Monday 30 July 2018

Oh Crumbs by Kathryn Freeman - Blog Tour, Book Review & #Giveaway

Today, I am thrilled to be part of Kathryn Freeman's blog tour for her Choc Lit book Oh Crumbs, thanks to Rachel's Random Resources


Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Publication Date:  12 June 2018
Standalone
Publisher:  Choc Lit

Sometimes life just takes the biscuit …
Abby Spencer knows she can come across as an airhead – she talks too much and is a bit of a klutz – but there’s more to her than that. Though she sacrificed her career to help raise her sisters, a job interview at biscuit company Crumbs could finally be her chance to shine. That’s until she hurries in late wearing a shirt covered in rusk crumbs, courtesy of her baby nephew, and trips over her handbag. 

Managing director Douglas Faulkner isn’t sure what to make of Abby Spencer with her Bambi eyes, tousled hair and ability to say more in the half-hour interview than he manages in a day. All he knows is she’s a breath of fresh air and could bring a new lease of life to the stale corporate world of Crumbs. To his life too, if he’d let her. 

But Doug’s harbouring a secret. He’s not the man she thinks he is. 



Oh Crumbs is a delicious, sweet story about two people who work in a biscuit making company.

Abby has four sisters, all very different and all very demanding of Abby's time.  Since their mum died twelve years ago Abby's been helping her dad in bringing them up, now ranging in ages from 12 to 19, it's a chaotic life but Abby's managed to gain a business degree and has just landed herself a job at Crumbs biscuit company.

She is now the Personal Assistant to Doug, heir to the Crumbs empire, he's miserable, hardly ever smiles, doesn't even like biscuits, he hates the business and is quiet and reserved.  
Abby is the exact opposite, she comes across as dizzy, she's sparkly, talkative and lively but, to Doug's surprise, she's also super efficient.

Doug's father is a bully, a chauvinist and a dinosaur who dislikes Abby calling her a floozy and a trollop.  And he humiliates Doug in public.  But why does Doug let his father walk all over him?

He tells Abby "I'm not the man you think I am"  What does he mean?

This is such a fabulous read, I loved the character of Abby, she's like wonder woman, is kind and funny, and she and Doug have a strained relationship which I enjoyed following, there are lots of funny moments, and I absolutely adored her sisters, though I wish they wouldn't depend on Abby so much, the story had secrets, romance, likeability and it was a joy to read.



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Meet the Author


A former pharmacist, I’m now a medical writer who also writes
romance. Some days a racing heart is a medical condition,
others it’s the reaction to a hunky hero.

With two teenage boys and a husband who asks every
Valentine’s Day whether he has to buy a card (yes, he does),
any romance is all in my head. Then again, his unstinting
support of my career change proves love isn't always about
hearts and flowers - and heroes come in many disguises.
Social Media Links –
Purchase Links

Giveaway – Win a paperback copy of Too Damn Nice by
Kathryn Freeman (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.



a Rafflecopter giveaway


Monday 23 July 2018

Death in Dulwich by Alice Castle - Blog Tour, Book Review & #Giveaway (UK only)

Today, I am thrilled to be part of Alice Castle's blog tour for her mystery book Death in Dulwich, thanks to Rachel's Random Resources




Genre:  Cozy Crime
Series:  The London Murder Mysteries #1
Publication Date:  Sept 2017



Thirty-something single mum Beth Haldane is forced to
become Dulwich’s answer to Miss Marple when she stumbles
over a murder victim on her first day at work. 

To clear her name, Beth is plunged into a cozy mystery that’s

a contemporary twist on Golden Age crime classics. But can
she pull it off? She already has a bouncy young son, haughty
cat, a fringe with a mind of its own and lots of bills to pay, as

she struggles to keep up with the yummy mummies of SE21.

Join Beth in #1 of the London Murder Mystery series, as she

discovers the nastiest secrets can lurk in the nicest places.





Death in Dulwich is the first book in the London Murder
Mysteries series - I read the second book in the series
The Girl in the Gallery a short while ago and really enjoyed it,
so when I was given the opportunity by Rachel at Rachel's
Random Resources to read the first one in the series I
jumped at the chance!

We're first introduced to single mum Beth, living in the affluent
Dulwich area and trying to make ends meet, on her very first
day as an assistant archivist at the very prestigious Wyatt's
School. She's thrilled to have been offered the post, not so
thrilled to meet her new boss the leering Mr Jenkins, and
even less thrilled to discover his dead body just a few hours
later.

However, she feels she's the number one suspect and, in an
effort to clear her name she tries to find other people who
would have had a motive to kill him, when she comes up
against the brusque Detective Inspector Harry York who tries
to warn her against getting involved. But does our girl listen,
of course not!

Beth's very adept at getting people to open up, and soon
she's making a list and ticking people off.

The pacing is a little slow in parts, the author goes into such detail, sometimes about minor details, that I wished the story would move a little quicker.

But, overall, this is a good introduction to the series, the characters are so well developed and authentic, the mystery was clever, the setting is intriguing, and I look forward to the next one - Calamity in Camberwell - which I shall be reviewing in August!



About the Author



Author Bio – Before turning to crime, Alice Castle was a UK
newspaper journalist for The Daily Express, The Times and
The Daily Telegraph. Her first book, Hot Chocolate, set in
Brussels and London, was a European hit and sold out in two
weeks.
Death in Dulwich was published in September 2017 and has
been a number one best-seller in the UK, US, Canada,
France, Spain and Germany. A sequel, The Girl in the Gallery
was published in December 2017 to critical acclaim. Calamity
in Camberwell, the third book in the London Murder Mystery
series, will be published this summer, with Homicide in
Herne Hill due to follow in early 2019.  Alice is currently
working on the fifth London Murder Mystery adventure. Once
again, it will feature Beth Haldane and DI Harry York.
Alice is also a mummy blogger and book reviewer via her
website: https://www.alicecastleauthor.com
Purchase Link - MyBook.to/1DeathinDulwich

Enter the Giveaway to win signed copies of both A Death in Dulwich and The Girl in the Gallery


*Terms and Conditions –UK 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.




a Rafflecopter giveaway


Friday 20 July 2018

In The Dark by Cara Hunter - Book Tour & Book Review

Today, I am thrilled to be part of Cara Hunter's blog tour for her brand new book In The Dark, thanks to Penguin



A woman and child are found locked in a basement room, barely alive ...
No one knows who they are - the woman can't speak, and there are no missing persons reports that match their profile. The elderly man who owns the house claims he has never seen them before.
The inhabitants of the quiet Oxford street are in shock - how could this happen right under their noses? But DI Adam Fawley knows that nothing is impossible.
And that no one is as innocent as they seem . . .


As soon as I had finished reading Cara Hunter's debut novel Close to Home I could not wait to read her next book and now that I've read In the Dark I just cannot wait to see what she has next planned for DI Adam Fawley.  Actually, I've just checked and No Way Out is not available until January next year in the UK.

What an utterly gripping and engrossing thriller of a story this is.

It was very, very difficult to put down and actually carry on with my normal life as I was so immersed in the storyline which is so complex, so clever.  Sometimes told in the first person by DI Fawley, along with media reports, interview transcripts, there are no chapters, the story jumps from one scenario to another which really keeps the reader's mind sharp trying to keep up with the fast moving investigation as Fawley tries to figure out how the girl and boy ended up there and why, along with their identities.

In the Dark contains all you would wish for in a psychological thriller - twisty plot, red herrings, intriguing characters, unreliable witnesses, exciting writing, secrets and lies.

I think I'm developing a crush for DI Fawley, his team fear and respect him but inside is a soft heart and he's not as tough as he appears, there are some genuinely tender scenes with his family situation which I felt were handled very sensitively.

His thoughts on the characteristics of two of his team:-

Gis, who has always been exceptionally good at knowing when to stop digging; and Quinn, who carries his own set of shovels.

I loved the writing, it's compelling and fast-paced with characters who are so well-developed and believable that I really felt I understood them......and I could never have guessed where the story would take me.

Cara Hunter has done it again!


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Friday 13 July 2018

Tied Up With Strings by Madeline McEwen - Blog Tour, Book Review & #Giveaway


Tied Up with Strings (A Serebral Seniors Mystery) by Madeline McEwen

About the Book



Cozy Mystery 1st in Series Imajin Qwickies, An imprint of Imajin Books 
(December 11, 2017) 
Print Length: 85 pages 
ASIN: B077PLNWY9 
An Imajin Qwickies® Mystery/Crime Novella Big mysteries often come in small packages…


When curmudgeonly private detective Betty Grape visits a young friend, who is housesitting in a remote village in England for Christmas vacation, something seems out of place. Her friend, Catia, is visibly nervous. Is she worried about the young men in the decrepit caravan in next door’s back garden? Or is Catia involved in the disappearance of the homeowner’s invalid wife?
As an American, Betty discovers the locals are full of friendly gossip but taciturn about solid facts. Though they are determined to keep Betty from butting in on their territory, she blunders through the social morass of narrow-minded foreigners and their broad Dorset accents. Can she unravel the tight knots of this mystery? Will she find the perpetrator under thickly thatched rooves or behind floral chintz curtains?


The story opens three days before Christmas in a very snowy Devon village when Betty arrives to visit her young friend, Catia, who she hasn't seen for several years.

Right from their first meeting, Betty knows something is amiss, but she's not sure exactly why she feels like that.

Betty has a very suspicious nature, she questions almost everything, possibly due to the fact that, back home in California, she's a part owner in a detective agency and she trusts no-one!

There are several mysteries in this novella and the author manages to pack quite a lot of storyline into so few pages.  I thought some of the conversations were a little stilted and unreal, but the dialogue did move the story along at a rapid pace.  

Betty is a straight-talker and I liked this personality trait of hers, she asks questions of people and didn't hold back in her thoughts!

Overall, an enjoyable and quick read that neatly tied up all the loose ends!



About the Author



Madeline McEwen is an ex-pat from the UK, bi-focaled and technically challenged. She and her Significant Other manage their four offspring, one major and three minors, two autistic, two neurotypical, plus a time-share with Alzheimer's. In her free time, she walks the canines and chases the felines with her nose in a book and her fingers on a keyboard.

Author Links 
Website http://www.madelinemcewen.c
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00Q41VUFI
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/macmaddy/pins/
Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/MadMcEwen
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/madeline.mcewenasker
GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9886841.Madeline_McEwen
Blog http://whittereronautism.com/  

Purchase Link http://getbook.at/TiedUpwStrings

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TOUR PARTICIPANTS
July 9 – Mallory Heart's Cozies – REVIEW
July 9 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, &, Sissy, Too! – SPOTLIGHT
July 10 – Laura's Interests – REVIEW
July 10 – A Holland Reads – SPOTLIGHT
July 11 – Island Confidential – GUEST POST
July 11 – My Reading Journeys – SPOTLIGHT
July 12 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW
July 12 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
July 13 – Carole's Book Corner - REVIEW
July 13 – MJB Reviewers – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 14 – A Blue Million Books – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
July 14 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW
July 15 – Brooke Blogs – REVIEW
July 15 – Rosepoint Publishing – SPOTLIGHT
July 16 – Cozy Up With Kathy - REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 16 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – GUEST POST
July 17 – Teresa Trent Author Blog – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 17 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
July 18 – Babs Book Bistro – GUEST POST



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Tuesday 10 July 2018

Sticks and Stones by Jo Jakeman - Blog Tour & Book Review

Today, I am thrilled to be part of Jo Jakeman's blog tour for her brand new book Sticks and Stones, thanks to Publishers Harvill Secker!


Publication Date:  5 July 2018
Publisher:  Harvill Secker
Genre:  Psychological Thriller

Imogen’s husband is a bad man. His ex-wife and his new mistress might have different perspectives but Imogen thinks she knows the truth. And now he’s given her an ultimatum: get out of the family home in the next fortnight or I’ll fight you for custody of our son.

In a moment of madness, Imogen does something unthinkable: she locks her husband in the cellar. Now she’s in control. But how far will she go to protect her son and punish her husband? And what will happen when his ex and his girlfriend get tangled up in her plans?


Oh my goodness!  What a dark and gripping tale!

The story opens at a funeral, for Phillip Rochester, a man who was a mean and controlling bully and in the congregation are three women who were all glad that he was dead.

Going back in time to the days leading up to the funeral we are introduced to Imogen, his wife who, we learn, was physically and mentally abused by Phillip.

I thought this way of telling the story worked really well, I knew Phillip was dead but didn't know how or why and, as the story unfolded, we learnt what a truly terrifying and manipulative man he was.  I wanted to keep reading to discover how the three women deal with him, his ex-wife, his current wife and his mistress!

It made for great reading to see how they all come together, even though at first the distrust and dislike is evident.

A real roller coaster of a read with brilliant characters who came to life on the pages.  It was tense, well-paced and a truly enthralling story.





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