Above by Isla Morley

Morley has this knack of combining the most uncomfortable, taboo and heinous issues with the simultaneous feelings of morality, guilt, compassion and forgiveness. This author has the ability to cloud something which would seem like a straightforward crime, with doubt and uncertainty.

Above certainly fits into that difficult category. The reader and victim start out disliking and fearing the perpetrator and end up understanding the compulsive necessity of his actions, despite the deplorable nature of his crimes.

It is a tightrope walk of emotions; Hatred, disgust, anger, fear and hopelessness.  The reader sinks with Blythe into a hole of despair and can feel even ounce of hope leave her. Drip by drip,  day by day until suddenly years have gone by. We sit there with her deep beneath the ground. In darkness, listening to the silence of her tomb, knowing that no person will ever find her.

The fear turns into a Stockholm Syndrome like dependency. She resigns herself to her fate, especially when she has to consider that of her child.

This is when it gets interesting from an emotional point of view. She views herself as the protector, the mother, but in fact she has become the captor. She is now aiding and enabling her own kidnapper.

I think the real eye opener is possibility of the conspiracy theorist being right. That makes him look like a saviour instead of a criminal. The reader and the victim start to question the validity of their prior judgement.

As always Morley paints a frightening picture of the abyss of deviancy humans are capable of, with a large portion of apocalyptic terror.

I received a copy of this book courtesy of Gallery Books via Edelweiss.

Natchez Burning by Greg Iles

This is certainly a book of epic proportions. It is roughly double the length of a normal novel. The story reaches far back into the past and takes the reader on a long path towards the truth. The tragic events of the past cast their wicked tendrils far into the present.

Even now after all these years many murders and disappearances related to the civil rights movements during the 60′s, remain cold cases.Close knit communities are still reluctant to point the finger at bigots and racists, who committed heinous crimes to prevent equality between different races.

A fictional tale based on historical facts and events, it is often a read that might upset or anger, which is only understandable considering the content. I think you can actually feel Iles frustration at the apathy directed towards solving these crimes and the level of corruption at that point in time.

Even now it seems as if many people just don’t want to muddy the already really dirty waters. Who knows how many bodies are still buried or how many people are still alive and able to reveal the fates and resting places of the remaining victims?

I think in a way the length of the novel subconsciously represents the time span between crimes and culmination of the events resulting from those crimes. This isn’t just a crime story for the author, this is making readers remember an incredibly difficult passage in history.
I received a copy of this book courtesy of William Morrow via Edelweiss.

Far Gone by Laura Griffin

What didn’t gel very well for me was the way Gavin was treated from a legal point of view. Being the brother of cop shouldn’t be a free pass, especially when domestic terrorism is involved. He aided and abetted a criminal, and yet that is conveniently forgotten.

I would have liked to have read more about the incident that gets Andrea suspended. From a police perspective she has done her duty and yet it seems as if the powers that be would rather be dealing with a mass shooting instead. A moral conundrum or just plain old politics? How is her decision brought into question at all, given the facts of the event?

Andrea is attacked and the reader never actually finds out the why and the who, so what was the point of that scene aside from setting up a sympathy scene with Jon later on in the book.

The domestic terrorist plot starts off quite well and there are some interesting comparisons made to the Oklahoma bombing. Overall it could have been a lot stronger from a plot point of view if the author hadn’t been so divided by the fact she also wanted to tell a story of a romantic encounter.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley.

Just between you, me and tiny world of web...what a beautiful cover and what on earth does it have to do with the story?

Take Me On by Katie McGarry

I enjoyed the fact this author did not bow down to the en-vogue propensity in YA to blame the victim or excuse the bad boy. Instead McGarry has created and displayed the issue of teen relationship abuse within the constructs of a secondary romance.

Instead the author has dispelled some of the mythical attitude about victims of abuse only been physically weak. In this case Haley is a prize-winning martial arts champion, and yet she still falls prey to an abusive boyfriend. She struggles with the acknowledgement and comprehension of the abuse. Part of that inner struggle is due to her own physical capabilities and strengths.

Although it seems as if that particular sub-plot only sails by quietly during the storms of the main plot it is, as far as I am concerned, the most important part of the story.

Family dynamics and dysfunctional relationships within families are put on display and that includes the relationship between Haley and West.

The two teens dance around their emotions and the instability of their surroundings in a way only people of that age can. Obsessive, passionate and often irrational. Going from angry to heartbroken and then deliriously happy in a matter of seconds.

It is a spirited tale of connection, support and encouragement.

This paperback edition also includes a bonus ‘Pushing the Limits’ novella by Katie McGarry called ‘Crossing the Line’ featuring Lincoln and Lila.
I received a copy of this book courtesy of Harlequin UK & MIRAInk UK.

The Cold Nowhere by Brian Freeman

Nothing binds people quite like a large portion of guilt and Stride certainly has that when it comes to Cat. Cat on the other hand is a mixture of personalities, now and again a child, often survival expert and sometimes a Lolita.

Cat turns out to be the daughter of someone Stride used to know, despite a load of warning signals he decides to help her out. Yes she has a wee knife fetish and walks around in her sleep, but hey there could be worse scenarios, right?

The focus of this story is on the emotional burden Stride carries around with him. He messed up his relationship with Serena, he has difficulty connecting with Maggie and he is still bound to a woman from his past. He yearns for the temptation of the unfulfilled love and burns with an inner anger because he blames himself for her death.

It seems as if the Lolita has gotten herself tied up in corruption and the deviant behaviour of others. It is fair to say that Maggie not only doesn’t trust Cat, she also doesn’t like her much. I think she resents the girl being allowed into the inner sanctum of Stride, a place Maggie no longer has access to.

On a side note, who thinks the cold wind often chews on their face like maggots? I had to read that sentence twice and it still made me shiver with disgust. Thank you Mr Freeman for forever linking together in my mind, cold winds and maggots that like to chew on faces.

It is a crime story with emphasis on the past, heavy on the emotions and lighter on the action.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley.

Season of the Witch by Natasha Mostert

An information thief with a sideline in paranormal visions, sounds like a decent way to make a living right? Well, maybe if the people you are trying to outwit don’t turn out to be ten steps ahead of you in both the IQ and occult department, then you might just find yourself in a deep well of danger and mystical uncertainty.

Gabriel certainly thinks highly of himself and is quite arrogant about his abilities. That eccentric arrogance was his downfall once and the ruin of a promising career. Now it leads him straight into the arms of dimensions he cannot begin to comprehend.

His major issue at first is trying to discover the woman he thinks is his soulmate, all whilst trying to find out whether she or her sister have killed his clients son. He is so open to being seduced into the web of lies, seduction and immorality that the reader begins to suspect his intentions. This is especially the case when Gabriel finds out what Morrighan and Minnaloushe are really looking for.

In the end the tale of seduction and murder melds together with the mystery of alchemy. The search for the wisdom, knowledge and science of the soul turns into one of desperation and unfulfilled longing. It no longer seems important who killed whom and why. All that remains is to find the key to that of many doors.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley.

The Notting Hill Diaries by Sarah Morgan

Sarah Morgan has the ability to switch from cosy, snug, heartwarming romance to throbbing, breathless, heart pounding sexual encounters in a matter of seconds. The first is likely to make your heart melt and the latter will probably make you blush.

You might even find that suddenly you can hear the sound of your own heart exceptionally well as it races in time with the on-page in-book action.

The Cosmo Red Hot Reads are an exciting collaboration between Cosmopolitan magazine and Harlequin UK & Mills and Boon. They are set on bringing you the spicy tales and romantic interludes of today’s modern woman. This book brings you Ripped and Burned, the stories of two sisters.

Ripped is all about the voluptuous, intelligent and wee bit unlucky Hayley. Her boyfriends can deal with the curves but not with the brain that comes with them.

Morgan brings up an important issue in Ripped, just how often men feel threatened by a woman they are in a relationship with if she is intelligent, and even more so if she has a career in a predominantly male field. More often than not women are expected to follow not lead and certainly not walk beside the male in the relationship.

Luckily she seems to have caught the attention of a hot piece of hunky called Nico, who doesn't want to change her and wants her in her entirety. What a pity Hayley has decided she will only play without any kind of strings attached.

In Burned we get to hear more about Hayley’s sister Rosie, who seems to be rather good at scaring away her male friends. Physically scare them that is. Just her bad luck, obviously a trait inherited via her family, that she just happens to bump into the one person she never wanted to meet again.

Hunter Black is back in town and ready to mess with Rosie again. Mess with her head, heart and most definitely with her body.
Rosie is powered by her conviction and willpower, just say no to Hunter. No problem for a tough girl used to fighting her own battles. Right?

These are tantalizing, sizzling stories of smouldering bodies melded together like a hot fudge sundae and the romance is just the cherry on top.

Buy The Notting Hill Diaries at Amazon UK or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.

You can connect with Sarah online at her website: www.sarahmorgan.com on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AuthorSarahMorgan or on Twitter @SarahMorgan_

Read: The Christmas Sisters, Moonlight over Manhattan (From Manhattan with Love #6), Holiday in the Hamptons (From Manhattan with Love #5), New York Actually (From Manhattan with Love #4), Miracle on 5th Avenue (From Manhattan with Love #3), Sunset in Central Park (From Manhattan with Love #2), Sleepless in Manhattan (From Manhattan with Love #1), Christmas Ever After. First Time in Forever. Maybe This Christmas or Suddenly Last Summer or all by Sarah Morgan.

Follow @SarahMorgan_, @HQStories and @HarperCollinsUK