BLOG TOUR: The Family - Louise Jensen

ONCE YOU’RE IN, THEY’LL NEVER LET YOU LEAVE.

Laura is grieving after the sudden death of her husband. Struggling to cope emotionally and financially, Laura is grateful when a local community, Oak Leaf Organics, offer her and her 17-year-old daughter Tilly a home.

But as Laura and Tilly settle into life with their new ‘family’, sinister things begin to happen. When one of the community dies in suspicious circumstances Laura wants to leave but Tilly, enthralled by the charismatic leader, Alex, refuses to go.

Desperately searching for a way to save her daughter, Laura uncovers a horrifying secret but Alex and his family aren’t the only ones with something to hide. Just as Laura has been digging into their past, they’ve been digging into hers and she discovers the terrifying reason they invited her and Tilly in, and why they’ll never let them leave…

What did I think?

I always get excited when I see a new Louise Jensen book coming out; her books are absolutely brilliant and if you haven't read one yet, what are you waiting for?  Pick one, pick them all, you won't be disappointed.  I must warn you though, once you pick up The Family, you simply can't do anything until you finish the book.  Thank goodness for cold and wet October weekends; not that I need an excuse to stay inside to read, of course.  The Family is definitely a one-sitting kind of book, with an intriguing prologue and little cliffhangers at the end of each chapter making you read just one more after just one more.

The Family, as you would expect, is about family: Laura's flesh family (doesn't that sound creepy?) and her chosen family (which really is creepy).  Laura and her daughter, Tilly, find themselves in unimaginable circumstances when Laura's husband, Gavan, dies.  With so much turmoil surrounding Gavan's death, Laura finds herself ostracized from Gavan's family and struggling to pay the rent.  With nowhere left to turn, she is invited to join the community at Gorphwysfa (Welsh for 'resting place') and is unable to resist joining the family led by the alluring and enigmatic Alex.

The story is told from three viewpoints, that of Laura, Tilly and Alex.  The characters have been developed so wonderfully that each voice had its own individuality but what they each have in common is a heartbreaking story at their core.  Laura has never had much luck with her 'flesh' family, Tilly is suffering at school thanks to a group of mean girls and Alex just wants to look after his family...or does he?  

I think Louise Jensen is a bit of a magician; with slight of hand, she has you looking in completely the wrong direction as she plucks the ace out of her sleeve for the big reveal.  I knew there would be at least one secret struggling to remain hidden but Louise Jensen goes one better with some absolutely huge, jaw-dropping surprises in store for the reader.  Just when I thought that I'd heard it all and I could breathe again, Louise Jensen completely took the wind out of my sails and I was actually left breathless.  This is absolutely brilliant writing; Louise Jensen, I salute you!  

The Family is jaw-droppingly brilliant; it's a highly addictive read that completely took my breath away.  Clear your schedule as once you pick it up, you won't be able to put it down.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon




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BLOG TOUR: The Stranger Inside - Lisa Unger

You committed the perfect crime. But someone knows the truth.

You followed the trial obsessively.

You know he’s guilty and can’t believe he got away with it.

But someone is determined to see justice done.

Rain Winter left journalism behind to focus on her baby daughter. But when a man acquitted for murder is killed, in the same way as his suspected victims, Rain sees a pattern emerging between a series of cold cases.

Meticulous and untraceable, this killer strikes in the dead of night, making sure that the guilty are suitably punished for their crimes.

As Rain’s investigation deepens, she must face up to dark secrets in her own past and the realisation that the killer may be closer than she thinks…

From bestselling author Lisa Unger comes a dark and addictive psychological suspense which will keep you breathless until the last page.

What did I think?

Although this is my first Lisa Unger book, I do have a few of her books in my vast collection but it is the curse of bookworms to have more books than time for reading them.  I loved the sound of The Stranger Inside: a vigilante killer dealing out their own justice and a main character filled with secrets of her own.  I also have to say that 'The Stranger Inside' is the perfect title for this book but you'll only see how very clever it is when you read it.  

Rain Winter (what a brilliant name) is currently a full time mom to baby Lily and a former journalist.  With such a naturally inquisitive nature, can you ever be a former journalist?  Once a journalist, always a journalist as Rain is drawn back into a case that she followed before she left to have Lily.  Seeing similarities to other cold cases she is compelled to investigate, which not only puts herself and her family in dangerous situations but also digs into her painful past.

The Stranger Inside is a lot more character driven than I expected, focusing on the multi-layered facets of Rain's personality.  Now this may seem odd, but I didn't really warm to Rain's character at all but there is a very good reason for this and it had me thinking about how we interact with other people in our day to day lives.  We are all multi-faceted by nature; I'm not talking split personality but rather the aspects of our personality that we choose to show various people at different times.  Before you call the men in white coats to come pick me up, just think about it in simpler terms: aren't we are all different at work than we are at home?  We choose to show our colleagues only a small part of ourselves, while our family get to see us warts and all.

Rain is carrying such a lot of guilt around with her over something that happened to her as a child.  It's so very thought-provoking to see how events, both good and bad, in our childhood can shape us for the rest of our lives.  It also made me think how hard we are on ourselves with Rain blaming herself for something that she had no control over.  You can never truly move on until you forgive yourself.  I also felt that this made Rain a little detached from her family, almost as if she couldn't give herself to them completely while she didn't feel whole.  I did smirk at the modern age of Rain watching her husband and child through a camera app on her phone rather than being physically present with them.  Although it may be evidence of what I saw as detachment, she really couldn't help it as she was compelled to investigate this story.

It's amazes me how much I got out of this book, which just shows the talent of Lisa Unger.  Although I found myself more gripped by the psyche than the story, that's not a criticism by any means as I absolutely love that.  Fiction is excellent for escapism but every once in a while a book makes me stop and think and that's exactly what The Stranger Inside did for me.  

Very very dark and very very thought-provoking, The Stranger Inside is definitely a book that stays with you long after you've turned the final page.  A very enjoyable read and one that had me considering how well we really know ourselves and whether or not we all have a stranger inside.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon




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BLOG TOUR: The Hive - Jane Holland

It's a fabulous Rachel's Random Resources blog tour today!  You know what that means?  You not only get to read my review of an amazing book, but you also get the chance to enter a giveaway to win your very own paperback copy of the book!  So get clicking after you've read my review!

Scarred by fire from infancy, with a persistent stammer, Charlotte has always been in the shadow of her glamorous theatrical parents. So it's a shock when her mother commits suicide.

Left to care for her sick father in the dark maze of her childhood home, Charlotte begins to unravel. First, there's the mysterious arrival of a box of dead bees. Then buzzing noises in the attic. People are watching her. Listening to her.

Everyone thinks she's losing her mind. But an old photo suggests another, more sinister possibility ...

What did I think?

Anyone who enjoyed Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine will know what I mean when I say that the magic of a book is so often in the quirkiness and originality of the character; a character who is not the most popular in real life but one who finds a special place in the heart of every single reader who picks up the book.  This is how I felt about Charlotte in The Hive, the likes of which I have only ever experienced before in Eleanor Oliphant.  Don't mistake The Hive as being similar to Eleanor Oliphant as quirkiness aside, Charlotte's life is about to get very bad indeed.  

Charlotte is a character who I understood immediately as we share many of the same anti-social traits.  Charlotte is definitely not a people person, although this is more due to her circumstances than an inbuilt character trait; she avoids people in an attempt to avoid attention being drawn to her facial scars caused by getting burnt in the fireplace as a young child.  She works as a data analyst and has an affinity for number patterns but she doesn't think she can progress in her job as she says: 'Numbers, I can handle. People, I can't.'  I'm right there with you, Charlotte!  Numbers and I...we go way back!

Charlotte returns from holiday with her boyfriend to discover that her mother has committed suicide.  Charlotte's father is suffering from Alzheimer's and thinks his wife is still alive, so he can't help Charlotte put together the missing pieces to find out what led up to her mother's death.  The key to the puzzle seems to lie in a mysterious parcel that was delivered on the day of Charlotte's return: a display case of dead bees.  As disturbing as this is, it becomes even more scary when Charlotte starts to hear the buzz buzz buzz.

Creepy right?  I'm not a huge fan of stripy flying insects so it had my skin crawling at not only the thought of the dead bees in the house but the buzzing noises.  I could imagine the house tumbling down around Charlotte and a million bees swarming out from the rubble.  She's a braver gal than I when she ventures into the loft with her boyfriend; of course I have a ladder phobia so I couldn't have gone up there anyway.  The mystery of the bees deepens when she finds an old photo of her father in a beekeeper's outfit with the name 'Bee Hive Cottage' on the back.  To find out what happened to her mother, she must go back to her father's past but what she finds there is more horrifying than a gigantic swarm of bees.

What an outstanding book!  It really kept me on my toes and kept me constantly guessing as it went in a completely surprising direction, making it a lot darker than I expected.  Jane Holland is a new author to me and one I definitely plan to read more from.  I don't know how I haven't come across her before now; I must have literally had my head in a book!

The Hive is as creepy, terrifying and dark as it is compelling, gripping and impossible to put down.  As scared as I was at times, I couldn't take my eyes off the page and found my eyes trying to sneakily jump ahead as my brain wasn't reading fast enough.  A bee-rilliant thriller (I had to get a pun in somewhere) that had me on the edge of my seat and scratching my crawling skin.

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:

Jane Holland is a Gregory Award-winning poet and novelist. Her thriller GIRL NUMBER ONE hit #1 in the UK Kindle store in 2015, and again in 2018, catapulting her into a life of crime. She's published dozens of novels with major publishing houses under various pseudonyms, including: Beth Good, Victoria Lamb, Elizabeth Moss, Hannah Coates, and JJ Holland, and also self-publishes.

Social Media Links –

Twitter: https://twitter.com/janeholland1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JaneHollandAuthor/

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*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

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AUDIO TOUR: Sleep - C.L.Taylor

All Anna wants is to be able to sleep. But crushing insomnia, terrifying night terrors and memories of that terrible night are making it impossible. If only she didn't feel so guilty.... 

To escape her past, Anna takes a job at a hotel on the remote Scottish island of Rum, but when seven guests join her, what started as a retreat from the world turns into a deadly nightmare. 

Each of the guests has a secret, but one of them is lying - about who they are and why they're on the island. There's a murderer staying in the Bay View hotel. And they've set their sights on Anna. 

Seven strangers. Seven secrets. One deadly lie. 

Someone's going to sleep and never wake up.... 

What did I think?

I read and reviewed the amazing Sleep by C.L. Taylor earlier this year and it has become one of the books that I continually recommend, so I was intrigued to find out how it would compare in audiobook.  The answer?  As gripping, intriguing and even more scarily chilling!

I'm a bit of an audiobook virgin as, although I have tried them a few times, I found that I would quickly get distracted by whatever I was doing whilst listening to the book and not have a clue what was going on when I finally tuned back in.  This most definitely wasn't the case with Sleep with the audiobook keeping me as wide-eyed and alert as much as the paperback did.  

Clare Corbett is the narrator and she has such an amazing range of voices.  I admit, it did freak me out a bit at first when the voices changed, especially from female to male, but I soon got used to it.  The different timbres and accents in Clare's voice made the characters very distinct and easy to identify during conversations; it actually sounds like more than one person is narrating.  I also love the slight huskiness to Clare's voice and her ability to read with such clarity that every single word is enunciated clearly.   I was amazed at Clare's ability to project a range of emotions through the power of her voice; I was surprised that I could actually hear emotions such as fear, anger, despair and concern being made tangible by the stunning narration.

Having scooped a myriad awards, it goes without saying that Sleep is a superb book to read but it has been taken to another level in audiobook, with perfectly paired stunning narration for a stunning book.  Having listened to every single word during the 8 hours and 55 minutes of Sleep, I'm now well and truly hooked on audiobooks!

I chose to listen to an audiobook and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Audiobooks



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BLOG TOUR: A House of Ghosts - W.C. Ryan

Winter 1917. As the First World War enters its most brutal phase, back home in England, everyone is seeking answers to the darkness that has seeped into their lives.

At Blackwater Abbey, on an island off the Devon coast, Lord Highmount has arranged a spiritualist gathering to contact his two sons who were lost in the conflict. But as his guests begin to arrive, it gradually becomes clear that each has something they would rather keep hidden. Then, when a storm descends on the island, the guests will find themselves trapped. Soon one of their number will die.

For Blackwater Abbey is haunted in more ways than one . . .

A gripping and atmospheric mystery packed with twists and turns,

A House of Ghosts is the perfect chilling read.

What did I think?

I saw William Ryan at the Spirits in the Material World panel at Newcastle Noir 2019 and was riveted by his conversation and his amazing Irish accent.   As I'm partial to a bit of supernatural spookiness I promptly added him to my 'must read' list, so when I saw that A House of Ghosts was being published, I was chomping at the bit to read it.  I read it over the course of 24 hours and could quite easily have read it in one sitting if I didn't have to eat or sleep.

Firstly, I have to mention the eye-catching and mesmerising cover of A House of Ghosts.  The screen doesn't do it justice as the gold foiling on the paperback catches the light and kept tempting me to touch it, which I couldn't help myself doing.  Book strokers of the world unite!  When I could finally tear my eyes away from the cover, I was delighted to find a map in the front of the book.  I'm a bit of map geek so I love things like this; it really helps to set the scene, although it's not necessary to keep referring to it throughout the book.

With the first world war raging across Europe, many young men were destined never to return home.  Officially 'missing in action', families would never know when or how many of their loved ones died.  Lord Highmount sent two sons off to war and neither returned so he arranges a seance in the hope that one or both of his sons will make contact.  With a variety of psychics and mediums called to attend, you have to wonder if any of them are genuine or are they up to their famous tricks of manipulating the grief-stricken?  Two guests are on a secret mission to find out.

This haunting gothic tale has all the hallmarks of a marvellous whodunnit by Agatha Christie with the dark brooding setting of a Daphne du Maurier novel.  I loved the dynamic between the two main characters of Kate and Donovan and I was very intrigued by what I liked to refer to as Kate's magic mirror.  At the heart of the story is the harrowing effect of war, both on those who experienced it at the front line and those left behind at home.  I can't even begin to imagine what it must have been like for so many young men to never return home, often wiping out the youths from whole families and villages.  I recall my Grandad saying that he was only one of two young men who returned to their village in Wales at the end of World War II, then he promptly upped sticks and moved to the North East leaving only one young man in the village - I bet he was popular with the ladies!

I really enjoyed A House of Ghosts, it has so many threads running through it to keep me intrigued and they all tie up nicely at the end.  It has all the makings of a classic novel and one that will definitely go on the 'to read again' list; I'm already planning to chill my bones with another visit to Blackwater Abbey on a dark winter's night in the not too distant future.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon




About the author:

W. C. Ryan is a pseudonym for William Ryan, author of The Constant Soldier and the Korolev series of historical crime novels. His books have been shortlisted for numerous awards including the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year Award, the CWA Historical Dagger and the Ireland AM Irish Crime Novel of the Year Award and have been translated into over a dozen languages. William is married and lives in west London.

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BLOG TOUR: The Familiars - Stacey Halls

To save her child, she will trust a stranger. To protect a secret, she must risk her life...

Lancashire 1612

Fleetwood Shuttleworth is 17 years old, married, and pregnant for the fourth time. But as the mistress at Gawthorpe Hall, she still has no living child, and her husband Richard is anxious for an heir. When Fleetwood finds a letter she isn’t supposed to read from the doctor who delivered her third stillbirth, she is dealt the crushing blow that she will not survive another pregnancy.

When she crosses paths by chance with Alice Gray, a young midwife, Alice promises to help her give birth to a healthy baby, and to prove the physician wrong.

When Alice is drawn into the witchcraft accusations that are sweeping the North-West, Fleetwood risks everything by trying to help her. But is there more to Alice than meets the eye?

As the two women's lives become inextricably bound together, the legendary trial at Lancaster approaches, and Fleetwood’s stomach continues to grow. Time is running out, and both their lives are at stake.

Only they know the truth. Only they can save each other.

What did I think?

I think it is impossible to write a review of The Familiars that will even come close to doing it justice.  Even whilst I was reading it, I kept stopping to take a breath and gather my thoughts, often pronouncing out loud 'this is brilliant'.  The Familiars sweeps the board of positive adjectives; think of one and you could use it to describe this book: exceptional, outstanding, epic, awesome, fantastic, exquisite and brilliant to name but a few.  

To make this story even more exceptional, is the fact that the characters in the book were real people.  Stacey Halls brings them back to life with her beautiful and expressive writing and now they are immortalised in print.  Although the story itself is a work of fiction, I like to think that this is the true story of Fleetwood Shuttleworth and her midwife, Alice Gray; two women who saved each other's lives.  

I've always been intrigued by stories of witches and witchfinders.  These clever, caring women who were natural healers still helped people even when they were at risk of being branded a witch.  Whether for fame or fortune, they were hunted and rounded up, unfairly tried and hung.  With witchfinders scouring the length and breadth of the country, no town was left unscathed and The Familiars is set in 17th century Lancashire around the time of the Pendle witch trials, one of the most famous witch trials in England.

Aged 17 and already having suffered three miscarriages, Fleetwood Shuttleworth finds herself pregnant again.  Already frightened for the life of her unborn child, she finds a letter from her doctor to her husband which claims that she will not survive another pregnancy.  Determined to give her husband an heir, she enlists the help of a woman she finds in the woods, Alice Gray, to be her midwife.  With the help of Alice's herbs and tinctures, Fleetwood's unborn child grows stronger each day but then Fleetwood is dealt a crushing blow when Alice is arrested with the Pendle witches.  Only Alice can save Fleetwood's life in childbirth and only Fleetwood can save Alice from the gallows.

Oh my word!  The Familiars is most definitely my book of the year, if not the decade.  What an outstanding novel and what an exceptional debut!  It's so good that I bought a beautiful hardback copy after reading my advance review copy.  Stacey Halls is a natural storyteller; her writing is effusive, seductive and descriptive, breathing life into her historical fiction novel and making the characters almost pop from the page.  Stacey Halls is not only an author to watch, she's an author you MUST READ!!!  I've already got a copy of her next novel (The Foundling) on pre-order, although I'm not sure how she can eclipse the utter perfection of The Familiars. 

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon




About the author:

Stacey Halls grew up in Rossendale, Lancashire, as the daughter of market traders. She has always been fascinated by the Pendle witches. She studied journalism at the University of Central Lancashire and moved to London aged 21. She was media editor at The Bookseller and books editor at Stylist.co.uk, and has also worked as a journalist for Psychologies, the Independent and Fabulous magazine. TV rights have been sold to The Bureau production company.

The Familiars is her first novel and her second, The Foundling, is coming Feb 2020. Say hello @Stacey_Halls on Twitter and @StaceyHallsAuthor on Instagram.

Themes include women and power, social history of witches. Stacey has done huge amounts of research and can speak eloquently on Gawthorpe Manor and her real life heroine Fleetwood. 

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The Introvert Confounds Innocence - Michael Paul Michaud

THE INTROVERT CONFOUNDS INNOCENCE continues the story of the eponymous anti-hero introduced in THE INTROVERT.

With his life disrupted by an unscrupulous work colleague and a bully at his son Toby’s school, things go from bad to worse when his neighbor’s abusive boyfriend goes missing, plunging the introvert into the center of a murder investigation.

Increasingly hounded by a meddlesome detective, and with his thoughts continually urging him to make people “red and open” and to “achieve it” with his girlfriend Donna, what follows is a sometimes brutal, oftentimes hilarious, and absurdist account of the life of one very anti-social and unexpected anti-hero.

What did I think?

When reading The Introvert one rainy Saturday afternoon, I really didn't want it to end and my wish was granted with The Introvert Confounds Innocence being next in my reading queue - hurrah!  You could read this book as a standalone but I think it definitely works better as a series, after all, the introvert himself is a serial killer.  He's not your traditional serial killer by any means; he doesn't go out looking for people to kill, it's more like they present themselves to him as people who deserve to become 'red and open'.  As a literal thinking killer with feelings, I think of our nameless anti-hero as a cross between Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory and Dexter Morgan from Dexter.

I love the simple but clever covers of these books and The Introvert Confounds Innocence shows a new addition to our anti-hero's life.  I think his partner, Donna, not standing along with the family says a great deal about how anti-social our anti-hero really is.  Does he actually love her or is she simply a means to his 'achieving it'?

There is a lot going on in the 226 pages of this book: the introvert's son is being bullied, he has a new competitive colleague at work and his next door neighbour is the victim of domestic abuse.  With many contenders for the next person to become 'red and open', I couldn't read fast enough to see how this story would play out.  Some of the interactions with his new colleague at work had me guiltily laughing out loud as our introvert smashes several of the equality and diversity protected characteristics to smithereens in one fell swoop.  You really can't be offended by it as he doesn't mean it in a derogatory way, he is just being literal and there's nothing wrong with that when that's the way you are made.

Although not a criticism by any means, there was only one thing I personally didn't like in the book and that was the way the weird English detective spoke, however, the repetitive, often lyrical nature of prose did fit well with the book.  He just annoyed the hell out of me as it felt like he was talking to a dog most of the time but I think that was part of his character as he came across as a bumbling friendly guy but he was like a bloodhound that has the scent of blood.

Leading on very nicely indeed to Book 3: The Introvert Bears Filthy Witness, The Introvert Confounds Innocence is a wonderfully quirky instalment in this awesome series.  I can't wait to see what happens next to the introvert and I have to confess that I am most definitely addicted to this highly original series; so just try and stop me reading the books again while I wait (im)patiently for Book 3.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon