BLOG TOUR: The Thief of Joy - Stacey Murray

Single-mum Roz compares herself to everyone else, from her sister to friends to people on social media, and feels she's missing out. She wants what they've got - a husband, a father for her daughter, and respect.

When she meets Daniel, Roz thinks her dreams are possible, until he dies suddenly and tragically. Devastated by grief and loneliness, she rushes headlong into a relationship with Mark, a widower she meets in an online support group.

Yet as Mark's behaviour becomes more controlling and manipulative, Roz realises he isn't the man of her dreams. He is hiding a jaw-dropping secret that spells danger for Roz and her daughter...

 

What did I think?

The Thief of Joy is a very good slow burn thriller that smoulders from start to finish and I really enjoyed it.  Stacey Murray's suspenseful writing creates a web of intrigue that completely captured my attention.

I felt really sorry for Roz at the start when all the hopes and dreams of a new relationship are snatched away from her so cruelly.  Roz only knew Daniel for a short time so she doesn't get much sympathy from her family and turns to an online grief support group to validate her right to grieve.  

As with all online groups though, there are some nice people and some trolls so when Roz gets a message from an administrator the reader can't help but wonder which category Mark falls into.  As Mark gradually wheedles his way into Roz's life the chapters are interspersed with sinister snippets that let the reader know that all is not as it seems.

My sympathy for Roz ebbed and flowed like the tide as she is always comparing herself to other people and wanting what they have.  I'm not saying she's not unlucky but her desperation to find a partner causes her to overlook their flaws and this puts her and her daughter in danger.

Captivating and tense, The Thief of Joy is a riveting psychological thriller that is filled with suspense, envy and danger.  It's well worth a read and I think it's important to remind readers that some people online are not who they seem.

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

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: Friend of the Family - Tasmina Perry

She thinks your life is perfect. She thinks you don't deserve it.

Your job

Amy is more than happy to offer the daughter of an old friend work experience at her London magazine. Josie is young and ambitious. She just needs a foot in the door.

Your home

When Josie arrives, she swiftly makes herself indispensable at work and at home. And when childcare falls through before a long-awaited university reunion in Provence, it begins to look as if Josie may be staying longer than Amy had bargained for.

Your husband

In the heat of Provence, Josie's presence starts to unsettle Amy, especially around her husband. As cracks begin to appear in Amy's perfect life, she cannot shake the feeling that the family friend may not be a friend at all...

What did I think?

I'm delighted to open the blog tour for Friend of the Family by Tasmina Perry by sharing my review today.

Amy Shepherd has it all: a handsome husband, a much coveted job and the cutest little daughter but everything seems to fall apart when she does a favour for her old friend, Karen.  Inviting Karen's daughter, Josie, into her life appears to be a big mistake for Amy and paranoia quickly sets in over Josie's motives.  Josie is young, attractive and clever and she seems to have everyone wrapped around her little finger, while Amy becomes discredited at every turn.  Why is Josie out to get her?

The setting for Friend of the Family is a fashion magazine, so if you've ever watched Ugly Betty you will easily be able to visualise the cutthroat environment portrayed here.  There is so much backstabbing and bitchiness behind smiling faces!  Josie is painted as so sweet on the outside but dark and manipulative on the inside that you can't help but dislike her, but I wondered where her motivation to destroy Amy had come from.

I loved the flashbacks to Amy's life at Oxford in 1995; a small group of young men and women who have remained friends for many years.  Their lives intermingle as they work and holiday together and anyone would give their right arm to be part of their tight-knit group...but what is hiding behind those smiles?  Everyone has secrets so put your crash helmet on as they're all about to come out!

Friend of the Family is proper bitch-lit; trust no one in this cutthroat psychological domestic noir novel...but remember to keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

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

My rating:

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About the author:

Tasmina Perry is the Sunday Times bestselling novelist of twelve novels including Daddy's Girls, one of the biggest selling debuts of 2006. Her books have been translated into over twenty languages and have sold over two million copies around the world.

A former lawyer and award-winning magazine journalist, she has edited several national titles including In Style and More. She also writes psychological thrillers under the pseudonym JL Butler. JL Butler's debut thriller Mine has been optioned by Sony Pictures and is in development with Original Film.

She lives in London with her husband, son and too many shoes.

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BLOG TOUR: Scoop of the Year - Tom Claver

Martin, a hapless journalist on a weekly financial magazine, sees his life take a nosedive with the arrival of Tom de Lacy, a well-heeled reporter who grabs the limelight, not to mention the well-paid industrial correspondent’s job that he has his eye on. 

He does his level best to sabotage Tom’s career, only to see his rival land a plum job in television. 

But watching his rival’s success while his life disintegrates makes Martin a desperate fellow. Falling on hard times can be murder, and in certain circumstances could even give rise to it. 

So when Martin gets a scoop on a major corporate scandal, he just has to grab the opportunity with both hands. He sees it as not only his turn to shine, but his duty.

What did I think?

Well this was a surprising hidden gem.  You can tell from the cover that it has a slightly comic feel to it, but it's more satirical than laugh out loud funny; think Drop the Dead Donkey rather than Bottom.  It's a fascinating insight into the newsroom and the cutthroat world of journalism but also a parody on life, and work-life in particular.

I didn't like Martin at all when I first encountered him in the book; he thinks the world owes him a favour, so I was surprised to find myself rooting for him as the book went on.  Martin is so envious of his co-worker, Tom, that he sabotages his work but in typical comedy fashion, it spectacularly backfires and Tom is promoted from print to TV.  Martin's envy knows no bounds and he fixates on Tom rather than trying to work hard and better himself.

When Martin loses his job and faces challenges in his personal life, it felt like he spiralled out of control.  Enter hit-man, Jebb.  Now this would be funny on its own but then Jebb sets his sights on Martin's sister, Caroline.  They are so afraid of Jebb that they don't want to hurt his feelings and Caroline finds herself in hilarious situations from which she cannot escape.

Just when Martin is about to hit rock-bottom, the light at the end of the tunnel comes from a most surprising source.  Martin has been given an absolute gem of a story to investigate but in true Martin-style, this story comes with a price.  Can Martin put aside his selfishness and get the story, whatever it costs?

Scoop of the Year is written in such a way that, although he's annoying as hell, you find that you really root for Martin and hope things turn out ok for him in the end.  All joking aside, there are some serious subjects to mull over in Scoop of the Year as we encounter the multi-million dollar pharmaceutical business.  Although it is fiction, you can easily believe that it could be true and it gives me a shiver just thinking about it.  Absolutely anything can happen, and often does, in the murder and mayhem of Scoop of the Year.

Cynical, witty and gripping, Scoop of the Year is a slick, humorous thriller.  It's written as vividly as a TV script and it would be amazing to see it on our TV screens sometime soon.

I chose to read an ARC and I am thrilled to open the tour by sharing my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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Career Girls - Louise Bagshawe

All's fair in love and war?  Blonde, beautiful, upper-class Rowena Gordon is the perfect English rose.  Topaz Rossi is a feisty, Italian-American red-head from Brooklyn.  Both are determined and talented.  And there's nothing they wouldn't do for each other. Until Rowena hooks up with Topaz's boyfriend.  Now, years later, they are star career girls at the top of their game; Topaz in journalism, Rowena in the music industry.  When their paths cross again, Topaz is not about to just forgive and forget.  She'll do everything in her power to shatter Rowena's success.  And Rowena will do anything to stop her...

What did I think?

I was pre-warned that this book was a little steamy and it certainly was!  Sex scenes aside, it was actually a really enjoyable story about two women who used to be friends at university but fell out when Rowena slept with Topaz's boyfriend.  When they both find themselves in New York, whilst trying to climb the career ladder, we find out that Topaz has neither forgiven nor forgotten Rowena and seeks her revenge.

Rowena is a young executive in the music industry, trying to discover bands and make a name for herself.  Topaz is climbing the ladder in magazines and uses her influence to take shots at Rowena every chance she gets.  It was really exciting to see what Topaz would do next and I almost forgot that Rowena was the boyfriend-stealing baddie and started to feel sorry for her.  Then Rowena starts an affair with a married man, making any compassion I felt for her melt away like the ice cubes in my gin and tonic (who am I kidding, I don't water down my drinks).

I wouldn't have the energy to carry a grudge like Topaz, but it certainly made good reading.  As they were mixing in the same social circles, I did wonder if they could ever bury the hatchet and be friends again.  When business eventually throws them together, I couldn't put the book down!

As with other Louise Bagshawe books we are treated to excellent descriptions of items being worn.  This one didn't feel it was advertising as much as Destiny but I still wondered if people in New York walked backwards as their ass always seems to get a mention.

It was a nice few hours of escapism from Louise Bagshawe with the glitz and glamour of New York's social scene and the cut-throat backstabbing of the business world.

My rating:

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