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

Pages: 296

Synopsis: She is worshiped by millions. But she has a secret…

Adored by her legions of followers, social media megastar Skye is an inspiration. Once homeless, she is now fantastically wealthy, enormously powerful. A ‘like’ from Skye can literally change your life.

So when she suggests partnering with Nathan’s charity for the homeless, he thinks it’s a match made in heaven. With Skye’s backing, who knows what he can achieve? And no-one is more excited than Nathan’s teenage daughters, both massive fans of the star.

But Skye’s influence comes at a price. Yes, funds are pouring into Nathan’s charity, but she is a smothering presence, seemingly determined to insert herself into every nook and cranny of his family life.

Nathan’s daughters are thrilled to have so much up close and personal contact with a superstar. But he worries about Skye’s growing influence on them… And is it just a coincidence that ever since she’s been around, his personal life is disintegrating?

As things spiral out of control, Nathan begins to wonder what Skye really wants from him and his daughters. The answer is more terrifying than he could ever imagine…

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: This is my first go at Miranda’s work, and I loved it, the writing flowed easily, was gripping without having too much going on at one time which made it really difficult to put down.

We’re following Nathan, who after losing his wife years ago set up a charity to help the homeless in her name, and Skye who is now a social media influencer who really had risen from the bottom in the last few years, at the age of 18 she came out of foster care with nowhere to go and ended up on the streets… because of her past she feels she is the perfect person to help Nathan take Sacha’s Sanctuary to the next level.,, but is she all she claims to be?

The story is told from 2 different perspectives as I said, but also from 2 different timelines, the present from both Nathan and Skye, but also Skyes past. – the chapters from Skyes past were my favourite because they made the events of the present feel all the more creepy!

As a psychological thriller this was so good! – it made me feel uncomfortable in places and even like I was being watched 😂 I did work out the big reveal by about the half way point, but that didn’t take away from the enjoyment of the story at all.

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Today is my stop on the blogtour for Because You’re Mine by Luna Miller, thank you to Emma at Damp Pebbles Blog Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author for my copy.

Pages: 277

Synopsis: Gunvor Ström, a Swedish surgeon who had to retire because her hands weren’t steady enough to perform operations, accepts a position as a private detective and enters a new and surprisingly dangerous career.

In Because You’re Mine, she accepts her second assignment. Is it always for the best to look for a missing person? Gunvor is not entirely sure as she believes there are those who don´t want to be found. Despite this, she takes on a case. A wife needs help to find her husband, Per Cedergren. A simple case at first glance. Gunvor is convinced that he has sneaked off on an adventure with a mistress and soon will return voluntarily.

Gunvor’s good friend Aidan also makes his debut as a private detective when he helps a new acquaintance look for her missing friend.

When Gunvor and Aidan take the help of their young friends, Elin and David, the two parallel cases meander closer each other. But how do they relate? And what do the disappearances have in common with the murders that at first glance appear to be hate crimes.

Soon they find themselves in the eye of the storm, not knowing where the danger lurks.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧.5

My Thoughts: this one took a while to get into, the writing style (because it’s a translated novel) seemed a little blunt and to the point so wasn’t as easy to get lost in, but once I got used to it I found the story thoroughly enjoyable.

There are 2 separate investigations going on, one run by Aidan and one run by Gunvor with the help of Elin and David and we’re introduced to lots of different characters who they soon learn are all linked! – but how closely?

Soon some of the witnesses linked to their cases are murdered, is there more going on that they first thought, can they get to the bottom of what’s happening before it’s too late?

This is my first go at the genre “Nordic Noir” and it was a solid enough read that I would be willing to give it another go.

Trigger warnings for possible homophobia and hate crime.

Definitely one I would recommend to lovers of crime novels.

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Today is my stop on the blog tour for No Place Like Home by Jane Renshaw, 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 the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 285

Synopsis: They wanted the simple life. What they get is simply terrifying.

The Hendriksen family, Bram, Kirsty and their two kids, are living the dream. They have left the rat race of the big city and moved into a gorgeous, custom-built house in the Scottish Highlands. Bram has already planted up a vegetable plot and is planning to create a wildflower meadow and keep chickens and goats.

But then a dead crow appears on their washing line, their vegetables are weedkilled and someone shoots at Bertie, a gentle guide dog belonging to Kirsty’s mother.

The police say it’s nothing to worry about, it’s just bored local teenagers hanging out in the woods. But Bram is sure that more sinister forces are at work, that these events may be connected to a terrible secret in Kirsty’s past.

And he’s right. As the campaign against them escalates, the family is pulled down into a relentless spiral of terror and violence until the home they always dreamed of becomes a nightmare from which they may never escape

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: Well this one was a journey and a half, that left me never knowing which way was up 😂

The Hendriksen family have just moved back to where Kirsty grew up to start a new life, now right from the start we know that Kirsty isn’t 100% happy to be back home, what we don’t know is why…

Straight away strange things start happening, the family are being targeted, is it all linked to the past?

Some chapters are told in the past which gives us a little insight into Bram and Kirsty which I appreciated but it didn’t give us enough to let us know what was happening which was as slightly frustrating as a reader ( in the best way possible)

There were so many people that could of committed the crime that happened, all totally believable and I just didn’t know who was guilty, I know who I wanted it to be though.

This book was thoroughly enjoyable and near impossible to put down.

I will say the revelation at the VERY end was a little too far fetched to me, i was happy with the conclusion we had before that 😂

But it’s definitely a book I would recommend to all fans of psychological thrillers!

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Today is my stop on the blog tour for Kate In Waiting by Beck Albertalli and I have a spotlight for you. (Where I tell you about the book, the author and where you can buy it) Thank you to The Write Reads for organising it and inviting me to take part

Synopsis:

From bestselling YA rom-com queen Becky Albertalli (author of Love, Simon) comes a new novel about daring to step out of the shadows and into the spotlight in love, life and theatre.

[PRINCIPAL CAST LIST]
Kate Garfield
Anderson Walker

Best friends, and contrary to popular belief, not co-dependent. Examples:

Carpooling to and from theatre rehearsals? Environmentally sound and efficient.
Consulting each other on every single life decision? Basic good judgment.
Pining for the same guys from afar? Shared crushes are more fun anyway.

But when Kate and Andy’s latest long-distance crush shows up at their school, everything goes off-script.

Enter Stage Left: Matt Olsson

He is talented and sweet, and Kate likes him. She really likes him. The only problem? So does Anderson.

Turns out, communal crushes aren’t so fun when real feelings are involved. This one might even bring the curtains down on Kate and Anderson’s friendship…

About the author: Becky Albertalli is the author of the acclaimed novels Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (film: Love, Simon), The Upside of Unrequited, and Leah on the Offbeat. She is also the co-author of What If It’s Us with Adam Silvera. A former clinical psychologist who specialized in working with children and teens, Becky lives with her family in Atlanta. You can visit her online at www.beckyalbertalli.com.

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Today is my stop on the blog tour for The Matchmaker by Hélene Fermont, I’m here with a spotlight (to tell you all about the book, the author and where you can buy it)

Synopsis: Perfect Lives Don’t Come Cheap

Marcia Bailey has it all: a passionate marriage to a rich and handsome man who is utterly devoted to her; fame and success as London’s premier matchmaker; a beautiful home in a posh neighbourhood, and fabulous holidays in exotic places.

But her perfect life turns into a nightmare overnight when a mysterious caller suddenly threatens to reveal secrets from her past she thought she had left behind forever. Who is he and what does he really want? He says he wants three million pounds to keep quiet, and she’s willing to pay. After all, she has already sacrificed so much, and perfect lives don’t come cheap.

But Marcia has a hunch her caller wants more than money from her. He wants to hurt and humiliate her. But why?

As police investigate a brutal murder in a wealthy London neighborhood, they untangle a web of lies, violence, sex and jealousy surrounding Marcia Bailey and the group of wealthy and powerful men who have secrets of their own to keep.

The Matchmaker is filled with unexpected twists and turns — and characters that will haunt you long after you’ve read the last page.

About the author: Hélene is an Anglo-Swedish fiction author currently residing in her home town of Malmo, Sweden, after relocating back from London after 20 years.

Her thrilling character-driven psychological fiction novels are known for their explosive, pacy narrative and storylines.

Hélene is the proud author of five novels – The Matchmaker, One Fatal Night, Because of You, We Never Said Goodbye and His Guilty Secret.

If you would like to know more about Hélene she has pages on the following platforms for you to follow

Twitter: https://twitter.com/helenefermonthttps://twitter.com/helenefermont

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helenefermontauthor/

Website: https://www.helenefermont.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helenefermont/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15484308.Helene_Fermont

Today is the release day for Bovine Tricks by Seelie Kay, I personally think this sounds brilliant so let me tell you a little about it.

Synopsis; Lady Annabelle Trask is missing. Unfortunately, MISix doesn’t know if they’re looking for a woman, a cow, or something in between!
Is it real or is it fantasy? That’s the question MISix Agent Mathilda Honoria Spencer struggles with on her latest assignment. Tasked with discovering the whereabouts of Lady Annabelle Trask, Tillie is thrust into the world of Hucows and other human animals. It’s a world that raises serious questions about sexual fetishes, intentional physical enhancements, and even pornography, but in the end, Tillie has only one mission—to rescue and return Lady Annabelle to the Queen. However, as she and her partner, Agent Abdul Ali, attempt to find Lady Annabelle and keep her out of the clutches of terrorists bent on destroying the monarchy, they must also wrestle with their feelings for each other. Can they draw the line between their duty to the Crown and their relationship with one another? Or must they embark on separate paths to continue to serve the Queen?

About the author: Award-winning author Seelie Kay writes about lawyers in love, sometimes with a dash of kink.

Writing under a nom de plume, the former lawyer and journalist draws her stories from more than 30 years in the legal world. Seelie’s wicked pen has resulted in nineteen works of fiction, including the new paranormal romance series Donovan Trait, as well the erotic romance Kinky Briefs series and The Feisty Lawyers romantic suspense series. She also authored The Last Christmas, The Garage Dweller, A Touchdown to Remember, The President’s Wife, The President’s Daughter, Seizing Hope, The White House Wedding, and participated in the romance anthology Pieces of Us.

When not spinning romantic tales, Seelie ghostwrites nonfiction for lawyers and other professionals. Currently, she resides in a bucolic exurb outside Milwaukee, WI, where she enjoys opera, the Green Bay Packers, gourmet cooking, organic gardening, and an occasional bottle of red wine.
Seelie is an MS warrior and ruthlessly battles the disease on a daily basis. Her message to those diagnosed with MS: Never give up. You define MS, it does not define you!

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Today is my stop on the blog tour for Somebody Out There by Kevin Lynch, 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 the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 257

Synopsis: Somebody out there wants to hurt them…

When Ben and Deborah leave the city to start a new life in the beautiful countryside, they can almost taste their perfect future – growing their own food, the kids running free, peace and silence.

But as soon as they arrive in their new home bad things start to happen. And it becomes clear that somebody out there wants them gone.

But ex-crime reporter Deborah doesn’t scare easily. This is the life she’s dreamed of for her family and she’s not giving up on it without a fight.

As the campaign against the family intensifies and becomes truly terrifying, Deborah is determined to unmask whoever is trying to hurt them and starts to dig for the truth.

What she finds is more twisted and horrifying than she could ever have imagined.

My Rating; 🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: welll, this one is definitely a psychological thriller, it’s the first book in as long as I can remember that has creeped me out so much that I’ve had to put it down and take a break from it 😂

Having just moved to the countryside expecting a nice quiet life away from Deborah’s past as a crime reporter they are suddenly left wondering if they’ve made the right decision when it becomes clear that they are being targeted, at first they think it’s someone from Deborah’s past, but it’s not long before they realise that it’s someone a lot closer to home, can they work out who before it’s too late?

There are some absolutely horrifying scenes in this book involving a beloved pet, having lost one of our dogs in January this bit really broke my heart, so please be prepared for this when going in! 💔

It had me on the edge of my seat throughout because I just couldn’t tell what was going to happen next & I couldn’t work out who was after them and why!

The story led us in about different directions, all of them believable and yet I still didn’t work it out 😂

Please, please pick this up and be sure to come back and let me know your thoughts!

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Today is my stop on the blog tour for What Beauty There Is by Cory Anderson, thank you to Dave at The Write Reads for organising it and inviting me to take part, thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 368

Synopsis: When everything you love is in danger, how long can you keep running to survive?

Life can be brutal
Winter in Idaho. The sky is dark. It is cold enough to crack bones.

Jack knew it
Jack Dahl has nothing left. Except his younger brother, Matty, who he’d die for. Their mother is gone, and their funds are quickly dwindling, Jack needs to make a choice: lose his brother to foster care, or find the drug money that sent his father to prison. 

So did I
Ava lives in isolation, a life of silence. For seventeen years her father, a merciless man, has controlled her fate. He has taught her to love no one. 

Did I feel the flutter of wings when Jack and I met? Did I sense the coming tornado?
But now Ava wants to break the rules – to let Jack in and open her heart. Then she discovers that Jack and her father are stalking the same money, and suddenly Ava is faced with a terrible choice: remain silent or speak out and help the brothers survive.

Looking back, I think I did . . .

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: this book was utterly heartbreaking but so, so good.

Jack come home one day to find his mum hanging from the ceiling fan in her bedroom, instead of calling the police he gets her down and buries her in the garden.

Now he has his little brother to look after, they’re on their own. Their dad is in prison…they have no money and only enough food in the house to last a couple of days, if that! – he tries to find a job but given who his dad is no one trusts him.

When the police come knocking Jack decides it’s time to leave, it’s only a matter of time before child services get involved and he can’t lose his brother, he’s the only person he has left.

What follows is a real eye opening journey where with the help of his new friend Ava, Jack does everything in his power to keep his brother safe, even putting his own life at risk several times.

This book is definitely not for the faint hearted, but it’a a powerful one that will stay with me for a long time.

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Today is my stop on the blog tour for All The Little Things by Sarah Lawton, 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 the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 304

Synopsis: Never trust anyone. Never trust yourself.
Rachel has made poor decisions in the past, but she has always tried her best for her daughter. When Vivian needed a fresh start, Rachel didn’t hesitate to move them far from London. She just wishes she could shake the nagging doubt that Vivian is hiding something.

Vivian isn’t like other teenagers. On the surface she seems the same as her friends, but she knows she is different. When enigmatic Alex takes an interest in her, Vivian’s cool demeanour hides an intensity of feeling she has never known before. His touch sets her skin on fire.

Mother and daughter are both keeping secrets. But just how dangerous are they? As lust and anger give way to violence Rachel will have to decide: is she prepared to give up everything for her child? Even her own life?

My Rating:🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: this was quite a slow burn for a thriller, don’t take that as a negative because for this book it really worked, it made working out what was happening and who was guilty very difficult.

It’s told from the perspectives of Rachel (the mother) and Vivian (the daughter) through alternating chapters, some of the women high are also told in the past, I loved this because the present chapters hinged towards something happening in the past that made them have to move away, and although the past chapters gave you a little bit of insight they never actually gave anything away until crucial moments within the story.

The author has a very clever way of writing which made me feel sorry for the 2 main protagonists whilst also not trusting either of them as far as I could throw them.

A thoroughly enjoyable read, that kept me totally gripped despite the slow pace, I couldn’t put it down, some parts made me feel like my heart was in my throat and I couldn’t breath.

One I will be recommending to a lot of my friends!

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Today is my stop on the blog tour for the Museum murder by Katie Gayle, thank you to bookouture for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author for my copy

Pages: 260

Synopsis: Dastardly deeds, daring deceptions and a dress to die for… Epiphany Bloom is back on the case!

Epiphany ‘Pip’ Bloom, would-be detective and London’s unluckiest woman, finds herself in a real costume drama when she unearths a theft at a fashion museum.

The missing dress is a proper piece of Hollywood history, worth a fortune. And as Pip investigates, she finds the museum staff all had reasons to want the garment gone. From fancy boutiques to sketchy back alleys, Pip discovers the fashion world is not all glitz and glamour as she hunts down her prize.

As if she doesn’t have enough on her plate, Pip also has her growing feelings for her housemate Tim to contend with, a family of cats to feed and her mother keeps phoning about a shipment of llamas arriving any day now from South America.

But there’s no time for distractions because Pip’s not the only one after the dress. And for the most dedicated collectors, a piece like this is worth any price – even murder…

A laugh-out-loud, light-hearted cozy mystery for fans of M.C. Beaton, T.E. Kinsey and Joanne Fluke, that will have you reading late into the night.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: I adored this one just as much as I enjoyed the first one, lots and lots of laugh out loud moments that actually had tears in my eyes at some points.

Pips mum is up to her usual antics and let’s just say I’ll never be able to look at a llama the same way again 😂

With the intention of taking a step away from the investigating Pip takes on a job as buyer/curator for a movie memorabilia museum, but upon realising that one of the main attractions is fake leads her to try and find out the truth about what happened the original.

Cue a whole bunch of weird and wonderful characters who will lead you in lots of different directions and a story that is near impossible to put down, I cannot wait to see what Pip, Tim and the rest of the gang get up to next time!

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