Showing posts with label Mystery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mystery. Show all posts

Saturday, 1 December 2018

Blog Tour Review: A Bloomsbury Affair by Anita Davison


A Bloomsbury Affair by Anita Davison
Published: 20th November 2018
Publisher: Aria
Pages: 333
Available on Kindle
Order now from Amazon
Rating: 5/5

Blurb
1905 London is a heady mix of unimaginable wealth and simmering political tensions, and with war looming Flora Maguire wants to keep her family safe.

So when her beloved charge Viscount Edward Trent is accused of murder, she’s determined not to leave the investigation to the police. Flora has trodden the path of amateur sleuth before, but with so much at stake, this time it’s personal.

Slowly the body of the victim found stabbed on a train bound for Paddington starts giving up its secrets, and Flora and her husband Bunny become mired in a murky world of spies, communists and fraudsters. And with the police more sure than ever that Edward is their murderer, Flora must work fast to keep him safe.

Anita Davison’s compulsive story-telling, combined with the irresistible mix of historical drama and gripping mystery, make this unputdownable.

Review

Anita Davison is back with a fifth Flora Maguire mystery in The Bloomsbury Affair. This time its her younger cousin Viscount Edward Trent who the one being investigated. While on a train to Paddington to visit his sister, Ed shares a compartment with a young gentleman, when it’s time to leave the train Ed finds the man dead and the police think he’s to blame. Panicked he runs to Flora’s house where he hopes her, and husband Bunny will help clear his name before he’s sent to jail.
As the mystery and Flora encounters a haberdashery in a Cheltenham, an elderly army officer and a trendy new hotel its clear that Ed hasn’t been totally honest with them about his connections to the dead man. Can Flora solve the mystery without putting herself in danger again?
I loved the latest Flora Maguire novel I read which introduced me to Flora, her husband Bunny and her estranged parents and other members of her family and household. The book continues the storylines from that book, so it gave the mystery a comforting feel as many of the characters I had previously connected with were involved. Don’t worry if you haven’t read the previous books though you’ll soon figure out who’s who and the storyline so far.
I did find the mystery part of this book slow to get going but Flora soon finds herself in a tangled mess as Anita Davison slowly lets the story unfurl and more and more connections are made between the characters we are introduced to. Each of her characters are well developed and I can clearly visualise them.
If you’re a lover of historical mysteries then I can highly recommend this novel, it has realistic characters a great storyline and plenty of historical details.

About the Author




Born in London, Anita has always had a penchant for all things historical. She now lives in the beautiful Cotswolds, the backdrop for her Flora Maguire mysteries.

Follow Anita
Twitter handle: @AnitaSDavison
Any blogs/website: @AnitaDavison

Buy links

Follow Aria
Twitter: @aria_fiction
Facebook: @ariafiction
Instagram: @ariafiction


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Wednesday, 27 June 2018

Blog Tour Review: A Cornish Secret by Emma Burstall

A Cornish Secret by Emma Burstall
Published: 1st June 2018
Publisher: Head of Zeus
Pages: 331
Available on Kindle
Order now from Amazon
Rating: 4/5


Blurb

Be careful what you kiss for...



Esme Posorsky is an enigma. For as long as people can remember, she has been part of community life in the quaint Cornish fishing village of Tremarnock, but does anyone really know her? She is usually to be found working in her pottery studio or at home with her beloved cat, Rasputin. But when an old school friend turns up with a secret from the past, nothing will ever be the same again.



Meanwhile teenager, Rosie, is excited to find a bottle washed up on Tremarnock beach with a message from a former German prisoner of war. While the rest of the village is up in arms about a new housing development, she sets out to find him. Little does she know, however, that her discovery will unleash a shocking chain of events that threatens to blow her family apart. Tremarnock may look like a cosy backwater, but some of its residents are about to come face-to-face with tough decisions and cold reality…

Review
A Cornish Secret is Emma Burstall’s forth book based in the tranquil Cornish village of Tremarnock. I’ve loved all the covers of her books but this one has to be my favourite, how cosy does that cat look at in that window with that gorgeous view, I’m very jealous.
In A Cornish Secret, three storylines are interwoven into the book and at first, I wasn’t sure how everything was going to come together to form a cohesive plot, but it does at the end making for a very enjoyable read.
One of the background characters from previous books Esme becomes the focus in this book. After more than twenty years she’s being reunited with her old school friend Caroline as the two embark on a walking holiday along the Cornish coast. Esme kept her true feelings for her friend under wraps for most of her life but when the two meet is obvious her feelings are mutual, can Esme finally find some happiness being herself? I loved having Esme as one of the main characters, she’s been mentioned in previous books but always seemed a solitary character and a bit flakey, this book explains her history and gives her glimpse at happiness. My only gripe was the storyline between her and Caroline came to an abrupt end with no real solution. I hope this means there is another book coming as I’d love to know if these two manage to work things out.
Alongside this storyline the majority of the Tremarnock villagers are forming a protest group to try and save their local playground from developers. This created some great scenes in the book as residents form a makeshift campsite on the playing field which really highlight the community spirit which has flown throughout all of Emma Burstall’s Tremarnock books. I loved the description of Loveday and Jesse’s treehouse and Audrey’s extravagant marquee and all the camaraderie with the singing round the campfire on a night.
As most of the villagers unite Liz, a main character from previous books notices her husband Robert is becoming more and more distant from herself and from overall village life, burying himself in his work. When her daughter Rosie finds a message in a bottle down on the beach Liz throws herself into helping trace the writer and this only leads to more trouble.
I loved been back in Tremarnock as it feels like I’m getting to know these characters well now after four books with them. My favourite is still Liz and I’m glad this book highlighted that even though you’re married you still need to work at your relationship to keep it sparkling. Emma Burstall’s did a great job of weaving two of the three storylines together but I wish Esme’s was more complete, perhaps in a future book? I’d also love her to write something about Audrey as feel there’s more we need to know about this character.
Overall I found A Cornish Secret a joy to read, it’s the perfect summer read and it will make you long to be in Cornwall just like I do now. Emma Burstall has shown yet again she can create an entertaining story within the beautiful village of Tremarnock with characters that soon feel like friends whether you’ve read the previous books or not.
Thank you so much to Head of Zeus for sending me a copy to review and for inviting me to be part of the blog tour.

About the Author


Emma Burstall was a newspaper journalist in Devon and Cornwall before becoming a full time author. Tremarnock, the first novel in her series set in a delightful Cornish village, was published in 2015 and became a top-10 bestseller.

Follow Emma

Twitter: @EmmaBurstall
Facebook: @emmaburstallauthor
Buy links:

Amazon: mybook.to/ACornishSecret

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2L3ISWI

iBooks: https://apple.co/2M5a1cy

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2JxvYSX


Follow Aria
Twitter: @aria_fiction
Facebook: @ariafiction
Instagram: @ariafiction

Follow Head of Zeus
Twitter: @HoZ_Books
Facebook: @HeadofZeus
Instagram: @headofzeus

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Friday, 27 April 2018

Blog Tour Review: The Lost Children by Theresa Talbot

The Lost Children by Theresa Talbot
Published: 1st April 2018
Publisher: Aria
Pages: 466
Available in Paperback and on Kindle
Order now from Amazon
Rating: 4/5

Blurb
First in a gripping new thriller series featuring investigative journalist Oonagh O'Neil. Perfect for fans of Broadchurch.
TV journalist and media darling Oonagh O’Neil can sense a sinister coverup from the moment an elderly priest dies on the altar of his Glasgow church. Especially as his death comes as she is about to expose the shocking truth behind the closure of a Magdalene Institution. The Church has already tried to suppress what happened to decades of forgotten women. Is someone also covering their tracks?
DI Alec Davies is appointed to investigate the priest's death. He and Oonagh go way back. But what secrets lie behind the derelict Institution's doors? What sparked the infamous three-day riot that closed it? And what happened to the girls that survived the institution and vowed to stay friends forever?

From Ireland to Scotland.
From life to death.

Review
Oonagh O’Neil is a TV journalist who is on the verge of exposing the secrets behind the Magdalene Institute when her prime link to the place Father Kennedy, mysteriously dies in front of his congregation. Sensing there is more to the priest’s death than just old age Oonagh teams up with fellow priest Father Thomas Findley and DI Alec Davies to uncover the truth behind the priest’s death and what really happened to the poor girls in the Magdalene Institute all those years ago.

Right from the start this book was gripping in the way it portrayed the distressing situation those poor young girls at the Magdalene Institute faced, but this drew me into the very well written story. A story which did get to me emotionally and I’m not ashamed to say a few tears were shed while reading this book.  It’s not all completely distressing as there are some lighter moments which break-up the sensitive nature of this story. This mostly comes from the dialogues between Oonagh, Alec and Tom which was like banter between old school friends.
I loved Oonagh as a character, she may come across as fragile and feminine especially when she is on TV but underneath she’s a tough cookie. Throughout the book she relentlessly goes after her story and seeking justice for the lost girls, despite getting herself in some very difficult situations which don’t end well for her. I loved the relationships she built up with both Father Tom and DI Alec Davies, it was refreshing and honest and I really hope these three characters come tighter again in Theresa Talbot’s next book.

 In The Lost Children Theresa Talbot has written a gripping and realistic story surrounding this sensitive subject and I think she has pulled it off very well. I highly recommend it if your looking for a gritty and emotional crime fix. I’m really looking forward to where she takes us next with Oonagh O’Neil.

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


About the Author


Theresa Talbot is a BBC broadcaster and freelance producer. A former radio news editor, she also hosted The Beechgrove Potting Shed on BBC Radio Scotland, but for many she will be most familiar as the voice of the station's Traffic & Travel. Late 2014 saw the publication of her first book, This Is What I Look Like, a humorous memoir covering everything from working with Andy Williams to rescuing chickens and discovering nuns hidden in gardens. She's much in demand at book festivals, both as an author and as a chairperson.


Links to buy



Google Play: http://bit.ly/2IUYsmE




Follow Theresa Talbot


Twitter: @Theresa_Talbot

Facebook: Theresa Talbot



Follow Aria


Facebook: @ariafiction

Twitter: @aria_fiction

Instagram: @ariafiction


Sign up to the Aria newsletter: http://bit.ly/2jQxVtV

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Tuesday, 10 April 2018

Blog Tour Review: The Cornershop in Cockleberry Bay by Nicola May


The Corner Shop in Cockleberry Bay
Published: 9th April 2018
Pages: 403
Available on Kindle
Order now from Amazon
Rating: 5/5

Blurb
Rosa Larkin is down on her luck in London, so when she inherits a near-derelict corner shop in a quaint Devon village, her first thought is to sell it for cash and sort out her life. But nothing is straightforward about this legacy. While the identity of her benefactor remains a mystery, he - or she - has left one important legal proviso: that the shop cannot be sold, only passed on to somebody who really deserves it.

Rosa makes up her mind to give it a go: to put everything she has into getting the shop up and running again in the small seaside community of Cockleberry Bay. But can she do it all on her own? And if not, who will help her succeed - and who among the following will work secretly to see her fail?

There is a handsome rugby player, a sexy plumber, a charlatan reporter and a selection of meddling locals. Add in a hit and run incident and the disappearance of a valuable engraved necklace – and what you get is a journey of self-discovery and unpredictable events.

With surprising and heartfelt results, Rosa, accompanied at all times by her little sausage dog Hot, will slowly unravel the shadowy secrets of the inheritance, and also bring her own, long-hidden heritage into the light.

Review
The Corner Shop in Cockleberry Bay is my first read by Nicola May but my goodness it won’t be my last, this book had all the elements of a fantastic read with some extra surprising extra elements. It’s one of my favourite books of this year so far.
Rosa Larkin has never had much luck being an orphan and moving from job to job have been her life for the past few years, but things are about to change. Rosa has a mystery benefactor and has now become the proud owner of the corner shop in Cockleberry Bay in a quaint little village in Devon. With nothing keeping her in London Rosa heads off for a new life by the sea with cute companion Hot the dog.
As Rosa sets out to make a success out of her little shop she comes across many of the residents. Some welcome her with open arms and some use underhand methods to try and see her fail and some Rosa just can’t help being drawn to. Life in Cockleberry Bay comes with plenty of its own drama including a hit and run accident, a necklace going missing and an unforgettable New Year’s Eve celebration, among all this Rosa beings to feel home and finds that the mystery behind the shop’s previous owner may just be the key to her own heritage.
I loved Rosa as a character, she’s had plenty of disappointment in her life but always picks herself back up and carries on with a smile on her face. Even when some of the locals don’t play fair she still manages to not to give in.  As the sparks of chemistry fly with various men and Rosa has her first tastes of romance I was pleased for her, I jus had my fingers crossed she pick the best one eventually.
The mystery of the previous shop owner had me intrigued from the start and created a brilliant plot as Rosa uncovers more clues and works it all out. I have to confess I did work it out quite early on in the novel but this did not lessen my enjoyment of this book.
Mystery, romance and the great array of realistic characters make this a great read. For me though the star of the show was Hot. I’ve never been a dog person, but the cuteness and cheeky character of this young sausage dog are seriously making me reconsider, he was simply adorable.
I can highly recommend The Corner Shop in Cockleberry Bay, its simply a great read.
Thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources and Nicola May for sending me a copy of this book to review honestly and for inviting me to be part of the blog tour.


About the Author





​

Award winning author Nicola May lives in Ascot in Berkshire with her rescue cat Stanley. Her hobbies include watching films that involve a lot of swooning, crabbing in South Devon, eating flapjacks and enjoying a flutter on the horses. Inspired by her favourite authors Milly Johnson and Carole Matthews, Nicola writes what she describes as chicklit with a kick.

​

Follow Nicola May

Website - www.nicolamay.com




Purchase from –





Giveaway – Win x 3 Paperback copies of The Corner Shop in Cockleberry Bay (Open Internationally)
*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 I reserve 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 I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.





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Tuesday, 3 April 2018

Blog Tour Review: The Death Chamber by Lesley Thomson

The Death Chamber (Detective's Daughter #6) by Lesley Thomson
Published: 5th April 2018
Publisher: Head of Zeus
Pages: 400
Available in Hardback and on Kindle
Order now from Amazon
Rating: 5/5

Blurb
Queen's Jubilee, 1977: Cassie Baker sees her boyfriend kissing another girl at the village disco. Upset, she heads home alone and is never seen again.
Millennium Eve, 1999: DCI Paul Mercer finds Cassie's remains in a field. Now he must prove the man who led him there is guilty.
When Mercer's daughter asks Stella Darnell for help solving the murder, Stella see echoes of herself. Another detective's daughter.
With her sidekick sleuth, Jack, Stella moves to Winchcombe, where DCI Mercer and his prime suspect have been playing cat and mouse for the past eighteen years...
Review
The Death Chamber is the sixth book in the Dectective’s Daughter series and this time it sees Clean Slate owner and part-time private detective Stella Darnell and trusty sidekick Jack Harmon head to the Cotswolds village of Winchcombe to solve two murders which have been troubling DCI Mercer for almost twenty years.
June 1977, while celebrating the Queen’s silver jubilee Cassandra Barker spots her boyfriend with another woman and storms off home, never to be seen again. December 1999, Bryony Motson disappears after a night out with two friends. Charlie Brice the man believed to have abducted Bryony leads DCI Mercer to the body of Cassandra Baker, linking him to both girls but sadly admissible evidence meant he couldn’t be charged for either murder.
Seventeen years later and DCI Mercer is on his death bed and he longs for Charlie Brice to serve justice for the crimes Mercer believes he committed and for the mistakes which cost Mercer his glowing career. Daughter Lisa summons detective duo Stella and Jack to help solve the case once and for all.
Stella and Jack head off to the country, Stella reluctantly as she is a city girl who prefers the perks of London life including public transport, wi-fi and electricity and not to mention the distinct lack of mud.  Jack is more enthusiastic about their trip, been in love with Stella from afar for ever Jack jumps at the chance to play house with her alone in the country…plus it gives him time to think about the bombshell ex-girlfriend Bella has just dropped on him…he’s going to be a dad.
The Death chamber is a book which could be read as a standalone but after reading the previous novel The Dog Walker I think you will get much more enjoyment if you’ve read at one of the previous novels. The first third of this book was steady and centred more on the personal lives of Jack and Stella than the actual case. I enjoyed this as having read the previous book it was good to catch up with the characters, if you’ve not read the previous book then you may struggle.
Once the story heads off to the country it’s not long before Stella and Jack are fully immersed in the case and the pace picks up, with a growing number of suspects it turns out to be more complicated than they first thought. With the help of journalist Lucie can Stella and Jack solve the crimes? Who is behind the creepy activity with drones, crows and scarecrows? Will anything happen with Stella and Jack and what exactly is Stella’s secretary Jackie Makepeace got to do with everything?
I really enjoyed reading The Death Chamber, its one of those novels where you just keep reading a bit more and then discover something else so read a bit more and before you know it your husbands home and wondering where his tea is (true story).  I love the way Lesley Thomson has added depth to the story with each of the main characters having their own dramas going on which all tie into and enhance the main storyline instead of detracting from it, very cleverly written.  My favourite character in this book had to be Endora the budgerigar, just because of the witty one-liners she came out with which just made me smile.
I enjoyed everything about this book and really hope we have another instalment in this series soon. Thank you to Head of Zeus for sending me a copy to review and inviting me to be part of this blog tour.




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Sunday, 25 March 2018

Blog Tour Review: The Little Wedding Island by Jaimie Admans


The Little wedding Island by Jaimie Admans
Published: 2nd March 2018
Publisher: HQ Digital
Pages: 342
Available on Kindle
Order now from Amazon
Rating: 5/5

Blurb

‘Will you… pretend to marry me?’
Bonnie Haskett loves everything about weddings. She loves her job at a national bridal magazine and even has a deposit down on her dream dress. The only problem? She doesn’t have a fiancé!
So when Bonnie is sent to Edelweiss Island, known as ‘The Little Wedding Island’, it’s a dream come true. She’s heard the rumours, every wedding that takes place in the tiny chapel ends in a happy-ever-after.
But there’s a catch! Investigating the story, Bonnie needs to pose as a blushing bride – and the only man up for posing as her groom is her arch rival (and far too handsome for his own good) journalist Rohan Carter…
Review
The Little Wedding Island is the first book I’ve read by Jaimie Admans and boy what a treat, this is one of those books which I completely fell for. Firstly how can you see that cover and not want to read this book its just gorgeous and perfectly sums up how magical Edelweiss Island is.

Bonnie Haskett is a writer for Two Gold Rings bridal magazine, she’s a woman who is totally in love with all things love related and even has a down-payment made on her dream dress, there’s just one problem…she has no groom. Being a true advocate of love Bonnie believes everyone should have their special day, so when she sees arch-rival RC Arter a writer for The Man Land mocking someone’s wedding she feels she has to step in and champion the couples loves.  This lands Bonnie in big trouble as Two Gold Rings and The Man Land are fighting for survival, as punishment Bonnie is sent off to the elusive Edelweiss Island to get the scoop behinds rumours there’s a church with no divorces.
This is Bonnie’s dream job as Edelweiss Island is a wedding mecca, there’s just one problem, Bonnie will need to be engaged to get any kind of insider information as journalists are not allowed on the island. The only available man on the island is gorgeous Rohan….who Bonnie sadly realises too later is her arch enemy RC Arter, also here to bag the story of the century. These two agree to put their differing views aside and come up with a cunning plan to pretend to be engaged to get the story they need to try and save their jobs. But being engaged to each other doesn’t turn out to be quite as much hard work as they thought.
Can these two fool the locals and get their story? Is the “no divorce” story true? Why is Rohan so against marriage? And can Bonnie find her dream groom? Read this amazing story and find out and like me I’m sure you’ll not be disappointed.
Jaimie Admans The Little Wedding Island for me was a fantastic read. I loved Bonnie and Rohan so much. Despite initially disliking each other its obvious that these two have bucket loads of chemistry between them and it was a joy to watch them slowly falling for each other….predictable yes but written so well that you won’t mind.
In Edelweiss Island Jaimie has created the prefect wedding destination with the beautifully described church on the hill, the cliff-top walks, the sandy beaches and Carol’s ten flavours of wedding cake yes please!
With the perfect mix of romance, comedy and mystery this book is the prefect read for this time of year. It’s a book which made me happy while I was reading it so thank you Jaimie Admans for your lovely uplifting writing, I look forward to reading more very soon.
About the Author

Jaimie is a 32-year-old English-sounding Welsh girl with an awkward-to-spell name. She lives in South Wales and enjoys writing, gardening, watching horror movies, and drinking tea, although she’s seriously considering marrying her coffee machine. She loves autumn and winter, and singing songs from musicals despite the fact she’s got the voice of a dying hyena. She hates spiders, hot weather, and cheese & onion crisps. She spends far too much time on Twitter and owns too many pairs of boots.
She will never have time to read all the books she wants to read.

She is the author of chick-lit romantic comedies The Chateau of Happily Ever Afters, The Little Wedding Island, and Kismetology, and she has also written young-adult romantic comedies Afterlife Academy, Not Pretty Enough, and North Pole Reform School.

Author links:

The Little Wedding Island:
Also available from all other ebook retailers.

Giveaway



The Little Wedding Island themed goodie bag:
  • The Little Wedding Island notebook
  • The Little Wedding Island fridge magnet
  • A signed postcard
  • In honour of Puffin the dog, a pug fountain pen
  • In honour of Edelweiss Island, a copy of The Sound of Music on DVD
  • A ‘grow your own’ Edelweiss flower kit in a tin

Click link below to enter
Thank you to Neverland Blog Tour for organising this tour and inviting me to be part of it.


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