Author: bookafterbook

Publication: 12th July 2018 – Trapeze Books

Want to know the truth about what life is like as a mum and step-mum with a chaotic patchwork family?

This book is everything I’ve been through that’s made me who I am, plus the lessons I’ve learned from many mistakes. I hope that it will make you laugh as well as give you strength to keep going when times get tough. After all, we are all in this together…
Rachaele, aka Part-Time Working Mummy

Hundreds of thousands of fans flock to the PTWM page online and now, in this book, Rachaele shares her behind-the-scenes experiences with single parenthood, unexpected pregnancy, domestic violence, relationships, bullying and much more – spreading kindness amidst the craziness along the way!

 

Welcome to my stop on the 12 Days of Christmas Blog Tour. Before taking part in the blog tour I had never heard of Rachaele Hambleton and her online page PTWM, but after reading the blurb I was really intrigued and I couldn’t wait to read it.

Even though the title includes the word “mummy”, this is not only the story of a mother and stepmother, it is also the story of a daughter, a sister, a friend, a wife. It’s the story of a woman. In recounting her story, Rachaele Hambleton is honest and relatable. We get an insight into the life of a woman whose life was far from easy since her childhood. From her parents’ divorce to dropping out of school, from a series of bad relationships to her pregnancies, from finally finding the love of her life to becoming a stepmother, the author doesn’t leave anything out. With a clear and fluid and writing style, Rachaele Hambleton shares the most important difficult, emotional, and happiest moments of her life.

Moving, entertaining, and honest, the book addresses themes that are current, common, and, unfortunately, too real, like domestic abuse, bullying, and post-partum depression. I found heart-breaking some of the experiences that the author shares in the book, both her personal experiences and the ones from other women. I shed a few tears to some of the stories I read.

PART-TIME WORKING MUMMY. A PATCHWORK LIFE is not only the memoir of a determined and hard-working woman, it is also a guide to women and mothers who found themselves in her same situation. She gives advice, she bravely shares her own experience, making the book more relatable and realistic. The book is engrossing and engaging. One moment, I found myself crying and, a few pages later, I would be laughing. I couldn’t put it down and I’d like to thank Tracy Fenton for inviting me to take part in it.

 

Publication: 28th November 2018 – Orion

Kate Potter used to love Christmas. A few years ago she would have been wrapping her presents in September and baking mince pies on Halloween, counting down to the countdown to Christmas. But a few years ago, everything was different. That was before Kate’s husband went away with the army and didn’t come home. Now she can hardly stand December at all.

Kate’s lonely. She doesn’t think she’s ready for romance, but she needs more than this, and her son Jack needs a Christmas to remember. What Kate needs is a Christmas miracle, and if there isn’t one on its way, she’ll just have to make her own.

So begins Kate’s advent countdown to the best Christmas ever.

She has it all planned out, but you can’t plan for the unexpected, and when the path of the loneliest woman in town crosses with that of the loneliest man, she just might find a way to save Christmas for all of them…

 

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for 25 DAYS ‘TIL CHRISTMAS. This is another Christmas novel that I really enjoyed this year (I have lost count of how many I have already read so far, and they are all really good!). 25 DAYS ‘TIL CHRISTMAS is romantic, heart-warming, and completely captivating. It is a story of love, friendship, and family with likable and entertaining characters and an evocative atmosphere.

Kate and Daniel don’t know each other but they meet every year during the Christmas period when he goes to buy a Christmas tree at the store she works. Daniel only knows Kate as the Christmas Tree Girl while Kate remembers Daniel as the man who arrives with a woman on a wheelchair. Only this year is alone. While Kate, a single mother to a six-year-old boy, is struggling with her job, problems at her son’s school, and making ends meet, Daniel is dealing with his loss and spending his first Christmas alone.

Kate is a strong and resourceful character. She is raising a child alone, she hates her job and her lascivious boss, she struggles financially, and she has to deal with problems at her son’s school. Nevertheless, she manages to make the Christmas period special both for Jack and for her by creating an advent calendar full of fun Christmassy activities to do everyday. Daniel is too good to be true. He is sweet and kind, he volunteers, and he’s always ready to help other people. His relationship with Kate sometimes borders to stalking, but in a cute and sweet way, and I really liked this character.

The author created a captivating and enjoyable novel with well-crafted characters. There is romance, there are emotional moments, there are funny and entertaining moments. There are Christmas trees, lights, decoration, snow, and even Christmas miracles. 25 DAYS ‘TIL CHRISTMAS is the right novel to read and get you in a good and festive mood and I’d like to thank Alex and Orion for providing me with an early copy of the book.

Publication: 6th December 2018

Do you believe in Christmas Miracles?

Holly is looking for a change and even though not everyone agrees with her career choices, she’s determined there’s more to this life than the long hours she works as an editor in New York City. What she doesn’t expect is to meet Mitch, a recluse who’s hiding more than she realises.

Mitch does all he can to avoid human contact, spending his days in the little log cabin out in the woods behind Inglenook Falls where he owns a Christmas tree farm, so when Holly falls into his life, he’s not sure how to react. All he knows is that something needs to change if he ever wants to get his life back on track.

Along with friends Cleo and Darcy, Holly is determined to bring joy back to Mitch’s life, but will he appreciate their interference? And when a business proposition throws everything up in the air, will it do more harm than good and ruin lives forever?

Both Holly and Mitch must learn that on the surface people aren’t always what they seem…but if you dig a little deeper, they can take you by surprise.

Curl up this Christmas for plenty of snowflakes, roaring log fires, a marriage proposal, unlikely friendships and second chances as we return to the much-loved characters in the New York Ever After series.

 

I love Christmas. I love the decorations, the music, the snow, the food, and the festive feeling. And I love the Christmas novels that come out at this time of the year. I love their heartwarming and cosy atmosphere, the beautiful stories, and the evocative settings. And CHRISTMAS MIRACLES AT THE LITTLE LOG CABIN meets all these requirements, starting from the setting. The author chose two beautiful locations for this novel. One of them is Manhattan that I think it’s one of these places that turns magical during the Christmas period. The other is Inglenook Falls, a small town outside of New York, that with its Christmas markets, snow, isolated cabins, and general good feeling gives a real atmospheric tone to the novel.

The protagonists are engaging, realistic, and very likable. Holly is a journalist who left her well-paid job at a magazine to go freelance and become her own boss. Her first assignment is to cover a new luxury hotel at Inglenook Falls and it’s here that one day she stumbles upon Mitch’s remote cabin. Following a bad few years, Mitch has isolated himself from the rest of the world and spends his time in the woods surrounding his cabin where he occasionally sells beautiful Christmas trees. Holly and Mitch couldn’t be more different: where she is cheerful, friendly, and outgoing, he is reclusive, ill-tempered, and stubborn. But their meetings were entertaining and they were the part of the story I mostly looked forward to reading.

The plot is romantic, engrossing, funny, and overall Christmassy and it made me wish I was reading it in front of a fireplace while sipping hot chocolate.

This is the fourth book in the New York Ever After series and I am sorry to say I haven’t read the first three books, yet, but I am definitely going to do it soon. If, like me, you’ve just found out about this fabulous series, you won’t have any problem following the story and the characters in CHRISTMAS MIRACLES AT THE LITTLE LOG CABIN, as the novel can be read also as a stand-alone. I’d like to thank Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to take part in the blog tour and for introducing me to this faboulous series.

Helen J Rolfe writes contemporary women’s fiction and enjoys weaving stories about family, friendship, secrets, and community. Characters often face challenges and must fight to overcome them, but above all, Helen’s stories always have a happy ending.

Location is a big part of the adventure in Helen’s books and she enjoys setting stories in different cities and countries around the world. So far, locations have included Melbourne, Sydney, New York, Connecticut, Bath and the Cotswolds.

Social Media Links 

https://www.facebook.com/helenjrolfewriter

https://twitter.com/HJRolfe

www.helenjrolfe.com

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/helen-j-rolfe

Purchase Link

Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Christmas-Miracles-Little-Cabin-After-ebook/dp/B07HJ78RWY

Amazon US – https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Miracles-Little-Cabin-After-ebook/dp/B07HJ78RWY

Publication: 3rd December 2018 – Bloodhound Books

A fragile woman. An unwelcome intruder. A house full of secrets.

Faye and her husband Hugh have had a traumatic year. Wanting to start again, the couple decide to buy a large rundown property, Cross House in a village in North Yorkshire, hoping to leave the past behind them.

However, the tranquillity is soon ruined when Faye begins to awake, every night, to the sound of somebody creeping around the bedroom. She tries to explain it to Hugh, frightened for the safety of their children Aiden and Poppy, but Hugh dismisses her claims, thinking she is heading for another breakdown.

But when Faye discovers some diaries that contain secrets about the family that lived in the house before them, she starts to wonder if the intruder might be closer to home than she first thought.

Obsessed with finding answers, Faye is determined to learn about the Wentworth family, a fractured family with a tragic past.

And when she discovers that Hilary Wentworth fell to her death down the stairs in Cross House, Faye realises she is in mortal danger…

 

After a very stressful year, Faye and her husband Hugh move to a new house with their two young children. Hoping to leave their past behind, Faye and Hugh are looking forward to starting a new life in Cross House, a big house in North Yorkshire in need of renovations. However, Faye’s hopes wane when her sleeps are interrupted by the presence of someone intruding in her bedroom in the middle of the night. She can see him, but she can feel his presence and her nights are spent awake trying to protect her children from whoever this intruder is. Her life gets even more complicated when she finds the journals of the previous owner. A former journalist, Faye’s curiosity is piqued by what she finds in them and she decides to do some investigation on the family who used to live in her new home.

THE UNINVITED is a bit of a mystery novel, a bit of family drama, a bit of a ghost story. There is a possible haunted house, a presence that nobody can see, and a past full of secrets and lies. As I read the story, there was always this creepy feeling that something bad was about to happen and that gives the novel a suspenseful and chilling feeling. The author created a perfect protagonist for this story. A breakdown and a year full of worry and strain make Faye an unreliable narrator. Everything makes her nervous, her husband doesn’t seem to believe there is someone lurking in the house, so I didn’t know whether to believe her or not, which makes the novel full of twists and surprises. Especially, I loved the ending which was completely unexpected and perfect to complete the novel.

THE UNINVITED is a thrilling and immersive novel and I’d like to thank Emma Welton and Bloodhound Books for inviting me to take part in the blog tour of this gripping novel.

J.A.BAKER was born and brought up in North East England and has had a love of language for as long as she can remember.

She has a love of local history and genealogy and enjoys reading many genres of books but is an addict of psychological thrillers.

In December 2016 she was signed by Bloodhound Books who published Undercurrent.
Her second novel, Her Dark Retreat was published in October 2017 and The Other Mother was published in December 2017. Her fourth novel, Finding Eva was published in August 2018

J.A. Baker has four grown up children and one grandchild. She lives in a village near the river with her husband and madcap dog and when not working part time in a primary school, she spends her days trying to think up new and inventive ways of murdering people.

She can be reached on any of the links below and loves hearing from readers.

www.twitter.com/thewriterjude

www.facebook.com/thewriterjude

www.jabakerauthor.com

Publication: 15th November 2018 – Harvill Secker

An addictively suspenseful new novel set in the glamorous world of the New York Hamptons, about secrets that refuse to remain buried and consequences that cannot be escaped.

After a whirlwind romance, a young woman returns to the opulent, secluded mansion of her new fiancé Max Winter – a wealthy senator and recent widower – and a life of luxury she’s never known. But all is not as it appears at the Asherley estate. The house is steeped in the memory of Max’s beautiful first wife Rebekah, who haunts the young woman’s imagination and feeds her uncertainties, while his very alive teenage daughter Dani makes her life a living hell. 

As the soon-to-be second Mrs. Winter grows more in love with Max, and more afraid of Dani, she is drawn deeper into the family’s dark secrets – the kind of secrets that could kill her, too. 

Inspired by the classic novel Rebecca, The Winters is a riveting story about what happens when a family’s ghosts resurface and threaten to upend everything.

 

THE WINTERS is a story of family secrets, lies, and love. It is dark, suspenseful, and full of surprises and I’d like to thank Sophie and Vintage Books  for providing me with a proof.

The protagonist of the novel is a young woman. We never know her name, but we know she is twenty-six years old, she lives in the Cayman Islands where she doesn’t have any family or friends. She has a job she hates and a boss who she doesn’t like. She doesn’t have any ambition or hope for the future until she meets Max Winters. He is a US senator, he is charming, handsome and he sweeps her off her feet. After a whirlwind romance she accepts his proposal and leaves the hot weather of the Caymans to move to the cold winter of Long Island where Max has a beautiful mansion, Asherley. Her dream of a happy family is quickly shattered when she meets Dani, Max fifteen-year-old daughter, who seems to be set to make her life miserable. Not only the unnamed protagonist has to deal with a moody and spoiled teenager but she also has to face the memory of Rebekah, Max’s first wife who died in an accident two years earlier.

The author created well-crafted characters that develop greatly throughout the novel and that kept me immersed in the story. I liked the protagonist of the novel. She is haunted by the memory of Rebekah, her beauty, her confidence, especially since everybody around her doesn’t miss the chance to bring her name up, so the protagonist feels insecure about her relationship with Max and her role in Dani’s life. However, even though sometimes I found her a bit naïve, she is a survivor and determined. I also liked the character of Dani who, even when she was mean and acted like a spoiled brat, I found fearless, strong, and very smart.

The novel is slow-paced, so at the beginning I had some difficulty getting into the story, but the more I read the more I was absorbed in the dark and twisty plot, the atmospheric and haunting setting, and the tension that spills through the pages. If you are looking for a chilling, compulsive, and immersive story, then THE WINTERS is a must-read!

Publication: 6th November 2018 – Aria

I know everything about you

And you know everything about me… except

WHO I AM.

Andi met Camilla at university. Instantly best friends, they shared everything together. Until their long-planned graduation celebration ends in tragedy…

Years later, Andi is living a seemingly perfect life on the rugged Cornish Coast with her loving husband, happy children and dream home. Yet Andi is haunted by a secret she thought only she knew. Someone out there is bringing Andi’s deepest fears to life. And she knows there’s no escaping the past that has come back to haunt her…

You trusted me with your secrets, you told me everything, you thought I was your best friend… but you have no idea WHO I AM.

Gripping, unputdownable and packed with twists and turns from the first page to the very last, this stunning psychological thriller will make you question whether we can ever really trust the ones we love.

 

Edinburgh 1999

Andi

Glancing up from the noisy babble of our table, I see her gliding across the floor, a rabbit caught in headlamps, observing the surroundings with a look of utter wonder. Perhaps this isn’t her usual setting; I stand, waving to catch her attention. But why is she alone? This isn’t the kind of place you come, alone. Such an unbelievable coincidence to see her here, we only met for the first time yesterday, purely by chance, her caught up in a personal dilemma. I felt so sorry for her, all in a flap, she was unnecessarily apologetic about the whole affair. Something almost fragile and vulnerable about her. Pulling heavy baggage behind each unsure step, not dissimilar to how she appears now.

She hasn’t noticed me in the crowd, so I stand, stretching myself as tall as I can, beside the table. It’s so rowdy in here and with the dimmed lighting, although she’s looking directly at me, she still hasn’t seen me. At the very least, I’d like to ask her how she’s managing with her horrible predicament. Even if she only sits with us while she waits for whoever it is she’s arranged to meet. Finally, she sees me, her face lights up smiling, a definite cautiousness behind those eyes though. I step forward to greet her as she makes her way through the bar clingers, looking stunning. As I lean in to kiss her cheek, I’m submerged in a warm aroma of winterberries and florals but she discreetly braces herself, maybe she has strong personal boundaries. Subtly pulling back, she folds her arms across her stomach, gently, I tap them. ‘Oh my God, amazing, such a small world, fancy seeing you again so soon.’

Hesitant nude lips smile back, ‘I know,’ she says, ‘couldn’t believe it either when I saw you waving from over here. What a surprise,’ her eyes flit from me to my friends, chatting at the table, to the floor, then back to me.

Taking her hand, I guide her closer to the table. ‘Sorry, let me introduce you. This is – Jo and Clara, Anna, Meg, Sally and Tam,’ I point to my friends individually. ‘Girls, this is Camilla.’ Lots of hi’s and smiley faces fly across the table. ‘Can you join us,’ I ask her, ‘or have you plans, meeting someone?’

Camilla regards the worn tan leather watch on her slender wrist. ‘Well, I thought I was… meeting someone, but she should have been here by now.’ A slight frown flashes across her perfectly shaped eyebrows, ‘unless I’ve the wrong night,’ she shrugs. She leans closer into me, away from table earshot, ‘what with everything going on, my head isn’t in the best place at the moment, so it wouldn’t surprise me if I’ve got it all wrong.’ She shrugs. ‘No worries, I’ll leave, I really don’t want to intrude on your night. It’s my own silly fault. No big deal.’

I shake my head, smiling, wandering over to a nearby table to steal a lone chair, she steps back as I slide it in next to where I was sitting. ‘Don’t be silly, you’re very welcome to join us, isn’t she, girls,’ they all nod, Clara less enthusiastically but that’s Clara, always wary of change, and especially people, adds. ‘Have you tried calling your friend? Just in case she’s actually here somewhere, it’s so manic, you could easily miss each other.’

Camilla nods. ‘Hmm, switches straight to voicemail. It’s not like her to be late, it’s usually me who’s late everywhere.’

I lower myself on to the gold dust chair before attempts are made to reclaim it, gesturing for Camilla to join us. ‘Come on, join us, you’re far too dressed up to leave now. We’re off for Tapas later too.’ I pull myself up wondering if I’m being insensitive, finances are clearly a real struggle for her at the moment, ‘but don’t feel obliged if you’ve eaten already. Or, you’re really welcome to share mine, I always order too much anyhow. Eyes being far too big for my tummy.’

‘Thanks,’ she says, ‘I must admit, I’d feel a wee bit miserable leaving so soon. Especially with…’ she slides herself between Clara and me, ‘well, you’ve saved my face, again. It’s becoming a bit of a habit.’

A few casual hours pass by, chatting whilst making our way through the cocktail list, deciding to worry about the outlay tomorrow, sober. It’s Christmas, I’ll be leaving soon for the holidays. Then, as is the norm, we’ll all disperse across the country, me wandering the furthest away, to our holiday home in Fowey, Cornwall. We always assemble there for Christmas, Mummy, Daddy and my older brother, Leo. He’s married now, this last summer he tied the nuptial knot in a gargantuan marquee on our back lawn rolling down towards the estuary. A beautiful day, music, courtesy of a harmonious steel band, complimented by a Caribbean themed barbecue throughout daylight. Then, in the evening, more food, a pop up cocktail bar with Tom Cruise effect servers and shakers and a DJ mixing orchestral tones with dance and modern classics.

No less than two hundred guests united for the celebrations. I was chief bridesmaid clad in taupe silk, finding it all a little overbearing, so lavish and completely gratuitous. In a way I now understand as being stifling. All the extra wrappings and trimmings that come with heaps of expectations, and obligatory smothering traditions. Suffocating me, even embarrassing me at times. Edinburgh has been a breath of fresh air. Leo has flown the nest with his wife to live in Miami, leaving me to take the brunt of it all. He was headhunted for his financial expertise and now leads a head office for a giant media organisation. We frequently email each other, him practically begging me to visit. So many opportunities out here, squirt, he tells me, you’d love the life over here, he urges. But Miami? Seriously? No, I don’t think so. I’ve my own dreams, more about spontaneity and liberal living.

I glance at Camilla, who’s relaxing into her new environment now, delicately supping at cocktails, intermittently apologising profusely for not being able to pay for them. I’m pretty sure she must have noticed Clara eyeballing her, talking over her, contradicting her. As if she wasn’t already feeling bad enough for not having her plastic cards with her. I told her we’ve all done it. She looked horrified when Clara returned to the table with the cocktail menu. My heart sank with her.

‘So, where are we? What’s next on the list?’ Clara shoved the menu over to Camilla and me, Camilla’s eyes darted over the list, the double figure prices, reaching for her delicate clutch bag.

‘That’s such a pretty bag,’ I’d cooed.

‘Hmm,’ she frowned, ‘except. Oh never mind, you know what, I reckon I’ll stick to water. But you all carry on, please.’

‘Don’t be silly,’ I insisted, we’d been so tactless, the cocktails started from ten pounds each, hardly student territory. ‘I’m quite happy to share a bottle of wine with you instead, a house bottle of wine, nothing fancy.’

She tucked dark hair behind her ears. ‘No, the thing is, I’m such an idiot,’ she bit her bottom lip, ‘I’ve left my cards and cash behind, haven’t I. Thought I was meeting my friend,’ she shook her head, ‘well, it’s irrelevant now, but we take turns each time we meet, to pay, tonight was supposed to be her treat.’

I clasped her hand. ‘Sure, no problem, in that case, tonight is my treat.’

‘No, really I couldn’t,’ she attempted, the beginnings of a blush appearing.

‘Yes, you could, it’s Christmas and I’d really like you to stay on. I’ll be leaving tomorrow.’

A worried expression shot across her face. ‘Oh? What leaving Uni? For good?’

Sarah Simpson has a first-class honours degree in Psychology and has experienced working at a Brain Rehabilitation Hospital. She has spent time as a family consultant for Warwickshire and Oxfordshire solicitors and gained knowledge of the Family Court System. She now lives in Cornwall with her husband, three children and animals.

 

Follow Sarah

Twitter handle: @sarahrsimpson

Facebook: @sarahsimpsoncornwall

Buy links

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2EqTY99
iBooks: https://apple.co/2CoIQqQ

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2NLVJx9
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2QVLBDM

Follow Aria

Website: www.ariafiction.com

Twitter: @aria_fiction

Facebook: @ariafiction

Instagram: @ariafiction

 

 

Publication: 1st November 2018 – HQ

The McBride sisters all have different reasons for finding Christmas challenging, but their adoptive mother is determined this year will be different. As the countdown to Christmas Day begins and the sisters return to their childhood home in the Scottish Highlands, arguments, connections and secrets start bubbling to the surface. The McBride family was made, not born – but will the sisters be able to make this the magical family Christmas their mother has always dreamed of?

 

Nothing gives me a Christmas feeling like a novel by Sarah Morgan. It doesn’t matter if I am reading it in September during a heat wave, which I did. I got right into a Christmas mood, especially when the author gives  detailed descriptions of the Scottish setting with its mountains covered in snow, an idyllic small town, decorated Christmas trees, presents, and mugs of hot chocolate everywhere.

The protagonists of this festive and captivating novel are four women, the McBride women. Three sisters who couldn’t be more different. Beth is a stay-at-home mom, loving and overprotective of her two daughters, but she wants to go back to work. Hannah is a successful business woman, but she never has time for her family and she doesn’t do relationships. Posy is the only one of the three sisters who stayed at home and she is supposed to take over the family business, but she dreams of travelling around the world, climbing up mountains. And then there is their mother, Suzanne. She loves her family. She just wants her daughters to be happy and she is excited at the idea of having all three of them over for Christmas. Spending time together during the Christmas holidays will give these women the chance to confront the past and face their secrets, their fears, and their guilt.

Every time I read a new novel by Sarah Morgan, I find myself completely absorbed in the plot and the characters. She is really good at writing not only about the relationship between a man and a woman, but also the relationship between sisters and between mother and daughter. Her effortless and clear writing flows page after pages and her relatable and engaging characters keep you glued to the pages.

THE CHRISTMAS SISTERS is the perfect read to get you in a festive mood. If you need more persuasion, the cover of the book is beautiful and shiny and the story features adorable ponies and rescue dogs. I’d like to thank HQ and  Izzy for providing me with an early copy of this charming and refreshing novel.

I first read THE HOUSE SWAP, the debut thriller by Rebecca Fleet, back in April, before it was published in hardback, and I loved it. On 29th November, this gripping and captivating novel is published in paperback, so it’s my absolute pleasure to share again my review of this twisty story that kept me completely glued to the page.

‘No one lives this way unless they want to something.’

 

I was drawn to this novel after reading online the positive reactions from early readers and the intriguing blurb. My expectations were fully met because I was hooked from the first page. The novel is set in 2013 and 2015 and it’s told from three different points of view: mostly Caroline, her husband Francis, and the unknown character that is staying in their house for a week.

Francis and Caroline have been together for fifteen years, married for eight, and they have a young son, Eddie. For the last few years their lives have been hard. Francis has been fighting (with no much conviction) an addiction to pills, so Caroline found comfort in the arms of her colleague Carl, eight years her junior. The affair ended “horribly”, according to her, and Francis stopped taking pills and, two years later, they are still trying to save their marriage, although it seems mostly for their son’s sake. This house swap is their chance to reconnect and to spend more time together without being too expensive, but things are strange from the beginning because the house seems unlived and cold. There aren’t many personal effect of the person who lives there, the person who is now staying in their house. But when Caroline starts to notice a few things that remind her of Carl and their affair, she starts to suspect that this holiday has been planned from someone else who is not her, someone who is now in her house. Is it Carl? If so, why is he contacting her after two years of silence? And what does he want?

The author masterly leads the reader through Caroline’s affair with Carl, her conflicting feelings both towards him and her husband, and her confusion and shock as she starts to figure out that there is something strange going on. I couldn’t put down the book as I wanted to read what really happened that made her affair with Carl end in a horrible way, what she is hiding, and I couldn’t wait to find out who is really the person staying in her house. I was also suspicious of Amber, the girl living next to their holiday house. She was always calling Caroline and knocking on her door and I kept asking myself: why is she so friendly? I was taken by surprise when the truth was revealed.

The novel is slow-paced and character-driven. It’s also a quick read, both because I couldn’t stop reading it but also because the narration flows easily and flawlessly. THE HOUSE SWAP is carefully plotted, brilliantly written, haunting, and immersive.

 

Rebecca Fleet lives and works in London. The House Swap is her first thriller.

 

Publication: 8th November 2018 – Amazon Publishing

She’s chasing a killer. He’s watching her every move.

He hides in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment. Each kill is calculated, planned and executed like clockwork.

Struggling to balance her personal and professional life, young DS Becca Vincent has landed the biggest case of her career—and she knows that it will make or break her. But she can’t catch the culprit alone. Together with facial recognition expert Joe Russell, she strives to get a lead on the elusive murderer, who is always one step ahead of them.

Time is not on their side. The body count is rising, and the attacks are striking closer and closer to home. Can Becca and Joe uncover the connection between the murders before the killer strikes the last name from his list?

My first thought, after I finished reading this novel, was “WOW!”. That was a rollercoaster of a read. It’s so full of twists, some more shocking and surprising than others, that, at some point, I simply lost count. I never knew what to expect next.

There are three protagonists and three different points of views. One is DS Becca Vincent. She is a young officer at the MET. She is very ambitious, brave, determined, and feisty. She is a single mother with a complicated situation at home and, often, we see her struggle, as she tries to juggle both her personal and professional life, as her desire to prove herself in her job competes with the guilt she feels over not spending too much time with her family. At the beginning of the novel, I found the character of Becca a bit self-centered and selfish, but then she develops well as the story progresses and she becomes more likable and engaging.

Then, there is Joe Russell. Like Becca, he works for the MET, but not as an officer, but as a “super recognizer”. Thanks to his photographic memory, Joe is able to memorize every little detail in people’s faces and he remembers them even after months and years. The MET uses his ability to find murderers and terrorists and Becca asks for his help in finding the killer in the case she is working on. I love Becca and Joe’s relationship. They both are struggling with demons from their pasts and they both love the work they do. I enjoyed reading how their relationship quickly develops and their witty exchanges made me laugh. Joe is gentle, smart, and a bit nerdy and he is my favourite character in the novel.

The third protagonist of the story is the killer. Even though the story is narrated in third person, we, the readers, are right inside his twisted mind. We don’t know his identity until almost the end. We know that he is on a mission. He has a list of six people to kill, he reveals so himself, but we don’t know who these people are and why they are on his list until after they are murdered, some in a very gruesome and violent way.

HER LAST MOVE is a dark and disturbing novel that shows, once again, that John Marrs is a great storyteller. Thanks to his brilliant writing style the tension is always high, the atmosphere is claustrophobic, and the characters are vividly drawn. I was completely glued to the pages of HER LAST MOVE, from the first to the very last shocking word.

I’d like to thank Emma Welton for inviting me to take part in the blog tour of this riveting, thrilling, and immersive novel.

 

John Marrs is the author of #1 bestsellers The One (soon to be made into a film with Urban Myth Films), The Good Samaritan (shortlisted for the Dead Good Reader Awards 2018), When You Disappeared, and Welcome to Wherever You Are. After working as a journalist for 25-years interviewing celebrities from the world of television, film and music for national newspapers and magazines, he is now a full-time writer.

Her Last Move is dedicated to John’s late father, Charlie, who was a police officer for 25 years.

Follow him on Twitter @johnmarrs1 Facebook: @johnmarrsauthor Instagram: @johnmarrs.author  website: johnmarrsauthor.co.uk

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

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Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/John-Marrs/e/B00F1CRG9U/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Purchase Links:

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Her-Last-Move-John-Marrs-ebook/dp/B07CGXQH2Q/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Her-Last-Move-John-Marrs-ebook/dp/B07CGXQH2Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1538908767&sr=8-1&keywords=her+last+move+john+marrs

Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/her-last-move/john-marrs/9781503948020

BookDepository: https://www.bookdepository.com/Her-Last-Move-John-Marrs/9781503948020?ref=grid-view&qid=1538908851944&sr=1-1

Publication: 29th August 2018

A young drifter is in deep trouble, his sister is his only hope…

Lucy’s younger brother has gone missing. When she sets out to find him, the trail takes her to Night Town. It’s a rural backwater deep in the forests of south western Australia.

Lucy tries to enlist the help of the local police, but she is met with hostility. She befriends a man who might help her cause. Yet he is not quite who he says he is.

As the locals begin to resent her presence in the town, danger quickly mounts. The town has secrets and they seem to centre on the enigmatic Samuel Nightmesser, its wealthy benefactor.

What connects her missing brother to this grim boondock? And why do the townsfolk want rid of Lucy?

As the story unfolds we are immersed in a creepy, claustrophobic drama in which everything is at stake. If you like books with a strong female lead that keep you on the edge of your seat, you’ve found your next favourite read.

 

I read SMALL TOWN NIGHTMARE in one evening, not only because the novel is not that long, but especially because I was completely engrossed. The author’s clear and flowing writing style kept me glued to the pages and I loved the well-crafted plot and the engaging characters.

Lucy is a journalist and she is looking for her brother Tim. Tim is a drifter, moving from place to place, but he would have never missed Lucy’s birthday a few days earlier, so when the police is no help, Lucy jumps into her car and drives to the last place he was seen, Night Town, a rural community in South Western Australia. As the local people seem to be hiding something, Lucy turns to Damon for help in finding Tim. Damon claims to be a drifter as well, but he seems to know much more than he is letting on.

I liked the character of Lucy. She lost her parents when she was young so she’s always been overprotective of her brother. She is brave and strong and determined. As a journalist, she is not afraid to investigate and ask questions to find him, even when the situation turns dangerous.

The novel is fast-paced and the tension is always high through the pages because, like Lucy, you feel from the beginning that there is something strange going on in Night Town. The creepy small town atmosphere that never leaves the pages is perfect to give the novel a spooky horror-movie feeling that kept me on edge the entire novel. The novel is twisty, engrossing, and compelling and I was really drawn to the author’s captivating writing. With a claustrophobic setting, a strong female protagonist, and an unpredictable plot, SMALL TOWN NIGHTMARE is a thriller I highly recommend and I’d like to thank Emma Welton for inviting me to take part in the blog tour.

Anna Willett is the author of Backwoods Ripper, Retribution Ridge, Forgotten Crimes, Cruelty’s Daughter and the best-selling thriller, Unwelcome Guests. Her new release, Small Town Nightmare is available on Amazon. Raised in Western Australia Anna developed a love for fiction at an early age and began writing short stories in high school. Drawn to dark tales, Anna relishes writing thrillers with strong female characters. When she’s not writing, Anna enjoys reading, travelling and spending time with her husband, two children and their dogs.

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Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Anna-Willett/e/B01HU1SG3E/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1542140218&sr=8-1

Purchase Links:

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/SMALL-TOWN-NIGHTMARE-gripping-thriller-ebook/dp/B07GVNGNW9/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

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BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/anna-willett