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Blog Tour: A Very Vintage Christmas by Tilly Tennant @TillyTenWriter @bookouture

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Release date: September 28, 2017

Publisher: Bookouture 

Genre: Romance

Blurb: 

The fairy lights are up and shoppers are flooding the snowy seaside promenade. It’s going to be a busy month at Forget-Me-Not Vintage, a magical shop with a warm heart where every item has a story to be told.


With bright red hair and an infectious smile, Dodie is a hopeless romantic and absolutely one of a kind, just like the pieces in her shop. 


When Dodie finds a love letter in the pocket of an old woollen coat, she makes it her mission to deliver it to its rightful owner. Following the address, she manages to persuade the handsome but reluctant new tenant, Edward, to help her with her search.


As the story of the letter unfolds, Dodie is there, as always, to pick up the pieces and make things right. But who will be there for her when her own love story needs a helping hand? 


Is it too much to dream of a happy ending like the ones in the black and white movies she adores? 


If you’re looking for a sweep-you-off-your-feet romance that will warm you through and through then the door to Forget-Me-Not Vintage is always open. Perfect for fans of Jane Linfoot, Debbie Johnson and Jenny Colgan.

 

 I’m so delighted to be one of the stops on the blog blitz for A Very Vintage Christmas today! 


Review:

Tilly Tennant is quickly becoming one of my go to authors when I’m looking for a lighthearted read that I can really escape into. I loved her From Italy with Love series and was so excited when I found out she was releasing a Christmas book! I know many of you think I’m a bit insane for already being all Christmas crazy but though this is set during the holidays, it’s not overwhelmingly Christmassy. It’s sort of there in the background and does play a part, but it’s not in your face, so any Grinches out there, don’t ignore this one because it has Christmas in the title, grab it because it’s such a fun, feel good book!

Sweet Dodie is the main character and I just adored her, she marches to the beat of a different drum but she was adorably charming and so kind. She’s an enormously giving individual and her small acts of kindness warned my heart. Her gran was an absolutely lovely addition to the story, she’s flaky and flighty but has a heart of gold. Isla is Dodie’s best friend and though her part was small, I really enjoyed their friendship and am so happy she’s getting her own book as the next installment in this little gem of a series. There are also some delicious male characters to swoon over which is always a treat. 

I loved the little bit of a historical vibe this book had between Dodie owning a vintage store and the letter she finds that was written during World War Two, there was a throwback to a different time even though this was set in the present day. This was a sparkly, festive magical read with wonderful characters and an engaging plot. Tennant always manages to sweep me away to a new place and I loved the charming town where this was set and could easily picture it all clearly thanks to her vivid descriptions and vibrant writing style. Add this one to your Christmas reading list and keep your eye out for book two next month! 

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy. 

About the Author 


Tilly Tennant was born in Dorset, the oldest of four children, but now lives in Staffordshire with a family of her own. After years of dismal and disastrous jobs, including paper plate stacking, shop girl, newspaper promotions and waitressing (she never could carry a bowl of soup without spilling a bit), she decided to indulge her passion for the written word by embarking on a degree in English and creative writing. She wrote a novel in 2007 during her first summer break at university and has not stopped writing since. She also works as a freelance fiction editor, and considers herself very lucky that this enables her to read many wonderful books before the rest of the world gets them.
Hopelessly Devoted to Holden Finn was her debut novel; published in 2014 it was an Amazon bestseller in both the UK and Australia. In 2016 she signed to the hugely successful Bookouture and is currently working on her tenth Tilly Tennant novel. She also writes as Sharon Sant, where she explores the darker side of life, and Poppy Galbraith, where things get a little crazier. Find out more about Tilly and how to join her mailing list for news and exclusives at http://www.tillytennant.com

Blog Tour: Reach for the Stars by Colleen Coleman @CollColemanAuth @bookouture

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Goodreads|Amazon US|Amazon UK
Release date: September 21, 2017

Publisher: Bookouture 

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Blurb: 

When Evelyn Dooley married her high-school sweetheart, James, she thought she was set for life. Now she’s twenty-eight, single, and fleeing to Dublin from her hometown to avoid the gossip surrounding their break-up. And all because of a test-your-relationship board game.


This was not in her five-year plan.


Then a chance encounter with gorgeous musician Danny leads to an unlikely friendship, and soon the pair are running music nights together in one of the oldest pubs in Dublin. For the first time Evelyn is following her dreams rather than someone else’s – and sparks are beginning to fly between her and Danny…


But when her savings run out and home beckons, Evelyn has to choose. The safe, comfortable life she left behind, or a new adventure with Danny? Will Evelyn flee back to the familiarity of her ex, or reach for the stars and take a leap into the unknown?


A laugh-out-loud, feel-good story of friendship, second chances, and romance, perfect for fans of Mhairi McFarlane, Lindsey Kelk and Marian Keyes.

I’m delighted to be one of the stops on the blog tour for Reach for the Stars! 


Review:

A few months ago I had the pleasure of reading Coleman’s debut, Don’t Stop Me Now and absolutely loved it’s overall message of hope and empowerment. This time around I once again loved the themes of resilience, positivity and getting back up after getting knocked down, Coleman has a real knack for writing engaging, uplifting stories with the loveliest characters. 

I just adored Evelyn right from the start, she was the type of character that you want to befriend. Coleman creates the most gorgeously relatable characters, Evelyn had me laughing and smiling so many times, she was just so sweet and I really wanted her to find her niche in the world. Her transformation from the beginning to the end of the book was amazing, she really found her groove and had such a fantastic attitude. Danny is her maybe love interest and he was adorable and their interactions were heartwarming and swoon worthy. 

Often times chick lit can be slightly predictable, which is fine but this wasn’t at all which was SO refreshing. Evelyn has many curveballs thrown her way (again and again) so figuring out what would happen next was impossible. This book is perfect to pick up on a day when you’re down in the dumps, it will most assuredly put a smile on your face and make you want to go out and seize the day, it was a delightful read. 

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy. 

About the Author:


Colleen Coleman is an Irish-Canadian novelist. She is the winner of the much-coveted Novelicious Undiscovered People’s Choice Award launched to find the next ‘chick-lit star’. She spent over ten years working as a teacher of English and Philosophy before finally taking a deep breath, scrunching her eyes shut, putting her pen to paper and vowing not to lift it again until she wrote the words The End. As a result, her first novel was born. Colleen lives between London, Ireland and Cyprus with her very patient husband and very, very chatty twin daughters. Don’t Stop Me Now, her first book was released in March 2017. 

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Review: The Beachside Christmas by Karen Clarke @karenclarke123 @bookouture

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Goodreads|Amazon US|Amazon UK
Release date: September 26, 2017

Publisher: Bookouture 

Genre: Romantic Comedy 

Blurb: 

Snow is falling and there’s romance in the air. Curl up for a cosy Christmas by the fire at Seaview Cottage…


When thirty-year-old Lily Ambrose’s latest relationship ends in disaster, she remembers happy childhood holidays in the seaside town of Shipley and decides it’s the perfect place for a fresh start.


But when Lily arrives, the town’s spirits are as low as her own: the local celebrity due to turn on the Christmas lights has gone on a cruise instead. Keen to prove herself, she calls in a favour and secures gorgeous reality star Ollie. 


Lily’s neighbours are initially thrilled, but Ollie is as uncontrollable as he is good-looking. He can’t remember the town’s name, calls the Christmas decorations tacky, and manages to offend everyone. And whilst handsome but stubborn cameraman Craig tries to help, even he can’t stop Ollie’s madcap plans to stage a romance with Lily…


Will Lily be able to keep Ollie under control and bring the Christmas cheer back to Shipley – and find herself a real kiss under the mistletoe?


An addictive, heart-warming and uplifting read about friendship, romance, and Christmas spirit. Perfect for fans of Phillipa Ashley, Cathy Bramley and Debbie Johnson.

I’m so happy to be hosting a stop on the blog blitz for The Beachside Christmas today, I just adore this series! 


Review: 

This is the third book in a series, I read and loved the first two, The Beachside Sweetshop and The Beachside Flower Stall and while you can easily read them each as standalones, I wouldn’t recommend doing so. Each book is set in Shipley and features new central characters but every book is such a fun, feel good read that you would be seriously missing out! 

This one focuses on Lily, a new resident to town who is so excited to be moving somewhere new until she realizes that the town isn’t quite as welcoming as she had hoped and she somehow finds herself offering to let a reality star and his cameraman stay with her. Things quickly get out of hand as Ollie is almost as quirky as her new neighbors and she realizes her new simple life will be anything but.

One of my favorite things about this series is that though each book features new characters you still get to check in on the ones from previous books which is always fun and a bit like catching up with old friends. Two of my old favorites, Jane and Doris Day are back and both are as hilarious as ever. These books are laugh out loud funny, there are countless hilarious scenarios that make me giggle just thinking about them now.

Lily was a lovely lady and just as relatable and lovable as all of the characters that Clarke creates. Once again, I felt like I took a mini vacation to Shipley, one full of plenty of laughs and heartwarming moments. There was definitely romance here as well, but none of that annoying instant love, it was gradual and felt so realistic and genuine. I just love Christmas books and as the weather here is finally cooling down it was the perfect read to get me thinking about the holidays, I’m like a little kid I get so excited just planning for Christmas! 

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy. 

About the Author: 


Karen Clarke writes romantic comedy novels. THE BEACHSIDE SWEET SHOP and THE BEACHSIDE FLOWER STALL are out now and THE BEACHSIDE CHRISTMAS will be available in September 2017.


Karen has also written three romcoms with a paranormal twist, all available to download


When she’s not working on her novels, Karen writes short stories for women’s magazines and has had over three hundred published in the UK and abroad. Some of them can be read in her short story collection ‘BEHIND CLOSED DOORS…and other Tales with a Twist’ 


Karen lives in Buckinghamshire with her husband and three grown-up children.

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Blog Tour: Dan Knew @fjcurlew

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Release date: September 2, 2017

Blurb:

A Ukrainian street dog is rescued from certain death by an expat family. As he travels to new countries with them a darkness grows and he finds himself narrating more than just his story. More than a dog story. Ultimately it’s a story of escape and survival but maybe not his.
The world through Wee Dan’s eyes is told in a voice that will stay with you long after you turn that last page.
 
The animals in this book are all real, as are their stories. The people’s names have been changed to protect their privacy. Fact or fiction? Well, dogs can’t talk, can they?
 

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Dan Knew. I have an extract from the book to share with you today.

Extract:

Dan Knew – Extract
 
Scotland 2016
 
I knew it was going to be a bad day: the worst day. The bathroom was full of wasps, buzzing and buzzing. I could hear them from my bed. She screamed, “What the hell am I going to do now? Shit!” I tried to move: to help her, but I couldn’t.
 
 
Ukraine 2002
The End Of The Beginning
 
It was so hot. Too hot to be out in the sun. Safer here in the shadows. Safe from the heat, from the dangers of daytime. The ground was dry and dusty and I could smell the burning of the sun, feel it licking at the walls all around me.
I was with my family: me, my brother and sisters, and my mother. I wasn’t very old and still needed my mother to help me get food, to look after me. She wouldn’t let me feed from her any more; she brought back food instead.
I wanted to hunt. To go out with her. ‘Not yet’, she growled. ‘Not yet’: her teeth bared, her eyes narrow. I knew that meant stay. Serious stay.
We were living under a building. There was a hole we could creep through that led to an almost-underground place, and it kept us safe. We had to hide from a lot of things. From the noisy, big machines that could run faster than us. They would kill us, squash us flat! I had seen it once. A dog that wasn’t quick enough. Trying to get that last piece of food. Snatching at the ground. Eyes staring. A bad noise. The body of a dog.
When the machine had gone I watched, as the other adult dogs sniffed the air, then walked towards it, slowly, slowly, checking all around. Noses high, hackles raised, senses on alert. Fresh meat. They pulled at it, tearing bits of flesh from its body. Growling and snarling at each other.
The stronger dogs ate first. I watched my mother edging forwards, trying to sneak her way to the front. A quick dash, a snap, a growl, and she was running back with meat in her mouth.
I ate well that day. I knew it was dog, but it was dead. It tasted good. Better than the usual scraps that we ate most days. We were hungry a lot of the time, you see. When food came we ate. It didn’t matter what it was.
 
My mother was out trying to find something for us to eat. I could hear her rummaging through the garbage cans, snuffling through bits of paper and plastic. If she found something she would try and hide it from the others. Run back to us with it before they saw her. There were many of us, you see. Lots of dogs living around here, and we had to fight some of the time.
Well, the adults would fight and we would watch, learning, practising, waiting, until it would be our turn. Usually it was about food, sometimes territory; some other dog wanting our place. Our patch. Occasionally one of them just got angry. I didn’t know why.
Sometimes we would work together, all of the dogs. We’d chase an enemy off. Another dog maybe, from a different pack, a different area. There were other animals for chasing too. Birds, bigger than me, white and noisy with bright orange beaks that could stab. They were scary and we young dogs would keep ourselves well hidden from them.
Noisy, hissing cats with claws sharper than my teeth. Rats. They were food too. Sometimes my mother would catch one and we’d eat. But they could fight, the rats. They could be mean and my mother had scars on her face from them. She had a lot of scars. They all did: the older dogs.
 
Our biggest enemies were the two legged ones. The humans. We had to hide ourselves really well when they were around. I heard them that day. Their feet stomping. I could see my mother. She was running back to us.
My mother.
Running.
Looking back at them, then forward to us. I could sense a very big fear from her. There was a long pole which they lunged at her with. Something pulled her back suddenly by her neck. It was so quick. They had her at the end of their pole. I could see her eyes, wide, staring. Her feet scrambling to stand but she couldn’t.
I didn’t know…I didn’t know what was happening but it was all bad. I kept hidden and watched as they threw her into the back of one of the noisy machines. A big one that had a very bad smell. There were dog noises too. Whimpers, cries, very quiet ones. Very sad ones. Pain ones. I was filled with a big fear and sadness all at once. All together. Mixed up and scary.
The men were coming towards our hiding place. Closer and closer they came. Their smell was bad. It was danger. I was shaking and so, so, scared. One of them had a big bag in his hand. The other one had the pole. I edged back as far as I could. Back, back into the darkest of the dark places. I hoped they couldn’t see me.
They were poking with their pole, backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards. I couldn’t see it but I could hear it, smell it, feel it scraping the ground, breaking the air. I was shaking and shaking. There was a yelp. Lots of yelps. I knew the sound. My family! The men had them. They threw them into the bag.
Human voices. A door slamming. The noise of the machine.
The whimpering was getting further away. Nothing left but the smell of the big machine and the badness it took with it.
I stayed there, in my hiding place, and watched. Staring at what had been. Now a space. An emptiness. Nothing but bad feelings. The sun slipped down low in the sky. The shadows grew long and disappeared. It was night time. I listened. The sounds had all changed. I couldn’t hear any of the other dogs. No snuffling, growling, nothing.
It was too scary for me to go out, even though I was hungry. I curled myself up into a tight safety ball, tucked my head under my legs as far as it would go, tried to get to sleep. It wasn’t easy. I kept thinking and thinking about what had happened. Pictures of what I’d seen. Awful ones.
I had never been alone before and I didn’t like it. There was nothing to snuggle up to. No other heartbeats. No kicks and dream noises. No snuffles. No breathing, apart from mine. And mine sounded so loud in this silence that was everything now. This bad, bad silence. Maybe the next day would be better?
 
I could feel the strength of the sun through the stone of the wall, smell the heat, but I didn’t move. I stayed and watched. When I had to go to the toilet I did it in the den, even though I knew that it was something I shouldn’t do, I was too afraid of the outside. I missed my family so much but I didn’t howl, I knew I couldn’t. I had to be as still and quiet as the emptiness that was left.
All day I waited, pricking my ears at every sound, catching smells, trying to recognise them. There was nothing. They weren’t coming back, were they? I had to move. My stomach told me so, my senses too. I had to move to stay alive. Darkness. Wait for the safety of darkness.
When it came I crept out very slowly, keeping my body low on the dusty ground. So low. Food was what I needed more than anything. I was so hungry that it hurt. I stopped for a moment and sniffed at the air, looked around. There were the shadows of trees and buildings and machines.
I crept a little bit further, standing taller. Then my nose caught it. Meat. I forgot about being scared and ran towards it. The smell. My mouth was wet.
The food smell was coming from a building quite close to our home. I had only seen it from further away before. It was a very noisy place with a lot of people, and at night time, the thump, thump, thump of music. Lots of laughter and humans having fun, but I knew that anywhere there were humans was dangerous for us. We had to be very careful. We kept far away if we could.
Tonight I had to go close.
There was a big piece of hard ground with lots of machines standing on it. I tried not to look, just run towards the smell of the food. Suddenly it was there. A machine, heading straight for me! The lights blinded me. I couldn’t move. I…
A human screamed and I felt a hand swoop me up and lift me so high, away from the machine. My heart was thumping and I was shaking. I didn’t know what was happening to me. If I was in danger, or if I was safe. The hands felt…safe. The human smell felt…safe.
‘Oh, look at you. It’s okay. Really it is.’ A man held me up high and sort of jiggled me, laughing. He must have been really big because I was so far above the ground.
‘Let me see. Is he okay?’ a woman asked.
Her voice wasn’t like the others I’d heard. The noises were a bit different, softer. There was a good smell coming from her. A smell of something friendly. Something kind. Something not hungry, not scared. She felt happy. Good.
‘You are so cute!’ she said. She held me close to her and I snuggled in, hiding my head under her arm. ‘Mum won’t mind,’ she giggled.
‘What about HIM?’ the man with her asked.
It didn’t sound nice. I don’t think he liked HIM.
The woman shrugged her shoulders. ‘It’ll be fine.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Don’t care really. Mum will be delighted.’
I couldn’t see anything because I kept myself tucked under her arm where I felt safest. The noises all changed. The smells too.   We were getting further and further away from my home. Further away from everything. That much I knew. But I felt safe. She felt safe. My eyes got heavy. The jiggling of her walk, the beat of her heart, the sound of her breathing, were all comforting. I fell asleep.
 
 

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About the Author:

 
Fiona dropped out of school aged 15, because being the consummate rebel, she hated it! After becoming a single parent she decided to return to education, graduating in 1996 with an honours degree in primary education. Ah, the irony!
As soon as she graduated she packed everything she owned into her Renault 11, including her daughter, two dogs and a cat, and headed off to Estonia to become an international school teacher. After fifteen years of teaching, predominantly in Eastern Europe, she returned to the UK .
She now lives on the east coast of Scotland with two Scottish rescue dogs and a disgruntled Portuguese cat.

Fiona is the author of two books:
To Retribution – A love story/political thriller set in times of turmoil.
http://amzn.to/1YlMDqy
 
Dan Knew – A fictionalised account of her travels told through the eyes of Dan, her rescued Ukrainian street dog.
http://amzn.to/2rQQWiL
 
 
Dan Knew Blurb
 
A Ukrainian street dog is rescued from certain death by an expat family. As he travels to new countries with them a darkness grows and he finds himself narrating more than just his story. More than a dog story. Ultimately it’s a story of escape and survival but maybe not his.
The world through Wee Dan’s eyes is told in a voice that will stay with you long after you turn that last page.
 
The animals in this book are all real, as are their stories. The people’s names have been changed to protect their privacy. Fact or fiction? Well, dogs can’t talk, can they?
 
Links:-
https://www.facebook.com/FJCurlew
 
Twitter @fjcurlew
 
Website
https://fjcurlew.com/
 

Review: Maria in the Moon by Louise Beech @LouiseWriter @orendabooks

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Goodreads|Amazon US|Amazon UK
Release date: September 30, 2017

Publisher: Orenda Books

Genre: Contemporary Fiction 

Blurb: 

Long ago my beloved Nanny Eve chose my name. Then one day she stopped calling me it. I try now to remember why, but I just can’t.’ 


Thirty-one-year-old Catherine Hope has a great memory. But she can’t remember everything. She can’t remember her ninth year. She can’t remember when her insomnia started. And she can’t remember why everyone stopped calling her Catherine-Maria. With a promiscuous past, and licking her wounds after a painful breakup, Catherine wonders why she resists anything approaching real love. But when she loses her home to the deluge of 2007 and volunteers at Flood Crisis, a devastating memory emerges … and changes everything. Dark, poignant and deeply moving, Maria in the Moon is an examination of the nature of memory and truth, and the defences we build to protect ourselves, when we can no longer hide… 

I’m honored and delighted to be hosting one of the stops on the blog tour for Maria in the Moon today!


Review:

Every once in awhile a special type of book comes along and gets well and truly under my skin, it takes ahold of me, consumes me even and Maria in the Moon was that rare beauty of a book. Louise Beech is an astoundingly gifted writer, reading one of her books is a true honor. 

I think the blurb for this book is absolutely perfect, it gets your attention yet it doesn’t give so much away that you totally know what to expect. The mystery of Catherine’s ninth year intrigued me enough to want to read it but I had no idea the true haunting, harrowing beauty this book would reveal. Catherine was such a fascinatingly complex woman, she’s exquisitely well drawn. She’s damaged and broken but she’s achingly raw and wholly relatable, I adored her and really cared about her, I was wholeheartedly invested in her story. Her time volunteering at the flood crisis hotline was my favorite part, it was heartbreaking and provided so much insight into her true character. 

This is such a unique read and one that’s hard to classify into just one standard genre, my friend Chelsea at The Suspense is Thrilling Me said Louise Beech novels are their own genre and I couldn’t agree more. There’s a little bit of everything, a mystery, some love, a hint of magical realism and most importantly, a plot that any human could relate to. Beech is one of the greats, no other author can bring out emotions in me like she can. 

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy. 

About the Author: 



Louise Beech has always been haunted by the sea. She regularly writes travel pieces for the Hull Daily Mail, where she was a columnist for ten years. Her short fiction has won the Glass Woman Prize, the Eric Hoffer Award for Prose, and the Aesthetica Creative Works competition, as well as shortlisting for the Bridport Prize twice and being published in a variety of UK magazines. Louise lives with her husband and children on the outskirts of Hull – the UK’s 2017 City of Culture – and loves her job as a Front of House Usher at Hull Truck Theatre, where her first play was performed in 2012. She was also part of the Mums’ Army on Lizzie and Carl’s BBC Radio Humberside Breakfast Show for three years.



Q & A with Ed Duncan, author of Pigeon Blood Red @pigeonbloodred

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Goodreads|Amazon
Release date: February 25, 2016

Genre: Mystery/Thriller 

Blurb:

For underworld enforcer Richard “Rico” Sanders, it seemed like an ordinary job. Retrieve his gangster boss’s priceless pigeon-blood red ruby necklace and teach the double-dealing cheat who stole it a lesson. A job like a hundred before it. But the chase quickly goes sideways and takes Rico from the mean streets of Chicago to sunny Honolulu, where the hardened hit man finds himself in uncharted territory when a couple of innocent bystanders are accidentally embroiled in the crime.


As Rico pursues his new targets, the hunter and his prey develop an unlikely respect for one another and Rico is faced with a momentous decision: follow his orders to kill the couple whose courage and character have won his admiration, or refuse and endanger the life of the woman he loves? 

Hey everyone! I hope y’all are having a wonderful weekend. I have a Q & A with Ed Duncan to share today, enjoy!

Q & A

1. What’s a typical writing day for you look like? Describe your perfect writing environment.

Since I’m retired, I really don’t have a typical writing day. I just came back from a writing conference, and one of the key note speakers, Lisa Scottoline, said that she writes, I believe, 2 to 3,000 words a day without fail. I’ve heard a number of other writers say they spend a certain number of hours per day in front of the keyboard or that they write a minimum number of words per day, and sometimes I feel guilty about not having a set routine that I follow day in and day out. However, that would make writing feel like too much of a job (and Lisa and the other writers referred to above do indeed treat writing as a job — which they enjoy), and having retired after 37 years of practicing law, often under highly pressurized circumstances, having another “job,” even one more relaxing than my last one, is the last thing I need. 

 

In short, I only write when the muse arrives, and that can be any time except bright and early in the morning since I’m an insomniac and don’t go to bed until the wee hours of the morning. When I was practicing law, I had to force myself to get up in the morning. Now I stay up until I’m sleepy. When the muse does arrive, the perfect writing environment for me is the upstairs room where I write, surrounded by silence, save for the sounds of me typing on the keyboard of the computer.


 


2. How did you get started writing? Was it something you’ve always loved?

 


I’ve enjoyed writing since English composition days in high school. My teachers often complimented me on my writing, and one of them wrote on a term paper of mine that my writing was seldom, if ever, equaled among her students. I considered that to be the ultimate compliment, and it caused me to think that I might have the talent to become a writer some day. Alas, I became a lawyer instead and I did a great deal of writing in that career. For instance, in 2008 I wrote a legal treatise for lawyers and judges called Ohio Insurance Coverage and updated it annually through 2012. But what I really wanted to do was write fiction and I retired to do just that (and also to travel.)

3. Who are your favorite writers/inspirations?

Some of my favorite writers in my genre (crime) are Dashiell Hammett, Lee Child, Dennis Lehane, Walter Moseley, and Scott Turow. Other favorites are Ernest Hemingway, James Jones, Somerset Maugham, Richard Wright, Ken Follett, Theodore Dreiser, Bruce Catton, and Michael Shaara. They are a diverse group but, of course, what they all have in common is their command of the English language.

4. Anything you can tell us about upcoming projects?

Pigeon-Blood Red is the first installment in a trilogy. I just finished the second, which will be called The Last Straw. It reunites the main characters from the first book. Here is the log line: “When a teen-age girl witnesses a carjacking gone bad, she is marked for death by a crime boss with no apparent motive. A black lawyer and a white enforcer with an unlikely history join forces to protect her from a hit man with an agenda of his own.” The third book in the trilogy is tentatively entitled Rico Stays.

 5. Normally how do you develop plots/characters? Brief us on your process.

The two main characters in my trilogy — Paul, a lawyer, and Rico, an enforcer/hit man — come from different sides of the tracks. Consequently, their paths would not normally intersect. Therefore, I had to dream up realistic fact patterns that would bring them together in the context of a crime that impacted both of them. So that required a fair amount of brainstorming. I have come up with the ingredients for each book in the trilogy and after I finish the third, I may decide whether to add one or more books.

6. Favorite character from Pigeon-Blood Red?

Rico is my favorite character. I suspect he will be readers’ favorite as well. A “killer with a conscience,” he is filled with contradictions, which makes for a complex character. He has no qualms about killing men but he never kills children and he kills women only reluctantly and when they richly deserve it. He justifies killing at all on grounds that his victims all “had it coming,” but he knows he cannot always be certain of that. He is loyal to a fault and if you do him a favor, he’ll never forget it, even if you want him to. His girlfriend is a prostitute but that doesn’t bother him because her job doesn’t define her. He is a man of few words and he can be distant and brooding, but he also has a quick, dark sense of humor. In sum, you may question how he makes his living, but if you are in trouble, you want him on your side.

7. Preferred method for readers to contact you?

Readers can check out my author page on Amazon (www.amazon.com/author/edduncan), and they can visit my web page (www.eduncan.net). I’m also on Facebook (www.fb.com/ed.duncan 1210), Twitter ((@pigeonbloodred), and Pinterest.

8. On average, how long does it take you to write a book?

That’s difficult to answer because I don’t maintain a strict writing schedule. So it depends on how much time I happen to be writing per day when I’m writing at all. I worked on Pigeon-Blood Red for years because I wrote only at night after work and on weekends, and sometimes I set it aside for months on end. By contrast, I think I was able to finish The Last Straw in about 9 months.

9. Which one of your characters do you relate to the most?


 


I relate to Paul the most. He is a greatly exaggerated version of my younger self, only he is taller, smarter, better looking, more resourceful, etc. In fact, Paul was meant to be the main focus of the novel, but Rico fought me at every turn and ultimately took over the narrative by dent of his strong personality.


 


10. If writing wasn’t your career, what would you be doing?


 


I would be traveling to every corner of the world. Actually, I’m doing quite a bit of that now. I’ll be leaving for China, Hong Kong, and Japan in late September, and I visited South Africa and Cuba last year. Assuming I had to earn a living, though, I would probably still be a lawyer.


 


11. What’s the best compliment that you’ve received about your work?


 


I’ll quote it:  


 


“Duncan is definitely an author to keep an eye on. He can do humour and he can do heartbreak. This was more than just a crime thriller [sic] it was also about love, marriage and second chances. Pigeon-Blood Red is a superb crime thriller debut and I’m looking forward to the next book in this trilogy.”


 


That was high praise indeed and I hope every novel in the trilogy lives up to it.

Huge thanks to Ed for joining me today and to Kelsey at Book Publicity Services for arranging this! 

Blog Tour: The Kindred Killers by @GrahamSmith1972 @bloodhoundbook #BoulderUnleashed

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Release date: September 12, 2017

Publisher: Bloodhound Books

Genre: Mystery/Thriller, Crime Fiction

Blurb:

Jake Boulder’s help is requested by his best friend, Alfonse, when his cousin is crucified and burned alive along with his wife and children. As Boulder tries to track the heinous killer, a young woman is abducted. Soon her body is discovered and Boulder realises both murders have something unusual in common. 


With virtually no leads for Boulder to follow, he strives to find a way to get a clue as to the killer’s identity. But is he hunting for one killer or more? 


After a young couple are snatched in the middle of the night the case takes a brutal turn. When the FBI are invited to help with the case, Boulder finds himself warned off the investigation. When gruesome, and incendiary, footage from a mobile phone is sent to all the major US News outlets and the pressure to find those responsible for the crimes mounts. But with the authorities against him can Boulder catch the killer before it’s too late?

I’m thrilled to be kicking off the North American blog tour for The Kindred Killers today!


Review:

This is the second book in a series featuring Jake Boulder, I read the first, Watching the Bodies a few months ago and was seriously impressed! Jake is a fantastic lead with a unique viewpoint, I may even have a bit of a crush on him and I don’t think I’m alone there. He has that whole bad boy thing going on, he’s kind of grumpy but his sarcasm and quick wit are so appealing to me. With a strong protagonist and an exciting plot combined with a fluid, easy writing style this series is one crime fiction fans don’t want to miss. 

The story follows Jake as he tries to help Alfonse find the people who killed his cousin and his entire family in a horrific manner. The methods the killer uses were sick, twisted and highly disturbing. This is a graphic read, Smith pulls no punches, it’s hard hitting and in your face, but very purposeful. The storyline was so timely as it deals with hate crimes and was especially unsettling in the wake of the current events here in the US. This had a complex plot and plenty of misdirection, I never could predict what would happen next. 

This was incredibly fast paced, an electrifying read with more thrills than my poor heart could handle. Since Boulder is not bound by the law he’s able to chase leads in exciting ways, really get down and dirty and is one of my favorite aspects of this series. Smith is such a unique storyteller with a strong voice, I cannot wait to see what happens in book three!!

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy. 

About the Author:


A time served joiner Graham has built bridges, houses, dug drains and slated roofs to make ends meet. Since Christmas 2000 he has been manager of a busy hotel and wedding venue near Gretna Green, Scotland. 



An avid fan of crime fiction since being given one of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five books at the age of eight, he has also been a regular reviewer and interviewer for the well-respected website Crimesquad.com since 2009



He is the author of four books featuring DI Harry Evans and the Cumbrian Major Crimes Team and now two books in the crime series featuring Utah doorman, Jake Boulder.

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Review:  Cold Blood by Robert Bryndza @RobertBryndza @bookouture

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Release date: September 20, 2017

Publisher: Bookouture 

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Blurb: 

She fell in love with a killer, now she’s one too.


The suitcase was badly rusted, and took Erika several attempts, but it yielded and sagged open as she unzipped it. Nothing could prepare her for what she would find inside…


When a battered suitcase containing the dismembered body of a young man washes up on the shore of the river Thames, Detective Erika Foster is shocked. She’s worked on some terrifying cases but never seen anything like this before. 


As Erika and her team set to work, she makes the link with another victim – the body of a young woman dumped in an identical suitcase two weeks ago. 


Erika quickly realises she’s on the trail of a serial killer who’s already made their next move. Yet just as Erika starts to make headway with the investigation, she is the victim of a brutal attack. 


But nothing will stop Erika. As the body count rises, the twin daughters of her colleague Commander Marsh are abducted, and the stakes are higher than ever before. Can Erika save the lives of two innocent children before it’s too late? She’s running out of time and about to make a disturbing discovery…there’s more than one killer. 


Brilliantly gripping, Cold Blood will have you hooked from the first page and holding your breath to the heart-stopping and shocking ending. 

I’m absolutely thrilled to be one of the stops on the blog blitz for Cold Blood today!!


Review:

Erika Foster is back and I couldn’t be more excited! This is one of my favorite series out there and every single time a new book is released, I celebrate. I swear, not only does each book get better but there is a sense of maturity and growth, not only in Bryndza’s writing but also within the characters themselves. If you want to catch up with my reviews from the earlier books, here’s Dark Water and Last Breath. I read the first couple of books before I started blogging so no links I’m afraid! 

Erika undergoes quite a bit of emotional upheaval throughout this book and I loved seeing this side of her. Of course it wasn’t fun to see her struggling, but seeing how she handles various challenges and situations just provides such depth of character and really made me feel like I know her now. Peterson is still recovering and not on the job after the events in the last book, but Marsh is back and the dynamic between him and Erika is interesting to say the least. There’s also a new supervisor, Melanie and her and Erika are trying to find their footing with each other, Erika’s abrupt manner is not conducive to making friends. All of that to say, you go even deeper with Erika and team this time around and the characterization is just superb. 

This stays mostly in the present day as Erika works on a bizarre case where bodies are being found hacked up and stuffed into suitcases. There are flashbacks from a young woman named Nina starting in 2015 and ending up in the present day. At first I had no idea who Nina was, or why she was important but rest assured, things all come together in an impeccable manner that never fails to leave me breathless. 

A few distinct things make this series a standout for me. First, Bryndza always comes up with a fresh angle in regards to the cases Erika works on and this is no exception. You know how sometimes you’ll have a series you’re really into and then things sort of fall flat towards the middle? That doesn’t happen here, I’m just as invested and excited about these books as the day I finished book one. This really has everything a fantastic police procedural needs, it’s dark, gritty and disturbing, always intricately plotted, has a group of characters that you know and love, and pacing that leaves you on the edge of your seat the entire time. 

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy. 

About the Author:


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


The Night Stalker, Dark Water and Last Breath are the second, third, and fourth books in the series, and the fifth book, Cold Blood is now available to pre-order.


Robert’s books have sold over 2 million copies, and have been translated into 27 languages.


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


Blog Tour: The Missing Girls by Carol Wyer @carolewyer @bookouture

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Goodreads|Amazon US|Amazon UK
Release date: September 14, 2017

Publisher: Bookouture 

Genre: Mystery/Thriller 

Blurb: 

One girl found dead. Another girl gone…


Long shadows danced on the tin walls. Inside the trunk lay Carrie Miller, wrapped in plastic, arms folded across her ribcage, lips sealed tight forever…


When a girl’s body is found at a Midlands storage unit, it is too decomposed for Detective Robyn Carter to read the signs left by the killer.


No one knows the woman in blue who rented the unit; her hire van can’t be traced. But as the leads run dry another body is uncovered. This time the killer’s distinctive mark is plain to see, and matching scratches on the first victim’s skeleton make Robyn suspect she’s searching for a serial-killer. 


As Robyn closes in on the killer’s shocking hunting ground, another girl goes missing, and this time it’s someone close to her own heart. 


Robyn can’t lose another loved one. Can she find the sickest individual she has ever faced, before it’s too late?


An utterly gripping and darkly compelling detective thriller that will have fans of Robert Dugoni, Angela Marsons and James Patterson hooked from the very start. You will not guess the ending!

I’m so excited to be hosting a stop on the blog tour for The Missing Girls today! 


Review: 

This is the third book in Wyer’s Robyn Carter series, I absolutely loved the first two books, Little Girl Lost and Secrets of the Dead and I think it’s safe to say this is my favorite book thus far. It’s clear to me that this is the type of series that gets better with each book, this is right up there with two of my other beloved Bookouture series, Robert Bryndza’s Erika Foster and Angela Marsons Kim Stone. If by chance you’re a fan of those two and haven’t read this I highly recommend doing so! 

Per usual this opens with a gripping prologue that instantly grabs your attention, a young girl wakes up disoriented and terribly scared and is quickly aware she’s in grave danger when she realizes she’s being held captive by a deranged individual. Throughout the book there are several chapters from the young girls who are being captured and killed that were chilling and menacing and brought that sense of darkness and danger to the story. 

It was so great to catch up with Robyn and her team again, she has a new supervisor now, Flint and it’s been a huge adjustment for her. The rest of the team are still intact and they’re all really growing on me, I still have a soft spot for Anna and Matt and Mitz is a really lovely man. Wyer delves even deeper into Robyn’s past, especially her relationship with Davies which is so nice as it shows her softer side and just adds to the solid characterization that’s already been established. There’s also more detailing her relationship with Davies daughter, Amelie and I love their special bond. 

Once again there is the same intricate plotting and meticulous attention to detail here, there were so many various threads that I had no clue how they would all eventually tie together. There was an onslaught of twists and turns as Robyn raced to catch a killer before he could strike again and the pacing is relentless and breathless. This hit on some very current issues with a cyber bullying angle that is every parents worst nightmare, it is insanely important to monitor teenagers social media usage. 

This was already a five star read for me before the last chapter and then Wyer threw a gigantic curveball that knocked everything on it’s head. While everything with the current case was wrapped up nicely things in Robyn’s personal life were sent into a complete tailspin, talk about one hell of a cliffhanger ending!! I am desperate to get my hands on book four now and cannot wait to see what happens next. 

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy. 

About the Author:


As a child Carol Wyer was always moving, and relied on humour to fit in at new schools. A funny short story won her popularity, planting the seed of becoming a writer. Her career spans dry cleaning, running a language teaching company, and boxercise coaching. Now writing full-time, Carol has several books published by Safkhet and journalism in many magazines.  


Carol won The People’s Book Prize Award for non-fiction (2015), and can sometimes be found performing her stand-up comedy routine Laugh While You Still Have Teeth.


 


Little Girl Lost, the first book in the Detective Robyn Carter crime thriller series came out in January 2017.

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Blog Tour: Thief’s Mark by Carla Neggers @TLCBookTours

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Release date: August 29, 2017

Publisher: MIRA

Genre:  Mystery, Romantic Suspense

Blurb: 

A murder in a quiet English village, long-buried secrets and a man’s search for answers about his traumatic past entangle FBI agents Emma Sharpe and Colin Donovan in the latest edge-of-your-seat Sharpe & Donovan novel 


As a young boy, Oliver York witnessed the murder of his wealthy parents in their London apartment. The killers kidnapped him and held him in an isolated Scottish ruin, but he escaped, thwarting their plans for ransom. Now, after thirty years on the run, one of the two men Oliver identified as his tormentors may have surfaced.


Emma Sharpe and Colin Donovan are enjoying the final day of their Irish honeymoon when a break-in at the home of Emma’s grandfather, private art detective Wendell Sharpe, points to Oliver. The Sharpes have a complicated relationship with the likable, reclusive Englishman, an expert in Celtic mythology and international art thief who taunted Wendell for years. Emma and Colin postpone meetings in London with their elite FBI team and head straight to Oliver. But when they arrive at York’s country home, a man is dead and Oliver has vanished.


As the danger mounts, new questions arise about Oliver’s account of his boyhood trauma. Do Emma and Colin dare trust him? With the trail leading beyond Oliver’s small village to Ireland, Scotland and their own turf in the US, the stakes are high, and Emma and Colin must unravel the decades-old tangle of secrets and lies before a killer strikes again.


New York Times bestselling author Carla Neggers delivers the gripping, suspense-filled tale readers have been waiting for. 

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Thief’s Mark! If you want to follow along with the tour check out TLC Book Tours for the full schedule.

Review: 

Thief’s Mark is the seventh book in a series featuring FBI agents Emma Sharpe and Colin Donovan but I haven’t read any of the previous books, I just decided to start here after hearing such good things about this series. There did seem to be very extensive back stories relating to not only the two main characters, but also the secondary ones and I have to admit I felt like I was missing out a little. Neggers did provide some background information as to past events, but I feel like if I had actually read the earlier books I would’ve been better prepared and informed about what exactly was going on, I was missing some subtle nuances. I don’t want to dissuade anyone from reading this as a standalone, just for me personally I feel I would’ve benefited and  enjoyed this one more had I been caught up. 

Sharpe and Donovan are wrapping up their honeymoon when they get roped into assisting an investigation surrounding an old cold case involving their sometimes friend Oliver. This was a multifaceted mystery, a good old fashioned whodunnit that was on the lighter side, there’s no gore or overly descriptive violence here. There are many various plot threads running through this book and when things came to a head it was unexpected and unpredictable. This has romantic elements and is very much a romantic suspense so if you like a dash of love in a murder mystery, you’ll like this one. I really liked both Sharpe and Donovan, I was sort of reminded of Catherine Coulter’s FBI series with Sherlock and Savich, just not as heavy, so if you like that series give this one a shot! 

Overall rating: 3/5

Thanks to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for my review copy. 

About the Author 


Carla Neggers is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 60 novels, including her popular Sharpe and Donovan and Swift River Valley series. Her books have been translated into 24 languages and sold in over 35 countries. A frequent traveler to Ireland, Carla lives with her family in New England. To learn more and to sign up for her newsletter, visit CarlaNeggers.com.


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