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Today is my stop on the blog tour for The silent friend by Diane Jeffrey, thank you to Emma at damp pebbles blog tours for organising it and inviting me to take part & thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 384

Synopsis: Tragedy brought them together. The truth will tear them apart.
It’s supposed to be Laura’s dream holiday: a trip to France with a group of friends to see their favourite band play live. But the holiday quickly turns to disaster, and Laura is left haunted by terrifying images from the worst night of her life.

When Laura finds an online support group for victims like her, she’s not convinced it will help. But when Sandrine replies to her message, she seems to understand what Laura’s going through, in a way that no one else can.

Soon, Laura and Sandrine are sharing their deepest thoughts and feelings with each other. But one of them has a terrible secret – she isn’t who she says she is. And once the twisted truth is revealed, there’s no going back…

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: well this book went places o wasn’t expecting and I absolutely loved it!

We follow Laura, she lives in Ireland works at her local library with her friends Ava, Claire and Sarah, the four of them are planning a trip to Lyon to see one of their favourite bands play!

And we also have Sandrine, she lives in Lyon with her husband and 2 teenage sons and currently struggling to get the older one motivated to do anything with his life, he goes to work on a Saturday morning, or at least he leaves the house for work but spends most of his time with friends and seemingly avoiding the house.

The book starts off slow, introducing all the characters and showing the girls trip to Lyon, they’ve made a holiday out of it with the concert being a couple of days in.

Then the night of the concert happens and that’s when the action starts & from there it just doesn’t stop, there’s a mass shooting with very few survivors and hosts he situations too!

Although the majority of the book is both Sandrine and Laura dealing with the fallout from that nights events, there are a few sections within the chapters that are the ladies looking back at their experience and they really helped to add perspective to the whole thing.

I won’t give too much away but I found this book impossible to put down, it was chilling, made me cry in some parts and had me on the edge of my seat in others.

The scary part being that with everything that’s happened over the last few years it felt so real!

This was the first time I’ve read a book by Diane, but I will be picking up more in the future

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Today is my stop on the blog tour for Murder at the Mela by a Leela Soma, thank you to Emma at Damp pebbles blog tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and publisher for my copy

Pages: 181

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: this was an enjoyable crime story kept me gripped enough to keep turning the pages and a great introduction to what I’m hoping will be a new series?!

A young mum is murdered on the evening of the Mela and it’s down to the newly promoted DI Alok Patel to get to the bottom of it!

Speaking to the family and friends they’re not very open and DI Patel is left wondering what they’re hiding, was this an honour killing that everyone is working to hide? Or is it an racially motivated attack? – as the first Asian DI in Glasgow he is determined to make a good impression but with leads and no hint that he’s even going in the right direction he’s feeling at a complete loss, will he work it out?

With a whole bunch of characters all very different you never know what you’re going to get, especially when the story throws you in all sorts of different directions.

There is a lot of Asian culture within the story and a glimpse into some religious culture too, it was a real eye opener.

If you’re into the crime genre then I recommend this one! & if you’re not but want to give it a go then this is a good one to start with, it’s short and the story isn’t overwhelming

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Today I’m coming at you with a cover reveal for Allied! – I think it’s beautiful 😍 let me tell you a little about the book and the authors!

Synopsis: The sequel to Hunted is upon us…
Six weeks after Edith and her vampire family were exiled from their clan, Darren waits at the rendezvous, poised for a reunion that might never come. With every passing day, his hope of ever seeing the vampire who showed him what it means to be human again dwindles.

On the run from Hunters and her own clan alike, Edith strives to protect those in her care, all the while fighting to get back to Darren and the family she’d long dreamed of. But even when their paths do cross again, reunion comes at a cost.

When Mr. Heartsong brazenly declares war on all humanity, allegiances will be tested. Will Edith side with the man she’s come to believe may be her destiny or the creator who gave her a second chance at life?

About the Authors: USA Today Bestselling Authors Sarah Biglow and Molly Zenk are the authors of the Captivity series and the Celestial Academy series. Independently, they write across multi genres including: YA, urban fantasy, historical, and cozy mystery. Sarah lives in Boston with her husband and son. Molly lives in Denver with her husband and three daughters.
Follow them on Facebook: @SarahBiglowAuthor @AuthorMollyZenk

Isn’t it beautiful 😍🤩

If the story appeals to you then click on the picture of the cover to preorder your copy today!

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Today is my stop on the blog tour for Yearn to Fear by Chas Murrell, thank you to Emma at Damp Pebbles for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author for my copy.

Pages: 350

Synopsis:The greatest scientific invention of modern times…
Capable of curing humanity…
But more adept at controlling it…

Sydney scientist, Marcus Hall, is developing a radical 5G Wi-Fi receiver for CSIRO. With access to secretive Lamarr computer chips – this technology promises billions to repair Australia’s ravaged economy. On a caffeine boosted whim, he inadvertently discovers a therapeutic breakthrough in neuroscience. Or so he thinks…
His seemingly trustworthy lab partner, Henry, is an unlikely Australian spy. His official duty is keeping tabs on the project and their Lamarr chips. But the whole project is now classified top-secret.
Marcus remains blissfully unaware of the many secrets surrounding him, until he witnesses the graphic murder of a colleague. Could this event reveal Henry as a master deceiver and ruthless double agent? Will the scientific discovery be fatal for Marcus, those he loves, and the one he yearns for? Marcus faces a soul tearing dilemma: is the only means of stopping the carnage to weaponise his prototype?
Foreign intelligence agencies realise the top-secret breakthrough is priceless. One particular spy leads the race to seize the invention. A psychological master of the long game, espionage, and extortion, his only rule according to Kung Fu: Win.
Friend and foe alike confront this psychotic mastermind. All will FEAR him, but is their FEAR real? Only the next six minutes will tell…

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this story, on the surface it’s about the Australian government providing funds to a company who are working on creative a device to improve download speed beyond anything anyone could ever dream of, but deep down it is SO much more than that!

We follow. Marcus, Henry, Bill, Helen and Maddy as they discover the capabilities of the Marc1 which seems to be able to send people to sleep within 6 minutes and opens up the ability to dream & remember every single part of that dream! – if it can be linked to one emotion, can it be linked to others? All sounds brilliant but what would happen if the device ended up in the wrong hands?!

At first I found the story really difficult to get into because it was very science heavy in parts and if I’m thing totally honest those bits were going straight over my head 😂

But once I got to know the characters I found myself drawn in and invested in what would happen!

It does take a while for the action to start happening but once it does it just doesn’t stop!

The ending had me so drawn in that I couldn’t read the words fast enough – I can’t wait for the next instalment.

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Today is my stop on the blog tour for comeback by Chris Limb, thank you to Emma at Damp Pebbles for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 324

Synopsis: Genie has everything – a BRIT award, a singing career, the attention of the press and Oliver Fox, a pretty boy who looks good on her arm.

Until he dies.

His death brings Genie’s long buried feelings bubbling to the surface. Her grief over the death of her lover Wendi who introduced her to this world. Her self doubt and fear that she will be exposed as a fraud.

How far is she prepared to go to fix things?

The afterlife isn’t the most comfortable of places for anyone who’s still alive, but Genie’s not going to take any crap from the dead – she’s got years of experience in the music business.

Sometimes going to Hell and back takes a lifetime…

My Rating🐧🐧🐧.5

My Thoughts: the first few chapters of this book gripped me, Genie is still dealing with the death of her lover and her boyfriend, I loved the fact that there weren’t many now chapters and we were given the back story as it happened so to speak, it gave us real insight as to why she is the way she is rather than leaving us guessing.

Genie has found that the only way she can cope with her loss is through vodka and cocaine, one night she takes it to far, passes out and ends up in the underworld (?!)

The things she discovers in the underworld are crazy, and sometimes a little confusing, but the story was interesting enough to keep me turning the pages.

Whilst there she discovers a lot of faces from her past and is left to confront a lot of her mistakes and make it right.

If you like a story based on celebrity culture and the ups and downs of that then I recommends you give this one a go.

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Today is my stop on the blogtour for The Phonebox at the edge of the world by Laura Imai Messina, thank you to Tracy at compulsive Readers for organising it and inviting me to take part & thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 416

Synopsis:

On a windy hill in Japan, in a garden overlooking the sea stands a disused phone box. For years, people have travelled to visit the phone box, to pick up the receiver and speak into the wind: to pass their messages to loved ones no longer with us.

When Yui loses her mother and daughter in the tsunami, she is plunged into despair and wonders how she will ever carry on. One day she hears of the phone box, and decides to make her own pilgrimage there, to speak once more to the people she loved the most. But when you have lost everything, the right words can be the hardest thing to find . . .

Then she meets Takeshi, a bereaved husband whose own daughter has stopped talking in the wake of their loss. What happens next will warm your heart, even when it feels as though it is breaking…

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: this book was utterly heartbreaking but totally captivating, I adored it as much as it made me cry, I needed to read more to find out what happened with Yui!

I loved the idea of being able to pick up the phone and talk to someone we’d lost, I myself have a couple of people that came to kid when I thought about it but I don’t know if I’d be able to do it!

If you love a story full of hope, a story all about accepting that it’s ok to move ok with your life when everything tells you to do the opposite then this is the one for you, just be a prepared to feel ALL THE EMOTIONS and make sure you have tissues!

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Today is my stop on the blog tour for Dreamer by Loretta Kendall, thank you to the ladies at love books tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 230

Synopsis: Luna suffers from an undiagnosed illness causing hallucinations and blackouts that have plagued her for years. The root of her bazaar illness comes to light when she meets her pro-wrestling hero, Gunner Cain, and his wrestling faction friends, The Tribe. Luna discovers her romantic connection to Gunner isn’t just a fangirl crush, he is her eternal soulmate.

Gunner wants Luna to become his Alpha dreamer mate, for as part of a prophecy written in the Lycan Oracle, Luna must choose to bond to the Alpha of the Tribe, or all will be stuck in wolf form, forgetting their humanity forever. Luna learns the steps they must take to complete the bonding ritual could also end a centuries-old curse, saving lone wolves abandoned by their packs and plagued with the dreaded Lycan fever. Gunner’s connection to Luna is more than prophecy fulfilled; it is hope for Lycan kind in this steamy shifter tale of prophecy and romanc

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: I’m going to be completely honest, I didn’t read the synopsis for this book before agreeing to the tour, I did what we always say not to do and totally judged the book by its cover. It drew me in straight away and I just knew it would be something I’d enjoy.

That being said, it meant I was completely oblivious to the whole Lycan aspect to it, luckily for me I love anything fantasy, urban fantasy’s being one of my favourite genres! – this gave me vibes of the mortal instruments, which just so happens to be my favourite series of all time so I was totally here for it.

What I did expect from the cover was a lot of smut and steamy scenes & once this got going there was plenty of that! – I appreciated that there was more of a story line too it though rather than it just being about sex.

I was totally invested in the characters, although I have to say some of the side characters were my favourites!

The story starts as a slow burn, but once the action starts it just DOES NOT STOP. I read this book in one sitting in just a few hours because I just couldn’t put it down.

I highly recommend you pick this up, whilst I’ll be say here secretly hoping there will be a sequel at some point, I need more of the tribe!

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Today is my stop on the blog tour for The Winters Fail by Sara Madderson, 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: 303

Synopsis: It’s all a huge mess. Emmy is back from years of aid work in India when she gets knocked up by her boss. She fleas to her sister Rosa in Surrey and there she meets Jack, who offers her a dream job and a taste of happiness. But there’s one major problem: how to tell him she’s pregnant? Rosa is a mega-influencer obsessed by portraying the perfect image to millions of followers. For her, perception is reality. So when someone close to her sabotages the brand she’s worked so hard to build, can she find anything in her real life worth fighting for? Stacey has walked away from the perfect guy after four kids and fourteen years of marriage. She’s intent on making up for lost time in the dating world, before some bad news shocks her into reassessing what she wants from life. Is it possible she’s got it all upside-down? The Winter’s Fail is the story of three women navigating love, friendship and careers with all the highs and headaches they bring. Enjoy being reunited with some of your favourite characters from Sara’s previous books too: Evelyn, Angus, Astrid and others!

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: this isn’t my first dive into Sara’s work, I read and loved Parents and Teachers last year so I had very high hopes for this one… it did not disappoint!!

We’re following Emmy, who has been having an affair with her boss, it’s recently come out that he has been doing the same with a lot of young girls within the company, the problem is, it wasn’t always consensual with the others, and just to throw an extra spanner into the works she’s just discovered she’s pregnant!

At a complete loss at what to do Emmy escapes to her sisters, where she finds a rather good looking new guy, a new job and somewhere new to live meaning she can leave her old live behind, everything’s perfect right?

Emmys sister Rosa is what is known these days as a social media influencer, she had lots of followers and some rather lucrative sponsors, but she also has a family that seems to have fallen on to the back burner, ok for the husband who has his own career and stuff to focus on and ok for the 4 year old who doesn’t really know any different, but the teenager who feels like she’s been left behind is determined to do something about it.

Throw in a bunch of other characters all with their own issues and stuff then what you have is a book that is laugh out loud funny in some parts but utterly heart breaking in others, the story really gripped me and I can’t wait to see what Sara comes up with next!

Although what I can say is that whatever it may be I will be here for it!

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Today is my stop on the blog tour for The Two Fathers by Keith Dixon, thank you to Emma at Damp Pebbles for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author for my copy.

Pages: 334

Synopsis: Why does Jessica Hastings come home late several times a week?

Her husband asks Private Investigator Sam Dyke this simple question. Dyke doesn’t want the case: he doesn’t do divorce work … but Brian Hastings doesn’t want a divorce, he wants an explanation.

When Sam finds out what Jessica is doing, it opens up more questions. And when Brian Hastings goes missing, they’re questions he feels compelled to answer.

At the centre of the mystery is a man who most people in Manchester don’t know—Larry Stone. But those who do know him, know that far from being the simple florist he seems to be, he’s actually the biggest crook in town. He’s powerful, he’s dangerous, and he’s currently working a deal with a Dutchman who’s even worse.

And Sam is now caught in Stone’s sights as he works to find Brian Hastings, to solve a couple of murders, and to prevent Stone corrupting even more members of his own family than he already has.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧.5

My Thoughts: Sam is a private investigator, and one night he is approached by Brian Hastings, his wife Jessica is home late a lot, or out in the middle of the night with seemingly no explanation and he wants to know why. He’s run out of options so has decided to reach for professional help!

Sam is reluctant to take on the case, Divorce matters aren’t his usual thing, but when Brian assures him he’s not after evidence to file for divorce, he’s just worried because his wife has history with someone who is well known in the crime circuit! – so Sam offers to do a little digging.

What he uncovers is not at all what he expected, and seemingly quite small, but then everything gets turned on its head when his client goes missing!

Can Sam solve the case before it’s too late?

The story had a lot of layers and just when you think you’ve got to the bottom of it and worked it out, something else happens to keep you on your toes!

I did work out the conclusion before the big reveal which left me a little deflated, but the build up to it was so good!

I did feel that parts of the story were a little long winded, but that’s more personal choice I like my crime novels to have short snappy chapters!

This is book 11 in the Sam Dyke series, but my first dive into them, it’s definitely left me intrigued enough to pick up the previous novels at some point in the future.

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Today is my stop on the blogtour for sandman by Anna Legat, thank you to Emma at damp pebbles for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author for my copy.

Pages:272

Synopsis: Oscar is taking Tommy fishing – that’s what his grandad would’ve done had he not been killed in the Falklands war. Oscar owes it to Sergeant Butler to take care of his family.
Pippa and Harry are looking forward to being reunited with their son Will. Soon after they were forced out of their farm in Zimbabwe they lost touch with Will. But he’s coming to Bath to see them.
Andrzej is driving the 19:15 train to Bath Spa. It’s his last shift before he returns to his wife and daughter in Poland. He promised them.
Heading to a stag party, DI Marsh’s future son-in-law Charlie and his friends are on that train, as are many other commuters. Amongst them, Haji. Unlike the others, he has lost everybody and everything he ever cared for. He has no plans beyond this train journey.

Will DI Marsh be a match for a seasoned terrorist who has nothing to lose?

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: this is a book with many layers and many characters, who all at the beginning seem to be irrelevant to each other, for at least the first half of the story maybe a little more I was left feeling like I was reading 2 different stories, both equally as gripping, but there is one pivotal event in the book that links them all seamlessly and then suddenly everything that’s happened just falls into place and makes sense!

It’s a story of terrorism and the fact that it does exist in the UK, just maybe not in the way that you would imagine or expect.

Parts of this story were hard to read, gruesome, bloody and very graphic, but then parts were also lighthearted and happy – I found myself feeling very different ways about all the characters, but wether it was, hatred, love or adoration for the way they acted I found myself caring about what would happen to every single one of them by the end!

A truly gripping police procedural that I devoured in one sitting!

I later discovered that this was the 4th instalment of the series & will be finding time to pick the others up in the future but it works fabulously as a standalone!

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