Blog Tour/Review: The Murder Club

The Murder Club

‘Not all evil, on the surface, is ugly and menacing. It doesn’t always lurk in city centres after dark. It mows your lawns, frequents your local pub, takes its kids to school and contributes to communities.’

When the first letter arrives saying that ‘tonight it begins’, journalist Miller Hatcher ignores it. But then the body of a murdered woman is discovered, strangled, a scarf around her neck.

Cassie Hughes has always vowed to find the man who murdered her mother. Cassie knows he’s out there and wants him to pay, and Miller agrees to bring the cold case back into the public’s eye.

Logan Dodds has been obsessed with true crime ever since his sister was murdered thirty years ago. He has turned his obsession into a career and has created the True Crime Enthusiasts Club and his newest venture, True Crime Tours.

The lives of Miller, Cassie and Logan – all affected differently by murder – become entwined as The Scarf Killer, desperate for infamy, and Miller’s attention, makes his mark on the small town of Lentford.

My Thoughts

This is book two in the Miller Hatcher series, and while it can be read as a standalone, I suggest reading book one first as there are several references throughout and you get a better understanding for Miller and her character. That being said this was a good paced thriller with a flawed but likable character. We can tell Miller has been through a lot, wither her move to Lentford being a final straw in her career. Miller and Cassie are both strong women, which is refreshing since this isn’t always the case with female lead characters. The identity of the scarf killer will not be as easy to determine as you think, several times I was wrong in my guess. I enjoyed this book and will go back and read book one “Nothing Bad Happens Here”, so that I can better understand Miller and her struggles.

I give this 4/5 and thank Rachel’s Random Resources and Nikki Crutchley for the review copy of this book.

Purchase Links

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Murder-Club-Miller-Hatcher-Novel-ebook/dp/B08F31N25V

US – https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Club-Miller-Hatcher-Novel-ebook/dp/B08F31N25V

Author Bio – After seven years of working as a librarian in New Zealand and overseas, Nikki now works as a freelance proofreader and copy editor. She lives in the small Waikato town of Cambridge in New Zealand with her husband and two girls.

Nikki has been writing on and off her whole life and before she turned to crime writing had success in flash fiction. She has been published in ‘Bonsai: Best Small Fictions from Aotearoa New Zealand’, and ‘Fresh Ink’ anthologies.

Crime/thriller/mystery novels are her passion. Her first novel, ‘Nothing Bad Happens Here’, featuring journalist Miller Hatcher, is set on the Coromandel Coast of New Zealand. It was a finalist in the 2018 Ngaio Marsh Award for best first novel. Her second book, ‘No One Can Hear You’, was long-listed for the Ngaio Marsh Award for best novel in 2019. ‘The Murder Club’ is the second in the Miller Hatcher series.

Social Media Links –

https://www.facebook.com/NikkiCrutchleyAuthor

Tweets by NikkiCAuthor

https://www.instagram.com/nikkicrutchleywrites/

Book Tour/Review: Prospects of a Woman

Prospects of a Woman

By Wendy Voorsanger

Taking the place during the California Gold rush ~1850, this book tells the story of Elizabeth and her first years in California. Elizabeth and her husband Nate (whom she married hastily to try and have a better life) come to California from Massachusetts, looking for her father who was prospecting gold. Unfortunately, when she find him, he wants nothing to do with her, and goes off with a woman leaving her and Nate his gold claim. Things aren’t as easy as they would have hoped and every day is a struggle looking for gold, with Nathan running into town every night. When she find him in town and realizes he is not who she thought he was, she decides to try and make it on her own since California is a very progressive state for the time and allows women to divorce, own property and have a business. Life is not easy for Elizabeth and she makes some tough choices and some bad ones. Throughout the books we see her corresponding with her friend, Louisa May Alcott, but unfortunately we only see Elizabeth’s side and not any of the replies. This is a good historical fiction novel and a great depiction of the California gold rush days. Elizabeth is not a like label character but I did enjoy seeing her resistance and watching her reinvent herself multiple times to try and improve her life. It was great to see the opportunities woman had in California that were not available in most places. All in all I enjoyed this book, even though Elizabeth was a very frustrating person and I recommend it to any historical fiction fans.

Thank you to PR By the Book and Wendy Voorsanger for the review copy.

Author website: http://www.wendyvoorsanger.net

Additional website: Sheiscalifornia.com

Facebook: Author Wendy Voorsanger

Instagram: @authorwendyvoorsanger

Buy the book:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Prospects-Woman-Novel-Wendy-Voorsanger/dp/1631527819/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=prospects+of+a+woman&qid=1594760860&sr=8-2

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/prospects-of-a-woman-wendy-voorsanger/1136028533?ean=9781631527814

Book Tour/Review: A Golden Fury

Set in eighteenth century England, Samantha Cohoe’s debut novel, A GOLDEN FURY (Wednesday Books; October 13, 2020), follows a young alchemist as she tries to save the people she loves from the curse of the Philosopher’s Stone. The streets of London and Oxford come to life as this historical fantasy unravels. Weaving together an alluring story of magic and danger, Samantha’s debut has her heroine making messy decisions as she toes the line between good and evil while it becomes blurred. Thea Hope longs to be an alchemist out of the shadow of her famous mother. The two of them are close to creating the legendary Philosopher’s Stone—whose properties include immortality and can turn any metal into gold—but just when the promise of the Stone’s riches is in their grasp, Thea’s mother destroys the Stone in a sudden fit of violent madness. 

While combing through her mother’s notes, Thea learns that there’s a curse on the Stone that causes anyone who tries to make it to lose their sanity. With the threat of the French Revolution looming, Thea is sent to Oxford for her safety, to live with the father who doesn’t know she exists. But in Oxford, there are alchemists after the Stone who don’t believe Thea’s warning about the curse—instead, they’ll stop at nothing to steal Thea’s knowledge of how to create the Stone. But Thea can only run for so long, and soon she will have to choose: create the Stone and sacrifice her sanity, or let the people she loves die. 

A GOLDEN FURY and the curse of the Philosopher’s Stone will haunt you long after the final page.

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YA Fantasy can be very hit or miss, this one is a hit. Slow starting but a great storyline, especially if you enjoy historical fiction/fantasy. Thea is an alchemist, following in the footsteps of her well known and well sought after mother, who is trying to create the Philosophers Stone, said to have magical powers of healing and possibly immortality. The problem…anyone who sets out to try and create the stone goes mad. When Thea’s mother succumbs to this madness she has no choice but to go off to England to a father she never met and doesn’t know she exists. From there, more adventure and some danger follow our young heroine. Smart and headstrong we watch Thea in her journey to create the stone and hopefully cure her mother. I ended this story and after a slow start it had plenty of action, along with heartbreak, betrayal, and a touch of romance. While this is a YA story, adults will enjoy it as well, it doesn’t read to “young”.  A great debut, this is an author I will keep on my need to read list for future releases. 

Thank you to Wednesday Books for the review copy and including me on this tour. 4/5 stars

Samantha’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/smcohoe

Samantha’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samanthacohoe/

Wednesday Books Twitter: https://twitter.com/wednesdaybooks

Wednesday Books Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wednesdaybooks/

Buy link for A GOLDEN FURY: https://read.macmillan.com/lp/a-golden-fury/

Book Tour/Review: Rules for Moving

Release Date: May 19, 2020

About The Book: 

From bestselling author Nancy Star comes a deeply moving novel about the truths we hide from others and the lies we tell ourselves.

To the outside world, beloved advice columnist Lane Meckler has all the answers. What no one knows is that she also has a secret: her life is a disaster, and it’s just gotten worse. Her husband, whom she was planning to leave, has died in a freak accident. Her six-year-old son, Henry, has stopped speaking to everyone but her. Lane’s solution? Move. Growing up, that was what her family did best.

But when she and Henry pack up and leave, Lane realizes that their next home is no better, and she finally begins to ask herself some hard questions. What made her family move so often? Why has she always felt like an outsider? How can she get Henry to speak?

On a journey to help her son find his voice, Lane discovers that somewhere along the way she lost her own. If she wants to help him, she’ll need to find the courage to face the past and to speak the truth she’s been hiding from for years.

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Lane Meckler appears to have the perfect life, she writes an advice column called Ask Roxie, and is married with a son, Henry. In truth, her life is a wreck. Her marriage is falling apart, her husband is an alcoholic and is probably having an affair. After her husband dies in a drunk driving accident he caused, killing numerous people, including a woman he was with, and then a disastrous trip home to see her parents, Henry stops speaking to anyone but her. Lane decides to do what her family typically does when there is a problem, pack up and move. But the problems don’t go away, you just find a new set to deal with.

This was a moving story about grief and loss and dysfunctional families and the price we pay when we grow up in one. many of the characters were unlikeable, and I never truly understood what was going on with Lanes parents (mental illness of some kind)? I did enjoy following her journey and watching her become strong and happy again so she could be the parent her son needed. It can be a tough read at times, both due to the slow pace early on and the difficult characters but stick with it, it’s worth it. I give this 4/5 stars and thank Suzy Approved Book Tours, Lake Union Publishing , and Nancy Star for the review copy of this book.

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About The Author: 

Nancy Star is the author of the bestselling novel Sisters One, Two, Three, a Publishers Weekly top ten print book and Amazon Kindle bestseller of 2016. Her previous novels, which have been translated into several languages, include Carpool Diem, Up Next, Now This, and Buried Lives. Her essays have appeared in the Washington Post, the New York Times, Money, and Family Circle. Before turning to writing fiction full-time, Nancy worked for over a decade as a movie executive at the Samuel Goldwyn Company and the Ladd Company, dividing her time between New York and London. She now lives in New Jersey and Martha’s Vineyard with her husband. For more information, visit www.nancystarauthor.com.

Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Nancy.Star.Author/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/nancystarauthor

Twitter: @NancyStarAuthor

Book Tour/Review: The Speed of Life

The Speed of Life

James Victor Jordan

**Trigger Warnings: Rape**

This story is a mix of courtroom drama, legal thriller, time travel, Seminole Culture and astrophysics. We meet various characters, go back and forth in time, trying to solve a brutal crime, did a troubled son orchestrate his mother’s rape? 

While all of the different points of view, time jumps, and characters may seem confusing, they are all important in bringing the story together. The vivid descriptions of the Florida Everglades bring this story to life as the different character stories win and twist to come together. 

This is a fast paced story and not always an easy read, between the brutal crime, twisting storylines and scientific aspects but one that I would recommend if you’re willing to check out something that may be different from your normal crime thriller 

I give this 3.5/5 stars

Thank you to Blackthorn Book Tours and James Victor Jordan for the review copy of this book. 

Blog Tour/Review: A Borrowed Life

A Borrowed Life

Kerry Anne King

From the Amazon Charts bestselling author of Whisper Me This comes an emotional and sharply witty novel about how life’s unexpected detours can ultimately bring you home.

For twenty-six years Liz has perfectly played the part of Mrs. Thomas Lightsey, exemplary pastor’s wife and mother. But maintaining appearances for the congregation and catering to her demanding husband takes a toll, and she’s lost herself in meeting the expectations of others. When Thomas suddenly dies, Liz feels shock, grief, and, to her surprise, the siren song of freedom. Dare she dream of a life to call her own?

Despite the resistance of her daughter, Abigail, to even the smallest changes, Liz lands a role at the community theater. Inspired by new friends and the character she plays, she explores life’s possibilities, including an unexpected—and steamy—relationship with her leading man.

Just when Liz thinks she might be winning, life hits her with an unthinkable shock. She’s pregnant at forty-nine. Torn between conflicting loyalties to her daughter, her lover, her unborn baby, and herself, can Liz find a way to rebuild her dream life one more time?

My Thoughts:

Liz has been a preacher’s wife for 26 years, being told how to act, how to be a wife, and how to be a mother with no control over her own life, until her husband Thomas dies unexpectedly of a heart attack. Devastated at first, she wonders who she was before her husband and decides to try and find herself. When a neighbor conveniences her to go for a part in the local community theatre, everyone is in an uproar! Liz’s daughter Abigail is outraged at the charges in her mother and the church community cant stop talking. When Liz starts a new romance she has to wonder if she is too old to start over. Humorous at times, greatly moving and uplifting, watching Liz decide to take back her life and make her own choices in life, this is a book that I didn’t want to end. It’s a wonderful example of women’s fiction and one I recommend as a book club choice, giving it 4.5 stars.

Thank you to Suzy Approved Book Tours and Kerry Anne King for the review copy of this book.

About The Author:

Kerry Anne King is the Washington Post and Amazon Charts bestselling author of Closer Home, I Wish You Happy, Whisper Me This, and Everything You Are. Licensed as both an RN and a mental-health counselor, she draws on her experience working in the medical and mental-health fields to explore themes of loss, grief, and transformation—but always with a dose of hope and humor. Kerry lives in a little house in the big woods of the Inland Northwest with her Viking, three cats, a dog, and a yard full of wild turkeys and deer. She also writes fantasy and mystery novels as Kerry Schafer. Visit Kerry at http://www.kerryanneking.com.

Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKerryAnneKing/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/kerry_anne_king

Twitter: @Kerry_Anne_King

Book Tour/Review: The First to Lie

The First to Lie

Author: Hank Phillipppi Ryan

We all have our reasons for being who we are―but what if being someone else could get you what you want?

After a devastating betrayal, a young woman sets off on an obsessive path to justice, no matter what dark family secrets are revealed. What she doesn’t know―she isn’t the only one plotting revenge.

An affluent daughter of privilege. A glamorous manipulative wannabe. A determined reporter, in too deep. A grieving widow who has to choose her new reality. Who will be the first to lie? And when the stakes are life and death, do a few lies really matter?

Bestselling and award-winning author and investigative reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan delivers another twisty, thrilling cat and mouse novel of suspense that will have you guessing, and second-guessing, and then gasping with surprise.

My Thoughts:

There are quite a few characters in this story and multiple POV. While most of the story is told from the view of Ellie – an investigative reporter trying to write a story on Pharminex, a large pharmaceutical company who has just released a “miracle fertility drug’ with a major side effect, we also meet Nora, a rep for Pharminex, Brooke – the 15 year old daughter of the family behind Pharminex, Travis – Brooke’s brother, and Lacey – Travis’ future wife. None of these characters are reliable, and he lies stack upon each other until you will truly be wondering what the real story is.

While the multiple points of view can be somewhat confusing and hard to follow, the book comes together by the end and is worth the read. If you like psychological thrillers and a revenge story with multiple moving pieces, you will enjoy this book.

Thank you to Suzy Approved Book Tours, Hank Philippi Ryan, and Forge Books for the review copy.

4 stars

Learn more about Hank at www.HankPhillippiRyan.com

Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HankPhillippiRyanAuthor/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/hankpryan

Twitter: @HankPRyan

Book Tour/Review: The Moon is Missing by Jenni Ogden

About The Book:

Release Date : August 25, 2020

Georgia Grayson has perfected the art of being two people: a neurosurgeon on track to becoming the first female Director of Neurosurgery at a large London hospital, and a wife and mother. Home is her haven where, with husband Adam’s support, she copes with her occasional anxiety attacks. That is until her daughter, 15-year-old Lara, demands to know more about Danny, her mysterious biological father from New Orleans who died before she was born. “Who was he? Why did he die? WHO AM I?” Trouble is, Georgia can’t tell her. As escalating panic attacks prevent her from operating, and therapy fails to bring back the memories she has repressed, fractures rip through her once happy family. Georgia sees only one way forward; to return to New Orleans where Danny first sang his way into her heart, and then to the rugged island where he fell to his death. Somehow she must uncover the truth Lara deserves, whatever the cost.

My Thoughts

This is Jenni Ogden’s second novel, although I admit I have not read the first but after reading this I plan on adding it to my list. Georgia is currently in London on track to be he first female director of Neurosurgery until an incident during surgery leaves her unable to control her panic attacks (related to the death of an old boyfriend and her daughter’s father) and she is put on leave and required to attend counseling. Meanwhile, she suspects her husband of having an affair and her daughter is having her own issues as well, including increasing demands to know more about her father. Problem is Georgia cant remember what happened the night Danny died. As Lara’s demands for information grow, Georgia has an opportunity to go to a conference, bringing her and Lara to New Orleans to also try and get some information on Danny and what happened. Unfortunately as they are there Katrina hits and some of the most powerful scenes in the book occur. Moving from the present to the past to try and solve the mystery of Danny’s death, this is a book that brings on many emotions and can show how family dysfunction and mother/wife dealing with anxiety try an cope and solve the mysteries of the past. There are some great locations featured as well. This is one that I would recommend to anyone who is a fan of family dramas with a touch f mystery involved.

Thank you to Suzy Approved Book Tours, Jenny Ogden, and NetGalley for the review copy of this book.

4/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟

About The Author:

Jenni Ogden and her husband live off-grid on spectacular Great Barrier Island, 100 kms off the coast of New Zealand, a perfect place to write and for grandchildren to spend their holidays. Winters are spent near a beach in Far North Tropical Queensland. Jenni’s debut novel, A Drop in the Ocean, won multiple awards and has sold over 80,000 copies. As a clinical neuropsychologist, she is well-known for her books featuring her patients’ moving stories: Fractured Minds: A Case-Study Approach to Clinical Neuropsychology, and Trouble In Mind: Stories from a Neuropsychologist’s Casebook. Author website:http://www.jenniogden.com/ Newsletter: http://www.jenniogden.com/newsletter.htm

Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JenniOgdenbooks/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/ogden.jenni

Twitter: @jenni_ogden

Blog Tour & Review: This Side of Death by Andrew Barrett (A CSI Eddie Collins Novel)

This Side of Death

This Side of Death. When the past comes back to hunt you. 

Alex Sheridan believes the only way she can be free of her demons is to kill the men in her life. She has a list, and Crime Scene Investigator Eddie Collins is on it. 
Death misses Eddie by inches, and Alex is locked away in Juniper Hill high-security hospital.

Everything is fine for Eddie until one day four years later, when Alex escapes. This time she’s better prepared.

The week that follows ruptures Eddie’s life and shatters the belief he had in his own past, leaving him wondering what really happened, and facing one stark choice: who to kill and who to save.
 
This Side of Death is the most revealing CSI Eddie Collins novel to date. Prepare to see inside his past and understand what makes him the angriest, most feared, and yet most respected CSI in England.

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If you haven’t read any of the Eddie Collins series, go read them all! While this can be read alone, this is book 6 in the series and brings back a character from an arlier novella, The Note. When you start to read this you will realize that Part 1 is The Note, but don’t skip it! It’s a revised edition told from a 3rd Person POV rather than from Eddie’s which was what e read in the original, and its an intregal part of the story. 

Part 2 is where the “new” story begins. Eddie is his usual sarcastic (and somewhat mean) self and is now in charge of the Forensic unit, although reluctantly. He becomes the target of his first girlfriend Alex, once again, after she escapes from Juniper Hill Psychiatric Hospital where she was placed after the events four years ago. 

While we learn some more backstory on Eddie and why he is how he is, we also follow along as Alex tries once again to kill Eddie, who is on the top of her list of men who have wronged her. 

This is yet another great installment in a thrilling series that I highly recommend. Eddie is not always a likeable guy but you will still find yourself liking him regardless because everyone knows that one person who comes across as the person you really want to hate but can’t. No matter how hard he tries to hide them, Eddie’s emotions and good nature always seem to come through.

Thank you to Andrew Barrett and Rachel’s Random Resources for the review copy and allowing me to take part in this blog tour.

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If you like fast-paced and gripping crime thrillers with a strong forensic element, you’ll love Andrew Barrett’s This Side of Death. It will appeal to fans of Kathy Reichs, Robert Bryndza and Angela Marsons.

Purchase Links 

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Side-Death-comes-Collins-ebook/dp/B08C4MC5J7

US – https://www.amazon.com/This-Side-Death-comes-Collins-ebook/dp/B08C4MC5J7

Author Bio 

Andrew Barrett became a CSI in 1996, and finished his first crime thriller, A Long Time Dead in 1997. Two more books completed the SOCO Roger Conniston trilogy.

Andrew still produces authentic crime thrillers with a forensic flavour. He’s known for his lead character, CSI Eddie Collins, and the acerbic way in which he roots out criminals. Eddie’s series is five books and three novellas in length.

Andrew is a proud Yorkshireman and sets all of his novels in Leeds.

You can find out more about him and his writing at www.andrewbarrett.co.uk

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/AndrewBarrettUK

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AndrewBarrett.author

Exclusive Readers Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/BarrettERG/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrewbarrettauthor

Amazon.co.uk: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Andrew-Barrett/e/B0055888Q0/

Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/Andrew-Barrett/e/B0055888Q0/

YouTube: Andrew Barrett on YouTube

Giveaway to Win 5 x Paperback copies of This Side of Death (UK Only)

*Terms and Conditions –UK 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.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/33c69494383/?

Book Review: Betty

Betty by Tiffany McDaniel

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is my first book by McDaniel but I intend on going back and reading The Summer that Melted Everything. When I was first contacted by Tiffany to read her novel I was not expecting such a gut punch, and I don’t mean that in a bad way. This is Betty’s story. It’s a hard story inspired by the authors mother of a dirt poor family living in the foothills of the Appalachians. Betty grew up in a house with eight children to a Cherokee father and White mother. While her siblings take on their mothers attributes, Betty looks like her father. She grows up hearing stories of Cherokee legends from her father, and stories of dark warning for her mother on just what life as a woman is like. This book isn’t easy. While its filled with love, it’s also filled with abuse, animal cruelty, mental health, and racism. But it’s a story that should be read. Sometimes life isn’t easy and we have to step out of our comfort zones and see just how hard it can be. While there were times I cringes and was even brought to tears, I am glad I read this novel. Thank you to Tiffany McDaniel for the review copy and thank you for this story.

4.5/5
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