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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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Release date: May 25, 2017

Publisher: Inspired Quill

Blurb: 

He never intended to be a jailer …

After years of travelling, responsible to no-one but himself, Steve has resolved to settle down. He gets a job, buys a house and persuades Liesel to move in with him.

Life’s perfect, until Liesel delivers her ultimatum: if he won’t agree to start a family, she’ll have to leave. He can’t bear to lose her, but how can he face the prospect of fatherhood when he has no idea what being a father means? If he could somehow make her stay, he wouldn’t have to choose … and it would be a shame not to make use of the cellar.

Will this be the solution to his problems, or the catalyst for his own unravelling?

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Underneath! 

Review: 

This was a truly unique read with a very dark premise. Steve and Liesel are both odd characters that have a very strange relationship, one of the weirdest that I have ever come across. It was fascinating in the same way that watching a train wreck is and I was gripped throughout this book. 

The structure of this was distinct in that it was broken up into six parts instead of a bunch of chapters. Each one began with a brief scene where someone is locked in a cellar and this addition added a real sense of menace to an already dark tale. It starts when Steve and Liesel meet and follows as their relationship quickly develops into something serious. Things unravel as quickly as they began when she flips the relationship on it’s head and decides that she does want children after all, something that they both had previously been vehemently against. The consequences of this decision are life changing for both of them and watching the events play out was quite the experience. 

This was a quick read as once I started, I was well and genuinely drawn in and hooked. Both Steve and Liesel were well formed characters, but Steve even more so as there were parts that flashbacked to his disturbing childhood. There was a really clever twist that shocked me and ramped up the intensity as well and this was an overall really absorbing read. 

Overall rating: 4/5

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Blurb: 

Three murders. Three innocent victims. What secrets did they share with their killer?

A bottle of bubble bath and colourful, plastic boats were scattered in small puddles on the floor. In the bathtub lay Linda Upton, fully-clothed, her lips a shade of blue, and her bloodshot eyes wide open.

When a young mother is found drowned in the bath, clutching a receipt saying ‘all debts paid’, Detective Robyn Carter knows it’s just the beginning of a harrowing case. She recognises the signs of a serial killer, and when a second victim with a receipt is found, her worst fears are confirmed.

With the local press whipping the public into a frenzy, Robyn is under pressure to solve the crime yesterday. But her team can’t find a link between the two bodies, and the cracks are starting to show.

Just when her leads have dried up, Robyn discovers an unsettling clue she thinks could unlock the case. But as she chases across the plush carpets and manicured lawns of the wealthy elite, honing in on the killer’s shocking motive, one of her own is put in terrible danger.

The press call him The Leopard for his stealth, speed and brutality. Can Robyn stop the most twisted killer of her career before it’s too late?

A heart-pounding, toe-curling, one-sitting serial killer thriller that will hook you from the first page till the last. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbott and Karin Slaughter.

I’m thrilled to be helping to kick off the blog tour for Secrets of the Dead today and I want to wish Carol the happiest of publication days! 

Review: 

This is the second book in a series featuring Robyn Carter, I read Little Girl Lost at the beginning of the year and was blown away by Wyer’s debut as a thriller author. Not only is she an extremely talented romantic comedy writer, this second foray into a different genre has firmly cemented her place as a dominant force as a thriller author, what a multitalented woman. 

Robyn is still working as a DI and now that she’s found her groove again, she’s ready to keep climbing the ranks as she craves more responsibility and action. When she begins working a case where the victims are all found with a receipt that says, debts paid, she knows she is looking for a killer hell bent on revenge. 

I instantly connected with Robyn the first time around and this time as I learned more about her past, especially her time with Davies, I saw a softer, gentler side to her that appealed to me. The rest of her team is also interesting, I have a soft spot for Anna and Matt and the group dynamics were detailed more this time around. 

One of the things that impressed me so much in the first book was the way Wyer took so many unrelated plot threads and managed to merge them all together in a stunning way. Secrets of the Dead was plotted in the same meticulous manner and featured a large, diverse cast of characters making it very difficult for me to pinpoint who the killer really was. It also had the same fast and furious pacing with short chapters of the kind that keep you turning pages long into the night. 

It stays mostly in the present day with only a smattering of chapters told from the killers perspective via flashbacks. This was clever as it drew me in even deeper, steadily stringing me along as I was so interested in finding out what this persons true motivations were. It kept me on my toes and gave the book an edgy, suspenseful vibe that I liked. 

Wyer raised the stakes with this book, Robyn is the type of strong lead character that can easily carry a series and the more I read about her, the more I like her. She believes in following her gut instincts and doesn’t back down even when no one else agrees with her and I admire a person who has strong convictions. This is another winner for me and Wyer just needs to write faster so I can keep reading more about Robyn and team. 

Overall rating: 4/5

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.

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