Two Heads Are Better Than One

Ina Christova

Publication date: 16/5/24

Publisher: Iztok-Zapad / East-West

SYNOPSIS

MY REVIEW

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

An absolutely superb read.

I was whisked away to 1909 St Petersburg and a country heading towards Revolution.

The main character of Alma is based on a real woman who was the only woman artisan to work for Carl Fabergé. We meet her when she is 17 and already determined she will work for Fabergé. She is talented and secretly provides designs for her brother who works for Fabergé. She is from a fairly wealthy family but falls in love with Ivan, a boy from a very poor family. She knows her family will never accept him but this does not stop her falling for him and becoming besotted with him. How can she choose between the life she has always dreamed of or this deep love she feels for Ivan. He is deeply involved in the Revolution and she would be risking the life she knows if she were to join him.

I loved the beautiful descriptions of Russia and learnt a bit about traditions, weddings and that time in Russian history. And of course about Fabergé.

Having always been fascinated by Fabergé eggs, I just had to read this book. I was delighted to read about Carl Fabergé, his company and the artisans who designed for it. I did some googling when I was reading as I wanted to see some of the items mentioned, including the miniature replica of the Imperial Regalia, which Faberge had created.

A gorgeous story which was immersive and hugely enjoyable. If you enjoy historical fiction I would absolutely recommend it.

Thank you to Antara and FMcM for inviting me on to the blog tour and for my beautiful copy of the book.

And of course thank you to the author for writing such a wonderful book.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The Secret Agent

Publication Date: 11 / 4 / 2024

Publisher: Headline

SYNOPSIS

Spanning the course of a year, Max – the alias of London’s most exclusive property agent – guides us through the unimaginable highs and bank-breaking lows of his business, where houses sell for up to £170 million and discretion is key.

With a client list that includes a Booker Prize winner, several Oscar nominees, a stadium-filling musician, an HRH, two national treasures, a supermodel, a Duke, a Duchess, and untold FTSE board members and titans of business, there is never a dull moment for Max and his team – John, Damien and Natasha – as they negotiate both huge property deals in the office, and their complex personal lives outside of it.

Offering an insider’s view into the hidden machinations of this exclusive market, Highly Desirable sees Max attempt to balance his team, his own needs and, of course, the books against his ever-demanding clients, as he showcases the good, the bad, and the downright bizarre nature of the real-estate market of the super-rich.

MY REVIEW

I’d like to thank Joe at Headline for kindly sending me a copy of this book to review. As soon as I read the blurb I knew I’d love it!

And I did. What an engrossing read. As well as giving us a glimpse into the super-prime multi million pound property market it also has plenty of laugh out loud moments and takes us into the lives and loves of this small exclusive estate agency.

I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know ‘Max’ – and despite my Googling I can’t work out who he is – and his three staff who are like a family.

The Secret Agent known as Max writes the book over the course of a year in a diary format. We meet some of his (secret) clients including The Billionaire, rich uncle Fortesque, the Oscar Winner and the National Treasure to mention a few of the main ones.

We get to know roughly how these homes are valued and the dances which are done around valuing and getting the best price for his sometimes difficult clients! He is good at his job but I’d constantly under pressure from smug ‘Slick’, another agent you just love to hate, who is managing to get some of the top properties for his own business.

As well as willing Max to close his deals, I was also hoping for a happy outcome with his difficult relationship.

A very addictive and different read which I couldn’t put down.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

His identity is secret!

Julie Anderson

Publication date: 30/4/24

Publisher: Hobeck

SYNOPSIS

Winter 1946

One cold dark night, as a devastated London shivers through the transition to post-war life, a young nurse goes missing from the South London Hospital for Women & Children. Her body is discovered hours later behind a locked door.

Faye Smith, the hospital canteen manager, joins forces with a mysterious new arrival, Eleanor Peveril, to investigate the case. Determined not to return to the futures laid out for them before the war, the unlikely sleuths must face their own demons and dilemmas as they pursue -The Midnight Man.

BEWARE THE DARKNESS BENEATH

MY REVIEW

Being a huge fan of her ‘Opera’ trilogy, I was over the moon to read more from this author.

Really thoroughly enjoyed it!

Set just after the Second World War, and based in and around the actual women’s hospital in London. This hospital was run by women, for women and children.

The main characters are strong females. Faye is desperate to find out how a nurse from the hospital died as is her new friend Ellie who heard her scream the night she was murdered. Ellie is haunted by the fact she didn’t help.

I loved being back in those dark, deep, abandoned tunnels of London, although different ones to the Plague tunnels. It was so interesting to read how they were used for the hospital patients during the war. Julie’s descriptions had me right there in the middle of the action.

Fabulously strong women lead characters and it read as very authentic as to what life would have been like just after the war. Love that it was based on a real hospital and real places. 

So glad it is the start of a new trilogy and I’m hoping Faye joins the police. She is a natural!

BLOG TOUR HOSTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Julie Anderson is the CWA Dagger listed author of three Whitehall thrillers and a short series of historical adventure stories for young adults. Before becoming a crime fiction writer, she was a senior civil servant, working across a variety of departments and agencies, including the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. Unlike her protagonists, however, she doesn’t know where (all) the bodies are buried.

She writes crime fiction reviews for Time and Leisure Magazine and is a co-founder and Trustee of the Clapham Book Festival.

She lives in south London where her latest crime fiction series is set, returning to her first love of writing historical fiction with The Midnight Man, to be published by Hobeck.

Julie’s Links

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julieandersonwriter/

Twitter : https://twitter.com/jjulieanderson

Website : https://julieandersonwriter.com/

Book Links

Goodreads : https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/209933310-the-midnight-man

Buy Links : https://mybook.to/midnightman-zbt

 

Malcolm Hollindrake

Publication Date: 16/4/24

Publisher: Hobeck

SYNOPSIS

Death stalks the docklands of Liverpool…

Edge of the Land is the thrilling third novel in the gripping Merseyside crime series from Malcolm Hollingdrake, author of the best-selling Harrogate crime series.

The waterways of the Liverpool docks contain many ghosts and shadows. It’s a place to disappear… a place to die.
Detective Inspector April Decent and Detective Sergeant Skeeter Warlock are fearful for the welfare of a vulnerable young man injured in an attack ordered by drug dealers, but he refuses to co-operate with the police.

He soon disappears. Clues to his whereabouts are sown, a cry for help maybe, but he remains elusive.

Meanwhile, the team are dealing with a spate of deaths in the city. The one thing the deaths have in common: the victims are all homeless. Initially, the deaths are not considered to be suspicious as there is no obvious connection. But soon the hallmarks of murder are discovered.

The hunt for a potential serial killer is on.

MY REVIEW

An absorbing read which kept me guessing right to the end.

This gritty crime thriller is the third in the Liverpool series.

Malcolm takes the reader and immerses them in the middle of the action. From the descriptions of the canals to the abandoned buildings, everything jumped off the page vividly.

The story is mostly set around Danny. Beaten by his father from a young age. Made to run drugs. Unable to learn at school. Seduced by an older woman. This is a damaged boy and I was hoping for a good outcome for him.

Finding himself in deep trouble, he dials 999 and leaves the mobile phone with photos on it for the police to find, as clues for them to follow. We don’t initially know why he resorts to such an elaborate plan but it certainly keeps the police occupied as one by one they solve the clue in the photograph.

Alongside Danny’s story, there are homeless people dying at quite a rate. The police eventually believe there is a serial killer active. Although the homeless people individually don’t have huge parts in the story we do get to know a couple of them. I felt so sad for them and wondered how they had ended up on the streets.

Kept me guessing right to the end I was shocked by the reveals which I didn’t see coming.

Bravo Mr Hollindrake I shall be reading more of your work.

Many thanks to Rebecca at Hobeck Books for my spot on the blog tour.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

You could say that the writing was clearly on the wall for someone born in a library that they might aspire to be an author, but to get to that point Malcolm Hollingdrake has travelled a circuitous route.

Malcolm worked in education for many years, even teaching for a period in Cairo before he started writing, a challenge he had longed to tackle for more years than he cares to remember. 

He has written a number of successful short stories, has thirteen books now available and is presently planning the next crime novel set in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. He also has two books within the Merseyside Crime Series published by Hobeck Books and is working on the third. 

Born in Bradford and spending three years at Ripon College, Malcolm has never lost his love for his home county, a passion that is reflected in the settings for all the DCI Bennett novels However, as well as the Bennett series he is writing a new series set in Merseyside.

Malcolm has enjoyed many hobbies including collecting works by Northern artists; the art auctions offer a degree of excitement when both buying and certainly when selling. It is a hobby he has bestowed upon DCI Cyril Bennett, the main character in his successful Bennett series.

Amazon page: http://bit.ly/AmtoMHdrake

Publisher page: http://bit.ly/BhBtoMH

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Jo Callaghan

Publication Date: 28/3/24

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

SYNOPSIS

One detective driven by instinct, the other by logic. The hotly anticipated follow-up to Sunday Times bestseller In The Blink of an Eye, one of the most talked about and original debuts of 2023
It will take both to find a killer who knows the true meaning of fear . . .
When the body of a man is found crucified at the top of Mount Judd, AIDE Lock – the world’s
first AI Detective – and DCS Kat Frank are thrust into the spotlight as they are given their first live case. But with the discovery of another man’s body – also crucified – it appears that their killer is only just getting started…
The police issue a controversial warning to local men to be vigilant: do not walk home alone at night, do not leave a pub with a stranger… The Future Policing Unit is thrust into a hostile media frenzy as they desperately search for connections between the victims. But time is running out for them to join the dots, so they must combine their human instinct and algorithms to catch the killer before the strike again.
For if Kat and Lock know anything, it’s that killers rarely stop – until they are made to.

MY REVIEW

Woah Jo that last chapter! Talk about leaving your readers wanting more!

I absolutely loved In The Blink of an Eye and couldn’t imagine Jo’s second book being quite as good but blimey it is even better!

I feel I know DCS Kat Frank quite well and am getting to see how AIDE Lock, her AI partner, is learning more and more through experience. It is interesting to compare the human side of policing to the factual side where emotions are taken out of the equation and some of the interactions between Kat and Lock are hilarious. Of course there is no AI match for Kat’s instinct.

There are plenty of interesting supporting characters too and we get to know them a little. I enjoy a story where the support characters are given a personality and a bit of background. Professor Okenedo a young black scientist who invented Lock and wants to show other black girls what they can achieve is a super character. She is disillusioned by the police and wanting to try out her invention to see if it can help with the future of policing.

What a huge asset Lock is in helping to solve an active murder case, having only assisted on a cold case in the last book. I know Lock is AI but he is becoming more ‘human’ in his thinking and his personality. He is even ‘dressing’ according to the situation he is in. Yes I absolutely think of Lock as a ‘he’ and not an ‘it’ and I loved the conversation about pronouns. So ‘now’!

I wish I could have had the time to read this in one sitting. When I wasn’t reading it I was constantly thinking about it which to me is the sign of an excellent book. Some of the scenes will be staying with me for some time!

A fast paced race against the clock thriller / police procedural which is completely immersive. There are horrific murders but there is also humour and a lot of human experiences within the pages.

Can be read as a stand alone but I would highly recommend reading In The Blink of an Eye first.

Absolutely loved it and I can’t wait for book three!

Huge thanks to Anne at Random Things tours for my spot on the blog tour and my lovely proof.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jo Callaghan works fulltime as a senior strategist, where she has carried out research into the future impact of AI and genomics on the workforce. After losing her husband to cancer in 2019 when she was just forty-nine, she started writing In the Blink of an
Eye, her debut crime novel, which explores learning to live with loss and what it means to be human. In The Blink of an Eye was selected for BBC 2’s ‘Between the Covers’ in Spring 2023, and Jo was a featured debut at Harrogate Crime Festival and Bloody Scotland Festival. She lives with her two children in the Midlands.

Leave No Trace is her second novel.

Having met Jo just before her debut was released I was so sad to hear she had lost her own husband to cancer just as her main character Kat had. She began writing just for herself and hadn’t really thought about publishing her work. I’m so glad she did as she is such a talent.

Lia Louis

Publication date: 11/4/24

Publisher: Zaffre Books

SYNOPSIS

Millie is a big fan of keeping her opinions to herself . . . or at least keeping them in her drafts.

Millie Chandler is known at work as the nice receptionist who got dumped by the company hotshot, and ever since then, she has vowed to keep everything to herself – her feelings, her hopes, and especially her fears. No one can hurt her if they don’t know how she really feels.

But Millie does have an outlet: her emails. From sarcastic replies to her rude, tactless boss, rants to friends about their terrible taste in men to a five-hundred-word love declaration to her ex, who three years on, is about to marry someone else. Millie’s reality lives in her drafts, but when she wakes up one morning, all of those drafts are now somehow in her sent folder. The truth is out.

As every dark secret she’s worked so hard to keep password protected is released, Millie must fix the chaos her words have caused, and face everything she’s ever hidden away from.

Will Millie find the strength to finally open both her heart, and her inbox?

MY REVIEW

My heart is full and happy after reading Lia’s latest novel 😊 ❤️

Lia is one of my must read authors, having fallen in love with her writing and her characters after reading Dear Emmie Blue. I have since read Eight Perfect Hours which I also thoroughly enjoyed.

‘Better Left Unsent’ has such a clever and refreshingly different premise. Millie, our main character, lets off steam by writing emails to people who have annoyed her, or who she would just like to tell something she can’t say to their face. These 100 plus emails are stored in her drafts folder. She would never send them. Then apparently a blip with the company’s internet has accidentally sent all the emails to the recipients. Millie begins to wonder if this explanation is what actually happened.

Oh my goodness I can’t imagine how embarrassing that would be! I’m sure many of us have begun to write an email in the heat of the moment but decided against sending it! Well after reading this my advice would be if you do, definitely don’t store it in your drafts folder!

Going back to the storyline, after the initial wishing the ground would just swallow her up, Millie begins to realise that some of the emails have actually had a positive outcome. Could she even get back with Owen, her ex? Or how about the gorgeous Jack she shared an almost kiss with at the Christmas party?

I couldn’t wait to find out what happened and flew through the book. Superb ending which did not disappoint.

Lia has such a way of bringing her characters to life. Millie was so likeable and I could see a bit of myself in her, so I could easily relate to her. I loved the Ralph and Cara storyline too. All wonderful characters, and even the unpleasant ones are well written.

I would recommend taking this on holiday or putting a quiet weekend aside so you can lose yourself in this heartwarming, laugh out loud novel.

An absolute page turner.

Thank you so much to Anne at Random Things Tours for my spot on the blog tour and my E-arc of the book.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lia Louis is an author from Hertfordshire, the United Kingdom, where she lives with her partner and three children.

She has written four novels to date – Somewhere Close to Happy (2019), Dear Emmie Blue (2020), Eight Perfect Hours (2021), and her new novel is Better Left Unsent.

Lia’s books are enjoyed around the world and have been translated into over ten languages.

Helen Chandler-White

Publication Date: 28/3/24

Publisher Aster / Octopus Books

My Rating: 🌟 🌟🌟🌟🌟

SYNOPSIS

An exploration into why we keep holding on to material things and what they mean to us

On New Year’s Eve of 2018, journalist Helen Chandler-Wilde lost everything she owned in a storage unit fire in Croydon, where she’d stowed all her possessions after a big break-up. She was left devastated, and forced to re-evaluate her relationship with owning material things. 

A mix of memoir, self-help and journalism, Lost & Found explores the psychological reasons for why we buy and keep the things we do, and explains how we can liberate ourselves from the tyranny of ‘too much’. Helen interviews people from all walks of life, including behavioural psychologists on the science of nostalgia, a nun on what it’s like to own almost nothing and consumer psychologists on why we spend impulsively, to help us better understand why we’re surrounded by clutter and what we can do to change it.

This smart-thinking book explains the sociological quirks of human nature and the fascinating science behind why we buy and hold onto things. By the end of it, your relationship with your belongings will be changed forever.

MY REVIEW

I must firstly say to Helen, I am so very sorry for the heartbreaking event which led you to write this book. My first lesson in reading is that I will never use a storage facility.

The book is easy to understand and relatable, and whether you are wanting help with your hoarding or you are just interested in the psychology of buying and collecting this book is a must read. I just knew I’d really enjoy it when I read the synopsis as I fit into both categories.

Helen talks about impulse buying, collecting, how shopping will never satisfy you and so much more.

Such deep thought and huge amounts of research have been put in to write a book which gets down to the basics of why we buy stuff and why we find ourselves surrounded by clutter.

Many discussions with neuroscientists and psychologists explain how our brains work, sometimes going back to our roots and our basic need to feel secure and provide for our families.

The book has helped me understand why my sentimental brain finds it so hard to get rid of stuff.

I’ve already shared with some friends what I have learned about our brain choosing not to remember insignificant things. It’s not just that we have a bad memory!

This is a book I’m going to be reading again whenever I need the motivation to declutter, and recommending to friends.

Many thanks to Anne at Random Things Tours for my spot on the tour and my copy of the book.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Helen Chandler-Wilde is a news and features journalist at Bloomberg. Previously she worked at The Telegraph writing long-reads, analysis and covering the human tales behind the headlines. She went to UCL where she studied social sciences and Italian and also holds a MA in journalism from City University. Helen lives in south London, and in her free time she likes to read, cook and rummage through charity shops.

Hilly Barmby

Publication Date: 26/3/24

Publisher: Hobeck Books

SYNOPSIS

A glamorous French wedding 

Arriving at the station with her boyfriend Davey MacGregor and his twin sisters, Ailsa and Juliette, Hetty, a thriller book addict, picks up on family tension. But that’s natural before a big wedding, isn’t it? Hetty feels out of her depth. The family are wealthy and well-educated, whereas she is a council house girl. Davey’s cousin Isabelle is to marry Jean-Jacques, a French right-wing politician, in the family chateau.

A fairy-tale event

Ailsa is hesitant about coming back to France. Eight years ago, something happened that nearly destroyed the family. But that was dealt with, wasn’t it? Hetty has secrets of her own that she doesn’t want known. Ailsa is drawn back into the past. What, exactly, did happen? The expensive wedding is everything it should be, except when the groom is taken ill. The revellers carry on, but something is seriously wrong.

Then things start to unravel

The relationships between the family members fracture and secrets from the past start coming to the surface, with murderous results… Who is telling the truth? Who is out for revenge?

MY REVIEW

This is the second of Hilly’s books I have read so I knew I was in for a gripping thriller.

The story revolves around a huge family secret.

We experience a French wedding with all of its traditions and we get to know two branches of a family.

We know something happened 8 years ago to tear the family apart but no-one will talk about it much to the despair of thriller reader Hetty. Hetty is the girlfriend of one of the family and has joined them for the wedding. She feels like she does not fit in to this rich family because of her background. Hetty has her own sad story which is gradually revealed.

The story is told from both Hetty and Ailsa’s points of view so we see two different sides as events occur.

The story flashes back and forth from the present to 2016 and builds up to the reveal of this big secret which is truly devastating.

The pace of the story is spot on and kept me turning the pages, with the reveals coming at just the right time and you don’t have to wait until the last chapter!

A fabulous thriller and I look forward to Hilly’s next novel.

Thank you Rebecca at Hobeck books for having me along on the blog tour.

Stacey Murray

Publication Date: 19/3/24

Publisher: Hobeck

SYNOPSIS

Single-mum Roz compares herself to everyone else, from her sister to friends to people on social media, and feels she’s missing out. She wants what they’ve got — a husband, a father for her daughter, and respect.

When she meets Daniel, Roz thinks her dreams are possible, until he dies suddenly and tragically. Devastated by grief and loneliness, she rushes headlong into a relationship with Mark, a widower she meets in an online support group.

Yet as Mark’s behaviour becomes more controlling and manipulative, Roz realises he isn’t the man of her dreams. He is hiding a jaw-dropping secret that spells danger for Roz and her daughter…

MY REVIEW

The book has rather a sad beginning. Roz, a young single mum with a 10 year old daughter, is devastated to find her boyfriend of just over 3 months has died suddenly. She falls into a new relationship with Mark, a hospital anaesthetist who has lost his own wife and daughter in tragic circumstances.

I enjoyed getting to know Roz, trying to make the best of her life for herself and her daughter. I was wondering where the story was going to go and then the suspense began to build. I got a bit suspicious of this new almost perfect man. Was I right to be? Or is he really almost perfect? Does she see him as a long term relationship or is she just showing off the fact she has a new boyfriend who is a doctor. She doesn’t have much in her life to show off about. Low self esteem. A boring job. Some pretty shallow and judgemental friends and family. Her daughter also has fairly low self esteem and is starting to worry about being overweight.

I enjoyed the section set in Whitby which is one of my favourite places. I often go into that Co-op!

The author has hit the nail on the head with the characters and their mindset that everyone else is happier / richer etc because of their stories and their glowing Instagram posts. But no one knows what goes on in their actual lives.

A great read full of characters with strong personalities and a believable storyline.

Thanks to Rebecca at Hobeck books for my spot on the blog tour.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A native of Glasgow, Stacey Murray was an international commercial lawyer for many years – in the City of London and in Hong Kong. In 2005, she changed career to become an independent film producer. Her first film, A Boy Called Dad, was acquired by the BBC and nominated for the Michael Powell Award for Best British Film at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. She lives in hope – literally, in the village of Hope in the Derbyshire Peak District – with her husband and two rescue dogs. Twitter is her social media drug of choice: her handle is @TheStacemeister

Rosie Green

Publication Date: 16/2/24

SYNOPSIS

This is the first book in an exciting new trilogy (‘The Sunshine Sisters’, part of the Little Duck Pond Café series) about three sisters, who are all – in their different ways – searching for something missing in their lives. They haven’t been close since a shocking incident years ago sent them spinning off in different directions. Will the village of Sunnybrook work its magic and finally reunite the family?

In this first story, Rori has escaped a desperate situation by fleeing to the village. But can she really leave her past behind, or will it come back to haunt her, as she fears it will? Can she find the peace and happiness she craves in Sunnybrook?

Purchase Link – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C6B1Y1KW

MY REVIEW

I will never tire of reading this wonderful series.

I was delighted to get the chance to join the blog blitz for book one in the new trilogy of The Sunshine Sisters. I mean, even the titles of Rosie’s books bring a smile to my face and a warm and cosy feeling of anticipation as I know I’m in for a great read.

I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Aurora Sunshine, or Rori to her friends, with her sisters Skye and Blossom also having made appearances in her story.

Rosie manages to expertly weave a story of humour (that phone scene had me laughing out loud!), love, friendship, family and a large portion of tension into a cracking page turner. The characters jump off the pages. I already feel I know Skye and Blosson quite well, and can’t wait to read their stories.

Although Rori has just escaped from a bad relationship, concerned her ex will find her, she has a positive outlook on life and finds love again in the most unusual of places! I was rooting for life to turn out happily for her. And hoping her crazy ex wouldn’t track her down. What a twist at the end I didn’t see coming.

Well done Rosie. Another triumph!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rosie has been scribbling stories ever since she was little. Back then, they were rip-roaring adventure tales with a young heroine in perilous danger of falling off a cliff or being tied up by ‘the baddies’. Thankfully, Rosie has moved on somewhat, and now much prefers to write romantic comedies that melt your heart and make you smile, with really not much perilous danger involved at all – unless you count the heroine losing her heart in love.

Rosie’s Little Duck Pond Cafe series of novellas is centred around life in a village cafe and each book can be read as a stand-alone story. 

New for 2024: The Sunshine Sisters – an exciting new trilogy, part of the Little Duck Pond Café series. 

The Sunshine Sisters: Aurora – out now.

The Sunshine Sisters: Skye – out in April

The Sunshine Sisters: Blossom – out in June

Follow Rosie on Twitter – https://twitter.com/Rosie_Green88