Release date - 27th March 2018
Book length - 480 pages Publisher - Titan Books Amazon UK - www.amazon.co.uk Amazon US - www.amazon.com I want to thank Philippa from titanbooks.com for the opportunity to take part in this blog tour and for providing me with a copy of this book for review. I also have an extract for you all to read further on, so happy reading!! ABOUT THE BOOK When her child is lost, she ll do anything to find him... Heike Lerner has a charmed life. A stay-at-home mother married to a prominent psychiatrist, it s a far cry from the damaged child she used to be. But her world is shaken when her four-year-old son befriends a little girl at a nearby lake, who vanishes under the water. And when Heike dives in after her, there s no sign of a body. Desperate to discover what happened to the child, Heike seeks out Leo Dolan, a television writer exploring the paranormal , but finds herself caught between her controlling husband and the intense Dolan . Then her son disappears, and Heike's husband was the last to see him alive ... MY REVIEW I REMEMBER YOU by Elisabeth De Mariaffi is a haunting and truly unique story that shrouds you in a grim and tense atmosphere the entire time that you are reading it. Heike Lerner has a troubled history but looking after her little boy is everything she wanted it to be and more. So when they see a girl disappear in the water, Heike tries to save her but there is no sign that she ever existed. Desperate to uncover the truth, Heike decides to investigate further with the help of Leo and against her husband's wishes. But things are only going to get worse for Heike when her own child disappears too ... Troubled, traumatised, and scared, Heike is one of those characters that you are never sure where you really stand with her. I don't want to give away too much of the plot as I don't want to spoil it for anyone but there is a dark, mystical element to the whole story that left me entranced and uncomfortable at the same time. I REMEMBER YOU by Elisabeth De Mariaffi was different from what I expected but in a good way. The writing is unconventional, the plotline distinctive, and overall I found it to be a very solid story. EXTRACT Why don’t you tell me where we are. The doctor sat in a stiff chair set by the window. He’d offered her the softer one, its velvet rose upholstery only a little worn. This had seemed gentlemanly in the moment but now Heike squinted, facing him. The sun slanting in at an afternoon angle. She put a hand up to shield her eyes. — We are in the Kloster, of course. — Now, Heike. — In Thurgau. In Switzerland. Better? — How do you know this? He paused, watching her eyes shift slightly. His face lightened. Humour me a little, Heike. I have this script to go through, you know. The university is terribly rigorous about these things. — Where else would I be? — That’s a fair answer. He reorganized the papers in his lap. Usually he had a pencil, but today he did not. She turned her head to look around the room, her eyes making little spots until they adjusted to the lower light away from the window. The door to the hall rested against its frame without being quite shut. She could see the latch where it lapped at the strike plate like a tongue. — There was an accident, she said. That’s what you want me to talk about, isn’t it? — That’s what I’m trying to help you with, yes. — I’m sorry, I don’t remember. I still don’t remember. — You came here to recover. He got up from his chair and walked over to shut the door tight. It closed with a click, and he turned and leaned against it, but it was a casual gesture. It’s alright if you don’t remember. Heike lifted her face. — It’s not alright. I was all of a sudden a widow. How can I forget this? He came back across the room, and she stood up to meet him. He had a habit of standing over her chair that made her nervous. — No, don’t get up. Here-- He took her hand and tugged gently downward, but as she sank back into her seat he crouched beside her. Still nervous-making, but not entirely unpleasant. To one side of the room, she could see her bed with its white sheets and the white curtain to pull around for privacy. They had housed her this time not with the novices, as when she had first arrived here during the war, but in a larger room with three elderly nuns. — Because you were so sick. — I was terribly sick. I almost died. So they gave me a bed here, where it’s quieter. Only it wasn’t quiet. One of the old sisters often screamed out, and another sometimes wept in her sleep. What she knew of the accident: The car had come out of nowhere. They were crossing the street, her arms were full of something, flowers or floury rolls from the bakery, she couldn’t remember which. He’d died before she woke up. Most likely he died when his head hit the ground. Her injuries were minor; she was concussed. When the ambulance arrived, they found her sitting in the road, his head in her lap. A lot of blood; she remembered that part. Her skirt soaked through. She could not stop crying, and they sent her away from the hospital and brought her here, to a place she knew and a doctor she didn’t. To begin with, she had not been able to remember returning to the convent at all. They met twice a week; then three times. The doctor was helping her to fill in the blanks. He let go of her hand and patted it where it lay in her lap. She leaned toward him, just a little. — Doctor Lerner. — Eric. She paused. — Eric. Now they met every day. He came to see her on Sunday afternoons, and brought her presents: chocolate, or squares of pastry with marzipan filling. The last time, a collection of fairy stories, hard-bound, with coloured illustrations. — Have you been doing any reading? — Sometimes I make up my own stories, she said. Reading still hurts my head. From the hall there was the sound of a tea trolley passing by, and Heike paused, waiting to see if it would stop, if the door would swing open, but it didn’t. — That’s not so useful, Heike. She glanced at the door again. He lifted a hand to touch her face. — Sometimes we need a new start. AUTHOR BIO Elisabeth de Mariaffi is the author of a new collection of short stories, How To Get Along With Women (Invisible Publishing, 2012). Her poetry and short fiction have been widely published in magazines across Canada, and she's one of the wild minds behind the highly original Toronto Poetry Vendors, a small press that sells single poems by established Canadian poets through toonie vending machines. Elisabeth works as Marketing Coordinator for Breakwater Books, and is currently based in St. John's, where she lives with the poet George Murray and their combined brood of four children -- making them CanLit's answer to the Brady Brunch.' For more information: Website - elisabethdemariaffi.com Twitter - twitter.com/ElisabethdeM Facebook - www.facebook.com/demariaffi Instagram - www.instagram.com/elisabethdemariaffiwriter/ DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT ALL OF THE OTHER STOPS ALONG THE WAY!!
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#Review: Not That I Could Tell by Jessica Strawser @jessicastrawser @HodderBooks #NotThatICouldTell2/4/2018 Release date - 5th April 2018
Book length - 336 pages Publisher - Hodder & Stoughton Book Depository - www.bookdepository.com Amazon UK - www.amazon.co.uk Amazon US - www.amazon.com I want to thank Jenni from www.hodder.co.uk for providing me with a copy of this book for review. ABOUT THE BOOK Drinks in hand, a group of neighbourhood women gather around a fire pit to enjoy a rare child-less Saturday night. Giddy with freedom, they drink too much, share secrets they wish, perhaps, they hadn't, and enjoy getting to know each other better. The single newcomer. The imperfect mom. The new-born parents. The military wife. The almost divorcee. Come Monday morning, one of them is gone. As a police investigation launches, the women will band together and ask whether they should have noticed that something was amiss. But how well can you really know your neighbours, when appearances can be so deceiving? As long as you believe that what you see is what you get, I get to stay this way. Poised. Devoted. Alive. MY REVIEW This book completely blew me away and is topping my list for best books of 2018! In a lovely, welcoming neighbourhood, a group of women comes together for a relaxed evening of chat and laughter to get to know each other more. But as Monday morning dawns one of the women is missing and the neighbourhood is left reeling - what happened to Kristin? Why did she run? And what exactly was she running from? As those that are left behind try to figure out the truth, they will soon learn that 'love thy neighbour' is a lot more difficult when everyone seems to be hiding secrets or baggage from each other. And as the police get involved, just how will it all end for those involved? Told from different characters points of view this story packs a punch and sucks the reader in immediately. The setting is perfect and I could imagine myself living there, yet beneath the facade, do we ever really know what goes on behind closed doors? The characters are relatable and interesting from Clara, the stay-at-home-mum of two who worries about the horrible world her babies will have to grow up in and which she has witnessed first-hand , Izzy the singleton of the group who is struggling with regrets for a future she knows she can never have, to Randi and Rhoda who have an engaging mellow approach to life, love, and family. And then there is Kristin who we get to see snippets of through the other's eyes and through the short chapters that are from her point of view. The tension is perfectly ramped up and eased off throughout this novel and I didn't put it down until I got to the very end - and what an ending that was!!!! NOT THAT I COULD TELL by Jessica Strawser is the perfect example of what a psychological thriller should be and while it is the first time I have read anything by this author, it most certainly will not be my last. An absolutely stunning suspense and I highly recommend it to everyone!! AUTHOR BIO Jessica Strawser is the Editor-at-Large for Writer’s Digest magazine, North America’s leading publication for aspiring and working writers since 1920. Her debut novel, ALMOST MISSED YOU (St. Martin's Press), was a Barnes & Noble Best New Fiction Selection upon its March 2017 release, as well as a She Reads Book Club Selection and a PopSugar Best Spring Read. The book garnered accolades from such wide-ranging bestsellers as Chris Bohjalian, Adriana Trigiani, Lisa Scottoline, Jacquelyn Mitchard, and Garth Stein. Her second, NOT THAT I COULD TELL, is forthcoming from St. Martin's in March 2018, and a third is under contract for 2019. Her diverse career in the publishing industry spans more than 15 years and includes stints in book editing, marketing and public relations, and freelance writing and editing. A Pittsburgh native and “Outstanding Senior” graduate of Ohio University’s E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, she counts her New York Times Modern Love essay and her Writer’s Digest cover interviews with such luminaries as Alice Walker, Anne Tyler and David Sedaris among her career highlights. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, with her husband and two children. For more information: Website - jessicastrawser.com Twitter - twitter.com/jessicastrawser Facebook - www.facebook.com/jessicastrawserauthor/ Instagram - www.instagram.com/jessicastrawser/ Available now
Book length - 384 pages Publisher - HQ Digital Amazon UK - www.amazon.co.uk Amazon US - www.amazon.com I want to thank Rachel from www.rachelsrandomresources.com for the opportunity to take part in this blog tour and for providing me with an e-copy via Netgalley for review. ABOUT THE BOOK The deadliest kind of assassin is one who is already dying… As the radiation poisoning that Nadia Laksheva was exposed to in Chernobyl takes hold of her body, she knows she has mere weeks to live. But Salamander, the terrorist who murdered her father and sister has a deadly new plan to ‘make the sky bleed’. Nadia is determined to stop him again, even if it is the last thing she ever does… The only clue she has are the coordinates 88˚ North, a ridge in the Arctic right and one of the largest oil fields in the world, three thousand metres below the ice. If Salamander takes hold of the oil field, he could change the climate of the whole planet for generations to come. But can Nadia stop him before her own time runs out? MY REVIEW 88 NORTH by J.F. Kirwan is the epic climax to this excellent spy thriller series and had everything you could want in a gripping novel. Nadia Laksheva doesn't have much time left as she is dying from radiation poisoning so she knows she must bring Salamander, the ultimate terrorist, to justice and there is no time to waste. Brimming with action, danger, and unexpected twists will Nadia be able to stop him destroying the world or will her time run out too soon? While 88 NORTH is a compelling story I was a little sad to read the final book in this series as Nadia is such a dynamic and strong character that burrowed under my skin and I didn't really want to see her story come to a conclusion. This novel is tense, dark, and graphic at points, and it contains so many subtle complexities throughout that really make it stand out in its genre. 88 NORTH by J.F. Kirwan is a dynamic, strong, and action-packed adventure, and the perfect way to end this riveting trilogy, so what are you waiting for, jump right into this series!! AUTHOR BIO J. F. Kirwan is the author of the Nadia Laksheva thriller series for HarperCollins. Having worked in accident investigation and prevention in nuclear, offshore oil and gas and aviation sectors, he uses his experience of how accidents initially build slowly, then race towards a climax, to plot his novels. An instructor in both scuba diving and martial arts, he travels extensively all over the world, and loves to set his novels in exotic locations. He is also an insomniac who writes in the dead of night. His favourite authors include Lee Child, David Baldacci and Andy McNab. For more information: Website - jfkirwan.com Twitter - twitter.com/kirwanjf Facebook - www.facebook.com/kirwanjf/ Instagram - www.instagram.com/jfkirwan/ DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT ALL OF THE OTHER STOPS ALONG THE WAY!!! Release date - 30th March 2018
Book length - 251 pages Publisher - HQ Digital Amazon UK - www.amazon.co.uk Amazon US - www.amazon.com I want to thank Izzy from HQ Digital for the opportunity to take part in this blog tour and for providing me with an e-copy of this book via Netgalley for review. ABOUT THE BOOK What is French for falling in love? When Del leaves small town America to compete in a perfume competition in Paris, she thinks it is just the next step on her five-year-plan. It’s an exciting opportunity. What started out as just a dream for Del and her twin sister is nearly in her grasp. If she wins this competition, they are on their way to opening their very own perfume boutique! Arriving in Paris, watching the sun glinting off the Seine and wandering the Champs-Elysees, Del discovers the most perfect perfumery she’s ever seen. Yet, as the competition dawns Del realises that whilst she might have had the best nose in her small village, her competitors seem to know more than she could ever have dreamed. This competition isn’t going to be easy… Del has the romance of Paris to sweep her away from her worries, but as the competition heats up, so does her desire for that which she cannot have! If only the dashing owner Sébastien didn’t smell so seductive, look so handsome and make her heart flutter like it never has before. They say love smells as sweet as a red rose in bloom, but Del would tell anyone that true love can’t be bottled – it’s beautiful and unique to everyone…even herself. With everything on the line for her future, can Del really let a little attraction get in the way of securing her dreams? MY REVIEW THE LITTLE PERFUME SHOP OFF THE CHAMPS-ÈLYSÈES by Rebecca Raisin is a stunning romance that will melt your heart while taking you on a magical trip through stunning Paris, delighting your senses every step of the way. Del has arrived in Paris to take part in a perfume competition that could change her life, even if it has changed a lot recently with her twin sister changing her mind on their plans and falling in love. And as the competition heats up, Del will have to push her skills that she learned from her beloved Nan to the limits if she is to exceed the exacting standards from the best in the industry. As she struggles to bottle true feelings, Del tries to listen to the advice that her Nan had always given her and open her heart, and with fate constantly throwing the brooding Sebastien into her path, can Del really let herself go and follow her heart rather than her head? With crazy contestants, beautiful aromas that feel like they drift off the page, and the stunning backdrop of the city of light, who knows what could happen ... I loved this book as I have loved all of Rebecca Raisin's novels but this one is my favourite so far!! The characters are rich in detail, relatable, and you feel really invested in them as you delve into their lives. The setting is stunning as always but the added element of perfume and all of the intricacies that it entails really brings the beauty of Paris to a whole new level. I devoured this book in a few hours and as I came to the end I really didn't want it to finish and that is the magical element of Rebecca Raisin's books - they make you never want to leave! If you love adventure, friendship, self-discovery, and romance that will make your heart soar, then THE LITTLE PERFUME SHOP OFF THE CHAMPS-ÈLYSÈES by Rebecca Raisin is the book for you - in fact, buy everything that this author writes because she never disappoints. A superb story, as always. AUTHOR BIO Rebecca Raisin is a true bibliophile. This love of books morphed into the desire to write them. She’s been published in various short story anthologies and in in fiction magazines, and is now focusing on writing romance. Rebecca aims to write characters you can see yourself being friends with. People with big hearts who care about relationships, and most importantly believe in true love. For more information: Website - www.rebeccaraisin.com Twitter - twitter.com/jaxandwillsmum Facebook - www.facebook.com/RebeccaRaisinAuthor Instagram - www.instagram.com/rebeccaraisinwrites/ DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT ALL OF THE OTHER STOPS ALONG THE WAY!!! |
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