Blog Tour: The Girl I Used to Know by Faith Hogan

The Girl I Used to Know by Faith Hogan

Published: 1st Deceber 2017

Publisher: Aria

Pages: 298

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Rating: 5/5

Blurb

Amanda King and Tess Cuffe are strangers who share the same Georgian house, but their lives couldn't be more different.

Amanda seems to have it all, absolute perfection. She projects all the accoutrements of a lady who lunches. Sadly, the reality is a soulless home, an unfaithful husband and a very lonely heart.

By comparison, in the basement flat, unwanted tenant Tess has spent a lifetime hiding and shutting her heart to love.

It takes a bossy doctor, a handsome gardener, a pushy teenager and an abandoned cat to show these two women that sometimes letting go is the first step to moving forward and new friendships can come from the most unlikely situations.

Review

Tess Cuffe and Amanda King have shared the same house for almost twenty years and yet they know nothing about each other. Amanda has lived in the top three floors of their Georgian townhouse with husband David and their children Casper and Robyn. Tess has lived alone in the basement flat, an unwanted tenant that Amanda and David have battled to be rid of.  But both of these women have one thing in common they’re both lonely and as the new year beckons they both begin to question their life choices and slowly the hostility between them begins to thaw.

Helped along by a stray cat, a sexy gardener named Carlos, a meddling Doctor and Amanda’s caring daughter Robyn and  the pair begin to form an unlikely friendship as they set about resolving the mistakes from their past.

This was an incredibly well written story and I can’t believe Faith Hogan is an author I’ve not come across before, her story-telling is so heartfelt and engaging. I loved the journey that Tess and Amanda went on in this book. At the beginning Tess comes across as a grumpy and rather sarcastic old woman and Amanda as a preened and polished airhead, luckily through the flashbacks to their earlier years we realise this is not the case. Both women have deeply hidden passions which have been crushed by unthoughtful men in their lives.

This is a wonderful story of friendship, family, love, loss and betrayal. It’s a story about second chances and how it’s never too late to change your life, no matter how old you are. It’s about forgiveness and following your dreams. It’s one of those books where you find yourself just reading one more chapter because you just need to know what happens next.  I loved every page of this book and can’t wait to devour more of Faith Hogan’s writing.

Thank you so much to Melanie at Aria for sending me a copy to review and inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

Blog Tour Review: Just One Time by K. S. Hunter

Just on Time by K.S. Hunter

Published: 7th December 2017

Publisher: VAD Publishing

Pages: 182

Available on Amazon

Pre-Order from Amazon 

Rating: 3/5

Blurb

Desire can have dire consequences

Two years ago, David Madden made a mistake that almost cost him his marriage. His wife, Alison, gave him another chance, but she has not forgotten, nor has she forgiven.

She is irresistible

Then David meets the alluring Nina at a theatre in London. When he loses his phone in the dark, she helps him find it, and by giving her his number he unwittingly invites her into his life.

What David initially views as an innocent flirt turns into a dangerous game of deception. His increasingly suspicious wife thinks something is up, and each lie he tells pushes them further apart.

She is insatiable

Nina pursues David relentlessly, following him to New York where she gives him an ultimatum: sleep with her, just one time, and then she’ll get out of his life forever; or she’ll ruin everything he holds dear.

She is unstoppable

Of course, once won’t be enough for Nina, and what David hoped would be the end is merely the beginning.

A modern-day Fatal Attraction, Just One Time is a steamy psychological thriller that will have you hooked from the first page and holding your breath until its shocking conclusion. 

Review

David is married to Alison and two years ago he did the worst thing and cheated on her, Alison forgave him but has not forgotten and the last two years life has been hell for David who feels he’s constantly walking on eggshells trying not to upset Alison. One night he meets Nina an incredibly attractive young woman who he can’t help but flirt with, after all flirting is harmless right? Wrong, even though David gives Nina a false name she won’t leave him alone, following him everywhere and driving him nuts she says she won’t give up until she gets one night with David and then she’ll be gone or will she?

This is a very intense read which drops the reader straight among the tense atmosphere between David and Alison which doesn’t let up until the end of the story. The intensity heightens when Nina joins the story and you will probably have that feeling of dread in your stomach while the plotline reaches its peak. For me this happened in New York as after that I felt the plotline fell apart a little and wasn’t quite as believable and gripping for me.

The characters in this book are not the likeable kind. David is selfish, arrogant and does exactly what he wants and then wants forgiveness and reassurance when things don’t go exactly his way. Alison was hurt by David but she’s still bitter after two years and does everything to make him feel inferior, perhaps giving us an understanding as to why he wants comfort elsewhere. I just found Nina obsessive and insecure and would have like more understanding of why so was so psychotic.

I found this an okay read but didn’t feel it had the ending to match the beginning. This is an intense read full of sexually explicit scenes and language to match but for me was more of a plotline. I will still look out for whatever the mysterious K.S. Hunter writes next.

Thank you Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me on this blog tour.

About the Author

K.S. Hunter is the pseudonym of an international bestselling author. The identity of the author, who lives in the United Kingdom, will remain a mystery.

https://www.facebook.com/author.kshunter

https://twitter.com/Author_KSHunter

Blog Tour: It Started With A Tweet, Guest Post from Author Anna Bell

It Started With a Tweet by Anna Bell

Published: 7th December 2017

Publisher: Bonnier Zaffre

Pages: 416

Available on Kindle

Pre-Order from Amazon

Blurb

Daisy Hobson lives her whole life online. But when her social media obsession causes her to make a catastrophic mistake at work, Daisy finds her life going into free-fall . . .

Her sister Rosie thinks she has the answer to all of Daisy's problems - a digital detox in a remote cottage in Cumbria. Soon, too, Daisy a welcome distraction there in Jack, the rugged man-next-door.

But can Daisy, a London girl, ever really settle into life in a tiny, isolated village?

And, more importantly, can she survive without her phone?

Today I'd like to welcome the wonderful Anna Bell to my blog to talk about one aspect of her fabulous new book It Started With A Tweet, out on Thursday. So over to Anna:

Social Media And Me

I adore social media. Being a British expat living in France I love the fact that I feel connected with the UK with a simple swipe. From a work perspective I love that I can talk to readers and other authors. From a personal perspective I love that I can lose hours watching Instagram stories and finding out everything I ever needed to know in an instant.  But I also hate social media. I hate the fact that I am always tempted to check my phone. I hate the fact it can cripple with me anxiety that my life doesn’t look as fun as everyone else’s. And I hate the fact that I ignore people who are actually in the room with me to speak to virtual strangers. I’ve started to wonder is it possible to find a balance between love and hate.

When I started to write my main character Daisy in my latest novel It Started With a Tweet, I was laughing at the way she acted when she was forced offline and the ridiculous lengths she went to find the internet. Only the more I started to write her, the more I started to see myself in her and I began to notice how obsessed with my phone I actually am. I started to track the time I spent on it and was amazed that those little email refreshes here and that scan of Twitter there actually added up to hours during a day.

Shocked to discover my addiction, I was determined to do something about it and I ended up doing a three day digital detox. I prepared myself for tears, tantrums and misery, only they didn’t come. It was as if I knew that I wasn’t allowed it so I didn’t even reach for it. I felt freer than I have in a long, long time and for once I didn’t have major FOMO (fear of missing out) as I wasn’t seeing what everyone else was up to.

Realising that I treated my phone like another person in the room - always giving it priority over everyone and anything else - I decided I needed to change. I’ve

now deleted Facebook off my iPad and phone. I’ve off all my notifications from all my apps and now the only way to know now if someone’s got in contact with me is if I check. I no longer jump to the beat of my phone as it’s pretty much silent all day. I’ve started to tweet more as I’m trying to be more of an active participant rather than just a reader, in the hope that I’ll get more out of it. I’m also trying to wean myself off Instagram stories, as yet with no success - but you’ve got to have one achilles heel, right?

I think writing the novel was great for me to remind me that there’s a world away from my phone. Life goes on whether I’m on or offline and I don’t always have to know what’s happening all the time. My great love affair with social media isn’t over, but like all love affairs I’m beginning to think perhaps it’s healthier not to spend all your time together!

Thank you so much Anna for sharing your social media thoughts with us and look out soon for my review of the hilarious It Started With a Tweet.

Blog Tour Review & Extract: Winter at Cedarwood Lodge by Rebecca Raisin

Winter at Cedarwood Lodge by Rebecca Raisin

Published: 1st December 2017

Publisher: HQ Digital

Pages: 403

Available on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Rating: 5/5

Blurb

This winter it’s time to fall in love at Cedarwood Lodge…

After years of dreaming, Clio Winters is finally fulfilling her childhood dream of renovating the gorgeous old Cedarwood Lodge in Evergreen and turning it into the perfect destination for celebrations, weddings and extravagant birthday parties. The huge property used to be a bustling holiday camp, now Clio wants to bring it back to its halcyon days – which will be a lot of hard work!

Returning back to the small town of her youth she’s glad to have one of her best friends still around to lean on, Micah who is just as solid as he used to be. But with her own secrets pushing her to run from her glamorous life in New York, she’ll have to tread carefully, especially when the far-too-handsome-for-his-own-good contractor, Kai, shows up on her doorstep…

Sure she’s here in Evergreen to change her life, but there is no way she’s falling in love!

Review

Winter at Cedarwood Lodge is the new title for three novellas Rebecca Raisin wrote last year Celebrations and Confetti, Brides and Bouquets and Midnight and Mistletoe, which I was lucky enough to read last year. In this new version all three stories have been edited together and given a final ending which I think finishes off Clio’s story perfectly. I’m a huge Rebecca Raisin fan and have loved re-reading Clio’s story again and feel it’s now even better than before.

Clio has just bought Cedarwood Lodge and returned to her home town of Evergreen. Along with help from best friend Micah, irresistible project manager Kai and shy but sweet Isla Clio plans to renovate the lodge in time to re-open at Christmas. With an anniversary party, a wedding and a New Year’s Eve party to plan Clio has her hands full, will she manage to pull it all off despite the many obstacles which keep appearing.

Clio is a lovely character who is always willing to help others, especially if that helping involves a little match making. She’s determined that love is not for her even when her feelings for handsome Kai can’t seem to be controlled, so perhaps her friends need to do some matchmaking of their own. There is also a more serious thread running through the story as Clio tries to rebuild her relationship with her mother and work out what secrets she is hiding. This gives the story some balance and makes it even more enjoyable.

I adored reading these separately last year but as one whole novel they make a perfect story which has everything you could wish for friendships, romance, Christmas, a little magic and that thing Ms. Raisin has mastered scrumptious sounding food. Another winning book from Rebecca Raisin and one which will bring joy to anyone who reads it.

Thank you so much to LLR Promotions for inviting me on the blog tour and sending me a copy to review.

Extract

“And what about Timothy? That fine specimen of young love? Have you reconnected?”

I groaned. I’d forgotten her earlier directive about catching up with him for coffee. “Well, we’re all supposed to be going out on Friday. But that’s only because I literally bumped into him in town…”

She cut me off. “Bumped into him? Like meet-cute bumped into him? Like the beginning of every single decent romantic comedy?”

“If I eye-roll any harder I’ll see my brain. Yes, but it wasn’t like the movies at all. It was painful and all sorts of awkward because he had his two children with him, who were so frosty they were practically snowmen. The little girl made the finger-across-the-throat gesture behind his back. And she’s only, like, four, or eight, or something!”

“OK, OK, that’s interesting. We don’t know enough about kids to translate the meaning. It could be anything! Did he say where their mom was?” Her voice rose with excitement and I knew I had to put a stop to her scheming. Before I could answer she was off again. “Was he wearing a wedding ring?”

I debated whether to lie, because if I told her the truth there’d be no going back.

“He wasn’t, was he?” she said triumphantly.

Dang it! “No, he wasn’t. But that doesn’t mean anything! He could have been swimming, or at the gym and taken it off for safekeeping. Besides, I’m not interested in revisiting the past.” I didn’t know which way was up at the moment and definitely couldn’t be trusted with matters of the heart unless they related to someone else’s heart. Someone like Micah and Isla.

“Did you have butterfly belly? Yes or no?”

“Possibly, but I think that was because I had a traumatic bump to the head…”

“Yes or no?”

“It was more nerves…”

“So that’s a yes. Did he give you that same special smile from back in the day?”

Damn it.

“I’ll take your silence as an affirmative. And who invited who out? Actually, don’t bother answering that – it was him.” The clack of laptop keys clattered down the phone line.

“What are you doing?”

“Research.”

“His Facebook page is locked down.”

Her curse rang out and the keys clacked furiously once more.

“He doesn’t use Twitter.”

I was met with silence.

“Or Instagram.”

“Are they so remote they can’t communicate? I mean, how do these people survive?”

I giggled. “I think they meet face to face.”

She gasped. “Bloody hell. OK, so if we can’t stalk him online, I suppose you’re going to have to do this the old-fashioned way.”

Blog Tour Review: A Wedding at Mulberry Lane by Rosie Clarke

A Wedding at Mulberry Lane by Rosie Clarke

Published: 1st December 2017

Publisher: Aria

Pages: 274

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Rating: 5/5

Blurb 

Love, marriage, birth, death and betrayal in the East End of London make up life in Mulberry Lane. Perfect for fans of Nadine Dorries, Cathy Sharp and Donna Douglas.

Maureen Jackson knew life as a trainee nurse wouldn't be easy, but she didn't expect her hospital to be badly bombed on her first shift. Plus Maureen still has her family and friends in Mulberry Lane to keep her busy – she's needed as much there as she is by her patients.

Running the pub on the corner of Mulberry Lane, Peggy Ashley is used to taking in all sorts of waifs and strays. But the arrival of a dashing American captain has got tongues wagging about Mulberry Lane's favourite landlady...

Janet Ashley's husband is back from the frontline. Which is more than so many of the wives of Mulberry Lane. But her beloved Mike is a completely different man from the one she fell in love with – and what's more he doesn't remember her, or their young daughter. How do you cope when your darling husband is a virtual stranger?

As WW2 continues around them, the women of Mulberry Lane know that community spirit and friendship is the key to surviving the Blitz.

Review

A Wedding at Mulberry Lane by Rosie Clarke is the second book in her popular Mulberry Lane series and I think it was just as absorbing and heartfelt as the first. If you haven’t read the first book then don’t worry you’ll soon be totally immersed in Ms. Clarke’s amazing storytelling and the lives of Maureen, Peggy and Janet.

Maureen has left Mulberry Lane to train as a nurse despite her injured sweetheart Rory begging her to stay by his side in London. For the first time in her life Maureen is doing exactly as she wants following her dream of helping others through her nursing, but with Rory begging her to marry him every time she visits her heart begins to be torn in two.

Peggy is still running the Pig and Whistle pub at the end of Mulberry Lane and is providing comfort for all those around her. Things with husband Laurence are particularly cold and all Peggy wants is someone to give her some comfort.

Janet has been reunited with missing husband Mike but their reunion has been bittersweet as Mike has no memory of his wife or young daughter Maggie.

Each of these women faces moments of heartbreak and joy throughout this book and the way Ms. Clarke writes it’s as though I was right there with them feeling every emotion with them.  I was a glad that one of them manages to find happy ending but for how long nobody knows.

I won’t say anymore as I don’t want to spoil this wonderful read, just that I highly recommend it to anyone who is fans of Lynsey Hutchinson, Nadine Dorries or Diney Costello. I adored every page and am so looking for the next instalment with these wonderful characters.

Thank you so much to Aria for sending me a copy to review and inviting me to be part of the blog tour.

About the Author

Rosie Clarke was born in Swindon, but moved to Ely in Cambridgeshire at the age of nine. She started writing in 1976, combining this with helping her husband run his antiques shop. In 2004, Rosie was the well-deserved winner of the RNA Romance Award and the Betty Neels Trophy. Rosie also writes as Anne Herries and Cathy Sharp. Find out more at her website: www.rosieclarke.co.uk

Blog Tour Review: Liar, Liar by Sarah Flint

Liar Liar (DC Stafford #3) by Sarah Flint

Published: 1st December 2017

Publisher: Aria

Pages: 304

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Rating: 4/5

Blurb
A faithful dog lies wounded beside the mutilated body of its owner.

A woman is discovered bound and gagged, dead in her own bed.

Both are police officers.

Both have a red rose at their side... worryingly more will follow...

Lies and accusations abound but who is behind the murders and why are the victims being targeted?

Charlie, Hunter and the team must find the killer targeting their own before another body is found.

Review

Liar, Liar is the third novel in the DC Stafford series by Sarah Flint, following on from Mummy’s Favourite and The Trophy Taker. It’s the first novel by Ms. Flint that I have read and I really enjoyed the story. Liar, Liar focuses on a new crime for DC Charlotte Stafford or Charlie as she’s known to her team and so I feel it can be enjoyed as a standalone novel. There are inferences to things which have happened in previous novels but it’s easy enough to pick the story in this book.

DC Charlie is counting down the hours until the end of her last night shift when the call comes in that a man has been found stabbed and attacked with acid on Tooting Bed Common, a man who is a serving police officer. Anxious to help find the perpetrator of such a horrific act Charlie and her team are quick on the case but it’s not long before another body is found in an equally traumatised state. The second victim turns out to also be a police officer so it looks like someone is targeting the Metropolitan Police, which puts them all in danger.

I found this I well thought out plot with an interesting take on the serial killer theme which is so popular. It’s not perhaps the most fast-paced crime novel I’ve read as there were times when there was a little too much description and not enough action going on. There were enough twists and turns to keep me interested until the end and I didn’t find out who was behind the crimes until it was revealed in the story which added to the enjoyment. There were a couple of times the story felt a little anticlimactic and if I’m honest the story didn’t end with the bang I was hoping it would.

DC Charlie is a hardworking and through police officer who never takes the easy option when it comes to finding answers. She’s very dedicated to her team and their closeness was portrayed in the story well. They worked together, dividing the work up perfectly to get results quickly and effectively. The only one who didn’t seem to gel with the others was Nick but that was perhaps as he was the new boy.

Charlie’s relationship with Ben was interesting and is perhaps a reason I will go back and read Ms. Flint’s first two novels as I’d like to find out more about how they act together. I’m hoping her next book will develop their relationship further.

Overall I found Liar, Liar to be an interesting read which in places had me gripped. I loved the collection of characters which have been created even if some of them aren’t the most savoury. If you’re a fan of Angela Marsons, Patricia Gibney or Victoria Jenkins then you will enjoy Liar, Liar with another strong female police detective as the lead character.

Thank you to Sarah Flint, Aria and Netgalley for providing me with a copy to review and thank you for inviting me to be part of the blog tour.

About the Author

With a Metropolitan Police career spanning 35 years Sarah has spent her adulthood surrounded by victims, criminals and police officers. She continues to work and lives in London with her partner and has three older daughters.

Facebook: @SarahFlintBooks

Twitter: @SarahFlint19

Blog Tour Review: The Haunting of Hattie Hastings: Part One by Audrey Davis

The Haunting of Hattie Hastings: Part One by Audrey Davis

Published: 24th November 2017

Pages: 90

Available on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Rating: 4/5

Blurb

Some people just won't take death lying down … ! (NB: cliffhanger ending).

Part one of a fun-filled trilogy about life, death and letting go.

Hattie Hastings is happily married, even if husband Gary drives her up the wall at times. When tragedy strikes, she is left alone and heartbroken, with only an assortment of family and friends to prop her up.

Struggling to cope, she is left reeling when her deceased other half returns, popping up at the most inappropriate times.

Hattie can't convince anyone that Gary has returned. Not even best friend Cat – now free from the cruel and controlling Stewart – will believe her.

Why has Gary returned? And what will Cat do when her slimy ex-husband tries to worm his way back into her affections?

The Haunting of Hattie Hastings will make you laugh, cry and count down until Part Two …

Review

The Haunting of Hattie Hastings part one is part of a three part novella written by Audrey Davis. Hattie has recently lost husband Gary after a car accidentally ran into him while he was taking out the dustbin. Just as Hattie is beginning to come to terms with Gary’s passing she begins to notice half-drunk glasses of whisky all-round the house, the drink Gary loved every night. Assuming its son Johnny Hattie thinks nothing of it until Gary appears to her and begins talking. Hattie’s totally thrown, especially as he disappears just as quickly and nobody else seems to believe her. 

There’s no doubting this is a funny read, Audrey Davis has excellent comedy timing which translates in to some great scenes. Gary is quite uncouth and doesn’t mince his words but I felt like he was a loveable rouge who just adored Hattie and for that reason I found myself warming to him. I felt we didn’t really get to know Hattie very much but I’m sure that will come in later parts.

I did feel there was a lot to take in such a short read with viewpoints from Hattie, Johnny, her best friend Cat, her mother Rachel and brother Jack and of course Gary. Some interesting plotlines have been laid down so I’m interested to see where this story goes with its next instalment, which I hope is on the way soon.

About Audrey Davis

Scottish-born Audrey studied journalism in Edinburgh more decades ago than she cares to admit. She cut her writing teeth on provincial newspapers (using a typewriter) and a London-based video magazine (another sign of her advanced years).

Engagement to her now-husband Bill took them to Singapore, Australia and Buckinghamshire, England, before they settled in Switzerland in 2002. Along the way they had two boys, both all grown-up and living in the UK.

Her journey to becoming a published author began with an online Writing Fiction course. It took well over a year but, in June 2017, Audrey published her debut romantic comedy novel, A Clean Sweep. It was quickly followed by a shorter and darker prequel, A Clean Break.

The idea for The Haunting of Hattie Hastings came from nowhere, just a random title that popped into her head and from there grew into Part One of a trilogy. It comes under the same genre, but has some poignant scenes and – hopefully – lots of laughs! Audrey admits to being a worrier, and has always used humour as a defence mechanism, as her friends will attest.

When Audrey isn’t writing, she loves shows like The Walking Dead, American Horror Story and Strictly Come Dancing (a strange mix, she knows). Her interests include cooking (and eating pretty much anything apart from oysters), travelling and going to the gym. OK, the last one is mainly to compensate for her passion for food!

Audrey would describe herself as a ‘pantser’ rather than a ‘planner’, preferring to run where a story takes her and scribble copious notes along the way. She’d love to write a page-turning thriller, but fears her natural tendency to see the comic side of life might be an obstacle.

​

Website - https://audinsuisse.wordpress.com/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/audreydavisbooks

Twitter - https://twitter.com/audbyname

Thank you to the publishers and Rachel Gilby for inviting me to be part of the blog tour and for sending me a copy to review.