Category: reviews

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Fresh Start – Johnny Worthen

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A ship, a gun, and a nice teal robe to find one killer on a planet of criminals: will Qays Mendoza get the answers he is looking for? New novel from the bestselling author of the Coronam series.

On the edges of mankind’s domain there is a penal planet called Fresh Start where a sentence is at best exile to five generations, but more likely death in its harsh unforgiving wastes. It is to this planet the empire sends the worst of the worst and it is on this planet that Qays Mendoza searches for his old captain.

The galactic empire is falling, civilization contracts. Fresh Start is abandoned. Without oversight, the planet is wild, without guards; the Oubliette, the supermax prison on the supermax planet, lies open, and the Butcher of Raznak, a killer worse than the one Qays seeks, is on the loose.

With the help of a street waif called Patience, Qays seeks answers. His soul is stained with guilt and his spirit broken by complicity. Religion did not have the answer; duty did not explain it. Birthright and station were not enough. His answers lie somewhere on Fresh Start.

Johnny Worthen is an award-winning, multiple-genre, tie-dye-wearing author, voyager, and damn fine human being! Trained in literary criticism and cultural studies, he writes upmarket fiction, long and short, mentors others where he can and teaches at the University of Utah.

My thoughts: This was a lot of fun, I really liked Qays and Patience and their mad adventure across a penal planet gone rogue. Qays is searching for the captain of a ship he served on as a marine. Along the way there are run-ins with dangerous mad men and helpful and fairly well behaved criminals and their descendants, who help them out and even save their lives.

Qays might not be as holy as his monk’s robes suggest, but he is trying to figure things out and would rather not kill anyone, but unfortunately he has to contend with a former military captain who was sent to Fresh Start for the massacre he led.

It was a funny book, lots of humour, mostly in the relationship between Qays and Patience as they get to know one another and dodge death. I’d love a sequel that chronicles the adventures the two of them get up to as they travel the slowly disintegrating Empire and try not to get into too much trouble.

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

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Book Review: Lisa Doyle is Absolutely Fine – Mo Fanning

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Lisa Doyle is fine. Absolutely fine.

At least, that’s the story she’s been telling herself.

Her best friend is getting married. Everyone around her seems to have a partner, a plan, and a life that makes sense. Lisa, meanwhile, has four glasses of wine in her, a talent for making bad situations worse, and a growing sense that she is being left behind.

So she does what any sensible woman in a crisis would do. She announces that she’s engaged.

There is only one problem.

Brian does not exist.

Now Lisa needs a fiancé before the wedding, her actor flatmate is far too willing to get involved, and the real Brian, who is very much married and very much her boss, is starting to look at her in ways that suggest this lie may have got seriously out of hand.

Warm, witty, and painfully recognisable, Lisa Doyle is Absolutely Fine is a grown-up romantic comedy about love, pressure, friendship, and the exhausting performance of holding everything together when you’re quietly falling apart.

Perfect for readers of Mhairi McFarlane, Beth O’Leary, and Marian Keyes.

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About the author

Mo Fanning’s contemporary fiction blends wit, emotional honesty, and a strong sense of place, often exploring love, friendship, and the pressure to have life neatly figured out. Based in the West Midlands, he writes character-driven stories for readers who like their romance funny, thoughtful, and grounded in real life.

My thoughts: I really enjoyed this book, I felt for Lisa, one too many glasses of wine, a bout of feeling a bit shit and she’s conjured up a fiancè who doesn’t exist. Disaster!

Cue her flatmate (who happens to be an actor) donning a fake beard and glasses in order to convince everyone that he’s real and she’s not completely nuts. Only it all falls apart after the mean girl from school (now a mean woman) tries to blackmail her, leading to Lisa needing to tell everyone the truth.

In deciding to come clean, Lisa also has to have it out with her boss, Brian, whose evil soon to be ex-wife is trying to get her sacked, and well, there might be something between her and Brian if he can save her job and get rid of the ex-wife (not like that – there are no murders here, except of fake fiancés).

It’s funny, a bit sad, Lisa has been a bit shut off emotionally and didn’t think anyone really cared but her friends and family are actually pretty good people and love her. So I have hope for Lisa, and when you’ve read this, you will too!

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for reading and reviewing, but all opinions remain my own.

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: The Scent of Youth – Mandi Martin

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Scorned for his unusual appearance and nature, young Josiah’s expulsion from school leads him to the grim world of rat-catching at the local orphanage. Amid new-found bonds and a simmering
animosity, a longing for independence draws him towards the quiet life of a nearby village.

Welcomed by kind souls, Josiah earns his keep as a skilled vermin remover and helpful stable hand.

But when a rat-borne illness strikes the town, Josiah’s unique abilities bring him to the attention of the imposing Duke.
Within the castle walls, caught in the strange dynamic between the Duke’s son Bergen and the formidable Helga – children and ogres in one – Josiah’s life takes an unexpected turn with the arrival
of the spirited Nadia. Their shared love of poetry ignites a passionate connection, but joy is fragile, and loss leaves an indelible mark.

Unbeknownst to Josiah, Helga’s deep-seated hatred of children is taking root within the Duke’s domain, setting in motion a chain of events that will irrevocably alter his destiny…

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I’m an Isle of Wight author with Birmingham roots. Writing became an outlet after a late diagnosis of autism, and it became more important after health problems also came about. I take my style and inspiration from classical novels and folklore. Some of my royalties are given to
charities that supported me, but my main aim is to take people on a journey.

Facebook – Mandi Martin

My thoughts: Josiah doesn’t have a happy childhood, his father is cruel and mistreats him, his mother is too timid to help him. So leaving to move elsewhere, even working as a rat catcher, something he seems to be very good at.

Unfortunately his employers are the new Duke and his ghastly wife – who hates children and decides what they need is someone to hunt them out and round them up so she doesn’t have to even see them in the distance.

This was an interesting story and I think I know which infamous character from fiction Josiah is inspired by (or perhaps becomes) but I’ll leave that for you to decide when you read it!

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

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Death’s Shadow – TA Müller-King

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Summertime in London. Alfresco drinks, park picnics, and a killer getting away
with murder.

Detective Chief Inspector Parker is hunting a ghost. A violent murderer who leaves no
DNA at the crime scenes and evades CCTV. How is that possible in one of the most
surveilled cities in the world?

There’s nothing to connect the victims either, other than a card with the female symbol on it left in each one’s mouth.

With few clues, the investigation is floundering. Can DCI Parker stay focused even when everything connected to the case starts to feel too close, too familiar, bringing up dark memories he’d rather forget?

To prevent another gruesome crime, he’s going to have to set aside his emotions. But that’s assuming the killer will let him…

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TA Müller-King was born in Cape Town, did a post-graduate degree at the London
School of Journalism, and worked in magazines for many years.

But an obsession with crime novels was a lifelong thing. As was the desire to merge fiction with real issues, to create stories that entertain but also make you think.

In her first series, that happens with the help of DCI Spider Parker and DS Grace Regan, who stepped out of her head and came to life on the page.

She writes in London and Spain, where she lives with her family – her husband and
their two cats.

Website

My thoughts: In a world where violence against women and girls seems never-ending, it’s not really a surprise that someone (even fictionally) decides to take revenge on the sort of people who add to the misery, like a judge who let’s a rapist walk.

Unfortunately taking the law into your own hands is a crime and DCI Peter Parker, known as Spider (for obvious reasons) and his team are assigned the case, which is tricky as there’s not a lot to go on. The killer seems to be forensically aware and leaves no trace, just a sort-of calling card.

As Spider works on the case, he’s distracted by other things, often disappearing on his team, and being unfocused when he is there.

This was a really interesting read and there’s a huge twist that made me gasp. I don’t know where the author intends this series to go next but I’m intrigued to find out.

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

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Then There’s Trust – Susan Gray

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A forbidden love…a relationship in jeopardy…a tested trust

Darcy Dukas is fearless and feisty – but can she be trusted? Left bereft after a personal
disappointment, her vulnerable mindset causes her to seize an opportunity to pursue her dream career.

When Marcel Duval arrives in Durham to establish his detective agency, she agrees to work
with him. But is she prepared for the risks she will encounter? Risks for her safety…risks for her young marriage…and risks affecting her family’s trust?

In 1952 Josh Smallwood, Darcy’s brother, returns home after completing his national service. Trying to sort his future, he begins working on the family farm and befriends Judy, a young nurse. He is
baffled to discover any liaison with her is forbidden by her family. This mystery fuels an intense, secret relationship…can they overcome obstacles to be together?

A shroud of guilt clings to Chantal Martin – will she ever be free from its taint? As an unmarried mother, her once tenacious trait seems to have deserted her. Striving towards the final hurdle, an unexpected decision and an untimely event threaten to blight her resilience…can her trust be
rewarded?

Then There’s Trust is a gripping, emotional story of love, fidelity and trust set in 1950’s northeast England.

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‘Never too old to follow your dreams’ has become Susan Gray’s mantra since beginning to write novels after celebrating a significant birthday. Susan endeavours to entwine the genres of mystery and romance and sets her books in the Twentieth Century.

She lives with her husband in northeast
England, setting her books in this picturesque area. She has a son and daughter, both married, two granddaughters and a grand dog. When not writing she loves to spend time reading, puzzling, walking and catching up with friends over a coffee. She enjoys travelling and tries to include many of
the places she has visited in her books.

Her plots are inspired by ‘life’ and how her characters navigate the waters. She loves to ‘people watch’ and creates her characters based on the many
strangers she has observed.

She has written eight novels, but only four are published so far. SPANISH HOUSE SECRETS was her debut novel. BLOSSOMING OF TRUTH, HOPE ON HOPE and THEN THERE’S TRUST are a series.

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My thoughts: I haven’t read the previous two books in this series, so I wasn’t familiar with the characters and how they’re all connected, so it took me a little while to get them all sorted in my head.

The story itself was a lot of fun to read, even the sad bits, because it was so engaging and full of energy and excitement.

There’s thwarted love, undercover shenanigans and drama at every turn. The members of this extended family don’t exactly live quiet, easy lives. Darcy is an investigative journalist, who after a terrible loss, decides to raise awareness of how women like her are treated, determined to make change. She also assists a private detective in some of his cases, even though she’s put in danger by doing so. She’s a very modern woman trapped by the mores of the 1950s.

Her brother, Josh, also struggles against the rules, few young women these days would allow their fathers to behave as his girlfriend, Judy’s does. Controlling and even kidnapping her because he doesn’t like Josh’s family. Although after some digging into the past, things change.

Then there’s Darcy’s aunt, Chantal. Her partner Sam is still married to his miserable wife in Scotland, who won’t grant him a divorce, even though she lied to get him to marry her. Chantal has to live with the stigma of being unmarried and a mother to twins. Nowadays it’s not such a big deal and Sam would probably find it easier to get a divorce too.

All of these characters are trapped by the social conventions and attitudes of their time, pushing against the way society perceives them. But they’re also very lucky to have each other for support and aid when they need it.

An interesting and enjoyable read, strange to think things were so different not so long ago.

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

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Blog Tour: Under the Blazing Sun – Jenny Lund Madsen, translated by Paul Russell Garrett

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Hannah is miserable. Her love life is in ruins, her contract demands a sequel to her bestselling crime debut – and she’s out of ideas.

After a mortifying TV interview, her agent ships her off to a sun-drenched Sicilian villa with a simple order: finish the book. No distractions. No excuses. But inspiration doesn’t strike – murder does.

When a night out ends in murder, Hannah finds herself at the centre of a murder investigation … again.

The police want her out of the way, and the only person who seems to believe her is a young but charming Italian police officer. That is, until she doesn’t.

Soon Hannah is chasing suspects, fleeing crime scenes, and doing whatever it takes to avoid becoming the next victim. She came to write a crime novel. Now she’s trapped inside one.

Jenny Lund Madsen is one of Denmark’s most acclaimed scriptwriters (including the international hits Rita and Follow the Money) and is known as an advocate for better representation for sexual and ethnic minorities in Danish TV and film. She made her debut as a playwright with the critically acclaimed Audition (Aarhus Teater) and her debut literary thriller, Thirty Days of Darkness, first in an addictive new series, won the Harald Mogensen Prize for Best Danish Crime Novel of the year, was shortlisted for the coveted Glass Key Award, longlisted for the CWA Crime in Translation Dagger, and won the Crime Fiction Lover Award for Best Crime Book in Translation. She lives in Denmark with her wife and young family.

My thoughts: Hannah wrote a brilliant crime novel after her involvement with a murder in Iceland, but now she’s stuck again. She’s under contract for another crime novel, but wants to go back to her literary fiction roots. So her agent, Bastian sends her to a friend’s villa in Sicily to write. 

And she gets involved in another murder. She’s even a suspect, which is crazy because she barely knows the victim. The police don’t believe her, her lawyer doesn’t seem bothered either. What can she do? Well, she’ll just have to solve the case and prove her own innocence. Obviously. And then write a book all about it.

Chaos ensues, especially after her Icelandic lover (with husband and children in tow) shows up, Hannah has a holiday fling with the one police officer who believes her, and after discovering whose house she’s staying, calls the one person she vowed never to, because she really needs help.

Hannah’s life is completely crazy, despite her insistence that it isn’t, and maybe she should stop leaving home as she seems to encounter murder everywhere she goes.

It’s actually a really funny book and would make a great movie on Netflix, the sort of film I would definitely watch (I love a crazy crime caper). More please!

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

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Blogathon: Nowhere Girl – Ruth Dugdall

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From the top of the Ferris wheel, Ellie can see everything. Her life, laid out beneath her. Ellie looks up. She wants freedom.

Down below, her little sister and mother wait, watching as people bundle off the wheel and disappear into the crowd. No Ellie. Must be the next box.

But the Ferris wheel continues to turn.

When Ellie goes missing on the first day of Schueberfouer, the police are dismissive, keen not to attract negative attention on one of Luxembourg’s most important events.

Probation officer, Cate Austin, has moved for a fresh start, along with her daughter Amelia, to live with her police detective boyfriend, Olivier Massard. But when she realises just how casually he is taking the disappearance of Ellie, Cate decides to investigate matters for herself.

She discovers Luxembourg has a dark heart. With its geographical position, could it be the centre of a child trafficking ring? As Cate comes closer to discovering Ellie’s whereabouts she uncovers a hidden world, placing herself in danger, not just from traffickers, but from a source much closer to home.

My thoughts: Cate has left the probation service and her messy family court case behind and moved to Luxembourg with her daughter Amelia and boyfriend, police detective Olivier.

When the older sister of Amelia’s school friend goes missing at the carnival, Cate is dragged into the case via her sort of friendship with the girls’ mother Bridget. Olivier is leading the case but won’t discuss it with Cate.

As the days pass, it becomes increasingly less likely that Ellie will be found, and that’s before Bridget confesses something that changes how the police view the case.

Meanwhile a newly arrived teenage girl attempts to understand her new life and the world of undocumented migrants that she finds herself in.

Clever and relevant, this is another brilliant book from Ruth Dugdall that had me absolutely gripped and will get its hooks into you too. By placing the reader right there in the middle of everything, with sweet Amina who just wants a better life, with terrified Ellie who wants to go home and with Cate, who thought she was doing the right thing in leaving Suffolk, but realises that she was really just running away from her troubles. Cannot wait for the next book.

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

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Blog Tour: The Death of Shame – Ambrose Parry

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When you are a prisoner of your secrets,
the death of shame is the only path to liberty

Annabel Banks was promised work as a maid with a prestigious Edinburgh family. But on her first day, she’s nowhere to be found. Concerned relatives contact Sarah Fisher to help. Sarah might know her way around the city – its light sides and dark – but soon she’ll discover the plight of dozens of girls ensnared in its many brothels: lured, abused and left ruined in the eyes of the world.

Meanwhile, a prominent society figure throws himself from the Scott Monument. Will Raven is asked to establish whether the death was suicide or if someone else was involved. Drawing upon real historical events, The Death of Shame takes the Raven and Fisher series into a treacherous labyrinth of shame and the pitfalls of a culture obsessed with moral purity.

Ambrose Parry is a pseudonym for a collaboration between Chris Brookmyre and Marisa Haetzman. The couple are married and live in Scotland. Chris Brookmyre is the international bestselling and multi-award-winning author of over twenty novels. Dr Marisa Haetzman is a consultant anaesthetist of twenty years’ experience, whose research for her Master’s degree in the History of Medicine uncovered the material upon which this series, which begun with The Way of All Flesh, is based. The Way of all Flesh was longlisted for both the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award and the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year. @ambroseparry

My thoughts: i really like this series, probably because it’s well written, well researched and the cases are so fascinating. Blending historical figures of Edinburgh’s past with the fictional Will Raven and Sarah Fisher, who dig into mysteries surrounding the medical fraternity of the city.

This time, it’s Will’s father-in-law at the centre of the case. Having apparently committed suicide, from the Scott Monument, but Will’s wife, Eugenie, insists her father would never do that. Will discovers that he was being blackmailed. Could that be why the eminent doctor took his own life?

Meanwhile Sarah has been asked to find her late husband’s niece, Annabel, who arrived in Edinburgh for a job as a nursery maid but then disappeared. Has she met a terrible end or is she as tough as Sarah and somehow survived?

As Will and Sarah investigate, an unwanted figure from Will’s estranged family appears and Sarah finds herself in terrible danger.

Another absolutely gripping adventure for the two doctors (Sarah’s determined to be one) and investigators, which finally also gives us some answers about their relationship too.

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

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Blog Tour: Case Files Vol. 2 – Rachel Amphlett

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Discover nine dark and twisted mysteries from bestselling author Rachel Amphlett in this second collection of disturbing short stories.

This second page-turning collection features The Date, in which Lucy and Michael meet every year for a sinister anniversary; in All Night Long Zoe soon wishes she wasn’t working the late shift; and in A Burning Question a young Detective Kay Hunter suspects a serial arsonist is targeting a small community of river dwellers with chilling results…

Case Files: Collected Short Crime Stories Volume 2:
The Date
The Back Nine
The Protégé
Devil of a Favor
Six Underground
Three Ways to Die
A Toxic Remedy
All Night Long
A Burning Question

Case Files: short crime fiction stories that will have you on the edge of your seat.

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Before turning to writing, USA Today bestselling crime author Rachel Amphlett played guitar in bands, worked as a TV and film extra, dabbled in radio, and worked in publishing as an editorial assistant.

She now wields a pen instead of a plectrum and writes crime fiction with over 30 crime novels and short stories featuring spies, detectives, vigilantes, and assassins.

A keen traveller and accidental private investigator, Rachel has both Australian and British citizenship.

You can find out more about Rachel and her books at http://www.rachelamphlett.com.

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My thoughts: This collection of short crime stories is enjoyable and clever. Some of the stories are very short, clever little snapshots of killers and thieves, detectives and alligators!

I really liked these bite size tales, some self contained and others feel like little bits of much bigger stories. Perfect for dipping into when you need a crime fix.

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

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Blog Tour: The Drowned Girl -David Mark

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A woman vanishes from a remote lake in Cumbria. All that’s left behind are her abandoned clothes, a ringing phone, and a stretch of dark water that won’t give her back. And everyone here knows that Sleddale Tarn keeps its silence.

Moses Crow knows this place too. He grew up here, before he went to prison, before he became the kind of man who scans every room for the nearest exit. When the case reignites rumours about a girl who disappeared in the local caves, Moses is summoned home to help the family who raised him keep the police at arm’s length.

As the search intensifies, so does the question he’s been avoiding for decades: what really happened here, all those years ago? And what will it cost to drag the family’s secrets into the light?

David Mark spent more than fifteen years as a journalist, including seven years as a crime reporter with the Yorkshire Post, before becoming an author. He is the author of the Sunday Times bestseller Dark Winter and has been championed by Val McDermid, Peter James, Mick Herron and Martina Cole. He lives in rural Northumberland with his family.

My thoughts: Moses was fostered by the wealthy and messed up family, the Rinkov-Torsneys, at the centre of this book. When Oksana, the carer for patriarch Andrei drowns despite being a strong swimmer, his brother Hugo calls on him to return to the family home and look after things.

When first a journalist, and then a former police inspector appear, both following the death and a string of other similar drownings, Moses is in their sights but he knows he didn’t kill anyone, so who did?

Intense, sinister and compelling, this book hooks you in and carries you along with Moses as he attempts to unravel the family’s dark secrets and find a killer.

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