Saturday 30 June 2018

#Bookreview Need to Know by Karen Cleveland @karecleve @randomhouse

Need to Know by Karen Cleveland
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In pursuit of a Russian sleeper cell on American soil, a CIA analyst uncovers a dangerous secret that will test her loyalty to the agency—and to her family.

What do you do when everything you trust might be a lie?

Vivian Miller is a dedicated CIA counterintelligence analyst assigned to uncover the leaders of Russian sleeper cells in the United States. On track for a much-needed promotion, she’s developed a system for identifying Russian agents, seemingly normal people living in plain sight.

After accessing the computer of a potential Russian operative, Vivian stumbles on a secret dossier of deep-cover agents within America’s borders. A few clicks later, everything that matters to her—her job, her husband, even her four children—are threatened.

Vivian has vowed to defend her country against all enemies, foreign and domestic. But now she’s facing impossible choices. Torn between loyalty and betrayal, allegiance and treason, love and suspicion, who can she trust?

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Need to Know is one hell of a book! I'm especially happy to say that it did fulfill all my expectations!

What do you do when you, through your job discover that you are living a lie? That this discovery will threaten your life, your husband life, and your children's lives. That is what Vivian Miller discovers one day at her job as a CIA counterintelligence analyst. She is running a program trying to discover Russian sleeper cells in the US. And, she succeeds. And this starts off a living hell for her.

One could really feel with Vivian in this book. Her whole life is in ruin and she is now having to make serious decisions, protect her family and betray her country? Or turn in all the information she has and by that destroy her family.

The story is tense and captivating and I loved reading the book. I thought the ending at first was a bit too "Hollywood". A bit too cheesy and happy, well I thought so until I realized that the author had one more surprise in store. Wow! What an ending!

#BookReview The Forbidden Place by Susanne Jansson

Offermossen by Susanne Jansson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Richly atmospheric and haunting to the last page, Susanne Jansson's stunning debut will captivate fans of the celebrated suspense fiction of Jane Harper or Tana French.

In the North Swedish wetlands lies Mossmarken: the village on the edge of the mire where, once upon a time, people came to leave offerings to the gods.

Biologist Nathalie came in order to study the peat bogs. But she has a secret: Mossmarken was once her home, a place where terrible things happened. She has returned at last, determined to confront her childhood trauma and find out the truth.

Soon after her arrival, she finds an unconscious man out on the marsh, his pockets filled with gold - just like the ancient human sacrifices. A grave is dug in the mire, which vanishes a day after. And as the police investigate, the bodies start to surface...

Is the mire calling out for sacrifices, as the superstitious locals claim? Or is it an all-too-human evil?

An international sensation, THE FORBIDDEN PLACE is a gripping tale of the power of nature to shape our reality; the stories we tell ourselves to make sense of the world and the terrible consequences they may have.


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The marshland is a desolate place with misty meadows, sloping pines, and sinking soils. Once upon a time, sacrifices to the gods were buried here, and rumors say that people still disappear without a trace...

Offermossen "The Forbidden Place" is a thrilling novel about Nathalie who are doing field experiments for her doctoral thesis on wetlands. The thesis is not the only reason Nathalie has rented a cottage to the experiments. She has returned to the place she once grew up. Where she was happy. Before her life shattered. Now she is back and perhaps she will get the answers to what happened when she was a child.

I found the book to be captivating and intriguing. I love the setting of the story. There is something chilly and creepy with the marshland and this book really makes you feel that there is something out there, perhaps not something evil. Just something ... inhumane...

Offermossen is a thrilling book, not that thick so you will quickly read it through. It's a book that will leave an impact and I'm looking forward to reading more from Susanne Jansson.

#BookReview Good Intentions by J.D. Trafford @amazonpub

Good Intentions by J.D. Trafford
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The path to justice is paved with good intentions.

Judge Jim Thompson’s world is unraveling. He’s facing public backlash on a decision-gone-wrong for a young boy in foster care and, even worse, he’s just discovered that his mentor, Judge Meyer, has been murdered.

Despite his self-doubt in the face of media scrutiny, Jim is determined to continue his friend’s legacy—and find his killer. As he digs into the mysterious death, Jim comes across a case that had haunted the judge for decades—a case he couldn’t let go of. Judge Meyer had worked hard to find the right solutions for foster children, but rulings in such cases are never simple, and his decisions may have cost him his life.

As Jim searches for answers, he begins to see similarities between his mentor’s past and his own present. Now it’s up to him to learn from his late friend’s mistakes and track down a killer—before he loses everything that matters to him.


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I read Little Boy Lost by J.D. Trafford last year and was blown away by the book's fabulous story. So, picking Good Intentions by J.D. Trafford was not a hard decision.

Judge Jim Thompson mentor has just been murdered and he's the first to stumble over the body. As if that is not bad, he's under media scrutiny after a boy that he decided to go back to his mother was later found dead. He's under pressure, trying to figure out why his mentor Judge Meyer was killed, as well as dealing with media and a new case.

I enjoyed reading Good Intentions. Just as Litle Boy Lost is the story in this book engrossing and it's not hard to be upset and angry when everyone seems to be out for blood. Jim's blood. He's under enormous pressure from work and he can't let go of a feeling that there is something in the past that could be the reason for the death of Judge Meyer. Perhaps an old case...?

The book is well-written and the last part is really tense! I recommend this book warmly!

I want to thank Thomas & Mercer for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!

#BookReview Rough Justice by Kelley Armstrong @KelleyArmstrong @subpress @FreshFiction

Rough Justice by Kelley Armstrong
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mallt-y-Nos. Matilda of the Hunt. The lone woman who rides with the Wild Hunt, tasked with finding killers who've escaped justice and letting the hounds reap their souls. For Olivia Taylor-Jones, Matilda isn't just a legendary figure from Welsh lore. She is Olivia's past, and her future, one she's finally embraced.

Having accepted her role as Matilda, Olivia must now lead her first Hunt. Seems simple enough. But when she questions their target's guilt, the Hunt is halted, her mission failed. Still, it's just a matter of getting Gabriel's help and investigating the man's past to reassure herself that he's guilty. He must be. Otherwise, he wouldn't be a target. But the deeper she digs, the more problems she finds, until she must question everything she knows about the Hunt and the choice she's made.


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I was surprised and delighted to see ROUGH JUSTICE, a new novella in the Cainsville series, which I thought had ended with Rituals. Getting a new, although short, story about Olivia Taylor-Jones and Gabriel is a dream come true because I have truly enjoyed all of the books in this series.

READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION!

#BookReview Stay Hidden by Paul Doiron @pauldoiron @MinotaurBooks @FreshFiction

Stay Hidden by Paul Doiron
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A woman has been shot to death by a deer hunter on an island off the coast of Maine. To newly promoted Warden Investigator Mike Bowditch, the case seems open and shut. But as soon as he arrives on remote Maquoit Island he discovers mysteries piling up one on top of the other.

The hunter now claims he didn’t fire the fatal shot and the ballistic evidence proves he’s telling the truth. Bowditch begins to suspect the secretive community might be covering up the identity of whoever killed Ariel Evans. The controversial author was supposedly writing a book about the island's notorious hermit. So why are there no notes in her rented cottage?

The biggest blow comes the next day when the weekly ferry arrives and off steps the dead woman herself. Ariel Evans is alive, well, and determined to solve her own “murder” even if it upsets Mike Bowditch’s investigation and makes them both targets of an elusive killer who will do anything to conceal his crimes.


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STAY HIDDEN is the ninth book in the Mike Bowditch series and I was thrilled once again step into Mike's world. Now, I have only read two books previously in this series, but I enjoy this series very much. Especially since reading about a game warden is a bit different from the usual police or sheriff novels I usually read.

READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION!

Friday 29 June 2018

#BookReview Ain't She a Peach? by Molly Harper @mollyharperauth @FreshFiction @GalleryBooks

Ain't She a Peach? by Molly Harper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An Atlanta ex-cop comes to sleepy Lake Sackett, Georgia, seeking peace and quiet—but he hasn’t bargained on falling for Frankie, the cutest coroner he’s ever met.

Frankie McCready talks to dead people. Not like a ghost whisperer or anything—but it seems rude to embalm them and not at least say hello.

Fortunately, at the McCready Family Funeral Home & Bait Shop, Frankie’s eccentricities fit right in. Lake Sackett’s embalmer and county coroner, Frankie’s goth styling and passion for nerd culture mean she’s not your typical Southern girl, but the McCreadys are hardly your typical Southern family. Led by Great-Aunt Tootie, the gambling, boozing, dog-collecting matriarch of the family, everyone looks out for one another—which usually means getting up in everyone else’s business.

Maybe that’s why Frankie is so fascinated by new sheriff Eric Linden...a recent transplant from Atlanta, he sees a homicide in every hunting accident or boat crash, which seems a little paranoid for this sleepy tourist town. What’s he so worried about? And what kind of cop can get a job with the Atlanta PD but can’t stand to look at a dead body?

Frankie has other questions that need answering first—namely, who’s behind the recent break-in attempts at the funeral home, and how can she stop them? This one really does seem like a job for the sheriff—and as Frankie and Eric do their best Scooby-Doo impressions to catch their man, they get closer to spilling some secrets they thought were buried forever.


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Sometimes I dare to leave my safe place of crime and thriller novels and venture into the world of feel-good and romance. I actually do it gladly if the book's setting is in the American South. I just love small town stories, where everyone knows everyone and they drink sweet tea. I was sold when AIN'T SHE A PEACH was available to read and I read the blurb about a former Atlanta cop who moves to Lake Sackett, Georgia and falls for Frankie McCready, the cute coroner who talks to the dead. She is just polite, they don't answer back or anything.

READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION!

Thursday 28 June 2018

#CoverCrush In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire

For new visitors do I want to explain that Cover Crush is something that my friend Erin over at Flashlight Commentary came up with and I adopted the idea together with some other friends. And, now we try to put up a Cover Crush every week. You can check below my pick of the week for their choices this week!

Seanan McGuire's Hugo, Alex, Nebula, and Locus Award-winning Wayward Children series continues

Every Heart a Doorway racked up comparisons to C. S. Lewis and Lewis Carroll, and the Wayward Children series has delighted and mesmerized readers.

This fourth entry and prequel tells the story of Lundy, a very serious young girl who would rather study and dream than become a respectable housewife and live up to the expectations of the world around her. As well she should.

When she finds a doorway to a world founded on logic and reason, riddles and lies, she thinks she's found her paradise. Alas, everything costs at the goblin market, and when her time there is drawing to a close, she makes the kind of bargain that never plays out well. For anyone . . .

Thoughts:

This series and been compared to C. S Lewis Narnia, and looking at this cover with the door in the tree. Well, it's easy to get Narnia vibes seeing this cover. And, who doesn't love a mysterious door in a tree? 

Check out what my friends have picked for Cover Crush's this week:

Stephanie @ Layered Pages





#BookReview The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld @HarperCollins

The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Three years ago, Madison Culver disappeared when her family was choosing a Christmas tree in Oregon’s Skookum National Forest. She would be eight years old now—if she has survived. Desperate to find their beloved daughter, certain someone took her, the Culvers turn to Naomi, a private investigator with an uncanny talent for locating the lost and missing. Known to the police and a select group of parents as The Child Finder, Naomi is their last hope.

Naomi’s methodical search takes her deep into the icy, mysterious forest in the Pacific Northwest, and into her own fragmented past. She understands children like Madison because once upon a time, she was a lost girl too.

As Naomi relentlessly pursues and slowly uncovers the truth behind Madison’s disappearance, shards of a dark dream pierce the defenses that have protected her, reminding her of a terrible loss she feels but cannot remember. If she finds Madison, will Naomi ultimately unlock the secrets of her own life?


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I'm on the fence when it comes to this book. Not that the book isn't good. It definitely is read-worthy (or listen worthy). I just had moments when I felt unsure if the story was in the present or if it was a flashback. Now, I listened to the audiobook version so this could just be me being confused and this could be much easier understood while reading the book. And, it's not a BIG problem. I just felt now and then a bit lost. Other than that the story is, for the most part, good, perhaps not that surprising and I wished I had felt a more thrilling feeling reading the book. It's very sad though...

However, I found Naomi absolutely fascinating. Listening to this book made me wish that the book would be turned into a tv-series with Naomi finding children. She's such a fabulous multi-layered character with an intriguing past. I loved getting to know more about the cases she has worked on. It's not that she has any magical powers to find missing children. It's more like she's tenacious, and thanks to her own past is she not willing to give up.

Will Naomi find Madison, and if she does will Madison still be alive? Well, you have to read the book to find out...

Wednesday 27 June 2018

#BookReview Salt Lane by William Shaw @william1shaw @mulhollandbooks @FreshFiction

Salt Lane by William Shaw
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A murdered migrant is the first big case for the embattled DS Alexandra Cupidi in a new series by the acclaimed author of The Birdwatcher

No-one knew their names, the bodies found in the water. There are people here, in plain sight, that no-one ever notices at all.

DS Alexandra Cupidi has done it again. She should have learnt to keep her big mouth shut, after the scandal that sent her packing - resentful teenager in tow - from the London Met to the lonely Kent coastline. Even murder looks different in this landscape of fens, ditches and stark beaches, shadowed by the towers of Dungeness power station. Murder looks a lot less pretty.

The man drowned in the slurry pit had been herded there like an animal. He was North African, like many of the fruit pickers that work the fields. The more Cupidi discovers, the more she wants to ask - but these people are suspicious of questions.

It will take an understanding of this strange place - its old ways and new crimes - to uncover the dark conspiracy behind the murder. Cupidi is not afraid to travel that road. But she should be. She should, by now, have learnt.

Salt Lane is the first in the new DS Alexandra Cupidi series. With his trademark characterisation and flair for social commentary, William Shaw has crafted a crime novel for our time that grips you, mind and heart.


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SALT LANE is the first book in the Alexandra Cupidi series. However, Alexandra first showed up in the book THE BIRDWATCHER, which I haven't read (yet). I read a lot of crime novels and I was curious to see if this one would be to my taste. I'm glad to say that I liked this book and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION!

#BookReview The Girl Who Was Taken by Charlie Donlea @CharlieDonlea @KensingtonBooks

The Girl Who Was Taken by Charlie Donlea
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Nicole Cutty and Megan McDonald are both high school seniors in the small town of Emerson Bay, North Carolina. When they disappear from a beach party one warm summer night, police launch a massive search. No clues are found, and hope is almost lost until Megan miraculously surfaces after escaping from a bunker deep in the woods.

A year later, the bestselling account of her ordeal has turned Megan from local hero to national celebrity. It s a triumphant, inspiring story, except for one inconvenient detail: Nicole is still missing. Nicole's older sister Livia, a fellow in forensic pathology, expects that one day soon Nicole's body will be found, and it will be up to someone like Livia to analyze the evidence and finally determine her sister's fate. Instead, the first clue to Nicole's disappearance comes from another body that shows up in Livia's morgue that of a young man connected to Nicole's past. Livia reaches out to Megan for help, hoping to learn more about the night the two were taken. Other girls have gone missing too, and Livia is increasingly certain the cases are connected.

But Megan knows more than she revealed in her blockbuster book. Flashes of memory are coming together, pointing to something darker and more monstrous than her chilling memoir describes. And the deeper she and Livia dig, the more they realize that sometimes true terror lies in finding exactly what you've been looking for.

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Confession, Summit Lake was not a favorite book of mine. However, I did feel that that book was good enough for me to wanna try another of Charlie Donlea's books and I'm glad I did because The Girl Who Was Taken is great!

First I want to say that I don't get really surprised that much nowadays when I read thrillers, at least it feels like that. I often have a hunch about what will happen, so getting totally taken by surprise is rare. Which makes this book a delicious treat because the last part truly pulled the rug out under my feet. I had several suspects in my head, but I was wrong. So wrong. And, that thrilled me!

Secondly, Livia, the older sister of Nicole that was taken is a marvelous character, she's a fellow in forensic pathology, and she is expecting to one day find her sister on the slab. And, when a body shows up that is connected to Nicole can she perhaps find answers and peace. I liked her storyline the most, not that the Megan's is bad or the flashbacks to when Nicole and Megan were taken. But, following Livia, as she discovers more and more about what happened that night is truly great.

Now, I will leave it to this. The book is great, and I don't want to give ANYTHING away. Instead, just read it!

I want to thank Kensington Books for providing me with free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!

Tuesday 26 June 2018

#BookReview Bimini Twist by Linda Greenlaw @FreshFiction @MinotaurBooks

Bimini Twist by Linda Greenlaw
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Jane Bunker returns in Bimini Twist, another thrilling, small-town mystery by Linda Greenlaw set in Down East Maine.

It seems like everyone in Green Haven knows that Jane Bunker has scored an invite to the ultra-exclusive Summer Solstice Soiree—and they all assume she’ll be in attendance, as one of the few eligible single women in town. Of course, that’s the last place Jane would like to be; hobnobbing and making small talk with the upper crust isn’t exactly her idea of a good time. She prefers to put in her hours working as an insurance investigator, and part-time as the deputy sheriff. When she gets to work one morning, the sheriff asks her to take a break on her personal war on drugs—it seems that she’s been so successful catching dealers and interrupting the flow of drugs in the area that she’s called too much attention to just how bad it’s gotten, and the community is worried that all the attention on the drug trade will deter the summer tourists that Green Haven so badly needs to keep the economy going.

Instead, Jane takes on a missing person case—a young woman working at the Bar Harbor Inn has disappeared. The Inn employs foreign exchange students from all over the world during the busy summer season, and the missing Bianca Chiriac is one of them. When it becomes clear that Bianca isn’t just sleeping off a late-night party, Jane is plunged into the underbelly of the resort town, and must find the missing woman before the worst happens.


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I'm always on the lookout for a good mystery series and I've had my eyes set on trying out this series for some time. What's not to like? A small-town mystery with a female deputy sheriff who also works part-time as an insurance investigator. As a big mystery fan was I was curious and wanted to see if this series would work for me.

READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION!

#ReleaseSpotlight The Sister by Louise Jensen @Fab_fiction @GrandCentralPub #Giveaway

PAPERBACK BOOK - 1538713470 / 9781538713471
ELECTRONIC BOOK - 1786810018 / 9781786810014

Available in the U.S. June 26, 2018


DESCRIPTION

"I did something terrible Grace. I hope you can forgive me..."

Grace hasn't been the same since the death of her best friend Charlie. She is haunted by Charlie's last words, and in a bid for answers, opens an old memory box of Charlie's. It soon becomes clear there was a lot she didn't know about her best friend.

When Grace starts a campaign to find Charlie's father, Anna, a girl claiming to be Charlie's sister steps forward. For Grace, finding Anna is like finding a new family, and soon Anna has made herself very comfortable in Grace and boyfriend Dan's home.

But something isn't right. Things disappear, Dan's acting strangely and Grace is sure that someone is following her. Is it all in Grace's mind? Or as she gets closer to discovering the truth about both Charlie and Anna, is Grace in terrible danger?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Louise Jensen is a No. 1 bestselling author of psychological thrillers. Her first two novels, The Sister and The Gift, were both International #1 bestsellers, and have been sold for translation to sixteen countries. Her debut novel, The Sister, was nominated for The Goodreads Awards Debut of 2016.

Louise lives in Northamptonshire with her husband, children, madcap dog and a rather naughty cat. She loves to hear from readers and writers and can be found at LouiseJensen.co.uk, where she regularly blogs flash fiction.

WEBSITE: LouiseJensen.co.uk
FACEBOOK: @fabricatingfiction
TWITTER: @fab_fiction

The Sister by Louise Jensen
PRAISE FOR THE SISTER:

"Dark, twisty, and irresistible—I simply could not put this book down. Captivating characters and an intense emotional ride make for an absolutely gripping page-turner!"--- Sara Blaedel, #1 internationally bestselling author of The Forgotten Girls
"I was gripped to The Sister from the first page until the very end. I thought I had it all worked out until I was proven sooo wrong."
--- Robert Bryndza, #1 Wall Street Journalbestselling author of The Girl in the Ice

"Grief's lingering residue and the need to keep connections with the deceased make an emotional and gripping foundation for British author Jensen's first novel....Surprising twists, strong characters, and a fresh look at gaslighting elevate this psychological thriller."
--- Publishers Weekly

"Just as I thought the story was wrapping up BANG! I was hit again with another twist. Brilliant! It is chilling and sinister and yet heart-breaking and tragic, and I felt really emotional on finishing it ... I can't wait to read more by Louise."
--- Bloomin Brilliant Books

"An easy 5 stars."
--- Chelle's Book Reviews

"I was gripped to The Sister from the first page until the very end."
--- Robert Bryndza

"I could not put this book down. I neglected all the house work and put off cooking dinner until I was finished ... I loved every page."
--- Renee Reads

#BookReview The Book of the Unwinding by J.D. Horn @amazonpub

The Book of the Unwinding by J.D. Horn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The struggle for power continues in the sequel to The King of Bones and Ashes from Wall Street Journal bestselling author J.D. Horn.

With their magic diminishing, warring factions of New Orleans witches desperately search for the Book of the Unwinding—a legendary grimoire, hidden by spells, that holds the key to unimaginable powers. As a ruthless struggle erupts in a maelstrom of malevolent magic, psychic Nathalie Boudreau finds her destiny intertwined with that of an exiled witch.

Her name is Alice Marin, a vulnerable young woman trapped in a realm of illusion. Only Nathalie can free her, but first she must come to understand and master her own extraordinary abilities.

Now, in a world where betrayals have become the order of the day, it will fall to two women to restore rightful balance amid terrifying chaos.

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As much as I liked the first book, must I confess that the story in this book was even more captivating. If you have read the first book in the series, then you know about all that happened to Alice, Evangeline, Nathalie and the rest. If you are new, well, there is a nice character list before the story starts, and I advise to read it carefully to get the gist of where the characters are standing today. Actually, I found the list great too since I needed to refresh my memory.

I've just finished the book so I'm still in the world of witches in New Orleans, and wow I could stay there for a while. Anyhow, if you are looking for a non-YA book about witches, struggle for power and brutal death's then this series is for you. The search for the Book of the Unwinding goes on in this book, and a new foe shows up, or rather an old, new foe one could say. And, poor Alice is trapped in another realm, put there by her own father. And there she is slowly dying, as the realm and the creatures there draw on her powers. Back in New Orleans is faithful Daniel (who has looked after her since she was a child) searching for a way to save her. To bring her back, before it's too late...

There, I've given you all an appetizer! Now, go and find this book and book one, The King of Bones and Ashes, to read!

I want to thank 47North for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!

Monday 25 June 2018

#Wishlist June Historical Fiction 2019

In this month's Wishlist have I listed 5 titles that are released next year and that I'm dying to read.

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A novel about heiress Mary Philipse's relationship with George Washington, based on historical accounts, letters, and personal journals.

“Love is said to be an involuntary passion, and it is, therefore, contended that it cannot be resisted.” —George Washington

Unrequited love might have sparked a flame that ignited a cause that became the American Revolution. Never before has this story about George Washington been told. Crafted from hundreds of letters, witness accounts, and journal entries, Dear George, Dear Mary explores George’s relationship with his first love, New York heiress Mary Philipse, the richest belle in Colonial America.

From eighteenth century elegant society to bloody battlefields, the novel creates breathtaking scenes and riveting characters. Dramatic portraits of the two main characters unveil a Washington on the precipice of greatness with his insecurities and his inspirations, using the very words he had spoken and written, and his ravishing love, whose outward beauty and refinement disguise madness in elegant clothing.

Dear George, Dear Mary unveils details of a deception long hidden from the world that ultimately led Mary Philipse to being named a traitor, condemned to death and left with nothing. While that may sound like the end, ultimately both Mary and George, achieve what they had always wanted - freedom.


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A Gathering of Ravens was called "satisfying...complex...and a pleasure to read" (Publishers Weekly, starred review). Now, Scott Oden continues the saga of Grimnir in this new epic fantasy novel.

In A Gathering of Ravens, he fought for vengeance. Now, Grimnir is back to fight for his survival.


It is the year of Our Lord 1218 and in the land of the Raven-Geats, the Old Ways reach deep. And while the Geats pay a tax to the King in the name of the White Christ, their hearts and souls belong to the gods of Ásgarðr. But no man can serve two masters.

Pledging to burn this Norse heresy from the land, famed crusader Konráðr the White leads a host against the Raven-Geats, using torch and sword to bring forth the light of the new religion. But the land of the Raven-Geats has an ancient protector: Grimnir, the last in a long line of monsters left to plague Miðgarðr. And he will stand between the Raven-Geats and their destruction.

Aided by an army of berserkers led by their pale queen, Grimnir sparks off an epic struggle –not only against the crusaders, but against the very Gods. For there is something buried beneath the land of the Raven-Geats that Odin wants, something best left undisturbed. Something the blood of the slain, Christian and pagan, will surely awaken.



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Irish-American author Mary Pat Kelly draws upon family history to craft another striking work of historical fiction featuring Chicago-born heroine Nora Kelly

Mary Pat Kelly showcases the most tumultuous years of the twentieth century through the eyes of an indomitable Irish-American in Irish Above All, a beautiful work of historical fiction.


After ten years in Paris, where she learned photography and became part of the movement that invented modern art, Chicago-born, Irish-American Nora Kelly is at last returning home. Her skill as a photographer will help her cousin Ed Kelly in his rise to Mayor of Chicago (1933-1947). But when she captures the moment an assassin’s bullet narrowly misses President-elect Franklin Roosevelt and strikes Anton Cermak in February 1933, she enters a world of international intrigue and danger. She must balance family obligations against her encounters with larger-than-life historical characters, such as Joseph Kennedy, Big Bill Thompson, Al Capone, Mussolini, and the circle of women who surround F.D.R. Nora moves through the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, and World War II, but it’s her unexpected trip to Ireland that transforms her life.

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An evocative and wildly absorbing novel about the Winters, a family living in New York City’s famed Dakota apartment building in the year leading up to John Lennon’s assassination

It’s the fall of 1979 in New York City when twenty-three-year-old Anton Winter, back from the Peace Corps and on the mend from a nasty bout of malaria, returns to his childhood home in the Dakota. Anton’s father, the famous late-night host Buddy Winter, is there to greet him, himself recovering from a breakdown. Before long, Anton is swept up in an effort to reignite Buddy’s stalled career, a mission that takes him from the gritty streets of New York, to the slopes of the Lake Placid Olympics, to the Hollywood Hills, to the blue waters of the Bermuda Triangle, and brings him into close quarters with the likes of Johnny Carson, Ted and Joan Kennedy, and a seagoing John Lennon.
But the more Anton finds himself enmeshed in his father’s professional and spiritual reinvention, the more he questions his own path, and fissures in the Winter family begin to threaten their close bond. By turns hilarious and poignant, The Dakota Winters is a family saga, a page-turning social novel, and a tale of a critical moment in the history of New York City and the country at large.

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It’s the summer of 1922, and nineteen-year-old Paulien Mertens finds herself in Paris—broke, disowned, and completely alone. Everyone in Belgium, including her own family, believes she stole millions in a sophisticated con game perpetrated by her then-fiancé, George Everard. To protect herself from the law and the wrath of those who lost everything, she creates a new identity, a Frenchwoman named Vivienne Gregsby, and sets out to recover her father’s art collection, prove her innocence—and exact revenge on George.

When the eccentric and wealthy American art collector Edwin Bradley offers Vivienne the perfect job, she is soon caught up in the Parisian world of post-Impressionists and expatriates—including Gertrude Stein and Henri Matisse, with whom Vivienne becomes romantically entwined. As she travels between Paris and Philadelphia, where Bradley is building an art museum, her life becomes even more complicated: George returns with unclear motives . . . and then Vivienne is arrested for Bradley’s murder.

B. A. Shapiro has made the historical art thriller her own. In The Collector’s Apprentice, she gives us an unforgettable tale about the lengths to which people will go for their obsession, whether it be art, money, love, or vengeance.

#BookReview The Body Counter by Anne Frasier @amazonpub

The Body Counter by Anne Frasier
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Months after discovering the mastermind behind her own kidnapping, Detective Jude Fontaine is dealing with the past the only way she knows how: by returning to every dark corner of it. But it’s a new, escalating series of mass slayings that has become her latest obsession at Homicide.

At first, Jude and her partner, Detective Uriah Ashby, can see no pattern to the seemingly random methods, the crime scenes, or the victims—until they’re approached by a brilliantly compulsive math professor. He believes that the madman’s next move is not incalculable; in fact, it’s all part of a sequential and ingenious numerical riddle. His theory is adding up. The body count is rising.

But when the latest victim is found in Jude’s apartment, the puzzle comes with a personal twist that’s going to test the breaking point of her already-fragile state of mind. For all she knows, her number may be up.

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I haven't read the first book in this series, The Body Reader, but you get enough information in this book to get the gist of that story. Detective Jude Fontaine was kidnapped and held captive for three years. But, she got away and is now working again, although her ordeal is still causing problems like nightmares and a dislike of people touching her.

In The Body Counter is she and her partner Uriah Ashby, (Yeah I can't stop thinking Uriah Heep) after a madman that is killing people, at first what it seems like a random pattern. Then, a math professor tells them his theory. Which makes a frightening pattern with increasing numbers of murders.

The book is good, I found the story interesting and engaging. However, part of me feels that this wounded heroine theme, a female detective with demons in the past (not actually demons, unfortunately, that would have been interesting) is everywhere now. I read a lot of books like this and that means that they have to really feel different, or at least truly grab me for me to really like it. This one just didn't grab me. I didn't feel like I needed to read the first book right away or long for the next book. It's OK, but the book wasn't that thrilling nor truly surprising. Would I recommend it? Yes, because the writing is good and just because I didn't love the book doesn't it mean that it won't pull other readers in. If I get the chance to read the next book would I do it because I did enjoy the story and the partnership between Jude and Uriah.

I want to thank Thomas & Mercer for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!

Sunday 24 June 2018

#BookReview In the Grip of It by Sheena Kamal @HarperCollins

In the Grip of It by Sheena Kamal
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

On a surveillance assignment for a child custody case, PI-in-training Nora Watts finds herself ensconced in a small farming community on a beautiful hippie island in the Pacific Northwest, a place with a reputation for being welcoming to outsiders. But when she arrives there, she discovers her welcome quickly wears thin. Perhaps too quickly.

Salt Spring Island, with a history as a refuge for African Americans fleeing the bonds of slavery, is not a place of refuge for her—and, she suspects, may not be for the people who live there, either.

As she investigates, nothing about this remote community seems to add up. It gets personal as Nora confronts her own complicated feelings toward her estranged daughter and becomes increasingly concerned about the child she’s been tasked to surveil. She discovers that small, idyllic communities can hide very big secrets.

*********

Last year I read the marvelous thriller The Lost Ones by Sheena Kamal. And, now I'm waiting to read In the Grip of It that I have waiting for me. But, a while did I read In the Grip of it, a novella that takes place between the books. And, what a great story it was. 

Nora Watts is hired to find a woman and her son that have joined a community. At first, does the place seem quite alright, but after digging around does she get the feeling that something is wrong, dangerously so...

In the Grip of It can easily be read as a stand-alone novella. You get some tidbits about Nora so you know the gist about her so having not read the first book wouldn't be a problem. I personally liked this story so much that I'm now dying to read the sequel novel!

I want to thank Witness Impulse for providing me with a free copy through Edelweiss for an honest review!

#Bookreview The Blood Road by Stuart MacBride @StuartMacBride @HarperFiction @HarperCollinsUK

The Blood Road by Stuart MacBride
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Some things just won’t stay buried…

Logan McRae’s personal history is hardly squeaky clean, but now that he works for Professional Standards it’s his job to police his fellow officers.

When Detective Inspector Bell turns up dead in the driver’s seat of a crashed car it’s a shock to everyone. Because Bell died two years ago, they buried him. Or they thought they did.

As an investigation is launched into Bell’s stabbing, Logan digs into his past. Where has he been all this time? Why did he disappear? And what’s so important he felt the need to come back from the dead?

But the deeper Logan digs, the more bones he uncovers—and there are people out there who’ll kill to keep those skeletons buried. If Logan can’t stop them, DI Bell won’t be the only one to die…

*********

I mentally squealed with delight when I saw that my audiobook service had this book. Even though it was over 16 hours to listen through. But, if there is one author I can trust completely to make all those 16 hours of pure fun and bloody joy is it Stuart MacBride. And, I speed it up so the narrator speaks as fast I speak and think (and I speak fast)!

As I was saying, this book is pure fun straight through and it all starts with a dead body of Detective Inspector Bell. He's been murdered. The problem is that they buried him two years ago. So, who is it they buried, and what has "Ding Dong" Bell been doing these last two years? Logan shouldn't be working the case since he now works for Professional Standards, policing the police. But, he gets dragged in to do the investigation. And, the more he investigates the more problem he gets, especially dangerous kind of problem...

Honestly, I just love this book so much! I love Logan, his cat Cthulhu that he talks too (perfectly normal), I love his daughters (oh the part when Logan's girlfriend has to babysit them when Roberta drops them off hilarious), and of course Roberta Steel. She's a rock in Logan's shoe. But, wait until the end of the book, then she shows her through colors concerning Logan. And, well just read the darn book! You love it!

#BookReview Witchmark by C.L. Polk @clpolk @torbooks

Witchmark by C.L. Polk
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A stunning, addictive fantasy debut that combines intrigue, magic, betrayal, and romance in an original world with a historical WWI tone

In an original world reminiscent of Edwardian England in the shadow of a world war, cabals of noble families use their unique magical gifts to control the fates of nations, while one young man seeks only to live a life of his own. Moving at a brilliant pace and pulsing with deadly intrigue and unforgettable characters, Witchmark grabs readers and doesn't let go until the thrilling conclusion.

Magic marked Miles Singer for suffering the day he was born, doomed either to be a slave to his family's interest or to be committed to a witches' asylum. He went to war to escape his destiny and came home a different man, but he couldn’t leave his past behind. The war between Aeland and Laneer leaves men changed, strangers to their friends and family. Even after faking his own death and reinventing himself as a doctor at a cash-strapped veteran’s hospital, Miles can’t hide what he truly is.

**********

I have to admit that the stunning cover of this book was what first caught my eye. Then, I read the blurb and my weakness for a world that is like our, but with magic won me over. Just imagine a world that is a reminiscent of Edwardian England, where a war has been going on, between Aeland and Laneer. Miles Singer is a doctor, but he is also born with powers that have destined him to be a slave to his family. A fate he didn't want, so he ran away, to use his skills for healing. He fought in the war, was captured and reported dead. With a new identity is he now working in a veteran hospital trying to figure out why men that are returning is coming back having the same delusion. That someone inside them trying to take over and kill everyone. And, then a man arrives at the hospital, dying, knowing Miles true name and ask for his help...

You know what I wanted more when I read this book, more knowledge about Aeland and Laneer. It did feel like you only got tidbits of information and I wanted to know more, More history about the countries, etc. I felt a bit lost now and then, but I liked the story. I liked the M/M love story that blossomed between Miles and a certain gentleman that shows up with secrets of his own. I liked the writing, the story had great flow. The last part of the book, when the pace stepped up as Miles started to untangle the truth about what is going on is truly great. I hope to read more books set in this world.

I want to thank Tor for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!

Saturday 23 June 2018

#BookReview Lighthouse Beach by Shelley Noble @FreshFiction @WmMorrowBooks

Lighthouse Beach by Shelley Noble
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

When Lillo Gray pulls up to Kennebunkport’s most exclusive hotel wearing a borrowed dress and driving a borrowed VW van, she knows she’s made a big mistake. She’s not even sure why Jessica Parker invited her to her posh wedding. They haven’t seen each other since they were unhappy fourteen-year-old girls at fat camp. And now they’re from two completely different worlds. There’s no way Lillo fits in the rarefied circles Jessica travels in.

Jess isn’t sure she’s ready to go through with this wedding, but she’s been too busy making everyone else happy to think about what she wants. But when she and her two closest friends, Allie and Diana, along with Lillo, discover her fiancé with his pants down in the hotel parking lot, she’s humiliated…and slightly relieved. In a rush to escape her crumbling life, Jess, Allie, and Diana pile into Lillo’s beat-up old van and head up the coast to Lighthouse Island. Once there, she hopes to figure out the next chapter in her life.

Nursing broken hearts and broken dreams, four lost women embark on a journey to find their way back into happiness with new love, friendship, and the healing power of Lighthouse Beach.


**********

Lillo Gray never thought that instead of attending the wedding of an old friend, she is instead driving the bride, and two of the bride's friends home to Lighthouse Beach, in a borrowed VW van. Then again, discovering the husband-to-be in a delicate situation is a very good reason for anyone getting cold feet. And, Jessica Parker, the runaway bride, wasn't even sure about the marriage in the first place... although her parents think that she is overreacting and she should still marry the bastard. So, off in the night they go, not telling anyone, especially not Jessica's parents...

READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION!

Friday 22 June 2018

#BookReview Night Fall by Simon R. Green @TheSimonRGreen @BerkleyPub @FreshFiction

Night Fall by Simon R. Green
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

From the New York Times bestselling author of Moonbreaker comes the epic final Secret Histories adventure, where the Droods will take on the most unexpected of enemies: the inhabitants of the Nightside.

The Droods are all about control, making people do what they’re told for the greater good. The Nightside is all about choice: good and bad and everything in between. The Droods want to make the world behave. The Nightside wants to party. They were never going to get along.

For centuries, ancient Pacts have kept the Droods out of the Nightside, but now the Droods see the Nightside as a threat to the whole world. They march into the long night, in their armour, to put it under their control. All too soon, the two sides are at war. It’s Eddie Drood and Molly Metcalf against John Taylor and Shotgun Suzie. The Drood Sarjeant-at-Arms and their Armourer against Dead Boy and Razor Eddie. More groups join in: the London Knights, the Ghost Finders, the Spawn of Frankenstein, Shadows Fall, and the Soulhunters. Science and magic are running wild, there’s blood running in the gutters, and the bodies are piling up.

Is anyone going to get out of this alive?

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I might have faced reading this book with a bit of trepidation. I have only read one book before in the Secret Histories series (MOONBREAKER) and no books from the Nightside series and Ghost Finders series. However, I did not need to worry. This book was just as much fun reading as MOONBREAKER. NIGHT FALLS is the conclusion of both the Secret Histories and the Nightside series. It's a massive book, with lots of characters popping in and out of the story and it's a bloody marvelous book. Ever since I started to read the Ishmael Jones series has I been a big fan of Simon R. Green, and I just love the fact that I now have several new series that I want to read.

READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION!

Thursday 21 June 2018

#CoverCrush The Other Side of Everything by Lauren Doyle Owens

For new visitors do I want to explain that Cover Crush is something that my friend Erin over at Flashlight Commentary came up with and I adopted the idea together with some other friends. And, now we try to put up a Cover Crush every week. You can check below my pick of the week for their choices this week!

After her elderly neighbor is murdered, Amy Unger, a fledgling artist and cancer survivor, takes to the canvas in an effort to make sense of her neighbor’s death. Painting helps Amy recover from the devastating illness that ended her marriage and left her life in ruin. But when her paintings prove to be too realistic, her neighbors grow suspicious, and the murderer, still lurking, finds his way to her door.

Bernard White, a widower who has isolated himself for years after a family scandal, can’t stop thinking about the murder of an old friend—and what it means for his fellow octogenarians as the death toll rises. He convinces the neighborhood’s geriatric residents to band together to protect one another. But the Originals, as they are known, can’t live together forever. As it is, Bernard is pressing his luck with the woman he’s moved in with.

Maddie Lowe is a teenager trying to balance her waitressing job and keeping her family intact after the disappearance of her mother, even as their neighborhood becomes more dangerous by the second. She has information crucial to solving the crime. But she doesn’t realize it–until it’s almost too late.

Their paths converge around the killer terrorizing their neighborhood and they are all faced with a life—or death—decision…

A gripping page-turner that explores the strange connections between strangers, the past and the present, and the power of tragedy to spark renewal, The Other Side of Everything marks the exciting debut of a vibrant and riveting new voice.

Thoughts:

I just love the upside-down cover with the sky at the bottom and the houses on the top. I think it really suits the title well "The Other Side of Everything"...

Check out what my friends have picked for Cover Crush's this week:

Stephanie @ Layered Pages





Tuesday 19 June 2018

#BookReview What My Sister Knew by Nina Laurin @girlinthetitle @GrandCentralPub

What My Sister Knew by Nina Laurin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

We're not just siblings; we're twins. We're supposed to be able to read each other's thoughts. Although Eli is a few minutes younger, he always seemed older, always one step ahead.

It turns out that Eli kept many secrets. And he told many lies. So although he was once seen as the golden child-while I stood by as the silent sister-his web of deception led to a guilty verdict for the arson that killed our parents.

Now his thirteen-year sentence has been served, and Eli is free. But we are still bound by a secret. Which is dangerous because he has nothing left to lose, and I have everything.


*********

After reading the excellent Girl Last Seen last year was I curious to see if Nina Laurin next book What My Sister Knew would be just as good. I'm glad to say that it worked very well for me.

One thing I want to say about this book and that I didn't find the story that surprising, actually I had a pretty good idea about what would happen, and what secrets Andrea had. Not that the whole story was predictable, some nice surprises occurred. However, despite the fact that I suspected the truth is the writing so compelling. And the characters, especially Andrea and her brother Eli, are so interesting that the book hooked me and wouldn't let me go. The flashbacks to their childhood and to the fire that killed their mother and stepfather made the book extra interesting. And, since the present story was interwoven with the flashbacks do we get a little bit of the past at the time which makes the story even more compelling.

I will end this review by stating that Nina Laurin has once again made it. What My Sister Knew is great thanks to excellent writing and character that got under your skin. Now I can't wait to read Laurin's next book!

I want to thank Grand Central Publishing for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!

What My Sister Knew by Nina Laurin

Monday 18 June 2018

#BookReview Slaktaren (The Butcher) by Gabriella Ullberg Westin (SWE/ENG)

Slaktaren by Gabriella Ullberg Westin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

SWEDISH REVIEW

Det är i början av oktober och älgjakten i Hudiksvallstrakten är i full gång. En tidig morgon gör slaktaren Hans Larsson en makaber upptäckt när han hittar en människokropp upphängd i krokar i slakteriets tak. Johan Rokka och hans kollegor på Hudiksvallspolisen får ärendet på sitt bord. Det råder inga tvivel om att offret blivit utsatt för tortyr, och snart visar det sig att detta bara är ett i raden av bestialiska mord. Polisen söker efter sanningen bakom brotten och den visar sig grymmare än de någonsin kunnat föreställa sig. Slaktaren är en historia om girighet och hämnd, med snabbt tempo och flera parallella handlingar som flätas ihop.

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Slaktaren är bok 4 i Morden i Hudiksvall men kan utan svårigheter läsas fristående. Själv har jag bara hunnit läsa bok 2, Springpojken inna jag läste denna, men jag ser det bara som positivt att jag har två böcker kvar att läsa för Slaktaren är riktigt bra. För det första börjar boken starkt med en man blir attackerad i skogen efter en älgjakt, man vet inte varför, men den handlingen är startskottet för bestialiska mord. Mord som John Rokka och hans kollegor måste lösa. Någon är ute efter hämnd, men varfö? Vad har dessa mördade män gemensamt?

Slaktaren är en bok som verkligen imponerade på mig, först verkar det bara som en massa lösa trådar. Mord begås, men vad är den gemensamma nämnaren? Det finns också sidospår, bland annat en grävande journalist, men det är först mot slutet som man börjar inse sanningen av vad som pågår, och jag måste erkänna att jag blev överraskad när jag insåg hur allting hängde ihop.

Springpojken är bra, men Slaktaren är rysligt bra!

Tack HarperCollins Nordic för recensionsexemplaret!

ENGLISH REVIEW


It is in early October and the moose hunt has started in Hudiksvall. Slaughterer Hans Larsson makes a macabre discover early one morning when he finds a human body suspended in hooks in the slaughterhouse's ceiling. Johan Rokka and his colleagues at Hudiksvall Police gets the case on their table. There is no doubt that the victim has been subjected to torture, and soon it turns out that this is only one the first in a line of bestial murder. The police are looking for the truth behind the crimes and it turns out to be crueler than they ever imagined. The butcher is a story about greed and vengeance, with a fast pace and several parallel stories that merge together.

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The Butcher is book four in the Murders in Hudiksvall series, but the books can be read without difficulty as stand alone. I have only read book two, the Errand Boy, before I read this one. However, I'm glad that I have two books left to read because the Butcher is really good. I really like the strong beginning of this book, with a man being attacked in the woods after a moose hunt. You do not know why, but that event is the starting point for all the brutal murders. Murders that John Rokka and his colleagues must solve. Someone is after revenge, but why? What do these murdered men have in common?

The Butcher is a book that really impressed me, at first the story seemed to just have a lot of loose threads. Murders are committed, but what is the common factor? There are also sidetracks, including a digging journalist, but it is only at the end that you begin to realize the truth of what's going on, and I have to admit that I was surprised when I realized how everything was connected.

The Errand Boy is good, but the Butcher is awesome!

Thanks HarperCollins Nordic for the review copy!

#BookReview Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier @JenniferHillier @FreshFiction @MinotaurBooks

Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the story of three best friends: one who was murdered, one who went to prison, and one who's been searching for the truth all these years . . .

When she was sixteen years old, Angela Wong—one of the most popular girls in school—disappeared without a trace. Nobody ever suspected that her best friend, Georgina Shaw, now an executive and rising star at her Seattle pharmaceutical company, was involved in any way. Certainly not Kaiser Brody, who was close with both girls back in high school.

But fourteen years later, Angela Wong's remains are discovered in the woods near Geo's childhood home. And Kaiser—now a detective with Seattle PD—finally learns the truth: Angela was a victim of Calvin James. The same Calvin James who murdered at least three other women.

To the authorities, Calvin is a serial killer. But to Geo, he's something else entirely. Back in high school, Calvin was Geo's first love. Turbulent and often volatile, their relationship bordered on obsession from the moment they met right up until the night Angela was killed.

For fourteen years, Geo knew what happened to Angela and told no one. For fourteen years, she carried the secret of Angela's death until Geo was arrested and sent to prison.

While everyone thinks they finally know the truth, there are dark secrets buried deep. And what happened that fateful night is more complex and more chilling than anyone really knows. Now the obsessive past catches up with the deadly present when new bodies begin to turn up, killed in the exact same manner as Angela Wong.

How far will someone go to bury her secrets and hide her grief? How long can you get away with a lie? How long can you live with it?


**********

JAR OF HEARTS is a compelling thrilling that starts off with a bang! Right from the very start, do we know that Georgina "Geo" Shaw is guilty of knowing what happened to her best friend, Angela Wong, who disappeared fourteen years ago? The blame has been placed on Calvin James, Geo's high school boyfriend. His DNA has been found on Angela's body, and ties to the mysterious deaths of three other women. For fourteen years, Geo hides these facts, until she comes clean to the cops, and has to face time in prison because of it. The big question is, did she really tell the whole story? Kaiser, a detective with the Seattle PD and a childhood friend of Geo and Angela, doesn't think so, but Geo keeps quiet...

READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION!

Sunday 17 June 2018

#BookReview The Tall Man by Phoebe Locke @phoebe_locke @headlinepg

The Tall Man by Phoebe Locke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A senseless murder. A terrifying legend. A family haunted.

1990: In the darkest woods, three girls go looking for the Tall Man.

2000: A young mother disappears, leaving behind her husband and baby daughter.

2018: A teenage girl is charged with murder, and her trial will shock the world.

Three chilling events, connected by one shadowy figure.

The Tall Man is coming...

*********

The Tall Man is a fabulous book! As a big fan of paranormal thrillers did I love how the legend of the Tall Man made the basis for this book. How all three storylines in different ways had to deal with the Tall Man. But, the Tall Man is just a legend isn't he? Something to scare the little children with, he can't be real, can he?

Now, I don't say that this is a paranormal thriller, nor do I say that it isn't. It's all how the reader will perceive the story. And, in that lies the greatness of the book. It's all about how you interpret the story. I would say that perhaps there is a thing like the Tall Man, or perhaps not. Some parts really make one believe that while you still rationally try to explain it all.

What I love about the book is that the truth about what happened in the present story in the 2018s took is time to be revealed. Deliciously slowly one could say, just the way I like it and then BAM the truth is out, and its connection to the past. The last couple of chapters are so good. And, yes I'm being very vague, but honestly, this is a book that you should read with so little beforehand knowledge as possible. That's actually my attitude towards all thrillers. Much more fun to know as little as possible. So, I will say this, the writing is terrific, the story is great and I can't wait to read Phoebe Locke's next book! Also, you must definitely the book if you are a (paranormal) thriller fan!

I want to thank Headline for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!

#BookReview The Endless Beach by Jenny Colgan @jennycolgan @FreshFiction @WmMorrowBooks

The Endless Beach by Jenny Colgan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Bookshop on the Corner and The Cafe by the Sea comes another enchanting, unforgettable novel of a woman who makes a fresh start on the beautiful Scottish Island of Mure—only to discover life has more surprises in store for her.

When Flora MacKenzie traded her glum career in London for the remote Scottish island of Mure, she never dreamed that Joel—her difficult, adorable boss—would follow. Yet now, not only has Flora been reunited with her family and opened a charming café by the sea, but she and Joel are taking their first faltering steps into romance.

With Joel away on business in New York, Flora is preparing for the next stage in her life. And that would be…? Love? She’s feeling it. Security? In Joel’s arms, sure. Marriage? Not open to discussion.

In the meanwhile, Flora is finding pleasure in a magnificent sight: whales breaking waves off the beaches of Mure. But it also signals something less joyful. According to local superstition, it’s an omen—and a warning that Flora’s future could be as fleeting as the sea-spray…

A bracing season on the shore sets the stage for Jenny Colgan’s delightful novel that’s as funny, heartwarming, and unpredictable as love itself.


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Reading a Jenny Colgan book always fills me with contentment. I know the story will draw me in and the dialogue will be both funny and serious and I will love the characters. I just know it. And, I was not wrong this time either.

READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION!

Friday 15 June 2018

#BlogTour Perfect Dead by Jackie Baldwin @KillerReads @JackieMBaldwin1 #LoveBooksGroupTours #PerfectDead


Each murder brings him one step closer to the perfect death.

Ex-priest, DI Farrell is called on to investigate a gruesome death in rural Scotland. All evidence points to suicide, except for one loose end: every light in the cottage was switched off. Why would he kill himself in the dark?

The question sparks a murder investigation that leads to the mysterious Ivy House, home of ‘The Collective,’ a sinister commune of artists who will do anything to keep their twisted secrets hidden.

And when the remains of a young girl are uncovered on a barren stretch of coastline, Farrell realises that there is something rotten in this tight-knit community. Now he must track down a ruthless killer before another person dies, this time much closer to home…


Extract  

(From Prologue of Perfect Dead) 


June 2009

Ailish opened her eyes then closed them again as her head started to throb. She stumbled to her feet, fighting the urge to throw up. Unwelcome flashbacks of the night before painted her face in disgust. Looking at her slight form in the mirror with yesterday’s make-up blurring the lines of her face, she felt older than her nineteen years. She glanced at her phone and tears prickled. It was her mother’s birthday. She could picture her sister and father laughing and chatting as she opened her presents in Ireland. It was as if she had ceased to exist, such was the disgrace she had rained down on them when she ran off with Patrick, three years ago. He had completely turned her head with all his big talk. She had fancied they would live in London, not the tiny harbour town of Kirkcudbright tucked away in a corner of south-west Scotland. Instead of the romantic existence she had pictured for them, they had wound up living in this glorified hippie commune or, ‘The Collective’, as they liked to be known. At first it had been fun, exciting even. A world away from the parochial narrow-minded community she had left behind. She had been proud to be Paddy’s muse and loved nothing more than to bask in the warmth of his regard as he painted her from various angles.

Lately, she had felt Patrick’s love receding like an outgoing tide. He was preoccupied and distant and hadn’t asked her to pose for him in ages. The atmosphere in the house was different as well. She had a feeling they were all keeping secrets from her and each other. They had always used drugs but lately the drugs had become harder and the parties more forced and a little weirder. There was a powerful undertow dragging them all down to God knows where.

Suddenly, as she looked out of the window, she knew with unusual clarity that she didn’t want to be part of this toxic environment anymore. She would lay it on the line with Patrick and ask him to leave with her. He had been holed up in his studio for days now. She’d been warned off disturbing him as he was working on something new. Well, tough! This couldn’t wait. He would see sense. He had to.

After a quick shower she threw on her favourite dress and swept up her long curly hair, just as he liked it. A slick of lipstick and a touch of mascara and she was ready to do battle.

She flung open the door to the studio and stood, open mouthed, tears spilling from her eyes as she took in the scene before her. A beautiful young girl stared back at her insolently, maintaining her pose. She was reclining naked on a velvet chaise longue, one arm positioned behind her head. Only the blush of colour staining her chest betrayed her.

Patrick turned round, and their eyes met. He dropped his gaze. There was nothing left to say. Wordlessly, Ailish spun on her heel and left the studio. She was done. It was time to go home and beg for forgiveness.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jackie Baldwin is a Scottish crime writer. Her debut crime novel, Dead Man’s Prayer, was published by Killer Reads, Harper Collins on 2nd September 2016. The second in the series, Perfect Dead was published on 15th June 2018. For most of her working life, she has been a solicitor specialising in Family and Criminal Law. However, she now practices in Dumfries as a hypnotherapist which is where her novels are set. Married, with two grown up children, she has filled her empty nest with Golden Retrievers. She can often be found in a forest walking the dogs, covered in mud and with twigs in her hair.