A Season for Scandal (The Agency for Scandal Book 2) - Laura Wood

An all-female detective agency righting wrongs at the end of the nineteenth century; infiltrating a scandalous upper class world straight out of Bridgerton and using their wit and bravery to unmask a villain.

When Marigold Bloom finds her family business in trouble a chance encounter with the devastatingly handsome and extremely bad-tempered Oliver Lockhart leads her to the Aviary - a secret agency of women who specialise in blackmailing troublesome men. 

Soon, Mari is the agency's newest recruit, sent to investigate the mysterious return of Oliver's long lost sister. Forced to masquerade as a newly engaged couple, it is up to Mari and Oliver to determine if there is an imposter in their midst. But what happens when the line between truth and fiction starts to blur? And what do you do when a pretend romance starts to feel all too real?

 

What did I think?

A Season for Scandal is the second book in The Agency for Scandal series but it can be read as a standalone as it has its own contained storyline.  I haven't read the first book but I enjoyed A Season for Scandal so much that I now want to read the first book in the series.

This is the story of Marigold Bloom who runs her family florist.  After being unceremoniously dumped by her odious fiancé, the future looks very bleak for both Mari and her florist.  Luckily, fate intervenes and throws her into the path of Oliver Lockhart, who not only provides the swoony Mr. Darcy style love interest but also introduces Mari to a secret detective agency: the Aviary.

The characters are beautifully drawn and so vibrant (thanks mainly to Mari's colourful taste in clothing) that they virtually pop off the page.  I loved the idea of the Aviary and how they go about their mysterious and secretive business - this is what girl power looks like in Victorian England.  

Entertaining, vibrant and an absolute joy to read, A Season for Scandal may be a YA novel but it is perfectly suitable for adults to read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I do hope Laura Wood has plans to make this a long running series as I am well and truly hooked.

My rating:

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The Wreckage of Us - Dan Malakin

It's always the husband... Isn't it?

Astrid Webb is missing. The police have found her car crashed near the woods, the driver's door open, the seat spotted with blood. But there's no sign of Astrid herself, a sick woman who rarely left her house, who surely couldn't have left the scene of the accident without help.

Her husband Bryan is sure that she's alive - after all, this isn't the first time she's vanished, only to reappear without explanation. But as the days pass, Bryan starts to look like a suspect in his wife's disappearance, perhaps in her murder. Because Bryan isn't telling the police the whole truth. Not about Astrid's stalker, their broken-in back door, or the threatening messages she received. And it seems as if both Astrid and Bryan have something to hide.

Then a woman's body is found in the woods, her face terribly disfigured. By staying silent, is Bryan protecting Astrid, or protecting himself?

From the bestselling author of The Regret and The Box, this heart-pounding thriller is perfect for readers of Harlan Coben, Mark Billingham and Alex North.

 

What did I think?

Dan Malakin stole my weekend, in the very best way!  I picked up The Wreckage of Us on a Saturday afternoon, thinking it would take me a few days to read it, and I absolutely devoured it.  I would definitely have read it in one sitting if I'd picked it up earlier in the day - believe me, it really is THAT good.

The prologue is a massive hook that had me reaching for my virtual running shoes straight away as I knew I was going to race through the novel from the very first page.   Astrid Webb has gone missing and there's something not quite right about her ex-copper husband Bryan.  As the cover of the book says, "It's always the husband...isn't it?"

The razor-sharp plot completely blindsided me as the story twists and turns, with chapters told from five different points of view: Astrid, Bryan, a young girl called Celine, Detective Inspector Ronson who is leading the case and Zack, Astrid's friend.  I simply couldn't read fast enough to discover all of the secrets hidden within the pages of this outstanding book.

Dark, addictive and incredibly gripping, prepare to do nothing but read for the rest of the day when you pick up The Wreckage of Us.  It's an easy five stars from me and it's definitely one of my top books of the year.  Very highly recommended.

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

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: Anticipation - Neil Taylor

You are being played.

Your every move is being watched by businesses hoping to manipulate your behaviour. Every picture, every post, every like, every follow, every purchase, every search.

When 17-year-old Riya Sudame inherits her father’s secret AI algorithm, she and a handful of carefully selected Keyholders hold the power to predict people’s futures using their online data. But with great power comes great responsibility, and they must safeguard it from falling into the wrong hands.

Enter Jim Booker, a powerful social media tycoon, who will stop at nothing to steal the technology for himself. Soon Riya faces a critical choice. Fighting ruthless tech giants seems like an impossible task—wouldn’t it be easier to relinquish her father’s creation in exchange for a normal teenage life?

But if she does, she will have to live with the knowledge that she is the reason that, like everyone, you are being played.

Neil Taylor marks his debut in this dark, twisty AI thriller.

 

What did I think?

WOW!  What a cracking debut novel.  Anticipation by Neil Taylor is easily one of the best debut novels I have read this year.  It hooked me from the start and I read way past my bedtime which, as every reader knows, is a sign of a good book.  "Good" doesn't really cover it in Anticipation's case; it's outstanding, exceptional and magnificent all rolled into one.

With a teenage protagonist, Anticipation fits in the YA genre but it is a hugely enjoyable novel for adults too.  It has quite a shocking start which sees the reader introduced to 17-year-old Riya who has become a target for the people who are desperate to get their hands on an algorithm that can predict the future.

The future prediction is a fascinating element of the plot and you can just imagine how valuable (and dangerous) something like this would be.  It also poses a huge moral dilemma as it could be completely devastating if it fell into the wrong hands.  

Social media advertising is also put under the microscope and it really made me think about how we are manipulated by adverts that just happen to be about something we have looked at or even discussed lately.  If people are vulnerable, they could quite easily be gently pushed in a particular direction that may not be beneficial to their health but would certainly be lucrative to the advertisers.

With a razor-sharp plot and blisteringly fast pacing, Anticipation is an edge-of-your-seat rollercoaster of a book that I simply couldn't put down.  I am delighted to see that it is the first book in the Anticipation series and I can't wait to read more.

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

My rating:

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About the author:

Neil Taylor is a software industry professional whose career has spanned Europe, Japan, and the USA. Now based in Durham, England, Neil works remotely for a leading cloud-based software and services company. With more than two decades of software experience, Neil possesses a deep understanding of how company motivations influence customers and users. Fascinated by the convergence of big data and behavioural science in the tech industry, Neil's debut YA book, "Anticipation," delves into the perilous implications of unchecked social media and AI development.

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BLOG TOUR: Costanza - Rachel Blackmore

Rome, 1636: In the scorched city of Rome, the cobbled streets hum with gossip and sin...

Costanza Piccolomini is a respectable young wife - until she meets Gianlorenzo Bernini, the famed sculptor and star of Roman society, whose jet-black gaze matches his dark temper. From the second they set eyes upon each other, a fatal attraction is born.

Their secret love burns with a passion that consumes them. But with every stolen kiss and illicit tryst, Costanza's reputation is at stake. Meanwhile, Bernini has a dangerous desire: he wants to make Costanza immortal. He vows to possess her not just in body and soul, but also in marble.

When Bernini unveils his sculpture of Costanza, she is exposed as his lover, marking the undoing of their affair - and the beginning of a scandal which will rock Roman society. For Bernini would rather destroy Costanza than let her go.

Betrayed. Abandoned. Banished. This was meant to be the end of Costanza's story. But Costanza is no ordinary woman: from the ashes, she will rise...

History calls her a Muse. Temptress. Fallen woman. This is her story. Costanza is a dizzying, sensual novel that brings to life a feminist icon who has been written out of history. This utterly addictive tale of desire and betrayal is perfect for fans of The Marriage Portrait and The Miniaturist.

 

What did I think?

Costanza is absolutely unmissable for historical fiction fans; it is as stunning inside as out, I mean just look at that beautiful cover!  I had no idea that Costanza Piccolomini was a real historical figure until I read the author's note at the end of the book.  Even more astonishing is that this is Rachel Blackmore's debut novel - brava!

The tantalising prologue haunted me throughout the novel and I couldn't read fast enough to discover whose life was in danger and how it came to be.  So I stepped back into 17th century Rome and devoured every single perfectly crafted word in this stunningly breathtaking novel.  

I was completely riveted as I discovered Costanza's story and my heart went out to her when her marriage didn't turn out quite as she planned.  If circumstances had been different, I think she still would have been attracted to sculptor Bernini but she would have been more reluctant to act upon it.  Bernini takes advantage of Costanza's situation and moulds her into the woman of his dreams.  Of course, he is completely blameless when it all goes wrong as he had been powerless to resist seduction by a temptress!

Magnificent, compelling and powerful, Costanza is an absolute masterpiece filled with passion and betrayal and it evoked such fury in me at the way women were treated and often still are.  I really must applaud Rachel Blackmore for giving Costanza such a strong and powerful voice and writing her back into history where she belongs.  

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

My rating:

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Amazon

About the author:

Born in Birmingham, Rachel spent her childhood in the Northeast, then the Midlands. She studied history at King's College London, where her fascination for women's history took root. After a brief stint in politics, Rachel built a career in corporate communications. In 2021, she was runner-up in the Harper's Bazaar Short Story Competition and won the Irish Writers Centre 2022 Novel Fair. Rachel lives in London with her three teenagers, two cats and one dog.

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BLOG TOUR: New Memories (The Sandlin PI Series Book 3) - S.E. Shepherd

For three decades, Olivia Farnley used alcohol and drugs to try to block out the memory of the horrific murder of her mother which put her father in prison. Now, she’s ready to face her past, and her hypnotherapist is sure he can help her to fill in the gaps.

During therapy, a key detail comes back to her, one that is so momentous that Liv is forced to share this new-found information with the police. When they dismiss her claims, Liv is left frustrated and furious. Then a chance encounter leads Liv to private investigator Hannah Sandlin, who, accompanied by her best friend Lottie, embarks on an investigation in the Spanish resort of Marbella.

Amid the magnificent villas and infinity pools of Porto Banus, and the stunning beaches of Playa de la Fontanilla, dark secrets lurk. Once Hannah deploys her sharp investigative mind and shameless tenacity, she discovers what really happened to Liv’s mother, Susan, all those years ago. In the process, she uncovers some shocking secrets that the rest of the Farnley family have been trying their hardest to keep.

Can Hannah separate the lies from the truth and bring Liv the resolution she so desperately needs?

S.E. Shepherd’s brilliant third novel in her darkly funny crime series is a story of how untrustworthy memory can be and how love can blind you to the darkness of those close to you. Everyone has a dark side, do they not? Even the ones you love. New Memories is a gripping new thriller that you won’t want to put down.

 

What did I think?

New Memories is the third book in the Sandlin PI series but you can definitely read it as a standalone as PI Hannah Sandlin and her team are tasked with a brand new investigation.

This is a very intriguing case and the client, Olivia Farnley, wants to find out who killed her mother.  Olivia's father was convicted of the crime when a neighbour saw him fleeing the scene, however, nobody seemed to consider that he had an identical twin brother.  Olivia's memories of that awful night are accessed through a series of hypnosis sessions but as far as the police are concerned the case is closed, so Olivia turns to Hannah to prove that these new memories are a true recollection of what really happened.

I absolutely loved the exploration of memories and how traumatic events can be locked away inside your brain until you are ready to look for the key to open them up.  I've always been fascinated by hypnosis, although I would never consider having it done to me, and think it's amazing that the brain can be put into such a state that it is receptive to suggestions, outside the brain owner's control. 

The fabulous plot in New Memories is so compelling that it races along at a fast and furious pace.  I couldn't read fast enough to uncover all of the secrets buried deep within the book and the big reveal at the end has a wonderful Agatha Christie feel about it.  I certainly didn't see any of it coming!

Intriguing, gripping and impossible to put down, New Memories is a thrilling mystery that had me on the edge of my seat throughout.  Very highly recommended.

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

My rating:

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Hobeck Books

Amazon

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BLOG TOUR: In Bloom - Eva Verde

A deeply affecting novel, In Bloom tells of strength, survival, forgiveness, resilience and determination, and the fierce love and unbreakable bonds between mothers and daughters.

Delph has kept herself small and quiet as a form of self-protection, ever since the love of her life Sol’s untimely death left her pregnant and alone at the age of twenty-four. Theirs was such a once-in-a-lifetime love, that the loss of her soulmate broke her heart ‒ and almost broke her, too.

Years on, Delph’s protective bubble bursts when her daughter Roche moves out of the flat Delph shares with her partner Itsy and in with her estranged nan, Moon. Now that it’s just the two of them, the cracks in Delph and Itsy’s relationship begin to grow. Feeling on the outside of the bond between her fierce-yet-flaky tarot-reading mother and volatile martial-arts-champion daughter, Delph begins questioning her own freedom.

Is her life with Itsy all it seems? And has keeping small and safe truly been her choice all these years…?

 

What did I think?

Oh my goodness, where do I begin?  This exceptional novel left me absolutely speechless and although it broke my heart at times, Eva Verde's powerful narrative put it back together piece by piece. 

The three generations of women in this story are incredibly inspirational.  Grandmother Moon has buried a terrible secret for most of her life and it's through her own strength of character that it didn't break her.  Moon's daughter Delph lost the love of her life in tragic circumstances but Sol's spirit lives on in their daughter Roche.  Delph's new partner Itsy is determined to drive a wedge between the three women as Moon and Roche see him for what he really is...if only Delph would open her eyes.

The story is dark at times as the full extent of Itsy's hold on Delph becomes apparent but Delph is stronger than she thinks and I was totally rooting for her.  I was furious on her behalf too.  What a horrible man Itsy is and it's even more shocking to think that people like him do actually exist.

Stunning, heartfelt and emotive, I absolutely adored In Bloom and I felt bereft when I turned the final page as these three wonderfully strong women had left a firm imprint on my heart.  A very highly recommended read and one I'll never forget.

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

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: Seraphim - Joshua Perry

From a former New Orleans public defender comes a gritty and thrilling interrogation of crime, violence, and the limits of justice in the chaotic times after Hurricane Katrina…

A 16-year-old confesses to the murder of a local celebrity—a hero of New Orleans’s shaky post-storm recovery... The boy’s father, doing life in prison on the installment plan for a series of minor offenses, will do anything to save him...

Enter Ben Alder, a carpetbagging attorney (and former rabbinical seminary student) who has drifted down to New Orleans. He winds up defending them both. 

Ben and his partner, Boris, are public defenders obsessed with redeeming their case history of failures, and willing to do anything to protect their clients. As Ben tries to disrupt a corrupt and racist criminal justice system that believes an inexplicable crime has been solved, he confronts his own legacy of loss and faith. And as the novel hurtles towards its tragic, redemptive conclusion, Ben finds himself an onlooker and a perpetrator where he thought he was the hero.

A riveting and propulsive story about loyalty and grief, Seraphim is also an unflinching cross-examination of a broken legal system; a heartbreaking portrait of a beautiful, lost city, filled with children who kill and are killed; and a discomforting reflection on privilege, prejudice, and power.

 

What did I think?

Seraphim is a very accomplished debut novel from Joshua Perry, a former public defender in New Orleans.  It's a riveting glimpse into the American justice (or lack thereof) system and it's a sobering, thought-provoking novel.

My heart went out to 16-year-old Robert Johnson who confessed to murder, without really knowing what he was doing.  The police really took advantage of his youth and inexperience and before you know it Robert is in jail awaiting trial.  It made me feel so angry that the police are so blinkered that they're just happy for someone to be convicted for the crime rather than finding out whether they actually did it.  This is people's lives they're playing with just to hit their arrest and conviction targets!

I was fascinated by the whole court system set out in the novel and I loved the public defenders: Ben and Boris.  Although I often didn't approve of their methods, I think they cared about their clients.  So much so it often led them into danger.  It certainly made me grateful that we don't have the right to bear arms in the UK!

Dark, gritty and incredibly thought-provoking, Seraphim is a wonderful debut novel and a highly recommended read for anyone who likes legal thrillers.

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

My rating:

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