BLOGATHON: My Girl - Jack Jordan

Paige Dawson: the mother of a murdered child and wife to a dead man.

She has nothing left to live for… until she finds her husband’s handgun hidden in their house.

Why did Ryan need a gun? What did he know about their daughter’s death?

Desperate for the truth, Paige begins to unearth her husband’s secrets.

But she has no idea who she is up against, or that her life isn’t hers to gamble – she belongs to me.

What did I think?

I am reposting my review from 2016 as part of the blogathon for he new cover of the book so please do follow all the stops on the posters at the end of my review.

After naming Anything For Her as one of my top reads of 2015, I could hardly contain my excitement when Jack Jordan asked me if I would like to read his new book.  The answer was of course 'yes please' as I checked my email every hour to see when My Girl would drop through my virtual mailbox.  

Paige feels like her life is falling apart.  Her daughter, Chloe, went missing and Paige never found out what happened to her.  This all became too much for Paige's husband, Ryan, as he chose to end his life leaving Paige struggling to cope without her family.  As Paige feels her life spiralling out of control she turns to drink and drugs to numb the pain, even resorting to desperate measures to obtain them.  She sobers up pretty sharpish when she finds a gun in Ryan's office and strange things start to happen in the house, leaving Paige questioning her sanity and fearing for her own safety.  Luckily she has family she can turn to...

I think one word that a lot of people will use to describe My Girl is 'unputdownable'; I read it in one sitting over a couple of hours and don't think I even stopped for a beer - that's praise indeed coming from me!  As part one drew to a close you could have knocked me down with a feather - I so didn't see that coming!  My jaw hit the floor and my eyebrows shot up to the sky - not a pretty look but one that many thriller readers will recognise and the mark of a very good book!

There will inevitably be parallels drawn between My Girl and a well known book that shall not be named as it will give one of the twists away.  My Girl has the benefit of the element of surprise as up until part two I would never have thought the book was going in that particular direction.  Now you will have to read My Girl to find out what on earth I am talking about.

My Girl is certainly a strong contender for my top reads of 2016, in fact I'd say it is one to beat.  Jack Jordan is really getting a name for himself as a very talented psychological thriller writer.  With twists and shocks galore, My Girl will keep you riveted from start to finish and I urge you to read it for yourself - you won't regret it (although you may have a late night of reading).

I chose to read a digital copy of the book and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Amazon

Follow the tour:

BLOGATHON: Anything For Her - Jack Jordan

For my stop on the Compulsive Readers blog tour, I am reposting my review of Anything For Her from July 2015, updated with the stunning new cover.  

The unputdownable debut from bestselling author Jack Jordan.

Sometimes the past comes back to haunt you.

Louise Leighton's life has fallen apart, all because of one fateful night. Her husband is an adulterer, her sister is his mistress, and soon, Louise will lose everything she owns. But she never imagined she would lose her daughter.

Eighteen-year-old Brooke Leighton is missing. It's up to Louise and the Metropolitan Police to find her. Has Brooke run away? Or has she been taken against her will? And can Louise aid the investigation without mentioning the night where all of her troubles began?

If she mentions that night, she will incriminate her daughter for heinous crimes. But if she doesn't, she may never find Brooke; and if she has been abducted, the person who took her may come for Louise, too.

Sometimes the past comes back to kill you.

What did I think?

Louise Leighton is happily married to Michael with two happy carefree children, Brooke and Dominic, when an unfortunate event shatters her world.

Wow!  This book fell through my letterbox and didn't even hit the bookshelf - once I picked it up, it refused to be put down!  It gripped me from the very first page when Michael revealed that he had been having an affair with his sister-in-law.  He blames his actions on Louise, as she has changed after “that night”.  “That night” is the hook that had me turning page after page, long after I should have been asleep and dreaming of books, beer and cheese.

Jack Jordan has very cleverly chosen a mindless act for “that night” that sets in motion a series of events with cataclysmic consequences, resulting in a shared secret between Louise and her daughter, Brooke.  The tension was palpable as more details of “that night” emerge and the past doesn’t just come back to haunt them, it comes back to get even.

This is an exceptional debut novel; the writing is sublime with an abundance of magnificent metaphors that had me mentally applauding on every page.  This is definitely a contender for my book of the year.

I received a copy of the book from the author; this is my honest and unbiased opinion. 

My rating:

Buy it from:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Follow the tour:

BLOG TOUR: The Way By - Holly Walters

Fairies are real. Or they ought to be, at least, according to Madame Bel Carmen's best hypotheses. Her problem, however, is that after searching the world over for the lore to prove it, she hasn't uncovered anything that someone didn't already know. Out of options, she knows her only chance to prove the existence of the Fae is to find someone who's met them, and she's just heard tell of a reclusive scholar who has reportedly done just that. This folklorist is more than just withdrawn; she's nowhere, an academic ghost known only by a few obscure writings.

 

What did I think?

I've only just started reading fantasy books and I was drawn to the beautiful cover of The Way By and that first sentence in the blurb: Fairies are real.  The chapters are quite long so it's a book I read in several small chunks and it took me around 9 hours in total to read.

Holly Walters' writing is beautiful; it's very poetic and vivid.  There's a scene with some birds that really sticks in my mind and I snapped the book shut at the end of that chapter in case the birds flew out of the page.

I loved the idea of The Way By, a place that few people can access and it's a place that is in danger.  What follows is a battle of good versus evil as the Waysmith leads her fellow women into battle against Clarisant, an evil unicorn.  I really enjoyed reading some of the backstories of the characters, although they are quite dark and disturbing, but it shows the strength of these brave women.

Whilst I enjoyed The Way By, I think it is more for advanced fantasy readers than beginners like me.  There is a lot of action in the book (and I wasn't sure what was going on half the time) and I also kept getting some of the characters mixed up.  I will make a list of characters when I go back to the book for a reread.

Filled with magic and danger, The Way By is an imaginative and enchanting novel that is set in a land where the impossible becomes possible.  Well worth a read for fantasy enthusiasts.

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

My rating:

Buy it from:

Amazon Canada

Amazon USA

Amazon UK

About the author:

Holly Walters originally hails from a small, rural, town in Minnesota. A life-long storyteller, Holly is also a cultural anthropologist with a PhD from Brandeis University working in the high Himalayas of Nepal. While her ethnographic work focuses on fossil folklores and sacred ammonites in South Asia, her creative work pays homage to the dragons, unicorns, and fairy tales of her youth.

When not writing, she can be found perfecting her Medieval archery skills, theorizing about movie plots, and forgetting where she left her tea cup. Today, she makes her home in Boston, Massachusetts, with a very unruly garden, a few equally cantankerous pets, a clever spouse, and a resident house ghost. And since her creepy sculpture hobby hasn’t panned out thus far, she is looking forward to the publication of her first novel and the writing of many more.

Follow the tour:

BLOG TOUR: Crucial Black (Relic Black Thriller Book 2) - Colin Garrow

I really enjoyed the first book in the Relic Black Thriller series, Terminal Black, so I am delighted to be taking part in the Rachel's Random Resources blog tour for the second book in the series, Crucial Black.  You can find out about the book below and scroll down to read an extract.

A brace of corpses. A bone-crunching machine. A new recruit.

Now employed by an Inverness organised crime gang, former petty thief Relic Black is teamed up with hitman Ali McKay, the man he almost killed a few weeks earlier. As the team tidy up the loose ends after the shooting, gang member and bent cop DI McKenzie must investigate the disappearance of two people, knowing Relic and Ali have already disposed of the bodies.

Meanwhile, Rebecca’s unpopular colleague DI Swinney, suspects her of involvement in the shooting. Knowing one of the bodies currently taking up space in the mortuary remains anonymous, he discovers the man’s identity. Can Swinney uncover the truth, dig the dirt on McKenzie and regain his former status with the DCI, or will the gang step in to stop him?

Warning - strong language and adult situations throughout.

Crucial Black is book #2 in the Relic Black Thriller series set in Inverness, Scotland.  

NB book #2 is not a standalone – the series must be read in order.

Purchase links:

Amazon

Smashwords

Extract

DI Ray Swinney has suspicions about his colleague DI McKenzie and believes she may be linked to the villain known as Relic Black. Unfortunately, he has no idea how to tie them together…

Divisional HQ, Old Perth Road, Inverness 9:26am

Behind his desk in the corner of the office, Detective Inspector Raymond Swinney stares across at the display board where only a few days ago several mugshots were exhibited. One of those which has been removed depicted the face of the man known as Relic Black.

Swinney rubs his chin the way Sherlock Holmes might when pondering a complex case. Though it’s been explained to him that petty-thief Black gave a statement exonerating him in the murders of Carl Palfreyman and/or the individual known as Toothbrush Man, Swinney isn’t convinced. How can an arsehole like that be allowed to get away with anything? To make things worse, Swinney doesn’t quite believe that the bloke with one eye missing is the one currently taking up space in the mortuary. And why doesn’t he believe it? Because Rebecca Fucking McKenzie’s got her lesbian paws all over it.

He sighs. Trouble is, he can’t prove anything. Even if he could, she’d waggle her arse and talk her way out of it. What’s needed is to find a link between McKenzie and Black, if there is one, and pin something on her that’ll stick.

But as his old dad used to say, that’ll not get the bairn a new coat. With a sigh, he forces himself back to reality and studies the mugshots on the FBI’s ten-most-wanted page. It’s hardly relevant to Scottish crime, but he likes to imagine one of these tossers might turn up in Inverness one day, allowing the soon-to-be-lauded DI Swinney to make a name for himself. And maybe claim the reward, though he’s not too sure about the ethics of such things. One of the faces—the bearer of several aliases, including Stig Halvorsen—looks vaguely familiar but for the moment he can’t work out why. Clicking through the hundreds of villainous mugshots in his memory, he stares at the image on the screen, trying to place where he’s seen the man before.

Then it hits him.

Standing, he walks across to the display board where the remaining crime scene photos from Wester Dalziel have been arranged. His eyes swivel between the ones showing the two dead men, both shot in the head. One, he knows, is the man identified as Carl Palfreyman. The other one is taken from a few feet away and shows a man wearing an eye patch. And this man has a big nose and a wide mouth.

Swinney struggles to keep his excitement in check but despite his efforts, lets out a low moan of what can only be described as pleasure. One of the plods walks past and gives him a funny look.

‘What?’

‘Nothing, sir.’

‘Fuck off, then.’ He pauses. ‘Hang on a minute.’

The young copper turns and walks back. ‘Sir?’

Keeping his voice low, Swinney says, ‘What’s yer name, son?’

‘Kikelomo, sir.’

Swinny looks him up and down. ‘Not from round here, are ye?’

‘No, sir. I’m from Lossiemouth.’

‘I meant—’

‘I know what ye meant, sir.’ He smirks in that condescending manner Swinney is used to.

Swinney coughs. ‘Didn’t ye pick up Inspector McKenzie this mornin?’

‘I did, sir.’

‘Just out of interest, where did ye pick her up from?’

The young man grimaces, glances across at McKenzie’s empty desk. Next to it, DC Koch is busy tapping away at his computer. ‘Some place on Gordonville Road.’

Swinney flaps his hand. ‘Oh, aye. That’s where…thingummy lives…’

The copper doesn’t bite.

‘Don’t fuck about, son. Who lives there?’

Another grimace. ‘I’m not meant to say, sir.’

‘Aye ye are. Ye’re meant to say to me. Who lives there?’

‘I believe she works at the hospital.’ He gives a short nod and walks away before he’s given the chance to drop himself even further in the shit.

Swinney has a bit of a think. The hospital. That could mean the mortuary, which could mean quite a lot. Ruminating on the possibilities, he turns his attention back to the photo and something else comes to mind—a phrase bandied about by the woodentops suggested Toothbrush Man looked a bit like the actor Daniel Craig. Staring at the image, Swinney notes there is a resemblance, but this man’s nose is too long, his mouth too wide. But there is enough of a resemblance to consider that the body of this man—the not Daniel Craig lookalike—might feasibly have been substituted for the real Toothbrush Man.

About the author:

Colin Garrow grew up in a former mining town in Northumberland. He has worked in a plethora of professions including taxi driver, antiques dealer, drama facilitator, theatre director and fish processor, and has occasionally masqueraded as a pirate. 

His short stories have appeared in several literary mags, including SN Review, Flash Fiction Magazine, Word Bohemia, Every Day Fiction, The Grind, A3 Review, 1,000 Words, Inkapture and Scribble Magazine. He currently lives in a humble cottage in Northeast Scotland where he writes novels, stories, poems and the occasional song.

He also makes rather nice vegan cakes.

Social Media links:

Twitter https://twitter.com/colingarrow 

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/colinngarrow/ 

Website https://colingarrow.co.uk/  

Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/colin-garrow 

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/colingarrowthewriter

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@colingarrowauthor 

Follow the tour:

SPOTLIGHT TOUR: Conviction - Jack Jordan

If you have been following my blog, you will already know that I am a huge Jack Jordan fan.  His fantastic 2015 debut, Anything for Her is one of the best debuts I've ever read and just when you think you've read the best Jack Jordan book, he publishes another one that beats it.

I'm not sure how he could ever beat Do No Harm, which I absolutely loved and I'm still recommending to everyone (you can read my review HERE), but his new novel Conviction is coming out on 22nd June 2023 and I can't wait to read it.

To steal a man’s freedom all it takes is…

CONVICTION

Wade Darling stands accused of killing his wife and teenage children as they slept and burning their house to the ground.

When the case lands on barrister Neve Harper’s desk, she knows it could make her career.

A matter of days before the case, as Neve is travelling home for the night, she is approached by a man. He tells her she must throw the case or the secret about her husband’s disappearance will be revealed. Failing that, he will kill everyone she cares about, until she does as she is told.

Neve must make a choice – go against every principle she has ever had, or the people she loves will die.

Now, before you click HERE and rush off to Waterstones to preorder a SIGNED copy of Conviction, take a look at the fabulous book trailer:

About the author:

Jack Jordan is the global bestselling author of Do No Harm, Anything for Her, My Girl, A Woman Scorned, Before Her Eyes, and Night by Night an Amazon No.1 bestseller in the UK, Canada, and Australia. Jack's novel Do No Harm was a Saturday Times Bestseller and was longlisted for a Dead Good Reader Award in 2022.

Follow Jack:

Twitter: @JackJordanBooks

Instagram: @JackJordan_author

Facebook: @JackJordanOfficial

Follow the tour:

BLOG TOUR: On Hampstead Heath - Marika Cobbold

 

On Hampstead Heath by Marika Cobbold is a sparkling little gem of a book.  I had already posted my review when an invitation for the blog tour arrived in my inbox and I loved the book so much that I was keen to jump on board the tour bus.  I am delighted to share an extract from the book for my stop on the blog tour and you can also click here to read my review.

Extract

1

I grew up in a house of whispers, of meaningful glances and half-finished sentences.

‘Tell me.’

‘Tell you what?’

‘What you’re not telling me.’

‘Don’t be silly.’

‘Tell me!’ I shouted.

‘Rudeness will get you nowhere,’ they said. Then they sent me to my room.

‘My room is somewhere,’ I said.

These conversations never ended well.

People asked, as people do, ‘So, little girl, what do you want to be when you grow up?’

‘I’d like to be God.’

I blame the vicar. He was the one who told us, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God.”’

All I wanted was to know.

Unsurprisingly, I did not grow up to be God. Instead, I became a journalist. A journalist is a seeker of Truth, its upholder and defender. Or so I thought.

Where lies go unopposed, democracy dies. A long time ago, when I first started out, I embroidered the words, badly, in cross stitch and hung the framed canvas above my bed, as a reminder, should I need one, of why I became a journalist. Now it hides, face to the wall, at the back of my wardrobe; a reminder, should I need one, that I’m a liar and a hypocrite.

I flicked through my clothes. What does a liar and a hypocrite wear on judgement day? It sounds like the start of a joke.

What does she wear?

Something light and loose, but not voluminous.

That won’t have them rolling in the aisles.

I’d asked him to meet me on Viaduct Bridge. It was where it all began; the place where, by some strange alchemy, I might yet turn fiction into reality.

It was early still, and overcast, but by the time I got to the Heath the sun was shining. I thought, it’s a bad omen, the sun always shines when something truly shitty happens in my life. It’s why I believe in a higher power. Chance does not do irony.

I stood on the bridge, looking down at the still water. What was it like, I wondered, down in that mirror-world of bridge and trees?

The minutes ticked by and turned into half an hour. I checked my phone but there were no messages. He wasn’t coming. I don’t know why I had imagined he would. Hope, I suppose; that prankster makes fools of us all.

Five more minutes, I told myself, no more.

I looked out across the pond. The mandarin duck was there, with his grey-feathered friends. It seemed their tranquil morning swim would not be disturbed after all.

But here he was, crossing the bridge towards me, his hair copper in the morning sun. But no halo – the halo would have been too much; he was splendid all the same.

I raised my hand in a wave. He didn’t wave back. I stuffed my hand in my trouser pocket.

‘Rose.’ He gave me a curt nod.

‘Thank you for coming.’

‘Sure.’

And there we were, two little people whose lives did not amount to a hill of beans in this vast, indifferent universe. Only there is a different universe, there always is: a tiny, selfimportant one, built by us, for us. A fool’s universe, if you like, but that’s OK, because in that universe, he and I, standing there on Viaduct Bridge, mattered a great deal.

‘What did you want to see me about?’

‘I was hoping to explain.’

He shrugged. ‘Fine, explain away.’

I opened my mouth but nothing came out. He glanced at his watch, shifted from foot to foot, like someone cornered by a talkative stranger. I lost my nerve.

‘I was drunk and on a deadline.’

‘You’re a journalist. That’s not an explanation, it’s an ordinary day at the office.’

Unfair, but this was not the time to argue.

‘I’d never planned for things to go as far as they did.’

His tone was brisk. ‘People never do.’

‘The story, it took on a life of its own, like Frankenstein’s monster. I was powerless to stop it.’

‘No, you weren’t.’

I took a step towards him and my hand, being just a limb, incapable of understanding, reached out for his. ‘Rufus, please.’

He took a step back.

I said, ‘You really can’t forgive me?’

He looked down at my hand, then back up at me.

‘No. No I don’t think I can.’ With that, he began to walk away.

The sun just kept on shining, bathing the bridge in golden light, turning the duckweed emerald.

‘But what will I do without you?’

He turned to look at me. ‘Work,’ he said. ‘Isn’t that what you do?’

I took the phone out of my pocket and put it down on the ground. I scrambled over the railings and onto the ledge, closed my eyes and jumped.

Doesn't it sound great?  You can buy a copy from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

Follow the tour:

BLOG TOUR: The Introvert Bears Filthy Witness - Michael Paul Michaud

 

Newly estranged from Donna, The Introvert is selected as one of twelve jurors on a notorious murder trial, forcing him to navigate a litany of uncomfortable social interactions, this time with no avenue of escape. Equal parts harrowing and hilarious, The Introvert Bears Filthy Witness is the third entry in the life of one very anti-social and unexpected anti-hero. 

What did I think?

The Introvert Bears Filthy Witness is the third book in the fantastically quirky introvert series and you could totally read it as a standalone but it'll be better to read it as part of the series to fully understand the main character and his foibles.  Although I think Michael Paul Michaud's introvert series won't be everyone's cup of tea, I absolutely love these books.  An introvert myself, although not to the degree of our unnamed anti-hero, I can really empathise with the main character and his discomfort in social situations. 

Michael Paul Michaud has completely nailed the character of the introvert.  Anyone with any introvert tendencies will recognise the following qualities of our main character: an unwillingness to be around people, a desire to draw as little attention to himself as possible and talking as little as possible, especially to people he doesn't know or care about i.e. most people he meets.  His social awkwardness reminds me a little of Forrest Gump and he seems even more Gumplike when our introvert shares a wonderful little pearl of wisdom about old people being like unopened gifts...  I'll not finish the sentence as I don't want to spoil it for others, but it's so completely charming that I'll never forget it.

In this instalment, the introvert is called up for jury duty and his literal analytical brain makes him perfect for such an important task.  He focuses on parts of the case that others skip over as unimportant and causes no end of conflict with his fellow jurors.  I love a courtroom thriller so I really enjoyed this part of the book as I joined the jurors in sifting through the evidence to find out what really happened.

Putting our introverted anti-hero into such a stressful social occasion seemed to mess with his wiring a bit, especially when he's going through a rocky patch in his relationship.  As he becomes more and more of an unreliable narrator, there are plenty of surprises in store for the reader and I loved this level of unpredictability that really kept me on my toes.

An absolutely brilliant addition to a wonderfully quirky series, my only disappointment was turning the final page of The Introvert Bears Filthy Witness.  I'm completely addicted to this series and I can't wait for the next instalment.

Thank you to Michael Paul Michaud and Book on the Bright Side for providing me with an ebook to read and review for the blog tour; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

About the author:

I am an American-Canadian citizen, a criminal prosecutor, and author of BILLY TABBS (& THE GLORIOUS DARROW) (bitingduckpress) and THE INTROVERT series (Black Opal Books). I have a B.A. in English from McMaster University, an Honors B.A. in Political Science (summa cum laude) from McMaster University, a J.D. from The University of Western Ontario (with an international exchange completed at Washington & Lee). I have won awards for both my community service and my work as a criminal prosecutor. I am a member of Crime Writers of Canada and International Thriller Writers. I also strive to maintain a strong social media author presence, including at facebook.com/michaelpaulmichaud, and have made regular appearances on SiriusXM’s Canada Talks. I am an unabashed and unapologetic zealot of Twin Peaks. Literary influences are primarily Orwell, Dickens, Vonnegut, Dostoevsky.

I was inspired to write The Introvert after reading Crime and Punishment (Dostoevsky) and The Stranger (Camus). It has been likened to Dexter and American Psycho meeting Office Space and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. I also consider it the most unorthodox of animals rights books. Every dog lover should read them.

Facebook author page https://www.facebook.com/MichaelPaulMichaud/

The Introvert Book Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TheIntrovertBook/

The Introvert Confounds Innocence Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TheIntrovertBook2

Twitter: @MichaelPMichaud

Instagram: @MichaelPMichaud

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-michaud-04439311/

Goodreads page for The Introvert: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32808811-the-introvert

Goodreads page for The Introvert Confounds Innocence: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44490433-the-introvert-confounds-innocence

Goodreads page for The Introvert Bears Filthy Witness: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55516994-the-introvert-bears-filthy-witness

Follow the tour:

BLOG TOUR: Dead Perfect (Maggie Jamieson thriller, Book 3) - Noelle Holten

 

A murdered woman…

When the body of a young woman is found in a local park, DC Maggie Jamieson knows she’s dealing with no ordinary killer.  The murder victim has been disfigured; her outfit changed to resemble someone else.  Someone Maggie knows all too well…her close friend Dr Kate Moloney.

A determined detective…

Maggie is determined to keep her friend safe, but with Kate already struggling with a threatening stalker, Maggie now fears Kate’s life is in real danger.  Who else would want to harm Kate and why else would the killer be turning his victims into exact replicas – his living dolls? 

Can Maggie find the depraved killer?  Or will Kate become his next living doll?

What did I think?

After leaving us with the mother of all cliffhangers in Dead Wrong (book 2 of the Maggie Jamieson series), I couldn't wait to get my hands on book 3, Dead Perfect.  I found it really hard to stop my eyes from jumping forward as I was desperate to claw my way back from the precipice Noelle Holten had left us on, but at the same time I didn't want to miss anything either.  Although Dead Perfect picks up where Dead Wrong ended, you could most definitely read Dead Perfect as a standalone thriller.

Things get personal for DC Maggie Jamieson when the latest wave of killings seem to have a link to her friend, Dr Kate Moloney.  The murdered women have all been made to look like Kate so Maggie knows that it's only a matter of time before the killer gets their hands on Kate herself.  Trying to find the killer and keep Kate safe at the same time, Maggie finds herself busier than ever and tempers start to fray as the danger towards Kate increases.

Maggie is quite a complex, guarded character and even though I've read all three books I don't think I'm any closer to getting to know her.  Maggie plays her cards close to her chest with regards to her personal life but she can be very brusque in her work environment, even more so when the case is personal to her.  It doesn't help when an annoying journalist starts sticking her nose in and printing details that the police haven't disclosed.  

Dead Perfect is filled with so much tension that I could almost hear the tick tock as the clock counted down to finding the killer.  It's an excellent plot, as you would expect from Noelle Holten, although I did ruin some of the surprise for myself by inadvertently spotting 'whodunnit' but the 'why' more than made up for that.  Ending with not so much a cliffhanger as a hill-hanger, it leads nicely in to book 4 and I can't wait for more.  

Dead Perfect is a great addition to the Maggie Jamieson series and if you've not discovered Noelle Holten yet then you're missing out on some cracking crime fiction.  

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

Follow the tour:

BLOG TOUR: Poisoned - Jennifer Donnelly

 

Beautiful Sophie, with lips as red as blood, skin as pale as snow, and hair as dark as night, is about to come of age and inherit her father's throne. But Sophie's stepmother wants rid of her - beautiful she may be, but too weak and foolish to reign. And Sophie believes her, as she believes all the things that have been said about her - all the poisonous words people use to keep girls like her from becoming too powerful, too strong.

When the huntsman carries out his orders of killing Sophie, she finds a fire burning inside her that will not be extinguished, and sets off to reclaim what was taken from her.

Jennifer Donnelly turns her feminist eye to this most delicious of fairy tales and shows Snow White as she's never been seen before.

What did I think?

In my opinion, you're never too old for fairy tales and I love reading retellings of my favourite stories from childhood.  Before I say anything about the content of the book, I have to mention the amazing cover of Poisoned - the shattered red apple is so striking and of course links in to the story beautifully.

Poisoned is the story of Princess Charlotta-Sidonia Wilhelmina Sophia of the Greenlands, whose name is thankfully shortened to Sophie.  Sophie has always been told that she's too weak and too soft to be queen, which suits her stepmother just fine as it means that she can keep ruling with her iron fist.  Taking advice from her magic mirror, the Queen decides to get rid of Sophie once and for all and after being left for dead in the Darkwood, seven brothers take Sophie into their home.

Anyone familiar with the story of Snow White will recognise many elements of the story that keep it true to the original tale published by The Brothers Grimm in 1812.  Jennifer Donnelly puts her own slant on the story by adding a hefty helping of feminism that allows us to see Sophie evolving from a young naive girl to a strong confident woman.  It's actually rather thought-provoking as I'm sure I'm not alone in listening to that nasty inner voice that tells me I'm not smart, pretty, thin or good enough.  It's about time we took a leaf out of Sophie's book and tell our inner voice to shut the **** up!

I really enjoyed Poisoned; it's an absolutely fabulous version of Snow White for the 21st century.  It may officially be YA but it's definitely a book that can be read and enjoyed by adults, especially those who don't consider themselves too old for fairy tales.  Jennifer Donnelly has taken the magical ingredients originally gathered by The Brothers Grimm and whipped up an absolute feast for the eyes; I greedily devoured every single word and will definitely be back for more.

Wonderfully written and perfectly plotted, Poisoned is a magical and courageous tale with a feminist slant that upgrades a familiar story and brings it into the 21st century.   It leaves the reader with a strong message to believe in yourself and to listen to your heart rather than to other people.  A simply wonderful novel that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

About the author:

Jennifer Donnelly is the author of seven novels and a picture book for children. She grew up in New York State, in Lewis and Westchester counties, and attended the University of Rochester where she majored in English Literature and European History.

Jennifer's first novel, THE TEA ROSE, an epic historical novel set in London and New York in the late 19th century, was called 'exquisite' by Booklist, 'so much fun' by the Washington Post, a 'guilty pleasure' by People and was named a Top Pick by the Romantic Times.

Her second novel, A GATHERING LIGHT, won the Carnegie Medal, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, the Borders Original Voices Award, and was named a Printz Honor book. Described as 'rich and true' by The New York Times, the book was named on the Best Book lists of The Times (London), The Irish Times, The Financial Times, Publishers Weekly, Booklist and the School Library Journal.

REVOLUTION was named a Best Book by Amazon, Kirkus, School Library Journal, and the Chicago Public Library, and was nominated for a Carnegie Medal. The audio edition was awarded an Odyssey Honor for Excellence.

In 2014, Jennifer teamed up with Disney to launch the bestselling WATERFIRE saga, an epic series about six mermaids on a quest to rid the world of an ancient evil. The first book in the series, DEEP BLUE, was released in May, 2014; the second book, ROGUE WAVE, launched in January 2015.

Jennifer Donnelly lives in New York's Hudson Valley with her husband, daughter, and two rescue dogs.

Follow Jennifer at www.jenniferdonnelly.com or on Twitter: @JenWritesBooks

Follow the tour: