Two Heads Are Better Than One

Publication Date: 3/8/23 HB & eBook

Publisher: Head of Zeus (Apollo)

SYNOPSIS

Bringing 1950s Morocco vividly to life, Jane Johnson’s masterful new novel, The Black Crescent, is a gripping story of murder, magic and divided loyalties…

Hamou Badi is born in a mountain village with the magical signs of the zouhry on his hands. In Morocco, the zouhry is a figure of legend, a child of both humans and djinns, capable of finding all manner of treasure: lost objects, hidden water.

But instead, Hamou finds a body.

This unsolved murder instils in Hamou a deep desire for order and justice: he trains as an officer of the law, working for the French in Casablanca. But the city is trapped in the turmoil of the nationalist uprising, and soon he will be forced to choose between all he knows and all he loves…

MY REVIEW

An incredibly well written and absorbing novel set around 1955 during the French occupation of Morocco.

We learn about the time through the eyes of Hamou, a young man from a poor mountain village. His mother is convinced he is a magic zouhry, a baby of the djinns, as he has the special marks on his hands.

Hamou has moved to Casablanca, ‘Casa’, to be a policeman, although working for the French Surete doesn’t fit comfortably with him.

The Black Crescent is a violent dissident splinter group, who blatantly assassinated figures in the French regime. They are fighting to restore the sultan and obtain their freedom from the French. The more time that passes, the stronger the Black Crescent become and more violent terrorist attacks are made, including attacks on the police.

Hamou is secretly besotted by Zina, who he accidentally finds is a member of The Black Crescent. Although he is a policeman, he does not report her.

As the attacks continue and the hostility around him grows, Hamou must decide where his loyalties lie.

Such an interesting read. I didn’t know anything about the French occupation of Morocco so I have learned a lot by reading Jane’s book. The descriptions of the sights, sounds and smells of the markets were so vivid. I was immersed, and was rooting for Hamou who couldn’t have been a more honest, wanting to do the right thing, family boy. I also enjoyed reading the letters from his mother, written by the village’s public letter writer showing the lack of proper education.

Overall an excellent read which is going to stay with me for a long time.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jane Johnson is a British novelist and publisher. She is the UK editor for George R.R.Martin, Robin Hobb and Dean Koontz. She launched the Voyager imprint for HarperCollins and still works with George RR Martin and others. Formany years she was the publisher of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. She also worked on Peter Jackson’s adaptation ofLord of the Rings and wrote the tie-in books. Married to a Berber chef she met while researchingThe Tenth Gift, she lives in Mousehole, Cornwall, and Morocco.

Publication Date:

Publisher: Hobeck Books

SYNOPSIS

Her past was a lie. Dare she uncover the truth?

When Kate’s mother dies, a man turns up at the funeral claiming to be her uncle. Kate is mystified; her mother was an only child. She agrees to meet him but when she tells him more about herself, he disappears. It’s best to forget him and get on with the business of grieving but when she finds her own death certificate, she realises she can’t let it drop. Besides, there are the threatening phone calls and messages to her mother to consider…

Four hundred miles away in Glasgow, DI Alex Scrimgeour is haunted by memories of past crimes. Is he responsible for a miscarriage of justice? He’s already worried when Kate contacts him with her story. If she is who she thinks she is, it could ruin his entire career. Despite their mutual antipathy, only by working together will they understand the past and finally put old ghosts to rest.

MY REVIEW

On the night of Kate’s mother’s funeral, a man knocks on her door stating he is her mother’s brother. He must be mistaken as her mother was an only child. But some things he said got Kate thinking. Sorting through her mother’s paperwork she finds a death certificate of a 12 week old baby girl. In her name. But she is very much alive.

Back in Glasgow, DI Alex Scrimgeour is looking into suspicious deaths at his mother’s care home.

Kate and Alex will meet as Kate is trying to work out who she really is, and the trail leads to a rough family in Glasgow who are well known to Alex. In fact, he was lead investigator when their baby girl went missing. Her father was convicted of her murder although a body was never found.

I enjoyed this page turner which had plenty of red herrings along the way!

Thank you Rebecca at Hobeck books for my spot on the blog tour.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Maureen Myant has a PhD and MLitt in Creative Writing from the University of Glasgow. Her first crime novel, The Confession, was published in 2022 and is the first in a series featuring DS Mark Nicholson and DI Alex Scrimgeour. The second in the series, The Deception, will be published on 1st August 2023. She is also the author of a historical novel, The Search, which is set in wartime Czechoslovakia, Poland and Germany. Maureen is an educational psychologist by profession but has left this to concentrate on writing. She lives in Glasgow.

Published: 20/7/23

Publisher: Wildfire Books

SYNOPSIS

We call it the Great Escape. The annual trip where my boss asks us expert travel guides to escort a group of privileged, uber-wealthy clientele on some far-flung expedition, a cut-throat contest for riches and glory.

The stakes have never been higher, nor the challenge harder: I must summit Mount Kilimanjaro before my rival guide to win the ultimate prize.

But this once-in-a-lifetime trip was never about winning to me. I’m here for answers, even if no one is ready to give them up. By the time we reach the top I will have the truth, if it kills me.

THE QUESTION IS, HOW FAR WILL THEY GO TO KEEP ME QUIET?

MY REVIEW

What a thriller! 

Florence and Jacob are each leading a small team of wealthy, and demanding, important clients on the annual extreme company trip – to climb Mount Kilimanjaro!

Hugo, the boss of Blackmore Vintage Travel is preparing to hand over the reins to his successful travel business. He has laid down a challenge. The first to the summit, with their team and having raised the most funds for charity, will be the winner. He wants to see them going over and above, to impress him with their ideas. But can Hugh be trusted?

The story is told from two POV’s; Florence and Jacob, both of whom are desperate to win. There are plenty of secrets which are revealed little by little as the teams climb the mountain. The tension builds as the climb progresses 

The description of the climb, the harsh environment and the difficulties the body is put through under such pressure, had me completely immersed. As an added bonus, I learned a bit about the mountain, the distance to climb it, as well as the different routes to one of the peaks. Very interesting. 

Thank you Rosie at Headline Books for kindly sending me a proof.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Karen Hamilton spent her childhood in Angola, Zimbabwe, Belgium and Italy and worked as a flight attendant for many years. She has now put down roots in the UK to raise her three children with her husband and she also writes full time.

Publication date: 27/7/23

Publisher: Hutchinson Heinemann

SYNOPSIS

From the outside, she has an enviable life: a successful career, stunning looks, a beautiful house in the suburbs, two healthy children, and most importantly, an ideal husband. After fifteen years together, she is still besotted with him. But she’s never quite sure that her passion is reciprocated.

Determined to keep their relationship perfect, she meticulously prepares for every encounter they have, always taking care to make her actions seem effortless. She watches him attentively, charting every mistake and punishing him accordingly to help him improve. And she tests him – setting traps to make sure that he still loves her just as much as he did when they first met.

Until one day she realizes she may have gone too far . . .

With the surprise of Gone Girl, the bleakness of The Talented Mr Ripley and the sinister charm of the Netflix thriller You, My Husband is a bold and exhilarating story of passion and the dark secrets that lie beneath a seemingly healthy marriage.

‘The exceptional My Husband has everything I look for in a novel: chic, beguiling and deeply unhinged’Juno Dawson

MY REVIEW

A delicious delve into the dark and disturbed mind of a besotted wife.

The wife is obsessed by her husband. After 13 years of marriage she is still madly in love with him.

She has no interest in her two children. She didn’t want them. She doesn’t like anyone taking precious time away from the time she spends with her husband.

But she fears he is going to leave her. He told her they need to talk about something important. In her mind, this is it. This is the moment he tells her he is leaving her.

The book is told almost entirely from the POV of the wife. We find the lengths she goes to to remain perfect for ‘my husband’ so he will still love her.

We find the punishments she slyly doles out to him, without him appearing to notice. But it makes her feel better.

Written over a week in their lives, it is addictive reading. I couldn’t wait to find out what the important conversation was about!

This book is perfect for psychology students!

Thank you Marie-Louise at Hutchinson Heinemann for my proof copy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Maud Ventura is 30 years old and lives in Paris. She led the podcast division of one of France’s major radio stations and speaks fluent English. My husband, her first novel, won France’s first novel prize, and was a best seller.

Published 18^th July 2023 by Thomas & Mercer, available in Hardcover, Kindle eBook, Audiobook.

SYNOPSIS

A modern-day Lazarus is humanity’s last hope in a breathtaking novel about the absolute powers of good and evil by Dean Koontz, the #1 New York Times bestselling master of suspense.

Michael Mace, head of security at a top-secret research facility, opens his eyes in a makeshift morgue twenty-four hours following an event in which everyone perished―including him and his best friend, Shelby Shrewsberry.

Having awakened with an extraordinary ability unlike anything he―or anyone else―has ever imagined, Michael is capable of being as elusive as a ghost. He sets out to honor his late friend by helping Nina Dozier and her son, John, whom Shelby greatly admired. Although what Michael does for Nina is life changing, his actions also evoke the wrath of John’s father, a member of one of the most violent street gangs in Los Angeles.

But an even greater threat is descending: the Internal Security Agency’s most vicious assassin, Durand Calaphas. Calaphas will stop at nothing to get his man. If Michael dies twice, he will not live a third time.

From the tarnished glamour of Beverly Hills to the streets of South Central to a walled estate in Rancho Santa Fe, only Michael can protect Nina and John―and ensure that light survives in a rapidly darkening world.

MY REVIEW

Shelby brings his friend Michael in to the Beautification Research Project to be chief of its security team….

Unfortunately every member of staff in the building dies. Whilst lying in the makeshift morgue alongside the other 54 employees, Michael comes back to life.

Michael needs to work out what he is going to do with these strange powers he now has. But first, for Shelby, he needs to save Nina and her teenage son. She is scared her violent ex is going to take him.

Michael is being hunted by Calaphas, a super intelligent ‘manageable sociopath’ who works for the ISA – the Internal Security Agency. They believe in the ‘New Truth’. Calaphas has a very strange take on reality is. With absolutely no conscience, he enjoys killing. Michael, on the other hand, has never killed although he has had the training to do so.

Laugh out loud moments in the misunderstood conversations between two of the gang who are trying to kill Nina and her son. Plenty of suspense and action. Oh and a couple of scary robotic AI dogs!

This is the first book I have read by this author. I thoroughly enjoyed the pace, the setting, the characters and the writing style. I will be reading more.

Thank you FMcM for my spot on the blog tour.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dean Koontz is the author of many #1 bestsellers. His books have sold over five hundred million copies in thirty-eight languages, and The Times has called him a ‘literary juggler’. He lives in Southern California with his wife, Gerda, and their golden retriever, Elsa.

Publication Day : 20/7/23

Publisher : Bantam

SYNOPSIS

Escape to paradise.
Scuba diving instructor Cass leads her students out for their first dive off the beautiful coast of Koh Sang, Thailand’s world-famous party island. It’s supposed to be a life-changing experience, but things quickly spiral out of control…

Leave your secrets behind.
By the time she gets back to the shore, one of her students is dead, another badly injured, and she knows that her idyllic life is about to be smashed to pieces on the rocks.

But don’t get lost for ever…
Because someone is making sure that backpackers never leave paradise – one murder at a time. And Cass has a feeling she might be next…

MY REVIEW

What an absolutely brilliant psychological thriller!

Set on a small island, Koh Sang, the descriptions of the island, the local bar and the diving school had me feeling like I was sitting on that white sand beach watching as the action unfolded.

This is, however, not the backpacker paradise it initially appeares. Most of ‘The Permanents’ – travellers who have made this their home – have something to hide. This is the island of secrets. When a girl is found dead, a presumed suicide, the cover ups begin and the perfect lives of those hiding on the island are threatened.

The story unfolds cleverly towards a storm when the action picks up to a mind blowing finale. And then there is the epilogue which left me with my jaw on the table!

An absolute must read – but not if you are planning on backpacking 😏

Huge thanks to Becky Hunter for sending me a proof copy to review.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sara Ochs is an author, law professor, and avid traveler. Born and raised in Upstate New York, Sara and her husband now split their time between the United States and Sweden. 

When she’s not turning one of the many places she’s visited into the setting of her next thriller, she can usually be found trip planning.

Sara’s debut novel, a thriller set on a remote Thai island, will be published as THE DIVE in the UK and territories in July ‘23 and as THE RESORT in the USA in February ‘24.

You can follow along with her writing journey on Instagram @saraochsauthor and Twitter @Ochswrites.

Delighted to be sharing the news Salvation is now available to preorder!

Due out 28/9/23

AMAZON UK:
amzn.to/3q2IOzT

AMAZON USA:
amzn.to/3pTaxTA

AMAZON CANADA:
amzn.to/3K3Z2Q1

SYNOPSIS

John Garvey, known to his family and friends as a biker, mechanic, gun runner, drug dealer,
oh and a killer. Not many know of his secret he’s held onto for centuries. That he is, in truth, a fallen angel.
Banished to Earth and tied to the guitar that he always keeps by his side.
Federal Agent Marion Kern is on the trail of a murderer whose victim is far from ordinary.
With extra organs and strange scars across his back, the seemingly young man was killed
with a golden bullet.
Stranger still, the only thing stolen from the scene of the crime was the victim’s guitar.
Jude is on a mission from Hell. A hitman tasked with killing the fallen angels trapped on
Earth. With the end of his quest is in sight, he must seduce the daughter of his final target to
get close to his victim. He never thought he’d fall in love.
His mission is now complicated and could be compromised.
On the line is the one thing Judas has sought through all his years: salvation.

SYNOPSIS

Autumn Laine has lost her creative sparkle. After losing her grandad and her job as an illustrator in quick succession, she is at a crossroads in life and needs a break. Spending time with her parents in Paris, even in the artistic community of Montmartre, doesn’t appear to be the answer.
So when her penpal, Rosie, invites her to stay in the Lake District, Autumn jumps at the chance to get away from the hustle and bustle of Paris. After all, where better to re-discover her creativity than the place which inspired her heroine, Beatrix Potter?
Arriving at the picturesque lakeside village of Willowdale, Autumn is swept up by the beauty and magic of the stunning landscape. Welcomed into the community with open arms, she slowly starts to feel like herself again as her creative instincts re-ignite.
But when she meets Dane, who has escaped to the Lakes for his own reasons, will Autumn’s walls come down to let someone in again after so long? Or will the secrets of her past continue to hold her back?
A new beginning is a daunting prospect, but could it be the start of something wonderful too..?
Join million-copy bestseller Jessica Redland for a brand new series, full of love, friendship and
community.

Purchase Link – https://mybook.to/Startsomethingsocial

I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Autumn and her pen friend of 24 years, Rosie.

When Autumn is at a low point in her life she decides now is the time to meet her pen friend face to face, for the first time after 24 years of writing letters to each other. They have developed a very strong friendship, supporting each other through life’s ups and downs.

Autumn arrives at Rosie’s house in the Lake District, where Rosie lives with her mother who has a form of PTSD following an accident many years earlier.

It isn’t long before Rosie meets her potential love interest, Dean. He literally bumps into her.

All three main characters have previous relationships they need to move on from.

Walking in the shoes of Beatrix Potter, the reason Rosie got into illustration, helps her to gain back her drawing mojo and find herself.

It was lovely reading the references to Potter’s books and the area she lived in. I have been to the Lake District many times but never visited her house. I feel the need to now!

And ‘that’ poem! Had me in tears!

A wonderful, emotional but uplifting start to a new series and I look forward to what happens next.

Thank you Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for my spot on the blog tour.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jessica Redland writes emotional but uplifting stories of love, friendship, family and community. Her Whitsborough Bay books transport readers to the stunning North Yorkshire Coast where she lives with her husband, daughter and sprocker spaniel. Her Hedgehog Hollow series, set in a hedgehog
rescue centre, takes readers into the beautiful rolling countryside of the Yorkshire Wolds.
Social Media Links
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100004465368404
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JessicaRedland
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicaredlandauthor/
Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/JessicaRedlandNews
Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jessica-redland

Publication Date : 6 July 2023

Publisher : Mantle (Pan MacMillan)

SYNOPSIS

The Barbary Coast, 1621. A mysterious vessel silently rides the swell. She is known only as the Ghost Ship. For these past months, her crew has fought to liberate those enslaved by corsairs. But the two bravest mariners on board are not who they seem. And the stakes could not be higher: if captured, they will be hanged for their alleged crimes…

The Ghost Ship is the third novel in the Number One bestselling series The Joubert Family Chronicles, following The Burning Chambers and The City of Tears, which have together sold more than 400,000 copies.

MY REVIEW

A superb historical fiction novel, partly based on real people and partly imagined. Quality writing, superb research and completely engrossing. I haven’t read the first two books in the series but I didn’t feel I had missed anything. This book can easily be read as a standalone. I will be going back and reading them as I enjoyed this one so much.

I love a book set on the sea, so although I enjoyed every page, my enjoyment moved up a notch or two from around the last third or so of the book when Louise and Gilles board the Old Moon, a merchant ship. The ship is owned by Louise, who is one of our main characters. She bought it when, at 25, she inherited lot of money.

Vivid descriptions of life on board a ship for weeks at a time, fighting for their lives during a particularly vicious storm, the captain dying and Louise taking over. It had always been her dream to be the commander of a ship, although in 1620 it is not the done thing, in fact it is unlucky to have a woman on the crew. She is prepared to change that thinking.

The second main character is Gilles, a young man who was ‘rescued’ by Louise and taken under her wing. They become close. He has quite a secret. We learn of his difficult upbringing, and about his going to work for his uncle at a young age.

I was completely absorbed in this book, gripped from the prologue in which the commander of the ghost ship is waiting to be hanged.

Thank you Anne at Random Things Tours for my spot on the blog tour and my copy of the book.

BLOG TOUR HOSTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The Founder of the Women’s Prize for Fiction and recently launched Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction, Mosse is an award-winning novelist, playwright, essayist and non-fiction writer. Her most recent feminist non-fiction book, Warrior Queens and Quiet Revolutionaries: How Women (Also) Built the World (October 2022), is now the basis for a one-woman theatre show, touring UK venues from 28 February-12 April 2023, in which Mosse will celebrate the lives of extraordinary, brilliant, trail-blazing and heroic women from throughout history whose names deserve to be better known.

Book Info:

Genre: Fantasy, YA, Magic

Length: 446 Pages

Published: 23rd August 2022

SYNOPSIS

Hopes. Dreams. And literal nightmares out to kill a young boy.

Gray Lexly, son of a candlemaker, wants to escape his life of old-world technologies and study at the prestigious Astra Academy, a school for arcanists—those who can wield magic. But Gray has a major problem. Every night, as he sleeps, he’s visited by monsters. When they injure Gray in his dreams, he wakes with the same wounds in real life…

On the night Gray might finally die in his nightmares, he is saved by the kind and mysterious Professor Helmith, a powerful arcanist. She offers to protect Gray and invites him to attend Astra Academy.

Before that can happen, Gray must bond with a mystical creature to become an arcanist himself. Will he bond with a unicorn? A pegasus? A kitsune? Whatever he bonds with will determine his magical abilities, so he must choose wisely.

And when trouble finds Professor Helmith, Gray must become powerful enough to help her and fend off the terrible nightmares, before it’s too late…

Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Academy-Arcanist-1-Astra/dp/1957613173

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60839624-academy-arcanist?

MY REVIEW

I’m delighted to be part of the Ultimate Blog Tour for this wonderfully addictive read which I thoroughly enjoyed.

I enjoyed getting lost in the world of magic and magical creatures; eldrins and arcanists. I whizzed through it in just a few sittings.

Grey does not want to live his life on the small island where he lives nor does he want to become a candlemaker, like his dad.

He has been having nightmares where he is being attacked by monster spider puppets, and he is bringing the injuries with him when he wakes. Of course, his father and stepmother don’t believe his stories. In his dreams, he meets Professor Helmith. She protects him and tells him all about the Astra Academy where she teaches magic, and that is his decision made. He will go there but has to wait two years until he is 15.

Just after his 15th birthday he heads to the academy with his twin brother. They have not yet bonded with a magical creature, having little choice on their island, so they hope they will each find one in the menagerie, below the academy.

The menagerie section of the story with the magical animals is so very well described. I could have carried on reading more about all the animals and their individual Trials of Worth, which a human has to pass to be considered eligible to bond. Bonds are forever and make each party stronger.

Move forward a short time to lessons. Grey has been so excited to meet Professor Helmith in real life but she doesn’t recognise him. He knows her so well, even her walk, so realises this woman is an imposter.

That’s far enough into the story for my review! I think fans of Harry Potter and perhaps Percy Jackson will enjoy this book. The world is set years ago, just as steam engines and plumbing are being invented.

I enjoyed getting to know the different students and their magical animals, or once bonded they are now arcanists and eldrins.

I’m definitely going to be reading the rest of this series.

Thank you to The Write Reads for my E copy of the book and my spot on the blog tour.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shami Stovall is a multi-award-winning author of fantasy and science fiction. Before that, she taught history and criminal law at the college level, and loved every second. When she’s not reading fascinating articles and books about ancient China or the Byzantine Empire, Stovall can be found playing way too many video games, especially RPGs and tactics simulators.

If you want to contact her, you can do so at the following locations:

Website: https://sastovallauthor.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GameOverStation/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SAStovall/

Email: s.adelle.s@gmail.com