Author: Patricegotting

Today I’m on the tour for Keepers by Cheryl Burman and I have a spotlight for you. Thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part.

Pages: 321

Synopsis: Raine thought her future was settled. Until she finds herself alone, with a young child, and pregnant.

It’s 1951, Australia, and while Raine’s marriage to the good looking but moody Teddy was unplanned, all seems well. Cash is short, but their baby thrives and they get by.
Then Teddy disappears, sending a telegram which may or may not be the reason for his desertion.
Furious and grieving, Raine faces tough choices. Especially about her feelings for the faithful, devoted Alf. He’s always looked out for Raine. He’d love to do so forever.
Eight months pregnant, Raine sets out on a punishing journey to face her errant husband. And make the most important decision of her life.

About The Author:

When Cheryl Burman moved to the Forest of Dean in SW England she, like Tolkien and Rowling, was inspired to write. 

She started with middle grade fantasy, discovered a taste for historical fiction, also that short stories and flash can be fun, and now she has moved on to historical fantasy. She likes a challenge and a change.

As Cheryl Mayo, she is Chair of Dean Writers Circle and a founder of Dean Scribblers, which encourages the creative writing spark in young people in the community.

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

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Today I am on the tour for The Bone House by Caroline Mitchell and I have a spotlight for you, thank you to Tracy at Compulsive Readers for organising it and inviting me to take part.

Pages: 240

Synopsis: When hundreds of birds fall from the sky into Slayton’s lake in a terrifying freak event, the waters are dredged – revealing a dark, long-held secret.

An old pram is pulled from the depths, with the bones of a baby still strapped inside.

It’s the moment that new mother, Cora, has been dreading since she moved to Slayton – because someone knows, and is going to make her pay.

With the help of forensic anthropologist Sophia Hudson, and the extraordinary young Elliott Carter, Detective Sarah Noble gets to the bottom of a cold case that refuses to stay in the past. Will she survive the secrets of the bone house?

About The Author: New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post and International #1 Bestselling Author. Shortlisted by the International Thriller Awards for best ebook 2017, the Killer Nashville Best Police Procedural 2018 and the Audie awards 2022. Over 1.7 million books sold.

Caroline originates from Ireland and now lives in a village outside the city of Lincoln. A former police detective, she has worked in CID and specialised in roles dealing with vulnerable victims, high-risk victims of domestic abuse, and serious sexual offences. She now writes full time.

Caroline writes psychological and crime thrillers. Her stand alone thriller Silent Victim reached No.1 in the Amazon charts in the UK, USA and Australia and was the winner of the Reader’s Favourite Awards in the psychological thriller category. It has been described as ‘brilliantly gripping and deliciously creepy’. 

The first in her Amy Winter series, Truth And Lies, is a New York Times bestseller and has been optioned for TV.

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’m on the tour for Living Proof by A.H. Martin, and I have a spotlight for you, thank you to Hannah at Hygge Book Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part.

This one will be a bit different but I have some posters to share ☺️

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Today I’m on the tour for Preloved by Lauren Bravo and I have a spotlight for you, thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part.

Pages: 445

Synopsis:
Gwen is coasting through life. She’s in her mid-thirties, perpetually single, her friends are busy procreating in the countryside and conversations with her parents seem to revolve entirely around the council’s wheelie-bin timetable.

And she’s lonely. But then, isn’t everyone?

When she’s made redundant from a job she hardly cares about, she takes herself out for a fancy dinner. There she has the best sticky toffee pudding of her life and realises she has no one to tell. She vows to begin living her life fully, reconnect with her friends and family, and finally book that dentist’s appointment.

Gwen decides to start where all things get a second chance: her local charity shop. There, with the help of the weird and wonderful people and donated items bursting with untold stories, Gwen will find a way to move forward with bravery, tenacity, and more regular dental care.

Dazzlingly witty, Preloved is a tale about friendship, loss and being true to yourself no matter the expectations. Lovingly celebrating the enduring power and joy of charity shops.

About the Author:

Lauren Bravo is a freelance journalist who writes about fashion, popular culture, food, travel and feminism, for publications including Grazia, Refinery29 UK, Cosmopolitan, Stylist, easyJet Traveller, Time Out, Delicious, the Telegraph and the Guardian. She is the author of two non-fiction books, What Would the Spice Girls Do? (2018) and How To Break Up With Fast Fashion (2020). Lauren lives in East London, and Preloved is her debut novel

Preloved will be released on April 27th and can be preordered here!

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Today I’m on the tour for Atalanta by Jennifer Saint and I have a spotlight for you, thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part.

Pages: 368

Synopsis: When a daughter is born to the King of Arcadia, she brings only disappointment.

Left exposed on a mountainside, the defenceless infant Atalanta is left to the mercy of a passing mother bear and raised alongside the cubs under the protective eye of the goddess Artemis.

Swearing that she will prove her worth alongside the famed heroes of Greece, Atalanta leaves her forest to join Jason’s band of Argonauts. But can she carve out her own place in the legends in a world made for men?

About The Author: Jennifer Saint grew up reading Greek mythology and was always drawn to the untold stories hidden within the myths. After thirteen years as a high school English teacher, she wrote ARIADNE which tells the legend of Theseus and the Minotaur from the perspective of Ariadne – the woman who made it happen. Her second novel, ELEKTRA, explores the curse upon the House of Atreus, giving voice to three women who are caught up in its shadows: Clytemnestra, Cassandra and Elektra whose lives are shattered by the Trojan War and who seek to find justice at any cost. Jennifer Saint is now a full-time author, living in Yorkshire, England, with her husband and two children.

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

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Today I’m on the tour for Second to Sin by Murray Bailey, thank you to Murray for organising it, inviting me to take part and providing me with a copy of the book.

Pages: 352

Synopsis: “It only takes a second to sin,” Father Thomas said. He believes in saving souls, but Charles Balcombe is beyond saving. His control over his killer instinct appears to be weakening. BlackJack has killed again and more questions are being asked of Detective Inspector Munro. He is under increasing pressure to solve the murders, especially when he picks up more cases from Kowloon rather than solving his own.
As Balcombe battles with his demon, he investigates the death of a young woman. Was it an accident or did she kill herself? At first Balcombe thinks it’s straightforward but as he digs, other cases reveal an evil in Hong Kong. One that could consume them all.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: it’s no secret that I absolutely adore Murray’s writing, that being said I was a little dubious to start the BlackJack books because I was worried that they wouldn’t live up to the Ash Carter standards, I can happily report that I was wrong.

BlackJack is the alter ego of Charles Balcombe, Balcombe is a private investigator of sorts, whereas BlackJack likes to kill the bad guys that the police either can’t or won’t touch for various reasons.

We learn in this one that Charles doesn’t always have control of BlackJack and doesn’t always remember the crimes he commits, could be problematic for him moving forward when he’s working with the police to solve the possible murder of a young woman, can he cover his tracks at the same time?

This book was incredible, the pacing was perfect, the suspense was palpable, I devoured this in one sitting and can’t wait to see what he gets up to next time.

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This is the first review I’ve written since losing my grandad last month and I feel like I’ve forgotten how to be a book reviewer so please bare with me 😅

Pages: 394

Synopsis: MADDY
I cultivate my shamelessness.

I wore it as a badge of honour at my convent school, and I’ve been turning it into an art form at Alchemy, the club whose social media I manage.

My boss, though? He’s the most proper person I’ve ever met. No one would peg him as the Finance Director of a sex club.

(I mean, no one’s pegging him at all, which is probably his problem. #justsayin)

I get it. He’s a widower who’s single-parenting two little girls while holding down a massive job. He needs an outlet. Something just for him.

Besides, I’ve seen the looks he gives me. Equal parts disapproval and desire. Looks that compel me to bring him back to life.

Which is why I proposition him to do unspeakable things to me.

Use my body to find some light in his darkness.

After all, he has an entire sex club at his disposal. Surely it’s rude not to indulge?


ZACH
This woman will be the death of me.

It’s deeply unfortunate that my soul only finds peace when my hands are on her body.

I’m beginning to understand that the basest pleasures of the flesh can overrule the most elevated emotions of the heart.

She looks like the embodiment of sin.

But God, she feels like salvation.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: oh wow this book.. I thought unfurl couldn’t be beaten, but I was totally wrong.

Undulate was on another level, we have Maddy alchemy’s new social media manager, who loves to take advantage of the perks of the job and Zach the finance guy and co-owner of Alchemy after losing his wife to cancer and becoming a single dad to his 2 young girls, He is aware of what happens but doesn’t partake in any of it.

But could Maddy change all of that? She’s very switched on and takes in more than you think, so when she approaches him and tells him to use her to fulfil his needs will he take her up on her offer?

This story deals so well with the grief side of things and opened up conversations that you wouldn’t necessarily expect from a super steamy romance novel.

The story made me laugh, it made me saw ‘awww’ out loud more than once, but them also made me sob real tears to the point I had to put the book down because I couldn’t see the words anymore 🥺

And oh my the spice is off the scale, I don’t understand how you get into the headspace to write scenes like that, but I am here for it all!

I can’t wait to see what’s next for the team at Alchemy but I’ll be honest, this one will take some beating!

Undulate can be bought here and will be available on Kindle Unlimited from 19th April 2023!

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Today I’m on the tour for The School Trip by Miranda Smith and I have an extract for you, thank you to Sarah at Bookouture for organising it and inviting me to take part.

Pages: 280

Synopsis: They should have been watching. But my little girl is gone…

On this crisp October day, the class of six-year-old children are wrapped up warm in gloves and coats for their trip to a local farm. They giggle as they stroke the animals and search for the perfect Halloween pumpkin, and as I watch my daughter Claire race off with her friends, the pink ribbon in her hair bouncing, I breathe a sigh of relief. It’s been so hard since my husband died and my sweet little girl deserves to be happy.

But as the sun sets and the teachers gather the children, Claire is nowhere to be seen.

We call the police and frantically scour the fields and playgrounds, my heart breaking as I cry out Claire’s name. And then a detective shows me a video: my daughter, skipping away from the farm, holding hands with an adult in a bulky coat, their cap pulled down low.

My blood turns to ice. Claire would never leave with a stranger. Whoever took her must be someone I know.

But who could want to punish me this badly? Is it linked to the night I refuse to think about—the terrible night my husband died?

Did my mistakes put my baby girl in danger?
Can I save her by finally facing the past?
Or will I lose her forever when the truth comes out?

Extract: Chapter One

I have a plan. Dr. Meade says you can’t go through life without a plan, and she’s been in school twice as long as I ever was. She’s still learning. I know because she writes papers and when they’re good enough, she gets to go talk about them at fancy schools. She even wrote one about me. Anyway, Dr. Meade knows her stuff, and she says everyone who wants to live a productive life must have a plan. Five-year. Month-long. Even a daily schedule can help. It’s helped me. For so long, I kept thinking about my life as a series of wins and losses. Dr. Meade says that isn’t healthy. Sometimes I think she just says that because my losses are so overwhelming. If I kept thinking about them, I’d hurt myself again… There’s a lot about my past I wish I could change. A lot about me I wish I could change. For the plan to work, I first had to admit the truth about myself. Then, I had to come to terms with what I really needed. The last part—let me tell you, this one is a doozy to get right— was figuring out how to make it happen.

All of it has led me to this point, to today’s Step One: Take the girl..

About the Author

Miranda Smith writes psychological and domestic suspense. She is drawn to stories about ordinary people in extraordinary situations. Before completing her first novel, she worked as a newspaper staff writer and a secondary English teacher. She lives in East Tennessee with her husband and three young children.

If this sounds like something you’d enjoy it can be bought here! And is also available on Kindle Unlimited.

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Today I’m on the tour for The Assistant by Amanda Reynolds and I have a spotlight for you, thank you to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for organising it and inviting me to take part.

Pages: 342

Synopsis: I know many things about Larissa.
I know what she eats, which must-have brands she applies to her face, and the price of each carefully selected ‘piece’ in her multi-million-pound home in Belgravia.

Because Ris, as she is known to her many followers, likes to share.

And now I’m here, in her home, watching her every move.

Entrusted with her secrets and running her diary from the bijou basement flat, I’m on hand to fulfil Ris’ every need. Her right-hand woman. But what she doesn’t know is why I’m really here.

I’ve put a lot on the line to get this job, and now my plan can begin.

I’ve waited long enough.

About The Author:

Amanda Reynolds’ is a best selling author of psychological thrillers. Her debut novel, Close To Me, published in 2017 by Headline, was adapted by NENT Studios UK as a major six-part TV series starring Connie Nielsen and Christopher Eccleston. The series aired in 2021, on Channel 4 in the UK and on Sundance AMC in the US, as well as many other countries worldwide.

She is the author of three further psychological suspense novels, Lying To You and The Hidden Wife with Headline, and The Assistant, publishing with Boldwood Books in 2023 and a further psychological thriller to follow.

Amanda Reynolds lives in the Cotswolds with her husband and their dog.

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’m on the tour for Summer Nights at the Starfish Café by Jessica Redland and I have a spotlight for you, thank you to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for organising it and inviting me to take part.

Pages: 408

Synopsis Welcome back to The Starfish Café for a glorious summer, but with a few dark clouds on the horizon…

A new beginning…

As her summer wedding to Jake approaches, Hollie is excited for their new beginning as a family. But when some unexpected news threatens the future she and Jake had hoped for, Hollie will need to find the strength to overcome heartache once more.

A fragile heart….

Single mum, Kerry, loves her job at The Starfish Café, but behind the brave smiles and laughter with customers there is a sadness deep within. So when someone from her past re-appears in her life, Kerry can either hide away or face her demons and try to finally move on from her heartbreak.

A summer to remember…

For Hollie and Kerry it promises to be an emotional rollercoaster of a summer, but the community at The Starfish Café will always be there to help them through – after all, with courage nothing is impossible…

About the Author:

A warm welcome to my author page! Thank you for visiting.

I live in Scarborough on the stunning North Yorkshire Coast in the UK. My home inspired the creation of the fictional seaside town of Whitsborough Bay where I set some of my books. The Hedgehog Hollow series takes readers to a gorgeous countryside setting on the Yorkshire Wolds. 

I live with my husband, our teenage daughter and sprocker spaniel, Ella. I’m a stationery addict with a notepad obsession who loves chocolate (although it doesn’t love me), hedgehogs, 80s music, collectible teddy bears and lighthouses.

My career has mainly been in HR as a trainer and recruiter. I had a brief detour into retail to set up and manage my own specialist teddy bear shop and started writing my debut novel on quiet days in the shop.

In June 2020, I became a full-time author. I’m so very grateful to anyone who has bought or borrowed my books in whatever format, helping me fulfil a long-held dream of writing full-time. I still can’t believe I get to spend every day chatting to my fictional friends and making stuff up.

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

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