BLOG TOUR: The Reunion - M. J. Arlidge and Steph Broadribb

A skull looks up at Jennie from the trench, but it's not the chalk-white bone and grimacing teeth that send her reeling. It's the heart-shaped gold pendant, its delicate chain snapped in two. The necklace Hannah never took off. It can't be Hannah. But it is.

When Jennie Whitmore arrives at her school reunion, she immediately regrets her decision. Why would she choose to surround herself with people who were never nice to her? Who still aren't, even now she's a police officer? The only person who truly looked out for her all those years ago was charming, beautiful Hannah. Until the day she disappeared.

Jennie is ready to finally put White Cross Academy behind her, the old school building demolished the morning after the party. But with the demolition comes a call: a teenage girl's remains have been found on the grounds.

The instant drop in Jennie's gut tells her that the remains might be Hannah's, but when she's called in to examine them, the truth becomes undeniable. Hannah didn't run away and abandon Jennie thirty years ago; in fact, she never left White Cross at all.

Suddenly, Jennie has a murder to solve. The murder of her best friend. But can she do so before her colleagues discover just how closely connected she is to the victim? Before a mystery stalker makes good on his threats to silence her for good?

The Reunion is a gripping mystery perfect for fans of THE SANATORIUM, Lucy Foley, and Ruth Kelly.

 

What did I think?

I love both M.J. Arlidge's and Steph Broadribb's books so it's a booklover's dream to see these two authors collaborate to create a bone-chilling thriller.  As if the thought of a school reunion isn't horrifying enough, the partygoers are about to sober up pretty quickly when a body is found buried within the school.

Jennie is hoping her old friend Hannah will turn up to the school reunion so she can finally understand why Hannah didn't turn up the night they planned to run away to London.  The explanation is hiding beneath her feet and it's the worst one that Jennie could have imagined: Hannah was murdered on that fateful night.  

This murder is personal so Jennie is determined to lead the case despite her conflict of interest, which she hides from her boss.  As she plays down her relationship with Hannah and starts investigating Hannah's last known movements, she starts to wonder whether they were even friends at all.

The writing is seamless and if there weren't two names on the cover, you would never guess that it had two authors.  The plot twists and turns like a slithering snake and just when you think you have it all worked out, the truth slithers out of your grasp again.  

Gripping, chilling and twisty, The Reunion is a brilliant thriller that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat from start to finish.  I would definitely recommend it but be prepared to be unable to put it down once you pick it up.

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

My rating:

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About the authors:

M.J. Arlidge has worked in television for the last twenty years, specialising in high-end drama production, including prime-time crime serials Silent Witness, Torn, The Little House and, most recently, the hit ITV show Innocent. In 2015 his audiobook exclusive Six Degrees of Assassination was a number-one bestseller. His debut thriller, Eeny Meeny, was the UK's bestselling crime debut of 2014 and has been followed by ten more DI Helen Grace thrillers - all Sunday Times bestsellers.

Steph Broadribb was born in Birmingham and grew up in Buckinghamshire. Most of her working life has been spent between the UK and USA. As her alter ego - Crime Thriller Girl - she indulges her love of all things crime fiction by blogging at www.crimethrillergirl.com

Steph is an alumnus of the MA in Creative Writing (Crime Fiction) at City University London, and she trained as a bounty hunter in California. 

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BLOG TOUR: The Reunion - Polly Phillips

A chance to reconnect.

A chance to get revenge . . .

Emily Toller has tried to forget her time at university and the events that led to her suddenly leaving under a cloud. She has done everything she can to forget the shame and the trauma – and the people involved. She has tried to focus on the life she has built with her children and husband, Nick.

But events like that can’t just be forgotten. Not without someone answering for what they’ve done. 

When an invitation arrives to a University reunion, everything clicks into place. Emily has a plan.

Because if you can’t forget – why not get revenge?

 

What did I think?

The idea of a reunion of any kind sounds like a horror story to me but I do love a good revenge story so The Reunion by Polly Phillips appealed to me.  It's the first book by Polly Phillips that I have read and it certainly won't be my last.

It's impossible not to get hooked when you pick up this book as 'something' happened to Emily when she was a student at Cambridge University and I couldn't read fast enough to find out what.  Not only that, Emily is out to get revenge on those who wronged her and the public forum of a reunion is the perfect place.

It's difficult not to feel sorry for Emily; her life could have been so different if her time at Cambridge hadn't set her on a different path.  You could argue that things turned out well for her anyway as she's married to a successful man and she's a mother to twins, but Emily is haunted by the life she could have had.

The cliques and drunken tomfoolery at university set a backdrop for the past timeline in the novel and it's a stark reminder of the dangers of alcohol, particularly for young adults who are not used to drinking and don't know their limits.  The present is all about revenge though and Emily has designed a plan to get her own back...but even the best laid plans often go awry.

Very well written, gripping and totally addictive, The Reunion hooked me from the start and I couldn't put it down until all had been revealed.  A recommended holiday read.

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 BLITZ: The Cornish Retribution - Amanda James

After a tragic car accident, Samantha is left widowed and bereft.  Her husband Adam was everything to her. But at least the home they shared together in Cornwall provides her with some security. Or does it?

Upon returning from a school reunion in Sheffield, where Sam met her old friend, Penny, and an old flame from her school days, Dan, she discovers that Adam had invested money unwisely and she is now penniless.

When Penny and Dan, who are now married, arrive in Cornwall to visit Sam, Dan comes up with a way in which Sam can keep the house. He suggests she turns it into a writing retreat. And he is willing to invest.

Despite his wife’s reservations, Dan gets his way but at what price?

Why is Dan so keen to help? Has Sam put herself in harm’s way?

Some relationships are built to last. Others are deadly.

What did I think?

I am a huge fan of Amanda James books; not only are you guaranteed a gripping and suspenseful storyline but the dramatic Cornish landscape is woven into the story as if it's a character in its own right.  I have never been to Cornwall but it's definitely somewhere I want to visit after reading Amanda James' fabulous books.

I loved the story of Sam going to her school reunion, the thought of which gives me goosebumps as everyone tries to compete to see who has become the most successful.  Recently widowed, Sam makes the decision to go up to Sheffield to face her demons in the form of old flame Dan and ex-best friend Penny who are now married.  I could feel the sexual tension between Dan and Sam as the years seemed to melt away as if they were teenagers again, then the temperature plummets when Penny arrives on the scene.  Despite their tempestuous history, which they all seem willing to forget, Sam decides to let Dan and Penny invest in her writing retreat...but is this a decision she will regret?

I really worried for Sam as I felt as if she was a fly caught in a spider's web with so much suspense and tension written into the story.  Dan seemed too good to be true, swooping in like a knight in shining armour to rescue Sam's home, but I feared he had an ulterior motive.  The whole story had me balanced on a knife edge as it spun off in different directions and I wondered who would be left standing at the end.

I am never disappointed by Amanda James books and The Cornish Retribution is no exception.  In fact, I think it is one of my favourite Amanda James books; it's suspenseful, gripping and utterly engrossing.  A highly recommended read.

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

My rating:

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About the author:

Amanda has written since she was a child, but never imagined that her words would be published, given that she left school with no real qualifications of note apart from an A* in how to be a nuisance in class. Nevertheless, she returned to education when her daughter was five and eventually became a history teacher. Then in 2010, after many twists and turns, the dream of becoming a writer came true when her first short story was published. Amanda has written many short stories and has six novels currently published. 

Amanda grew up in Sheffield but now has realised her lifelong dream of living in Cornwall and her writing is inspired every day by the dramatic coastline near her home. She has sketched out many stories in her head while walking the cliff paths. Four of her mystery/suspense novels are set there, Somewhere Beyond the Sea, Summer in Tintagel, Behind the Lie and Rip Current. The Cornish Retribution is also set in Cornwall and will be published by Bloodhound Books in October 2018.

Amanda, known to many as Mandy, spends far more time than is good for her on social media and has turned procrastination to a fine art. She can also usually be found playing on the beach with her family, or walking the cliff paths planning her next book.

Links:

Amanda's blog: http://mandykjameswrites.blogspot.com/

Twitter: @akjames61

Facebook: mandy.james.33

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BLOG TOUR: She's Having Her Baby - Lauren Sams

Georgie Henderson doesn’t want to have kids, but her best friend, Nina, has wanted to have a baby for as long as she can remember. Sadly, Nina’s uterus refuses to cooperate. One drunken evening, Nina asks Georgie for the ultimate favour: would she carry a baby for her? Georgie says yes and spends the next nine months wondering why.

With intense bacon-and-egg roll cravings and distant memories of what her feet look like, Georgie tries to keep it all together in her dream job as the editor of Jolie magazine. Her love life’s a mess – and sauvignon blanc’s off the menu – leaving Georgie to deal with twists in her life she never expected.

Sams has created the Australian Bridget Jones in this hilarious story, an emotive trajectory that pushes the boundaries of rom-com fiction.

What did I think?

I didn't expect to love this book as much as I did.  It sounds like chick-lit with a serious storyline when Georgie agrees to be a surrogate for her best friend Nina, but it has a hilarious twist in the tale.  I laughed so much that I felt as if I'd had an intense tummy workout.  She's Having Her Baby is the best kind of exercise for those out of shape tummy muscles.

Georgie is a brilliant character; I absolutely loved her.  As a career woman with an aversion to babies, she somehow manages to be both selfish and selfless when she offers to carry a baby for her best friend.  Georgie's complete denial when she finds out that she is pregnant is so funny, it's only when she practically bursts out of her bra that it really hits home for her.  I almost choked with laughter when Georgie got fitted fitted for an F-cup and said that the F stands for 'fark me, your tits are massive'. 

Being friends from school, I loved the history that Georgie and Nina have.  Their school reunion is hilarious when Nina tells Kelly, the school bully, what everyone really thought of her.  Never mind rapturous applause from the people in the book, I was punching the air and applauding too.  It's funny how people remember the past differently and I wanted to smack Kelly in the face when she was being all sickly nice to Georgie and Nina but Nina saved me by giving her a well-deserved and well-overdue tongue lashing!

Georgie's job as editor of Jolie magazine reminded me of The Devil Wears Prada with all the minions running around while Meg The Big Boss swishes in and out issuing instructions.  Georgie might thinks she's friends with Meg but I've always said that you don't have friends at work and Georgie finds this out the hard way.  I enjoyed the trips to Georgie's office, as it gave us a little insight into the world of magazine publishing.

With her inimitable Aussie humour, Lauren Sams writes like an Australian Marian Keyes, as she manages to put an amusing slant on everyday observations.  The unbreakable, but often tested, thread of friendship is woven throughout the book so I knew that Georgie would 'get by with a little help from her friends'.  See what I did there?  Lauren Sams adds a few song references now and again and I bet I didn't even spot all of them but it was good fun seeing how she slipped them in there.

Both witty and heart-warming, She's Having Her Baby is as fresh as it is funny.  I loved every single page of it; fans of Lauren Weisberger, Marian Keyes and Helen Fielding should definitely not miss this one!

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

My rating:

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Friend Request - Laura Marshall

When Louise Williams receives a message from someone left long in the past she feels sick.

Maria Weston wants to be friends on Facebook.

Because Maria Weston has been missing for over twenty-five years. She was last seen the night of a school leavers' party, and the world believes her to be dead. Particularly Louise, who has lived her adult life knowing herself responsible for Maria's disappearance. But now Maria is back. Or is she?

As Maria's messages start to escalate, Louise forces herself to reconnect with the old friends she once tried so hard to impress, to try to piece together exactly what happened that fateful night. But when another friend's body turns up in the woods outside their old school, Louise realises she can't trust anyone and that she must confront her own awful secret to discover the whole truth of what happened to Maria . . .

What did I think?

Ooooh this was a proper page turner that uses the tried and tested 'then' and 'now' formula that kept my eyes firmly glued to the page. I'm not a big fan of Facebook but found the idea of getting a friend request from someone you thought was dead was an absolutely brilliant storyline.  You immediately know that there are buried secrets to uncover and become suspicious of everyone, thinking that nobody is what they seem.

The last time this group of old schoolfriends got together was the school leaving party when one of them didn't make it home, although her body was never found.  Trying desperately to fit in with a crowd of 'mean girls' at school, Louise feels that she is to blame for Maria's death and Maria comes back to haunt her big style by requesting her friendship on Facebook.  Surely it must be a cruel joke, but with the school reunion looming Louise wouldn't be surprised to see Maria turn up...and then she starts to wonder who organised the reunion in the first place.

I loved the past and present storyline and it was almost like the rewind button was pressed at the school reunion as people lapsed into their school characters: the popular bitchy one, the boy everyone fancies, the one trying desperately to fit in and the swot who now has the flashy job and perfect life.  I found myself questioning everyone and I'm not going to tell you whether Maria is alive or dead as Laura Marshall kept me guessing right up to the very end.

Friend Request is a twisty fast-paced psychological thriller, choc-ful of secrets with a generous helping of mind-bending smoke and mirrors style deception.

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

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: Dark Water - Sara Bailey

Friendship doesn't die, it waits...

When Helena returns to her childhood home in Orkney to care for her father after a heart attack, she is forced to face memories that she has spent half a lifetime running from.

Still haunted by the disappearance of her best friend, the charismatic Anastasia - who vanished during a daredevil swimming incident - Helena must navigate her way though the prisms of memory and encounter not only her ghosts but also her first love, Dylan, the only one who can help her unravel the past and find her way back to the truth of what really happened that night.

What did I think?

When I heard that there was a new imprint of Blackbird Digital Books, I couldn't help but get excited.  I had previously read, and raved about, the exceptional debut Valentina by S.E. Lynes and the hauntingly beautiful Homecoming by Tanya Bullock, both published by Blackbird.  With such quality already in their catalogue, I think perhaps that Blackbird and Nightingale are quite picky about what they publish which can only be a good thing for us readers.  In my opinion, Nightingale could not have made a better choice than Dark Water for their launch.

With a strapline of 'Friendship doesn't die, it waits...' I immediately knew that I was going to love this book.  It seems to be such a sinister message about friendship so I couldn't wait to delve into Dark Water.  Helena Chambers wished that she didn't have to return to Orkney, her childhood home, but her father has taken ill.  Helena's return coincides with her school reunion but with her best friend, Anastasia, absent she has no interest in going.  Helena and Anastasia were inseparable at school until Anastasia went missing under mysterious circumstances and her body was never found.  With only an empty grave to visit, Helena can never get closure and she sees the ghost of Anastasia everywhere she turns when she returns to Orkney.  What really happened to Anastasia?  Does anybody know?

Dark Water doesn't claim to be a psychological thriller so don't expect a multitude of twists and turns, but it is a very good psychological novel.  It creeps under your skin from the very first page and lulls you into a false sense of security, then BAM! reality hits and SMACK! Helena cracks and POW! the sucker punch is delivered.  With my brain reeling, I had to sit and take stock for a few minutes after finishing this book.  There is so much history embedded in this story that I now know a lot more about Orkney than I previously did; when I finished Dark Water I wanted to pack a bag and head off to Orkney to see the Churchill Barriers for myself.

An absolutely superb debut, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Dark Water and look forward to more outstanding books from both Sara Bailey and Nightingale Editions.

I received this e-book from the publisher, Nightingale Editions, in exchange for an honest review.

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