Release date - 24th October 2017
Book length - 289 pages Publisher - www.crookedcatbooks.com Amazon UK - www.amazon.co.uk Amazon US - www.amazon.com *I want to thank the author John Jackson for providing me with a copy of this novel for review. ABOUT THE BOOK Dublin, 1730 When young and beautiful Mary Molesworth is forced to marry Robert Rochford, widowed heir to the earldom of Belfield, she finds that her idea of love is not returned. Jealous, cruel and manipulative, Robert ignores her after she has provided him with a male heir, preferring to spend his nights with his mistress. Power-hungry, Robert builds up a reputation that sees him reach for the highest positions in Ireland. Caught in an unhappy marriage, Mary begins to grow closer to Robert’s younger brother, Arthur. Acknowledging their love for each other, they will risk everything to be together. But Robert’s revenge threatens their lives and tears them apart. Will Mary and Arthur find a way to escape Robert’s clutches? Based on real events, Heart of Stone is a tale of power, jealousy, imprisonment, and love, set in 1740s Ireland. MY REVIEW HEART OF STONE by John Jackson is a haunting tale of power, greed, and love set in Ireland in the early 18th Century. When Mary Molesworth is forced to marry Robert Rockford, she hopes to establish some semblance of love in her marriage but she soon realises that that will never be and that her husband revels in his cruel and vicious nature. But when she meets his younger brother, Arthur, Mary recognises a tender heart like her own and she cannot help but fall in love with him and the feeling is certainly mutual. But neither Mary nor Arthur realise how truly terrifying Robert can be and the lengths to which he will go to have his revenge ... There are so many elements that I loved within this story - the setting, the time period, the essence of history that seeps through the narrative - but my favourite aspect of this book was the characters themselves. From Robert who I loathed from the beginning to Mary and Arthur who I desperately wanted to find their happily ever after together, these excellently developed characters drew me in and made me feel, and that is always such an important part of a great novel for me. The harsh reality of life for women at that time in history is portrayed well throughout, and there is plenty of drama and danger alongside romance to make HEART OF STONE a wonderful all-rounder when it comes to readers. HEART OF STONE by John Jackson is an emotional, historical novel about the desperate lengths that some will go to for power and others for love, and I highly recommend it. Author Bio: After a lifetime at sea, I am now retired and living in York. For the last thirty years I have been working in the world of ship safety and training, and have written copious manuals, regulations, laws and procedures in that time. An avid genealogist, I found a rich vein of ancestors going back many generations and including Irish peers, parsons, and naval and military men. They opened up Canada and Australia and fought at Waterloo. A chance meeting with some authors, now increasingly successful in the world of romantic fiction, both historical and contemporary, have led me to turn my efforts to setting down some amazing stories. I am a keen member of the Romantic Novelists Association and part of their New Writers Scheme. I am also a member of the Historic Novel Society and an enthusiastic conference-goer for both organizations. I was brought up on Georgette Heyer from an early age, and, like many of my age devoured R L Stevenson, Jane Austen, R M Ballantyne, and the like. Modern favorite authors include Bernard Cornwell, Simon Scarrow, Liz Fenwick, Carol McGrath, Lindsey Davis and Kate Mosse. For more information: Website - john42hhh.blogspot.ie Twitter - twitter.com/jjackson42 Facebook - www.facebook.com/johnjacksonauthor/
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#Blogtour #Excerpt: The Murderer's Maid by Erika Mailman @ErikaMailman @HFVBT @yellowpearpress19/10/2017 Release date - 30th October 2017 Book length - 366 pages Publisher - Bonhomie Press Buy links - Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Powell’s *I want to thank Amy from hfvirtualbooktours.com for the opportunity to take part in this blog tour, and the author Erika Mailman for such a chilling excerpt. ABOUT THE BOOK Bram Stoker Award finalist Erika Mailman brings the true story of the brutal murder of Lizzie Borden’s father and stepmother into new focus by adding a riveting contemporary narrative. The Murderer’s Maid interweaves the stories of two women: one, the servant of infamous Lizzie Borden, and the other a modern-day barista fleeing from an attempt on her life. Trapped by servitude and afraid for her own safety, Irish maid Bridget finds herself an unwilling witness to the tensions in the volatile Borden household. As Lizzie seethes with resentment, Bridget tries to perform her duties and keep her mouth shut. Unknowingly connected to the legendary crime of a century ago, Brooke, the illegitimate daughter of an immigrant maid, struggles to conceal her identity and stay a jump ahead of the men who want to kill her. When she unexpectedly falls in love with Anthony, a local attorney, she has to decide whether to stop running and begin her life anew. With historical detail and taut, modern storytelling, Erika Mailman writes a captivating novel about identity, choices, freedom, and murder. She offers readers a fresh perspective on the notorious crime and explores the trials of immigrants seeking a better life while facing down fear and oppression, today and throughout history. Intelligent and detailed, The Murderer’s Maid is a gripping read from beginning to bloody conclusion. Author Bio Erika Mailman is the author of The Witch’s Trinity, a San Francisco Chronicle Notable Book and Bram Stoker Award finalist, and Woman of Ill Fame, a Pushcart Press Editor’s Book Award nominee. She’s a Yaddo fellow and lives in Northern California with her family. For more information: Website - erikamailman.com Twitter - twitter.com/ErikaMailman Instagram - www.instagram.com/erikamailman/ *Read on for a chilling excerpt ... EXCERPT
On the seventh day of the trial, Governor Robinson confirmed his status as someone Bridget would dully hate for the rest of her life. When Officer Hyde testified about looking through the window to see poor Alice Russell trembling in the cellar, afraid to go close to the pile of bloodied clothing on the washroom floor, the governor pretended to be a palsied woman, imitating her shaking. The jurors, damn them, laughed. "She had a kerosene lamp, didn't she?" Governor Robinson asked. "Did it smoke, then, when she shook it so?" "I never noticed," said Officer Hyde quietly, comprehending he was being made sport of. "It didn't shake the chimney off the lamp?" The jury laughed again. Bridget seethed. She would like to see how brave Governor Robinson would be in a dark night's cellar with two corpses hacked to ruin just upstairs. After Officer Hyde sat down, the court resettled in anticipation of the next witness, Dr. William Dolan, whose tale would surely be gory and satisfy the hungry housewives crowding the benches. It was thought his testimony would be too upsetting to the prisoner, so Miss Lizzie was escorted into an adjoining room to hear, but not watch, the questioning. Dr. Dolan was a man who might be considered handsome if he didn't always lift his head while talking, like an alert mastiff. He had light brown hair and a mustache, and an inquisitive face. After a brief listing of his medical qualifications, he spoke about the morning of August 4 in plain terms, unafraid to talk about the undigested contents of the Bordens' intestines. Bridget felt her fingernails scraping at the wood of her chair. He discussed the bloodstained clothing that Miss Russell had quaked at, and which Bridget had last seen on the cellar floor. It had been buried in the backyard and dug up again a week later: some items brought to the marshal, and others reburied. Mrs. Borden's ugly work dress had been treated like an archeological treasure. It was so odd to see things she recognized in this sterile courtroom: a bit of the sitting room's flower-patterned carpet, cut into a rectangle, held up for jurors to see. Dr. Dolan pointed to two large pools of blood on the carpet, and Bridget shivered. A second piece was the upstairs carpet in the guest room, lighter in color, but still besmirched with dried blood. Release date - 10th October 2017 Book length - 338 pages Publisher - Self-Published Amazon UK - www.amazon.co.uk Amazon US - www.amazon.com I want to thank Rosalyn Kelly for providing me with a copy of this novel for review and I look forward to the next instalment!! ABOUT THE BOOK She thinks it’s the end, but it’s just the beginning. “Trouble will come from the east. A wolf will claim the throne.” Legendary warrior Ramya has successfully reigned over Peqkya as Melokai for twelve years. Prosperous, peaceful, and happy, her people love her… or so she thinks. But Ramya’s time is up. Bracing herself for the gruesome sentence imposed on all Melokais who have served their purpose, she hears instead a shocking prophecy. Is the sudden appearance of a mysterious cave creature from the east the trouble the prophecy speaks of? Or is the threat something darker, more evil? And what of the wolves… does the ferocious war with their kind mark the end for Peqkya? Before Ramya can answer, she and her fearless warriors must first crush a catastrophic rebellion that threatens to destroy her and devastate her beloved nation. MY REVIEW From the very beginning of this story, I was thrown into the action and customs of this new world and the people of Peqkya, where women reign supreme and men are seen as nothing more than useful slaves or pleasure-givers. Ramya is their Melokai or leader, but she knows that her rule is almost at an end and she will be banished and alone soon. But when a prophecy is declared, Ramya understands that there is a threat against her people and she will fight like the warrior that she is, but when a mysterious cave creature enters her demesne, he will stir her heart in a way that nobody ever has, and she will do whatever she must to keep him by her side. But other parts of this fantasy world are preparing for their own individual battles - the wolves want to reunite to take back what is theirs and the royalty of Drome are seeking to expand their rule. And even within her own people, Ramya is not as beloved as she may think, and rebellion is breeding ... MELOKAI by Rosalyn Kelly is a fascinating and descriptive new fantasy world that I enjoyed getting to know and I will definitely read the next book in this series to see what happens next. Now I have to warn readers that there is a lot of sexual activity mentioned throughout which may not be for some people. Sex seems to take on many roles in this story from pleasure, to power, to control, to love, to duty. There are lots of characters in this fantasy world but I still got to know each and every one and had my favourites and those that I really disliked from the beginning. The different nations are wonderfully depicted as we get to know their individual strengths, weaknesses, customs, and natural beauty, as well as the darker side that exists of those in power. All in all, I enjoyed MELOKAI by Rosalyn Kelly and I highly recommend this novel to all fantasy fans who enjoy a rich story that leaves you wanting you more. Author Bio: Rosalyn Kelly grew up in the magical New Forest in the south of England and has lived around the country as well as in the Middle East and travelled all over the world. She studied English Literature and Language at Oxford Brookes University before embarking on a PR and marketing career. After ten years of telling the stories of international brands and businesses she decided the time had come to tell her own and her debut novel MELOKAI was written in 2016 after quitting her job, going travelling for four months and then writing solidly for the following four. The inspiration for her epic fantasy trilogy came when she was trekking in the mountains of Nepal’s stunning Annapurna Sanctuary. When she’s not putting her heart and soul into book two of the In The Heart of The Mountains trilogy, she daydreams about where to travel to next, paints with acrylic, reads voraciously and writes book reviews on her blog. For more information: Website - www.rosalynkelly.co.uk Twitter - twitter.com/rosalynkauthor Facebook - www.facebook.com/rosalynkellyauthor Instagram - www.instagram.com/rosalynkauthor/ *Read on for a fascinating Q&A with the author herself on the topic of self-publishing.* SELF-PUBLISHING
Q.1 Why self-publish and not traditional? I’m impatient. I had a feeling that I would self-publish when I started writing Melokai. I did the usual thing and sent my manuscript off to literary agents and then got bored waiting for replies so started all the wheels in motion to self-publish anyway. It took months to get responses and rather than send out a second round of emails to more agents, I decided to go it alone. If I’d got a yes from an agent, it might be months/years to get a publisher then another year or so to see my book on the shelf and I wasn’t prepared to wait that long. Q.2 How much creative input did you have in the Melokai cover and map? The joy of publishing Melokai myself was that I have full creative control over every aspect of the book. I knew exactly how I wanted the cover to look and I also found an illustrator whose work I admired to create my map. Q.3 How do you ensure quality when self-publishing? Quality is very important to me, and I wanted to produce a book to the same standards as a traditionally published one. I researched and read up on everything about self-publishing that I could get my hands on. I decided that a lot of stuff I could do myself, but there were a few critical things that I’d need to outsource to ensure the highest quality – namely a professional book cover design and an editor. Before I employed an editor, I went through two rounds of beta reading with three beta readers, rewrote my first chapter numerous times and asked friends to read it and give me feedback, plus carefully edited and proofread the manuscript. Only when I was confident in, and proud of, the story did I call it finished. Then I tweaked and fiddled with the formatting until it was near perfect and sourced a professional to create my cover. Q.4 How much effort do you put into social media and promoting your book? It’s a lot of effort, but thankfully I enjoy social media and marketing. I used to work in the industry and it comes naturally to me. I post to my social channels almost every day and write regular blogs. I taught myself all about book advertising, set up a website and email newsletter following and, genuinely, I have fun. Q.5 Best advice you have received which has helped you to survive in the self-publishing world? Many readers don’t care if you are traditionally published or self-published or something else entirely, they are looking for a great story and a positive reading experience (e.g. cover, ebook formatting, paperback layout). These questions really drove the message home for me: Do you know who published the book you’re currently reading? Do you care? Do you buy books purely based on who has published them? My answer to all three is no. Q.6 What are the positives and the negatives of self-publishing for you personally? Positives for me include: speed, complete creative control, no reliance on others and no interference from others – you are the master of your own destiny Negatives: steep learning curve at first, which can be overwhelming (but on the positive side, once learned it’s never difficult again!), opinion of some that self-publishing is the poor relation to traditional publishing. I remind people that EL James’ Fifty Shades of Grey, Andy Weir’s The Martian and Hugh Howey’s Wool all started out as self-published books. *My thanks again to Rosalyn Kelly for this insight into her self-publishing journey so far. Release date - 17th October 2017
Book length - 276 pages Publisher - www.crookedcatbooks.com Amazon UK - www.amazon.co.uk Amazon US - www.amazon.com *I want to thank Rose McClelland for providing me with a copy of this book for review. ABOUT THE BOOK When Sasha falls in love with Kirk, she can’t believe her luck. He’s gorgeous, charismatic and charming. Within months, he’s even discussing the ‘M’ word – marriage! But there’s one problem: He’s given her a list of rules to sign. Blindly led by her infatuation (and the fact that she’s been single forever), she agrees to sign it and abide by them – until everything goes horribly wrong. Picking herself up and moving on boldly as a ‘No Rules’ girl, Sasha goes on a string of disastrous dates, and eventually meets Sam through mutual friends. Not wanting to make the same mistake twice, she keeps him at arm’s length. Can he tame her independent streak? Or will she be able to make Kirk come crawling back? MY REVIEW When I picked up THE YEAR OF NO RULES by Rose McClelland I assumed it would be an easy, enjoyable read, and it was, but it was also so much more. It is a story of finding your inner strength and realising your own self-worth and confidence. Sasha had resigned herself to the fact that she was never going to find love when it appeared that love found her in the shape of Kirk. Even though their relationship was hard at times Sasha was just so happy to be a part of a couple, to belong. But when Kirk demands that Sasha change and follow his list of what she needs to do, Sasha knows deep down that this is wrong, even though she tries her best to please him. But when their relationship continues to fall deeper into disrepair, Sasha finally finds the courage to walk away and live her life as a 'No Rules' woman which leads her on a merry dance to Sam. Kind, sweet, safe Sam whom Sasha cannot help but keep at arm's length. And what will she do when Kirk returns back into her life, declaring she is the only one for him? THE YEAR OF NO RULES by Rose McClelland is a book that really makes you feel. I wanted to smack Kirk for his controlling, damaging demeanour towards Sasha, and I wanted to scream at Sasha to wake up and realise her own worth. But as the story develops it is easy to see how life is never that straightforward and that love is often a journey where you need to figure out what you need and what's best for you over time. The characters are interesting although not always likeable, and there were times when Sasha got on my nerves, but I think that was the point. Here was a woman who didn't know how to feel about herself, who didn't have the confidence to demand better treatment, and who wanted to be loved more than anything, so her emotions and actions were all over the place. THE YEAR OF NO RULES by Rose McClelland is a thoroughly enjoyable read and I highly recommend it to contemporary fiction fans. Author Bio: Rose writes women’s fiction with a splash of romance and comedy. She writes about dating and relationships in a humorous fashion, placing plenty of twists and turns along the way. Perfect for fans of Marian Keyes or Sophie Kinsella. Rose lives in Belfast but divides her time between the sofa and bubble bath. When she’s not writing, she’s reading. It’s a bit of an addiction actually. That, and the chocolate Freddos. She can often be found on Facebook posting photos and stories about her cat, her cooking or book reviews. She has written a few short plays and finds it a buzz to see actors performing her words on stage. For more information: Website - rosiesrag.blogspot.ie Twitter - twitter.com/RoseMcClelland1 Facebook - www.facebook.com/RoseMcClellandauthor/ Release date - 1st September 2017
Book length - 369 pages Publisher - Mills & Boon Historical Book Depository - www.bookdepository.com Amazon UK - www.amazon.co.uk Amazon US - www.amazon.com *I want to thank Julia Justiss for providing me with an ebook of this novel for review. ABOUT THE BOOK Pursuing a role in Parliament, Christopher Lattimar needs a virtuous marriage to make society overlook his roguish past. When beautiful and disarming Ellie Parmenter offers to reform and refine him, he's too tempted to say no. Once a courtesan, Ellie knows a thing or two about polishing a diamond in the rough. She has no designs on Christopher—or any man in search of a wife—but their best-laid plans begin to tumble once lessons in respectability turn to seduction… MY REVIEW SECRET LESSONS WITH THE RAKE by Julia Justiss is the fourth and final instalment of the Hadley's Hellions series and it completely blew me away. Christopher Lattimar is a rake and he knows it. Brought up by his beloved mother who herself has taunted the rules of the ton, Christopher has never felt the need to shackle himself in marriage to a whimpering young miss. But now that his closest friends have found love in matrimony, he cannot help but feel a little lonely, and the fact that a properly bred wife would aid his career in politics convinces Christopher that a virtuous virgin is exactly what he needs to find in a life partner. If only his heart, and blood, didn't surge at the sight and sound of the caring courtesan, Ellie ... Ellie's life changed drastically when she was carted off to become a mistress, but now that she is finally free, Ellie vows never to be beholden to a man again. Strong and determined, Ellie has started a school to help young girls find a different life from the one that was thrust upon her, and with the help of some wealthy friends in society, she is finally starting to feel the caring effects of friendship again. If only she could have the one thing that she longs for - marriage to the man that holds her heart ... SECRET LESSONS WITH THE RAKE by Julia Justiss is an engaging and evocative read that highlights the horrific hypocrisy that was afforded to women at that time in history, yet still weaves a beautiful story of female strength and solidarity in the face of adversity. The characters are dynamic and different, and I loved the pace and feel to this story which really got under my skin. Christopher and Ellie's journey of friendship and yearning is expertly handled and I desperately wanted them to realise what they could have together if they were willing to risk it all. SECRET LESSONS WITH THE RAKE by Julia Justiss is my favourite book from this series and is a must-read for all historical romance and regency romance fans alike. A fabulous end to an addictive series!! Author Bio: Julia Justiss grew up breathing the scent of sea air near the colonial town of Annapolis, Maryland, a fact responsible for two of her life-long passions: sailors and history! By age twelve she was a junior tour guide for Historic Annapolis, conducting visitors on walking tours through the city that was a hotbed of revolutionary fervor. (Annapolis hosted its own tea party, dispensing with the cargo aboard the "Peggy Stewart," and was briefly capital of the United States.) She also took tourists through Annapolis's other big attraction, the United States Naval Academy. After so many years of observing future naval officers at P-rade and chapel, it seemed almost inevitable that she eventually married one. But long before embarking on romantic adventures of her own, she read about them, transporting herself to such favorite venues as ancient Egypt, World War II submarine patrols, the Old South and, of course, Regency England. Soon she was keeping notebooks for jotting down story ideas. From plotting adventures for her first favorite heroine Nancy Drew she went on to write poetry in high school and college, then worked as a business journalist doing speeches, sales promotion material and newsletter articles. After her marriage to a naval lieutenant took her overseas, she wrote the newsletter for the American Embassy in Tunis, Tunisia and traveled extensively throughout Europe. Before leaving Tunis, she fulfilled her first goal: completing a Regency novel. Children intervened, and not until her husband left the Navy to return to his Texas homeland did she sit down to pen a second novel. The reply to her fan mail letter to a Regency author led her to Romance Writers of America. From the very first meeting, she knew she'd found a home among fellow writers--doubtless the largest group of people outside a mental institution who talk back to the voices in their heads. Her second goal was achieved the day before her birthday in May, 1998 when Margaret Marbury of Harlequin Historicals offered to buy that second book, the Golden-Heart-Award winning novel that became THE WEDDING GAMBLE. Since then, she has gone on to write fourteen novels, three novellas and an on-line serial, along the way winning or finalling for historical awards from The Golden Quill, the National Reader’s Choice, Romantic Times, and All About Romance’s Favorite Book of the Year. Julia now inhabits an English Georgian-style house she and her husband built in the East Texas countryside where, if she closes her eyes and ignores the summer thermometer, she can almost imagine she inhabits the landscape of "Pride and Prejudice." In between travelling to visit her three children (a naval officer son stationed in Washington, DC, a textiles and design major daughter who cheers for University of Texas at Austin, and a mechanical engineering major son also at UT Austin) keeping up with her science teacher husband and juggling a part-time day job as a high school French teacher, she pursues her first and dearest love--crafting stories. To relax, she enjoys watching movies, reading (historical fiction, mystery, suspense) and puttering about in the garden trying to kill off more weeds than flowers. For more information: Website - www.juliajustiss.com Twitter - twitter.com/juliajustiss Facebook - www.facebook.com/JuliaJustissAuthor/ Release date - 10th October 2017
Book length - 310 pages Publisher - Self-Published Amazon UK - www.amazon.co.uk Amazon US - www.amazon.com ABOUT THE BOOK Jess Albion has recently started a new life on the other side of the world with a new identity. She used to be MI5. Then a job went bad, someone died and she was made an example of in the British courts. But MI5 look after their own. Or they did until rumours of a planned Al Qaeda biological terror attack on London started circulating. Now someone in the British security services is giving agents up in return for information. No price, it seems, is too high to save London from the ultimate threat. When Jess’s fresh start is compromised she has a choice to make: run and hide and spend the rest of her life looking over her shoulder or go looking for the threat and snuff it out. On her own, she’d run, but she has Nick on her side. The Fallen Agent is a story of love and hate, of loyalty and betrayal, of revenge and callous disregard for human life in the pursuit of satisfaction. MY REVIEW Fast-paced, enigmatic, and very absorbing, THE FALLEN AGENT by Oliver Tidy is a spy novel with plenty of action and subterfuge to reel you in and keep you dangling on the hook! After being hung out to dry by the British Government, Jess Albion has managed to start a new life on the other side of the world where nobody knows who she truly is. Hoping to stay in the shadows Jess has no interest in getting sucked into her old world of MI5 and bad guys. But when it becomes obvious that someone is hunting her and it is very personal, Jess is forced to go on the run again, and with the information being supplied from those that she used to trust, Jess will have no choice but to sniff out the terrorists for herself before it is too late. Full of danger, secrets, betrayals, and desperation, THE FALLEN AGENT by Oliver Tidy will leave your heart racing and your hands trembling as you enter a world where people's lives are easily expendable for the purpose of revenge and power. Inspired by an episode of the popular tv show Spooks, this story really does play through your mind like a movie as the character's behaviours, emotions, and actions are very detailed and descriptive. I am a fan of secret agent/spy novels and movies, so THE FALLEN AGENT by Oliver Tidy was right up my street and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys an energetic story of revenge, dominance, and conflict. Author Bio: Crime writing author Oliver Tidy has had a life-long love affair with books. He dreams of one day writing something that he could find in a beautifully-jacketed hard-cover or paperback copy on a shelf in a book shop. He’d even be happy with something taking up space in the remainder bin, on a pavement, in the rain, outside The Works. He found the time and opportunity to finally indulge his writing ambition after moving abroad to teach English as a foreign language to young learners eight years ago. Impatient for success and an income that would enable him to stay at home all day in his pyjamas he discovered self-publishing. He gave it go. By and large readers have been kind to him. Very kind. Kind enough that two years ago he was able to give up the day job and write full-time. Mostly in his pyjamas. Oliver Tidy has fourteen books in three series, a couple of stand-alone novels and a couple of short story collections. All available through Amazon (clickable link to Am Author Page). Among his books are The Romney and Marsh Files (British police procedurals set in Dover) and the Booker & Cash novels, a series of private detective tales set in the south of England and published by Bloodhound Books. Oliver is back living on Romney Marsh in the UK. His home. He still wakes in the night from time to time shouting about seeing his books on a shelf in Waterstones. For more information: Website - olivertidy.com Twitter - twitter.com/olivertidy Facebook - www.facebook.com/Oliver-Tidy-467297426793288/ *I want to thank Caroline from www.bitsaboutbooks.net , and the author Oliver Tidy for the opportunity to review this book and take part in this blog tour. Don't forget to check out all of the other stops along the way!!! Release date - 21st April 2017
Book length - 208 pages Publisher - HQ Digital Amazon UK - www.amazon.co.uk Amazon US - www.amazon.com ABOUT THE BOOK Who can you trust, when you can’t trust yourself? Holly West has turned her life around. She’s found a successful and loving husband in Simon and is expecting twins. She is definitely a woman who has taken back control of her future. Until she gives birth, only for one twin to survive. Holly can’t let it go. Holly’s world is in a tailspin and suddenly she can’t trust herself or anyone else. No one believes her, not her husband or her best friend. Because she thinks she knows the truth…her son is still alive and she won’t stop until she finds him. MY REVIEW BEHIND THE LIE by Amanda James is a fast-paced, gripping psychological thriller that will make your pulse quicken and your breath hitch as you become completely immersed in Holly's desperate search for her little boy. After Holly's heart was shattered years ago, she found herself in the bright lights of London where she becomes an overnight success. Lost and hurt, she throws herself into the model lifestyle of drugs and parties, when she is unexpectedly saved by Simon, a wealthy consultant, who whisks her away to rehab and then marries her shortly after her recovery. Now Holly is married, pregnant with twins, and wants for nothing. She even has a beach home in her beloved Cornwall to escape to when London becomes too much. But when her birth plan goes wrong and only her little girl survives, Holly aches for her son whom she never got to hold. As her friends and family try to help her move on she just cannot seem to find a way through her grief. And then she finds something that makes her think her precious boy didn't die at all. He was taken from her and she will do whatever it takes to get him back... This story is so unique and fresh, and the writing really carries a frantic energy which worked wonderfully for this plot. As a mother, it broke my heart to watch what Holly was going through and I ached alongside her for what she had lost. But as the tension mounts and unusual occurrences start to slide into place, I was absolutely terrified at what was truly happening. The characters are well-developed and relatable (except for one or two which you will recognise when you read it yourself!) and I was easily caught up in the drama of this novel. BEHIND THE LIE by Amanda James is a fantastic read and I highly recommend it. Author Bio: Amanda James (aka Mandy) was born in Sheffield and now lives in Bristol with her husband and two cats. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, singing, and spending lots of time with her grandson. She also admits to spending far too much time chatting on Twitter and Facebook! Amanda recently left her teaching role to follow her ambition to live her life doing what she most enjoys—writing. For more information: Website - mandykjameswrites.blogspot.ie Twitter - twitter.com/akjames61 Facebook - www.facebook.com/MandyJamesAuthorPage/ Instagram - www.instagram.com/mandykjames/ *I want to thank Amanda James for the opportunity to review this book on Netgalley.com Release date - 25th August 2017
Book length - 320 pages Book Depository - www.bookdepository.com Amazon UK - www.amazon.co.uk Amazon US - www.amazon.com ABOUT THE BOOK Sometimes the hardest person to be honest with is yourself… Five years ago Helen Walters walked out on her ‘perfect’ life with the ‘perfect’ man. Wealthy, glamorous and bored, she longed for something more. Now a talented artist with a small business, Helen creates crazy patchwork crafts to support her young daughter, Megan. Penniless, content and single, she is almost unrecognisable. But when her past unexpectedly collides with her new life, Helen finds herself torn. She knows what the easiest choice is, but is it what she wants? MY REVIEW THE TRUTH ABOUT YOU, ME AND US by Kate Field is a heartfelt story of love, family, friendship, and making choices. Five years ago Helen Walkers, party girl, and somewhat wild child made a decision that would change her life forever. Now working hard at her patchwork business, Helen lives for her adorable little girl and the small business community that has become like family to her, and no matter how difficult it gets, Helen wouldn't change it for the world. But when a blast from the past returns, Helen will be forced to confront it head on and the shocking secrets that she has kept hidden for so long will come to light. And when new friendships and opportunities are threatened, will Helen find what she really needs to make her happy? This story is rich in detail and full of depth and I was instantly hooked with this engrossing narrative. While the reader isn't always sure of the full picture at the beginning, you cannot help but want to support Helen who is so determined to be the best for her little girl. There is plenty of drama, romance, and total misunderstandings to hold your interest from start to finish, and I finished this book in one evening as I just had to know how things would end for Helen and Megan. THE TRUTH ABOUT YOU, ME AND US by Kate Field is a wonderful story of strength, love, and finding your passion, and I highly recommend it to contemporary fiction fans worldwide. Author Bio: Kate Field lives in Lancashire with her husband, daughter and cat. Her debut novel, The Magic of Ramblings, won the Romantic Novelists' Association Joan Hessayon Award for new writers. For more information: Twitter - twitter.com/katehaswords Facebook - www.facebook.com/KateFieldAuthor/ *I want to thank Kate Field for the opportunity to review this novel. |
WelcomeHi fellow bookworms. My name is Linda and I'm a reviewer & blogger, wife & mother who loves all things books! Currently ReadingUPCOMING BLOG TOURS
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