Thursday 29 September 2016

#BookReview Echoes from Afar by Tamara McKinley (SWE/ENG)

Echoes From Afar by Tamara McKinley
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

SWEDISH REVIEW 

Tamara McKinleys nya roman är en härlig bok att sjunka in i. Med strålande miljö- och personbeskrivningar, exakta detaljer och vackert språk är den en historia som berör och överraskar.

Det är 1930-tal. Den unga sjuksköterskan Annabelle Blake har tagit sin tillflykt till Paris efter att illasinnade rykten har förstört hennes möjligheter att fortsätta arbeta i London. I stadens konstnärskretsar träffar hon Etienne och Henri, den ene är poet, den andre målare – bägge två är charmerande, begåvade och stiliga. De för ett utsvävande liv och tillbringar dagarna med att flirta eller ta ett glas i glada vänners lag. Annabelle dras med och förförs av det parisiska nöjeslivet. Men medan alltfler unga människor engagerar sig för att bekämpa fascismen i Spanien tvingas även Annabelle att vakna upp och inse att kriget är ett faktum.

Långt senare kommer den unga konstnärinnan Eugenie Ashton till Paris och förälskar sig i staden – precis som hennes mor, Annabelle, tidigare gjorde. Det spännande konstnärslivet lockar men i skuggan av det förflutna lurar mörka familjehemligheter som vänder upp och ner på tillvaron.

Eko av längtan är en fascinerande, högst trovärdig berättelse om kärlek och sorg, vinst och förlust av den populära författaren Tamara McKinley.


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Min kära mor och jag har haft en konversation angående denna bok. Det är så att hon gillade den och jag hade svårt för den. Saker som jag fann irriterade störde hon sig inte alls på. I vanliga fall brukar vi tycka väldigt lika när det gäller böcker, men denna bok är vi väldigt oeniga om. Nu är det även så att detta är den första Tamara McKinley bok jag har läst medan hon har läst flertalet och hon gillar dem skarpt. Jag är egentligen inte så mycket för historiska romantiska böcker, jag föredrar historiska romaner utan smäktande romantik (självklart finns det undantagsfall, jag älskar t.ex. Borta med Vinden och Törnfåglarna).

Nå, vad är det med denna denna som gjorde att jag hade svårt att finna den läsvärd? Jag hade hoppats på en intressant bok med två parallella handlingar men tyvärr var varken 1930 talets eller 50-talets berättelser speciellt intressant. Jag var även besviken att det spanska inbördeskriget hade en så liten del med handlingarna att göra och att så mycket hände i periferin som t.ex. Etienne och Henri umbäranden under andra världskriget. Jag var även en aning frustrerad över Annabelle som absolut inte hade tänkt sig åka till Spanien som sjuksköterska och sedan när hon blev kär (plus en motgång i arbetsfrågan) helt plötsligt beslutade sig för att det var en strålande idé. Kort sagt, boken handlingen var på tok för smäktande och sentimental för min smak. Krigen kändes blodlösa och kändes som en parentes i boken. Det värsta var nog hur förutsägbar handlingen var. det är som om författaren hade en mall med klicheer som hon utgick efter och prickade av längs vägen. På plussiden så var boken världigt snabbläst och jag klämde den på en dag.

Men, det här är mina åsikter, jag är oerhört svår när det gäller historiska romantiska romaner, jag föredrar när det är ett spännande mysterium med som t.ex. med Kate Mortons böcker. Men om du gillar smäktande böcker så är nog denna en bok helt i din smak!

Tack till Forum bokförlag för recensionsexemplaret!

ENGLISH REVIEW

A powerful story of love and loss from internationally bestselling author Tamara McKinley.

So this is Paris, she thought in awe. Spread out before her beneath a clear blue sky, it was like a precious gift after the smog and filth of London. No wonder it was called the city of love . . .

After a spiteful rumour ruins her career in London, Annabelle Blake must travel to Paris to start afresh. There she makes the acquaintance of Etienne and Henri - one a poet, the other a painter - both charming, talented and handsome. They spend their days flirting and drinking with the city's artistes and Bohemians, and soon Annabelle too is swept up in the exotic and exhilarating world of 1930s Paris. But as ever more young people are drawn to the fight against Fascism in Spain, Annabelle must wake from the dream and confront the reality of war. A lifetime later, gifted artist Eugenie Ashton falls in love with Paris the moment she sets foot outside the Gare de Lyon. Like her mother Annabelle before her, the artistic delights of the city are a bright new world to her: but Eugenie will soon find that in its shadows are hidden the secrets of her family's past.

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My dear mother and I have had a conversation about this book. The thing is that she liked it and I could not see what was so great about it. Things that I found irritating disturbed her not at all. Normally, we tend to think very much alike when it comes to books, but this book, we are very divided about. Now it is also true that this is the first Tamara McKinley book I read while she has read most and she likes them a lot. I'm not so much for historical romantic books, I prefer historical novels without languishing romance (of course, there are exceptional circumstances, such as I love Gone with the Wind and The Thorn Birds).

Well, what is it about this that made it hard for me to find it worth reading? I was hoping for an interesting book with two parallel stories, but unfortunately, neither the 1930s or 50ths stories were especially interesting. I was also disappointed that the Spanish Civil War had such a small part in the book and that so much happened in the periphery, such as Etienne and Henri's hardships during World War II. I was also a little frustrated that Annabelle who absolutely did not intend to go to Spain as a nurse and then when she fell in love (plus had a job setback) suddenly decided that it was a brilliant idea. In short, the book was too languishing and sentimental for my taste. The Wars felt bloodless and like a parenthesis in the book. The worst was probably the predictability of the plot. It was as if the author had a list with clichés that she unchecked along the way. On the plus side was the book very easy to read and it only took me one day to finish it!

However, these are my opinions, I am extremely difficult when it comes to historical romance novels, I prefer when it's an exciting mystery with such Kate Morton's books. If you like languorous books is this probably a book entirely to your taste!

Thanks to Forum bokförlag for the review copy!

Cover Crush: Before I Wake by C.L. Taylor




Erin over at Flashlight Commentary is the one that came up with the cover crush idea and I loved it so much that I decided that every Thursday would I post a cover that I really love. 

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I love reading thrillers, and this one caught my eye when I was browsing Edelweiss. The colors and the face of the woman that looks like she's sleeping (the daughter?) intrigues me.



Description:

A mother risks everything to uncover the truth behind her daughter's botched suicide attempt

To the outside world, Susan Jackson has it all-a loving family, successful husband, and beautiful home-but when Charlotte, her teenage daughter, steps in front of a bus and ends up in a coma, she is forced to question all of it.

Desperate to find out what caused Charlotte's suicide attempt, she discovers a horrifying entry in her diary: "keeping this secret is killing me." As Sue spins in desperate circles, she finds herself immersed in a dark world she didn't know existed-and the closer she comes to the truth, the more dangerous things become.

Can she wake up from the nightmares that haunt her and save her daughter, or will Charlotte's secret destroy them both?
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Check out this week's cover crush over at 

Flashlight Commentary
2 Kids and Tired Books
Layered Pages
The Maidens Court

Blog Tour: Honor Bound by B. J. Daniels (Spotlight + Giveaway)


About Honor Bound

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: HQN Books (October 18, 2016)

Protecting her life will mean betraying her trust

Ainsley Hamilton has always been the responsible one of the family. As the oldest daughter of presidential candidate Buckmaster Hamilton, she’s also a potential target. For months she’s sensed someone following her. When an expedition to scout locations for a commercial takes a terrifying turn, she’s rescued by a natural-born cowboy who tempts the good girl to finally let loose.

Sawyer Nash knows just how reckless it is to fall for someone he’s gone undercover to protect. Yet masquerading as an extra on set, he starts to see beneath Ainsley’s controlled facade. And with the election—and a killer—drawing closer, Sawyer stands to lose not just his job and his life but the woman for whom he’d gladly risk both.


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Purchase Links
About B. J. Daniels

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author B.J. Daniels lives in Montana with her husband, Parker, and three springer spaniels. When not writing, she quilts, boats and plays tennis.

Connect with B. J. Daniels








B. J. Daniels’ TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS

Monday, September 26th: The Sassy Bookster

Tuesday, September 27th: From the TBR Pile

Wednesday, September 28th: Back Porchervations

Thursday, September 29th: A Bookaholic Swede

Monday, October 3rd: Books A La Mode – Author Guest Post/Giveaway

Tuesday, October 4th: Books and Spoons

Wednesday, October 5th: Romancing the Readers

Thursday, October 6th: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

Monday, October 10th: What She Reads Blog

Tuesday, October 11th: Mom in Love with Fiction

Friday, October 14th: Dog Eared Daydreams

Monday, October 17th: Becky on Books

Tuesday, October 18th: Bookbub Blog – Author Guest Post

Thursday, October 20th: I Wish I Lived in a Library

Monday, October 24th: Reading Reality

Wednesday, October 26th: Broken Teepee – Spotlight

Thursday, October 27th: Books and Bindings

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Wednesday 28 September 2016

September Wishlist: Horror & Mystery books

September month's wishlist is a bit different than my previous month's wishlist. I usually put up books that I don't own, but this time, I did pick only books that I have. Since it's October and Halloween soon did the idea (Thank you Stephanie) of a list of horror & mystery books seem very appealing. So, here ladies and gentlemen is a list of books that I plan to read next month!

The Restorer (Graveyard Queen #1) by Amanda Stevens

My name is Amelia Gray. I’m a cemetery restorer who sees ghosts. In order to protect myself from the parasitic nature of the dead, I’ve always held fast to the rules passed down from my father. But now a haunted police detective has entered my world and everything is changing, including the rules that have always kept me safe.

It started with the discovery of a young woman’s brutalized body in an old Charleston graveyard I’ve been hired to restore. The clues to the killer—and to his other victims— lie in the headstone symbolism that only I can interpret. Devlin needs my help, but his ghosts shadow his every move, feeding off his warmth, sustaining their presence with his energy. To warn him would be to invite them into my life. I’ve vowed to keep my distance, but the pull of his magnetism grows ever stronger even as the symbols lead me closer to the killer and to the gossamer veil that separates this world from the next.


The Gone Dead Train (Detective Billy Able #1) by Lisa Turner

Bestselling sensation Lisa Turner conjures a riveting Southern gothic mystery set in Memphis, with echoes of The Garden of Good and Evil and Lisa Gardener, in which detective Billy Able is thrown into a vortex of bizarre murders, Santeria voodoo, flawed heroes, a damning photograph, and a stunning betrayal by a civil rights icon.

After time away to recover from the aftermath of a horrible case that left his partner dead, Billy’s back in Memphis, drawn into an ever-widening murder mystery that focuses on flawed heroes: a disgraced major league baseball player, two legendary blues musicians on the lam, a straight-arrow lady cop tortured by a guilty conscience, and two iconic civil rights warriors with secrets so dark they’ll shock the nation.

Detective Billy Able is at a crossroads. His previous case left him questioning everything he believed about his abilities as a cop and as a friend. Even though he’s considering leaving police work behind, he’s unable to turn off the instincts he’s honed after a decade on the force.

But when he stops a crime from being committed, he finds himself embroiled in a much bigger scandal. A murder that has just taken place has connections to a series of much older crimes dating back to the civil rights movement. As he investigates, Billy uncovers so many layers of secrets he can barely keep the truth from the lies. And he knows the straight-laced cop assigned to the case is hiding something big. But is it connected to the case? This time he’s determined to make sure he finds out the truth before anything else can happen. But as the search for truth with the help of a Santeria Priest leads him deeper into the underbelly of Memphis, will Billy make it out alive?


Death Notes by Sarah Rayne

Introducing professional researcher Phineas Fox in the first of a brand-new series of chilling mysteries."

Phineas Fox has mixed feelings when he s asked to research the infamous 19th-century violinist Roman Volf for a TV documentary. Hanged for his part in the assassination of Tsar Alexander II in 1881, Volf was a notorious criminal and womaniser, whose glittering talent was undermined by his scandalous private life. However, on uncovering evidence which suggests that Volf could not have been involved in the Tsar s murder, Phin s investigations lead him to the west coast of Ireland and a series of intriguing, interlocking mysteries reaching from 1881 to the present day. 

Was Roman Volf executed for something he didn't do? And what is his connection with the reclusive Maxim Volf now living in County Galway? Phin s enquiries will unearth a number of dark secrets which lurk below the surface of the quiet Irish village of Kilcarne.


The Hidden People by Alison Littlewood

The bestselling author of Richard & Judy Book Club hit The Cold Season returns with a chilling mystery - w here superstition and myth bleed into real life with tragic consequences

Pretty Lizzie Higgs is gone, burned to dead on her own hearth - but was she really a changeling, as her husband insists? Albie Mirralls met his cousin only once, in 1851, within the grand glass arches of the Crystal Palace, but unable to countenance the rumours that surround her murder, he leaves his young wife in London and travels to Halfoak, a village steeped in superstition.

Albie begins to look into Lizzie's death, but in this place where the old tales hold sway and the 'Hidden People' supposedly roam, answers are slippery and further tragedy is just a step away . . .


The Night Parade by Ronald Malfi

First the birds disappeared.
Then the insects took over.
Then the madness began . . .

They call it Wanderer's Folly--a disease of delusions, of daydreams and nightmares. A plague threatening to wipe out the human race.

After two years of creeping decay, David Arlen woke up one morning thinking that the worst was over. By midnight, he's bleeding and terrified, his wife is dead, and he's on the run in a stolen car with his eight-year-old daughter, who may be the key to a cure.

Ellie is a special girl. Deep. Insightful. And she knows David is lying to her. Lying about her mother. Lying about what they're running from. And lying about what he sees when he takes his eyes off the road . . .

Check out my friends September Wishlists:

Stephanie @ Layered Pages



Holly @ 2 Kids and Tired

Blog Tour: For The Love of Grace by Andrew Blackman

Blurb

Grace Backer had a life full of tragedy. But despite everything, she raised her son, Tom, with her secret intact. Tom is a prodigal child, destined to escape the slums of the East End of London for a better life; circumstances will make him flee his loving mother and their home much sooner than expected. Tom starts a new life in Odessa, Russia, and with the help of new-found friends starts a business. At last, he is finally accepted into a new and loving family, but one which holds its own dark secrets.

A chance meeting with the son of a duke of the realm leads to close friendship and a new business partnership. When Tom decides to move his company to London and have his regal new friend run it, the firm thrives. However, not everything is as it seems, and Tom?s business soon conceals dangerous secrets of its own. Years later, when Tom finally decides to return to London, he is a wanted man, one hunted by the intelligence agencies. If he is finally to be reunited with his beloved mother and his best friend, he must fight to put the past behind him. But keeping secrets is never easy.

Purchase from Amazon UK - 

Purchase from Barnes & Noble - 
 
Author spotlight


My name is Andrew Shaun Blackman; I was born in Brighton on the 17th February 1960, into a working class family. I have one older brother who is four years older than me and one younger sister who is a year younger than me. I went to Whitehawk County Secondary school, and like any estate we all went there so your school friends also lived in the streets around you. The school was tough no doubt about that, it had at one time the reputation of the worst and hardest school in Sussex,

I never outshone in the school class room work only managing to cover the basic’s reading, writing and maths, but one thing I excelled in was sports, I represented the school in every sport. Now I had always been pretty clear what I wanted to do when I left school, I wanted to join the Army, so after the initial assessment I joined at sixteen the Parachute Regiment and my first Army Camp was Browning Barracks, Aldershot. I was like a duck to water in the Army. I joined in 1976 was before any health and safety regulations became part of the Army, it was tough I must admit, from the original number of recruits, not sure how many started but only eight of us were on the passing out parade, afterwards I was posted to the Second Battalion The Parachute Regiment, where I served most of my Army career, I served in Northern Ireland, the Falklands War, Belize, Cyprus, America, Canada and lots of other places some hard to find on a map. During my Army Career I met and married Janet, and we had three lovely daughters, who are my pride and joy, although Janet and I are now divorced and have been for too many years to remember, we still remain friendly and on good terms for the girls. I have always been close to my girls, who although are now all grown up and two of them married, we remain close and we speak, visit and text often and they are by far my greatest critics.

Since I left the Army in 2000, sixteen years ago I have worked in IT; I love my job just for the diversity of it. The other day two youngsters in my office were talking about something they had watched on TV the night before, and I heard the Falklands War mentioned, I was just about to say “I was there”, when one of them said “omg how boring that was well before I was born”, of course I felt really old and did not speak. I now live alone in Bedworth, my hobbies are reading and visiting my daughter time permitting, I have also been blessed with two grandsons from my eldest daughter, and my middle daughter is about to have her first baby. I have always been happy with life, not a lot gets me down, and I always look for new experiences, and I never forget “you are never too old to learn”.




Blog Tour: The Silence Between Breaths by Cath Staincliffe

The Silence Between Breaths by Cath Staincliffe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Eight people, one deadly secret.

Passengers boarding the 10:35 train from Manchester, Piccadilly to London, Euston are bound for work, assignations, reunions, holidays or new starts, with no idea that their journey is about to be brutally curtailed.

Holly has just landed her dream job, which should make life a lot easier than it has been, and Jeff is heading for his first ever work interview after months of unemployment. They end up sitting next to each other. On board customer service assistant Naz dreams of better things as he collects rubbish from the passengers. And among the others travelling are Nick with his young family who are driving him crazy; pensioner Meg and her partner setting off on a walking holiday and facing an uncertain future; Caroline, run ragged by the competing demands of her stroppy teenage children and her demented mother; and Rhona, unhappy at work and desperate to get home to her small daughter. And in the middle of the carriage sits Saheel, carrying a deadly rucksack . . .

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I think one of the reasons for this book hitting me so hard when I read it is because of the current situation in the world with all the suicide bombers in the recent years. The thought that you are no longer safe that any time or anywhere a suicide bomber may be is a reality nowadays. And, this book really shows both sides to it. First, we have the ordinary citizens on the train with different reasons for being there, be it traveling for a job interview or a wedding, then among them is a man who for some reason has decided to become a martyr for a cause, and by taking as many lives with him as possible. And, at home, a little sister is checking her big brother's computer and finding something she never thought that she would find...

This book is heartbreaking and so chilling to read. The characters on the train are introduced in the beginning of the book one by one. And, by letting the reader getting to know them, making the characters come alive and then turning the world upside down has Cath Staincliffe written a powerful book that from the beginning until the end is so gripping that I could hardly put it down. For me were the chapters with Saheel's little sister a very powerful inclusion in this book. Her side of the story, her point-of-view is just as tragic as the ones on the train. Saheel's action has such a big impact not only on the people on the train but also his own family. They will never be the same again.

It's terrifying how one person's actions can affect so many lives, and this book shows just how in an instant, all your hopes and dreams can be destroyed, but it also shows how people can after facing a terrible situation gathered together and not let evil triumph.

I want to thank Little, Brown Book Group UK for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!


Tuesday 27 September 2016

The Last Dance by Kierney Scott Promo Blitz

The Last Dance by Kierney Scott Promo Blitz



Blurb: American born Prima Ballerina Georgina Fairly made a mistake that could destroy her. Saving her career means selling her soul to the Russian government. Now a spy who uses her body to lure men and secure their secrets, Georgina is tasked with seducing Roman Zakharov, the most dangerous Oligarch in Russia.

Roman Zakharov a man with a past as ugly as his disfigured face. An assassination attempt left him horribly burned, but the scars go deeper than the frightening exterior. Jaded and cruel, Roman lets Georgina into his world but only to punish her and teach the pretty dancer that no one crosses Roman Zakharov. He will show her what it means to be used. And he will teach her to beg.

Universal Buy Link: https://t.co/iMV8ajGQ12




About the author: American born Kierney Scott, lives in Edinburgh, Scotland with her kilt wearing husband and their daughter. When she is not writing, she is reading or drinking tea or spending far too much time on social media. She is fluent in Spanish, and by that she means she knows all the words to La Bamba. She loves hearing from readers. You can contact her on Facebook or Twitter.

Links:


Chills by Mary SanGiovanni

Chills by Mary SanGiovanni
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

“True Detective” meets H.P. Lovecraft in this chilling novel of murder, mystery, and slow-mounting dread from acclaimed author Mary SanGiovanni . . .

It begins with a freak snowstorm in May. Hit hardest is the rural town of Colby, Connecticut. Schools and businesses are closed, powerlines are down, and police detective Jack Glazier has found a body in the snow. It appears to be the victim of a bizarre ritual murder. It won't be the last. As the snow piles up, so do the sacrifices. Cut off from the rest of the world, Glazier teams up with an occult crime specialist to uncover a secret society hiding in their midst.

The gods they worship are unthinkable. The powers they summon are unstoppable. And the things they will do to the good people of Colby are utterly, horribly unspeakable…


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It was the hope of reading something really chilling was what drove me to read this book. And, at first, I thought that it would turn out to be pleasant reading. I liked the feeling of a doomed city that is taken over by snow monsters and a little group of people trying to save the town, and the world. However, somewhere along the way the story just lost the appeal for me. I think one of the main reason was that the characters were not very memorable. In the end, I think Morris was the only one that was interesting reading about, the rest just lacked anything substantial. I had high hope for Kathy making the book interesting with her dark background, but in the end, she turned out to be spending most of the time trying to find a spell to reverse the opening of the door to the other world. And, thus the one character in the book that really appealed to me when I started to read the book faded into the background. Yes, I did find Kathy and Teagan in the beginning an interesting "couple", But, then I lost interesting in them both when they started to get cozy in the middle of danger.  

Also, I think the story should have been built up a bit better, with a slower start, then there would have been more anticipations for larger and frightening things to happened. Now it was just killing from the beginning to the end, and because of that, there was no thrill in reading the book because you hardly got to know any characters, more than the cops. The rest was just people waiting to be killed. No point in getting attached because most people they were killed as soon as they were introduced. Sure, one or two survived, but they were in the story for a page or two never to be heard of again.

And, another problem was that it was not frightening to read, not even a bit chilling. Hell, I was mostly bored towards the end of the book and just wanted the book to end so that I could read something else.

So, the book started promising, then the story started to get more and more uninteresting and the ending was quite dull. Not, a book for me.

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

Monday 26 September 2016

Blog Tour: Katharina Luther: Nun, Rebel, Wife by Anne Boileau

Katharina Luther: Nun, Rebel, Wife by Anne Boileau
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



On 31st October 1517, Martin Luther pinned ninety-five theses on the Castle Church door, Wittenberg, criticizing the Church of Rome; they were printed and published by Lucas Cranach and caused a storm. Nine young nuns, intoxicated by Luther's subversive writings, became restless and longed to leave their convent. On Good Friday 1523 a haulier smuggled them out hidden in empty herring barrels. Five of them settled in Wittenberg, the very eye of the storm, and one of them - Katharina von Bora - scandalised the world by marrying the revolutionary former monk. Following a near miscarriage, she is confined to her bed to await the birth of their first child; during this time, she sets down her own story. Against a backdrop of 16th Century Europe this vivid account of Katharina von Bora's early life brings to the spotlight this spirited and courageous woman. 

Review: 

This is the third fictional account I have read about Katharina von Bora and, despite knowing her life quite well do I never get tired of reading about her life. I find it interesting to see how different authors will retell her life and I think that having Katharina write down her life as she is bedridden awaiting her first child was a wonderful idea. Yes, this means that the story will not retell her whole life, but you do get a wonderfully vivid account of her growing up, her life as a nun, and the time after she left the convent, and her new life with Martin.

I especially liked how Katharina von Bora life as a nun was described, and how the impact Luther's pamphlets had on her and the other nuns. For many women was becoming a nun nothing they have decided for themselves instead it was often their parents' decision and having to sacrifice the chance for a family of one's own was not an easy thing. Nevertheless, it was not an easy thing to leave the convent, to not be a nun anymore. Another thing I liked about the story was that the author did not portray Katharina and Martin as a couple

in love. He did really propose to her fellow nun Ava first and he never claimed to be in love with her. However, I loved the scene when he told her that he is not in love with her, but he thinks that love will grow between them. That I think was such a perfect way of describing their life together. They grew to love each other.

I liked this book very much, I would have loved to read more about their lives together. However, it was quite logical to end the book with the birth of their first child. I also liked that his was really Katharina von Bora story, Martin Luther is as well a very interesting character, but I love reading books from women's perspective of a relationship, especially famous relationship.

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Purchase the book from Amazon UK

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About the author: 

Anne Boileau (also known as Polly Clarke) lives in Essex. She studied German in Munich and worked as interpreter and translator before turning to language-teaching in England. She also holds a degree in Conservation and Land Management from Anglia University and has written and given talks on various aspects of conservation. Now she shares, writes and enjoys poetry; her work has appeared in a number of anthologies and magazines; she has also won some awards, including First Prize with Grey Hen Press, 2016. She translates modern German poetry into English with Camden Mews Translators and was Chair of Suffolk Poetry Society from 2011 to 2014.


Välkommen hem (Welcome Home) by Ninni Schulman (SWE/ENG)

Välkommen hem by Ninni Schulman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

SWEDISH REVIEW

Välkommen hem, den femte delen i Ninni Schulmans populära serie om journalisten Magdalena Hansson och poliserna Petra Wilander och Christer Berglund, är en drabbande kriminalroman om revansch och försoning.

En sensommardag får Magdalena Hansson en inbjudan till en återträff med sin högstadieklass. Tanken är att de ska sova i klassföreståndarens sommarstuga, precis som de gjorde en helg i nian. De ska äta och umgås och gå på spökvandring i skogen. Precis som då.

Magdalena känner bara olust. De senaste veckorna har hon blivit utsatt för grovt näthat och hon skulle mycket hellre tillbringa helgen tillsammans med Petter, som äntligen är hemma från Norge där han numera jobbar. Men eftersom en av klasskamraterna idag är musiker och dokusåpakändis åker hon dit för att göra ett reportage till Värmlandsbladet.


På festen faller alla tillbaka i gamla mönster. Allting spårar ur och Magdalena blir kvar mitt i kaoset. Sent på kvällen hittas en av klasskamraterna brutalt mördad. Dagen efter hittas ännu en person i klassen död på Hotell Monica. Tillvägagångssätten verkar helt olika, men det måste väl ändå vara samma gärningsman? Vilket är i så fall motivet? Och finns det fler i klassen som är i fara?

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Välkommen hem är den femte delen i serien om journalisten Magdalena Hansson och poliserna Petra Wilander och Christer Berglund men det är den första boken jag har läst utav dem. Trots det så tyckte jag inte att det var några som helt problem med att komma in i handlingen och när händelser nämndes som hade hänt i tidigare böcker blev jag sugen på att läsa de tidigare böcker från början.

Jag tyckte speciellt mycket om att man både fick följa poliserna Petra Wilander och Christer Berglund samt journalisten Magdalena Hansson i arbetet samt få en inblick i deras privatliv. Oftas är det bara poliser man följer alternativt en journalist (och är en journalist med i en kriminalare så brukar den även vara en ren plåga för poliserna i vanliga fall) så det var kul att få läsa en bok där båda yrkesgrupperna hade central roll.

Jag tyckte att själva fallet, en högstadieklass har återträff som slutar med mord var spännande att läsa om, speciellt eftersom Magdalena är med på festen samt Christers syster Tina vilket involverade dem på ett personligt sätt i mordet. Vem är mördaren och varför? Det blir sedan klart för Petra Wilander och Christer Berglund att mördaren inte är klar när fler från återträffen mördas. 

Jag gillade boken skarpt, jag tyckte att boken var mycket välskriven och jag hade svårt att sluta läsa den och utan tvekan är detta en av de bästa svenska kriminalare jag har läst i år
.

Tack till Forum bokförlag för recensionsexemplaret!

ENGLISH REVIEW

Welcome home is the fifth installment in Ninni Schulman's popular series about journalist Magdalena Hansson and policemen Petra Wilander and Christer Berglund, is a hard-hitting crime novel about revenge and reconciliation.

Magdalena Hansson receives an invitation to a reunion of her high school class on a late summer day. The idea is for them to sleep in their old teacher's summer home, just as they did one weekend in ninth grade. They will eat and hang out and go on the ghost walk in the woods. Just like back then. At the party, they all fall back into old patterns. Everything gets out of control and late in the evening one of Magdalena's classmates is found brutally murdered. Are more in the class in danger?


**********

Welcome Home is the fifth book in the series about journalist Magdalena Hansson och the policemen Petra Wilander and Christer Berglund. This is the first book I have read in this series, but despite that did I not find it was especially hard to get into the story and when events mentioned from the previous books did I mostly get keen to start to read this series from the beginning some day.

I especially liked that you got to follow both policemen and a journalist in work and in their private lives. Often it's either one or the other and when a journalist is in the story with policemen is the journalist often quite a nasty person. So, it was quite enjoyable to get a crime novel with both professional groups in a central role.

I found the case interesting with a class reunion that ended with murder. And, it was especially interesting since Magdalena was attending the reunion and Christer's sister Tina was also there, so both Magdalena and Christer gets involved in this case on a personal level. So, who is the murderer and why did he kill someone at the reunion? It soon dawns on Petra Wilander and Christer Berglund that this is just the start when more people from the reunion is murdered.

I liked this book very much, it's well-written and I had a hard time putting it down and this is, without a doubt, one of the best Swedish crime novels I have read this year.

Thanks to Forum bokförlag for the review copy!

Sunday 25 September 2016

Cover Reveal: If ever I fall by S.D. Robertson


Publishing in eBook and Paperback: 9th February 2017

Is holding on harder than letting go?
Dan’s life has fallen apart at the seams. He’s lost his house, his job, and now he’s going to lose his family too. All he’s ever wanted is to keep them together, but is everything beyond repair?

Maria is drowning in grief. She spends her days writing letters that will never be answered. Nights are spent trying to hold terrible memories at bay, to escape the pain that threatens to engulf her.

Jack wakes up confused and alone. He doesn’t know who he is, how he got there, or why he finds himself on a deserted clifftop, but will piecing together the past leave him a broken man?

In the face of real tragedy, can these three people find a way to reconcile their past with a new future? And is love enough to carry them through?


Time and Regret by M.K. Tod

Time and Regret by M.K. Tod
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

When Grace Hansen finds a box belonging to her beloved grandfather, she has no idea it holds the key to his past—and to long-buried family secrets. In the box are his World War I diaries and a cryptic note addressed to her. Determined to solve her grandfather’s puzzle, Grace follows his diary entries across towns and battle sites in northern France, where she becomes increasingly drawn to a charming French man—and suddenly aware that someone is following her…


Through her grandfather’s vivid writing and Grace’s own travels, a picture emerges of a man very unlike the one who raised her: one who watched countless friends and loved ones die horrifically in battle; one who lived a life of regret. But her grandfather wasn’t the only one harboring secrets, and the more Grace learns about her family, the less she thinks she can trust them.

**********

I believe that we all have different kinds of weakness when it comes to books, some of us have a passion for WW1 books, some of us love time travel romance, some of us can't withstand a book with a gorgeous cover, and some of us loves mystery books, etc...

For me when it came to this book was first the gorgeous cover and then the tantalizing blurb. I just adore parallel storylines with a mystery that a relative or a stranger has to solve in "modern" time. So, I was thrilled to get a chance to read this book.

And, that makes it quite sad to write a review about a book that I thought I would love, but that I just couldn't connect with. Sometimes that happens, sometimes I just can't find myself enjoying a book, despite my deep will to do so. And, this one, oh I wished so that I had found the characters and the story to my taste. But, alas, it was not to be.

For the right person is this probably a great book. We have a woman that is trying to find out more about her beloved grandfather and discovers more than she could dream of. A secret that has been waiting to be revealed. Unfortunately, neither the past and the present story really caught my interest, and the secret was pretty easy to figure out, and there come a time when I thought everything that happens was way too convenient. And, the romance between Grace and Pierre just didn't rock my boat. If the mystery had been more engrossing could I have overlooked the romantic story, but it wasn't and that meant that I couldn't find much enjoyment with the story.

So, this was not the great book that I had hoped it to be, still just because I couldn't find myself enjoying it, doesn't mean that you can't...

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

Saturday 24 September 2016

Blog Tour: Bullet in the Blue Sky by Bill Larkin

Bullet in the Blue Sky by Bill Larkin
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Bullet in the Blue Sky by Bill Larkin on Tour August 1- September 30, 2016

Synopsis:

In the chaotic aftermath of a massive earthquake that leveled much of the Los Angeles region, a LAPD deputy chief sends an elite team of detectives on a rescue mission. They are ordered to set aside all law enforcement duties, to ignore the destruction and to focus on one task: Find LAPD Detective Gavin Shaw, who disappeared just before the earthquake.

Kevin “Schmitty” Schmidt of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department joins five others on the rescue team. With rioting, looting, attacks and homicides rampant in the streets, the six cops have to defend themselves while chasing down leads on the whereabouts of Shaw. The mission takes them through the dizzying war zone and the more they encounter, the more they wonder why they are searching for one man in these extreme circumstances. Why is this man so important to the deputy chief, and why now?

Schmitty discovers that others with high connections are also after Shaw. The questions pile even higher when they learn of a shadowy history between Shaw and the deputy chief. A history with deadly consequences for the team as they uncover a threat that elevates the mission to a race against time.

Book Details:

Genre: Crime Fiction
Published by: Indie
Publication Date: August 4th 2016
Number of Pages: 366
ISBN: 978-0-9894002-1-3
Purchase Links: Amazon Barnes & Noble Goodreads

Review

I have to admit that the cover was the first thing that caught my eye. It's such a striking cover and together with the interesting description of the book did I feel that this is a book I just had to read.

One would think that LAPD would have much more important things to do after the earthquake than trying to find LAPD Detective Gavin Shaw. But, there is a pretty good reason for why he is needed to be found, but that is not revealed to the cops that are searching for him. However, finding the missing Shaw is turning out to be quite a challenge as they have to travel through a city filled with looters and gangs out for trouble.

I found the idea of this book interesting, and the plot felt quite refreshing new. I was curious to learn why Shaw was so important, more important than say trying to save lives instead. However, I found myself, despite enjoying the story not really warming up to all the characters in the book. Schmitty was neither that interesting nor memorable enough for my liking. And, I felt slightly detached from Schmitty and the rest of the cops plight in the city. It's hard to care for characters fate in a book if you feel that you don't get to know them that they fail to come alive.  

However, there were some characters that I came to like a bit. Jenkins, Tallon, and Shaw worked for me and was the ones that I started to care for. I especially found the flashbacks to Jenkins and Shaw interesting to read. The conclusion to the book was OK, I would have liked to have been more in dark when it came to the identity of a certain character that was behind some events in the book. But, I must say that the reason for it all was not something that I had foreseen.

Nevertheless, I did enjoy reading the book. Sure, the plot was perhaps not that amazing that I had hoped for, but it was enjoyable to read and I would definitely recommend reading the book.

Read an excerpt:

The adjunct lieutenant moved into the conference room and stood behind Jenkins and off to the side. Jenkins now addressed our five–person team.
“Your orders are to find Detective Gavin Shaw. He’s a member of Major Crimes and I need him here or I need to know where he is. That’s it. Nothing more.”
As Jenkins paused, several of the detectives looked at each other. Anderson opened her mouth. “Is he—“
Jenkins put up a hand. “You are not, repeat not, to take on law enforcement duties. You are not out to arrest looters, answer radio calls, help firefighters, or anything else you think you ought to be doing. Your only assignment is to find Shaw. And find him as fast as you possibly can. Am I clear?”
“Can I ask the importance of Detective Shaw at this juncture?” Mata said.
“No, you may not. Find him and bring him to me.”
“A search-and-rescue mission?” Anderson said in a puzzled tone.
“Call it that, Anderson. Lieutenant Tallon is in charge and you’d better be aware of what you’re facing. This city is falling apart. Aside from the destruction, there are forty-five thousand gang members, and at least that same number of state parolees and felons on probation. Then there are the opportunists who will loot, burglarize, and kill without the police to stop them. That’s probably a hundred fifty thousand bad guys in a city of rubble and fire.”
Jenkins let that number sink in a moment. The man projected political polish, as I would expect from somebody of his rank, but he didn’t hide his edgy urgency.
He went on. “The LAPD has almost ten thousand sworn, but who knows how many are still alive, much less how many can physically get mobilized. Break that down into twelve-hour shifts and there might be two thousand cops in the whole city at any given time. Three thousand if we’re lucky.”
Lieutenant Tallon said, “Sir that makes the odds against the LAPD about sixty-to-one.” His voice carried both cordiality and self-assurance.
Jenkins nodded. “That’s right. But you will be undercover. Plain clothes and a plain vehicle.”
“Where is Shaw?” Anderson asked.
“I don’t know.” Jenkins nodded to his adjunct who stepped forward and handed a folder to Tallon, then stepped back. “Here is his address and personal information. Best guess is home, but start wherever you need to and find the man.”
Anderson made a small snort. “What if he’s dead?”
“You find him, either way.”
One thing was for sure. Jenkins wasn’t sugarcoating the assignment.
“What about help from the outside?” I asked.
“In time. They’ll mobilize the National Guard and we’ll get relief and search-and-rescue teams, but it’ll take days.”
Tallon said, “We’ll be mostly on our own for the first forty-eight hours. Keep in mind just about every other city in Southern California has the same problems. Some worse, some better.”
“Jesus,” Anderson said.
Tallon said, “Chief, you’ll be here? We bring Shaw here?”
“At this time, I am in command of the department. The chief, assistant and other deputy chiefs have not yet been in contact. That means I’m the Director of Emergency Operations until further notice. That’s all. Dismissed.”
Jenkins motioned to Tallon to follow him and they stepped outside of the conference room with the adjunct lieutenant close behind. Tallon stood about six inches taller than the deputy chief, but Jenkins didn't seem the least bit intimidated.
The doorway stayed open and I stood up, keeping my back to them, but close enough to hear.
“Lieutenant, I don’t know you very well, but I’ll tell you this with certainty. This is the most difficult challenge you’ll ever fahttps://www.partnersincrimetours.net/pict/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/detective-lessons.jpg>I heard Jenkins walk away. When I turned, Tallon had locked eyes with the other lieutenant. A beat later, she hurried after her boss.
** / **


Author Bio:

Bill Larkin writes crime fiction and is the author of two highly-acclaimed books: Bullet in the Blue Sky and Detective Lessons. He has also written several short stories, including The Highlands and Shadow Truth, both Amazon category bestsellers. Bill previously served as a reserve with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, then the Los Angeles Police Department where he worked in four different divisions and a detective assignment. Bill is a member of the Mystery Writers of America and International Thriller Writers.

Catch Up With Mr. Larkin: Bill Larkin's Website Bill Larkin's Twitter



Tour Participants:





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Don't Miss Your Chance to Win Bullet in the Blue Sky by Bill Larkin:


This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours for Bill Larkin. There will be ONE (1) prize & ONE (1) Winner for this tour. The winner will receive 1 copy of Bullet in the Blue Sky by Bill Larkin. Winners within the United States may choose either an eBook or a physical book however, winners outside the US can only receive an eBook. This is subject to change without notification. The giveaway begins on August 1st and runs through September 30th, 2016.
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Friday 23 September 2016

#BookReview Slutet på sommaren (The End of the Summer) by Anders de la Motte (SWE/ENG)

Slutet på sommaren by Anders de la Motte
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

SWEDISH REVIEW

En sensommarkväll 1983 försvinner en femårig pojke från en ensligt belägen gård på den skånska slätten. Det enda spåret efter honom är en sko i de höga majsfälten.

Trots att hela bygden engagerar sig i sökandet hittas han inte, och ryktena och misstankarna sprids snabbt. Men den valhänta brottsutredning som följer läggs till slut ner, och sorgen och ovissheten får pojkens familj att långsamt falla sönder.

Tjugo år senare leder hans storasyster Veronica ett gruppterapisamtal i Stockholm. Plötsligt ansluter en ung man, och inför gruppen berättar han om sin barndom, om oförklarliga minnen av en pojkes försvinnande.

Hans berättelse är skrämmande välbekant och skakar om Veronica. Motvilligt tvingas hon riskera den bräckliga tillvaro hon byggt upp. Hon måste återvända till Skåne och sin trasiga familj för att söka svaret på frågan som ingen längre vill ställa. Vad hände egentligen den där sommaren för så längesedan? Sommaren som aldrig tog slut.

**********

Slutet på Sommaren är en alldeles fantastisk bok! Jag måste erkänna att jag föll totalt för omslaget första gången jag såg boken och handlingsbeskrivningen gjorde mig verkligen sugen att läsa boken. I boken får vi får följa båda polisarbetet 1983 när Billy försvinner samt Billy's storasyster Veronicas egna sökande över svar tjugo år senare när hon under ett gruppterapisamtal träffar på en ung man som skulle kunna vara en kopia av Billy som stor. Veronica har aldrig riktigt kommit över sin brors försvinnande och händelsen kom att splittra hennes familj och att återvända hem för att söka efter svar blir tufft för henne. Speciellt då det känns som om det finns de som inte vill att hon ska finna ut sanningen.

Boken är atmosfärisk, fängslande och hjärtskärande att läsa. Från första kapitlet var jag fast och jag kunde knappt sluta läsa boken. Det som känns så motsägande med boken är att allting utmålas så ljust, det känns som en idyllisk tillvaro för Veronica och hennes syskon på 80-talet, men det finns ett mörker som hotar i bakgrunden, men som barnen är ovissa om. Först, nu tjugo år senare så börjar Veronica inse en tragiska sanningen...

För mig är Slutet på Sommaren en av de bästa böcker jag har läst i år. Den är oerhört gripande och spännande att läsa.

Tack till Forum bokförlag för recensionsexemplaret!

ENGLISH REVIEW

A five-year-old boy from a remote farm on the plains of Skåne disappear late one summer evening in 1983. The only trail after him is a shoe in the tall corn fields.

Although the whole neighborhood gets involved in the search do they not find him, and rumors and suspicions spread quickly. And, the clumsy criminal investigation is, in the end, closed down when they can't find the boy, and the grief and uncertainty get the boy's family to slowly fall apart.

Twenty years later, is his sister Veronica leading group psychotherapy talks in Stockholm. Suddenly a young man joins the group, and he talks about his childhood, about the inexplicable memories of a boy's disappearance.

His story is frighteningly familiar and it shakes Veronica. Reluctantly, she is forced to risk the fragile life she built up. She must return to Skåne and her broken family to seek the answer to the question no longer want to ask. What really happened that summer so long ago? The summer that never ended.


**********

The End of the Summer is a fantastic book. I have to admit that I completely fell for the gorgeous cover the first time I saw the book and the description made me really eager to read the book. In the book, we get to follow both the police work back in 1983 when Billy disappeared and we also get to follow Veronica 20 years later as she starts her own search for the truth when during a psychotherapy meeting she meets a young man that could be a copy of Billy as an adult. Veronica has never really gotten over her brother's disappearing and the event leads to the breakup of her family. To return home and to search for the truth is hard for her. Especially since it seems that there are those that don't want her to find out the truth. 

The book is atmospheric, engrossing and heartbreaking to read.  I was hooked from the very first chapter and could hardly put down the book. It felt so contradictory everything is portrayed so brightly and idyllic for Veronica and her siblings as they were growing up, but there is a darkness in the background. The children just don't notice it. First, twenty years later is Veronica finally starting to realize the truth...

The End of the Summer is one of the best books I have read this year. It's gripping and very thrilling to read!

Thanks to Forum bokförlag for the review copy!

The Sister by Louise Jensen

The Sister by Louise Jensen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Grace hasn't been the same since the death of her best friend Charlie. She is haunted by Charlie's words, the last time she saw her, 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?

There was nothing she could have done to save Charlie ...or was there?


***********

The Sister is one of those books that, despite being good I also want to slap some sense into some of the characters. Let's start with Grace, she's been in a funk since her best friend Charlie died. And, then she suddenly discovers that Charlie had a sister called Anna. But, at the same time, everything in her life starts to go wrong. It was kind of frustrating to read about how Grace life starts to fall apart and she still doesn't seem to grasp that the person most likely behind it all is living with her and Dan. I mean even Dan doesn't like Anna, actually, he is quite hostile towards her. And, one wonders why Grace boyfriend seems to have a grudge with Anna? There comes a moment when I want to slap Dan to towards the end. Then, we have person number three that I want to slap, Lexie, Charlie's mother. But, despite my hostility towards these three characters is the book very good and thrilling to read.

I did suspect the ending, something Charlie said in the beginning of the book, made the little gray cells work harder, so I was not surprised, rather more pleased that my suspicion turned out to be right.

I seem to be a bit harsh when it comes to this book. But, I did find it engrossing to read, sure the characters made me wanna scream now and then, but nevertheless, the book was pretty good. There isn't really a-who-is-behind-it-all-kind of a book, more why-is-the-person-doing-this kind of book. The ending was satisfying and I'm looking forward to reading more from Louise Jensen.

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

April Showers and Wedding Flowers Cover Reveal

April Showers and Wedding Flowers
By
Lindsey Paley

Blurb
The wedding cake is baked, the champagne is on ice and the bridesmaid dress is a perfect fit. Everything is ready for Hannah and Archie's wedding at the picture-perfect church in the sleepy village of Aisford in the Lake District.

But if Camille Carter, 'Queen of Culinary Chaos', thought everything would go according to plan for a change, then she was wrong. When tragedy strikes at the Stag Party weekend there's a risk the wedding will have to be called off.

Will Millie team up once again with irritating-but-hunky Fergus McKenzie to untangle the mystery and ensure the wedding of the year goes ahead without a hitch? Or should she leave well alone and return to her little Parisian patisserie to concentrate on her fledgling Afternoon Tea business?

April Showers and Wedding Flowers is sure to delight fans of the Camille Carter series.


Author bio:

Lindsey Paley is the author of contemporary romance novels and a cosy murder/mystery series set in the English Lake District. When not scribbling away in her peppermint and cream writer's retreat (shed) she loves baking cakes and indulging in a spot of Afternoon Tea with her friends where a glass of pink fizz is often the highlight. She loves walking in the countryside and is also a keen archer!

Author links:


Buy the book: AMAZON