BLOG TOUR: The Spaces in Between - Collin Van Reenan

There is Truth and there are Lies; there is Fiction and there is Fact; there is Life and there is Death.

And then there are the Spaces in Between.

Paris, 1968. Nicholas finds himself broke, without papers and on the verge of being deported back to England. Seeking to stay in France, Nicholas takes a three-month contract as an English tutor to the 17-year-old Imperial Highness Natalya. It is the perfect solution; free room and board, his wages saved, and a place to hide from police raids. All that is asked of Nicholas is too obey the lifestyle of the Victorian household and not to leave the house's grounds. It should have solved all his problems...

The Spaces In Between details the experience of Nicholas as he finds himself an unwitting prisoner within an aristocratic household, apparently frozen in time, surrounded by macabre and eccentric personalities who seem determined to drag him to the point of insanity. Much deeper runs a question every reader is left to ponder - if this tale is fact and not fiction, then what motivation could have driven his tormentors?

What did I think?

Before I even talk about what I thought of the book, I have to say that the cover of The Spaces in Between is absolutely magnificent.  At first glance, I just saw a Venetian style mask but on looking more closely I noticed the skeleton underneath and then my eye was drawn to the amazing detail of the mask itself.  The whole story is told in this mask so it's worth lingering a little longer on the cover before diving into the book.

It is clear from the preface that this is an unusual book.  The preface is written from the point of view of Marie-Claire, a doctor of psychology.  Newly qualified, Nicholas is her first patient and he has given Marie-Claire permission to publish his story.  A story that is so unbelievable, I had to keep reminding myself it was true.  It is the truth as Nicholas remembers it in his bewildered state after his escape from the house.

Even before a chapter was named Danse Macabre I had the memorable piece by Saint-Saëns playing in my head and I think it would be the perfect theme song for this book as Nicholas is manipulated and manoeuvred into place like a puppet.  He is powerless to resist the charms of Natalya, the Russian princess he is employed to teach, and her guardian, Madame Lili.  As his stay in the house lengthens, Nicholas starts to see figures in monochrome including Russian soldiers in the library and a family walking in the garden.  Only one member of the family is in colour, the mysterious Tatiana, but only Nicholas can see her.

I loved the format of the book with Marie-Claire talking about her patient, Nicholas.  It gives a level of credence to the story that could very easily be mistaken as fiction without such endorsement.  I was fascinated and intrigued from start to finish and it felt so very psychedelic at times that I think I will need to read the book again to appreciate every little nuance.

It's an astonishing true story, written so very vividly that you can easily picture each scene, both monochrome and technicolour, in your mind.  Scenes of life in colour, scenes of death in monochrome but what colour are The Spaces in Between?  A very enjoyable read with dark gothic undertones and trippy psychedelic moments that make it impossible to separate fact from fiction, leaving the reader limited only by their imagination.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

Follow the tour:

The Perfect Girlfriend - Karen Hamilton

Juliette loves Nate.

She will follow him anywhere. She's even become a flight attendant for his airline, so she can keep a closer eye on him.

They are meant to be.

The fact that Nate broke up with her six months ago means nothing.  Because Juliette has a plan to win him back.

She is the perfect girlfriend.

And she'll make sure no one stops her from getting exactly what she wants.

True love hurts, but Juliette knows it's worth all the pain...

What did I think?

A clever, but terribly sad, prologue gives the reader an instant insight into why Lily aka Juliette is the way she is.  This terrible event moulded her into the person she has now become: a terrifying bunny-boiler.  Reader, meet Juliette - the character you will love to hate.

Juliette had the perfect relationship with Nate until they broke up.  Nate just doesn't realise how much he loves Juliette and how they're meant to be together forever, that's all.  Once he comes to his senses, Juliette will get her man back and if he doesn't realise how much he loves her then she'll darn well make him!

Juliette is a scary character; she is completely unhinged and selfish but as much as I wanted to dislike her I really couldn't.  Reading her back story made me feel so sad for her but sometimes she really didn't help herself.  As scary as Juliette was, I couldn't help but think that Nate caused a lot of Juliette's neuroses by being so spineless.  Change your locks, man!  Nate played into Juliette's hands so easily, partly because she knew him so well and partly because he is weak.  I didn't like Nate much, did I?

It's a very fast-paced story as Juliette's plan to win Nate back picks up speed and I didn't know whether to applaud her or call the psychiatrist when parts of her plan were revealed.  I loved some of Juliette's ideas to get back with Nate and, epitomising the true meaning of obsession, she really will do anything to ensnare her man.  If Nate had a bunny, it definitely would have been boiling on his stove when he got home from work.

A fast-paced page turner that really gets under your skin.  A riveting and addictive debut by Karen Hamilton that makes her one to watch in the psychological thriller genre.  When love and obsession collide, be prepared for anything to happen in The Perfect Girlfriend.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

BLOG TOUR: Room 119: The Whitby Trader - T.F. Lince

I was one of the early reviewers of T.F. Lince's debut, Room 119: The Whitby Trader in October 2017 and I have to say it is a book that I absolutely adored.  I loved it so much that I offered to run a blog tour and I am delighted to repost my review to close what has been an amazing tour.  I'd like to take this opportunity to give a heartfelt thanks to each and every blogger for taking part and to Trev for supporting the tour.

So here's my review:

High-flying trader Dean Harrison has it all – the London penthouse apartment; the fast car; the beautiful wife. But when the threads of Dean’s life start to unravel, they do so with alarming speed.

Following the advice of a frail stranger, Dean sets off for Welnetham Hall Hotel and is plunged into the mysterious world of Room 119 – a world where nothing makes sense. How does everyone in the hotel know his name? Why does he travel there on a train line that shut down over fifty years ago? And who is the sinister man in black who pursues him wherever he goes?

As he gradually pieces together the puzzle of Welnetham Hall, Dean is forced to re-evaluate his life and realises that nothing is more important to him than his wife and daughter. Desperate to gt back to them, he vows he would lay down his life for the people he loves.

It’s a promise he may have to keep.

What did I think?

Thank goodness I am passionate about supporting local North East authors, or I might have missed this amazing book.  I was expecting a novel about a stock trader who maybe takes one risk too many and loses his job, his family, and himself.  What I did not expect was the direction that the story went in and my wholehearted enjoyment of it.  Leave your expectations at the door for this one and just buckle up and enjoy the ride it takes you on.

For some readers, the beginning of the book might be a little off-putting, with all that testosterone flying around the trading floor.  I work in finance so I loved the buzz of the stocks and shares, the bulls and the bears and the backstabbing as the new guy tries to make a name for himself.  Whatever you do, don't give up if you don't like the first chapter or two; it is a necessary part of the story which comes full circle at the end, but the real story is about to begin and what an outstanding story it is!

I loved Dean's character.  He may be a city big shot but he hasn't forgotten his roots in the North East.  He is a classic case of a 'live to work' person: his life revolves around his job, often at the expense of his family.  A family he really does care about, after all, he's working so hard to give them everything they want but the only thing they really want is him.  He just doesn't realise it...yet.  A visit to creepy Welnetham Hall is about to change all of that.

Strange things happen to Dean when he stays in Room 119.  He wakes up to a fairground outside his window where he is rescued by a clown after being pursued by a tall man dressed in black with a silver topped stick.  I had just started to think that it felt like he'd fallen down the rabbit hole when Dean announced that they're "all mad here".  T.F. Lince then added some Back to the Future vibes and even a bit of Homer's Odyssey to the Alice in Wonderland pot and created a thoroughly entertaining rip-roaring story.

What I loved most of all, although it sounds quite lighthearted and a bit wacky, it has a pretty serious message running through it.  Getting that work/life balance just right is a tricky skill to master and Dean didn't even realise he'd got it wrong until it was almost too late.  It's also quite thought-provoking and I struggled to hold back my tears when reading the chapters about the care home for Alzheimer's and dementia patients.  I've often thought with such conditions that you've lost your loved one whilst they are right infront of your eyes; perhaps they are living in a between-world, I'd like to think so.

What an outstanding debut: hugely entertaining, thought-provoking and extremely emotional; I really would have kicked myself if I had missed it.  FIVE HUGE STARS, it is without doubt one of my top books of the year.  I highly recommend Room 119 - 'The Whitby Trader' and I can say with the utmost certainty that you won't have ever read anything like it!

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon UK

Buy it from Amazon US



About the author:

Trev Lince originates from Marske-by-the-Sea on the North East coast of England, but now lives in Darlington with his wife, Claire.

Their daughter, Annie, is a very good guitarist and is setting up a band, playing every pub in the North East that she can. She’s so rock and roll, living the dream while her father is approaching his mid-life crisis.

A keen golfer and frustrated Middlesbrough FC fan, Trev gets to as many matches as work and leisure time allow. He writes in what little spare time he has, when not working as a IT Consultant for a major oil company in Surrey.

Room 119 – The Whitby Trader is Trev’s first book and he really enjoyed the experience of writing it. Who knows? He may have a few more stories bursting to get out of his head.

If you want to know more you can find Trev on Twitter @Room119TFLince

I met Trev and his lovely wife Claire over the weekend at a North East Authors and Readers event so here are a few snaps of me meeting Trev and one of Trev signing his book.

Follow the tour:

Another Woman's Husband - Gill Paul

Two women who challenged the Crown.

Divided by time. Bound by a secret...

1911

At the age of fifteen, carefree Mary Kirk and indomitable Wallis Warfield meet at summer camp. Their friendship will survive heartbreaks, separation and the demands of the British Crown until it is shattered by one unforgivable betrayal...

1997

Rachel's romantic break in Paris with her fiancé ends in tragedy when the car ahead crashes. Inside was Princess Diana. Back in Brighton, Rachel is haunted by the accident, and intrigued to learn the princess had visited the last home of Wallis, Duchess of Windsor, only hours before the crash. Soon, the discovery of a long-forgotten link to Wallis Simpson leads Rachel to the truth behind a scandal that shook the world...


What did I think?

You can't help but get goosebumps seeing that fateful location and date on Chapter 1: Paris, 31 August 1997.  Even typing it now gives me chills.  The events of that night are handled so sensitively by Gill Paul, paying the highest respect to Diana, Dodi and Henri Paul.  This isn't a story about Diana, Princess of Wales but rather the story of another thorn in the royal family's side: Wallis Simpson.

31 August 1997 is a night that Rachel and Alex will never forget.  They got engaged in Paris and came upon the wreckage of a car crash in the Alma Tunnel.  Alex gets out of their car to see what is happening and finds Princess Diana in the wreckage.  As more help arrives, Alex leaves the scene but not before he picks up a platinum heart charm with the initial 'J' and 'XVII' on it.  What does this mean to Diana?  It's a little piece of a puzzle that Alex is determined to solve as he decides to film a documentary into Diana's last known movements.  Movements that included a visit to Villa Windsor, the home of Wallis Simpson.

Roll back to 1911 where Mary Kirk befriends Bessie Wallis Warfield at summer camp.  The pair strike up a friendship that lasts decades, broken only by both women's love for the same man.  Not Edward, Prince of Wales, but quiet and unassuming Ernest Simpson.  As we see Wallis grow up, a pattern emerges of her always getting what or who she wants, even if that man appears unavailable like another woman's husband or a king.

With such a compelling story woven around the bare bones of historical facts, this is a story that captivated me from start to finish.  Although she doesn't feature heavily in it, I felt as if the essence of Diana was sprinkled throughout the pages.  The story that Gill Paul created felt so very like what I imagine Diana would have done.  The link between Diana and Wallis, through Rachel, was so clever, imaginative and simply breathtaking.  

I adored Another Woman's Husband and will definitely be recommending it to everyone I know.  It is my first Gill Paul book and I won't hesitate to pick up more of her books.  Very highly recommended.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

Kindred Spirits: Tower of London - Jennifer C. Wilson

A King, three Queens, a handful of nobles and a host of former courtiers…

In the Tower of London, the dead outnumber the living, with the likes of Tudor Queens Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard rubbing shoulders with one man who has made his way back from his place of death at Bosworth Field to discover the truth about the disappearance of his famous nephews.

Amidst the chaos of daily life, with political and personal tensions running high, Richard III takes control, as each ghostly resident looks for their own peace in the former palace – where privacy was always a limited luxury.

With so many characters haunting the Tower of London, will they all find the calm they crave? But foremost – will the young Plantagenet Princes join them?

What did I think?

It took me a little while to get my head around Richard III in conversation with Anne Boleyn.  They are two famous historical figures from different centuries who meet as ghosts in the Tower of London; once they are dead, time has no meaning so we find Tudor and Plantagenets 'living' and haunting together.  Richard and Anne are joined by too many historical names to mention but thankfully Jennifer Wilson included a list of characters in the back of the book so we could keep track of who was who.

After his remains were famously found in the car park in Leicester, Richard III's popularity has increased.  At school, I remember thinking of him as the hunchback who murdered his nephews but many believe that this couldn't be further from the truth.  His skeleton alone smashes the hunchback myth to smithereens.  So you can imagine Richard's devastation when as a ghost he goes to watch the Shakespearean play about himself and sees the actor playing a hunchback.  Jennifer Wilson is a one-woman PR machine for Richard III as I really felt as if I got to know him better than I ever have.  I know the basics of the House of Plantagenet, in fact that was my house in school, but have never really delved into their history.  I'm encouraged to read more about this ambitious and ruthless family after reading Kindred Spirits: Tower of London.

Aside from the history, the ghosts have fun haunting the Tower of London.  They all get along well, apart from Jane Boleyn who seems to hover in the shadows after she is accused of betraying the Boleyn family and causing their downfall.  It seems even ghosts hold grudges.  There are two ghosts that Richard would give anything to see in the Tower, those of his nephews, Edward and Richard.  He has been searching high and low for centuries but the boys remain elusive.  Are they hiding from Richard because he killed them or were they not even killed in the Tower?  Both are questions that many historians have struggled to answer for centuries and it remains one of the great mysteries of British History.

The handy character guide proved immeasurably useful as I negotiated all the Georges and Janes.  There are a LOT of characters in the book, as many ghosts as you could imagine inhabiting the Tower of London, and it could sometimes be confusing if you don't know your history.  For example: George, Clarence and George Plantagenet all appear in the book but they are actually the same person.  It was fine for me but I could imagine it would be confusing for some people.  

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Kindred Spirits: Tower of London to historical fiction fans looking for something that little bit different from the tired old stories set in the Tudor court.  Jennifer Wilson makes history fun in Kindred Spirits: Tower of London and she has brought history to life by putting flesh on the bones of the brittle old skeletons lying in the royal tombs.

On a final note: this book gave me goosebumps and not from the hauntings.  I was so invested in the story that I had tears in my eyes at the end and I could have gone on to read many more pages about this unlikely band of regal characters.  

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

Bedlam (Detective Joe McNeil Book 1) - B.A. Morton

Joe loves Kit. Everyone thinks she’s dead. Joe knows she’s not.

If you lost the love of your life, how far would you go to get them back? 

Detective Joe McNeil would do absolutely anything. 

When Joe breathes life into a crime scene victim, he discovers what anything really means. 

Nell will use whatever is necessary to ensure she survives, including Joe. Is she really a victim or merely the weapon being wielded by a much more cunning foe?

Against the background of a multiple murder investigation, Joe struggles between his love for missing Kit and his growing obsession with the enigmatic Nell. Plunged headlong into a spiralling nightmare of kidnap, murder and betrayal, his relentless search for the truth jeopardises his career, his sanity and his life.

But for Nell, the risk is even greater.

A haunting tale of obsessive love, ultimate sacrifice and deadly consequences.

What did I think?

Oh my word, this clever book is an absolute hidden gem.  B.A. Morton is a local North East author whom I was fortunate to meet to sign my copy of Bedlam.  I am speechless and completely in awe of the quality of the writing in Bedlam.  B.A. Morton has written a book with so much smoke and mirrors that I questioned my own sanity almost as often as I questioned the main character's.

A town called Bedlam conjures a vision in my head of lawlessness and insanity.  So when Joe McNeil attends a crime scene in Bedlam and brings one of the 'corpses' back to life, I prepared myself, as much as I could, for ANYTHING to happen.  Joe's girlfriend, Kit, is missing presumed dead.  That is, she's presumed dead by everyone EXCEPT Joe.  He will never give up searching for Kit, and now it seems that the girl he brought back to life, Nell, knows something about Kit's disappearance.  Joe is prepared to lose everything, even his mind, to find out what happened to Kit.  I found myself wondering whether Nell was simply manipulating Joe for her own ends or if she really did know something about Kit's disappearance.

The character development of Joe and Nell is absolutely superb.  I felt as if Joe had been turned inside out and we could see exactly what made him tick but at times I didn't know what was real and what was inside Joe's head.  Nell was another matter; she is very mysterious and just when you think you get a glimpse of the real Nell, B.A. Morton would pull the rug from underneath you.  I would imagine that every single reader would be thinking the same question about Nell: who is she???  Fear not, you will find out when the time is right.

Bedlam is so immersive, addictive and utterly breathtaking.  It was so easy to get drawn into Joe's story and I found that I was thinking about Bedlam in between periods of reading it.  If you're looking for a high quality book filled with suspense that will keep you on your toes, look no further and rush out to buy a copy of Bedlam right now!

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

COVER REVEAL: The Good Messenger - John Simmons

I'm really excited to share the cover of John Simmons' new book with you today.  I am a huge fan of John Simmons' writing and I'm delighted to be able to offer two very lucky winners the chance to read both of John's previous novels: Leaves and Spanish Crossings.  

But first, lets find out what the new book is about:

The book is to be published  20^th September 2018 by Urbane Publications with isbn 9781911583882.

The Good Messenger by John Simmons is a coming of age novel that becomes a love story and is told in three parts.

Nine-year-old Tommy is the innocent messenger between deceiving adults in an Edwardian country house; his good intentions may have bad consequences for the family that shelters him.

But the Great War is a larger, looming tragedy, changing everything, as seen through the eyes of Iris on Armistice Day.

In the Jazz Age aftermath a further mystery resurfaces, uncovering family secrets that might threaten a growing love.

So are you ready to see the AMAZING cover?

Wow!  That is one striking cover!  I can't wait to read it.  

If you can tear your eyes away from this mesmerising cover, don't forget to enter my fabulous giveaway.  With many thanks to Matthew Smith of Urbane Publications for providing such excellent and generous prizes.

If you don't win the giveaway, here are the buy links as you really don't want to miss these outstanding books:

LEAVES - Amazon UK, Amazon US

SPANISH CROSSINGS - Amazon UK, Amazon US

GIVEAWAY!!!

This giveaway is open to entrants in the UK only.  There are two sets of John Simmons' previous novels: Leaves and Spanish Crossings to be won (Leaves in paperback and Spanish Crossings in hardback).  The giveaway is open for 4 days from midnight 01/02/18 to midnight 05/02/18. Two winners will be chosen at random and contacted via email on 05/02/18.  GOOD LUCK!

a Rafflecopter giveaway