BLOG TOUR: The Colour of Thunder - Suzanne Harrison

One small island, six troubled lives, and the storm of the century is on its way.

In one of the world’s most vibrant international cities, present day Hong Kong, the lives of six people become irreversibly intertwined. The past is catching up with those running from it, while the futures of others hangs dangerously in the balance. But who knows the most? And what will they do to keep it that way?

What did I think?

The Colour of Thunder captured my attention from the very start with a murder at an orphanage in China.  The story then moves on to Hong Kong and the reader is introduced to a multitude of colourful characters, all the while wondering how this would all link back to the first chapter, which it does beautifully when all is revealed later on.

The synopsis mentions six troubled lives and as each character was introduced, they brought their own little backstories with them.  I made a note of nine characters as I was reading, as I wasn't sure who would turn out to be pivotal to the story, and I'm glad I jotted them down as I sometimes got confused as to who was who.  Five of the main characters are vividly drawn, multi-dimensional women who are linked together by businessman Johnny Humphries and the intertwining of their lives makes for compelling reading.  

There isn't just the mystery of the murder at the orphanage to unravel, there's also the mystery of the kidnapping and ransom of Madeline Chung.  I loved this tantalizing thread weaving through the story and it really held my interest and it's particularly personal to one of the characters.  Two mysteries in one kept me rapidly turning pages, especially as the stories ebbed and flowed like the tide and I couldn't wait for the direction to change so I could unravel more of each tale.

Very well plotted and wonderfully atmospheric, The Colour of Thunder is a very intriguing and compelling mystery set against a vividly painted backdrop of Hong Kong.  Suzanne Harrison's writing is filled with so much suspense and intrigue that I couldn't tear my eyes from the page until I had read every single word.  It's very addictive reading and I really enjoyed my virtual trip to Hong Kong from the comfort of my sofa.

Thank you to Legend Press for sending me an ARC to read and review for the blog tour; all opinions are my own.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

About the author:

Suzanne Harrison is an Australian journalist and Editor who has lived in Hong Kong since 1999. She currently works freelance writing lifestyle and news features for the South China Morning Post.

Twitter: @suzannej123

Instagram: @suzannejs.455 

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BLOG TOUR: Not Having It All - Jennie Ensor

Not Having It All by Jennie Ensor has had a makeover and to celebrate the new cover some fabulous bloggers are sharing guest posts, extracts and reviews along with news of a fabulous giveaway (see the end of my post for details).  

I'm sharing an extract which follows the details about the book below, but you can also click HERE to read my review.

“I read most of the book with a smile on my face; a fabulous bit of feel-good fiction” – The Book Magnet

This is the story of four middle-aged people who are definitely NOT having it all. Meet Bea, Kurt, Maddie and Colin.

Senior lecturer Bea Hudson juggles her job at the ‘Psycho Lab’ with looking after her demanding five-year-old daughter, badly-behaved dog and next-to-useless au pair. When her chief exec husband is sent overseas and she’s left without childcare, Bea turns to best friend Maddie for help.

Kurt, downing whiskies in his hotel room as he imagines what his wife is up to, is convinced that Bea is becoming a little too friendly with Maddie. With characteristic obsession he enlists his neighbour’s help in a secret surveillance operation.

Found-object artist Maddie longs for a child of her own with a man she can trust – and he must love cats.

Divorced, risk-averse Colin is a senior manager at ‘the nation’s number one pussy insurer’. When he meets Maddie in a lift he’s smitten, and resolves to displace Maddie’s feline companions on her sofa. But he starts to fear that Maddie sees him only as ‘a handy stud with a fat wallet’.

Can Bea and Kurt find happiness again? Can Maddie and Colin risk falling in love?

 

A story about love, relationships and second chances, perfect for fans of Marian Keyes and Jojo Moyes, and anyone who loved Bridget Jones’ Diary or Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine. If you enjoy novels with depth, heart and laugh-out-loud humour, you’ll love this razor-sharp romantic comedy like no other.

Buy it from:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

EXTRACT

Bea’s journal

Portrait of a stranded scientist, make-do mother and weary wife 

Right now, I can confidently tick all of the above. All three strands of Bea Hudson seem to be plummeting to a nadir.

Where to begin? Too many thoughts to put down. But if I don’t, they’ll spend what’s left of the night partying in my cerebral cortex and sleep will be even more impossible.

Before I forget, I’d better mention it’s 3.03am sometime in late May – or is it June already? My brain has switched off. It’s definitely still 2018.

Academically, I’m still floundering in a sea of two-star journals without hope of rescue any time soon. On the plus side, there’s still some way to go before self-annihilation George Price style – or some other style, as I’m not good with gore. (He killed himself after being fleeced by homeless alcoholics – so my tutor at uni impressed upon us – while trying to perform random acts of kindness to disprove his theory of altruism as he didn’t want to believe that everyone is essentially selfish.) Perhaps I need a more positive role model than an underappreciated, mentally questionable biologist.

Motherhood ranking is nearing an all-time low following another battle with Fran over her habit of putting Mr Gruffy on top of the wardrobe so he falls on anyone opening the door, hot on the heels of yesterday’s announcement at dinner that from now on she will not be eating anything orange in addition to anything green (thus excluding runner beans, Katya’s carrot and parsnip mash, and the mango I’d bought for dessert). 

Marital satisfaction index is in steep decline after this week’s arguments with Kurt – who left the freezer door open and who should be responsible for vetting Fran’s use of stray computing devices, come to mind (and other arguments I’m too weary to recall). 

Then there’s Kurt’s cattier-than-ever comments about Maddie – our text messages to each other take up more bandwidth than a week’s output from BBC iPlayer (!) and she’s a bad influence on our daughter, not to mention me, for exposing us to foreign films about transvestites and Channel 4 documentaries about bodily hang-ups. (A huge exaggeration, apart from that Almodóvar film we watched one Friday afternoon while Fran was trampolining and a program about people with tattoos in unusual places, which I turned off at the first sniff of age-inappropriate content). Soon I won’t even be able to ask Maddie over for a cup of tea without Kurt dissecting the teabags afterwards.

Things can only get better. 

I wonder – what are the chances of Kurt finding this? 

Probably shouldn’t worry too much. If anyone manages to extract this clapped-out WH Smith exercise book from the bottom of my stack of Neuron journals, has the slightest inclination to open it, wade past the evidence of how much I’ve spent on cappuccinos at every conference I’ve attended since 2013 and then has the gumption to decipher this scribble, good luck to them. 

That’s what the man from the halfway house wished me yesterday when I was walking back from the park with Big Ears. ‘Good luck’ I mean. That’s the only thing he seems to say, apart from ‘With looks like that you shouldn’t be allowed out.’ (??) I certainly could do with some good luck. Maybe the reason my research never yields gobsmackingly brilliant results isn’t because I’m not doing the right experiments or my team is too small or I’m too damn tired most of the time to do anything properly – I’m just unlucky. 

Picked up another batch of hairs from the shower yesterday (long and brown so not Kurt’s). At this rate, I’ll soon be going bald as well as grey. Hope Kurt won’t mind – better book an appointment at the hair salon. My hair is no longer as big as a squirrel’s tail, as he used to tell me in wonder and admiration. At least I still have my big eyes, big hips and big bosom. 

Better stop, Kurt’s hissing about a pencil rustling.

About the author:

A Londoner with Irish heritage, Jennie Ensor began her writing career as a journalist, obtaining a Masters in Journalism (winning two awards) and covering topics from forced marriage to accidents in the mining industry. She isn’t afraid to tackle controversial issues in her novels, either: Islamic terrorism, Russian gangsters and war crimes in her debut BLIND SIDE (a psychological mystery blended with a love story), domestic abuse and sexual exploitation in her second, THE GIRL IN HIS EYES. 

Her third novel NOT HAVING IT ALL, a relationship comedy, is an excursion to the brighter side of life. A new edition was published in January 2021. 

Ms Ensor’s poetry has appeared in many publications including Poetry Salzburg Review, Ink Sweat and Tears. Her poem ‘Lost Connection’ placed second in the Breakout Prose category of the Fish Lockdown Prize in 2020. 

In her spare time (?) she reads, walks and attempts twice-weekly yoga. She regularly cycles the punishing hills of north London and at the end of the day enjoys collapsing with a bar of chocolate/glass of strong alcohol in front of a TV crime drama.

Author links

Author website: https://jennieensor.com

Author Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/JennieEnsorAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jennie_Ensor  

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

Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jennie-Ensor/e/B01IXCE0HU/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1 

GIVEAWAY

A prize draw to celebrate the relaunch will be held at 6pm on 23 February on Jennie Ensor's FaceBook page:  https://www.facebook.com/JennieEnsorAuthor (the giveaway post is pinned to the page). 

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BLOG BLAST: Allegation - R. G. Adams

An evil monster exposed?

Or an innocent father condemned?

A scandal will shake a small community to its very foundations.

Sandbeach, South Wales. Two women have come forward to make historical sexual allegations against a pillar of the local community, Matthew Cooper. And child-safeguarding protocol demands that Social Services remove the accused from his home and his family, while a formal assessment is carried out.

The Cooper case lands on the desk of inexperienced Social Worker, Kit Goddard. Although intrepid and intuitive, she is ill-prepared for such a high-profile case.

Kit finds herself navigating a local minefield of connections and class, reputations and rumour. Unsure whether her interference is a heroic intervention or a hurtful intrusion, she knows one thing: it will have an impact. The question is whether this impact will be to expose an iniquitous lie, or destroy an innocent life...

What did I think?

With allegations of child sexual abuse, I was expecting Allegation to be an uncomfortable read but there are so many strands to this amazing story that once I got into it I was completely gripped and couldn't put it down.

The main storyline is the allegation of historical abuse and it's one that really got under my skin.  The women haven't come forward before because they feared that nobody would believe them; they are from a rough part of town and Matthew Cooper, the man they are accusing, is well connected so it could appear that they are just after a big pay-off.  The "did he/didn't he" question constantly hovered in the back of my mind while Social Worker, Kit Goddard assessed the safety of the Cooper children.

Kit is a fantastic character; although inexperienced, she's very good at her job and will do whatever it takes to make sure the children are safe.  I didn't envy her at all, locking horns with the Coopers and constantly being threatened that they were going to make a complaint.  The way that Kit kept a clear head and put the children first is really admirable, especially when Kit has so much going on in her personal life.  The gradual revealing of Kit's backstory makes her such a well-developed character and this thread added another dimension to the story.

It took me a couple of chapters to get hooked but once I did, I absolutely raced through the book.  The chapters are quite long, there are only 16 chapters in the whole 313 page book, but the plot is so gripping that I couldn't tear my eyes away from the page.  The author has first-hand knowledge of social services and I loved getting a glimpse into the life of a social worker.  There are so many minefields to dodge and hoops to jump through that it sounds like a total nightmare and it must be awful to be so unwelcome in a home where they are carrying out an assessment.

Thought-provoking, intriguing and completely compelling, Allegation is a very impressive debut.  I'm delighted to find that it's the first book in the Kit Goddard series; I'll certainly be looking out for more.

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

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.bookshop.org

Amazon

About the author:

R. G. Adams is a former social worker with thirty years of experience across all areas of social services. She lives in Wales with her family, and Allegation is her first novel.

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These Violent Delights - Chloe Gong

 

The brilliantly imaginative New York Times bestselling fantasy retelling of Romeo and Juliet set against the immersive backdrop of 1920s Shanghai.

In glittering Shanghai, a monster awakens . . .

A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city in the grip of chaos. At its heart is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang - a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette's first love . . . and first betrayal.

But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns - and grudges - aside and work together, for if they can't stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule.

Filled with romance, intrigue and betrayal, this heart-stopping debut is perfect for fans of The Last Magician and Descendant of the Crane.

What did I think?

I haven't read a lot of Shakespeare but everyone knows the story of Romeo and Juliet so I was intrigued by the idea of Chloe Gong's debut, These Violent Delights.  This retelling brings the story into a more modern but vintage era by setting it in 1920s Shanghai rather than 16th century Verona and it works brilliantly.

The Scarlet Gang and the White Flowers run the streets of Shanghai but neither of them can fight a monster they can't see.  A monster that strikes both gangs, infecting them with madness that results in people committing suicide by ripping their own throats out.  Juliette Cai and Roma Montagov are former lovers and heirs to rival gangs but they know they can only defeat the monster if they work together.

I was a little daunted when I started the book as I don't know Shakespeare well but I was charmed from the start just by the slight change to the characters' names.  I was surprised by how many Shakespearean references I did actually pick up but, whilst paying homage to the bard, it is clear that Chloe Gong has made the story her own and written an engaging, compelling novel that effortlessly drew me into the story.  I was completely captivated and flew through the pages faster than I expected.

Although I sometimes forgot the 1920s setting, the whole novel does have a vintage feel about it; just little things like clothing and the way that people act reminded me of the time period.  I also loved the addition of the monster which gave a fantasy edge to the story and made it something extraordinary.  If Shakespeare had written fantasy, I don't think he could have bettered These Violent Delights.

As this is the first book in a series, the story isn't over yet.  So although I felt rather bereft when I reached the end of the book, I know I shall be returning to Roma and Juliette's Shanghai some time soon.

These Violent Delights is a highly original and ambitious retelling of a classic tale by a very talented new author; Chloe Gong is certainly one to watch.  This is an astonishing debut; a tender, brutal, dark and imaginative novel that blows apart the genre boundaries and sets itself in a league of its own.  I can't wait to continue the story.

I received an ARC from the publisher for the purpose of review; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

Bad People (Tom Nolan 1) - Craig Wallwork

 

THREE MISSING CHILDREN. Over the past three years, the quiet Yorkshire village of Stormer Hill has lost three of its children. No bodies were ever discovered. No evidence found. No witnesses.

THE WRITER. Struggling to find inspiration for his new novel, celebrated crime author, and ex-police officer, Alex Palmer, believes the story of the missing children could end his writer's block, but is he prepared for the story that's about to develop?

THE DETECTIVE. Tom Nolan, a seasoned detective and loner involved in finding each missing child. Nolan is tasked with chaperoning Palmer and walking through each case. But as both men revisit the past, and dig deeper, neither are prepared for the chilling discovery to why the children were taken.

THE BRETHREN. A secret cult. Two men, and a series of brutal and unimaginable murders spanning over seven years with one intention; to show the world that death can be justified if it's for a greater good.

What did I think?

Bad People is such a dark and sinister book that is so full of shocks and surprises that it completely blew my mind.  You might think you have this one all worked out but you'd be wrong.  I love books like this that make me flick back over the pages, scratching my head while reanalysing and re-evaluating everything I missed.  Very well played, Mr Wallwork!

With three missing children in one little village, the village itself seems to cast a sinister shadow.  They are a very close knit community in Stormer Hill and they don't take kindly to an author turning up and asking questions for his new book.  The village really gave me the creeps, it virtually hums with an underlying tension that is palpable.  I would have been making a sharp exit if I found myself in Stormer Hill, that's for sure.

The plot is exceptional and I love how Craig Wallwork leads the reader in a particular direction so you think you have it all worked out until he pulls the rug out from underneath you.  The storyline is quite dark and gory in places and the writing is so vivid that you need to have a strong stomach when reading some scenes.  The vivid descriptions made the whole book play like a movie in my mind and I was so gripped that I couldn't tear my eyes away from the page, however, I might have actually been hiding behind the sofa if I was watching Bad People the movie.  

Brilliant from start to finish, Bad People is a deliciously dark and addictive thriller that takes crime writing to a new level.  Absolutely outstanding and highly recommended if you feel brave enough to read it.

Many thanks to Craig Wallwork for providing a review copy for me to read and review; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

The Scribe (A Kramer & Carver Thriller Book 1) - A. A. Chaudhuri

Making it as a lawyer has always been a cutthroat business.

A killer is targeting former students of The Bloomsbury Academy of Law. The victims – all female – are gruesomely butchered according to a pattern corresponding with the legal syllabus. Even more disconcerting are riddles sent by the killer to investigating officer, Chief Inspector Jake Carver, offering clues as to who is next and where they will die.

Up-and-coming lawyer Madeline Kramer, a former classmate of a number of the slain, soon finds her life turned upside down by the savagery. And when she decides to help Carver track down the killer, she places herself in mortal danger. Can Maddy and Carver unscramble the complex riddles and save the lives of those destined to die?

A. A. Chaudhuri’s Ripper-like mystery, The Scribe, throws down a challenge even hardened crime thriller fans will be unable to resist. It's perfect for those who love Lee Child and Ian Rankin.

What did I think?

I don't listen to many audiobooks as I find that my attention drifts and I end up missing vital parts of the story but this was definitely not the case with The Scribe, narrated by David Thorpe.  The plot is exceptional, the narration is outstanding and my attention was held for every single minute of the 13 hours and 26 minutes of the book.

I love legal thrillers and A. A. Chaudhuri has written something so completely different to anything I have ever read before by teaming up a young lawyer with a Chief Inspector, leaving the courtroom behind and creating more of a police procedural.  There's a killer in London and all of the victims are not only former students of a law academy, they are former lovers of the philandering professor, which makes him the prime suspect.  

Young lawyer, Maddy Kramer finds herself helping the police when she sees connections between the victims and has an idea where the killer may strike next.  It might be putting her own life in danger but she is determined to stop the killer and she also quite fancies the Chief Inspector, Jake Carver.  The plot focuses on the killings so there's not really any sexual tension between Kramer and Carver, it's more of a growing admiration and I'm looking forward to seeing how this relationship develops throughout the series.

David Thorpe's narration left me speechless; every character has a different voice so it really does give the impression that there is more than one narrator.  The whole story is brought to life through David Thorpe's dulcet tones and it not only held my attention but kept me fully engaged.  I had only planned to listen to the audiobook while exercising but I found that I snuck in a few extra chapters whenever possible as I couldn't wait to find out what happened next.

I think the narration may be a bit too good as it caused me to be suspicious of a particular character; even though I had guessed partly right, it didn't spoil my enjoyment of the story as this wasn't the only twist to be revealed.  I even thought I was completely wrong at one point as the storyline shot off in a different direction and just when I thought all had become clear, there are still some shocks and surprises in store.

Fast-paced and hugely entertaining, The Scribe is a sharply plotted, highly addictive legal thriller and police procedural rolled into one.  I absolutely loved it and I already have book 2, The Abduction, lined up to play next.

Many thanks to the author for arranging the audio files to be sent to me from Isis Audio for the purpose of review; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

FREE BOOK PROMO: Sugar and Snails - Anne Goodwin

I'm reposting my review today of Anne Goodwin's fabulous debut novel, Sugar and Snails.  If you sign up to Anne's newsletter in February, you can grab a free copy!  So make sure to sign up HERE

At fifteen, she made a life-changing decision. Thirty years on, it’s time to make another.

When Diana escaped her misfit childhood, she thought she’d chosen the easier path. But the past lingers on, etched beneath her skin, and life won’t be worth living if her secret gets out.

As an adult, she’s kept other people at a distance... until Simon sweeps in on a cloud of promise and possibility. But his work is taking him to Cairo, the city that transformed her life. She’ll lose Simon if she doesn’t join him. She’ll lose herself if she does.

Sugar and Snails charts Diana’s unusual journey, revealing the scars from her fight to be true to herself. A triumphant mid-life coming-of-age story about bridging the gap between who we are and who we feel we ought to be.

What did I think?

I do love to read books based in the North East; I get that little skip of pride in my belly seeing places I've been and streets I've walked down in print.  I also visited Cairo many years ago which created my love for Egyptology, so I was getting a double whammy in this book.  Unfortunately for me, Cairo doesn't feature greatly, as it is about the event that happened there in Diana's past rather than the city.  Location aside, Sugar and Snails is such an exceptional and unique book that deals with some difficult subjects in a sensitive and honest manner.  Anne Goodwin has created a character in Diana that you instantly care about because of her insecurity, but Diana is stronger than she thinks and the reader has the honour of joining her on a journey that sees her fear peeling away like the layers of an onion.

Diana Dodsworth is a junior lecturer at a university and, with a select group of only a few friends, it is clear that she likes to keep herself to herself.  One night at a dinner party she meets Simon and it is clear that there is an attraction there but there's something holding Diana back.  Despite Diana constantly pushing him away, Simon is undeterred and their relationship grows.  When Simon is offered a position in Cairo he wants Diana to come out to visit him but Cairo holds painful memories for her and she is loathe to apply for a passport to join him.  As Diana's past is revealed, it becomes apparent why she doesn't want to travel to Cairo and I felt such terrible anguish for her.  Will their relationship survive the distance?

This was such a heart-rending story and it is very difficult to review without spoilers.  Suffice to say my heart was breaking at the pain Diana has endured in her life.  From parents who didn't understand her, and even took her on a trip to Lourdes to cure her, to confusing teenage years when every teenager just tries to find out who they are.  Some passages are difficult to read and I had a clenching tummy on more than one occasion, but my discomfort was quickly surpassed by my feelings for Diana's wellbeing.  Diana feels so alone and scared but when she overcomes her fear she finds out that true friendship is more than skin deep.

So hopeful and heart-rending, Sugar and Snails is an amazingly brutal and honest story about one person searching for their place in life.  Diana is perhaps more honest than most people can ever hope to be and I applauded her bravery throughout the book.  Sugar and Snails is emotional and intelligent and well worth 5 stars from me.

I received an ARC from the author and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Sign up to Anne's newsletter in February and read it for free!  Click HERE
-or-

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org
Amazon

About the author:

Anne Goodwin is the author of two novels and a short story collection. Her debut novel, Sugar and Snails, about a woman who has kept her past identity a secret for thirty years, was shortlisted for the 2016 Polari First Book Prize. Throughout February, subscribers to her newsletter can read Sugar and Snails for free: https://www.subscribepage.com/sugar-and-snails-free-e-book  CLOSES 28 FEB 

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnJ5pbhSLho&feature=youtu.be

Website: annegoodwin.weebly.com 

Twitter @Annecdotist

Link tree https://linktr.ee/annecdotist

Amazon author page: viewauthor.at/AnneGoodwin

YouTube: Anne Goodwin’s YouTube channel