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Release date: April 9, 2017

Genre: Literary, Humor

Blurb: 

Nothing much ever happened on Horseshoe Lane – why should it? It was, after all, just a normal suburban backwater with the usual cross section of growing families, ageing pensioners, the occasional singleton and a brace of curtain twitchers. The arrival of celebrity couple, Heavenly and Travis, however, changes all that. This glamorous pair bring about a summer of competitive party throwing and ambitious home improvement projects that will have disastrous and completely unforeseen consequences.  

 

Neighbours who’ve got by for years with just the occasional chat over a garden fence about the unseasonable amount of rain or the state of next door’s garden are slowly united by suspicion as a husband goes missing, a much loved cat turns up dead on a doorstep and Enid from Number Seven is found badly injured at the foot of the cliff.   

 

Could one person be responsible for all of this? Could that person be the strange and unlikeable Hilary Jones from Number Nine? There was only going to be one way to find out and it was going to involve a lot of whiskey….

 

In this her wonderful follow up to ‘The Rock Star Known as Horse’, Owen’s riveting new story finds a murky side to the suburbs, a side where petty jealousies and neighbourly rivalries can escalate out of all control with calamitous results, all intricately observed with her usual dark humour firmly to the fore.  

I’m delighted to be one of the stops on the blog tour for The Bitches of Suburbia today!

Review:

I know some people will probably be put off by the title of this one but it’s actually what first caught my attention and made me think, now that sounds like the type of book I would like to read! I figured an author who was bold enough to use the word bitches in the title would have the type of sarcastic sense of humor that I love and boy was I right. This book was darkly humorous, sassy and a whole hell of a lot of fun.

Right from the start I got a Desperate Housewives vibe, there’s that same feisty spirit and campy, gossipy fun on Horseshoe Lane that there was on Wisteria Lane. The neighborhood is full of unique characters, some are pretty average and boring and others are downright scandalous, there’s even a married couple that are swingers!! So this is a little bit sexy, but not gratuitous but there are plenty of outrageous moments and naughty behavior. Out of all the residents I think Gertrude was my favorite, she’s a ninety something whisky drinking bad girl, what’s not to love?!

While there is some death and murder this read more like a cozy mystery with bite, it’s definitely not as cutesy as a cozy, it’s sharper and more cunning. A totally fun  read written in an easy style, I would definitely read another one of Owen’s books.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the author and Rachel Gilbey for my review copy. 

About the Author:

Jane’s first novel, Camden Girls, was published by Penguin twenty years ago and quickly became an international cult bestseller published in many languages including Japanese, Spanish,German, Hebrew, Italian and Dutch. She’d already spent many years working in the film business working alongside stars such as Christophe Lambert, Andi McDowell, Daryl Hannah and James Remar before switching to the music business and working for bands such as The Who, Robert Plant, ZZTop and many more. Eventually, even that got boring and that’s when she wrote Camden Girls.  

 

After publication, life became interrupted by an unfortunate traffic accident and Jane moved out of London to Sussex and slowly returned to writing. Her novels don’t fit into any specific category and, frustrated by endless rejections along the lines of ‘You write beautifully but we don’t know how to sell this book’ she started self publishing. Rave reviews gave her the confidence to keep going and believe in what she was writing.

 

She’s still in Sussex, sharing her life with her musician partner, three horses and a dog and divides her day between writing and riding.  

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Release date: October 27, 2017

Publisher: Bookouture 

Genre: Mystery/Thriller 

Blurb:

They placed me in here and threw away the key. I look down at the gown they’ve put on me. I want my own clothes. I don’t know how long I’ve been here.

An elderly woman is found murdered in her own home, and Detective Lottie Parker and her partner Detective Boyd are called in to investigate. When they discover that the victim’s daughter is missing as well, they start to fear for the safety of the whole family…

Two days later as a nearby house is set on fire and with the body count rising, Lottie and her team begin to unpick a web of secrets and lies, as the murders seem to link back to a case investigated by Lottie’s father before he took his own life. 

With little knowledge of what really happened to her father, Lottie knows this is a case that could give her some answers. But how much does she want to know? And how far is Lottie prepared to dig to uncover the truth?

The Lost Child is a thrilling page-turner from the bestselling author of The Missing Ones and The Stolen Girls that will have you guessing right to the very last page. Perfect for fans of Rachel Abbott, Angela Marsons and Robert Dugoni.

I’m so thrilled to be helping to kick off the blog tour for The Lost Child today!

Review:

This is the third book in a series that follows Lottie Parker, I absolutely loved The Missing Ones and The Stolen Girls and was eagerly awaiting the latest installment. I don’t recommend jumping in at this point in the series because the character development is SO great and each book reveals a little bit more about Lottie and her other team members. Also, it’s an awesome series so if you’re a fan of police procedurals and haven’t read this you are definitely missing out!

Lottie is still a lovable mess, she constantly has way too many plates spinning but she just cannot help herself, she thrives on chaos. Her kids are doing a bit better after the events of the last book but their house is still crazy and Lottie is struggling to maintain a balance between work and family life. Speaking of work, her caseload is bigger than ever, true to form there is a lot going on in this book and several interesting sub plots/cases are being investigated, there is always action and excitement in a Gibney book. Boyd is still around, much to my relief and once again, his and Lottie’s chemistry is amazing. 

This is told mainly in the present but there are several chapters from The Child, a nameless person who appears to have been raised primarily in an asylum under horrific circumstances. I wondered so many times how this could possibly relate to any of the investigations and when things all came together I was definitely surprised. 

Gibney has certainly found her stride with this series, she does a fantastic job weaving together an intricate plot with red herrings galore and excitement and tension to boot. It’s dark, gritty and intense with shocking developments and well executed twists. This case turns deeply personal for Lottie and provided more questions than answers in the end and I really cannot wait to see what happens next! 

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy. 

About the Author:

Patricia lives in the midlands of Ireland. She is an avid crime reader so naturally she found herself writing in the crime genre. 

A life changing experience in 2009, with the death of her 49 year old husband, meant she had to give up her career, and over the following few years, she rekindled her love of art and writing. 

Initially Patricia wrote and illustrated a children’s book, but her real ambition was to write a novel. And she did!

In January 2016, she joined with Ger Nichol of The Book Bureau Literary Agency. In July 2016, Patricia signed with Bookouture for four DI Lottie Parker crime novels. 

The Missing Ones (Book 1) published in March 2017 and to date has reached a high of number 2 in Amazon UK Kindle charts and number 6 in the US. It also achieved number 1 in all its categories. It is a bestseller in UK, US, Canada and Australia.

Book 2 in the series, The Stolen Girls, published on July 6th, 2017.

Book 3, The Lost Child, is on pre-order and is published on October 27th, 2017.

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Release date: October 24, 2017

Publisher: Bookouture

Genre: Romantic Comedy 

Blurb: 

A dream family Christmas or a total nightmare? Katy and Ben are about to find out…

Katy’s been stuck in the office away from her family so she wants it all: snow (fake or real), the Michael Bublé Christmas album, whatever it takes. 

There’s only one thing missing as far as her husband Ben is concerned: another baby to complete their family. But Katy isn’t so sure she’s ready yet…

Ben may be playing the role of Master Elf in the pre-school nativity but he is struggling to master his own family life. With romantically-challenged friends, an ex who refuses to go away and Katy’s mum’s 64-year-old toy boy thrown into the mix, Christmas looks like it could be going off the rails… Never mind family planning, can Katy and Ben even plan to make it to the end of Christmas Day? 

From the no. 1 bestselling author of No-one Ever Has Sex on a Tuesday, this book will make you cry with laughter, and then book your flights abroad for the festive season. Perfect for fans of Marian Keyes, Sophie Kinsella and Milly Johnson. 

I’m absolutely delighted to be one of the stops on the blog blitz for No-One Ever Has Sex on Christmas Day today!

Review:

This was one of the funniest books I’ve read in awhile, there was some seriously hilarious moments that had me dying! Think slap happy in terms of style and over the top comedy and that’s the type of read this was. If you’re looking for a different kind of Christmas book, this would be absolutely perfect, while the humor was my favorite part there are still some heartwarming scenes and a little romance as well. 

This is the third book in a series but I started with this one and had absolutely no problem catching up quickly. It seems Katy and Ben have had their fair share of issues in the past but they’ve managed to stick together and are happily married with a daughter, Millie. After being introduced to their circle of friends and family I can see why they’ve found themselves in some awkward situations, but man do they make for some amazingly fun scenes. Katy’s mom really cracked me up as did Ben’s best friend, Braindead. Yes, Braindead but it is a nickname but one that everyone uses freely and if you’ve read any of these books you’ll understand why! This was full of an eccentric, quirky cast that just completely stole my heart. 

This had a sassy edge that I loved, tons of sarcasm and slightly inappropriate humor that really made me giggle. I know I’ve said this probably too many times already but this really was a hysterical read, I doubt anyone could read it and NOT find it funny! 

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

About the Author:

Tracy started writing when her cruel, heartless husband ripped her away from her dream job shopping for rollercoasters for the UK’s leading theme parks, to live in America with a brand new baby and no mates. In a cunning plan to avoid domestic duties and people who didn’t understand her Derbyshire accent, she wrote her romantic comedy, NO-ONE EVER HAS SEX ON A TUESDAY. This debut novel went on to be successfully published internationally and became a #1 Best Seller.
Back in the UK she has continued her writing career and has just launched her sixth book.

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Release date: October 17, 2017

Publisher: Avon

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Blurb:

Alexia Kennedy – interior decorator extraordinaire – has been tasked with giving the little village of Middledip the community café it’s always dreamed of.

After months of fundraising, the villagers can’t wait to see work get started – but disaster strikes when every last penny is stolen. With Middledip up in arms at how this could have happened, Alexia feels ready to admit defeat.

But help comes in an unlikely form when woodsman, Ben Hardaker and his rescue owl Barney, arrive on the scene. Another lost soul who’s hit rock bottom, Ben and Alexia make an unlikely partnership.

However, they soon realise that a little sprinkling of Christmas magic might just help to bring this village – and their lives – together again…

Settle down with a mince pie and a glass of mulled wine as you devour this irresistibly festive Christmas tale. The perfect read for fans of Carole Matthews and Trisha Ashley.

I’m so delighted to welcome you to my stop on the blog tour for The Little Village Christmas today!

Review: 

What an enchanting, heartwarming read this one was! I’ve heard so many great things about Sue Moorcroft’s books from many of my blogger buddies and when I heard she was not only releasing a new book, but a Christmas one I knew this would be the perfect opportunity to try one of her novels. Delightfully fun and touching, this is the perfect read for those days where you want to cuddle up and read something that’ll make you feel warm and fuzzy. 

Alexia and Ben were both the type of characters that you form an immediate connection with, they’re both extremely likable and realistic. Both of them are at a sort of crossroads in their lives, Ben has recently separated from his wife and there’s a mystery surrounding that whole situation that intrigued me right up until the end and Alexia has plans to move out of the village and start a new life in the city. Besides being realistic Ben was also adorably quirky, he has a soft spot for animals and is helping an injured owl, there’s some really swoon worthy moments with him and the romance was tender and sweet.

The location is fabulous, I adore a quaint little English village as a setting and Middledip surely provides that. There is a strong sense of community spirit when the residents rally around Alexia and Gabe after disaster strikes and they’re conned, it had some great feel good parts that made me sigh with happiness. The bulk of the story takes place in the weeks leading up to Christmas so it’s not all mistletoe and carols, you could indulge in the one at any time of the year! 

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy. 

About the Author: 

Award winning author Sue Moorcroft writes contemporary women’s fiction with occasionally unexpected themes. The Wedding Proposal, Dream a Little Dream and Is This Love? were all nominated for Readers’ Best Romantic Read Awards. Love & Freedom won the Best Romantic Read Award 2011 and Dream a Little Dream was nominated for a RoNA in 2013. Sue’s a Katie Fforde Bursary Award winner, a past vice chair of the RNA and editor of its two anthologies.

The Christmas Promise was a Kindle No.1 Best Seller and held the No.1 slot at Christmas!

Sue also writes short stories, serials, articles, writing ‘how to’ and is a creative writing tutor.

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