BLOG TOUR: Let's Make a Scene - Laura Wood

Their story might be scripted, but the chemistry is real...

When Cynthie Taylor gets her first real acting job, starring in a small British movie, she is over the moon. There is only one problem... Cynthie's arrogant and annoyingly handsome co-star Jack hates her, and the feeling is definitely mutual. While they may be at war behind the scenes, their on-screen chemistry is palpable, and the studio sees an opportunity – have the two young stars fake a romance that will charm fans and draw crowds.

Thirteen years later, Cynthie and Jack have successfully kept their promise to stay far away from one another, until a surprising offer comes to make a sequel to the cult classic that launched their careers. But there's a catch: they must also rekindle their pretend relationship...and this time there's a documentary crew following their every move.

Cynthie and Jack both desperately need this film to work, but can two ex-rivals ever really trust each other? And what happens when the roles they're playing start to feel all too real?

 

What did I think?

Oh my goodness, I absolutely LOVED Let's Make a Scene!  Although it is linked to Under Your Spell (that I haven't read yet), it is a completely standalone story and it's one that gets your pulse racing, your breath catching and (in my case) the tears falling.

I applaud Laura Wood for writing a dual timeline and dual point of view novel as it is flawlessly written.  It is told from the points of view of Cythie and Jack who met 13 years ago on the set of Cynthie's first film.  A lot of water has flowed under the bridge since and Cynthie's career took off at lightening speed but as the saying goes: "the higher you climb, the harder you fall" and a scandal sees Cynthie returning back to where it all began.

It is clear that Cynthie and Jack have History (with an intentional capital H) and I couldn't read fast enough to discover what went on 13 years ago that drove this clearly meant-to-be couple apart.  To save Cynthie's career she agrees to a fake relationship with Jack but the line between real and fake is very blurred.  There are so many heartbreaking misunderstandings and guarded feelings as the will they/won't they storyline plays out.

As it's set in the film industry, Laura Wood touches on the #MeToo movement in a sensitive, respectful and powerful way.  Friendship is another strong theme as Cynthie has an amazing friend support network.  The romance is exquisite though and if you thought The Notebook was a tearjerker, be prepared to reach for the tissues when reading Let's Make a Scene! 

Bursting with romance and sizzling with sexual tension, Let's Make a Scene is a compelling page-turner that had me on the edge of my seat as I prayed for a happily ever after for Cynthie and Jack.  You'll just have to read the book to find out whether I got my wish or not.

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

Follow the tour:

PUBLICATION DAY: A Backstage Betrayal - Michael Ball

THE THEATRE MAY SEEM GLAMOROUS, BUT SECRETS WAIT BEHIND THE CURTAIN

1926. Running a theatre may appear to be all about the showbiz, but times are hard at The Empire. Following a turbulent period Jack Treadwell, erstwhile proprietor, his mother Lillian, and his playwright wife Grace, know they need to get things back on track - and how better than with the annual pantomime, a new venture, and an all-singing all-dancing talent contest, showcasing the best performers around.

But could Lillian's new admirer, Grand Duke Nikolai Kuznetsov, be bringing disaster in his wake? Will The Empire be caught up in the scandal surrounding West End star, Stella Stanmore? And what are their enemies in Highbridge planning?

While Jack and Grace fight to ensure the show does go on, a royal visitor raises the stakes and a young widow, Sally Blow, dares to dream that the talent contest might be her big break.

As the talent contest draws closer, tragedy strikes. Amid the glitz and glamour there are strange goings on and a plot afoot. Is everything Jack and Grace have worked so hard for about to come crashing down? And could this be curtains for The Empire?

Musical theatre legend Michael Ball brings his trademark warmth, wit and glamour to this sparkling new novel.

 

What did I think?

We all know that Michael Ball can sing, but it may come as a surprise that he can write too.  With so many celebrity authors around at the moment, Michael Ball is the one that I would recommend reading as he writes about what he knows: the theatre.

I absolutely adored The Empire and I do think you need to have read it (if you somehow missed it) before reading A Backstage Betrayal to fully understand the history and relationships of the characters.  It was so good to virtually tread the boards again and see how Jack and Grace were getting on, although they certainly seem to have a lot of challenges to overcome in this novel.

It's wonderful to step back in time to the 1920s and see behind the curtain of a busy theatre and the era is depicted beautifully.  There's an awful lot going on both inside and outside of The Empire Theatre to keep the reader entertained and completely immersed in the story, although there is so much going on that I felt a little overwhelmed at times.  I think I devoured each page so quickly that I will need to read it again at a slower pace to fully appreciate the multi-layered and dramatic storylines.

Entertaining and atmospheric, A Backstage Betrayal is a fabulous sequel to The Empire and one I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.

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

About the author:

Michael Ball OBE is a singer, actor, presenter and now author. He's been a star of musical theatre for over three decades, winning the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical twice, he's also won two BRIT awards and been nominated for a Grammy. Michael regularly sells out both his solo tours and his Ball & Boe shows with Alfie Boe and has multiple platinum albums. The Empire is his first novel.

Social Media Links

X: @mrmichaelball   //  @ZaffreBooks

Instagram: @mrmichaelball // @zaffrebooks 

BLOG TOUR: A Backstage Betrayal - Michael Ball

THE THEATRE MAY SEEM GLAMOROUS, BUT SECRETS WAIT BEHIND THE CURTAIN

1926. Running a theatre may appear to be all about the showbiz, but times are hard at The Empire. Following a turbulent period Jack Treadwell, erstwhile proprietor, his mother Lillian, and his playwright wife Grace, know they need to get things back on track - and how better than with the annual pantomime, a new venture, and an all-singing all-dancing talent contest, showcasing the best performers around.

But could Lillian's new admirer, Grand Duke Nikolai Kuznetsov, be bringing disaster in his wake? Will The Empire be caught up in the scandal surrounding West End star, Stella Stanmore? And what are their enemies in Highbridge planning?

While Jack and Grace fight to ensure the show does go on, a royal visitor raises the stakes and a young widow, Sally Blow, dares to dream that the talent contest might be her big break.

As the talent contest draws closer, tragedy strikes. Amid the glitz and glamour there are strange goings on and a plot afoot. Is everything Jack and Grace have worked so hard for about to come crashing down? And could this be curtains for The Empire?

Musical theatre legend Michael Ball brings his trademark warmth, wit and glamour to this sparkling new novel.

 

What did I think?

We all know that Michael Ball can sing, but it may come as a surprise that he can write too.  With so many celebrity authors around at the moment, Michael Ball is the one that I would recommend reading as he writes about what he knows: the theatre.

I absolutely adored The Empire and I do think you need to have read it (if you somehow missed it) before reading A Backstage Betrayal to fully understand the history and relationships of the characters.  It was so good to virtually tread the boards again and see how Jack and Grace were getting on, although they certainly seem to have a lot of challenges to overcome in this novel.

It's wonderful to step back in time to the 1920s and see behind the curtain of a busy theatre and the era is depicted beautifully.  There's an awful lot going on both inside and outside of The Empire Theatre to keep the reader entertained and completely immersed in the story, although there is so much going on that I felt a little overwhelmed at times.  I think I devoured each page so quickly that I will need to read it again at a slower pace to fully appreciate the multi-layered and dramatic storylines.

Entertaining and atmospheric, A Backstage Betrayal is a fabulous sequel to The Empire and one I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.

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

About the author:

Michael Ball OBE is a singer, actor, presenter and now author. He's been a star of musical theatre for over three decades, winning the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical twice, he's also won two BRIT awards and been nominated for a Grammy. Michael regularly sells out both his solo tours and his Ball & Boe shows with Alfie Boe and has multiple platinum albums. The Empire is his first novel.

Social Media Links

X: @mrmichaelball   //  @ZaffreBooks

Instagram: @mrmichaelball // @zaffrebooks 

Follow the tour:

BLOG TOUR: The Devil's Bridge Affair - Rob Gittins

Lightning splits the sky, night somersaulting into day

And in that moment, a life is lost…

The name of the Devil’s Bridge derives from a local legend, telling the story behind a bridge that was built centuries before for the town, built by the devil himself. But there was a price. The devil vowed to return at different times and in different guises with dark consequences for those who live in the bridge’s shadow.

Most in the town believe it to be just a colourful local story; a flight of fancy. Dark deeds can happen anywhere – and there’s no such thing as the devil.

Then a massive scandal, involving a schoolboy and his English teacher, hits the community, and even the most die-hard of sceptics begin to wonder if a devil-like figure is walking in their midst.

 

What did I think?

I was completely blown away by this outstanding novel from Rob Gittins; it's absolutely brilliant.  It's a thriller with a tiny element of the supernatural about it; it's really left up to the reader's imagination whether you think there's something otherworldly about it or not.

'I couldn't put it down' is a phrase I often use when reviewing books but it has never fitted a book more than The Devil's Bridge Affair.  I read it in two sittings and the world could have ended on my second sitting and I wouldn't have noticed.  I couldn't move my eyes fast enough to reach the jawdropping conclusion; the light was fading so I was holding the book up to the window rather than stopping to close the blinds and put the light on - I didn't have time for that!

I loved the story about the legend of Devil's Bridge - it would make small children have nightmares but naturally becomes a favourite hangout place for teens.  It's a focal point of the town that is about to be rocked by scandal as a teenage boy makes allegations about his teacher.  In a case of he said/she said, who is telling the truth?  The respected wife, mother and teacher or the hormone-addled teenager?

Absolutely fantastic and completely original, Rob Gittins has written an absolute blockbuster of a novel in The Devil's Bridge Affair.  It's one of the best books I've read this year and I don't just recommend it, I urge you to read it.  A well-deserved five stars and more!

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

Follow the tour:

BLOG TOUR: Corrupted - Simon Michael

Corrupted is the fourth book in the Charles Holborne thriller series, and Simon Michael's follow up to the bestselling The Lighterman. 

Charles is building his reputation as a brilliant murder trial lawyer and living the good life with partner Sally. But he can't escape the influences and dangers of the past, and finds himself drawn once more into the orbit of the notorious Kray twins. 

It's not long before Charles is courting scandal and threats to his very life when investigating a sex ring that involves not just the Krays and the Mafia, but goes to the very echelons of the country's power. 

Simon Michael brings the past back to life across a beautifully rendered swinging 60s landscape, and delivers a gripping piece of thriller fiction that will excite any fan of the genre. 

What did I think?

Simon Michael is one of my favourite authors and I absolutely love his Charles Holborne series of legal thrillers set in 1960's London.  I stand by and reiterate my earlier statement from the first book in the series, The Brief, as this really is 'Britcrime at its very best'.  Having read the earlier books in the series, I felt as if I was catching up with an old friend in this latest instalment, Corrupted.  Having said that, for those who haven't read the earlier books (why haven't you?) this reads perfectly well as a standalone.  

Corrupted definitely has a dark and gritty feel to it as we glimpse the dark and seedy underbelly of 1960's London, in particular Ronnie Kray's notorious sex parties.  I use the word 'glimpse' purposefully in this instance, as Simon Michael gives just enough details to leave much to the reader's imagination.  After being picked up from the rail station by one of Ronnie Kray's henchmen, young Teddy Behr suddenly finds himself exposed to depths of depravity that will give him nightmares and before he knows it, he is accused of murder.  Only one man in London can defend him: Charles Holborne.

We find out so much more about Charles Holborne's character in Corrupted.  He is clearly still suffering from the loss of his cousin, Izzy, and grief makes you do the strangest things.  I felt that Charles wanted to go back to his youth when he was happy and Izzy was alive, so he joins his old boxing gym and signs up to a fight.  Having fought Reggie Kray in his youth, the twins turn up for a photo opportunity with a Hollywood actress who bats her eyelashes at Charles.  As his relationship to Sally has all but broken down, he is powerless to resist the allure of Patrizia Conti.

So many facts are intricately woven into the story that my eyes widened in wonder as I headed off to Google, as I often do when reading a riveting book.  I had never heard of the Robert Boothby scandal but it is this little nugget of truth that brings the whole book to life; for if Robert Boothby is real and the Kray twins are real, then why not Charles Holborne?  It is this multi-dimensioned character of Charles Holborne that brings the book to life; the man who constantly disappoints his mother, who is both looked down upon and envied by his peers, and the man who, like Harry Potter, doesn't go looking for trouble but trouble usually finds him.

You may have noticed that I haven't said a great deal about the plot...on purpose!  I am sure that you will be as shocked, surprised and amazed as I was by the perfectly crafted plot that Simon Michael has created for us.  As a real life barrister, of the legal kind as opposed to the caffeine based beverage (yes, I know it's a barista), nobody brings a court case to life with his words better than Simon Michael.  It took a while for Corrupted to get into court, which is always my favourite part, but once it does I could have stood up and applauded, if I wasn't too busy reading.  I don't know how he does it, but Simon Michael makes you feel as if you are actually in the courtroom.  

Corrupted, the dark and gritty latest instalment in the Charles Holborne series, deserves every single one of the five stars I didn't hesitate in awarding it.  The writing is so vivid and visceral that I can't believe it hasn't been picked up for small screen; as brilliant as it is on paper, I think it would be positively breathtaking on screen.  This whole series is the pinnacle of crime thriller writing and I am confident that nothing will ever knock it off its pedestal.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon



About the author:

During Simon Michael's years of practice at the Bar he has prosecuted and defended

enough murderers, armed robbers, con artists and other assorted villainy to provide him with a lifetime of true crime stories. The Charles Holborne thriller series is set in the dangerous gangland streets of 1960s London. Simon currently lives in London.

Social Media links:
Author Website: http://www.simonmichael.uk/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonmichaeluk
FB Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/simonmichael.uk/



Follow the tour:

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:

Buy it from Amazon

Follow the tour:

The Daughter's Secret - Eva Holland

My daughter is a liar. A liar, liar, liar. And I'm starting to see where she gets it from.

When Rosalind's fifteen-year-old daughter, Stephanie, ran away with her teacher, this ordinary family became something it had never asked to be. Their lives held up to scrutiny in the centre of a major police investigation, the Simms were headline news while Stephanie was missing with a man who was risking everything.

Now, six years on, Ros takes a call that will change their lives all over again. He's going to be released from prison. Years too early. In eleven days' time.

As Temperley's release creeps ever closer, Ros is forced to confront the events that led them here, back to a place she thought she'd left behind, to questions she didn't want to answer. Why did she do it? Where does the blame lie? What happens next?

What did I think?

I loved the way this book was set out - counting down the days until Stephanie's teacher, Nathan Temperley, was released from prison for abducting her.  The family is clearly damaged and broken following this incident, Stephanie drinking herself into oblivion, Ros flirting with a fellow student and Dan having secret assignations of his own.  I didn't really feel like I got to know the characters, though.  I thought Ros's paranoia was brilliantly described, and perfectly understandable after what they have gone through.  

As we approach the release day, the tension does build and I was turning pages at speed towards the end, but it hadn't really been a page turner up until that point.

I did enjoy the book, but I felt that the characters lacked depth - or perhaps they were meant to be so shallow.  Nathan Temperley had destroyed them but Ros is determined to hold on to the shreds of her family whatever the cost.

I received this e-book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My rating:

Buy from Amazon