Follow You by Richard Parker #BlogTour @bookouture

Thank you to Kim Nash for inviting me into the blog tour for Richard Parkers Follow You. Make sure you follow the rest of the tour as there are some fabulous reviews coming in for this book!

About this book…

Her eyelids were the only parts of her body she could move. The figure spoke, then retreated into the gloom. She couldn’t accept what they’d said. How could she have brought this on herself?

When an online prank goes viral and triggers a spate of gruesome murders, documentary maker Hazel Salter watches in horror. But then Hazel’s childhood friend, Meredith Hickman, is the next victim and Hazel knows she has to find out what happened to her.

Is it one killer or more? Random acts of violence, or part of a bigger, twisted plan?

The police have no leads, but Hazel has a theory – one she’ll stop at nothing to prove – and she also has a film crew. She’ll make a documentary, catch the killer, and give Meredith justice.

Her stage is the abandoned amusement park where Meredith was found.

Her cast are the family and friends the killer left behind.

And her crew? They keep disappearing, one by one…

My review…

I hate horror movies, always have and always will, so I find it rather bizarre that I love to read books that would make brilliant scary movies! And Follow You reads exactly like one of those films I end up watching from behind a cushion, behind the sofa and that sofa is usually in another room. But having read Scare Me last year, I knew that Follow You was one I had to read-I just have a compulsion to be scared “witless” sometimes!! And this book gave me goosebumps right from the off with that horrible cover! I mean come on….MOTHS??!! Have you been stalking my nightmares Mr Parker?! Everyone knows I have a huge fear of those horrible fluttery, winged nasties!! I couldn’t click off that cover fast enough!

Although to be fair once I got into Follow You there were a few nasties INSIDE the cover that made me forget all about those moths. This one is not for the faint hearted and please don’t make the rookie mistake of reading it whilst eating a Chinese takeaway like I did but, unfortunately for me, I couldn’t put this book down even to eat which just goes to show you what an unputdownable rollercoaster ride of a read it is! So not my fault really but don’t say you haven’t been warned!

When people start turning up dead after using #BeMyKiller on a newly set up Twitter account, it makes for a gruesome news story. Documentary maker Hazel was childhood friends with one of the victims so heads back home to investigate further. But like any horror film, she heads back to the scene of the crime-an abandoned theme park. WHY DO THEY DO THAT?! And as the interviewees start turning up dead and Hazels crew are disappearing one by one, it’s up to Hazel to find a killer.

The first few chapters needed a lot of my attention as I had to get my head around the vast number of characters who were being thrown at me but once established this became a fast paced, gore fest that kept me guessing right up until the end. The character who initially annoyed me the most, Rena, ended up being the one I connected with the most and I was praying that she wouldn’t come to any harm. I was yelling at her to NOT TRUST ANYONE and to NOT GO ANYWHERE ON HER OWN! But obviously it wouldn’t be a tension filled thriller if no one put themselves in the line of fire for our twisted serial killer and poor Rena followed the path of many a young woman from those teen fright nights, heading off innocently into dangerous territory.

I have to say I am now far too scared to used the hashtag #BeMyKiller on Twitter to promote my review. That’s how much this book has made me reconsider what I put on social media! And if it ever gets made into a film then I’m sure it will do very well with horror fans……just don’t expect me to watch it!!!

Thank you to the publisher Bookouture for my review via netgalley of Follow You which is available to buy now.

Meet the author…

Parker is an ex TV script writer, script editor and producer who now writes dark, stand alone thrillers. His first novel, Stop Me, was nominated for a Dagger Award.  The movie rights to his second, Scare Me, have been bought by Hollywood studio Relativity Media with screenplay completed by Wentworth ‘PRISON BREAK’ Miller and his third, Stalk Me, rode high in the US and UK Amazon charts.

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Little Girl Lost by Carol Wyer #BookReview @bookouture @carolewyer

About this book…

Her breath rose and fell in fearful gasps but it was too late. She could already see what she dreaded most. The back seat was empty.

Her little girl was gone.

Abigail lives the perfect life with her doting husband and adorable baby Izzy. But someone knows a secret about Abigail and they want the truth to be told.

When Izzy is snatched from a carpark, it becomes a case for Detective Robyn Carter. Someone has been sending threatening messages to Abigail from an anonymous number. What is Abigail hiding?

Robyn’s instincts tell her there’s a connection between Izzy’s abduction and two murders she is investigating. But the last time she acted on impulse her fiancé was killed. To break this case and earn her place back on the force, she must learn to trust herself again – and fast. Robyn is on the hunt for a ruthless serial killer. And unless she gets to the twisted individual in time a little girl will die …

My review…

When I saw that the second book in the Robyn Carter crime series was due out I have to give myself a kick up the backside as I still had the first book Little Girl Lost languishing in my TBR pile on my kindle. And so I knew I needed to catch up on it before book 2 came out. To be honest I had started to read it before but only got as far as the end of the prologue before I had to put it down. At the time I couldn’t cope with the very distressing scenes within those pages. But I had heard so many wonderful things about this book that I decided to power through and boy, was I glad that I did!

So as I said before the start of this book gave me serious chills with its descriptions of a shockingly violent reaction to a heinous act but it acted as a springboard for a twisty and gripping page turner that was impossible to put down! Rarely do I become so emotionally involved with a crime book to the extent of actually wanting to climb into the book and become part of its storyline! I wanted to give certain characters a damn good shake to make them see what was in front of their eyes! I got so frustrated and although there was an obvious link to that little girl when all the horrible things started happening to Abigail, I just wanted to step in, mother that child and change the course of her destiny! And the scenes when baby Izzy went missing were just terrifying, I felt physically sick with worry that she was in the hands of such an unemotional, sick minded individual!

This book was so much better than I had allowed myself to hope for and it’s difficult to believe that this is the authors first psychological crime thriller! Having loved her books in the past for their humorous observations, it was exciting to see that her writing has transferred so well into another genre. The twists and turns here meant that I trusted no one and was constantly changing my mind about who was targeting Abigail and why. And I know I keep using the word gripping but that’s the best way I can describe Little Girl Lost – you will be swept into this intriguing chain of events and just won’t be able to put it down! I loved Robyn Carter, she’s an intelligent and methodical detective that never gives up, bringing together these cases with a confident calmness that means she is trusted implicitly by the people she is trying to help. I can’t wait to meet her again in book 2 Secrets of the Dead which is out on 30th May!

Highly recommended by me!

Little Girl Lost: A gripping thriller that will have you hooked (Detective Robyn Carter crime thriller series Book 1) is available now to purchase at Amazon UK

Secrets of the Dead: A serial killer thriller that will have you hooked (Detective Robyn Carter crime thriller series Book 2) will be published by Bookouture on 30th May 2017 and can be pre-ordered by clicking the title above.

Meet the author…

Carol E. Wyer is an award-winning author whose humorous books take a light-hearted look at getting older and encourage others to age disgracefully. More recently she has chosen to write for the “dark side” and embarked on a series of thrillers, starting with the gripping best-seller, Little Girl Lost.
Her book Grumpy Old Menopause won The People’s Book Prize Award for non-fiction 2015.
Carol has been interviewed on numerous radio shows discussing ‘Irritable Male Syndrome’ and ‘Ageing Disgracefully’ and on BBC Breakfast television. She has had articles published in national magazines ‘Woman’s Weekly’ featured in ‘Take A Break’, ‘Choice’, ‘Yours’ and ‘Woman’s Own’ magazines and writes regularly for The Huffington Post.
Carol is a signed author with Bookouture and Delancey Press.

The Darkest Lies by Barbara Copperthwaite #BlogTour @bookouture

I’m absolutely delighted to be on the Blog Tour today for The Darkest Lies which is the Barbara Copperthwaites first book for her new publisher Bookouture. And today I’m sharing my stop with the lovely Sarah Hardy at By The Letter Book Reviews and you can check her review out HERE

About this book…

A mother desperate for the truth. A daughter hiding a terrible secret.

Melanie Oak appeared to have the perfect life. Married to her childhood sweetheart, Jacob, the couple live with their beautiful, loving, teenage daughter, Beth, in a pretty village.

Nothing can shake her happiness – until the day that Beth goes missing and is discovered beaten almost to the point of death, her broken body lying in a freezing creek on the marshes near their home.

Consumed with grief, Melanie is determined to find her daughter’s attacker. Someone in the village must have seen something. Why won’t they talk?

As Melanie tries to piece together what happened to Beth, she discovers that her innocent teenager has been harbouring some dark secrets of her own. The truth may lie closer to home and put Melanie’s life in terrible danger…

My review…

I’m a huge fan of Barbara Copperthwaites previous books, especially Flowers For The Dead, so I was delighted when she signed with the publisher Bookouture and I have been waiting patiently for her first book with them. Thankfully, I have been rewarded for my patience with The Darkest Lies- a darkly addictive and creepy page turner that had me on the edge of my seat. And it came with one of the most perfect covers I have seen this year so far!

I have always loved thrillers that centre around family dilemmas but The Darkest Lies took my emotions and wrung them dry very quickly indeed! I connected straight away with the character of Melanie when her daughter Beth goes missing. So from the very start I became immersed in her search for first her daughter and then her daughter’s attacker. I think it was the way that she spoke to Beth as if she was right there beside her, trying to keep their relationship and memories alive whilst realising that the daughter she though she knew had been keeping secrets from her. By using that style of narrative, Barbara absolutely nailed it with her portrayal of a grief stricken mother trying to reconcile the daughter she knew with the teenage girl who has started to lead her own life away from her family’s influences. It can be a difficult time for parents when their little girls are so desperate to grow up that the acceptance of their peers becomes more important to them than their parents. But they need to test their wings before they fly and sometimes this involves secrets, lies and putting themselves into situations without thinking about the dangers they could face. Whilst reading this, the fears I went through as a parent to 3 teenage girls all came flooding back, remembering the nights lying awake and unable to sleep until they were all safely tucked up in my nest once more.

This was so beautifully written, realistically full of emotion but with an unexpected darkness and a fascinating twist to the tale! The last few chapters were breathtakingly shocking with developments I hadn’t been expecting and the final pages were absolutely brilliant, leaving me with goosebumps!

I can highly recommend The Darkest Lies for an engrossing, tension filled thriller that will tug at your heartstrings and leave you emotionally drained. I loved every minute of it.

Many thanks to Kim Nash at Bookouture for my advanced review copy of The Darkest Lies: A gripping psychological thriller with a shocking twist which is available to purchase now from Amazon UK

Meet the author…

The people behind the crime, from the perpetrator to the victim and beyond, are what intrigue Barbara Copperthwaite.

She was raised by the sea and in the countryside, where she became a lover of both nature and the written word – the latter leading to a successful career as a journalist. For over twenty years people have kindly and bravely shared with her their real experiences of being victims of crime. Now, through fiction, Barbara continues to explore the emotional repercussions.

www.barbaracopperthwaite.com

www.facebook.com/AuthorBarbaraCopperthwaite/

 

www.twitter.com/BCopperthwait

Sleep Tight by Caroline Mitchell #BlogTour @bookouture

I’m thrilled to be on the blog tour today for Sleep Tight the new book in the Ruby Preston series by Caroline Mitchell. I read this book a few weeks ago now and am so excited to finally share my review.

About this book…

Close your eyes … Just pray you don’t wake up.

A killer stalks the streets of East London. All over the area, murdered young women are discovered, their bodies posed into disturbing recreations of fairytale princesses.

Detective Ruby Preston is determined to hunt down the murderer who is using the women to realise his dark fantasies. But when body parts are found at the home of her lover, Nathan Crosby, Ruby is torn between her job and her heart.
Convinced that he is being framed, Ruby must catch the killer before Nathan becomes the number one suspect. But as more victims are found, it becomes harder to prove his innocence.

As Ruby starts to close in on the twisted individual, can she stop him before he strikes again? And how well does she really know the man she loves?

My review…

I’m such a fan of this new series by Caroline Mitchell and highly recommend you read the first one before you start Sleep Tight but don’t worry if can be read as a standalone novel as well! If you’ve read Carolines books before you will know that they have evolved to such a high standard now and she has certainly made her mark in the crime thriller genre recently. I loved the first Ruby Preston, Love you to Death, so couldn’t wait to catch up with her!

One of the main things that draws me to this series is that it is as much about Rubys personal life as the crime she is trying to solve and here things get very entwined indeed! Ruby is hot on the heels of a serial killer with the most sickening way of displaying his victims but when a nasty surprise is found under Nathan’s bed, the trail leads a little closer to home than she’d like! And when Nathan’s creepy brother Lenny comes worming his way in and Rubys superiors start to delve deeper into her connections with the Crosby family we know that there is going to be an explosive finale!

I love Ruby and, as I have always had a thing for bad boys, I still go weak at the knees for Nathan! And this was balanced nicely by the feelings of terror and disgust I had whilst reading about these gruesomer than gruesome murders. My emotions were definitely on a bit of a rollercoaster ride here and I HATE rollercoasters!! Weirdly enough this is the second book I’m reviewing this week set in Shoreditch -seems like a few nasties have followed the hipsters out there but the setting was certainly part of my enjoyment of the whole Ruby Preston experience.

If you love dark and disturbing, twisty turny plots and a policewoman who only just lives on the right side of the law then be prepared to meet your new girl crush right here! A fabulous series that promises to get even better. More please!

Many thanks to Bookouture for my review copy of Sleep Tight: A dark, gripping serial killer thriller with a shocking twist (Detective Ruby Preston Crime Thriller Series) which is available to purchase now.

Meet the author…

Originally from Ireland, Caroline lives with her family, parrot and two dogs in a pretty village on the coast of Essex. A former police detective, Caroline has worked in CID and specialised in roles dealing with vulnerable victims, high-risk victims of domestic abuse, and serious sexual offences. Published by Bookouture and Thomas & Mercer, she now writes full time and all her books have become number 1 best sellers in their categories.

Her fast-paced DC Jennifer Knight thrillers carry a hint of the supernatural and are weaved from Caroline’s personal experiences in the police and paranormal.

Set in Shoreditch, London, her DS Ruby Preston series is described as “terrifying, addictive serial killer thrillers”.

Caroline also writes psychological thrillers, the most recent, Witness, has been described as “thrilling, tense, exciting, dark and twisted in the best possible way”.

Lie to Me by Jess Ryder #BlogTour @bookouture

I’m delighted to be taking part today in the blog tour for Lie to Me by Jess Ryder.

About this book…

Three minutes. That’s all it takes for Meredith’s entire world to fall apart when she watches the videotape of her four-year-old self with Becca, the mother who abandoned her.

Meredith can’t believe what her eyes have seen. Yet what if her memory has locked away the painful reality of her childhood? Can there be any truth in the strange and dangerous story her mother forced her to tell on camera?

The search for answers leads Meredith to Darkwater Pool, the scene of the murder of a young woman, Cara, over 30 years ago. What could possibly be the link between her mother and the victim?

To find the truth Meredith must search through a past that is not her own. The problem is, she’s not the only one looking…

My review…

I do love a book where there is a mystery to solve in the present that has its roots in the past and when Meredith finds an old video tape in the loft she is drawn into an unsolved murder case that she has never heard of before. But as she watches her four year old self on the old VCR, she is shocked by the story her mother has coerced her into telling on camera and becomes determined to uncover the truth.

I loved the way I became very quickly wrapped up in this book. Jess Ryder has a wonderfully warm and engrossing writing style that just grabs you from the start. Just as you are fully invested in Merediths story thougb, the plot flips back in time where we meet Cara. We are aware that Cara is eventually murdered so it was very creepy watching the events that would gradually lead to her death. But who is telling the truth and why can’t Meredith remember more about her childhood with her mother?

I have to admit I much preferred the “Me” chapters where Meredith became obsessed with investigating Cara’s murder and how her relationships with her father and her ex Eliot were explored. I found those to be just as intriguing as the relationship she doesn’t have – the one with her mother who is no longer part of her life. I didn’t particularly like any of the cast of characters from the “Cara” chapters though. They all seemed to exist in a bubble, detached from real life and rather self obsessed so it was difficult to maintain much sympathy for them when things started to fall apart.

There were plenty of plot twists here to keep my interest and I stayed up late into the night desperate to find out what secrets were about to be uncovered. Some I guessed and others came as more of a surprise but I enjoyed discovering every one of them. And I would definitely read more by Jess Ryder based my reaction to Lie to Me.

Many thanks to Kim Nash and Bookouture for my review copy of Lie to Me: A gripping psychological thriller with a shocking twist which was published on 19th April 2017 and is available to purchase from Amazon UK by clicking the title above.

Meet the author…

Jess Ryder is the pseudonym of Jan Page, author, screenwriter, playwright and award-winning television producer.  After many years working in children’s media, she has recently embarked on a life of crime.  Writing, that is.   So she’s very excited about the publication of her debut thriller Lie to Me.  Her other big love is making pots.

Last Breath by Robert Bryndza #BlogTour @bookouture

I am delighted and extremely excited to be kicking off the blog tour today for Last Breath as it’s publication day!! And I’m sharing my review of this fantastic book alongside my lovely blogger friend Sarah Hardy who is probably Robert’s biggest fan so make sure you check out her review as well by clicking on her name above.

About this book…

He’s your perfect date. You’re his next victim.

When the tortured body of a young woman is found in a dumpster, her eyes swollen shut and her clothes soaked with blood, Detective Erika Foster is one of the first at the crime scene. The trouble is, this time, it’s not her case.

While she fights to secure her place on the investigation team, Erika can’t help but get involved and quickly finds a link to the unsolved murder of a woman four months earlier. Dumped in a similar location, both women have identical wounds – a fatal incision to their femoral artery.

Stalking his victims online, the killer is preying on young pretty women using a fake identity. How will Erika catch a murderer who doesn’t seem to exist?

Then another girl is abducted while waiting for a date. Erika and her team must get to her before she becomes another dead victim, and, come face to face with a terrifyingly sadistic individual.

My review…

Every book in this series just seems to get better with every one that is released and Last Breath is no exception. In fact I think I found this one the most chilling of the Erika Foster books so far due to the online dating plot that provides a serial killer with his victims. It is just felt so relevant to today’s generation who still seem to take everyone they meet online at face value without thinking of the consequences. This made the book feel very realistic to me.

Erika Foster herself always makes these books for me, she is a brilliant character creation who is developing more with each case. Her relationships with Peterson and Moss are always fun to watch as they have now settled into comfortable friendships (and maybe more but I’m not saying anymore about that!). The whole feel of the team works well but Erika, being Erika, is still making her mark but making up her own rules as she goes along. As Isaac says to her at one point “You’re not a bitch, but you have to act like one sometimes. It helps you get the job done” and that sums up Erika perfectly! The job is her life but slowly she is letting others become part of it and I’m loving watching her emotional journey as much as her professional one.

The serial killers identity is known quite early on but this actually makes the book even creepier as we watch the way he plans and stalks his next victim. Honestly, every young woman needs to read this book!! It’s no good just telling your mate you will text her when you’ve met your “mystery man” because by then it could be too late! And Mr Bryndza, while we are on that subject, I got so involved and invested in these victims that you really shocked me with one of them!! How could you!?!? Needless to say I was on my guard for the rest of the narrative, trusting nothing and no-one, especially not the author!

This is another triumph for Robert Bryndza who has truly found his niche within the current crime market and I loved every single page. And I can’t wait to see what my favourite “girl crush” gets up to next.

Many thanks to Bookouture and netgalley for my review copy of  Last Breath: A gripping serial killer thriller that will have you hooked (Detective Erika Foster Book 4) which is published today 12th April 2017 by Bookouture.

Meet the author…

Robert Bryndza is the author of the international #1 bestseller The Girl in the Ice. The Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller is the first book in the Detective Erika Foster series.

The Night Stalker, and Dark Water are the second and third books in the series, and you can now pre-order the fourth, Last Breath which will be published on April 12th 2017.

Robert’s books have sold over 1.7 million copies, and have been translated into 26 languages.

In addition to writing crime fiction, Robert has published a bestselling series of romantic comedy novels. He is British and lives in Slovakia.

You can find out more about the author at http://www.robertbryndza.com and on Twitter and Instagram @RobertBryndza

The Missing Ones by Patricia Gibney #BlogTour @Bookouture

Today I’m thrilled to be on the blog tour for a stunning debut crime thriller by Patricia Gibney introducing Detective Lottie Parker.

About this book…

The hole they dug was not deep. A white flour bag encased the little body. Three small faces watched from the window, eyes black with terror.

The child in the middle spoke without turning his head. ‘I wonder which one of us will be next?’

When a woman’s body is discovered in a cathedral and hours later a young man is found hanging from a tree outside his home, Detective Lottie Parker is called in to lead the investigation. Both bodies have the same distinctive tattoo clumsily inscribed on their legs. It’s clear the pair are connected, but how?

The trail leads Lottie to St Angela’s, a former children’s home, with a dark connection to her own family history. Suddenly the case just got personal.

As Lottie begins to link the current victims to unsolved murders decades old, two teenage boys go missing. She must close in on the killer before they strike again, but in doing so is she putting her own children in terrifying danger?

Lottie is about to come face to face with a twisted soul who has a very warped idea of justice.

My review…

I do love a good police procedural so thankfully this is a VERY good police procedural! And that is quite some achievement for Patricia Gibney and her debut novel The Missing Ones.

Lottie Parker is my kind of police officer and I have taken her to my heart already. She is my own personal favourite – a strong female lead, good at her job but struggling with her own personal demons which make her realistically normal! I loved her relationship with her kids and I thought their family dramas and conflicts were detailed with just the right amount of realism making them like every other family with teenagers, the only difference being that this family is now a single parent one after the death of Lotties husband. Which leads us to Lotties relationship with her colleague Boyd which was one of the most tender and poignant I have come across in a while. This is a partnership I will follow with interest as this series continues.

Plotwise this grabbed me by the hair and dragged me kicking and screaming through all the suspects but I didn’t guess who or the reason behind the seemingly connected murders. The first victims death I took particularly badly as it was a character I would have loved to have seen develop and have their own personal happy ever after but it wasn’t to be.

There was a real underlying feeling of loss and a terrible burden of sadness throughout this book. Not that it made me feel depressed or anything but it just made me hug my family just a little bit tighter after I finished it. Patricia Gibney writes beautifully with well crafted descriptive prose that flows perfectly so that before you know it minutes have passed while you have been utterly entranced by  Lottie and her surroundings. I’m ecstatic to have discovered a new detective series to follow especially one created to such a high standard with believable characters and plotting.

If you love Angie Marsons Kim Stone series then you will love one too. Highly recommended by me.

Thanks to Bookouture for my review copy of The Missing Ones which I have chosen to read and review.

The Missing Ones is published by Bookouture on 16th March 2017 and you can click  The Missing Ones: An absolutely gripping thriller with a jaw-dropping twist (Detective Lottie Parker Book 1) to purchase the ebook from Amazon UK.

Meet the author…

Evie’s Year of Taking Chances by Christie Barlow #BlogTour #BookReview @Bookouture

I am over the moon to be on the blog tour for Evie’s Year of Taking Chances today with a review of this wonderful book.

About this book…

It’s Evie’s birthday and the start of a year she’ll never forget. An emotional story of love, friendship and grabbing life by the horns.

Evie’s job has always been her safe haven. As a librarian in the little town of Becton she loses herself in books – after all it’s far easier to read about other people’s problems than set about solving her own.

Then, one birthday, everything is turned upside down. A mysterious parcel containing a beautiful book with a poignant inscription arrives for Evie. It’s the beginning of a new chapter for Evie and she’s inspired to try and find her real mother.

Evie’s search leads her to meet handsome author Noah Jones. Charming and intelligent, Noah seems the perfect catch but what Evie doesn’t realise is that he is hiding something – a key to Evie’s past.

As Evie gets closer to Noah and discovering her mother, she must take a giant leap of faith. Can she embrace the new and make this her year of taking chances? And if she does, will she get her heart broken?

My review…

O…M…G! Christie Barlow has made me sob like a baby with her latest book! I was an emotional wreck by the end of it and I just wanted to stay with all the wonderful characters in Evie’s world-saying goodbye to them was a real wrench for me which doesn’t happen very often. But everything about Evie and her family and friends felt incredibly real to me and even now, a full 24 hours later, I feel so invested in them, I am unable to start a new book.

Evie has my dream job of working in a library. She gets to meet authors who visit and that’s how she first meets Noah Jones, whom she’s still thinking about months later. On her birthday she is surprised to receive a personally signed copy of a book by her favourite author, Sam Stone, which “magically” appears for her at work. This is the catalyst for Evie to make some major decisions about her life and so starts a year that Evie will never forget.

I loved everything about this book. All the characters were relatable and likeable. The plot was both humorous and heart wrenching in equal measures and the strands were so cleverly woven together. I became totally engrossed right from the beginning, Evie had a natural charisma that made me feel very maternal towards her especially as she was the same age as my daughters. And I desperately wanted that Happy Ever After for her, both romantically and for herself personally. At one point in particular, I cried my eyes out which put me in a highly emotional state for the rest of the book. You would think at my age I would be much more cynical about romance and life, wouldn’t you?! But Evie’s Year of Taking Chances just seemed to bury itself deep into my heart and I adored every minute of it. I also want to mention the book club attended by the characters here which is based on the real-life Mims cafe and book club in Staffordshire. It’s a place I have heard so much about on Social media and am desperate to visit, even more so now!

I have enjoyed all of Christie’s previous books but for me this is her best so far and my absolute favourite. I thoroughly recommend it for fans of romantic comedy. Just make sure you have a HUGE box of tissues and (unlike me!!) waterproof mascara just to be on the safe side! An irresistible book about finding love but more importantly, finding yourself.

Thank you to Bookouture for my review copy of Evie’s Year of Taking Chances which I have chosen to read and review.

Evie’s Year of Taking Chances: A heart warming romantic comedy you won’t be able to put down was published by Bookouture on 10th March 2017 and is available to purchase here at Amazon UK.

Meet the author…

Christie Barlow is the author of A Year in the Life of a Playground Mother, The Misadventures of a Playground Mother, Kitty’s Countryside Dream, Lizzie’s Christmas Escape and Evie’s Year of Taking Chances. She lives in Staffordshire with her husband, four kids, horses, chickens and a mad cocker spaniel. Her writing career came as somewhat a surprise when she decided to write a book to teach her children a valuable life lesson and show them that they are capable of achieving their dreams. The book she wrote to prove a point is now a #1 bestseller in the UK and USA. Christie also writes her own book column in Mama Life Magazine too! http://www.mamalifemagazine.co.uk

Christie loves to hear from her readers and you can get in touch via her website http://www.christiebarlow.com Twitter @ChristieJBarlow and Facebook page Christie Barlow author

The Silent Wife by Kerry Fisher #BlogTour @bookouture

Today I am delighted to be on the blog tour for Kerry Fisher and The Silent Wife.

About this book…

Would you risk everything for the man you loved? Even if you knew he’d done something terrible?

Lara’s life looks perfect on the surface. Gorgeous doting husband Massimo, sweet little son Sandro and the perfect home. Lara knows something about Massimo. Something she can’t tell anyone else or everything Massimo has worked so hard for will be destroyed: his job, their reputation, their son. This secret is keeping Lara a prisoner in her marriage.

Maggie is married to Massimo’s brother Nico and lives with him and her troubled stepdaughter. She knows all of Nico’s darkest secrets – or so she thinks. The one day she discovers a letter in the attic which reveals a shocking secret about Nico’s first wife Caitlin. Will Maggie set the record straight or keep silent to protect those she loves?

For a family held together by lies, the truth will come at a devastating price.

My review…

I do love a twisty family drama, one full of secrets and lies that you read with just the slightest tinge of smugness as you can see what is about to happen miles before our poor characters do. But Kerry Fisher always managed to pull something delectably different out of the bag and here she managed to throw a few curveballs, keeping us in our toes right to the very end!

The days of the traditional mum, dad and their 2.4 children have long gone now and family dynamics have changed dramatically due to the extended family. Step-parents are pretty much the norm nowadays so it was rather interesting to see how differently the two second wives coped within their new families. Finding their feet without tripping up over  family traditions or trying to live up to wife number one seem to be the constants here although Maggie seems to have a tougher time adjusting to her new role than Lara. But Lara appears to have worse problems within her marriage to contend with.

Kerry Fisher has created a tangled web of lies and indiscretions here with characters that I really came to care about and think of as friends. I took to Maggie, especially, right from the first time we get to meet her at her wedding to Nico. And when her mum Beryl was introduced into the plot, I realised where Maggie had inherited her strengths of character from and that it would hopefully help her adjust to married life as a second wife and stepmother to a teenage girl. Beryl was hilarious and I think my goal in life now is to be “a bit more Beryl”. Straight talking, forthright and hilarious and always had the perfect story to tell or the perfect treat on hand at just the right time.

Perfectly paced and plotted I loved following this family drama through to it’s climatic finale. It was slightly darker than Kerry’s other books but still with a subtle but mischievous humour at times. This book was originally called The Secrets of Second Wifes and if I’m honest I think that represents the plot better than The Silent Wife but it made no difference once my head was stuck between the pages. An enjoyable experience from start to finish!

Many thanks to Kim at Bookouture for my copy of The Silent Wife which I have chosen to read and review.

The Silent Wife: A gripping emotional page turner with a twist that will take your breath away is published by Bookouture on 24th February 2017 and can be of at Amazon UK.

Meet the author…

Born in Peterborough, Kerry Fisher studied French and Italian at Bath University, followed by several years working as an English teacher in Corsica and Spain before topping the dizzying heights of holiday rep and grape picker in Tuscany. She eventually succumbed to ‘getting a proper job’ and returned to England to study Periodical Journalism at City University. After two years working in the features department at Essentials magazine in London, love carried her off to the wilds of the West Pennine moors near Bolton. She now lives in Surrey with her husband (of whisking off to Bolton fame), two teenagers and a very naughty lab/schnauzer called Poppy. Kerry can often be seen trailing across the Surrey Hills whistling and waving pieces of chicken while the dog practises her ‘talk to the tail’. In her third book, After The Lie, Kerry shamelessly exploits every embarrassing dog misdemeanour to create her fictional hound, Mabel.

Kerry has spent half her life talking about writing a novel, then several years at Candis magazine reviewing other people’s but it wasn’t until she took some online courses with the UCLA (University of California) that the dream started to morph into reality, culminating in the publishing of The Class Ceiling. The Avon imprint of HarperCollins picked it up and retitled it The School Gate Survival Guide, published summer 2014. Her second book, The Island Escape, came out in May 2015. It won first prize at the York Festival of Writing for the opening line: ‘I was wearing the wrong bra for sitting in a police cell’. Her latest book, After The Lie, the story of how small lies become more toxic as they pass down the generations, is out on 29 April 2016.

Bad Little Girl by Frances Vick #BlogTour @bookouture

It is my turn on the Bad Little Girl blog tour today with a review of this rather intriguing book. And sharing my stop is the lovely Kaisha at The Writing Garnet so make sure you pop over to read her thoughts as well.

About this book…

‘I’m not safe – you have to help me…’

Little Lorna Bell is from a notorious family on a rundown estate. Everyone thinks she’s a nasty piece of work. The schoolchildren call her a thief. But Lorna’s hair is matted, her shoes pinch her feet and school teacher Claire Penny can’t help herself; some kids just need a bit more support, a bit more love, than the rest.

As the bond between teacher and pupil grows stronger, Claire sees Lorna’s bruises, and digs to uncover the disturbing tale behind them. Heartbroken, Claire knows she has to act. She must make Lorna safe.

Just when Claire thinks she has protected Lorna, a chance encounter brings enigmatic stranger Marianne Cairns into their lives. Marianne seems generous and kind but there is something about her story that doesn’t quite add up. Why does she feel so at home, and why is Lorna suddenly so unsettled?

Claire has risked everything to save Lorna. But what can save Claire from the shocking truth?

My review…

Ooooo I love a book that tests the nature vs nurture theory. Anyone who has read my reviews and knows my taste in psychological thrillers will  appreciate that it’s a HUGE fascination for me, debating whether or not evil is born within some people or whether their circumstances and upbringing mould the adult we eventually become. Just don’t ask which I believe in the most as I still unfortunately don’t have all the answers! But having had twins who have been brought up the same way living in the same environment and who are VERY different in personality I have to say I am veering towards the “born bad” tag!

Which leads us to Lorna Bell. Lorna has been born into a notorious family on a rundown estate, she stands out at school with her messy hair and unclean appearance. But teacher Claire feels sorry for her as she has a soft spot for Lorna, who picks up on this very quickly as children do. Now working in a school I know the processes that should be in place for circumstances like this and Claire was WAY off the mark in her actions! I know that we can have soft spots for certain children but professionalism is always the order of the day so I had absolutely no sympathy for Claire when it lead to what happened next! I did feel for poor 5 year old Lorna at first but as the book progressed I started to wonder whether there were some psychopathic tendencies there! We are kept  wondering throughout the slower first half of the book where we see Lorna and Claire’s obsession with each other increase until suddenly Marianne is thrown into the mix! And that’s when the action starts heating up and preconceptions about our main characters are thrown into array. As the book reaches its climax, there are some distressing situations for Claire but it’s up to the reader to decide where their sympathies lie.

Frances Vick has taken some very damaged individuals and weaved a twisted tale around their journey to the happiness they believe they deserve. It throws up some moral dilemmas that leave you thinking “what would I have done?” Sometimes difficult to read but nevertheless compelling, this is a creepy and disturbing thriller that you will devour in one goosebumpy session.

Thanks to Kim at Bookouture for my review copy of Bad Little Girl.

Bad Little Girl: A gripping psychological thriller with a BRILLIANT twist is published on 22nd February by Bookouture and available to purchase from Amazon UK.

Meet the author…

The only child of parents who worked at a top security psychiatric hospital, Frances grew up receiving disquieting notes and presents from the patients. Expelled from school, she spent the next few years on the dole, augmenting her income by providing security and crewing for gigs, and being a guinea pig for medical trials. Later jobs included working in a theatre in Manhattan, teaching English in Japanese Junior High Schools, and being a life model in Italy, before coming back to London and working with homeless teenagers and refugees.

www.francesvick.com 

https://www.facebook.com/FrancesVickAuthor/

https://twitter.com/franvicksays