Category: Book Reviews

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Books On Tour (Review): Sweet Pea Summer by Alys Murray

I would be hard-pressed to find a series that makes me feel calmer than this one. There is something about stepping into the world of the Anderson sisters that feels like a comforting hug. I was taken with The Magnolia Sisters, and in re-reading my review, I had to laugh. I didn’t care for May. Ironic, because I loved her as the main character in this book.

To be honest, she had me when she dressed up as Claire from “The Breakfast Club” for Annie’s 80s party. I think my issue with her in the first book was that we honestly didn’t get to see much of her, and what we did, she was pretty negative.

In this installment, with her at the forefront, we finally get to understand why she is so prickly. I’m not going to give it away, but let’s say that she has good reason to have put a shell around herself.

Just like the first book, you know that Tom and May are meant to be together (he’s the Bender to her Claire, and they both have a fondness for British murder mysteries), but their history keeps getting in the way.

Amazon: https://bit.ly/2MJddfi
Apple: https://apple.co/3eYW51g
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2BR2xcF
Google: https://bit.ly/37cqFSB

Annie meddles (again – I love this girl and hope she gets her own story even though she isn’t an Anderson sister proper) so that Tom and May are forced to both confront their past and figure out their present and future. It’s not an easy road, and all of the pitfalls they face felt natural to the setting and the people.

The author does a fantastic job of capturing small-town life, from the nearly decade-old gossip to the community pulling together for a festival (pretty sure I worked with Miz Greyson at some point). I think that is what makes this series so likable. The people may get obnoxious and meddlesome, but they are ultimately there for each other.

I especially liked how the author started the book like a storyteller was setting the scene. It completely set the tone for me. That was nicely bookended, in not quite the same way, but with a fitting finish to the story.

I can’t wait to get Rose’s story. And I’m mentioning Annie again because by now she is pretty much an adopted Anderson sister. Can we make this happen?

Author Bio
Alys Murray is an author who writes for the romantic in all of us. Though she graduated with a degree in Drama from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and a Master’s in Film Studies from King’s College London, her irrepressible love of romance led her to a career as an author, and she couldn’t be happier to write these stories! Currently splitting time between her home state of Louisiana and London, she enjoys kissing books, Star Wars, and creating original pie recipes for all of her books. Tobey Maguire is her Spider-Man. 

Website: www.alysmurray.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/alysmurrayauthor
Instagram: www.instagram.com/writeralys
Twitter: www.twitter.com/writeralys
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Books On Tour (Review): The Accusation by Victoria Jenkins

I have to admit; I’m a little bit confused by this one. It started as one type of psychological thriller, then morphed into another about halfway through the book. Both halves were interesting in their own right.

Jenna is the perfect example of “no good deed goes unpunished.” She tries to help a woman in the park, but it backs up on her in a major way, throwing her life into absolute chaos. It doesn’t help that Jenna’s husband has been acting strangely, and her teenage daughter is rebelling against pretty much everything.

There are a few clues early on that there may be more in play than what meets the eye. And that’s where I got a little bit confused. It almost felt like the author tried to do too much to make it twisty. It could have been more straight forward, and it still would have been a great story.

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0861JQMHVSocial Apple: https://apple.co/33pXNV3
Kobo: http://bit.ly/3b0ZqLa Google: http://bit.ly/39Z0Fuh

Once the revelations started popping up, they led to more questions for me. I think the biggest one is that it seemed as if Jenna should have recognized the danger. I don’t want to say more than that (no spoilers), but I mean it in the very simplest of terms.

There were also more than a few red herrings; some were good, and some didn’t go anywhere. There were a couple that almost seemed as if they got edited out because they had promise. Then they were never mentioned again. It just lacked focus, I guess, is the best way to put it.

Now, I realize that what I just wrote may make it seem like I didn’t like the book, but that’s not true. I actually enjoyed it very much and read it in essentially one sitting. It was engrossing, and the author did a good job of offering a lot of little threads to weave into the overall story.

I also liked Jenna as the main character. She was strong and pretty much stood up for herself. And the author made her untrustworthy by the way Jenna interacted with her husband after the initial accusation. (It didn’t help that her husband was pretty much being a jerk, but he sort of did have reasons for that). Jenna’s initial dishonesty cast doubt on her character that carried through the entire book, right up until we find out the truth about why everything was happening.

So, I would still recommend this as a good psych thriller. I just wish there had been a tad more consistency.

Author Bio

Victoria Jenkins lives with her husband and daughter in South Wales, where her series of crime novels featuring Detectives King and Lane is based. Her debut novel The Girls in the Water is an Amazon UK top 30 bestseller, and top 5 bestseller in the Amazon US chart.

Her first psychological thriller, The Divorce, was published in July 2019. The second, The Argument, was published December 10th 2019 and The Accusation publishes June 9th 2020.

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/victoriajenkinswriter/
Twitter:     https://twitter.com/vicwritescrime
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Books On Tour (Review): I Know Your Secret by Ruth Heald

Twisted doesn’t even being to describe this book. It’s part cat and mouse, part psychological thriller, part domestic drama, and all fantastic. For once, the tag line absolutely, 100% fits!

The author does a great job of laying out the background to set everything up. The intent of the two main characters (Beth and Danielle) are made clear and the character lines are clearly drawn.

Or are they?

Told in alternating points of view between the two, the plot moves along crisply. Instead of going back over a singular event from each point of view, the author uses the two different perspectives to propel the story. It’s effective and made for more interesting reading.

It also allowed the author to drop a bombshell and then switch characters, often leaving me speechless and wanting to get back to that perspective. Fortunately, the chapters are quite short, which also swiftly moves the story.

Amazon: https://bit.ly/2Bjk50w Apple: https://apple.co/3c0CmwV Kobo: https://bit.ly/2JJCR2g Google: https://bit.ly/2UP4a1z

The constant and quick switches back and forth also kept me off balance. Every time I thought I had a handle on what was really going on, something else would happen that would make me question what I thought I knew. I enjoyed not being able to predict what would happen next (as sometimes happens).

I don’t do spoilers. I can’t stand them. With a plot this intricate, it would be difficult to say anything specific without potentially giving something away. Suffice to say that little things that are innocuous probably aren’t and what appears to be important may not be.

Nothing is as it seems.

The set up takes a while, but once you reach roughly halfway, the action and revelations pick up enormous speed and it’s a breathless race to the finish with all of the secrets being revealed in rapid-fire succession. If ever there was a book that was aptly described as a roller coaster ride this is the one.

Seriously, don’t miss it.

Author Bio:
Ruth Heald is a psychological thriller writer from a suburban Buckinghamshire town. She studied Economics at Oxford and then worked in an eclectic mix of sectors from nuclear decommissioning to management consulting.

Seeking a more creative environment, she found a role at the BBC and worked there for nine years before leaving to write full time. Ruth is fascinated by psychology and finding out what drives people to violence, destruction and revenge. She’s married with one daughter and her novels explore our greatest fears in otherwise ordinary, domestic lives.

Website: http://rjheald.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ruth.heald
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RJ_Heald

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Blog Tour (Review): When Love Lies Bleeding by Candy Denman

The timeliness of this book is uncanny, as it was published at the end of February. You can see from the blurb what the plot is, but reading it is like reliving the last three months, although in noir form.

I’m a big fan of film noir, so as I was reading, I could hear Humphrey Bogart doing the voice over in my head. The author did a fantastic job of creating that type of atmosphere. It made for an interesting juxtaposition, because the plot itself is all modern.

I actually think this happened to work in favor of the book. It softened the reality of the topic. If the book had been written straightforward, I don’t think it would have been nearly as enjoyable, because it would have felt too real, too much like reading a post on Facebook or a news article turned into a story. For me, the sense of noir made it more palatable.

I did also like the setting, because I’m a born and raised San Francisco Bay Area gal. I grew up just south of Oakland, so the locations were all familiar. Plus, where better to set a foggy noir story than in Fog City, right? I only wish that the author had been a little more detailed, though, as there are a lot of buildings and businesses that could have added to the mood.

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/When-Love-Lies-Bleeding-Nostalgia/dp/1910040347/ref=sr_1_1?crid=G9YQOKD5IIT7&dchild=1&keywords=when+love+lies+bleeding&qid=1590231983&sprefix=when+love+lies+bl%2Caps%2C154&sr=8-1
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/When-Love-Lies-Bleeding-Nostalgia-ebook/dp/B084Z691L5/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=when+love+lies+bleeding&qid=1590232057&sr=8-1

And back to that noir style; I’m glad that it was a novella. Because even though I loved it, I think that a full-length novel in that tone might have been a tad much. I would have needed to give Humphrey a break somewhere along the way.

As it was, it was a timely topic written into a story that was told in a unique way and it was the perfect length. I would definitely recommend this quick read. Maybe I’ll start listening to the news and imagining it in Humphrey’s voice as well. It’s a thought.

About Candy Denman:

Candy Denman spent most of her life as an NHS nurse but now concentrates on writing full time. She has written extensively for television programmes such as The Bill, Doctors and Heartbeat but now writes novels. She lives in Hertfordshire with her large extended family and a football crazy Cockapoo called Dennis. 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CrimeCandy
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CrimeCandy/
Website: https://www.candydenman.co.uk/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/candydenman/
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Book Review: Sandy by Melanie Moreland

I have many more thoughts on this book, but for whatever reason, I’m a little emotional about this series ending, and I’m having a hard time pulling them together. Until I do, here’s a brief review.

But trust me when I say that you should do yourself a favor and read this series. You will not be disappointed. I hope you fall in love with it as much as I did.

Sandy (Vested Interest #7)Sandy by Melanie Moreland
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

You know that feeling you get when your favorite television series ends? Like you want to know how it all turns out in the end, but you’re dreading it because you know that it will be “the end?” That’s the feeling I had as I approached reading Sandy. I have become so engrossed in the Vested Interest universe and have loved every minute of their stories. I was happy to see Sandy get center stage, and I really appreciated a mature romance. In some ways, it just seemed more sensible than other romances. The message of it’s never too late for a second chance at happiness is heartfelt and pure. I’m going to miss this series (but thank goodness for re-reads). Now the author can work on BAM: The Next Generation 😊

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Blog Tour (Review): Everything to Lose by Gordon Bickerstaff

Hands down one of the most action-packed plots I have read recently (and I’ve read a few), this book is not just a roller coaster of a read. Think the fastest roller coaster with switchbacks and loops where you never know which thrill is coming next.

There is sort of dual plot going, because Gavin (a scientist) is trying to stop the launch of a deadly drug. But when he disappears, Zoe has to find him before it’s too late. But too late for what? Just about everything.

I liked the chemistry between Zoe and Gavin. They were individuals who knew their place but also knew how they had to rely on each other. Well, maybe Gavin has to rely on Zoe a little bit more than vice versa. But she’s a badass to be reckoned with.

There is amazing science, but the author does a good job of making it easily understood. I’m not a science person and sometimes shut down if things get too technical. But that didn’t happen with this book. I was able to follow it and I learned a lot in the process.

There was also political intrigue, which is always a favorite of mine. I liked how the author made me uncertain as to whether or not I should trust a character, and what their motives actually were. None of it felt contrived but natural to the story. A revelation towards the end was especially interesting (no spoilers).

AMAZON UK: https://tinyurl.com/EverythingToLose-AmazonUK
AMAZON US: https://tinyurl.com/EverythingToLose-AmazonUS
BOOK DEPOSITORY: https://tinyurl.com/EverythingToLose-BookDeposit

I will say that this is not a book that you can read casually. I almost felt like I should be taking notes, because there were many intricate details, connections and plot points. Trust me when I say you need to be paying attention when you read this one.

I did not read the first book in the series, so I don’t know if I missed anything. I have seen reviews that mention the action flows from one book to this one. I didn’t feel like I came in at the middle of anything, so I would say that it is okay to read this as a standalone. I really enjoyed it.

That being said, there is a major cliffhanger that will lead to book three, so if you have the time, I would suggest going back and starting with the first book, just so you get the whole story. I have a feeling that strung together, it’s all going to be pretty epic.

About Gordon Bickerstaff:

I was born and brought up in Glasgow, Scotland. I studied biochemistry, and I’ve worked in several Scottish universities where I did research on enzymes, and taught biochemistry. After thirty years of teaching and research I retired my academic pen, and took of a mightier fiction pen. 

I live in central Scotland with my wife and we enjoy reading, writing, and walking in the hills.

The Lambeth Group books follow the secret government investigations of agent Zoe Tampsin. A strong female protagonist with courage, determination, and guile. She is assisted by specialist consultant, Gavin Shawlens.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GFBickerstaff 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100012357701552 
Website: http://bit.ly/1g4gEoa
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/gordon-bickerstaff 
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5776209.Gordon_Bickerstaff
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Books On Tour (Review): First Shot by John Ryder

One of three stunning thrillers I read this past week, this one had all of the expected action and then some! It’s a fantastic start to what looks like a new series. Get excited!

Grant Fletcher (our hero) has an intriguing backstory. He is a Royal Marine. While previously serving in Afghanistan, his life was saved by a US Marine, Don Ogilvie. When Don’s daughter goes missing, he calls Grant to help find her.

But it’s not all as simple as that.

In the course of following leads, Grant finds out that several girls have gone missing in a small, backwater town in Georgia, so the case becomes infinitely more complicated. He teams up with FBI Special Agent Zoey Quadrado, who is also investigating the missing girls. What follows is lots of page-turning action. And that’s all I’m going to say about the plot itself.

BUY LINK: https://geni.us/B085DXSTKLSocial

I liked Grant a lot. He was patient and astute but could kick some ass when necessary. He wasn’t a typical “fight his way through everything” action hero. He always thought through a problem. I liked his attitude and his demeanor when dealing with other characters. He actually reminded me a lot of Gibbs from the television show “NCIS.” Calm and measured most of the time, but don’t mess with him.

I was less taken with Zoey, although I did understand her character. Their initial meeting was less than ideal, and from that, I didn’t find her to be especially impartial. But they ended up having a relationship that has promise.

As to the town they were working in, holy moly was that a weird one. From odd characters (loved how Grant gave them nicknames to distinguish them) to a cult-like atmosphere, Daversville was a unique setting that gave angles and depth to what could have been a run-of-the-mill missper case.

I enjoyed this book overall, and I look forward to future thrillers featuring Grant Fletcher.

Author Bio

John Ryder is a former farmworker and joiner. He’s turned his hand to many skills to put food on the table and clothes on his back. A life-long bibliophile, he eventually summoned the courage to try writing himself, and his Grant Fletcher novels have drawn inspiration from authors such as Lee Child, Tom Cain, Zoe Sharp and Matt Hilton. When it comes to future novels, he says he has more ideas than time to write them.

When not writing, John enjoys spending time with his son, reading and socialising with friends. A fanatic supporter of his local football team, he can often be found shouting encouragement to men much younger and fitter than he is.

Author Social Media Links: 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JohnRyderAuthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnRyder101
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Blog Tour (Review): Stranger in the Lake

Carefully plotted and intricately woven this tale of long-buried secrets was a definite page-turner.

Everybody loves a good Cinderella story, and the author wisely uses both Charlie’s background and current situation to explore how the grass isn’t always greener…and to be careful what you wish for because it’s not always the right thing.

I liked Charlie has a heroine. She felt natural and honest. She had the worst upbringing but wasn’t going to let that stop her from being better than her beginnings. Who could blame her for being swept off her feet by rich, charming Paul, right?

I also appreciated her strength, especially as the truth started to coalesce. She didn’t always make the right choices, but her actions and reactions seemed to be what any person in her situation would do.

The overall plot was extremely well thought out, as was the mystery/investigation. I found myself second-guessing who was guilty or responsible for events up until the very last pages. I will say that I had an inkling about one of the characters early on (and I was right), but I’m not saying which one. You’ll have to read it and figure it out for yourself.

Mostly I liked how the author spaced the clues and pertinent plot points evenly throughout the book. While there was a big confrontation at the climax (and yeah, I read that faster because it was filled with tension and I wasn’t sure what was going to happen), there wasn’t a lot of half-hearted twists and turns. Sometimes those work, and sometimes they feel manipulative. None to be found here…everything was evenly placed.

I would say that this is a great summer read because of the setting of a lake. But if you’re reading this by a lake, you might think twice about stepping foot in it (just kidding). It’s tense, intelligent, and realistic. Who could ask for more a book?

BUY LINKS

Author website: https://www.kimberlybellebooks.com/
Facebook: @KimberlyBelleBooks
Twitter: @KimberlySBelle
Instagram: @kimberlysbelle
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/kimberlybelle 

About the Author: Kimberly Belle is the USA Today and internationally bestselling author of six novels, including the forthcoming Stranger in the Lake (June 2020). Her third novel, The Marriage Lie, was a semifinalist in the 2017 Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Mystery & Thriller, and a #1 e-book bestseller in the UK and Italy. She’s sold rights to her books in a dozen languages as well as film and television options. A graduate of Agnes Scott College, Belle divides her time between Atlanta and Amsterdam.

Thanks for stopping by for the first entry in the Harlequin Mystery & Thriller Summer Reads Blog Tour. Be sure to check back in throughout the summer for reviews of these intriguing titles!

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Books On Tour (Review): The Golden Girl by Dana Perry

I enjoyed Jessie’s Tucker’s first outing, The Silent Victim, so I was very much looking forward to her next “story.” What I got was a mixed bag, but part of that is due to my particular background knowledge.

I still like the fact that Jessie is a reporter. It adds a different angle to the crime investigation she undertakes, which makes it more interesting at times. It certainly cuts down on a lot of police procedure descriptions that, while informative, can sometimes bog down a story.

With Jessie being a reporter, we also get treated to a unique set of characters. Her co-workers at the Tribune are quirky individuals; They are definitely a different breed. I liked the interplay between Jessie and her co-workers, especially some of the stories they told.

Jessie herself did not speak to me as much as she did in the first book. I actually thought she was a bit of a mess (but maybe that was by design).  She mentioned her past quite a few times, which got repetitive, and her character seemed uneven. There was one exchange with a police officer that seemed totally out of character – almost like the scene was supposed to be someone else, and Jessie was thrown in, but the dialogue wasn’t changed. It was strange.

I’m not sure how I feel about her search for answers to her past amid everything else, so I will reserve judgment on that until the next book to see how it all pans out.

Amazon: https://bit.ly/3doj19N

I also thought that while the author did a great job of weaving the plot threads together into a captivating story, the resolution was way too rushed. After all of the build-up and the clues that Jessie had uncovered, a lot was just exposition. The entire book wrapped up over the last 8-10%, instead of being plotted as part of the story. I think the revelations would have been more impactful. As it was, just about all of the big reveals felt contrived and caricature-ish.  

Also, and this is just a totally personal thing for me, I thought the author missed the mark on the NYPD. The codes were wrong, some police procedures were inaccurate, and other stuff was just outright offensive (again TOTALLY personal perspective here). NYPD is unlike any other police force, with its own jargon, codes, and way of doing things that are uniquely New York.

If using the NYPD, there should have been more considerable attention to detail. Given the importance of one plot point, for example, it was jarring that OCCB and RICO were not even mentioned. Those should have been obvious references. And I’m not even going to get started on undercover work. It all could have worked better in a different or fictional department.

BUT, and I can’t stress this enough, anyone without ties to NYPD will probably have no problem with the things I mentioned above. It was still a decent story, Jessie is a protagonist worth rooting for, and is as intrepid as ever. I do look forward to her next investigation.

Author bio:
Dana Perry is a New York City author who writes mystery thrillers featuring newspaper reporter Jessie Tucker. Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanaPerryAuthor

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Books On Tour (Review): Gone in Seconds by Ed James

Picking up essentially where Tell Me Lies left off, the action in this book just keeps on rolling.

As in the first book of the Max Carter series, we start with a child abduction. If you read the first one, you know that makes sense because that’s Carter’s specialty. But it becomes apparent early on that there is much more going on than just that. There are nefarious characters, intricate connections, ulterior motives, and shady pasts (and presents) that need to be sorted out.

Fortunately, Carter is a hero who looks at the whole picture. Although there are times that he is on the wrong path, he is astute enough to realize it and change course accordingly. I like that he follows his instincts as much as the clues. I think his background (having been abducted by his father) sometimes gives him a different type of instinct.

Amazon: https://geni.us/B088FP74XHSocial
Apple: https://apple.co/3fDOxCm
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2WIxuqc
Google: https://bit.ly/2LmHoZi

As mentioned, there are a lot of mysterious connections and not everything is as it seems during the investigation. If you did not read the first book, you will definitely be missing some of them, and a few plot points may seem out of place (but they really aren’t).

I did find Carter’s relationship and interactions with his father to be somewhat jarring as they took me out of the main story. But I understand why they were important to the plot, because they gave more depth and insight into Carter’s reasonings and motivations.

There is an awful lot going on through the whole book, and there were a few times that I had to go back and make sure I knew what the connection or who the character was; and I read the first book. If you didn’t read it, I would highly recommend doing so, because it will make this one much clearer. And there is definitely a cliffhanger that indicates at least a third book in the series.

It’s a good one to get in on before the story gets more complicated, so start with Tell Me Lies and then move into this one for a strong hero and page-turning action.

Author Bio

Ed James is the author of multiple series of crime novels. The bestselling DI Simon Fenchurch series is set in East London and published by Thomas & Mercer. The self-published Scott Cullen series of Scottish police procedurals features a young Edinburgh Detective Constable investigating crimes from the bottom rung of the career ladder he’s desperate to climb. The first book, “Ghost in the Machine”, has been downloaded over 400,000 times, hitting both the Amazon UK & US top five.


The Craig Hunter books is a sister series to the Cullen novels, with a PTSD-suffering ex-squaddie now working as a cop investigating sexual abuse cases. With lots of slapstick and banter.

Ed lives in East Lothian, Scotland and writes full-time, but used to work in IT project management, where he filled his weekly commute to London by literally writing on planes, trains and automobiles.

Mailing list — http://bit.ly/EJMail
Email — ed@edjames.co.uk
Twitter — http://www.twitter.com/edjamesauthor
Facebook — http://www.facebook.com/EdJamesAuthor
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