Month: June 2017

Blog Tour: Vile City by Jennifer Lee Thomson @jenthom72 @TAsTPublicity

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Goodreads|Amazon US|Amazon UK
Release date: May 11, 2017

Publisher: Caffeine Nights

Genre: Crime Fiction 

Blurb: 

DI Duncan Waddell has big problems. He’s borderline diabetic, his boss thinks he’s in the Army and the paperwork is piling up faster than the underwear at a porn shoot. The last thing he needs is the country’s biggest case to land on his lap. 

Three women have gone missing in the city he’s fast coming to despise, victims of the GLASGOW GRABBER as their assailant has been dubbed by local hack and all round pain in the backside, Catriona Hastie.


Shelley Craig’s the Grabber’s latest victim, snatched as she and her boyfriend took a shortcut through Glasgow city centre. And she’ll do anything to make it home. 


Handling this baffling case is stressful enough without Waddell’s pal DC Stevie Campbell, who’s in a coma after being attacked by a suspect, starting to talk to him. Trouble is, only Waddell can hear him. 


Vile City is Book One in the Series. 


Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Vile City. I have an extract to share with you today. 


Extract: 

1

(Note – this extract is from chapter 1.)

 

Where was he?

Anger welled up in her chest. Had he started smoking again? He swore he wouldn’t.

There was one way to find out.

She headed down the alley. The sole light was provided from some nearby buildings, so visibility was poor.

She’d walked a few steps when she spotted a bundle of rags on the ground. Was someone sleeping there?

She moved closer. Squinting into the dim light, she realised it was Stuart. He was lying motionless on the ground. He must have tripped and knocked himself out as he hit the concrete.

She ran over to him, calling out his name, the squeezing in her chest waning slightly when she knelt down and heard him groan.

She pulled her mobile phone from her bag to call for an ambulance.

She didn’t make it to the third digit. A gloved hand clamped across her mouth and nose, cutting off her airways and the phone fell from her grasp, clattering onto the cobbles. Terror gripped her and she couldn’t breathe.

As she struggled, her assailant pressed his mouth to her ear. He was so close that it occurred to her that if anyone saw them they would think he was her boyfriend whispering sweet nothings in her ear.

“Your man’s been given a strong sedative. He’ll wake up with a sore head and nothing more. But, if you scream, I’ll kick him several times in the head and he’ll never get up again. Do you understand?”

She didn’t recognise the voice, but there was an accent. Not from around here. His voice was cold and emotionless.

She nodded under his hand. Then she did something he didn’t expect: she back-heeled him in the groin.

There was a satisfying yelp as he released her.

She ran, arms pumping away like Usain Bolt’s, down towards the café at the end of the alley and safety.

She’d almost made it when he grabbed her arm and hauled her back. An electric shock shot from her elbow to her shoulder as she tried to pull herself free. He was too strong.

She could offer little resistance as he dragged her towards him.

Before she could scream, he punched her fully in the face and she went down with a thud, jarring every bone in her body, momentarily stunning her.

As she fought to get up, he punched her in the back and she fell again.

The last thing she saw was the pavement rushing towards her before she blacked out…

***TO BE CONTINUED***
About the Author: 


Jennifer Lee Thomson is an award-winning crime writer who has been scribbling away all her life. She also writes non-fiction as Jennifer Thomson and fiction as Jenny Thomson.

This is her first book as Jennifer Lee Thomson in tribute to her late father who passed away after a long battle with cancer. Books 2 and 3 in the series are already written and she’s working on book 4.

Jennifer is an animal rights and human rights advocate and has a rescue dog.

She also writes the Crime File series of books as Jenny Thomson. Book 1, 2 and 3, are out now. They are in order, Hell to Pay, Throwaways and Don’t Come For Me and feature tough rape survivor Nancy Kerr and her ex-Special Forces boyfriend who fight crime together.

In her spare time, she plans how to survive the zombie apocalypse.

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Saturday Shoutout: Spotlight on Betty Jean Craige 

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I’m sure you all figured that I’ve given up on my Saturday Shoutout series, but I haven’t! Life has been crazy in general lately and it basically got pushed to the side, but I’m slowly going to try and revitalize it. If you’re an author and are interested in participating email me at novelgossip@gmail.com

Today I’m going to share some more information about author Betty Jean Craige and her Witherston murder mystery series. 


The series consists of three books and the latest, Dam Witherston was released earlier this year. 


Blurb: 

 The mayor of the north Georgia town of Witherston and one of its prominent attorneys are being blackmailed by a mysterious Donna Dam, who threatens to expose the two men’s shameful activities of forty years ago if they do not take a paternity test and pay a hefty sum of money, and if Mayor Rather does not withdraw his proposal to build a dam, creating a lake on top of a sacred Cherokee burial ground. Blackmail leads to murder, and when Detective Mev Arroyo and her two teenage twins investigate, they discover some dark secrets, putting all their lives in danger…

Goodreads|Amazon

About the Author: 

Dr. Betty Jean Craige has published books in the fields of Spanish poetry, modern literature, history of ideas, politics, ecology, and art. She is a scholar, a translator, a teacher, and a novelist. http://www.bettyjeancraige.com/

Audiobook Review: The Futures by Anna Pitoniak @HachetteAudio

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Goodreads|Amazon|Author Website
Release date: January 17, 2017

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Narrator: Sarah Mollo-Christensen and Michael Crouch 

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Blurb: 

A heart-wrenching debut novel about a young couple trying to find out what they really want in life–and whether or not that includes each other.Julia and Evan fall in love as undergraduates at Yale. For Evan, who grew up in a small town in Canada, Yale is a whole new world, and Julia–blond, beautiful and rich–is part of his vision for a successful future. After they graduate in 2008, they move together to New York city, where Evan takes a job at a hedge fund–another step forward in the life he imagines for himself.Julia, who has only known a life of privilege, graduates with an art history degree and no plan for her own future. She lands a low paying assistant job at a nonprofit, unsure about what she really wants, and wondering when everyone else figured that out for themselves. With the market crashing and banks failing around him, Evan becomes involved in an increasingly high-stakes deal at work, and begins to realize that the price of privilege may come with dangerous strings attached. Meanwhile, Julia reconnects with someone from her past–someone who offers her a vision of a different kind of life.Told in alternating perspectives, The Futures is a vivid story about love–falling in and out of it–betrayal, and the burning desire to be valued. 

Review: 

Told from both Julia and Evan’s point of view, The Futures is a tale of that awkward period in ones life immediately after college where the transition from the carefree days of school to work begins. Both Julia and Evan struggle to adapt to adulthood in different ways and there is an underlying sense of uneasiness and dread throughout as you know something is going to happen to throw them off course. 

I liked the setting of NYC in 2008 during the Great Recession as I remember those days clearly. Evan seems to have found his spot in the city when he lands a highly sought after job at a hedge fund. Julia however struggles to find her place and a wedge is quickly driven between the couple. Resentment and hostilities surface and betrayals are committed against each other. Both of them make the typical mistakes that the young and naive so often do and both are also pretty self absorbed and privileged but they’re still oddly likable and endearing. 

Pitoniak has a strong writing style with a very polished feel that was brought to life by the fantastic narrators. Both did an excellent job at portraying their characters and conveyed the emotional and evocative feel beautifully. The ending was open ended which isn’t my favorite thing, but it did work well here. 
Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to Hachette Audio for my review copy. 

Summer Reading Recommendations 

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Seeing as how it’s June 1st I figured now would be a great time for me to share some of my picks for some fantastic summer reads! I’ve had several people asking me for recommendations, so instead of just answering individually, I figured I would share with everyone. 

I’ll be posting about my most anticipated reads of the summer soon, but I figured I would use this post to share books I’ve already read that I think should be on everyone’s summer reading list! All of them were five star reads for me, standouts in their own right. 

Women’s Fiction 


Aren’t every single one of those covers gorgeous?! 😍

I loved them all for various reasons, but if you want my in depth thoughts, here’s the link to all of my reviews. 

The Beachside Flower Stall, The Beachside Sweet Shop, The Night the Lights Went Out, Ella’s Ice Cream Summer, Annie’s Lovely Choir by the Sea and Slightly South of Simple. 
Historical Fiction 


Since I’m fairly new to this genre, I only have a couple of recommendations. Both of these were gorgeous and really swept me away to a different time and place. 

When We Danced at the End of the Pier and The Lost Letter. 
Mystery/Thriller 

This was hard for me to narrow down since it’s my go to genre, but here are my picks for mystery/thrillers. 


He Said/She Said, Block 46, Ragdoll, Weight of Lies, It’s Always the Husband, The Girl Who Was Taken, Last Breath, The Breakdown, The Fourth Monkey, Dead Souls, Everything You Want Me to Be and The Good Widow. 

I hope I’ve been able to add some awesome books to your TBR and maybe even introduce you to some new to you authors. Happy reading! 

Blog Tour: A Daughter’s Courage by Renita Silva @RenitaDSilva

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Goodreads|Amazon US|Amazon UK
Release date: May 31, 2017

Publisher: Bookouture 

Genre: Historical Fiction 

Blurb: 

How much would you sacrifice to save your family?



1929. When a passionate love affair threatens to leave Lucy in disgrace, she chooses a respectable marriage over a life of shame. With her husband, coffee plantation owner James, she travels to her new home in India, leaving her troubled past behind her. 


Everything in India is new to Lucy, from the jewel-coloured fabrics to the exotic spices. When her path crosses that of Gowri, a young woman who tends the temple on the plantation’s edge, Lucy is curious to find out more about her, and the events that lead her to live in isolation from her family… 


Now. With her career in shatters and her heart broken by the man she thought was her future, Kayva flees from bustling Mumbai to her hometown. A crumbling temple has been discovered in a village nearby, and with it letters detailing its tragic history – desperate pleas from a young woman called Gowri. 


As Kavya learns of Gowri and Lucy’s painful story, she begins to understand the terrible sacrifices that were made and the decision the two women took that changed their lives forever. Can the secrets of the past help Kavya to rebuild her life? 


A breath-taking journey through the rolling hills of India, deep into the secrets hidden within a family. For fans of Santa Montefiore, Dinah Jefferies and Victoria Hislop.

I’m so pleased to be hosting a stop on the blog tour for A Daughter’s Courage today! 


Review: 

This book used the type of narrative that I really enjoy, there were several different viewpoints, that at first glance were only linked tenuously, I kept wondering how two women from the 1920’s and two other women from present day would all fit together?! D’Silva weaved these threads together in a breathtaking manner and crafted four amazing characters that I couldn’t help but root for. 

The writing style was gorgeous and lyrical, D’Silva paints such a stunning picture using vivid, rich imagery. I could clearly envision the landscape of India; the bright colors, the scent of exotic spices, the women swathed in bold saris, it was a very immersive read. 

Along with a superbly crafted setting, the characterization was outstanding as well. The four women depicted had distinct issues and troubles, but they were all strong, courageous and inspiring. I especially felt a connection to Gowri, she was a young teenager who was a devadasi, which means she had to dedicate her entire life to worshiping and servicing a temple and goddess statue called Yellamma. This was so interesting to learn about the traditions and cultural customs practiced in India back in the 20’s. It was also heartbreaking and disturbing reading her story of sacrifice, but her resilience was amazing. 

I was mesmerized by this book and I experienced a wide variety of emotions from deep sadness and compassion to gentle smiles through my tears. It was really touching and poignant, just a really beautifully told story that left an impact on me. This was my first D’Silva book but it most definitely will not be my last. 

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to Bookouture for my review copy. 

About the Author: 


Renita grew up in a picturesque coastal village in the South of India, the oldest of three children. Her father got her first story books when she was six and she fell in love with the world of stories. Even now she prefers that world, by far, to this.

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