Books On Tour Archives

June 24, 2020June 18, 2020

Books On Tour (Review): What I Know By Miranda Smith

I liked this author’s Some Days Are Dark, so I was looking forward to this one. I was not disappointed. I love a good gaslighting, and I got plenty of that in this twisted thriller. It hooked me from the beginning and slowly continued to draw me in up to the explosive finale.

The author did a fantastic job setting the scene, giving the reader a peek via flashback to an event that shaped Della’s (the main character) life. I mean, wow…what an opening sentence. If that doesn’t pull you in, I don’t know what would.

The author then switches to the present when Della is an adult. Despite her family history (more on that in a second), she seems to have everything together and has made a good life for herself. I instantly related to her because she is an English teacher.

I was not surprised to see that author is a former teacher because she accurately nailed every aspect of teaching. The school scenes brought back many memories, from engaging students to dealing with ineffective administrators. The reality and accuracy of those parts made me “trust” the rest.

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I’m not sure if that makes sense. If I know someone is accurate about a topic that I am knowledgeable in, I am more likely to go along with other aspects of the story, even if they seem a little off the mark.

Not that I think Della’s past is far-fetched. On the contrary, we know that evil exists in the world and that evil people have families that must deal with them. I’m referring to some of Della’s actions later in the book that could be considered (shall we say) professionally questionable. She oversteps and pushes the boundaries of professionalism, but she has her reasons.

I liked how the author kept the action in the present, but occasionally would flashback to another event from Della’s childhood. That plotting allowed the present-day action to continue while building the foundation from the past that continued to influence Della’s perceptions. It was effective.

My only complaint, and it’s pretty minor, is that while I appreciate how Della’s past shaded her judgment and cast doubt on her suspicions, I also felt like Zoey was too much of an enigma. Her motivations could have been more evident.

I also think the author had a great build-up to the “past’s” climax, but then it was all wrapped up in a few brief paragraphs. I think a little more detail there would have helped cement both Della’s story and given a platform to Zoey’s. The whole ending also seemed a tad rushed, given how evenly plotted the rest of the book was.

Regardless, it was engaging, and it certainly kept me guessing. I highly recommend picking this one up for a thrilling summer read.

Author Bio
Miranda Smith writes psychological and domestic suspense. She is drawn to stories about ordinary people in extraordinary situations. Before completing her first novel, she worked as a newspaper staff writer and a secondary English teacher. She lives in East Tennessee with her husband and three young children.

June 24, 2020June 21, 2020

Books On Tour (Review): The Sunset Sisters by Cecilia Lyra

On the surface, this book is about two estranged sisters. When their grandmother, Bertie, passes away, she specifies in her will that to inherit anything, they must reconcile by spending a month at her beach house. The premise itself is interesting, but there is also so much more at stake than initially appears.

I thought that the author did a good job setting the stage for the “reconciliation.” It was apparent from the beginning that although they used to be close, Cassie and Julie had gone completely separate ways for almost 15 years. The reasons for that are revealed slowly, with small hints in the form of inner thoughts and barbed retorts giving the reader clues along the way.

I was very interested in the dynamic between Cassie and Julie. Cassie was very prickly and a huge chip on her shoulder, where Julie was easygoing to the point of being a pushover. Cassie took advantage of that, which made her somewhat unlikeable to me at first. I warmed to her over time, though.

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What I found particularly intriguing were the life choices that each of the women had made over the years of estrangement. Julie picked a husband who she felt took care of her (and not much else) in the form of control, something she had missed as a child. While Cassie, on the other hand, had made choices that were more along the lines of Julie’s mother. I thought this was a fascinating juxtaposition that was deeply explored and expertly relayed.

I thought that point that they had the same eyes (also the same as Bertie) was especially telling. Eyes are the windows to the soul. Cassie and Julie were more alike than either of them were willing to admit.

I liked how Bertie had everything planned out, right down to involving Craig. With the memories of both girls, and the opinions of Craig, she came across as the mother that neither girl truly had. She was also someone who I would love to know (especially because of her “New Age-y” vibe).

What made this book truly unique to me, however, was Julie’s narrating the dual princess stories. I could see where that was going from the beginning. I was thrilled that the author used that as part of her character development. It was so illustrative, and I loved it. I was also pleasantly surprised that one character did something that I didn’t expect (no spoilers, but I expected a different choice to be made).

I loved the poignancy, and the story was heartfelt. I loved this book and highly recommend it.

Author Bio
Cecilia is an author with a reading addiction — a serious one. She is a lover of wine and all things chocolate, and the proud mother of Babaganoush, an English Bulldog. She is also a recovering lawyer, but asks that you do not hold that against her.

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/ceciliaclyra

June 20, 2020June 17, 2020

Books On Tour (Review): Can I Give My Husband Back? by Kristen Bailey

I really enjoyed Has Anyone Seen My Sex Life? the first in what looks like a series from a very talented and astute author. And I liked this one even more. Ms. Bailey has upped her game, and the result is a winner of a book.

In this second book, we follow Emma. She is the second oldest of the Callaghan sisters, so I am sensing a pattern; please let it be so! A compassionate heart surgeon, she is divorced from her cheating bastard of a husband (and that’s treating him nicely). This is her story.

I love how this author builds layers. Characters who seemingly have a small part in the plot sometimes end up sharing a nugget of wisdom that has great impact. A perfect example is little Lewis, one of her patients, who wisely states that Dr. C “fixes hearts.” He has no idea how accurate he is. Oh, and he has quite the adventure as well (great scene, that).

Anybody who has been involved in a divorce will be able to find a character in this book to relate to. Emma moves between anger, self-doubt, and “screw him” seamlessly. The emotional roller coaster is real and accurately portrayed. Maddie, her secretary, is loyal and always looks out for Emma’s best interests.

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And then there are the sisters. We already met Meg in the first book. I liked how part of this one overlapped so that there was a common timeline. It tied the books together neatly, instead of them being in a vacuum. Meg doesn’t figure much in this book. Neither does Grace, who makes a cameo with big news that I assume will be part of her story.

We do get healthy doses of Beth and Lucy, the two youngest Callaghans, and boy I cannot WAIT for their stories. Lucy particularly had me laughing out loud several times. While some might see her as mere comic relief (and there is plenty of that, especially when she is Elsa), she is also fiercely loyal to her sisters. She made me think of the yappy little dog who will protect its owner.

One thing I noticed in Meg’s story, and it’s even more pronounced here, is that the author doesn’t hit you over the head with lessons or plot points. She tells a person’s story, and it’s up to the reader to get what they want out of it. I appreciate the craft that goes into that.

Ms. Bailey knows how to set and describe a scene so that it feels like the reader is actually there. From the aforementioned Elsa moments to Beth’s birthday, to a raucous and thoroughly enjoyable trivia competition that left tears rolling down my face, the humanity and the humor are captured perfectly.

I also liked how she didn’t wrap everything up neatly with a bow. While that’s fine for some books, the overlapping timelines from the first and second books illuminate that life is an ongoing story. I assume that we will be able to follow Emma’s progression through the other sisters’ stories.

I hope I’m right about this, because it means that I’ll get three more chances to visit the Callaghan sisters. I look forward to Grace’s because I think I will be able to relate to her. And I really can’t wait for Lucy’s!

Seriously, do yourself a favor and pick up Has Anyone Seen My Sex Life? and then move on to this one so you’re call caught up.

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June 16, 2020June 12, 2020

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.

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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
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June 14, 2020June 12, 2020

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.

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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 10^th 2019 and The Accusation publishes June 9th 2020.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victoriajenkinswriter/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/vicwritescrime

June 13, 2020June 11, 2020

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.

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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

June 10, 2020June 7, 2020

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.

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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/
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June 8, 2020June 3, 2020

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.

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

June 8, 2020June 7, 2020

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.

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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
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June 5, 2020June 1, 2020

Books On Tour (Review): No Escape by Casey Kelleher

At times, this was a difficult book to read, not because it was bad, but because it was so good. Casey Kelleher certainly gives a new meaning to “gritty” in No Escape. From the prologue to the last pages, I was gripped by the stories of the characters. But trust me when I say that this is not for the faint of heart. Some of the action is, unfortunately, realistically brutal.

And to be clear, it’s unfortunate that the brutality is realistic. It is accurate to the lives of people who live in areas like Griffin Estate.

The author does a fantastic job of illustrating the book title via the character’s situations. For those who live at Griffin Estate, there is no way out. Shannon goes to school and works hard, but there’s rarely enough money to get by. Shannon’s brother Kian gets involved with Jax’s gang because he sees them making money and wants to help his family. They’re both in that situation because their mother is a drunk wastrel (who also hasn’t been able to escape her circumstances).

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Jax and his gang take advantage of Philip, who is on his own. Gary and his pals take advantage of Shannon’s mom, who is incapable of helping herself. Even Trainee Detective Constable Lucy Murphy tries to escape the memories of her childhood and doesn’t always succeed. And her grandmother has dementia, where she gets trapped in her mind.

Honestly, pretty much every character in this book is trapped in one way or another.

I thought the author also did an excellent job of weaving all of these individual stories together into one page-turner of a book. I don’t know that I can say that I enjoyed the plot, because it was dark and “joy” did not factor in too much.

But it held my attention, and I did like how the author laid out the connections. It was neat (for lack of a better term) to see how easily intertwined people in those situations could be.

Knowing how life can be in projects in the U.S., I got an absolute same feeling from the estate. In that regard, this book serves not only as a gritty crime thriller but as a pretty searing commentary on poverty and downtrodden populations as well.

If you’re looking for a pick-me-up, this isn’t it. But if you want something well-written and truthful, definitely give this one a look.

Author Bio

Born in Cuckfield, West Sussex, Casey Kelleher grew up as an avid reader and a huge fan of author Martina Cole.

Whilst working as a beauty therapist and bringing up her three children together with her husband, Casey penned her debut novel Rotten to the Core. Its success meant that she could give up her day job and concentrate on writing full time.