Louise's Review: The Golden Bell by Robert L. Stone

Reviewed by Louise Wykes

Arriving in Córdoba as a young man in 1088 to learn medicine, Yehuda Halevi is enchanted by a world in which Muslim, Jewish and Christian courtiers share poetry and philosophy in their elegant gardens. Here he falls in love with Deborah, the spirited daughter of his host. In this turbulent world, however, Yehuda also encounters invasions and pirates, book burnings and bandits.

Driven by conflict to move from city to city, Yehuda and Deborah are often parted – but always in the hope that they will one day return together to Córdoba. As Yehuda’s fame grows as a poet and as a philosopher, his writings become increasingly mystical but also increasingly restless, for he yearns to travel to the holy city of Jerusalem. In 1140, as an old man, he must finally decide whether to stay with his family or begin the perilous voyage towards Egypt and Crusader Jerusalem…

Book 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

Crime Fiction Month Review: Block 46 by Johana Gustawsson

Reviewed by Louise Wykes

Falkenberg, Sweden. The mutilated body of talented young jewellery designer, Linnea Blix, is found in a snow-swept marina. 

Hampstead Heath, London. The body of a young boy is discovered with similar wounds to Linnea's. 

Buchenwald Concentration Camp, 1944. In the midst of the hell of the Holocaust, Erich Hebner will do anything to see himself as a human again. 

Are the two murders the work of a serial killer, and how are they connected to shocking events at Buchenwald? Emily Roy, a profiler on loan to Scotland Yard from the Canadian Royal Mounted Police, joins up with Linnea's friend, French true-crime writer Alexis Castells, to investigate the puzzling case. They travel between Sweden and London, and then deep into the past, as a startling and terrifying connection comes to light.

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Crime Fiction Month Review: Cursed by Thomas Enger

Reviewed by Louise Wykes 

When Hedda Hellberg fails to return from a retreat in Italy, her husband discovers that his wife's life is tangled in mystery. .Hedda never left Oslo, the retreat has no record of her and, what's more, she appears to be connected to the murder of an old man, gunned down on the first day of the hunting season in the depths of the Swedish forests...

Henning Juul becomes involved in the case when his ex-wife joins in the search for the missing woman, and the estranged pair find themselves enmeshed both in the murky secrets of one of Norway's wealthiest families, and in the painful truths surrounding the death of their own son. When their lives are threatened, Juul is prepared to risk everything to uncover a sinister maze of secrets that ultimately leads to the dark heart of European history.

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Louise's Review: Faithless by Kjell Ola Dahl

Reviewed by Louise Wykes

Oslo detectives Gunnarstranda and Frølich are back … and this time, it’s personal… 

When the body of a woman turns up in a dumpster, scalded and wrapped in plastic, Inspector Frank Frolich is shocked to discover that he knows her--and their recent meetings may hold the clue to her murder. 

As he begins to look deeper into the tragic events surrounding her death, Frolich's colleague Gunnarstranda finds another body, and things take a more sinister turn. 

With a cold case involving the murder of a young girl in northern Norway casting a shadow, and an unsettling number of coincidences clouding the plot, Frolich is forced to look into his own past to find the answers--and the killer--before he strikes again.

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Louise's Review: A Wedding in Italy by Tilly Tennant

Reviewed by Louise Wykes

Sun, spaghetti and sparkling prosecco. When it comes to finding love, there’s no place like Rome… 

Kate is living the dream with her gorgeous boyfriend Alessandro in his native city, but the reality is sometimes a little less romantic than she’d hoped. Every day in her new home is a fight against leaking pipes, her cantankerous landlord and her less-than-perfect grasp of the Italian lingo. 

All around her there is talk of weddings, but when a secret from her past is thrust out into the open, Kate must fight to prove to Alessandro’s Mamma – and the rest of his formidable family – that she truly is Italian marriage material. 

With the women in Alessandro’s life on a mission to break them apart, the cracks begin to show and Kate starts to question if Alessandro really is the man of her dreams. Can love and the city of romance conquer all, or is that just a fairy-tale?

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Louise's Review: Every Little Thing by Samantha Young

Reviewed by Louise Wykes

The quiet town of Hartwell is the perfect place to get away from it all - and find what you never knew you needed...

Bailey Hartwell has many reasons to feel content - her successful business, a close circle of friends and her steady boyfriend . . . even if their romance feels staid after ten years without a serious commitment. The only challenge in her life comes in the form of sexy businessman Vaughn Tremaine. She thinks the ex-New Yorker acts superior and that he considers her a small-town nobody. But when Bailey's blindsided by a betrayal, she's shocked to discover Vaughn is actually a decent guy.

Vaughn admires Bailey's free spirit, independence and loyalty. As his passion for her has grown, his antagonism toward her has only worsened. Every little thing Bailey does seduces him. But when Vaughn's painful emotional past makes him walk away in fear he will hurt her, it opens an old wound in Bailey, and she uncharacteristically retreats.

Once Vaughn begins to realise he's made the biggest mistake of his life, he has no choice but to fight like he's never fought before to convince Bailey that the love they've found together only comes around once in a lifetime...

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Louise's Review: Rome is Where the Heart is by Tilly Tennant

Reviewed by Louise Wykes

When Kate’s husband Matt dumps her on Friday 13th she decides enough is enough – it’s time for her to have some fun and so she hops on a plane to Rome. A week of grappa and gelato in pavement cafes under azure blue skies will be just what the doctor ordered.

What she doesn’t count on is meeting and falling for sexy policeman Alessandro. But the course of true love doesn’t run smoothly – Alessandro has five meddling sisters, a fearsome mama and a beautiful ex Orazia. They’re all certain that Kate is not the girl for him.

Can Kate and Alessandro’s love last the distance? Or will she return home with the one souvenir she doesn’t want – a broken heart …

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Louise's Review: Sealskin by Su Bristow

Reviewed by Louise Wykes

What happens when magic collides with reality?

Donald is a young fisherman, eking out a lonely living on the west coast of Scotland. One night he witnesses something miraculous ...and makes a terrible mistake. His action changes lives - not only his own, but those of his family and the entire tightly knit community in which they live. Can he ever atone for the wrong he has done, and can love grow when its foundation is violence?

Based on the legend of the selkies - seals who can transform into people - Sealskin is a magical story, evoking the harsh beauty of the landscape, the resilience of its people, both human and animal, and the triumph of hope over fear and prejudice.

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Louise's Review: Rupture by Ragnar Jónasson

Reviewed by Louise Wykes

1955. Two young couples move to the uninhabited, isolated fjord of Hedinsfjörður. Their stay ends abruptly when one of the women meets her death in mysterious circumstances. The case is never solved. Fifty years later an old photograph comes to light, and it becomes clear that the couples may not have been alone on the fjord after all…

In nearby Siglufjörður, young policeman Ari Thór tries to piece together what really happened that fateful night, in a town where no one wants to know, where secrets are a way of life. He’s assisted by Ísrún, a news reporter in Reykjavik, who is investigating an increasingly chilling case of her own. Things take a sinister turn when a child goes missing in broad daylight. With a stalker on the loose, and the town of Siglufjörður in quarantine, the past might just come back to haunt them. 

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Louise's Review: The Secret Life of Lucy Lovecake by Pippa James

Reviewed by Louise Wykes

Daisy Delaney's life is pancake-flat. A talented baker and passionate lingerie specialist, she has wound up with no one to bake for and a career that hasn't proved successful. But when she starts a delicious relationship with famous French author-chef, Michel Amiel, everything begins to look a bit more exciting.

That is until Michel's bestselling cookbook is knocked off the top spot by newcomer 'Lucy Lovecake'. His outdated recipes slide down the charts, while the popularity of Lucy Lovecake's new dating cookbook is rising like the perfect sponge.

As Daisy teeters on the brink of love, how can she ever tell Michel that she is the mysterious Lucy Lovecake? Could he ever forgive her for finishing off his career? And more importantly, does Daisy even want to be with a difficult, egotistical, down-on-his-luck Frenchman just as her career is beginning to take off? Especially when she has some other very interesting offers...

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Louise's Review: Deep Down Dead by Steph Broadribb

Reviewed by Louise Wykes

Lori Anderson is as tough as they come, managing to keep her career as a fearless Florida bounty hunter separate from her role as single mother to nine-year-old Dakota, who suffers from leukaemia. But when the hospital bills start to rack up, she has no choice but to take her daughter along on a job that will make her a fast buck. And that's when things start to go wrong. 

The fugitive she's assigned to haul back to court is none other than JT, Lori's former mentor - the man who taught her everything she knows … the man who also knows the secrets of her murky past. Not only is JT fighting a child exploitation racket operating out of one of Florida's biggest theme parks, Winter Wonderland, a place where 'bad things never happen', but he's also mixed up with the powerful Miami Mob. With two fearsome foes on their tails, just three days to get JT back to Florida, and her daughter to protect, Lori has her work cut out for her. When they're ambushed at a gas station, the stakes go from high to stratospheric, and things become personal. 

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Louise's Review: A Boy made of Blocks by Keith Stuart

Reviewed by Louise Wykes 

A father who rediscovers love

Alex loves his wife Jody, but has forgotten how to show it. He loves his son Sam, but doesn't understand him. He needs a reason to grab his future with both hands.

A son who shows him how to live

Meet eight-year-old Sam: beautiful, surprising - and different. To him the world is a frightening mystery. But as his imagination comes to life, his family will be changed . . . for good.

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Louise's Review: The Mine by Antti Tuomainen

Reviewed by Louise Wykes

A hitman. A journalist. A family torn apart. Can he uncover the truth before it's too late?

In the dead of winter, investigative reporter Janne Vuori sets out to uncover the truth about a mining company, whose illegal activities have created an environmental disaster in a small town in Northern Finland. When the company's executives begin to die in a string of mysterious accidents, and Janne's personal life starts to unravel, past meets present in a catastrophic series of events that could cost him his life.  

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback 

Louise's Review: A Suitable Lie by Michael J Malone

Reviewed by Louise Wykes

Andy Boyd thinks he is the luckiest man alive. Widowed with a young child, after his wife dies in childbirth, he is certain that he will never again experience true love. Then he meets Anna. Feisty, fun and beautiful, she's his perfect match... 

And she loves his son, too. When Andy ends up in the hospital on his wedding night, he receives his first clue that Anna is not all that she seems. He ignores it; a dangerous mistake that could cost him everything.

Amazon links Kindle or Paperback

Blogiversary Giveaway #14: Your choice from Louise's top 4 this year

As regular followers of Sharon’s blog will know, she has kindly hosted many of my book reviews on her blog which has been a wonderful experience for me where I’ve managed to discover so many amazing books and their authors and also develop a friendship with Sharon which at times has been a life line to me on dark days. 

I know social media can be a scary and sometimes threatening place (luckily I have only been witness to this so far) but I am so thankful that discovering Sharon and her blog has meant that there has always been a friendly place on the internet where I can go and surround myself with good thoughts and books so thank you very much Sharon.  I’ve also been lucky enough to meet up with Sharon a few times in real life and our friendship is testament to the fact that you don’t have to see someone every day for them to be an important part of your world. 

Anyhoo in celebration of five years of the wonderful place that is Sharon’s blog I have rounded up the books this year that I have rated five stars and am offering one person the chance to win one book of their choice from my selections below. 

Good luck and has Tess and Claudia would say “Keeeeeeep reading!” 

Louise's Review: The Mountain in My Shoe by Louise Beech

Reviewed by Louise Wykes 

A missing boy. A missing book. A missing husband. A woman who must find them all to find herself.

On the night Bernadette finally has the courage to tell her domineering husband that she's leaving, he doesn't come home. Neither does Conor, the little boy she's befriended for the past five years. Also missing is his lifebook, the only thing that holds the answers. With the help of Conor's foster mum, Bernadette must face her own past, her husband's secrets and a future she never dared imagine in order to find them all.

Amazon Links: Kindle or Paperback

Louise's Review: The Bird Tribunal by Agnes Ravatn

Reviewed by Louise Wykes

Two people in exile. Two secrets. As the past tightens its grip, there may be no escape... 

TV presenter Allis Hagtorn leaves her partner and her job to take voluntary exile in a remote house on an isolated fjord. But her new job as housekeeper and gardener is not all that it seems, and her silent, surly employer, 44- year-old Sigurd Bagge, is not the old m an she expected. As they await the return of his wife from her travels, their silent, uneasy encounters develop into a chilling, obsessive relationship, and it becomes clear that atonement for past sins may not be enough...

Amazon Links: Kindle or Paperback

Louise's Review: The One Real Thing by Samantha Young

Reviewed by Louise Wykes

Welcome to Hartwell, a quiet seaside escape where uncovering old secrets could lead one woman to discover the meaning of a love that lasts...

While Doctor Jessica Huntington engages with the inmates at the women's correctional facility where she works, she's always careful to avoid emotional attachments in her personal life. Loss and betrayal taught her that lesson long ago. But when she comes across a set of old love letters in the prison's library and visits the picturesque town of Hartwell to deliver them to their intended recipient, she finds herself unable to resist the town's charm-and her attraction to the sexy owner of a local bar proves equally hard to deny.

Since his divorce from his unfaithful ex-wife, Cooper Lawson has focused on what really matters: his family and the boardwalk pub they've owned for generations. But the first time Jessica steps into his bar, Cooper is beyond tempted to risk his heart on her.

Yet as their attraction grows hotter and Jessica remains stubbornly closed off, he begins to realize it will take more than just passion to convince her there's only one real thing in life worth fighting for....

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Food & Drink Month Giveaway: Win a copy of The Flavours of Love by Dorothy Koomson

One of the things I have loved since I started blogging is the camaraderie of the book and blogging community, whether you are having a good day or a bad one there is always someone on hand to support you and I have made some good friends for life.  One such friend is Louise who has very generously donated today's giveaway prize, a copy of The Flavours of Love by Dorothy Koomson, which will be ordered from Amazon or Book Depository to be posted direct to the winner but that's not all as Louise has also bought a few small items to send as a happymail surprise to the winner as well. 

'I'm looking for that perfect blend of flavours; the taste that used to be you.'

It's been 18 months since my husband was murdered and I've decided to finish writing The Flavours of Love, the cookbook he started before he died. Everyone thinks I'm coping so well without him - they have no idea what I've been hiding or what I did back then to protect my family. But now that my 14-year-old daughter has confessed a devastating secret, and my husband's killer, who was never caught, has started to write to me, I know it's only a matter of time before the truth about me and what I've done will be revealed.

My name is Saffron Mackleroy and this is my story.