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Today I am on the tour for Delivering Christmas by Liz Fenwick, thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part & thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 132

Synopsis: All she wants for Christmas is peace and quiet, and to be alone…

Theo Pascoe is relieved she finally has her cottage back to herself, after her beloved son, wife, and grandson move out to their new home. Christmas is fast approaching and she’s fully booked doing the work she loves, preparing Christmas decorations for the local hotel, running wreath-making workshops, and dressing clients homes for the holidays.

However her family and friend think they know best – that she is suffering from empty-nest syndrome and what she really needs is some romance back in her life. But that’s the last thing Theo wants right now!

As Christmas Day approaches Theo is looking forward to spending the day quietly at home, with just her cat for company. But she has just one last home to decorate when a sudden cold snap catches everyone by surprise and she finds herself stranded in a remote house with a client. Theo just wanted to spend Christmas alone, but it seems fate has other plans?

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: Well this book is like a warm hug, I absolutely loved it!

Theo is preparing for Christmas alone, something she’s looking forward to after having a cramped house for a while, just her and her cat seems like absolute bliss, her family and friends think they know better though.. could they be right?

So much is packed into just over 100 pages, we have wreath making, tree picking, decorations to be sourced and put up & no shortage of family dramas!

Who’d have thought a snow storm and being trapped in the house of your last client of the year would be so life changing?

This book made me laugh out loud and cover my eyes in embarrassment for the characters whilst also rooting for them at the same time!

Some books just capture your heart completely & this one has mine, it was perfect ❤️

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Today I am on the tour for Emergency Drill by Chris Blackwater, 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: 283

Synopsis: Newly qualified offshore medic, Danny Verity, arrives on the Cuillin Alpha oil platform shortly before a storm damages the satellite system, severing the crew’s only mode of communication to the mainland.

Storm or sabotage?

Danny is forced to perform emergency surgery on an injured crewmate, whose accident he suspects was the result of sabotage. The man dies, a member of the crew disappears, and yet another is attacked.

Enter the Pied Piper, whose sinister announcements carry his threats through the entire platform.

While the North Sea rages around them, emotions and suspicions run high.

Danny knows he’s the only one who can stop the saboteur. But will the crew trust him?

With no way of calling in help and unable to risk escaping on the lifeboats, everyone aboard the oil platform is trapped. So is the killer… and Danny is determined to smoke him out.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts; this one had me captivated throughout, it made me feel constantly uneasy and unsure, doubting myself and my thoughts on where the story was going..

The setting didn’t help, stuck in the middle of the sea on an oil rig people are dying, you don’t know who the killer is.. all you know is that it’s someone on the boat and there’s no escape.. no thank you 🤣🤮

That being said, everything I would’ve hated if I’d been in that situation is everything I loved about the book!

There’s a lot of characters, every single one of them could have been the pied piper.. including Danny himself.. I didn’t know which threads to follow and which ones were a red herring.

There was also a lot of humour in this book which helped to lighten the subject matter & made it easier for you to lose yourself in the story without getting overwhelmed.

A brilliant start to a brand new series, I cannot wait to read more!

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Today I am on the tour for Don’t Trust Her by Cathryn Grant, 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: 290

Synopsis: Parker had the perfect marriage. Then Eden came home.

Twenty years have passed since Dylan’s beloved sister, Celeste, was brutally murdered. Now he plans an anniversary memorial for the sister he misses to this day.

When their childhood friend, Eden, comes home to attend the memorial, Dylan invites her to stay with him and his wife, Parker.

But Parker is apprehensive. She remembers a time when Eden had designs on her husband, and she worries she still carries a torch for him. Her fears seem confirmed when Eden openly flirts with Dylan and captivates their pre-teen daughter.

As Parker desperately tries to hasten Eden’s departure, Dylan resists, fondly remembering the time they spent as childhood friends. And when Eden brings up questions about who murdered Celeste, Parker’s fears only escalate. She thinks her husband’s mental health could suffer if Eden keeps digging.

Can Parker get rid of Eden before she destroys her family? And why has Eden really come back to town? As the two old friends circle each other, past secrets are revealed and they find themselves hurtling into a vortex of unimaginable pain and terror.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: another brilliant book from Cathryn! – if you’ve been following my reviews for a while you’ll know that my favourite thrillers and multiple perspectives and multiple timelines, which is exactly what we get!

We’re following, Eden, Parker and Dylan, childhood best friends who lost touch after a one of them moved away, but not before the life of another one was torn apart in the worst way imaginable..

We get to see the friendship dynamic from children, to teenagers and now to adults, an things go back to how they were now that all three of them are in the same place again after so many years? Or is there too much water under the bridge?

I was hooked, so much so that this one turned into a one sitting read, I was so invested!

The characters are well developed, they were all so different despite all having the same upbringing.

Secrets were kept promises were broken and so many lies were told.. the only problem is once you start telling lies you end up buried in them in order to keep up appearances.

I guessed the twist pretty early on but for me that added to the story, almost like I was in on the secret 🤣

I can’t wait to see what Cathryn comes up with next!

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Today I am on the tour for The Patient by Cole 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: 306

Synopsis: James thought he’d be safe in this old house. He was wrong.

Ten years ago, James Owens was convicted of a murder he couldn’t remember committing. Now, finally released from the mental institution where he’s served his time, he is placed under house arrest in the sprawling family home he has inherited from his father.

Living in isolation, visited only by his therapist, parole officer, and supportive but controlling twin Janet, he at least has something resembling peace. But he is still haunted by hallucinations, nightmares, and bizarre memories which may or may not be real.

Strange sounds in the house, and objects which disappear or are mysteriously damaged all add to his fear that he is sliding into uncontrolled insanity again.

But is he? Or is his fragile mental state being manipulated by someone with a sinister agenda of their own?

When tragedy strikes, James must go on a journey that will force him to confront the past – and the haunted depths of his own tortured soul.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: I have read and loved some of Cole Baxter’s books in the past but this one really just hit right, the perfect mix of everything!

The tone was set from the start, James has just been released from the mental institution that he’s spent years in serving time for a murder that he has absolutely no memory of.. now is that because it was so horrific that his mind has just forgotten it or is it because he didn’t do it?

Just as he’s starting to adjust and feel like he’s got himself sorted, his sister appears, turns everything on it’s head!

You really feel the emotions that James is feeling, the fear, the self doubt the anxiety.. it even had me doubting wether I’d read things right..

Things start to go missing, money, people, medication, then the house starts making noises, things are moving… is he starting to lose his memory again?!

I can’t say anymore than that, as much as I’d love to, but I genuinely feel like this is Cole’s best one yet!

I wish I could read it for the first time all over again.

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Today I am on the tour for Three Sisters by Kathryn Barnett, thank you to Hannah at Hygge Book Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part & thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Before we get started I have to be honest and apologise to all involved that I didn’t manage to get the book finished in time! – so todays post will have my initial thoughts and promote the book too!

Pages: 395

Synopsis: Charlotte, Violet and Rose. Three sisters growing up amidst the rumblings of World War One and each of them fighting for their own personal freedom. Charlotte, the eldest and a teacher, engaged to marry Richard, the Curate, and struggling to accept her passionate nature and sexuality, embroiled into the world of Conservative activism through the Primrose League. Violet, a nurse and a suffragette, fighting not just for female emancipation, but also her own as she battles with her feelings for her best friend, Maeve. Rose, the youngest, and diagnosed an epileptic, fights to be recognised as a person in her own right and in the process falls in love with John, of lower class and station.
When Charlotte takes the decision, along with her mother, to institutionalise Rose because of her epilepsy, the family is split as Violet opposes Charlotte’s high handed decision, but is devastated to find she cannot protect Rose, as personal and political boundaries are pushed to the limits and each girl struggles with impending womanhood.

Three Sisters is author Kathryn Barnett’s first novel with Provoco Publishing and is a delightful, beautifully written social statement, detailing the battle of three girls to become women in their own right. Will Charlotte’s passionate nature and conservatism affect her forthcoming marriage to the Curate? Does Violet find her freedom in her suffragette activities or will she be entrapped by her nursing duties and family responsibilities? And what of Rose, the youngest, fighting to follow her true self and be accepted despite her epilepsy and not ostracised because of it?

A heart-warming tale of three sisters, fighting for freedom in this, the first of five novels making up the Three Sisters Story.

My Initial Thoughts: the writing style was more modern than I was expecting given that the book is set before WW1 which is something I appreciated, it meant that it flowed easier whilst reading.

As for the sisters, they’re all very different, Charlotte rubbed me up the wrong way very quickly, she’s very controlling of her younger sisters, very bossy and of the very strong belief that she is always right.. part of me is hoping that I will grow to like her more as the story continues but we’ll see!

Violet seems like the go getter, the one with high aspirations for helping people and making the world a better place, she was very protective of Rose without being overbearing and was definitely not afraid to speak her mind and attempt to stand up to her older sister!

Rose is the youngest, with a creative streak that comes out in the writing of stories, and she has a secret too, one that has her sneaking out on a night.. I can’t help but feel like there is a lot more to discover about Rose as the book continues and if I’m honest I have a sneaky suspicion she might end up being my favourite of the three!

I am looking forward to continuing in the story and finding out more about what they’re going to get up too so watch this space I promise to update you all again once I’m finished!

If you like the sound of this book it can be bought here! From the 12th October and will be available on Kindle Unlimited too!

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Hi 👋🏼

2 posts in one day before 8am 😅 but I’m here to celebrate release day for AMELES/ CURRENTS OF UNMINDFULNESS by R.M. Francis!

Let me tell you a bit about the book and the author!

Synopsis: In Greek Mythology, those who drank from the underworld river, Ameles Potamos, would suffer inexplicable disorientation. They would be left adrift, out of time, out of place, sometimes out of their minds.

The tales in Ameles / Currents of Unmindfulness by R. M. Francis, his debut collection, range from the quietly unsettling to weird and full-on horror.
R.M. Francis plays around with genre conventions and forms to deliver a flood of dark disturbing imagery that will stay with you in the darkest recesses of your mind.

About the Author:

R. M. Francis is a lecturer in Creative and Professional Writing at the University of Wolverhampton. His novels, Bella and The Wrenna were published with Wild Pressed Books and his poetry collection, Subsidence, came out with Smokestack Books. His book of poems, essays and fieldnotes, The Chain Coral Chorus, is out with Play Dead Press and tracks his time as Poet in Residence for the Black Country Geological Society. His academic work has appeared in journals and edited collections, including his co-edited book, Smell, Memory and Literature in the Black Country (Palgrave Macmillan). He is reviews editor for the Journal of Class and Culture.

Ameles: Currents of Unmindfulness is his first short story collection and consolidates much of his previous creative focus firmly into the horror genre.

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

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Today I am on the tour for The Time Of Cherries by Michael S Hollington, thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the publisher and the author for my copy.

Pages: 544

Synopsis: Burgundy, 1861.

Christine ‘Kiki’ Vellay, the daughter of vineyard workers, is forced to marry an older man in exchange for a piece of land. He abuses her. Seduced by a young naval cadet she plots to run away. When her husband is killed during the attempt, she finds herself wrongly accused of his murder.

Kiki is on the run.

On reaching Paris in disguise, Kiki discovers she is pregnant and takes on various jobs to survive. When her child is stolen from her, she begins a desperate attempt to find him. Her story takes her from imprisonment in the infamous Conciergerie, to a chateau in the Loire, back to Paris under siege – as a spy – during the Franco-Prussian war, culminating in a dramatic conclusion in the final bloody week of the Paris Commune.

A story of resilience in the face of immense hardship, The Time of Cherries is a gripping account of a woman’s instinct and longing for her child.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: now anyone who has been following my reviews for a while will know I’m not really a historical fiction fan but something about this one drew me in, I loved the idea of a female fighting for what she believed in.

And can we just take a moment to appreciate the cover! – it’s beautiful,very busy but eye catching and it fits the story perfectly!

The book took me a few days to read, it’s a chunky one, but the writing flows so easily that whilst you’re reading it you don’t realise it. The story is engaging , I found myself feeling for Kiki throughout, especially with the awful scene which led to her husbands death, my heart was in my throat & after what he did I think Florian became one of my favourite side characters in the book, him and Madame Thierry of course 🥰

The action in the book never stopped and poor Kiki just never caught a break, but I loved her so much I was 100% behind her throughout because I knew that everything she was doing was to claim her freedom and her identity back..

A story full of heartbreak and sadness, but with hope and a light at the end of the tunnel cleverly interwoven throughout.

Would 100% recommend this one!

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Today I am on the tour for Rise of Dresca by Tim McKay, thank you to Hannah at Hygge Book Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part.

Pages: 222

Synopsis: From the pits of an ancient darkness, a new power is rising.

Ceremai has fallen.

After a decade of struggle for independence, a fledgling nation collapses under the unrelenting force of invasion.

Join an unlikely band of allies on a journey beset by shadow and intrigue, pulled by the strings of fate to the source of a new evil.

A lord’s daughter turns assassin. An orphan girl discovers her power. A captain plots in vain.

And the last soldier of Ceremai finds his destiny.

Witness the dawn of a new age, and learn if what evil intended for harm…

… can become something far more terrible.

About the Author:

Tim McKay is a writer, editor, and marketer from Ottawa, Canada. He used to be a pastor, still cares about good and evil, and still strives to create meaningful experiences for others. He has degrees in history, theology, and public policy, along with a diploma in professional writing, but likes nothing more than hiking in the woods, running along the Rideau Canal, and connecting with the people he loves. Oh, and reading a good book.

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

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Today I’m the tour for Bittersweet Injuries by Kateri Stanley, 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: 318

Synopsis: Some secrets can last for centuries.

Marcus Weaving is a retired psychology lecturer and therapist. Not a man to sit around, he volunteers at his local university. Years of clinical practice are put to the test when he receives a mischievous text from somebody called L.

Intrigued and unnerved, Marcus goes to the address provided and is welcomed by a beautiful blonde woman named Lily. Their story goes way back to his tumultuous youth when he had to flee from his abusive mother and other demons skulking around.

Timing for a romantic reunion could not be any worse. Marcus is about to become a grandfather and he has ongoing issues with his estranged, drug addicted son.

Why has Lily shown up after all of this time? And, why hasn’t she aged a day?

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: I’m actually really struggling to review this one, partly because it’s a bad MS day if I’m completely honest and partly because the story line is so complex that it’s hard to get my thoughts into words.

We have Lily and Marcus on the surface they’re ex partners but the reality goes a lot deeper than that.

Soon the story line jumps to the past to several significant times in history and Lily is in all of them.. intriguing? Or a coincidence?

The story does go back to the present day and it’s at that point that it all starts to come together and pull you in.

I don’t want to give too much away because sometimes you need to go into these books blind, bur I will say it didn’t go the way I planned, it kind of went full circle and I had a smile on my face by the end!

I’m definitely left wanting/needing to carry on with the series!

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Today I am on the tour for Salvation by D.A. Schneider & what a pleasure it is to be posting today on release day! 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: 261

Synopsis: John Garvey never said he was an angel, or a fallen one at that. Biker, businessman, guitarist, drug dealer, you name it, he’s involved. Attention naturally turns to him when someone starts to murder musicians and steal the guitars from their bodies. Is it John Garvey? That’s something Detective Marion Kern has to figure out. Meanwhile, stranger Jude befriends Elizabeth, despite being warned off by his boss, Lou, who tells him to stick strictly to business. But what business does Jude have, and why do things become complicated when he finds out who Elizabeth’s father is?

Meanwhile, during her investigation into the musician murders, Marion stumbles on a sinister truth that has terrifying repercussions for her, and inevitably, humanity. When events take a turn for the worse, it looks like John and Jude are the angels or demons left to battle for salvation.

But who will win, and who is on the side of good and who is evil? Only God has the answer and only God will be everyone’s Salvation. Or will He?

Salvation is a dark, fantastical horror story from D.A. Schneider that will leave you wondering whether good and evil really are one and the same thing.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: Now the synopsis does a pretty good job of setting the story up so I’m gonna skip that part of my review..

Firstly can we talk about the cover?! it’s eye catching, beautiful yet eerily haunting, which I guess sums the book up perfectly too.. but seriously the cover gave me real Lucifer vibes (the tv show, just incase anyone hasn’t heard of it😅)

The book did take me 2 or 3 chapters to get into the book because we were thrown into the action almost instantly with no explanation as to what was happening or why.. it worked though because it stopped me from putting the book down until I understood what was going on!

We have Garvey and Judas.. one has a guitar that he won’t put down, the other is finding and killing people with similar guitars, who’s the good guy, who’s the bad guy, is there a distinction & what’s with all the bloody guitars? 🤣

I absolutely loved this one, the writing just never eases up long enough for you to catch your breath, lots of subtle biblical references, some names you’ll recognise & others that you won’t.

With a biker gang, a little bit of romance and a son who thinks he knows better this one will keep you guessing until the very end and leave you eager to pick up book 2!

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