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Book Review: The Florentine – Tom Trott

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When Cain retired from the CIA, he moved to Florence, Italy to get away from his past. He’s had nine years to enjoy fine wine, good food, and the Tuscan countryside. But now his old boss has tracked him down, and he needs Cain to do one last job. What starts as a simple trade entangles Cain in a web of secrets involving the mafia, an NSA whistleblower, and his own past. With the Italian police and international assassins on his trail, he’ll have to survive the night to solve the mystery of who wants him dead.

Publishing in May, The Floretine is available to pre-order now for the excellent price of 99p/99c – Amazon UK or free on Kindle Unlimited

Tom Trott is an author, film nerd, and proverbial Brighton rock. He lives in Brighton, UK, with his wife and their daughter.

He wrote a short comedy play that was performed at the Theatre Royal Brighton in May 2014 as part of the Brighton Festival, a television pilot for the local Brighton channel, and won the Empire Award (thriller category) in the 2015 New York Screenplay Contest.

He published his first novel, You Can’t Make Old Friends, in 2016. Since then he has written four more books, three of which have topped the free books charts on Amazon UK and US. He writes film reviews and features for Frame Rated.

His inspirations as a writer come from a diverse range of storytellers including Raymond Chandler, Agatha Christie, Joel & Ethan Coen, Daphne du Maurier, Alfred Hitchcock, Ira Levin, Quentin Tarantino, and many more books and films beside.

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Excerpt Click here

My thoughts: this was very good, with double crossing spies, international assassins, dodgy gangsters, kidnapping, bombs in briefcases, and an excellent police detective. Cain is asked to do a job as a favour to an old friend, but when things go awry, is he being set up?

There’s a definite sense of le Carrè or Mick Herron about The Florentine – the world weary old spy, realising things aren’t going right, knowing there’s going to be at least one killer on his heels and considering the mess, probably the police, and without the shield of an agency from any country, it’s up to Cain to sort it all out. His quiet life in Florence is at an end.

I read this in one sitting and really enjoyed it, I loved Dolly, the passionate NSA analyst, who just wants the truth out there, but even more I enjoyed the Italian detective, Baroffio, who is clearly in need of his own series, even more. He’s smart and thinks outside the box but even when outwitted, never loses his calm demeanour. Very enjoyable.

I was kindly sent a copy of The Florentine to review by the author, but all opinions remain my own.

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Cover Reveal: In the Midst of Magic – Christian Cura

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Welcome the reveal of this beautiful cover! Read more about In the Midst of Magic by Christian Cura and stay tuned for the book tour coming this spring!

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In the Midst of Magic

Expected Publication Date: June 4th, 2022

Genre: Fantasy

And if you wrong her, shall she not revenge?

Meet Kara Hartman, a photojournalist who is hiding her magic from the world. Traumatized by her brother’s death, she wants nothing more to do with magic. But just when she thought she could neglect her gift, it becomes apparent that the universe has other plans for Kara. When she discovers that an old foe has broken out of prison, hellbent on destroying her new life, Kara has no choice but to embrace the only power that can stop her.

Coming Soon!

About the Author

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Christian Cura is a new author who also has a background in graphic design. He graduated from George Mason University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Art and Visual Technology. Inspired by the likes of Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, and Robert Jordan, it has always been a dream of his to write and publish a novel of his own. In 2019, he achieved that goal with his first book Dreams of Fire. His most recent work, Temple of Ice, is perhaps his most notable achievement, garnering four and five-star reviews on Amazon. He currently lives in Northern Virginia where he continues to write while procrastinating on finding an actual job. When Cura is not writing he can be found creating artwork or getting beaten up at his MMA gym.

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Blog Tour: The Corpse Flower – Anne Mette Hancock

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Danish journalist Heloise Kaldan is in the middle of a nightmare. One of her sources has been caught lying, and she could lose her job over it. Then she receives the first in a series of cryptic and unsettling letters from a woman named Anna Kiel.

Wanted in connection with the fatal stabbing of a young lawyer three years earlier, Anna hasn’t been seen by anyone since she left the crime scene covered in blood. The police think she’s fled the country until homicide detective Erik Scháfer comes up with a lead after the reporter who originally wrote about the case is found murdered in his apartment. Has Anna Kiel struck again, or is there more than one killer at large? And why does every clue point directly to Heloise Kaldan?

Meanwhile, the letters keep coming, and they hint at a connection between Anna and Heloise. As Heloise starts digging deeper, she realizes that to tell Anna’s story she will have to revisit the darkest parts of her own past–confronting someone she swore she’d never see again.

The Corpse Flower is the first in the #1 bestselling Danish crime series, the Kaldan and Scháfer mysteries.

My thoughts: this was really, really good, I’m glad it’s now available in English as I would otherwise have missed out on this utterly gripping, thrilling book. It’s an intelligent and compelling thriller that sees journalist Heloise Kaldan investigating the whereabouts of a murderer on the run – Anna Kiel, who has been writing her slightly cryptic letters.

As the story unfolds we learn more about the circumstances around the murder Anna committed, and Heloise is placed in considerable danger from a shadowy figure who wants her to stop digging. Which of course makes her want to dig more. Along with detective Schàfer, Heloise finally starts to get some answers, answers that will rock society and take up the front page as a series of arrests are made. But will Anna be brought to justice? And will the man who had Heloise attacked be stopped?

The writing was excellent, I could not put this down. I really hope the rest of the series also gets translated and published here as it’s cracking stuff.

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

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Blog Tour: The Lying Club – Annie Ward

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A tangled web of lies draws together three women in this explosive thriller of revenge, murder and shocking secrets

At an elite private school nestled in the Colorado mountains, Natalie, an office assistant, dreams of having a life like the school moms she deals with every day. Women like Brooke—a gorgeous heiress, ferociously loving mother and serial cheater—and Asha, an overprotective mom who suspects her husband of having an affair. Their fates are bound by the handsome assistant athletic director Nicholas, whom Natalie loves, Brooke wants and Asha needs.

But when two bodies are carried out of the school one morning, it seems the tension between mothers and daughters, rival lovers, and the haves and have-nots has shattered the surface of this isolated, affluent town—where people stop at nothing to get what they want.

My thoughts: I have family in Colorado, but they don’t live in a community like this where people will just throw money at things to get what they want. Something that gets take advantage of in this book. The mothers at an elite private school are determined to get the best for their children, above and beyond what their teenagers really want but having something to boast about seems to be more important. Coach Nick is the target of much attention – every mother seems to want his focus and not just on their children.

As the story unravels the secrets and lies people have hidden are starting to bubble up. Brooke is super controlling and it’s pushing her daughter away, as she gets older she doesn’t want a helicopter parent and her behaviour is throwing Brooke into super controlling mode. Asha’s daughter is also hiding things from her mum, and Asha’s husband also seems to be behaving strangely.

I liked Natalie the most, as an admin assistant at the school, she’s in their world but not part of it. She doesn’t have their money or access, but she sees through them. Her relationship with Nick is very strange and I wasn’t surprised at how confused and lost she was.

As the investigation heats up and the three women get their stories straight, things start to come to light that change their perceptions of the recent past. Perhaps things might work out…

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

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Blog Tour: Blood of the Lost Kingdom – Kristin Ward

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Mysterious. Hidden. Sacred. Erabel is the beating heart of Dorcha Wood. And its heir has come home.

Fleeing the man who betrayed her, Fiadh returns to her beloved forest, into its heart, to discover her people. And herself. With the aid of Veren, an Aos Sí warrior, she explores her birthright, a world safeguarded from the corruption of mankind. There, she learns the history of a mighty race and the vastness of the power coursing through her blood. 

But beyond Erabel’s boundaries, men are flocking, rallying to an evil lord who covets the strength flowing in Fiadh’s veins. They have their eyes fixed on the lost kingdom of the Aos Sí, and it’s only a matter of time before they breach those borders and come for Fiadh and all who protect her. 

All around her, the world is closing in, as some plot in shadows, and others in the stark light of day.

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Click to read my review of book one

Kristin Ward is an award-winning young adult author living in Connecticut. A science and math teacher for over twenty years, she infuses her geeky passions into stories that meld realism and fantasy. Kristin embraces her inner nerd regularly, often quoting 80s movies while expecting those around her to chime in with appropriate rejoinders. As a nature freak, she can be found wandering the woods – she may be lost, so please stop and ask if you see her – or chilling in her yard with all manner of furry and feathered friends. Often referred to as a unicorn by colleagues who remain in awe of her ability to create or find various and sundry things in mere moments. In reality, the horn was removed years ago, leaving only a mild imprint that can be seen if she tilts her head just right. A lifelong lover of books and writing, she dreamed of becoming an author for thirty years before publishing her award-winning debut in 2018. Her first novel, After the Green Withered, is one of many things you should probably read.

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My thoughts: this is the second book in the series and while it’s very readable, I found it dragged slightly as much of it was just explaining the back story to the coming war and setting up the next book, where it will all come to a head. Fiadh is now in Erabel, learning her history through visions and half answers to her questions. While Gideon is busy making a massive mistake in siding with Darragh.

A lot of the story is spent in filling in the past and explaining who all the characters are and how they fit together so there’s not a lot of action and adventure. I struggled with it a bit as I wanted more energy and pace, not memories and scheming. But that’s on me. Hopefully book three will have all the requisite action I need!

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

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Blog Tour: The Unsinkable Greta James – Jennifer E. Smith

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Right after the sudden death of her mother—her first and most devoted fan—and just before the launch of her high-stakes sophomore album, Greta James falls apart on stage. The footage quickly goes viral and she stops playing, her career suddenly in jeopardy—the kind of jeopardy her father, Conrad, has always predicted; the kind he warned her about when he urged her to make more practical choices with her life. 

Months later, Greta—still heartbroken and very much adrift—reluctantly agrees to accompany Conrad on the Alaskan cruise her parents had booked to celebrate their fortieth anniversary. It could be their last chance to heal old wounds in the wake of shared loss. But the trip will also prove to be a voyage of discovery for them both, and for Ben Wilder, a charming historian, onboard to lecture about The Call of the Wild, who is struggling with a major upheaval in his own life. As Greta works to build back her confidence and Ben confronts an uncertain future, they find themselves drawn to and relying on each other.

It’s here in this unlikeliest of places—at sea, far from the packed city venues where she usually plays and surrounded by the stunning scenery of Alaska—Greta will finally confront the choices she’s made, the heartbreak she’s suffered, and the family hurts that run deep. In the end, she’ll have to decide what her path forward might look like—and how to find her voice again.

My thoughts: losing a parent must be a really horrible feeling, especially if you’re not there when it happens. I remember my dad being devastated when my grandmother died, and we knew it was coming. Greta’s mum dies suddenly, without much warning and she’s too far to get there in time to say goodbye. Suffering from the guilt, as well as having then broken up with her boyfriend, she agrees to take her mum’s place on an Alaskan cruise with her father and their friends.

To say Greta and her dad have a tricky relationship is an understatement – they can barely look at each other, let alone talk and mend some fences. But being trapped on a ship and slowing spending time together, things start to thaw.

There’s also a brief connection with another unwilling cruise hostage – writer Ben, who’s there to give a talk on his book about Jack London, although he’d rather be back in New York. He and Greta spend time together, get drunk and share. Something cathartic about an almost stranger in a strange place.

An interesting exploration of grief, forgiveness, and working out where you go from here.

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

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Blog Tour: No Good About Goodbye – C.T. Liotta

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“Like Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, if Simon’s mom were a vodka-soaked spy and grown assassins were trying to kill Simon.”

Welcome to the book tour for No Good About Goodbye by C.T. Liotta. Read on for more info and a chance to win some fun giveaways!

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No Good About Goodbye

Publication Date: November 24th, 2021

Genre: YA/ Coming-of-Age/ Adventure/ LGBTQ2+

Publisher: ‎Rot Gut Pulp

Fifteen-year-old Ian Racalmuto’s life is in ruins after an embassy raid in Algiers. His mother, a vodka-drunk spy, is dead. His brother, a diplomat, has vanished. And, he’s lost a cremation urn containing a smartphone that could destroy the world.

Forced to live with his cantankerous grandfather in Philadelphia, Ian has seven days to find his brother and secure the phone—all while adjusting to life in a troubled urban school and dodging assassins sent to kill him.

Ian finds an ally in William Xiang, an undocumented immigrant grappling with poverty, a strict family, and abusive classmates. They make a formidable team, but when Ian’s feelings toward Will grow, bombs, bullets and crazed bounty hunters don’t hold a candle to his fear of his friend finding out. Will it wreck their relationship, roll up their mission, and derail a heist they’ve planned at the State Department?

Like a dime store pulp adventure of the past, No Good About Goodbye is an incautious, funny, coming-of-age tale for mature teens and adult readers.

“Brilliant… a rollicking good read. Rich with often realistically crude boy lingo, No Good About Goodbye is an utterly charming teenage LGBTQ falling-in-love adventure while simultaneously rocking an international crime storyline.”—C.S. Holmes, Indiereader

A smart, funny pile-up at the intersection of Surrender Your Sons, Grasshopper Jungle, and a pulp spy thriller.

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Excerpt

The airport baggage conveyor spun for twenty minutes while Ian and Mario caught up. Ian’s voice differed from his grandfather’s. His Italian was perfect, but his English fused accents learned around the world. He merged British and American dialects, rolled an occasional r, and mispronounced words. He hated his patois. Worse was that, like Mario, he flailed his hands when he spoke. Deena would sometimes say that to silence the two, she might cut off their arms.

“So let me get this straight,” said Mario. “Richard Finzel wants to start a war using codes on your mother’s smartphone.”

“Yes.”

“Where is he now?”

“Dead. I triggered a bomb.”

“They recovered his body?” asked Mario.

“No, they found three of his teeth.”

“Teeth aren’t vital,” said Mario.

“Of course they are,” said Ian. “He won’t be able to chew things, and he’ll die.” He tilted his head. “Even if he survived and still wanted to start his war, he’d have to find mom’s phone and fly to D.C. to activate it. I hid the phone inside Aunt Judy’s funeral urn. Diplomatic security recovered it while I was in hospital. It’s out of my hands.”

“You’re certain they have it?” asked Mario.

“They said they would handle it,” said Ian.

“Shit,” Mario groaned under his breath. A blue suitcase appeared. “Ecco qua!” he said.

“No,” said Ian. “Mine has a Pan Am logo on it.”

Mario wheeled a cart toward them and stacked the bags Ian had pulled. A glittery tag on a steamer chest revealed his mother’s address in her script, and Mario’s eyes saddened. “You shouldn’t be the one to do this.”

“Someone has to,” replied Ian, “though I’d rather be with dad.”

“Algiers is too dangerous.”

“Algiers has always been too dangerous!” Ian erupted, throwing his hands up. Mario stepped back, surprised by the outburst. Ian lowered his voice. “Non voglio pensarci. Erik’s missing and dad’s sitting alone in a hotel room with a stuffed shirt convincing him he’s dead. I can hear the conversation now. Erik is gone. It’s a recovery, Cardiff, not a rescue. Little Ian has an undeveloped frontal cortex and uses denial to cope with grief.” He dug his hands in his pockets and settled back.

“Are you in denial?” asked Mario.

“I would deny it if I were,” said Ian. “I’ve developed the good sense to shut my mouth when adults think one way and I think another. Let’s discuss it, they say. Discussion only ever means debate. I’m sick of debating. I’ll say whatever people want me to say in public if it makes it easier to be who I am in private.”

“No man can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true.” Mario winked. “That’s Nathaniel Hawthorne. Bet you didn’t know that. In spycraft they call it the wilderness of mirrors.”

Ian waved the old man off. “Erik’s out there. I have, at best, seven days to locate him before the trail turns to ice. It’s not just about finding him—living with him abroad is the only way to get my life back on track. Philly is perdition. No offense, but I shouldn’t be here.”

The bag carousel stopped. Mario pointed to a stuffy office for lost bags, and Ian gathered his backpack.

Grab a copy at Barnes & Noble, Amazon and Bookshop

About the Author

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CT Liotta was born and raised in West Virginia before moving to Ohio for college, where he majored in Biology. He now uses Philadelphia as his base of operations. You can find him backpacking all over the world.

Liotta takes interest in writing, travel, personal finance, and sociology. He likes vintage airlines and aircraft, politics, news, foreign affairs, ’40s pulp and film noir. He doesn’t fear math or science, and is always up for Indian food. His favorite candy bar used to be Snickers, but lately it’s been 3 Musketeers. He isn’t sure why.

CT Liotta | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Newsletter

US Giveaway:

Grand prize winner gets:

1 Autographed ARC Copy of NO GOOD ABOUT GOODBYE

1 $25 Amazon Gift Card

1 Set of fake mustaches

1 Set of invisible ink pens

2 Fake passports with stamps for blowing town incognito

A custom thank-you note and luggage stickers

Page a day travel journal

Second place winner gets:

1 Autographed ARC Copy of NO GOOD ABOUT GOODBYE

1 $10 Amazon Gift Card

2 Fake passports with stamps for blowing town incognito

A custom thank-you note and luggage stickers.

Third place winner gets:

1 Autographed ARC Copy of NO GOOD ABOUT GOODBYE

2 Fake passports with stamps for blowing town incognito

A custom thank-you note and luggage stickers

Click HERE to enter!

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Blog Tour: The Cornish Captive – Nicola Pryce

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The sixth novel in a stunning series set in eighteenth-century Cornwall, perfect for fans of Bridgerton.
Cornwall, 1800.
Imprisoned on false pretences, Madeleine Pelligrew, former mistress of Pendenning Hall, has spent the last 14 years shuttled between increasingly destitute and decrepit mad houses. When a strange
man appears out of the blue to release her, she can’t quite believe that her freedom comes without a price. Hiding her identity, Madeleine determines to discover the truth about what happened all those years ago.
Unsure who to trust and alone in the world, Madeleine strikes a tentative friendship with a French prisoner on parole, Captain Pierre de la Croix. But as she learns more about the reasons behind her imprisonment, and about those who schemed to hide her away for so long, she starts to wonder if Pierre is in fact the man he says he is. As Madeleine’s past collides with her present, can she find the strength to follow her heart, no matter the personal cost?
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Nicola Pryce trained as a nurse at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London. She has always loved literature and completed an Open University degree in Humanities. She is a qualified adult literacy support volunteer and lives with her husband in the Blackdown Hills in Somerset. Together
they sail the south coast of Cornwall in search of adventure.
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My thoughts: I was excited to read this for a number of reasons; the heroine and I share a first name, it’s set in my beloved Cornwall, during the beginning of Napoleon’s war with Britain, which is a period I’m fascinated by, and as well as a love story, it’s the story of a woman fighting back, at a time when she was considered property and incapable of doing as she pleased. Indeed her nemesis, Sir Charles has her locked up in asylums under false names to keep anyone from finding her and helping her.

Thankfully it was a really good read, otherwise I’d have been incredibly disappointed so that’s good! Madeleine is a brave woman, far stronger than even she thinks and with the help of some wonderful friends and their circle, she’s able to fight back and regain her life, free from fear and the possibility of being sent back into the horrific asylum she’s escaped from. Although it doesn’t go into the terrible conditions of these madhouses, there’s enough from just the state of Madeleine when she escapes to give you some idea of what hellish places they were, fourteen years would break most people, but she has an inner core of steel and somehow clings onto her sanity.

I loved the people she found in Cornwall, connecting her to those who could help her the most – Mrs Pengelly especially and obviously Mr Pitt the cat, a delightfully grumpy moggy. Her foster daughter Rowan had stayed with her and helped her keep together in terrible times and is rewarded with happiness and family.

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

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Book Trailer Reveal: The Triangle of Hope – Michael Myer

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Welcome to the book trailer reveal for The Triangle of Hope by Michael Meyer! Read on for more details and have a watch!

Idyllic Cliffs of Moher at sunset, Co. Clare, Ireland

Triangle of Hope

Genre: Literary Fiction/ Irish/ English Literary Fiction/ Romance

If one person can make a difference, just think what three can do. A tender story of love. Three strangers, each harboring a dark secret, become united by chance in a small Irish village, and the wonderful power of the human spirit comes alive.

If you believe that love and romance can happen in unusual circumstances, then this book is for you.

“If an author can make you cry for his characters then want to hug them close and then want to do an Irish jig with them to celebrate overcoming that much pain, then you know you have read a book that will stay with you forever.” – Wanda Hartzenberg, Wanda’s Amazing Amazon Reviewers

It is a “fantastic read that will pull at your heart.” – Lauren Alumbaugh, Goodreads librarian

Available on Amazon

About the Author

Mike Meyer

Michael Meyer is the author of mysteries, thrillers, humorous fiction, and non-fiction: Love and romance, laughter and tears, thrills and fears.

He has resided in and has visited many places in the world, all of which have contributed in some way to his own published writing. He has literally traveled throughout the world, on numerous occasions. He has lived in Finland, Germany, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. He gained the wanderlust to see the world, to experience other cultures, at an early age, and this desire has never left him. If anything, it has only gained in intensity as he has aged.

Among the many unique things that have happened to him in his world travels, he has walked the streets of Istanbul with a detective, searching for a pickpocket who got him good. He has ridden on the back of a motorcycle in Tehran while the driver, who spoke not one word of English, pointed out all the sights to him. He has wrestled an Iranian soldier who tried to break into his hotel room in Tehran. He has had the paint completely stripped from his car as he drove across Saudi Arabia in a sandstorm. He has stood on the stage of a busy nightclub in Tokyo, singing “She’ll be Coming Round the Mountain When She Comes” to an audience feeling no pain from the Sake they were drinking. He has been chased by a family of mongooses (yes, that is the correct spelling) on the idyllic Caribbean island of St. Croix. And that is just the beginning of his long list of worldly adventures.

As a recent retiree from a forty-year career as a professor of writing, he now lives in Southern California wine country with his wife, Kitty, and their two adorable rescue cats.

Michael Meyer | Facebook | Goodreads

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Blog Tour: Every Little Secret – Sarah Clarke

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From the outside, it seems Grace has it all. Only she knows about the cracks in her picture-perfect life… and the huge secret behind them. After all, who can she trust?

Her brother Josh is thousands of miles away, and he and Grace have never been close – he was always their parents’ favourite.

Her best friend Coco walked away from her years ago, their friendship irreparably fractured by the choices they’ve made.

And her husband Marcus seems like a different man lately. Grace can’t shake the feeling that he’s hiding something.

But when her seven-year-old daughter makes a troubling accusation, Grace must choose between protecting her child and protecting her secret… before she loses everything.

My thoughts: there were a lot of twists and turns in this book, sending me in all sorts of directions and leaving me with lots of questions, could I even trust Grace as the narrator? What was going on in her house? Why would her daughter say such things? Slowly, very slowly, the author peeled the layers back, unravelling a lifetime’s worth of secrets, lies and cover ups. Everyone was hiding something from the 7 year old child to Grace’s mum. So many that it was shocking each time another piece of the puzzle was slotted in. Everyone has blood on their hands in some way – all of them misguided and plain wrong. In the end honesty is the only thing that can save Grace and her family.

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