#Blogtour Gone With the Penguins by Hazel Prior

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Gone With The Penguins by Hazel Prior.

'From the No.1 bestselling author of Away with the Penguins comes the heart-warming and charming final chapter of Veronica McCreedy's story.'

About the Author

Hazel Prior lives on Exmoor with her husband and a huge ginger cat. As well as writing, she works as a freelance harpist. 

Hazel is the author of Ellie and the Harp-Maker, the #1 ebook and audiobook bestseller Away with the Penguins and its follow-up, Call of the Penguins. Gone with the Penguins is her fifth novel. Follow @HazelPriorBooks on X

About the book

"Emperor penguins defy the odds, and I shall too.” - Still fiery and feisty at eighty-seven, Veronica McCreedy, the very first Penguin Ambassador, is determined to prove that nothing is impossible when you put your mind to it.

Eileen, Veronica’s ever-patient assistant, is content taking care of other people. But when a new adventure calls, it makes her question everything...

Ten-year-old, penguin-obsessed Daisy can’t wait to be reunited with Mrs McCreedy in her huge house by the sea for the school holidays.

When they discover that the local Sea Life Centre is under threat, the unlikely trio are determined to save it and the penguins that live there.

Inspired by the penguins and fuelled by Darjeeling tea and finger sandwiches, they embark on an epic fundraising walk. But soon, their mission becomes so much more and it might just lead each of them to a new beginning...

Review

As I often do with books, I pondered the most on the ending, perhaps because it says the most about this book and the trilogy. There is a clear separation of threads, how they connect and where the disconnect is. You see the human factor, the animal's view - albeit through the eyes of the character and writer, and the environment. I think it's important to note that the environments can also be viewed as two and then again as a third entity when envisioned as a result of current and impending changes.

It's not only a story about conservation, about sustaining the planet for all living species - it's also one about human hierarchy and where society places us in the rankings. Veronica's journey is an example of ageism and being the forgotten group, and how the majority of society is only too happy to appease and quieten older generations. At some level their lack of importance is mirrored in the way the world is only too happy to ignore the Pip's and their environment.

It's a superbly poignant story that doesn't preach or try to whack the reader around the head with truths, facts and realities. It invites you to take a seat on a sweet, often funny and sometimes tongue-in-cheek ride, perhaps with the hope that you will take away the fun stuff and the important messages within.

Buy Gone With the Penguins at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Penguin; pub date 7th November 2024 | Paperback Original | £9.99. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour Seven Summers by Paige Toon

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Seven Summers by Paige Toon. - Two epic love stories. One impossible choice. 

About the Author

Paige Toon is the Sunday Times bestselling author of eighteen books that have sold more than 1.5 million copies worldwide.

Paige writes sweeping, emotional love stories - filled with characters you'll never forget and incredible settings - that take you on a unique journey. She tells nuanced stories with big, thought-provoking themes at their heart which leave you uplifted and believing in the power of love. She writes her novel from a converted camper van in the garden of her Cambridgeshire home.

You will laugh, cry and feel like you've become part of a new family. Get ready to feel it all with Paige Toon! Follow @PaigeToonAuthor on X,

About the book

Six summers ago - Liv and Finn meet working in a bar on the rugged Cornish coastline, their futures full of promise. When a night of passion ends in devastating tragedy they are bound together inextricably. But Finn's life is in LA with his band, and Liv's is in Cornwall with her family - so they make a promise. Finn will return every year, and if they are single they will spend the summer together.

This summer - Liv crosses paths with Tom - a mysterious new arrival in her hometown. As the wildflowers and heather come into bloom, they find themselves falling for one another. For the first time Liv can imagine a world where her heart isn't broken every year.

Review

Such perfect pulling of the heartstrings, a tug here or a sharp pull - it's a constant whirlwind of place, time and people. At the very core lies the conundrum of one heart wants and loves two, the question is whether it can. Can Liv make a choice, is there even a right choice?

Snuggled deftly underneath is subtle smorgasbord of what family means and how the constellation can differ from the status quo. Equally how each relationship we water and feed can sustain us when the going gets tough. Liv's story is one connected with beauty, with the scenery and deeply embedded in the lives of the local community.

A part of her wishes Finn would accept that he is part of that, perhaps she underestimates the trauma he carries around with him. In a way their connection has a superficial element to it, despite the way they connect on a physical level. With Tom she explores the more spiritual level, especially the way her art is part of her soul and expression. It's what the two of them share. How can she choose between the man who has held her heart in a grip for over half a decade or the man who understands what she is made of.

It's a beautiful story, one which has the flow of a slow river, but the temperament of an ocean. The tide is the coming and going of the love Finn and Liv carry for each other, and yet when the waters calm the space between them makes the vulnerabilities more obvious. I would definitely recommend this, especially to readers who love to have their hearts teased.

Buy Seven Summers at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Century PRH UK, pub date 28th March | Paperback Original |  £8.99. Buy at Amazon com.

#Review I Will Find You by Harlan Coben

Another cracking read from the bestselling author Harlan Coben.

About Harlan Coben

With over 80 million books in print worldwide, Harlan Coben is the Number One New York Times author of numerous novels.  His books are published in 46 languages.  Along with Stay Close, he is the creator and executive producer of several Netflix television dramas including The Stranger, Safe, The Five and The Woods.  Larry Tanz, who oversees Netflix’s original programming for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, has commented on how Harlan does all the work himself – comes up with the ideas, watches the rough cuts of scenes, sits in on all the phone calls. 

Netflix recently re-upped their overall deal with Coben for several more years, adding among other books his acclaimed Myron Bolitar series. His TV series adaptation of Shelter for Amazon Studios—starring Jaden Michael and Constance Zimmer and based on Coben’s YA novel of the same name—will be released on Prime Video in the coming months.

Harlan Coben grew up in the Newark suburbs in New Jersey in the 60s.  After college he worked in the family travel company as a rep overseas.  He still lives in New Jersey with his wife Anne Armstrong-Coben MD, a paediatrician, and their four children.  He had his first New York Times bestseller when his children were very small.

Winner of the Edgar Award, Shamus Award and Anthony Award, Harlan is the first author to win all three.  In Paris, he was awarded the prestigious Vermeil Medal of Honor for contributions to culture and society by the Mayor of the city. He has won the El Premio del Novela Negra RBA in Spain, the Grand Prix de Lectrices in France, and the CWA Bestseller Dagger for favourite crime novelist here in the UK.  In December 2022 he was awarded the Raymond Chandler Award, Italy’s top lifetime achievement honour to a master of the thriller genre.  And on the sports side of things he is a member of the New England Basketball Hall of Fame from his playing days at Amherst College and the Little League Baseball inducted him into their Hall of Excellence in 2013. Follow @HarlanCoben on Twitter, Visit harlancoben.com

About the book

David and Cheryl Burroughs are living the dream - married, a beautiful house in the suburbs, a three year old son named Matthew - when tragedy strikes one night in the worst possible way.

David awakes to find himself covered in blood, but not his own - his son's. And while he knows he did not murder his son, the overwhelming evidence against him puts him behind bars indefinitely. - Five years into his imprisonment, Cheryl's sister arrives - and drops a bombshell.

She's come with a photograph that a friend took on vacation at a theme park. The boy in the background seems familiar - and even though David realizes it can't be, he knows it is. - It's Matthew, and he's still alive.

David plans a harrowing escape from prison, determined to do what seems impossible - save his son, clear his own name, and discover the real story of what happened that devastating night.

Review

Not sure what's worse, thinking you viciously murdered your very young child or knowing your child is out there somewhere and possibly in danger. David has lived the last few years in the belief that he committed the most unforgivable crime during an inexplicable blackout - he deserves to serve his remaining years behind bars.

His perfect family imploded five years ago, his now ex-wife has moved on and rebuilt her life, and he is a pariah to everyone who used to know him. The why, why would he do something so awful to the child he loved so dearly? The heavy burden of guilt is probably why he is willing to cling so fast to the possibility of his son being alive when his ex-sister-in-law shows him a blurry photo of a face in a crowd. Could be and it equally might not be, because the chances are super slim and just happen to be better than believing that he murdered an innocent child.

It's a fast-paced dark domestic thriller, which will probably end up becoming a mini series - this author certainly knows how to write with future development in mind. The plot plays with the idea of certainty, especially when it comes to evidence and the legal system, and how easy it is for good people to fall foul of said system.

Buy I Will Find You at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Century; pub date 16 Mar. 2023. Buy at Amazon com. Buy via Penguin.

#Blogtour Only Love Can Hurt Like This by Paige Toon

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Only Love Can Hurt Like This by Paige Toon.

About the Author

Paige Toon is the Sunday Times bestselling author of eighteen books that have sold more than 1.5 million copies worldwide.

Paige writes sweeping, emotional love stories - filled with characters you'll never forget and incredible settings - that take you on a unique journey. She tells nuanced stories with big, thought-provoking themes at their heart which leave you uplifted and believing in the power of love. She writes her novel from a converted camper van in the garden of her Cambridgeshire home. Follow @PaigeToonAuthor on Twitter

About the book

A love story with an earth-shattering secret at its core, this is without doubt Paige Toon's most moving and heart-breaking novel yet.

Neither of them expected to fall in love. But sometimes life has other plans. When Wren realises her fiancé is in love with someone else, she thinks her heart will never recover. On the other side of the world, Anders lost his wife four years ago and is still struggling to move on.

Wren hopes that spending the summer with her dad and stepfamily on their farm in Indiana will help her to heal. There, amid the cornfields and fireflies, she and Anders cross paths and their worlds are turned upside-down again.

But Wren doesn't know that Anders is harbouring a secret, and if he acts on any feelings he may have for Wren, it will have serious fall-out for everyone. Walking away would hurt Wren more than she can imagine. But, knowing the truth, how can she possibly stay?

Review

Was I the only one who caught an earworm because of the title of the book? Every time I read the title I can hear Paloma singing away in my ear. I wonder if the emotional honesty of these lyrics inspired the heartbreak of this story.

Saying that, the author gives the reader a good run for their money when it comes to the rollercoaster we call life. It can be exhausting, both emotionally, mentally and physically. Then equally life can be filled with moments of beauty and pure joy. This strange balance is what keeps us going and this book captures that really well. 

More importantly perhaps the story also speaks to how fast our truths and lives can change. One moment you're expecting to spend the rest of your life with the man you love and the next minute you are wondering how you ended up heartbroken and alone. Then the emotional turmoil Anders experiences and causes in equal measure - loyalty and a sense of honour can be a burden and something to celebrate. Wren copes with this struggle extremely well.

It's a great read - this author always manages to bring a realistic story with all the complications of relationships, tragedies and people just trying to live life without breaking every time an unexpected twist tries to bring you to your knees.

Buy Only Love Can Hurt Like This at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher  : ‎ Penguin - Century PRH UK; pub date 27 April 2023 | Paperback Original | £8.99. Buy at Amazon com.

#BookTrailer The Chase by Ava Glass

 

A treat for you today - it's the book trailer for The Chase by Ava Glass! 'James Bond for the 21st century Ava Glass’s feisty female led spy novel is fast, furious, and totally addictive - it’s the perfect gripping read for those cold wet February nights.'

About Ava Glass

Ava Glass is a former civil servient with the highest security clearance bar one.  She has seen just enough of the inner workings of espionage to ensure that she will always be fascinated by spies. This is the first novel in the Alias Emma series.

Already optioned for TV by the production company behind the smash hit The Night Manager (starring Tom Hiddleston and Olivia Coleman), and with the UK’s leading thriller writers from James Patterson to Anthony Horowitz giving it the thumbs up, The Chase by Ava Glass is set to be 2023’s most addictive read when it is released on 16th February 2023.

The Chase by Ava Glass is published by Penguin on 16th February, £9.99, available here 

About The Chase

In this breakneck, race-against-the-clock thriller, a female British spy has twelve hours to deliver her asset across London while being pursued through the streets of London by Russian intelligence. Can she make it without being spotted . . . or killed?

A freshly-minted secret agent, Emma Makepeace has barely graduated from basic training when she gets the call for her first major assignment. Eager to serve her country and prove her worth, she dives in head first.

Emma must covertly travel across the world’s most watched city to bring the reluctant adult son of Russian dissidents into protective custody, so long as the assassins from the tracking him down don’t get to him first. With London’s famous Ring of Steel hacked by the Russian government, the two must cross the city without being seen by the hundreds of thousands of CCTV cameras that document every inch of the city’s streets, alleys, and gutters.

The underground, buses, trains and cars, are completely out of the question. Traveling on foot, with no phone or bank cards, Emma and her charge have twelve hours to make it to safety. This will take all of Emma’s skills of disguise and subterfuge. But when Emma’s handler goes dark, there’s no one left to trust. Just one wrong move could get them both killed and the clock is ticking…

Pre-order The Chase via Penguin - Publisher: Penguin |16th February 2022 | £8.99| Paperback Original.

#BlogTour Before My Actual Heart Breaks by Tish Delaney

 It's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour Before My Actual Heart Breaks by Tish Delaney.

'An incredible debut exploring loneliness, grief and the long-lasting repercussions of trauma set against the backdrop of the Northern Irish Troubles.'

About the Author

Tish Delaney was born and brought up in Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles. Like a lot of people of her generation, she left the sectarian violence behind by moving to England. After graduating from Manchester University, she moved to London and worked on various magazines and broadsheets as a reporter, reviewer and sub-editor. She left the Financial Times in 2014 to live in the Channel Islands to pursue her career as a writer. Follow @TishDelaney2 on Twitter

About the book

'If I could go back to being Sixteen again, I'd do things differently.' When she was young Mary Rattigan wanted to fly. She was going to take off like an angel from heaven and leave the muck and madness of troubled Northern Ireland behind. Nothing but the Land of Happy Ever After would do for her. But as a Catholic girl with a B.I.T.C.H. for a Mammy and a silent Daddy, things did not go as she and Lizzie Magee had planned. 

Now, five children, twenty-five years, an end to the bombs and bullets, enough whiskey to sink a ship and endless wakes and sandwich teas later, Mary's alone. She's learned plenty of hard lessons and missed a hundred steps towards the life she'd always hoped for. Will she finally find the courage to ask for the love she deserves? Or is it too late?

Review

After reading this I stepped away and thought about the core of the story, which is surrounded by many other equally important issues, but what the core was for me. I say for me because it may be different, depending on each reader and their frame of reference. It's not easy given the fact that the author has created a poignant picture of family dynamics, political atmosphere, religious hierarchy and dominance, economic and social structure in Ireland from the 70s into the 21st century.

For me the way Mary, her personality, psyche and choices were formed and driven by and through the abuse she suffered. The fraught mother-daughter relationship, which at some point brings her to a crossroads and acknowledgement that a layer of umbilical loyalty cord results in a reversal of roles.

The way her expectation of self, her lack of self-confidence, and the constant feeling of having lost out or missed something along the way - it has defined her life and the way she loves or doesn't.

It's a story of incredible depth, and I think many readers will be able to relate to Mary or some element of the story in one way or another. Delaney is a fascinating storyteller.

Buy Before My Actual Heart Breaks at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Penguin - Windmill Books, pub date 28th October 2021 - Paperback, £8.99. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour Just Haven't Met You Yet by Sophie Cousens

It's truly a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour Just Haven't Met You Yet by Sophie Cousens. 

'New York Times bestselling author Sophie Cousens is back with her second quirky, romantic tale of love, fate and why a simple mistake could be the secret to finding true love.'

About the Author

Sophie Cousens is a writer of romantic fiction based in Jersey, where Just Haven’t Met You Yet is set. Her previous novel published by Arrow, This Time Next Year, has reached huge success in the UK, having sold 150,000 copies across all formats in just six months. This Time Next Year has also achieved huge success in the US as a New York Times bestseller and Good Morning America Book Club pick.

Sophie previously worked in TV in London for over twelve years, producing The Graham Norton Show, Big Brother and Ant and Dec. Sophie has also previously published an eBook only romantic comedy novel How To Get Ahead In Television which was shortlisted for the 2015 Romantic Novelist Association Awards. She relocated from London to Jersey and balances her writing career with working for an arts charity, taking care of her two small children and enjoying small island life. Follow @SophieCous on Twitter or on Instagram

About the book

Tell me story of how you two met… Hopeless romantic Laura has spent her career as a journalist telling other people’s unbelievable love stories. But when it comes to her own love life, it seems she keeps looking for ‘the one’ in all the wrong places.

That is until she picks up the wrong suitcase at the airport by mistake and finds inside contents that just might belong to the man of her dreams. From romantic piano sheet-music to a battered copy of her favourite book, Laura knows this is the sign she’s been waiting for.

And if her job has taught her anything, it’s that when it comes to love, you can't let opportunity pass you by. And so Laura is determined to track down the mysterious suitcase owner and her own happy ending. But fate, as always, might just have other ideas...

Review

Laura is convinced there is a perfect connection with a potential soulmate just waiting to happen to her. When she picks up the wrong suitcase at the airport and all signs point to the perfect man, then she gets slightly obsessed with finding him. 

Whilst retracing the path of her parents love story, and more or less stalking a stranger she has never even seen before, she encounters some hard truths and eye-opening revelations about herself and others.

I must admit it made me laugh, a lot. Laura's energy, social awkwardness, bumbling mistakes, and quite frankly her naïve optimism - it all makes her a lovable character. You can't help but go along for the ride. It's as if she lives in this alternate universe where everything just falls into place eventually, no matter what kind of obstacle she encounters.

Cousens clearly has knack for storytelling and in equal measures for creating characters readers find relatable, and yet simultaneously they have an element of fantastical fictional characters. It's exactly the right combination for a feel good and often funny read.

I think this is going to be a popular read. It hits all the right spots. A bit of nostalgia, a budding romance, friendship, a dab of comedy, and the hunt for Mr Right - also known as the elusive Mr Wrong Suitcase.

Buy Just Haven't Met You Yet at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Arrow; pub date 11th November 2021 - Paperback Original £7.99. Buy at Amazon com. At Waterstones.

#Blogtour The Smuggler's Wife by Evie Grace

It's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour The Smuggler's Wife by Evie Grace - published by Arrow 31st December.

About the Author

Evie Grace was born in Kent, and one of her earliest memories is of picking cherries with her grandfather who managed a fruit farm near Selling.

Holidays spent in the Kent countryside and the stories passed down through her family inspired her to write her Maids of Kent trilogy. Evie now lives in Devon with her partner and dog. She has a grown-up daughter and son. She loves researching the history of the nineteenth century and is very grateful for the invention of the washing machine, having discovered how the Victorians struggled to do their laundry.

Follow @eviegrace2017 on Twitter, on Amazon, on Goodreads, Buy The Smuggler's Wife

About the book

Her heart led her to him, but will loyalty be enough to make her stay...

When the beautiful but naïve Grace Lennicker falls for Isaiah Feasey, son of a rival smuggling family and owner of a local tavern, her sisters try to intervene. But as tensions grow, there is another suitor also hoping to win her hand in marriage, the dashing and more favourable Albert Enderby, a young lieutenant in the Revenue.

Grace is unwittingly drawn back into the world of smuggling that her sisters fought hard to leave behind, and as the violence erupts, she finds herself unable to stand by, knowing the rival gangs will kill anyone who stands in their way.

When her husband becomes involved, Grace is forced to make a difficult decision - turn him in and risk her life, or stay loyal and risk the lives of those she loves.

Review

This is the third book in the The Smuggler’s Daughters trilogy. All three books feature a different sister and can be read as standalone novels. Grace gives just enough of the other back-stories to get the gist of the relationships between the sisters and their story up to this point.

This time the focus is on the youngest Lennicker daughter Grace. She has set her sights on a man who is truly considered to be the enemy and aside from that he is a criminal and a rake. No wonder her sisters do everything to keep the two of them very far apart indeed, however the heart wants what heart wants or is that the body, then again it could just be the fact a bad boy always looks so much more charming than a good guy.

Little does she realise that she will eventually have to make a decision between her loved ones and the man she believes is the bees knees. Sounds like such a simple choice, well it would be if everyone wasn't knee deep in dangerous and ruthless situations the majority of the time.

What Grace does really well is present the other sisters as just that - sisters - and not, from a character perspective, from a pre-story or own story point of view. Which means Winnie is the stern somewhat snobbish woman concerned about neighbours and reputation, as opposed to the young woman having to deal with the scathing judgements due to her previous predicament. Similar applies to Louisa and perhaps more so to her husband, where previously rising in the social ranks and becoming part of the regime may have appeared exciting and romantic, in this book it takes on more of a serious tone.

The result is a premise that gives a certain vibe of historical romance, and yet simultaneously the author gives it a Cookson sign of times feel. Instead of a glossing over of problems of the time, although there is a certain element of humour, there is more of reality vs romantic imagery when it comes to the plot. Grace delivers an escapist read combined with a more serious tone.

Buy The Smuggler's Wife (The Smuggler’s Daughters #3) at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Arrow: pub date 31st December 2020. Paperback Original - £6.99. Buy at Amazon com. Hive. Bookshop org.

#BlogTour To Tell You the Truth by Gilly Macmillan

Today it's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour To Tell You the Truth by Gilly Macmillan.

About the Author
Gilly Macmillan is the New York Times bestselling and Edgar-nominated author of What She Knew (also published as Burnt Paper Sky), The Perfect Girl and Odd Child Out. Gilly grew up in Swindon, Wiltshire and lived in Northern California in her late teens. She studied history and worked at The Burlington Magazine and the Hayward Gallery in London before starting a family. Gilly has since worked as a photography teacher and she now writes full time. She lives in Bristol with her family.

Follow @GillyMacmillan and @arrowpublishing on Twitter, on Amazon, on Goodreads, on Facebook, Visit gillymacmillan.com, Buy To Tell You the Truth

About the book
Lucy Harper has a talent for invention…

She is an exceptionally successful writer whose obsessive readers hound her for every book. But the pressure is extreme. And it’s not just the pressure of finishing her next novel. Years ago when she was a child, Lucy’s little brother went missing and he has never been found. Many people think Lucy was responsible for his disappearance. Lucy herself can’t bear to think about it.

Writing a thriller a year is demanding and Lucy depends on her husband Dan to take care of everything in her life. But Lucy finds herself in a real police drama when Dan goes missing. The evidence points to her. And it isn’t the first time someone’s vanished in Lucy’s orbit.

Did she kill her husband? Would she remember if she did? Is she even capable of telling the truth?

Review
Lucy has decided to do the unthinkable when it comes to having a book character who generates both income and lots of interest. She has written what she wants, as opposed to what everyone else demands, including her personal assistant and husband. Both the same person by the way.

It doesn't take too long for Dan to become the husband everyone thinks is a privileged tosspot living off the money his best-selling author wife brings in. The sympathy vote swings towards Lucy, well I say that but in reality her past is so dark it's a case of glass houses. Dan springs an unpleasant surprise on her and she ends up back where all her nightmares began.

I really enjoyed Lucy and Eliza. Forget about the irritating husband - these two know how to steal a scene. I can't decide whether I really need to know the truth or just admire the author for leaving the status quo as it is. Black hole with plenty of unpleasant possibilities - both cruel and brilliant at the same time.

Macmillan really knocks it out of the ballpark with this read. The way the two are connected via storylines, memories and in real time. The crime is secondary to the often insidious and manipulative nature of the relationship between Lucy and Eliza. Absolutely fascinating, which I would love to go into more detail about, but I think readers should discover this duo for themselves.

It's a riveting psychological thriller - Macmillan at her best.

Buy To Tell You the Truth at Amazon UK or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Published by Century: pub date 25 June 2020. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour Three Perfect Liars by Heidi Perks

Today it's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour Three Perfect Liars by Heidi Perks.

About the Author
Heidi Perks is a Sunday Times bestselling author of Now You See Her and Come Back For Me. Elements of Three Perfect Liars are drawn from Heidi’s own personal experience of being sidelined at work when returning from maternity leave in her previous life as a marketing director for a financial company.

Heidi Perks’ debut novel Now You See Her twice reached the Sunday Times bestseller list, first in hardback in July 2018 at No.9 and again at No.6 in paperback in March 2019 where it was a Richard & Judy Book Club pick for Spring 2019. Now You See Her has sold over 120,000 copies across formats to date and has received a staggering 200 five start reviews on Amazon from readers. It has also been optioned for TV from the production company behind BBC One’s ‘The Miniaturist’ and Channel 4’s ‘National Treasure’. Her follow up novel Come Back For Me sold over 30,000 eBooks in the first month of publication. She sets all over books on the South Coast of England where she lives with her family.

She is a graduate of the inaugural Curtis Brown Creative Online Novel Writing Course (the only creative writing school run by a literary agency). Follow Heidi on Twitter @HeidiPerksBooks and join in the conversation with #ThreePerfectLiars

Follow @HeidiPerksBooks on Twitter, on Amazon, on Goodreads, Visit heidiperksauthor.co.uk, Buy Three Perfect Liars

About the book
You think you know them. You think you know the truth. You are lethally wrong…

When the harbour side offices of a prestigious advertising agency burn down overnight, the lives of three women suspected of the crime are changed for ever.

Laura Denning has returned to work following the birth of her first child, only to find that her maternity cover has been made permanent. She and her boss, Harry Wood, have always been close, but Laura can't help feeling side-lined or that the new girl is out to get her…

Mia Anderson was brought in as temporary cover for Laura's position and has quickly become indispensable. But if people knew the truth about why she was really so desperate to stay, they might not welcome her with such open arms...

Janie Wood has given up everything to support her husband Harry and his business. She’ll do anything to keep him and her family safe, but does that include attempted murder…? Who started the fire? And what is the terrible secret that connects the three women?

Review
To her colleagues Laura is the workaholic, the not interested in social interactions and very competitive co-worker. They don't see the woman who is torn between the baby she wants to nurture and the career she loves. When she walks back into her job after a short maternity leave she doesn't expect to find the temp running her accounts and more or less in charge.

Mia is perceived as the interloper by Laura, but to everyone else she is the competent worker and to her family she is the rock that holds them together. Is Laura right, is there something more nefarious behind the way Mia has wormed her way into a job that doesn't belong to her?

Then there is Janie, the woman who has left a successful career to support a husband, who is distracted and holds a torch for another woman. A man who has disdain for the serious complaints his female colleagues and women in general have about his workers and associates.

What do they all have in common? They are women living in a world governed by men, a patriarchal society that ignores the abuse, the assaults and sub-human treatment due to their gender. The only thing worse than a man supporting other men doing all of the aforementioned are women who support the misogyny and cheer the perpetrators on from the sidelines. Is one of our characters guilty of doing exactly that?

It's a psychological thriller - the kind of story that teeters on the boundaries of morally right or wrong. For me one of the main points is how we as women are often our own worst enemies, whether it be in the workplace, educational environment and most definitely in the home environment. The stay-at-home mom vs the working mother debate has got to be one of the most vicious in regards to women hurting and insulting other women. Oh and bottle vs breast, and ect. Yeh, instead of sisterhood there always seems to be something that divides us to the point of becoming enemies.

Perks always delivers a great read by combining crime, suspense and that question that sits on your shoulder - right or wrong?

Buy Three Perfect Liars at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Cornerstone Digital; eBook pub date 12th March | Hardback - Publisher: Century pub date - 30th April 2020 - £12.99. Buy at Amazon com

Read my review of Now You See Her by Heidi Perks.

Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett

Review
This is an incredibly poignant and full-on piece of writing. Garrett doesn't flinch before laying the cold bare truth on the table or pull any punches. She says it how it is and she wants you to hear it. This story about a young teenage girl who wants a boyfriends and to experience the sexual side of a relationship, although her parents would prefer she stay abstinent. That way she can't accidentally pass on her acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

I have to note that I found the level of scrutiny and lack of privacy Simone's parents give her is extreme, regardless of how worried they are about her. It is difficult enough to navigate the world of teenage angst without the added burden of a health condition everyone is scared of and parents who think it's okay to suffocate instead of empower their child.

I found the level of research into the topic of living with AIDS admirable both overall and in the context of the main character, a young teenage girl. It's described meticulously and in a way that makes sense to a layman and perhaps especially to a young reader.

Garrett confronts the invisible and yet very alive and kicking discrimination against people with AIDS and HIV. The fear that was sown and grown in the 80s, during the frightening pandemic which took many lives. Since those times medical research has come so far that an HIV or AIDS diagnosis isn't automatically a death sentence, as it once was. A very fixed and rigid regime of medication will allow a person with said diagnosis to live a long life.

The author takes readers into the world of white privilege and the institutionalised racism Simone is confronted with, and her world of secrecy. She is torn between staying under the radar and knowing that embarking upon a sexual relationship means disclosing her condition.

It's a YA read, but it's also one I recommend for readers of any age, mainly because this book will do a lot to allay irrational fears that still exist when it comes to this condition. Garrett has a strong voice she isn't afraid to use and I look forward to reading more by her.

Buy Full Disclosure at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Penguin; pub date 31 Oct. 2019. Buy at Amazon com. Buy at Hive.

Follow @dancingofpens on Twitter, on Goodreads, on Amazon, Visit camryngarrett.com

#BlogTour The End of the World Survivors Club by Adrian J. Walker

Today it's my pleasure to take part in the BlogTour The End of the World Survivors Club by Adrian J Walker.

About the Author
Adrian J Walker was born in the bush suburbs of Sydney, Australia in the mid '70s. After his father found a camper van in a ditch, he renovated it and moved his family back to the UK, where Adrian was raised.

Ever since he can remember, Adrian has been interested in three things: words, music and technology, and when he graduated from the University of Leeds, he found a career in software. His novel The End of the World Running Club, a post-apocalyptic running fable about hope, love and endurance, was a Simon Mayo Radio 2 book club choice.
He lives in Aberdeen with his wife and two children.

Follow @adrianwalker on Twitter, Visit adrianjwalker.com, Buy The End of the World Survivors Club

About the book
In the End of the World Running Club Edgar Hill ran 550 miles after an apocalypse to ty and find his family. He had it easy. This is his wife's story.

Beth Hill has survived the apocalypse with a baby and toddler in tow. And what’s more she’s done it alone - without her husband’s help. He’s never been any help. But when disaster strikes and someone steals her kids, she knows what she has to do.

The new world might be very different: no government, no law, no infrastructure and a whole lot more ocean than there used to be. But one thing hasn’t changed - the lengths a mother will go to save her family...

Review
Think Water World at the early stages of the apocalypse, but with redefined coasts, countries and continents left. The beginning of the end is when people show you who they really are, and you should believe them the first time they show you.

The story takes place before the deterioration and destruction has come to a halt. It's somewhere between 'it's really happening' and 'this is our new reality' so we have to adjust to it asap. Following on from Ed's story, this is the story of his wife and children. Beth steps up to the mark and proves how far a mother will go to protect her children.

There is a moment in the book between Beth and Ed, which is particularly poignant and also relevant in normal circumstances and not just post-apocalyptic scenarios. Ed does what most men do and would do in that situation, he blames Beth for losing their children. She loses it and gives him a loaded barrel of truth. The non-caregiver or non-primary caregiver really has no clue what it is like to take care of babies or children 24/7 without any break. To be the person who is sucked dry of any choice other than things relating to said children and to have all the responsibility and none of the accolades. It's always easier to judge when you're sat on the outside looking in.

Kind of fascinating to realise that even in the middle of a crisis and the end of the world, some things never change. There will always be someone who thinks they know better and feel it's their duty to tell you exactly that. Kudos to Walker for capturing the gist, frustration and anger of the underappreciated full-time mother absolutely perfectly.

It's post-apocalyptic fiction with a realistic and down-to-earth plot. Walker plays on hidden fears and very real threats, which is what makes the read less speculative and more believable.

Buy The End of the World Survivors Club at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Penguin Random House UK - Ebury Pub ; pub date 5 Sept. 2019. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins

I am thrilled to be a part of the BlogTour The Confessions of Frannie Langton. This book is going on my best reads of 2019 list. It is an intricate and complex piece of fiction. It's a poignant, multi-faceted and moving story. I absolutely loved it

About the Author
Sara Collins studied law at the London School of Economics and worked as a lawyer for seventeen years.

In 2014 she embarked upon the Creative Writing Masters at Cambridge University, where she won the 2015 Michael Holroyd Prize of Re-creative Writing and was shortlisted for the 2016 Lucy Cavendish Prize for a book inspired by her love of gothic fiction.

This turned into her first novel, The Confessions of Frannie Langton.

Follow Sara Collins aka @mrsjaneymac or @VikingBooksUK on Twitter,
Buy The Confessions of Frannie Langton

About the book
They say I must be put to death for what happened to Madame, and they want me to confess. But how can I confess what I don't believe I've done?

1826, and all of London is in a frenzy. Crowds gather at the gates of the Old Bailey to watch as Frannie Langton, maid to Mr and Mrs Benham, goes on trial for their murder. The testimonies against her are damning - slave, whore, seductress. And they may be the truth. But they are not the whole truth.

For the first time Frannie must tell her story. It begins with a girl learning to read on a plantation in Jamaica, and it ends in a grand house in London, where a beautiful woman waits to be freed.

But through her fevered confessions, one burning question haunts Frannie Langton: could she have murdered the only person she ever loved?

Review
This book is going on my best reads of 2019 list. It is a spectacular, well-written and researched story. There are so many poignant quotes I would love to share, but one of the most important and indeed historically correct is this:'Not one thing in this world more dangerous than a white woman when she bored.'

That sentence just epitomizes colonialism, slavery and the mind-set of men, women and children, who believe themselves to be superior to others because of the colour of their skin. It is also a predictor of how dangerous the white women are in this story. Frannie can be set aside, betrayed, humiliated, used and abused one moment then befriended and used as a confidante in the next minute. She is nothing more than a disposable coffee cup.

Frannie Langton is property. She is a mulatto. Her worth is determined by her owner. Her happiness is determined by the men and women who decide when she is allowed to be happy. She is drawn into the studies her Massa conducts in the privacy of his estate. Terrible experiments that would make Mengele proud. All in the name of proving that black people are inferior to white people.

Part of this story circles around the guilt Frannie has to carry around with her. She feels like a collaborator for helping and colluding with Langton, and more importantly for not trying to stop his inhumane actions.

The story begins with Frannie being tried for the brutal and bloody murder of her master and mistress. She revisits her past in flashbacks as she attempts to piece together the jigsaw puzzle of what really happened, and whether she actually did kill someone she loved.

This might be considered a controversial point of view - the book world and readers need more diversity. It definitely needs more diversity when it comes to authors. Not only does the power base and majority, which is white and predominantly Western world, need to hear and read the voices of other ethnicities, of minorities and in general non-whites. The younger generations need to be able to see themselves reflected in literature, and of course all other media.

Why is that important in this instance? Because Collins comes at the subject matter from a completely different angle, which means you get a different read. You can feel the anger, disbelief and utter disgust at the accepted status quo and the norm at the time. The author doesn't pull any punches whilst describing language, theories and atrocities.

The bizarre theories of eugenics and scientific racism has existed for many centuries. Many people believe the Nazi regime was the start of this belief that there is and should be a superior race. The truth is many well-known, popular and influential people were parading around these pseudo-scientific ideas many years before that. The slave trade and consistent oppression of black people is an excellent example of the result of said beliefs.

I could write about this story for ages. I don't want to go into too many details because the readers should experience it for themselves. It is an intricate and complex piece of fiction. It's a poignant, multi-faceted and moving story. I absolutely loved it and hope this is just the first of many for Collins.

Buy The Confessions of Frannie Langton at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Viking (Penguin). Publication date: 4th April 2019. Buy at Amazon com.

The Evidence Against You by Gillian McAllister

McAllister is getting quite the reputation when it comes to the premises of her books. She picks scenarios with no clear black or white answers. In fact her speciality is the murky variety of grey shades when it comes to questions of guilt, innocence and the foggy swampland of neither in between.

Izzy English isn't sure whether she should be relieved or worried. Today is the day her father is being released from prison. He has spent the last seventeen years behind bars for the murder of his wife and her mother. Izzy is sent into a little tailspin, because she doesn't know whether she should forgive him or stay away from him.

That is already a quandary, but what really shakes Izzy to her core is the fact her father maintains his innocence. The same man who was found guilty by a jury of his peers and who showed remorse to the parole board, is now saying that he didn't do it and that the guilty party is still out there somewhere.

She decides to start her own investigation into the brutal homicide of her mother, despite all the evidence pointing firmly in the direction of her family.

I enjoyed the way the author portrayed the main character in complete emotional turmoil. She wants what is left of her family back so badly that she is willing to risk her life to prove her father is innocent. At the same time she lies to her loved ones about looking for the real guilty party. and because they think her father is guilty in their eyes there is no danger.

It's a perfect game of cat and mouse, simultaneously it is a mind game full of paranoia and suspicion. Did he do it or didn't he? What does Izzy believe or rather what does she want to believe?

McAllister gives the reader a riveting read full of doubt, self-doubt and speculation. It's a psychological thriller that will keep you on your toes and keep you guessing until the end. You know what they say sometimes if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck - sometimes it's just a duck.

Buy The Evidence Against You at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.
Publisher: Penguin; pub date 18 April 2019
Follow @GillianMAuthor @MichaelJBooks on Twitter

Read my review of Anything You Do Say by Gillian McAllister
Read my review of No Further Questions by Gillian McAllister
Read my review of Everything but the Truth by Gillian McAllister

Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins-Reid

Let me tell you what the real brilliance of this book is - the authenticity of it all. After a few pages I found myself questioning whether it was fictional. Halfway through the story I was avidly googling The Six, Daisy Jones and both of the Dunne brothers. No result. Double-check. Nope, definitely says it is a fictional story. Kudos to the author for creating not only an authentic story, but also such convincing dialogue and characters.

The reader can feel the passion, the self-destruction and flighty confusion of the era, which in turn is reflected in the characters. The era of free love, lots of drugs and plenty of rock n' roll. Nobody embodies the life quite like the lead singer of The Six, Billy Dunne.

When he reaches breaking point the relationship between Billy and his future wife Camila is what keeps him from running straight off a cliff. He gets his act together and then Daisy Jones steps into his life.

Daisy is a free spirit who wants to make her mark in the world of music, but on her terms and not on those of some man in charge of her. She is very much the feminine version of Billy. They have the same need to control their environment, to create their own music and to be adored by an army of fans.

This is the story of how Daisy Jones and The Six came to be and at the same time how it all ended abruptly in the midst of a successful tour. The story is told via a series of interviews with the responses to each event or question answered in mixed sequence by the band members, Daisy, family and managers.

It's as if the reader is thrust into rooms where the entire cast of characters participate in front of each other, but are often simultaneously unaware of what the other is saying. Which means you get different accounts of the same situation as each individual remembers it. In essence it's a kind of 4D holographic literary experience - of memories, opinions and emotional responses. It is absolutely fascinating.

Buy Daisy Jones and The Six at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.
Publisher: Random House Uk, Cornerstone Digital (ecopy), Hutchinson (Hardcover) pub date 7 March 2019
Follow @tjenkinsreid @HutchinsonBooks on Twitter
Visit taylorjenkinsreid.com

My Name is Anna by Lizzy Barber

Every one of us has probably experienced déjà vu at one time or the other, the feeling of having seen, heard or experienced something before. When Anna defies her mother and spends the day at a popular theme park she isn't sure whether she is having a flashback or a feeling of déjà vu.

Just one problem with that, there is no way she could be having a flashback, because according to her very strict and religious mother, Anna has never been anywhere near the theme park. Anna starts to question whether what she knows is the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

Meanwhile a young girl called Rosie decides to look into the disappearance of her sister. The loss, grief and confusion has left her family broken. She believes that solving the mystery could be what finally brings her family back together. The not knowing, the unanswered questions and the imagined scenarios make a unexplained disappearance worse than a disappearance with a bad ending.

I really appreciated the realistic and honest approach to the ending of this book. Barber didn't feel the need to romanticise it for her readers, and to be completely frank it's exactly what it would be like for families in such a traumatic situation. So kudos to the author for that.

This may appear to be a simple premise but Barber takes it a step further and puts readers in a situation where the worst possible crime a family can deal with could be completely understandable given the traumatic and extraordinary circumstances. The predictable takes a sharp left turn and leads the reader on a merry chase up the garden path.

Buy My Name is Anna at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.
Publisher: Cornerstone Digital (1 Nov. 2018) - ebook
Publisher: Arrow (25 July 2019) - Paperback
Follow @ByLizzyBarber @arrowpublishing
Visit lizzybarber.com