BLOG TOUR: The Last Wife - J. A. Baker

Welcome to Winters End...

Winters End should have been the perfect place for me and my husband Neil to start again. To leave the terrible secrets and guilt of our past far behind us.

But from the moment we arrived in the small, isolated community, it becomes clear to me that we are not welcome here. That someone wants us to leave…

I’m certain that everyone knows our secrets – knows who we really are. But how can that be?

Perhaps it’s my mind playing tricks on me. Just like before.

I know Neil thinks I'm paranoid. My thoughts spiralling. Again.

If only I had someone else to talk to. Another woman to confide in.

And that’s when I realise something far more terrifying.

I am the only wife at Winters End…and I could be the last…

 

What did I think?

Now that's what I call a psychological thriller!  I couldn't stop reading The Last Wife once I picked it up and I think it's one of J. A. Baker's best psychological thriller novels to date.

Fiona and Neil are heading off to the island of Winters End for a fresh start after leaving the mainland under a dark cloud of mistrust and scandal.  The close knit community isn't very welcoming and a growing sense of unease envelops the reader as the story progresses.  Something isn't right on this island and Fiona doesn't realise how much danger she is in...

I absolutely loved this book; it's so creepy and suspenseful.  It's also one of those 'just one more chapter' kind of books with little cliff-hangers at the end of many of the chapters that compelled me to keep reading.  The writing is so vivid that I could picture the fictional remote island of Winters End getting battered relentlessly by the North Sea

Hauntingly atmospheric, ominous and disturbing, The Last Wife is J.A. Baker at her very best and although it creeped me out from start to finish, I thoroughly enjoyed it.  A highly recommended read.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

About the author:

J. A. Baker is a successful psychological thriller writer of numerous books, previously published by Bloodhound. Born and brought up in Middlesbrough, she still lives in the North East, which inspires the settings for her books. Her first title for Boldwood will be published in December 2022.

Social Media Links –  

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/thewriterjude 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jabakerauthor/ 

Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/j-a-baker-5878014f-43f0-4740-a2f0-622d4db0975e 

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Do No Harm - Jack Jordan

It's paperback publication day for Jack Jordan's unmissable thriller Do No Harm!  

To celebrate, I am resharing my review and if you haven't read Do No Harm yet, I can't recommend it highly enough.

My son has been taken. And I’ve been given a choice…

Kill a patient on the operating table. Or never see him again.

The man lies on the table in front of me.

As a surgeon, it’s my job to save him.

As a mother, I know I must kill him.

You might think that I’m a monster.

But there really is only one choice.

I must get away with murder.

Or I will never see my son again.

Could you kill another person to save your own child?

When heart surgeon Dr Anna Jones returns home to find her son kidnapped, she is forced to make an impossible choice. Kill a high-profile patient on the operating table, or never see her son again.

Told from the perspectives of Anna, her scrub nurse, Margot, who has her own secrets to protect and DI Rachel Conaty, Anna must first make the impossible decision…

I’VE SAVED MANY LIVES.

WOULD YOU TRUST ME WITH YOURS?

 

What did I think?

This is THE book that everyone is talking about this year and rightly so as it's BRILLIANT!!  I've been a fan of Jack Jordan since I started my blog in 2015, the same year he wrote his stunning debut, Anything for Her and I have been itching to get my hands on a copy of Do No Harm.  It wasn't in my hands long though as I couldn't put it down.

The characters, the plot, and the writing are all exceptional.  This is the definition of a heart-pounding thriller as the writing is so vivid that I felt like I was in the operating theatre myself.  The different character perspectives add depth to the already gripping story as each character struggles with their own demons.

Any story with a moral dilemma begs the question: "What would you do?" and it's a question that I asked myself over and over again as I was reading.  I think it would be a quick and easy decision for anyone who is a mother but I found that I was able to look at it more objectively.  Anna's not exactly the nicest character so that adds another element into the equation. 

Do No Harm is unputdownable and unmissable - it is definitely the book that everyone should read this year.  I would be very surprised if it's not picked up for TV or film as it's such an edge-of-your-seat rollercoaster of a thriller that is so entertaining, gripping and fast-paced from start to finish.

Jack Jordan's star continues to rise and Do No Harm is easily his best novel yet (and I've absolutely LOVED all of his others).  I don't know how he will follow it, but I'm looking forward to seeing him try.  Very highly recommended.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour in May 2022 and I am reposting my review on the paperback publication day.  I chose to read this book (TWICE!) and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Waterstones

Amazon

About the author:

Jack Jordan is the global bestselling author of Anything for Her, My Girl, A Woman Scorned, Before Her Eyes, and Night by Night and an Amazon No.1 bestseller in the UK, Canada, and Australia. After selling at auction in the UK and numerous foreign territories, Do No Harm is set to be the thriller of the summer in 2022. The idea for Do No Harm came to Jack after undergoing a minor medical procedure where he had to be sedated and trust strangers with his welfare. After the anaesthesia wore off, Jack began scribbling his notes, wondering to himself just how iron-clad a surgeon’s oath is, and what it would take to break it…

Follow Jack on social media:

Twitter: @JackJordanBooks

Instagram: @jackjordan_author

Facebook: @JackJordanOfficial

BLOG TOUR: The Cornish Hideaway - Jennifer Bibby

A beautiful village. An artist who’s lost her spark. And a community who help her find it again.

All Freya has ever wanted to do is paint. So when she fails her Master’s Degree in Art, on the same day that her boyfriend decides he needs a ‘more serious’ partner, to Freya it feels like the end of the world.

 

Luckily, she has a saviour in the shape of best friend Lola, who invites her to the sleepy Cornish village of Polcarrow, to work in her café. With nothing keeping her in London, Freya jumps at the chance of a summer by the sea.

 

Freya needs time to focus on herself. But then dark and mysterious biker Angelo blows into town on a stormy afternoon, with his own artistic dreams and a secretive past, and Freya’s plans of a romance-free summer fly straight out of the window…

Heart-warming, heartfelt and romantic, The Cornish Hideaway is a novel of community, friendship and learning to love again, for fans of Jenny Colgan, Cathy Bramley and Heidi Swain.

 

What did I think?

Now and again you can judge a book by its cover and Jennifer Bibby's debut, The Cornish Hideaway, is as sweet and charming as the beautiful cover suggests.  I enjoyed my virtual visit to the sleepy town of Polcarrow; the only downside of a virtual visit is that I didn't get the chance to try any of Lola's mouthwatering culinary creations.

Freya is such a lovely character and she is dealt such a bad hand at the start of the novel when she fails her degree and gets dumped.  So, Freya heads off to Cornwall to lick her wounds and to help her friend Lola in her café.  The last things on Freya's mind are art and romance but Lola's tarot cards tell a different story...and then a mysterious, handsome stranger turns up at the door.

The book has quite a gentle pace, like waves lapping the Cornish shore, but the characters' storylines keep the reader interested as we see them develop and unfurl like flowers facing the sun.  There's maybe more than one budding romance on the cards too.

The Cornish Hideaway is a lovely debut novel and it would be a perfect holiday read while you warm your toes by the pool and enjoy a virtual visit to Cornwall.

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

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

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A Tricky Kind of Magic - Nigel Baines

Cooper is brilliant at magic tricks. Card tricks, clever illusions - he can do them all. His dad, also known as the Great Eduardo, taught him the tricks of the magical trade before he passed away. But the one thing Cooper can't do is see his dad again.

So when a talking rabbit appears from his dad's top hat, and reveals there is a place where Cooper might find him, he jumps at the chance. Magic is about believing the impossible, after all. And Cooper desperately wants to believe that he can see his dad once more.

But what - and who - is waiting for them in the land where magic goes wrong?

Filled with filled with humour and emotion, this is an action-packed graphic novel about finding magic when you need it the most.

 

What did I think?

I don’t read graphic novels (for children or adults) but something about A Tricky Kind of Magic drew me to it like a moth to a flame and I loved it.

Oh Cooper, I just wanted to reach into the book and give him a hug. Cooper and his little brother Fin are dealing with their grief after the sudden loss of their dad. Cooper feels guilty for laughing when he should be feeling sad and he can’t understand why his Mum seems to be all business as usual. Cooper is sad, angry and confused but an old friend, in the form of a beloved toy rabbit, is about to make him smile.

The illustrations are fantastic and they’re almost as powerful as the words. Nigel Baines is truly talented to have both written and illustrated this outstanding story. It’s the perfect read for anyone dealing with grief, not just children, and a reminder that magic is there if you look for it. People may die but love doesn’t.

I read A Tricky Kind of Magic with a lump in my throat and a song in my heart. It’s a book I will definitely read again and I’m in my forties! Highly recommended.

My rating:

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The King's Spy (The Rebellion Series Book 1) - Mark Turnbull

Northamptonshire.

14th June 1645.

The Battle of Naseby is set to decide the outcome of the civil war in England.

The armies of King Charles I face those of Parliament and its untested New Model Army. Yet amidst the carnage, an intensely personal battle takes place between two men.

Captain Maxwell Walker is a royalist cavalry officer, widower and father. Loyal and brave, but haunted by his grief, Maxwell thirsts for revenge. His life has never been the same since his encounter with the parliamentarian Gervase Harper, a man whose ruthless streak sees him prosecute the war with vigour. Harper cuts down anyone who gets in his way. Maxwell’s wife was no exception.

The outcome of Naseby causes Maxwell to be tasked with a royal rescue mission. The King’s most personal possession must be retrieved. His cypher would allow Parliament to decode captured royal correspondence and that would deal a major blow in the propaganda war.

The soldier must play the spy.

His actions, however, earn him the enmity of both sides. The hunter becomes the hunted.

Facing a murder charge, as well as a great siege, Maxwell makes a discovery that might just save himself and the King’s remaining cavalry.

However, all of this rests upon his next encounter with Gervase Harper.

 

What did I think?

I love historical fiction and I have been choosing to read more books set during the English Civil War so I was eager to read The King's Spy and I was not disappointed.  It's a period of history I used to know very little about, but my knowledge is gradually increasing thanks to wonderful authors such as Mark Turnbull bringing the period to life.

The King's Spy is a 125 page novella but there is so much going on that it reads like a full length novel.  There's not just war on the battlefield, there's a personal battle for the main character as he comes back into contact with the man who killed his family.

The writing is so vivid that it drew me into the story and I experienced all of the sights and sounds of the Civil War.  I loved the revenge story that adds depth to the characters and made me want to read more.  I often feel unfulfilled by novellas but Mark Turnbull has got the balance right between writing a satisfying conclusion and leaving the reader thirsty for more.

Filled with adventure and danger, The King's Spy is an incredibly entertaining and impressive novella.  It's a wonderful start to an exciting new historical fiction series and one I'd definitely recommend.

Many thanks to the author for sending me a digital ARC to read and review; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

BLOG TOUR: Gin Palace - Tracy Whitwell

Ever since Tanz discovered she could speak with the dead, life has become a whole lot more interesting. But after putting herself in grave danger helping to solve a grisly murder, she’s now determined to ignore the voices and put all that nasty business behind her.

So when she’s offered another acting gig in her hometown of Newcastle, it feels like a perfect opportunity to spend some time with family and have a laugh with old friends.

But the dead won’t stay quiet for long. Soon Tanz is being drawn back into their world, and this time, the danger is much closer to home . . .

 

What did I think?

This book is absolutely fantastic!  I loved every second of it and I'm missing Tanz already so I will be reading it again as soon as I can.  Gin Palace is the second book in The Accidental Medium series and whilst it can be read as a standalone, it continues on beautifully from book one so it's best to read the books in order.

Gateshead actress Tanz is delighted to get a new acting job, not only will it solve her money worries but it means she can spend more time at home in her native north-east as filming is taking place in Newcastle.  Tanz has only recently found out that she's psychic so when she goes on a ghost walk around the city she gets more than she bargained for when she encounters some restless spirits.

I loved the Newcastle setting and the true stories, both historical and spiritual, that were sprinkled through the story.  I've heard a few ghost stories about the Newcastle keep so it was nice to be reminded of them and I've always found the Black Gate to be quite spooky, although I've never had any stones thrown at me when I've visited.

Gin Palace is spooky, funny and an absolute delight to read.  Tracy Whitwell perfectly encapsulates the north-east spirit (no pun intended) in this fabulous book.  Very highly recommended and without doubt a five star read.

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

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

About the author:

Tracy Whitwell was born, brought up and educated in the north-east of England. She wrote plays and short stories from an early age, then in the nineties moved to London where she became a busy actress on stage and screen.

After having her son, she wound down the acting to concentrate on writing full time. Many projects followed until she finally found the courage to write her first novel - The Accidental Medium, a work of fiction based on a whole heap of crazy truth and now a trilogy, with more to come.

Today, Tracy lives in north London with her son, surrounded by a never-ending supply or Aperol Spritzes and a coven of friends as spooky as she is.

Tracy is nothing like her lead character Tanz. (This is a lie.)

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BLOG TOUR: God of Fire - Helen Steadman

‘LOVE WAS SURELY THE GREATEST PUNISHMENT OF ALL’

He’s a rejected immortal. But can this magical blacksmith fight against fate and overcome the darkness of his past?

Hephaestus fears he’ll never be accepted. Cast down from Olympus and raised by a powerful sea witch, he sets out on a quest to discover his unknown father’s true identity. But he struggles to be taken seriously by the other gods who only want him for his ingenious inventions.

Convinced that solving his paternity will help him earn the love he seeks, the god of fire traps his mother and refuses to free her until she reveals a name. But when he uncovers a terrifying truth, he finds himself with more enemies than allies amongst the wrathful Olympians.

Can Hephaestus unlock buried secrets and prove himself worthy?

God of Fire is an imaginative standalone historical fantasy. If you like forgotten legends, fantastic beasts, and dark tales punctuated with humour, then you’ll adore Helen Steadman’s fascinating expedition into mythology.

Buy God of Fire to unravel the mysteries of ancient Greece today!

Recommended for fans of Mythos, Song of Achilles, Circe and Pandora’s Jar.

 

What did I think?

By Ouranos, God of Fire is an absolute masterpiece of reimagined fiction!  I feel like I've had the most entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable lesson in Greek mythology as Helen Steadman brings the gods to life in her exquisite new novel.  

The amount of mythology packed into this 335 page novel is amazing and I learnt so much whilst reading God of Fire, having known very little about Greek mythology beforehand.  The way that the characteristics and individual personalities of the gods are depicted is fantastic and it made each god, gorgon, nymph or mortal completely unforgettable.

There are a lot of characters in the novel and I found that jotting down their names helped me to remember who was who, especially as some of their names get shortened as the story progresses.  I also used my list of characters to research each god myself, but found that the most important parts of their stories were already covered in God of Fire anyway.

Hephaestus (or Heph as he is fondly referred to) craves the love of his mother Hera, who threw him from Olympus as a baby as she found him to be too ugly.  Awww, doesn't your heart just go out to him from the start?  Even his wife Aphrodite doesn't love him which is such a shame as Heph has such a big heart.  

God of Fire is an extraordinary novel and I loved every single perfectly written word.  Hephaestus' story is fascinating and Helen Steadman's research is impeccable; to take so many Greek myths and weave them into a captivating and entertaining story that holds the reader's interest throughout is nothing short of awe-inspiring.

Absolutely brilliant, completely unmissable and very highly recommended.

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

My rating:

Buy links: books2read.com/u/mlL0RP

About the author:

Dr Helen Steadman is a historical novelist. Her first novel, Widdershins and its sequel, Sunwise were inspired by the seventeenth-century Newcastle witch trials. Her third novel, The Running Wolf was inspired by the Shotley Bridge swordmakers, who defected from Solingen, Germany in 1687. Helen’s fourth novel is God of Fire, a Greek myth retelling about Hephaestus, possibly the least well-known of the Olympians. Helen is now working on her fifth novel.

Despite the Newcastle witch trials being one of the largest mass executions of witches on a single day in England, they are not widely known about. Helen is particularly interested in revealing hidden histories and she is a thorough researcher who goes to great lengths in pursuit of historical accuracy. To get under the skin of the cunning women in Widdershins and Sunwise, Helen trained in herbalism and learned how to identify, grow and harvest plants and then made herbal medicines from bark, seeds, flowers and berries.

The Running Wolf is the story of a group of master swordmakers who defected from Solingen, Germany and moved to Shotley Bridge, England in 1687. As well as carrying out in-depth archive research and visiting forges in Solingen to bring her story to life, Helen also undertook blacksmith training, which culminated in making her own sword. During her archive research, Helen uncovered a lot of new material and she published her findings in the Northern History journal.

Social media links:

Author website: https://helensteadman.com/

Publisher website: https://www.belljarbooks.com/

Twitter handle: @hsteadman1650

Instagram handle: @helensteadmanauthor

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

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