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Pages: 300

Synopsis: John Docherty’s mother has just been taken into a nursing home following a massive stroke and she’s unlikely to be able to live independently again.

With no other option than to sell the family home, John sets about packing up everything in the house. In sifting through the detritus of his family’s past he’s forced to revisit, and revise his childhood.

For in a box, in the attic, he finds undeniable truth that he had a brother who disappeared when he himself was only a toddler. A brother no one ever mentioned. A brother he knew absolutely nothing about. A discovery that sets John on a journey from which he may never recover.

For sometimes in that space where memory should reside there is nothing but silence, smoke and ash. And in the absence of truth, in the absence of a miracle, we turn to prayer. And to violence.

Shocking, chilling and heartbreakingly emotive, In the Absence of Miracles is domestic noir at its most powerful, and a sensitively wrought portrait of a family whose shameful lies hide the very darkest of secrets.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: You’ll have to bear with me, not really sure how to articulate my thoughts on this one.

Going into it I didn’t really know what to expect, but I certainly didn’t expect the story to go in the direction it did, I was totally hooked after the first chapter and wasn’t really able to put it down.

How would you feel if, when cleaning out your mind attic you found a picture of someone that looked exactly like you, but definitely wasn’t you, and then a shoe with blood on it? – this is exactly what John finds and so begins the journey of finding out who this mystery teenager is in the picture and why he was never told he existed.

There are so many layers and elements to this story that it never gets boring, but because they are easy to follow it never feels overwhelming either. Everything that got added kept you guessing right until the reveal, and I certainly didn’t see it coming.

The little glimpses into the past really pull the book together and ensures that the reader gets the full story, whilst still leaving you not knowing exactly what the conclusion would be.

This is the first time I’ve picked up a book from this author & now I just want to dive into his previous books.

Cannot recommend this book enough to absolutely everyone!

🐧❤️

Today is my stop on the blog tour for The Winter or the Witch by Katherine Arden. Thank you to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for organising it and Ebury Publishing for my copy.

Pages: 384

Synopsis: One girl can make a difference…

Moscow is in flames, leaving its people searching for answers – and someone to blame. Vasilisa, a girl with extraordinary gifts, must flee for her life, pursued by those who blame their misfortune on her magic.

Then a vengeful demon returns, stronger than ever. Determined to engulf the world in chaos, he finds allies among men and spirits. Mankind and magical creatures alike find their fates resting on Vasya’s shoulders.

But she may not be able to save them all.

My Rating:🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: I absolutely loved this trilogy. And this third instalment was the perfect ending, we really got to see the relationship between Vasya and Morozko develop into something beautiful.

There was a lot more action in this one and it was a lot easier to get lost in the story, part of me feels like that’s because I was used to the writing style by then

I knew nothing about Russian Folklore before I read this trilogy and it has left me wanting more, the writing was whimsical and made me feel like I was in the middle of a fairytale.

This book made me feel so many emotions, i cried, I laughed, I fell in love and also felt anger, sometimes towards the same characters.

I’m struggling a little with this review w little because I literally don’t want to give anything away, but I recommend this series to everyone, it’s one I will be reading again in the future.

❤️🐧

Today is my stop on the blog tour for Cage by Lilja Sigurdardóttir, thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part.

Synopsis: Drugs, smuggling, big money and political intrigue in Iceland rally with love, passion, murder and betrayal until the winner takes all … in the masterful, explosive conclusion to the award-winning Reykjavík Noir Trilogy…

The prison doors slam shut behind Agla, when her sentence ends, but her lover Sonja is not there to meet her. ”

As a group of foreign businessmen tries to draw Agla into an ingenious fraud that stretches from Iceland around the world, Agla and her former nemesis, María find the stakes being raised at a terrifying speed.

Ruthless drug baron Ingimar will stop at nothing to protect his empire, but he has no idea about the powder keg he is sitting on in his own home.

At the same time, a deadly threat to Sonya and her family brings her from London back to Iceland, where she needs to settle scores with longstanding adversaries if she wants to stay alive.

Extract:  

‘I’m on the visitor list,’ María said, her resentment growing deeper and stronger the longer she spent talking to the prison officer responsible for dealing with visitors.

She had booked this visit a good few days before, and refused to believe that Agla had now taken her off the list. As far as María was aware, she was the only visitor Agla ever had. Yes, the visits did seem to trouble Agla, but each one always lasted the full allotted time, even though it invariably descended into arguments and quibbling. And yes, María always had a long list of questions, which Agla usually avoided answering, but her visits had to be about the only variation in the routine of being locked up. At least, María assumed that this was why Agla had put her name on the visitor list in the first place. It seemed to her highly unlikely that Agla had now changed her mind.

‘You can call tomorrow to book another visit,’ the prison officer said, tugging his shirt down over his paunch and stuffing it into his waistband. ‘Agla can’t have visitors today.’

‘Why not?’ María asked, leaning forwards, elbows on the table, driving home the point that she wasn’t about to leave.

‘She’s indisposed,’ the prison officer said, peering at the visitor list and scribbling a note on it.

‘I want to know why,’ María said. ‘Or let me call her myself, so she can tell me in person that she doesn’t want a visit.’

The prison officer sighed deeply.

‘Agla can’t see any visitors today. Try calling tomorrow.’

‘I’m an investigative journalist and I demand to know why prisoner Agla Margeirsdóttir isn’t available for a previously agreed visit. If I don’t get an explanation then I’ll have no choice but to take this to the Prison and Probation Administration.’

The prison officer sighed again, deeper this time, and his eyes rolled towards the ceiling.

‘Sweetheart, this isn’t Guantanamo Bay. We have a duty of confidentiality regarding the health of inmates, so all I can tell you is that Agla is unwell today, and that you can call tomorrow and book another visit.’

Now it was María’s turn to sigh. This was as far as she was going to get for the moment. There was no point in taking out her frustration on the prison officer. In reality, she didn’t suspect there was anything untoward about Agla’s absence; she was simply impatient. This time the questions on her list were all unusually urgent – she wanted to know about Agla’s links to Ingimar Magnússon and William Tedd, the Paris-based markets guru. She had come across both names during her investigation into Agla back when she had worked on economic crime for the special prosecutor. That had been in a previous life, before Agla had, indirectly, caused her to be sacked.

María let her thoughts wander as she made her way back to her car. Although the days had begun to lengthen, the April sun was still low in the sky, and she squinted into the brightness. It would be more pleasant when these knife-edged, blue-white rays gave way to mild spring sunshine. In this light everything seemed to be grey and forlorn after the harshness of winter. There was no sign yet of any growth and the sunshine beat down mercilessly on the dry moorland that replaced the bare earth as she left the prison behind her. Not that the time of year made any difference. She wouldn’t be taking a summer holiday to enjoy the weather. She couldn’t afford one. Her online news service, The Squirrel, just about made ends meet, but only because of the income from the handful of advertisements she had been able to secure. So far she hadn’t been able to sell her material to any of the larger media outlets. Now, though, she suspected she was on the trail of something juicy. Just the names Ingimar Magnússon and William Tedd were enough to tell her she was on the right track.

María sat behind the wheel. Her heart skipped a beat when she noticed, hanging from the mirror, the little crystal angel that Maggi had given her. That had been a year before he had left her, saying that she wasn’t the person he thought he had married. If she were to trace everything back to its origins, then the divorce could also be laid at Agla’s door. Her whole life had been wrecked when she had been sacked by the special prosecutor, and for many months she had been in a kind of angry, disbelieving limbo. Finally Maggi had given up, saying that he no longer recognised her. If she were completely honest, she no longer recognised herself either.

It didn’t do to think too much about Maggi – it would wreck her day completely. If she didn’t take care and let herself drift too far, she would end up in tears on the steps outside his place. The worst of it was that, although she couldn’t help hoping that he would ask her in and then would hold her tight, she knew full well that he would actually just look at her with a mixture of disgust and pity, before shutting the door in her face.

She started the engine and wondered whether she ought to rip the angel from the mirror and throw it out onto the moor. But she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Maybe she would do it tomorrow. In the morning she would call the prison and book another visit. And since she wasn’t able to ask Agla her questions right away, she would have to start on Ingimar.

 

 

Today is my stop on the blog tour for Sapphire Smyth and the shadow five by R.J. Furness, thank you to the Write Reads Tours for organising it.

Pages: 104

Synopsis: Have you ever seen something you can’t explain? Did it vanish as fast as it appeared?

Perhaps that thing you saw was lurking in the shadows, and you caught a glimpse of it before it went back into hiding.

There’s a good chance, of course, that the thing you saw simply emerged from your imagination.

Or maybe, just maybe, it didn’t…

Sapphire Smyth is no stranger to rejection. When she was only a baby, her father abandoned her after her mother died. Since then, Sapphire has never felt like she belonged anywhere, or with anyone. To make things worse, her foster carers have now turned their back on her – on her eighteenth birthday. After living with them throughout her childhood, Sapphire has to find a new home. Is it any wonder she finds it hard to trust people?

Abandoned by the people she called family, Sapphire is alone and searching for some meaning in her life. Except that meaning has already come looking for her. When she discovers mysterious creatures lurking in the shadows, Sapphire soon realises that her fate is unlike anything she had ever imagined.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: After finishing this book and ranting that it wasn’t long enough, it had just got me hooked and wanting to know more and then the dreaded “to be continued” appeared I did some research and the books are meant to resemble TV episodes & in that format it works really well.

Loved the world building that had happened so far and I am definitely intrigued to find out more.

Sapphire is yet to grow on me as a main character, I found her whiny and annoying, asking all these questions but not stopping long enough to listen to the answers, I kind of wanted to slap some sense into her.

I love Ben already, I can see him becoming my favourite. for an author to write 2 characters and make me feel opposite emotions towards them in such a short book is impressive, I will be looking more into this series, I want to experience Sapphires journey as she discovers the truth about who she is.

🐧❤️

Today is my stop on the blog tour for The Gilded King by Josie Jaffrey, thank you to The Write Reads blog tours for organising it and inviting me to be a part of it.

Pages: 303

Synopsis: In the Blue, the world’s last city, all is not well.

Julia is stuck within its walls. She serves the nobility from a distance until she meets Lucas, who believes in fairytales that her world can’t accommodate. The Blue is her prison, not her castle, and she’d escape into the trees if she didn’t know that contamination and death awaited humanity outside.

But not everyone in the Blue is human, and not everyone can be contained.

Beyond the city’s boundaries, in the wild forests of the Red, Cameron has precious little humanity left to lose. As he searches for a lost queen, he finds an enemy rising that he thought long dead. An enemy that the humans have forgotten how to fight.

One way or another, the walls of the Blue are going to come down. The only question is what side you’ll be on when they do.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: Firstly I’d like to say that it’s been a long time since a fantasy story got a 5 star rating from me, but all I can say about this book is “wow”.

Right from the start this book pulled me in, I was totally engrossed in everything about it, the world, the story line and the characters.

I was a little bit dubious at first because it was so short, I was worried that there wouldn’t be enough world building or intrigue to pull me in before it ended but I was very pleasantly surprised.

The story is told from 2 perspectives, from 2 totally different characters, their stories seemed completely different but gelled together really well towards the end.

I loved Julia & Cameron as main characters but also equally fell in love with Lucas, Claudia and Felix as dude characters, all brought something different but important to the story.

This book held my attention throughout and it was one I really struggled to put down, the shock factor at the end just left me wanting more and I cannot wait to pick up the sequel!

🐧❤️

Today I’m kicking off the blog tour for Too Early for Death by Simon Farrant, thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for organising it!

Pages: 309

Synopsis: Death can take you to the most unexpected places.

Damien Lennon finds himself on a mysterious island… and dead.

He has more questions than answers. Why? Where? How? What next?

In a place where forests hide secrets and a leader rules with an iron fist, can Damien change his destiny?

‘Too Early for Death’ starts a journey through the Limbo Island trilogy, a series that unravels a story of life after death, hierarchy, tragedy, jealousy and eternal love. A heartbreaking yet heartwarming adventure awaits.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧.5

My Thoughts: After not being able to follow instructions Damien finds himself dead, but not really dead, stuck on limbo island and unable to move on because it was not his time to die.

He is able to see glimpses of his family on “the other side” and soon realises that time moves totally differently where he is, he’s desperate to be reunited with his family and will do anything to make that happen.

I enjoyed the story, it was something completely different & I loved that I didn’t know how the story would end.

The relationships between the characters, especially Nancy and Marcus felt very believable, it really made me feel like I was part of the family and not just someone reading a story.

The friendship between Hector and Damien was a beautiful thing to see develop, I can’t wait to see what those two get up to next time!

I did find certain parts of the story were a little predictable & felt that some parts could have been fleshed out a little more, but it didn’t take away from the overall enjoyment of the story.

I am intrigued to see what’s going to happen in the next instalment!

I am a little late with this one and for that I can only apologise, but I am holding a giveaway on MY TWITTER where you will be in with a chance of winning a copy of this book.

Synopsis: The arrival of a meteorite in a small Finnish town causes chaos and crime in this poignant, chilling and hilarious new thriller from the King of Helsinki Noir

A man with dark thoughts on his mind is racing along the remote snowy roads of Hurmevaara in Finland, when there is flash in the sky and something crashes into the car. That something turns about to be a highly valuable meteorite. With euro signs lighting up the eyes of the locals, the unexpected treasure is temporarily placed in a neighbourhood museum, under the watchful eye of a priest named Joel.

But Joel has a lot more on his mind than simply protecting the riches that have apparently rained down from heaven. His wife has just revealed that she is pregnant. Unfortunately Joel has strong reason to think the baby isn’t his. As Joel tries to fend off repeated and bungled attempts to steal the meteorite, he must also come to terms with his own situation, and discover who the father of the baby really is.

Transporting the reader to the culture, landscape and mores of northern Finland Little Siberia is both a crime novel and a hilarious, blacker-than-black comedy about faith and disbelief, love and death, and what to do when bolts from the blue – both literal and figurative – turn your life upside down.

About the Author Finnish Antti Tuomainen (b. 1971) was an award-winning copywriter when he made his literary debut in 2007 as a suspense author. The critically acclaimed My Brother’s Keeper was published two years later. In 2011 Tuomainen’s third novel, The Healer, was awarded the Clue Award for ‘Best Finnish Crime Novel of 2011’ and was shortlisted for the Glass Key Award. The Finnish press labelled The Healer – the story of a writer desperately searching for his missing wife in a post-apocalyptic Helsinki – ‘unputdownable’. Two years later in 2013 they crowned Tuomainen ‘The King of Helsinki Noir’ when Dark as My Heart was published. With a piercing and evocative style, Tuomainen is one of the first to challenge the Scandinavian crime genre formula. The Man Who Died brought him to his literary best.

If you don’t want to enter the giveaway and just want to buy the book you can do so here.

❤️🐧

Today is my stop on the blog tour for The Familiars by Stacey Halls, thank you to Tracy from Compulsive Readers for organising it. & to Bonnier Zaffre and Netgalley for my copy.

Pages: 432

Synopsis: Fleetwood Shuttleworth is 17 years old, married, and pregnant for the fourth time. But as the mistress at Gawthorpe Hall, she still has no living child, and her husband Richard is anxious for an heir. When Fleetwood finds a letter she isn’t supposed to read from the doctor who delivered her third stillbirth, she is dealt the crushing blow that she will not survive another pregnancy.

Then she crosses paths by chance with Alice Gray, a young midwife. Alice promises to help her give birth to a healthy baby, and to prove the physician wrong.

As Alice is drawn into the witchcraft accusations that are sweeping the north-west, Fleetwood risks everything by trying to help her. But is there more to Alice than meets the eye?

Soon the two women’s lives will become inextricably bound together as the legendary trial at Lancaster approaches, and Fleetwood’s stomach continues to grow. Time is running out, and both their lives are at stake.

Only they know the truth. Only they can save each other.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Review: Fleetwood Shuttleworth is pregnant for the 4th time at the age of 17, after having 3 miscarriages she is desperate for a baby, she hires Alice as a midwife who promised she would do her best to help her give birth safely.

As her pregnancy progresses, Alice’s odd concoctions and ideas are working & Fleetwood starts to feel more like her normal self, unfortunately some news comes to light and Alice is suspected to be a witch, can Fleetwood save her new friend, and the lives of her and her unborn baby in the process?

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this was based on true events, I love a good historical fiction novel, the addition of the whimsical writing made this book very hard to put down, if I didn’t need to go to sleep it would have been devoured in one sitting.

The way this dealt with the idea of witches and witch trials was a breath of fresh air, with the main character sympathising with the possible ‘witches’ instead of it being told from the perspective of the witch hunter.

There were so many twists and turns that just kept me wanting more, i can’t wait to see what Stacey writes in the future!

Today is my stop on the blog tour for The Christmas Invitation by Trisha Ashley, thank you to Anne from Random Things Tours for organising it and inviting me to be a part of it.

Pages: 528

Synopsis: Meg is definitely not in the Christmas mood. She’s never gone in for tinsel, baubles and mistletoe, and right now she’s still getting over an illness. Yet when she’s invited to spend the run-up to Christmas in the snowy countryside, rather than dreary London, she can’t refuse.

Arriving at a warm and cosy family home in a small hilltop village, Meg soon begins to wonder what a proper Christmas might be like. But just as she’s beginning to settle in, she spots a familiar face. Lex.

Despite the festive cheer, Meg suddenly wants nothing more than to get as far away from him, and their past secrets, as she can. But if she stays, could this be the year she finally discovers the magic of Christmas…?

Fabulously funny, intelligent and heart-warming, Trisha Ashley’s brand-new novel is the feel-good Christmas novel of the year. It even contains recipes!

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My thoughts: this is the first Trisha Ashley book I’ve read and also the first Christmas book of the year.

I adored this story once it got started, although I do feel it was a little slow to begin with.

I didn’t like Clara to begin with, I felt she was pushy and horrible, but she soon became my favourite character which shows the skill that Trisha has with her writing.

I loved Meg, I saw myself in her a lot, especially at the beginning where she just went with Clara’s plan because she didn’t like the idea of confrontation.

If you love a romance that isn’t straight forward, with lots of twists and turns, but still gets you to the “happy ever after ” in the end then this is the story for you.

There were lots of different characters with their own stories to tell that added different elements to the story, I wish l could read if for the first time again, just so I could have all those feelings again.

Thank you Trisha for allowing me to read this beautiful story early.

🐧❤️

Today is my stop on the blog tour for She’s Back by Lisa Unwin and Deb Khan and o have an extract for you, thank you to Kelly at Love Books for organising it and inviting me to be a part of it.

Synopsis: Women’s careers twist and turn. Women step back or step away for so many reasons. Then, let’s face it, returning is tough.

Whether you are coming back after a break, or looking to ramp up a level, this book is an essential guide and helps you succeed.

You’ll learn the truth about how the recruitment market really works; how to craft a narrative that explains your value; mobilise a network to support your ambitions and find work that will work for you.

Examples of real women’s struggles and winning strategies provide inspiration and will enthuse you about how to make your own comeback.

Lisa and Deb draw on years of research across several different sectors and their experience of working with and listening to the stories of thousands of women to provide a fresh, pragmatic and above all useful handbook for today’s fast evolving job market.

In a world of #MeToo and Time’s Up, She’s Back. And so are you.

Extract: WHAT TO SAY ABOUT A CAREER BREAK

 Like much of the country, we’ve been absorbed, enraptured and enveloped by the BBC’s glorious adaptation of War and Peace. And Tolstoy’s lines made us think about how people currently deal with career breaks.

 “We imagine that when we are thrown out of our usual ruts, all is lost. But it is only then that what is new and good begins. While there is life there is happiness. There is much, much before us.”

 Career breaks are a little bit like the war. “Don’t mention it.” Professional guidance from recruiters advise us to skip over the break. We think this is profoundly misguided. To skip over a career break is to collude with the myth that nothing useful happens outside of work.

 That could not be further from the truth. In an age where, assuming we start work at, say 21 or 22, we all face a working life of upwards of 40 years who isn’t going to need a break at some point. It could be because of children, to go travelling, to look after elderly relatives or simply to recharge your batteries. It will happen to more and more of us.

 So take a lead. Change the conversation. Signpost the new, shinier improved you without apology or qualification.

 So what do you say?

 1.  I’m refreshed, re-energised and re-focused. Who isn’t better after a break? And when you decide to return, and have put in place the childcare and support to make it work, any new employer can be sure you are 100% committed. With something to prove and fire in your belly to prove it.

 2.  I am so much more productive. Minus a salary and the suffocating bureaucracy inherent in most large organisations, we tend to become slicker, speedier. Less time to faff If you’ve been juggling other people’s needs with your own, carrying four timetables in your head, you are more efficient. Guaranteed.

 3.  I’ve broadened my skills, knowledge and experience. Smash the myth that you turned off that busy brain. You still read, absorbed, thought and contributed. You knew what was happening in the world and in the world of work. You didn’t check out. Be specific about what skills you have now, give examples of how you developed them. Add what do you know now that you didn’t know before?

 4.  I’ve grown and deepened my network. I have more references and a wider range of organisations, people and situations to call upon, ask, tell things to or reference. Institutions can make us myopic. You’ve seen more than what is in these four walls.

 5.  I’ve witnessed – and can share – different ways of getting things done. Things we can learn from. That’s healthy. Leadership styles and ways of delivering are all around us – schools, hospitals, retail, travel. You’ve embraced other forms of comms, identified what works – and what doesn’t.

 6.  I have new perspectives on customers and clients. You have more insight because you’ve been out there more, interacting with the world as a consumer or creator or been on the receiving end of services. You know how it feels and how it could be improved. You have acquired those elusive empathy skills, by osmosis.

 7. You can trust me. I have delivered without the comfort blanket of a large organisation. I’ve dealt with my own IT, sussed out the fastest ISP, I’ve navigated the complexities of new technology tools or systems. I’ve learned independently. I’ve set my own milestones and frameworks for projects or travel or to help other people.

 And finally – dare we say it. You are older. With less time to waste. Life is speeding up, as are you.

 Back these up with examples. What was “ new and good” in your break? Help an employer understand. Be brief. Be brave. Know your own value. And negotiate the hell out of your return.

If you like the should of this book you can buy it here.

🐧❤️