#BlogTour A Chance Encounter by Rae Shaw

 It's my turn on the BlogTour A Chance Encounter by Rae Shaw.

About the Author

Rae Shaw is a pen name for the author Rachel Walkley. Rachel is based in the North West of England. She read her first grown-up detective novel at the age of eleven, which proved to be a catalyst for filling many shelves with crime books, which still occupy her home and grow in number whenever she visits a book shop.

As well as crime, Rachel likes to unplug from the real world and writes mysteries that have a touch of magic woven into family secrets.

Follow @RaeShawauthor on Twitter, on Facebook, on linktr.ee, Visit raeshawauthor.com, Watch the booktrailer on youtube.

About the book

Julianna Baptiste, a feisty bodyguard, finds her new job tedious, that is until her boss, the evasive Jackson Haynes, spikes her curiosity. Who is behind the vicious threats to his beautiful wife and why is he interested in two estranged siblings?

Mark works for Haynes’s vast company. He’s hiding from ruthless money launderers. His teenage sister Ellen has an online friend whom she has never met. Ellen guards a terrible secret. For eight years their duplicitous father has languished in prison, claiming he is innocent of murder. The evidence against him is overwhelming, so why does Mark persist with an appeal?

Keen to prove her potential as an investigator, Julianna forces Mark to confront his mistakes. The consequences will put all their lives in danger.

Review

Julianna's actions are usually driven by her past experiences, which means she jumps to conclusions and also has an irritating need to help or try to teach the people around her how to do better. If it wasn't coming from a genuine place of concern then she would probably be deemed a nuisance.

It explains how she jumps to conclusions about her boss and his wife, and when she gets to know Mark it's a similar story. Quite a meddler when all is said and done, and yet those around her indulge her.

I think the character of Julianna Baptiste has plenty of potential, it just needs a bit of an iron. Nothing major perhaps a bit more focus and delivering with intent, aside from that I think Juliana could evolve into a captivating main character in a popular series.

The author clearly knows how to draw in an audience with a flawed individual, who has the best intent and yet manages to often be one step behind whatever the heck is going on. The first few chapter are an excellent example of this.

It's a fast paced read, a crime thriller that could go either way - into the more serious stuff or into something more cosy. I am betting I know where it will end up though, because there are just so many opportunities to shine a light, whilst delivering a good read.

Buy A Chance Encounter at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher : Spare Time Press pub date 24 Mar. 2021. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour Beyond the Yew Tree by Rachel Walkley

Today it's my turn on the BlogTour Beyond the Yew Tree by Rachel Walkley.

Enter the Giveaway to Win One copy of The Last Thing She Said or The Woman of Heachley Hall (Open INT) - If the winner is in the UK then it will be a print copy, otherwise International winner is e-book.

About the Author
Aspiring writer who pens Women's Fiction and magical tales about family secrets.
What else? An East Anglian turned Northerner - almost. Information professional, always. Biologist, in my memories. Archivist, when required. Amateur pianist and flautist. Reluctant gardener. Scribbler of pictures. And forever.... a mother and wife. Oh, not forgetting, cat lover! Click here to sign up to my newsletter.

Follow @RachelJWalkley on Twitter, on Instagram, on Facebook, on Goodreads, Buy Beyond the Yew Tree

About the book
Whispers in the courtroom. Only one juror hears them. Can Laura unravel the truth by the end of the trial?

In an old courtroom, a hissing voice distracts shy juror, Laura, and at night recurring nightmares transport her to a Victorian gaol and the company of a wretched woman.

Although burdened by her own secret guilt, and struggling to form meaningful relationships, Laura isn’t one to give up easily when faced with an extraordinary situation.

The child-like whispers lead Laura to an old prison graveyard, where she teams up with enthusiastic museum curator, Sean. He believes a missing manuscript is the key to understanding her haunting dreams. But nobody knows if it actually exists.

Laura is confronted with the fate of two people – the man in the dock accused of defrauding a charity for the blind, and the restless spirit of a woman hanged over a century ago for murder. If Sean is the companion she needs in her life, will he believe her when she realises that the two mysteries are converging around a long-forgotten child who only Laura can hear?

Ordinary women. Extraordinary experiences.

Review
Laura is called up for jury duty and finds herself in the middle of a case that is right up her professional street, however she is finding it hard to concentrate. There are strange things happening in the courtroom. She can hear sounds the others can't. She feels cold for no reason.

Then there are the terrible nightmares. Visions at night of a poor woman in a prison. The sounds become whispers, which lead her to an old prison churchyard where she is certain she will find information about the woman from her nightmares.

Her boyfriend has been overseas for a while and seems to be ignoring her as much as possible, so she can't ask him for support. Instead she finds a helping hand in Sean the museum curator. Together they both start to unravel the bizarre things Laura is experiencing, and how it is connected to the case and the ghostly presence that won't leave her alone.

It's a ghostly mystery - one of truth, conscience and justice.

Walkley delivers an intriguing story of historical crime combined with a modern mystery. The secrets and hidden tales of the past often find a way of being retold and discovered.

It's a story of abuse, fear and oppression, and yet it is also one of empowerment, discovery of self and freedom. When there seems to be no way forward another door will open up.

Kudos to Walkley for the fascinating sub-story on reading as it relates to the plot. It was an eye-opener and gave the story a lot more depth.

Buy Beyond the Yew Tree at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Spare Time Press; pub date 27 Mar. 2020. Buy at Amazon com.

Enter the Giveaway to Win One copy of The Last Thing She Said or The Woman of Heachley Hall (Open INT) - If the winner is in the UK then it will be a print copy, otherwise International winner is e-book.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.*