The Fear by CL Taylor - Blog Tour & Review

It's my turn today on The Fear blog tour and I'm thrilled to share my review with you


Genre:  Psychological Thriller
Publication Date:  22 March 2018
Publisher:  Avon books

Sometimes your first love won’t let you go…

Lou Wandsworth is used to being headline news as, aged fourteen, she ran away to France with her 31-year-old teacher, Mike Hughes.

Now 32, Lou’s life is in tatters – and she resolves to return home to confront Mike for the damage he has caused. But she soon finds that Mike is unchanged, and is focussing his attention on 13-year-old Chloe Meadows.

Determined to make sure that history doesn’t repeat itself, Lou decides to take matters into her own hands. But Mike is a predator of the worst kind, and as she tries to bring him to justice, it’s clear that Lou could once again become his prey…

Louise is a damaged soul,  Mike Hughes damaged her as a teenager and she's never forgiven him for ruining her life, she can't form serious relationships because of him.  It's as if he's still controlling her though she hasn't seen or spoken to him for eighteen years.

When she moves back to her home town after her father's death she discovers that he's doing the same to another teenage girl, Chloe, and she resolves to help the girl, even though she clearly doesn't want Louise's help and doesn't believe she's in any danger at all.

The story goes back and forth in time and we can see how manipulative Mike was with Louise, he was a bully and a controller and it makes for chilling but utterly compelling reading.  I almost couldn't bear to turn the pages as I felt for Louise and what she was going through.

We also get a glimpse into Chloe's sad life with an overbearing father and an uncaring mother and it doesn't take a genius to see why she is attracted to Mike who compliments her and makes her feel good about herself, probably for the first time in her short miserable life.

The story really gathers pace as Louise takes matters into her own hands, the writing is so clever and fast, I could hardly catch my breath as the surprises and twists are played out.

The Fear is such an emotional read, it's about revenge, and hate and bitterness and friendship and courage.  

It's a book that I won't forget in a hurry.

The Author C.L. Taylor

C.L. Taylor lives in Bristol with her partner and son. She started writing fiction in 2005 and her short stories have won several awards and have been published by a variety of literary and women’s magazines.

In 2014, The Bookseller named C.L. Taylor as one of the year’s Bestselling Adult Fiction Debut Authors for The Accident. The Lie and The Missing were Sunday Times top 10 bestsellers in paperback, and both books hit the #1 spot on the Kindle bestseller list. She has sold 1 million books to date.

Follow her on Twitter @callytaylor

Her website

Facebook page

Buy Links

Amazon.co.uk 

Amazon.com

BookDepository.com

Follow the Tour

The Picture by Roger Bray - Blog Tour & Extract

Today is my stop on The Picture blog tour hosted by Rachel's Random Resources and I am delighted to bring you an exclusive extract


Genre:  Contemporary/Literary Fiction
Publication Date:  22 April 2018
Estimated Page Count:  320 pages
Standalone Novel

A warehouse in Japan used as an emergency shelter in the aftermath of the 2011 Tsunami. A distraught, young Japanese woman in dishevelled clothes sits on a box, holding her infant daughter. Ben, a US rescue volunteer, kneels in front of her offering comfort. They hug, the baby between them. The moment turns into an hour as the woman sobs into his shoulder; mourning the loss of her husband, her home, the life she knew. A picture is taken, capturing the moment. It becomes a symbol; of help freely given and of the hope of the survivors. The faces in the picture cannot be recognised, and that is how Ben likes it. No celebrity, thanks not required.

But others believe that being identified as the person in the picture is their path to fame and fortune. Ben stands, unknowingly, in their way, but nothing a contract killing cannot fix.

EXCLUSIVE EXTRACT

Context:  Ben Davis a retired Portland, Oregon police officer has been shot and lies in a come in hospital.  His estranged daughter has been persuaded by Ben’s lifelong friend, Paul Truscott, to come to the hospital.  Anna has started to learn about her father from Paul and finds out that Ben is the key figure in an iconic picture taken during the relief effort after the Japanese Tsunami and wants to know more about the circumstances of the picture.  This scene is a flash back of Ben in a warehouse being used as a shelter when he first comes across the other person in the picture, Emi Sasaki

He wasn’t sure where it happened, but he managed to get lost somewhere on his way back. He had seen a tarpaulin wall, mostly blue but with a startling orange section which he had used as a way-point. When he realized he hadn’t seen it again, he knew he was lost. He’d zigged instead of zagged and was now heading off in the wrong direction. Not that he was worried; he was in a warehouse not the Amazonian rain forest so the entrance he sought was never too far away.

Now that was cleared up he meandered through new territory in the direction he knew the way out to be. Stepping past a small group, Ben was walking near the outside wall furthest from the medical setup. This area had not been squatted yet but there was a huge collection of bags and boxes, piles of materials which were being used to build the cardboard walls. Flattened boxes with all manner of labels on them, tarpaulins, ropes, and boxes of packing tape, and boxes covered in Japanese writing the contents of which Ben couldn’t determine.

In front of him he saw a girl sitting with her back to him. Not paying her much attention he walked past her to one side but looked back as he stepped around some boxes which had fallen across the path.

The clothes she was wearing were filthy and had a look which told him she’d got soaked while wearing the clothes and they had dried on her back. Her long, jet-black hair, still with a ghost of a shine was disheveled and, although she had tried to push it back, clumped strands of it hung down across one side of her face. She was dirty, the muck ingrained into her skin, and the skin around the eyes was darker, as though rubbing them had mixed tears with dirt and ground it in further. It made her look older than the early twenties that Ben guessed her to be.

She was sitting on an upturned wooden box, her clothes pulled tightly around her. At some point she, or someone else, had draped a gray blanket around her shoulders, but it had fallen off and now lay crumpled on the floor around the back of the box.

Ben was about to keep walking and maybe mention to one of the Red Cross people outside to come in and give her some assistance when he saw the bundle on her lap. Wrapped in a grubby, pink blanket and held tight by the girl’s blood streaked hands, Ben could see the top of the baby’s head, with a shock of black hair peeking out of the edge of the dirty blanket.

The girl was moving her knees slowly up and down, rhythmically rocking the baby to pacify or keep it sleeping and she didn’t react as Ben approached and even as he knelt next to her and lightly brushed hair away from her face she only looked up briefly with her dull eyes before looking back down at the baby in her lap.

Author Roger Bray

I have always loved writing; putting words onto a page and bringing characters to life. I can almost feel myself becoming immersed into their lives, living with their fears and triumphs. Thus, my writing process becomes an endless series of questions. What would she or he do, how would they react, is this in keeping with their character? Strange as it sounds, I don’t like leaving characters in cliffhanging situations without giving them an ending, whichever way it develops.
My life to date is what compels me to seek a just outcome, the good will overcome and the bad will be punished. More though, I tend to see my characters as everyday people in extraordinary circumstances, but in which we may all find our selves if the planets align wrongly or for whatever reason you might consider.

Of course, most novels are autobiographical in some way. You must draw on your own experiences of life and from events you have experienced to get the inspiration. My life has been an endless adventure. Serving in the Navy, fighting in wars, serving as a Police officer and the experiences each one of those have brought have all drawn me to this point, but it was a downside to my police service that was the catalyst for my writing.

Medically retired after being seriously injured while protecting a woman in a domestic violence situation I then experienced the other side of life. Depression and rejection. Giving truth to the oft said saying that when one door closes another opens I pulled myself up and enrolled in college gaining bachelor and master degrees, for my own development rather than any professional need. The process of learning, of getting words down onto the page again relit my passion for writing in a way that I hadn’t felt since high school.

So here we are, two books published and another on track.

Where it will take me I have no idea but I am going to enjoy getting there and if my writing can bring some small pleasure into people’s lives along the way, then I consider that I will have succeeded in life.

This is the link to my author page on Smashwords  https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/RogerBray

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Roger-Bray/e/B0725KF3NF/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1523321091&sr=8-1 

Social Media Links –  https://twitter.com/rogerbray22

                            https://www.facebook.com/rogerbraybooks/

                            https://rogerbraybooks.com/

The Marmalade Murders by Elizabeth J Duncan - Blog Tour, Book Review & #Giveaway (US only)

The Marmalade Murders: A Penny Brannigan Mystery by Elizabeth J. Duncan

 

About the Book

 

The Marmalade Murders: A Penny Brannigan Mystery 

Cozy Mystery 

9th in Series 

Minotaur Books (April 24, 2018) 

Hardcover: 288 pages 

ISBN-13: 978-1250101495 

Digital ASIN: B0763SLW6M 

The latest book in an award-winning mystery series, celebrated for its small-town charm and picturesque Welsh setting and starring amateur sleuth Penny Brannigan.

The competition is friendly and just a little fierce at the annual Llanelen agricultural show as town and country folk gather for the outdoor judging of farm animals and indoor judging of cakes, pies, pastries, chutneys, jams and jellies, along with vegetables, fruit and flowers. But this year, there’s a new show category: murder.

Local artist, Spa owner, and amateur sleuth Penny Brannigan agrees to help with the intake of the domestic arts entries and to judge the children’s pet competition on show day. When the president of the Welsh Women's Guild isn’t on hand to see her granddaughter and pet pug win a prize, the family becomes concerned. When a carrot cake entered in the competition goes missing, something is clearly amiss.

A black Labrador Retriever belonging to the agricultural show’s president discovers the body of the missing woman under the baked goods table. A newcomer to town, a transgender woman, is suspected, but amateur sleuth Penny Brannigan believes her to be innocent. She sets out to find the real killer, but when a second body is discovered days later, the case is thrown into confusion, and Penny knows it’s up to her to figure out what happened—and why.

If you love a gentle British cozy mystery set in the stunning Welsh country with puzzles and murders and suspects aplenty then this is just the kind of riddle you'll love!  Llanelen is the sort of town where, if you've lived there for almost thirty years (as Penny has) you're still considered a newcomer.....though the villagers are mainly a friendly lot.

In The Marmalade Murders we follow Penny Brannigan as she is asked to help out at the annual agricultural show by judging the childrens' pets but she certainly wasn't expecting to find a dead body underneath one of the judging tables!

The victim was not well liked in the town, even her own family didn't get on with her.   So, there are no shortage of suspects but the motives are not so clear.

There's a lot to enjoy in this mystery set among the rolling hills of a sleepy Welsh village, with colourful characters, days out that end in murder, marmalades and yummy cakes, the Welsh Womens Guild, family disagreements and unfriendly rivalries (particularly in the marmalade competition!).

The storytelling is just at the right pace with just the right amount of surprises and intrigue to keep turning the pages. 

About the Author

 
Elizabeth J Duncan is the author of two mystery series – Shakespeare in the Catskills and the Penny Brannigan mystery series set in North Wales. She is a two-time winner of the Bloody Words Award for Canada’s best light mystery and lives in Toronto.   

Author Links 
www.elizabethjduncan.com www.facebook.com/elizabethjduncan 
@elizabethduncan

Purchase Links 
Amazon 
B&N 
Kobo 
Google Play 
BookBub 

TOUR PARTICIPANTS 

April 18 – Brooke Blogs – GUEST POST, GIVEAWAY 
April 19 – Carole's Book Corner – REVIEW, GIVEAWAY April 20 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! – SPOTLIGHT, GIVEAWAY 
April 20 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT, GIVEAWAY April 21 - The Power of Words – REVIEW, GIVEAWAY April 21 - StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT 
April 22 – Laura's Interests – REVIEW 
April 23 – Sneaky the Library Cat's Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW 
April 24 – Teresa Trent Author Blog – SPOTLIGHT, GIVEAWAY 
April 25 – A Blue Million Books – CHARACTER INTERVIEW 
April 26 – Mysteries with Character – CHARACTER GUEST POST 
April 27 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW, GIVEAWAY April 28 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT, GIVEAWAY 
April 29 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT, GIVEAWAY 
April 30 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT 
April 30 – Island Confidential – GUEST POST 
May 1 – Cozy Up With Kathy – CHARACTER GUEST POST 
May 1 – A Holland Reads – SPOTLIGHT, GIVEAWAY 

GIVEAWAY FOR ONE PRINT COPY OF THE MARMALADE MURDERS (US ONLY)

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The Summer Theatre By The Sea by Tracy Corbett - Blog Tour Extract

I am delighted to bring you this exclusive extract from The Summer Theatre by the Sea

A summer to remember…

Charlotte Saunders has always loved the buzz of city life. So, when she finds herself abruptly fired, dumped and forced to leave London to move in with her sister Lauren in Cornwall, she thinks the world is ending.

To keep herself busy in the quiet coastal town, Charlotte agrees to help the local drama club. Designing sets for their performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, just for the summer, while she figures out her next career move. But could days at the beach, new friends and a dashingly handsome doctor, change Charlotte’s mind? Suddenly Cornwall doesn’t look so boring after all…

The perfect summer romance for fans of Lucy Diamond and Rachel Lucas.

EXCLUSIVE EXTRACT

On the street below, she spotted a post-office van pull up

outside the Co-op. She found herself hesitating in case

Nate Jones appeared, allowing herself a moment’s wishful

thinking. She’d met the local postie soon after moving to

Penmullion seven years ago. He’d proved to be a good

friend, who frequently looked after the kids for her. They’d

regularly hung out when performing in plays together or

drinking at Smugglers Inn, but when it became clear he

wanted more than she could offer, she backed off. It wasn’t

as though she could allow anything to happen between

them, so why torture herself fantasising? Life might be

challenging as a single parent, but adding another adult

into the equation would only upset the balance and confuse

the children. So, until they were older, relationships were

off the table … no matter how tempted she might be.

   Moving to Cornwall had been the right decision. The kids

loved living by the seaside, and so did she. The local school

wasn’t overpopulated, and the teachers often took the

children outside for lessons. It was a wonderful education

for them. The town of Penmullion was quaint and full of

history. There was a relaxed sense of well-being about the

place, as well as a tight community spirit. They enjoyed

early-morning walks along the beach, picnics in the summer,

and fresh air all year around. It made an ideal setting to

raise a family.

   Removing the guacamole and salsa from the fridge, she

sniffed the contents. Both were past their sell-by date, and

consequently half price, but there were no signs of mould,

so hopefully they were safe to consume.

Check out the other bloggers on the tour

The Picture by Roger Bray - COVER REVEAL

Today I am thrilled to be revealing the cover for The Picture


Genre:  Contemporary/Literary Fiction
Publication Date:  22 April 2018
Estimated Page Count:  320 pages
Standalone Novel

A warehouse in Japan used as an emergency shelter in the aftermath of the 2011 Tsunami. A distraught, young Japanese woman in dishevelled clothes sits on a box, holding her infant daughter. Ben, a US rescue volunteer, kneels in front of her offering comfort. They hug, the baby between them. The moment turns into an hour as the woman sobs into his shoulder; mourning the loss of her husband, her home, the life she knew. A picture is taken, capturing the moment. It becomes a symbol; of help freely given and of the hope of the survivors. The faces in the picture cannot be recognised, and that is how Ben likes it. No celebrity, thanks not required.

But others believe that being identified as the person in the picture is their path to fame and fortune. Ben stands, unknowingly, in their way, but nothing a contract killing cannot fix.

Author Roger Bray

I have always loved writing; putting words onto a page and bringing characters to life. I can almost feel myself becoming immersed into their lives, living with their fears and triumphs. Thus, my writing process becomes an endless series of questions. What would she or he do, how would they react, is this in keeping with their character? Strange as it sounds, I don’t like leaving characters in cliffhanging situations without giving them an ending, whichever way it develops.
My life to date is what compels me to seek a just outcome, the good will overcome and the bad will be punished. More though, I tend to see my characters as everyday people in extraordinary circumstances, but in which we may all find our selves if the planets align wrongly or for whatever reason you might consider.

Of course, most novels are autobiographical in some way. You must draw on your own experiences of life and from events you have experienced to get the inspiration. My life has been an endless adventure. Serving in the Navy, fighting in wars, serving as a Police officer and the experiences each one of those have brought have all drawn me to this point, but it was a downside to my police service that was the catalyst for my writing.

Medically retired after being seriously injured while protecting a woman in a domestic violence situation I then experienced the other side of life. Depression and rejection. Giving truth to the oft said saying that when one door closes another opens I pulled myself up and enrolled in college gaining bachelor and master degrees, for my own development rather than any professional need. The process of learning, of getting words down onto the page again relit my passion for writing in a way that I hadn’t felt since high school.

So here we are, two books published and another on track.

Where it will take me I have no idea but I am going to enjoy getting there and if my writing can bring some small pleasure into people’s lives along the way, then I consider that I will have succeeded in life.

This is the link to my author page on Smashwords  https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/RogerBray

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Roger-Bray/e/B0725KF3NF/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1523321091&sr=8-1 

Social Media Links –  https://twitter.com/rogerbray22

                            https://www.facebook.com/rogerbraybooks/

                            https://rogerbraybooks.com/

The Corner Shop in Cockleberry Bay by Nicola May - Blog Tour, Book Review & #Giveaway

Today is my stop on the blog tour for the fabulous The Corner Shop in Cockleberry Bay - you can read my review below and you could even win a copy for yourself by entering the Rafflecopter giveaway!




Genre:  Romantic Comedy
Publication Date:  9 April 2018
Standalone Novel
Estimated Page Count:  364

Rosa Larkin is down on her luck in London, so when she inherits a near-derelict corner shop in
a quaint Devon village, her first thought is to sell it for cash and sort out her life. But nothing is
straightforward about this legacy.  While the identity of her benefactor remains a mystery, he -
or she - has left one important legal proviso: that the shop cannot be sold, only passed on to
somebody who really deserves it.

    Rosa makes up her mind to give it a go: to put everything she has into getting the shop up
and running again in the small seaside community of Cockleberry Bay. But can she do it all on
her own? And if not, who will help her succeed - and who among the following will work
secretly to see her fail?

    There is a handsome rugby player, a sexy plumber, a charlatan reporter and a selection of
meddling locals. Add in a hit and run incident and the disappearance of a valuable engraved
necklace – and what you get is a journey of self-discovery and unpredictable events.

With surprising and heartfelt results, Rosa, accompanied at all times by her little

sausage dog Hot, will slowly unravel the shadowy secrets of the inheritance, and also

bring her own, long-hidden heritage into the light.

Hot Dog, the adorable, lovable, huggable little sausage dog is the real star of this story!  He is so cute and cuddly, you can't help falling in love with him and his big brown eyes.

When his mistress Rosa unexpectedly inherits a run down shop in a small seaside town he is ecstatic as he runs along the beautiful beach, chases the waves and generally has lots of fun playing with his doggy friends, while she wonders what she's let herself in for - whether she can really get the shop up and running again as she's never held down a job for more than five minutes before, has never had any responsibility, and has absolutely zero experience in running her own business

I didn't warm to Rosa at first, she drank way too much and when she did she was just a very unlikeable person with very loose morals!  But my view changed as she busied herself with the shop, she was resilient and independent and easily made friends with the locals.

There was also the huge mystery throughout the story, who had left Rosa the shop and why?  She had no family and had been brought up in foster homes and care homes.  I couldn't guess this puzzle and I thought it was so well written, as we were being drip-fed little clues very gradually.

There's forbidden love, a missing necklace, a hit and run incident, blackmail, love letters and a mysterious old lady who appears and disappears just as suddenly!  It is a delightful and entertaining read and I absolutely loved it!

About Nicola May

Award winning author Nicola May lives in Ascot in Berkshire with her rescue cat Stanley. Her hobbies include watching films that involve a lot of swooning, crabbing in South Devon, eating flapjacks and enjoying a flutter on the horses. Inspired by her favourite authors Milly Johnson and Carole Matthews, Nicola writes what she describes as chicklit with a kick.

​

Follow Nicola May

Website - www.nicolamay.com

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/NicolaMayAuthor

Twitter - https://twitter.com/nicolamay1

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/author_nicola/

Purchase from –

Amazon US - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B8KML35/

Amazon UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07B8KML35/

Amazon CA - https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07B8KML35/

Amazon AU - https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07B8KML35/

Giveaway – Win x 3 Paperback copies of The Corner Shop in Cockleberry Bay (Open Internationally)

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

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