Tag: Blog Tour

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Blog Tour w/ Review: The Good Mother by Cathryn Grant

I always like a good plot that sneaks up on me, and The Good Mother fits the bill perfectly. What seemed like a study of suburban women and the packs that they form descended into a taut domestic thriller that explores the long-lasting effects of trauma.

I thought that the author did an excellent job of using the three women (Amy, Rachel, and Charlotte) to progress the character study. Amy, as the go-getter/Alpha, was the “Type A” mom that is familiar to many. Rachel, her supposed best friend, wanted to appease and be included. And Charlotte was the “New Mom in Town” who didn’t fit the suburban mom role.

I could find myself (at least a little bit) in each of these women, and I think that is why I enjoyed the book so much. My “allegiance” to the individuals ebbed and flowed with the story, which kept it interesting. I have been the new mom in town (although not a brazen or “artsy” as Charlotte), so I could relate to what she felt as she tried to fit in.

I least identified with Amy. I understood her desire to be the perfect mom (what mom doesn’t?) and connected with her drive to make sure that her family had everything they needed. However, her desire was more of an obsession, which was ultimately guided by childhood trauma. Her progression was the most interesting but the least relatable to me.

Rachel was the character I truly understood. She wanted to belong to the group and went along with everything, even when she thought it was wrong or didn’t want to take part. One incident with Amy stands out, as Rachel participated even as she knew she shouldn’t. I saw it as a turning point for her, as she realized that things were changing quickly and out of her control.

After all of the events of the book, I could also relate to Rachel’s feeling of wanting everything to be the way it was before. Whenever there is a monumental change, there is almost always the desire to return to what was normal (even if it actually wasn’t). That came across loud and clear to me.

I did especially like the way Amy and Charlotte’s plot lines interwove and eventually collided. I thought it was smart of the author to build the suspense – I honestly was not sure which way that was all going to go, but it was extremely satisfying.

Each mother in this story thought that they were doing what they could to be a good mother, and it was fascinating to see each of the approaches. It was also interesting to see the pitfalls and failures of each woman and where their choices could have been better. I could argue that this could be used as a cautionary tale as well as an entertaining novel.

This book started a little slow, but the tension built fast, and the author kept the pace moving. I would definitely recommend this book.

About Cathryn Grant

Cathryn is the author of the Alexandra Mallory Psychological Suspense series, Psychological Thrillers, Suburban Noir novels, The Haunted Ship Trilogy, and the Madison Keith Ghost Story series. THE GOOD MOTHER will be her second novel published with Inkubator Books.

Cathryn’s fiction has appeared in Alfred Hitchcock and Ellery Queen Mystery Magazines, The Shroud Quarterly Journal, and The Best of Every Day Fiction. When she’s not writing, Cathryn reads fiction, eavesdrops, and tries to play golf without hitting her ball into the sand or the water. She lives on the Central California coast with her husband and two cats. 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CathrynGrant
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CathrynGrant.Writer/
Website: https://www.cathryngrant.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cathryngrant_fiction/
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cathryn-Grant/e/B004G1I484?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_3&qid=1566901527&sr=8-3


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Blog Tour w/ Review: Husband Material

Quite frankly, this book went in a completely different direction than I thought it was going to go when I started. And I’m totally okay with that because it ended up being a lot deeper and more thought-provoking than I expected.

At first, I didn’t think I was going to be able to relate to Charlotte. Her job was something that I have no passion for nor can I relate to it (tracking social media influencers makes me roll my eyes). But Charlotte’s personality ultimately won me over. Actually, she had me when she shut down Chad in the first chapter.

I liked how her story was revealed slowly. It added a bit of mystery to the plot, especially just past the halfway point. The author did a terrific job of allowing the reader to feel what Charlotte was experiencing right along with her. I love it when an author can make an unrelatable (to me) character sympathetic at the same time. That’s a trait that is often missing.

The situations that Charlotte found herself in, both overall (with her “package”) and the immediate scenarios, were realistic, and I could see them occurring in real life. The balancing act Charlotte was forced into also felt natural.

I think what I liked the most, however, was the relationship between Charlotte and Brian. Their history was a barrier at first, even as it became apparent that there was more going on (and probably had been going on for a while). I especially liked that it was not perfect.

So often in a romance novel, everything falls neatly into place. Even if there are troubles (and there always are), they are packaged up by the end with a HEA. I don’t feel that this is the case here, and that’s what sets this book apart.

Their relationship is messy, imperfect and comes with A LOT of baggage. Even as the reader can see the chemistry, the issues are still apparent. Even by the end, there is not a typical hearts and flowers/rest of our lives resolution. The reader knows they are on the right track, but there is still growth that needs to occur.

And ultimately, this story is about Charlotte’s growth. Her identity as a widow, how she interacts with the people around her, her perspective on her job…all of these change throughout her story.  

Even though I’ve never had an urn of ashes show up at my front door, her discovery and the challenges she faces were ones that I could relate to. Her journey was uplifting and interesting and a great way to kick off a new year.

Buy Links

Author Bio

EMILY BELDEN is a journalist, social media marketer, and storyteller. She is the author of the novel Hot Mess and Eightysixed: A Memoir about Unforgettable Men, Mistakes, and Meals. She lives in Chicago. Visit her website at www.emilybelden.com or follow her on Twitter and Instagram, @emilybelden.

Author website: http://www.emilybelden.com/
Twitter: @emilybelden
Instagram: @emilybelden
Facebook: @emilybeldenauthor


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Blog Tour: Good Girls Lie

What a way to start a new year of reading! From a body hanging at the entrance to an elite girls’ school (literally the first sentence of the book) to the shocking finale, this book was filled with twists galore and had me engrossed the entire time.

Buy Links: 
Harlequin 
Indiebound
Amazon
Barnes & Noble 
Books-A-Million
Target
Google
iBooks
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The plot on its own was intriguing because the author sets up from the beginning that not everything is as it appears; this goes for situations as well as people. I loved the way the author put little hints into the narrative to nudge the reader that something might be relevant.

Now, I realize that several authors do this, as they guide their characters and the reader through the story. What makes this author stand out, however,  is how the hints are dropped. They are rarely overt and never scream out obviously. Instead, they are almost throwaways or asides that only a careful and clever reader will catch.

As an example, I re-read the first few chapters before writing this review (to refresh my memory). Having finished the story, I was amazed to see how many little hints were scattered within the first chapter alone. To me, this is just genius.

Because the plot was so twisty, I really can’t get into details (if you have read any of my reviews, you know that I loathe spoilers and book report reviews). I thought that the characters were fully realized, and I could imagine the action taking place in real life – nothing seemed too far-fetched. Given that the author had experience within an all-girls school, this makes sense.

I also liked that the chapter titles gave a hint of what would be revealed in the chapter. And that is what made this book so good; each chapter gave the reader just a little bit more of the bigger picture until the climax (or is it?) of the story. And just when you think everything is resolved…well, you’re wrong – it isn’t. Keep reading until the very last word.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from the author.

Oh, and if this book is any indication of how my reading year will go, I cannot WAIT to jump in!

Author Bio

J.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 20 novels, and the EMMY-award winning co-host of A WORD ON WORDS, Nashville’s premier literary show. With millions of books in print, her work has won critical acclaim, prestigious awards, and has been published in 26 countries. Ellison lives in Nashville with her husband and twin kittens.

Social Links:
Author Website
Twitter: @thrillerchick
Facebook: @JTEllison14
Instagram: @thrillerchick
Goodreads
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Books On Tour (Review): The Blossom Twins

Gutted.

There is no other way to describe how I felt by the end of this book.

I knew that something big was going to happen (based on reviews from earlier readers), so I tried to brace myself.

Didn’t help.

When last we saw Natalie, she had to make some crucial decisions regarding her family. There have long been issues with both of her children, mostly born from the fact that Natalie and her husband, David, have been on the outs for quite a while. This book continues with that conflict and everything comes to a head as significant decisions are made (can’t say more, ‘cuz it would give it away).

As always, Natalie has to work a case while her home life implodes. This one is especially chilling because young girls are being killed similarly to a killer from Natalie’s past. Now, I really can’t say much more, because this is one you have to read for yourself to get the impact. I don’t want to give ANYTHING away.

One of my favorite things about this author is her pacing. The reader gets to follow the investigation “in real-time,” which makes it more interesting. The reader also gets an added benefit of flashback chapters that give extra clues as to the identity of the murderer.

The way the investigation proceeds is easy to follow and dovetails perfectly with events in Natalie’s personal life. In this case, the two become inextricably twined in a way that both Natalie and the reader do not see coming. (Not going to lie, I had my suspicions regarding who the killer was, but still was shocked by the bigger picture).

By the end of the book, Natalie is at a crossroads in her life. Events have broken her. And I, for one, cannot wait to see what she does next. I say it every time – if you haven’t started reading the Natalie Ward series, you should start now, because they just keep getting better and better.

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Blog Tour: The Boyfriend Blog

There are several books out there (and have been for a long time) that feature 20-something-year-old characters who think they know everything there is to know about life and romance. Of course they don’t, which is where the conflict in those books occurs.

However, there seems to be a growing trend of having a senior-citizen character (or a few of them) as guidance for the young lovers, and I could not applaud this facet more! I love when there is a feisty grandma type who slyly offers her wisdom to the characters, helping them down their path. Edna fits solely in this category, and I just loved her.

The other side of having senior citizens is that it gives dimension to the younger characters as well. I loved that both Aiden and Lizzie enjoyed the trivia at the senior center. That is something I would have done, and it made both of them even more relatable.

I also enjoyed Lizzie’s bad dates; there was one that was a particular doozy (loved the waiter’s part in it). I thought Aiden showed his true colors most when he was picking up the pieces of Lizzie’s most current lousy date. This was a lovely friends-to-lovers romance, and I would definitely recommend it.

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Books On Tour (Review): Her Hot Ride by Heather Van Fleet

This is the only MC series that I have ever found myself enjoying. I think the author does a fantastic job of portraying the MC life (not that I have anything to compare it to, but I imagine it to be accurate based on a few friends’ experiences).

One of the things I appreciate most about this series, however, is that the characters never enter into stereotype or cartoonish territory. If anything, the male members of the Red Dragons are the antithesis of what one would normally think of when asked to describe someone in an MC. (But I guess that’s the point of these types of books, right? That these guys are not all toughness but have real feelings…)

I do like the recurring theme (carried here by Archer) of the need to protect. There is something so satisfying in reading about a man who has that instinct – even when he feels he should be fighting it due to other conflicts.

In terms of this installment, I also liked that Emily was not really a part of the Red Dragons. She didn’t have the ties that previous heroines in the series did but was still linked. I thought that added an interesting facet to the story.

I also appreciated the continuation of the war with Pops. That has been a driving force through the series, and it was interesting to see Emily’s role in the whole situation. And the end? You won’t see it coming. (No spoilers here, as usual).

I think romance and suspense are balanced nicely in this series and would recommend starting at the beginning to fully grasp the scope of the world created by the author.

Author Bio:
Heather Van Fleet is a stay-at-home-mom turned book boyfriend connoisseur. She’s married to her high school sweetheart, a mom to three girls, and in her spare time you can find her with her head buried in her Kindle, guzzling down copious amounts of coffee.

Heather graduated from Black Hawk College in 2003 and currently writes Adult contemporary romance. She is published through Sourcebooks Casablanca with her Reckless Hearts series and Bookouture with her Red Dragon series. 

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Blog Tour w/Review: The Blood Acre

This book started with a bang (quite literally) and didn’t let up. It was gritty and pulled no punches.

It was obvious from the start that the author had a background in law enforcement (either that or as a criminal) because the descriptions of both the crimes and the investigations were realistic and interesting. Nothing felt made up or forced. From the tension between partners to the multi-faceted crimes, everything was full of enough detail to paint vivid pictures.

I thought The Creepers were especially colorful. While they reminded me of street gangs in general, there was also something uniquely Scottish about them.

The setting was interesting for me to read about because I find it fascinating to compare crime and law enforcement between countries.

The only thing that I had a love/hate relationship with was the style of writing. I appreciated that the author wrote in a way that I could get a sense of the Scottish brogue/burr. I do love when I can get a sense of how someone actually “sounds.”  However, the extensive use of it made for very slow reading which took me out of the story a few times.

Ultimately, however, the atmosphere created by the writing won out, and I enjoyed this book.

AUTHOR BIO

Robert James Mitchell was brought up in Stirling. Mitchell was initially detailed beat duties out of the former Blackhill Police Office and then Baird Street Police Office in the former ‘D’ Division, or the North, as it was known to all the men who served in the division. In January, 2007, while recovering from an appendicitis, Mitchell decided to write the first draft of ‘Parallel Lines: The Glasgow Supremacy‘, drawing heavily on his own experiences and featuring the characters of Detective Sergeant Gus Thoroughgood and DC Kenny Hardie.

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Blog Tour w/Review: Feather and Claw

This book was not what I expected it to be. I don’t think I have ever read a cozy mystery set in the Mediterranean, but that’s how it felt to me. The juxtaposition of location and investigation was interesting.

I will admit to feeling a little bit lost at the beginning of the book. The scenes were well-described, but it took me a while to figure out where the author was going with the plot. Once the dead body appeared, it became easier (isn’t that the way 😉).

I liked the California references (being a California girl myself) but thought that there could have been more parallels to make the connection stronger. I also liked that Cat was on vacation and out of her natural element because that caused her to be creative in her investigation.

I think that was a strength of the plot. An investigator/detective will always have the desire to solve a crime wherever they are. So, how does one go about doing so without stepping on the toes of local law enforcement? Not that Cat always succeeds in that, but the author did a good job of allowing Cat to be creative in her investigating because she was freed from her normal parameters.

The plot itself was good. I especially liked the intermittent chapters that hinted at something deeper and possibly more nefarious. Those added another level of mystery.

I am usually not a fan of cozy mysteries, but the unique setting of this one sold me. I would definitely look for others in this series.

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Books On Tour (Review): The Girls in the Lake

The idyllic setting of Lake Windemere in the Lake District is disturbed when a young lady is found floating face down near a boat. From that opening sequence, this is a gripping crime thriller that had me turning pages to find out “whodunit.” The author does a fantastic job of building the suspense while following the forensic clues that lead to the killer.

Amazon: https://geni.us/B07YNQ4N5VSocial
Apple Books: https://apple.co/2K7Z4aU
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2oMUcQl
Googleplay: http://bit.ly/2pBkLIU

I liked that the heroine of this book (Beth) was a Forensic Pathologist, rather than a detective. The author went into great detail several times (I learned more about autopsies than I ever thought I would). Having the lead character not be a detective allowed for a unique perspective on the investigation.

I liked the characters, although I felt some of them could have been more developed. I would have liked to have learned a little more about the squad of detectives, but I suppose that would have taken the focus away from Beth. However, considering that one of them had a family member that figured heavily in the plot, I think we could have had a little bit more.

I did enjoy the plot. I thought it was unique, and the author did a fantastic job of keeping the reader guessing. Some clues pointed to multiple people, just like in a real-life investigation, and only someone who reads a lot of crime novels will put the pieces together faster than Beth.

Not having read the first book in the series, I missed the importance of Beth’s past and that figured heavily in the first part of the book. It didn’t wreck the narrative, but I think I would have appreciated it more had I read the first one. I intend to do so in my downtime – whenever that might be. But in spite of that, this book can be read as a stand-alone.

I recommend this book and look forward to further investigations with Forensic Pathologist Beth Adams.

Author Bio

Helen Phifer lives in a small town called Barrow-in-Furness with her husband and five children. Helen has always loved writing and reading. Her love of horror films and novels is legendary. Helen adores reading books which make the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Unable to find enough scary stories to read she decided to write her own. 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Helenphifer1
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/helenphifer
Twitter:      https://twitter.com/helenphifer1
Website:     https://www.helenphifer.com

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Blog Tour w/Review: Landon & Shay, Part 2

There are very few authors who can bring me to tears with the beauty and heartache of true love. Brittainy C. Cherry is one of those authors, and Landon & Shay Part Two is no exception. I liked how Part One traced the evolution of their relationship, and I was looking forward to the continuation in Part Two.

While there were sections that tugged at my heartstrings, I felt that overall, the second half of their story was rushed.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2BQhBDW
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/landonshay2

It started where the first book left off, with Landon in Southern California and Shay back at home, writing letters back and forth to keep each other grounded and remind each other of their bond. It becomes evident fairly quickly that Landon’s new life in SoCal will take center stage, and boy, does it ever.

These were the parts that I felt were on fast forward. Landon’s rising star rose quickly, and I wish that the author had spent some more time on those parts. I would have loved to watch the two of them support each other through that rise (and fall).

I thought that Shay was more inconsistent in this book. I understand that her heartbreak (from her father and Landon) made her distrustful, but there was just a little too much inconsistency. A lot was made out of her writing abilities, but it ultimately went nowhere.

She even got on my nerves towards the end when she would ask why something happened and then immediately say, “never mind.” That got annoying.

All of that being said, their romance is still vintage Brittainy Cherry. There are angst and pure emotion, creating places where I did tear up. I especially liked the parallel with Eleanor and Grey, and how that story fed Landon and Shay’s. I love how she creates that world where people are connected and not just functioning in a vacuum.

Part Two doesn’t quite live up to Part One, but put together they make an epic love story.

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