Category: blog tour

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Deep Cover – Leigh Russell

ramblingmads

Detective Inspector Geraldine Steel struggles to remain focused on the murder investigation. She is distracted by her worries about her colleague and life partner, Ian Peterson, who has disappeared. Geraldine becomes close to her colleague, Matthew. She is unaware that Ian is working under cover in London, helping to identify a criminal gang who have been targeting Geraldine. As a second victim is discovered in York, Ian’s life is threatened by a psychopath. If he fails in his mission, both he and Geraldine may die…

Leigh Russell is the author of the Ian Peterson series (Cold Sacrifice, Race to Death and BloodAxe) and the internationally bestselling Geraldine Steel series: Cut Short, Road Closed, DeadEnd, Death Bed, Stop Dead, Fatal Act, Killer Plan, Murder Ring, Deadly Alibi, Class Murder,Death Rope, Rogue Killer, Deathly Affair and Deadly Revenge. The series has sold over amillion copies worldwide. Cut Short was shortlisted for the Crime Writers Association (CWA),John Creasey New Blood Dagger Award, and Leigh has been longlisted for the CWA Dagger inthe Library Award. Her books have been #1 on Amazon Kindle and iTunes with Stop Dead and Murder Ring selected as finalists for The People’s Book Prize. Leigh is chair of the CWA’s DebutDagger Award judging panel and is a Royal Literary Fellow. Leigh studied at the University ofKent, gaining a Masters degree in English and American Literature. She is married with twodaughters and a granddaughter, and lives in London. Twitter

My thoughts: this was a really good, solid police procedural. I enjoyed the changing perspectives between Geraldine and Thomas. Ian’s storyline undercover in London felt a bit weak in comparison, I almost wished there’d been a link between the two cases to strengthen the storylines. It wasn’t nearly as interesting as the York one.

The way Thomas just keeps making things worse for himself was almost comedic – if very black humour. I enjoyed seeing how the police went about looking for every clue and connection – rather than the “gut feeling” some fictional detectives rely on to magically solve a crime.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Lies Like Wildfire – Jennifer Lynn Alvarez

ramblingmads

An intense high-stakes story about five friends and the deadly secret that could send their lives up in flames, perfect for fans of Karen McManus and E. Lockhart.

In Gap Mountain, California, everyone knows about fire season. And no one is more vigilant than 18-year-old Hannah Warner, the sheriff’s daughter and aspiring FBI agent. That is until this summer. When Hannah and her best friends accidentally spark an enormous and deadly wildfire, their instinct is to lie to the police and the fire investigators.

But as the blaze roars through their rural town and towards Yosemite National Park, Hannah’s friends begin to crack and she finds herself going to extreme lengths to protect their secret. Because sometimes good people do bad things. And if there’s one thing people hate, it’s liars.

Amazon Goodreads

I received my B.A. in English from the University of California at Berkeley. I’m fascinated by underdogs and power dynamics between groups of people. 

I’m the author of LIES LIKE WILDFIRE, a teen thriller soon-to-be published by Delacorte Press, and two middle grade book series, each published by HarperCollins Children’s Books, THE GUARDIAN HERD (a quartet) and RIDERS OF THE REALM (a trilogy). Before this, I self-published a middle grade fantasy called THE PET WASHER. 

When I’m not writing, you’ll find me galloping my little black mare through the foothills of Sonoma County or teaching free creative writing workshops to kids and adults at various branches of our local library system. 

The Healdsburg Literary Guild selected me as their 2019/2020 Literary Laureate for my work in building literacy in my community. It is an honor I hold dear. I am also the current SCBWI Sonoma County Coordinator and a volunteer on the Sonoma County Library Advisory Board.

I live in Northern California with my husband, three children, and more than my fair share of pets!

Website

My thoughts: this was a really compelling read about friendship, truth and how far you’re willing to go to protect yourself.

Hannah is the sheriff’s daughter and she’s who her friends turn to after they accidentally start a huge wild fire that has lethal consequences. They lied and now the lies are unravelling. As are they, for five lifelong friends, can their bond survive?

I found Hannah a really interesting character and totally untrustworthy narrator. We only ever see things from her perspective and when people try to tell her things she disagrees with, she reacts in terrible ways.

Wildfires are incredibly terrifying and increasingly deadly as the world heats up, and they spread fast. I felt awful for the people caught up in the careless one these five spark, it might have been an accident but their decision to lie about it makes it so much worse. This book feels incredibly timely after reading newspaper reports of the recent fires in Greece and other parts of Europe. Many of which started accidentally.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: A Mother Never Lies – Sarah Clarke

ramblingmads

SOME TRUTHS CAN’T BE TOLD.

I had the perfect life – a nice house, a loving husband, a beautiful little boy.

But in one devastating night, they were all ripped from me.

It’s been fourteen years, and I’m finally ready to face the past.

I’m taking my son back.

He just can’t know who I am…or why we were torn apart.

A nail-biting thriller packed with twists and turns, perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell and Shalini Boland.

My thoughts: this was very clever, there were some twists I didn’t see coming, I honestly had no idea why Phoebe had been made to let her son go, the hints were so cleverly made that I thought something completely different than what was eventually revealed.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Eight Perfect Hours – Lia Louis

ramblingmads

What if you fell in love…

… and then he disappeared?

When Noelle and Sam’s lives collide one snowy evening, they spend eight perfect hours stuck side by side believing that they’ll never see each other again.

But soon their lives become entangled in ways they never expected – and it’s going to change everything…

My thoughts: this was a lovely, sweet, very enjoyable rom com. I loved all the ways Noelle and Sam collided, and the fact that they had been just missing each other for years was charming. I didn’t like slimy Ed and was very glad he got caught out and ditched. I also loved Noelle’s friends, Charlie and Theo – they were so supportive and generous, even while dealing with their own problems.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: No Honour – Awais Khan*

ramblingmads

In sixteen-year-old Abida’s small Pakistani village, there are age-old rules to live by, and her family’s honour to protect. And, yet, her spirit is defiant and she yearns to make a home with the man she loves. When the unthinkable happens, Abida faces the same fate as other young girls who have chosen unacceptable alliances – certain, public death. Fired by a fierce determination to resist everything she knows to be wrong about the society into which she was born, and aided by her devoted father, Jamil, who puts his own life on the line to help her, she escapes to Lahore – only to disappear. Jamil goes to Lahore in search of Abida – a city where the prejudices that dominate their village take on a new and horrifying form – and father and daughter are caught in a world from which they may never escape.

Awais Khan is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario and Durham University, and studied creative writing with Faber Academy. His debut novel, In the Company of Strangers, was published to much critical acclaim, and he now regularly appears on TV and radio. Awais also teaches a popular online creative writing course to aspiring writers around the world. He lives in Lahore and is currently working on his third novel. Follow Awais on Twitter @AwaisKhanAuthor.

My thoughts: this book was powerful, moving and devastating. Opening with a terrible “honour killing” that shocked, this is no cosy crime novel. Instead it explores the tragic reality of young women’s lives in parts of Pakistani society. Abida grows up in a rural village where the older men form a sort of council and dispense what they see as justice – including horrific and violent murders of young women and newborn babies. But her father, Jamil, thinks differently, and instead encourages her to flee to Lahore, thinking it will be safer.

Instead she encounters more brutality and violence. But this is a love story – that of a father’s love for his child, as Jamil heads to the city to find his lost daughter. Abida is incredibly resilient and a true survivor – she gets it from her father. Against all the odds stacked against her she perseveres.

This is an incredibly powerful book, it really packs a punch. Khan clearly feels, as many do, that there is no honour in killing and that more men need to be like Jamil and stand against these outdated and deeply monstrous beliefs and crimes. He is not ashamed of Abida, indeed he is proud of his incredible daughter.

This is not an easy book to read, but it is an important one. Tragically Abida’s story is all too real and young women are still at risk of being murdered, not just in rural Pakistan either. What Awais Khan has done with this story is shine a spotlight on the corruption in a society that allows these crimes to go on. Truly vital reading.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: A Master of Djinn – P. Djèli Clark

ramblingmads

Cairo, 1912: Though Fatma el-Sha’arawi is the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities, she’s certainly not a rookie, especially after preventing the destruction of the universe last summer.

So when someone murders a secret brotherhood dedicated to one of the most famous men in history, Al-Jahiz, Agent Fatma is called onto the case. Al-Jahiz transformed the world fifty years ago when he opened up the veil between the magical and mundane realms, before vanishing into the unknown. This murderer claims to be Al-Jahiz, returned to condemn the modern age for its social oppressions. His dangerous magical abilities instigate unrest in the streets of Cairo that threaten to spill over onto the global stage.

Alongside her Ministry colleagues and a familiar person from her past, Agent Fatma must unravel the mystery behind this imposter to restore peace to the city – or face the possibility he could be exactly who he seems . . .

P. Djèlí Clark is the winner of the Nebula, Locus, and Alex Awards and has been shortlisted for the Hugo Award.

My thoughts: do not stop, do not pass Go, do not collect £200. Just buy this book. It is brilliant. It really is. There’s djinn, magic, delicious food, kickass hijabis, swords, women in killer suits (ok, just one), love, cats, crime, a lunatic trying to take over the world, the German kaiser, a princess, myths come to life, and just so much good stuff.

It’s smart, funny, intelligent fantasy that honestly I enjoyed a ridiculous amount. It made me want to know more about Arabic mythology (must finish reading Tales of the Marvellous and News of the Strange), steampunk Egypt at the beginning of the 20th century is such a fantastic idea that I just want more.

I loved Fatma and her friends, I loved her smart brain and her defiant spirit, her love for Siti, her burgeoning friendship with the equally cool Hadia – solving magical crime and making time to pray while looking stylish in her hijab at the same time.

I can’t wait for book two and I really want to know more about the case with the terrifying rogue angel and the Clock of Worlds…

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: The Fair Botanists – Sara Sheridan

ramblingmads

Could one rare plant hold the key to a thousand riches?

It’s the summer of 1822 and Edinburgh is abuzz with rumours of King George IV’s impending visit. In botanical circles, however, a different kind of excitement has gripped the city. In the newly-installed Botanic Garden, the Agave Americana plant looks set to flower – an event that only occurs once every few decades.

When newly widowed Elizabeth arrives in Edinburgh to live with her late husband’s aunt Clementina, she’s determined to put her unhappy past in London behind her. As she settles into her new home, she becomes fascinated by the beautiful Botanic Garden which borders the grand house and offers her services as an artist to record the rare plant’s impending bloom. In this pursuit, she meets Belle Brodie, a vivacious young woman with a passion for botany and the lucrative, dark art of perfume creation.

Belle is determined to keep both her real identity and the reason for her interest the Garden secret from her new friend. But as Elizabeth and Belle are about to discover, secrets don’t last long in this Enlightenment city . . .

And when they are revealed, they can carry the greatest of consequences.

My thoughts: this was a marvellous, marvellous book. I loved it, the characters, the story, the whole thing basically.

I love books that bring women to the forefront in historic settings – just like this one, and a mix of ladies of leisure and working class lasses too. From Elizabeth – a widow dependant on her late husband’s cousin, Belle Brodie, courtesan and perfumier, Mhari McDonald, whiskey distiller, and so many cooks, housekeepers, maids, mothers, daughters, Ladies (with a capital L) and the denizens of Edinburgh.

There are some men too, but apart from McNab, Walter Scott, Johann, and Reverend Brunton, they’re not very interesting and only really incidental to things. They don’t carry the story, but the women do, their relationships to each other, their courage and determination to get ahead – on their own terms, is at the heart of it. As is a rare plant that only flowers every thirty years or so.

Plants and their properties bring Belle and Elizabeth together, one intrigued by the oils and scents that can be extracted, and the other as an illustrator – pre-cameras, skilled artists produced stunning sketches of plants and several of them were women.

The story is delightful, full of ups and downs, the characters feel real and are tremendously entertaining – Sir Walter Scott is as charming and as excitable as you might imagine, but Lady Clementina Rocheid is my favourite. A grand dame, raised in Germany, who mostly lives in the past, slowly getting confused but still full of life and passionate about clothes and parties and food. I loved her, a real delight. The perfect person to show Elizabeth some light and joy. Belle and Elizabeth are both entirely fictional but I loved them too, their instant friendship, a fragile bond, but heartwarming. I was rooting for them to stay in each other’s lives forever. Because friendship is so vital. I imagine them as older ladies, reminiscing in front of the fire, giggling as whispering “do you remember the summer when they moved the trees and the King came to town?”

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Mimic – Daniel Cole

ramblingmads

1989
DS Benjamin Chambers and DC Adam Winter are on the trail of a twisted serial killer with a passion for recreating the world’s greatest works of art through the bodies of his victims. But after Chambers almost loses his life, the case goes cold – their killer lying dormant, his collection unfinished.

1996
Jordan Marshall has excelled within the Metropolitan Police Service, fuelled by a loss that defined her teenage years. Obsessed, she manages to obtain new evidence, convincing both Chambers and Winter to revisit the case. However, their resurrected investigation brings about a fresh reign of terror, the team treading a fine line between police officers and vigilantes in their pursuit of a monster far more dangerous and intelligent than any of them had anticipated…

My thoughts: ooh this was good, nicely sinister, proper crime thriller stuff. I wasn’t hugely surprised as I read the Ragdoll trilogy and loved it, so I knew the author could write a cracking thriller but this is very well done.

The initial killings in 1989 set it all up nicely, and that final scene in the rain is very cinematic and striking. But then suddenly it’s 1996, we’re with a new detective, there’s more to go on and the case gets warm all over again.

The balance of personalities in Marshall, Chambers and Winter is nicely done, and they work well together. The investigation is solid and the resurgent crimes repellent but also fascinating. The use of classical sculpture, the obsession of the killer, it all comes together beautifully. Awfully, but beautifully too.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Rock Paper Scissors – Alice Feeney

ramblingmads

Think you know the person you married? Think again…

Things have been wrong with Mr and Mrs Wright for a long time. When Adam and Amelia win a weekend away to Scotland, it might be just what their marriage needs. Self-confessed workaholic and screenwriter Adam Wright has lived with face blindness his whole life. He can’t recognize friends or family, or even his own wife.

Every anniversary the couple exchange traditional gifts–paper, cotton, pottery, tin–and each year Adam’s wife writes him a letter that she never lets him read. Until now. They both know this weekend will make or break their marriage, but they didn’t randomly win this trip. One of them is lying, and someone doesn’t want them to live happily ever after.

Ten years of marriage. Ten years of secrets. And an anniversary they will never forget.

My thoughts: this was very clever, switching between viewpoints, filling in the last 10 years of marriage, allowing you to begin to work out what went wrong for the Wrights as they bicker in the remote converted chapel in the snow.

They seem to have it all, professional success, a lovely house, a sweet dog called Bob, but they seethe with resentment and squabble pointlessly.

But there in their free holiday let things start happening that are a bit unnerving. The power goes out, doors are locked and unlocked, Bob the dog vanishes, and who is the strange woman in the cottage – the only other person around for miles.

Slowly, as the weekend and weather deteriorate, secrets are revealed and stories told. A very clever thriller from an excellent writer (read her other books).

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Wolf at the Door – Sarah Hawkswood

ramblingmads

All Hallow’s Eve, 1144. The savaged body of Durand Wuduweard, the solitary and unpopular keeper of the King’s Forest of Feckenham, is discovered beside his hearth, his corpse rendered barely identifiable by sharp teeth. Whispers of a wolf on the prowl grow louder and Sheriff William de Beauchamp’s men, Hugh Bradecote and Serjeant Catchpoll, are tasked with cutting through the clamour. They must uncover who killed Durand and why while beset by superstitious villagers, raids upon manors and further grim deaths. Out of the shadows of the forest, where will the wolf’s fangs strike next?

Sarah Hawkswood describes herself as a ‘wordsmith’ who is only really happy when writing. She read Modern History at Oxford and first published a nonfiction book on the Royal Marines in the First World War before moving on to medieval mysteries set in Worcestershire. Website Twitter

Win books here!! A hamper containing the whole series of Bradecote and Catchpoll books and delicious treats! (Or let me win it!)

My thoughts: this is book nine of the Bradecote & Catchpoll stories, but can be read as a standalone book.

Wolves haven’t been seen in England since the Middle Ages, when this is set, so it was rather fun imagining hearing a howl and feeling fear trickle down your spine – a lot better than the closest thing we get nowadays – foxes fighting by the bins.

Serjeant Catchpoll is sent to investigate the apparent murder by a wolf of the local gamekeeper – a rather unpleasant and unpopular man, with a son known to be a cheat.

But something isn’t right, and Bradecote, Catchpoll and apprentice Walkelin (who really comes into his own in this book) start to dig a little deeper as a crime wave seems to be kicking off in the village of Feckenham.

I really like these characters, despite their 12th century setting, they could be modern investigators, using the science available to them and Catchpoll’s gut to catch criminals.

They do spend a lot of time going back and forth to report into the sheriff, who gets personally involved in this case, but there wasn’t really another way to communicate your findings without risking a letter, so lots of walking and riding around the area, trying to keep everything moving along.

Catchpoll is probably my favourite character, he has a real knack for his job and a keen sense for villainy. He’s also very funny, in a dry, sarcastic way that I appreciate. If it was up to him, he’d lock up anyone he thought looked suspicious – just in case. He’s tempered by Bradecote who prefers to have the evidence first, then find the criminal.

I think they’re probably slightly more enlightened than the real 12th century men, women were literally property then, as Bradecote is very fond of his wife and thinks well of her. He also doesn’t cast shame on women who have to make a difficult way through the world – treating them with respect and kindness instead.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.