Category: debut author

4*, blog tours, book review, debut author

#BlogTour #BookReview The Lost Thumb by Orla Owen. @orlaowenwriting #TheLostThumb #RandomThingsTours @annecater

if only I could read faster

Today on If Only I Could Read Faster it appears to be twin day, because this is my second review today and both books have featured twins. Thank you to Anne Cater for asking me to be part of the blog tour for The Lost Thumb by Orla Owen.

My Review:

The Lost Thumb by Orla Owen is a quirky book, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started it but it definitely wasn’t any of the options that I had thought about.

This is the author’s debut novel and it is a really impressive first novel in many ways. The story is set in Australia, although that is totally irrelevant because the setting has no part in the story. I only realised that the book was set in Australia when I was about half way through and I realised then that it is really unusual to read a book that is so insular that the outside of the story doesn’t matter.

The other unusual thing with this book is that I have absolutely no idea what year the book was set in. There were no mentions of mobile phones which could be an indication but other than that I really have no idea. I think it would be from the 1960s on, perhaps in the 80s but who knows.

Lara and Luella are twins who live with their mother who controls everything about their lives, the twins have no say in how they live, where they go, what they wear and what they eat. They have no friends and live a colourless life, both literally and figuratively, and this is why the outside world doesn’t seem to matter, because for Lara and Luella it is totally irrelevant.

At times the book was hard to read, the abuse from the mother is shocking and upsetting, the description of the characters emotions was also quite raw. I also felt as though some of what happened was somewhat predictable and that was disappointing, given how different the story and characters were I had hoped that the author wouldn’t follow some predictable storylines.

But that didn’t stop this book from being a very clever debut, one that I enjoyed reading even though at times it made me feel very sad. Orla Owen is an author to watch.

Blurb:

In a small town in New South Wales, Lara and Luella Jeffreys lead isolated lives until the night they are left alone for the first time, and Luella decides to have some fun. 

That evening goes horribly wrong. 

After Luella wakes up in hospital, she’s kept prisoner at home with her mother acting as her warden. Lara is sent to school to keep up the pretence that she is fine, her sister is fine, and the world is fine. Except they aren’t. The local storekeeper, sensing that something’s wrong, pushes her son to befriend Lara but the results of her meddling are deadly…

About The Author:

Orla Owen is a writer, online editor, and author of the novel The Lost Thumb. She’s been writing since she was a child, and in 2016 was picked to be mentored by Sarah Savitt at Virago.

Her writing focuses on the dark and macabre side of family life, the parts that go on behind closed doors.

Before she became a writer, she was an actress and drama practitioner, studying Theatre at Bretton Hall College of the Arts. She has performed at the Royal Court and Edinburgh fringe, as well as working on The Women’s Theatre Workshop mentoring scheme.

Supporting women in writing is important to her, and she was lucky enough to work on a writers’ mentoring scheme, as an assistant to the author Kerry Hudson, at the WoMentoring Project. 

She is currently working on her second novel, PAH, which will be released in early 2020.

The Lost Thumb by Orla Owen is out now and is available from Amazon UK and Amazon US.

4.5*, blog tours, book review, debut author

#BlogTour #BookReview Dead Inside by Noelle Holton. @nholten40 @BOTBSPublicity @KillerReads #DeadInside

if only I could read faster

It is finally my stop on the blog tour for Dead Inside by Noelle Holten. Noelle is a well known book blogger at Crimebookjunkie and she also works for Bookouture as a publicity manager. So she is very well known within the book world and when she decided to turn her hand to writing her own book she got loads of support with everyone convinced that her book would be brilliant.

That must have put a lot of pressure on Noelle, but you wouldn’t know that when you read Dead Inside. I’m delighted to be part of the blog tour for such a confident debut. I received a copy of Dead Inside by Noelle Holten, I was under no obligation to review the book and all thoughts are my own.

My Review:

I was very excited to read Dead Inside by Noelle Holten, a fellow book blogger who writes brilliant reviews and is very well known in the book world. But I was also a little bit worried, what would I do if I didn’t like the book? Or if it was poorly written?

Of course when it came to it I didn’t have to worry, Dead Inside is a confident debut novel that is very well written and a great read.

This book is the first in the DC Maggie Jamieson series, Maggie has just transferred to a different team, one that focuses on domestic violence. She’s looking forward to the break from murder but it isn’t long before she discovers that her new role won’t be as easy as she thinks when people start dying.

Lucy Sherwood is a probation officer, by day she works with abusers who treat women terribly and she manages to stand strong and not let them intimate her. But when she goes home in the evening, Lucy is a very different person as she is living with a man who is just as bad as those she works with.

Despite this being a Maggie Jamieson novel I felt that the book was more about Lucy and she was the one that I enjoyed reading about the most. Her job is interesting and I loved hearing about her work and how she justified her home life and staying with her abusive partner. But when men linked to Lucy start dying Maggie and her team must look at her and whether she is capable of murder.

This book really kept me guessing, I couldn’t work out who was killing these men and why. There were too many people who wanted them dead and so many people appeared guilty and potentially capable of doing it.

The writing is confident and the author’s experience of working in probation clearly shows. The domestic violence angle made me think and further understand the difficulties people have and why leaving is so hard.

I am looking forward to book two, but I really hope that Lucy will be returning too.

Blurb:

‘Kept me hooked … excellent pace and a very satisfying ending’ Angela

‘An excellent read’ Martina Cole

‘A brilliant debut – gritty, dark and chilling. Noelle Holten knows her stuff’ Mel Sherratt

A dark and gripping debut crime novel – the first in a stunning new series – from a huge new talent.

The killer is just getting started…

When three wife beaters are themselves found beaten to death, DC Maggie Jamieson knows she is facing her toughest case yet.

The police suspect that Probation Officer Lucy Sherwood – who is connected to all three victims – is a dark secret. Then a fourth domestic abuser is brutally murdered.

And he is Lucy’s husband.

Now the police are running out of time, but can Maggie really believe her friend Lucy is a cold-blooded killer?

About The Author:

Noelle Holten is an award-winning blogger at www.crimebookjunkie.co.uk. She is the PR & Social Media Manager for Bookouture, a leading digital publisher in the UK, and a regular reviewer on the Two Crime Writers and a Microphone podcast. Noelle worked as a Senior Probation Officer for eighteen years, covering a variety of cases including those involving serious domestic abuse. She has three Hons BA’s – Philosophy, Sociology (Crime & Deviance) and Community Justice – and a Masters in Criminology. Noelle’s hobbies include reading, author-stalking and sharing the booklove via her blog. 
Dead Inside is her debut novel with Killer Reads/Harper Collins UK and the start of a new series featuring DC Maggie Jamieson.

Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/noelleholtenauthor/

Twitter: (@nholten40) https://twitter.com/nholten40

Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18489795.Noelle_Holten

Blog: https://www.crimebookjunkie.co.uk

Instagram: @crimebookjunkie  




Dead Inside by Noelle Holten is out now and is available from Amazon UK and Amazon US.

4*, blog tours, book review, debut author

#BlogTour #BookReview Amazing Grace by Kim Nash. @KimTheBookworm @HeraBooks @rararesources

if only I could read faster

Wow, I love it when a book blogger I know gets a book deal! Kim Nash of the fabulous blog Kim The Bookworm and works as Publicity and Social Media Manager at one of my favourite publishers, Bookouture. So I was very excited to read Kim’s debut novel, it isn’t a genre that I normally read but I was more than happy to make an exception.

I received a copy of Amazing Grace by Kim Nash from the publisher, Hera Books. I was under no obligation to review the book and all thoughts are my own. Thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for asking me to be part of the blog tour.

My Review:

Well, where do I start? I don’t read a lot of rom-com or romance or comedy or anything else that can be called light and fluffy. So perhaps I’m not the target audience for Amazing Grace by Kim but I was very excited to read it.

Grace is a character that I could relate to in many ways. She’s a single mother with a boy called Archie, her ex husband is a manipulating, cheating b*&%!*d. Grace’s self esteem is pretty low, all she wants is the best for her son but she constantly doubts herself.

She has a best friend who tries to help her get back on her feet after her divorce, getting her to pay attention to what she’s wearing and dragging her to the hairdresser. This friend also joins her up to a dating app and organises a few dates her her which are all rather disastrous. I’m not sure that I’d ever forgive my friend for setting me up with the men she found though, talk about disastrous! And also rather hilarious.

But then enters Vinnie, gardener extraordinaire who happens to be rather handsome and single. Grace is full of doubt, perhaps Vinnie is too good to be true, or maybe she should go back to the useless ex? But gradually Grace is able to let her defences down and trust herself to do the right thing.

I really loved Grace as a character, she’d been through a lot but she was still fighting and trying to make the best life she can for herself and her son. She was such a believable and likeable character and I loved reading about her as she slowly grew in confidence and reaped the rewards of her hard work.

Grace is also grieving the death of her mother, and her mother is a big part of the story as she regularly talks to Grace. This was the one bit that I wasn’t really sure about, but it worked well in the book and helped to give Grace the strength to keep going and do the best she can do.

Amazing Grace is an excellent debut novel, Kim Nash has created some wonderful characters who are believable and warm, people that you can imagine being your friends. The book was easy to read, it made me laugh and I probably spent a lot of the time reading it smiling, I’m sure that it will bring a tear or two to many as well.

I enjoyed my break from thrillers and crime books and I am looking forward to reading more from the author.

Blurb:


She’s taking her life back, one step at a time…

Grace thought she had it all. Living in the beautiful village of Little Ollington, along with head teacher husband Mark and gorgeous son, Archie, she devoted herself to being the perfect mum and the perfect wife, her little family giving her everything she ever wanted. 

Until that fateful day when she walked in on Mark kissing his secretary – and her perfect life fell apart.


Now she’s a single mum to Archie, trying to find her way in life and keep things together for his sake. Saturday nights consist of a Chinese takeaway eaten in front of the TV clad in greying pyjamas, and she can’t remember the last time she had a kiss from anyone aside from her dog, Becks… 

Grace’s life needs a shake up – fast. So when gorgeous gardener Vinnie turns up on her doorstep, his twinkling eyes suggesting that he might be interested in more than just her conifers, she might just have found the answer to her prayers. But as Grace falls deeper for Vinnie, ten-year-old Archie fears that his mum finding love means she’ll never reconcile with the dad he loves. 

So when ex-husband Mark begs her for another chance, telling her he’s changed from the man that broke her heart, Grace finds herself with an impossible dilemma. Should she take back Mark and reunite the family that Archie loves? Or risk it all for a new chance of happiness? 

A funny, feel good romance about finding your own path and changing your life for the better – readers of Cathy Bramley, Jill Mansell and Josie Silver will love this uplifting read.

About The Author:



Kim Nash lives in Staffordshire with son Ollie and English Setter Roni, is PR & Social Media Manager for Bookouture and is a book blogger at www.kimthebookworm.co.uk. 

Kim won the Romantic Novelists Association’s Media Star of the Year in 2016, which she still can’t quite believe. She is now quite delighted to be a member of the RNA. 

When she’s not working or writing, Kim can be found walking her dog, reading, standing on the sidelines of a football pitch cheering on Ollie and binge watching box sets on the TV. She’s also quite partial to a spa day and a gin and tonic (not at the same time!) Kim also runs a book club in Cannock, Staffs.

Amazing Grace is her debut novel with Hera Books and will be out on 10th April 2019

Connect with Kim on Social Media here:
Twitter: @KimTheBookworm
Facebook: KimTheBookWorm
Instagram: @Kim_the_bookworm

Purchase Links

Amazon

Kobo:

Apple

5*, book review, debut author

#BookReview The Other Half of Augusta Hope by Joanna Glen. #AugustaHope @BoroughPress @fluerrr

if only I could read faster
The Other Half of Augusta Hope by Joanna Glen.

I was delighted to be asked to read The Other Half of Augusta Hope by Joanna Glen by Fleur Clarke from Harper Collins Publishers. I really didn’t know what to expect but it sounded exciting and I was excited to read it.

My Review:

At first I wasn’t quite sure what to think of The Other Half of Augusta Hope because Augusta is really rather odd. The way that she thinks is seen as odd by everyone around her, her mother seems not to know what to do with her and her father is embarrassed by her.

Augusta feels really quite alone, but she has a twin sister, Julia, who is always there for her. Until she isn’t. As they grow the siblings naturally grow apart, mainly because of a boy that Julia falls for.

Gradually, Augusta Hope worked her way under my skin, there was a lot to love about her and I think that I wanted to be her friend. Another book that made me feel like this was Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and I am sure that Augusta Hope will get compared to Eleanor Oliphant, as they both feature a quirky main character who is isolated and considered strange by many around them. I really hope that the books don’t get compared though, as that would be doing both a disservice.

Part of The Other Half of Augusta Hope is set in Burundi, a small country in Africa that Augusta decides is to be her favourite country in the world and so she devours facts and learns everything that she can about the country.

We also hear from Parfait, a young boy living in Burundi who at first seems quite random, how will he fit into the story? Of course it soon becomes clear.

Some of this book is set in a small town in England, some is set in Burundi and the rest in Tarifa in Spain. I loved the parts in Spain, Augusta loves it there and that really shows in the story, I’ve never been there but I could see it all so perfectly in my mind.

By the time the book finished I was totally in love with the story and the characters and I did not want it to end. It is very rare that a book makes me cry, but The Other Half of Augusta Hope came very close. It was beautifully written and it all felt so real.

That The Other Half of Augusta Hope is authors Joanna Glen’s first book is really quite amazing and I can’t wait to hear more from the author.

Blurb:

YOU’RE NOT LOST.YOU’RE JUST LOOKING.

Augusta Hope has never felt like she fits in.

And she’s right – she doesn’t. At six, she’s memorising the dictionary. At seven, she’s correcting her teachers. At eight, she spins the globe and picks her favourite country on the sound of its name: Burundi.
 
And now that she’s an adult, Augusta has no interest in the goings-on of the small town where she lives with her parents and her beloved twin sister, Julia.

When an unspeakable tragedy upends everything in Augusta’s life, she’s propelled headfirst into the unknown. She’s determined to find where she belongs – but what if her true home, and heart, are half a world away?

AUGUSTA MAY NOT FEEL LIKE SHE FITS IN, BUT READERS ARE FALLING IN LOVE WITH HER…

About The Author:

Joanna Glen graduated with First Class Honours in Spanish from the University of London, with a stint at the Faculty of Arts at Córdoba University in the hot south of Spain. She went on to teach Spanish and English to all ages, and latterly was a School Principal in London. She has edited a variety of non-fiction books, is a visiting lecturer, a communications coach and an adviser and trainer for schools. Joanna’s short fiction has appeared in the Bath Flash Fiction Anthology. She lives with her husband and children on the River Thames in Battersea, returning to Andalusia whenever it gets too grey, and is currently writing her second novel.

The Other Half of Augusta Hope by Joanna Glen will be released on 13th June 2019 and is available to pre-order from Amazon UK.

5*, blog tours, book review, debut author

#BlogTour #BookReview Home by Amanda Berriman. @MandyBerriman @sophiechristoph @BlackSwanARU @PenguinRandomHouse #Home #debutnovel

if only I could read faster

I don’t often repost my reviews on here, but sometimes I make an exception if I think that the book is really worth shouting about. Home by Amanda Berriman is one of those books. I read it in 2018 and loved it, the book also made it onto my Top Reads 2018 list.

Home really is an amazing debut and it touched me in places that not many books get near. This blog tour is marking the release of this book in paperback, so finally those of you that don’t read e-books can read Home! Lucky you because you’re in for a treat, but don’t forget the tissues!

My Review:

When I read the blurb for Home I knew that I wanted to read it, I then started to hear from others who had read it and they all seemed to love it so I was even more determined to read it. And I’m so pleased that I did.

From literally the very first page I was hooked. The book is narrated by Jesika, a four year old who lives with her Mummy and little brother Toby after her Father moved to Poland, never to be heard from again. Jesika’s Mum is struggling with life, she doesn’t have enough money and they live in a flat that’s got many things wrong with it, including mold. As a result Toby and their Mum both have a bad cough that won’t go away. Life is about to get very difficult for Jesika.

A book narrated by such a young child could easily be awful but thankfully that is not the case here, not even close. It is written in a simple language but I really liked that. From the very start Jesika worked her way into my heart, she was such a wonderful little girl who felt so very real. Her innocence was wonderful and I loved seeing her world through her eyes, but this isn’t always an easy book to read.

Home gives a brilliant example of how grooming happens, the subtleties and ways in which an adult will convince a child to keep secrets for them. While it is not easy to read I thought that Amanda Berriman handled it sensitively and realistically, something that is impressive for any author, let along a debut author. But some will find this very difficult to read so be warned.

But despite this darkness, there is much light in the book. The love that Jesika has for her Mother is wonderful, but also for her little brother Toby. Jesika really is a special little girl who unknowingly brings out the best in people.

Home had me going to bed early so that I could read and check in on Jesika because I’d be worried about her and how she was doing, that is how real that she felt to me. When I finished the book at 2am I felt as though my heart had been shattered by little Jesika and what she went through, but filled with hope that her life was going to get better. The most upsetting thing? That I won’t get to check in on Jesika again and see how she is doing. Home really is a special book and for a debut author it is nothing short of brilliant.

Blurb:

Jesika is four and a half.

She lives in a flat with her mother and baby brother and she knows a lot.

She knows their flat is high up and the stairs are smelly. She knows she shouldn’t draw on the peeling wallpaper or touch the broken window. And she knows she loves her mummy and baby brother Toby.

She does not know that their landlord is threatening to evict them and that Toby’s cough is go-ing to get much worse. Or that Paige, her new best friend, has a secret that will explode their world.

Home is narrated by 4 year old Jesika, whose voice is incredibly recognisable and remarkably compelling. The author, Amanda Berriman, is a primary school teacher and has captured the voice of a young child perfectly.

Home is for those who love powerful, challenging novels that force us to question the world around us.

Perfect for fans of Kit de Waal’s My Name is Leon, John Boyne’s The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and Emma O’Donoghue’s Room.

About The Author:

Amanda was born in Germany and grew up in Edinburgh, reading books, playing music, writing stories and climbing hills. She works as a primary school teacher and lives on the edge of the Peak District with her husband, two children and two dogs. Follow Amanda on Twitter at @MandyBerriman

Home by Amanda Berriman is out now and is available from Amazon UK and Amazon US.

5*, book review, Children's books, debut author, young adult

#BookReview Akea- The Power of Destiny by Elizabeth Jade. #debutnovel #wolf #book @AkeaWolfStories

if only I could read faster

akea

Here is another book that I should have reviewed months ago. I remember talking to the authors’ mother via email and excitedly agreeing to read it, I think that it was about a week or two later that I first ended up in the hospital so this one, although read and very much enjoyed, got neglected. Better late than never!

My Review:

Akea- The Power of Destiny is a short book that can easily be read in an hour or so, but what an enjoyable hour it will be. I loved the story of Akea, a working husky who unknowing to her, also has some wolf in her.

I really don’t want to give the story away but what you will get is a wonderful story of love and friendship and loyalty, but also about being ourselves.

I gave Akea to my nieces to read, they are nine and ten. The ten year old felt that she was too old for the book, but she’s at that stage where she’s desperate to be a teenager and so a lot of things are too young in her mind. I asked her what she didn’t like about the book and she could literally think of nothing. The nine year old loved the animals and the characters and thought that it was a short but great read.

I’m well over ten and yes, the story is quite simple, but it really is wonderful too and the lovely drawings that go with the story make it even better.  The aspiring story behind the author just makes it even more special.

Thank you to Elizabeth Jade and her Mother for a copy of Akea. I was under no obligation to review the book and all thoughts are my own.

Blurb:

Akea is born into a family of sled dogs and a life that follows a predictable path, but from the day she first sees the lone wolf, Kazakh, Akea knows her future lies beyond the safety of her home. Kazakh is well aware of Akea’s destiny and the pack laws he will break to help her reach it. Regardless of the challenges ahead, he must make sure this young husky will be ready, even if it means his life.

About The Author:

elizabethjadeElizabeth Jade was born in 1998 in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, England, but moved with her family to Wellington in Somerset when she was very young. She has one older brother.

Elizabeth’s early schooling did not go smoothly, and as a result, she was homeschooled from the age of seven. Her parents soon learned she had a unique slant on life and quickly abandoned attempts to follow the national curriculum in favour of child-led learning.

Elizabeth stumbled into writing at the age of fourteen when she began to suffer from anxiety and depression and quickly found her story ideas pouring out faster than she could get them onto paper. It wasn’t until the age of eighteen that she realised her struggles in school had been due to Aspergers Syndrome (an autistic spectrum disorder).

As an enthusiastic animal lover, Elizabeth volunteered first at the Conquest Riding Centre for the Disabled and then at St Giles Animal Rescue before moving on to the Cats Protection Homing and Information Centre on the outskirts of Wellington. Her gifted way with the cats quickly earned her the title of ‘Cat Whisperer’ from the staff.

Since she had always possessed such a way with animals, it was only natural for Elizabeth’s story ideas to revolve around that theme. After a brief attempt at self-publishing and a further attempt with an agent, Elizabeth found a publisher and her novel, ‘Akea – The Power of Destiny‘ is now available through Amazon and major book shops. It was written when Elizabeth was only fourteen and is to be the first in a long line of stories involving this captivating character.

Akea- The Power of Destiny by Elizabeth Jade is out now and is available from Amazon UK and Amazon US.

 

4*, book review, debut author, non-fiction

#BookReivew This is Going To Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor by Adam Kay. @amateuradam #juniordoctor #NHS #saveournhs @picadorbooks #book

if only I could read faster

thisisgoingtohurt
This is Going To Hurt by Adam Kay.

Oh dear, I’m going through my blog and the books that I have read on Goodreads and it seems that with the craziness of this year I have missed some books out and they haven’t been reviewed. This Is Going To Hurt by Adam Kay is one of them, so here it is.

My Review:

I’d heard a fair bit about This is Going To Hurt by Adam Kay and I was keen to read it. I wanted to know why he had decided to leave the NHS, although I felt that I had a fair idea.

I used to be a midwife but I am no longer. The pressure put on NHS staff is crazy, especially when you consider how little they are paid. I am fully aware that since I left the NHS it has got a lot, lot worse.

This book was a great read, it made me laugh and it reminded me of why I left. And it was interesting that, in the end, we had both left the NHS for the same reason. Something happened that made us think ‘what are we doing and why are we doing this to ourselves?’ There was no good answer to that and so we did the sensible thing and left.

This book was full of funny stories but really it is a very sad book. I am so upset that the NHS has been destroyed and had so many cuts that the people working in the system are under unbearable pressure and I would love for the right people to read this book and take note and actually change what is happening!

Blurb:

The Sunday Times Number One Bestseller and Humour Book of the Year
Winner of the Books Are My Bag Book of the Year
Winner of iBooks’ Book of the Year

Welcome to the life of a junior doctor: 97-hour weeks, life and death decisions, a constant tsunami of bodily fluids, and the hospital parking meter earns more than you.

Scribbled in secret after endless days, sleepless nights and missed weekends, Adam Kay’s This is Going to Hurtprovides a no-holds-barred account of his time on the NHS front line. Hilarious, horrifying and heartbreaking, this diary is everything you wanted to know – and more than a few things you didn’t – about life on and off the hospital ward.

As seen on ITV’s Zoe Ball Book Club

About the Author:

adamkay1

Adam Kay is a writer and comedian
He writes extensively for TV and film. His first book “This is Going to Hurt” is out now.

 

 

This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor by Adam Kay is out now and is available from Amazon UK and Amazon US.

4.5*, blog tours, book review, debut author, psychological thriller

#BlogTour #BookReview Lies Between Us by Ronnie Turner. #LiesBetweenUs #whereisbonnie @HQDigitalUK @Ronnie__Turner

if only I could read faster

LiesBetweenUs_BlogTourBanner3

How exciting is this?!!! Ronnie Turner, a fabulous book blogger has written a book! I can’t begin to say how happy I am for her that she not only wrote the book and finished it (something that I am struggling with) but also got it published with the rather brilliant HQDigital. When Ronnie asked whether her fellow book bloggers wanted to be part of the blog tour for her book we all jumped at the chance, I think that there are about 70 blogs taking part which is pretty crazy! But I’m delighted to be one of them.

My Review:

I really, really wanted to like Lies Between Us by Ronnie Turner but was a little bit scared that I wouldn’t. Thankfully from about page five, I was sucked into the story and for the rest of the book, I was hooked.

The story is told from different points of view with each chapter told by one person. I have to admit that I struggle with multiple characters like that and when there are more than about three or four it takes me a while to get into it and remember who everyone is. I suspect that might be because of my dyslexia but I’m not sure. So although I was enjoying the book and the characters it did take me some time to put it all together.

Some of the chapters were set in the past and others in the current, we have no idea how these stories connect, but we know that they do.

I really liked Maisie, the intensive care nurse who gives everything to her patients and their families, she seemed really nice but there was a vulnerability to her, we knew that there was a sadness there but it takes a while for us to work out the cause.

Miller is a young boy who is, quite frankly, deeply disturbing. I quite enjoyed reading about him because I just knew that he would grow up to be a really evil man and the twisted part of me wanted to know what he was going to do.

And then there was John, a man who loves his wife but is besotted with his daughter Bonnie. John’s world falls apart when Bonnie goes missing, vanishing from their front room. John and his wife are tortured with photos of Bonnie hurt, the police have no idea where she is or who might have her, will they find her in time? I have to admit that at times when reading about Bonnie (and Miller), I wondered about the author and how she had managed to come up with some of it, let alone write about it and put her characters through it.

I have to say that I loved The Lies Between Us, it kept me guessing the whole way through and for a debut novel, it is incredibly accomplished. I cannot wait to read what Ronnie Turner writes next.

Thank you to Ronnie Turner and HQDigital for a copy of Lies Between Us, I was under no obligation to review the book and all thoughts are my own.

Blurb:

Lies Between UsWill they ever learn the truth?

Three people, leading very different lives, are about to be brought together – with devastating consequences . . .

John has a perfect life, until the day his daughter goes missing.

Maisie cares for her patients, but hides her own traumatic past.

Miller should be an innocent child, but is obsessed with something he can’t have.

They all have something in common, though none of them know it – and the truth won’t stay hidden for long . . .

A gripping psychological thriller for fans of Clare Mackintosh, Shari Lapena and Lisa Jewell.

Lies Between Us by Ronnie Turner is out now and is available from Amazon UK, Google Play, Kobo and iTunes.

About The Author:

Author Photo 2Ronnie Turner grew up in Cornwall, the youngest in a large family. At an early age, she discovered a love of literature and dreamed of being a published author. Ronnie now lives in Dorset with her family and three dogs. In her spare time, she reviews books on her blog and enjoys long walks on the coast. She is currently working on her second novel.

Ronnie’s debut novel, Lies Between Us, will be published by HQ Digital in October 2018.

Twitter:@Ronnie_ _Turner

Facebook: @RonnieTurnerAuthor

Instagram: @ronnieturner8702

Website: www.ronnieturner.wordpress.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/RonnieTurner

4*, blog tours, book review, debut author, psychological thriller

#BlogTour #BookReview The Dream Wife by Louisa De Lange. @paperclipgirl @orionbooks #psychologicalthriller

if only I could read faster

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I’m excited to be part of the blog tour for The Dream Wife by Louisa De Lange, a very impressive debut novel. Although I must admit that I have been slightly stressed about writing my review!

My Review:

Ok, so it’s hard to know where to start with this review and there are two reasons for that. Firstly I do not want to give any spoilers away and I think that could be easy with this book, and secondly because I’m slightly confused about the book and the ending.

That probably doesn’t sound very good, but that’s not the case. So many psychological thrillers are hyped up about the clever twist and it becomes a little bit boring, how can every book have the most amazing twist of any book this year? But here we have a book that says that it has a clever twist and, amazingly, it really does.

The Dream Wife was, for me, a bit slow to get going and I did wonder where on earth it was going, especially when Annie started having these strange dreams. I had a look at other reviews and came to the conclusion that the book is a little bit like marmite, but the reviews sounded intriguing and so I carried on.

Annie’s husband David is a truly horrible person, there is absolutely nothing likeable about the man and some readers might find some of the scenes with him difficult to read. A total opposite are the scenes with Annie and her little boy Jonnie, he sounds so adorable and the love that Annie has for him shines through every page.

And then we have the ending. I got to the end and thought that I had got it and I knew what was going on, but then I thought about it a little bit and the questions started to come and in the end, I’m not really sure about any of it. I think that I have it right but it’s an ending that probably needs rereading, or a long discussion with a friend who has also read the book. It is so unexpected, very clever and makes for a very impressive debut. Although writing this I’m still a bit confused.

Thank you to Orion for a copy of The Dream Wife via Netgalley. I was under no obligation to review and all thoughts are my own.

Blurb:

9781409180197

A debut novel from an exciting new voice in the thriller market. A compulsive read with a clever twist.

Annie is the dream wife. Supportive, respectful, mild-mannered. She’s given up her job to focus on running her home, meticulously cleaning and cooking the meals she knows her husband likes. She is everything her husband wants her to be.

Annie is a prisoner in her own home. Her finances, her routine and her contact with the outside world are all controlled by him. Only her love for her little boy keeps her going. At night she escapes into her dreams, which are starting to become more and more vivid.

But Annie is about to do a very bad thing.

About The Author:

Louisa-045Louisa de Lange is a freelance copywriter, mum of a little boy and a keen runner, blogger and photographer. She is currently training to take on her first ever Olympic triathlon. She studied Psychology at university and it turns out the combination of psychology and motherhood is a potent one. You can follow Louisa on Twitter: @paperclipgirl

 

 

 

The Dream Wife by Louisa De Lange is out today in paperback and is already available in ebook, it is available from Amazon UK and Amazon US.

4*, blog tours, book review, debut author

#BlogTour #BookReview The Tattoo Thief by Alison Belsham. #TheTattooThief #Review @AlisonBelsham @TrapezeBooks @Tr4cyF3nt0n

if only I could read faster

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I’m delighted to be on the blog tour for The Tattoo Thief by Alison Belsham and to be sharing my review with you!

My Review:

It is hard to believe that The Tattoo Thief is Alison Belsham’s first crime book, it is a very impressive debut from an author who has previously written screenplays. I found that I was immediately drawn into the book and the characters and the gruesome murders.

And do be warned that this book is gruesome and doesn’t hold back in describing the murders and crime scenes. This doesn’t bother me but I’m sure that there are some more sensitive readers who might struggle with it.

I really loved the policeman who was trying to solve his first case of being in charge, Francis was a great character and I loved a lot about him. He is the first to admit that he knows nothing about tattoos and so has to learn quickly, lucky for him Marni, a local tattoo artist, is there to help guide him. I was slightly concerned that the book might go for the stereotypical route when portraying the tattoo community in Brighton, but that was definitely not the case here.

I really did love reading this book, I love a book that sucks me in and makes me guess who might have done it. The book is fast paced and well written, the authors research is evident, giving the book a sense of realism. If you love your crime thrillers then you’re sure to love The Tattoo Thief.

Thank you to Trapeze Books for a copy of The Tattoo Thief by Alison Belsham. I was under no obligation to review the book and all thoughts are my own.

Blurb:

tattoothiefA policeman on his first murder case
A tattoo artist with a deadly secret
And a twisted serial killer sharpening his blades to kill again…

When Brighton tattoo artist Marni Mullins discovers a flayed body, newly-promoted DI Francis Sullivan needs her help. There’s a serial killer at large, slicing tattoos from his victims’ bodies while they’re still alive. Marni knows the tattooing world like the back of her hand, but has her own reasons to distrust the police. So when she identifies the killer’s next target, will she tell Sullivan or go after the Tattoo Thief alone?

About The Author:

alisonbelshamauthorAlison Belsham initially started writing with the ambition of becoming a screenwriter-and in 2000 was commended for her visual storytelling in the Orange Prize for Screenwriting. In 2001 she was shortlisted in a BBC Drama Writer competition. Life and children intervened but, switching to fiction, in 2009 her novel Domino was selected for the prestigious Adventures in Fiction mentoring scheme. In 2016 she pitched her first crime novel, The Tattoo Thief, at the Pitch Perfect event at the Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Festival and was judged the winner. After signing with agent Jenny Brown, The Tattoo Thief was bought by Trapeze books and published in May, 2018.

 

The Tattoo Thief by Alison Belsham is out now in ebook and paperback and is available from Amazon UK and Amazon US.