BOOKSTAGRAM TOUR: The Facade - Angela Clegg

She built the perfect life. Now someone is determined to destroy it. 

Tara Mayfield fought her way out of the gutter to build her very own fairytale. Once a girl with nothing, she is now the successful CEO of a beauty empire, with wealth, influence and a devoted husband who believes in the woman she has become. But Tara has never told him the whole truth.

When two million pounds connected to a powerful crime boss vanishes, Tara is framed for the theft. Suddenly the criminal world is closing in on her again, and the man who helped her rise from nothing now believes she has betrayed him.

With dangerous enemies demanding answers and the police starting to uncover secrets from her past, Tara has only days to find who's trying to ruin her. Because this isn't just about stolen money. Someone believes Tara once got away with murder, and they're determined to drag her back into the darkness she fought so hard to escape.

Now Tara faces an impossible choice: tell the truth and risk losing everything she's built, or protect her perfect life by becoming the woman she once was…

The Facade is a fast-paced crime thriller about secrets, revenge and a past that won't stay buried, perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell and Gillian McAllister.

 

What did I think?

The Facade is Angela Clegg's debut novel and what a corker it is.  It grabbed my attention from the start and kept me riveted throughout.

Businesswoman Tara is such an intriguing character.  I felt sorry for her at first when her past very publicly comes back to haunt her but she is one tough cookie and she didn't need my pity as she is more than capable of looking after herself.  Just how capable she is becomes very apparent as the book progresses.

The tough female main character reminded me a little of the early Martina Cole books but less sweary.  The story twisted and turned to keep me on my toes and I could never tell what was going to happen next.  It is quite dark and gritty in places but incredibly entertaining and I loved it.  It's like a cross between The Sopranos and Eastenders with danger and drama around every corner.

Filled with tension and suspense, The Facade is a fabulous debut novel and I will be keeping an eye out for what Angela Clegg writes next.  I enjoyed it and think it's well worth a read.

I received a gifted paperback for the LBT Bookstagram Tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Waterstones

Amazon

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BLOG TOUR: A Family Affair - Joy Wood

Odele Gardia . . . married to wealthy businessman Howard, is the hard-nosed matriarch of the family and will stop at nothing to achieve her goals. She’s ruthless in the boardroom and not afraid to lean on adversaries. 

Sebastian Gardia . . . Odele’s brother and business partner. His wife, Freya, reveals that she is pregnant with their first child.

Elliot . . . the prodigal son, is returning from America with his girlfriend, intending to propose to her.

Business is booming, her brother is going to become a father, and her son is coming home – it’s surely a time to celebrate. But Odele is hiding a huge secret and is constantly looking over her shoulder. If the secret came out, it would destroy the family.

Jimmy Alder . . . booted out of the police force, has been paid to spy on the family. The discovery he makes could have catastrophic consequences for them all.

A dysfunctional family, protectors of their power, wealth and each other, have no warning of the revelations about to erupt and the cost to their dynasty.

 

What did I think?

Oh my word, what an absolute belter of a book this is.  I couldn't put it down and loved every single minute of it.  The Gardia family make the Ewings look like a functional family and J.R. Ewing is a teddy bear compared to Odele Gardia.

Talk about a dysfunctional family - the Gardias are toxic.  Odele and Seb run a business together and whilst their business might be successful, their personal lives are about to implode.  I felt really sorry for their partners, especially Seb's wife Freya who should be on cloud nine after discovering that she is finally pregnant but her short-lived happiness is about to take a nosedive.

What a tangled web of secrets and lies Joy Wood has skilfully weaved for her readers.  There are so many secrets and reveals that I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to discover them all.  A few I suspected but I was shocked and surprised by a lot of them.

Filled with secrets and lies, A Family Affair is a gripping, compelling and unputdownable novel.  It's the first book that I have read by Joy Wood and I will definitely be adding more of her books to my TBR based on the strength of A Family Affair.  Very highly recommended.

I received a gifted paperback from the author to read and review for the Rachel's Random Resources blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the author:

Joy Wood has worked as a nurse most of her adult life and turned to writing to ‘see if she could.’ Her earlier work was adult romance and intrigue, but more recently she has switched genres to crime with a romance element which has paid off. In May of 2025, Joy was the fortunate recipient of the RNA award in the crime fiction category for her book Whatever It Takes. Joy lives in the small but charming seaside town of Cleethorpes in North East Lincolnshire and her writing ideas come from watching the tide turn daily, of course with the obligatory ice-cream – someone has to support the local economy!

Social Media Links – 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/joywoodauthor

Website: www.joywoodauthor.wordpress.com

Email: joymarywood@yahoo.co.uk

X: @joywoodauthor

Instagram: @joywoodauthor

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Snow Love Lost (Marram Bay Book 2) - Portia MacIntosh

Ivy, the owner of a year-round festive store, loves Christmas. When her mother passed away, Ivy vowed to take over her mother’s store and keep the Christmas spirit alive in the idyllic seaside town of Marram Bay, and she’s been running the place single-handedly ever since.

The only thing missing in Ivy's life is a dash of romance – something her twin sister, Holly, will not let her forget.

As Christmas approaches, an enigmatic businessman moves to town, threatening to bulldoze her beloved shop to make way for a holiday complex. Ivy must fight to save the store. But could this intriguing newcomer be hiding a softer side, one that just might grant all her holiday wishes?

 

What did I think?

I don't know how I haven't discovered Portia MacIntosh until now but I'm so pleased that I have as I absolutely loved Snow Love Lost.  It's the republished second book in the Marram Bay series but it can definitely be read as a standalone, although (like me) you will be adding the other two books (and more of Portia's) to your wishlist. 

The prologue is set in 1998 and introduces us to fraternal twins Holly and Ivy who couldn't be more different; for one thing, Holly dislikes Christmas and Ivy loves it.  It's a bit difficult to escape the festive period as their mum owns a shop called Christmas Every Day in the picturesque seaside town of Marram Bay.

Fast forward to the present day and Ivy is running the shop after buying out Holly's share when their mum passed away.  It is clear that this is more than a shop to Ivy as it's almost as if it holds some of her mum's spirit so she is prepared to fight with all she has to save the shop, despite dwindling sales and the landlord selling the building.

There is an amazing enemies to lovers trope when Seb walks into the shop one day with no intention to buy anything festive, but rather the whole building.  Ivy could maybe handle a new landlord but Seb doesn't want the building, he wants the land and his bulldozers are revving their engines.  Ivy would hate him if only he wasn't so hot!

Enemies to lovers comes hand in hand with a 'will they/won't they' vibe and I adored every second of it.  I completely fell in love with the characters and I think I must've had something in my eye at the end as my eyes were a little moist to say the least.

Funny, flirty and incredibly heartwarming, Snow Love Lost is a lovely read filled with heart and a sprinkling of Christmas pixie dust.  You've got a new fan right here, Portia MacIntosh!

I received a gifted paperback from the publisher that I chose to read; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

BLOG TOUR: Cheddar Luck Next Time - Beth Cato

A cozy cheese-scented mystery with delightful characters, a dash of murder and tons of intrigue, perfect for fans of The Thursday Murder Club and The Maid.

Cheese-obsessed Bird Nichols has just inherited her grandmother’s estate in a quiet, quirky Californian town. But when a body is found on her property, her life begins to get rather loud…

Bird Nichols is ready to make a fresh start in a familiar place. Last year, her parents died together in a car crash and her beloved grandmother is presumed dead from an ocean drowning. Bird is now moving onto her grandmother's California coastal property, and finally living out her dream. Bird loves cheese like nothing else. It's her autistic special interest, and she designs her boards along her sensory needs, and other people love them, too.

But just when everything seems to be going right, the local troublemaker ends up dead on her rural road. Grizz, the closest thing Bird has to family, is the sheriff department's favourite suspect, but she is determined to prove Grizz’s innocence. So now, Bird needs to unpack her possessions, assemble her pretty cheese boards, and find the true murderer before they strike again.

 

What did I think?

Oh wow, I loved this fun and slightly bonkers book!  I mean a cosy mystery with cheese and a cat that makes Garfield look slim, not to mention a lovable and inspirational main character who is autistic - what's not to love?  

Bird loves cheese and, as a cheeselover myself, I was positively salivating at some of the vivid descriptions of the smell and taste of her cheese boards.  Bird has suddenly found herself alone in the world after the devastating death of her parents followed by the disappearance of her grandmother.  Bird inherits her grandmother's estate and moves to Foghorn, which despite its name used to be a quiet town until trouble followed Bird into town.

You really can't help but love Bird and her unusual name.  I think the fact that she is autistic is great for diversity in literature and it really made me think about our own character quirks and how difficult it must be when they are amplified to such a debilitating degree.  Bird shows that she can live and thrive with autism and she turns her fixation with cheese into her livelihood.

Just like her Grandma, Bird can't help investigating crime and she finds herself drawn into a web of danger and deceit when a murderer strikes in Foghorn.  During her investigation, Bird rescues the victim's cat Bowser and just thinking of this big orange furball puts a smile on my face.  What a great character he is - I could almost feel his purrs reverberating through the book!

Whilst the storyine has its own contained plot, there are some tantalising threads of the story left unfinished so I hope that this is the start of a new series.  I really enjoyed my virtual visit to Foghorn and would love to return.  If you love cosy mysteries (and cheese and cats) then please do not miss this book; I absolutely loved it and would highly recommend it.

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:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

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BLOG TOUR: Token - Beverley Kendall

Kennedy Mitchell is brilliant, beautiful and tired of being the only Black woman in the room.

Two years ago, she was plucked from reception for a seat at the boardroom table in the name of “representation”. Rather than play along, she and her best friend founded Token, a boutique PR agency that helps diversity-challenged companies and celebrities. With famous people getting into reputation-damaging controversies, Token is in high demand and business is booming, but when her ex shows up needing help repairing his reputation, things get even more complicated and soon Kennedy finds herself drawn into a PR scandal of her own.

 

What did I think?

Token is a book that I have not been able to stop thinking about, long after I read the final page.  It highlights and explores so many different prejudices that I found both shocking and sobering.

Kennedy is the right sex and colour required to secure a new client for the company where she is working as a temporary receptionist.  The ruse works and the company have their important new client but, what is most shocking, is that I can totally see companies doing this.  This devious trickery gives Kennedy the idea for a new business where she can help companies to diversify or at least give the illusion of doing so.

Although I questioned the ethics of her business model, I absolutely loved Kennedy Mitchell; she has really had to work hard to get where she is but whilst she may be a successful businesswoman she is not quite so successful in love.  I think her own prejudices about herself hold her back from revealing her true feelings to the man she loves.

I was hooked from the very first page and I just knew that I was going to love the strong and sassy main character of Kennedy.  There are lots of serious thought-provoking subjects to ponder and reflect on later as well as some steamy sex scenes that had me reaching to turn down the thermostat.  

Token is a fresh, modern and powerful novel that completely captivated me from start to finish.  I am 100% invested in the characters and can't wait for Beverley Kendall's next novel after reading the sneaky peek at the end of the book.  An important and highly recommended read.

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:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

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