Anyone fancy #ChasingMoonbeamsInMerrimentBay with me and @EmilyHarvale? @RaRaResources #review

Yas!!! Another Emily Harvale book, don’t mind if I do!

Thanks, as always, to Rachel for inviting me to take part in the blog tour and for the ARC.

Cat Devon is finally with the love of her life – and she couldn’t be happier about that. But discovering the identity of her real dad and the fact she has two half-brothers was a shock. Getting to know her new family is now a priority.

Kyra Devon is only eighteen, but she’s more mature than her mum in many ways and is coping far better with everything that’s happened. Kyra knows what she wants and unlike Cat, she’s not going to let opportunities slip away.

Mary Devon has regained her daughter and her granddaughter, but she’s grieving for her mother, and also for the loss of the love she thought she’d found. Putting on a brave face may not be the best way for Mary to get over it.

When a long-lost painting called Moonbeams Kiss is discovered in a hidden cellar beneath the floorboards in Devon Villa, a story of love, loss and treachery unfolds, bringing with it repercussions for each of the Devon women.

This is Book Two in Emily Harvale’s Merriment Bay series which is interconnected to her Wyntersleap series. Each series can be read alone, but several characters appear in both series.

What does TWG think?

One thing I never thought would happen was Mary Devon going soft – and it did! Did she have a personality transplant on the quiet or something?!

To be fair on her, she has had a few not so great things happen to her of late (read the books and you’ll find out, if you havent already), and I guess negative things can mellow someone and help them to realise that their snipey behaviour needed to be directed someplace other than towards those who have been there for them. Easier said than done though.

It was such a joy to be back with Cat and her daughter Kyra this time round, where we managed to seamlessly pick up where we left off and find out where the Devon ladies stood on the whole father identity situation. I think we got a lot more than what we bargained for though as a whole new can of worms was opened in the cellar!

May i just say what a brilliant incorporation of history – I loved finding out a bit more about Cat’s ancestry and an unsolved disappearance! It was a tad gripping i must say, although i totally wished that someone a little bit more disheveled was at the forefront of it all instead of Francis. I’m sure that hes nice and everything, but he made me feel a little uneasy. He was more forward than a false start at a race!!

As always, I was in my element reading an Emily Harvale novel, what with the perfectly placed humour alongside very colourful characters. What’s not to like? I am so eager to find out what happens next!

A fab story to put a much needed smile on your face!

Buy now.

Meet cute or meet c-UGH? #WouldLikeToMeet @FrostyCheeks @TrapezeBooks

Hugest of thanks to Alex for the blog tour invite and ARC, I am delighted to be kicking off the blog tour for ‘Would Like To Meet’ by Rachel Winters, today! Enjoy!

Long-suffering assistant Evie Summers will lose her job unless she can convince her film agency’s biggest and most difficult client, Ezra Chester, to finish the script for a Hollywood romcom. The catch? He hasn’t started writing it.

Suffering from ‘writer’s block,’ he will only put pen to paper if singleton Evie can prove to him that you can fall in love like they do in the movies. Forget internet dating, Evie can only meet a man the way that Sally met Harry, or Hugh Grant meets anyone. Cue her entering into one ridiculous romcom scenario after another. But can life ever be like the movies?

Of course, real life is never that straightforward . . .

What does TWG think?

Watch out Meg Ryan, theres a new leading lady in town! Never mind ‘You’ve Got Mail’ or ‘Sleepless in Seattle’, or even ‘Cinderella’ (not that Meg Ryan was in that but whatevs!) – ‘Would Like To Meet’ is an amalgamation of everything romcom…..and then some.

Talking of Disney princesses, Evie reminded me of several sought after romantic leads. For example, Evie at times showed that she wasn’t exactly the brightest button in the box. In fact, she often acted like the thing in her skull was a useless object….a bit like when Ariel brushed her hair with a fork.

My favourite personality trait of Evie’s was the way she cared about her loved ones. She tried so hard not to involve them in anything that would cause them harm, even if that mean dealing with situations in her life on her own, that she would have loved her friends by her side for. Remind you of anyone? Snow White of course! The only difference being that that princess had seven little helpers by her side! At least her and Evie had Dopey in common, aka Jeremy…bless him.

Even though Evie loved her friends, she ended up getting herself into situations which ended up hurting her friends in the process. Unintentionally I may add, but it would have helped if she wasn’t channeling her inner princess Jasmine by having her head in the clouds half the time! A magic carpet ride wasn’t going to fix her Nob conundrum, that’s for sure!

Of course it wouldnt be a romantic comedy without a prince charming, however which one would suit? The prince who wanted Evie to be something she wasn’t? Or the prince who was too afraid to beat his demons, therefore ending up being a little bit of a beast? Cinderella or Belle?

The nickname for one of the characters (Nob fyi) was so on point I nearly choked on my drink. He is a grade A chump nugget who totally deserved a poke in the penis with a sharp pencil. I mean, I could say more but I think my opinion was succinct enough!

Whilst I will hold my hands up and say I wasn’t at all taken with the storyline to begin with (wait…!!!!!), after trying it on for size I came to realise that this was a pretty bloody good book with humour hilarious enough to bring out the silent seal (yes, I laugh like a seal….think of the actions of the fins but no noise)! This modern day romantic comedy revitalised the whole ‘meet cute’ dynamic and the fact that a single woman must apparently meet a single man who looks good on paper. Stuff that!

Just like Rachel Winter proves, you’ve got to spill your drink over a few heifers before you find the right person to show you the importance of living.

Hilarious, on point, and an author to watch!

Pre-order the paperback here!

Who is there for you when you need them the most? #FindHerAlive @lisalregan @Bookouture #DetectiveJosieQuinn

Just this moment finished reading ‘Find Her Alive’, and yes, I’m cutting it fine for my stop on the tour today with less than an hour left of the day. Rest assured, this review is definitely worth the wait!

(Thanks to Bookouture for the tour invite and review copy)

Josie treads gently, careful not to disturb the pile of perfect white bones laid out in the grass by her feet. Her voice is little more than a whisper.
“No! Not my sister…”

Detective Josie Quinn hasn’t heard from her sister since Trinity stormed out of the house in the heat of an argument three weeks ago. So, when human remains are found at the remote hunting cabin where Trinity was last seen, Josie can only assume the worst.

Gathering her team, Josie feels a surge of relief when the dental records match a different body – that of a missing single mother from a neighboring town. But now Josie’s is not the only broken family desperate for answers.

Dusting the crime scene for prints, a name smudged into the side of a nearby car is the first in a trail of clues Trinity left for Josie. In need of a big story to save her journalism career, it seems Josie’s sister was attempting to make contact with a dangerous serial killer known for creating sculptures with his victim’s bones. And Trinity won’t stop until she’s found him, even if it means becoming his next masterpiece…

Josie is certain there’s a critical clue in the ivory hair comb delivered to Trinity just days before she went missing. But as more bones surface, each set more likely to be Trinity’s than the last, time is running out to find her alive. Can Josie’s team trust her instincts in a case that is so deeply personal? Can she find her sister without putting other innocent lives in danger?

What does TWG think?

Holy schmoly! Spank my butt and call me Sparklebottom – THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO FREAKING GOOD! BEYOND GOOD ACTUALLY….SENSATIONAL, EXCEPTIONAL…..!!!!!!!!!

I could go on! Apologies for the severe use of capital letters! They were definitely needed!!

I seriously feel like a worn out record when it comes to reviewing Lisa Regan’s novels, because I am going to say the exact same thing that I say in every review, and that is….i have no idea how she does it, but this is a series that gets better and better! Because it does, it genuinely does and I’m running out of adjectives to use to describe just how incredible the storyline, and previous storylines, are.

Josie Quinn has dealt with more crud than a field full of cows. I dont know whether I am more surprised that shes still standing after everything shes been through, or the fact that she is amazing at rubbing people up the wrong way. Either or, she does it with gusto, something i never doubted for a second when it comes to our Josie!

For such a lightening paced storyline that delivered on a never ending string of gut wrenching moments, i actually felt quite emotional at the very end of the book as I could tell that the way Josie was feeling in that moment was genuine. For a split second it was as though she was no longer Detective Josie Quinn, instead being Josie Quinn – beloved girlfriend, sister, daughter, friend, granddaughter…..human. I have a lot of admiration for Josie’s character as it is, yet that went even higher as I closed the book.

I cannot fault one iota of ‘Find Her Alive’ – I loved every single aspect of the book and how it was delivered. I thought the author brought the situations to life brilliantly whilst also adding in various red herrings and crucial levels of suspense. I loved how, despite having a brief hiatus between books, readers can just fall back into the swing of things with Josie and the gang as though they were never away.

‘Find Her Alive’ is chilling, its shocking, its addictive. Its everything I could have wished for in a psychological thriller and more, a book truly worthy of stardom in all different forms.

Buy now.

If #TheLastCrossing by @BrianMcGilloway has you intrigued, here is a snippet to whet your appetite! @DomePress #blogtour

If you’ve spotted Brian McGilloway’s novel on social media and are wondering what it’s all about, I have the next best thing (aside from reading it of course) for my stop on the tour today! Here is an extract of ‘The Last Crossing’ – thank you to Emily for asking me to be on the tour. Enjoy!

Tony, Hugh and Karen thought they’d seen the last of each other thirty years ago. Half a lifetime has passed and memories have been buried. But when they are asked to reunite – to lay ghosts to rest for the good of the future – they all have their own reasons to agree. As they take the ferry from Northern Ireland to Scotland the past is brought in to terrible focus – some things are impossible to leave behind.

In The Last Crossing memory is unreliable, truth shifts and slips and the lingering legacy of the Troubles threatens the present once again.

Extract.

‘I was younger than you the first time your uncle sent me out to do a job. He was one of ours who joined the cops. Your uncle wanted me to pop him. That’s how he put it, like it was nothing. Not shoot, not kill – pop, like a balloon at a party.’

‘Did you?’ Karen asked.

Duggan nodded. ‘He was coming out of the Rialto with his girl. We’d got word he was there, at The Shootist of all things. Him and her comes out, with the rest of the crowd and starts walking down the Strand towards their car. I was hiding up on the walls opposite the picture house. When he started walking, I comes out and across the street, behind him. I’d a parka on, the hood zipped up around my face so I couldn’t see properly, and my own breathing loud as anything inside the hood. I’d my piece in my coat pocket and a pair of gloves on. Just as I went to pull it out, he turned and looked at me. And he knew. I could see his eyes, he knew what was coming, as if he’d been waiting for it all along. He wasn’t surprised or hurt. It was like he was disappointed, like he’d thought maybe he’d have been given a pass on it.’

He paused, as if he was back there, in that moment, facing the man once more. When he spoke again, his voice was wet and timbrous.

‘He turned and shoved his girlfriend to the ground. I remember that; other fuckers have pulled people in front of them, used them like shields, but not him. He pushed her to the ground just as I shot. The gun bucked a bit when I fired, so the first shot caught him in the stomach and the second on the neck.’

The silence hung in the car. Tony glanced at Karen whose eyes were bright with tears and he suspected that she was spooling the shooting of her father inside her head. He reached across and took her hand in his, clasping it. He felt her open her fingers a little and splaying them, interconnect them with his.

‘He was my first. Cooney, his name was. I always thought the fucker was noble, throwing the girl to the ground. He drowned in his own blood by the time the ambulance arrived.’

He turned and looked over at Barr. ‘That’s the work your uncle sent me out to do for him while he sat in the bar, holding court. I was sixteen at the time.’

‘Do you regret it?’ Karen asked.

‘What? What I did?’

She nodded.

‘Never. Except with Martin,’ he said. ‘But we’ll take care of that today. Isn’t that right, Richard?’

‘Any sign of a shop?’ Tony asked, keen to change the subject.

‘Did you ever see it?’ Duggan asked, as if Tony had not even spoken.

Barr, to whom the question had been addressed, glanced quizzically at him. ‘See it?’

‘The Shootist? It’s a cracker of a film. John Wayne’s the gunslinger or something, aw, what’s this his name is? Not Cogburn, that was the other one. That’ll annoy me all day now, his name. Anyway, he’s got cancer and is dying and does one last job. It was Wayne’s last film. He died of cancer himself a few years later. I was sorry to hear that; his films were always good. “Truly this was the son of God”,’ he drawled.

Karen looked at Tony in disbelief either at the mental gymnastics that Duggan had just performed in the conversation, or the fact that the only sympathy which he’d expressed had been for an actor he’d not known rather than a man he’d gunned down himself in front of his girlfriend.

‘Do you mind that one? Him a Roman centurion talking with a Texas drawl. Like Connery commanding a Russian submarine with a Scottish accent. Those guys weren’t actors; they were stars. Didn’t matter they were always playing themselves.’

‘What happened to Cooney’s girlfriend?’ Karen asked, leaning forward and, in doing so, releasing Tony’s hand. He felt a pang of regret, could still feel the pressure of her skin on his. He’d not held Ann’s hand in such a manner for years before her death and felt a strange disloyalty and simultaneous thrill at having done so now with Karen.

‘Fuck knows,’ Duggan said. ‘The last I saw of her, she was lying on the pavement outside the Rialto.’

Available to purchase now from Amazon

Just this second finished #TheGinLoversGuideToDating by @NinaKayeAuthor @OrionBooks – LOVE!!!! @RaRaResources #blogtour

I have literally just finished reading this book, so I am hoping you’ll forgive me for my few minutes delay in posting this review for my tour stop!

(Huge thanks to Rachel and Orion for the tour invite and review copy)

When Liv’s high-flying career goes off the rails, she finds herself working at a glitzy new gin bar to pay the bills. She’s never let romance distract her, but with one very hot colleague, a mysterious online follower who might just be her soulmate, and a lot of cocktails, her dating life is about to be shaken up…

But is Liv looking for a sparkling flirtation, or something a little stronger?

Sometimes you have to face up to your past, seize your future, and mix your own recipe for happy ever after…

What does TWG think?

One hundred….no, one THOUSAND percent YES!!!! Omg this book!!!!

Okay, ignore Liv’s snobbish attitude (we all have one) at times, and try to put her emotional indecisiveness down to previous turmoil, and you should agree with me that Nina Kaye has written an absolute stonker of a book!

This is a modern day dating manual with a twist – the twist being that it isnt actually a manual, more of a story where you get told what NOT to do in a relationship. Its also a story that ends up teaching you a few important things, like how to rebuild your confidence, how to find your worth, how to make new gin recipes to help you forget your past endeavours. You know, the vital thing every woman should know.

Dylan is such a good friend to Liv, it annoyed me how much she took that for granted! I found Reyes’ spin on the English language absolutely brilliant. Who on earth came up with our lingo anyway! Such good fun!

I finished reading this novel with a massive smile on my face and a fizzy tummy (no, I didnt drink all the gin). I had had a feeling as to who GrahamLeeton was, but I kept doubting myself due to how obvious it was! My stomach fizzed in anticipation because I felt the energy, I felt the connection between them. Gosh, it was so real!

I was in my absolute element reading Nina Kaye’s novel. This author speaks my language with her dry sense of humour, and her characterization is second to none – I was so impressed by how put together the entire storyline was. For me, ‘The Gin Lover’s Guide to Dating’ is the ideal antidote for the current climate as it has definitely put the smile back on my face for the time being. I honestly feel like this is a priceless gem waiting to be discovered – I loved it.

Buy now.

When #lockdown is down, #MeetMeAtPebbleBeach! #OutOfTheBlue @Osborne_Bella @AvonBooksUK #blogtour #review

The only thing I can read just now are novellas, something which certainly comes in handy for my blog tour stop today!

I am excited to be closing the tour for the first part in Bella Osborne’s new series, Out Of The Blue; a four part serial with the combination title of ‘Meet Me At Pebble Beach’. Many thanks to Avon for the tour invite and ARC.

When Regan’s lottery numbers unexpectedly come up on a rollover, she can’t believe her luck. Having spent the past few years coasting along in the slow lane of life, this is the break she’s been waiting for – and she wastes no time in making some big life decisions.

But Regan’s plans for a life of sipping cocktails on her own private island come crashing down when she discovers that the winning ticket was a bad prank – and she’s now jobless, boyfriendless, and homeless to boot.

When the going gets tough, can Regan stay afloat?

What does TWG think?

I am stunned!! The beauty of novellas is the way that they are written in bite sized chunks, ideal for people who fancy a little something to read in between other books, or for those who are struggling with their concentration levels. Like me.

I have read and enjoyed many of Bella’s Osborne’s novels, however I have never, EVER read one which made my jaw drop as instantaneously as this one did. Regan is one to watch and is incredibly naive. Her outlook on life is so blase, yet without that fire in her belly, she wont end up completing her ever growing list of ‘wants’. She struck me as the type of character who needed mothering, but also like someone who could really rile people up the wrong way with her unrealistic expectations. With that in mind, I found her very endearing….her workmate is a bit of a tube though. Who does that!!!!!!!!

I flew through the pages of this book as though they were on fire! I was so eager to follow Regan’s journey that nothing prepared me for the bombshell the author dropped at the very last second. Seriously, I have absolutely no idea where that came from! I did even look behind my kindle….just to check of course!

For such a short read, ‘Out Of The Blue’ packs more of a punch than Tyson Fury, and I even have my ringside seats for part two. This is shaping up to be a series not to be missed!

Buy now.

#Spotlight #TheGiftOfCockleberryBay #NicolaMay @RaRaResources @NicolaMay1

I hope you’re all keeping well! If anyone finds my reading mojo, could you send it back to me first class please? Just like many others, I have been unable to immerse myself in books recently, so my blog tours coming up, including this one, will most likely be spotlight posts. I didn’t want to not post as I know authors are relying on exposure right now!

Nicola May is an author whose name I constantly see on social media and, judging by the reviews of her books, I can see why that is! I dislike struggling with my reading, but rest assured as soon as the mojo is back, I will be reviewing this fab sounding book!

From the author of the #1 BESTSELLING The Corner Shop in Cockleberry Bay

All our favourite characters from Cockleberry Bay are back, including Hot, Rosa Smith’s adorable dachshund, and his new-born puppies.

Now successfully running the Cockleberry Café and wishing to start a family herself, Rosa feels the time is right to let her inherited corner shop go. However, her benefactor left one important legal proviso: that the shop cannot be sold, only passed on to somebody who really deserves it.

Rosa is torn. How can she make such a huge decision? And will it be the right one? Once the news gets out, untrustworthy strangers appear in the Bay, their motives uncertain. With the revelation of more secrets from Rosa’s family heritage, a new series of unpredictable and life-changing events begins to unfold.

The Gift of Cockleberry Bay concludes this phenomenally successful series in typically brisk and bolshy style, and will delight Rosa’s many thousands of fans.

About the Author

Nicola May is a rom-com superstar. She is the author of ten romantic comedies, all of which have appeared in the Kindle bestseller charts. Two of them won awards at the Festival of Romance, and another was named ebook of the week in The Sun. The Corner Shop in Cockleberry Bay became the best-selling Kindle book in the UK, across all genres, in January 2019. Nicola lives near Ascot racecourse with her black-and-white rescue cat, Stan.

Purchase book 3 in the series HERE

#Spotlight #WeBeginAtTheEnd @WhittyAuthor #ChrisWhitaker @ZaffreBooks @tr4cyf3nt0n

I hope you’re all keeping well! If anyone finds my reading mojo, could you send it back to me first class please? Just like many others, I have been unable to immerse myself in books recently, so my blog tours coming up, including this one, will most likely be spotlight posts. I didn’t want to not post as I know authors are relying on exposure right now!

Chris Whitaker’s new book has been on my radar for a good while, and I cannot wait to enjoy it when my brain allows me to. Until then, here is the blurb and the purchase link:

With the staggering intensity of James Lee Burke and the absorbing narrative of Jane Harper’s The Dry, We Begin at the End is a powerful novel about absolute love and the lengths we will go to keep our family safe. This is a story about good and evil and how life is lived somewhere in between.

‘You can’t save someone that doesn’t want to be saved . . .’

Thirty years ago, Vincent King became a killer.

Now, he’s been released from prison and is back in his hometown of Cape Haven, California. Not everyone is pleased to see him. Like Star Radley, his ex-girlfriend, and sister of the girl he killed.

Duchess Radley, Star’s thirteen-year-old daughter, is part-carer, part-protector to her younger brother, Robin – and to her deeply troubled mother. But in trying to protect Star, Duchess inadvertently sets off a chain of events that will have tragic consequences not only for her family, but also the whole town.

Murder, revenge, retribution.

How far can we run from the past when the past seems doomed to repeat itself?

‘This one has it all . . . an absolute delight from first page to last’ JOHN HART

‘A damn near perfect crime novel’ FIONA CUMMINS

‘An absolute masterclass in crime writing and story-telling’ JO SPAIN

‘Writing that is Booker Prize good’ DEBORAH O’CONNOR

‘One of the year’s best crime reads’ VASEEM KHAN

Available to buy now from Amazon