BLOG TOUR: Festival Days (The Clapham Trilogy book 3) - Julie Anderson

May 1951

Celebration is in the air with the Festival of Britain and for the first time in years the mood is one of hope rather than hurt.

For Detective Constable Faye Smith, London is not as safe as it seems. The criminal underworld is gaining strength, enjoying a lively existence below the surface. Then two bodies are found in the war-time shelters, a man and a woman. Who are they?

What’s their story? Why were they murdered and how did they end up in the shelters?

Meanwhile, Ellie Peveril is busy with a celebration of a different kind. Ellie does all she can to support her friend but has her own worries, with ex-fiancé Patrick Havistock looming in the shadows. Faye, keen to unravel the mystery of the double murder, finds herself tangled up in crimes that stretch far beyond a simple killing.

Faye and Ellie must face their toughest case yet as their lives change, irrevocably, for the future.

What did I think?

Festival Days is the third and final book in The Clapham Trilogy and it's a real firecracker.  I only joined the series at book two so I enjoyed catching up with DC Faye Smith again but you can definitely read it as a standalone and still enjoy it.

Set in 1951, Faye is a woman in a man's world and it's unheard of to have a woman on the force in the 1950s but her colleagues are more accepting of her now.  Faye's latest case that this book centres around is quite tricky as it looks like a gangland execution so she needs all the help she can get.  

Faye's friend Ellie should be looking forward to her wedding day but she is convinced her ex-fiancé will turn up to ruin her day.  Even with all her own worries, she finds a way to help Faye but it puts her in grave danger.  What a wonderful friendship they have!  It makes me quite sad that this is a trilogy and not a long-running series as I could read more about these amazing characters.

Incredibly atmospheric, gripping and tense, Festival Days is a fantastic conclusion to an outstanding trilogy.  Whilst I'm sad it has come to an end, it does give me the opportunity to read book one for the first time and experience the trilogy in its entirety.  This is a highly recommended read that is sure to pick up new fans to the series.

I received a gifted paperback to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BOOKSTAGRAM TOUR: Fablenoir - Vic Sinclair

Fifteen years after climbing the beanstalk, giants are the least of Jack’s concerns…

Twisted fairy tale figures roam our world in this deliciously dark, exhilarating new Urban Fantasy series, featuring familiar characters from mythology and fables clashing and conniving in a metropolitan cesspit that runs on chaos.

Amid rumors of necromantic cults, children vanishing from the city's streets and men crying werewolf, down-and-out Detective Jackson Slade of the NYPD is at his lowest. Blacklisted by the corrupt department he works for, he finds himself winding up in the same grimy bars every night, nearly drinking himself to death and relying on mysterious magick beans to pick himself back up.

Until, one night, he stumbles upon a gruesome crime scene that will change the course of his life dramatically. When he finds the shattered corpse of egg-shaped billionaire media mogul Dick Dumpty, Jack finds himself reluctantly teaming up with the notoriously cold-blooded outlaw Goldilocks, and together they spiral into the horrifying magickal underbelly of New York City, caught in the middle of a war between the corrupt and the even more corrupt.

Coming up against forces such as the grizzly gang leader Papa Bear and the crooked giant-descendant head of the NYPD Chief Cole, Jack and Goldilocks set in motion an explosive chain of events that will change the world, for better or for so much worse…

What did I think?

Whoa! What have I just read?  Fablenoir is an urban fantasy fairy tale and I've never read anything like it before - I loved it!  This isn't a retelling but it is filled with recognisable characters from fairy tales, nursery rhymes and children's literature as you've never seen them before.  Prepare to fall down the rabbit hole into Fablenoir.

Jack (of beanstalk fame) is a detective in New York but his addiction to magick beans sees him fall from grace.  Talking of falls, that's what happens to Dick Dumpty and Jack is first on the scene.  It should be Jack's case but Chief Cole sends him packing...right into the path of Goldilocks who is doing her own unofficial investigation.  Jack and Goldilocks are such a great team and I loved how their (non-romantic) relationship developed over the course of the book. 

The writing is incredibly atmospheric and it's like watching an old black and white detective movie coming to life before my eyes as I read Vic Sinclair's evocative and immersive words.  I absolutely loved the refreshing and unique take on such well-known characters as they are rewritten very firmly into the dark side.

Dark, imaginative and atmospheric, Fablenoir is impossible to put down once you pick it up.  I was completely mesmerised from the very first page and loved ever second of this original, bumpy and wild ride.  I can't wait to continue the adventure in book two, Rose Red Undead.

I received a gifted paperback to read and review for the LBT bookstagram tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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About the author:

Vic Sinclair is a writer from the north of the UK. He spends most of his time curating ridiculously intricate character playlists and thinking up plotlines for them on long walks. This is how the grimdark epic urban fantasy series FABLENOIR was born.

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BLOG TOUR: The Strange Lives of Eleanor Teague - M K Hill

There's something wrong with Haddon Hall...

In 1876, Eleanor Teague lives in a lonely house far from the glamorous London Society she once knew. Confined to Haddon Hall by agoraphobia, bedevilled by nightmares of the death of her daughter, and haunted by the guilt of a terrible crime she committed, Eleanor depends on the household servants and on her husband Ezra, who is kind, patient… and controlling.

But when an apparition appears at her bedside, and mysterious voices urge her to find the 'Shadow House', she’s convinced an uncanny presence dwells within the walls of Haddon Hall, and that the staff are lying to her – they, in turn, fear she’s descending into madness.

As Eleanor’s world starts to fracture, the very foundations of Haddon Hall seem to shake. Why is the attic room locked? What is the Shadow House? Who is the strange woman in the woods?

The shocking truth will shatter everything Eleanor thought she knew about her life.

A haunting, high-concept thriller with a jaw-dropping twist, The Strange Lives of Eleanor Teague will enthral readers of John Marrs, Gillian McAllister and Stuart Turton. 

What did I think?

Wow!  What an absolute corker of a book!  It's not a spoiler to mention the jaw-dropping twist as it's stated in the blurb but it is MINDBLOWING!  

The main character of Eleanor Teague is complex and I really felt for her.  Not only is she grieving for her young daughter but she is filled with guilt over her death.  It's no wonder that she's frightened to leave the house.  Luckily for Eleanor, she lives in a large house with servants and her doting husband Ezra so she is well looked after...or so it would appear.

Mental health wasn't even considered in Victorian times so Eleanor is just seen as a weak and hysterical woman.  Haddon Hall is both her sanctuary and her prison and now it looks like it's haunted too.  Eleanor doesn't know what to believe or who to trust and the suspense and tension ramps up with every turn of the page.

Mind-bending, addictive and highly original, The Strange Lives of Eleanor Teague is completely unpredictable and incredibly suspenseful.  I was already hooked on the book when M K Hill delivered an ingenious twist that really pulled the rug out from beneath me and I take my hat off to you, sir!  The Strange Lives of Eleanor Teague is unmissable and highly recommended.

I received a digital ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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Waterstones

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About the author:

M.K. Hill was a journalist and an award-winning music radio producer before becoming a full-time writer. He's written the Sasha Dawson series - The Bad Place, The Woman In The Wood - and the Ray Drake series - The Two O'Clock Boy and It Was Her - as well as acclaimed psychological thriller One Bad Thing, and the espionage thriller Zero Kill. He lives in London.

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BLOG TOUR: The Conservatory (The Aunt Lily Yorkshire Dales Mysteries Book 1) - Anthony Aberford

Some secrets are best left buried; others are better never planted!

In a restored Victorian conservatory, four grieving women from the local wellness centre discover that their friend's mysterious death, amongst her toxic plants, was not an accident.

When eccentric homoeopath Aunt Lily arrives on her tricycle, she seems just the person to help uncover answers. But who is she really, and why is she there?

A sixteenth-century journal hidden in the conservatory holds dark secrets that could change everything. And an enigmatic stranger will stop at nothing to find it – making false promises and real threats.

Can the friends resist his temptations and unlock the book's hidden secrets in time? Do they have the strength to make an impossible choice before it is too late?

A creepy tale of intrigue and suspense, full of witty and charming characters, this brand-new cosy mystery novel is perfect for fans of Richard Osman, Jill Johnson and Janice Hallett who like their tea with a twist of tension.

 

What did I think?

I have to start my review of The Conservatory by mentioning the amazing cover.  It is absolutely stunning and it entices the reader to discover the dark but enchanting story inside.

Aunt Lily is a wonderful character; she is so mysterious, quirky and vividly described that she virtually pops out from the page.  Aunt Lily reminded me of Mary Poppins the way she turns up in such an unusual and unforgettable way so I loved her the moment I met her.  She has arrived just in time to help a group of women investigate the death of their friend.  It looked like an accident but it was murder!

The story is interspersed with extracts from a mysterious 16th century book and I loved how Anthony Aberford weaves this into the story.  It does get quite dark with almost a good versus evil tussle to get hold of the book and I really enjoyed this imaginative and tense supernatural element.

Incredibly intriguing and completely captivating, The Conservatory is a fantastic introduction to a new series and I can't wait to meet up with Aunt Lily again.  This is pure escapism and I loved it.

I received a gifted paperback to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BOOKSTAGRAM TOUR: Sabbatical Part One: A Book of Short Stories - LS Delorme

In these pages, you'll find...

• A tender love story between a ghoul and a human
• A cosmetic possession
• An immortal teen finding a love lost for lifetimes
• The redemption of a trafficker
• The dangers of getting everything we want
• Blemishes that heal others
• An incubus and an assassin in the breach between stories
• The making of a siren ..and more.

For readers of the Limerent Series, you will learn more about some characters you already know and love. For new readers, these short stories are an entry point into the Limerent world.

 

What did I think?

I'm a fan of the Limerent Series so I really enjoyed this book of short stories by LS Delorme.  Sabbatical is a great introduction to this highly original series for any new readers and it's also a fabulous companion to the series for those of us who just can't get enough.

There's a great range of stories inside featuring some familiar characters from the series.  It is written in such a way that new readers will not be disadvantaged by not having read the earlier books but I'm sure they will want to read more.

As someone who doesn't read a lot of short stories, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Sabbatical.  Each story is beautifully written, entertaining and satisfying and perfect to dip in and out of, if you can stop yourself from reading 'just one more chapter'.

Quirky, mesmerising and original, Sabbatical is a fabulous collection of unusual and enjoyable short stories.  It's a must-read for fans of the Limerent Series.

I received a gifted paperback for the Love Books Tours bookstagram tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BOOKSTAGRAM TOUR: The Retired Assassin's Guide to Orchid Hunting (Retired Assassin's Guide, book 2) - Naomi Kuttner

 

Assassin. Gardener. Reluctant cat adoptee.

All Dante wants is to be left alone in the small New Zealand town no one’s heard of. No drama. No bodies. No questions.

But then, of course, the orchid convention comes to town, and Dante is knee deep in suspects, intrigue, and red herrings.

On top of all this, Dante must navigate a mysterious woman from his past, cat issues, and the terrifying prospect of a first date.

And he has to do it while fighting his instinct to solve problems the old-fashioned way: permanently.

The ‘Retired Assassin’s Guide to Orchid Hunting’ is a cosy paranormal mystery with found family, ghosts, a grumpy assassin and a sunshine gardener.

Come for the murder, stay for the cat, the gardens, and the chaos.

What did I think?

Well this was a fun read.  I didn't realise it was book two in the series when I picked it up but it can definitely be read as a standalone as I really enjoyed it.

Dante is the retired assassin and although he's moved to Te Kohe in New Zealand to get away from his past, he remains very alert to threats and isn't ready to hang up his weapons just yet.  I loved Dante and his lack of social skills - he's not good dealing with people as he has usually been sent to kill them.  It certainly makes dating very challenging (for Dante) and very amusing (for the reader).

I didn't feel lost at all, having not read the first book, as I quickly got to know Dante and his very small circle of friends.  They're a bit like the Scooby Gang as they investigate a murder with their own unique set of skills.  The plot thickens when the orchid convention comes to town and it is clear that collectors will do anything to get their hands on the rarest orchids.  

It's such an enjoyable read with an intriguing murder and a fantastic cast of characters that I want to read more about.  With a host of shady suspects, it's impossible to predict and I couldn't read fast enough to find out whodunnit.  I didn't guess right of course but I don't mind being wrong when there's such a breathtaking conclusion to experience.

Unusual, unpredictable and impossible to put down, The Retired Assassin's Guide to Orchid Hunting is an incredibly charming cosy mystery that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.  

I received a gifted paperback for the Love Books Tours bookstagram tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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UK.Bookshop.org

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The Many Seas to Guernsey - Catherine Taylor

 

In the last golden years before Europe erupts into WWII a young English writer and a German Roman Catholic priest-in-training meet by chance on the small British island of Guernsey – and are drawn into a forbidden, all-consuming love. Then history and duty intrude, forcing them to choose between complicity and courage in a fight for truth, freedom – and each other. A sweeping, morally complex love story that will stay with you long after the last page, from Catherine Taylor, author of no. 1 best seller Beyond The Moon, shortlisted for the Orion/eHarmony Love Story Prize and longlisted for the Exeter Novel Prize.

In 1936 Kitty Garland-Fry moves to Guernsey with her bohemian, artist parents and unruly siblings. Marooned amid her family’s chaotic lifestyle, Kitty, a passionate writer of fairy tales, fears she’ll die of boredom and frustration if she cannot find a life of her own. In Nazi Berlin, meanwhile, Lukas von Harnitz, an idealistic and devout Roman Catholic seminarian, is reluctantly leaving for Guernsey, too, forced to interrupt his priestly studies for a year to take his newly widowed English-born mother back home to safety. Fiercely anti-Nazi, he can’t help feeling he’s abandoning both his country and his calling at a moment of gathering darkness.

Two fish out of water together, Kitty and Lukas are drawn together in their shared loneliness. Bonding over poetry and books, their days unfold like a quiet, sunlit dream on white sand beaches beneath endless blue skies, sheltered from both the pull of responsibility and the gathering storm of war. But then friendship begins to deepen into something more, and Lukas is forced into a devastating choice between God and the woman he loves, while fate also compels Kitty onto a path that will take her into the very heart of Nazi Germany.

Charting the road to war from both the British and German perspectives, The Many Seas to Guernsey is an emotional, character-driven epic grappling with themes of faith, conscience and the power of love in an age of extremes. Moving from the secluded turquoise coves of Guernsey to the towering Bavarian Alps, then the Gestapo cells of pre-war Berlin and finally the hellish beaches of the 1940 Dunkirk evacuation, The Many Seas to Guernsey is the first in a planned duology and will appeal to fans of novels like All the Light We Cannot See, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Crooked Cross, The Nightingale, The Bronze Horseman and Atonement.

Catherine Taylor is a former journalist, starting off her career at the Guernsey Evening Press, and ending up at Dow Jones News, where she wrote for the newswire and The Wall Street Journal Europe. She was born and brought up on Guernsey, where her own family experienced the German occupation and evacuation, then went on to study German history and language, giving rise to a lifelong passion for the history of the two world wars. She lives in West London with her husband, two children and five cats.

**NB This story unfolds against the backdrop of Nazi Germany and the Second World War. It contains depictions of violence, imprisonment, war crimes, sexual abuse and themes of loss and grief that some readers may find distressing.

What did I think?

It's never easy to read books set in this period but I think it's important to be reminded of events in Nazi Germany leading up to the start of World War II.  The Many Seas to Guernsey leads us in gently starting with a idyllic island setting that is a stark contrast to the brutality and violence of pre-war Germany.

This is the story of Kitty and Lukas but it's not a traditional love story as Lukas is training to be priest.  It is clear that they are drawn to one another though and Lukas has to make a difficult choice between Kitty and God.  Kitty is part of a very unconventional family, which perhaps explains her willingness to take risks and travel so far from home and fate sees her crossing paths with Lukas once again.

The story is told in three parts covering 1936-1937, 1938-1939 and 1939-1940.  There is such a lot going on in such a short period of time and it's only the start of the war so there is worse to come.  It's good to have such relatable main characters to add some light and hope to the darkness of the storyline.

It's a very emotional story with shocking and devastating moments that really hit me where it hurts.  Catherine Taylor vividly recreates some of the horrific events leading up to the outbreak of war and it gave me chills when I was reading.  I was invested in the characters from the start so I felt every emotion with them and I admit to shedding a tear or two over the course of the book.

Haunting, poignant and powerful, The Many Seas to Guernsey is a vivid and emotional historical fiction novel that pulled at my heartstrings and kept me captivated.  I'm delighted that it's part of a duology and can't wait to read what happens next. 

I received a gifted paperback for the Tandem Collective readalong and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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