Bout of Books 22

I'm not reading not nearly enough (LOL) so I thought I would once again do a readathon! Why not participate yourself? Just SIGN UP! 

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly Rubidoux Apple. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 14th and runs through Sunday, May 20th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 22 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

#BlogTour Trouble In Glamour Town by S.R. Mallery @hfvbt @SarahMallery1

Trouble In Glamour Town by S.R. Mallery
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Trouble In Glamour Town by S.R. Mallery

Publication Date: November 12, 2017

eBook & Paperback; 202 Pages

ISBN-13: 978-1979566070

Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance/Mystery

Murder. Corruption. Romance. Movie stars. A modern day TV shoot ‘em up? No. It’s 1926 Old Hollywood, and a film producer is gunned down in cold blood. In comes Rosie, a pretty bit-player, who, in spite of her stage-mother’s expectations, just longs to be happy. Silent screen idols Clara Bow, Gloria Swanson, Lon Chaney, and Rudolph Valentino float in and out, as Los Angeles’ corruption is exposed, the era described, and a chase to find the killer revs up before there’s another hit.

"Trouble in Glamour Town is very historically accurate, portraying the real workings of the Hollywood sleaze, dishonesty and corruption happening at that time. S.R. Mallery is a gifted author who drew me into the story from the first word and kept me reading until the very last page...Trouble in Glamour Town is an old fashioned type of murder mystery story and is a very good read." - Trudi LoPreto for Readers' Favorite

Book Review

I love books set in the 20s, and having this one set in Hollywood among movie stars is a bonus. That it's also a murder mystery books add to the charm as well. And it all starts with a film producer gunned down. Why and by whom is the big question? Could it be someone on the set, someone that has a grudge? Or is it mob related? Rosie didn't think that this murder would involve her, but when the policeman investigating the case takes an interest in her (personally wink wink) and her beau Eddie will this case be very personal.

This book is perfect for historical mystery fans, especially if you like me like the 20s (Hollywood). It does look like an open and shut case, but towards the end, you realize that nothing is what it seems and that it just how I like it when it comes to mystery books. The slow realization, when all the pieces start to fit and the pace starts to get more intense.

I also liked the cameos of celebrities that showed up in the book. Especially Lon Chaney, who played an important role in this book. I found the book to quite good, and I liked both Rosie and Eddie, although Rosie's mother was a bit strenuous, but her past makes that quite understandable.

Amazon US | Amazon UK

About the Author

S.R. Mallery, two-time READERS’ FAVORITE Gold Medal Winner, has been labeled nothing short of 'eclectic'. She has been a singer, a calligrapher, a quilt designer, and an ESL teacher. As a writer, History is her focus and is woven into her stories with a delicate thread. When people talk about the news of the day, or listen to music, her imagination likens the story to a similar kind of news in the past and is conjuring up scenes between characters she has yet to meet.

S.R. Mallery's books include The Dolan Girls, Genteel Secrets, Unexpected Gifts, Sewing Can Be Dangerous And Other Small Threads, Tales to Count On, and Trouble in Glamour Town.

For more information, please visit S. R. Mallery's website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Goodreads.

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, May 7 

Review at A Bookaholic Swede 

Tuesday, May 8 

Feature at View from the Birdhouse 

Wednesday, May 9 

Review at SilverWoodSketches 

Thursday, May 10 

Feature at Just One More Chapter 

Monday, May 14 

Review at Donna's Book Blog 

Tuesday, May 15 

Feature at So Many Books, So Little Time 

Wednesday, May 16 

Interview at SilverWoodSketches 

Friday, May 18 

Review at E. Lizard Breath Reads 

Monday, May 21 

Review at 100 Pages a Day 

Tuesday, May 22 

Feature at Broken Teepee 

Thursday, May 24 

Interview at Passages to the Past 

Friday, May 25 

Review at A Chick Who Reads 

Review at LadyJ's Bookish Nook

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour we will be giving away four eBooks of Trouble in Glamour Town! To enter, please enter via the Gleam form below.

Giveaway Rules
– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on May 25th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open internationally.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

Trouble in Glamour Town

#BookReview The Fallen by David Baldacci @davidbaldacci @GrandCentralPub

The Fallen by David Baldacci
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Amos Decker and his journalist friend Alex Jamison are visiting the home of Alex's sister in Baronville, a small town in western Pennsylvania that has been hit hard economically. When Decker is out on the rear deck of the house talking with Alex's niece, a precocious eight-year-old, he notices flickering lights and then a spark of flame in the window of the house across the way. When he goes to investigate he finds two dead bodies inside and it's not clear how either man died. But this is only the tip of the iceberg. There's something going on in Baronville that might be the canary in the coal mine for the rest of the country.

Faced with a stonewalling local police force, and roadblocks put up by unseen forces, Decker and Jamison must pull out all the stops to solve the case. And even Decker's infallible memory may not be enough to save them.

**********

Amos Decker and Alex Jamison are visiting Alex sister in Baronville, Pennsylvania. They are there to celebrate Alex's niece's birthday, but they hardly get there before Amos sees something amiss in the house next door. Then, everything goes to hell!

That is all you need to know about the story that and that there will be dead bodies, lots of secrets and the most important thing of all, never trust anyone!

THE FALLEN is an action filled book that thrilled me from the beginning until the end. There is a deep dark mystery hidden in Baronville and all Amos has to do is figure out it all, and keep himself and those around him alive. I loved the setting in this book, this once glorious town that now is filled with junkies and forlorn people. There is definitely something wrong with the city, but what? One thing for sure, and that is some people will regret that Amos Decker decided to tag along with Alex...

Personally, did I find this book to be hard to put down, then again that's what I expected from this book since Baldacci always writes heart-pounding, page-turning thrillers. THE FALLEN is book four in the Amos Decker series, but they are all stand-alone so you can without any problems read this without having read the previous three books.

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

The Fallen (Amos Decker #4) by David Baldacci

#CoverCrush Journey of the Pale Bear by Susan Fletcher

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!

A runaway boy befriends a polar bear that’s being transported from Norway to London in this lyrical and timeless adventure story about freedom, captivity, and finding a family.

The polar bear is a royal bear, a gift from the King of Norway to the King of England. The first time Arthur encounters the bear, he is shoved in her cage as payback for stealing food. Restless and deadly, the bear terrifies him. Yet, strangely, she doesn’t harm him—though she has attacked anyone else who comes near. That makes Arthur valuable to the doctor in charge of getting the bear safely to London. So Arthur, who has run away from home, finds himself taking care of a polar bear on a ship to England.

Tasked with feeding and cleaning up after the bear, Arthur’s fears slowly lessen as he begins to feel a connection to this bear, who like him, has been cut off from her family. But the journey holds many dangers, and Arthur knows his own freedom—perhaps even his life—depends on keeping the bear from harm. When pirates attack and the ship founders, Arthur must make a choice—does he do everything he can to save himself, or does he help the bear to find freedom?

Based on the real story of a polar bear that lived in the Tower of London, this timeless adventure story is also a touching account of the bond between a boy and a bear.

Thoughts:

I usually stick to my thriller or historical fiction covers when it comes to Cover Crushes, but I will do an exception this week with and post a Juvenile Fiction cover. Why? Because this cover is simply fabulous and I want to read the book. Both because of the cover and the blurb. This is what I want to see when it comes to Juvenile Fiction covers. Something that attracts both children and grownups. 

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

Stephanie @ Layered Pages

Heather @ The Maiden's Court

Holly @ 2 Kids and Tired Books

Colleen @ A Literary Vacation

Meghan @ Of Quills & Vellum

Erin @ Flashlight Commentary

#Spotlight The Girl In The Ice by Robert Bryndza @RobertBryndza @GrandCentralPub

HARDCOVER BOOK - 153871342X / 9781538713426

ELECTRONIC BOOK - 1910751766 / 9781910751763

Available in the U.S. April 24, 2018

Her eyes are wide open. Her lips parted as if to speak. Her dead body frozen in the ice...She is not the only one.

When a young boy discovers the body of a woman beneath a thick sheet of ice in a South London park, Detective Erika Foster is called in to lead the murder investigation.

The victim, a beautiful young socialite, appeared to have the perfect life. Yet when Erika begins to dig deeper, she starts to connect the dots between the murder and the killings of three prostitutes, all found strangled, hands bound and dumped in water around London.

What dark secrets is the girl in the ice hiding?

As Erika inches closer to uncovering the truth, the killer is closing in on Erika.

The last investigation Erika led went badly wrong... resulting in the death of her husband. With her career hanging by a thread, Erika must now battle her own personal demons as well as a killer more deadly than any she's faced before. But will she get to him before he strikes again?

The Girl In The Ice by Robert Bryndza

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Robert Bryndza is the author of the international #1 bestselling Detective Erica Foster series. Robert's books have sold over 2 million copies and have been translated into 27 languages. He is British and lives in Slovakia.

WEBSITE: http://RobertBryndza.com

FACEBOOK: @BryndzaRobert

TWITTER: @RobertBryndza

PRAISE FOR THE GIRL IN THE ICE:

"Compelling at every turn! The Girl in the Ice grabs us from the first page and simply won't let go, as we follow the brilliantly drawn Detective Erika Foster in her relentless hunt for one of the most horrific villains in modern crime fiction."
       --- Jeffery Deaver, #1 internationally bestselling author

"A riveting page-turner. An astonishingly good plot with perfectly drawn characters and sharp, detailed writing. The Girl in the Ice is a winner."
       --- Robert Dugoni, #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author

"Robert Bryndza's The Girl in the Ice has everything I look for in a mystery: an evil antagonist, a clever detective, and a plot that kept me guessing until the very end!"
       --- T.R. Ragan, New York Times bestselling author

"Once in a while a book stops you in your tracks . . . this is THAT book!"
       --- Crime Book Junkie

"I freakin' LOVED it! . . . Once in a while a book stops you in your tracks . . . this is THAT book!"
       --- Crime Book Junkie

"I loved, loved, loved this book and Erika Foster is most definitely my kind of heroine. She is smart, tenacious, direct and passionate...I found the writing tight, evocative and enthralling. I CAN NOT wait for the next installment."
       --- Angela Marsons, USA Today bestselling author

"An intriguing web of lies, secrets and suspense. I really enjoyed getting to know DCI Foster and am already looking forward to the next book."
       --- Mel Sherratt, author of Taunting the Dead

"A compelling read--once you've started, it's hard to put down."
       --- Rachel Abbott, author of Sleep Tight

May Schedule or The "I'm-Quite-Sure-I'm-Going-To-Read-This-Book-In-May" Post

I thought I would put together what I have planned to read this month, of course, I will probably not be able to stick to this list, but these are the books that are on my "I'm-Quite-Sure-I'm-Going-To-Read-This-Book" list...no audiobooks in this list. Saving that for another post perhaps! ;)

First out are these one, all but The Silent Corner are being published in May so these are prioritized! The Silent Corner will I get in Swedish so I will take on that one before I read The Crooked Staircase (yes I know I will have to skip book two in the series)

Then are these ones, early June, if I have time will I get to them: 

#BookReview Every Single Secret by Emily Carpenter @AmazonPub

Every Single Secret by Emily Carpenter
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Emotionally guarded Daphne Amos always believed she’d found a kindred spirit in her fiancé, Heath. Both very private people, they’ve kept their pasts hidden from the world, and each other, until Heath’s escalating nightmares begin to put an undeniable strain on their relationship. Determined to give their impending marriage the best chance of succeeding, Heath insists that Daphne join him on a seven-day retreat with Dr. Matthew Cerny, a psychologist celebrated for getting to the root of repressed memories. Daphne reluctantly agrees—even though the past is the last place she wants to go.

The retreat’s isolated and forbidding location increases her unease, as do the doctor’s rules: they must relinquish their keys and phones, they’ll be monitored at all hours by hidden cameras, and they’re never to socialize with the other guests.

One sleepless night, Daphne decides to leave her room…and only then does she realize that the institute is not at all what it seems—and that whatever’s crying out from Heath’s past isn’t meant to be heard. It’s meant to be silenced.

**********

I have read Emily Carpenters two previous books, Burying the Honeysuckle Girls and The Weight of Lies, and loved them. So, it's with a heavy heart I have to confess that this book just didn't pull me in, in the same way as the previous two books did. It's not a bad story, with two main characters with secrets and a mysterious retreat where strange things happen. It's just that I failed to connect with the characters and the story never got really intense nor truly surprising.

I just feel that I would have preferred if the story hadn't the interludes from the future with Daphne Amos running away from the retreat and some man. That just gives the reader too much information about what will happen. And, the flashbacks to when Daphne was young never drawn me in either. The last part of the book was better, with a faster pace. Here finally I started to get the really interested in the story of the book.

I sound awfully negative, but I just had to explain why this book just didn't rock my boat as the previous two books did. On the plus side is the writing good (as usual), and there are good moments, especially towards the end when the truth is revealed. And I love the cover, it suits the book very well.

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

#BlogTour Tapestry of War by Jane MacKenzie @JaneFMackenzie @allisonandbusby

Tapestry of War by Jane MacKenzie
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

From the deserts of North Africa, to the waters of Scotland, the Second World War touches the lives of two women from two very different worlds. In Alexandria, Fran finds her world turned upside down as Rommel's forces advance on the idyllic shores of Egypt. The life of luxury and stability that she is used to is taken away as she finds herself having to deal with loss, heartache and political uncertainty. 

Meanwhile, in the Firth of Clyde, Catriona struggles between her quiet rural life and her dreams of nursing injured servicemen on the front lines. As the war rages on, the two women's lives become intertwined - bringing love and friendship to both.

**********

Tapestry of War takes place during WW2 and it's a dual storyline book, with one story set in Alexandra, Egypt and the other story set in Firth of Clyde, Scotland. These two worlds cannot be more different, but through the arrival of a soldier in Alexandria are these two places forever connected. In Alexandria is Fran leaving an idyllic life, however, the threat of war hangs like a cloud over the city as Rommel's forces are progressing towards the city. As a reporter is she writing about the war and is she constantly aware how precious life is, especially when someone close to her dies.

Meanwhile in Scotland is Catriona struggling between what she wants and the demands of her father. She's also missing her brother who is a soldier. Can Catriona in some way combine her dreams for the future, with the ones her father has for her?

Tapestry of war is a story about two women, both dealing with the reality of war and the worry about the future. It's a strong story about daring to follow once heart. At first, did I find the storyline about Fran much more interesting than the one about Catriona. It took some time for me to truly find the footing when it came to Catriona and her life, but there came a turn in her personal life that I hoped would happen and after that did I find her life so much more interesting. As for Fran, I found the setting of Alexandria a plus, the exotic location, with enemies close by and a budding romance with a soldier. All and all is this book truly enjoyable and I recommend historical fiction fans to read this book, especially if you like WW2 books.