books, reviews

Book Review: The Last Resort – Susi Holliday

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I read this via NetGalley, thank you to the publisher Thomas & Mercer for approving my request.

Seven strangers. Seven secrets. One perfect crime.

When Amelia is invited to an all-expenses-paid retreat on a private island, the mysterious offer is too good to refuse. Along with six other strangers, she’s told they’re here to test a brand-new product for Timeo Technologies. But the guests’ excitement soon turns to terror when the real reason for their summons becomes clear.

Each guest has a guilty secret. And when they’re all forced to wear a memory-tracking device that reveals their dark and shameful deeds to their fellow guests, there’s no hiding from the past. This is no luxury retreat–it’s a trap they can’t get out of.

As the clock counts down to the lavish end-of-day party they’ve been promised, injuries and in-fighting split the group. But with no escape from the island–or the other guests’ most shocking secrets–Amelia begins to suspect that her only hope for survival is to be the last one standing. Can she confront her own dark past to uncover the truth–before it’s too late to get out?

My thoughts:

This has an Agatha Christie for the tech age feel – a bit And Then There Were None, which is my favourite Christie novel. Stranded on an island, not entirely sure what’s happening and then people start getting sick and possibly dying in accidents.

The island seems designed to work against them and Amelia is the only one who might have a clue about where they are.

With clever writing and an increasingly creepy and weird plot as the worst things people did are being shared to the group. And then they start dying.

This was really enjoyable and smart, I was thoroughly gripped and spotted the Famous Five motif running throughout. The ending was quite strange and maybe not what I was expecting, but it tied up some things while leaving others as question marks.

books, reviews

Book Review: The Geeky Stitching Co’s Little Book of Cross Stitch – Jess Payne

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You will find over thirty of our bestselling designs in this book as well as seven new patterns to stitch up, we have everything from rainbows to fluffy animals and not a country cottage in sight!

A great book for beginners as well as experienced stitchers who are fans of stitching cute stuff and fun puns.

My thoughts:

I’m not very crafty but I’d like to be and cross stitch looks like something I could probably manage, not as complicated as knitting, which just had me all tangled up.

These patterns are super fun and cute and it seems very follow the pattern and you can’t go wrong. Which is good.

As we’re going to be locked down for the foreseeable future, it’s probably a good time to try to learn a new skill and this seems an excellent place to start.

Thanks to Blue at Clink Street for my copy.

blog tour, books

Guest Post: The Far Wild – Alex Knight

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About The Far Wild

An expedition gone awry. Suni Koudounas is enamoured with the wonders — and dangers — of the Far Wild. As a naturalist’s apprentice, she’s studied every book and expedition report about the miraculous wilderness. But when her mentor goes missing on expedition, Suni sets aside the Far Wild of ink and paper to venture after him into the primordial jungle.

A missing skyship. As the empire’s most beloved adventurer — or most successful raconteur — Senesio Suleiman Nicolaou doesn’t want much. Wealth beyond measure, fame beyond reason, and a small kingdom somewhere warm should be about enough. When news of the rescue mission reaches him, Senesio knows there’s no better opportunity to add to his living legend.

The most dangerous wilderness known to man. With unexpected enemies above and monstrous predators in the jungles below, it’s up to Suni, Senesio, and their companions to uncover the truth of what’s happening in the Far Wild. It’s a revelation that will shake the empire to its core and reshape the lives of all involved — assuming, of course, they don’t all get eaten first.

Storytelling Thrives at the Intersection of Preparation and Imagination

Howdy, everyone. I’m Alex Knight — author of the recently released fantasy thriller, The Far Wild — and it’s a pleasure to be here today to talk about the writing. Or, more specifically, storytelling.

The debate on how best to write a story is endless, with numerous different camps all preaching different methods. And because writing is such an individual process, I think this is a situation where we can say everyone is right.

Whatever works for you is the best strategy to use.

That being said, I think I have an idea of something we can all use more.

I’m no household name, but I do have six books under my belt now — and a background as a ghostwriter with many more finished works. If I’ve learned one universal truth in my time writing fiction, it’s this:

Storytelling thrives at the intersection of preparation and imagination.

Pantsers like to figure everything out as they go. Plotters like it all planned and prepared.

I think it’s best to write a story by going right down the middle.

The times I see my readers most excited are the times when they’re thinking about a plot event, or world detail, or hinted-at character backstory, and letting their minds run wild. But how do we get their minds to do this?

We create the opportunity for it. And how do we do that? We write right up to the intersection of preparation and imagination.

Plan your plot, create your character backstories, fill your fantasy world with history and living cultures. Then tell the readers just the beginnings of it all.

Obviously, for plot-necessary events, you’ll need to explain as fully as required, but for the rest, I think a less detailed touch is called for.

Lead the readers down the beginning of a rabbit hole.

“Why does X culture do Y?”

“Well, because of The Event.”

“What’s ‘The Event?’”

Don’t explain. Just give it an intriguing name, a few small details, and set it free in the story. It’ll soon run wild in the readers’ imaginations, too. But even more than that, it’ll run wild in yours.

I like to plan my stories pretty thoroughly. But I’ve learned to leave just enough unplanned that my imagination can surprise me.

This is where the magic of writing comes into play.

Create a world, then let it grow naturally in your mind. It’ll soon surprise you and leave you wondering at all the intricacies and mysteries of it. And if it does that for you, it’ll do it for the readers, too.

These sort of jumping off points keep wonder alive in fantasy worlds, and keep us thinking about them long after the book or series is finished.

We write to tell stories, but when we leave room for imagination, we do more than tell stories, we create living, shared worlds. For ourselves, and for our readers, to enjoy for years to come.

Alex Knight is filling good books with bad jokes one sentence at a time. As an author, his work includes the fantasy thriller, The Far Wild, and the LitRPG trilogy, Nova Online. As an aspiring twin he’s not making much progress, but remains determined.

You can learn more at AuthorAlexKnight.com.

books, reviews

Book Review: Cookfulness – Ian Taverner

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Create Space For The Happy Stuff!

This cookbook is crammed full of new and innovative ways, hints and tips, designed specifically for people with chronic pain and mental health conditions, by me, a fellow sufferer.

It is all to help you WANT to cook, not have to!

Cooking really can be a therapy. Cooking really can ignite your passions. Cooking really is possible!

If you are having a bad day, I want to make it better. If you are having a better day, I want to make it good. If you are having a good day, I want to make it great. If you are having a great day, good on you!

My thoughts:

Packed full of delicious recipes for days when your mental health, disability or chronic condition isn’t playing ball, with simple steps and tasty ingredients, this is a terrific book for people like me who struggles to cook when my body and brain don’t want to do anything.

With a difficulty rating, tools list, and lots of tips to help you perfect your dish, from super simple eggs to slightly more complex cakes (nothing is too fiddly though).

Hoping to get a lot of use out of this in 2021 as I miss cooking but need simpler ways to make delicious things.

Thank you to Blue at Clink Street for my copy.

books, reviews

Book Review: Machine – Elizabeth Bear*

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Check out my thoughts on Ancestral Night

In this compelling and addictive novel set in the same universe as the critically acclaimed White Space series and perfect for fans of Karen Traviss and Ada Hoffman, a space station begins to unravel when a routine search and rescue mission returns after going dangerously awry.
Meet Doctor Jens.
She hasn’t had a decent cup of coffee in fifteen years. Her workday begins when she jumps out of perfectly good space ships and continues with developing treatments for sick alien species she’s never seen before. She loves her life. Even without the coffee.
But Dr. Jens is about to discover an astonishing mystery: two ships, one ancient and one new, locked in a deadly embrace. The crew is suffering from an unknown ailment and the shipmind is trapped in an inadequate body, much of her memory pared away.
Unfortunately, Dr. Jens can’t resist a mystery and she begins doing some digging. She has no idea that she’s about to discover horrifying and life-changing truths.
Written in Elizabeth Bear’s signature “rollicking, suspenseful, and sentimental” (Publishers Weekly) style, Machine is a fresh and electrifying space opera that you won’t be able to put down.

My thoughts:

This was really good, it started out as a pretty straightforward medical drama in space, then became a hostage situation, with a whole hospital being held up by a rogue virus infecting every AI that comes into contact with it.

As with Ancestral Night, the AIs are smart and a little sassy, the marvellous crime solving bug Goodlaw Cheeririlaq is back in their snazzy jacket, and there’s a new hero in Dr Jens, a woman who has to try to figure out her new patients, even though she’s not an AI doctor, and solve a mystery or two.

This was really enjoyable and gripped me the whole way through, the terrible crimes being secretly carried out in the hospital are shocking and justly need revealing, Jens is a really great character, her vulnerability and chronic pain condition hold her back slightly but she works around it and doesn’t let her apparent limitations stop her.

Thank you to Will at Gollancz for sending me a copy to review. Machine is available from all good bookshops (and evil ones I suppose!)

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Meant To Be – Louise Leaman*

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After a spate of terrible boyfriends, Jess is sure she’s found her perfect man in dependable – but occasionaly dull – Tim. But when her grandmother, tasks her with retrieving a family heirloom from a local auction she finds herself face to face with a charming stranger, Guy.

Guy has already bought her grandmother’s precious necklace and whilst Jess desperately tries to buy it back from him, he somehow convinces her to go out on a date instead. Ridiculous.

But Guy has the necklace and Jess’s grandmother’s health is declining rapidly. Jess has no choice but to indulge Guy and go on a date with if only to get the necklace back. But when she and Guy hit it of on their date Jess’s dependable happily-everafter is thrown of track…

Louisa Leaman was born, raised and now lives near Epping Forest. She studied Art History at Leeds University before becoming a teacher working with children with special needs.

After winning the Times Education Supplement’s New Writer’s Award, she turned her hand to writing books for children. Louisa currently writes content for the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, but has also been published in the Guardian, the Observer, the Independent and The Times Educational Supplement.

Her interest in the arts is often inspiration for her plots and her first book, The Perfect Dress, was inspired by the V&As large wedding dress colection and fulfils her dream of writing romantic fiction.

When she isn’t busy writing or rearing her three lively children, she paints portraits, takes long walks and spends far too long browsing vintage clothing shops.

My thoughts:

This was a fun, sweet rom com, with a family history kept secret at the heart of it. Jess’ grandmother Nancy doesn’t talk about her past but it’s all tied up with the necklace her grandmother made, a priceless heirloom that a jewellery trader Guy gazumped Jess at an auction for.

As Jess attempts to get the necklace back for Nancy, who’s dying, she unravels the story of the women in her family, and the necklace. She’s also starting to fall for Guy, despite her steady (and dull) boyfriend Tim.

*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: Gallowglass – S.J. Morden*

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The year is 2069, and the earth is in flux. Whole nations are being wiped off the map by climate change. Desperate for new resources, the space race has exploded back into life.
Corporations seek ever greater profits off-world. They offer immense rewards to anyone who can claim space’s resources in their name. The bounty on a single asteroid rivals the GDP of entire countries, so every trick, legal or not, is used to win.
Jack, the scion of a shipping magnate, is desperate to escape earth and joins a team chasing down an asteroid. But the ship he’s on is full of desperate people – each one needing the riches claiming the asteroid will bring them, and they’re willing to do anything if it means getting there first.

Because in Space, there are no prizes for coming second. It’s all or nothing: riches beyond measure, or dying alone in the dark.

My thoughts:

This was really good once it got going. I enjoyed the author’s One Way, so I knew that once Jack got into space, the plot would be cracking along at a brilliant pace and would be so much more than it first seemed.

Jack is escaping from his uber wealthy parents, who are obsessed with living forever, determined to carve out something for himself, whatever that may be.

Earth is dying, climate refugees are desperate to find new home and one way to do that is to stake their claim on asteroids out in space, ideally ones rich in mining rights. You do this by sending out a gallowglass – they stake the claim and then hunker down in cyro-sleep to guard it, waiting for a crew like the one Jack joins to come and get them and their rock.

Out in space however, lots of things can go horribly wrong, as it is for Jack. The mismatched crew the captain has cobbled together struggle to get along and more than one of them has their own agenda.

Clever, inventive and quite dark, this had me hooked all the way through. Jack’s an interesting character, when everyone else wishes to get rich, he wants to leave that behind and just live his own life. Blending science fact with futuristic fiction, this is a smart space thriller with plenty of action and intrigue.

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

books

Book Trailer: Unwritten – Alicia J. Novo plus Giveaway!

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UnwrittenI am thrilled to reveal the book trailer for this stunning novel, due for release May 2021! Check it out and enter the giveaway below!Giveaway – A copy of the book and a goodie box with branded bookmarks, a keychain, charm, and character postcard. There is also an enamel pin as a pre-order incentive. Unwritten_CoverUnwritten (The Zweeshen Chronicles #1)Expected Publication Date: May 8th, 2021Genre: YA FantasyBooks whisper to Beatrix Alba. But they aren’t the reason she has never fit in. Bullied at home and school, she keeps a secret—a power of violence and darkness.
When the spell that keeps her hidden fails, she’s catapulted into the Zweeshen, a realm where all tales live, and her dream of meeting her favorite characters comes true. But wishes are tricky, and behind its wonder and whimsy, the Zweeshen is under attack. A character is burning bookworlds in pursuit of a weapon to rule both stories and storytellers. To succeed, he needs a riddle in Beatrix’s keeping.
Now he’s hunting her down.
Joining forces with William, a cursed conjurer, Beatrix must face an enemy who knows her every weakness in a realm where witches play with time, Egyptian gods roam, and Regency heroines lead covert operations. And with her darkness as the only weapon, she may have to sacrifice everything to save a world that rejects her.

Add to Goodreads

Book Trailer

Pre-Order Unwritten Here!

About the Author

Alicia J NovoAlicia has a weak spot for happy endings and transformative journeys. She spent her teenage years in Argentina and Europe, speaks several languages and loves to travel. Always an eclectic book lover, she’s never been cured of reading a bit of everything and is as likely to geek out about Mr. Darcy as Dr. Who. A big-city girl, she now lives in the Midwest, where she occasionally picks apples and pretends witches exist.

Alicia J. Novo | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

Giveaway: To win a copy of the book and a goodie box with branded bookmarks, a keychain, charm, and character postcard. There is also an enamel pin as a pre-order incentive!a Rafflecopter giveawayTrailer Reveal Organized By:R&R ButtonR&R Book Tours

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Blog Tour: The Haunting of Gallagher Hotel – K.T. Rose*

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Pride and greed infect the soul, anchoring the dead to Gallagher Hotel.

When Chris, a master thief, and Riley, a contract waitress, get mysterious invites to an exclusive party at the haunted Gallagher Hotel, they discover that there is more at play than simple celebrations.

Hidden truths are revealed, and all hell breaks loose. But the “party” has just begun.

Now, Chris and Riley face their demons as they fight to survive a hellish nightmare full of spoiled secrets, carnage, and vengeful spirits lost to the hotel dating back to the turn of the 20th century.

Will they survive the night? Or will their souls be devoured by the most haunted building in Michigan?

Goodreads

Purchase also available for free with Kindle Unlimited

Chapter One

She’ll never forget the day she died.

Torches lit up the town square, illuminating scowling and shouting faces. The townspeople launched stones and spit, pegging Trudy’s arms and face as she trudged through the abhorrent mob. She cringed when a pebble struck her cheek. Pain erupted, shooting through her face like lightning striking the earth.

Deputy Hill yanked her arm, leading her through the narrow path the townspeople created. Fists balled, Trudy groaned as the rope around her wrists dug into her skin. Her bare feet picked up glass shards and debris from the cobblestone path as she shuffled along.

She glared around at the angry faces and recognized the men, women, and children of Holloway. She’d done more for them than any God before her. Many of those people owned the very businesses that lined the stone slab she marched across that night. Building and financing the rows of wooden businesses lining the town’s square accounted for half the things she’d done for Holloway. She fed the hungry, made clothes for cold children, and taught woman’s independence. The ever-growing list of the townspeople’s wants was endless. At one point, she didn’t mind the busy work. Fulfilling dreams of the once poor town kept her boisterous and distracted from her bitter reality. Trudy was Holloway’s personal shepherd, making the people her needy sheep.

Hands snagged at her lavender tea gown, adding dirty prints to the blood drops and grime from the beatings in that putrid cell. She glared at the bare-faced man towering over her. The brim of his deputy hat cast a thick shadow, hiding his dark eyes and pale face.

Deputy would miss her. She was sure of it. He got off on the assaults that bruised her face. His heavy fists pounded her bones and scraped her skin until she confessed. And even after her confession, he continued with his evening visits, slamming her body into cinder block walls and passing off open-handed blows to her nose, cheeks, and eyes.

Trudy sighed. A bath with lavender and Epsom salt sounded good for the swelling. She didn’t realize how bloated and purple her once beautiful, fairly smooth skin had become until she passed by the picture window in front of the town’s jail just before they began her walk of shame. Her dark hair matted to her forehead, washed by sweat and blood. Her plump lips were chapped and bloated with bruises.

Even then, her face pulsed with intense hurt. Pain shot through it whenever she winced.

The sea of convictions roared, growing louder as she drew closer to the opposite end of the square.

“Adulterer,” yelled a woman.

“Traitor,” screeched a boy.

“Murderer,” said a pot-bellied man.

Their accusations sent a sickening jolt through her bones. She watched the path underneath her slowing feet, fighting back the tears.

How could they turn on me like this?

K.T. Rose is a horror, thriller, and dark fiction writer from Detroit, Michigan. She posts suspense and horror flash fiction on her blog at kyrobooks.com and is the author of a suspenseful short story series titled Trinity of Horror, an erotic thriller novel titled When We Swing, and A Dark Web Horror Series. She also writes supernatural and paranormal horror novels and short stories.

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My thoughts:

This was a strange and creepy/weird story of a hotel that says it’s haunted but is actually a portal to Hell. It’s not ghosts you have to be wary of, but demonic beings looking to send you straight down to their boss.

Riley is hired as a waitress for a special event at the hotel, but really she’s been lured there as the only innocent soul among a very bad bunch. It will take everything she has to escape the nightmarish establishment and return to her life.

Weird, twisted and gory, the guests all go to suitably macabre ends, as their crimes and sins come to collect on them.

blog tour, books

Blog Tour: The Big Tilt – Dan Flanigan

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TheBigTilt

Welcome to the blog tour for The Big Tilt, follow-up novel to gritty, noir detective story Mink Eyes by Dan Flanigan! Read on for more details and a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card!

The Big Tilt Front CoverThe Big Tilt (Peter O’Keefe Book #2) *Can be read as a standalone 

Genre: Thriller/ Noir/ Crime Fiction

Publication Date: October 27th, 2020

Publisher : Arjuna Books

The war in Vietnam didn’t kill Peter O’Keefe. Neither did his run-in with ruthless crime boss “Mr. Canada” in the Arizona desert. But chasing after justice in his own hometown just might.

A year after the private detective uncovered a criminal ring disguised as a mink farm in the Ozarks, O’Keefe is back home and back in trouble. A high school crush of O’Keefe’s turns up dead, but the details don’t add up. His pal, Mike Harrigan, has put his trust in the wrong people and now stands accused of crimes that could put him in the slammer. And O’Keefe? The mafia has put a price on his head.

In their search for the truth, O’Keefe and his team will have to venture into the criminal underworld of their city, each step forward bringing them closer to the edge. As trouble begins creeping closer to home, O’Keefe must decide if he’s willing to pay the cost of justice — before someone else makes the decision for him.

Available on Amazon

About the Author

Author Pic

Dan Flanigan is a novelist, poet, and playwright, as well as a practicing lawyer. In his series of Peter O’Keefe private eye novels, Flanigan intends to tell us the story of our times from the 1980s to the present day. Book 1 of the series, Mink Eyes, is set in 1986 and explores the “greed is good” dynamic and the cultural tensions and gender complexities of that era. It is a modern hero’s quest in mystery-detective form. His newest novel and the second book in the Peter O’Keefe Series, The Big Tilt, is set one year later, 1987, with the nation is in the midst of the S&L crisis, which is threatening the financial underpinnings of the national economy. Meanwhile, in his private life O’Keefe is gulping water trying to keep his head above the waves and living out the old proverb “no good deed goes unpunished.” In addition to developing a screenplay version of Mink Eyes, he has published a book of verse and prose poetry, Tenebrae: A Memoir Of Love And Death, and Dewdrops, a collection of his shorter fiction. He has also written the full-length plays–Secrets (based on the life of Eleanor Marx) and Moondog’s Progress (based on the life of Alan Freed).

Over the years Dan has committed his time and energy to projects and organizations he is passionate about. He and his wife Candy established Sierra Tucson, a leading international addiction treatment center in Tucson, Arizona. Dan also serves on the Board of Directors of Childhood USA, a national nonprofit organization working to end child sexual abuse and exploitation.

He divides his time among Kansas City, New York City, and Los Angeles.

Dan Flanigan Books | Facebook| Twitter

For a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card, click the link below to enter the giveaway!

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TheBigTilt

Blog Tour Schedule

December 14th

Reads & Reels (Spotlight) http://readsandreels.com

B is for Book Review (Spotlight) https://bforbookreview.wordpress.com

@bookishkelly2020 (Spotlight) https://www.instagram.com/BookishKelly2020/

The Faerie Review (Spotlight) http://www.thefaeriereview.com

December 15th

The Scary Review (Spotlight) https://thescaryreviews.com

The Cozy Pages (Spotlight) http://thecozypages.wordpress.com/

The Magic of Wor(l)ds (Spotlight) http://themagicofworlds.wordpress.com

December 16th

Breakeven Books (Spotlight) https://breakevenbooks.com

Rambling Mads (Spotlight) http://ramblingmads.com

Tsarina Press (Spotlight) https://www.tsarinapress.com

December 17th

Didi Oviatt (Spotlight) https://didioviatt.wordpress.com

@the_eclectic_review (Spotlight) https://www.instagram.com/the_eclectic_review/

I’m into Books (Spotlight) https://www.imintobooks.com/

@bookishkelly2020 (Review) https://www.instagram.com/BookishKelly2020/

December 18th

Book Dragons Not Worms (Spotlight) https://bookdragonsnotworms.blogspot.com/?m=1

Meli’s Book Reviews (Review) https://melisbokreviews.wordpress.com/

@the.b00kreader (Review) https://www.instagram.com/the.b00kreader

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