REVIEW TOUR: The Light in Her - Reem Kadry

Alexis Adel is burning up…

In Cairo, she works long hours as a trainee reporter and teaches English most evenings. Under Hosni Mubarak's rule, Egypt is a land where most struggle against fear, poverty and extremism, with only their faith to sustain them. Alexis is determined to become the best news reporter she can be, to make her mark in a world that doubts her. But before long, she will be fighting for her life.

She throws herself into her work in the hopes of improving and being given more serious news reports. The intense workload and a short-lived affair with a philandering news anchor bear heavily, bringing exhaustion and insomnia. But then she meets Hisham, an aspiring diplomat – their mutual attraction is instant.

Alexis’ reports on a bombing at a rural church land her a position as a fully-fledged reporter. But the horrors she has reported on are plaguing her mind and taking a toll on her health. She leaves everything behind to escape to London, hoping to find healing. Yet, there is a voice within that is urging her back to Egypt, will she listen?

 

What did I think?

Inspired by true events, The Light in Her is a heartbreaking yet hopeful story of a young women on the cusp of landing her dream job only to find herself lying in hospital fighting for her life.

Alexis Adel has always dreamed of being a news reporter and she has worked hard to get to where she is today.  She has been working so hard that she has ignored the warning signs that things might not be quite right healthwise.  My heart was breaking as I feared Alexis had left it too late but she is such a strong character and she is determined to fight with all her might.

It is a stark reminder that you should never put your career before your health, even though lots of us do (I have been guilty of this myself in the past).  When something so life changing happens it's a chance to take stock and reprioritise and it's interesting to see what ends up being most important to Alexis in the end.

Beautifully written, The Light in Her is a stunning debut novel from Reem Kadry with an inspirational and unforgettable main character.  It's well worth a read.

I received a gifted ARC for the Literally PR Online Book Review Tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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BLOG TOUR: The Spiral Path (The Aunt Lily Yorkshire Dales Mysteries Book 2) - Anthony Aberford

When a ley line is discovered running between York and Carlisle, the women of the Ilkley Wellness Centre can't resist organising a tour to explore it. But the path they follow leads somewhere far stranger than any of them bargained for.

A series of mysterious encounters draws them and their guests deep into the Yorkshire Dales, where ancient monoliths, abbey ruins and cave carvings hold secrets that have lain hidden for centuries. With the enigmatic Aunt Lily's help, they must piece together the truth before it's too late.

Their past adventures have taught them that hidden passages between realms exist, and some would exploit them for their own ends. As dark forces close in, the friends must believe the unbelievable, follow the Tarot and trust each other completely, as the strength of their friendship and the limits of their belief are tested to the extreme.

Full of white and dark magic, strange apparitions, hapless witches and women with old knowledge, The Spiral Path is a magical mystery tour through the Yorkshire Dales with surprising consequences.

This wonderfully engaging cosy mystery with a thriller's edge is perfect for fans of Janice Hallett and Richard Osman.

 

What did I think?

Having loved meeting Aunt Lily in The Conservatory, I couldn't wait to continue her adventures in The Spiral Path.  You can definitely read The Spiral Path as a standalone as Anthony Aberford reminds us of any pertinent points from the first book.

I love the character of Aunt Lily; she is so mysterious, entertaining and charming.  The ladies of the Wellness Centre find themselves in need of Aunt Lily's help once again when exploring some local ley lines unearths something quite unexpected.  Eeek!  I couldn't read fast enough as the danger levels increased and anything can happen when there's dark magic involved.

Once again, Anthony Aberford brings these wonderful characters to life with his vivid and descriptive writing.  I could easily visualise them in my head and I could almost hear them speaking to me.  I think this would make a fantastic TV series.

Filled with magic and danger, The Spiral Path is a spine chilling read that entertained me from start to finish.  It's the perfect read for the cold, dark nights and I am happy to recommend it.

I received a gifted ARC for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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Hobeck Books

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INSTAGRAM TOUR: Murder at the Book Club (The DCI Chloe Taylor Mysteries) - Colin Wade

Two years after solving The Murder at the Manor, Detective Chief Inspector Chloe Taylor has another murder on her hands. A member of a local book club has been poisoned, but the motive for her murder is unclear.

Taylor’s initial investigation is hampered by the fact that one of the book club members, Rosemary Channing-Brearley, is a personal friend of the Chief Constable and a member of the Police Commissioner’s crime panel. The worst type of social climber, she lords her superiority over Taylor and the rest of the book club.

Two more brutal murders follow, both involving members of the same book club. Two suspects are quickly identified, and Taylor comes under increasing pressure to convict them based on seemingly compelling evidence. But the more her team investigates, the more convinced they become that dark secrets within the book club, and a deep hatred of Channing-Brearley, are key to solving the case.

As Taylor tries to balance the stresses of work with her husband’s desire for them to have another child, her resilience is stretched to the limit as she searches for the truth.

Can she solve the Murder at the Book Club?

 

What did I think?

I haven't read Murder at the Manor, the first book in the DCI Chloe Taylor Mysteries series, but you definitely don't need to have read it to enjoy Murder at the Book Club as I thought it was brilliant.

This is a very intriguing mystery with members of a book club seemingly being targeted and killed one by one, with the remaining members wondering who will be next.  This should be an easy one to solve for the police as the book club is the only link but it's a lot more complex than that.

It's my first introduction to DCI Chloe Taylor and I loved her.  What a fantastic well-developed character!  Colin Wade brings Chloe and all of the characters to life with his vivid and descriptive words.  I am hooked after just one book and want to read the previous book as well as all future books now!

Gripping, intriguing and compelling, Murder at the Book Club is an absolutely cracking crime & mystery novel and it's one I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.

I received a gifted paperback for the Insta Book Tours Instagram Tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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BOOKSTAGRAM TOUR: Almost a Ghost Story - Emily Bullock

Four strangers. One liminal ferry. A final chance to choose love over regret.

When time stands still aboard a midnight Isle of Wight ferry, four passengers find their fates tragically bound together. Overseen by a cryptic ticket collector, they face a staggering choice: find the courage to embrace the love and responsibility they once fled, or remain trapped by their past forever. Two passengers are allowed to return. Can they undo the past? And on a vessel caught between worlds, who is fighting for their future-and who is already a ghost?

Almost a Ghost Story is a beautifully crafted speculative mystery about the enduring power of love, the haunting cost of a life half-lived, and the secrets we keep from ourselves.

 

What did I think?

Oooh Almost a Ghost Story is a very clever book; it's quite dreamlike and otherworldly so I wasn't really sure what was real but I think that is the point.

Four passengers on a ferry think that they are strangers but their lives are linked.  The ferry is a sort of in between life and death and some people have one way tickets whilst others have the chance of a return.  How very thought-provoking this is and very clever to make the Solent into a modern-day river Styx.

Emily Bullock's writing is beautiful and I was completely drawn into the story, finding myself caring about what had happened and was about to happen to the characters.  I think I need to read it again to fully appreciate the beauty of the story and it will be my absolute pleasure to do so.  

Unusual, unique and thought-provoking, Almost a Ghost Story is well worth a read.

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: Smorgasbord - Marc Joan

WHAT DO WE OWE THE STRANGER? WHAT DO WE OWE THE DEAD?

A Japanese man paints a second eye on a doll. A widow holds an injured gull to her chest and cries by the sea. A grieving child climbs a stack of pallets to send a lantern into the sky. A chess player forfeits a game he was winning. A man places three red tulips on a grave.

Marc Joan's critically acclaimed short fiction spans Geneva and San Francisco, Cornwall and Cambridge, Wales and India, the very old and the not-so-old – and the distances between the people who live in them.

Written with delicacy and the occasional dark twist, Smorgasbord is about what we carry across borders – grief, memory, guilt, old age – and what we leave behind.

 

What did I think?

Smorgasbord by Marc Joan is well named as it really is a little bit of everything.  

I don't usually read short stories as I find them a little abrupt and unsatisfying but this is not the case with Marc Joan's collection.  The writing is so poetic and lyrical that there wasn't a story I didn't enjoy.

There are 27 short stories with their length ranging from 1 to 23 pages, so it's a book you can read cover to cover or dip in and out of.  It's like a virtual trip around the world and I enjoyed every second of it.

Smorgasbord is a collection of incredibly varied and surprisingly deep short stories.  I enjoyed it more than I expected and I'm happy to recommend it.

I received a gifted ARC for the Novel Tours blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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Waterstones

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BOOKSTAGRAM TOUR: House of Bricks - Marc Scott

Dark clouds roll back over Meadonwood, shrouding the once charming town in a growing sense of dread. The peace its residents cherished is slipping away, replaced by a fear they hoped never to face again. After the brutal killing of a small child, panic spreads and all trust is fractured. And now, the corpses of strangers begin appearing in deserted cars, like grim calling cards.

Only one figure – a former local hero – has the authority and the courage to hunt down the monster responsible and restore sanity to the place she grew up in. But someone else may hold the key to the madness consuming the town – a broken woman hiding from her own reality. A tormented soul sheltered in total obscurity, battling the ghosts of a past she can’t outrun.

Maybe the end isn’t just an escape; maybe it’s the only way to be free.

 

What did I think?

House of Bricks is Marc Scott's third 'House of' novel but I think you can read and enjoy it as a standalone.  I did find it a little difficult to get into at first and I wondered if that was simply because I hadn't read the earlier books.  I will certainly be reading the earlier books to find out!

It shouldn't be a surprise as it says so on the cover but it is a very dark crime novel.  The writing is a bit too vivid as I almost had nightmares about one of the early scenes, but that just goes to show the quality of Marc Scott's writing.

Once I got a handle on who all the characters were, I found it to be a very gripping psychological thriller but I was just missing that connection you get from having read the series in order.  So this is one I plan to re-read when I have read House of Straw and House of Sticks.

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

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BOOKSTAGRAM TOUR: The Age of Fury - John Stephens

A fierce seventeen-year-old Irish girl joins forces with a notorious gangster to hunt down her sister's killer.

1907. New York City. A glittering world built on lies - and one murdered girl who could expose them all.

Caitlin Quinn crosses the ocean from Ballykelly with nothing but a desperate letter from her missing twin, Mary. New York is meant to hold answers - but instead it offers danger: a sprawling metropolis with a brutal underbelly of crooked deals, criminal empires and forces who'd kill to keep Mary's truth hidden.

Then there is William Furey - a feared gangster haunted by a rage he can't explain. He has his own orders to find Mary, and when his search collides with Caitlin's, their unlikely alliance sparks something fierce and undeniable.

As the walls close in, Caitlin and William realise the truth will cost them far more than they ever imagined. To uncover what happened to Mary, they must risk everything: their loyalties, their futures, and the fragile trust growing between them. Because love, like justice, exacts a price. And some sacrifices are paid in blood . . .

The producer, director, and writer of shows including Gossip Girl, Gilmore Girls, The O.C., and Gotham turns his attention to the underworld of Gilded Age New York in this riveting suspense novel that blends tension and humanity - and deftly showcases a heart-stirring exploration of truth, identity, and love.

 

What did I think?

FIVE HUGE STARS!  The Age of Fury is one of the best books I've read this year, if not this decade.  Absolutely outstanding!

Billed as 'Peaky Blinders meets Brooklyn', I have never watched Brooklyn but I definitely got Peaky Blinders vibes.  It's published by Hot Key Books, which is a teen and YA imprint of Bonnier, but it is a fantastic historical fiction novel for adult readers too.

The haunting prologue is a letter from Mary to her twin sister Caitlin asking her to leave Ireland and come to New York to help her.  Caitlin doesn't think twice and immediately sets sail for America, writing to Mary about her journey.  Caitlin's unique, funny and strong voice shines through the prose as she is constantly talking to Mary in her head and telling her everything that is happening, making me laugh out loud along the way.  Caitlin is determined to find out what has happened to Mary and so is gangster William Furey.

I absolutely adored the two main characters, Caitlin and William, whose points of view are told via their own chapters.  The chemistry between the two of them doesn't just sizzle on the page, it erupts like fireworks.  As their paths keep crossing and their feelings grow, William has to decide what is most important to him: Caitlin or his very dangerous boss.

I don't think I can really put into words how much I enjoyed this book.  It is action-packed, blisteringly fast-paced and completely binge-worthy.  I want to read it again so I can experience it all over again.  Unforgettable and unmissable, The Age of Fury is definitely going on my favourites shelf.

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

My rating:

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UK.Bookshop.org

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