Monday, 31 July 2017

Emma's Review: The Secret of Summerhayes by Merryn Allingham

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

A war-torn summer

A house fallen into ruin

A family broken apart by scandal…

Summer 1944: Bombed out by the blitz, Bethany Merston takes up a post as companion to elderly Alice Summer, last remaining inhabitant of the dilapidated and crumbling Summerhayes estate. Now a shadow of its former glory; most of the rooms have been shut up, the garden is overgrown and the whole place feels as unwelcoming as the family themselves.

Struggling with the realities of war, Alice is plagued by anonymous letters and haunting visions of her old household. At first, Beth tries to convince her it’s all in her mind but soon starts to unravel the mysteries surrounding the aristocratic family’s past.

Amazon Links: Kindle or Paperback

Saturday, 29 July 2017

Debut Spotlight: Audrey Davis

Today it'st my absolute pleasure to be shining the debut spotlight on author Audrey Davis whose debut novel A Clean Sweep was published earlier this Summer.

Audrey Davis is a Scottish-born former journalist and mother of two grown-up boys. She spent many years living in Singapore, Australia and Buckinghamshire before settling in Switzerland in 2002.

Her hobbies and interests include reading, watching scary movies and going to the gym, although the latter is more of a necessity. Chiefly because her main pleasure – after writing – is cooking and eating.

Recent years have seen Audrey involved in major house renovations. These have proved extremely challenging, not least because of her appalling French. However, she does provide endless amusement for the local workforce.

It was always a dream to write a novel and, after many false starts, Audrey published her debut novel – a romantic comedy entitled A Clean Sweep – in early June 2017 on Amazon. This was closely followed by a short prequel – A Clean Break – which examines the crumbling lives of two of the characters in the main book.

Audrey is now working on what she hopes will be a series of books. Still with a strong romantic comedy element but also with a hint of the supernatural …

Where did you get the inspiration for your book?
The seeds of my story were sown many years ago when not one but two incredibly handsome chimney sweeps turned up on my doorstep. It’s the law in Switzerland that chimneys are swept once a year. Those seeds took a long time to grow but – having done an online Writing Fiction course – they began to form into a narrative about a younger man and an older woman. The title came first, the rest followed but certainly not in an organised fashion! It required a lot of rewriting and editing at the end. I aim to be more structured in the future!

Friday, 28 July 2017

Books Read: Dying to Live by Michael Stanley

When the body of a Bushman is discovered near the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, the death is written off as an accident. But all is not as it seems. An autopsy reveals that, although he's clearly very old, his internal organs are puzzlingly young. What's more, an old bullet is lodged in one of his muscles ... but where is the entry wound? When the body is stolen from the morgue and a local witch doctor is reported missing, Detective 'Kubu' Bengu gets involved. But did the witch doctor take the body to use as part of a ritual? Or was it the American anthropologist who'd befriended the old Bushman? 

As Kubu and his brilliant young colleague, Detective Samantha Khama, follow the twisting trail through a confusion of rhino-horn smugglers, foreign gangsters and drugs manufacturers, the wider and more dangerous the case seems to grow. 

Amazon Links: Kindle or Paperback 

Thursday, 27 July 2017

Emma's Review: Killer Affair by Rebecca Chance

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

A shocking betrayal deserves a wicked revenge . . .

Stunning, charismatic Lexy O’Brien is the reigning queen of British reality TV. Her life in front of the camera is planned and manipulated as successfully as any military assault.

But success breeds jealousy. When you’re on top, the only way is down and there’s always someone standing by to give you a shove . . .

Dowdy Caroline Evans, a part-time blogger and writer of erotic fiction, is brought in to chronicle Lexy’s life. Being taken under Lexy’s wing is a dream come true for Caroline. But sampling the star’s lifestyle is like tasting the most addictive of drugs, and it’s not long before she is craving what she can’t possibly have – or can she?

And as Caroline and Lexy’s lives and loves become increasingly entwined, it’s only a matter of time before the hidden rivalry becomes a powder keg waiting to explode . . .

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Books Read: Give Me the Child by Mel McGrath

An unexpected visitor.

Dr Cat Lupo aches for another child, despite the psychosis which marked her first pregnancy. So when Ruby Winter, a small girl in need of help, arrives in the middle of the night, it seems like fate.

A devastating secret.

But as the events behind Ruby’s arrival emerge – her mother’s death, her connection to Cat – Cat questions whether her decision to help Ruby has put her own daughter at risk.

Do we get the children we deserve?

Cat’s research tells her there’s no such thing as evil. Her history tells her she’s paranoid. But her instincts tell her different. And as the police fight to control a sudden spate of riots raging across the capital, Cat faces a race against time of her own…

Amazon links: Kindle or Hardcover

Wednesday, 26 July 2017

Emma's Review: The Forgotten Family of Liverpool by Pam Howes

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

It’s 1951 and rationing is finally coming to an end. But while Liverpool is recovering from the ferocity of war, a family is about to be torn apart…

Dora Rodgers is adjusting to a new life in Liverpool with her young daughters Carol and Jackie. After the fear of the war years and a difficult break up with her husband Joe, Dora is finally building a future with her children.

But then an unexpected knock at the door rips her family in two. 

To Dora’s horror, Carol is taken away by a welfare officer to live with Joe. She is determined to fight for her child, but when a tragic accident leaves her mother in hospital, and shocking news from Joe breaks her heart again, she struggles to cope. 

With her family in pieces and her marriage over for good, will Dora ever manage to get her daughter Carol home where she belongs?

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Tuesday, 25 July 2017

Books Read & Giveaway: District Nurse on Call by Donna Douglas

West Yorkshire, 1926

After completing her training in Steeple Street, Agnes Sheridan is looking forward to making her mark as Bowden's first district nurse, confident she can make a difference in the locals’ lives.

But when Agnes arrives, she’s treated with suspicion, labelled just another servant of the wealthy mine owners. The locals would much rather place their trust in the resident healer – Hannah Arkwright.

And when the General Strike throws the village into turmoil, the miners and their families face hunger and hardship, and Agnes finds her loyalties tested.

Now it’s time to prove whose side she is really on and to fight for her place in the village...

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Books Read: The Nurses of Steeple Street by Donna Douglas

Welcome to the district nurses’ home on Steeple Street, where everyone has a secret…

Ambitious young nurse Agnes Sheridan had a promising future ahead of her until a tragic mistake brought all her dreams crashing down and cost her the love and respect of everyone around her. Now she has come to Leeds for a fresh start as a trainee district nurse. But Agnes finds herself facing unexpected challenges as she is assigned to Quarry Hill, one of the city’s most notorious slums. Before she can redeem herself in the eyes of her family, she must first win the trust and respect of her patients and fellow nurses.

Does Agnes have what it takes to stay the distance? Or will the tragedy of her past catch up with her?

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Monday, 24 July 2017

Emma's Review: Reinventing Susannah by Joan Brady

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

A big bereavement. An empty nest. And a runaway husband. 

Susannah Stevens hopes that whoever said bad things come in threes got it right, because she can't cope with much more going wrong in her life.

She finds herself a job as a freelance 'Mind Body and Spirit' correspondent, meets a self-styled guru who thinks she needs liberating from more than just an empty nest, and learns that sometimes all you can do is go with the flow of life. 

Susannah's boss, Katie Corrigan, is young enough to be her daughter. She has always played by the rules in order to further her career, but when she too discovers there are some things she just can't control, she has to reassess all she thought she knew.

In a fast-moving year of crisis and reinvention, each woman has to figure out what to do when her Plan A falls apart - and she never dreamt she'd need a Plan B.

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

The Write Stuff with... Rachel Dove

Today it's my pleasure to be handing over the blog to author Rachel Dove to talk about her top tips for writing a series, book 2 in her series The Flower Shop on Foxley St. is out this Wednesday.

When I entered the Prima magazine/Mills & Boon Flirty Fiction competition in January 2015, I had no idea that in summer 2017 I would be releasing book 2 in the series, and writing the next. The Chic Boutique on Baker Street was solely about two rival store owners in a small village originally, and then it grew from there.

Writing a series for me has been like writing a diary, a recollection of events that seem real about characters I feel I actually know. It struck me as odd sometimes when authors spoke of characters doing their own thing in their books, but I totally understand that now. Some characters, like the irrepressible Agatha Taylor (nee Mayweather) never shut up. She seems like the inner voice in my head now, and I wouldn't wish her away. I have written other novels that are separate to the Westfield series, but I must admit going back to Westfield feels a little like coming home.

Here are my top 5 tips for writing a series - I hope they help other budding authors out there!

Sunday, 23 July 2017

Emma's Review: Wedding Bells at Butterfly Cove by Sarah Bennett

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

A second chance by the sea?

When Kiki Jackson’s marriage falls to pieces, there’s only one place that she knows she can escape to – her sister’s little guesthouse in Butterfly Cove.

But she’s worried that turning up on bride-to-be Mia’s doorstep, especially with her two adorable children in tow, will spoil her sister’s imminent wedding plans!

Luckily, handsome neighbour Aaron Spenser offers to share his new cottage with Kiki until she’s back on her feet. And as the wedding draws closer, Kiki realises that Butterfly Cove may be offering her little family more than just a new home…

Maybe this is where her new life begins…?

Amazon link: Kindle

Friday, 21 July 2017

Giveaway: Win a copy of Dying to Live by Michael Stanley & Reconciliation for the Dead by Paul E. Hardisty

Today I have been following some of the book fun from the Theakstons Crime festival in Harrogate online to make up for the fact that I had to cancel going this year... one day I will actually make it there! If you're on Facebook check out the hilarious Book Blast Author Challenges that Angela Clarke has been doing live today and will be back tomorrow with more fab authors, or keep an eye out on Twitter as plenty of mentions of what's going on and even a few live videos to watch.

To make up for not going I've decided to run daily Crime/Thriller giveaways over the next couple of days.  So this evening's giveaway is for a couple of books I've received from the lovely Karen at Orenda Books as I also have eBooks of them.


Dying to Live by Michael Stanley (which I'll be reviewing soon as part of the blog tour)


When the body of a Bushman is discovered near the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, the death is written off as an accident. But all is not as it seems. An autopsy reveals that, although he's clearly very old, his internal organs are puzzlingly young. What's more, an old bullet is lodged in one of his muscles... but where is the entry wound? 

Thursday, 20 July 2017

Giveaway: Win a copy of The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer

Sadly due to time constraints and work/personal commitments I don't have time to read every book that I get sent for review especially when they arrive out of the blue.  So instead I try to do book promotion in other ways to promote and share the book love.

One such book that I've received recently that I'm not in a position to review is The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer which I've decided to give away to a follower of the blog.


She used to work for the U.S. government, but very few people ever knew that. An expert in her field, she was one of the darkest secrets of an agency so clandestine it doesn't even have a name. And when they decided she was a liability, they came for her without warning.

Now she rarely stays in the same place or uses the same name for long. They've killed the only other person she trusted, but something she knows still poses a threat. They want her dead, and soon.

Wednesday, 19 July 2017

Emma's Review: The Silk Weaver's Wife by Debbie Rix

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

2017: Millie wants more from her relationship and more from her life. So when her boss Max abruptly ends their affair, she takes the opportunity to write a feature in Italy.

Staying in a gorgeous villa, Millie unexpectedly falls in love with the owner, Lorenzo. Together they begin to unravel an incredible story, threaded through generations of silk weavers. 

And Millie finds herself compelled to discover the identity of a mysterious woman in a portrait…

1704: Anastasia is desperate to escape her controlling and volatile father and plans to marry in secret. But instead of the life she has dreamed of, she finds herself trapped in Venice, the unwilling wife of a silk weaver.

Despite her circumstances, Anastasia is determined to change her fate…

Amazon link: Kindle 

Tuesday, 18 July 2017

Emma's Review: All at Sea by Pauline Lawless

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Could there be a better Christmas present than a luxury Caribbean cruise? 

Dublin socialite Bunny McElroy thinks not and invites her family on one for the holidays. Her husband Richard is not so sure about it, and her son Gavin and his down-to-earth wife Fiona are apprehensive about spending two weeks cooped up with his family. But even they could never imagine the havoc Bunny’s two beautiful daughters, Sarah and Jess, will cause on board.

Meanwhile Tony Kenny, a wealthy Galway businessman, fed up with his wife’s family who descend on them every Christmas, thinks a cruise is the perfect way to escape them. His timid wife Ann is nervous about it all but, as always, Tony gets his way. His children are less than enthusiastic but, as it turns out, their handsome son Jack is pleasantly surprised by the action on board and his shy sister Emily begins to come out of her shell. 

Declan Jordan is terrified that his sexy mistress Alix will reveal their affair to his classy wife Cassie, so he whisks Cassie away for what he promises will be a second honeymoon. However, it turns out to be anything but . . . 

This group form what they laughingly call ‘the Irish Mafia’ on board the Liberté and, between the drama and the shenanigans, there is never a dull moment! 

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Monday, 17 July 2017

Emma's Review: The The Ludlow Ladies' Society by Ann O'Loughlin

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Connie Carter has lost everyone and everything dear to her. Leaving her home in New York, she moves to a run-down Irish mansion, hoping to heal her shattered heart and in search of answers: how could her husband do the terrible things he did? And why did he plough all their money into the dilapidated Ludlow Hall before he died, without ever telling her?

At first Connie tries to avoid the villagers, until she meets local women Eve and Hetty who introduce her to the Ludlow Ladies’ Society, a crafts group in need of a permanent home. Connie soon discovers Eve is also struggling with pain and the loss of having her beloved Ludlow Hall repossessed by the bank and sold off. Now, seeing the American Connie living there, the hurt of losing everything is renewed. Can these women ever be friends? Can they ever understand or forgive?

As the Ludlow Ladies create memory quilts to remember those they have loved and lost, the secrets of the past finally begin to surface. But can Connie, Eve and Hetty stitch their lives back together?

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Friday, 14 July 2017

Giveaway: Win a Sun/Cloud BookBandz & The Bed and Breakfast on the Beach by Kat French

This afternoon I have a gorgeous Summery giveaway for you, a stunning Sun/Cloud BookBandz which has been handmade by Karen (check out what other gorgeous bandz she's made over on her FB page) which I'm pairing up with a copy of The Bed and Breakfast on the Beach by Kat French which Emma recently reviewed, you can read her review here.


A Greek island solves all life’s problems…doesn’t it?

Winnie, Stella and Frankie have been best friends forever.

Thursday, 13 July 2017

Emma's Review: The Rome Affair by Karen Swan

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

1974 and Elena Damiani lives a gilded life. Born to wealth and a noted beauty, no door is closed to her, no man can resist her. At twenty-six, she is already onto her third husband when she meets her love match. But he is the one man she can never have, and all the beauty and money in the world can't change it.

2017 and Francesca Hackett is living la dolce vita in Rome, leading tourist groups around the Eternal City and forgetting the ghosts she left behind in London. When she finds a stolen designer handbag in her dustbin and returns it, she is brought into the orbit of her grand neighbour who lives across the piazza - famed socialite Viscontessa Elena dei Damiani Pignatelli della Mirandola. Though the purse is stolen, Elena greets the return of the bag with exultation for it contains an unopened letter written by her husband on his deathbed, twelve years earlier.

Mutually intrigued by each other, the two women agree to collaborate on a project, with Cesca interviewing Elena for her memoirs. As summer unfurls, Elena tells her sensational stories, leaving Cesca in her thrall. But when a priceless diamond ring found in an ancient tunnel below the city streets is ascribed to Elena, Cesca begins to suspect a shocking secret at the heart of Elena's life.

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback 

Wednesday, 12 July 2017

Emma's Review: Pieces of My Life by Rachel Dann

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

A journey she never expected…

Kirsty is happy. Really, she is. After five years with her boyfriend, Harry, she’s ready to take things to the next step and turn that spare room into a little nursery. And she thought Harry was too.

Only, it turns out that Harry’s ‘big news’ is actually not that he wants to try for a baby, but that he wants to travel to South America – with Kirsty! She’ll just have to trust that after their trip of a lifetime, Harry will be ready to settle down for good.

Arriving in hot, steamy Ecuador it soon becomes clear that Harry is hiding something. Something that he’s been hiding for years. And as Kirsty’s dreams are at risk of shattering, she begins to pick up the pieces of the life that she’s put off for so long…

Amazon link: Kindle

Tuesday, 11 July 2017

Emma's Review: True Love at the Lonely Hearts Bookshop by Annie Darling

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

It's a truth universally acknowledged that a single woman in possession of a good job, four bossy sisters and a needy cat must also have want of her one true love. Or is it?

Verity Love – Jane Austen fangirl and an introvert in a world of extroverts – is perfectly happy on her own (thank you very much), and her fictional boyfriend Peter is very useful for getting her out of unwanted social events. But when a case of mistaken identity forces her to introduce a perfect stranger as her boyfriend, Verity’s life suddenly becomes much more complicated.

Johnny could also use a fictional girlfriend. Against Verity’s better judgement, he persuades her to partner up for a summer season of weddings, big number birthdays and garden parties, with just one promise - not to fall in love with each other…

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

The Write Stuff with... Evie Grace

Today it's my pleasure to be handing over the reins of the blog to Evie Grace for the latest stop on her Half a Sixpence blog tour.

Thank you very much for inviting me to talk about how I researched the nineteenth century for Half a Sixpence, the first book in a brand new series, a Victorian family saga. It follows the fortunes of Catherine Rook from her idyllic childhood on the family farm in rural East Kent with its hop gardens and orchards, to the streets of Faversham.        

When I started writing Catherine’s story I wanted to convey a strong sense of how she would have lived, what she would have worn, used and eaten, so I set about looking at the different resources available to take me back into the nineteenth century.

There is a mass of information on the internet, of course, and I had to pick and choose which sources to use. I used books as well, finding some gems about local history. I visited Faversham and the surrounding area to experience the sights and smells of the older parts of the town, the creek and the brewery that would have been in existence when Catherine Rook was there.    

I read through Victorian recipes and investigated Canterbury brawn or ‘headcheese’ made by boiling up a pig’s head and setting the meat in a jelly. I sampled caraway cake, and decided that even if I hadn’t been a vegetarian, I wouldn’t have touched consommé of game where the birds would have been hung until their feet dropped off.      

Monday, 10 July 2017

Books Read: The Importance of Being Me by Caroline Grace-Cassidy

When was the last time you put yourself first?

Thirty-eight-year-old divorcee Courtney Downey has no idea who she is any more. She has devoted her life to bringing up her beloved 15-year-old daughter Susan, but Courtney just doesn’t get the celebrity-obsessed, Snapchat-filtered teenage world Susan is part of, and they’re growing apart. When Susan announces she wants to live with her dad and his new, younger girlfriend, Courtney is devastated. But could the end of one life be the beginning of another?

When Courtney is offered a job in beautiful, sun-kissed Cornwall, she and her vivacious best friend Claire follow their hearts and leave their problems behind for a summer of sand, sea and second chances. And when she meets sexy but infuriating builder Tony, Courtney rediscovers her passions for life, for cooking and for love.

But just as Courtney is finally looking to the future, a crisis with Susan pulls her back to Dublin, and back into old habits. Will she ever be able to let go of the past and embrace the importance of being herself?

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback 

Sunday, 9 July 2017

Books Read: Little Boy Found by LK Fox

WHEN HE FOUND HIS LITTLE BOY, NICK THOUGHT THE NIGHTMARE WAS OVER . . . IT WAS ONLY THE BEGINNING.

One rainy morning, just after Nick drops off his young son Gabriel outside the crowded school gates, he has a minor collision with another car. The driver won't surrender his insurance details, so Nick photographs the licence plate. When he gets home, he enlarges the shot on his phone and spots something odd about the picture - Gabriel in the back seat, being driven away by a stranger. Nick needs to know what happened to his boy, but losing Gabriel turns out to be far less terrible than the shock of finding him. Now, to discover the truth, he must relive the nightmare all over again...

Be warned, this is not another missing child story: what happened to Nick and his son is far more shocking.

Amazon link: Kindle

Saturday, 8 July 2017

Giveaway: Win a selection of nominated titles from the Dead Good Reader Awards 2017


Thanks to the lovely people at Dead Good Books I have been given a bundle of a few nominated books from the Reader Awards 2017 to give away to a follower of the blog but first let's talk about the nominees.

The shortlists were compiled of the authors who received the most nominations in each category. Now the power is back in our hands – it’s time to pick the winners.

Have your say and let us know who you think should take home the gongs at the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate this July (closing date 20th July). VOTE HERE

The Kathy Reichs Award for Fearless Female Character
Temperance Brennan is a force to be reckoned with. This award is for the fearless females who take no prisoners.

  • Lori Anderson, Steph Broadribb
  • Erika Foster, Robert Bryndza
  • Ruth Galloway, Elly Griffiths
  • Helen Grace, M J Arlidge
  • Isabella Rose, Mark Dawson
  • Jane Rizzoli, Tess Gerritsen

The Case Closed Award for Best Police Procedural
The cops have it covered – no room for amateurs here.

Review & Extract: Her Last Breath by Tracy Buchanan

Food writer Estelle Forster has the perfect life. And with her first book on the way, it’s about to get even better.

When Estelle hears about Poppy O’Farrell’s disappearance, she assumes the girl has simply run away. But Estelle’s world crumbles when she’s sent a photo of Poppy, along with a terrifying note: I’m watching you. I know everything about you.

Estelle has no idea who’s threatening her, or how she’s connected to the missing teen, but she thinks the answers lie in the coastal town she once called home, and the past she hoped was long behind her.

Estelle knows she must do everything to find Poppy. But how far will she go to hide the truth – that her perfect life was the perfect lie?

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Friday, 7 July 2017

Author Interview: Debbie Johnson

Today it's my absolute pleasure to welcome author Debbie Johnson back to the blog on the final stop of her blog tour for her latest book The A-Z of Everything.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your writing journey? 
I’m a 40-something mum of three who lives in Liverpool. I worked as a journalist for many years, then spent quite a long time doing a crazy combination of trying to be an author, doing PR and marketing, and freelance journalism. Like most writers, it took me quite some time to reach the point where I could even dream of making a living from fiction – the overnight successes are few and far between! 

My big breaks came from winning the Harry Bowling Prize in 2010, and then getting a book accepted by HarperImpulse in 2014. I was in all honesty ready to give up by then, but as it happens that book was called Cold Feet At Christmas, and went on to be my first proper success. 

If you had to give an elevator pitch for The A-Z of Everything, what would it be? 
I’m always rubbish at these – can our elevator be like the one in Charlie and the Chocolate factory and go flying around for a while?? In essence, it’s a story about love, and family, and forgiveness. It tells the tale of estranaged sister Poppy and Rose, who haven’t spoken for over a decade until their mum, Andrea, passes away. Andrea’s greatest wish has been to bring her girls together again, and she does that by spending her last few weeks compiling an A-Z of Everything – videos, diaries, photos, treasure hunts, road trips and challenges, running through every letter in the alphabet, in an attempt to show the sisters how much stronger they are together than apart.

The A-Z of Everything has more of an emotional tone than your previous novels, where did the inspiration come from?  
I think as we get older, we start to experience more loss. I’ve said goodbye to both my parents and some very close friends, and it really does change you. It also makes you appreciate what’s important in life, and how petty things that seemed important years ago really are. I don’t think there’s any such thing as a ‘normal’ family, and this book is about that as well – the ways we love each other and hurt each other and protect each other. That all sounds a bit morbid, but I hope it’s not – there are plenty of laughs in the book as well, as there are in life – you have to find the humour in even the darkest of situations, don’t you?

What message would you like readers to take from reading The A-Z of Everything? 
That life is short, but love is long – don’t hold grudges or judge too harshly; none of us are perfect, we all make mistakes, and loving someone is sometimes about accept them warts and all.

Thursday, 6 July 2017

Emma's Review: Summer at Buttercup Beach by Holly Martin

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

For two years Freya Greene has hidden the fact that she’s totally and utterly in love with her best friend Rome Lancaster. It’s not been easy – they work together in his glasswork business, she lives above his workshop and, he’s completely gorgeous. But Rome has never shown any sign of returning those feelings. Until now…g

Lately they’ve shared affectionate touches and words heavy with meaning. Yet Freya knows Rome has a damaged heart. After losing his fiancé in a tragic accident, he’s not allowed himself to fall in love. 

Freya has already had her heart broken by a man who couldn’t let go of a past love. Can she risk it happening again? Rome and Freya have a friendship that could blossom into something more. Are they both brave enough to take that chance?

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Louise's Review: Exquisite by Sarah Stovell

Reviewed by Louise Wykes

Bo Luxton has it all - a loving family, a beautiful home in the Lake District, and a clutch of bestselling books to her name. 

Enter Alice Dark, an aspiring writer who is drifting through life, with a series of dead-end jobs and a freeloading boyfriend. 

When they meet at a writers' retreat, the chemistry is instant, and a sinister relationship develops ...

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Wednesday, 5 July 2017

Emma's Review: Do Not Become Alarmed by Maile Meloy

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

When Liv and Nora decide to take their husbands and children on a holiday cruise, everyone is thrilled. The ship's comforts and possibilities seem infinite. But when they all go ashore in beautiful Central America, a series of minor mishaps lead the families further from the ship's safety.

One minute the children are there, and the next they're gone.

What follows is a heart-racing story told from the perspectives of the adults and the children, as the distraught parents - now turning on one another and blaming themselves - try to recover their children and their shattered lives. 

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Tuesday, 4 July 2017

Author Interview: Patricia Gibney

Today it's my pleasure to welcome Irish crime writer Patricia Gibney to the blog to chat about her latest book The Stolen Girls which is published this Thursday.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your writing journey?
I've lived in the midlands of Ireland all my life but I do love to travel whenever I can.

I have three children in their early twenties, though I still think of them as teenagers.

I am a widow since 2009 when my husband died following a short battle with cancer. He was 49 years old.

I love my own company, which sounds a bit weird, but it gives me headspace.

Even when I worked in the Public Service, I was always writing bits and pieces. I wrote a novel about 25 years ago you know the one that will never see the light of day! After Aidan died, I found solace in art and writing, and despite plenty of self-doubt I wrote The Missing Ones.

I'm learning all the time and value the writing courses I undertook in The Irish Writer s Centre, for all they have taught me.

The first agent I sent The Missing Ones to, Ger Nichol of The Book Bureau, took me on and I'm over the moon that Bookouture is publishing my books.

If you had to give an elevator pitch for The Stolen Girls, what would it be?
Vengence, war, loss and displacement a combination for murder?

The body of an unidentified female is found beneath the streets of Ragmullin and a local girl is reported missing.

DI Lottie Parker, haunted by her tragic past, is struggling to keep her family safe.
As she steps from one murder scene to another she must fight her own demons and catch the killer before he claims another victim.

Describe Lottie Parker in three words.
Troubled, feisty, committed.

Monday, 3 July 2017

Emma's Review: The Woman in the Wood by Lesley Pearse

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Fifteen-year-old twins Maisy and Duncan Mitcham have always had each other. Until the fateful day in the wood . . .

One night in 1960, the twins awake to find their father pulling their screaming mother from the house. She is to be committed to an asylum. It is, so their father insists, for her own good.

It's not long before they, too, are removed from their London home and sent to Nightingales - a large house deep in the New Forest countryside - to be watched over by their cold-hearted grandmother, Mrs Mitcham. Though they feel abandoned and unloved, at least here they have something they never had before - freedom.

The twins are left to their own devices, to explore, find new friends and first romances. That is until the day that Duncan doesn't come back for dinner. Nor does he return the next day. Or the one after that.

When the bodies of other young boys are discovered in the surrounding area the police appear to give up hope of finding Duncan alive. With Mrs Mitcham showing little interest in her grandson's disappearance, it is up to Maisy to discover the truth. And she knows just where to start. The woman who lives alone in the wood about whom so many rumours abound. A woman named Grace Deville.

Amazon links: Kindle or Hardcover

The Write Stuff with... Hannah Doyle

Today it's my pleasure to hand the reins of the blog over to Hannah Doyle with a guest post #SayYes to the Power of Positivity as part of the The Year of Saying Yes blog tour.

Hello! I’m Hannah and if it was socially acceptable for a woman in her early 30s to end every single sentence with a crying-with-laughter emoji then I ruddy well would. 

I love a bit of positivity and there’s something pretty great about being a glass-half-full kind of girl. Raining so hard you can’t face going out for drinks? An excuse to stay in and snuggle! Some absolute b is heading to the tills with the only dream dress left in your size? Think how happy your bank balance will be! 

Even when life throws me lemons (REALLY weird saying btw) I will always try to look on the bright side, which is exactly how my brand new book, The Year of Saying Yes, came about. I lost a much-loved one and vowed to make the most out of my life in honour of his. Given that I’d always wanted to write a book, that meant sitting down and putting pen to paper. That was a couple of years ago and I now have an agent, a publisher and a brand new ebook. Whee! 

Sunday, 2 July 2017

Extract from The Bed and Breakfast on the Beach by Kat French

Today it's my my pleasure to be sharing with you an extract from Kat French's new book The Bed and Breakfast on the Beach which Emma has just reviewed, you can read what she thought here.

A Greek island solves all life’s problems…doesn’t it?

Winnie, Stella and Frankie have been best friends forever.

When their lives unexpectedly unravel, they spontaneously decide to buy a gorgeous B&B on a remote Greek island. Drenched in hot sun, Villa Valentina is the perfect escape from reality. But when Winnie meets Jesse, their brooding neighbour, she finds that Greece is full of its own complications – not least how attractive he is…

Meanwhile, Frankie and Stella are discovering that Villa Valentina has its own secrets – starting with the large supply of gin in the cellar and the arrival of a famous rock band. A band with one very good-looking member who just might distract Frankie from thoughts of her husband…

Movement flickered in her peripheral vision, and she squinted between the trees. Bingo. Not just one donkey. Two. 
‘At bloody last,’ Winnie muttered, shaking her leg to flick the irritating grit out of her flip-flop. A low stone wall ran around the perimeter of his olive grove, so she swung herself over it and started picking her way through the gnarled trees towards The Fonz. As she drew nearer, neither of the animals took the remotest bit of notice of her. 
'Hello, Fonzy,’ she said, in the quiet, polite manner with which she might greet an elderly relative. Nothing. Not so much as the flicker of an ear from either of them. 

Emma's Review: The Bed and Breakfast on the Beach by Kat French

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

A Greek island solves all life’s problems…doesn’t it?

Winnie, Stella and Frankie have been best friends forever.

When their lives unexpectedly unravel, they spontaneously decide to buy a gorgeous B&B on a remote Greek island. Drenched in hot sun, Villa Valentina is the perfect escape from reality. But when Winnie meets Jesse, their brooding neighbour, she finds that Greece is full of its own complications – not least how attractive he is…

Meanwhile, Frankie and Stella are discovering that Villa Valentina has its own secrets – starting with the large supply of gin in the cellar and the arrival of a famous rock band. A band with one very good-looking member who just might distract Frankie from thoughts of her husband…

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Saturday, 1 July 2017

Emma's Review: The Little Bed & Breakfast by the Sea by Jennifer Joyce

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Mae loves running her little Bed & Breakfast, it’s the perfect place to raise her adorable four-year-old daughter! And no matter how persistently local vet, Alfie, chases her, she just doesn’t have time for men in her life.

Willow is busy building her dream home with her husband, Ethan, but with every month that passes she secretly worries that her happy ever after will never come true…

Melody only intended to stay in the bustling seaside town for a few days to capture the perfect photo. But when she meets Hugo – the charming man in the ice cream van – she decides to stay a little longer!

One thing is for sure, summer at the little Bed & Breakfast by the sea certainly has a few surprises in store…

Amazon link: Kindle