BLOG TOUR: Deadbeat - Adam Hamdy

Peyton Collard was a good man once, but his life changed after a horrific car accident. Divorced, drunk, and severely damaged, Peyton is offered a life-changing sum of money to kill an evil man. But as he goes on a vigilante journey that leaves a trail of bodies across California, Peyton wonders about the identity of his anonymous patron. Soon, his questions become an obsession, and he embarks on a tense and potentially deadly investigation to discover the truth about the murders he’s committed.

 

What did I think?

Now that's what I call a gritty thriller!  I've had Adam Hamdy on my radar for a while but this is the first book of his that I have read and it's absolutely brilliant.  

Peyton Collard admits he is a deadbeat after being convicted of drink driving and causing the death of a young woman.  I actually felt really sorry for him and the chain of events that led to that devastating moment in time that saw his life veering off course.  War has got a lot to answer for and I could totally understand why Peyton, a forces veteran, drank himself into oblivion.

I have never flipped so much in my opinion of a protagonist.  From feeling sorry for Peyton at the start to despising him for taking more lives, but even that's not black and white.  Peyton isn't killing for his own gain, it's so his daughter can have a better life.  Oh man!  Although I could never condone taking a life, I can understand why the temptation was irresistible.

The chapters are short and punchy and the prose is action-packed making the pacing blisteringly fast.  It's just crying out to be made into a movie and I would be very surprised if we don't see this one on our screens in the future.   

With a protagonist you both like and despise, Deadbeat is a dark and gritty thriller that had me on the edge of my seat until my virtual stand up to applaud the magnificent and completely unpredictable conclusion.  A very highly recommended and completely unmissable book.

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

About the author:

Adam Hamdy is a Sunday Times, Kindle, and international bestselling author and screenwriter who works with studios and production companies all over the world. The author of 15 novels including 6 books in the multi-million bestselling Private series co-written with James Patterson, Adam lives in Mauritius.

His most recent standalone novel, Deadbeat, has been described as a superlative thriller by Publishers Weekly. His previous standalone novel, The Other Side of Night, was one of the New York Times Best Thrillers of 2023 and appeared on several best books of the year lists.

Adam has a degree in Law from Oxford University and a degree in Philosophy from the University of London and was a strategy consultant prior to becoming a writer. A fan of extensive research, Adam is well versed in finance, technology and science. He is also published in numerous world-class scientific and medical journals.

A former boxer and kickboxer, seasoned skier, rock climber, sailor, and CPSA gold marksman, Adam also seeks thrills off the page.

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BLOG TOUR: Three's a Crowd - S. R. Booker

Out-of-work actor Harriet is recuperating from a crash-and-burn affair with Damian – aka ‘Cockweasel’ – and making ends meet as a barista when she meets two rather lovely men. Tom is a regular at the café, and seems like such a nice guy. Smooth-talking DJ Richard is older, but in great shape – a real silver fox.

 

Deciding to take a chance on both of them, Harriet doesn’t realise at first that she is actually dating father and son. Tom and Richard aren’t on speaking terms, and don’t share a last name – so how was she to know? By the time everyone finds out, both Tom and Richard are truly madly deeply in love with Harriet, and she’s faced with an impossible choice.

 

But as the battle for her affections intensifies, ‘Cockweasel’ makes an unexpected reappearance and begs her to give him another chance…

 

What did I think?

I absolutely loved this book.  Thank you Simon Booker for making me laugh and smile so much.  Three's a Crowd is just the tonic I needed to escape the madness of real life.

Harriet is a barista who wants to be an actor, but her dream of moving to Tinseltown seems to get more distant with every coffee she makes.  Tom is just Extra Cinnamon Guy' to Harriet until he finally works up the courage to ask her out.  When Harriet enters a radio competition to be the Voice of London, she meets DJ Richard who takes an instant shine to her.  Richard has good taste, his son Tom likes Harriet too...what are the chances it's the same Tom?

Told from three perspectives of Harriet, Tom and Richard, with an odd grandad George chapter thrown in for good measure, this isn't an ordinary story of girl meets boy - it's so multifaceted the book virtually sparkles.  The writing depicting the different voices of the characters is absolutely fantastic, especially Harriet's nagging doubts that seem to be constantly shouting in her ear.  I loved Gorgeous George (Richard's dad), he's such a smooth talker and rich lady magnet but his charms won't work on his son, who doesn't speak to him.

The fractured relationships between Tom and Richard and Richard and George adds an element of mystery and intrigue that shocked my jaw in to dropping to the floor when it all became clear.  I was really amused by Tom and Richard both trying to outdo each other to win Harriet's affections, they didn't know that Harriet was still hung up on her ex and she would drop everything (and I mean everything) if he ever came back into her life.

Three's a Crowd is like Cinderella mixed with a Carry On caper; it's fun, fresh and hilarious.  It's a fabulous romcom that often had me laughing out loud but also experiencing the various emotions of the characters as I loved all of them.  Highly recommended - it's one of the most entertaining books I've read this year.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

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BLOG TOUR: Let in the Light - Gerard Nugent

 

Let in the Light is the uplifting must-read for fans of Mike Gayle, Nick Hornby and Keith Stuart.

Songwriter, Richie Carlisle never wanted to be famous.

After stumbling into the limelight five years ago, he soon found himself crashing back out of it. Now, he spends his days working in a small music shop in Edinburgh, attempting to live a quiet life as a part-time dad.

But his 15 minutes of fame have taken its toll. His inspiration for songwriting, music and life in general seems to have all but disappeared.

When Richie is given a flyer advertising the first meeting of the Hope Street Songwriters’ Circle, it’s a chance to step back into the world. But after years of hiding away, letting in the light won’t be easy.

What did I think?

The rays of sun on the cover are very apt for Let in the Light; this book is so uplifting that I was positively beaming like a little sunbeam at the end of it.  Set in the turbulent world of the music industry where you only get one chance, this is what happens when you blow that chance.

Richie Carlisle enjoys playing in the Friday Night Jukey (an open mic where the audience gets to choose the songs) at his local pub in Edinburgh.  Just as he finds the love of his life, he is picked up by a music producer and whisked off to London to form a band with the enigmatic Karl King.  Richie and Karl clash from the start and there's an intriguing hint of some previous history between the pair which will all be revealed later.

It all goes terribly wrong when the band plays their first public gig and Richie finds himself hurtling back to Edinburgh, wanting to put this whole nightmare behind him but finding it has scarred him forever.  Fast forward six years or so and although his relationship with Pen didn't work out, they now have a beautiful 5 year old son called Finn.  Although he works in a music shop, Richie has lost his love of music and songwriting but fate has plans to get him back on track.

What a wonderful story!  I loved the glimpse into the music industry when a new band is formed and egos need to be stroked.  My heart went out to Richie when events beyond his control led to his relationship with Pen breaking up and as Finn is his whole world I couldn't imagine Richie coping well without him.  The community of Hope Street plays a huge part in the book and I found it easy to conjure an image in my head of this fabulous little street.

Incredibly uplifting and beautifully written, Let in the Light is a wonderful debut from Gerard Nugent that left me with a huge smile on my face.  It's so easy to get bogged down in the darkness without realising it and this book left me with the inspirational message to always let in the light.

Many thanks to Gerard Nugent for sending me a digital ARC to read and review for the blog tour; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

About the author:

Gerard Nugent is a writer living in Yorkshire. 'Let in the Light' is his debut novel, although he has been writing songs for years. Gerard was born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland. He moved to England in his 20s and worked in various northern towns before settling in beautiful Yorkshire with his family and two guinea pigs. In 2019, he attended a writing class to help him generate ideas for further songwriting, but, instead, started writing a novel.

Profits from the book will be going to Health in Mind - an Edinburgh based charity that creates awareness of mental health and wellbeing within communities. https://www.health-in-mind.org.uk/

eBook edition published through Stormlight Press available on Amazon from 22.1.21. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Let-Light-Gerard-Nugent-ebook/dp/B08SLFM6TR

The trailer for the eBook can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/1ZamYI_oh4g

Gerard’s website is www.gerardnugent.co.uk He can also be found across social media:

Facebook: @gerardnugentwriter / Twitter: @letinthelight20 / Instagram: @gerardnugentwriter

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The Secrets of Sunshine - Phaedra Patrick

A single father gets an unexpected second chance at love in the heart-warming new novel from the bestselling author of The Library of Lost and Found.

Only his daughter Poppy knows that behind his prickly exterior, Mitchell Fisher is deeply lonely. He may have sworn off romance, relishing his job cutting off the padlocks that couples fasten to his hometown’s famous ‘love story’ bridge… but underneath it all, he’s still grieving the loss of Poppy’s mum.

Then one hot summer’s day, everything changes when Mitchell bravely rescues a woman who falls from the bridge into the river. He’s surprised to feel an unexpected connection to her, but then she disappears. Desperate to find the mysterious woman, Mitchell teams up with her spirited sister Liza to see if she’s left any clues behind. There’s just one – a secret message on the padlock she left on love story bridge…

Brimming with Phaedra Patrick’s signature charm and a sparkling cast of characters, The Secrets of Sunshine follows one man’s journey to unlock his heart and discover new beginnings in the unlikeliest places.

What did I think?

You can't cross a bridge these days without seeing love locks attached and as romantic as they are, the combined weight of all of this additional metal seriously weakens the bridge structure.  In The Secrets of Sunshine, Phaedra Patrick reminds us that each padlock has a story but you don't need to damage local landmarks to tell your love story.

It is main character Mitchell's job to remove the padlocks from the bridge in his town and he sees each and every single lock as an act of vandalism.  Mitchell has lost the love of his life and is filled with grief, regret, guilt and anger except when it comes to his daughter, Poppy.  Poppy is Mitchell's whole world and the relationship they have is so heartwarming.  After rescuing a woman who fell from the bridge into the river, Mitchell is devastated to wake up in hospital and be late to collect Poppy from school.  Hailed as a local hero, people start writing to Mitchell sharing their own stories of what the bridge means to them but the only story Mitchell is interested in is that of the nameless woman he rescued.

As we often find, it is a small world and through Poppy's music teacher, Liza, Mitchell finds a link to the woman on the bridge.  Liza has also been searching for the same woman and they double their chances of finding her by working together.  With Liza's influence and the letters he receives, the wall that Mitchell has built around his heart starts to crack.  He must let go of his guilt in order to start to living again.

It was very sobering to read Mitchell's story when his partner, Anita, was alive.  As an architect in a firm with the contract to build a new bridge, Mitchell spends more time at work than at home.  He missed out on so much of Poppy's life and constantly let Anita down but Poppy reminds us that his being home on the day of Anita's accident could have been more devastating.  We often think: 'If only I'd been there' when something bad happens but I certainly have never thought of it in quite the way that Poppy did.  What we think of as a cruel twist of fate, could perhaps have been so much worse.

I love receiving physical letters, which of course I rarely do these days, so I loved this part of the story.  Not only Mitchell's habit of letter writing but the way that strangers poured out their hearts to him through putting down their words on paper.  Phaedra Patrick has reminded me that there is something so very special about a hand written letter and we should never miss the chance to write one.

The Secrets of Sunshine is a warm and uplifting story; it's charming and heartwarming.  At first, I wasn't really sure what the book title had to do with the story but when I finished reading I was left with a warm and happy glow; it was as if sunshine had seeped out of the pages of the book and warmed my skin.  It's the perfect feel-good book for summer.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon