Tuesday 26 February 2019

Winterman by Alex Walters - Book Tour & Book Review

Today, I am delighted to be part of Alex Walters' blog tour for his new book Winterman, thanks to Bloodhound Books ...... please check out my review below .....



DI Ivan Winterman is a man with a troubled past. The Blitz
has left his young son dead and his wife seriously injured. He
has made enemies in high places and, with his career going
nowhere, he returns to his home town in East Anglia, seeking
to rebuild his life in a country gripped by post-war austerity
and the coldest winter on record.

As the first snow begins to fall, a drunken ex-clergyman
stumbles on the semi-mummified body of a small child
concealed in a ruined cottage. Days later, a second similar
child's body is found in a Fenland dyke. Both bodies have
been dead for several years, preserved in the Fens, the
cause of death unknown.

Winterman, supported by a small team of assorted misfits,
finds himself leading the investigation, uncovering a web of
connections and secrets in the small rural community.  When
a further murder victim is discovered, Winterman discovers
that the secrets are darker and the threat far more
immediate than he'd ever envisaged.

And, as the snow finally begins to thaw over the Fens,
Winterman realises that his worst nightmares are about to
come true…


Winterman opens in the summer of 1940 as a group of teens

are enjoying the sun and swimming.
Cycling home later they realise that one of them isn't
following behind, but when they go back to try and find him
they discover that he has disappeared without trace.........

We are transported next to the winter of 1947 when D.I.

Winterman is assigned to the small village where he grew up.
Two years after WW2 ended and we find that Britain is still
struggling to rebuild, coal is in short supply, food is still
being rationed and there's a general air of depression in the
rural village.

When the skeletons of young children are discovered, along

with another body, then the story really picks up and I was
totally engrossed, trying to work out what was going on.

The main character of D.I. Winterman is well-drawn and I

did feel some sympathy for him and his tragic past.

Overall, a complex and compelling mystery.




Meet the Author



Winterman is Alex Walters's first historical crime novel. He is
the author of Candles and Roses, Death Parts Us and Their
Final Act, all featuring DI Alec McKay and set in and around
the Black Isle in the Scottish Highlands. He has also written
five books set in and around Manchester – Trust No-One and
Nowhere to Hide featuring the undercover officer, Marie
Donovan, and Late Checkout, Dark Corners and Snow Fallen,
featuring DCI Kenny Murrain – and three crime novels set in
modern-day Mongolia, The Shadow WalkerThe Adversary 
and The Outcast.  Alex has previously worked in the oil
industry, broadcasting and banking and as a consultant
working mainly in the criminal justice sector. He now
runs the Solus Or Writing Retreat in the Black Isle with his
wife, occasional sons and some cats.



Twitter - https://twitter.com/MikeWalters60 @mikewalters60








Wednesday 20 February 2019

Cover Reveal for A LITTLE HOTEL IN CORNWALL by Laura Briggs

Today, I am delighted to be part of Laura Briggs's Cover Reveal for her new book A Little Hotel in Cornwall, thanks to Rachel at Rachel's Random Resources ... and here it is!



Struggling American waitress and aspiring novelist Maisie Clark dreams of becoming a full-time writer — even though in real life she's just lost her chance at an exclusive writer's mentorship program that would give her novel its big break. Desperate, she decides to take a chance and ask her favourite writer, a celebrated but reclusive English novelist, to help her find a second chance. 

When she receives the author's reply in an envelope with a Cornish postmark, Maisie decides not to take the writer's half-hearted 'no' for an answer. With nothing to lose, she takes off for the author's last known location, a beautiful hotel on Cornwall's western coast. But when the hotel mistakes her for the latest applicant for a maid's position, Maisie finds herself given an opportunity too good to lose ... and a chance for a summer adventure far bigger than she ever imagined.

Surrounded by breathtaking Cornwall and working in an elegant hotel, Maisie's world becomes one of secret identities, quirky friends, and unintentional mishaps — and despite reminders of past relationship disasters, a certain handsome, charming local resident Sidney Daniels has her conflicted about her heart's desires, too. 

Will Maisie find the chance she's been waiting for — and a possible new romance — in her perfect Cornish summer?

Publication Date – 30th April 2019


Author Bio –
Laura Briggs is the author of several chick lit and romance stories, including the Top 100 Amazon UK seller 'A Wedding in Cornwall'. She has a fondness for vintage style dresses (especially ones with polka dots), and reads everything from Jane Austen to modern day mysteries. When she's not writing, she enjoys spending time with family, caring for her pets, going to movies and plays, and trying new restaurants.



Social Media Links –




Saturday 9 February 2019

The Lost Man by Jane Harper - Blog Tour & Book Review

Today, I am delighted to be part of Jane Harper's blog tour for her new book The Lost Man, thanks to Little, Brown Books ...... please check out my review below .....



He had started to remove his clothes as logic had deserted him, and his skin was cracked. Whatever had been going through Cameron's mind when he was alive, he didn't look peaceful in death.

Two brothers meet at the remote border of their vast cattle properties under the unrelenting sun of the outback. In an isolated part of Australia, they are each other's nearest neighbour, their homes hours apart.
They are at the stockman's grave, a landmark so old that no one can remember who is buried there. But today, the scant shadow it casts was the last hope for their middle brother, Cameron. The Bright family's quiet existence is thrown into grief and anguish.
Something had been troubling Cameron. Did he choose to walk to his death? Because if he didn't, the isolation of the outback leaves few suspects...















Author Jane Harper is an exceptional writer.  Yes, there are many wonderful storytellers out there, but, in my humble opinion, I think that her writing goes up another level.

Reading this during a cold, wet, miserable English winter I could easily imagine the brutal unstoppable heat, the relentless sun beating down, almost feel the desert dust that covers everything and all I could envisage was mile upon mile of  wide open plains with no shade in sight at all, where your closest neighbour is several hours drive away - it's a solitary life for some, including Nathan, the narrator, one of the brothers, who has his own problems and who I found a fascinating character.

From the very first line until the last, I was obsessed by the mystery of what happened to Cameron in the desert. Why was he found over 8km away from his car in such a hostile environment that a man can die of thirst within hours.  Everyone thinks that Cameron was 'a good guy' but was he?

The story revolves around the family who are waiting for his funeral in the family home and we discover that not everyone gets on.  There is an undercurrent of tension throughout as family secrets, long buried, come bubbling to the surface, long held resentments are aired and surprising discoveries are made.

I devoured her first novel The Dry, felt the Force of Nature in her second, and I think that The Lost Man, which is a standalone, not a police procedural, is her best one yet.  Painting a vivid picture of the harsh life in the outback, it was well-paced, clever and unpredictable.

If you haven't read any of Jane Harper's novels yet I would urge you to read any of them and be blown away, as I have been!

Available to buy now from Amazon UK


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Friday 8 February 2019

Wildflower Park: Part Two: A Budding Romance by Bella Osborne - Book Review

Today, I am delighted to be part of Bella Osborne's blog tour for her 2nd book in the Wildflower Park series A Budding Romance, thanks to Avon Books ...... please check out my review below .....


Wildflower Park - Part Two
A Budding Romance
(Wildflower Park Series)
by
Bella Osborne

Escape to Wildflower Park with Part Two of a brand new four-part serial from bestselling author Bella Osborne.
Life’s not always a walk in the park…
When Anna is dumped by her fiancé, she moves in to her own place on the edge of the gorgeous Wildflower Park and pledges to stay off men and focus on her career, but a handsome new colleague seems to thwart her attempts at every turn. And when she receives an accidental text from a mystery man, could it be the new start she needs? Or someone she really shouldn't be falling for?
Anna’s neighbour Sophie is a stressed-out mum-of-two with a third on the way. Her husband is a constant frustration, and their children are a regular source of newly-invented swear words and unidentifiable sticky surfaces.
Luckily, Anna and Sophie have each other – and Wildflower Park proves to be a sanctuary as they map out a path to find the happiness they both deserve…




The first part in this series ended on a cliffhanger and I was so looking forward to reading more of this delightful series and seeing what happens next to Anna and her neighbour Sophie.

In this book there is a very big misunderstanding between Anna and the handsome American Hudson which leads to awkward, but very funny, situations.  I'm liking this friendship more and more as they get to know one another.

The mystery texter storyline moved on quite nicely too.

Poor Sophie, still feeling unhappy and trapped, her hormones are all over the place.  It's lucky she has Anna around.

I really enjoyed this latest instalment in the series and, as in the first part, it finished on a cliffhanger, and now I can't wait to find out what author Bella Osborne has in store for everyone!

If you want to read my review of Part One:  Build Me Up Buttercup click here.


Part Three:  Oopsy Daisy is out on the 18th March - my review will be up on the 26th!

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Wednesday 6 February 2019

Did I Mention I Was Getting Married by Julie Butterfield - Blog Tour, Extract & #Giveaway

Today, I am delighted to be part of Julie Butterfield's blog tour for her book Did I Mention I Was Getting Married, thanks to Rachel at Rachel's Random Resources ...... please check out an extract below ..... and there's also a chance to win a copy of both books in the series - Did I Mention I Won The Lottery? and Did I Mention I Was Getting Married?


Genre:  Contemporary Romance/Romantic Comedy
Publication Date:  2016
Standalone Second Book in a Two Book Series
Pages:  285


Did I Mention I Was Getting Married?
Two years ago Rebecca Miles won the lottery and ended her marriage to her overbearing and unpleasant husband Daniel. She had every intention of putting the past behind her and starting again, but it turned out to be so much more difficult than she had imagined. Then Daniel announces he is getting married again and as Rebecca broods over how he has found it so easy to move on her daughter phones with good news - she’s getting married too! Determined not to be left behind Rebecca throws caution to the wind and finally meets someone who can give her the new start she so desperately wants. Now her ex-husband is back in her life, the future Mrs Miles wants to be her best friend, she has her daughter’s wedding to plan and a ramshackle old wedding venue to renovate to its former perfection in just a few months, if only she can find a builder who will take on the job. There are challenges, surprises, love and heartbreak ahead but at the end of a long, hot summer, will there be any weddings?


EXTRACT
Rebecca had reluctantly agreed to have her ex-husband Daniel and his new wife visit her so they could all become friends and keep family trauma to a minimum. Her idea was a brief meet and greet before they settled on a friendship that required no more input than a Christmas card and maybe the occasional encounter at a family event. But Annabelle loved the idea of staying in Rebecca’s beautiful house and rubbing shoulders with a millionaire and it didn’t take Rebecca long to realise that Annabelle wanted a great deal more than from their relationship.  

‘Is this your only spare room?’ asked Annabelle, wandering over towards the window and peeping down at the vast sweep of drive.
‘What? I’m sorry, don’t you like this room?’ asked Rebecca in confusion.
‘Oh it’s lovely,’ Annabelle reassured her. ‘I just wondered where everybody else stayed when they visited.’
Rebecca frowned. ‘Well,’ she began cautiously, ‘Sarah and Toby both have their own room. I want them to feel as though this is their home, somewhere they can turn up and stay whenever they want.’
‘How wonderful,’ beamed Annabelle. ‘And?’
Rebecca stared. ‘And what?’
‘And do you have any other rooms?’
Rooms? It wasn’t a bed and breakfast. ‘There is another spare room,’ Rebecca said, a little confused.
‘Wonderful! So this could be our room?’
‘Your room?’
‘Yes. For when we come and stay. You know, part of the family, a big extended unit, all with their own room, all with their own little part of the house.’
Rebecca tried not to look too horrified. Was Annabel seriously suggesting that she and Daniel should have their own room in Rebecca’s house? Beech Grange may be big, but it definitely wasn’t big enough for Daniel and his new wife to use on a regular basis

Author Bio –
Julie Butterfield belongs to the rather large group of 'always wanted to write' authors who finally found the time to sit down and put pen to paper - or rather fingers to keyboard and wrote Did I Mention I Won the Lottery? It should be pointed out this is a complete work of fiction and she did not in fact receive millions in her bank account and forget to mention it her husband - even though he still asks her every day if she has anything to tell him! 
Her second book was Google Your Husband Back and the latest addition is Did I Mention I Was Getting Married? - which revisits Rebecca a few years after the lottery win which changed her life.
Social Media Links –

Giveaway – Win paperback copies of Did I Mention I Won The Lottery? & Did I Mention I Was Getting Married? (Open INT)
*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 Rachel’s Random Resources reserves 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 Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

Also check out the other bloggers on the Tour for more content

Please feel free to share this post using the buttons below.  Thank you!

Sunday 3 February 2019

Did I Mention I Won The Lottery? by Julie Butterfield - Blog Tour Extract & #Giveaway

Today, I am delighted to be part of Julie Butterfield's blog tour for her new book Did I Mention I Won The Lottery, thanks to Rachel at Rachel's Random Resources ...... please check out an extract below ..... and there's also a chance to win a copy of both books in the series - Did I Mention I Won The Lottery? and Did I Mention I Was Getting Married?



Genre:  Contemporary Romance/Romantic Comedy
Publication Date:  2013
Standalone First in a Two Book Series
Page Count:  244

Rebecca Miles has won the lottery and is now living a millionaire lifestyle. The only problem is – she hasn’t told her husband. So at weekends she’s a dutiful wife in Darlington, working at the local deli and making shepherd’s pie for dinner, but during the week she’s living in her new mansion in Leeds spending her days shopping whilst her husband thinks she’s looking after her sick mother. Will she get the courage to tell him before he finds out for himself? And can several million pounds in your bank account save a failing marriage?



EXTRACT

We’ve all had one of those moments, spending a delicious 10 minutes wondering what you would do if you won millions on the lottery. It’s a lovely thought to have but of course for the majority of us, it doesn’t go any further, so writing about how someone would feel if they actually had the winning numbers wasn’t easy. I’m sure there must be an element of disbelief, did you really have those magic numbers, had you made a mistake? Rebecca knew deep inside that she had a winning ticket but had been putting off checking the numbers because that would be an end to her own fantasy which was keeping her warm and happy each evening. But there came a point where she had to know for sure, time to stop dreaming and face reality.

Then she picked up the lottery ticket and smoothed it out. She didn’t really need to check the numbers on her ticket. She knew those numbers like old friends. They ordered themselves in her mind as she drifted off to sleep. They welcomed her as she opened her eyes in the morning. She knew each and every one of them.
In truth, Rebecca didn’t really need to check the lottery ticket at all. She hadn’t needed to check it for the last two days. She had watched the kiosk lady write down each number and she knew. She knew that every number on the scrap of paper matched a number on her ticket. She had known immediately that they were the same. But this was making it real. This meant that it was actually happening.
She placed the ticket next to the scrap paper and this time as she read the numbers from the paper she followed the ticket with her finger. Every number matched.
She got a pen from the kitchen drawer and returned to the coffee table. She didn’t want to mark her ticket so this time she read each number on the ticket and then ticked the matching number on the scrap paper. Every number matched.
She wrote down the numbers from her ticket. She wrote down the numbers from the scrap paper. Every number matched.
She stared at the pieces of paper sitting side by side on the coffee table and then closed her eyes. She said out loud each number that was on her ticket. She opened her eyes and read each number that was on the scrap paper. Every number matched.
Rebecca picked up her ticket and stared at it. The dream was over. Reality had arrived. Rebecca Miles had won the lottery.



About Julie Butterield
Julie Butterfield belongs to the rather large group of 'always wanted to write' authors who finally found the time to sit down and put pen to paper - or rather fingers to keyboard and wrote Did I Mention I Won the Lottery? It should be pointed out this is a complete work of fiction and she did not in fact receive millions in her bank account and forget to mention it her husband - even though he still asks her every day if she has anything to tell him! 

Her second book was Google Your Husband Back and the latest addition is Did I Mention I Was Getting Married? - which revisits Rebecca a few years after the lottery win which changed her life
Follow Julie Butterfield

Check out the other bloggers on the Tour for reviews and content


Giveaway – Win paperback copies of Did I Mention I Won The Lottery? & Did I Mention I Was Getting Married? (Open INT)
*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 Rachel’s Random Resources reserves 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 Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

Please feel free to share this post using the buttons below.  Thank you!

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