Book After Book

Publication: 1st July 2019 – Panther Publishing

Two victims. Brutally murdered in their own home. Body parts taken.

D.I. Graves is back on the case to face his toughest challenge yet. A case with no motive and no suspect, nothing at all that could explain why someone would kill innocent people in such a way.

Then the next victims are discovered. Another pair of bodies. New body parts taken. Again in their own home.

Someone is breaking into houses across the city at night, leaving horror in their wake. It seems to Graves that this could be two serial killers, working together. But how are they choosing their victims? Is any house in London a target? Is anyone safe?

To make matters worse, a journalist is threatening to cause more harm than good with her obsessive push in covering the story to further her career, and someone is targeting Graves personally, seeking revenge against him in relation to an old case.

Can Graves keep himself safe long enough to stop the serial killers before they strike again?

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Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for From Inside The House, the latest twisty novel by W.D. Jackson-Smart. A huge thank you to Emma for inviting me to join the blog tour and to Panther Publishing for providing me with a copy of the novel.

Our houses are supposed to be a safe place where we can relax and we should feel secure. However, someone is somehow getting inside people’s houses in London and brutally murdering its residents. D. I. Daniel Graves and his partner Charlie work hard to find the killer before he murders someone else, but it’s not easy when the murderer leaves no traces and it doesn’t seem there is a connection between the victims. In the meantime, Kelly is a journalist who is ready to do anything to have her articles on the front page, even if it means to risk her own life.

From Inside The House is the second novel featuring D.I Daniel Graves and, even though it is easy to read it as a stand-alone if you haven’t read the first novel, I recommend you do read The Demons Beneath as some of the storyline follows what happened in that first book. D.I. Daniel Graves is still facing the demons from his past and a killer who is haunting him. I loved reading about his relationship with his partner Charlie. Even though they have been working together just for a few months, they are like old friends and I enjoyed their banter. Let me tell you that the murders are very gruesome and detailed so this novel is not for everyone. The plot is dark, claustrophobic, and chilling and the suspense will keep you on the edge of your seat. The characters are multi-layered and complex and the story ends with a cliff-hanger that leaves you holding your breath and eager to see what happens next.

Follow the rest of the blog tour

 

WD Jackson-Smart, 35, is a London-based horror and crime fiction author who has been writing crime and horror fiction since 2011. His novel Red Light was self published on Amazon and charted in the top twenty best selling Suspense / Thriller Kindle books on release.

His horror short story, What’s Yours Is Mine, was shortlisted for the Horror For Good anthology.

His first crime thriller Slasher, about a serial killer targeting slasher movie actresses in Hollywood, is out now, and he has launched a brand new crime series set in London and starring D.I. Graves. The Demons Beneath is the first in the series, and the sequel From Inside The House was published on July 1st 2019.

As well as his passion for horror and crime thrillers in all forms, WD Jackson-Smart also loves art and design, having studied Fine Art and Art History in Leeds and Toronto and working as a graphic designer for the majority of his career.

Social Media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wdejackson

Website: https://www.wdjacksonauthor.co.uk/

Purchase Links:

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inside-House-Thriller-British-Hardboiled-ebook/dp/B07QFBGJ9R/ref=sr_1_2?qid=1571859152&refinements=p_27%3AWD+Jackson-Smart&s=digital-text&sr=1-2&text=WD+Jackson-Smart

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Inside-House-Thriller-British-Hardboiled-ebook/dp/B07QFBGJ9R/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=from+inside+the+house+wd+jackson-smart&qid=1571859372&sr=8-1

Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/from-inside-the-house/w-d-jackson-smart/9781527243378

Foyles: https://www.foyles.co.uk/witem/fiction-poetry/from-inside-the-house-a-di-graves-har,wd-jacksonsmart-9781527243378

Publication: 12th September 2019 (eBook); 7th November 2019 (hardcover) – Hodder & Stoughton

From the Sunday Times-bestselling author of The Memory Book, Rowan Coleman, comes a special new series featuring the Brontë sisters, written under the name Bella Ellis

Yorkshire, 1845

A young woman has gone missing from her home, Chester Grange, leaving no trace, save a large pool of blood in her bedroom and a slew of dark rumours about her marriage. A few miles away across the moors, the daughters of a humble parson, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Brontë are horrified, yet intrigued.

Desperate to find out more, the sisters visit Chester Grange, where they notice several unsettling details about the crime scene: not least the absence of an investigation. Together, the young women realise that their resourcefulness, energy and boundless imaginations could help solve the mystery – and that if they don’t attempt to find out what happened to Elizabeth Chester, no one else will.

The path to the truth is not an easy one, especially in a society which believes a woman’s place to be in the home, not wandering the countryside looking for clues. But nothing will stop the sisters from discovering what happened to the vanished bride, even as they find their own lives are in great peril…

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A crime to solve and my favourite writers turning detectives? Count me in! When I heard that The Vanished Bride, written by Bella Ellis (a brilliant pseudonym for author Rowan Coleman) featured Anne, Emily, and Charlotte Brontë together with their brother Branwell investigating a gruesome crime I knew I had to read it and I couldn’t put it down.

It’s the year 1845, and it’s the first time that all Brontë siblings are together at Haworth. Following the Robinson scandal, Branwell and Anne had to resign their posts and move back home, while Charlotte is back from Belgium and away from her feelings for Monsieur Heger. They still haven’t published their novels under the pseudonyms of Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell, when they become involved in a mysterious case.  Their school friend Mattie is a governess at Chester Grange. Following the suspicious death of his wife Imogen, Robert Chester remarried, but now his second wife, Elizabeth, has disappeared and in her room is found a worrying quantity of blood. Is she still alive? Curious and determined to find out the truth, the Brontë sisters start investigating even if it means putting their own lives at risk…

I am a huge fan of the Brontë’s novels. I have read all Anne, Charlotte and Emily’s novels and it was fun to see the famous novelists turn into detectives to solve a dark and creepy mystery. I loved how the author mixed well-researched real life events with fiction: Charlotte’s feelings for her professor, Branwell’s love for a married woman and his downfall, Anne’s resentment at being forced to leave her post as a governess following her brother’s scandal blend well with the mystery of the story. Emily is described as curious and impulsive, while Charlotte is more cautious and a leader of the family. Within Anne’s chest beats “the heart of a fierce warrior” and Branwell is fun and witty, although, following the scandal of his affair with Mrs. Robinson, he spends his nights drinking and gambling and his sisters are worried about him.

The plot is gripping, suspenseful and gothic and there are a few twists that will take you by surprise. Although, The Vanished Bride is mostly a mystery novel, the author perfectly manages to insert social themes in the story. Through the female characters in the novel, the author captures the frustration of the women who don’t have any status in society and are expected to obey their husbands or their father, to have no education or job.

I loved the surprising and well-executed ending, the bleak atmosphere and the slow pace of the story and now I am looking forward to read the next book in the series!

A huge thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few weeks ago I took part in the blog tour for The Christmas Calendar Girls, the latest novel by Samantha Tonge. I really enjoyed reading about this group of women coming together to save the local food bank and TODAY this entertaining and festive novel is at only 99p in eBook! So don’t miss the chance to read an uplifting and amazing novel that will make you look forward to the Christmas season.

This Christmas fall in love with the town of Chesterwood…

Christmas is meant to be a time of giving, so with Chesterwood food bank under risk of closure Fern knows just what to do to save it. She’s going to get the town to create a living advent calendar.

Fern, and her best friends, call for help from the local community to bring this calendar to life. When Kit, the new man in town, offers his assistance Fern’s heart can’t help but skip a beat (or two).

As they grow ever closer, Fern must admit that Kit’s breaking down the barriers she built after the death of her husband. But his past is holding him back and Fern doesn’t know how to reach him. No matter how hard she tries.

In this town, Kit’s not the only one with secrets. Domestic goddess Cara is behaving oddly, burning meals in the oven and clothes whilst ironing, and Davina’s perfect children are causing trouble at school leaving her son, Jasper, desperately unhappy.

Can the Christmas Calendar Girls find a way to bring the community together in time to save the food bank, while still supporting their families and each other? Can Fern find love again with Kit?

This is a story about kindness and letting go of the past. It’s about looking out for your neighbours and about making every day feel like Christmas.

Heart-warming, cosy and charming, get The Christmas Calendar Girls for just 99p for a limited period!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2YAAmUI

Google Play: https://bit.ly/2YBNoBH

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2SUjoPS

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

In case you need more convincing to read this fantastic novel, here is my review of The Christmas Calendar Girls:

The protagonist of the novel is Fern. A freelance journalist with a young daughter, she moved to Chesterwood three years earlier after the premature death of her husband. Although part of her is still grieving, she thinks it is time to move on, especially as her friendship with Kit seems to become something more. However, Fern has other things to worry about besides her love life. The local food bank is about to be closed because the rent is too high. To try and save the place that is so important for many people around the area, Fern organize a living calendar event around town to raise money. Also, she is worried about her two best friends. Perfect wife and mother Cara who has always everything under control has become very forgetful and distracted while Davina is worried about her children’s strange behaviour. Will Fern be able to make it to Christmas without much drama? (Don’t count on it!)

October is the month of Christmas reads and I lost count of how many Christmas books I have read so far, but I enjoyed each one of them including The Christmas Calendar Girls. The author created a protagonist that feels authentic and relatable from the very beginning. You can feel her pain as she remembers her husband, but you also cheer her on as she tries to build a new life without him. She is compassionate and caring, working hard to help the homeless of the village. She is always ready to help others and, in the meantime, she has a job to do and a daughter to raise.

I loved the community feeling and the Christmas atmosphere that together make a fantastic Christmas novel. An enjoyable and uplifting novel about friendship, family, love, loss, and new beginnings, The Christmas Calendar Girls is one not to miss this Christmas season!

Samantha Tonge lives in Manchester UK with her husband and children. She studied German and French at university and has worked abroad, including a stint at Disneyland Paris. She has travelled widely.
When not writing she passes her days cycling, baking and drinking coffee. Samantha has sold many dozens of short stories to women’s magazines.
She is represented by the Darley Anderson literary agency. In 2013, she landed a publishing deal for romantic comedy fiction with HQDigital at HarperCollins and in 2014, her bestselling debut, Doubting Abbey, was shortlisted for the Festival of Romantic Fiction best Ebook award. In 2015 her summer novel, Game of Scones, hit #5 in the UK Kindle chart and won the Love Stories Awards Best Romantic Ebook category. In 2018 Forgive Me Not, heralded a new direction into darker women’s fiction with publisher Canelo. In 2019 she was shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists’ Association romantic comedy award.

http://samanthatonge.co.uk/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamTongeWriter
Instagram: @samanthatongeauthor 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SamanthaTongeAuthor

Publication: 1st July 2019 (eBook, hardback); 31st October 2019 – Quercus

Meet Kitt Hartley: librarian, trilby-wearer, Lady Grey tea-drinker, taker of no nonsense… detective?

It’s a perfectly normal day for Kitt Hartley at her job at the University of the Vale of York library, until Detective Inspector Halloran arrives at her desk to tell her that her best friend, Evie Bowes, is under suspicion of murder. Evie’s ex-boyfriend Owen has been found dead – with a fountain pen stabbed through his heart – and all the evidence points to her.

Kitt knows there is no way Evie could murder anyone – let alone Owen, who she adored. Horrified that the police could have got it so wrong, Kitt decides there’s only one thing to do: she’s going to investigate Owen’s murder herself. She’s read hundreds of mystery novels – how hard can it be?

With the help of her assistant Grace, and the occasional hindrance of the library’s eccentric regulars, Kitt summons up all her investigative powers (absorbed over years of reading everything from Agatha Christie to Ian Rankin) and gets to work.

She soon discovers that down the quaint streets and snickelways of York lie darker doings than she’d ever dreamed, but she needs to watch her step: the murderer is watching her. And they haven’t finished killing yet…

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I’d like to thank Ella Patel and Quercus book for providing me with a copy of the novel and introducing me to this engrossing series. I devoured Murder by the Minster, the first novel featuring Kitt Hartley, a librarian who finds herself investigating a murder.

After a weekend spent drinking with her best friend Evie, Kitt is still recovering on Monday morning when two detectives arrive at her place of work, the library of the University of York. They are investigating the murder of Evie’s ex boyfriend and they suspect that Evie is somehow involved. Eager to prove her best friend’s innocence, Kitt starts investigating on her own, uncovering a truth twistier and more dangerous than she thought.

I loved the protagonist, Kitt Hartley, librarian during the day, detective during the night (and sometimes even during working hours). She is smart and down-to-earth and like Sherlock Holmes, she has her own Watson to help her, or Watsons, plural. Her assistant Grace, a genius in finding out other people’s information online, Evie, suspected of murder, but also ready to prove someone else’s innocence even if it means she may end up in jail, and Ruby, an eighty-something woman who believes to have psychic powers and gets her information on the bus 59. There is no stopping these women as they search for the truth and they create some entertaining and funny moments that made me laugh.

The story is twisty and addictive. I didn’t figure out who the killer was until it was revealed and it was suspenseful until the end. Being a librarian and a bookworm, Kitt makes many literary references which I enjoyed and I also wrote down a few books that I haven’t read and that now I am curious to read.

Crime fans will highly enjoy this engaging cozy mystery and I am already looking forward to reading the second book, A Body in the Bookshop (love this title!!!).

 

Publication: 19th October 2019 (eBook); 12th December 2019 (paperback) – One More Chapter

A December to remember…

Christmas in a Cornish castle? Sign Ivy Starforth up! Hired to kit out the holiday rental as the world’s most Instagramable festive dreamland, there’s only one thing standing in the way of her hefty paycheque – the lord of the manor.

Bill Markham could give Scrooge a run for his money but Ivy is firmly #TeamChristmas…even if her handsome host seems to be doing everything he can to sabotage her staging. Maybe she shouldn’t have stumbled in on him starkers in the hot tub?

As the temperature outside cools, things inside the castle heat up. It’s been a long time since Ivy allowed herself to give in to temptation…surely one little kiss under the mistletoe won’t hurt?

Purchase Links

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cosy-Christmas-Cornwall-heartwarming-Cornish-ebook/dp/B07TVZ8VYV

US – https://www.amazon.com/Cosy-Christmas-Cornwall-heartwarming-Cornish-ebook/dp/B07TVZ8VYV

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I am delighted to welcome you on my stop for the blog tour of A Cosy Christmas in Cornwall, the fantastic new novel by Jane Linfoot. A huge thank you to Rachel for inviting me to join the blog tour and to One More Chapter for providing me with a copy of the novel.

A Christmas atmosphere, a castle in Cornwall, and fun and engaging characters. What more would you want? A Cosy Christmas in Cornwall is my first novel by Jane Linfoot and I really enjoyed it. The plot is fantastic, the engaging storyline that you would find in an entertaining romcom to enjoy during the Christmas period. The protagonist, Ivy Starforth, has been hired by her best friend’s sister to create a Christmas atmosphere worthy to be shared to her millions of followers on Instagram. However, when she arrives to the Cornish castle they rented, she finds out that she has more work to do than expected. And Bill, the owner of the castle, seems keen to make it even more harder… Ivy not only has to come to terms with a past that keeps haunting her, but also with her feelings for Bill who is not a total stranger.

Jane Linfoot described a Christmas that is enjoyable and perfect not only for Instagram. The festive atmosphere really got me in the Christmas spirit and the setting is simply beautiful. I liked the characters, they feel authentic and entertaining and they made me often laugh.

In A Cosy Christmas in Cornwall, Jane Linfoot puts together family, romance, and friendship surrounded by a festive atmosphere that will make you wish it was already Christmas.

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Giveaway to Win a signed Jane Linfoot Book and some chocolate (Open INT)

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/33c69494290/?

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

Jane Linfoot is a best selling author, who lives in a cottage on a Derbyshire hillside with her family and their pets. Although she loves seeing cow noses over the garden wall, she’s happy she can walk to a supermarket.

Jane grew up in North Yorkshire where she spent a lot of her childhood avoiding horizontal gales blowing off the sea and wrote her first book by accident. While she loves to write feel good books that let readers escape, she’s always surprised to hear her stories make people laugh, admits to (occasionally) crying as she writes, and credits her characters for creating their own story lines.

Jane’s garden would be less brambly if she wasn’t on Facebook and Twitter so often. On days when she wants to be really scared, she rides a tandem.

Her recent stand alone novels are all set in and around the (imaginary) seaside village of St Aidan in Cornwall. They are: Ivy’s Cornish Christmas, Edie’s Browne’s Cottage by the Sea, The Little Cornish Kitchen. Her four book Little Wedding Shop series are standalone stories, also set in St Aidan. They are: The Little Wedding Shop by the Sea, Christmas at the Little Wedding Shop, Summer at the Little Wedding Shop and Christmas Promises at the Little Wedding Shop. They are all published by the Harper Impulse and One More Chapter imprints of Harper Collins.

Follow Jane on Twitter @janelinfoot, or find her on her Author Page Facebook or her Personal Page Facebook. She’s also on Instagram, and has lots of Pinterest boards relating to her novels.

 

Publication: 11th October 2019 (eBook); 12th December 2019 (paperback) – One More Chapter

It’s mayhem in Bethlehem…unless they can work together!

Viola Smith plays the viola in an orchestra (yes really!), but this year she’s been asked to stretch her musical talents to organising Notting Hill’s local nativity.
Nate Williams isn’t looking forward to Christmas but as his small daughter, Grace, has the starring role in the show, he’s forced to stop being a Grinch and volunteer with Viola.

With the sparks between them hotter than the chestnuts roasting in Portobello market, Nate and Viola can’t deny their feelings. And as the snow starts to fall over London, they find themselves trapped together in more ways than one…

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I am delighted to welcome you on my stop on the blog tour for Notting Hill in the Snow, the festive and entertaining new novel by Jules Wake. Thank you so much Rachel for inviting me to join the blog tour and One More Chapter for providing me with a copy of the novel.

Last year I read my first Jules Wake’s novel, Covent Garden In The Snow, and I loved it so I was thrilled to see some of the characters make a few appearances in her new fantastic Christmas novel. The protagonist, Viola Smith, plays the Viola for the London Metropolitan Opera Company and following a chance encounter with a handsome man on the tube she finds herself helping organising the nativity at a local school. She was supposed to help just for a few hours a week, but soon Viola finds herself involved not only in the school’s nativity, but with the Williams family, the young adorable Grace and her attractive father Nate.

I ADORED this novel. First of all, I loved the characters. The author made them very realistic and relatable. Viola is altruistic and so authentic. She can’t never say “no” to her family and she is always helping others. I enjoyed her festive mood and her love for Notting Hill and her talks with Grace were my favourite part of the story. Nate is a wonderful prince charming, but my favourite character is Grace. She is smart, wise for her age, and sensible, and, like Viola, I just wanted to hug her and make her happy. 

Another thing I loved about this novel is the setting. Notting Hill is one of my favourite areas in London. I used to go there often and just walk around looking at the streets and the shops. I never had the pleasure to see it covered in snow, but I bet it’s magical.

The plot is romantic and addictive. A young woman falls in love with a single father and his daughter and, of course, it won’t be easy. I enjoyed every moment of the story and the ending was fantastic.

Notting Hill in the Snow is an amazing and refreshing story that will keep you captivated from the first to the last page, a perfect read to enjoy this winter season!

Jules Wake announced at the age of ten that she planned to be a writer. Along the way she was diverted by the glamorous world of PR and worked on many luxury brands and not so luxury brands. This proved fabulous training for writing novels as it provided her with the opportunity to hone her writing and creative skills penning copy on a vast range of subjects from pig farming and watches, sunglasses and skincare through to beer and stationery.

She writes best-selling warm-hearted contemporary fiction for One More Chapter as Jules Wake and under her pen name Julie Caplin, she writes the Romantic Escapes series.

Between them, the two Js have written twelve novels, Notting Hill in the Snow being the latest.

Social Media Links –

Twitter: @Juleswake

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/juleswake.co.uk/

Instagram: juleswakeauthor

Purchase Links

UK  – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Notting-Hill-Snow-heartwarming-uplifting-ebook/dp/B07RNFF9Q1/

US – https://www.amazon.com/Notting-Hill-Snow-heartwarming-uplifting-ebook/dp/B07RNFF9Q1/

Publication: 5th September 2019 – Simon & Schuster UK

A young mother’s sacrifice. A child’s desperate search for the truth . . .

London, 1917

When nineteen-year-old Alice Copeman becomes pregnant, she is forced by her father and stepmother to give up the baby.  She simply cannot be allowed to bring shame upon her family. But all Alice can think about is the small, kitten-like child she gave away, and she mourns the father, a young soldier, so beloved, who will never have the chance to know his daughter.
 
Edith and Philip Burns, a childless couple, yearn for a child of their own. When they secretly adopt a baby girl, Irene, their life together must surely be complete. Irene grows up knowing that she is different from other children, but no one will tell her the full truth.
 
Putting hopes of marriage and children behind her, Alice embarks upon a pioneering medical career, striving to make her way in a male-dominated world. Meanwhile, Irene struggles to define her own life, eventually leaving her Suffolk home to find work in London.
 
As two extraordinary stories intertwine across two decades, will secrets long-buried at last come to light?

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This is such a beautiful read. Set between the two World Wars, it’s the story of two women and the challenges they have to face. Alice Copeman was a nurse in France during World War I when she meets and falls in love with a soldier. Forced by her stepmother to give up for adoption the baby they conceived, Alice throws herself in her studies and in her work. Irene Burns always felt she didn’t belong in her family and she feels different from the other children. As time goes by, Alice works hard to become a successful doctor while Irene moves to London to find herself and her real parents.

I loved the author’s attention to details. Her descriptions are vivid, the historical facts are accurate, and she perfectly captures the society of the time. Both Alice and Irene come from good families. Alice is forced to give up her daughter because her stepmother fears the shame that it would bring to the family. Irene can’t spend time with her only friend Tom because his family is not very respectable. And there is the role of the women and what it is expected from them. Alice’s refusal to change her name after marriage or her role as a doctor helping pregnant women are very inspiring and fit with a time when women where fighting for equal rights.

In The Love Child there are themes of love and friendship, but family is at the centre of the story, especially the relationship between a mother and her daughter. Alice and her stepmother Gwen are completely different character. Gwen is more conservative and disapproves of Alice’s choices, but, even though they are not blood-related and they often argue, we see some kind of close relationship between them. Irene has always felt that her adoptive mother Edith loved her less than her brother Clay (because he is her real son), but their relationship is more complicated than that. And then there is the relationship between Alice and Irene. Who can Irene call her mother, the one who gave birth to her or the one who raised her?

The story is beautiful, moving, and real. I loved the characters, so authentic and engaging. And I loved the author’s writing style. The story and the characters come to life and I could almost imagine it as each scene unfolded. The Love Child is an absolute must-read!

A huge thank you to SJ and Simon and Schuster UK for providing me with a copy of this stunning novel!

Publication: 7th January 2020 – Bloomsbury UK

Find the heir, win the crown.
Win the crown, save the kingdom.

Harper has freed Prince Rhen from the curse that almost destroyed his kingdom. But all is not well; rumours are rife that there is a rival heir with a stronger claim to the throne and that ‘Princess’ Harper of Disi is nothing but a fraud.

Grey has fled the castle carrying a terrible secret. When he is discovered by soldiers and returned to Ironrose by force, Grey’s allegiances begin to shift. And as he grows closer to an enemy princess, he is forced to decide whether he will stand against Rhen for the crown he never wanted.

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I was thrilled when I received an early copy of A Heart So Fierce and Broken because I adored A Curse So Dark and Lonely and I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. So I am very thankful to Emily and Bloomsbury UK for sending me a beautiful proof.

For those who haven’t read A Curse So Dark and Lonely (and I highly recommend that you do!), it is the story of Prince Rhen, heir to the throne of Emberfall, cursed to repeat his eighteenth year over and over again, and Harper the girl from Washington DC that could (or could not) break his curse. In its sequel, A Heart So Fierce and Broken, the author focuses on who was my favourite character in the first book: Grey.

In A Curse So Dark and Lonely, Grey was Commander of the royal guard and only companion to Rhen during the curse. He was also “Scary Grey”, he was trustworthy and loyal to Rhen and to the crown. Now he is hiding a secret that could destroy him and that it tests his loyalty and makes him question everything he believe in.

And there is Lia Mara. A princess who thinks that words and not swords will bring peace among her people, but the queen doesn’t agree with her and she has to prove herself repeatedly and win over her affection. Lia Mara reminded me of Harper: compassionate, impulsive, fearless, caring, and selfless, she is willing to sacrifice herself and her happiness for others.

Told mainly from Grey and Lia Mara’s points of views, the story is compelling, addictive, and full of surprises with loyalties and friendships being tested. Harper and Rhen make a few appearances. Harper is still the same caring and impulsive girl that she was in the first book, but now she is also a princess. The curse left Rhen scared and scarred and he is ready to do anything to protect his throne. I was happy to see more of Jacob and Noah. They are a fantastic couple and they add some humour to the story. A perfect and worthy sequel to A Curse So Dark and Lonely, A Heart So Fierce and Broken left me completely engrossed (I read it on the tube and missed my stop realizing it only three stops later!) and eager to see how what is going to happen in the third novel. Highly recommended!!!

 

 

 

 

Publication: 3rd October 2019 (eBook); 12th December 2019 (paperback) – One More Chapter

Whatever you do, don’t open the door…
 
By day, Ellie Power has a normal life. She has a stable home, a loving boyfriend, a future.
 
But at night, she suffers from a sleep disorder. She becomes angry, unpredictable, violent. Her mother locks Ellie in her bedroom every night, to keep them both safe.
 
Then one morning, Ellie wakes up, horrified to find the lock on her bedroom door smashed from the inside. She is covered in injuries, unable to remember anything about the night before.
 
And her boyfriend Matt is nowhere to be found…

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What surprised me most about Lock Me In is that it’s a debut. I couldn’t believe that this twisty and dark thriller was the first novel of the author that kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading.

The protagonist of the novel is Ellie, a nineteen-year-old girl with a huge secret. She suffers from a serious dissociative condition in which her alter ego Siggy makes bad things that Ellie can’t never remember. For this reason, her mother locks her in her room every night and she can’t lead a normal life. The only people to know about her condition are her mother Christine, her boyfriend Matt and Ben Mae, a police detective who, one day, is called to investigate Matt’s disappearance. However, this is not Ben and Ellie’s first meeting…

What I loved most about this novel is that nothing is what it seems and I was continuously taken by surprise by the many twists and revelations that the author put in when you less expected it. Also, I loved the unreliability of the protagonist. Are Ellie’s dreams simple nightmares or are they memories of a past she has blocked out? While the plot focuses on the mystery of Ellie, Ben Mae’s personal life also takes stage centre and makes a compelling and thought-provoking storyline.

If Kate Simants managed to create such an elaborate and unique plot for her first novel, I can’t wait to see what she has planned next. A must-read!

A huge thank you to One More Chapter for providing me with a copy of this novel.

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Kate Simants was so nice to answer a few questions about her debut novel Lock Me In and herself…

1. Hi Kate. Tell us about your new novel, Lock Me In.

It’s about a young woman, Ellie, who suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder. Sometimes, at night, she is taken over by a different personality, who she and her mother refer to as Siggy. Siggy is violent and aggressive, and as a result, Ellie’s mother locks Ellie into her bedroom every night to keep them both safe. But one morning Ellie wakes up to find that the lock is broken, and she is covered in mud and injuries that she can’t explain or remember sustaining. And her boyfriend has disappeared.

2. What inspired you to write this novel?

That’s actually a tougher question that it seems – the book has gone through so many incarnations to get to the version that’s going to be in readers’ hands! I think I have an interest in the intense relationship some girls and women have with their mothers, so part of it was definitely formed from that: what if you still relied on your mother for safety into adulthood. But it’s also a lot about identity, and how our true identity can be so heavily shaped by the people around us.

3. Did you do any specific research for the book?

Yes, loads. I have a great fear of appropriation – taking someone else’s experience and misrepresenting it in some way, or disrespecting it. So I read a huge amount about DID and the other subjects in the book (some of which I can’t mention for spoiler reasons!) before I felt qualified to reference them.

4. Was there a particular part of the novel that was really difficult to write for you?

That’s a great question – the answer is yes, there is a chapter towards the end from Ellie’s mother’s point of view that found enormously emotional. I actually wrote this chapter right at the start of the process, and then trained my sights on getting to that scene, if that makes sense. But putting that character through the raw trauma of what happened was really hard to do.

5. Can you describe Lock Me In in 3 adjectives?

Dark, twisty, emotional

6. How long did it take to write the novel and how many drafts did you write?

Honestly, it’s so hard to answer this: I started it about 5 years ago but in that time I’ve also had small children to bring up almost full-time, plus jobs, plus doing an MA, so it’s not like it was five solid years. In terms of drafts: maybe five or six major drafts. I tell myself I’m a planner, but then I go off on a tangent. There were several significant thematic changes between these versions, and the plot and motivations within have changed enormously. I don’t make things easy for myself!

7. What does your average writing day look like?

When it’s going well, I get up at 5.30 or 6 and get going before the kids are up. But beyond that I scrabble around for whatever time I can get hold of, in between work and childcare, just like any working mum. I struggle to concentrate enough to get much done when there’s anything else going on, which contributes to me being a little slow I think!

8. Who are some of your own favorite authors at the moment? 

I’ve been going after a lot of non-fiction recently for some reason but memorable novels I’ve read in the last few month are Clare Empson’s (Him and Mine – she’s a huge talent), Big Sky by Kate Atkinson, and I’ve been gobbling up Belinda Bauer’s back catalogue! I love Tana French too, and Adrian McKinty’s Sean Duffy novels.

9. When did you decide to write and what prompted you to start?

I think I’d always been a bit of a storyteller but I really only started properly about 12 years ago when I was disillusioned with job in TV. I was talking to a dear friend who’d recently retrained in psychology and she said ‘why don’t you just write?’. Somehow, despite being a prolific reader, it hadn’t actually occurred to me before that.

10. Can you tell us a bit about your plans for the future?

My second novel, The Knocks, won the Bath Novel Award last week and is out on submission to publishers at the moment, so hopefully someone will pick that up. The book I’m working on now though is a blend of psychological thriller elements and Elizabethan themes, I’m having a lot of fun getting stuck in to it! Watch this space…

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Kate Simants was born in Devon. After studying English at university, she worked in TV production in London for ten years, specialising in undercover investigations (which was much less glamorous than it sounds), then moved from her little boat on the Thames to a bigger boat on the Avon to start a family and concentrate on writing. She holds two MAs in creative writing from Brunel University and the University of East Anglia, and has been shortlisted for the Crime Writers’ Association Debut Dagger and the Bath Novel Award, and won the UEA Literary Festival Prize. Kate is now a land-lubber and lives between Bristol and Bath with her family and demented cat. She is a committed faddist, and her current interests include roller-skating, macrame, and Persian cookery. To get in touch, tweet her at @katesboat or visit her website at katesimants.co.uk.

 

Publication: 17th October 2019 – Headline Review

What would you do if you received a love letter that wasn’t meant for you?

Bea used to feel confident, outgoing and fun, but she’s not sure where that person went.
Over the last few months, she’s found herself becoming reclusive and withdrawn. And despite living with her two best friends, she’s never felt lonelier. To make things worse, she’s become so dependent on her daily routine, she’s started to slip out of everyone else’s.

But when a mysterious battered envelope covered in stars lands on her doormat, Bea wonders if she could find the courage to open it.

It isn’t addressed to her, but it could be… if you squinted…

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I am delighted to welcome you on my stop on the blog tour for The Accidental Love Letter, the heart-warming and entertaining new novel by Olivia Beirne. I’d like to thank Anne Cater for inviting me to join the blog tour and Headline for providing me with a proof copy of the novel.

Let me start by saying that I loved the protagonist of the novel. Bea Smyth is altruistic, authentic, and so sweet… I just wanted to hug her and tell her that everything is going to be okay. She is a young woman who lives with her three best friend, she works as an assistant for the local newspaper, and she has a neighbour that collects her mail and one day she gives her a love letter mistakenly address it to her. Opening the letter will change her life as she finds herself volunteering at the local nursing home and befriending and taking care of engaging and witty residents.

The story is beautiful and well-written. The author brings the characters to life and you can’t help but like them (although there were also a few I found irritating). As I mentioned, the protagonist is adorable. She is a bit reclusive and introvert, but she doesn’t back down when it comes to helping others. Her character is slowly revealed, giving her a bit of a mysterious air, but the more I read the more I came to understand her and like her and I loved how she grows throughout the story.

Family, love, friendship, loss are all themes the author addresses creating emotional and uplifting moments. This is my first novel by Olivia Beirne, but it certainly won’t be the last, and if you are looking for a feel-good and enjoyable novel that I highly recommend you pick The Accidental Love Letter!

Olivia Beirne is the bestselling author of The List That Changed My Life and lives in Buckinghamshire. She has worked as a waitress, a pottery painter and a casting assistant, but being a writer is definitely her favourite job yet.
You can keep in touch with Olivia through her website oliviabeirne.co.uk, or via Olivia_Beirne on Twitter, olivia.beirne on Instagram and /Olivia-Beirne on Facebook.