Loom in the Loft - Jay Black

Pubescent short story writer Drew has two dreams: to become a New York Times bestselling novelist, and to convince his single, 30-something neighbour Sasha to tutor him in the intimate arts. When an aged, terminally ill neighbour offers Drew the cash fortune stashed in the walls of her house, he enlists Sasha to assist with its post-mortem extraction. Pressed by the looming arrival of the deceased's estranged adult children, both eager to inherit her estate, Drew and Sasha bank on their promise to keep secrets neither can afford to have exposed.

 

What did I think?

Loom in the Loft is a quick read at just 86 pages long but there is a lot going on in the book to keep the reader entertained.

Set in Canada in the 1970s, Drew is 13 years old but he works hard both inside and outside of school to make his single mother proud of him.  Drew mows lawns for his neighbours and he's so highly regarded that one of his elderly neighbours leaves him a life-changing inheritance.  It's one of the younger neighbours who catches his eye though...

Sasha works from home making blankets in her loft and she sees an opportunity to get Drew working for her, keeping her house clean and her bed warm.  It is clear to everyone but Drew that he is being groomed and manipulated by Sasha, but Drew doesn't really care as his wet dreams are becoming a reality.

It's no surprise which direction the story goes in and I was prepared to feel really angry on Drew's behalf but he is so mellow that I ended up having no ill-feelings towards Sasha as both characters got what they wanted in the end.

I really enjoyed the story and felt it was perfectly paced from start to finish.  The only slight criticism I have is that my reading rhythm was slowed somewhat by the conversion to today's money whenever a monetary figure was mentioned.  It didn't slow me down much though!

Nostalgic and captivating, Loom in the Loft is a very entertaining coming of age story and I think it's well worth reading.

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

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: Cousin Ash (The Sandlin PI Series Book 2) - S.E. Shepherd

“Run for it!”

Those words were the highlight of a much-loved childhood game in the woods.

But were they also Ash’s last words?

A chance meeting with a school friend of Lottie’s brings Hannah a new case. She’s confident Sandlin Private Investigations can find out who’s responsible for the recent threats at Eliza’s house. But, as she and Lottie begin to unravel the facts of the present case, they also find themselves involved in a longstanding mystery.

Three cousins, once as close as siblings.

Ash, the black sheep

Grieving Ash loved her dad deeply, but swore no one else understood her. She’s been missing for twelve years, and is now presumed dead.

 

Eliza, the peacemaker

Eliza, rebuilding her life after heartbreak, inherits everything.

 

Scott the ‘baby’

Scott, broken and bitter, inherits nothing.

What made Auntie Miriam so angry that she left nothing in her will to Scott? And why did Scott and Eliza make a pact all those years ago never to admit the truth about the disappearance of their cousin Ash?

Ash may be presumed dead, but somehow, she’s still causing trouble.  Ultimately, the case can’t be solved without answering the question – what really happened the last time the three cousins were all together in Lullaby Woods?

 

What did I think?

Cousin Ash is the second book in the Sandlin PI series but oh my word, you can definitely read it as a standalone as it's absolutely brilliant and I loved every minute of it.  2022 is the year of Hobeck Books as they have published some corkers and Cousin Ash is no exception.

From looking at the cover, I thought this was going to be a fun, cosy mystery but it is a gripping double mystery with a dark and dangerous undertone.  Eliza inherited her Auntie Miriam's house when she passed away as Miriam's daughter Ash disappeared 12 years ago but Eliza is now being threatened, apparently by Ash.  What happened to Ash and who is threatening Eliza?

Eliza knows more about Ash's disappearance than she's letting on, but it's her cousin Scott who Miriam blamed for Ash going missing.  Oooh this was very intriguing and I couldn't read fast enough to find out what really happened that night in the woods.

Hannah Sandlin is a private investigator and, together with her friend Lottie, she intends to solve the mystery of Ash's disappearance and she seizes her chance when Eliza hires her to investigate the threats.  It is clear that the two cases are linked and Hannah is veering off into dangerous territory as someone wants Ash's disappearance to remain a mystery.

I loved Cousin Ash and couldn't put it down.  The writing is stunning, the characters virtually leap out of the page and the plotting is excellent.  It's one of those books that entertains from start to finish and as I turned the final page I actually said out loud: 'I really enjoyed that'.  

Cousin Ash is mysterious, intriguing, entertaining and addictive.  I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for more in the series.  Highly recommended.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour; all opinions are my own.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: The Gin Sisters' Promise - Faith Hogan

Three estranged sisters. Six months to come back together.

When Georgie, Iris and Nola's mother died and their father disappeared into his grief, the sisters made a pact: they would always be there for one another, no matter what.

Now, decades later, they haven't spoken for years and can barely stand to be in the same room. As his health declines, their father comes up with a plan to bring them back to one another. In his will, he states that before they can claim their inheritance, they must spend six months living together in their childhood home in the village of Ballycove, Ireland, and try to repair their broken relationships.

As the months progress, old resentments boil over, new secrets threaten to come out and each sister must decide what matters more: their pride, or their family. Can they overcome their past and find a way to love each other once more?

 

What did I think?

I absolutely love my virtual visits to Ballycove, courtesy of Faith Hogan, and The Gin Sisters' Promise is my third visit to this beautiful Irish village.  It's a gorgeous warm hug of a book and I really enjoyed it.

It's just heartbreaking to see the fractured relationships between the three sisters but as they say: "blood is thicker than water", so there's hope for them yet.  Georgie, Iris and Nola are so very different but they all have something in common: they lost their mother at a very young age and their father's dying wish is that they live together for six months in the family home in Ballycove.

Wow, these sisters sure do rub each other up the wrong way.  There are so many assumptions and misunderstandings as they snipe at each other instead of talking honestly.  Although each sister appears to have the perfect life, they are all hiding their own problems so there's really nothing to be envious about.  As the magic of Ballycove does its work, the cracks in their relationships are gradually filled and it's really heartwarming to see them become fiercely protective of one another.

I loved the mention of The Ladies' Midnight Swimming Club and also Corrigan Mills from The Place We Call Home - the previous two novels set in Ballycove.  All of the novels are standalone, the only link being the location, but it's like remembering an old friend when you have read all of them and see a reference or character that you recognise.  

The Gin Sisters' Promise is such a beautifully written novel; it's warm, poignant and uplifting.  It's a wonderful portrayal of often complicated sibling relationships and all the petty squabbles and jealousies that come with it.  An enjoyable, entertaining and recommended read.

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

My rating:

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About the author:

Faith lives in the west of Ireland with her husband, four children and two very fussy cats. She has an Hons Degree in English Literature and Psychology, has worked as a fashion model and in the intellectual disability and mental health sector.

Follow Faith

Twitter: @GerHogan

Instagram: @FaithHoganAuthor

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

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The Long Way Home - Fanny Blake

A family secret, a mysterious legacy, and a journey that will change everything…

 

When Isla, a 65-year-old grandmother, is left nothing but an old painting in her mother’s will, while her sisters and aunt inherit the estate, she is devastated. Close to retirement, getting ready to live on her own terms, the last thing she expects at this time of her life is such turmoil. So, to find an explanation for her mother’s rejection, she embarks on a road-trip.

 

But, right at the last moment, she’s forced to take her sullen – and, in her view, impossible – 14-year-old granddaughter Charlie with her. Cramped together in Isla’s car with her smelly old dog, these ill-assorted travelling companions set off to uncover some shattering and life-changing family truths at the same time as learning to love each other…

 

The Long Way Home is set in the UK and 1950s Paris where the story really begins, spanning four generations of women and the secrets that get passed down through them.

 

What did I think?

It's actually really refreshing to read a novel with an older protagonist as it just shows that it doesn't matter what age you are, you are still faced with the same problems and suffer the same insecurities.  In 65-year-old Isla's case, just because you're older doesn't mean you're wiser and it's no surprise that Isla is thrown into a tizz when she is treated differently to her sisters in their mother's will.

Isla has always had a strained relationship with her mother but that doesn't explain why her two sisters and her aunt should inherit her mother's house when all she has been left is a painting.  As you would expect, there are one or two arguments among the siblings so Isla decides to take a trip back home to Scotland to patch up the relationship between her sisters and hopefully get to the bottom of the mystery of her inheritance.  

Unfortunately, Isla has to take an unwilling companion with her in the form of her 14-year-old granddaughter Charlie.  A typical teenager, Charlie is glued to her phone and barely says a positive word, making the trip more of a chore than a pleasure.  As the trip progresses it was lovely to see Isla and Charlie's relationship grow and it felt like Charlie unfurled like a flower with just a little bit of nurturing and some TLC.  That is until Isla's new boyfriend turned up to upset the balance.

I really liked Isla but I cringed at some of the decisions she made, although it's understandable with so much going on in her life.  I also loved May's story set in 1950s Paris and thought I had it all worked out but I was delighted to find that I was completely wrong.  Fanny Blake's wonderfully vivid writing brings her characters to life and I felt like I was drinking coffee in the cafés of Paris and actually sitting in the car with Isla, Charlie and stinky Jock.  

Beautifully heartwarming, captivating and intriguing, The Long Way Home is a fabulous summer read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

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

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: Cuckoo - Sophie Draper

There’s a stranger in your house…

When her stepmother dies unexpectedly, Caro returns to her childhood home in Derbyshire. She hadn’t seen Elizabeth in years, but the remote farmhouse offers refuge from a bad relationship, and a chance to start again.

But going through Elizabeth’s belongings unearths memories Caro would rather stay buried. In particular, the story her stepmother would tell her, about two little girls and the terrible thing they do.

As heavy snow traps Caro in the village, where her neighbours stare and whisper, Caro is forced to question why Elizabeth hated her so much, and what she was hiding. But does she really want to uncover the truth?

A haunting and twisty story about the lies we tell those closest to us, perfect for fans of Ruth Ware and Cass Green.

What did I think?

You can’t help but be intrigued by the creepy prologue of somebody lying in a hospital bed seemingly all but dead, but alive with thoughts and feelings.  As we launch into a stepmother’s funeral in chapter one, we know we’re not about to encounter an ordinary family but just how twisted can they be?  The answer is VERY!

When their stepmother dies, Steph and Caro inherit the estate their father left in trust for them.  Steph strangely decides that she doesn’t want anything and agrees to give Caro her share, including the house they grew up in.  A struggling artist, Caro moves into the house where she is reminded of her youth…and finds the pear drum that her stepmother scared her with all those years ago.  Even more bizarre is the commission that Caro receives to illustrate a childrens’ book called The Pear Drum and Other Dark Tales from the Nursery.  There’s no such thing as coincidence surely?  As Caro starts drawing, her memories start to come back…gradually revealing a dark secret that has been buried for many years.

The stepmother storyline gives quite a fairytale feeling to the story and Caro’s upbringing was reminiscent of Cinderella tormented by not only her stepmother but her older sister, Steph.  Caro is such a flawed and damaged main character and, as we read snippets of her past, I couldn’t help but feel that she was heading towards another storm as I remembered the hospital bed from the prologue.

With shocks and surprises around every corner, Cuckoo is a riveting and thrilling psychological thriller that has the feel of a spooky adult fairytale.

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

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: House of Spines - Michael J. Malone

Ran McGhie's world has been turned upside down. A young, lonely and frustrated writer, and suffering from mental-health problems, he discovers that his long-dead mother was related to one of Glasgow's oldest merchant families. Not only that, but Ran has inherited Newton Hall, a vast mansion that belonged to his great-uncle, who appears to have been watching from afar as his estranged great-nephew has grown up. Entering his new-found home, he finds that Great-Uncle Fitzpatrick has turned it into a temple to the written word - the perfect place for poet Ran. But everything is not as it seems. As he explores the Hall's endless corridors, Ran's grasp on reality appears to be loosening. And then he comes across an ancient lift; and in that lift a mirror. And in the mirror... the reflection of a woman... 

A terrifying psychological thriller with more than a hint of the Gothic, House of Spines is a love letter to the power of books, and an exploration of how lust and betrayal can be deadly...

What did I think?

I could not contain my excitement when I heard that Michael J. Malone had written a new book; his previous book, A Suitable Lie, was one of my Top 20 Books of 2016 and I'm still recommending it to people, almost 12 months on.  Michael J. Malone is clearly a natural storyteller and incredibly versatile author as House of Spines is so different from A Suitable Lie.  Where one is raw and emotional, another is dark and gothic but both are linked by the psychological thriller genre as Michael J. Malone certainly knows how to get inside a reader's head and under their skin.  House of Spines is as goosebump-inducing as it sounds and, although the spines in the title refer to books rather than skeletons, there are one or two skeletons preparing to leap out of Ran's closet (ghost-train style).

Ranald McGhie thinks he's alone in the world after the death of his parents but, unbeknown to him, his mother had a living family of which she never spoke.  Ran finds out that he had a Great-Uncle when he is bequeathed a house in his will, but it's not just any old house: Newton Hall - a mansion with a gorgeous swimming pool, a library that turned me green with envy and a haunted lift.  Yes, a haunted lift...or so it would seem.  Ran has a history of mental health problems and he meddles with his medication so you're never quite sure how much is real and how much is in his head.

I love books where you want to know as much about the past as the present, although this isn't a traditional dual-storyline type of book, rather a past that refuses to let go of the present.  I wanted to know as much about Great-Uncle Alexander and his love for Jennie, the servant girl, as I did about Ran in the present day.  Ran's interactions with his newly found cousins, Marcus and Rebecca, had me seething with anger: Marcus is so dastardly and Rebecca so bitchy that they would go to any lengths to get Ran to sell the house to developers so they would get a share of the proceeds, but just how far will they go?

Alexander's love for books is a common theme throughout and the vivid description of his library made me feel as if I had jumped inside the book and seen it for myself.  Alexander's other great love was Jennie and their story continues to haunt me long after I finished House of Spines; leaving me considering whether it was unrequited love or true love.  There are always two sides to every story and I really didn't know which one was true.  Apparently, true love never dies but perhaps it haunts you forever!

Cleverly written to be either a ghost story or one man's struggle with mental health, House of Spines is another exceptional book from Michael J. Malone.  I read most of it with goosebumps on my arms and the hairs standing up on the back of my neck, as I loved the ghostly gothic feel.  House of Spines is a spine-tingling multi-genre novel that absolutely anyone and everyone will enjoy; it's a psychological thriller mixed with a gothic horror and I loved every single page of it.

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

My rating:

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About the author:

Michael Malone was born and brought up in the heart of Burns' country, just a stone's throw from the great man's cottage in Ayr. Well, a stone thrown by a catapult, maybe.

He has published over 200 poems in literary magazines throughout the UK, including New Writing Scotland, Poetry Scotland and Markings. His career as a poet has also included a (very) brief stint as the Poet-In-Residence for an adult gift shop. Don't ask.

BLOOD TEARS, his debut novel won the Pitlochry Prize (judge:Alex Gray) from the Scottish Association of Writers and when it was published he added a "J" to his name to differentiate it from the work of his talented U.S. namesake.

He is a regular reviewer for the hugely popular crime fiction website www.crimesquad.com and his blog, May Contain Nuts can be found at http://mickmal1.blogspot.com/

He can be found on twitter - @michaelJmalone1

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