#BlogTour The Secret of Karabakh by Fidan Bagirova

 It's my turn on the BlogTour The Secret of Karabakh by Fidan Bagirova.

About the Author

Fidan Bagirova is a writer, sculptor and multimedia artist. She was born in Geneva, to parents from Azerbaijan. They, like hundreds of thousands of others, lost everything during the Armenian invasion described in The Secret of Karabakh, and for Fidan, writing this novel has been a way of expressing her longing for the Azerbaijani people’s identity and stolen heritage. Follow @FidanBagirova1 on Twitter

About the book

You are not who you think you are. Your future is not what you think it will be. You are in danger…

 Alana Fulton, the beloved only child of wealthy American parents, is bookish and passionate about the past. In the final stages of a PhD in archaeology at the University of Cambridge, Alana’s future is bright and assured. Then comes the anonymous note: You are not who you think you are. Suddenly, everything in her life – including her sense of self – is under assault.

As Alana flees unknown pursuers and mounting danger, all that is familiar crumbles away. In time, it becomes clear to Alana why she’s being pursued; and she must ask herself where her loyalties and her future lie.

Review

It's a timely story, in a sense that it serves as a reminder how quickly an entire culture and population can fade into obscurity, due to the actions of an enemy and aggressor. The world watches as atrocities are committed, genocide takes place, and entire generations are killed, disappeared and displaced.

Alana, the daughter of wealthy American parents, suddenly becomes the target of an anonymous person. There doesn't seem to be any logical reason for the targeted harassment and threats, and then there are also the curious notes. Suggesting that she is living a lie, that Alana is not who she thinks she is.

The deeper Alana digs for the truth the more shocking the details get. Life as she knows it is a staged play for the global world to keep her family safe - who is determined to threaten that security.

It's a thriller with political and historical overtones, a learning experience whilst delivering a gripping read. Simultaneously it's also very much a story about culture, identity and family. I enjoyed the fact it had a poetic tone to the prose - the writing echoes how deep this is rooted in emotion and history. I almost wished the path that leads Alana to her heritage and past wasn't paved with the stones of a thriller - the story of the past would have been sufficiently beautiful.

Buy The Secret of Karabakh at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Lume Books pub date 14 April 2022. Buy via Lume Books.

#Blogtour To Become an Outlaw by Peter Murphy

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour To Become an Outlaw by Peter Murphy.

'When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw' - Nelson Mandela

About the Author

Peter Murphy graduated from Cambridge University and spent a career in the law, as an advocate, teacher, and judge. He has worked both in England and the United States, and served for several years as counsel at the Yugoslavian War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague. As well as Verbal, the seventh book in the Ben Schroeder series, he has written two political thrillers about the US presidency, Removal and Test of Resolve. His latest series, featuring Judge Walden, returned in 2019 with a fresh series of cases. He lives in Cambridgeshire.

About the book

1964, Apartheid South Africa. Danie du Plessis, the son of a conservative Afrikaner family, is poised to start a glittering legal academic career at one of South Africa's leading universities, when he falls in love with a student, Amy Coetzee. But there's a problem: he's white, she's not. Facing arrest, imprisonment and ruin, the couple flee South Africa, and settle in Cambridge, where friends find them positions at the University. They marry and have two children, and have seemingly put the past, and South Africa, behind them. But in 1968 Art Pienaar enters their lives, and, insisting that they have a duty to fight back, enlists their help in increasingly dangerous schemes to undermine the South African regime.

When Pienaar and a notorious drug dealer, Vince Cummings, are found murdered together, Danie's activities come to light, and he and his family find themselves in mortal danger. Danie is also threatened with criminal prosecution on behalf of a government desperate to maintain good relations with the apartheid regime. Danie knows he's sailed close to the wind. But has he become an outlaw? Can Ben Schroeder persuade a jury that the answer is no?

Review

I think this is an interesting one, and slightly different for this particular author. It wades into a complex political and human rights issue, that has faded into the chests of history a little. I can remember the global pressure and outcry to demand an end to apartheid. Of course that is what people tend to remember and not the many years of oppression, the victims of the segregation laws, and certainly not the nameless people fighting against the oppressive system.

In this eighth book in the Ben Schroeder series a question arise of what exactly constitutes an outlaw, a criminal - an enemy of the state. Aside from the minutiae details of the actual legal case, there is a bigger discussion about whether the people who fight against the rule of law of a country or state are indeed outlaws if the rule of law or the government/dictator in charge are guilty of the crime of oppression, human rights offences or any crime considered an atrocity to the greater world. 

The word domestic terrorist, activist, rebel and outlaw take on a completely different meaning when the opponent is cruel hatemonger. It's neither a lack or white answer - it all depends on each variable. It's an interesting legal crime read, which is fleshed out by the story that is very much the bigger picture in this premise.

Buy To Become an Outlaw at Amazon Uk . Publisher: No Exit Press; Published 21 April 2022 - Paperback - £9.99. Buy at Amazon com. Buy at No Exit Press.

#Blogtour for The Blood Trials by N.E. Davenport

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour for The Blood Trials by N.E. Davenport. The Blood Gift series is definitely one to keep an eye on, as is the author.

About the Author

Nia "N.E." Davenport is the Science Fiction/Fantasy author of The Blood Trials and its sequel (Harper Voyager). She attended the University of Southern California and studied Biological Sciences and Theatre Arts. She also has an M.A. in Secondary Education. She teaches English and Biology to amazing students. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys vacationing with her family, skiing, and being a huge foodie. She’s an advocate for diverse perspectives and protagonists in literature. 

Follow @Nia_Davenport on Twitter or @nia.davenport on Instagram, where she talks about binge-worthy TV, killer movies, and great books. She lives in Texas with her husband and kids.

About the book

It’s all about blood. - Blood spilled long ago between the Republic of Mareen and the armies of the Blood Emperor, ending all blood magic.

Now there is peace in the Republic – but there is also a strict class system, misogyny, and racism. Her world is not perfect, but Ikenna survived in it. Until now.

With the murder of her grandfather, Ikenna spirals out of control. Though she is an initiate for the Republic’s deadly elite military force, Ikenna has a secret only her grandfather knew: she possesses the blood magic of the Republic’s enemies.

Ikenna throws herself into the gladiatorial war games at the heart of her martial world: trials that will lead her closer to his killers. Under the spotlight, she subjects herself to abuse from a society that does not value her, that cherishes lineage over talent – all while hiding gifts that, if revealed, would lead to execution or worse. Ikenna is willing to risk it all to find out who killed her grandfather…

So she can end them.

Review

When your chosen path, your destined path even, is ripped away from you when you least expect it, then you're allowed to feel salty about it. If the rerouting of your path is fueled by a need to seek the truth and vengeance, then the salty attitude is understandable, although it may cost you a friend or two on the way there. The murder of Ikenna's grandfather changes her path and sets her on a bloodthirsty, ruthless and character defining one instead.

I loved Ikenna's anger - rage even.  Is that wrong of me, to enjoy the growly ragey killey vibe Ikenna brings to the table throughout the entire story? The 'I don't give two goats - I will never forget and always remember to dot my t's and i's, with the weapon of my choice' - yeh that vibe.

It certainly has a Brown's Howler's vibe, and a societal structure fights for restructure and against oppression Red Rising vibe. It doesn't shy away from the need to assert, for the show of violence, and it doesn't pull any punches. I enjoyed the snarly, snarky, I talk the talk and walk the walk attitude and feel of the story. Ikenna is such a strongly written voracious character that she leaves a lasting impression.

I have to say I am absolutely loving all of the new voices, directions and reinventions of genres. Davenport is definitely an author to watch going forward. Fantastic energy, creative and wonderfully powerful main character. I would love to see this in screen format. Bring on the next one - soon!

Buy The Blood Trials at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏:  HarperVoyager pub date 14 April 2022. Buy at Amazon com. At Harper Collins.

#BlogTour How to Spot a Psychopath by M.Q. Webb

It's my turn on the BlogTour How to Spot a Psychopath by M.Q. Webb.

About the Author 

MQ Webb enjoys writing thrillers, suspense, mysteries and horror. They once worked in an office in a building that was actually an old goal.

How to Spot a Psychopath is the first book in the Oscar de la Nuit series. Follow @marswebb1 on Twitter

About the book

When four-year-old Mia Edwards goes missing on a play date, everyone suspects that Jessica Green knows what happened to her, especially Mia's mother, Holly, but Jessica isn't talking, and time is running out to find Mia alive. What isn't Jess saying?

Forensic Psychiatrist Dr. Oscar de la Nuit knows he can help Jessica, but first he must face his tragic past and confront his own demons to uncover a truth no one expected.

Review

Dr. Oscar de la Nuit is certain he can make Jessica talk, so far nobody has managed to get Jessica to speak about the whereabouts of a young child who disappeared under her supervision. Not one word. Is Mia alive or dead? What kind of monster harms a four-year-old child?

Oscar is convinced he can get to the bottom of the terrible crime, and in doing so put some of his own demons to rest. But best laid plans and all that jazz. It turns out there is a lot more behind Jessica's silence than he could ever have anticipated. If anyone knows what it means to keep secrets and deal with trauma Oscar does. Sometimes it's best to let sleeping dogs lie and let the lies become the truth.

I guessed the what within the first few chapters, which left me more invested in how do we get to that point and how did everyone end up in the situation, but perhaps more importantly what is the real danger going forward? Oscar will be an interesting character to watch going forward, because he seems unable to keep his own agenda out of his structured and well-defined job space.

It needs a bit of a polish, fine-tuning if you will, and this over eager Forensic Psychiatrist who is a little lazy when it comes to ethics and rules, will possibly become a slow-burning pleasure.

Buy How to Spot a Psychopath at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎TBR pub date 20 April 2022. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour Vanda by Marion Brunet

It's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour Vanda by Marion Brunet, translated by Katherine Gregor. 

'Vanda follows on from the success of last year’s The Summer of Reckoning: winner of the prestigious French mystery prize Grand Prix de Littérature policière, shortlisted for the CWA International Dagger in the UK, The Times Book of the Month.'

About the Author

Marion Brunet, born in 1976, is a well-known Young Adult and Literary Fiction author in France. Her YA novels have received over 30 prizes, including the 2017 UNICEF Prize for Youth Literature. Marion has previously worked as a special needs educator and now writes her fiction in Marseilles.

Vanda follows on from the success of Summer of Reckoning and is her second work to be translated into English. Follow Marion Brunet on Goodreads

About the Translator

Katherine Gregor lives in London and has recently translated works by Alexander Pushkin from the Russian and plays by Carlo Goldoni and Luigi Pirandello from the Italian. Follow translator Katherine Gregor @ScribeDoll on Twitter

About the book

Set in Marseilles, this is the story of Vanda, a beautiful woman in her thirties, arms covered in tats, skin so dark that some take her for a North African. Devoted to her six-year-old son Noé, they live in a derelict shed by the beach. She had wanted to be an artist; she is now a cleaner in a psychiatric hospital. But Vanda is happy living alone with her boy. “The two of them against the world”, as she says. 

Everything changes when Simon, the father of her son, surfaces in Marseilles. He had left Vanda seven years earlier, not knowing that she was pregnant. When Simon demands custody of his son, Vanda’s suppressed rage threatens to explode. The tension becomes unbearable, both parents fully capable of extreme violence.

Review

I know for many this story equates to an image of motherhood, the lioness who will protect her offspring no matter the consequences. She will do anything to keep the outside world from taking him and interfering. That relationship takes precedence above everything and anyone else, including that of the other parent - in this case the father who doesn't become aware of his son until six years after Vanda gave birth to him.

I didn't take any of that away from this story. What stands out for me is the pure narcissism, the selfishness, and the complete and utter lack of accountability for choices and actions. Vanda lives life on the seat of her pants. Instant gratification is her mantra - people, parties, substance abuse and of course sexual gratification.

Does that mean Vanda isn't a victim of a patriarchal society, of abuse or assault? Does it mean she isn't a strong woman who is willing to stand up for what is right and protect the weaker? No, but it also doesn't negate the fact she isn't a perfect example of motherhood. This story is a perfect example of neglect, of a bond created on the lack of equality between a child who has no other source of basic needs than his mother, and a mother to whom he is a second thought and an obstacle.

So, no this wasn't an example of a paragon of virtuous motherhood and a strong woman protecting the bond between mother and child. It is one of a person who is incapable of making the right choices for her son, because her needs and sense of superiority and possession will always come first. To the detriment of herself, those around her, and of course her child.

Brunet has a knack for writing a story that can create a division and make us aware of the fact that depending on our own frame of references the reader will digest, experience and ultimately come to completely different views on the material they have read. It's also that noirish quality of her work, which captivates whilst stirring the emotions, that has readers coming back for more. The translator manages to capture the essence perfectly.

Buy Vanda at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Bitter Lemon Press, pub date 22 April 2022. Buy at Amazon com. Buy via Bitter Lemon Press.

#BlogTour A Man of Understanding by Diana Janney

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour A Man of Understanding by Diana Janney. A stand out piece of literary fiction.

About the Author

Diana Janney is the author of the novels The Choice and The Infinite Wisdom of Harriet Rose, which has been translated into German, Spanish, Dutch and Portuguese. It was produced by the BBC as an audiobook and the film rights were sold.

Formerly she practised as a barrister in London after having qualified as a solicitor at a leading City of London international law firm. She read Philosophy at University College, London, where she received a First for her Masters thesis on Kant and Hume, and three Scholarships. She has received international acclaim for her writing, which combines her philosophical knowledge with her wit, poetry and keen observation of human nature. Diana lives on the Kent/Sussex borders. She has spent most of her adult life living in London.

About the book

It takes a man of understanding to rebuild a shattered soul: a man with a deep and learned grasp of philosophy and poetry, a man who can nurture and inspire an enquiring mind, a man with the wit and humour to bring the world alive. That enigmatic man is Horatio Hennessey.

His grandson Blue is that shattered soul. Following the death of twelve-year-old Blue's parents, he arrives in the mountains of Mallorca, to live with the grandfather he has never met. But is Horatio, 'Granga' to Blue, upto the challenge? Or is he merely trying, through his own grandson, to make good his past? Gradually a bond evolves between them through a shared love of poetry. But when secrets are uncovered, will understanding turn to misunderstand? Will two souls be shattered this time?

Review

One could say it's pretentious and ambitious  - it certainly speaks of a belief in a certain level of academic prowess and talent, when literary work is described in the confines, boundaries and expectations of poetry, philosophy and literature. And here we are. This book manages to work within those expectations, cross the boundaries and expand upon the expectations, and it is also so much more at the same time.

I tell no lie when I say that I shed a tear at the end. Not for the story or the characters per se, but rather for the beauty this work entails and encompasses, and brings together so seamlessly. A melding of word art, emotional turmoil and entwining it with such a firm grasp on existential thoughts and fears.

No thought or word to be uttered without deeper introspection. No interaction noted or action taken without an exploration of depth of connection, of creativity, and acknowledgement of simply being - of existence.

I adored it. I love the art of poetry, and questions of philosophy that burn to be dissected. This is such a wonderful combination of the two, which is only enhanced by the presence of the Blue and Horatio. The stripping of persona and relationships to the core of inner essence - soul, if one can identify something so elusive and tangible. Then using core emotions of grief, abandonment, the need to belong and be loved to drive this powerful story to a conclusion, which is in itself once more a beginning or end, a door to be closed or opened. Beautiful work.

Buy A Man of Understanding at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Cogito Publishing, pub date 7th April 2022 - paperback - £8.99. Buy via Cogito Publishing.

#Blogtour Who's Lying Now? by Susan Lewis

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Who's Lying Now? by Susan Lewis.

About the Author

Susan Lewis is the internationally bestselling author of over forty books across the genres of family drama, thriller, suspense and crime, including I Have Something To Tell You, One Minute Later, My Lies, Your Lies and Forgive Me. Susan’s novels have sold over three million copies in the UK alone. She is also the author of Just One More Day and One Day at a Time, the moving memoirs of her childhood in Bristol during the 1960s. 

Susan has previously worked as a secretary in news and current affairs before training as a production assistant working on light entertainment and drama. She’s lived in Hollywood and the South of France, but now resides in Gloucestershire with husband James, two stepsons and dog, Mimi. Follow @susanlewisbooks on Twitter

About the book

You think you’re safe. You think you know your neighbours. But can you ever really know who’s telling the truth?

Jeannie Symonds is a force to be reckoned with – an eccentric, award-winning publisher, spending lockdown with her husband in a house near Kesterly-on-Sea. She seems to have it all: a high-flying career, a happy marriage, a niece she adores. - And then one day, she vanishes.

Cara Jakes is a new trainee investigator – young, intelligent and eager to prove herself. When she teams up with detective Andee Lawrence to look into the disappearance, she is determined to find out what has really happened to Jeannie. Cara begins to question the residents of this close-knit community, sure that someone has a secret to hide. - But how can she separate the truth from the lies?

Review

It's a dark domestic psychological thriller with the cosy contemporary feel of a romance or chic-lit - a very interesting vibe. Think Midsomer Murder, but without the police as main characters and all the characters have skin in the game. Then to make things a little bit more interesting the story moves from past, present, recent past - before, after and during the event.

Jeannie Symonds has it all, husband, house, career and yet her eye likes to roam and she has also made plenty of enemies on her path of success and wealth. Enough enemies for someone to make her disappear perhaps? Or has she just taken herself off for a bit of me-time.

I enjoyed the way this sort of swayed from one end of the genre spectrum to the other, especially from a style perspective. Gossipy Dynasty like relationships with complex familial structures, interrogation and interview techniques that jump from Christie clue solving to methodical calculated moves, only to be thrown off by the erratic choices of certain characters.

Gotta say though, there is this bit at the end in the last few pages. Hmm it had me doubting the entire plot and solution - was that the intention? Just throw a red herring and see if it lands in the frying pan? Or is there more to come. Lewis can be just a tad wicked.

Buy Who's Lying Now? at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins pub date 14 April 2022. Buy at Amazon com. At Harper Collins.

#BlogTour The Mersey Mothers by Sheila Riley

It's my turn on the BlogTour The Mersey Mothers by Sheila Riley. This is the third book in the Reckoner's Row series.

About the Author

Sheila Riley wrote four #1 bestselling novels under the pseudonym Annie Groves and is now writing the Reckoner's Row series under her own name. She has set it around the River Mersey and its docklands near to where she spent her early years. She still lives in Liverpool. Follow Sheila on @1sheilariley Twitter, Facebook, @sheilarileynovelist on Instagram, Sign up to her newsletter here

About the book

Liverpool 1953 - January sees the dawn of the Queen Elizabeth’s Coronation year as the mothers of Reckoners Row unite in preparation for the celebration of the new Queen.

Meanwhile Evie Kilgaren is dreaming of her summer wedding to Danny Harris, but trouble looms for Skinner & Sons with a new rival trying to put them out of business, but no-one knows why....

Ada Harris is summoned to the bedside of her estranged husband, who, in his dying moment confesses to a deadly secret - he knows who really murdered Evie’s mam Rene all those years ago and the consequences are far reaching.

Has an innocent man been jailed and is there still a murderer walking carefree? Will Evie get the happy-ever-after she so longs for with Danny? And will The Mersey Mothers unite and still be friends?

Review

If you've stumbled upon the Reckoner's Row series before the beginning of the book gives us the events of The Mersey Orphan from a different perspective. That common thread or event now serves as the intro to the lives of the children left behind as they deal with the complications of a post-war world and adulthood.

Evie and Danny fight to keep his business afloat in the lead up to their nuptials. It seems someone is playing dirty when it comes to trying to shut them down for good. On top of that a killer close to home has escaped and is intent on finding himself some justice. It's a constantly moving daily bag of troubles, strife, love and friendship, which is of course what readers are looking for in this kind of saga meets historical fiction with just enough cosy and large portion of reality.

Kudos also for the timely plot in regard to the coronation. What better way to give a nod to the upcoming milestone by referencing the beginning of her journey, the country and its people, who embraced the moment of light after times of loss and darkness.

The author gives readers a Cookson style relatable plot, but with less misery and more satisfying character developments if you like a wee bit of joy with your hard times.

Buy The Mersey Mothers at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎ Boldwood Books pub date 19 April 2022. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour Trouble: A memoir by Marise Gaughan

It's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour Trouble by Marise Gaughan - a stunning literary memoir from an exceptional Irish writer and comedian.

About the Author

Marise Gaughan was born in Dublin in 1991, and began doing stand-up in the open mic nights of Los Angeles in 2016. Now living in London, she continues to perform in all the major UK and Irish clubs and festivals. 

Her award-winning debut show 'Drowning' premiered at the Dublin Fringe festival in 2018 and was awarded the Women's Irish Network Arts Bursary. Se presented a weekly radio segment on Ireland's lyric.fm during lockdown that the Irish Times called 'edgy, honest and funny'. This is her first book. Visit marisegaughan.com

About the book

Marise was nine when she first realised there was trouble, 14 when her Dad tried to end it all, and 23 when he finally succeeded.

In a turmoil of conflicting emotions Marise, the child who is left behind, runs - from Dublin to Amsterdam to Los Angeles, leaving a trail of sex and self-destruction in her wake. Until finally, she finds herself facing what she’s become in a California psych ward, a girl imploding through trying to make sense of her father’s suicide.

In this brave and powerful memoir Marise retells her unravelling, from child to adult, she strips back her identity and her relationship with her father, layer by layer, until she starts to understand how to live with him, years after he has gone.

Written beautifully, with wit and unflinching honesty, Marise has produced one of the most profound coming-of-age memoirs of recent years, a stunning new voice in Irish writing.

Review

If you read a lot of memoirs and biographies, then you will know the difference between a memoir written with boundaries and one without. Boundaries can mean holding back for friends, family or even yourself, and there can even be a certain level of dissociation. Then there are memoirs like this one that are so open, brusque and frank, that the reader can feel all ranges of the emotions acutely.

The author reveals her journey from childhood to young adult, and the impact her relationship with her father and his subsequent suicide has on her. Coming to terms with her anger, disappointment and lack of control over the his actions, takes its toll on her and the relationships she cultivates. It's sometimes a hard journey to comprehend that your parent may have trauma, mental health issues that lead to destructive coping mechanisms.

I had to remind myself that there is such a thing as cultural divide when it comes to the interactions between parent and child in this book - Irish banter is very much a thing unto itself. It makes snark look like high-profile sniping. In the context of this family it is also what the family feels comfortable with, where perhaps others wouldn't.

The author has no filter, which means it can often be crude, explicit and viscerally challenging. In the same breathe it is also extremely honest, which could mean the difference between someone taking something away from this or nothing at all. I thought it was exceptional - a deep dive that will hopefully lead to some peace and healing.

Buy Trouble at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Monoray, pub date 7th April 2022 | Hardback | £12.99. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour #IWM Mailed Fist by John Foley

It's my turn on the BlogTour Mailed Fist by John Foley, it's another novel in the Wartime Classics series by the Imperial War Museum. Mailed Fist will cost £8.99. It is published by IWM and can be pre-ordered at their online shop here: Mailed-Fist-(IWM-Wartime-Classic)

Based on the author’s own experience with the British Army, Mailed Fist is reprinted in a new edition including an introduction from IWM, putting the work into historical context and shining a light on this fascinating experience of the Second World War.

About the Author

Major John Foley (1917–1974) was a British Army officer, author and broadcaster. He served in the British Army from 1936 until 1954 and attended the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, and passed out from officer training in 1943. Subsequently, Foley became a troop commander in the 107th Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps (King's Own).

He was awarded an MBE for his service with the unit during the North-West Europe campaign. He then became a military reporter and later worked in the Directorate of Public Relations at the War Office.

About the book

In April 1943, newly commissioned John Foley is posted to command Five Troop and their trusty Churchill tanks Avenger, Alert, and Angler – thus begins his initiation into the Royal Armoured Corps. Covering the trials of training, embarkation to France and battle experience through Normandy, the Netherlands, the Ardennes campaign and into Germany, Foley’s intimate and detailed account follows the fate of this group of men in the latter stages of the Second World War: If this book can be said to be a history of anything, it is a history of Five Troop. Not of the squadron, or of the regiment. 

If anybody wants to know what happened in other troops, or in other squadrons, it’s all recorded painstakingly in the War Diaries and lodged in a Records Office somewhere.

Review

To get the real gist of where Foley is coming from in this largely biographical and only lightly fictional story about Five Troop and his experiences with said troop, is the fact he doesn't present it as an experience of the regiment or squadron. It's more a band of brothers excerpt - one small moment of many between a few.

I think that in itself is indicative of what Foley wanted to share with his readers. The comprehension and acknowledgement of individuals in the vast numbers of participants. Small moments of brotherhood and bonding, of acceptance and survival.

One of the most poignant and prophetic sentences in the book is the author referencing the finishing touches being made to the atom bomb - 'starting a chain reaction which hasn't finished yet.' He couldn't have been more correct, we have lived in the shadow of this destructive invention and the consequences of its potential ever since. I think our current situation right now, dealing with a megalomaniacal dictator, who wouldn't think twice about becoming a continuation of said chain reaction.

It's a piece of war literature that has faded into the background, like many others of great importance - I can only commend the Imperial War Museum for reprinting and introducing all of these important works to new generations.

Buy Mailed Fist at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏:  Imperial War Museum pub date 21 April 2022. Buy at Imperial War Museum.

#Review #Booktok The Black Chalice by Lauretta Hignett

I thought it might be fun to randomly pick books to review that come up on my #fyp on TikTok, so here we go: #Booktok

About the book

My name is Eve, and I'm cursed. - It's just a theory, but I'm sure I'm cursed.  In every other way, I'm a completely normal, ordinary girl. There's just one thing. Every time I get close to someone, they go crazy and try to kill me.

It's happened more times than I care to count. And whenever I think I've found a new safe haven, violence always smashes through it. I've come to accept that there is nowhere safe on earth. Because it's me. It's my curse.

I've been doing okay lately. I even have a normal job - I'm night receptionist at Revelations, the most exclusive, isolated and top-secret hotel resort in the entire world. Only the richest people can afford to stay here, and they're more interested in themselves than they are in me. It's beautiful. I feel safe here.

Until last night, when I had a vivid dream about an angel and a demon.  It felt so real, it unsettled me. The angel was the most heartbreakingly handsome thing I've ever seen in my entire life.

I just can't shake the dream. Which is too bad. Because the angel just walked into reception. And he's standing right in front of me.

Review

Eve has a troubled past and finds comfort in the secluded nature of her place of employment. It caters only to the most privileged and wealthy, which can at times be quite frustrating. Eve also sometimes finds it hard to control her temper when confronted with arrogance, rudeness and disgusting behaviour.

Lately dreams and reality have started to merge into one and into the world as she knows it. Where hunky angels and demons go from vivid dreams to stirring up things for Eve in real time.

It has slight echoes of the First Grave series, well with urban fantasy there will always be an a semblance of something, and it is on the cusp of something, but not quite there yet. There is a lot of information in the angel, demon world-building - all thrown out there within a chapter or so. There is an imbalance between the lackadaisical interactions, and the potential between Eve, and the angel and demon. And, I might add, one can be a chalice without becoming a high-stakes assault target (sa).

It has plenty of potential though.

Buy The Black Chalice at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Buy at Amazon com.

Follow @laurettahignett, Visit laurettahignett.com

#BlogTour With This Kiss by Carrie Hope Fletcher

It's my turn on the BlogTour With This Kiss by Carrie Hope Fletcher.

About the Author

Carrie Hope Fletcher is an actress, singer, author and vlogger. Carrie's first book, All I Know Now, was a number one Sunday Times bestseller and her debut novel, On the Other Side, also went straight to number one.

Carrie played the role of Eponine in Les Misérables at the Queen's Theatre in London's West End for almost three years. She has since starred in and received awards for a number of productions including The War of the Worlds, The Addams Family and Heathers: The Musical. She is currently starring in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cinderella in the lead role.

Carrie lives just outside of London with numerous fictional friends that she keeps on bookshelves, just in case. Carrie loves to connect with readers on social media. Find her on: Twitter - @CarrieHFletcher, Instagram - @CarrieHopeFletcher and @PrattleandPages

About the book

From the outside, Lorelai is an ordinary young woman with a normal life. She loves reading, she works at the local cinema and she adores living with her best friend. But she carries a painful burden, something she's kept hidden for years; whenever she kisses someone on the lips, she sees how they are going to die.

Lorelai has never known if she's seeing what was always meant to be, or if it's her kiss that decides their destiny. And so, she hasn't kissed anyone since she was eighteen.

Then she meets Grayson. Sweet, clever, funny Grayson. And for the first time in years she yearns for a man's kiss. But she can't... can she? And if she does, should she try to intervene and change what she sees?

Sweepingly romantic, utterly original, and backed by a show-stopping campaign, prepare to fall in love.

Review

Lorelai has a special gift that determines her life and the love she chooses or not. She knows that sharing an intimate moment - a kiss - also means being confronted with the stark reality of destiny. It's too much to endure, which is why she is hesitant to love and care for someone. 

But love comes to us in unexpected moments and Lorelai has to navigate her feelings towards Grayson, which she finds increasingly hard to control, whilst simultaneously keeping him safe at all costs.

I must admit I was a little confused by the token trans moment, which fulfilled nothing other than an attempt to show allyship on the author's part. It was awkward, written from a perspective of everyone except that character and was just a superfluous moment with no plot context.

It's also Magical Realism that slots, as far as I am concerned, into the Young Adult category. It is written in a very young voice - teenage almost.

I loved the concept, but thought it wasn't given the opportunity to flourish and grow into something with more depth. The concept or premise of whether a person would choose to take the same path and create the same history and life if they knew where that path would eventually lead them. If you knew how long that path would be.

Buy With This Kiss at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎HQ pub date 14 April 2022. At Waterstones. At Harper Collins.

#Blogtour Breakneck Point by T. Orr Munro

Today it is a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Breakneck Point by T. Orr Munro.

About the Author

T.Orr Munri was born in Aldershot in Hampshire to an English mother and a Greek-Armenian father who moved to deepest Devon after recognising it would be a great place to raise their children.

She has a degree in Economic and Social History from Liverpool University and a PGCE in History and English.

After university she trained as a CSI, then later became a secondary school teacher. She changed career at thirty-three to become a police and crime journalist and is currently freelance.

She has  since returned with her family to live in North Devon, the setting for Breakneck Point, but heads to Greece as often as she can. Her time as a CSI provided much of the inspiration for her novel, shining a light on what happens behind the crime scene tape. Follow @TinaOrrMunro on Twitter, Find out about Tina on linktree

About the book

CSI Ally Dymond's commitment to justice has cost her a place on the major investigations team. After exposing corruption in the ranks, she's stuck working petty crimes on the sleepy North Devon coast.

Then the body of nineteen-year-old Janie Warren turns up in the seaside town of Bidecombe, and Ally's expert skills are suddenly back in demand.

But when the evidence she discovers contradicts the lead detective's theory, nobody wants to listen to the CSI who landed their colleagues in prison.

Time is running out to catch a killer no one is looking for - no one except Ally. What she doesn't know is that he's watching, from her side of the crime scene tape, waiting for the moment to strike.

Review

When your reputation is in tatters because you did the right thing and colleagues keep treating you like the unwanted guest. It gets a bit tedious and perhaps the reason Ally can be a little short-tempered, but then you would be a wee bit annoyed if a so-called expert was intentionally misreading the evidence at crime scenes, just because the CSI has been delegated to the dog house.

I really enjoyed the moral and indeed legal conundrum Ally's introduction is built upon. Yes, one could argue there isn't one at all, but hey that's exactly what the instability of her character is built on. The way colleagues react to and treat her, the way her career falls into a pit with no ladder. 

Doing the right thing, when those around you believe the right thing is protecting the boys in blue, as opposed to doing your job correctly. If telling the truth means a guilty person walks free and your colleagues end up behind bars, but the flipside means the system has no meaning, justice is null and void.

The author writes a strong character who is torn between professionalism, frustration and anger at the way a wall has been built around her. It sets her in a position many women find themselves in, where the men around her treat her like a child, a voice to be silenced, instead of acknowledging her expertise. A playbook straight out of real life. It's a good read.

Buy Breakneck Point at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎HQ pub date 14 April 2022. At Harper Collins. At Waterstones.

#BlogTour The Coffin Club by Jacqueline Sutherland

 

It's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour The Coffin Club by Jacqueline Sutherland

About the Author

Jacqueline (Jack) Sutherland worked in corporate PR and marketing for over twenty years and now works part time as a copywriter. A few years ago, she bought her husband a beehive for his birthday, and she draws on her knowledge of beekeeping in her debut thriller, The Coffin Club. She began writing the novel on the 2020 Faber Academy course. Jack lives in Guildford with her husband and their four boys. Follow @writerjac on Twitter

About the book

Everyone deserves a second chance. Don’t they? - After losing her husband in a car accident, leaving her permanently scarred, wealthy widow Kat Alexander moves to the countryside to start a new life. Mourning not only her husband, but her last chance of motherhood, Kat is distraught.

Encouraged by her new and only friend Ginny, owner of the local animal sanctuary, Kat joins Young and Widowed, dubbed ‘The Coffin Club’ by its members.

There she meets young Spanish widower, Nico. Instantly drawn to each other, Nico seems like Kat’s perfect match. He is kind, caring, handsome, eager to settle in the UK, and most importantly, a father to five-year-old Magdalena, ‘Midge’.

This could be Kat’s shot at the one thing she has always wanted: to be a mother. But sometimes, be careful what you wish for…

Review

This is probably a less is more kind of review - to ensure the true nature of the twist and characters remain a bit of a mystery, although the blurb is a hint of what lies ahead.

Kat is still fully present in her trauma. Losing her husband and also the chance of fulfilling a dream she has had forever - it has changed her and made life difficult to cope with. A friend introduces her to a group of people who are trying to cope with similar trauma, and another door opens in her very closed door life.

I think Kat is the kind of character readers will be on the fence about - what's wrong with having a bit of direction in life. Okay, here and there we may have a bit of collateral damage, but it might all come together in the end, and that's the most important thing - right?

Kudos to the author for the ending - it was just right. Nice and prickly, satisfying and left open to the vast realms of further plans, err accidents. It works as a standalone, but wouldn't it be fun to hear from Kat again in the future.

It's a deliciously dark read with a main character who knows no boundaries when it comes to her expectations and her agenda, she plans long-term and has no regrets. What's not to like?

Buy The Coffin Club at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Point Blank; pub date 7 April 2022 - Hardback £14.99. Buy at Amazon com. At Point Blank One World Publications.

#BlogTour Find You by Mary Burton

 

It's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour Find You by Mary Burton.

About the Author

Mary Burton has lived in Central Virginia for most of her life. She’s a graduate of Virginia’s Hollins University and and she worked in marketing before her first book was published in 2000. Today she’s the author of thirty-seven published novels and five novellas as Mary Burton and nine works of contemporary fiction as Mary Ellen Taylor, including Winter Cottage, Spring House, Honeysuckle Season, and the upcoming The Brighter the Light.

She is a member of International Thriller Writers, Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, Novelists, Inc., and Romance Writers of America. When not on the road for research or visits with readers at bookstores, book festivals and conferences, Mary remains very much a homebody. She and her husband spend time alternately enjoying their empty nest and spoiling their four-legged babies Buddy, Bella and Tiki. Visit maryburton.com

About the book

The chase is on in this utterly suspenseful and unputdownable mystery from New York Times bestselling author Mary Burton.

After being on the run for the last nine months, Kristen Rodale has finally settled in a small town in Virginia, where she hopes her dangerous and deadly brother Benito can never find her.

But former FBI agent, Dane Cambia, has other ideas: after his sister died at the hands of Kristen's brother, he wants to hunt Kristen down and use her as bait to get his final revenge on Benito.

Cambia manages to locate Kristen, setting his plan in motion. But playing into the killer’s hands is just the beginning of Kristen and Cambia’s new nightmare…

Review

Kristen has a price on her head. Her brother intends to make sure she never speaks about the crimes e as committed - the crimes she witnessed. He is willing to take anyone out to get to her, which means she has to disappear.

Dane Cambia is also on the hunt for Kristen. She is the perfect way to trap the man who murdered is sister, but he doesn't factor in actually getting to know and like the woman he is hunting down.

It's a crime read that veers into the romance genre. The connection between the two main characters crosses from target to protective behaviour. Vengeance is no longer a victimless option, which means some people have to re-evaluate their choices.

It's a fast paced read with a gangland vibe, which also filters in topics of abuse, loyalty, betrayal and of course the never quite black or white issue of revenge. It's what I would call a comfortable crime with a bit of action and bite.

Buy Find You at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏:  HQ Digital pub date 8 April 2022. 

#Blogtour #IWM Mr Bunting at War by Robert Greenwood

It's my turn on the BlogTour Mr Bunting at War by Robert Greenwood, it's another novel in the Wartime Classics series by the Imperial War Museum. Mr Bunting at War will cost £8.99. It is published by IWM and can be pre-ordered at their online shop here: Mr-Bunting-at-War-(IWM-Wartime-Classic)

Written in 1941, the novel itself is very much of its time and thus extremely patriotic in its depiction of the reaction to the Blitz, as well as showing Mr Bunting's own fears.

Both the book and the film were propagandist, depicting an ordinary family living on the outskirts of London and 'sticking it out' during the Blitz. However they also importantly demonstrate the significance of the home front in the wider narrative of the Second World War; a microcosm of suffering and sacrifice, and an illustration of the resilience it takes to make it through. - Alan Jeffreys, 2022

About the Author

Robert Greenwood ((1897 - 1981) was a novelist and writer. His first novel depicted the family and working life of the eponymous Mr Bunting (1940). His next novel, Mr Bunting at War (1941), continued this story in the first two years of the Second World War.

Mr Bunting at War was subsequently made into a film the following year entitled Salute John Citizen (1942), which proved tremendously popular at the box office.

Greenwood's other novel about the war was The Squad Goes Out (1943), which depicted the work of a voluntary ambulance squad during the London Blitz. 

Greenwood wrote eleven novels in total as well as a number of short stories, including Mr Bunting in the Promised Land (1949) which tells the story of the Bunting family in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War. He died in 1981.

About the book

George Bunting, businessman, husband and father, lives a quiet life at home in Labournam Villa in Essex, reading about the progress of the war in his trusty newspaper and heading to work every day at the same time to the warehouse where he has been employed for his entire adult life.

Viewed with an air of amusement by his children, Mr Bunting's war efforts subsist mainly of 'digging for victory' and erecting a dugout in the garden. But as the Second World War continues into the summer of 1940, the Battle of Britain rages in the skies and the bombs begin to rain down on London, this bumbling 'everyman' is forced to confront the true realities if the conflict. He does so with remarkable stoicism, imbuing him with a quiet dignity.

Review

I kinda think this is an interesting one, especially when you read the introduction. Given the timeline of Britain first being in the so-called Phoney War, ergo becoming perhaps a little complacent and thinking that everything would be an easy ride, then entering the Second World War in earnest with the subsequent losses and difficulties - it puts this story into perspective.

Essentially a propaganda piece to keep moral high and present the kind of enduring, strong and fearless family, who live duty to country before all other things - what could be more convincing to the readers. In the first year of engagement the in country fatalities were higher than out of country. The importance of people left at home keeping everything running and support systems in place was paramount to the defense strategy.

Even taking all of the above into consideration, the story of the Bunting family and very much Mr Bunting, is also one about coping mechanisms. Often Mr Bunting reacts with denial to the events happening around him. Living in a bubble of self-deception is a way of keeping the trauma, the fear and the reality of their situation at bay. 

Keeping a stiff upper-lip and a 'everything for my country' stance is perhaps also the only way to keep the pain of personal tragedy from breaking an individual.

Buy Mr Bunting at War at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏:  Imperial War Museum pub date 21 April 2022. Buy at Imperial War Museum.