Category: reviews

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: The Doors of Eden – Adrian Tchaikovsky*

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I’m on the bookstagram tour for Adrian Tchaikovsky’s amazing new book The Doors of Eden today, pop over there and follow the tour!They thought we were safe. They were wrong.Four years ago, two girls went looking for monsters on Bodmin Moor. Only one came back. Lee thought she’d lost Mal, but now she’s miraculously returned. But what happened that day on the moors? And where has she been all this time?Mal’s reappearance hasn’t gone unnoticed by MI5 officers either, and Lee isn’t the only one with questions. Julian Sabreur is investigating an attack on top physicist Kay Amal Khan. This leads Julian to clash with agents of an unknown power – and they may or may not be human. His only clue is grainy footage, showing a woman who supposedly died on Bodmin Moor.Dr Khan’s research was theoretical; then she found cracks be-tween our world and parallel Earths. Now these cracks are widening, revealing extraordinary creatures. And as the doors crash open, anything could come through.

Adrian Tchaikovsky was born in Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire before heading off to Reading to study psychology and zoology. For reasons unclear even to himself he subsequently ended up in law and has worked as a legal executive in both Reading and Leeds, where he now lives. Mar-ried, he is a keen live role-player and occasional amateur actor, has trained in stage-fighting, and keeps no exotic or dangerous pets of any kind, possibly excepting his son. He’s the author of the critically acclaimed Shadows of the Apt series, and the Echoes of the Fall trilogy. Children of Time was the winner of the 30th Anniversary Arthur C Clarke Award for Best Science Fiction Novel.

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My thoughts:

This is an epic book, exploring the many worlds theory and the idea of other Earths.

I loved the wise cracking Dr Kay Amal Khan and the rats (obviously super intelligent rats are going to appeal to me!) and the Cousins.

I felt for Lee, I would be like her, trying to understand what’s going on, despite not fully grasping all the science (maths is my weak point).

Gripping, clever, funny and highly enjoyable.

*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: You Let Him In – J.A. Andrews*

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The only thing she was guilty of was trusting him

All Jenny Clifton ever wanted was to be the ideal wife and mother. When she married Michael in a fairytale wedding, followed by the birth of baby Daniel, her life was complete.

Yet just three years later, the shine has faded. Now, money is tight, and the occasional argument has become daily screaming matches between Jenny and Michael.

Something needs to change… and it does, when Michael is killed in a brutal hit and run, breathing his last with a stranger holding
his hand.

Lonely and distraught, Jenny strikes up an unlikely friendship with the witness to the accident, clinging to the connection with the man who watched Michael die.

But as she uncovers the secrets that her husband was keeping, Jenny realises that her perfect life may have been a perfect lie – and worse, that her new friend may be harbouring dangerous secrets of his own…

A gripping, twisty psychological thriller packed with suspense and a jaw-dropping
ending. Fans of T.M. Logan, C.L. Taylor and K.L. Slater won’t be able to put this one down.

JA Andrews is an author of dark psychological thrillers with books published by Hera, having given up gaming journalism to write novels. When he’s not thinking about sinister plot lines, he often enjoys kickboxing, traveling abroad to sunny climates and reality television shows.

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My thoughts:

This is a gripping thriller that starts with what appears to have been a terrible accident that brings Gary into the lives of widowed Jenny and her son Daniel.

As Jenny struggles to cope with Michael’s sudden death and overbearing mother, Gary becomes a friend, someone she can talk to about her grief. But Gary is not who he seems.

At first I couldn’t work out where this was going, but as Michael’s secrets and lies unravelled and Gary’s behaviour got weirder, it all started to come slowly together.

A nasty little thriller with the insidious way Gary worms his way in and manipulates Jenny with his overt kindness and apparent charm.

*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: Unravelled – Briony Marshall*

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“For crying out loud! I can’t even cast on now.“

Claire has never unravelled anything before, being a confident knitter. But now, to her dismay, everything she creates is a disaster, riddled with dropped stitches and glaring holes. It’s almost as if her hands have a mind of their own. Maybe it’s because her longest relationship to date has just ended, or perhaps it has something to do with the fact her career is on the ropes.

“Don’t get frustrated with your needles! The problem lies with the knitter, not the knitting,” said Adrian, owner of Oddballs wool shop. Following his advice, in the desperate hope it will cure her woolly woes, Claire begins to turn her life around. Her grand plan involves FishTank, the online dating site. She convinces Adrian that if they sign up and find love, their problems will be solved (and she’ll have at least one area of her life sorted!). The trouble starts when he has far more luck in the romance department than she does.

But it’s little wonder Claire can’t throw herself into dating. She’s already found her perfect match.

A must-read for avid knitters and those with a passion for crafting, this comical yarn will melt any reader’s heart.

Will they? Won’t they? Romance enthusiasts will be rooting for the pair to be knitted together, forever!

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Briony Marshall is an author from the West Midlands in the UK. She is a graduate of the University of Wolverhampton with a degree in ‘Creative and Professional Writing with English’. Briony currently lives at home with her mum, dad, fiancé and fur brother: Bob the Dog. When Briony is not writing, she’s crafting, and when she’s not crafting, she’s drinking coffee.

My thoughts:

A rom-com with needles and yarn!

I can’t knit to save my life but it brings Claire and Adrian together, and introduces her to the Stitch & Bitches too.

This is the story of what to do when The One turns out to be a zero and everything seems to be falling apart. Including your knitting.

A really fun, enjoyable read with a happy ending, something I really need sometimes.

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

books, reviews

Book Review: Wicked As You Wish – Rin Checupo

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I was gifted a copy of this book by the publisher with no requirement to review.

An unforgettable alternative history fairytale series from the author of The Bone Witch trilogy about found family, modern day magic, and finding the place you belong.

Many years ago, the magical Kingdom of Avalon was left desolate and encased in ice when the evil Snow Queen waged war on the powerful country. Its former citizens are now refugees in a world mostly devoid of magic. Which is why the crown prince and his protectors are stuck in…Arizona.

Prince Alexei, the sole survivor of the Avalon royal family, is in hiding in a town so boring, magic doesn’t even work there. Few know his secret identity, but his friend Tala is one of them. Tala doesn’t mind—she has secrets of her own. Namely, that she’s a spellbreaker, someone who negates magic.

Then hope for their abandoned homeland reignites when a famous creature of legend, and Avalon’s most powerful weapon, the Firebird, appears for the first time in decades. Alex and Tala unite with a ragtag group of new friends to journey back to Avalon for a showdown that will change the world as they know it.

My thoughts:

This was a marvellous new fairy tale, full of magic and wonder and powerful old people, who aren’t as weak as they seem.

I dont know a lot about Filipino folklore, but this makes me want to learn more, to see the references Rin is making, alongside the more familiar tropes.

This is the first in a series and I can’t wait for book two.

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: We Just Clicked- Anna Bell*

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Izzy’s always played by the rules. But now, it’s time to break them…

Izzy Brown has always dreamed of making it big on Instagram, but her followers just aren’t growing. So when her colleague and fellow ‘influencer’ Luke suggests they fake date to boost their profiles, Izzy says yes – against her better judgement. Now Izzy’s profile shows a confident, glamorous thirty-something with the perfect boyfriend, and her followers are shooting up by the thousands.

So what if behind the scenes, things are a little different? Izzy can’t stop bickering with Luke, his habit of checking his quiff in EVERY SINGLE mirror is driving her insane, and she’s hiding a secret heartache. But everyone tells a few fibs on social media, right?

Then Izzy runs into Aidan, the mysterious stranger who saved her the day her world fell apart two years ago – and major sparks start to fly. Izzy’s sure she can have the online success she’s always dreamed of, whilst falling in love in real life. After all, Aidan doesn’t use social media… what could possibly go wrong?

My thoughts:

A fun, entertaining rom com of a novel about falling in love, the perils of social media and why you really should stick to the truth.

This was a lovely, enjoyable read, perfect for when you want something light and pleasurable to read before bed, in the bath, or slumped on the sofa needing distraction from post-lockdown worries. *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 Mountains Sing – Nguyên Phan Quê Mai*

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Born in 1920, Tran Dieu Lan and her family lost everything when the Communist government came to power in North Việt Nam.

Forced to flee with her six children, she knows she must do whatever it takes to keep her family alive.

Fifty years later, her country is again at war, and her young granddaughter Huong grieves the loss of her parents, who have disappeared to the South along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

Vivid, compelling and deeply moving, THE MOUNTAINS SING introduces a Vietnamese voice to the post-war literary canon.

Drawing on her family history, and the stories of other survivors, Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai’s debut novel in English, brings to life the true human cost of a devastating war, and the improbable power of hope to sustain us when all seems lost.

With echoes of Homegoing and Pachinko, this is a standout new novel from a celebrated Vietnamese poet.

‘The Mountains Sing is my search for lost Vietnamese history. I researched for it my whole life and wrote it when I was 39 years old. I wrote it with everything I had…’

BORN IN VIETNAM in 1973, Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai grew up in the aftermath of the war and witnessed its devastation on her country. She worked as a street seller and rice farmer before winning a scholarship to attend university in Australia.

She is the author of eight books of poetry, fiction and non-fiction published in Vietnamese, and her writing has been translated and published in more than 10 countries, most recently in Norton’s Inheriting the War anthology.

Her work has received the Hanoi Writers Association ‘Poetry of the Year’ Award (2010). She lives with her family in Jakarta.

My thoughts:

This is an incredibly moving and compelling read, I’m the first to admit I know very little about Vietnam and its history, so this family saga is very fascinating and interesting.

You can see the author’s poetic roots in some of the lines, which read so beautifully on the page, conjuring full colour images in the mind.

Moving back and forth between Duen Lan’s past and her granddaughter’s present in the aftermath of the American invasion of Vietnam and the ensuing war, unites the two generations in their family’s long fight to survive against what often seem like insurmountable odds.

I was reminded of Jung Chan’s Wild Swans, the family memoir, even fictionalised as here, is powerful and emotive, drawing you into the lives of these unforgettable characters.

*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: Kissing Daisy Parker – Michael Milton*

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First loves. Last chances. Street Fighter II.

Daisy is a Sylvia Plath reading, Robert Smith devotee, planning on a summer of Australian beaches with or without her two favourite boys. Obsessed gamer and jealous boyfriend Greg needs the prize money from the Scottish Street Fighter II championships to join Daisy in Oz. She wouldn’t really go without him. Would she?

Scottish-born, English-accented Junaid is the couple’s best friend. Haunted by that school dance and terrified of the future, he finds himself falling for his best friend’s girl. When a disastrous event at the video game tournament brings Daisy and J closer together, Greg attempts the ultimate redemption.

Each makes decisions which alter the course of their friendship, and their lives, forever. But do the answers to life’s biggest questions truly lie in kissing Daisy Parker?

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Michael Milton spent the first 25 years of his life pretending to be other people. After switching drama school for university, he travelled the world as an English teacher and returned home to complete his MA in Creative Writing.

His stories have been long and short listed for the Fish Prize, the Bath Short Story Award, the Mogford Prize and the Emerge Impact Creative Writing Prize. Kissing Daisy Parker is his first novel, and yes, he can beat you at Street Fighter.

My thoughts:

This was a delightful read about finding yourself and your place in the world. Set in the 90s, complete with a soundtrack of The Cure and the sound effects of Street Fighter, three friends spend their gap years travelling the world and discovering who they want to be.

A really enjoyable book, that made me laugh but also with some heart stopping moments. An accomplished first novel and a great addition to recent YA publications.

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

books, reviews

Book Review: Even If We Break – Marieke Nijkamp

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I was gifted a copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley with no requirement to review.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Marieke Nijkamp comes a shocking new thriller about a group of friends tied together by a game and the deadly weekend that tears them apart.

FIVE friends go to a cabin.
FOUR of them are hiding secrets.
THREE years of history bind them.
TWO are doomed from the start.
ONE person wants to end this.
NO ONE IS SAFE.

Are you ready to play?

My thoughts:

I don’t really know what to say about this book except it was so powerful and moving that I sat after reading it in stunned silence.
It had such a massive impact on me that I find it hard to articulate. As someone who has recently come out as non-binary, and who is disabled and autistic, seeing facets of myself on the page was profound.

The story of broken and breaking friendships resonated as well, we’ve all lost friends that once meant everything to us, my best friend of 20 years told me she never wanted to hear from me again and that was genuinely heartbreaking.

There is also new love fluttering in the pages of this book, like the butterfly at the bottom of Pandora’s Box. The hope and opportunity for renewal it brings is ultimately redemptive and a reason for the characters to fight on.

This book was genuinely the most incredibly powerful and moving that I’ve read in quite some time.

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Saint Justice – Mike Grist*

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Hundreds of human cages hidden in the desert. One man with nothing to lose.

Christopher Wren pulls off I-70 after three weeks on the road and walks into a biker bar in Price, Utah. An arbitrary decision he’s about to regret.

The bikers attack Wren, leave him for dead and steal his truck.

Now he’s going to get it back.

From a secure warehouse in the desert. Ringed with fences. Filled with human cages.

As Wren digs deeper, a dark national conspiracy unravels and the body count mounts, but one thing is for sure.

They picked the wrong guy to teach a lesson.

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Mike Grist is the British/American author of the Christopher Wren thriller series. For 11 years Mike lived in Tokyo, Japan, exploring and photographing the dark side of the city and the country: gangs, cults and abandonedplaces. Now he writes from London, UK, about rogue DELTA operator Christopher Wren – an anti-hero vigilante who uses his off-book team of ex-cons to bring brutal payback for dark crimes.

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My thoughts:

Wren is an interesting character, the survivor of a cult, leader of a quasi-cult organisation, man who brings down other dangerous organisations, some time CIA agent, all mixed with guilt and terrible PTSD, making him an oddly charismatic, if a little untrustworthy protagonist.

He uses his strengths, and his network of co-dependent followers, to break open a biker gang, a human trafficking ring that turns out to be a cult obsessed with starting a race war, and keeps just ahead of the CIA team on his trail.

High octane, lots of bullets and blood, plus the thinking, or not, behind cult leaders dissected, the start of a new series of thrillers.

*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 Sterling Directive – Tim Standish*

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Captain Charles Maddox returns secretly to London from an exile in disgrace only to be arrested, imprisoned and threatened with the death penalty. He is rescued by a shadowy government agency called the Map Room who give him a choice: return to prison or become an agent, codenamed Sterling, and help them uncover a government conspiracy connected to the Ripper murders.

Led by the coolly calculating Milady and her associate Collier, and aided by fellow agent Church and mechanical computer expert Patience, the freshly appointed Agent Sterling must rapidly learn his new trade if he is to survive the murky and violent fringes of Victorian life and uncover a secret that threatens the Empire itself.

Set in 1896 in an alternative Victorian timeline where mechanical computers are a part of everyday life, The Sterling Directive blends fact and fiction to create a gripping thriller for fans of espionage and historical adventure alike.

Tim Standish grew up in England, Scotland and Egypt. Following a degree in Psychology, his career has included teaching English in Spain, working as a researcher on an early computer games project, and working with groups and individuals on business planning, teamworking and personal development. He has travelled extensively throughout his life and when not working or writing, he enjoys long walks under big skies and is never one to pass up a jaunt across a field in search of an obscure historic site. He has recently discovered the more-exciting-than-you-would-think world of overly-complicated boardgames.

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My thoughts:

This was a fun read, set in a Steampunk dystopian Victorian London, where rival secretive organisations carry out strange investigations and hire thugs and killers to do their dirty work.

Into this world comes Charles Maddox, disgraced aristocrat and acclaimed military Captain, having spent eight years in the Canadian wilderness.

He’s assigned an alias and a mission – solve the Ripper killings.

Via a mix of clever insights and solid investigation, the Map Room soon uncovers a dark conspiracy, with links all the way to the Crown.

A rip roaring adventure across London and the English countryside ensues as Sterling and Church pursue the man behind the plot.

Tremendous fun to read, and with an intriguing theory, this is an excellent addition to the growing genre of Steampunk Victoriana.


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