to navigate first contact with the low-tech locals, Tårik believes the prophecy can’t reach him. Yet it continues to loom, signaling that his fate and the fate of the empire are irrevocably entwined.

This is a dark, spicy, adult science fantasy set in a world that includes war, violence, and other mature themes that some readers may find disturbing. Reading guidance can be found at the beginning of the book or on the author’s website.

My Thoughts: I really really enjoyed this, it’s a hard one to review though!

At over 600 pages this book is a commitment but one where the pay off is absolutely worth it! It has everything you want from a high fantasy novel, there’s war, there’s battles, you get creatures of different species, there’s magic of sorts, I was hooked, I’ll be honest I struggled reading with my eyes because despite given a pronunciation guide I just couldn’t get it right and I got frustrated 😂 so I bought the kindle version and got Alexa to read it to me! – that way I was really able to immerse myself in it & enjoy the story for what it was instead of getting annoyed with myself!

It’s dark, in places it’s very twisted and makes you want to stop reading, but if I’m honest I just couldn’t stop, I finished the book in 2 days.

A lot happens in this story, there is love, but there’s also politics, deception and dishonesty!

The world building was fantastic, I was able to picture the surroundings which fascinated and made me feel uncomfortable in equal measure.

This was a brilliant start to a what is likely to be a fantastic series!

🐧🩷

Today I am on the tour for What We Did by Brian O’Rourke, thank you to Zoé at Zooloos Book Tours for organising it and inviting me to the part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 324

Synopsis:

She can’t remember what happened that night. But someone else does.

After years of struggle, Raven Kendrick is giving up on her dream of a theater career in New York. Returning to her hometown, she moves back in with her parents and resigns herself to a quiet life.

But that humble dream is shattered when her tyrannical father is murdered. Even worse, Raven is convinced her beloved mother killed him while sleepwalking. So instead of calling the police, she decides to cover up the crime.

But as detectives close in, Raven’s carefully constructed lies begin to crumble. Her alibi isn’t holding up and her father’s business partner is asking way too many questions. And she’s pretty sure her mother knows more than she’s saying.

With the police circling, Raven is shocked to find that she herself has become suspect number one. She needs to get to the truth of what happened that night—and fast.

But as she digs, Raven uncovers a tangled web of buried resentments and festering revenge. And behind that web, a horrifying secret that will change her life forever.

My Thoughts: yet another thriller that had me in a chokehold the whole way through.. I don’t know what’s happened in 2026, but it feels like everything has been stepped up a notch!

In this one we’re following Raven and her mum Robyn, they’re hiding a secret, Ravens dad is dead but the who, the why and the how is a mystery to them both, they choose to hide it because they both sleepwalk, they both have a reason to have killed Zane and they want to protect each other.

As the story goes on we learn that there is more to all of this that what we originally thought, told in 2 timelines from the perspective of both our main female characters which gives us a well rounded look at the story as a whole & a better insight into Zane’s character and the real reason why neither of them were happy to call the police to report his death.

As the book goes on we’re introduced to other characters, who all would have a reason to be involved.

The tension in this story never let it up, I was so tense that even my dog brushing against my leg made me jump at one point!

Didn’t work out who the culprit was, yes but literally seconds before it was revealed, I thoroughly enjoyed this I’m still thinking about it days after finishing it!

🐧🩷

Today I am on the tour for The Other Sister by Theo Baxter, thank you to Zoé at Zooloos Book Toursfor organising it and inviting me to take part & thank you to the author and then publisher for my copy.

Pages: 288

Synopsis: Family reunions can be hell.

Dr. Celeste Monroe seems to have the perfect life—a thriving psychology practice, bestselling self-help books, and the respect of her peers.

But when patient Daniel St. Clair begins stalking her and releases doctored recordings of their sessions which go viral, Celeste’s career crumbles overnight. As death threats flood in and her reputation disintegrates, she realises that what’s happening in the present may be linked to her own troubled past.

When Celeste was fourteen, her abusive mother was murdered. Celeste testified that her twin sister Leah was the killer and Leah was incarcerated in a mental institution.

Now, under intense scrutiny, Celeste’s past is coming back to haunt her. What really happened the night her mother died? Did Celeste know more than she said? Someone out there seems to think she did and now they’re threatening to destroy her.

As Celeste’s world spirals and her memory begins to fracture, she must confront a terrifying question: What if the fugue states she’s suffered since childhood have been hiding a truth far darker than she ever imagined?

My Thoughts: what a book this one was, had me swiping my kindle so fast that at times I had to go back because I was that hooked that I’d missed out entire sentences!

The opening grabs you straight away, and honestly you’re in the books grip all the way through, it creates more questions than it answered to begin with, which was frustrating but left me wanting more!

We’re following Celeste who seems like she has the perfect life, but the deeper you dig the more secrets are unearthed, I swear my jaw almost hit the floor when the twist was revealed, I’m pretty sure this one might be Theo’s best work yet, it honestly read like a limited series crime documentary on Netflix and if I’m being completely honest part of me is a little sad that it isn’t!

Definitely one to add to your TBR if you’re a fan of psychological thrillers.

🐧🩷

Today I am on the tour for The Wedding Lies by Jade Lee Wright, thank you to Zoé at Zooloos Book Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part & thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 294

Synopsis: You think your family’s weird?

He promised me forever. But I might not make it to “I do.”

I’m marrying Stephen at Shadowmoor Lodge. His family’s luxurious estate deep in the frozen Surrey Hills. No phone signal, no neighbours, just Stephen’s controlling mother and a family that loves hunting, and watches me like I’m the entertainment.

I open my suitcase, but it’s not my stuff.

Inside is the exact outfit a woman called Charlotte Walker was wearing when she vanished a week ago.

Six days until my wedding. And already I want to run.

My Thoughts: we’re not even 2 weeks into the year and I think I’ve found a contender for my favourite book of the year already!

This book had everything, a main character that you can’t help but root for from the beginning, she may seem a little naive but you could tell her heart was in the right place! – a love interest who at first seems to be perfect, but soon becomes slimy and secretive, his family who instantly got my back up & a setting which gave me the creeps. It would be a solid nope from me!

The book draws you in slowly makes you think everything is perfect, until we get to Shadowmoor Lodge & then the rug is very quickly pulled from under our feet.

The solid dependable future Ivy thought she had with Stephen is slowly slipping through her fingers & she can’t help but feel that her dream has become a nightmare but is left feeling like she has no escape.

With no idea who to trust can she make it out alive?

I absolutely loved this from start to finish, was it a little bit far fetched? absolutely, but it was written in such a clever way that made it just impossible to put down.

🐧🩷

Today I am on the tour for Taken While She Slept by C.J. Grayson, thank you to Zoé at Zooloos Book Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 368

Synopsis: Two-year-old Abigail is fast asleep in the back of the car, clutching her little red lion. Tony, her father, steps out onto the pavement. The man he’s meeting punches him in the face, knocking him to the ground. Before it all goes black, Tony sees his car speed away — with his little girl inside.

When he finally gets home after the worst day of his life, the house is empty. His wife is gone too. The place is ransacked and the kitchen is streaked with blood.

Someone out there has Tony’s little girl. And his wife may already be dead.

Detective April Fisher must race against time to find little Abi alive.

My Thoughts: I have read a fair few books by C.J. Grayson in the past, I love his writing & this one was no exception.

The story packs a punch from the beginning and the action never really stops, full of twists and turns that will constantly leave you guessing!

All I could think as I was reading it was that it read like a film and tbh I’m now a little disappointed that it isn’t one.

I’ll be honest, I haven’t actually finished the book, I didn’t have this in my calendar but I’ve got to 55% and I honestly am so engrossed!

I just needed to get a review up, I will be finishing the book in the morning!

🐧🩷

Today I am on the tour for The Hanging Tree 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: 346

Synopsis: For a hundred years, the residents of a rural Welsh village have been hiding the truth. Now, a newcomer has started digging around, uncovering more than just buried secrets.
Retired detective, Graham Williams, has moved to Bethgelert for a fresh start, determined to put the horrors of last year behind him. He has seen his fair share of disturbing scenes, but nothing prepares him for what he sees hanging in the gnarly old tree outside his front window.

Only one man can help him uncover the truth …

Stephen Mallow has come a long way since he helped solve the mystery of Cherry Hollow. When his old nemesis calls and asks for help, he jumps in the car, ignoring the pain in his head and the hole in his heart. He’s ready to take on another weird and creepy small town mystery.

These two unlikely allies, whose main form of communication is bickering, start to work together to dig up the disturbing secrets of ‘The Hanging Tree’, but they soon realise there’s more to the story than they first thought.

A teenage girl is missing. The town butcher isn’t telling them everything. The tree seems to be speaking to Stephen …

And someone is watching their every move …

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this one, it was weird because it was very different to anything else I’ve read by Jessica, but yet you could still tell it was her writing.

The writing style was intriguing and left a lot of room for the reader to think and try and come up with their own thoughts and feelings rather than everything being handed to you and I really enjoyed working it all out.

Who would have thought one tree could hold so much history and so many secrets?

I loved the little snippets of 1925 that we got and the ones from 2015 too, it’s like we got a well rounded story, without the main part of it which kept us guessing throughout.

I cannot explain to you how hooked i was, I read this in one sitting because it was impossible to put down.

My heart was in my mouth at times, with the writing being so atmospheric it sometimes became difficult not to feel absolutely everything, trying not to spoil anything but what I will say is that this book left me feel claustrophobic at one point & then in the next paragraph broke my heart and made me cry.

You absolutely need to give this a read.

🐧🩷

Today I am on the tour for Five Liars by D.L. Fisher, 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: 264

Synopsis: The fraud.
The imposter.
The cheater.
The fake.
The murderer.

Which one am I?

The guest list for Brit and Joe’s joint bachelor-bachelorette weekend is small and exclusive: the bride, the groom, the best man, a work friend . . . and me, the maid of honor. I’ve planned every detail to make this a celebration none of us will ever forget.

Expect daytime drinking, poolside lounging — and a White Lie Party designed to help us share all our little secrets.

After all, confession is good for the soul . . . and one of us is hiding something truly killer.

Don’t forget to save the date!

Love, 
The Maid of Honor x

My Thoughts: I’m a sucker for a physiological thriller that sucks you in from the beginning and this one had me absolutely hooked, we’re following Brit and Joe, they’re getting married, they’ve agreed to a joint party before hand so they can keep an eye on what the other is up to.

Their destination is the Dominican Republic, Lisa the maid of honour has booked a house for the 5 of them, hoping to be all sun, swimming, games and lots of alcohol, but when travelling there there’s a storm coming and the taxi drivers are saying something ominous & running away.

Very quickly once they all arrive things start going wrong, things start disappearing & secrets are being kept..

The book is told in multiple POV’s with the occasional chapter told from the past, which leaves you second guessing everything, it was fast paced and full of lots of twists and turns that kept you guessing throughout.

This was a one sitting read for me & I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this authors in the future.

🐧🩷

Today I am taking part in the blogathon for A Woman Scorned by Jack Jordan, thank you to Tracy at Compulsive Readers Blog Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 137

Synopsis: Are you afraid? You should be.

The husband: in over his head with no way of knowing the truth.
The mistress: blinded by love, betrayed by her family…
The neighbour: will stop at nothing to protect the life he has fought to create.
The wife: a woman bent on revenge, but how far is she willing to go…?

My Thoughts: For such a sort book this was one hell of a ride! Fast paced and full of action right from the beginning, the story really pulls you in & doesn’t let you go until the very last page!

We’re following 4 different characters who all have their own problems and their own secrets to hide, I’m not even sure this book had a good guy, just 4 bad guys of varying degrees!

This story was like an onion, every time you unpick and think you’ve figured out a layer it leads to more and more twists and unanswered questions!

I did not see the final twist coming, I guess it’s true what they say, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned!

This just makes me love Jack even more & I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next!

🐧🩷