Publisher: Bookouture

#BookReview The Year of Starting Over by Karen King @karen_king @bookouture

categories: 8/10, Book Review, Contemporary Romance
#BookReview The Year of Starting Over by Karen King @karen_king @bookouture Title: The Year of Starting Over

Author: Karen King

Published by: Bookouture on Feb. 7, 2019

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 279

Format: eBook, ARC

Source: Bookouture, NetGalley

Book Rating: 8/10

What if – to find yourself – you had to run away?

Last year was meant to be when Holly got her happy-ever-after. But stuck in a job that’s going nowhere, and a relationship that feels more like it’s going backwards… this year Holly has decided it’s time to change her life. She just has to:

– End the relationship with the commitment-phobic boyfriend
– Go on a proper adventure
– Learn to be herself again
– Definitely, categorically not fall in love.

Cramming her belongings into her little yellow Mini, Holly drives on to a ferry bound to Spain, to stay at a remote farmhouse near a beautiful village in the Andalusian hills.

But the day she arrives she nearly crashes her car into a gorgeous guy on a motorbike. He’s called Matias and their paths keep crossing, much to Holly’s irritation. Because as she learns to speak Spanish from the locals, finally starts laying out plans for her own design business, and sips sangria in the sunlit village square, Holly is beginning to remember who she is and what she wants.

So she won’t allow herself be distracted by Matias. Because this year – for Holly – there are more important things in life than love. And she won’t let yet another bad relationship ruin everything… will she?

Review:

Warm, cheery and romantic!

The Year of Starting Over is a charming, uplifting read that takes us into the life of Holly as she leaves her dead-end relationship and boring job behind and heads to the Spanish countryside for a holiday to rediscover herself and find true happiness armed with a dream list and an open mind.

The prose is light and descriptive. The characters, including all the supporting characters, are quirky, engaging, and authentic. And the plot is a delightfully entertaining tale about life, love, hopes, dreams, family, friendship, community, self-discovery, and contentment.

Overall, The Year of Starting Over is an amusing, refreshing, enjoyable treat by King that, ultimately, reminds us that life is truly an adventure!

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

           

 

 

Thank you to NetGalley, especially Bookouture, for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Karen King

Karen King is a multi-published author of children's books, YA and romantic fiction. She has had 120 children's books published, two young adult novels, six romantic novels and several short stories for women's magazines.

'The Cornish Hotel by the Sea', published by Accent Press, became an international bestseller, reaching the top hundred in the Kindle charts in both the UK and Australia, and #2 and #3 in Holiday Reads respectively. Karen recently signed a two book contract with Bookouture, the first book 'Snowy Nights at the Lonely Hearts Hotel' was published in November and her second book, 'The Year of Starting Over', is out in February 2019.

She is also under contract at Littwitz Press, her book “Rise of the Soul Catchers” was published in April 2018.

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#BookReview Deadly Secrets by Robert Bryndza @RobertBryndza @bookouture

categories: 10/10, Book Review, Mystery/Thriller, Police Procedural
#BookReview Deadly Secrets by Robert Bryndza @RobertBryndza @bookouture Title: Deadly Secrets

Author: Robert Bryndza

Series: Detective Erika Foster #6

Published by: Bookouture on Apr. 13, 2018

Genres: Mystery/Thriller, Police Procedural

Pages: 330

Format: Paperback

Source: Robert Bryndza

Book Rating: 10/10

To commit the perfect murder, you need the perfect cover.

On a cold icy morning, a mother wakes to find her daughter’s blood-soaked body frozen to the road. Who would carry out such a horrific killing on the victim’s doorstep?

Straight off her last harrowing case, Detective Erika Foster is feeling fragile but determined to lead the investigation. As she sets to work, she finds reports of assaults in the same quiet South London suburb where the woman was killed. One chilling detail links them to the murder victim – they were all attacked by a figure in black wearing a gas mask.

Erika is on the hunt for a killer with a terrifying calling card. The case gets more complicated when she uncovers a tangled web of secrets surrounding the death of the beautiful young woman.

Yet just as Erika begins to piece the clues together, she is forced to confront painful memories of her past. Erika must dig deep, stay focused and find the killer. Only this time, one of her own is in terrible danger…

Review:

Astute, perilous, and chilling!

Deadly Secrets is an engrossing, edgy thriller that takes you on a hunt for a dangerous, sadistic, serial killer with a penchant for gas masks, sharp knives, dark corners, and no discernible victim type.

The writing is spine-tingling, vivid, and skillfully crafted. The characters are committed, persistent, and vulnerable. And the plot starts off with a bang and then quickly unravels into an ominous tale full of twists, turns, red herrings, secrets, lies, obsession, violence, murder, and mayhem.

Deadly Secrets is the sixth book in the Detective Erika Foster series, and once again Bryndza has written a highly suspenseful, intricately woven mystery with superb character development that gives the story a touch of human frailty and authenticity that takes it from just being a great novel to being absolute perfection!

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

                                         

 

 

Thank you to Robert Bryndza for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. It’s always an honour!

 

About Robert Bryndza

Robert Bryndza is an international bestselling author, best known for his page-turning crime and thriller novels, which have sold over four million copies in the English language.

His crime debut, The Girl in the Ice was released in February 2016, introducing Detective Chief Inspector Erika Foster. Within five months it sold one million copies, reaching number one in the Amazon UK, USA and Australian charts. To date, The Girl in the Ice has sold over 1.5 million copies in the English language and has been sold into translation in 29 countries. It was nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Mystery & Thriller (2016), the Grand prix des lectrices de Elle in France (2018), and it won two reader voted awards, The Thrillzone Awards best debut thriller in The Netherlands (2018) and The Dead Good Papercut Award for best page turner at the Harrogate Crime Festival (2016).

Robert has released a further five novels in the Erika Foster series, The Night Stalker, Dark Water, Last Breath, Cold Blood and Deadly Secrets, all of which have been global bestsellers, and in 2017 Last Breath was a Goodreads Choice Award nominee for Mystery and Thriller.

Most recently, Robert created a new crime thriller series based around the central character Kate Marshall, a police officer turned private detective. The first book, Nine Elms, was an Amazon USA #1 bestseller and an Amazon UK top five bestseller, and the series has been sold into translation in 18 countries. The second book in the series is the global bestselling, Shadow Sands and the third book, Darkness Falls, has just been published.

Robert was born in Lowestoft, on the east coast of England. He studied at Aberystwyth University, and the Guildford School of Acting, and was an actor for several years, but didn’t find success until he took a play he’d written to the Edinburgh Festival. This led to the decision to change career and start writing. He self-published a bestselling series of romantic comedy novels, before switching to writing crime. Robert lives with his husband in Slovakia, and is lucky enough to write full-time.

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#BookReview Cold Blood by Robert Bryndza @RobertBryndza @bookouture

categories: 10/10, Book Review, Mystery/Thriller
#BookReview Cold Blood by Robert Bryndza @RobertBryndza @bookouture Title: Cold Blood

Author: Robert Bryndza

Series: Detective Erika Foster #5

Published by: Bookouture on Sep. 20, 2017

Genres: Mystery/Thriller, Police Procedural

Pages: 356

Format: eBook, ARC

Source: Bookouture, NetGalley

Book Rating: 10/10

She fell in love with a killer, now she’s one too.

The suitcase was badly rusted, and took Erika several attempts, but it yielded and sagged open as she unzipped it. Nothing could prepare her for what she would find inside…

When a battered suitcase containing the dismembered body of a young man washes up on the shore of the river Thames, Detective Erika Foster is shocked. She’s worked on some terrifying cases but never seen anything like this before.

As Erika and her team set to work, she makes the link with another victim – the body of a young woman dumped in an identical suitcase two weeks ago.

Erika quickly realises she’s on the trail of a serial killer who’s already made their next move. Yet just as Erika starts to make headway with the investigation, she is the victim of a brutal attack.

But nothing will stop Erika. As the body count rises, the twin daughters of her colleague Commander Marsh are abducted, and the stakes are higher than ever before. Can Erika save the lives of two innocent children before it’s too late? She’s running out of time and about to make a disturbing discovery…there’s more than one killer.

Review:

Intricate, riveting, and creepy!

Cold Blood is an engrossing, chilling police procedural that highlights just how easily some people can be swayed and manipulated into doing the most horrific things and reminds us that desperate people will do almost anything, at any cost to protect themselves.

The writing is bold and crisp. The characters are resilient, impulsive, and troubled. And the plot, told from differing points-of-view, keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish as it whips you through well-timed twists, unforeseen surprises, deception, abuse, violence, corruption, and murder.

Overall, Cold Blood is a gripping, highly entertaining, harrowing thriller that proves once again Bryndza is a talented, natural storyteller with a vivid imagination.

Cold Blood is the fifth novel in the Erika Foster series and all I can say is if you’re not already reading this series, you should be!

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

                                         

 

 

Thank you to Bookouture and Robert Bryndza for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Robert Bryndza

Robert Bryndza is an international bestselling author, best known for his page-turning crime and thriller novels, which have sold over four million copies in the English language.

His crime debut, The Girl in the Ice was released in February 2016, introducing Detective Chief Inspector Erika Foster. Within five months it sold one million copies, reaching number one in the Amazon UK, USA and Australian charts. To date, The Girl in the Ice has sold over 1.5 million copies in the English language and has been sold into translation in 29 countries. It was nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Mystery & Thriller (2016), the Grand prix des lectrices de Elle in France (2018), and it won two reader voted awards, The Thrillzone Awards best debut thriller in The Netherlands (2018) and The Dead Good Papercut Award for best page turner at the Harrogate Crime Festival (2016).

Robert has released a further five novels in the Erika Foster series, The Night Stalker, Dark Water, Last Breath, Cold Blood and Deadly Secrets, all of which have been global bestsellers, and in 2017 Last Breath was a Goodreads Choice Award nominee for Mystery and Thriller.

Most recently, Robert created a new crime thriller series based around the central character Kate Marshall, a police officer turned private detective. The first book, Nine Elms, was an Amazon USA #1 bestseller and an Amazon UK top five bestseller, and the series has been sold into translation in 18 countries. The second book in the series is the global bestselling, Shadow Sands and the third book, Darkness Falls, has just been published.

Robert was born in Lowestoft, on the east coast of England. He studied at Aberystwyth University, and the Guildford School of Acting, and was an actor for several years, but didn’t find success until he took a play he’d written to the Edinburgh Festival. This led to the decision to change career and start writing. He self-published a bestselling series of romantic comedy novels, before switching to writing crime. Robert lives with his husband in Slovakia, and is lucky enough to write full-time.

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#BookReview #TheSister by Louise Jensen @Fab_fiction @bookouture @TheCrimeVault @littlebookcafe

categories: 8/10, Mystery/Thriller
#BookReview #TheSister by Louise Jensen @Fab_fiction @bookouture @TheCrimeVault @littlebookcafe Title: The Sister

Author: Louise Jensen

Published by: Bookouture on Jul. 7, 2016

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 307

Format: eBook, ARC

Source: Bookouture, NetGalley

Book Rating: 8/10

Grace hasn’t been the same since the death of her best friend Charlie. She is haunted by Charlie’s words, the last time she saw her, and in a bid for answers, opens an old memory box of Charlie’s. It soon becomes clear there was a lot she didn’t know about her best friend. 

When Grace starts a campaign to find Charlie’s father, Anna, a girl claiming to be Charlie’s sister steps forward. For Grace, finding Anna is like finding a new family, and soon Anna has made herself very comfortable in Grace and boyfriend Dan’s home. 

But something isn’t right. Things disappear, Dan’s acting strangely and Grace is sure that someone is following her. Is it all in Grace’s mind? Or as she gets closer to discovering the truth about both Charlie and Anna, is Grace in terrible danger? 

There was nothing she could have done to save Charlie …or was there?

Review:

Suspenseful, creepy and entertaining!

The Sister is a psychological thriller that reminds us of the mental and physical anguish that can be caused by abandonment, isolation, trauma, grief and revenge.

The main character, Grace, is a young woman struggling in her everyday life due to extreme levels of guilt, grief, and paranoia. And as the story unfolds, through a past/present style, we are introduced to all sorts of colourful characters that interact and intertwine to captivate and intrigue us until the last piece of the puzzle fits.

The story is well written. And the plot is fascinating and mysterious, with lots of twists and turns you won’t see coming.

Overall, this is a really sophisticated debut novel, and I look forward to reading more from Louise Jensen in the future.

 

This book is now available in paperback.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

                 

 

 

Thank you to NetGalley, especially Bookouture, for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Louise Jensen

Louise Jensen is a USA Today bestselling author of psychological thrillers. Her first two novels, The Sister and The Gift, were both international bestsellers, and have been sold for translation to sixteen countries. Her debut novel, The Sister, was nominated for The Goodreads Awards Debut of 2016.

Louise lives in Northamptonshire with her husband, children, madcap dog, and a rather naughty cat. She loves to hear from readers and writers and can be found at LouiseJensen.co.uk, where she regularly blogs flash fiction.

Photograph by T. M. Elliston.

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#BookReview Liar by K.L. Slater @KimLSlater @bookouture

categories: 8/10, Book Review, Mystery/Thriller
#BookReview Liar by K.L. Slater @KimLSlater @bookouture Title: Liar

Author: K.L. Slater

Published by: Bookouture on Jun. 16, 2017

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 326

Format: eBook, ARC

Source: Bookouture, NetGalley

Book Rating: 8/10

How far would you go to protect your family?

Single dad Ben is doing his best to raise his children alone, with the help of his devoted mother Judi. Life isn’t easy, but Judi’s family means everything to her and together, they manage.

Then Ben meets Amber. Everyone thinks this is a perfect match for Ben but Judi isn’t sure … there’s just something about Amber that doesn’t add up.

Ben can’t see why his mother dislikes his new girlfriend. And Amber doesn’t want Judi anywhere near her new family. Amber just wants Ben and the children.

The further Judi delves into Amber’s personal life, the closer she gets to shocking secrets that could change everything. And Judi must make a decision that could lead to the most disastrous consequences.

Review:

Menacing, intense and eerie!

This story focuses on the unique relationship between mother-in-laws and daughter-in-laws and highlights the friction, discontent, competition, and rivalry that can exist between the two.

It is, ultimately, a story about control, power, manipulation, deception, obsession, and revenge.

The writing is fluid and smooth. The characters are desperate, devious, damaged, and consumed. And the plot, although a little predictable, does a good job of creating tension, suspense and strife as it methodically unravels revealing all the personalities, complex relationships and dark motivations within it.

Overall, this is a compelling, entertaining psychological thriller by Slater with an opening that will make you think twice, a few twists, and a narration style that will have you rooted to your seat from the very first page.

If you haven’t had a chance to read my review for Slater’s previous novel, Safe With Me, be sure to check it out here:

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

                                        

 

 

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About K.L. Slater

After years of trying to get published and never getting further than the slush pile, I went back to university at the age of 40 where I gained a first-class honours degree in English & Creative Writing and an MA in Creative Writing with distinction.

Although I also worked full-time during the five years I studied at university, the courses gave me the time and space to try different writing and increased my confidence and belief in my writing. Before I graduated from my MA, I had secured representation with my agent, Clare Wallace, at the Darley Anderson Literacy, TV and Film Agency and had my first book deal.

My first adult psychological thriller for Bookouture, ‘Safe with Me’, actually started life as my dissertation on my English & Creative Writing degree in 2010.
I first became published writing Young Adult fiction for Macmillan Children’s Books under the name Kim Slater. My award-winning YA debut, SMART, started life as a short story for my MA in Creative Writing in 2012.
I live in Nottingham with my husband, Mac. Between us we have three grown-up kids; Francesca, Nathan and Jake.

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#BookReview Follow You by Richard Parker @Bookwalter @bookouture

categories: 8/10, Book Review, Mystery/Thriller
#BookReview Follow You by Richard Parker @Bookwalter @bookouture Title: Follow You

Author: Richard Jay Parker

Published by: Bookouture on May 26, 2017

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 379

Format: ARC, eBook

Source: Bookouture, NetGalley

Book Rating: 8/10

You set the trap. Now you can’t escape.

When an online prank goes viral and triggers a spate of gruesome murders, documentary maker Hazel Salter watches in horror. But then Hazel’s childhood friend, Meredith Hickman, is the next victim and Hazel knows she has to find out what happened to her.

Is it one killer or more? Random acts of violence, or part of a bigger, twisted plan?

The police have no leads, but Hazel has a theory – one she’ll stop at nothing to prove – and she also has a film crew. She’ll make a documentary, catch the killer, and give Meredith justice.

Her stage is the abandoned amusement park where Meredith was found. 

Her cast are the family and friends the killer left behind. 

And her crew? They keep disappearing, one by one…

Review:

Creepy, disturbing and exceptionally gory!

This is a gritty thriller full of sex, manipulation, emotional entanglements, carnage, and violence in an extremely fast-paced, suspenseful plot that is chocked full of murder and mayhem.

The writing is well done. The main heroine, Hazel is relentless, determined, strong and desperate; and the supporting characters are varied, troubled and vulnerable.

This story is definitely not for the squeamish, in fact it reminds me of those classic slasher films from the 80s that we all watched from the edge of our seat yelling “don’t go off on your own” and even though there may not be lots of depth to the characters you are still thoroughly entertained, horrified and engrossed by the maniacal killer, the naive victims, and of course the unexpected ending.

 

This novel is due to be published on May 26, 2017.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links. 

                                          

 

 

Thank you to NetGalley, especially Bookouture, for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Richard Parker

Author of STOP ME - shortlisted for a Specsavers New Blood Dagger Award - and SCARE ME.

SCARE ME has been snapped up by major Hollywood studio, Relativity Media. Wentworth (Prison Break/Stoker) Miller has just completed the screenplay.

His third stand alone thriller STALK ME is due to be published February 2014 (US/Canada) and March 2014(UK) by Angry Robot crime imprint Exhibit A.

He is currently writing a follow up to SCARE ME.

A professional TV writer for twenty-two years he started by submitting material to the BBC. After contributing to a wide variety of TV shows he became a head writer, script editor and producer.

He has now moved from London to Salisbury but in no way hates London.

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#BookReview Last Breath by Robert Bryndza @RobertBryndza @bookouture

categories: 10/10, Book Review, Mystery/Thriller
#BookReview Last Breath by Robert Bryndza @RobertBryndza @bookouture Title: Last Breath

Author: Robert Bryndza

Series: Detective Erika Foster #4

Published by: Bookouture on Apr. 12, 2017

Genres: Mystery/Thriller, Police Procedural

Pages: 362

Format: eBook, ARC

Source: Bookouture, NetGalley

Book Rating: 10/10

He’s your perfect date. You’re his next victim.

When the tortured body of a young woman is found in a dumpster, her eyes swollen shut and her clothes soaked with blood, Detective Erika Foster is one of the first at the crime scene. The trouble is, this time, it’s not her case.

While she fights to secure her place on the investigation team, Erika can’t help but get involved and quickly finds a link to the unsolved murder of a woman four months earlier. Dumped in a similar location, both women have identical wounds – a fatal incision to their femoral artery.

Stalking his victims online, the killer is preying on young pretty women using a fake identity. How will Erika catch a murderer who doesn’t seem to exist?

Then another girl is abducted while waiting for a date. Erika and her team must get to her before she becomes another dead victim, and, come face to face with a terrifyingly sadistic individual.

Gripping, tense and impossible to put down, Last Breath will have you on the edge of your seat, racing to the final dramatic page.

Review:

Mesmerizing, dark and cleverly spine-chilling!

This is a skillfully crafted, perfectly executed thriller that takes us on a hunt for a sadistic serial killer and highlights how susceptible and vulnerable social media can make us.

The writing is seamless, vivid and fluid. The characterization is spot on with all the usual gang back including the tough, stubborn Erika Foster whose greatest struggles involve her inability to conform to authority and her apprehension at the growing intimacy with Peterson. And the plot involves a series of twists, turns, violence, murder and surprises that I guarantee will grab you from the very first page of the prologue.

Overall this book has an incredible pace and exceptional depth in both the storyline and character development. It’s riveting; it’s entertaining; and it’s a clear indicator that Bryndza has definitely hit his stride. If you love well written police procedurals with intriguing characters this is the book/series for you.

If you haven’t read any of the previous novels in the “Detective Erika Foster” series be sure to check out my review for “The Night Stalker” (Erika Foster #2) HERE and my review for “Dark Water” (Erika Foster #3) HERE.

This book is due to be published on April 12, 2017

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

           

 

Thank you to Bookouture and Robert Bryndza for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Robert Bryndza

Robert Bryndza is an international bestselling author, best known for his page-turning crime and thriller novels, which have sold over four million copies in the English language.

His crime debut, The Girl in the Ice was released in February 2016, introducing Detective Chief Inspector Erika Foster. Within five months it sold one million copies, reaching number one in the Amazon UK, USA and Australian charts. To date, The Girl in the Ice has sold over 1.5 million copies in the English language and has been sold into translation in 29 countries. It was nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Mystery & Thriller (2016), the Grand prix des lectrices de Elle in France (2018), and it won two reader voted awards, The Thrillzone Awards best debut thriller in The Netherlands (2018) and The Dead Good Papercut Award for best page turner at the Harrogate Crime Festival (2016).

Robert has released a further five novels in the Erika Foster series, The Night Stalker, Dark Water, Last Breath, Cold Blood and Deadly Secrets, all of which have been global bestsellers, and in 2017 Last Breath was a Goodreads Choice Award nominee for Mystery and Thriller.

Most recently, Robert created a new crime thriller series based around the central character Kate Marshall, a police officer turned private detective. The first book, Nine Elms, was an Amazon USA #1 bestseller and an Amazon UK top five bestseller, and the series has been sold into translation in 18 countries. The second book in the series is the global bestselling, Shadow Sands and the third book, Darkness Falls, has just been published.

Robert was born in Lowestoft, on the east coast of England. He studied at Aberystwyth University, and the Guildford School of Acting, and was an actor for several years, but didn’t find success until he took a play he’d written to the Edinburgh Festival. This led to the decision to change career and start writing. He self-published a bestselling series of romantic comedy novels, before switching to writing crime. Robert lives with his husband in Slovakia, and is lucky enough to write full-time.

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#BookReview Revenge by Nigel May @Nigel_May @bookouture

categories: 9/10, Book Review, Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction
#BookReview Revenge by Nigel May @Nigel_May @bookouture Title: Revenge

Author: Nigel May

Published by: Bookouture on Feb. 10, 2017

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction

Pages: 386

Format: eBook, ARC

Source: Bookouture, NetGalley

Book Rating: 9/10

If you keep dangerous secrets you’ll pay the ultimate price… 

In the South of France, playground of the rich and famous, world renowned chef Dexter Franklin is organising a night to remember. As he opens the doors to his exclusive restaurant for the first time, he’s handpicked a list of guests, as hot and dazzling as the St Tropez sun itself: 

Mew Stanton: Fashionable, beautiful and a notorious TV chef, Dexter’s ex-girlfriend has all the ingredients for success. As her books fly off the shelves, a secret from her past is about to surface with explosive consequences. 

Holly Lydon: Ex girlband star who has fallen on hard times. Forced to make ends meet she’s having to sleep her way to the top. Now she’s making headlines for all the wrong reasons. 

Rosita Velázquez: Brazilian actress extraordinaire and girlfriend of Dexter’s brother, Leland. When she’s in town everybody needs to know about it, but this is one show-stopping entrance she’ll live to regret. 

Three women have a past with Dexter and a grudge to bear against him. As fireworks ignite in the jet set capital of Europe, there’s murder on the menu. Who will be served their just desserts? 

The sun is setting in the South of France. Pour yourself a glass of champagne and sit back for a read of revenge, regrets and shocking revelations that will have you hooked to the very last page. 

Review:

Wildly addictive, blissfully entertaining, and sinfully salacious!

This is a provocative novel that takes us into the lives of the rich, glamorous and famous and reminds us that not everything is always as it seems and as well as having fancy yachts and designer clothes they also seem to have an abundance of sex, power, temptation, rivalry, jealousy, revenge, deception, tragedy and murder.

The writing is effortless. The characters are self-obsessed, shallow, and ambitious. The settings are exotic and picturesque. And the plot is clever, humorous, mysterious, unpredictable and incredibly captivating.

What can I say, this truly is a jouissance or indulgence you don’t want to miss!

If you haven’t had a chance to check our my review for Nigel May’s previous novel, Lovers and Liars, be sure to check it out HERE!

This book is due to be published on February 10, 2017.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon Canada, Indigo, Kobo, B&N

 

 

Thank you to NetGalley, especially Bookouture, for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Nigel May

Nigel May has been described as "the UK's male Jackie Collins" and is an author, TV host and journalist. His three fiction novels have all been published by Bookouture.

His first glam fiction novel was TRINITY, an action-packed blockbuster (or bonkbuster) about the lives of the rich and famous. Glamour, beauty, fame and celebrity mix with murder, intrigue and danger to create an explosive novel which gained incredible reviews and fans across the globe. His follow-up was the glitz-meets-grit whodunit ADDICTED which was also a huge success and once again dived into the diamond-dipped world of the mega-rich but showed that all of the money and fame in the world do not always make for a happy ending. His third novel SCANDALOUS LIES is steeped in secrets, sin, sex and scandal and takes readers around the world as a mysterious celebrity disappearance is investigated. His books have been Amazon best sellers, read by celebrities and fellow authors alike, and have proved that a man can successfully write in a 'bonkbuster world' that has always been a strongly female domain.

Nigel was the only male writer amongst 44 authors featured in the chart-topping, beach-read anthology of short-stories SUNLOUNGER. He also contributed a short story to SUNLOUNGER 2.

On television he regularly presents on UK shopping channels where he has built up a substantial following. He has also featured on Channel 4, C5, ITV and broadcast live from America. He is also one of the UK's most popular craft personalities, having launched his own successful range, A-May-Zing.

As a writer he has written for many of the UK's most successful magazines and newspapers, specialising in showbiz and celebrity, as well as writing on subjects ranging from relationships through to exotic travel.

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#BookReview Miss Wrong and Mr Right by Robert Bryndza @RobertBryndza @bookouture

categories: 9/10, Book Review, Contemporary Romance
#BookReview Miss Wrong and Mr Right by Robert Bryndza @RobertBryndza @bookouture Title: Miss Wrong and Mr Right

Author: Robert Bryndza

Published by: Bookouture on Dec. 8, 2016

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 301

Format: eBook, ARC

Source: Purchased

Book Rating: 9/10

Natalie Love has worked hard to have it all. She runs a successful London theatre that’s about to host one of Hollywood’s leading stars, Ryan Harrison. She’s pretty sure she’s found her man in yoga boyfriend Benjamin, despite his annoying habit of saying Namaste! every time he speaks. And her eccentric, glamorous Hungarian gran is always on hand to offer sage advice and steaming bowls of goulash. 

Life in the bright lights of London has always been Natalie’s escape from her chaotic family in rural Devon and Jamie, the childhood sweetheart she left at the altar fifteen years ago. Until he turns up at her theatre door…

Jamie is in town producing a West End show and with rivalry suddenly clouding old feelings, this isn’t quite the reunion Natalie was expecting. 

Will Benjamin prove to be Natalie’s perfect match? With Ryan turning her head, Natalie is more confused than ever. And what about Jamie – could he be her second chance at first love?

Review:

Charming, engaging, and clever!

This is a really great contemporary romance novel that takes us on a tour of Natalie’s love life, from leaving her first love to finding her true love, including all the Hollywood heartthrobs and arrogant yoga lovers that drop in along the way.

It truly is a story about friendship, family, self-identity, and happiness.

The writing is precise. The plot is smart, flirty, laugh-out-loud funny, and full of spirited hijinks and mishaps. But most remarkable of all is the extraordinary characterization. The characters are unique, quirky, lovable, and the witty banter and dialogue between them is exceptional.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from the following links.

Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon Canada, Indigo, Book Depository, Kobo,

 

About Robert Bryndza

Robert Bryndza is an international bestselling author, best known for his page-turning crime and thriller novels, which have sold over four million copies in the English language.

His crime debut, The Girl in the Ice was released in February 2016, introducing Detective Chief Inspector Erika Foster. Within five months it sold one million copies, reaching number one in the Amazon UK, USA and Australian charts. To date, The Girl in the Ice has sold over 1.5 million copies in the English language and has been sold into translation in 29 countries. It was nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Mystery & Thriller (2016), the Grand prix des lectrices de Elle in France (2018), and it won two reader voted awards, The Thrillzone Awards best debut thriller in The Netherlands (2018) and The Dead Good Papercut Award for best page turner at the Harrogate Crime Festival (2016).

Robert has released a further five novels in the Erika Foster series, The Night Stalker, Dark Water, Last Breath, Cold Blood and Deadly Secrets, all of which have been global bestsellers, and in 2017 Last Breath was a Goodreads Choice Award nominee for Mystery and Thriller.

Most recently, Robert created a new crime thriller series based around the central character Kate Marshall, a police officer turned private detective. The first book, Nine Elms, was an Amazon USA #1 bestseller and an Amazon UK top five bestseller, and the series has been sold into translation in 18 countries. The second book in the series is the global bestselling, Shadow Sands and the third book, Darkness Falls, has just been published.

Robert was born in Lowestoft, on the east coast of England. He studied at Aberystwyth University, and the Guildford School of Acting, and was an actor for several years, but didn’t find success until he took a play he’d written to the Edinburgh Festival. This led to the decision to change career and start writing. He self-published a bestselling series of romantic comedy novels, before switching to writing crime. Robert lives with his husband in Slovakia, and is lucky enough to write full-time.

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#BookReview While You Were Sleeping by Kathryn Croft @KatCroft

categories: 8.5/10, Book Review, Mystery/Thriller
#BookReview While You Were Sleeping by Kathryn Croft @KatCroft Title: While You Were Sleeping

Author: Kathryn Croft

Published by: Bookouture on Nov. 14, 2016

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 324

Format: eBook, ARC

Source: Bookouture, NetGalley

Book Rating: 8.5/10

You wake up to find the man beside you is dead. 
He is not your husband. This is not your bed. 
What do you do? 

Tara Logan lives a quiet life with her husband, Noah, and two children, teenager Rosie and eleven-year-old Spencer. 

But her peace is shattered when she wakes in her neighbour Lee’s bed, with no memory of how she got there or what happened between them. 

And worse – he has been stabbed to death. 

Convinced she didn’t kill Lee, Tara stays silent, fearing the truth will rip her family apart. 

But as her daughter spirals out of control, and her husband becomes increasingly distant, Tara soon realises that someone in her life knows what really happened to Lee. She must get to the truth before they do. 

Tara made a mistake … but will one night cost her everything? 

A gripping, shocking psychological thriller, with a twist that will take you by surprise. 

Will engross fans of Gone Girl, Behind Closed Doors, and The Girl on the Train. 

Review:

Creepy, suspenseful, and incredibly entertaining!

This is a psychological thrill ride of secrets, deception, infidelity, and murder, and raises the question “how well do you really know someone?”

The writing is well done.  The characters are complex, secretive, and fascinating. And the plot continually keeps you guessing with its multiple twists and turns, tension, mystery, and ever-expanding suspect list.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel. It was engrossing, intriguing, and had me contemplating and deducing whodunit from the very outset.

 

This book is due to be published on November 16, 2016.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from the following links.

Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon Canada

 

 

Thank you to NetGalley, especially Bookouture, for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Kathryn Croft

Kathryn is the bestselling author of five psychological thrillers and to date she has sold over one million copies of her books. Her third book, The Girl With No Past spent over four weeks at number one in the Amazon UK chart, and she has also appeared on the Wall Street Journal's bestsellers list.
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With publishing deals in thirteen different countries, Kathryn writes full time and has just finished writing her sixth book, which is due for publication on 25th October 2017. She is now hard at work on book seven.
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After twelve years living in London, she now lives in Guildford, Surrey, the place she grew up, with her husband, their little boy and two crazy cats.

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