Source: Midas PR

#BlogTour #BookReview Pug Actually by Matt Dunn @mattdunnwrites @midaspr #PugActually #MattDunn

categories: 8/10, Blog Tour, Book Review, Contemporary Romance
#BlogTour #BookReview Pug Actually by Matt Dunn @mattdunnwrites @midaspr #PugActually #MattDunn Title: Pug Actually

Author: Matt Dunn

Published by: HarperCollins UK on Oct. 14, 2021

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 320

Format: Hardcover

Source: Midas PR

Book Rating: 8/10

Loyal rescue pug Doug wants his adoring owner Julie to find unconditional love and happiness – and he knows she won’t find either in the arms of Luke, her married boss. 

Doug is terrified that Julie will become a lonely cat-lover if she stays single too long, but he can’t let her fall for any more of Luke’s empty promises. Julie needs to move on – and Doug is convinced that Tom, a newly divorced V-E-T, is perfect for her (despite his questionable occupation). 

There’s just one problem: Julie and Tom can’t stand each other.

Doug doesn’t quite understand the quirks and complexities of human relationships, but he won’t let thatget in the way of his mission to bring Tom and Julie together. After all, being a ‘rescue’ works both ways…

Review:

Cute, comical, and charming!

Pug Actually is a quirky, heartwarming tale that takes you into the life of Doug, an adorable, four-legged Pug as he embarks to do whatever it takes, even causing himself harm so that he has to visit the dreaded V.E.T., in order to get his owner, Julie, to turn her pretty eyes away from her selfish, two-timing, married boss, Luke, and onto the handsome, caring, recently-divorced veterinarian, Tom.

The writing is light and witty. The characters are sharp, vulnerable, and endearing. And the plot is an amusing blend of life, love, introspection, friendship, family, hilarious hijinks, awkward situations, embarrassing moments, misunderstandings, taking chances, and the highs-and-lows of finding the one.

Overall, Pug Actually is a sweet, humorous, satisfying read by Dunn that’s full of engaging characters, an entertaining storyline, and a dreamy, happy-ever-after ending.

 

This novel is available now.

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

             

 

 

Thank you to Midas PR for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Matt Dunn

Matt Dunn is the author of numerous romantic comedy novels, including the bestselling The Ex-Boyfriend's Handbook and A Day at the Office. He's also written about life, love, and relationships for various publications including The Times, Guardian, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Company, Elle, and The Sun.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

#BlogTour #BookReview Song of the Nile by Hannah Fielding @fieldinghannah @midaspr #SongoftheNile #HannahFielding

categories: 7/10, Blog Tour, Book Review, Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction
#BlogTour #BookReview Song of the Nile by Hannah Fielding @fieldinghannah @midaspr #SongoftheNile #HannahFielding Title: Song of the Nile

Author: Hannah Fielding

Published by: London Wall Publishing on May 27, 2021

Genres: Women's Fiction, Historical Fiction

Pages: 616

Format: Paperback

Source: Midas PR

Book Rating: 7/10

Luxor, 1946. When young nurse Aida El Masri returns from war-torn London to her family’s estate in Egypt, she steels herself to face the challenges ahead.

Eight years have passed since her father, Ayoub, was framed for a crime he did not commit and died as a tragic result. Yet Aida has not forgotten, and now she wants revenge against the man she believes betrayed her father – his best friend, Kamel Pharaony.

Then Aida is reunited with Kamel’s son, the captivating surgeon Phares, who offers her marriage. In spite of herself, the secret passion Aida harboured for him as a young girl reignites. Still, how can she marry the son of the man who destroyed her father and brought shame on her family? Will coming home bring her love, or only danger and heartache?

Review:

Sensuous, informative, and atmospheric!

Song of the Nile is a historical love letter to Egypt, complete with authentic and fascinating facts of life in the country following WWII and a breathtaking tour of the landscape, monuments, and landmarks that still grace this beautiful countryside today.

The writing is vivid and rich. The characters are warm, bold, and determined. And the plot is a richly described, captivating tale full of life, love, loss, family, drama, desire, intrigue, romance, customs, and societal expectations.

Overall, Song of the Nile is a steamy, mysterious, alluring tale by Fielding that highlights the unique political landscape of Egypt over the years and reminds us of the importance of trusting, forgiving, and ultimately the power of love.

 

This novel is available now.

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

           

 

 

Thank you to Midas PR for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Hannah Fielding

Having already had huge success as one of the UK’s leading romance authors with total sales of over 130k, Concerto follows the award-winning success of Hannah Fielding’s previous novels Aphrodite’s Tears, Burning Embers, Echoes of Love, Masquerade, Legacy and Indiscretion. Echoes of Love won Romance Novel of the Year at the IPB Awards in 2012, Burning Embers was Amazon’s book of the month in 2011, and Hannah’s novels have been translated into 13 languages. With its spectacular setting and deep emotional drama, Concerto will appeal both to fans of her backlist, as well as lovers of atmospheric travel writing including Santa Montefiore, Penny Vincenzie, Victoria Hislop and Lucinda Riley.

Egyptian by birth Hannah is fluent in French, English and Arabic and has lived all over the world. She currently lives between her writing retreat in the South of France and her rambling family home in Ireland. Hannah’s grandmother, Esther Fanous, was the revolutionary feminist writer in Egypt during the early 1900s and helped found the Women's Wafd Central Committee in 1920.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest

#BookReview #AudioBook The Estate by Liza Costello @audible_com @midaspr

categories: 7/10, Book Review, Mystery/Thriller
#BookReview #AudioBook The Estate by Liza Costello @audible_com @midaspr Title: The Estate

Author: Liza Costello

Published by: Audible Studios on Feb. 6, 2020

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Length: 6 hrs and 15 mins

Format: Audiobook

Source: Midas PR

Book Rating: 7/10

There’s no place like home…and Beth hopes there never will be again.

Beth never had a settled home as a child, but that’s all behind her now. She’s fine. Great. Settled in her single life. Until friends start peeling away, moving on to careers and family, leaving her feeling impatient and angry. When she bumps into Jason at a party, she spots the opportunity for her own fresh start – to turn her back on a reckless life of drinking and missed deadlines. She can build a new life, too…can’t she? When she discovers that Jason has the opportunity to house-sit a new build out of town, she glimpses her chance. There’s only one catch – Jason needs to stay in town for the sake of his new job. But Beth can keep their dreams alive on her own, can’t she? 

As her drinking worsens, and new friends turn out to be prospective enemies, her sense of reality begins to unravel. As Beth comes to confront the mysteries of her own past, she moves closer to understanding the desperate crime at the heart of the estate. But first she must learn who is behind the strange attacks on her new home. And is Jason who she thought he was? Can she even trust him?

In this taut crime novel set in the aftermath of the Irish recession, a change for the better turns into a nightmare of uncertainty. An edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller, perfect for fans of Ruth Ware and Cass Green.

Review:

Gloomy, eerie, and complex!

The Estate is a dark, gritty thriller that transports you to recession-era Ireland and into a housing estate mostly abandoned due to economic depression and only inhabited by those few desperate and willing to do almost anything for survival.

The writing is edgy and intense. The characters are consumed, manipulative, and unreliable. And the plot is a mysterious tale of control, betrayal, obsession, malice, substance abuse, familial drama, loneliness, isolation, and violence.

Overall, The Estate is a twisty, atmospheric, sinister Audible Original title that reminds us just how quickly life can spin out of control and highlights just how parasitic some relationships can truly be.

 

This audiobook is available now.

Pick up a copy from the following audible link.

 

Thank you to Midas PR for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Liza Costello

Liza Costello was born in County Westmeath, where she lives with her husband and two children. A copy editor and poet, her writing has been broadcast on RTE Radio 1 and published in outlets including The Stinging Fly, The Saturday Independent (Ireland), The Manchester Review and Mslexia. Costello won the Dromineer Literary Festival Poetry Award (2011), came joint second for the Patrick Kavanagh Award for an unpublished collection of poetry (2015), and has been shortlisted for the Sean O’Faolain International Short Story Competition and the Francis McManus Short Story Competition. She is currently completing a PhD on the work of the Irish writer Dermot Healy.

Website | Goodreads | Amazon

 

#BlogTour #BookReview Butterfly in Frost by Sylvia Day @SylDay @AmazonPub @midaspr #ButterflyinFrost

categories: 7/10, Book Review, Contemporary Romance, Erotica
#BlogTour #BookReview Butterfly in Frost by Sylvia Day @SylDay @AmazonPub @midaspr #ButterflyinFrost Title: Butterfly in Frost

Author: Sylvia Day

Published by: Montlake Romance on Aug. 27, 2019

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 204

Format: Paperback, ARC

Source: Midas PR

Book Rating: 7/10

Teagan Ransom has finally settled in a place she can call home, spending time with new friends she adores, focusing on a fulfilling job, whilst reconciling the past and laying the groundwork for the future.

That is until Garrett Frost moves in next door. He’s obstinate and too bold, a raging and disruptive force of nature. Teagan recognizes the ghosts that haunt him, the torment driving him. Garrett would be risky in any form, but wounded, he’s far more dangerous. Tegan fears he could pull apart everything she has worked so hard to build, but Garrett’s too determined…and too tempting.

Emotional and heartrending, Butterfly in Frost marks a brilliant return by global sensation Sylvia Day, the No.1 international multimillion bestselling author of the Crossfire saga.

Review:

Quick, fervent, and surprising!

Butterfly in Frost is an emotionally-charged, erotic novella that takes you on a journey into the life of Teagan Ransom, a fragile, hesitant, plastic surgeon who finds herself inadvertently in the crosshairs of her sexy, secretive, new neighbour, Garrett Frost whose determined to sweep her off her feet.

The prose is seductive and tight. The characters are wounded, lonely, and hopeful. And the plot is a dramatic tale with a sliver of mystery that’s full of heartache, loss, guilt, grief, relationship dynamics, friendship, community, romance, explosive chemistry, and enduring love.

Overall, Butterfly in Frost is a sensual, emotive, uplifting tale that highlights the importance of letting go of the past, forgiving one’s self, taking chances, and moving on. And even though the plot seemed to move quite fast at times and could have been a bit longer to allow for some more depth in the characterization and storyline there’s a fantastic little twist that will almost certainly have you eager to start it all over again.

 

This book is available now.

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

                                      

 

 

Thank you to Midas PR and Montlake Romance for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Sylvia Day

Sylvia Day is the #1 New York Times, #1 USA Today, and #1 international bestselling author of over twenty award-winning novels translated into 41 languages. With tens of millions of copies of her books in print, she is a No. 1 bestseller in 28 countries. Sylvia served as the 22nd President of Romance Writers of America and presently serves on the Authors Guild's Board of Directors. Sylvia's work has been covered in Time, Variety, People, The Wall Street Journal, Cosmopolitan, Associated Press, USA Today, and Entertainment Weekly.

Photograph courtesy of Goodreads Author Page.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Bookbub | YouTube

 

#BlogTour #BookReview Concerto by Hannah Fielding @fieldinghannah @midaspr

categories: 7/10, Blog Tour, Book Review
#BlogTour #BookReview Concerto by Hannah Fielding @fieldinghannah @midaspr Title: Concerto

Author: Hannah Fielding

Published by: London Wall Publishing on Jun. 6, 2019

Genres: Women's Fiction, Contemporary Romance

Pages: 528

Format: Paperback

Source: London Wall Publishing, Midas PR

Book Rating: 7/10

From the award-winning romance novelist, comes a passionate, slow-burning romance that will have you wanting to move to the continent for an old fashioned holiday romance of pure escapism. 

On a bright morning in Nice, eighteen-year-old aspiring opera singer, Catriona de Vere finds the two-storey reddish-pink bricked house Les Platanes has been sold. Its new occupant and her new neighbour is none other than the celebrated concert pianist, handsome and rude Umberto Rolando Monteverdi.

Fascinated by the hypnotizing piano melodies filtering through her bedroom windows night after night, Catriona cannot hide her growing attraction to her neighbour until his music seduces her into his bed, leaving a trail of unexpected consequences and the sting of betrayal.

Ten years later, having put Umberto out of her mind, Catriona, now a respected musical therapist, is visited by opera diva Calandra, Umberto’s mother, with a dying request to help recover her son’s musical gift after a car accident robbed him of his sight.

Catriona arrives at Umberto’s Palladian mansion on the glittering shores of Lake Como to find him resistant to her every effort. Caught up in the tempestuous intrigues at her client’s estate, Catriona discovers her feelings toward the blind musician are still as strong as ever. Harbouring secrets of her own – can Catriona share what she has hidden from Umberto for the past decade and will she ever be able to break through the darkness that engulfs Umberto?

A sensual tale of romance and nostalgia, Concerto illustrates the pain of lost love and the heroine determined to put things right.

Review:

Passionate, mysterious, and exceptionally descriptive!

Concerto is a captivating, enigmatic tale about the power of love; the lengths that one will go to for it and the unimaginable things one often does in the name of it.

The prose is evocative and lush. The characters are fervent, secretive, and flawed. And the plot, although a little slow at times, is a sweeping saga laced from start to finish with palpable emotion, colourful imagery, longing, desperation, heartbreak, greed, jealousy, first loves, and heartwrenching romance.

Overall, Concerto is a dramatic, mysterious, enticing, love story that does a wonderful job of highlighting the magic of music and its ability to, universally, heal the mind, body, heart, and soul.

 

This novel is available now.

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

                                      

 

 

Thank you to London Wall Publishers and Midas PR for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Hannah Fielding

Having already had huge success as one of the UK’s leading romance authors with total sales of over 130k, Concerto follows the award-winning success of Hannah Fielding’s previous novels Aphrodite’s Tears, Burning Embers, Echoes of Love, Masquerade, Legacy and Indiscretion. Echoes of Love won Romance Novel of the Year at the IPB Awards in 2012, Burning Embers was Amazon’s book of the month in 2011, and Hannah’s novels have been translated into 13 languages. With its spectacular setting and deep emotional drama, Concerto will appeal both to fans of her backlist, as well as lovers of atmospheric travel writing including Santa Montefiore, Penny Vincenzie, Victoria Hislop and Lucinda Riley.

Egyptian by birth Hannah is fluent in French, English and Arabic and has lived all over the world. She currently lives between her writing retreat in the South of France and her rambling family home in Ireland. Hannah’s grandmother, Esther Fanous, was the revolutionary feminist writer in Egypt during the early 1900s and helped found the Women's Wafd Central Committee in 1920.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest

#BlogTour #BookReview The Last Night Out by Catherine O’Connell @OConnellauthor @blackthornbks @midaspr

categories: 8/10, Blog Tour, Book Review, Mystery/Thriller
#BlogTour #BookReview The Last Night Out by Catherine O’Connell @OConnellauthor @blackthornbks @midaspr Title: The Last Night Out

Author: Catherine O'Connell

Published by: Black Thorn Books on May 2, 2019

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 304

Format: Paperback

Source: Black Thorn Books, Midas PR

Book Rating: 8/10

Six friends. A bride to be. One murder. Too many secrets.

After drinking too much at her bachelorette party, Maggie Trueheart wakes to find a stranger in her bed. To make matters worse, a phone call brings the devastating news that her friend Angie was murdered sometime after they parted ways the night before.

Kelly Delaney, who left the party early, is the first of Maggie’s friends to face questions from Chicago homicide detective Ron O’Reilly. After taking a closer look at the other women who attended the party, O’Reilly concludes that at least some of them are lying.

As the clock ticks down to the wedding day and more shocking secrets are revealed, the murderer zeros in on another one of the girls. Can the killer be stopped before there is another victim?

Review:

Unique, intricate, and twisty!

The Last Night Out is a complex, character-driven thriller that takes us back to the 1980s and into the lives of Maggie Trueheart and her five closest friends as a night of revelry and celebration leaves their worlds irrevocably changed forever.

The prose is vigorous and tense. The characters are secretive, multilayered, and suspicious. And the plot, including all the subplots, unravel and intertwine into a sinister tale of deception, manipulation, jealousy, revelations, empowerment, mayhem, violence, murder, and a touch of romance.

Overall, The Last Night Out is an unpredictable, tight, entertaining read by O’Connell that kept me guessing until the very end and did an exceptional job of highlighting just how easily lives can become mixed up and entangled.

 

This book is available now.

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

               

 

 

Thank you to Black Thorn Books and Midas PR for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Catherine O'Connell

Catherine O‘Connell divides her time between Chicago and Aspen, and sits on the board of Aspen Words, a literary centre whose aim is to support writers and reach out to readers. She is also a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. Catherine has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, the Cox network and numerous radio shows including WGN Radio’s Sunday Papers with Rick Kogan.

Website | Twitter | Facebook

#BlogTour #BookReview Truth and Lies by Caroline Mitchell @Caroline_writes @midaspr

categories: 9/10, Blog Tour, Book Review, Mystery/Thriller, Police Procedural
#BlogTour #BookReview Truth and Lies by Caroline Mitchell @Caroline_writes @midaspr Title: Truth and Lies

Author: Caroline Mitchell

Series: DI Amy Winter #1

Published by: Thomas & Mercer on Aug. 30, 2018

Genres: Mystery/Thriller, Police Procedural

Pages: 348

Format: Paperback, ARC

Source: Thomas & Mercer, Midas PR

Book Rating: 9/10

Meet Amy Winter: Detective Inspector, daughter of a serial killer.

DI Amy Winter is hoping to follow in the footsteps of her highly respected police officer father. But when a letter arrives from the prison cell of Lillian Grimes, one half of a notorious husband-and-wife serial-killer team, it contains a revelation that will tear her life apart.

Responsible for a string of heinous killings decades ago, Lillian is pure evil. A psychopathic murderer. And Amy’s biological mother. Now, she is ready to reveal the location of three of her victims—but only if Amy plays along with her twisted game.

While her fellow detectives frantically search for a young girl taken from her mother’s doorstep, Amy must confront her own dark past. Haunted by blurred memories of a sister who sacrificed herself to save her, Amy faces a race against time to uncover the missing bodies.

But what if, from behind bars, Grimes has been pulling the strings even tighter than Amy thought? And can she overcome her demons to prevent another murder?

Review:

Gripping, twisty, and sophisticated!

Truth and Lies is an intelligent, suspenseful, police procedural that introduces us to DI Amy Winter, a resilient, determined young woman who finds herself immersed in the investigation to find a missing teen, while also struggling to come to grips with the knowledge that her biological parents were serial killers and three of their victims still need to be found.

The prose is intricate and absorbing. The characters, including the sinister, despicable villainess are intriguing and multilayered. And the plot, including all the subplots, unravel and intertwine into a compelling tale full of deception, abuse, deprivation, manipulation, mayhem, violence, and murder.

Overall, Truth and Lies is a dark, entertaining, creepy read that has all the elements you look for in a thrilling mystery and is an excellent start for the new DI Amy Winter series by Mitchell.

This book is available now.

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

         

 

 

Thank you to Caroline Mitchell and Midas PR for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Caroline Mitchell

Caroline originates from Ireland and now lives with her family in a pretty village on the coast of Essex. A former police detective, Caroline has worked in CID and specialised in roles dealing with vulnerable victims, high-risk victims of domestic abuse, and serious sexual offences. She now writes full time.
Set in Shoreditch, London, her DS Ruby Preston trilogy is described as terrifying, addictive serial killer thrillers.
Caroline also writes psychological thrillers. The most recent, Silent Victim, has been described as ‘brilliantly gripping and deliciously creepy’. Her new DI Amy Winter series is published by Thomas & Mercer and launches 2018.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube

#BookReview A Steep Price by Robert Dugoni @robertdugoni @midaspr

categories: 9/10, Book Review, Mystery/Thriller, Police Procedural
#BookReview A Steep Price by Robert Dugoni @robertdugoni @midaspr Title: A Steep Price

Author: Robert Dugoni

Series: Tracy Crosswhite #6

Published by: Thomas & Mercer on Jun. 26, 2018

Genres: Mystery/Thriller, Police Procedural

Pages: 380

Format: Paperback, ARC

Source: Midas PR

Book Rating: 9/10

New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni’s thrilling series continues as Seattle homicide detective Tracy Crosswhite is plunged into a case of family secrets and murder…

Called in to consult after a young woman disappears, Tracy Crosswhite has the uneasy feeling that this is no ordinary missing-persons case. When the body turns up in an abandoned well, Tracy’s suspicions are confirmed. Estranged from her family, the victim had balked at an arranged marriage and had planned to attend graduate school. But someone cut her dreams short.

Solving the mystery behind the murder isn’t Tracy’s only challenge. The detective is keeping a secret of her own: she’s pregnant. And now her biggest fear seems to be coming true when a new detective arrives to replace her. Meanwhile, Tracy’s colleague Vic Fazzio is about to take a fall after his investigation into the murder of a local community activist turns violent and leaves an invaluable witness dead.

Two careers are on the line. And when more deadly secrets emerge, jobs might not be the only things at risk.

Review:

Solid, intense, and captivating!

In this latest novel by Dugoni, A Steep Price, we head back to Seattle where Tracy Crosswhite and her coworkers on the Seattle PD find themselves immersed in both the investigation of a murdered mother with some dangerous enemies and the disappearance of an Indian American, pre-med student whose moonlighting may or may not have gotten her killed.

The prose is descriptive and gritty. The characterization is spot on with all the usual gang back including the tough, determined Tracy Crosswhite whose greatest struggles involve her memories, secrets, and new pregnancy. And the engrossing plot is a tightly-paced, ominous tale full of twists, turns, surprises, violence, and murder.

Overall, A Steep Price is a highly entertaining, gripping, timely thriller that highlights Dugoni’s exceptional ability to write police procedurals that have well-drawn characters and authentic storylines. It is the sixth novel in the Tracy Crosswhite series, and if you’re not already reading this series, you really should be!

This novel is available now.

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

         

 

 

Thank you to Midas PR and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Robert Dugoni

Robert Dugoni is the No. 1 Kindle bestselling and No. 1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Tracy Crosswhite series, including My Sister’s Grave, Her Final Breath, In the Clearing, The Trapped Girl, and Close to Home. His books with Amazon Publishing have reached more than 3 million readers through print sales and digital downloads, and have twice been nominated for the International Thriller Award. He is also the author of the Edgar Award–nominated The 7th Canon; the New York Times bestselling David Sloane series, which includes The Jury Master, Wrongful Death, Bodily Harm, Murder One, and The Conviction; the stand-alone novel Damage Control; and the nonfiction exposé The Cyanide Canary, a Washington Post Best Book of the Year selection.

Dugoni is a two-time nominee for the Harper Lee Award for Legal Fiction and the recipient of the Nancy Pearl Award for fiction.

Website | Twitter | Facebook