Sunday, 16 November 2014

Book Review: THE TESTAMENT OF VIDA TREMAYNE BY SARAH VINCENT


My Thoughts on this wonderfully written psychological thriller ......
THE TESTAMENT OF VIDA TREMAYNE
BY
SARAH VINCENT
Publisher:  Three Hares Publishing
Published:   7 Nov 2014
Pages:   339  (ebook)

A lonely novelist, A devoted fan, A journal that speaks of unspeakable things…
Author Vida Tremayne lies silent in a hospital bed. The forces which brought about her terrifying decline are shrouded in mystery. Meanwhile, her estranged daughter Dory is forced to abandon her fast paced city life to be by her mother’s bedside. Dory is resentful. She hates the country and she and her mother were never exactly close. Luckily Vida already has a carer, the enigmatic Rhiannon Townsend. A long-standing fan of Vida’s, Rhiannon is happy to take care of the bedside vigil. Dory is free to resume her life. Or is she? Then she discovers her mother’s journal. Vida’s chilling testament reveals the trigger for her spiralling into madness. It also reveals the danger that still lurks close by. A danger that will call on Dory’s every reserve of courage if she’s to free her mother, and maybe in doing so, to free herself.
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The Testament of Vida Tremayne begins with Dory arriving at her mother's cottage to sort out her affairs.  Her mother Vida Tremayne, the award winning novelist, is in a catatonic state in hospital but there is no love lost between mother and daughter, Dory's been dreading this moment, she feels sick but why?  Already I'm intrigued and curious.  She's rarely visited the house on the isolated Shropshire-Welsh border since her mother moved there.  
She has a shock when she discovers someone living in the cottage, Rhiannon, who at first appears very willing and anxious to help Dory, who is herself relieved that she can share the burden with Rhiannon.  She resents her mother's breakdown, having to visit her, be away from her work and is only too happy for Rhiannon to take all the responsibility from her.
Vida's diary entries give us a real insight into her life and meeting Rhiannon, how lonely she was after her husband left her, how selfish and moody Dory was, how she seems to despise Vida.  I felt so sorry for her and really disliked Dory from the start.
But the crux of the story is what happened to Vida, what kind of terrible situation had shocked her so much to put her in a silent world in hospital?  The diary entries slowly build up a picture of Vida's life and mental state, how Rhiannon gains her trust, but can she really trust her or is she imagining situations?
I felt the whole story was compelling, the writing was so descriptive and brought the characters alive, the atmosphere was chilling in parts.  I changed my mind several times as to what I thought was happening.
Midway through the book I did wonder where it was going, what the writer was trying to say and my concentration did wane slightly but the plot picked up and the tension was eked out till the end.
Overall, a well-written atmospheric psychological thriller.
My thanks to the author, Sarah Vincent, for sending me this ebook in exchange for an honest review.
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About the Author
Sarah Vincent has two grown up children and lives in the South Shropshire countryside with her husband and her Jack Russell terrier, Beryl. She writes in a converted coal shed at the back of the house. In the early days she juggled writing with various jobs as a care assistant, school dinner lady and museum guide. For the past twelve years she has worked as an editor for two leading Literary Consultancies. She also teaches Creative Writing online, and gets a buzz out of helping new writers achieve their goals. She loves world music, and visiting art galleries when she’s in town. Her greatest thrill though is going off-grid for a few days, and camping in remote places in her tiny caravan.

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Available to buy from Amazon UK - Amazon US 

1 comment:

Saturday, 15 November 2014

Giveaway of 10 Christmas Cards (Star of Wonder)


I am giving away 10 high quality Christmas Cards with envelopes
The design is entitled Star of Wonder


If you would like a chance to win them all you need to do is enter by Rafflecopter below

Open to UK only

The lucky winner will be selected randomly by Rafflecopter.com and be notified by email

The winner will need to respond within 48 hours of being contacted, failure to do this may result in another winner being selected

The Cards will be posted as soon as I receive address details, in plenty of time for Christmas!



If you're not lucky enough to win this time I will be running more Christmas Card Giveaways every week in the run up to Christmas

Check out my shop on eBay for all my other festive designs here

If you want to see the listing on eBay for these popular Star of Wonder  Cards please click here



1 comment:

Tuesday, 11 November 2014

Book Review, Book Tour & Giveaway: KICKED TO THE CURB BY JOANNA CAMPBELL SLAN

Today I am the next stop on Joanna Campbell Slan's book tour for her new cosy mystery Kicked to the Curb.

KICKED TO THE CURB
BY
JOANNA CAMPBELL SLAN

 Book 2 in the Cara Mia Delgatto Mystery Series

 Format:  ebook
Pages:  200
 Cara Mia Delgatto’s cup runneth over with worries. Her ex-husband is refusing to pay their son’s college tuition, her evil sister is pulling mean pranks, and her old boyfriend has broken her heart. And that’s just the personal stuff. She’s also concerned about keeping the cash register ringing at The Treasure Chest, her retail store specializing in upcycled, recycled, and repurposed décor items with a coastal theme. The media event that Cara plans turns nasty when reporter Kathy Simmons threatens to share unsavory details from the shopkeeper’s past. Things get really dicey when Kathy mysteriously disappears. Cara’s other problems seem trivial in comparison to…a murder investigation!
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The recycling store The Treasure Chest in Florida is Cara's baby, she bought it on impulse and she loves to turn trash into treasure.  But sales are a little slow and, to make customers more aware, she organises a media event where she has a slight altercation with local reporter Kathy .......... but when Kathy is found dead Cara becomes the main suspect.

I enjoyed this mystery very much, there was much more depth to it than some cosies I've read and, as a consequence, there was a shortage of lighter moments but this didn't spoil my enjoyment.

I liked Cara, she was determined and ambitious, and I liked her quirky store employees.  There was also the beginnings of a possible romance,  I also liked the alternate chapters, one featuring Cara and the other featuring Lou, the local Police Detective, each giving a different perspective to the mystery.

An entertaining read.

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About the Author

National Bestselling and Award-Winning Author Joanna Campbell Slan has penned 26 books, including the popular Kiki Lowenstein Mystery Series (Agatha Award Finalist). Her new series featuring Cara Mia Delgatto is a spin off from those books. Joanna writes about spunky women who get by with a little help from their friends. A crafting junkie, Joanna lives on a nearly deserted island in Florida with her dog, Jax, who is making a career out of stealing women’s lingerie.



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For a chance to win a $50 Amazon Gift Card, e-books and print copies please click 

Rafflecopter Giveaway



1 comment:

Wednesday, 5 November 2014

Giveaway of 10 Christmas Cards (Blue Santa)


I am giving away 10 high quality Christmas Cards with envelopes
The design is entitled Blue Santa and, as the picture above shows, it shows a very happy Father Christmas!
The Christmas Cards measure 6.5" x 6.5"



If you would like a chance to win them all you need to do is enter by Rafflecopter below

Open to UK only

The lucky winner will be selected randomly by Rafflecopter.com and be notified by email

The winner will need to respond within 48 hours of being contacted, failure to do this may result in another winner being selected

The Cards will be posted as soon as I receive address details, in plenty of time for Christmas!

If you're not lucky enough to win this time I will be running more Christmas Card Giveaways every week in the run up to Christmas

Check out my shop on eBay for all my other festive designs here

If you want to see the listing on eBay for these popular Blue Santa  Cards please click here



1 comment:

Tuesday, 4 November 2014

Promo Blast & Giveaway: A CRY IN THE NIGHT BY ALISON BRUCE






 
Author:  Alison Bruce
Genre:  Mystery 
On Sale:  November 4, 2014 
Publisher:  Witness Impulse, an imprint of HarperCollins 
ISBN: 9780062314079 
ISBN 10: 0062314076 
Imprint: Witness Impulse
Pages: 384
List Price: 2.99 USD
Event Organized By: Literati Author Services, Inc.

~ Synopsis ~

Making a fresh start in a place you hate. Even tougher with a killer watching...

Jane Osborne left Cambridge and vowed she’d never return. An unexpected twist of fortune results in DC Goodhew bringing her back to the remnants of her old life and a confrontation with the man who killed her sister.

Meanwhile a burning car on the outskirts of Cambridge leads to the discovery of the body of its owner, Paul Marshall. There seems nothing to connect it to either a recent assault, or to Jane Osborne, until a shocking discovery rips Goodhew’s investigation apart.


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Add to Goodreads

Purchase Links

 Amazon | Barnes & Noble | HarperCollins

   

~ About the Author ~

 
 ALISON BRUCE is the author of five novels featuring Gary Goodhew, all set in the gothic city of Cambridge and all to be published by WITNESS.

Connect with the Author

 Website | Twitter | Facebook

     

Giveaway

5 Bluefire Downloads

 
To Follow the Blast Click Below
 
1 comment:

Sunday, 2 November 2014

Book Review: CHERRINGHAM: MURDER ON THAMES BY MATTHEW COSTELLO & NEIL RICHARDS


My Thoughts on the first in a new cozy crime series.......
CHERRINGHAM: MURDER ON THAMES
BY
MATTHEW COSTELLO & NEIL RICHARDS

 Publisher:  Bastei Entertainment
Published:  13 December 2013
Pages:  (Approx) 97

Cherringham is a quiet and peaceful town in the Cotswolds. Time moves slowly here, and nothing out of the ordinary ever happens, until one morning a woman’s body is discovered in the river. Sarah Edwards has just returned to Cherringham with her two children following the breakdown of her marriage. Sarah had been friends with Sammi Jackson – the woman in the river –before they both moved to London and she’s certain there is more to her death than meets the eye. But juggling the school run and her job as a web designer doesn’t leave much time to solve murder mysteries.

 After the death of his wife, former NYPD homicide detective Jack Brennan has retired to Cherringham hoping for a quiet life. He soon realises “peace and quiet” isn’t really him and, despite his misgivings, he’s persuaded by Sarah to help her look into Sammi’s death. It quickly becomes clear that the case isn’t as simple as the police hope. From her violent ex-boyfriend to her alcoholic father, it seems everyone has something to hide. Sarah and Jack will need to use all their wits to get to the bottom of this case.

"Cherringham - A Cozy Crime Series" is a series of twelve self-contained episodes. A new case for Jack and Sarah was released each month this year.

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Murder on Thames is the first in this new cozy crime series and I absolutely loved it!

We're introduced to the two main characters:  Jack Brennan, a blunt and to the point American, who had never signed up to any of the English rituals of politeness, antiquated manners and codes of behaviour ...... and single mum Sarah Edwards who has come back to her home village after her divorce.

I quickly warmed to both of the characters, I enjoyed their first encounter where Sarah thought Jack was just a rude American and Jack thought Sarah was both persistent and sarcastic.

Gradually, as the plot develops, they form an unlikely but very intriguing partnership, they both bring something different to the crime investigation, and I loved their interaction.  The police don't think Sarah's friend was murdered, Jack and Sarah do and they set out to prove it.

This had a great plot that kept me guessing and wanting to read on, the well-contained chapters were short and neat, each with a simple title, the main characters were well developed for such a short story.  They both have their own contacts and individual ways to solve the clues and I'm really looking forward to seeing how they solve other murders in the next books. I also can't wait to find out more about them and watch their relationship grow.

 If you enjoy crimes set in a cozy English village then I would definitely recommend you add this to your reading list.
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About the Authors

Matthew Costello's award-winning work across all media has meshed story, gameplay and technology.  He wrote and designed dozens of best-selling games including the critically acclaimed The 7th Guest, Doom 3, Rage and Pirates of the Caribbean.  In addition, he published various novels such as Vacation (2011), Home (2012) and Beneath Still Waters (1989), which was also turned into a movie.

Neil Richards has worked as a producer and writer in TV and film creating scripts for the likes of BBC, Disney, Channel 4 and earning numerous BAFTA nominations along the way.  He's also written story and script for over 20 video games including The Da Vinci Code and Just Cause, and consults around the world on digital story-telling.


Available to buy in ebook format  -  Amazon UK  -  Amazon US 

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My thanks to Samantha at JKS Communications for sending me a copy to review honestly.





1 comment:

Friday, 31 October 2014

Barbara Hinske - Coming To Rosemont - PROMO Blitz, Excerpts and Giveaway



Women's Fiction / Contemporary

Date Published: February 18, 2013

Maggie travels to Westbury for the stated purpose of listing Rosemont for immediate sale, but what she really seeks are answers to her all-consuming questions about her sham of a marriage; her sham of a life. She never anticipated the seductive charm of Rosemont. Throwing her trademark caution to the wind, and over the objections of her opinionated grown children, she pulls up stakes and moves halfway across the country, determined to make a fresh start in Westbury. Behind closed doors, however, lurks a cadre of evildoers, playing with multiple wild cards of fraud, embezzlement and arson.
With a quiet, orderly -- and distinctively solitary -- life in mind, Maggie is instead thrown headlong into a crusade against political corruption, where defeat and retreat are not an option. Still bearing the scars of betrayal, will she find joy, romance and possibility in Westbury?

This fast-paced, smart novel has enough twists and turns to make the reader want to buckle in!

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EXCERPT

From chapter 9

Maggie dropped to her knees and threw her arms around the squirming dog.  “You don’t know how much I appreciate being able to have Eve with me tonight,” she beamed up at John.  “My flight was delayed and I had a Chatty-Cathy car rental agent.  I drove like a maniac to get here. I’m really very grateful you waited.  The lot was empty and I thought that I was too late.”
“It was no trouble.  I was catching up on paperwork,” John assured her.  “I live on the other side of the Square and walk to work, weather permitting.  I usually stop at one of the restaurants on the way home for dinner.”
“Are you done?  Would you like a lift home?” 
John knew an opportunity when he saw one.  “I just need to lock up,” he said.  “Are you hungry?  Or are you full of delicious airline food,” he mocked.  When she shook her head and indicated that she was, indeed, starved, he proposed that the three of them walk over to Pete’s for dinner. They could leave her car at the Hospital and she could drop him off at his house after dinner.


Excerpt 2
From chapter 7
“What do you mean, mom?  Fresh start?  I don’t get it,” Susan finally replied.
“You know how awkward things have been for me with the College crowd.  The new President and his wife are headed in a different direction and don’t want me hanging around.  I don’t feel like I fit anywhere anymore.  Helen is the only friend that I continue to see,” she
said.  Maggie raised her hand to hush their objections.  “You both have your own lives.  I need to have mine.  I can run my business from anywhere with a phone and a computer.”
“So you’re thinking of moving there?” Susan choked.
“That’s exactly what I’ve decided to do,” Maggie replied with her best attempt at a firm, confident voice.
“But you don’t know anyone there,” Susan protested. 
“Won’t you rattle around in that huge house all alone?  Won’t that make you feel more alone?” Mike interjected for the first time.
“You know, that’s the part I’m most sure of.  That I won’t be lonely in that house.  When the front door closed behind me that first night, I knew I was home.  I never told you, but I checked out of the hotel and moved into Rosemont the night I arrived,” Maggie said.  Mike and Susan exchanged a skeptical glance.  “And you know, the most extraordinary thing happened the next morning.  I adopted a lost dog.  Or more accurately, she adopted me,” Maggie said, and told them about Eve.  “So you see, I won’t be alone there,” Maggie finished.
Both children remained silent.  Astonished, Maggie thought with a measure of satisfaction.

Excerpt 3
From chapter 4
“Now,” Tonya said, “As you know, I have been calling for an independent audit of Westbury’s books.  At first, I simply thought this was a good practice.  I never dreamed that something could be wrong.  But the more I requested and pushed for one, the more the Mayor and the other Council Members balked and stalled and misdirected the conversation.” 
“I grew up the oldest child in a large family,” she continued.  “I’ve heard plenty of wild excuses and tall tales in my time.  My mother always knew when one of us was lying, and I guess I’ve inherited her nose for nonsense.”  At this, a chuckle rippled through the crowd.  “I felt like I was back in my mother’s kitchen with my brothers when these guys were making excuses to avoid an audit,” she said.  “So I got my back up and decided that I was going to find out about the town’s finances one way or the other.  And at last week’s Town Council meeting I finally got my chance.  Mayor Wheeler left the bank statement out on the Council table in plain sight when we went to recess.”  Tonya paused for dramatic effect.  “So I spent my recess pouring through it.  Long story short, the general account is about half of what was reported in the treasurer’s report and the pension fund was short by almost forty percent,” she announced, as a gasp escaped from the crowd. 
Side conversations started up all over the room.  Tonya raised her hands and gestured for quiet.  “At this point, I don’t have a good picture of where the money has gone.  I confronted the Mayor and Council when we resumed after recess.  They scolded me for looking at ‘confidential Town information’, as they called it, telling me that I didn’t understand what I was looking at.  ‘Well, enlighten me,’ I said.  Instead, they quickly adjourned the meeting.  I’ve been calling the Mayor and each of my fellow Council Members ever since and no one has been available to take my call.  And they’re not coming to their offices, either.”
“They’ve all gone to ground,” she continued.  “And you hunters in the crowd know what that means.  We have to drive them out of their hidey-holes.  And this is where I desperately need your help.  Each and every one of you.”

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Contact the Author

Newsletter: http://bit.ly/1BIS8F2
BUY LINKS



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 To be in with a chance of winning a $15 Amazon Gift Card enter via Rafflecopter below


a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
1 comment:

Tuesday, 28 October 2014

Giveaway of 10 pretty Christmas Cards (Bauble)


I am giving away 10 high quality Christmas Cards with envelopes
The design is entitled Bauble and, as the picture above shows, it shows a Christmas Tree Bauble
Very pretty
The Christmas Cards measure 6" x 6"



If you would like a chance to win them all you need to do is enter by Rafflecopter below

Open to UK only

The lucky winner will be selected randomly by Rafflecopter.com and be notified by email

The winner will need to respond within 48 hours of being contacted, failure to do this may result in another winner being selected

The Cards will be posted as soon as I receive address details, in plenty of time for Christmas!



If you're not lucky enough to win this time I will be running more Christmas Card Giveaways every week in the run up to Christmas

Check out my shop on eBay for all my other festive designs here

If you want to see the listing on eBay for these popular Bauble  Cards please click here




1 comment:
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