Cat Fight - Kit Conway

When the peace shatters in suburbia, the claws come out . . .

Coralie King, Emma Brooks and Twig Dorsett are friends. Sort of. They're neighbours on an exclusive Sevenoaks estate who get along. It's convenient.

But one May bank holiday, Coralie's husband insists he saw a panther on the bonnet of his car. And cracks between the elite of the Briar Heart Estate begin to emerge.

As the summer wears on and there are more sightings, the big cat frenzy reaches a fever pitch. Tensions between neighbours threaten to boil over. Everyone is watching their back. But is the real predator a seventy-kilo cat with razor-sharp claws? Or is the actual danger of a much more domestic variety?

 

What did I think?

Cat Fight is THE most difficult book to read on a readalong as I couldn't put it down.  It's like Desperate Housewives with neighbours who don't really like each other.

Most of the characters have either secrets or history and if that wasn't enough of a hook, the chapters are interspersed with transcripts of people discussing them that made me put on my virtual running shoes and race through the book.  I couldn't read fast enough to discover what everyone was gossiping about.

One of the neighbours claims that he saw a huge black cat that becomes known as The Sevenoaks Panther but it was dark and he's not the most reliable witness.  When more sightings start being reported, you really start to wonder whether there is a wild cat on the loose but some of the neighbours' actions keep adding sprinklings of doubt.

I absolutely LOVED this book.  I have seen Kit Conway referred to as the British Liane Moriarty and that is spot on.  There is so much mystery, suspense and doubt to untangle to get to the bottom of the Mystery of the Sevenoaks Panther.

Intriguing, suspenseful and completely addictive, Cat Fight got its claws into me at the start and refused to let go until I turned the final page.  Even then, I almost wanted to read it again as I read it so fast and might have missed things along the way.  What an outstanding debut (yes it is, I had to check) - Kit Conway is an author to watch and Cat Fight is not to be missed.

I received a gifted ARC for the Insta Book Tours readalong and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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BLOG TOUR: All Wrapped Up - Heidi Swain

In Wynbridge, the scent of autumn is on the breeze and love is in the air…

 

Clemmie Bennett has been renovating beautiful Rowan Cottage on the outskirts of the small town of Wynbridge, for eighteen months following a very public heartbreak back in her childhood hometown. The popular Instagram influencer, lost her husband, sold their home, and has been cosied up the Fens and living a very private life, but now she feels it’s time for a change.

 

A chance encounter with co-owner of The Cherry Tree Café, the bubbly Lizzie Dixon, pulls her into organizing Wynbridge’s first-ever Autumn Festival, and her once quiet life is soon a distant memory. With the whole town rallying behind the event, she discovers a new sense of purpose.

 

And when local vet Ash falls hard for Clemmie, she begins to wonder if she’s ready to move even further on from her past and fall in love again…

 

This autumn, cosy up with Heidi and this perfect seasonal romance. 

 

What did I think?

There is a Heidi Swain book for all seasons and her twenty-first novel All Wrapped Up is Heidi's first autumn book.  It is filled with colour, fun and community spirit and I adored my visit to the fictional Norfolk town of Wynbridge.

Reading a Heidi Swain novel is like catching up with old friends as there are returning characters from other books as well as an introduction to new characters in the current book.  Every book can be read as a standalone but it's lovely to recognise names from previous books I have read.

Clemmie loves autumn so much that she has an Instagram account dedicated to this colourful season.  After a tragedy in her personal life, she wants to remain anonymous and has moved to Wynbridge to heal at her own pace.  Wynbridge has a way of working its way into your heart and it isn't long before Clemmie becomes a valued member of the community when she is tasked with organising the Autumn Festival with the local vet Ash.

There is amazing chemistry between Clemmie and Ash but Clemmie has her reasons for keeping their relationship a platonic one.  The magic of Wynbridge might have other ideas though and rather than a 'will they/won't they' I got definite 'when will they' vibes.  Well it wouldn't be a Heidi Swain book without a good sprinkling of romance, would it?

Beautiful inside and out, All Wrapped Up is a veritable love letter to the often overlooked season of autumn and it left me with a smile on my face and a warm glow in my heart.  It has certainly made me fall in love with the season more after seeing it through Heidi's pumpkin coloured glasses.  I highly recommend that you snuggle up with Heidi Swain this autumn!  

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

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BLOG TOUR: The Secrets of Dragonfly Lodge - Rachel Hore

Uncovering secrets that span generations, Rachel Hore delivers intriguing, involving and emotive narrative reading group fiction like few other writers can.

Nancy Foster has harboured a devastating secret that shattered her professional and personal life.  On meeting her, journalist Stef Lansdown realizes that she has the power to restore Nancy’s reputation and to heal the wounds, if only Nancy will trust her. But someone else wants to get to the bottom of the story first, someone who doesn’t want it to be told. 

Set in the beautiful environs of the Norfolk Broads in 2010, and in London in the '40s and ‘50s, when life for career-driven women was so different, The Secrets of Dragonfly Lodge is Sunday Times multi-million copy bestselling author Rachel Hore’s utterly compelling new novel, interweaving the past and the present. 

 

What did I think?

This is the first book by Rachel Hore that I have read and I absolutely loved it so I'm already looking to add more of her books to my TBR.  The writing is exquisite and it completely captivated me from start to finish.

The story revolves around two women: Nancy and Steph.  Steph is writing a book and wants to tell Nancy's story but Nancy and her family are suspicious of Steph's intentions.  There is no hidden agenda to Steph; she simply wants to tell Nancy's story and Nancy soon begins to trust Steph and open up to her.

I loved the Norfolk community spirit that weaves its way through the story; although they aren't quite so welcoming to Steph at first, but then she is a journalist.  There are a lot of intriguing elements to the plot, both past and present, and I couldn't tear my eyes from the page.  

I was halfway through when I felt that it had a distinct ring of truth about it so I wasn't surprised to learn that the author was inspired by a story from her own family.  It's just so infuriating to read how women were treated in the not so distant past.  I mean things just as simple as referring to a woman who has earned the title of 'Doctor' as 'Miss' - it's so patronising and misogynistic.  Nancy definitely needed one of those mugs with "It's Dr, actually" printed on it!

So beautifully written, The Secrets of Dragonfly Lodge is a powerful, thought-provoking and completely mesmerising novel.  I adored it and would highly recommend it.

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

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BLOG TOUR: The Next Chapter - Rebecca Ryan

Lily Brown is ready to turn the page and see what adventure awaits . . .

Lily Brown prides herself on her organised, surprise-free life. Whether it's charity yoga for polar bears or crafting a ninety-six-piece balloon arch, Lily always goes the extra mile. But when her adoptive father asks her to reconnect with her birth mother, Lola Starr – a legendary pop punk singer who vanished from fame – Lily decides to venture off the well-trodden path.

With her best friend Seb, Lily tracks Lola to her humble hotel on the beautiful Isle of Skye in Scotland, far from the glamorous life she imagined. Hiding the truth, Lily gets to know Lola and finds a kind, free-spirited woman. If life wasn’t complicated enough – she meets Noah, a charming travel writer on a quest to discover hidden gems.  

As Lily takes a chance and embraces new possibilities, she begins to question whether the safe rules she’s built her life around are what she really needs.

 

What did I think?

Oh Rebecca Ryan, if I thought I loved your first two books I positively adored your third!  Good things really do come in threes and The Next Chapter is simply stunning.

Lily has always known she was adopted and, after losing her mum at the tender age of 18, she is devastated to lose her lovely dad.  Her dad's dying wish is that Lily reads a letter he has left her about her birth mother and when she eventually does read it, it throws into doubt everything she thought she knew.

My heart totally went out to Lily as she struggled to cope with both her grief and finding her birth mother, famous singer Lola Starr.  Being a bit of an overthinker myself, it really made me laugh at Lily's thought processes and how well her friends and family know her.  I loved Lily's relationship with her best friend Seb and how they have been friends through thick and thin.

When Lily and Seb head to the Isle of Skye to track down Lola, there's a new twist on the fake dating trope: fake siblings and it's absolutely hilarious.  The lies just spiral out of control and it causes Lily more angst when she falls in love with travel writer Noah.  I can't remember ever laughing so much when reading a romance novel; it is making me smile just thinking about it now.

Beautiful inside and out, The Next Chapter is a fabulous emotional rollercoaster of a book that made me laugh and cry.  With family and friendship at its heart, it's a book that is filled with love and laughter and I can't recommend it highly enough.  An easy five stars!

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

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Island Calling (Tuga Trilogy Book 2) - Francesca Segal

What if your mother knows you better than you know yourself?

On remote Tuga de Oro, vet Charlotte Walker has been taken to the islanders’ hearts and, between days on the farms and nights with a new love interest, she’s content to remain in blissful retreat from her real life, in London.

Just for now, obviously.

Until real life hits the island with the force of a tropical storm: Charlotte’s mother arrives.

Lucinda Compton-Neville knows an identity crisis when she sees one, and has come to haul her daughter back on course: back to England, back to her career, back home where she belongs.

Funny, moving, and hope-filled, Island Calling is the joyous second novel in the Tuga Trilogy – about mothers and daughters; about holding on and letting go. 

What did I think?

The tropical island of Tuga is open to readers once again and I couldn't be more delighted to take a virtual trip to see what the characters are up to in part two of the trilogy, Island Calling.

The island may be open to readers but it's not open to visitors, however, one strong-willed woman manages to make it ashore.  Lucinda Compton-Neville has come to bring her daughter home but Charlotte's work studying the island's tortoises is far from over.  In a battle of wills, the mother-daughter relationship is stretched to breaking point in a funny, poignant and heartwarming kind of way. 

I loved picking up with the characters where we left off in Welcome to Glorious Tuga and particularly enjoyed reading about the mother-daughter relationships in the book.  It's very true that although you might argue from time to time, it's quickly forgiven and forgotten as a mother's love really knows no bounds.  I'm not a mother but I am a daughter and I really tested those bounds over the years!

The pacing is gentle but the story is compelling so the pages keep turning effortlessly as we peek into the lives of our favourite islanders.  There's a bit of drama, a sprinkling of romance and a few surprises in store in this instalment and I can't wait to see how it all wraps up in book three.

Grab your virtual passport and take a trip to Francesca Segal's fictional island of Tuga.  It's a place you won't want to leave once you set foot on the colourful and welcoming land.  A very highly recommended read filled with drama, love and a warmth that has made a permanent Tugan-shaped home in my heart.

I received a gifted hardback to take part in the Insta Book Tours readalong and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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Welcome to Glorious Tuga (Tuga Trilogy, 1) - Francesca Segal

 

Welcome to glorious Tuga – the world’s most remote island and Charlotte Walker’s new home.

Charlotte has swapped her grey life in London for a year in this tropical paradise. Officially, she’s there for conservation but the reality is far more complicated.

For somewhere on Tuga lies the answer to a truth she’s waited her whole life to learn. If she finds it, then perhaps she might finally find herself too.

What did I think?

I was drawn to Welcome to Glorious Tuga by its stunning cover that just drew me in and begged me to pack my virtual suitcase so I could visit Tuga for a five day readalong.

There's a map and a dramatis personae in the start of the book although Francesca Segal's beautiful words painted the island and the characters in dazzling colours for me as I progressed through the book.  I do love a map and a list of characters though!

Charlotte Walker is sailing to Tuga from London to study tortoises for a year but she has an ulterior motive too and she is looking for something else on the island.  Charlotte meets Dan Zekri on the voyage who is returning home to Tuga to take up a position as the island doctor when his uncle retires.  There is clearly chemistry between Charlotte and Dan but Dan has not been entirely truthful with Charlotte, which made me see him in such a bad light that I am unsure whether he can ever redeem himself.

The island is like one big family with everyone knowing everyone's business.  Eeeek!  It has a great sense of community but the island gossip would test my patience.  I really felt as if I was there and I love being transported to sunny climes in books but without suffering the inevitable sunburn and dehydration.

Whilst the pacing is gentle and there are a lot of characters to get to know, it's a book that captures your attention and refuses to let go.  Much like life itself, there are a lot of ups and downs but plenty of laughs and one or two surprises along the way.

Immersive, compelling and beautifully written, Welcome to Glorious Tuga is pure escapism that transports the reader to the fabulous isolated island of Tuga de Oro.

I received a gifted paperback to take part in the Insta Book Tours readalong and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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BLOG TOUR: Kill Creatures - Rory Power

Last summer, Nan's three best friends disappeared into Saltcedar Canyon.

She's spent the year since grieving their loss and avoiding questions about what happened that night. Now, on the anniversary, she's ready to say goodbye, and so are the girls' families, who have reconvened to hold a memorial. But their vigil is interrupted by the shocking return of one of the missing girls alive. Everybody is overjoyed. Everybody, that is, except Nan, who was pretty sure they were dead.

After all, she's the one who killed them.

• Atmospheric, fast-paced and vividly realised, Kill Creatures is a book about secrets, jealousy, violence and revenge.

• Perfect for fans of A Good Girls Guide to Murder and Gone Girl.

 

What did I think?

I am so pleased that I have added YA to the list of genres that I read as Kill Creatures by Rory Power is a little gem of a thriller.  It's quite a short book at 269 pages but it is packed with thrills, secrets and danger.

I spent the first couple of pages feeling sorry for Nan as the family and friends of three missing girls gather to remember them on the one year anniversary of their disappearance.  Their bodies have never been found and nobody knows what happened to them, except Nan.  Nan knows exactly what happened that day so she is shocked when one of the girls returns alive.  

It's such a good twist to the story that throws Nan into turmoil as she thought she had got away with murder but now someone else knows what happened too.  As the story flicks back and forth between then and now a multicoloured picture starts to take shape as all of the pieces of this fantastic jigsaw gradually slot into place.

Gripping, addictive and twisty, Kill Creatures is a book that is impossible to put down once you pick it up.  YA is shaping up to be a genre not to be missed with cracking thrillers like Kill Creatures just waiting to be discovered and devoured.  A highly recommended 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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About the author:

Rory Power grew up in New England, where she lives and works as a story consultant for TV adaptation. She received a Masters in Prose Fiction  from the University of East Anglia, and is the New York Times bestselling author of Wilder Girls, Burn Our Bodies Down, and In a Garden Burning Gold. 

• https://itsrorypower.com/ 

• instagram.com/itsrorypower/ 

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BLOG TOUR: Happy is the One - Katie Allen

What if halfway through your life was just the beginning?

Robin Edmund Blake is halfway through his life.

 

Born in 1986, when Halley’s Comet crossed the sky, he is destined to go out with it, when it returns in 2061. Until that day, he can’t die. He has proof.

 

With his future mapped out in minute detail, a lucrative but increasingly dull job in the City of London, and Gemma to share his life with, Robin has a plan to be remembered forever.

 

But when Robin’s sick father has one accident too many, the plan starts to unravel. Robin must return home to the tiny seaside town of Eastgate, learn to care for the man who never really cared for him, and face the childhood ghosts he fled decades ago.

 

Desperate to get his life back on schedule, he connects with fellow outsider Astrid. Brutally direct, sharp-witted and a professor at a nearby university, she’s unlike anyone he’s ever met. But Astrid is hiding something and someone from Robin.

And he’s hiding even more from her…

 

What did I think?

Oh my goodness, Katie Allen's new book, Happy is the One, is simply stunning.  I loved it from the very first page and my feelings continued to grow the more I read.

Robin knows when he's going to die as he was born during the appearance of Halley's Comet and he is destined to die when the comet returns, just like Mark Twain correctly predicted for his own death.  Now you would think that Robin would be able to live a full and happy life, knowing that his number is not coming up until he's 75, but instead he seems to be obsessed with planning every minute of his life until his death....whilst life passes him by.

It's a bit of a culture shock when Robin returns to his home town to live with his elderly dad and it is heartbreaking that his dad can't communicate verbally any more.  Robin's mum died when he was young and it seems that he was never close to his dad so it's a difficult time for both of them.  As they get to know each other again, things that Robin thought he knew are brought into question, including his inability to die until 2061.

The story is incredibly poignant and my heart ached at certain points as Katie Allen put me through the emotional wringer.  I love being so invested in a book that events make me gasp out loud and struggle to hold back my tears.  The writing is so warm and witty that there's sure to be something to smile or laugh about on the next page whilst my tears are drying.

Breathtaking, stunning and memorable, Happy is the One is a book with the biggest heart; it made me laugh, cry and everything in between and I simply can't recommend it highly enough.

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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About the author:

Katie Allen was a journalist and columnist at Guardian and Observer, starting her career as a Reuters correspondent in Berlin and London. Her warmly funny, immensely moving literary debut novel, Everything Happens for a Reason, was based on her own devastating experience of stillbirth and was a number-one digital bestseller, with wide critical acclaim. Katie grew up in Warwickshire and now lives in South London with her family.

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BLOG TOUR: Best Summer Ever - Heidi Swain

Summer is in full swing when Daisy drives back into Wynmouth in her almost-clapped-out car, having left both her most recent job and the man her parents thought she was going to marry. Coming home could be just what she needs to move her life on.

At Wynbrook Manor, things are in disarray. Owner Algy isn’t getting any younger, and Daisy’s mum Janet, housekeeper at the manor, spends her days running around after him, while Daisy’s dad Robin, the gardener, has been let down by the person he had lined up to take care of the new cut-flower garden.

As Daisy tries to find her place at Wynbrook and in the village, she’s drawn to summer visitor Josh. But when he turns out to be not the person he appears to be, will the spark between them fizzle out? And with it, the chances of this turning into the best summer ever?

 

What did I think?

It wouldn't be Autumn, Winter, Spring or Summer without a Heidi Swain book and the Best Summer Ever is her latest novel that is jam-packed with sunshine and romance.  I'm a huge fan of Heidi Swain books so it will come as no surprise to say that I loved Best Summer Ever.  I'm planning to read it again already - that's how much I loved it!

Daisy is well-named as her dad is a gardener and Daisy has a love of flowers too.  Daisy's life hasn't exactly gone to plan as she sets off home to Norfolk after breaking up with her boyfriend Laurence.  What makes it even worse is that Daisy's parents loved Laurence but what Daisy seems to forget is that they love her more.

To lessen the blow of her surprise return to the parental abode, Daisy decides to pop into the local pub to ask for work but also to calm her nerves after almost running over an American tourist.  The tourist, Josh, provides the love interest but with secrets and misunderstandings aplenty there's very much a will they/won't they about this blossoming romance.

I absolutely adored this gorgeous book from start to finish.  Just looking at the beautiful cover brings a smile to my face as I recollect my virtual visit to the fictional seaside town of Wynmouth.  I love how Heidi Swain's books are all standalones but often see a return to some of her fictional towns and villages so fans of her books really feel as if they're visiting a favourite destination.

Best Summer Ever is the perfect feel-good book to warm your heart and banish the winter blues.  Make sure you don't miss this fabulous heartwarming romance that is worth every single one of the five stars I have awarded it.  Very highly recommended.

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: The Golden Hour - Kate Lord Brown

The Golden Hour is an epic dual timeline story which interweaves glory-seeking desert archaeologists, priceless treasures, Nefertiti’s tomb and the decadent cabarets of WW2 Cairo with restless expat lives in bohemian Beirut. 

 

Archaeologist Lucie Fitzgerald's mother is dying – she's also been lying. As her home, the 'Paris of the East', Beirut, teeters on the brink of war in the ‘70s, Polly Fitzgerald has one last story to tell from her deathbed.  It’s the story of her childhood best friend Juno and their life in 30s Cairo. Lucie travels home to be with her dying mother and discovers the truth about her family, Juno's work and their shared search for the greatest undiscovered tomb of all - Nefertiti's. 

 

From the cities to the deserts, this transporting and moving story of a lost generation transformed by war is a study of great love and sacrifice in all its forms, the perfect novel for fans of Santa Montefiore, Lucinda Riley and Victoria Hislop.

 

What did I think?

I love ancient Egyptian history so The Golden Hour was an absolute must-read for me and it completely exceeded my expectations, absolutely blowing me away with its amazing setting and its intriguing storyline.

With a dual timeline set in Egypt 1939 and Lebanon 1975, Kate Lord Brown sweeps the reader away to distant shores and introduces us to an unforgettable cast of characters.  Juno and Polly have been friends since their childhood in England and the pair are reunited as married women in 1939 in Egypt.  Now that Polly is terminally ill, it is time to tell her daughter Lucie about the past and the story is quite emotional and shocking but it is also courageous and empowering.

The characters are so well developed and I adored Juno who refused to take no for an answer as she forced her way into the male-dominated world of archaeology.  It is Juno's dream to discover Nefertiti's tomb and I loved the portrayal of Nefertiti as a strong woman in her own right rather than the wife of Akhenaten and stepmother/mother-in-law of Tutankhamun.  

I thoroughly enjoyed the archaelogical part of the story but it is Juno and Polly's history that kept me completely riveted to the pages.  I was devastated more than once by this moving tale but I also felt uplifted and empowered by the strong female characters.

Poignant and powerful, The Golden Hour is a sweeping story that took my breath away with its exotic setting and rendered me speechless with its stunning plot.  It is giving me goose bumps just thinking about it now and I will be recommending it and reading it many many times.  Unmissable and unputdownable; an easy five stars.

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: One in a Million - Beverley Kendall

A fun, spicy romcom with the poignancy of Abby Jimenez and a modern twist on “surprise baby” for fans of Jasmine Guillory.

Megastar Whitney “Sahara” Richardson has everything planned - including when she’ll have kids. But a medical mix-up makes her the biological mother of a child she didn’t carry and whose father she’s never met. 

 

World-famous Whitney “Sahara” Richardson is at the top of her game. With four Grammys, an Oscar nod, and a half-billion-dollar clothing line, her career is skyrocketing. Even her headline-grabbing dating life is looking up. And if everything goes as planned, marriage and children are just a few years away. However, a mix-up at the fertility clinic where her eggs are stored puts the cart before the horse, and Sahara suddenly has a daughter... whose biological father is reluctant to share.

What did I think?

Having read Token last year (which gave readers a sneaky peek at One in a Million), I was like a cat on hot bricks as I patiently awaited Sahara's story.  I have to say that it was well worth the wait as I absolutely loved it.

Sahara is a global megastar but when the cameras stop rolling she becomes Whitney Richardson, a down-to-earth woman who might want children some day.  That day comes a lot sooner than she planned when the fertility clinic calls to admit to a terrible mistake: Whitney's egg has been mixed up with another woman's and there's now a mixed-race 6 month old little girl who is paying the consequences of this horrendous error. 

Holly Redmond demanded a DNA test when she suspected that baby Haylee wasn't her daughter...but to complicate matters further, the DNA test confirms that Holly's husband Myles is Haylee's father.  As soon as her suspicions are confirmed, Holly gives Myles an ultimatum: choose either her or Haylee.  Myles doesn't have to think twice so it's him and Haylee from now on...until Whitney asks to meet her.

Whoa the chemistry between Myles and Whitney almost causes sparks to fly off the page and the sexual tension crackles and fizzles until the inevitable conclusion.  I loved seeing how Miles and Whitney's relationship grew as well as witnessing Whitney's instant love for Haylee.  

Fun, emotional and a little bit steamy, One in a Million is a fresh and flirty romance with a lot of heart.  It's a bit like an adult fairy tale with a Wicked Witch, a Prince Charming and not one but two Princesses but you'll just have to read it for yourself to see if they all lived Happily Every After.

 

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: What You See - Hilly Barmby

Harriet (Haitch) Boswell’s career as an artist could be about to go stratospheric. She’s been nominated for a prestigious bursary that would change everything. To secure it, she needs to see off five other hopefuls and charm the man who holds the purse strings during a weekend at a stunning location in Spain.

But just before she’s due to leave, she falls ill. There’s no way she can attend the event. Perhaps there’s a solution… her twin sister, Tilda.

But Tilda’s life is in turmoil. Her husband Sam has left her, declaring his love for a mystery woman. Spending a weekend schmoozing with the cream of the creative world while pretending to be her sister, is the very last thing she wants to do. But the bonds of sisterhood are strong. Haitch begs her, and Tilda agrees.

What if she’s discovered as an imposter? There’s Haitch’s egotistical agent Damian to get past first. Then there’s the small matter of surviving the selection process – all five nominees are pitted against each other in an intellectual beauty contest.

And then when someone discovers a body the next day, no one is prepared for what comes next...

 

What did I think?

Oh this book was so good and I simply couldn't put it down.  There are so many layers of intrigue to hold the reader's interest and I was well and truly hooked.

Haitch and Tilda are identical twins but although they may look alike they are very different in nature.  Haitch is the outgoing one who says what she thinks and Tilda is the quiet nerdy one who thought she had found the perfect man with whom to spend the rest of her life...until he left her.  

Tilda is reeling from Sam's bombshell so a change of scenery could be just what she needs so she doesn't take much convincing to impersonate Haitch when Haitch falls ill and can't attend a prestigeous event in Spain.  It looks like the twins have got away with their ruse but complications arise when a dead body is discovered after the event.

Oh this is very intricately plotted and I loved every minute of it.  Hilly Barmby's vivid and captivating writing cleverly drew me in to an amazing web of deceit before going in for the kill with a superb twist.  What an absolute cracker!

Intriguing, gripping and twisty, What You See is an outstanding psychological thriller that hooked me from the start and didn't let go.  A very highly recommended 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 TOUR: SON (The Kari Voss Mysteries Book 1) - Thomas Enger & Johana Gustawsson

Psychologist and expert on body language and memory, Kari Voss investigates the murder of two teenaged girls in the small Norwegian town of Son, as suspicion is cast on multiple suspects. A mesmerisingly dark, twisty start to a nerve-shattering new series by two of the world's finest crime writers…

Everyone here is lying…

Expert on body language and memory, and consultant to the Oslo Police, psychologist Kari Voss sleepwalks through her days, and, by night, continues the devastating search for her young son, who disappeared on his birthday, seven years earlier.

Still grieving for her dead husband, and trying to pull together the pieces of her life, she is thrust into a shocking local investigation, when two teenage girls are violently murdered in a family summer home in the nearby village of Son.

When a friend of the victims is charged with the barbaric killings, it seems the case is closed, but Kari is not convinced. Using her skills and working on instinct, she conducts her own enquiries, leading her to multiple suspects, including people who knew the dead girls well…

With the help of Chief Constable Ramona Norum, she discovers that no one – including the victims – are what they seem. And that there is a dark secret at the heart of Son village that could have implications not just for her own son's disappearance, but Kari's own life, too…

 

What did I think?

WOW!  What have I just read?  A twisty, gripping masterpiece, that's what!  I know it says on the front that "Everyone here is lying" but I just didn't expect to have the rug pulled from under my feet to that extent.  Absolutely brilliant!  What a blistering start to an exciting new series!

I haven't read any books written by Thomas Enger or Johana Gustawsson but if their books are half as good as SON then I definitely want to read more from these two amazing authors.  The writing is seamless and if it didn't say so on the cover then you really wouldn't be able to tell that there are two authors.

Even the title is clever as Son is both a place in Norway and the mystery that haunts psychologist Kari Voss.  Kari's son Vetle disappeared on his ninth birthday and seven years have gone by without any clues as to what happened to him.  Kari is kept busy with her work as a reknowned psychologist and she is so successful at her job that she is known as 'The human lie detector'.  Her latest case is very disturbing as it involves some of Vetle's childhood friends and the police think they have caught the killer but Kari doesn't agree.

Oh I absolutely loved this amazing book.  I was hooked from the start by Vetle's shocking disappearance and really felt for young widow Kari as her world was shattered once again.  It just shows what a strong character she is that she can get up each day and continue with some semblance of a life.  I can't wait to read more of this series, especially with such a jaw-dropping cliffhanger at the end of the book.

Incredibly gripping and completely unmissable, SON is Nordic Noir at its very best.  I would give it more than 5 stars if I could - very highly recommended.

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

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