Dead Eyed by Matt Brolly

DCI Michael Lambert thought he’d closed his last case until he’s passed a file detailing a particularly gruesome murder, Michael knows that this is no ordinary killer at work.  The gruesome removal of the victim’s eyes and the Latin inscription of "In occulis animus habitat" - the soul dwells in the eyes carved into the chest is the chilling calling-card of the ‘soul jacker’.  This is a cold-blooded murderer who struck close to Michael once before.  It's been eighteen years since the last murder so is it a copycat or has the original serial killer resurfaced??  Michael has been out of work on leave for two years, he's has his own issues and personal tragedy to deal with throughout the story too, his marriage is also crumbling.  Can he deal with all this amongst taking this case on to track down the serial killer or will he crumble as the body count increases??

This is Matt Brolly's debut novel and what a debut it was, it was brilliant, it had me gripped from the first few pages right through to the end, there were some great twists and turns too.  I didn't know who to trust or not to trust.  I thought I'd worked out who the 'soul jacker' was but I was completely wrong. I didn't just like it, I LOVED it, it was face paced and couldn't swipe the pages on my Kindle quick enough, it definitely didn't disappoint.  I have Matt's second book, Dead Lucky in my TBR pile and hopefully it won't be too long until I get to it and can get acquainted with DCI Michael Lambert again. 

I'd highly recommend this book if you're a fan of thriller/crime genre and if you're a fan of Angela Marsons, Tony Parsons and Lee Child then Dead Eyed is for you.


Dead Eyed is available on Kindle and is currently 99p at the time of publication of this review.

The Good Kind of Bad by Rita Brassington

Thanks to Rita Brassington who contacted me through Twitter asking if I could read and review her book for her.  As I had a huge TBR pile already, Rita was happy and patient enough to wait and I was very grateful too about this so I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review........

Secrets don't stay secret for long... 

Meet Mrs Petrozzi, she's just married Joe whom she'd only met 3 weeks previously in a bar where she'd ditched her fiancé at the altar and escaped to Chicago away from her family where she was the perfect daughter, the perfect girlfriend and set to become the perfect wife but this time around there was no chance of her getting cold feet.

Married life starts out perfect, there’s the new job, a gorgeous, mysterious husband and money's definitely no issue. So what if she’s kept a few secrets from Joe – like where all her money came from but Joe’s been keeping secrets from her, too but they may just get her killed.......

I didn't like this book, I LOVED it.  It was a little slow to start off with but then bang it was so fast paced that I couldn't stop my finger swiping the pages on the Kindle and couldn't put it down.  It had everything, it was full of action, thrills, I didn't know who I could trust and who not to trust.  The character's were well written and developed throughout the story too. I have to admit that there were a couple of parts that were a bit graphic which I squirmed at when I was reading but it definitely didn't disappoint. It was a pulse pounding and heart thumping rollercoaster ride.

This is Rita Brassington's debut novel and I'm really looking forward to reading more of her work, no pressure intended.

The Good Kind of Bad is available on Kindle and is currently £1.99 at the time of publication of this review so grab it while you can, you won't be disappointed so don't say I never told you so!!!

The Perfect Gift by Emma Hannigan

Thanks to LoveReading.Co.UK and Headline, I received an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review..............

Róisín is a very successful woman who owns her own business ~ Nourriture - Food For The Soul.  She is almost thirty and ever since she could remember Róisín has received a birthday card in the post from her birthmother whom she never met. Róisín was adopted when she was a baby and brought up by Keeley and Doug, her adoptive parents but on her thirtieth birthday she receives a letter that's going to change her world forever and especially for Keeley who's raised Róisín as her own is reminded that she is also been holding onto a secret of her own for thirty years.

Meet Nell, she lives in a lighthouse keeping watch of her past that she rarely goes but when one day a runaway arrives seeking warmth and shelter, Nell takes her in where she learns the young runaway has had a bad start in life but Nell decides to take her under her wing and they begin to bond. Will Nell be able to right the wrongs of her past??

I didn't just like it, I really LOVED it.  It is a very bittersweet and heart-warming read, the story flows well throughout the book. I really enjoyed Emma's book which I read in a couple of days, it kept me turning the pages until the very end. This story had it all a little bit of humor, love, betrayal, family, protectiveness to more sensitive and hard-hitting issues - I found I had a little tear in my eye at the end along with shedding a few along the way, so grab this book, curl up on the couch with a box of chocolates and prepare to have a few lump in your throat moments too. It definitely didn't disappoint. Now, I'm off to make an attempt of these Chocolate Truffles for my Mum and I to gorge on........

The Perfect Gift is available on Kindle and in all good bookstores on 18th February 2016.

Mean Sisters by Lindsay Emory - COVER REVEAL

Hi Everyone,

I was really excited to receive an email from Helen Sheffield from Avon Books UK/Harper Collins last week asking me amongst other book bloggers to do a cover reveal for this upcoming book so I'd like to say a huge thanks to Helen from Avon Books UK/Harper Collins for been given this huge opportunity to host the cover reveal for Mean Girls by Lindsay Emory is due to be released on Kindle on the 17th March 2016 and I for one am REALLY excited about this and really can't wait to read it.

So without further ado, here it is......................

A sassy, hilariously funny murder mystery where the closest bonds of friendship might just kill you…!

Margot Blythe is a twenty-something year old who can’t seem to let her college glory days go. After all, everyone deserves a family of ‘sisters’ like she had. When she’s invited to speak at her alma mater, her homecoming reception isn’t exactly what she expected. Tragedy strikes and Margot has to step up, especially when foul play is suspected.

She’s going to save her fifty frazzled ‘sisters’, keep the suspicious (but dangerously cute) police officer at bay and find out the truth – could a sister have committed such an unimaginable sin as murder?

Margot is going to learn the real bond of sisterhood and maybe, just maybe, discover where she truly belongs.

The Girl Who Walked in the Shadows by Marnie Riches - COVER REVEAL

Hi Everyone,

I was really excited to receive an email from Helen Sheffield from Avon Books UK/Harper Collins last week asking me amongst other book bloggers to do a cover reveal for this upcoming book so I'd like to say a huge thanks to Helen from Avon Books UK/Harper Collins for been given this huge opportunity to host the cover reveal for The Girl Who Walked in the Shadows by Marnie Riches which is her third novel in the series and is due to be released on Kindle on the 31st March 2016 and I for one am REALLY excited about this and really can't wait to read it.

So without further ado, here it is......................

Europe is in the grip of an extreme Arctic blast and at the mercy of a killer, who leaves no trace. His weapons of choice are razor-sharp icicles. This is Jack Frost.

Now a fully qualified criminologist, Georgina McKenzie is called upon by the Dutch police to profile this cunning and brutal murderer. Are they looking for a hit man or a frenzied serial-killer? Could there be a link to a cold missing persons’ case that George had worked with Chief Inspector Paul van den Bergen – two abducted toddlers he could never quite give up on?

The hunt for Jack Frost sparks a dangerous, heart-rending journey through the toughest neighbourhoods in Europe, where refugees and Romani gypsies scratch a living on the edge of society. Walking into the dark, violent world of a trans-national trafficking ring, can George outrun death to shed light on two terrible mysteries?

The Girl In The Ice by Robert Bryndza

Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley, I received an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review.........

When a young boy stumbles upon a dead body beneath a thick sheet of ice in a lake in a South London park, her eyes are wide open, her lips parted as if to speak.  Her dead body frozen in the ice but she is not the only one.....

The victim is discovered to be a beautiful young socialite and appeared to have the perfect life.  She is the daughter of a member of the Government and is regarded as quite an influential figure with everything including the police force.

Detective Erika Foster is called in to lead the murder investigation and when Erika begins to dig deeper into the investigation, she starts to connect the dots between the murder and the killings of three prostitutes, all found strangled, hands bound and dumped in water around London.  The last investigation Erika led went badly wrong but now she must battle her own personal demons as well as a killer more deadly than any she’s faced before.  But will she get to him before he strikes again??  As Erika inches closer to uncovering the truth, the killer is closing in on Erika but what dark secrets is the girl in the ice hiding???

WOW!!!  What a novel The Girl In The Ice was, I didn't think Robert  Bryndza could write such a great crime book as I only discovered that he'd previously written humor and comedy books but how wrong was I, it was absolutely fantastic.  I read it at break neck speed too.  The Girl In The Ice was brilliant, it was well written and cleverly constructed. I didn't know who to trust and was a little shocked when the killer was revealed.  The killer was everything you'd expect with a killer  - cold, calculating, manipulating and has no regard for anyone's feelings or who they hurt on their path of destruction.  As we discover in the first book of this series that Detective Erika Foster has her own hidden past and her own demons to deal with.  I will admit that I found parts of the story made my heart thump but it definitely didn't disappoint.  I am really looking forward to Robert's next book already which has the title of The Night Stalker where I'm hoping it won't be too long until another Detective Erika Foster novel is upon us.

Robert Bryndza is definitely an author to watch.  I'd HIGHLY recommend this novel if you're a fan of Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbott  and Mark Billingham and it is currently only £0.99 on Kindle at the moment so grab it while you can, you won't be disappointed so don't say I never told you so!!!

The Girl In The Ice is available on Kindle from 12th February 2016.

Heart Conditions by Phoebe Fox (The Breakup Doctor #3)

Thanks to the author Phoebe Fox, Henery Press and Netgalley, I received an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review............

Brook Ogden is the Breakup Doctor in Florida, she gives relationship advice to people whom have recently broken up with someone and can't move on with their lives and helps out couples whom are going through bad patches.  She was dating Ben Garrett but makes a disastrous decision that led to her unconscious uncoupling with boyfriend Ben. Despite advising her clients you can’t be friends with an ex, she and Ben have managed to start to stitch together a friendship with Brook hoping it'll turn into more than that that's until Ben introduces his new girlfriend Pamela to her, whom is perfect in every way that Brook isn't.

Brook tries to navigates through her newly volatile emotional life, an unwelcome surprise shows up on her doorstep, the ex-fiancé Michael, who broke her heart two years ago—one month before their wedding.  Between her ex’s desire to rekindle their attachment, her best friend Sasha’s unexpected crisis who is also dating Brook's brother, and her own  feelings for Ben, Brook finds herself questioning her personal progress she’s made in the last two years and threatened with the highest-stakes Breakup Doctor failures she’s ever faced, maybe it's time she took her own advice she gives out......

I didn't like this, I LOVED it, it was definitely the light read that I needed as I'd been reading alot of heavy thriller books lately so Heart Conditions was a fun and welcome read.  I flew through it, it's the kind of book that you'd read in a few hours.  I found myself giggling to myself in parts too.  As I said it is set in Florida and as I was reading it I was reminiscing about the times I used to go to Florida on holidays with my parents and could imagine myself been back there whilst reading it.  Heart Conditions is the 3rd book in the Breakup Doctor series, the others been The Breakup Doctor and Bedside Manners but can be read as a stand alone too.  I am really looking forward to reading more from Phoebe and I'd recommend this is you're looking for a fun, uplifting and quick read.

Heart Conditions is published on Kindle on the 9th February 2016 and is currently £3.32 at the time of publication of this review but this Tuesday the 9th February, Phoebe's publisher is putting the first book, The Breakup Doctor on sale for 99 cents this week and here are the links:

Amazon ~ http://bit.ly/AmazonBreakupDoctor
B & N ~ http://bit.ly/BreakupDoctorBN
Kobo ~ http://bit.ly/BreakupDoctorKobo
iTunes ~ http://bit.ly/BreakupDociTunes

The Girl You Lost by Kathryn Croft

Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley, I received an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review..........


Eighteen years ago your baby daughter was snatched. Today, she came back......

Eighteen years ago, Simone Porter and husband, Matt had a baby named Helena but six months later she was abducted.  Throughout the years they have slowly rebuilt their shattered lives, but the pain at losing their child has never left them.

Then one day a young woman, Grace, appears out of the blue and tells Simone she has information about her stolen baby.  But just who is Grace – and can Simone and Matt trust her or is there something more sinister brewing??
When Grace herself disappears, Simone becomes embroiled in a deadly game of cat and mouse where a desperate search for her daughter and the woman who has vital clues about her whereabouts ensues. Simone is inching closer to the truth but it’ll take her into dangerous and disturbing territory. Simone lost her baby. Will she lose her life trying to find her???

I didn't just like it, I LOVED it and it definitely didn't disappoint. It was brilliant, it had me gripped from the first few pages right through to the end, there were some great twists and turns too. I even had to slow down reading it as I didn't want it to end.  I had my suspicions about certain characters as I was reading but that ending I really wasn't expecting it at all. If you're looking for a psychological thriller to curl up too well I'd definitely recommend The Girl You Lost.  This is Kathryn Croft's forth novel, The Girl With No Past, The Stranger Within and Behind Closed Doors been the others and I'll definitely be reading more of Kathryn's work.

The Girl you Lost is published and available on Kindle on 5th February 2016 and from all good bookstores.  It is currently £1.99 on Kindle at the time of publication of this review.

Viral by Helen Fitzgerald

Thanks to Sophie Porter and Faber & Faber, I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review..........

What if the worst thing you did went Viral..........

So far, twenty-three thousand and ninety six people have seen her online. They include her mother, her father, her little sister, her grandmother, her other grandmother, her grandfather, her boss, her sixth year Biology teacher and her boyfriend James.

Meet Leah Oliphant-Brotheridge and her adopted sister Su, they go on holiday together with two other friends to Magaluf to celebrate cojmpleting their A-levels but only Leah returns home.   Su is ashamed and embarrassed as she drunkenly performed a sex act in a nightclub and there is an online video of her and everyone has seen it so she goes into hiding.  Leah and Su's mother  is a very successful court judge is furious wondering how could this have happened to her daughter?  Why did Leah allow this to happen to Su?  The questions are endless.  Can Ruth find  Su and bring her back home when Su doesn't want to be found??

Well, the opening line in this book is definitely going to hook you and I can't put it in the review so you'll have to find out for yourself.  Leah is a bit of a bitch towards Su but Su loves Leah and only wants to be accepted and loved by her sister.  I really didn't like Leah when I started reading it and felt so sorry for Su but as the story develops I felt empathy for Leah after the incident as she tried to find her sister and the way her mother treated her too.  It makes your realise how dangerous the internet and mobile phones can be with a bit of alcohol thrown into the mix and how fast something can spread when posted online.  It was an interesting story and read it within 24 hours as I was curious to see how it would pan out but it didn't turn out the way I'd hoped  but I did enjoy Viral even though I felt there was no real justice for Su after what happened to her.  I can see this book been on many peoples sunloungers whilst abroad this Summer.  This is the first book I've read by Helen Fitzgerald and it definitely won't be my last either.

Viral is available on Kindle and in all good bookstores from 2nd February 2016.  It is currently £2.01 on Kindle at the time of publication of this review.

After The Lie by Kerry Fisher ~ COVER REVEAL

Hi Everyone,

I was really excited to receive an email from Kim Nash  last night asking me amongst other book bloggers to do a cover reveal for this upcoming book so I'd like to say a huge thanks to Kim from Bookouture for been given this huge opportunity to host the cover reveal for After The Lie by Kerry Fisher which is her third novel and is due to be released on Kindle on the 29th April and I really can't wait to read it.  All the details are below so you can pre-order it on Kindle.

So without further ado, here it is......................

An addictive and gripping read about love, life and living a lie … 

One little lie can make one big difference … 

Lydia has the ‘right’ kind of friends, her children are at the ‘right’ kind of school and she’s married to the ‘right’ sort of man – kind, steady, reliable Mark. Her wedding business is flourishing and even though she is at loggerheads with her mother, she couldn’t ask for anything more from life. 

But the truth is that Lydia has been lucky. She has been living a lie for years and Mark has no idea who he is really married to. But nothing lasts forever and the past has a funny way of catching up with the present. When the person who knows all of Lydia’s dark little secrets turns up at the school gates, his presence threatens to blow Lydia’s life apart. 

What is Lydia’s terrible truth? Once the secret is out, you can’t put it back … 

Publication date: 29th April 2016.

Available to pre-order now. 

UK: http://amzn.to/1KPGZ8L 

US: http://amzn.to/1NJz4d0 

About Kerry Fisher 

Born in Peterborough, Kerry Fisher studied French and Italian at Bath University, followed by several years working as an English teacher in Corsica and Spain before topping the dizzying heights of holiday rep and grape picker in Tuscany. She eventually succumbed to 'getting a proper job' and returned to England to study Periodical Journalism at City University. After two years working in the features department at Essentials magazine in London, love carried her off to the wilds of the West Pennine moors near Bolton. She now lives in Surrey with her husband (of whisking off to Bolton fame), two teenagers and a very naughty lab/schnauzer called Poppy. Kerry can often be seen trailing across the Surrey Hills whistling and waving pieces of chicken while the dog practises her 'talk to the tail'.

Kerry has spent half her life talking about writing a novel, then several years at Candis magazine reviewing other people's but it wasn't until she took some online courses with the UCLA (University of California) that the dream started to morph into reality, culminating in the publishing of The Class Ceiling. The Avon imprint of HarperCollins picked it up and retitled it The School Gate Survival Guide, published summer 2014. Her second book, The Island Escape, came out in May 2015. It won first prize at the York Festival of Writing for the opening line: 'I was wearing the wrong bra for sitting in a police cell'.

Best advice ever received: 'This is fiction, we can skip the boring bits.' Lynn Hightower, UCLA Writers' Program.

Website: www.kerryfisherauthor.com

Follow her on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/kerryfswayne 

Like her page on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/kerryfisherauthor