tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69655176507640432582024-03-19T00:25:32.195+00:00The Book MagnetMichelle Ryleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14400361504311139225noreply@blogger.comBlogger1569125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965517650764043258.post-60309119944200649462024-03-19T00:25:00.000+00:002024-03-19T00:25:00.137+00:00BLOG TOUR: The Thief of Joy - Stacey Murray<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinvMTIm33y2wtceXsqglEDZ4KfYvgyS0gGIwlhhHKP44JlkUW0mvpSv8UJfg7fd2r7V8jh-hQYYkYCe2S7iCd4b3oaTa5cjSkBSRNIfSKA2Bs_TPZdpHvPPGle4xSYYQ1fypr9GZ7rbu_RsgLJJpdfIG3xkIVsValqn3KQc-ag74L1jJzWcD0IUhxJysA/s2316/Stacey%20Revised%20Front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2316" data-original-width="1421" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinvMTIm33y2wtceXsqglEDZ4KfYvgyS0gGIwlhhHKP44JlkUW0mvpSv8UJfg7fd2r7V8jh-hQYYkYCe2S7iCd4b3oaTa5cjSkBSRNIfSKA2Bs_TPZdpHvPPGle4xSYYQ1fypr9GZ7rbu_RsgLJJpdfIG3xkIVsValqn3KQc-ag74L1jJzWcD0IUhxJysA/s320/Stacey%20Revised%20Front.jpg" width="196" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Single-mum Roz compares herself to everyone else, from her sister to friends to people on social media, and feels she's missing out. She wants what they've got - a husband, a father for her daughter, and respect.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When she meets Daniel, Roz thinks her dreams are possible, until he dies suddenly and tragically. Devastated by grief and loneliness, she rushes headlong into a relationship with Mark, a widower she meets in an online support group.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Yet as Mark's behaviour becomes more controlling and manipulative, Roz realises he isn't the man of her dreams. He is hiding a jaw-dropping secret that spells danger for Roz and her daughter...</span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="color: blue;"><u>What did I think?</u></span><br /><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>The Thief of Joy</i> is a very good slow burn thriller that smoulders from start to finish and I really enjoyed it. Stacey Murray's suspenseful writing creates a web of intrigue that completely captured my attention.</div></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I felt really sorry for Roz at the start when all the hopes and dreams of a new relationship are snatched away from her so cruelly. Roz only knew Daniel for a short time so she doesn't get much sympathy from her family and turns to an online grief support group to validate her right to grieve. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As with all online groups though, there are some nice people and some trolls so when Roz gets a message from an administrator the reader can't help but wonder which category Mark falls into. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">As Mark gradually wheedles his way into Roz's life the chapters are interspersed with sinister snippets that let the reader know that all is not as it seems.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My sympathy for Roz ebbed and flowed like the tide as she is always comparing herself to other people and wanting what they have. I'm not saying she's not unlucky but her desperation to find a partner causes her to overlook their flaws and this puts her and her daughter in danger.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Captivating and tense, <i>The Thief of Joy</i> is a riveting psychological thriller that is filled with suspense, envy and danger. It's well worth a read and I think it's important to remind readers that some people online are not who they seem.</span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">My rating:</span><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh45ix3_StdZTTa9peAQCTfjQ5b8UQHxzAabm474p_Q7CDlgOoaPJuoLbXnRuRKgM7vRAsTXld6QgOxUxGNdBBrzdXklnwkORI493c4nKeizTEk8rmZwXcB1XySJDOecw4fTinUxWBTw28/s1600/4+stars.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="1600" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh45ix3_StdZTTa9peAQCTfjQ5b8UQHxzAabm474p_Q7CDlgOoaPJuoLbXnRuRKgM7vRAsTXld6QgOxUxGNdBBrzdXklnwkORI493c4nKeizTEk8rmZwXcB1XySJDOecw4fTinUxWBTw28/s200/4+stars.png" width="200" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Buy it from:</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.hobeck.net/product-page/the-thief-of-joy-by-stacey-murray" target="_blank">Hobeck Books</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thief-Joy-Stacey-Murray/dp/1915817307" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Follow the tour:</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjNUXwYdRhuomyvjA0kpdTwDa8d9m5zKlh3I1YTIVwBKPi0ZMWi9TexTejsMuCuaVUUKxq_mmbAOO8lHu0bXjTOfIM7X0oh5xrJfv5TV_3xpTxtAQcWD8AiEU_vwAca_Ydt3ahWDAEKuNF00saoqpcMac2sy-6HHhqJ2uJYPzKeJpGarxc_cVMiFvaME4/s1920/Stacey%20Murray%20Blog%20Tour%20Poster%20(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjNUXwYdRhuomyvjA0kpdTwDa8d9m5zKlh3I1YTIVwBKPi0ZMWi9TexTejsMuCuaVUUKxq_mmbAOO8lHu0bXjTOfIM7X0oh5xrJfv5TV_3xpTxtAQcWD8AiEU_vwAca_Ydt3ahWDAEKuNF00saoqpcMac2sy-6HHhqJ2uJYPzKeJpGarxc_cVMiFvaME4/w640-h360/Stacey%20Murray%20Blog%20Tour%20Poster%20(2).jpg" width="640" /></a></div></div></div></div></div>Michelle Ryleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14400361504311139225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965517650764043258.post-40756870837088752142024-03-11T00:39:00.079+00:002024-03-11T08:05:43.203+00:00BLOG TOUR: The Collapsing Wave (The Enceladons Trilogy, Book 2) - Doug Johnstone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLT4yry9fSSQ3RWp7vAz0i7LRg92eKm68BAcns5Q4XXS6m1BFtWk_e6kaooQnLuuNB699pHzODfT32q4sKkfYqXOQ6aAOMqRga9KvTxmrNBSOvPVVUe8pyAyppCHnussD5vZws5-iqDjfL-2yvvDlw32rIwxrslCpZ92_xtkp_Qn5BcQjRUBR21p4JFBg/s2339/THE%20COLLAPSING%20WAVE%20FINAL%20COVER.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2339" data-original-width="1524" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLT4yry9fSSQ3RWp7vAz0i7LRg92eKm68BAcns5Q4XXS6m1BFtWk_e6kaooQnLuuNB699pHzODfT32q4sKkfYqXOQ6aAOMqRga9KvTxmrNBSOvPVVUe8pyAyppCHnussD5vZws5-iqDjfL-2yvvDlw32rIwxrslCpZ92_xtkp_Qn5BcQjRUBR21p4JFBg/s320/THE%20COLLAPSING%20WAVE%20FINAL%20COVER.jpg" width="208" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Six months since the earth-shattering events of <i>The Space Between Us</i>, the revelatory hope of the aliens’ visit has turned to dust and the creatures have disappeared into the water off Scotland’s west coast.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Teenager Lennox and grieving mother Heather are being held in New Broom, a makeshift US military base, the subject of experiments, alongside the Enceladons who have been captured by the authorities.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Ava, who has given birth, is awaiting the jury verdict at her trial for the murder of her husband. And MI7 agent Oscar Fellowes, who has been sidelined by the US military, is beginning to think he might be on the wrong side of history.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">When alien Sandy makes contact, Lennox and Heather make a plan to escape with Ava. All three of them are heading for a profound confrontation between the worst of humanity and a possible brighter future, as the stakes get higher for the alien Enceladons and the entire human race…</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Sequel to the bestselling <i>The Space Between Us</i>, <i>The Collapsing Wave</i> is an exquisite, epic first-contact novel, laced with peril and populated by unforgettable characters, and the awe-inspiring book we all need right now…</span></div><div><br /></div></div></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span face="" style="color: blue;"><u>What did I think?</u></span><br /><span face=""><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Sandy is back!!!! <i>The Collapsing Wave</i> is one of my most eagerly anticipated sequels and not only does it not disappoint, it totally blew me away. I thought book one, <i><a href="https://www.thebookmagnet.co.uk/2023/03/blog-tour-space-between-us-doug.html" target="_blank">The Space Between Us</a></i>, was exceptional but <i>The Collapsing Wave</i> is exquisite. It's made me even more excited to see how Doug Johnstone follows this one with the final book in the trilogy.</div></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It's so good to be back with Lennox, Heather and Ava again although they are all in a right pickle: Lennox and Heather are being held on an American military base in Scotland and Ava is on trial for the murder of her husband. The Americans are capturing and experimenting on the aliens and it's both cruel and shocking. If only Sandy, </span><span style="font-family: arial;">my favourite alien,</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> could be contacted...</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Oh my goodness, this book is simply breathtaking. It's filled with so much action and suspense that I was on the edge of my seat and racing through the pages as fast as I possibly could. The writing is vivid and expressive, creating multicoloured scenes in my mind as the story played out on the page.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">For anyone who says they don't read science fiction, you haven't read Doug Johnstone's form of sci-fi. It's written like a thriller with characters (both human and alien) that you completely root for and you almost forget that the Enceladons are from outer space. I am really looking forward to reading the final book but, at the same time, I simply don't want this wonderful series to finish.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>The Collapsing Wave</i> is an absolute must read and I really can't recommend it highly enough.</span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""><br /></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I received a digital ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""><br /></span><span face="">My rating:</span><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPc7EMSNjOGljDbj-T3lWzdcDbWR2kovIRZO7-raCtx5FhZI6x6OqWbIl0OoKxRDA4fwyPhkg-h_SBgkebFRQFNcwrucrpltoaEtiObAtUrTGzvhIPBZ0HHveH2OfJDc9f8ziVVMXTqE/s1600/5+stars.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="295" data-original-width="1600" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPc7EMSNjOGljDbj-T3lWzdcDbWR2kovIRZO7-raCtx5FhZI6x6OqWbIl0OoKxRDA4fwyPhkg-h_SBgkebFRQFNcwrucrpltoaEtiObAtUrTGzvhIPBZ0HHveH2OfJDc9f8ziVVMXTqE/s200/5+stars.png" width="200" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Buy it from:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://uk.bookshop.org/a/1221/9781916788053" target="_blank">UK.Bookshop.org</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Collapsing-Wave-Enceladons-Trilogy/dp/191678805X/" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">About the author:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiKZyO82z_W6Pm-duVJzKb3eCaoLfZsDWWC9xY1MjJiggocsaDN50Oc5R66dX7lllOg2SmBgsb1HPana1m6CsLMvnLHd1v8eAkkPhLpwnFV4CAalT06e60-7Aiy_W1vQxuHI_D64yZLudREv8Lpjd_1bYlNIzF_2OtmUIGPkUdCAgqOe-OltZ1TYPoZyM/s3387/Doug-Johnstone%20(3).jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3387" data-original-width="2268" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiKZyO82z_W6Pm-duVJzKb3eCaoLfZsDWWC9xY1MjJiggocsaDN50Oc5R66dX7lllOg2SmBgsb1HPana1m6CsLMvnLHd1v8eAkkPhLpwnFV4CAalT06e60-7Aiy_W1vQxuHI_D64yZLudREv8Lpjd_1bYlNIzF_2OtmUIGPkUdCAgqOe-OltZ1TYPoZyM/w134-h200/Doug-Johnstone%20(3).jpeg" width="134" /></a></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Doug Johnstone is the author of 16 previous novels, most recently <i>The Opposite of Lonely</i> (2023) and <i>The Space Between Us</i> (2023). <i>The Big Chill</i> (2020) was longlisted for Theakston Crime Novel of the Year, and <i>Black Hearts</i> was shortlisted for the same award. Three of his books, <i>A Dark Matter</i> (2020), <i>Breakers</i> (2019) and <i>The Jump</i> (2015), have been shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Novel of the Year. He’s taught creative writing and been writer in residence at various institutions over the last decade, and has been an arts journalist for over twenty years. Doug is a songwriter and musician with six albums and three EPs released, and he plays drums for the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers. He’s also co-founder of the Scotland Writers Football Club, and has a PhD in nuclear physics.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Follow the tour:</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDNX5hO_I2SXBUzj8a72tTM0Rld5iMzuZTDW75OQYBqTANeHxy7Z6bTLtO1L7EMyai10JAKeaDaYPH-NsDJ0Yl_XjlFu6wT6nZDeG0A2cnaig2vVWTUjEv2VR3l1yEEqxbbe7JF04TXAb-1DA-mSYoEO27pILBfWfgQCAGRribZbD2-OnVFzfQDWh-XcI/s2245/The%20Collapsing%20Wave%20blog%20tour%20banner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2245" data-original-width="1587" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDNX5hO_I2SXBUzj8a72tTM0Rld5iMzuZTDW75OQYBqTANeHxy7Z6bTLtO1L7EMyai10JAKeaDaYPH-NsDJ0Yl_XjlFu6wT6nZDeG0A2cnaig2vVWTUjEv2VR3l1yEEqxbbe7JF04TXAb-1DA-mSYoEO27pILBfWfgQCAGRribZbD2-OnVFzfQDWh-XcI/w452-h640/The%20Collapsing%20Wave%20blog%20tour%20banner.jpg" width="452" /></a></div></div></div>Michelle Ryleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14400361504311139225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965517650764043258.post-47483146652266270102024-03-10T00:54:00.001+00:002024-03-10T00:54:00.143+00:00BLOG TOUR: Simon Serrailler cases - The Vows of Silence - Susan Hill<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHSEa1DudFccEnjoy6aKNjds8F0_VrWmrxpD4YrP74dq9kDCBguHaAzT0EudLORuXj7bHUwDIin6OBn8JOUMxw1tWtUwLbqJG5GKJU1eVmUYjUz2qTFBiyfXp_oxuE2YTl1xMusskzlDvzhCiznvulsXAIEtvDXCMqngVyYGeDGpxWiTws_bAvRXFEECs/s2339/9780099499299.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2339" data-original-width="1524" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHSEa1DudFccEnjoy6aKNjds8F0_VrWmrxpD4YrP74dq9kDCBguHaAzT0EudLORuXj7bHUwDIin6OBn8JOUMxw1tWtUwLbqJG5GKJU1eVmUYjUz2qTFBiyfXp_oxuE2YTl1xMusskzlDvzhCiznvulsXAIEtvDXCMqngVyYGeDGpxWiTws_bAvRXFEECs/s320/9780099499299.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>A gunman is terrorising young women.</b></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What links these seemingly random murders? Is the marksman with a rifle the same person as the killer with a handgun? Or do the police have two snipers on their hands?</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Detective Chief Superintendent Simon Serrailler is in charge of the case, but is struggling to cope with a tragedy at the heart of his family.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The pressure is mounting...</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span face="" style="color: blue;"><u>What did I think?</u></span><br /><span face=""><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Somehow, Susan Hill's Simon Serrailer series has stayed completely off my radar but now that I have read <i>The Vows of Silence</i> it is firmly in my sights. This is book four in the Simon Serailler series and it can totally be read as a standalone as it was my introduction to the series and I thoroughly enjoyed it. </div></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Of course, jumping in mid-series means that you have missed some of the history of the characters but Susan Hill gives the reader enough of the relevant back stories so I didn't feel at a disadvantage at all, it's only made me hungry for more.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The village of Lafferton is shocked by the disturbing shootings of young women and DSC Simon Serrailler needs to get into the mind of the gunman to solve the crimes. Simon has such a lot on his plate at the moment as his family are struggling to come to terms with a devastating diagnosis. I really felt for Simon being pulled in so many different directions and it's so difficult to have to choose between work and family.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There are so many interwoven strands of the stunning plot to keep the reader entertained and on their toes. You can't help but look suspiciously at each character and ask yourself if they are the one terrorising the village. Simon's family tragedy was written with such sensitivity and poignancy and I'm not ashamed to say that it brought a tear to my eye.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Gripping, compelling and captivating, </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Vows of Silence</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> is a stunning crime fiction novel that shocked, surprised and entertained me from start to finish. Susan Hill has a new fan; I will definitely be reading more of this fantastic series.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""><br /></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I received a gifted paperback from the publisher to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""><br /></span><span face="">My rating:</span><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPc7EMSNjOGljDbj-T3lWzdcDbWR2kovIRZO7-raCtx5FhZI6x6OqWbIl0OoKxRDA4fwyPhkg-h_SBgkebFRQFNcwrucrpltoaEtiObAtUrTGzvhIPBZ0HHveH2OfJDc9f8ziVVMXTqE/s1600/5+stars.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="295" data-original-width="1600" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPc7EMSNjOGljDbj-T3lWzdcDbWR2kovIRZO7-raCtx5FhZI6x6OqWbIl0OoKxRDA4fwyPhkg-h_SBgkebFRQFNcwrucrpltoaEtiObAtUrTGzvhIPBZ0HHveH2OfJDc9f8ziVVMXTqE/s200/5+stars.png" width="200" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Buy it from:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://uk.bookshop.org/a/1221/9780099499299" target="_blank">UK.Bookshop.org</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vows-Silence-Simon-Serrailler-Book/dp/0099499290" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Read the whole series:</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVDZ6UWflwABzVPDOyoAvW6bIP7pMyUgv_PeS-ora7JPmqHWP5ez99JCsixKzhqcWu-AKvVUL0Wb6ypqHb4Ud-b0Jf36s6An-j2WSpj7BOGGrjh0zxTIBPQiLvs7O7sU3Ymd1wKbOiu2IPestYimCt1hoD63MBGJXBvTxJjgd0F2zwpKu-3ENVOvdjprY/s681/Simon%20Serrailler%20cases.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="681" height="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVDZ6UWflwABzVPDOyoAvW6bIP7pMyUgv_PeS-ora7JPmqHWP5ez99JCsixKzhqcWu-AKvVUL0Wb6ypqHb4Ud-b0Jf36s6An-j2WSpj7BOGGrjh0zxTIBPQiLvs7O7sU3Ymd1wKbOiu2IPestYimCt1hoD63MBGJXBvTxJjgd0F2zwpKu-3ENVOvdjprY/w640-h488/Simon%20Serrailler%20cases.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Follow the tour:</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxpYfYhTPlY0xr2IXGrmcO7irUTvrj1p2Pot4F2gLmztE-_8vEVy2ibKnepw2rC1vdv80PGGQhmqVOzJZS2b16D6wm9HYENbZRUpAnVqLxKXlQ_gY2nKaQZdBuSZrNyY54Z43L7yAu_D7kji2uqOFLLmPTszuzYSa72LcN6jGzGpIQnUWeXW_NYNFkA1A/s1920/SS%20Blog%20Tour%20copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1220" data-original-width="1920" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxpYfYhTPlY0xr2IXGrmcO7irUTvrj1p2Pot4F2gLmztE-_8vEVy2ibKnepw2rC1vdv80PGGQhmqVOzJZS2b16D6wm9HYENbZRUpAnVqLxKXlQ_gY2nKaQZdBuSZrNyY54Z43L7yAu_D7kji2uqOFLLmPTszuzYSa72LcN6jGzGpIQnUWeXW_NYNFkA1A/w640-h406/SS%20Blog%20Tour%20copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></div></div></div>Michelle Ryleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14400361504311139225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965517650764043258.post-75801831478390052662024-03-07T00:34:00.001+00:002024-03-07T00:34:00.135+00:00You Wouldn't Catch Me Dead - Tess James-Mackey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMgx1mBiEs-7ZJFBfU-VzKW9r4LK5KOJN6DA8pSWsUK1qc1BxQSjwSP3hZbMbA26jGzE80yhbD57vLYs3YZS3SYuKD4PQcEeJ2dFlkgDWf6puhDg1cbRxRb3bWa8Y441MNevi9SKx6sq8ztzyjrfbXelanUbe5HVcr1knAQq3036R0c3cz_ksz3osY6pQ/s1500/91LFVlIjVyL._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="975" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMgx1mBiEs-7ZJFBfU-VzKW9r4LK5KOJN6DA8pSWsUK1qc1BxQSjwSP3hZbMbA26jGzE80yhbD57vLYs3YZS3SYuKD4PQcEeJ2dFlkgDWf6puhDg1cbRxRb3bWa8Y441MNevi9SKx6sq8ztzyjrfbXelanUbe5HVcr1knAQq3036R0c3cz_ksz3osY6pQ/s320/91LFVlIjVyL._SL1500_.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The only thing worse than being lost . . . is being found.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Keely planned to keep her head down at her new school - she isn't there to make friends or memories, she just wants to be left alone.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In order to get into college, she is roped into a programme that involves camping in the Welsh wilderness with five over-keen try-hards. Her plan is to keep her head down, keep her mouth shut and get through the next few days.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But Keely is running from something. Something that drove her family out of their home and to this quiet town. And when her fellow explorers start disappearing and the bodies begin to pile up, she has to ask herself: did she run far enough?</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The second spine-chilling standalone from the author of Someone is Watching You, Tess James-Mackey.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span face="" style="color: blue;"><u>What did I think?</u></span><br /><span face=""><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">After reading Tess James-Mackey's outstanding debut, <i><a href="https://www.thebookmagnet.co.uk/2023/03/someone-is-watching-you-tess-james.html" target="_blank">Someone Is Watching You</a></i>, I was very excited to read her next book, <i>You Wouldn't Catch Me Dead</i>, and I was not disappointed. It is every bit just as creepy, tense and disturbing as I expected and I loved every second of it.</div></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I've never been camping and I certainly wouldn't want to now after reading about a school trip to the Black Mountains in Wales that goes terribly wrong. Keely is the new girl at school after a tragic event that saw her leave her old life behind and start again where nobody knows her. She can run but she can't hide</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Keely is haunted by her past, that is gradually revealed to the reader through flashbacks, but she has more pressing things on her mind at the moment when the group finds themselves lost in the spooky Welsh wilderness with no phone signal. The barren location is completely bone-chilling and I could easily visualise the creepy ruins of the abbey. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Tense, creepy and disturbing, <i>You Wouldn't Catch Me Dead</i> is a chilling YA read that is filled with suspense. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">The stories of ghostly monks that entertained the group sent shivers down my spine and I was totally creeped out when things started going bump in the night. A highly recommend read for teens and adults alike.</span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""><br /></span><span face="">My rating:</span><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPc7EMSNjOGljDbj-T3lWzdcDbWR2kovIRZO7-raCtx5FhZI6x6OqWbIl0OoKxRDA4fwyPhkg-h_SBgkebFRQFNcwrucrpltoaEtiObAtUrTGzvhIPBZ0HHveH2OfJDc9f8ziVVMXTqE/s1600/5+stars.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="295" data-original-width="1600" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPc7EMSNjOGljDbj-T3lWzdcDbWR2kovIRZO7-raCtx5FhZI6x6OqWbIl0OoKxRDA4fwyPhkg-h_SBgkebFRQFNcwrucrpltoaEtiObAtUrTGzvhIPBZ0HHveH2OfJDc9f8ziVVMXTqE/s200/5+stars.png" width="200" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Buy it from:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://uk.bookshop.org/a/1221/9781444967937" target="_blank">UK.Bookshop.org</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/You-Wouldnt-Catch-Me-Dead/dp/1444967932/" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></div></div>Michelle Ryleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14400361504311139225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965517650764043258.post-62376213625429227892024-02-29T00:33:00.002+00:002024-02-29T00:33:00.154+00:00The Long and Winding Road - Lesley Pearse<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3fxFw_XbadBzLzK-eEbWvrKK0IUxgU1pFrnclXG3mNyUV3SigaxocIYDUo8QizXWtzKhD6E_azVZf_fqm-m7Eid-aiESXKmA2ZYQ3bzgQOB-amAvEk6cdG9YdgeMm6x8dVaA3VwuHmyOYqQh5trfgD76VMOdLdHcgXOIxY_t-NLiViTMZdNFDcMldJgk/s1500/81eaIZPkgnL._SL1500_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="974" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3fxFw_XbadBzLzK-eEbWvrKK0IUxgU1pFrnclXG3mNyUV3SigaxocIYDUo8QizXWtzKhD6E_azVZf_fqm-m7Eid-aiESXKmA2ZYQ3bzgQOB-amAvEk6cdG9YdgeMm6x8dVaA3VwuHmyOYqQh5trfgD76VMOdLdHcgXOIxY_t-NLiViTMZdNFDcMldJgk/s320/81eaIZPkgnL._SL1500_.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>One of the world’s bestselling storytellers, Lesley Pearse writes brilliantly about survivors. Why? Because she is one herself . . .</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Born during the Second World War, Lesley’s innocence came to an abrupt end when a neighbour found her, aged 3, coatless in the snow. The mother she’d been unable to wake had been dead for days. Sent to an orphanage, Lesley soon learned adults couldn’t always be trusted.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As a teenager in the swinging sixties, she took herself to London. Here, the second great tragedy of her life occurred. Falling pregnant, she was sent to a mother and baby home, and watched helplessly as her newborn was taken from her.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But like so many of her generation, Lesley had to carry on. She was, after all, a true survivor. Marriage and children followed – and all the while she nurtured a dream: to be a writer. Yet it wasn’t until at the age of 48 that her stories – of women struggling in a difficult world – found a publisher, and the bestseller lists beckoned.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As heartbreaking as it is heartwarming, Lesley’s story really is A Long and Winding Road with surprises and uplifting hope around every corner . . .</span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span face="" style="color: blue;"><u>What did I think?</u></span><br /><span face=""><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Oh my goodness, <i>The Long and Winding Road</i> by Lesley Pearse is a memoir filled with more drama than a whole series of Eastenders. No wonder Lesley Pearse has written so many books, she has so much material from her own experiences.</div></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="">If it didn't have 'My Autobiography' printed on the front cover, you could be forgiven for thinking that this is a work of fiction. It is a story that is filled with so much warmth and character that it is incredibly easy to read and incredibly difficult to put down.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="">Lesley Pearse doesn't dwell on life's hurdles and her own heartbreak, she turns them into stories that have captivated readers for decades. I felt like a sponge as I absorbed all of Lesley's life events and I was so saturated at the end that I shed a few tears...but, in true Lesley Pearse style, they were tears of happiness.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""><br /></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="font-family: arial;">The Long and Winding Road</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> is a truly captivating and inspirational memoir and I couldn't give it a sparkle less than 5 stars. Very highly recommended.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""><br /></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""><br /></span><span face="">My rating:</span><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPc7EMSNjOGljDbj-T3lWzdcDbWR2kovIRZO7-raCtx5FhZI6x6OqWbIl0OoKxRDA4fwyPhkg-h_SBgkebFRQFNcwrucrpltoaEtiObAtUrTGzvhIPBZ0HHveH2OfJDc9f8ziVVMXTqE/s1600/5+stars.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="295" data-original-width="1600" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPc7EMSNjOGljDbj-T3lWzdcDbWR2kovIRZO7-raCtx5FhZI6x6OqWbIl0OoKxRDA4fwyPhkg-h_SBgkebFRQFNcwrucrpltoaEtiObAtUrTGzvhIPBZ0HHveH2OfJDc9f8ziVVMXTqE/s200/5+stars.png" width="200" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Buy it from:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://uk.bookshop.org/a/1221/9780241453209" target="_blank">UK.Bookshop.org</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Long-Winding-Road-EXTRAORDINARY-CAPTIVATING-ebook/dp/B0CN8VL5BW/" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></div></div>Michelle Ryleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14400361504311139225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965517650764043258.post-6077214568647864162024-02-27T00:05:00.011+00:002024-02-27T08:10:37.220+00:00BLOG TOUR: New Gillion Street - Elliot J Harper<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtBQb-9ebANd3wGMDDKrSc08HPJUKlktdmwgvLljdmmPakycoxIGjcIie_S8H4Kp-lFXGqdE67b0iDCrOotDdZ2luk3MIohp33CjAzvjPQBiGOaxnxMKliousx8pQj6vvG31yoPkdmzehxn5_6uziVb2JNVzuDpGqdK-mV9taguv0n6hCe0PY0kFRnUZ4/s2339/9781915789075.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2339" data-original-width="1508" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtBQb-9ebANd3wGMDDKrSc08HPJUKlktdmwgvLljdmmPakycoxIGjcIie_S8H4Kp-lFXGqdE67b0iDCrOotDdZ2luk3MIohp33CjAzvjPQBiGOaxnxMKliousx8pQj6vvG31yoPkdmzehxn5_6uziVb2JNVzuDpGqdK-mV9taguv0n6hCe0PY0kFRnUZ4/s320/9781915789075.jpg" width="206" /></a><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Straight-laced and content with the comforts of his home on politically-neutral Neo-Yuthea, Albert Smith leads a quiet and unremarkable life. His days are filled with sipping tea with his beloved wife and tending to his cherished garden—a picture of tranquillity in an otherwise chaotic universe. Little does he know that destiny has extraordinary plans in store for him.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When Mr. Zand, an agent of extra-terrestrial chaos, launches his mayoral campaign, the once peaceful colony faces uncertain and unsettling times. Striking deaths attributed to mysterious forest creatures, forced arranged marriages, and a looming threat of suppressing secret garden meetings propel the community toward the edge of turmoil. In the face of this encroaching darkness, Albert and his neighbours must band together to resist oppression and fight for their freedom before their world collapses.</span></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="color: blue;"><u>What did I think?</u></span><br /><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Well you don't get more escapism from a book than one set in a fictional world and, although <i>New Gillion Street</i> is a little outside of my reading comfort zone, I really enjoyed my virtual visit to Neo-Yuthea.</div></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Odds and the Evens of New Gillion Street have been living in relative harmony until one of the Odds decides to appoint himself as mayor. Mr. Zand is an evil little man but he seems to have the Odds wrapped around his little finger and he wins a landslide election. Then the full extent of his tyranny is revealed...</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Albert Smith just wants to live a peaceful life with his wife and children but he stands up for what he believes in, even if that means disagreeing with Mr. Zand. Good on you, Albert! Albert's willingness to accept other beings, whatever their appearance, stands him in good stead and also introduces the reader to a fabulous talking gnome.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The world of Neo-Yuthea is beautifully portrayed through Elliot J Harper's vivid prose and I had a clear picture in my mind of New Gillion Street and the unknown area beyond its boundary. It took me a little while to get into the story as I don't read a lot of speculative fiction but I really got behind Albert's fight to save his community.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Highly original and incredibly imaginative, <i>New Gillion Street</i> is a very entertaining novel with a strong sense of community at its heart. A recommended read for fans of fantasy or science fiction and anyone looking for something a little different.</span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">My rating:</span><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh45ix3_StdZTTa9peAQCTfjQ5b8UQHxzAabm474p_Q7CDlgOoaPJuoLbXnRuRKgM7vRAsTXld6QgOxUxGNdBBrzdXklnwkORI493c4nKeizTEk8rmZwXcB1XySJDOecw4fTinUxWBTw28/s1600/4+stars.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="1600" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh45ix3_StdZTTa9peAQCTfjQ5b8UQHxzAabm474p_Q7CDlgOoaPJuoLbXnRuRKgM7vRAsTXld6QgOxUxGNdBBrzdXklnwkORI493c4nKeizTEk8rmZwXcB1XySJDOecw4fTinUxWBTw28/s200/4+stars.png" width="200" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Buy it from:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://uk.bookshop.org/a/1221/9781915789075" target="_blank">UK.Bookshop.org</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/New-Gillion-Street-Elliot-Harper/dp/1915789079/" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">About the author:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUBmLXuBLn9kRTsCz61UKJiMk7qpPbFoNg_KkOoN0mUUK5swPpc6VKQFxqbSw1gPpDel_vVv1PUASucWmvPPizK3QkUBcVfzu0W8-pGwxbgVVfZnNotgiV1I9tRGbPcePZ1Zue6QTK0P4n71-Pdmqs12k-z5v3946xYVBjNWz-WeG2yixriKPbFc-qO9s/s1500/810+WmRyyvL._SL1500_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUBmLXuBLn9kRTsCz61UKJiMk7qpPbFoNg_KkOoN0mUUK5swPpc6VKQFxqbSw1gPpDel_vVv1PUASucWmvPPizK3QkUBcVfzu0W8-pGwxbgVVfZnNotgiV1I9tRGbPcePZ1Zue6QTK0P4n71-Pdmqs12k-z5v3946xYVBjNWz-WeG2yixriKPbFc-qO9s/w160-h200/810+WmRyyvL._SL1500_.jpg" width="160" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Elliot J Harper is a speculative fiction writer who lives in Leeds, England with his wife, Naomi. His short story, In the Garden, won The Molotov Cocktail magazines' Flash Vision 2021 contest. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He has short stories in print as follows:</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Curious Case of the Speaking Telegraph in the Spirit Machine: Tales of Seance Fiction & Into the Forest in The Wild Hunt: Stories of the Chase by Air and Nothingness Press, There's a Dead Bear in the Pool in Black Telephone Issue 1 by Clash Books, and Blackout in The Protest Issue of Popshot Quarterly Magazine. He has various short stories online in Maudlin House, Storgy, Neon Books, Coffin Bell, Horrified Magazine and Idle Ink. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">His monthly blog, A Brief Chat, hosts interviews with publishers, magazines, authors, and other creatives.</div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Follow the tour:</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Us6gsAceGrEQZtiR3CW4dgagJs_zyWyLMKsYTJPgTcL3oEtcinbcA85YH8h1W8S9n8PtZVTf1jSi2SLbijFFbgzQa7tCtBKuJJlJzFBA-CDIeCQ6FclyUWVUr1Zp3xk_Qn8KH5iZASrA67JY0qtOlmRGWhJ9TI7UJJ4EShBghhz5xOyimCJVx1QVd30/s1024/New%20Gillion%20Street%20Blog%20Tour.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Us6gsAceGrEQZtiR3CW4dgagJs_zyWyLMKsYTJPgTcL3oEtcinbcA85YH8h1W8S9n8PtZVTf1jSi2SLbijFFbgzQa7tCtBKuJJlJzFBA-CDIeCQ6FclyUWVUr1Zp3xk_Qn8KH5iZASrA67JY0qtOlmRGWhJ9TI7UJJ4EShBghhz5xOyimCJVx1QVd30/w640-h320/New%20Gillion%20Street%20Blog%20Tour.png" width="640" /></a></div></div></div></div>Michelle Ryleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14400361504311139225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965517650764043258.post-48101481080413154492024-02-26T00:40:00.000+00:002024-02-26T00:40:00.132+00:00BLOG TOUR: The Perfect Parents - J. A. Baker<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6QeqSatpH7AX5JNgGDq7C9SwJ0aRw5UP_fvhlgUtwfBKDs_05lewr6wUj2xGS1Y6pQCisaVwvryt32g5Uktlkq8XuFWBwc5CqqGfCWHf1uWsTRUlWYlN5OcJbVGKhQFRivaSxQhsenBcEDEXSFTOeKbSqveYTL0siGMc47V96VFv9aLp-uT47Faiditg/s3507/Cover%20Perfect%20Parents.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3507" data-original-width="2287" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6QeqSatpH7AX5JNgGDq7C9SwJ0aRw5UP_fvhlgUtwfBKDs_05lewr6wUj2xGS1Y6pQCisaVwvryt32g5Uktlkq8XuFWBwc5CqqGfCWHf1uWsTRUlWYlN5OcJbVGKhQFRivaSxQhsenBcEDEXSFTOeKbSqveYTL0siGMc47V96VFv9aLp-uT47Faiditg/s320/Cover%20Perfect%20Parents.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Jackson and Lydia Hemsworth are pillars of the community, feted for having the perfect marriage and three wonderful children – Florence, Jessica and Ezra.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>But appearances can be deceptive.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Because behind closed doors Jackson Hemsworth rules his family with cruelty and control. His marriage is a sham; his children for years have cowed in fear.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Until the day that Jackson and Lydia throw themselves off Newport Bridge in a joint suicide pact – the final cruel blow by Jackson to control his wife and torture his adult children.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As the Hemsworth siblings return to their family home, they must try to make sense of their parents’ last act. But there are many dark secrets waiting to be unearthed at Armett House.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Like, why are the townsfolk so suddenly hostile towards them? And who are the strangers who arrive at Armett House unannounced? And why has their mother’s body still not been found?</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the aftermath of their parents’ death, it becomes clear that something terrible is about to be exposed about the Hemsworths’ perfect parents.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>A secret they may all wish had stayed hidden…</i></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="color: blue;"><u>What did I think?</u></span><br /><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I've read enough J. A. Baker books to know that the parents in a book titled <i>The Perfect Parents</i> are going to be anything but perfect parents. Just what sort of parents jump off a bridge for a start?</div></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Three siblings return to the family home after the shock of their parents' suicide. There is only one funeral to arrange though as their mother's body has not been recovered and the children aren't about to shed many tears over the death of their father. The people in the town aren't upset about Jackson Hemsworth's demise and there is outright hostility at the funeral. Just what has he done and why did he kill himself?</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It does sometimes get a little confusing as to who is who, especially when the secrets start to be spilled and my poor old tired brain tried to understand the links and repercussions. This is probably because I only read my kindle in bed at night, so I'm sure a more alert brain would have no such issues.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This book is chock-a-block full of secrets and I couldn't read fast enough to get to the bottom of the mystery of the Hemsworths and Armett House. There are lots of shocks and surprises in store for the reader and I had a veritable gasp out loud moment after one such shock. I absolutely love books filled with secrets so I really enjoyed </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Perfect Parents</i><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I received a digital ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">My rating:</span><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh45ix3_StdZTTa9peAQCTfjQ5b8UQHxzAabm474p_Q7CDlgOoaPJuoLbXnRuRKgM7vRAsTXld6QgOxUxGNdBBrzdXklnwkORI493c4nKeizTEk8rmZwXcB1XySJDOecw4fTinUxWBTw28/s1600/4+stars.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="1600" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh45ix3_StdZTTa9peAQCTfjQ5b8UQHxzAabm474p_Q7CDlgOoaPJuoLbXnRuRKgM7vRAsTXld6QgOxUxGNdBBrzdXklnwkORI493c4nKeizTEk8rmZwXcB1XySJDOecw4fTinUxWBTw28/s200/4+stars.png" width="200" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Purchase link: <a href="https://mybook.to/perfectparentssocial" target="_blank">https://mybook.to/perfectparentssocial</a></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">About the author:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq2pWvbuW2snFXDSKjhYq7-WbJCAmvhq_Pj-KWDWaSElrBsnS_GIGnK748GUpa5xYWgVf96vDp-V5TtTnDxXzOs51Wub8EAjIN12GcRadknJjUHe7Qub8GoACZjt9j4STkcKUCOvZhgNokLSvkMaKgCXavh_2JV54fXqpI1eMTIAFSZ-4aau-ZzNHgxlQ/s2213/J%20A%20Baker%20Author%20Photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1942" data-original-width="2213" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq2pWvbuW2snFXDSKjhYq7-WbJCAmvhq_Pj-KWDWaSElrBsnS_GIGnK748GUpa5xYWgVf96vDp-V5TtTnDxXzOs51Wub8EAjIN12GcRadknJjUHe7Qub8GoACZjt9j4STkcKUCOvZhgNokLSvkMaKgCXavh_2JV54fXqpI1eMTIAFSZ-4aau-ZzNHgxlQ/w200-h176/J%20A%20Baker%20Author%20Photo.JPG" width="200" /></a></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: justify;">J. A. Baker is a successful psychological thriller writer of numerous books, previously published by Bloodhound. Born and brought up in Middlesbrough, she still lives in the North East, which inspires the settings for her books. Her first title for Boldwood was published in December 2022.</div><div><br /></div><div>Social Media Links – </div><div>Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/judith.baker.9" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/judith.baker.9</a></div><div>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/thewriterjude" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/thewriterjude</a></div><div>Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jabakerauthor" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/jabakerauthor</a></div><div>Newsletter Sign Up: <a href="https://bit.ly/JABakerNews" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/JABakerNews</a></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Follow the tour:</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrBbuavdQlR7R9P_XBXAvgdYi7PRxc2ant_-QPxUzH_175JX0H7xD2m66JVTqoFBYLShNNnIbBVp48K4R-Rx2sttxiVgy9Ge304sG1ITjlXbfFowi1y5DklF1hMPFIGmqYb832aDJNFBt2csNdPKvQnUTcmbG_-M31XCqg58FaFz9hZiaXx5MfkNIHgdU/s2750/The%20Perfect%20Parents%20Full%20Tour%20Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1250" data-original-width="2750" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrBbuavdQlR7R9P_XBXAvgdYi7PRxc2ant_-QPxUzH_175JX0H7xD2m66JVTqoFBYLShNNnIbBVp48K4R-Rx2sttxiVgy9Ge304sG1ITjlXbfFowi1y5DklF1hMPFIGmqYb832aDJNFBt2csNdPKvQnUTcmbG_-M31XCqg58FaFz9hZiaXx5MfkNIHgdU/w640-h290/The%20Perfect%20Parents%20Full%20Tour%20Banner.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></div></div></div></div>Michelle Ryleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14400361504311139225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965517650764043258.post-58681721981251414452024-02-25T00:13:00.001+00:002024-02-25T00:13:00.136+00:00The Stranger in Her House - John Marrs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghfKo4-TVrSGFC0jOVvmIh38MqjT1ut3fqRGuTEq558HBes-Zg8qDkJg3DCqnCYAghbAai2rCqwxbAGtzgQhsBVyRWgZJM1ZyQI3yl93z9hJpRqPR3n1BZjBHm5Y4544PfVGf1dGmtSXOetNr9v_6UI3AUhE4vfVlk8veU0NA_NWMOORO1AJjvNmXvXmA/s1500/91CRTe-cfbL._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="971" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghfKo4-TVrSGFC0jOVvmIh38MqjT1ut3fqRGuTEq558HBes-Zg8qDkJg3DCqnCYAghbAai2rCqwxbAGtzgQhsBVyRWgZJM1ZyQI3yl93z9hJpRqPR3n1BZjBHm5Y4544PfVGf1dGmtSXOetNr9v_6UI3AUhE4vfVlk8veU0NA_NWMOORO1AJjvNmXvXmA/s320/91CRTe-cfbL._SL1500_.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Paul’s just here to help, or so he claims—sent by a charity for vulnerable people to do odd jobs for elderly widow Gwen. But for Gwen’s daughter Connie, there’s just something about Paul that rings alarm bells from day one. He’s a little too kind, a little too involved…Worse still, Gwen seems to have fallen under his spell.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The last thing Connie wants is a stranger meddling in the safe routine she’s built around Gwen. She loves being the one Gwen turns to for cooking, cleaning and company. But the more Paul visits, the more Gwen is relying on him. By the time he conveniently finds himself between homes and has no choice but to move in, Connie is certain he’s trying to push her out completely.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It’s her word against his, though, and as her attempts to unmask him become ever more desperate she’s not the only one left wondering if she’s lost her grip on reality. But when events start spiralling rapidly out of her control, should Connie wage all-out war on Paul and risk losing Gwen forever—or has that been his plan all along?</span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span face="" style="color: blue;"><u>What did I think?</u></span><br /><span face=""><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Wow this book is so twisty! <i>The Stranger in Her House</i> is an absolute cracker! I've read a few John Marrs books and I think that this is his best one yet.</div></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Gwen has her daughter Connie looking after her and she is getting help from a charity in the form of Paul Michael who is doing odd jobs around the house. With two caring people looking after her, Gwen</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">is luckier than a lot of people who suffer from dementia...or is she? It is clear that all is not as it appears and something dark and dangerous is hiding beneath the surface. The reader is immediately compelled to take sides: are you on Team Connie or Team Paul?</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm not going to say any more about the plot as it could spoil it for others but just when I thought I had it all worked out, John Marrs pulled the rug out from under me. In the blink of an eye I went from feeling smug (Ha! I've worked this one out!) to catching flies in my dropped jaw. Well played, Mr Marrs, well played!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="font-family: arial;">The Stranger in Her House</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> is t</span><span style="font-family: arial;">wisty, gripping and blooming scary at times, pick this book up at your peril; you'll not be able to put it down until you finish it! I'd like to see how John Marrs follows this absolute belter of a book. Very highly recommended.</span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""><br /></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I received an ARC for the Tandem Collective readalong and it was torture reading it in instalments! This is my honest and unbiased opinion.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""><br /></span><span face="">My rating:</span><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPc7EMSNjOGljDbj-T3lWzdcDbWR2kovIRZO7-raCtx5FhZI6x6OqWbIl0OoKxRDA4fwyPhkg-h_SBgkebFRQFNcwrucrpltoaEtiObAtUrTGzvhIPBZ0HHveH2OfJDc9f8ziVVMXTqE/s1600/5+stars.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="295" data-original-width="1600" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPc7EMSNjOGljDbj-T3lWzdcDbWR2kovIRZO7-raCtx5FhZI6x6OqWbIl0OoKxRDA4fwyPhkg-h_SBgkebFRQFNcwrucrpltoaEtiObAtUrTGzvhIPBZ0HHveH2OfJDc9f8ziVVMXTqE/s200/5+stars.png" width="200" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Buy it from:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://uk.bookshop.org/a/1221/9781662506482" target="_blank">UK.Bookshop.org</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stranger-Her-House-John-Marrs-ebook/dp/B0C3JKFKXR/" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></div></div>Michelle Ryleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14400361504311139225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965517650764043258.post-67788114515262747712024-02-23T00:21:00.001+00:002024-02-23T00:21:00.139+00:00BLOG TOUR: The Memory of Us - Dani Atkins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqj3R0DvUMOhgGUKYXxka5DMUih9J8rpgfVp12AhF1UxVMVyseaCcdZmK3GvC7wP-vze2E2Wf3hy0kb66FFQ-7_xqQ9-8WAE_NmizE7T9vUoknX-LV4xeVUiTxf53sdQ2FA3PNPlIFIigrLgSidEhiMos35IaywL3-4d9MdYukqVcso5xMjtCC1qprE6g/s1500/71wmVdtdFeL._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="962" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqj3R0DvUMOhgGUKYXxka5DMUih9J8rpgfVp12AhF1UxVMVyseaCcdZmK3GvC7wP-vze2E2Wf3hy0kb66FFQ-7_xqQ9-8WAE_NmizE7T9vUoknX-LV4xeVUiTxf53sdQ2FA3PNPlIFIigrLgSidEhiMos35IaywL3-4d9MdYukqVcso5xMjtCC1qprE6g/s320/71wmVdtdFeL._SL1500_.jpg" width="205" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>If you can't trust your head, can you trust your heart?</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If she had been found moments later, Amelia's heart would have stopped and never recovered. Instead she was taken from the desolate beach to the nearest hospital just in time to save her life. When her sister Lexi arrives from New York, Amelia's heart is beating, but the accident has implanted a series of false memories. These memories revolve around a man named Sam, and a perfect love story that never existed.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Determined to help her sister, Lexi enlists the help of Nick, a local vet who bears a striking resemblance to Sam. Together, Lexi and Nick recreate and photograph Amelia's dream dates in the hopes of triggering her true memories.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But as love starts to stir between Lexi and Nick, they must navigate a complex web of emotions. How can Lexi fall for Amelia's dream man without hurting her sister?</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Filled with breathtaking romance, heart-wrenching emotion, the magic of destiny and the power of sisterhood, <i>The Memory of Us</i> is a must-read for fans of Holly Miller and Colleen Hoover.</b></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span face="" style="color: blue;"><u>What did I think?</u></span><br /><span face=""><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Dani Atkins is one of my favourite authors so I was delighted to get an invitation to join the blog tour for new noveI, <i>The Memory of Us</i>. Oh my word, this beautiful book broke me into a million pieces and I didn't simply cry, I sobbed through the second half of it. I had to put the book down on numerous occasions to dry my eyes or the book would've ended up in as soggy a mess as I was.</div></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A phone call in the middle of the night is never good news and Lexi jumps on the first available plane home to visit her sister Amelia in hospital. Amelia is lucky to be alive but she's not the same girl as she was before her accident; Amelia thinks that she has a husband called Sam but her family know that Sam doesn't exist. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It's heartbreaking when Amelia looks to the door of her room every time she hears footsteps in the corridor but she is waiting for a man who will never appear. Upset and frustrated by her family's doubts about Sam's existence, Amelia draws a picture of him and in a strange twist of fate Lexi meets Nick, who looks just like Amelia's drawing.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This book is filled with so much love that it bursts out of the pages and I absorbed every drop of it into my heart. I cared about the characters so much that I couldn't contain my emotions and I was so riveted to the book that I kept trying to read even when my eyes were blurring with tears.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="font-family: arial;">The Memory of Us</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> is a beautiful and unforgettable multifaceted love story that is filled with emotion. I simply adored it and I plan to read it again, although I'm sure I will still cry my eyes out at the same points of the story. I really can't recommend it highly enough and make sure you have a box of tissues handy when you read it.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""><br /></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""><br /></span><span face="">My rating:</span><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPc7EMSNjOGljDbj-T3lWzdcDbWR2kovIRZO7-raCtx5FhZI6x6OqWbIl0OoKxRDA4fwyPhkg-h_SBgkebFRQFNcwrucrpltoaEtiObAtUrTGzvhIPBZ0HHveH2OfJDc9f8ziVVMXTqE/s1600/5+stars.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="295" data-original-width="1600" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPc7EMSNjOGljDbj-T3lWzdcDbWR2kovIRZO7-raCtx5FhZI6x6OqWbIl0OoKxRDA4fwyPhkg-h_SBgkebFRQFNcwrucrpltoaEtiObAtUrTGzvhIPBZ0HHveH2OfJDc9f8ziVVMXTqE/s200/5+stars.png" width="200" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Buy it from:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://uk.bookshop.org/a/1221/9781804540237" target="_blank">UK.Bookshop.org</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Memory-Us-Dani-Atkins/dp/1804540218/" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Follow the tour:</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPlIMQW-Yz05Eo71FUEKDST0ByFixiHUwH8TojPVE7hb7URIO6pdM0m-FySZf56c2R6SHRgarV_acyyHaNtK5nrHW0_s7cwk1zzX0plP8Pqnvoqu4q6HvOVsfSm-IVXePXPaZnmFyhECVbj0MneohGWGM2pM5_ah34cE1dRmDYlBUwQ_9KIteCItObRpU/s2000/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="2000" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPlIMQW-Yz05Eo71FUEKDST0ByFixiHUwH8TojPVE7hb7URIO6pdM0m-FySZf56c2R6SHRgarV_acyyHaNtK5nrHW0_s7cwk1zzX0plP8Pqnvoqu4q6HvOVsfSm-IVXePXPaZnmFyhECVbj0MneohGWGM2pM5_ah34cE1dRmDYlBUwQ_9KIteCItObRpU/w640-h360/1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0VNoWcYN5DiaHiZfPVwg4ol8qhgyh_iZ1ThXUs4RKlHYCbyNyD6FUeS9nZaNxOf-_eWgSLN2Y5tBpiT9tn1DlOTKylwQTxuc8-Mi9nODuA58IUj4xxosRLdBn-m8QgHjQHqjizuI0kSg3DnDR7SJXij5OKbAVaH1i2PKdYGeg8lasLq_AgqkuxY5OYhg/s2000/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="2000" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0VNoWcYN5DiaHiZfPVwg4ol8qhgyh_iZ1ThXUs4RKlHYCbyNyD6FUeS9nZaNxOf-_eWgSLN2Y5tBpiT9tn1DlOTKylwQTxuc8-Mi9nODuA58IUj4xxosRLdBn-m8QgHjQHqjizuI0kSg3DnDR7SJXij5OKbAVaH1i2PKdYGeg8lasLq_AgqkuxY5OYhg/w640-h360/2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Michelle Ryleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14400361504311139225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965517650764043258.post-11765647889595903752024-02-15T00:03:00.003+00:002024-02-15T00:03:00.136+00:00False Summit (A Tyler Zahn Novel Book 2) - Cam Torrens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2CYSxxRX56-e2aYGYtQgOWjt5CJZ5lkuNO6titqAi910QlIaB9QPjypzgaUOjAERKR-widUYHeZ-ndT_OWutK3SygxZ01f5STibT_AnjUiznPGe-2bChLXYbTodv-xCvL4KejQpAOqT1mqMZRxh7YCAU2srMHqXttytwATb_P2v_deM0e61gdCzYD1Dk/s1500/81kpCJ+H-ZL._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1013" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2CYSxxRX56-e2aYGYtQgOWjt5CJZ5lkuNO6titqAi910QlIaB9QPjypzgaUOjAERKR-widUYHeZ-ndT_OWutK3SygxZ01f5STibT_AnjUiznPGe-2bChLXYbTodv-xCvL4KejQpAOqT1mqMZRxh7YCAU2srMHqXttytwATb_P2v_deM0e61gdCzYD1Dk/s320/81kpCJ+H-ZL._SL1500_.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Chaffee County Search & Rescue is known for finding lost people in the Rocky Mountain backcountry. But they've never lost one of their own before.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Cam Torrens, author of Stable, has written another psychological thriller that will have readers racing to answer the question...what happened to Kristee Li?</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Veteran pilot Tyler Zahn is finally recovering from the tragedies that cost him his family and drove him from the Air Force, when his best friend, Kristee Li, disappears on a remote search and rescue mission. A massive effort to find her fails. No clues. No body. Kristee is presumed dead.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A fellow team member claims the disappearance is no accident and Zahn begins to question what really happened in the mountains. Who would have wanted Kristee dead? More importantly...why? Plagued with grief, Zahn probes for answers while slowly slipping into the familiar depression he's worked so hard to escape.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>False Summit</i> proves when it comes to money, sexuality, and cultural norms, the truth is in short supply. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span face="" style="color: blue;"><u>What did I think?</u></span><br /><span face=""><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I absolutely loved the first Tyler Zahn novel, <i><a href="https://www.thebookmagnet.co.uk/2023/12/stable-tyler-zahn-novel-book-1-cam.html" target="_blank">Stable</a></i>, so I was very excited to read the follow up, <i>False Summit</i>, and I was not disappointed.</div></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Set in the Rocky Mountains, the mountainous location is almost a character in itself as it holds the answer to the question on everyone's lips: what happened to Tyler Zahn's Search & Rescue colleague Kristee Li.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The disappearance of Kristee is the hook that reeled me in immediately but it's the gradual revealing of the days leading up to her disappearance that kept me riveted. There are so many different strands to her story and I absolutely loved putting her life under a virtual microscope to piece together her last known movements. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I love Tyler Zahn's dogged determination to never give up, even when the Sheriff warns him to stop investigating. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Kristee is his friend and if you want anyone in your corner, it's Tyler Zahn. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">It's clear that there is more to Kristee's disappearance than anyone first thought and a few of the characters in Kristee's life are hiding something so they don't want the police poking around too much. They didn't bargain on Tyler Zahn though and he's not going to give up until he finds out the truth.</span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""><i>False Summit</i> is a novel that held me in an icy grip from start to finish. It's so cleverly written that I simply couldn't read fast enough to get to what actually happened on the mountain and it left me on tenterhooks for book 3.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""> </span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Many thanks to Cam Torrens for sending me a digital ARC to read and review; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""><br /></span><span face="">My rating:</span><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPc7EMSNjOGljDbj-T3lWzdcDbWR2kovIRZO7-raCtx5FhZI6x6OqWbIl0OoKxRDA4fwyPhkg-h_SBgkebFRQFNcwrucrpltoaEtiObAtUrTGzvhIPBZ0HHveH2OfJDc9f8ziVVMXTqE/s1600/5+stars.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="295" data-original-width="1600" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPc7EMSNjOGljDbj-T3lWzdcDbWR2kovIRZO7-raCtx5FhZI6x6OqWbIl0OoKxRDA4fwyPhkg-h_SBgkebFRQFNcwrucrpltoaEtiObAtUrTGzvhIPBZ0HHveH2OfJDc9f8ziVVMXTqE/s200/5+stars.png" width="200" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/False-Summit-Truth-Tyler-Novel-ebook/dp/B0C7W84N1Y/" target="_blank">Buy it from Amazon</a></span></div></div>Michelle Ryleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14400361504311139225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965517650764043258.post-76410559372569378522024-02-12T00:49:00.001+00:002024-02-12T07:42:34.992+00:00BLOG TOUR: Token - Beverley Kendall<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfjfysZG87J_uHgKRr_319KCizIzyYK7akiK6M0V-WE8fN292CERHmREOXFkbVDe21sHywYB899DRk3ZarQxMy-OUT50OrFWtxrP9qE5BhqTP0QCSDCHKsoJX3bXIzyqOOqqRV8ClpewmqOiA8yktlxfgAIj-vXX57UBDldyHzin2nrsngLdX5gvbdOJ4/s866/image003%20(2).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="866" data-original-width="567" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfjfysZG87J_uHgKRr_319KCizIzyYK7akiK6M0V-WE8fN292CERHmREOXFkbVDe21sHywYB899DRk3ZarQxMy-OUT50OrFWtxrP9qE5BhqTP0QCSDCHKsoJX3bXIzyqOOqqRV8ClpewmqOiA8yktlxfgAIj-vXX57UBDldyHzin2nrsngLdX5gvbdOJ4/s320/image003%20(2).jpg" width="210" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Kennedy Mitchell is brilliant, beautiful and tired of being the only Black woman in the room.</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Two years ago, she was plucked from reception for a seat at the boardroom table in the name of “representation”. Rather than play along, she and her best friend founded Token, a boutique PR agency that helps diversity-challenged companies and celebrities. With famous people getting into reputation-damaging controversies, Token is in high demand and business is booming, but when her ex shows up needing help repairing his reputation, things get even more complicated and soon Kennedy finds herself drawn into a PR scandal of her own.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span face="" style="color: blue;"><u>What did I think?</u></span><br /><span face=""><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Token </i>is a book that I have not been able to stop thinking about, long after I read the final page. It highlights and explores so many different prejudices that I found both shocking and sobering.</div></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Kennedy is the right sex and colour required to secure a new client for the company where she is working as a temporary receptionist. The ruse works and the company have their important new client but, w</span><span style="font-family: arial;">hat is most shocking, is that I can totally see companies doing this. </span><span style="font-family: arial;"> This devious trickery gives Kennedy the idea for a new business where she can help companies to diversify or at least give the illusion of doing so.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Although I questioned the ethics of her business model, I absolutely loved Kennedy Mitchell; she has really had to work hard to get where she is but whilst she may be a successful businesswoman she is not quite so successful in love. I think her own prejudices about herself hold her back from revealing her true feelings to the man she loves.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I was hooked from the very first page and I just knew that I was going to love the strong and sassy main character of Kennedy. There are lots of serious thought-provoking subjects to ponder and reflect on later as well as some steamy sex scenes that had me reaching to turn down the thermostat. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Token</i> is a fresh, modern and powerful novel that completely captivated me from start to finish. I am 100% invested in the characters and can't wait for Beverley Kendall's next novel after reading the sneaky peek at the end of the book. An important and highly recommended read.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""><br /></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""><br /></span><span face="">My rating:</span><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPc7EMSNjOGljDbj-T3lWzdcDbWR2kovIRZO7-raCtx5FhZI6x6OqWbIl0OoKxRDA4fwyPhkg-h_SBgkebFRQFNcwrucrpltoaEtiObAtUrTGzvhIPBZ0HHveH2OfJDc9f8ziVVMXTqE/s1600/5+stars.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="295" data-original-width="1600" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPc7EMSNjOGljDbj-T3lWzdcDbWR2kovIRZO7-raCtx5FhZI6x6OqWbIl0OoKxRDA4fwyPhkg-h_SBgkebFRQFNcwrucrpltoaEtiObAtUrTGzvhIPBZ0HHveH2OfJDc9f8ziVVMXTqE/s200/5+stars.png" width="200" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Buy it from:</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://uk.bookshop.org/a/1221/9781398530546" target="_blank">UK.Bookshop.org</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Token-rom-com-chuckling-BRENDA-JACKSON-ebook/dp/B0C74VQCRT/" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Follow the tour:</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnvuBOLhgrpnTKaMT2Rbse0wt5nEXj27mt51gL9qi1yuCaTtqrDc3kqXGP1LhRB42-qZshgBy5ftiX0vkDra7wSSvKYdFty8cGninkXc-6ZN3i1NGqrHmvHnJp61mqqqnL6IoFPOD2f50g5nindRYq0NUa_muKEuTEryIUh2UugWnu_iqprDeIDdnN6qM/s1080/image004.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnvuBOLhgrpnTKaMT2Rbse0wt5nEXj27mt51gL9qi1yuCaTtqrDc3kqXGP1LhRB42-qZshgBy5ftiX0vkDra7wSSvKYdFty8cGninkXc-6ZN3i1NGqrHmvHnJp61mqqqnL6IoFPOD2f50g5nindRYq0NUa_muKEuTEryIUh2UugWnu_iqprDeIDdnN6qM/w640-h640/image004.png" width="640" /></a></div></div></div></div>Michelle Ryleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14400361504311139225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965517650764043258.post-78449896715354973112024-02-06T00:27:00.001+00:002024-02-06T00:27:00.309+00:00BLOG TOUR: Blood Ribbons (Steph Grant Murder Mystery Series Book 4) - Lin Le Versha<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUMlm7Er38-6wAVZpQp6cHnsw_4PRM7YEr1nZG3uD47zO6shaXfiPMge3cdo58ISb5Pg7PHB7Z3Em4zLGYfHGa_SAfAybWGk6ajfBjt0rYzy7sDKAOyUwlWGEZGjmFmC0UiCPAsABzaq6vNzrdnyZ_l3vc77v40SARo__6esqGcAnd1Qlyvjz5izB0tSQ/s2456/9781915817310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2456" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUMlm7Er38-6wAVZpQp6cHnsw_4PRM7YEr1nZG3uD47zO6shaXfiPMge3cdo58ISb5Pg7PHB7Z3Em4zLGYfHGa_SAfAybWGk6ajfBjt0rYzy7sDKAOyUwlWGEZGjmFmC0UiCPAsABzaq6vNzrdnyZ_l3vc77v40SARo__6esqGcAnd1Qlyvjz5izB0tSQ/s320/9781915817310.jpg" width="208" /></a></div> <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Arnhem 1944</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">British paratroopers launch one of the most audacious plans of the Second World War – Operation Market Garden. Private Duncan Shaw records his experiences as his unit fights desperately to capture a vital bridge from the Germans.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Arnhem, Present Day</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Duncan’s great granddaughter Zoe retraces his steps as part of a college project to accompany veterans of the battle and record their experiences. What Zoe doesn’t anticipate is uncovering a series of disturbing family secrets, some with deadly consequences.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Another dangerous case for Steph and Hale</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A body is found tangled in the rushes on the banks of the Rhine, close to the river boat where former police officer, Steph Grant, and her partner, Chief Inspector Philip Hale, are chaperoning students from the college where she now works. Working with Dutch police, the pair investigate further, and quickly discover that no one is safe – be they pupils, veterans or staff.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span face="" style="color: blue;"><u>What did I think?</u></span><br /><span face=""><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Blood Ribbons</i> is the fourth book in the Steph Grant Murder Mystery series but it can be read as a standalone. Although the characters are familiar to fans of the series, it has its own contained storyline and it's a real good 'un.</div></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The college that Steph works at are planning to write a book to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Operation Market Garden, which was the World War II battle for the bridge at Arnhem that inspired the film A Bridge Too Far. One of the students has a personal link to the battle and she shares poignant extracts from her great grandfather's journal.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">With Steph and Hale around, there's bound to be a dead body or two and the pair find themselves investigating once again. The plot is very clever as Lin Le Versha catches the reader in a pincer movement with both a present day and a past mystery to solve. I was completely riveted by both strands of the story and I simply couldn't turn the pages fast enough.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Of course it wouldn't be a Steph Grant book without an appearance from Derek, her faithful hound. Derek may not make an appearance until towards the end of the book but it's definitely quality over quantity as he has a big part to play in the story.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="font-family: arial;">Blood Ribbons</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> is an outstanding murder mystery that had me on the edge of my seat throughout. The historical element is beautifully and sensitively portrayed and I found it quite emotional</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> and poignant. A highly recommended read.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""><br /></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""><br /></span><span face="">My rating:</span><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPc7EMSNjOGljDbj-T3lWzdcDbWR2kovIRZO7-raCtx5FhZI6x6OqWbIl0OoKxRDA4fwyPhkg-h_SBgkebFRQFNcwrucrpltoaEtiObAtUrTGzvhIPBZ0HHveH2OfJDc9f8ziVVMXTqE/s1600/5+stars.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="295" data-original-width="1600" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPc7EMSNjOGljDbj-T3lWzdcDbWR2kovIRZO7-raCtx5FhZI6x6OqWbIl0OoKxRDA4fwyPhkg-h_SBgkebFRQFNcwrucrpltoaEtiObAtUrTGzvhIPBZ0HHveH2OfJDc9f8ziVVMXTqE/s200/5+stars.png" width="200" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Buy it from:</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.hobeck.net/product-page/blood-ribbons-by-lin-le-versha" target="_blank">Hobeck Books</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0CR9D77LH" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Follow the tour:</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkq4BgUNv9T4Tbrtn3IgIKYOSatQ4gJE9GPPU1ggT-WNQYgHTk9kTiAtL4_Qn_Z33kQps0OYgelQLzKdOM7EUR1t-qrhyZ2U1v06usUfhRFpJ4d97DFabAQNAvV8c-Z_kfg8onB6xKeazfj3QP52zmStKm-xDQX08B7c0YTfYsR9G075_DQkWQikPj8nU/s1920/Lin%20Blood%20Ribbons%20Blog%20Tour%20Poster%20(3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkq4BgUNv9T4Tbrtn3IgIKYOSatQ4gJE9GPPU1ggT-WNQYgHTk9kTiAtL4_Qn_Z33kQps0OYgelQLzKdOM7EUR1t-qrhyZ2U1v06usUfhRFpJ4d97DFabAQNAvV8c-Z_kfg8onB6xKeazfj3QP52zmStKm-xDQX08B7c0YTfYsR9G075_DQkWQikPj8nU/w640-h360/Lin%20Blood%20Ribbons%20Blog%20Tour%20Poster%20(3).jpg" width="640" /></a></div></div></div></div></div>Michelle Ryleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14400361504311139225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965517650764043258.post-17011027698088222902024-02-04T00:58:00.019+00:002024-02-04T00:58:00.144+00:00BLOG TOUR: The Philosophy of Love - Rebecca Ryan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3j3h7TyjfRNA8ai_nZQ4ky4zUT09BaXvFFSrh1rKWpplLhPeNYKL_XdSsw4PRVXxSN0HF5lkV11w4nGFA95Bs1YNUFQW_wFr-gH2SMbdeAlvmqXuOyazPsfubO9VnNVJmGkJQfbvJP4ljkg6Ag-EvSp4R2kNa6Ta5d2xMvgZ-NgtygoCkaNxPwcYmtew/s1500/71TvSjfhn8L._SL1500_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="985" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3j3h7TyjfRNA8ai_nZQ4ky4zUT09BaXvFFSrh1rKWpplLhPeNYKL_XdSsw4PRVXxSN0HF5lkV11w4nGFA95Bs1YNUFQW_wFr-gH2SMbdeAlvmqXuOyazPsfubO9VnNVJmGkJQfbvJP4ljkg6Ag-EvSp4R2kNa6Ta5d2xMvgZ-NgtygoCkaNxPwcYmtew/s320/71TvSjfhn8L._SL1500_.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>What is love? Is it something spiritual or wholly physical? Can our feelings be explained and quantified? Or are we all actually two halves of a whole?</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ask Alice and Luke and you’d receive vastly different answers.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Despite her world having been recently dismantled by a messy break-up, Alice would tell you that love is the most important – albeit ineffable – human experiences. But when she once again crosses paths with her old school nemesis, Luke, he challenges this. Luke is a scientist and he’s certain love can be measured and explained – just like everything else.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So the two decide to make a bet: they’ll each venture back into dating and if one of them falls in love, Alice wins, if not, then Luke does.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>But can anyone win when you’re playing with emotions?</b></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span face="" style="color: blue;"><u>What did I think?</u></span><br /><span face=""><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I absolutely loved Rebecca Ryan's debut novel, <i><a href="https://www.thebookmagnet.co.uk/2023/01/blog-tour-my-extraordinary-life-rebecca.html" target="_blank">My (extra)Ordinary Life</a></i>, so I was very excited to read her new book, <i>The Philosophy of Love</i>. Well, just imagine my delight when I found out that it was set just a few miles down the road in Easington Colliery. What a lovely surprise!</div></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After breaking up with her boyfriend, who was also her boss, Alice suddenly finds herself homeless and unemployed. So, she packs her meagre belongings and leaves London to live with her parents in a little village in County Durham. It's not long before Alice bumps into her old schoolfriend Luke and the sexual tension between them virtually sizzles off the page, although neither of them can see it; they're too busy trying to win a bet about love.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The chemistry between Alice and Luke is like a smouldering candle just waiting for a little draught of air to ignite it, but the last place that Alice thinks to look for love is right in front of her. Of course it would have been a very short story if she had fallen for Luke right away!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As well as the wonderful romance, there's a really strong sense of family and community in the book as the villagers all come together to save their local community centre. I loved how Alice's family all rallied around her, along with her friends new and old. Village life in the north-east is depicted beautifully in this book as well as the warmth and friendliness of the people in the region.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Rebecca Ryan admits to using a lot of artistic license to recreate Easington for her readers and her writing is so wonderfully vivid that it really brings the village to life. Whilst I understand the need to change and embellish some things in the village, it's a shame that the names of a north-east landmark and university were changed. It didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book at all though, it's just that I get a kick out of seeing places I know in print. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Funny, flirty and completely captivating, </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Philosophy of Love</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> is filled with north-eastern</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> charm and wit and it delighted me from start to finish. Rebecca Ryan is certainly one to watch and I definitely consider myself a fan.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""><br /></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""><br /></span><span face="">My rating:</span><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPc7EMSNjOGljDbj-T3lWzdcDbWR2kovIRZO7-raCtx5FhZI6x6OqWbIl0OoKxRDA4fwyPhkg-h_SBgkebFRQFNcwrucrpltoaEtiObAtUrTGzvhIPBZ0HHveH2OfJDc9f8ziVVMXTqE/s1600/5+stars.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="295" data-original-width="1600" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPc7EMSNjOGljDbj-T3lWzdcDbWR2kovIRZO7-raCtx5FhZI6x6OqWbIl0OoKxRDA4fwyPhkg-h_SBgkebFRQFNcwrucrpltoaEtiObAtUrTGzvhIPBZ0HHveH2OfJDc9f8ziVVMXTqE/s200/5+stars.png" width="200" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Buy it from:</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://uk.bookshop.org/a/1221/9781398509283" target="_blank">UK.Bookshop.org</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Philosophy-Love-Rebecca-Ryan-ebook/dp/B0C47PT6MK/" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Follow the tour:</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhov3FAaovj4YMgIfO4D9GEAz2ap_Jo3DtRytrujmWvTotpW3S2_HEYihrr_ZHNEAdLQk9XSzoSD7vaksQF1lzBPN5nzGy2LQGGqxWqlvbtUDHB_RLZRdhwQ3PdF9Jzvhd2nXVtoL7it3VUzFKzjMzQrsNlCONGnWPE__KHOwcAsVfGrLIsyEHO0Hby1t0/s1080/TPOL%20BLOG%20TOUR.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhov3FAaovj4YMgIfO4D9GEAz2ap_Jo3DtRytrujmWvTotpW3S2_HEYihrr_ZHNEAdLQk9XSzoSD7vaksQF1lzBPN5nzGy2LQGGqxWqlvbtUDHB_RLZRdhwQ3PdF9Jzvhd2nXVtoL7it3VUzFKzjMzQrsNlCONGnWPE__KHOwcAsVfGrLIsyEHO0Hby1t0/w640-h640/TPOL%20BLOG%20TOUR.png" width="640" /></a></div></div></div></div></div>Michelle Ryleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14400361504311139225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965517650764043258.post-22519381452679389962024-02-01T00:56:00.001+00:002024-02-01T00:56:00.130+00:00What Hides in the Cupboards - Cassondra Windwalker<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic0yH3xkQCWbB1SO0tOaLL7PAgDANrgkSsOSt5GCKMZarfQHElEcvhPBnqaQHUOK-iBZZ5AhpGM8PyfR3alOHIS2rYeAbV6u3cRAvY8Q4wzNq9wwGjY0QMNzsJjg8LE_WJd9odXGI3CuMOMyWBGqVLjSUZw_Vkcd0WuZ-5Z1pHLUFgbT7AvrAFXMV5eEI/s1500/81kE6rEn84L._SL1500_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="971" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic0yH3xkQCWbB1SO0tOaLL7PAgDANrgkSsOSt5GCKMZarfQHElEcvhPBnqaQHUOK-iBZZ5AhpGM8PyfR3alOHIS2rYeAbV6u3cRAvY8Q4wzNq9wwGjY0QMNzsJjg8LE_WJd9odXGI3CuMOMyWBGqVLjSUZw_Vkcd0WuZ-5Z1pHLUFgbT7AvrAFXMV5eEI/s320/81kE6rEn84L._SL1500_.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Following a traumatic accident, ceramic artist Hesper Dunn trades life in Chicago for the enchanted deserts of New Mexico. But not all is quaint, and it’s far from what it seems. There’s a mystery buried deep in the heart of her new home.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Love, guilt, and grief demand that Hesper remain within the haunted pueblo. To free herself, she must free the trapped spirits…but the creatures lurking in the shadows are not what they appear. Hesper dares to wade through the murky fog of tragedy to uncover the truth. A truth that will be harder to handle than she ever dared imagine.</span></div><div> </div></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span face="" style="color: blue;"><u>What did I think?</u></span><br /><span face=""><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I've been a fan of Cassondra Windwalker's writing since I read her unforgettable novel, <i>Idle Hands</i>, so I was delighted to get the chance to read an early copy of her latest novel, <i>What Hides in the Cupboards</i>. </div></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="">You never know what to expect with a Cassondra Windwalker novel so I am purposefully keeping my review brief to avoid spoilers. You know from the cover that this is going to be a creepy novel but it's so very clever and also unexpectedly moving.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I loved the main character, Hesper and really felt her pain as she struggles to deal with her own demons as well as the spooky young boy who haunts her new house. I was completely riveted as I raced through the pages to uncover who or what the boy is and I had an actual gasp out loud and a lump in my throat at the end.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The writing is absolutely exquisite and I often had to stop reading for just a moment to fully appreciate the breathtaking perfection of the words. It's a book that both creeped me out and broke my heart - I loved it! </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Many thanks to Cassondra Windwalker for sending me a digital ARC to read and review; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.</span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="">My rating:</span><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPc7EMSNjOGljDbj-T3lWzdcDbWR2kovIRZO7-raCtx5FhZI6x6OqWbIl0OoKxRDA4fwyPhkg-h_SBgkebFRQFNcwrucrpltoaEtiObAtUrTGzvhIPBZ0HHveH2OfJDc9f8ziVVMXTqE/s1600/5+stars.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="295" data-original-width="1600" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPc7EMSNjOGljDbj-T3lWzdcDbWR2kovIRZO7-raCtx5FhZI6x6OqWbIl0OoKxRDA4fwyPhkg-h_SBgkebFRQFNcwrucrpltoaEtiObAtUrTGzvhIPBZ0HHveH2OfJDc9f8ziVVMXTqE/s200/5+stars.png" width="200" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Hides-Cupboards-Cassondra-Windwalker-ebook/dp/B0CM1M4DXS/" target="_blank">Buy it from Amazon</a></span></div></div>Michelle Ryleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14400361504311139225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965517650764043258.post-34683085942420193252024-01-30T00:33:00.001+00:002024-01-30T00:33:00.139+00:00How to Find a Missing Girl - Victoria Wlosok<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Mhl0WFQkuAoMx5TYGFmT-S3jDL_Z8ZstOQ3pMtA866Po649F24CqDY7POuGnxtSnPV7efeE_Hs-iIzLc6v3uclipM4xBeIgv4OMq7VG9ig2ft13sskFxQkWkdEkrtAfmF_TkpWjHsPqcanQJauPs4i4FVUGmtRUJvHkRlcRQ47KhBI3oyTO28MdMsgU/s1500/81Sg94bI3-L._SL1500_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="993" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Mhl0WFQkuAoMx5TYGFmT-S3jDL_Z8ZstOQ3pMtA866Po649F24CqDY7POuGnxtSnPV7efeE_Hs-iIzLc6v3uclipM4xBeIgv4OMq7VG9ig2ft13sskFxQkWkdEkrtAfmF_TkpWjHsPqcanQJauPs4i4FVUGmtRUJvHkRlcRQ47KhBI3oyTO28MdMsgU/s320/81Sg94bI3-L._SL1500_.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A year ago, beloved cheerleader Stella Blackthorn vanished without a trace. Devastated, her younger sister, Iris, launched her own investigation, but all she managed to do was scare off the police's only lead and earn a stern warning: once she turns eighteen, more meddling means prison-level consequences.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Then, a year later, the unthinkable happens. Iris's ex-girlfriend, Heather, goes missing, too-just after dropping the polarizing last episode of her true crime podcast all about Iris's sister. This time, nothing will stop Iris and her amateur sleuthing agency from solving these disappearances.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But with a suspicious detective watching her every move, an enemy-turned-friend-turned-maybe-more to contend with, and only thirty days until she turns eighteen, it's a race against the clock for Iris to solve the most dangerous case of her life.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="color: blue;"><u>What did I think?</u></span><br /><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><div style="text-align: justify;">I really enjoyed this book from start to finish. I loved the inclusion of podcast transcripts and the amateur sleuths that reminded me of the Scooby Gang (even before they decided on their Halloween outfits).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Something bad is happening at Hillwood; one missing girl is considered a runaway, but two missing girls make Iris and her friends investigate their disappearances. Iris has a vested interest as her sister was the first to disappear and the second girl is her ex-girlfriend. I couldn’t read fast enough to discover whether Iris would find out who is behind the disappearances or whether she would become a target herself.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The writing is fresh and vibrant as Victoria Wlosok draws such vivid scenes with her wonderful words and I was completely drawn into the story. I really cared about Iris and her friends and I loved their own unique characters.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Gripping, fresh and compelling, <i>How to Find a Missing Girl</i> is an excellent debut novel from an exciting new talent in the YA genre. Victoria Wlosok is studying at the University of North Carolina so put her on your watch list as I’m sure there are more great things to come from her. </div></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">My rating:</span><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh45ix3_StdZTTa9peAQCTfjQ5b8UQHxzAabm474p_Q7CDlgOoaPJuoLbXnRuRKgM7vRAsTXld6QgOxUxGNdBBrzdXklnwkORI493c4nKeizTEk8rmZwXcB1XySJDOecw4fTinUxWBTw28/s1600/4+stars.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="1600" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh45ix3_StdZTTa9peAQCTfjQ5b8UQHxzAabm474p_Q7CDlgOoaPJuoLbXnRuRKgM7vRAsTXld6QgOxUxGNdBBrzdXklnwkORI493c4nKeizTEk8rmZwXcB1XySJDOecw4fTinUxWBTw28/s200/4+stars.png" width="200" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Buy it from:</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://uk.bookshop.org/a/1221/9781510202726" target="_blank">UK.Bookshop.org</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1510202722" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></div>Michelle Ryleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14400361504311139225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965517650764043258.post-22209554586997431862024-01-22T00:19:00.008+00:002024-01-22T00:19:00.126+00:00Benidorm, actually - Jo Lyons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFVjQO1GI0Id4Phzw01vGLRGOM029CcINapjtdZrEGg0PIokP4pXzPBb1qVtj6tMolzL_ZfBfREoNIbX__pt5UGWu67fay839FSbFN_Y8oBeeu4yAyDOxNOx9jArCHfFNs0eQfaxiAP4XoblK9C7vbJ1kf7u0A-1Z3wsbThb4qs_99cMyYEEQZQn-CCH0/s1500/61ZRK7nHdsL._SL1500_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="972" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFVjQO1GI0Id4Phzw01vGLRGOM029CcINapjtdZrEGg0PIokP4pXzPBb1qVtj6tMolzL_ZfBfREoNIbX__pt5UGWu67fay839FSbFN_Y8oBeeu4yAyDOxNOx9jArCHfFNs0eQfaxiAP4XoblK9C7vbJ1kf7u0A-1Z3wsbThb4qs_99cMyYEEQZQn-CCH0/s320/61ZRK7nHdsL._SL1500_.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>“Ladies and Gentlemen, we will shortly be arriving into Alicante. Please ensure your big lips and heavy eyebrows are securely fastened, your eyelashes are stowed in the upright position and your leg tattoos are clearly visible for landing.”</i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Connie Cooper’s classical music career is at a dead-end. She’s singing cheap covers to a sea of bald heads and the nearest she has been to a romantic relationship in years is watching the Bridgerton buttocks scene on a continuous loop.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The last thing she needs is to be on a flight to Benidorm with strict instructions to impress the boss of Jezebel Music. But as she tries to keep up with support band, The Dollz, and the constant flashmob dancing, the going out in less than you’d wear on the beach and their obsession with the promiscuous bearded-Nuns in the villa next door, the boss seems less and less impressed.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The clock is ticking. She’s meant to be finding her voice, not finding his brooding good-looks irresistibly attractive… How can she show him that she has what it takes to succeed?</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">That’s right. Instead of just being herself, she’ll follow The Dollz’ advice to dress like a low-rent stripper and impress him by pole-dancing on top of a table full of drinks.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>What could go wrong?</b></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span face="" style="color: blue;"><u>What did I think?</u></span><br /><span face=""><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I absolutely loved this book; it was just what I needed to banish the winter blues as it whisked me away to sunnier climes. It's so laugh-out-loud hilarious that it should come with waterproof pages as I had tears rolling down my face on so many occasions.</div></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I've never been to Benidorm but Jo Lyons brings the vibrant and colourful holiday resort to life between the pages of her fabulous debut novel as we follow Connie Cooper's last ditch attempt to make it in the music business. From the minute Connie steps on the plane in Newcastle, the reader is under no illusion that is going to be a regular holiday romance type of book...not with The Dollz around anyway.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I had such a vivid picture of The Dollz in my head and their constant practising of their routines still makes me smile long after turning the final page. They're supposed to be Connie's support act, both in the story and character weighting, however, they are so much larger than life that nothing will keep The Dollz out of the limelight.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I absolutely loved Connie though; she seems to puts her foot in it every time she opens her mouth, especially with Mr Window Seat who she is destined to run into again (quite literally) when the plane touches down in Spain. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Filled with sun, sea, sand and singing, </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Benidorm, actually</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> is an entertaining and hilarious romantic comedy. It's a sparkling debut from Jo Lyons and one I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="">My rating:</span><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPc7EMSNjOGljDbj-T3lWzdcDbWR2kovIRZO7-raCtx5FhZI6x6OqWbIl0OoKxRDA4fwyPhkg-h_SBgkebFRQFNcwrucrpltoaEtiObAtUrTGzvhIPBZ0HHveH2OfJDc9f8ziVVMXTqE/s1600/5+stars.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="295" data-original-width="1600" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPc7EMSNjOGljDbj-T3lWzdcDbWR2kovIRZO7-raCtx5FhZI6x6OqWbIl0OoKxRDA4fwyPhkg-h_SBgkebFRQFNcwrucrpltoaEtiObAtUrTGzvhIPBZ0HHveH2OfJDc9f8ziVVMXTqE/s200/5+stars.png" width="200" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Benidorm-actually-heart-warming-wonderfully-shortlisted/dp/1739222016/" target="_blank">Buy it from Amazon</a></span></div></div></div>Michelle Ryleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14400361504311139225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965517650764043258.post-850859992485822172024-01-18T15:13:00.003+00:002024-01-18T15:13:56.417+00:00PUBLICATION DAY PROMO: Zero Kill - M.K. Hill<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgfsrx-p8uahH9GLNQq-FIjiWiUhzi9mfrSOH6Yy0_7GPgBHlyXnZN35ztFnToeSam_5i7aNcYWIGXJ9lfsdqT1jCNQse1KvpZp39rg1N1IauSlB4aXGNUcKhM1fItUXEs7dYP1BtByZ6zSuLziM_0QDEjFxAGJ5WbV4nvdYxQra0p4L9ai0FrlhBHJMI/s700/Zero%20Kill.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="700" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgfsrx-p8uahH9GLNQq-FIjiWiUhzi9mfrSOH6Yy0_7GPgBHlyXnZN35ztFnToeSam_5i7aNcYWIGXJ9lfsdqT1jCNQse1KvpZp39rg1N1IauSlB4aXGNUcKhM1fItUXEs7dYP1BtByZ6zSuLziM_0QDEjFxAGJ5WbV4nvdYxQra0p4L9ai0FrlhBHJMI/w640-h252/Zero%20Kill.png" width="640" /></a></div> <br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I am thrilled to be taking part in the publication day promo for Zero Kill by M.K. Hill. I've just finished reading this book and it's SO GOOD. My review will follow soon but you can find out more about the book below.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2elO5s-AU5IhwwdpNDH0NQySo3V83kchl-QhNt8hIcMdWzuPRk6_fZGcqdAnor5jAt2f6Z3McwSR5XZABMv5N_MZoAXs9dhk-pte63tgix0xMaVFBNGr1GgB3imOk46r1lqx-eTAeBGuqOs2uNHc02d_Ci11d1MCaCrDMd24KZ1FA6migCaIZS-JCpa4/s2494/9781804549193%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2494" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2elO5s-AU5IhwwdpNDH0NQySo3V83kchl-QhNt8hIcMdWzuPRk6_fZGcqdAnor5jAt2f6Z3McwSR5XZABMv5N_MZoAXs9dhk-pte63tgix0xMaVFBNGr1GgB3imOk46r1lqx-eTAeBGuqOs2uNHc02d_Ci11d1MCaCrDMd24KZ1FA6migCaIZS-JCpa4/s320/9781804549193%201.jpg" width="205" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>A <i>TIMES </i>BEST NEW THRILLER PICK </b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">'Runs at breakneck speed through a dark and dangerous universe populated with characters who are never what they seem' <b>KATHLEEN KENT, author of <i>Black Wolf</i> </b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">'A perfect thriller - page-turning excitement, expert plotting, a good dose of wit, and above all a fierce heroine you can't get enough of.' <b>ASIA MACKAY, author of <i>Killing It</i></b> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><i>Meet Elsa Zero: Bad neighbour. Single mother. Ex-deep cover agent. </i></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><i>And right now, the most dangerous person on Earth. </i></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">When Elsa's dull but dedicated boyfriend proposes in a packed restaurant, she doesn't think her evening can get any worse. But as the clock strikes midnight, her world is turned upside down. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Suddenly Elsa is running for her life, trying to keep her children safe, and desperate to discover what the hell is going on. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Every intelligence agency in the world wants her dead because she's in possession of a deadly secret – she just has to stay alive long enough to figure out what it is. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But this is Elsa Zero we're talking about. And it's a <i>very</i> bad idea to get on her wrong side. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Bursting with tension, twists and humour, this is a brilliantly unique action-thriller perfect for fans of <i>Killing Eve</i>, Lee Child and people who loved watching <i>Nobody </i>and <i>Hunted</i>. </b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Purchase Link: <a href="https://geni.us/ZKPBRRR" target="_blank">https://geni.us/ZKPBRRR</a></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>About the author:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijMWc2wRXR-XQDgOThsbHkLrI59PgA-kW3uY54r9eCCoZspmrG3rd0NGXPHCaPVgdn13R7U-ULiysowzcSNyiwimwQeJ3Ga0ssqkg3c2LIzLvSFbTPeExfQfzTp0W_16csJbp_1LivisyBcDSgx0f0yHblUTu1DoFPcrFe-8qaNYLgRHRBDQRK38YZzx8/s1000/Hill,%20M.K%20(2)%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijMWc2wRXR-XQDgOThsbHkLrI59PgA-kW3uY54r9eCCoZspmrG3rd0NGXPHCaPVgdn13R7U-ULiysowzcSNyiwimwQeJ3Ga0ssqkg3c2LIzLvSFbTPeExfQfzTp0W_16csJbp_1LivisyBcDSgx0f0yHblUTu1DoFPcrFe-8qaNYLgRHRBDQRK38YZzx8/w200-h200/Hill,%20M.K%20(2)%20(1).jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">M.K. Hill worked as a journalist and an award-winning music radio producer before becoming a full-time writer. He's written the Sasha Dawson series, Ray Drake series and the highly-acclaimed psychological thriller One Bad Thing. He lives in London. Visit him at <a href="http://www.mkhill.uk" target="_blank">www.mkhill.uk</a> or find him on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/markhillwriter" target="_blank">@markhillwriter</a> </div><div><br /></div><div><div>Social Media Links – </div><div>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/markhillwriter" target="_blank">@markhillwriter</a> </div><div>Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MarkHillAuthor" target="_blank">M.K. Hill Author </a></div><div>Website: <a href="https://www.mkhill.uk/" target="_blank">https://www.mkhill.uk/</a></div></div></span></div>Michelle Ryleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14400361504311139225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965517650764043258.post-91997090846990376482024-01-18T00:50:00.001+00:002024-01-18T00:50:00.148+00:00The Widow's Choice - Nancy Revell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgntt7imDBNUqN5uwbxKrZmnFEomOSWbZt65mq3AgLbSPFOGqAdMKiAL_DI-pOGq0taE3H5Va_1ALOETswbgc6812lj5jOeZqNOK9XtptOW9Vrh48HV264zKLoQK2bRizMSPeEHx5ahm9LBeUOP8VcZigbxgu2Tpp4P5rmKJ7JzTPScpadp6sQjAeWVoxQ/s1500/81J+BB6DBDL._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="978" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgntt7imDBNUqN5uwbxKrZmnFEomOSWbZt65mq3AgLbSPFOGqAdMKiAL_DI-pOGq0taE3H5Va_1ALOETswbgc6812lj5jOeZqNOK9XtptOW9Vrh48HV264zKLoQK2bRizMSPeEHx5ahm9LBeUOP8VcZigbxgu2Tpp4P5rmKJ7JzTPScpadp6sQjAeWVoxQ/s320/81J+BB6DBDL._SL1500_.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: justify;"><b>1949, County Durham.</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">From the Shipyards of Sunderland to Lady of the Manor . . .</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When Angie marries her sweetheart Quentin and moves into Cuthford Manor to begin their new life together, she feels like the luckiest woman in the world.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But Quentin falls victim to a tragic accident and Angie's life is left devastated. Now, along with the prospect of rebuilding her life, she is faced with an impossible choice that will have far-reaching consequences for herself and those she loves most.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Angie will need to draw on the help of her family, the community of Cuthford Manor and her old friends from the shipyards if she's to find happiness again.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span face="" style="color: blue;"><u>What did I think?</u></span><br /><span face=""><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I've wanted to read one of Nancy Revell's novels in The Shipyards Girls series since I realised they were set locally in Sunderland and I finally have a Nancy Revell novel in my hands in the form of <i>The Widow's Choice</i>. There are 12 books in the series that finished in 2022 but <i>The Widow's Choice</i> revisits some of the main characters so fans of the series could see what happens next and new readers would be tempted to see what happened earlier. </div></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Although the characters are new to me I felt as if I'd known them for years. I felt Angie's pain at her devastating loss and could totally understand why she wanted to make a new start but memories are more than bricks and mortar. Luckily, she has her shipyard girls around her to support her through her difficult time.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Angie may be the mistress of Cuthford Manor but it's a title that she doesn't feel she is entitled to and this isn't helped by her devious mother in law who is determined to get her hands on the manor for herself. There are secrets aplenty to discover in this engaging family saga and I was surprised to find myself researching some true stories that I had never heard of before.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Heartbreaking, heartwarming and completely uplifting, </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Widow's Choice</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> has it all: strong female characters, devastating family secrets and a bucketful of emotions. I am now more than tempted to read The Shipyard Girls series, in fact I feel compelled to do so after encountering these colourful characters for the first time in </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Widow's Choice</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""><br /></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I received a paperback copy for the Tandem Collective readalong and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span face="">My rating:</span><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPc7EMSNjOGljDbj-T3lWzdcDbWR2kovIRZO7-raCtx5FhZI6x6OqWbIl0OoKxRDA4fwyPhkg-h_SBgkebFRQFNcwrucrpltoaEtiObAtUrTGzvhIPBZ0HHveH2OfJDc9f8ziVVMXTqE/s1600/5+stars.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="295" data-original-width="1600" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPc7EMSNjOGljDbj-T3lWzdcDbWR2kovIRZO7-raCtx5FhZI6x6OqWbIl0OoKxRDA4fwyPhkg-h_SBgkebFRQFNcwrucrpltoaEtiObAtUrTGzvhIPBZ0HHveH2OfJDc9f8ziVVMXTqE/s200/5+stars.png" width="200" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Buy it from:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://uk.bookshop.org/a/1221/9781804945070" target="_blank">UK.Bookshop.org</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Widows-Choice-gripping-historical-bestselling-ebook/dp/B0C3QDVLF2/" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></div></div>Michelle Ryleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14400361504311139225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965517650764043258.post-27564462697245512412024-01-17T00:45:00.000+00:002024-01-17T00:45:00.129+00:00BLOG TOUR: Betrothal & Betrayal (The Empress Irini series Book 1) - Janet McGiffin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl8Ze6ojHDuQYe_Pn14Rr42gdhBALhpzOnjm9BdrSGwvSptLZ8JscmRzEhCZPFfwFoc3KDdURLWPDaYnVJB0KIu8I9VvaH04hbcRKNPm0FJVnqLHbH4UjyFK-JBA99XrebBt3Yy4fOEApIVTb1F3DFu5rFTU2CUl_bvcLrdAcwrbgjWrHeZ6_Q00QAy4k/s1000/Betrothal%20and%20Betrayal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="653" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl8Ze6ojHDuQYe_Pn14Rr42gdhBALhpzOnjm9BdrSGwvSptLZ8JscmRzEhCZPFfwFoc3KDdURLWPDaYnVJB0KIu8I9VvaH04hbcRKNPm0FJVnqLHbH4UjyFK-JBA99XrebBt3Yy4fOEApIVTb1F3DFu5rFTU2CUl_bvcLrdAcwrbgjWrHeZ6_Q00QAy4k/s320/Betrothal%20and%20Betrayal.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Seventeen-year-old Thekla needs her quick wits and knife to track down her betrothed, a soldier who has left her at the altar for the third time. Elias the monk travels with her to Constantinople where she meets Irini of Athens, an extraordinarily beautiful orphan her same age who has been brought by powerful Emperor Constantine to marry his son, Co-Emperor Leon. The two women join forces to survive this vigorous capital of the Roman Empire of the East which is rocked by religious and political strife. But will Thekla help the ambitious and ruthless Irini of Athens find the power that she craves?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="color: blue;"><u>What did I think?</u></span><br /><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Betrothal & Betrayal</i> is set in 8th century Greece and this is a period of history I knew nothing about until I turned the pages of this fabulous book. With a 17 year-old protagonist, it's in the YA genre but it's hugely enjoyable for adults too.</div></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Thekla is a very strong female character and you certainly don't want to mess with her as she has a knife and she's not afraid to use it. When her groom doesn't turn up for the wedding, she sets off to Constantinople to find him. Myrizikos either needs to marry her or break off the betrothal, but Thekla finds that looking for her betrothed is like searching for a needle in a haystack.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What I loved most about this story (apart from Thekla herself) is the real historical figures in the cast of characters. There is also an actual cast of characters list in the back of the book, which proves really useful as I sometimes lost track of who was who. I was also delighted to find maps of the Roman Empire and Constantinople at the beginning of the book.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As Thekla is the main character, you could be forgiven for forgetting that this is the Empress Irini series and Irini's part grows bigger as the book progresses. Irini is another strong female character and again, she is one I wouldn't want to cross. Irini is married to the Emperor's heir and she is determined to become Empress, despite some devious attempts by other members of the Emperor's household to send her back to Athens.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Entertaining, enlightening and evocative, </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Betrothal & Betrayal</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> is a wonderfully vivid piece of historical fiction that brings </span><span style="font-family: arial;">8th century Constantinople to life </span><span style="font-family: arial;">and I really enjoyed my virtual visit. I can't wait to read more of the series to see what happens to Thekla.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">My rating:</span><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh45ix3_StdZTTa9peAQCTfjQ5b8UQHxzAabm474p_Q7CDlgOoaPJuoLbXnRuRKgM7vRAsTXld6QgOxUxGNdBBrzdXklnwkORI493c4nKeizTEk8rmZwXcB1XySJDOecw4fTinUxWBTw28/s1600/4+stars.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="1600" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh45ix3_StdZTTa9peAQCTfjQ5b8UQHxzAabm474p_Q7CDlgOoaPJuoLbXnRuRKgM7vRAsTXld6QgOxUxGNdBBrzdXklnwkORI493c4nKeizTEk8rmZwXcB1XySJDOecw4fTinUxWBTw28/s200/4+stars.png" width="200" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Buy it from:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Betrothal-Betrayal-Empress-Irini/dp/1910895784" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">About the author:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTfvc0_hx7JQCV0oEoa8udyId256lSAL99DaFDEkXqKdkJwHH6QF5CDUQAVxRFMMOOzNlZtgJ5BOOvHeih0e3Erza_eb8A0Z1L4jrHZ7mO9motXUJ0mb5PruPGqZS4RMJnl6pGKPS8t5JSO1Wa1FjoZNHxTHzBzdsRfK56_yUGkX1RnaEXdDUX94zYGlQ/s450/Janet%20Mcgiffin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="450" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTfvc0_hx7JQCV0oEoa8udyId256lSAL99DaFDEkXqKdkJwHH6QF5CDUQAVxRFMMOOzNlZtgJ5BOOvHeih0e3Erza_eb8A0Z1L4jrHZ7mO9motXUJ0mb5PruPGqZS4RMJnl6pGKPS8t5JSO1Wa1FjoZNHxTHzBzdsRfK56_yUGkX1RnaEXdDUX94zYGlQ/w200-h200/Janet%20Mcgiffin.jpg" width="200" /></a></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Janet McGiffin divides her time between her apartment in Manhattan, her family in Washington State, and her friends in Athens, Greece. She was born in Fairfield, Iowa into a newspaper family and learned to write copy as a teenager by writing obituaries for the Ellensburg Daily Record in Washington state. After university, she worked for the Milwaukee Health Department where she gained first-hand knowledge for her best-selling mystery series published by Fawcett Press, NY, featuring Doctor Maxine St. Clair, an ER doctor in an inner-city hospital. She worked as a press officer for the Washington state senate, then moved to Athens, Greece where she wrote grant proposals for small non-profit women’s organizations in Mediterranean countries. She also wrote a humor column for the Athens News newspaper with field archaeologist Adrian Vrettos, wrote two English language easy readers for Cambridge University Press, UK, and a series of hiking articles for greecetravel.com. She researched her Byzantine-era Empress Irini Series through extensive travel in Greece, followed by six months of research at the Bodleian libraries in Oxford, England. She enjoys hiking in Greece, England, Wales, and Scotland.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/janetmcgiffinauthor/" target="_blank">@janetmcgiffinauthor </a></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Follow the tour:</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-QcRYY2H3DhUsr8fXjiscYHNZvG7T4JZOr7gOp2lN_khBLPxIjA78VQQbgUNIMch5-1HbCx6S1L4wEyQGz9v6YQACVjv-xSjHhh3XA2HePHsGT0k0taGA6ySacaAvmCqEmVZX8sC8aX6NIwQb50RkfAAINVMcXTjN2TB_SCTxNiQmXR9TO4KYhbVYGBg/s1600/unnamed%20(1).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-QcRYY2H3DhUsr8fXjiscYHNZvG7T4JZOr7gOp2lN_khBLPxIjA78VQQbgUNIMch5-1HbCx6S1L4wEyQGz9v6YQACVjv-xSjHhh3XA2HePHsGT0k0taGA6ySacaAvmCqEmVZX8sC8aX6NIwQb50RkfAAINVMcXTjN2TB_SCTxNiQmXR9TO4KYhbVYGBg/w640-h360/unnamed%20(1).png" width="640" /></a></div></div></div></div>Michelle Ryleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14400361504311139225noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965517650764043258.post-81049652352876024152024-01-16T00:52:00.002+00:002024-01-16T10:23:08.635+00:00BLOG TOUR: Return to Half Moon Farm - Holly Hepburn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH3q0GDzxD-BNnX75-_UkA1r8qOkZSi2VisHrIfWXX-Wrd9R8zxuwDHn6zT5djDGTtkhTrIu6PdMUx-Ed0alqK0GCsPIe4YCG1cSfKN124t-D0cB_y_XTUU2Ieyuhis_uFMCwEaWb_X9W4kCubUCSTzwOB8444adaoBvJFyrmmFZ5Z37G5m2isDzFudXY/s606/image003%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="393" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH3q0GDzxD-BNnX75-_UkA1r8qOkZSi2VisHrIfWXX-Wrd9R8zxuwDHn6zT5djDGTtkhTrIu6PdMUx-Ed0alqK0GCsPIe4YCG1cSfKN124t-D0cB_y_XTUU2Ieyuhis_uFMCwEaWb_X9W4kCubUCSTzwOB8444adaoBvJFyrmmFZ5Z37G5m2isDzFudXY/s320/image003%20(1).jpg" width="208" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Discover the beautiful, escapist new novel from beloved author, Holly Hepburn...</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When Daisy’s mother falls ill she is forced to return home. With her twin sons in tow, she moves back to Half Moon Farm, her family’s ancient hop farm. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But a new life in the Kent countryside isn’t necessarily as idyllic as it might seem. Daisy’s relationship with her mother is complicated and the tumbledown farm isn’t the only thing that needs rebuilding. Daisy and her sons must adjust to life with estranged family, a leaking roof, and no WiFi.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Luckily for Daisy, she might yet find some distraction in silver fox farmer, Drew, or in the haughty heir to the nearby estate, Kit, who she can’t seem to avoid.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Daisy must learn to juggle her new life, the boys, and the daunting task of updating the farm. But there are secrets lurking in her family’s past that might throw everything into further disarray…</b></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span face="" style="color: blue;"><u>What did I think?</u></span><br /><span face=""><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Return to Half Moon Farm</i> is a truly gorgeous Holly Hepburn novel. It's like a modern day fairy tale with a castle and an earl's brother instead of a prince and I absolutely loved it.</div></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Divorcée Daisy and her twin boys are temporarily moving to the picturesque village of Mistlethorpe to look after her estranged mother. The last thing Daisy is looking for is romance but there are two love interests vying for her attention: mistletoe farmer Drew and spare to the heir Kit. Which one, if any, will win her heart?</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There's also the mystery of a long standing family feud between the Moons of Half Moon Farm and the Devereauxs of Winterbourne Castle. As Daisy gets to know Kit Devereaux she might just get to the bottom of why the two families fell out all those years ago. I absolutely adored how this mystery was woven seamlessly into the storyline, even though my heart was breaking as the past was gradually revealed.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I love how Holly Hepburn writes magical romances that aren't just filled with moonlight and roses but also real life challenges. Daisy is trying to rebuild her relationship with her mum whilst juggling the school run and work commitments. The wonderfully relatable characters are far from perfect and I really enjoyed getting to know them during my virtual visit to Mistlethorpe.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Heartwarming and uplifting, </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Return to Half Moon Farm</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> is a magical romance that swept me off my feet from the very first page. It's perfect escapism and I highly recommend it.</span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""><br /></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I received an ARC for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""><br /></span><span face="">My rating:</span><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPc7EMSNjOGljDbj-T3lWzdcDbWR2kovIRZO7-raCtx5FhZI6x6OqWbIl0OoKxRDA4fwyPhkg-h_SBgkebFRQFNcwrucrpltoaEtiObAtUrTGzvhIPBZ0HHveH2OfJDc9f8ziVVMXTqE/s1600/5+stars.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="295" data-original-width="1600" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPc7EMSNjOGljDbj-T3lWzdcDbWR2kovIRZO7-raCtx5FhZI6x6OqWbIl0OoKxRDA4fwyPhkg-h_SBgkebFRQFNcwrucrpltoaEtiObAtUrTGzvhIPBZ0HHveH2OfJDc9f8ziVVMXTqE/s200/5+stars.png" width="200" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Buy it from:</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://uk.bookshop.org/a/1221/9781398511989" target="_blank">UK.Bookshop.org</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Return-Half-Moon-Holly-Hepburn/dp/1398511986/" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Follow the tour:</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMM0wetC6Kk2sqkHXeR1DM6_14lGYmvtB-Our2sIq_ZKKasSgyugLu04xj66un8ehi7t8K8oNGhuEo9znMiQGIYS8ftpxcesDnbZhZZrkg_FtJkJ09GLlZnf16mNIJbnQzD0z-4dijFHp0cQMBOZSJPwkVifamCk0KeC3DoCOSj1kcLrua9vHAPYi7HiY/s1080/Return%20To%20Half%20Moon%20Farm%20blogtour%20graphic.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMM0wetC6Kk2sqkHXeR1DM6_14lGYmvtB-Our2sIq_ZKKasSgyugLu04xj66un8ehi7t8K8oNGhuEo9znMiQGIYS8ftpxcesDnbZhZZrkg_FtJkJ09GLlZnf16mNIJbnQzD0z-4dijFHp0cQMBOZSJPwkVifamCk0KeC3DoCOSj1kcLrua9vHAPYi7HiY/w640-h640/Return%20To%20Half%20Moon%20Farm%20blogtour%20graphic.png" width="640" /></a></div></div></div></div></div>Michelle Ryleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14400361504311139225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965517650764043258.post-14895600947973815802024-01-10T00:42:00.002+00:002024-01-10T13:59:01.065+00:00Every Exquisite Thing - Laura Steven<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhaeZr6-zdCvCnwSYx3npnVms3vGwmqFThVgWyVKPFe76xnXLX71TtNa3QnqfG9_KIDYFrC5MwcqWfxjLARM01jlajIavtLUgkTQ0o5w9TiOCK7_uJumvOj4Kdq6p5_7HdibxowO4f827OyqmEIs7p2Syq1Bbkaw9IHJXgALnK-fmWwgV6AwktZ34KNxo/s1500/81PHVQGP68L._SL1500_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="972" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhaeZr6-zdCvCnwSYx3npnVms3vGwmqFThVgWyVKPFe76xnXLX71TtNa3QnqfG9_KIDYFrC5MwcqWfxjLARM01jlajIavtLUgkTQ0o5w9TiOCK7_uJumvOj4Kdq6p5_7HdibxowO4f827OyqmEIs7p2Syq1Bbkaw9IHJXgALnK-fmWwgV6AwktZ34KNxo/s320/81PHVQGP68L._SL1500_.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A feminist YA horror-thriller-romance retelling of The Picture of Dorian Gray by the TikTok sensation and author of The Society for Soulless Girls…</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Penny Paxton is the daughter of an icon. Her supermodel mother has legions of adoring fans around the world, and Penny is ready to begin her journey to international adoration, starting with joining the elite Dorian Drama School.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When Penny’s new mentor offers her an opportunity she cannot refuse, to have a portrait painted by a mysterious artist who can grant immortal beauty to all his subjects, Penny happily follows in the footsteps of Dorian’s most glittering alumni, knowing that stardom is sure to soon be hers.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But when her trusted mentor is found murdered, Penny realises she’s made a terrible mistake – a sinister someone is using the uncanny portraits to kill off the subjects one by one. As more perfectly beautiful students start to fall, Penny knows her time is running out . . .</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A seductive and searing exploration of beauty, identity, and what the pursuit of perfection can truly cost.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span face="" style="color: blue;"><u>What did I think?</u></span><br /><span face=""><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Every Exquisite Thing</i> is an incredibly thought-provoking and powerful novel that really makes you question why we strive for what we perceive as perfection. It’s a modern day retelling of The Picture of Dorian Gray and although I haven’t read Oscar Wilde’s classic novel, I know the premise. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Penny Paxton is following in her mother’s footsteps when she enrols at the Dorian Drama Academy. Penny just wants her mother to be proud of her but her mother doesn’t seem to have a maternal or caring bone in her body. Penny strives to be perfect and when she gets the chance to freeze her image, just as she is now, she jumps at the chance.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It’s incredibly thought-provoking and really rather sad to think about what is beneath the surface of the perfect images we see on screen. Would you rather be happy or appear to be perfect but be miserable inside?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We are all perfect in our own way and we shouldn’t listen to anyone who tells us we’re not. There’s an incredible line in the book that is very powerful and I can’t stop thinking about it:</div><div><blockquote style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>“I was so perfect before the world told me otherwise.”</i></span></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As well as being a powerful warning about obsession with self-image, <i>Every Exquisite Thing</i> is a very compelling, dark and captivating story. It’s a fantastic retelling that brings a classic novel bang up to date and into the hands of a new audience.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">An unforgettable book and a highly recommended read.</div></span><span face=""><br /></span><span face="">My rating:</span><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPc7EMSNjOGljDbj-T3lWzdcDbWR2kovIRZO7-raCtx5FhZI6x6OqWbIl0OoKxRDA4fwyPhkg-h_SBgkebFRQFNcwrucrpltoaEtiObAtUrTGzvhIPBZ0HHveH2OfJDc9f8ziVVMXTqE/s1600/5+stars.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="295" data-original-width="1600" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPc7EMSNjOGljDbj-T3lWzdcDbWR2kovIRZO7-raCtx5FhZI6x6OqWbIl0OoKxRDA4fwyPhkg-h_SBgkebFRQFNcwrucrpltoaEtiObAtUrTGzvhIPBZ0HHveH2OfJDc9f8ziVVMXTqE/s200/5+stars.png" width="200" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Buy it from:</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://uk.bookshop.org/a/1221/9780008627355" target="_blank">UK.Bookshop.org</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Every-Exquisite-Thing-seductive-academia-ebook/dp/B0BTZQ6Y6L/" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></div>Michelle Ryleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14400361504311139225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965517650764043258.post-82568993882301750532023-12-20T00:43:00.001+00:002023-12-20T00:43:00.245+00:00The Finery - Rachel Grosvenor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ChheylBhzrFDguC460Vv1WmtHZ8fFFdn9068rJJWknArlYwALAkpjJ08esjtSS4_KKvSB1OxoRYaRTsavbW8c8FruiyAZNMTMYMeahOc_NSl7nIwuGUN89oPDIqOkMPBx2wOsxIvcCFfrZ-7OD1KaXE-GMFUXdmX30ZoEWf9pGIdIepCaqOJko9N32I/s1360/71kqq7-q4XL._SL1360_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1360" data-original-width="881" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ChheylBhzrFDguC460Vv1WmtHZ8fFFdn9068rJJWknArlYwALAkpjJ08esjtSS4_KKvSB1OxoRYaRTsavbW8c8FruiyAZNMTMYMeahOc_NSl7nIwuGUN89oPDIqOkMPBx2wOsxIvcCFfrZ-7OD1KaXE-GMFUXdmX30ZoEWf9pGIdIepCaqOJko9N32I/s320/71kqq7-q4XL._SL1360_.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Tyranny is in the air in the city of Finer Bay, and Professor Wendowleen Cripcot would like to be left alone, thank you very much. The memories of the last one hundred years are quite enough to be getting on with, if only these young upstarts from the government body, The Finery, would stop trying to control her every move. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">With the eyes of a dictator upon her, there are not many places to hide...but Wendowleen has never been one to back down from a fight (just ask her pet wolf), and insurrection is brewing underground.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span face="" style="color: blue;"><u>What did I think?</u></span><br /><span face=""><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">It's always a little daunting when I start a book in an unfamiliar genre but I knew from the very first page that I was going to love <i>The Finery</i>. So, if you say you don't read fantasy then definitely make an exception for Rachel Grosvenor's fantastic debut novel.</div></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Professor Wendoleen Cripcot is almost 101 years old but she still has her wits about her and she refuses to be told what to do, especially by that young whippersnapper, the Dictator. Wendoleen is such a feisty character and I absolutely loved her and her pet wolf. The character of Wolf is easily one of my favourite fictional animal characters and I loved his voracious appetite that added a wonderful sprinkly of humour throughout the novel.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As Finer Bay is a dictatorship, there's more than a hint of revolution bubbling beneath the surface and when The Finery captures Wendoleen in their crosshairs she has no alternative but to join the revolution. I absolutely loved this part of the story and I could almost 'hear the people sing' as they rose up and made their voices heard.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Incredibly entertaining and so vividly written, it's very easy to forget that </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Finery</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> is a fantasy novel as I was so completely immersed in the story from start to finish. </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Finery</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> isn't just a magnificent debut, it's a groundbreaking novel that has put fantasy firmly on my list of genres. Put Rachel Grosvenor on your bookshelf and your watch list, readers!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""><br /></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""><br /></span><span face="">My rating:</span><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPc7EMSNjOGljDbj-T3lWzdcDbWR2kovIRZO7-raCtx5FhZI6x6OqWbIl0OoKxRDA4fwyPhkg-h_SBgkebFRQFNcwrucrpltoaEtiObAtUrTGzvhIPBZ0HHveH2OfJDc9f8ziVVMXTqE/s1600/5+stars.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="295" data-original-width="1600" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPc7EMSNjOGljDbj-T3lWzdcDbWR2kovIRZO7-raCtx5FhZI6x6OqWbIl0OoKxRDA4fwyPhkg-h_SBgkebFRQFNcwrucrpltoaEtiObAtUrTGzvhIPBZ0HHveH2OfJDc9f8ziVVMXTqE/s200/5+stars.png" width="200" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Buy it from:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://uk.bookshop.org/a/1221/9781915789037" target="_blank">UK.Bookshop.org</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Finery-Rachel-Grosvenor/dp/1915789036/" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></div></div>Michelle Ryleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14400361504311139225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965517650764043258.post-54064853042668090202023-12-19T00:26:00.001+00:002023-12-19T00:26:00.244+00:00Oscar's Tale - Chris Bishop<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG0r2Avii6GWX_zegb9EPFhTSOnQjA4pUcwT3tvV27z5z7_XkHTjPcHthh3hRa_LCGaRzkHDT6IVSL8X2cZ5_gzLi3PNPZ5j3FApkzjkdzg0rhaQeHxwZSrsWuFgXY0AAJKrSwj6iqR-wY7xU0IIXz_-4Sq5VRr64BFEZT6ZChgU-_DBJmk9ymYAA1NfM/s1296/Oscars%20Tale%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1296" data-original-width="864" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG0r2Avii6GWX_zegb9EPFhTSOnQjA4pUcwT3tvV27z5z7_XkHTjPcHthh3hRa_LCGaRzkHDT6IVSL8X2cZ5_gzLi3PNPZ5j3FApkzjkdzg0rhaQeHxwZSrsWuFgXY0AAJKrSwj6iqR-wY7xU0IIXz_-4Sq5VRr64BFEZT6ZChgU-_DBJmk9ymYAA1NfM/s320/Oscars%20Tale%201.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>'For is it not the wish of every man that his son will achieve more in life than he did?'</b></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">OSCAR'S TALE is the story of a Saxon boy who sets out to find and rescue his father who has been taken by Viking slavers. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Set in 877 as the people of Wessex are forced to fight not just for their very lives, but for their freedom, their religion and for their right to live as Saxons, Oscar relates all that which befalls him on his all but impossible quest. This is set against the backdrop of King Alfred's desperate attempt to regain his kingdom which culminates in a victory at the Battle of Edington which is very much against the odds. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But this is not just a story about bloody battles and fearsome warriors, it's about a boy struggling to live up to his father's reputation as a warrior and trying to find his place in a turbulent and uncertain world. For that, Oscar is forced to confront many dangers, earn the respect of others far above his station and even find love - albeit the cost to him is far higher than most men would have been willing to pay. </div></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><br /><span face="" style="color: blue;"><u>What did I think?</u></span><br /><span face=""><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I am a huge fan of Chris Bishop's Shadow of the Raven series so I was delighted to read an advance copy of his new standalone novel, <i>Oscar's Tale.</i> This wonderful novel is a virtual walk in the footsteps of the Anglo Saxons and I absolutely loved it.</div></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="">It's a difficult time in 9th century Wessex with the constant threat of Viking invasion and families trying to survive by living off the land. Teenager Oscar witnesses a Viking invasion on his home and as if that wasn't bad enough, he sees his father captured and taken prisoner. Oscar struggles with his guilt of not rushing to defend his father but with a wise head on such young shoulders instead makes his way to the Ealdorman's Vill to plead for help.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="">Oscar is such a plucky young lad and I really enjoyed reading about his adventures that takes him on a journey that brings him to the attention of King Alfred himself. I love Oscar's whole commitment to defend his family and his king and he has to do a lot of both as the Battle of Edington draws near.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""><br /></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="">After reading <i>Oscar's Tale</i> it's almost like other books are written in monochrome as Chris Bishop writes historical fiction in glorious technicolor, magically bringing history to life in front of my eyes. </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Vivid, immersive and compelling; it feels like stepping back in time when you read Oscar's Tale and I can't recommend it highly enough.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Many thanks to Chris Bishop for sending me a digital ARC to read and review; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""><br /></span><span face="">My rating:</span><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPc7EMSNjOGljDbj-T3lWzdcDbWR2kovIRZO7-raCtx5FhZI6x6OqWbIl0OoKxRDA4fwyPhkg-h_SBgkebFRQFNcwrucrpltoaEtiObAtUrTGzvhIPBZ0HHveH2OfJDc9f8ziVVMXTqE/s1600/5+stars.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="295" data-original-width="1600" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPc7EMSNjOGljDbj-T3lWzdcDbWR2kovIRZO7-raCtx5FhZI6x6OqWbIl0OoKxRDA4fwyPhkg-h_SBgkebFRQFNcwrucrpltoaEtiObAtUrTGzvhIPBZ0HHveH2OfJDc9f8ziVVMXTqE/s200/5+stars.png" width="200" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Oscars-Tale-Chris-Bishop-ebook/dp/B0CPGL95P7/" target="_blank">Buy it from Amazon</a></span></div></div>Michelle Ryleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14400361504311139225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965517650764043258.post-29521905983790558992023-12-09T00:28:00.000+00:002023-12-09T00:28:00.146+00:00Stable (A Tyler Zahn Novel Book 1) - Cam Torrens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEnkdLrZsEUvI1F-L3SJCJNCxilTuR22T6EKA_zYXNV2ySthXaSUp8tIiFW9UfahNaCSmjdNi-JuA9u29_pROU9eMP2yZmW9CmA1P3Z4XbpyVrmG9e5Tx5ZRLlqPGDpz4yLhwvauUCWnGIvm_J-aoF0WShdOoCoZSQzSvwdChWpfZsqaPIjzwCxck0x_g/s1500/81FFT4K848L._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="991" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEnkdLrZsEUvI1F-L3SJCJNCxilTuR22T6EKA_zYXNV2ySthXaSUp8tIiFW9UfahNaCSmjdNi-JuA9u29_pROU9eMP2yZmW9CmA1P3Z4XbpyVrmG9e5Tx5ZRLlqPGDpz4yLhwvauUCWnGIvm_J-aoF0WShdOoCoZSQzSvwdChWpfZsqaPIjzwCxck0x_g/s320/81FFT4K848L._SL1500_.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A kidnapper hiding in plain sight.</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">A rural town with tons of suspects.</span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">From debut author Cam Torrens comes a gut-wrenching suspense novel based on an actual missing person case.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A 911 call sends Search & Rescue on a search for a missing girl in the Collegiate Peaks. They find a child…but not the one they seek.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Air Force pilot Tyler Zahn's life disintegrated when he lost his son. He discarded his family, his career, and his dignity, finding solace in apathy and beer. Eight years later, armed with new confidence, he invites his estranged daughter, Daria, to visit his Rocky Mountain home. Zahn tries too hard to mend their relationship, and as the tension between father and daughter increases, forgiveness seems out of reach. Especially when his Search & Rescue work pulls him away from Daria and she finds romance at the church camp next door.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But Zahn can't get the missing girl he found—and the one he can't find—out of his mind. Someone in this mountain valley is collecting children, and Zahn is gradually drawn into the case while still trying to break through to his daughter.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Then she disappears too.</span></div><div><br /></div></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span face="" style="color: blue;"><u>What did I think?</u></span><br /><span face=""><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Wow! This book is absolutely fantastic! It's outstanding books like <i>Stable </i>that make me feel very grateful to be a book blogger as I might never have discovered it otherwise. I'm not sure how debut author Cam Torrens found me but I am delighted that he did.</div></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I have to say that for a debut novel, the quality of writing is exceptional. I was drawn straight into the story and it felt so realistic, probably because it is inspired by a real missing person case. It always pulls at my heartstrings when children go missing as there is a lot of evil in the world so although it's distressing that the girls have been abducted, there is no gratuitous violence or graphic abuse in <i>Stable</i>.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Tyler Zahn is one heck of an interesting character and it was heartbreaking to see him try so hard to rebuild his relationship with his daughter, Daria. Tyler missed so much of Daria's life when he was stuck in his own spiral of grief after his son died, but Daria lost her brother too. Tyler wasn't there for Daria back then but when she is next to go missing, god help the person who has taken her as Tyler Zahn is coming for them.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""><br /></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sublimely plotted and incredibly gripping with a blisteringly fast pace, </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Stable </i><span style="font-family: arial;">is one of the best thrillers I have read this year, and even more astonishing is the fact that it's a debut novel too. Getting hooked on the storyline is one thing but getting hooked by a character is another and it doesn't happen often but I am doubly hooked. </span><span style="font-family: arial;"> I can't wait to read more Tyler Zahn novels and I can't recommend </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Stable </i><span style="font-family: arial;">highly enough. Don't miss this one, thriller fans!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Many thanks to Cam Torrens for sending me a digital ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""><br /></span><span face="">My rating:</span><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPc7EMSNjOGljDbj-T3lWzdcDbWR2kovIRZO7-raCtx5FhZI6x6OqWbIl0OoKxRDA4fwyPhkg-h_SBgkebFRQFNcwrucrpltoaEtiObAtUrTGzvhIPBZ0HHveH2OfJDc9f8ziVVMXTqE/s1600/5+stars.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="295" data-original-width="1600" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPc7EMSNjOGljDbj-T3lWzdcDbWR2kovIRZO7-raCtx5FhZI6x6OqWbIl0OoKxRDA4fwyPhkg-h_SBgkebFRQFNcwrucrpltoaEtiObAtUrTGzvhIPBZ0HHveH2OfJDc9f8ziVVMXTqE/s200/5+stars.png" width="200" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stable-Someone-Taking-Tyler-Novel-ebook/dp/B0BZ8T92WG/" target="_blank">Buy it from Amazon</a></span></div></div></div>Michelle Ryleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14400361504311139225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6965517650764043258.post-32228672979680026622023-12-07T00:43:00.001+00:002023-12-07T09:29:17.482+00:00The Mystery Guest (A Molly the Maid mystery) - Nita Prose<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxa60EUMh9iIqMa4t_Xxw6U9QM7bX0G5fg160X0mM6RyFCLJsNwehVvA_LPUbmrWKuXMnSfSy2f-JMK0XCCOOvF8WXHqIWckwsNgXxJwSsja_0ADHqDNwYpkLHK7WtK7X77Geyb0B4UYtdmk2zxCHZweXL1Oby6sIxsH5Bv46wAg03FMebhJe_IXs3UxI/s1500/71OVe6PP4kL._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxa60EUMh9iIqMa4t_Xxw6U9QM7bX0G5fg160X0mM6RyFCLJsNwehVvA_LPUbmrWKuXMnSfSy2f-JMK0XCCOOvF8WXHqIWckwsNgXxJwSsja_0ADHqDNwYpkLHK7WtK7X77Geyb0B4UYtdmk2zxCHZweXL1Oby6sIxsH5Bv46wAg03FMebhJe_IXs3UxI/s320/71OVe6PP4kL._SL1500_.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>A new mess.</i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>A new mystery.</i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>Molly the maid returns . . .</i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Molly Gray wears her Head Maid badge proudly for every shift at the Regency Grand Hotel, plumping pillows, sweeping up the guests’ secrets, silently restoring rooms to a state of perfection.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But when a renowned guest – a famous mystery writer – drops very dead in the grand tea room, Molly has an unusual clean-up on her hands.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As rumours and suspicion swirl in the hotel corridors, it’s clear there’s grime lurking beneath the gilt. And Molly knows that she alone holds the key to the mystery. But unlocking it means thinking about the past, about Gran, and everything else she’s kept tidied away in her memory for so long.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Because Molly knew the dead guest once upon a time – and he knew her . . .</span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="color: blue;"><u>What did I think?</u></span><br /><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">After the success of <i>The Maid</i>, I'm absolutely delighted that Nita Prose decided to write another book starring my favourite maid, Molly Gray. <i>The Mystery Guest</i> is one of my most eagerly anticipated books of 2023 and I loved it. Whilst <i>The Mystery Guest </i>can be read as a standalone, I would advise reading <i>The Maid</i> first as there are some returning characters and we also find out more about Molly's childhood</span></span>.</div></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We return</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> to the Regency Grand Hotel in <i>The Mystery Guest </i>where Molly is now Head Maid and she's preparing for a big event as a bestselling author is hosting a press conference in the hotel. This isn't the first time that Molly has met author J.D. Grimthorpe and this leads on to the wonderful flashbacks of Molly's past.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I adore the relationship between Molly and her Gran and even when Gran isn't with her, Molly hears Gran's wise words in her head. There are so many brilliant Gran quotes but my favourite is: "A tissue for your issue." I'm definitely adopting that and using it whenever I can. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Molly is such a delightfully quirky character and I feel that she has really grown up since I last encountered her in <i>The Maid</i>. She's in a sweet relationship with Juan Manuel (who disappointingly doesn't make an appearance as he is away visiting his family) and she has been promoted at work. Even this new encounter with Detective Stark sees Molly eventually being treated with more respect.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Cosy mysteries don't get much cosier than <i>The Mystery Guest</i> and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Once you have met Molly Gray you will never forget her; <i>The Mystery Guest</i> will delight fans of <i>The Maid</i> and introduce Molly into the lives of many more readers. </span></div><div><div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I received an ARC to read and review for the Tandem Collective readalong and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">My rating:</span><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh45ix3_StdZTTa9peAQCTfjQ5b8UQHxzAabm474p_Q7CDlgOoaPJuoLbXnRuRKgM7vRAsTXld6QgOxUxGNdBBrzdXklnwkORI493c4nKeizTEk8rmZwXcB1XySJDOecw4fTinUxWBTw28/s1600/4+stars.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="1600" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh45ix3_StdZTTa9peAQCTfjQ5b8UQHxzAabm474p_Q7CDlgOoaPJuoLbXnRuRKgM7vRAsTXld6QgOxUxGNdBBrzdXklnwkORI493c4nKeizTEk8rmZwXcB1XySJDOecw4fTinUxWBTw28/s200/4+stars.png" width="200" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Buy it from:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://uk.bookshop.org/a/1221/9780008435813" target="_blank">UK.Bookshop.org</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mystery-Guest-mystery-thriller-bestselling/dp/0008435774/" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></div></div></div></div></div>Michelle Ryleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14400361504311139225noreply@blogger.com0