Tag: crime fiction

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Blog Tour: Vengeful Dreams – Alexa Michaels

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VenegefulDreams copy

Hades and Persephone but make it a dark mafia romance please! Done!

1.Vengeful Dreams_Ebook (1)

Vengeful Dreams: A Dark Mafia, Forced Proximity Romance (The Vlasov Bratva)

Publication Date: April 17, 2024

Genre: Dark Mafia Romance

  • Obsessive hero
  • Slow burn until it’s not
  • Mistrust to lust
  • Bratva & civilian
  • Forced proximity
  • Grump & sunshine
  • Mafia Romance
  • He will burn the world for her, and does
  • A bit of groveling
  • “Who did this to you?”
  • Touch her & 💀

Daniella

Revenge,
I crave it,
But can’t get it on my own.
I ventured into the underworld and broke into the house of a monster.
And now, I have to pay the price for his help.

Work for the cold, ruthless Bratva prince,
The one whose name is whispered throughout the underworld,
And earn his trust.

But before I collect my part of the bargain,
I accidentally start an underworld war.

Kazimir

The Bratva hardened me, forged me into the perfect soldier.
Nothing surprises me.
Until I discover a little thief in my home.

The audacity of this woman,
A clever girl, aware of our world, but always keeping away,
Until now. Until she needs help when the more legal channels fail her.

I’m captivated by her graceful presence.
I can’t stay away. She calls to a part of me I thought was long burned away.
She came to the underworld looking for a dark knight,
Now I’m not letting her go. I want her—all of her.
And I will do anything to keep her in my dark kingdom.
Forever mine.
Even if it means breaking the rules and starting a war on her behalf.

Vengeful Dreams is the first book of the Vlasov Bratva series, set in the larger Midwest Underworld series. It’s a stand-alone darker mafia romance, with no cheating, a guaranteed HEA, and no cliffhangers. A morally grey romance, this book may not be suitable for everyone.

Triggers/Content Warning:

A heartbroken sibling
Reference to sex trafficking
Violence
Reference to drug abusing relative
Light stalking, more like haunting her
On page romance
Adult language
Impact play
Talk of starting a family, but there is NO pregnancy trope in this book
A corporal punishment in the criminal world
Destruction of those who hurt the FMC
Maiming of those who hurt the FMC
A Blood Oath

AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

About the Author

When Alexa isn’t writing, she can be found with a book in her lap and a mug of coffee or glass of red wine within reach.

A native of the North Woods, Alexa is an avid lake-jumper, beach lounger, and sunshine lover. Alexa is living a happily ever after with her own steamy hero.

Summer 2023, Alexa and her husband moved to the Southern Coast, changing from the court of winter and ice and pledging their allegiance to the court of sun and sea.

Alexa loves any type of love story. So you can find her writing both contemporary romance and fantasy novels. Instead of making a separate pen name, Alexa just adds her middle initial to her fantasy genre books!

Alexa H. Michaels

Book Tour Organized By:

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Blog Tour: The Winter Killings – Wes Markin

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A gruesome find. A missing colleague. A case that hits closer to home…

As winter settles over Yorkshire, DCI Emma Gardner is hoping that work will calm down for everyone.
Distracted by the continued disappearance of DI Paul Riddick Emma can’t seem to get her head back in the game. But when a human skull is discovered in a local pub, Emma knows it’s time to get a grip.
With no one local reported missing, and with no body to be found, the team have their work cut and no obvious clues to follow. Who could the skull belong to and what message is the killer trying to
leave them? And then the first body is found…

As Emma and the team try desperately to identify the body and the killer, secrets from the past begin to reveal themselves. A home for single mothers. Babies who tragically didn’t make it. A coverup at
the highest level.
With the clock ticking, winter has one final cold reveal for Emma. Her old friend Riddick…

Purchase


Wes Markin is the bestselling author of the DCI Yorke crime novels, set in Salisbury. His new series for Boldwood stars the pragmatic detective DCI Emma Gardner who will be tackling the criminals of North Yorkshire. 

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My thoughts: When a real skull appears in the props box of a local storyteller, during a performance in a local pub, right in front of DCI Emma Gardner and her colleague, it sends them on a hunt for a body, the identity and into the past in search of a motive.

The trail leads to a former homeless shelter, where truly shocking secrets have been buried, but perhaps not deep enough. Someone is determined to drag all of the terrible things that went on into the light, and they’re using murder to do it. 

Emma and her team are working hard, despite not having enough manpower –  and one of the team having a personal connection to the case. It’s a tough one for everyone.

As well as the case, Emma is still trying to find Riddick, she’s asked a former colleague to hunt him down, and he’s in a bad situation. A very bad one, but it might just be enough to get him to leave it and finally make contact with Emma.

Gripping, shocking, filled with twists, this is the best in the series so far. Can’t wait for the next one.

*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 Curse of Penryth Hall – Jess Armstrong

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An atmospheric gothic mystery that beautifully brings the ancient Cornish countryside to life, Armstrong introduces heroine Ruby Vaughn in her Minotaur Books & Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award-winning debut, The Curse of Penryth Hall.

After the Great War, American heiress Ruby Vaughn made a life for herself running a rare bookstore alongside her octogenarian employer and house mate in Exeter. She’s always avoided dwelling on the past, even before the war, but it always has a way of finding her. When Ruby is forced to deliver a box of books to a folk healer living deep in the Cornish countryside, she is brought back to the one place she swore she’d never return. A more sensible soul would have delivered the package and left without rehashing old wounds. But no one has ever accused Ruby of being sensible. Thus begins her visit to Penryth Hall.

A foreboding fortress, Penryth Hall is home to Ruby’s once dearest friend, Tamsyn, and her husband, Sir Edward Chenowyth. It’s an unsettling place, and after a more unsettling evening, Ruby is eager to depart. But her plans change when Penryth’s bells ring for the first time in thirty years. Edward is dead; he met a gruesome end in the orchard, and with his death brings whispers of a returned curse. It also brings Ruan Kivell, the person whose books brought her to Cornwall, the one the locals call a Pellar, the man they believe can break the curse. Ruby doesn’t believe in curses—or Pellars—but this is Cornwall and to these villagers the curse is anything but lore, and they believe it will soon claim its next victim: Tamsyn.

To protect her friend, Ruby must work alongside the Pellar to find out what really happened in the orchard that night.

JESS ARMSTRONG is the USA Today best selling author of the Ruby Vaughn Mysteries. Her debut novel, The Curse of Penryth Hall, won the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Competition. She has a masters degree in American History but prefers writing about imaginary people to the real thing. Jess lives in New Orleans with her historian husband, two sons, yellow cat, speckled dog, and the world’s most pampered school-fair goldfish. And when she’s not working on her next project, she’s probably thinking about cheese, baking, on social media or some combination of the above.

My thoughts: Cornwall is a place steeped in magic and mystery – long thought the land of Arthur and his knights, there’s many stories about piskies and spells in England’s southernmost county.

Ruby Vaughn is tasked to deliver a chest of books, despite not wanting to go anywhere near the home of her former close friend Tamsyn Chenowyth. But of course she visits Tamsyn and something terrible happens – Edward Chenowyth is murdered.

The Pellar, a sort of wise man, is called to inspect the body – as well as the constable, as there’s a curse on the family, or so they and the village believe. Ruby, being a modern scientific minded woman, doesn’t believe in curses or magic, she believes a human hand is behind all of it, and she will prove it. Even as she and Ruan Kivell (the Pellar) are drawn together.

The atmosphere does start to get to Ruby, but she’s determined to help Tamsyn, who is terrified her young son will be next. The answers lie in secrets from the past, things kept hidden, in grief and rumour.

I was gripped by this clever, sinister and compelling story, I really liked Ruby, her bookseller employer/surrogate father, the pompous house cat who keeps turning up everywhere, the housekeeper who over feeds everyone, they’re a delightful crew and there’s a hint at the end that there will be more to come….

*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: Redemption – Jack Jordan

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THE LATEST PULSE-POUNDING THRILLER FROM THE MASTER OF THE MORAL DILEMMA AND SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER, JACK JORDAN.

Aaron Alexander has just been released from jail after serving eleven years for causing the death of Joshua Moore in a hit-and-run. Now a free man, all he wants to do is stay on the straight and narrow and leave his troubled past behind him.
But for Joshua’s mother Evelyn, eleven years in jail isn’t nearly enough. Consumed by grief and rage, she has been waiting for Aaron’s release, counting down the days until she can exact the revenge he deserves. And now that time has come.
But as Evelyn and her husband Tobias embark on a road trip to track Aaron down, they find themselves caught on two different sides of a gripping game of cat-and-mouse. Because Tobias knows what Evelyn is planning, and he will do anything to save her from herself.
Even if it means protecting the man who killed their son.

Locked in a collision course set in motion eleven years ago, Aaron, Evelyn and Tobias are about to find out whether the road they have chosen leads to redemption . . . or to retribution.

Jack Jordan is the global bestselling author of Anything for Her, My Girl, A Woman Scorned, Before Her Eyes, Night by Night, Do No Harm and Conviction, and an Amazon No. 1 bestseller in the UK, Canada and Australia. Do No Harm was described as ‘chilling’ by Sarah Pearse, ‘brilliant’ by Lesley Kara and ‘pulse-racing’ by Louise Candlish. It was an instant Times bestseller on first publication and a Waterstones Thriller of the Month pick. To find out more, follow Jack on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok: @JackJordanBooks @jackjordan_author @jackjordan_author

My thoughts: this is a rollercoaster of a revenge road trip from hell. Ordinary couple Evelyn and Tobias had their lives turned upside down by the death of their son, and now, instead of returning to the UK and working through their grief, Evelyn has decided to track down the recently released Aaron and kill him. 

She abandons Tobias in a motel and heads off on her own with a gun and no real plan. Tobias has to commit several crimes to chase after her, trying to stop her killing anyone, especially Aaron. Unfortunately it’s a bit late as Evelyn’ rage is blinding her to anything and she’s trigger happy.

As Tobias chases Evelyn and Aaron has to go on the run to avoid her, truths come to the surface and all three are forced to reevaluate their lives.

Twisty, intelligent and cinematic, thus thriller has a real punch.

*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: Home Coming – Isabel Ashdown

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Welcome to The Starlings… sun, sea and neighbours to die for.

Security, a sparkling sea view and the best kind of neighbours – The Starlings gated community has it all. Here, doors are left open, children run free, and at the heart of it all is the entrepreneurial Gold Family, who first dreamed up this aspirational vision of ‘Dorset’s Safest Community’. To the outside world the popular family appears glitteringly blessed… until an idyllic party takes a dark turn and one of their number is found slumped at the foot of the clocktower. Who knows what really happened? And what answers are harboured within the old building, the former Highcap Mother and Baby Home?’

PREORDER ONE GIRL, ONE SUMMER NOW – A BRAND NEW EMOTIONAL PAGETURNER SET IN THE BEAUTIFUL COASTAL TOWN OF HIGHCAP, DORSET.

My thoughts: The Starlings was built as a workhouse, the became a mother and baby home and finally an asylum before finally being abandoned. Purchased by the Golds and developed into a beautiful new complex of homes, but it’s ghosts still haunt the buildings and the residents.

Katrin Gold was probably the last baby born in the mother and baby home, and despite a childhood in care, she isn’t interested in finding her birth parents. But other residents, like Anne, also born in the home, feel differently. Digging into The Starlings’ past brings up tensions among the new neighbours.

Katrin is also dealing with family issues, her husband is cheating on her, her sister-in-law is a mess, her young niece needs her support. Things seem to have deteriorated since they all moved in.

Frida, Katrin’s teenage niece, needs her mother, but she’s permanently out for the count, she’s been suspended from her boarding school, and no one seems to care what happened to her.

When a terrible accident happens at The Starlings, the police start to dig in to the tangled lives of its residents and find all sorts of secrets. Clever and gripping, this is a really enjoyable thriller about secrets and family.

*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: Boys Who Hurt – Eva Björg Ægisdottir, translated by Victoria Cribb

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Fresh from maternity leave, Detective Elma finds herself confronted with a complex case, when a man is found murdered in a holiday cottage in the depths of the Icelandic countryside – the victim of a frenzied knife attack, with a shocking message scrawled on the wall above him.

At home with their baby daughter, Sævar is finding it hard to let go of work, until the chance discovery in a discarded box provides him with a distraction. Could the diary of a young boy, detailing the events of a long-ago summer have a bearing on Elma’s case?

Once again, the team at West Iceland CID have to contend with local secrets in the small town of Akranes, where someone has a vested interest in preventing the truth from coming to light. And Sævar has secrets of his own that threaten to destroy his and Elma’s newfound happiness.

Tense, twisty and shocking, Boys Who Hurt is the next, addictive installment in the award-winning Forbidden Iceland series, as dark events from the past endanger everything…

Born in Akranes in 1988, Eva moved to Trondheim, Norway to study for an MSc in Globalisation when she was 25. After moving back home having completed her MSc, she knew it was time to start working on her novel. Eva has wanted to write books since she was 15 years old, having won a short story contest in Iceland.

Eva worked as a stewardess to make ends meet while she wrote her first novel. The book went on to win the Blackbird Award and became an Icelandic bestseller. Eva now lives with her husband and three children in ReykjavÍk.

Victoria Cribb studied and worked in Iceland for many years. She has translated more than 25 novels from the Icelandic and, in 2017, she received the OrðstÍr honourary translation award for services to Icelandic literature.

My thoughts: returning to Iceland’s dark side as Elma returns to work after maternity leave, with a man’s body in a holiday cottage, a violent murder that at first seems to make no sense. The victim doesn’t have any enemies, or close friends. His mother happens to be Elma’s rather odd neighbour, and stuck on paternity leave Sævar has been watching her, curious about her behaviour.

A box found in the attic of Elma’s old place, that has moved with them, contains a diary from the 90s, and possibly an answer to Elma’s case.

I really like this series, the cases have been so clever and twisty  – and this is no different. Elma’s case is all about secrets and a terrible tragedy from years before, some people never forget and never forgive. The writing is so good, I was totally gripped and couldn’t put it down.

*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 Post: A Body in the Henhouse – Kate Wells

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The time for celebrations is over…

Jude Gray’s farm is going from strength to strength, and even though her grumpy neighbour has concerns about the new campsite in the lower field, she is undeterred.

When a hen party arrives for a weekend away, she does her best to cater for their celebrations. But with a sheep needing urgent care – an accidental mishap or something more nefarious? – she finds
herself consulting the group, which coincidentally contains four vets.
When one of the hens goes missing, it becomes clear there are more sinister forces at play, and someone is targeting her farm. With the help of close friend Detective Inspector Binnie Khatri, Jude
once again dons her amateur sleuthing hat.

They uncover a web of deceit, affairs and rivalries, but will they find the perpetrator before events turn murderous?

Purchase


Kate Wells is the author of a number of well-reviewed books for children, and is now writing a new cosy crime series set in the Malvern hills, inspired by the farm where she grew up.

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My thoughts: this series goes from strength to strength, with another clever crime for Jude and police pal Binnie to unravel. Jude has set up a campsite in one of her fields and is hosting a hen party of vets for a long weekend of walks and barbecues.

One of the hens goes missing and has left her phone and purse behind, the other women suspect foul play as there’s no sign of her and her car’s still parked in front of the field. 

Is Jude’s grumpy neighbour involved? Especially after some of her sheep are poisoned, he’s always complaining about her business and interfering. Or is something more sinister going on?

It’s also Sebbie’s fourth birthday and Jude is adding more animals to the farm, thinking that she can turn a paddock into a petting zoo to encourage more customers. Or just because animals are super cute and Sebbie gives them all excellent names.

It’s another enjoyable and clever read, with twists and turns. I didn’t see the truth about the missing hen coming at all, it’s so well done and shocking. Can’t wait for the next one.

*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: Vengeance – Saima Mir

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For two years, Jia Khan has been running her late father’s organised crime business in the north of England. So far, her authority has remained unchallenged, but now things are beginning to unravel.

When she finds her father’s notebook recounting his arrival from Pakistan in the 1970s, it awakes an old family feud that could have devastating repercussions for Jia. And worst of all, one of her staff lies brutally slain, his corpse displayed provocatively in her garden despite her sophisticated security.

Someone is getting dangerously close. Could there be a traitor in Jia Khan’s trusted inner circle?

Saima Mir has written for The Times, Guardian and Independent. Her debut novel, The Khan, was a Times Bestseller, a Guardian best crime and thriller and a Waterstones Thriller of the Month. Her essay for It’s Not About The Burqa (Picador) appeared in Guardian Weekend and received over 250,000 hits online in two days. She contributed to the anthology The Best, Most Awful Job: Twenty Writers Talk Honestly About Motherhood. Saima grew up in Bradford and now lives in London.

My thoughts: Jia Khan has cemented her role at the top of her father’s criminal organisation but she’s also inherited his enemies. Finding her dad’s 1970s diary she learns how he started his empire building, and who he crossed to do so. 

When her enemies strike directly at her and her family, Jia knows she has to hit back hard, and make it clear that she is the Khan and no one can topple her. She also makes some changes to her organisation that will bring it up to date and strengthen her position. 

This was another gripping instalment of Saima Mir’s crime series, Jia is a really interesting character and this book really develops more of her, the way she manages her organisation and the complicated relationships she has with her family and employees.

*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: Rogue Hero – Rob Sinclair

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When a mystery bystander stops an assassination attempt on a prominent politician, it sparks a national search that captivates the nation…

Curtis Delaney watches the footage play out on the news, and immediately recognises the unidentified hero. He hasn’t seen his brother Finn in six years. He doesn’t know where he’s been in that time, or what he’s been doing. But there’s one thing he does know: Finn is no hero.
Curtis is determined to find his brother, but equally, Curtis is no detective. A husband and lawyer (and not the ‘good’ kind), with a mortgage and responsibilities, Curtis isn’t cut out for delving into whatever seedy business Finn has gotten involved with. But when armed men turn up on his doorstep, claiming to be FBI, he quickly realises he’s been left with no choice.

The hunt for the truth will take them from the Capitol building in Washington, to the sun-kissed beaches of Mexico, and the cold streets of London, uncovering secrets of fraud, blackmail and murder. Can the brothers reunite before the real hero is discovered by the wrong people?

Purchase


Rob Sinclair is the million copy bestseller of over twenty thrillers, including the James Ryker series.
Most recently published by Bloodhound, Boldwood will publish his latest action thriller, Rogue Hero, in June 2024 and will be republishing all the James Ryker series over the coming months.

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My thoughts: I wasn’t sure if this was going to be my sort of book at first, but I really enjoyed it. Curtis isn’t much of a detective, he’s a lawyer who helps rich people get richer and his marriage is slowly falling apart. But when he spots his estranged brother on the TV one night, the “hero” who saved a senator from gun men, he decides he can’t just ignore it – he has to find his brother.

It’s not that easy, Finn doesn’t seem to want to be found, and none of his old friends have anything nice to say about him. Chasing breadcrumbs, Curtis is running out of ideas until a woman (and her barely restrained PI) literally tackle him in the street. They’re looking for Finn too. 

What follows is a hunt across the globe, following clues based on Finn’s last known job and whereabouts – working for a dubious billionaire in Mexico. Now, this is something Curtis knows a bit about -dodgy dealings. Did Finn find something out that got him into trouble?

Fast paced, clever and gripping, this was a really enjoyable and fun read. Curtis is out of his depth most of the time and I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him as he gets involved with the FBI, gangsters, international crime and brings chaos into his quiet life.

*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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Cover Reveal: The Time of the Fire – Emma Kavanagh

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Northern California, end of summer. Fire Hazard Severity Zone: Very High.

A mysterious death.

On the anniversary of her mother’s death, CEO-in-waiting Robyn Sandoval goes for a morning run. She knows her father – a local fire fighting hero – is desperate to speak to her, to tell her something he wants her to know before she starts her new job leading the corporation that owns most of their Northern Californian town of Destino. But when Robyn arrives, she finds him dead.

A devastating fire.

Meanwhile, after months of drought, a freak forest fire ignites on the mountain ridge looming over the town. Destino has never burned; its unique position protected by the seemingly insurmountable barrier of the ridge, a favourable wind direction, and a belief long held by the community that they are categorically safe.

A life split in two.

Robyn is shaken to the core by her father’s death, and her life is shattered in two, the fabric of her reality shorn by the sheer force of her grief.

The next time she wakes, everything is different: her father is alive, and there’s no sign of the fire on the ridge.

To understand what is happening, she has to confront not only the secrets of her past but both versions of her present. Because back in her world, the fire is spreading and the time to find answers is running out…