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Release date: November 27, 2017

Publisher: Fridhem Publishing

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Blurb:

When Jacques’s body is discovered in a hotel room his wife, Patricia, suspects he has been hiding something from her.

Why was he found naked and who is the woman that visited his grave on the day of the funeral? Significantly, who is the unnamed beneficiary Jacques left a large sum of money to in his will and what is the reason her best friend, also Jacques’s sister, Coco, refuses to tell her what he confided to her?

Struggling to find out the truth, Patricia visits Malmö where her twin sister Jasmine lives and is married to her ex boyfriend. But the sisters relationship is toxic and when a family member dies shortly after, an old secret is revealed that shines a light on an event that took place on their tenth birthday.

As one revelation after the other is revealed, Patricia is yet to discover her husband’s biggest secret and what ultimately cost him his life.

His Guilty Secret is an unafraid examination of the tangled bonds between siblings, the lengths we go to in protecting our wrongdoings, and the enduring psychological effects this has on the innocent…and the not so innocent.

I’m so pleased to be the stop on the blog tour for His Guilty Secret today!

Review:

The premise for this hooked me instantly, I’m always down with a book about secrets and boy were there some whoppers here! Patricia’s husband Jacques passing away naked and alone in a hotel room is just the beginning of questionable happenings and as she grieves her loss Patricia is forced to simultaneously face up to her own past as well as the lies her husband died protecting.

I read one of Fermont’s books last year and really enjoyed it, it was very different from the types of books I’m typically drawn to, but made for an engrossing read. She has a skillful and lovely way with words that draws you in and she creates characters that are relatable, they seem like women that I would want to approach in real life. I felt so much sympathy for Pat, I can’t imagine being blindsided the way she was and admired the grace and dignity she maintained while trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered life.

This was on the lighter side despite it dealing with some heavy topics, it read like a true drama and was full of interesting secondary characters giving it an almost soap opera vibe. There were so many secrets being kept, it seemed like all of them were hiding something and I always like that uneasy sense of not knowing who to trust in a book. This was an emotional journey following Pat and I was wholly invested in her life and that of her family and friends, pick this up if you’re in the mood for something different that’s written in a really beautiful and unique way.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the author for my review copy.

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Release date: December

Publisher: Bookouture

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Blurb:

The boy studied the bruise turning yellow at the base of his neck. With quick fingers his mother tightened his tie, and pulled his collar high above it. Her eyes alone said, We will not speak of this…

Years later, a man is found shot dead in a local park. On his phone is a draft text: I can’t keep this secret any longer. The recipient is unnamed.

Detective Robyn Carter knows this secret is the key to the case, but his friends and family don’t offer any clues, and all her team have to go on is a size-ten footprint.

Then a nurse is found in a pool of blood at the bottom of her staircase, and a seemingly insignificant detail in her friend’s statement makes Robyn wonder: are the two bodies connected, and has the killer only just begun?

When another body confirms Robyn’s worst fears, she realises she’s in a race against time to stop the killer before they strike again. But just as she thinks she’s closing in, one of her own team goes missing.

Buried in the past is a terrible injustice. Can Robyn uncover the truth before another life is lost?

An absolutely heart-stopping and compelling serial killer thriller that will keep you up all night. Perfect for fans of Karin Slaughter, Rachel Abbott and Robert Dugoni.

I’m absolutely thrilled to be one of the stops on the blog tour for The Silent Children today!!

Review:

If you’re a new follower you may not know that this series is one of my absolute favorites, I’ve read and loved them all. I highly recommend starting at the first book and catching up as soon as possible because they’re SO good and you really need to read Robyn’s backstory to appreciate how excellent they are. The order is Little Girl Lost, Secrets of the Dead, The Missing Girls then this one, so get cracking and add them to your Christmas list!

Wyer is a clever lady and I love her formula of inserting chapters pertaining to the case via flashbacks that she uses in each book. This time, an unknown boy is telling the story of his terribly sad life full of horror and abuse. The addition of these snippets in between chapters from Robyn and team gave this such a dark, harrowing and gritty feel that worked so well for me. Per usual there are several plot threads to keep track of and again, as always this has a highly complex storyline that I never could quite figure out, Robyn sure is a better detective than me 😜

Wyer is beginning to be the queen of curveballs and this was no exception, especially as it relates to Robyn’s personal life. I’m being purposefully vague in case you haven’t read the previous book but she’s torturing us readers by giving us a tiny piece of the puzzle and then moving on. I LOVE IT! Keeps me on my toes and makes me all the more eager for the next book. Fans of police procedurals/thrillers that haven’t read this are truly missing out, they’re fast paced, exciting, shocking and fantastically well written.

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

About the Author: < strong><<<<
l E. Wyer is an award-winning author whose humorous books take a light-hearted look at getting older and encourage others to age disgracefully. More recently she has chosen to write for the "dark side" and embarked on a series of thrillers, starting with the gripping best-seller, Little Girl Lost.

Her book Grumpy Old Menopause won The People's Book Prize Award for non-fiction 2015.

Carol has been interviewed on numerous radio shows discussing 'Irritable Male Syndrome' and 'Ageing Disgracefully' and on BBC Breakfast television. She has had articles published in national magazines 'Woman's Weekly' featured in 'Take A Break', 'Choice', 'Yours' and 'Woman's Own' magazines and writes regularly for The Huffington Post.

Carol is a signed author with Bookouture and Delancey Press.

To learn more about Carol, go to www.carolwyer.co.uk or follow Carol on Twitter: @carolewyer.

Carol blogs at www.facing50withhumour.com and www.grumpyoldmenopause.com

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Release date: November 30, 2017

Publisher: Pan

Genre: Historical Fiction

Blurb:

War pulled them apart, but can it bring them back together?

Molly lives with her repugnant father, who has betrayed her many times. From a young age, living on the streets of London’s East End, she has seen the harsh realities of life . . . When she’s kidnapped by a gang and forced into their underworld, her future seems bleak.

Flo spent her early years in an orphanage, and is about to turn her hand to teacher training. When a kindly teacher at her school approaches her about a job at Bletchley Park, it could be everything she never knew she wanted.

Will the girls’ friendship be enough to weather the hard times ahead?

I’m so delighted to be the stop on the blog tour for Brighter Days Ahead today!

Review:

Oh how I love a good saga from time to time, especially if it’s set during World War Two, there’s something about that era that I just can’t get enough of, it’s endlessly fascinating. I was totally swept away by Brighter Days Ahead and caught up in the lives of Molly and Flo and found myself invested in their lives almost from the very beginning of the book.

As much as I loved the premise for this book the characterization made it a really fantastic read. Both Flo and Molly were unforgettable but Flo has a special place in my heart, I was totally charmed by her generous nature and positive outlook despite a rather bleak time. I felt for poor Molly, she’s put in an awful situation, this took a darker turn with her storyline that I had anticipated. Their story is told separately for half of the book as they don’t meet until that point, but their friendship was beautiful and so nice to see.

Woods explored some very interesting issues and themes here, Flo has a dear friend that is gay and hearing about how terribly homosexuals were treated during this time was sickening and heartbreaking. Flo also works at Bletchley Park which always intrigues me, I’ll never get tired of learning more about this amazing place.

If you’re a fan of WW2 era Historical Fiction or epic sagas, give this a try. It had some lovely themes, like friendship, hope, strength, courage and love. It was a powerful, emotional story that I won’t forget anytime soon.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

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Release date: November 28, 2017

Publisher: Atria

Genre: Fiction

Blurb:

From the author of the highly acclaimed The Railwayman’s Wife, called a “literary and literate gem” by Psychology Today, comes an emotionally resonant and profound new novel of two families, interconnected through the house that bears witness to their lives.

When Elsie Gormley leaves the Brisbane house in which she has lived for more than sixty years, Lucy Kiss and her family move in, eager to establish their new life. As they settle in, Lucy and her husband Ben struggle to navigate their transformation from adventurous lovers to new parents, taking comfort in memories of their vibrant past as they begin to unearth who their future selves might be. But the house has secrets of its own, and the rooms seem to share recollections of Elsie’s life with Lucy.

In her nearby nursing home, Elsie traces the span of her life—the moments she can’t bear to let go and the places to which she dreams of returning. Her beloved former house is at the heart of her memories of marriage, motherhood, love, and death, and the boundary between present and past becomes increasingly porous for both her and Lucy.

Over the course of one hot Brisbane summer, two families’ stories intersect in sudden and unexpected ways. Through the richly intertwined narratives of two ordinary, extraordinary women, Ashley Hay uses her “lyrical prose, poetic dialogue, and stunning imagery” (RT magazine) to weave an intricate, bighearted story of what it is to be human.

I’m so excited to be one of the stops on the blog tour for A Hundred Small Lessons today! Check out TLC Book Tours for the full schedule.

Review:

This is told via alternate perspectives from Elsie and Lucy. Eighty eight year old Elsie is forced to move out of her home after she falls and Lucy is the woman who buys her home. There was something poignant and touching about one woman leaving one of the only homes she’s ever known as another younger woman moves in. Both of them were highly complex characters, this book is very character driven to the point where the plot almost takes a back seat as it’s not as important, what matters is Elsie and Lucy’s feelings, insecurities and struggles.

There was something about this one that spoke to me, maybe because one of its biggest themes is motherhood and I could wholeheartedly relate to many of the struggles the two women faced. I think most mothers have struggled with not wholly defining themselves through their children and also being too hard on themselves in order to be a perfect mother. Hay writes beautifully, her prose is gentle, lyrical and there’s a quiet confidence to her writing style. Mothers at any stage in their life could relate to and enjoy this one, recommended for a day where you want to escape with a moving story.

Overall rating: 4/5

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

About the Author:

Ashley Hay is the internationally acclaimed author of the novels The Body in the Clouds and The Railwayman’s Wife, which was honored with the Colin Roderick Award by the Foundation for Australian Literary Studies and longlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award, the most prestigious literary prize in Australia, among numerous other accolades. She has also written four nonfiction books. She lives in Brisbane, Australia.

Connect with Ashley

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Release date: September 19, 2017

Publisher: Atria

Genre: Literary Fiction

Blurb:

A deeply moving, humorous story of a boy who believes in everything and an old man who believes in nothing.

In 1934, a rabbi’s son in Prague joins a traveling circus, becomes a magician, and rises to fame under the stage name the Great Zabbatini just as Europe descends into World War II. When Zabbatini is discovered to be a Jew, his battered trunk full of magic tricks becomes his only hope of surviving the concentration camp where he is sent.

Seven decades later in Los Angeles, ten-year-old Max finds a scratched-up LP that captured Zabbatini performing his greatest tricks. But the track in which Zabbatini performs his love spell—the spell Max believes will keep his disintegrating family together—is damaged beyond repair. Desperate for a solution, Max seeks out the now elderly, cynical magician and begs him to perform his magic on his parents. As the two develop an unlikely friendship, Moshe discovers that Max and his family have a surprising connection to the dark, dark days the Great Zabbatini experienced during the war.

Recalling the melancholy humor of Isaac Bashevis Singer and the heartbreaking pathos of the film Life is Beautiful—this outstanding first novel is at once an irreverent yet deeply moving story about a young boy who believes in magic and a disillusioned old man who believes in nothing, as well as a gripping and heartfelt tale about the circle of life.

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for The Trick! To follow along with the rest of the tour check out TLC Book Tours.

Review:

I love a good tale about an unlikely friendship and the relationship between Moshe and Max is about as unlikely as it gets. Moshe AKA Zabbatini is a cantankerous old man with nothing much left to live for and no desire to hang out with a child. Max is a ten year old boy suffering through his parents separation and he honestly broke my heart. While Max was a likable little guy, Moshe was not, he was foul, crude and cranky but somehow the old geezer wormed his way inside my heart anyway. Likable or not, these two were memorable and had one of those rare relationships born of desperation and hope.

This flips back and forth between present day and the past so rather than classify it as literary fiction, I would call it historical as well and that was one of my favorite parts of this book. Moshe lived an incredible life and it was fascinating to see what shaped him into the person he was at eighty eight. This was a tender, bittersweet story that tugged on my heartstrings and left a lasting impression in the end. Recommended for HF lovers and those who enjoy the type of book that transports you to a different place and time and also gives some good life lessons along the way.

Quick side note, I’m hosting a giveaway on Instagram for a chance to win a copy of this book!

Overall rating: 4/5

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

About the Author:

Emanuel Bergmann was born in Germany and is a journalist and translator. He has been living in Los Angeles since 1990. His first novel, The Trick, is an international bestseller.

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Release date: November 2016

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Blurb:

A gripping mystery of jealousy, murder and lies.

An invitation to her estranged, wealthy father’s surprise 75th birthday party in New York sees London-based Amelia and her husband, Jack, set off across the pond to meet a whole new world of family politics.

Amelia, now a successful businesswoman, has guiltily never liked her father’s women, but does her upmost to give his new socialite partner, Evelyn, the benefit of the doubt. Wouldn’t it be nice if they could just all get along? But there’s something very dark, determined and dangerous about her…

When Amelia’s father, Roger, becomes ill, Jack grows suspicious that there is more to it. Amelia understands why, but no one else will believe them. They travel back to America to piece together the puzzle, but when Roger goes missing, the couple are driven to their wit’s end. It takes a DEA officer and a secret assassin to bring them any answers. The ruthless truth is something no one expected…

This fast-paced psychological debut will keep you guessing until the very end.

I’m so pleased to be the stop on the blog tour for Gilding the Lily today!

Review:

Don’t you just love it when you read a book and it’s like nothing you would’ve expected but yet it’s almost exactly what you needed? That’s what happened for me here, this was an unusual psychological thriller, more emphasis on the psychological parts than the thrills, but it was still a captivating read and one that I raced through in a few hours.

This is told from several viewpoints, but the bulk is relayed via Amelia and Jack, a lovely couple and then there are a handful of chapters from some interesting characters that I can’t name, it would ruin the fun. Roger is Amelia’s father and Evelyn is his girlfriend and you know right from the start there is something off about this cold, calculating woman. As much as I despised Evelyn I adored Amelia and Jack, both together and separately. They were so supportive of each other and while this had a domestic suspense feeling it was nice to read something where the husband and wife aren’t at odds but instead working together as a team.

Despite the chilling opening to this book, it isn’t as fast paced as I would’ve assumed it would be, but the intensity gradually increased the further along you get. Maybe fast paced isn’t the right description, it’s still a page turner and there weren’t any boring parts but I guess what I mean is that by the end things were more pulse pounding. It kept me on my toes and had some revelations that I was not expecting and the ending was great.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the author for my review copy.

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Release date: November 28, 2017

Publisher: Bloodhound Books

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Blurb: 

How does a mother protect her child from the unknown?

During a visit to a local theatre, four-year-old Chloe Hollis becomes hysterical. But her mother, Mel, doesn’t realise that this is just the beginning of the nightmare. In the coming weeks, Chloe talks of The Tall Man – Of death. 

At her wits end, Mel confides in Charles Honeywell, the headmaster at the school where she works. But what Mel doesn’t know is that Charles is linked to what is happening to her daughter. 

Will Mel learn the terrible truth? And can she overcome her own tragic past and save her daughter before it’s too late? 

The Liar’s Promise is a story of past lives and future torment.

I’m so pleased to be helping to kick off the blog tour for The Liar’s Promise today!

Review:

I’m not usually drawn to books with supernatural elements, but after being totally blown away by Tilbury’s The Abattoir of Dreams I knew I had to read this one, and let me tell you, I am so glad that I did! It has the authors trademark dark humor which brings some much needed levity to an extremely menacing story, a lightening fast pace and a villain that made my skin crawl.

Imagine one day your sweet, innocent four year old child starts acting strange, and by strange I mean downright scary, saying things they have no way of knowing, talk of death, despair and destruction. Creepy, isn’t it? That’s exactly what happens to Mel when her daughter Chloe has a massive freak out after they visit a local theater. Things go from bad to worse as it seems Chloe is a reincarnation of a murder victim, just typing that sends chills down my spine! Poor Mel has no idea who to turn to, who can help when you can’t even truly explain what’s actually going on?! I sure felt for her, it’s an impossible situation and there are literally no answers, but the answers that Tilbury came up with were shocking and truly entertaining.

I’m going to stop discussing the plot here and just say that if you’re already a fan of the authors then you’ll definitely enjoy this book. If you’ve not read him before but like a supernatural twist in your thrillers this is a must read. Be warned though, it’s definitely not for the faint of heart, it’s gruesome, sick, and twisted and takes a peek at the very dark depths of humanity, but if you can handle some gore, don’t miss out!

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

About the Author:

Mark lives in a small village in the lovely county of Cumbria, although his books are set in Oxfordshire where he was born and raised.
After serving in the Royal Navy and raising his two daughters after being widowed, Mark finally took the plunge and self-published two books on Amazon, The Revelation Room and The Eyes of the Accused.
He’s always had a keen interest in writing, and is extremely proud to have his fourth novel, The Liar’s Promise, along with The Abattoir of Dreams, published, and The Revelation Room and The Eyes of the Accused re-launched, by Bloodhound Books.
When he’s not writing, Mark can be found trying and failing to master blues guitar, and taking walks around the beautiful county of Cumbria.

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Release date: November 22, 2017

Publisher: Bookouture

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Blurb:

How far would you go for the perfect family?

When Christopher Harris climbs into his family’s dusty attic, he finds a battered old suitcase containing a letter. Inside the letter is a secret; a secret about his mother that changes everything.

Every mother loves their child. Every child deserves to be loved. But Christopher has grown up so lonely it hurts.

Finally, Christopher thinks he has a chance at happiness. A happiness he will do anything to protect, whatever the cost…

An unputdownable thriller about the lies we tell and the secrets we keep, Mother will hold you breathless until the very last page and leave you reeling. Perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train, The Sister and Apple Tree Yard.

I’m thrilled to be one of the stops on the blog tour for Mother today!

Review:

Mother was the type of book where you never know quite where it’s heading and even when you think you have things figured out, you’re probably not totally right. This was a chilling story of deception, betrayal and obsession that I throughly enjoyed.

This was a slow burning thriller, the kind that takes a bit to gain momentum but be patient because when things come to a head it’s all worthwhile. It centers on Christopher, a young man who has felt like an outsider in his own family so when he finds out he was adopted as a baby, it’s not altogether surprising for him. I did sympathize with him, he’s sort of odd but he just wants to belong and everyone really longs for that I think. There are also chapters from an unknown narrator as well as a few from a man named Benjamin who lives in the US. I struggled to see how these separate threads would connect and when they did converge I was shocked!

This wound up being quite emotional for a psychological thriller, especially towards the end. I found myself sadder than I had expected to be and there was something dark and melancholy about how things were left in the end. Strong characterization, a well thought out plot and fantastic writing made for a really distinctive, sinister read.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

About the Author:

After graduating from Leeds University, S E Lynes lived in London before moving to Aberdeen to be with her husband. In Aberdeen, she worked as a producer at BBC Radio Scotland before moving with her husband and two young children to Rome. There, she began to write while her children attended nursery. After the birth of her third child and upon her return to the UK, she gained an MA in Creative Writing from Kingston University. She now combines writing with lecturing at Richmond Adult Community College and bringing up her three children. She lives in Teddington. Her first novel, Valentina, published by Blackbird Digital Books, came out in July 2016. Her follow up novel, Mother, is published by Bookouture.

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Release date: October 31, 2017

Publisher: Forever

Genre: ContemporaryRomance

Blurb:

Romance writer Julia Landon knows how to write a happily-ever-after. Creating one for herself is a whole different story. But after a surprising–and surprisingly passionate–kiss under the mistletoe at Harmony Harbor’s holiday party last year, Julia thought she might have finally found her very own chance at true love. Until she learns her Mr. Tall, Dark, and Broodingly Handsome has sworn off relationships. Well, if she can’t have him in real life, Julia knows just how to get the next best thing….

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Aidan’s only priority is to be the best single dad ever. And this year, he plans to make the holidays magical for his little girl, Ella Rose. But visions of stolen kisses under the mistletoe keep dancing in his head, and when he finds out Julia has written him into her latest novel, he can’t help imagining the possibilities of a future together. Little does he know, though, Julia has been keeping a secret that threatens all their dreams. Luckily, ’tis the season for a little Christmas magic.

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Sugarplum Way! If you want to follow along with the rest of the tour check out TLC Book Tours.

Review:

Even though I’ve been reading Christmas books since like September, I feel like today officially begins the Christmas season and this is THE perfect book to put you into the spirit of the holidays. It’s cute, funny and the ideal book to curl up with while listening to Christmas music and sipping some hot chocolate.

Julia was an adorable, likable heroine, exactly what you expect from Mason. She’s quirky enough to make her interesting and she’s one of the sweetest characters I’ve come across in awhile. Aidan is the quintessential grumpy, brooding, handsome hero but there was a surprising amount of depth to the storyline that caught me off guard. I took this for a cookie cutter romance, and yes elements were exactly that, but there was some history that made things interesting and allowed for unexpected moments as well.

I should mention this is the fourth in a series set in Harmony Harbor but even though there were quite a few characters to keep track of, Mason did a great job of providing enough pertinent background information so I wasn’t confused. There was a hint of magical realism and the supernatural here that I wasn’t anticipating and it added something super fun to an already feel good, happy go lucky read! I’ve been a fan of the author for awhile and will definitely continue to be one.

Overall rating: 4/5

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

About the Author:

Debbie Mason is the USA Today bestselling author of the Christmas, Colorado and Harmony Harbor series. Her books have been praised for their “likable characters, clever dialogue and juicy plots” (RT Book Reviews). When she isn’t writing or reading, Debbie enjoys spending time with her very own real-life hero, three wonderful children, two adorable grandbabies, and a yappy Yorkie named Bella in Ontario, Canada.

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Connect with Debbie

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